Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A multiple-valued logic with merged single-electron and MOS transistors

Proposes merged single-electron and MOS devices that serve as basic components of multiple-valued logic, such as a universal literal gate and a quantizer. We verified their operation by using single-electron transistors and MOSFETs fabricated on the same wafer by pattern-dependent oxidation process. We also discuss their application to an analog-to-digital converter and a multiple-valued adder.
Vibrissa-Based Object Localization in Head-Fixed Mice

Linking activity in specific cell types with perception, cognition, and action, requires quantitative behavioral experiments in genetic model systems such as the mouse. In head-fixed primates, the combination of precise stimulus control, monitoring of motor output, and physiological recordings over large numbers of trials are the foundation on which many conceptually rich and quantitative studies have been built. Choice-based, quantitative behavioral paradigms for head-fixed mice have not been described previously. Here, we report a somatosensory absolute object localization task for head-fixed mice. Mice actively used their mystacial vibrissae (whiskers) to sense the location of a vertical pole presented to one side of the head and reported with licking whether the pole was in a target (go) or a distracter (no-go) location. Mice performed hundreds of trials with high performance (>90% correct) and localized to <0.95 mm (<6° of azimuthal angle). Learning occurred over 1–2 weeks and was observed both within and across sessions. Mice could perform object localization with single whiskers. Silencing barrel cortex abolished performance to chance levels. We measured whisker movement and shape for thousands of trials. Mice moved their whiskers in a highly directed, asymmetric manner, focusing on the target location. Translation of the base of the whiskers along the face contributed substantially to whisker movements. Mice tended to maximize contact with the go (rewarded) stimulus while minimizing contact with the no-go stimulus. We conjecture that this may amplify differences in evoked neural activity between trial types.
CD56 DIRECTLY INTERACTS IN THE PROCESS OF NCAM‐POSITIVE TARGET CELL‐KILLING BY NK CELLS

The role of CD56 in the process of target cell killing by NK cells has been investigated. Addition of NK cells to HuH28 cells, a CD56‐expressing cell line, led to inhibition of the growth of the target cells, which exhibited morphological features of apoptosis. These changes were prevented by the addition of a polyclonal anti‐NCAM to the cultures. Since neither Fas antigen expression nor apoptotic changes were induced by addition to a mixed culture supernatant of NK and target cells, both the Fas‐Fas ligand system and soluble factors do not seem to participate in apoptosis in these circumstances. Increased secretion of interferon‐γ and tumour necrosis factor‐α by NK cells must therefore have been suppressed by the presence of the polyclonal antibody. These results lead us to conclude that CD56, through homophilic binding, plays an important role in the process of target cell killing by an apoptosis mechanism.
Association of domestic exposure to volatile organic compounds with asthma in young children

Aim: To investigate the association between domestic exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and asthma in young children. Methods: A population based case-control study was conducted in Perth, Western Australia in children aged between 6 months and 3 years. Cases (n = 88) were children recruited at Princess Margaret Hospital accident and emergency department and discharged with asthma as the primary diagnosis; 104 controls consisted of children from the same age group without an asthma diagnosis identified through the Health Department of Western Australia. Information regarding the health status of the study children and characteristics of the home was collected using a standardised questionnaire. Exposure to VOCs, average temperature and relative humidity were measured in winter and summer in the living room of each participating household. Results: Cases were exposed to significantly higher VOC levels (μg/m3) than controls (p<0.01). Most of the individual VOCs appeared to be significant risk factors for asthma with the highest odds ratios for benzene followed by ethylbenzene and toluene. For every 10 unit increase in the concentration of toluene and benzene (μg/m3) the risk of having asthma increased by almost two and three times, respectively. Conclusions: Domestic exposure to VOCs at levels below currently accepted recommendations may increase the risk of childhood asthma. Measurement of total VOCs may underestimate the risks associated with individual compounds.
Iron Deposition Leads to Neuronal α-Synuclein Pathology by Inducing Autophagy Dysfunction

Growing evidence has indicated that iron deposition in the substantia nigra plays an important role in Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, the underlying mechanism is still elusive. Using primary dopaminergic neurons and SH-SY5Y cells cultured in vitro, we observed that iron loading increased α-synuclein and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in these cells but did not affect the intracellular α-synuclein mRNA levels. Furthermore, iron loading significantly downregulated Beclin-1 levels and decreased the ratio of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 isoforms (LC3 II/LC3 I). However, a significant change in the levels of autophagy-related gene 5 (Atg5) was not observed in either neurons or SH-SY5Y cells after iron treatment. After treatment with rapamycin, the iron loading-induced increase in the α-synuclein level was significantly reversed and ROS generation was alleviated in both cultured neurons and SH-SY5Y cells. These results indicate that the inhibition of autophagy is critical for the pathological alterations in α-synuclein induced by iron loading. Moreover, treatment with vitamin E did not affect the increase in the α-synuclein levels but significantly eliminated the iron-induced ROS production. Together, our study shows that autophagy dysfunction contributes to iron-induced α-synuclein pathology.
“How Local Is Local?”—A Review of Practical and Conceptual Issues in the Genetics of Restoration

In plant conservation, restoration (the augmentation or reestablishment of an extinct population or community) is a valuable tool to mitigate the loss of habitat. However, restoration efforts can result in the introduction of novel genes and genotypes into populations when plant materials used are not of local origin. This movement is potentially important because many plant species are subdivided into populations that are adapted to local environmental conditions. Here we focus on genetic concerns arising from ongoing restoration efforts, where often little is known about “How local is local? ” (i.e., the geographic or environmental scale over which plant species are adapted). We review the major issues regarding gene flow and local adaptation in the restoration of natural plant populations. Finally, we offer some practical, commonsense guidelines for the consideration of genetic structure when restoring natural plant populations.
Sets of Periods for Piecewise Monotone Tree Maps

We study the set of periods of tree maps f : T → T which are monotone between any two consecutive points of a fixed periodic orbit P. This set is characterized in terms of some integers which depend only on the combinatorics of f|P and the topological structure of T. In particular, a typep ≥ 1 of P is defined as a generalization of the notion introduced by Baldwin in his characterization of the set of periods of star maps. It follows that there exists a divisor k of the period of P such that if the set of periods of f is not finite then it contains either all the multiples of kp or an initial segment of the kp≥ Baldwin's ordering, except for a finite set which is explicitly bounded. Conversely, examples are given where f has precisely these sets of periods.
Effect of α-, β-and γ-Cyclodextrins on Oxygen Evolution by the Thylakoid Membrane. Influence of pH and Temperature

Abstract The present work investigates the effect of α-, β- and γ-cyclodextrins (CD), i.e., α-CD, β- CD and γ-CD, on the oxygen evolution activity, the protein content and the uv-vis spectroscopic characteristics of thylakoid membranes. To study the pH-dependence, the thylakoids were incubated with the cyclodextrins at 273 K for a period of 10 min in the pH range from 5.5 to 9.0. To study the temperature-dependence the membranes were incubated at 273 and 293 K at pH 6.5, that is, the pH which induces a maximal oxygen evolution in the thylakoid preparations. The major observations are: (i) a stimulation of oxygen evolution in thylakoids incubated with α- and β-CD either in acidic or alkaline conditions, (ii) a low inhibitory effect induced by γ-CD on oxygen evolution, (iii) a significant decrease of the stimulatory effect of α- and β-CD on oxygen evolution as the incubation temperature is raised from 273 to 293 K, (iv) the apparent inability of the cyclodextrins to change the protein contents of the thylakoids, and (v) a significant CD-induced red-shift from 681 to 683 nm observed in the absorption and second derivative spectra of the thylakoid membranes treated with β-CD. First, it was found that the temperature effect described here is in accord with the general trend of the chemical effect of various cyclodextrins, i.e., the increase of the CD efficiency with decreasing temperature. Secondly, the CD effect is related to the size of the inner cavity diameter of the cyclodextrin molecules. An important conclusion in this work is that the molecular targets of the cyclodextrins are not limited to the thylakoid lipids as was described previously [Rawyler A. and Siegenthaler P.A. (1996) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1278, 89-97], but are located as well in other molecular species exposed at the stromal side of the thylakoid membrane. In particular, the CD-induced red-shift from 681 to 683 nm in the absorption and second derivative spectra of the thylakoid membranes indicates that the cyclodextrins targets might be either the exposed heme macrocycle in cytochrome b559, or the chlorophylls and pheophytins in the pigment-proteins of the photosystems I and II.
Tubularized incised plate urethroplasty: expanded use in primary and repeat surgery for hypospadias.

PURPOSE We evaluated the impact of tubularized incised plate urethroplasty on primary and repeat hypospadias repair. MATERIALS AND METHODS We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all boys who underwent hypospadias repair at our institution during a recent 3-year period. The level of the hypospadias defect, technique of repair, primary repair versus reoperation, age at surgery and complications were recorded. RESULTS A total of 520 hypospadias repairs were done from May 1996 through June 1999. We began to perform tubularized incised plate urethroplasty in November 1996. During the ensuing consecutive 32 months 181 primary and 25 repeat hypospadias repairs were done using this technique. Mean patient age at surgery was 22 months (range 3 months to 30 years). During the 6 months immediately before we began to use this method the Mathieu flip-flap procedure was the most commonly performed technique, accounting for 38% of all hypospadias repairs. In contrast, during the last 6 months reviewed tubularized incised plate urethroplasty accounted for 63% of all repairs, including 41 of 65 primary operations (63%) and 4 of 6 reoperations (67%), while no Mathieu procedures were performed. Postoperative followup was 6 to 38 months for tubularized incised plate repair. Overall meatal stenosis and a urethrocutaneous fistula developed in 1 and 14 boys, respectively (7% complication rate). CONCLUSIONS Tubularized incised plate urethroplasty has become the preferred technique of primary and repeat hypospadias repair at our institution. The technique has few complications as well as proved success and versatility that continues to expand its applicability and popularity.
Handedness: Differential Specializations for Control of Trajectory and Position

Handedness is often portrayed as a nonfunctional artifact of cerebral asymmetry. Our data, however, indicate that handedness reflects cerebral specialization for specific control processes. Each hemisphere/limb system is specialized for different but complementary functions: the dominant system for controlling limb trajectory dynamics, and the nondominant system for controlling limb position.
Elevation of Mercury in Human Blood from Controlled Chronic Ingestion of Methylmercury in Fish

1 The relationship between the intake of methylmercury in fish and mercury in blood has been investigated in man. 2 The intakes of methylmercury were carefully controlled and lay in the range 40 - 230 μg/day, the Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake is equivalent to about 30 μg/day. 3 The results indicate that a daily intake of 1 μg methylmercury would, at equilibrium, produce a blood mercury concentration of 0.8 μg/kg. 4 There is a good close-to-linear correlation between methylmercury intake and blood mercury concentrations within the wide range of intakes employed.
Parallel asynchronous algorithms for discrete data

Many problems in the area of symbolic computing can be solved by iterative algorithms. Implementations of these algorithms on multiprocessors can be synchronous or asynchronous. Asynchronous implementations are potentially more efficient because synchronization is a major source of performance degradation in most multiprocessor systems. In this paper, sufficient conditions for the convergence of asynchronous iterations to desired solutions are given. The main sufficient condition is shown to be also necessary for the case of finite data domains. The results are applied to prove the convergence of three asynchronous algorithms for the all-pairs shortest path problem, the consistent labeling problem, and a neural net model.
Single-molecule visualization of fast polymerase turnover in the bacterial replisome

The Escherichia coli DNA replication machinery has been used as a road map to uncover design rules that enable DNA duplication with high efficiency and fidelity. Although the enzymatic activities of the replicative DNA Pol III are well understood, its dynamics within the replisome are not. Here, we test the accepted view that the Pol III holoenzyme remains stably associated within the replisome. We use in vitro single-molecule assays with fluorescently labeled polymerases to demonstrate that the Pol III* complex (holoenzyme lacking the β2 sliding clamp), is rapidly exchanged during processive DNA replication. Nevertheless, the replisome is highly resistant to dilution in the absence of Pol III* in solution. We further show similar exchange in live cells containing labeled clamp loader and polymerase. These observations suggest a concentration-dependent exchange mechanism providing a balance between stability and plasticity, facilitating replacement of replisomal components dependent on their availability in the environment. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.23932. 001
Active Learning for Multilingual Statistical Machine Translation

Statistical machine translation (SMT) models require bilingual corpora for training, and these corpora are often multilingual with parallel text in multiple languages simultaneously. We introduce an active learning task of adding a new language to an existing multilingual set of parallel text and constructing high quality MT systems, from each language in the collection into this new target language. We show that adding a new language using active learning to the EuroParl corpus provides a significant improvement compared to a random sentence selection baseline. We also provide new highly effective sentence selection methods that improve AL for phrase-based SMT in the multilingual and single language pair setting.
Vertical accuracy assessment of freely available digital elevation models over low-lying coastal plains

The frequency of coastal flood damages is expected to increase significantly during the twenty-first century as sea level rises in the coastal floodplain. Coastal digital elevation model (DEM) data describing coastal topography are essential for assessing future flood-related damages and understanding the impacts of sea-level rise. The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) and Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer Global Digital Elevation Model (ASTER GDEM) are currently the most accurate and freely available DEM data. However, an accuracy assessment specifically targeted at DEMs over low elevation coastal plains is lacking. The present study focuses on these areas to assess the vertical accuracy of SRTM and ASTER GDEM using Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite, Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (ICESat/GLAS) and Real Time Kinematic (RTK) Global Positioning System (GPS) field survey data. The findings show that DEM accuracy is much better than the mission specifications over coastal plains. In addition, optical remote sensing image analysis further reveals the relationship between DEM vertical accuracy and land cover in these areas. This study provides a systematic approach to assess the accuracy of DEMs in coastal zones, and the results highlight the limitations and potential of these DEMs in coastal applications.
Recovering signals from the Short-Time Fourier Transform magnitude

The problem of recovering signals from the Short-Time Fourier Transform (STFT) magnitude is of paramount importance in many areas of engineering and physics. This problem has received a lot of attention over the last few decades, but not much is known about conditions under which the STFT magnitude is a unique signal representation. Also, the recovery techniques proposed by researchers are mostly heuristic in nature. In this work, we first show that almost all signals can be uniquely identified by their STFT magnitude under mild conditions. Then, we consider a semidefinite relaxation-based algorithm and provide the first theoretical guarantees for the same. Numerical simulations complement our theoretical analysis and provide many directions for future work.
Active ESD Protection Design for Interface Circuits Between Separated Power Domains Against Cross-Power-Domain ESD Stresses

Several complex electrostatic discharge (ESD) failure mechanisms have been found in the interface circuits of an IC product with multiple separated power domains. In this case, the machine-model (MM) ESD robustness cannot achieve 150 V in this IC product with separated power domains, although it can pass the 2-kV human-body-model (HBM) ESD test. The negative-to-VDD (ND) mode MM ESD currents were discharged by circuitous current paths through interface circuits to cause the gate oxide damage, the junction filament, and the contact destruction of the internal transistors. The detailed discharging paths of ND-mode ESD failures were analyzed in this paper. In addition, some ESD protection designs have been illustrated and reviewed to further comprehend the protection strategies for cross-power-domain ESD events. Moreover, one new active ESD protection design for the interface circuits between separated power domains has been proposed and successfully verified in a 0.13-mum CMOS technology. The HBM and MM ESD robustness of the separated- power-domain interface circuits with the proposed active ESD protection design can achieve over 4 kV and 400 V, respectively.
Towards culture-specific robot customisation: A study on greeting interaction with Egyptians

A complex relationship exists between national cultural background and interaction with robots, and many earlier studies have investigated how people from different cultures perceive the inclusion of robots into society. Conversely, very few studies have investigated how robots, speaking and using gestures that belong to a certain national culture, are perceived by humans of different cultural background. The purpose of this work is to prove that humans may better accept a robot that can adapt to their specific national culture. This experiment of Human-Robot Interaction was performed in Egypt. Participants (native Egyptians versus Japanese living in Egypt) were shown two robots greeting them and speaking respectively in Arabic and Japanese, through a simulated video conference. Spontaneous reactions of the human subjects were measured in different ways, and participants completed a questionnaire assessing their preferences and their emotional state. Results suggested that Egyptians prefer the Arabic version of the robot, while they report discomfort when interacting with the Japanese version. These findings confirm the importance of a culture-specific customisation of robots in the context of Human-Robot Interaction.
Single-unit activities during epileptic discharges in the human hippocampal formation

Between seizures the brain of patients with epilepsy generates pathological patterns of synchronous activity, designated as interictal epileptiform discharges (ID). Using microelectrodes in the hippocampal formations of 8 patients with drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy, we studied ID by simultaneously analyzing action potentials from individual neurons and the local field potentials (LFPs) generated by the surrounding neuronal network. We found that ~30% of the units increased their firing rate during ID and 40% showed a decrease during the post-ID period. Surprisingly, 30% of units showed either an increase or decrease in firing rates several hundred of milliseconds before the ID. In 4 patients, this pre-ID neuronal firing was correlated with field high-frequency oscillations at 40–120 Hz. Finally, we observed that only a very small subset of cells showed significant coincident firing before or during ID. Taken together, we suggested that, in contrast to traditional views, ID are generated by a sparse neuronal network and followed a heterogeneous synchronization process initiated over several hundreds of milliseconds before the paroxysmal discharges.
Analysis of DRD4 and DAT polymorphisms and behavioral inhibition in healthy adults: Implications for impulsivity

Impulsivity, a highly prevalent symptom in multiple psychiatric disorders, is a partially heritable trait influenced by specific biological mechanisms. In particular, dopamine is proposed to play a role in impulsive behaviors and recent studies have implicated functional polymorphisms of dopamine‐related genes in impulsive behaviors across different clinical and behavioral classifications. However, most have not isolated the impulsivity construct per se as a biologically based and measurable endophenotype. The present study was therefore undertaken in a sample of healthy adults to investigate the influence of two candidate dopaminergic gene polymorphisms (DRD4 and DAT) on the endophenotype of impulsivity, which we operationalized as behavioral inhibition during the Stop‐signal task. We recruited an ethnically diverse sample of 119 healthy adults to complete a self‐report questionnaire of impulsivity and to perform a Stop‐signal task. We report significant differences in inhibitory control between individuals with at least one 7‐repeat allele of the DRD4 polymorphism, as well as an interaction between DRD4 and DAT genotypes, on inhibitory control. Results of the present study support the influence of dopaminergic variation on impulsive‐related measures, as well as the advantage of using measures which are likely more sensitive to the effects of such genetic variation. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.