Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neuraxial Morphine May Trigger Transient Motor Dysfunction after a Noninjurious Interval of Spinal Cord Ischemia: A Clinical and Experimental Study

Background A patient underwent repair of a thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm. Epidural morphine, 4 mg, was given for pain relief. After anesthesia, the patient displayed lower extremity paraparesis. This effect was reversed by naloxone. The authors sought to confirm these observations using a rat spinal ischemia model to define the effects of intrathecal morphine administered at various times after reflow on behavior and spinal histopathology. Methods Spinal cord ischemia was induced for 6 min using an intraaortic balloon. Morphine or saline, 30 &mgr;g, was injected intrathecally at 0.5, 2, or 24 h after reflow. In a separate group, spinal cord temperature was decreased to 27°C before ischemia. After ischemia, recovery of motor function was assessed periodically using the motor deficit index (0 = complete recovery; 6 = complete paraplegia). Results After ischemia, all rats showed near-complete recovery of function by 4–6 h. Intrathecal injection of morphine at 0.5 or 2 h of reflow (but not at 24 h) but not saline caused a development of hind limb dysfunction and lasted for 4.5 h (motor deficit index score = 4–6). This effect was reversed by intrathecal naloxone (30 &mgr;g). Intrathecal morphine administered after hypothermic ischemia was without effect. Histopathological analysis in animals that received intrathecal morphine at 0.5 or 2 h after ischemia (but not at 24 h) revealed dark-staining &agr; motoneurons and interneurons. Intrathecal saline or spinal hypothermia plus morphine was without effect. Conclusions These data indicate that during the immediate reflow following a noninjurious interval of spinal ischemia, intrathecal morphine potentiates motor dysfunction. Reversal by naloxone suggests that this effect results from an opioid receptor–mediated potentiation of a transient block of inhibitory neurons initiated by spinal ischemia.
Managing the Re-Entry Process of Returnee Government Scholars in an Emerging Transition Economy - An Embeddedness Perspective

This paper reports the findings of a study that investigates the factors affecting the re-entry and readjustment process of returnee government scholars in Vietnam. These returnee scholars were originally sent overseas to study as part of changes introduced by the Vietnamese government to develop its domestic talent pool. Using the perspective of home country embeddedness, we find that career and community embeddedness factors, together with readjustment factors, have an effect on returnee scholars’ career and life satisfaction in their home country. These factors subsequently affected their intention to stay or reexpatriate. The study contributes to public sector change management theory by examining factors affecting the re-entry process of returnees within an emerging transition economy. It also adds to the limited studies on understanding and managing the re-entry processes and state-led diaspora strategies among returnee government scholars from emerging transition economies, and their effectiveness.
Work in the age of collaborative platforms between innovation and tradition

Starting from the Uber ruling of the Court of Justice of 20 December 2017 this paper tries to demonstrate how innovation in the gig economy or collaborative economy does not change the basic issues of labour law but rather requires a greater adaptation of these issues to the new digital context. The principal issue is the classification of the platform company’s providers, which follows the traditional distinction between self-employment and the dependent work relationship. At the root of that classification there are still ‘hetero-direction’ and the employer’s prerogatives, although they can assume a different and more complex physiognomy in the digital age.
Analytical modeling of losses for high frequency planar LCT components

Passive components occupy a major part of the volume of power electronic converters. Therefore to increase the converter power density, designers have to carefully reduce the size of these components. The integrated planar inductor-capacitor-transformer, already known as LCT component can achieve this goal. Volume optimization of this component requires an accurate analytical modeling of overall losses (including magnetic, copper and the dielectric parts). However, common methods could not be used for high frequency planar components. In the first part of this paper, we introduce the principle and applications of LCT components. In the second part, we present an analytical electromagnetic and electrostatic modeling for high frequency planar components - the lumped elements equivalent circuit method. This method has been developed for components having simple geometries. The efficient application of this method to the complex geometry of LCT is showed in the third part.
Prediction of stroke volume from oxygen pulse measurements in untrained and trained men.

This study examined the relationship of oxygen pulse (O2 pulse) to stroke volume (SV) and arterio-venous oxygen difference [(a-v)O2 diff] during submaximal cycle exercise in untrained (UG) and trained (TG) males. Fourteen volunteers in each group completed an incremental VO2 max test and a submaximal test at 60% VO2 max to determine cardiac output (Q) via CO2 rebreathing. VO2, Q, and heart rate (HR) were used to calculate SV and (a-v)O2 diff. There were no significant differences (p > .05) between the two groups for O2 pulse, SV, and (a-v)O2 diff during submaximal exercise. Stroke volume index (SVI) was significantly higher (p < .05) in the TG. O2 pulse was significantly related to SV and SVI (p < .05) but not to (a-v)O2 diff in both groups. Regression equations for predicting SV from O2 pulse for UG and TG were Y = 6.81X + 26.7, SE = 21.4, r = 0.84, and Y = 10.33X - 32.3, SE = 14.2, r = 0.71, respectively. These results suggest that O2 pulse can be used to predict SV during submaximal cycle exercise in untrained and trained men.
Axon terminal hyperexcitability associated with epileptogenesis in vitro. II. Pharmacological regulation by NMDA and GABAA receptors.

1. The preceding report presented evidence that the kindling-like induction of electrographic seizures (EGSs) in the hippocampal slice is accompanied by a lasting increase in the excitability of CA3 axon terminals, which is manifested by an increase in action-potential initiation at this site. In this report we explore the role of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor in the induction and maintenance of this antidromic firing, as well as the role of the gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptor in regulating this activity once it has been induced. 2. Kindling-like stimulus trains (60 Hz, 2 s) were delivered to s. radiatum of CA3 at 10-min intervals. As EGSs developed in control artificial cerebrospinal fluid (ACSF), the frequency of axon terminal firing increased markedly (by 10.33 +/- 3.29 spikes/min, mean +/- SE P << 0.01). The prior application of the competitive NMDA antagonist D-2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (D-APV, 50 or 100 microM) prevented the induction of EGSs and suppressed the increase in terminal firing seen in control ACSF (mean increase 1.06 +/- 1.11 spikes/min, P < 0.02). However, when D-APV was applied only after EGSs and antidromic spikes were induced in control ACSF, it failed to alter the frequency of terminal firing (mean 6.44 +/- 2.03 in control ACSF, 8.89 +/- 2.31 in APV; P >> 0.1). Thus the NMDA receptor is required for the induction but not maintenance of increased axon terminal firing, as we previously have shown to be the case for EGSs. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Forward and reverse genetic analysis of microtubule motors in Chlamydomonas.

The ability to integrate biochemical, cell biological, and genetic approaches makes Chlamydomonas reinhardtii the premier model organism for studies of the eukaryotic flagellum and its associated molecular motors. Hundreds of motility mutations have been identified in Chlamydomonas, including many that affect dyneins and kinesins. These mutations have yielded much information on the structure and function of the motors as well as the roles of individual subunits within the motors. The development of insertional mutagenesis has opened the door to powerful new approaches for genetic analysis in Chlamydomonas. Insertional mutants are created by transforming cells with DNA-containing selectable markers. The DNA is randomly integrated throughout the genome and usually deletes part of the chromosome at the site of insertion, thereby creating mutations that are marked by the integrated DNA. These mutations can be used for forward genetic approaches where one characterizes a mutant phenotype and then clones the relevant gene using the integrated DNA as a tag. The insertional mutants also may be used in a reverse genetic approach in which mutants lacking a gene of interest are identified by DNA hybridization. We describe methods to generate and characterize insertional mutants, using mutations that affect the outer dynein arm as examples.
A Novel Analytical Model for No-Load, Slotted, Surface-Mounted PM Machines: Air Gap Flux Density and Cogging Torque

An analytical model for prediction of air gap flux density and cogging torque in slotted surface-mounted permanent magnet (SPM) machines is presented in this paper. The proposed method is based on superposition theorem, the concept of equivalent magnetization currents (EMCs), and analytically solving of Poisson's equation. To solve Poisson's equation easily, the air gap flux density of the slotted SPM machine is stated as superposition of the air gap flux density functions of two slotless machines. The first slotless machine is excited by PMs, while the second one is excited by surface EMCs. Therefore, the concept of EMC is used in an iterative algorithm which converges quickly with a negligible computation time. Using the obtained analytical model and Maxwell's stress tensor, cogging torque of the slotted SPM machine is predicted. This analytical model provides a quick tool to study the effect of leading design parameters on the machine cogging torque. Finally, the validity of the proposed model and the obtained results are verified with finite element analysis.
Endothelial progenitor cell proliferation and differentiation is regulated by erythropoietin.

BACKGROUND Circulating bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) promote vascular reparative processes. In humans, their number correlate with endothelial function and cardiovascular risk. We tested the hypothesis that darbepoetin alfa [i.e., a recombinant analogue of the cytokine erythropoietin (EPO)] stimulates proliferation and differentiation of EPCs. METHODS We assessed CD34+ circulating stem cells (cSCs) in whole blood using flow cytometry and, in addition, proliferation/differentiation of EPCs in an in-vitro assay during 6 weeks of a standard darbepoetin therapy in eight patients with renal anemia. RESULTS Darbepoetin treatment caused a significant increase in the number of CD34+ cSCs (week 2, 193%+/- 46%; and week 6, 298%+/- 90%; P < 0.05 vs. baseline). In addition, darbepoetin markedly increased the number of functionally active EPCs (week 2, 256%+/- 48%; and week 6, 299%+/- 59%; both P < 0.01 vs. baseline). The effect of darbepoetin on functional activity of EPCs assessed in a tube formation assay was dose dependent. Administration of darbepoietin caused activation of protein kinase B (Akt) in cultured EPCs. CONCLUSION A standard treatment with darbepoetin markedly enhances EPC proliferation and differentiation in renal patients. The use of recombinant EPO analogues may be a novel and safe therapeutic approach in patients with vascular pathology.
Improving event co-reference by context extraction and dynamic feature weighting

Event co-reference is the process of identifying descriptions of the same event across sentences, documents, or structured databases. Existing event co-reference work focuses on sentence similarity models or feature based similarity models requiring slot filling. This work shows the effectiveness of using a hybrid approach where the similarity of two events is determined by a combination of the similarity of the two event descriptions, in addition to the similarity of the event context features of location and time. A dynamic weighting approach is taken to combine the three similarity scores together. The described approach provides several benefits including improving event resolution and requiring less reliance on sophisticated natural language processing.
Glomerular hyperfiltration in experimental diabetes mellitus: potential role of tubular reabsorption.

An increase in Na+/glucose cotransport upstream to the macula densa might contribute to the increase in single nephron GFR (SNGFR) in early diabetes mellitus by lowering the signal of the tubuloglomerular feedback, i.e., the luminal Na+, Cl-, and K+ concentration sensed by the macula densa. To examine this issue, micropuncture experiments were performed in nephrons with superficial glomeruli of streptozotocin-induced diabetes mellitus in rats. First, in nondiabetic control rats, ambient early distal tubular concentrations of Na+, Cl-, and K+ were about 21, 20, and 1.2 mM, respectively, suggesting collection sites relatively close to the macula densa. Second, glomerular hyperfiltration in diabetic rats was associated with a reduction in ambient early distal tubular concentrations of Na+, Cl-, and K+ by 20 to 28%, reflecting an increase in fractional reabsorption of these ions up to the early distal tubule. Third, in diabetic rats, early proximal tubular application of phlorizin, an inhibitor of Na+/glucose cotransport, elicited (1) a greater reduction in absolute and fractional reabsorption of Na+, Cl-, and K+ up to the early distal tubule, and (2) a greater increase in early distal tubular concentration of these ions, which was associated with a more pronounced reduction in SNGFR. These findings support the concept that stimulation of tubular Na+/glucose cotransport by reducing the tubuloglomerular feedback signal at the macula densa may contribute to glomerular hyperfiltration in diabetic rats. Glomerular hyperfiltration in diabetic rats serves to compensate for the rise in fractional tubular reabsorption to partly restore the electrolyte load to the distal nephron.
The link between technology transfer and international extension of university patents: Evidence from Spain

The aim of this article is to shed light on the decision-making process at university technology transfer offices and show that the last steps in the process of international patent extension, when costs step up, tend to be only taken conditional on the existence of a licensing agreement. This information has so far been underexploited by policymakers and innovation scholars in search of innovation indicators. We argue that the number of international patent families filed by a university can be used as a rough indicator of technology transfer activity mediated through patents, especially in the context of tight public university budgets and national patent systems with fee reductions for universities. To support our argument, we review qualitative information from interviews at technology transfer offices, regulations, and internal statutes from a selection of Spanish universities and present a statistical analysis of the relation between patent internationalisation and licensing.
Integrated IoT programming with selective abstraction

The explosion of networked devices has driven a new computing environment called the Internet of Things (IoT), enabling various services such as home automation and health monitoring. Despite the promising applicability of the IoT, developing an IoT service is challenging for programmers, because the programmers should integrate multiple programmable devices and heterogeneous third-party devices. Recent works have proposed integrated programming platforms, but they either require device-specific implementation for third-party devices without any device abstraction, or abstract all the devices to the standard interfaces requiring unnecessary abstraction of programmable devices. To integrate IoT devices with selective abstraction, this work revisits the object oriented programming (OOP) model, and proposes a new language extension and its compiler-runtime framework, called Esperanto. With three annotations that map each object to its corresponding IoT device, the Esperanto language allows programmers to integrate multiple programmable devices into one OOP program and to abstract similar third-party devices into their common ancestor classes. Given the annotations, the Esperanto compiler automatically partitions the integrated program into multiple sub-programs for each programmable IoT device, and inserts communication and synchronization code. Moreover, for the ancestor classes, the Esperanto runtime dynamically identifies connected third-party devices, and links their corresponding descendent objects. Compared to an existing approach on the integrated IoT programming, Esperanto requires 33.3% fewer lines of code to implement 5 IoT services, and reduces their response time by 44.8% on average.
Ovarian androgens but not estrogens correlate with the degree of systemic inflammation observed during controlled ovarian hyperstimulation

Aim. To investigate the behavior and association of serum androgen and serum C-reactive protein (CRP) in patients undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) for in vitro fertilization (IVF). Design. Prospective, observational study. Setting. An IVF unit of an academic medical center. Patients and methods. Blood was drawn three times during the COH cycle from 15 patients undergoing the long gonadotropin-releasing hormone-analog protocol: the day on which adequate suppression was obtained (Day-S); the day of or prior to administration of human chorionic gonadotropin (Day-hCG); and the day of ovum pick-up (Day-OPU). Levels of sex steroids and serum CRP were compared among the three time points. Results. There was a significant increase in serum ovarian androgen levels during gonadotropin treatment. After hCG administration, there was a significant increase in the levels of both serum CRP and ovarian androgens (testosterone, androstenedione), with no significant change in adrenal androgen (dehydroepiandrosterone). Significant correlations were observed between CRP and ovarian androgen levels but not with dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate or estradiol levels. Conclusion. In patients undergoing COH for IVF, ovarian androgen levels increase in correlation with the degree of inflammation, as reflected by CRP levels. Further studies are necessary to elucidate whether androgens play a role in or are predictive of the systemic inflammatory response in COH.
Treatment outcomes for primary care patients with major depression and lifetime anxiety disorders.

OBJECTIVE Major depression occurs with generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder in up to 60% of psychiatric and primary care patients. This comorbidity has been associated with greater severity of depression, poorer psychosocial functioning, and poorer treatment outcomes in psychiatric samples. This study examined the clinical outcomes for depressed primary care patients with and without a lifetime anxiety disorder. METHOD A total of 157 primary care patients who met criteria for major depression were randomly assigned to standardized interpersonal psychotherapy or pharmacotherapy with nortriptyline and were assessed at baseline and at 4 and 8 months on severity of depression, psychosocial functioning, and health-related functioning. RESULTS Depressed patients with a comorbid anxiety disorder presented with significantly more psychopathology and tended to prematurely terminate treatment more frequently than patients with major depression alone. Both standardized depression-specific treatments were effective for depressed patients with and without a comorbid generalized anxiety disorder, although time to recovery was longer for the former. Patients with lifetime panic disorder showed poor recovery in response to psychotherapy or pharmacotherapy. CONCLUSIONS Standardized psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy are effective for patients with major depression with and without a generalized anxiety disorder. However, the longer time to recovery for the former group and lack of response to these treatments by patients with lifetime panic disorder suggest that primary care physicians should carefully assess history of anxiety disorder among depressed patients so as to select a proper intervention.
On ‘Rusting’ Money. Silvio Gesell’s Schwundgeld Reconsidered. Part II: The Long Run

Silvio Gesell hypothesized that money depreciation is economically and socially beneficial, ideas that have often been contended. Here I analyze that in a Sidrauski model in which households additionally have a ‘love of wealth’-motive. It is shown Gesell’s claims may be valid in a demand-determined, short-run equilib- rium and why money depreciation overcomes the zero lower bound on nominal interest rates. However, for a typical long-run equilibrium introducing money de- preciation in isolation may be bad. But money depreciation, when coupled with expansionary monetary policy, is a necessary condition for a positive Mundell- Tobin effect on long-run real variables and so creates wealth in the model. It is found that this also holds in the transition to the long-run equilibrium. Hence, the spirit of Gesell’s hypotheses can be verified for a plausible, long-run environment.
Discovering Psychological Principles by Mining Naturally Occurring Data Sets

The very expertise with which psychologists wield their tools for achieving laboratory control may have had the unwelcome effect of blinding psychologists to the possibilities of discovering principles of behavior without conducting experiments. When creatively interrogated, a diverse range of large, real-world data sets provides powerful diagnostic tools for revealing principles of human judgment, perception, categorization, decision-making, language use, inference, problem solving, and representation. Examples of these data sets include patterns of website links, dictionaries, logs of group interactions, collections of images and image tags, text corpora, history of financial transactions, trends in twitter tag usage and propagation, patents, consumer product sales, performance in high-stakes sporting events, dialect maps, and scientific citations. The goal of this issue is to present some exemplary case studies of mining naturally existing data sets to reveal important principles and phenomena in cognitive science, and to discuss some of the underlying issues involved with conducting traditional experiments, analyses of naturally occurring data, computational modeling, and the synthesis of all three methods.