Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The sympathetic nervous system and hypertension: recent developments.

A major hypothesisfor the development of hypertension is that abnormal renal excretory function is critical for the initiation, development, and maintenance of primary hypertension.1 The renal body fluid feedback mechanism couples the long-term regulation of arterial pressure to extracellular volume (sodium and water) homeostasis via pressure natriuresis, whereby the kidneys respond to changes in arterial pressure by altering urinary sodium and water excretion. The obligatory requirement for maintenance of sodium and water balance by the kidneys is believed to be primary in the long-term control of arterial pressure. An increase in arterial pressure (via increases in total peripheral resistance or cardiac output or both) leads to an increased urinary sodium and water excretion via the pressure natriuresis mechanism, with consequent reduction in blood volume until arterial pressure is returned to normal. Thus, factors that decrease renal excretory function and disrupt the maintenance of sodium and water balance by the kidneys lead to an increase in arterial pressure, which is required to reestablish and maintain sodium and water balance. Based on computer modeling studies, a long-term increase in arterial pressure can only occur if there is a chronic and sustained decrease in renal excretory function. Increased renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) is known to be a factor capable of decreasing renal excretory function.2,3 The renal effects of increased RSNA include increased renal tubular sodium reabsorption leading to renal sodium retention; decreased renal blood flow and glomerular filtration rate with renal vasoconstriction and increased renal vascular resistance; and increased renin release leading to angiotensin II production. Each of these renal functional alterations can decrease renal excretory function. The role of increased RSNA as being a critically important factor contributing to this renal excretory dysfunction in hypertension is strengthened by the fact that increased RSNA has been identified in hypertensive human …
Indoor Air Quality in a Real Operating Theatre under Effective Use Conditions

The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of surgical staff on the indoor air quality in a uni-directional ventilation Operating Theatre (OT). Experimental measurements of particles and microclimate were acquired at rest and in operational conditions. The real OT (operational) use was simulated by a sham hip arthroplasty. CFD simulations were carried out outlining the studied environment used for experimental measurement campaign. A standard k-e closure scheme based on RANS equations was implemented to solve the velocity and pressure field using an eddy viscosity approach. Temperature and relative humidity distributions were also computed keeping into account sensible and latent heat sources inside the OT. An Euler-based approach was applied to solve the concentration fields of gaseous contaminant and small particles (up to 5 μm in diameter) in the indoor air. An innovative strategy is proposed to estimate, by an iterative comparison between experimental data and numerical results, the emission rate of particles (differentiated by diameters) released by the occupants to be considered as source terms in the numerical model. Compliance with literature evidence concerning thermal and velocity fields and CO2 concentration was confirmed. From our analyses, some IAQ indexes were deduced, allowing monitoring of the local and overall OT air quality level supplied by the ventilating system during real operational conditions. The highest values of microbial air contamination were recorded during surgical activity; nevertheless, results showed the suitability of the ventilation system in providing the expected air quality.
Doublecortin in Oligodendrocyte Precursor Cells in the Adult Mouse Brain

Key Points Oligodendrocyte precursor cells express doublecortin, a microtubule-associated protein. Oligodendrocyte precursor cells express doublecortin, but at a lower level of expression than in neuronal precursor. Doublecortin is not associated with a potential immature neuronal phenotype in Oligodendrocyte precursor cells. Oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPC) are glial cells that differentiate into myelinating oligodendrocytes during embryogenesis and early stages of post-natal life. OPCs continue to divide throughout adulthood and some eventually differentiate into oligodendrocytes in response to demyelinating lesions. There is growing evidence that OPCs are also involved in activity-driven de novo myelination of previously unmyelinated axons and myelin remodeling in adulthood. Considering these roles in the adult brain, OPCs are likely mobile cells that can migrate on some distances before they differentiate into myelinating oligodendrocytes. A number of studies have noted that OPCs express doublecortin (DCX), a microtubule-associated protein expressed in neural precursor cells and in migrating immature neurons. Here we describe the distribution of DCX in OPCs. We found that almost all OPCs express DCX, but the level of expression appears to be much lower than what is found in neural precursor. We found that DCX is downregulated when OPCs start expressing mature oligodendrocyte markers and is absent in myelinating oligodendrocytes. DCX does not appear to signal an immature neuronal phenotype in OPCs in the adult mouse brain. Rather, it could be involved either in cell migration, or as a marker of an immature oligodendroglial cell phenotype.
The Population Ecology of Technology: An Empirical Study of US Biotechnology Patents from 1976 to 2003

A detailed understanding of technological change as an evolutionary process is currently not well understood. To increase our understanding, we build upon theory from organizational ecology to develop a model of endogenous technological growth and determine to what extent the pattern of technological growth can be attributed to the structural or systemic characteristics of the technology itself. Through an empirical investigation of patent data in the biotechnology industry from 1976 to 2003, we find that a technology’s internal (i.e., density and diversity) ecological characteristics have a positive effect on its growth rate. The niche’s external characteristics of crowding and status have a negative effect on its growth rate. Hence, applying theory from organizational ecology increases our understanding of technological change as an evolutionary process. We discuss the implications of our findings for the study of technological growth and evolution, and suggest avenues for further research.
Rules of Thumb for Balance of Payments Accounting

Balance of payments accounting can be confusing for students, because it is sometimes difficult to determine whether a certain transaction (e.g., a currency exchange) is a debit or a credit to a certain account. It is therefore the purpose of this paper to summarize the standard balance of payments concepts according to useful rules of thumb, which are intended to help students more easily determine how a given international transaction affects each balance of payment account.
Cluster-based mechanism for multiple spoofing attackers in WSN

Wireless spoofing attacks are easy to launch and can significantly impact the performance of networks. Although the identity of a node can be verified through cryptographic authentication, conventional security approaches are not always desirable because of their overhead requirements. In this paper, we propose to use spatial information, a physical property associated with each node, hard to falsify, and not reliant on cryptography, as the basis for detecting spoofing attacks, determining the number of attackers when multiple adversaries masquerading as asame node identity; and localizing multiple adversaries. We propose to use the spatial correlation of received signal strength (RSS) inherited from wireless nodes to detect the spoofing attacks. We then formulate the problem of determining the number of attackers as multiclass detection problem. Cluster based mechanisms is developed to determine the number of attackers. When the training data is available, we explore using Support Vector Machines (SVM) method to further improve the accuracy of determining the number of attackers. In addition, we developed an integrated detection and localization system that can localize the positions of multiple attackers. We evaluated our techniques through two test beds using both an 802.11 (Wi-Fi) network and an 802.15. 4 (ZigBee) network in two real office buildings. Our experimental results show that our proposed methods can achieve over 90% Hit Rate and Precision when determining the number of attackers. Our localization results using a representative set of algorithms provide strong evidence of high accuracy of localizing multiple adversaries.
Fault Detection of Stator Winding Interturn Short Circuit in PMSM Based on Wavelet Packet Analysis

In this paper, the method of wavelet packet transform analysis is proposed, according to the shortcomings of Fourier transform analysis method when the fault detection of permanent magnet synchronous motor(PMSM) is studied. The stator current signal of PMSM is decomposed by wavelet packet, then the signal energy eigenvalues of frequency bands are analyzed. The simulation result shows that the method of wavelet packet transform analysis can well characterize the fault features of the stator winding inter-turn short circuit.
Conductance changes underlying a late synaptic hyperpolarization in hippocampal CA3 neurons.

1. Single-electrode current- and voltage-clamp techniques were employed to study properties of the conductance underlying an orthodromically evoked late synaptic hyperpolarization or late inhibitory postsynaptic potential (IPSP) in CA3 pyramidal neurons in the rat hippocampal slice preparation. 2. Late IPSPs could occur without preceding excitatory postsynaptic potentials at the resting membrane potential and were graded according to the strength of the orthodromic stimulus. The membrane hyperpolarization associated with the late IPSP peaked within 140-200 ms after orthodromic stimulation of mossy fiber afferents. The late IPSP returned to base line with a half-decay time of approximately 200 ms. 3. As determined from constant-amplitude hyperpolarizing-current pulses, the membrane conductance increase during the late IPSP, and the time course of its decay, were similar whether measurements were made near the resting membrane potential or when the cell was hyperpolarized by approximately 35 mV. 4. When 1 mM cesium was added to the extracellular medium to reduce inward rectification, late IPSPs could be examined over a range of membrane potentials from -60 to -140 mV. For any given neuron, the late IPSP amplitude-membrane potential relationship was linear over the same range of membrane potentials for which the slope input resistance was constant. The late IPSP reversed symmetrically near -95 mV. 5. Intracellular injection of ethyleneglycol-bis-(beta-aminoethylether)-N,N'-tetraacetic acid or extracellular application of forskolin, procedures known to reduce or block certain calcium-dependent potassium conductances in CA3 neurons, had no significant effect on the late IPSP. 6. Single-electrode voltage-clamp techniques were used to analyze the time course and voltage sensitivity of the current underlying the late IPSP. This current [the late inhibitory postsynaptic current (IPSC)] began as early as 25 ms after orthodromic stimulation and reached a peak 120-150 ms following stimulation. 7. The late IPSC decayed with a single exponential time course (tau = 185 ms). 8. A clear reversal of the late IPSC at approximately -99 mV was observed in a physiological concentration of extracellular potassium (3.5 mM). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Russia's "Transition": Is Democracy Delayed Democracy Denied?

mer Soviet republics have begun to adopt a similarly fatalistic tone. There is concern that the Russian transition may have become "stuck," that democracy remains "unconsolidated," or that the transition may never have happened in Russia in the first place. With an impenetrable veil of uncertainty surrounding the waning months of Yeltsin's presidency and prospects for the postYeltsin succession, some have begun to speak of democracy as the longest route from Communism to Communism. Almost a decade into the post-Soviet era, scholars and citizens alike recognize that the road to democracy in Russia (and the other former Soviet republics) is longer and more circuitous than for the countries of East Central Europe. At times, the road appears to be leading nowhere at all. Precisely for this reason, it is important to reconsider why we expected these countries to embark on a transition to democracy in the first place. Even more important, the cases of Russia and its neighbors force us to question whether the very project of studying democratic "consolidation" may have blinded us to a more lasting and pernicious institutional consolidation that has taken place behind the banner of democratization.
REMOTE SENSING OF IMPERVIOUS SURFACE AREA FOR IMPROVED HYDROLOGIC MODELING

Impervious surface area (ISA), one of the consequences of urban development, has been used as an important indicator for environmental impacts of urbanization. In this study, we extracted ISA information for the state of Rhode Island, USA from 1-m spatial resolution true-color digital orthophotography data by an object-based classification. As the importance of ISA in the watersheds hydrology, we developed a distributed object-oriented rainfall-runoff simulation model (DORS) with incorporation of high spatial resolution ISA. The DORS model simulates hydrologic processes of precipitation interception, infiltration, evaporation and evapotranspiration, fluctuation of soil moisture and water table, runoff routing, ground water routing and channel flow routing. The model takes objects based on land cover data as the spatial units in order to reduce data volume, increase computational efficiency, strengthen representation of watersheds and utilize the data in variable scales. We validated the temporal variation of simulated discharge using measurements from USGS gage in a study watershed. The validation results indicate that the DORS model is capable of capturing the relationship between rainfall and runoff in the study area. The precise ISA information enhances the performance of the model simulation. Finally, we analyzed the relationship between watershed characteristics and hydrology pattern in selected watersheds with various levels of urbanization using spatial regression models. The result indicates that ISA plays important role in the change of watershed hydrology and the spatial autocorrelation in observations can not be neglected in the analysis. * Corresponding author.
Transtornos do processamento sensorial no autismo: algumas considerações

A integração sensorial é um processo neurológico de organização das sensações corporais e do ambiente externo com vistas a emissão de respostas adaptativas pelo sujeito. A literatura científica tem, nos últimos anos, registrado um expressivo aumento no número de estudos que associam a sintomatologia do Transtorno do Espectro do Autismo (TEA) a falhas no processamento e integração de estímulos sensoriais. O objetivo do presente artigo é descrever os sintomas do TEA à luz da Teoria de Integração Sensorial proposta por Ayres. Para tanto, serão identificados, com base em pesquisas empíricas, as especificidades dos transtornos do processamento sensorial, evidenciados no TEA e a sua concepção na perspectiva da referida teoria
Dorsomedial Prefrontal Cortex Mediates Rapid Evaluations Predicting the Outcome of Romantic Interactions

Humans frequently make real-world decisions based on rapid evaluations of minimal information; for example, should we talk to an attractive stranger at a party? Little is known, however, about how the brain makes rapid evaluations with real and immediate social consequences. To address this question, we scanned participants with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while they viewed photos of individuals that they subsequently met at real-life “speed-dating” events. Neural activity in two areas of dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC), paracingulate cortex, and rostromedial prefrontal cortex (RMPFC) was predictive of whether each individual would be ultimately pursued for a romantic relationship or rejected. Activity in these areas was attributable to two distinct components of romantic evaluation: either consensus judgments about physical beauty (paracingulate cortex) or individualized preferences based on a partner's perceived personality (RMPFC). These data identify novel computational roles for these regions of the DMPFC in even very rapid social evaluations. Even a first glance, then, can accurately predict romantic desire, but that glance involves a mix of physical and psychological judgments that depend on specific regions of DMPFC.
Monitoring-based Adaptive Overlay Streaming Media

Streaming media delivery is of great importance for applications such as Video on Demand (VOD) and Internet conferencing. Traditional streaming media systems treat the underlying network as a best-effort black box, and apply various coding techniques or blindly transmit the data over multiple paths to improve the quality and reliability. In this paper, we design and implement an adaptive live streaming media system that leverages on the emerging overlay networks and scalable monitoring services which can provide real-time network congestion/failure information when it occurs. First, we examine the performance improvement with PlanetLab [1] global overlay networks and find that in many cases, overlay routing can effectively reduce the loss rate and/or increase the TCP throughput. The client of our streaming media system uses overlay routing to bypass faulty link(s) and reestablish new connection to the server in the order of seconds. Furthermore, we apply skipfree rewinding techniques so that the client perceive conti nuous and smooth media playback without disruption during the path switch. Deployment and experiments on PlanetLab testbed show that our system can adapt to network congestion in less than four seconds, and achieve skip-free media playback.
Gain-Power Trade-Off in Low-Confinement Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers

We report simulation and experimental results to explore the fundamental trade-off between small-signal gain (G<sub>0</sub>) and saturation output power (P<sub>0,SAT</sub>) in semiconductor optical amplifiers having very small (< 1%) optical confinement factor Gamma. We demonstrate a high-power 1.5-mum InGaAsP slab-coupled optical waveguide amplifier (SCOWA) exhibiting G<sub>0</sub> = 22.5 dB and P<sub>0,SAT</sub> = +28.8 dBm.
Bandwidth Management Framework for IP based Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

In mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) the wireless links are error prone in nature and the mobile devices are highly mobile, therefore traditional Internet QoS protocols like RSVP cannot be easily migrated to the wireless environment. The management of bandwidth is critical to establish session guarantees for traffic flows. This paper examines the challenges of incorporating scalable bandwidth management scheme in a mobile ad hoc network environment with brief description of some proposals that specifically address this problem. It also analyzes a framework coping with the specific issues of MANETs and further proposes an extension to this existing framework for flexible resource allocation and better scalability.
Robots asking for directions — The willingness of passers-by to support robots

This paper reports about a human-robot interaction field trial conducted with the autonomous mobile robot ACE (Autonomous City Explorer) in a public place, where the ACE robot needs the support of human passers-by to find its way to a target location. Since the robot does not possess any prior map knowledge or GPS support, it has to acquire missing information through interaction with humans. The robot thus has to initiate communication by asking for the way, and retrieves information from passers-by showing the way by gestures (pointing) and marking goal positions on a still image on the touch screen of the robot. The aims of the field trial where threefold: (1) Investigating the aptitude of the navigation architecture, (2) Evaluating the intuitiveness of the interaction concept for the passers-by, (3) Assessing people's willingness to support the ACE robot in its task, i.e. assessing the social acceptability. The field trial demonstrates that the architecture enables successful autonomous path finding without any prior map knowledge just by route directions given by passers-by. An additional street survey and observational data moreover attests the intuitiveness of the interaction paradigm and the high acceptability of the ACE robot in the public place.
Jobshop scheduling with imprecise durations: a fuzzy approach

Jobshop scheduling problems are NP-hard problems. The durations in the reality of manufacturing are often imprecise and the imprecision in data is very critical for the scheduling procedures. Therefore, the fuzzy approach, in the framework of the Dempster-Shafer theory, commands attention. The fuzzy numbers are considered as sets of possible probabilistic distributions. After a review of some issues concerning fuzzy numbers, we discuss the determination of a unique optimal solution of the problem and then we cast a meta-heuristic (simulated annealing-SA) to this particular framework for optimization. It should be stressed that the obtained schedule remains feasible for all realizations of the operations durations.
Empirical regularity suggests retirement risks

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Towards a Decision Aid for External Audit Evaluation of the Internal Audit Function

The purpose of this paper is to inform practitioners about leading research in the field of internal audit and corporate governance. There has been considerable progress in academic research towards the development of a decision aid for External Audit evaluation of the Internal Audit Function. Desai et al. (2009) developed a theoretical model of the decision process used by external auditors to determine the strength of their client’s internal audit function. They further tested this model using computer simulations. The model is based on three factors identified by auditing standards and prior academic research: Competence, Work Performance, and Objectivity. The results of the analysis revealed that modelling the “And” relationship is essential for assessing the strength of the IA function. As far as interrelationships are concerned, the analysis revealed that when the three factors have a strong or a perfect relationship, the strength of the IA function remains high even if we have positive or negative evidence about one of the factors. The model developed by Desai et al. (2009) is an important step towards developing a decision aid for external auditors for evaluating the internal audit function. To advance the development of this model the next step will be to test the assumptions of the model empirically in the real audit world among real external auditors.