Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Decreased sensitivity to ethanol reward in adolescent mice as measured by conditioned place preference.

BACKGROUND Many preclinical studies have demonstrated age-related differential sensitivity to various effects of ethanol between adolescent and adult animals. However, published data addressing possible differences in ethanol's motivational effects are sparse, particularly in mice. The present study examined age-related differences in the conditioned rewarding effects of ethanol in DBA/2J mice. METHODS In the first experiment an unbiased place conditioning procedure was used to determine the rewarding effects of 2 g/kg ethanol in adult and adolescent DBA/2J mice. In a subsequent place conditioning experiment, the effects of 2 and 4 g/kg were assessed in adolescent mice. RESULTS Adolescents demonstrated a place preference with the high dose of 4 g/kg but not with a more moderate dose of 2 g/kg. In contrast, 2 g/kg was sufficient to produce place preference in adult mice. CONCLUSIONS Adolescents are less sensitive than adults to the rewarding effects of ethanol but can experience reward with high doses. These results extend the current literature on ethanol's effects in adolescent animals.
Mucocutaneous Diseases:
Oral Lichen Planus, Mucous
Membrane Pemphigoid and
Pemphigus Vulgaris.

Mucocutaneous diseases affect the oral cavity and can present a diagnostic challenge. They can have systemic involvement, necessitating multidisciplinary management. Frequently, patients will see their general dentists initially for evaluation. A better understanding of mucocutaneous diseases can prevent delay in appropriate diagnosis and treatment. Oral lichen planus, mucous membrane pemphigoid and pemphigus vulgaris are three mucocutaneous diseases that affect the oral mucosa. This review describes the clinical features, epidemiology, etiology, pathogenesis and management for each condition.
Switching Frequency Dynamic Control for DFIG Wind Turbine Performance Improvement Around Synchronous Speed

In a doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) wind turbine (WT), large thermal and mechanical oscillations occur around synchronous speed due to the nearly zero-frequency current circulating between rotor windings and rotor-side converter (RSC). A switching frequency dynamic control technique is proposed in this paper to overcome the problem. The basic idea is to dynamically reduce the switching frequency during operation so that both the switching losses and dead-time effect of RSC can be reduced around synchronous speed. According to the characteristic that high-frequency pulse width modulation (PWM) harmonics in DFIG decrease significantly with rotor slip, there would be a new space for switching frequency reduction especially around synchronous speed. The reduced of switching frequency is actually determined by a tradeoff between the increase of both the stator current PWM harmonics and speed PWM ripples and the decrease of insulated-gate bipolar transistor temperature. Compared with the conventional technique with constant switching frequency, the new technique can effectively improve the system performance around synchronous speed including not only better thermal behavior and efficiency of RSC but also smaller current total harmonics and speed total ripples in generator. To clarify the method, first, the effects of switching frequency reduction on a DFIG WT system are investigated. Second, the criteria, control scheme, and procedure of the method are presented. Finally, experimental and simulation studies were carried out, and the results validate its feasibility and effectiveness.
Genetics and Physiology of Bacteriophage T4 3′-Phosphatase: Evidence for Involvement of the Enzyme in T4 DNA Metabolism

Mutants of bacteriophage T4D which fail to induce the deoxyribonucleotide-specific T4 3′-phosphatase have been isolated. These mutants (T4pseT) grow as well as wild-type T4 in most strains of Escherichia coli, but not in the T4-sensitive “Hospital Strain,” CT196, or in a derivative strain, CTr5x. Both the formation of infectious centers and the final yield of phage are reduced by 98% when CTr5x is infected by T4pseT mutants. The growth defects are accompanied by a 50% reduction in the rate of T4 DNA synthesis, a decrease in the single-strand length of the DNA product to about one-half the mature length, and greatly reduced packaging of DNA into phage particles. Introduction of an extra-cistronic suppressor mutation (stp) into T4pseT eliminates both the requirement for the T4 3′-phosphatase in infected CTr5x and the other observed effects of the pseT mutations. The pseT gene lies between genes 63 and 31. The stp gene lies in the nonessential region between rIIB and ac. Our results suggest that 3′-phosphoryl termini can disrupt T4 DNA replication to the extent that T4 3′-phosphatase becomes required for phage production.
Annular Protofibrils Are a Structurally and Functionally Distinct Type of Amyloid Oligomer*

Amyloid oligomers are believed to play causal roles in several types of amyloid-related neurodegenerative diseases. Several different types of amyloid oligomers have been reported that differ in morphology, size, or toxicity, raising the question of the pathological significance and structural relationships between different amyloid oligomers. Annular protofibrils (APFs) have been described in oligomer preparations of many different amyloidogenic proteins and peptides as ring-shaped or pore-like structures. They are interesting because their pore-like morphology is consistent with numerous reports of membrane-permeabilizing activity of amyloid oligomers. Here we report the preparation of relatively homogeneous preparations of APFs and an antiserum selective for APFs (αAPF) compared with prefibrillar oligomers (PFOs) and fibrils. PFOs appear to be precursors for APF formation, which form in high yield after exposure to a hydrophobic-hydrophilic interface. Surprisingly, preformed APFs do not permeabilize lipid bilayers, unlike the precursor PFOs. APFs display a conformation-dependent, generic epitope that is distinct from that of PFOs and amyloid fibrils. Incubation of PFOs with phospholipids vesicles results in a loss of PFO immunoreactivity with a corresponding increase in αAPF immunoreactivity, suggesting that lipid vesicles catalyze the conversion of PFOs into APFs. The annular anti-protofibril antibody also recognizes heptameric α-hemolysin pores, but not monomers, suggesting that the antibody recognizes an epitope that is specific for a β barrel structural motif.
The Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and the Female Sexual Distress Scale (FSDS): Psychometric Properties within a Dutch Population

The aim of the present study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI; Rosen et al., 2000) and the Female Sexual Distress Scale (FSDS; Derogatis, Rosen, Leiblum, Burnett, & Heiman, 2002) within a Dutch population of approximately 350 women with and without sexual complaints. The main conclusions of this study are that the multidimensional structure of the FSFI and the unidimensional structure of the FSDS are fairly well replicated in a Dutch sample. The amount of variance explained by confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses was good. Internal consistency and stability of the FSFI and its subscales and the FSDS are satisfactory to good, and the subscales are reasonably stable across demographic variables. The discriminant validity and the ability of the scales to predict the presence or absence of sexual complaints was excellent. The convergent and divergent construct validity of the FSFI and the FSDS was good. These results support the reliability and psychometric validity of the FSFI and the FSDS in the assessment of dimensions of female sexual functioning and sexual distress in clinical and nonclinical samples.
Univariate tests of momentum on the JSE

ABSTRACT This study intends to test whether medium-term price momentum is present on the cross-section of shares listed on the JSE. Using the methodology of Jegadeesh and Titman (1993; 2001), shares are sorted applying four estimation periods (E = 3, 6, 9 and 12 months) and held for four portfolio holding periods (H = 3, 6, 9 and 12 months) post sort. The portfolio ‘optimisation’ methodology employed in this study provides additional insight when compared with previous tests conducted in South African literature, as further robustness tests are applied in order to determine the sensitivity of momentum to variations in sorting methodology, liquidity and trading costs. The study finds that estimation and holding periods between six and nine months generate the highest levels of excess return. Consistent with the findings of Basiewicz and Auret (2009) in relation to the size and value anomalies and Oladele and Bradfield (2016), equally weighted momentum excess returns provide a premium when compared to value weighting. Bid-ask bounce and microstructure effects are present on the JSE, given that momentum profits consistently increase when applying the skipping of most recent estimation month per Asness (1997) and, lastly, momentum is consistently more sensitive to direct transaction costs when compared to liquidity.
An Ultrahigh Current Density Micro Discharge

At atmospheric pressure, a micro thin-cathode discharge operates in a self-pulsing mode with a peak current density of several 105 A/cm2. The V-I characteristic of the discharge indicates that the self-pulsing is due to a periodic ignition of a spark discharge. In the self-pulsing mode, the plasma emission was observed by a CCD camera. The camera image proved that the discharge produces strongly localized sparks in the self-pulsing mode.
ECB Monetary Policy Transmission During Normal and Negative Interest Rate Periods

We analyze monetary policy transmission in the euro area from 2009--2016, including changes during the negative interest rate policy (NIRP) period as of June 2014. We identify three dimensions of ECB monetary policy related to surprise changes in (i) the target rate, (ii) the expected future path of the target rate (path factor), and (iii) longer-term interest rates (term factor). We find that surprise shocks about the target rate and the future path of the target rate have strong effects on interbank lending rates and government bond yields. Moreover, expansionary monetary policy surprises related to the term factor decrease government bond yields across all maturities and have strongest effects on medium- and long-term maturities. Prices of riskier assets, such as longer-term assets, sovereign bonds from crisis countries, or equities, increase significantly more in response to expansionary monetary policy shocks during the NIRP period. Moreover, during the NIRP period, expansionary target rate shocks further decrease loan interest rates and strongly increase the origination of new bank loans to businesses and households, particularly for loans with longer maturities.
Comorbidities and Assessment of Severity of Pediatric Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: Proceedings From the Pediatric Acute Lung Injury Consensus Conference

Objectives: To determine the impact of patient-specific and disease-related characteristics on the severity of illness and on outcome in pediatric patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome with the intent of guiding current medical practice and identifying important areas for future research. Design: Electronic searches of PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane, and Scopus were conducted. References were reviewed for relevance and features included in the following section. Settings: Not applicable. Subjects: PICU patients with evidence of acute lung injury, acute hypoxemic respiratory failure, and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Interventions: Not applicable. Measurements and Main Results: The comorbidities associated with outcome in pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome can be divided into 1) patient-specific factors and 2) factors inherent to the disease process. The primary comorbidity associated with poor outcome is preexisting congenital or acquired immunodeficiency. Severity of disease is often described by factors identifiable at admission to the ICU. Many measures that are predictive are influenced by the underlying disease process itself, but may also be influenced by nutritional status, chronic comorbidities, or underlying genetic predisposition. Of the measures available at the bedside, both PaO2/FIO2 ratio and oxygenation index are fairly consistent and robust predictors of disease severity and outcomes. Multiple organ system dysfunction is the single most important independent clinical risk factor for mortality in children at the onset of acute respiratory distress syndrome. Conclusions: The assessment of oxygenation and ventilation indices simultaneously with genetic and biomarker measurements holds the most promise for improved risk stratification for pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome patients in the very near future. The next phases of pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome pathophysiology and outcomes research will be enhanced if 1) age group differences are examined, 2) standardized datasets with adequately explicit definitions are used, 3) data are obtained at standardized times after pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome onset, and 4) nonpulmonary organ failure scores are created and implemented.
Costs and feasibility of repowering wind farms

ABSTRACT The aim of this paper is to determine the main costs and the feasibility of repowering wind farms. For this purpose, two study methods, which depend on legal and wind turbines issues, have been considered. They will provide nine alternatives, whose study will be developed. The methodology has been applied to the particular case of Galicia (North-West of Spain), where there is a good onshore wind resource. Calculations indicate the costs, the Net Present Value (NPV), the Internal Rate of Return (IRR), and the Pay-Back Period of these alternatives. In addition, a sensitivity study has analyzed the main variables of dependence in repowering wind farms. Results show that repowering can be a new alternative for onshore wind farms in areas where old wind turbines are currently installed.
Optical Sensing of Vegetation Water Content: A Synthesis Study

Vegetation water content (VWC) plays an important role in parameterizing the vegetation influence on microwave soil moisture retrieval. During the past decade, relationships have been developed between VWC and vegetation indices from satellite optical sensors, in order to create large-scale VWC maps based on these relationships. Among existing vegetation indices, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and the normalized difference water index (NDWI) have been most frequently used for estimating VWC. This work compiles and inter-compares a number of equations developed for VWC derivation from NDVI and NDWI using satellite data and ground samples collected from field campaigns carried out in the United States, Australia, and China. Four vegetation types are considered: corn, cereal grains, legumes, and grassland. While existing equations are reassessed against the entire compiled data sets, new equations are also developed based on the entire data sets. Comparing with existing equations, results show superiorities for the new equations based on statistical analysis against the entire data set. NDWI1640 and NDVI are found to be the preferred indices for VWC estimation based on the availability and the error statistics of the compiled data sets. It is recommended that the new equations can be applied in the future global remote sensing application for VWC map retrieval.
An enhancement on class diagram to model a secure context aware system

Context-aware systems are steadily becoming a reality thanks to the advances in wireless communication and sensing technologies that have led to the development of powerful mobile computing devices such as smartphones and tablet computers. These devices are capable of sensing the user's context information and sharing them via wireless links and the Internet, without the user knowledge most of the time, in order to provide the user with personalized information and services anytime anywhere. Guaranteeing the security of the user's context information is paramount for the acceptance and wide adoption of such systems. This paper proposes an extension of the UML class diagram with explicit notations to express the security requirements of context-aware systems. This approach enables the integration of the security requirements together with the functional and context-awareness requirements of the system, at an early stage of the system development life-cycle. The pragmatics of the proposed approach is demonstrated through real-world examples.
Hypothyroidism is a predictor of disability pension and loss of labor market income: a Danish register-based study.

BACKGROUND Hypothyroidism is associated with an increased somatic and psychiatric disease burden. Whether there are any socioeconomic consequences of hypothyroidism, such as early retirement or loss of income, remains unclarified. AIM Our aim was to examine, compared with a matched control group, the risk of receiving disability pension (before the age of 60) and the effect on labor market income in patients diagnosed with hypothyroidism. METHODS This was an observational register-based cohort study. By record linkage between different Danish health registers, 1745 hypothyroid singletons diagnosed before the age of 60 were each matched with 4 non-hypothyroid controls and followed for a mean of 5 (range 1-31) years. Additionally, we included 277 same-sex twin pairs discordant for hypothyroidism. The risk of disability pension was evaluated by the Cox regression analysis. Changes in labor market income progression over 5 years were evaluated using a difference in difference model. RESULTS With a hazard ratio of 2.24 (95% confidence interval = 1.73-2.89), individuals diagnosed with hypothyroidism had a significantly increased risk of disability pension. This remained significant when adjusting for educational level and comorbidity (hazard ratio = 1.89; 95% confidence interval = 1.42-2.51). In an analysis of labor market income, 2 years before compared with 2 years after the diagnosis of hypothyroidism, the hypothyroid individuals had on average a €1605 poorer increase than their euthyroid controls (P < .001). Essentially similar results were found in the twin population. CONCLUSION A diagnosis of hypothyroidism before the age of 60 is associated with loss of labor market income and an 89% increased risk of receiving a disability pension.
Organization Identity: Its Role in Organization Change

Abstract This chapter shares the findings of a research study that investigated how organizations managed critical incidents that had the potential for dramatic economic impact and why those organizations chose to pursue certain issues. The findings expose organization identity’s role in stabilizing organizations. Understanding this role creates an opportunity to improve organization change efforts by examining and understanding a subject’s organization identity. Armed with this understanding, a change agent may design interventions in such a way as to align with identity or, when necessary, to specifically alter identity.
Intraluminal Pressure Response in Baerveldt Tube Shunts: A Comparison of Modification Techniques

PurposeTo design an apparatus for in vitro quantification of effects of modifications to nonvalved tube shunts, and to compare the effects of these modifications done to prevent early postoperative hypotony. Materials and MethodsA testing apparatus was designed and constructed to measure intraluminal pressure (ILP) during constant infusion of balanced salt solution at 2 μL/min through Baerveldt tube shunts mounted on cadaver eyes. Three different modifications were performed and 3 shunts were used for each modification. The modifications were partial tube occlusion with a 3-0 Supramid suture, tube perforation with a 27-gauge needle on an occluded tube, and a 1.2 mm longitudinal venting slit on an occluded tube. ResultsThe final steady state ILP for the 3-0 Supramid partially occluded tube ranged between 1.6 and 2.8 mm Hg over 3 trials with an average final steady state ILP of 2.0 mm Hg. The 27-gauge needle perforation produced ILPs of 4.6 to 8.2 mm Hg over 3 trials with an average final steady state pressure of 5.9 mm Hg. The 1.2 mm longitudinal venting slit produced an ILP range of 12.6 to 17.3 mm Hg over 3 trials with an average final steady state ILP of 14.8 mm Hg. The differences in final steady state ILP between the 3 modification techniques were statistically significant (P=0.00036). ConclusionsThe 3-0 Supramid occlusion and the 27-gauge perforation techniques produced hypotony, whereas the 1.2 mm longitudinal venting slit produced acceptable pressures in vitro.
Are Macroeconomic Density Forecasts Informative?

Abstract We consider whether survey density forecasts (such as the inflation and output growth histograms of the US Survey of Professional Forecasters) are superior to unconditional density forecasts. The unconditional forecasts assume that the average level of uncertainty that has been experienced in the past will continue to prevail in the future, whereas the SPF projections ought to be adapted to the current conditions and the outlook at each forecast origin. The SPF forecasts might be expected to outperform the unconditional densities at the shortest horizons, but it transpires that such is not the case for the aggregate forecasts of either variable, or for the majority of the individual respondents for forecasting inflation.
Implementation of the needle winding technique for diamond coils

For the flexible production of increased efficient electric traction drives, a new winding method in terms of the indirect needle winding has been developed. It is the aim to show the full potential of the new winding technique by the manufacturing of an improved motor winding, which consists of diamond coils with twisted litz wire. Adapted devices, in particular a winding template and a needle winding tool, are investigated in several concepts and the evaluated favorites are implemented. A complete winding cell is equipped with all necessary components to demonstrate the feasibility of the modified process technology.
Telmisartan or Valsartan Alone or in Combination with Hydrochlorothiazide: A Review

The aim of this review was to compare telmisartan and valsartan in the treatment of hypertension. PubMed searches were conducted to identify randomized trials (n = 14) comparing the two agents, alone or combined with hydrochlorothiazide. With one exception, all studies with blood pressure reduction as primary endpoint showed significantly greater reductions with telmisartan than with valsartan. Other studies showed that telmisartan was associated with greater improvements in metabolic measures and inflammatory markers than valsartan. These findings suggest that pharmacologic differences between telmisartan and valsartan may translate into clinically relevant differences between the two drugs in the management of hypertension.