Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rip2 modifies VEGF-induced signalling and vascular permeability in myocardial ischaemia.

AIMS In myocardial ischaemia, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) induces permeability by activating a signalling pathway that includes VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2), resulting in increased oedema and inflammation and thereby expanding the area of tissue damage. In this study, we investigated the role of receptor-interacting protein 2 (Rip2) in VEGF signalling and myocardial ischaemia/reperfusion injury. METHODS AND RESULTS To determine whether Rip2 has a role in VEGF signalling, we used cultured endothelial cells in which Rip2 was or was not inactivated. In Rip2-deficient endothelial cells, stimulation with VEGF resulted in more rapid kinetics of VEGFR2 phosphorylation than in control cells. Rip2 deficiency also enhanced VEGF-induced activation of ERK1/2, suggesting an increased propensity for endothelial permeability. In a mouse model of myocardial ischaemia, Rip2 deficiency resulted in enhanced vascular permeability, increased oedema and expanding area of myocardial damage, and markedly reduced heart function after long-term follow-up. CONCLUSION Our results show that Rip2 modifies VEGF-induced signalling and vascular permeability in myocardial ischaemia. These findings indicate that Rip2 may be a promising novel therapeutic target to reduce excess vascular permeability in ischaemic heart disease.
Embedding Robotic Agents in the Social Environment

This paper discusses the interactive vision approach, which advocates using knowledge from the human sciences on the structure and dynamics of human-human interaction in the development of machine vision systems and interactive robots. While this approach is discussed generally, the particular case of the system being developed for the Aurora project (which aims to produce a robot to be used as a tool in the therapy of children with autism) is especially considered, with description of the design of the machine vision system being employed and discussion of ideas from the human sciences with particular reference to the Aurora system. An example architecture for a simple interactive agent, which will likely form the basis for the first implementation of this system, is briefly described and a description of hardware used for the Aurora system is given.
A discrete-time queueing system under frame-bound priority

A well-known problem with priority policies is starvation of delay-tolerant traffic. Furthermore insufficient control over delay differentiation (which is needed for modern network applications) has incited the development of other scheduling disciplines. Processor sharing is one of many solutions to this problem. The priority policy we present here has the added benefit of being more open to rigorous analysis. We study a discrete-time queueing system with a single server and single queue, in which N types of customers enter (we will refer to packets as customers) pertaining to different priorities. A general i.i. d. arrival process is assumed and service times are deterministic. We divide the time axis into 'frames' of fixed size (counted as a number of time-slots), and reorder the customers that enter the system during the same frame such that the high-priority customers are served first. This paper gives an analytic approach to studying such a system, and in particular focuses on the queue content (meaning the customers of each type in the system at random slotmarks) in stationary regime. Clearly the frame's size is the key factor in the delay differentiation between the two priority classes. The numerical results at the end of this paper illustrate this fact.
Polarization-engineered removal of buffer leakage for GaN transistors

A dopant-free epitaxial technique is developed to achieve highly insulating buffers on semi-insulating GaN templates for nitride high electron mobility transistors by using the large polarization fields. The buffer leakage current density is reduced by several orders of magnitude, exhibiting outstanding insulating and breakdown properties. The simple polarization- and heterostructure-based solution should prove highly attractive for GaN high electron mobility transistors for analog (rf), digital, and high-voltage switching applications.
Fully Adaptive Multiband Bandstop Filtering Sections and Their Application to Multifunctional Components

An original RF design approach for the realization of fully reconfigurable planar multiband bandstop filters (BSFs) is reported. The engineered RF filtering topology allows independent control of its stopbands in terms of center frequency and bandwidth. It exploits the in-series cascade of K spectrally agile N-notch filtering cells that are connected through K - 1 static impedance inverters to realize an N-band filtering transfer function with Kth-order stopbands. Each of these multinotch cells is formed by N tunable resonators-center-frequency control-that interact with the same nonresonating node by means of different variable couplings-bandwidth control. Additional features of this tune-all multiband BSF architecture when compared with related prior-art devices are: 1) scalability to the synthesis of an arbitrary number of stopbands; 2) notch-spectral-merging capability into wider eliminated bands of the same order, which equivalently allows the intrinsic control, i.e., without RF switches, of the amount of active rejected bands; and 3) smaller physical size. The coupling-matrix modeling of the conceived multiband BSF scheme is presented. Moreover, its cointegration with other RF analog-processing actions in multifunctional components, such as bandpass filtering and power division, is investigated. For experimental-validation purposes, three UHF-band mechanically reconfigurable microstrip prototypes are developed and tested. They correspond to a dual-notch filter, a wideband bandpass filter with embedded notches in its tunable passband, and a Wilkinson-type power divider with inserted stopbands for dynamic multi-interference mitigation.
Wavelet regression : a penalty function approach

Wavelet thresholding as introduced by Donoho and Johnstone (1994) provides a simple technique which involves thresholding the output of the Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) of the data of interest, as a way of removing noise from the signal. They show that their estimators are asymptotically minimax for a wide range of norms and spaces. This convergence requires strong regularization or thresholding of the coe cients from the DWT. In reality a function may have a small number of discontinuities, but is unlikely to have the worst case behaviour that a minimax estimator counters. Thus, the resulting wavelet estimators for nite sample sizes, tend to have a large number of in ection points characterized by \noise spikes", despite the strong thresholding. The choice of thresholding has been investigated bymany authors, including Nason (1996), Abramovich and Benjamini (1995) and Abramovich et al (1998), using a variety of objectives, none of which directly address this problem. We introduce a new method of wavelet regression which penalizes lack of smoothness in the reconstruction; this simple method is shown to work well in practice, by maintaining sharp changes in the function and suppressing \noise spikes".
Spectrum Sensing for Cognitive Radio

Spectrum sensing is the very task upon which the entire operation of cognitive radio rests. For cognitive radio to fulfill the potential it offers to solve the spectrum underutilization problem and do so in a reliable and computationally feasible manner, we require a spectrum sensor that detects spectrum holes (i.e., underutilized subbands of the radio spectrum), provides high spectral-resolution capability, estimates the average power in each subband of the spectrum, and identifies the unknown directions of interfering signals. Cyclostationarity is another desirable property that could be used for signal detection and classification. The multitaper method (MTM) for nonparametric spectral estimation accomplishes these tasks accurately, effectively, robustly, and in a computationally feasible manner. The objectives of this paper are to present: 1) tutorial exposition of the MTM, which is expandable to perform space-time processing and time-frequency analysis; 2) cyclostationarity, viewed from the Loeve and Fourier perspectives; and 3) experimental results, using Advanced Television Systems Committee digital television and generic land mobile radio signals, followed by a discussion of the effects of Rayleigh fading.
REGIONAL VARIATIONS IN INFANT AND CHILD MORTALITY IN NIGERIA: A MULTILEVEL ANALYSIS

Summary There are substantial regional disparities in under-five mortality in Nigeria, and evidence suggests that both individual- and community-level characteristics have an influence on health outcomes. Using 2008 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey data, this study (1) examines the effects of individual- and community-level characteristics on infant/child mortality in Nigeria and (2) determines the extent to which characteristics at these levels influence regional variations in infant/child mortality in the country. Multilevel Cox proportional hazard analysis was performed on a nationally representative sample of 28,647 children nested within 18,028 mothers of reproductive age, who were also nested within 886 communities. The results indicate that community-level variables (such as region, place of residence, community infrastructure, community hospital delivery and community poverty level) and individual-level factors (including child's sex, birth order, birth interval, maternal education, maternal age and wealth index) are important determinants of infant/child mortality in Nigeria. For instance, the results show a lower risk of death in infancy for children of mothers residing in communities with a high proportion of hospital delivery (HR: 0.70, p<0.05) and for children whose mothers had secondary or higher education (HR: 0.84, p<0.05). Although community factors appear to influence the association between individual-level factors and death during infancy and childhood, the findings consistently indicate that community-level characteristics are more important in explaining regional variations in child mortality, while individual-level factors are more important for regional variations in infant mortality. The results of this study underscore the need to look beyond the influence of individual-level factors in addressing regional variations in infant and child mortality in Nigeria.
Validation of the Ford Score as a Measure for Predicting the Level of Emotional and Behavioural Problems in Mainstream Schools

Emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD) are common in children, and forecasting their prevalence in schools is of interest to both academic researchers and local authorities. Percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals is one measure often used for this purpose. The article presents the first independent validation of a simple numerical score, the Ford score, which predicts the level of EBD within schools using routinely collected school variables on eligibility for free school meals, special educational needs, unauthorised absences and permanent exclusions. The research tested the predictive utility of the Ford score in the English sub-sample of the British Child and Adolescent Mental Health Survey, 2004. This gave a sample of 6,379 children aged 5-16 in 3,117 schools, with mental health being assessed through clinician-assigned psychiatric diagnoses and through brief questionnaires filled in by parents, teachers and young people. The Ford score was found to be highly predictive of the level of EBD by all four of these measures, with a linear effect across the whole range. The estimated prevalence of mental disorder rose from about 5 per cent in schools with low Ford scores to around 14 per cent in high-scoring schools. The Ford score was more highly correlated with all measures of EBD than percent-age of free school meals alone. The Ford score's predictive utility did not seem to be further enhanced, however, by adding in an additional measure of local area deprivation. It was concluded that the Ford score represents a simple and up-to-date school EBD predictor which is more accurate than percentage free school meals alone and which is not notably improved by taking account of a schools' area deprivation.
Hemodynamic response to oscillatory EEG rhythms in the human visual cortex

Acknowledgements The present dissertation would not have been possible without the scientific, personal and financial support I received from PD Dr. First of all, I wish to thank Hellmuth Obrig for the intense discussion of all research projects, the valuable feedback and the mentoring as my supervisor throughout this dissertation project. In addition, I am grateful to Jens Steinbrink for the fruitful methodical and technical discussions and Manfred Fahle for making this dissertation possible at all. Bourayou who supported me in many ways, scientifically, morally and socially. Riad, thanks for sharing the JADIC times with me. I'll never forget the fruitful scientific brainstorms during the nights in the 'Charité', the carthartic effect of Sarge and Demian and the smell of butyric acid in the morning. My very special thanks go to Stefanie Kehrer. Thanks for supporting me during the 'D-project'. You are right. Flowers in the Matlab's virtual reality have no smell at all. Thanks for being a part of my life. Many thanks to all friends outside the cognitive neuroscience context for helping me with the work-life balance. Tausend Dank an meine Eltern, Bärbel und Dieter Koch, für die Unterstützung über all die Jahre. Ohne Euch wäre das alles nicht möglich gewesen. 2. Summary Understanding the relationship between electrophysiological and hemodynamic signals is of superior importance to draw inferences from modern vascular based imaging techniques back to the underlying neuronal brain activity. Non-invasive studies fusing direct and indirect neuronal based methods such as electroencephalography (EEG) coupled to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) or near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in human has become a significant approach to elucidate the neurovascular mechanisms and to validate invasive findings in animal. Currently, it is still unclear which electrophysiological components or which combinations of these components have the strongest influence on the hemodynamic signal. Therein, oscillatory brain activity in the alpha-and gamma-range represents fruitful neuronal predictors because of their involvement in a widespread number of cognitive tasks and the assumption of oscillatory activity as a multifunctional coding mechanism in the visual system. The present dissertation aims to shed light on the coupling mechanisms between event-related oscillatory activity and the concomitant hemodynamic response in human. For this purpose, three 3 studies with different experimental designs were performed in order to selectively induce oscillatory activity in the alpha-and gamma-range in the visual cortex and to test the influence of a particular oscillatory band on the hemodynamic response. To …
Formalising Behavioural Compatibility for Reactive Object-oriented Systems

In order to develop formal methods for the design, analysis and implementation of object-oriented systems it is essential to formalise the underlying object-oriented concepts. At present, most object-oriented concepts are treated informally, or are deened with reference to a particular language. The aim of this paper is to present a formal view of behavioural compatibility for classes which is independent of any language or methodology. Starting with an external view of classes, we deene behavioural class compatibility from two points of view. The relationship between these deenitions for compatibility and inheritance is then discussed.
Growing Surfactant Waves in Thin Liquid Films Driven by Gravity

The dynamics of a gravity-driven thin film flow with insoluble surfactant are described in the lubrication approximation by a coupled system of nonlinear PDEs. When the total quantity of surfactant is fixed, a traveling wave solution exists. For the case of constant flux of surfactant from an upstream reservoir, global traveling waves no longer exist as the surfactant accumulates at the leading edge of the thin film profile. The dynamics can be described using matched asymptotic expansions for t →∞ . The solution is constructed from quasistatically evolving traveling waves. The rate of growth of the surfactant profile is shown to be O( √ t) and is supported by numerical simulations.
The Homeostatic Regulation of Sleep Need Is under Genetic Control

Delta power, a measure of EEG activity in the 1–4 Hz range, in slow-wave sleep (SWS) is in a quantitative and predictive relationship with prior wakefulness. Thus, sleep loss evokes a proportional increase in delta power, and excess sleep a decrease. Therefore, delta power is thought to reflect SWS need and its underlying homeostatically regulated recovery process. The neurophysiological substrate of this process is unknown and forward genetics might help elucidate the nature of what is depleted during wakefulness and recovered during SWS. We applied a mathematical method that quantifies the relationship between the sleep–wake distribution and delta power to sleep data of six inbred mouse strains. The results demonstrated that the rate at which SWS need accumulated varied greatly with genotype. This conclusion was confirmed in a “dose–response” study of sleep loss and changes in delta power; delta power strongly depended on both the duration of prior wakefulness and genotype. We followed the segregation of the rebound of delta power after sleep deprivation in 25 BXD recombinant inbred strains by quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis. One “significant” QTL was identified on chromosome 13 that accounted for 49% of the genetic variance in this trait. Interestingly, the rate at which SWS need decreases did not vary with genotype in any of the 31 inbred strains studied. These results demonstrate, for the first time, that the increase of SWS need is under a strong genetic control, and they provide a basis for identifying genes underlying SWS homeostasis.
Informed Virtual Geographic Environments: An Accurate Topological Approach

Virtual Geographic Environment (VGE) technique derives from Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Virtual Reality (VR). A VGE represents three dimensional geographic data, to target visualisation as well as simulation applications. It is generally built upon a grid-based representation which raises the well-known problems of localised data accuracy and multiple data merging. In this paper we propose a novel approach of VGE using a topological model. This approach provides an exact representation of GIS data, allowing an accurate geometrical exploitation. Moreover, our model can merge and represent several semantic information, even if spatially overlapping. Finally, we illustrate this model with a VGE application which is able to automatically extract the required data from standard GIS files, and which then allows to navigate and retrieve information from the computed VGE.
Condensing Architectural Knowledge from Unstructured Textual Media in Agile GSD Teams

Agile Global Software Development (AGSD) is a reality, since nowadays software products are required to get into the market with more speed than before. This situation has pushed Global Software Development (GSD) companies to adopt lighter ways to develop software (Agile Software Development - ASD) to satisfy market demands. However, AGSD companies have encountered increased technical debt and architectural knowledge (AK) vaporization, mainly because the inherent differences between ASD and GSD, especially in documentation handling. This paper describes a research project in which it is proposed to exploit the AK that is recorded in unstructured textual electronic media (UTEM) generally used in AGSD, in order to decrease the problems of software evolution and maintenance, caused by a lack of adequate AK. Until now, the preliminary results of this research show that this approach could be feasible in AGSD environments.
MOSFET mismatch in weak/moderate inversion: model needs and implications for analog design

Based on mismatch measurements performed on very different CMOS technologies and large operating temperature range, we propose to model more adequately the mismatch in weak and moderate inversion by adding a new term related to the mismatch of the body effect factor dependence on the gate voltage. The model is introduced in a top-down analog design methodology, applied to the current mirror case, revealing some nonobvious design rules as well as typical misconceptions.
SupraPeds: Humanoid contact-supported locomotion for 3D unstructured environments

Maintaining humanoid robot stability in unstructured environments is nontrivial because robots lack humanlike tactile sensing and require complex task-specific controllers to integrate information from multiple sensors. To deploy humanoid robots in cluttered and unstructured environments such as disaster sites, it is necessary to develop advanced techniques in both locomotion and control. This paper proposes to incorporate a pair of actuated smart staffs with vision and force sensing that transforms biped humanoids into tripeds or quadrupeds or more generally, SupraPeds. The concept of SuprePeds not only improves the stability of humanoid robots while traversing rough terrain but also retains the manipulation capabilities. In order to control the potentially numerous contact forces on SupraPeds, we develop a friction-consistent whole-body control framework that implements generic multi-contact control for arbitrary humanoids, which enables autonomous balancing while complying with friction constraints. The simulation results are presented to demonstrate that the proposed control framework can efficiently deal with multi-contact locomotion in 3D unstructured environments.
Knowing Thy Neighbor: Rational Expectations and Social Interaction in Financial Markets

In the real world, traders constantly communicate, and learn from each others’ actions. Yet, standard noisy rational expectations models assume away such social interaction and let traders interact only through the price system. In this paper we propose a generalized noisy rational expectations model which accommodates social interaction in financial markets. On top of the information conveyed through the price system, each trader infers additional information by observing some of the other traders’ portfolios. Whom a trader observes is determined by a directed graph that represents the social network. We define a notion of equilibrium for this generalized framework and investigate the implications of our model in several natural settings, including cyclic interaction schemes (where the social network is a cycle) and hierarchic interaction schemes (where the network is a tree). In particular, we show that social interaction can impair the aggregation of dispersed private information in the price system. Some preliminary results are derived in the case where traders’ observations of others’ portfolios are perturbed by noise.