Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Caspase Cleavage of Mutant Huntingtin Precedes Neurodegeneration in Huntington's Disease

Huntington's disease (HD) results from polyglutamine expansion in huntingtin (htt), a protein with several consensus caspase cleavage sites. Despite the identification of htt fragments in the brain, it has not been shown conclusively that htt is cleaved by caspases in vivo. Furthermore, no study has addressed when htt cleavage occurs with respect to the onset of neurodegeneration. Using antibodies that detect only caspase-cleaved htt, we demonstrate that htt is cleaved in vivo specifically at the caspase consensus site at amino acid 552. We detect caspase-cleaved htt in control human brain as well as in HD brains with early grade neuropathology, including one homozygote. Cleaved htt is also seen in wild-type and HD transgenic mouse brains before the onset of neurodegeneration. These results suggest that caspase cleavage of htt may be a normal physiological event. However, in HD, cleavage of mutant htt would release N-terminal fragments with the potential for increased toxicity and accumulation caused by the presence of the expanded polyglutamine tract. Furthermore, htt fragments were detected most abundantly in cortical projection neurons, suggesting that accumulation of expanded htt fragments in these neurons may lead to corticostriatal dysfunction as an early event in the pathogenesis of HD.
Differences in the subthreshold dynamics of leaky integrate-and-fire and Hodgkin-Huxley neuron models

Many spiking neuron models have been proposed over the last decades with varying computational complexity and abstraction from biological neurons. Among the few studies that have compared spiking models, little emphasis has been given to the formal description of calibration methods in tuning model parameters. We give an example of calibrating a leaky integrate-and-fire neuron with the first-spike time of a Hodgkin-Huxley neuron. We further demonstrate how model parameters can be tuned to minimize subthreshold differences in membrane potential. This example emphasizes the dependencies of calibration methods on other experimental parameters, complicating detailed comparisons of spiking models.
University of Alicante at the NTCIR-12: Mobile Click

This paper describes the ﬁrst participation of processing nat-ural language group of the University of Alicante in Mobile Click Task of NTCIR 12. Our approach is based on the combination of tools developed in our research group: IR-n, a passage retrieval system; COMPENDIUM, a summarization generator; and a new approach based on Principal Component Analysis, another type of summarizer. In our ﬁrst participation we focused on the iUnit Ranking Subtask, although we have made an attempt on the iUnit Summarization Subtask.
The FLT3 ligand potently and directly stimulates the growth and expansion of primitive murine bone marrow progenitor cells in vitro: synergistic interactions with interleukin (IL) 11, IL-12, and other hematopoietic growth factors

The recently cloned murine flt3 ligand (FL) was studied for its ability to stimulate the growth of primitive (Lin-Sca-1+) and more committed (Lin-Sca-1-) murine bone marrow progenitor cells, alone and in combination with other hematopoietic growth factors (HGFs). Whereas FL was a weak proliferative stimulator alone, it potently synergized with a number of other HGFs, including all four colony-stimulating factor (CSF), interleukin (IL) 6, IL-11, IL-12, and stem cell factor (SCF), to promote the colony formation of Lin-Sca-1+, but not Lin-Sca-1- or erythroid progenitor cells. The synergistic activity of FL was concentration dependent, with maximum stimulation occurring at 250 ng/ml, and was observed when cells were plated at a concentration of one cell per culture, suggesting that its effects are directly mediated. 2 wk of treatment with FL in combination with IL-3 or SCF resulted in the production of a high proportion of mature myeloid cells (granulocytes and macrophages), whereas the combination of FL with G- CSF, IL-11, or IL-12 resulted predominantly in the formation of cells with an immature blast cell appearance. Accordingly, FL in combination with G-CSF or IL-11 expanded the number of progenitors more than 40- fold after 2 wk incubation. Thus, FL emerges as a potent synergistic HGF, that in combination with numerous other HGFs, can directly stimulate the proliferation, myeloid differentiation, and expansion of primitive hematopoietic progenitor cells.
Development of cross-language lexical influence: divergence, not convergence

ABSTRACT Storms, Ameel, and Malt [2015. “Development of Cross-language Lexical Influence. ” International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 18: 529–547] compared the development of naming patterns in monolingual and bilingual children. They concluded that bilinguals' naming patterns in their two languages become increasingly similar with age and are thus converging. In this commentary, we argue that taking into account younger participants' smaller vocabulary and greater variability in names for individual objects changes the paper's conclusions: bilingual naming patterns are found to diverge with age.
Research on Interference-Based Channel Assignment Methods in 802.11-Based Wireless Mesh Network

The interference between wireless communications may cause packet loss and bit error. There are multi-channels in wireless standards such as IEEE802.11b/g, the packet loss rate caused by interference between channels is different. Experiments are done to show the transition feature between channels in IEEE 802.1 lb/g standard. The results show that the traffic throughput depends on the radio frequencies that the channels use, and the feature is different between TCP and UDP. The performance of TCP is further low on the interference environments, and there should be more suitable translation method in wireless network. Based on the results of experiments, a channel assignment algorithm is proposed to reuse the wireless space. Analyses show that the algorithm is simpler and can get similar performance improving in IEEE802.11-based wireless mesh network.
Path Planning with Steering Sets for Car-Like Robots and Finding an Effective Set

This paper describes a new path planning method for car-like robots using predesigned steering sets including three trajectory types: straight, right and left. A trajectory using a zigzagged path planned by grid-based shortest path search (A* method or Dijkstra) is not suitable for car-like robots. Path planning with steering sets is used to generate trajectories with smooth changes in direction. We made a simulator of the path planner, logged planning data using single and combine steering sets. We searched for steering set parameters and obtained an effective steering set. And we compared a trajectory of extended A* planner with our planner's.
Empirical evaluation of cloud-based testing techniques: a systematic review

Software Testing is a challenging activity for many software engineering projects, especially for large scale systems. The amount of tests cases can range from a few hundred to several thousands, requiring significant computing resources and lengthy execution times. Cloud computing offers the potential to address both of these issues: it offers resources such as virtualized hardware, effectively unlimited storage, and software services that can aid in reducing the execution time of large test suites in a cost-effective manner. In this paper we report on a systematic review of cloud based testing techniques published in major software engineering journals and conferences conducted by other researchers. Research papers were gathered from various scholarly databases using provided search engines within a given period of time. A total of 82 research papers are analyzed in this systematic review and we classified it into four categories according to issues addressed by them. We identified majority of the research papers focused on Cloud based Testing and Issues (38 papers) and 23 papers focused on Cloud based Testing Frameworks. By looking at the areas focused by existing researchers, gaps and untouched areas of cloud based testing can be discovered
Template Protection under Signal Degradation : A Case-Study on Iris-Biometric Fuzzy Commitment Schemes

Low intra-class variability at high interclass variability is considered a fundamental premise of biometric template protection, i.e. biometric traits need to be captured under favorable conditions in order to provide practical recognition rates. While performance degradations have been reported on less constraint datasets detailed studies based on a certain ground truth have remained evasive. The fuzzy commitment scheme, in which chosen keys prepared with error correction information are bound to binary biometric feature vectors, represents one of the most popular template protection schemes. In this work the impact of blur and noise to fuzzy commitment schemes is investigated. Iris textures are successively blurred and noised in order to measure the robustness of iris-biometric fuzzy commitment schemes.
Endogenous Control and Task Representation: An fMRI Study in Algebraic Problem-solving

The roles of prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortices have been widely studied, yet little is known on how they interact to enable complex cognitive abilities. We investigated this issue in a complex yet well-defined symbolic paradigm: algebraic problem solving. In our experimental problems, the demands for retrieving arithmetic facts and maintaining intermediate problem representations were manipulated separately. An analysis of functional brain images acquired while participants were solving the problems confirmed that prefrontal regions were affected by the retrieval of arithmetic facts, but only scarcely by the need to manipulate intermediate forms of the equations, hinting at a specific role in memory retrieval. Hemodynamic activity in the dorsal cingulate, on the contrary, increased monotonically as more information processing steps had to be taken, independent of their nature. This pattern was essentially mimicked in the caudate nucleus, suggesting a related functional role in the control of cognitive actions. We also implemented a computational model within the Adaptive Control of ThoughtRational (ACT-R) cognitive architecture, which was able to reproduce both the behavioral data and the time course of the hemodynamic activity in a number of relevant regions of interest. Therefore, imaging results and computer simulation provide evidence that symbolic cognition can be explained by the functional interaction of medial structures supporting control and serial execution, and prefrontal cortices engaged in the on-line retrieval of specific relevant information.
Multi-locus sequence type analysis of Shigellas pp. isolates from Tehran, Iran

Background and Objectives: Strains of Shigella spp. can cause shigellosis, or bacillary dysentery. that is a public health problem worldwide. The aim of this study was to describe the population structure and genetic relatedness of multidrug resistant S. sonnei and S. flexneri isolated during a one year period from children with diarrhea in Tehran, Iran. Materials and Methods: A total of 70 Shigella spp. were detected during the study period. Twenty MDR isolates of Shigella spp. were randomly selected and used in this study. Bacterial identification was performed by conventional biochemical and serological and confirmed by molecular method. After antimicrobial susceptibility testing, we used Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) for subtyping isolates. Results: We found 14 Shigella sonnei and 6 Shigella flexneri isolates. Results of MLST showed five sequence types (ST) (145, 152, 241, 245, 1502) and BURST analysis revealed the largest number of single locus variant (SLV) and highest frequency (FREQ) for ST152. ST 152 with nine members was predicted as the founder by BURST. Frequency for ST 1502 and ST 245 was four isolates and the least frequency was seen for ST 241 and 145 with one and two members, respectively. ST 145 and ST 245 were described as singletons in BURST. All isolates with ST145 and ST245 were identified as Shigella flexneri. Conclusion: Annual Multi locus sequence typing of MDR Shigella would help us in better understanding of dominant species and comparing our results with the same studies in other countries especially our neighbor countries in source tracking purposes.
Fingerprint Verification System Using Minutiae Extraction Technique

— Most fingerprint recognition techniques are based on minutiae matching and have been well studied. However, this technology still suffers from problems associated with the handling of poor quality impressions. One problem besetting fingerprint matching is distortion. Distortion changes both geometric position and orientation, and leads to difficulties in establishing a match among multiple impressions acquired from the same finger tip. Marking all the minutiae accurately as well as rejecting false minutiae is another issue still under research. Our work has combined many methods to build a minutia extractor and a minutia matcher. The combination of multiple methods comes from a wide investigation into research papers. Also some novel changes like segmentation using Morphological operations, improved thinning, false minutiae removal methods, minutia marking with special considering the triple branch counting, minutia unification by decomposing a branch into three terminations, and matching in the unified x-y coordinate system after a two-step transformation are used in the work.
INTELLIGENT AGENTS: A PHYSICS EDUCATION OPPORTUNITY IN LATIN-AMERICA

Intelligent Agents are being applied in a wide range of processes and everyday applications. Their development is not new, in recent years they have had an increased attention and design in learning and as mentoring tools. In this paper we discuss the definition of what an intelligent agent is; how they are applied; how thy look like; recent implementations of agents; agents as support in learning process; their state in Latin-American countries and future developments and trends that will permit a better communication between people and agents.
A chaotic behavior decision algorithm based on self-generating neural network for computer games

The artificial intelligence of computer games is constantly in need of improvement to meet the increasing demands of game players. This paper proposes a kind of chaotic behavior decision algorithm, which integrates fuzzy logic and based on self-generating neural network. In computer games, this method is applied to achieve the goal of improving the non-player characterspsila (NPCs) behavior ability, therefore contributing to enhance computer games intelligence level based on human knowledge and experience. As one of novel developed neural networks for classify and prediction, SGNN has the features of simplicity in network design, fast learning and automatic organizing ability. Incorporated with fuzzy method, the chaotic behavior decision algorithm includes two parts: offline behavior rule extraction and online behavior decision. The method proposed by this paper in game intelligence is flexible and adaptive to generic games. It has more powerful ability in behavior selection. The corresponding application will be illustrated in detail through implementation on special military game.
Crosslingual speech recognition with multilingual acoustic models based on agglomerative and tree-based triphone clustering

The paper describes our ongoing work on crosslingual speech recognition based on multilingual triphone hidden Markov models. Multilingual acoustic models were built using two different clustering procedures: agglomerative triphone clustering and tree-based triphone clustering. The agglomerative clustering procedure is based on measuring the similarity of triphones on a phoneme level where the monophone similarity is estimated by the Houtgast algorithm. The tree-based clustering procedure is based on common broad classes. The Slovenian, German and Spanish 1000 FDB SpeechDat(II) databases were used for training. The crosslingual speech recognition was performed on the Norwegian 1000 FDB SpeechDat(II) database. No adaptation or training with the Norwegian database was used. The mapping of Norwegian phonemes was done with the IPA scheme. Five different Norwegian recognition vocabularies were generated. The best crosslingual system achieved a recognition rate of 45.03%, while the reference Norwegian system achieved 78.32%.
An Augmented Wavelet - Neuro-Fuzzy Module for Enhancing MEMS based Navigation Systems

Low cost navigation systems relying on gyroscopes and accelerometers manufactured using micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS) technology have been recently utilized in land vehicles. These MEMS-based sensors are integrated with GPS to provide reliable positioning solutions in case of GPS outages that commonly occur in urban areas. The major inadequacies of MEMS-based navigation sensors are the high noise level and the large bias instabilities that are stochastic in nature. The effects of these inadequacies manifest themselves as large position errors during GPS outages. This research proposes the utilization of wavelet denoising to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of each of the MEMS-based sensors. In addition a neuro-fuzzy module is used to provide a reliable prediction of the vehicle position during GPS outages. The results from a road test experiment show the effectiveness of the proposed wavelet - neuro-fuzzy module.
Prevalence and risk factors for cataract in diabetes: Sankara Nethralaya Diabetic Retinopathy Epidemiology and Molecular Genetics Study, report no. 17.

PURPOSE To report the prevalence of cataract and its subtypes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and the risk factors associated with these cataracts. METHODS One thousand two hundred eighty-three eligible subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus, enrolled from a cross-sectional study, underwent examination at the base hospital. Lens opacity was graded by a trained ophthalmologist according to the Lens Opacity Classification System (LOCS) III system. RESULTS The age- and sex-adjusted prevalence of cataract in the study was 65.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 65.6-65.8). Mixed cataracts were more common than monotype ones (41.6% vs. 19.4%). The prevalence of cataract was higher in women, subjects with known diabetes and those with longer duration of diabetes (51.4%, 50.3%, and 64.5%, respectively). The risk factors for any type of cataract were increasing age (odds ratio [OR], 1.14; 95% CI, 1.11-1.16), macroalbuminuria (OR, 4.61; 95% CI, 1.56-13.59) and increasing glycosylated hemoglobin (OR, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.22-3.00); higher hemoglobin (OR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.22-0.64) was the protective factor. The risk factors for nuclear cataract included increasing age (OR, 1.15) and high serum triglycerides (OR, 6.83). For cortical cataract, increasing age (OR, 1.14) and poor glycemic control (OR, 2.43) were the risk factors; increasing hemoglobin (OR, 0.41) was the protective factor. For posterior subcapsular cataract, the risk factors included increasing age (OR, 1.11), being of the female sex (OR, 9.12), employment (OR, 9.80), and duration of diabetes (OR, 21.37). CONCLUSIONS Nearly two thirds of the diabetic population showed evidence of cataract; mixed cataracts were more common than the monotypes ones.
Oil droplet self-transportation on oleophobic surfaces

Oleophobic surfaces capable of power-free self-transportation of oil droplets are designed. Directional liquid transportation is important for a variety of biological processes and technical applications. Although surface engineering through asymmetric chemical modification or geometrical patterning facilitates effective liquid manipulation and enables water droplet self-transportation on synthetic surfaces, self-transportation of oil droplets poses a major challenge because of their low surface tension. We report oil droplet self-transportation on oleophobic surfaces that are microtextured with radial arrays of undercut stripes. More significantly, we observe three modes of oil motion on various sample surfaces, namely, inward transportation, pinned, and outward spreading, which can be switched by the structure parameters, including stripe intersection angle and width. Accompanying theoretical modeling provides an in-depth mechanistic understanding of the structure–droplet motion relationship. Finally, we reveal how to optimize the texture parameters to maximize oil droplet self-transportation capability and demonstrate spontaneous droplet movement for liquids down to a surface tension of 22.4 mN/m. The surfaces presented here open up new avenues for power-free liquid transportation and oil contamination self-removal applications in various analytical and fluidic devices.
Explicit user profiles in web search personalisation

This paper is concerned with the issue of low quality of web search results and ways of improving it. Information sources are exponentially increasing on the web and are making it increasingly difficult to get relevant information. The quality of web search results depends on two factors: the information needs of the users and the searching techniques. In order to improve the quality of search results it is necessary to have information about user requirements. This paper attempts to address the issue of low quality of web search results through the user profiling technique, where the profiles can be explicitly specified or implicitly generated. The proposed approach in this paper is based on explicit user profiles. The implemented system allows users to create, save, remove and update profiles based on their changing information needs and preferences. Preliminary experimental results indicate that the system produces more refined results based on explicit user profiles when compared to traditional search methods.
Federalism and fiscal reform in India

This paper attempts to analyse the experience of incentivising economic reforms at the state level through central transfers to states. It reviews the experiences of the central government introducing incentives for reform directly through various specific purpose transfers as well as the incentive schemes recommended by various Finance Commissions. The incentive schemes directly introduced by the central government include, accelerated irrigation benefit programme, accelerated power development and reform programme, Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission, education and health sector reforms. The reforms recommended by the Finance Commissions include incentivising tax reforms and fiscal restructuring and consolidation. The review of the experiences of Indian fiscal federalism shows that the incentivising reforms have neither been an unqualified success nor have they been a total failure. There are interesting lessons to be learnt from the experiences for both designing the incentive schemes and implementing them. The paper summarises the lessons of experience. While incorporating these in designing and implementing incentive schemes can be useful in the short and medium term, what matters in the long run is the political incentive for reforms.
TCP-XM: unicast-enabled reliable multicast

In recent years, much work has been done on attempting to scale multicast data transmission to hundreds or thousands of receivers. There are, however, many situations where an application might involve transmission to just ten or twenty sites. Using multicast for this type of application can provide significant benefits including reduced load on the transmitter an overall reduction in network traffic, and consequently shorter data transfer times. In this project, we are investigating how partial or incomplete multicast can be exploited alongside reliable unicast to improve both speed and efficiency of data transfers while maintaining reliability. The approach taken is to combine unicast with multicast by modifying TCP to support multicast transfers, and run this modified TCP engine over UDP as a userspace transport protocol. We describe the work to date on the design and implementation, and provide experimental results from our tests across both local and wide area networks.