Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Recurrent Networks: Second Order Properties and Pruning

Second order properties of cost functions for recurrent networks are investigated. We analyze a layered fully recurrent architecture, the virtue of this architecture is that it features the conventional feedforward architecture as a special case. A detailed description of recursive computation of the full Hessian of the network cost function is provided. We discuss the possibility of invoking simplifying approximations of the Hessian and show how weight decays iron the cost function and thereby greatly assist training. We present tentative pruning results, using Hassibi et al.'s Optimal Brain Surgeon, demonstrating that recurrent networks can construct an efficient internal memory.
Self-modifying cartesian genetic programming

In nature, systems with enormous numbers of components (i.e. cells) are evolved from a relatively small genotype. It has not yet been demonstrated that artificial evolution is sufficient to make such a system evolvable. Consequently researchers have been investigating forms of computational development that may allow more evolvable systems. The approaches taken have largely used re-writing, multi- cellularity, or genetic regulation. In many cases it has been difficult to produce general purpose computation from such systems.In this paper we introduce computational development using a form of Cartesian Genetic Programming that includes self-modification operations. One advantage of this approach is that ab initio the system can be used to solve computational problems. We present results on a number of problems and demonstrate the characteristics and advantages that self-modification brings.
Prohibitin Induces the Transcriptional Activity of p53 and Is Exported from the Nucleus upon Apoptotic Signaling*

Prohibitin, a potential tumor suppressor protein, has been shown to inhibit cell proliferation and repress E2F transcriptional activity. Though prohibitin has potent transcriptional functions in the nucleus, a mitochondrial role for prohibitin has also been proposed. Here we show that prohibitin is predominantly nuclear in two breast cancer cell lines where it co-localizes with E2F1 and p53. Upon apoptotic stimulation by camptothecin, prohibitin is exported to perinuclear regions where it localizes to mitochondria. The data presented here also show that prohibitin is capable of physically interacting with p53 in vivo and in vitro. Prohibitin was found to enhance p53-mediated transcriptional activity and cotransfection of an antisense prohibitin construct reduces p53-mediated transcriptional activation. Prohibitin appears to induce p53-mediated transcription by enhancing its recruitment to promoters, as detected by chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. These results suggest that prohibitin is capable of modulating Rb/E2F as well as p53 regulatory pathways.
Detecting nanoscale vibrations as signature of life

Significance The quest to find life in extreme and extraterrestrial environments is exciting and touches many research fields. One of the common signatures of life is movement: Even small microorganisms vibrate in response to their metabolic activity. Thus, we have devised a nanomotion detector to study these fluctuations and to associate them to the metabolic activity of the specimens. This technique does not measure the chemical response of life, which would require prior knowledge of the metabolic pathways involved. Instead, it monitors the physical manifestation of any kind of metabolic activity the microorganisms might have. Here, we show how this nanomotion detector can study any living system, paving the way to a complementary approach to the study of life in extreme environments. The existence of life in extreme conditions, in particular in extraterrestrial environments, is certainly one of the most intriguing scientific questions of our time. In this report, we demonstrate the use of an innovative nanoscale motion sensor in life-searching experiments in Earth-bound and interplanetary missions. This technique exploits the sensitivity of nanomechanical oscillators to transduce the small fluctuations that characterize living systems. The intensity of such movements is an indication of the viability of living specimens and conveys information related to their metabolic activity. Here, we show that the nanomotion detector can assess the viability of a vast range of biological specimens and that it could be the perfect complement to conventional chemical life-detection assays. Indeed, by combining chemical and dynamical measurements, we could achieve an unprecedented depth in the characterization of life in extreme and extraterrestrial environments.
Graphs, polymorphisms and the complexity of homomorphism problems

We use a connection between polymorphisms and the structure of smooth digraphs to prove the conjecture of Bang-Jensen and Hell from 1990 and, as a consequence, a conjecture of Bang-Jensen, Hell and MacGillivray from 1995. The conjectured characterization of computationally complex coloring problems for smooth digraphs is proved using tools of universal algebra. We cite further graph results obtained using this new approach. The proofs are based in an universal algebraic framework developed for the Constraint Satisfaction Problem and the CSP dichotomy conjecture of Feder and Vardi in particular.
Combination of EEG Complexity and Spectral Analysis for Epilepsy Diagnosis and Seizure Detection

Approximately 1% of the world's population has epilepsy, and 25% of epilepsy patients cannot be treated sufficiently by any available therapy. If an automatic seizure-detection system was available, it could reduce the time required by a neurologist to perform an off-line diagnosis by reviewing electroencephalogram (EEG) data. It could produce an on-line warning signal to alert healthcare professionals or to drive a treatment device such as an electrical stimulator to enhance the patient's safety and quality of life. This paper describes a systematic evaluation of current approaches to seizure detection in the literature. This evaluation was then used to suggest a reliable, practical epilepsy detection method. The combination of complexity analysis and spectrum analysis on an EEG can perform robust evaluations on the collected data. Principle component analysis (PCA) and genetic algorithms (GAs) were applied to various linear and nonlinear methods. The best linear models resulted from using all of the features without other processing. For the nonlinear models, applying PCA for feature reduction provided better results than applying GAs. The feasibility of executing the proposed methods on a personal computer for on-line processing was also demonstrated.
In vitro differentiation of near‐unlimited numbers of functional mouse basophils using conditional Hoxb8

Basophils constitute a rare leukocyte population known for their effector functions in inflammation and allergy, as well as more recently described immunoregulatory roles. Besides their low frequency, functional analysis of basophils is hindered by a short life span, inefficient ex vivo differentiation protocols, and lack of suitable cell models. A method to produce large quantities of basophils in vitro would facilitate basophil research and constitute a sought‐after tool for diagnostic and drug testing purposes.
Bax Regulates Neuronal Ca2+ Homeostasis

Excessive Ca2+ entry during glutamate receptor overactivation (“excitotoxicity”) induces acute or delayed neuronal death. We report here that deficiency in bax exerted broad neuroprotection against excitotoxic injury and oxygen/glucose deprivation in mouse neocortical neuron cultures and reduced infarct size, necrotic injury, and cerebral edema formation after middle cerebral artery occlusion in mice. Neuronal Ca2+ and mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm) analysis during excitotoxic injury revealed that bax-deficient neurons showed significantly reduced Ca2+ transients during the NMDA excitation period and did not exhibit the deregulation of Δψm that was observed in their wild-type (WT) counterparts. Reintroduction of bax or a bax mutant incapable of proapoptotic oligomerization equally restored neuronal Ca2+ dynamics during NMDA excitation, suggesting that Bax controlled Ca2+ signaling independently of its role in apoptosis execution. Quantitative confocal imaging of intracellular ATP or mitochondrial Ca2+ levels using FRET-based sensors indicated that the effects of bax deficiency on Ca2+ handling were not due to enhanced cellular bioenergetics or increased Ca2+ uptake into mitochondria. We also observed that mitochondria isolated from WT or bax-deficient cells similarly underwent Ca2+-induced permeability transition. However, when Ca2+ uptake into the sarco/endoplasmic reticulum was blocked with the Ca2+-ATPase inhibitor thapsigargin, bax-deficient neurons showed strongly elevated cytosolic Ca2+ levels during NMDA excitation, suggesting that the ability of Bax to support dynamic ER Ca2+ handling is critical for cell death signaling during periods of neuronal overexcitation.
Mean-square H∞ filter design: Application to a 2DOF helicopter

This paper designs the central finite-dimensional H∞ filter for linear stochastic systems with integral-quadratically bounded deterministic disturbances, that is sub-optimal for a given threshold y with respect to a modified Bolza-Meyer quadratic criterion including the attenuation control term with the opposite sign. The original H∞ filtering problem for a linear stochastic system is reduced to the corresponding mean-square H2 filtering problem, using the technique proposed in [1]. In the example, the designed filter is applied to estimation of the pitch and yaw angles of a two degrees of freedom (2DOF) helicopter.
Some Properties of Algebraic Structures of RSA-like Systems

The algebraic structure Z_n^* , with n being a product of safe primes, is widely used in RSA-like cryptosystems. We have investigated some properties of this kind of structure. Isomorphic structures are presented to represent elements of Z_n^* in a unique way. They also help to determine the form and the number of possible subgroups, to find, in a deterministic rather than probabilistic manner, the elements of any possible orders. The properties of quadratic and high degree residues are analyzed in detail, as well.
Published in the Proceedings of the International Symposium on Assembly and Task Planning Complete Indexing Strategies for Sparse Sensing Techniques

In structured environments found in manufacturing, a few precise measurements are often su cient to recognize and localize modeled objects. Modeled objects can be recognized and localized by enumerating interpretations of the sensed data in terms of model features, and then validating each hypothesized interpretation by computing the optimal pose estimate and associated error. The task of enumerating hypotheses is termed the correspondence problem, and it is difcult to perform e ciently because only a small fraction of possible interpretations are valid. Indexing is a general approach for solving the correspondence problem in which coordinates are distilled from the sensed data, and then these indexing coordinates are quantized to index a table entry containing the valid interpretations. Indexing table are central to indexing techniques; if the table is complete, i.e., it contains an entry for every valid combination of indexing coordinates and interpretations, then the indexing strategy is correct. For sparse sensing strategies, where each experiment only provides a few measurements, indexing table completeness is critical. The task of constructing complete indexing tables has previously been an open problem. In this paper, we describe a method for constructing complete indexing tables that problem which involves enumerating cells in an arrangement in conguration space.
BOOST: Base Station on-off Switching Strategy for Green Massive MIMO HetNets

We investigate the problem of base station (BS) on-off switching, user association, and power control in a heterogeneous network (HetNet) with massive multiple input multiple output (MIMO), aiming to turn off under-utilized BS’s and maximize the system energy efficiency. With a mixed integer programming problem formulation, we first develop a centralized scheme to derive the near optimal BS on-off switching, which is an iterative framework with proven convergence. We further propose two distributed schemes based on game theory, with a bidding game between users and BS’s, and a pricing game between wireless service provider and users. Both games are proven to achieve a Nash Equilibrium. Simulation studies demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed schemes.
The influence of maternal prenatal and early childhood nutrition and maternal prenatal stress on offspring immune system development and neurodevelopmental disorders

The developing immune system and central nervous system in the fetus and child are extremely sensitive to both exogenous and endogenous signals. Early immune system programming, leading to changes that can persist over the life course, has been suggested, and other evidence suggests that immune dysregulation in the early developing brain may play a role in neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia. The timing of immune dysregulation with respect to gestational age and neurologic development of the fetus may shape the elicited response. This creates a possible sensitive window of programming or vulnerability. This review will explore the effects of maternal prenatal and infant nutritional status (from conception until early childhood) as well as maternal prenatal stress and anxiety on early programming of immune function, and how this might influence neurodevelopment. We will describe fetal immune system development and maternal-fetal immune interactions to provide a better context for understanding the influence of nutrition and stress on the immune system. Finally, we will discuss the implications for prevention of neurodevelopmental disorders, with a focus on nutrition. Although certain micronutrient supplements have shown to both reduce the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders and enhance fetal immune development, we do not know whether their impact on immune development contributes to the preventive effect on neurodevelopmental disorders. Future studies are needed to elucidate this relationship, which may contribute to a better understanding of preventative mechanisms. Integrating studies of neurodevelopmental disorders and prenatal exposures with the simultaneous evaluation of neural and immune systems will shed light on mechanisms that underlie individual vulnerability or resilience to neurodevelopmental disorders and ultimately contribute to the development of primary preventions and early interventions.
Real time position estimation for mobile robots by means of sonar sensors

Presents a fast localisation algorithm for autonomous mobile agents in dynamic environments based on the definition of a very small sized landmark type. These landmarks are calculated by obtaining the coordinates of the circular depth function obtained from a ring of equally spaced sonar sensors projected on a bi-dimensional base of a vectorial space. Finally, a pyramidal structure is used to enhance and fasten the performance of the localisation algorithm.
eXPatGen: Generating Dynamic Expression Patterns for the Systematic Evaluation of Analytical Methods

MOTIVATION Experimental gene expression data sets, such as those generated by microarray or gene chip experiments, typically have significant noise and complicated interconnectivities that make understanding even simple regulatory patterns difficult. Given these complications, characterizing the effectiveness of different analysis techniques to uncover network groups and structures remains a challenge. Generating simulated expression patterns with known biological features of expression complexity, diversity and interconnectivities provides a more controlled means of investigating the appropriateness of different analysis methods. A simulation-based approach can systematically evaluate different gene expression analysis techniques and provide a basis for improved methods in dynamic metabolic network reconstruction. RESULTS We have developed an on-line simulator, called eXPatGen, to generate dynamic gene expression patterns typical of microarray experiments. eXPatGen provides a quantitative network structure to represent key biological features, including the induction, repression, and cascade regulation of messenger RNA (mRNA). The simulation is modular such that the expression model can be replaced with other representations, depending on the level of biological detail required by the user. Two example gene networks, of 25 and 100 genes respectively, were simulated. Two standard analysis techniques, clustering and PCA analysis, were performed on the resulting expression patterns in order to demonstrate how the simulator might be used to evaluate different analysis methods and provide experimental guidance for biological studies of gene expression. AVAILABILITY http://www.che. udel.edu/eXPatGen/
Heterogeneous Changes in Western North American Glaciers Linked to Decadal Variability in Zonal Wind Strength

Western North American (WNA) glaciers outside of Alaska cover 14,384 km2 of mountainous terrain. No comprehensive analysis of recent mass change exists for this region. We generated over 15,000 multisensor digital elevation models from spaceborne optical imagery to provide an assessment of mass change for WNA over the period 2000–2018. These glaciers lost 117 ± 42 gigatons (Gt) of mass, which accounts for up to 0.32 ± 0.11 mm of sea level rise over the full period of study. We observe a fourfold increase in mass loss rates between 2000–2009 [−2.9 ± 3.1 Gt yr−1] and 2009–2018 [−12.3 ± 4.6 Gt yr−1], and we attribute this change to a shift in regional meteorological conditions driven by the location and strength of upper level zonal wind. Our results document decadal‐scale climate variability over WNA that will likely modulate glacier mass change in the future.
High-frequency six pulse DC link based bidirectional three-phase inverter without intermediate decoupling capacitor

Cascaded bidirectional dc-ac converters are commonly used in UPS application and battery chargers for electric vehicles (EV). A bidirectional dual active bridge cascaded three phase converter (DABCC) with six pulse dc link, high reliability and low cost is proposed for applications like line interactive UPS and EV. Power conversion units for such applications use large electrolytic capacitor at high voltage DC bus. Through a novel modulation technique Six Pulse Modulation (SPM), this electrolytic capacitor is eliminated that results in increased reliability, compactness and reduced cost. It needs only single H-bridge and one single-phase transformer at front-end for the required three-phase conversion. SPM technique also increases DC bus utilization and decreases the inverter average switching frequency to 33% when compared to traditional sine PWM. To effectively implement the SPM modulation, a fast dynamic control of dc link voltage is required. For that a coordinated control is implemented. And also the effect of dead time on the inverter terminal voltage for a SPM modulated converter is analyzed and its effect on terminal voltage is presented. To mitigate this effect, a compensation technique based on resonant control is proposed. RMS current stress for high voltage dc link capacitor is studied and it is shown that the capacitor requirement for SPM modulation is lower than the conventional Sine Pulse Width Modulation (SPWM). To validate the proposed control scheme, a 800 W prototype is fabricated. Hardware results are presented to show the effectiveness of the implemented control scheme.
A congruence modulo four in real Schubert calculus

We establish a congruence modulo four in the real Schubert calculus on the Grassmannian of m-planes in 2m-space. This congruence holds for fibers of the Wronski map and a generalization to what we call symmetric Schubert problems. This strengthens the usual congruence modulo two for numbers of real solutions to geometric problems. It also gives examples of geometric problems given by fibers of a map whose topological degree is zero but where each fiber contains real points.
Estimation of ADME Properties with Substructure Pattern Recognition

Over the past decade, absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) property evaluation has become one of the most important issues in the process of drug discovery and development. Since in vivo and in vitro evaluations are costly and laborious, in silico techniques had been widely used to estimate ADME properties of chemical compounds. Traditional prediction methods usually try to build a functional relationship between a set of molecular descriptors and a given ADME property. Although traditional methods have been successfully used in many cases, the accuracy and efficiency of molecular descriptors must be concerned. Herein, we report a new classification method based on substructure pattern recognition, in which each molecule is represented as a substructure pattern fingerprint based on a predefined substructure dictionary, and then a support vector machine (SVM) algorithm is applied to build the prediction model. Therefore, a direct connection between substructures and molecular properties is built. The most important substructure patterns can be identified via the information gain analysis, which could help to interpret the models from a medicinal chemistry perspective. Afterward, this method was verified with two data sets, one for blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetration and the other for human intestinal absorption (HIA). The results demonstrated that the overall predictive accuracies of the best HIA model for the training and test sets were 98.5 and 98.8%, and the overall predictive accuracies of the best BBB model for the training and test sets were 98.8 and 98.4%, which confirmed the reliability of our method. In the additional validations, the predictive accuracies were 94 and 69.5% for the HIA and the BBB models, respectively. Moreover, some of the representative key substructure patterns which significantly correlated with the HIA and BBB penetration properties were also presented.
Australian Pregnancy Registry of Women Taking Antiepileptic Drugs

Established in 1999, the Australian Registry enrolls women with epilepsy treated with antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), untreated women with epilepsy, and those taking AEDs for other indications. It is a centralized observational study, with ethical committee approval and patient consent. Data from patients fulfilling the criteria for enrollment also are fed into the EURAP database, coordinated by the center in Milan by Professor Dina Battino, supervised by a Board (T. Tomson, Chair). Four telephone interviews are conducted. Patients are enrolled prospectively as well as retrospectively. To date, 830 women have contacted the Registry; 630 have been enrolled, and 565 pregnancies reached completion, including 10 sets of twins. Live births with no defect composed 89%; live births with defect, 5%; spontaneous abortions, 3%; and stillbirths, induced abortion with defect, and lost to followup, 1% each. The reason for AED intake was predominantly for epilepsy (542 of 555 women). Folic acid intake before conception was noted in 378, and no folate in 187. Truly prospective enrollment (before any tests for malformation) comprised 233, with prospective, 252; and retrospective, 80 patients. Primary generalized epilepsy was present in 253 women, partial in 266, the remainder were unclassified. Drug therapy outcomes were related to valproate (VPA) in monotherapy, with a statistically significant increase over untreated patients in incidence of malformations on monotherapy treated (16.1%), and combined groups treated with monotherapy and polytherapy (15.1%) over untreated. patients (2.5%: p < 0.05).