Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Developmental Gene Expression Profiling along the Tonotopic Axis of the Mouse Cochlea

The mammalian cochlear duct is tonotopically organized such that the basal cochlea is tuned to high frequency sounds and the apical cochlea to low frequency sounds. In an effort to understand how this tonotopic organization is established, we searched for genes that are differentially expressed along the tonotopic axis during neonatal development. Cochlear tissues dissected from P0 and P8 mice were divided into three equal pieces, representing the base, middle and apex, and gene expression profiles were determined using the microarray technique. The gene expression profiles were grouped according to changes in expression levels along the tonotopic axis as well as changes during neonatal development. The classified groups were further analyzed by functional annotation clustering analysis to determine whether genes associated with specific biological function or processes are particularly enriched in each group. These analyses identified several candidate genes that may be involved in cochlear development and acquisition of tonotopy. We examined the expression domains for a few candidate genes in the developing mouse cochlea. Tnc (tenacin C) and Nov (nephroblastoma overexpressed gene) are expressed in the basilar membrane, with increased expression toward the apex, which may contribute to graded changes in the structure of the basilar membrane along the tonotopic axis. In addition, Fst (Follistatin), an antagonist of TGF-β/BMP signaling, is expressed in the lesser epithelial ridge and at gradually higher levels towards the apex. The graded expression pattern of Fst is established at the time of cochlear specification and maintained throughout embryonic and postnatal development, suggesting its possible role in the organization of tonotopy. Our data will provide a good resource for investigating the developmental mechanisms of the mammalian cochlea including the acquisition of tonotopy.
Correlates, Predictors, and Protectors of Suicidal Ideation in Depression

Date of acceptance: 20 October 2017 ABSTRACT Objective: Aim of the study was identifying correlates, protectors and predictors of suicidal ideation among 26 variables in a Turkish outpatient population. Method: A retrospective and naturalistic study was designed and it was set in a private psychiatry clinic in Istanbul between 2011 and 2017 years. 1902 drug-free depressed patients were participated. Turkish versions of the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS), Insight Evaluation Scale, and Quality of Life Scale (WHOQOL-BREF) were used. Each participant also was asked about suicidal ideation. Univariate analysis and predictive modeling were used to identify significant factors affecting suicidal ideation. Results: 1082 women and 820 men were included; 999 (52.4%) reported suicidal ideation. Of the 26 factors associated with a high rate of suicidal ideation, high severity of depression, low severity of anxiety, low quality of life, and low insight were predictive. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that HAMD >21 for men was associated with a quality of life <76; in addition, HAMD >14, HARS <24, and WHOQOL-BREF <75 can be used as follow-up tools in suicidal ideation. Conclusion: Contributing factors to increased suicidal ideation include decreased libido or appetite, high severity in depression, low quality of life, low anxiety and insight, family history of psychiatric disorder, and conversive seizures. Provocation of anxiety may be helpful in reducing suicidal ideation to some extent. In addition, protective actions may include increasing insight about depression, early intervention to lower depression severity, and increasing quality of life, educating the person’s social support system via proper psychotherapeutic approaches.
Towards event source unobservability with minimum network traffic in sensor networks

Sensors deployed to monitor the surrounding environment report such information as event type, location, and time when a real event of interest is detected. An adversary may identify the real event source through eavesdropping and traffic analysis. Previous work has studied the source location privacy problem under a local adversary model. In this work, we aim to provide a stronger notion: event source unobservability, which promises that a global adversary cannot know whether a real event has ever occurred even if he is capable of collecting and analyzing all the messages in the network at all the time. Clearly, event source unobservability is a desirable and critical security property for event monitoring applications, but unfortunately it is also very difficult and expensive to achieve for resource-constrained sensor network. Our main idea is to introduce carefully chosen dummy traffic to hide the real event sources in combination with mechanisms to drop dummy messages to prevent explosion of network traffic. To achieve the latter, we select some sensors as proxies that proactively filter dummy messages on their way to the base station. Since the problem of optimal proxy placement is NP-hard, we employ local search heuristics. We propose two schemes (i) Proxy-based Filtering Scheme (PFS) and (ii) Tree-based Filtering Scheme (TFS) to accurately locate proxies. Simulation results show that our schemes not only quickly find nearly optimal proxy placement, but also significantly reduce message overhead and improve message delivery ratio. A prototype of our scheme was implemented for TinyOS-based Mica2 motes.
Lower-Frequency Event-Related Desynchronization: A Signature of Late Mismatch Responses to Sounds, Which Is Reduced or Absent in Children with Specific Language Impairment

Poor discrimination of nonlinguistic sounds has been implicated in language-learning problems in children, but research evidence has been inconsistent. This study included 32 participants with specific language impairment (SLI) and 32 typically developing controls aged 7–16 years. Frequency discrimination thresholds were estimated in a task where participants had to distinguish a higher-frequency tone from a 1000 Hz tone. Neurophysiological responses were assessed in an oddball paradigm. Stimuli were either 1030 or 1200 Hz pure tones (deviants) presented in a series of standard 1000 Hz tones, or syllables (deviant [da] or [bi] in a series of standard /ba/). On the behavioral task, children (7- to 11-year-olds) had high thresholds, regardless of language status, but teenagers (12–16 years) with SLI had higher thresholds than their controls. Conventional analysis of electrophysiological responses showed no difference between groups for the mismatch negativity (MMN), but the late discriminative negativity (LDN) was reduced in amplitude for smaller deviants in participants with SLI. Time–frequency analysis revealed that, whereas the MMN reflected enhanced intertrial coherence in the theta frequency band, the LDN corresponded to a period of event-related desynchronization extending across a wide low-frequency band including delta, theta, and alpha. This manifested as a drop in power in those frequencies, which was marked in the controls but reduced or absent in children with SLI across all stimulus types. This provides compelling evidence for a low-level auditory perceptual impairment in SLI that affects a processing stage after initial detection of a sound change.
The Hedgehog Effect: The Secrets of Building High Performance Teams

In The Hedgehog Effect, Manfred Kets de Vries presents the case for leadership group coaching as an experiential training ground for learning to function as a high performance team. His group coaching model, incorporating living case studies, has been developed over more than 20 years of delivering programs to top-level executives and sets the standard in the field of leadership group coaching. Written for coaches, consultants, leadership development directors, and anyone working in or with teams, The Hedgehog Effect begins with an in-depth analysis of what teams and groups are all about. The intricacies of leadership coaching are illustrated with an elaborate example of a team coaching intervention. In Part Two, the author applies a psychodynamic lens to the dynamics of teams and groups, taking a close look at relationship patterns, how groups evolve, and the phenomenon of the group-as-a-whole. Part Three takes a more systemic perspective, addressing the challenges that change processes pose for people in organizations, and how to create best places to work. Kets de Vries supports the whole with the story of an organizational change initiative accomplished through group coaching.
Self-control “in the wild”: Experience sampling study of trait and state self-regulation

Abstract An experience sampling study with a large community sample (N = 3327) furnished data on trait and state self-control in everyday life. State measures were self-reports of ego-depleting events (restraining self, effortful decisions, and pushing self to do unwanted tasks) and feelings of depletion (emotional overreactions, difficulty making up mind, less mental energy). People with high trait self-control reported fewer such feelings and events than others. Poor sleep quality and interpersonal conflict were strong predictors of depleted feelings, and indeed the combination of very poor sleep and high interpersonal conflict led to a dramatic spike in reports of extremely depleted feelings. Depleted feelings were positively correlated with being young, female, politically non-extreme, and less well educated, and with finding life less meaningful, as well as with multitasking and hurrying. They increased across the day despite drops after meal times, thus attesting to the value of food and sleep. Pain and illness also raised them. Among other implications, the data suggest a composite picture of the daily life of someone with low trait self-control: frequently rushing and hurrying, not thinking about what they are doing, and just responding automatically to the current situation, as well as suffering aftereffects of interpersonal conflict and poor quality sleep.
Feasibility of voice service in cognitive networks over the TV spectrum

We consider a cognitive network where the secondary users generate voice traffic and search for sharing opportunities over the TV spectrum. From the cognitive network perspective the TV bands can be idle, occupied or acceptable. A band is classified as acceptable when the TV signal is present but the secondary users can still share the band by lowering their transmission power. Therefore, the acceptable bands offer a lower rate transmission opportunity compared to the idle bands, while the occupied bands cannot be utilized at all for secondary transmission. When most of the measured bands are detected to be occupied, there might not be enough capacity to serve all the secondary users' calls. In this paper we identify the number of measured TV bands so that with a high probability all the secondary users are scheduled on some of the measured bands. The results of this paper are promising. It is shown that the number of secondary users sharing the spectrum grows much quicker than the number of TV bands required to be measured.
I. STARC~r GEL ELECTROPHORESIS OF THE DISSOCIATED

Considerable evidence indicates that antibodies to single well defined antigens consist of populations of molecules varying in physical, chemical, and immunologic behavior (1). This heterogeneity is not limited to the occurrence of antibodies in each of the three classes of T-globulins (T, T~, and T1M), but is manifested by the same apparent continuum of physico-chemical properties as is found for the normal T-globulins within each class (2, 3). In contrast to norreal y-globulins, the myeloma globulins and pathological macroglobulins belonging to each class are relatively homogeneous (4, 5).
A Gene Regulatory Network for Root Epidermis Cell Differentiation in Arabidopsis

The root epidermis of Arabidopsis provides an exceptional model for studying the molecular basis of cell fate and differentiation. To obtain a systems-level view of root epidermal cell differentiation, we used a genome-wide transcriptome approach to define and organize a large set of genes into a transcriptional regulatory network. Using cell fate mutants that produce only one of the two epidermal cell types, together with fluorescence-activated cell-sorting to preferentially analyze the root epidermis transcriptome, we identified 1,582 genes differentially expressed in the root-hair or non-hair cell types, including a set of 208 “core” root epidermal genes. The organization of the core genes into a network was accomplished by using 17 distinct root epidermis mutants and 2 hormone treatments to perturb the system and assess the effects on each gene's transcript accumulation. In addition, temporal gene expression information from a developmental time series dataset and predicted gene associations derived from a Bayesian modeling approach were used to aid the positioning of genes within the network. Further, a detailed functional analysis of likely bHLH regulatory genes within the network, including MYC1, bHLH54, bHLH66, and bHLH82, showed that three distinct subfamilies of bHLH proteins participate in root epidermis development in a stage-specific manner. The integration of genetic, genomic, and computational analyses provides a new view of the composition, architecture, and logic of the root epidermal transcriptional network, and it demonstrates the utility of a comprehensive systems approach for dissecting a complex regulatory network.
The impact of gender stereotyping on female expatriates: a conceptual model of research

Over the past decade, a rising trend in female expatriates has caused organisations to re-think their perceptions with regard to women in international assignments [10,30]. Although female expatriates are bound to confront the phenomenon of “glass ceiling” initially to be able to pursue managerial positions abroad, Adler argued that low percentage of female expatriates is a result of lack of organisational confidence on the women’s abilities and due to discrimination against women in foreign culture [1]. Research on female expatriates has been dominated by issues in the genre of cross-cultural adjustment and adaption the issue of gender stereotyping being highly under researched [5,18,21]. In this context, evidence from Agars confirms the under examination of gender stereotypes that contribute to discrepancies in gender distribution [2]. Hence the purpose of this study is to develop a preliminary model of research to analyse the crucial factors and underlying implications of gender stereotyping on female expatriates. The findings from the review on existing studies Abstract
Retrospective Interference Alignment: Degrees of Freedom Scaling With Distributed Transmitters

In this paper, we consider the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$K$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-user single-input single-output interference channel with delayed channel state information at the transmitters (CSIT). Our main contribution is to show that even with delayed CSIT and distributed transmitters, the achievable degrees of freedom (DoFs) still scale with the number of users. More specifically, we propose a method that achieves <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$K/(2\sqrt {K} - 1) \geq \sqrt {K}/2$ </tex-math></inline-formula> DoF. The main idea behind the proposed method is to use interference alignment (IA) at the receiver side in conjunction with repetition coding at the transmitters. Repetition coding repeats the data <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$R$ </tex-math></inline-formula> times while IA makes the interference generated by a given transmitter identical: 1) at all non-intended receivers and 2) all transmission repetitions. Therefore, one retransmission per transmitter is sufficient to cancel all the interference. This reduces significantly the overhead required for interference removal since the number of interference terms is reduced from <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$RK(K-1)$ </tex-math></inline-formula> to <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$K$ </tex-math></inline-formula>.
On the Comparison of Theories: Preferring the Most Specific Explanation

Default reasoning is reasoning with generalised knowledge which we want to use if there is no more specific knowledge also applicable. This paper presents a formal, model-theoretic characterisation of default reasoning. Defaults are treated as possible hypotheses in a "scientific" theory to explain the results. One of the problems with systems that reason with defaults occurs when two answers can be produced, and one is preferred. In terms of our default logic, we define a semantic characterisation of the notion of the more specific theory. This overcomes many of the problems which motivated non-normal defaults, and provides a semantics for correct inheritance in inheritance systems, where we want choose the result supported by the most specific knowledge. We also show how to produce a general computational mechanism in terms of normal first order predicate calculus deduction systems.
Rabbit Polymorphonuclear Neutrophils Elicit Endothelium-Dependent Contraction in Vascular Smooth Muscle

The present studies were designed to investigate the interaction between activated polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) and endothelial regulation of vascular smooth muscle function. Rabbit peritoneal PMNs (4xl03-4xl05 cells/ml) added to muscle bath chambers containing phenylephrine-precontracted rabbit isolated aortic rings produced no effect on vascular tone. However, when PMNs were activated with the chemotactic peptide, f-met-leu-phe (0.1 μM), PMNs produced concentration-dependent vascular contraction, which was dependent on the presence of the endothelium. Aortic rings denuded of endothelium were unaffected by activated PMNs. Superoxide dismutase (100 units/ml) treatment of tissues blocked completely PMNinduced vascular contraction, whereas mannitol (20 mMj had no significant effect on PMNinduced vascular contraction. Pyrogallol (a generator of superoxide anion) produced a response that was similar to that observed with activated PMNs. Superoxide anion production was measured separately, and the time of peak rate of superoxide anion production corresponded to the time of the maximal vascular contractile responses. Activated PMNs added to vascular tissues undergoing endothelium-dependent relaxation mediated by either acetylchollne or A23187 produced a reversal of vascular relaxation. Furthermore, activated PMNs did not have any effect on endothelium-independent vascular relaxation produced by either isoproterenol or nitroglycerin. The present Investigation reveals that activated PMNs can release superoxide anion and produce endothelium-dependent contraction. The endothelium-dependent contraction may be the result of superoxide anion inactivation of endothelium-derived relaxing factor.
Controlling hand-assistive devices: utilizing electrooculography as a substitute for vision

The loss of hand function, due to amputation or neurological injuries, severely debilitates physically and psychosocially. The most evident and critical impairment after upper limb amputation or neurological injury like brachial plexus or spinal cord injury is the loss of prehension, i.e., the ability to perform those movements in which an object is seized and held partially or wholly within the compass of the hand.
Running head : THE NEURAL CORRELATES OF AESTHETIC APPRECIATION 2 THE NEURAL CORRELATES OF AESTHETIC APPRECIATION Bachelor Degree Project in Cognitive Neuroscience Basic level 15 ECTS Spring term 2016

In everyday life, people all over the world come across art in some way, and the question of what constitutes an aesthetic experience has long been an interesting topic for humanistic and philosophical studies. Recently, neuroscientists have begun pinning down the neural correlates of artistic production and appreciation, sparking a whole new subfield within cognitive neuroscience, known as neuroaesthetics. Most studies have focused on the relationship between brain mechanisms and the appreciation of visual art, which has shown to be a meaningful and interesting complement to empirical aesthetics and psychology. By means of several modern measuring instruments and tools such as functional magnetic resonance imaging and magnetoencephalography, neuroscientists have successfully been able to observe specific brain activity in relation to specific aesthetic activities, such as viewing paintings or artworks. In this thesis, the supposed neural correlates of aesthetic appreciation are examined through critical investigations, where evidence from some of the more outstanding studies is reviewed and compared, as well as the different problems and complexities that the field is dealing with. Furthermore, the evolutionary history of aesthetic experiences and philosophical theories on aesthetics are also examined, as well as how certain neural deficits affect our cognitive and emotional abilities to appreciate art. The findings demonstrated in this thesis show that aesthetic appreciation is a multifaceted phenomenon, depending on specific neural interactions between bottom-up sensory processing areas, reward-related subcortical structures and top-down cortical processing areas, that all together form the experience of enjoying artworks across different sensory modalities.
Consequences at adulthood of transient inactivation of the parahippocampal and prefrontal regions during early development: new insights from a disconnection animal model for schizophrenia

The psychic disintegration characteristic of schizophrenia is thought to result from a defective connectivity, of neurodevelopmental origin, between several integrative brain regions. The parahippocampal region and the prefrontal cortex are described as the main regions affected in schizophrenia. Interestingly, latent inhibition (LI) has been found to be reduced in patients with schizophrenia, and the existence of a dopaminergic dysfunction is also generally well accepted in this disorder. In the present review, we have integrated behavioral and neurochemical data obtained in a LI protocol involving adult rats subjected to neonatal functional inactivation of the entorhinal cortex, the ventral subiculum or the prefrontal cortex. The data discussed suggest a subtle and transient functional blockade during early development of the aforementioned brain regions is sufficient to induce schizophrenia-related behavioral and dopaminergic abnormalities in adulthood. In summary, these results support the view that our conceptual and methodological approach, based on functional disconnections, is valid for modeling some aspects of the pathophysiology of schizophrenia from a neurodevelopmental perspective.