Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Local Dendrodendritic Inhibition Regulates Fast Synaptic Transmission in Visual Thalamus

Inhibition from thalamic interneurons plays a critical role in modulating information transfer between thalamus and neocortex. Interestingly, these neurons yield inhibition via two distinct outputs: presynaptic dendrites that innervate thalamocortical relay neurons and axonal outputs. Since the dendrites of thalamic interneurons are the primary targets of incoming synaptic information, it has been hypothesized that local synaptic input could produce highly focused dendritic output. To gain additional insight into the computational power of these presynaptic dendrites, we have combined two-photon laser scanning microscopy, glutamate uncaging, and whole-cell electrophysiological recordings to locally activate dendritic terminals and study their inhibitory contribution to rat thalamocortical relay neurons. Our findings demonstrate that local dendritic release from thalamic interneurons is controlled locally by AMPA/NMDA receptor-mediated recruitment of L-type calcium channels. Moreover, by mapping these connections with single dendrite resolution we not only found that presynaptic dendrites preferentially target proximal regions, but such actions differ significantly across branches. Furthermore, local stimulation of interneuron dendrites did not result in global excitation, supporting the notion that these interneurons can operate as multiplexors, containing numerous independently operating input–output devices.
Do monkeys tell themselves? Passions and doubts of ethology

In the '70, the well-known psychologist Gordon Gallup proposed a test to a chimpanzee called Sarah. Sarah was not an 'ordinary' chimpanzee, because she had learned to communicate through sign language. Gallup gave her some pictures representing human beings (men and women known by Sarah) and others chimpanzees Sarah lived with. Sarah was asked to separate humans from animals. She did it without hesitation: on the one side, she put all her animal companions and, on the other side, she put all the humans, including herself (Picq et al. 2003). Sarah seemed to consider herself as a human. Maybe, it's us that made her human.
Polarization of quasi-static fading channels

This work investigates polar coding for block-fading channels. We show that polarization does occur at infinity for three types of channel multiplexers. Nevertheless, the polarization process is not unique, as it is shaped by the choice of the multiplexer. The fading-plane approach is used to study the outage behavior of polar coding at a fixed transmission rate. Two types of multiplexers are shown to provide full diversity at finite and infinite code length.
A Note on the CLRW2 Tweakable Block Cipher Construction

In this note, we describe an error in the proof for CLRW2 given by Landecker et al. in their paper at CRYPTO 2012 on the beyond-birthday-bound security for tweakable block ciphers. We are able to resolve the issue, give a new bound for the security of CLRW2, and identify a potential limitation of this proof technique when looking to extend the scheme to provide asymptotic security.
Structural stability of cooling flows

Three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations are used to investigate the structural stability of cooling flows that are episodically heated by jets from a central AGN. The radial profile of energy deposition is controlled by (a) the power of the jets, and (b) the pre-outburst density profile. A delay in the ignition of the jets causes more powerful jets to impact on a more centrally concentrated medium. The net effect is a sufficient increase in the central concentration of energy deposition to cause the post-outburst density profile to be less centrally concentrated than that of an identical cluster in which the outburst happened earlier and was weaker. These results suggest that the density profiles of cooling flows oscillate around an attracting profile, thus explaining why cooling flows are observed to have similar density profiles. The possibility is raised that powerful FR II systems are ones in which this feedback mechanism has broken down and a runaway growth of the source parameters has occurred.
Event-based device-behavior switching in surgical human-robot interaction

In present days, the number of application in which robots and users share the same workspace is increasing, as long as the need of cooperation between them. To achieve a smooth cooperation, in particular in surgical applications, the robot needs to timely change its behavior to adapt to the needs of the user. In this work, a simplified scenario for neurosurgery was defined in which the user interacts with the robot through a Graphical User Interface (GUI) and by touching the robot links and, based to those events and on the current status, different control modes are enabled in the high level controller we developed, such as autonomous, cooperative and teleoperation. Experiments were performed to measure the performances and safety of the developed high level controller in handling the transitions between two states by checking the continuity of data from the robot and from an external measurement system. Results proved that the trajectories of the end effector and links during the switching phase are continuous and thus the modular high level controller developed switches control safely without undesired deviation from desired course.
Genetic characterization of Toxoplasma gondii isolates from chickens in India by GRA6 gene sequence analysis

PCR-RFLP and nucleotide sequencing based genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii Indian isolates (Izatnagar and Chennai isolates and Chennai clone) vis-a vis RH-IVRI strain was conducted by targeting GRA6 as genetic marker. The 791 bp GRA6 product was PCR amplified from the genomic DNA of different T. gondii Indian isolates, including the RH-IVRI strain. Tru1I restriction endonuclease based PCR-RFLP of GRA6 sequence produced polymorphic digestion pattern that discriminated the virulent RH-IVRI strain (as type I) from the moderately virulent local isolates as type III. The PCR amplicon of T. gondii GRA6 from RH-IVRI strain as well as from the local isolates were cloned in cloning vector and custom sequenced. The nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences of T. gondii isolates were aligned with that of the type I, II and III strains (RH, BEVERLEY, ME49, C56, TONT and NED) available in public domain and analyzed in silico using MEGA version 4.0 software. Nucleotide sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of GRA6 marker from the Indian isolates revealed a close genetic relationship with type III strains of T. gondii. Further, detection of a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at positions 162 and 171 of the GRA6 marker, established the lineage of Indian isolates as type III. This is the first report on characterization of T. gondii lineage as type III in selective chicken population of India based on PCR-RFLP and sequence analysis of GRA6 gene.
TEACHING THE CEFR ORIENTED PRACTICES EFFECTIVELY IN THE M.A. PROGRAM OF AN ELT DEPARTMENT IN TURKEY

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment (hereafter CEFR) and the related documents are the current realities of ELT professionals, mainly in Europe, as part of the practices in their field of study. Although it is labeled as “common” and “European”, the CEFR is an internationally recognized framework worldwide. In this sense, this study aims to uncover whether the CEFR and the other related European documents such as the European Language Portfolio (hereafter ELP), as a course in M.A. classes, have reflected certain degree of effectiveness in relation to students’ expectations. Herein, students’ self-reflection forms and achievement test-retest scores were analyzed. Accordingly, the mixed method laced with both qualitative and quantitative data was implemented. The learners’ test-retest scores as achievement criteria constituted the quantitative part of the study. On the other hand, the qualitative part was composed of the learners’ self-reflection forms for the course and discussion-based self-assessment reports. The results of the study revealed the fact that the CEFR as an M.A course was internalized better on condition that the lecture was followed by self-study, self-reflection, discussion-based self-assessment as a part of review process and test-retest practices respectively, when applied whole and complete.
Capacity Evaluation of Various Multiuser MIMO Schemes in Downlink Cellular Environments

Presented in this paper is a study of the capacity evaluation of various multiuser MIMO schemes in cellular environments. The throughputs per user of the generalized zero-forcing with rank adaptation and vector perturbation schemes are compared with the capacity bound of the Gaussian MIMO broadcast channel, obtained by dirty paper coding under proportional fairness scheduling. The average cell throughputs of these schemes are also compared. From these comparisons, this study provides vital information for applying multiuser MIMO schemes in multicell environments
Organ-Tumor-on-a-Chip for Chemosensitivity Assay: A Critical Review

With a mortality rate over 580,000 per year, cancer is still one of the leading causes of death worldwide. However, the emerging field of microfluidics can potentially shed light on this puzzling disease. Unique characteristics of microfluidic chips (also known as micro-total analysis system) make them excellent candidates for biological applications. The ex vivo approach of tumor-on-a-chip is becoming an indispensable part of personalized medicine and can replace in vivo animal testing as well as conventional in vitro methods. In tumor-on-a-chip, the complex three-dimensional (3D) nature of malignant tumor is co-cultured on a microfluidic chip and high throughput screening tools to evaluate the efficacy of anticancer drugs are integrated on the same chip. In this article, we critically review the cutting edge advances in this field and mainly categorize each tumor-on-a-chip work based on its primary organ. Specifically, design, fabrication and characterization of tumor microenvironment; cell culture technique; transferring mechanism of cultured cells into the microchip; concentration gradient generators for drug delivery; in vitro screening assays of drug efficacy; and pros and cons of each microfluidic platform used in the recent literature will be discussed separately for the tumor of following organs: (1) Lung; (2) Bone marrow; (3) Brain; (4) Breast; (5) Urinary system (kidney, bladder and prostate); (6) Intestine; and (7) Liver. By comparing these microchips, we intend to demonstrate the unique design considerations of each tumor-on-a-chip based on primary organ, e.g., how microfluidic platform of lung-tumor-on-a-chip may differ from liver-tumor-on-a-chip. In addition, the importance of heart–liver–intestine co-culture with microvasculature in tumor-on-a-chip devices for in vitro chemosensitivity assay will be discussed. Such system would be able to completely evaluate the absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity (ADMET) of anticancer drugs and more realistically recapitulate tumor in vivo-like microenvironment.
Person Identification Technique Using Human Iris Recognition

The biometric person authentication technique based on the pattern of the human iris is well suited to be applied to any access control system requiring a high level of security. This paper examines a new iris recognition system that implements (i) gradient decomposed Hough transform / integro-differential operators combination for iris localization and (ii) the "analytic image" concept (2D Hilbert transform) to extract pertinent information from iris texture. All these image-processing algorithms have been validated on noised real iris images database. The proposed innovative technique is computationally effective as well as reliable in terms of recognition rates.
Some Effects of Direct Instruction in Comprehension Skills with Sixth Grade Students

The Direct Instruction Corrective Reading Program Comprehension B was taught to an experimental group of 31 Year 6 students at the rate of 2 or 3 lessons per week for 8 months. A comparison group of 26 Year 6 students at an associated school were involved in a variety of literacy activities for equivalent periods of time. The ACER Tests of Learning Ability for Year 6 students were administered to all participants as a pre-test and a post-test. Analyses of the post-test data indicated that the experimental group was superior to the comparison group on the three subtests and the total score. Norm-referenced comparisons showed that the experimental group attained above average levels of performance, which contrasted with the average achievements of the comparison group. This differential was interpreted as evidence that the experimental group made educationally significant gains as a result of undertaking Corrective Reading Comprehension B.
Comparison of genetic variation of wild and farmed Bream (Abramis brama orientalis; berg, 1905) using microsatellite markers

Bream (Abramis brama orientalis) is one of the most commercially valuable fish in the Caspian Sea. The aim of this study was to compare levels of genetic polymorphism between wild and farmed Bream populations using seven microsatellite loci. Genetic diversity was investigated by studying samples collected from two regions; Chaboksar and the Artificial Propagation Center of Guilan province. Allele frequency was found to have declined in wild and cultured fish due to inbreeding and genetic drift. Significant population differentiation (Fst) was observed between wild and farmed populations, which could be explained by the low number of alleles in two populations. Significant deviations from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were found at more loci. Beyond the null alleles' hypothesis, heterozygote deficiency may have arisen due to inbreeding. Both populations showed lowest genetic diversity according to the number of alleles and genotypes per each locus. This approach was carried out for the first time and could provide information regarding the genetic variability of farmed and wild abramis brama fish using microsatellite markers. Results could be used for the management and conservation of artificial Bream propagation programs.
A Java planner for Blocksworld problems

Intelligent strategies are indispensable for solving problems arising daily in life. Knowledgebased intelligent strategies are required to solve such problems efficiently and to obtain the desired result. This is e.g. achieved by finding a sequence of actions that lead from the initial state to the goal state. We refer to this as planning. In Cognitive Science, human problem solving and planning is analysed; in Artificial Intelligence this behaviour is attempted to be simulated in machines – with varying methods. This paper overviews current planning approaches and deals with the core parts of problem solving and (linear-) total-order state-based planning. Additionally, this work is based on a non-linear Java planner that implements the essential parts mentioned above using the Blocksworld domain and Blocksworld problems.
Exploring for onshore oil seeps with hyperspectral imaging

A cooperative R&D project facilitated by The Geosat Committee Inc. documented the spectral characteristics of seeps and associated oil-impacted soils and constructed a spectral library to enable deployment of the application to other geographical areas. This oil-focused spectral library may be the first of its kind in the commercial sector and includes signatures with varying amounts of oil, tar, vegetation, soils, and rock.
RAPID EVALUATION APPROACHES FOR COMPLEX INITIATIVES WHITE PAPER September 26, 2013

v OVERVIEW This paper presents a comparative framework of rapid evaluation methods for projects at three levels of complexity: quality improvement methods for simple process improvement projects, rapid cycle evaluations for complicated organizational change programs, and systems-based rapid feedback methods for large-scale systems change or population change initiatives. The paper provides an example of each type of rapid evaluation and ends with a discussion of rapid evaluation principles appropriate for any level of complexity. The comparative framework is designed as a heuristic tool rather than a prescriptive how-to manual for assigning rapid evaluation methods to different projects. No single rapid evaluation method works best in all circumstances; the right approach addresses the goals of the evaluation and captures the complexities of the intervention and its context. These methods are not mutually exclusive; they can be nested, just as simple checklists can be used to reduce preventable surgical errors within larger hospital safety campaigns that are funded through national payment reforms rewarding system-wide shifts in health care costs and quality. Regardless of the level of complexity, rapid evaluation methods should maintain a balance between short-term results and long-term outcomes so that there is an alignment of task control, management control, and strategic control. These methods should also be part of an interactive and adaptive management system in which internal operational results and external environmental feedback are used together to test and improve the initiative's overall strategy.
G-snakes: nonholonomic kinematic chains on Lie groups

Considers kinematic chains evolving on a finite dimensional Lie group G under nonholonomic constraints, where snake-like global motion is induced by shape variations of the system. In particular, the authors consider the case when the evolution of the system is restricted to a subspace h of the corresponding Lie algebra /spl Gscr/, where h is not a subalgebra of /spl Gscr/ and it generates the whole algebra under Lie bracketing. Such systems are referred to as G-Snakes. Away from certain singular configurations of the system, the constraints specify a (partial) connection on a principal fiber bundle, which in turn gives rise to a geometric phase under periodic shape variations. This geometric structure can be exploited in order to solve the nonholonomic motion planning problem for such systems. G-Snakes generalize the concept of nonholonomic variable geometry truss assemblies which are kinematic chains evolving on the special Euclidean group SE(2) under nonholonomic constraints imposed by idler wheels. The authors examine in detail the cases of 3-dimensional groups with real non-abelian Lie algebras such as the Heisenberg group H(3), the special orthogonal group SO(3) and the special linear group SL(2). <<ETX>>
Fatty Acids in Energy Metabolism of the Central Nervous System

In this review, we analyze the current hypotheses regarding energy metabolism in the neurons and astroglia. Recently, it was shown that up to 20% of the total brain's energy is provided by mitochondrial oxidation of fatty acids. However, the existing hypotheses consider glucose, or its derivative lactate, as the only main energy substrate for the brain. Astroglia metabolically supports the neurons by providing lactate as a substrate for neuronal mitochondria. In addition, a significant amount of neuromediators, glutamate and GABA, is transported into neurons and also serves as substrates for mitochondria. Thus, neuronal mitochondria may simultaneously oxidize several substrates. Astrocytes have to replenish the pool of neuromediators by synthesis de novo, which requires large amounts of energy. In this review, we made an attempt to reconcile β-oxidation of fatty acids by astrocytic mitochondria with the existing hypothesis on regulation of aerobic glycolysis. We suggest that, under condition of neuronal excitation, both metabolic pathways may exist simultaneously. We provide experimental evidence that isolated neuronal mitochondria may oxidize palmitoyl carnitine in the presence of other mitochondrial substrates. We also suggest that variations in the brain mitochondrial metabolic phenotype may be associated with different mtDNA haplogroups.
Automatic Product Categorization for Anonymous Marketplaces

In this paper, we present a machine learning algorithm to classify product listings posted to anonymous marketplaces. We classify these listings according to the type of product being sold. The categories are derived from the 12 product categories on a popular anonymous marketplace, Agora. Our algorithm is a combination of TF-IDF for feature extraction, PCA for feature selection, and SVM for classification. We compare our algorithm to simpler models, including multinomial-event naive bayes and a baseline algorithm that uses simple string pattern matching. We achieve an accuracy of 79% on a withheld test set compared to an accuracy of 62% our baseline model.
Indicators of expert judgement and their significance: an empirical investigation in the area of cyber security

In situations when data collection through observations is difficult to perform, the use of expert judgement can be justified. A challenge with this approach is, however, to value the credibility of different experts. A natural and state‐of‐the art approach is to weight the experts' judgements according to their calibration, that is, on the basis of how well their estimates of a studied event agree with actual observations of that event. However, when data collection through observations is difficult to perform, it is often also difficult to estimate the calibration of experts. As a consequence, variables thought to indicate calibration are generally used as a substitute of it in practice. This study evaluates the value of three such indicative variables: consensus, experience and self‐proclamation. The significances of these variables are analysed in four surveys covering different domains in cyber security, involving a total of 271 subjects. Results show that consensus is a reasonable indicator of calibration. The mean Pearson correlation between these two variables across the four studies was 0.407. No significant correlations were found between calibration and experience or calibration and self‐proclamation. However, as a side result, it was discovered that a subject that perceives itself as more knowledgeable than others likely also is more experienced.