Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neuropharmacological properties of Mikania scandens (L.) Willd. (Asteraceae)

Mikania scandens (L.) Willd. (Asteraceae), known as climbing hemp weed in English, is a herbaceous climbing vine grown as a weed throughout the plains of the Indian subcontinent. The present study evaluated some neuropharmacological properties of hydroalcoholic extract of aerial parts from M. scandens (HAMS) in experimental animal models. HAMS (at 250 and 500 mg/kg body weight, i.p.) was evaluated for central antinociceptive activity by tail flick method. Locomotor depressant activity was measured by means of an actophotometer. Skeletal muscle relaxant effect was evaluated by using rotarod apparatus and sedative potentiating property by phenobarbitone-induced sleep potentiation study. The results of the present study revealed significant (P<0.001) and dose-dependent central antinociceptive, locomotor depressant, muscle relaxant, and sedative potentiating effects of HAMS, demonstrating its depressant action on the central nervous system (CNS). From the present study, it can be concluded that the aerial parts of M. scandens possessed prominent depressant action on the CNS, as manifested by the important neuropharmacological properties in mice.
Improving carrier ethernet recovery time using a fast reroute mechanism

Ethernet has evolved from a local network technology to a technology that can be used in metro access and transport networks. Unfortunately the new Ethernet networks cannot achieve the level of reliability of traditional TDM Carrier-class networks. In order to improve Ethernet performance, we need to develop new mechanisms specifically adapted to this type of network technology. The high convergence time of control protocols is one of the problems in both traditional and new generation Ethernet networks. This paper presents a fast recovery mechanism as a solution for the high convergence time. This mechanism uses tunnels and cycles to provide a local recovery and is adapted to a Carrier-class Ethernet network controlled by a link-state protocol. Simulations are used to show the advantage of the use of this mechanism in comparison to the global recovery mechanism of link-state protocols.
Upregulated Copper Transporters in Hypoxia-Induced Pulmonary Hypertension

Pulmonary vascular remodeling and increased arterial wall stiffness are two major causes for the elevated pulmonary vascular resistance and pulmonary arterial pressure in patients and animals with pulmonary hypertension. Cellular copper (Cu) plays an important role in angiogenesis and extracellular matrix remodeling; increased Cu in vascular smooth muscle cells has been demonstrated to be associated with atherosclerosis and hypertension in animal experiments. In this study, we show that the Cu-uptake transporter 1, CTR1, and the Cu-efflux pump, ATP7A, were both upregulated in the lung tissues and pulmonary arteries of mice with hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension. Hypoxia also significantly increased expression and activity of lysyl oxidase (LOX), a Cu-dependent enzyme that causes crosslinks of collagen and elastin in the extracellular matrix. In vitro experiments show that exposure to hypoxia or treatment with cobalt (CoCl2) also increased protein expression of CTR1, ATP7A, and LOX in pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMC). In PASMC exposed to hypoxia or treated with CoCl2, we also confirmed that the Cu transport is increased using 64Cu uptake assays. Furthermore, hypoxia increased both cell migration and proliferation in a Cu-dependent manner. Downregulation of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) with siRNA significantly attenuated hypoxia-mediated upregulation of CTR1 mRNA. In summary, the data from this study indicate that increased Cu transportation due to upregulated CTR1 and ATP7A in pulmonary arteries and PASMC contributes to the development of hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension. The increased Cu uptake and elevated ATP7A also facilitate the increase in LOX activity and thus the increase in crosslink of extracellular matrix, and eventually leading to the increase in pulmonary arterial stiffness.
LearnLoc: A framework for smart indoor localization with embedded mobile devices

There has been growing interest in location-based services and indoor localization in recent years. While several smartphone based indoor localization techniques have been proposed, these techniques have many shortcomings related to accuracy and consistency. These prior efforts also ignore energy consumption analysis which is a crucial quality metric in resource-constrained smartphones. In this work, we propose novel techniques based on machine learning algorithms and smart sensor management for real-time indoor localization using smartphones. We implement our proposed techniques as well as state-of-the-art techniques on real smartphones and evaluate their tracking effectiveness and energy overheads across several diverse real-world indoor environments. Our best technique improves upon prior work, achieving indoor localization accuracy between 1-3 meters.
Adaptation to Visuomotor Rotations Remaps Movement Vectors, Not Final Positions

When exposed to novel visuomotor rotations, subjects readily adapt reaching movements, such that the virtual display of the hand is brought to the target. Whereas this clearly reflects remapping of the relationship between hand movements and the visual display, the nature of this remapping is not well understood. We now examine whether such adaptation results in remapping of the position of the visually displayed target and the final limb position or between the target vector and the movement vector. The latter is defined relative to a starting position, whereas the former should be independent of the starting position. Subjects first adapted to a 30° rotation during reaching movements made from a single starting location to four different target locations. After adaptation, generalization trials were introduced, during which reaching movements were made under the same visual rotation condition but started from one of two locations outside the practiced workspace. These trials were directed to either the previously practiced targets or new targets that reflected the direction and distance of the practiced trials. Generalization was greatest for movements made in similar directions, regardless of changes in spatial location. Most significantly, when reaching to the previously adapted targets, subjects did not reach to the previously learned limb positions but rather to positions that reflected a near 30° rotation of the new target vector. These results indicate that learned visuomotor rotations remap the representations of movement vectors and not final positions of the limb in the workspace.
Occurrence of Mycoplasma synoviae on commercial poultry farms of Pernambuco , Brazil 1

Barros M.R. , Nascimento E.R. , Silva J.S. A. , Pinheiro Júnior J.W. , Santos S.B. , Machado L.S. , Silva R.C. F. & Mota R.A. 2014. Occurrence of Mycoplasma synoviae on commercial poultry farms of Pernambuco, Brazil. Pesquisa Veterinária Brasileira 34(10):953-956. Departamento de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Av. Dom Manuel de Medeiros s/n, Recife, PE 52171900, Brazil. E-mail: merciarbpe@dmv.ufrpe. br The state of Pernambuco is the largest producer of eggs in the North and Northeast of Brazil and second one in the broiler production. Mycoplasmas are important avian pathogens, which cause respiratory and joint diseases that result in large economic losses. The aim of the present study was to investigate the occurrence of Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) and Mycoplasma synoviae (MS) in broilers and commercial laying hens in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. Tracheal fragments were analyzed from 55 healthy broilers, 35 broilers with respiratory signs and 30 commercial laying hens with respiratory signs, from 24 commercial poultry farms, each sample was composed of a pool of five birds. The bacteriological exam, PCR and nested PCR were used for the detection of Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) and Mycoplasma synoviae (MS). All samples were negative in bacteriological isolation. In the PCR analyses, seven samples from birds with respiratory signs were positive for MS and one was positive for MG, the latter of which was confirmed as the MG-F vaccine strain. The occurrence of MS in chickens with respiratory signs may indicate inadequate sanitary management on poultry farms, favoring the propagation of mycoplasmosis. INDEXS TERMS: Mycoplasmosis, Mycoplasma synoviae, PCR, broilers, commercial laying hens, diagnosis. 1 Received on February 7, 2014. Accepted for publication on August 28, 2014. Article extracted from Tese de Doutorado do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência Veterinária, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE), Recife, PE, Brazil. 2 Laboratório de Bacterioses dos Animais Domésticos, Departamento de Medicina Veterinária, UFRPE, Av. Dom Manoel de Medeiros s/n, Recife, PE 52171-900. *Corresponding author: merciarbpe@dmv.ufrpe. br 3 Departamento de Saúde Coletiva Veterinária e Saúde Pública, Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), Rua Vital Brazil Filho 64, Niterói, RJ 24230-340, Brazil. 4 Unidade Acadêmica de Garanhuns, UFRPE, Av. Bom Pastor s/n, Boa Vista, Garanhuns, PE 55292-270, Brazil.
Regulation of NMDA Receptor Activity by F-Actin and Myosin Light Chain Kinase

The postsynaptic density (PSD) at excitatory dendritic synapses comprises a protein complex of glutamate receptors, scaffolding elements, and signaling enzymes. For example, NMDA receptors (NMDARs) are linked to several proteins in the PSD, such as PSD-95, and are also tethered via binding proteins such as α-actinin directly to filamentous actin of the cytoskeleton. Depolymerization of the cytoskeleton modulates the activity of NMDARs, and, in turn, strong activation of NMDARs can trigger depolymerization of actin. Myosin, the motor protein of muscular contraction and nonmuscle motility, is also associated with NMDARs and the PSD. We show here that constitutively active myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) enhances NMDAR-mediated whole-cell and synaptic currents in acutely isolated CA1 pyramidal and cultured hippocampal neurons, whereas inhibitors of MLCK depress these currents. This MLCK-dependent regulation was observed in cell-attached patches but was lost after excision to inside-out patches. Furthermore, the enhancement induced by constitutively active MLCK and the depression of MLCK inhibitors were eliminated after depolymerization of the cytoskeleton. NMDARs and MLCK did not colocalize in clusters on the dendrites of cultured hippocampal neurons, further indicating that the effects of MLCK are mediated indirectly via actomyosin. Our results suggest that MLCK enhances actomyosin contractility to either increase the membrane tension on NMDARs or to alter physical relationships between the actin cytoskeleton and the linker proteins of NMDARs.
Random graphs with forbidden vertex degrees

We study the random graph Gn,λ/n conditioned on the event that all vertex degrees lie in some given subset $ {\cal S} $ of the nonnegative integers. Subject to a certain hypothesis on $ {\cal S} $, the empirical distribution of the vertex degrees is asymptotically Poisson with some parameter $ \hat{\mu} $ given as the root of a certain “characteristic equation” of $ {\cal S} $ that maximizes a certain function $ {\psi_{\cal S}(\mu)} $. Subject to a hypothesis on $ {\cal S} $, we obtain a partial description of the structure of such a random graph, including a condition for the existence (or not) of a giant component. The requisite hypothesis is in many cases benign, and applications are presented to a number of choices for the set $ {\cal S} $ including the sets of (respectively) even and odd numbers. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg. , 2010
Simulation of Cusick Drapemeter Using Particle-based Modeling: Stability Analysis of Explicit Integration Methods

Particle-based modeling has been a popular method for modeling fabric deformations due to its fast calculation speed. However, it is still difficult to control material properties of fabrics and to prevent calculations from diverging. This study explored and uncovered stability regions among time step and physical forces for stable cloth simulation for various explicit integration methods. We used a triangular mesh with a new bending model to control the bending stiffness. The Cusick drapemeter test was simulated and drape coefficients showed a linear relationship with experiments.
An Ontology-Based Data Organization Method

Data open sharing becomes the basis for mining the potential value of big data. Due to the different structure of different shared data sources, the upper layer application is restricted. Therefore, how to establish a unified and user friendly logical organization form is an urgent problem to be solved in the open sharing of data. This paper presents a method of data organization based on ontology knowledge base. Firstly, we design rules to extract the concepts and relationships in the original data set. Then we implement three standardized human-computer interaction interfaces to perfect the ontology model. Finally, according to the ontology knowledge base model, original data set is reorganized, which makes the logic structure of the new data set more suitable to the upper level application, and improves the utilization ratio of the open data.
Repetitive Practice of a Single Joint Movement for Enhancing Elbow Function in Hemiparetic Patients

The primary goal of this study was to assess whether repetitive practice of flexion-extension movements of the affected elbow in hemiparetic patients enhances performance and to compare the effects of this practice mode to the effects of the physical therapy variable exercise program which is routinely applied during sessions. Subjects were 27 poststroke hemiparetic patients, residents of a rehabilitation institute, divided into an experimental (n= 15) and a control group (n = 12). The former were treated with 800 repeated elbow movements in a maximal predetermined amplitude of 80°, provided in 8 equal sessions every other day. The latter received 10 min. of conventional physical therapy for the paretic upper extremity at similar time intervals. Pre- and posttreatment assessments included the bilateral measurements of kinematic variables and activation latencies of the biceps and triceps brachi muscles as well as motor and functional tests. For all criterion variables, the findings pointed to comparable improvement in both groups. It was concluded that repetitive elbow movements had no unique training effect on the kinematics of movement and on activation latencies of the primary muscles controlling elbow function in hemiparetic patients. Further, transfer of the effects of training to execution of movements towards and from the mouth was also comparable in both groups, pointing again to there being no particular advantage in using repetitive movements as a training mode for enhancement of elbow function in hemiparetic patients.
Development of Essentialist Thinking About Religion Categories in Northern Ireland (and the United States)

Social essentialism, the belief that members of certain social categories share unobservable properties, licenses expectations that those categories are natural and a good basis for inference. A challenge for cognitive developmental theory is to give an account of how children come to develop essentialist beliefs about socially important categories. Previous evidence from Israel suggests that kindergarteners selectively engage in essentialist reasoning about culturally salient (ethnicity) categories, and that this is attenuated among children in integrated schools. In 5 studies (N = 718) we used forced-choice (Study 1) and unconstrained (Studies 2–4) category-based inference tasks, and a questionnaire (Study 5) to study the development of essentialist reasoning about religion categories in Northern Ireland (Studies 1–3 & 5) and the U.S. (Study 4). Results show that, as in Israel, Northern Irish children selectively engage in essentialist reasoning about culturally salient (religion) categories, and that such reasoning is attenuated among children in integrated schools. However, the development trajectory of essentialist thinking and the patterns of attenuation among children attending integrated schools in Northern Ireland differ from the Israeli case. Meta-analysis confirmed this claim and ruled out an alternative explanation of the results based on community diversity. Although the Northern Irish and Israeli case studies illustrate that children develop selective essentialist beliefs about socially important categories, and that these beliefs are impacted by educational context, the differences between them emphasize the importance of historical, cultural, and political context in understanding conceptual development, and suggest that there may be more than one developmental route to social essentialism.
Transport and regulatory properties of the apical Na-K-2Cl cotransporter of macula densa cells.

[Formula: see text]/NH3fluxes were used to probe apical Na-K-2Cl transport activity of macula densa (MD) cells from rabbit kidney. In the presence of 25 mM NaCl and 5 mM Ba2+, addition of 20 mM[Formula: see text] to the lumen produced a profound intracellular acidification, and ∼80% of the initial acidification rate was bumetanide sensitive. The[Formula: see text]-induced acidification rate was dependent on luminal Cl- and Na+ with apparent affinities of 17 ± 4 mM (Hill number 1.45) and 1.0 ± 0.3 mM, respectively. In the presence of saturating luminal NaCl concentration ([NaCl]L), blockade of basolateral Cl- efflux with 10 μM 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino)benzoic acid (NPPB) reduced the [Formula: see text]-induced acidification rate by 51 ± 6% ( P> 0.01, n = 5). Under similar conditions, dibutyryl-cAMP (DBcAMP) + forskolin increased the[Formula: see text]-induced acidification rate by 27%, whereas it produced no detectable effect at low luminal NaCl concentration. Most of the observed DBcAMP + forskolin effect was probably due to the stimulation of the basolateral Cl- conductance, since, in the presence of basolateral NPPB, this activation was changed to a 17.1% and 16.6% inhibition of the[Formula: see text]-induced acidification rate observed at high or low [NaCl]L, respectively. We conclude that the cotransporter found in MD cells displays, with respect to other Na-K-2Cl cotransporters, a relatively high affinity for luminal Na+ and luminal Cl- and can be specifically inhibited by increases in intracellular Cl- and cAMP concentrations.
Coarse-grained topology estimation via graph sampling

In many online networks, nodes are partitioned into categories (e.g., countries or universities in OSNs), which naturally defines a weighted category graph i.e., a coarse-grained version of the underlying network. In this paper, we show how to efficiently estimate the category graph from a probability sample of nodes. We prove consistency of our estimators and evaluate their efficiency via simulation. We also apply our methodology to a sample of Facebook users to obtain a number of category graphs, such as the college friendship graph and the country friendship graph. We share and visualize the resulting data at www.geosocialmap. com.
Prolonged Reaction Time to a Verbal Working Memory Task Predicts Increased Power of Posterior Parietal Cortical Activation

We used multislice functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the association between behavioral and neurophysiological measures of working memory task performance in 20 right-handed male healthy volunteers. Images were acquired over a 5-min period at 1.5 Tesla. We used a periodic design, alternating 30-s blocks of the "n-back" working memory task with 30-s blocks of a sensorimotor control task to activate verbal working memory systems. The power of functional response to the task was estimated by sinusoidal regression at each voxel. The relationship between power of fMRI response and mean reaction time over all 11 working memory trials was explored by multiple regression, with age and mean reaction time to the control task as covariates, at voxel and regional levels of analysis. All subjects were able to perform the n-back task accurately. A spatially distributed network was activated, including dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, inferior frontal gyrus, lateral premotor cortex, and supplementary motor area (SMA) in the frontal lobes. More posteriorly, there were major foci of activation in parietal and occipitoparietal cortex, precuneus, lingual, and fusiform gyri of the ventral occipital lobe, inferior temporal gyrus, and cerebellum. The power of functional response was positively correlated with reaction time in bilateral posterior parietal cortex (Talairach coordinates in x, y, z (mm) 35, -44, 37 and -32, -56, 42), indicating that subjects who found the task difficult, and responded with a slower reaction time, tended to activate these regions more powerfully. One interpretation of this regionally specific relationship between prolonged reaction time and increased power of posterior parietal activation is consistent with prior studies identifying similar areas of parietal cortex as the site of the phonological storage function in verbal working memory.