Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Camouflage by edge enhancement in animal coloration patterns and its implications for visual mechanisms

Animal camouflage patterns may exploit, and thus give an insight into, visual processing mechanisms. In one common type of camouflage the borders of the coloured patterns are enhanced by high contrast lines. This type of camouflage is seen on m any frogs and we use it as the basis for speculating about vision in a small, frog-eating snake. It is argued that a simple categorization of intensity profiles, such as that invoked by a mechanism that detects phase-congruence, occurs at an early stage of snake vision. We show that edge-detectors using a phase-congruence strategy will be unable to distinguish between ‘natural’ step-edges and the enhanced border profiles commonly seen on cryptic animals, and that the camouflage will be effective over a wide range of spatial scales.
The Orbital Period of Nova V2540 Ophiuchi (2002)

Abstract We present the results of 26 nights of CCD photometry of the nova V2540 Oph (2002) from 2003 to 2004. We find a period of 0.284781 ± 0.000006 d (6.8347 ± 0.0001 h) in the data. Since this period was present in the light curves taken in both years, with no apparent change in its value or amplitude, we interpret it as the orbital period of the nova binary system. The mass–period relation for cataclysmic variables yields a secondary mass of about 0.75 ± 0.04 M⊙. From maximum magnitude–rate of decline relation, we estimate a maximum absolute visual magnitude of M V = −6.2 ± 0.4 mag. This value leads to an uncorrected distance modulus of (m – M) = 14.7 ± 0.7. By using the interstellar reddening for the location of V2540 Oph, we find a rough estimate for the distance of 5.2 ± 0.8 kpc. We propose that V2540 Oph is either (1) a high-inclination cataclysmic variable showing a reflection effect of the secondary star, or having a spiral structure in the accretion disc, (2) a high-inclination intermediate polar system, or less likely (3) a polar.
The adaptation process after traumatic brain injury An individual and ongoing occupational struggle to gain a new identity

Abstract The aim of this study is to understand better how individuals with traumatic brain injury make sense of their adaptation process and their performance of occupations within this process. For this study, four participants were interviewed twice. Thereafter analyses following a narrative approach led to the construction of four individual narratives. The results indicate that the adaptation process following traumatic brain injury is (1) a necessary struggle to gain a new identity; (2) facilitated by engagement in familiar occupations in familiar environments; (3) a protracted learning process that continues long after rehabilitation ends; (4) individual and situated. The results suggest that healthcare professionals including occupational therapists should: allow individuals with traumatic brain injury to test and practise their abilities within their own home environments; provide them with the necessary space to practise on their own; guide them in using their own and new strategies in a way that is both efficient and personally satisfying. Finally, this study discusses whether rehabilitation services should be offered over a protracted period of time. Professional support following the rehabilitation period—precisely the period in which they are trying to establish a meaningful existence with their disabilities—could be a more useful path to follow.
Adaptive body bias for reducing impacts of die-to-die and within-die parameter variations on microprocessor frequency and leakage

Measurements on a 150 nm CMOS test chip show that on-chip bidirectional adaptive body biasing compensates effectively for die-to-die parameter variation to meet both frequency and leakage requirements. An enhancement of this technique to correct for within-die variations triples the accepted die count in the highest frequency bin.
Effects of Atypical κ-Opioid Receptor Agonists on Intrathecal Morphine-Induced Itch and Analgesia in Primates

Itch/pruritus is the most common side effect associated with spinal administration of morphine given to humans for analgesia. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of κ-opioid receptor (KOR) agonists with diverse chemical structures as antipruritics and to elucidate the receptor mechanism underlying the antipruritic effect in monkeys. In particular, previously proposed non-KOR-1 agonists, including nalfurafine [TRK-820, 17-cyclopropylmethyl-3,14β-dihydroxy-4,5α-epoxy-6β-[N-methyl-trans-3-(3-furyl)acrylamido]morphinan], bremazocine [(±)-6-ethyl-1,2,3,4,5,6-hexahydro-3-[(1-hydroxycyclopropy)-methyl]-11,11-dimethyl-2,6-methano-3-benzazocin-8-ol], and GR 89696 [4-[(3,4-dichlorophenyl)acetyl]-3-(1-pyrrolidinylmethyl)-1-piperazinecarboxylic acid methyl ester] were studied in various behavioral assays for measuring itch/scratching, analgesia, and respiratory depression. Systemic administration of nalfurafine (0.1–1 μg/kg), bremazocine (0.1–1 μg/kg), or GR 89696 (0.01–0.1 μg/kg) dose-dependently attenuated intrathecal morphine (0.03 mg)-induced scratching responses without affecting morphine antinociception. The combination of intrathecal morphine with these KOR agonists did not cause sedation. In addition, pretreatment with effective antiscratching doses of nalfurafine, bremazocine, or GR 89696 did not antagonize systemic morphine-induced antinociception and respiratory depression. The dose-addition analysis revealed that there is no subadditivity for nalfurafine in combination with morphine in the antinociceptive effect. Furthermore, the KOR antagonist study revealed that antiscratching effects of both nalfurafine and a prototypical KOR-1 agonist, U-50488H [trans-(±)-3,4-dichloro-N-methyl-N-(2-[1-pyrrolidinyl]-cyclohexyl)-benzeneacetamide], could be blocked completely by a selective KOR antagonist, nor-binaltorphimine (3 mg/kg). These findings suggest that the agonist action on KOR mainly contributes to the effectiveness of these atypical KOR agonists as antipruritics, and there is no evidence for KOR subtypes or μ-opioid antagonist action underlying the effects of these KOR agonists. This mechanism-based study further supports the clinical potential of KOR agonists as antipruritics under the context of spinal opioid analgesia.
Evolution of Neuronal and Endothelial Transcriptomes in Primates

The study of gene expression evolution in vertebrates has hitherto focused on the analysis of transcriptomes in tissues of different species. However, because a tissue is made up of different cell types, and cell types differ with respect to their transcriptomes, the analysis of tissues offers a composite picture of transcriptome evolution. The isolation of individual cells from tissue sections opens up the opportunity to study gene expression evolution at the cell type level. We have stained neurons and endothelial cells in human brains by antibodies against cell type-specific marker proteins, isolated the cells using laser capture microdissection, and identified genes preferentially expressed in the two cell types. We analyze these two classes of genes with respect to their expression in 62 different human tissues, with respect to their expression in 44 human “postmortem” brains from different developmental stages and with respect to between-species brain expression differences. We find that genes preferentially expressed in neurons differ less across tissues and developmental stages than genes preferentially expressed in endothelial cells. We also observe less expression differences within primate species for neuronal transcriptomes. In stark contrast, we see more gene expression differences between humans, chimpanzees, and rhesus macaques relative to within-species differences in genes expressed preferentially in neurons than in genes expressed in endothelial cells. This suggests that neuronal and endothelial transcriptomes evolve at different rates within brain tissue.
TouchMe: An Augmented Reality Based Remote Robot Manipulation

BSTRACT A general remote controlled robot is manipulated by a joystick and a gamepad. However, these methods are difficult for inexperienced users because the mapping between the user input and resulting robot motion is not always intuitive (e.g. tilt a joystick to the right to rotate the robot to the left). To solve this problem, we propose a touch-based interface for remotely controlling a robot from a third-person view, which is called “TouchMe”. This system allows the user to manipulate each part of the robot by directly touching it on a view of the world as seen by a camera looking at the robot from a third-person view. Our system provides intuitive operation, and the user can use our system with minimal user training. In this paper we describe the TouchMe interaction and its prototype implementation. We also introduce three scheduling methods for controlling the robot in response to user interaction and report on the results of empirical comparisons of these methods.
Zel'Manov's Theorem for Primitive Jordan–Banach Algebras

In fact, if X is any vector space on which the primitive Banach algebra A acts faithfully and irreducibly, then X can be converted in a Banach space in such a way that the requirements in the theorem are satisfied and even the inclusion A ↪→ BL(X) is contractive. Roughly speaking, the aim of this paper is to prove the appropriate Jordan variant of the above theorem. The notion of primitiveness for Jordan algebras was introduced and developed in 1981 by L. Hogben and K. McCrimmon [10]. Primitive Jordan algebras are relevant particular types of prime nondegenerate Jordan algebras but, although the celebrated Zel’manov prime theorem ([19], 1983) gave a precise description of these last algebras, it has happened only very recently that the appropriate variant of Zel’manov’s theorem for primitive Jordan algebras has been obtained (see [3] and [17]). Also very recently several particular normed versions of Zel’manov’s theorem have been provided (see [8], [6], [16], and [7]). Nevertheless, to obtain a Zel’manov type theorem for primitive Jordan-Banach algebras has remained an open problem in the last years [15]. In fact we have been able to prove such a theorem but only passing through a general normed version of the Zel’manov prime theorem (see Theorem 1) which is in our opinion one of the most important novelties in the paper. Since Theorem 1 will probably have applications different from that in the paper, we have included in its statement and proof some details not strictly needed for our main purpose. The same comment should be made concerning Theorem 2, which is nothing but a fine improvement of Theorem 1 under the additional assumption of completeness. From Theorem 2 and the main results in [3], [18], and [5], the desired Jordan variant of Theorem 0 (Theorem 3) follows easily. Again roughly speaking, it asserts that primitive complex Jordan-Banach algebras, different from the simple exceptional 27-dimensional one and the simple Jordan algebras of a continuous symmetric bilinear form on a complex Banach space, can be continuously regarded as Jordan algebras of bounded linear operators ”acting irreducibly” on a suitable complex Banach space.
Local delivery of minocycline-loaded PEG-PLA nanoparticles for the enhanced treatment of periodontitis in dogs

Background Rapid local drug clearance of antimicrobials is a major drawback for the treatment of chronic periodontitis. In the study reported here, minocycline-loaded poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(lactic acid) nanoparticles were prepared and administered locally for long drug retention and enhanced treatment of periodontitis in dogs. Methods Biodegradable poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(lactic acid) was synthesized to prepare nanoparticles using an emulsion/solvent evaporation technique. The particle size and zeta potential of the minocycline-loaded nanoparticles (MIN-NPs) were determined by dynamic light scattering and the morphology of the nanoparticles was observed by transmission electron microscopy. The in vitro release of minocycline from MIN-NPs and in vivo pharmacokinetics of minocycline in gingival crevice fluid, after local administration of MIN-NPs in the periodontal pockets of beagle dogs with periodontitis, were investigated. The anti-periodontitis effects of MIN-NPs on periodontitis-bearing dogs were finally evaluated. Results Transmission electron microscopy examination and dynamic light scattering results revealed that the MIN-NPs had a round shape, with a mean diameter around 100 nm. The in vitro release of minocycline from MIN-NPs showed a remarkably sustained releasing characteristic. After local administration of the MIN-NPs, minocycline concentration in gingival crevice fluid decreased slowly and retained an effective drug concentration for a longer time (12 days) than Periocline®. Anti-periodontitis effects demonstrated that MIN-NPs could significantly decrease symptoms of periodontitis compared with Periocline and minocycline solution. These findings suggest that MIN-NPs might have great potential in the treatment of periodontitis.
A polylogarithmic approximation of the minimum bisection

A bisection of a graph with n vertices is a partition of its vertices into two sets, each of size n/2. The bisection cost is the number of edges connecting the two sets. Finding the bisection of minimum cost is NP-hard. We present an algorithm that finds a bisection whose cost is within ratio of O(log/sup 2/ n) from the optimal. For graphs excluding any fixed graph as a minor (e.g. planar graphs) we obtain an improved approximation ratio of O(log n). The previously known approximation ratio for bisection was roughly /spl radic/n.
Convergence Analysis of Adaptive Filters Using Normalized Sign-Sign Algorithm

This letter develops convergence analysis of normalized sign-sign algorithm (NSSA) for FIR-type adaptive filters, based on an assumption that filter tap weights are Gaussian distributed. We derive a set of difference equations for theoretically calculating transient behavior of filter convergence, when the filter input is a White & Gaussian process. For a colored Gaussian input and a large number of tap weights, approximate difference equations are also proposed. Experiment with simulations and theoretical calculations of filter convergence demonstrates good agreement between simulations and theory, proving the validity of the analysis.
Spinning Multiple Social Networks for Semantic Web

Social networks are important for the Semantic Web. Several means can be used to obtain social networks: using social networking services, aggregating Friend-of-a-Friend (FOAF) documents, mining text information on the Web or in e-mail messages, and observing face-to-face communication using sensors. Integrating multiple social networks is a key issue for further utilization of social networks in the Semantic Web. This paper describes our attempt to extract, analyze and integrate multiple social networks from the same community: user-registered knows networks, web-mined collaborator networks, and face-to-face meets networks. We operated a social network-based community support system called Polyphonet at the 17th, 18th and 19th Annual Conferences of the Japan Society of Artificial Intelligence (JSAI2003, JSAI2004, and JSAI2005) and at The International Conference on Ubiquitous Computing (UbiComp 2005). Multiple social networks were obtained and analyzed. We discuss the integration of multiple networks based on the analyses.
Self-Understanding and Self-Extension: A Systems and Representational Approach

There are many different approaches to building a system that can engage in autonomous mental development. In this paper, we present an approach based on what we term self-understanding, by which we mean the explicit representation of and reasoning about what a system does and does not know, and how that knowledge changes under action. We present an architecture and a set of representations used in two robot systems that exhibit a limited degree of autonomous mental development, which we term self-extension. The contributions include: representations of gaps and uncertainty for specific kinds of knowledge, and a goal management and planning system for setting and achieving learning goals.
Application of Functional Genomics for Bovine Respiratory Disease Diagnostics

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is the most common economically important disease affecting cattle. For developing accurate diagnostics that can predict disease susceptibility/resistance and stratification, it is necessary to identify the molecular mechanisms that underlie BRD. To study the complex interactions among the bovine host and the multitude of viral and bacterial pathogens, as well as the environmental factors associated with BRD etiology, genome-scale high-throughput functional genomics methods such as microarrays, RNA-seq, and proteomics are helpful. In this review, we summarize the progress made in our understanding of BRD using functional genomics approaches. We also discuss some of the available bioinformatics resources for analyzing high-throughput data, in the context of biological pathways and molecular interactions. Although resources for studying host response to infection are available, the corresponding information is lacking for majority of BRD pathogens, impeding progress in identifying diagnostic signatures for BRD using functional genomics approaches.
Capturing social networking privacy preferences: can default policies help alleviate tradeoffs between expressiveness and user burden?

Social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace thrive on the exchange of personal content such as pictures and activities. These sites are discovering that people’s privacy preferences are very rich and diverse. In theory, providing users with more expressive settings to specify their privacy policies would not only enable them to better articulate their preferences, but could also lead to greater user burden. In this article, we evaluate to what extent providing users with default policies can help alleviate some of this burden. Our research is conducted in the context of location-sharing applications, where users are expected to specify conditions under which they are willing to let others see their locations. We define canonical policies that attempt to abstract away userspecific elements such as a user’s default schedule, or canonical places, such as “work” and “home. ” We learn a set of default policies from this data using decision-tree and clustering algorithms. We examine tradeoffs between the complexity / understandability of default policies made available to users, and the accuracy with which they capture the ground truth preferences of our user population. Specifically, we present results obtained using data collected from 30 users of location-enabled phones over a period of one week. They suggest that providing users with a small number of canonical default policies to choose from can help reduce user burden when it comes to customizing the rich privacy settings they seem to require.
An RBF Network Alternative for a

| Although our previous model CLARION has shown some measure of success in reactive sequential decision making tasks by utilizing a hybrid architecture which uses both procedural and declarative learning, it suuers from a number of problems because of its use of back propagation networks. CLARION-RBF is a more parsimonious architecture that remedies some of the problems exhibited in CLARION by utilizing RBF Networks. CLARION-RBF is also capable of learning reactive procedures, and can have high level symbolic knowledge extracted and applied.
Collagen of the extracellular matrix. Functional and structural studies.

The cancer microenvironment has been attracting increasing attention as the realization of its importance for both disease treatment and malignant progression. Here the aim was to elucidate some of the effects and mechanisms of the tumor microenvironment related to the extracellular matrix (ECM). We hypothesized that collagen fibril assembly is an instrumental component in the formation of the barriers for transport of small molecules into carcinoma that have been seen in the treatment of carcinoma. To investigate this hypothesis we have utilized human xenograft and syngeneic generated tumors in mice, cellular and biochemical analyses. We found that fluid flow through carcinoma interstitium can be increased through STI571 treatment, and that this flow corresponds with a decreasing collagen fibril diameter. Additionally STI571 was found to increase blood flow and tumor oxygenation in a manner that correlates to matrix composition. Collagen fibril diameter was decreased via inhibition of the TGF-β activating integrin αvβ6 which corresponded to a clear trend toward a decreased interstitial fluid pressure, in all but the most fibrotic tumors. This illustrates the diversity of actable agents involved in stromal change. It points to a central role of collagen in the maintenance and regulation of fluid and solute exchange in tumors. Based on these results it may be possible to beneficially augment tumor treatment by altering one or more of the regulatory elements in the stroma of carcinoma. (Less)
Feasibility of Using Oxide Thickness Measurements for Predicting Crack Growth Rates in P91 Steel Components

There are only few methods available for predicting the age of cracks that are found in high temperature structural components during service; among the promising ones is the oxide thickness measurement technique. Oxide thickness profiles are taken from crack surfaces of components and used for predicting the rates of crack propagation. This technique is particularly suitable for high temperature components fabricated from ferritic steels commonly used in power plants that run on fossil fuels. To implement this technique, it is necessary to fully understand the kinetics of high temperature oxidation in these steels. In this study, the oxidation characteristics of an American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) Grade P91 ferritic steel used in high temperature piping is characterized. The literature shows that there are four primary mechanisms that influence the oxide thickness during high temperature exposure. Initially, the oxide thickness increases in a linear fashion with time and then as steady-state conditions are established, the parabolic relationship takes over. Multiple types of oxides with different rate characteristics can also form. Oxide degradation can occur by spallation due to porosity and formation of cracks. Evaporation or volatility can also occur and result in loss of oxide thickness. These factors must be considered in oxide thickness analysis to determine crack growth history. Two sets of laboratory experiments were conducted. The first consisted of measurement of oxide thicknesses after exposure to high temperature for various periods to determine the oxidation kinetics. The oxidized samples were subjected to SEM examination and measurements of physical properties such as density and porosity levels. The second set of experiments consisted of measuring the oxide layer thickness on the fracture surfaces of creep-fatigue crack growth samples tested as part of a previous study where the crack growth rates were measured. These reported measurements are used to compare with the predicted crack growth rates from the analytical models that are developed as part of this study. The success of the technique is measured by finding the correlation coefficient, which is within a factor of 2.58.