Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neural and mechanical factors in eye control.

Soft tissue "pulleys" in the orbit alter the paths of the eye muscles in a way that may simplify the brain's work in implementing Listing's law, i.e., in holding ocular torsion at zero. But Listing's law does not apply to some oculomotor systems, such as the vestibuloocular reflex (VOR), which shows a different kinematic pattern. To explain this different pattern, some authors have assumed that the pulleys must adopt a different configuration, retracting along their muscles when the eye switches from Listing's law to VOR mode. The proposed retraction has not so far been observed, although the pulleys do move in other ways. We show that the hypothetical retraction of the pulleys would not in fact explain the full kinematic pattern seen in the VOR. But this pattern can be explained entirely on the basis of pulley positions and motions that have actually been observed. If one takes into account the neural processing within the VOR, specifically the fact that the reflex is weak in the torsional dimension, then a single mode of pulley action can serve both vestibuloocular kinematics and Listing's law.
Observations and Modeling of the Early Acceleration Phase of Erupting Filaments Involved in Coronal Mass Ejections

We examine the early phases of two near-limb filament destabilizations involved in coronal mass ejections (CMEs) on 2005 June 16 and July 27, using high-resolution, high-cadence observations made with the Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE), complemented by coronagraphic observations by the Mauna Loa Solar Observatory (MLSO) and the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). The filaments’ heights above the solar limb in their rapid-acceleration phases are best characterized by a height dependence h(t) ∝ tm with m near, or slightly above, 3 for both events. Such profiles are incompatible with published results for breakout, MHD-instability, and catastrophe models. We show numerical simulations of the torus instability that approximate this height evolution in case a substantial initial velocity perturbation is applied to the developing instability. We argue that the sensitivity of magnetic instabilities to initial and boundary conditions requires higher fidelity modeling of all proposed mechanisms if observations of rise profiles are to be used to differentiate between them. The observations show no significant delays between the motions of the filament and of overlying loops: the filaments seem to move as part of the overall coronal field until several minutes after the onset of the rapid-acceleration phase.
Sport participation legacy and the Olympic games: The case of Sydney 2000, London 2012, and Rio 2016

Sport participation as a legacy of the Olympic Games (OG) has frequently featured as a component of the "legacy package" that government bodies and organizing committees promote to the local communities to gain support for the hosting of these mega-events. However, only recently increased sport participation has been explicitly included as part of a legacy plan in OG candidature files. This article examines the changes and development of sport legacy planning and implementation from Sydney 2000, London 2012, and Rio 2016. The three case studies confirm that sport participation legacies are only achieved if host governments engage the community, develop long-term strategies, and coordinate efforts between different government portfolios and with a range of relevant stakeholders. So far, there is limited evidence available to demonstrate that relevant government bodies have attempted to strategically leverage the Games with the purpose of developing a sport participation legacy for the wider population.
The Need for Place-Based Education in South African Schools: The Case of Greenfields Primary.

The discourses of accountability and global economic competitiveness have impacted negatively on the quality of education in schools worldwide. Focused attention on the social and ecological places that people inhabit has been overshadowed by education's support for individualistic and nationalistic competition in the global economy. South African schools are not exempt from this. Despite these dominant realities, we argue that place-based education (PBE) is a transformative educational approach for counteracting this tendency. Moreover, we contend that PBE is critical to the field of environmental education - not only to encourage environmental conservation ethic among learners, but also to make them aware of the deeper social, ecological and political forces that are embedded in places. Such consciousness can only be achieved, however, if teachers are aware of their learners' sense of place. In this article, we discuss the case of Greenfields Primary, a school situated in an eco-village outside Stellenbosch, South Africa. Twelve learners' sense of place was investigated. An attempt was also made to determine what two Social Sciences teachers' understanding of the concept 'place' was, the extent to which they practised 'a pedagogy of place', and the influence that the eco-village had on their teaching approach.
Proposing Low-Similarity Peptide Vaccines against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Using the currently available proteome databases and based on the concept that a rare sequence is a potential epitope, epitopic sequences derived from Mycobacterium tuberculosis were examined for similarity score to the proteins of the host in which the epitopes were defined. We found that: (i) most of the bacterial linear determinants had peptide fragment(s) that were rarely found in the host proteins and (ii) the relationship between low similarity and epitope definition appears potentially applicable to T-cell determinants. The data confirmed the hypothesis that low-sequence similarity shapes or determines the epitope definition at the molecular level and provides a potential tool for designing new approaches to prevent, diagnose, and treat tuberculosis and other infectious diseases.
Potential of gene therapy strategy for the treatment of hypertension.

Hypertension is one of the most important risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). CVD extends across all populations and represents the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in industrialized countries. Hypertension increases the risk of peripheral arterial disease, cardiomyopathy, stroke, and renal failure. The disease affects &50 million Americans and goes undetected in at least one third of the population. In spite of the tremendous progress made by pharmacotherapy in the management and control of hypertension, there has been a steady escalation in its prevalence during the last decade. This has led many to conclude that traditional pharmacotherapy has reached an intellectual plateau and that novel and innovative approaches must be sought for the treatment, control, and possible cure of hypertension. As a result, efforts of our group and those of many others have been diverted to explore the use of gene transfer and gene therapy strategies for a long-term control of hypertension. We have argued that gene therapy offers potentially significant improvements and benefits over the use of traditional pharmacotherapy: (1) noncompliance by patients can be significantly reduced or even eliminated because of the fact that a single treatment involving gene transfer could remain effective for months or even years; (2) side effects associated with pharmacotherapy can be minimized as a result of specific targeting of a therapeutic gene in a given tissue and optimally influencing cardiovascular pathophysiology on an individual patient basis; and (3) with its potential to produce long-term beneficial outcomes in end-organ damage, the gene therapy strategy could lead to a cure of hypertension and its related pathophysiology. It is noteworthy to mention that current pharmacotherapies are often unable to reverse end-organ damage associated with hypertension. In order for the gene therapy for hypertension to be successful, one must provide conceptual support of its efficacy in …
Diagnostic Accuracy of Elevated Serum Carcinoembryonic Antigen for Recurrence in Postoperative Stage II Colorectal Cancer Patients: Comparison With Stage III

Purpose Elevated levels of serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) following a curative resection of colorectal cancer (CRC) indicate recurrence; however, the levels of CEA may be elevated above the normal limit without recurrence. The aim of this study is to analyze the diagnostic accuracy of elevated serum CEA for predicting recurrence in postoperative stage II and stage III CRC patients. Methods A total of 336 stage II and stage III CRC patients who underwent a curative resection between January 2005 and October 2009 were enrolled. Sensitivities, specificities, positive predictive values (PPVs), negative predictive values (NPVs), likelihood ratios and post-test probabilities of recurrence associated with elevated CEA were analyzed and compared. Results The median follow-up duration was 45 months (36 to 134 months). Twenty-seven of 189 stage II patients (14.3%) and 52 of 147 stage III patients (35.4%) developed recurrence during the follow-up period. Sensitivities, specificities, PPVs, and NPVs of elevated CEA were 37.0%, 91.4%, 41.7%, and 89.7%, respectively, in stage II patients and 46.2%, 90.5%, 72.7%, and 75.4% in stage III patients. Post-test probabilities of recurrence associated with elevated CEA were 41.8% in stage II patients and 71.9% in stage III patients. Conclusion The predictive performance of the probability of recurrence associated with elevated serum CEA after a curative resection in stage II CRC patients is lower than that in stage III CRC patients.
On the detectability of the Sunyaev–Zel'dovich effect of massive young galaxies

The Sunyaev–Zel'dovich (SZ) effect, expected to be associated with massive star formation activity produced during the formation of the most luminous bulges of normal galaxies, is discussed. Using 1D chemohydrodynamical models for spheroidal galaxy evolution, we show that, during the early epochs of galaxy evolution, the gas in massive events of star formation may reach temperatures and densities high enough to produce values of the Comptonization parameter y comparable to those present in galaxy clusters. In this scenario, we discuss the possibility of detection of the SZ signature in high-redshift star-forming galaxies with the next generation of millimetre telescopes capable of arcsec resolution and equipped with high-sensitivity detectors. We show how millimetre colour–colour diagrams or diagnostic diagrams could be used to distinguish between the dust emission and the SZ effect, and suggest the use of simultaneous multifrequency observations to improve the chances of detecting the SZ effect.
Semantics-based program analysis via symbolic composition of transfer relations

The goal of program analysis is to determine automatically properties of the run-time behavior of a program. Tools of software development, such as compilers, program-verification systems, and program-comprehension systems, are in large part based on program analyses. Most semantics-based program analyses model the run-time behavior of a program as a trace of execution states and compute a property of these states. Typically, this property is drawn from a predetermined language of semantic information, such as aliasing descriptions or types of values. The standard methodology of program analysis is to construct the property as a fixed point, a single execution step at a time. We explain that these ubiquitous methodological choices--the a priori choice of the describable program properties and the use of a fixed-point computation--have some fundamental limitations and can result in poor precision. In this dissertation, we present a different approach to semantics-based program analysis. Our methodology is based on transfer relations that precisely describe the changes between the state of memory one point during execution and the state of memory at some later point in the execution. We isolate a language TR of concise computer-representable presentations of transfer relations. We also give an algorithm $\oplus$ that, given two transfer relations from TR, symbolically constructs a third transfer relation in TR that is semantically equivalent to their relational composition. An analysis designer begins by describing the operational semantics of a source language as a set of TR-terms that precisely describe the atomic steps of execution. Then an analysis algorithm repeatedly applies $\oplus$ to build a precise run-time description of any finite control path of interest. We show that TR is expressive enough to describe a wide variety of source-language features, including heap-allocated mutable data structures, arrays, pointers, and first-class functions. We then explain how our analysis methodology overcomes some current limitations of program analysis. The transfer relations themselves are useful program properties and would be difficult or impossible to formulate with classical approaches to program analysis. But we also describe some classes of analysis applications that are based on transfer relations. For instance, we explain that the classical limitation of program analysis to build a property a single execution step at a time can result in dramatic loss of precision, but may be overcome by using $\oplus$ to compose multiple steps before applying a classical analysis. Furthermore, we show how to compute precise properties of loops symbolically, avoiding the inevitable imprecision of a fixed-point computation.
Modular Random Boolean Networks1

Random Boolean networks (RBNs) have been a popular model of genetic regulatory networks for more than four decades. However, most RBN studies have been made with random topologies, while real regulatory networks have been found to be modular. In this work, we extend classical RBNs to define modular RBNs. Statistical experiments and analytical results show that modularity has a strong effect on the properties of RBNs. In particular, modular RBNs have more attractors, and are closer to criticality when chaotic dynamics would be expected, than classical RBNs.
Motives to Report Stalking Cases to the Police: A Comparison Between a Large City and a Small Town in Italy

ABSTRACT This study aimed to analyze the cases reported to police by women who were victims of stalking. The use of police offense records is well known in investigations of victims of this phenomenon as well as other violent crimes (e.g., domestic violence). The objective was to compare the 3 motives (own safety, other safety, change habits) indicated by victims in reporting the cases to police as recorded in case files. For each motive, a comparison was made of the characteristics of victims and stalkers, the nature of the relationship between the victims and stalkers, and the characteristics of the stalking campaign, the stalker’s behaviors, the consequences to the victims, and coping strategies. This information was reported by victims to police in a large city and small town in Italy. The comparison showed that victims in large cities were less prone to report stalking cases to the police than victims in small towns. Differences addressed the duration of the stalking campaign, the behaviors involved, the consequences, and the coping strategies adopted. Police forces could benefit from the results of this research in defining both training courses for police officers and prevention courses for the general population.
Lactoferrin: a review

This review discusses the biological properties of the glycoprotein lactoferrin. Lactoferrin has been identified in secretions from exocrine glands and in specific granules of neutrophils. After degranulation, neutrophils become the main source of lactoferrin in blood plasma. Lactoferrin possesses various biological functions, including roles in iron metabolism, cell proliferation and differentiation, and antibacterial, antiviral, and antiparasitic activity. Many of these functions do not appear to be connected with its iron binding ability. Of late, lactoferrin concentrations have been measured mostly in humans but also in some other species. However, the relationship between its concentration and physiological or pathological effects on body functions is not yet well
Antibiotic prescribing for discoloured sputum in acute cough/lower respiratory tract infection

We investigated whether discoloured sputum and feeling unwell were associated with antibiotic prescription and benefit from antibiotic treatment for acute cough/lower respiratory tract infection (LTRI) in a prospective study of 3,402 adults in 13 countries. A two-level model investigated the association between producing discoloured sputum or feeling generally unwell and an antibiotic prescription. A three-level model investigated the association between an antibiotic prescription and symptom resolution. Patients producing discoloured sputum were prescribed antibiotics more frequently than those not producing sputum (OR 3.2, 95% CI 2.1–5.0), unlike those producing clear/white sputum (OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.61–1.48). Antibiotic prescription was not associated with a greater rate or magnitude of symptom score resolution (as measured by a 13-item questionnaire completed by patients each day) among those who: produced yellow (coefficient 0.00; p = 0.68) or green (coefficient -0.01; p = 0.11) sputum; reported any of three categories of feeling unwell; or produced discoloured sputum and felt generally unwell (coefficient -0.01; p = 0.19). Adults with acute cough/LRTI presenting in primary care settings with discoloured sputum were prescribed antibiotics more often compared to those not producing sputum. Sputum colour, alone or together with feeling generally unwell, was not associated with recovery or benefit from antibiotic treatment.
ASYMPTOTIC BEHAVIOR OF STATISTICAL ESTIMATORS AND OF OPTIMAL SOLUTIONS OF STOCHASTIC OPTIMIZATION PROBLEMS

We study the asymptotic behavior of the statistical estimators that maximize a not necessarily dieren tiable criterion function, possibly subject to side constraints (equalities and inequalities). The consistency results generalize those of Wald and Huber. Conditions are also given under which one is still able to obtain asymptotic normality. The analysis brings to the fore the relationship between the problem of nding statistical estimators and that of nding the optimal solutions of stochastic optimization problems with partial information. The last section is devoted to the properties of the saddle points of the associated Lagrangians.
Marked interindividual variability in the response to selective inhibitors of cyclooxygenase-2.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Variability in response to drugs may influence both efficacy and safety. Cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 inhibitors pose a cardiovascular risk by potentially increasing the likelihood of thrombosis, hypertension, and atherogenesis. Differences between individuals in the response to COX-2 inhibitors would be expected to influence their susceptibility to cardiovascular complications. We examined the variability in degree and selectivity of COX-2 inhibition in humans in response to celecoxib and rofecoxib. METHODS Fifty healthy volunteers received placebo, rofecoxib (25 mg), and celecoxib (200 mg), randomized by order. COX-1 and COX-2 inhibition was determined using ex vivo and in vivo indices of enzymatic activity. A subset of 5 individuals underwent 5 replicate studies to estimate variability in drug response both within and between subjects. RESULTS Despite the higher COX-2 selectivity of rofecoxib in vitro, the average selectivity attained by 25 mg rofecoxib and 200 mg celecoxib in vivo were not different. However, there was considerable variability at an individual level in the degree of COX-2 inhibition and selectivity attained by both drugs. Approximately one third of the variability was attributable to differences between individuals, suggesting the contribution of genetic sources of variance, such as candidate polymorphisms detected in COX-1 and CYP2C9. CONCLUSIONS The actual degree of selectivity for inhibition of COX-2 achieved by the coxibs relates both to chemical properties of the drug and to factors within an individual that modulate drug response. These sources of variability might be exploited to identify patients uniquely susceptible to benefit or at developing risk of cardiovascular complications.
The effect of inter-stimulus competition on visual short-term memory capacity.

A study by Ihssen, Linden and Shapiro (2010) increased visual short-term memory (VSTM) performance by either repeating an 8-item array, or presenting it across two 4-item sequential displays. These increases were suggested to occur due to decreases in overall inter-stimulus competition, enabled in a top-down and bottom-up manner respectively (Ihssen, Linden, Miller & Shapiro, 2015). These studies add to growing evidence that reducing competition in visual cortex may improve VSTM performance (see Shapiro & Miller, 2011). This thesis sought to further investigate the effects of competition on VSTM, through manipulation of both bottom-up and top-down elements of inter-stimulus competition. Bottom-up competition was manipulated by varying properties of to-be-remembered sequential stimulus displays; more specifically by presenting either a similar number of items in each display or several more items in one display than the other. Reducing overall inter-stimulus competition using this manipulation elicited increased VSTM performance. Further experiments considered the ability of participants to use top-down cues to manipulate VSTM contents. The novel cueing paradigm used in Chapter 5 revealed specific impairments in inhibiting the encoding of new stimuli at short notice, whilst holding items in VSTM. In contrast, VSTM could be easily updated when participants were required to remove old items and encode new ones in their place. The effect of ageing on the top-down and bottom-up aspects of Ihssen et al.’s findings was also investigated, to determine whether the multiple stimulus display presentation may help to compensate for VSTM decreases seen in older adults (e.g., Jost, Bryck, Vogel & Mayr, 2011). In addition, the ERP experiments reported in Chapter 3 manipulated low-level competition by varying inter-stimulus proximity. Significantly, evidence of competition was found in the initial feedforward V1 response, using a novel method developed to assess competition throughout visual cortex by measuring early visual ERP components. This method has future potential for assessing competition present in visual cortex, and the contribution of feedforward and feedback processes at different time points to perceptual and cognitive processes.
New occurrences of fossilized feathers: systematics and taphonomy of the Santana Formation of the Araripe Basin (Cretaceous), NE, Brazil

Here we describe three fossil feathers from the Early Cretaceous Santana Formation of the Araripe Basin, Brazil. Feathers are the most complex multiform vertebrate integuments; they perform different functions, occurring in both avian and non-avian dinosaurs. Despite their rarity, fossil feathers have been found across the world. Most of the Brazilian feather fossil record comes from the Santana Formation. This formation is composed of two members: Crato (lake) and Romualdo (lagoon); both of which are predominantly reduced deposits, precluding bottom dwelling organisms, resulting in exceptional preservation of the fossils. Despite arid and hot conditions during the Cretaceous, life teemed in the adjacency of this paleolake. Feathered non-avian dinosaurs have not yet been described from the Crato Member, even though there are suggestions of their presence in nearby basins. Our description of the three feathers from the Crato laminated limestone reveals that, despite the small sample size, they can be referred to coelurosaurian theropods. Moreover, based on comparisons with extant feather morphotypes they can be identified as one contour feather and two downy feathers. Despite their rareness and low taxonomic potential, fossilized feathers can offer insights about the paleobiology of its owners and the paleoecology of the Araripe Basin.