Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Small but Manifold – Hidden Diversity in “Spumella‐like Flagellates”

Colourless, nonscaled chrysophytes comprise morphologically similar or even indistinguishable flagellates which are important bacterivors in water and soil crucial for ecosystem functioning. However, phylogenetic analyses indicate a multiple origin of such colourless, nonscaled flagellate lineages. These flagellates are often referred to as “Spumella‐like flagellates” in ecological and biogeographic studies. Although this denomination reflects an assumed polyphyly, it obscures the phylogenetic and taxonomic diversity of this important flagellate group and, thus, hinders progress in lineage‐ and taxon‐specific ecological surveys. The smallest representatives of colourless chrysophytes have been addressed in very few taxonomic studies although they are among the dominant flagellates in field communities. To overcome the blurred picture and set the field for further investigation in biogeography and ecology of the organisms in question, we studied a set of strains of specifically small, colourless, nonscaled chrysomonad flagellates by means of electron microscopy and molecular analyses. They were isolated by a filtration‐acclimatisation approach focusing on flagellates of around 5 μm. We present the phylogenetic position of eight different lineages on both the ordinal and the generic level. Accordingly, we describe the new genera Apoikiospumella, Chromulinospumella, Segregatospumella, Cornospumella and Acrispumella Boenigk et Grossmann n. g. and different species within them.
Social Networking and Interpersonal Communication and Conflict Resolution Skills among College Freshmen

Social networking is a current phenomenon that consists of both web-based communication with Internet users through websites and interaction with others via cellular phones. A survey conducted on 2,277 American adults found that 18-24 year olds sent or received an average of 109.5 text messages per day, which works out to be more than 3,200 text messages per month. Further, it was estimated that 713 million people ages 15 or older, which was 14% of the global population, used the Internet in June 2006, with 153 million being in the United States. The purpose of this study at social networking, specifically the activities of texting and use of the social network site (SNS) Facebook, and its impact on communication and conflict resolution skills. Twenty two college freshmen responded to an anonymous survey addressing their daily activities in social networking as well as general attitudes regarding communication and conflict resolution. The findings of this research suggest that individuals consider face-to-face interaction the most effective and preferred means to communicate and resolve conflict with others. However, the results also indicate that individuals participate in daily social networking activities at a higher rate than what has been found in previous studies. Further, participants reported using texting and Facebook to communicate and resolve conflicts in their in everyday life. Future research is necessary and encouraged to examine how social networking relates to the skills of communication and conflict resolution and its impact on interpersonal functioning.
Learning to Navigate Web Forms

Given a particular update request to a WWW system, users are faced with the navigation problem of finding the correct form to accomplish the update request. In a large system, such as SAP with about 10,000 relations for the standard installation, users are faced with a sea of thousands of forms to navigate. For familiar tasks, users have various aids, such as personal tool bars, but for more complex tasks, users are forced to search or navigate for the correct form, or forward the update request to a specialist with the expertise to handle the request. In this later case, the execution of the request may be delayed since the specialist may be unavailable, or have other priorities. Also, typically the user and specialist engaged in a time consuming clarification dialog to extract additional information required to complete the request. In this paper we study the problem of building an assistant for the navigation problem for web forms. This assistant can be deployed either directly to a user, or to specialist that receives a stream of requests from users. In the former case the assistant helps the user navigate to the right form. In the latter case, the assistant cuts ambiguous communication between the user and specialist. We present experimental results from behavioral experiments and machine learning that demonstrate the usefulness of our assistant.
Simultaneous z‐shim method for reducing susceptibility artifacts with multiple transmitters

The signal loss susceptibility artifact is a major limitation in gradient‐echo MRI applications. Various methods, including z‐shim techniques and multidimensional tailored radio frequency (RF) pulses, have been proposed to mitigate the through‐plane signal loss artifact, which is dominant in axial slices above the sinus region. Unfortunately, z‐shim techniques require multiple steps and multidimensional RF methods are complex, with long pulse lengths. Parallel transmission methods were recently shown to be promising for improving B1 inhomogeneity and reducing the specific absorption rate. In this work, a novel method using time‐shifted slice‐select RF pulses is presented for reducing the through‐plane signal loss artifact in parallel transmission applications. A simultaneous z‐shim is obtained by concurrently applying unique time‐shifted pulses on each transmitter. The method is shown to reduce the signal loss susceptibility artifact in gradient‐echo images using a four‐channel parallel transmission system at 3T. Magn Reson Med 61:255–259, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The membrane skeleton of a unicellular organism consists of bridged, articulating strips

In this paper we show that a membrane skeleton associated with the plasma membrane of the unicellular organism Euglena consists of approximately 40 individual S-shaped strips that overlap along their lateral margins. The region of strip overlap is occupied by a set of microtubule-associated bridges and microtubule-independent bridges. Both cell form and plasma membrane organization are dependent on the integrity of this membrane skeleton. Removal of the membrane skeleton with a low-molar base results in loss of membrane form and randomization of the paracrystalline membrane interior characteristic of untreated cells. Conversely, removal of the plasma membrane and residual cytoplasm with lithium 3,5-diiodosalicylate/Nonidet P-40 yields cell ghosts that retain the form of the original cell but consist only of the membrane skeleton. Two major polypeptides of 86 and 80 KD persist in the skeleton and two other major proteins of 68 and 39 kD are associated with the plasma membrane fraction. None of these components appears to be the same as the major polypeptides (spectrins, band 3) of the erythrocyte ghost, the other cell system in which a well- defined peripheral membrane skeleton has been identified. We suggest that the articulating strips of euglenoids are not only the basic unit of cell and surface form, but that they are also positioned to mediate or accommodate surface movements by sliding, and to permit surface replication by intussusception.
VC dimension bounds for product unit networks

A product unit is a formal neuron that multiplies its input values instead of summing them. Furthermore, it has weights acting as exponents instead of being factors. We investigate the complexity of learning for networks containing product units. We establish bounds on the Vapnik-Chervonenkis (VC) dimension that can be used to assess the generalization capabilities of these networks. In particular, we show that the VC dimension for these networks is not larger than the best known bound for sigmoidal networks. For higher-order networks we derive upper bounds that are independent of the degree of these networks. We also contrast these results with lower bounds.
SPICE: a business process diagnostics tool for construction projects

The construction sector is under growing pressure to increase productivity and improve quality, most notably in reports by Latham (1994, Constructing the Team, HMSO, London) and Egan (1998, Rethinking Construction, HMSO, London). A major problem for construction companies is the lack of project predictability. One method of increasing predictability and delivering increased customer value is through the systematic management of construction processes. However, the industry has no methodological mechanism to assess process capability and prioritise process improvements. Standardized Process Improvement for Construction Enterprises (SPICE) is a research project that is attempting to develop a stepwise process improvement framework for the construction industry, utilizing experience from the software industry, and in particular the Capability Maturity Model (CMM), which has resulted in significant productivity improvements in the software industry. This paper introduces SPICE concepts and presents the results from two case studies conducted on design and build projects. These studies have provided further in‐sight into the relevance and accuracy of the framework, as well as its value for the construction sector.
Development of a rabbit corneal equivalent using an acellular corneal matrix of a porcine substrate

Purpose The tissue equivalent that mimics the structure and function of normal tissue is a major bioengineering challenge. Tissue engineered replacement of diseased or damaged tissue has become a reality for some types of tissue such as skin and cartilage. The tissue engineered corneal epithelium, stroma, and endothelium scaffold are promising concepts in overcoming the current limitations of a cornea replacement with an allograft. Methods The acellular corneal matrix from porcine (ACMP) was examined as a potential corneal cell sheet frame. The physical and mechanical properties of strength, expansion, transparency, and water content of the ACMP were measured. The major antigens of the cell components were completely removed with series of extraction methods, the major antigens of the cell components were identified by hematoxylin and eosin (HE), immunofluorescence staining, and scanning electron microscopy. The structural properties were investigated by HE stain and scanning electron microscopy. The three types of rabbit corneal cells were cultured in vitro, and characteristics were investigated by colony formation efficiency (CFE), BrdU staining, immunofluorescence staining, and western blot assay of keratin 3 (K3), vimentin, and aquaporin A. The biocompatibility of the ACMP was investigated for one month using rabbit corneal stroma and three types of cultured corneal cells both in vivo and in vitro. The three types of cultured rabbit corneal cells were seeded onto ACMP of each side at a cell density of 5.0×103 cells/mm2. Results The optical and mechanical properties of the ACMP were similar to the normal porcine cornea. The collagen fiber interconnected to the network, formed regular collagen bundles of the ACMP, and was parallel to the corneal surface. The ACMP was transferred to the rabbit cornea stroma, which showed an intact epithelium and keratocytes in the implant region. There were no inflamed cells or new vessel invasion one month after transplantation. The three types of cultured rabbit corneal cells were positive for K3, vimentin, and aquaporin A. CFE and BrdU (5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine) staining showed no statistical difference. The cultured rabbit corneal limbal epithelial cells, keratocyte cells, and endothelial cells formed a confluent cell sheet on the ACMP, which consisted of one to two cell layers. Immunofluorescence and scanning electron microscopy examination showed that the cells steadily adhered to the surface of the ACMP and maintained their conformation and special molecule expression such as K3, vimentin, and aquaporin A. Rabbit corneal epithelium-ACMP, keratocytes-ACMP, and endothelium-ACMP scaffold was built in vitro. Conclusions The rabbit corneal scaffold was made by the ACMP as a frame with three types of allogeneic rabbit corneal cells. This is a new concept in treating injured corneas.
Glucose Intolerance and Hyperlipidemia Prior to Diabetes Onset in Female Spontaneously Diabetic Torii (SDT) Rats

The Spontaneously Diabetic Torii (SDT) rat, a newly established animal model for diabetes mellitus, presents nonobese type 2 diabetes with ocular complications. In the present study, oral glucose tolerance tests and biochemical and histopathological examinations were performed in female SDT rats at 16 and/or 25 weeks of age, before the onset of diabetes. At 25 weeks of age, glucose tolerance was significantly impaired, and plasma immunoreactive insulin levels at 120 min after glucose loading were significantly higher (P < 0.05). Body weight and fasting levels of plasma triglycerides and nonesterified fatty acids were significantly higher than those in control animals. Histopathologically, inflammatory cell infiltration and fibrosis were observed in and around the pancreatic islets. These results strongly suggest that female SDT rats are useful as a model to investigate impairment of glucose tolerance and hyperlipidemia prior to the onset of diabetes.
Propagating Fine-Grained Topic Labels in News Snippets

We propose an unsupervised method for propagating automatically extracted fine-grained topic labels among news items to improve their topic description for subsequent text classification procedure. This method compares vector representations of news items and assigns to each news item the label of its closest neighbour with a different topic label. Results obtained show that high precision can be achieved in propagating the top ranked topic label, and that 2-gram and 3-gram feature representations optimize the precision.
Using Mixed Distribution for Modeling End-to-End Delay Characteristics

An end-to-end round trip time (RTT) is one of the most important communication characteristics for Internet applications. In order to meet the quality of service (QoS) for applications such as streaming services, it is important to understand and predict the delay characteristic accurately. Because characteristics of the packet transmission delay in the Internet vary strongly related to the time-dependent the condition of network. Especially, it is obvious that two or more factors may interfere in observed delay characteristics. We express these delay characteristics by using the mixture of two or more probability distributions (especially normal distribution), not by single distribution. By investigation the factor which infects the delay distribution, we presume the events that occur in network from the delay characteristic obtained by the observation in the end host.
The notion of sovereignty and its presentation within public law: a critique on the use of theory and concepts

Theory is the dominant method for the presentation of knowledge within public law. Theories may be criticised, altered and developed yet little consideration is given as to why theory is employed in the way that it is, how theory may impact on the analysis concerned or even whether alternative approaches may be more effective. Accordingly, this paper seeks to address these questions by focusing on a key area within public law analysis, that of the notion of sovereignty.
Sequential subspace finding: A new algorithm for learning low-dimensional linear subspaces

In this paper we propose a new algorithm for learning low-dimensional linear subspaces. Our proposed algorithm performs by sequentially finding some low-dimensional subspaces on which a set of training data lies. Each subspace is found in such a way that the number of signals lying on (or near to) it is maximized. Once we found a subset of the training data that is sufficiently close to a subspace, then we omit these signals from the set of training signals and repeat the procedure for the remaining signals until all training signals are assigned to a subspace. This data reduction procedure results in a significant improvement to the runtime of our algorithm. We then propose a robust version of the algorithm to address the situation in which training signals are contaminated by additive white Gaussian noise. Our simulations on synthetic data and image denoising problem show the applicability and the promising performance of our algorithm.
Keyboard Surface Interaction: Making the keyboard into a pointing device

Pointing devices that reside on the keyboard can reduce the overall time needed to perform mixed pointing and typing tasks, since the hand of the user does not have to reach for the pointing device. However, previous implementations of this kind of device have a higher movement time compared to the mouse and trackpad due to large error rate, low speed and spatial resolution. In this paper we introduce Keyboard Surface Interaction (KSI), an interaction approach that turns the surface of a keyboard into an interaction surface and allows users to rest their hands on the keyboard at all times to minimize fatigue. We developed a proof-of-concept implementation, Fingers, which we optimized over a series of studies. Finally, we evaluated Fingers against the mouse and trackpad in a user study with 25 participants on a Fitts law test style, mixed typing and pointing task. Results showed that for users with more exposure to KSI, our KSI device had better performance (reduced movement and homing time) and reduced discomfort compared to the trackpad. When compared to the mouse, KSI had reduced homing time and reduced discomfort, but increased movement time. This interaction approach is not only a new way to capitalize on the space on top of the keyboard, but also a call to innovate and think beyond the touchscreen, touchpad, and mouse as our main pointing devices. The results of our studies serve as a specification for future KSI devices.
Using Multivariate Pattern Analysis to Identify Conceptual Knowledge Representation in the Brain

concepts is restricted to the language-dominant hemisphere, while concrete concepts rely on both hemispheres because the image-based system is known to be bilateral (Paivio, 1986). Although some neuroimaging studies use the hemispherical asymmetry as a criterion of the involvement of mental imagery process (e.g., Binder, et al., 2005), the laterality of image generation has been controversial. Compared to listening passively to abstract words, imagining the appearance of the objects when concrete nouns were aurally presented was found to activate the inferior temporal lobe, premotor area and the anterior cingulate gyrus in the left hemisphere (D'Esposito et al., 1997). Based on the current understanding of the neural machineries for both mental imagery and concrete object representation (Ganis, Thompson, & Kosslyn, 2004; Kosslyn, Ganis, & Thompson, 2001), simply using the hemispheric asymmetry as the criterion has been argued to lack specificity (Scott, 2004). Similarly, different studies have offered different explanations on the predictions of context-availability from a neural view. Some studies emphasize the difference in the strength of association with the context between abstract and concrete concepts. For example, Binder et al. (2005) stated that according to context availability hypothesis, the neural substrates of abstract and concrete concepts are identical, while activations correlating with concrete concepts are stronger than those of abstract concepts. Other studies emphasize the accessibility to context, or the retrieval difficulty. For example, Fiebach and Friederici (2004) interpreted its prediction as stronger activity for abstract words in brain regions associated with the retrieval of semantic information, mainly in the left posterior superior temporal region. The lack of correspondence between early
Nerve Cell Segmentation via Multi-Scale Gradient Watershed Hierarchies

Automated segmentation of nerve cell in microscopic image is an important task in neural researches. We proposed a multi-scale watershed-based approach to cope with this microscopic image analysis problem. There are three stages in the proposed segmentation algorithm: (1) a multi-scale watershed scheme is used to estimate an initial location of nerve cell nuclei; (2) we can identity nerve cell nuclei according to properties of nerve cell and watershed results in different scale; (3) Once the possible nerve cell is identified as a true one, a fuzzy rule based active contour model (ACM) is applied to find the optimal outer contour. Our approach can segment nerve cell automatically and accurately. The cell detection rates in the experiments are above 95%. Moreover, the fuzzy rule based ACM provides flexible alternative to handle cell contour detection
Zinc Finger Proteins Designed To Specifically Target Duck Hepatitis B Virus Covalently Closed Circular DNA Inhibit Viral Transcription in Tissue Culture

ABSTRACT Duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) is a model virus for human hepatitis B virus (HBV), which infects approximately 360 million individuals worldwide. Nucleoside analogs can decrease virus production by inhibiting the viral polymerase; however, complete clearance by these drugs is not common because of the persistence of the HBV episome. HBV DNA is present in the nucleus as a covalently closed circular (cccDNA) form, where it drives viral transcription and progeny virus production. cccDNA is not the direct target of antiviral nucleoside analogs and is the source of HBV reemergence when antiviral therapy is stopped. To target cccDNA, six different zinc finger proteins (ZFP) were designed to bind DNA sequences in the DHBV enhancer region. After the binding kinetics were assessed by using electrophoretic mobility shift assays and surface plasmon resonance, two candidates with dissociation constants of 12.3 and 40.2 nM were focused on for further study. The ZFPs were cloned into a eukaryotic expression vector and cotransfected into longhorn male hepatoma cells with the plasmid pDHBV1.3, which replicates the DHBV life cycle. In the presence of each ZFP, viral RNA was significantly reduced, and protein levels were dramatically decreased. As a result, intracellular viral particle production was also significantly decreased. In summary, designed ZFPs are able to bind to the DHBV enhancer and interfere with viral transcription, resulting in decreased production of viral products and progeny virus genomes.
Complex analog correlating pulsed UWB-receiver in realistic 0-1GHz channels

The complex analog correlating (CAC) receiver is an excellent candidate for low power, low data rate pulsed UWB communication, but only in ideal AWGN channels. This paper adapts the traditional architecture and acquisition scheme of this receiver for operation in realistic multipath channels. Two schemes are presented: a high performance scheme, and a simpler, but easy to implement and low power scheme. Monte-Carlo simulations illustrate the performance improvement in realistic 802.15. 4a (LOS and NLOS) channels. The receiver’s power consumption can be traded for performance by tuning the number of resolved path components. The system outperforms the traditional CAC receiver and the transmitted reference receiver in all environments.