Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Baseline brain activity fluctuations predict somatosensory perception in humans

In perceptual experiments, within-individual fluctuations in perception are observed across multiple presentations of the same stimuli, a phenomenon that remains only partially understood. Here, by means of thulium–yttrium/aluminum–garnet laser and event-related functional MRI, we tested whether variability in perception of identical stimuli relates to differences in prestimulus, baseline brain activity. Results indicate a positive relationship between conscious perception of low-intensity somatosensory stimuli and immediately preceding levels of baseline activity in medial thalamus and the lateral frontoparietal network, respectively, which are thought to relate to vigilance and “external monitoring. ” Conversely, there was a negative correlation between subsequent reporting of conscious perception and baseline activity in a set of regions encompassing posterior cingulate/precuneus and temporoparietal cortices, possibly relating to introspection and self-oriented processes. At nociceptive levels of stimulation, pain-intensity ratings positively correlated with baseline fluctuations in anterior cingulate cortex in an area known to be involved in the affective dimension of pain. These results suggest that baseline brain-activity fluctuations may profoundly modify our conscious perception of the external world.
High Spatial Resolution HgCdTe Photoconductors With Optical Masks

0.1eV HgCdTe photoconductive detectors with optical masks have been developed to improve spatial resolution and sensitivity. Measurements on carrier lifetime, responsivity and noise were made for the newly developed detectors as well as ordinary ones. The following results were obtained. (1) Measured responsivity for the new detectors was 2-3 times as high as that for the ordinary ones. (2) NEP for the new detectors showed better performance in wide bias current range. Finally, calculations on carrier lifetime, responsivity and noise were carried out by solving a 3-dim. transport equation. The calculated values agreed well with the measurements.
Personalized pulmonary rehabilitation and occupational therapy based on cardiopulmonary exercise testing for patients with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Take-home summary Personalized pulmonary rehabilitation including occupational therapy improves the prognosis of patients with advanced COPD. Purpose We previously reported that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exhibit three exercise-induced life-threatening conditions: hypoxemia, sympathetic overactivity, and respiratory acidosis. We aimed to verify whether mortality in patients with advanced COPD could be reduced by a personalized pulmonary rehabilitation (PPR) program in hospital, which determines individual safe ranges and includes occupational therapy (PPR-OT), to prevent desaturation and sympathetic nerve activation during daily activities. Patients and methods The novel PPR-OT program was evaluated in a retrospective study of patients with COPD (Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease [GOLD] Grade D) who underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) between April 1990 and December 1999. They received regular treatment without the proposed therapy (control group: n=61; male-to-female ratio [M:F] =57:4; mean age: 68.5±6.7 years) or with the proposed therapy (PPR-OT group: n=46; M:F =44:2; mean age: 68.7±7.1 years). A prospective observational study included patients with COPD receiving home oxygen therapy (HOT) between April 1995 and March 2007 to compare the survival rates of the control group (n=47; M:F ratio =34:13; mean age: 71.3±10.0 years) and the PPR-OT group (n=85; M:F =78:7; mean age: 70.7±6.1 years) who completed the proposed therapy. Survival after CPET or HOT was analyzed using Cox proportional-hazards regression and Kaplan–Meier analyses. Results In both studies, the program significantly improved all-cause mortality (retrospective study: risk ratio =0.389 [range: 0.172–0.800]; P=0.0094; log-rank test, P=0.0094; observational study: risk ratio =0.515 [range: 0.296–0.933]; P=0.0291; log-rank test, P=0.0232]. At 5 years and 7 years, all-cause mortality was extremely low in patients in the PPR-OT group receiving HOT (18.8% and 28.2%, respectively), compared to that in the control group (34.0% and 44.7%, respectively). Survival of patients with life-threatening pathophysiological conditions also greatly improved. Conclusion The PPR-OT program improved the survival of patients with advanced COPD probably because it modified life-threatening conditions.
Screen arrangements and interaction areas for large display work places

Size and resolution of computer screens are constantly increasing. Individual screens can easily be combined to wall-sized displays. This enables computer displays that are folded, straight, bow shaped or even spread. As possibilities for arranging the screens are manifold, it is unclear what arrangements are appropriate. Moreover, it is unclear how content and applications should be arranged on such large displays. To determine guidelines for the arrangement of multiple screens and for content and application layouts, we conducted a design study. In the study, we asked 16 participants to arrange a large screen setup as well as to create layouts of multiple common application windows. Based on the results we provide a classification for screen arrangements and interaction areas. We identified, that screen space should be divided into a central area for interactive applications and peripheral areas, mainly for displaying additional content.
Hedgehog signaling is essential for endothelial tube formation during vasculogenesis

During embryonic development, the first blood vessels are formed through the aggregation and subsequent assembly of angioblasts (endothelial precursors) into a network of endothelial tubes, a process known as vasculogenesis. These first vessels generally form in mesoderm that is adjacent to endodermal tissue. Although specification of the angioblast lineage is independent of endoderm interactions, a signal from the endoderm is necessary for angioblasts to assemble into a vascular network and to undergo vascular tube formation. In this study, we show that endodermally derived sonic hedgehog is both necessary and sufficient for vascular tube formation in avian embryos. We also show that Hedgehog signaling is required for vascular tube formation in mouse embryos, and for vascular cord formation in cultured mouse endothelial cells. These results demonstrate a previously uncharacterized role for Hedgehog signaling in vascular development, and identify Hedgehog signaling as an important component of the molecular pathway leading to vascular tube formation.
Mechanical behaviour and fracture toughness evaluation of rubber toughened polypropylene nanocomposites

Rubber toughened polypropylene (PP) nanocomposites (RTPPNC) containing organophilic layered silicates were prepared by means of melt extrusion at 230°C using a co-rotating twin-screw extruder in order to examine the influence of the organoclay and polyethylene octene (POE) as filler and impact modifier, respectively, on mechanical and fracture properties. The mechanical properties of RTPPNC were studied through tensile, flexural and impact tests. The strength and stiffness of RTPPNC were improved significantly with an increase in the clay content, in the presence of maleic anhydride modified PP (PPgMAH). From the tensile and flexural tests, the optimum loading of organoclay in impact modified PP was found to be 6 wt-%. Conversely, the stiffness and strength of the blends decreased with respect to pure PP as the concentration of POE in the blends was increased. The essential work of fracture (EWF) method was also used to evaluate the fracture toughness of the RTPPNC. EWF measurements indicated that the specific essential work of fracture (we) decreased with an increase in the organoclay content. However, additions of POE elastomer are beneficial in enhancing the we of the PP blends. we appeared to increase with increasing POE content up to 20 wt-%.
Fatigue Initiation and Crack Closure of Low Alloy Steels in Sour Brine Environments

Fatigue testing was carried out primarily on a medium strength low alloy steel manufactured for use in sour environments. The testing was done in a sour brine solution that simulated drilling fluid. Test variables included hydrogen sulfide overpressure, stress ratio, fatigue test frequency and test temperature. Sour fatigue thresholds were increased compared to non-sour conditions, particularly as the fatigue cycling frequency was decreased, as the stress ratio was decreased and as the testing temperature was increased. The increases correlated with crack closure effects from the corrosion products. Implications for operations in sour environments are discussed.
Geometric Complexity Theory VI: the flip via saturated and positive integer programming in representation theory and algebraic geometry

This article belongs to a series on geometric complexity theory (GCT), an approach to the P vs. NP and related problems through algebraic geometry and representation theory. The basic principle behind this approach is called the flip. In essence, it reduces the negative hypothesis in complexity theory (the lower bound problems), such as the P vs. NP problem in characteristic zero, to the positive hypothesis in complexity theory (the upper bound problems): specifically, to showing that the problems of deciding nonvanishing of the fundamental structural constants in representation theory and algebraic geometry, such as the well known plethysm constants--or rather certain relaxed forms of these decision probelms--belong to the complexity class P. In this article, we suggest a plan for implementing the flip, i.e., for showing that these relaxed decision problems belong to P. This is based on the reduction of the preceding complexity-theoretic positive hypotheses to mathematical positivity hypotheses: specifically, to showing that there exist positive formulae--i.e. formulae with nonnegative coefficients--for the structural constants under consideration and certain functions associated with them. These turn out be intimately related to the similar positivity properties of the Kazhdan-Lusztig polynomials and the multiplicative structural constants of the canonical (global crystal) bases in the theory of Drinfeld-Jimbo quantum groups. The known proofs of these positivity properties depend on the Riemann hypothesis over finite fields and the related results. Thus the reduction here, in conjunction with the flip, in essence, says that the validity of the P vs. NP conjecture in characteristic zero is intimately linked to the Riemann hypothesis over finite fields and related problems.
Efficient LLR Calculation for Non-Binary Modulations over Fading Channels

Log-likelihood ratio (LLR) computation for non-binary modulations over fading channels is complicated. A measure of LLR accuracy on asymmetric binary channels is introduced to facilitate good LLR approximations for non-binary modulations. Considering piecewise linear LLR approximations, we prove convexity of optimizing the coefficients according to this measure. For the optimized approximate LLRs, we report negligible performance loss compared to true LLRs.
Information Theoretic Aspects of Users' Activity in a Wyner-Like Cellular Model

We address an application of multiuser information theory to the study of the uplink of a communication system with randomly activated users. We first assume that all the messages are jointly decoded by a multicell processor. Then, we relax this hypothesis and study the network under the assumption that the decoding of the message of a given user is only based on the messages received within a given distance of this user. Our results show that for a general class of models, under adequate hypothesis, local decoding performs almost as well as global decoding and that the difference converges to 0 exponentially fast as the size of the decoding window goes to infinity.
THE THEORY OF HEAPS AND THE CARTIER–FOATA MONOID

We present Viennot’s theory of heaps of pieces, show that heaps are equivalent to elements in the partially commutative monoid of Cartier and Foata, and illustrate the main results of the theory by reproducing its application to the enumeration of parallelogram polyominoes due to Bousquet–Mélou and Viennot.
Growth-related fluctuation in messenger RNA utilization in animal cells

Monkey fibroblasts maintained in culture regulate their levels of intracellular protein throughout the growth cycle by means of variations in the rate of protein biosynthesis. Cytoplasmic mRNA in stationary phase cells was compared to that in exponential phase cells. In stationary phase cells 56% of the cytoplasmic polyadenylated RNA was found in the 40--90S postpolysomal region of sucrose sedimentation gradients, while only 23% was found in this region in exponential phase cells. Analysis of electron micrographs of sectioned exponential and stationary phase cells revealed that this shift in polyadenylated RNA location is accompanied by a loss of polysome-like aggregates of ribosomes. Most if not all of this species of postpolysomal polyadenylated RNA is not being translated by single ribosomes since no detectable amounts of nascent peptide were present in this region. This nonpolysomal polyadenylated RNA is comparable in size to polysomal polyadenylated RNA. The length of the 3'-poly(A) tract was also comparable for these two species. The extent of capping of poly(A)- containing molecules was also comparable for these two species. The template activity of nonpolysomal RNA in a wheat germ extract was comparable to that of polysomal RNA. The peptides produced by these two preparations were of a similar large size. Furthermore, most of the nonpolysomal polyadenylated RNA of stationary phase cells was driven into polysomes in the presence of a low dose of cycloheximide. Therefore, we conclude that the untranslated mRNA that accumulates in stationary phase cells is structurally intact, is fully capable of being translated, and is not being translated due to the operation of a translational initiation block.
The effect of drive on performance and reminiscence in a complex tracing task.

An experiment is reported in which high-drive and low-drive groups equated for intelligence were given a complex tracing task. Under conditions of spaced practice the low-drive group performed significantly better than the high-drive group, and similar differences were observed under conditions of massed practice. A rest pause of 10 min was interpolated in the performance of the groups tested under conditions of massed practice, and reminiscence was found to be greater for the low-drive groups than for the high-drive groups. Significant post-rest decline of performance under massed conditions was observed only for the groups having long pre-rest massed practice and not for those having short pre-rest massed practice.
Crowd IQ: aggregating opinions to boost performance

We show how the quality of decisions based on the aggregated opinions of the crowd can be conveniently studied using a sample of individual responses to a standard IQ questionnaire. We aggregated the responses to the IQ questionnaire using simple majority voting and a machine learning approach based on a probabilistic graphical model. The score for the aggregated questionnaire, Crowd IQ, serves as a quality measure of decisions based on aggregating opinions, which also allows quantifying individual and crowd performance on the same scale. We show that Crowd IQ grows quickly with the size of the crowd but saturates, and that for small homogeneous crowds the Crowd IQ significantly exceeds the IQ of even their most intelligent member. We investigate alternative ways of aggregating the responses and the impact of the aggregation method on the resulting Crowd IQ. We also discuss Contextual IQ, a method of quantifying the individual participant's contribution to the Crowd IQ based on the Shapley value from cooperative game theory.
Epilysin (matrix metalloproteinase-28) joins the matrix metalloproteinase team on the field of postmyocardial infarction remodeling.

Although significant advancements in the treatment of acute coronary syndromes have occurred, myocardial injury culminating in a myocardial infarction (MI) remains a significant and problematic outcome. The initial cellular and extracellular events that occur soon after an MI are those fairly prototypical to a wound-healing response, characterized by a robust expression of a number of inflammatory mediators, inflammatory cells, and eventually the emergence of a fibroblast phenotype, the myofibroblast. However, a divergence in this prototypical wound response occurs at later post-MI time periods. Notably, rather than a well-formed quiescent scar, continued extracellular matrix (ECM) turnover and instability can occur, ultimately yielding a process of infarct expansion and left ventricular (LV) dilation. Indeed, the magnitude of this post-MI LV dilation, presumably secondary to infarct expansion and matrix instability, is a recognized determinant of clinical outcomes.1,2 The post-MI period is one characterized by a number of complex events that are both time and cell type dependent, and these events are likely relevant to both the MI region and the viable myocardium, in terms of post-MI remodeling. Of particular interest and potential therapeutic relevance are biological cascades that contribute to the instability of the ECM in the post-MI context. In this issue of Circulation Research ,3 Ma and colleagues identify how a specific proteolytic pathway can significantly alter critical signaling and cell-dependent events within the ECM, and in turn, alter the course of post-MI remodeling. Article, see p 675 The initial description of a matrix-degrading enzyme was based on the seminal observations, whereby the excised tadpole tail degraded a collagen gel—hence the term collagenase.4 Over 23 matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) types are expressed in humans, and the distribution, functionality, and substrates are diverse. The MMPs were classified based on recognized substrates, and although this nomenclature no longer holds relevance …
On the use of carbon nanotubes as reinforcing fillers for elastomeric materials

Rubber composites containing multiwall carbon nanotubes are investigated. The results are compared with those obtained with conventional carbon black. In each case, the level of reinforcement is assessed from the mechanical and equilibrium swelling behavior. The state of dispersion is evaluated from transmission electron and atomic force microscopy methods. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry
Complexity of Problems for Commutative Grammars

We consider commutative regular and context-free grammars, or, in other words, Parikh images of regular and context-free languages. By using linear algebra and a branching analog of the classic Euler theorem, we show that, under an assumption that the terminal alphabet is fixed, the membership problem for regular grammars (given v in binary and a regular commutative grammar G, does G generate v? ) is P, and that the equivalence problem for context free grammars (do G_1 and G_2 generate the same language? ) is in $\mathrm{\Pi_2^P}$.
Aggregation of PolyQ Proteins Is Increased upon Yeast Aging and Affected by Sir2 and Hsf1: Novel Quantitative Biochemical and Microscopic Assays

Aging-related neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and Huntington's diseases, are characterized by accumulation of protein aggregates in distinct neuronal cells that eventually die. In Huntington's disease, the protein huntingtin forms aggregates, and the age of disease onset is inversely correlated to the length of the protein's poly-glutamine tract. Using quantitative assays to estimate microscopically and capture biochemically protein aggregates, here we study in Saccharomyces cerevisiae aging-related aggregation of GFP-tagged, huntingtin-derived proteins with different polyQ lengths. We find that the short 25Q protein never aggregates whereas the long 103Q version always aggregates. However, the mid-size 47Q protein is soluble in young logarithmically growing yeast but aggregates as the yeast cells enter the stationary phase and age, allowing us to plot an “aggregation timeline”. This aging-dependent aggregation was associated with increased cytotoxicity. We also show that two aging-related genes, SIR2 and HSF1, affect aggregation of the polyQ proteins. In Δsir2 strain the aging-dependent aggregation of the 47Q protein is aggravated, while overexpression of the transcription factor Hsf1 attenuates aggregation. Thus, the mid-size 47Q protein and our quantitative aggregation assays provide valuable tools to unravel the roles of genes and environmental conditions that affect aging-related aggregation.
Spatial regulation of greatwall by Cdk1 and PP2A-Tws in the cell cycle

ABSTRACT Entry into mitosis requires the phosphorylation of multiple substrates by cyclin B-Cdk1, while exit from mitosis requires their dephosphorylation, which depends largely on the phosphatase PP2A in complex with its B55 regulatory subunit (Tws in Drosophila). At mitotic entry, cyclin B-Cdk1 activates the Greatwall kinase, which phosphorylates Endosulfine proteins, thereby activating their ability to inhibit PP2A-B55 competitively. The inhibition of PP2A-B55 at mitotic entry facilitates the accumulation of phosphorylated Cdk1 substrates. The coordination of these enzymes involves major changes in their localization. In interphase, Gwl is nuclear while PP2A-B55 is cytoplasmic. We recently showed that Gwl suddenly relocalizes from the nucleus to the cytoplasm in prophase, before nuclear envelope breakdown and that this controlled localization of Gwl is required for its function. We and others have shown that phosphorylation of Gwl by cyclin B-Cdk1 at multiple sites is required for its nuclear exclusion, but the precise mechanisms remained unclear. In addition, how Gwl returns to its nuclear localization was not explored. Here we show that cyclin B-Cdk1 directly inactivates a Nuclear Localization Signal in the central region of Gwl. This phosphorylation facilitates the cytoplasmic retention of Gwl, which is exported to the cytoplasm in a Crm1-dependent manner. In addition, we show that PP2A-Tws promotes the return of Gwl to its nuclear localization during cytokinesis. Our results indicate that the cyclic changes in Gwl localization at mitotic entry and exit are directly regulated by the antagonistic cyclin B-Cdk1 and PP2A-Tws enzymes.