Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Linearized Alternating Direction Method with Adaptive Penalty for Low-Rank Representation

Many machine learning and signal processing problems can be formulated as linearly constrained convex programs, which could be efficiently solved by the alternating direction method (ADM). However, usually the subproblems in ADM are easily solvable only when the linear mappings in the constraints are identities. To address this issue, we propose a linearized ADM (LADM) method by linearizing the quadratic penalty term and adding a proximal term when solving the sub-problems. For fast convergence, we also allow the penalty to change adaptively according a novel update rule. We prove the global convergence of LADM with adaptive penalty (LADMAP). As an example, we apply LADMAP to solve low-rank representation (LRR), which is an important subspace clustering technique yet suffers from high computation cost. By combining LADMAP with a skinny SVD representation technique, we are able to reduce the complexity O(n3) of the original ADM based method to O(rn2), where r and n are the rank and size of the representation matrix, respectively, hence making LRR possible for large scale applications. Numerical experiments verify that for LRR our LADMAP based methods are much faster than state-of-the-art algorithms.
Phase-locked loop based on nanoelectromechanical resonant-body field effect transistor

We demonstrate the room-temperature operation of a silicon nanoelectromechanical resonant-body field effect transistor (RB-FET) embedded into phase-locked loop (PLL). The very-high frequency resonator uses on-chip electrostatic actuation and transistor-based displacement detection. The heterodyne frequency down-conversion based on resistive FET mixing provides a loop feedback signal with high signal-to-noise ratio. We identify key parameters for PLL operation, and analyze the performance of the RB-FET at the system level. Used as resonant mass detector, the experimental frequency stability in the ppm-range translates into sub atto-gram (10(-18) g) sensitivity in high vacuum. The feedback and control system are generic and may be extended to other mechanical resonators with transistor properties, such as graphene membranes and carbon nanotubes. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi. org/10.1063/1.4758991]
Characterization of Foxp2 functions in the mouse cortex

Genetic disruptions of the forkhead box transcription factor FOXP2 in humans cause a severe autosomal-dominant speech and language disorder. FOXP2 expression pattern and genomic structure are highly conserved in distant vertebrates. We hypothesized that this conservation may allow the use of animal models to identify Foxp2 dependent neuronal circuits and molecular networks involved in social behaviors. Therefore I began characterizing Foxp2 functions in the mouse cortex in conventional heterozygous (Foxp2+/-) and conditional (cortex specific) Foxp2 homozygous mutant mice (Nex-Cre; Foxp2lox/lox). Initial characterization of Nex-Cre; Foxp2lox/lox mice revealed no gross alterations in morphological architecture, postnatal development and basic adult behaviors. However, behavioral profiling of Nex-Cre; Foxp2lox/lox mice demonstrated deficiency in specific social behaviors such as approach behavior towards conspecifics and responses of WT interaction partners. Furthermore, Nex-Cre; Foxp2lox/lox mice showed alterations in specific acoustical parameters of ultrasonic vocalizations (USV), and the type of modulation differed in function of social context. Gene expression profiling of Foxp2-positive cortical pyramidal neurons in Foxp2+/- mice revealed the dysregulation of Mint2, a gene involved in approach behavior in mice and autism spectrum disorder in humans. This result was further validated in cortex-specific Foxp2 mutant mice The results deliver first insights into cortical Foxp2 dependent functions in mouse social behaviors. This provides a rational basis for further mechanistic studies of the ancestral functions of cortical Foxp2 that may have been recruited during speech and language evolution.
Évaluation du buffer épisodique : deux épreuves testant les capacités d'association et de stockage d'informations verbales et spatiales

Le buffer episodique, sous systeme de la memoire de travail, est responsable de l’association d’informations issues de differentes sources en une representation coherente et integree dans un espace temps. Il assure egalement le stockage temporaire de cette representation. En lien avec les systemes de memoire a long terme, le langage et le fonctionnement attentionnel, l’evaluation du buffer episodique permettrait aux neuropsychologues de mieux comprendre les tableaux cognitifs qu’ils rencontrent. Nous presentons deux epreuves testant les capacites d’association et de stockage du buffer episodique (epreuve d’integration et empan multimodal) ainsi que des donnees recueillies aupres de sujets sains. Le materiel des epreuves et des donnees recueillies aupres de sujets de 18 a 85 ans sont disponibles sur le site de la Revue de neuropsychologie.
Automated Generation of 4D Building Information Models through Spatial Reasoning

Building information models (BIM), through their rich digital information content, have created an opportunity to automate portions of the estimating, scheduling, and visualization processes in construction management. In this research, we are developing a method that applies rule-based spatial reasoning based on the topological relationships between the building components in a BIM to automatically generate a technologically and physically meaningful construction sequencing of the building components while automating association of these activities with BIM objects for purposes of 4D schedule visualization. The spatial reasoning takes into account considerations such as structural construction, material layers and work access, some common construction practices and hierarchical relationships between the building entities. The methodology is applied to the domain of commercial construction projects.
Generation and characterization of transgenic mice expressing tamoxifen-inducible cre-fusion protein specifically in mouse liver.

AIM To establish transgenic mice expressing tamoxifen-inducible Cre-ERt recombinase specifically in the liver and to provide an efficient animal model for studying gene function in the liver and creating various mouse models mimicking human diseases. METHODS Alb-Cre-ERt transgenic mice were produced by microinjecting the construct with Cre-ERt fusion gene of DNA fragments into fertilized eggs derived from inbred C57BL/6 strain. Transgenic mice were identified by using PCR and Southern blotting. Expression of Cre-ERt fusion gene was analyzed in the liver, kidney, brain and lung from F1 generation transgenic mice at 8 weeks of age by reverse transcription (RT)-PCR. RESULTS Four hundred and fourteen fertilized eggs of C57 BL/6 mice were microinjected with recombinant Alb-Cre-ERt DNA fragments, and 312 survival eggs injected were transferred to the oviducts of 12 pseudopregnant recipient mice, 6 of 12 recipient mice became pregnant and gave birth to 44 offsprings. Of the 44 offsprings, two males and one female carried the hybrid Cre-ERt fusion gene. Three mice were determined as founders, and were back crossed to set up F1 generations with other inbred C57BL/6 mice. Transmission of Cre-ERt fusion gene in F1 offspring followed Mendelian rules. The expression of Cre-ERt mRNA was detected only in the liver of F1 offspring from two of three founder mice. CONCLUSION Transgenic mice expressing tamoxifen-inducible Cre-ERt recombinase under control of the liver-specific promoter are preliminary established.
SenSafe: A Smartphone-Based Traffic Safety Framework by Sensing Vehicle and Pedestrian Behaviors

Traffic accident involving vehicles is one of the most serious problems in the transportation system nowadays. How to detect dangerous steering and then alarm drivers in real time is a problem. What is more, walking while using smartphones makes pedestrian more susceptible to various risks. Although dedicated short range communication (DSRC) provides the way for safety communications, most of vehicles have not been deployed with DSRC components. Even worse, DSRC is not supported by the smartphones for vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) communication. In this paper, a smartphone-based framework named SenSafe is developed to improve the traffic safety. SenSafe is a framework which only utilizes the smartphone to sense the surrounding events and provides alerts to drivers. Smartphone-based driving behaviors detection mechanism is developed inside the framework to discover various steering behaviors. Besides, the Wi-Fi association and authentication overhead is reduced to broadcast the compressed sensing data using the Wi-Fi beacon to inform the drivers of the surroundings. Furthermore, a collision estimation algorithm is designed to issue appropriate warnings. Finally, an Android-based implementation of SenSafe framework has been achieved to demonstrate the application reliability in real environments.
Association between Metabolic Syndrome and Gallbladder Polyps in Healthy Korean Adults

The goal of this study was to evaluate the association between gallbladder (GB) polyps and metabolic syndrome. A total of 5,685 healthy subjects were included, and 485 of these subjects had GB polyps and 744 had metabolic syndrome. In this study, metabolic syndrome was diagnosed according to standards suggested by the AHA/NHLBI ATP III 2005, and abdominal obesity (≥ 90 cm in men and ≥ 85 cm in women for Korean) was diagnosed according to standards set forth by the Korean Society for Study of Obesity. Biphasic logistic regression adjusted for age and gender was used to evaluate the association between metabolic syndrome and GB polyps. Subjects who were male (OR, 1.493; 95% CI, 1.11-2.00) and hepatitis B suface Ag (HBsAg) positive (OR, 1.591; 95% CI, 1.06-2.38) were significantly more likely to have GB polyps. The metabolic syndrome group had a higher risk of GB polyps (OR, 1.315; 95% CI, 1.01-1.69) than the group without metabolic syndrome. In conclusion, subjects who were HBsAg positive and male appear to be associated with the risk of GB polyps. The presence of metabolic syndrome also appears to be associated with the risk of GB polyps in Koreans.
Health examination of preschool children in relation to school adjustment in grade I

The results of a collaborative study on health examination in preschool children, using data from child health care, preschool establishments and a teacher evaluation carried out six months after the start of school were compared. The analysis showed that many children with difficulties in motor function, behaviour and/or learning in grade I had been identified at the health examination. The results emphasize the value of collaboration between preschool establishments, child health care centres and schools for identification of children at risk of developing early adjustment problems.
CORBYS cognitive control architecture for robotic follower

In this paper the novel generic cognitive robot control architecture CORBYS is presented. The objective of the CORBYS architecture is the integration of high-level cognitive modules to support robot functioning in dynamic environments including interacting with humans. This paper presents the preliminary integration of the CORBYS architecture to support a robotic follower. Experimental results on high-level empowerment-based trajectory planning have demonstrated the effectiveness of ROS-based communication between distributed modules developed in a multi-site research environment as typical for distributed collaborative projects such as CORBYS.
Associations between Variation in CHRNA5-CHRNA3-CHRNB4, Body Mass Index and Blood Pressure in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966

Background The CHRNA5-CHRNA3-CHRNB4 gene cluster on 15q25 has consistently been associated with smoking quantity, nicotine dependence and lung cancer. Recent research also points towards its involvement in cardiovascular homeostasis, but studies in large human samples are lacking, especially on the role of the gene cluster in blood pressure regulation. Methodology/Principal Findings We studied the associations between 18 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in CHRNA5-CHRNA3-CHRNB4 and systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and body mass index (BMI) in 5402 young adults from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966. We observed some evidence for associations between two SNPs and SBP and between six SNPs and BMI; the evidence for associations with DBP was weaker. The associations with the three phenotypes were driven by different loci with low linkage disequilibrium with each other. The associations appeared more pronounced in smokers, such that the smoking-increasing alleles would predict lower SBP and BMI. Each additional copy of the rs1948 G-allele and the rs950776 A-allele reduced SBP on average by −1.21 (95% CI −2.01, −0.40) mmHg in smokers. The variants associated with BMI included rs2036534, rs6495309, rs1996371, rs6495314, rs4887077 and rs11638372 and had an average effect size of −0.38 (−0.68, −0.08) kg/m2 per an additional copy of the risk allele in smokers. Formal assessments of interactions provided weaker support for these findings, especially after adjustment for multiple testing. Conclusions Variation at 15q25 appears to interact with smoking status in influencing SBP and BMI. The genetic loci associated with SBP were in low linkage disequilibrium with those associated with BMI suggesting that the gene cluster might regulate SBP through biological mechanisms that partly differ from those regulating BMI. Further studies in larger samples are needed for more precise evaluation of the possible interactions, and to understand the mechanisms behind.
Lifespan anxiety is reflected in human amygdala cortical connectivity

The amygdala plays a pivotal role in processing anxiety and connects to large‐scale brain networks. However, intrinsic functional connectivity (iFC) between amygdala and these networks has rarely been examined in relation to anxiety, especially across the lifespan. We employed resting‐state functional MRI data from 280 healthy adults (18–83.5 yrs) to elucidate the relationship between anxiety and amygdala iFC with common cortical networks including the visual network, somatomotor network, dorsal attention network, ventral attention network, limbic network, frontoparietal network, and default network. Global and network‐specific iFC were separately computed as mean iFC of amygdala with the entire cerebral cortex and each cortical network. We detected negative correlation between global positive amygdala iFC and trait anxiety. Network‐specific associations between amygdala iFC and anxiety were also detectable. Specifically, the higher iFC strength between the left amygdala and the limbic network predicted lower state anxiety. For the trait anxiety, left amygdala anxiety–connectivity correlation was observed in both somatomotor and dorsal attention networks, whereas the right amygdala anxiety–connectivity correlation was primarily distributed in the frontoparietal and ventral attention networks. Ventral attention network exhibited significant anxiety–gender interactions on its iFC with amygdala. Together with findings from additional vertex‐wise analysis, these data clearly indicated that both low‐level sensory networks and high‐level associative networks could contribute to detectable predictions of anxiety behaviors by their iFC profiles with the amygdala. This set of systems neuroscience findings could lead to novel functional network models on neural correlates of human anxiety and provide targets for novel treatment strategies on anxiety disorders. Hum Brain Mapp 37:1178–1193, 2016. © 2015 The Authors Human Brain Mapping Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Do Initial Conditions Persist between Firms? An Analysis of Firm-Entry Cohort Effects and Job Losers Using Matched Employer-Employee Data

"Influential studies have suggested that initial conditions can have persistent effects on workers' careers within firms. It is a longstanding question among economists whether such lasting wage differentials among firms and industries are due to persistent deviations of wages from workers' skills due to contracting and market frictions, or whether they arise from permanent differences among workers' skills. However, there is currently little representative evidence on firm-entry cohort effects and few explicit tests of alternative explanations. We use information on the universe of workers from a large German manufacturing sector from matched employer- employee records to show that firm-entry cohort effects are a pervasive phenomenon for the firms we study. The cohort effects we estimate are highly heterogeneous across firms and slowly fade over time. We also find that wage premiums on the past job are lost at job displacement, and that initial positive effects on wage levels at the new job fades over time. This suggests that at least part of firm-entry cohort effects arise from transitory rents, and that initial effects from previous wages fade as workers' search for better jobs. " (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
Automated High-Throughput Characterization of Single Neurons by Means of Simplified Spiking Models

Single-neuron models are useful not only for studying the emergent properties of neural circuits in large-scale simulations, but also for extracting and summarizing in a principled way the information contained in electrophysiological recordings. Here we demonstrate that, using a convex optimization procedure we previously introduced, a Generalized Integrate-and-Fire model can be accurately fitted with a limited amount of data. The model is capable of predicting both the spiking activity and the subthreshold dynamics of different cell types, and can be used for online characterization of neuronal properties. A protocol is proposed that, combined with emergent technologies for automatic patch-clamp recordings, permits automated, in vitro high-throughput characterization of single neurons.
Performance shocks , turnaround strategies and corporate recovery : Evidence from Australia

Using a sample of Australian firms, we document improvements in operating performance following performance shocks. These improvements result in part from turnaround strategies adopted by management. Evidence suggests that changes made to leverage and operating expenses result in a negative contemporaneous effect on performance improvement. The adjustments made to working capital (revenue growth) result in a lagged negative (positive) impact on performance. Furthermore, whilst asset sales have a negative contemporaneous effect, layoffs, divestitures and new CEOs have a lagged positive impact on performance improvement. The interaction of financial and restructuring strategies is found to result in an incremental impact on firm performance. Overall, there is evidence to suggest that financial and corporate restructuring strategies are efficient responses to performance shocks. JEL Classification: G32; G34
Exercise to improve pediatric bone and fat: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE This study aimed to determine the effects of school-based, bone-focused exercise interventions on bone, fat, and lean mass in children by systematically reviewing and meta-analyzing the literature. METHODS Potentially relevant articles were identified by searching electronic databases. Abstracts were included if they described the effects of an in-school exercise intervention for children 5-17 yr old compared with controls and presented baseline and follow-up results for bone, fat, and lean measures. Identified studies were systematically reviewed for methodological quality. Meta-analyses were performed for whole body, lumbar spine, and femoral neck bone mineral content (BMC), fat, and lean mass. RESULTS Sixteen eligible trials were identified including eight randomized controlled trials, three clinical controlled trials, and five nonrandomized, nonmatched studies. The quality analysis revealed two studies had low, nine had medium, and five had a high risk of bias. Meta-analyses revealed a small positive effect of bone-targeted exercise on whole body BMC (standardized mean difference [SMD] = 0.483, 95% CI = 0.132-0.833), femoral neck BMC (SMD = 0.292, 95% CI = -0.022 to 0.607), lumbar spine BMC (SMD = 0.384, 95% CI = 0.193-0.575), fat mass (SMD = -0.248, 95% CI = -0.406 to -0.089), and lean mass (SMD = 0.159, 95% CI = -0.076 to 0.394). CONCLUSIONS Beneficial effects of school-based, bone-targeted exercise were observed for bone and fat, but not for lean mass. Excluding trials with high risk of bias strengthened that effect. Considerable study heterogeneity may have obscured effects on lean mass. The effects observed for bone and fat support the pursuit of brief, jumping-focused interventions to reduce fat as well as enhance musculoskeletal tissue in school age children.
Polydnavirus Ank Proteins Bind NF-κB Homodimers and Inhibit Processing of Relish

Recent studies have greatly increased understanding of how the immune system of insects responds to infection, whereas much less is known about how pathogens subvert immune defenses. Key regulators of the insect immune system are Rel proteins that form Nuclear Factor-κB (NF-κB) transcription factors, and inhibitor κB (IκB) proteins that complex with and regulate NF-κBs. Major mortality agents of insects are parasitoid wasps that carry immunosuppressive polydnaviruses (PDVs). Most PDVs encode ank genes that share features with IκBs, while our own prior studies suggested that two ank family members from Microplitis demolitor bracovirus (MdBV) (Ank-H4 and Ank-N5) behave as IκB mimics. However, the binding affinities of these viral mimics for Rel proteins relative to endogenous IκBs remained unclear. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and co-immunoprecipitation assays showed that the IκB Cactus from Drosophila bound Dif and Dorsal homodimers more strongly than Relish homodimers. Ank-H4 and –N5 bound Dif, Dorsal and Relish homodimers with higher affinity than the IκB domain of Relish (Rel-49), and also bound Relish homodimers more strongly than Cactus. Ank-H4 and –N5 inhibited processing of compound Relish and reduced the expression of several antimicrobial peptide genes regulated by the Imd signaling pathway in Drosophila mbn2 cells. Studies conducted in the natural host Pseudoplusia includens suggested that parasitism by M. demolitor also activates NF-κB signaling and that MdBV inhibits this response. Overall, our data provide the first quantitative measures of insect and viral IκB binding affinities, while also showing that viral mimics disable Relish processing.