Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Aggravation of Chronic Stress Effects on Hippocampal Neurogenesis and Spatial Memory in LPA1 Receptor Knockout Mice

Background The lysophosphatidic acid LPA1 receptor regulates plasticity and neurogenesis in the adult hippocampus. Here, we studied whether absence of the LPA1 receptor modulated the detrimental effects of chronic stress on hippocampal neurogenesis and spatial memory. Methodology/Principal Findings Male LPA1-null (NULL) and wild-type (WT) mice were assigned to control or chronic stress conditions (21 days of restraint, 3 h/day). Immunohistochemistry for bromodeoxyuridine and endogenous markers was performed to examine hippocampal cell proliferation, survival, number and maturation of young neurons, hippocampal structure and apoptosis in the hippocampus. Corticosterone levels were measured in another a separate cohort of mice. Finally, the hole-board test assessed spatial reference and working memory. Under control conditions, NULL mice showed reduced cell proliferation, a defective population of young neurons, reduced hippocampal volume and moderate spatial memory deficits. However, the primary result is that chronic stress impaired hippocampal neurogenesis in NULLs more severely than in WT mice in terms of cell proliferation; apoptosis; the number and maturation of young neurons; and both the volume and neuronal density in the granular zone. Only stressed NULLs presented hypocortisolemia. Moreover, a dramatic deficit in spatial reference memory consolidation was observed in chronically stressed NULL mice, which was in contrast to the minor effect observed in stressed WT mice. Conclusions/Significance These results reveal that the absence of the LPA1 receptor aggravates the chronic stress-induced impairment to hippocampal neurogenesis and its dependent functions. Thus, modulation of the LPA1 receptor pathway may be of interest with respect to the treatment of stress-induced hippocampal pathology.
An estimate of physical scale from speech

We present an algorithm, based on the EM algorithm, which simultaneously estimates both physical scale and vowel identities from a segment of speech. The validity of the algorithm depends on the scale hypothesis that the variation of the formant frequencies for a given vowel is mainly influenced by the physical size of the speaker. This is both a new application and a new confirmation of a hypothesis that is often accepted without proof.
Comparison of Conventional and Ultrasonic Methods of Liposuction: Update

This article revisits the author's past conclusions and expectations of ultrasound liposuction as they were expressed in the 1995 article “Comparison of the Conventional and the Ultrasound Methods of Liposuction. ” Based on his subsequent experience with ultrasound liposuction, the author lists the advantages and disadvantages of ultrasound liposuction, coming to the conclusion that despite the increased expense of the equipment and the media attention given to the techniques, the ultrasound techniques used today are not better than the conventional techniques and the microcannula techniques.
Towards a platform-independent cooperative human-robot interaction system: II. Perception, execution and imitation of goal directed actions

If robots are to cooperate with humans in an increasingly human-like manner, then significant progress must be made in their abilities to observe and learn to perform novel goal directed actions in a flexible and adaptive manner. The current research addresses this challenge. In CHRIS.I [1], we developed a platform-independent perceptual system that learns from observation to recognize human actions in a way which abstracted from the specifics of the robotic platform, learning actions including “put X on Y” and “take X”. In the current research, we extend this system from action perception to execution, consistent with current developmental research in human understanding of goal directed action and teleological reasoning. We demonstrate the platform independence with experiments on three different robots. In Experiments 1 and 2 we complete our previous study of perception of actions “put” and “take” demonstrating how the system learns to execute these same actions, along with new related actions “cover” and “uncover” based on the composition of action primitives “grasp X” and “release X at Y”. Significantly, these compositional action execution specifications learned on one iCub robot are then executed on another, based on the abstraction layer of motor primitives. Experiment 3 further validates the platform-independence of the system, as a new action that is learned on the iCub in Lyon is then executed on the Jido robot in Toulouse. In Experiment 4 we extended the definition of action perception to include the notion of agency, again inspired by developmental studies of agency attribution, exploiting the Kinect motion capture system for tracking human motion. Finally in Experiment 5 we demonstrate how the combined representation of action in terms of perception and execution provides the basis for imitation. This provides the basis for an open ended cooperation capability where new actions can be learned and integrated into shared plans for cooperation. Part of the novelty of this research is the robots' use of spoken language understanding and visual perception to generate action representations in a platform independent manner based on physical state changes. This provides a flexible capability for goal-directed action imitation.
Nondestructive Evaluation of the Condition of Subsurface Drainage in Pavements Using Ground Penetrating Radar ( GPR ) Potential Target

to herein as Methods 1 and 2. Method 1 involves two signal processing algorithms that are designed to reduce GPR signal background clutter and noise by taking advantage of the somewhat uniform nature of the strata underlying constructed pavements and to systematically remove anomalous signals. The output of this method is a 1-D plot of potential target locations as a function of distance on the survey line along the roadway. This method proved to be very effective at identifying both X(shallow depth, PVC) and K-drains (moderate depth, metal/clay) even when a hyperbolic signal return could not be observed in the 2-D data. Generally, all X-drains are routinely identified (with only occasional exceptions), with three to four false alarms per successful detection. Similarly, all known K-drains in the studied field test regions were successfully identified, although each successful K-drain detection was accompanied by a significant number of potential false alarms. While these false alarms all require field investigation, the effort associated with these investigations is likely substantially less than the effort required to manage the consequences of undetected, and thus unmaintained, K-drains. The reliability of Method 1 was shown to improve when scans obtained with two antennae are compared and when routine drain spacing is employed as a filter. These additional screens help to reduce false alarms to roughly two to three per successful detection. Method 2 focuses on enhancing 2-D image quality to facilitate recognition of hyperbolic signal returns indicative of drain detection. When this method reveals a hyperbola, there is a clear “detect” outcome and thus the approach can clarify interpretation of potential targets identified via Method 1. It is important to note, however, that lack of a hyperbolic return in the 2-D image is not conclusive in declaring a “false alarm” as the statistical algorithms of Method 1 routinely detected pipes when no hyperbolic return was visible. Thus, in practice, it is likely important to investigate all potential target zones identified by Method 1. Overall, Method 2 would likely be most valuable if incorporated in an automated data processing system to help rapidly identify clear “detects” and thus limit the focus of in-field investigative study to only truly uncertain target zones. Introduction
Total arterial off-pump surgery provides excellent outcomes and does not compromise complete revascularization.

OBJECTIVES The combination of aortic 'no-touch' off-pump surgery (OPCAB) and total arterial revascularization (TAR) can reduce peri-procedural morbidity and yields excellent long-term outcomes albeit at a reported risk of incomplete revascularization. The feasibility of OPCAB-TAR with specific regards to the complete revascularization (CR) in patients with multi-vessel disease was evaluated. METHODS From 2003 to 2010, 712 patients underwent TAR including 526 patients who had OPCAB-TAR and 186 patients who received on-pump TAR [(ONCAB grafting (ONCABG)-TAR)]. Of these, 52% (n = 272; OPCAB) vs. 83% (n = 155; ONCABG) had triple-vessel disease (TVD). To balance patient characteristics, a non-parsimonious, propensity score (PS) model was applied. Endpoints evaluated were mortality, stroke, major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE). To evaluate CR, an 'Index of CR' (ICOR) was calculated, defined as the number of distal anastomoses divided by the number of the diseased coronary vessels. CR was assumed when the following requirements were fulfilled: the number of distal anastomoses was equal to or higher than that of diseased vessels (ICOR ≥ 1), and all affected coronary territories (left anterior descending, circumflex artery and/or right coronary artery) were grafted. RESULTS Mortality was comparable between groups, whereas OPCAB patients suffered from significantly decreased rates of MACCE [3.0 vs. 7.0%; propensity-adjusted odd ratio (PAOR) = 0.24; confidence interval (CI) 95% 0.08-0.66; P = 0.006] including a clear trend towards reduced stroke and myocardial infarction. In the subgroup with TVD, OPCAB patients presented with significantly reduced rates for MACCE (1.8 vs. 5.8%; PAOR = 0.07; CI 95% 0.01-0.65; P = 0.02), including a significantly lower rate for stroke. For all-comers, the number of diseased vessels was lower after OPCAB (2.36 ± 0.73 vs. 2.87 ± 0.39; P < 0.001) and consequently, these patients received an overall lower number of distal anastomoses (2.42 ± 1.15 vs. 3.06 ± 0.98; P < 0.001). Although the ICOR was slightly lower (1.04 ± 0.37 vs. 1.07 ± 0.37; P = 0.02), CR was achieved more frequently in OPCAB patients (82.1 vs. 73.1%; P = 0.01). In the subgroup with TVD, the number of distal anastomoses (2.99 ± 1.14 vs. 3.10 ± 0.98; P = 0.19) and the ICOR (1.00 ± 0.38 vs. 1.03 ± 0.33; P = 0.19) was comparable between groups. The frequency of CR was slightly higher (75 vs. 67.7%; P = 0.11), and the proportion of complete in situ grafting was significantly higher after OPCAB (37.1 vs. 23.9%; P = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS Aortic 'no-touch' OPCAB-TAR leads to a significant reduction of MACCE. It does not compromise CR in patients with TVD and thus can be safely applied to these patients.
c-fos Controls the “Private Pathway” of Light-Induced Apoptosis of Retinal Photoreceptors

White light (5 klux for 2 hr) induces apoptosis of rod photoreceptors in wild-type mice (c-fos+/+) within 24 hr, whereas rods of c-fos knock-out mice (c-fos−/−) are protected (Hafezi et al., 1997b). The range of this protection was tested by analyzing retinas ofc-fos+/+ andc-fos−/− mice up to 10 d after exposure to threefold increased light intensities (15 klux for 2 hr). In c-fos−/− mice, rods were unaffected, whereas they were destroyed inc-fos+/+ mice. After light exposure, mitochondrial damage in rods was observed exclusively inc-fos+/+ mice. Electroretinograms recorded 48 hr after exposure revealed a decrease of all components inc-fos+/+ mice but indicated no light-induced loss of function inc-fos−/− mice. Thus, inc-fos−/− mice, light-induced apoptosis is blocked or its threshold is elevated more than threefold. Increased activity of the transcription factor activator protein-1 (AP-1) in retinas of light-exposedc-fos+/+ mice indicated an acute contribution of AP-1 to apoptosis induction. AP-1 activity increased already during exposure and peaked ∼6 hr thereafter, coinciding with the appearance of major morphological signs of apoptosis. Activated AP-1 mainly consisted of c-Fos/Jun heterodimers. Inc-fos−/− mice, AP-1 activity remained unchanged, indicating that no other Jun- or Fos-family member could substitute for c-Fos. Like damaging light,N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) induced AP-1 containing c-Fos in c-fos+/+ mice and did not induce AP-1 in c-fos−/−mice. In contrast to light, however, MNU induced apoptosis in rods ofc-fos−/− mice. Thus, c-Fos is essential for a specific premitochondrial “private apoptotic pathway” induced by light but not for the execution of apoptosis induced by other stimuli.
Microangioarchitecture of Rat Parietal Cortex With Special Reference to Vascular “Sphincters’: Scanning Electron Microscopic and Dark Field Microscopic Study

Microangioarchitecture of the rat parietal cortex was studied by means of scanning electron microscopy and dark field microscopy. The richest supply of blood vessels in the parietal cortex was found in layer HI + IV and layer V, where 2 isolated plexuses of microressels were prominent. Tbe appearance of the plexuses was quite different between motor and sensory areas. In the motor area the capillary plexuses were narrow and compact, while in sensory area the plexuses were wide and diffuse. Characteristic ring formations, called ring-shaped-compressions in the present study, were frequently observed at branching sites of arterioles. The ring-shaped-compression probably corresponds to the precapillary sphincter. A similar structure was also seen in capillaries and venules and, therefore, it is likely that not only arterioles, but also capillaries and eren venules, can actively change diameter to control cerebral blood flow.
Grating Couplers for Coupling between Optical Fibers and Nanophotonic Waveguides

Nanophotonic waveguides and components are promising for use in the large-scale integration of photonic circuits. Coupling light between nanophotonic waveguides and a single-mode fiber is an important problem and many different solutions have been proposed and demonstrated in recent years. In this paper, we discuss a grating coupler approach. Grating couplers can be placed anywhere on a circuit and can easily be integrated. We have experimentally demonstrated >30% coupling efficiency with a 1 dB bandwidth of 40 nm on standard wafers. Theoretically, the coupling efficiency can be improved to >90% using an optimized grating design and layer stack. The fabrication of the couplers in silicon-on-insulator and in indium phosphide membranes is also discussed.
Associations of Anti-GAD Antibodies with Islet Cell Antibodies and Insulin Autoantibodies in First-Degree Relatives of Type I Diabetic Patients

Sera from 114 first-degree relatives of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (type I diabetes) patients and 81 healthy individuals living in Germany were analyzed for antibodies to rat brain glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD-ab) using an immunoprecipitation assay. The determination of GAD-ab in the 81 islet cell antibody (ICA) and insulin autoantibody (IAA) negative healthy individuals established a normal range (mean ± 2 SD); 2 healthy individuals (2.5%) possessed GAD-ab levels above this range, but became negative on follow-up. None of 86 ICA−/IAA− first-degree relatives had GAD-ab; whereas, 42.9% of 28 ICA+ and/or IAA+ relatives were positive for GAD-ab. Presence of GAD-ab was negatively correlated with IAA (P = 0.02) and positively with ICA (P = 0.0006). Follow-up samples were obtained from 25 of 28 ICA+ and/or IAA+ relatives with a mean (± SD) follow-up period of 20.6 ± 12.1 months. In these 25 relatives, GAD-ab were positive in 70% ICA+/IAA−, 0% ICA−/IAA+, and 57.1% ICA+/IAA+ relatives in the first sample and in 57.1% ICA+/IAA−, 0% ICA−/IAA+, and 70% ICA+/IAA+ relatives in the last sample. GAD-ab, once detected, persisted in 9 of 11 GAD-ab+ relatives. Of the relatives, 2 converted to GAD-positivity, concomitant with the appearance of ICA, and 2 others lost GAD-ab during follow-up. Of the 28 ICA+ and/or IAA+ relatives, 6 progressed to overt type I diabetes on follow-up, and GAD-ab were detectable in 4 of these relatives. In conclusion, this study indicates that GAD-ab in first-degree relatives are significantly correlated with ICA, are independent of the appearance of IAA, and are present in 66.7% of relatives who subsequently developed type I diabetes.
Dynamic phrase tables for machine translation in an interactive post-editing scenario

This paper presents a phrase table implementation for the Moses system that computes phrase table entries for phrase-based statistical machine translation (PBSMT) on demand by sampling an indexed bitext. While this approach has been used for years in hierarchical phrase-based translation, the PBSMT community has been slow to adopt this paradigm, due to concerns that this would be slow and lead to lower translation quality. The experiments conducted in the course of this work provide evidence to the contrary: without loss in translation quality, the sampling phrase table ranks second out of four in terms of speed, being slightly slower than hash table look-up (Junczys-Dowmunt, 2012) and considerably faster than current implementations of the approach suggested by Zens and Ney (2007). In addition, the underlying parallel corpus can be updated in real time, so that professionally produced translations can be used to improve the quality of the machine translation engine immediately.
Neuronal and glial expression of the adhesion molecule TAG‐1 is regulated after peripheral nerve lesion or central neurodegeneration of adult nervous system

Expression of the cell adhesion molecule TAG‐1 is down‐regulated in adult brain, with the exception of certain areas exhibiting structural plasticity. Here, we present evidence that TAG‐1 expression persists also in adult rat spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia (DRG), and can be up‐regulated after injury. On Western blots of adult tissue, TAG‐1 is detected as a 135‐kDa band, with an additional specific 90‐kDa band, not present in developing tissue. TAG‐1 expression is found both in DRG neurons and in Schwann cells, particularly those associated with the peripherally projecting DRG processes. Quantitative in situ hybridization revealed that TAG‐1 expression is significantly higher in small neurons that give rise to unmyelinated fibers, than in large DRG neurons. The regulation of TAG‐1 was then examined in two different lesion paradigms. After a sciatic nerve lesion, TAG‐1 expression is not up‐regulated in DRG neurons, but decreases with time. At the lesion site, reactive Schwann cells up‐regulate TAG‐1, as demonstrated by both immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. In a second paradigm, we injected kainic acid into the spinal cord that kills neurons but spares glia and axons. TAG‐1 is up‐regulated in the spinal neuron‐depleted area as well as in the corresponding dorsal and ventral roots, associated with both target‐deprived afferent fibers and with the non‐neuronal cells that invade the lesion site. These results demonstrate a local up‐regulation of TAG‐1 in the adult that is induced in response to injury, suggesting its involvement in axonal re‐modelling, neuron–glia interactions, and glial cell migration.
A new formulation of equivalent effective stratospheric chlorine (EESC)

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés. A new formulation of equivalent effective stratospheric chlorine (EESC) P. A. Newman, J. S. Daniel, D. W. Waugh, E. R. Nash
Feature Extraction and Dimensionality Reduction in Pattern Recognition Using Handwritten Odia Numerals

Feature extraction is the initial and critical stage which needs to be carried out very carefully for any recognition system that uses pattern matching. In order to reduce the feature extraction complexity, dimensionality reduction is applied. This also increases the performance and recognition accuracy. This paper proposes the concept of a new feature extraction and dimensionality reduction method based on a set of linear transformation of the character image. The verification of the method has been carried out by implementing a simple recurrent neural network (RNN) with a data set consisting of 1500 isolated handwritten Odia numerals. An accuracy of 92.41% is reported. Experimental results show that the proposed method has the potential to be used as a feature extraction method for handwritten Odia numerals.
Analysis of near-field thermal energy transfer within the nanoparticles

Nanoscale size effects bring additional near-field thermal considerations when heating nanoparticles under high laser power. Scanning electron micrographs of a typical copper nanoparticle powder bed reveal that the nanoparticles are distributed log-normally with 116 nm mean radius and 48 nm standard deviation. In this paper, we solve Maxwell’s equations in frequency domain to understand near-field thermal energy effects for different standard deviations. Log-normally distributed copper nanoparticle packings which have 116 nm mean radius with 3 different standard deviations (12, 48 and 84 nm) are created by using Discrete Element Model (DEM) in which certain number of particles are generated, specifying a position and radius for each. The solid particles interacting with the neighbouring particles are to be distributed randomly into the bed domain with an initial velocity and a boundary condition, which creates the particle packing within a defined time range under gravitational and weak van der Waals forces. Finite Difference Frequency Domain analysis, which yields the electromagnetic field distribution, is applied by solving Maxwell's equations to obtain absorption, scattering and extinction coefficients. We show that different particle distributions create different plasmonic effects in the bed domain which results in non-local heat transport. We calculate the surface plasmon effect due to the electromagnetic coupling between the nanoparticles and the dielectric medium under the different distributions. This analysis helps to reveal how sintering quality can be enhanced by creating stronger laser-particle interactions for specific groups of nanoparticles.