Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Changes in paired-pulse facilitation suggest presynaptic involvement in long-term potentiation

Long-term potentiation (LTP) is a use-dependent form of synaptic plasticity that is of great interest as a potential cellular substrate underlying memory. It is important to determine the pre- and/or postsynaptic locus of LTP expression in order to study its underlying mechanisms. Despite intensive investigation, however, its locus of expression remains uncertain. It has been hypothesized that if LTP expression includes a presynaptic locus then it may alter the expression of another presynaptically mediated form of potentiation like paired-pulse facilitation (PPF), which is an increase in a second population excitatory postsynaptic potential when it is elicited shortly after a first. Previous authors have found no change in PPF in association with LTP. We re-examined the hypothesis, however, to reconcile the negative PPF data with other data that have suggested presynaptic involvement in LTP. Extracellular recordings were made in area CA1 of the rat hippocampal slice preparation. Surprisingly, PPF both increased and decreased significantly in association with LTP. The changes in PPF occurred in a predictable way, however. They correlated inversely with initial PPF magnitude so that a larger initial PPF was associated with a decrease in PPF with LTP while a smaller initial PPF was associated with an increase. Because PPF increased or decreased in individual slices in association with LTP, the average PPF of all slices did not change, in agreement with previous studies. The changes in PPF were also specific to LTP; that is, they were input specific, were not due to changes in inhibition or nonspecific effects of high- frequency stimulation, were not due to active postsynaptic currents or their nonlinear summation, and PPF changed with the same time course as LTP. We conclude that the mechanism of early LTP expression includes at least the presynaptic locus. Two hypotheses regarding the presynaptic mechanism underlying LTP expression, which are consistent with finding both increases and decreases in PPF with LTP, are (1) that there is an increase in the number of release sites with LTP or (2) that there is an increase in both the number of release sites and the probability of neurotransmitter release. Increases in the probability of neurotransmitter release alone would not appear to account for our findings since such increases have been associated only with decreases in PPF. Our findings do not exclude additional postsynaptic involvement. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
The Relationship Between Muscle Strength, Anaerobic Performance, Agility, Sprint Ability and Vertical Jump Performance in Professional Basketball Players

The Relationship Between Muscle Strength, Anaerobic Performance, Agility, Sprint Ability and Vertical Jump Performance in Professional Basketball Players The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between isokinetic knee strength, anaerobic performance, sprinting ability, agility and vertical jump performance in first division basketball players. Twelve male first division basketball players participated in this study. The mean age was 25.1 ± 1.7 yrs; mean body height 194.8 ± 5.7 cm; mean body mass 92.3± 9.8 kg; mean PBF 10.1± 5.1; and mean VO2max 50.55 ± 6.7 ml/kg/min. Quadriceps and hamstrings were measured at 60° and 180°/s, anaerobic performance was evaluated using the Wingate anaerobic power test, sprint ability was determined by single sprint performance (10-30 m), jump performance was evaluated by countermovement (CMJ) and squat jump (SJ) tests and agility performance was measured using the T drill agility test. Quadriceps strength was significantly correlated with peak power at all contraction velocities. However, for mean power, significant correlation was only found between the 60° left and 180° right knee quadriceps measurements. No measure of strength was significantly related to the measurements from/results of field tests. Moreover, strong relations were found between the performance of athletes in different field tests (p< 0.05). The use of correlation analysis is the limitation of the this study.
Evaluating the Correspondence of Different Cognitive Batteries

It is widely accepted that abilities are a meaningful level of abstraction for distinguishing among individuals with respect to their levels of cognitive functioning. However, relatively little is known about the extent to which different combinations of tests reflect the same cognitive abilities, or about the relation of cognitive abilities in one test battery with specific tests in another battery. Data from two cognitive batteries were analyzed to determine the correspondence of ability factors in the two batteries, and to evaluate the relative influence of cognitive abilities from one battery on the subtest scores in the other battery. Although the batteries involved different combinations of tests, correlations between the theoretically similar ability factors in the two batteries were very high (i.e., r > .84). Furthermore, with only a few exceptions, the primary influences on the subtest scores in one battery were from the theoretically relevant ability factor in the other battery.
The effect of previous causal knowledge on the persuasive strength of confirming covariation data

Consumers are often exposed to causal claims (e.g., a new pill that claims to treat acne) that are occasionally accompanied by data indicating that the product (target) performed better than another product (referent). In this study, we examined the effect of such data on persuasion as a function of target–referent similarity in causal features. Consistent with current theorizing suggesting that structural and specific preexisting causal knowledge affects data interpretation, we propose that data that are consistent with expectations will be more persuasive than data that are inconsistent with expectations. Specifically, we contend that the structural schema “control of variables” we use leads us to expect that two categories (products) that are similar in features will perform the same and two categories that differ in features will differ in performance. In addition, our specific knowledge on causal powers leads us to expect the target to perform better than the referent only if it has more causal features. Thus, when confronted with data indicating a target performed better than a referent with fewer causal features, the reasoner will find it easier to explain the data, and hence, the difference in performance will be perceived as larger, and the message will be more persuasive (e.g., belief in the causal claim and willingness to purchase the product) than when the target has the same causal features as the referent. The results of three studies revealed the expected pattern for different products, promising different effects in different communication contexts.
Whole blood viscosity assessment issues II: Prevalence in endothelial dysfunction and hypercoagulation

Background: Virchow's triad in cardiovascular disease comprises blood viscosity, plasma D-dimer and homocysteine as indices of three associated but separate vascular phenomena. Aims: This work investigates prevalence of hyperviscosity in hyperhomocysteinaemia and positive D-dimer; and differences or similarities in stasis status among sub-populations of hyperhomocysteinaemia vs. normohomocysteinaemia and negative vs. positive D-dimer. Patients and Methods: 10-years de-identified archived clinical pathology data for the period of January 1999 to December 2008 were audited. All cases tested for D-dimer (n=6845) and homocysteine (n=1665), which were concomitantly tested for haematocrit and total proteins, were extracted. Results: The results show a very low prevalence of hyperviscosity associated with a positive D-dimer sub-population (1.48%), which is not statistically different in comparison with the negative D-dimer sub-population. The prevalence of hyperviscosity associated with hyperhomocysteinaemia (5.04%) was statistically significantly higher in comparison to the normohomocysteinaemia sub-population (p = 0.05). The prevalence of low viscosity is significantly higher in the positive D-dimer sub-population relative to the negative D-dimer sub-population (p < 0.00001), but not different between hyperhomocysteinaemia vs. normohomocysteinaemia. Normoviscosity is statistically significantly commoner in normoviscosity relative to hyper-homocysteinaemia as well as in negative compared with positive D-dimer (p < 0.00001). Conclusion: The findings reported here suggest putting into perspective the specificity of whole blood viscosity relative to stasis, not necessarily sensitivity to disease conditions where it is implicated.
Morphology‐independent representation of motions for interactive human‐like animation

This paper addresses the problem of human motion encoding for real-time animation in interactive environments. Classically, a motion is stored as a sequence of body postures encoded as a set of joint rotations (quaternions, Euler-like angles or rotation matrices). As a consequence, Cartesian constraints must be solved using inverse kinematics and/or optimization. Those processes involve computation costs that do not allow real-time animation of several characters in interactive environments. To solve such a problem with a minimum computation time, we designed a motion representation independent from the morphology and containing the constraints intrinsically linked to the motion such as feet contacts with the ground. With such a description, a unique motion can be shared by several characters with different morphologies and in different environments. We also adapted a Cyclic Coordinate Descent algorithm that takes advantages of this representation in order to rapidly deal with complex tunable spacetime constraints. For example, this method enables to interactively control at least eight characters with different morphologies that interact each other during a fight training. Hence, each character has to deal with geometric constraints that can change at every time, depending on the opponents’ morphology and gestures.
Immunocytochemical profiles of inferior colliculus neurons in the rat and their changes with aging

The inferior colliculus (IC) plays a strategic role in the central auditory system in relaying and processing acoustical information, and therefore its age-related changes may significantly influence the quality of the auditory function. A very complex processing of acoustical stimuli occurs in the IC, as supported also by the fact that the rat IC contains more neurons than all other subcortical auditory structures combined. GABAergic neurons, which predominantly co-express parvalbumin (PV), are present in the central nucleus of the IC in large numbers and to a lesser extent in the dorsal and external/lateral cortices of the IC. On the other hand, calbindin (CB) and calretinin (CR) are prevalent in the dorsal and external cortices of the IC, with only a few positive neurons in the central nucleus. The relationship between CB and CR expression in the IC and any neurotransmitter system has not yet been well established, but the distribution and morphology of the immunoreactive neurons suggest that they are at least partially non-GABAergic cells. The expression of glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) (a key enzyme for GABA synthesis) and calcium binding proteins (CBPs) in the IC of rats undergoes pronounced changes with aging that involve mostly a decline in protein expression and a decline in the number of immunoreactive neurons. Similar age-related changes in GAD, CB, and CR expression are present in the IC of two rat strains with differently preserved inner ear function up to late senescence (Long-Evans and Fischer 344), which suggests that these changes do not depend exclusively on peripheral deafferentation but are, at least partially, of central origin. These changes may be associated with the age-related deterioration in the processing of the temporal parameters of acoustical stimuli, which is not correlated with hearing threshold shifts, and therefore may contribute to central presbycusis.
Towards implementing reactive scheduling for job shop problem

Most of the research literature concerning scheduling concentrates on the static problems, i.e problems where all input data is known and does not change over time. However, the real world scheduling problems are very seldom static. Events like machine breakdown or bottleneck in some situation impossible to predict. Dynamic scheduling is a research field, which take into consideration uncertainty and dynamic changes in the real world scheduling problem. This paper gives an overview of the real problem occured in the filed of dynamic scheduling. Then we propose a hybrid genetic algorithm for solving the dynamic job shop problem.
The emotional experiences of participants in a cardiovascular research study

An Abstract should be at the start of the manuscript and not exceed 100 words (in spite of what is stated on the ScholarOne website) accompanied by five keywords should be selected from the list provided on the JHP ScholarOne website. The abstract should appear in bold without a colon, text should start on the next line, with no indent.
Paying attention to the evidence: a comparison of perception and decision making processes in novice and experienced scene of crime officers using eye tracking in simulated crime scene scenarios

Research on crime scene investigation has strongly focused on the technical aspects of the process, while cognitive aspects (searching, reasoning and perception) have often been overlooked. Textbooks on forensic sciences tend to focus on identifying and processing evidence, and the use of equipment while it can be argued that cognitive factors in processing such evidence and using equipment are equally important. This thesis studies the cognitive aspects of crime scene investigation by comparing eye movement patterns in experts and novices. Studies in various domains, including surgery, sports, and chess playing have shown that eye movements differ between experts and novices, providing a tool towards a more objective assessment of skill than is possible with peer assessment. In four experiments eye movements of experts and novices were examined during (1) inspection of photographs of crime scenes on a computer screen (2) a change blindness task on crime and non-crime scene images, (3) active exploration of a simulated crime scene and (4) the assessment of emotional crime and natural scenes. While some trends in eye movement differences, such as a tendency on longer fixation durations and a broader focus on the overall scene and less on the direct evidence could be found in experts compared to novices, differences between experts and novices were considerably smaller than in other domains, despite the broad range of measures extracted from the data. This lack of clear expertise effects may relate to the rather diverse range of perceptual layouts of crime scenes, reducing possible top-down effects of expertise on the deployment of attention. The results will be discussed with a view of possible directions of future research in this domain.
TNM Staging Matched-pair Comparison of Surgery After Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy, Surgery Alone and Definitive Chemoradiotherapy for Thoracic Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Introduction: We used the TNM staging matched-pair approach to compare the efficacies of surgery after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCT), surgery alone and definitive chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) in patients with localized advanced thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Methods: A total of 642 patients with ESCC from previous studies were studied. Patients whose treatment involved NCT + surgery and surgery alone were compared with patients receiving CCRT. Prospensity score matched-pair comparison based on pre-treatment TNM staging was developed to assess the efficacies of these treatment options. Results: Prospensity score matched-pair comparison to control for bias generated a cohort of 274 patients who were eligible for comparison. The 3-year OS rate was 70.0% in the NCT + surgery group, compared to 51.7% in the surgery group (p=0.000) and 61.9% in the CCRT group (p=0.082). With the TNM staging matched-pair approach, the CCRT group had more upper thoracic ESCC patients (43/92, 46.7%), while the surgery group had more lower thoracic ESCC patients (37/92, 40.2%). The 3-year OS rates were comparable between the surgery alone group and CCRT group (p=0.109). Conclusions: NCT plus surgery was superior in OS to surgery alone or CCRT. The 3-year OS rates were comparable between the surgery alone group and CCRT group with TNM staging matched-pair approach. Further investigation is warranted to confirm these findings.
Sibling relationships during adolescence

The principal objective of this study was to analyse sibling relationships during adolescence, within the context of parent and peer relationships, and their link with socioemotional adjustment. To this end, 513 adolescents aged between 13 and 19 completed instruments relating to parent – child relationships, sibling adjustment, relationships with peers, self-esteem and life satisfaction. We found important gender-based differences in the meaning and importance that sibling adjustment seems to have for adolescents. For girls, a good relationship with their siblings was linked to good relationships with their parents and peers, as well as increased self-esteem and life satisfaction. For boys, sibling relationships had no relation with other family or personal variables.
Self-Regulation and Wisdom in Relationship Satisfaction

This thesis describes a program of research which aimed to explore the role of relationship self-regulation (or relationship “effort”) and wisdom in relationship satisfaction. Three separate studies were conducted to examine the association between self-regulation and satisfaction, and the mechanisms for this association. Study 1 examined self-regulation, wisdom and satisfaction, using a sample of 61 couples in longterm relationships, and found that while wisdom shared little association with satisfaction, self-regulation was a significant correlate of satisfaction for men and women. Study 2 examined whether the association between self-regulation and satisfaction was mediated by communication skills in a sample of 101 couples in the early stages of their relationship. Results replicated the self-regulation/satisfaction association found in Study 1, but provided no evidence for mediation by communication. Study 3 tested for mediation of the self-regulation/satisfaction association by attributions in a sample of 73 newly-wed couples. The association between self-regulation and satisfaction was partially mediated by attributions, but self-regulation also had a direct relationship with satisfaction. It was concluded that self-regulation is an important correlate of satisfaction in relationships, and that this association cannot be fully explained by communication or attributions. Several directions for future research were provided, including the need to examine self-regulation and its predictors longitudinally, ways in which a behavioural measure of self-regulation could be developed, and the implications of self-regulation for couple therapy.
Molecular Analysis of Antibiotic Resistance Gene Clusters in Vibrio cholerae O139 and O1 SXT Constins

ABSTRACT Many recent Asian clinical Vibrio cholerae E1 Tor O1 and O139 isolates are resistant to the antibiotics sulfamethoxazole (Su), trimethoprim (Tm), chloramphenicol (Cm), and streptomycin (Sm). The corresponding resistance genes are located on large conjugative elements (SXT constins) that are integrated into prfC on the V. cholerae chromosome. We determined the DNA sequences of the antibiotic resistance genes in the SXT constin in MO10, an O139 isolate. In SXTMO10, these genes are clustered within a composite transposon-like structure found near the element's 5′ end. The genes conferring resistance to Cm (floR), Su (sulII), and Sm (strA and strB) correspond to previously described genes, whereas the gene conferring resistance to Tm, designated dfr18, is novel. In some other O139 isolates the antibiotic resistance gene cluster was found to be deleted from the SXT-related constin. The El Tor O1 SXT constin, SXTET, does not contain the same resistance genes as SXTMO10. In this constin, the Tm resistance determinant was located nearly 70 kbp away from the other resistance genes and found in a novel type of integron that constitutes a fourth class of resistance integrons. These studies indicate that there is considerable flux in the antibiotic resistance genes found in the SXT family of constins and point to a model for the evolution of these related mobile elements.
Evolution and structuration of opinion communities in social conflicts

Traditionally, political polarization has been an important topic of analysis on the social and political sciences, but in recent years, due to the paradigm shift of political participation and the digital record that it generates associated to the universalization of the Internet and the emergence of online social networks, it can be seen that different scientific disciplines related to complex networks have focused on the study of political polarization, elections predictions or protests. In this context, this work consists of an extense analysis of the society behavior on a social network when there is a tense situation, using as case of study an ongoing conflict in Spain, the catalan independence. This conflict, besides the political tension that generates, provides us a unique ground truth for user classification. Taking advantage of this fact, we perform two strategies to classify ideologically opposite users and several analyses to detect political communities, study the political polarization underlying this great amount of data and evaluate temporal dynamics.
Unsupervised Semantic Role Induction with Graph Partitioning

In this paper we present a method for unsupervised semantic role induction which we formalize as a graph partitioning problem. Argument instances of a verb are represented as vertices in a graph whose edge weights quantify their role-semantic similarity. Graph partitioning is realized with an algorithm that iteratively assigns vertices to clusters based on the cluster assignments of neighboring vertices. Our method is algorithmically and conceptually simple, especially with respect to how problem-specific knowledge is incorporated into the model. Experimental results on the CoNLL 2008 benchmark dataset demonstrate that our model is competitive with other unsupervised approaches in terms of F1 whilst attaining significantly higher cluster purity.
Information Theoretic Models of HCI: A Comparison of the Hick-Hyman Law and Fitts' Law

The Hick-Hyman Law and Fitts' Law are two surviving human performance principles based on Shannon and Weaver's (1949) Information Theory. In the early 1980s, Card, Moran, and Newell (1983) presented the laws as design principles for developers to maximize usability in the design of human-computer interfaces. A search of the current human-computer interaction (HCI) literature, however, will reveal that the Hick-Hyman Law failed to gain momentum in the field of HCI, whereas Fitts' Law received, and continues to receive, substantial attention. This article begins with a discussion the common information theoretical concepts of the two laws, and then examines each law with respect to its origins, theoretical formulation, theoretical development, research, and applications and examines the possible contributing factors responsible for the failure of Hick-Hyman Law to gain momentum in the field.