Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The interaction between serotonin and stress as underlying mechanism leading to neurobiological dysfunction associated with antisocial personality disorder.

Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) is a DSM-IV Axis II personality disorder with a prevalence of 3% and 1% in males and females respectively. Among the psychosocial traits associated with ASPD are anxiety, aggressive behavior, impulsivity as well as a dysfunctional planning and overall functioning within the social context. Imaging studies on subjects either with ASPD or displaying some of the main associated psychosocial traits, have shown significant abnormalities in volumetric measurements and activation, in several brain regions including the prefrontal cortex (PFC), orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), the temporal lobe and the amygdalahippocampus complex. Abnormalities in the serotonergic pathway have often been found in subjects diagnosed with ASPD. Specific functional polymorphisms associated with reduced serotonergic activity including tryptophan (TPH) synthesis, serotonin (5-HT) reuptake into the presynaptic terminal regulated by the 5-HT transporter (5HTT), and deamination of 5-HT by monoamine oxidase-A (MAOA), have been reported as precipitating factors, particularly in subjects with a history of exposure to stressful environments during their childhood. Exposure to adversity during childhood in and of itself, has been associated with an increased probability of developing ASPD. However, the molecular mechanisms through which chronic stress exerts its effect are largely unknown and have been studied, at best, within the context of other mental disorders like major depression disorder (MDD). Furthermore, examination of the role of stress and 5-HT interactions in the development and maintenance of ASPD as well as their potential mechanisms is for the most part absent. This review intends to give an overall image of the most consistent results that are relevant for the understanding of what the causes of ASPD may be, placing particular interest on two main modulating factors, stress and 5-HT.
Control of Maximum Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Ca Load in Intact Ferret Ventricular Myocytes

In steady state, the Ca content of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) of cardiac myocytes is determined by a balance among influx and efflux pathways. The SR Ca content may be limited mainly by the ATP-supplied chemical potential that is inherent in the gradient between SR and cytosol. That is, forward Ca pumping from cytosol to SR may be opposed by energetically conservative reverse pumping dependent on intra-SR free [Ca]. On the other hand, SR Ca loading may be limited by dissipative pathways (pump slippage and/or pump-independent leak). To assess how SR Ca content is limited, we loaded voltage-clamped ferret ventricular myocytes cumulatively with known amounts of Ca via L-type Ca channels (ICa), using Na-free solutions to prevent Na/Ca exchange. We then measured the maximal resulting caffeine-released SR Ca content under control conditions, as well as when SR Ca pumping was accelerated by isoproterenol (1 μM) or slowed by thapsigargin (0.2–0.4 μM). Under control conditions, SR Ca content reached a limit of 137 μmol·liter cytosol−1 (nonmitochondrial volume) when measured by integrating caffeine-induced Na/Ca exchange currents (∫INaCaXdt) and of 119 μmol·liter cytosol−1 when measured using fluorescence signals dependent on changes in cytosolic free Ca ([Ca]i). When Ca-ATPase pumping rate was slowed 39% by thapsigargin, the maximal SR Ca content decreased by 5 (∫INaCaXdt method) or 23% (fluorescence method); when pumping rate was increased 74% by isoproterenol, SR Ca content increased by 10% (fluorescence method) or 20% (∫INaCaXdt method). The relative stability of the SR Ca load suggests that dissipative losses have only a minor influence in setting the SR Ca content. Indeed, it appears that the SR Ca pump in intact cells can generate a [Ca] gradient approaching the thermodynamic limit.
Do code clones matter?

Code cloning is not only assumed to inflate maintenance costs but also considered defect-prone as inconsistent changes to code duplicates can lead to unexpected behavior. Consequently, the identification of duplicated code, clone detection, has been a very active area of research in recent years. Up to now, however, no substantial investigation of the consequences of code cloning on program correctness has been carried out. To remedy this shortcoming, this paper presents the results of a large-scale case study that was undertaken to find out if inconsistent changes to cloned code can indicate faults. For the analyzed commercial and open source systems we not only found that inconsistent changes to clones are very frequent but also identified a significant number of faults induced by such changes. The clone detection tool used in the case study implements a novel algorithm for the detection of inconsistent clones. It is available as open source to enable other researchers to use it as basis for further investigations.
Standardization of a simplified scintigraphic methodology for the assessment of gastric emptying in a multicenter setting

OBJECTIVE:Scintigraphy remains the gold standard to study gastric emptying. The technique is onerous and normal values vary between centers. Standardized protocols, although desirable, are not presently available. We validated a simplified scintigraphic protocol in a multicenter setting.METHODS:In 69 healthy volunteers from seven Canadian institutions, gastric emptying of a standard meal (99mTc- labeled beef liver) was assessed by scintigraphy every 10 min for 1 h, then every 20 min for the next 2 h. Gastric retention was fitted to a power exponential model, Propt={−(κt)β} with Propt= proportion of retention at time t, either using all 13 time intervals (conventional technique) or using measurements at 0, 1, 2, and 3 h (simplified technique). RESULTS:The power exponential model yielded identical emptying curves and T ½ values with both techniques. Gastric emptying was more rapid in men than in women < 35 yr (p < 0.01) and in younger than in older men (p < 0.005). Gastric emptying was slower in women from Québec than in women from Ontario (p < 0.04). Gastric retention was similar at 1, 2, and 3 h among the seven centers. Gastric emptying of a beef liver meal was slower than that of a low fat egg substitute (p < 0.03). CONCLUSIONS:A simpler scintigraphic approach, using four rather than 13 samples, provides results comparable to those of the conventional technique. This simpler approach provides an economical, yet accurate, alternative to the techniques presently used and is applicable to a multicenter setting.
Human-robot cross-training: Computational formulation, modeling and evaluation of a human team training strategy

We design and evaluate human-robot cross-training, a strategy widely used and validated for effective human team training. Cross-training is an interactive planning method in which a human and a robot iteratively switch roles to learn a shared plan for a collaborative task. We first present a computational formulation of the robot's interrole knowledge and show that it is quantitatively comparable to the human mental model. Based on this encoding, we formulate human-robot cross-training and evaluate it in human subject experiments (n = 36). We compare human-robot cross-training to standard reinforcement learning techniques, and show that cross-training provides statistically significant improvements in quantitative team performance measures. Additionally, significant differences emerge in the perceived robot performance and human trust. These results support the hypothesis that effective and fluent human-robot teaming may be best achieved by modeling effective practices for human teamwork.
Static Enforcement of Web Application Integrity Through Strong Typing

Security vulnerabilities continue to plague web applications, allowing attackers to access sensitive data and co-opt legitimate web sites as a hosting ground for malware. Accordingly, researchers have focused on various approaches to detecting and preventing common classes of security vulnerabilities in web applications, including anomaly-based detection mechanisms, static and dynamic analyses of server-side web application code, and client-side security policy enforcement. This paper presents a different approach to web application security. In this work, we present a web application framework that leverages existing work on strong type systems to statically enforce a separation between the structure and content of both web documents and database queries generated by a web application, and show how this approach can automatically prevent the introduction of both server-side cross-site scripting and SQL injection vulnerabilities. We present an evaluation of the framework, and demonstrate both the coverage and correctness of our sanitization functions. Finally, experimental results suggest that web applications developed using this framework perform competitively with applications developed using traditional frameworks.
Distributed Source Coding of Correlated Gaussian Remote Sources

We consider the distributed source coding system for L correlated memoryless Gaussian remote sources specified with L correlated Gaussian random variables Xi, i=1,2,. ,L. We deal with the case where each of L distributed encoders cannot directly observe the source Xi but its noisy version Yi=Xi+Ni. Here, Ni, i=1,2,. , L are independent additive L Gaussian noises also independent of Xi , i=1,2,. , L. On this coding system, the determination problem of the rate distortion region remains open in general. In this paper, we derive explicit outer and inner bounds of the rate distortion region. We further find an explicit sufficient condition for those two bounds to match. We also study the sum rate part of the rate distortion region when the correlation has some symmetrical property. We derive an explicit upper bound of the sum rate part from the inner bounds of the rate distortion region. On a lower bound, we derive a new explicit bound by making full use of the symmetrical property of the correlation. We further derive an explicit necessary and sufficient condition for the lower bound to coincide with the upper bound.
Easing the Separation Process for Infants, Toddlers, and Families

Attachment and separation are the stuff of which life is made. Feelings about saying goodbye aren’t restricted to child care situations. Separating from someone we love and care about is a lifelong experience that affects every one of us many times during the course of our lives. How many separation experiences has each of us had! We begin life with a separation from our nine-month inner home. We leave home to go to school or camp or college. We graduate and leave again. We move to a new home, take a new job, go on a vacation trip. Some get married, some get divorced, and usually we all suffer the ultimate separation, the death of a loved one. The task of adjustment to these separations challenges us at every stage of life, from infancy on. Characteristic of all these experiences is leaving the familiar and heading into the unknown. Where would we be without the strength of our attachments? The bonds between family and child promote resilience, self-regulation, and a positive sense of self. Because firm ties to another help us develop autonomy and the belief that we are lovable, it is critical to encourage and value strong attachments not only between children and parents, but also between teachers and the infants and toddlers they care for (Honig 2002a). If attachment is misunderstood as dependence, it may be wrongly discouraged. Easing the Separation Process for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
Optimal fuzzy control of piezoelectric systems based on hybird Taguchi method and particle swarm optimization

This paper presents a novel evolutionary algorithm based on a hybrid of Taguchi method and particle swarm optimization (PSO), and thus is called HTPSO. First, the nonlinear nano-positioning system is approximated by the Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy model. Second, the parallel distributed compensation (PDC) is designed to control the piezoelectric system. Last, the parameters of the fuzzy controller are determined by the HTPSO approach. The HTPSO could search the optimal control force to improve the performance of the piezoelectric system. Computer simulation demonstrates the HTPSO possesses the best robustness against external disturbance.
Heat-killed salmonella typhimurium (HKST) protects mice against radiation in TLR4-dependent manner

It is urgently required to develop novel safe and effective radioprotectors to alleviate radiation damages. Recently, several toll like receptors (TLRs), including TLR2, TLR4, TLR5, TLR9, have been proved to exert protective effects against ionizing radiation. Due to different tissue-distribution and distinct functions of TLRs, we hypothesized that co-activation of multiple TLRs simultaneously may produce extensive and stronger radioprotective effects. In this study, we found the co-agonist of TLR2, TLR4 and TLR5, heat-killed salmonella typhimurium (HKST) significantly inhibited radiation-induced cell apoptosis, increased cell survival and alleviated DNA damage. HKST also prolonged animal survival and protected radiosensitive tissues against radiation damages, such as bone marrow, spleen and testis. Decrease of CD4+ and CD8+ cells were also reversed by HKST treatment. By using TLR2 and TLR4 knockout mice, we found that most of radioprotective effects of HKST were abrogated in TLR4 knock out mice. And HKST failed to inhibited cell apoptosis in TLR5 knock down cells. In conclusion, we demonstrated that HKST effectively protected cells and radiosensitive tissues against radiation injury in a TLR4 biased mechanism, suggesting HKST as a potential radioprotector with low toxicity.
The Internet in Iran

The introduction of the Internet in Iran has resulted in cultural and social changes in that country. Some of these changes enhance, and others are simply reflective of, the country's rich culture and society. Via the Internet, Iranians share ideas with other people in Western and Eastern civilizations. In the other direction, with the introduction of the Internet to Iran, some Iranian customs, behaviors, and thoughts may be affected by new ideas, attitudes, or behavior from abroad.
Manipulation of a quasi-natural cell block for high-efficiency transplantation of adherent somatic cells

Recent advances have raised hope that transplantation of adherent somatic cells could provide dramatic new therapies for various diseases. However, current methods for transplanting adherent somatic cells are not efficient enough for therapeutic applications. Here, we report the development of a novel method to generate quasi-natural cell blocks for high-efficiency transplantation of adherent somatic cells. The blocks were created by providing a unique environment in which cultured cells generated their own extracellular matrix. Initially, stromal cells isolated from mice were expanded in vitro in liquid cell culture medium followed by transferring the cells into a hydrogel shell. After incubation for 1 day with mechanical agitation, the encapsulated cell mass was perforated with a thin needle and then incubated for an additional 6 days to form a quasi-natural cell block. Allograft transplantation of the cell block into C57BL/6 mice resulted in perfect adaptation of the allograft and complete integration into the tissue of the recipient. This method could be widely applied for repairing damaged cells or tissues, stem cell transplantation, ex vivo gene therapy, or plastic surgery.
Active Learning with an ERM Oracle

One technique that has proved theoretically profitable is to maintain a candidate set of hypotheses (sometimes called a version space), and to query the label of a point if and only if there is disagreement within this set about how to label the point. The criteria for membership in this candidate set need to be carefully defined so that the optimal hypothesis h∗ is always included, but otherwise this set can be quickly whittled down as more labels are queried. This technique is rather straightforward in the realizable setting [3], and it can be extended to the agnostic setting with the use of confidence bounds and hard example constraints [1, 4]. One of the algorithms in [2] uses large importance weights to essentially achieve the same effect.
Liquisolid systems and aspects influencing their research and development

Abstract Many modern drugs are poorly water soluble substances, which causes difficulties in the development of solid dosage forms with sufficient bioavailability. Preparation of liquisolid systems (LSS) is a novel technique for improving solubility, dissolution and bioavailability of such drugs. The basic principle of LSS preparation is conversion of the drug in liquid state into a free-flowing, compressible, dry powder through its absorption into suitable excipients - porous carriers (aluminometasilicates, microcrystalline cellulose), subsequently coated with material having high absorption capacity (silicon dioxide commonly known as colloidal silica). LSS exhibit advantages such as lower production costs compared to soft capsules, simple processing and enhanced drug release. The main benefit is higher bioavailability of the liquid drug, caused by a large surface area available for absorption. The article tries to clarify specific aspects connected with the formulation of LSS: properties of excipients (surface area, absorption capacity), variables related to the processing (solubility, liquid load factor) and dosage form evaluation.
Major Osteoporotic to Hip Fracture Ratios in Canadian Men and Women With Swedish Comparisons: A Population‐Based Analysis

Fracture Risk Assessment (FRAX) tools are calibrated from country‐specific fracture epidemiology. Although hip fracture data are usually available, data on non‐hip fractures for most countries are often lacking. In such cases, rates are often estimated by assuming similar non‐hip to hip fracture ratios from historical (1987 to 1996) Swedish data. Evidence that countries share similar fracture ratios is limited. Using data from Manitoba, Canada (2000 to 2007, population 1.2 million), we identified 21,850 incident major osteoporotic fractures (MOF) in men and women aged >50 years. Population‐based age‐ and sex‐specific ratios of clinical vertebral, forearm, and humerus fractures to hip fractures were calculated, along with odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). All ratios showed decreasing trends with increasing age for both men and women. Men and women showed similar vertebral/hip fracture ratios (all p > 0.1, with ORs 0.86 to 1.25). Forearm/hip and humerus/hip fracture ratios were significantly lower among men than women (forearm/hip ratio: p < 0.01 for all age groups, with ORs 0.29 to 0.53; humerus/hip ratio: p < 0.05 for all age groups [except 80 to 84 years] with ORs 0.46 to 0.86). Ratios for any MOF/hip fracture were also significantly lower among men than women in all but two subgroups (p < 0.05 for all age groups [except 80 to 84 and 90+ years] with ORs 0.48 to 0.87). Swedish vertebral/hip fracture ratios were similar to the Canadian fracture ratios (within 7%) but significantly lower for other sites (men and women: 46% and 35% lower for forearm/hip ratios, 19% and 15% lower for humerus/hip ratios, and 19% and 23% lower for any MOF/hip ratios). These differences have implications for updating and calibrating FRAX tools, fracture risk estimation, and intervention rates. Moreover, wherever possible, it is important that countries try to collect accurate non‐hip fracture data. © 2014 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
On energy measurement methods in wireless networks

Measuring the energy consumption of a communication device is necessary in order to develop energy-aware and energy-efficient protocols and applications. There exist various approaches to determine the energy consumption of a device. This paper gives a structured overview on the state of the art of energy measurement and provides a detailed analysis of the advantages and drawbacks of each technique. An improved understanding of how energy measurement can actually be accomplished allows to choose the right measurement technique according to a particular purpose and leverages the development and improvement of energy-aware and energy-efficient protocols and applications.
BRCA2 affects the efficiency of DNA double-strand break repair in response to N-nitroso compounds with differing carcinogenic potentials

The tumor suppressor gene breast cancer susceptibility gene 2 (BRCA2) is frequently mutated or epigenetically repressed in human cancer and has a significant role in the homologous recombination (HR) of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). Although N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA), N-nitrosodiethanolamine (NDELA) and N-nitrosodipropylamine (NDPA) have similar chemical structures and are able to induce DNA damage, they have varying carcinogenic risks. We hypothesized that the DNA damage repair pathways that are induced by these N-nitroso compounds (NOCs) may differ and that this may contribute to the genotoxic-carcinogenic effect of the NOCs. The present study aimed to characterize the formation of DSBs by NDEA, NDELA and NDPA and also to investigate whether BRCA2 is involved in the DNA damage response. The NOCs were observed to time-dependently induce DSBs and the expression of γ-H2AX in gastric cancer SGC7901 cells. It was observed that the DNA damage induced by NDEA, the most potent carcinogen, was not repaired as efficiently as that caused by NDELA or NDPA. The expression of BRCA2 and RAD51 was demonstrated to be inhibited by NDEA treatment but upregulated by NDELA or NDPA treatment. Furthermore, the knock down of BRCA2 expression impaired the DNA damage repair induced by NDELA or NDPA. The cells with this knock down exhibited an increased sensitivity to NDELA or NDPA treatment, but not to NDEA. These findings suggest that a BRCA2-mediated pathway contributes to differential DSB repair and sensitivity in response to NOC exposure and that it may be associated with the genotoxic-carcinogenic potential of NOCs.
Transforming local sensor tracks prior to track-to-track fusion in an automotive safety system

This paper addresses a practical issue that arises when the output from two local trackers, using two different state-space models, are to be fused with each other in a global track-to-track fusion system. Such fusion algorithms require the local tracks to be represented in a joint state-space, meaning that at least one of these tracks needs to be transformed prior to the track fusion.
Linking by inking: trailblazing in a paper-like hypertext

“Linking by inking” is a new interface for reader-directed link construction that bridges reading and browsing activities. We are developing linking by inking in XLibris, a hypertext system based on the paper document metaphor. Readers use a pen computer to annotate page images with free-form ink, much as they would on paper, and the computer constructs hypertext links based on the ink marks. This paper proposes two kinds of readerdirected links: automatic and manual. Automatic links are created in response to readers’ annotations. The system extracts the text near free-form ink marks, uses these terms to construct queries, executes queries against a collection of documents, and unobtrusively displays links to related documents in the margin or as “further reading lists. ” We also present a design for manual (ad hoc) linking: circling an ink symbol generates a multi-way link to other instances of the same symbol.