Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Computational Model of Social-Learning Mechanisms

In this article we propose a computational model that describes how observed behavior can influence an observer’s own behavior, including the acquisition of new task descriptions. The sources of influence on our model’s behavior are: beliefs about the world’s possible states and actions causing transitions between them; baseline preferences for certain actions; a variable tendency to infer and share goals in observed behavior; and a variable tendency to act efficiently to reach rewarding states. Acting on these premises, our model is able to replicate key empirical studies of social learning in children and chimpanzees. We demonstrate how a simple artificial system can account for a variety of biological social transfer phenomena, such as goal-inference and over-imitation, by taking into account action constraints and incomplete knowledge about the world dynamics.
The Effects of Through-thickness Compression on the Interlaminar Shear Response of Laminated Fiber Composites

The effects of through-thickness compression on the interlaminar shear response of laminated fiber composites were studied. The combined stresses were generated using a hollow cylindrical specimen that was subjected to axial compression and torsion. For both glass- and carbon-fiber composites, through-thickness compression resulted in a significant enhancement in the interlaminar shear stress and strain at failure. Under moderate compression levels, the failure mode changed from elastic to plastic. An attempt was made to predict the observed increase in shear strength for carbon fiber epoxy laminates using three-dimensional lamina failure criteria. Although all the failure theories correctly predicted the trend of increasing shear strength with compression, none were able to predict the full extent of the observed strength increase. These results indicate that improved models are needed for determining failure under a combined state of interlaminar stress. The experimental results demonstrate that there are significant gains to be made in improving interlaminar strengths of composite structures by applying through-thickness compression. This effect could be exploited for improved strength and possibly improved fatigue life of composite joints and other regions in structures where interlaminar stress states are critical.
Combining Multiple Representations for Pen-based Handwritten Digit Recognition

We investigate techniques to combine multiple representations of a handwritten digit to increase classication accuracy without signicantly increasing system complexity or recognition time. In pen-based recognition, the input is the dynamic movement of the pentip over the pressure sensitive tablet. There is also the image formed as a result of this movement. On a real-world database of handwritten digits containing more than 11,000 handwritten digits, we notice that the two multi-layer perceptron (MLP) based classiers using these representations make errors on dierent patterns implying that a suitable combination of the two would lead to higher accuracy. We implement and compare voting, mixture of experts, stacking and cascading. Combining the two MLP classiers we indeed get higher accuracy because the two classiers/representations fail on dierent patterns. We especially advocate multistage cascading scheme where the second costlier image-based classier is employed only in a small percentage of cases.
Real-valued fast Fourier transform algorithms

This tutorial paper describes the methods for constructing fast algorithms for the computation of the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) of a real-valued series. The application of these ideas to all the major fast Fourier transform (FFT) algorithms is discussed, and the various algorithms are compared. We present a new implementation of the real-valued split-radix FFT, an algorithm that uses fewer operations than any other real-valued power-of-2-length FFT. We also compare the performance of inherently real-valued transform algorithms such as the fast Hartley transform (FHT) and the fast cosine transform (FCT) to real-valued FFT algorithms for the computation of power spectra and cyclic convolutions. Comparisons of these techniques reveal that the alternative techniques always require more additions than a method based on a real-valued FFT algorithm and result in computer code of equal or greater length and complexity.
Epilepsy, E/I Balance and GABAA Receptor Plasticity

GABAA receptors mediate most of the fast inhibitory transmission in the CNS. They form heteromeric complexes assembled from a large family of subunit genes. The existence of multiple GABAA receptor subtypes differing in subunit composition, localization and functional properties underlies their role for fine-tuning of neuronal circuits and genesis of network oscillations. The differential regulation of GABAA receptor subtypes represents a major facet of homeostatic synaptic plasticity and contributes to the excitation/inhibition (E/I) balance under physiological conditions and upon pathological challenges. The purpose of this review is to discuss recent findings highlighting the significance of GABAA receptor heterogeneity for the concept of E/I balance and its relevance for epilepsy. Specifically, we address the following issues: (1) role for tonic inhibition, mediated by extrasynaptic GABAA receptors, for controlling neuronal excitability; (2) significance of chloride ion transport for maintenance of the E/I balance in adult brain; and (3) molecular mechanisms underlying GABAA receptor regulation (trafficking, posttranslational modification, gene transcription) that are important for homoeostatic plasticity. Finally, the relevance of these findings is discussed in light of the involvement of GABAA receptors in epileptic disorders, based on recent experimental studies of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and absence seizures and on the identification of mutations in GABAA receptor subunit genes underlying familial forms of epilepsy.
Movement imagery classification on the basis of single-trial EEGs

In order to develop a new brain-computer interface (BCI) using EEGs, the independent component analysis (ICA), multiple equivalent current dipole source localization (ECDL) method and then Hayashi’s quantification method II were applied to single-trial EEGs during movement imagery. Up to the 20th independent component, each of them contained one or two positive (or negative) peaks in terms of 32-channel EEGs reconstructed on the electrode surface by the deflation procedure, and these peaks were analyzed by 1- or 2-dipole source localization method. Moreover, the quantification method based on these ECDL results yielded a good discrimination between right- and left-hand movement imageries, even if regardless of the time course of the localization results, instead of only for one male subject.
PhantomPen: virtualization of pen head for digital drawing free from pen occlusion & visual parallax

We present PhantomPen, a direct pen input device whose pen head is virtualized onto the tablet display surface and visually connected to a graspable pen barrel in order to achieve digital drawing free from pen occlusion and visual parallax. As the pen barrel approaches the display, the virtual pen head smoothly appears as if the rendered virtual pen head and the physical pen barrel are in unity. The virtual pen head provides visual feedback by changing its virtual form according to pen type, color, and thickness while the physical pen tip, hidden in the user's sight, provides tactile feedback. Three experiments were carefully designed based on an analysis of drawings by design professionals and observations of design drawing classes. With these experiments that simulate natural drawing we proved significant performance advantages of PhantomPen. PhantomPen was at least as usable as the normal stylus in basic line drawing, and was 17 % faster in focus region drawing (26% faster in extreme focus region drawing). PhantomPen also reduced error rate by 40 % in a typical drawing setup where users have to manage a complex combination of pen and stroke properties.
On the contribution of innovation to multi-factor productivity growth

We embed the innovation production function in a model that analyzes the impact of innovation output on manufacturing multi-factor productivity (MFP) growth. We combine a market share model with a gross output production function. This revenue approach enables a ‘demand-shift’ interpretation of the contribution of innovation to MFP growth. We apply different sets of instrumental variables and different estimation methods to estimate simultaneously the returns from innovation investment to innovation output, the contribution of innovation output to productivity growth and the feedback link running from a firm’s overall sales performance to its innovation endeavor. We draw our empirical results from the second Community Innovation Survey (CIS-2) for the Netherlands. The estimation results from our model show that the impact of innovation differs between measures of firm performance, and that, in our data, the revenue function approach yields more sensible results for the contribution of innovation to MFP growth than the value-added production function framework. Furthermore, the results show that the estimation of return on innovation investment benefits from the inclusion of more information on the technological environment of the firm.
Functional assessment of prefrontal lobes in patients with major depression disorder using a dual-mode technique of 3D-arterial spin labeling and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography

The aim of this study was to explore the functions of cerebral blood perfusion and glucose metabolism in the prefrontal lobe of patients with major depression disorder (MDD), and to analyze the correlations between these functional changes and depressive symptoms. 3D-arterial spin labeling (ASL) and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) were successfully performed in 17 patients with MDD and 16 healthy controls in a resting state. The depressive symptoms of the patients were classified into seven factors and scored with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. Regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) values and standardized uptake values (SUV) of 18F-FDG in the whole brain were respectively compared between the patients and healthy controls using a two-sample t-test, and the correlations between the CBF and SUV in the prefrontal cerebral regions with the patients' Hamilton scores were evaluated using Pearson correlation analysis. Decreased regional CBF was indicated in the bilateral middle and the right superior frontal gyri, and decreased regional SUV was indicated in the bilateral superior, middle and inferior frontal gyri in the MDD patients compared with the controls. Positive correlations were observed between CBF values and aggregate Hamilton scores in the left middle and right middle frontal gyri of the patients. Positive correlations were also observed between SUVs and aggregate Hamilton scores in the left middle and right middle frontal gyri. 18F-FDG PET/CT was indicated to be more sensitive than 3D-ASL in identifying the functional abnormalities in the prefrontal lobe. Decreased CBF and SUV in the prefrontal lobe were closely correlated with Hamilton score. The left middle frontal gyrus may be a key functional region in MDD.
Interleukin-1 Inhibits Hepatitis C Virus Subgenomic RNA Replication by Activation of Extracellular Regulated Kinase Pathway

ABSTRACT Interleukin-1 (IL-1) plays an important role in the inflammatory process. Some studies have demonstrated that IL-1 production was impaired in patients with chronic infections of hepatitis C virus (HCV), implying that IL-1 may play a role in viral clearance. Using an HCV subgenomic replicon cell line, we demonstrate that IL-1 can effectively inhibit HCV subgenomic RNA replication and viral protein expression, suggesting that IL-1 has direct antiviral activity. The inhibitory effect is associated with the extracellular regulatory kinase (ERK) activation. In addition, we also show that IL-1 can induce one of the interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs), 1-8U, which exhibits antiviral activity. However, it has no effect on the other ISG, 6-16, suggesting that IL-1 induces novel antiviral pathways within a cell.
Ink-Bleed Reduction Using Layer Separation

We present a novel method for reducing the effects of ink-bleed in handwritten documents. We go beyond the existing works on ink bleed detection and removal. We consider each pixel in a document as a result of combination of foreground, ink-bleed and background. We carry of a decomposition of the document image into separate foreground ink, ink-bleed, and background Layers. We propose an efficient MRF formulation to achieve this separation. Degradation model for the ink and paper is proposed. The ability to extract the contributions of the three components to each pixel allows us to recover finer details of the writing. Quantitative and qualitative results on a set of historic manuscripts as well as synthetically generated documents demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach.
Rituximab in the therapy of stage III and IV follicular lymphoma: Results of the REFLECT 1 study of the Serbian Lymphoma Group.

PURPOSE Follicular lymphoma (FL) is an indolent lymphoma that responds well to rituximab+chemotherapy. We evaluated the prognosis and efficacy of immunochemotherapy in patients with previously untreated, advanced FL. METHODS REFLECT 1 is a multicentre, prospective study of 99 patients with previously untreated FL stage III-IV. All patients were treated with rituximab+chemotherapy x 6 cycles, plus 2 cycles of rituximab monotherapy. Clinical assessment was performed at baseline, after completion of the first 6 cycles of therapy and every 3 months from the end of immunochemotherapy to the end of the study period. RESULTS Eighty-nine out of 99 patients with complete documentation were included. Complete remission (CR) was achieved in 61.6%, partial remission (PR) in 11.6% and progressive disease (PD) in 24.4% of the patients. Time to progression (TTP) and overall survival (OS) after the 1st, 2nd and 3rd year were 89.9, 72.7, 57.8%, and 94.2, 92,6 and 92.6%, respectively. The probability of achieving CR was significantly lower in the high risk group according to Follicular Lymphoma Prognostic Index (FLIPI) score. Expression of CD43 antigen had a significant impact on the probability of 2-year TTP and OS, and ECOG performance status had a significant impact on OS. CONCLUSIONS Treatment with rituximab plus chemotherapy is effective in advanced stages of FL. Significant prognostic factors are FLIPI score for induction therapy outcome, CD43 antigen expression for OS and TTP and ECOG performance status for OS.
CD4+ T Cells Targeting Dominant and Cryptic Epitopes from Bacillus anthracis Lethal Factor

Anthrax is an endemic infection in many countries, particularly in the developing world. The causative agent, Bacillus anthracis, mediates disease through the secretion of binary exotoxins. Until recently, research into adaptive immunity targeting this bacterial pathogen has largely focused on the humoral response to these toxins. There is, however, growing recognition that cellular immune responses involving IFNγ producing CD4+ T cells also contribute significantly to a protective memory response. An established concept in adaptive immunity to infection is that during infection of host cells, new microbial epitopes may be revealed, leading to immune recognition of so called ‘cryptic’ or ‘subdominant’ epitopes. We analyzed the response to both cryptic and immunodominant T cell epitopes derived from the toxin component lethal factor and presented by a range of HLA-DR alleles. Using IFNγ-ELISpot assays we characterized epitopes that elicited a response following immunization with synthetic peptide and the whole protein and tested their capacities to bind purified HLA-DR molecules in vitro. We found that DR1 transgenics demonstrated T cell responses to a greater number of domain III cryptic epitopes than other HLA-DR transgenics, and that this pattern was repeated with the immunodominant epitopes, as a greater proportion of these epitopes induced a T cell response when presented within the context of the whole protein. Immunodominant epitopes LF457-476 and LF467-487 were found to induce a T cell response to the peptide, as well as to the whole native LF protein in DR1 and DR15, but not in DR4 transgenics. The analysis of Domain I revealed the presence of several unique cryptic epitopes all of which showed a strong to moderate relative binding affinity to HLA-DR4 molecules. However, none of the cryptic epitopes from either domain III or I displayed notably high binding affinities across all HLA-DR alleles assayed. These responses were influenced by the specific HLA alleles presenting the peptide, and imply that construction of future epitope string vaccines which are immunogenic across a wide range of HLA alleles could benefit from a combination of both cryptic and immunodominant anthrax epitopes.
Isolation and Screening of Polyhydroxyalkanoates Producing Bacteria from Pulp, Paper, and Cardboard Industry Wastes

Background. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are storage materials that accumulate by various bacteria as energy and carbon reserve materials. They are biodegradable, environmentally friendly, and also biocompatible bioplastics. Unlike petrochemical-based plastics that take several decades to fully degrade, PHAs can be completely degraded within a year by variety of microorganisms into CO2 and water. In the present study, we aim to utilize pulp, paper, and cardboard industry sludge and waste water for the isolation and screening of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) accumulating bacteria and production of cost-effective PHB using cardboard industry waste water. Results. A total of 42 isolates showed black-blue coloration when stained with Sudan black B, a preliminary screening agent for lipophilic compounds, and a total of 15 isolates showed positive result with Nile blue A staining, a more specific dye for PHA granules. The isolates NAP11 and NAC1 showed maximum PHA production 79.27% and 77.63% with polymer concentration of 5.236 g/L and 4.042 g/L with cardboard industry waste water. Both of the selected isolates, NAP11 and NAC1, were classified up to genus level by studying their morphological and biochemical characteristics and were found to be Enterococcus sp. , Brevundimonas sp. and, respectively. Conclusion. The isolates Enterococcus sp. NAP11 and Brevundimonas sp. NAC1 can be considered as good candidates for industrial production of PHB from cardboard industry waste water. We are reporting for the first time the use of cardboard industry waste water as a cultivation medium for the PHB production.
The effects of angiotensin-II on lipolysis in humans.

Adipocytes express many of the proteins of the renin-angiotensin system including angiotensinogen and AT(1)-receptors. A principal function of adipocyte tissue is the provision of energy substrate through lipolysis. This study was undertaken to determine if angiotensin-II (Ang-II) infusion or blockade of the renin-angiotensin system by angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor therapy with enalapril altered lipolytic activity and substrate oxidation. Eleven healthy male subjects were enrolled in the first study and postabsorptive whole-body lipolysis activity was measured using a stable isotope of glycerol ((2)H(5)-glycerol). Substrate oxidation was determined using indirect calorimetry in the Clinical Research Center. Subjects were then sequentially treated with low-dose Ang-II infusion (0.3 and then 1.0 ng/kg/min) on separate days, and the lipolysis and oxidation studies were repeated. Lastly, each subject was treated with 2 weeks of ACE inhibitor with enalapril (20 mg daily) and underwent lipolysis and oxidation studies for a fourth time. In a second study, 14 healthy male subjects were enrolled and underwent an identical baseline lipolysis and substrate oxidation assessment. These subjects then received an Ang-II infusion at pressor doses (10 ng/kg/min), and changes in lipolytic activity and substrate oxidation were measured again. In the first study, there was no effect on lipolysis activity from low-dose Ang-II infusion (baseline lipolysis activity (mean +/- SD) 2.06 +/- 0.55 micromol/kg/min, 2.10 +/- 0.69 micromol/kg/min after 0.3 ng/kg/min, and 2.32 +/- 0.56 micromol/kg/min after 1.0 ng/kg/min) or enalapril therapy (2.35 +/- 1.00 micromol/kg/min). In the second study, the larger dose of Ang-II increased blood pressure by 14/17 mm Hg, but there was no effect on lipolysis activity (1.36 +/- 0.49 micromol/kg/min v 1.63 +/- 0.82 micromol/kg/min). Substrate oxidation rates were largely unaffected by Ang-II infusions or enalapril therapy. There was no evidence that treatment with subpressor or pressor dosages of Ang-II produced a significant alteration in lipolytic activity. Moreover, blockade of the renin-angiotensin system with enalapril was equally unremarkable in its effects on whole-body lipolysis. These data support the general concept that the renin-angiotensin system in adipocytes serves more to regulate the regional blood flow to adipose tissue and the size and number of fat cells rather than participating directly in the regulation of energy substrate.
Transcriptional profiling reveals extraordinary diversity among skeletal muscle tissues

Skeletal muscle comprises a family of diverse tissues with highly specialized morphology, function, and metabolism. Many acquired diseases – including HIV, COPD, cancer cachexia, critical illness myopathy, and sepsis – affect specific muscles while sparing others. Even monogenic muscular dystrophies tend to selectively affect certain muscle groups, despite their causative genetic mutations being present in all tissues. These observations suggest that factors intrinsic to muscle tissues influence their susceptibility to various disease mechanisms. Nevertheless, most studies have not addressed transcriptional diversity among skeletal muscles. Here we use RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to profile global mRNA expression in a wide array of skeletal, smooth, and cardiac muscle tissues from mice and rats. Our data set, MuscleDB, reveals extensive transcriptional diversity, with greater than 50% of transcripts differentially expressed among skeletal muscle tissues. This diversity is only partly explained by fiber type composition and developmental history, suggesting that specialized transcriptional profiles establish the functional identity of muscle tissues. We find conservation in the transcriptional profiles across species as well as between males and females, indicating that these data may be useful in predicting gene expression in related species. Notably, thousands of differentially expressed genes in skeletal muscle are associated with human disease, and hundreds of these genes encode targets of drugs on the market today. We detect mRNA expression of hundreds of putative myokines that may underlie the endocrine functions of skeletal muscle. In addition to demonstrating the intrinsic diversity of skeletal muscles, these data provide a resource for generating testable hypotheses regarding the mechanisms that establish differential disease susceptibility in muscle. Significance Statement Skeletal muscles are a diverse family of tissues with a common contractile function but divergent morphology, development, and metabolism. One need only reflect on the different functions of limb muscles and the diaphragm to realize the highly specialized nature of these tissues. Nevertheless, every study of global gene expression has analyzed at most one representative skeletal muscle. Here we measure gene expression from 11 different skeletal muscles in mice and rats. We show that there is no such thing as a representative skeletal muscle, as gene expression profiles vary widely among the tissues analyzed. These data are an important resource for pharmacologists, tissue engineers, and investigators studying the mechanisms of cellular specialization.