Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Glutamate-gated inhibitory currents of central pattern generator neurons in the lobster stomatogastric ganglion

Inhibitory glutamatergic neurotransmission is an elemental “building block#x201D; of the oscillatory networks within the crustacean stomatogastric ganglion (STG). This study constitutes the initial characterization of glutamatergic currents in isolated STG neurons in primary culture. Superfusion of 1 mM L-glutamate evoked a current response in 45 of 65 neurons examined. The evoked current incorporated two kinetically distinct components in variable proportion: a fast desensitizing component and a slower component. The current was mediated by an outwardly rectifying conductance increase and reversed at -48.8 +/- 5.3 mV. Reducing the external chloride concentration by 50% deflected the glutamate equilibrium potential (Eglu) by +14 mV, while increasing external potassium threefold shifted Eglu by up to +6 mV. Ibotenic acid fully activated both components of the glutamate response. Saturating concentrations of glutamate completely occluded neuronal responses to ibotenic acid, indicating that ibotenic acid was activating the same receptor(s) as glutamate. Millimolar concentrations of quisqualic acid, kainate, AMPA, and NMDA each failed to evoke any response. Picrotoxin (10(-4)M) completely blocked the glutamate response. Niflumic acid (100 microM) blocked > 80% of the desensitizing component and congruent to 50% of the sustained component. Reduction or elimination of extracellular calcium did not abolish the response. This study extends the ionic and pharmacological analysis of glutamatergic conductances in STG neurons. The currents described are consistent with glutamatergic inhibitory synaptic and agonist-evoked responses previously described in situ. We discuss their pharmacology, ionic mechanisms, and functional significance.
Observing long color flux tubes in SU(2) lattice gauge theory.

We present results of a high statistics study of the chromo field distribution between static quarks in SU(2) gauge theory on lattices of volumes 16 4 , 32 4 , and 48 3 ×64, with physical extent ranging from 1.3 fm up to 2.7 fm at β = 2.5, β = 2.635, and β = 2.74. We establish string formation over physical distances as large as 2 fm. The results are tested against Michael’s sum rules. A detailed investigation of the transverse action and energy flux tube profiles is provided. As a by-product, we obtain the static lattice potential in unpreceded accuracy.
A Comparison of Liver Sampling Techniques in Dogs

Background The liver sampling technique in dogs that consistently provides samples adequate for accurate histopathologic interpretation is not known. Hypothesis/Objectives To compare histopathologic results of liver samples obtained by punch, cup, and 14 gauge needle to large wedge samples collected at necropsy. Animals Seventy dogs undergoing necropsy. Methods Prospective study. Liver specimens were obtained from the left lateral liver lobe with an 8 mm punch, a 5 mm cup, and a 14 gauge needle. After sample acquisition, two larger tissue samples were collected near the center of the left lateral lobe to be used as a histologic standard for comparison. Histopathologic features and numbers of portal triads in each sample were recorded. Results The mean number of portal triads obtained by each sampling method were 2.9 in needle samples, 3.4 in cup samples, 12 in punch samples, and 30.7 in the necropsy samples. The diagnoses in 66% of needle samples, 60% of cup samples, and 69% of punch samples were in agreement with the necropsy samples, and these proportions were not significantly different from each other. The corresponding kappa coefficients were 0.59 for needle biopsies, 0.52 for cup biopsies, and 0.62 for punch biopsies. Conclusion and Clinical Importance The histopathologic interpretation of a liver sample in the dog is unlikely to vary if the liver biopsy specimen contains at least 3–12 portal triads. However, in comparison large necropsy samples, the accuracy of all tested methods was relatively low.
One-hop overlay path recovery model with super-relay nodes

Overlay routing has emerged as a promising approach to improve reliability and efficiency of the Internet. In this paper, we study the problem of recovery path selection, whose objective is to select a proper one-hop recovery path with minimum cost in path probing and measurement, when the default physical path and the overlay backup path suffer from simultaneous failures. Spurred by the observation that a few relay nodes with high betweenness centrality, which are called Super-Relay nodes, can provide more optimal routes for a large number of node pairs, we propose one-hop overlay path recovery model by introducing Super-Relay nodes (OHPR). Simulations based on a real ISP network and a synthetic Internet topology show that our approach can provide high-quality overlay routing service, and can achieve better robustness by choosing more reliable one-hop alternative path.
Time synchronization between SOKUIKI sensor and host computer using timestamps

Time is crucial in applications such as sensor data fusion, autonomous mobility and SLAM. However clocks at end systems are rarely synchronized and often running at different speeds. Lack of synchronization therefore reduces the accuracy of sensor readings. The SOKUIKI scanning laser range finder allows acquiring time values by timestamping range readings. Our work consists in a method for time synchronization, with clock skew estimation, between a laser range finder sensor and a host computer.
pH Response Pathways in Fungi: Adapting to Host-derived and Environmental Signals

Abstract Microorganisms are significantly affected when the ambient pH of their environment changes. They must therefore be able to sense and respond to these changes in order to survive. Previous investigators have studied various fungal species to define conserved pH-responsive signaling pathways. One of these pathways, known as the Pal/Rim pathway, is activated in response to alkaline pH signals, ultimately targeting the PacC/Rim101 transcription factor. Although the central signaling components are conserved among divergent filamentous and yeast-like fungi, there is some degree of signaling specificity between fungal species. This specificity exists primarily in the downstream transcriptional targets of this pathway, likely allowing differential adaptation to species-specific environmental niches. In this review, the role of the Pal/Rim pathway in fungal pH response is discussed. Also highlighted are functional differences present in this pathway among human fungal pathogens, differences that allow these specialized microorganisms to survive in the various micro-environments of the infected human host.
Intraocular Pressure Changes during Accommodation in Progressing Myopes, Stable Myopes and Emmetropes

Purpose To investigate the changes of intraocular pressure (IOP) induced by 3-diopter (3 D) accommodation in progressing myopes, stable myopes and emmetropes. Design Cross-sectional study. Participants 318 subjects including 270 myopes and 48 emmetropes. Methods 195 progressing myopes, 75 stable myopes and 48 emmetropes participated in this study. All subjects had their IOP measured using iCare rebound tonometer while accommodative stimuli of 0 D and 3 D were presented. Main Outcome Measures IOP values without accommodation and with 3 D accommodation were measured in all subjects. Baseline IOPs and IOP changes were compared within and between groups. Results There was no significant difference in IOPs between progressing myopes, stable myopes and emmetropes when no accommodation was induced (17.47±3.46, 16.62±2.98 and 16.80±3.62 respectively, p>0.05). IOP experienced an insignificantly slight decrease after 3 D accommodation in three groups (mean change -0.19±2.16, -0.03±1.68 and -0.39±2.65 respectively, p>0.05). Subgroup analysis showed in progressing myopic group, IOP of children (<18 years old) declined with accommodation while IOP of adults (≥18 years) increased, and the difference was statistically significant (p = 0.008). However, after excluding the age factor, accommodation induced IOP changes of high progressing myopes (≤-6 D), low, moderate and non-myopes (>-6 D) was not significantly different after Bonferroni correction (p = 0.838). Conclusions Although no difference was detected between the baseline IOPs and accommodation induced IOP changes in progressing myopes, stable myopes and emmetropes, this study found accommodation could cause transient IOP elevation in adult progressing myopes.
Relationships of Three Components of Reading Fluency to Reading Comprehension.

This study examined the relationships of 3 levels of reading fluency--the individual word, the syntactic unit, and the whole passage--to reading comprehension among 278 5th graders heterogeneous in reading ability. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that reading fluency at each level related uniquely to performance on a standardized reading comprehension test in a model including inferencing skill and background knowledge. The study supports an automaticity effect for word recognition speed and an automaticity-like effect related to syntactic processing skill. In addition, hierarchical regressions using longitudinal data suggest that fluency and reading comprehension have a bidirectional relationship. The discussion emphasizes the theoretical expansion of reading fluency to 3 levels of cognitive processes and the relations of these processes to reading comprehension.
Innovation in teaching deaf students physics and astronomy in Bulgaria

This paper presents a new strategy to be implemented in Bulgarian schools in teaching physics and astronomy to students with impaired hearing at grades 7 (13-year-old students) and 8 (14-year-old students). The strategy provides effective education for students with hearing disabilities in mainstream schools as well as for those attending specialized schools. A multimedia CD has been developed, which offers a large number of basic terms from the corresponding fields of physics and astronomy, accompanied by textual explanation and various illustrations. The terms are explained in Bulgarian, Bulgarian Sign Language and English. This multimedia product can be used by children with hearing disabilities, as well as by children without disorders.
Blood Flow Changes Coincide with Cellular Rearrangements during Blood Vessel Pruning in Zebrafish Embryos

After the initial formation of a highly branched vascular plexus, blood vessel pruning generates a hierarchically structured network with improved flow characteristics. We report here on the cellular events that occur during the pruning of a defined blood vessel in the eye of developing zebrafish embryos. Time-lapse imaging reveals that the connection of a new blood vessel sprout with a previously perfused multicellular endothelial tube leads to the formation of a branched, Y-shaped structure. Subsequently, endothelial cells in parts of the previously perfused branch rearrange from a multicellular into a unicellular tube, followed by blood vessel detachment. This process is accompanied by endothelial cell death. Finally, we show that differences in blood flow between neighboring vessels are important for the completion of the pruning process. Our data suggest that flow induced changes in tubular architecture ensure proper blood vessel pruning.
Modern Antenna Design Using Mode Analysis Techniques

In this paper, the modal theory of antennas is re-visited, believing that it brings invaluable information towards facilitating the design of multi-feed multi-band antennas. First, some subtle changes are proposed to enhance the applicability of the theory. Next, using some efficient computational techniques, the proposed formulations are shown to predict, to a very high accuracy, the input impedance of any antenna under study. This greatly simplifies the antenna problem and focuses design efforts on finding the appropriate complex resonance frequency to cover a required band. Finding the appropriate feed location is then a matter of extracting the corresponding impedance map for this antenna through simple field manipulations.
A Fast and Accurate Cost Model for FPGA Design Space Exploration in HPC Applications

Heterogeneous High-Performance Computing (HPC) platforms present a significant programming challenge, especially because the key users of HPC resources are scientists, not parallel programmers. We contend that compiler technology has to evolve to automatically create the best program variant by transforming a given original program. We have developed a novel methodology based on type transformations for generating correct-by-construction design variants, and an associated light-weight cost model for evaluating these variants for implementation on FPGAs. In this paper we present a key enabler of our approach, the cost model. We discuss how we are able to quickly derive accurate estimates of performance and resource-utilization from the design's representation in our intermediate language. We show results confirming the accuracy of our cost model by testing it on three different scientific kernels. We conclude with a case-study that compares a solution generated by our framework with one from a conventional high-level synthesis tool, showing better performance and power-efficiency using our cost model based approach.
Subjective poverty and reference-dependence: Income over time, aspirations and reference groups

How a person assesses the wellbeing derived from income is often determined as much by its contrast with a reference point as by the level of income itself. In this paper, I use a household survey from Mexico to examine how subjective poverty assessments not only depend on the absolute level of income, but on how it compares to three reference points: the income of a reference group, the level of income that the individual aspired to have accomplished by the current stage of her life, and the income she had 3 years ago.
Query learning based on boundary search and gradient computation of trained multilayer perceptrons

A novel approach to query-based neural network learning is presented. A layered perceptron partially trained for binary classification is considered. The single-output neuron is trained to be either a 0 or a 1. A test decision is made by thresholding the output at, for example, 1/2. The set of inputs that produce an output of 1/2 forms the classification boundary. For each boundary point, the classification gradient can be generated. The gradient provides a useful measure of the sharpness of the multidimensional decision surfaces. Conjugate input pair locations are generated using the boundary point and gradient information and are presented to the oracle for proper classification. These new data are used to further refine the classification boundary, thereby increasing the classification accuracy. The result can be a significant reduction in the training set cardinality in comparison with, for example, randomly generated data points. An application example to power security assessment is given
DCT-QM: A DCT-Based Quality Degradation Metric for Image Quality Optimization Problems

Recent development of computational image quality assessment methods has shown to give very promising results in measuring perceptual visual quality for distorted images. However, most of them are difficult to be applied for optimization problems due to the lack of desirable mathematical properties, such as differentiability, convexity, and valid distance metricability. This paper proposes a novel Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT)-based quality degradation metric, called DCT-QM, which is based on the probability summation theory with a psychometric function for neural responses in the receptive fields of visual cortex in psychophysics. Consequently, the DCT-QM is formulated as a weighted mean L2 norm in the DCT domain, which is very easy to implement and inherits the three desirable mathematical properties, that is, differentiability, convexity, and valid distance metricability, for image quality optimization problems. The extensive experimental results show that the proposed DCT-QM has promising results for many practical distortion types in image processing problems by showing high consistency with perceived visual quality.
Fuzzy ARTMAP Based Neurocomputational Spatial Uncertainty Measures

This paper proposes non-parametric measures for the fuzzy ARTMAP computational neural network to handle spatial uncertainty in remotely sensed imagery classification, i.e., ART Commitment (ART-C) and ART Typicality (ART-T), expressing in the first case the degree of commitment a classifier has for each class for a specific pixel, and in the second case, how typical that pixel’s reflectances are of the ones upon which the classifier was trained for each class. Results from case studies were compared against the previously developed SOM Commitment (SOM-C) and SOM Typicality (SOM-T) classifiers as well as conventional Bayesian posterior probability and Mahalanobis typicality soft classifiers. Principal Components Analysis (PCA) was used to explore the relationship between these different measures. Results indicate that ART-C and SOM-C measures express values similar to Bayesian posterior probabilies, and ART-T and SOM-T are closely related to Mahalanobis typicalities. However, the proposed neural approaches outperform the traditional methods due to their non-parametric advantage. Introduction Recently, soft classification has become an attractive means of land-cover classification from remotely-sensed imagery (Bernard et al., 1997). Conventional hard classification, which assumes that each pixel represents a homogeneous land-cover, has been widely used for land-cover mapping. In reality, a pixel may represent mixed classes or unknown patterns. The “one-pixel-one-class” method no doubt causes information loss (Wang, 1990) and fails to depict heterogeneity and variability within the pixel. Rather than forcing allocation to one class, in contrast, soft classification yields a set of images expressing information of the membership, probability, or sub-pixel mixture proportion of each land-cover class (Eastman and Laney, 2002; Foody, 1996). Soft classifiers are used not only for the potential of uncovering the proportional constituents of mixed pixels (Foody, 1999), but also for the examination of classification uncertainty (Eastman and Laney, 2002). Much effort has been directed in the last two decades to develop soft classification algorithms for remotely sensed data, which include soft outputs based on Bayesian posterior probabilities (Foody, 1992; Eastman and Laney, 2002), Mahalanobis typicalities (Foody et al., 1992), Fuzzy Set membership grades (Eastman, 2003), Linear Mixture fractions (Settle and Drake, 1993), Dempster-Shafer beliefs Fuzzy ARTMAP Based Neurocomputational Spatial Uncertainty Measures
A millimetre survey of starburst dominated ultraluminous infrared galaxies at z∼ 2

We present millimetre observations of a sample of 12 high redshift ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) in the Extended Growth Strip (EGS). These objects were initially selected on the basis of their observed mid‐IR colours (0.0 3σ) with a mean 1200� m flux of = 1.6 ± 0.1 mJy. Our millimetre photometry, combined with existing far‐IR photometry from the Far‐IR Deep Extragalactic Legacy (FIDEL) Survey and accurate spectroscopic redshifts, places constraints both sides of the thermal dust peak. This allows us to estimate the dust properties, including the far‐IR luminosity, dust tempera ture, and dust mass. We find that our sample is similar to other high‐z and intermediate‐z ULIRGs, and local systems, but has a different dust selection function than submillimeter‐sel ected galaxies. Finally, we use existing 20cm radio continuum imaging to test the far‐IR/radio correlation at high redshift. We find that our sample is consistent with the local relation, imply ing little evolution. Furthermore, this suggests that our sample selection method is efficient at ide ntifying ultraluminous, starburst‐ dominated systems within a very narrow redshift range centered at z � 2.
Level, prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of alexithymia in a physician population in Ankara

Objective: Alexithymia is a thinking style that emphasizes external stimuli rather than internal emotional experiences, it is characterized by externally oriented thinking (EOT). Alexithymia is associated with depression and many psychiatric disorders. It directly affects mental health but is rarely emphasized in clinical practice. Physicians are at risk of psychiatric disorders. Alexithymia and EOT may contribute to their psychiatric problems. Our aim was to examine alexithymia levels and their sociodemographic correlates in a physician population. Methods: Participants were 83 physicians employed in five hospitals (three education and research hospitals, one state hospital and one university hospital) in Ankara. Participants completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and a sociodemographic questionnaire. Results: The mean TAS-20 score was 44.1±6.3 and 13.25% of the participants were found to be alexithymic. Participants with a psychiatric patient in their family were statistically more likely to have difficulty describing their feelings. EOT was associated with female gender, greater age, seniority in the medical profession, being married, and being born and mostly living in the western region of Turkey. Discussion: EOT may be associated with depression, cultural values and stigmatization. Physicians must be encouraged to discuss and be aware of their EOT to maintain their mental health.
Design of a 60-GHz Substrate Integrated Waveguide Butler Matrix—A Systematic Approach

A 60-GHz substrate integrated waveguide Butler matrix designed based on a systematic approach is fabricated by a standard single-layer print circuit board process, which is more economical for mass production than are the advanced processes such as low-temperature co-fired ceramic, thick-film process, etc. The systematic approach involves design equations, simulations, and measurements. Starting with a set of explicit design equations for the short-slot couplers, one calculates the structure dimensions. The calculated dimensions are then optimized with full-wave simulation to finalize the design of the key components, including the couplers and phase shifters. With the use of a noncoaxial multiport measurement technique, the characteristics of the components are acquired through a probe station and a two-port vector network analyzer. Measurement technique plays a critical role in the systematic design approach. By measuring at the intrinsic ports or the wave ports defined in the full-wave simulations, the components are unambiguously verified and then integrated to complete the design of the Butler matrix. The resulting Butler matrix is also verified by the measured eight-port S -matrix, which is shown in good agreement with the simulated one. As the measured results of the Butler matrix show, for the operating bandwidth from 58 to 62 GHz, the reflections and isolations are lower than -13.5 dB and the insertion losses are below 2.5 dB. Much like the measured results of the components, the measured eight-port S -matrix not only verifies the design of the Butler matrix, but also will facilitate the follow-on design of a switched-beam antenna array.