Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Extremely long-lasting antagonistic actions of nor-binaltorphimine (nor-BNI) in the mouse tail-flick test.

The duration of antagonistic action of nor-binaltorphimine (nor-BNI), a kappa antagonist, of antinociception resulting from selective opioid agonists, was examined using the mouse tail-flick assay as the endpoint. Nor-BNI (1 nmol, i.c.v. at -20 min) antagonized equiantinociceptive doses of the opioid kappa agonists (5 alpha,7 alpha,8 beta)-(-)-N-methyl-N-(7-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-1-oxaspiro (4,5)dec-8-yl) benzeneacetamide (U69,593) (70 nmol i.c.v.) or bremazocine (25 nmol i.c.v.), but did not antagonize antinociception produced by the mu opioid-selective [D-Ala2, NMePhe4, Gly-ol]enkephalin or the delta opioid-selective [D-Pen2, D-Pen5]enkephalin. Pretreatment with nor-BNI (1 nmol i.c.v.) antagonized the antinociceptive effects of U69,593 and bremazocine for up to 28 days. At all pretreatment times, the antinociceptive dose-response lines for these kappa agonists were displaced to the right to various degrees in a parallel fashion; an increasing rightward displacement of the U69,593 and bremazocine antinociceptive dose-response lines was observed at 1 and 3 days after a single nor-BNI pretreatment, with a gradual return toward the control level at later times after pretreatment. Increasing the dose of nor-BNI to 10 nmol produced only a transient blockade of equiantinociceptive doses of the mu selective agonist [D-Ala2, NMePhe4, Gly-ol]enkephalin and the delta selective agonist [D-Pen2, D-Pen5]enkephalin (at 20-30 min post-nor-BNI pretreatment). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A sub-national economic complexity analysis of Australia’s states and territories

ABSTRACT A sub-national economic complexity analysis of Australia’s states and territories. Regional Studies. This paper applies economic complexity analysis to the Australian sub-national economy (nine regions with 506 exported goods and services). Using a 2009 Australian multi-regional input–output table for base data, we determine the number of export goods or services in which each state and territory has a revealed comparative advantage, and visualize the complexity of Australia’s interstate and international exports. We find that small differences in industrial capability and knowledge are crucial to relative complexity. The majority of states (especially Western Australia) export primarily resource-intensive goods, yet interstate trade has many complex products that are not currently internationally exported.
The effect of ergonomic interventions in healthcare facilities on musculoskeletal disorders.

BACKGROUND The high incidence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among healthcare workers suggests that the introduction of ergonomic interventions could be beneficial. While laboratory studies have clearly documented the efficacy of ergonomic devices, few studies have examined their effectiveness in the healthcare workplace. METHODS This study evaluated a statewide program that provided ergonomic consultation and financial support for purchasing ergonomic devices, which aid in patient handling and lifting. Changes in MSD rates between baseline (1 year pre-intervention) and post-intervention (up to 2 years) periods were examined in 100 work units in 86 healthcare facilities. RESULTS The median MSD rate decreased from 12.32 to 6.64 per 200,000 employee-hours, a decrease greater than the secular trend for the study period (1999-2003). CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that ergonomic consultation and financial support for purchasing ergonomic equipment can be an effective intervention to reduce MSDs among healthcare workers.
Hypercoagulability in centenarians: the paradox of successful aging.

With advancing age, an increasing number of healthy individuals have laboratory signs of heightened coagulation enzyme activity. Such biochemical hypercoagulability might be the basis of either the increased thrombotic tendency occurring with age or a harmless manifestation of this process. To see whether these alterations are also present in the very elderly who had aged successfully, 25 healthy centenarians were studied and results of coagulation and fibrinolysis measurements were compared with those obtained in two control groups of healthy adults, 25 ranging in age from 18 to 50 years and 25 from 51 to 69 years. Older controls had, in general, slightly higher values of several coagulation and fibrinolysis measurements than younger controls. Centenarians had striking signs of heightened coagulation enzyme activity, as assessed directly by measuring activated factor VII in plasma (P < .01, compared with either control group) or indirectly by measuring the plasma levels of the activation peptides of prothrombin, factor IX, factor X, and thrombin-antithrombin complexes (all P < .001). Heightened coagulation enzyme activity was accompanied by signs of enhanced formation of fibrin (high fibrinopeptide A, P < .001) and secondary hyperfibrinolysis (high D-dimer and plasmin-antiplasmin complex, P < .001). Plasma concentrations of fibrinogen and factor VIII were higher than in controls, whereas other coagulation factors were not elevated. In conclusion, this study shows the very elderly do not escape the state of hypercoagulability associated with aging, but that this phenomenon is compatible with health and longevity. Hence, high plasma levels of the coagulation activation markers in older populations do not necessarily mirror a high risk of arterial or venous thrombosis.
Regulation of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Slt2 Kinase Pathway by the Stress-inducible Sdp1 Dual Specificity Phosphatase*

The Slt2/Mpk1 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cell integrity pathway is involved in maintenance of cell shape and integrity during vegetative growth and mating inSaccharomyces cerevisiae. Slt2 is activated by dual phosphorylation of a threonine and tyrosine residue in response to several environmental stresses that perturb cell integrity. Negative regulation of Slt2 is achieved via dephosphorylation by two protein-tyrosine phosphatases, Ptp2 and Ptp3, and a dual specificity phosphatase, Msg5. In this study, we provide genetic and biochemical evidence that the stress-inducible dual specificity phosphatase, Sdp1, negatively regulates Slt2 by direct dephosphorylation. Deletion ofSDP1 exacerbated growth defects due to overexpression of Mkk1p386, a constitutively active mutant of Slt2 MAPK kinase, whereas overexpression of Sdp1 suppressed lethality caused by Mkk1p386 overexpression. The heat shock-induced phosphorylation level of Slt2 was elevated in an sdp1Δstrain compared with that of the wild type, and heat shock-activated phospho-Slt2 was dephosphorylated by recombinant Sdp1 in vitro. Under normal growth conditions, an Sdp1-GFP fusion protein was localized to both the nucleus and cytoplasm. However, the Sdp1-GFP protein translocated to punctate spots throughout the cell after heat shock. SDP1 transcription was induced by several stress conditions in an Msn2/4-dependent manner but independent of the Rlm1 transcription factor, a downstream target activated by Slt2. Induction of SLT2 by high osmolarity was dependent on Rlm1 transcription factor and Hog1 kinase, suggesting cross-talk between Slt2 and Hog1 MAPK pathways. These studies demonstrate regulation of Slt2 activity and gene expression in coordination with other stress signaling pathways.
WebVizard: intelligent system for geodata visualization and CBT in the WWW

The aim of this paper is primarily to cover the possibilities and problems of GIS in the WWW. A second aim is to show trends in the areas of CBT and Teleteaching in general and one possible approach of using CBT in a GIS, namely WEBVIZARD. In the WWW there are many Geographic Information Systems (GIS) which use databases. But the possibilities of data access and data visualization are restricted because of the inflexibility of their default data queries and visualization techniques. WEB VIZARD is an intelligent and flexible client/server system providing access and visualization of geographic data in the World-Wide-Web. It employs a knowledge-based system to create effective visualizations that fit the data characteristics and user requirements. Furthermore WEB VIZARD takes into account peculiarities of the WWW, and special techniques like metadata concepts or generalization algorithms are used for minimizing the data volume of communication between WWW-browser/client and WWW-server. In order to improve user-friendliness, WEB VIZARD offers a comprehensive support system and also GUI's considering Software ergonomic aspects during development. Java across the Internet represents a perfect platform for CBT and Teleteaching. Due to this fact I examined the usage of several methodical/didactical concepts in the environment of the WWW. Based on the results of my examination, I developed a learning system prototype-using the concepts of the Leittextmethode-and integrated it into WebVizard.
Synchronization without active chemical synapses during hippocampal afterdischarges.

Afterdischarges elicited by antidromic stimulation were studied in the CA1 region of transverse slices of rat hippocampus. The slices were incubated in a static bathing medium containing Mn2+ with lowered Ca2+ concentration, which blocked chemical synaptic transmission. Extracellular voltage recordings from micropipettes revealed afterdischarges of population spikes, which represent synchronized action potentials. Afterdischarge duration became longer with incubation time, occasionally lasting up to 9 s. Simultaneous recordings from three extracellular micropipettes indicated propagation of individual population spikes along the CA1 cell body layer during an afterdischarge. Intracellular recordings from pyramidal cells showed that action potentials were synchronized with population spikes. When initial action potentials of an afterdischarge were blocked by hyperpolarizing the impaled cell, subsequent action potentials remained synchronized with population spikes, indicating a synchronizing interaction between neurons. Intrasomatic neuronal recordings sometimes revealed partial action potentials that were also synchronized with population spikes. During afterdischarges, relatively weak (10 mV) hyperpolarization blocked both full and partial action potentials. These observations suggest that synchronized action potentials and partial spikes were initiated near the soma. Intracellular voltage recordings were referenced to a local extracellular microelectrode in order to determine more accurately the transmembrane potential in the presence of large population spikes . 54). Such neuronal recordings revealed brief transmembrane depolarizations that occurred synchronously with population spikes. Large injected hyperpolarizing currents did not affect the brief transmembrane depolarizations. Similar differential voltage recordings across glial cell membranes did not show measurable brief transmembrane depolarizations during population spikes. However, slow glial depolarizations during afterdischarges indicated prolonged K+ accumulation and clearance in the extracellular space, which probably contributed to the hyperexcitability of pyramidal cells. During an afterdischarge, extracellular potentials were recorded simultaneously from six micropipettes arranged perpendicularly to the stratum pyramidale. Current source-density analysis indicated a sink in the cell body layer during population spikes and a corresponding source in distal dendrites. It is concluded that an electrical field effect depolarizes and thus synchronizes neurons during these afterdischarges. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Performance Analysis of IPv4 v/s IPv6 in Virtual Environment using UBUNTU

The IPv4 address space is about to vanish. Networks will need to transition to IPv6, which allows for larger address space however it has limitations that hinder its growth. IPv6 addresses inherent problems in the earlier version protocol and it provides new opportunities too. However, due to the increased overhead in IPv6 and its interaction with the operating system that hosts this communication protocol, there may be network performance issues. This paper will focus on the considerations that affect network performance analysis for IPv4 and IPv6 based networks for ubuntu10.0. 4 open source Linux based Operating System deployed on top of a virtual infrastructure. Here, ubuntu is configured with the two versions of IP and empirically evaluated for performance difference. Performance related metrics like throughput, delay, and jitter are measured on a test-bed implementation.
Investigation of the effects of fractional and integer order fuzzy logic PID controllers on system performances

In this study, the effects of fractional and integer order fuzzy logic PID controllers on system performances are investigated. In that respect, linear and nonlinear fuzzy decision rule bases are taken into consideration. To be fair on comparison, the parameters of the controllers are all optimized using BBBC optimization algorithm according ITSE performance index. This investigation is done on second order linear system with time delay since many high order systems may be represented by this model. Moreover, further study is done on a nonlinear benchmark system. It has been observed that linear decision surface in both controllers generally gives better performance than nonlinear decision surface. It is concluded that nonlinearity of fractional operators is more effective than the nonlinearity produced by fuzzy rule base.
Epigallocatechin-3-gallate protects against hepatic ischaemia–reperfusion injury by reducing oxidative stress and apoptotic cell death

Objective To investigate the protective effects of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a major polyphenol source in green tea, against hepatic ischaemia–reperfusion injury in mice. Methods The partial hepatic ischaemia–reperfusion injury model was created by employing the hanging-weight method in C57BL/6 male mice. EGCG (50 mg/kg) was administered via an intraperitoneal injection 45 min before performing the reperfusion. A number of markers of inflammation, oxidative stress, apoptosis and liver injury were measured after the ischaemia–reperfusion injury had been induced. Results The treatment groups were: sham-operated (Sham, n = 10), hepatic ischaemia–reperfusion injury (IR, n = 10), and EGCG with ischaemia–reperfusion injury (EGCG-treated IR, n = 10). Hepatic ischaemia–reperfusion injury increased the levels of biochemical and histological markers of liver injury, increased the levels of malondialdehyde, reduced the glutathione/oxidized glutathione ratio, increased the levels of oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation markers, decreased B-cell lymphoma 2 levels, and increased the levels of Bax, cytochrome c, cleaved caspase-3, and cleaved caspase-9. Pretreatment with EGCG ameliorated all of these changes. Conclusion The antioxidant and antiapoptotic effects of EGCG protected against hepatic ischaemia–reperfusion injury in mice.
Distinct pathways of lipopolysaccharide priming of human neutrophil respiratory burst: Role of lipid mediator synthesis and sensitivity to interleukin-10

ObjectiveExposure of neutrophils to low doses of bacterial lipopolysaccharides enhances their readiness to respond with inflammatory mediator generation including oxygen radical formation to a subsequently applied inflammatory stimulus (“priming”). In the present study, we investigated the role of lipid mediator synthesis and the impact of the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10 on the lipopolysaccharide-dependent priming of human neutrophils in response to N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine. DesignProspective, experimental study. SettingResearch laboratory at a university hospital. SubjectsIsolated neutrophils from healthy volunteers. InterventionsIncubation of isolated neutrophils with endotoxin. Measurements and Main ResultsEvidence for two distinct priming mechanisms was obtained. The first was strictly serum component dependent, proceeded via CD14, and was not inhibited by even high concentrations of interleukin-10. The second priming mechanism was serum component independent but nevertheless proceeded via CD14. It was linked with neutrophil synthesis of the platelet activating factor and resulted in the appearance of leukotrienes, in particular leukotriene B4, as far as exogenous arachidonic acid was provided. The employment of a platelet-activating factor receptor antagonist (WEB 2086) blocked leukotriene synthesis, and both WEB 2086 and a 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor (MK-886) suppressed the respiratory burst linked with this second priming pathway. This sequence of priming events was inhibited by interleukin-10, when this cytokine was coadministered with the priming agent lipopolysaccharide, whereas late interleukin-10 admixture was ineffective. ConclusionsWe conclude that two mechanisms of lipopolysaccharide priming of human neutrophil respiratory burst can be differentiated. One displays serum component dependence, is independent of neutrophil lipid mediator generation, and is not affected by interleukin-10. The other is serum independent although being operated via CD14, employs autocrine loops of platelet-activating factor and leukotriene B4 synthesis, and is sensitive to the inhibitory capacity of interleukin-10. These features may be relevant when the goal is to pharmacologically modify neutrophil functions in septic events.
Individual amino acid residues in CLV3 peptide contribute to its stability in vitro

CLV3 acts as a peptide ligand to interact with leucine-rich repeat (LRR) receptor kinases in neighboring cells to restrict the size of shoot apical meristems (SAMs) in Arabidopsis. To examine contributions of individual amino acid residues in CLV3 peptide in SAM maintenance, 12 synthetic Ala-substituted CLV3 peptides were applied to clv3-2 seedlings cultured in vitro, and the sizes of SAMs were measured after 9 d. The result showed that Pro-9 and His-11 are the most critical residues, while Val-3 and Ser-5 are the least important ones for CLV3 functions in SAMs in vitro. With MALDI-TOF mass spectrum analyses, we further showed that Ala substitution in His-11 led to a greatly reduced stability of the peptide, leading to a complete degradation of the peptide after cultured with seedlings for only one hour. The substitution of Pro-9 by Ala also led to a complete degradation of the peptides after 2 d incubation. In contrast, Ala substitutions in Val-3 or Ser-5 gave very little changes on peptide stabilities. These results suggested that stabilities of Ala-substituted CLV3 peptides are positively correlated with their activities in SAMs. We thus propose that the stability of CLV3 may partially contribute to its function in SAM maintenance.
Comparison of lumped-parameter circuit models for on-chip spiral inductors

One-π physics-based equivalent-circuit models and behavioral macro-model for on-chip spiral inductors are investigated and compared in this work The physics-based models have the advantage in scalability and enable the prediction and optimization of inductor performance. The behavioral macro-model has the advantage in broadband modeling and may obtain better simulation accuracy in the time-domain analysis, especially for high-speed simulation. The two-port on-chip octagon spiral inductor has been fabricated using HHNEC 0.13 μm SiGe BiCMOS aluminum process to verify the fixed model. A good agreement is obtained between the measured data and calculation form the proposed model up to 40GHz.
Molecular Analyses of the Natural Transformation Machinery and Identification of Pilus Structures in the Extremely Thermophilic Bacterium Thermus thermophilus Strain HB27

ABSTRACT Thermus thermophilus HB27, an extremely thermophilic bacterium, exhibits high competence for natural transformation. To identify genes of the natural transformation machinery of T. thermophilus HB27, we performed homology searches in the partially completed T. thermophilus genomic sequence for conserved competence genes. These analyses resulted in the detection of 28 open reading frames (ORFs) exhibiting significant similarities to known competence proteins of gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. Disruption of 15 selected potential competence genes led to the identification of 8 noncompetent mutants and one transformation-deficient mutant with a 100-fold reduced transformation frequency. One competence protein is similar to DprA of Haemophilus influenzae, seven are similar to type IV pilus proteins of Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Neisseria gonorrhoeae (PilM, PilN, PilO, PilQ, PilF, PilC, PilD), and another deduced protein (PilW) is similar to a protein of unknown function in Deinococcus radiodurans R1. Analysis of the piliation phenotype of T. thermophilus HB27 revealed the presence of single pilus structures on the surface of the wild-type cells, whereas the noncompetent pil mutants of Thermus, with the exception of the pilF mutant, were devoid of pilus structures. These results suggest that pili and natural transformation in T. thermophilus HB27 are functionally linked.
Thermal Cycling Ramifications of Lead-Free Solder on the Electronic Assembly Repair Process

The conversion from tin-lead to lead-free electronics has created concern amongst engineers about the reliability of electronic assemblies and the ramifications that reliability changes may have on the life cycle cost and availability of critical systems that use lead-free electronics. In order to analyze the impact of the tin-lead to lead-free electronics conversion in terms of life cycle cost and availability, a simulation of fielded electronic systems to and through a board-level repair facility was created. Systems manufactured with tin-lead parts or lead-free parts that are fielded, fail and have to be repaired are modeled. The model includes the effects of a finite repair process capacity, repair prioritization, multiple possible failure mechanisms, no-fault-founds, and un-repairable units. The model is used to quantify and demonstrate the system- and enterprise-level risks posed by the conversion from tin-lead to lead-free electronics. Example analyses were performed on electronic assemblies that use SAC (tin, silver and copper) and tin-lead solder using a repair process modeled after a NSWC Crane Aviation Repair Process (8000 assemblies with 30 year support lives were modeled). The components considered consisted of ball grid array, column grid array and leadless chip carrier packaged parts that experienced three different thermal cycling profiles. The case studies revealed that when exposed to usage profiles characteristic of consumer electronics, low maximum and mean thermal cycling temperatures with long dwell times, SAC exhibited significantly reduced repair costs compared to tin-lead. For usage profiles characteristic of aerospace and high-performance applications, high maximum and mean thermal cycling temperatures with short dwell times, SAC exhibited significantly increased repair costs when compared to tin-lead.
Probing for pH-Regulated Genes in Sinorhizobium medicae Using Transcriptional Analysis

The low pH sensitivity of Sinorhizobium species is one of the major causes of reduced productivity of Medicago species (such as lucerne) sown in acidic soils. To investigate the pH response of an acid-tolerant Sinorhizobium medicae strain, a pool of random promoter fusions to gusA was created using minitransposon insertional mutagenesis. Acid-activated expression was identified in 11 mutants; rhizobial DNA flanking insertions in 10 mutants could be cloned and the DNA sequences obtained were used to interrogate the genome database of Sinorhizobium meliloti strain 1021. Acid activated expression was detected for fixNO, kdpC, lpiA, and phrR and for genes encoding a putative lipoprotein, two ABC-transporter components, a putative DNA ligase and a MPA1-family protein. These findings implicate cytochrome synthesis, potassium ion cycling, lipid biosynthesis and transport processes as key components of pH response in S. medicae.