Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Model-Based Framework for the Safety Analysis of Computer-Based Railway Signalling Systems

This paper on the safety analysis of computer-based railway signaling systems is from the proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Computer System Design and Operation in Railways and Other Transit Systems, held in Beijing, China, in 2010. The authors note that the crucial safety analysis of railway signaling systems with distributed computer techniques is becoming extraordinarily difficult, because of the frequent and complex interaction between components and the various backup modes. They propose a hierarchical methodology for safety analysis based on the failure propagation model and state-transition model. Unlike traditional safety analyses, the proposed approach demonstrates more accurate representation of practical failure behavior in a computer-based signaling system. Dynamic properties, system structure and failures at the component level are separately modeled in different layers, and connected with synthesis laws. The analysis can be easily refined as the system design progresses and automatically produces safety-related information to help the engineer in making design decisions. The authors use the preliminary design of the Communication Based Train Control (CBTC) system for the Yizhuang Line in Beijing to demonstrate this approach.
Relating Inter-Individual Differences in Verbal Creative Thinking to Cerebral Structures: An Optimal Voxel-Based Morphometry Study

Creativity can be defined the capacity of an individual to produce something original and useful. An important measurable component of creativity is divergent thinking. Despite existing studies on creativity-related cerebral structural basis, no study has used a large sample to investigate the relationship between individual verbal creativity and regional gray matter volumes (GMVs) and white matter volumes (WMVs). In the present work, optimal voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was employed to identify the structure that correlates verbal creativity (measured by the verbal form of Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking) across the brain in young healthy subjects. Verbal creativity was found to be significantly positively correlated with regional GMV in the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), which is believed to be responsible for language production and comprehension, new semantic representation, and memory retrieval, and in the right IFG, which may involve inhibitory control and attention switching. A relationship between verbal creativity and regional WMV in the left and right IFG was also observed. Overall, a highly verbal creative individual with superior verbal skills may demonstrate a greater computational efficiency in the brain areas involved in high-level cognitive processes including language production, semantic representation and cognitive control.
Does Greater Trochanter Decortication Affect Suture Anchor Pullout Strength in Abductor Tendon Repairs? A Biomechanical Study

Background: Greater trochanter decortication is frequently performed at the time of abductor tendon repair to theoretically increase healing potential. No previous studies have determined the effect that greater trochanter decortication has on the pullout strength of suture anchors. Hypothesis/Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine whether greater trochanter decortication and bone mineral density affect suture anchor pullout strength in abductor tendon repair. The authors hypothesize that both will have a significant detrimental effect on suture anchor pullout strength. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Nineteen cadaveric proximal femurs with accompanying demographic data and computed tomography scans were skeletonized to expose the greater trochanter. Bone density measurements were acquired by converting Hounsfield units to T-score, based on a standardized volumetric sample in the intertrochanteric region of the femur. The gluteus medius insertion site on the lateral facet of the greater trochanter was evenly divided into 2 regions, anterior-distal and posterior-proximal, and each region was randomly assigned to receive either no decortication or 2 mm of bone decortication. A single biocomposite anchor was implanted in each region and initially tested with cyclic loading for 10 cycles at 0-50 N, 0-100 N, 0-150 N, and 0-200 N, followed by load to failure (LTF) tested at 1 mm/s. For each trial, the number of cycles endured, LTF, mechanism of failure, and stiffness were recorded. Results: Greater trochanters with no decortication and 2 mm of decortication survived a mean ± SD 35.1 ± 6.4 and 28.5 ± 10.6 cycles, respectively (P < .01). Load to failure for nondecorticated specimens was 206.7 ± 75.0 N versus 152.3 ± 60.2 N for decorticated specimens (P < .001). In a multivariate analysis, decortication and bone density were determinants in LTF (P < .05). Conclusion: Decortication and decreased bone mineral density significantly decreased the pullout strength of suture anchors in the lateral facet of the greater trochanter. Clinical Relevance: Bone density should be considered when determining whether to perform greater trochanter decortication in abductor tendon repairs.
WiStep

Inspired by the emerging WiFi-based applications, in this paper, we leverage ubiquitous WiFi signals and propose a device-free step counting system, called WiStep. Based on the multipath propagation model, when a person is walking, her torso and limbs move at different speeds, which modulates wireless signals to the propagation paths with different lengths and thus introduces different frequency components into the received Channel State Information (CSI). To count walking steps, we first utilize time-frequency analysis techniques to segment and recognize the walking movement, and then dynamically select the sensitive subcarriers with largest amplitude variances from multiple CSI streams. Wavelet decomposition is applied to extract the detail coefficients corresponding to the frequencies induced by feet or legs, and compress the data so as to improve computing speed. Short-time energy of the coefficients is then calculated as the metric for step counting. Finally, we combine the results derived from the selected subcarriers to produce a reliable step count estimation. In contrast to counting steps based on the torso frequency analysis, WiStep can count the steps of in-place walking even when the person's torso speed is null. We implement WiStep on commodity WiFi devices in two different indoor scenarios, and various influence factors are taken into consideration when evaluating the performance of WiStep. The experimental results demonstrate that WiStep can realize overall step counting accuracies of 90.2% and 87.59% respectively in these two scenarios, and it is resilient to the change of scenarios.
Scalable Path-Setup Scheme for All-Optical Dynamic Circuit Switched NoCs in Cache Coherent CMPs

Nanophotonics is a promising solution for on-chip interconnection due to its intrinsic low-latency and low-power features, which can be useful for performance and energy in future Chip Multi-Processors (CMPs). This article proposes a novel arbitrated all-optical path-setup scheme for tiled CMPs adopting circuit-switched optical networks. It aims at significantly reducing path-setup latency and overall energy consumption. The proposed arbitrated scheme is able to configure multiple photonic switches simultaneously, instead of sequentially as it is done in state-of-the-art proposals. The proposed fast optical path-setup solution reduces the overhead in each transmission and, most importantly, allows optical circuit-switched networks to effectively serve cache coherence traffic, which is mainly composed of relatively small messages. Specifically, we propose a single-arbiter scheme where the whole topology is managed by a central module (single-arbiter) that takes care of the path-setup procedures. Then, to tackle scalability, we propose a logically clustered architecture (multi-arbiter) in which an arbiter is allocated in each logical core-cluster and an ad hoc distributed reservation protocol coordinates arbiters to manage inter-cluster path reservations. We show that our proposed single-arbiter architecture outperforms a state-of-the-art optical network with sequential path-setup (optical baseline) in the case of 8- and 16-core tiled CMP setups. However, due to serialization issues, the single-arbiter solution is not able to compete with a reference electronic baseline for bigger 32- and 64-core setups even if still performing much better than the optical baseline. Conversely, our multi-arbiter hierarchical solution allows us to improve performance up to almost 20% and 40% for 32- and 64-core setups, respectively, demonstrating a wide applicability of the proposed technique. Energy-wise, the analyzed solutions enable significant savings compared to both the optical baseline with sequential path setup, and to the electronic counterpart. Specifically, results show more than 25% average improvement for the single-arbiter in the 8- and 16-core cases, and more than 40% and 15% savings for the multi-arbiter in the 32- and 64-core cases, respectively.
The Neuroprotective Effects of Intramuscular Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I Treatment in Brain Ischemic Rats

Brain ischemia leads to muscle inactivity-induced atrophy and may exacerbate motor function deficits. Intramuscular insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) injection has been shown to alleviate the brain ischemia-induced muscle atrophy and thus improve the motor function. Motor function is normally gauged by the integrity and coordination of the central nervous system and peripheral muscles. Whether brain ischemic regions are adaptively changed by the intramuscular IGF-I injection is not well understood. In this study, the effect of intramuscular IGF-I injection was examined on the central nervous system of brain ischemic rats. Rats were divided into 4 groups: sham control, brain ischemia control, brain ischemia with IGF-I treatment, and brain ischemia with IGF-I plus IGF-I receptor inhibitor treatment. Brain ischemia was induced by right middle cerebral artery occlusion. IGF-I and an IGF-1 receptor inhibitor were injected into the affected calf and anterior tibialis muscles of the treated rats for 4 times. There was an interval of 2 days between each injection. Motor function was examined and measured at the 24 hours and 7 days following a brain ischemia. The affected hind-limb muscles, sciatic nerve, lumbar spinal cord, and motor cortex were collected for examination after euthanizing the rats. IGF-I expression in the central nervous system and affected muscles were significantly decreased after brain ischemia. Intramuscular IGF-I injection increased the IGF-I expression in the affected muscles, sciatic nerve, lumbar spinal cord, and motor cortex. It also increased the p-Akt expression in the affected motor cortex. Furthermore, intramuscular IGF-I injection decreased the neuronal apoptosis and improved the motor function. However, co-administration of the IGF-I receptor inhibitor eliminated these effects. Intramuscular IGF-I injection after brain ischemia attenuated or reversed the decrease of IGF-I in both central and peripheral tissues, and these effects could contribute to neuroprotection and improve motor function.
I2: Interactive Real-Time Visualization for Streaming Data

Developing scalable real-time data analysis programs is a challenging task. Developers need insights from the data to deﬁne meaningful analysis ﬂows, which often makes the development a trial and error process. Data visualization techniques can provide insights to aid the development, but the sheer amount of available data frequently makes it impossible to visualize all data points at the same time. We present I 2 , an interactive development environment that coordinates running cluster applications and corresponding visualizations such that only the currently depicted data points are processed and transferred. To this end, we present an al-gorithm for the real-time visualization of time series, which is proven to be correct and minimal in terms of transferred data. Moreover, we show how cluster programs can adapt to changed visualization properties at runtime to allow interactive data exploration on data streams.
‘Spontaneous’ visual perspective-taking mediated by attention orienting that is voluntary and not reflexive

Experiments revealing ‘spontaneous’ visual perspective-taking are conventionally interpreted as demonstrating that adults have the capacity to track simple mental states in a fast and efficient manner (‘implicit mentalising’). A rival account suggests that these experiments can be explained by the general purpose mechanisms responsible for reflexive attentional orienting. Here, we report two experiments designed to distinguish between these competing accounts. In Experiment 1, we assessed whether reflexive attention orienting was sufficient to yield findings interpreted as spontaneous perspective-taking in the ‘avatar task’ when the protocol was adapted so that participants were unaware that they were taking part in a perspective-taking experiment. Results revealed no evidence for perspective-taking. In Experiment 2, we employed a Posner paradigm to investigate the attentional orienting properties of the avatar stimuli. This revealed cue-validity effects only for longer stimulus onset asynchronies, which indicates a voluntary rather than reflexive shift in spatial attention. Taken together, these findings suggest that attentional orienting does indeed contribute to performance in the Samson et al. avatar task. However, attention orienting appears to be voluntary rather than reflexive, indicating that the perspective-taking phenomenon measured may be less spontaneous than first reported.
Analyses of N‐linked glycans of PrPSc revealed predominantly 2,6‐linked sialic acid residues

Mammalian prions (PrPSc) consist of misfolded, conformationally altered, self‐replicating states of the sialoglycoprotein called prion protein or PrPC. Recent studies revealed that the sialylation status of PrPSc plays a major role in evading innate immunity and infecting a host. Establishing the type of linkage by which sialic acid residues are attached to galactose is important, as it helps to identify the sialyltransferases responsible for sialylating PrPC and outline strategies for manipulating the sialyation status of PrPSc. Using enzymatic treatment with sialidases and lectin blots, this study demonstrated that in N‐linked glycans of PrPSc, the sialic acid residues are predominantly alpha 2,6‐linked. High percentages of alpha 2,6‐linked sialic acids were observed in PrPSc of three prion strains 22L, RML, and ME7, as well as PrPSc from brain, spleen, or N2a cells cultured in vitro. Moreover, the variation in the percentage of alpha 2,3‐ versus 2,6‐linked sialic acid was found to be relatively minor between brain‐, spleen‐, or cell‐derived PrPSc, suggesting that the type of linkage is independent of tissue type. Based on the current results, we propose that sialyltransferases of St6Gal family, which is responsible for attaching sialic acids via alpha 2,6‐linkages to N‐linked glycans, controls sialylation of PrPC and PrPSc.
β-Arrestin mediates the Frank–Starling mechanism of cardiac contractility

Significance The Frank–Starling law of the heart describes the heart’s ability to enhance contractility in response to increased cardiac filling. This property is fundamental to how humans maintain cardiovascular function in response to changes in circulating blood volume, and is regulated by enhanced calcium sensitivity of myofilaments with biomechanical stretch. The mechanism of how biomechanical stretch leads to changes in the myofilament calcium sensitivity remains poorly understood. Using genetic and pharmacologic approaches, we show that β-arrestin and the angiotensin II type I receptor act as crucial molecular regulators of the Frank–Starling law of the heart. This work identifies β-arrestins as important regulators of this fundamental principle of cardiac contractility. The Frank–Starling law of the heart is a physiological phenomenon that describes an intrinsic property of heart muscle in which increased cardiac filling leads to enhanced cardiac contractility. Identified more than a century ago, the Frank–Starling relationship is currently known to involve length-dependent enhancement of cardiac myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity. However, the upstream molecular events that link cellular stretch to the length-dependent myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity are poorly understood. Because the angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) and the multifunctional transducer protein β-arrestin have been shown to mediate mechanosensitive cellular signaling, we tested the hypothesis that these two proteins are involved in the Frank–Starling mechanism of the heart. Using invasive hemodynamics, we found that mice lacking β-arrestin 1, β-arrestin 2, or AT1R were unable to generate a Frank–Starling force in response to changes in cardiac volume. Although wild-type mice pretreated with the conventional AT1R blocker losartan were unable to enhance cardiac contractility with volume loading, treatment with a β-arrestin–biased AT1R ligand to selectively activate β-arrestin signaling preserved the Frank–Starling relationship. Importantly, in skinned muscle fiber preparations, we found markedly impaired length-dependent myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity in β-arrestin 1, β-arrestin 2, and AT1R knockout mice. Our data reveal β-arrestin 1, β-arrestin 2, and AT1R as key regulatory molecules in the Frank–Starling mechanism, which potentially can be targeted therapeutically with β-arrestin–biased AT1R ligands.
Effects of dietary fermented spent coffee ground on nutrient digestibility and nitrogen utilization in sheep

Objective The objective of the study was to determine the effect of fermented spent coffee ground (FSCG) on nutrient digestibility and nitrogen utilization in sheep. Methods Fermentation of spent coffee ground (SCG) was conducted using Lactobacillus plantrum. Fermentation was performed at moisture content of 70% and temperature of 39°C with anaerobic air tension for 48 h. Four adult rams (initial body weight = 56.8±0.4 kg) were housed in a respiration-metabolism chamber and the treatments were: i) control (Basal diet; 0% SCG or FSCG), ii) 10% level of SCG, iii) 10% level of FSCG, and iv) 20% level of FSCG in 4×4 Latin square design. Each dietary experiment period lasted for 18-d with a 14-d of adaptation period and a 4-d of sample collection period. Results In SCG fermentation experimental result, acid detergent insoluble nitrogen (ADIN) concentration of FSCG (64.5% of total N) was lower than that of non-fermented SCG (78.8% of total N). Digestibility of dry matter and organic matter was similar among treatment groups. Although crude protein (CP) digestibility of the control was greater than FSCG groups (p< 0.05), the 10% FSCG group showed greater CP digestibility and nitrogen retention than non-fermented 10% SCG group (p<0.05). Body weight gain and average daily gain were linearly decreased with increasing FSCG feeding level (p<0.05). When the feeding level of FSCG was increased, water intake was linearly increased (p<0.05). With an increasing FSCG level, dry matter intake did not differ among groups, although the gain to feed ratio tended to decrease with increasing level of FSCG (p<0.10). Conclusion Microbial fermentation of SCG can improve protein digestibility, thereby increasing CP digestibility and nitrogen utilization in sheep. Fermentation using microorganisms in feed ingredients with low digestibility could have a positive effect on improving the quality of raw feed.
A Supervised Stdp-Based Training Algorithm for Living Neural Networks

Neural networks have shown great potential in many applications like speech recognition, drug discovery, image classification, and object detection. Neural network models are inspired by biological neural networks, but they are optimized to perform machine learning tasks on digital computers. The proposed work explores the possibility of using living neural networks in vitro as the basic computational elements for machine learning applications. A new supervised STDP-based learning algorithm is proposed in this work, which considers neuron engineering constraints. A 74.7% accuracy is achieved on the MNIST benchmark for handwritten digit recognition.
Recent computational developments in Krylov subspace methods for linear systems

Many advances in the development of Krylov subspace methods for the iterative solution of linear systems during the last decade and a half are reviewed. These new developments include different versions of restarted, augmented, deflated, flexible, nested, and inexact methods. Also reviewed are methods specifically tailored to systems with special properties such as special forms of symmetry and those depending on one or more parameters. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Progress in Crystallographic Image Processing for Scanning Probe Microscopy

Crystallographic Image Processing (CIP) originated with the electron crystallography community. Nobel Laureate Sir Aaron Klug (OM, FRS) and coworkers pioneered the technique for the analysis of long-range ordered biological materials in parallel illumination Transmission Electron Microscopes (TEMs). Corrections for the effects of the TEM’s phase contrast transfer function and for less than optimal imaging conditions are part of this kind of CIP. There are also “electron microscope independent” 2D crystallography foundations to this kind of image processing.
Cost–effectiveness analysis of revised WHO guidelines for management of childhood pneumonia in 74 Countdown countries

Background Treatment of childhood pneumonia is a key priority in low–income countries, with substantial resource implications. WHO revised their guidelines for the management of childhood pneumonia in 2013. We estimated and compared the resource requirements, total direct medical cost and cost-effectiveness of childhood pneumonia management in 74 countries with high burden of child mortality (Countdown countries) using the 2005 and 2013 revised WHO guidelines. Methods We constructed a cost model using a bottom up approach to estimate the cost of childhood pneumonia management using the 2005 and 2013 WHO guidelines from a public provider perspective in 74 Countdown countries. The cost of pneumonia treatment was estimated, by country, for year 2013, including costs of medicines and service delivery at three different management levels. We also assessed country–specific lives saved and disability adjusted life years (DALYs) averted due to pneumonia treated in children aged below five years. The cost-effectiveness of pneumonia treatment was estimated in terms of cost per DALY averted by fully implementing WHO treatment guidelines relative to no treatment intervention for pneumonia. Results Achieving full treatment coverage with the 2005 WHO guidelines was estimated to cost US$ 2.9 (1.9–4.2) billion compared to an estimated US$ 1.8 (0.8–3.0) billion for the revised 2013 WHO guidelines in these countries. Pneumonia management in young children following WHO treatment guidelines could save up to 39.8 million DALYs compared to a zero coverage scenario in the year 2013 in the 74 Countdown countries. The median cost-effectiveness ratio per DALY averted in 74 countries was substantially lower for the 2013 guidelines: US$ 26.6 (interquartile range IQR: 17.7–45.9) vs US$ 38.3 (IQR: US$ 26.2–86.9) per DALY averted for the 2005 guideline respectively. Conclusions Child pneumonia management as detailed in standard WHO guidelines is a very cost–effective intervention. Implementation of the 2013 WHO guidelines is expected to result in a 39.5% reduction in treatment costs compared to the 2005 guidelines which could save up to US$ 1.16 (0.68–1.23) billion in the 74 Countdown countries, with potential savings greatest in low HIV burden countries which can implement effective community case management of pneumonia.