Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Functional Properties of Striatal Fast-Spiking Interneurons

Striatal fast-spiking interneurons (FSIs) have a major influence over behavioral output, and a deficit in these cells has been observed in dystonia and Tourette syndrome. FSIs receive cortical input, are coupled together by gap junctions, and make perisomatic GABAergic synapses onto many nearby projection neurons. Despite being critical components of striatal microcircuits, until recently little was known about FSI activity in behaving animals. Striatal FSIs are near-continuously active in awake rodents, but even neighboring FSIs show uncorrelated activity most of the time. A coordinated “pulse” of increased FSI firing occurs throughout striatum when rats initiate one chosen action while suppressing a highly trained alternative. This pulse coincides with a drop in globus pallidus population activity, suggesting that pallidostriatal disinhibition may have a important role in timing or coordinating action execution. In addition to changes in firing rate, FSIs show behavior-linked modulation of spike timing. The variability of inter-spike intervals decreases markedly following instruction cues, and FSIs also participate in fast striatal oscillations that are linked to rewarding events and dopaminergic drugs. These studies have revealed novel and unexpected properties of FSIs, that should help inform new models of striatal information processing in both normal and aberrant conditions.
Adaptive Learning in Organizations: A System Dynamics-Based Exploration

This paper employs a system dynamics-based framework to examine the limitations of experiential learning as a guide for decision-making in organizations. This framework departs from the more traditional approach to modelling experiential learning processes in organizations by emphasizing the systematic interaction between decision-making agents and their environments, rather than the effects of varying degrees of noise on performance. We present the results of a series of computer simulations that examined the consequences of adaptive learning in organizations by concentrating explicitly on the link between individual decisions and the system-level consequences generated by the interaction of individual choices. The results show that experience is a poor basis for learning primarily because the understanding of structural relations between individual actions and their aggregate consequences is confounded by nonlinear dynamics, time delays, and misperception of feedback.
Cane Technique: Modifying the Touch Technique for Full Path Coverage

Measurements of height of cane hand, cane length, step size, and forearm length of 17 cane, using blind subjects were taken for the purpose of testing the hypothesis that the touch technique does not provide 100 percent path coverage. Percent path coverage for the touch technique and the modified technique of Uslan and Manning was compared. The modified technique offered the complete protection of full path coverage and afforded subjects information about a substantial area that the touch technique did not.
Long-term low-calorie low-protein vegan diet and endurance exercise are associated with low cardiometabolic risk.

BACKGROUND Western diets, which typically contain large amounts of energy-dense processed foods, together with a sedentary lifestyle are associated with increased cardiometabolic risk. We evaluated the long-term effects of consuming a low-calorie low-protein vegan diet or performing regular endurance exercise on cardiometabolic risk factors. METHODS In this cross-sectional study, cardiometabolic risk factors were evaluated in 21 sedentary subjects, who had been on a low-calorie low-protein raw vegan diet for 4.4 +/- 2.8 years, (mean age, 53.1 +/- 11 yrs), 21 body mass index (BMI)-matched endurance runners consuming Western diets, and 21 age- and gender-matched sedentary subjects, consuming Western diets. RESULTS BMI was lower in the low-calorie low-protein vegan diet (21.3 +/- 3.1 kg/m(2)) and endurance runner (21.1 +/- 1.6 kg/m(2)) groups than in the sedentary Western diet group (26.5 +/- 2.7 kg/m(2)) (p < 0.005). Plasma concentrations of lipids, lipoproteins, glucose, insulin, C-reactive protein, blood pressure (BP), and carotid artery intima-media thickness were lower in the low-calorie low-protein vegan diet and runner groups than in the Western diet group (all p < 0.05). Both systolic and diastolic BP were lower in the low-calorie low-protein vegan diet group (104 +/- 15 and 62 +/- 11 mm Hg) than in BMI-matched endurance runners (122 +/- 13 and 72 +/- 9 mmHg) and Western diet group (132 +/- 14 and 79 +/- 8 mm Hg) (p < 0.001); BP values were directly associated with sodium intake and inversely associated with potassium and fiber intake. CONCLUSIONS Long-term consumption of a low-calorie low-protein vegan diet or regular endurance exercise training is associated with low cardiometabolic risk. Moreover, our data suggest that specific components of a low-calorie low-protein vegan diet provide additional beneficial effects on blood pressure.
Radio follow-up of the γ-ray flaring gravitational lens JVAS B0218+357

We present results on multifrequency Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) monitoring observations of the double-image gravitationally lensed blazar JVAS B0218+357. Multi-epoch observations started less than one month after the γ-ray flare detected in 2012 by the Large Area Telescope on board Fermi, and spanned a 2-month interval. The radio light curves did not reveal any significant flux density variability, suggesting that no clear correlation between the high-energy and low-energy emission is present. This behaviour was confirmed also by the long-term Owens Valley Radio Observatory monitoring data at 15 GHz. The milliarcsecond-scale resolution provided by the VLBA observations allowed us to resolve the two images of the lensed blazar, which have a core-jet structure. No significant morphological variation is found by the analysis of the multi-epoch data, suggesting that the region responsible for the γ-ray variability is located in the core of the active galactic nuclei, which is opaque up to the highest observing frequency of 22 GHz.
Reading at the Frustration, Instructional, and Independent Levels: The Effects on Students’ Reading Comprehension and Time on Task

Abstact The current study replicated Gickling and Armstrong (1978) by using curriculum-based assessment for instructional design to match reading materials to skill levels of three third-graders who were struggling readers with low levels of on-task behavior. Difficulty levels of the reading passages were grouped according to ratios of known and unknown words into three categories: frustration (80-90% known), instructional (93-97% known), and independent levels (100% known). A single-subject, multielement design was used to examine the effects of these reading activities on individual students’ time on task and reading comprehension. Although within-subject variability in responding was observed, results suggested that students demonstrated improved time on task while completing tasks at the instructional level, compared to tasks at the frustration and independent levels. Comprehension was highest at the independent level and lowest at the frustration level. These findings were consistent with but not as robust as those reported by Gickling and Armstrong.
Making Sense of Senescence (Molecular Genetic Regulation and Manipulation of Leaf Senescence)

Leaf senescence is the final stage of leaf development. In forests of deciduous trees, the autumn colors that develop during leaf senescence are of great aesthetic value. This process is also of great practical value because during leaf senescence, nutrients are recycled to other parts of the plant. For example, nitrogen from leaves of deciduous trees is used for the synthesis of storage proteins in stems that will support growth during the following spring (Clausen and Apel, 1991). However, in an agricultural setting, leaf senescence may limit yield in certain crops. Senescence also contributes to the postharvest loss of vegetable crops. Therefore, studying leaf senescence will not only contribute to our knowledge about this fundamental developmental process, but may also lead to ways of manipulating senescence for agricultural applications. There have been many physiological, biochemical, and molecular studies of leaf senescence. These studies show that during senescence leaf cells undergo highly coordinated changes in cell structure, metabolism, and gene expression. The earliest and most significant change in cell structure is the breakdown of the chloroplast, the organelle that contains up to 70% of the leaf protein. Metabolically, carbon assimilation (photosynthesis) is replaced by catabolism of chlorophyll and macromolecules such as proteins, membrane lipids, and RNA so that some of the released nutrients can be recycled. At the molecular level, these changes are accompanied by, or perhaps driven by, changes in gene expression. In this Update, we summarize physiological and biochemical studies that have contributed to the present understanding of leaf senescence, then we discuss current molecular investigations into the regulatory mechanism(s) underlying leaf senescence, and, finally, we review some molecular approaches toward the manipulation of leaf senescence.
A pivotal role for CC chemokine receptor 5 in T-cell migration to tumor sites induced by interleukin 12 treatment in tumor-bearing mice.

Interleukin (IL) 12 treatment in the CSA1M and OV-HM, but not in Meth A tumor models,induces tumor regression that is associated with T-cell migration to tumor sites.Here, we investigated the role of the CC chemokine receptor (CCR)5 in T-cell migration induced after IL-12 treatment. In the two IL-12-responsive tumor models (CSA1M and OV-HM), IL-12 treatment up-regulated the mRNA expression of CCR5 in splenic T cells as well as ligands for CCR5, such as macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP) 1alpha and MIP-1beta in tumor masses. In contrast, the expression of CCR5 in spleens and MIP-1alpha/MIP-1beta in tumor masses was marginally induced before and even after IL-12 treatment in the Meth A model in which T-cell migration is not observed. T cells infiltrating tumor masses in the former two IL-12-responsive models expressed CCR5. Administration of a synthetic CCR5 antagonist TAK-779 to tumor-bearing mice during IL-12 immunotherapy prevented T-cell migration and tumor regression. Furthermore, anti-CCR5 antibody was found to inhibit T-cell migration in the lymphoid cell migration assay. Namely, although splenic T cells prepared from IL-12-treated CSA1M or OV-HM-bearing mice migrated into the corresponding tumor masses in recipient mice, the migration was inhibited when donor T cells were treated with anti-CCR5 antibody before the injection. These results indicate a critical role for CCR5 in the induction of T-cell migration to tumor sites after IL-12 treatment.
Performance bounds and identifiability conditions for location estimation in NLoS dynamic environments

The non-trivial problem of Non-Line-of-Sight localization can be attacked with the aid of geometrical channel and mobility models. This approach results in high performance algorithms but requires a combination of different sources of information, like e.g. angles, delays and Doppler shifts. In this contribution we demonstrate the high performance of such methods even in poor scattering environments. On top of that, we compare the algorithms for different scenarios and highlight the superiority of algorithms designed for channels that change dynamically due to the movement of the mobile terminal.
EM and SM induced degradation dynamics in copper interconnects studied using electron microscopy and X-ray microscopy

In addition to statistically relevant standard reliability tests and lifetime analysis, the study of solid-state physical degradation mechanisms for a limited number of representative samples is needed to understand weaknesses in the interconnect technology and to exclude reliability-related failure in Cu interconnects. We present dynamic studies of damage mechanisms in on-chip Cu interconnects caused by electromigration (EM) and stress migration (SM). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and synchrotron-based transmission X-ray microscopy (TXM) are applied to visualize the void evolution, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) in the SEM and conical dark-field (CDF) analysis in the transmission electron microscope (TEM) are applied to characterize the Cu microstructure. In case of EM, our experiments show that voids are formed at interfaces and grain boundaries, often far away from vias in via/line interconnect structures. Due to the gradient of the electrical potential, Cu atoms migrate along weak pathways for material transport. Depending on the interface strength, voids that virtually move along interfaces or grain boundaries over large distances into the opposite direction of the current flow, i. e. toward the cathode end of the line, have been visualized. In case of SM, our experiments do not show void movement over large distances during the stress-induced voiding (SIV). In via/line interconnect structures we rather observe that voids are formed directly beneath the via, i. e. in wide Cu line at the edge of the via bottom. It is concluded that voids are originally formed at the site where eventually the catastrophic failure occurs. During SM tests, Cu atoms migrate from regions of low tensile (or high compressive) stress to regions of high tensile stress, and simultaneously, vacancies migrate along the stress gradient (within a limited range of some μm) in the opposite direction, to the location where vias connect wide Cu lines. For both EM and SM, the driving forces for atomic transport depend strongly on the particular geometry of the tested structure, but also on interface bonding and metal microstructure.
Scattering for the Gross-Pitaevskii equation

We investigate the asymptotic behavior at time infinity of solutions close to a non-zero constant equilibrium for the Gross-Pitaevskii (or Ginzburg-Landau Schroedinger) equation. We prove that, in dimensions larger than 3, small perturbations can be approximated at time infinity by the linearized evolution, and the wave operators are homeomorphic around 0 in certain Sobolev spaces.
Subjective voice quality, communicative ability and swallowing after definitive radio(chemo)therapy, laryngectomy plus radio(chemo)therapy, or organ conservation surgery plus radio(chemo)therapy for laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer

This retrospective analysis focusses on the impact of therapy on perceived long-term post-cancer treatment function. A validated questionnaire including items and components for the assessment of communicative ability, quality of voice and swallowing was sent to 129 patients. All patients were treated between 1998 and 2007. A total of 76 patients (58.9%) with carcinoma of the larynx or hypopharynx replied to the questionnaire. Data was evaluated retrospectively. Therapy delivered was definitive radio(chemo)therapy (defchRT/RT) (21/76, 28%), laryngectomy + radio(chemo)therapy (LE + chRT/RT) (28/76, 37%), or larynx conservation surgery + radio(chemo)therapy (LCS + chRT/RT) (27/76, 36%). Radiotherapy was administered using 2D- or 3D-conformal planning. The most common concomitant chemotherapy delivered was cisplatin + 5FU. For statistical analyses of the components, averages were calculated and tested using the Kruskal–Wallis test and the U-test of Mann and Whitney. Differences were assessed by the Monte Carlo method or Fisher's exact test. The single item rates were compared with Fisher's exact test. Mean follow-up was 56.7 months (range, 8–130 months). After defchRT/RT, patients trended towards more substantial–strong hoarseness compared with LCS + chRT/RT (P = 0.2). After LE, patients were dissatisfied with their artificial larynx/electrolarynx and the tone of their voice (P = 0.3, P = 0.07) and communicative ability (P = 0.005, P = 0.008) compared with those treated with defchRT/RT and LCS + chRT/RT, respectively. Dysphagia and additional percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) feeding were more frequent after defchRT/RT in comparison with the other two groups (P < 0.05). Voice quality and communicative ability were slightly worse after defchRT/RT and LE + chRT/RT, but satisfying with all treatment modalities. Further development of the therapy approach is necessary to reduce long-term side effects, with measures of post-treatment function as important endpoints.
The cybernetics of "self": a theory of alcoholism.

The present essay is based upon ideas which are, perhaps all of them, familiar either to psychiatrists who have had dealings with alcoholics, or to philosophers who have thought about the implications of cybernetics and systems theory The only novelty which can be claimed for the thesis here offered derives from treating these ideas seriously as premises of argument and from the bringing together of commonplace ideas from two too-separate fields of thought. In its first conception, this essay was planned to be a systems-theoretic study of alcoholic addiction, in which I would use data from the publications of Alcoholics Anonymous, which has the only outstanding record of success in dealing with alcoholics. It soon became evident, however, that the religious views and the organizational structure of A. A. presented points of great interest to systems theory, and that the correct scope of my study should include not only the premises of alcoholism but also the premises of the A.A. system of treating it and the premises of A. A. organization. My debt to A.A. wili be evident throughout-also, I hope, my respect for that organization and especially for the extraordinary wisdom of its co-founders, Bill W. and Dr. Bob. In addition, I have to acknowledge a debt to a small sample of alcoholic patients with whom I worked intensively for about two years in 1949-52, in the Veterans Administration Hospital, Palo Alto, California. These men, it should be mentioned, carried other diagnosesmostly of “schizophrenia”-in addition to the pains of alcoholism. Several were members of A.A. I fear that I helped them not at all.
Biological Crystallography Structural and Functional Analysis of the Human Spliceosomal Dead-box Helicase Prp28

The DEAD-box protein Prp28 is essential for pre-mRNA splicing as it plays a key role in the formation of an active spliceosome. Prp28 participates in the release of the U1 snRNP from the 5 0-splice site during association of the U5ÁU4/ U6 tri-snRNP, which is a crucial step in the transition from a pre-catalytic spliceosome to an activated spliceosome. Here, it is demonstrated that the purified helicase domain of human Prp28 (hPrp28ÁN) binds ADP, whereas binding of ATP and ATPase activity could not be detected. ATP binding could not be observed for purified full-length hPrp28 either, but within an assembled spliceosomal complex hPrp28 gains ATP-binding activity. In order to understand the structural basis for the ATP-binding deficiency of isolated hPrp28, the crystal structure of hPrp28ÁN was determined at 2.0 A ˚ resolution. In the crystal the helicase domain adopts a wide-open conforma-tion, as the two RecA-like domains are extraordinarily displaced from the productive ATPase conformation. Binding of ATP is hindered by a closed conformation of the P-loop, which occupies the space required for the-phosphate of ATP.
Boosting Binary Keypoint Descriptors

Binary key point descriptors provide an efficient alternative to their floating-point competitors as they enable faster processing while requiring less memory. In this paper, we propose a novel framework to learn an extremely compact binary descriptor we call Bin Boost that is very robust to illumination and viewpoint changes. Each bit of our descriptor is computed with a boosted binary hash function, and we show how to efficiently optimize the different hash functions so that they complement each other, which is key to compactness and robustness. The hash functions rely on weak learners that are applied directly to the image patches, which frees us from any intermediate representation and lets us automatically learn the image gradient pooling configuration of the final descriptor. Our resulting descriptor significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art binary descriptors and performs similarly to the best floating-point descriptors at a fraction of the matching time and memory footprint.
Factors of Persistence for African American Men in a Student Support Organization

Abstract:The purpose of this qualitative study is to examine factors of persistence for two African American men involved in the Project Empowerment (PE, pseudonym) student organization at a predominantly White institution. The participants are undergraduate student members of PE, a campus-based organization designed to enhance African American male retention. The researcher conducted interviews with both participants, and analyzed the data verbatim uncovering these four themes: (a) college preparedness, (b) high aspirations and goals, (c) social connections and relationships, and (d) growth through student organizational commitment. The study found that components of PE support African American male persistence. The findings implicate the need for ethnic-based programs for African American men, and for institutions to encourage program participation among this student group.
Analytical Router Modeling for Networks-on-Chip Performance Analysis

Networks-on-chip (NoCs) have recently emerged as a scalable alternative to classical bus and point-to-point architectures. To date, performance evaluation of NoC designs is largely based on simulation which, besides being extremely slow, provides little insight on how different design parameters affect the actual network performance. Therefore, it is practically impossible to use simulation for optimization purposes. In this paper, a generalized router model was first presented and then utilized this novel model for doing NoC performance analysis. The proposed model can be used not only to obtain fast and accurate performance estimates, but also to guide the NoC design process within an optimization loop. The accuracy of our approach and its practical use is illustrated through extensive simulation results
Network flow methods for electoral systems

Researchers in the area of electoral systems have recently turned their attention to network flow techniques with the aim to resolve certain practically relevant problems arising in this area. The aim of this paper is to review some of this work, showing the applicability of these techniques even to problems of a very different nature. Major emphasis will be placed on “biproportional apportionment,” a problem that frequently arises in proportional electoral systems, but which in some countries is still ill‐solved, or not dealt with rigorously, notwithstanding the availability of several sound solution procedures and their concrete application in some real‐life elections. Besides biproportional apportionment, we shall discuss applications of network flows to problems such as vote transitions and political districting. Finally, we address the so‐called “give‐up problem,” which arises in the current elections for the Italian Parliament. It is related to the possible assignment of seats to multiple winners of a given party. Based on the results and techniques presented in this article, it is fair to state that network flow models and algorithms are indeed very flexible and effective tools for the analysis and the design of contemporary electoral systems. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. NETWORKS, 2012