Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antivirals Reduce the Formation of Key Alzheimer's Disease Molecules in Cell Cultures Acutely Infected with Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1

Alzheimer's disease (AD) afflicts around 20 million people worldwide and so there is an urgent need for effective treatment. Our research showing that herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV1) is a risk factor for AD for the brains of people who possess a specific genetic factor and that the virus causes accumulation of key AD proteins (β-amyloid (Aβ) and abnormally phosphorylated tau (P-tau)), suggests that anti-HSV1 antiviral agents might slow AD progression. However, currently available antiviral agents target HSV1 DNA replication and so might be successful in AD only if Aβ and P-tau accumulation depend on viral DNA replication. Therefore, we investigated firstly the stage(s) of the virus replication cycle required for Aβ and P-tau accumulation, and secondly whether antiviral agents prevent these changes using recombinant strains of HSV1 that progress only partly through the replication cycle and antiviral agents that inhibit HSV1 DNA replication. By quantitative immunocytochemistry we demonstrated that entry, fusion and uncoating of HSV1, are insufficient to induce Aβ and P-tau production. We showed also that none of the “immediate early” viral proteins is directly responsible, and that Aβ and P-tau are produced at a subsequent stage of the HSV1 replication cycle. Importantly, the anti-HSV1 antiviral agents acyclovir, penciclovir and foscarnet reduced Aβ and P-tau accumulation, as well as HSV1, with foscarnet being less effective in each case. P-tau accumulation was found to depend on HSV1 DNA replication, whereas Aβ accumulation was not. The antiviral-induced decrease in Aβ is attributable to the reduced number of new viruses, and hence the reduction in viral spread. Since antiviral agents reduce greatly Aβ and P-tau accumulation in HSV1-infected cells, they would be suitable for treating AD with great advantage unlike current AD therapies, only the virus, not the host cell, would be targeted.
Speech enhancement based on a simplified generalized sidelobe canceller structure

We present a beamspace realization of the generalized sidelobe canceller (GSC) applied to audio and speech capture, and show that it has some specific advantages compared to the standard GSC implementation for certain noise assumptions. Specifically, we demonstrate that for this application the herein proposed implementation is less prone to signal cancellation due to source positioning errors, and that it exhibits a better attenuation of low frequencies when broadband audio signals are captured by uniform linear arrays. Results are shown both for simulations with small uniform linear arrays of five and eleven elements, as well as for actual data recorded by a 300 element microphone array at the Staples Center sports arena.
A Pitch Smoothing Method for Mandarin Tone Recognition

Mandarin Chinese is known as a tonal language with four lexical tones. Tone recognition plays an important role in automatic Chinese speech recognition in that the same syllable with different tones gives quite distinct meanings. The different tone can be characterized by its pitch contour, but the pitch contours are hardly ideal smooth curves. It is because the pitch points calculated by pitch detector normally have some error points. These error pitch points can cause the erroneous classification of Mandarin four-tone recognition. It is necessary to smooth the pitch contour before tone recognition. The classic smooth algorithms can not deal with error fundamental frequencies successively. A new smoothing method proposed in this paper can deal with the error pitch point appropriately. It first checks whether the current point is a correct or error point, then the error type, and finally modifies the error point according to the error type. For different error type, the corresponding smoothing method is also different. To confirm this smoothing method, four “one vs. all” Support Vector Machine classifier are built for Mandarin Tone Recognition. The test results indicate that error rate of Mandarin Chinese four tone recognition can be reduced under the smoothing method.
The Effects of Social Networks on Employment and Inequality

We develop a model where agents obtain information about job opportunities through an explicitly modeled network of social contacts. We show that employment is positively correlated across time and agents. Moreover, unemployment exhibits duration dependence: the probability of obtaining a job decreases in the length of time that an agent has been unemployed. Finally, we examine inequality between two groups. If staying in the labor market is costly and one group starts with a worse employment status, then that group's drop-out rate will be higher and their employment prospects will be persistently below that of the other group.
Social Media in Journalistic Inquiry - Requirements for a Search System incorporating Journalistic Quality Criteria

Social media allow journalists to incorporate additional information into their journalistic inquiry. However, journalists often cannot be certain of the quality of information from social media. IS research has yet to sufficiently address this issue. Most notably, there is no information system that supports searching for social media content about a specific topic while considering journalistic quality criteria. This paper presents the results of a design science project, focusing on an extensive literature analysis and on an interview study that was conducted to outline the requirements of this information system. The empirical analysis indicates that, in particular, the actuality, independence and credibility of the sources are relevant quality criteria for the use of social media for journalistic inquiry. The paper concludes with a presentation of the study’s limitations and an outlook of further steps in the development of the system.
Deep crustal structure of the Tuamotu plateau and Tahiti (French Polynesia) based on seismic refraction data

In French Polynesia, the young (<5Ma) Society Islands appear to result from intraplate volcanism, while the old (>50 Ma) Tuamotu plateau was likely created at or near the ridge axis. The structure of the crust between those two archipelagoes is constrained by a 300 km long refraction seismic profile. Crustal and upper mantle arrivals recorded by 6 OBHs and 3 land stations were used to provide a 2D model of the crust. Results of our study, combined with that of Grevemeyer et al. [2001] show a slight flexure below the Tahiti apron, while a deep crustal root (21 km) underlies the Tuamotu plateau. These structures reflect the different modes of load emplacement and compensation mechanisms between these two volcanic edifices, consistent with an increasing elastic thickness of the oceanic lithosphere with age.
Social Cognition in a Clinical Sample of Personality Disorder Patients

Social cognition was assessed in a clinical sample of personality disorder (PD) stable patients receiving ambulatory treatment (N = 17) and healthy matched controls (N = 17) using tests of recognition of emotions in faces and eyes, in a test of social faux pas and in theory of mind (ToM) stories. Results indicated that when compared with healthy controls, individuals with PD showed a clear tendency to obtain lower scoring in tasks assessing recognition of emotion in faces (T = −2.602, p = 0.014), eyes (T = −3.593, p = 0.001), ToM stories (T = −4.706, p = 0.000), and Faux pas (T = −2.227, p = 0.035). In the present pilot study, PD individuals with a normal cognitive efficiency showed an impaired performance at social cognition assessment including emotion recognition and ToM.
Spin-offs: Theory and Evidence from the Early U.S. Automobile Industry

We develop a "passive learning" model of firm entry by spin-off: firm employees leave their employer and create a new firm when (a) they learn they are good entrepreneurs (type I spin-offs) or (b) they learn their employer's prospects are bad (type II spin-offs). Our theory predicts a high correlation between spin-offs and parent exit, especially when the parent is a low-productivity firm. This correlation may correspond to two types of causality: spin-off causes firm exit (type I spin-offs) and firm exit causes spin-off (type II spin-offs). We test and confirm this and other model predictions on a unique data set of the U.S. automobile industry. Finally, we discuss policy implications regarding "covenant not to compete" laws.
Improving grasp quality for 3D objects using particle swarm optimization (PSO) and mesh parameterization

Handling of objects through robot hands is a complex problem in most applications. This makes grasp planning very important and thereby it becomes necessary to formulate efficient schemes for automated grasp synthesis. A method for fast synthesis of grasp configurations is proposed in this work through the use of Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). The algorithm uses a feasible grasp as the input to improve the grasp quality. The largest ball criterion is used as a measure of the grasp quality. Surface tessellated objects are used as test cases for the implementation and the optimization has been conducted for frictional and non-frictional instances.
3D face recognition based on feature detection using active shape models

This paper represents a method that detects facial features and normalizes 3D range images and 2D images for full automatic face recognition. The active shape models or ASM is applied to extract the position of the eyes, the nose and the mouth. The approximate position of the face in the image is detected using the projection method and the facial profile on the 3D range image so that the initial position of the ASM model is set on the image before the ASM searching. The 3D range image is rotated facing front view using feature points. Then, cropped inside of the sphere to remove none facial parts. The face data is rearranged to fit on the desired frame which size is 201times151. The shape model is built up of 50 images from 10 individuals and the face recognition system is evaluated on 300 images from 30 individuals. The PCA-based hybrid classifier is applied to design the face recognition system with good results.
Anti-interference for anti-corroupt 3G spectrum — A multi carrier approach

In a world where every single aspect is driven by technology and where the importance and Need of communication in every form is at its zenith, there expectedly arises an exigent need for faster and more efficient techniques of communication to effectively back the myriad utilizations of technology. With burgeoning demand for wireless connectivity, the stress put on an already scarce resource (namely spectrum) is reaching a breaking point. Hence, it has become pivotal to find ways for the efficient and equitable utilization of spectrum. Multiband Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (MBOFDM) is a technique that is primarily under consideration to tackle the problem of effective utilization of spectrum. One of the most popular systems in usage, the Ultra Wideband (UWB) systems, has a serious flaw. It poses a threat to other wireless connectors such as Wi-Fi, WiMax etc. As such interferences go against the scheme of equitable use; complicated interference cancellation schemes become necessary for the isolation of such networks. Traditionally, error control codes were used to make such troublesome or noisy channels available for reliable communication. But the other method that has recognizably more potential for solving the problem of spectrum congestion is Cognitive Radio. This paper mainly focuses on the MB-OFDM systems with the following enhancements: 1) Concatenation of convolutional code with Reed Solomon code and to analyze the performance of MBOFDM systems under various modulation schemes 2) Active interference cancellation between primary and secondary users using AIC tones and 3) Spectrum sensing using energy detection method and to train a classifier to do the same using neural network in order to solve the problem of spectrum.
A Dose-ranging Study of Rapacuronium in Pediatric Patients

Background: The aim of this study was to determine the dose or doses of the new rapid-onset, short-acting, neuromuscular blocking drug rapacuronium that would provide satisfactory conditions for tracheal intubation at 60 s in infants and children. Methods: Sixty-five infants (< 1 yr), 51 younger children (1–6 yr), and 49 older children (7–12 yr) were studied. Anesthesia was induced with thiopental–nitrous oxide–oxygen. Tracheal intubation was attempted 60 s after administration of one of five doses of rapacuronium (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, or 2.5 mg/kg) and intubating conditions were assessed using a four-point scale. Following tracheal intubation, anesthesia was maintained with nitrous oxide–oxygen and alfentanil (12.5–50 &mgr;g/kg) as necessary. Neuromuscular transmission was monitored in an uncalibrated fashion using an acceleromyograph. Results: Intubating conditions were good or excellent at 60 s in all infants after doses of 1.5 mg/kg or more and in all younger and older children after doses of 2.0 mg/kg or more. The duration of action of rapacuronium was dose- and age-dependent. Mean times to reappearance of the third twitch of the train-of-four (TOF; T3) were less than 10 min in infants at doses of 1.5 mg/kg or less and in younger and older children at doses of 2.0 mg/kg or less. Recovery of T3 after 1.0–2.0 mg/kg rapacuronium was significantly slower in infants compared with younger (P = 0.001) and older (P = 0.02) children. Five adverse experiences were related to rapacuronium administration: Bronchospasm (two instances), tachycardia (one instance), and increased salivation (two instances). None were serious. Conclusions: Doses of 1.5 and 2.0 mg/kg rapacuronium can produce satisfactory intubating conditions at 60 s in anesthetized infants and children, respectively, and are associated with a short duration of action.
Improving product configurator by the use of ontology and Slow Intelligence system approach

The ability to create customized product configurations fulfilling user's needs is a major aim sought by many companies, especially the design and implementation of web-based services that allows users to create and customize in a simple and intuitive way a desired product. To define a common vocabulary that opens possibilities such as the ability to express customer requirements correctly and to exchange knowledge, a popular approach uses ontological formalisms. This paper presents an ontology-based configurator system that maximally satisfies user's needs starting from the desired requirements, the available components, the context information and previous similar configurations. The process by which the system finds the candidate configuration follows an approach known as Slow Intelligence (SI). This paper presents the proposed approach of SI ontological transformations and its application to product configuration.
3 Circulation Type Blood Vessel Simulator Made by Microfabrication Takuma Nakano and Fumihito Arai

Recently, Japanese have causes of the death. Figure 1.1 was reported by Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in 2008 in Japan and which shows the cause of the death. As you can see, the causes of death are cancer, cardiac disease, cerebrovascular disease and etc. We can categorize cardiac disease and cerebrovascular disease as blood vessel disease. Blood vessel disease is the second highest cause of the death. To treat the cancer and blood vessel disease, many engineering approaches have been studied about tissue engineering, medical treatment tools, rehearsal systems and synthetic vascular prostheses. For treatment of cancer, there are researches of endoscope and abdominoscope for less-invasive surgical operation. For treatment of blood vessel disease, there are researches of endoscope which can use in blood vessels and synthetic vascular prostheses for replacement operation. These researches have the common identity that is improvement of quality of life (QOL). But, these lessinvasive operations are poor in extracting the organ size and controlling the posture of medical tools. To solve these problems, many researches from the other approaches are proposed. One of them is research about surgical simulators for rehearsal, practice and evaluation of real surgical operation. Generally, VR simulator and CFD analysis are famous as computer surgical simulator (Fig.1.2 (a) and (b)). These simulators enable to simulate surgical operation easily, and analyze fluid condition easily, however, these are poor in simulating pulsative system and not suitable to evaluate new treatment method using narrow vessels. Our surgical simulator (Endo Vascular Evaluator: EVE) has threedimensional (3D) blood vessel models fabricated in tailor-made (Fig.1.2 (c)) (Ikeda et al., 2005). And, EVE enables to simulate pulsative system and catheter operation easily, but, not suitable to evaluate new treatment method using narrow vessels. There are two famous methods using narrow vessels. One is a method of necrotizing cancer cells in the part of liver as shown in Fig.1. 3 (a) (trancecatheter arterial chemoembolization: TACE, TAE). The other is a method of administering medicine as shown in Fig.1. 3 (b) (drug delivery systems:DDS). TAE method protocol is to release anticancer drug and gelatin sponge in blood vessels for stack, then stop the blood flow and the supply nourishment. Stacking gelatin sponge has a possibility of effect to normal cells. Thus, gelatin sponge are needed to release from catheter, and it is very difficult to selectivity stack the only arteriole and capillary vessels which rink to cancer cells. However, blood fluidic condition is very complicated, and catheter’s position, amount of anticancer drug and gelatin sponge, fluidic and pressure condition, environmental condition changed by catheter and effects to other
SALT : a spectral adaptive light curve template for type Ia supernovae

We present a new method to parameterize type Ia Supernovae (SN Ia) multi-color light curves. The method was developed in order to analyze the large number of SN Ia multi-color light curves measured in current high-redshift projects. The technique is based on empirically modeling SN Ia luminosity variations as a function of phase, wavelength, a shape parameter, and a color parameter. The model is trained with a sample of well-measured nearby SN Ia and then tested with an independent set of supernovae by building an optimal luminosity distance estimator that combines the supernova rest-frame luminosity, shape parameter, and color reconstructed with the model. The distances we measure using B - and V -band data show a dispersion around the Hubble line comparable or lower than obtained with other methods. With this model, we are able to measure distances using U - and B -band data with a dispersion of $0.16\pm0.05$ around the Hubble line.
A space-time theory of pitch and timbre based on cortical expansion of the cochlear traveling wave delay

The displacement pattern of basilar membrane motion is tonotopically organized, with high frequencies reaching their apogee towards the base of the cochlea and low frequencies achieving their maximum near the apex (von Bekesy, 1960). This systematic relationship between peak displacement and cochlear location serves as the linchpin of the "place" model of spectral representation and of auditory theory in general. In recent years this "classic" place model has come under increasing scrutiny in light of experimental observations demonstrating that this spatial organization of excitatory activity is generally discernible only under a restricted set of conditions in the auditory periphery, thus calling into question its ability to subserve frequency coding at sound pressure levels typical of speech communication and musical performance. In place of classic tonotopy, many recent models of pitch and frequency analysis focus on the temporal properties of peripheral activity, principally the phase-locking behavior of single neural elements in the auditory nerve and brainstem (e.g., Meddis and Hewitt, 1991; Slaney and Lyon, 1993). However, neither the temporal nor place approaches specify the operations through which the peripheral patterns are transformed into constellations of excitatory and inhibitory activity characteristic of the upper reaches of the auditory pathway, nor do they provide a principled account of the physiological basis for the perceptual stability of spectral representation and pitch extraction characteristic of human listening experience. A new theoretical perspective, based on the latency characteristics of cochlear activity and its subsequent expansion at the level of the auditory cortex, is capable of accommodating both "place" and "time" within a unified representational framework that potentially accounts for the perceptual stability of auditory experience under a wide range of acoustic conditions.
Networked learning: Implementing a fully flexible, multi- institution network of elearning provision

The increasing power of networked computing and the next generation Internet, often described as Web 2.0, has enormous potential for institutional collaboration on the development, delivery and sharing of educational resources, courses, faculty and students. Building on a number of TEC funded eLearning developments over the past four years; the Tertiary Accord of New Zealand, (TANZ) took the step of piloting a proof of concept for networking the Moodle instances of the six TANZ member institutions. The pilot was designed to test the network’s ability to enable the sharing of courses, resources, learners and tutors. Moodle is an open source online Learning Management System (LMS), that has had extensive development and wide adoption in New Zealand. This paper examines the experience of this initiative through the lens of a Participatory Action Research project that ran alongside the pilot, the themes that emerged from the research and the guiding principles for future networked provision of eLearning that the project generated.
Application and numerical investigation of wavelet transform for traffic data denoising

Good fitting of traffic data is important to traffic study because initial and boundary conditions of dynamic traffic models and relationships among traffic variables are dependent on the calibration of data. In this paper, a denoising method of traffic data, such as speed, density and flow, is proposed and discussed numerically. The denoising procedure is based on Daubechies wavelet transform and soft thresholding method. An empirical study with eight Daubechies wavelet transforms and five degree of smoothing are discussed and compared. We find db8 with 80% degree of smoothing presents the best denoising result. After denoising, r-square value of speed-density fitting is improved from 0.863 to 0.956.
Closure properties of constraints

Many combinatorial search problems can be expressed as “constraint satisfaction problems” and this class of problems is known to be NP-complete in general. In this paper, we investigate the subclasses that arise from restricting the possible constraint types. We first show that any set of constraints that does not give rise to an NP-complete class of problems must satisfy a certain type of algebraic closure condition. We then investigate all the different possible forms of this algebraic closure property, and establish which of these are sufficient to ensure tractability. As examples, we show that all known classes of tractable constraints over finite domains can be characterized by such an algebraic closure property. Finally, we describe a simple computational procedure that can be used to determine the closure properties of a given set of constraints. This procedure involves solving a particular constraint satisfaction problem, which we call an “indicator problem. ”