Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neural Representation of Natural Images in Visual Area V2

Area V2 is a major visual processing stage in mammalian visual cortex, but little is currently known about how V2 encodes information during natural vision. To determine how V2 represents natural images, we used a novel nonlinear system identification approach to obtain quantitative estimates of spatial tuning across a large sample of V2 neurons. We compared these tuning estimates with those obtained in area V1, in which the neural code is relatively well understood. We find two subpopulations of neurons in V2. Approximately one-half of the V2 neurons have tuning that is similar to V1. The other half of the V2 neurons are selective for complex features such as those that occur in natural scenes. These neurons are distinguished from V1 neurons mainly by the presence of stronger suppressive tuning. Selectivity in these neurons therefore reflects a balance between excitatory and suppressive tuning for specific features. These results provide a new perspective on how complex shape selectivity arises, emphasizing the role of suppressive tuning in determining stimulus selectivity in higher visual cortex.
Comparative efficacy of indacaterol in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Long-acting bronchodilators have been shown to improve multiple clinical outcomes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) including lung function, symptoms, dyspnea, quality of life, and exacerbations. Indacaterol is a novel, inhaled, long-acting β2-agonist providing 24-hour bronchodilation with once-daily dosing. It is currently approved for the maintenance treatment of COPD to be administered as 150 or 300 μg once-daily doses as licensed in many countries and 75 μg as licensed in the US by means of a single-dose dry powder inhaler. The data from clinical development support a favorable safety and tolerability profile within the β2-agonist drug class, with no relevant issues identified. Current evidence indicates that indacaterol is suitable for use as first-line monotherapy in COPD patients with moderate disease (Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease [GOLD] stage II) and beyond that do not require an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) as per GOLD guidelines, or in combination with an ICS in severe or very severe patients with repeated exacerbations. Data from trials with the novel once-daily β2-agonist, indacaterol, indicate superior bronchodilation and clinical efficacy over twice-daily long-acting β2-agonists and at least equipotent bronchodilation as once-daily tiotropium. Bronchodilators are central in the symptomatic management of COPD. It is likely that once-daily dosing of a bronchodilator would be a significant convenience and probably a compliance-enhancing advantage, leading to improved overall clinical outcomes in patients with COPD.
Circadian Organization Is Governed by Extra-SCN Pacemakers

In mammals, a pacemaker in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is thought to be required for behavioral, physiological, and molecular circadian rhythms. However, there is considerable evidence that temporal food restriction (restricted feedisng [RF]) and chronic methamphetamine (MA) can drive circadian rhythms of locomotor activity, body temperature, and endocrine function in the absence of SCN. This indicates the existence of extra-SCN pacemakers: the Food Entrainable Oscillator (FEO) and Methamphetamine Sensitive Circadian Oscillator (MASCO). Here, we show that these extra-SCN pacemakers control the phases of peripheral oscillators in intact as well as in SCN-ablated PER2::LUC mice. MA administration shifted the phases of SCN, cornea, pineal, pituitary, kidney, and salivary glands in intact animals. When the SCN was ablated, disrupted phase relationships among peripheral oscillators were reinstated by MA treatment. When intact animals were subjected to restricted feeding, the phases of cornea, pineal, kidney, salivary gland, lung, and liver were shifted. In SCN-lesioned restricted-fed mice, phases of all of the tissues shifted such that they aligned with the time of the meal. Taken together, these data show that FEO and MASCO are strong circadian pacemakers able to regulate the phases of peripheral oscillators.
CASE versus BULK RESERVES : AN ISSUE OF MANIPULATION

Prior research has not considered the allocation of loss reserves between case and bulk reserves when analyzing the management of loss reserves. We argue that, due to the vast flexibility in their estimation, the management of bulk reserves will be more prevalent in contrast to the case reserves. This study analyzes both the factors related to the use of bulk loss reserves as well as the related question of whether their use impacts loss reserve manipulation. Consistent with our hypotheses, we find that there are firm differences in the use of bulk reserves as well as a significant relation between the use of bulk reserves and earning management. Further, we find that the use of bulk reserves and their relation to earnings management vary across lines of business. This is important for policyholders, stakeholders, and regulators as reserve manipulation can dramatically impact insurer pricing as well as mask financial distress and alter tax payments.
Barriers to Capital Accumulation and Aggregate Total Factor Productivity

I develop a growth model where a single good can be produced with a traditional and a modern technology. The traditional technology features low total factor productivity (TFP) and a low share of reproducible capital. In this framework, barriers to capital accumulation affect technology use and therefore aggregate TFP. The theory thus connects recent models of factor accumulation and of TFP. The model is calibrated by interpreting traditional production as agriculture and nonreproducible capital as land. The theory implies that barriers are associated with large agricultural shares, as supported by cross-country and time-series evidence. The required TFP differences needed in the model to account for a given income disparity are reduced by 1s2 relative to the standard model that abstracts from technology choice. Copyright 2004 by the Economics Department Of The University Of Pennsylvania And Osaka University Institute Of Social And Economic Research Association.
A fuzzy expert system design for diagnosis of prostate cancer

In this study a fuzzy expert system design for diagnosing, analyzing and learning purpose of the prostate cancer diseases was described. For this prostate was used prostate specific antigen (PSA), age and prostate volume (PV) as input parameters and prostate cancer risk (PCR) as output. This system allows determining if there is a need for the biopsy and it gives to user a range of the risk of the cancer diseases. There was observed that this system is rapid, economical, without risk than traditional diagnostic systems, has also a high reliability and can be used as learning system for medicine students.
Clinical effect of increasing doses of lenalidomide in high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia with chromosome 5 abnormalities

Background Patients with chromosome 5 abnormalities and high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes or acute myeloid leukemia have a poor outcome. We hypothesized that increasing doses of lenalidomide may benefit this group of patients by inhibiting the tumor clone, as assessed by fluorescence in situ hybridization for del(5q31). Design and Methods Twenty-eight patients at diagnosis or with relapsed disease and not eligible for standard therapy (16 with acute myeloid leukemia, 12 with intermediate-risk 2 or high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome) were enrolled in this prospective phase II multicenter trial and treated with lenalidomide up to 30 mg daily for 16 weeks. Three patients had isolated del(5q), six had del(5q) plus one additional aberration, 14 had del(5q) and a complex karyotype, four had monosomy 5, and one had del(5q) identified by fluorescence in situ hybridization only. Results Major and minor cytogenetic responses, assessed by fluorescence in situ hybridization, were achieved in 5/26 (19%) and 2/26 (8%) patients, respectively, who received one or more dose of lenalidomide, while two patients achieved only a bone marrow response. Nine of all 26 patients (35%) and nine of the ten who completed the 16 weeks of trial responded to treatment. Using the International Working Group criteria for acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome the overall response rate in treated patients with acute myeloid leukemia was 20% (3/15), while that for patients with myelodysplastic syndrome was 36% (4/11). Seven patients stopped therapy due to progressive disease and nine because of complications, most of which were disease-related. Response rates were similar in patients with isolated del(5q) and in those with additional aberrations. Interestingly, patients with TP53 mutations responded less well than those without mutations (2/13 versus 5/9, respectively; P=0.047). No responses were observed among 11 cases with deleterious TP53 mutations. Conclusions Our data support a role for higher doses of lenalidomide in poor prognosis patients with myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia with deletion 5q. (Clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT00761449).
Interstellar cloud structure: the statistics of centroid velocities

Context. The statistical properties of maps of line centroids have been used for almost 50 years, but there is still no general agreement on their interpretation. Aims. We have tried to quantify which properties of underlying turbulent velocity fields can be derived from centroid velocity maps, and we tested conditions under which the scaling behaviour of the centroid velocities matches the scaling of the three-dimensional velocity field. Methods. Using fractal cloud models we systematically studied the relation between three-dimensional density and velocity fields and the statistical properties of the resulting line centroid maps. We paid special attention to cases with large density fluctuations resembling supersonic interstellar turbulence. Starting from the ∆-variance analysis, we derived a new tool to compute the scaling behaviour of the three-dimensional velocity field from observed intensity and centroid velocity maps. Results. We provide two criteria to decide whether the information from the centroid velocities directly reflects the properties of the underlying velocity field. Applying these criteria allows us to understand the different results found so far in the literature for interpreting the statistics of velocity centroids. The new iteration scheme can be used to derive the three-dimensional velocity scaling from centroid velocity maps for arbitrary density and velocity fields, but it requires accurate knowledge of the average density of the interstellar cloud under consideration.
Spectral Decomposition of Broad-Line AGNs and Host Galaxies

Using an eigenspectrum decomposition technique, we separate the host galaxy from the broad-line active galactic nucleus (AGN) in a set of 4666 spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), from redshifts near zero up to about 0.75. The decomposition technique uses separate sets of galaxy and quasar eigenspectra to efficiently and reliably separate the AGN and host spectroscopic components. The technique accurately reproduces the host galaxy spectrum, its contributing fraction, and its classification. We show how the accuracy of the decomposition depends on the S/N, host galaxy fraction, and galaxy class. On the basis of the eigencoefficients, the sample of SDSS broad-line AGN host galaxies spans a wide range of spectral types, but the distribution differs significantly from inactive galaxies. In particular, poststarburst activity appears to be much more common among AGN host galaxies. The luminosities of the hosts are much higher than expected for normal early-type galaxies, and their colors become increasingly bluer than early-type galaxies with increasing host luminosity. Most of the AGNs with detected hosts are emitting at between 1% and 10% of their estimated Eddington luminosities, but the sensitivity of the technique usually does not extend to the Eddington limit. There are mild correlations among the AGN and host galaxy eigencoefficients, possibly indicating a link between recent star formation and the onset of AGN activity. The catalog of spectral reconstruction parameters is also provided.
Alcohol attenuates load-related activation during a working memory task: relation to level of response to alcohol.

BACKGROUND A low level of response to alcohol is a major risk factor for the development of alcohol dependence, but neural correlates of this marker are unclear. METHOD Ten healthy volunteers were classified by median split on level of response to alcohol and underwent 2 sessions of functional magnetic resonance imaging following ingestion of a moderate dose of alcohol and a placebo. The blood oxygen level-dependent activation to an event-related visual working memory test was examined. RESULTS The subjects exhibited longer response latencies and more errors as a function of increasing working memory load and showed a load-dependent increase in activation in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, posterior parietal cortex, and visual cortex. Alcohol did not affect performance (errors or response latency), but attenuated the working memory load-dependent activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. During the placebo condition, individuals with a low level of response to alcohol showed greater activation in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and posterior parietal cortex than those with a high level of response to alcohol. During the alcohol condition, groups showed similar attenuation of load-dependent brain activation in these regions. CONCLUSION Low-level responders relative to high-level responders exhibited an increased working memory load-dependent activation in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and posterior parietal cortex when not exposed to alcohol. This increase in brain response was attenuated in low-level responders after ingesting a moderate dose of alcohol.
Neutron-Capture Elements in the Metal-poor Globular Cluster M15

We report on observations of six giants in the globular cluster M15 (NGC 7078) using the Subaru Telescope to measure neutron-capture elemental abundances. Our abundance analyses, based on high-quality blue spectra, confirm the star-to-star scatter in the abundances of heavy neutron-capture elements (e.g., Eu), and we found no significant s-process contribution to them, as was found in previous studies. We have found that, for the first time, there are anticorrelations between the abundance ratios of light to heavy neutron-capture elements ([Y/Eu] and [Zr/Eu]) and the heavy neutron-capture elements (e.g., Eu). This indicates that the light neutron-capture elements in these stars cannot be explained by only a single r-process. Another process that contributed significantly to the light neutron-capture elements is required in M15. Our results suggest a complicated enrichment history for M15 and its progenitor.
A typed, algebraic, computational lambda-calculus†

Lambda-calculi with vectorial structures have been studied in various ways, but their semantics remain largely uninvestigated. The main contribution of this paper is to provide a categorical framework for the semantics of such algebraic lambda-calculi. We first develop a categorical analysis of a general simply typed lambda-calculus endowed with the structure of a module. We study the problems arising from the addition of a fixed-point combinator and show how to modify the equational theory to solve them. The categorical analysis carries nicely over to the modified language. We provide various concrete models for both the case without fixpoints and for the case with them.
Sequence regularity and geometry of orientation columns in the monkey striate cortex

The striate cortex of the macaque monkey is subdivided into two independent and overlapping systems of columns termed “orientation columns” and “ocular dominance columns. ” The present paper is concerned with the orientation columns, particularly their geometry and the relationship between successive columns. The arrangement of the columns is highly ordered; in the great majority of oblique or tangential microelectrode penetrations the preferred orientations of cells changed systematically with electrode position, in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. Graphs of orientation vs. electrode track distance were virtually straight lines over distances of up to several millimeters; such orderly sequences were often terminated by sudden changes in the direction of orientation shifts, from clockwise to counterclockwise or back. The orientations at which these reversals occurred were quite unpredictable. Total rotations of 180–360° were frequently seen between reversals. In tangential or almost tangential penetrations orientation shifts occurred almost every time the electrode was moved forward, indicating that the columns were either not discrete or had a thickness of less than 25–50 μ, the smallest order of distance that our methods could resolve. In penetrations that were almost perpendicular to the surface, the graphs of orientation vs. track distance were relatively flatter, as expected if the surfaces of constant orientation are perpendicular to the cortical surface. Stepwise changes in orientation of about 10° could sometimes be seen in perpendicular penetrations, each orientation persisting through several clear advances of the electrode, suggesting a set of discrete columnar subdivisions. The possibility of some kind of continuous variation in orientation with horizontal distance along the cortex was not, however, completely ruled out. Occasionally a highly ordered sequence was broken by an abrupt large shift in orientation of up to 90°. Shifts in ocular dominance occurred roughly every 0.25–0.5 mm and were independent of orientation shifts. In multiple parallel penetrations spaced closer than about 250 μ the slopes of the orientation vs. track distance curves were almost the same; reconstruction of these penetrations indicated that the regions of constant orientation are parallel sheets. On crossing perpendicular to these sheets, a total orientation shift of 180° took place over a distance of 0.5–1.0 mm. Column thickness, size of shifts in orientation, and the rate of change of orientation with distance along the cortex seemed to be independent of eccentricity, at least between 2° and 15° from the fovea. A few penetrations made in area 17 of the cat and in area 18 of the monkey showed similar orderly sequences of receptive‐field orientation shifts.
An Effective Ultrasound Video Communication System Using Despeckle Filtering and HEVC

The recent emergence of the high-efficiency video coding (HEVC) standard promises to deliver significant bitrate savings over current and prior video compression standards, while also supporting higher resolutions that can meet the clinical acquisition spatiotemporal settings. The effective application of HEVC to medical ultrasound necessitates a careful evaluation of strict clinical criteria that guarantee that clinical quality will not be sacrificed in the compression process. Furthermore, the potential use of despeckle filtering prior to compression provides for the possibility of significant additional bitrate savings that have not been previously considered. This paper provides a thorough comparison of the use of MPEG-2, H.263, MPEG-4, H.264/AVC, and HEVC for compressing atherosclerotic plaque ultrasound videos. For the comparisons, we use both subjective and objective criteria based on plaque structure and motion. For comparable clinical video quality, experimental evaluation on ten videos demonstrates that HEVC reduces bitrate requirements by as much as 33.2% compared to H.264/AVC and up to 71% compared to MPEG-2. The use of despeckle filtering prior to compression is also investigated as a method that can reduce bitrate requirements through the removal of higher frequency components without sacrificing clinical quality. Based on the use of three despeckle filtering methods with both H.264/AVC and HEVC, we find that prior filtering can yield additional significant bitrate savings. The best performing despeckle filter (DsFlsmv) achieves bitrate savings of 43.6% and 39.2% compared to standard nonfiltered HEVC and H.264/AVC encoding, respectively.
Transluminal Treatment of Arteriosclerotic Obstruction: Description of a New Technic and a Preliminary Report of Its Application

The rationale and technic of a new procedure—transluminal recanalization of arterio-sclerotic obstructions—has been described.Of the 11 extremities treated, six have shown marked improvement (four amputations averted). It is reasonable to assume that with a perfected technic and patients with less advanced disease, the percentage of successful recanalizations would increase.Early treatment with this technic may well prevent otherwise serious disease, not just prevent amputation of extremities not suitable for definitive surgery. We are satisfied that percutaneous transluminal recanalization is the treatment of choice for many lesions of the femoral and popliteal arteries. We believe this method is ready for application to obstructions up to approximately 10 cm. by those skilled in the use of vascular catheters. No doubt the interest and ingenuity of others will lead to refinements of technic as well as further clarification of the role of this attack on arteriosclerotic obstructions.
Normalisation by Random Descent

We present abstract hyper-normalisation results for strategies. These results are then applied to term rewriting systems, both first and higher-order. For example, we show hyper-normalisation of the left--outer strategy for, what we call, left--outer pattern rewrite systems, a class comprising both Combinatory Logic and the lambda-calculus but also systems with critical pairs. Our results apply to strategies that need not be deterministic but do have Newman's random descent property: all reductions to normal form have the same length, with Huet and Levy's external strategy being an example. Technically, we base our development on supplementing the usual notion of commutation diagram with a notion of order, expressing that the measure of its right leg does not exceed that of its left leg, where measure is an abstraction of the usual notion of length. We give an exact characterisation of such global commutation diagrams, for pairs of reductions, by means of local ones, for pairs of steps, we dub Dyck diagrams.
Heart Rate Variability Moderates Challenge and Threat Reactivity to Sexism Among Women in STEM

Using a biopsychosocial model of challenge and threat, we tested resting heart rate variability (HRV) as a moderator of physiological reactivity after experiencing sexism. Women science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors participated in a mock interview in which the male interviewer made a sexist or neutral comment. Resting HRV moderated physiological stress reactivity among women in the sexism condition, but not control, indicating lower resting HRV predicted greater physiological threat than challenge and higher resting HRV predicted greater physiological challenge than threat during the interview. These findings support the emotion regulation properties of HRV as applied to a biopsychosocial model of challenge and threat. Higher resting HRV may be adaptive for women experiencing sexism in male-dominated contexts like STEM.