Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spatial Embedding and Wiring Cost Constrain the Functional Layout of the Cortical Network of Rodents and Primates

Mammals show a wide range of brain sizes, reflecting adaptation to diverse habitats. Comparing interareal cortical networks across brains of different sizes and mammalian orders provides robust information on evolutionarily preserved features and species-specific processing modalities. However, these networks are spatially embedded, directed, and weighted, making comparisons challenging. Using tract tracing data from macaque and mouse, we show the existence of a general organizational principle based on an exponential distance rule (EDR) and cortical geometry, enabling network comparisons within the same model framework. These comparisons reveal the existence of network invariants between mouse and macaque, exemplified in graph motif profiles and connection similarity indices, but also significant differences, such as fractionally smaller and much weaker long-distance connections in the macaque than in mouse. The latter lends credence to the prediction that long-distance cortico-cortical connections could be very weak in the much-expanded human cortex, implying an increased susceptibility to disconnection syndromes such as Alzheimer disease and schizophrenia. Finally, our data from tracer experiments involving only gray matter connections in the primary visual areas of both species show that an EDR holds at local scales as well (within 1.5 mm), supporting the hypothesis that it is a universally valid property across all scales and, possibly, across the mammalian class.
Architectural Support for Quality of Service for CORBA Objects

CORBA is a commercial standard for distributed object computing which shows great promise in the development of distributed programs. Its interface description language (IDL) enables objects to be developed independently of the underlying programming language, operating system, or computer architecture on which they will execute. While this is sufficient in many environments, programs deployed in a wide-area distributed system encounter conditions which are much more hostile and varying than those operating in a single address space or within a single local area network. In this paper we discuss four major problems we have observed in our developing and deploying wide-area distributed object applications and middleware. First, most programs are developed ignoring the variable wide area conditions. Second, when application programmers do try to handle these conditions, they have great difficulty because these harsh conditions are different from those of the local objects they are used to dealing with. Third, IDL hides information about the tradeoffs any implementation of an object must make. Fourth, there is presently no way to systematically reuse current technology components which deal with these conditions, so code sharing becomes impractical. In this paper we also describe our architecture, Quality of Service for CORBA Objects (QuO), which we have developed to overcome these limitations and integrate their solution by providing QoS abstractions to CORBA objects. First, it makes these conditions first class entities and integrates knowledge of them over time, space, and source. Second, it reduces their variance by masking. Third, it exposes key design decisions of an object's implementation and how it will be used. Fourth, it supports reuse of various architectural components and automatically generates others. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
STATISTICAL TOOLS AND ESTIMATION METHODS FOR POVERTY MEASURES BASED ON CROSS-SECTIONAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS

Most of what is known about poverty and living standards in developing countries comes from household surveys. A household survey can provide data on many topics related to poverty, especially on some monetary indicator of welfare (expenditure on household consumption is the preferred indicator, for reasons discussed below). Advantages of a quantitative indicator are that it can be generalised from a sample to national totals; it can enable consistent comparisons of poverty through time, across a countrys regions, and potentially across countries; and it is amenable to simulation and prediction, which are needed when studying the potential impact of proposed policies on poverty. Priority is placed on a monetary indicator because ultimately poverty alleviation programs have to be budgeted for, which is easier for monetary indicators than nonmonetary ones.
[Alpha-fetoprotein protects the developing female mouse brain from masculinization and defeminization by estrogens].

Two clearly opposing views exist on the function of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), a fetal plasma protein that binds estrogens with high affinity, in the sexual differentiation of the rodent brain. AFP has been proposed to either prevent the entry of estrogens or to actively transport estrogens into the developing female brain. The availability of Afp mutant mice (Afp–/–) now finally allows us to resolve this longstanding controversy concerning the role of AFP in brain sexual differentiation, and thus to determine whether prenatal estrogens contribute to the development of the female brain. Here we show that the brain and behavior of female Afp–/– mice were masculinized and defeminized. However, when estrogen production was blocked by embryonic treatment with the aromatase inhibitor 1,4,6-androstatriene-3,17-dione, the feminine phenotype of these mice was rescued. These results clearly demonstrate that prenatal estrogens masculinize and defeminize the brain and that AFP protects the female brain from these effects of estrogens.
An experimental study of the influence of dynamic compiler optimizations on Scala performance

Java Virtual Machines are optimized for performing well on traditional Java benchmarks, which consist almost exclusively of code generated by the Java source compiler (javac). Code generated by compilers for other languages has not received nearly as much attention, which results in performance problems for those languages. One important specimen of "another language" is Scala, whose syntax and features encourage a programming style that differs significantly from traditional Java code. It suffers from the same problem -- its code patterns are not optimized as well as the ones originating from Java code. JVM developers need to be aware of the differences between Java and Scala code, so that both types of code can be executed with optimal performance. This paper presents a detailed investigation of the performance impact of a large number of optimizations on the Scala DaCapo and the Java DaCapo benchmark suites. It describes the optimization techniques and analyzes the differences between traditional Java applications and Scala applications. The results help compiler engineers in understanding the characteristics of Scala. We performed these experiments on the work-in-progress Graal compiler. Graal is a new dynamic compiler for the HotSpot VM which aims to work well for a diverse set of workloads, including languages other than Java.
Zebrafish cardiac development requires a conserved secondary heart field

The secondary heart field is a conserved developmental domain in avian and mammalian embryos that contributes myocardium and smooth muscle to the definitive cardiac arterial pole. This field is part of the overall heart field and its myocardial component has been fate mapped from the epiblast to the heart in both mammals and birds. In this study we show that the population that gives rise to the arterial pole of the zebrafish can be traced from the epiblast, is a discrete part of the mesodermal heart field, and contributes myocardium after initial heart tube formation, giving rise to both smooth muscle and myocardium. We also show that Isl1, a transcription factor associated with undifferentiated cells in the secondary heart field in other species, is active in this field. Furthermore, Bmp signaling promotes myocardial differentiation from the arterial pole progenitor population, whereas inhibiting Smad1/5/8 phosphorylation leads to reduced myocardial differentiation with subsequent increased smooth muscle differentiation. Molecular pathways required for secondary heart field development are conserved in teleosts, as we demonstrate that the transcription factor Tbx1 and the Sonic hedgehog pathway are necessary for normal development of the zebrafish arterial pole.
Realistic risk-mitigating recommendations via inverse classification

Inverse classification, the process of making meaningful perturbations to a test point such that it is more likely to have a desired classification, has previously been addressed using data from a single static point in time. Such an approach yields inflated probability estimates, stemming from an implicitly made assumption that recommendations are implemented instantaneously. We propose using longitudinal data to alleviate such issues in two ways. First, we use past outcome probabilities as features in the present. Use of such past probabilities ties historical behavior to the present, allowing for more information to be taken into account when making initial probability estimates and subsequently performing inverse classification. Secondly, following inverse classification application, optimized instances' unchangeable features (e.g.,~age) are updated using values from the next longitudinal time period. Optimized test instance probabilities are then reassessed. Updating the unchangeable features in this manner reflects the notion that improvements in outcome likelihood, which result from following the inverse classification recommendations, do not materialize instantaneously. As our experiments demonstrate, more realistic estimates of probability can be obtained by factoring in such considerations.
Independent association of elevated serum hepatocyte growth factor levels with development of insulin resistance in a 10‐year prospective study

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) receptors form a hybrid complex with insulin receptors in the liver of mice, which lead to robust signalling to regulate glucose metabolism. Serum HGF levels are high in subjects with metabolic syndrome and/or obesity. Accordingly, we prospectively investigated the relationship between HGF and the development of insulin resistance (IR) in a general population without IR at baseline.
Stroke lesion location influences the decoding of movement intention from EEG

Recent studies have demonstrated the efficacy of brain-machine interfaces (BMI) for motor rehabilitation after stroke, especially for those patients with severe paralysis. However, a cerebro-vascular accident can affect the brain in many different manners, and lesions in diverse areas, even from significantly different volumes, can lead to similar or equal motor deficits. The location of the insult influences the way the brain activates when moving or attempting to move a paralyzed limb. Since the essence of a rehabilitative BMI is to precisely decode motor commands from the brain, it is crucial to characterize how lesion location affects the measured signals and if and how it influences BMI performance. This paper compares the performances of an electroencephalography (EEG)-based movement intention decoder in two groups of severely paralyzed chronic stroke patients: 14 with subcortical lesions and 14 with mixed (i.e., cortical and subcortical) lesions. We show that the lesion location influences the performance of the BMI when decoding the movement attempts of the paretic arm. The obtained results underline the need for further developments for a better individualization of BMI-based rehabilitative therapies for stroke patients.
Cooperation strategies for vehicular delay-tolerant networks

Vehicular communications are emerging as a promising technology to enable communications using vehicles as network nodes. VDTNs appear as a novel approach to enable services and applications where it is not possible to define an end-to-end path. To allow communications in such challenging environments, VDTNs rely for their operation on cooperation between network nodes, which contributes to increasing network connectivity and improving overall network performance. To accomplish such a task, nodes may be asked to share their constrained storage, bandwidth, and energy resources with one another. However, nodes may be unwilling to cooperate in order to save resources or due to selfish behavior. This kind of node severely affects the network functionality. This article gives an overview of the field, providing motivations, challenges, and an evaluation of the impact of cooperative measures on the performance of VDTN networks.
A Hierarchical Correlation Model for Multi-modal Sentiment Analysis on Social Media

We address the challenge of multi-modal sentiment analysis. To solve the problem of the sentiment correlations among different modalities, we propose a Multi-modal Correlation Model (MCM). In contrast to other methods, MCM considers the hierarchical sentiment correlations among modalities. Specifically, a probabilistic graphical model (PGM) is subsequently built upon the proposed MCM model, which considers the correlations and simultaneously preserves the classification ability of each modality. In order to compute the posterior probabilities of sentiments in PGM, we optimize the model by Maximum Likelihood Estimation. Experimental results show that MCM achieves accuracy of 84.2% and beats existing multi-modal methods with 1.2-4% improvement. Results demonstrate: 1) the sentiment correlations among modalities are hierarchical; 2) the importance of the correlations for multi-modal sentiment analysis.
High baseline activity in inferior temporal cortex improves neural and behavioral discriminability during visual categorization

Spontaneous firing is a ubiquitous property of neural activity in the brain. Recent literature suggests that this baseline activity plays a key role in perception. However, it is not known how the baseline activity contributes to neural coding and behavior. Here, by recording from the single neurons in the inferior temporal cortex of monkeys performing a visual categorization task, we thoroughly explored the relationship between baseline activity, the evoked response, and behavior. Specifically we found that a low-frequency (<8 Hz) oscillation in the spike train, prior and phase-locked to the stimulus onset, was correlated with increased gamma power and neuronal baseline activity. This enhancement of the baseline activity was then followed by an increase in the neural selectivity and the response reliability and eventually a higher behavioral performance.
Eurographics Symposium on Point-based Graphics (2007) Direct Computing of Surface Curvatures for Point-set Surfaces

Accurate computing of the curvatures of a surface from its discrete form is of fundamental importance for many graphics and engineering applications. The moving least-squares (MLS) surface from Levin [Lev2003] and its variants have been successfully used to define point-set surfaces in a variety of point cloud data based modeling and rendering applications. This paper presents a set of analytical equations for direct computing of surface curvatures from point-set surfaces based on the explicit definition from [AK04a, AK04b]. Besides the Gaussian parameter involved in the MLS definition, these analytical equations allow us to conduct direct and exact differential geometric analysis on the point-set surfaces without specifying any subjective parameters. Our experimental validation on both synthetic and real point cloud data demonstrates that such direct computing from analytical equations provides a viable approach for surface curvature evaluation for unorganized point cloud data.
Inland capture fisheries

The reported annual yield from inland capture fisheries in 2008 was over 10 million tonnes, although real catches are probably considerably higher than this. Inland fisheries are extremely complex, and in many cases poorly understood. The numerous water bodies and small rivers are inhabited by a wide range of species and several types of fisher community with diversified livelihood strategies for whom inland fisheries are extremely important. Many drivers affect the fisheries, including internal fisheries management practices. There are also many drivers from outside the fishery that influence the state and functioning of the environment as well as the social and economic framework within which the fishery is pursued. The drivers affecting the various types of inland water, rivers, lakes, reservoirs and wetlands may differ, particularly with regard to ecosystem function. Many of these depend on land-use practices and demand for water which conflict with the sustainability of the fishery. Climate change is also exacerbating many of these factors. The future of inland fisheries varies between continents. In Asia and Africa the resources are very intensely exploited and there is probably little room for expansion; it is here that resources are most at risk. Inland fisheries are less heavily exploited in South and Central America, and in the North and South temperate zones inland fisheries are mostly oriented to recreation rather than food production.
Elapsed Decision Time Affects the Weighting of Prior Probability in a Perceptual Decision Task

Decisions are often based on a combination of new evidence with prior knowledge of the probable best choice. Optimal combination requires knowledge about the reliability of evidence, but in many realistic situations, this is unknown. Here we propose and test a novel theory: the brain exploits elapsed time during decision formation to combine sensory evidence with prior probability. Elapsed time is useful because (1) decisions that linger tend to arise from less reliable evidence, and (2) the expected accuracy at a given decision time depends on the reliability of the evidence gathered up to that point. These regularities allow the brain to combine prior information with sensory evidence by weighting the latter in accordance with reliability. To test this theory, we manipulated the prior probability of the rewarded choice while subjects performed a reaction-time discrimination of motion direction using a range of stimulus reliabilities that varied from trial to trial. The theory explains the effect of prior probability on choice and reaction time over a wide range of stimulus strengths. We found that prior probability was incorporated into the decision process as a dynamic bias signal that increases as a function of decision time. This bias signal depends on the speed–accuracy setting of human subjects, and it is reflected in the firing rates of neurons in the lateral intraparietal area (LIP) of rhesus monkeys performing this task.
The use of text messaging to reduce non-attendance at outpatients clinic--a departmental experience.

Non-attendance at outpatient clinics is a common occurrence and impacts significantly on the efficiency of clinical departments. High rates of non-attendance result in under utilisation of medical, nursing and administrative resources and are estimated to cost the United Kingdom National Health Service about£20-£65 per incident 1 . It also has a negative impact on already overstretched clinic waiting lists. More than half of patients who miss their appointment cite forgetting their appointment or confusion about dates or times as the reason for non-attendance 2 . Several methods have been reported to reduce non-attendance rates, including reminder letters, personalised or automated phone calls, all with varying degrees of success. There are few reports on the use of text messaging as a reminder tool. Mobile phone usage in Ireland is the highest in Europe per head population, with a recent survey by the Irish Commission for Communications Regulation reporting over 5 million registered mobile phones in Ireland.
Comparison the Effects of Intravenous Esmolol Hydrochloride ( 0 . 5 Mg / Kg ) and Intravenous Labetolol Hydrochloride ( 0 . 25 mg / Kg ) In Attenuation of Cardiovascular Response to Direct Laryngoscopy and Endotracheal Intubation

1 Assoc Prof, Dept. of Anaesthesiology, VIMSAR, Burla, Odisha, India 2 Assoc Prof, Dept. of Anaesthesiology, VIMSAR, Burla, Odisha, India 3 Professor, Dept. of Anaesthesiology, VIMSAR, Burla, Odisha, India 4 Junior Resident, Dept. of Anaesthesiology, VIMSAR, Burla, Odisha, India 5 Asst. Professor, Dept. of Anaesthesiology, VIMSAR, Burla, Odisha, India 6 Asst. Professor, Dept. of Anaesthesiology, VIMSAR, Burla, Odisha, India
Growth models for cells in the chemostat

A chemostat is a continuous device where microorganisms consume a nutrient to grow. To describe microorganisms growth in the chemostat, Monod [12] introduced a very simple model. Droop [5] then presented another model considering the possible nutrient storage in a plankton cell. However, this work was mainly based on experimental observations and was not completely justified by biochemical arguments. In this paper, a new model of phytoplankton growth is proposed. Though our model is finally similar to the Droop one, we base our modelling on biochemical arguments. We study two versions of our model considering or not cell mortality. We give also some indications on the observation of such models, and related observers.
Computerized Arm Training Improves the Motor Control of the Severely Affected Arm After Stroke: A Single-Blinded Randomized Trial in Two Centers

Background and Purpose— To compare a computerized arm trainer (AT), allowing repetitive practice of passive and active bilateral forearm and wrist movement cycle, and electromyography-initiated electrical stimulation (ES) of the paretic wrist extensor in severely affected subacute stroke patients. Method— A total of 44 patients, 4 to 8 weeks after stroke causing severe arm paresis (Fugl–Meyer Motor Score [FM, 0 to 66] <18), were randomly assigned to either AT or ES. All patients practiced 20 minutes every workday for 6 weeks. AT patients performed 800 repetitions per session with the robot and ES patients performed 60 to 80 wrist extensions per session. The primary outcome measure was the blindly assessed FM (0 to 66), and the secondary measures were the upper limb muscle power (Medical Research Council [MRC] sum, 0 to 45) and muscle tone (Ashworth score sum, 0 to 25), assessed at the beginning and end of treatment and at 3-month follow-up. Results— The AT group had a higher Barthel Index score at baseline, but the groups were otherwise homogenous. As expected, FM and MRC sum scores improved overtime in both groups but significantly more in the robot AT group. The initial Barthel Index score had no influence. In the robot AT group, FM score was 15 points higher at study end and 13 points higher at 3-month follow-up than the control ES group. MRC sum score was 15 points higher at study end and at 3-month follow-up compared with the control ES group. Muscle tone remained unchanged, and no side effects occurred. Conclusion— The computerized active arm training produced a superior improvement in upper limb motor control and power compared with ES in severely affected stroke patients. This is probably attributable to the greater number of repetitions and the bilateral approach.
About Polynomial-time \unpredictable" Generators

So-called \perfect" or \unpredictable" pseudorandom generators have been proposed recently by people from the area of cryptology. Many people got aware of them from an optimistic article in the New York Times (Gleick (1988)). These generators are usually based on nonlinear recurrences modulo some integer m. Under some (yet un-proven) complexity assumptions, it has been proven that no polynomial-time statistical test can distinguish a sequence of bits produced by such a generator from a sequence of truly random bits. In this paper, we give some theoretical background concerning this class of generators and we look at the practicality of using them for simulation applications. We examine in particular their ease of implementation, their eeciency, periodicity, the ease of jumping ahead in the sequence, the minimum size of modulus that should be used, etc.