Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Central and Peripheral GABAA Receptor Regulation of the Heart Rate Depends on the Conscious State of the Animal

Intuitively one might expect that activation of GABAergic inhibitory neurons results in bradycardia. In conscious animals the opposite effect is however observed. GABAergic neurons in nucleus ambiguus hold the ability to control the activity of the parasympathetic vagus nerve that innervates the heart. Upon GABA activation the vagus nerve will be inhibited leaving less parasympathetic impact on the heart. The picture is however blurred in the presence of anaesthesia where both the concentration and type of anaesthetics can result in different effects on the cardiovascular system. This paper reviews cardiovascular outcomes of GABA activation and includes own experiments on anaesthetized animals and isolated hearts. In conclusion, the impact of changes in GABAergic input is very difficult to predict in these settings, emphasizing the need for experiments performed in conscious animals when aiming at determining the cardiovascular effects of compounds acting on GABAergic neurons.
NS1 Protein Secretion during the Acute Phase of West Nile Virus Infection

ABSTRACT The West Nile virus (WNV) nonstructural protein NS1 is a protein of unknown function that is found within, associated with, and secreted from infected cells. We systematically investigated the kinetics of NS1 secretion in vitro and in vivo to determine the potential use of this protein as a diagnostic marker and to analyze NS1 secretion in relation to the infection cycle. A sensitive antigen capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detection of WNV NS1 (polyclonal-ACE) was developed, as well as a capture ELISA for the specific detection of NS1 multimers (4G4-ACE). The 4G4-ACE detected native NS1 antigens at high sensitivity, whereas the polyclonal-ACE had a higher specificity for recombinant forms of the protein. Applying these assays we found that only a small fraction of intracellular NS1 is secreted and that secretion of NS1 in tissue culture is delayed compared to the release of virus particles. In experimentally infected hamsters, NS1 was detected in the serum between days 3 and 8 postinfection, peaking on day 5, the day prior to the onset of clinical disease; immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies were detected at low levels on day 5 postinfection. Although real-time PCR gave the earliest indication of infection (day 1), the diagnostic performance of the 4G4-ACE was comparable to that of real-time PCR during the time period when NS1 was secreted. Moreover, the 4G4-ACE was found to be superior in performance to both the IgM and plaque assays during this time period, suggesting that NS1 is a viable early diagnostic marker of WNV infection.
Effect of spatial, temporal, and velocity resolution on doppler tissue image derived indices

Many indices derived from color Roppler Tissue Imaging (UTI) are computed mathematically from the velociy fields provided by the ultrasound scanner We developed a procedure for assessing the uncertainty that temporal, spatial, and velociry resolution causes on cardiovascular parameter5 derived from myocardial velociry. A first-order Taylor's series for the functional relationship between velocity and the cardiac index under study is proposed, and analytically solved by using the chain rule. Pedormance on myocardial acceleration, strain, and strain rate, was tested both on a simulation model (symbolic calculations) and on a clinical image example. Velociry and temporal resolutions were the most determinant on DTI-derived parameters, and increasing color-Doppler bit-depth from 5 to 7 bils reduced to less than 10% the uncertainty of all the analyzed indices. Taylor-based error bounds are a useful tool tu assess the effect of resolution on quantitative cardiovascular indices derived from tissue velocity measurements.
Distance Patterns in Structural Similarity

Similarity of edge labeled graphs is considered in the sense of minimum squared distance between corresponding values. Vertex correspondences are established by isomorphisms if both graphs are of equal size and by subisomorphisms if one graph has fewer vertices than the other. Best fit isomorphisms and subisomorphisms amount to solutions of quadratic assignment problems and are computed exactly as well as approximately by minimum cost flow, linear assignment relaxations and related graph algorithms.
On the mechanics of thin films and growing surfaces

Many living structures are coated by thin films, which have distinct mechanical properties from the bulk. In particular, these thin layers may grow faster or slower than the inner core. Differential growth creates a balanced interplay between tension and compression and plays a critical role in enhancing structural rigidity. Typical examples with a compressive outer surface and a tensile inner core are the petioles of celery, caladium, or rhubarb. While plant physiologists have studied the impact of tissue tension on plant rigidity for more than a century, the fundamental theory of growing surfaces remains poorly understood. Here, we establish a theoretical and computational framework for continua with growing surfaces and demonstrate its application to classical phenomena in plant growth. To allow the surface to grow independently of the bulk, we equip it with its own potential energy and its own surface stress. We derive the governing equations for growing surfaces of zero thickness and obtain their spatial discretization using the finite-element method. To illustrate the features of our new surface growth model we simulate the effects of growth-induced longitudinal tissue tension in a stalk of rhubarb. Our results demonstrate that different growth rates create a mechanical environment of axial tissue tension and residual stress, which can be released by peeling off the outer layer. Our novel framework for continua with growing surfaces has immediate biomedical applications beyond these classical model problems in botany: it can be easily extended to model and predict surface growth in asthma, gastritis, obstructive sleep apnoea, brain development, and tumor invasion. Beyond biology and medicine, surface growth models are valuable tools for material scientists when designing functionalized surfaces with distinct user-defined properties.
Maternal influence on negative interactions in children's friendships

The present study examined the associations among mothers' direct interventions in their children's peer interactions, called maternal friendship facilitation, and negative interactions in children's best friendships. Participants were 347 fifth-grade children and their mothers. Drawing on three theoretical perspectives, it was hypothesized that higher levels of friendship facilitation strategies would be related to lower levels of negative interactions and that the strength of these associations would be stronger for boys than for girls. It was also hypothesized that associations between friendship facilitation strategies and negative interactions would be mediated by the strength of children's attachment to peers. Two types of friendship facilitation were negatively associated with negative interactions: talk and encouragement, and meeting other parents. However, these associations were significant only for girls. Peer attachment did not mediate the associations between friendship facilitation strategies and negative interactions.
A dual-space model of iteratively deepening exploratory learning

Abstract When users of interactive computers must work with new software without formal training, they rely on strategies for “exploratory learning”. These include trial and error, asking for help from other users, and looking for information in printed and on-line documentation. This paper describes a cognitive model of exploratory learning, which covers both trial-and-error and instruction-taking activities. The model, implemented in Soar, is grounded in empirical data of subjects in a task-oriented, trial-and-error exploratory learning situation. A key empirical finding reflected in the model is the repeated scanning of a subset of the available menu items, with increased attention to items on each successive scan. This is explained in terms of dual search spaces, the external interface and the user's internal knowledge, both of which must be tentatively explored with attention to changing costs and benefits. The model implements this dual-space search by alternating between external scanning and internal comprehension, a strategy that gradually shifts its focus to a potentially productive route through an interface. Ways in which interfaces might be designed to capitalize on this behaviour are suggested. The research demonstrates how cognitive modelling can describe behaviour of the kind discussed by theories of “situated cognition”.
Insulin kinetics in type-1 diabetes: continuous and bolus delivery of rapid acting insulin

We investigated insulin lispro kinetics with bolus and continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) modes of insulin delivery. Seven subjects with type-1 diabetes treated by CSII with insulin lispro have been studied during prandial and postprandial conditions over 12 hours. Eleven alternative models of insulin kinetics have been proposed implementing a number of putative characteristics. We assessed 1) the effect of insulin delivery mode, i.e., bolus or basal, on the insulin absorption rate, the effects of 2) insulin association state and 3) insulin dose on the rate of insulin absorption, 4) the remote insulin effect on its volume of distribution, 5) the effect of insulin dose on insulin disappearance, 6) the presence of insulin degradation at the injection site, and finally 7) the existence of two pathways, fast and slow, of insulin absorption. An iterative two-stage parameter estimation technique was used. Models were validated through assessing physiological feasibility of parameter estimates, posterior identifiability, and distribution of residuals. Based on the principle of parsimony, best model to fit our data combined the slow and fast absorption channels and included local insulin degradation. The model estimated that 67(53-82)% [mean (interquartile range)] of delivered insulin passed through the slow absorption channel [absorption rate 0.011(0.004-0.029) min/sup -1/] with the remaining 33% passed through the fast channel [absorption rate 0.021(0.011-0.040) min/sup -1/]. Local degradation rate was described as a saturable process with Michaelis-Menten characteristics [V/sub MAX/=1.93(0.62-6.03) mU min/sup -1/, K/sub M/=62.6(62.6-62.6) mU]. Models representing the dependence of insulin absorption rate on insulin disappearance and the remote insulin effect on its volume of distribution could not be validated suggesting that these effects are not present or cannot be detected during physiological conditions.
Occupational Therapy's Role with Victims of Domestic Violence

ABSTRACT Occupational therapists encounter individuals who are victims of domestic violence in many different settings. The role of the occupational therapist with each client depends on that client's specific needs, the treatment setting, and the skills and beliefs of the therapist. This article presents a theoretical argument for why the occupational therapist should choose to be involved in the treatment of domestic violence. The Model of Human Occupation provides a framework for understanding functional issues related to domestic violence. Methods of assessment and treatment are presented using this model. A continuum of levels of involvement including referrals for resources or treatment, direct and indirect treatment and program consultation is offered. Each level is illustrated with case vignettes demonstrating the therapist's role. Issues related to the challenge of working in domestic violence and reasons that women may refuse intervention are also discussed.
Randomized Controlled Trial on Comparison of the Course of Hyperthyroid Patients with and Without Antithyroid Drugs During the Immediate Post Radioactive Iodine Treatment Period

his study was done to compare the clinical course of hyperthyroid patients with and without anti-thyroid drugs immediately post radioactive iodine treatment. Materials and Methods: Patients with mild to moderate hyperthyroidism, aged 18 to 60 years, were divided into 2 groups, those who received RAI plus anti-thyroid (ATD) (propylthiouracil 100 mg q8H) (group A) and those who received RAI only (group B). Fixed doses of 8 mCi 131I were given and symptoms were scored daily for 3 weeks, using 3-severe, 2-moderate, 1-mild scores. Descriptive analysis using mean and standard deviation was used to determine the demographic profiles and Mann Whitney t-test for independent samples was utilized to compare the symptoms between the two groups. All statistical tests were pegged at . 05 alpha level and p-values less than . 05 were considered significant. Results: There were 3 males and 5 females in group A (n=8, mean age: 38±12.82 yrs) and 2 males and 6 females in group B, (n=8, mean age: 41.37±15.14 yrs). TSH was suppressed in both groups and the mean FT4 for group A was 13.87±16.51 pmol/L, and for group B was 28.51±15.86 pmol/L. There was no significant difference in age, FT4 and TSH. Mean scores were as follows: (Group A vs. Group B), week one: 1.36 vs. 1.55 (p=0.01); week two: 1.08 vs. 0.94 (p= 0.110), and week three: 0.71 vs. 0.92 (p= 0.006). A highly significant decrease in symptoms was noted in week three. Conclusion: Analysis of our data showed that patients given ATD immediately post RAI experienced lesser symptoms of thyrotoxicosis during the first and third week after RAI treatment, favoring treatment with ATD.
Semantically Annotated Provenance in the Life Science Grid

Selected semantic annotation on raw provenance data can help bridge the gap between low level provenance events (e.g., service invocations, data creation, message passing) and the high-level view that the user has of his/her investigation (e.g., data retrieval and analysis). In this initial investigation we added semantically annotated provenance to the Life Science Grid, a cyber-infrastructure framework supporting interactive data exploration and automated data analysis tools, through (i) automated data provenance collection and (ii) automated semantic enrichment of the collected provenance metadata. We use a paradigmatic life sciences use case of interactive data exploration to show that semantically annotated provenance can help users recognize the occurrence of specific patterns of investigation from an otherwise low-level sequence of elementary interaction events.
Local Recurrence After Hepatic Radiofrequency Coagulation: Multivariate Meta-Analysis and Review of Contributing Factors

Objective:The purpose of this study was to analyze the factors that influence local recurrence after radiofrequency coagulation of liver tumors. Summary Background Data:Local recurrence rate varies widely between 2% and 60%. Apart from tumor size as an important risk factor for local recurrence, little is known about the impact of other factors. Methods:An exhaustive literature search was carried out for the period from January 1, 1990 to January 1, 2004. Only series with a minimal follow-up of 6 months and/or mean follow-up of 12 months were included. Univariate and multivariate meta-analyses were carried out. Results:Ninety-five independent series were included, allowing the analysis of the local recurrence rate of 5224 treated liver tumors. In a univariate analysis, tumor-dependent factors with significantly less local recurrences were: smaller size, neuroendocrine metastases, nonsubcapsular location, and location away from large vessels. Physician-dependent favorable factors were: surgical (open or laparoscopic) approach, vascular occlusion, general anesthesia, a 1-cm intentional margin, and a greater physician experience. In a multivariate analysis, significantly less local recurrences were observed for small size (P < 0.001) and a surgical (versus percutaneous) approach (P < 0.001). Conclusions:Radiofrequency coagulation by laparoscopy or laparotomy results in superior local control, independent of tumor size. The percutaneous route should mainly be reserved for patients who cannot tolerate a laparoscopy or laparotomy. The short-term benefits of less invasiveness for the percutaneous route do not outweigh the longer-term higher risk of local recurrence.
Inflammatory Demyelinating Neuropathy Presenting in a Temporal Relationship with the Initiation of Peritoneal Dialysis

demyelinating neuropathy 4 to 10 weeks after initiation of CAPD. We have encountered a similar presentation to add to this literature. The patient was a 41-year-old Caucasian male with a distant history of coccidioidomycosis and a 21-year history of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus with retinopathy and proteinuria. Progressive renal failure was felt to be secondary to diabetic nephropathy and he was initially started on hemodialysis. The patient elected to switch to PD. Approximately 12 weeks later, he reported difficulty rising from a sit ting position, and general weakness progressed over the next 6 weeks until he was unable to rise from bed. Upon hospitalization, it was noted that he had decreased motor strength in both lower extremities (LEs), decreased proprioception, vibratory sensation, and was areflexic. No upper motor neuron signs were present. He underwent electrophysiological testing by our Neurology service which noted absent sensory and motor responses in the distal LEs, marked slowing of nerve conduction velocities, prolonged distal motor latencies, and absent sensory responses in the upper extremities. A lumbar puncture was attempted but unsuccessful due to the patient's large size. The Neurology service felt that the patient had a demyelinating polyneuropathy which they labeled chronic inflammatory demyelinating peripheral neuropathy (CIDP). Plasmapheresis was initiated for a total of five cycles, and the patient significantly improved and was eventually able to ambulate. He remained stable for approximately 4 months, continuing his PD, and then had a recurrence of lower extremity weakness, felt by Neurology, again, to be CIDP. Plasmapheresis was reinstituted with a subsequent improvement. He was switched to hemodialysis and his neurological exam remained relatively stable with a 4+ / 5 lower extremity strength and 2+ /5 dorsiflexion and plantar flexion bilaterally. He has been able to ambulate with a walker for the last 2 years with no further relapses of CIDP. Neither diabetic neuropathy nor uremic polyneuropathy would account for the severity of the neurological deficit in our patient. The prolonged time course differentiated the presentation from that of Gullain-Barre syndrome. Nerve conduction studies and the response to plasmapheresis suggest that CIDP was the correct diagnosis, the onset of which is temporally related to the initiation ofPD. The mechanisms by which PD may trigger a demyelinating neuropathy are unknown. In demyelinating disease, the exact etiology is unclear but may involve multiple environmental and genetic factors. IfPD were involved in triggering T-cell mediated destruction of myelin sheaths, three mechanisms could be postulated. Peritoneal dialysis may Inflammatory Demyelinating Neuropathy Presenting in a Temporal Relationship with the Initiation of Peritoneal Dialysis
Voices in the Struggle: In Response to "'Reining In' Special Education"

In responding to "'Reining In' Special Education," I explore some of the taken-for-granted assumptions about students with disabilities in The New York Times editorials about special education that Nancy Rice critiques in this issue. Next, I attend to other voices in the editorial page in the form of letters to the editor and editorial pages from the Black press as examples of alternative and competing discourses. Because I contend that editorials are designed not just to persuade, but also to provoke response, I examine ways that these voices talk back and talk with dominant ideologies about special education. And, finally, I examine what these texts are trying to tell readers not only to believe, but also what to do about the so-called "problem" of special education.
Comparison between subjective and actigraphic measurement of sleep and sleep rhythms

Sleep is often assessed in circadian rhythm studies and long‐term monitoring is required to detect any changes in sleep over time. The present study aims to investigate the ability of the two most commonly employed methods, actigraphy and sleep logs, to identify circadian sleep/wake disorders and measure changes in sleep patterns over time. In addition, the study assesses whether sleep measured by both methods shows the same relationship with an established circadian phase marker, urinary 6‐sulphatoxymelatonin. A total of 49 registered blind subjects with different types of circadian rhythms were studied daily for at least four weeks. Grouped analysis of all study days for all subjects was performed for all sleep parameters (1062–1150 days data per sleep parameter). Good correlations were observed when comparing the measurement of sleep timing and duration (sleep onset, sleep offset, night sleep duration, day‐time nap duration). However, the methods were poorly correlated in their assessment of transitions between sleep and wake states (sleep latency, number and duration of night awakenings, number of day‐time naps). There were also large and inconsistent differences in the measurement of the absolute sleep parameters. Overall, actigraphs recorded a shorter sleep latency, advanced onset time, increased number and duration of night awakenings, delayed offset, increased night sleep duration and increased number and duration of naps compared with the subjective sleep logs. Despite this, there was good agreement between the methods for measuring changes in sleep patterns over time. In particular, the methods agreed when assessing changes in sleep in relation to a circadian phase marker (the 6‐sulphatoxymelatonin (aMT6s) rhythm) in both entrained (n= 30) and free‐running (n= 4) subjects.