Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Visual sensitivity across the menstrual cycle

This study was designed to evaluate the hypothesis that hormonal change can affect lower level light-adaptation processes, which are likely to be retinally based. Foveal visual sensitivities were measured across several menstrual cycles of four women not using hormonally acting medication and across several menstrual cycles of three women using a triphasic oral contraceptive. One woman, diagnosed with premenstrual syndrome (PMS), was a subject for both groups. Sensitivities were measured for a series of test wavelengths for 580-nm backgrounds of 2.0 and 4.0 log td. Of the six individuals tested, one had clear evidence of visual-adaptation changes occurring in phase with the menstrual cycle. Prior to using the oral contraceptive, this individual (the PMS subject) experienced changes of short-wavelength-sensitive (SWS)-cone-mediated sensitivities of up to about 1.4 log unit on the 4.0 log td background. Her SWS-cone-mediated sensitivities tended to be highest near ovulation and lowest premenstrually. Threshold-versus-illuminance (TVI) curves confirmed that the rate of sensitivity decrease with increasing background illuminance (i.e. the TVI slope) was greater premenstrually. The degree of background-induced desensitization within her middle-wavelength-sensitive (MWS)/long-wavelength-sensitive (LWS) cone pathways also appeared to vary cyclically, but the magnitude of the variation was smaller and the time course appeared to be different. When this subject began oral contraceptive use, the patterns of sensitivity change were all altered. None of the other five subjects experienced changes of SWS-cone-mediated vision that were cyclic and significantly adaptation-state dependent. However, there was evidence for a limited degree of cyclic adaptation change within the MWS/LWS cone pathways of at least one additional subject. We conclude that hormonal change can—for some unknown proportion of women—be linked to alterations of retinal function. However, the alterations are not the same for all visual pathways, and there are pronounced individual differences. The data also demonstrate that individuals' visual adaptation capabilities can vary substantially over periods of weeks.
Peering Through the Shroud: The Effect of Edge Opacity on IP-Based Client Identification

Online services often use IP addresses as client identifiers when enforcing access-control decisions. The academic community has typically eschewed this approach, however, due to the effect that NATs, proxies, and dynamic addressing have on a server's ability to identify individual clients. Yet, it is unclear to what extent these edge technologies actually impact the utility of using IP addresses as client identifiers. This paper provides some insights into this phenomenon. We do so by mapping out the size and extent of NATs and proxies, as well as characterizing the behavior of dynamic addressing. Using novel measurement techniques based on active web content, we present results gathered from 7 million clients over seven months. We find that most NATs are small, consisting of only a few hosts, while proxies are much more likely to serve many geographically-distributed clients. Further, we find that a server can generally detect if a client is connecting through a NAT or proxy, or from a prefix using rapid DHCP reallocation. From our measurement experiences, we have developed and implemented a methodology by which a server can make a more informed decision on whether to rely on IP addresses for client identification or to use more heavyweight forms of client authentication.
Pre-implantation electrochemical characterization of a Parylene C sheath microelectrode array probe

We present the preliminary electrochemical characterization of 3D Parylene C sheath microelectrode array probes towards realizing reliable chronic neuroprosthetic recordings. Electrochemical techniques were used to verify electrode integrity after our novel post-fabrication thermoforming process was applied to flat surface micromachined structures to achieve a hollow sheath probe shape. Characterization of subsequent neurotrophic coatings was performed and accelerated life testing was used to simulate six months in vivo. Prior to probe implantation, crosstalk was measured and electrode surface properties were evaluated through the use of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.
Mesorhizobium loti Produces nodPQ-Dependent Sulfated Cell Surface Polysaccharides

ABSTRACT Leguminous plants and bacteria from the family Rhizobiaceae form a symbiotic relationship, which culminates in novel plant structures called root nodules. The indeterminate symbiosis that forms between Sinorhizobium meliloti and alfalfa requires biosynthesis of Nod factor, a β-1,4-linked lipochitooligosaccharide that contains an essential 6-O-sulfate modification. S. meliloti also produces sulfated cell surface polysaccharides, such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The physiological function of sulfated cell surface polysaccharides is unclear, although mutants of S. meliloti with reduced LPS sulfation exhibit symbiotic abnormalities. Using a bioinformatic approach, we identified a homolog of the S. meliloti carbohydrate sulfotransferase, LpsS, in Mesorhizobium loti. M. loti participates in a determinate symbiosis with the legume Lotus japonicus. We showed that M. loti produces sulfated forms of LPS and capsular polysaccharide (KPS). To investigate the physiological function of sulfated polysaccharides in M. loti, we identified and disabled an M. loti homolog of the sulfate-activating genes, nodPQ, which resulted in undetectable amounts of sulfated cell surface polysaccharides and a cysteine auxotrophy. We concomitantly disabled an M. loti cysH homolog, which disrupted cysteine biosynthesis without reducing cell surface polysaccharide sulfation. Our experiments demonstrated that the nodPQ mutant, but not the cysH mutant, showed an altered KPS structure and a diminished ability to elicit nodules on its host legume, Lotus japonicus. Interestingly, the nodPQ mutant also exhibited a more rapid growth rate and appeared to outcompete wild-type M. loti for nodule colonization. These results suggest that sulfated cell surface polysaccharides are required for optimum nodule formation but limit growth rate and nodule colonization in M. loti.
Prevention and treatment of hymenoptera venom allergy: guidelines for clinical practice

Based on the knowledge of the living conditions and habitat of social Aculeatae a series of recommendations have been formulated which can potentially greatly minimize the risk of field re‐sting. After a systemic sting reaction, patients should be referred to an allergy specialist for evaluation of their allergy, and if necessary venom immunotherapy (VIT). An emergency medical kit should be supplied, its use clearly demonstrated and repeatably practised until perfected. This should be done under the supervision of a doctor or a trained nurse. Epinephrine by intramuscolar injection is regarded as the treatment of choice for acute anaphylaxis. H1‐antihistamines alone or in combination with corticosteroids may be effective in mild to moderate reactions confined to the skin and may support the value of treatment with epinephrine in full‐blown anaphylaxis. Up to 75% of the patients with a history of systemic anaphylactic sting reaction develop systemic symptoms once again when re‐stung. Venom immunotherapy is a highly effective treatment for individuals with a history of systemic reaction and who have specific IgE to venom allergens. The efficacy of VIT in yellow jacket venom allergic patients has been demonstrated also by assessing health‐related quality of life. If both skin tests and serum venom specific IgE turn negative, VIT may be stopped after 3 years. After VIT lasting 3–5 years, most patients with mild to moderate anaphylactic symptoms remain protected following discontinuation of VIT even with positive skin tests. Longer term or lifelong treatment should be considered in high‐risk patients. Because of the small but relevant risk of re‐sting reactions, in these patients, emergency kits, including epinephrine auto‐injectors, should be discussed with every patient when stopping VIT.
EARLY STRENGTH RESPONSE OF THE KNEE EXTENSORS DURING EIGHT WEEKS OF RESISTIVE TRAINING AFTER UNILATERAL TOTAL KNEE ARTHROPLASTY

The purpose of this study was to document the early history of knee extensor torque production before and after total knee arthroplasty (TKA), explore the relationship between strength assessments, and describe an 8-week resistive-training protocol. Thirty-eight individuals (19 men, 19 women) with unilateral TKA volunteered to participate in this repeated-measures study. For this group, the mean age was 72.23 ± 5.34 years; height was 168.00 ± 8.57 cm; and weight was 79.42 ± 14.57 kg. Torque production of the knee extensors was assessed isokinetically at 60 and 1808·s-1 before surgery, 30 days after unilateral TKA (130), and 60 days after unilateral TKA (160). Torque production was significantly different between limbs at both 60 and 1808·s-1 (p < 0.0125) before surgery. Torque production was lower at 130 compared with before surgery at both 60 and 1808·s-1 (p < 0.002). By 160, torque production was greater than at 130 at both 60 and 1808·s-1 (p < 0.002).
Refractive and Biometric Changes With Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lenses

Purpose. This study reports data from an 18-month longitudinal study of neophyte contact lens wearers and compares changes in ocular refraction and biometry induced by daily wear and continuous wear of two different silicone hydrogel (SiH) materials. Methods. Forty-five subjects were enrolled in the study and randomly assigned to wear one of the two silicone hydrogel materials: Lotrafilcon A or Balafilcon A lenses on either a daily or continuous wear basis. Measurements of objective refraction, axial length, anterior chamber depth, corneal curvature, and the rate of peripheral corneal flattening were performed before and 1, 3, 6, 12, and 18 months after initial fitting. Results. Mean spherical equivalent refractive error increased in the myopic direction in all contact lens groups across time (p < 0.001). Axial length was the main biometric contributor to the development of myopia. After 18 months of lens wear, subjects in the Lotrafilcon A group showed the greater mean increase in myopia (i.e., −0.50 D). Conclusions. The results of this study show that increases in myopia, similar if not higher than those found to occur normally in young adult noncontact lens wearers, still occur with silicone hydrogel contact lens wear. The main biometric contributor to the progression of myopia was an increase in axial length. Differences between our results and those of previous studies with silicone hydrogel contact lenses could be attributed to the differing populations used in which both age and occupation may have played a role.
An Enhanced Data Replication Method in P2P Systems

— P2P applications emerged as a powerful paradigm for sharing information across the internet. They cause much of internet traffic. The unstructured P2P systems usually use a bounded flooding method for searching. Observations have shown that a few of peers share most of data in a file sharing system. In order to increase the success rate of blind search and load balancing, replication techniques are used in these systems. This paper presents an enhanced data replication method for pure unstructured P2P file sharing systems such as Gnutella, based on popularity of files. Proposed method uses both of index and file replication. Simulation results show that this method has the best performance than some others, although it have a bit more cost.
Stigma and Help Seeking for Mental Health Among College Students

Mental illness stigma has been identified by national policy makers as an important barrier to help seeking for mental health. Using a random sample of 5,555 students from a diverse set of 13 universities, we conducted one of the first empirical studies of the association of help-seeking behavior with both perceived public stigma and people’s own stigmatizing attitudes (personal stigma). There were three main findings: (a) Perceived public stigma was considerably higher than personal stigma; (b) personal stigma was higher among students with any of the following characteristics: male, younger, Asian, international, more religious, or from a poor family; and (c) personal stigma was significantly and negatively associated with measures of help seeking (perceived need and use of psychotropic medication, therapy, and nonclinical sources of support), whereas perceived stigma was not significantly associated with help seeking. These findings can help inform efforts to reduce the role of stigma as a barrier to help seeking.
Mycoplasma bovis isolates from dairy calves in Japan have less susceptibility than a reference strain to all approved macrolides associated with a point mutation (G748A) combined with multiple species‐specific nucleotide alterations in 23S rRNA

Erythromycin, tylosin and tilmicosin are approved for use in cattle in Japan, the latter two being used to treat Mycoplasma bovis infection. In this study, 58 M. bovis isolates obtained from Japanese dairy calves all exhibited reduced susceptibility to these macrolides, this widespread reduced susceptibility being attributable to a few dominant lineages. All 58 isolates contained the G748A variant in both the rrl3 and rrl4 alleles of 23S rRNA, whereas a reference strain (PG45) did not. G748 localizes in the central loop of domain II (from C744 to A753) of 23S rRNA, which participates in binding to mycinose, a sugar residue present in both tylosin and tilmicosin. A number of in vitro‐selected mutants derived from M. bovis PG45 showed reduced susceptibility to tylosin and tilmicosin and contained a nucleotide insertion within the central loop of domain II of rrl3 (U747–G748Ins_CU/GU or A743–U744Ins_UA), suggesting that mutations around G748 confer this reduced susceptibility phenotype. However, other Mycoplasma species containing G748A were susceptible to tylosin and tilmicosin. Sequence comparison with Escherichia coli revealed that M. bovis PG45 and isolates harbored five nucleotide alterations (U744C, G745A, U746C, A752C and A753G) in the central loop of domain II of 23S rRNA, whereas other Mycoplasma species lacked at least two of these five nucleotide alterations. It was therefore concluded that G748 mutations in combination with species‐specific nucleotide alterations in the central loop of domain II of 23S rRNA are likely sufficient to reduce susceptibility of M. bovis to tylosin and tilmicosin.
Peptide recognition, T cell receptor usage and HLA restriction elements of human heat‐shock protein (hsp) 60 and mycobacterial 65‐kDa hsp‐reactive T cell clones from rheumatoid synovial fluid

A commonly held postulate regarding the etiology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is that of antigenic mimicry. Recent interest has focused on the mycobacterial 65‐kDa heat‐shock protein (hsp) as a putative causal agent. The 65‐kDa hsp has over 40% sequence homology with the human hsp 60, and elevated synovial T cell responses to both antigens have been demonstrated in RA and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis patients. Such T cells should, therefore, be specific for shared epitopes on the two antigens. To investigate this, we screened synovial fluid mononuclear cells from two early RA patients with peptides of the 65‐kDa hsp which have the greatest homology with the human hsp 60. We also raised a panel of T cell clones from one of the patients with the 65‐kDa hsp. The synovial T cell population from both patients and one of the T cell clones recognized a peptide representing the amino‐acid sequence 241–255. This clone also responded to the peptide of the equivalent human sequence, and was restricted by HLA‐DQ. A second T cell clone recognized an adjacent epitope (amino acid sequence 251–265) which is also highly homologous with the human sequence, but this clone was restricted by HLA‐DR. The clones utilized different Vβ gene segments but the same Dβ and Jβ gene elements, and both exhibited specific cytotoxicity against autologous antigen‐pulsed macrophages. Our findings, therefore, do not disagree with the postulate that autoimmune disease could possibly be triggered by bacterial epitopes with homology to self protein. However, it is also noted that there are alternative interpretations of this data.
Coverage guided systematic concurrency testing

Shared-memory multi-threaded programs are notoriously difficult to test, and because of the often astronomically large number of thread schedules, testing all possible interleavings is practically infeasible. In this paper we propose a coverage-guided systematic testing framework, where we use dynamically learned ordering constraints over shared object accesses to select only high-risk interleavings for test execution. An interleaving is of high-risk if it has not been covered by the ordering constraints, meaning that it has concurrency scenarios that have not been tested. Our method consists of two components. First, we utilize dynamic information collected from good test runs to learn ordering constraints over the memory-accessing and synchronization statements. These ordering constraints are treated as likely invariants since they are respected by all the tested runs. Second, during the process of systematic testing, we use the learned ordering constraints to guide the selection of interleavings for future test execution. Our experiments on public domain multithreaded C/C++ programs show that, by focusing on only the high-risk interleavings rather than enumerating all possible interleavings, our method can increase the coverage of important concurrency scenarios with a reasonable cost and detect most of the concurrency bugs in practice.
Evaluation of a self‐administered questionnaire on hand dermatitis

The purpose of the study was to evaluate a sell‐administered questionnaire on hand dermatitis than was developed to identify persons with hand dermatitis in epidemiological studies. A total of 109 nurses were subject to dermatological examination of the hands within 1 month of returning the questionnaire. 2 types of questionnaire diagnoses were made: a ‘symptom‐bused’ diagnosis and a ‘self‐reported diagnosis’. These were compared to the medical diagnosis of hand dermatitis. The prevalence of hand dermatitis in the 12 months before the study, based on the medical diagnosis, was 18.3%. The prevalence according to the symptom‐based diagnosis and the self‐reported diagnosis was 47.7% and 17.4%. respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the symptom‐based diagnosis were 100% and 64%, respectively. It is concluded that the symptom‐based diagnosis can be used as screening instrument for the detection of cases in large study populations, if followed by dermatological examination of persons with a positive diagnosis. The sensitivity and specificity of the self‐reported diagnosis were 65% and 93%, respectively. It is concluded that the self‐reported diagnosis can be used to obtain a rough estimate of the prevalence, although comparison of prevalence figures between study populations may be distorted due to a difference in reporting of hand dermatitis. The results of the study illustrate the size of the differences in prevalence estimates that may arise as a result of differences in the definition and method of diagnosing hand dermatitis.
Language, human nature and cognition: Wittgenstein and the mind-body problem

The argumentative route of this work, which is the result of theoretical research, begins with the concept of philosophy for Wittgenstein. Following this introduction, we argue that, regarding the mental plane, both Cartesian and Empiricist tradition are based on a dichotomy between the "internal" and the "external", assumption denied by Wittgenstein, for such asymmetries inevitably lead to solipsism. By exposing the idea of human nature in Wittgenstein, we observe that, for the philosopher, it makes no sense to separate mind from body, the internal and the external, for human beings constitute a psychophysical unity "thrown" in the flow of life, language and action. In the final part of the paper, we speculate about the possibility of machines coming to express intelligent behavior. In this sense, we understand that, for Wittgenstein, to behave as a human being would be something that goes Ensaio Ciencias & Cognicao 2011; Vol 16 (1): 049-057 © Ciencias & Cognicao Submetido em 20/09/2010 | Aceito em 13/04/2011 | ISSN 1806-5821 – Publicado online em 30 de abril de 2011 D. L. de Faria Rua Manoel Quiros, 77, Jaguariuna, SP 13.820-000. Telefones para contato: 55-1938672743/55-19-39374614. E-mail para correspondencia: luporinifaria@yahoo.com. br; C. Rodrigues Av. Tancredo de Almeida Neves, 457/344, Parque Santa Monica, Sao Carlos, SP 13.561-260. Telefones para contato: 55-16-34128993/55-16-91637026. E-mail para correspondencia: cae_jah@hotmail.com.
An adaptive approach to content-based subscription in mobile ad hoc networks

We describe a novel approach for content-based publish/subscribe system in mobile ad-hoc networks and show preliminary experiment results. We extended ODMRP (on-demand multicast routing protocol) using aggregated summaries of content-based subscriptions in Bloom filters expression for the dynamic construction of an event dissemination structure. ODMRP's mesh topology gives extra reliability. We describe experiment results including comparison with regular ODMRP and mobility simulation.
Five-dimensional QED, muon pair production and correction to the Coulomb potential

We consider QED in five dimensions in a configuration where matter is localized on a 3-brane while foton propagates in the bulk. The idea is to investigate the effects of the Kaluza–Klein modes of the photon in the relativistic regime, but in low energy, and in the nonrelativistic regime. In the relativistic regime, we calculate the cross-section for the reaction e++e-→μ++μ-. We compare our theoretical result with a precise measurement of this cross-section at . As result, we extract a lower bound on the size of the extra dimension. In the nonrelativistic regime, we derive the contribution for the Coulomb potential due to the whole tower of the Kaluza–Klein excited modes of the photon. We use the modified potential to calculate the Rutherford scattering differential cross-section.
Mesures de confiance trame-synchrone

This paper presents some confidence measures for large vocabulary speech recognition that can be evaluated directly within the first steps of the recognition process. Having some clues to drive the recognition process may help to improve the accuracy of a sentence. Confidence measures may fit to this goal, so we propose some measures that can help the recognition as early as possible, without having to wait for the recognition process to be completed. Furthermore, our confidence measures are local, and they are based on partial word graphs. Experiments on a French broadcast news corpus are presented, and give results close to the post calculated version of the measures.
Towards a Convenient Category of Topological Domains

We propose a category of topological spaces that promises to be convenient for the purposes of domain theory as a mathematical theory for modelling computation. Our notion of convenience presupposes the usual properties of domain theory, e.g. modelling the basic type constructors, fixed points, recursive types, etc. In addition, we seek to model parametric polymorphism, and also to provide a flexible toolkit for modelling computational effects as free algebras for algebraic theories. Our convenient category is obtained as an application of recent work on the remarkable closure conditions of the category of quotients of countably-based topological spaces. Its convenience is a consequence of a connection with realizability models.