Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Galaninergic mechanisms are involved in the regulation of corticotropin and thyrotropin secretion in the rat.

Galanin (GAL), a 29-amino acid peptide, affects the secretion of several anterior pituitary hormones, including PRL and GH. Since GAL coexists with vasopressin and CRH in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), we have studied the pharmacological and physiological actions of GAL on ACTH and TSH secretion in freely moving male rats. Cannulae were surgically implanted in the right atria and brain, intraventricular or adjacent to the PVN, of adult Sprague-Dawley rats. Seven days later, GAL (500 or 1000 ng) or saline was infused into the PVN, and serial blood samples were obtained 5, 10, 20, and 40 min after the infusion. Some animals were also stressed by the inhalation of ether vapors for 2 min after the PVN infusion. Basal ACTH concentrations were increased 2-fold in saline-treated rats; however, plasma ACTH levels were unchanged after GAL infusion. The exposure of rats to ether vapors for 2 min after the infusion of saline into the PVN increased plasma ACTH concentrations from 22.8 +/- 6.0 to 596.6 +/- 59.9 pg/ml 10 min later. However, the infusion of GAL into the PVN attenuated stress-induced ACTH secretion. After GAL infusion, peak ACTH levels (332.7 +/- 84.0 pg/ml) were attained 5 min after ether exposure, followed by a rapid decline at 10 min (P less than 0.001) and 20 min (P less than 0.05). Plasma TSH concentrations were unchanged by GAL or saline infusion and were not affected by ether vapor inhalation. To determine the physiological significance of GAL in the control of ACTH and TSH secretion, endogenous GAL was immunoneutralized by the infusion of 3 microliters GAL antiserum (GAL-AS) into the third cerebral ventricle 25 and 1 h before withdrawing blood samples every 15 min for 6 h. Animals treated with normal rabbit serum (NRS) served as controls. Plasma ACTH concentrations were unchanged by NRS during the 6-h period. However, infusion of GAL-AS raised plasma ACTH concentrations to over 400 pg/ml 75 min after infusion in some animals. In general, plasma ACTH concentrations were increased 4 h of the 6-h sampling period compared to levels in NRS-treated controls. In contrast, GAL-AS reduced TSH concentrations by 50% compared to control values. In contrast to these marked actions of centrally administered GAL, ACTH secretion from dispersed anterior pituitary cells in vitro was unaffected by GAL in concentrations up to 10(-6) M. Furthermore, GAL did not alter CRH (1 nM)-induced ACTH secretion. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
A Simple Heuristic for Computing Nonstationary (s, S) Policies

Nonstationary inventory problems with set-up costs, proportional ordering costs, and stochastic demands occur in a large number of industrial, distribution, and service contexts. It is well known that nonstationary (s, S) policies are optimal for such problems. In this paper, we propose a simple, myopic heuristic for computing the policies. The heuristic involves approximating the future problem at each period by a stationary one and obtaining the solution to the corresponding stationary problem. We numerically compare our heuristic with an earlier myopic heuristic and the optimal dynamic programming solution procedure. Over all problems tested, the new heuristic averaged 1.7% error, compared with 2.0% error for the old procedure, and is on average 399 times as fast as the D.P. and 2062 as fast as the old heuristic. Moreover, our heuristic, owing to its myopic nature, requires the demand data only a few periods into the future, while the dynamic programming solution needs the demand data for the entire time horizon-which are typically not available in most practical situations.
How Short Is Short

On considere desormais l’imminence de la fin comme « un marqueur generique incontestable » (Lohafer 2003). Au cours de la derniere decennie, de nombreux magazines litteraires ont opte pour une politique editoriale reduisant la longueur des histoires a publier. A present, les « fictions flash » et les « micro-fictions », jusqu’ici considerees comme des sous-genres, jouissent d’une popularite grandissante et d’une visibilite accrue dans le monde de l’edition. La « fin » est donc plus proche pour de nombreux lecteurs.Cet article interroge ce phenomene de mode de la brievete accrue et les possibilites de trouver une terminologie pour « l’extremement bref » qui ne se confonde pas avec celle de la nouvelle. Il se penche egalement sur les affinites que la micro-fiction peut entretenir avec la prose poetique et analyse en quoi son caractere allusif requiert un effort supplementaire de la part du lecteur, creant des implications a la fois formelles et politiques. Enfin, il se demande a quel point et selon quelles modalites les mutations technologiques, notamment la lecture a l’ecran et les dispositifs portatifs, ont modifie la facon d’envisager l’avenir de la fiction breve.
Raising the Bar in Renal Sympathetic Denervation Research and Reporting

High blood pressure (BP) is frequently cited as one of the world’s largest contributors to the global burden of disease. Hypertension affects roughly 1 billion individuals worldwide and continues to be among the most prevalent conditions seen in adult primary care practice. As perhaps the most critical cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease risk factor, it is ultimately a leading cause of death, stroke, myocardial infarction, and congestive heart failure worldwide. Considerable attention has accordingly focused for decades on improving the prevention and treatment of hypertension and cardiovascular disease by lifestyle modification, pharmaceutical therapy, and, more recently, medical device therapy. In this Commentary we focus on a device-based approach to hypertension that is at once potentially transformational for various patient groups (eg, patients with various degrees of hypertension and other diseases resulting from sympathetic hyperactivity and patients with chronic lack of adherence to appropriate pharmacologic regimens) and, at the same time, intensely controversial among leading clinicians as they weigh accelerating treatment to patients in need against possibly delaying treatment to achieve acceptable scientific rigor during the device development process.
The effects of repeated alcohol exposure on the neurochemistry of the periadolescent nucleus accumbens septi

SUBSTANCE abuse is a major issue in today's society and is an issue of critical importance in the adolescent population. Research indicates that substance use is often initiated during the adolescent period and that brain reward areas are still undergoing changes during this time. Despite this, little research has investigated the effects of repeated drug use on the reward mechanisms of periadolescent animals. For this reason, the present study examined the effects of repeated ethanol (EtOH) administration on the responsiveness of the nucleus accumbens septi (NAcc) to either EtOH or saline challenge. The data indicate that repeated exposure to EtOH produces temporal shifts in the dopaminergic (DAergic) activity of the NAcc, with peak activity occurring earlier. Importantly, following repeated injections of EtOH, saline injections alone elicit DA increases in the NAcc suggesting that the context of alcohol administration produces fundamental changes in the way that neuro-chemical reinforcement mechanisms respond. The expectancy of the drug alone elicits reward-related activity within the NAcc.
A reconceptualization of EEG alpha activity as an index of arousal during sleep: all alpha activity is not equal

SUMMARY Alpha activity occurring during sleep is generally considered to reflect arousal processes and a shift toward wakefulness. This long‐standing interpretation is based on physiological and behavioural arousal correlates of alpha activity presumed to have an occipital focus. In addition to the application of this interpretation to sleep/wake state determinations, there have been reports of nonrefreshing or nonrestorative sleep in clinical populations exhibiting dramatic amounts of alpha intrusion during sleep in the absence of awakening. Reports of the presence of alpha activity during sleep in normal subjects without sleep disruption or complaints of daytime sleepiness call into question the interpretation that this activity is associated with arousal. A re‐examination of this literature, incorporating the results from recent investigations employing multi‐site EEG recordings, electronic processing and source diple analyses of this activity, suggests the existence of alpha activity which differs in generation site (thalamus), scalp distribution (frontal‐central), and behavioural correlates (e.g. enhancement to stimulation during wakefulness, concentration in the first‐half of the night during sleep, and absence of sleep disturbance) from occipital alpha activity. Such marked differences in defining characteristics imply different functional correlates for these activities. In this context, it is proposed that this fronto‐central alpha activity is associated with sleep‐maintaining processes which may be enhanced in response to sleep‐disturbing events.
Molecular characterization of seipin and its mutants: implications for seipin in triacylglycerol synthesis[S]

The human lipodystrophy gene product Berardinelli-Seip congenital lipodystrophy 2/seipin has been implicated in adipocyte differentiation, lipid droplet (LD) formation, and motor neuron development. However, the molecular function of seipin and its disease-causing mutants remains to be elucidated. Here, we characterize seipin and its mis-sense mutants: N88S/S90L (both linked to motoneuron disorders) and A212P (linked to lipodystrophy) in cultured mammalian cells. Knocking down seipin significantly increases oleate incorporation into triacylglycerol (TAG) and the steady state level of TAG, and induces the proliferation and clustering of small LDs. By contrast, overexpression of seipin reduces TAG synthesis, leading to decreased formation of LDs. Expression of the A212P mutant, however, had little effect on LD biogenesis. Surprisingly, expression of N88S or S90L causes the formation of many small LDs reminiscent of seipin deficient cells. This dominant-negative effect may be due to the N88S/S90L-induced formation of inclusions where wild-type seipin can be trapped. Importantly, coexpression of wild-type seipin and the N88S or S90L mutant can significantly reduce the formation of inclusions. Finally, we demonstrate that seipin can interact with itself and its mutant forms. Our results provide important insights into the biochemical characteristics of seipin and its mis-sense mutants, and suggest that seipin may function to inhibit lipogenesis.
An auditory brainstem nucleus as a model system for neuronal metabolic demands

The correlation between neuronal activity and metabolism is essential for coding, plasticity, neurological disorders and the interpretation of functional neuroimaging data. Most likely, metabolic requirements depend upon neuron type, and macroscopic energy demands vary with brain region. However, specific needs of individual neuron types are enigmatic. Therefore, we monitored metabolic activity in the lateral superior olive (LSO), an auditory brainstem nucleus containing only one neuron type. LSO neurons exhibit extreme but well‐described biophysics with firing rates of several hundred hertz and low input resistances of a few megaohms. We recorded changes in NADH and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) autofluorescence and O2 concentration in acute brainstem slices of Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) following electrical stimulation. The LSO shows the typical biphasic NADH/FAD response up to a physiologically relevant frequency of 400 Hz. In the same animal, we compared the LSO with the hippocampal CA1 region and the cerebral cortex. The rate of NADH/FADH2 consumption and regeneration was slowest in LSO. However, frequency dependence was only similar during the consumption phase but varied during regeneration within the three brain regions. Changes in NADH, FAD and O2 levels and blocking metabolic reactions indicate a pronounced contribution of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation in the LSO which is known for the other brain regions as well. Lactate transport and interconversion are involved in LSO metabolism as we found in immunohistochemical and pharmacological experiments. Our findings show that the LSO represents an apt, biophysically distinct model for brain metabolism and that neuronal properties determine metabolic needs.
Exploring personal information

Wh en we look for information in large or unfamiliar sources such as the Web or an encyclopedia, it is almost second nature to use a search engine to help us find what we need. Yet until recently, people have had to be more creative when trying to find information on their own computers; locating an email message, a bank statement, or a short movie clip of a friend on your own computer can be an exercise in patience and luck. While research in the area of personal information access has been ongoing for several years [1, 3], we are only now beginning to see widespread use of such tools. Rich search and browsing capabilities to support exploration are now being built into the next generation of PC operating systems (for example, Apple's Spotlight for Tiger OS X and Microsoft's Vista Search) and are also available in a variety of standalone desk-top search tools. One might wonder why people would need to " explore " their own information. An important reason is that it is difficult for users to unambiguously specify what they looking for, even in their own collections (as described by Marchionini in this section). To make matters worse, human memory is often vague and dependent on context. Therefore, users must be presented with a wide variety of techniques to articulate and refine information needs (for example, keywords, document summaries, or metadata about document content and use). Since personal collections are often stored locally, highly dynamic interfaces can be used to help users quickly iterate queries and explore their content. Designing interfaces for accessing personal information presents several unique challenges and opportunities. An important feature of personal collections is that people are familiar with many details and characteristics about their information, as well as the contexts surrounding their use of it. When looking for personal information , you may remember the general topic of the item, who it was from, where you filed it, or roughly when you saw it. The challenge is in creating a user interface that exploits the wide and varied associations and contextual cues that people remember about their information, while maintaining the simplicity of keyword search that makes Web search so powerful and easy. Such an interface must support search as well as browsing among many different kinds of meta-data. Metadata can serve as a query (for example , " find me email …
Evaluation of Antiviral Activity of Different Medicinal Plants against Newcastle Disease Virus

Newcastle Disease (ND) is a highly contagious viral disease that has a tremendous negative impact on the poultry industry worldwide. Plant extracts were prepared from five different medicinal plants and applied against Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) to evaluate the antiviral replication in Specific Pathogen-Free (SPF) chicken embryos. Three dilutions from each plant extract were prepared and mixed with a fixed titer (104 EID50/mL) of virulent NDV strain Herts 33. The mix was inoculated into nine-day-old SPF chicken embryos that were monitored for five days. Real-time PCR and hemagglutination tests were conducted to evaluate the activity of NDV and its viral RNA titer. Some plant extracts showed a complete inhibition of NDV evidenced by the absence of embryo deaths, the absence of HA titer and viral RNA in the allantoic fluid. These plant extracts were from Moringa peregrina (leaves), Acacia cyanophylla (leaves), Eucalyptus camaldulensis (fruits) and Pistacia atlantica (leaves and stems). Other plant extracts showed partial inhibition of NDV, such as Ceratonia siliqua (leaves) and Eucalyptus camaldulensis (leaves). This experiment shows the potential of using medicinal plants as antiviral agents.
Le français en Afrique du Sud : une francophonie émergente ?

Ce numero special de French Studies in Southern Africa rassemble 16 contributions qui font le point sur la situation de la langue francaise en Afrique australe. A sa lecture, il apparait que le francais connait un nouvel elan dans cette region. Il est considere comme un outil pour l’essor economique et politique de plusieurs pays (Chavale, Manyawu, Morake, Aldon). Afin de repondre a ces besoins en matiere de langue francaise, les universites ont adapte les contenus de leurs diplomes en FLE en pr (.)
Reduced complexity ML interference-aware parallel and SIC receivers for SU-MIMO systems

Although the base station processing and the majority of the protocols of the wireless systems are standardized by 3GPP, the receiver architecture and implementation remain vendor-dependent. The receiver design should fulfill computational efficiency requirements, and be evaluated in practical simulators or emulators that are compliant with real-world wireless standards. In this paper, we provide a comparative study of two low complexity Maximum-Likelihood receivers with the Parallel Interference-Aware (PIA) detection and with the Successive Interference Canceling (SIC) detection. Given 5MHz of LTE bandwidth, the SIC receiver achieves up to 4Mbit/s throughput gain in Rician fading and 1.8Mbit/s in Rayleigh fading compared to the PIA receiver. The quantification of computational effort demonstrates short signal processing time, which makes our receivers suitable for real-time modems. Our empirical simulations deliver insights on the optimal SNR regimes and the modulation and coding schemes combinations for both codewords to maintain high level of throughput.
Fondaparinux for the treatment of superficial vein thrombosis in the legs: the CALISTO study

Superficial vein thrombosis (SVT) is quite a common disease that is associated with a non-negligible risk of progression to the deep venous system and, in some cases, of embolization to the lungs. However, SVT has traditionally been regarded as a benign disease and its optimal management has been poorly studied. Recently, fondaparinux, a subcutaneous, selective, indirect Factor Xa inhibitor, has been assessed in the treatment of SVT in the CALISTO study, with encouraging results. Fondaparinux was found to be more effective than placebo in reducing the risk of SVT extension or progression to deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism without a significant increase in the risk of bleeding. Treatment of SVT with a once-daily, 2.5 mg injection of fondaparinux without the need for platelet monitoring appears as a simple, effective, and well-tolerated strategy, and has the potential to change the clinical management of SVT.
Cosensitized Solar Cells Based on a Flower-Like ZnO Nanorod Structure

We shall present a cosensitized solar cell with sequentially assembled CdS quantum dots (QDs) and black dye on a flower-like ZnO rod nanostructure. As revealed by UV-vis absorption spectrum and scanning electron microscopy CdS QDs and black dye can be effectively adsorbed onto a flower-like ZnO nanorod array. Besides acting as a sensitizer, CdS QDs layer helps to prevent formation of Zn2+/dye complex. CdS QDs also provide intermediate energy levels for excited electron transfer from black dye to ZnO film. A power conversion efficiency as high as 3.26% was achieved for CdS QD and black dye cosensitized ZnO photoanode under the illumination of one Sun (AM1.5G, 100 mW/cm2).
Phenotypes, Endophenotypes, and Genotypes in Bulimia Spectrum Eating Disorders

Objectives: To review the main phenomenological variants observed among bulimia spectrum syndromes and the factors believed to act etiologically for them and also to generate an etiologic model that accommodates known heterogeneities within the population suffering bulimic syndromes. Method: Defining bulimic syndromes broadly, we address threshold and subthreshold forms of bulimia nervosa (BN) and also the provisional or newly proposed diagnoses of binge eating disorder (BED) and purging disorder (PD). We review evidence bearing on the validity of these diagnostic entities and on the place of sociocultural, family-developmental, neurobiological, and genetic factors in a multidimensional etiologic model for these classifications. Results: Available data validate certain bulimic phenotypes and subphenotypes that are characterized by such traits as impulsivity or affective instability. Findings associate subphenotypic, or trait-based, variations with putative endophenotypes, such as reduced serotonin transporter activity, and with candidate genotypes affecting the serotonin system; the data also indicate intriguing correspondences between gene–environment interactions and subphenotypic variations along such dimensions as novelty seeking. Conclusions: Bulimic syndromes sometimes reflect a primary disruption of controls over mood, impulses, and appetite in individuals showing marked psychopathology; at other times, they reflect a more circumscribed erosion of appetitive controls in relatively intact individuals, following prolonged dieting. We argue that dimensional perspectives involving careful attention to comorbid personality traits and symptoms are needed to accommodate existing heterogeneities within the population suffering from bulimia and to characterize the etiologic roles of familial-developmental, neurobiological, and genetic variables (and of interactions among these variables) in bulimic syndromes.
Bajo peso al nacer, morfometría renal y cifras de tensión arterial en adolecentes femeninas

Fundamento: la hipertension arterial constituye un problema de salud en la actualidad, siendo una causa directa de discapacidad y muerte. Datos epidemiologicos sugieren que la nutricion pre y posnatal puede ser un factor importante en la etiopatogenia de esta enfermedad. Objetivo: evaluar la influencia del bajo peso al nacimiento sobre la tension arterial y el tamano del rinon de las adolescentes. Metodos: se realizo un estudio transversal en 50 adolescentes del sexo femenino del municipio Marianao, La Habana. Se midieron las siguientes variables: peso, talla, tension arterial sistolica y diastolica, peso y talla al nacimiento e indice de masa corporal. Mediante ultrasonido se midio longitud, ancho, parenquima y volumen del rinon. Resultados: no hubo diferencias apreciables en los valores de tension arterial de acuerdo al peso y la talla al nacimiento. Tampoco las variables renales mostraron cambios significativos de acuerdo a la clasificacion de las adolescentes segun su peso al nacimiento. Se encontro una relacion significativa entre la tension arterial sistolica y dos indicadores del tamano relativo del rinon. Conclusion: los resultados no evidenciaron una asociacion entre el bajo peso al nacer y las cifras de tension arterial altas. Se reafirma que las cifras de tension arterial se relacionan positivamente con la adiposidad corporal y con el tamano relativo pequeno del rinon.
Pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is a common adult‐onset neurodegenerative disorder whose pathogenesis remains essentially unknown. Currently, it is believed that the neurodegenerative process in Parkinson's disease is a combination of both cell‐autonomous and non‐cell‐autonomous mechanisms. Proposed cell‐autonomous mechanisms include alterations in mitochondrial bioenergetics, dysregulation of calcium homeostasis, and impaired turnover of mitochondria. As for the proposed non‐cell‐autonomous mechanisms, they involve prion‐like behavior of misfolded proteins and neuroinflammation. This suggests that cell death in Parkinson's disease is caused by a multifactorial cascade of pathogenic events and argues that effective neuroprotective therapy for Parkinson's disease may have to rely on multiple drug interventions. © 2013 Movement Disorder Society