Search results for "Neural"

Towards Automatic Testing of Reference Point Based Interactive Methods

2016

In order to understand strengths and weaknesses of optimization algorithms, it is important to have access to different types of test problems, well defined performance indicators and analysis tools. Such tools are widely available for testing evolutionary multiobjective optimization algorithms. To our knowledge, there do not exist tools for analyzing the performance of interactive multiobjective optimization methods based on the reference point approach to communicating preference information. The main barrier to such tools is the involvement of human decision makers into interactive solution processes, which makes the performance of interactive methods dependent on the performance of huma…

Non-cell autonomous and non-catalytic activities of ATX in the developing brain

2015

The intricate formation of the cerebral cortex requires a well-coordinated series of events, which are regulated at the level of cell-autonomous and non-cell autonomous mechanisms. Whereas cell-autonomous mechanisms that regulate cortical development are well-studied, the non cell-autonomous mechanisms remain poorly understood. A non-biased screen allowed us to identify Autotaxin (ATX) as a non cell-autonomous regulator of neural stem cell proliferation. ATX (also known as ENPP2) is best known to catalyze lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) production. Our results demonstrate that ATX affects the localization and adhesion of neuronal progenitors in a cell autonomous and non-cell autonomous manner, …

Evolution of vertebrate survival circuits

2018

Evolution selects those adaptive features that increase reproductive probabilities and facilitate survival. Analysing the brain circuits mediating risk-avoidance (e.g. defense) and those allowing reward-seeking (motivated) behaviours in different vertebrates leads to several main conclusions. First, circuits mediating risk-avoidance are similar in all studied vertebrates, where they include amygdala homologues located in the posterior half of the cerebral hemispheres, in close relationship with the chemosensory systems. Second, in all vertebrates, reward-seeking behaviours involve the activity of tegmento-striatal dopaminergic pathways, plus other inputs to the ventral striatum, including a…

Neural contribution to postactivation potentiation

2015

The current study was designed to investigate the contribution of neural factors to postactivation potentiation (PAP). Neuromuscular function (i.e. twitches, H-reflexes, motor evoked potentials, and voluntary isometric ballistic contractions) of 8 power-trained (POW) and 8 endurance-trained (END) athletes was recorded before and after a 8-second maximal isometric conditioning contraction (CC) to induce PAP, to elucidate discriminating neural factors in exploiting PAP that might arise from the former training background compared to the latter. After CC, twitch peak force and rate of force development were significantly increased, with higher potentiation in POW (29 ± 11% and 64 ± 24%) than E…

Domain‐specific neural networks improve automated bird sound recognition already with small amount of local data

2022

1. An automatic bird sound recognition system is a useful tool for collecting data of different bird species for ecological analysis. Together with autonomous recording units (ARUs), such a system provides a possibility to collect bird observations on a scale that no human observer could ever match. During the last decades, progress has been made in the field of automatic bird sound recognition, but recognizing bird species from untargeted soundscape recordings remains a challenge. 2. In this article, we demonstrate the workflow for building a global identification model and adjusting it to perform well on the data of autonomous recorders from a specific region. We show how data augmentatio…

2002

Previous observations have suggested a role for nitric oxide in the activity of the globus pallidus, but this functional involvement has not yet been tested in vivo. The extracellular activity of single units of the globus pallidus was recorded, and neuronal nitric oxide synthase was inhibited by systemically administering 7-nitro-indazole to a group of anaesthetised rats. Forty-five per cent of cells responded with a decrease in the firing rate. In another group of rats, the microiontophoretic administration of 3-morpholino-sydnonimin-hydrocloride (a nitric oxide donor) induced an increase in neuronal firing rate (24/28 cells), whereas the administration of Nω-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester…

Effects of an invasive crayfish on the littoral macroinvertebrates of large boreal lakes are habitat specific

2013

Summary Invasive crayfish are widely acknowledged to have negative effects on benthic food webs in lakes, but few studies have investigated such effects at wider spatial scales and in varying habitats under natural conditions. We examined the effects of introduced signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) on the macroinvertebrate assemblages of different habitats in two large boreal lakes. We evaluated whether the density, taxon richness and species composition are altered by the non-native crayfish and whether the responses are similar for stony and vegetated habitats and across a depth gradient. We also studied the influence of crayfish on periphyton biomass at stony sites, as a potentia…

Mildronate as a Regulator of Protein Expression in a Rat Model of Parkinson’s Disease

2011

Background. Mildronate (3-[2,2,2-trimethylhydrazinium] propionate dihydrate) traditionally is a well-known cardioprotective drug. However, our recent studies convincingly demonstrated its neuroprotective properties. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of mildronate on the expression of proteins that are involved in the differentiation and survival of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons in the rat model of Parkinson’s disease (PD). The following biomarkers were used: heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70, a molecular chaperone), glial cell line-derived nerve growth factor (GDNF, a growth factor promoting neuronal differentiation, regeneration, and survival), and neural cell …

Neurotrophic effects of central nicotinic receptor activation

2000

A growing number of data have shown that compounds interacting with neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) have, both in vivo and in vitro, the potential to be neuroprotective and that treatment with nAChR agonists elicit long-lasting improvement of cognitive performance in a variety of behavioural tests in rats, monkeys and humans. Epidemiological and clinical studies suggested also a potential neuroprotective/trophic role of (-)-nicotine in neurodegenerative disease, such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. This neuroprotective/trophic role of nAChR activation has been mainly mediated by alpha7 and alpha4beta2 nAChR subtypes, as evidenced using selective nAChR ant…

Arm swing during skating at different skiing speeds affects skiing mechanics and performance

2018

Arm swing has been shown to lead to greater maximal speed and movement economy in cross -country skiing. The current study aimed to investigate how arm swing alters skiing mechanics and contributes to performance and acceleration of the athlete’s centre of mass (COM). While skiing on snow seven highly skilled cross -country skiers simulated V2 -alternate skating without using ski poles and with double or single arm swing and without arm swing . During leg push -off the linear momentum of the body increased due to arm swing. Simultaneously, linear momentum of the arm(s) decreased in arm swing trials, indicating a transfer of momentum from arms to the rest of the body and being more prevalent…