Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Partial Blindness to Submicron Topography in NF1 Haploinsufficient Cultured Fibroblasts Indicates a New Function of Neurofibromin in Regulation of Mechanosensoric

Cells sense physical properties of their extracellular environment and translate them into biochemical signals. In this study, cell responses to surfaces with submicron topographies were investigated in cultured human NF1 haploinsufficient fibroblasts. Age-matched fibroblasts from 8 patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1+/–) and 9 controls (NF1+/+) were cultured on surfaces with grooves of 200 nm height and lateral distance of 2 µm. As cellular response indicator, the mean cell orientation along microstructured grooves was systematically examined. The tested NF1 haploinsufficient fibroblasts were significantly less affected by the topography than those from healthy donors. Incubation of the NF1+/– fibroblasts with the farnesyltransferase inhibitor FTI-277 and other inhibitors of the neurofibromin pathway ameliorates significantly the cell orientation. These data indicate that NF1 haploinsufficiency results in an altered response to specific surface topography in fibroblasts. We suggest a new function of neurofibromin in the sensoric mechanism to topographies and a partial mechanosensoric blindness by NF1 haploinsufficiency.
Dynamic Analysis of Learning in Behavioral Experiments

Understanding how an animal's ability to learn relates to neural activity or is altered by lesions, different attentional states, pharmacological interventions, or genetic manipulations are central questions in neuroscience. Although learning is a dynamic process, current analyses do not use dynamic estimation methods, require many trials across many animals to establish the occurrence of learning, and provide no consensus as how best to identify when learning has occurred. We develop a state-space model paradigm to characterize learning as the probability of a correct response as a function of trial number (learning curve). We compute the learning curve and its confidence intervals using a state-space smoothing algorithm and define the learning trial as the first trial on which there is reasonable certainty (>0.95) that a subject performs better than chance for the balance of the experiment. For a range of simulated learning experiments, the smoothing algorithm estimated learning curves with smaller mean integrated squared error and identified the learning trials with greater reliability than commonly used methods. The smoothing algorithm tracked easily the rapid learning of a monkey during a single session of an association learning experiment and identified learning 2 to 4 d earlier than accepted criteria for a rat in a 47 d procedural learning experiment. Our state-space paradigm estimates learning curves for single animals, gives a precise definition of learning, and suggests a coherent statistical framework for the design and analysis of learning experiments that could reduce the number of animals and trials per animal that these studies require.
Robust Audio Fingerprinting Based on Local Spectral Luminance Maxima Scheme

This paper proposes a robust audio ﬁngerprinting system based on local spectral luminance maxima (LSLM) scheme using image processing approaches. Our approach treats spectrogram of an audio clip as a 2-D image and extracts the local luminance maxima of spectrum image as the discriminative characteristics. LSLM are selected due to resilience against quantization, compression, and noise addition, etc. Experimental results show that the proposed binary audio ﬁngerprints outperform some of the state-of-the-art in the context of both robustness and reliability, especially in the noisy environment
Mechanical Properties of Reactive Powder Concrete Beams

Reactive powder concrete (RPC) is a new type of ultra high-strength and high ductility concrete first developed in the 1990’s in France. It is recognized as a revolutionary material that provides a combination of ductility, durability, and high strength. In this paper, the RPC mixture proportioning is optimized and its mechanical properties, such as compressive strength, flexural strength, elastic modulus, and its durability are tested and discussed. Based on the optimal mixture proportion, eight simply supported RPC beams are made and tested. The mechanical properties of RPC beams, including section deformation, load-displacement relationship, failure forms, crack distribution, crack extension, and ultimate flexural capacity, are discussed. It is concluded that RPC is an excellent material with high strength and durability. The section deformation of RPC beams is accordance with the assumption of a plane cross-section. Steel fiber is important to control the crack extension and to improve the ductility of RPC beams. For RPC beams without reinforcement, only one main crack occurred during the failure process, and for RPC beams with reinforcement there were many subordinate cracks created near the main cracks. If the amount of reinforcement is increased, the number of subordinate cracks will increase.
A review on energy efficient MAC protocols for wireless LANs

Energy efficiency is a major issue in any wireless networks. Medium access control (MAC) protocols play an important role in providing a fair and efficient allocation of the available bandwidth. Although a lot of research has been conducted on MAC protocols, the various issues involved have mostly been presented in isolation to each other. In this paper, we present a comprehensive review of energy efficiency MAC protocols for wireless LANs, integrating the issues and the challenges. We also present a classification of MAC protocols, based on the energy-efficiency, and describe them briefly.
23.4: Characteristics and Reliabilities of the Ion Beam Irradiated Polyimide as an LC Alignment Layer

In order to check stability and reliability of ion beam irradiated polyimide as an liquid crystal alignment layer of the fringe field switching mode, we measured cell parameters and anchoring energy of LC cell. By applying it to the actual 10.4″ XGA panel, the image sticking and reliability were checked and compared with those of the conventional rubbing process. From this work we found the possibility of an LC alignment layer based on ion beam irradiated polyimide.
Laser-assisted formation of micropipettes for biomedicine

Micropipettes become the important tools in many areas of science and technologies: in biomedical technology, in scanning near-field optical microscopy, in nanolithography etc. In this paper the research results of laser-assisted forming of micropipettes are presented. The main behaviors of micropipette shaping under laser heating are investigated. The influences of power density, of stretching force on the geometrical shape of micropipettes are studied. The mathematical model of process is also considered.
Mending the pieces: Computational mass spectrometry for small molecule fragmentation

The identification of small molecules from mass spectrometry (MS) data remains a major challenge in the interpretation of MS data. Computational aspects of identifying small molecules range from searching a reference spectral library to the structural elucidation of an unknown. In this review, we concentrate on five important aspects of the computational analysis: First, we briefly review the above-mentioned search in spectral libraries. Second, we investigate the rule-based in silico prediction of a fragmentation spectrum from the molecular structure of the compound. Third, we cover combinatorial fragmentation where a molecular structure is used to “explain” an observed spectrum. Fourth, we review the prediction of structural features using Machine Learning techniques. Finally, we look into the concept of fragmentation trees, which allows a true de novo analysis of fragmentation data. We find that novel computational methods may overcome the boundaries of spectral libraries, either by searching in the more comprehensive molecular structure databases, or by not requiring any databases at all.
A new permanent-magnet vernier in-wheel motor for electric vehicles

This paper proposes a new permanent-magnet vernier (PMV) in-wheel motor to meet the new demands arising from electric vehicles (EVs). It can offer the advantages of light weight, compact size and low-speed high-torque operation. The key is to newly introduce the flux-modulation poles (FMPs) which can effectively modulate the high-speed rotating field of the armature windings and the low-speed rotating field of the PM outer-rotor. By using the time-stepping finite element method (TS-FEM), the performance of the proposed machine can be accurately analyzed. In addition, a prototype is constructed to experimentally verify the simulation results.
Increased Vesicular Monoamine Transporter Binding during Early Abstinence In Human Methamphetamine Users: Is VMAT2 a Stable Dopamine Neuron Biomarker?

Animal data indicate that methamphetamine can damage striatal dopamine terminals. Efforts to document dopamine neuron damage in living brain of methamphetamine users have focused on the binding of [11C]dihydrotetrabenazine (DTBZ), a vesicular monoamine transporter (VMAT2) positron emission tomography (PET) radioligand, as a stable dopamine neuron biomarker. Previous PET data report a slight decrease in striatal [11C]DTBZ binding in human methamphetamine users after prolonged (mean, 3 years) abstinence, suggesting that the reduction would likely be substantial in early abstinence. We measured striatal VMAT2 binding in 16 recently withdrawn (mean, 19 d; range, 1–90 d) methamphetamine users and in 14 healthy matched-control subjects during a PET scan with (+)[11C]DTBZ. Unexpectedly, striatal (+)[11C]DTBZ binding was increased in methamphetamine users relative to controls (+22%, caudate; +12%, putamen; +11%, ventral striatum). Increased (+)[11C]DTBZ binding in caudate was most marked in methamphetamine users abstinent for 1–3 d (+41%), relative to the 7–21 d (+15%) and >21 d (+9%) groups. Above-normal VMAT2 binding in some drug users suggests that any toxic effect of methamphetamine on dopamine neurons might be masked by an increased (+)[11C]DTBZ binding and that VMAT2 radioligand binding might not be, as is generally assumed, a “stable” index of dopamine neuron integrity in vivo. One potential explanation for increased (+)[11C]DTBZ binding is that VMAT2 binding is sensitive to changes in vesicular dopamine storage levels, presumably low in drug users. If correct, (+)[11C]DTBZ might be a useful imaging probe to correlate changes in brain dopamine stores and behavior in users of methamphetamine.
Hydrophobic Modification of Natural Cellulose Fiber with MMA via Surface-Initiated ARGET ATRP

To convert the hydrophilic cotton fiber into hydrophobic, grafting methyl methacrylate (MMA) on cotton fiber surface using ARGET (activators regenerated by electron transfer) ATRP (atom transfer radical polymerization) was studied in this paper. Four parallel experiments with different reaction time (2h/4h/6h/8h) were designed. The modified cotton fibers and the untreated control were examined using FTIR, SEM and contact angle analysis. The results show that as the reaction time prolonged, the peak of carbonyl stretching band of 2-bromoester at 1730cm-1 was stronger and the surface of cotton fiber was rougher, which demonstrates MMA has been grafted on the surface of cotton fiber successively and its amount increases with the reaction time. As the results of contact angle measurement, it shows that the hydrophilicity of cotton fiber can easily be modified by grafting of MMA, but the increasing amount of grafting chain had no obvious effects on further improving its hydrophobicity.
Identification of time-varying linear channels

We present a new method for on-line identification of time-varying FIR channels. Two conditionally coupled estimators are proposed. In both cases an augmented-state adaptive Kalman filter is employed for tracking the time-varying channel and estimating the mean channel response. Coupled to the Kalman filter is an algorithm for estimating the parameters of the underlying auto-regressive (AR) model which describes the time evolution of the channel. For the first coupled estimator, we propose a new recursive least squares algorithm for estimation of these AR parameters directly from the channel observations. An alternative algorithm based on estimation of the channel covariance is used in the second coupled estimator. A simulation example demonstrates the performance of the proposed estimators.
Avoiding Endotracheal Ventilation to Prevent Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia: A Meta-analysis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Mechanical ventilation via an endotracheal tube is a risk factor for bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), one of the most common morbidities of very preterm infants. Our objective was to investigate the effect that strategies to avoid endotracheal mechanical ventilation (eMV) have on the incidence of BPD in preterm infants <30 weeks’ gestational age (GA). METHODS: In February 2013, we searched the databases Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Study selection criteria included randomized controlled trials published in peer-reviewed journals since the year 2000 that compared preterm infants <30 weeks’ GA treated by using a strategy aimed at avoiding eMV with a control group in which mechanical ventilation via an endotracheal tube was performed at an earlier stage. Data were extracted and analyzed by using the standard methods of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group. The authors independently assessed study eligibility and risk of bias, extracted data and calculated odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals, employing RevMan version 5.1. 6. RESULTS: We identified 7 trials that included a total of 3289 infants. The combined odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of death or BPD was 0.83 (0.71–0.96). The number needed to treat was 35. The study results were remarkably homogeneous. Avoiding eMV had no influence on the incidence of severe intraventricular hemorrhage. CONCLUSIONS: Strategies aimed at avoiding eMV in infants <30 weeks’ GA have a small but significant beneficial impact on preventing BPD.
Unified architecture level energy-efficiency metric

The development of power-efficient microprocessors presents the need to consider power consumption at early stages of design, particularly at the ISA and microarchitecture definition stages, where the potential for power savings is more significant than at lower-level stages, and the opportunity for making power-performance tradeoffs is the largest. Design modifications to the ISA and microarchitecture, however, affect most (if not all) parameters of the design, including architectural speed, code density, clocking rate and power. A reliable metric is required to make knowledgeable power-performance tradeoffs in this multi-dimensional space. This paper derives a unified energy-efficiency metric for evaluating ISA and microarchitecture features, which subsumes other commonly used power-performance metrics as special cases of a more general equation. This new metric is derived based on an analysis of a multi-dimensional power optimization problem, and the resulting formula involves only relative changes in the characteristics of a processor, enabling its application at the early stages of the design.
Web Spam Detection : link-based and content-based techniques

The Web is both an excellent medium for sharing information as well as an attractive platform for delivering products and services. This platform is, to some extent, mediated by search engines in order to meet the needs of users seeking information. Search engines are the “dragons” that keep a valuable treasure: information [13]. Given the vast amount of information available on the Web, it is customary to answer queries with only a small set of results (typically 10 or 20 pages at most). Search engines must then rank Web pages, in order to create a short list of high-quality results for users. Web spam can significantly deteriorate the quality of search engine results. Thus there is a large incentive for commercial search engines to detect spam pages efficiently and accurately. Here we present the main techniques recently introduced for Web Spam detection e demotion.
WSCLOCK—a simple and effective algorithm for virtual memory management

A new virtual memory management algorithm WSCLOCK has been synthesized from the local working set (WS) algorithm, the global CLOCK algorithm, and a new load control mechanism for auxiliary memory access. The new algorithm combines the most useful feature of WS—a natural and effective load control that prevents thrashing—with the simplicity and efficiency of CLOCK. Studies are presented to show that the performance of WS and WSCLOCK are equivalent, even if the savings in overhead are ignored.
High Blood Pressure, Physical and Cognitive Function, and Risk of Stroke in the Oldest Old: The Leiden 85-Plus Study

Background and Purpose— Epidemiological studies have shown mixed findings on the association between hypertension and stroke in the oldest old. Heterogeneity of the populations under study may underlie variation in outcomes. We examined whether the level of physical and cognitive function moderates the association between blood pressure and stroke. Methods— We included 513 subjects aged 85 years old from the population-based Leiden 85-plus Study. Systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, and pulse pressure were measured at baseline. Activities of daily living and Mini-Mental State Examination were assessed to estimate level of physical and cognitive function, respectively. Five-year risk of stroke was estimated with Cox regression analysis. Results— In the entire cohort, there were no associations between various measures of blood pressure and risk of stroke except for the inverse relation between pulse pressure and stroke risk (hazard ratio [HR], 0.80 [95% confidence interval [CI], 0.66–0.98]). Among subjects with impaired physical functioning, higher systolic blood pressure (HR, 0.74 [95% CI, 0.59–0.92]), mean arterial pressure (HR: 0.68 [95% CI, 0.47–0.97]), and pulse pressure (HR, 0.71 [95% CI, 0.55–0.93]) were associated with reduced risk of stroke. Likewise, among subjects with impaired cognitive functioning, higher systolic blood pressure was associated with reduced risk of stroke (HR, 0.80 [95% CI, 0.65–0.98]). In subjects with unimpaired cognitive functioning, higher diastolic blood pressure (HR: 1.98 [95% CI, 1.21–3.22]) and mean arterial pressure (HR, 1.70 [95% CI, 1.08–2.68]) were associated with higher risk of stroke. Conclusions— Our findings suggest that impaired physical and cognitive function moderates the association between blood pressure and stroke.
Evaluating Task Performance for a Unidirectional Controlled Language Medical Speech Translation System

We present a task-level evaluation of the French to English version of MedSLT, a medium-vocabulary unidirectional controlled language medical speech translation system designed for doctor-patient diagnosis interviews. Our main goal was to establish task performance levels of novice users and compare them to expert users. Tests were carried out on eight medical students with no previous exposure to the system, with each student using the system for a total of three sessions. By the end of the third session, all the students were able to use the system confidently, with an average task completion time of about 4 minutes.
Image distortion correction in EPI: Comparison of field mapping with point spread function mapping

Echo‐planar imaging (EPI) can provide rapid imaging by acquiring a complete k‐space data set in a single acquisition. However, this approach suffers from distortion effects in geometry and intensity, resulting in poor image quality. The distortions, caused primarily by field inhomogeneities, lead to intensity loss and voxel shifts, the latter of which are particularly severe in the phase‐encode direction. Two promising approaches to correct the distortion in EPI are field mapping and point spread function (PSF) mapping. The field mapping method measures the field distortions and translates these into voxel shifts, which can be used to assign image intensities to the correct voxel locations. The PSF approach uses acquisitions with additional phase‐encoding gradients applied in the x, y, and/or z directions to map the 1D, 2D, or 3D PSF of each voxel. These PSFs encode the spatial information about the distortion and the overall distribution of intensities from a single voxel. The measured image is the convolution of the undistorted density and the PSF. Measuring the PSF allows the distortion in geometry and intensity to be corrected. This work compares the efficacy of these methods with equal time allowed for field mapping and PSF mapping. Magn Reson Med 48:137–146, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Advanced-UV excimer laser processing

High energy excimer lasers lend maximum flexibility to laser microprocessing, since virtually every material is amenable to accurate, high resolution material ablation without subsequent post treatment. Due to the UV photons provided with no up-conversion required as direct output by excimer lasers, output powers of many hundred watts are easily achievable and are key to high throughput, and up-scaling capability of manufacturing processes. In particular, the large flat-top excimer laser profile is well-suited for most efficient parallel processing of two and three dimensional microstructures. Compact micromachining concepts particularly suited for material ablation and surface activation will be introduced.
An essential role of Cav1.2 L‐type calcium channel for urinary bladder function

Mice deficient in the smooth muscle Cav1.2 calcium channel (SMACKO, smooth muscle α1c‐ subunit calcium channel knockout) have a severely reduced micturition and an increased bladder mass. L‐type calcium current, protein, and spontaneous contractile activity were absent in the bladder of SMACKO mice. K+ and carbachol (CCh)‐induced contractions were reduced to 10‐ fold in detrusor muscles from SMACKO mice. The dihydropyridine isradipine inhibited K+‐ and CCh‐induced contractions of muscles from CTR but had no effect in muscles from SMACKO mice. CCh‐induced contraction was blocked by removing extracellular Ca2+ but was unaffected by the PLC inhibitor U73122 or depletion of intracellular Ca2+ stores by thapsigargin. In muscles from CTR and SMACKO mice, CCh‐induced contraction was partially inhibited by the Rho‐ kinase inhibitor Y27632. These results show that the Cav1.2 Ca2+ channel is essential for normal bladder function. The Rho‐kinase and Ca2+‐release pathways cannot compensate the lack of the L‐type Ca2+ channel.