Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Integrating TAM with EEG Frontal Asymmetry

Recent evolution in the Information Systems (IS) community has involved neuroscience tools and methods in order to develop new theories concerning Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and further understand IS acceptance models. Thus, the field of NeuroIS has emerged. Moreover, NeuroIS researchers have proposed encephalograph (EEG) as valuable usability metric. Particularly, EEG frontal asymmetry has been related to approach/withdraw behaviour and positive/negative affect concerning users’ perceptions. Furthermore, Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) has been established as the most notable model regarding IS acceptance. This study is a first attempt to integrate EEG frontal asymmetry with TAM in order to associate brain activation with the two most important variables of TAM: Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Ease of Use. Specifically, thirty one undergraduate students were chosen to use a Computer-Based Assessment (while being connected to the EEG) in the context of an introductory informatics course. Results indicate a direct positive association of frontal asymmetry on the aforementioned variables. These findings suggest that frontal asymmetry could be useful for validating and developing Information Technology (IT) theories, as well as designing and explaining the acceptance and adoption of new IS systems or products.
Bursts of high‐frequency stimulation trigger rapid delivery of pre‐existing α‐CaMKII mRNA to synapses: a mechanism in dendritic protein synthesis during long‐term potentiation in adult awake rats

Messenger ribonucleic acid encoding the alpha‐subunit of calcium/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase II (camkII) is abundantly and constitutively expressed in dendrites of pyramidal and granule cell neurons of the adult hippocampus. Recent evidence suggests that camkII messenger ribonucleic acid is stored in a translationally dormant state within ribonucleic acid storage granules. Delivery of camkII messenger ribonucleic acid from sites of storage to sites of translation may therefore be a key step in activity‐driven dendritic protein synthesis and synaptic plasticity. Here we explored possible camkII trafficking in the context of long‐term potentiation in the dentate gyrus of awake, adult rats. Long‐term potentiation was induced by patterned high‐frequency stimulation, synaptodendrosomes containing pinched‐off dendritic spines were obtained from microdissected dentate gyrus, and messenger ribonucleic acid levels were determined by real‐time polymerase chain reaction. High‐frequency stimulation triggered a rapid 2.5‐fold increase in camkII messenger ribonucleic acid levels in the synaptodendrosome fraction. This increase occurred in the absence of camkII upregulation in the homogenate fraction, indicating trafficking of pre‐existing messenger ribonucleic acid to synaptodendrosomes. The elevation in camkII messenger ribonucleic acid was paralleled by an increase in protein expression specific to the synaptodendrosome fraction, and followed by depletion of camkII message. Activity‐dependent regulation of camkII messenger ribonucleic acid and protein did not require N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptor activation. In contrast, N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptor activation was required for induction of the immediate early genes zif268 and activity‐regulated cytoskeleton‐associated protein in dentate gyrus homogenates. The results support a model in which locally stored camkII messenger ribonucleic acid is rapidly transported to dendritic spines and translated during long‐term potentiation in behaving rats.
Pharmacologic cholinesterase inhibition improves survival in experimental sepsis*

Objective: Lethal sepsis occurs when an excessive inflammatory response evolves that cannot be controlled by physiologic anti-inflammatory mechanisms, such as the recently described cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway. Here we studied whether the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway can be activated by pharmacologic cholinesterase inhibition in vivo. Design: Prospective, randomized laboratory investigation that used an established murine sepsis model. Setting: Research laboratory in a university hospital. Subjects: Female C57BL/6 mice. Interventions: Sepsis in mice was induced by cecal ligation and puncture. Animals were treated immediately with intraperitoneal injections of nicotine (400 &mgr;g/kg), physostigmine (80 &mgr;g/kg), neostigmine (80 &mgr;g/kg), or solvent three times daily for 3 days. Measurements and Main Results: Treatment with physostigmine significantly reduced lethality (p ≤ .01) as efficiently as direct stimulation of the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway with nicotine (p ≤ .05). Administration of cholinesterase inhibitors significantly down-regulated the binding activity of nuclear factor-&kgr;B (p ≤ .05) and significantly reduced the concentration of circulating proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-&agr;, interleukin-1&bgr;, and interleukin-6 (p ≤ .001), and pulmonary neutrophil invasion (p ≤ .05). Animals treated with the peripheral cholinesterase inhibitor neostigmine showed no difference compared with physostigmine-treated animals. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that cholinesterase inhibitors can be used successfully in the treatment of sepsis in a murine model and may be of interest for clinical use.
Construction de ressources terminologiques ou ontologiques à partir de textes Un cadre unificateur pour trois études de cas

La gamme des produits a base terminologique necessaires pour repondre aux nouveaux besoins en matiere de gestion de connaissances et de documents s'elargit considerablement. Dans cet article, nous defendons l'idee que chaque type d'application passe par la mise au point de produits specifiques a partir de textes et autres ressources du domaine. Nous proposons alors un cadre methodologique unificateur et un ensemble de logiciels dont l'utilisation ciblee facilite le recueil de connaissances et la modelisation de ressources adaptees. Nous evoquons en parallele les problemes fondamentaux qui se posent et, lorsqu'elles existent, les solutions, techniques ou theoriques qui peuvent etre envisagees. Nous nous appuyons pour cela sur trois etudes de cas de construction de ressources terminologiques a partir de textes pour des applications tres differentes.
In Situ Analyses of Methane Oxidation Associated with the Roots and Rhizomes of a Bur Reed, Sparganium eurycarpum, in a Maine Wetland

Methane oxidation associated with the belowground tissues of a common aquatic macrophyte, the burweed Sparganium eurycarpum, was assayed in situ by a chamber technique with acetylene or methyl fluoride as a methanotrophic inhibitor at a headspace concentration of 3 to 4%. Acetylene and methyl fluoride inhibited both methane oxidation and peat methanogenesis. However, inhibition of methanogenesis resulted in no obvious short-term effect on methane fluxes. Since neither inhibitor adversely affected plant metabolism and both inhibited methanotrophy equally well, acetylene was employed for routine assays because of its low cost and ease of use. Root-associated methanotrophy consumed a variable but significant fraction of the total potential methane flux; values varied between 1 and 58% (mean (plusmn) standard deviation, 27.0% (plusmn) 6.0%) with no consistent temporal or spatial pattern during late summer. The absolute amount of methane oxidized was not correlated with the total potential methane flux; this suggested that parameters other than methane availability (e.g., oxygen availability) controlled the rates of methane oxidation. Estimates of diffusive methane flux and oxidation at the peat surface indicated that methane emission occurred primarily through aboveground plant tissues; the absolute magnitude of methane oxidation was also greater in association with roots than at the peat surface. However, the relative extent of oxidation was greater at the latter locus.
Effects of acute exposure to PCBs 126 and 153 on anterior pituitary and thyroid hormones and FSH isoforms in adult Sprague Dawley male rats.

3,3'4,4',5-Pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB 126) and 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB 153) were administered to adult male rats in order to identify sensitive indicators of endocrine disruption. We tested the hypothesis that PCB exposure modifies follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) pituitary isoforms, as well as the pituitary and serum concentrations of FSH, luteinizing hormone (LH), growth hormone, prolactin, and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). Effects on serum levels of thyroxine (T4) and testosterone (T), and prostate androgen receptor content, were also tested. In one experiment, 5 groups of 8 rats each received two i.p. injections, one day apart, of either corn oil or 6.25, 25, 100 or 400 micrograms/kg/day of PCB 126. Decreases (p < 0.05) in the serum concentrations of T4 and LH started at doses of 25 and 100 micrograms/kg/day, respectively. Serum FSH concentrations were reduced (p = 0.07) in the highest dose group. In contrast, pituitary content of FSH and LH increased with PCB-126 doses (p = 0.004, p = 0.002, respectively). Despite changes in reproductive hormones, PCB-126 had no effect on the androgen receptor content of the prostate. The effect of PCB-126 was tested in the hemicastrated rat, and suggested adverse effects on testosterone secretion. To test the effects of PCB exposure on FSH pituitary isoforms, 4 groups of 10 male rats received two i.p. injections, one day apart, of either corn oil, PCB 153 (25 mg/kg/day), estradiol-17 beta (E2; 20 micrograms/kg/day), or PCB 126 (0.1 mg/kg/day). Serum T4 levels were higher (p < 0.01) in the E2 and PCB 153 groups, and slightly reduced in the PCB 126-treated groups, compared to controls. Simultaneous purification of pituitary FSH and TSH isoforms was performed by HPLC, using two chromatofocusing columns in series. In contrast to TSH isoforms, the distribution of FSH isoforms over the chromatography run differed slightly between treatment groups; the amounts of FSH isoform eluted during the pH gradient were lower (p < 0.05) in E2 and PCB 153-treated rats than in control or PCB 126-treated rats. The similarity between the effects of E2 and PCB 153 on T4 and FSH isoforms supports the contention that PCB 153 possesses estrogenic properties. Serum LH and T4 concentrations were the most sensitive and practical endocrine indicators of PCBs 126 and 153 exposure in male rats.
Managed care: origins, principles, and evolution

Abstract Managed care has entered the lexicon of healthcare reform, but confusion and ignorance surround its meaning and purpose. It seeks to cut the costs of health care while maintaining its quality, but the evidence that it is able to achieve these aims is mixed. As well as raising awareness and understanding of the issues surrounding managed care, this series considers whether managed care is desirable for the NHS. Developed in the United States as a response to spiralling healthcare costs and dysfunctional fragmented services, managed care is not a discrete activity but a spectrum of activities carried out in a range of organisational settings. Due to its constantly changing nature, managed care is a slippery concept–but all its permutations have in common an attempt to influence and modify the behaviour and practice of doctors and other health professionals towards cost effective care. Whatever potential managed care may hold in this regard, careful appraisal of its implications is essential.
The Effect Of Adding Chitosan Nanoparticles To Casein Phosphopeptide Amorphous Calcium Phosphate ( Cpp-Acp ) In Tooth Remineralization : A Sem Study

With the advent of new materials, caries treatment is now carried out incontemporaryapproach. Based on the principle that caries can be remineralized, non-invasive intervention has been launched on caries lesion that has not formed into cavities, using therapeutic agents to heal the lesion by replacing the lost mineral in tooth structure. This study was aimed to compare the effect of CPPACP alone and the combination of CPP-ACP and chitosan nanoparticles in remineralizing tooth enamel by observing the morphological changes in enamel surface with Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Twenty four enamel samples from extracted molars were assigned into four groups. The first group was incubated in artificial saliva, the second was immersed in demineralizing solution, the third was immersed in demineralizing solution and applied with CPP-ACP gel, while the fourth group was immersed in demineralizing solution and applied with the combination of CPP-ACP gel and chitosan nanoparticles. The application of CPP-ACP and combination of CPP-ACP and chitosan nanoparticles were performed for 7 days. SEM was utilized to observe the morphological changes on enamel surface. The combination of CPP-ACP and chitosan nanoparticles resulted in littlemorphological enamel changes as compared to CPP-ACP group, and so it was concluded that both have the same ability to increase tooth enamel remineralization.
Enhancement of KaPoW Plugin to Defend Against DDoS Attacks

DDoS attack is one of the hardest attacks to detect and mitigate in the computer world. This paper introduces two quantitative models, which use the client puzzling to detect and thwart application DDoS attacks. We simulated the models to use the probabilistic metrics to penalize the malicious users and prevent them from launching a DDoS attack while offering a stable environment to the normal users and decreasing the number of false positives and false negatives
Pain sensitization in male chronic pelvic pain syndrome: why are symptoms so difficult to treat?

PURPOSE Male chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS) is a chronic and debilitating symptom complex, and inconsistent outcomes of antibiotic and anti-inflammatory treatments have created an interest in investigating the neurological mechanisms of CPPS pain. Because chronic pelvic pain likely results in hyperexcitability of dorsal horn neurons, ie central sensitization, thermal algometry may be useful in the assessment of CPPS. We evaluated men with and without CPPS to determine if there were differences between the 2 groups in their responses to noxious heat stimuli. MATERIALS AND METHODS We recruited 66 healthy men without CPPS and 36 men with a history of CPPS for the study. Mean age of CPPS subjects was 43.1 years (range 18 to 62) and mean age of controls was 35.1 (range 21 to 61). All subjects with pain completed a National Institutes of Health-Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index. We conducted thermal sensory tests with a small thermode programmed to deliver 2 series of 4 rapid bursts of noxious heat stimuli to the perineum and the anterior thigh. The subjects reported sensation on a computerized visual analog scale (COVAS) with a manual sliding lever. The average peak COVAS values and time to peak values from thigh and perineum of each series of thermal bursts were compared between CPPS and controls. RESULTS The mean pain score on questionnaires was 9.7 (4 or greater indicating significant pain), mean urinary score was 4.7 (range 0 to 10) and mean quality of life impact score was 7.3 (range 3 to 13). Compared to controls men with CPPS reported higher mean peak COVAS values in the perineum. There was no difference between groups in the peak COVAS value on the thigh. CONCLUSIONS Men with CPPS have altered heat sensation/pain sensitization in the perineum compared to controls. This finding is another that supports the resemblance of CPPS to other chronic pain syndromes and may help explain why CPPS is often refractory to treatment. Further investigations into male CPPS should focus on the mechanisms inducing and maintaining pain in an effort to treat this condition effectively.
A physiological and proteomic study of poplar leaves during ozone exposure combined with mild drought

The occurrence of high‐ozone concentrations during drought episodes is common considering that they are partially caused by the same meteorological phenomena. It was suggested that mild drought could protect plants against ozone‐induced damage by causing the closure of stomata and preventing the entry of ozone into the leaves. The present experiment attempts to create an overview of the changes in cellular processes in response to ozone, mild drought and a combined treatment based on the use of 2D‐DiGE to compare the involved proteins, and a number of supporting analyses. Morphological symptoms were worst in the combined treatment, indicating a severe stress, but fewer proteins were differentially abundant in the combined treatment than for ozone alone. Stomatal conductance was slightly lowered in the combined treatment. Shifts in carbon metabolism indicated that the metabolism changed to accommodate for protective measures and changes in the abundance of proteins involved in redox protection indicated the presence of an oxidative stress. This study allowed identifying a set of proteins that changed similarly during ozone and drought stress, indicative of crosstalk in the molecular response of plants exposed to these stresses. The abundance of other key proteins changed only when the plants are exposed to specific conditions. Together this indicates the coexistence of generalized and specialized responses to different conditions.
China in the Early Bronze Age: Shang Civilization

List of Illustrations A Note on Documentation Preface Introduction -Geographical Setting: Macroregions -Cultural Setting: The Longshan Age 1. Dawn of the Bronze Age: The Erlitou Culture -The Erlitou Site -The Material World: Bronze and Jade -Contemporary Cultures and Interaction -The Search for the Xia 2. Foundations of the Bronze Age: The Erligang Culture -A Network of Sites -Technologies of Power and Prestige -Erligang Society: Material Evidence -Erligang and the Regions 3. The Shang Kings at Anyang -Exploration of Yinxu -"Great Settlement Shang" -Elite Crafts 4. Shang Cult: Divination and Sacrifice -Oracle-Bone Divination -Ritual Spaces and Sacrifice Ritual -Bronze Ritual Vessels* -Inscriptions and Social Relations 5. The Late Shang World -The View from Yinxu -Exchange Relations: Resources and Products -Cause and Effect: Debts to Shang Afterword: The Invention of Chinese Civilization Suggested Readings Notes Index Acknowledgments
Phenotypic and physical characteristics of the lymphoid cells involved in the immunity to syngeneic UV-induced tumors.

Recent studies have indicated that the inability of UV-irradiated mice to reject UV-induced fibrosarcomas is, at least in part, due to the presence of suppressor T lymphocytes. These cells appear to exert their influence by inhibiting the functional development of effector cells with specificity for cross-reactive tumor-associated antigens. In these experiments, we present evidence as to the nature of the cell types involved in the immunologic responses elicited against UV-induced tumors. The effector cells capable of establishing a state of tumor immunity are T lymphocytes that appear to lack demonstrable Ia determinants. The regulatory suppressor cells, previously shown to be T lymphocytes, have been determined to be Ia+ and functionally radiosensitive. The in vivo administration of anti-Ia antibody or the exposure of UV-irradiated tumor-bearing animals to low dose gamma radiation was capable of influencing the tumor susceptible state. This type of therapy, theoretically designed to selectively depress suppressor T cell function in vivo, appears to enhance the degree of tumor immunity by removing regulatory influences. We believe that these studies establish the importance of immunoregulatory mechanisms in host-UV tumor interactions.
Variants of Small Universal P Systems with Catalysts

Computational completeness is known for P systems with two catalysts and purely catalytic P systems with three catalysts as well as for P systems with one bi-stable catalyst. We complete this picture by showing computational completeness for purely catalytic P systems with one bi-stable catalyst and one catalyst. Moreover, we present some concrete universal P systems, e.g., for P systems with one multi-stable catalyst and for P systems with multiple catalysts. Furthermore, we optimize the descriptional complexity of Minsky's reduction from register machines with an arbitrary number of registers to register machines with only two registers. In that way, we are able to transform the universal machines U22 and U20 of Korec into weakly universal register machines with only two decrementable registers, one even with unencoded output. Based on these universal register machines, we then construct small universal P systems with one bi-stable catalyst and one catalyst as well as small universal purely catalytic P systems with three catalysts. With respect to the number of rules, the smallest universal P systems can be obtained with multi-stable catalysts and with multiple catalysts. The number of rules in all these systems can be further reduced by adding the concept of toxic objects a specified subset of objects, where all computation branches not evolving all toxic objects in every computation step do not yield a result.
Distribution of Hydroxyl Groups in Kukersite Shale Oil: Quantitative Determination Using Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) Spectroscopy

This article describes the use of Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy to quantitatively measure the hydroxyl concentrations among narrow boiling shale oil cuts. Shale oil samples were from an industrial solid heat carrier retort. Reference values were measured by titration and were used to create a partial least squares regression model from FT-IR data. The model had a root mean squared error (RMSE) of 0.44 wt% OH. This method was then used to study the distribution of hydroxyl groups among more than 100 shale oil cuts, which showed that hydroxyl content increased with the average boiling point of the cut up to about 350 °C and then leveled off and decreased.
Molecular approaches to epidemiologic evaluation of viruses as risk factors for patients who have chronic fatigue syndrome.

One approach to understanding the chronic fatigue syndrome might be to carry out prospective studies of fatigue that occurs following infection with viral diseases of known etiology, such as influenza, hepatitis, and infectious mononucleosis. Among the viral parameters that should be evaluated are virus burden, variation of virus strain, sites of viral replication, and the state of the viral life cycle (e.g., latent or replicative). Immunologic studies should focus on the humoral and cellular responses to defined viral gene products to identify subtle, individual variations in immune recognition of specific viral subcomponents.
Parallel Implementation of Multiple Linear Regression Algorithm Based on MapReduce

The amount of data generated by traditional business activities, creating data repositories ranging from terabytes to petabytes in size. However, this information cannot be practically analyzed on a single commodity computer because the data is too large to fit in memory. For this purpose, the large size of data to be processed requires the use of high-performance analytical systems running on distributed environments. Because the data is so big it affects the types of algorithms we are willing to consider. Then standard analytics algorithms need to be adapted to take advantage of cloud computing models which provide scalability and flexibility.This paper introduces a new distributed training method, which combines the widely used framework for bigdata, MapReduce, with the traditional structure of multiple linear regression.Parallel processing of multiple linear regression will be based on the QR decomposition and the ordinary least squares method adapted to MapReduce. Our platform is deployed on Cloud Amazon EMR service.Experimental results demonstrate that the our parallel version of the multiple linear regression can efficiently handle very large datasets on commodity hardware with a good performance on different evaluation criterions, including number, size and structure of machines in the cluster.