Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
α1E Subunits Form the Pore of Three Cerebellar R-Type Calcium Channels with Different Pharmacological and Permeation Properties

R-type Ca2+ channels cooperate with P/Q- and N-type channels to control neurotransmitter release at central synapses. The leading candidate as pore-forming subunit of R-type channels is the α1E subunit. However, R-type Ca2+ currents with permeation and/or pharmacological properties different from those of recombinant Ca2+channels containing α1E subunits have been described, and therefore the molecular nature of R-type Ca2+channels remains not completely settled. Here, we show that the R-type Ca2+ current of rat cerebellar granule cells consists of two components inhibited with different affinity by the α1E selective antagonist SNX482 (IC50 values of 6 and 81 nm) and a third component resistant to SNX482. The SNX482-sensitive R-type current shows the unique permeation properties of recombinant α1E channels; it is larger with Ca2+ than with Ba2+ as charge carrier, and it is highly sensitive to Ni2+ block and has a voltage-dependence of activation consistent with that of G2 channels with unitary conductance of 15 pS. On the other hand, the SNX482-resistant R-type current shows permeation properties similar to those of recombinant α1A and α1B channels; it is larger with Ba2+ than with Ca2+ as charge carrier, and it has a low sensitivity to Ni2+ block and a voltage-dependence of activation consistent with that of G3 channels with unitary conductance of 20 pS. Gene-specific knock-down by antisense oligonucleotides demonstrates that the different cerebellar R-type channels are all encoded by the α1E gene, suggesting the existence of α1E isoforms with different pore properties.
Age-Dependent Morphologic Alterations in the Outer Retinal and Choroidal Thicknesses Using Swept Source Optical Coherence Tomography

Purpose To evaluate the age-dependent morphologic alterations in the outer retina and choroid at the macula using swept-source optical coherence tomography (OCT). Methods Thirty eyes (30 normal subjects; average age, 49 years) were examined; five (age range, third-eighth decades of life) had refractive errors of ±2 diopters or less and no fundus abnormalities. An Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) map of the outer retinal and choroidal thickness was constructed using swept-source OCT. The outer retinal and choroidal segmentation lines were drawn automatically, partially manually, within 6 millimeters of the macula. Results The mean outer retinal and choroidal thicknesses in the 6-millimeter-diameter circle were 145±13 and 236±68 microns, respectively. The choroidal thickness and age were negatively (r = -0.66, P<0.01) correlated; the outer retinal thickness and age were not correlated (r = -0.16, P = 0.39). The outer retinal and choroidal thicknesses in the ETDRS map were not correlated (r = -0.13, P = 0.49) within 1 millimeter but correlated (r = 0.32, P<0.01) within 6 millimeters. Conclusions The choroid thins with aging. The outer retina remains stable. Outer retina and choroid are correlated in the entire macula except for the center. ETDRS map can be useful for evaluation of the morphologic relationship between the outer retina and choroid.
From Teacher-Centered To Learner-Centered Approach: A Mixed Method Analysis Of The Impact Of Coaching Through Learning Walks On Efl Instruction In A Bilingual Elementary School In Ecuador.

Este estudio de caso de metodo mixto analizo el impacto de implementar el entrenamiento a traves de caminatas de aprendizaje en una escuela primaria, como una tecnica para promover un enfoque centrado en el alumno en la instruccion de efl. Guilott y parker (2012) han dado forma a las caminatas de aprendizaje como una evaluacion docente sin prejuicios dirigida por un lider que debe seguir siendo confiable para el proceso y el protocolo para proporcionar retroalimentacion significativa en el proceso reflexivo; en consecuencia, lo que se discute en las caminatas de aprendizaje permanece en la caminata de aprendizaje. Los objetivos de esta investigacion fueron: (1) identificar las etapas de aprendizaje mas presentes en las tareas observadas, (2) analizar las percepciones y actitudes de los docentes respecto del uso de las caminatas de aprendizaje para pasar a un enfoque centrado en el alumno.
Fusion of Lidar and Imagery for Reliable Building Extraction

We propose a new building detection and description algorithm for lidar data and photogrammetric imagery using directional histograms, splitting and merging segments, and line segments matching. Our algorithm consists of three steps. In the first step, we extract initial building regions from lidar data. Here, we apply a modified local maxima technique coupled with directional histograms and the entropies of these histograms. In the second step, given the color segmentation results from the photogrammetric imagery, we extract coarse building boundaries based on the lidar results with region segmentation and merging from aerial imagery. In the third step, we extract precise building boundaries based on the coarse building boundaries using line segments matching and perceptual grouping. Experimental results on multisensor data demonstrate that the proposed algorithm produces accurate and reliable results.
Graph Cut Based Segmentation of Brain Tumor From MRI Images

In this paper, the image segmentation is considered as a graph partition problem and global criterion which measures both the total dissimilarity among the different groups and the total similarity inside them is proposed. An efficient method based on a generalized eigenvalue treatment is used to optimize this criterion in order to segment images. The method is applied to segment brain tumors from MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) images, then providing automatically the information about tumor for helping the diagnostic. The results obtained by the proposed method are encouraging. Resume. Dans ce papier, la segmentation d'images est vue comme un probleme de partition de graphes et le critere global qui mesure a la fois la dissymilarite totale parmi les differentes groupes et la similarite totale est propose. Une methode efficace basee sur un traitement de valeurs propres generalisees est utilisee pour optimiser ce critere dans le but de segmenter les images. La methode est appliquee pour segmenter les tumeurs de cerveau issus d'images a resonance magnetique, apportant ainsi automatiquement les informations sur des tumeurs afin d'aider le diagnostic. Les resultats obtenus par la methode sont tres encourageants.
The Construction of Common and Specific Significance Subnetworks of Alzheimer's Disease from Multiple Brain Regions

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressively and fatally neurodegenerative disorder and leads to irreversibly cognitive and memorial damage in different brain regions. The identification and analysis of the dysregulated pathways and subnetworks among affected brain regions will provide deep insights for the pathogenetic mechanism of AD. In this paper, commonly and specifically significant subnetworks were identified from six AD brain regions. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) data were integrated to add molecular biological information to construct the functional modules of six AD brain regions by Heinz algorithm. Then, the simulated annealing algorithm based on edge weight is applied to predicting and optimizing the maximal scoring networks for common and specific genes, respectively, which can remove the weak interactions and add the prediction of strong interactions to increase the accuracy of the networks. The identified common subnetworks showed that inflammation of the brain nerves is one of the critical factors of AD and calcium imbalance may be a link among several causative factors in AD pathogenesis. In addition, the extracted specific subnetworks for each brain region revealed many biologically functional mechanisms to understand AD pathogenesis.
Effects and Safety of Aqueous Extract of Poncirus fructus in Spinal Cord Injury with Neurogenic Bowel

Objective. To investigate the effects and safety of the aqueous extract of the dried, immature fruit of Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf. , known as Poncirus fructus (PF), in spinal cord injury (SCI) patients with neurogenic bowel. Methods. Thirty-one SCI patients with neurogenic bowel were recruited. Patients were evaluated based on clinical information, constipation score, Bristol Stool Form Scale, stool retention score using plain abdominal radiograph, and colon transit time. PF was administered in dosages of 800 mg each prior to breakfast and lunch for 14 days. Results. The morphological feature of the stool before and after administration indicated a statistically significant difference from 3.52 ± 1.33 to 4.32 ± 1.44 points (p < 0.05). Stool retention score before and after administration of PF was represented with low significance (7.25 ± 1.60 to 6.46 ± 1.53 points) in the whole colon (p < 0.05), and the colon transit time was significantly shortened (57.41 ± 20.7 to 41.2 ± 25.5 hours) in terms of the whole transit time (p < 0.05). Side effects were observed in 7 people (28.0%) consisting of 2 people with soft stools and 5 people with diarrhea. Conclusion. For SCI patients, PF administration significantly improved defecation patterns, defecation retention, and colon transit time. PF could be an effective aid to improve colonic motility and constipation.
Kinect-taped communication: using motion sensing to study gesture use and similarity in face-to-face and computer-mediated brainstorming

One key difference between face-to-face (F2F) communication and computer-mediated communication (CMC) is the availability of visual cues. It is often assumed that the reduction of visibility in audio and video conferencing may negatively impact the use of gesture to communicate, and thus negatively influence other outcomes. In this paper we "Kinect-taped" F2F and CMC communication in brainstorming groups by using motion sensors to record and analyze group members' hand movements during communication. We investigate how different media influence gesture use and gestural similarity, and how the use of gesture associates with level of understanding and brainstorming performance. Implications to future research and design are discussed.
Knowledge sharing intention at Malaysian higher learning institutions: The academics’ viewpoint

Knowledge sharing (KS) is a culture that has been fostered and supported in higher learning institutions (HLIs) in Malaysian. This research applies Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Social Capital Theory (SCT) to determine the factors associated with Malaysian academic's KS intention in HLIs. The results indicate that social networking is an important factor of academics’ attitude to KS, while commitment and trust do not influence their attitude to KS. Using social media is found to be a significant factor of perceived behavioral control towards KS. Further, academics’ attitude to KS and perceived behavioral control towards KS are found to be significant determinants of their KS intention, while management support for subjective norm of KS is not significant for KS intention.
Towards a Methodology for the Development of Secure Cryptographic Software

Historically, software security has approached the development of cryptographic software merely as a feature to be added. This stance did not have a positive influence on the design of advanced security functionalities into modern software. Thus, this work proposes a methodology for development of secure cryptographic software, providing a structured way to approach cryptography into secure development methods. Our methodology captures the (otherwise casual) practices of secure software development employed by modern software factories when building security-critical software with cryptographic technologies. In time, we compare our work with other methods, provide actual examples, as well as analyze architectural aspects and specialized tool support for secure coding and verification of cryptographic software. We do believe this work contributes to bridge the gap between modern cryptographic software and today's development methods for secure software.
Development of an Instrument to Study the Use of Recommendation Systems

Web-based recommendation systems are becoming increasingly popular. Systems ranging from those like Siteseer that use user’s bookmarks as surrogates for preferences to those that provide content-based and collaborative recommendations are gaining user’s attention. This study proposes a validated instrument to measure such constructs as perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived content quality, and perceived content provider credibility of recommendation systems. Also the study assesses the effect of determinants on the usage of recommendation systems based on the model derived from an extension of the Technology Acceptance Model.
Polar transmitter architecture used in a Software Defined Radio context

In this paper, we discuss the available transmitter architectures in a Software Defined Radio (SDR) context and present a suitable polar architecture implementation under three different modulation formats (TETRA, EDGE and CDMA2000FW). Then, we show how its recognized nonlinear impairments can be overcome using appropriate digital amplitude and phase pre-distortion algorithms.
On Superposition Coding Based Cooperative Diversity Schemes

We propose two-level superposition coding based relaying schemes in which optimal power and rate allocations are investigated. Instead of confining us with fixed decoding order, two-levels of signals are considered as virtual users in a two-user multiple access channel and we prove that in certain cases the optimal joint multiuser decoding is equivalent to an approach using successive interference cancellation in a fixed order. Numerical results are provided to show the improvements in power savings using our proposed strategies compared with fixed rate and single level coding approach. I. INTRODUCTION Channel quality plays an important role in determining the average throughput of wireless systems. If channel quality is too bad, transmitted signals will be corrupted and the receiver terminal will not be able to decode the data. Hence we need to have an adaptive transmitter which reduces the rate when the channel quality is bad. This cannot be accomplished in compound channels where channel state information is not available to transmitters. Shamai (1) and Liu (2) investigated employing superposition coding in compound channels to enhance average throughput. The message to be transmitted is encoded using multi-level superposition coding (3) and all layers of messages are transmitted over the channel simul- taneously. In this approach, they treated channel states as the virtual users of a broadcast channel, which means that the decoding order has been fixed for the destination, i.e. successive interference cancellation is assumed at the receiver end.
Research on Network Risk Assessment Based on Attack Probability

A quantitative risk evaluation method for network security is proposed based on analyzing the process that attackers intrude network. The analysis depends on modeling attack activities and attack processes by tracking the transferring of safety states. Three key factors of risk evaluation about assets, threats and vulnerabilities are identified and quantified. Especially the Attack Probability Indexes are recurrently estimated by layering based on the intruding process, and accurate success probabilities of attack are obtained. Then a quantitative evaluation algorithm is presented to estimate risk indexes by layering based on the intruding process. The conclusion obtained by this approach provides a useful evidence and guidance for security strategies. Finally this method is demonstrated and validated in an example network environment.
Sex-specific differential survival of extra-pair and within-pair offspring in song sparrows, Melospiza melodia

It is widely hypothesized that the evolution of female extra-pair reproduction in socially monogamous species reflects indirect genetic benefits to females. However, a critical prediction of this hypothesis, that extra-pair young (EPY) are fitter than within-pair young (WPY), has rarely been rigorously tested. We used 18 years of data from free-living song sparrows, Melospiza melodia, to test whether survival through major life-history stages differed between EPY and WPY maternal half-siblings. On average, survival of hatched chicks to independence from parental care and recruitment, and their total lifespan, did not differ significantly between EPY and WPY. However, EPY consistently tended to be less likely to survive, and recruited EPY survived for significantly fewer years than recruited WPY. Furthermore, the survival difference between EPY and WPY was sex-specific; female EPY were less likely to survive to independence and recruitment and lived fewer years than female WPY, whereas male EPY were similarly or slightly more likely to survive and to live more years than male WPY. These data indicate that extra-pair paternity may impose an indirect cost on females via their female offspring and that sex-specific genetic, environmental or maternal effects may shape extra-pair reproduction.
The Normal Neonatal Brain: MR Imaging, Diffusion Tensor Imaging, and 3D MR Spectroscopy in Healthy Term Neonates

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: There is a lack of normative diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and 3D MR spectroscopy (MRS) data in the early neonatal period. We report quantitative values from a cohort of healthy term neonates to serve as baseline data for studies assessing brain development and injury. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixteen healthy term neonates (median age, 7 days) were studied with spin-echo T1- and T2-weighted MR imaging, DTI, and 3D point-resolved spectroscopy sequence (PRESS) MRS without sedation on a 1.5T scanner. Average diffusivity (Dav), fractional anisotropy (FA), eigenvalues (EV), and metabolite ratios (N-acetylaspartate [NAA]/choline, lactate/choline) were calculated by automated processing in 7 brain regions. Neurodevelopment was assessed by blinded and validated neuromotor examinations and the Bayley II test at 3 and 14 months. RESULTS: Two neonates were excluded from the cohort: one had brain injury on T2-weighted imaging, and the other, who had normal MR imaging, showed mildly delayed cognition at 14 months. The mean DTI values of the remaining 14 neonates were between these ranges: Dav=0.98–1.48 10−3 mm2/s, FA=0.14–0.30, EV1=1.21–1.88, EV2=0.95–1.46, and EV3=0.77–1.24 (all × 10−3 mm2/s). The NAA/choline ratio ranged between 0.58 and 0.73, and minimal lactate/choline (<0.15) could be detected in each neonate. All neonates exhibited clinically normal neuromotor status. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates the feasibility of obtaining high-quality quantifiable MR data in nonsedated healthy term neonates that can be used to study normal early brain development and as control data in studies of perinatal brain injury.
Virus-Specific Memory CD8 T Cells Provide Substantial Protection from Lethal Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Infection

ABSTRACT Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) caused an acute human respiratory illness with high morbidity and mortality in 2002-2003. Several studies have demonstrated the role of neutralizing antibodies induced by the spike (S) glycoprotein in protecting susceptible hosts from lethal infection. However, the anti-SARS-CoV antibody response is short-lived in patients who have recovered from SARS, making it critical to develop additional vaccine strategies. SARS-CoV-specific memory CD8 T cells persisted for up to 6 years after SARS-CoV infection, a time at which memory B cells and antivirus antibodies were undetectable in individuals who had recovered from SARS. In this study, we assessed the ability of virus-specific memory CD8 T cells to mediate protection against infection in the absence of SARS-CoV-specific memory CD4 T or B cells. We demonstrate that memory CD8 T cells specific for a single immunodominant epitope (S436 or S525) substantially protected 8- to 10-month-old mice from lethal SARS-CoV infection. Intravenous immunization with peptide-loaded dendritic cells (DCs) followed by intranasal boosting with recombinant vaccinia virus (rVV) encoding S436 or S525 resulted in accumulation of virus-specific memory CD8 T cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL), lungs, and spleen. Upon challenge with a lethal dose of SARS-CoV, virus-specific memory CD8 T cells efficiently produced multiple effector cytokines (gamma interferon [IFN-γ], tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNF-α], and interleukin 2 [IL-2]) and cytolytic molecules (granzyme B) and reduced lung viral loads. Overall, our results show that SARS-CoV-specific memory CD8 T cells protect susceptible hosts from lethal SARS-CoV infection, but they also suggest that SARS-CoV-specific CD4 T cell and antibody responses are necessary for complete protection. IMPORTANCE Virus-specific CD8 T cells are required for pathogen clearance following primary SARS-CoV infection. However, the role of SARS-CoV-specific memory CD8 T cells in mediating protection after SARS-CoV challenge has not been previously investigated. In this study, using a prime-boost immunization approach, we showed that virus-specific CD8 T cells protect susceptible 8- to 10-month-old mice from lethal SARS-CoV challenge. Thus, future vaccines against emerging coronaviruses should emphasize the generation of a memory CD8 T cell response for optimal protection.
Dynamic Online-Calibrated Radio Maps for Indoor Positioning in Wireless Local Area Networks

Context-awareness and Location-Based-Services are of great importance in mobile computing environments. Although fingerprinting provides accurate indoor positioning in Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), difficulty of offline site surveys and the dynamic environment changes prevent it from being practically implemented and commercially adopted. This paper introduces a novel client/server-based system that dynamically estimates and continuously calibrates a fine radio map for indoor positioning without extra network hardware or prior knowledge about the area and without time-consuming offline surveys. A modified Bayesian regression algorithm is introduced to estimate a posterior signal strength probability distribution over all locations based on online observations from WLAN access points (AP) assuming Gaussian prior centered over a logarithmic pass loss mean. To continuously adapt to dynamic changes, Bayesian kernels parameters are continuously updated and optimized genetically based on recent APs observations. The radio map is further optimized by a fast features reduction algorithm to select the most informative APs. Additionally, the system provides reliable integrity monitor (accuracy measure). Two different experiments on IEEE 802.11 networks show that the dynamic radio map provides 2-3m accuracy, which is comparable to results of an up-to-date offline radio map. Also results show the consistency of estimated accuracy measure with actual positioning accuracy.