Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Morphological and physiological interactions of NG2‐glia with astrocytes and neurons

Models of central nervous system (CNS) function have historically been based on neurons and their synaptic contacts – the neuronal doctrine. This doctrine envisages glia as passive supportive cells. However, electrophysiological and imaging studies in brain slices show us that astrocytes, the most numerous cells in the brain, express a wide range of neurotransmitter receptors that are activated in response to synaptic activity. Furthermore, astrocytes communicate via calcium signals that are propagated over long distances by the release of ‘gliotransmitters’, the most abundant being adenosine triphosphate (ATP). This has led to the concept of the neuron–astroglial functional unit as the substrate of integration in the CNS. Recently, a novel glial cell type has been characterized by expression of the proteoglycan NG2. These NG2‐glia receive presynaptic input from neurons and responds to neurotransmitters released at synapses. Now, studies on transgenic mice in which fluorescent proteins are specifically expressed by subclasses of glia are helping to address the question of where NG2‐glia fit in the neuron–astroglial model of integrated brain function. NG2‐glia, as well as astrocytes, have been shown to respond to neuronal and astroglial signals by raised intracellular calcium, which is a potential communications mechanism by which NG2‐glia may be active partners in neuron–glial circuits. Moreover, a current concept of NG2‐glia considers them to be ‘neural stem cells’ and an exciting prospect is that neuron–glial signalling may regulate the differentiation capacity of NG2‐glia and their response to injury.
The DMRT gene family in amphioxus

Doublesex and Mab-3-related transcription factor (DMRT) gene family is widely known for its involvement in sex determination and/or differentiation among different phyla. In this study, we identify eight DMRT genes in the cephalochordate amphioxus, a protochordate holding a key phylogenetic position. The eight DMRTs can be divided into two groups based on the conserved domain: BfDM044, BfDM045, BfDM55.1, BfDM115.1, and BfDM17.1 belong to the first group which have both DM and DMA domains, while BfDM246.1, BfDM084, and BfDM175 belong to the second group which have only DM domain. Most of the first group members have same genomic structure except BfDM17.1, while no regular pattern exists in the second group. Phylogenetic analysis of the DM domain sequences shows that DMRT genes in vertebrates form seven different independent clusters, and some even contain genes from invertebrates with high bootstrap. Notably, the first group members of amphioxus cluster with vertebrate DMRTs; while the second group members cluster into a single branch, which diverge from the vertebrate classes. The results suggest that several DMRT genes in vertebrates may evolve from homologous genes in invertebrates. As in nematode, drosophila, fish, and vertebrates, DMRT genes cluster is also found in amphioxus, which may be the result of gene duplication. Interspecific differences in the amphioxus DMRTs and sea squirt DMRTs may suggest post-speciation duplication of some DMRT genes.
Attributes Union in CP-ABE Algorithm for Large Universe Cryptographic Access Control

Cloud storage is used wildly as online data storing and sharing paradigm today. And customers are willing to protect their data by cryptographic access control mechanisms. The cipher text policy attribute based encryption (CP-ABE) algorithm is a promising technique for building cryptographic access control systems. Using CP-ABE schemes, customers can share their files selectively without defining an exact list of receivers. The main disadvantage of CP-ABE based access control systems is that the CP-ABE is inefficient and its overhead grows significantly with the size of universe attributes set. Existing researches solve this problem by adopting the random oracle, which only reduce the size of public parameters or the master secret key. In this paper we introduce a novel technique named attributes union, which can integrate a certain number of attributes into an attributes union. The core of attributes union is based on an arithmetic theorem. First, each attribute in the universe attributes set will be mapped with a unique prime element. Second, we can represent users' attributes set with the multiply product of all primes corresponding to the attributes in the set. Finally, the access structure can also be represented by attributes union based on the actual situation. We present an example CP-ABE construction with the attributes union, and proof that our construction is still secure against chosen plaintext attacks under the decisional Bilinear Diffie-Hellman assumption. Using attributes union we can also modify almost all existing CP-ABE algorithms and reduce their storage and computational overhead. We compare our scheme with other similar systems in terms of the size of keys and cipher text and the computational time. The results show that our construction is more efficient thanks to attributes union.
Feature-Oriented Software Development A Short Tutorial on Feature-Oriented Programming , Virtual Separation of Concerns , and Variability-Aware Analysis

Feature-oriented software development is a paradigm for the construction, customization, and synthesis of large-scale and variable software systems, focusing on structure, reuse and variation. In this tutorial, we provide a gentle introduction to software product lines, feature oriented programming, virtual separation of concerns, and variabilityaware analysis. We provide an overview, show connections between the different lines of research, and highlight possible future research directions.
Accelerated HF-rTMS Protocol has a Rate-Dependent Effect on dACC Activation in Alcohol-Dependent Patients: An Open-Label Feasibility Study.

BACKGROUND The application of accelerated high-frequency (HF) repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) could be a potential treatment option for alcohol-dependent patients and may result in a faster clinical response. In this open-label HF-rTMS feasibility study, we wanted to replicate previous findings of baseline brain activation as a predictor of relapse, and to evaluate how this intervention influences the relapse neurocircuit of "treatment-seeking" alcohol-dependent patients, by means of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) cue-exposure paradigms. Because relapsing patients have a diminished resilience of the emotion regulation/cognitive control system, before HF-rTMS treatment, we expected lower neuronal activation of especially the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) during the presentation of alcohol-related cues in these patients. The relapse neurocircuit should be modified after accelerated HF-rTMS treatment, only in those patients who did not relapse. METHODS After being administered a single sham-controlled HF-rTMS session (20 Hz to 110% motor threshold), 19 alcohol-dependent patients received an accelerated HF-rTMS protocol, consisting of 14 right dorsolateral prefrontal cortical sessions spread over 3 days. Before and after stimulation, during fMRI patients were confronted with a block and an event-related alcoholic cue-exposure paradigm. Relapse was defined as the consumption of any amount of alcohol within 4 weeks after the stimulation. A region of interest analysis was performed to evaluate how HF-rTMS exerts its effect. RESULTS After 4 weeks, 13 of 19 patients had already consumed alcohol. When abstainers were compared to patients who had relapsed, we found higher dorsal ACC (dACC) activation at baseline, but only during the blocked cue-exposure paradigm. The effects of HF-rTMS on dACC blood oxygen level-dependent response were negatively correlated with the baseline dACC activation. Due to susceptibility artifacts located at the ventral cortical aspects in 6 of our participants, reliable data were only obtained for the ACC. CONCLUSIONS Our data indicate that higher baseline dACC activation may serve as a protective mechanism regarding relapse. For the first time, it is demonstrated that accelerated HF-rTMS treatment influences dACC activation in a rate-dependent manner: the lower the baseline dACC activation, the more dACC activity was increased after HF-rTMS treatment.
Determinants of Organizational IT Infrastructure Capabilities : An Empirical Study by Weidong

Investment in information technology (IT) infrastructure has in recent years become a strategic organizational choice. Yet, there exists little understanding of the organizational factors that determine IT infrastructure capabilities and investment requirements. Using a filed survey of both business and IT executives, this study tests a research model that links a set of organizational factors to IT infrastructure capabilities. Organizational factors explored in this study include both external environment variables (competitiveness, dynamism and heterogeneity) and internal environment variables (organizational size, information intensity, the perceived role of IT, IT-business alignment, and business synergy). The results suggest that, among all the organizational factors, IT-business alignment, the perceived role of IT, and business synergy were the most significant predictors of an organization’s IT infrastructure capabilities. The characteristics of an organization’s external environment, however, were not directly related to an organization’s IT infrastructure capabilities. Implications of the results are discussed.
A flexible BDI architecture supporting extensibility

The BDI agent model comprises a simple but efficient folk psychological framework of mentalistic notions usable for modeling rational agent behaviour. Nevertheless, despite its usefulness it is also a popular subject for extensions that try to improve the model in certain uncovered aspects such as emotions or norms. On the architectural level the BDI model is typically represented by an abstract BDI interpreter, which implements the fixed BDI reasoning cycle. In this paper it is argued that a fixed cycle has certain inherent drawbacks and that a transition towards a flexible agenda approach based on BDI meta-actions leads to a design open for extensions in many respects because new meta-actions can be easily integrated into the architecture on demand. To prove the validity of the approach, it is shown how the extensibility can be exploited to integrate concrete new aspects of increasing complexity into the model. They range from a simple mechanism for updating beliefs to a complex goal deliberation strategy and demand only slight modifications at well-defined extension points of the architecture. The new architecture as well as the presented extensions has been realized within the open source Jadex BDI reasoning engine.
Handbook of Computational Social Choice

The rapidly growing field of computational social choice, at the intersection of computer science and economics, deals with the computational aspects of collective decision making. This handbook, written by thirty-six prominent members of the computational social choice community, covers the field comprehensively. Chapters devoted to each of the field's major themes offer detailed introductions. Topics include voting theory (such as the computational complexity of winner determination and manipulation in elections), fair allocation (such as algorithms for dividing divisible and indivisible goods), coalition formation (such as matching and hedonic games), and many more. Graduate students, researchers, and professionals in computer science, economics, mathematics, political science, and philosophy will benefit from this accessible and self-contained book.
Neuromuscular Profile of Top-Level Women Kayakers Assessed Through Tensiomyography

Abstract García-García, O, Cancela-Carral, JM, and Huelin-Trillo, F. Neuromuscular profile of top-level women kayakers assessed through tensiomyography. J Strength Cond Res 29(3): 844–853, 2015—The aim of this study is to assess the contractile properties and the lateral symmetry percentages of trapezius, deltoideus, and latissimus dorsi muscles of top-level female kayakers [FKs]) and to determine the gender influence and the specific training in the assessed parameters. Twenty-one volunteers participated in this study, who were stratified into 3 groups: 7 top-level FKs, 4 top-level men kayakers (MKs), and 10 physically active female non-kayakers (FNKs), and they have been assessed through tensiomyography (TMG). Reliability of the TMG assessment was tested by calculating intraclass correlation coefficient reliabilities, and all the values obtained were over 0.8. A t-test (p ⩽ 0.05), a 1-factor analysis of variance (p ⩽ 0.01), and Cohen's d effect sizes were implemented, and we used the algorithm of TMG-BMC tensiomyography to determine the lateral symmetry percentages. The results show that FKs and MKs differ only in the lower reaction time that FKs obtain when contracting their trapezius muscle (19.5%; p = 0.008; d = 2.13). However, FKs present >34.4% of time contraction (p = 0.003; d = 1.8) in their latissimus dorsi muscle than FNKs. Also, FKs have >123.7% of time contraction (p = 0.009; d = 1.5), >11.3% of time reaction (p = 0.01; d = 1.5), >34.8% of maximum radial displacement (p = 0.01; d = 1.35), and <20.4% of lateral symmetry (p = 0.006; d = 1.6) in their trapezius than FNKs. In conclusion, the specific training seems to have a significant influence on the FK's neuromuscular profile compared with FNKs.
Light level impacts locomotor biomechanics in a secondarily diurnal gecko, Rhoptropus afer

ABSTRACT Locomotion through complex habitats relies on the continuous feedback from a number of sensory systems, including vision. Animals face a visual trade-off between acuity and light sensitivity that depends on light levels, which will dramatically impact the ability to process information and move quickly through a habitat, making ambient illumination an incredibly important ecological factor. Despite this, there is a paucity of data examining ambient light in the context of locomotor dynamics. There have been several independent transitions from the nocturnal ancestor to a diurnal activity pattern among geckos. We examined how ambient light level impacted the locomotor performance and high-speed three-dimensional kinematics of a secondarily diurnal, and cursorial, gecko (Rhoptropus afer) from Namibia. This species is active under foggy and sunny conditions, indicating that a range of ambient light conditions is experienced naturally. Locomotor speed was lowest in the ‘no-light’ condition compared with all other light intensities, occurring via a combination of shorter stride length and lower stride frequency. Additionally, the centre of mass was significantly lower, and the geckos were more sprawled, in the no-light condition relative to all of the higher light intensities. Locomotor behaviour is clearly sub-optimal under lower light conditions, suggesting that ecological conditions, such as very dense fog, might preclude the ability to run quickly during predator–prey interactions. The impact of ambient light on fitness should be explored further, especially in those groups that exhibit multiple transitions between diel activity patterns. Highlighted Article: Vision is critical for locomotion, but it is poorly understood in relation to locomotor biomechanics in non-human vertebrates. The secondarily diurnal gecko, Rhoptropus afer, shows changes in speed and posture in low light conditions.
A Reciprocal Relationship between Reliability and Responsiveness in Developing Visual Cortical Neurons

As the visual cortex matures, developmental modifications change the visually evoked firing patterns of single neurons. To explore the relationship between these developmental changes and the fidelity with which neurons transmit information, we measured the reliability of neuronal responses during postnatal development. Infant neurons have lower variability and higher dependence of transmitted information on firing rate than adult cells. Fewer spikes are needed by the infant cortex to convey the same amount of information. The increase in firing rates that occurs during development is largely offset, therefore, by a decrease in the reliability of responses. We propose that these changes are a consequence of the increasing ability of cortical cells to encode rapid changes in the visual environment.
The Relative Roles of Three DNA Repair Pathways in Preventing Caenorhabditis elegans Mutation Accumulation

Mutation is a central biological process whose rates and spectra are influenced by a variety of complex and interacting forces. Although DNA repair pathways are generally known to play key roles in maintaining genetic stability, much remains to be understood about the relative roles of different pathways in preventing the accumulation of mutations and the extent of heterogeneity in pathway-specific repair efficiencies across different genomic regions. In this study we examine mutation processes in base excision repair-deficient (nth-1) and nucleotide excision repair-deficient (xpa-1) Caenorhabditis elegans mutation-accumulation (MA) lines across 24 regions of the genome and compare our observations to previous data from mismatch repair-deficient (msh-2 and msh-6) and wild-type (N2) MA lines. Drastic variation in both average and locus-specific mutation rates, ranging two orders of magnitude for the latter, was detected among the four sets of repair-deficient MA lines. Our work provides critical insights into the relative roles of three DNA repair pathways in preventing C. elegans mutation accumulation and provides evidence for the presence of pathway-specific DNA repair territories in the C. elegans genome.
Heated, humidified air for the common cold.

BACKGROUND Heated, humidified air has long been used by sufferers of the common cold. The theoretical basis is that steam may help congested mucus drain better and heat may destroy the cold virus as it does in vitro. OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of inhaling heated water vapour (steam) in the treatment of the common cold by comparing symptoms, viral shedding and nasal resistance. SEARCH METHODS In this updated review we searched CENTRAL 2013, Issue 2, MEDLINE (1966 to February week 4, 2013), EMBASE (1990 to March 2013) and Current Contents (1994 to March 2013). SELECTION CRITERIA Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) using heated water vapour in participants with the common cold or participants with experimentally induced common cold. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS The two review authors independently reviewed all retrieved articles and excluded any articles, editorials and abstracts with inadequate outcome descriptions. The studies we included were subjected to a methodological assessment. MAIN RESULTS We included six trials (394 trial participants). Three trials in which patient data could be pooled found benefits of steam for symptom relief for the common cold (odds ratio (OR) 0.31; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.16 to 0.60). However, results on symptom indices were equivocal. No studies demonstrated an exacerbation of clinical symptom scores. One study conducted in the USA demonstrated worsened nasal resistance, while an earlier Israeli study showed improvement. One study examined viral shedding and antibody titres in nasal washings; there was no change in either between treatment and placebo groups. Minor side effects (including discomfort or irritation of the nose) were reported in some studies. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS Steam inhalation has not shown any consistent benefits in the treatment of the common cold, hence is not recommended in the routine treatment of common cold symptoms until more double-blind, randomised trials with a standardised treatment modality are conducted.
Cytotoxicity of NF-kappaB inhibitors Bay 11-7085 and caffeic acid phenethyl ester to Ramos and other human B-lymphoma cell lines.

OBJECTIVE The viability of normal and malignant B-cells was shown to depend on the constitutive activation of the nuclear factor (NF)- kappaB pathway. Thus, attempts to find efficient inhibitors of NF-kappaB play a central role in the search for novel anti-B lymphoma therapies. We studied the effects of two NF-kappaB inhibitors, Bay 11-7085 (BAY) and caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), on the viability of B-lymphoma cell lines. METHODS We investigated the mechanism(s) of the cytotoxic effect of the NF-kappaB inhibitors, BAY, and CAPE on human-lymphoma and nonhematological cell lines. RESULTS BAY and CAPE were shown to kill Ramos-Burkitt's lymphoma cells with IC(50) values of 0.7 microM and 4 microM, respectively. The rapid killing by BAY (h) vs the slower killing by CAPE (1-3 days), and their differential effects on the stages of the cell cycle, indicated that these drugs induce killing by different mechanisms. BAY and CAPE induced a loss of the cytoplasmic compartment and generated pyknotic nuclei, which lacked nuclear or nucleosomal fragmentation, features characteristic of necrosis rather than apoptosis. BAY also induced a rapid loss of the mitochondrial potential and rapid inhibition of p65 NF-kappaB binding to its kappaB motif without reducing the level of nuclear p65. CONCLUSION Our results indicate that BAY causes a necrotic rather than apoptotic cell death, either through its effect on the NF-kappaB pathway and/or by affecting additional molecular targets. The high sensitivity of B-lymphoma cell lines to the cytotoxicity of BAY, justify further research to explore its potential therapeutic effect on human B lymphomas.
The timing and distribution of strains around the surface of the midshaft of the third metacarpal bone during treadmill exercise in one Thoroughbred racehorse.

OBJECTIVE To confirm that the midshaft dorsal cortex of the third metacarpal bone experienced higher compressive strains during fast exercise than the medial or lateral cortices, and that the strain peak occurred earlier in the hoof-down phase of the stride on the dorsal cortex than the medial or lateral cortices. DESIGN Observations of a single horse. PROCEDURE Strains were collected from a single, sound, 3-year-old Thoroughbred mare during treadmill exercise from rosette strain gauges implanted onto the medial, lateral and dorsal surfaces of the midshaft of the right cannon bone, simultaneously with data from a hoof switch that showed when the hoof was in the stance phase. RESULTS Peak compressive strains on the dorsal surface of the third metacarpal bone were proportional to exercise speed and occurred at about 30% of stance. Peak compressive strains on the medial surface of the non-lead limb reached a maximum at a speed around 10 m/s and occurred at mid-stance. Peak compressive strains on the lateral surface varied in timing and size between strides at all exercise speeds, but remained less than -2000 microstrains. CONCLUSIONS The timing of peak compressive strains on the dorsal cortex suggests a relationship to deceleration of the limb following hoof impact, so the main determinants of their size would be exercise speed and turning (as shown in previous experiments). This experiment confirms data from other laboratories that were published but not discussed, that peak compressive strains on the medial surface occur at mid-stance. This suggests that they are related to the support of body weight. The strains on the lateral cortex occurred at variable times so may be associated with the maintenance of balance as well as the support of body weight. Understanding the loading of the third metacarpal bone will help to determine causes of damage to it and ways in which the bone might be conditioned to prevent such damage.