Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optimal energy consumption scheduling using mechanism design for the future smart grid

In the future smart grid, both users and power companies can benefit from real-time interactions and pricing methods which can reflect the fluctuations of the wholesale price into the demand side. In addition, smart pricing can be used to seek social benefits and to achieve social objectives. However, the utility company may need to collect various information about users and their energy consumption behavior, which can be challenging. That is, users may not be willing to reveal their local information unless there is an incentive for them to do so. In this paper, we propose an efficient pricing algorithm to tackle this problem. The benefit that each user obtains from each appliance can be modeled in form of a utility function, a concept from microeconomics. We propose a Vickrey-Clarke-Groves (VCG) based mechanism for our problem formulation aiming to maximize the social welfare, i.e., the aggregate utility functions of all users minus the total energy cost. Our design requires that each user provides some information about its energy demand. In return, the energy provider will determine each user's payment for electricity. The payment of each user is structured in such a way that it is in each user's self interest to reveal its local information truthfully. Finally, we present simulation results to show that both the energy provider and the individual users can benefit from the proposed pricing algorithm.
Analysis and characterization of the depletion-mode IGFET

Using simple charge-voltage relationships, a four-terminal model is developed for the depletion-mode IGFET. Various conditions which can coexist at the surface, such as accumulation, depletion, and inversion, are taken into account. The implanted channel is approximated by a box profile. The basic model elements, namely, the source-drain transport current and the various charging currents, are explicitly given in terms of known processing data and implanted channel parameters. Device threshold voltage, drain saturation voltage, and conditions for surface inversion are explicitly given as a function of these parameters.
Assessing Hydration Status: The Elusive Gold Standard

Acknowledging that total body water (TBW) turnover is complex, and that no measurement is valid for all situations, this review evaluates 13 hydration assessment techniques. Although validated laboratory methods exist for TBW and extracellular volume, no evidence incontrovertibly demonstrates that any concentration measurement, including plasma osmolality (Posm), accurately represents TBW gain and loss during daily activities. Further, one blood or urine sample cannot validly represent fluctuating TBW and fluid compartments. Future research should (a) evaluate novel techniques that assess hydration in real time and are precise, accurate, reliable, non-invasive, portable, inexpensive, safe, and simple; and (b) clarify the relationship between Posm and TBW oscillations in various scenarios.
Automatic structures of bounded degree revisited

Abstract The first-order theory of a string automatic structure is known to be decidable, but there are examples of string automatic structures with nonelementary first-order theories. We prove that the first-order theory of a string automatic structure of bounded degree is decidable in doubly exponential space (for injective automatic presentations, this holds even uniformly). This result is shown to be optimal since we also present a string automatic structure of bounded degree whose first-order theory is hard for 2EXPSPACE. We prove similar results also for tree automatic structures. These findings close the gaps left open in [28] by improving both the lower and the upper bounds.
Satellite-Detected Carbon Monoxide Pollution during 2000–2012: Examining Global Trends and also Regional Anthropogenic Periods over China, the EU and the USA

In this paper, we test if any statistically significant periodicities are detectable in carbon monoxide emissions over China, the European Union, and the United States of America. To do this, we performed a period analysis using 10 years of daily-averaged data, from the Measurements Of Pollution In The Troposphere (MOPITT) instrument. Besides a seasonal period, we found no clearly detectable periods at any timescale with the exception of a strong signal at 2.28 days. This period was observed over all tested regions and persisted when larger (hemisphere-wide) regions were considered. However, rather than resulting from a physical variation in carbon monoxide, it resulted from day-to-day changes in the area covered by MOPITT on-board its polar-orbiting satellite platform. We also examined linear trends over the dataset, and found that MOPITT identifies several centers of increasing carbon monoxide concentration—the largest being over China—although globally MOPITT reports a significant decrease in carbon monoxide has occurred over the past decade.
DRP 1-dependent mitochondrial fission initiates follicle cell differentiation during Drosophila oogenesis

K. Mitra and R. Rikhy contributed equally to this paper. Correspondence to Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz: lippincj@mail.nih. gov Abbreviations used in this paper: AFC, anterior follicle cell; DN, dominant negative; EGFR, EGF receptor; FLIP, fluorescence loss in photobleaching; FLP, flippase; FRT, flip recombinase target; Hnt, Hindsight; MBC, main body cell; N-Act, activated Notch; NECD, Notch extracellular domain; NICD, Notch intracellular domain; PFC, posterior follicle cell; ROI, region of interest; TMRE, tetramethylrhodamine ethyl ester; tub, tubulin; UAS, upstream activation sequence; UbiGFP, ubiquitin promoter–GFP. Introduction
Bioplausible Multiscale Filtering in Retinal to Cortical Processing as a Model of Computer Vision

Visual illusions emerge as an attractive field of research with the discovery over the last century of a variety of deep and mysterious mechanisms of visual information processing in the human visual system. Among many classes of visual illusion relating to shape, brightness, colour and motion, âgeometrical illusionsâ are essentially based on the misperception of orientation, size, and position. The main focus of this paper is on illusions of orientation, sometimes referred to as âtilt illusionsâ, where parallel lines appear not to be parallel, a straight line is perceived as a curved line, or angles where lines intersect appear larger or smaller. Although some low level and high level explanations have been proposed for geometrical tilt illusions, a systematic explanation based on model predictions of both illusion magnitude and local tilt direction is still an open issue. Here a neurophysiological model is expounded based on Difference of Gaussians implementing a classical receptive field model of retinal processing that predicts tilt illusion effects.
Exploratory landscape analysis

Exploratory Landscape Analysis subsumes a number of techniques employed to obtain knowledge about the properties of an unknown optimization problem, especially insofar as these properties are important for the performance of optimization algorithms. Where in a first attempt, one could rely on high-level features designed by experts, we approach the problem from a different angle here, namely by using relatively cheap low-level computer generated features. Interestingly, very few features are needed to separate the BBOB problem groups and also for relating a problem to high-level, expert designed features, paving the way for automatic algorithm selection.
Associative memory cells: Formation, function and perspective

Associative learning and memory are common activities in life, and their cellular infrastructures constitute the basis of cognitive processes. Although neuronal plasticity emerges after memory formation, basic units and their working principles for the storage and retrieval of associated signals remain to be revealed. Current reports indicate that associative memory cells, through their mutual synapse innervations among the co-activated sensory cortices, are recruited to fulfill the integration, storage and retrieval of multiple associated signals, and serve associative thinking and logical reasoning. In this review, we aim to summarize associative memory cells in their formation, features and functional impacts.
Can low brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels be a marker of the presence of depression in obese women?

Objective Depression is a common condition in obese women that can result in severe impairment of their physical and social functioning. A deficiency of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is involved in the mechanism of depression. The aim of this study is to investigate whether BDNF levels differ between obese female patients and healthy controls and whether BDNF levels alter with affective states in depressive obese women. Methods The study group included 40 obese, 40 preobese, and 40 normal weight women. BDNF levels were measured with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in patient and control groups. For identifying the depression and anxiety status, Beck Depression/Anxiety Inventories were used; and for the evaluation of cognitive functions, the mini-mental state examination was used. Results BDNF levels were significantly lower in obese patients compared to the control group (P<0.01). BDNF levels were significantly lower in obese patients with depression compared to the obese patients without depression (P<0.05). The Beck Depression Inventory showed a negative correlation with BDNF (r=−0.044; P<0.01) and a positive correlation with the Beck Anxiety Inventory (r=0.643; P<0.001), vitamin B12 levels (r=0.023; P<0.001), and insulin levels (r=0.257; P<0.05) in obese patients. When receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to analyze the suitability of BDNF to identify depression in obese women, the area under the curve for BDNF, 0.756, was found to be significant (P=0.025). BDNF levels lower than 70.2 pg/mL were associated with a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms. Conclusion The results of our study suggest that the decrease in BDNF levels can be used as a marker for depression diagnosis in obese patients.
Subdivision of Broca's region based on individual‐level functional connectivity

Broca's region is composed of two adjacent cytoarchitectonic areas, 44 and 45, which have distinct connectivity to superior temporal and inferior parietal regions in both macaque monkeys and humans. The current study aimed to make use of prior knowledge of sulcal anatomy and resting‐state functional connectivity, together with a novel visualization technique, to manually parcellate areas 44 and 45 in individual brains in vivo. One hundred and one resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging datasets from the Human Connectome Project were used. Left‐hemisphere surface‐based correlation matrices were computed and visualized in brainGL. By observation of differences in the connectivity patterns of neighbouring nodes, areas 44 and 45 were manually parcellated in individual brains, and then compared at the group‐level. Additionally, the manual labelling approach was compared with parcellation results based on several data‐driven clustering techniques. Areas 44 and 45 could be clearly distinguished from each other in all individuals, and the manual segmentation method showed high test‐retest reliability. Group‐level probability maps of areas 44 and 45 showed spatial consistency across individuals, and corresponded well to cytoarchitectonic probability maps. Group‐level connectivity maps were consistent with previous studies showing distinct connectivity patterns of areas 44 and 45. Data‐driven parcellation techniques produced clusters with varying degrees of spatial overlap with the manual labels, indicating the need for further investigation and validation of machine learning cortical segmentation approaches. The current study provides a reliable method for individual‐level cortical parcellation that could be applied to regions distinguishable by even the most subtle differences in patterns of functional connectivity.
Secretion of tumor-promoting and immune suppressive cytokines by cell lines of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND Cytokine profiles of permanent cell lines of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) were analyzed to define the cytokine levels secreted in the absence of immune cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS Cytokine profiles of IL-4, IL-6, IL-8 and IL-10 were analyzed in the supematants of 4 different permanent HNSCC cell lines using the Bio-Plex human cytokine assay system. RESULTS In HNSCC, IL-6 and IL-8 are involved in oncogenic processes, while IL-4 and IL-10 suppress proper immune responses in the tumor microenvironment. Our data indicate that, in the absence of tumor-infiltrating immune cells, HNSCC secretes high levels of the proto-oncogenic cytokines IL-6 and IL-8, but no significant levels of the immune suppressors IL-4 and IL-10. CONCLUSION The data strongly suggest that the intercellular crosstalk between cells of HNSCC and tumor-infiltrating immune cells in vivo is required to stimulate an increased production of immune suppressive mediators in head and neck cancer.
Staging cancer of the pancreas

Abstract Pancreatic carcinoma is the fourth cause of death from cancer in the United States, with a survival rate at 5 years of less than 5%. About 60% of tumors originate at the head of the pancreas, 15% in the body, 5% in the tail; 20% are diffuse within the pancreas. This article discusses the imaging and staging of pancreatic cancer.
Challenges in Distributed Video Management and Delivery

In recent years, we have witnessed the evolution of computing paradigms with the advent of the Internet as a dominant application, content and service delivery platform as well as with the gradual migration of some applications and services from client-server, to edge services, and then to peer-topeer (P2P) and distributed computing systems. P2P computing systems are capable of accommodating a vast number of users – as publishers as well as consumers. Distributed video storage, distributed video search & retrieval, distributed video processing, and distributed video distribution, among others, bear many opportunities but along also many technical challenges.
ReCoM: reinforcement clustering of multi-type interrelated data objects

Most existing clustering algorithms cluster highly related data objects such as Web pages and Web users separately. The interrelation among different types of data objects is either not considered, or represented by a static feature space and treated in the same ways as other attributes of the objects. In this paper, we propose a novel clustering approach for clustering multi-type interrelated data objects, ReCoM (Reinforcement Clustering of Multi-type Interrelated data objects). Under this approach, relationships among data objects are used to improve the cluster quality of interrelated data objects through an iterative reinforcement clustering process. At the same time, the link structure derived from relationships of the interrelated data objects is used to differentiate the importance of objects and the learned importance is also used in the clustering process to further improve the clustering results. Experimental results show that the proposed approach not only effectively overcomes the problem of data sparseness caused by the high dimensional relationship space but also significantly improves the clustering accuracy.
Object Asymmetries in a Phase Theory of Syntax

Pylkkanen (2001) argues that there are two types of applicatives, which have different lexical semantics. I will show that this difference underlies the contrast between (1) and (2), and argue that the two applicatives have different syntactic ‘phase’ structures (Chomsky 1999, 2000). Phases are chunks of syntactic structure that are sent off to PF and LF for interpretation before the derivation continues. Thus, a difference in phase structure can give rise to syntactic, semantic, and phonological differences. As we will see, this prediction is confirmed.
Motility, chemokinesis, and methylation-independent chemotaxis in Azospirillum brasilense

Observations of free-swimming and antibody-tethered Azospirillum brasilense cells showed that their polar flagella could rotate in both clockwise and counterclockwise directions. Rotation in a counterclockwise direction caused forward movement of free-swimming cells, whereas the occasional change in the direction of rotation to clockwise caused a brief reversal in swimming direction. The addition of a metabolizable chemoattractant, e.g., malate or proline, had two distinct effects on the swimming behavior of the bacteria: (i) a short-term decrease in reversal frequency from 0.33 to 0.17 s-1 and (ii) a long-term increase in the mean population swimming speed from 13 to 23 microns s-1. A. brasilense therefore shows both chemotaxis and chemokinesis in response to temporal gradients of some chemoeffectors. Chemokinesis was dependent on the growth state of the cells and may depend on an increase in the electrochemical proton gradient above a saturation threshold. Analysis of behavior of a methionine auxotroph, assays of in vivo methylation, and the use of specific antibodies raised against the sensory transducer protein Tar of Escherichia coli all failed to demonstrate the methylation-dependent pathway for chemotaxis in A. brasilense. The range of chemicals to which A. brasilense shows chemotaxis and the lack of true repellents indicate an alternative chemosensory pathway probably based on metabolism of chemoeffectors.
Proton Activation Does Not Alter Antagonist Interaction with the Capsaicin-Binding Pocket of TRPV1

Vanilloid receptor 1 (TRPV1) is activated by chemical ligands (e.g., capsaicin and protons) and heat. In this study, we show that (2E)-3-[2-piperidin-1-yl-6-(trifluoromethyl)pyridin-3-yl]-N-quinolin-7-ylacrylamide (AMG6880), 5-chloro-6-{(3R)-3-methyl-4-[6-(trifluoromethyl)-4-(3,4,5-trifluorophenyl)-1H-benzimidazol-2-yl]piperazin-1-yl}pyridin-3-yl)methanol (AMG7472), and N-(4-tertiarybutylphenyl)-4-(3-chloropyridin-2-yl)tetrahydropyrazine-1(2H)-carboxamide (BCTC) are potent antagonists of rat TRPV1 activation by either capsaicin or protons (pH 5) (defined here as group A antagonists), whereas (2E)-3-(6-tert-butyl-2-methylpyridin-3-yl)-N-(1H-indol-6-yl)acrylamide (AMG0610), capsazepine, and (2E)-3-(4-chlorophenyl)-N-(3-methoxyphenyl)acrylamide (SB-366791) are antagonists of capsaicin, but not proton, activation (defined here as group B antagonists). By using capsaicin-sensitive and insensitive rabbit TRPV1 channels, we show that antagonists require the same critical molecular determinants located in the transmembrane domain 3/4 region to block both capsaicin and proton activation, suggesting the presence of a single binding pocket. To determine whether the differential pharmacology is a result of proton activation-induced conformational changes in the capsaicin-binding pocket that alter group B antagonist affinities, we have developed a functional antagonist competition assay. We hypothesized that if group B antagonists bind at the same or an overlapping binding pocket of TRPV1 as group A antagonists, and proton activation does not alter the binding pocket, then group B antagonists should compete with and prevent group A antagonism of TRPV1 activation by protons. Indeed, we found that each of the group B antagonists competed with and prevented BCTC, AMG6880 or AMG7472 antagonism of rat TRPV1 activation by protons with pA2 values similar to those for blocking capsaicin, indicating that proton activation does not alter the conformation of the TRPV1 capsaicin-binding pocket. In conclusion, group A antagonists seem to lock the channel conformation in the closed state, blocking both capsaicin and proton activation.
The potential of the spectral 'water balance index' (WABI) for crop irrigation scheduling.

Hyperspectral sensing can detect slight changes in plant physiology, and may offer a faster and nondestructive alternative for water status monitoring. This premise was tested in the current study using a narrow-band 'water balance index' (WABI), which is based on independent changes in leaf water content (1500 nm) and the efficiency of the nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ) photo-protective mechanism (531 nm). The hydraulic, photo-protective and spectral behaviors of five important crops - grapevine, corn, tomato, pea and sunflower - were evaluated under water deficit conditions in order to associate the differences in stress physiology with WABI suitability. Rapid alterations in both leaf water content and NPQ were observed in grapevine, pea and sunflower, and were effectively captured by WABI. Apart from water status monitoring, the index was also successful in scheduling the irrigation of a vineyard, despite phenological and environmental variability. Conversely, corn and tomato displayed a relatively strict stomatal regime and/or mild NPQ responses and were, thus, unsuitable for WABI-based monitoring. WABI shows great potential for irrigation scheduling of various crops, and has a clear advantage over spectral models that focus on either of the abovementioned physiological mechanisms.
Microcalcifications Detected as an Abnormality on Screening Mammography: Outcomes and Followup over a Five-Year Period

Objectives. This study reviewed the outcome of women attending a breast screening program recalled for assessment of microcalcifications and examined the incidence of a breast carcinoma detected during the following five years in any of the women who were given a benign diagnosis at assessment. Method. A retrospective study consisted of 235 clients attending an Australian BreastScreen program in 2003, who were recalled for investigation of microcalcifications detected on screening mammography. Records for the following five years were available for 168 women in the benign outcome group including those who did not require biopsy at initial assessment. Results. Malignant disease was detected in 26.0% (n = 146) of the women who underwent biopsy. None of the women in the benign outcome group, with available five-year follow-up records, developed a subsequent breast cancer, arising from the calcifications initially recalled in 2003. Conclusions. This study highlights the effectiveness of an Australian screening program in diagnosing malignancy in women with screen detected microcalcification. This has been achieved by correctly determining 38% (n = 235) of the women as benign without the need for biopsy or early recall. A low rate of open surgical biopsies was performed with no cancer diagnoses missed at the time of initial assessment.