Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ventral Midline Thalamus Is Critical for Hippocampal–Prefrontal Synchrony and Spatial Working Memory

Maintaining behaviorally relevant information in spatial working memory (SWM) requires functional synchrony between the dorsal hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). However, the mechanism that regulates synchrony between these structures remains unknown. Here, we used a unique dual-task approach to compare hippocampal–prefrontal synchrony while rats switched between an SWM-dependent task and an SWM-independent task within a single behavioral session. We show that task-specific representations in mPFC neuronal populations are accompanied by SWM-specific oscillatory synchrony and directionality between the dorsal hippocampus and mPFC. We then demonstrate that transient inactivation of the reuniens and rhomboid (Re/Rh) nuclei of the ventral midline thalamus abolished only the SWM-specific activity patterns that were seen during dual-task sessions within the hippocampal–prefrontal circuit. These findings demonstrate that Re/Rh facilitate bidirectional communication between the dorsal hippocampus and mPFC during SWM, providing evidence for a causal role of Re/Rh in regulating hippocampal–prefrontal synchrony and SWM-directed behavior. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Hippocampal–prefrontal synchrony has long been thought to be critical for spatial working memory (SWM) and the ventral midline thalamic reuniens and rhomboid nuclei (Re/Rh) have long been considered a potential site for synchronizing the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex. However, the hypothesis that Re/Rh are critical for hippocampal–prefrontal synchrony and SWM has not been tested. We first used a dual-task approach to identify SWM-specific patterns of hippocampal–prefrontal synchrony. We then demonstrated that Re/Rh inactivation concurrently disrupted SWM-specific behavior and the SWM-specific patterns of hippocampal–prefrontal synchrony seen during dual-task performance. These results provide the first direct evidence that Re/Rh contribute to SWM by modulating hippocampal–prefrontal synchrony.
A Framework for Semantics Preserving SPARQL-to-SQL Translation

The enormous amount of information stored on the web increases from one day to the next, exposing the web currently faced with the inevitable difficulties of research pertinent information that users really want. The problem today is not limited to expanding the size of the information highways, but to design a system for intelligent search. The vast majority of this information is stored in relational databases, which in turn represent a backend for managing RDF data of the semantic web. This problem has motivated us to write this paper in order to establish an effective approach to support semantic transformation algorithm for SPARQL queries to SQL queries, more precisely SPARQL SELECT queries; by adopting this method, the relational database can be questioned easily with SPARQL queries maintaining the same performance. Keywords—RDF, Semantic Web, SPARQL, SPARQL Query Transformation, SQL.
Adaptive Graph Cut Based Binarization of Video Text Images

Interactive image segmentation which needs the user to give certain hard constraints has shown promising performance for object segmentation. In this paper, we consider characters in text image as a special kind of object, and propose an adaptive graph cut based text binarization method to segment text from background. The main contributions of the paper lie in: 1) in order to make the binarization local adaptive with uneven background, the text region image is firstly roughly split into several sub-images on which graph cut is applied, and 2) considering the unique characteristics of the text, we propose to automatically classify some pixels as text or background with high confidence, severed as hard constraints seeds for graph cut to extract text from background by spreading the seeds into the whole sub-image. The experimental results show that our approach could get better performance in both character extraction accuracy and recognition accuracy.
Expression and Processing of Proteins Encoded by the Saccharomyces Retrotransposon Ty5

ABSTRACT Retroelements (retrotransposons and retroviruses) have two genes in common: gag, which specifies structural proteins that form a virus or virus-like particle, andpol, which specifies catalytic proteins required for replication. For many retroelements, gag andpol are present on separate reading frames. Their expression is highly regulated, and the ratio of Gag to Pol is critical for retroelement replication. The Saccharomycesretrotransposon Ty5 contains a single open reading frame, and we characterized Gag and Pol expression by generating transpositionally active Ty5 elements with epitope tags at the N terminus or C terminus or within the integrase coding region. Immunoblot analysis identified two Gag species (Gag-p27 and Gag-p37), reverse transcriptase (Pol-p59), and integrase (Pol-p80), all of which are largely insoluble in the absence of urea or ionic detergent. These proteins result from proteolytic processing of a polyprotein, because elements with mutations in the presumed active site of Ty5 protease express a single tagged protein (Gag-Pol-p182). Protease mutants are also transpositionally inactive. In a time course experiment, we monitored protein expression, proteolytic processing, and transposition of a Ty5 element with identical epitope tags at its N and C termini. Both transposition and the abundance of Gag-p27 increased over time. In contrast, the levels of Gag-p37 and reverse transcriptase peaked after ∼14 h of induction and then gradually decreased. This may be due to differences in stability of Gag-p27 relative to Gag-p37 and reverse transcriptase. The ratio of Ty5 Gag to Pol averaged 5:1 throughout the time course experiment, suggesting that differential protein stability regulates the amounts of these proteins.
Role of DNA Polymerase β in the Excision Step of Long Patch Mammalian Base Excision Repair*

The two base excision repair (BER) subpathways in mammalian cells are characterized by the number of nucleotides synthesized into the excision patch. They are the “single-nucleotide” BER pathway and the “long patch” (several nucleotides incorporated) BER pathway. Both of these subpathways involve excision of a damaged base and/or nearby nucleotides and DNA synthesis to fill the excision gap. Whereas DNA polymerase β (pol β) is known to participate in the single-nucleotide BER pathway, the identity of polymerases involved in long patch BER has remained unclear. By analyzing products of long patch excision generated during BER of a uracil-containing DNA substrate in mammalian cell extracts we find that long patch excision depends on pol β. We show that the excision of the characteristic 5′-deoxyribose phosphate containing oligonucleotide (dRP-oligo) is deficient in extracts from pol β null cells and is rescued by addition of purified pol β. Also, pol β-neutralizing antibody inhibits release of the dRP-oligo in wild-type cell extracts, and the addition of pol β after inhibition with antibody completely restores the excision reaction. The results indicate that pol β plays an essential role in long patch BER by conducting strand displacement synthesis and controlling the size of the excised flap.
Xrcc3 Is Required for Assembly of Rad51 Complexes in Vivo *

Rad51 is a member of a family of eukaryotic proteins related to the bacterial recombinational repair protein RecA. Rad51 protein localizes to multiple subnuclear foci in Chinese hamster ovary cells. Subnuclear Rad51 foci are induced by ionizing radiation or the DNA cross-linking agent cisplatin. Formation of these foci is likely to reflect assembly of a multimeric form of Rad51 that promotes DNA repair. Formation of damage-induced Rad51 foci does not occur in the Chinese hamster ovary cell line irs1SF, which is sensitive to DNA damaging agents. The Rad51 focus formation defect of irs1SF cells is corrected by a construct that encodes the repair protein Xrcc3. Xrcc3 is a human homolog of Rad51 previously isolated by virtue of its ability to correct the radiation sensitivity of irs1SF cells. Changes in the steady state level of Rad51 protein do not account for the irs1SF defect nor do they account for the appearance of foci following DNA damage. These results suggest that Xrcc3 is required for the assembly or stabilization of a multimeric form of Rad51 during DNA repair. Cell lines defective in two different components of DNA protein kinase formed Rad51 foci in response to damage, indicating DNA protein kinase is not required for damaged-induced mobilization of Rad51.
Emergent workflow: the AIS workware demonstrator

We describe a prototype cooperation support system incorporating adaptive workflow currently being developed in the AIS project. A workware system that includes task management and adaptive workflow support, available through a simple web browser user interface, is being prototyped. Our primary objective is to support the dynamic and ad-hoc work that is becoming increasingly important in today's knowledge intensive organizations. We cover unstructured and partly structured representations of work, and allow dynamic modification of workflows during performance. The proposed architecture is highly tailorable, allowing users to add and interconnect new tools and information types. This paper is also available in the PDF-format. 1. The Adaptive Workflow Challenge We view workflow as active support for planning, performance and coordination of work that is based upon a (more or less complete) explicit process model. In line with (Miers 1996), we primarily are interested in workflow allowing for coordination through mutual adjustment in creating, adapting, combining and linking process model fragments. Empowerment with respect to workflow process models and their encoded behavior implies an ability to browse available organizational actions and to create oneâs own libraries of actions to ainvokea when they are found suitable (Carlsen and Gjersvik 1997a), resembling aadvisorya process models (Abbot and Sarin 1994). It is also related to layered policies in business process definitions as in Obligations (Bogia and Kaplan 1995) and to an organizational handbook of business processes
Nonrandomized Comparison of Surgery With and Without Adjuvant Pelvic Irradiation for Patients With pT3N0 Adenocarcinoma of the Prostate

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcome of radical prostatectomy alone and compare it with that of surgery followed by planned adjuvant radiotherapy in patients with pT3N0 prostate cancer (CaP). A total of 402 patients with CaP were treated with prostatectomy, including 311 (77%) who received a planned course of adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) (surgery [S] + RT) to the prostatic fossa (median dose: 48 Gy) and 91 (23%) who had surgery alone. Patients in the former group had worse risk factors than those in the latter group, such as a higher clinical and pathologic stage (p = 0.001), higher Gleason score (p = 0.09), and higher preoperative prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level (p = 0.0001). PSA failure was defined as more than 0.05 ng/ml. Median follow-up was 59 months. The 5- and 10-year overall survival for the 311 S+RT patients was 91% and 81%, respectively, and it was similar for those 91 in the surgery-alone group, p = 0.59. The 5- and 10-year probability of freedom from PSA and/or clinical failure for the former group was 70% and 53%, respectively, whereas it was 66% and 46%, respectively, for the latter group, p = 0.72. Any recurrence developed in a total of 96 (31%) patients in the S+RT group as compared with 23 (25%) in the surgery-alone group. Local recurrence was noted in 10 (3.2%) S+RT and in 6 (6.6%) surgery-alone patients (N.S.). The time to clinical or chemical recurrence was also similar for both treatment groups (median time: 3.0 versus 3.8 years). Patients with pT3b tumors had relatively poor 5- and 10-year disease-free survival (53% and 32%, respectively, for S+RT and 38% and 0%, respectively, for surgery alone, p = 0.82). In multivariate analyses, pathologic stage and Gleason score were independent predictors of recurrence, each with p < 0.001 after controlling for the other. The worst prognostic category included patients with pT3bN0, Gleason score 7–10 disease who had 5.0 times the risk of recurrence as compared with pT3aN0, Gleason score 2–6 patients. No significant difference in disease-free survival by the treatment group was seen in Cox regression analysis controlling for pathologic stage (p = 0.59), Gleason score (p = 0.99), and PSA (p = 0.28). S+RT patients were predicted to have disease recurrence at 83% the rate of surgery-alone patients, p = 0.42. Preoperative PSA (>25 ng/ml) was predictive of recurrence (2.0 × risk) in univariate analysis, but it was not a significant predictor in multivariate analysis. It appears that moderate-dose, localized fields postoperative irradiation reduced the incidence of local recurrence in patients who were at a higher risk of recurrence as compared with those treated with surgery alone. New treatment strategies need to be developed to manage pT3bN0, Gleason score 7–10 patients whose 10-year disease-free survival was poor.
Ambulatory blood pressure and blood pressure load responses to low sodium intervention in Han Chinese population

Abstract We aimed to illustrate ambulatory blood pressure monitoring parameters responses to low sodium intake and their differences between salt-sensitive and non-salt-sensitive individuals. A total of 186 participants were included in this analysis. Twenty-four hour, day-time and night-time blood pressure (BP) and BP load decreased during low sodium intervention, especially in salt-sensitive (SS) group. After multivariable adjustment, 24-h systolic BP, diastolic BP, mean arterial pressure and BP load responses to low sodium intervention of SS individuals were more pronounced than those of non–salt-sensitive individuals. Thus, reducing salt intake is potentially needed for the prevention of hypertension, especially in SS individuals. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00721721.
Stroke systems in Chinese characters: A systemic functional perspective on simplified regular script

Abstract This article makes a preliminary attempt to account for the stroke systems of Chinese characters in simplified regular script. The framework utilized is the three meta-functions in Systemic Functional Linguistics. The description observes the cases from the perspectives of the experiential, appraisal (aesthetic), and thematic semiosis of strokes and their constitutional segments to figure out the relevant systems: the line system and the point system. This process witnesses comparisons to seek, in brief though, the traces and origins of stroke development along evolution, and hence the straightening of lines and squaring of character formation. This is the first step towards a rank model of Chinese writing, the whole project of which will highlight a way to study other writing systems in the semiotic respect.
Two different pathways are involved in the β‐oxidation of n‐alkanoic and n‐phenylalkanoic acids in Pseudomonas putida U: genetic studies and biotechnological applications

In Pseudomonas putida U, the degradation of n‐alkanoic and n‐phenylalkanoic acids is carried out by two sets of β‐oxidation enzymes (βI and βII). Whereas the first one (called βI) is constitutive and catalyses the degradation of n‐alkanoic and n‐phenylalkanoic acids very efficiently, the other one (βII), which is only expressed when some of the genes encoding βI enzymes are mutated, catabolizes n‐phenylalkanoates (n > 4) much more slowly. Genetic studies revealed that disruption or deletion of some of the βI genes handicaps the growth of P. putida U in media containing n‐alkanoic or n‐phenylalkanoic acids with an acyl moiety longer than C4. However, all these mutants regained their ability to grow in media containing n‐alkanoates as a result of the induction of βII, but they were still unable to catabolize n‐phenylalkanoates completely, as the βI‐FadBA enzymes are essential for the β‐oxidation of certain n‐phenylalkanoyl‐CoA derivatives when they reach a critical size. Owing to the existence of the βII system, mutants lacking βIfadB/A are able to synthesize new poly 3‐OH‐n‐alkanoates (PHAs) and poly 3‐OH‐n‐phenylalkanoates (PHPhAs) efficiently. However, they are unable to degrade these polymers, becoming bioplastic overproducer mutants. The genetic and biochemical importance of these results is reported and discussed.
Proliferative and Nonproliferative Lesions of the Rat and Mouse Male Reproductive System

The INHAND Project (International Harmonization of Nomenclature and Diagnostic Criteria for Lesions in Rats and Mice) is a joint initiative of the Societies of Toxicologic Pathology from Europe (ESTP), Great Britain (BSTP), Japan (JSTP), and North America (STP) to develop an internationally accepted nomenclature for proliferative and nonproliferative lesions in laboratory animals. The purpose of this publication is to provide a standardized nomenclature and differential diagnosis for classifying microscopic lesions observed in the male reproductive system of laboratory rats and mice, with color microphotographs illustrating examples of some lesions. The standardized nomenclature presented in this document is also available for society members electronically on the Internet (http://goreni.org). Sources of material included histopathology databases from government, academia, and industrial laboratories throughout the world. Content includes spontaneous and aging lesions as well as lesions induced by exposure to test materials. A widely accepted and utilized international harmonization of nomenclature for lesions of the male reproductive system in laboratory animals will decrease confusion among regulatory and scientific research organizations in different countries and provide a common language to increase and enrich international exchanges of information among toxicologists and pathologists.
Neural Correlates of Vocal Production and Motor Control in Human Heschl's Gyrus

The present study investigated how pitch frequency, a perceptually relevant aspect of periodicity in natural human vocalizations, is encoded in Heschl's gyrus (HG), and how this information may be used to influence vocal pitch motor control. We recorded local field potentials from multicontact depth electrodes implanted in HG of 14 neurosurgical epilepsy patients as they vocalized vowel sounds and received brief (200 ms) pitch perturbations at 100 Cents in their auditory feedback. Event-related band power responses to vocalizations showed sustained frequency following responses that tracked voice fundamental frequency (F0) and were significantly enhanced in posteromedial HG during speaking compared with when subjects listened to the playback of their own voice. In addition to frequency following responses, a transient response component within the high gamma frequency band (75–150 Hz) was identified. When this response followed the onset of vocalization, the magnitude of the response was the same for the speaking and playback conditions. In contrast, when this response followed a pitch shift, its magnitude was significantly enhanced during speaking compared with playback. We also observed that, in anterolateral HG, the power of high gamma responses to pitch shifts correlated with the magnitude of compensatory vocal responses. These findings demonstrate a functional parcellation of HG with neural activity that encodes pitch in natural human voice, distinguishes between self-generated and passively heard vocalizations, detects discrepancies between the intended and heard vocalization, and contains information about the resulting behavioral vocal compensations in response to auditory feedback pitch perturbations. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The present study is a significant contribution to our understanding of sensor-motor mechanisms of vocal production and motor control. The findings demonstrate distinct functional parcellation of core and noncore areas within human auditory cortex on Heschl's gyrus that process natural human vocalizations and pitch perturbations in the auditory feedback. In addition, our data provide evidence for distinct roles of high gamma neural oscillations and frequency following responses for processing periodicity in human vocalizations during vocal production and motor control.
Tacit Collusion in Auctions and Conditions for Its Facilitation and Prevention : Equilibrium Selection in Laboratory Experimental Markets

The paper studies bidder behavior in simultaneous, continuous, ascending price auctions. We design and implement special conditions, a type of “collusion incubator” environment, within which tacit collusion develops quickly, naturally and reliably. The collusion incubator environment is designed as a methodological tool that permits observation of phenomenon that has difficulty surviving in other environments, study models of its development, and then study institutional and environmental remedies that would cause it to evolve into competitive behavior. The special, collusion incubator environments are based on a type of public, symmetrically “folded” preferences together with what we call “item-aligned” preferences. The research design called for exploratory, experimental probes of possible institutional or procedural “remedies” that might destroy the tacit collusion and promote competitive behavior should tacit collusion take place. The results are as follow. (1) The collusion incubator environmental conditions do foster tacit collusion. (2) The tacit collusion corresponds to the unique buyer Pareto Equilibrium of a game theoretic model of the auction process. (3) Once tacit collusion developed, it proved remarkably robust to institutional changes that weakened it as an equilibrium of the game theoretic model. (4) The only remedy that was clearly successful was a non-public change in the preference of participants that destroyed the symmetrically, “folded” and “item aligned” patterns of preferences, creating head to head competition between two agents reminiscent of the concept of a “maverick”.
Three-to-Five-Phase Matrix Converter Using Carrier-based PWM Technique

This paper proposes a simple carrierbased PWM (CBPWM) technique to control the threeto five-phase Direct Matrix Converter (3×5 DMC). The proposed technique uses the indirect modulation approach to control the 3×5 DMC such as a threephase bidirectional rectifier followed by five-phase voltage source inverter (VSI). Based on this approach, it is possible to synthesize the desired five-phase output voltages with sinusoidal three-phase input currents and unity input power factor. A CBPWM method is suggested for each stage independently including both linear and overmodulation operating modes. By the proposed technique, in both operating modes, the maximum possible overall Voltage Transfer Ratio (VTR) is achieved. Moreover, this technique allows the input power factor to be controlled by controlling the input current displacement angle. The feasibility of the proposed technique has been verified by a series of simulation and experimental results based on Matlab/Simulink and dSPACE-DS1104 platform. The results show that a sinusoidal output and input waveforms can be achieved with a maximum possible VTR in the linear region. However, in the overmodulation region, a maximum possible VTR is achieved at the cost of some distortion of output and input waveforms. Therefore, this technique can be used for the application where a higher VTR is essential.