Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nonparalytic botulinum molecules for the control of pain

Abstract Local injections of botulinum toxins have been reported to be useful not only for the treatment of peripheral neuropathic pain and migraine but also to cause long-lasting muscle paralysis, a potentially serious side effect. Recently, a botulinum A-based molecule (“BiTox”) has been synthesized that retains neuronal silencing capacity without triggering muscle paralysis. In this study, we examined whether BiTox delivered peripherally was able to reduce or prevent the increased nociceptive sensitivity found in animal models of inflammatory, surgical, and neuropathic pain. Plasma extravasation and edema were also measured as well as keratinocyte proliferation. No motor deficits were seen and acute thermal and mechanical nociceptive thresholds were unimpaired by BiTox injections. We found reduced plasma extravasation and inflammatory edema as well as lower levels of keratinocyte proliferation in cutaneous tissue after local BiTox injection. However, we found no evidence that BiTox was transported to the dorsal root ganglia or dorsal horn and no deficits in formalin-elicited behaviors or capsaicin or formalin-induced c-Fos expression within the dorsal horn. In contrast, Bitox treatment strongly reduced A-nociceptor-mediated secondary mechanical hyperalgesia associated with either complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA)-induced joint inflammation or capsaicin injection and the hypersensitivity associated with spared nerve injury. These results imply that although local release of neuromodulators from C-fibers was inhibited by BiTox injection, C-nociceptive signaling function was not impaired. Taken together with recent clinical data the results suggest that BiTox should be considered for treatment of pain conditions in which A-nociceptors are thought to play a significant role.
Active recovery vs sodium bicarbonate: impact on lactic acid removal following a specific judo effort

Background and Study Aim: Combat sports such as judo are known to be extremely high demanding which can result with a high level of lactic acid. Because of that recovery is a crucial part of the preparation for competitive judo. The aim of this study was the effectiveness of active recovery and sodium bicarbonate to the removal of lactic acid after a judo match simulation (JMS) and Specific Judo Fitness Test (SJF). Material and Methods: Participants were 10 judo athletes (6 male and 4 female), age 18-20 years, from Judo Club Samobor (Samobor, Croatia). In this study, the SJFT was used as well as JMS with a duration of 4 minutes. Results: There are significant differences in all lactate levels between the active recovery and baking soda variables during SJFT and JMS. In all measurements, lactate levels were significantly higher (p<0.001) when athletes used baking soda intake versus active recovery. Conclusions: Overall results of this research suggest that levels of lactic acid were significantly lower when athletes used active recovery versus sodium bicarbonate intake This may be due to the difference in the effectiveness of the aerobic system during active recovery in which soda bicarbonate removes the excess hydrogen ions.
Reconstruction error in a motion capture system

Marker-based motion capture (MoCap) systems can be composed by several dozens of cameras with the purpose of reconstructing the trajectories of hundreds of targets. With a large amount of cameras it becomes interesting to determine the optimal reconstruction strategy. For such aim it is of fundamental importance to understand the information provided by different camera measurements and how they are combined, i.e. how the reconstruction error changes by considering different cameras. In this work, first, an approximation of the reconstruction error variance is derived. The results obtained in some simulations suggest that the proposed strategy allows to obtain a good approximation of the real error variance with significant reduction of the computational time.
Decentralized Stochastic Planning with Anonymity in Interactions

In this paper, we solve cooperative decentralized stochastic planning problems, where the interactions between agents (specified using transition and reward functions) are dependent on the number of agents (and not on the identity of the individual agents) involved in the interaction. A collision of robots in a narrow corridor, defender teams coordinating patrol activities to secure a target, etc. are examples of such anonymous interactions. Formally, we consider problems that are a subset of the well known Decentralized MDP (DEC-MDP) model, where the anonymity in interactions is specified within the joint reward and transition functions. In this paper, not only do we introduce a general model model called D-SPAIT to capture anonymity in interactions, but also provide optimization based optimal and local-optimal solutions for generalizable sub-categories of D-SPAIT.
Enhan cing Collective Creativity with Enactment : A Comparative Study of Design Research Methods

This research explores how dynamically moving one's body as a means of creating meaning and imaging the new can impact one's creative abilities and expression. The behavior and creative output of small groups of people engaged in creative sessions were investigated. They explored the question “What’s next? ” using one of four methods: ~ Traditional focus group ~ Image collaging ~ Sandquery ~ Enactavision People’s use of the three participatory methods (image collaging, Sandquery and Enactavision) was compared to the control condition (traditional focus group). Each method followed a similar script and used the same activities and post-session questionnaire. Triangulation of data using several measurement techniques was performed because of the exploratory nature of the research. Analysis focused on where similarities and differences occurred when comparing dynamic body movement and collectively creative (Sanders, 2012) expression. This research shows that small groups of people who make meaningful movements, play pretend, or enact while thinking and generating creative possibilities produce more creative output than do people who brainstorm together with minimal body movement.
A Nonparametric VSS NLMS Algorithm

The aim of a variable step size normalized least-mean-square (VSS-NLMS) algorithm is to try to solve the conflicting requirement of fast convergence and low misadjustment of the NLMS algorithm. Numerous VSS-NLMS algorithms can be found in the literature with a common point for most of them: they may not work very reliably since they depend on several parameters that are not simple to tune in practice. The objective of this letter is twofold. First, we explain a simple and elegant way to derive VSS-NLMS-type algorithms. Second, a new nonparametric VSS-NLMS is proposed that is easy to control and gives good performances in the context of acoustic echo cancellation
Gap junctions and hemichannels composed of connexins: potential therapeutic targets for neurodegenerative diseases

Microglia are macrophage-like resident immune cells that contribute to the maintenance of homeostasis in the central nervous system (CNS). Abnormal activation of microglia can cause damage in the CNS, and accumulation of activated microglia is a characteristic pathological observation in neurologic conditions such as trauma, stroke, inflammation, epilepsy, and neurodegenerative diseases. Activated microglia secrete high levels of glutamate, which damages CNS cells and has been implicated as a major cause of neurodegeneration in these conditions. Glutamate-receptor blockers and microglia inhibitors (e.g., minocycline) have been examined as therapeutic candidates for several neurodegenerative diseases; however, these compounds exerted little therapeutic benefit because they either perturbed physiological glutamate signals or suppressed the actions of protective microglia. The ideal therapeutic approach would hamper the deleterious roles of activated microglia without diminishing their protective effects. We recently found that abnormally activated microglia secrete glutamate via gap-junction hemichannels on the cell surface. Moreover, administration of gap-junction inhibitors significantly suppressed excessive microglial glutamate release and improved disease symptoms in animal models of neurologic conditions such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Alzheimer's disease. Recent evidence also suggests that neuronal and glial communication via gap junctions amplifies neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. Elucidation of the precise pathologic roles of gap junctions and hemichannels may lead to a novel therapeutic strategies that can slow and halt the progression of neurodegenerative diseases.
Neocortical Connectivity during Episodic Memory Formation

During the formation of new episodic memories, a rich array of perceptual information is bound together for long-term storage. However, the brain mechanisms by which sensory representations (such as colors, objects, or individuals) are selected for episodic encoding are currently unknown. We describe a functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment in which participants encoded the association between two classes of visual stimuli that elicit selective responses in the extrastriate visual cortex (faces and houses). Using connectivity analyses, we show that correlation in the hemodynamic signal between face- and place-sensitive voxels and the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is a reliable predictor of successful face–house binding. These data support the view that during episodic encoding, “top-down” control signals originating in the prefrontal cortex help determine which perceptual information is fated to be bound into the new episodic memory trace.
Multiattribute Bilateral Negotiation in a Logic-Based E-Marketplace

In this chapter we present an application and framework to automate multi-issue bilateral negotiation in e-markets. We address several challenges of a typical negotiation in an online marketplace, such as (i) how to elicit preferences from users; (ii) how to formally represent preferences that at the same time allow human users to express both qualitative and quantitative preferences; (iii) how to compute agreements which are mutual beneficial for both buyer and seller, i.e., outcome enjoying economics properties as Pareto-efficiency. The issue of preference elicitation is addressed with the help of an easy-to- use graphical interface hiding all the technicalities of the underlying framework. Preferences are then mapped to a logic language, that allows one to express preferences on both numerical and non-numerical features. We build a utility function on top of this logic language in order to permit the representation of relative importance among preferences, to evaluate the possible agreements and finally choose the one(s) enjoying the Pareto-efficiency property.
On the Usefulness of Backspace

The usefulness of a backspace character in various applications of Information Retrieval Systems is investigated. While not being a character in the initial sense of the word, a backspace can be defined as being a part of an extended alphabet, thereby enabling the enhancement of various algorithms related to the processing of queries in Information retrieval. We bring examples of three different application areas.
Analysis and Evaluation of Terminology Translation Consistency in Scientific and Technical Literature

In large-scale scientific and technical literature translation in which many people are involved, inconsistency in the translation of the same terminology is inevitable. Firstly, this paper carried out a comprehensive analysis to terminology translation inconsistency, finding that most are translations with same meaning but different indications, which influences the readability of the whole article. Then, we put forward a semantic similarity-based calculation method to identify this category of terminology inconsistency, selected translation with high frequency of network using Internet search engines, and carried out unionization. Finally, evaluate the literature improvement (post-editing) with two indexes of precision and consistency of terminology translation. In the experimental analysis, 100000-word patent document (English-Chinese human translation) is selected. The consistency index of original translation is 0.494, the consistency index of the processed translation is 0.763. The experimental result indicated that the method effectively improves the terminology translation consistency on the premise of correctly replacing terminology, thus significantly improves the readability of translation.
An embedded wireless transmission system based on the extended user datagram protocol (EUDP)

As the application of embedded wireless communication system spreads fast in many fields, it is becoming a significant problem to obtain both high speed and reliability during the transmission of large amounts of data. This paper extends the traditional UDP protocol by adding the mechanism of package sequencing and accumulative retransmission, so as to combine the speed of UDP protocol and the reliability of the extended upper protocol and build an embedded system for transmitting large amounts of data quickly and reliably. The system is designed based on STM32 microcontroller and wireless module. Through the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), the system can communicate both data and instructions with the remote control center via internet. Experimental results reveal that the extended UDP protocol (EUDP) reduces the transmission delay significantly compared with the usual TCP protocol, while ensuring a considerable degree of reliability. Thus the system is ideal for transmitting large amounts of data in real time.
Voice and Prejudice: The Social Costs of Auditory Gaydar

ABSTRACT It is a widespread belief that individuals are able to detect other people’s sexual orientation from vocal information alone (auditory gaydar). We argue that auditory gaydar, although often inaccurate, leads to stereotyping, avoidance, and discrimination of gay/lesbian-sounding speakers. Much like “social vision,” these voice-based inferences are driven by two distinct processes—a direct feature-based path and an indirect path mediated by categorization. As a way to either underline their social identity or prevent stigmatization, gay/lesbian speakers tend to modulate their voice depending on the interlocutor and on their conversational goals. Together, our findings suggest that vocal information plays a subtle but powerful role in intra- and intergroup communication.
Temperament and Character Traits of University Students with Regard to Physical Activity Level

Date of acceptance: 26 April 2017 ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine temperament and character traits among university students in terms of physical activity level. Data were collected from college students (n = 177; M age = 20.57 ± 1.61) in Fall 2016. Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) and International Physical Activity Questionnaires (IPAQ) were administered to participants. 83 of participants (46.9%) were grouped as “high level of physical activity group”, 30 of them were grouped as “moderate level of physical activity group” (16.9%) and 64 of them (36.2%) were grouped as “low level of physical activity group” according to IPAQ. The low level of physical activity group had higher scores of novelty seeking, reward dependence, and self-transcendence, and lower scores of persistence compared with the high level of physical activity group. Additionally, there was not a significant difference in terms of temperament and character sub-dimensions between the high and moderate groups. We demonstrated that there have been significant differences, specifically between the low and high level physical activity groups, in terms of temperament and character traits. Further studies are needed to clarify the role of temperament and character traits in physical activity behavior.
Time Course of Precision in Smooth-Pursuit Eye Movements of Monkeys

To evaluate the nature and possible sources of variation in sensory–motor behavior, we measured the signal-to-noise ratio for the initiation of smooth-pursuit eye movements as a function of time and computed thresholds that indicate how well the pursuit system discriminates small differences in the direction, speed, or time of onset of target motion. Thresholds improved rapidly as a function of time and came close to their minima during the interval when smooth eye movement is driven only by visual motion inputs. Many features of the data argued that motor output and sensory discrimination are limited by the same noise source. Pursuit thresholds reached magnitudes similar to those for perception: <2–3° of direction, ∼11–15% of target speed, and 8 ms of change in the time of onset of target motion. Pursuit and perceptual thresholds had similar dependencies on the duration of the motion stimulus and showed similar effects of target speed. The evolution of information about direction of target motion followed the same time course in pursuit behavior and in a previously reported sample of neuronal responses from extrastriate area MT. Changing the form of the sensory input while keeping the motor response fixed had significant effects on the signal-to-noise ratio in pursuit for direction discrimination, whereas holding the sensory input constant while changing the combination of muscles used for the motor output did not. We conclude that noise in sensory processing of visual motion provides the major source of variation in the initiation of pursuit.
Some approaches to 2+1-dimensional gravity coupled to point-particles

In these notes we will review some approaches to 2+1 dimensional gravity and the way it is coupled to point-particles. First we look into some exact static and stationary solutions with and without cosmological constant. Next we study the polygon approach invented by 't Hooft. The third section treats the Chern-Simonons formulation of 2+1-gravity. In the last part we map the problem of finding the gravitational field around point-particles to the Riemann-Hilbert problem.
Review on Fragment Allocation by using Clustering Technique in Distributed Database System

Considerable Progress has been made in the last few years in improving the performance of the distributed database systems. The development of Fragment allocation models in Distributed database is becoming difficult due to the complexity of huge number of sites and their communication considerations. Under such conditions, simulation of clustering and data allocation is adequate tools for understanding and evaluating the performance of data allocation in Distributed databases. Clustering sites and fragment allocation are key challenges in Distributed database performance, and are considered to be efficient methods that have a major role in reducing transferred and accessed data during the execution of applications. In this paper a review on Fragment allocation by using Clustering technique is given in Distributed Database System.
Undersampling and oversampling in sample based shape modeling

Shape modeling is an integral part of many visualization problems. Recent advances in scanning technology and a number of surface reconstruction algorithms have opened up a new paradigm for modeling shapes from samples. Many of the problems currently faced in this modeling paradigm can be traced back to two anomalies in sampling, namely undersampling and oversampling. Boundaries, non-smoothness and small features create undersampling problems, whereas oversampling leads to too many triangles. We use Voronoi cell geometry as a unified guide to detect undersampling and oversampling. We apply these detections in surface reconstruction and model simplification. Guarantees of the algorithms can be proved. The authors show the success of the algorithms empirically on a number of interesting data sets.
Churn- and DoS-resistant Overlay Networks Based on Network Reconfiguration

We present three robust overlay networks: First, we present a network that organizes the nodes into an expander and is resistant to even massive adversarial churn. Second, we develop a network based on the hypercube that maintains connectivity under adversarial DoS-attacks. For the DoS-attacks we use the notion of a Ω(log log n)-late adversary which only has access to topological information that is at least Ω(log log n) rounds old. Finally, we develop a network that combines both churn- and DoS-resistance. The networks gain their robustness through constant network reconfiguration, i.e., the topology of the networks changes constantly. Our reconfiguration algorithms are based on node sampling primitives for expanders and hypercubes that allow each node to sample a logarithmic number of nodes uniformly at random in O(log log n) communication rounds. These primitives are specific to overlay networks and their optimal runtime represents an exponential improvement over known techniques. Our results have a wide range of applications, for example in the area of scalable and robust peer-to-peer systems.
A "Brutus" model checking of a spi-calculus dialect (Extended Abstract)

This paper proposes a preliminary framework in which protocols, expressed in a dialect of the spi-calculus, can be verified using model checking algorithms. In particular we define a formal semantics for a dialect of the spi-calculus based on labeled transition systems in such a way that the model checking environment developed by Clarke Marrero and Jha, can be re-used. Recently this environment has been extended with both a first order linear temporal logic, used to specify security properties, and partial order reduction techniques. These two new results make our approach interesting and effective for automatic verification.
Lack of Effect of a Single Injection of Human C-Reactive Protein on Murine Lupus or Nephrotoxic Nephritis

Objective It has been reported that a single dose of human C-reactive protein (CRP) can prevent and reverse the renal damage in murine models of spontaneous lupus, as well as the rapid-onset immune complex disease induced in the accelerated nephrotoxic nephritis (ANTN) model. This study was undertaken to attempt to replicate these observations using a highly purified and fully characterized human CRP preparation. Methods (NZB × NZW)F1 (NZB/NZW) mice were treated with a single 200-μg subcutaneous injection of CRP or control reagents either before disease onset at 4 months of age or when high-grade proteinuria was present at 7 months of age. Mice were monitored at least monthly for proteinuria and autoantibody levels. ANTN was induced by preimmunizing C57BL/6 mice with sheep IgG, followed 5 days later by injection of sheep anti-mouse glomerular basement membrane antibody and CRP or control reagents. Renal disease was assessed by regular urinalysis and histologic evaluation. Results CRP treatment of NZB/NZW mice, either early or late in the disease, had no effect on proteinuria, autoantibody titers, or survival. CRP administration did not reduce renal injury or alter disease in the ANTN model. Human serum amyloid P component, a pentraxin protein that is very closely related to CRP, similarly had no effect. Conclusion Our completely negative observations do not confirm that human CRP has reproducible antiinflammatory or immunomodulatory effects in these murine models, nor do they support the suggestion that CRP might be useful for therapy of lupus or immune complex–mediated nephritis.