Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Freeway Merging in Congested Traffic based on Multipolicy Decision Making with Passive Actor Critic

Freeway merging in congested traffic is a significant challenge toward fully automated driving. Merging vehicles need to decide not only how to merge into a spot, but also where to merge. We present a method for the freeway merging based on multi-policy decision making with a reinforcement learning method called {\em passive actor-critic} (pAC), which learns with less knowledge of the system and without active exploration. The method selects a merging spot candidate by using the state value learned with pAC. We evaluate our method using real traffic data. Our experiments show that pAC achieves 92\% success rate to merge into a freeway, which is comparable to human decision making.
Higher Education and Europe after 1992: The Framework.

The present paper aims at providing an overall framework for the discussion of the theme 'Higher Education and Europe after 1992' and at analysing some of the more general issues which underlie this theme. It does not deal with the most immediate and most obvious implications of the Single Internal Market and of the Single European Act for higher education, namely, the increased transnational student and staff mobility and the mutual recognition of degrees, qualifications and periods of study abroad as already being promoted by the ERASMUS programme in particular. It can indeed be assumed that the implementation of this and other similar programmes will largely be dependent upon, and accompanied by, more fundamental developments in higher education under the impact and in the expectation of post-1992 Europe. This broader view is called for and justified, among other things, through the mere fact that for a long time to come, and certainly well beyond 1992, students moving from one country to another will represent a relatively small part of the total student population of the Community. Assuming that, within the next three to five years, the original goal of ERASMUS iS achieved implying that 10% of all students spend at least one semester at a higher education institution in another Member State what happens to the remaining 90% is certainly a matter of utmost importance.
Learning Interpretations Using Sequence Classification

In this paper we present a system that assigns interpretations, in the form of shallow semantic frame descriptions, to natural language sentences. The system searches for relevant patterns, consisting of words from the sentences, to identify the correct semantic frame and associated slot values. For each of these choices, a separate classier is trained. Each classier
Brane decay and death of open strings

We show how open strings cease to propagate when unstable D-branes decay. The information on the propagation is encoded in BSFT two-point functions for arbitrary profiles of open string excitations. We evaluate them in tachyon condensation backgrounds corresponding to (i) static spatial tachyon kink (= lower dimensional BPS D-brane) and (ii) homogeneous rolling tachyon. For (i) the propagation is restricted to the directions along the tachyon kink, while for (ii) all the open string excitations cease to propagate at late time and are subject to a collapsed light cone characterized by Carrollian contraction of Lorentz group.
Adenovirus E4orf4 protein binds to protein phosphatase 2A, and the complex down regulates E1A-enhanced junB transcription

Adenovirus E4orf4 protein was previously shown to counteract transactivation of junB by cyclic AMP (cAMP) and E1A protein. It was also shown to cause hypophosphorylation of E1A and c-Fos proteins. Here we show that the E4orf4 protein associates with protein phosphatase 2A. All three subunits of the phosphatase are present in the complex, and the B subunit interacts directly with the viral protein. The complex possesses a phosphatase activity typical of protein phosphatase 2A, and the phosphatase mediates the E4orf4-induced down regulation of junB transcription. Thus, adenovirus E4orf4 protein recruits protein phosphatase 2A into a signal transduction pathway initiated by cAMP and E1A protein.
Do We Really Have a College Access Problem?

As Harold Lasswell and his colleagues observed of the rhetoric of power (Language of Politics, 1965), some words become magic, with "inexplicable powers" attributed to them. "Access" has become such a word in the discourse of higher education. It's a rallying cry, a totem, as we have been reminded since the beginning of 2007. In late January, the New America Foundation included "A College Access Contract" in its policy broadside "Ten Big Ideas for a New America. " In February, the annual meeting of the American Council on Education opened under the thematic banner of "The Access Imperative. " By March, the Congressional hopper had filled with three dozen pieces of proposed legislation affecting aspects of collegegoing that some call "access," with grandiose titles such as "Graduate for a Better Future Act," and the "America COMPETES Act. "
Smart controlling for traffic light time

Traffic jam and traffic accidents become serious problems especially in crowded cities, which wasting time and money. Traffic light is basic element in control traffic flow through specify waiting and going time, fixed traffic light time systems is bad control way, since number of cars is not consistency with each traffic light, thus lead to imbalance system. Intelligent transportation system including smart way to control traffic light time based on number of cars in each traffic light, this paper develops an automatic algorithm to control traffic light time based on artificial intelligent techniques and image for cars on traffic lights, this algorithm is validated by compare its results with manual results. Applying following proposed algorithm in transportation system will regulate traffic flow and reduce traveling and waiting time wasted in roads.
Scale Mixture of Gaussian Modelling of Polarimetric SAR Data

This paper describes a flexible non-Gaussian statistical method used to model polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (POLSAR) data. We outline the theoretical basis of the well-know product model as described by the class of Scale Mixture models and discuss their appropriateness for modelling radar data. The statistical distributions of several Scale mixture models are then described, including the commonly used Gaussian model, and techniques for model parameter estimation are given. Real data evaluations are made using airborne fully polarimetric SAR studies for several distinct land cover types. Generic scale mixture of Gaussian features is extracted from the model parameters and a simple clustering example presented.
Cross-Talk between Dopaminergic and Noradrenergic Systems in the Rat Ventral Tegmental Area, Locus Ceruleus, and Dorsal Hippocampus

A decreased central dopaminergic and/or noradrenergic transmission is believed to be involved in the pathophysiology of depression. It is known that dopamine (DA) neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and norepinephrine (NE) neurons in the locus ceruleus (LC) are autoregulated by somatodendritic D2-like and α2-adrenoceptors, respectively. Complementing these autoreceptor-mediated inhibitory feedbacks, anatomical and functional studies have established a role for noradrenergic inputs in regulating dopaminergic activity, and reciprocally. In the present study, a microiontophoretic approach was used to characterize the postsynaptic catecholamine heteroreceptors involved in such regulations. In the VTA, the application of DA and NE significantly reduced the firing activity of DA neurons. In addition to a role for D2-like receptors in the inhibitory effects of both catecholamines, it was demonstrated that the α2-adrenoceptor antagonist idazoxan dampened the DA- and NE-induced attenuations of DA neuronal activity, indicating that both of these receptors are involved in the responsiveness of VTA DA neurons to catecholamines. In the LC, the effectiveness of iontophoretically applied NE and DA to suppress NE neuronal firing was blocked by idazoxan but not by the D2-like receptor antagonist raclopride, which suggested that only α2-adrenoceptors were involved. In the dorsal hippocampus, a forebrain region having a sparse dopaminergic innervation but receiving a dense noradrenergic input, the suppressant effects of DA and NE on pyramidal neurons were attenuated by idazoxan but not by raclopride. The suppressant effect of DA was prolonged by administration of the selective NE reuptake inhibitor desipramine and, to lesser extent, of the selective DA reuptake inhibitor 1-(2-[bis(4-fluorophenyl)methoxy]ethyl)-4-(3-phenylpropyl)-piperazine (GBR12909), suggesting that both the NE and DA transporters were involved in DA uptake in the hippocampus. These findings might help in designing new antidepressant strategies aimed at enhancing DA and NE neurotransmission.
Expression profile of chemokines and chemokine receptors in epithelial cell layers of oral lichen planus.

BACKGROUND To understand the immunopathological features of oral lichen planus (OLP), we analyzed the expression of chemokines in the epithelial cell layers. METHODS Epithelia from OLP or healthy gingiva were collected by laser microdissection. The chemokine and chemokine receptor expressions in the epithelia were analyzed by DNA microarray. RESULTS High levels of MIP-3alpha/LARC/CCL20 and its receptor CCR6 were expressed in the lesional epithelia. Furthermore, DC-CK1/CCL18, ELC/CCL19, SDF-1/CXCL12 and CXCR4 expressions were also increased. Immunohistologial analysis showed that high numbers of Langerhans cells (LCs) were present in the epithelia of OLP. Lesional epithelia also expressed high levels of the ligands specific for CXCR3 (e.g. MIG/CXCL9, IP-10/CXCL10 and I-TAC/CXCL11) and CCR5 (e.g. RANTES/CCL5). CONCLUSIONS Infiltration of LCs is orchestrated by CCR6. Further, LCs residing in the lesional epithelia may be a mature phenotype. Moreover, infiltration of T cells in OLP could be mediated by signaling pathways through CXCR3 and CCR5.
Mode of Action of a Germination-Specific Cortex-Lytic Enzyme, SleC, of Clostridium perfringens S40

The hydrolysis of the bacterial spore peptidoglycan (cortex) is a crucial event in spore germination. It has been suggested that SleC and SleM, which are conserved among clostridia, are to be considered putative cortex-lytic enzymes in Clostridium perfringens. However, little is known about the details of the hydrolytic process by these enzymes during germination, except that SleM functions as a muramidase. Muropeptides derived from SleC-digested decoated spores of a Bacillus subtilis mutant that lacks the enzymes, SleB, YaaH and CwlJ, related to cortex hydrolysis were identified by amino acid analysis and mass spectrometry. The results suggest that SleC is most likely a bifunctional enzyme possessing lytic transglycosylase activity and N-acetylmuramoyl-L-alanine amidase activity confined to cross-linked tetrapeptide-tetrapeptide moieties of the cortex structure. Furthermore, it appears that during germination of Clostridium perfringens spores, SleC causes merely small and local changes in the cortex structure, which are necessary before SleM can function.
Neuromuscular electrical stimulation improves exercise tolerance in patients with advanced heart failure on continuous intravenous inotropic support use—randomized controlled trial

Objective: To evaluate the impact of a short-term neuromuscular electrical stimulation program on exercise tolerance in hospitalized patients with advanced heart failure who have suffered an acute decompensation and are under continuous intravenous inotropic support. Design: A randomized controlled study. Subjects: Initially, 195 patients hospitalized for decompensated heart failure were recruited, but 70 were randomized. Intervention: Patients were randomized into two groups: control group subject to the usual care (n = 35); neuromuscular electrical stimulation group (n = 35) received daily training sessions to both lower extremities for around two weeks. Main measures: The baseline 6-minute walk test to determine functional capacity was performed 24 hours after hospital admission, and intravenous inotropic support dose was daily checked in all patients. The outcomes were measured in two weeks or at the discharge if the patients were sent back home earlier than two weeks. Results: After losses of follow-up, a total of 49 patients were included and considered for final analysis (control group, n = 25 and neuromuscular electrical stimulation group, n = 24). The neuromuscular electrical stimulation group presented with a higher 6-minute walk test distance compared to the control group after the study protocol (293 ± 34.78 m vs. 265.8 ± 48.53 m, P < 0.001, respectively). Neuromuscular electrical stimulation group also demonstrated a significantly higher dose reduction of dobutamine compared to control group after the study protocol (2.72 ± 1.72 µg/kg/min vs. 3.86 ± 1.61 µg/kg/min, P = 0.001, respectively). Conclusion: A short-term inpatient neuromuscular electrical stimulation rehabilitation protocol improved exercise tolerance and reduced intravenous inotropic support necessity in patients with advanced heart failure suffering a decompensation episode.
Whence and Whither Prosody in Automatic Speech Understanding: A Case Study

The ‘case’ this paper is dealing with is prosody research at the Chair for Pattern Recognition at the University of Erlangen– Nuremberg during the last fifteen years. We want to show how this mirrors the development of prosody research within automatic speech understanding in general. We sketch the realm of prosody in automatic speech understanding and relate the projects conducted to the research topics. This is illustrated in more detail with experimental results obtained within the last two years. Emphasis is put on the interplay between prosodic information and other knowledge sources.
Phospholipase D2 (PLD2) is a guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) for the GTPase Rac2

We have discovered that the enzyme phospholipase D2 (PLD2) binds directly to the small GTPase Rac2, resulting in PLD2 functioning as a guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF), because it switches Rac2 from the GDP-bound to the GTP-bound states. This effect is large enough to be meaningful (∼72% decrease for GDP dissociation and 300% increase for GTP association, both with PLD2), it has a half-time of ∼7 min, is enhanced with increasing PLD2 concentrations, and compares favorably with other known GEFs, such as Vav-1. The PLD2-Rac2 protein–protein interaction is sufficient for the GEF function, because it can be demonstrated in vitro with just recombinant proteins without lipid substrates, and a catalytically inactive lipase (PLD2-K758R) has GEF activity. Apart from this function, exogenous phosphatidic acid by itself (300 pM) increases GTP binding and enhances PLD2-K758R–mediated GTP binding (by ∼34%) but not GDP dissociation. Regarding the PLD2-Rac2 protein–protein association, it involves, for PLD2, residues 263–266 within a Cdc42/Rac interactive binding region in the PH domain, as well as the PX domain, and it involves, for Rac2, residue N17 within its Switch-1 region. PLD2's GEF function is demonstrated in living cells, because silencing PLD2 results in reduced Rac2 activity, whereas PLD2-initiated Rac2 activation enhances cell adhesion, chemotaxis, and phagocytosis. There are several known GEFs, but we report that this GEF is harbored in a phospholipase. The benefit to the cell is that PLD2 brings spatially separated molecules together in a membrane environment, ready for fast intracellular signaling and cell function.
Mass spectrometry coupled to imaging techniques: the better the view the greater the challenge

These are definitively exciting times for membrane lipid researchers. Once considered just as the cell membrane building blocks, the important role these lipids play is steadily being acknowledged. The improvement occurred in mass spectrometry techniques (MS) allows the establishment of the precise lipid composition of biological extracts. However, to fully understand the biological function of each individual lipid species, we need to know its spatial distribution and dynamics. In the past 10 years, the field has experienced a profound revolution thanks to the development of MS-based techniques allowing lipid imaging (MSI). Images reveal and verify what many lipid researchers had already shown by different means, but none as convincing as an image: each cell type presents a specific lipid composition, which is highly sensitive to its physiological and pathological state. While these techniques will help to place membrane lipids in the position they deserve, they also open the black box containing all the unknown regulatory mechanisms accounting for such tailored lipid composition. Thus, these results urges to different disciplines to redefine their paradigm of study by including the complexity revealed by the MSI techniques.
Designing with Care: Adapting Cultural Probes to Inform Design in Sensitive Settings

We report on the methodological process of developing computer support for former psychiatric patients living in residential care settings, for older members of the community, and disabled people living at home. Methods for identifying user needs in such sensitive settings are underdeveloped and the situation presents a very complex set of design challenges. In particular, the highly personal character of such settings presents conventional observational techniques, such as ethnography, with obdurate problems that make direct observation intrusive, disruptive and inappropriate on occasion. Direct observation requires supplementation in sensitive settings. Accordingly, we report on our experiences of adapting Cultural Probes to explore care settings, to develop a design dialogue with participants, and to gather information about their unique needs.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of the psychosis continuum: evidence for a psychosis proneness–persistence–impairment model of psychotic disorder

A systematic review of all reported incidence and prevalence studies of population rates of subclinical psychotic experiences reveals a median prevalence rate of around 5% and a median incidence rate of around 3%. A meta-analysis of risk factors reveals associations with developmental stage, child and adult social adversity, psychoactive drug use, and also male sex and migrant status. The small difference between prevalence and incidence rates, together with data from follow-up studies, indicates that approximately 75–90% of developmental psychotic experiences are transitory and disappear over time. There is evidence, however, that transitory developmental expression of psychosis (psychosis proneness) may become abnormally persistent (persistence) and subsequently clinically relevant (impairment), depending on the degree of environmental risk the person is additionally exposed to. The psychosis proneness–persistence–impairment model considers genetic background factors impacting on a broadly distributed and transitory population expression of psychosis during development, poor prognosis of which, in terms of persistence and clinical need, is predicted by environmental exposure interacting with genetic risk.
Trekking back to mainstream for inclusive education, is it there?

This paper explores the ecosystemic management strategies for inclusive schools due to challenges faced by the schools in the mainstream school where learners from the specialised institutions are referred back to mainstream for inclusive education. Ecosystemic perspective on inclusive education, ecological theories and systems theories underpin this paper. The study was done through interviews, field notes and observations of 120 participants comprising the SMTs, educators and parents. The findings indicate that schools face great challenges in managing inclusive schools. A lot has been published on inclusive education, but none of them offers ecosystemic management strategies for the school management to follow. The article concludes by offering ecosystemic management strategies for successful implementation of inclusive education.
Occupational Disruption: Living with Motor Neurone Disease

Little is known of the day-to-day experience of living with motor neurone disease from the perspective of those who have it, apart from what can be found in personal accounts such as those published on web pages. In this study, which was informed by phenomenology, seven people living in an urban setting in New Zealand were asked to describe their experiences. This report focuses on the study findings that related specifically to disruption to occupation. It describes how early changes in occupational performance alerted the participants to the fact that something was wrong. The findings also showed the pervasive impact of an awkward and unreliable body on participation in occupations that gave meaning to life, expressed identity and filled time. Issues of how the family's world was changed, the introduction of assistive devices into their homes and the betrayal of trust were also powerfully evident in participants' stories. Although the findings are broadly consistent with those of previous studies, the disruption to occupation and the consequent role losses are new findings. Further research into the impact of the loss of participation in occupation, the ways in which people are perceived when occupations are disrupted and the experience of having occupations taken away prematurely is recommended.
Thevenin equivalent circuit for the study of high photovoltaic penetration in distribution grids

The electricity grid is unidirectional operating in a passive way and consequently it is not yet ready to accept high penetration of renewable energy sources (RES). Further research is required to assess the impact of distributed Photovoltaic (PV) generation on power quality and establish the necessary measures for the restructuring of the electricity grid to ensure its optimum operation. In this paper, appropriate models are developed in order to assess the effects of PV generation. Thevenin's theorem is used to develop the equivalent circuit representing the exact distribution grid behaviour. The Thevenin equivalent circuit in combination with a verified PV system model are employed to study the power quality response of the distribution grid in the presence of PV via simulation and the results are compared to actual measurements yielding good agreement.
High-throughput Isolation and Characterization of Untagged Membrane Protein Complexes: Outer Membrane Complexes of Desulfovibrio vulgaris

Cell membranes represent the “front line” of cellular defense and the interface between a cell and its environment. To determine the range of proteins and protein complexes that are present in the cell membranes of a target organism, we have utilized a “tagless” process for the system-wide isolation and identification of native membrane protein complexes. As an initial subject for study, we have chosen the Gram-negative sulfate-reducing bacterium Desulfovibrio vulgaris. With this tagless methodology, we have identified about two-thirds of the outer membrane- associated proteins anticipated. Approximately three-fourths of these appear to form homomeric complexes. Statistical and machine-learning methods used to analyze data compiled over multiple experiments revealed networks of additional protein–protein interactions providing insight into heteromeric contacts made between proteins across this region of the cell. Taken together, these results establish a D. vulgaris outer membrane protein data set that will be essential for the detection and characterization of environment-driven changes in the outer membrane proteome and in the modeling of stress response pathways. The workflow utilized here should be effective for the global characterization of membrane protein complexes in a wide range of organisms.