Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Substantial reduction of cortical noradrenaline by lesions of adrenergic pathway does not prevent effects of monocular deprivation

We tested the theory that depletion of noradrenaline reduces the plasticity of the visual cortex in kittens by using another method of depletion. Lesions were made in the lateral hypothalamus to interrupt fibers in the dorsal noradrenergic bundle going from the locus ceruleus to the telencephalon. The lesions were induced at approximately 3 1/2 weeks of age in kittens; approximately 2 weeks later one eye was sutured shut, and about 10 days after that cells were recorded in the visual cortex. The location of the lesions was verified histologically, and the effect of the lesions was verified by noradrenaline analyses (high pressure liquid chromatography-electrochemistry) of samples from the visual cortex. The noradrenaline content of the visual cortex was reduced by 70 to 90%. However, the majority of cells recorded in the visual cortex could not be driven through the eye that had been sutured closed. The ocular dominance histograms for cells in the visual cortex were indistinguishable from those of kittens that were monocularly deprived for a similar period in the “critical period” and that had normal amounts of noradrenaline in their visual cortex. Therefore, we conclude that reduction of the noradrenaline content of the visual cortex by 70 to 90% is insufficient, by itself, to prevent the physiological changes that occur in the visual cortex after monocular deprivation.
Does Auditors' Reputation 'Discourage' Related-Party Transactions? The French Case

We use a unique data set from a sample of 85 French firms over the period 2002-2008 in order to answer the following questions: Is there any relation between the use of auditors with a brand-name reputation for providing high-quality audit reports and the number of related party transactions (RPTs) reported to outside shareholders? And, how does a more transparent environment for the reporting of related party transactions affect this relationship, if at all? We find that firms audited by Big 4 auditors report fewer related party transactions. The period under study includes the change in accounting standards in Europe that occurred in 2005 with the adoption of IFRS standards, which resulted in a more transparent reporting environment for RPTs. We find that the negative relationship between auditor reputation and the number of reported of RPTs is "weaker" in a more transparent reporting environment. We argue that these results are related to the accounting uncertainty surrounding the reporting of related party transactions that particularly affects the behavior of Big 4 auditors.
Non-Fundamental Speculation Revisited

We show that a linear pure strategy equilibrium may not exist in the model of Madrigal (1996), contrary to the claim of the original paper. This is because Madrigal's characterization of a pure strategy equilibrium omits a second-order condition. If the nonfundamental speculator's information about noise trading is sufficiently precise, a linear pure strategy equilibrium fails to exist. In parameter regions where a pure strategy equilibrium does exist, we identify a few calculation errors in Madrigal (1996) that result in misleading implications.
The Rise of the Creative Class: Revisited

The Rise of the Creative Class: Revisited, first published in 2002, is now in its second edition. The very first aspect of the book that attracts the attention of the reader is the title itself, which alludes to the role of creativity in the economy and society. Indeed, when the book was first published, it became a bestseller and took the world of urban studies, particularly in advanced countries, by storm. Although technically a novel construct, Richard Florida's concept of creativity and creative capital was criticized by several scholars, including the Harvardurban economist, Edward Glaeser, as being not very different from the already established concept of human capital (Glaeser 2004). Human capital is based on the level of skills possessed by an individual, as a result of formal education. Creativity, like human capital, gives rise to new ideas that can spur technological and economic innovation which, in turn, can lead to economic growth. In the second edition of the book, Florida addresses these criticisms and redefines the 'creativeclass' as a socioeconomic group whose distinguishing characteristic is the ability of its members to engage in such work whose function is to 'create meaningful new forms'. This ability, Florida claims, by citing the examples of entrepreneurial giants like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, is regardless of the educational qualifications of its members and hence is fundamentally different from human capital.
Prevalence and physical status of human papillomavirus in squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck

Fresh‐frozen biopsies were obtained from 61 patients at diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC) for study of the prevalence and physical status of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA. The frequency of HPV DNA and genotypes were determined by SPF10 PCR screening with a general probe hybridization and INNO‐LiPA HPV genotyping assay. In addition, a single‐phase PCR with primers FAP 59/64 and a nested PCR with primers CP 65/70 and CP 66/69 served to detect particularly cutaneous HPV types. By the sensitive SPF10 PCR and INNO‐LiPA assay, 37 of 61 (61%) samples were positive for HPV. HPV‐16 was the most frequently detected type (31 of 37, 84%). Multiple infections were found in 8 of 37 (22%) of the HPV‐positive samples, and co‐infection by HPV‐16 and HPV‐33 was predominant. No cutaneous HPV types were detected. Patients with HPV‐positive tumors had similar prognosis as those with HPV‐negative ones. Real‐time PCR analysis of the HPV‐16 positive samples indicated the presence of integrated (11 of 23, 48%), episomal (8 of 23, 35%) and mixed forms (4 of 23, 17%) of HPV DNA. The viral load of HPV DNA exhibited large variation. The median copy numbers of E6 DNA in tonsillar specimens were approximately 80,000 times higher than that in nontonsillar HNSCC ones. Patients with episomal viral DNA were more frequently found to have large (T3–T4) tumors at diagnosis than were those with integrated or mixed forms. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Apoptotic signaling in dopamine‐induced cell death: the role of oxidative stress, p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase, cytochrome c and caspases

Oxidative stress generated by dopamine (DA) oxidation could be one of the factors underlying the selective vulnerability of nigral dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson's diseases. Here we show that DA induces apoptosis in SH‐SY5Y neuroblastoma cells demonstrated by activation of caspase‐9 and caspase‐3, cleavage of poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerase as well as nuclear condensation. We also show that p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase is activated within 10 min of DA treatment, which precedes the onset of apoptosis because the potent p38 kinase inhibitor SB203580 protects against DA‐induced cell death as well as against caspase‐9 and caspase‐3 activation. In addition, the antioxidant N‐acetyl‐l‐cysteine (NAC) effectively blocks DA‐induced p38 kinase activation, caspase‐9 and caspase‐3 cleavage and subsequent apoptosis, indicating that DA triggers apoptosis via a signaling pathway that is initiated by the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Dopamine exerts its toxicity principally intracellularly as the DA uptake inhibitor, nomifensine significantly reduces DA‐induced cell death as well as activation of p38 kinase and caspase‐3. Furthermore, DA induces mitochondrial cytochrome c release, which is dependent on p38 kinase activation and precedes the cleavage of caspases. These observations indicate that DA induces apoptosis primarily by generating ROS, p38 kinase activation, cytochrome c release followed by caspase‐9 and caspase‐3 activation.
Generation of reactive oxygen species after exhaustive aerobic and isometric exercise.

UNLABELLED Many studies have implicated elevated oxygen consumption (VO2) associated with aerobic exercise as contributing to oxidative stress. Only a few studies have investigated nonaerobic exercise and its relation to pro-oxidant and antioxidant activities. PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to compare biomarkers of oxidative stress: lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation, and total antioxidants in blood after exhaustive aerobic (AE) and nonaerobic isometric exercise (IE). METHODS Blood samples were collected from 12 subjects who performed a maximum AE and IE test and were analyzed for thiobarbituric acid (TBARS), carbonyls, lipid hydroperoxides (LH), and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC). RESULTS VO2 increased 14-fold with AE compared with 2-fold with IE. Protein carbonyls increased 67% (P < 0.05) pre- to immediately and 1 h post-AE, and 12% pre- to immediately post-IE and returned to baseline 1 h post-IE. TBARS did not increase significantly with either treatment. LH increased 36% above rest during IE compared with 24% during AE (P < 0.05). ORAC increased 25% (P < 0.05) pre- to post-AE, compared with 9% (P < 0.05) pre- to post-IE. CONCLUSION There was evidence of oxidative stress after both exhaustive aerobic and isometric exercise. Lipid hydroperoxides, protein carbonyls, and total antioxidants increased after both IE and AE. Due to the different metabolic demands of aerobic and isometric exercise, we can rule out a mass action effect of VO2 as the sole mechanism for exercise-induced oxidative stress.
Znaczenie lokalnej żywności oraz krótkich łańcuchów dostaw w kształtowaniu zrównoważonego rozwoju rolnictwa i obszarów wiejskich w Unii Europejskiej

The aim of the article is to indicate the importance of local food and short supply chains in the implementation of the concept of the sustainable development of agriculture and rural areas, and to present the European Union’s actions in this field. These actions are concentrated in the Common Agricultural Policy. When preparing the text, the descriptive method and an analysis of the literature were utilised. In the context of diverse challenges facing the economy of the modern world, the development of local food systems, meaning production, processing and trade in a relatively small area, is particularly important. It brings an important contribution to solving the problems arising from progressive globalisation and constitutes a significant element of sustainable development around the world. Focusing attention on the development of local food systems in the agricultural policy of the European Union allows its main objectives to be realized, in particular the preservation of food security and safety, through maintaining local production capacity, ensuring a transparent process of food production and caring for sustainable development of the entire agri-food sector, among others.
Requirement for the endocannabinoid system in social interaction impairment induced by coactivation of dopamine D1 and D2 receptors in the piriform cortex

The dopamine receptor family consists of D1–D5 receptors (D1R–D5R), and we explored the contributions of each dopamine receptor subtype in the piriform cortex (PirC) to social interaction impairment (SII). Rats received behavioral tests or electrophysiological recording of PirC neuronal activity after injection of the D1R/D5R agonist SKF38393, the D2R/D3R/D4R agonist quinpirole, or both, with or without pretreatment with dopamine receptor antagonists, D1R or D5R antisense oligonucleotides, the cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonist AM281, or the endocannabinoid transporter inhibitor VDM11. Systemic injection of SKF38393 and quinpirole together, but not each one alone, induced SII and increased PirC firing rate, which were blocked by D1R or D2R antagonist. Intra‐PirC microinfusion of SKF38393 and quinpirole together, but not each one alone, also induced SII, which was blocked by D1R antisense oligonucleotides or D2R antagonist but not by D3R or D4R antagonist or D5R antisense oligonucleotides. SII induced by intra‐PirC SKF38393/quinpirole was blocked by AM281 and enhanced by VDM11, whereas neither AM281 nor VDM11 alone affected social interaction behavior. Coadministration of SKF38393 and quinpirole produced anxiolytic effects without significant effects on locomotor activity, olfaction, and acquisition of olfactory short‐term memory. These findings suggest that SII induced by coactivation of PirC D1R and D2R requires the endocannabinoid system. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Ext4, XFS, BtrFS and ZFS Linux file systems on RADOS Block Devices (RBD): I/O performance, flexibility and ease of use comparisons

This paper compares the I/O performance, flexibility and ease of use features of Linux file systems; Ext4, XFS, BtrFS running on storage stack systems namely LVM and ZFS with RADOS Block Devices (RBD) as the underlying block devices as replacement to physical disks. Experiment sets that have been conducted to evaluate performance of selected file systems; Ext4, XFS, BtrFS and ZFS are presented and the result is also discussed. Useful features in terms of flexibility and ease of use for each file systems are also included and compared.
Why Are Our Patients Still in Pain? Finding a Balance in Treating Patients for Nonmalignant Pain

Osteopathic physicians would agree that the cornerstone principle of osteopathic medicine is enveloped in the Latin phrase, Primum non nocere (first, do no harm). Are physicians doing patients harm by allowing them to remain in chronic pain? Conversely, are physicians doing patients harm by supporting a dependence on pain-relieving medication that allows normal functions of daily life? There is a delicate balance that each physician must find in the context of his or her practice of medicine.
Congestive heart failure: differential adaptation of the diaphragm and latissimus dorsi.

Diaphragm and latissimus dorsi muscle functions, histochemistries, and morphometries were studied in anesthetized male Yucatan minipigs with congestive heart failure (CHF) induced by supraventricular tachycardia (n = 5). Sham-operated animals served as a control group (n = 5). In CHF animals, transdiaphragmatic pressure measured during supramaximal phrenic stimulation was reduced by 40% at low frequencies (< or = 20 Hz) and by 60% at higher frequencies. Twitch amplitude and half-relaxation time were also decreased. The cross-sectional areas of type I, IIa, and IIb fibers were reduced in the diaphragm. The proportion of type I fibers increased, whereas type IIa fibers decreased. Succinate dehydrogenase activity was elevated in type IIa and IIb fibers, but diaphragmatic fatigability was not altered. CHF reduced latissimus dorsi isometric force by 40% for stimulation frequencies > or = 30 Hz. The cross-sectional area of latissimus dorsi type IIb fibers was decreased, but twitch characteristics, fiber type composition, succinate dehydrogenase activity, and fatigability were unchanged. Experimental CHF appears to cause greater intrinsic adaptive changes in the diaphragm compared with those in the latissimus dorsi in the minipig. For both muscles, reduced contractile function was associated with atrophy. Impaired performance of the diaphragm may also be attributed to an increase in the relative contribution of type I fibers to the total tension-generating capacity of the muscle and to the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the shortened relaxation time of the twitch response.
Neural anomaly and reorganization in speakers who stutter

Objectives: The aim of the current study was to differentiate between neural activity that represents neural anomalies that are responsible for persistent developmental stuttering (PDS) from the activity that is a result of compensating for stuttering. This was done by investigating alterations to the intrinsic functional architecture of speech-language processes of patients with PDS before and after a short-term intervention. Methods: The resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) and cortical thickness were examined before and after the intervention. The structural data were used to validate the functional results. Fifteen stuttering patients who received intervention (PDS+), 13 stuttering patients who did not receive intervention (PDS−), and 13 fluent controls participated. Results: Before the intervention, both groups of PDS patients showed significant RSFC and cortical thickness reductions in the left pars-opercularis (PO) and RSFC increases in the cerebellum, as compared to fluent controls. The intervention was effective in reducing stuttering in PDS+ patients and lowering their RSFC in the cerebellum to the level of fluent controls. The intervention effect was specific to the PDS+ group (it was not evident in the PDS− group). The intervention did not change RSFC and cortical thickness in the left PO, which remained at its preintervention level. Conclusions: The results suggest that the left PO is a locus where the intrinsic functional architecture of speech-language processes is altered in PDS patients, suggesting an etiologic role of this region in PDS. The cerebellum showed intervention-induced neural reorganization, suggesting a compensatory response when stuttering occurs.
Timing and Localization of Movement-Related Spectral Changes in the Human Peri-Rolandic Cortex: Intracranial Recordings

Event-related spectral power (ERSP) was measured from intracranial EEG and used to characterize the time-course and localization of the Rolandic mu rhythms in 12 patients during the delayed recognition of words or faces (DR) and the discrimination of simple lateralized visual targets (LVD). On each trial, the subject decided whether to make manual response (Go) or not (NoGo). ERSP increased on both Go and NoGo trials in peri-Rolandic regions of all subjects with a peak latency of approximately 330-ms poststimulus and duration of 260 ms during the DR task. The peak of this ERSP increase preceded movement by approximately 300 ms. All subjects produced a subsequent movement specific ERSP decrease of peri-Rolandic mu rhythms (starting approximately 90 ms before the average reaction time) with an peak latency of approximately 800 ms and duration of approximately 520 ms. The LVD task produced bilateral movement-selective readiness potentials and reproduced the movement-specific late ERSP decreases seen in the DR task (strongest from 7-24 Hz). Furthermore, the LVD task demonstrated that the late movement-related ERSP decrease is larger for the contralateral hand. However, the LVD task did not consistently reproduce the early ERSP increase seen in the DR task. Movement-related ERSP decreases were widespread, occurring in pre- and post-Rolandic as well as primary-motor, supplemental motor, and cingulate cortical regions. Other cortical areas including frontal, temporal, and occipital regions did not show movement-related ERSP changes. Peri-Rolandic ERSP decreases in mu rhythms correlate with the generation of a motor command. The early increases in mu may reflect a transient state of motor inhibition just prior to motor execution.
Objective measurement of wavefront aberrations with and without accommodation.

PURPOSE The measurement of the refractive error profile is more useful than corneal topography in understanding the complexities of refractive surgery. We report on experimental studies of the spatially resolved refractometer Tracey-1, developed in Ukraine by IBME in medical cooperation with VEIC, Greece. METHODS Ten eyes were subjected to dynamic measurement of accommodation, in order to test the effectiveness of Tracey refractometry. Measurements were performed in zones 0 to 6 mm. The refractive aberrations were calculated and accommodation was evaluated. RESULTS Evaluation of data shows that the instrument can effectively follow the dynamic change of refractive aberrations through the accommodation process. CONCLUSION Clinical tests of Tracey technology demonstrated the ability to investigate accommodation using this instrument.
A Temperature-Stable Piezoelectric MEMS Oscillator Using a CMOS PLL Circuit for Temperature Sensing and Oven Control

In this paper, design, analysis, and implementation of a piezoelectric microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) oscillator on an ovenized microplatform is presented. An oxide-refill process is used to compensate the first-order temperature coefficient of frequency of MEMS resonators, as well as to realize thermal isolation structures. The technology enables fabrication of low-power ovenized device fusion platforms using standard silicon on insulator wafers. Utilizing the intrinsic frequency-temperature characteristic of two MEMS resonators, temperature sensing and closed-loop oven-control is realized by phase-locking two MEMS oscillators at an oven-set temperature. The design of the phase-lock control loop is studied using multidomain linear models. Control loop dynamics, noise properties, and nonideal effects are analyzed. Low-power and low-noise phase-locked loop-based control circuitry is designed in 0.18-μm CMOS to interface with the MEMS resonators. Using the developed technology, an oven controlled MEMS oscillator exhibits an overall frequency drift of <;8 ppm over -40 °C to 70 °C without the need for system calibration. In addition, the MEMS oscillators exhibit near zero phase noise degradation in closed-loop operation.
A flow cytometric screening test for detergent‐resistant surface antigens in monocytes

Rafts resemble cholesterol‐ and glycosphingolipid‐enriched, liquid‐ordered plasma membrane microdomains, showing resistance to nonionic detergents, and are involved in various cellular processes. In the present study, we have tested surface antigens on resting and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐stimulated human peripheral blood monocytes for their detergent resistance (i.e. raft‐association), by flow cytometry. Constitutive (CD14, CD32, CD55), or LPS‐induced (CD81) raft‐association, and detergent solubility (i.e. exclusion of rafts) (CD71) of monocyte antigens in the presence of 0.01% Triton X‐100 are clearly demonstrated. Flow cytometric detergent insolubility is a powerful tool for rapid screening the raft‐association of monocyte antigens in a whole‐blood assay. © 2006 International Society for Analytical Cytology
Active pulleys: magnetic resonance imaging of rectus muscle paths in tertiary gazes.

PURPOSE The orbital layer of each rectus extraocular muscle (EOM) inserts on connective tissue, and the global layer inserts on the eyeball. The active-pulley hypothesis (APH) proposes that a condensation of this connective tissue constitutes a pulley serving as the functional origin of the rectus EOM, and that this pulley makes coordinated, gaze-related translations along the EOM axis to implement a linear ocular motor plant. This study was designed to measure gaze-related shifts in EOM pulley locations. METHODS Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed in eight normal volunteers in 2-mm thickness coronal planes perpendicular to the orbital axis for nine cardinal gaze directions. Intravenous gadodiamide contrast was administered to define EOM tendons anterior to the globe equator. Paths of EOMs, defined by their area centroids, were transformed into an oculocentric coordinate system. Sharp inflections in EOM paths in secondary and tertiary gaze positions defined pulley locations which were then correlated with gaze direction and compared with theoretical predictions. RESULTS Rectus pulley positions were consistent with a central primary position. In tertiary gaze positions, each of the four rectus pulleys translated posteriorly with EOM contraction and anteriorly with EOM relaxation by a significant (P < 0.02) amount predicted by the APH, but more than 100 times greater than the translation predicted by a passive pulley model. CONCLUSIONS The APH prediction of coordinated anteroposterior shifting of EOM pulleys with gaze is quantitatively supported by changes in EOM path inflections among tertiary-gaze positions. Human rectus pulleys move to shift the ocular rotational axis to attain commutative behavior of the ocular motor plant.