Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus as an interface between the orexin and CART peptides and the shell of the nucleus accumbens

The paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) receives afferents from the brainstem and has been thought to relay arousal related information to specific limbic forebrain areas, including the nucleus accumbens. More recent anatomical observations suggest that the PVT also receives afferents from various hypothalamic nuclei. The present anatomical experiments investigated the innervation of the PVT by fibers immunoreactive for orexin and cocaine and amphetamine related transcript (CART), two feeding‐related peptides highly concentrated in the hypothalamus. Emphasis was placed on identifying the relationship between these neuropeptides and PVT neurons projecting to the shell of the nucleus accumbens (NacSh). Infusion of a retrograde tracer into the NacSh labeled numerous cells of the midline and intralaminar thalamus, most of which were restricted to the PVT. The retrograde tracer, orexin fibers, and CART fibers were immunopositive throughout the entire PVT whereas no overlap between signals was evident within adjacent thalamic regions. High‐magnification light and confocal microscopy showed that both orexin and CART fibers made frequent contact with retrogradely labeled neurons throughout the anteroposterior PVT. Furthermore, single PVT cells retrogradely labeled from the NacSh were apposed by both orexin and CART fibers. The present experiments provide the first evidence suggesting a role for the PVT as a relay of hypothalamic activity to the nucleus accumbens. The PVT may function to link visceral arousal signals with limbic regions involved in behavioral responses. Synapse 59:480–490, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Image retrieval with multi-stage filtering in low dimensions

A method is presented for kNN search of images with the aid of two-stage altering which is an extension of an improved single-stage altering method presented by Seidl et al. The two-stage altering method is applied to image retrieval. Three kinds of feature vectors are examined for color-based representation of image contents, those are color histograms, block-partitioned histograms and pixel color vectors. It is veriaed that retrieval time is shortened by extension of altering to two-stage for all of these feature vectors.
Changes in Spontaneous Behavior in Rats Exposed to Experimental Disc Herniation are Blocked by Selective TNF-Alpha Inhibition

Study Design. Study of pain behavior in animals by observation of changes in spontaneous behavior. Objectives. To assess if selective inhibition of tumor necrosis factor alpha may reduce changes in spontaneous behavior induced by experimental disc herniation in the rat as previously reported. Summary of Background Data. It is known that the proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha may play a key role for the nucleus pulposus-induced nerve dysfunction seen in experimental set ups. However, it is not known if tumor necrosis factor alpha is also involved in pain production induced by the same procedure. Methods. Thirty-two rats were used for the study. Twenty-two rats had an L4–L5 disc incision combined with a displacement of the L4 dorsal root ganglion. Twelve of these rats received an intraperitoneal injection of 0.125 mL of 10 mg/mL Remicade®, and the remaining 10 were left untreated. Ten rats only had the L4–L5 disc exposed and formed the control group. The day before surgery and days 1, 3, 7, 14, and 21 after surgery, the rats were videotaped from below during a 20-minute period. The duration of four specific behaviors were determined and compared between the three experimental groups at each time point. Results. Similar to a previous study, the nontreated showed increased signs of focal pain behavior (rotation of the head towards the operated leg and lifting of the operated leg) during the first 7 postoperative days. Treatment with the tumor necrosis factor alpha-inhibitor infliximab significantly reduced this behavior. At day 14, there were no differences between the groups, and at day 21, the nontreated group displayed reduced locomotion and increased immobility, similar to previous observations. Tumor necrosis factor alpha inhibition also seemed to reduce these behaviors. Conclusions. The data of the study clearly indicate a role for tumor necrosis factor alpha in the studied behavior changes after experimental disc herniation in the rat. Clinical trials must be performed in order to assess if there may be a clinical use for tumor necrosis factor alpha inhibition in the treatment of sciatica due to disc herniation.
Impact of weight change on specific-cause mortality among middle-aged Japanese individuals

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between long-term weight change after age 20 and overall mortality and cause-specific mortality in the general Asian population. Methods: From 1990 to 2005, the Japan Public Health Center (JPHC)-based prospective study conducted a follow-up of 42 242 men and 46 177 women aged 40–69 years with no history of cardiovascular disease (CVD) or cancer. Sex-specific multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios for cause-specific mortality were computed in accordance with weight change categories from age 20, as assessed by a self-administered questionnaire, and clustered by the JPHC communities and age groups, using Cox’s proportional hazard model. Results: During the 12.9-year follow-up, there were 6494 deaths, including 2888 from cancer, 1011 from CVD and 2595 from other causes. In all, weight loss ⩾5 kg since age 20 increased hazard ratios for all-cause mortality in men (1.44, 95% CI 1.32 to 1.56) and women (1.33, 95% CI 1.17 to 1.52) compared with maintenance of a stable weight, and elevated risk was also found within each age group. The risk of weight loss was higher for individuals in the younger age group. Weight loss predicted cancer and CVD mortality only for men ⩾50 years of age. The increased risk was observed regardless of whether the individual was ill, a smoker or overweight at baseline or at age 20. There was an inverse association between weight gain and mortality risk. Conclusion: Weight loss strongly predicted all-cause, cancer and CVD mortality, primarily for men. An unfavourable effect of weight gain was small at the population level.
Fractional-order switching type control law design for adaptive sliding mode technique of 3D fractional-order nonlinear systems

In this article, an adaptive sliding mode technique based on a fractional-order (FO) switching type control law is designed to guarantee robust stability for a class of uncertain three-dimensional FO nonlinear systems with external disturbance. A novel FO switching type control law is proposed to ensure the existence of the sliding motion in finite time. Appropriate adaptive laws are shown to tackle the uncertainty and external disturbance. The calculation formula of the reaching time is analyzed and computed. The reachability analysis is visualized to show how to obtain a shorter reaching time. A stability criteria of the FO sliding mode dynamics is derived based on indirect approach to Lyapunov stability. Effectiveness of the proposed control scheme is illustrated through numerical simulations. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity, 2015
Deposited in DRO : 25 February 2009 Version of attached le : Accepted Version Peer-review status of attached

Background: Postnatal depression affects the emotional state of mothers and the quality of mother-infant interaction. Method: Touch behaviour and content of child-directed speech were analysed for 72 mothers and their infants during pleasurable play. Eighteen infants of mothers with depressed mood, and 18 controls were seen when they were 6 months old; and eighteen infants of mothers with depressed mood, and 18 controls were seen when they were 10 months old. Results: Depressed mothers in comparison with non-depressed mothers lifted their infants more, restraining their behaviours. Infants of depressed mothers in contrast to infants of non-depressed mothers spent greater periods of time in touching self rather than mother or toy, compensating for the lack of positive touch from their mothers. Mothers with depressed mood of 6-month-old infants included fewer affective and informative features in their speech than their controls. Non-depressed mothers of younger babies, showed a higher use of affective features when compared with non-depressed mothers of older infants. In contrast, depressed mothers of 6-and 10-month-old babies showed similar frequencies of affect-salient speech during the interactions in spite of their infants’ changing developmental demands. Limitations: Mothers in this study were only mildly depressed, as assessed by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Nevertheless, the findings indicate that mothers with depressive symptoms differ from non-depressed mothers in relation to touch and content of speech when interacting with their infants. Conclusions: These results suggest that postnatal depression may influence touch behaviour as well as the affective and informative content of maternal speech. The effect is that mothers with depressed mood in comparison with non-depressed mothers touch their infants more negatively and their speech is less well adjusted concerning the amount of emotional versus information related content thereby preventing depressed mothers from responding effectively to their infants’ developmental needs.
Patients with enteric adenovirus gastroenteritis admitted to an Australian pediatric teaching hospital from 1981 to 1992

During the period 1981 to 1992, 4,473 fecal specimens collected from children hospitalized with acute gastroenteritis at the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia, were examined by electron microscopy. A monoclonal antibody enzyme immunoassay for enteric adenovirus (EAd) types 40 (Ad40) and 41 (Ad41) was used when adenoviruses were visualized. Fecal samples were positive for adenovirus by both electron microscopy and enzyme immunoassay in 138 patients (3.1%). Ad40 was identified in 19 children (14%), and Ad41 was identified in 119 children (86%). These EAd were identified during each of the 12 years surveyed. EAd were present year-round, but the annual number of hospitalizations was not constant. Yearly prevalence varied from 0.7% (1981) to 6.5% (1985). This was associated with monthly fluctuations in Ad41 activity, with overall peak monthly prevalence in May (late autumn). By contrast, Ad40 numbers remained low and constant year-round. The frequency of Ad41 relative to Ad40 increased from 25% in 1981 to exceed 75% after 1983. Children admitted with EAd infection were more likely to have diarrhea for more than 5 days (P < 0.001) but less likely to be febrile or dehydrated (P < 0.05) than children with rotavirus infection. EAd are responsible for enteric symptoms of only a fraction of hospitalized children with infectious diarrhea but result in a more-protracted illness than rotavirus. Their relationship to persistent diarrhea requires further investigation.
One-dimensional tomography of axisymmetric temperature distribution with limited TDLAS data by using three-point Abel deconvolution

In this paper, a three-point Abel deconvolution algorithm was employed to reconstruct one-dimensional axisymmetric temperature distribution of the flame with limited tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) data. To suppress the background noise and improve the sensitivity of measurement, the wavelength modulation spectroscopy (WMS) technique is adopted in TDLAS measurement at 7185.597 cm-1 and 7444.36 cm-1. Split by a 2×8 fiber-coupler, the collimated laser in eight parallel channels penetrate the axisymmetric flame generated by a porous burner. Detected by eight photodiode detectors, limited measurement data of eight projections is obtained and used to retrieve the one-dimensional axisymmetric temperature distribution by using three-point Abel deconvolution. Simulation results validated the feasibility of this approach.
Replicative Aging, Telomeres, and Oxidative Stress

Aging is a very complex phenomenon, both in vivo and in vitro. Free radicals and oxidative stress have been suggested for a long time to be involved in or even to be causal for the aging process. Telomeres are special structures at the end of chromosomes. They shorten during each round of replication and this has been characterized as a mitotic counting mechanism. Our experiments show that the rate of telomere shortening in vitro is modulated by oxidative stress as well as by differences in antioxidative defence capacity between cell strains. In vivo we found a strong correlation between short telomeres in blood lymphocytes and the incidence of vascular dementia. These data suggest that parameters that characterise replicative senescence in vitro offer potential for understanding of, and intervention into, the aging process in vivo.
Discrimination and Employment Protection Steinar Holden Åsa Rosén

We study a search model with employment protection legislation. We show that if the output from the match is uncertain ex ante, there may exist a discriminatory equilibrium where workers with the same productive characteristics are subject to different hiring standards. If a bad match takes place, discriminated workers will use longer time to find another job, prolonging the costly period for the firm. This makes it less profitable for the firms to hire the discriminated workers, thus sustaining discrimination. In contrast to standard models, the existence of employers with a taste for discrimination may make it more profitable to discriminate also for firms without discriminatory preferences. JEL Code: J70, J60.
Manager et perdre son âme

Dans le monde de l'entreprise, le manager, surtout en position de leadership reel, apparait comme celui qui motive ses collaborateurs a le suivre. Les nombreux auteurs sur le theme du leadership, evoquent egalement une capacite a les convaincre de le prendre moralement pour exemple (Deslandes, 2012). Parmi les differents travaux, certains montrent l'impact de l'exemplarite comportementale du manager.
Advanced concepts in interventional spine care

Abstract This review of interventional treatment of the spine emphasizes the need for aggressive pain control as a means of preventing persistent pain. The use and application of lumbar epidural injections, facet blocks/denervation, lysis of epidural adhesions, thermal annuloplasty, radiofrequency neurotomy, and nucleoplasty are the treatment options described. These descriptions are not all-inclusive of advanced treatment options for patients with spine pain.
Contribuições para segmentação e análise de características de imagens de alta resolução da retina humana

Este trabalho de Mestrado visa a segmentacao de imagens de alta resolucao da retina humana para favorecer o treinamento de bases de dados e facilitar a identificacao automatica de patologias. O uso de novas tecnologias na area da oftalmologia vem crescendo a medida que novos equipamentos, que utilizam imagens digitais e que possuem alto poder computacional, tem sido desenvolvidos. Neste trabalho, buscou-se processar as imagens captadas por um novo retinografo denominado Retinal Function Imager (RFI), adquirido por meio de um projeto de pesquisa tematico FAPESP da FCM (Faculdade de Ciencias Medicas) em parceria com a FEEC (Faculdade de Engenharia Eletrica e de Computacao), ambas da Unicamp. A microvasculatura da retina humana possui uma unica e importante caracteristica de permitir a visualizacao de parte da circulacao humana de forma direta, nao invasiva e in vivo, prontamente fotografada e sujeita a analise de imagem digital. A partir disso, a analise automatica de diversas patologias, como retinopatia diabetica e degeneracao macular, tem sido proposta em diversos artigos da literatura nas ultimas duas decadas, dispensando muitas vezes o uso de um especialista observador e diminuindo os custos desse diagnostico. Alem disso, medidas quantitativas da topografia vascular da retina usando analise de imagem digital a partir da fotografia da retina, tem sido utilizadas como ferramentas de pesquisa para melhor se compreender a relacao entre a microvasculatura da retina e doencas cardiovasculares. O RFI aqui utilizado permite a visualizacao de estruturas ate entao nao acessiveis. A partir das imagens captadas, foram propostas tecnicas para se detectar automaticamente caracteristicas marcantes do fundo de olho, tais como disco optico, regiao foveal e topologia vascular. Por fim, sao realizadas segmentacoes nas imagens para facilitacao de treinamento de bases de dados e do diagnostico automatico de patologias. A partir dos testes realizados, 100% das imagens testadas tiveram a regiao do disco optico localizada corretamente e em 92% houve sucesso na segmentacao da regiao foveal. Os resultados encontrados mostram que os algoritmos propostos podem ter papel importante para a obtencao de medidas quantitativas da retina humana e tambem ajudar em pesquisas que buscam a relacao entre mudancas de doencas cardiovasculares sistemicas e vasculares da retina. Abstract
Introduction and establishment of Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus skuse (Diptera: Culicidae) in Albania.

In August-October 1979, infestations of the mosquito Aedes albopictus were discovered at a number of widely separated sites in Albania. Used tires were the principal larval habitat. The species was probably introduced from China in the mid-1970s. The initial infestation was probably at a rubber factory adjacent to the port of Durrës (Durazzo), from where the mosquito was shipped in tires to recapping plants in other parts of the country. This is the first recorded infestation of Ae. albopictus outside Oriental and Australasian regions.
Erhaltungsgesetze fur das Modell Mr / Gr / 1 / ∞ in der Klasse der konservativen Abfertigungsdisziplinen

[Einfuhrung] Die Erhaltungsgesetze sind bedeutende Gesetzmasigkeiten in der Warteschlangentheorie (oder Bedienungstheorie) [4], [5]. Sie stellen eine invariante Gleichung in der breiten Klasse der Abfertigungsdisziplinen dar. Die Abfertigungsdisziplinen sind die Regeln, welche die Reihenfolge von wartenden Auftragen innerhalb der Warteschlange bestimmen. Die Erhaltungsgesetze werden meist in der Klasse der konservativen Abfertigungsdisziplinen formuliert unter Annahme, dass innerhalb solcher Klasse der akkumulierte Wert der unvollendeten Arbeit nicht von der zugrundegelegten Abfertigungsdisziplin abhangt [8]. Die Abfertigungsdisziplin heist also konservativ, falls die Anforderung auf eine belegte Bedieneinheit trifft und in der ersten Position der Warteschlange wartet, bis sie zum Zeitpunkt t bedient wird. In der Klasse von solcher Disziplinen gelten verschiedene Arten von Erhaltungsgesetze, wie z.B. die Erhaltungsgesetze der verbleibenden Aufenthaltszeit der Forderung oder Erhaltungsgesetze der Auftrage usw. Es gibt auch die Erhaltungsgesetze, die verschiedene Charakteristiken verbinden. Dazu gehort auch das Littles Gesetz, welches einen Zusammenhang zwischen der durchschnittlichen Anzahl von Kunden in einem Wartesystem und der Verweildauer herleitet [6], [7]. Es sei hier noch bemerkt, dass das Littles Gesetz sowohl in der Klasse von nicht konservativen Disziplinen als auch fur Netzwerke (wie z. B. die Warteschlangen mehrere Schalter einer Bank oder Check-in-Schalter am Flughafen) aus Wartesystemen gilt. In der vorliegenden Arbeit beschaftigen wir uns mit einer Verallgemeinerung und Prazisierungen des Erhaltungsgesetzes von L. Kleinrock [5] fur das Bedienungsmodell Mr / Gr / 1 / ∞ in der Klasse der konservativen Disziplin, wobei die Bedienungsunterbrechungen der Forderungen im Modell zugelassen werden.
Signal Processing in Acoustics Session 2 pSP : Acoustic Signal Processing for Various Applications 2 pSP 8 . An adaptive noise power spectral density estimation of noisy speech using generalized gamma probability density function

Estimation of the power spectral density (PSD) of noise is crucial for retrieving speech in a noisy environment. 3 novel methods for estimating the non-white noise PSD of noisy speech based on a generalized gamma distribution and 3 criterions are proposed, which are minimum mean square error (MMSE), maximum a posteriori (MAP) and Maximum likelihood estimation (MLE). Because of the highly non-stationary nature of speech, it is difficult to derive the real probability density function (PDF) using any modeling technique. On the other hand, segmental noise is more stationary and can be fitted more accurately by a generalized gamma PDF, which is a natural extension of the Gaussian modeling for the distribution of non-white components. The results show that non-white noise spectrum fit more accurately on the generalized gamma PDF with adaptive parameters than on a Gaussian distribution function. The reported generalized gamma PDF model shows the better performance in estimating noise PSD compared to minimum statistics, MMSE-based and MLE noise PSD estimation methods. The performance of the proposed noise estimation is good when it is integrated with the speech-enhancement technique, as demonstrated log error, segmental SNR and PESQ measures.
Mucosal immunity in HIV infection: what can be done to restore gastrointestinal-associated lymphoid tissue function?

Purpose of review This review describes the impact of HIV infection on gut-associated lymphoid tissue, the mechanisms for persistent gut-associated lymphoid tissue dysfunction despite effective antiretroviral therapy, and potential strategies to restore gut-associated lymphoid tissue function and promote immune reconstitution. Recent findings Recent studies indicate that unresolved microbial translocation and intestinal dysbiosis may continue to promote enteropathy as well as HIV-associated and non-HIV-associated conditions in many HIV patients who otherwise maintain therapeutic control of systemic viral replication. Summary Several novel therapeutic approaches to reduce intestinal inflammation and mitigate microbial translocation may hold promise for restoring gastrointestinal health and thereby increasing the efficacy of immune reconstitution in HIV-infected patients undergoing antiretroviral therapy.
Glutathione levels in plasma, saliva and gingival crevicular fluid after periodontal therapy in obese and normal weight individuals.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of obesity on reduced and oxidized glutathione (GSH and GSSG) levels in the gingival crevicular fluid, plasma and saliva of patients with chronic periodontitis and to evaluate the changes after nonsurgical periodontal therapy. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study included 60 patients: 30 patients with chronic periodontitis (15 obese patients and 15 normal weight patients) and 30 healthy control subjects (15 obese patients and 15 normal weight patients). Gingival crevicular fluid, plasma and saliva samples were collected, and clinical periodontal measurements were recorded at baseline and at the first month after periodontal therapy from patients with chronic periodontitis. GSH and GSSG levels were analyzed with spectrophotometry. RESULTS The GSH levels in the plasma, saliva and gingival crevicular fluid in obese individuals with chronic periodontitis were lower than in normal weight individuals at baseline (p < 0.01). There was a significant difference in the GSH/GSSG ratio in plasma and gingival crevicular fluid between the obese and normal weight groups at baseline (p < 0.01). The GSH levels in plasma, gingival crevicular fluid and saliva were significantly increased in both chronic periodontitis groups after nonsurgical periodontal therapy (p < 0.01). A significant positive correlation was found between GSH levels in saliva, plasma and gingival crevicular fluid in all groups (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS The study revealed that obesity in patients with chronic periodontitis is associated with decreased GSH levels and the GSH/GSSG ratio. Moreover, nonsurgical periodontal therapy may be helpful for improvement in glutathione values in obese and normal weight individuals with chronic periodontitis.