Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pathophysiology of Schizophrenia Based on Impaired Glial-Neuronal Interactions

The model of impaired glial-neuronal interactions in schizophrenia is based on the core hypothesis that non-functional astrocyte receptors may cause an unconstrained synaptic information flux such that glia lose their modulatory function in tripartite synapses. This may lead to a generalization of information processing in the neuronal networks responsible for delusions and hallucinations on the behavioral level. In this acute paranoid stage of schizophrenia, non-functional astrocytic receptors or their loss decompose the astrocyte domain organization with the effect that a gap between the neuronal and the glial networks arises. If the illness progresses the permanent synaptic neurotransmitter flux may additionally impair the oligodendrocyte-axonic interactions, accompanied by a “creeping” decay of oligodendroglia, axons and glial gap junctions responsible for severe cognitive impairment. Here we may deal with after-effects caused by the basic fault of information processing in tripartite synapses. The gaps between the neuronal and glial networks prohibit the neuronal reality testing of intentional programs presumably generated in the glial networks, called schizophrenic dysintentionality. In non-schizophrenic delusions glia may not be disturbed, but exhausted extrasynaptic information processing may cause an unconstrained synaptic flux responsible for delusions.
La topologie textuelle : légitimation d'une notion émergente

La notion de topologie textuelle a ete introduite de maniere d'abord intuitive pour pouvoir rendre compte, y compris dans les traitements quantitatifs et dans les comparaisons et classifications automatiques, de la dimension syntagmatique des textes, de leur structure lineaire et de leur dynamique interne. Cet article a l'ambition de fonder epistemologiquement cette notion et de lui donner une veritable legitimite. On montrera donc que tout texte peut etre apprehende comme un espace topologique fini repondant aux proprietes definitoires d'un tel espace. On s'appuiera pour ce faire sur les concepts de « voisinage », puis de « motif ». On terminera en s'interrogeant sur les liens – ou l'absence de liens – entre la representation topologique interne propre a chaque texte et la topologie externe des espaces de representation qui tentent de donner a voir, graphiquement, les differentes structurations possibles d'un corpus.
On the Currency of Egalitarian Justice

In his Tanner Lecture of 1979 called "Equality of What? " Amartya Sen asked what metric egalitarians should use to establish the extent to which their ideal is realized in a given society. What aspect(s) of a person's condition should count in a fundamental way for egalitarians, and not merely as cause of or evidence of or proxy for what they regard as fundamental? In this study I examine answers to that question, and discussions bearing on that question, in recent philosophical literature. I take for granted that there is something which justice requires people to have equal amounts of, not no matter what, but to whatever extent is allowed by values which compete with distributive equality; and I study what a number of authors who share that egalitarian view have said about the dimensions) or respect(s) in which people should be made more equal, when the price in other values of moving toward greater equality is not intolerable. I also advance an answer of my own to Sen's question. My answer is the product of an immanent critique of Ronald Dworkin, one, that is, which rejects Dworkin's declared position because it is not congruent with its own underlying motivation. My response to Dworkin has been influenced by Richard Arneson's work in advocacy of "equality of opportunity for welfare," but my answer to Sen's question is not that Arnesonian one, nor is my answer as well formulated as Arneson's is. ' It needs much further refinement, but I nevertheless present it here, in a
Factors affecting clinical pregnancy rates after IUI for the treatment of unexplained infertility and mild male subfertility.

OBJECTIVE The aim of the present retrospective study was to evaluate intrauterine insemination (IUI) clinical experiences and to define the variables for predicting success. MATERIAL AND METHODS The present study was an observational trial performed in a private IVF center on subfertile couples who had applied for treatment between 2002 and 2012, in which the data of 503 IUI cases were retrospectively reviewed. Couples who had been diagnosed with unexplained and mild male subfertility were included. The primary outcome measure was the clinical pregnancy rate in an attempt to form a predictive model for the odds of a clinical pregnancy. Recorded parameters were used to determine the prediction model. RESULTS Utilizing univariate logistic regression analysis, clinical pregnancy was positively associated with the duration of infertility (OR=1.09, p=0.089), secondary infertility (OR=1.77, p=0.050), and +4 sperm motility after preparation (OR=1.03, p=0.091). Following an adjustment analysis involving a multivariate logistic regression, clinical pregnancy was still found to positively associate with secondary infertility (OR=2.51, p=0.008). CONCLUSION IUI success in secondary infertile couples who were in the unexplained infertility and mild male subfertility groups was higher than that in primary infertile couples, and the chances of pregnancy increased as sperm numbers with +4 motility increased. It is difficult to concomitantly evaluate all these parameters and to determine a predictive parameter in IUI independent from other factors.
A probabilistic concept of accessibility for access structures

In this paper we introduce the concept of weighted accessibility for access structures. In some sense, it represents a measure of how difficult or how easy is to recover the secret. We give also a numerical measure of accessibility for each participant depending on his position in the access structure. Both concepts, the accessibility of the access structure and the accessibility of the participants are closely related. We also provide an axiomatic characterization of the weighted accessibility for access structures based on four simple properties.
The prevalence, distribution and severity of detectable pathological lesions in badgers naturally infected with Mycobacterium bovis

SUMMARY The Randomized Badger Culling Trial (RBCT) began in 1998 to determine the impact of badger culling in controlling bovine tuberculosis in cattle. A total of 1166 badgers (14% of total) proactively culled during the RBCT were found to be tuberculous, offering a unique opportunity to study the pathology caused by Mycobacterium bovis in a large sample of badgers. Of these, 39% of adults (~6% of all adults culled) had visible lesions (detectable at necropsy) of bovine tuberculosis; cubs had a lower prevalence of infection (9%) but a higher percentage of tuberculous cubs (55·5%) had visible lesions. Only ~1% of adult badgers had extensive, severe pathology. Tuberculous badgers with recorded bite wounds (~5%) had a higher prevalence of visible lesions and a different distribution of lesions, suggesting transmission via bite wounds. However, the predominance of lesions in the respiratory tract indicates that most transmission occurs by the respiratory route.
Tissue levels of adiponectin, tumour necrosis factor‐alpha, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 and heart‐type fatty acid‐binding protein in human coronary atherosclerotic plaques

Background There is little information available about any link between the levels of adiponectin, intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 (ICAM‐1), tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) and heart‐type fatty acid‐binding protein (H‐FABP) in coronary atherosclerotic plaque specimens.
Monocular Navigation in Large Scale Dynamic Environments

We present a processing technique for a robust reconstruction of motion properties for single points in large scale, dynamic environments. We assume that the acquisition camera is moving and that there are other independently moving agents in a large environment, like road scenarios. The separation of direction and magnitude of the reconstructed motion allows for robust reconstruction of the dynamic state of the objects in situations, where conventional binocular systems fail due to a small signal (disparity) from the images due to a constant detection error, and where structure from motion approaches fail due to unobserved motion of other agents between the camera frames. We present the mathematical framework and the sensitivity analysis for the resulting system.
Endogenous NADPH‐dependent aldose reductase activity influences product formation during xylose consumption in recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Introduction of the xylose pathway from Pichia stipitis into Saccharomyces cerevisiae enables xylose utilization in recombinant S. cerevisiae. However, xylitol is a major by‐product. An endogenous aldo‐keto reductase, encoded by the GRE3 gene, was expressed at different levels in recombinant S. cerevisiae strains to investigate its effect on xylose utilization. In a recombinant S. cerevisiae strain producing only xylitol dehydrogenase (XDH) from P. stipitis and an extra copy of the endogenous xylulokinase (XK), ethanol formation from xylose was mediated by Gre3p, capable of reducing xylose to xylitol. When the GRE3 gene was overexpressed in this strain, the xylose consumption and ethanol formation increased by 29% and 116%, respectively. When the GRE3 gene was deleted in the recombinant xylose‐fermenting S. cerevisiae strain TMB3001 (which possesses xylose reductase and XDH from P. stipitis, and an extra copy of endogenous XK), the xylitol yield decreased by 49% and the ethanol yield increased by 19% in anaerobic continuous culture with a glucose/xylose mixture. Biomass was reduced by 31% in strains where GRE3 was deleted, suggesting that fine‐tuning of GRE3 expression is the preferred choice rather than deletion. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Hoof growth and wear of semi-feral ponies during an annual summer 'self-trimming' period.

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY Despite growing interest in application natural models of hoof-maintenance in domestic horses, little data is available to describe natural conformation and proposed mechanisms of self-maintenance. OBJECTIVES Quantitatively describe hoof growth and wear during a period of 'self-trimming' within a herd of semi-feral ponies. METHODS Hoof length, growth and wear were measured for a sample of 40 animals during a period of 'self-trimming' from June through September, 2005. RESULTS For front hooves, mean toe lengths in July, August and September were significantly less than in June. For the hind, mean toe length in August was significantly less than in June, July and September. Increased rate of wear, as opposed to decreased growth rate, was the major contributor to overall shorter hoof lengths. Cumulative wear expressed as a percentage of the June baseline toe length ranged from 21-57% (mean 38%) for the front and 12-46% (mean 32%) for the hind. CONCLUSIONS Significant cracking, tearing and increased wear, known as 'self-trimming' is a measurable herd-wise phenomenon in horses maintained under natural social and environmental conditions. POTENTIAL RELEVANCE Although just one example herd, these data provide quantitative support of anecdotal reports of 'self-trimming' as a mechanism contributing to natural self-maintenance of the equine hoof.
La taille maternelle influence-t-elle la longueur fémorale foetale ?

Introduction : De nombreux facteurs influencent la croissance foetale. Cependant, les mesures issues des echographies de surveillance de la grossesse sont reportees sur les courbes du College Francais d'Echographie Foetale, utilisees pour l'ensemble de la population. C'est a partir de ces courbes que sont diagnostiquees les anomalies de la croissance. Objectif : Cette etude a pour objectif d'etablir un lien entre la longueur femorale foetale lors de la troisieme echographie et la taille de la mere. L'objectif secondaire s'interesse au lien entre la longueur femorale foetale et la taille du pere. Materiel et Methode : Il s'agit d'une etude d'observation transversale de type expose non expose. Elle porte sur un echantillon de 375 patientes ayant realise leur echographie entre 31SA et 32SA+6jours : 175 constituent le groupe expose (patientes de petite taille) et 181 le groupe non expose (patientes de grande taille). Resultats : Dans cette etude il existe pour les patientes de petite taille une probabilite multipliee par 3.92 que leur foetus presente un femur inferieur au 10° percentile par rapport aux patientes de grande taille (p=0.002). Il existe une difference statistiquement significative entre la longueur femorale foetale moyenne des couples "apparies petits" et celle des couples "apparies grands" (p=0.0002) Conclusion : La taille des parents influence la croissance foetale. Il est donc important de la considerer dans l'analyse de donnees echographiques s'ecartant des courbes de reference. Il serait interessant de concevoir et utiliser des courbes de croissance foetale adaptees au morphotype parental.
Self-determination in a work organization.

Research testing self-determination theory was discussed in terms of recent work on intrinsic motivation, participative management, and leadership. On three occasions, managers' interpersonal orientations—toward supporting subordinates' self-determination versus controlling their behavior— were related to perceptions, affects, and satisfactions of the subordinates. Data from 23 managers and their subordinates in a major corporation showed that managers' orientations did correlate with the subordinate variables, although the magnitude of the relation varied, seemingly as a function of factors in the corporate climate. An organizational development intervention, focused on the concept of supporting subordinates' self-determination, was provided for the managers. Evaluation of the program showed a clearly positive impact on managers' orientations, though a less conclusive radiation to subordinates. To be self-determining means to experience a sense of choice in initiating and regulating one's own actions. Recent research linking self-determination to, enhanced creativity (Amabile, 1983), conceptual learning (Benware & Deci, 1984), self-esteem (Deci, Schwartz, Sheinman, & Ryan, 1981), and general well-being (Langer & Rodin, 1976) has stimulated psychologists to clarify the antecedent conditions that promote self-determination and to detail the relevance of self-determination to various applied settings. Concepts related to self-determination have been vigorously researched and discussed in the organizational literature for over a quarter century. Argyris (1957) and McGregor (1960), for example, stressed that organizational contexts providing workers the opportunity to satisfy their higher order needs (Maslow, 1943) promote effective performance. Furthermore, management styles (e.g., Likert, 1967; Marrow, Bowers, & Sea
ACQUISITION AND RETENTION OF GLOBAL AND LOCAL ASPECTS OF COMPLEX AND UNFAMILIAR STIMULI

The global/local hypothesis claims that properties of visual stimuli are extracted in a global-to-local order. This hypothesis has typically been studied by using a search task, in which subjects determine whether a certain known feature is present in a briefly presented (40 200 ms) simple and familiar compound stimulus. In contrast, the present work used an encoding task in which subjects attempted to remember initially unknown features of a complex and unfamiliar stimulus. Moreover, the concern here was with much longer stimulus presentations (5 60 s). Experiment 1 investigated the extent to which subjects were able to encode and remember global as opposed to local feature information as a function of exposure time, under normal and directed attention conditions. Directed attention conditions are situations wherein attention is explicitly directed to a particular portion of the stimulus. Normal attention conditions are situations wherein attention is not explicitly directed. Subjects were first shown a single stimulus for either 5 or 60 seconds. They were then immediately tested with two test stimuli, one of which was the original. The difference between the original and the new stimulus involved a single feature (shape) at one of two levels of globality. The task was (1) to detect the difference between the test stimuli, latency being the response measure, and (2) to choose the original stimulus. The data failed to support the global/local hypothesis. Experiment 2 varied globality over three levels. Globality affected performance significantly in both the difference-detection and the recognition tasks. In the recognition task, a significant globality level x exposure interaction was also obtained. Discussion emphasized that the results of Experiment 2 were consistent with the global/local hypothesis.
Inflation driven by a vector field.

The possibility of inflationary models in which inflation is driven by a vector field rather than a scalar field is discussed. The vector field ${A}^{\ensuremath{\rho}}$ is taken to be self-coupled through a ``potential'' V(\ensuremath{\xi}), where \ensuremath{\xi}=${A}^{\ensuremath{\rho}}$${A}_{\ensuremath{\rho}}$. If V has a flat region, where \ensuremath{\Vert}\ensuremath{\xi}V'\ensuremath{\Vert}\ensuremath{\ll}V, then the Universe can undergo a period of isotropic inflation in which the space is approximately de Sitter. Because the vector field's stress tensor is not isotropic, the Universe will exit inflation into an anisotropic expansion. If the stable minimum of V occurs at \ensuremath{\xi}=${\ensuremath{\xi}}_{0}$=0, then this anisotropy will damp away during the reheating period. If this minimum occurs at a nonzero value of ${\ensuremath{\xi}}_{0}$, then the anisotropy can be small at late times if collisionless particles, such as gravitons, are generated during reheating. In this case, the observed limits on anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background require that ${\ensuremath{\xi}}_{0}$\ensuremath{\lesssim}${(10}^{15}$ GeV${)}^{2}$. Finally, even if V does not have the flat region needed for de Sitter inflation, it is possible to have anisotropic inflation in which the Universe expands at different exponential rates in different directions. The conditions under which this can occur are discussed, and the stability of the resulting solutions is analyzed.
Image processing through reaction combined with nonlinear diffusion

We propose a method based on nonlinear diffusion and reaction for edge detection and contrast enhancement in image processing. We prove that the mathematical model is well posed and show numerically that the processed image can be observed on the asymptotic state of its solution. We illustrate the methods on test images and show on medical images how it can help to draw contours and detect one-dimensional coherent signals.
Neuronal polarity in Drosophila: Sorting out axons and dendrites

Drosophila neurons have identifiable axons and dendrites based on cell shape, but it is only just starting to become clear how Drosophila neurons are polarized at the molecular level. Dendrite‐specific components including the Golgi complex, GABA receptors, neurotransmitter receptor scaffolding proteins, and cell adhesion molecules have been described. Proteins involved in constructing presynaptic specializations are concentrated in axons of some neurons. A very simple model for how these components are distributed to axons and dendrites can be constructed based on the opposite polarity of microtubules in axons and dendrites: dynein carries cargo into dendrites, and kinesins carry cargo into axons. The simple model works well for multipolar neurons, but will likely need refinement for unipolar neurons, which are common in Drosophila. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 71: 419–429, 2011
Confirmation of psaA in All 90 Serotypes ofStreptococcus pneumoniae by PCR and Potential of This Assay for Identification and Diagnosis

ABSTRACT The gene encoding the pneumococcal surface adhesin A (PsaA) protein, psaA, was confirmed in all Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes by a newly developed PCR (psaAPCR) assay. Eighty-nine of the 90 serotypes amplified produced an 838-bp fragment; the exception was a serotype 16F strain acquired from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC). Analysis of 20 additional 16F strains from the United States and Brazil showed that the gene was amplified in all 16F strains, implying that the serotype 16F ATCC strain must be a variant. The specificity of the assay was verified by the lack of signal from analysis of heterologous bacterial species (n = 30) and genera (n = 14), including viridans group streptococci. The potential of the assay for clinical application was shown by its ability to detect pneumococci in culture-positive nasopharyngeal specimens. Demonstration ofpsaA in all 90 serotypes and lack of amplification of heterologous organisms suggest that this assay could be a useful tool for detection of pneumococci and diagnosis of disease.
Treatment of municipal waste water with special reference to activated carbon combined with sand

Waste water was collected from the municipal town of Madurai and was subjected to filtration in two different filters. The first filter employed sand for the process of filtration where as the second filter carbon for the same. Finally when the clarified water is drawn out of the filter, it shows that there is a considerable reduction in the physico-chemical parameters then that of the untreated municipal water. The BOD value was dropped as 128 mg/l to 55 mg/l after filtration and pH was reduced to 6.85 from 6.93 based on physico-chemical parameters the treated municipal waste water was suggested is fit for irrigation purpose.
Diseños de mecanismos eficientes para la gestión de subredes infiniband

El objetivo principal de esta Tesis Doctoral es contribuir al desarrollo de mecanismos de asimilacion de cambios topologicos para la arquitectura de red InfiniBand. En una primera fase, se ha desarrollado y validado un modelo de esta arquitectura, haciendo uso de la herramienta de modelado y simulacion OPNET Modeler. Sobre esta plataforma, se ha disenado y evaluado un primer prototipo de mecanismo de gestion. Su evaluacion nos ha permitido identificar los principales cuellos de botella en el proceso de adaptacion al cambio. A continuacion, se han propuesto mecanismos optimizados para cada una de las tareas involucradas en dicho proceso: la deteccion del cambio topologico, la adquisicion de la nueva topologia de la red, el computo de nuevas rutas y la distribucion de tablas de encaminamiento actualizadas a los conmutadores de la red. El resultado es un mecanismo de gestion totalmente compatible con la especificacion de InfiniBand, facilmente implementable en sistemas comerciales, y casi transparente desde el punto de vista de las aplicaciones a las que da servicio la red.
Système de gestion de la performance : les conditions du succès

En se basant sur une recension des ecrits sur les pratiques de gestion de la performance, cet article propose une reflexion permettant de clarifier quelques concepts et dimensions lies au systeme de gestion de la performance et a sa mesure. Cet article sera l’occasion de presenter les defis a la mise en œuvre d’un tel systeme. La finalite de la presente recherche est de proposer des elements cles de succes pour un bon deploiement d’un systeme de mesure de la performance.