Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Single-Trial Phase Precession in the Hippocampus

During the crossing of the place field of a pyramidal cell in the rat hippocampus, the firing phase of the cell decreases with respect to the local theta rhythm. This phase precession is usually studied on the basis of data in which many place field traversals are pooled together. Here we study properties of phase precession in single trials. We found that single-trial and pooled-trial phase precession were different with respect to phase-position correlation, phase-time correlation, and phase range. Whereas pooled-trial phase precession may span 360°, the most frequent single-trial phase range was only ∼180°. In pooled trials, the correlation between phase and position (r = −0.58) was stronger than the correlation between phase and time (r = −0.27), whereas in single trials these correlations (r = −0.61 for both) were not significantly different. Next, we demonstrated that phase precession exhibited a large trial-to-trial variability. Overall, only a small fraction of the trial-to-trial variability in measures of phase precession (e.g., slope or offset) could be explained by other single-trial properties (such as running speed or firing rate), whereas the larger part of the variability remains to be explained. Finally, we found that surrogate single trials, created by randomly drawing spikes from the pooled data, are not equivalent to experimental single trials: pooling over trials therefore changes basic measures of phase precession. These findings indicate that single trials may be better suited for encoding temporally structured events than is suggested by the pooled data.
Caught in the Net: How to Recognize the Signs of Internet Addiction--and a Winning Strategy for Recovery

From the Publisher: In Caught in the Net, Kimberly Young shares the results of her three-year study of Internet abuse. Often using the words of the Internet addicts themselves, she presents the stories of dozens of lives that were shattered by an overwhelming compulsion to surf the Net, play MUD games, or chat with distant and invisible neighbors in the timeless limbo of cyberspace. For Internet addicts as well as their parents, spouses, friends, and employers, Caught in the Net offers guidance on where and how to seek help from counselors, therapists, and other professionals who take this affliction seriously. For mental health professionals, this book provides insights into the nature and causes of internet addiction and encourages counselors and therapists to expand their addiction recovery programs to address the specific problems of Internet addicts.
PHYLOGENIES FROM RESTRICTION SITES: A MAXIMUM‐LIKELIHOOD APPROACH

Restriction sites data can be analyzed by maximum likelihood to obtain estimates of phylogenies. The likelihood methods of Smouse and Li, who were able to compute likelihoods for up to four species under a simplified model of base change, can be extended numerically to deal with any number of species. The computational methods for doing so are outlined. The resulting algorithms are slow but take multiple gains and losses of restriction sites fully into account, unlike parsimony methods. They allow for the failure to observe potential sites that are absent from all species. Analysis of the five‐species hominoid data of Ferris and coworkers confirms the pattern found by Smouse and Li with four species—that a chimpanzee‐gorilla clade is favored, but not statistically significantly over other tree topologies. A large data set produced by computer simulation has also been analyzed to confirm that the method works properly. The methods used here do not allow for different rates of transitions and transversions. They can be extended to do so, but only at a cost of considerably slower computations. The present method is available in a computer program.
Bidirectional boost/buck quadratic converter for distributed generation systems with electrochemical storage systems

The increasing number of distributed generation systems using renewable and non-conventional energy sources show the trend of future generation systems. Most of these systems require power electronic converters as an interface between the DC voltage buses and electrochemical storage systems. Such storage systems, like batteries or supercapacitors, usually need bidirectional DC-DC converters to allow their charge or discharge according with necessary operation conditions. In this paper, a non-isolated bidirectional Buck-Boost converter with high voltage gain for electrochemical storage devices used in distributed generation systems is presented. To achieve high voltage gain ratios, the proposed topology presents quadratic characteristics in both step-down (Buck) and step-up (Boost) operation modes. In addition to the wide conversion range, it presents continuous input and output current, reduced charging/discharging ripple and simple control circuitry. All these features allow the energy exchange smoothly and continuously resulting in a longer durability of storage devices. The principle of the operation of the proposed converter in both operation modes, as well as their theoretical analysis will be discussed. The performance of this bidirectional power converter is confirmed through simulation and experimental results.
Aggregating gradient distributions into intensity orders: A novel local image descriptor

A novel local image descriptor is proposed in this paper, which combines intensity orders and gradient distributions in multiple support regions. The novelty lies in three aspects: 1) The gradient is calculated in a rotation invariant way in a given support region; 2) The rotation invariant gradients are adaptively pooled spatially based on intensity orders in order to encode spatial information; 3) Multiple support regions are used for constructing descriptor which further improves its discriminative ability. Therefore, the proposed descriptor encodes not only gradient information but also information about relative relationship of intensities as well as spatial information. In addition, it is truly rotation invariant in theory without the need of computing a dominant orientation which is a major error source of most existing methods, such as SIFT. Results on the standard Oxford dataset and 3D objects have shown a significant improvement over the state-of-the-art methods under various image transformations.
Low Numbers of FOXP3 Positive Regulatory T Cells Are Present in all Developmental Stages of Human Atherosclerotic Lesions

Background T cell mediated inflammation contributes to atherogenesis and the onset of acute cardiovascular disease. Effector T cell functions are under a tight control of a specialized T cell subset, regulatory T cells (Treg). At present, nothing is known about the in situ presence of Treg in human atherosclerotic tissue. In the present study we investigated the frequency of naturally occurring Treg cells in all developmental stages of human atherosclerotic lesions including complicated thrombosed plaques. Methodology Normal arteries, early lesions (American Heart Association classification types I, II, and III), fibrosclerotic plaques (types Vb and Vc) and ‘high risk’ plaques (types IV, Va and VI) were obtained at surgery and autopsy. Serial sections were immunostained for markers specific for regulatory T cells (FOXP3 and GITR) and the frequency of these cells was expressed as a percentage of the total numbers of CD3+ T cells. Results were compared with Treg counts in biopsies of normal and inflammatory skin lesions (psoriasis, spongiotic dermatitis and lichen planus). Principle findings In normal vessel fragments T cells were virtually absent. Treg were present in the intima during all stages of plaque development (0.5–5%). Also in the adventitia of atherosclerotic vessels Treg were encountered, in similar low amounts. High risk lesions contained significantly increased numbers of Treg compared to early lesions (mean: 3.9 and 1.2%, respectively). The frequency of FOXP3+ cells in high risk lesions was also higher compared to stable lesions (1.7%), but this difference was not significant. The mean numbers of intimal FOXP3 positive cells in atherosclerotic lesions (2.4%) was much lower than those in normal (24.3%) or inflammatory skin lesions (28%). Conclusion Low frequencies of Treg in all developmental stages of human plaque formation could explain the smoldering chronic inflammatory process that takes place throughout the longstanding course of atherosclerosis.
A haptic-based traction control system

This paper presents a haptic support system for traction control (HTC). The haptic gas pedal exerts a wheel slip dependent force; this enables an efficient information transfer so that the driver is able to close the loop. The paper presents the basic rationale and validates it with an experimental campaign carried out with a driver-in-the-loop simulator. Two challenging driving scenarios are explored with numerous test subjects. The system improves safety without negatively affecting performance. The occurrences of loss of control are reduced from 35% without HTC to 10% with HTC. The subjective feedback from the test drivers is also analyzed, showing a good level of acceptance.
Antibodies to filamentous hemagglutinin of Bordetella pertussis and protection against whooping cough in schoolchildren.

A pertussis outbreak was studied prospectively in an elementary school with 39 pupils. All had been immunized with at least three doses of Finnish diphtheria-tetanus toxoid-pertussis vaccine. Diagnosis of pertussis was based on culture, polymerase chain reaction results, and EIA serology using filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA), pertussis toxin, and 69-kDa outer membrane protein as antigens. At the first sampling, 21 children had symptoms suggestive of pertussis, and 18 were healthy. Of the latter, 8 remained healthy without any antibiotic treatment and 9 developed clinical pertussis 1-22 days later. One child developed cough later, but this symptom did not meet criteria for pertussis. The mean levels of IgG, IgM, and IgA antibodies to FHA were significantly higher in 8 healthy children than in 9 children who developed pertussis after the first sampling (P < .001, P = .027, and P = .011, respectively). The results show that antibodies to FHA of Bordetella pertussis in immunized schoolchildren correlate with protection against pertussis.
Nurse and Paramedic Rostering with Constraint Programming : A Case Study ∗

The nurse rostering problem consists in generating a configuration of daily schedules for a set of nurses satisfying a set of constraints. The problem is known to be computationally challenging as it must consider different requirements such as minimal area or floor allocations, different skills, working regulations, as well as personnel wishes. The literature presents several successful work devoted to this problem, however there still is limited evidence about real cases of nurse rostering, in particular solved with constraint programming. The aim of this paper is to illustrate a real case study involving the design of a constraint programming solution for nurse rostering. The solution is devoted to a set of mid-size Chilean hospitals where nurse rostering is done manually using a very uncommon shift sequence called the “fourth shift” system. We present a classic model and a global constraint-based model that can be applied generically to any fourth shift health care center.
The Carroll–Hung method for component reliability mapping in aircraft maintenance

Mean time between unscheduled removal (MTBUR) measurement is a baseline technique for condition monitoring (CM) in aircraft reliability programmes. Many airlines, component suppliers and airframe manufacturers apply MTBUR analysis because of its simplicity and industry‐wide acceptance for contractual, performance and technical evaluation purposes. Owing to its aggregated nature, MTBUR alone has little to offer for showing the significant changes within a repairable component population. This paper introduces the Carroll–Hung (CH) method, an innovative approach for bridging the industrial practice of CM alerts and the process of identifying candidates for reliability improvement. Through systematic mapping of modulated time‐to‐failure patterns onto finger‐print charts, trained engineers are able to scrutinize life characteristics and then detect inherent issues by making reference to a CH pattern guidebook. Applications at two airlines have proved the method to be simple and effective because the CH algorithm and its unique failure pattern examination technique involve aircraft system knowledge and logistics factors in developing component improvement plans. Possible refinement of the CH methodology using a non‐parametric approach and pattern recognition is planned for future research. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
On the approximation errors in the frequency test included in the NIST SP800-22 statistical test suite

In previous papers we have addressed the problem of testing Random Number Generators (RNGs) through statistical tests, with particular emphasis on the approach we called second-level testing. We have shown that this approach is capable of achieving much higher accuracy in exposing nonrandom generators, but may suffer from reliability issues due to approximations introduced in the test. Here we consider the NIST Frequency Test and present a mathematical expression of the error introduced by approximating the effective discrete distribution function with its continuous limit distribution. The matching against experimental data is almost perfect.
PhraseRate : An HTML Keyphrase Extractor ∗

A standard feature in cataloging documents is the list of keywords. When the source documents are web pages, we can attempt to aid the cataloger by analyzing the page and presenting relevant support material. Since the keywords that occur in a document generally occur in keyphrases, and keyphrases provide contextual material for reviewing candidate keywords, they are a natural aggregate to extract and present to the cataloger. This paper describes PhraseRate, which is an interactive aid for keyword extraction, designed to assist human classifiers in the Infomine Project (http://infomine.ucr.edu/). In particular, it introduces a novel keyphrase extraction heuristic for web pages which requires no training, but instead is based on the assumption that most well written webpages “suggest” keyphrases based on their internal structure. It is very fast, flexible, and its results compare favorably with the state of the art in keyphrase extraction.
Mechanisms of Renal Cell Repair and Regeneration after Acute Renal Failure

In many cases, acute renal failure (ARF) is the result of proximal tubular cell injury and death and can arise in a variety of clinical situations, especially following renal ischemia and drug or toxicant exposure. Although much research has focused on the cellular events leading to ARF, less emphasis has been placed on the mechanisms of renal cell repair and regeneration, although ARF is reversed in over half of those who acquire it. Studies using in vivo and in vitro models have demonstrated the importance of proliferation, migration, and repair of physiological functions of injured renal proximal tubular cells (RPTC) in the reversal of ARF. Growth factors have been shown to produce migration and proliferation of injured RPTC, although the specific mechanisms through which growth factors promote renal regeneration in vivo are unclear. Recently, interactions between integrins and extracellular matrix proteins such as collagen IV were shown to promote the repair of physiological functions in injured RPTC. Specifically, collagen IV synthesis and deposition following cellular injury restored integrin polarity and promoted repair of mitochondrial function and active Na+ transport. Furthermore, exogenous collagen IV, but not collagen I, fibronectin, or laminin, promoted the repair of physiological functions without stimulating proliferation. These findings suggest the importance of establishing and/or maintaining collagen IV-integrin interactions in the stimulation of repair of physiological functions following sublethal cellular injury. Furthermore, the pathway that stimulates repair is distinct from that of proliferation and migration and may be a viable target for pharmacological intervention.
The Complex Trial Protocol (CTP): a new, countermeasure-resistant, accurate, P300-based method for detection of concealed information.

A new P300-based concealed information test is described. A rare probe or frequent irrelevant stimulus appears in the same trial in which a target or nontarget later appears. One response follows the first stimulus and uses the same button press regardless of stimulus type. A later second stimulus then appears: target or nontarget. The subject presses one button for a target, another for a nontarget. A P300 to the first stimulus indicates probe recognition. One group was tested in 3 weeks for denied recognition of familiar information. Weeks 1 and 3 were guilty conditions; Week 2 was a countermeasure (CM) condition. The probe-irrelevant differences were significant in all weeks, and percent hits were >90%. Attempted CM use was detectable via elevated reaction time to the first stimulus. In a replication, results were similar. False positive rates for both studies varied from 0 to . 08, yielding J. B. Grier (1971) A' values from . 9 to 1.0.
Downlink Scheduling for Multiclass Traffic in LTE

We present a design of a complete and practical scheduler for the 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) downlink by integrating recent results on resource allocation, fast computational algorithms, and scheduling. Our scheduler has low computational complexity. We define the computational architecture and describe the exact computations that need to be done at each time step (1 milliseconds). Our computational framework is very general, and can be used to implement a wide variety of scheduling rules. For LTE, we provide quantitative performance results for our scheduler for full buffer, streaming video (with loose delay constraints), and live video (with tight delay constraints). Simulations are performed by selectively abstracting the PHY layer, accurately modeling the MAC layer, and following established network evaluation methods. The numerical results demonstrate that queue- and channel-aware QoS schedulers can and should be used in an LTE downlink to offer QoS to a diverse mix of traffic, including delay-sensitive flows. Through these results and via theoretical analysis, we illustrate the various design tradeoffs that need to be made in the selection of a specific queue-and-channel-aware scheduling policy. Moreover, the numerical results show that in many scenarios strict prioritization across traffic classes is suboptimal.
Work density analysis of adjustable stiffness mechanisms

Mechanical compliance is important for a robust and safe physical interaction of robots with humans and unstructured environments. Using adjustable stiffness, the advantages of compliant and stiff systems can be combined and thus the versatility of a robot increased. The realisation of adjustable stiffness in robot joints through compliant mechanisms shows several advantages over active control approaches, especially in terms of robustness. The compactness of adjustable stiffness mechanisms (ASMs) is important for their integration in robotic systems. An important aspect of compactness in ASMs is the storable work per volume, i.e. the work density. Therefore we propose a set of benchmarks to analyse the work density of elastic mechanisms on different design levels. The application of these benchmarks is demonstrated on a novel ASM, which is part of the adjustable impedance element AIE Uno, and on DLR's FSJ. The analysis of these ASMs demonstrates the application and the benefit of the proposed benchmarks. The benchmarks support the choice between alternative solutions and the identification of improvement potential in an existing design.
Change in water extractable organic carbon and microbial PLFAs of biochar during incubation with an acidic paddy soil

Biochar has been considered to affect the transformation of soil organic carbon, soil microbial activity and diversity when applied to soil. However, the changes in chemical and biological properties of biochar itself in soil have not been fully determined. In this study, various biochar samples were obtained from three crop straws (rice, peanut and corn) and two wood chips (bamboo and pine), and incubated with an acidic paddy soil. We examined the changes of biochar water extractable organic carbon (WEOC) content and its ultraviolet (UV) absorbance at 280 nm during incubation period, and also investigated the microbial phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) profile of biochar after 75 days of incubation. The WEOC content of biochars decreased at the end of incubation, except for the biochar pyrolysed from bamboo chips at 400°C. An average reduction rate of 61.2% in WEOC concentration for straw biochars occurred within the first 15 days, while no significant change was observed for all biochars between day 15 and 45, and a slight increase in WEOC occurred for all biochars in the last 30 days. There was a positive relationship between biochar WEOC content and its UV absorbance properties. The microbial PLFAs concentrations of biochars varied from 15.56 to 60.35 nmol g–1, and there was a greater abundance in content and species for corn straw biochars than for the other types of biochars. General bacteria were the dominant microbial group that colonised biochar sample, while gram-positive bacterial and fungi were less in abundance. The chemical properties of fresh biochar were well correlated with total PLFAs concentrations, and significantly related to the composition of microbial community. We concluded that the WEOC component of most biochars change within such short-term application to soil, and the WEOC in combined with the pH and nutrient status of biochar, can alter the type and abundance of microorganisms that colonised biochar.
Sparsity-based algorithms for blind separation of convolutive mixtures with application to EMG signals

In this paper we propose two iterative algorithms for the blind separation of convolutive mixtures of sparse signals. The first one, called Iterative Sparse Blind Separation (ISBS), minimizes a sparsity cost function using an approximate Newton technique. The second algorithm, referred to as Givens-based Sparse Blind Separation (GSBS) computes the separation matrix as a product of a whitening matrix and a unitary matrix estimated, via a Jacobi-like process, as the product of Givens rotations which minimize the sparsity cost function. The two sparsity based algorithms show significantly improved performance with respect to the time coherence based SOBI algorithm as illustrated by the simulation results and comparative study provided at the end of the paper.