Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparative Approaches in Neurobiology Cortical plasticity following stripe rearing in the marsupial Monodelphis domestica : neural response properties of V 1

Dooley JC, Donaldson MS, Krubitzer LA. Cortical plasticity following stripe rearing in the marsupial Monodelphis domestica: neural response properties of V1. J Neurophysiol 117: 566–581, 2017. First published November 16, 2016; doi:10.1152/jn.00431. 2016. —The functional organization of the primary visual area (V1) and the importance of sensory experience in its normal development have been well documented in eutherian mammals. However, very few studies have investigated the response properties of V1 neurons in another large class of mammals, or whether sensory experience plays a role in shaping their response properties. Thus we reared opossums (Monodelphis domestica) in normal and vertically striped cages until they reached adulthood. They were then anesthetized using urethane, and electrophysiological techniques were used to examine neuronal responses to different orientations, spatial and temporal frequencies, and contrast levels. For normal opossums, we observed responses to the temporal and spatial characteristics of the stimulus to be similar to those described in small, nocturnal, eutherian mammals such as rats and mice; neurons in V1 responded maximally to stimuli at 0.09 cycles per degree and 2.12 cycles per second. Unlike other eutherians, but similar to other marsupials investigated, only 40% of the neurons were orientation selective. In stripe-reared animals, neurons were significantly more likely to respond to vertical stimuli at a wider range of spatial frequencies, and were more sensitive to gratings at lower contrast values compared with normal animals. These results are the first to demonstrate experience-dependent plasticity in the visual system of a marsupial species. Thus the ability of cortical neurons to alter their properties based on the dynamics of the visual environment predates the emergence of eutherian mammals and was likely present in our earliest mammalian ancestors.
Nature and Development of Econophysics: A Short Report

In this work I offer a brief non-technical, but rigorous report of econophysics; starting from the relations between physics and economics, I focus my considerations about the studied problems and the utilized methods, arriving to present an interesting view concerning the present of the discipline and some lines of the current research referred to theoretical physics.
Robust Estimation for Mixture of Probability Tables based on β-likelihood

Modeling of a large joint probability table is problematic when its variables have a large number of categories. In such a case, a mixture of simpler probability tables could be a good model. And the estimation of such a large probability table frequently has another problem of data sparseness. When constructing mixture models with sparse data, EM estimators based on the β-likelihood are expected more appropriate than those based on the log likelihood. Experimental results show that a mixture model estimated by the βlikelihood approximates a large joint probability table with sparse data more appropriately than EM estimators.
Murine monoclonal antibodies against carcinoembryonic antigen: immunological, pharmacokinetic, and targeting properties in humans.

We have examined three 131I-labeled murine monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), NP-2, NP-3, and NP-4, after i.v. injection in patients with diverse cancers. Although the MAbs had a similar tumor-targeting ability, several important features were discovered that have led us to the selection of one of these MAbs for further clinical evaluation. We found that it is important to evaluate MAbs with a high immunoreactivity. For example, the MAb NP-2 was used initially in patients with an immunoreactivity between 35 and 50%. Although the tumor-imaging properties of this MAb compared favorably with the affinity-purified, goat anti-CEA antibody that we used previously, further purification of NP-2 to an immunoreactivity greater than 70% uncovered a previously unknown cross-reactivity with human granulocytes. It was also discovered that the MAbs differed in their ability to complex with CEA in the blood. Plasma samples were analyzed by gel filtration at 1 or 24 h after injection. The formation of complexes with circulating CEA was dependent on the CEA:MAb ratio in the blood. NP-3 complexed to a greater degree with CEA than NP-4, but NP-2 did not complex with CEA even at CEA:NP-2 ratios of 55 to 1. NP-3 commonly showed enhanced uptake in the colon by external scintigraphy, and examination of the radioactivity in the stool showed that most of the radioactivity was associated with whole IgG and large-sized fragments of NP-3. We also compared the rate of elimination of radioactivity from the blood for all of the MAbs and compared the clearance of NP-3 to NP-4 at three different ranges of MAb protein doses (less than 1.0 mg, 1 to 5 mg, and 5 to 20 mg). The blood clearance rate for NP-3 was fastest among the other MAbs at protein doses exceeding 1.0 mg. Patients given less than 1.0 mg of NP-4 had a significantly (P less than 0.005) shorter elimination half-life than patients given more than 1.0 mg of NP-4. By virtue of NP-4's good targeting properties in patients and its limited complexation with circulating CEA, it was selected as the MAb of choice for CEA tumor imaging.
FUZZY ROC CURVES FOR THE 1 CLASS SVM: APPLICATION TO INTRUSION DETECTION

A novel method for receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and anomoly detection is proposed. The ROC curve provides a measure of effectiveness for binary classification problems, and this pa- per specifically addresses unbalanced, unsupervised, binary classification problems. Furthermore, this work explores techniques in fusing decision values from classifiers and using ROC curves to illustrate the effectiveness of the fusion techniques. In describing an unbalanced classification prob- lem, we are addressing a problem that has a low occurrence of the positive class (generally less than 10%). Since the problem is unsupervised, the 1 class SVM is utilized. We discuss the curse of dimensionality experienced with the 1 class SVM, and to overcome this problem we create subspaces of our variables. For each subspace created, the 1 class SVM produces a decision value. The aggregation of the decision values occurs through the use of fuzzy logic, creating the fuzzy ROC curve. The primary source of data for this research is a host based computer intrusion detection dataset.
Bearing diagnosis methodologies by means of Common Mode Current

The most bearings diagnosis methodologies has been designed typically by means of vibration analysis, but a numerous studies in the last years are focused in non-invasive techniques Motor Current Signature Analysis (MCSA) based. This paper shows two different methodologies for bearings diagnosis over induction motors by means of the stator Common Mode Current (CMC). It is acquired directly the CMC from the source that inverter provide to the motor. The first analysis is performed directly over a temporal acquisition of stator CMC. The second analysis is based in the spectral analysis of a single CMC discharge. It is shown also the development of a CMC probe, which corresponds to the tool used to check the first methodology. Finally, it is presented a vibration analysis over the same induction motors in order to confirm the bearings diagnosis extracted from the previous methodologies CMC based.
A methodology for setting grasping force for picking up an object with unknown weight, friction, and stiffness

A methodology for setting the reference value of a grasping force when a multi-finger robotic hand grasps and lifts up an object without knowing its characteristic weight, coefficient of static friction, and stiffness was devised. The grasping force must be set to avoid dropping or deforming the object. To fulfill this requirement, the methodology measures object characteristics by detecting the moment of deformation or slipping according to the deflection of a mechanical passive element. The reference value of grasping force is set according to an upper limit to avoid crushing and a lower limit for lifting up the object calculated from the object's above-mentioned characteristics. The degree of the accuracy of object characteristic measurements was evaluated through experiments using an actual human-mimetic hand-arm system. Finally we validated that the system can pick up objects with the grasping force set by our methodology.
Missing data in open-data era – a barrier to multiomics integration

Abstract The exploration of complex interactions in biological systems is one of the main aims in nature science nowadays. Progress in this area is possible because of high-throughput omics technologies and the computational surge. The development of analytical methods “is trying to keep pace” with the development of molecular biology methods that provide increasingly large amounts of data – omics data. Specialized databases consist of ever-larger collections of experiments that are usually conducted by one next-generation sequencing technique (e.g. RNA-seq). Other databases integrate data by defining qualitative relationships between individual objects in the form of ontologies, interactions, and pathways (e.g. GO, KEGG, and String). However, there are no open-source complementary quantitative data sets for the biological processes studied, including information from many levels of the organism organization, which would allow the development of multidimensional data analysis methods (multiscale and insightful overviews of biological processes). In the paper, the lack of omics complementary quantitative data set, which would help integrate the defined qualitative biological relationships of individual biomolecules with statistical, computational methods, is discussed.
Smartphone-based fall detection algorithm using feature extraction

The danger of falling among the elderly is a public concern and is becoming an important issue that needs further attention. Sensors embedded in smartphones provide information about user activity, such as the accelerometer which is widely used in fall detection. In this paper, we propose a fall detection algorithm which is formed by feature extraction processing and recognition processing. A total of six features were calculated in feature extraction processing. Four of them are related to the gravity vector which is extracted from accelerometer data by using low-pass filtering. As falling mostly occurs in a vertical direction, the gravity-related features are useful. In recognition processing, a set of six features was clustered by support vector machine. The main feature - acceleration in the gravity vector direction - contains the vertical directional information and provides a distinct pattern of fall-related activity. This feature acts as a trigger-key in recognition processing to avoid false alarms which lead to excessive computation. The results show that our algorithm could achieve a sensitivity of 96.67% and specificity of 95%.
Understanding the host inflammatory response to wound infection: An in vivo study of K
lebsiella pneumoniae in a rabbit ear wound model

Wound infection development is critically dependent on the complex interactions between bacteria and host. Klebsiella pneumoniae has become an increasingly common wound pathogen, but its natural history within wounds has never been studied. Using a validated, in vivo rabbit ear model, wounds were inoculated with K. pneumoniae at different concentrations (102–107 colony‐forming units) with measurement of viable and nonviable bacterial counts, histological wound‐healing parameters, and host inflammatory gene expression at multiple time points postinoculation (48, 96, and 240 hours). Bacteria and wound morphologies were evaluated with scanning electron microscopy. Comparable experiments were performed in ischemic ears to model immune response impairment. All wounds, despite different inoculants, equilibrated to similar bacterial concentrations by 96 hours. With a 106 colony‐forming units inoculant, wounds at 240 hours showed decreased bacterial counts (p < 0.01), with a corresponding improvement in healing (p < 0.01) and a decrease in inflammatory response (p < 0.05). In contrast, ischemic wounds revealed impaired inflammatory gene expression (p < 0.05) resulting in higher steady‐state bacterial concentrations (p < 0.01), impaired healing (p < 0.05), and biofilm formation on scanning electron microscopy. We conclude that a normal inflammatory response can effectively stabilize and overcome a K. pneumoniae wound infection. An impaired host cannot control this bacterial burden, preventing adequate healing while allowing bacteria to establish a chronic presence. Our novel study quantitatively validates the host immune response as integral to wound infection dynamics.
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Motor Cortex Activation in Schizophrenia

Previous fMRI studies of sensorimotor activation in schizophrenia have found in some cases hypoactivity, no difference, or hyperactivity when comparing patients with controls; similar disagreement exists in studies of motor laterality. In this multi-site fMRI study of a sensorimotor task in individuals with chronic schizophrenia and matched healthy controls, subjects responded with a right-handed finger press to an irregularly flashing visual checker board. The analysis includes eighty-five subjects with schizophrenia diagnosed according to the DSM-IV criteria and eighty-six healthy volunteer subjects. Voxel-wise statistical parametric maps were generated for each subject and analyzed for group differences; the percent Blood Oxygenation Level Dependent (BOLD) signal changes were also calculated over predefined anatomical regions of the primary sensory, motor, and visual cortex. Both healthy controls and subjects with schizophrenia showed strongly lateralized activation in the precentral gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus, and inferior parietal lobule, and strong activations in the visual cortex. There were no significant differences between subjects with schizophrenia and controls in this multi-site fMRI study. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in laterality found between healthy controls and schizophrenic subjects. This study can serve as a baseline measurement of schizophrenic dysfunction in other cognitive processes. Graphical Abstract
Correlated mutations in the four influenza proteins essential for viral RNA synthesis , host adaptation , and virulence : NP , PA , PB 1 , and PB 2

The NP, PA, PB1, and PB2 proteins of influenza viruses together are responsible for the transcription and replication of viral RNA, and the latter three proteins comprise the viral polymerase. Two recent reports indicated that the mutation at site 627 of PB2 plays a key role in host range and increased virulence of influenza viruses, and could be compensated by multiple mutations at other sites of PB2, suggesting the association of this mutation with those at other sites. The objective of this study was to analyze the co-mutated sites within and between these important proteins of influenza. With mutual information, a set of statistically significant comutated position pairs (P value = 0) in NP, PA, PB1, and PB2 of avian, human, pandemic 2009 H1N1, and swine influenza were identified, based on which several highly connected networks of correlated sites in NP, PA, PB1, and PB2 were discovered. These correlation networks further illustrated the inner functional dependence of the four proteins that are critical for host adaptation and pathogenicity. Mutual information was also applied to quantify the correlation of sites within each individual protein and between proteins. In general, the inter protein correlation of the four proteins was stronger than the intra protein correlation. Finally, the correlation patterns of the four proteins of pandemic 2009 H1N1 were found to be closer to those of avian and human than to swine influenza, thus rendering a novel insight into the interaction of the four proteins of the pandemic 2009 H1N1 virus when compared to avian, human, and swine influenza and how the origin of these four proteins might affect the correlation patterns uncovered in this analysis.
Software Defined Networking

This paper investigates the notion of software-defined networking (SDN), whose southbound interface can be applied through the OpenFlow protocol. The aim of this study is to discover the SDN architecture and the OpenFlow standard in some details. In addition, to look at implementing their tools on the oil company network. The simulation is done using mixing between a network emulator Mininet and Ryu controller with using python scripts.
Just a Dare or Unaware? Outcomes and Motives of Drugging (“Drink Spiking”) Among Students at Three College Campuses

Objective: Drugging (administering a drug to someone without their knowledge or consent) is acknowledged as a problem in “watch your drink” campaigns. However, research on this phenomenon is nascent. Prior research has primarily focused on drugging as a means of sexual assault, and has not addressed drugging more generally. Method: Survey data from 6,064 students at 3 universities was used to explore drugging among those who had drugged someone (or knew someone who had) and those who had been drugged. Results: More than 1 in 13 students reported being drugged (462 students, 7.8% of the sample, reported 539 incidents), and 83 students (1.4%) reported 172 incidents of drugging someone. Participants’ perceptions of why people drug others varied by gender. Women were much more likely to mention sex or sexual assault as a motive, while men were more likely to mention having fun as a motive. Participants also mentioned getting others more drunk or high and getting someone to relax as motives. It is possible that some motives (e.g., “to ‘loosen’ me up”) could be euphemisms for more coercive or sexual motives not directly stated. Outcomes for those drugged were also gendered, with female victims experiencing more negative outcomes, including sexual assault, blacking out, and getting sick. Although over 4 out of 5 of victims reported negative outcomes, a small number of (mostly male) victims said they enjoyed being drugged. Conclusions: To design interventions to prevent the negative consequences of drugging, the full context of drugging must be better understood.
Verification of Collision Avoidance Systems using Reachability Analysis

This paper presents a method for formal verification of automotive collision avoidance systems. Using viability theory and reachability analysis, we define when the system should intervene, i.e. the unsafe set, and when the system should not intervene, i.e. the safe set. Given these sets, we formulate the problem of verifying that a given system does not make incorrect decisions as an optimization problem. The method is demonstrated on a collision avoidance system example and, given the models used and absence of measurements errors, we show that the system does not make incorrect decisions. Furthermore, we describe and demonstrate how to evaluate the robustness to measurement errors, using the proposed framework.
A database of printed Jawi character image

In this paper we present a printed Jawi character database for recognition research. Currently, there are Latin or Arabic character databases, while the database of Jawi character has not existed yet, neither printed nor handwritten. The database was developed to help the researcher analising and evaluating Jawi character recognition method. The characters, words and sentences were typed in a word processing application, then printed and scanned into image format. The database contains 1524 characters from four types of fonts. Besides that, the database also includes 168 printed word and sentence image.
Menopausal status could modify breast cancer risk associated with the fokI polymorphism in vitamin D receptor gene : a meta-analysis

The FokI polymorphism in vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene has been reported to influence the risk of breast cancer among females. However, the association between the FokI polymorphism and breast cancer risk could probably be interfered by menopausal status. Actually, there is inconsistent evidence about the association among premenopausal and postmenopausal women. A meta-analysis was conducted to precisely estimate the association between the FokI polymorphism and breast cancer risk stratified by menopausal status. Two eligible case-control studies involving 1,526 cases and 2,058 control subjects among premenopausal women and five eligible studies involving 7,738 cases and 10,453 control subjects among postmenopausal women were identified through searching PubMed, Web of Science, CNKI and CBM. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by using a fixed-effect model or random-effect model based on the result of significant test for heterogeneity. The results showed that no overall significant breast cancer risk was found to be associated with any genetic contrast model of the FokI polymorphism among premenopausal women, while overall significant breast cancer risk was associated with the homozygous model (OR=1.106, 95% CI=1.011-1.211; PQ=0.153, I 2=40.3% for ff vs. FF) and the dominant model (OR=1.105, 95% CI=1.017-1.200; PQ=0.545, I 2=0.0% for ff vs. Ff+FF) of the FokI polymorphism among postmenopausal women, respectively. Begg’s test and Egger’s test for all genetic contrast models did not support the publication bias of the studies in postmenopausal women. Therefore, the VDR FokI polymorphism may represent a risk factor of breast cancer among postmenopausal women, whereas not among premenopausal women. More studies are warranted to evaluate the association of the FokI polymorphism with breast cancer risk stratified by menopausal status worldwide.
The Processing on Different Types of English Formulaic Sequences

Formulaic sequences are found to be processed faster than their matched novel phrases in previous studies. Given the variety of formulaic types, few studies have compared processing on different types of formulaic sequences. The present study explored the processing among idioms, speech formulae and written formulae. It has been found that in addition to the processing advantage of formulaic sequences as compared to the nonformulaic phrases, frequent written formulaic sequences were processed faster than the infrequent idioms. The results suggested that when processing advantage was concerned, both the holistic storage view and the frequency effect need to be considered.
Real-time gesture recognition using a humanoid robot with a deep neural architecture

Dynamic gesture recognition is one of the most interesting and challenging areas of Human-Robot-Interaction (HRI). Problems like image segmentation, temporal and spatial feature extraction and real time recognition are the most promising issues to name in this context. This work proposes a deep neural model to recognize dynamic gestures with minimal image preprocessing and real time recognition in an experimental set up using a humanoid robot. We conducted two experiments with command gestures in an offline fashion and for demonstration in a Human-Robot-Interaction (HRI) scenario. Our results showed that the proposed model achieves high classification rates of the gestures executed by different subjects, who perform them with varying speed. With our additional audio feedback we demonstrate that our system performs in real time.
Generalized evolution of bivariate copulas in discrete processes

There has been much interest in copulas, which are known to provide a flexible tool for analyzing the dependence structure among random variables. Dependence relations must be dynamic rather than static in nature. However, copulas are useful mainly for static matters; their definitions themselves do not contain time variables. Thus we introduce evolving copulas, which transform through time autonomously as governed by recurrence relation.