Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cellular and synaptic effect of substance P on neonatal phrenic motoneurons

Experiments were carried out on the in vitro brainstem–spinal cord preparation of the newborn rat to analyse the effects of substance P (SP) on phrenic motoneuron (PMN) activity. In current‐clamp mode, SP significantly depolarized PMNs, increased their input resistance, decreased the rheobase current and shifted the firing frequency–intensity relationships leftwards, but did not affect spike frequency adaptation or single spike configuration. The neurokinin receptor agonist NK1 had SP‐mimetic effects, whereas the NK3 and NK2 receptor agonists were less effective and ineffective, respectively. In a tetrodotoxin‐containing aCSF, only SP or the NK1 receptor agonist were still active. No depolarization was observed when the NK1 receptor agonist was applied in the presence of muscarine. In voltage‐clamp mode, SP or the NK1 receptor agonist produced an inward current (ISP) which was not significantly reduced by extracellular application of tetraethylammonium, Co2+, 4‐aminopyridine or Cs+. In aCSF containing tetrodotoxin, Co2+ and Cs+, ISP was blocked by muscarine. No PMN displayed any M‐type potassium current but only a current showing no voltage sensitivity over the range −100 to 0 mV, reversing near the expectedEK+, hence consistent with a leak current. SP application to the spinal cord only (using a partitioned chamber) significantly increased the phrenic activity. Pretreatment with the NMDA receptor antagonist dl‐2‐amino‐5‐phosphonovaleric acid (AP5) decreased the C4 discharge duration and blocked the effect of SP, thus exhibiting an NMDA potentiation by SP. In conclusion, SP modulates postsynaptically the response of phrenic motoneurons to the inspiratory drive through the reduction of a leak conductance and the potentiation of the NMDA component of the synaptic input.
Tai Chi exercise versus rehabilitation for the elderly with cerebral vascular disorder: a single‐blinded randomized controlled trial

Background: Cerebral vascular disorder (CVD) might result in a quantifiable decrease in quality of life, which is determined not only by the neurological deficits but also by impairment of cognitive functions. There are few studies that report on the cognitive effect of Tai Chi exercise (Tai Chi) on the elderly with CVD. The purpose of the present study was to examine the cognitive effect of Tai Chi on the elderly with CVD using P300 measurement, in addition to the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).
How to Time Growth and Reproduction during the Vegetative Season: An Evolutionary Choice for Indeterminate Growers in Seasonal Environments

Indeterminate growers such as plants, mollusks, fish, amphibians, and reptiles are highly diversified with respect to the seasonal timing of growth and reproduction. Current life‐history theory does not offer a consistent view on the origin of this diversity. We use dynamic optimization to examine resource allocation in seasonal environments, considering that offspring produced at different times of the season have unequal future prospects. Reduction of these prospects during the season produced indeterminate growers that grew mostly after maturation, achieving large final body sizes. It also changed the optimal timing of growth and reproduction during a season, from grow‐first‐reproduce‐later, as usually predicted by life‐history theory, to the reproduce‐first‐grow‐later tactic; other tactics were produced by the interactive effects of winter survival and unequal offspring prospects. The results suggest that devaluation of offspring production provides conditions for the evolution of capital breeding, even in fully predictable seasonal environments. Thus, the unequal fate of newborns from different parts of a season may explain the origin of diversity of reproductive phenologies, growth patterns, and capital breeding in nature.
Developing products with modified fats

Publisher Summary Designing products with nutritionally enhanced characteristics is a challenge. Successful products need to deliver a credible health benefit and be good products with respect to their perceivable properties. The benchmark for the perceivable properties that can be assessed by the consumer directly on usage are the generic products. Alternative attempts to provide the consumer with visible cues in healthy products have not yet been successful. The key challenge for the food scientist is to significantly change the products in their composition but to at least maintain their primary quality attributes. In practice, this means maintaining the product structure and delivering oral melting and taste sensation with a reduced fat phase that contains fewer saturated fatty acids. Additionally, it can be expected that almost all nutrition-enhancing ingredients would increase the sensitivity of the product to chemical changes. These have to be kept at a minimum. To achieve this, one either improves the raw material quality and manufacturing practices or takes chemical measures and introduces additional sequestering ingredients to inhibit oxidation.
Genistein, a phytoestrogen, improves total cholesterol, and Synergy, a prebiotic, improves calcium utilization, but there were no synergistic effects

Objective:Prebiotics and phytoestrogens have sparked great interest because evidence indicates that the consumption of these dietary constituents leads to lower cholesterol levels and inhibition of postmenopausal bone loss. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of both a prebiotic (Synergy) and a phytoestrogen (genistein) on bone and blood lipid levels in an animal model of postmenopausal women. Methods:A 4-week feeding study was conducted in 5-month-old ovariectomized (OVX) Sprague-Dawley rats to examine the effect of genistein, Synergy (a prebiotic), and genistein and Synergy combined on bone density and strength, calcium metabolism, and lipid biomarkers. There were six treatment groups: sham control, OVX control, OVX rats receiving daily estradiol injections, and OVX rats receiving an AIN-93M diet supplement with 200 ppm genistein, with 5% Synergy or with 200 ppm genistein and 5% Synergy combined. Results:The rats receiving genistein had significantly lower total serum cholesterol concentrations than OVX rats in the control group (17%), OVX rats receiving daily estradiol injections (14%), and OVX rats fed the 5% Synergy diet (19%). Consumption of Synergy improved calcium absorption efficiency (41%) compared with nonconsumption (OVX control). Sham control rats had a significantly higher femoral bone density, as determined by underwater weighing, than did the rats in all of the OVX groups. Genistein consumption restored total and trabecular bone mineral density at the distal femur similar to the levels of sham rats. Conclusions:Genistein supplementation imparts modest heart health benefits and improves bone geometry at the distal femur, and prebiotic consumption (Synergy) results in improved calcium utilization strength in ovariectomized rats, but the combination produced no synergistic effects.
The Impact of Bankruptcy Code on the Value of the Auditor's Going-Concern Opinion to Investors

This study examines the comparative information content of the going-concern opinion in very similar auditing and capital market environments but divergent legal regimes. We hypothesize that, ceteris paribus, investors in a creditor-friendly bankruptcy regime (the U.K.) react more adversely to a first-time going-concern audit opinion indicating increased risk of loss associated with bankruptcy than do investors in a debtor-friendly bankruptcy regime (the U.S.). Our empirical results are consistent with this expectation. Our findings have clear implications for standard-setters and regulators who, in pursuing international harmonization of accounting and auditing standards, need to take into account how such standards interact with local legal regimes, and consequently their informativeness to capital market participants.
Preliminary results: analysis of Synthetic Transmit Aperture technique in ultrasonic imaging

The Synthetic Aperture (SA) methods are widespread and successfully used in radar technology, as well as in the sonar systems. The advantages of relatively good resolution in the whole area of scanning without decrease of framerate, make this technique an object of interest in medical imaging methods such as ultrasonography (US). This paper describes the possible usage of the SA method in ultrasound imaging. The measurements of different SA schemes were conducted using the set-up consisting of the research ultrasonograph module, the PC and the special wire phantom. The results for different schemes of image reconstruction are presented. Particularly the Synthetic Transmit Aperture (STA) technique was concerned. Results of the STA method are discussed in this paper.
More efficient parameter estimates for factor analysis of ordinal variables by ridge generalized least squares

Data in psychology are often collected using Likert-type scales, and it has been shown that factor analysis of Likert-type data is better performed on the polychoric correlation matrix than on the product-moment covariance matrix, especially when the distributions of the observed variables are skewed. In theory, factor analysis of the polychoric correlation matrix is best conducted using generalized least squares with an asymptotically correct weight matrix (AGLS). However, simulation studies showed that both least squares (LS) and diagonally weighted least squares (DWLS) perform better than AGLS, and thus LS or DWLS is routinely used in practice. In either LS or DWLS, the associations among the polychoric correlation coefficients are completely ignored. To mend such a gap between statistical theory and empirical work, this paper proposes new methods, called ridge GLS, for factor analysis of ordinal data. Monte Carlo results show that, for a wide range of sample sizes, ridge GLS methods yield uniformly more accurate parameter estimates than existing methods (LS, DWLS, AGLS). A real-data example indicates that estimates by ridge GLS are 9-20% more efficient than those by existing methods. Rescaled and adjusted test statistics as well as sandwich-type standard errors following the ridge GLS methods also perform reasonably well.
A wavelet method for metal artifact reduction with multiple metallic objects in the field of view

Image artifacts induced by multiple metallic objects pose a persistent problem in X-ray computed tomography (CT). Among existing CT methods for metal artifact reduction, the wavelet-based approach we recently developed is very promising in practice. In this paper, we report a major refinement to our earlier work [1]. The key component of this refinement is a novel weighting scheme for wavelet multiresolution interpolation. This weighting scheme is designed specifically to take into account multiple metallic implants in the field of view. In contrast to commonly used noniterative algorithms, our algorithm identifies and corrects most seriously corrupted projection data based on wavelet multiresolution analysis. Experimental results indicate that the proposed algorithm significantly improves the image quality, and clearly reveals anatomic details in the immediate vicinity of multiple metallic implants.
AU‐C 240 Consideration of Fraud in a Financial Statement Audit

01 Section 110, Responsibilities and Functions of the Independent Auditor, paragraph . 02, states, "The auditor has a responsibility to plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether caused by error or fraud. [footnote omitted]"1 This section establishes standards and provides guidance to auditors in fulfilling that responsibility, as it relates to fraud, in an audit of financial statements conducted in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards (GAAS). 2
The Global Network of Payment Flows

SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) provides a network for financial institutions to send and receive information about financial transactions in the form of secure standardized messages. Here we analyze the global network created by flows of a particular type of SWIFT message, MT103, which represents a single customer credit transfer. MT103 is the most commonly-sent SWIFT message type and therefore may be a useful measure of global economic activity. We find that certain aspects of the MT103 networks are notably affected by global political and economic events; for example, we see a large reduction in links beginning in 2007 likely due to increased financial regulation, and we see a lasting effect of the financial crisis of 2007-2009 demonstrated by a reduction in the number of messages sent. At the same time, however, the underlying structure of the MT103 networks remains quite stable during the period of study. The networks are well-described by a tiered model also seen in many payment system networks, with a stable core of densely connected countries. In addition, the networks exhibit a strong community structure, the largest communities roughly corresponding to Europe, the former Soviet Union, and the United States plus much of Latin American and Asia. The United States is consistently the most important country in the networks according to various metrics. The empirical analysis conducted here not only increases our understanding of the SWIFT MT103 network in particular, but also may lead to improved modeling of financial systems in general.
Integrating Answer Set Programming with Semantic Dictionaries for Robot Task Planning

In this paper, we propose a novel integrated task planning system for service robots in domestic domains. Given open-ended high-level user instructions in natural language, robots need to generate a plan, i.e., a sequence of low-level executable actions, to complete the required tasks. To address this, we exploit the knowledge on semantic roles of common verbs defined in semantic dictionaries such as FrameNet and integrate it with Answer Set Programming --- a task planning framework with both representation language and solvers. In the experiments, we evaluated our approach using common benchmarks on service tasks and showed that it can successfully handle much more tasks than the state-of-the-art solution. Notably, we deployed the proposed planning system on our service robot for the annual RoboCup@Home competitions and achieved very encouraging results.
Taking a Chance in the Classroom: Setting the Stage for Data Science: Integration of Data Management Skills in Introductory and Second Courses in Statistics

Many have argued that statistics students need additional facility to express statistical computations. By introducing students to commonplace tools for data management, visualization, and reproducible analysis in data science and applying these to real-world scenarios, we prepare them to think statistically. In an era of increasingly big data, it is imperative that students develop data-related capacities, beginning with the introductory course. We believe that the integration of these precursors to data science into our curricula-early and often-will help statisticians be part of the dialogue regarding "Big Data" and "Big Questions".
Static-Discovery Dynamic-Selection (SDDS) Approach to Web Service Discovery

Supporting dynamic attributes is critical in high quality web service discovery. Presently, the methods used for service discovery assume that the world is static and, therefore, do not support attributes that are dynamic in nature. It is important to note that a service is characterized by both static and dynamic attributes. High quality web service discovery requires detailed service context models describing both static and dynamic features. Our approach to high quality service discovery aims to overcome the limitations of existing methods by considering dynamic attributes and employing context-aware information retrieval techniques.
The InterPro Database, 2003 brings increased coverage and new features

InterPro, an integrated documentation resource of protein families, domains and functional sites, was created in 1999 as a means of amalgamating the major protein signature databases into one comprehensive resource. PROSITE, Pfam, PRINTS, ProDom, SMART and TIGRFAMs have been manually integrated and curated and are available in InterPro for text- and sequence-based searching. The results are provided in a single format that rationalises the results that would be obtained by searching the member databases individually. The latest release of InterPro contains 5629 entries describing 4280 families, 1239 domains, 95 repeats and 15 post-translational modifications. Currently, the combined signatures in InterPro cover more than 74% of all proteins in SWISS-PROT and TrEMBL, an increase of nearly 15% since the inception of InterPro. New features of the database include improved searching capabilities and enhanced graphical user interfaces for visualisation of the data. The database is available via a webserver (http://www.ebi.ac.uk/interpro) and anonymous FTP (ftp://ftp.ebi.ac.uk/pub/databases/interpro).
Quality practice and impact of culture: A study of small and medium sized manufacturing in the South of Thailand

This paper is formulized by the research question as how small and medium-sized manufacturing are utilizing the quality systems. The research designs to cover the findings from research exploring the nature and extent of quality practices in those types of manufacturing in the South of Thailand, as case study. Factors motivating, hierarchical patterns, encountered problems and elements of quality culture are observed. Respectively, the findings are discussed based on culture analysis, which is derived from Hofstedepsilas dimensions of culture. Remarkably, this study is not to outline methodology for implementing a change. It is to ascertain the quality culture that has impact to value of people, attitudes, and behaviors; indeed those are claimed as contributing to the success of quality practice.
utomatic offloading of mobile applications into the cloud by means f genetic programming

The limited battery life of modern mobile devices is one of the key problems limiting their use. Even if the offloading of computation onto cloud computing platforms can considerably extend battery duration, it is really hard not only to evaluate the cases where offloading guarantees real advantages on the basis of the requirements of the application in terms of data transfer, computing power needed, etc., but also to evaluate whether user requirements (i.e. the costs of using the cloud services, a determined QoS required, etc.) are satisfied. To this aim, this paper presents a framework for generating models to make automatic decisions on the offloading of mobile applications using a genetic programming (GP) approach. The GP system is designed using a taxonomy of the properties useful to the offloading process concerning the user, the network, the data and the application. The fitness function adopted permits different weights to ata mining be given to the four categories considered during the process of building the model. Experimental results, conducted on datasets representing different categories of mobile applications, permit the analysis of the behavior of our algorithm in different applicative contexts. Finally, a comparison with the state of the art of the classification algorithm establishes the goodness of the approach in modeling the offloading
On Using Active Learning and Self-training when Mining Performance Discussions on Stack Overflow

Abundant data is the key to successful machine learning. However, supervised learning requires annotated data that are often hard to obtain. In a classification task with limited resources, Active Learning (AL) promises to guide annotators to examples that bring the most value for a classifier. AL can be successfully combined with self-training, i.e., extending a training set with the unlabelled examples for which a classifier is the most certain. We report our experiences on using AL in a systematic manner to train an SVM classifier for Stack Overflow posts discussing performance of software components. We show that the training examples deemed as the most valuable to the classifier are also the most difficult for humans to annotate. Despite carefully evolved annotation criteria, we report low inter-rater agreement, but we also propose mitigation strategies. Finally, based on one annotator's work, we show that self-training can improve the classification accuracy. We conclude the paper by discussing implication for future text miners aspiring to use AL and self-training.
Venous thromboembolism in patients with active cancer

Summary Patients with cancer have an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). To further define the demographics, comorbidities, and risk factors of VTE in these patients, we analyzed a prospective registry of 5,451 patients with ultrasound confirmed deep vein thrombosis (DVT) from 183 hospitals in the United States. Cancer was reported in 1,768 (39%), of whom 1,096 (62.0%) had active cancer. Of these, 599 (54.7%) were receiving chemotherapy, and 226 (20.6%) had metastases. Lung (18.5%), colorectal (11.8%), and breast cancer (9.0%) were among the most common cancer types. Cancer patients were younger (median age 66 years vs. 70 years; p<0.0001), were more likely to be male (50.4% vs. 44.5%; p=0.0005), and had a lower average body mass index (26.6 kg/m2 vs. 28.9 kg/m2; p<0.0001). Cancer patients less often received VTE prophylaxis prior to development of DVT compared to those with no cancer (308 of 1,096, 28.2% vs. 1,196 of 3,444, 34.6%; p<0.0001). For DVT therapy, low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) as monotherapy without warfarin (142 of 1,086, 13.1% vs. 300 of 3,429, 8.7%; p<0.0001) and inferior vena caval filters (234 of 1,086, 21.5% vs. 473 of 3,429, 13.8%; p<0.0001) were utilized more often in cancer patients than in DVT patients without cancer. Cancer patients with DVT and neurological disease were twice as likely to receive inferior vena caval filters than those with no cancer (odds ratio 2.17, p=0.005). In conclusion, cancer patients who develop DVT receive prophylaxis less often and more often receive filters than patients with no cancer who develop DVT. Future studies should focus on ways to improve implementation of prophylaxis in cancer patients and to further define the indications, efficacy, and safety of inferior vena caval filters in this population.
Direct growth of copper nanowires on a substrate for boiling applications

A new technique utilising electrochemical deposition with the assistance of porous alumina membranes as the fabrication template is developed to directly grow metallic nanowires on different substrates. To emphasise the nanowire application in boiling enhancement, Cu nanowire (CuNW) has been successfully fabricated on Si, Au and Cu substrates with improved thermal properties and mechanical reliability. Several process parameters to control the CuNW growth have been discussed. The nanowire structures applied in pool boiling enhancement are further investigated and significant enhancements are observed with all the surfaces with nanowire structures.