Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hippocampal Astrocytes in Migrating and Wintering Semipalmated Sandpiper Calidris pusilla

Seasonal migratory birds return to the same breeding and wintering grounds year after year, and migratory long-distance shorebirds are good examples of this. These tasks require learning and long-term spatial memory abilities that are integrated into a navigational system for repeatedly locating breeding, wintering, and stopover sites. Previous investigations focused on the neurobiological basis of hippocampal plasticity and numerical estimates of hippocampal neurogenesis in birds but only a few studies investigated potential contributions of glial cells to hippocampal-dependent tasks related to migration. Here we hypothesized that the astrocytes of migrating and wintering birds may exhibit significant morphological and numerical differences connected to the long-distance flight. We used as a model the semipalmated sandpiper Calidris pusilla, that migrates from northern Canada and Alaska to South America. Before the transatlantic non-stop long-distance component of their flight, the birds make a stopover at the Bay of Fundy in Canada. To test our hypothesis, we estimated total numbers and compared the three-dimensional (3-D) morphological features of adult C. pusilla astrocytes captured in the Bay of Fundy (n = 249 cells) with those from birds captured in the coastal region of Bragança, Brazil, during the wintering period (n = 250 cells). Optical fractionator was used to estimate the number of astrocytes and for 3-D reconstructions we used hierarchical cluster analysis. Both morphological phenotypes showed reduced morphological complexity after the long-distance non-stop flight, but the reduction in complexity was much greater in Type I than in Type II astrocytes. Coherently, we also found a significant reduction in the total number of astrocytes after the transatlantic flight. Taken together these findings suggest that the long-distance non-stop flight altered significantly the astrocytes population and that morphologically distinct astrocytes may play different physiological roles during migration.
Ballistic miniband conduction in a graphene superlattice

Rational design of long-period artificial lattices yields effects unavailable in simple solids. The moiré pattern in highly aligned graphene/hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) heterostructures is a lateral superlattice with high electron mobility and an unusual electronic dispersion whose miniband edges and saddle points can be reached by electrostatic gating. We investigated the dynamics of electrons in moiré minibands by measuring ballistic transport between adjacent local contacts in a magnetic field, known as the transverse electron focusing effect. At low temperatures, we observed caustics of skipping orbits extending over hundreds of superlattice periods, reversals of the cyclotron revolution for successive minibands, and breakdown of cyclotron motion near van Hove singularities. At high temperatures, electron-electron collisions suppress focusing. Probing such miniband conduction properties is a necessity for engineering novel transport behaviors in superlattice devices.
Real-time obstacle avoidance using harmonic potential functions

A formulation of the artificial potential approach to the obstacle avoidance problem for a mobile robot or a manipulator in a known environment is presented. Previous formulations of artificial potentials, for obstacle avoidance, have exhibited local minima in a cluttered environment. To build an artificial potential field, harmonic functions that completely eliminate the local minima even for a cluttered environment were used. The panel method was used to represent arbitrarily shaped obstacles and to derive the potential function over the whole space. Based on this potential function and elegant control strategy for the real-time control of a robot is proposed. <<ETX>>
Notice of RetractionPersonal Recommender System Based on Case-Based Reasoning

This paper studies the structure and principle of based-CBR personal recommender system according to the characteristics of the method of case-based reasoning (CBR) and the personal recommendation cases. And a lot of design thought and methods in the personal recommender system based on case-based reasoning are discussed. Finally, the composing and function of the major modules of the personal recommender system are analyzed.
Excessive Daytime Sleepiness Is an Independent Risk Indicator for Cardiovascular Mortality in Community-Dwelling Elderly: The Three City Study

Background and Purpose— Excessive daytime sleepiness, one of the most frequent sleep complaints in the elderly, may affect survival, but inconsistent results have been observed in that population so far. We therefore estimated the risk of mortality for excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) in community-dwelling elderly participating in the Three City Study. Methods— The Three City Study is a French population-based multicenter prospective study including 9294 subjects (60% women) aged ≥65 years at recruitment between 1999 to 2001. At baseline, 8269 subjects rated EDS and nocturnal sleep complaints as never, rare, regular, and frequent in response to an administered questionnaire and provided information on medication use for sleep or anxiety. Hazard ratios (HR) of EDS (regular or frequent) for mortality over 6 years were estimated by a Cox proportional hazard model. Results— At baseline, 18.7% of the study participants had regular or frequent EDS. After 6 years of follow-up, 762 subjects had died including 260 from cancer and 196 from cardiovascular disease. EDS was associated with a significant 33% increased risk of mortality (95% CI: 1.13 to 1.61) after adjustment for age, gender, study center, body mass index, previous cardiovascular disease, Mini Mental State Examination score, and cardiovascular risk factors. Further adjustment for current use of medication for sleep and for depressive symptoms slightly diminished the HRs. EDS was equally predictive of mortality in those who snored loudly and in those who did not. EDS was related to cardiovascular mortality but not to mortality attributable to cancer. Conclusion— EDS might be independently associated with total and cardiovascular mortality in community-dwelling elderly.
The Information Artifact in IT Governance: Toward a Theory of Information Governance

In recent years, chief information officers have begun to report exponential increases in the amounts of raw data captured and retained across the organization. Managing extreme amounts of data can be complex and challenging at a time when information is increasingly viewed as a strategic resource. Since the dominant focus of the information technology (IT) governance literature has been on how firms govern physical IT artifacts (hardware, software, networks), the goal of this study is to extend the theory of IT governance by uncovering the structures and practices used to govern information artifacts. Through detailed interviews with 37 executives in 30 organizations across 17 industries, we discover a range of structural, procedural, and relational practices used to govern information within a nomological net that includes the antecedents of these practices and their effects on firm performance. While some antecedents enable the speedy adoption of information governance, others can delay or limit the adoption of information governance practices. Once adopted, however, information governance can help to boost firm performance. By incorporating these results into an extended theory of IT governance, we note how information governance practices can unlock value from the ever-expanding mountains of data currently held within organizations.
DOCLASP - Docking ligands to target proteins using spatial and electrostatic congruence extracted from a known holoenzyme and applying simple geometrical transformations

The ability to accurately and effectively predict the interaction between proteins and small drug-like compounds has long intrigued researchers for pedagogic, humanitarian and economic reasons. Protein docking methods (AutoDock, GOLD, DOCK, FlexX and Glide to name a few) rank a large number of possible conformations of protein-ligand complexes using fast algorithms. Previously, it has been shown that structural congruence leading to the same enzymatic function necessitates the congruence of electrostatic properties (CLASP). The current work presents a methodology for docking a ligand into a target protein, provided that there is at least one known holoenzyme with ligand bound - DOCLASP (Docking using CLASP). The contact points of the ligand in the holoenzyme defines a motif, which is used to query the target enzyme using CLASP. If there are significant matches, the holoenzyme and the target protein are superimposed based on congruent atoms. The same linear and rotational transformations are also applied to the ligand, thus creating a unified coordinate framework having the holoenzyme, the ligand and the target enzyme. In the current work, the dipeptidyl peptidase-IV inhibitor vildagliptin was docked to the PI-PLC structure complexed with myo-inositol using DOCLASP. Also, corroboration of the docking of phenylthiourea to the modelled structure of polyphenol oxidase (JrPPO1) from walnut is provided based on the subsequently solved structure of JrPPO1 (PDBid:5CE9). Analysis of the binding of the antitrypanosomial drug suramin to nine non-homologous proteins in the PDB database shows a diverse set of binding motifs, and multiple binding sites in the phospholipase A2-likeproteins from the Bothrops genus of pitvipers. The conformational changes in the suramin molecule on binding highlights the challenges in docking flexible ligands into an already ’plastic’ binding site. Thus, DOCLASP presents a method for ’soft docking’ ligands to proteins with low computational requirements.
Combination of Zinc Oxide and Antimony Doped Tin Oxide Nanocoatings for Glazing Application

Multilayered nanocoatings allow outstanding properties with broad potential for glazing applications. Here, we report on the development of a multilayer nanocoating for zinc oxide (ZnO) and antimony doped tin oxide (ATO). The combination of ZnO and ATO thin films with their promising optical properties is a cost-efficient alternative for the production of energy-efficient glazing. It is an effective modification of the building envelope to reduce current high domestic demand of electrical power for air conditioning, especially in hot climates like Saudi Arabia. In this paper, we report the development of a nanocoating based on the combination of ZnO and ATO. Principle material and film investigations were carried out on lab-scale by dip coating with chemical solution deposition (CSD), while with regard to production processes, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) processes were evaluated in a second stage of the film development. It was found that with both processes, high-quality thin films and multilayer coatings with outstanding optical properties can be prepared. While keeping the optical transmission in the visible range at around 80%, only 10% of the NIR (near infrared) and below 1% of UV (ultraviolet) light passes these coatings. However, in contrast to CSD, the CVD process allows a free combination of the multilayer film sequence, which is of high relevance for production processes. Furthermore, it can be potentially integrated in float glass production lines.
Studying the Life Course Health Consequences of Childhood Adversity: Challenges and Opportunities

The adverse health consequences of low socioeconomic position (SEP) are well documented1, 2, including several studies that have examined when in the life course socio-economic differences in health emerge and how inequalities change with age.3-7 The findings from these life course studies can shed light on the underlying pathways to disease inequalities, and the degree to which these may differ across health outcomes. Aside from SEP, the physical health consequences of other forms of adversity are less well studied (although a considerable body of evidence exists for mental health (e.g.8, 9)). The study by Su et al in this issue of Circulation10 therefore makes a valuable contribution to the literature. The authors use data from 394 participants from the Georgia Stress and Heart Study to investigate the cardiovascular consequences of reported adverse child experiences (ACEs), specifically: childhood abuse (emotional, physical and sexual), childhood neglect (emotional and physical), and growing up with household dysfunction (substance abuse, mental illness, domestic violence, criminal household member, and parental marital discord). The study has repeated measurements of blood pressure obtained in a standardised way. The authors showed that retrospective report of the number of ACEs experienced up to 18 years were not related to mean blood pressure in childhood (younger than 10 years of age) or change in blood pressure from childhood to early adulthood, but that those who reported a greater number of ACEs had a more rapid age-related increase in systolic and diastolic blood pressure from their mid- to late-20s, such that by age 38 those who reported 4 or more ACEs compared with those reporting none had 9.3mmHg and 7.6mmHg higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure, respectively. The authors demonstrated that in their data, the association between ACEs and blood pressure were similar in males and females and across two ethnic groups (African Americans and European Americans), and remained after adjustment for childhood SEP and health behaviours. Whilst this study is an important step forwards for the understanding of how adversity might influence cardiovascular health, there are several important challenges to this type of research that need to be addressed by future studies.
Immunofluorescence study of type IV collagen alpha chains in epidermal basement membrane: application in diagnosis of X-linked Alport syndrome.

OBJECTIVE To detect the distribution of alpha 5 (IV) chain of collagen on the glomerular basement membrane (GBM) and epidermal basement membrane (EBM) in the Chinese Alport syndrome (AS) kindreds and to develop a simple diagnostic alternative method to electronic microscopy for diagnosis of AS. METHODS Four male patients from 4 unrelated families manifested with hematuria, sensorineural hearing loss and had distinct family history. All patients had the characteristic AS pathologic changes by electron microscopy on their renal biopsy tissues. Three normal skin samples and 2 normal kidney samples were used as normal controls. Monoclonal antibody-based IF test was performed to examine the alpha 5 (IV) NC1 domain in EBM of normal controls, X-linked AS patients and their parents, and in GBM of normal controls and AS patients. RESULTS In normal controls as well as the patients' fathers, all the monoclonal antibodies used in EBM and GBM staining showed positive reactions along basement membranes in a linear pattern. Characteristically, in AS patients there were negative reactions to monoclonal antibodies anti-alpha 5 (IV) NC1 domain in EBM and anti-alpha 3-5 (IV) NC1 domains in GBM. In patients' mothers, alpha 5 (IV) chain was distributed segmentally in EBM. CONCLUSION The staining of alpha 5 (IV) NC1 domain in EBM by IF can be used to diagnose patients and screen defect-gene carriers of X-linked AS.
People tracking in RGB-D data with on-line boosted target models

People tracking is a key component for robots that are deployed in populated environments. Previous works have used cameras and 2D and 3D range finders for this task. In this paper, we present a 3D people detection and tracking approach using RGB-D data. We combine a novel multi-cue person detector for RGB-D data with an on-line detector that learns individual target models. The two detectors are integrated into a decisional framework with a multi-hypothesis tracker that controls on-line learning through a track interpretation feedback. For on-line learning, we take a boosting approach using three types of RGB-D features and a confidence maximization search in 3D space. The approach is general in that it neither relies on background learning nor a ground plane assumption. For the evaluation, we collect data in a populated indoor environment using a setup of three Microsoft Kinect sensors with a joint field of view. The results demonstrate reliable 3D tracking of people in RGB-D data and show how the framework is able to avoid drift of the on-line detector and increase the overall tracking performance.
Intonational phrases for speech summarization

Extractive speech summarization approaches select relevant segments of spoken documents and concatenate them to generate a summary. The extraction unit chosen, whether a sentence, syntactic constituent, or other segment, has a significant impact on the overall quality and fluency of the summary. Even though sentences tend to be the choice of most the extractive speech summarizers, in this paper, we present the results of an empirical study indicating that intonational phrases are better units of extraction for summarization. Our study compared four types of input segmentation: sentences, two pause-based segmentation, and intonational phrases (IP). We found that IPs are the best candidates for extractive summarization, improving over the second highest-performing approach, sentence-based summarization, by 8.2% F-measure.
Research and Improvement of Apriori Algorithm for Association Rules

With the development and the wide application of DBMS, large-scale database system is popularized in daily life. Data mining is a process of fetching valuable or important information from magnanimous database. Association rules mining is one important research topic of data mining area. Above all most important of all is research on increment association rules mining. In order to renew association rules effectively, the paper introduces the idea of Apriori algorithm; meanwhile it has already analyzed the classic association rule algorithm FUP and IUA, it pointing out its advantages and disadvantages. Finally, it also gives narrative to another improved NIUP and NFUP algorithm. NFUP algorithm joins strong large itemsets into small quantitative of candidate itemsets based on strong large itemsets concept, and adopts early pruning strategy to cut down the times of scanning database.
A Hybrid Indoor Localization System Based on Infra-red Imaging and Odometry *

In this study, a real-time indoor localization system was developed by using a camera and passive landmarks. A narrow band-pass infra-red (IR) filter was inserted to the back of the camera lens for capturing IR images. The passive landmarks were placed on the ceiling at pre-determined locations and consist of IR retro-reflective tags that have binary coded unique ID’s. An IR projector emits IR rays at the tags on the ceiling. The tags then reflect the rays back to the camera sensor creating a digital image. An image processing algorithm was developed to detect and decode the landmarks in captured images. The proposed algorithm successfully estimates the position and the orientation angle based on relative position and orientation with respect to the detected tags. To further improve the accuracy of the estimates, extended Kalman filter (EKF) was adapted to the measurement algorithm. The proposed method initially estimates the position of a mobile robot based on odometry and kinematic model. EKF was then used to update the estimates given the measurement obtained from the image processing system. Real time experiments were performed to test the performance of the system. The results prove that the proposed indoor localization system can effectively estimate position with an error less than 5cm.
International Financial Contagion: The Theory, Evidence and Policy Implications

This paper reviews the analytical and empirical literature on contagion. It begins by discussing how to define contagion, the theoretical evidence on how it might occur, and the empirical literature evaluating its causes during the financial crises of the 1990s. There has been less contagion during recent crises, however, as countries, investors, and the international financial institutions have learned from past experiences and undertaken a number of reforms. Nonetheless, the risk of international financial contagion during future crises still exists. The paper concludes with a discussion of several policy measures for countries, investors, and the international community. Although there is no way to fully insulate countries from crises that occur elsewhere, these steps would reduce the likelihood and intensity of any contagion in the future.
FISHER NON-NEGATIVE MATRIX FACTORIZATION FOR LEARNING LOCAL FEATURES

In this paper, we propose a novel subspace method called Fisher non-negative matrix factorization (FNMF) for face recognition. FNMF is based on non-negative matrix factorization (NMF), which is a part-based image representation method proposed by Lee. NMF allows only additive combinations of non-negative basis components. The NMF bases are spatially global, whereas local bases would be preferred. Therefore, Stan et al proposed local non-negative matrix factorization (LNMF) to achieve a localized NMF representation by adding more constraints to enforce spatial locality; one of these constraints enforces the bases to be orthogonal to each other, just like the constraints which PCA imposes on its bases. However, LNMF does not encode discrimination information for a classification problem. In this paper, we impose Fisher constraints on the NMF algorithm, which results in the novel FNMF algorithm. Our experiments show that FNMF achieves better performance than LNMF.
Collaboration of untrusting peers with changing interests

Electronic commerce engines like eBay depend heavily on reputation systems to improve customer confidence that electronic transactions will be successful, and to limit the economic damage done by disreputable peers defrauding others. In a reputation system, participant spost information about every transaction,and routinely check the posted information before taking any action to avoid other participants with a bad history.In this paper, we introduce a framework for optimizing reputation systems for objects.We study reputation systems in an asynchronous setting, and in the context of restricted access to the objects. Specifically, we study the cases where access may be restricted in time (objects arrive and depart from system) and inspace (each peer has access to only a subset of the objects).
Validation of models for the diffusion weighted MR signal in brain white matter

The diffusion weighted MR-signal attenuation in brain white matter is not mono-exponential. A bi-exponential model has been proposed since this fits the data well. We have modeled the diffusion weighted MR-signal by Monte Carlo simulations in a fiber geometry similar to brain white matter. Although the bi-exponential model fitted the data very well, the fitted diffusion coefficients and fractions did not converge to the simulated values in the intra and extra cellular space. However, fitting the cumulant expansion form terminated after the Nth order term to the data results in accurate fits for the diffusion coefficient and kurtosis.