Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Distribution of Spinal Sensitization Evoked by Inflammatory Pain Using Local Spinal Cord Glucose Utilization Combined with 3H-Phorbol 12,13-Dibutyrate Binding in Rats

Aims. Hyperalgesia following tissue injury is induced by plasticity in neurotransmission. Few investigators have considered the ascending input which activates the superficial of spinal cord. The aim was to examine neurotransmission and nociceptive processing in the spinal cord after mustard-oil (MO) injection. Both in vitro and in vivo autoradiographs were employed for neuronal activity and transmission in discrete spinal cord regions using the 14C-2-deoxyglucose method and 3H-phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (3H-PDBu) binding sites. Methods. To quantify the hyperalgesia evoked by MO, the flinching was counted for 60 min after MO (20%, 50 μL) injection in Wistar rats. Simultaneous determination of 14C-2-deoxyglucose and 3H-PDBu binding was used for a direct observation of neuronal/metabolic changes and intracellular signaling in the spinal cord. Results. MO injection evoked an increase in flinching for 60 min. LSCGU significantly increased in the Rexed I-II with 3H-PDBu binding in the ipsilateral side of spinal cord. Discussion. We clearly demonstrated that the hyperalgesia is primarily relevant to increased neuronal activation with PKC activation in the Rexed I-II of the spinal cord. In addition, functional changes such as “neuronal plasticity” may result in increased neuronal excitability and a central sensitization.
Assessing objective achievement motivation in elite athletes: A comparison according to gender, sport type, and competitive level

The main aim of the study was to compare the objective achievement motivation of elite athletes according to gender, sport type, and competitive level. The study used an objective measure of achievement motivation to complement existing subjective measures used in research. A total of 135 Singaporean national athletes were recruited for this study, and completed the Objective Achievement Motivation Test (OLMT) using the Vienna Test System. Multivariate analysis of variance revealed that there were significant main effects for gender, sport type, and competitive level. Males were found to have higher motivation through competition than females; team sport athletes were found to have higher motivation through competition than individual sport athletes; and athletes of higher competitive level were found to have greater task-related motivation than athletes of lower competitive level. These findings help both researchers and applied sport psychology practitioners understand how the achievement motivation of athletes can vary due to different factors. Future research should be conducted to investigate how the OLMT can be applied to other athlete populations as well.
Dopamine Activates Noradrenergic Receptors in the Preoptic Area

Dopamine (DA) facilitates male sexual behavior and modulates aromatase activity in the quail preoptic area (POA). Aromatase neurons in the POA receive dopaminergic inputs, but the anatomical substrate that mediates the behavioral and endocrine effects of DA is poorly understood. Intracellular recordings showed that 100 μmDA hyperpolarizes most neurons in the medial preoptic nucleus (80%) by a direct effect, but depolarizes a few others (10%). DA-induced hyperpolarizations were not blocked by D1 or D2 antagonists (SCH-23390 and sulpiride). Extracellular recordings confirmed that DA inhibits the firing of most cells (52%) but excites a few others (24%). These effects also were not affected by DA antagonists (SCH-23390 and sulpiride) but were blocked by α2-(yohimbine) and α1-(prazosin) noradrenergic receptor antagonists, respectively. Two dopamine-β-hydroxylase (DBH) inhibitors (cysteine and fusaric acid) did not block the DA-induced effects, indicating that DA is not converted into norepinephrine (NE) to produce its effects. The pKB of yohimbine for the receptor involved in the DA- and NE-induced inhibitions was similar, indicating that the two monoamines interact with the same receptor. Together, these results demonstrate that the effects of DA in the POA are mediated mostly by the activation of α2 (inhibition) and α1(excitation) adrenoreceptors. This may explain why DA affects the expression of male sexual behavior through its action in the POA, which contains high densities of α2-noradrenergic but limited amounts of DA receptors. This study thus clearly demonstrates the existence of a cross talk within CNS catecholaminergic systems between a neurotransmitter and heterologous receptors.
Modular localization and wigner particles

We propose a framework for the free field construction of algebras of local observables which uses as an input the Bisognano–Wichmann relations and a representation of the Poincare group on the one-particle Hilbert space. The abstract real Hilbert subspace version of the Tomita–Takesaki theory enables us to bypass some limitations of the Wigner formalism by introducing an intrinsic spacetime localization. Our approach works also for continuous spin representations to which we associate a net of von Neumann algebras on spacelike cones with the Reeh–Schlieder property. The positivity of the energy in the representation turns out to be equivalent to the isotony of the net, in the spirit of Borchers theorem. Our procedure extends to other spacetimes homogeneous under a group of geometric transformations as in the case of conformal symmetries and of de Sitter spacetime.
Increasing Incidence of Geomyces destructans Fungus in Bats from the Czech Republic and Slovakia

Background White-nose syndrome is a disease of hibernating insectivorous bats associated with the fungus Geomyces destructans. It first appeared in North America in 2006, where over a million bats died since then. In Europe, G. destructans was first identified in France in 2009. Its distribution, infection dynamics, and effects on hibernating bats in Europe are largely unknown. Methodology/Principal Findings We screened hibernacula in the Czech Republic and Slovakia for the presence of the fungus during the winter seasons of 2008/2009 and 2009/2010. In winter 2009/2010, we found infected bats in 76 out of 98 surveyed sites, in which the majority had been previously negative. A photographic record of over 6000 hibernating bats, taken since 1994, revealed bats with fungal growths since 1995; however, the incidence of such bats increased in Myotis myotis from 2% in 2007 to 14% by 2010. Microscopic, cultivation and molecular genetic evaluations confirmed the identity of the recently sampled fungus as G. destructans, and demonstrated its continuous distribution in the studied area. At the end of the hibernation season we recorded pathologic changes in the skin of the affected bats, from which the fungus was isolated. We registered no mass mortality caused by the fungus, and the recorded population decline in the last two years of the most affected species, M. myotis, is within the population trend prediction interval. Conclusions/Significance G. destructans was found to be widespread in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, with an epizootic incidence in bats during the most recent years. Further development of the situation urgently requires a detailed pan-European monitoring scheme.
Mathematical model of the microstrip radiator based on thin-wire approximation of metal patch

This paper proposes a model of the rectangular microstrip antenna based on the integral equation method and thin-wire approximation of a metal patch. A substrate is taken into consideration by inserting values of dielectric effective permittivity in the integral equations. The comparison of the calculated input impedance and resonant frequency with the experimental data and modeling results in commercial software is given.
Resilient control systems: A multi-agent dynamic systems perspective

“Resilience” describes how systems operate at an acceptable level of normalcy despite disturbances or threats. In this paper we first consider the interdependencies inherent in critical infrastructure systems and how resilience mitigates associated risks and then define “resilience” in distinction from convention control engineering. We then introduce the concepts “agent” and “multi-agent systems” (MAS) to consider the distributed nature of critical infrastructure control systems and illustrate the application of computational intelligence to MAS event-based dynamics (management, coordination) and time-based dynamics (execution) to manage policy and coordinate assets. In addition, we consider the optimal stabilization of the MAS and suggest the extension of graph theory to MAS execution layers. The closing discussion provides an overview of how to achieve critical infrastructure resilience through advanced control engineering.
Initial Results from the USNO Dispersed Fourier Transform Spectrograph

We have designed and constructed a "dispersed Fourier transform spectrometer" (dFTS), consisting of a conventional FTS followed by a grating spectrometer. By combining these two devices, we negate a substantial fraction of the sensitivity disadvantage of a conventional FTS for high-resolution, broadband, optical spectroscopy, while preserving many of the advantages inherent to interferometric spectrometers. In addition, we have implemented a simple and inexpensive laser metrology system, which enables very precise calibration of the interferometer wavelength scale. The fusion of interferometric and dispersive technologies with a laser metrology system yields an instrument well suited to stellar spectroscopy, velocimetry, and extrasolar planet detection, which is competitive with existing high-resolution, high-accuracy stellar spectrometers. In this paper we describe the design of our prototype dFTS, explain the algorithm we use to efficiently reconstruct a broadband spectrum from a sequence of narrowband interferograms, and present initial observations and resulting velocimetry of stellar targets.
The Relationship Between Acceptable Noise Level and Electrophysiologic Auditory Brainstem and Cortical Signal to Noise Ratios

The following objectives of the study were formulated: i) to investigate differences in measured signal to noise ratios while recording speech-evoked auditory brainstem response (cABR) and cortical late latency response (LLR) in low and high acceptable noise level (ANL) groups; and ii) to compare peak to peak amplitude of cABR (V-A) and LLR (N1-P2) in low and high ANL groups. A total of 23 normal hearing participants was included in the study. One shot replicative and partly exploratory research design was utilized to study the effect of signal to noise ratio in a recorded waveform on afferent mechanism, assessed by cABR and LLR on participants having values of ANL of ≤7 (low ANL group) and ≥13 (high ANL group). There were no differences in signal to noise ratio in the recorded waveforms of cABR and LLR between low and high ANL groups at both brainstem and cortical levels. However, the peak to peak amplitude of V-A of cABR and N1-P2 of LLR were both statistically larger in the high ANL group compared to their counterpart. The signal to noise ratio in recorded waveforms did not differentiated cABR (V-A) or LLR (N1-P2) in low and high ANL groups. However, Larger peak to peak amplitudes in the high ANL group suggests differences higher processing centers in the upper brainstem to the auditory cortex. The findings of the study may be useful in determining the patient acceptability of noise.
Integrin α1β1 is involved in the differentiation into myofibroblasts in adult reactive tissues in vivo

Connective tissue cell activation is of importance during reactive conditions such as solid tumour growth, wound healing and pannus formation in rheumatoid arthritis. Here, we have compared connective tissue cells of mesenchymal origin in human tissues from these conditions and their normal counterparts using a panel of cell‐type‐specific markers. In particular, we investigated variations of integrin expression among connective tissue cell phenotypes. Connective tissue cell populations were defined based on their association with the microvasculature and their expression of activation markers. The phenotype of these cells varied according to the type of pathological connective tissue examined. Our morphological data from human tissues suggested that the α1β1 integrin, a collagen/laminin receptor, is involved in the differentiation of precursor cells into myofibroblasts. To mechanistically investigate this hypothesis, we employed experimental models for carcinoma growth and wound healing utilizing α1 integrin‐deficient mice. The data confirmed that the α1β1 integrin is of importance not only for the differentiation of mesenchymal cells into myofibroblasts but also for the neovascularization and connective tissue organization and emphasize the importance of myofibroblasts in the pathophysiology of tissue repair, inflammation and tumour growth.
Expression of pluripotency markers in human granulosa cells after embryonic stem cell extract exposure and epigenetic modification

Background: Epigenetic reprogramming of differentiated cells can modify somatic cells into pluripotential state. Pluripotency can be induced in somatic cells by several approches. One of the easy ways to induce pluripotency is the exposure of the somatic cells to the embryonic stem cell (ESC) extract. Objective: The objective of this study was to increase the efficiency of reprogramming of granulosa cell as a differentiated cell into pluripotential state by using epigenetic modifier agents and extract. Materials and Methods: The human granulosa cells were cultured in the medium containing 5-Aza-Deoxycytidine and trichostatin A. Then, the cells were exposed to mouse ESCs extract and co-cultured with mouse embryonic fibroblast in the presence of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF). Alkaline phosphatase test and also immonohistochemistery staining for Oct4, Sox2 and Nanog were performed after 24 and 72 hours and 1 week. Results: The granulosa cells showed the alkaline phosphatase activity after 24 hours and the enzyme activity maintained for 72 hours. They also expressed Oct4 after 24 hours. The cells also expressed Sox2 and Nanog, 72 hours after exposure to the ESCs extract. The expression of the pluripotency markers decreased after 1 week. It seems that the extract can induce dedifferentiation in granulosa cells and they can express the stem cell markers. Conclusion : It seems that the inhibitors of the methyl transferase (5-Aza-Deoxycytidine) and histone deacetylase (trichostatin A) could delete the epigenetic markers and prepare the cells for reprogramming by administration of the extract.
The role of vegetables trade network in global epidemics

The outbreak of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) in May 2011 warns the potential threats of the world vegetables trade network (VTN) in spreading fatal infectious diseases. The heterogeneous weight distribution and multi-scale activity of intermediary networks affects the diffusion, proliferation and extinction of epidemics. Here, we constructed a dual-weighted VTN with 118 major countries and territories from FAO 2008 statistic data about global vegetation production and trade, and develop a reaction-diffusion model to simulate the epidemic behaviors in through VTN. We found an emerged asymmetric threshold of epidemic on VTN, in which local proliferation within nodes plays a more critical role than global diffusion in spreading of EHEC-like diseases, i.e. sufficient local proliferation is the precondition for global diffusion. We also found that a strong modularity on VTN structure, which restricts the spreading of EHEC-like diseases; however, within the communities, the diffusion is quick and easy. There is, moreover, a critical "epidemic stem", in which a serial of positive feedback loop for amplifying the proliferation and diffusion pathogens has been identified from entire VTN. Surprisingly, statistical analysis shows a well consistency between theoretical composition of stem and actual pattern of EHEC. The results provide a chance to design gradient control strategies for controlling disease global diffusion. Our analysis provided the first inspect of global epidemics mediated by trade networks for improved control and immunity strategies in the future.
PLEX Cards: a source of inspiration when designing for playfulness

Playfulness can be observed in all areas of human activity. It is an attitude of making activities more enjoyable. Designing for playfulness involves creating objects that elicit a playful approach and provide enjoyable experiences. In this paper we introduce the design and evaluation of the PLEX Cards and its two related idea generation techniques. The cards were created to communicate the 22 categories of a Playful Experiences framework to designers and other stakeholders who wish to design for playfulness. We have evaluated the practical use of the cards by applying them in three design cases. The results show that the PLEX Cards are a valuable source of inspiration when designing for playfulness and the techniques help create a large amount of ideas in a short time.
The Implementation of Configurable Technology: Negotiations Between Global Principles and Local Contexts

Among the new forms of technologies that overwhelm Information Systems (IS) research and practice, configurable IS refer to technologies that are built up from a range of components to meet the very specific requirements of a particular client organization. Software packages like ERP are good illustrations of configurable IS because they typically provide hundreds or even thousands of discrete features and data items that can be combined in multiple ways. They cannot be seen independently from their representations through external intermediaries (mediators), who “speak” for the technology by providing images, descriptions, policies, templates and, very often, “solutions. ” In this paper, I try to understand the implementation of configurable solutions from a criticalinterpretive view. Using seven retrospective case studies, I investigate the relationship built by clients and consultants during the configurational process, where visions of how the technology should operate are negotiated. Different degrees of dependencies are mutually constructed, maintained and transformed in the long run, influencing the global-local negotiation and the project results. The main contribution of this research is the recognition of different patterns of mediation, i.e., different types of client-consultant relationships, and of different types of trajectories in terms of global-local negotiation these patterns are likely to produce. I also examine the project results in terms of fit and satisfaction. Finally, I identify mediating strategies that may help organizations improve global-local negotiation and, hopefully, improve the benefit of embarking on such costly and risky projects.
C-command vs. scope: An experimental assessment of bound-variable pronouns

Abstract:While there are very clearly some structural constraints on pronoun interpretation, debate remains as to their extent and proper formulation (Bruening 2014). Since Reinhart 1976 it has commonly been reported that bound-variable pronouns are subject to a c-command requirement. This claim is not universally agreed upon and has recently been challenged by Barker (2012), who argues that bound pronouns must merely fall within the semantic scope of a binding quantifier. In the processing literature, recent results have been advanced in support of c-command (Cunnings et al. 2015, Kush et al. 2015). However, none of these studies separates semantic scope from structural c-command. In this article, we present two self-paced reading studies and one off-line judgment task which show that when we put both c-commanding and non-c-commanding quantifiers on an equal footing with regard to their ability to scope over a pronoun, we nonetheless find a processing difference between the two. Semantically legitimate but non-c-commanded bound variables do not behave like c-commanded bound variables in their search for an antecedent. The results establish that c-command, not scope alone, is relevant for the processing of bound variables. We then explore how these results, combined with other experimental findings, support a view in which the grammar distinguishes between c-commanded and non-c-commanded variable pronouns, the latter perhaps being disguised definite descriptions (Cooper 1979, Evans 1980, Heim 1990, Elbourne 2005).
Emotion recognition using fixed length micro-expressions sequence and weighting method

Facial micro-expressions are brief involuntary spontaneous facial expressions which can reveal suppressed affect. However, previous studies ignored that different face regions have different contributions to micro-expression recognition. In this study, we proposed a method which employs weight of feature and weighted fuzzy classification to enhance the effective information in micro-expression sequences. The proposed method achieved facial micro-expression recognition based on the combination of an outstanding spatio-temporal descriptor HOG3D for action classification and weighting method together. The results demonstrated that the spatio-temporal descriptor HOG3D and the proposed weighting method have superior performance and achieve very promising results in micro-expression recognition.
Palette power: enabling visual search through colors

With the explosion of mobile devices with cameras, online search has moved beyond text to other modalities like images, voice, and writing. For many applications like Fashion, image-based search offers a compelling interface as compared to text forms by better capturing the visual attributes. In this paper we present a simple and fast search algorithm that uses color as the main feature for building visual search. We show that low level cues such as color can be used to quantify image similarity and also to discriminate among products with different visual appearances. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach through a mobile shopping application\footnote{eBay Fashion App available at https://itunes.apple. com/us/app/ebay-fashion/id378358380? mt=8 and eBay image swatch is the feature indexing millions of real world fashion images}. Our approach outperforms several other state-of-the-art image retrieval algorithms for large scale image data.
Scene modeling based on constraint system decomposition techniques

We present a new approach to 3D scene modeling based on geometric constraints. Contrary to the existing methods, we can quickly obtain 3D scene models that respect the given constraints exactly. Our system can describe a large variety of linear and nonlinear constraints in a flexible way. To deal with the constraints, we decided to exploit the properties of the GPDOF algorithm developed in the Constraint Programming community (Trombettoni, 1998). The approach is based on a dictionary of so-called r-methods, based on theorems of geometry, which can solve a subset of geometric constraints in a very efficient way. GPDOF is used to find, in polynomial-time, a reduced parameterization of a scene, and to decompose the equation system, induced by constraints, into a sequence of r-methods. We have validated our approach in reconstructing, from images, 3D models of buildings based on linear and quadratic geometric constraints.