Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Enhanced apomorphine sensitivity and increased binding of dopamine D2 receptors in nucleus accumbens in prepubertal rats after neonatal blockade of the dopamine D3 receptors by (+)‐S14297

The role of dopamine (DA) D3 receptors is controversial in early developmental stages of specially locomotor activity. Past studies have only tested behavioral changes induced by neonatal administration of nonselective dopamine antagonist such as haloperidol or sulpiride in adult rats. We investigated the role of neonatal blockade of DA D3 receptors at (postnatal day, P1 to P12) using the DA D3 receptor antagonist (+)‐S14297 on paradigms related to DA behaviors including locomotor activity in novel environment and after administration of the DA nonspecific agonists d‐amphetamine, and apomorphine. Additionally, autoradiographic studies were performed to correlate behavioral alterations with DA D1‐like, D2‐like, and D3 receptors. All studies were performed at two critical ages, prepubertal (P35) and postpubertal (P60). The quantitative autoradiogaphic study revealed increases in the expression of DA D2‐like receptor expression in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) in prepubertal animals that received the DA D3 antagonist (+)‐S14297 at neonatal age. In addition, novel environment and apomorphine administration (0.5 mg/kg, s.c.), induced increases of locomotor activity in prepubertal animals that received the DA D3 antagonist (+)‐S14297. Autoradiographic and behavioral results suggest that blockade of DA D3 receptors after birth may mediate different neurodevelopmental aspects of the dopaminergic pathway before and after puberty. Synapse 62:40–49, 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
How peer conversations about HIV/AIDS media messages affect comprehension and beliefs of young South African women

Abstract Most existent research on the effects of interpersonal discussions about health campaign messages is based on surveys. In this study, we analysed actual conversations about an HIV/AIDS poster to find out possible effects. Young South African women in 59 dyads (n = 118) participated in conversations about a deliberately puzzling HIV and AIDS poster that cautioned the target group to be faithful to one sexual partner. We measured their comprehension of the poster and beliefs about the message, before and after the conversations. Overall, actual comprehension (AC) was low, and we observed a large discrepancy between actual and perceived comprehension. In general, conversations did not improve AC. It proved to be even more probable that a correct interpretation before a conversation turned into an incorrect interpretation than the other way around. However, having a well-informed conversation partner increased the chance of acquiring adequate subsequent comprehension. We found, in general, that conversations did not decrease undesirable beliefs. One important undesirable belief even became reinforced after the conversations. Conversations among peers might be valuable in health campaigns, but our study shows that intended positive effects do not automatically follow.
Lithium based memristive device

The effort of investigating memristor material continues. This paper demonstrates the latest results of such effort by our group. These include memristor device design and measurement based on stacked lithium niobate and aluminum oxide. I-V sweeping results show good switch memristive characteristic. Other preliminary results in this paper include temperature dependency study, pulse voltage write/read and retention characterization. From these results, lithium niobate based device show the temperature stability and multiple stages of write/read and long retention period. All these demonstrate its potential for the application of neuromorphic computing in the future.
A lightweight digital system for the probabilistic characterization of true random bit generators

In this brief paper we present a low-complexity digital architecture for the probabilistic characterization of ergodic TRBGs. Differently from other methods based on the direct estimation of the generation probabilities of finite sets of binary words, in this study we investigate some theoretical relationships between the autocorrelation function of the binary source and the dynamical symbol generation probabilities, that can be exploited to obtain a probabilistic characterization of the TRBG. The solution is proposed to perform a real-time monitoring of TRBGs, that can be suitably implemented in lightweight digital systems.
Wireless Systems Code-aided simplified receiver design in downlink MC-CDMA communication system with transmit diversity

In this paper, we propose a code-aided optimum receiver and exploit transmit diversity in downlink multicarrier code division multiple access (MC-CDMA) system to provide a receiving scheme that is robust to fading channel. Our first emphasis is on designing a blind (without knowing the undesired users' signature sequences) MC-CDMA mobile receiver that can suppress the multiple access interference (MAI) and combine the desired signal stemmed from all the transmitting antennas. The matched filter (MF) receiver, though simple in structure, suffers from the near-far problem and is severely degraded by MAI. The minimum-output-energy (MOE) receiver, though alleviates the problems of the MF receiver, is with computational complexity and suffers from severe performance degradation due to channel estimation error in practical environment. Thereby, we propose a spreading codes selection rule that enables the simple MF receiver to achieve optimum performance regardless of the variation of channel parameters. Moreover, we develop two blind (without requiring training sequences) algorithms to estimate the composite multiple-inputs-single-output (MISO) channel impulse response (IR). Furthermore, we deduce that the complexity of the channel estimator can be extensively reduced for the code-aided optimum receiver. Simulation results demonstrate significant gain by employing the proposed codes selection rule and transmit diversity. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Occupation-centered practice in hand rehabilitation using the experience sampling method.

This article Wt! S acceptedfin publication November 3, 1997. I mplementing occupation-centered approaches in hand rehabilitation has been uncommon because this specialty has been dominated by biomedical approaches. However, some trends suggest that the practice of occupational therapy in hand rehabilitation is changing. Third-party payers are increasingly interested in final outcomes rather than in incremental increases in range of motion that do not represent functional progress (Foto, 1997). In addition, there is a trend toward treating more cumulative trauma cases and fewer acute injury cases (Wolfe, 1997). Acute injuries require specialized knowledge of the microcomponents of hand function to yield successful functional outcomes. In contrast, successful treatment of cumulative trauma injuries requires knowledge of psychosocial, contextual, and subjective factors in addition to knowledge of microcomponents (Blackmore & Hotchkiss, 1996; Johnson, 1993). As occupational therapists are expected to treat more clients with cumulative trauma injuries, there will be a growing need to monitor these factors because they will influence Outcomes. Despite this need, contextual and psychosocial factors are often missing from assessments used by occupational therapists (Dunn, Brown, & McGuigan, 1994; Foto, 1997). To address this problem, Park, Fisher, and Velozo (1994) have recommended that performance be assessed in the environment in which the client will be functioning, a view that is certainly consistent with the movement towards home health and community-based therapy (Baum & Law, 1997). However, occupational therapists specializing in hand rehabilitation are often unable to observe clients in their home and other community environments and need a method that captures physical, contextual, and psychosocial aspects of the rehabilitation process as they occur in the client's actual, lived environment. The experience sampling method (ESM) of data collection has the potential to enhance occupation-centered practice in hand rehabilitation by capturing the physical, contextual, and psychosocial aspects of functional return. This method is currently used by mental health clinicians and occupational therapy researchers (deVries, 1992; Hedricks, in press; Hedricks & Budetti, in press; Jacobs, 1994). The ESM, whose reliability and validity have been well-documented (Csikszentmihalyi & Larson, 1987), requires that clients carry an electronic signaling device (electronic pager, wrist terminal, or palm-top computer) and a booklet of identical questionnaires called Experience Sampling Forms (ESFs) with them as they go about their everyday lives. Clients are typically signalled at semirandom intervals throughout the day, at which time they
Regulation of cell proliferation and adhesion by means of a novel region of drosophila merlin interacting with Sip1

Background: The tumor suppressor protein merlin is thought to regulate cell proliferation and cell adhesion through interaction with protein partners. Loss of merlin is associated with Neurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF2) tumors. NHERF1 or EBP50 is a scaffolding protein that functions in apical organization of polarized cells. Merlin and NHERF1 have been shown to interact in vitro in vertebrates. We investigate how the Drosophila NHERF1 orthologue, Sip1, and Merlin function to regulate cell proliferation and adhesion. Results: We identify two conserved arginine residues (R325 and R335) in Merlin which, in addition to the FERM domain, are required for interaction with Sip1. Mutation of the arginine residues result in reduced Sip1 binding to Merlin and loss of Merlin growth suppressor function. Over‐expression of MerlinR325A and/or MerlinR335L in Drosophila wings result in increased proliferation in the adult wing (increase in size), which is rescued by co‐over‐expression of constitutively active Merlin protein. Reduced Sip1 binding to Merlin also produces defects in adhesion in follicle epithelial cells. Conclusions: Sip1 facilitates the activation of Merlin as a tumor suppressor protein. Thus, our work provides insight into how Merlin functions as a tumor suppressor and in adhesion and this provides insight into the mechanism of NF2 pathogenesis. Developmental Dynamics 243:1554–1570, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Grupowe zakupy materiałów jako sposób na obniżenie kosztów przedsiębiorstwa

W obecnych czasach przedsiebiorstwa poszukują obszarow, w ktorych mogą obnizyc koszty operacyjne. Jednym ze sposobow obnizenia kosztow ponoszonych na zakup materialow jest organizacja grupy zakupowej, w sklad ktorej wchodzą niezalezne przedsiebiorstwa funkcjonujące na rynku. Podmioty na rynku zrzeszają sie wowczas w ściśle określonym celu, tj. dokonywania mniejszych wydatkow na zakupy i uzyskania oszczedności z tego tytulu. Firmy agregują swoj popyt, dokonując zakupu za pośrednictwem jednej organizacji, poprzez osiągniecie efektu skali uzyskują silniejszą pozycje w negocjacjach z dostawcami, dzieki czemu mozna osiągnąc lepsze warunki handlowe. Pod pojeciem warunkow handlowych kryje sie wiele czynnikow. Cena nie jest jedynym wyznacznikiem efektywności i oszczedności, chociaz uzyskanie nizszej ceny jest oszczednością wymierną i niepodwazalną. Nie mniej jednak celem funkcjonowania grupy zakupowej powinno byc zmniejszenie kosztow operacyjnych i uzyskanie szeroko rozumianych korzyści. Grupa zakupowa nie jest pojeciem nowym w gospodarce światowej, a takze polskiej. Jest naturalnym kolejnym etapem rozwoju obszaru zakupow. W niniejszym artykule autorzy skupią sie na funkcjonowaniu i badaniu grup zakupowych dla niezaleznych firm, ktore nie są powiązane ze sobą kapitalowo. W ostatnich latach w Polsce zauwazalny jest bardzo silny trend powstawania grup zakupowych, ktory nasilany jest takze poprzez wzrost powstawanie roznego rodzaju organizacji wspolpracy zrzeszonych firm. Unia Europejska przeznacza znaczne środki finansowe na tworzenie i funkcjonowanie organizacji przyczyniających sie do zrownowazonego rozwoju firm zrzeszanych w postaci klastrow regionalnych, centrow kompetencji, parkow przemyslowo-naukowych, etc. Przyczynia sie to do wspolpracy firm oraz do powstawania kolejnych grup zakupowych firm silnie ze sobą kooperujących.
Fumagillin treatment of intestinal microsporidiosis.

BACKGROUND Intestinal microsporidiosis due to Enterocytozoon bieneusi is a cause of chronic diarrhea, malabsorption, and wasting in immunocompromised patients. Currently, there is no effective treatment. METHODS We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of fumagillin (60 mg per day orally for two weeks) in patients with chronic E. bieneusi infection. Efficacy was assessed primarily by the clearance of microsporidia, as evidenced by analysis of stool specimens. Patients in whom microsporidia were not cleared received treatment for two weeks with open-label fumagillin. After clearance of the parasite, follow-up stool examinations were performed monthly to detect relapses. RESULTS Twelve patients were enrolled in this study, 10 with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and 2 who had received organ transplants. Clearance of microsporidia occurred in all six of the patients in the fumagillin group, as compared with none of the six in the placebo group (P=0.002). Treatment with fumagillin was also associated with increases in absorption of D-xylose (P=0.003) and in Karnofsky performance scores (P<0.001) and with decreases in loperamide use (P=0.01) and total stool weight (P=0.04). There were serious adverse events (neutropenia and thrombocytopenia) in three patients in the fumagillin group; one patient in the placebo group had severe diarrhea. All six controls subsequently had clearance of microsporidia after open-label treatment with fumagillin. Relapses of the infection were identified in two patients during follow-up (median follow-up, 10 months). CONCLUSIONS Fumagillin is an effective treatment for chronic E. bieneusi infection in immunocompromised patients.
Frequency analysis of the electrocardiogram with maximum entropy method for identification of patients with sustained ventricular tachycardia

The authors developed frequency analysis using the maximum entropy method (MEM) based on an autoregressive (AR) model. Orthogonal electrocardiograms were recorded from the body surface of patients with and without VT (ventricular tachycardia), and healthy persons after low noise, high-gain amplification. Multiple 40 ms segments (time intervals 2 ms, AR-parameters tapered) were analyzed (spectrotemporal mapping). Low-frequency components were eliminated by building different spectra with optimal high order and fixed low order. The MEM-spectra revealed high frequency components (40-200 Hz) in the terminal phase of the QRS-complex and in the ST-section in 26/38 patients with VT, but only in 2/20 without VT and in 1/20 healthy persons (p<0.05). Unlike FFT, MEM allowed localization of late potentials by the analysis of short data segments. <<ETX>>
The malariatherapy of neurosyphilis.

Medicine offers few examples of a living pathogen that is therapeutic in a disease caused by another. Nevertheless, the malaria parasites, some scourges themselves, were used for about 40 years to ameliorate or reverse the ravages of neurosyphilis, a life-threatening advanced phase of syphilis. Furthermore, in using malariatherapy invaluable information was gained-as it might not otherwise have been gained-about the biology of malaria, its treatment, and its mosquito transmission. Truncated versions of the origins and uses of malariatherapy appear in the introductions to older papers and books, and more extensively in a now-rare monograph by Kupper (1939), in an excellent clinically oriented book by Moore (1941), and in an informative chapter by Becker (1949). The advent of penicillin in the mid1940's ineluctably signalled the end of malariatherapy for syphilis, but, as suggested by the title of an editorial on that subject (Anon., 1975), the 'final curtain' did not come down on malariatherapy in Britain until the 1970's, and combined therapy with penicillin and malaria, once common in the United States (Crawford, 1948; Becker, 1949), ceased in the mid1960's. I plan to describe in short compass the problem of general paralysis, the manner and effects of malariatherapy, and the knowledge gained for malariology. Only one or two generations ago syphilis and malaria were important to each other, but to this day the biological interactions between the two organisms remain largely unexplained.
Adding Expert Knowledge to TAN-based Intrusion Detection Systems

Bayesian networks are important knowledge representation tools for handling uncertain pieces of information. The success of these models is strongly related to their capacity to represent and handle (in)dependence relations. A simple form of Bayesian networks, called naive Bayes has been successively applied in many classification tasks. In particular, naive Bayes have been used for intrusion detection. Unfortunately, naive Bayes are based on a strong independence assumption that limits its application scope. This paper considers the well-known Tree Augmented Naïve Bayes (TAN) classifiers in the context of intrusion detection. In particular, we study how additional expert information such that “it is expected that 80% of traffic will be normal” can be integrated in classification tasks. Experimental results show that our approach improves existing results.
Model-based design of voltage phase controller for SPMSM in field-weakening region

This paper investigates the nonlinear characteristic between voltage phase and torque and proposes a model-based design of voltage phase controller. PMSM drive systems should realize a quick torque response and have a wide operating range. However, in high-speed region, the control input is voltage phase only and the plant is nonlinear due to the inverter output voltage amplitude saturation. Because of this nonlinear characteristic between current and voltage phase, model-based design have not yet been carried out. As basic study, this paper proposes a model-based voltage phase controller for SPMSM. Simulation results and experimental results show the effectiveness of the model-based design method. In addition, the analysis of the derived plant model shows the relationship between q-axis current and voltage phase is a non-minimum phase system.
“Riding the Wave”: Transforming Sport and Exercise Psychology Within an Interdisciplinary Vision

A metaphor of riding the wave is used as a means of envisioning the future of sport and exercise psychology given what we know about past and present waves in the field. First, I review the waves of the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s to understand critical issues in the field and to evaluate the waves as smooth, choppy, or turbulent today. Second, Christina's (1989) model that views basic and applied research as interdependent and reciprocal is used to situate sport and exercise psychology research. Third, discussion revolves around misperceptions of the term “applied sport psychology” as synonymous with performance enhancement, and a case is made for dropping the term “applied” to be more inclusive of all types of applied research that sport and exercise psychologists do. Fourth, integration among theory, research, and practice is featured as a central and recurring theme that must be sustained for the field to survive and thrive. Finally, I advocate for transforming sport and exercise psychology within an interdisciplinary vision over the coming years in an effort to elevate impact on scientific research and professional practice. This interdisciplinary vision, I believe, is the wave of the future for advancing knowledge, translating research to applications, and maximizing professional development of our students.
A compact UWB band-pass filter using embedded circular slot structures for improved upper stop-band performance

This paper presents an ultra-wideband band-pass filter designed using a slot-line ring resonator and two pairs of embedded circular slot structures. The slot-line ring resonator is used to form the desired UWB passband, and the upper stop-band response is suppressed by embedding the circular slot structures into the ring resonator. This is different from conventional designs using cascaded bandstop/low-pass filters for stop-band response suppression, which usually leads to big circuit sizes. And hence the proposed approach can reduce the circuit size significantly. A prototype filter with a compact size (13.6 mm×6.75 mm) has been implemented for experimental validation. The measured results show a -3 dB frequency band from 3.4 GHz to 11.7 GHz and > 20 dB upper stop-band suppression from 12.5 GHz to 20GHz.
Regional integration 2.0 : facilitating regional integration and development with collaborative technologies

The current global economic instability and the vulnerability of small nations provide the impetus for greater integration between the countries of the South Pacific region. This exercise is critical for their survival. Past efforts of regional integration in the South Pacific have mostly failed. However, today’s IT collaborative capabilities provide the opportunity to develop a shared IT infrastructure to facilitate integration in the South Pacific. In developing an IT-backed model of regional integration, this study identifies and reports on the antecedents of the current stage for integration in the Pacific. We conducted interviews with twenty five individuals from various sectors and find that while most respondents were optimistic about the potential of IT backed regional integration, significant challenges exists. The study identifies and discusses these challenges providing policy implications to stakeholders in the regional integration process. The findings will assist in suggesting a model of regional integration 2.0 for the Pacific region.
Drug disposition as determined by the interplay between drug‐transporting and drug‐metabolizing systems

Some of the main problems in the clinical application of drugs result from poor or variable oral drug bioavailability, high intraand interindividual variation in the handling of drugs, and poorly predictable pharmacokinetic interactions when different drugs are coadministered to patients. Over the past 15–20 years, the emphasis in pharmacological research in relation to these problems has been on understanding the way drugs are metabolized in the body. Recently, however, there has been rapid progress in the understanding of membrane proteins that mediate directional transport of drugs and their metabolites across a variety of biological membranes. It is now clear that the behavior of drugs in the body is the result of an intricate interplay between these drug transporters and the drug-metabolizing systems. This review is based on a recent symposium held at the 1998 ISMDO meeting in Montpellier, France, and aims to summarize some of the recent insights obtained in this rapidly developing area of research.