Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Saccadic suppression of image displacement.

HeImholtz (1867) suggested that the retinal image displacement vector, the afferent signal, is compared with the expected saccadic displacement vector, the efferent copy (Holst and Mittelstaedt, 1950) carried by the corollary discharge (Sperry, 1950) and this process may be called the " vectorial Helmholtzian com-parator for the frame of reference ". The results presented in this report show that collinear and orthogonal image displacements undergo quantitatively similar raising of thresholds with saccades; thus, sac-cadic suppression of displacement is a quantitative but non-vectorial effect following the vectorial Helm-holtzian comparator. The relationship between saccadic suppression and the Helmholt~an frame~f-reference compu~tion was first suggested by Stark, Michael and Zuber (1969) and also discussed by Bridgeman, Hendry and Stark (1975). It is known from the work of Bischof and Kramer (1968). Matin, Matin and Pola (1970), and Matin (1974) that this computation is not simultaneous with the time course of the saccadic trajec-tory; indeed. objects of attention and fovea1 images are computed before other parts of the retinal image (Bischof and Kramer, 1968). Thus, saccadic suppression of image displacement appears to have functional correlates, in contrast to such various other phenomena as have been established to be suppressed during a saccade-light Our results speak to the issue of relating a functional role for non-vectorial saccadic suppression to dynamic or static mismatches in the vectorial Helm-holtzian comparison. They support the saccadic suppression of image displacement which was first quantitatively presented by Bridgeman er al. (1975), and ' Supported by NIH Fellowships EYOO076 to R. Kong and EY53214 to D. Hendry. respectively. The experimental results were obtained at Berkeley in PO 206. " The Oculo-motor System. " class laboratory. L. Stark, instructor. MFFNODS The subject's head was stabilized by a bite bar at the center of a semi-cylindrical screen of radius 0.85 m which fornied a " one-dimensional ganzfeld " (0 log ft-L) (Bridge-man et af., 1975). The stimuIus, consisting of a 10' square containing numerous dots in a random pattern (1.8 log ft-L), was projected onto the ganzfeld by a mirror mounted on a galvanometer (the target velocity of 900' see-' was the fastest stable speed obtainable with our apparatus). Thus. the time and size of the target displacement could be varied. The stimulus was slightly defocused, making the target borders less defined. and consequently, less effective as displa~ment cues; this defocusing decreased the rate of change of luminance with time without changing the density …
Unc119 Regulates Myofibroblast Differentiation through the Activation of Fyn and the p38 MAPK Pathway1

Unc119 is an adaptor protein that is involved in the development of the vertebrate nervous system. We have shown that Unc119 stimulates the induction of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and myofibroblast differentiation by TGF-β in human lung fibroblasts. Unc119 increases the kinase activity of Fyn and associates with it in coprecipitation and colocalization studies. Phosphorylation and activation of Fyn in response to TGF-β and platelet-derived growth factor is delayed in Unc119-deficient cells. This delay translates into suppressed cell proliferation. In Src family kinase-deficient (SYF) cells, Unc119 knockdown does not affect cell proliferation. The result suggests that Unc119 interacts with Fyn in the early stages of signal generation and its presence is essential for conducive signal transduction. Unc119 overexpression does not stimulate α-SMA in SYF cells and this defect is restored upon reconstitution with Fyn indicating that Unc119 stimulation of α-SMA requires at least Fyn. Unc119 overexpression stimulated p38, but not JNK, phosphorylation. Blocking p38 MAPK resulted in reduced α-SMA expression by Unc119 suggesting that the p38 pathway regulates Unc119-induced myofibroblast differentiation. Unc119 stimulates the production of TGF-β and IL-6, known inducers of myofibroblast differentiation. Thus, Unc119 regulates receptor-mediated signal transduction and myofibroblast differentiation by activating Fyn and the p38 MAPK pathway. Using primary lung fibroblasts from patients with fibrotic lung diseases and control subjects, we show that the expression of α-smooth muscle actin is highly correlated with that of Unc119. Taken together, our results suggest that Unc119 plays an important role in fibrotic processes through myofibroblast differentiation.
Coded excitation for diagnostic ultrasound: a system developer's perspective

Resolution and penetration are primary criteria for clinical image quality. Conventionally, high bandwidth for resolution was achieved with a short pulse, which results in a tradeoff between resolution and penetration. Coded excitation extends the bounds of this tradeoff by increasing signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) through appropriate coding on transmit and decoding on receive. Although used for about 50 years in radar, coded excitation was successfully introduced into commercial ultrasound scanners only within the last 5 years. This delay is at least partly due to practical implementation issues particular to diagnostic ultrasound, which are the focus of this paper. After reviewing the basics of biphase and chirp coding, we present simulation results to quantify tradeoffs between penetration and resolution under frequency-dependent attenuation, dynamic focusing, and nonlinear propagation. Next, we compare chirp and Golay code performance with respect to image quality and system requirements, then we show clinical images that illustrate the current applications of coded excitation in B-mode, harmonic, and flow imaging.
Regulation of MAP kinase by the BMP-4/TAK1 pathway in Xenopus ectoderm.

Bone morphogenetic protein-4 (BMP-4) induces epidermis and represses neural fate in Xenopus ectoderm. Our previous findings implicate p42 Erk MAP kinase (MAPK) in the response to neural induction. We have examined the effects of BMP-4 on MAPK activity in gastrula ectoderm. Expression of a dominant negative BMP-4 receptor resulted in a 4.5-fold elevation in MAPK activity in midgastrula ectoderm. MAPK activity was reduced in ectoderm expressing a constitutively active BMP-4 receptor, or ectoderm treated with BMP-4 protein in the presence or absence of cycloheximide. Overexpression of TAK1 led to a reduction in MAPK activity in early gastrula ectoderm. The inhibitory effects of TAK1 could be reversed by 1 microM SB 203580, a p38 inhibitor. Treatment of isolated ectoderm with SB 203580 led to expression of otx2, NCAM, and noggin. Western blot analyses indicated that the BMP-4 pathway does not activate JNKs in ectoderm. Our findings indicate that BMP-4 inhibits ectodermal MAPK activity through a TAK1/p38-type pathway. MAPK has been shown to inactivate Smad1. Thus, our results suggest that BMP-4 and MAPK pathways are mutually antagonistic in Xenopus ectoderm, and that interactions between these pathways may govern the choice between epidermal and neural fate.
Corporate governance practices and companies' R&D orientation: Evidence from European countries. Bruegel Working Paper 2011/01, 24 January 2011

This working paper empirically investigates if corporate governance practices affect the resources firms devote to R&D. The authors Florence Honore, Federico Munari and Bruno van Pottelsberghe found that an executive remuneration system that is linked to the firm’s financial performance has a particularly strong negative impact on R&D. This confirms the hypothesis that incentive mechanisms lead managers to focus on more predictable and easily measurable short-term activities,ultimately hampering the commitment to innovative projects.
Reachability Is in DynFO

Patnaik and Immerman introduced the dynamic complexity class DynFO of database queries that can be maintained by first-order dynamic programs with the help of auxiliary relations under insertions and deletions of edges. This article confirms their conjecture that the reachability query is in DynFO. As a byproduct, it is shown that the rank of a matrix with small values can be maintained in DynFO. It is further shown that the (size of the) maximum matching of a graph can be maintained in non-uniform DynFO, an extension of DynFO, with non-uniform initialisation of the auxiliary relations.
Cost-Saving Effect of Crowdsourcing Learning

Crowdsourcing is widely adopted in many domains as a popular paradigm to outsource work to individuals. In the machine learning community, crowdsourcing is commonly used as a cost-saving way to collect labels for training data. While a lot of effort has been spent on developing methods for inferring labels from a crowd, few work concentrates on the theoretical foundation of crowdsourcing learning. In this paper, we theoretically study the cost-saving effect of crowdsourcing learning, and present an upper bound for the minimally-sufficient number of crowd labels for effective crowdsourcing learning. Our results provide an understanding about how to allocate crowd labels efficiently, and are verified empirically.
Disruption of Cooperation Between Ras and MycN in Human Neuroblastoma Cells Promotes Growth Arrest

Purpose: Our aim was to examine whether active Ras and MycN cooperation contributes to the malignant phenotype of human neuroblastoma with amplified MycN gene, an aggressive incurable tumor. Experimental Design: Human neuroblastoma LAN-1 cells, in which the MycN gene is amplified, were used to examine the impact of the Ras inhibitor farnesylthiosalicylic acid on cell growth, on the levels Ras and MycN proteins, and on profiles of gene expression. Results: We show that LAN-1 cells express relatively large amounts of MycN and active Ras-GTP. Inhibition of active Ras by farnesylthiosalicylic acid led to attenuation of the Raf-MEK-ERK and phosphoinositide 3-kinase-Akt-glycogen synthase-3 (GSK-3) pathways, to reduction in cyclin D1, phospho-retinoblastoma, and E2F, and to increase in the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27 and in retinoblastoma-binding protein-1, an inhibitor of E2F transcriptional activity. Ras inhibition by farnesylthiosalicylic acid or by a dominant-negative Ras also led to complete disappearance of MycN protein from the nuclei of LAN-1 cells. This was a result of blocking of Akt inactivation of GSK-3, leading to GSK-3-dependent phosphorylation with consequent proteosomal degradation of MycN. Loss of active Ras and of MycN in LAN-1 cells was manifested in profiles of gene expression that could be expected from the loss of MycN transcriptional activity and of Ras signaling. These changes explain the farnesylthiosalicylic acid–induced inhibition of LAN-1 cell growth. Conclusions: Active Ras is needed to block MycN degradation, promoting cooperative Ras- and MycN-dependent cell cycle progression in LAN-1 cells. Ras inhibitors are therefore likely candidates for the treatment of advanced neuroblastoma characterized by high expression of MycN.
Expression of Subtype-Specific Group 1 Leiomyosarcoma Markers in a Wide Variety of Sarcomas by Gene Expression Analysis and Immunohistochemistry

Leiomyosarcomas (LMSs) constitute approximately one quarter of all sarcomas and are usually defined by morphologic criteria and/or immunoreactivity for actin or desmin. Among high-grade lesions, the distinction from undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS) can be problematic, and previous studies have shown that a significant number of LMS cases may be hiding under the diagnosis of UPS. We recently described 3 novel molecular LMS subtypes that are distributed similarly over LMSs of gyneocologic and non-gyneocologic origins. The group 1 subtype shows an improved disease-specific survival compared with the other 2 groups that is independent of histologic grade. Group 1 comprises approximately 25% of all LMSs, and is defined by a shared pattern of gene expression, a distinct pattern of genomic changes, and reactivity for at least 3 of 5 immunohistochemistry (IHC) markers (smooth muscle gamma actin, calsequestrin 2, human muscle cofilin2, myosin light chain kinase, and sarcolemmal membrane associated protein), as tested on 271 cases of LMS in tissue microarrays. These IHC markers have not been well characterized in non-LMS sarcomas. Here we provide a characterization of these 5 markers across normal tissues, an additional 59 cases of LMS, and a wide range of 565 non-LMS soft tissue tumors from 44 diagnostic categories, with a focus on UPS. When analyzed individually, the 5 markers were found to be expressed in many sarcomas other than LMSs. However, when analyzed by the same criteria used for the recognition of group 1 LMSs, in which a case is scored positive when at least 3 of 5 markers reacted, coordinate expression was seen in significant numbers of cases from only 3 diagnostic groups that included 22% of leiomyomas (n=22), 16% of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (n=43), and 18% of endometrial stromal sarcomas (n=11). In addition, 5% (n=57) of UPSs showed a staining pattern similar to that seen in group 1 LMSs. To further examine the possibility that group 1 LMS constitutes a small part of cases diagnosed as UPS, we examined the expression of the top 500 genes from the group 1 LMS expression signature in 29 UPSs by complementary DNA microarray. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering of 29 UPS expression showed that 2 (7%) had coordinated high levels of expression of genes from the group 1 LMS signature, a rate similar to that seen by IHC analysis. These findings show that group 1 LMS IHC markers smooth muscle gamma actin, calsequestrin 2, human muscle cofilin2, myosin light chain kinase, and sarcolemmal membrane associated protein when coordinately expressed have specificity for a subset of LMS when compared with other sarcomas, and may be useful for the recognition of group 1 LMS cases within cases diagnosed as UPS.
GIANT: Globally Improved Approximate Newton Method for Distributed Optimization

For distributed computing environment, we consider the empirical risk minimization problem and propose a distributed and communication-efficient Newton-type optimization method. At every iteration, each worker locally finds an Approximate NewTon (ANT) direction, which is sent to the main driver. The main driver, then, averages all the ANT directions received from workers to form a {\it Globally Improved ANT} (GIANT) direction. GIANT is highly communication efficient and naturally exploits the trade-offs between local computations and global communications in that more local computations result in fewer overall rounds of communications. Theoretically, we show that GIANT enjoys an improved convergence rate as compared with first-order methods and existing distributed Newton-type methods. Further, and in sharp contrast with many existing distributed Newton-type methods, as well as popular first-order methods, a highly advantageous practical feature of GIANT is that it only involves one tuning parameter. We conduct large-scale experiments on a computer cluster and, empirically, demonstrate the superior performance of GIANT.
Levels of Maternal Serum Angiogenic Factors in Third-Trimester Normal Pregnancies: Reference Ranges, Influence of Maternal and Pregnancy Factors and Fetoplacental Doppler Indices

Aim: To establish normal ranges of maternal placental growth factor (PlGF), soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) and sFlt-1/PlGF ratio at 32-41 weeks' gestation and to evaluate the influence of maternal characteristics, and of fetoplacental Doppler. Material and Methods: Serum levels of PlGF, sFlt-1 and sFlt-1/PlGF ratio were measured in 300 noncomplicated pregnancies (30 at each gestational week between 32 and 41). Quantile regression analysis was used to derive gestational age (GA)-adjusted normal ranges, and to account for characteristics that might influence serum levels. The relationship with Doppler indices was tested, including umbilical artery pulsatility index and middle cerebral artery pulsatility index. Results: PlGF decreased with GA from 32 weeks, while sFlt-1 and sFlt-1/PlGF ratio increased steadily. None of the factors evaluated showed any significant influence on the levels of angiogenic factors. PlGF multiple of the median significantly correlated with mean uterine artery Doppler (R -0.17; p = 0.029). Conclusions: In normal pregnancies during the third trimester, serum PlGF decreases, sFlt-1 increases and sFlt-1/PlGF ratio increases with GA. Angiogenic factor levels needed no adjustment for factors such as smoking, body mass index, blood pressure or parity.
New Echocardiographic Findings Correlate with Intramyocardial Inflammation in Endomyocardial Biopsies of Patients with Acute Myocarditis and Inflammatory Cardiomyopathy

Background. The diagnosis of acute myocarditis (AMC) and inflammatory cardiomyopathy (DCMi) can be difficult. Speckle tracking echocardiography with accurate assessments of regional contractility could have an outstanding importance for the diagnosis. Methods and Results. N = 25 patients with clinically diagnosed AMC who underwent endomyocardial biopsies (EMBs) were studied prospectively. Speckle tracking imaging was examined at the beginning and during a mean follow-up period of 6.2 months. In the acute phase patients had markedly decreased left ventricular (LV) systolic function (mean LV ejection fraction (LVEF) 40.4 ± 10.3%). At follow-up in n = 8 patients, inflammation persists, correlating with a significantly reduced fractional shortening (FS, 21.5 ± 6.0%) in contrast to those without inflammation in EMB (FS 32.1 ± 7.1%, P < 0.05). All AMC patients showed a reduction in global systolic longitudinal strain (LS, −8.36 ± −3.47%) and strain rate (LSR, 0.53 ± 0.29 1/s). At follow-up, LS and LRS were significantly lower in patients with inflammation, in contrast to patients without inflammation (−9.4 ± 1.4 versus −16.8 ± 2.0%, P < 0.0001; 0.78 ± 0.4 versus 1.3 ± 0.3 1/s). LSR and LS correlate significantly with lymphocytic infiltrates (for CD3 r = 0.7, P < 0.0001, and LFA-1 r = 0.8, P < 0.0001). Conclusion. Speckle tracking echocardiography is a useful adjunctive assisting tool for evaluation over the course of intramyocardial inflammation in patients with AMC and DCMi.
Electrocardiographic Changes Predict Angiographic Vasospasm After Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Background and Purpose— Early identification of patients at risk of angiographic vasospasm after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) may mitigate its sequelae. One mechanism that may contribute to angiographic vasospasm is increased central sympathetic activity, which is also thought to cause electrocardiographic (ECG) changes after SAH. Here, we perform the first study to determine the association between ECG changes and angiographic vasospasm after SAH. Methods— Exploratory analysis was performed on 413 patients from CONSCIOUS-1, a prospective randomized trial of clazosentan for the prevention of angiographic vasospasm. ECGs were obtained within 24 hours of aneurysm rupture and during the vasospasm risk period. Angiographic vasospasm was assessed using catheter angiography at baseline and 7 to 11 days after SAH. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify significant associations. Results— The most prevalent finding on ECG both immediately following SAH and during the vasospasm risk period was QT prolongation (42% and 25%, respectively). A prolonged QT interval and tachycardia on the baseline ECG were associated with angiographic vasospasm (OR, 1.86; 95% CI, 1.00–3.45; and OR, 10.83; 95% CI, 1.17–100.50, respectively). QT prolongation on ECG during the vasospasm risk period was also associated with angiographic vasospasm (OR, 3.53; 95% CI, 1.67–7.39). No ECG findings were associated with delayed ischemic neurological deficit, but tachycardia and ST changes were associated with worse clinical outcome. Conclusions— QT prolongation and tachycardia on ECG were independently associated with angiographic vasospasm after aneurysmal SAH on multivariate analysis. Clinical Trial Registration— URL: http://clinicaltrials.gov. Unique Identifier: NCT00111085.
Infinite-Dimensional Nonpositively Curved Symmetric Spaces of Finite Rank

This paper concerns a study of three families of non-compact type symmetric spaces of infinite dimension. Although they have infinite dimension they have finite rank. More precisely, we show they have finite telescopic dimension. We also show the existence of Furstenberg maps for some group actions on these spaces. Such maps appear as a first step toward superrigidity results.
A Clinical, Biological, and Biomaterials Perspective into Tendon Injuries and Regeneration

Tendon injury is common and debilitating, and it is associated with long-term pain and ineffective healing. It is estimated to afflict 25% of the adult population and is often a career-ending disease in athletes and racehorses. Tendon injury is associated with high morbidity, pain, and long-term suffering for the patient. Due to the low cellularity and vascularity of tendon tissue, once damage has occurred, the repair process is slow and inefficient, resulting in mechanically, structurally, and functionally inferior tissue. Current treatment options focus on pain management, often being palliative and temporary and ending in reduced function. Most treatments available do not address the underlying cause of the disease and, as such, are often ineffective with variable results. The need for an advanced therapeutic that addresses the underlying pathology is evident. Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine is an emerging field that is aimed at stimulating the body's own repair system to produce de novo tissue through the use of factors such as cells, proteins, and genes that are delivered by a biomaterial scaffold. Successful tissue engineering strategies for tendon regeneration should be built on a foundation of understanding of the molecular and cellular composition of healthy compared with damaged tendon, and the inherent differences seen in the tissue after disease. This article presents a comprehensive clinical, biological, and biomaterials insight into tendon tissue engineering and regeneration toward more advanced therapeutics.
Expansion of haematopoietic stem cells from normal donors and bone marrow failure patients by recombinant hoxb4

In this study six versions of recombinant human hoxb4 proteins were produced and their effectiveness evaluated in expanding human haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells in vitro and in vivo. An N‐terminal‐tat and C‐terminal histidine‐tagged version of hoxb4 (T‐hoxb4‐H) showed the highest activity in expanding colony forming cells (CFCs) and long‐term culture‐initiating cells (LTC‐ICs) when used at 50 nmol/l concentration in cell culture. Human cord blood CD34+ cells cultured with 50 nmol/l T‐hoxb4‐H showed a significant increase in severe‐combined immunodeficient mouse‐repopulating cells (SRCs). In a mouse model of immune‐mediated bone marrow (BM) failure, T‐hoxb4‐H showed an additive effect with cyclosporine in alleviating pancytopenia. In addition, T‐hoxb4‐H expanded CFC and LTC‐IC on BM samples from patients with refractory severe aplastic anaemia and myelodysplastic syndromes: after culturing with 50 nmol/l T‐hoxb4‐H for 4 d, BM cells from 10 of the 11 patients showed increases in CFC and LTC‐IC, and the increase in LTC‐IC was statistically significant in samples from four patients. Recombinant human hoxb4 could be a promising therapeutic agent for BM failure.