Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adenosine as a Biological Signal Mediating Sleepiness following Prolonged Wakefulness

Recent reports from our laboratory have shown that extracellular adenosine levels selectively increase in basal forebrain during prolonged wakefulness in cats and rats. Furthermore, microdialysis perfusion of adenosine into the basal forebrain (BF) increased sleepiness and decreased wakefulness in both the species, whereas perfusion of the A1-receptor-selective antagonist, cyclopentyl-1,3-dimethylxanthine resulted in increased wakefulness, an observation similar to that found with caffeine or theophylline administration. The selective participation of the A1 subtype of the adenosine receptor in mediating the effects of adenosine in the BF was further examined by the technique of single unit recording performed in conjunction with microdialysis perfusion of selective agonists and antagonists. Perfusion of the A1 agonist cyclohexyladenosine, inhibited the activity of wake-active neurons in the basal forebrain. The effect of prolonged wakefulness-induced increases in adenosine levels were further investigated by determining the changes in the BF in the levels of A1 receptor binding and the levels of its mRNA. We observed that A1 receptor mRNA levels increase after 6 h of sleep deprivation. One of the transcription factors that showed increased DNA-binding activity was nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) and may regulate the expression of A1 mRNA. We observed, using a gel shift assay, that the DNA-binding activity of NF-κB increased following 3 h of sleep deprivation. This was further supported by the increased appearance of NF-κB protein in the nuclear extracts and the consequent disappearance of cytoplasmic protein inhibitor κB (I-κB). Together our results reviewed in this report suggest that the somnogenic effects of adenosine in the BF area may be mediated by the A1 subtype of adenosine receptor, and its expression might be regulated by induction in the NF-κB protein as its transcription factor. This positive feedback might mediate some of long-duration effects of sleep deprivation, including ‘sleep debt’.
Modélisation structurée de la croissance du phytoplancton en chemostat

L'objet de cette these est la formulation et l'etude de modeles structures de croissance dans un chemostat, qui est un appareil permettant la culture de micro-organismes dans des conditions tres controlees. Plus particulierement, nous serons interesses par la description de la taille d'organismes phytoplanctoniques. Dans une premiere partie, nous donnons quelques precisions biologiques, presentons ensuite le dispositif experimental, puis introduisons les modeles elementaires utilises pour la description mathematique du chemostat. La deuxieme et principale partie de cette these commence par une introduction aux modeles structures de populations, l'accent etant mis sur la description des populations cellulaires. Ensuite sont etudies successivement des modeles discrets en temps detaillant de maniere precise la division cellulaire, des modeles en equations differentielles ordinaires verifiant la propriete dite de conservation de la matiere, et enfin une classe de modeles ne verifiant pas cette propriete. Nous terminons cette these par une ouverture sur les possibles applications a d'autres contextes du type de modelisation que nous developpons.
Quantitative assessment of hemoglobin-induced endothelial barrier dysfunction.

Hemoglobin (Hb)-based O2 carriers (HBOC) are undergoing extensive development as potential "blood substitutes. " A major problem associated with these molecules is an increase in microvascular permeability and peripheral vascular resistance. In this paper, we utilized bovine lung microvascular endothelial cell monolayers and simultaneously measured Hb-induced changes in transendothelial electrical resistance, diffusive albumin permeability, and diffusive Hb permeability (PDH) for three forms of Hb: natural tetrameric human Hb-A and two polymerized recombinant HBOCs containing alpha-human and beta-bovine chains designated Hb-Polytaur (molecular mass: 500 kDa) and Hb-(Polytaur)n (molecular mass: approximately 1,000,000 Da), respectively. Hb-Polytaur and Hb-(Polytaur)n are being evaluated for clinical use as HBOCs. All three Hb molecules induce a rapid decline of transendothelial electrical resistance to 30% of baseline. Diffusive albumin permeabiltiy increases, on average, approximately ninefold (2.78 x 10(-7) vs. 2.47 x 10(-6) cm/s) in response to Hb exposure. All three Hb molecules induce an increase in their own permeability, a process that we have called Hb-induced Hb permeability. The magnitude of change of PDH is also related to Hb size. When PDH is corrected for the diffusive coefficient for each Hb species, no evidence of restricted diffusion is found. Immunofluorescent images demonstrate Hb-induced actin stress fiber formation and large intercellular gaps. These data provide the first quantitative assessment of the effect of polymerized HBOC on their own diffusion rates over time. We discuss the importance of these findings in terms of Hb extravasation rates, molecular sieving, and clinical consequences of HBOC use.
DESLOCAMENTO DE ABOMASO A ESQUERDA EM BOVINO - RELATO DE CASO

O deslocamento do abomaso caracteriza-se pela patologia mais frequente do trato gastro intestinal dos ruminantes, representa a principal causa de cirurgia abdominal em vacas de leite de alta producao, comumente diagnosticada no periodo pos-parto inicial. Os fatores predisponentes sao atribuidos as falhas no manejo nutricional na fase de transicao, onde ocorre o fornecimento de dieta rica em energia, altamente fermentavel e deficiente em fibras. Desta forma, os movimentos abomasais serao reduzidos, permitindo o acumulo de gas no local, tendo como consequencia, a distensao e o deslocamento do orgao. Descreve-se como principal sinal clinico a reducao acentuada no volume de leite produzido. O diagnostico e firmado atraves da anamnese somada ao exame clinico detalhado, que permite a auscultacao de som metalico-timpânico no abomaso denominado “ping”. A intervencao cirurgica faz-se necessaria na maioria dos casos. Assim, o presente artigo objetiva descrever um caso de deslocamento de abomaso a esquerda em vaca de leite de alta producao na segunda semana pos-parto com sucesso terapeutico. Optou-se pelo tratamento cirurgico aberto, mediante laparotomia pelo flanco esquerdo e abomasopexia. O procedimento clinico escolhido e uma tecnica de facil execucao, rapido retorno a ordenha e baixo custo operacional, o que viabiliza a utilizacao deste em situacoes de campo. Palavras-chave: animais de producao, bem-estar, distensao do abomaso, tecnicas cirurgicas
FACILITATION AND COMPETITION ON GRADIENTS IN ALPINE PLANT COMMUNITIES

We conducted a neighbor removal experiment in natural alpine plant com- munities of the southwestern Alps to test for the relative importance of competitive and facilitative interactions along elevational and topographical gradients. The experimental sites were chosen to encompass most of the floristic diversity observed along gradients of elevation and topography, which are the two main ecological gradients associated with alpine plant communities in the western Alps. The effects of neighbor removal on the survival, aboveground biomass, and reproduction of five target species were tested at each of six experimental sites. Using biomass data, we calculated relative competitive index (RCI) and log response ratio (LRR) as measures of interaction strength and direction. We found highly significant shifts from strong competitive effects in low and sheltered sites to strong facilitative responses in high and exposed sites. When experimental results were integrated with gradient analyses, we found that the responses of particular alpine plant species to neighbor removal generally depended on the species' position on elevational and topographical gradients. When neighbors were removed from around target species at ex- perimental sites that were lower in elevation than the distributional mean of the target species, biomass generally increased. When neighbors were removed from around target species at experimental sites that were higher in elevation than the distributional mean of the target species, biomass decreased. In other words, facilitation appeared to allow species from lower elevations to move up the gradient, but competition at low elevations appeared to restrict species from higher elevations from moving down the gradient. In high and exposed sites, experimental evidence for facilitation was coupled to small-scale spatial associations among species, but spatial disassociation was not coupled to experimental evidence for competition at any sites. We conclude that the distribution and abundance of many species in high-elevation communities of the western Alps appears to be enhanced by neighbors, and that species continua commonly observed along environmental gradients are the result of both negative and positive plant interactions.
Computer graphics in Korea

This article presents a brief overview of the development of computer graphics research in Korea for the last 10 years. The Pacific Graphics and Korea Computer Graphics Society played an important role here they placed stepping stones for Koreans to reach an internat ional level of graphics research in a very short time. In the past few years we have seen a steady increase in the number of research publications by Korean authors in major graphics conferences and journals. In this article, you will gain insight into how these fast advances have been possible in Korea.
Community Experiments in Public Health Law and Policy

Community-level legal and policy innovations or “experiments” can be important levers to improve health. States and localities are empowered through the 10th Amendment of the United States Constitution to use their police powers to protect the health and welfare of the public. Many legal and policy tools are available, including: the power to tax and spend; regulation; mandated education or disclosure of information, modifying the environment — whether built or natural (e.g., zoning, clean water laws); and indirect regulation (e.g., court rulings, or deregulation). These legal and policy interventions can be targeted to specific needs at the community level and are often relatively low-cost, but high impact interventions. As every community is different, effective laws and policies will vary. This freedom allows states and localities to, as Justice Louis Brandeis argued, truly serve as “laboratories of democracy. ”
Efficient Gene Replacements in Toxoplasma gondii Strains Deficient for Nonhomologous End Joining

ABSTRACT A high frequency of nonhomologous recombination has hampered gene targeting approaches in the model apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. To address whether the nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ) DNA repair pathway could be disrupted in this obligate intracellular parasite, putative KU proteins were identified and a predicted KU80 gene was deleted. The efficiency of gene targeting via double-crossover homologous recombination at several genetic loci was found to be greater than 97% of the total transformants in KU80 knockouts. Gene replacement efficiency was markedly increased (300- to 400-fold) in KU80 knockouts compared to wild-type strains. Target DNA flanks of only ∼500 bp were found to be sufficient for efficient gene replacements in KU80 knockouts. KU80 knockouts stably retained a normal growth rate in vitro and the high virulence phenotype of type I strains but exhibited an increased sensitivity to double-strand DNA breaks induced by treatment with phleomycin or γ-irradiation. Collectively, these results revealed that a significant KU-dependent NHEJ DNA repair pathway is present in Toxoplasma gondii. Integration essentially occurs only at the homologous targeted sites in the KU80 knockout background, making this genetic background an efficient host for gene targeting to speed postgenome functional analysis and genetic dissection of parasite biology.
Energy Description of Data Object and Clustering

Clustering is the hot spot in the study of Data Mining. In this paper, refer to the distillation of "energy", data object and clustering can be described by energy. With the function of clustering optimized by energy, energy driven about the user’s demands will be brought into effect in all data-space, and all data object, including the outlier, is planed as a whole at the unified cognition platform. Through the experiment, a strategy of clustering optimized by energy is better than those which are just clustered based on density by using the CRCMD algorithm.
Deficits in beat perception and dyslexia: evidence from French

Recent research has suggested a novel link between deficits in the perception of cues relevant to speech rhythm (i.e., deficits in amplitude envelope rise time processing, or beat perception) and the phonological deficits seen in most dyslexic children. In this research, we investigated whether these beat perception deficits were specific to a stress-timed language, such as English, or whether they would generalize to languages with different rhythmic properties, such as French. Eighteen dyslexics, 18 reading level controls, and 20 chronological age controls were tested on a battery of phonological tasks, reading tasks and psychoacoustic tests. The results suggest that deficits in the perception of cues important for speech rhythm may be universal in developmental dyslexia.
Método dos Mínimos Quadrados aplicado em Filogenia

Em muitas aplicacoes ha a necessidade de se determinar uma solucao aproximada para um sistema linear mesmo sem solucao. Usando o Metodo dos Minimos Quadrados isso torna-se possivel. Neste artigo e estudada a utilizacao do metodo dos Minimos Quadrados aplicado em Matrizes de Distâncias. O objetivo deste trabalho e estudar metodos de reconstrucao de arvores filogeneticas e estudar aplicacoes do metodo dos minimos quadrados em problemas desse tipo, de forma a compreender a vantagem de sua utilizacao na filogenia. Para tanto, tres metodos distintos para a construcao de arvores filogeneticas serao utilizados a partir da mesma matriz de distâncias, com algumas especies de animais, de forma que, apos a aplicacao dos metodos, os resultados possam ser comparados no intuito de aferir a aplicabilidade de cada um. Inicialmente introduzidos por Cavalli-Sforza e Edwards[1], metodos de matrizes de distâncias utilizando Minimos Quadrados foram sendo desenvolvidos e modificados durante os anos. O metodo de inferencia de arvores por minimos quadrados apresentado e um dos mais aceitos e bem justificados estatisticamente. O criterio basico para aferir a qualidade da arvore aproximada (inferida) e dado pelo valor da soma dos quadrados dos residuos (diferencas entre valores das distâncias reais e aproximadas) e e usado o algoritmo proposto por Albrecht et al[3], o qual consiste em uma sequencia de passos que distribui a criacao de arvores filogeneticas em um grupo de processos, onde a cada iteracao identificam-se as melhores arvores, que sao mantidas. Este algoritmo baseado em Falsenstein[2] e estudado neste trabalho, e na Figura 1 abaixo, pode-se ver o resultado obtido para uma determinada matriz de distâncias. Figura 1: Exemplo de obtencao da arvore otima com o Metodo dos Minimos Quadrados.
Ferramenta para Análise de Acesso de Uso de Objetos de Aprendizagem em Websites

Nesse trabalho e proposta uma metodologia para descoberta de padroes de acesso a Objetos de Aprendizagem, atraves de Mineracao de dados de uso da web, ou seja, dados extraidos de logs de websites, que armazenam toda a informacao de como o usuario se relaciona com a Internet. O objetivo do trabalho e descobrir padroes de acessos a Objetos de Aprendizagem disponibilizados em websites. A metodologia usada e baseada no conceito de KDD (Knowledge Discovery in Databases) - Descoberta de Conhecimento em Base de Dados, a qual e constituida de 4 etapas: coleta de dados, pre-processamento, mineracao de dados e pos-processamento. Na primeira etapa e recolhido o arquivo de log de um website, que armazena Objetos de Aprendizagem. Na etapa de pre-processamento foi aplicado um filtro nos logs de servidores, para extrair somente as informacoes necessarias e deixa-los no formato da ferramenta utilizada para etapa de mineracao desses dados. A terceira etapa e responsavel por minerar os dados que foram filtrados e preparados na etapa anterior e a quarta e ultima etapa foi responsavel por analisar os resultados gerados na etapa de mineracao. Atraves dessa metodologia, que pode ser expandida para outros sites, foi possivel descobrir o comportamento dos usuarios que fazem uso dos Objetos de Aprendizagem armazenados no website.
What governs the spread in shortwave forcings in the transient IPCC AR4 models?

The coupled global atmospheric‐ocean models used for transient simulations in the IPCC AR4 report differences in the present‐day shortwave forcing of more than 2 W/m2. We show here that about 1.3 W/m2 of this spread could be explained by the different methods used to calculate cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC) from aerosol mass concentrations. Although we cannot rule out that other forcing agents could yield comparable uncertainties, this strongly points to the aerosol indirect effect as the main contributor to the wide spread in the shortwave forcing reported in IPCC AR4.
Experimental medicine in drug addiction: towards behavioral, cognitive and neurobiological biomarkers

Several theoretical frameworks have been developed to understand putative processes and mechanisms involved in addiction. Whilst these ‘theories of addiction’ disagree about importance and/or nature of a number of key psychological processes (e.g. the necessity of craving and/or the involvement of drug-value representations), a number of commonalities exist. For instance, it is widely accepted that Pavlovian associations between cues and environmental contexts and the drug effects acquired over the course of addiction play a critical role, especially in relapse vulnerability in detoxified addicts. Additionally, all theories of addiction (explicitly or implicitly) propose that chronic drug exposure produces persistent neuroplastic changes in neurobiological circuitries underlying critical emotional, cognitive and motivational processes, although disagreement exists as to the precise nature of these neurobiological changes and/or their psychological consequences. The present review, rather than limiting itself to any particular theoretical stance, considers various candidate psychological, neurobiological and/or behavioral processes in addiction and outlines conceptual and procedural approaches for the experimental medicine laboratory. The review discusses (1) extinction, renewal and (re)consolidation of learned associations between cues and drugs, (2) the drug reward value, (3) motivational states contributing to drug seeking and (4) reflective (top-down) and sensory (bottom-up) driven decision-making. In evaluating these psychological and/or behavioral processes and their relationship to addiction we make reference to putative underlying brain structures identified by basic animal studies and/or imaging studies with humans.
Medication reconciliation in nursing homes: thematic differences between RN and LPN staff.

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to describe medication reconciliation practices in nursing homes with a specific focus on nursing staff involvement in the process. The study was conducted in eight Midwestern nursing homes and included 46 onsite observations of resident transfers to the nursing home. Informal interviews of nursing staff performing medication reconciliation were conducted during each observation. Findings suggest nursing home nursing staff, including both RN and licensed practical nurse (LPN) staff, were primarily responsible for performing medication reconciliation; however, these staff often varied in how they processed resident transfer information to identify medication order discrepancies. Patterns of differences were found related to their perceptions about medication reconciliation, as well as their actions when performing the process. RN staff were more often focused on resident safety and putting the "big picture" together, whereas LPN staff were more often focused on the administrative assignment and "completing the task. "
A systematic review of the effect of educational interventions for urinary and faecal incontinence by health care staff/carers/clients in aged care, on level of knowledge, frequency of incontinence episodes and hours spent on the management of incontinence episodes.

Brent Hodgkinson, Kay Josephs , Eliza Leira , Robyn Synnott, Delsey Hegney 1 Senior Research Facilitator, Blue Care Business Improvement Team. Contact: (07) 3720 5306 Email: b.hodgkinson@bluecare.org. au 2 Clinical Researcher (Continence), UQ/ Blue Care Research and Practice Development Centre & Continence Advisor Blue Care. Contact: (07) 3720 5620 (W) Email: k.josephs@bluecare.org. au 3 Honours Student, School of Nursing, University of Queensland. Contact: Email: elizaleira@gmail.com
Radioprotective effect of silymarin against radiation induced hepatotoxicity.

The radioprotective effect of silymarin using different modes of treatment against radiation (3 or 6 Gy) induced hepatotoxicity 1, 3 and 7 days post-irradiation was studied. Whole-body gamma-irradiation revealed an increase in serum alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity as well as liver glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) activities on the first post-exposure day with respect to the control value. However, 3 days after radiation exposure, these parameters showed a significant decrease below the control level which persisted till the end of the experimental time except for serum AP activity that showed another increase on the seventh post-exposure day at 3 Gy dose of radiation. A gradual increase in serum alanine and aspartate aminotransferase (ALT&AST) as well as gamma glutamyl transpeptidase activities were observed due to irradiation throughout the experimental time. Administration of silymarin as single (70 mg kg (-1)), fractionated (490 mg kg (-1)) oral doses or as intravenous (i.v.) injection (50 mg kg (-1)), caused significant protection. Intravenous treatment showed the most pronounced protection. The protective effect of silymarin was attributed to its antioxidant and free radicals scavenging properties.
Supply Chain Planning Models in the Pulp and Paper Industry

Abstract The pulp and paper industry depends on a long and integrated supply chain. Forest products start in forest harvest areas as trees and end up as multiple products used in the day-to-day life of all people. The lead time from the first step to the last is long and involves many steps operated by several companies and organizations. In this overview paper we describe the supply chain in its entirety, its participants and the planning problems arising along the chain. We divide the planning problems into strategic, tactical and operative in a supply chain matrix, describe their characteristics and provide applications as illustrations. We discuss the need for information and decision support for planners in each of these areas. This relates to planning within a single company as well as integrated planning across several. A number of tailor-made systems have been developed and published in the literature and we describe these tools/systems together with their characteristics and results. We conclude with a discussion of current issues and outline future research areas.