Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Emotional excitability and behaviour of horses in response to stroking various regions of the body.

Touching the skin by gentle stroking is frequently used to reward horses. The objective of the study was to examine emotional excitability and behaviour of horses in response to stroking different regions of their bodies. The study included 15 adult warmbloods and 15 adult ponies, nine geldings and six mares within each type of horse. First, a novel-object test was conducted. For five successive days, one of five regions of the horse's body was stroked on each side for 5 min. Heart rate and heart rate variability were monitored at rest, during the test and stroking. Simultaneously, horse behaviour was assessed on a 1-5 scale. The data were analysed using analysis of variance GLM, Tukey's Honestly Significant Difference test and Spearman's correlation coefficient. When stroked, horses were more excited than when at rest. Differences in emotional excitability and behaviour while stroking various body regions depended on the type and sex of horses. Parameters studied indicated that both in warmbloods and ponies, stroking the head may be beneficial, whereas the trunk should be treated with caution. Stroking may have a more positive influence in horses of lower emotionality and highly estimated behaviour at rest and during the novel-object test.
Illness Cognitions, Anxiety, and Depression in Men and Women Undergoing Fertility Treatments: A Dyadic Approach

Background: Emotional response to infertility is mediated by numerous interrelated psychological variables such as personality, health perceptions, cognitive appraisals, coping, and social support. While men and women respond to infertility differently, illness cognitions are a vital component of their emotional adjustment. The aim of this study is to compare the infertile men and women undergoing fertility treatments on perceived distress, helplessness, acceptance, benefits, anxiety, and depression. Materials and Methods: Eighty-one infertile couples, undergoing intrauterine insemination participated in the study. They were assessed on the presence of infertility distress using the fertility problem inventory, for psychiatric morbidity using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, for affective disturbances using the Hamilton Anxiety and Depression scales, and for illness cognitions using the Illness Cognition Questionnaire. Statistical Analysis: Data are analyzed using SPSS version 15. The paired sample t-test is performed for assessing differences on normally distributed data. The Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test is performed for assessing differences in medians obtained on data that was skewed. Results and Discussion: Infertile women (wives) were more emotionally distressed, anxious, and depressed than men (husbands). Gender-wise differences were found for perceptions of helplessness and acceptance of infertility. Infertility was perceived to be a nonbeneficial event for both partners investigated. Conclusion: Negative cognitions and affective disturbances may contribute to higher treatment burden in couples seeking-assisted conception. The present study suggests that psychosocial intervention for couples plays a central role and should be integrated within the conventional treatments for infertility.
Physiological Response of Corynebacterium glutamicum to Increasingly Nutrient-Rich Growth Conditions

To ensure economic competitiveness, bioprocesses should achieve maximum productivities enabled by high growth rates (μ) and equally high substrate consumption rates (qS) as a prerequisite of sufficient carbon-to-product conversion. Both traits were investigated and improved via bioprocess engineering approaches studying the industrial work horse Corynebacterium glutamicum. Standard minimal medium CGXII with glucose as sole carbon source was supplemented with complex brain-heart-infusion (BHI) or amino acid (AA) cocktails. Maximum μ of 0.67 h-1 was exclusively observed in 37 g BHI L-1 whereas only minor growth stimulation was found after AA supplementation (μ = 0.468 h-1). Increasing glucose consumption rates (qGlc) were solely observed in certain dosages of BHI (1–10 g L-1), while 37 g BHI L-1 and AA addition revealed qGlc below the reference experiments. Moreover, BHI supplementation revealed Monod-type saturation kinetics of μ (KBHI = 2.73 g BHI L-1) referring to the preference of non-AAs as key boosting nutrients. ATP-demands under reference, 1 g BHI L-1, and AA conditions were nearly constant but halved in BHI concentrations above 5 g L-1 reflecting the energetic advantage of consuming complex nutrient components in addition to “simple” building blocks such as AAs. Furthermore, C. glutamicum revealed maximum biomass per carbon yields of about 18 gCDW C-mol-1 irrespective of the medium. In AA supplementation experiments, simultaneous uptake of 17 AAs was observed, maximum individual consumption rates determined, and L-asparagine and L-glutamine were distinguished as compounds with the highest consumption rates. Employment of the expanded stoichiometric model iMG481 successfully reproduced experimental results and revealed the importance of C. glutamicum’s transaminase network to compensate needs of limiting AA supply. Model-based sensitivity studies attributed the highest impact on μ to AAs with high ATP and NADPH demands such as L-tryptophan or L-phenylalanine.
Contrasting gene flow at different spatial scales revealed by genotyping-by-sequencing in Isocladus armatus, a massively colour polymorphic New Zealand marine isopod

Understanding how genetic diversity is maintained within populations is central to evolutionary biology. Research on colour polymorphism (CP), which typically has a genetic basis, can shed light on this issue. However, because gene flow can homogenise genetic variation, understanding population connectivity is critical in examining the maintenance of polymorphisms. In this study we assess the utility of genotyping-by-sequencing to resolve gene flow, and provide a preliminary investigation into the genetic basis of CP in Isocladus armatus, an endemic New Zealand marine isopod. Analysis of the genetic variation in 4,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within and among populations and colour morphs revealed large differences in gene flow across two spatial scales. Marine isopods, which lack a pelagic larval phase, are typically assumed to exhibit greater population structuring than marine invertebrates possessing a biphasic life cycle. However, we found high gene flow rates and no genetic subdivision between two North Island populations situated 8 km apart. This suggests that I. armatus is capable of substantial dispersal along coastlines. In contrast, we identified a strong genetic disjunction between North and South Island populations. This result is similar to those reported in other New Zealand marine species, and is congruent with the presence of a geophysical barrier to dispersal down the east coast of New Zealand. We also found some support for a genetic basis to colouration evidenced by positive FST outlier tests, with two SNPs in particular showing strong association to the expression of a striped morph. Our study provides one of the first population genomic studies of a marine organism in New Zealand, and suggests that genotyping-by-sequencing can be a good alternative to more traditional investigations based on traditional markers such as microsatellites. Our study provides a foundation for further development of a highly tractable system for research on the evolutionary maintenance of CP.
Clarifications and Optimizations on Rounding for IEEE-compliant Floating-Point Multiplication

When implementing rounding for floating-point multipliers, the final carry-propagate addition always will fall on the critical delay path. In the case of IEEE-754 floating-point multipliers it is, therefore, important that extra logic is needed to correctly round and post-normalize the result. Previous implementations of IEEE 754 floating-point rounding schemes for multiplication have created simple algorithms for implementing rounding logic that operate in parallel with the addition and contribute little to the critical delay. However, improvements can be made to make this process faster and more efficient. This paper proposes improvements upon previous algorithms to implement all four IEEE 754 rounding modes to efficiently support the implementation. Previous solutions are presented and improvements are introduced to speed up the process to support IEEE 754 floating-point rounding for multiplication. Results are shown using a 32nm standard cell library.
Association of long interspersed nucleotide element-1 and interferon regulatory factor 6 methylation changes with nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate.

OBJECTIVE To examine the possible associations between methylation changes in the promoter regions of long interspersed nucleotide element-1 (LINE-1) and interferon regulatory factor 6 gene (IRF6) and nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL/P). METHODS A case-control investigation was performed to compare 37 infants affected by NSCL/Ps with 60 babies without cleft malformations. Their genomic DNA samples were obtained, and the LINE-1 and IRF6 methylation levels were measured by using Sequenom MassArray. Unconditional logistic regression was adopted to estimate the odds ratio. RESULTS Infants with NSCL/Ps had a higher methylation level at LINE-1 and IRF6 promoter regions than controls. High levels of LINE-1 (≥64.07%) and IRF6 (≥6.46%) methylation were associated with an increased risk of NSCL/P (LINE-1, OR = 2.63, 95% CI: 1.07-6.57; IRF6, OR = 4.73, 95% CI: 2.10-13.07), and the associations remained to be significant after adjusting for potential confounders. Similar associations were also found for cleft lip only, cleft lip, and palate. CONCLUSION Our study suggested that aberrant methylation of LINE-1 and IRF6 might contribute to the development of NSCL/Ps. Further studies are needed to replicate the findings.
Contributions of the Hippocampal CA3 Circuitry to Acute Seizures and Hyperexcitability Responses in Mouse Models of Brain Ischemia

The hippocampal circuitry is widely recognized as susceptible to ischemic injury and seizure generation. However, hippocampal contribution to acute non-convulsive seizures (NCS) in models involving middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) remains to be determined. To address this, we occluded the middle cerebral artery in adult C57 black mice and monitored electroencephalographic (EEG) discharges from hippocampal and neocortical areas. Electrographic discharges in the absence of convulsive motor behaviors were observed within 90 min following occlusion of the middle cerebral artery. Hippocampal discharges were more robust than corresponding cortical discharges in all seizure events examined, and hippocampal discharges alone or with minimal cortical involvement were also observed in some seizure events. Seizure development was associated with ipsilateral hippocampal injuries as determined by subsequent histological examinations. We also introduced hypoxia-hypoglycemia episodes in mouse brain slices and examined regional hyperexcitable responses ex vivo. Extracellular recordings showed that the hippocampal CA3 region had a greater propensity for exhibiting single/multiunit activities or epileptiform field potentials following hypoxic-hypoglycemic (HH) episodes compared to the CA1, dentate gyrus, entorhinal cortical (EC) or neocortical regions. Whole-cell recordings revealed that CA3 pyramidal neurons exhibited excessive excitatory postsynaptic currents, attenuated inhibitory postsynaptic currents and intermittent or repetitive spikes in response to HH challenge. Together, these observations suggest that hippocampal discharges, possibly as a result of CA3 circuitry hyperexcitability, are a major component of acute NCS in a mouse model of MCAO.
Static human behavior classification based on LLC features and GIST features

This paper presents a method for recognizing human behavior in static images based on LLC and GIST features. The feature points in the image is densely located in sub-region of images and we extract SIFT feature from each sub-region. Then using the LLC method to encode the extracted dense SIFT features of each sub-region and each feature point descriptor is assigned to several nearest words, so that each descriptor can be expressed by the linear correlation coefficient of vocabulary. In order to increase the spatial information, we use the SPM model to divide the image into many blocks under different levels. We can get the pooled feature from each sub-region using the max pooling method. Then these pooled features from sub-region are concatenated and normalized as the final pooled features. In order to get GIST features, we divide the image into blocks and construct the Gabor filter group of 32 different scales and directions. Then each Gabor filter in the Gabor filter group does convolution operation with image blocks and we take the mean value of each blocks under each Gabor filter as the feature description. The features from each block under each Gabor filter are concatenated and normalized as the final GIST feature representation of the image. Then concatenating the final pooled features and the GIST features and take as the final feature representation. Finally, the intersection kernel function of SVM is used for classification. We performed experiments on several databases. By contrast, this algorithm has a good effect in accuracy and efficiency.
Study of Two MPPT Methods for High Inertia Wind Turbine with Direct Driven PMSG

The aim of this work is to study and compare two methods for maximum power point tracking (MPPT) for megawatt wind energy conversion systems. The performance of the optimal tip speed ratio control (TSR) and the optimal torque control (OTC) is analyzed using Matlab/Simulink model of a wind turbine with direct driven permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) connected to the grid via full scale back-to-back converter. The simulation results show that the OTC has positive effect to the studied system's stability, minimizing the power fluctuations. The response to wind speed variations of the TSR method is faster but it leads to mechanical stress in the system.
Energy-Efficient UAV Deployment with Flexible Functional Split Selection

In this paper, we consider the deployment of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) along a straight road, and aim to minimize the total energy consumption of UAVs, including the baseband processing energy, the wireless fronthauling energy and the constant circuit energy. Specifically, the horizontal location, vertical location, coverage radius and the functional split scheme selection of UAVs are jointly optimized. Both the user data rate and the total delay consisting of baseband processing and fron-transmission are guaranteed. To reduce the optimization complexity, we further derive the upper and lower bounds of the optimal number of UAVs. Numerical results show that, with flexible functional split, the energy consumption of UAVs can be considerably reduced compared with fixed functional split. We also observe that more baseband functions should be placed at the UAV side when the distance between the UAV and the baseband units (BBU) on the ground is larger,
Deep, Surface, or Both? A Study of Occupational Therapy Students' Learning Concepts

Background Students' conceptualization of learning has been associated with their approaches to studying. However, whether students' learning concepts are associated with their personal characteristics is unknown. Aim To investigate whether sociodemographic, education-related, and personal factors were associated with the learning concepts of Norwegian occupational therapy students. Methods One hundred and forty-nine students (mean age 23.9 years, 79.2% women) participated in the study. The employed self-report questionnaires included the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the General Self-Efficacy Scale. Differences between student cohorts were analyzed with one-way analyses of variance and χ2 tests, whereas factors associated with the students' learning concepts were analyzed with bivariate correlation and linear regression models. Results The students' mean scores on the deep and surface learning concept scales were similar. Spending more time on the independent study was associated with having higher scores on the unidimensional learning concept measure. Conclusions The students' learning concept appears to encompass a surface concept as well as a deep concept of learning, and the two ways of conceptualizing learning were positively related to each other. Over time, a mature deep concept may add to, rather than replace, a basic surface concept of learning.
Perceived Neighbourhood Problems over Time and Associations with Adiposity

There is growing interest in understanding which aspects of the local environment influence obesity. Using data from the longitudinal West of Scotland Twenty-07 study (n = 2040) we examined associations between residents’ self-reported neighbourhood problems, measured over a 13-year period, and nurse-measured body weight and size (body mass index, waist circumference, waist–hip ratio) and percentage body fat. We also explored whether particular measures such as abdominal obesity, postulated as a marker for stress, were more strongly related to neighbourhood conditions. Using life course models adjusted for sex, cohort, household social class, and health behaviours, we found that the accumulation of perceived neighbourhood problems was associated with percentage body fat. In cross-sectional analyses, the strongest relationships were found for contemporaneous measures of neighbourhood conditions and adiposity. When analyses were conducted separately by gender, perceived neighbourhood stressors were strongly associated with central obesity measures (waist circumference, waist–hip ratio) among both men and women. Our findings indicate that chronic neighbourhood stressors are associated with obesity. Neighbourhood environments are modifiable, and efforts should be directed towards improving deleterious local environments to reduce the prevalence of obesity.
Voltage Oriented Control of an Innovative Bidirectional 3 kV Railway electric substation using Parallel Three-Level NPC Converters

Italian railway system is based on 3 kV DC voltage and it is connected to the AC grid through electric substation which are realized with diode rectifier. This configuration does not allow power reversible operation and regenerative braking is not possible with a consequent waste of electric energy which is dissipated on braking rheostats. The present paper proposes a bidirectional electric substation configuration based on NPC parallel connected converter. A control strategy is proposed and simulation results are presented.
Single Image Super-resolution Using Spatial Transformer Networks

Most of the previous models performed well for Single Image Super-Resolution (SISR). In these methods, the Low Resolution (LR) input image is amplified to the size of High Resolution (HR) through bicubic interpolation. However, bicubic interpolation can not represent the high frequency features of images with only one filter. Therefore, in this paper, we used a original framework which can effectively extract the feature maps from the input image space and transform to HR feature maps based on Spatial Transformer Networks (STN). In our STN-SR method, there are three kinds of parameters should be learned from the model: (i) a serial of filters to extract LR image feature maps; (ii)a local small network to learn parameters of the transformation $\Gamma_{\theta}(G)$ and (iii) the filter parameters to restore the HR patchs from the input HR feature maps through a restoring layer. Our model directly focus on the whole image, the proposed STN-SR method does not clip the image into many small size patches, and can use the image gobal message to rebuild more robust local texture. Compared to privious SR methods, the proposed STN-SR method can gain completely real image, while illustrating better edge and texture preservation performance.
Vascular endothelial growth factor activates neural stem cells through epidermal growth factor receptor signal after spinal cord injury

Neural stem cells (NSCs) in the adult mammalian spinal cord are activated in response to spinal cord injury (SCI); however, mechanisms modulating this process are not clear. Here, we noticed SCI elevated expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and we aimed to validate the roles of VEGF in NSCs activation after SCI and investigated the related signals during the process.
Six-Level DC-DC Flying Capacitor Converter Voltage Balancing Dynamics Analysis for Different Carrier-Based Modulation Strategies

N atural balancing in Flying Capacitor Converters (FCC) is typically analyzed for appropriate lead (or lag) carrier-based Phase Shifted Pulse Width Modulation (PS-PWM) strategy. However, multiple PS PWM strategies are possible by different carrier orders. The paper presents a comprehensive analysis of natural balancing properties of six -level DC-DC FCC considering all PS- PWM strategies possible by carrier order combinatorics. The time domain analysis uses stitching of piece-wise analytical solutions for consecutive switching intervals in conjunction with a small parameter approximation. Simple analytical solutions for natural balancing frequencies and decay factors clearly show dependences on converter parameters, DC voltage reference and switching frequency. Classic lead (lag) PS-PWM proves to be the best among possible PS-PWM strategies from the balancing rate perspective.
An Efficient Calibration Algorithm for Large Aperture Array Position Errors in a GEO SAR

Geosynchronous orbit synthetic aperture radar (GEO SAR) plays an important role in wide-area surveillance and the continuous coverage of areas containing targets of interest. However, the relative position errors of large aperture arrays will distort the antenna pattern, which significantly degrades the target detection performance in a GEO SAR system. To address this issue, most of the conventional calibration methods are focused on the independent errors, without consideration of the parametric error model, which may increase the position estimation errors. To solve this problem, an efficient calibration algorithm for position errors in a GEO SAR is proposed in this letter. For the large antenna arrays, the parametric error model is first established. Then, the calibration method is performed to estimate the parameters of the position error model. Based on this, the accurate position errors can be obtained by the least-squares algorithm. Compared with the conventional methods, the target detection performance of a GEO SAR system can be significantly improved after the precise array position error compensation by the proposed algorithm. Moreover, the proposed algorithm transforms the estimation from 3-D positions to the finite parameters of the error model, which can considerably decrease the computational complexity and obtain a more accurate estimation of the position errors simultaneously. Several simulated results are presented to validate the proposed algorithm for the position error correction in a GEO SAR system.
Direct Glutamatergic Signaling From Midbrain Dopaminergic Neurons Onto Pyramidal Prefrontal Cortex Neurons

The dopaminergic neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) have been identified with the ability to co-release dopamine and glutamate. This ability was first documented in the nucleus accumbens but showed to be absent in the dorsal striatum. Recently the ability to release glutamate from a subpopulation of the VTA dopaminergic neurons has been shown to control the prefrontal cortex (PFC) excitation through the exclusive innervation of GABAergic fast spiking interneurons. Here, using an optogenetic approach, we expand this view by presenting that the VTA dopaminergic neurons do not only innervate interneurons but also pyramidal PFC neurons. This finding opens the range of possibilities for the VTA dopaminergic neurons to modulate the activity of PFC.