Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cellular Mechanisms and Neural Control of Sodium Appetite in Male Rats

Sodium appetite is a reliable and robust behavior displayed by a broad range of species. Despite its key role in survival, the biological basis of this behavior remains undefined. The goal of this thesis is to elucidate the cellular signaling and neural circuitry underlying sodium appetite. More specifically, I focus on the central actions of the hormones aldosterone and Angiotensin II (AngII) in eliciting this crucial ingestive behavior. First, I tested the hypothesis that a signaling protein downstream of the AngII receptor, Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK), underlies sodium appetite induced by endogenous AngII. I demonstrated through both behavioral pharmacology and protein expression that sodium appetite requires MAPK activation but thirst does not. Next, I tested the hypothesis that aldosterone and AngII potentiate sodium appetite through inactivation of an inhibitory signal. Using functional neuroanatomy and reversible lesions, I revealed that behavioral cooperativity between aldosterone and AngII involves the alleviation of an inhibitory oxytocin signal relayed from the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus to the organum vasculosum lateral terminalis. Finally, I tested the hypothesis that an increase in motivation for sodium is associated with an increase in mesolimbic dopamine activity. Using a progressive ratio schedule of reinforcement and functional neuroanatomy, I discovered that the combination of AngII and aldosterone induces a selective drive for sodium, which is associated with an increase in neural activity and markers of dopamine synthesis in the ventral tegmental area and nucleus accumbens. Together, these findings demonstrate that MAPK signaling is important for AngII-induced sodium appetite, and potentiation of sodium appetite by aldosterone plus AngII requires both inhibition of oxytocin secretion and activation of downstream mesolimbic circuitry. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Neuroscience First Advisor Loretta M. Flanagan-Cato
Shared protection of demands with Physical Impairment Constrained Routing

The difference between dedicated and shared protection is well known. In this paper we investigate these ideas applied to sharing power budgets of links. When defining protection paths not as a “hot stand-by” but rather as a “cold stand-by” the power needed for protection will be lower; therefore the routeable distance of certain connections should be longer, that increases the number of routeable demands. In this paper we present simulation results to show that in reality with the introduction of shared protection for Physical Impairment Constrained Routing (PICR) in large or saturated networks the number of routeable demands is lowered.
Videotraining: A comparison between “virtual class” and “remote class”

The main question in this article is to evaluate a new type of communication technology, the videoconferencing as a tool for remote training. The usage of two tools of videotraining is observed: the usage of individual computer in "virtual class" and a usage of a "remote class ". In the first part, a review of the literature will enable us to present the questions specific to the evaluation of video conferencing use within the framework of a training course. In the perspective of use we may consider two type of founding models: the model based of acceptation and the model base on requirements. The second part describes the methodology and the protocol for the videotraining experiment in a true situation, set up within the framework of a research contract with a large company which enabled us to closely monitor nineteen sessions of videotraining. The third part presents the results in terms of use mostly from the students 'point of view and also from teacher opinion.
Algorithm 533: NSPIV, a Fortran subroutine for sparse Gaussian elimination with partial pivoting [F4]

Received 17 June 1977 and 8 November 1977. Permission to copy without fee all or part of this material is granted provided that the copies are not made or distributed for chrect commercial advantage, the ACM copyright notice and the title of the publication and its date appear, and notice is given that copying is by permission of the Association for Computing Machmery. To copy otherwise, or to repubhsh, requires a fee and/or specific permission. This work was supported m part by the National Science Foundation under Grant NSF DCR 7307998, in part by the Energy Research and Development Administration under Grant US ERDA E(ll-1) 2383, and in part by Yale University under a grant subcontracted from the United States Air Force Office of Scmntific Research Author's address. Department of Computer Sciences, Painter 328, The Umverslty of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712. @) 1978 ACM 0098-3500/78/1200-0391 $00.75
Finger pulp reconstruction with free flaps from the upper extremity

Although never exceeding a few square centimeters, finger pulp defects are reconstructive challenges due to their special requirements and lack of neighboring tissue reserve. Local flaps are the common choice in the management of this injury. However, the development of microsurgery and clinical practice have greatly boosted the application of different free flaps for finger pulp reconstruction with excellent results, especially when local flaps are unsuitable or impossible for the coverage of large pulp defects. These flaps are all located in the same operation field and can be performed under one tourniquet; therefore, they are more convenient with better patients' compliance in clinical setting. Nonetheless, there is still no consensus about which type of these flaps should be preferred among various finger pulp reconstructive options. In this article, we attempt to review articles describing finger pulp reconstruction using free flaps from the upper extremity from the literature. We summarize the clinical applications of these free flaps and detail their advantages and drawbacks, respectively. The algorithm of flap selection for finger pulp reconstruction based on our experience and literature review is also discussed. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microsurgery, 2012.
Autonomic recovery after exercise in trained athletes: intensity and duration effects.

PURPOSE To investigate the effects of training intensity and duration, through a range representative of training in endurance athletes, on acute recovery of autonomic nervous system (ANS) balance after exercise. METHODS Nine highly trained (HT) male runners (VO2max 72 +/- 5 mL.kg.min(-1), 14 +/- 3 training hours per week) and eight trained (T) male subjects (VO2max 60 +/- 5 mL.kg.min(-1), 7 +/- 1 training hours per week) completed preliminary testing to determine ventilatory thresholds (VT1, VT2) and VO2max. HT performed four intensity-controlled training sessions: 60 min and 120 min below VT1; 60 min with 30 min between VT1 and VT2 (threshold); and 60 min above VT2 (6 x 3 min at 96% VO2max, 2 min of recovery). T also completed the interval session to compare ANS recovery between HT and T. Supine heart rate variability (HRV) was quantified at regular intervals through 4 h of recovery. RESULTS When HT ran 60 or 120 min below VT1, HRV returned to pretraining values within 5-10 min. However, training at threshold (2.7 +/- 0.4 mM) or above VT2 (7.1 +/- 0.7 mM) induced a significant, but essentially identical, delay of HRV recovery (return to baseline by approximately 30 min). In T, HRV recovery was significantly slower, with HRV returning to baseline by >or=90 min after the same interval session. CONCLUSIONS In the highly trained endurance athlete, exercise for <or=120 min below the first ventilatory threshold causes minimal disturbance in ANS balance. ANS recovery is more rapid in highly trained than in trained subjects after high-intensity exercise. Further, the first ventilatory threshold may demarcate a "binary" threshold for ANS/HRV recovery in highly trained athletes, because further delays in HRV recovery with even higher training intensities were not observed.
Separating the Contributions of Olivocochlear and Middle Ear Muscle Reflexes in Modulation of Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emission Levels

Objectives: Mediated by the medial olivocochlear system (MOCS), distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) levels are reduced by presentation of contralateral acoustic stimuli. Such acoustic signals can also evoke a middle ear muscle reflex (MEMR) that also attenuates recorded DPOAE levels. Our aim is to clearly differentiate these two inhibitory mechanisms and to analyze each separately, perhaps allowing the development of novel tests of hearing function. Methods: DPOAE were recorded in real time from chinchillas with normal auditory brainstem response thresholds and middle ear function. Amplitude reduction and its onset latency caused by contralateral presentation of intermittent narrow-band noise (NBN) were measured. Stapedius and tensor tympani muscle tendons were divided without disturbing the ossicular chain, and DPOAE testing was repeated. Results: Peak reduction of (2f1 - f2) DPOAE levels occurred when the center frequency of contralateral NBN approximated the primary tone f2, indicating an f2-frequency-specific response. For a 4.5-kHz centered NBN, DPOAE (f2 = 4.4 kHz) inhibition was 0.1 dB (p < 0.001). This response remained present after tendon division, consistent with an MOCS origin. Low-frequency NBN (center frequency: 0.5 kHz) reduced otoacoustic emission levels (0.1 dB, p < 0.001) across a wide range of DPOAE frequencies. This low-frequency response was abolished by division of the middle ear muscle tendons, clearly indicating MEMR involvement. Conclusions: Following middle ear muscle tendon division, DPOAE inhibition by contralateral stimuli approximating the primary tone f2 persists, whereas responses evoked by lower contralateral frequencies are abolished. This distinguishes the different roles of the MOCS (f2 frequency specific) and MEMR (low frequency only) in contralateral modulation of DPOAE. This analysis helps clarify the pathways involved in an objective test that might have clinical benefit in the testing of neonates.
Iterative Ontology Updates Using Context Labels

In the process of ontology management, it is important to be able to add or remove consequences, while preserving as much of the original ontology as possible. When these updates are made iteratively, this minimum change criterion is harder to satisfy. We propose a context-based method that stores the information about all the possible outcomes of an update compactly. Using it, we are guaranteed to find all the optimal solutions for an iterative update problem, and reason directly over them. We present a prototype implementation that can be used as a Protege plug-in.
Pathogenicity of antigenic variants of murine coronavirus JHM selected with monoclonal antibodies

To analyze the pathogenesis of the neurotropic murine coronavirus JHMV, we used monoclonal antibodies to the E2 viral glycoprotein to select antigenic variant viruses. Monoclonal antibodies J.7. 2 and J.2. 2 were shown to bind to topographically distinct regions of the E2 molecule, and the variants selected with the two antibodies demonstrated very different disease pictures in mice. Variants selected with J.7. 2 were, like the parental virus, highly virulent and caused an acute encephalitic illness. By contrast, J.2. 2-selected variants predominantly caused a subacute paralytic disease clinically and extensive demyelination histologically. Antigenic differences among the variants and parental virus were readily demonstrable with anti-E2 monoclonal antibodies. However, no differences between the viruses could be shown in binding studies with monoclonal antibodies directed against either E1 or N, the other two JHMV structural proteins. Since only J.2. 2 selected demyelinating variants with reduced neurovirulence, it is likely that this monoclonal antibody recognizes a subregion of the E2 molecule that is particularly important in JHMV pathogenesis.
Semantics of Logic Programs with Aggregates

We investigate the semantics of aggregates (count, sum, : : :) in logic programs with function symbols and negation. In particular we address the meaning of programs with recursion through aggregation. We extend the two most successful semantic approaches to the problem of recursion through negation, well founded models and stable models, to programs with aggregates. We examine previously deened classes of aggregate programs: aggregate stratiied, group stratiied, magical stratiied, monotonic and closed semi-ring programs and relate our semantics to those previously deened. The well-founded model gives a semantics to all programs containing aggregates, and agrees with two-valued models already deened for aggregate and group stratiied programs. Stable models give a meaning to many programs with aggregation, including all of the above classes, and captures all the models that have been previously deened. Further, there are programs not captured in any previously deened class where the unique stable model agrees with their \intuitive" semantics.
Epigenetics and environmental chemicals

Purpose of review Epigenetics investigates heritable changes in gene expression occurring without changes in DNA sequence. Several epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation, histone modifications, and microRNA expression, can change genome function under exogenous influence. Here, we review current evidence indicating that epigenetic alterations mediate toxicity from environmental chemicals. Recent findings In-vitro, animal, and human investigations have identified several classes of environmental chemicals that modify epigenetic marks, including metals (cadmium, arsenic, nickel, chromium, and methylmercury), peroxisome proliferators (trichloroethylene, dichloroacetic acid, and TCA), air pollutants (particulate matter, black carbon, and benzene), and endocrine-disrupting/reproductive toxicants (diethylstilbestrol, bisphenol A, persistent organic pollutants, and dioxin). Most studies conducted so far have been centered on DNA methylation, whereas only a few investigations have studied environmental chemicals in relation to histone modifications and microRNA. Summary For several exposures, it has been proved that chemicals can alter epigenetic marks, and that the same or similar epigenetic alterations can be found in patients with the disease of concern or in diseased tissues. Future prospective investigations are needed to determine whether exposed individuals develop epigenetic alterations over time and, in turn, which such alterations increase the risk of disease. Also, further research is needed to determine whether environmental epigenetic changes are transmitted transgenerationally.
Tetrahydrobiopterin Supplementation Improves Endothelial Function But Does Not Alter Aortic Stiffness in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis

Background Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic inflammatory condition associated with increased cardiovascular risk that may be due to underlying endothelial dysfunction and subsequent aortic stiffening. We hypothesized that supplementation with tetrahydrobiopterin (BH 4) would recouple endothelial nitric oxide synthase and thus improve endothelial function and consequently reduce aortic stiffness. Methods and Results We conducted 2 randomized, double‐blinded, placebo‐controlled crossover studies examining 2 separate regimens: an acute regimen, with a single dose of BH 4 400 mg versus placebo (n=18), and a short‐term regimen, composed of a 1‐week treatment with BH 4 400 mg once daily versus placebo (n=15). Flow‐mediated dilatation and aortic pulse wave velocity were studied 4 times, before and after each treatment phase. Acute BH 4 supplementation led to an improvement of flow‐mediated dilatation, whereas placebo had no effect (mean±SD of effect difference 2.56±4.79%; P=0.03). Similarly, 1‐week treatment with BH 4 improved endothelial function, but there was no change with placebo (mean±SD of effect difference 3.50±5.05%; P=0.02). There was no change in aortic pulse wave velocity following acute or short‐term BH 4 supplementation or placebo (mean±SD of effect difference: acute 0.09±0.67 m/s, P=0.6; short‐term 0.03±1.46 m/s, P=0.9). Conclusion Both acute and short‐term supplementation with oral BH 4 improved endothelial function but not aortic stiffness. This result suggests that BH 4 supplementation may be beneficial for patients with rheumatoid arthritis by improving endothelial dysfunction and potentially reducing risk of cardiovascular disease. There appears to be no causal relationship between endothelial function and aortic stiffness, suggesting that they occur in parallel, although they may share common risk factors such as inflammation.
Recovery Issues in Web-Based Workflow

This paper surveys the work done by the LSDIS Lab on recovery for work ow It then focuses on re covery issues for Web based work ow with the Web Work enactment service used as a case study The WebWork enactment service emphasizes ease of devel opment of work ow applications installation and use WebWork provides low overhead yet what we believe to be e ective recovery mechanisms The paper clas si es ten di erent type of errors or failures that one is likely to encounter in Web based work ows and ex plains how WebWork deals with each of them
An Arabidopsis Cell Wall Proteoglycan Consists of Pectin and Arabinoxylan Covalently Linked to an Arabinogalactan Protein[W]

Pectin and xylan are generally considered as separate cell wall glycan networks distinct from cell wall proteins. This work describes a cell wall proteoglycan with pectin and arabinoxylan covalently attached to an arabinogalactan protein, identifying a cross-linked matrix polysaccharide wall protein architecture with implications for wall structure, function, and synthesis. Plant cell walls are comprised largely of the polysaccharides cellulose, hemicellulose, and pectin, along with ∼10% protein and up to 40% lignin. These wall polymers interact covalently and noncovalently to form the functional cell wall. Characterized cross-links in the wall include covalent linkages between wall glycoprotein extensins between rhamnogalacturonan II monomer domains and between polysaccharides and lignin phenolic residues. Here, we show that two isoforms of a purified Arabidopsis thaliana arabinogalactan protein (AGP) encoded by hydroxyproline-rich glycoprotein family protein gene At3g45230 are covalently attached to wall matrix hemicellulosic and pectic polysaccharides, with rhamnogalacturonan I (RG I)/homogalacturonan linked to the rhamnosyl residue in the arabinogalactan (AG) of the AGP and with arabinoxylan attached to either a rhamnosyl residue in the RG I domain or directly to an arabinosyl residue in the AG glycan domain. The existence of this wall structure, named ARABINOXYLAN PECTIN ARABINOGALACTAN PROTEIN1 (APAP1), is contrary to prevailing cell wall models that depict separate protein, pectin, and hemicellulose polysaccharide networks. The modified sugar composition and increased extractability of pectin and xylan immunoreactive epitopes in apap1 mutant aerial biomass support a role for the APAP1 proteoglycan in plant wall architecture and function.
Methodological Approach to Reducing Speckle Noise in Ultrasound Images

This article investigates and compiles some of the techniques mostly used in the smoothing or suppression of speckle noise in ultrasound images. With this information, a comparison of all the methods studied is done based on an experiment, using quality metrics to test their performance and show the benefits each one can contribute. To test the methods, a synthetic, noise-free image is created and later applied well-known noise models to corrupt it. This way, the smoothing techniques can be compared using numeric metrics, taking the noise-free image as a reference. Since real ultrasound images are already noise corrupted images and real noise-free images do not exist, conventional metrics cannot be used to indicate the quality obtained with filtering. Nevertheless, we propose the use of the tendencies observed in our study in real images.
Stable COPD: predicting benefit from high-dose inhaled corticosteroid treatment

The role of inhaled corticosteroids in the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether sputum eosinophilia (defined as eosinophils ≥3%) predicts clinical benefit from inhaled corticosteroid treatment in patients with smoking-related clinically stable moderate-to-severe COPD. Forty consecutive patients with effort dyspnoea (mean age 67 yrs; 52 pack-yr smoking history; post-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) <60% predicted, consistent with moderate-to-severe smoking-related chronic airflow limitation) were enrolled. Subjects were treated with inhaled placebo followed by inhaled budesonide (Pulmicort Turbuhaler® 1,600 µg·day−1), each given for 4 weeks. While the treatment was single-blind (subject level), sputum cell counts before and after treatment interventions were double-blind, thus removing bias. Outcome variables included spirometry, quality-of-life assessment and 6-min walk test. Sputum eosinophilia was present in 38% of subjects. In these, budesonide treatment normalised the eosinophil counts and, in comparison to placebo treatment, resulted in clinically significant improvement in the dyspnoea domain of the disease-specific chronic respiratory questionnaire (0.8 versus 0.3) and a small but statistically significant improvement in post-bronchodilator spirometry (FEV1 100 mL versus 0 mL; p<0.05). In conclusion, sputum eosinophilia predicts short-term clinical benefit from high-dose inhaled corticosteroid treatment in patients with stable moderate-to-severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Economic Crises and the Elderly

Economic crises in the last decades have swept elderly workers more than younger workers out of employment. But now the tide is turning. In affluent societies, elderly workers will have more opportunities of being employed in meaningful and well-paid jobs than ever before. On account of demographic changes, fewer (younger) workers will be around, and most of the reasons that in the past have induced employers to lay off older rather than younger workers will disappear. Future employment strategies will have to focus more on an optimal age mix and on benefitting from the full potential of the elderly.
Application of Intelligent Aiding to Enable Single Operator Multiple UAV Supervisory Control

Under the sponsorship of the Air Force Research Laboratory, a development team has been defining a set of intelligent tools that will enable a single non-rated operator to provide supervisory control of multiple unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) engaged in tactical support to ground forces. Early work has defined concepts for the operator-system relationship, identified functional requirements, and produced analytical estimates of the relative effectiveness of three alternative levels of automated assistance to the user. The results suggest that higher levels of automated support will significantly leverage the span of attention and span of control of the operator, while reducing workload to a
Identifying Diverse Set of Images in Flickr

Unlike traditional multimedia content, content generated on social media platforms such as YouTube, Flickr etc are usually annotated with rich set of social tags such as keywords, textual description, category information, author's profile etc. In this paper we investigate the use of such social tag information for visual diversification of image search results in Flickr. We model search result diversity as an instance of the p-dispersion problem where the objective is to choose p out of n given points, so that the minimum distance between any pair of chosen points is maximized. The distance metric used in the p-dispersion problem is learnt from the data itself by combining candidate similarity measures as defined on the social tags. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed method on a real-world data set.