Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identification and localization of human brain activity patterns using particle swarm optimization

Classifier-based multivariate pattern recognition techniques have in recent years enabled highly sensitive mapping of brain regions where mind states can be decoded from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data. The ¿searchlight¿ mapping approach, where the brain volume is exhaustively scanned with a fixed-size search volume, is highly appealing in terms of sensitivity but also exceedingly time consuming. We therefore propose an efficient, easily-implemented particle swarm optimization (PSO) brain mapping method, where fixed-size, fixed-shape (spherical) particles search the brain volume for informative regions where a classifier can decode the mind states. Particle positions and velocities are encoded in Cartesian coordinates, and niching techniques are used to identify multiple informative brain regions. We demonstrate the versatility of the algorithm in combination with linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and linear and non-linear support vector machines (SVMs) to decode brain states on simulated as well as authentic fMRI data. The PSO method outperformed the conventional general linear model (GLM) method in terms of mapping sensitivity, and compared favorably with the ¿searchlight¿ algorithm - for a dramatic reduction in time requirements (e.g. 6.7 min compared to 9 h for a minute reduction in mapping sensitivity). On the authentic fMRI dataset, expected brain regions were identified. The PSO algorithm is a promising highly efficient multivariate alternative for functional brain mapping and brain state decoding.
Amygdala Dopamine Receptors Are Required for the Destabilization of a Reconsolidating Appetitive Memory,

Memories are not fixed in the brain, but undergo experience-dependent updating and modification through reconsolidation. This occurs when a memory is converted to a labile state, usually involving surprise (formally, prediction error), which is in turn linked to release of dopamine. Abstract Disrupting maladaptive memories may provide a novel form of treatment for neuropsychiatric disorders, but little is known about the neurochemical mechanisms underlying the induction of lability, or destabilization, of a retrieved consolidated memory. Destabilization has been theoretically linked to the violation of expectations during memory retrieval, which, in turn, has been suggested to correlate with prediction error (PE). It is well-established that PE correlates with dopaminergic signaling in limbic forebrain structures that are critical for emotional learning. The basolateral amygdala is a key neural substrate for the reconsolidation of pavlovian reward-related memories, but the involvement of dopaminergic mechanisms in inducing lability of amygdala-dependent memories has not been investigated. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that dopaminergic signaling within the basolateral amygdala is required for the destabilization of appetitive pavlovian memories by investigating the effects dopaminergic and protein synthesis manipulations on appetitive memory reconsolidation in rats. Intra-amygdala administration of either the D1-selective dopamine receptor antagonist SCH23390 or the D2-selective dopamine receptor antagonist raclopride prevented memory destabilization at retrieval, thereby protecting the memory from the effects of an amnestic agent, the protein synthesis inhibitor anisomycin. These data show that dopaminergic transmission within the basolateral amygdala is required for memory labilization during appetitive memory reconsolidation.
Creativity and Conservation : Managing Significance at the Sydney Opera House

for large-scale work. conserved, and how change should be managed in the future. This paper examines how the dialogue with the original architect has been integrated into heritage-management strategies that guide both the dayto-day care of the building, as well as proposals for large-scale work. It also reflects on the challenges of marrying the World Heritage process for assessing significance within the more usual process of significance assessment used by national heritage bodies. Finally, the paper also reflects on the challenges of balancing different and sometimes competing values and illustrates an emerging approach to achieving this balance.
Asymptotic robustness of estimators in rare-event simulation

The asymptotic robustness of estimators as a function of a rarity parameter, in the context of rare-event simulation, is often qualified by properties such as bounded relative error (BRE) and logarithmic efficiency (LE), also called asymptotic optimality. However, these properties do not suffice to ensure that moments of order higher than one are well estimated. For example, they do not guarantee that the variance of the empirical variance remains under control as a function of the rarity parameter. We study generalizations of the BRE and LE properties that take care of this limitation. They are named bounded relative moment of order k (BRM-k) and logarithmic efficiency of order k (LE-k), where k ≥ 1 is an arbitrary real number. We also introduce and examine a stronger notion called vanishing relative centered moment of order k, and exhibit examples where it holds. These properties are of interest for various estimators, including the empirical mean and the empirical variance. We develop (sufficient) Lyapunov-type conditions for these properties in a setting where state-dependent importance sampling (IS) is used to estimate first-passage time probabilities. We show how these conditions can guide us in the design of good IS schemes, that enjoy convenient asymptotic robustness properties, in the context of random walks with light-tailed and heavy-tailed increments. As another illustration, we study the hierarchy between these robustness properties (and a few others) for a model of highly reliable Markovian system (HRMS) where the goal is to estimate the failure probability of the system. In this setting, for a popular class of IS schemes, we show that BRM-k and LE-k are equivalent and that these properties become strictly stronger when k increases. We also obtain a necessary and sufficient condition for BRM-k in terms of quantities that can be readily computed from the parameters of the model.
Socioeconomic Inequalities in Non-Communicable Diseases Prevalence in India: Disparities between Self-Reported Diagnoses and Standardized Measures

Background Whether non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are diseases of poverty or affluence in low-and-middle income countries has been vigorously debated. Most analyses of NCDs have used self-reported data, which is biased by differential access to healthcare services between groups of different socioeconomic status (SES). We sought to compare self-reported diagnoses versus standardised measures of NCD prevalence across SES groups in India. Methods We calculated age-adjusted prevalence rates of common NCDs from the Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health, a nationally representative cross-sectional survey. We compared self-reported diagnoses to standardized measures of disease for five NCDs. We calculated wealth-related and education-related disparities in NCD prevalence by calculating concentration index (C), which ranges from −1 to +1 (concentration of disease among lower and higher SES groups, respectively). Findings NCD prevalence was higher (range 5.2 to 19.1%) for standardised measures than self-reported diagnoses (range 3.1 to 9.4%). Several NCDs were particularly concentrated among higher SES groups according to self-reported diagnoses (Csrd) but were concentrated either among lower SES groups or showed no strong socioeconomic gradient using standardized measures (Csm): age-standardised wealth-related C: angina Csrd 0.02 vs. Csm −0.17; asthma and lung diseases Csrd −0.05 vs. Csm −0.04 (age-standardised education-related Csrd 0.04 vs. Csm −0.05); vision problems Csrd 0.07 vs. Csm −0.05; depression Csrd 0.07 vs. Csm −0.13. Indicating similar trends of standardized measures detecting more cases among low SES, concentration of hypertension declined among higher SES (Csrd 0.19 vs. Csm 0.03). Conclusions The socio-economic patterning of NCD prevalence differs markedly when assessed by standardized criteria versus self-reported diagnoses. NCDs in India are not necessarily diseases of affluence but also of poverty, indicating likely under-diagnosis and under-reporting of diseases among the poor. Standardized measures should be used, wherever feasible, to estimate the true prevalence of NCDs.
Prevalence and effects of mycotoxins on poultry health and performance, and recent development in mycotoxin counteracting strategies1

Extensive research over the last couple of decades has made it obvious that mycotoxins are commonly prevalent in majority of feed ingredients. A worldwide mycotoxin survey in 2013 revealed 81% of around 3,000 grain and feed samples analyzed had at least 1 mycotoxin, which was higher than the 10-year average (from 2004 to 2013) of 76% in a total of 25,944 samples. The considerable increase in the number of positive samples in 2013 may be due to the improvements in detection methods and their sensitivity. The recently developed liquid chromatography coupled to (tandem) mass spectrometry allows the inclusion of a high number of analytes and is the most selective, sensitive, and accurate of all the mycotoxin analytical methods. Mycotoxins can affect the animals either individually or additively in the presence of more than 1 mycotoxin, and may affect various organs such as gastrointestinal tract, liver, and immune system, essentially resulting in reduced productivity of the birds and mortality in extreme cases. While the use of mycotoxin binding agents has been a commonly used counteracting strategy, considering the great diversity in the chemical structures of mycotoxins, it is very obvious that there is no single method that can be used to deactivate mycotoxins in feed. Therefore, different strategies have to be combined in order to specifically target individual mycotoxins without impacting the quality of feed. Enzymatic or microbial detoxification, referred to as “biotransformation” or “biodetoxification,” utilizes microorganisms or purified enzymes thereof to catabolize the entire mycotoxin or transform or cleave it to less or non-toxic compounds. However, the awareness on the prevalence of mycotoxins, available modern techniques to analyze them, the effects of mycotoxicoses, and the recent developments in the ways to safely eliminate the mycotoxins from the feed are very minimal among the producers. This symposium review paper comprehensively discusses the above mentioned aspects.
Record and play: a structural fixed point iteration for sequential circuit verification

This paper proposes a technique for sequential logic equivalence checking by a structural fixed point iteration. Verification is performed by expanding the circuit into an iterative circuit array and by proving equivalence of each time frame by well-known combinational verification techniques. These exploit structural similarity between designs by local circuit transformations. Starting from the initial state, for each time frame the performed circuit transformations are stored (recorded) in an instruction queue. In subsequent time frames the instruction queue is re-used (played) and updated when necessary. At some point the instruction queue does not need to be modified any more and is valid in all subsequent time frames. Thus, a fixed point is reached and machine equivalence is proved by induction. Experimental results show the great promise of this approach to verify circuits after resynthesis and retiming.
Conflict regulation in political parties

Independent party tribunals (i.e. intra-party courts) can be used by both the party leadership (e.g. to discipline members) and rank-and-file members (e.g. to challenge the leadership overstepping its authority). Thus, their study offers broad insights into party conflict regulation we know little about. Integrating the literatures on party organization, intra-party democracy and judicial politics, we propose two theoretical rationales to account for tribunal decision-making (whether a case finds tribunal support): tribunal decision-making can be theorized as shaped by elite-member divisions or, alternatively, by how verdicts affect the tribunal’s own position in the organization and organizational stability generally. We test hypotheses derived from these rationales using a new data set covering 243 tribunal decisions made over the life spans of three German parties. While both rationales are empirically relevant, the ‘organizational stability rationale’ proves particularly insightful.
Classification of cortical neurons according to the character of their background impulse activity

: The method of basic components and cluster analysis was used to classify 75 units in the visual cortex of alert rabbits, proceeding from the empiric form of distribution of interspike intervals (DII), the mean frequency of impulsation and the relative number of intervals up to 500 msec. They were classified into nine groups containing from two to twelve units. Besides the cues, used as a basis for classification, the groups of units also differed in the structure of burst activity, the correlation of adjacent intervals and the ratio between the short (up to 20 to 60 msec) and long intervals. The latter served to make suggestions on the genetic affinity of bimodal DII to those with a bend on the waning after the maximum, and on the nature of formation of high frequency bursts and intervals exceeding 20 to 60 msec.
Chi hotspots trigger a conformational change in the helicase-like domain of AddAB to activate homologous recombination

In bacteria, the repair of double-stranded DNA breaks is modulated by Chi sequences. These are recognised by helicase-nuclease complexes that process DNA ends for homologous recombination. Chi activates recombination by changing the biochemical properties of the helicase-nuclease, transforming it from a destructive exonuclease into a recombination-promoting repair enzyme. This transition is thought to be controlled by the Chi-dependent opening of a molecular latch, which enables part of the DNA substrate to evade degradation beyond Chi. Here, we show that disruption of the latch improves Chi recognition efficiency and stabilizes the interaction of AddAB with Chi, even in mutants that are impaired for Chi binding. Chi recognition elicits a structural change in AddAB that maps to a region of AddB which resembles a helicase domain, and which harbours both the Chi recognition locus and the latch. Mutation of the latch potentiates the change and moderately reduces the duration of a translocation pause at Chi. However, this mutant displays properties of Chi-modified AddAB even in the complete absence of bona fide hotspot sequences. The results are used to develop a model for AddAB regulation in which allosteric communication between Chi binding and latch opening ensures quality control during recombination hotspot recognition.
Scalable peer-to-peer-based RDF management

Handling web-scale RDF data requires sophisticated data management that scales easily and integrates seamlessly into existing analysis workflows. We present Hdrs-- a scalable storage infrastructure that enables online-analysis of very large RDF data sets. Hdrs combines state-of-the-art data management techniques to organize triples in indexes that are sharded and stored in a peer-to-peer system. The store is open source and integrates well with Hadoop MapReduce or any other client application.
Measurement and determinants of tuberculosis outcome in Karonga District, Malawi.

Evaluation of disease outcome is central to the assessment of tuberculosis (TB) control programmes. In the study reported in this article we examined the factors influencing the measurement of outcome, survival rates during and after treatment, smear conversion rates, and relapse rates for patients diagnosed with TB in a rural area of Malawi between 1986 and mid-1994. Patients with less certain diagnoses of TB were more likely to die than those with confirmed TB, both among those who were seropositive and those who were seronegative to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The mortality rate among smear-positive patients with a separate culture-positive specimen was half that of patients with no such diagnostic confirmation. Patients not registered by the Ministry of Health had much higher mortality and default rates than did registered patients. Among smear-positive patients, HIV serostatus was the most important influence on mortality both during and after treatment (crude hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) = 5.6 (3.0-10) and 7.7 (3.4-17), resp. ), but HIV serostatus did not influence smear conversion rates. The initial degree of smear positivity influenced smear conversion rates, but not mortality rates. No significant predictors of relapse were identified. Unless considerable care is taken to include all TB patients, and to exclude nontuberculous patients, recorded TB outcome statistics are difficult to interpret and may be misleading. In populations with high rates of HIV infection, TB target cure rates of 85% are unrealistic. When new interventions are assessed it cannot be assumed that factors which influence the smear conversion rate will also influence the mortality rate.
Dosing antiretroviral medication when crossing time zones: a review

International tourism continues to increase worldwide, and people living with HIV and their clinicians are increasingly confronted with the problem of how to dose antiretroviral therapy during transmeridian air travel across time zones. No guidance on this topic currently exists. This review is a response to requests from patient groups for clear, practical and evidence-based guidance for travelling on antiretroviral therapy; we present currently available data on the pharmacokinetic forgiveness and toxicity of various antiretroviral regimens, and synthesize this data to provide guidelines on how to safely dose antiretrovirals when travelling across time zones.
Overlaid cellular system design with cell selection criteria for mobile wireless users

As the cells shrink and mobility increases in personal communication services (PCS), an increased number of handoff occurs overloading the signaling network. One major motivation to employ microcell/macrocell overlays is to increase the capacity without increasing the handoff rates. A cellular system consisting of two tiers with microcell in the lower-tier and multiple levels of (macro)cells in the upper-tier, is considered to separately serve mobiles with different speeds. The dimension of the upper-tier cell is approximately derived based on the mean velocity of mobiles the cell intends to serve. Finally, the effect of misusing the upper-tier resources is analyzed in terms of each tier call blocking rate.
[Metabolic syndrome increases Framingham risk score of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus].

OBJECTIVE To assess the impact of metabolic syndrome(MS) on Framingham risk score(FRS) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS The anthropometric and biochemical data of 1708 patients with T2DM admitted in hospital from May 2008 to April 2013 were retrospectively analyzed, including 902 males and 806 females with a mean age of 57.1±11.8 years (20-79 years). Diagnosis of MS was made according to the criteria of the Adult Treatment Panel Ⅲ Criteria modified for Asians. RESULTS Compared to non-MS/T2DM patients, MS/T2DM patients had higher waist circumference, body weight, body mass index, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, fasting C peptide, total cholesterol, triglyceride, and LDL-C (P<0.05), while lower HDL-C (P<0.01). Both FRS [13.0(10.0, 15.0) vs 11.0(9.0, 13.0) in male,15.0(12.0, 18.0) vs 12.0(6.0, 14.8) in female,P<0.01)] and 10-year cardiovascular risk [12.0%(6.0%, 20.0%) vs 8.0%(5.0%,12.0%) in male,3.0%(1.0%, 6.0%) vs 1.0%(0.0%, 2.8%) in female,P<0.01] were higher in MS/T2DM patients than those in non-MS/T2DM patients.Both FRS and 10-year cardiovascular risk were increased with the components of MS. CONCLUSION T2DM patients with MS have more cardiovascular risk factors, higher FRS and 10-year cardiovascular risk.
Ritualized conflict in Odontomachus brunneus and the generation of interaction-based task allocation: a new organizational mechanism in ants

Intracolonial conflict among ant workers can establish a reproductive hierarchy, with top-ranking individuals often securing oviposition opportunities. Here we show that in the ant Odontomachus brunneus, reproduction-based dominance interactions control worker movement and location, and that this, in turn, mechanistically governs task allocation within the colony and establishes a division of labour for nonreproductive tasks. Movement made by a worker towards the brood is mostly preceded by winning a pairwise dominance interaction, and movement away from the brood is mostly preceded by losing a pairwise interaction. Consequently, workers are distributed within the colony such that the more subordinate the individual, the more peripheral her location with respect to the reproductive centre of the nest. Behavioural roles are naturally restricted to particular zones of the colony, therefore, allocation to a particular zone, through dominance interaction, ensures role specialization. This represents a new organizational mechanism, which we call 'interaction-based task allocation'. In characterizing the dominance interactions of this species, we also identify two new behaviours: (1) 'subordinate driving', which involves a dominant individual physically manoeuvring a subordinate, by way of continued aggression, away from the reproductive centre of the nest; and (2) 'antennal shivering', which describes the antennal movements made by a subordinate immediately preceding and during subordinate driving. Copyright 1999 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
Vector Image Segmentation for Content-Based Vector Image Retrieval

This paper proposes a novel method for vector image segmentation as the first step in developing a content-based vector image retrieval system. Structure of a vector image can be represented as a tree in which each node is assigned each object region in the vector image and each link represents the inclusion relation between two object regions. In order to generate such trees, the method separates object regions from background by detecting figures defining boundary between object regions and background. The proposed method finds object regions before rasterizing, which is an essential difference from existing object separation methods. We have evaluated the effectiveness of the proposed object separation on 40 test vector images by comparing manual object separation. The experimental results have shown that the proposed method has a high performance which is comparable to manual object separation.