Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A New Generalized Logistic Sigmoid Growth Equation Compared with the Richards Growth Equation

A new sigmoid growth equation is presented for curve-fitting, analysis and simulation of growth curves. Like the logistic growth equation, it increases monotonically, with both upper and lower asymptotes. Like the Richards growth equation, it can have its maximum slope at any value between its minimum and maximum. The new sigmoid equation is unique because it always tends towards exponential growth at small sizes or low densities, unlike the Richards equation, which only has this characteristic in part of its range. The new sigmoid equation is therefore uniquely suitable for circumstances in which growth at small sizes or low densities is expected to be approximately exponential, and the maximum slope of the growth curve can be at any value. Eleven widely different sigmoid curves were constructed with an exponential form at low values, using an independent algorithm. Sets of 100 variations of sequences of 20 points along each curve were created by adding random errors. In general, the new sigmoid equation fitted the sequences of points as closely as the original curves that they were generated from. The new sigmoid equation always gave closer fits and more accurate estimates of the characteristics of the 11 original sigmoid curves than the Richards equation. The Richards equation could not estimate the maximum intrinsic rate of increase (relative growth rate) of several of the curves. Both equations tended to estimate that points of inflexion were closer to half the maximum size than was actually the case; the Richards equation underestimated asymmetry by more than the new sigmoid equation. When the two equations were compared by fitting to the example dataset that was used in the original presentation of the Richards growth equation, both equations gave good fits. The Richards equation is sometimes suitable for growth processes that may or may not be close to exponential during initial growth. The new sigmoid is more suitable when initial growth is believed to be generally close to exponential, when estimates of maximum relative growth rate are required, or for generic growth simulations.
Color-form preference, discriminative accuracy and learning of deaf and hearing children.

Given choices between stimuli in the color, form, and size dimensions, most elementary school children with hearing prefer form, and most deaf elementary school children prefer color. Pairs of deaf and hearing Ss were matched for age, sex, and IQ and compared, first, on ability to discriminate accurately in the color and in the form dimensions and, second, on a successive discrimination-learning task. Hearing Ss discriminated among forms more accurately than deaf Ss; deaf Ss discriminated among colors more accurately than hearing Ss. Hearing Ss learned the form-discrimination task with fewer errors than deaf Ss. There was no difference in learning between deaf and hearing Ss on the color-discrimination task. The discussion centers on preference-response characteristics and how preference relates to perceptual discrimination and learning behaviors. Suggestions for future research are made, based on a possible source of color and form preference.
Q-greedyUCB: a New Exploration Policy for Adaptive and Resource-efficient Scheduling

This paper proposes a learning algorithm to find a scheduling policy that achieves an optimal delay-power trade-off in communication systems. Reinforcement learning (RL) is used to minimize the expected latency for a given energy constraint where the environments such as traffic arrival rates or channel conditions can change over time. For this purpose, this problem is formulated as an infinite-horizon Markov Decision Process (MDP) with constraints. To handle the constrained optimization problem, we adopt the Lagrangian relaxation technique to solve it. Then, we propose a variant of Q-learning, Q-greedyUCB that combines Q-learning for \emph{average} reward algorithm and Upper Confidence Bound (UCB) policy to solve this decision-making problem. We prove that the Q-greedyUCB algorithm is convergent through mathematical analysis. Simulation results show that Q-greedyUCB finds an optimal scheduling strategy, and is more efficient than Q-learning with the $\varepsilon$-greedy and Average-payoff RL algorithm in terms of the cumulative reward (i.e., the weighted sum of delay and energy) and the convergence speed. We also show that our algorithm can reduce the regret by up to 12% compared to the Q-learning with the $\varepsilon$-greedy and Average-payoff RL algorithm.
Accumulative Information Enhancement In The Self-Organizing Maps And Its Application To The Analysis Of Mission Statements

Abstract This paper proposes a new information-theoretic method based on the information enhancement method to extract important input variables. The information enhancement method was developed to detect important components in neural systems. Previous methods have focused on the detection of only the most important components, and therefore have failed to fully incorporated the information contained in the components into learning processes. In addition, it has been observed that the information enhancement method cannot always extract input information from input patterns. Thus, in this paper a computational method is developed to accumulate information content in the process of information enhancement. The method was applied to an artificial data set and the analysis of mission statements. The results demonstrate that while we were able to explicitly extract the symmetric properties of the data from the artificial data set, only one main factor was able to be extracted from the mission statement, namely, “contribution to the society”. The companies with higher profits tend to have mission statements concerning the society. The results can be considered to be a first step toward the full clarification of the importance of mission statements in actual business activities.
Source Estimation Using Coprime Array: A Sparse Reconstruction Perspective

Direction-of-arrival (DOA), power, and achievable degrees-of-freedom (DOFs) are fundamental parameters for source estimation. In this paper, we propose a novel sparse reconstruction-based source estimation algorithm by using a coprime array. Specifically, a difference coarray is derived from a coprime array as the foundation for increasing the number of DOFs, and a virtual uniform linear subarray covariance matrix sparse reconstruction-based optimization problem is formulated for DOA estimation. Meanwhile, a modified sliding window scheme is devised to remove the spurious peaks from the reconstructed sparse spatial spectrum, and the power estimation is enhanced through a least squares problem. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm in terms of DOA estimation and power estimation as well as the achievable DOFs.
Isolation and properties of the enzyme system forming indoleacetic Acid.

The enzymatic conversion of tryptophan to ind,oleacetic acid (IAA) has been demonstrated in lower and higher plants. In some plants the pathway muist be limited to that involving ini(olepyrtuvic acid (5 ) while in others an alterniative pathway involving tryptamine also exists (6, Q). Alth,ouigh the enzyme system from the pineapple leaf converting tryptophlan and tryptamine to auixin was obtained by precipitation with ammonium stilfate (1), subsequent studies have used the supernatant fraction following centrifugation as the enzyme preparation. Suich a preparation has been fouind inadequate for the precise deterfmination of pathway and the characteristics of the enzymes involved. In the investigatio,n reported here a partial purification of the enzyme system from Avenia tissue has been achieved and some of its properties have been examined. Oats (Avenai satizva cv Victory) are grown in the dark at 240 and 82 % relative humidity for 86 to 9( hoturs. Five grams of frozen apical segments (1 cm long) of the coleoptiles are macerated in 50 ml of cold buffer (KH.PO4-Na,HPO4, 0.05 M, pH 7). The homogenate is centrifuiged f,or 40 minuites at 10,000 X g at 00. The 50 ml of stupernatant then is passecl throuigh a column of Sephadex G-25 (Pharmnacia, Uppsala), which is eqtuilibrated with the buffer, to remove compouinds with moleculair weights belowv 5000. The filitrate is saturated with ammonitim suilfate and flocculationis allowed to proceed for 16 houirs at 00. The residue is separated by cen:trifugation at 10,000 X g for 30 minuites at 0°. The resulting pellet is taken ilp in 50 ml of buffer and dialyzed against diluited bu,ffer (1 liter, 0.025 M) for 18 hours at 0°. The dialysate is passed throtigh a column of Sephadex G-200 (Phar,mra,cia, Uppsala) which is equilibrated with the 0.05 mI buffer to remove all molecules with molecular weights below 200,000. The filtrate with voltume of 50 ml is used as the enzyme preparation. Throughiotut the procedure precautions are taken to
Qibla determination using vector algebra

This paper provides an alternative of improvised formula for determining qibla direction using vector algebra. The proposed method using vector algebra formula are given in details was compared with the existing method using spherical trigonometry. Then, result shows that the proposed method is accurate and easy to understand because does not require high mathematical knowledge.
Introducing Uncertainty in Predictive Modeling - Friend or Foe?

Uncertainty was introduced to chemical descriptors of 16 publicly available data sets to various degrees and in various ways in order to investigate the effect on the predictive performance of the state-of-the-art method decision tree ensembles. A number of strategies to handle uncertainty in decision tree ensembles were evaluated. The main conclusion of the study is that uncertainty to a large extent may be introduced in chemical descriptors without impairing the predictive performance of ensembles and without the predictive performance being significantly reduced from a practical point of view. The investigation further showed that even when distributions of uncertain values were provided, the ensembles method could generate equally effective models from single-point samples from these distributions. Hence, there seems to be no advantage in using more elaborate methods for handling uncertainty in chemical descriptors when using decision tree ensembles as a modeling method for the considered types of introduced uncertainty.
Different temporal processing of sensory inputs in the rat thalamus during quiescent and information processing states in vivo

Sensory inputs from the whiskers reach the primary somatosensory thalamus through the medial lemniscus tract. The main role of the thalamus is to relay these sensory inputs to the neocortex according to the regulations dictated by behavioural state. Intracellular recordings in urethane‐anaesthetized rats show that whisker stimulation evokes EPSP‐IPSP sequences in thalamic neurons. Both EPSPs and IPSPs depress with repetitive whisker stimulation at frequencies above 2 Hz. Single‐unit recordings reveal that during quiescent states thalamic responses to repetitive whisker stimulation are suppressed at frequencies above 2 Hz, so that only low‐frequency sensory stimulation is relayed to the neocortex. In contrast, during activated states, induced by stimulation of the brainstem reticular formation or application of acetylcholine in the thalamus, high‐frequency whisker stimulation at up to 40 Hz is relayed to the neocortex. Sensory suppression is caused by the depression of lemniscal EPSPs in relatively hyperpolarized thalamocortical neurons. Sensory suppression is abolished during activated states because thalamocortical neurons depolarize and the depressed lemniscal EPSPs are able to reach firing threshold. Strong IPSPs may also contribute to sensory suppression by hyperpolarizing thalamocortical neurons, but during activated states IPSPs are strongly reduced altogether. The results indicate that the synaptic depression of lemniscal EPSPs and the level of depolarization of thalamocortical neurons work together in thalamic primary sensory pathways to suppress high‐frequency sensory inputs during non‐activated (quiescent) states while permitting the faithful relay of high‐frequency sensory information during activated (processing) states.
Familial secondary erythrocytosis due to increased oxygen affinity is caused by destabilization of the T state of hemoglobin Brigham (α2β2Pro100Leu)

Hemoglobin Brigham (β Pro100 to Leu) was first reported in a patient with familial erythrocytosis. Erythrocytes of an affected individual from the same family contain both HbA and Hb Brigham and exhibit elevated O2 affinity compared with normal cells (P50 = 23 mm Hg vs. 31 mmHg at pH 7.4 at 37°C). O2 affinities measured for hemolysates were sensitive to changes in pH or chloride concentrations, indicating little change in the Bohr and Chloride effects. Hb Brigham was separated from normal HbA by nondenaturing cation exchange liquid chromatography, and the amino acid substitution was verified by mass spectrometry. The properties of Hb Brigham isolated from the patient's blood were then compared with those of recombinant Hb Brigham expressed in Escherichia coli. Kinetic experiments suggest that the rate constants for ligand binding and release in the high (R) and low (T) affinity quaternary states of Hb Brigham are similar to those of native hemoglobin. However, the Brigham mutation decreases the T to R equilibrium constant (L) which accelerates the switch to the R state during ligand binding to deoxy‐Hb, increasing the rate of association by approximately twofold, and decelerates the switch during ligand dissociation from HbO2, decreasing the rate approximately twofold. These kinetic data help explain the high O2 affinity characteristics of Hb Brigham and provide further evidence for the importance of the contribution of Pro100 to intersubunit contacts and stabilization of the T quaternary structure.
Machine learning for personalized access to multiple data sources through ontologies

The emergence of new applications that need to share information between different sources of information, such as e-learning, e-commerce, e-government, and electronic libraries requires interoperability between information systems. Organisations design and develop them to be autonomous and heterogeneous sources that lead to multiple structuring formats and different interpretations of the same data. Therefore, to simplify data access, users need the virtual integration of heterogeneous, autonomous and distributed data sources based on the couple mediator-wrapper and founded on ontologies that provide a consensual terminology. The purpose of the personalization is to facilitate the expression of users' needs. It allows them to obtain relevant information by maximizing the exploitation of their preferences grouped in their respective profiles. In an ontology-based mediation architecture context, the personalization process must consider not only the users' profiles elements but also the semantic description of data sources defined by the ontologies. The mediator solves the problems associated with heterogeneity. A local ontology describes each data sources. The users express their requests in terms of a global schema obtained by o global ontology when the system evaluates them over multiple data sources with different structure and content. The key for a successful personalized access to multiple data sources lies in a good construction of the users' profiles and an effective ontologies alignment process. In this work, we highlight the problematic of users' profiles construction. We present a comparative study of the existing machine learning approaches used to construct and modify users 'profiles in an information retrieval context. Then we expose the most performing ontologies alignment tools according to information retrieval metrics namely: precision, recall and F-measure.
Predictive displays and shared compliance control for time-delayed telemanipulation

Considers the ground station control of space robots in which a communication time delay problem arises. The round-trip time delay of the communication link between the ground station and a space robot in low earth orbit (via one or more geosynchronous satellites) is expected to be as long as 2-8 seconds. In order to enhance time delayed telemanipulation performance, the authors have recently developed two schemes at JPL: predictive display and shared compliance control. During free motion, predictive display is used. During contact or insertion, compliance control is used. Therefore the authors' strategy for time-delayed telemanipulation employs predictive display and shared compliance control alternately to enhance human task performance. <<ETX>>
Near-Optimal Confidence Sequences for Bounded Random Variables

Many inference problems, such as sequential decision problems like A/B testing, adaptive sampling schemes like bandit selection, are often online in nature. The fundamental problem for online inference is to provide a sequence of confidence intervals that are valid uniformly over the growing-into-infinity sample sizes. To address this question, we provide a near-optimal confidence sequence for bounded random variables by utilizing Bentkus' concentration results. We show that it improves on the existing approaches that use the Cram{e}r-Chernoff technique such as the Hoeffding, Bernstein, and Bennett inequalities. The resulting confidence sequence is confirmed to be favorable in both synthetic coverage problems and an application to adaptive stopping algorithms.
Adaptive Dynamics of Dormancy Duration Variability: Evolutionary Trade-Off and Priority Effect Lead to Suboptimal Adaptation

Many plants, insects, and crustaceans show within-population variability in dormancy length. The question of whether such variability corresponds to a genetic polymorphism of pure strategies or a mixed bet-hedging strategy, and how the level of phenotypic variability can evolve remain unknown for most species. Using an eco-genetic model rooted in a 25-year ecological field study of a Chestnut weevil, Curculio elephas, we show that its diapause-duration variability is more likely to have evolved by the spread of a bet-hedging strategy than by the establishment of a genetic polymorphism. Investigating further the adaptive dynamics of diapause-duration variability, we find two unanticipated patterns of general interest. First, there is a trade-off between the ability of bet-hedging strategies to persist on an ecological time scale and their ability to invade. The optimal strategy (in terms of persistence) cannot invade, whereas suboptimal bet-hedgers are good invaders. Second, we describe an original evolutionary dynamics where each bet-hedging strategy (defined by its rate of prolonged diapause) resists invasion by all others, so that the first type of bet-hedger to appear persists on an evolutionary time scale. Such “evolutionary priority effect” could drive the evolution of maladapted levels of diapause-duration variability.
CD11b+ Gr1+ bone marrow cells ameliorate liver fibrosis by producing interleukin‐10 in mice

Clinical trials and animal models suggest that infusion of bone marrow cells (BMCs) is effective therapy for liver fibrosis, but the underlying mechanisms are obscure, especially those associated with early effects of BMCs. Here, we analyzed the early impact of BMC infusion and identified the subsets of BMCs showing antifibrotic effects in mice with carbon tetrachloride–induced liver fibrosis. An interaction between BMCs and activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) was investigated using an in vitro coculturing system. Within 24 hours, infused BMCs were in close contact with activated HSCs, which was associated with reduced liver fibrosis, enhanced hepatic expression of interleukin (IL)‐10, and expanded regulatory T cells but decreased macrophage infiltration in the liver at 24 hours after BMC infusion. In contrast, IL‐10–deficient (IL‐10−/−) BMCs failed to reproduce these effects in fibrotic livers. Intriguingly, in isolated cells, CD11b+Gr1highF4/80− and CD11b+Gr1+F4/80+ BMCs expressed more IL‐10 after coculturing with activated HSCs, leading to suppressed expression of collagen and α‐smooth muscle actin in HSCs. Moreover, these effects were either enhanced or abrogated, respectively, when BMCs were cocultured with IL‐6−/− and retinaldehyde dehydrogenase 1−/− HSCs. Similar to murine data, human BMCs expressed more IL‐10 after coculturing with human HSC lines (LX‐2 or hTERT), and serum IL‐10 levels were significantly elevated in patients with liver cirrhosis after autologous BMC infusion. Conclusion: Activated HSCs increase IL‐10 expression in BMCs (CD11b+Gr1highF4/80− and CD11b+Gr1+F4/80+ cells), which in turn ameliorates liver fibrosis. Our findings could enhance the design of BMC therapy for liver fibrosis. (HEPATOLOGY 2012;56:1902–1912)
Early neurotoxic effects of inhalation exposure to aluminum and/or manganese assessed by serum levels of phospholipid-binding Clara cells protein

Little is known on the disturbances of lung epithelium function in aluminum casting smelters and shipyard welders exposed by inhalation to irritant occupational pollutants, dust and fumes. The exact mechanism of aluminum and manganese toxicity is not known, but it is thought that they may potentiate oxidative and inflammatory stress, leading to impaired neurological function. The aim of the study was to investigate the subclinical effects of aluminum and manganese exposure on the nervous system and to assess their relationship to the biomarkers of exposure and effect in workers exposed to neurotoxic fumes. The relationship between the neurological and respiratory effects was investigated in 50 workers at aluminum casting smelters exposed to xGM = 0.29 Al2O3 mg m− 3, and 59 shipyard welders exposed to xGM = 0.16 Mn mg m− 3, and the reference group. Serum anti-inflammatory, phospholipid-binding Clara cell protein (CC16) as a peripheral marker of the bronchiolar epithelium function measured. The lowest CC16 concentrations were found in workers showing subjective CNS symptoms and abnormal neurophysiological findings: EEG and visual evoked potentials. A strong inverse relationship was found between serum Al (Al-S) and CC16 concentrations (p = 0.006). Younger smelter workers and welders, with a shorter exposure duration, presented a higher number of VEPs than the workers employed for a longer period of time. The sub-clinical neurological symptoms (VEP) and low CC16 level can be associated with an internalization of Al ions with lipid fractions of the lung epithelium, which in turn may help Al ions overcome the blood–brain barrier. The inhibited secretion of anti-inflammatory Clara cell protein and low respiratory performance in younger Mn welders was found to enhance subclinical neurotoxic symptoms, especially VEPs, related to exposure to airborne Mn and Mn-B.
Entwicklung einer hochauflösenden quantitativen Einzelzell-RT-PCR Methode im Echtzeitverfahren in akuten Hirnschnitten der Ratte

Es wurde eine schnelle und sensitive quantitative Echtzeit-RT-PCR-Methode entwickelt, mit deren Hilfe es moglich ist, die absolute Menge an mRNA-Kopien aus einzelnen Nervenzellen vitaler Gehirnschnitte der Ratte zu bestimmen. In den Anwendungsexperimenten wurde in zerebellaren Purkinje-Zellen die zellspezifische Glutamatrezeptoruntereinheit GluRδ2 auf Einzelzellebene nachgewiesen und quantifiziert. In Kornerzellen wurde die entwicklungsabhangige Expressionsregulation der NMDA-Rezeptoruntereinheiten NR2B und NR2C dargestellt. Zudem wurden Entwicklungsprofile der Kationen-Chlorid-Kotransporter KCC2, KCC4 und NKCC1 sowohl auf Gewebe- als auch auf Einzelzellebene erstellt.