Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Long-range air-hole assisted subwavelength waveguides

A novel air-hole assisted metal–dielectric–metal (MDM) waveguide is proposed and demonstrated. The configuration can be considered as a hybrid waveguide combining an MDM waveguide with a photonic crystal waveguide. The results reveal that the figure of merit of the proposed waveguide is as high as 6 × 108, the propagation length is 15.2 mm with the lateral mode width between 511.3 and 564.3 nm, and the waveguide isolation is over 36 dB with tiny center-to-center separation at the wavelength of 1.55 μm. In addition, we also demonstrate its broad optical bandwidth, highly efficient 90° and 120° direct bends, and low radiation loss of the metallic gaps. The above excellent features show that the proposed waveguide could be an ideal candidate for high-density photonic integrations, compared to long-range surface plasmon polariton waveguides and TE-mode MDM waveguides.
Cortisol Release From Adipose Tissue by 11β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1 in Humans

OBJECTIVE—11β-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1) regenerates cortisol from cortisone. 11β-HSD1 mRNA and activity are increased in vitro in subcutaneous adipose tissue from obese patients. Inhibition of 11β-HSD1 is a promising therapeutic approach in type 2 diabetes. However, release of cortisol by 11β-HSD1 from adipose tissue and its effect on portal vein cortisol concentrations have not been quantified in vivo. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—Six healthy men underwent 9,11,12,12-[2H]4-cortisol infusions with simultaneous sampling of arterialized and superficial epigastric vein blood sampling. Four men with stable chronic liver disease and a transjugular intrahepatic porto-systemic shunt in situ underwent tracer infusion with simultaneous sampling from the portal vein, hepatic vein, and an arterialized peripheral vein. RESULTS—Significant cortisol and 9,12,12-[2H]3-cortisol release were observed from subcutaneous adipose tissue (15.0 [95% CI 0.4–29.5] and 8.7 [0.2–17.2] pmol · min−1 · 100 g−1 adipose tissue, respectively). Splanchnic release of cortisol and 9,12,12-[2H]3-cortisol (13.5 [3.6–23.5] and 8.0 [2.6–13.5] nmol/min, respectively) was accounted for entirely by the liver; release of cortisol from visceral tissues into portal vein was not detected. CONCLUSIONS—Cortisol is released from subcutaneous adipose tissue by 11β-HSD1 in humans, and increased enzyme expression in obesity is likely to increase local glucocorticoid signaling and contribute to whole-body cortisol regeneration. However, visceral adipose 11β-HSD1 activity is insufficient to increase portal vein cortisol concentrations and hence to influence intrahepatic glucocorticoid signaling.
Topoisomerase IIbeta is required for proper retinal development and survival of postmitotic cells

Summary Topoisomerase IIbeta (Top2b) is an enzyme that modulates DNA supercoiling by catalyzing the passage of DNA duplexes through one another. It is ubiquitously expressed in postmitotic cells and known to function during the development of neuromuscular junctions in the diaphragm and the proper formation of laminar structure in the cerebral cortex. However, due to the perinatal death phenotype of the traditional constitutive and brain-specific Top2b knockout mice, the precise in vivo function of Top2b, especially during postnatal neural development, remains to be determined. Using both the constitutive and retina-specific knockout mouse models, we showed that Top2b deficiency resulted in delayed neuronal differentiation, degeneration of the plexiform layers and outer segment of photoreceptors, as well as dramatic reduction in cell number in the retina. Genome-wide transcriptome analysis by RNA sequencing revealed that genes involved in neuronal survival and neural system development were preferentially affected in Top2b-deficient retinas. Collectively, our findings have indicated an important function of Top2b in proper development and the maintenance/survival of postmitotic neurons in the retina.
Clinical Medicine Insights: Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Disorders Value of Entheseal Ultrasonography and Serum Cartilage Oligomeric Matrix Protein in the Preclinical Diagnosis of Psoriatic Arthritis

Open Access Full open access to this and thousands of other papers at Abstract Objective: To evaluate the utility of entheseal ultrasonography and serum COMP in the preclinical diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis. Methods: 60 psoriatic patients were divided into: 30 patients with psoriasis (group I) and 30 patients with psoriatic arthritis as control (group II). They underwent independent clinical and ultrasonographic examination of both lower limbs at the calcaneal insertions of Achilles tendons. Psoriatic arthritis disease activity and severity was assessed by modified DAS28 and Steinbrockers scores. Serum levels of COMP were measured for all patients by ELISA. Results: On clinical examination, no entheseal abnormalities were detected in group I while they were present in 23.3% of group II with statistically significant difference between them (P  0.001). Ultrasonographic entheseal abnormalities were detected in 33.3% of group I and in 46.7% of group II with no significant difference between them (P  0.05). Serum COMP were significantly elevated in group I and II with no statistically significant difference between them (mean ± SD 5.9 ± 3 and 6.8 ± 12 respectively, P  0.05). Entheseal ultrasound was more specific (67%) while serum COMP was more sensitive (87%) in the preclinical diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis. Serum COMP levels were significantly correlated with CRP in both groups and with DAS28 and Steinbrockers scores in group II (P  0.01). Conclusion: Entheseal ultrasonography and serum COMP levels may be used complementary to each other for preclinical diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis. Serum COMP seems to be promising prognostic marker for psoriatic arthritis patients.
Integrative Approach to the Situational and Dispositional Antecedents of Job Satisfaction

This study examines the relationship between job satisfaction, positive affectivity, negative affectivity, distributive justice, and work group cohesion in China. All the survey instruments used in this study are well established multi-item scales that have been validated in English speaking populations. The statistical analysis shows that distributive justice, work group cohesion and positive affectivity are positively related to job satisfaction. The relationship between positively affectivity and job satisfaction is partially mediated via work group cohesion, and the relationship between negative affectivity and job satisfaction is completely mediated via work group cohesion and distributive justice. The research also finds that older workers are happier with their jobs than their younger counterparts. Keywords—Job satisfaction, Affectivity, Distributive justice, Work group cohesion
Speech perception abilities of adults with dyslexia: is there any evidence for a true deficit?

PURPOSE This study investigated whether adults with dyslexia show evidence of a consistent speech perception deficit by testing phoneme categorization and word perception in noise. METHOD Seventeen adults with dyslexia and 20 average readers underwent a test battery including standardized reading, language and phonological awareness tests, and tests of speech perception. Categorization of a pea/bee voicing contrast was evaluated using adaptive identification and discrimination tasks, presented in quiet and in noise, and a fixed-step discrimination task. Two further tests of word perception in noise were presented. RESULTS There were no significant group differences for categorization in quiet or noise, across- and within-category discrimination as measured adaptively, or word perception, but average readers showed better across- and within-category discrimination in the fixed-step discrimination task. Individuals did not show consistent poor performance across related tasks. CONCLUSIONS The small number of group differences, and lack of consistent poor individual performance, suggests weak support for a speech perception deficit in dyslexia. It seems likely that at least some poor performances are attributable to nonsensory factors like attention. It may also be that some individuals with dyslexia have speech perceptual acuity that is at the lower end of the normal range and exacerbated by nonsensory factors.
Identification of network-level coding units for real-time representation of episodic experiences in the hippocampus

To examine the network-level organizing principles by which the brain achieves its real-time encoding of episodic information, we have developed a 96-channel array to simultaneously record the activity patterns of as many as 260 individual neurons in the mouse hippocampus during various startling episodes. We find that the mnemonic startling episodes triggered firing changes in a set of CA1 neurons in both startle-type and environment-dependent manners. Pattern classification methods reveal that these firing changes form distinct ensemble representations in a low-dimensional encoding subspace. Application of a sliding window technique further enabled us to reliably capture not only the temporal dynamics of real-time network encoding but also postevent processing of newly formed ensemble traces. Our analyses revealed that the network-encoding power is derived from a set of functional coding units, termed neural cliques, in the CA1 network. The individual neurons within neural cliques exhibit “collective cospiking” dynamics that allow the neural clique to overcome the response variability of its members and to achieve real-time encoding robustness. Conversion of activation patterns of these coding unit assemblies into a set of real-time digital codes permits concise and universal representation and categorization of discrete behavioral episodes across different individual brains.
Fer-pixel extrusion mapping: The correction of the intersection point between the extrusion geometry and the viewing ray

Real-time rendering (Simulation, virtual Visits, 3D interactive, Games 3D) constitutes a major element of computer graphics, but the constraint of rendering speed does not allow to have high definition of all objects constituting the 3D scene. The traditional approach consists in using high definition meshes, having a very large number of vertices and triangles, but it is inappropriate for real-time rendering. Per-pixel extrusion mapping gives a serious alternative in this limitation by rendering the extruded surface without a polygonized silhouette. This paper takes advantage of programmable GPU's and related research as well as our approach the correction of the intersection points between the viewing ray and the surface generated by the extrusion of the binary shape and an extension of extrusion algorithm in order to create the outline extruded surfaces.
Stochastic extended Krylov subspace method for variational analysis of on-chip power grid networks

In this paper, we propose a novel stochastic method for analyzing the voltage drop variations of on-chip power grid networks with log-normal leakage current variations. The new-method, called StoEKS, applies Hermite polynomial chaos (PC) to represent the random variables in both power grid networks and input leakage currents. But different from the existing Hermit PC based stochastic simulation method, extended Krylov subspace method (EKS) is employed to compute variational responses using the augmented matrices consisting of the coefficients of Hermite polynomials. Our contribution lies in the combination of the statistical spectrum method with the extended Krylov subspace method to fast solve the variational circuit equations for the first time. Experimental results show that the proposed method is about two-order magnitude faster than the existing Hermite PC based simulation method and more order of magnitudes faster than Monte Carlo methods with marginal errors. StoEKS also can analyze much larger circuits than the exiting Hermit PC based methods.
Linköping University Post Print A Brain Computer Interface for Communication Using Real-Time fMRI

We present the first step towards a brain computer interface (BCI) for communication using real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The subject in the MR scanner sees a virtual keyboard and steers a cursor to select different letters that can be combined to create words. The cursor is moved to the left by activating the left hand, to the right by activating the right hand, down by activating the left toes and up by activating the right toes. To select a letter, the subject simply rests for a number of seconds. We can thus communicate with the subject in the scanner by for example showing questions that the subject can answer. Similar BCI for communication have been made with electroencephalography (EEG). In these implementations the subject for example focuses on a letter while different rows and columns of the virtual keyboard are flashing. The system then tries to detect if the correct letter is flashing or not. In our setup we instead classify the brain activity. Our system is not limited to a communication interface, but can be used for any interface where five degrees of freedom is necessary. Keywords-Brain computer interface, BCI, real-time fMRI, EEG, ANN, SVM
Epithelial Cell Proliferation Arrest Induced by Lactate and Acetate from Lactobacillus casei and Bifidobacterium breve

In an attempt to identify and characterize how symbiotic bacteria of the gut microbiota affect the molecular and cellular mechanisms of epithelial homeostasis, intestinal epithelial cells were co-cultured with either Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium as bona fide symbionts to examine potential gene modulations. In addition to genes involved in the innate immune response, genes encoding check-point molecules controlling the cell cycle were among the most modulated in the course of these interactions. In the m-ICcl2 murine cell line, genes encoding cyclin E1 and cyclin D1 were strongly down regulated by L. casei and B. breve respectively. Cell proliferation arrest was accordingly confirmed. Short chain fatty acids (SCFA) were the effectors of this modulation, alone or in conjunction with the acidic pH they generated. These results demonstrate that the production of SCFAs, a characteristic of these symbiotic microorganisms, is potentially an essential regulatory effector of epithelial proliferation in the gut.
Predicting Barge-in Utterance Errors by using Implicitly-Supervised ASR Accuracy and Barge-in Rate per User

Modeling of individual users is a promising way of improving the performance of spoken dialogue systems deployed for the general public and utilized repeatedly. We define "implicitly-supervised" ASR accuracy per user on the basis of responses following the system's explicit confirmations. We combine the estimated ASR accuracy with the user's barge-in rate, which represents how well the user is accustomed to using the system, to predict interpretation errors in barge-in utterances. Experimental results showed that the estimated ASR accuracy improved prediction performance. Since this ASR accuracy and the barge-in rate are obtainable at runtime, they improve prediction performance without the need for manual labeling.
Feature-Based Attention by Lateral Spike Synchronization

We introduce a neural model capable of feature selectiveness by spike-mediated synchronization through lateral synaptic couplings. For a stimulus containing two features, the attended one elicits a higher response. In the case of sequential single-feature stimuli, repetition of the attended feature also results in an enhanced response, exhibited by greater synchrony and higher spiking rates.
Inhibition of Protein Phosphatase 2A Radiosensitizes Pancreatic Cancers by Modulating CDC25C/CDK1 and Homologous Recombination Repair

Purpose: To identify targets whose inhibition may enhance the efficacy of chemoradiation in pancreatic cancer and thus improve survival, we conducted an siRNA library screen in pancreatic cancer cells. We investigated PPP2R1A, a scaffolding subunit of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) as a lead radiosensitizing target. Experimental Design: We determined the effect of PP2A inhibition by genetic (PPP2R1A siRNA) and pharmacologic (LB100, a small molecule entering phase I clinical trials) approaches on radiosensitization of Panc-1 and MiaPaCa-2 pancreatic cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo. Results: PPP2R1A depletion by siRNA radiosensitized Panc-1 and MiaPaCa-2 cells, with radiation enhancement ratios of 1.4 (P < 0.05). Likewise, LB100 produced similar radiosensitization in pancreatic cancer cells, but minimal radiosensitization in normal small intestinal cells. Mechanistically, PPP2R1A siRNA or LB100 caused aberrant CDK1 activation, likely resulting from accumulation of the active forms of PLK1 (pPLK1 T210) and CDC25C (pCDC25C T130). Furthermore, LB100 inhibited radiation-induced Rad51 focus formation and homologous recombination repair (HRR), ultimately leading to persistent radiation-induced DNA damage, as reflected by γ-H2AX expression. Finally, we identified CDC25C as a key PP2A substrate involved in LB100-mediated radiosensitization as depletion of CDC25C partially reversed LB100-mediated radiosensitization. In a mouse xenograft model of human pancreatic cancer, LB100 produced significant radiosensitization with minimal weight loss. Conclusions: Collectively, our data show that PP2A inhibition radiosensitizes pancreatic cancer both in vitro and in vivo via activation of CDC25C/CDK1 and inhibition of HRR, and provide proof-of-concept evidence that PP2A is a promising target for the improvement of local therapy in pancreatic cancer. Clin Cancer Res; 19(16); 4422–32. ©2013 AACR.
The Influence of Person Familiarity on Children's Social Information Processing

The Influence of Person Familiarity on Children’s Social Information Processing by Andrew J. Cummings Dr. Jennifer Rennels, Examination Committee Chair Associate Professor of Psychology University of Nevada, Las Vegas This study examined the influence person familiarity has on children’s social information processing (SIP) choices and emotion recognition. Children in grades 2 through 5 watch a videotaped expression of a familiar or unfamiliar individual while listening to a hypothetical social interaction. Following the video clip, children responded to open-ended questions and prompted questions designed to assess their strategies and goals in the social interaction. Children also selected from two choices (either ‘on purpose’ or ‘by accident’) for their attribution of the individual’s intent. Last, children identified the emotion that they believed the individual in the video was experiencing the most. For children’s open-ended response strategies, females were more likely to provide a relational response (i.e., a response that helps to maintain or strengthen the social relationship) compared to males when viewing an unfamiliar person. For the prompted response strategies, males were more likely to provide a relational response for a familiar compared to unfamiliar person. Children were also more likely to attribute purposeful intent to the unfamiliar than familiar person. The 2 and 3 grade children were more likely to make relational responses for the open-ended questions compared to the 4 and
A novel symbiovar (aegeanense) of the genus Ensifer nodulates Vigna unguiculata.

BACKGROUND Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) forms nitrogen-fixing root nodules with diverse symbiotic bacteria, mainly slow-growing rhizobial species belonging to the genus Bradyrhizobium, although a few studies have reported the isolation of fast-growing rhizobia under laboratory and field conditions. Although much research has been done on cowpea-nodulating bacteria in various countries around the world, very limited information is available on cowpea rhizobia in European soils. The aim of this study was to study the genetic and phenotypic diversity of indigenous cowpea-nodulating rhizobia in Greece. RESULTS The genetic diversity of indigenous rhizobia associated with cowpea was investigated through a polyphasic approach. ERIC-PCR based fingerprinting analysis grouped the isolates into three groups. Based on the analysis of the 16S rRNA genes, IGS and on the concatenation of six housekeeping genes (recA, glnII, gyrB, truA, thrA and SMc00019), rhizobial isolates were classified within the species Ensifer fredii. However, symbiotic gene phylogenies, based on nodC, nifH and rhcRST genes, showed that the Ensifer isolates are markedly diverged from type and reference strains of E. fredii and formed one clearly separate cluster. The E. fredii strains were able to nodulate and fix nitrogen in cowpea but not in soybean and common bean. CONCLUSION The present study showed that cowpea is nodulated under field conditions by fast-growing rhizobia belonging to the species E. fredii. Based on the phylogenies, similarity levels of symbiotic genes and the host range, the Ensifer isolates may constitute a new symbiovar for which the name 'aegeanense' is proposed. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.
Attitudes of Residence Hall Students toward Student-Athletes: Implications for Advising, Training and Programming. Research Report #19-89.

The studs' was conducted to assess residence hall student attitudes toward student-athletes at a predominantly white, eastern public institution. A total of 180 students living in traditional residence halls, suites, and apartments were sent the Situational Attitude Scale--Student-Athlete of whom 115 returned usable responses. Results showed that students felt more jealous, resentful, suspicious, and indignant toward a "student-athlete" than toward a student who has an expensive sports car. They felt more sad, disapproving, concerned, worried, and annoyed when a "student-athlete" is assigned to be their lab partner. They indicated they were more suspicious, disapproving, embarrassed, and disappointed when a "student-athlete" as opposed to a student in the room next door leaves school. Females had more positive attitudes than males in such situations as (1) a group of students or student-athletes fighting at a local bar, or, (2) a student or student-athlete being charged with destruction of property, or, (3) being assigned a student athlete as a lab partner. Attitude differences have major implications for residence life staff in the areas of advising, training, and programming. The survey instrument and 17 references are included. (JDD) *********************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ********************************,:************************************** ) COUNSELING CENTER Office of Vice President for Student Affairs UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND College Park, Maryland ATTITUDES OF RESIDENCE HALL STUDENTS TOWARD STUDENT-ATHLETES: IMPLICATIONS FOR ADVISING, TRAINING AND PROGRAMMING Cathy McHugh Engstrom and William E. Sediacek Research Report #19-89 "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC). " BEST COPY AVAILAbit *-'4,--"-f " ,-4,) e41*. -. , . , , . , ' ,,,,. ,. ,,,, X:-. , . 14-00Ezold. ;:,. r -:"s ,, t.tZ. --i. -,444,. c , 4. 4 . ;" -4-irts.0: : = i . , , . iii). 1,,,_k . 1. -,. ,. -. ame. ,. U.S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) 0 This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it 0 Minor changes have been made to Improve reproduction duality Pomts of view or opinions stated in this docu4 ment do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy COUNSELING CENTER UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND ATTITUDES OF RESIDENCE HALL STUDENTS TOWARD STUDENT-ATHLETES: IMPLICATIONS FOR ADVISING, TRAINING AND PROGRAMMING Cathy McHugh Engstrom and William E. Sedlacek Research Report #19-89 Thls study was conducted with the cooperation of the Depar) lit of Resident Life, University of Maryland at College Park. iputer time was also generously provided by the Computer Science Ce4nter, University of Maryland at College Park