Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Thalamic Gating of Auditory Responses in Telencephalic Song Control Nuclei

In songbirds, nucleus Uvaeformis (Uva) is the sole thalamic input to the telencephalic nucleus HVC (used as a proper name), a sensorimotor structure essential to learned song production that also exhibits state-dependent responses to auditory presentation of the bird's own song (BOS). The role of Uva in influencing HVC auditory activity is unknown. Using in vivo extracellular and intracellular recordings in urethane-anesthetized zebra finches, we characterized the auditory properties of Uva and examined its influence on auditory activity in HVC and in the telencephalic nucleus interface (NIf), the main auditory afferent of HVC and a corecipient of Uva input. We found robust auditory activity in Uva and determined that Uva is innervated by the ventral nucleus of lateral lemniscus, an auditory brainstem component. Thus, Uva provides a direct linkage between the auditory brainstem and HVC. Although low-frequency electrical stimulation in Uva elicited short-latency depolarizing postsynaptic potentials in HVC neurons, reversibly silencing Uva exerted little effect on BOS-evoked activity in HVC neurons. However, high-frequency stimulation in Uva suppressed auditory-evoked synaptic and suprathreshold activity in all HVC neuron types, a process accompanied by decreased input resistance of individual HVC neurons. Furthermore, high-frequency stimulation in Uva simultaneously suppressed auditory activity in HVC and NIf. These results suggest that Uva can gate auditory responses in HVC through a mechanism that involves inhibition local to HVC as well as withdrawal of auditory-evoked excitatory drive from NIf. Thus, Uva could play an important role in state-dependent gating of auditory activity in telencephalic sensorimotor structures important to learned vocal control.
Two-view geometry estimation by random sample and consensus

Unsaturated alcohols are prepared by reacting an alpha -olefin such as isobutene with an aldehyde such as formaldehyde in the presence of a phosphate preferably in an organic solvent. Unsaturated alcohols such as 3-methyl-3-butene-1-ol and 3-methyl-2-butene-1-ol are important intermediates for producing organic compounds such as isoprene.
Chandra Reveals Twin X-Ray Jets in the Powerful FR II Radio Galaxy 3C 353

We report X-ray imaging of the powerful FR II radio galaxy 3C 353 using the Chandra X-Ray Observatory. Due to 3C 353’s two 4′ ′ wide and 2′ long jets we are able to study in detail the internal structure of the large-scale relativistic outflows at both radio and X-ray photon energies with the subarcsecond spatial resolution provided by the VLA and Chandra instruments. In a 90 ks Chandra observation, we have detected X-ray emission from most radio structures in 3C 353, including the nucleus, the jet and the counterjet, the terminal jet regions (hot spots), and one radio lobe. We show that the detection of the X-ray emission associated with the radio knots and counterknots, which is most likely nonthermal in origin, puts several crucial constraints on the X-ray emission mechanisms in powerful large-scale jets of quasars and FR II sources. In particular, we show that this detection is inconsistent with the inverse-Compton model proposed in the literature and instead implies a synchrotron origin of the X-ray jet photons. We also find that the width of the X-ray counterjet is possibly narrower than that measured in radio bands, that the radio to X-ray flux ratio decreases systematically downstream along the jets, and that there are substantial (kpc-scale) offsets between the positions of the X-ray and radio intensity maxima within each knot, whose magnitudes increase away from the nucleus. We discuss all these findings in the wider context of the physics of extragalactic jets, proposing some particular although not definitive solutions or interpretations for each problem. In general, we find that the synchrotron X-ray emission of extragalactic large-scale jets is not only shaped by the global hydrodynamical configuration of the outflows, but is also likely to be very sensitive to the microscopic parameters of the jet plasma. A complete, self-consistent model for the X-ray emission of extragalactic jets still remains elusive.
Two-Level Volume Rendering

Presents a two-level approach for volume rendering, which allows for selectively using different rendering techniques for different subsets of a 3D data set. Different structures within the data set are rendered locally on an object-by-object basis by either direct volume rendering (DVR), maximum-intensity projection (MIP), surface rendering, value integration (X-ray-like images) or non-photorealistic rendering (NPR). All the results of subsequent object renderings are combined globally in a merging step (usually compositing in our case). This allows us to selectively choose the most suitable technique for depicting each object within the data while keeping the amount of information contained in the image at a reasonable level. This is especially useful when inner structures should be visualized together with semi-transparent outer parts, similar to the focus+context approach known from information visualization. We also present an implementation of our approach which allows us to explore volumetric data using two-level rendering at interactive frame rates.
Light-ion production in the interaction of 96 MeV neutrons with oxygen

Double-diﬀerential cross sections for light-ion (p, d, t, 3 He and α ) production in oxygen induced by 96 MeV neutrons are reported. Energy spectra are measured at eight laboratory angles from 20 ◦ to 160 ◦ in steps of 20 ◦ . Procedures for data taking and data reduction are presented. Deduced energy-diﬀerential and production cross sections are reported. Experimental cross sections are compared to theoretical reaction model calculations and experimental data at lower neutron energies in the literature. The measured proton data agree reasonably well with the results of the model calculations, whereas the agreement for the other particles is less convincing. The measured production cross sections for protons, deuterons, tritons and alpha particles support the trends suggested by data at lower energies. report an experimental data set on light-ion production in oxygen induced by 96 MeV neutrons. Experimental double-diﬀerential cross sections ( d 2 σ/d Ω dE ) are measured at eight angles between 20 ◦ and 160 ◦ . Energy-diﬀerential ( dσ/dE ) and production cross sections are obtained for the ﬁve types of outgoing particles. Theoretical calculations based on nuclear reaction codes including direct, pre-equilibrium and statistical models give generally a good account of the magnitude of the experimental cross sec-13
Exploring youth political activism in the United Kingdom: What makes young people politically active in different organisations?

This article challenges the current research on youth disengagement by asking what makes young people active in different political organisations. It applies the classic civic voluntarism model to explore which factors (skills, attitudes, mobilisation and motivations) best distinguish between young activists in political parties’ youth factions, the British Youth Council and the 2010 National Union of Students demonstrations. The results from multinomial logistic regression show that there are differences especially in the civic and political attitudes. The results also show that different organisations attract different kinds of young people, which can be used to (re-)engage young people in politics.
Comparing Bachelor’s Degree Curricula at Three Groups of Colleges and Universities: Flexibility or Idiosyncrasy?*

Despite baccalaureates in criminal justice (BCJ) being among the most awarded degrees in this country, little published research has appeared in recent years on these programs or their curricula. Using 2015–2016 data collected from the population of BCJ-granting institutions (N = 670) in the U.S., we partially replicated Southerland’s 2002 Criminal justice curricula in the United States: A decade of Change and extended Sloan and Buchwalter’s 2016 The state of bachelor’s degree programs in the United States: Institutional, department, and curricula features analyses of BCJ curricula by comparing selected features of them across three groups of colleges/universities: public, private, not-for-profit, and private, for-profit. Results revealed significant differences existed in curricula by institutional locus of control, indicating a general lack of consensus on undergraduate curricula, including in such fundamental areas as total hours needed for the major. We discuss the implications of these results for the discipline, including revisiting accreditation as a mechanism for creating standardized curricula, and suggest further research on the status of undergraduate education to help insure the discipline offers the highest quality baccalaureate programs possible.
Pathologic ventricular hypertrophy in the offspring of diabetic mothers: a retrospective study.

AIMS Diabetes in pregnant women is increasing and with that the complications in their offspring. We studied our population of diabetic mothers (2003-2005) for pathologic ventricular hypertrophy (PVH). METHODS AND RESULTS In our retrospective study of all 87 diabetic pregnancies (92 neonates), 16 were type 1, 17 were type 2, and 54 were gestational diabetes (GD). Haemoglobin glycated (HbA1c) median was 5.8% (5.3-6.5): 17 with HbA1c above normal 2 with congenital heart disease (CHD) and six with PVH. A total of 75 neonates were normal, five had CHD, and 12 had PVH (1/12 died post-natally, 1/12 stillborn, 2/12 required premature delivery, 8/12 normal). The 16 type 1 pregnancies resulted in three neonates with CHD and in 50% PVH, including one death, one premature Cesarean section because of PVH. The 17 neonates of type 2 pregnancies showed in one CHD and in 25% PVH. Of the 54 GD pregnancies, one had CHD and one had PVH. CONCLUSION Pregnancies of both type 1 and 2 diabetes carry an increased risk for foetal development of PVH compared with those with GD. The insufficient effect of preventive glycaemia controls leads to conclude that although no definite predictive parameters for malignant outcome can be presented, close monitoring of these pregnancies may prevent perinatal catastrophes.
Transformational Leadership and Organisational Citizenship Behaviour: A Moderated Mediation Model of Leader‐Member‐Exchange and Subordinates' Gender

Transformational leadership (TL) enhances follower Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) as mediated by leader-member exchange (LMX). However, the strength of the positive associations among TL, LMX and OCB is subject to significant variability. Accordingly, we draw on several theories (self-identity, role congruency, self-concept, and social exchange) to propose that followers gender moderates the relationships between all three of these variables. We argue differences in societal expectations and/or underlying motivation combine to make leadership of lesser importance to OCB among females than males. Using 202 supervisor-subordinate dyads from Taiwan, a moderated mediation model of
Typhoon Haiyan: pushing the limits of resilience? The effect of land inequality on resilience and disaster risk reduction policies in the Philippines

ABSTRACT Disaster risk reduction has been an important priority in the Philippines for the last twenty years. Yet Typhoon Haiyan still resulted in at least 6000 deaths and affected more than 14 million people. Why was this the case in a country supposedly well equipped to respond to natural disasters? While there are several explanations, including the sheer scale of this typhoon, corruption, and implementation challenges, this paper focuses on growing social and economic inequalities. This paper argues that the resilience discourse and framework at the national level do not translate into programs that help lift people out of poverty, particularly landless people. This is because state-led resilience policies focus on technical aspects of recovery rather than the root cause of vulnerabilities, explaining to some extent the high level of casualties in the wake of typhoon Haiyan. Evidence supporting this argument is drawn from more than forty interviews between 2013 and 2015 with disaster victims and professionals involved in resilience building.
Cardiac tumors in a tertiary care cancer hospital: clinical features, echocardiographic findings, treatment and outcomes

Cardiac tumors are a rare entity, comprised of tumors with diverse histology and natural history. We report the clinical characteristics, echocardiograhic findings, therapy and outcome of 59 patients with primary and metastatic cardiac tumors. Our institutional echocardiogram data base from 1993 through 2005 was reviewed to identify patients diagnosed with intra-cardiac tumor. A total of 59 patients with cardiac tumors were identified and included in the study. The patients' characteristics, presenting symptoms, diagnostic tests, location, histology of the tumor, treatment and the one year survival rate of this population was collected from the medical records. Of the 59 cardiac tumor cases, 16 (27%) were primary cardiac tumors and 43 (73%) were secondary cardiac tumors. The most common primary tumor was sarcoma affecting 13 (81%) of the 16 cases. Of these, 5 patients were angiosarcoma, 5 unclassified sarcoma, one myxoid sarcoma and 2 malignant fibrous histiocytoma. The mean age at presentation was 41.1 years, and the most common location was right atrium affecting 6 cases (37.5%). The most common symptom of dyspnea was present in 10 (62.5%) cases. Eleven (25.6%) of the 43 secondary cardiac tumors were metastasis from renal cell carcinoma. The mean age at presentation was 55.4 years. Right atrium was the most frequent location affecting 18 (42%) of the 43 patients. The most common presenting symptom was dyspnea in 15 (35%) cases. For both primary and secondary tumors, dyspnea was the most common symptom and right atrium was most frequently involved. Sarcoma was the most common primary cardiac tumor while metastasis from renal cell carcinoma was the most common secondary tumor.
Assessment in Gifted Education: A Review of the Literature From 2005 to 2016

Assessment is a crucial component of gifted education. Not only does it facilitate the recognition of the potential and specific needs of gifted students, it also monitors the progress and growth of gifted students, and allows for the evaluation of gifted education programs. In the present review, we synthesize the literature on assessment in gifted education published in the period from 2005 to 2016. We suggest that gifted assessment research has witnessed notable advances, which are apparent in both the extensive range of assessment instruments/methods that now exist and the diverse ways in which assessment data are now used. Future research attention nevertheless appears to be necessary on the optimal approaches to (a) use multiple criteria in gifted identification, (b) address the disproportionate representation of disadvantaged groups in gifted programs, and (c) promote the development of guidelines for gifted program evaluation.
Cross-project defect prediction: a large scale experiment on data vs. domain vs. process

Prediction of software defects works well within projects as long as there is a sufficient amount of data available to train any models. However, this is rarely the case for new software projects and for many companies. So far, only a few have studies focused on transferring prediction models from one project to another. In this paper, we study cross-project defect prediction models on a large scale. For 12 real-world applications, we ran 622 cross-project predictions. Our results indicate that cross-project prediction is a serious challenge, i.e., simply using models from projects in the same domain or with the same process does not lead to accurate predictions. To help software engineers choose models wisely, we identified factors that do influence the success of cross-project predictions. We also derived decision trees that can provide early estimates for precision, recall, and accuracy before a prediction is attempted.
The Age of Globular Clusters in Light of Hipparcos: Resolving the Age Problem?

We review five independent techniques that are used to set the distance scale to globular clusters, including subdwarf main-sequence fitting utilizing the recent Hipparcos parallax catalog. These data together all indicate that globular clusters are farther away than previously believed, implying a reduction in age estimates. We now adopt a best-fit value Mv (RR Lyrae stars) = 0.39 ± 0.08 (statistical) at [Fe/H] = -1.9 with an additional uniform systematic uncertainty of + 0.13−0.18. This new distance scale estimate is combined with a detailed numerical Monte Carlo study (previously reported by Chaboyer et al.) designed to assess the uncertainty associated with the theoretical age-turnoff luminosity relationship in order to estimate both the absolute age and uncertainty in age of the oldest globular clusters. Our best estimate for the mean age of the oldest globular clusters is now 11.5 ± 1.3 Gyr, with a one-sided 95% confidence level lower limit of 9.5 Gyr. This represents a systematic shift of over 2 σ compared to our earlier estimate, owing completely to the new distance scale—a shift which we emphasize results not only from the Hipparcos data. This now provides a lower limit on the age of the universe that is consistent with either an open universe or with a flat matter-dominated universe (the latter requiring H0 ≤ 67 km s-1 Mpc-1). Our new study also explicitly quantifies how remaining uncertainties in the distance scale and stellar evolution models translate into uncertainties in the derived globular cluster ages. Simple formulae are provided that can be used to update our age estimate as improved determinations for various quantities become available. Formulae are also provided that can be used to derive the age and its uncertainty for a globular cluster, given the absolute magnitude of the turnoff or the point on the subgiant branch 0.05 mag redder than the turnoff.
Learning Grasp Strategies with Partial Shape Information

We consider the problem of grasping novel objects in cluttered environments. If a full 3-d model of the scene were available, one could use the model to estimate the stability and robustness of different grasps (formalized as form/force-closure, etc); in practice, however, a robot facing a novel object will usually be able to perceive only the front (visible) faces of the object. In this paper, we propose an approach to grasping that estimates the stability of different grasps, given only noisy estimates of the shape of visible portions of an object, such as that obtained from a depth sensor. By combining this with a kinematic description of a robot arm and hand, our algorithm is able to compute a specific positioning of the robot's fingers so as to grasp an object. We test our algorithm on two robots (with very different arms/manipulators, including one with a multifingered hand). We report results on the task of grasping objects of significantly different shapes and appearances than ones in the training set, both in highly cluttered and in uncluttered environments. We also apply our algorithm to the problem of unloading items from a dishwasher.
Seven Ways of Looking at a Data Set

A literary theorist, a biologist, an historian, a writing studies scholar, and a poet walk into a wine bar. The poet says, “I’ve got a stack of 1,223 handwritten questionnaire responses here in my bag; would you like to have a look? ” The others reply, “Sure. Let’s see what we can learn here. ” Descending from their respective disciplinary perches, they all gather around a table and start sifting through the questionnaires, which chronicle the writing background, habits, and emotions of PhD students and faculty in 15 countries. In this single corpus of data, each researcher sees something different, and from the other researchers’ responses, each learns new ways of seeing. What counts as an appropriate data analysis? What, for that matter, counts as data? We invite you to grab a drink and join our conversation.
Distributed Bayesian Computation and Self-Organized Learning in Sheets of Spiking Neurons with Local Lateral Inhibition

During the last decade, Bayesian probability theory has emerged as a framework in cognitive science and neuroscience for describing perception, reasoning and learning of mammals. However, our understanding of how probabilistic computations could be organized in the brain, and how the observed connectivity structure of cortical microcircuits supports these calculations, is rudimentary at best. In this study, we investigate statistical inference and self-organized learning in a spatially extended spiking network model, that accommodates both local competitive and large-scale associative aspects of neural information processing, under a unified Bayesian account. Specifically, we show how the spiking dynamics of a recurrent network with lateral excitation and local inhibition in response to distributed spiking input, can be understood as sampling from a variational posterior distribution of a well-defined implicit probabilistic model. This interpretation further permits a rigorous analytical treatment of experience-dependent plasticity on the network level. Using machine learning theory, we derive update rules for neuron and synapse parameters which equate with Hebbian synaptic and homeostatic intrinsic plasticity rules in a neural implementation. In computer simulations, we demonstrate that the interplay of these plasticity rules leads to the emergence of probabilistic local experts that form distributed assemblies of similarly tuned cells communicating through lateral excitatory connections. The resulting sparse distributed spike code of a well-adapted network carries compressed information on salient input features combined with prior experience on correlations among them. Our theory predicts that the emergence of such efficient representations benefits from network architectures in which the range of local inhibition matches the spatial extent of pyramidal cells that share common afferent input.
Vasopressin Infusion with Small-Volume Fluid Resuscitation during Hemorrhagic Shock Promotes Hemodynamic Stability and Survival in Swine

Introduction Current management of hemorrhagic shock (HS) in the battlefield and civilian settings favors small-volume fluid resuscitation before controlling the source of bleeding. We investigated in a swine model of HS the effects of vasopressin infusion along with small-volume fluid resuscitation; with erythropoietin (EPO) and HS severity as additional factors. Methods HS was induced in 24 male domestic pigs (36 to 41 kg) by blood withdrawal (BW) through a right atrial cannula modeling spontaneous bleeding by a mono-exponential decay function. The initial 12 pigs received no fluids; the last 12 pigs received normal saline (NS) half the BW volume. Pigs were randomized 2:1 to receive intraosseously vasopressin (0.04 U/kg·min-1) or vehicle control from minute 7 to minute 210. Pigs assigned to vasopressin were further randomized 1:1 to receive EPO (1,200 U/kg) or vehicle control and 1:1 to have 65% or 75% BW of their blood volume. Shed blood was reinfused at 210 minutes and the pigs recovered from anesthesia. Results Survival at 72 hours was influenced by vasopressin and NS but not by EPO or % BW. Vasopressin with NS promoted the highest survival (8/8) followed by vasopressin without NS (3/8), NS without vasopressin (1/4), and neither treatment (0/4) with overall statistical significance (log-rank test, p = 0.009) and each subset different from vasopressin with NS by Holm-Sidak test. Vasopressin increased systemic vascular resistance whereas NS increased cardiac output. Conclusion Vasopressin infusion with small-volume fluid resuscitation during severe HS was highly effective enabling critical hemodynamic stabilization and improved 72 hour survival.