Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Enhancing Performance of a Hybrid EEG-fNIRS System Using Channel Selection and Early Temporal Features

Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) techniques hold a great promise for neuroprosthetic applications. A desirable BCI system should be portable, minimally invasive, and feature high classification accuracy and efficiency. As two commonly used non-invasive brain imaging modalities, Electroencephalography (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) BCI system have often been incorporated in the development of hybrid BCI systems, largely due to their complimentary properties. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether the early temporal information extracted from singular EEG and fNIRS channels on each hemisphere can be used to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of a hybrid EEG-fNIRS BCI system. Eleven healthy volunteers were recruited and underwent simultaneous EEG-fNIRS recording during a motor execution task that included left and right hand movements. Singular EEG and fNIRS channels corresponding to the motor cortices of each hemisphere were selected using a general linear model. Early temporal information was extracted from the EEG channel (0–1 s) along with initial hemodynamic dip information from fNIRS (0–2 s) for classification using a support vector machine (SVM). Results demonstrated a lofty classification accuracy using a minimal number of channels and features derived from early temporal information. In conclusion, a hybrid EEG-fNIRS BCI system can achieve higher classification accuracy (91.02 ± 4.08%) and efficiency by integrating their complimentary properties, compared to using EEG (85.64 ± 7.4%) or fNIRS alone (85.55 ± 10.72%). Such a hybrid system can also achieve minimal response lag in application by focusing on rapidly-evolving brain dynamics.
The caregiver burden in male romantic partners of women with non-metastatic breast cancer: The protective role of couple satisfaction

We examined the evolution of the subjective burden of romantic partners caring for women with non-metastatic breast cancer and investigated the moderating role of couple satisfaction on caring stress. Forty-seven partners filled out questionnaires 3 and 12 months after surgery. Using a stress process model, we examined caring stressors and moderating factors (couple satisfaction, coping and social support) as predictors of subjective burden. Results showed that subjective burden decreases over time and that the couple satisfaction largely explains it above and beyond other influential variables. Partners dissatisfied with their couple relationship are especially vulnerable to the stress of caregiving.
Detecting PRRSV in boar semen

Since the initial outbreaks of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) in 1987 and subsequent identification of the causative virus in 1991, the primary concern of the swine industry has been the routes of PRRS virus (PRRSV) transmission. Initial epidemiological studies, particularly in Europe, indicated that airborne transmission, even over significant distances, was important. However, recent experimental studies at Iowa State University found that aerosol transmission of PRRSV was difficult to achieve. They found that contact between pigs—possibly through such secretions as urine, feces, or nasal droplets—may be more important in the spread of PRRSV.
Use of ESI-FTICR-MS to Characterize Dissolved Organic Matter in Headwater Streams Draining Forest-Dominated and Pasture-Dominated Watersheds

Electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (ESI-FTICR-MS) has proven to be a powerful technique revealing complexity and diversity of natural DOM molecules, but its application to DOM analysis in grazing-impacted agricultural systems remains scarce. In the present study, we presented a case study of using ESI-FTICR-MS in analyzing DOM from four headwater streams draining forest- or pasture-dominated watersheds in Virginia, USA. In all samples, most formulas were CHO compounds (71.8–87.9%), with other molecular series (CHOS, CHON, CHONS, and CHOP (N, S)) accounting for only minor fractions. All samples were dominated by molecules falling in the lignin-like region (H/C = 0.7–1.5, O/C = 0.1–0.67), suggesting the predominance of allochthonous, terrestrial plant-derived DOM. Relative to the two pasture streams, DOM formulas in the two forest streams were more similar, based on Jaccard similarity coefficients and nonmetric multidimensional scaling calculated from Bray-Curtis distance. Formulas from the pasture streams were characterized by lower proportions of aromatic formulas and lower unsaturation, suggesting that the allochthonous versus autochthonous contributions of organic matter to streams were modified by pasture land use. The number of condensed aromatic structures (CAS) was higher for the forest streams, which is possibly due to the controlled burning in the forest-dominated watersheds and suggests that black carbon was mobilized from soils to streams. During 15-day biodegradation experiments, DOM from the two pasture streams was altered to a greater extent than DOM from the forest streams, with formulas with H/C and O/C ranges similar to protein (H/C = 1.5–2.2, O/C = 0.3–0.67), lipid (H/C = 1.5–2.0, O/C = 0–0.3), and unsaturated hydrocarbon (H/C = 0.7–1.5, O/C = 0–0.1) being the most bioreactive groups. Aromatic compound formulas including CAS were preferentially removed during combined light+bacterial incubations, supporting the contention that black carbon is labile to light alterations. Collectively, our data demonstrate that headwater DOM composition contains integrative information on watershed sources and processes, and the application of ESI-FTICR-MS technique offers additional insights into compound composition and reactivity unrevealed by fluorescence and stable carbon isotopic measurements.
An Investigation into the Correlation between Willingness for Web Search Personalization and SNS Usage Patterns

This paper presents a user survey-based analysis of the correlation between the users’ willingness to personalize Web search and their social network usage patterns. The participants’ responses to the survey questions enabled us to use a regression model for identifying the relationship between SNS variables and willingness to personalize Web search; the obtained results show that there is a strong relationship between willingness for personalized Web search and social network usage patterns. Finally, based on the findings of our survey we present some implications and directions for future work.
Relating Two Semantics of Locally Scoped Names

The operational semantics of programming constructs involving locally scoped names typically makes use of stateful "dynamic allocation": a set of currently-used names forms part of the state and upon entering a scope the set is augmented by a new name bound to the scoped identifier. More abstractly, one can see this as a transformation of local scopes by expanding them outward to an implicit top-level. By contrast, in a neglected paper from 1994, Odersky gave a stateless lambda calculus with locally scoped names whose dynamics contracts scopes inward. The properties of "Odersky-style" local names are quite different from dynamically allocated ones and it has not been clear, until now, what is the expressive power of Odersky's notion. We show that in fact it provides a direct semantics of locally scoped names from which the more familiar dynamic allocation semantics can be obtained by continuation-passing style (CPS) translation. More precisely, we show that there is a CPS translation of typed lambda calculus with dynamically allocated names (the Pitts-Stark nu-calculus) into Odersky's lambda-nu-calculus which is computationally adequate with respect to observational equivalence in the two calculi.
The network structure of mutual support links: Evidence from rural Tanzania

This paper takes a network perspective t oinvestigate how rural households in developing countries form the links through which they provide and get economic support. I test the hypothesis that indirect contacts (e.g. friends of friends) matter for link formation. An estimation procedure of a network formation model a la Jackson and Wolinsky (1996) is proposed and applied to data on a single village in Tanzania. Results show that when agents evaluate the net advantage of forming a link they also consider the wealth and the position of indirect contacts. The network externalities from indirect contacts are negative, which suggests a mechanism of competition over scarce resources. This paper proposes the first structural estimation of an endogenous network formation model, and also contributes to the development literature by overcoming the dyadic regression approach and providing evidence that village-level network structure has an explanatory value disregarded by all previous studies.
Study Design and Outcomes of Korean Obstructive Lung Disease (KOLD) Cohort Study

Background The Korean Obstructive Lung Disease (KOLD) Cohort Study is a prospective longitudinal study of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, or other unclassified obstructive lung diseases. It was designed to develop new classification models and biomarkers that predict clinically relevant outcomes for patients with obstructive lung diseases. Methods Patients over 18 years old who have chronic respiratory symptoms and airflow limitations or bronchial hyper-responsiveness were enrolled at 17 centers in South Korea. After a baseline visit, the subjects were followed up every 3 months for various assessments. Results From June 2005 to October 2013, a total of 477 subjects (433 [91%] males; 381 [80%] diagnosed with COPD) were enrolled. Analyses of the KOLD Cohort Study identified distinct phenotypes in patients with COPD, and predictors of therapeutic responses and exacerbations as well as the factors related to pulmonary hypertension in COPD. In addition, several genotypes were associated with radiological phenotypes and therapeutic responses among Korean COPD patients. Conclusion The KOLD Cohort Study is one of the leading long-term prospective longitudinal studies investigating heterogeneity of the COPD and is expected to provide new insights for pathogenesis and the long-term progression of COPD.
NMR structure of the death domain of the p75 neurotrophin receptor

The intracellular domain of the p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75ICD) lacks catalytic activity but contains a motif similar to death domains found in the cytoplasmic regions of members of the tumor necrosis factor receptor family and their downstream targets. Although some aspects of the signaling pathways downstream of p75 have been elucidated recently, mechanisms of receptor activation and proximal signaling events are unknown. Here we report the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) structure of the 145 residue long p75ICD. The death domain of p75ICD consists of two perpendicular sets of three helices packed into a globular structure. The polypeptide segment connecting the transmembrane and death domains as well as the serine/threonine‐rich C‐terminal end are highly flexible in p75ICD. Unlike the death domains involved in signaling by the TNF receptor and Fas, p75ICD does not self‐associate in solution. A surface area devoid of charged residues in the p75ICD death domain may indicate a potential site of interaction with downstream targets.
Physiologically Distinct Temporal Cohorts of Cortical Interneurons Arise from Telencephalic Olig2-Expressing Precursors

Inhibitory GABAergic interneurons of the mouse neocortex are a highly heterogeneous population of neurons that originate from the ventral telencephalon and migrate tangentially up into the developing cortical plate. The majority of cortical interneurons arise from a transient embryonic structure known as the medial ganglionic eminence (MGE), but how the remarkable diversity is specified in this region is not known. We have taken a genetic fate mapping strategy to elucidate the temporal origins of cortical interneuron subtypes within the MGE. We used an inducible form of Cre under the regulation of Olig2, a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor highly expressed in neural progenitors of the MGE. We observe that the physiological subtypes of cortical interneurons are, to a large degree, unique to their time point of generation.
An Improved Backoff Algorithm of Ad Hoc Networks

By analyzing Binary Exponential Backoff(BEB) algorithm used in IEEE 802.11 standard , an adaptive improved algorithm is proposed to improve the fairness of the channel access for BEB algorithms, It adjusts dynamically the way of increase or decrease of the contention window based on the number of frame which is sent successfully. Using NS2 to analyze the network’s fairness of the channel access of the improved algorithms, the simulation results show that, compared with BEB algorithm, improved algorithm can improve the fairness of the channel access and increase the network’s throughput capacity at the same time. KeywordsAd Hoc Networks; MAC Protocols; Binary Exponential Backoff Algorithm; Fairness; Throughput
Statin Treatment and Stroke Outcome in the Stroke Prevention by Aggressive Reduction in Cholesterol Levels (SPARCL) Trial

Background and Purpose— Laboratory experiments suggest statins reduce stroke severity and improve outcomes. The Stroke Prevention by Aggressive Reduction in Cholesterol Levels (SPARCL) trial was a placebo-controlled, randomized trial designed to determine whether treatment with atorvastatin reduces strokes in subjects with recent stroke or transient ischemic attack (n=4731). We analyzed SPARCL trial data to determine whether treatment favorably shifts the distribution of severities of ischemic cerebrovascular outcomes. Methods— Severity was assessed with the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, Barthel Index, and modified Rankin Scale score at enrollment (1 to 6 months after the index event) and 90 days poststroke in subjects having a stroke during the trial. Results— Over 4.9 years, strokes occurred in 576 subjects. There were reductions in fatal, severe (modified Rankin Scale score 5 or 4), moderate (modified Rankin Scale score 3 or 2), and mild (modified Rankin Scale score 1 or 0) outcome ischemic strokes and transient ischemic attacks and an increase in the proportion of event-free subjects randomized to atorvastatin (P<0.001 unadjusted and adjusted). Results were similar for all outcome events (ischemic and hemorrhagic, P<0.001 unadjusted and adjusted) with no effect on outcome hemorrhagic stroke severity (P=0.174 unadjusted, P=0.218 adjusted). If the analysis is restricted to those having an outcome ischemic stroke (ie, excluding those having a transient ischemic attack or no event), there was only a trend toward lesser severity with treatment based on the modified Rankin Scale score (P=0.0647) with no difference based on the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale or Barthel Index. Conclusion— The present exploratory analysis suggests that the outcome of recurrent ischemic cerebrovascular events might be improved among statin users as compared with nonusers.
Negatively Charged Cell Membranes-Targeted Highly Selective Chemotherapy with Cationic Hybrid Liposomes against Colorectal Cancer In Vitro and In Vivo

Cationic hybrid liposomes (CHL) composed of 87 mol% L-α-dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC), 5 mol% polyoxyethylene (21) dodecyl ether (C12(EO)21) and 8 mol% O,O’-ditetradecanoyl-N-(α–trimethylammonioacetyl) diethanolamine chloride (2C14ECl) were prepared by the method of sonication. A clear solution of CHL having a hydrodynamic diameter of 100 nm could be maintained over 4 weeks. The IC50 value of CHL on the growth of human colorectal cancer (CRC; HCT116) cells was remarkably smaller than that of the DMPC liposomes. Immediate fusion of CHL including NBDPC into HCT116 cell membranes was confirmed using a confocal laser and total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscope without affecting normal colon (CCD-33Co) cells. Activation of caspases for apoptosis of HCT116 cells induced by CHL was verified on the basis of fluorescence microscopy. Carcinoma HCT116 cells have lower membrane potential compared to normal CCD-33Co cells, since negatively charged PS and GM1 in HCT116 cells increased compared with that of normal CCD-33Co. Therapeutic effects of CHL were obtained in xenograft mouse models of CRC in vivo. Induction of apoptosis in tumor of xenograft mouse model of human CRC treated with CHL was observed in micrographs of tissue section on the basis of TUNEL method. Furthermore, no severe side effects of CHL were observed in toxicity tests using normal mice.
L'attraction des nombres ronds et ses conséquences économiques

Jacques Durand : Die Anziehnngskraft der « runden Zahlen » und ihre wirtechaftlichen Auswirkungen. Die klassischen statistischen Gesetze finden ihre Anwendung auf Erscheinungen, die eine gewisse Kontinuitat darstellen. Aber in vielen Fallen ergeben sich Konzentrierungen auf bevorzugte Werte, besonders auf die « runden Zahlen » (z. B. ein Vielfaches oder eine Teilzahl von 10.). Der Verfasser untersucht, unter welchen Bedingungen das auftritt und analysiert es nach zwei Gesichtspunkten : Aufeinander- folge von « runden Zahlen », Haufigkeit des Auftretens dieser verschiedenen Zahlen, die nur darm verstanden werden kann, wenn man von ihrem Zahlenwert absieht.
Formal-language-theoretic Optimal Path Planning For Accommodation of Amortized Uncertainties and Dynamic Effects

We report a globally-optimal approach to robotic path planning under uncertainty, based on the theory of quantitative measures of formal languages. A significant generalization to the lan guage-measure-theoretic path planning algorithm� ? is presented that explicitly accounts for average dynamic uncertainties and estimation errors in plan execution. The notion of the navigation automaton is generalized to include probabilistic uncontrollabl e transitions, which account for uncertainties by modeling and planning for probabilistic deviations from the computed policy in the course of execution. The planning problem is solved by casting it in the form of a performance maximization problem for probabilistic finite state automata. In essence we solve the following op timization problem: Compute the navigation policy which maximizes the probability of reaching the goal, while simultaneously minimizing the probability of hitting an obstacle. Key novelties of the proposed approach include the modeling of uncertainties using the concept of uncontrollable transitions, and the solution of the ensuing optimization problem using a highly efficient se arch-free combinatorial approach to maximize quantitative measures of probabilistic regular languages. Applicability of the algo rithm in various models of robot navigation has been shown with experimental validation on a two-wheeled mobile robotic platform (SEGWAY RMP 200) in a laboratory environment.
Finance: Servant or Deceiver? Financialization at the Crossroads, by Paul H. Dembinski Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009. Hardcover, 176 pp. ISBN-13: 978-0230220379

I the midst of the current fi nancial crisis comes a book that warns of the dangers lurking in our complex, lightly regulated, and globe-spanning fi nancial system. But this is no ordinary book that blames the economic meltdown on the usual suspects: the housing bubble, subprime mortgages, exotic derivatives, low interest rates, inadequate government regulation, high leverage by investment banks or even “infectious greed. ” According to this well-timed book, the fault does not lie in a malfunction of an otherwise sound fi nancial system; rather, the system itself is fundamentally fl awed as a means for serving its basic purpose of enhancing human life. Finance, which should be a servant in our search for security, well-being, and meaning, has instead become an end in itself that has deceived us about how to live a rich, full live. Finance: Servant or Deceiver? which has the additional subtitle Financialization at the Crossroads, is a report from the Geneva-based Observatoire de la Finance, written by the director Paul H. Dembinski, who is also a professor at the University of Fribourg. The Observatoire de la Finance publishes the bi-lingual journal Finance and the Common Good/Commun Bien. The focus of this book or report is on the phenomenon of fi nancialization, in which fi nance as a mode of thought has pervaded our lives and outlook. Financial thinking, Dembinski claims, “has gradually permeated and transformed behavior patterns, mechanisms and structures, and extended its control over society to the point where it is now one of its main organizing principles, or indeed the dominant one” (6). Although fi nancialization, in his view, has produced the current fi nancial crisis, the consequences of this phenomenon are more profound and serious and would have a deleterious effect even if our fi nancial system had continued to function smoothly. Financialization, according to this book, impacts not only our fi nancial well-being but the very core of our existence. If fi nancialization has also caused our current fi nancial crisis, then Dembinski’s case has even greater resonance.
3D surface registration using Z-SIFT

We present a Z-SIFT based 3D surface registration algorithm that utilizes the depth information enhanced SIFT features to make initial alignment and the 2D feature weighted Iterative Closest Point (ICP) algorithm to realize accurate registration. The combination of SIFT features and depth information extracts faithful corresponding points between the 2D images and provides good coarse alignment for the 3D surfaces. The 2D feature weighted ICP also outperforms the naive ICP algorithm in terms of speed and accuracy. We use this approach in the context of multiple view alignment for 3D scanners. Experimental results with real objects and human faces indicate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
A unified framework for recommending diverse and relevant queries

Query recommendation has been considered as an effective way to help search users in their information seeking activities. Traditional approaches mainly focused on recommending alternative queries with close search intent to the original query. However, to only take relevance into account may generate redundant recommendations to users. It is better to provide diverse as well as relevant query recommendations, so that we can cover multiple potential search intents of users and minimize the risk that users will not be satisfied. Besides, previous query recommendation approaches mostly relied on measuring the relevance or similarity between queries in the Euclidean space. However, there is no convincing evidence that the query space is Euclidean. It is more natural and reasonable to assume that the query space is a manifold. In this paper, therefore, we aim to recommend diverse and relevant queries based on the intrinsic query manifold. We propose a unified model, named manifold ranking with stop points, for query recommendation. By turning ranked queries into stop points on the query manifold, our approach can generate query recommendations by simultaneously considering both diversity and relevance in a unified way. Empirical experimental results on a large scale query log of a commercial search engine show that our approach can effectively generate highly diverse as well as closely related query recommendations.