Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On Working Memory: Its organization and capacity limits

This work examines two questions in the working memory field: the organization of working memory function within the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the nature of the limited capacity of visual working memory. To study the organization of working memory function within the PFC, we recorded the activity of single neurons from different areas within the PFC and from the gustatory cortex (GUS) of two subjects while they performed a gustatory delayed-match-to-sample task with intervening gustatory distraction. Neurons that encoded the gustatory stimulus across the delay, consistent with a role in gustatory working memory, were most prevalent in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) (the main recipient of gustatory inputs within the PFC) and GUS compared with dorsolateral PFC and ventrolateral PFC. Gustatory information in OFC was more resilient to intervening distraction, paralleling previous findings regarding visual working memory processes in PFC and posterior sensory cortex. Our findings are consistent with a model of working memory organization in which different PFC areas encode different types of information in working memory depending on their afferent connections with different sensory brain areas. In the second part of this work, we investigate the nature of the limited capacity in visual working memory by training two subjects on a multiple-item color change detection task. Our results show that when subjects have to store multiple items in visual working memory, the fidelity of the memory traces decreases as more items are loaded into memory. Thus, visual working memory can be described as a limited resource that must be shared in the representation of multiple items. By recording activity from single neurons in the ventral PFC while subjects held multiple colors in memory, we show that for a subset of color-tuned neurons, the sharpness of tuning decreases when two items are being held in working memory. Thus the amount of information encoded by the neurons decreases as more items are loaded in memory, analogous to the loss in precision of the internal memory representations. This finding, however, only applies when we take into account which color the subjects were covertly attending to, suggesting that attention plays a significant role in the allocation of the limited memory resources.
Transcranial and carotid Doppler study in coronary artery bypass graft patients.

OBJECTIVE Atherosclerosis is a pathogenesis which is common in both coronary and intracranial arterial diseases. Therefore, we designed a group of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery patients for transcranial Doppler (TCD) to assess intracranial artery diseases and carotid duplex studies to assess carotid artery diseases. METHODS In a prospective randomized study, 129 elective CABG patients with proven coronary artery disease by angiography, were examined by TCD and 45 patients by carotid duplex preoperatively. Neurologic examination was carried out pre- and post- operatively. This study was carried out from April 2001 to August 2002 at Imam Hospital of Tabriz Medical Science University, Iran. RESULTS Out of the 129 CABG patients, there were 105 males and 24 females, with an average age of 57+\-9.9 years. Risk factors were as follows: smoking in 44.8%, hypertension in 38%, hypercholesterolemia in 29%, and diabetes mellitus in 18.6%. The TCD findings of 30 patients (23.2%, 11 female and 19 male) revealed the following abnormalities: stenosis of basilar artery in 7 patients (5.4%), carotid siphon in 3 (2.3%), intracranial internal carotid in 5 (3.9%), middle cerebral artery in 3 (2.3%) and vertebral artery in one patient (0.8%). Multiple vessel abnormality was detected in 11 patients (8.5%). There was a significant correlation between severity of coronary artery disease in angiography and abnormality in TCD (p=0.008). The TCD abnormality was detected more in females (p=0.008) or hypertensive patients (p=0.004). In the carotid duplex study of the randomized 45 patients, 23 (51.1%) had abnormal results as follows: stenosis <50% in 17 (38%) cases, stenosis between 50-70% in 5 (11%), and hemodynamically significant stenosis (>70%) only in one (2%) patient. There was also significant correlation between severity of coronary involvement and carotid involvement (p<0.01). No stroke occurred in the first postoperative week following CABG surgery. CONCLUSION Stenosis of intracranial and carotid arteries was more common in CABG patients with more than 2-coronary vessel involvement or hypertensive or female patients. We recommend TCD and carotid duplex studies in these patients for prevention of probable cerebrovascular accidents.
“I smile when I’m angry!” an examination of emotional dissonance among police officers

With the growth of service industry occupations, managing emotions at work has increased as a topic of interest among scholars and practitioners in organisational behaviour and human resource management(Grandey, 2000). Emotional dissonance occurs when there is discrepancy between organisational sanctioned emotions and actual emotions of employees(Zapf, Vogt, Seifert, Mertini, & Isic, 1999). This discrepancy can be associated with significant levels of psychological ill-health (Zapf, Seifert, Schmutte, Mertini, & Holz, 2001). Policing is consistently ranked among the top five stressful/high-risk occupations (e.g. Coman, Evans, Stanley, & Burrows, 1991). Police officers act as the front-line contact when dealing directly with community members; they are expected to be social workers, teachers, role models, and counsellors. Operational police officers are often required to suppress their actual emotions during their work, in order to perform their job to formally designated procedures and standards.
Optimizing on real-time fluid 3D effect in mobile environment

Simulating fluids on screen has been getting many spotlights because it is one of the most challenging tasks in computer science area. So we developed a real-time fluid simulation on android platform with SPH fluid algorithm and Bullet physics engine, and then rendered it with OpenGL|ES. Because of the limitation of smartphone environment, the simulation does not show a good performance. We suggest three methods to improve the performance of the demo. Firstly, we enable parallel computing with ARM NEON to accelerate mathematical computation. Secondly, we simplify the SPH algorithm with particle-forming technique. Finally, we optimize rendering skill with SSFR technique. We carry out experiments to validate the methods we suggest. The experiments results show that the first method improved the performance by about 26% to 40%, the second method improved the performance by about 50%, and the third method helped us represent a more smooth and natural fluid surface. Therefore, these methods are proved to be able to improve the performance of the real-time 3D fluid effect simulation significantly.
Management of glucocorticoids-induced osteoporosis: role of teriparatide

Glucocorticoids (GC)-induced osteoporosis (GIOP) is the most common cause of secondary osteoporosis, which leads to an increased fracture risk in patients. The normal bone turnover depends on a balance between osteoblasts and osteoclasts activity and GC can cause a rapid bone loss, decreasing bone formation and increasing bone resorption. The decreased bone formation is mainly due to the GC-induced apoptosis of both osteoblasts and osteocytes, while the increased bone resorption is due to the increased life-span of pre-existing osteoclasts. Bisphosphonates are clearly effective in preventing and treating GIOP but anabolic therapeutic strategies are the new promising therapeutic alternative. Experimental and clinical studies indicate that teriparatide, the active (1–34) parathyroid hormone (PTH) molecule, is efficacious for the treatment of GIOP, being able to induce an increase in bone mass in these patients. Intermittent administration of human PTH (1–34) stimulates bone formation by increasing osteoblast number. Additionally, human PTH (1–34) modulates the level and/or activity of locally produced growth factors and cytokines. Teriparatide has been demonstrated in several clinical studies to significantly decrease the incidence of fractures in patients affected by GIOP. It has recently received an indication for GIOP and its label indication has also been expanded.
Cloning and characterization of the major outer membrane protein gene (ompH) of Pasteurella multocida X-73

The major outer membrane protein (OmpH) of Pasteurella multocida X-73 was purified by selective extraction with detergents, followed by size exclusion chromatography. The planar lipid bilayer assay showed that OmpH has pore-forming function. The average single channel conductance in 1.0 M KCl was 0.62 nS. The gene (ompH) encoding OmpH has been isolated and sequenced by construction of a genomic library and PCR techniques. The coding region of this gene is 1,059 bp long. The predicted primary protein is composed of 353 amino acids, with a 20-amino-acid signal peptide. The mature protein is composed of 333 amino acids with a molecular mass of 36.665 kDa. The ompH gene encoding mature protein has been expressed in Escherichia coli by using a regulatable expression system. The ompH gene was distributed among 15 P. multocida serotypes and strain CU. Protection studies showed that OmpH was able to induce homologous protection in chickens. These findings demonstrate that OmpH is a protective outer membrane porin of strain X-73 and is conserved among P. multocida somatic serotypes.
Frequent and Discriminative Subnetwork Mining for Mild Cognitive Impairment Classification

Recent studies on brain networks have suggested that many brain diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), are related to a large-scale brain network, rather than individual brain regions. However, it is challenging to find such a network from the whole brain network due to the complexity of brain networks. In this article, the authors propose a novel method to mine the discriminative subnetworks for classifying MCI patients from healthy controls (HC). Specifically, the authors first extract a set of frequent subnetworks from each of the two groups (i.e., MCI and HC), respectively. Then, measure the discriminative ability of those frequent subnetworks using the graph kernel-based classification method and select the most discriminative subnetworks for subsequent classification. The results on the functional connectivity networks of 12 MCI and 25 HC show that this method can obtain competitive results compared with state-of-the-art methods on MCI classification.
A practical guide to stochastic simulations of reaction-diffusion processes

A practical introduction to stochastic modelling of reaction-diffusion processes is presented. No prior knowledge of stochastic simulations is assumed. The methods are explained using illustrative examples. The article starts with the classical Gillespie algorithm for the stochastic modelling of chemical reactions. Then stochastic algorithms for modelling molecular diffusion are given. Finally, basic stochastic reaction-diffusion methods are presented. The connections between stochastic simulations and deterministic models are explained and basic mathematical tools (e.g. chemical master equation) are presented. The article concludes with an overview of more advanced methods and problems.
Management of Metastatic Bone Disease Algorithms for Diagnostics and Treatment.

BACKGROUND Bone is a frequent site of metastases in advanced cancer and is associated with significant skeletal morbidity. Current treatment options are aimed at preserving and improving functional independence and quality of life. MATERIALS AND METHODS A review of current literature focusing on diagnostic tools and treatment approaches of bone metastasis in advanced cancer was performed and conclusions were incorporated into diagnostic and treatment algorithms. RESULTS Radiologic imaging has added valuable tools for screening and diagnostics of bone metastasis. Clinical management of skeletal metastasis includes improved pain management, introduction of bone modifying agents and advancements in surgical and radiation therapy. We propose three algorithms enhancing the sensitivity of diagnostics and improving multidisciplinary management of vertebral and non-vertebral bone metastasis. CONCLUSION Bone metastases are an expression of a systemic disease. Treatment options include highly specialized modalities yet need to be tailored to individual needs. Algorithms help standardize treatment procedures and can improve treatment outcome in a multidisciplinary setting.
Distribution-independent Reliable Learning

We study several questions in the reliable agnostic learning framework of Kalai et al. (2009), which captures learning tasks in which one type of error is costlier than others. A positive reliable classifier is one that makes no false positive errors. The goal in the positive reliable agnostic framework is to output a hypothesis with the following properties: (i) its false positive error rate is at most $\epsilon$, (ii) its false negative error rate is at most $\epsilon$ more than that of the best positive reliable classifier from the class. A closely related notion is fully reliable agnostic learning, which considers partial classifiers that are allowed to predict "unknown" on some inputs. The best fully reliable partial classifier is one that makes no errors and minimizes the probability of predicting "unknown", and the goal in fully reliable learning is to output a hypothesis that is almost as good as the best fully reliable partial classifier from a class. For distribution-independent learning, the best known algorithms for PAC learning typically utilize polynomial threshold representations, while the state of the art agnostic learning algorithms use point-wise polynomial approximations. We show that one-sided polynomial approximations, an intermediate notion between polynomial threshold representations and point-wise polynomial approximations, suffice for learning in the reliable agnostic settings. We then show that majorities can be fully reliably learned and disjunctions of majorities can be positive reliably learned, through constructions of appropriate one-sided polynomial approximations. Our fully reliable algorithm for majorities provides the first evidence that fully reliable learning may be strictly easier than agnostic learning. Our algorithms also satisfy strong attribute-efficiency properties, and provide smooth tradeoffs between sample complexity and running time.
LARGE-SCALE TRACKING FOR CELL MIGRATION AND PROLIFERATION ANALYSIS AND EXPERIMENTAL OPTIMIZATION OF HIGH-THROUGHPUT SCREENS

Optimizing the experimental conditions and technical settings for high-throughput experiments is a tedious and time consuming but important task. For image-based screens, automatic image analysis techniques can support and accelerate the optimization process significantly. We here prese nt a tracking approach suitable for high-throughput data, and demonstrate based on a large set of live cell image sequences that automatic tracking is not only important for successfu l data evaluation but also to support the experimental optimization process before the final screen is performed. Based on automatic segmentation and tracking results we study global cell movement on cell arrays to estimate the specificity of gene knockdowns in single spots, we measure the cellular reproduction time to optimize the total observati on interval, and we automatically detect rare division events such as multi-polar divisions to support manual selection o f target genes. The extracted information allows experiment alists to optimally select experimental parameters. Also, th is information is useful for subsequent processing steps, e.g . for selecting adequate methods for statistical analysis of the data.
Phenotyping of Mice with Heart Specific Overexpression of A2A-Adenosine Receptors: Evidence for Cardioprotective Effects of A2A-Adenosine Receptors

Background: Adenosine can be produced in the heart and acts on cardiac adenosine receptors. One of these receptors is the A2A-adenosine receptor (A2A-AR). Methods and Results: To better understand its role in cardiac function, we generated and characterized mice (A2A-TG) which overexpress the human A2A-AR in cardiomyocytes. In isolated atrial preparations from A2A-TG but not from WT, CGS 21680, an A2A-AR agonist, exerted positive inotropic and chronotropic effects. In ventricular preparations from A2A-TG but not WT, CGS 21680 increased the cAMP content and the phosphorylation state of phospholamban and of the inhibitory subunit of troponin in A2A-TG but not WT. Protein expression of phospholamban, SERCA, triadin, and junctin was unchanged in A2A-TG compared to WT. Protein expression of the α-subunit of the stimulatory G-protein was lower in A2A-TG than in WT but expression of the α-subunit of the inhibitory G-protein was higher in A2A-TG than in WT. While basal hemodynamic parameters like left intraventricular pressure and echocardiographic parameters like the systolic diameter of the interventricular septum were higher in A2A-TG than in WT, after β-adrenergic stimulation these differences disappeared. Interestingly, A2A-TG hearts sustained global ischemia better than WT. Conclusion: We have successfully generated transgenic mice with cardiospecific overexpression of a functional A2A-AR. This receptor is able to increase cardiac function per se and after receptor stimulation. It is speculated that this receptor may be useful to sustain contractility in failing human hearts and upon ischemia and reperfusion.
Nonparametric Regularized Regression for Phenotype-Associated Taxa Selection and Network Construction with Metagenomic Count Data

We use a metagenomic approach and network analysis to investigate the relationships between phenotypes across taxa under different environmental conditions. The network structure of taxa can be affected by the disease-associated environmental conditions. In addition, taxa abundance is differentiated under conditions. Therefore, knowing how the correlation or relative abundance changes with these factors would be of great interest to researchers. We develop a nonparametric regularized regression method to construct taxa association networks under different clinical conditions. We let the coefficients be unknown functions of the environmental variable. The varying coefficients are estimated by using regression splines. The proposed method is regularized with concave penalties, and an efficient group descent algorithm is developed for computation. We also apply the varying coefficient model to estimate taxa abundance to see how it changes across different environmental conditions. Moreover, for conducting inference, we propose a bootstrap method to construct the simultaneous confidence bands for the corresponding coefficients. We use different simulated designs and a real data set to demonstrate that our method can identify the network structures successfully under different environmental conditions. As such, the proposed method has potential applications for researchers to construct differential networks and identify taxa.
NOD2 (CARD15) mutations in Crohn’s disease are associated with diminished mucosal α-defensin expression

Background: Mutations in NOD2, a putative intracellular receptor for bacterial peptidoglycans, are associated with a subset of Crohn’s disease but the molecular mechanism linking this protein with the disease pathogenesis remains unclear. Human α defensins (HD-5 and HD-6) are antibiotic effector molecules predominantly expressed in Paneth cells of the ileum. Paneth cells also express NOD2. To address the hypothesis that the function of NOD2 may affect expression of Paneth cell defensins, we compared their expression levels with respect to NOD2 mutations in Crohn’s disease. Methods: Forty five Crohn’s disease patients (24 with NOD2 mutations, 21 with wild-type NOD2) and 12 controls were studied. Real time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was performed with mucosal mRNA for HD-5, HD-6, lysozyme, secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2), tumour necrosis factor α, interleukin 8, and human hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (housekeeping gene). Immunohistochemistry with anti-HD-5 and histological Paneth cell staining were performed in 10 patients with NOD2 mutations or wild-type genotypes. Results: Ileal expression of HD-5 and HD-6, but not sPLA2 or lysozyme, were diminished in affected ileum, and the decrease was significantly more pronounced in patients with NOD2 mutations. In the colon, HD-5, HD-6, and sPLA2 were increased during inflammation in wild-type but not in NOD2 mutated patients. In both the colon and ileum, proinflammatory cytokines and lysozyme were unaffected by NOD2 status. Immunohistochemistry identified Paneth cells as the sole source of HD-5. Conclusion: As alpha defensins are important in the mucosal antibacterial barrier, their diminished expression may explain, in part, the bacterial induced mucosal inflammation and ileal involvement of Crohn’s disease, especially in the case of NOD2 mutations.
Use of standard fluorescence microscopy to assess modifications in the plasma membrane potential and in the intracellular concentration of inorganic ions in cultured cells

As an alternative to electrophysiological procedures, fluorescent probes have been widely used to assess modifications in the plasma membrane potential (PMP) of living cells, mostly via spectrophotometric or spectrofluorimetric analysis of samples of suspended cells. Another suggested procedure for the quantitative study of PMP changes using fluorescent probes utilizes confocal microscopy and image analysis of cells loaded with potentiometric probes. A modification of this latter procedure employs standard fluorescent microscopy and image analysis (FM-IA). We have used this methodology to study modifications in the PMP and intracellular ionic concentrations for the case of cultured epithelial cells. In this chapter we describe the FM-IA method, illustrate its utilization with examples taken from our published work and discuss possible applications and shortcomings.
Modelling and Simulation of Multi-Rate Multi-Service Traffic in the Presence of Mobility

A multi-service traffic model is proposed, and its validation is achieved by using event-based simulation results. In the single-service case, theoretical and experimental results for ON-OFF blocking probability are close to each other, and there is an almost perfect concordance between theoretical and simulation values when the average sojourn time in cells is equal to the average holding time. In the multi-service case, the behaviour is not exactly the same but a coherent behaviour is achieved for an average traffic per user up to 0.10 Erl.
Effective hierarchical background modeling and foreground detection in surveillance systems

Background modeling is one of the most important parts of visual surveillance systems. Most background models are pixel-based which extract detailed shape of moving objects, but they are so sensitive to non-stationary scenes. In many applications there is no need to detect the detailed shape of moving objects. So some researchers use block-based methods instead of pixel-based which are more insensitive to local movements. These two methods are complementary to each other. We propose an efficient hierarchical method by which the block level information is utilized intelligently to improve the efficiency and robustness of pixel level. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the algorithm when applied in different outdoor and indoor environments.