Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modulation of Neuronal Activity by Glial Cells in the Retina

Glial–neuronal communication was studied by monitoring the effect of intercellular glial Ca2+ waves on the electrical activity of neighboring neurons in the eyecup preparation of the rat. Calcium waves in astrocytes and Müller cells were initiated with a mechanical stimulus applied to the retinal surface. Changes in the light-evoked spike activity of neurons within the ganglion cell layer occurred when, and only when, these Ca2+ waves reached the neurons. Inhibition of activity was observed in 25 of 53 neurons (mean decrease in spike frequency, 28 ± 2%). Excitation occurred in another five neurons (mean increase, 27 ± 5%). Larger amplitude Ca2+ waves were associated with greater modulation of neuronal activity. Thapsigargin, which reduced the amplitude of the glial Ca2+ increases, also reduced the magnitude of neuronal modulation. Bicuculline and strychnine, inhibitory neurotransmitter antagonists, as well as 6-Nitro-7-sulphamoylbenzo[f]quinoxaline-2,3-dione (NBQX) andd(−)-2-amino-7-phosphonoheptanoic acid (D-AP7), glutamate antagonists, reduced the inhibition of neuronal activity associated with glial Ca2+ waves, suggesting that inhibition is mediated by inhibitory interneurons stimulated by glutamate release from glial cells. The results suggest that glial cells are capable of modulating the electrical activity of neurons within the retina and thus, may directly participate in information processing in the CNS.
Knightian Intransparency of Central Bank and Labor Union

We analyze a simple strategic model of interaction between central bank and labor union. We assume that the intransparency of the central bank (labor union) induces Knightian uncertainty faced by the labor union (central bank). Knightian uncertainty means that decision makers are unable to make exact probability judgements. It is modelled by Choquet Expected Utility Theory and its recent application to strategic games. We derive clear-cut results on the comparative statics of inflation, wages and unemployment with respect to the “degree of intransparency. ” Moreover, we analyze the strategic use of Knightian intransparency. JEL-Classifications: C72, D80, D81, E24, E31, E42, E50, E52.
Continuous Media Adaptation for Mobile Computing Using Coarse-Grained Asynchronous Notifications

The recent spreading of public wireless infrastructures allowing for higher data rates makes mobile communications networks a very attractive platform for distribution of multimedia content. At the same time, limited resources in public wireless networks pose serious questions on how to bring services and multimedia to terminals to be used anywhere. Content adaptation is required in order to bring the best perceptual experience to the end-user while optimizing resources usage. Unfortunately, content adaptation is very difficult to achieve and is usually related to bandwidth availability only. In this paper we propose to extend existing service provisioning architectures with an asynchronous notification system to keep up-to-date the whole set of user profile data during service provisioning. We argue that the average multimedia application behavior, still adhering to a model based on a very limited number of choices, is not affected by increased reaction time and coarse-grained parameters responsivity. Furthermore, introduction of asynchronous notifications will enable service providers to adapt content considering any parameter characterizing the user profile, not just available bandwidth.
Catabolic Signaling and Muscle Wasting After Acute Ischemic Stroke in Mice: Indication for a Stroke-Specific Sarcopenia

Background and Purpose— Muscle wasting is a common complication accompanying stroke. Although it is known to impair poststroke recovery, the mechanisms of subacute catabolism after stroke have not been investigated in detail. The aim of this study is to investigate mechanisms of local and systemic catabolism and muscle wasting (sarcopenia) in a model of ischemic stroke systematically. Methods— Changes in body composition and catabolic activation in muscle tissue were studied in a mouse model of acute cerebral ischemia (temporal occlusion of the middle cerebral artery). Tissue wasting (nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy), tissue catabolism (caspases-3 and -6, myostatin), and proteasome activity were assessed. Food intake, activity levels, and energy expenditure were assessed, and putative mechanisms of postischemic wasting were tested with appropriate interventions. Results— Severe weight loss in stroke animals (day 3: weight loss, –21.7%) encompassed wasting of muscle (–12%; skeletal and myocardium) and fat tissue (–27%). Catabolic signaling and proteasome activity were higher in stroke animals in the contralateral and in the ipsilateral leg. Cerebral infarct severity correlated with catabolic activity only in the contralateral leg but not in the ipsilateral leg. Lower energy expenditure in stroke animals together with normal food intake and activity levels suggests compensatory mechanisms to regain weight. Interventions (high caloric feeding, &bgr;-receptor blockade, and antibiotic treatment) failed to prevent proteolytic activation and muscle wasting. Conclusions— Catabolic pathways of muscle tissue are activated after stroke. Impaired feeding, sympathetic overactivation, or infection cannot fully explain this catabolic activation. Wasting of the target muscle of the disrupted innervation correlated to severity of brain injury. Our data indicate the presence of a stroke-specific sarcopenia.
Hypertension-induced end-organ damage : A new transgenic approach to an old problem.

Angiotensin (Ang) II-induced organ damage has fascinated students of hypertension since the work of Wilson and Byrom. We are investigating a double transgenic rat (dTGR) model, in which rats transgenic for the human angiotensinogen and renin genes are crossed. These rats develop moderately severe hypertension but die of end-organ cardiac and renal damage by week 7. The heart shows necrosis and fibrosis, whereas the kidneys resemble the hemolytic-uremic syndrome vasculopathy. Surface adhesion molecules (ICAM-1 and VCAM-1) are expressed early on the endothelium, while the corresponding ligands are found on circulating leukocytes. Leukocyte infiltration in the vascular wall accompanies PAI-1, MCP-1, and VEGF expression. The expression of TGF-beta and deposition of extracellular matrix proteins follows, which is accompanied by fibrinoid vasculitis in small vessels of the heart and kidneys. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and AT1 receptor blockers each lowered blood pressure and shifted pressure natriuresis partially leftward by different mechanisms. When combined, they normalized blood pressure, pressure natriuresis, and protected from vasculopathy completely. Renin inhibition lowered blood pressure partially, but protected from vasculopathy completely. Endothelin receptor blockade had no influence on blood pressure but protected from vasculopathy and improved survival. We show evidence that Ang II stimulates oxidative stress directly or indirectly via endothelin 1 and that NFkappaB is upregulated in this model. We speculate that the transcription factors NFkappaB and AP-1 are involved with initiating chemokine and cytokine expression, leading to the above cascade. The unique model and our pharmacological probes will enable us to test these hypotheses.
Nonsurgical Interventional Therapies for Low Back Pain: A Review of the Evidence for an American Pain Society Clinical Practice Guideline

Study Design. Systematic review. Objective. To systematically assess benefits and harms of nonsurgical interventional therapies for low back and radicular pain. Summary of Background Data. Although use of certain interventional therapies is common or increasing, there is also uncertainty or controversy about their efficacy. Methods. Electronic database searches on Ovid MEDLINE and the Cochrane databases were conducted through July 2008 to identify randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews of local injections, botulinum toxin injection, prolotherapy, epidural steroid injection, facet joint injection, therapeutic medial branch block, sacroiliac joint injection, intradiscal steroid injection, chemonucleolysis, radiofrequency denervation, intradiscal electrothermal therapy, percutaneous intradiscal radiofrequency thermocoagulation, Coblation nucleoplasty, and spinal cord stimulation. All relevant studies were methodologically assessed by 2 independent reviewers using criteria developed by the Cochrane Back Review Group (for trials) and by Oxman (for systematic reviews). A qualitative synthesis of results was performed using methods adapted from the US Preventive Services Task Force. Results. For sciatica or prolapsed lumbar disc with radiculopathy, we found good evidence that chemonucleolysis is moderately superior to placebo injection but inferior to surgery, and fair evidence that epidural steroid injection is moderately effective for short-term (but not long-term) symptom relief. We found fair evidence that spinal cord stimulation is moderately effective for failed back surgery syndrome with persistent radiculopathy, though device-related complications are common. We found good or fair evidence that prolotherapy, facet joint injection, intradiscal steroid injection, and percutaneous intradiscal radiofrequency thermocoagulation are not effective. Insufficient evidence exists to reliably evaluate other interventional therapies. Conclusion. Few nonsurgical interventional therapies for low back pain have been shown to be effective in randomized, placebo-controlled trials.
Review and resource assessment, solar energy in different region in Ecuador

Environmental pollution caused by the generation of electricity through fossil fuels leads several countries to adopt strategies for the exploitation of renewable energy sources. In this work, the current energy situation of Ecuador and the incorporation of photovoltaic generators in the national system is reviewed. The document is completed with the evaluation of the energy potential for an average load in the four regions of Ecuador. The selection of the locations of the system under study is chosen through the solar atlas and the meteorological data for a year. The technical dimensioning and economic analysis is achieved through the Homer software. The results show that the insular region reaches the lowest value of levelized cost of energy (COE) $0.529, an autonomy of 22.7 hours and unmet electric load 0.06% per year.
How the Microbial World Saved Evolution from the Scylla of Molecular Biology and the Charybdis of the Modern Synthesis

SUMMARY In this commentary, we provide a personal overview of the conceptual history of microbiology and molecular biology over the course of the last hundred years, emphasizing the relationship of these fields to the problem of evolution. We argue that despite their apparent success, all three reached an impasse that arose from the influence of dogmatic or overly narrow perspectives. Finally, we describe how recent developments in microbiology are realizing Beijerinck's vision of a field that is fully integrated with molecular biology, microbial ecology, thereby challenging and extending current thinking in evolution.
Minimizing Communication for Eigenproblems and the Singular Value Decomposition

Algorithms have two costs: arithmetic and communication. The latter represents the cost of moving data, either between levels of a memory hierarchy, or between processors over a network. Communication often dominates arithmetic and represents a rapidly increasing proportion of the total cost, so we seek algorithms that minimize communication. In [4] lower bounds were presented on the amount of communication required for essentially all O(n 3 )-like algorithms for linear algebra, including eigenvalue problems and the SVD. Conventional algorithms, including those currently implemented in (Sca)LAPACK, perform asymptotically more communication than these lower bounds require. In this paper we present parallel and sequential eigenvalue algorithms (for pencils, nonsymmetric matrices, and symmetric matrices) and SVD algorithms that do attain these lower bounds, and analyze their convergence and communication costs.
Use of negation phrases in automatic sentiment classification of product reviews

Abstract This paper reports a study in automatic sentiment classification, i.e., automatically classifying documents as expressing positive or negative sentiments. The study investigates the effectiveness of using a machine-learning algorithm, support vector machine (SVM), on various text features to classify on-line product reviews into recommended (positive sentiment) and not recommended (negative sentiment). In the first part of this study, several approaches, unigrams (individual words), selected words (such as verb, adjective, and adverb), and words labeled with part-of-speech tags were investigated. Using SVM, the unigram approach obtained an accuracy rate of around 76%. Error analysis suggests various approaches for improving classification accuracy: handling of negation phrases, inferencing from superficial words, and handling the problem of comments on parts of the product. The second part of the study investigated the use of negation phrase n-grams to improve classification accuracy. This approach increased the accuracy rate to 79.33%. Compared with traditional subject classification which mainly uses unigrams, syntactic and semantic processing of text appear more important for sentiment classification. We expect that deeper linguistic processing will help increase accuracy for sentiment classification.
Administration of human recombinant activated protein C is not associated with pancreatic parenchymal haemorrhage in L-arginine-induced experimental acute pancreatitis.

CONTEXT Microvascular thrombosis is a critical event in severe acute pancreatitis. Human recombinant activated protein C (Xigris®, Eli Lilly, Indianapolis, IN, USA) modulates the interplay between pro-inflammatory and pro-coagulant pathways and maintains microvascular patency. However, the anticoagulant properties of Xigris® may precipitate bleeding from the inflamed pancreas. OBJECTIVE This study tests the hypothesis that Xigris® can ameliorate experimental acute pancreatitis without causing pancreatic haemorrhage. METHODS Sprague Dawley rats were allocated as follows: Group 1: control (n=7); Group 2: acute pancreatitis (n=6); Group 3: administration of Xigris® 500 µg/kg body weight before induction of acute pancreatitis (n=6); and Group 4: Administration of Xigris® 500 µg/kg body weight 30 minutes after induction of acute pancreatitis (n=6). Acute pancreatitis was induced by intraperitoneal administration of L-arginine 300 mg/100 g body weight. Animals were sacrificed at 48 hours and biochemical, haematological, and histological markers of pancreatic haemorrhage and inflammation assessed. RESULTS Median lipase in animals with acute pancreatitis was 10 U/mL (range: 7-16 U/mL) compared to 5.5 (range: 3-8 U/mL) in controls (P=0.028). Lipase was also elevated in animals given Xigris® both before (12 U/mL, range: 8-22 U/mL; P=0.031 vs. control group) and after (46 U/mL, range: 9-71 U/mL; P=0.015 vs. control group) induction of acute pancreatitis). Haemoglobin levels were similar among all groups (P=0.323). There was no histological evidence of pancreatic haemorrhage in animals treated with Xigris®. Pre-treatment with Xigris® was associated with a significant reduction in pancreatic injury. This effect was absent when Xigris® was administered after induction of acute pancreatitis. CONCLUSION Xigris® did not lead to pancreatic haemorrhage in experimental acute pancreatitis. Administration of Xigris® prior to induction of acute pancreatitis was associated with amelioration of injury. This effect was not seen with administration of Xigris® after induction of acute pancreatitis.
Thiazolidinediones on PPARγ: The Roles in Bone Remodeling

Thiazolidinediones (TZDs) are synthetic PPARγ (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma) agonists and a class of drugs for diabetes mellitus type 2 that can decrease blood sugar efficiently by enhancing insulin sensitivity. However, increased bone fracture risk in diabetic individuals treated with TZDs is one of the reported side effects. Recent studies show that TZDs such as rosiglitazone simultaneously inhibit osteoblast differentiation and activate osteoclast differentiation, leading to bone loss due to decreased bone formation and increased bone resorption. Furthermore, TZDs may activate PPARγ in tissues other than bone, such as the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonad (HPG) axis to indirectly regulate bone mass. This paper will focus on current new developments that implicate potential mechanisms for how PPARγ modulates skeletal homeostasis and how TZDs exert bone-loss side effects.
Extending a Simple Coreference Algorithm with a Focusing Mechanism

We compare two approaches to anaphora resolution: one based on a focusing m echanism [12] and a simpler approach that relies solely on semantic similarity of potential co referents and distance restrictions between anaphor and antecedent. Both approaches have been implemented and quantitatively evaluated against a substantial corpus of texts which have been an notated with coreference relations as part of the Message Understanding Conference coreference task [3] nd implemented within the general framework provided by the LaSIE (Large Scale Inform ation Extraction) system [7, 9], Sheffield University’s entry in the MUC-6 and 7 evaluations. T he simple approach was reported on at DAARC-1 [6], at which time we claimed that the flexibility of th e framework in which we carried out research on coreference facilitated experimentation with alternative t echniques. Given this claim and the interest exhibited in focus-based approaches to anaphora r es lution at DAARC-1 we decided to extend the simple approach with a representation of focus and co mpare it with the previous approach. In this paper we present results about an evaluation of both approaches on real -wo ld texts to determine the main drawbacks and advantages of each. We see this as a first step to wards answering the question: does adding a notion of focus to a simple coreference mechani sm buy you anything?
The Influence of Seed Mix and Management on the Performance and Persistence of Sown Forbs in Buffer Strips

A popular option under agri-environmental schemes throughout Europe has been the introduction of buffer strips adjacent to field boundaries. Buffer strips are usually established using grass-only seed mixes, or through natural regeneration. As a consequence, their function and biodiversity value might be limited due to a low presence of desirable forb species. Given the financial barrier of using forb-rich seed mixes, there is a need to identify species that establish reliably in parallel with management options that encourage their persistence. In a 5-year study across three different sites we investigated the responses of 32 different forb species sown in two different grass-based seed mixes tailored to soil type. Generally, there was an increase in sown forb cover with time, and this effect was greatest in plots sown with fine-grasses treated with an application of graminicide or an annual cut. We have identified a suite of ten forb species that are likely to establish and persist in buffer strip habitats.
Robust Parsing Using a Hidden Markov Model

Recent approaches to statistical parsing include those that estimate an approximation of a stochastic, lexicalized grammar directly from a treebank and others that rebuild trees with a number of tree-constructing operators, which are applied in order according to a stochastic model when parsing a sentence. In this paper we take an entirely different approach to statistical parsing, as we propose a method for parsing using a Hidden Markov Model. We describe the stochastic model and the tree construction procedure, and we report results on the Wall Street Journal Corpus.
The cytoskeleton is disrupted by the bacterial effector HrpZ, but not by the bacterial PAMP flg22, in tobacco BY-2 cells

Plant innate immunity is composed of two layers. Basal immunity is triggered by pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) such as the flagellin-peptide flg22 and is termed PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI). In addition, effector-triggered immunity (ETI) linked with programmed cell death and cytoskeletal reorganization can be induced by pathogen-derived factors, such as the Harpin proteins originating from phytopathogenic bacteria. To get insight into the link between cytoskeleton and PTI or ETI, this study followed the responses of actin filaments and microtubules to flg22 and HrpZ in vivo by spinning-disc confocal microscopy in GFP-tagged marker lines of tobacco BY-2. At a concentration that clearly impairs mitosis, flg22 can induce only subtle cytoskeletal responses. In contrast, HrpZ causes a rapid and massive bundling of actin microfilaments (completed in ~20min, i.e. almost simultaneously with extracellular alkalinization), which is followed by progressive disintegration of actin cables and cytoplasmic microtubules, a loss of cytoplasmic structure, and vacuolar disintegration. Cytoskeletal disruption is proposed as an early event that discriminates HrpZ-triggered ETI-like defence from flg22-triggered PTI.
On Integration of Congestion Control with Internet Streaming Applications

During recent years, the importance of integrating congestion control (CC) into streaming application has been frequently justified and several CC mechanisms for streaming applications have been proposed. However, many of existing streaming applications either do not incorporate any CC mechanism at all or do not integrate an existing CC mechanism properly, or implement their own untested CC mechanism. We believe that lack of a well-defined and flexible interface for CC mechanism has been a main obstacle in proper integration of CC into streaming application. In this paper, first we discuss various design choices, challenges and tradeoffs in devising a flexible interface for a CC module. This discussion leads us to a set of requirements for such an interface. Then we presentcclib, an applicationlevel library for congestion control that provides a flexible interface. Design and implementation ofcclib is presented. We usecclib to illustrate proper integration of CC into streaming applications and address various practical issues. Keywords— Congestion Control, Internet Streaming Applications, Integration.
Prognosis and value of adjuvant chemotherapy in stage III mucinous colorectal carcinoma

N. Hugen1*, R. H. A. Verhoeven2, S. A. Radema3, I. H. J. T. de Hingh4, J. F. M. Pruijt5, I. D. Nagtegaal6, V. E. P. P. Lemmens2,7 & J. H. W. de Wilt1 Department of Surgery, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen; Eindhoven Cancer Registry/Comprehensive Cancer Centre South, Eindhoven; Department of Oncology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen; Department of Surgery, Catharina Hospital Eindhoven, Eindhoven; Department of Internal Medicine, Jeroen Bosch Hospital, ‘s-Hertogenbosch; Department of Pathology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen; Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Dynamic Transparent General Purpose Process Migration For Linux

Process migration refers to the act of transferring a process in the middle of its execution from one machine to another in a network. In this paper, we proposed a process migration framework for Linux OS. It is a multilayer architecture to confine every functionality independent section of the system in separate layer. This architecture is capable of supporting diverse applications due to generic user space interface and dynamic structure that can be modified according to demands.