Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The role of cytosolic potassium and pH in the growth of barley roots

In an earlier paper we showed that in fully developed barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) root epidermal cells a decrease in cytosolic K+ was associated with an acidification of the cytosol (D.J. Walker, R. A. Leigh, A.J. Miller [1996] Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 93: 10510-10514). To show that these changes in cytosolic ion concentrations contributed to the decreased growth of K+-starved roots, we first measured whether similar changes occurred in cells of the growing zone. Triple-barreled ion-selective microelectrodes were used to measure cytosolic K+ activity and pH in cells 0.5 to 1.0 mm from the root tip. In plants growing from 7 to 21 d after germination under K+-replete conditions, the mean values did not change significantly, with values ranging from 80 to 84 mM for K+ and 7.3 to 7.4 for pH. However, in K+-starved plants (external [K+], 2 &mgr;M), the mean cytosolic K+ activity and pH had declined to 44 mM and 7.0, respectively, after 14 d. For whole roots, sap osmolality was always lower in K+-starved than in K+-replete plants, whereas elongation rate and dry matter accumulation were significantly decreased after 14 and 16 d of K+ starvation. The rate of protein synthesis in root tips did not change for K+-replete plants but declined significantly with age in K+-starved plants. Butyrate treatment decreased cytosolic pH and diminished the rate of protein synthesis in K+-replete roots. Procaine treatment of K+-starved roots gave an alkalinization of the cytosol and increased protein synthesis rate. These results show that changes in both cytosolic pH and K+ can be significant factors in inhibiting protein synthesis and root growth during K+ deficiency.
A strategy for studying differential vulnerability to the psychological consequences of stress.

It is important to examine the possibility . that relationships between commonly studied status indicators and psychological distress indicators are due, in part or wholly, to differences in the impacts of comparable stressor events and situations on people in different status categories. This paper describes and illustrates a strategy for doing this and argues that the systematic existence of impact differentials helps explain the commonly observed relationships between certain social statuses and psychological distress.
Role of levosimendan in sepsis and septic shock

Purpose of review To present the pharmacologic and biologic profile of levosimendan and discuss potential indications in the treatment of sepsis and septic shock, with a special focus on myocardial and pulmonary dysfunction. Recent findings In animal models of endotoxic shock, levosimendan improved both left ventricular systolic and diastolic dysfunction, as well as ventriculovascular coupling. In addition, positive effects have been reported on right ventricular performance and pulmonary circulation. Two randomized, controlled trials in patients with septic shock revealed levosimendan provided consistent beneficial effects on cardiopulmonary performance, global oxygen transport, splanchnic perfusion and renal function. These effects have been reported as superior to placebo and the classic inotropic agent dobutamine. Due to its vasodilatory effects, combination with vasoconstrictor agents may be crucial in the presence of arterial hypotension. Summary There is increasing evidence that levosimendan exerts beneficial effects in the treatment of sepsis-induced myocardial and pulmonary dysfunction. Future large-scale multicenter clinical trials are now needed to clarify whether levosimendan improves the overall outcome of patients with sepsis and septic shock.
Effects of inhaled salbutamol in exercising non-asthmatic athletes

BACKGROUND Beta-2 agonists such as salbutamol are used, not only by asthmatic athletes to prevent exercise induced asthma, but also by non-asthmatic athletes as a potentially ergogenic agent. We have investigated whether inhaled salbutamol enhances endurance performance in non-asthmatic athletes. METHODS A prospective double blind, randomised, three way crossover design was used to study the effects of 200 μg and 800 μg inhaled salbutamol versus a placebo in 12 trained triathletes. The treatments were compared in three identical cycle ergometer sessions at 85% of the predetermined maximal oxygen uptake. Lung function, endurance time, metabolic parameters (glucose, potassium, lactate, free fatty acid, and glycerol), and psychomotor performance were evaluated. RESULTS Neither endurance time nor post-exercise bronchodilation were significantly different between the treatments. Metabolic parameters were affected by exercise but not by treatment. CONCLUSIONS Inhaled salbutamol, even in a high dose, did not have a significant effect on endurance performance in non-asthmatic athletes, although the bronchodilating effect of the drug at the beginning of exercise may have improved respiratory adaptation. Our results do not preclude an ergogenic effect of β2 agonists given by other routes or for a longer period.
Ablation of the fetal mouse spinal cord: The effect on soleus muscle cytoarchitecture

A technique is described whereby it is possible to surgically ablate the lumbosacral spinal cord of a developing mouse fetus without interfering with fetal viability. The lumbosacral spinal cords of 14‐day in utero, 129ReJ mice were ablated with a Cooper Nd‐YAG laser, and the fetuses, enclosed in their membranes and attached to the uterus by their placentae, were allowed to develop in the abdominal cavity of the dam. The cytoarchitecture and the temporal pattern of organogenesis of aneural soleus muscles were studied in spaced, serial, transverse, ultrathin sections of muscles of 16‐ and 18‐day gestation and newborn (20‐day gestation) mice. At the time of surgery, the soleus muscle was a discrete mass consisting of primary myotubes and a pleomorphic population of mononucleated cells. Axon bundles and blood vessels were found at the muscle's periphery, but had not penetrated throughout the muscle mass. The organogenesis of the aneural muscle was remarkably similar to that of the innervated soleus muscle (Ontell et al., Am J Anat 181:267–278, 1988). In the aneural muscle, as in the innervated muscle, significant numbers of secondary myotubes formed all along the lengths of primary myotubes. Moreover, the time course of myotube formation, the dynamics of cluster formation and cluster dispersal, and the ultrastructural appearance of the myotubes mimicked that observed in innervated muscle. The frequency of necrotic myotubes was no greater in the aneural muscle than in the innervated soleus muscle. Myotube maturation was similar in aneural and innervated soleus muscles until 18 days gestation. However, at birth, aneural myotubes appeared to be slightly less mature than innervated myotubes. Thus, the major morphogenic phenomena that characterize the development of the soleus muscle appear to be independent of innervation.
Cardiovascular monitoring of children and adolescents with heart disease receiving medications for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder [corrected]: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association Council on Cardiovascular Disease in the Young Congenital Cardiac Defects Committee and 

Over the past decade, concerns have been raised regarding the safety of a variety of psychotropic medications in children and adolescents, the appropriate selection of patients for therapy, and the indications for cardiovascular monitoring. In 1999, concerns over potential cardiovascular effects of psychotropic drugs, especially tricyclic antidepressants1,2 but including stimulants, prompted the American Heart Association (AHA) scientific statement “Cardiovascular Monitoring of Children and Adolescents Receiving Psychotropic Drugs. ”3 At that time, no specific cardiovascular monitoring was recommended for the use of stimulant medications. Since that time, a constellation of circumstances have come together, necessitating a second look at this complicated issue. These circumstances include an increased awareness of the presence of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the general population and in children with preexisting cardiac conditions; public concerns about the side effects and toxicities of medications, especially psychotropic medications in children; and regulatory factors and warnings issued by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and by the pharmaceutical industry in response to the FDA. This writing group was convened in response to FDA concerns with regard to the safety of the ADHD drugs and with regard to the identification of children with underlying cardiovascular abnormalities. At a time when there is much discussion of the side effects of drugs and of the use of psychotropic drugs in children in the media and lay literature, it is particularly important for the medical profession to play a significant role in critically evaluating the use of stimulant medication in children, including those who may have undiagnosed heart disease and those who are known to have heart disease. The writing group for “Cardiovascular Monitoring of Children and Adolescents With Heart Disease Receiving Medications for Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder” reviewed the literature relevant to this topic since the last publication of the AHA scientific …
Intracellular recording from vertebrate myelinated axons: mechanism of the depolarizing afterpotential

1. Electrophysiological techniques are described which allow intracellular recording from peripheral myelinated axons of lizards and frogs for up to several hours. The sciatic and intramuscular axons studied here have resting potentials of ‐60 to ‐80 mV and action potentials (evoked by stimulation of the proximal nerve trunk) of 50‐90 mV. They show a prominent depolarizing afterpotential (d.a.p.), which is present both in isolated axons and in axons still attached to their peripheral terminals. This d.a. p. has a peak amplitude of 5‐20 mV at the resting potential, and decays with a half‐time of 20‐100 msec.
The burden of cancer in New Zealand: a comparison of incidence and DALY metrics and its relevance for ethnic disparities

Aim : Cancer burden measured in disability adjusted life years (DALYs) captures survival and disability impacts of incident cancers. In this paper, we estimate the prospective burden of disease arising from 27 cancer sites diagnosed in 2006, by sex and ethnicity; and determine how its distribution differs from that for incidence rates alone.
Momentum Strategies in Futures Markets and Trend-following Funds

In this paper we rigorously establish a relationship between time-series momentum strategies in futures markets and commodity trading advisors (CTAs), a subgroup of the hedge fund universe that has grown to USD 300 billion and has attracted a lot of attention during the financial crisis. Building on this relationship, we carry out the first rigorous test of the hypothesis that capacity constraints exist in trend-following investing. Using a cross-section of 71 futures contracts over the period 1974-2012, we first construct one of the most comprehensive sets of time-series momentum portfolios across various trading frequencies. Second, we provide evidence that CTAs follow time-series momentum strategies, by showing that such benchmark strategies have high explanatory power in the time-series of CTA returns. Third, based on this result, we investigate whether there exist capacity constraints in time-series momentum strategies. Consistent with the view that futures markets are relatively liquid, we do not find evidence of statistically significant capacity constraints when using two different methodologies and several robustness tests. Our results have important implications for hedge fund studies and investors. Motivated by the fact that CTA funds differ in their forecast horizons and trading activity (e.g. Hayes 2011) we extend the work of Moskowitz, Ooi and Pedersen (2012) and evaluate time-series momentum strategies in futures markets over a broad grid of lookback periods, investment horizons and frequencies of portfolio rebalancing. We find strong time-series momentum patterns in monthly, weekly
Natural Genetic Variation in Selected Populations of Arabidopsis thaliana Is Associated with Ionomic Differences

Controlling elemental composition is critical for plant growth and development as well as the nutrition of humans who utilize plants for food. Uncovering the genetic architecture underlying mineral ion homeostasis in plants is a critical first step towards understanding the biochemical networks that regulate a plant's elemental composition (ionome). Natural accessions of Arabidopsis thaliana provide a rich source of genetic diversity that leads to phenotypic differences. We analyzed the concentrations of 17 different elements in 12 A. thaliana accessions and three recombinant inbred line (RIL) populations grown in several different environments using high-throughput inductively coupled plasma- mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS). Significant differences were detected between the accessions for most elements and we identified over a hundred QTLs for elemental accumulation in the RIL populations. Altering the environment the plants were grown in had a strong effect on the correlations between different elements and the QTLs controlling elemental accumulation. All ionomic data presented is publicly available at www.ionomicshub. org.
A Self Organising Aerial Ad Hoc Network Mobility Model for Disaster Scenarios

Mobile Ad Hoc Networks have been envisioned as an appealing networking approach to be applied in disaster scenarios. The main reason is that they can be rapidly deployed over terrestrial nodes i.e. the victims and rescue team members, in order to provide them support when traditional communication infrastructure is seriously damaged or malfunctioning. Aerial Ad Hoc Networks are ad hoc networks made of aerial vehicles and can be used for this purpose as well, as they can be rapidly deployed and provide communication services even before the rescue teams arrive to the victims' location. This paper proposes a mobility model for the self-deployment of an Aerial Ad Hoc Network in a disaster scenario in order to create a flying and flexible communication infrastructure that victims can use. The mobility model proposed is based mainly in the Jaccard dissimilarity metric to control de deployment of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles composing the network. The proposed model is tested using a software tool that has been developed for this specific purpose and which evaluates the communication service provided by the Aerial Ad Hoc Network in disaster scenarios.
Effects of Caregiving, Gender, and Race on the Health, Mutuality, and Social Supports of Older Couples

Objectives:The purpose of this article is to report caregiving, gender, and race effects on the physical health, social supports, and mutuality of older couples. Methods:The study involves cross-sectional results from a longitudinal study of 234 older couples, 118 in caregiving situations and 116 comparison couples. Spouses were interviewed in their homes. Results:Spousal older caregivers are in poorer physical health than noncaregivers but have no greater numbers of social supports to help them in the caregiving role. Also, African Americans are in poorer physical heath than Caucasians; yet, as caregivers, they have no greater numbers of social supports than Caucasian caregivers. Although females have more social supports than males, female caregivers have more negative feelings about their husbands than male caregivers have about their wives. Discussion:Males and African Americans are in potentially more severe caregiving situations than their female and Caucasian counterparts. Results of this study are compared to Wallsten (1999), which found that African Americans and males had more favorable psychological indicators of stress. The two studies complement each other but open the question of response bias as a factor.
Melanoma-Associated Expression of Transforming Growth Factor-f3 Isoforms

Melanocytic neoplasia is characterized by the aberrant overproduction of multiple cytokines in vitra However, it is largely unknown how cytokine expression relates to melanonma progression in vivo Transforming growth factor ,3 (TGF-(8) is a multifunctional cytokine commonly produced by cultured melanoma cells. The in situ expression of all three TGF-(8 isoforms (TGF-,(1, -2, and -3) was determined immunohistochemicaly in melanocytes and in 51 melanocytic lesions using isoformspeciftc antibodies. Significant linear trends ofexpression were observedfrom melanocytes through nevi andprimary and metastatic melanomasfor all three isoforms. TGF-131 was expressed by some melanocytes and almost uniformly by nevi and melanomas. TGF-g32 and -3 were not expressed in normal melanocytes but were expressed in nevi and early and advanced primary (radial and vertical growth phase) and metastatic melanomas in a tumor-progression-related manner. TGF-j32 was heterogeneously expressed in advancedprimary and metastatic melanomas, whereas TGF-g33 was uniformly and highly expressed in these lesions. Thus, expression of TGF-(3 isoforms in melanocytes and melanocytic lesions is heterogeneous and related to tumor progression, and expression of TGF32 and ofTGF(33 commences at criticaljunctures during progression of nevi to primary melanomas. (AmjPathol 1996, 14&1887-1894)
[Arterial stiffness and pulse wave analysis].

Institut 1 Herausgegeben von der Gesellschaft für Arterielle Gefäßsteifigkeit, Deutschland-Österreich-Schweiz (DeGAG) in Kooperation mit der Österreichischen Gesellschaft für Hypertensiologie (ÖGH), der Schweizerischen Hypertonie Gesellschaft (SHG), der International Prevention Organization (IPO), der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Nephrologie (DGfN) und der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Angiologie Gesellschaft für Gefäßmedizin (DGA)
MECHANO-ELECTRIC FEEDBACK AND INITIATION OF CARDIAC ARRHYTHMIAS

The heart beat is controlled by electrical excitation waves which propagate through the heart and initiate cardiac contraction. Contraction of the heart also affects the process of wave propagation resulting in a complex global feedback phenomenon known as mechanoelectrical feedback (MEF). MEF has been studied in electrophysiology for well over a century and may have both pro-arrhythmic and arrhythmogenic consequences. Reently we have developed an approach to model the phenomenon of MEF as coupled reaction-diffusionmechanics system, which combines the parabolic reaction-diffusion equations with the elliptic equations of finite elasticity [1]. For electrophysiological tissue properties we use models of cardiac tissue either low dimensional of the FitzHugh Nagumo type, or detailed ionic model for human ventricular cells developed in our group. For representation of mechanics we either use a finite element approach [1], or a discrete mass-lattice framework [2]. We report on several mechanisms which may underly formation of spiral waves due to MEF: MEF can induce breakup of a single spiral wave into complex fibrillatory patterns. We discuss the mechanism of this process based on the accommodation phenomenon. We also show that this effect is present in low dimensional and ionic models of cardiac tissue and also in simple geometries and in anatomical model of the heart . We find a new mechanism of spiral wave initiation in the contracting excitable medium. In particular, we show that deformation forms a new vulnerable zone at longer coupling intervals. This mechanically caused vulnerable zone results in a new mechanism of spiral wave initiation, where unidirectional conduction block and rotation directions of the spiral waves are opposite compared that of the "classical vulnerable zone. " We also study and classify mechanisms of spiral wave initiation in excitable tissue with heterogeneity in passive and in active mechanical properties [3]. We find that self-sustaining spiral wave activity emerges for a wide range of mechanical parameters of the inhomogeneity via five mechanisms. We classify these mechanisms, relate them to parameters of the inhomogeneity, and discuss how these results can be applied to understand the onset of cardiac arrhythmias due to regional mechanical heterogeneity.
The Saccharomyces cerevisiae SCRaMbLE system and genome minimization

We have recently reported the first partially synthetic eukaryotic genome. Saccharomyces cerevisiae chromosomes synIXR and semi-synVIL are fully synthetic versions of the right arm of chromosome IX and the telomeric segment of the left arm of chromosome VI, respectively, and represent the beginning of the synthetic yeast genome project, Sc2.0, that progressively replaces native yeast DNA with synthetic sequences. We have designed synthetic chromosome sequences according to principles specifying a wild-type phenotype, highly stable genome, and maintenance of genetic flexibility. Although other synthetic genome projects exist, the Sc2.0 approach is unique in that we have implemented design specifications predicted to generate a wild-type phenotype until induction of “SCRaMbLE,” an inducible evolution system that generates significant genetic diversity. Here we further explore the significance of Sc2.0 and show how SCRaMbLE can serve as a genome minimization tool.
Psycho-Social Problems of Women Living with HIV/AIDS and its Impact on their Families in Andhra Pradesh, India.

The global experiences and recent studies reveal that the HIV/AIDS is a life-threatening disease, irrespective of age, gender, cast, creed, colour and race and therefore people react to it in strong ways. Many innocent people have been victimising for this devilish disease without their knowledge. This is very pathetic condition where women have been scapegoats for this disease especially. Instead of getting sympathy and care to these victims from their houses and community, they have been stigmatizing and discriminating by their families and society. Its infection is associated with behaviours (such as homosexuality, drug addiction, prostitution or promiscuity) that are already stigmatized in many societies. Most people become infected with HIV through sex, which often carries a moral baggage. AIDS-related stigma and discrimination refers to prejudice, negative attitudes, ill treatment abuse and maltreatment directed at persons, especially women living with HIV and AIDS. Consequently the stigma and discrimination are being shunned by family, peers and the wider community, poor treatment in healthcare and education settings, an erosion of human rights, psychological pressures, depression and a negative effect on humanity and society as a whole with respect to inter and intra family responses. The effects of antiretroviral therapy on people’s physical appearance can result in forced disclosure and discrimination based on appearance in the society in general and in a closed family in particular. So it is essential and crucial to focus on these areas for appropriate approach to bring down the discrimination and empower the victims of HIV/AIDS to lead social life without social stigma. Hence there is at most necessity to study and analyse for an appropriate solution to empower the victims from psychosocial problems posed by their families and society.