Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cortical reorganization in the human brain

Does the human brain reorganize differently depending on the stimulus? Does the type of injury affect how the brain reacts, or does cortical reorganization follow a set pattern regardless of the etiology of injury? Past studies have focused on where cortical functions relocate to and what factors enhance or inhibit that relocation process. In this issue of Neurology , Burneo et al.1 and Pataraia et al.2 used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to compare how cortical reorganization differs in patients with different types of brain lesions. Until recently, the prevailing thought was that the brain’s ability to change is limited to the developing nervous system. It has now been firmly established that even the adult CNS is capable of developing adaptive changes and substantial cortical reorganization3 that may underlie recovery of function. Studies in both animals and humans have shown that damage to the CNS results in cortical reorganization that varies depending on age, extent and location of injury, and the presence of rehabilitative training. Plasticity, the ability of the CNS to adapt to new environmental requirements or lesions by functional changes in synapses, can occur at cortical and subcortical levels of the neuroaxis. The mechanisms implicated may include dendritic growth and synaptogenesis,4 changes in synaptic efficiency like long-term potentiation or depression, 5 and reorganizational changes in body part representations that are partially maintained by GABA.6 Cortical plasticity can …
Dietary nitrate enhances arterial oxygen saturation after dynamic apnea

Breath‐hold divers train to minimize their oxygen consumption to improve their apneic performance. Dietary nitrate has been shown to reduce the oxygen cost in a variety of situations, and our aim was to study its effect on arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) after dynamic apnea (DYN) performance. Fourteen healthy male apnea divers (aged 33 ± 11 years) received either 70 mL of concentrated nitrate‐rich beetroot juice (BR) or placebo (PL) on different days. At 2.5 h after ingesting the juice, they were asked to perform 2 × 75 m DYN dives in a pool with 4.5‐min recovery between dives. Each dive started after 2‐min countdown and without any warm‐up apneas, hyperventilation, or lung packing. SaO2 and heart rate were measured via pulse oximetry for 90 s before and after each dive. Mean SaO2 nadir values after the dives were 83.4 ± 10.8% with BR and 78.3 ± 11.0% with PL (P < 0.05). At 20‐s post‐dive, mean SaO2 was 86.3 ± 10.6% with BR and 79.4 ± 10.2% with PL (P < 0.05). In conclusion, BR juice was found to elevate SaO2 after 75‐m DYN. These results suggest an oxygen conserving effect of dietary nitrate supplementation, which likely has a positive effect on maximal apnea performance.
A space-time SURF descriptor and its application to action recognition with video words

A novel method to human action recognition is presented with the combining of a new space-time Speeded Up Robust Features (SURF) descriptor and the bag of video words (BOVW) approach. In our method, we have extended the SURF so that it can better represent the inherent spatio-temporal information of the video data for action recognition. To utilize this descriptor in the action recognition framework, the BOVW schema with a soft-weighting strategy is exploited. Experiments, conducted with the KTH's action recognition dataset, have shown that the proposed method can achieve an outstanding performance in both computing speed and accuracy contrast to the traditional methods.
Vers des médias numériques en sciences humaines et sociales : une contribution à l'épanouissement de la place des sciences humaines et sociales dans les sociétés contemporaines

Je propose l’idee selon laquelle la presse en ligne se comporte comme un predateur du Web en general, et des sciences humaines et sociales (SHS) en particulier. Si les SHS veulent pleinement jouer leur role dans l’interpretation et la comprehension de notre societe, elles ne peuvent pas se permettre de le faire seulement dans le confort et l’isolement des murs de l’universite. Elles ont interet a se doter de leur propre force de projection des i.
Test set compaction procedure for combinational circuits based on decomposition tree

In this paper a procedure of compaction a test set for combinational circuits is considered. The compaction procedure is oriented to a test set that represented as set of test cubes. The main idea of compaction a test cubes is to find all maximally compatible subsets by constructing decomposition tree. An irredundant cover of test cubes by all maximally compatible subsets allows finding minimal or close to minimal size of test pattern setting. Experimental results for benchmark circuits demonstrate the efficiency of the suggested compaction procedure.
Infection Rates in Dogs Vaccinated and Not Vaccinated With an OspA Borrelia burgdorferi Vaccine in a Lyme Disease-Endemic Area of Connecticut

A commercially available recombinant OspA vaccine (Recombitek rLyme, Merial Ltd.) was used to immunize dogs against natural infection by Borrelia burgdorferi in Connecticut, an area highly endemic for Lyme disease. A C6 ELISA kit was used to determine infection rates in both vaccinated dogs as well as an unvaccinated control group. Study dogs were patients at a small animal practice in Old Lyme, Connecticut. Vaccinated dogs were immunized exclusively with the recombinant OspA B burgdorferi vaccine; controls were not vaccinated against B burgdorferi infection. All dogs in the vaccinated group were given 2 doses of the vaccine before 6 months of age and were given boosters each year according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Multivariate analysis was performed for both study
Quantitative analysis and chromatographic fingerprinting of the semen zizyphi spinosae by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode-array detector.

A simple and sensitive method was developed and validated for fingerprint analysis of semen zizyphi spinosae (SZS) and simultaneous determination of six flavonoids in SZS by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to diode-array detector (DAD). The analysis was performed on an Agilent ZORBAX Eclipse Plus C18 RRHD column. The column was maintained at 40°C and the eluents were monitored with DAD at 270 nm. A gradient elution of acetonitrile and water containing 20 mM sodium dihydrogen phosphate was used. The solvent flow rate was 0.4 mL/min. The method was validated. Standard calibration curves showed good linear behaviors (r=1.000) in the range of 0.33-201.00 μg/mL. Acceptable intra-day precision (RSD<1.9%), inter-day precision (RSD<4.0%), repeatability (RSD<4.1%) and recovery in the range of 97.4-104% were obtained. The validated method was successfully applied to obtain the chromatographic fingerprints and the contents of six flavonoids in 23 samples of SZS. The principal component analysis (PCA) had been applied for the chromatographic fingerprint analysis and quantitative analysis of six flavonoids to classify and discriminate the 23 samples of SZS. These results demonstrated that the method was very suitable in the analysis and quality control of SZS.
Evaluation of the Efficacy and Safety of 1% Sodium Chloride (LiceFreee Spray) against 1% Permethrin Crème Rinse on Head Lice Infested Individuals

Head lice are a public health issue, and resistance to available over-the-counter pediculicides is a concern. The objective of this randomized study was to evaluate the pediculicidal activity and safety of 1% Sodium Chloride spray (0.1709 M), (LiceFreee Spray ® ) compared to the current recommended treatment for head lice with 1% Permethrin Creme Rinse. Forty-two subjects were randomized equally into Sodium Chloride or Permethrin group. Products were applied to hair according to the label instructions. After application of the products at Day 1 and Day 8, pediculicidal efficacy and safety were assessed at Day 1, Day 8 and Day 15. Second treatment was only applied on Day 8 to individuals with observed live lice using the same products and protocols as Day 1. Proportion of lice free subjects per group, the reduction in number of live lice per head and adverse effects were recorded after each visit. The results showed significantly higher pediculicidal activity for Sodium Chloride spray (85%) as compared to Permethrin (45%) at Day 15 (p < 0.05). Similar numbers of lice per head (21.76 range 10 to 68 versus 21.29 range 10 to 60 for Sodium Chloride and Permethrin groups, respectively) were observed for individuals at Day 1. At Day 15, lice per head infested reduced to 0.55 ± 1.50 in Sodium Chloride spray group compared to 5.45 ± 7.91 in the Permethrin group (p < 0.01). No serious adverse effects were observed in both groups. Sodium Chloride spray had superior efficacy to 1% Permethrin Creme Rinse in treating head lice and is a safe and excellent alternative to the current recommended treatment.
Prevalence of depression in an elderly population: A population-based study in Iran

Objective: Depression among elderly in Iran has not been well studied. Little is known about the true rates of depression, it correlates or how well it is treated. This research is part of a series examining health status of older people using the Geriatric depression scale-15 (GDS-15). Methods: One thousand and nine hundred seventy five (1975) older people living in Razavi Khorasan province were studied using the cluster sampling method. The Persian version of GDS-15 was completed based on filling in questionnaires and after recognition of sample size of each city. Admission and data analyzing was followed by examining the relationship between depression and place of living (rural and urban), education, gender, type of living (alone or with family), occupation, source of income, and supporting system (such as charities, etc). Results: The subjects' mean (±SD) age was 71.14 (±7.78) years (range: 60-98) and 52.9% of the subjects were female. According GDS score, 23.5% of the subjects suffered from depression. The GDS score was significantly related to type of living (alone or with family), source of income, and supporting system (such as charities) (p<0.01). The depression scores in elderly with family support was significantly higher than those living with personal wealth and retirement salary (p<0.01). Conclusion: Depression may be related to some factors including living alone and to source of income, and supporting system. National programs should be developed in community centers focused on Finding and decreasing depression among the elderly population.
Formation of polysilicon nanowires as transducer for biosensor using plasma trimming process

Research on nanowire structures, behavior and material properties are very wide present day. Beside those matters, techniques and methods are using to produces nanowire also are still in studies in order to escalate the formations of nanowire. Nanowire applications are widely use and it mostly for electronic devices that involve with nanometer scale features, measures and detections or sensors. This study will explore previous works and expose the formation of nanowires using different material and process or technique which are polysilicon as material and dry etching processfor reasons to reduce cost, improving the structures and process in order to get good profile and structures that same with the other processes and materials that seem very costly and complicated. Plus this project also elaborate the important things that related with nanowires such as structure sizes, fabrication technique will be used and applications involve.
Diagnostic value of breast ultrasound in mammography BI-RADS 0 and clinically indeterminate or suspicious of malignancy breast lesions.

BACKGROUND/AIM Not only that ultrasound makes the difference between cystic and solid changes in breast tissue, as it was the case at the beginning of its use, but it also makes the differential diagnosis in terms of benign-malignant. The aim of this study was to assess the role of sonography in the diagnosis of palpable breast masses according to the American College of Radiology Ultrasonographic Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) and to correlate the BI-RADS 4 and BI-RADS 5 category with pathohistological findings. METHODS A retrospective study was conducted with the breast sonograms of 30 women presented with palpable breast masses found to be mammography category BI-RADS 0 and ultrasonographic BI-RADS categories 4 and 5. The sonographic categories were correlated with pathohistological findings. RESULTS Surgical biopsy in 30 masses revealed: malignancy (56.7%), fibroadenoma (26.7%), fibrocystic dysplasia with/without atypia (10/6), lipoma (3.3%) and intramammary lymph node (3.3%). Correlation between BI-RADS categories and pathohistological findings was found (P < 0.05). All BI-RADS 5 masses were malignant, while in BI-RADS 4A category fibroadenomas dominated. A total of 53.8% of all benign lesions were found in women 49 years of age or younger as compared with 35.3% of all malignancies in this group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION Ultrasonography BI-RADS improved classification of breast masses. The ultrasound BI-RADS 4 (A, B, C) and BI-RADS 5 lesions should be worked-up with biopsy.
Arginine Decarboxylase from Escherichia coli I. PURIFICATION AND SPECIFICITY FOR SUBSTRATES AND COENZYME

Abstract The inducible arginine decarboxylase of Escherichia coli, a pyridoxal-P enzyme, has been purified to a specific activity of 410 µmoles of CO2 per min per mg. It can be crystallized from ammonium sulfate solutions without increase in specific activity, sediments as a single species in the analytical ultracentrifuge, and shows only slight impurities on acrylamide gel electrophoresis. Its preferred substrate is l-arginine (Km, 0.65 mm, Vmax, 500 µmoles per min per mg), but l-canavanine (Km, 1.2 mm) also is attacked at a rate 40% of that for l-arginine. Several other guanido and ureido derivatives are not attacked by the enzyme but do inhibit it competitively; the most effective of these inhibitors are α-chloro-δ-guanidovaleric acid (Ki, 0.026 mm) and α-hydroxy-δ-guanidovaleric acid (Ki, 0.19 mm). The pH optimum of arginine decarboxylase is 5.2 and the temperature optimum is 37–40°. Its absorption spectrum has maxima at 280 and 420 mµ and is not affected by variations in pH between 5.2 and 9.0. The formyl group of pyridoxal-P in arginine decarboxylase is bound to the e-amino group of a lysine residue. The holodecarboxylase can be resolved by dialysis against cysteine and reconstituted by addition of excess pyridoxal-P; it binds 10 moles of pyridoxal-P per mole (850,000 g). The apoenzyme is also reactivated by 2-norpyridoxal-P, ω-methylpyridoxal-P, and 6-methylpyridoxal-P, although its affinity for these pyridoxal-P analogues and the affinity of the resulting analogue holoenzymes for arginine are reduced by these structural alterations. Pyridoxal, 5-deoxypyridoxal, 2-nor-2-butylpyridoxal-P, and β-(2-methyl-3-hydroxy-4-formylpyridine-5)-propionic acid do not reactivate the apoenzyme but do inhibit its reactivation by pyridoxal-P when present in sufficient concentrations.
Filles et garçons en éducation : les recherches récentes

Cet article est la seconde partie de la note de synthese rela- tive aux recherches sur les differences ed uc a ti ve s entre les filles et les garcons de 1995 a nos jours. La premiere par tie proposait une reflexion prealable en abordant les differents cadres theoriques utilises pour expliquer les differences entre les sexes. Les recherches concernant les rapports entre differences physiques et differences de comportement ont egalement ete questionnees, ainsi que les liens qu’entretiennent les variables familiale et sociale avec les rapports sociaux de sexe. Nous poursuivons notre reflexion en presentant tout d’abord les recherches relevant du developpement de l’identite sexuee. Nous nous interesserons ensuite a l’institution scolaire et sa relation avec la reproduction des stereotypes de sexes, et pour finir, nous nous pencherons sur les debats autour des effets de la mixite.
The Hemodynamic and Metabolic Profiles of Zucker Diabetic Fatty Rats Treated with a Single Molecule Triple Vasopeptidase Inhibitor, CGS 35601

CGS 35601 is a triple vasopeptidase inhibitor (VPI) of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), neutral endopeptidase (NEP), and endothelin (ET) converting enzyme-1 (ECE-1), with respective IC50 values of 22, 2, and 55 nM. The aim of the present study was to establish the hemodynamic profile of Zucker diabetic fatty (Zdf)-Fatty rats, a high-fat diet gene-prone model developing spontaneous Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and the effects of CGS 35601. Male Zdf-Fatty (14 weeks, n = 17–23), Zdf-Lean (14 weeks, n = 8–10), and Wistar (14 weeks, n = 9–10) rats on distinct diets were implanted with a catheter in the left carotid and placed individually in a metabolic cage for 30 days. The hemodynamic profile and some metabolic biomarkers were assessed daily. After a 7-day stabilization period, the Zdf-Fatty rats were divided into two groups: Group 1, controls (n = 7–10) receiving vehicle-saline (250 μl/hr) and Group 2, (n = 10–13) receiving increasing doses of CGS 35601 (0.1, 1, and 5 mg/kg/day × 6 days each, intra-arterially) followed by a 5-day washout period. Mean arterial blood pressure (MABP) of young Zdf-Fatty rats was compared with age-matched Zdf-Lean and Wistar rats, which were found similar. MABP decreased by 5.9% (from baseline at 102 ± 5 to 96 ± 4 mmHg), 12.7% (to 89 ± 6 mmHg) and 21.6% (to 80 ± 4 mmHg), at 0.1, 1, and 5 mg/kg/day, respectively, in CGS 35601-treated Zdf-Fatty rats. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were similarly reduced. The heart rate was not affected. Hyperglycemic status and insulin-resistance were not modulated by short-term treatment. CGS 35601 presented an excellent short-term safety profile. This novel molecule and class of VPI may be of interest for lowering vascular tone. Further long-term studies, once cardiovascular and renal complications have developed in this T2D rat model are warranted to define the efficacy of this class of VPI.
A chromosomal analysis of three species of Timarcha (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Chrysomelinae)

Abstract The karyotypes of three species of Timarcha Latreille, 1829 have been analysed. Timarcha (Metallotimarcha) metallica (Laicharting, 1781), has 18 + Xyp male meioformula and 2n = 38 chromosomes, similar to those found in the two species of subgenus Americanotimarcha Jolivet, 1948, in agreement with morphological and molecular phylogenetic grounds. Timarcha (Timarcha) carmelenae Petitpierre, 2013 displays 9 + Xyp and 2n = 20 chromosomes as in morphologically related Andalusian species, whereas Timarcha (Timarcha) parvicollis ssp. seidlitzi Kraatz, 1879 shows 11 + Xyp and 2n = 24 chromosomes, clearly differing from the previous species. These results are discussed in order to get an insight into the main trends of the chromosomal evolution in Timarcha.
Development and evaluation of the Mandarin speech signal content on the acceptable noise level test in listeners with normal hearing in mainland China

Abstract Objective: To develop and evaluate the Mandarin speech signal content on the acceptable noise level (ANL) test in listeners with normal hearing in mainland China. Design: The Mandarin ANL tests were conducted using three different sets of Mandarin running speech materials which were chosen from textbooks for primary school, secondary school, and high school, respectively. For each discourse, two ANL measurements were obtained and averaged for each experimental condition using ANL test procedures. Study sample: Thirty-one normal-hearing listeners participated in this study. Results: There were significant differences for ANLs among the normal-hearing listeners, but no differences were found for MCLs and ANLs for the three sets of test materials. The Pearson correlations suggested significant correlations between MCL and ANL among the three test materials; also the results showed that the correlation coefficient between MCL-ANL of the primary material was much better than other two materials. Conclusions: (1) The contents of different Mandarin running speeches may not affect the acceptable noise level in Mandarin normal-hearing listeners; (2) The running speech selected from the primary school ought to be used as the Mandarin acceptable noise level test material to evaluate the outcomes of hearing aid fitting. Sumario Objetivo: Desarrollar y evaluar el contenido de la señal de lenguaje en mandarín con la Prueba de Nivel de Ruido Aceptable (ANL), en sujetos con audición normal de China continental. Diseño: Las pruebas de ANL en mandarín fueron conducidas usando tres diferentes tipos de contenidos provenientes de materiales de lenguaje en mandarín escogidos de libros de texto para la escuela primaria, secundaria y preparatoria, respectivamente. Para cada discurso, se obtuvieron dos mediciones de ANL y se promediaron para cada condición experimental, usando los procedimientos de la prueba de ANL. Muestra del Estudio: Participaron en el estudio treinta y un sujetos con audición normal. Resultados: Existieron diferencias significativas de ANL entre los sujetos con audición normal, pero no se encontraron diferencias en el MCL y ANL de los tres materiales. Las correlaciones de Pearson sugirieron correlaciones significativas entre el MCL y ANL de los tres materiales; también los resultados mostraron que el coeficiente de correlación entre MCL-ANL del material de primaria fue mucho mejor que con los otros dos materiales. Conclusiones: (1) el contenido de los diferentes discursos en mandarín puede no afectar el nivel aceptable de ruido en oyentes de mandarín con audición normal; (2) el discurso seleccionado de la escuela primaria debería ser utilizado como el material de prueba en mandarín con un nivel aceptable de ruido, para evaluar los resultados de la adaptación de auxiliares auditivos.
Sufficient Condition for a Communication Deadlock and Distributed Deadlock Detection

The necessary and sufficient condition for deadlock in a distributed system and an algorithm for detection of a distributed deadlock based on the sufficient condition are formulated. The protocol formulated, checks all wait-for contiguous requests in one iteration. A cycle is detected when a query message reaches the initiator. A wait-for cycle is only the necessary condition for the distributed deadlock. A no-deadlock message is expected by the query initiator to infer a deadlock-free situation if at least one wait-for cycle is present. A no-deadlock message is issued by a dependent (query intercessor) that is not waiting-for. No no-deadlock message implies a deadlock, and processes listed in the received query messages are the processes involved in a distributed deadlock. Properties of the protocol are discussed. The authors show that a replication of a requested higher-priority (or older) process can prevent a distributed deadlock (in a continuous deadlock treatment). A replication is shown to recover (in a periodical deadlock handling) a sequence of processes from an indefinite wait-die scheme. >
The relationship between soleus and gastrocnemius muscle activity in conscious cats‐‐a model for motor unit recruitment?

Force and electromyogram (e.m.g.) data were recorded from medial gastrocnemius and soleus muscles of conscious cats using chronically implanted devices. A digital computer was used to take simultaneous samples of the data from both muscles and construct two‐dimensional frequency distributions relating the activities in the two muscles. The results show that posture is the only activity where soleus may be active without corresponding activity in the medial gastrocnemius muscle. In locomotion the ratio between soleus and medial gastrocnemius muscle activities changed with treadmill speed, although peak soleus force remained constant at approximately 80% of the isometric tetanic tension measured in terminal experiments. A hypothesis is put forward, associating these findings with the activities of slow and fast motor units and emphasizing the influence of neural activity in the determination of motor unit recruitment.