Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Theories of Economic Decision‐Making: Value, Risk and Affect

Economic decision-making deals with various aspects of people’s economic choices. In this process, the value of options is evaluated; but often, options are not available for sure, in such situations risk becomes important. People may feel happy or sad about a situation or outcomes of a choice, thus affect plays an important role. Understanding how value, risk and affect interact to form a coherent group of behaviours called risky decision-making is the main goal of this chapter. We will give and overview of relevant concepts, like value and utility, risk and ambiguity, affect and emotion, review empirical research that informs the development of theory, and discuss relevant developments and interactions.
Development and maturation of Escherichia coli K‐12 biofilms

The development and maturation of E. coli biofilms in flow‐chambers was investigated. We found that the presence of transfer constitutive IncF plasmids induced biofilm development forming structures resembling those reported for Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The development occurred in a step‐wise process: (i) attachment of cells to the substratum, (ii) clonal growth and microcolony formation, and (iii) differentiation into expanding structures rising 70–100 µm into the water phase. The first two steps were the same in the plasmid‐carrying and plasmid‐free strains, whereas the third step only occurred in conjugation pilus proficient plasmid‐carrying strains. The final shapes of the expanding structures in the mature biofilm seem to be determined by the pilus configuration, as various mutants affected in the processing and activity of the transfer pili displayed differently structured biofilms. We further provide evidence that flagella, type 1 fimbriae, curli and Ag43 are all dispensable for the observed biofilm maturation. In addition, our results indicate that cell‐to‐cell signalling mediated by autoinducer 2 (AI‐2) is not required for differentiation of E. coli within a biofilm community. We suggest on the basis of these results that E. coli K‐12 biofilm development and maturation is dependent on cell‐cell adhesion factors, which may act as inducers of self‐assembly processes that result in differently structured biofilms depending on the adhesive properties on the cell surface.
The role of kidney in glucose homeostasis – SGLT2 inhibitors, a new approach in diabetes treatment

The role of the kidney in blood glucose-level regulation was until recently underestimated. Renal gluconeogenesis, renal glucose uptake and tubular glucose reabsorption are the three ways of renal involvement in glucose homeostasis. In the postabsorptive state, 20% of total glucose release is attributed to renal gluconeogenesis. Tubular glucose reabsorption is performed by the combined action of Na+/D-glucose SGLTs co-transporters and GLUT-facilitated diffusion glucose transporters. SGLT2 inhibitors are a new family of agents, which occlude the path of SGLT2 glucose reabsorption and cause glucosuria. Efficacy of SGLT2 inhibitors includes reduction of HbA1c, fasting and postprandial blood glucose level and slight body weight and systolic blood pressure decrease. The most common adverse events of them are genital mycotic and urinary tract infections. Dapagliflozin and canagliflozin are the first agents of this class, approved from the European Medicine Agency and FDA, respectively.
Are patients 1 year post-stroke active enough to improve their physical health?

Purpose: This study aimed to quantify physical activity one year post-stroke − by means of a multifaceted approach combining absolute, relative, and self-reported measures of physical activity (PA) − and to investigate their mutual associations. The determinants of PA were explored. Method: Daily PA was measured in 16 mildly disabled stroke patients (median RMA-GF score of 12 (IQR = 10–12.5)) using a heart rate monitor, a pedometer, the Baecke Physical Activity Questionnaire and the Physical Activity Scale for individuals with physical disabilities. Potential determinants were age, gender, functional mobility, peak exercise capacity, mood, participation and hours of daylight. Results: On average, stroke participants had a good baseline level of activity (44 ± 39 min/day spent moderate active, 6428 ± 4117 steps/day), but only three (19%) performed more than 10,000 steps/day, required for health benefits. Functional mobility, cardiorespiratory fitness, mood and participation were related to the total daily steps, but not to the time spent in moderate intense activities. Discrepancies between absolute (frequency and duration) and relative (intensity) measures of PA exist regarding the achieved quantity and its potential determinants. Conclusions: It is not only important to be active, but to be active enough to improve health. Health recommendation for stroke survivors to perform moderate intense PA needs to be translated into a pedometer-based step goal. Implications for Rehabilitation On average, stroke survivors had a good baseline level of physical activity (PA), but only some reached a level which could improve their physical health. Health recommendations for stroke survivors on amount of moderate intense PA should be translated into a pedometer-based step goal.
Klebsiella pneumoniae Alleviates Influenza-Induced Acute Lung Injury via Limiting NK Cell Expansion

A protective effect induced by bacterial preinfection upon a subsequent lethal influenza virus infection has been observed, but the underlying immune mechanisms have not yet been fully elucidated. In this study, we used a mouse model of Klebsiella pneumoniae preinfection to gain insight into how bacterial preinfection influences the subsequent lethal influenza virus infection. We found that K. pneumoniae preinfection significantly attenuated lung immune injury and decreased mortality during influenza virus infection, but K. pneumoniae–specific immunity was not involved in this cross-protection against influenza virus. K. pneumoniae preinfection limited NK cell expansion, which was involved in influenza-induced immune injury and death. Furthermore, K. pneumoniae preinfection could not control NK cell expansion and death during influenza virus infection in Rag1−/− mice, but adoptive transfer of T cells from wild-type mice was able to restore this protective effect. Our data suggest that the adaptive immune response activated by bacterial infection limits the excessive innate immune response induced by a subsequent influenza infection, ultimately protecting mice from death.
pH dependence of ligand binding to D2 dopamine receptors.

The binding of a range of ligands to D2 dopamine receptors in bovine caudate nucleus and recombinant CHO cells expressing the receptor has been determined at different pH values between 4.5 and 8.5. The maximum number of D2 dopamine receptor binding sites in each tissue was not affected by the change in pH, but the affinity of ligands for binding to the receptors was decreased as the pH was decreased. For classical dopamine antagonists, e.g. spiperone and haloperidol, the data on pH dependence of the dissociation constant for receptor binding indicated that the protonation of a single ionizing group on the receptor (pKa approximately 6) influenced the binding process. For antagonists of the substituted benzamide class, the data indicated that the protonation of two ionizing groups (pKa between 6 and 7) influenced the ligand binding process. These ionizing residues may correspond to Asp 114 for the classical antagonists and Asp 114 and Asp 80 for the substituted benzamide antagonists. Further evidence for the participation of carboxyl residues in the ligand binding process was obtained from the inhibition by N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide of the binding of [3H]spiperone and [3H]YM 09151-2 to D2 receptors in the recombinant CHO cells.
Combined diet and exercise intervention reverses the metabolic syndrome in middle‐aged males: results from the Oslo Diet and Exercise Study

We examined the single and combined effects of a 1‐year diet and exercise intervention on the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) metabolic syndrome among middle‐aged males. The study was a randomized, controlled, 2 × 2 factorial intervention study. Participants included 137 men with metabolic syndrome according to the IDF criteria aged 40–49 years randomly allocated to four intervention groups: diet alone (n=34), exercise alone (n=34), the combination of the diet and exercise intervention (n=43) or control (n=26). The main outcome measure was metabolic syndrome as defined by IDF criteria (2005). In the combined diet and exercise group, 14 participants (32.6%) (P<0.0001 as compared with control) had the metabolic syndrome after 1‐year intervention. In the diet‐only group, 22 participants (64.7%) (P=0.023 vs control) and in the exercise‐only group 26 participants (76.5%) (P=0.23 vs control) had the metabolic syndrome following the intervention. Utilizing the factorial design, both dietary and exercise intervention had significant effects (P<0.005) on the resolution of the metabolic syndrome. Both exercise and dietary intervention reduced metabolic syndrome prevalence compared with control after 1 year of intervention. However, the combined diet and exercise intervention was significantly more effective than diet or exercise alone in the treatment of the metabolic syndrome.
Algorithm and Architecture Design of Human–Machine Interaction in Foreground Object Detection With Dynamic Scene

In the field of intelligent visual surveillance, the topic of tolerating background motions while detecting foreground motions in dynamic scene is widely explored by the recent foreground detection literatures. Applying the sophisticated background modeling method is a common solution for such dynamic background problem. However, the sophisticated background modeling method is computation intensive and involves huge memory bandwidth on data access. Realizing such approach on a multicamera surveillance system for real-time application can dramatically increase the hardware cost. This paper presents a hardware-oriented foreground detection that is based on human-machine interaction in object level (HMIiOL) scheme. The HMIiOL can vary the conditions for a moving object been regarded as a foreground object. The conditions are depending on background environment and are derived from the information from human-machine interaction. By the HMIiOL scheme, adopting a simple background modeling method can achieve well foreground detection with significant background motions. A processor based on system-on-chip design is presented for the HMIiOL-based foreground detection. The presented processor consists of accelerators to increase throughput of the computationally intensive tasks in the algorithm, and a reduced instruction set computing unit to handle the interaction task and the noncomputation-intensive tasks. Pipelining and parallelism techniques are used to increase the throughput. The detecting capability of the processor reaches HD720 at 30 Hz. The maximum throughput can be up to 32.707 Mpixels/s. Performance evaluation and comparison with existed foreground detection hardware show the improvement of our design.
Evaluation of spectinomycin and gentamicin in the treatment of hospitalized patients with resistant urinary tract infections

Spectinomycin hydrochloride 140 mg/kg/day and gentamicin 3 mg/kg/day were evaluated in the treatment of 50 hospitalized patients with urinary tract infections. Seven patients (28%) in the spectinomycin group had positive urine cultures after 72 hours of therapy due to initial resistance of the organism (5 isolates) or development of resistance to spectinomycin (2 isolates). Response to gentamicin therapy was uniformly satisfactory. Complications of spectinomycin therapy included pain and induration at the injection site (11 patients) and elevated serum creatinine values (2 patients). Ototoxicity was noted in three patients given gentamicin. Peak serum concentrations of spectinomycin (range 55–157 jug/ml) and gentamicin (range 2.8–8.5 μ/ml) showed marked interpatient variation. Spectinomycin appears to be of limited value in the treatment of urinary tract infections caused by gram-negative bacilli.
Reforma do Estado e transparência : estratégias de controle da corrupção no Brasil

A reforma e modernização do Estado entendido aqui como um complexo processo de transição das estruturas políticas, econômicas e administrativas – surge como o tema central da agenda política mundial. Esse processo, que teve sua origem quando o modelo de Estado estruturado pelos países desenvolvidos no pós-guerra entrou em crise no final da década de setenta. Esse modelo de Estado – que se primava por estar presente em todas as faces da vida social -, contribuiu para modificar e desgastar significativamente suas relações com a sociedade civil e com suas instituições. A resposta para esse problema, em princípio, foi à adoção de um modelo neoliberal-conservador. As políticas propostas na década de oitenta, em decorrência da necessidade de reformar o Estado, restabelecer seu equilíbrio fiscal, e equilibrar o balanço de pagamentos dos países em crise, foram orientadas com a única preocupação: reduzir o tamanho do Estado e viabilizar o predomínio total do mercado.
Effects of aflatoxin B1 on the development of the bursa of Fabricius and blood lymphocyte acid phosphatase of the chicken

1. In this study, embryotoxicity and effects of in ovo administration of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) on the embryonic development of the bursa of Fabricius were determined in fertilised chicken eggs by histological methods and histochemical demonstration of acid phosphatase (ACP-ase) enzyme. Peripheral blood lymphocyte percentages were also estimated. 2. Embryonic stages were determined according to the Hamburger-Hamilton (H-H) scale. Mortality rates increased in AFB1-injected groups in a dose-dependent manner. Embryonic deaths were concentrated at H-H 31 in the 5 ng AFB1/egg group while the deaths were highest at H-H 25 in the 10 and 20 ng AFB1/egg groups. In the 40 ng AFB1/egg group, embryonic deaths mostly occurred during the first 70 to 72 h of incubation (H-H 20). 3. Bursal development was quite similar at d 7 of incubation in control and all experimental groups although development had been substantially impaired and retarded at d 10 of incubation in 10, 20 and 40 ng AFB1/egg groups. A gradual decrease of ACP-ase positive lymphocyte numbers was observed with increasing AFB1 doses. The chicks in AFB1-treated groups hatched with poorly developed bursae compared with those of the controls. However, proportions of ACP-ase positive lymphocytes substantially increased at hatch and at 21 d of incubation all groups had similar numbers. 4. The results revealed that breeder diets should be investigated for aflatoxins and specifically AFB1, in cases of low hatchability and flock immunity, because low concentration of AFB1 transferred into the fertilised eggs might be the cause of serious problems.
Gas exchange responses to constant work rate exercise in chronic cardiac failure.

OBJECTIVE--To examine the time course of changes in minute oxygen consumption and other gas exchange variables and heart rate during constant work rate exercise in patients with chronic cardiac failure. DESIGN--Treadmill exercise with on line measurement of gas exchange and a target duration of 10 minutes. SUBJECTS--Seven men in New York Heart Association class II, six in class III, and seven controls. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Gas exchange variables and heart rate were averaged for the final two minutes of exercise. Time constants were calculated for the increase in all variables. RESULTS--Consumption of oxygen at the end of exercise (VO2) was similar in class II patients (mean (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 14.9 (13.6 to 16.1) ml kg-1 min-1), class III patients (13.2 (11.2 to 15.1) ml kg-1 min-1), and controls (13.3 (12.5 to 14.2) ml kg-1 min-1). The patients reached this VO2 more slowly with longer exponential time constants of 0.82 (0.59 to 1.04) min in class II and 1.19 (0.86 to 1.51) min in class III, than the 0.49 (0.35 to 0.64) min in the controls. Time constants of other gas exchange variables and heart rate were also longer in patients. By analysis of covariance, peak VO2 accounted for the between group difference in the time constant for VO2, suggesting that circulatory factors may be an important cause of the delayed kinetics. CONCLUSIONS--A delayed rise in VO2 in response to exercise may be responsible for subnormal values of VO2 early in exercise in patients with chronic cardiac failure.
Validity Assessment of Self-Reported Construction Tasks

This study assessed agreement between workers’ and observers’ daily estimates of exposure to construction work tasks. The ultimate aimwas to develop a valid method and instrument for the collection of self-reported data on duration of exposure to a priori identified work tasks for use in characterizing exposure in settings with substantial task variability. Forty-nine shop workers and 52 construction site sheet metal workers were observed for up to 3 full workdays. Observers sampled approximately 25% of each worker's day, recording the work performed from a prespecified list of tasks. Each participant completed a daily questionnaire, indicating the tasks he or she performed that day and time spent on each task. Shopworkers tended to specialize in particular tasks, while at the construction site, the workers’ tasks reflected substantial day-to-day variability. Agreement between worker and observer estimates was generally better for major shop tasks (with intraclass correlation coefficients [ICCs] ranging from 0.52 to 0.85), than for major construction site tasks (with ICCs ranging from 0.36 to 0.64). Workers tended to overestimate the amount of time spent at tasks of longer duration and to underestimate time spent at short-duration tasks. Rank order analysis of time spent on task revealed fairly high agreement. Agreement was acceptable for shop-based work, which has less day-to-day variability than construction site work. Overall, however, the data suggest that, for highly variable work, the use of task as the unit of exposure does not improve recall over assessment approaches focusing on questions about posture and material handling.
Mice bearing a targeted interruption of the homeobox gene HOXA9 have defects in myeloid, erythroid, and lymphoid hematopoiesis.

Several homeobox genes of the HOXA and HOXB clusters are expressed in primitive blood cells, suggesting a role for HOX genes in normal hematopoiesis. The HOXA9 gene is expressed in CD34+ marrow cells and in developing lymphocytes. We examined blood-forming organs of mice homozygous for an interrupted HOXA9 allele to determine if loss of HOX gene function is deleterious to hematopoiesis. HOXA9-/- mice have approximately 30% to 40% reductions in total leukocytes and lymphocytes (P < .001) and a blunted granulocytic response to granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF). Homozygous mice have significantly smaller spleens and thymuses. Myeloid/erythroid and pre-B progenitors in the marrow are significantly reduced, but no significant decreases are noted in mixed colonies, day 12 colony-forming units-spleen (CFU-S), or long-term culture-initiating cells (LTC-IC), suggesting little or no perturbation in earlier progenitors. Heterozygous animals display no hematopoietic defects. The abnormalities in leukocyte production are transplantable, indicating that the defect resides in the hematopoietic cells. These studies demonstrate a physiologic role for a HOX gene in blood cell differentiation, with the greatest apparent influence of HOXA9 at the level of the committed progenitor.
Distribution of Na/K‐ATPase alpha 3 isoform, a sodium‐potassium P‐type pump associated with rapid‐onset of dystonia parkinsonism (RDP) in the adult mouse brain

The Na+/K+‐ATPase1 alpha subunit 3 (ATP1α3) is one of many essential components that maintain the sodium and potassium gradients across the plasma membrane in animal cells. Mutations in the ATP1A3 gene cause rapid‐onset of dystonia parkinsonism (RDP), a rare movement disorder characterized by sudden onset of dystonic spasms and slowness of movement. To achieve a better understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease, we used immunohistochemical approaches to describe the regional and cellular distribution of ATP1α3 in the adult mouse brain. Our results show that localization of ATP1α3 is restricted to neurons, and it is expressed mostly in projections (fibers and punctuates), but cell body expression is also observed. We found high expression of ATP1α3 in GABAergic neurons in all nuclei of the basal ganglia (striatum, globus pallidus, subthalamic nucleus, and substantia nigra), which is a key circuitry in the fine movement control. Several thalamic nuclei structures harboring connections to and from the cortex expressed high levels of the ATP1α3 isoform. Other structures with high expression of ATP1α3 included cerebellum, red nucleus, and several areas of the pons (reticulotegmental nucleus of pons). We also found high expression of ATP1α3 in projections and cell bodies in hippocampus; most of these ATP1α3‐positive cell bodies showed colocalization to GABAergic neurons. ATP1α3 expression was not significant in the dopaminergic cells of substantia nigra. In conclusion, and based on our data, ATP1α3 is widely expressed in neuronal populations but mainly in GABAergic neurons in areas and nuclei related to movement control, in agreement with RDP symptoms. J. Comp. Neurol. 519:376‐404, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
An endogenous capsaicin-like substance with high potency at recombinant and native vanilloid VR1 receptors

The vanilloid receptor VR1 is a nonselective cation channel that is most abundant in peripheral sensory fibers but also is found in several brain nuclei. VR1 is gated by protons, heat, and the pungent ingredient of “hot” chili peppers, capsaicin. To date, no endogenous compound with potency at this receptor comparable to that of capsaicin has been identified. Here we examined the hypothesis, based on previous structure-activity relationship studies and the availability of biosynthetic precursors, that N-arachidonoyl-dopamine (NADA) is an endogenous “capsaicin-like” substance in mammalian nervous tissues. We found that NADA occurs in nervous tissues, with the highest concentrations being found in the striatum, hippocampus, and cerebellum and the lowest concentrations in the dorsal root ganglion. We also gained evidence for the existence of two possible routes for NADA biosynthesis and mechanisms for its inactivation in rat brain. NADA activates both human and rat VR1 overexpressed in human embryonic kidney (HEK)293 cells, with potency (EC50 ≈ 50 nM) and efficacy similar to those of capsaicin. Furthermore, NADA potently activates native vanilloid receptors in neurons from rat dorsal root ganglion and hippocampus, thereby inducing the release of substance P and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) from dorsal spinal cord slices and enhancing hippocampal paired-pulse depression, respectively. Intradermal NADA also induces VR1-mediated thermal hyperalgesia (EC50 = 1.5 ± 0.3 μg). Our data demonstrate the existence of a brain substance similar to capsaicin not only with respect to its chemical structure but also to its potency at VR1 receptors.