Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Encoding of Movement Direction in Different Frequency Ranges of Motor Cortical Local Field Potentials

Recent studies showed that the low-frequency component of local field potentials (LFPs) in monkey motor cortex carries information about parameters of voluntary arm movements. Here, we studied how different signal components of the LFP in the time and frequency domains are modulated during center-out arm movements. Analysis of LFPs in the time domain showed that the amplitude of a slow complex waveform beginning shortly before the onset of arm movement is modulated with the direction of the movement. Examining LFPs in the frequency domain, we found that direction-dependent modulations occur in three frequency ranges, which typically increased their amplitudes before and during movement execution: ≤4, 6–13, and 63–200 Hz. Cosine-like tuning was prominent in all signal components analyzed. In contrast, activity in a frequency band ≈30 Hz was not modulated with the direction of movement and typically decreased its amplitude during the task. This suggests that high-frequency oscillations have to be divided into at least two functionally different regimes: one ≈30 Hz and one >60 Hz. Furthermore, using multiple LFPs, we could show that LFP amplitude spectra can be used to decode movement direction, with the best performance achieved by the combination of different frequency ranges. These results suggest that using the different frequency components in the LFP is useful in improving inference of movement parameters from local field potentials.
Genome Wide Association Studies Using a New Nonparametric Model Reveal the Genetic Architecture of 17 Agronomic Traits in an Enlarged Maize Association Panel

Association mapping is a powerful approach for dissecting the genetic architecture of complex quantitative traits using high-density SNP markers in maize. Here, we expanded our association panel size from 368 to 513 inbred lines with 0.5 million high quality SNPs using a two-step data-imputation method which combines identity by descent (IBD) based projection and k-nearest neighbor (KNN) algorithm. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were carried out for 17 agronomic traits with a panel of 513 inbred lines applying both mixed linear model (MLM) and a new method, the Anderson-Darling (A-D) test. Ten loci for five traits were identified using the MLM method at the Bonferroni-corrected threshold −log10 (P) >5.74 (α = 1). Many loci ranging from one to 34 loci (107 loci for plant height) were identified for 17 traits using the A-D test at the Bonferroni-corrected threshold −log10 (P) >7.05 (α = 0.05) using 556809 SNPs. Many known loci and new candidate loci were only observed by the A-D test, a few of which were also detected in independent linkage analysis. This study indicates that combining IBD based projection and KNN algorithm is an efficient imputation method for inferring large missing genotype segments. In addition, we showed that the A-D test is a useful complement for GWAS analysis of complex quantitative traits. Especially for traits with abnormal phenotype distribution, controlled by moderate effect loci or rare variations, the A-D test balances false positives and statistical power. The candidate SNPs and associated genes also provide a rich resource for maize genetics and breeding.
Value-in-Use: Antecedents, Dimensions, and Consequences

Prevailing service perspectives emphasize that value for customers unfolds during their individual use processes in terms of value-inuse. Although this view is widely recognized, value-in-use is often considered on a global and aggregated level. We argue that this approach is too narrow and suggest a more differentiated conceptualization to capture customers’ manifold use processes. Such an approach should enable firms to develop a detailed understanding of value-in-use and derive more effective marketing strategies. Therefore, this research investigates valuein-use as a multidimensional concept in relation to value-creating antecedents and relevant consequences. In a qualitative processoriented study, we detect several value dimensions for a specific use context. We integrate the findings into a complex research model, which is tested with survey data gathered from 1.128 users of the same context. Building on service (-dominant) logic, we use firm and customer resources as relevant antecedents. Customer satisfaction and behavioural intentions serve as consequences of each value dimension. Results indicate that firm and customer resources have a strong influence on the value dimensions that constitute value-in-use. We show that a multidimensional understanding of value-in-use can serve as a strategic lever for firms to more precisely address their customers enhancing customer satisfaction and behavioural intentions.
The Effects of Frequency of Social Interaction, Social Cohesion, Age, and the Built Environment on Walking

i List of Tables . vi List of Figures . viii Chapter 1 – Introduction . 1 Literature Review . 2 The Built Environment and Health . 3 Defining the built environment. 3 The built environment and health outcomes . 4 Built environment and walking . 6 Aesthetics and perceived safety . 7 Greenery . 8 Land use mix . 9 Quality and safety of pedestrian infrastructure . 10 The built environment and health and older adults . 10 Summary . 12 Social Relationships and Health . 13 Relationships with Neighbors and Walking . 15 Social Cohesion . 15
Improved deep speaker feature learning for text-dependent speaker recognition

A deep learning approach has been proposed recently to derive speaker identifies (d-vector) by a deep neural network (DNN). This approach has been applied to text-dependent speaker recognition tasks and shows reasonable performance gains when combined with the conventional i-vector approach. Although promising, the existing d-vector implementation still can not compete with the i-vector baseline. This paper presents two improvements for the deep learning approach: a phone-dependent DNN structure to normalize phone variation, and a new scoring approach based on dynamic time warping (DTW). Experiments on a text-dependent speaker recognition task demonstrated that the proposed methods can provide considerable performance improvement over the existing d-vector implementation.
Neural Sentence Ordering

Sentence ordering is a general and critical task for natural language generation applications. Previous works have focused on improving its performance in an external, downstream task, such as multi-document summarization. Given its importance, we propose to study it as an isolated task. We collect a large corpus of academic texts, and derive a data driven approach to learn pairwise ordering of sentences, and validate the efficacy with extensive experiments. Source codes and dataset of this paper will be made publicly available.
Risk factors for high occlusal wear scores in a population-based sample: results of the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP).

PURPOSE Using a population-based sample of the cross-sectional epidemiologic "Study of Health in Pomerania" (SHIP), this study evaluated whether certain occlusal and sociodemographic factors besides age and gender are risk factors for high dental wear. MATERIALS AND METHODS Medical history and dental and sociodemographic parameters of 2,529 dentate subjects selected representatively and according to age distribution were checked for correlations with the occurrence of high occlusal wear symptoms using a multivariate logistic regression model. Occlusal wear was recorded using the attrition index by Ekfeldt et al and was age adjusted by determining high occlusal wear for every 10-year age group as index values > or = 90th percentile. RESULTS The following independent variables were found to be correlated with high occlusal wear: male gender, odds ratio 2.2; frequent bruxism, odds ratio 2.5; loss of molar occlusal contact (Eichner classification), odds ratio from 1.5 to 3.1; edge-to-edge relation of incisors, odds ratio 1.7; unilateral buccolingual cusp-to-cusp relation, odds ratio 1.8; and unemployment, odds ratio 1.6. In contrast, anterior cross-bite, unilateral posterior cross-bite, and anterior crowding were protective for high occlusal wear levels, as shown by significantly reduced odds ratios. Gender-separated analysis showed that self-reported bruxism was a risk factor only for men. CONCLUSION In addition to some occlusal factors, the main factors associated with occlusal wear were bruxism and gender.
Visible lesion laser thresholds in Cynomolgus (Macaca fascicularis) retina with a 1064 nm 12-ns pulsed laser

A series of experiments in a new animal model for retinal damage, cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis), have been conducted to determine the damage threshold for 12.5-nanosecond laser exposures at 1064 nm. These results provide a direct comparison to threshold values obtained in rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta), which is the model historically used in establishing retinal maximum permissible exposure (MPE) limits. In this study, the irradiance level of a collimated Gaussian laser beam of 2.5 mm diameter at the cornea was randomly varied to produce a rectangular grid of exposures on the retina. Exposures sites were fundoscopically evaluated at post-irradiance intervals of 1 hour and 24 hours. Probit analysis was performed on dose-response data to obtain probability of response curves. The 50% probability of damage (ED50) values for 1 and 24 hours post-exposure are 28.5(22.7-38.4) &mgr;J and 17.0(12.9-21.8) &mgr;J, respectively. These values compare favorably to data obtained with the rhesus model, 28.7(22.3-39.3) &mgr;J and 19.1(13.6-24.4) &mgr;J, suggesting that the cynomolgus monkey may be a suitable replacement for rhesus monkey in photoacoustic minimum visible lesion threshold studies.
Homophily and Influence: Pricing to Harness Word-of-Mouth on Social Networks

Large-scale social platforms have enabled marketers to obtain rich data on the structure of word-of-mouth (WOM) networks and the correlation of friends' preferences (network assortativity). We study how the similarity or difference of friends' reservation prices for a product should affect the optimal price and advertising levels for that product. To this end, we build an analytical model of informative advertising and pricing over a social network. Connections between consumers are added in a way that allows neighbors' preferences to be positively or negatively correlated, thereby introducing homophily or heterophily in the model. Consumers may learn about products either directly via advertising, or via WOM spread by their peers who have adopted a product. We find that in the typical scenario when blanket advertising is not affordable, firms set a price lower than the naive optimum in order to leverage the social value of more price-sensitive customers. We also characterize the relationship between assortativity and the marketing instruments (price and advertising) of the firm, to find that either instrument may be substitutes or complements with assortativity depending on the niche or mainstream appeal of the product, the cost of advertising, the overall connectivity, and the assortativity of the network.
Aggregation of SVM Classifiers Using Sobolev Spaces

This paper investigates statistical performances of Support Vector Machines (SVM) and considers the problem of adaptation to the margin parameter and to complexity. In particular we provide a classifier with no tuning parameter. It is a combination of SVM classifiers. Our contribution is two-fold: (1) we propose learning rates for SVM using Sobolev spaces and build a numerically realizable aggregate that converges with same rate; (2) we present practical experiments of this method of aggregation for SVM using both Sobolev spaces and Gaussian kernels.
TRAIT PROCRASTINATION, TIME MANAGEMENT, AND ACADEMIC BEHAVIOR

Fifty-five female and 10 male university students enrolled in a three-week Summer course completed a personality questionnaire. They also indicated their study and work intentions, completed a dilatory behavior scale concerning their non-task-related behavior on each of four course tasks, indicated their overall actual study behavior, and rated their agitation and dejection. Trait procrastinators obtained lower scores on three Time Management subscales compared to non-procrastinators, and reported higher levels of dilatory behavior. The Time Management subscales were negatively related to dilatory behavior on two of the course assignments, but in neither case were these variables found to mediate the trait procrastination-dilatory behavior link. Trait procrastination was positively related to dejection at the outset of the course prior to making study and work plans and positively related to agitation experienced during the last week of class. The Time Management subscale, Perceived Control of Time, was negatively related to agitation on each assessment. More importantly, the low perceived control of time associated with trait procrastinators appeared to mediate their higher agitation levels during the last week of class.
Cathepsin B Controls the Persistence of Memory CD8+ T Lymphocytes

The persistence of memory T lymphocytes confers lifelong protection from pathogens. Memory T cells survive and undergo homeostatic proliferation (HSP) in the absence of Ag, although the cell-intrinsic mechanisms by which cytokines drive the HSP of memory T cells are not well understood. In this study we report that lysosome stability limits the long-term maintenance of memory CD8+ T cell populations. Serine protease inhibitor (Spi) 2A, an anti-apoptotic cytosolic cathepsin inhibitor, is induced by both IL-15 and IL-7. Mice deficient in Spi2A developed fewer memory phenotype CD44hiCD8+ T cells with age, which underwent reduced HSP in the bone marrow. Spi2A was also required for the maintenance of central memory CD8+ T cell populations after acute infection with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus. Spi2A-deficient Ag-specific CD8+ T cell populations declined more than wild-type competitors after viral infection, and they were eroded further after successive infections. Spi2A protected memory cells from lysosomal breakdown by inhibiting cathepsin B. The impaired maintenance of Spi2A-deficient memory CD8+ T cells was rescued by concomitant cathepsin B deficiency, demonstrating that cathepsin B was a physiological target of Spi2A in memory CD8+ T cell survival. Our findings support a model in which protection from lysosomal rupture through cytokine-induced expression of Spi2A determines the long-term persistence of memory CD8+ T cells.
Electrical Aging of the Insulation of Low-Voltage Machines: Model Definition and Test With the Design of Experiments

The aim of this paper is to present a method for modeling the life span of insulation materials in a partial discharge regime. Based on the design of experiments, it has many advantages: It reduces the number of time-consuming experiments, increases the accuracy of the results, and allows life span modeling under various stress conditions, including coupling effects between the factors. Accelerated aging tests are carried out to determine the life span of these materials. The resulting model presents an original relationship between the logarithm of the insulation life span and that of electrically applied stress and an exponential form of the temperature. Results show that the most influential factors can be identified according to their effects on the insulation life span. Moreover, the life span model validity is tested either with additional points which have not been used for modeling or through statistical tests. Finally, it is shown that fractional plans are not suitable to reduce the number of experiments. This application of the experimental design is best used during the initial phase, before the final drive has been built and any online diagnosis.
Telework Adoption and Energy Use in Building and Transport Sectors in the United States and Japan

Telework ~or telecommuting! has been proposed as a way of reducing transportation externalities such as congestion and passenger vehicle energy use. While there is contention among sources about the secondary induced transportation effects, many studies have estimated net benefits as a result of transportation reductions. Analyses including effects from shifts in commercial and residential building energy use, however, are not as visible. It is expected that commercial building energy use would decrease, and residential energy would increase as a result of telework adoption. We estimate macrolevel energy effects across these three energy intensive sectors ~transportation, commercial, and residential buildings ! to help characterize the potential of telework as a policy initiative to improve national energy efficiency. For current estimated teleworking populations and practices in the United States and Japan, we estimate national level energy savings of only 0.01-0.4% in the United States and 0.03-0.36% in Japan. In a future scenario with pervasive adoption of teleworking, where 50% of information workers telecommute 4 days per week, United States and Japan national energy savings are estimated at only about 1% in both cases. These energy savings are quite modest compared with currently available policy options to mitigate energy demand. By comparison, an improvement in average vehicle fuel efficiency of 20% would save 5.4% of total United States energy demand, suggesting that the direct benefits of adopting telework are relatively small given the large degree of behavioral and structural change required. Still, presuming that future work practices tend to favor greater adoption, the potential energy savings may merit direction towards environmentally beneficial implementation. If trends in the workplace favor more telework in the future, we suggest that maximizing environmental benefits merits greater attention to how telework is adopted. Obviously the increased number of avoided commutes is a factor, but more importantly, elimination of office space due to virtual offices yields energy savings that rival those from reduced commuting. Future analyses and implementation of telework should thus give greater attention to energy use in buildings and residences.
A 3-V CMOS optical preamplifier with DC photocurrent rejection

This paper describes a CMOS optical preamplifier suitable for free-space, infrared wireless communications. The design is differential for improved power supply noise rejection, and an active cancellation scheme is used for eliminating dc photocurrents that are generated by ambient light. Making use of a 0.35-/spl mu/m CMOS process, the preamplifier provides a transimpedance gain of 20 k/spl Omega/ over a bandwidth from 1 MHz to 100 MHz and achieves 60 dB attenuation at dc.
A Comparison of Software Product Line Scoping Approaches

During the past decade a number of methods and techniques for software product line scoping have been developed. Although their basic goal is the same, when it comes to details it is often hard to see what they have in common, where they differ and what their strengths and weaknesses are. This makes it difficult for the user to decide when and how to use them because these methods and techniques sometimes describe the same concepts and activities with different terminologies and, more often than not, by that the activities and tasks defined in them do not exactly match with each other and their inputs/outcomes are not clearly defined. In this paper, we compare and analyze the mainstream approaches to software product line scoping, deduce their essential components and develop them into a unified approach that can be easily referred to and utilized by the user companies planning to launch product lines.
[Association of functional genes polymorphisms of key enzymes in the metabolism of biogenic amines with paranoid schizophrenia susceptibility and the influence of these polymorphisms on PANSS results in antipsychotic treatment].

AIM The genetic components of the schizophrenia susceptibility are calculated as being 50%. We evaluated the frequency of alleles and genotypes of COMT and MAO-A genes polymorphisms in patients with schizophrenia and in the healthy population. We searched for the associations between genotypes and PANSS results among patients in a three month antipsychotic therapy. METHOD The study comprised 72 unrelated patients who met ICD-10 criteria for schizophrenia, and 187 unrelated healthy controls. The analysis of COMT and MAO-A genes polymorphisms were performed using the polymerase chain reaction technique (RFLP-restriction fragments length polymorphism and VNTR-variable number tandem repeats). The severity of psychopathological symptoms was measured by the PANSS (Positive and Negative Schizophrenia Scale). RESULTS We did not find an association between the genotype of COMT and MAO-A genes polymorphisms and schizophrenia. We found statistically significant different allele distribution in MAO gene polymorphism: alleles with three tandem repeats in the promoter region were more frequent among females with schizophrenia. We did not find any association between the genotype of COMT and MAO-A genes polymorphisms and PANSS results in any time periods. Due to a small number of patients in this study the obtained results should be regarded as preliminary.
The discovery of the growth cone and its influence on the study of axon guidance

For over a century, there has been a great deal of interest in understanding how neural connectivity is established during development and regeneration. Interest in the latter arises from the possibility that knowledge of this process can be used to re-establish lost connections after lesion or neurodegeneration. At the end of the XIX century, Santiago Ramón y Cajal discovered that the distal tip of growing axons contained a structure that he called the growth cone. He proposed that this structure enabled the axon’s oriented growth in response to attractants, now known as chemotropic molecules. He further proposed that the physical properties of the surrounding tissues could influence the growth cone and the direction of growth. This seminal discovery afforded a plausible explanation for directed axonal growth and has led to the discovery of axon guidance mechanisms that include diffusible attractants and repellants and guidance cues anchored to cell membranes or extracellular matrix. In this review the major events in the development of this field are discussed.