Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of Power Laws, Shape Collapses, and Neural Complexity: New Techniques and MATLAB Support via the NCC Toolbox

Neural systems include interactions that occur across many scales. Two divergent methods for characterizing such interactions have drawn on the physical analysis of critical phenomena and the mathematical study of information. Inferring criticality in neural systems has traditionally rested on fitting power laws to the property distributions of “neural avalanches” (contiguous bursts of activity), but the fractal nature of avalanche shapes has recently emerged as another signature of criticality. On the other hand, neural complexity, an information theoretic measure, has been used to capture the interplay between the functional localization of brain regions and their integration for higher cognitive functions. Unfortunately, treatments of all three methods—power-law fitting, avalanche shape collapse, and neural complexity—have suffered from shortcomings. Empirical data often contain biases that introduce deviations from true power law in the tail and head of the distribution, but deviations in the tail have often been unconsidered; avalanche shape collapse has required manual parameter tuning; and the estimation of neural complexity has relied on small data sets or statistical assumptions for the sake of computational efficiency. In this paper we present technical advancements in the analysis of criticality and complexity in neural systems. We use maximum-likelihood estimation to automatically fit power laws with left and right cutoffs, present the first automated shape collapse algorithm, and describe new techniques to account for large numbers of neural variables and small data sets in the calculation of neural complexity. In order to facilitate future research in criticality and complexity, we have made the software utilized in this analysis freely available online in the MATLAB NCC (Neural Complexity and Criticality) Toolbox.
Tunable Fiber-Optic Parametric Amplifier Based on Near-Zero Ultraflat Dispersion PCF for Communication Wavelength

In this paper, a new technique to attain a tunable parametric amplifier for application in the communication wavelength, based on near-zero ultraflat dispersion with PCF, has been explored. The chromatic dispersion profile and the corresponding zero dispersion wavelength (ZDW) of the optimized PCF can be well tuned to provide a wide gain spectrum in the communication wavelength just by changing the temperature of the fiber. A detailed investigation reveals that the fiber retains its near-zero ultraflat nature when the temperature is increased by 2.50 °C from room temperature. While changing the temperature, the ZDWs can be well tuned, giving rise to a gain region of hundreds of nanometers around the pumping wavelength by changing the temperature of the fiber externally.
Iterative refinement of the minimum norm solution of the bioelectric inverse problem

Functional brain imaging based on the bioelectric scalp field depends on the solution of the inverse problem. The object is to estimate the current distribution in the cortex from a measured noisy scalp potential field. A minimum norm least squares solution is often used for this purpose. Although this approach leads to a unique solution, it represents only one of a set of feasible solutions. In particular, it leads to a solution in which current is found to be generated widely in the cortex. There are other feasible minimum norm solutions for which cortical current is generated only in a restricted region, and it is likely that in many cases, these solutions are of physiological importance. This study presents a method to uncover these solutions. It is based on the idea that a minimum norm solution can be used to define a region of interest, an ellipsoid, within which it is worthwhile to search for another feasible solution. The minimum norm approach is used iteratively and the ellipsoid shrinks. As it shrinks it provides evidence pointing to the location of the active cortical region. The method explicitly recognizes the role of measurement noise in defining feasible solutions. It is tested in a model of the human head that incorporates a realistic cortex in a three-shell sphere. The method improves the localization of cortical activity mimicking physiological processing.
Heritability and number of quantitative trait loci of neurocognitive functions in families with schizophrenia.

Despite evidence for several chromosomal loci linked to schizophrenia, no susceptibility genes have been identified for the disorder. Using quantitative measures of phenotypic affection in place of clinical diagnostic categories or dichotomous classification of the affection status may be more effective in searching for susceptibility genes. Neurocognitive traits have been suggested as putative quantitative endophenotypes of the disorder, but their heritability estimates are not well known. We investigated the heritability of working memory, verbal declarative memory and its different components, and both verbal and visual ability functions in schizophrenia families with a well-ascertained pedigree structure. We also estimated the number of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) contributing to these neurocognitive functions. Additive genetic heritability of the neurocognitive functions was estimated in a sample of schizophrenia patients and their first-degree relatives (N = 264) from an isolated geographical subregion in Finland. The number of QTLs was analyzed using Markov chain Monte Carlo segregation analysis. Significant heritabilities were found in working memory and ability functions. Furthermore, the working memory functions revealed the most restricted number of QTLs. The mean numbers of loci for verbal and visual working memory were 1.2 and 1.0, respectively, with corresponding posterior probabilities of 73% and 70% for at least one locus. In declarative memory variables, the number of loci was more dispersed. Our results suggest that neurocognitive measures, particularly working memory, may provide valid quantitative phenotypic traits for linkage analyses searching predisposing genes for schizophrenia.
A Aprendizagem como Processo de Aquisição e Construção do Conhecimento e a Capacidade de Absorção da Organização com Base nas Novas Tecnologias

Resumo — A importância da capacidade de absorcao do conhecimento das organizacoes tem sido uma materia muito importante, mas que no campo pratico nao tem correspondido as expectativas devido a amplitude e cobertura da sua tematica. Estudar e apresentar os principais agentes que participam no processo de capacidade de absorcao da organizacao e o objectivo deste artigo, nomeadamente identificar a importância do capital social na sua ampla dicotomia, interno vs. externo e o papel integrador das novas tecnologias como elemento integrador do conhecimento e capacidade de aprendizagem da organizacao que permite uma maior capacidade de inovacao.
Dissecting the circle, at random

Random laminations of the disk are the continuous limits of random non-crossing congurations of regular polygons. We provide an expository account on this subject. Initiated by the work of Aldous on the Brownian triangulation, this eld now possesses many characters such as the random recursive triangulation, the stable laminations and the Markovian hyperbolic triangulation of the disk. We will review the properties and constructions of these objects as well as the close relationships they enjoy with the theory of continuous random trees. Some open questions are scattered along the text.
A quantitative study into the role of infection in determining nutritional status in Gambian village children

1. Growth in weight and height in 152 children between the ages of 0.6 and 3 years was investigated in Keneba, a rural Gambian village. By 1 year of age the average weight-for-age of the children was only 75% of the Jelliffe (1966) standard. 2. The relationship between the prevalence of nine different categories of diseases and growth was investigated to determine the quantitative contribution of the diseases to the growth faltering observed. There was a highly significant negative relationship between gastroenteritis and both weight gain and height gain. The only other disease category having a similar relationship was malaria, but in this instance only with weight gain. 3. Although over-all growth in weight and height was considerably below the standard values, multiple regression analysis indicated that after the age of 1 year, except in July and August, normal and sometimes slow ‘catch-up’ growth would be possible in the absence of gastroenteritis. 4. Attention is drawn to the limitations of the use of anthropometry in a settled village community as the only criterion by which dietary adequacy can be judged.
Backbone‐modified amylin derivatives: implications for amyloid inhibitor design and as template for self‐assembling bionanomaterials

This report reviews our approach to the design, synthesis and structural/morphological analysis of backbone‐modified amylin(20–29) derivatives. Depending on the position in the peptide backbone and the type of amide bond isostere/modification, the amylin(20–29) peptides behave either as inhibitors of amyloid fibril formation, which are able to retard amyloid formation of native amylin(20–29), or as templates for the formation of self‐assembled supramolecular structures. Molecular fine‐tuning of the hydrogen‐bond accepting/donating properties allows the control over the morphology of the supramolecular aggregation motifs such as helical ribbons and tapes, ribbons progressing to closed peptide nanotubes, (twisted) lamellar sheets or amyloid fibrils. Copyright © 2007 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Listeners Discern Affective Variation in Computer-Generated Musical Sounds

We carried out two experiments to test the relationship between real-time perception of structural change in stylistically unusual musical sounds, and perception of its affect (arousal and valence). Computer music was used because of its unfamiliarity and our capacity to control it in ecologically appropriate ways. In experiment 1, thirteen participants unselected for musical training participated in tasks to detect segmentation and changes in affect. Changes in affect occurred upon detection of segmentation; but not all algorithmically distinct segments conveyed distinct affect. Short segments followed by long segments led to greater changes in arousal and valence at the point of segmentation than vice versa. In experiment 2, intra-segment sound transitions were introduced. Sixteen musicians performed the same affect task as in experiment 1, and a novel change in sound task. Participants were slow to respond to a continuous transition, but quick to respond to instantaneous transitions. Contrary to literature on the perception of affect in more familiar music, the musician participants in experiment 2 differed more in their ratings of arousal than of valence, in spite of a strong correlation of arousal with the composition of the stimuli. These findings are discussed in relation to the positive valence attributed to the more familiar sounds in both experiments.
Alleviating I/O Interference via Caching and Rate-Controlled Prefetching without Degrading Migration Performance

The process of migrating a virtual machine and its virtual storage can greatly degrade the performance of other guests and applications running on the same host, including the migrating machine itself. Through experimental evaluation, we investigate the I/O performance degradation imposed by storage migration on co-located machines. We examine naive approaches for mitigating this interference by adjusting host system settings and migration parameters. While effective in some contexts, our analysis demonstrates that performing a migration using these I/O constraining techniques will increase migration latency and limit its ability to converge. Therefore, we present a design and analysis of Storage Migration Offloading, a migration method that reduces I/O interference, maintains lower migration latency, and converges under higher dirty rates. Storage Migration Offloading utilizes a buffer store populated during migration using a dynamic cache policy and rate controlled prefetching. Data is transferred to the destination host from both the buffer and primary disks in a way that minimizes interference on the primary disk while attempting to maintain the desired migration speed.
On the Detection of Influential Actors in Social Media

Detection of influential actors in social media plays an important role for increasing the quality and efficiency of work and services in many fields such as education, marketing, etc. This work aims to introduce a new approach for the characterization of influential actors in online social media, such as Twitter. We present on a model of influence of an actor that is based on the attractiveness of the actor in terms of the number of other new actors with which he or she has established relations over time. We have used this concept and measure of influence to determine optimal seeds in a simulation of influence maximization using two empirically collected social networks for the underlying graphs.
Positive end-expiratory pressure above lower inflection point minimizes influx of activated neutrophils into lung*

Objectives:To compare the effects of low vs. high tidal volume (Vt) with three positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) strategies on activated neutrophil influx into the lung. Design:Prospective, randomized controlled animal study. Setting:Animal laboratory in a university hospital. Subjects:Newborn piglets. Interventions:Surfactant-depleted piglets were randomized in littermate pairs; to PEEP of either 0 (zero end-expiratory pressure [ZEEP]; n = 6), 8 cm H2O (PEEP 8; n = 5), or 1 cm H2O above the lower inflection point (LIP) (PEEP>LIP; n = 6). Within each pair piglets were randomized to a low Vt (5–7 mL/kg) or high Vt strategy (17–19 mL/kg). After 4 hrs of mechanical ventilation, 18-fluorodeoxyglucose (18FDG) was injected and positron emission tomography scanning was performed. Measurements and Main Results:Vt and PEEP changes on influx constants of 18FDG were assessed by analysis of variance. A within-litter comparison of Vt was nonsignificant (p = .50). A between-litter comparison, ordered in linear trend rank, from ZEEP, to PEEP 8, to PEEP>LIP, showed a strong effect of PEEP on influx constant (p = .019). Conclusions:PEEP set above the LIP on the inspiratory limb of the pressure-volume curve affords a stronger lung protection than Vt strategy.
Comparison of Designated Coefficients and their Predictors in Functional Evaluation of Wheelchair Rugby Athletes

Abstract The objectives of the present study were twofold: to determine differences between groups by means of chosen coefficients and to create significant predictors using regression models for athletes in wheelchair rugby who had the same spinal cord injury (tetraplegia) and were classified as low point and high point players. The study sample consisted of 24 subjects, who had sustained cervical spinal cord injury (CSCI). They were divided into low point (n=15) and high point (n=9) groups according to the IWRF Classification System. A one-way ANOVA revealed statistically significant differences in the following coefficients differentiating the groups: AC (η2=0.778), LC (η2=0.687), IC (η2=0.565), SC (η2=0.580). The Tukey’s HSD post-hoc test indicated statistically significant higher values of coefficients in the HP compared to the LP group: AC=0.958 (p=0.022), LC=0.989 (p=0.031), IC=0.971 (p=0.044), SC=0.938 (p=0.039). In the HP group, the most significant predictor was the sum of visceral and trunk fat which was negatively correlated with the SC (what constituted a positive adaptive change in response to training). With regard to the LP group, body height and circumference of the chest appeared to be most significant predictors and were positively correlated with the SC. In the LP group no predictor with respect to the SC was significantly correlated to sports training. Therefore, the functional classification system confirmed lower status of the LP players. The results of the present study indicate that both metabolic and somatic profiles which highly determine potential of wheelchair rugby athletes are significantly different in LP and HP players, what confirms the reliability of the functional classification system.
Stability and Synergistic Effect of Antioxidative Properties of Lycopene and Other Active Components

Carotenoids have drawn considerable interest, due to their role in preventing cardiovascular disease. In a large prospective study of female nurses, a 26% and 20% lower risk of coronary artery disease was observed among the subjects in the higher quintile of β-carotene and α-carotene intake over a 12 year, follow-up period, respectively, compared with those in the lower quintile (Osganian et al., 2003). In vitro studies have indicated that carotenoids may prevent the initiating events in atherogenesis by directly inhibiting low density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation, thereby decreasing the early formation of foam cells and plaque (Diaz et al., 1997; Maxwell and Lip, 1997; Naruszewicz et al., 1992; van de Vijver et al., 1997). The incubation of the β-carotene isomers with whole plasma resulted in substantial carotene binding to very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) and to LDL, although limited binding was observed in high density lipoprotein (HDL). Lipid peroxidation of VLDL and LDL was significantly decreased by β-carotene. In addition, the incubation of β-carotene also decreased macrophages mediated cellular degradation of oxidized lipoproteins by 18% (Lavy et al., 1993). The oxidatively modified form, but not native LDL, is
Impact of opponents’ clothing and body language on impression formation and outcome expectations

The aim of this study was to examine the impact of a tennis player’s body language and clothing (general vs. sport-specific) on the impressions observers form of them. Forty male tennis players viewed videos of a target tennis player warming up. Each participant viewed the target player displaying one of four combinations of body language and clothing (positive body language/tennis-specific clothing; positive body language/general sportswear; negative body language/tennis-specific clothing; negative body language/general sportswear). After viewing the target player, participants rated their impressions of the model’s episodic states and dispositions and gave their perceptions of the likely outcome of a tennis match with the target player. Analyses of variance revealed that positive body language led to favorable episodic impressions and low outcome expectations. Analysis also indicated that clothing and body language had an interactive effect on dispositional judgments. The study supports the contention that nonverbal communication can influence sporting interactions.
Human Pif1 helicase unwinds synthetic DNA structures resembling stalled DNA replication forks

Pif-1 proteins are 5′→3′ superfamily 1 (SF1) helicases that in yeast have roles in the maintenance of mitochondrial and nuclear genome stability. The functions and activities of the human enzyme (hPif1) are unclear, but here we describe its DNA binding and DNA remodeling activities. We demonstrate that hPif1 specifically recognizes and unwinds DNA structures resembling putative stalled replication forks. Notably, the enzyme requires both arms of the replication fork-like structure to initiate efficient unwinding of the putative leading replication strand of such substrates. This DNA structure-specific mode of initiation of unwinding is intrinsic to the conserved core helicase domain (hPifHD) that also possesses a strand annealing activity as has been demonstrated for the RecQ family of helicases. The result of hPif1 helicase action at stalled DNA replication forks would generate free 3′ ends and ssDNA that could potentially be used to assist replication restart in conjunction with its strand annealing activity.
Random and direct mutagenesis to enhance protein secretion in Ashbya gossypii

To improve the general secretion ability of the biotechnologically relevant fungus Ashbya gossypii, random mutagenesis with ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS) was performed. The selection and screening strategy followed revealed mutants with improved secretion of heterologous Trichoderma reesei endoglucanase I (EGI), native α-amylase and/or native β-glucosidase. One mutant, S436, presented 1.4- to 2-fold increases in all extracellular enzymatic activities measured, when compared with the parent strain, pointing to a global improvement in protein secretion. Three other mutants exhibited 2- to 3-fold improvements in only one (S397, B390) or two (S466) of the measured activities. A targeted genetic approach was also followed. Two homologs of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae GAS1, AgGAS1A (AGL351W) and AgGAS1B (AGL352W), were deleted from the A. gossypii genome. For both copies deletion, a new antibiotic marker cassette conferring resistance to phleomycin, BLE3, was constructed. GAS1 encodes an β-1,3-glucanosyltransglycosylase involved in cell wall assembly. Higher permeability of the cell wall was expected to increase the protein secretion capacity. However, total protein secreted to culture supernatants and secreted EGI activity did not increase in the Aggas1AΔ mutants. Deletion of the AgGAS1B copy affected cellular morphology and resulted in severe retardation of growth, similarly to what has been reported for GAS1-defficient yeast. Thus, secretion could not be tested in these mutants.
Deprescribing in Frail Older People: A Randomised Controlled Trial

Objectives Deprescribing has been proposed as a way to reduce polypharmacy in frail older people. We aimed to reduce the number of medicines consumed by people living in residential aged care facilities (RACF). Secondary objectives were to explore the effect of deprescribing on survival, falls, fractures, hospital admissions, cognitive, physical, and bowel function, quality of life, and sleep. Methods Ninety-five people aged over 65 years living in four RACF in rural mid-west Western Australia were randomised in an open study. The intervention group (n = 47) received a deprescribing intervention, the planned cessation of non-beneficial medicines. The control group (n = 48) received usual care. Participants were monitored for twelve months from randomisation. Primary outcome was change in the mean number of unique regular medicines. All outcomes were assessed at baseline, six, and twelve months. Results Study participants had a mean age of 84.3±6.9 years and 52% were female. Intervention group participants consumed 9.6±5.0 and control group participants consumed 9.5±3.6 unique regular medicines at baseline. Of the 348 medicines targeted for deprescribing (7.4±3.8 per person, 78% of regular medicines), 207 medicines (4.4±3.4 per person, 59% of targeted medicines) were successfully discontinued. The mean change in number of regular medicines at 12 months was -1.9±4.1 in intervention group participants and +0.1±3.5 in control group participants (estimated difference 2.0±0.9, 95%CI 0.08, 3.8, p = 0.04). Twelve intervention participants and 19 control participants died within 12 months of randomisation (26% versus 40% mortality, p = 0.16, HR 0.60, 95%CI 0.30 to 1.22) There were no significant differences between groups in other secondary outcomes. The main limitations of this study were the open design and small participant numbers. Conclusions Deprescribing reduced the number of regular medicines consumed by frail older people living in residential care with no significant adverse effects on survival or other clinical outcomes. Trial Registration Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12611000370909