Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Preclinical voluntary drinking models for alcohol abstinence‐induced affective disturbances in mice

Negative reinforcement is widely thought to play an important role in chronic alcohol‐use disorders (AUDs), and high comorbidity between AUDs and affective disorders highlights the importance of investigating this relationship. Prominent models posit that repeated cycles of alcohol (ethanol, EtOH) exposure and withdrawal produce circuit adaptations in the central nervous system that drive a transition from positive‐ to negative reinforcement‐based alcohol seeking. Evidence supporting this theory has accumulated in large part using forced EtOH administration models, such as chronic intragastric gavage and chronic vapor inhalation. However, recent studies utilizing simple voluntary EtOH delivery systems show that forced abstinence from EtOH intake administered by the animal itself can produce evolving and significant affective disturbances, particularly in female C57BL/6J mice. Here, we highlight these recent studies to support the idea that voluntary EtOH administration in mouse models, as well as a protracted abstinence period and less commonly used behavioral tasks, could unveil affective disturbances during abstinence that have remained elusive using high dosage forced EtOH administration paradigms.
Fully Pre-Splicing TCP for Web Switches

Fully pre-splicing (FPS) is an extension of TCP splicing which is content-blind that prevents the switches from using application layer information for forwarding decisions. FPS extends TCP splicing to support content-aware load balancing algorithms and pre-splices the client's connections to Web servers. In addition, FPS extracts the application information in kernel-space for eliminating the cost of moving data twice through user/kernel protection boundaries and the latency of scheduling the processes. To achieve our design, we extended the TCPSP project of LVS using Linux Netfilter which defines specific hooks to provide a verdict for the packet. On the performance results, FPS improves the TCPSP throughput dramatically
Follicular Dendritic Cell Sarcoma Presenting in the Submandibular Region in an 11 Year‐Old

Follicular Dendritic Cell Sarcomas (FDCS), formerly known as follicular dendritic cell tumors (FDCT), are rare and likely under-diagnosed malignancies arising in the dendritic reticulum cells of lymph nodes. Extranodal cases are rare, with fewer than 70 cases reported in the head and neck.1 The tonsils are the most common extranodal site in the head and neck;2 other sites include the nasopharynx, parapharyngeal space, maxillary alveolar ridge, hard and soft palate.1 FDCS typically affects young or middle aged patients and there may be a slight female predominance.3,4 We present the case of an 11 year-old patient with FDCS involving the right submandibular region. To our knowledge, this is the third reported case of FDCS in the head and neck in a patient under the age of 16.
Complete Genome Sequence of West Nile Virus (WNV) from the First Human Case of Neuroinvasive WNV Infection in Cyprus

ABSTRACT We report here the complete genome sequence of a West Nile virus (WNV) strain from the first laboratory-confirmed human case of neuroinvasive WNV infection in Cyprus. Phylogenetic analysis showed that this WNV strain grouped clearly into genetic lineage 1, clade 1a, cluster 2.
Crystallization, properties, and crystal and nanoscale morphology of PET–clay nanocomposites

The crystallization process and crystal morphology of poly(ethylene terephathalate) (PET)–clay nanoscale composites prepared by intercalation, followed by in-situ polymerization, have been investigated by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), transmission electronic microscopy (TEM), dynamic scanning calorimetry (DSC), and X-ray techniques, together with mechanical methods. Results of the nonisothermal crystallization dynamics show that the nanocomposites of PET (Nano-PET) have 3 times greater crystallization rate than that of pure PET. The thermal properties of Nano-PET showed heat distortion temperature (HDT) 20–50°C higher than the pure PET, while with a clay content of 5%, the modulus of Nano-PET is as much as 3 times that of pure PET. Statistical results of particle distribution show that the average nanoscale size ranges from 10 to 100 nm. The particles are homogenously distributed with their size percentages in normal distribution. The agglomerated particles are 4% or so with some particles size in the micrometer scale. The morphology of exfoliated clay particles are in a diordered state, in which the morphology of the PET spherulitics are not easy to detect in most of microdomains compared with the pure PET. The molecular chains intercalated in the interlamellae of clay are confined to some extent, which will explain the narrow distribution of the Nano-PET molecular weight. The stripe-belt morphology of the intercalated clay show that polymer PET molecular chains are intercalated into the enlarged interlamellar space. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 71: 1139–1146, 1999
Validation of the Danish version of Oxford Shoulder Score.

INTRODUCTION The Oxford Shoulder Score (OSS) is a patient-administered condition-specific questionnaire for patients with degenerative or inflammatory shoulder disease. The purpose of this study was to validate a Danish translation of the OSS and to compare it with the Constant Score (CS). MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 102 consecutive patients referred to our shoulder unit were recruited for the study. The OSS was translated into Danish according to recommendations presented by Guillemin and co-workers. We established the psychometric properties of the scoring system. Test-retest reliability was assessed by inviting 32 patients to complete another OSS 72 hours after the first test. The Bland-Altman plot was used to show absolute differences between test and retest. RESULTS The validity expressed as a Spearman's rank correlation coefficient comparing the OSS with the CS was 0.74. The test-retest reliability correlation coefficient was 0.98. Bland-Altman plots revealed limits of agreement between the scores of -4.5 and -5.4. Internal consistency tested by Cronbach's alpha was 0.93. CONCLUSION The psychometric properties of the Danish version of OSS showed good validity and reliability with a substantial correlation between the OSS and the CS. Internal consistency was high. The OSS is recommended for the evaluation of patients with degenerative or post-traumatic shoulder diseases. FUNDING not relevant. TRIAL REGISTRATION not relevant.
Detecting Ambiguities in Requirements Documents Using Inspections

Natural language is the most used representation for stating requirements on computer-based systems in industry. However, natural language is inherently ambiguous. Customers and software developers can disagree on the interpretation of a requirement without being aware of this fact. This disagreement can result in disastrous software failures. We argue that ambiguity is a more complex phenomenon than is often recognized in the literature. While inconsistencies and some types of incompleteness can be mechanically detected in formal specifications, ambiguities in informal specicifications often result in incorrect formal specifications. These misinterpretations can be detected only by execution or inspection of the formal specification. We suggest an inspection technique for detecting ambiguities in informal requirement documents before formal specifications are produced in order to avoid misinterpretations, rather than searching for them afterwards. We show how this technique can be tailored to different project contexts with the help of metamodels to increase its effectiveness. Finally, we report on experimental validation of the technique.
Real-time monitoring and visualization software for OpenFlow network

Software Defined Network (SDN) is a new approach of networking that emphasis on the network programmability and more dynamic control of the network. OpenFlow is the broadly used standard to implement the SDN network. However, understanding the dynamic behavior of an OpenFlow network is still challenging since the information about the operation is distributed across numerous network switches. This paper presents a tool call Opimon (OpenFlow Interactive Monitoring) that monitor and visualizes the OpenFlow network based SDN. Opimon provides a real-time monitoring and visualization of an OpenFlow network including network topology and flow tables of each switch. Web based user interface enables a user to quickly follows the network behavior and identify the problem. Opimon has been deployed successfully on a PRAGMA-ENT international testbed and enables researchers to understand more about the behavior of the testbed.
Logo Spotting on Document Images using Local Features

In this paper, we propose a framework for logo spotting by using local features. We present key-point matching methods to match local features of logo images to those of document images. For segmentation, a density-based clustering method is used to group matches and remove the outliers. Then, a two-stage algorithm based on homography with RANSAC is used to verify and localize the spotting results. In our experiments, many kinds of local features are employed and compared for their effectiveness. The results show that SIFT and SURF outperform in terms of accuracy.
Effects of interscalene brachial plexus block to intra-operative hemodynamics and postoperative pain for arthroscopic shoulder surgery

Background Although arthroscopic shoulder surgery is less invasive and painful than open shoulder surgery, it can often cause intra-operative hemodynamic instability and severe post-operative pain. This study was conducted to investigate the efficacy of the interscalene brachial plexus block (IBPB) on intra-operative hemodynamic changes and post-operative pain during arthroscopic shoulder surgery. Methods After institutional review board approval, 50 consecutive patients that had undergone arthroscopic shoulder surgery under general anesthesia were randomly assigned to one of two groups to evaluate intra-operative hemodynamic changes and post-operative pain control. Group 1 patients received an IBPB with 10 ml of normal saline guided by a nerve stimulator before induction, and Group 2 patients received 10 ml of 0.5% ropivacaine hydrochloride with the same technique. The heart rate and systolic and diastolic blood pressures were recorded before the incision and 1, 3, 5, 10, and 20 minutes after the incision. Pre-operative and post-operative pain was evaluated with a visual analog scale 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 hours after surgery. The patients were given tramadol as a rescue medication option. The total volume of tramadol that was injected was also evaluated over the same intervals. Results Group 2 showed significantly lower systolic and diastolic blood pressures and heart rates intra-operatively compared to Group 1 (P < 0.05). The visual analog scale pain scores, except at 24 hours after surgery, were significantly lower in Group 2 (P < 0.05). The total tramadol consumption significantly reduced in Group 2 (P < 0.05). Conclusions IBPB effectively controlled the hemodynamic changes that occurred during arthroscopic shoulder surgery as well as post-operative pain.
BitTorrent vulnerability to free riders: Root causes analysis

BitTorrent has gained popularity as a file sharing environment. The concept of sharing assumes that every peer in the environment contributes. However, the action of not sharing negates the fundamental concepts of BitTorrent. In this paper, we investigate the free riding phenomenon in BitTorrent. Through simulation experiments, we study in detail BitTorrent's vulnerability to free riders.
The role of CA3‐LS‐VTA loop in the formation of conditioned place preference induced by context‐associated reward memory for morphine

Addiction‐related behaviors, such as conditioned place preference (CPP), require animals to remember an association between environmental cue and drug treatment, and exposure to environmental cue is one of the key contributing factors to relapse. However, how central neural circuit participates in the formation of CPP induced by stimulus of morphine‐paired environment remains unknown. In the present study, we found that reexposure to morphine‐paired environment significantly increased the activity of hippocampal CA3 neurons, increased the excitability of GABAergic neurons and expression of glutamic acid decarboxylase 65/67 in the caudal lateral septum (LSc) and decreased the activity of GABAergic neurons and GAD65/67 expression in ventral tegmental area (VTA), leading to activation (disinhibition) of dopaminergic neurons. Inactivation of CA3 neurons attenuated GABAergic neurons activity and decreased the upregulation of GAD65/67 in LSc, prevented the dopaminergic neurons activation,and GAD65/67 downregulation in VTA and ameliorated the CPP behavior following exposure to morphine‐paired context. Blockade of NMDA receptor in LSc also prevented the upregulation of GAD65/67 in LSc and formation of CPP induced by stimulus of morphine‐paired environment. Suppression of GAD activity in LSc also remarkably attenuated the dopaminergic neurons activation and the GAD65/67 downregulation in VTA and prevented the formation of CPP induced by reexposure to morphine‐associated context. Collectively, these results, for the first time, illustrated the involvement of neural circuitry of CA3‐LSc‐VTA, through integration of the contexts and reward information, participated in the reinstatement of CPP induced by exposure to morphine‐associated context, which advanced our understanding on neurobiological basis for the context‐associated memory and rewarding behavior.
Pharmacy information systems: the experience and user satisfaction within a chain of Dutch pharmacies

This paper proposes two models for evaluating Pharmacy Information Systems (PIS) on their user satisfaction, thereby exploring one of the major requirements in designing PIS for pharmacy networks. The first model is developed to measure pharmacies' satisfaction with their PIS and the second model is developed to specify the determinants of PIS satisfaction. Both models were validated by data from 142 members of a Dutch pharmacy chain. Based on the user satisfaction model, the explanatory model showed that Information Technology (IT) experience and knowledge are the most important drivers for pharmacies' PIS satisfaction. The implications for the evolution of PIS in pharmacy chains are discussed.
NeuroImage: Clinical

Background: Machine learning techniques such as support vector machine (SVM) have been applied recently in order to accurately classify individuals with neuropsychiatric disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) based on neuroimaging data. However, the multivariate nature of the SVM approach often precludes the identi ﬁ - cation of the brain regions that contribute most to classi ﬁ cation accuracy. Multiple kernel learning (MKL) is a sparse machine learning method that allows the identi ﬁ cation of the most relevant sources for the classi ﬁ -
Throughput of a wireless cell using superposition based multiple-access with optimized scheduling

This paper studies the performance of a superposition based approach for multi-user access in the uplink of a wireless cell. The approach uses non-orthogonal signaling and multi-user detection on top of an orthogonal multiple-access method like OFDMA. Path losses depending on the distance between a terminal and the base station and cancellation errors during multi-user detection are taken into account. An optimized scheduling method is proposed and used for the capacity based throughput study. From the results recommendations for practical scheduling are derived. As a result, significant average throughput enhancements as well as improved cell-edge user throughput can be achieved compared to orthogonal multi-user access without increasing the number of antennas. The method can be realized as an extension of existing wireless standards like 3GPP LTE/LTE-Advanced or IEEE 802.16e/m / WiMAX.
Tempered stable laws as random walk limits Arijit Chakrabarty

Stable laws can be tempered by modifying the Lévy measure to cool the probability of large jumps. Tempered stable laws retain their signature power law behavior at infinity, and infinite divisibility. This paper develops random walk models that converge to a tempered stable law under a triangular array scheme. Since tempered stable laws and processes are useful in statistical physics, these random walk models can provide a basic physical model for the underlying physical phenomena.
Consequences of mating with siblings and nonsiblings on the reproductive success in a leaf beetle

Abstract Choosing a suitable mating partner is crucial for the fitness of an individual, whereby mating with siblings often results in inbreeding depression. We studied consequences of mating with siblings versus nonsiblings in the mustard leaf beetle, Phaedon cochleariae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), on lifetime reproductive traits. Furthermore, we analyzed whether cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profiles are family specific and could potentially influence the mating behavior of young adults. We hypothesized a reduced reproductive success of females mated with siblings and a more rapid mating of males with nonsiblings. The hatching rate from eggs of sibling pairs was lower compared to that of nonsibling pairs, pointing to inbreeding depression. Furthermore, the number of eggs laid by females decreased over time in both sibling and nonsibling pairs. Interestingly, the CHC profiles and the body mass differed between families. However, the beetles did not avoid siblings and accepted them as readily as nonsiblings for mating in no‐choice tests. In summary, although it had negative consequences to mate a sibling and although siblings could potentially be recognized by their CHC profiles, the beetles did not show a delayed mating with siblings. Our results indicate that P. cochleariae beetles have not developed a precopulatory mechanism to avoid inbreeding, at least under the test conditions applied here. We predict that instead a polyandrous mating system and/or postcopulatory mechanisms might have evolved in this species by which inbreeding costs can be reduced.
Pricing and hedging of oil futures - a unifying approach -

We develop and empirically test a continuous time equilibrium model for the pricing of oil futures. The model provides a link between no-arbitrage models and expectation oriented models. It highlights the role of sufficient inventories for oil futures pricing and for the explanation of backwardation and contango situations. In an empirical study the hedging performance of our model is compared with five other one- and two-factor pricing models. The hedging problem considered is related to Metallgesellschaft's strategy to hedge long-term forward commitments with short-term futures. The results show that the downside risk distribution of our inventory based model stochastically dominates those of the other models.
Biological and Technical Variables Affecting Immunoassay Recovery of Cytokines from Human Serum and Simulated Vaginal Fluid: A Multicenter Study

The increase of proinflammatory cytokines in vaginal secretions may serve as a surrogate marker of unwanted inflammatory reaction to microbicide products topically applied for the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV-1. Interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6 have been proposed as indicators of inflammation and increased risk of HIV-1 transmission; however, the lack of information regarding detection platforms optimal for vaginal fluids and interlaboratory variation limit their use for microbicide evaluation and other clinical applications. This study examines fluid matrix variants relevant to vaginal sampling techniques and proposes a model for interlaboratory comparisons across current cytokine detection technologies. IL-1β and IL-6 standards were measured by 12 laboratories in four countries, using 14 immunoassays and four detection platforms based on absorbance, chemiluminescence, electrochemiluminescence, and fluorescence. International reference preparations of cytokines with defined biological activity were spiked into (1) a defined medium simulating the composition of human vaginal fluid at pH 4.5 and 7.2, (2) physiologic salt solutions (phosphate-buffered saline and saline) commonly used for vaginal lavage sampling in clinical studies of cytokines, and (3) human blood serum. Assays were assessed for reproducibility, linearity, accuracy, and significantly detectable fold difference in cytokine level. Factors with significant impact on cytokine recovery were determined by Kruskal−Wallis analysis of variance with Dunn’s multiple comparison test and multiple regression models. All assays showed acceptable intra-assay reproducibility; however, most were associated with significant interlaboratory variation. The smallest reliably detectable cytokine differences (P < 0.05) derived from pooled interlaboratory data varied from 1.5- to 26-fold depending on assay, cytokine, and matrix type. IL-6 but not IL-1β determinations were lower in both saline and phosphate-buffered saline as compared to vaginal fluid matrix, with no significant effect of pH. The (electro)chemiluminescence-based assays were most discriminative and consistently detected <2-fold differences within each matrix type. The Luminex-based assays were less discriminative with lower reproducibility between laboratories. These results suggest the need for uniform vaginal sampling techniques and a better understanding of immunoassay platform differences and cross-validation before the biological significance of cytokine variations can be validated in clinical trials. This investigation provides the first standardized analytic approach for assessing differences in mucosal cytokine levels and may improve strategies for monitoring immune responses at the vaginal mucosal interface.
C11ORF24 Is a Novel Type I Membrane Protein That Cycles between the Golgi Apparatus and the Plasma Membrane in Rab6-Positive Vesicles

The Golgi apparatus is an intracellular compartment necessary for post-translational modification, sorting and transport of proteins. It plays a key role in mitotic entry through the Golgi mitotic checkpoint. In order to identify new proteins involved in the Golgi mitotic checkpoint, we combine the results of a knockdown screen for mitotic phenotypes and a localization screen. Using this approach, we identify a new Golgi protein C11ORF24 (NP_071733.1). We show that C11ORF24 has a signal peptide at the N-terminus and a transmembrane domain in the C-terminal region. C11ORF24 is localized on the Golgi apparatus and on the trans-Golgi network. A large part of the protein is present in the lumen of the Golgi apparatus whereas only a short tail extends into the cytosol. This cytosolic tail is well conserved in evolution. By FRAP experiments we show that the dynamics of C11ORF24 in the Golgi membrane are coherent with the presence of a transmembrane domain in the protein. C11ORF24 is not only present on the Golgi apparatus but also cycles to the plasma membrane via endosomes in a pH sensitive manner. Moreover, via video-microscopy studies we show that C11ORF24 is found on transport intermediates and is colocalized with the small GTPase RAB6, a GTPase involved in anterograde transport from the Golgi to the plasma membrane. Knocking down C11ORF24 does not lead to a mitotic phenotype or an intracellular transport defect in our hands. All together, these data suggest that C11ORF24 is present on the Golgi apparatus, transported to the plasma membrane and cycles back through the endosomes by way of RAB6 positive carriers.