Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Experimental observations on the development of polarity by hippocampal neurons in culture

In culture, hippocampal neurons develop a polarized form, with a single axon and several dendrites. Transecting the axons of hippocampal neurons early in development can cause an alteration of polarity; a process that would have become a dendrite instead becomes the axon (Dotti, C. G., and G. A. Banker. 1987. Nature (Lond.). 330:254-256). To investigate this phenomenon more systematically, we transected axons at varying lengths. The greater the distance of the transection from the soma, the greater the probability for regrowth of the original axon. However, it was not the absolute length of the axonal stump that determined the response to transection, but rather its length relative to the lengths of the cell's other processes. If one process was greater than 10 microns longer than the others, it invariably became the axon regardless of its identity before transection. Conversely, when a cell's processes were nearly equal in length, it was impossible to predict which would become the axon. In these cases, axonal outgrowth began only after a long latency. During this interval, the processes appeared to be in dynamic equilibrium, some growing for short distances while others retracted. When one process exceeded the others by a critical length, it rapidly elongated to become the axon. The establishment of neuronal polarity during normal development may similarly involve an interaction among processes whose identities have not yet been determined. When, by chance, one exceeds the others by a critical length, it becomes specified as the axon.
Manipulation Practice for Upper-Limb Amputees Using Virtual Reality

We developed a novel interface that gives upper-limb amputees a virtual hand that can manipulate objects in a challenging environment. The interface registers specific myokinetic activity of the residual limbs, and encodes the intended voluntary movements that are then actualized as virtual hand motions. The composite myokinetic interface-virtual reality (MKI-VR) system consists of an array of pressure sensors mounted in an arm sleeve, sensors of elbow- and shoulder-joint angles, a trained filter derived from the pseudoinverse of a response matrix, and a virtual hand model, programmed in Java 3D. Users can manipulate virtual objects such as balls and pegs in a 3D training environment, while their performance at various difficulty levels is scored. In preliminary tests, upper-limb amputees readily gained the ability to grasp and release virtual objects. We propose the utility of the MKI-VR system both as an assessment tool for rehabilitation engineers, and as a motivator for amputees to exercise and thereby maintain their residual motor ability.
The spread of a rumor or infection in a moving population

We consider the following interacting particle system: There is a gas of particles, each of which performs a continuous-time simple random walk on Z d , with jump rate D A . These particles are called A-particles and move independently of each other. They are regarded as individuals who are ignorant of a rumor or are healthy. We assume that we start the system with N A (x, 0-) A-particles at x, and that the N A (x, 0-), x ∈ Z d , are i.i. d. , mean-μ A Poisson random variables. In addition, there are B-particles which perform continuous-time simple random walks with jump rate D B . We start with a finite number of B-particles in the system at time 0. B-particles are interpreted as individuals who have heard a certain rumor or who are infected. The B-particles move independently of each other. The only interaction is that when a B-particle and an A-particle coincide, the latter instantaneously turns into a B-particle. We investigate how fast the rumor, or infection, spreads. Specifically, if B(t):= {x ∈ Z d : a B-particle visits x during [0, t]} and B(t) = B(t) + [-1/2, 1/2] d , then we investigate the asymptotic behavior of B(t). Our principal result states that if D A = D B (so that the A- and B-particles perform the same random walk), then there exist constants 0 < C i < ∞ such that almost surely C(C 2 t) C B(t) C C(C 1 t) for all large t, where C(r) = [-r, r] d . In a further paper we shall use the results presented here to prove a full shape theorem, saying that t -1 B(t) converges almost surely to a nonrandom set B 0 , with the origin as an interior point, so that the true growth rate for B(t) is linear in t. If D A ¬= D B , then we can only prove the upper bound B(t) C C(C 1 t) eventually.
Differentially Private Learning of Structured Discrete Distributions

We investigate the problem of learning an unknown probability distribution over a discrete population from random samples. Our goal is to design efficient algorithms that simultaneously achieve low error in total variation norm while guaranteeing Differential Privacy to the individuals of the population. We describe a general approach that yields near sample-optimal and computationally efficient differentially private estimators for a wide range of well-studied and natural distribution families. Our theoretical results show that for a wide variety of structured distributions there exist private estimation algorithms that are nearly as efficient—both in terms of sample size and running time—as their non-private counterparts. We complement our theoretical guarantees with an experimental evaluation. Our experiments illustrate the speed and accuracy of our private estimators on both synthetic mixture models and a large public data set.
Automatic Functional Test Generation Using The Extended Finite State Machine Model

We present a method of automatic generation of functional vectors for sequential circuits. A high-level description of the circuit, in VHDL or C, is assumed available. Our method automatically transforms the high-level description, in VHDL or C, of a circuit into an extended finite state machine (EFSM) model using which functional vectors are generated. The EFSM model is a generalization of the traditional state machine model. It can be considered as a compact representation of the machine that preserves many nice properties of a traditional state machine. Theoretical background of the EFSM model will be addressed. Our method guarantees that the generated vectors cover every statement in the high-level description at least once. Experimental results show that a set of comprehensive functional vectors for sequential circuits with more than a hundred flip-flops can be generated automatically in a few minutes of CPU time using our prototype system.
Minimizers of Cost-Functions Involving Nonsmooth Data-Fidelity Terms. Application to the Processing of Outliers

We present a theoretical study of the recovery of an unknown vector $x\in{\mathbb R}^p$ (such as a signal or an image) from noisy data $y\in{\mathbb R}^q$ by minimizing with respect to $x$ a regularized cost-function ${\cal F}(x,y)=\Psi(x,y)+\alpha\Phi(x)$, where $\Psi$ is a data-fidelity term, $\Phi$ is a smooth regularization term, and $\alpha>0$ is a parameter. Typically, $\Psi(x,y)=\|Ax-y \|^2$, where A is a linear operator. The data-fidelity terms $\Psi$ involved in regularized cost-functions are generally smooth functions; only a few papers make an exception to this and they consider restricted situations. Nonsmooth data-fidelity terms are avoided in image processing. In spite of this, we consider both smooth and nonsmooth data-fidelity terms. Our goal is to capture essential features exhibited by the local minimizers of regularized cost-functions in relation to the smoothness of the data-fidelity term. In order to fix the context of our study, we consider $\Psi(x,y)=\sum_i\psi(a_i^Tx-y_i)$, where $a_i^T$ are the rows of $A$ and $\psi$ is ${\cal C}^m$ on ${\mathbb R}\setminus \{0\}$. We show that if $\psi\1(0^-)<\psi\1(0^+)$, then typical data y give rise to local minimizers $\hat x$ of ${\cal F}(.,y)$ which fit exactly a certain number of the data entries: there is a possibly large set $\hat h$ of indexes such that $a_i^T\hat x=y_i$ for every $i\in\hat h$. In contrast, if $\psi$ is smooth on ${\mathbb R}$, for almost every y, the local minimizers of ${\cal F}(.,y)$ do not fit any entry of y. Thus, the possibility that a local minimizer fits some data entries is due to the nonsmoothness of the data-fidelity term. This is a strong mathematical property which is useful in practice. By way of application, we construct a cost-function allowing aberrant data (outliers) to be detected and to be selectively smoothed. Our numerical experiments advocate the use of nonsmooth data-fidelity terms in regularized cost-functions for special purposes in image and signal processing.
Adaptive Chirplet Decomposition Method and Its Application in Machine Fault Diagnosis

We propose a new approach based upon the adaptive chirplet decomposition to characterize the time-dependent behavior of machine vibration signals. This approach employs maximum projective decomposition algorithm combined fractional Fourier transform with quasi-Newton method to estimate the parameters. Then, the expectation maximization algorithm is used to refine the results. Compared with traditional time-frequency analysis methods, such as short-time Fourier spectrum and Wigner distribution, the simulation results show that this method can obtain more accurate estimation, finer time- frequency resolution and de-noising capability. Finally, the proposed method is applied to the fault diagnosis of bearing, and the results of the experiment demonstrate that the proposed method is efficient in signal feature extraction. the adaptive decomposition (ACD) algorithm. Our approach also incorporates fractional Fourier transform (FRFT) to estimate the chirp rate, and employs expectation maximization method to refine the parameters. We demonstrate the adaptive chirplet decomposition, and yield a better time-frequency distribution compared with the traditional, STFT and WVD. Finally, the proposed method is applied to the fault diagnosis of bearing, and the results of the experiment demonstrate that the proposed method is efficient in signal feature extraction. Following this introduction, Section II of this paper introduces the adaptive chirplet decomposition and shows the implementation of the algorithm. In Section III, we verify the method by simulation. In Section IV, we apply the method to fault diagnosis experiment and finally the conclusion is summarized in Section V.
Real-time pattern matching with FPGAs

We demonstrate a hardware implementation of a complex event processor, built on top of field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). Compared to CPU-based commodity systems, our solution shows distinctive advantages for stream monitoring tasks, e.g., wire-speed processing and predictable performance. The demonstration is based on a query-to-hardware compiler for complex event patterns that we presented at VLDB 2010 [1]. By example of a click stream monitoring application, we illustrate the inner workings of our compiler and indicate how FPGAs can act as efficient and reliable processors for event streams.
Vehicle state prediction for outdoor autonomous high-speed off-road UGVs

This paper describes a method of vehicle state prediction for an autonomous high-speed off-road Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV). Effective vehicle state prediction will allow a UGV to plan its navigation such that states (such as vertical acceleration induced by the terrain roughness) never exceed a desired threshold. In this paper a model of an n-wheeled generic vehicle is used determine its dynamics. Using a known terrain input profile the vehicle's output states are predicted using the developed n-wheel model. Simulated results of this vehicle state prediction approach are presented, as well as experimental tests using a UGV platform called Loc8. The experimental results used a 3D point cloud to determine the terrain input profile. Methods from the literature are tested against the developed n-wheeled vehicle state prediction method. Results show this n-wheel technique presents both advantages and disadvantages in comparison with existing techniques. The proposed approach predicts the average absolute acceleration much closer to the measured average absolute acceleration than existing approaches.
Force-dependent transition in the T-cell receptor β-subunit allosterically regulates peptide discrimination and pMHC bond lifetime

Significance The αβ T-cell receptor (TCR) on mammalian T lymphocytes recognizes intracellular pathogens to afford protective immunity. Detection of various foreign peptides bound to MHC molecules as TCR ligands occurs during immune surveillance where mechanical forces are generated through cell movement. Using single-molecule optical tweezer assays, we show with isolated and complete receptors on single T cells that both sensitivity and specificity of the biological T-lymphocyte response is dependent upon force-based interactions. Our work demonstrates a catch-and-release αβTCR structural conversion correlating with ligand potency wherein a strongly binding/compact state transitions to a weakly binding/extended state. An allosteric mechanism controls bond strength and lifetime, supporting a model in which quaternary αβTCR subunit associations regulate TCR recognition under load. The αβ T-cell receptor (TCR) on each T lymphocyte mediates exquisite specificity for a particular foreign peptide bound to a major histocompatibility complex molecule (pMHC) displayed on the surface of altered cells. This recognition stimulates protection in the mammalian host against intracellular pathogens, including viruses, and involves piconewton forces that accompany pMHC ligation. Physical forces are generated by T-lymphocyte movement during immune surveillance as well as by cytoskeletal rearrangements at the immunological synapse following cessation of cell migration. The mechanistic explanation for how TCRs distinguish between foreign and self-peptides bound to a given MHC molecule is unclear: peptide residues themselves comprise few of the TCR contacts on the pMHC, and pathogen-derived peptides are scant among myriad self-peptides bound to the same MHC class arrayed on infected cells. Using optical tweezers and DNA tether spacer technology that permit piconewton force application and nanometer scale precision, we have determined how bioforces relate to self versus nonself discrimination. Single-molecule analyses involving isolated αβ-heterodimers as well as complete TCR complexes on T lymphocytes reveal that the FG loop in the β-subunit constant domain allosterically controls both the variable domain module’s catch bond lifetime and peptide discrimination via force-driven conformational transition. In contrast to integrins, the TCR interrogates its ligand via a strong force-loaded state with release through a weakened, extended state. Our work defines a key element of TCR mechanotransduction, explaining why the FG loop structure evolved for adaptive immunity in αβ but not γδTCRs or immunoglobulins.
Local CPS conversion in a direct-style compiler

Local CPS conversion is a compiler transformation for improving the code generated for nested loops by a direct-style compiler. The transformation consists of a combination of CPS conversion and light-weight closure conversion, which allows the compiler to merge the environments of nested recursive functions. This merging, in turn, allows the backend to use a single machine-level procedure to implement the nested loops. Preliminary experiments with the Moby compiler show the potential for significant reductions in loop overhead as a result of Local CPS conversion.
A Rolling Horizon Model to Optimize Aerodynamic Efficiency of Intermodal Freight Trains with Uncertainty

Aerodynamic efficiency of intermodal freight trains can be significantly improved by minimizing the adjusted gap lengths between adjacent loads. This paper first develops a static model to optimize load placement on a sequence of intermodal trains that have scheduled departure times. This model applies when full information on all trains and loads is available. Then, we develop a dynamic model to account for the more realistic situation in which there is incomplete or uncertain information on future trains and incoming loads. This paper develops methodology to balance between (i) the advantage from optimizing multiple trains together and (ii) the risk of making suboptimal decisions due to incomplete future information. We propose a rolling horizon scheme to address this challenge, where exponentially decreasing weights are assigned to the objective functions of future trains. Numerical results based on empirical data show significant aerodynamic efficiency benefits from these optimization models.
ADHESION OF BITUMEN: SCREENING AND EVALUATING LABORATORY TESTING TECHNIQUES

A huge number of laboratory testing techniques is known for assessing adhesion properties between bituminous materials and aggregates in laboratory. Besides simple empirical tests (usually established for binder specification and quality assurance), like Rolling Bottle Test or static immersion test, elaborate test methods are in use like contact angle measurement of either bitumen droplets on mineral aggregates or water droplets on bitumen surfaces. This paper presents latest results of a critical review of a number of laboratory testing techniques. Based on joint research work of Braunschweig Pavement Engineering Centre, Germany, and Vienna University of Technology, Austria, problems and limits of different techniques are discussed. Screening and evaluation of these techniques is based on data resulting from an extensive laboratory test program conducted in the frame of this research co-operation in recent years, including various aggregates and bitumen types. All testing techniques according to the European Standards have been taken into account. Furthermore, new approaches for adhesion testing have been investigated, like contact angle measurements especially adopted for bitumen-aggregate-systems, or like the static tensile test conducted on pins drilled out from aggregate rock and sticked together with bitumen film. The results from these laboratory testing campains are also presented in detail.
Robust Watermarking Scheme in Finite Ridgelet Transform Domain

How to select the finite ridgelet transform (FRIT) coefficients which were suitable to embed watermark data was an interesting problem. Digital watermarking algorithms in FRIT domain were accomplished by modulating the transform coefficients, which represented the most energetic direction of an image. However, these coefficients which were the most suitable for embedding watermark were short of study. Based on Laplacian probability distribution function (PDF), the FRIT coefficients which were particularly important for the perceptual effect of the embedded watermarks were analyzed by adopting maximum a posterior (MAP) estimate. The embedded watermark could be detected blindly by correlation coefficients between the watermarked image and the watermark sequence. Experimental results prove the robustness and transparency.
The Forensic Symptoms Inventory—Revised (FSI-R Adults): Measurement and Structural Invariance Across Gender and Age Groups

This article investigates the measurement and structural invariance of a newly developed self-report questionnaire, the Forensic Symptoms Inventory-Revised, aimed at measuring eight cognitive, emotional, and behavioral deficits (aggression, lack of social support, problematic substance use, lack of concentration, anger, poor self-regulation, impulsivity, and sexual problems) among adult forensic outpatients. The sample consisted of 716 outpatients (603 males, 113 females) with a mean age of 38.19 (SD = 12.47). Multi-Group Confirmatory Factor Analyses supported the measurement and structural invariance with respect to gender and age groups (18–23 years and ≥24 years). Between-group comparisons revealed that, compared to females, male outpatients reported more substance related problems, as well as incapacities to control verbal and/or physical aggression. Compared to adults, young adults displayed more inadequate self-regulation skills and reported more social support. These findings may promote the formulation of gender- and age-specific treatment goals.
Attentional bias to threat following acute stress induction: An ERP study

This study employed trauma-exposed and non-trauma-exposed individuals to explore group differences in physiological arousal, ERP components, and attentional bias to threat: a bias towards threatening stimuli often seen in individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Attentional bias was assessed using reaction time measures in a dot-probe task and the amplitudes of ERP components P1, N1, and P3; while arousal was assessed using salivary alpha-amylase (sAA), a biomarker of noradrenergic reactivity. Eighteen trauma-exposed (non-PTSD) and 19 non-trauma-exposed individuals undertook the dot-probe task, with saliva tested before and after a cold pressor stress (CPS) task that was used to induce acute stress. The CPS task was successful in inducing acute stress and significantly increasing sAA in both groups, although no significant difference was found between the groups on physiological arousal. Unexpectedly, no significant attentional bias effect was found in the reaction time data for either group, in contrast to empirical literature. The major finding was that trauma-exposed individuals displayed increased amplitude of the P3 ERP component to threatening images following the CPS task, an effect not found in the non-trauma-exposed group. This finding suggests that trauma-exposed individuals show an attentional bias to threatening stimuli even in the absence of PTSD.
SDB: A Secure Query Processing System with Data Interoperability

We address security issues in a cloud database system which employs the DBaaS model --- a data owner (DO) exports data to a cloud database service provider (SP). To provide data security, sensitive data is encrypted by the DO before it is uploaded to the SP. Compared to existing secure query processing systems like CryptDB [7] and MONOMI [8], in which data operations (e.g., comparison or addition) are supported by specialized encryption schemes, our demo system, SDB, is implemented based on a set of data-interoperable secure operators, i.e., the output of an operator can be used as input of another operator. As a result, SDB can support a wide range of complex queries (e.g., all TPC-H queries) efficiently. In this demonstration, we show how our SDB prototype supports secure query processing on complex workload like TPC-H. We also demonstrate how our system protects sensitive information from malicious attackers.
A Prospective Study of Platelet-Rich Plasma as Biological Augmentation for Acute Achilles Tendon Rupture Repair

Acute Achilles tendon rupture is one of the most common tendon injuries in adults. We hypothesized that Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) can be used as biological augmentation for surgical treatment of acute Achilles tendon rupture. Our study is a prospective randomized controlled trial. Patients with acute Achilles tendon rupture undergoing surgical repair were randomly assigned into either control group or PRP group. End-to-end modified Krackow suture was performed in both groups. In the PRP group, PRP was injected into the paratenon sheath and around the ruptured tissue after the tendon was repaired. Postoperatively we evaluated isokinetic muscle strength at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months. In addition, ankle ROM, calf circumference, Leppilahti score, and the SF-36 score were evaluated at 6, 12, and 24 months after operation. At 3 months, the PRP group had better isokinetic muscle. The PRP group also achieved higher SF-36 and Leppilahti scores at 6 and 12 months. At 24 months, the PRP group had an improved ankle range of motion compared to the control group. Our study results suggest that PRP can serve as a biological augmentation to acute Achilles tendon rupture repair and improves both short and midterm functional outcomes.