Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Correlated Neuronal Firing and Neuronal Heterogeneity on Population Coding Accuracy in Guinea Pig Inferior Colliculus

It has been suggested that the considerable noise in single-cell responses to a stimulus can be overcome by pooling information from a large population. Theoretical studies indicated that correlations in trial-to-trial fluctuations in the responses of different neurons may limit the improvement due to pooling. Subsequent theoretical studies have suggested that inherent neuronal diversity, i.e., the heterogeneity of tuning curves and other response properties of neurons preferentially tuned to the same stimulus, can provide a means to overcome this limit. Here we study the effect of spike-count correlations and the inherent neuronal heterogeneity on the ability to extract information from large neural populations. We use electrophysiological data from the guinea pig Inferior-Colliculus to capture inherent neuronal heterogeneity and single cell statistics, and introduce response correlations artificially. To this end, we generate pseudo-population responses, based on single-cell recording of neurons responding to auditory stimuli with varying binaural correlations. Typically, when pseudo-populations are generated from single cell data, the responses within the population are statistically independent. As a result, the information content of the population will increase indefinitely with its size. In contrast, here we apply a simple algorithm that enables us to generate pseudo-population responses with variable spike-count correlations. This enables us to study the effect of neuronal correlations on the accuracy of conventional rate codes. We show that in a homogenous population, in the presence of even low-level correlations, information content is bounded. In contrast, utilizing a simple linear readout, that takes into account the natural heterogeneity, even of neurons preferentially tuned to the same stimulus, within the neural population, one can overcome the correlated noise and obtain a readout whose accuracy grows linearly with the size of the population.
High Performance Block I/O for Global File System (GFS) with InfiniBand RDMA

State-of-the-art network technology has evolved to 10Gbps. However, TCP's high processing overhead and redundant data copies remain a major bottleneck for applications to fully benefit from such high speed technology. Remote direct memory access (RDMA), as an emerging communication protocol, provides an opportunity for efficient storage system design by virtue of RDMA's semantics. Although RDMA based designs have been proposed to improve network file I/O protocols in several previous works, its benefit for cluster file system block I/O is not clear yet. We propose a new technique - "buffer management delegation", which offloads message buffer management to remote communication party. Using this technique, we design our zero copy RDMA based block transfer scheme for GNBD (global network block device), a block access protocol of Red Hat Global File System, to optimize cluster file system performance over 10Gbps InfiniBand network. We evaluate this new scheme in comparison with our copy based scheme and TCP over the same InfiniBand hardware. The evaluation quantifies the redundant copy impact for both bulk data transfer and file system meta-data operations. The results using open source file system benchmarks and widely used system utilities show that our implementation improves GFSperformance by up to 47% compared with copy based scheme, and by up to 136% compared with TCP
Simple Hardware-Oriented Algorithms For Cellular Mobiles Positioning

Locating a mobile station position is one of the most significant features of cellular mobile phones in wireless communications. All location determination algorithms are based on trigonometric calculations which are usually implemented in software. In this paper, we propose two new hardware oriented algorithms that use just simple add, shift and subtract operations in finding the location of a mobile station. The first algorithm uses fixed rotations to locate a mobile station position. The second algorithm is a dynamic version of the first one. It uses dynamic rotations to find the location of the mobile. Via simulation, the computational cost and error (in meter) for the traditional algorithm, the fixed rotation hardware-oriented algorithm, and the dynamic version are compared.
Discovering semantic relations by means of unsupervised sense clustering Marianna Apidianaki 10 : 30 – 11 : 00 Coffee break 11 : 00 – 11 : 25 From the People ’ s Synonym Dictionary to fuzzy synsets – first steps

Electronic sense inventories are needed for Word Sense Disambiguation (WSD) in Natural Language Processing (NLP) applications. However, existing sense inventories are criticized for being inadequate for this task. The fine granularity of the senses described in these resources is not always needed in NLP applications. Furthermore, the senses are listed without any information on their distinguishability and their relations. However, this type of knowledge can be automatically extracted from textual data using machine learning techniques. In this paper, we show how an unsupervised sense induction method permits to capture two different types of semantic relations: first, semantic similarity relations between the translation equivalents of ambiguous words; second, relations between their senses, which are automatically identified by means of semantic clustering. We analyze the results of this method and compare them with the semantic descriptions provided in a typical multilingual semantic resource.
The influence of the MCVA deposition parameters on the structure and tribological properties of DLC coatings on woodworking HSS tool substrates

Purpose: The purpose of the present study was the influence of deposition parameters of diamondlike-carbon coatings (DLC), with the modified cathodic vacuum arc (MCVA) method deposited on tool substrates (high-speed steel HS6-5-2) for woodworking, on their structure and tribological properties. Design/methodology/approach: DLC coating was deposited by MCVA method. Structure, adhesion, hardness, internal stresses and friction wear resistance of DLC coatings were tested. Tests of knives coated with DLC and uncoated ones was made by machining medium density fibreboard (MDF) using a industrial milling machine. Findings: The hardness of DLC coatings was 22.7-57.1 GPa. The Raman spectrum of DLC coatings was analysed The high hardness and internal stresses of DLC coating is related to the amount of sp3 bonds. DLC coatings display high adhesion: critical load in the scratch method (LC2 = 22-40 N), from Rockwell test (HF1). The influence of the structure, hardness and adhesion of coatings on wear resistance of coated tools is discussed. Practical implications: The wide range of tribological properties of DLC coatings that are deposited with different parameters may indicate the possibility of their application for tools for wood-like materials in order to increase their durability. Originality/value: Depending of the deposition parameters applied, it is possible to obtain DLC coatings in a wide range of hardness (22.7-57.1 GPa) and adhesion (LC2 = 22-40 N). The industrial tests of cutting wood-based materials indicate that the DLC coatings with different properties improve HSS tool performance. The DLC coatings show antiwear properties required in industry application. The DLC coatings might be apply on high-speed steel planer knives for woodworking industry.
The physiological role of hormones in saliva

The assessment of hormones in saliva has gained wide acceptance in clinical endocrinology. To date, there is no hypothesis as to why some hormones can be found in saliva, while others cannot, and whether there is a physiological consequence of this fact. A number of carefully performed studies give examples of important physiological hormonal activity in saliva. Steroids, such as androgens, act as pheromones in olfactory communication of various mammalian species, such as facilitating mating behavior in swine or serving as odor cues for rodent nestlings. Salivary peptide hormones, such as epidermal growth factor (EGF) and transforming growth factor‐α (TGF‐α), and amines such as melatonin, are involved in the regulation of inflammatory processes and in the promotion of cell proliferation, and contribute to a rapid wound healing in the oropharyngeal epithelia. Current data provide evidence of the involvement of salivary cytokines, such as interleukin‐8 and leptin, in tumorgenesis in the oral cavity and the salivary glands. The tumor tissues express and release significantly more of these cytokines than healthy glands. Consequently, the assessment of salivary hormone profiles may provide promising targets for diagnostic tumor markers.
A novel laminin E8 cell adhesion site required for lung alveolar formation in vitro

Basement membrane-adherent type II alveolar cells isolated from lung assemble into lumen-containing cellular spheres which retain the correct polarity and thereby approximate the earliest fetal stage of alveolar morphogenesis. The molecular basis of this process, determined in initial experiments to be attributable mainly to the large heterotrimeric glycoprotein laminin, was probed with laminin proteolytic fragments, antibodies, and synthetic peptides. The carboxy- terminal fragment E8, but not equimolar amounts of fragment P1, blocked alveolar formation. To pursue this observation, we used several anti-E8 antibodies and identified one, prepared against A chain residues 2179- 2198 ("SN-peptide") from the first loop of the G domain, as inhibitory. These results were confirmed by use of SN-peptide alone and further defined by trypsin digestion of SN-peptide to the sequence SINNNR. This conserved site promoted divalent cation dependent adhesion of both type II alveolar and HT1080 cells, was inhibitable with equimolar amounts of fragment E8 but not P1, and derives from a form of laminin present in fetal alveolar basement membranes. These studies point to an important novel cell adhesion site in the laminin E8 region with a key role in lung alveolar morphogenesis.
Evidence from a Partial Report Task for Forgetting in Dynamic Spatial Memory

G. Sperling (1960) and others have investigated memory for briefly presented stimuli by using a partial versus whole report technique in which participants sometimes reported part of a stimulus array and sometimes reported all of it. For simple, static stimulus displays, the partial report technique showed that participants could recall most of the information in the stimulus array but that this information faded quickly when participants engaged in whole report recall. An experiment was conducted that applied the partial report method to a task involving complex displays of moving objects. In the experiment, 26 participants viewed cars in a low-fidelity driving simulator and then reported the locations of some or all of the cars in each scene. A statistically significant advantage was found for the partial report trials. This finding suggests that detailed spatial location information was forgotten from dynamic spatial memory over the 14 s that it took participants to recall whole report trials. The experiment results suggest better ways of measuring situation awareness. Partial report recall techniques may give a more accurate measure of people's momentary situation awareness than whole report techniques. Potential applications of this research include simulator-based measures of situation awareness ability that can be part of inexpensive test batteries to select people for real-time tasks (e.g., in a driver licensing battery) and to identify people who need additional training.
In hot and cold water: differential life‐history traits are key to success in contrasting thermal deep‐sea environments

Summary Few species of reptant decapod crustaceans thrive in the cold‐stenothermal waters of the Southern Ocean. However, abundant populations of a new species of anomuran crab, Kiwa tyleri, occur at hydrothermal vent fields on the East Scotia Ridge. As a result of local thermal conditions at the vents, these crabs are not restricted by the physiological limits that otherwise exclude reptant decapods south of the polar front. We reveal the adult life history of this species by piecing together variation in microdistribution, body size frequency, sex ratio, and ovarian and embryonic development, which indicates a pattern in the distribution of female Kiwaidae in relation to their reproductive development. High‐density ‘Kiwa’ assemblages observed in close proximity to sources of vent fluids are constrained by the thermal limit of elevated temperatures and the availability of resources for chemosynthetic nutrition. Although adult Kiwaidae depend on epibiotic chemosynthetic bacteria for nutrition, females move offsite after extrusion of their eggs to protect brooding embryos from the chemically harsh, thermally fluctuating vent environment. Consequently, brooding females in the periphery of the vent field are in turn restricted by low‐temperature physiological boundaries of the deep‐water Southern Ocean environment. Females have a high reproductive investment in few, large, yolky eggs, facilitating full lecithotrophy, with the release of larvae prolonged, and asynchronous. After embryos are released, larvae are reliant on locating isolated active areas of hydrothermal flow in order to settle and survive as chemosynthetic adults. Where the cold water restricts the ability of all adult stages to migrate over long distances, these low temperatures may facilitate the larvae in the location of vent sites by extending the larval development period through hypometabolism. These differential life‐history adaptations to contrasting thermal environments lead to a disjunct life history among males and females of K. tyleri, which is key to their success in the Southern Ocean vent environment. We highlight the complexity in understanding the importance of life‐history biology, in combination with environmental, ecological and physiological factors contributing to the overall global distribution of vent‐endemic species.
Infectious bronchitis virus in different avian physiological systems—A field study in Brazilian poultry flocks

Abstract Avian infectious bronchitis is a highly contagious viral disease with economic effects on poultry agribusiness. The disease presents multi-systemic clinical signs (respiratory, renal, enteric, and reproductive) and is caused by one coronavirus (infectious bronchitis virus, IBV). Infectious bronchitis virus is classified into different serotypes and genotypes (vaccine strains and field variants). This study aimed to evaluate the occurrence of IBV in commercial poultry flocks from 3 important producing regions in Brazil and to determine the tropism of the main circulating genotypes to 3 different avian physiological systems (respiratory, digestive, urinary/reproductive). Clinical samples with suggestive signs of IBV infection were collected from 432 different poultry commercial flocks (198 from broilers and 234 from breeders). The total number of biological samples consisted of organ pools from the 3 above physiological systems obtained of farms from 3 important producing regions: midwest, northeast, and south. Infectious bronchitis virus was detected by reverse-transcription, real-time PCR of the 5′ untranslated region. The results showed 179 IBV-positive flocks (41.4% of the flocks), with 107 (24.8%) from broilers and 72 (16.8%) from breeders. There were similar frequencies of IBV-positive flocks in farms from different regions of the country, most often in broilers (average 54%) compared with breeders (average 30.8%). reverse-transcription was more frequently detected in the digestive system of breeders (40%), and in the digestive (43.5%) and respiratory (37.7%) systems of broilers. Infectious bronchitis virus genotyping was performed by a reverse-transcription nested PCR and sequencing of the S1 gene from a selection of 79 IBV-positive flocks (45 from broilers and 34 from breeders). The majority of the flocks were infected with Brazilian variant genotype than with Massachusetts vaccine genotype. These results demonstrate the predominance of the Brazilian variant (mainly in the enteric tract) in commercial poultry flocks from 3 important producing regions in Brazil.
Primary Anorectal Melanoma

Primary malignant melanoma of the anus and rectum is a rare and aggressive neoplasm that tends to invade locally and metastasize early in the course of the disease. It is often misdiagnosed as hemorrhoids or as one of the other benign anorectal conditions and is thus linked to an overall poor prognosis and a 5-year survival rate of less than 20%. Optimal treatment is still controversial, and current evidence does not show any preferential survival benefit from abdominoperineal resection over wide local excision. Chemotherapy or radiotherapy may be used for advanced disease. We report a 71-year-old female presenting with painful bowel movements and blood in stools. She was eventually found to have a mass arising from the anorectal junction with regional lymph node involvement. The patient underwent an abdominoperineal resection and is currently scheduled for chemotherapy.
Glutathione Depletion Due to Copper-Induced Phytochelatin Synthesis Causes Oxidative Stress in Silene cucubalus.

The relation between loss of glutathione due to metal-induced phytochelatin synthesis and oxidative stress was studied in the roots of copper-sensitive and tolerant Silene cucubalus (L.) Wib. , resistant to 1 and 40 micromolar Cu, respectively. The amount of nonprotein sulfhydryl compounds other than glutathione was taken as a measure of phytochelatins. At a supply of 20 micromolar Cu, which is toxic for sensitive plants only, phytochelatin synthesis and loss of total glutathione were observed only in sensitive plants within 6 h of exposure. When the plants were exposed to a range of copper concentrations for 3 d, a marked production of phytochelatins in sensitive plants was already observed at 0.5 micromolar Cu, whereas the production in tolerant plants was negligible at 40 micromolar or lower. The highest production in tolerant plants was only 40% of that in sensitive plants. In both varieties, the synthesis of phytochelatins was coupled to a loss of glutathione. Copper at toxic concentrations caused oxidative stress, as was evidenced by both the accumulation of lipid peroxidation products and a shift in the glutathione redox couple to a more oxidized state. Depletion of glutathione by pretreatment with buthionine sulfoximine significantly increased the oxidative damage by copper. At a comparably low glutathione level, cadmium had no effect on either lipid peroxidation or the glutathione redox couple in buthionine sulfoximine-treated plants. These results indicate that copper may specifically cause oxidative stress by depletion of the antioxidant glutathione due to phytochelatin synthesis. We conclude that copper tolerance in S. cucubalus does not depend on the production of phytochelatins but is related to the plant's ability to prevent glutathione depletion resulting from copper-induced phytochelatin production, e.g. by restricting its copper uptake.
FE modeling of delamination growth in interlaminar fracture specimens

Interlaminar fracture specimens like Double Cantilever Beam (DCB), End Notched Flexural (ENF), Single Leg Bending (SLB) etc. are widely used for stud- ying the interlaminar toughness of composite laminates. The aim of this paper is to analysis delamination specimens within the framework of a meso-level damage modeling of composite laminates. In this case interlaminar interface is assumed as a damageable homogeneous layer between adjacent layers of the specimen bulk material. The degradation of the interlaminar connection can be taken into account by means either of an appropriate damage initiation criterion and damage evolu- tion law or using fracture mechanics approach. Onset and growth of the delami- nation pre-existing crack in the fracture specimens are simulated by using both modeling possibility within commercial finite element code ABAQUS. Compari- sons between numerical predictions of used different finite element models as well as available experimental data have been performed.
University of Glasgow at TREC 2008: Experiments in Blog, Enterprise, and Relevance Feedback Tracks with Terrier

Abstract : In TREC 2008, we participate in the Blog, Enterprise, and Relevance Feedback tracks. In all tracks, we continue the research and development of the Terrier platform centred around extending state-of-the-art weighting models based on the Divergence From Randomness (DFR) framework. In particular, we investigate two main themes, namely, proximity-based models, and collection and profile enrichment techniques based on several resources. In the Blog track, we aim to improve our opinion detection techniques and to integrate various new blog-specific features into our Voting Model. For the baseline ad-hoc task, we aim to build strongly performing baselines by applying two different techniques. The first one boosts documents in which query terms co-occur in a given window size, and the second one applies query expansion using collection enrichment. Non-English documents are also removed from the retrieved results. In the opinion-finding task, we experiment with two main opinion detection approaches. The first one improves our TREC 2007 dictionary-based approach by automatically building an internal opinion dictionary from the collection itself. We measure the opinionated discriminability of each term using an information-theoretic divergence measure based on the relevance assessments of previous years. The second approach is based on the OpinionFinder tool, which identifies subjective sentences in text. In particular, we introduce a novel method to measure the informativeness of query terms occurring in close proximity to subjective sentences. In the blog distillation task, we have two research themes.
Observation of a Large Lee Wave in the Drake Passage

AbstractLee waves are thought to play a prominent role in Southern Ocean dynamics, facilitating a transfer of energy from the jets of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current to microscale, turbulent motions important in water mass transformations. Two EM-APEX profiling floats deployed in the Drake Passage during the Diapycnal and Isopycnal Mixing Experiment (DIMES) independently measured a 120 ± 20-m vertical amplitude lee wave over the Shackleton Fracture Zone. A model for steady EM-APEX motion is developed to calculate absolute vertical water velocity, augmenting the horizontal velocity measurements made by the floats. The wave exhibits fluctuations in all three velocity components of over 15 cm s−1 and an intrinsic frequency close to the local buoyancy frequency. The wave is observed to transport energy and horizontal momentum vertically at respective peak rates of 1.3 ± 0.2 W m−2 and 8 ± 1 N m−2. The rate of turbulent kinetic energy dissipation is estimated using both Thorpe scales and a method that isolate.