Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A comparison of economic demand and conditioned-cued reinstatement of methamphetamine-seeking or food-seeking in rats

This study examined whether continued access to methamphetamine or food reinforcement changed economic demand for both. The relationship between demand elasticity and cue-induced reinstatement was also determined. Male Long–Evans rats were lever pressed under increasing fixed-ratio requirements for either food pellets or methamphetamine (20 &mgr;g/50 &mgr;l infusion). For two groups, demand curves were obtained before and after continued access (12 days, 2-h sessions) to the reinforcer under a fixed-ratio 3 schedule. A third group was given continued access to methamphetamine between determinations of food demand and a fourth group abstained from methamphetamine between determinations. All groups underwent extinction sessions, followed by a cue-induced reinstatement test. Although food demand was less elastic than methamphetamine demand, continued access to methamphetamine shifted the methamphetamine demand curve upward and the food demand curve downward. In some rats, methamphetamine demand also became less elastic. Continued access to food had no effect on food demand. Reinstatement was higher after continued access to methamphetamine relative to food. For methamphetamine, elasticity and reinstatement measures were correlated. Continued access to methamphetamine, but not food, alters demand in ways suggestive of methamphetamine accruing reinforcing strength. Demand elasticity thus provides a useful measure of abuse liability that may predict future relapse to renewed drug-seeking and drug use.
An HARQ Based Optimized Error Correction Technique

Errors during data communication are inevitable. Noise in the channel leads to bit error. The paper proposes a matrix based novel bits encoding technique, aim to achieve error correction capability with optimize redundancy. Furthermore an efficient software based decoding algorithm to detect and correct transmission errors is introduced. Here errors include single bit error, multiple bits error and burst errors. The proposed technique maintains high code rate, provides multiple bit error correction capability and can best be implemented as hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ).
A relevant immunomagnetic assay to detect and characterize epithelial cell adhesion molecule‐positive cells in bone marrow from patients with breast carcinoma

The efficient detection and characterization of micrometastatic cells in the bone marrow of patients with breast carcinoma are of prognostic and therapeutic importance. The technique used must overcome the challenges that result from the small number of target cells (1 per 1 million hematopoietic cells) and the heterogeneous expression of micrometastatic cell markers. In this study, the authors assessed and improved the current methods for purifying and characterizing rare disseminated carcinoma cells.
Beat-by-Beat Quantification of Cardiac Cycle Events Detected From Three-Dimensional Precordial Acceleration Signals

The vibrations produced by the cardiovascular system that are coupled to the precordium can be noninvasively detected using accelerometers. This technique is called seismocardiography. Although clinical applications have been proposed for seismocardiography, the physiology underlying the signal is still not clear. The relationship of seismocardiograms of on the back-to-front axis and cardiac events is fairly well known. However, the 3-D seismocardiograms detectable with modern accelerometers have not been quantified in terms of cardiac cycle events. A major reason for this might be the degree of intersubject variability observed in 3-D seismocardiograms. We present a method to quantify 3-D seismocardiography in terms of cardiac cycle events. First, cardiac cycle events are identified from the seismocardiograms, and then, assigned a number based on the location in which the corresponding event was found. 396 cardiac cycle events from 9 healthy subjects and 120 cardiac cycle events from patients suffering from atrial flutter were analyzed. Despite the weak intersubject correlation of the waveforms (0.05, 0.27, and 0.15 for the x-, y-, and z-axes, respectively), the present method managed to find latent similarities in the seismocardiograms of healthy subjects. We observed that in healthy subjects the distribution of cardiac cycle event coordinates was centered on specific locations. These locations were different in patients with atrial flutter. The results suggest that spatial distribution of seismocardiographic cardiac cycle events might be used to discriminate healthy individuals and those with a failing heart.
Inhibition of Methylcholanthrene-induced Carcinogenesis by an Interferon γ Receptor–dependent Foreign Body Reaction

The foreign body reaction is one of the oldest host defense mechanisms against tissue damage which involves inflammation, scarring, and encapsulation. The chemical carcinogen methylcholanthrene (MCA) induces fibrosarcoma and tissue damage in parallel at the injection site. Tumor development induced by MCA but not due to p53-deficiency is increased in interferon-γ receptor (IFN-γR)–deficient mice. In the absence of IFN-γR, MCA diffusion and DNA damage of surrounding cells is increased. Locally produced IFN-γ induces the formation of a fibrotic capsule. Encapsulated MCA can persist virtually life-long in mice without inducing tumors. Together, the foreign body reaction against MCA prevents malignant transformation, probably by reducing DNA damage. This mechanism is more efficient in the presence of IFN-γR. Our results indicates that inflammation and scarring, both suspected to contribute to malignancy, prevent cancer in certain situations.
Electrodiagnostic studies in ulnar neuropathy at the elbow.

To the Editor: I enjoyed reading the practice parameter on electrodiagnostic studies in ulnar neuropathy at the elbow. The paper is useful; however, I expected more from the Academy. I am neither a full-time technician nor a physiatrist, and it is my job to diagnose the problem when a patient comes to me with an arm complaint. Part of my diagnostic effort may include electrodiagnostic studies. For the job that is neurology, I’d like to see the Academy add important practice parameters to the diagnosis of ulnar neuropathy:
Experimental verification of theoretical prediction of fiber to fiber contacts in electrospun multilayer nano-microfibrous assemblies: Effect of fiber diameter and network porosity

Average number of fiber-to-fiber contacts in a fibrous structure is a prerequisite to investigate the mechanical, optical and transport properties of stochastic nano-microfibrous networks. In this research work, based on theoretical analysis presented for the estimation of the number of contacts between fibers in electrospun random multilayer nanofibrous assembles, experimental verification for theoretical dependence of fiber diameter and network porosity on the fiber to fiber contacts has been provided. The analytical model formulated is compared with the existing theories to predict the average number of fiber contacts of nanofiber structures. The effect of fiber diameters and network porosities on average number of fiber contacts of nano-microfiber mats has been investigated. A comparison is also made between the experimental and theoretical number of inter-fiber contacts of multilayer electrospun random nano-microfibrous networks. It has been found that both the fiber diameter and the network porosity have significant effects on the properties of fiber-to-fiber contacts.
Increased homeostatic response to behavioral sleep fragmentation in morning types compared to evening types.

STUDY OBJECTIVES To evaluate the influence of chronotype on sleep stages and quantitative sleep EEG when sleep pressure is increased and sleep schedule remains constant. DESIGN A 5-day session comprising an adaptation night, a baseline night, two nights of sleep fragmentation, and a recovery night. SETTING Chronobiology laboratory. PARTICIPANTS Twenty-four healthy subjects aged 19-34 years: 12 morning types and 12 evening types selected by questionnaire. Each group included 6 men and 6 women with a habitual sleep duration of 7 to 9 hours. INTERVENTIONS Two nights of behavioral sleep fragmentation induced by forced 5-min awakenings every half-hour. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS Each night of polysomnography recording lasted 8 hours and was based on each subject's preferred sleep schedule. On both nights of sleep fragmentation, stage 1 sleep increased, while both total sleep time and minutes of slow wave sleep decreased. No difference was observed in sleep architecture between morning types and evening types during sleep fragmentation nights or during recovery night. Spectral analysis of all-night NREM sleep EEG showed that during the recovery night, morning types had a larger fronto-central increase in low frequency activities and a larger centro-parietal decrease in 14-15 Hz activity than evening types. The largest group difference was for slow wave activity in the fronto-central area during the first part of the sleep episode. CONCLUSIONS These results add further support to a postulated difference in homeostatic sleep regulation between morning types and evening types, with morning types showing indications of a higher homeostatic response to sleep disruption.
De Novo Initiation of RNA Synthesis by Hepatitis C Virus Nonstructural Protein 5B Polymerase

ABSTRACT RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) encoded by positive-strand RNA viruses is critical to the replication of viral RNA genome. Like other positive-strand RNA viruses, replication of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA is mediated through a negative-strand intermediate, which is generated through copying the positive-strand genomic RNA. Although it has been demonstrated that HCV NS5B alone can direct RNA replication through a copy-back primer at the 3′ end, de novo initiation of RNA synthesis is likely to be the mode of RNA replication in infected cells. In this study, we demonstrate that a recombinant HCV NS5B protein has the ability to initiate de novo RNA synthesis in vitro. The NS5B used HCV 3′ X-tail RNA (98 nucleotides) as the template to synthesize an RNA product of monomer size, which can be labeled by [γ-32P]nucleoside triphosphate. The de novo initiation activity was further confirmed by using small synthetic RNAs ending with dideoxynucleotides at the 3′ termini. In addition, HCV NS5B preferred GTP as the initiation nucleotide. The optimal conditions for the de novo initiation activity have been determined. Identification and characterization of the de novo priming or initiation activity by HCV NS5B provides an opportunity to screen for inhibitors that specifically target the initiation step.
Presynaptic Kainate Receptors Regulate Spinal Sensory Transmission

Small diameter dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons, which include cells that transmit nociceptive information into the spinal cord, are known to express functional kainate receptors. It is well established that exposure to kainate will depolarize C-fiber afferents arising from these cells. Although the role of kainate receptors on sensory afferents is unknown, it has been hypothesized that presynaptic kainate receptors may regulate glutamate release in the spinal cord. Here we show that kainate, applied at low micromolar concentrations in the presence of the AMPA-selective antagonist (RS)-4-(4-aminophenyl)-1,2-dihydro-1-methyl-2-propyl-carbamoyl-6,7-methylenedioxyphthalazine, suppressed spontaneous NMDA receptor-mediated EPSCs in cultures of spinal dorsal horn neurons. In addition, kainate suppressed EPSCs in dorsal horn neurons evoked by stimulation of synaptically coupled DRG cells in DRG–dorsal horn neuron cocultures. Interestingly, although the glutamate receptor subunit 5-selective kainate receptor agonist (RS)-2-α-amino-3-(3-hydroxy-5-tert-butylisoxazol-4-yl) propanoic acid (ATPA) (2 μm) was able to suppress DRG–dorsal horn synaptic transmission to a similar extent as kainate (10 μm), it had no effect on excitatory transmission between dorsal horn neurons. Agonist applications revealed a striking difference between kainate receptors expressed by DRG and dorsal horn neurons. Whereas DRG cell kainate receptors were sensitive to both kainate and ATPA, most dorsal horn neurons responded only to kainate. Finally, in recordings from dorsal horn neurons in spinal slices, kainate and ATPA were able to suppress NMDA and AMPA receptor-mediated EPSCs evoked by dorsal root fiber stimulation. Together, these data suggest that kainate receptor agonists, acting at a presynaptic locus, can reduce glutamate release from primary afferent sensory synapses.
Coupling between cytoplasmic concentration gradients through local control of protein mobility in the Caenorhabditis elegans zygote

MEX-5/6 and PIE-1 form opposing concentration gradients in the cytoplasm of the Caenorhabditis elegans zygote. MEX-5/6 act in a concentration-dependent manner to increase GFP::PIE-1 mobility, suggesting direct coupling between the MEX-5/6 gradients and the formation of the PIE-1 gradient via the formation of a PIE-1 diffusion gradient.
Male fertility in patients treated for cryptorchidism before puberty.

An evaluation of fertility was carried out in a group of young men successfully treated for cryptorchidism either with human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) or surgically at a prepubertal age. Fertility was evaluated by serial semen analysis. Physiocochemical examination of the seminal fluid including sperm count motility morphology and mortality was carried out according to standard methodology. After meticulous selection from 400 young men who were treated for cryptorchidism before puberty 43 patients ranging in age between 16 and 23 years with adequate male sexual development and normal testicular size were chosen for study. They were treated at between 6 and 11 years of age. 21 patients were treated for unilateral cryptorchidism; 7 responded to HCG and the remaining 14 were operated on after failed gonadotropin therapy. All but 1 of the surgically treated patients were fertile. Among 22 patients treated for bilateral cryptorchidism 11 responded to HCG and 11 were treated surgically. 3 of the 11 patients treated with HCG were sterile 1 with azoospermia and 2 with severe oligospermia; the remainder were adjudged fertile. 8 of 11 surgically treated patients were sterile 4 with azoospermia and 4 with severe oligospermia. The data showed that fertility was higher in patients treated with HCG alone than in the surgically treated group. The lack of response to gonadotropin stimulation before puberty and the high incidence of sterility in these patients with otherwise normal appearing testes who were then operated on would suggest the existence of a primary testicular defect. The results support the use of HCG in the treatment of all patients with cryptorchidism. The data showed that bilateral cryptorchidism regardless of the treatment carried out and the anatomical results obtained seriously affects future fertility.
Stable MPC with reduced representation for linear systems with multiple input delays

It is well known that MPC recursive feasibility and asymptotic stability is related to the so called stabilizing elements, namely: (i) terminal cost, (ii) terminal stabilizing control law, and terminal constraint. For systems with multiple delays, it is commonly used an augmented representation, which avoid the use of input delays. However, although the augmented description permits an easy inclusion of the stabilizing elements, the control problem dimension could be prohibitively enlarged (mainly from a computational point of view). In this paper it is shown that a stable MPC with enlarged domain of attraction can be easily applied to control open-loop stable systems with multiple input delays by considering the original (reduced) representation. Stabilizing conditions are presented and a modified cost function is proposed in order to avoid the augmented representation. A simulation example is presented to illustrate the simplicity of the proposed approach.
A Provably Secure Certificateless Blind Signature Scheme

Blind signature is very important technology in secure e-commerce. Certificateless public key cryptography avoids the using of certificate in certificate-based public key signature scheme and removes key escrow in ID-based signature scheme. In this paper we introduce the notion of blind signature into certificateless public key cryptography and propose a concrete certificateless blind signature scheme. In terms of computational cost, totally, only one pairing operation is required for blind signing and verification. The security models of certificateless blind signature are also formalized. This scheme is provably secure against a super Type I/II adaptively chosen message and chosen identity adversary in random oracle model.
First-Principles Calculations for Ferroelectrics.

Abstract : First-principles calculations for ferroelectrics reveal the existence of extended instabilities as a function of wavevector in KNbO3 and SrTiO3. The scope of the first-principles results is extended through the use of effective Hamiltonians, determined with no empirical or experimental input, using a database of first-principles calculations. Molecular dynamics simulations using these effective Hamiltonians then predict ferroelectric phase transition temperatures, phonon softening, and diffuse X-ray scattering behavior. These calculations also demonstrate for the first time the existence of preformed dynamic precursor chain-like structures in KNbO3 and BaTiO3, well above the ferroelectric transition temperatures.
Analysis and design of composite - to - metal adhesively bonded joints

This work is based on the development of numerical tools for the computational analysis of engineering structures that involve adhesion problems, that is interface and interphase problems. The proposed numerical tools are implemented within the framework of non-linear Finite Element Methods (FEM) and are developed so as to be utilized by design engineers and researchers for the design and analysis of adhesively bonded joints and composite structures. Initially, a Progressive Failure Model (PFM) is developed and applied to predict the behaviour of an experimentally tested blade-stiffened panel found in the literature. The developed PFM has been implemented in non-linear finite element analysis procedures under the framework of the commercial software Ansys. Failure initiation and failure propagation as well as the post buckling ultimate attained load have been numerically evaluated. Final failure behaviour of the simulated stiffened panel is due to sudden global failure, as concluded from comparisons between numerical and experimental results being in good agreement. In the following, particular focus has been given initially in the study of the failure mechanisms that evolve during the pure mode delamination propagation in fiber reinforced composite materials (interface problems) and later in the study of the mixed-mode loading and fracture of adhesively bonded joints (interphase problems). The proposed numerical tools involve novel constitutive relations that describe the aforementioned phenomena and are based on fracture and damage mechanics, in accordance to Cohesive Zone Modeling (CZM) techniques. Initially, a continuum damage constitutive model is presented for the prediction of the inplane failure modes of laminated composite materials. In the following, new cohesive laws are developed for the prediction of delamination initiation and propagation under Mode I and Mode II loading and fracture in fibrous laminated composite materials. Having provided numerical predictions of the failure response of composite materials, the next research activity is focused on providing constitutive relations for the predictions of structural adhesively bonded joints. The proposed constitutive relations, are validated with tests conducted on steel-to-steel and steel-tocomposite adhesive joint geometries that involve flat adherents. Next, a numerical parametric study, that involves axisymmetric adhesive joints (tubular cases), has been conducted, showing the potential of the proposed numerical tool. In conclusion, the present PhD thesis provides separate numerical tools that can be combined for the prediction of the failure response of structures that involve composite materials and adhesive joints. Table of
Automatic detection of prominence (as defined by listeners' judgements) in read aloud dutch sentences

This paper describes a first step towards the automatic classification of prominence (as defined by native listeners). As a result of a listening experiment each word in 500 sentences was marked with a rating scale between `0' (non-prominent) and `10' (very prominent). These prominence labels are compared with the following acoustical features: loudness of each vowel, and F0 range and duration of each syllable. A linear relationship between the rating scale of prominence and these acoustical features is found. These acoustical features then are used for a preliminary automatic classification to predict prominence.
Integer programming approaches to haplotype inference by pure parsimony

In 2003, Gusfield introduced the haplotype inference by pure parsimony (HIPP) problem and presented an integer program (IP) that quickly solved many simulated instances of the problem. Although it solved well on small instances, Gusfield's IP can be of exponential size in the worst case. Several authors have presented polynomial-sized IPs for the problem. In this paper, we further the work on IP approaches to HIPP. We extend the existing polynomial-sized IPs by introducing several classes of valid cuts for the IP. We also present a new polynomial-sized IP formulation that is a hybrid between two existing IP formulations and inherits many of the strengths of both. Many problems that are too complex for the exponential-sized formulations can still be solved in our new formulation in a reasonable amount of time. We provide a detailed empirical comparison of these IP formulations on both simulated and real genotype sequences. Our formulation can also be extended in a variety of ways to allow errors in the input or model the structure of the population under consideration
Theorizing the textual differences between authentic and fictitious reviews: Validation across positive, negative and moderate polarities

Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold: to build a theoretical model that identifies textual cues to distinguish between authentic and fictitious reviews, and to empirically validate the theoretical model by examining reviews of positive, negative as well as moderate polarities. Design/methodology/approach Synthesizing major theories on deceptive communication, the theoretical model identifies four constructs – comprehensibility, specificity, exaggeration and negligence – to predict review authenticity. The predictor constructs were operationalized as holistically as possible. To validate the theoretical model, 1,800 reviews (900 authentic + 900 fictitious) evenly spread across positive, negative and moderate polarities were analyzed using logistic regression. Findings The performance of the proposed theoretical model was generally promising. However, it could better discern authenticity for positive and negative reviews compared with moderate entries. Originality/value The paper advances the extant literature by theorizing the textual differences between authentic and fictitious reviews. It also represents one of the earliest attempts to examine nuances in the textual differences between authentic and fictitious reviews across positive, negative as well as moderate polarities.