Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Updating of the visual representation in monkey striate and extrastriate cortex during saccades

Neurons in the lateral intraparietal area, frontal eye field, and superior colliculus exhibit a pattern of activity known as remapping. When a salient visual stimulus is presented shortly before a saccade, the representation of that stimulus is updated, or remapped, at the time of the eye movement. This updating is presumably based on a corollary discharge of the eye movement command. To investigate whether visual areas also exhibit remapping, we recorded from single neurons in extrastriate and striate cortex while monkeys performed a saccade task. Around the time of the saccade, a visual stimulus was flashed either at the location occupied by the neuron's receptive field (RF) before the saccade (old RF) or at the location occupied by it after the saccade (new RF). More than half (52%) of V3A neurons responded to a stimulus flashed in the new RF even though the stimulus had already disappeared before the saccade. These neurons responded to a trace of the flashed stimulus brought into the RF by the saccade. In 16% of V3A neurons, remapped activity began even before saccade onset. Remapping also was observed at earlier stages of the visual hierarchy, including in areas V3 and V2. At these earlier stages, the proportion of neurons that exhibited remapping decreased, and the latency of remapped activity increased relative to saccade onset. Remapping was very rare in striate cortex. These results indicate that extrastriate visual areas are involved in the process of remapping.
Technological Leadership and Persistence of Monopoly Under Endogenous Entry: Static Versus Dynamic Analysis

We build a dynamic oligopoly model with endogenous entry in which a particular firm (leader) invests in an innovation process, facing the subsequent entry of other firms (followers). We identify conditions that make it optimal for the leader in the initial oligopoly situation to undertake pre-emptive R&D investment (strategic predation) eventually resulting in the elimination of all followers. Compared to a static model, the dynamic one provides new insights into the leader’s intertemporal investment choice, its optimal decision making, and the dynamics of the market structure over time. We also contrast the leader’s investment decisions with those of the social planner.
The Comparison of Moment Invariants and to Remove Blur By Using Zernike Moments

In this paper, we propose various types of moments like Legendre moments, complex moments and Zernike Moments invariants. In the past decades has been extensively investigated about moment invariants. In Zernike moments we construct to derive set of invariants which is simultaneously invariant to similarity transformation and to convolution with spread spectrum(PSF). In this mainly two contributions are provided, The frame work for theoretical is derived from Zernike moments of a blurred image and the way to construct the one of invariant moment combined geometric blur invariants. To evaluate the performance of the invariants with various PSFs and similarity Transformations. Experimental results show that the propose dinvarients perform better to compared with other invariants like Legendre moments and complex Moments.
How to challenge seminar traditions in an academic community

From 2004 to 2007, developmental research was performed at the Department of Music and Media in Pitea, a part of Lulea University of Technology (LTU), Sweden. The aim was to improve higher-level seminars with a focus on text-related responses. Due to Sture Brandstrom’s open-mindedness towards new ideas, this work took the form of an action research project in which PhD-students, senior lecturers and professors were involved. The project received internal financial support from LTU, and was thoroughly documented (Wennergren 2007b). In a Festschrift dedicated in honour of Sture, it has been a matter of course to write about ‘response seminars’, or ‘the Pitea model’, which has become the alternative name of the seminar model in question.In the following, we will portray the response model and highlight issues, which emerged within the heterogenic research community in Pitea. We will also describe and reflect upon some developmental strains of the model together with their consequences. Above all, we will discuss different kinds of generic skills that were utilised and developed within the frames of the academic seminar. Finally, we will discuss relevant challenges, which need to be confronted when a research community wants to avoid becoming trapped in routine-like traditions. We think our findings could serve as both inspiration and a basis for discussion.
Understanding players' achievement values from MMORPGs: an exploratory study

Purpose – Achievement is considered to be an important value for students. The purpose of this paper is to explore what achievement values were derived from playing massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), especially for high-engaged MMORPGs players. Design/methodology/approach – The research employed two approaches to collect data: focus group and a web survey of online game players were conducted. Moreover, an addiction-engagement scale was used to ensure all participants were genuinely highly engaged MMORPGs players in data collection process. There are 12 highly engaged players were recruited as focus group members in Phase 1. The online survey yielded 315 responses, of which 267 were considered valid, and 177 of those were considered to be genuine highly engaged players in Phase 2. In the study, exploratory factor analysis was performed to reveal underlying structure of achievement values. Findings – The result focussing on popular MMORPGs reveal that highly engaged players derived .
Improving the Reading Scores of Students Who Fall below Grade Level Expectations.

This report describes the process used by a small, one-building kindergarten-through-grade-six school district in New Jersey to improve the reading scores of students who had fallen below their current grade in reading. Areas of need included improving the reading scores cf students in regular education, special education, and English-as-a-Second-Language programs. In addition, the need to increase incentive programs to help motivate students, increase teacher awareness of specific student deficiencies, and develop classroom techniques to help improve student reading ability were recognized. Three major strategies were employed: student incentive programs; peer tutoring of second-grade remedial students by sixth-grade students; and learning style identification along with individualized instruction within the classroom. An average student reading grade level equivalent gain of 0.83 was recorded for students tested from April 1990 to April 1991, while students tested from April 1991 to April 1992 realized a gain of 0.8. Despite the positive reading grade equivalent score realized during that period, non-mastery deficiencies were unchanged and partial-mastery deficiencies increased by 45. Thirty-two of the 38 students tested in April 1990 and 22 of the 28 students tested in April 1991 received a final reading grade of C or above. An increase of 42% in students receiving recognition from 1990-1991 to 1991-1992 was realiied for the combined implemented student incentive programs. Eight students showed no change, 12 students improved moderately, and 8 students improved greatly on teacher self-esteem appraisals. Twenty-eight tables and one figure of data are included; 20 references and 14 appendixes of data are attached. (Author/RS) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. * *********************************************************************** Improving the Reading Scores of Students Who Fall Below Grade Level Expectations
Coping, social support, job satisfaction, and work/life imbalance

Labour markets all over the world. including South Africa, are currently undergoing a lot of dramatic changes because of economical instability. In order to stay ahead of these changes and to stay competitive, organizations have to engage in adaptive strategies such as downsizing and mergers. As a result, employees experience feelings of uncertainty and job insecurity. The aim of this study was to determine whether a relationship existed between job insecurity and job satisfaction, and whether coping moderated the effect between these variables. The population of the study comprised of a group of managers from a South African mining organization. The Job Insecurity Scale, Cybernetic Coping Scale and Job Satisfaction Questionnaire were administered to a sample of 250 employees and 206 useful responses were received. Acceptable alpha coefficients were obtained on the Job Insecurity and Cybernetic Coping Scale as well as the Job Satisfaction Questionnaire. It was found that employee's job satisfaction could be predicted by job insecurity, and that negative coping strategies moderate the effect that job insecurity has on an employee's job satisfaction.
Adherence to Hunger Training over 6 Months and the Effect on Weight and Eating Behaviour: Secondary Analysis of a Randomised Controlled Trial

Monitoring blood glucose prior to eating can teach individuals to eat only when truly hungry, but how adherence to ‘hunger training’ influences weight loss and eating behaviour is uncertain. This exploratory, secondary analysis from a larger randomized controlled trial examined five indices of adherence to ‘hunger training’, chosen a priori, to examine which adherence measure best predicted weight loss over 6 months. We subsequently explored how the best measure of adherence influenced eating behavior in terms of intuitive and emotional eating. Retention was 72% (n = 36/50) at 6 months. Frequency of hunger training booklet entry most strongly predicted weight loss, followed by frequency of blood glucose measurements. Participants who completed at least 60 days of booklet entry (of recommended 63 days) lost 6.8 kg (95% CI: 2.6, 11.0; p < 0.001) more weight than those who completed fewer days. They also had significantly higher intuitive eating scores than those who completed 30 days or less of booklet entry; a difference (95% CI) of 0.73 (0.12, 1.35) in body-food choice congruence and 0.79 (0.06, 1.51) for eating for physical rather than emotional reasons. Adherent participants also reported significantly lower scores for emotional eating of −0.70 (−1.13, −0.27). Following hunger training and focusing on simply recording ratings of hunger on a regular basis can produce clinically significant weight loss and clinically relevant improvements in eating behaviour.
COMPUCELL, a multi-model framework for simulation of morphogenesis

MOTIVATION CompuCell is a multi-model software framework for simulation of the development of multicellular organisms known as morphogenesis. It models the interaction of the gene regulatory network with generic cellular mechanisms, such as cell adhesion, division, haptotaxis and chemotaxis. A combination of a state automaton with stochastic local rules and a set of differential equations, including subcellular ordinary differential equations and extracellular reaction-diffusion partial differential equations, model gene regulation. This automaton in turn controls the differentiation of the cells, and cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interactions that give rise to cell rearrangements and pattern formation, e.g. mesenchymal condensation. The cellular Potts model, a stochastic model that accurately reproduces cell movement and rearrangement, models cell dynamics. All these models couple in a controllable way, resulting in a powerful and flexible computational environment for morphogenesis, which allows for simultaneous incorporation of growth and spatial patterning. RESULTS We use CompuCell to simulate the formation of the skeletal architecture in the avian limb bud. AVAILABILITY Binaries and source code for Microsoft Windows, Linux and Solaris are available for download from http://sourceforge.net/projects/compucell/
Evaluation of the enzymatic activity and stability of commercial bromelain incorporated in topical formulations

Bromelain is a mixture of proteolytic enzymes found in various tissues of the pineapple plant (Ananas comosus) and other species of Bromeliaceae. Owing to its proteolytic activity, bromelain has been used in the food, medical, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, for its cell renewal, anti‐ageing, whitening and anti‐cellulite properties.
On Testing of Superscalar Processors in Functional Mode for Delay Faults

In-field test is becoming important due to reliability concerns arising from aggressive technology scaling coupled with variation in manufacturing process. In advanced technology nodes, increasing delay variation and decreasing delay tolerance makes the condition worse. Conventional scan based delay test environment can be different from the normal operation of a circuit and has drawbacks like area overhead, application of nonfunctional vectors, clock stretching etc. Therefore, an alternative functional mode test is needed. This paper attempts to integrate a functional test and structural test. It generates structural test under functional constraints and applies in the functional mode. In an out-of-order processor, instructions are not executed in program sequence. This feature poses challenge in application of delay test through software based self-test (SBST) technique. In this paper, we describe a SBST technique to test delay faults in computational blocks of an out-of-order superscalar processor without area overhead or timing penalty. The proposed technique is applied to superscalar processor implementing portable ISA (PISA). The experimental results show 99.12% delay test efficiency of computational blocks in an execution unit.
Dynamic analysis of mobility and graspability of general manipulation systems

We present a geometric approach to the dynamic analysis of manipulation systems of a rather general class, including some important types of manipulators as, e.g., cooperating, super-articulated, and whole-arm manipulators. The focus is in particular on simple industry-oriented devices, for which a minimalistic design approach requires a clear understanding of mobility and graspability properties in the presence of kinematic defectivity. The paper discusses the dynamics of these systems, and considers how their structural properties (in the classical system-theoretic sense, i.e., stability, controllability, observability, etc.) are related to frequently used concepts in robotics such as "redundancy", "graspability", "mobility", and "indeterminacy". Less common or novel concepts, such as those of "defectivity," "hyperstaticity," and "dynamic graspability", are elicited and/or enlightened by this study. Some important practical consequences of the limited control possibilities of defective systems are thus put into evidence. Finally, a standard form of the dynamics of general manipulation systems is provided as a compact and readable synopsis of the dynamic structure. The form is a valuable tool for synthesizing dynamic controllers for such systems, especially suited to geometric control design methods.
An adaptive brain-computer interface for humanoid robot control

Recent advances in neuroscience and humanoid robotics have allowed initial demonstrations of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) for controlling humanoid robots. However, previous BCIs have relied on higher-level control based on fixed pre-wired behaviors. On the other hand, low-level control can be tedious, imposing a high cognitive load on the BCI user. To address these problems, we previously proposed an adaptive hierarchical approach to brain-computer interfacing: users teach the BCI system new skills on-the-fly; these skills can later be invoked directly as high-level commands, relieving the user of tedious control. In this paper, we explore the application of hierarchical BCIs to the task of controlling a PR2 humanoid robot and teaching it new skills. We further explore the use of explicitly-defined sequences of commands as a way for the user to define a more complex task involving multiple state spaces. We report results from three subjects who used a hierarchical electroencephalogram (EEG)-based BCI to successfully train and control the PR2 humanoid robot in a simulated household task maneuvering the robot's arm to pour milk over a bowl of cereal. We present the first demonstration of training a hierarchical BCI for a non-navigational task. This is also the first demonstration of using one to train a more complex task involving multiple state spaces.
Physical Layer Security of Space-Division Multiplexed Fiber-Optic Communication Systems in the Presence of Multiple Eavesdroppers

In this paper, we examine the information-theoretic security of multiple-input-multiple-output space-division multiplexed (MIMO-SDM) fiber-optic communication systems in the presence of multiple eavesdroppers. In particular, we analyze the achievable secrecy rate for the two special cases that reflect different capabilities of the eavesdroppers: independent eavesdroppers who do not share received information and colluding (cooperating) eavesdroppers who can combine and jointly process the received signals. Our results show that MIMO-SDM systems are robust against multiple independent tapping attacks, in the sense that the average achievable secrecy rate is strictly positive even with an infinite number of eavesdroppers. Though extremely difficult to implement in practice, if all the eavesdroppers could cooperate coherently, the average secrecy rate decreases quickly with the number of eavesdroppers. As such, to counter the colluding eavesdroppers, a combination of much higher SNR for the legitimate receiver and higher mode-dependent loss (MDL) for the eavesdroppers is needed.
Isolated Bronchi of Patients with COPD Show Decreased Histamine Responsiveness Compared to Smokers with Normal Lung Function

This study compared airway responsiveness in vitro, as measured in isolated bronchi, with responsiveness in vivo in patients with COPD and smokers with normal lung function. In 9 patients with COPD (mean (range) FEV1 55 (30–78) %predicted) and 8 smokers with normal lung function (FEV1 101 (89–117) %predicted), who underwent surgery for lung cancer, responses to inhaled histamine and salbutamol were assessed before surgery. Bronchial specimens of 1–4 mm internal diameter were studied in the organ bath and histamine concentration-response curves assessed. All patients with COPD and none of the control individuals were hyperresponsive to inhaled histamine. Five patients with COPD and no control patient showed a bronchodilator response to salbutamol. Opposite to these findings, bronchial rings in the organ bath demonstrated a rightward shift of histamine concentration-response curves in COPD compared to controls, (p < 0.005). Accordingly, pED50 but not Emax differed statistically (p = 0.0016) between groups, mean ± SEM values of pED50 in COPD (controls) being 4.67 ± 0.08 (5.29 ± 0.15) and of Emax 672 ± 86 (772 ± 120) mg. Patients with COPD showing hyperresponsiveness to inhaled histamine demonstrated lower responsiveness of their isolated bronchi compared to smokers with normal lung function. This suggests that in vivo hyperresponsiveness is based on other mechanisms than alterations in smooth muscle physiology.
Human forearm muscle metabolism during exercise. VI. Substrate utilization in prolonged fasting.

Five patients undergoing therapeutic starvation were studied after 21–26 days of fasting. Brachial artery blood flow and substrate concentrations in arterial and deep venous blood were determined at rest and during rhythmic forearm exercise. Forearm glucose uptake was markedly attenuated both at rest and during exercise in comparison with results for the postabsorptive state. The forearm RQ was low (0.80 ± 0.07) and FFA uptake high in comparison with the postabsorptive state. Even though levels of 3-hydroxybutyrate and acetoacetate were high, these substrates were not utilized at rest or during exercise. At rest there was conversion of acetoacetate to 3-hydroxybutyrate in the forearm muscle. It is concluded that alterations in muscle substrate utilization contribute importantly to whole body metabolic adaptation in prolonged fasting.
Depressive Symptomatology and Vital Exhaustion Are Differentially Related to Behavioral Risk Factors for Coronary Artery Disease

Objective This study proposes to assess the differences of two psychosocial risk indicators for coronary artery disease (CAD), ie, depressive symptoms and vital exhaustion. Method In a representative, stratified, nation-wide sample of the population of Hungary over the age of 16 years (N = 12,640), analyses were made of whether those risk indicators were differentially related to several illness behaviors (including history of cardiovascular treatment and cardiovascular sick days), cognitions, mood states, and socioeconomic characteristics that may generally be associated with increased CAD risk. The sample was stratified by age, sex, and composition of the population of all counties in Hungary. Results Although depressive symptoms and vital exhaustion correlated strongly, there were clear and significant differences in strength of association between depressive symptoms, vital exhaustion and several variables under study. Dysfunctional cognitions, hostility, lack of purpose in life, low perceived self-efficacy, illegal drug use, alcohol and drug abuse, several forms of subjective disability complaints and history of treatment because of congenital disorders, and chronic skin and hematological disorders were more often associated with depressive symptoms, whereas loss of energy, use of stimulants, chest-pain-related disabilities, history of treatment because of cardiovascular disorders, and self-reported cardiovascular sick days were significantly more often associated with vital exhaustion. Conclusions Vital exhaustion and depressive symptomatology are differentially associated with relevant external criteria. Vital exhaustion is associated with perceived cardiovascular complaints and history of cardiovascular treatment, whereas depressive symptomatology seems to be more closely connected to disabilities and complaints related to alcohol, drug, and congenital-disorder, and to dysfunctional cognitions and hostility.
Calmodulin as a major calcium buffer shaping vesicular release and short-term synaptic plasticity: facilitation through buffer dislocation

Action potential-dependent release of synaptic vesicles and short-term synaptic plasticity are dynamically regulated by the endogenous Ca2+ buffers that shape [Ca2+] profiles within a presynaptic bouton. Calmodulin is one of the most abundant presynaptic proteins and it binds Ca2+ faster than any other characterized endogenous neuronal Ca2+ buffer. Direct effects of calmodulin on fast presynaptic Ca2+ dynamics and vesicular release however have not been studied in detail. Using experimentally constrained three-dimensional diffusion modeling of Ca2+ influx–exocytosis coupling at small excitatory synapses we show that, at physiologically relevant concentrations, Ca2+ buffering by calmodulin plays a dominant role in inhibiting vesicular release and in modulating short-term synaptic plasticity. We also propose a novel and potentially powerful mechanism for short-term facilitation based on Ca2+-dependent dynamic dislocation of calmodulin molecules from the plasma membrane within the active zone.
Cell cycle-dependent expression of Kv 3 . 4 channels modulates proliferation of human uterine artery smooth muscle cells

Cell cycle-dependent expression of Kv3.4 channels modulates proliferation of human uterine artery smooth muscle cells