Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cortical correlates of perception and suppression of electrically induced pain

Two neuroimaging studies using fMRI were conducted in order to assess the cortical processes involved in the perception and suppression of pain. In the first study, 15 healthy subjects were stimulated with variable intensities of electrical pulses during a discrimination task. In the second study, the same subjects had to try to suppress the feeling of pain during tonic stimulation. The discrimination task resulted in cortical activation of contralateral SI, corresponding in extent to the intensity of the stimulus. Activation of contralateral operculum/posterior insula (SII) and non-dominant dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) with non-painful stimuli changed to activations of non-dominant anterior insula upon painful stimulation. In the second study, all subjects succeeded in suppressing the feeling of pain during previously painful levels of stimulation. During this suppression task, activations changed from anterior to posterior insula; also there was a suppression of activity in the anterior cingulated cortex (ACC) and caudate nucleus. Subjects seem to be able to suppress to a certain degree the feeling of pain under constant (and previously painful) stimulation. The cortical correlate seems to be a shift of cerebral activation from anterior to posterior right insula and a suppression of activity in the ACC and caudate nucleus.
A Continuum of Electronic Commerce Maturity – From Buying a Computer to Business Transformation

In this paper a model is developed from work by Earl and also the National Office for the Information Economy (NOIE). The model seeks to provide a framework to place small businesses on a continuum of maturity in their use of the Internet from 1. Computerisation, 2. Getting Wired, 3. Corporate Home Page, 4. Corporate Intranet, 5. Buying and Selling Online, 6. Adding Key Capabilities, 7. Decision by Wire, to 8. Let’s Drop the “E” and transform. This model is then examined in light of case studies undertaken in four small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs). The model is useful both in placing a business of any size on the continuum and assisting in identifying the next stage of potential development for a company’s systems. The model has been extended through insights gained in the analysis of the case studies.
The Role of Hedgehog Signaling in the Development of the Zebrafish Visual System

The vertebrate visual system is a region of the nervous system that is characterized by relative simplicity, and its development has hence been studied intensively, to serve as a paradigm for the rest of the central nervous system. The zebrafish model organism offers an impressive array of tools to dissect this process experimentally, and in recent years has helped to significantly deepen our understanding of the development of the visual system. A number of these studies have focused on the role of the Hedgehog family of secreted signaling molecules in eye development, and this is the main topic of this review. Hedgehog signaling plays an important role in all major steps of visual system development, starting with the regionalization of the eye primordium into proximal and distal territories, continuing with the control of cellular differentiation in the retina, and ending with the guidance of axonal projections from the retina to the optic centers of the brain.
Mitochondria in Neurodegeneration: Acute Ischemia and Chronic Neurodegenerative Diseases

Neurons are metabolically active cells that generally are dependent on mitochondrial A TP production to meet their energetic needs. In contrast, other cell types with a high energy demand, including muscle or tumor cells, are better able to sustain A TP production through the glycolytic oxidation of stored glucose molecules when mitochondria are challenged or in oxygen debt. This places neurons at risk for overall cellular dysfunction when mitochondrial A TP production is compromised. Combining this metabolic susceptibility with the role that mitochondria play in the apoptotic pathway, it be­ comes clear that mitochondrial dysfunction is a particu­ lar liability for neurons. Mitochondrial electron trans­ port, Ca2+ transport, free radical production, and partici­ pation in the apoptotic cascade were addressed in a companion review in the March 1999 issue of the lour-
Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy as a Biomarker for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy

Abstract Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease associated with exposure to repetitive head impacts (RHI). Currently, CTE can only be diagnosed after death by postmortem, as validated in vivo biomarkers of CTE do not yet exist. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) measures brain tissue metabolism in vivo and could facilitate a “probable CTE” diagnosis during life. Here, we propose MRS as one potential biomarker for CTE through a review of CTE neuropathology, and the extant literature that has examined the acute and long-term effects of RHI exposure on brain chemistry. There is preliminary empirical support for MRS in the detection of later-life neurological impairment associated with RHI exposure, but further ante- and postmortem research is needed before MRS can be considered a diagnostic biomarker for CTE.
A single-molecule barcoding system using nanoslits for DNA analysis

Molecular confinement offers new routes for arraying large DNA molecules, enabling single-molecule schemes aimed at the acquisition of sequence information. Such schemes can rapidly advance to become platforms capable of genome analysis if elements of a nascent system can be integrated at an early stage of development. Integrated strategies are needed for surmounting the stringent experimental requirements of nanoscale devices regarding fabrication, sample loading, biochemical labeling, and detection. We demonstrate that disposable devices featuring both micro- and nanoscale features can greatly elongate DNA molecules when buffer conditions are controlled to alter DNA stiffness. Furthermore, we present analytical calculations that describe this elongation. We also developed a complementary enzymatic labeling scheme that tags specific sequences on elongated molecules within described nanoslit devices that are imaged via fluorescence resonance energy transfer. Collectively, these developments enable scaleable molecular confinement approaches for genome analysis.
CDS Industrial Sector Indices, Credit and Liquidity Risk

This paper studies the risk spillover among US Industrial Sectors and focuses on the connection between credit and liquidity risks. The proposed methodology is based on quantile regressions and considers the movements of CDS Industrial Sector Indices depending on common risk factors such as equity risk, risk appetite, term spread and TED spread. We use CDS Industrial indexes and the market risk factor to identify the impact of market liquidity risk and market credit risk in the different US Industries and give evidence of the heterogeneity of this relation. We show that all the sectors are largely exposed to the non investment grade bond spread indicating that credit risk is largely a common factor rather than a sector specific factor. With a lower impact, we also find that market risk and interest rate risk are also common factors, as well as liquidity risk. These results indicate that diversification among sectors might collapse when credit, equity and liquidity events hit the market. The information extracted from CDS market could thus provide relevant information for sector allocation strategies.
Structure of Phoretic Mite Assemblages Across Subcortical Beetle Species at a Regional Scale

Abstract Mites associated with subcortical beetles feed and reproduce within habitats transformed by tree-killing herbivores. Mites lack the ability to independently disperse among these habitats, and thus have evolved characteristics that facilitate using insects as transport between resources. Studies on associations between mites and beetles have historically been beetle-centric, where an assemblage of mite species is characterized on a single beetle species. However, available evidence suggests there may be substantial overlap among mite species on various species of beetles utilizing similar host trees. We assessed the mite communities of multiple beetle species attracted to baited funnel traps in Pinus stands in southern Wisconsin, northern Arizona, and northern Georgia to better characterize mite dispersal and the formation of mite–beetle phoretic associations at multiple scales. We identified approximately 21 mite species totaling 10,575 individuals on 36 beetle species totaling 983 beetles. Of the mites collected, 97% were represented by eight species. Many species of mites were common across beetle species, likely owing to these beetles' common association with trees in the genus Pinus. Most mite species were found on at least three beetle species. Histiostoma spp. , Iponemus confusus Lindquist, Histiogaster arborsignis Woodring and Trichouropoda australis Hirschmann were each found on at least seven species of beetles. While beetles had largely similar mite membership, the abundances of individual mite species were highly variable among beetle species within each sampling region. Phoretic mite communities also varied within beetle species between regions, notably for Ips pini (Say) and Ips grandicollis (Eichhoff).
.Analysis of the contribution of bacteriophage ST64B to in vitro virulence traits of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium.

Comparison of the publicly available genomes of the virulent Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) strains SL1344, 14028s and D23580 to that of the virulence-attenuated isolate LT2 revealed the absence of a full sequence of bacteriophage ST64B in the latter. Four selected ST64B regions of unknown function (sb7-sb11, sb46, sb49-sb50 and sb54) were mapped by PCR in two strain collections: (i) 310 isolates of S. Typhimurium from human blood or stool samples, and from food, animal and environmental reservoirs; and (ii) 90 isolates belonging to other serovars. The region sb49-sb50 was found to be unique to S. Typhimurium and was strongly associated with strains isolated from blood samples (100 and 28.4 % of the blood and non-blood isolates, respectively). The region was cloned into LT2 and knocked out in SL1344, and these strains were compared to wild-type isogenic strains in in vitro assays used to predict virulence association. No difference in invasion of the Int407 human cell line was observed between the wild-type and mutated strains, but the isolate carrying the whole ST64B prophage was found to have a slightly better survival in blood. The study showed a high prevalence and a strong association between the prophage ST64B and isolates of S. Typhimurium collected from blood, and may indicate that such strains constitute a selected subpopulation within this serovar. Further studies are indicated to determine whether the slight increase in blood survival observed in the strain carrying ST64B genes is of paramount importance for systemic infections.
The Linkage between Financial Crisis and Corporate Governance: A Literature Review

The paper discusses the link between financial crisis and the prevailing corporate governance during the crisis period. Failure of corporate governance was recognized as one of the key factors for the financial meltdown after 1997 (East Asia Financial Crisis) and 2001 (US Share Market Crisis). The study analyzes corporate governance in the pre-financial crisis period, the impact of the crisis and the changes made to the corporate governance structure in the post-crisis period. The first part of the paper deals with corporate governance with regard to Asian firms and the second part deals with the failure of corporate governance in the US.
Using code division technique to improve the performance of ad hoc wireless network

An ad hoc wireless network is limited by the characteristics of multi-hop, so its network efficiency cannot be improved by multi-channel technology. This investigation exploits the code division multiple access (CDMA) technology. Employing this technology, even to a single frame, enables the frame header and the frame payload to be modulated separately using a common spreading code and a special spreading code. Some data fields in the frame header are used to announce the spreading code used in the frame payload. A spreading code database is also maintained in every node to support negotiation by special spreading code to prevent the code collision. The RTS/CTS is modified into ERTS/ECTS, and a negotiation process is proposed to get the special spreading code without collision. The algorithm CSMA/CA is modified into CDCSMA/CA to enhance the performance of the ad hoc network. The proposed procedure can be followed to enable numerous node pairs to transmit at the same time as each other. Therefore, the performance of the ad hoc network is significantly.
Tunneling effect in ferrites based left handed metamaterial

The tunneling effect in a left handed metamaterial (LHM) consisting of ferrites and wire array is presented. The ferrites based LHM exhibits a near perfect transmission with very low losses and reflections due to the ε = − ε<inf>0</inf> and μ = − μ<inf>0</inf>. Based on the theoretical results of effective permeability and permittivity of the LHM, the parameter conditions of perfect tunneling effect through a LHM slab is analyzed. Numerically simulated results indicated that the tunneling effect can be found in the microwave frequencies and demonstrated aforementioned theoretical results very well.
Migrant communities constitute a possible target population for primary prevention of Helicobacter pylori-related complications in low incidence countries

Objective. Pre-selection of individuals with epidemiological risk factors for Helicobacter pylori infection and atrophic gastritis could increase the efficiency of serologic screening to prevent peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer in Western countries. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of and risk factors for H. pylori infection and atrophic gastritis in a migrant community in The Netherlands. Material and methods. Inhabitants from an urban district in Rotterdam, The Netherlands with a large proportion of immigrants were randomly selected. Information was collected on demographic factors, socio-economic status, lifestyle, history of dyspeptic symptoms and medication use. In addition, serologic H. pylori and CagA status and the presence of atrophic gastritis were evaluated. Results. In total, 288 subjects were included. Surinamese or Antillean, Turkish, Cape Verdian and Moroccan subjects were H. pylori-infected in 65%, 82%, 86% and 96% of cases, respectively, whereas the infection rate in Dutch subjects was 46% (all p<0.05). Within multivariate logistic regression analysis, ethnicity and number of persons in a household were identified as independent risk factors for H. pylori infection. In addition, mean pepsinogen I level and pepsinogen I/II ratio were significantly lower in subjects of non-Dutch origin as compared to Dutch subjects (both p<0.001). No Dutch subjects suffered from atrophic gastritis, as compared with 12 subjects of non-Dutch origin (p=0.13). Conclusions. The prevalence of H. pylori is high in migrant populations in The Netherlands. Furthermore, markers of atrophic gastritis are increased in subjects of foreign origin. Therefore, these migrant communities may constitute a target group for serologic screening to prevent H. pylori-related complications in Western countries.
Is extra-retinal information needed to control steering of locomotion in presence of a rotational optic flow?

When one changes direction or turns the head while walking, the optic flow projected at the retina is a complex pattern that consists of a translational and a rotational flow. It is not clear whether the perception of rotational vs. translational components can be extracted from the retinal flow alone or whether extra-retinal cues such as vestibular and eye/neck proprioceptive information are required. We hypothesized that active head turns, which provide an alteration in rotational optic flow and extra-retinal cues, will induce little or no change in heading direction and body segment orientation while walking, as compared to visually simulated head turns that do not provide extra-retinal cues. Nine healthy young subjects were evaluated while walking overground and viewing a large virtual room in a head-mounted display. Subjects were instructed to walk straight in the physical world while being exposed to three conditions: (1) an active head turn; (2) a visually simulated head turn; and (3) a visually simulated head turn with no target element. All three conditions had identical retinal flow, so that when the subject reached 5m of forward walking, the rotation was either at 40deg to the right or left, or at 0deg. With the visually simulated head turn, however, no extra-retinal information was present. A 10-camera Vicon system was used to acquire horizontal orientations of the head, thorax, pelvis and foot segments, as well as the computed 3D trajectories of the bodypsilas center of mass (CoM). Heading direction and body segment orientations differed between right vs. left locations of focus of expansion for the simulated head turn conditions, but not for the active head turn condition, suggesting that extra-retinal information plays a role in the control of heading direction, in addition to optic flow changes induced by virtual reality. The small amplitude of the changes observed with the simulated head turn conditions suggests that the CNS has the ability to re-weight relevant sources of information in the presence of sensory conflicts.
Periarticular Fractures After Total Knee Arthroplasty: Principles of Management

&NA; Periarticular fractures about total knee replacements are sustained by 0.3% to 2% of patients who have undergone knee arthroplasty. The patient with such a fracture is usually a woman in her seventh decade who has osteoporosis and may also have rheumatoid arthritis that is being treated with corticosteroids. The treatment of such fractures is aimed at restoring the patient's functional status to the prefracture level. Accomplishing this requires healing of the fracture and retention of a mobile and painless prosthesis in correct alignment. These goals are often difficult to achieve because there is little experience with these uncommon fractures, the healing environment is suboptimal, and knee arthroplasties have a low tolerance for any resulting alteration in alignment. In general, nondisplaced fractures are treated nonoperatively, and displaced fractures require open reduction, rigid internal fixation, and bone grafting. If the prosthesis is loose, or if rigid fixation cannot be obtained, component revision is the treatment of choice.
Two Drimane-type Sesquiterpenes, Strobilactones A and B, from the Liquid Culture of the Edible Mushroom Strobilurus ohshimae

Two novel drimane sesquiterpenoids, strobilactones A (3) and B (4), were isolated fromthe organic extract of a liquid culture of Strobilurus ohshimae. The structures of 3 and 4 were determined by spectroscopic methods. Compounds 3 and 4 exhibit cell growth inhibitory activities against cultured COLO 201 cells. Compound 4 also shows antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
[Establishment of rat model of scalding with high pressure steam].

OBJECTIVE To establish a rat model of scalding with controllable depth and area by high pressure steam. METHODS High pressure steam apparatus consisting of an autoclave and a self-made scalding frame was employed in the study. The rats were inflicted with scalding with 0.12 Mpa (1 Mpa = 7500 mmHg) high pressure steam on the back through a hole of 2.6 cm in diameter for 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 seconds, with five wounds at each time point. The tissue samples were harvested at 24 post injury hour (PIH) for pathomorphological examination. The depth of scald was measured, and injury to the sweat gland and hair follicles injury, the hair growth in scalded area, and the wound healing condition were observed with Photoshop software. RESULTS There was positive correlation between the scalding depth and scalding time. The injury time for superficial and deep partial thickness burn and full thickness burn were 3, 5 and 7 seconds respectively. The wound healing time was similar even the scalding became more and more serious when injury time increased from 7 to 10 seconds. CONCLUSION The scalding depth and area in this model could be controlled, and the degree of scald injury could be graded accurately with easy manipulation. The result showed that it was an ideal model of skin burn wound.
Effects of the Agency Cost of Debt and Managerial Risk Aversion on Capital Structure: What Can We Learn from All-Equity Firms?

This paper investigates the influence of managerial incentives on the capital structure decision using a sample of all-equity firms. Managerial risk-taking incentives may encourage financial risk taking hence greater leverage. On the other hand, increasing a manager's incentive to take risk increases the agency cost of debt and therefore lowers debt capacity. I provide evidence supporting the second effect in all-equity firms where the potential asset substitution is more severe. I show that CEO's pay-for-performance sensitivity (delta) and the sensitivity of CEO wealth to stock volatility (vega) are higher in all-equity firms than those in matched levered firms. In addition, the incentive compensation in all-equity firms encourages greater risk-taking activities than levered firms, suggesting a negative relation between leverage and risk taking incentives. I also find that the likelihood of having an all-equity capital structure increases in the risk taking incentives from managerial equity-based compensation. This remains after controlling for endogeneity, which may arise if overcoming managerial risk aversion is particularly important for these all-equity firms. Finally, I find that equity-based compensation and incentives decrease upon firms' switching to levered firms from all-equity firms, indicating the change of compensation structure is associated with the change of capital structure.
A new ATPG method for efficient capture power reduction during scan testing

High power dissipation can occur when the response to a test vector is captured by flip-flops in scan testing, resulting in excessive JR drop, which may cause significant capture-induced yield loss in the DSM era. This paper addresses this serious problem with a novel test generation method, featuring a unique algorithm that deterministically generates test cubes not only for fault detection but also for capture power reduction. Compared with previous methods that passively conduct X-filling for unspecified bits in test cubes generated only for fault detection, the new method achieves more capture power reduction with less test set inflation. Experimental results show its effectiveness