Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Recording sympathetic nerve activity in conscious humans and other mammals: guidelines and the road to standardization.

Over the past several decades, studies of the sympathetic nervous system in humans, sheep, rabbits, rats, and mice have substantially increased mechanistic understanding of cardiovascular function and dysfunction. Recently, interest in sympathetic neural mechanisms contributing to blood pressure control has grown, in part because of the development of devices or surgical procedures that treat hypertension by manipulating sympathetic outflow. Studies in animal models have provided important insights into physiological and pathophysiological mechanisms that are not accessible in human studies. Across species and among laboratories, various approaches have been developed to record, quantify, analyze, and interpret sympathetic nerve activity (SNA). In general, SNA demonstrates "bursting" behavior, where groups of action potentials are synchronized and linked to the cardiac cycle via the arterial baroreflex. In humans, it is common to quantify SNA as bursts per minute or bursts per 100 heart beats. This type of quantification can be done in other species but is only commonly reported in sheep, which have heart rates similar to humans. In rabbits, rats, and mice, SNA is often recorded relative to a maximal level elicited in the laboratory to control for differences in electrode position among animals or on different study days. SNA in humans can also be presented as total activity, where normalization to the largest burst is a common approach. The goal of the present paper is to put together a summary of "best practices" in several of the most common experimental models and to discuss opportunities and challenges relative to the optimal measurement of SNA across species.Listen to this article's corresponding podcast at https://ajpheart.podbean. com/e/guidelines-for-measuring-sympathetic-nerve-activity/.
Application of Cervical Collars – An Analysis of Practical Skills of Professional Emergency Medical Care Providers

Background/Objective The application of a cervical collar is a standard procedure in trauma patients in emergency medicine. It is often observed that cervical collars are applied incorrectly, resulting in reduced immobilization of the cervical spine. The objective of this study was to analyze the practical skills of trained professional rescue personnel concerning the application of cervical collars. Material and Methods Within emergency medical conferences, n = 104 voluntary test subjects were asked to apply a cervical collar to a training doll, wherein each step that was performed received an evaluation. Furthermore, personal and occupational data of all study participants were collected using a questionnaire. Results The test subjects included professional rescue personnel (80.8%) and emergency physicians (12.5%). The average occupational experience of all study participants in pre-clinical emergency care was 11.1±8.9 years. Most study participants had already attended a certified training on trauma care (61%) and felt "very confident" in handling a cervical collar (84%). 11% applied the cervical collar to the training doll without errors. The most common error consisted of incorrect adjustment of the size of the cervical collar (66%). No association was found between the correct application of the cervical collar and the occupational group of the test subjects (trained rescue personnel vs. emergency physicians) or the participation in certified trauma courses. Conclusion Despite pronounced subjective confidence regarding the application of cervical collars, this study allows the conclusion that there are general deficits in practical skills when cervical collars are applied. A critical assessment of the current training contents on the subject of trauma care must, therefore, be demanded.
Collective effects of common single nucleotide polymorphisms and genetic risk prediction in type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a common autoimmune disease and may be related to multiple genetic and environmental risk factors. Previous genetic studies have focused on looking for individual polymorphic risk variants. Here, we studied the overall levels of genetic diversity in T1D patients by making use of a previously published study including 1865 cases and 2828 reference samples with genotyping data for 500 K common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). We determined the minor allele (MA) status of each SNP in the reference samples and calculated the total number of MAs or minor allele contents (MAC) of each individual. We found the average MAC of cases to be greater than that of the reference samples. By focusing on MAs with strong linkage to cases, we further identified a set of 112 SNPs that could predict 19.19% of cases. These results suggest that overall genetic variation over a threshold level may be a risk factor in T1D and provide a new genetic method for predicting the disorder.
Intragroup competition predicts individual foraging specialisation in a group‐living mammal

Abstract Individual foraging specialisation has important ecological implications, but its causes in group‐living species are unclear. One of the major consequences of group living is increased intragroup competition for resources. Foraging theory predicts that with increased competition, individuals should add new prey items to their diet, widening their foraging niche (‘optimal foraging hypothesis’). However, classic competition theory suggests the opposite: that increased competition leads to niche partitioning and greater individual foraging specialisation (‘niche partitioning hypothesis’). We tested these opposing predictions in wild, group‐living banded mongooses (Mungos mungo), using stable isotope analysis of banded mongoose whiskers to quantify individual and group foraging niche. Individual foraging niche size declined with increasing group size, despite all groups having a similar overall niche size. Our findings support the prediction that competition promotes niche partitioning within social groups and suggest that individual foraging specialisation may play an important role in the formation of stable social groupings.
Resting‐state functional connectivity and nicotine addiction: prospects for biomarker development

Given conceptual frameworks of addiction as a disease of intercommunicating brain networks, examinations of network interactions may provide a holistic characterization of addiction‐related dysfunction. One such methodological approach is the examination of resting‐state functional connectivity, which quantifies correlations in low‐frequency fluctuations of the blood oxygen level–dependent magnetic resonance imaging signal between disparate brain regions in the absence of task performance. Here, evidence of differentiated effects of chronic nicotine exposure, which reduces the efficiency of network communication across the brain, and acute nicotine exposure, which increases connectivity within specific limbic circuits, is discussed. Several large‐scale resting networks, including the salience, default, and executive control networks, have also been implicated in nicotine addiction. The dynamics of connectivity changes among and between these large‐scale networks during nicotine withdrawal and satiety provide a heuristic framework with which to characterize the neurobiological mechanism of addiction. The ability to simultaneously quantify effects of both chronic (trait) and acute (state) nicotine exposure provides a platform to develop a neuroimaging‐based addiction biomarker. While such development remains in its early stages, evidence of coherent modulations in resting‐state functional connectivity at various stages of nicotine addiction suggests potential network interactions on which to focus future addiction biomarker development.
Benchmarks for the Coal Processing and Blending Problem

In this paper we present a challenging problem that many decision makers in coal mining industry face. The coal processing and blending problem (CPBP) builds upon the traditional blending problem known in operations research (OR) by including decision variables around coal processing, novel constraints as well as arbitrary user-defined profit functions which express price bonuses and penalties. The added complexity turns the traditional blending problem into a challenging black-box optimisation problem. We give an informal and mathematical description of this problem and present nine real-world problem instances as benchmark. Finally, we provide preliminary results for solving the problem by using a Genetic Algorithm (GA) and compare the results with those from a commercial Linear Programming (LP) solver. The results show that the GA significantly outperforms the LP solver in many problem instances while being marginally worse in others.
Real-time insights into regulated exocytosis

ABSTRACT Real-time imaging of regulated exocytosis in secreting organs can provide unprecedented temporal and spatial detail. Here, we highlight recent advances in 3D time-lapse imaging in Drosophila salivary glands at single-granule resolution. Using fluorescently labeled proteins expressed in the fly, it is now possible to image the dynamics of vesicle biogenesis and the cytoskeletal factors involved in secretion. 3D imaging over time allows one to visualize and define the temporal sequence of events, including clearance of cortical actin, fusion pore formation, mixing of the vesicular and plasma membranes and recruitment of components of the cytoskeleton. We will also discuss the genetic tools available in the fly that allow one to interrogate the essential factors involved in secretory vesicle formation, cargo secretion and the ultimate integration of the vesicular and plasma membranes. We argue that the combination of high-resolution real-time imaging and powerful genetics provides a platform to investigate the role of any factor in regulated secretion. Summary: This Commentary focuses on recent developments in three-dimensional time-lapse imaging of regulated secretion occurring in living secreting organs.
Nutrient-driven O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) cycling impacts neurodevelopmental timing and metabolism

Nutrient-driven O-GlcNAcylation is strikingly abundant in the brain and has been linked to development and neurodegenerative disease. We selectively targeted the O-GlcNAcase (Oga) gene in the mouse brain to define the role of O-GlcNAc cycling in the central nervous system. Brain knockout animals exhibited dramatically increased brain O-GlcNAc levels and pleiotropic phenotypes, including early-onset obesity, growth defects, and metabolic dysregulation. Anatomical defects in the Oga knockout included delayed brain differentiation and neurogenesis as well as abnormal proliferation accompanying a developmental delay. The molecular basis for these defects included transcriptional changes accompanying differentiating embryonic stem cells. In Oga KO mouse ES cells, we observed pronounced changes in expression of pluripotency markers, including Sox2, Nanog, and Otx2. These findings link the O-GlcNAc modification to mammalian neurogenesis and highlight the role of this nutrient-sensing pathway in developmental plasticity and metabolic homeostasis.
A discussion of plausible solar irradiance variations, 1700-1992

From satellite observations the solar total irradiance is known to vary. Sunspot blocking, facular emission, and network emission are three identified causes for the variations. In this paper we examine several different solar indices measured over the past century that are potential proxy measures for the Sun's irradiance. These indices are (1) the equatorial solar rotation rate, (2) the sunspot structure, the decay rate of individual sunspots, and the number of sunspots without umbrae, and (3) the length and decay rate of the sunspot cycle. Each index can be used to develop a model for the Sun's total irradiance as seen at the Earth. Three solar indices allow the irradiance to be modeled back to the mid-1700s. The indices are (1) the length of the solar cycle, (2) the normalized decay rate of the solar cycle, and (3) the mean level of solar activity. All the indices are well correlated, and one possible explanation for their nearly simultaneous variations is changes in the Sun's convective energy transport. Although changes in the Sun's convective energy transport are outside the realm of normal stellar structure theory (e.g., mixing length theory), one can imagine variations arising from even the simplest view of sunspots as vertical tubes of magnetic flux, which would serve as rigid pillars affecting the energy flow patterns by ensuring larger-scale eddies. A composite solar irradiance model, based upon these proxies, is compared to the northern hemisphere temperature departures for 1700-1992. Approximately 71% of the decadal variance in the last century can be modeled with these solar indices, although this analysis does not include anthropogenic or other variations which would affect the results. Over the entire three centuries, ∼50% of the variance is modeled. Both this analysis and previous similar analyses have correlations of model solar irradiances and measured Earth surface temperatures that are significant at better than the 95% confidence level. To understand our present climate variations, we must place the anthropogenic variations in the context of natural variability from solar, volcanic, oceanic, and other sources.
Is action video gaming related to sustained attention of adolescents?

Over the past few years, an increasing number of studies have shown that playing action video games can have positive effects on tasks that involve attention and visuo-spatial cognition (e.g., visual search, enumeration tasks, tracking multiple objects). Although playing action video games can improve several cognitive functions, the intensive interaction with the exciting, challenging, intrinsically stimulating and perceptually appealing game environments may adversely affect other functions, including the ability to maintain attention when the level of stimulation is not as intense. This study investigated whether a relationship existed between action video gaming and sustained attention performance in a sample of 45 Italian teenagers. After completing a questionnaire about their video game habits, participants were divided into Action Video Game Player (AVGP) and Non–Action Video Game Player (NAVGP) groups and underwent cognitive tests. The results confirm previous findings of studies of AVGPs as they had significantly enhanced performance for instantly enumerating a set of items. Nevertheless, we found that the drop in performance over time, typical of a sustained attention task, was significantly greater in the AVGP compared with the NAVGP group. This result is consistent with our hypothesis and demonstrates a negative effect of playing action video games.
Prime Implicates and Prime Implicants: From Propositional to Modal Logic

Prime implicates and prime implicants have proven relevant to a number of areas of artificial intelligence, most notably abductive reasoning and knowledge compilation. The purpose of this paper is to examine how these notions might be appropriately extended from propositional logic to the modal logic κ. We begin the paper by considering a number of potential definitions of clauses and terms for κ. The different definitions are evaluated with respect to a set of syntactic, semantic, and complexity-theoretic properties characteristic of the propositional definition. We then compare the definitions with respect to the properties of the notions of prime implicates and prime implicants that they induce. While there is no definition that perfectly generalizes the propositional notions, we show that there does exist one definition which satisfies many of the desirable properties of the propositional case. In the second half of the paper, we consider the computational properties of the selected definition. To this end, we provide sound and complete algorithms for generating and recognizing prime implicates, and we show the prime implicate recognition task to be Pspace-complete. We also prove upper and lower bounds on the size and number of prime implicates. While the paper focuses on the logic κ, all of our results hold equally well for multi-modal κ and for concept expressions in the description logic ALC.
Flexible microelectrode array for interfacing with the surface of neural ganglia

Objective. The dorsal root ganglia (DRG) are promising nerve structures for sensory neural interfaces because they provide centralized access to primary afferent cell bodies and spinal reflex circuitry. In order to harness this potential, new electrode technologies are needed which take advantage of the unique properties of DRG, specifically the high density of neural cell bodies at the dorsal surface. Here we report initial in vivo results from the development of a flexible non-penetrating polyimide electrode array interfacing with the surface of ganglia. Approach. Multiple layouts of a 64-channel iridium electrode (420 µm2) array were tested, with pitch as small as 25 µm. The buccal ganglia of invertebrate sea slug Aplysia californica were used to develop handling and recording techniques with ganglionic surface electrode arrays (GSEAs). We also demonstrated the GSEA’s capability to record single- and multi-unit activity from feline lumbosacral DRG related to a variety of sensory inputs, including cutaneous brushing, joint flexion, and bladder pressure. Main results. We recorded action potentials from a variety of Aplysia neurons activated by nerve stimulation, and units were observed firing simultaneously on closely spaced electrode sites. We also recorded single- and multi-unit activity associated with sensory inputs from feline DRG. We utilized spatial oversampling of action potentials on closely-spaced electrode sites to estimate the location of neural sources at between 25 µm and 107 µm below the DRG surface. We also used the high spatial sampling to demonstrate a possible spatial sensory map of one feline’s DRG. We obtained activation of sensory fibers with low-amplitude stimulation through individual or groups of GSEA electrode sites. Significance. Overall, the GSEA has been shown to provide a variety of information types from ganglia neurons and to have significant potential as a tool for neural mapping and interfacing.
What makes generalist mental health professionals effective when working with people with an intellectual disability? A family member and support person perspective

BACKGROUND Generalist mental health professionals are inadequately equipped to meet the rights of people with intellectual disability. A better understanding of the attributes of effective professionals may assist in the development of workforce capacity in this area. METHODS Twenty-eight family/support persons of people with intellectual disability participated in four focus groups. Thematic analysis was undertaken applying the Intellectual Disability Mental Health Core Competencies Framework. RESULTS Participants described attributes that aligned with current professional expectations such as working together and new attributes such as differentiating between behaviour and mental health. An unexpected finding was the need for professionals to be able to infer meaning by interpreting multiple sources of information. Participants also wanted professionals to acknowledge their professional limitations and seek professional support. CONCLUSION Family/support persons identified a range of attributes of effective mental health professionals to support people with intellectual disability. Further research is necessary, particularly from the perspective of people with intellectual disability.
Carbon monoxide induces hypothermia tolerance in Kupffer cells and attenuates liver ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats

Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in liver grafts, which is initiated by cold preservation and is augmented by reperfusion, is a major problem that complicates graft quality, posttransplant patient care, and outcomes of liver transplantation (LT). Kupffer cells (KCs) play important roles in I/R injury; however, little is known about their changes during cold preservation. We examined whether a pretreatment with carbon monoxide (CO), a cytoprotective product of heme degradation, could influence KC activity during cold storage and protect liver grafts against LT‐induced I/R injury. In vitro, primary rat KCs were stimulated for 24 hours under hypothermic conditions (4°C, 20% O2), with lipopolysaccharide, or under hypoxic conditions (37°C, 5% O2) with or without a CO pretreatment. When rat KCs were exposed to hypothermic conditions, they produced reactive oxygen species (ROS), but they did not produce tumor necrosis factor α (TNF‐α) or nitric oxide. The preincubation of KCs with CO up‐regulated heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) and inhibited ROS generation. When liver grafts from donor rats exposed to CO (250 ppm) for 24 hours were transplanted after 18 hours of cold preservation in University of Wisconsin solution, HSP70 expression increased in these grafts versus control grafts, and serum aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase levels as well as necrotic areas and inflammatory infiltrates were significantly reduced after LT. CO‐pretreated liver grafts showed less up‐regulation of TNF‐α and inducible nitric oxide synthase messenger RNA (mRNA) and reduced expression of proapoptotic B cell lymphoma 2–associated X protein mRNA, cleaved caspase‐3, and poly(adenosine diphosphate ribose) polymerase. In conclusion, the pretreatment of donors with CO ameliorates LT‐associated I/R injury with increased hepatic HSP70 expression, particularly in the KC population. Liver Transpl, 2011. © 2011 AASLD.
C5aR activation in the absence of C5a: A new disease mechanism of autoimmune hemolytic anemia in mice

IgG Fc receptors (FcγRs) and the C5a anaphylatoxin receptor (C5aR) were identified as key regulators of type II autoimmune injury in mice. However, and with respect to C5aR, the relative importance of C5a for IgG autoantibody‐induced cellular destruction remained unclear. Using an experimental model of autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA), we here report marked differences in the development of AIHA between mice lacking C5aR and C5‐deficient (Hc0) strain, indicating a limited role of C5 in this type of C5aR‐regulated disease. Ex‐vivo‐analyses of liver homogenates from anemic Hc0 mice demonstrate C5a‐independent C5aR activation, upregulation of FcγR expression and amplification of erythrophagocytosis by macrophages. As assessed by pharmacological inhibition studies, targeting of C5aR, but not of C5, is effective in treating experimental AIHA. Collectively, these results define a previously unrecognized disease mechanism of C5aR activation in AIHA that does not necessarily involve C5 and C5a.
Development of a large-scale web crawler and search engine infrastructure

This paper reports the ongoing development of a large-scale Web crawler and search engine infrastructure at National Institute of Information and Communications Technology. This infrastructure has the following characteristics: (1) It collects one billion Japanese Web pages while keeping them up-to-date. (2) It selects 100 million pages from among the collected pages and converts them into a standard data format to store the results of morphological analysis, dependency parsing, and synonym augmentation. (3) The selected set of pages is searchable and accessible to the users. (4) The scalability of the system is achieved by using a large-scale cluster machine for distributed data processing.
The amyloid hypothesis for Alzheimer’s disease: a critical reappraisal

The amyloid hypothesis has been the basis for most work on the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease. Recent clinical trials based on this hypothesis have been inconclusive. In this article I review the current status of the hypothesis and suggest that a major scientific need is to understand the normal function of amyloid‐β precursor protein (APP) and think how this may relate to the cell death in the disease process.