Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Repertoire of G-Protein–Coupled Receptors in Fully Sequenced Genomes

The superfamily of G-protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs) is one of the largest and most studied families of proteins. We created Hidden Markov Models derived from sorted groups of GPCRs from our previous detailed phylogenetic classification of human GPCRs and added several other models derived from receptors not found in mammals. We used these models to search entire Genscan data sets from 13 species whose genomes are nearly completely sequenced. We found more than 5000 unique GPCRs that were divided into 15 main groups, and the largest one, the Rhodopsin family, was subdivided into 13 subclasses. The results show that the main families in the human genome, Glutamate, Rhodopsin, Adhesion, Frizzled, and Secretin, arose before the split of nematodes from the chordate lineage. Moreover, several of the subgroups of the Rhodopsin family arose before the split of the linage leading to vertebrates. We also searched expressed sequence tag (EST) databases and identified more than 20,000 sequences that match GPCRs. Although the GPCRs represent typically 1 to 2% of the Genscan predictions, the ESTs that match GPCRs are typically only 0.01 to 0.001%, indicating that GPCRs in most of the groups are expressed at low levels. We also provide searchable data sets that may be used for annotation and further detailed analysis of the GPCR family. This study provides an extensive overview of the expansion of the gene repertoire for families and subgroups of GPCRs.
Parenting and psychosocial development of IVF children: a follow-up study.

BACKGROUND This report details a follow-up study of the parent-child relationship and the child's psychosocial development after IVF. The pilot study compared 31 IVF families and 31 families with a naturally conceived child when the children were aged 2 years. Twenty-seven IVF and 23 control families participated again when the children were aged 8-9 years. METHODS Fathers and mothers completed questionnaires assessing parenting variables and the child's behaviour. For most children, behavioural ratings were also obtained from the child's teacher. RESULTS No significant differences were found between IVF and control parents' reports of child behaviour, parenting behaviour, parenting stress and most of the parenting goals. The parenting goal adjustment was significantly more important for IVF than for control fathers; religion was more important for IVF than for naturally conceiving mothers. Teacher ratings of the child's behaviour did not differ significantly between the IVF and control groups. All couples but one had talked to other persons about the IVF conception; 75% of the IVF parents had not yet informed their children. IVF parents who had informed their child observed more (internalizing and for fathers also overall) problem behaviours in their child, compared with IVF parents who had not yet disclosed the IVF conception. CONCLUSIONS Parenting and the children's psychosocial development do not differ significantly between IVF families and control families.
Effects of Visual Training on Saccade Control in Dyslexia

This study reports the effects of daily practice of three visual tasks on the saccadic performance of 85 dyslexic children in the age range of 8 to 15 years. The children were selected from among other dyslexics because they showed deficits in their eye-movement control, especially in fixation stability and/or voluntary saccade control. Their eye movements were measured in an overlap prosaccade and a gap antisaccade task before and after the training. The three tasks used for the training included a fixation, a saccade, and a distractor condition. In any of these tasks, the subject had to detect the last orientation of a small pattern which rapidly changed its orientation between up, down, right, and left, before it disappeared after some time. The task was to press one of four keys corresponding to the last orientation. The visual pattern was presented on an LCD display of a small hand-held instrument given to the children for daily use at home. The results indicate that daily practice improved not only the perceptual capacity, but also the voluntary saccade control, within 3 to 8 weeks. After the training, the group of dyslexics was no longer statistically different from the control group.
Modeling the Minsky triad: A framework to perform reflexive M&S studies

In this paper, we propose a general framework to evaluate models of systems that are ill defined, incompletely known, and furthermore, which cannot be experimented in real conditions, such as the economical systems at the country scale, epidemics (for obvious ethical reasons) or any natural disasters, for instance where human lives are the main issue. Our framework relies on the generic Marvin Minsky's definition of a model and its specification in the frame of the Theory of Modeling and Simulation, initiated by B.P. Zeigler. Such a dynamic system vision of the Marvin Minsky model definition enables to address original questions using what we have called the Minsky triad model, i.e., a coupled model composed of the model of the user, the model of a real system, and the model of this later model. We think that the Minsky triad model is very promising as a framework to design decision support systems for crisis management.
Mining Sensor Data in Smart Environment for Temporal Activity Prediction

Technological enhancements aid development and advanced research in smart homes and intelligent environments. The temporal nature of data collected in a smart environment provides us with a better understanding of patterns over time. Prediction using temporal relations is a complex and challenging task. To solve this problem, we suggest a solution using probability based model on temporal relations. Temporal pattern discovery based on modified Allen’s temporal relations [8] has helped discover interesting patterns and relations on smart home datasets [17]. This paper describes a method of discovering temporal relations in smart home datasets and applying them to perform activity prediction on the frequently-occurring events. We also include experimental results, performed on real and synthetic datasets.
Finite size effects in the correlation structure of stochastic neural networks: analysis of different connectivity matrices and failure of the mean-field theory

We quantify the finite size effects in a stochastic network made up of rate neurons, for several kinds of recurrent connectivity matrices. This analysis is performed by means of a perturbative expansion of the neural equations, where the perturbative parameters are the intensities of the sources of randomness in the system. In detail, these parameters are the variances of the background or input noise, of the initial conditions and of the distribution of the synaptic weights. The technique developed in this article can be used to study systems which are invariant under the exchange of the neural indices and it allows us to quantify the correlation structure of the network, in terms of pairwise and higher order correlations between the neurons. We also determine the relation between the correlation and the external input of the network, showing that strong signals coming from the environment reduce significantly the amount of correlation between the neurons. Moreover we prove that in general the phenomenon of propagation of chaos does not occur, even in the thermodynamic limit, due to the correlation structure of the 3 sources of randomness considered in the model. Furthermore, we show that the propagation of chaos does not depend only on the number of neurons in the network, but also and mainly on the number of incoming connections per neuron. To conclude, we prove that for special values of the parameters of the system the neurons become perfectly correlated, a phenomenon that we have called stochastic synchronization. These discoveries clearly prevent the use of the mean-field theory in the description of the neural network.
The economic benefit of allocation of kidneys based on cross-reactive group matching.

BACKGROUND Recently the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) began a pilot study to evaluate prospectively the merits of an allocation of cadaveric kidneys based on broader classes of HLA antigens, called cross-reactive groups (CREG). The objectives of the pilot study consider patient outcomes, but not the potential economic impact of a CREG-based allocation. This study predicts the impact of a CREG-based local allocation of cadaveric kidneys on 3-year Medicare payments and graft survival. METHODS The UNOS renal transplant registry was merged to Medicare claims data for 1991-1997 by the United States Renal Data System. Average accumulated Medicare payments and graft survival up to 3 years posttransplant for first cadaveric renal transplant recipients were stratified by cross-reactive group mismatch categories. The economic impact was defined as the difference in average 3-year costs per transplant between the current and proposed allocation algorithms. Average 3-year costs were computed as a weighted average of costs, where the weights were the actual and predicted distributions of transplants across cross-reactive group categories. RESULTS Results suggest that an organ allocation based on cross-reactive group matching criteria would result in a 3-year cost savings of $1,231 (2%) per transplant, and an average 3-year graft survival improvement of 0.6%. CONCLUSIONS Cost savings and graft survival improvements can be expected if CREG criteria were to replace current criteria in the current allocation policy for cadaveric kidneys, although the savings appear to be smaller than may be achievable through expanded HLA matching.
A Single DC Source Cascaded Seven-Level Inverter Integrating Switched-Capacitor Techniques

In this paper, a novel cascaded seven-level inverter topology with a single input source integrating switched-capacitor techniques is presented. Compared with the traditional cascade multilevel inverter, the proposed topology replaces all the separate dc sources with capacitors, leaving only one H-bridge cell with a real dc voltage source and only adds two charging switches. The capacitor charging circuit contains only power switches, so that the capacitor charging time is independent of the load. The capacitor voltage can be controlled at a desired level without complex voltage control algorithm and only use the most common carrier phase-shifted sinusoidal pulse width modulation strategy. The operation principle and the charging-discharging characteristic analysis are discussed in detail. A 1-kW experimental prototype is built and tested to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed topology.
WAYS TO PATCH THE LEAKY PIPELINE IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION

In many European countries male graduates tend to outnumber women graduates in science, mathematics and computing programmes. According to [1, p.16] the average percentage of women graduates in science, and computing in the EU is 35.7 per cent showing a downward trend even as more females than ever before have access to education and even as more and more women in the EU enrol at university. Many technically oriented degree programs at universities in the EU and here especially in Germanspeaking countries such as Germany and Austria have had and have problems to motivate females to take up technical studies. This paper looks into some of the reasons why females seem to be reluctant to study computer science (such as upbringing and socialization) and takes a close look at the evaluation of projects and measures at the degree program Information Management that increased its enrolment of female students from 13% in the winter semester 2003 to 33% in the winter semester 2007. The authors want to show to what extent the research and results in the US [e.g.2] can be applied to Austria and other German-speaking countries. After looking into the reasons that prevent women from taking up technical studies [3], the project TouchIT that was conducted at the degree program information management is described briefly. Within this project changes in the curriculum, the program’s advertising strategy [4], but also in the didactic approaches were made to meet the needs of female students in the field of technology. Great emphasis was laid on finding out design preferences of females as far as user interfaces are concerned [5]. These preferences will also be described shortly in this paper along with different expectations towards computing of girls and women according to Margolis/Fisher [2] again with a focus the US requirements compared to the results of our evaluations. This paper describes trends from our evaluations and points out how these trends can be interpreted to lower the drop-out rate in technical subjects such as programming. The conclusion of this paper will be that the leaky pipeline can only be patched if content is taught and presented in a way that is appealing and motivating to both sexes.
The Effects of Parallelism and Prosody in the Processing of Gapping Structures

Two studies explored the processing of ambiguous sentences like Bill took chips to the party and Susan to the game, which may be assigned a gapping (Susan took chips) or a nongapping structure (Bill took Susan). The central question was what factors affect the ultimate interpretive preferences for these sentences. In a written questionnaire, sentences with greater parallelism between arguments in the positions of Bill and Susan received more gapping responses, though an overall bias toward the non gapping structure was seen. An auditory comprehension study showed that prosodic parallels between arguments also affected interpretation. In both experiments parallelism played a significant role in determiningan interpretation, but the simpler structure, the nongapping structure, was preferred overall.
SST forcings and Sahel rainfall variability in simulations of the 20 th and 21 st centuries

The outlook for Sahel precipitation in coupled simulations of the 21 century is very uncertain, with different models disagreeing even on the sign of the anomalies. Such disagreement is especially surprising in light of the robust response of the same coupled models to the 20 century forcings. We present a statistical analysis of the pre-industrial, 20 century and A1B scenario simulations performed by thirteen modeling groups in preparation for the IPCC fourth assessment report. We show that the relationship that links Sahel rainfall anomalies to tropical SST anomalies at interannual time scales in observations is reproduced by a vast majority of models in all simulations, independently of the change in the basic state as the world warms. Moreover, the same SST/Sahel relationship can be used to predict the simulated 20 century changes in Sahel rainfall from each model’s simulation of changes in Indo-Pacific SST and Atlantic SST meridional gradient. Conversely, such a relationship does not explain the rainfall trend in the 21 century in a majority of models.
An illustrated guide to D-branes in SU(3)

We give a systematic account of symmetric D-branes in the Lie group SU(3). We determine both the classical and quantum moduli space of (twisted) conjugacy classes in terms of the (twisted) Stiefel diagram of the Lie group. We show that the allowed (twisted) conjugacy classes are in one-to-one correspondence with the integrable highest weight representations of the (twisted) affine Lie algebra. In particular, we show how the charges of these D-branes fit in the twisted K-theory groups.
General linear mode conversion coefficient in one dimension.

A general formula is presented for the mode conversion coefficient for linear mode conversion in one dimension, in terms of an arbitrary 2[times]2 reduced dispersion matrix describing the coupling of the modes. The mode conversion coefficient has three invariance properties which are discussed, namely, invariance under scaling transformations, canonical transformations, and a certain kind of Lorentz transformation. Formulas for the [ital S] matrix of mode conversion are also presented. The example of the conversion of electromagnetic waves to electrostatic waves in the ionosphere is used to illustrate the formulas.
Simulation of networked control systems with applications to telerobotics

Real-time telerobotic systems connected through packet networks belong to the broader family of Networked Control Systems, and can be easily destabilized by communication delay and packet losses, when they are not properly compensated. The solutions available in the literature are mainly based on Control Theory. This classical approach could be improved by the joint design of the network, e.g., the introduction of quality-of-service guarantees as currently done in teleconference applications. Control/network co-design needs a simulation framework where both aspects are properly and jointly addressed. The paper faces this topic starting from the discussion of its critical issues, and proposes a co-simulation tool based on SystemC for the network simulation and Matlab/Simulink.
Effects of left prefrontal transcranial direct current stimulation on the acquisition of contextual and cued fear memory

Objective(s): Behavioral and neuroimaging studies have shown that transcranial direct current stimulation, as a non-invasive neuromodulatory technique, beyond regional effects can modify functionally interconnected remote cortical and subcortical areas. In this study, we hypothesized that the induced changes in cortical excitability following the application of cathodal or anodal tDCS over the left frontal cortex as pre-training would affect functional connectivity in resting-state circuits of fear memory and consequently could improve or disturb the acquisition of fear memory. Materials and Methods: In order to evaluate the polarity-dependent effects of tDCS on the acquisition of fear memory and the functional connectivity, we applied left prefrontal anodal or cathodal stimulation at 200 μA for one session to healthy mice for the durations of 20 and 30 min prior to fear conditioning. Results: Our results revealed that the administration of left prefrontal anodal (for both 20 and 30 min durations) and cathodal (at 30 min duration) tDCS impaired the acquisition of both contextual and cued fear memory. In addition, we did not observe a direct correlation between stimulation duration and the efficacy of tDCS on the acquisition of contextual and cued fear memory. Conclusion: In this study, the impairments of both contextual and cued memory further confirmed the previous studies reporting that the administration of transcranial stimulation would affect the activity of deeper structures like amygdala and hippocampus as the main components of the fear memory circuit in acquisition, storage, and expression of the memory.
Robust Bounds on Risk-Sensitive Functionals via Rényi Divergence

We extend the duality between exponential integrals and relative entropy to a variational formula for exponential integrals involving the Renyi divergence. This formula characterizes the dependence of risk-sensitive functionals and related quantities determined by tail behavior to perturbations in the underlying distributions, in terms of the Renyi divergence. The characterization gives rise to upper and lower bounds that are meaningful for all values of a large deviation scaling parameter, allowing one to quantify in explicit terms the robustness of risk-sensitive costs. As applications we consider problems of uncertainty quantification when aspects of the model are not fully known, as well their use in bounding tail properties of an intractable model in terms of a tractable one.
Solenoid-based and latch-typed brake system for in-wheel module

In this study, we propose a new brake system to be used for in-wheel module of active walking aids. Along with the increase in the aged population, there has been many research devoted on active walking aids, which helps the movement of olds and disabled. In this study, a new brake system with low power consumption is developed to maximize the battery life of active walkers. Through the use of two solenoids, the developed brake only consumes power when it is switching between the on-off states. The performance of the proposed system is verified through various experiments.
A general framework for least-squares based identification of time-varying system using multiple models

In this paper, a general framework for the identification of discrete-time time-varying system is proposed. To make the problem tractable, the time variation is approximated by a piecewise constant function assuming finite number N of unknown values. The algorithms proposed would be applicable for switched system with linear and nonlinear subsystems. It also facilitates the derivation of both offline and online parameter identification algorithms. Extensive simulation studies show that our algorithm can indeed provide accurate estimates of the plant parameters even in noisy cases. A preliminary convergence analysis is also available, which we would further develop in the near future.
Multi-view lenticular display for group teleconferencing

We present a prototype display system for group teleconferencing that delivers the proper views to multiple local viewers in different locations. While current state-of-the-art commercial teleconferencing systems can provide highdefinition video, and proper placement and scaling of remote participants, they cannot support correct eye gaze for multiple users. A display capable of providing multiple simultaneous views to each local observer and multiple aligned cameras are required for generating a distinct and spatially-appropriate image for each local participant. If each local participant can observe the remote participants from an appropriate angle, then it becomes possible for viewers to properly identify where other participants are looking. Our system provides view-appropriate imagery for multiple users by spatially multiplexing the output of the display. We achieve this by placing a lenticular sheet over the surface of the display, which directs light from different pixels in different directions. With knowledge about the subset of the display surface each participant can see, it is possible to combine each of the remote cameras' images into a single composite image. This image, when viewed though the multiplexing layer, appears to be the appropriate camera image for each local participant. The prototype system uses a camera-based display calibration technique capable of properly evaluating which pixels are visible from an arbitrary viewpoint without a physical model of the display.
Polymeric Biomaterials in Tissue Engineering

Polymeric biomaterials are one of the cornerstones of tissue engineering. A wide range of materials has been used. Approaches have shown increasing sophistication over recent years employing drug delivery functionality, micropatterning, microfluidics, and other technologies. Challenges such as producing three-dimensional matrixes and rendering them deliverable through minimally invasive techniques have been addressed. A major recent development is the design of biomaterials for tissue engineering matrices to achieve specific biologic effects on cells, and vice versa. Much remains to be achieved, particularly in integrating other new technologies into the field.