Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Signal Variability Reduction and Prior Expectation Generation through Wiring Plasticity

In the adult mammalian cortex, a small fraction of spines are created and eliminated every day, and the resultant synaptic connection structure is highly non-random, even in local circuits. However, it remains unknown whether a particular synaptic connection structure is functionally advantageous in local circuits, and why creation and elimination of synaptic connections is necessary in addition to rich synaptic weight plasticity. To answer these questions, we studied an inference task model through theoretical and numerical analyses. We show that a connection structure helps synaptic weight learning when it provides prior expectations. We further demonstrate that an adequate network structure naturally emerges from dual Hebbian learning for both synaptic weight plasticity and wiring plasticity. Especially in a sparsely connected network, wiring plasticity achieves reliable computation by enabling efficient information transmission. Correlations between spine dynamics and task performance generated by the proposed rule are consistent with experimental observations. Author Summary A virtue of the brain that is missing from artificial machines is its ability to reorganize and improve the circuit structure. Neural circuits should be adequately tuned to perform information processing such as decoding of sensory signal from noisy sensory inputs, or motor command generation from stochastic premotor inputs. Activity-dependent modifications of synaptic efficiency through long-term potentiation submitted to bioRxiv 1/32 . CC-BY 4.0 International license peer-reviewed) is the author/funder. It is made available under a The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not . http://dx.doi. org/10.1101/024406 doi: bioRxiv preprint first posted online Aug. 12, 2015;
POSABL: ABL-based grammar induction on POS tags

Grammar Induction (GI) is the problem of extracting hidden regularities and syntactic patterns in languages. Not only the manner of extraction is intricate but also the definition of meaningful patterns is a challenge. Alignment Based Learning (ABL) is one of the research endeavors targeting such challenges in GI. Our present research on applying ABL to POS sequences in English, Persian and Arabic languages has led us to POSABL yielding the enhanced recall of 83%, 74% and 100% for the three languages, respectively. Our experimental results on minimizing the size of the tag-set and the maximum size of train data required for our GI are considerable, as well. This research trend on POS sequences is hoped to pave the way more for GI on different languages of creation, say DNA sequences.
Expression and characterization of the bacterial mechanosensitive channel MscS in Xenopus laevis oocytes

We have successfully expressed and characterized mechanosensitive channel of small conductance (MscS) from Escherichia coli in oocytes of the African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis. MscS expressed in oocytes has the same single-channel conductance and voltage dependence as the channel in its native environment. Two hallmarks of MscS activity, the presence of conducting substates at high potentials and reversible adaptation to a sustained stimulus, are also exhibited by oocyte-expressed MscS. In addition to its ease of use, the oocyte system allows the user to work with relatively large patches, which could be an advantage for the visualization of membrane deformation. Furthermore, MscS can now be compared directly to its eukaryotic homologues or to other mechanosensitive channels that are not easily studied in E. coli.
Robust Sparse Subspace Learning for unsupervised feature selection

Feature selection is an effective technique for dimensionality reduction to get the most useful information from huge raw data. Many spectral feature selection algorithms have been proposed to address the unsupervised feature selection problem, but most of them fail to pay attention to the noises induced during the feature selection process. In this paper, we not only consider the feature structural learning, but also try to avoid these noises induced during the feature selection process. We utilize the feature structural learning to select the discriminant features and use the robust methods to make selected features more reliable. Furthermore, we propose a new unsupervised feature selection algorithm, namely Robust Sparse Subspace Learning Feature Selection(RSS). And we employ a coordinate descendent algorithm to solve the RSS formulation. Experiments are conducted on several popular datasets to validate the effectiveness of our proposed algorithm and results show that this RSS algorithm achieves better results than traditional feature selection algorithms in most cases.
Implementation of a Real-Time Beamforming System on Field Programmable Gate Array A Major Qualifying Project Report

Beamforming is an important technique in array signal processing and wireless communication systems. In this project, we investigate the Minimum Variance Distortionless Response (MVDR) beamforming technique and its implementation. The QR-RLS algorithm is chosen because of its advantages of numerical stability and systolic array architecture. The team successfully implemented the real-time beamforming of a linear array with 3 receiving antennas on a Xilinx Virtex-5 FPGA platform. Both the simulation and hardware implementation results are presented in this report.
Hoop frequency as a predictor of performance for softball bats

Hollow metal and composite baseball and softball bats exhibit two types of vibrational modes, bending modes and hoop modes. The hoop modes are unique to hollow bats and involve only a radial vibration of the barrel of the bat. The lowest frequency hoop mode is responsible for the both the "ping" sound of a metal bat and the so-called "trampoline effect. " Modal analysis is used to determine the mode shapes and frequencies for a wide variety of softball bats. Hoop mode frequencies are shown to separate families of bats (ie., single-wall, multi-wall, and composite) according to barrel construction. A simple mass-spring model of the trampoline effect suggests that hoop frequency might be correlated to measured performance. A general trend is observed that higher performance bats, with respect to batted ball speed, tend to have lower hoop frequencies. This result suggests that hoop frequency might be one explanation for differences in performance between different types of hollow softball bats.
Induction of Clinical Autoimmune Disease by Therapeutic Interferon-α

Much progress has been made in our understanding of Interferon biology since its initial description by Isaacs and Lindenmann in 1957. Type I Interferons have well established direct antiviral, antiproliferative and immunomodulatory effects. IFN-a has been used with various degrees of success in the treatment of viral, autoimmune (AI) and malignant diseases such as: chronic viral hepatitis B and C, Behcet’s disease, cryoglobulinemia, chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), malignant non Hodgkin lymphoma, multiple myeloma (MM), hairy cell leukemia (HCL), AIDS related Kaposi sarcoma, condylomata acuminata and carcinoid syndrome, to mention just a few.
Venezuelan equine encephalitis‐specific immunoglobulin responses: Live attenuated TC‐83 versus inactivated C‐84 vaccine

Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEEI‐specific immunoglobulin responses to the two vaccines, TC‐83 (a live attenuated vaccine) and C‐84 (a formalin inactivated vaccine derived from the TC‐83 strain of virus) were evaluated using an antigen and isotype‐specific enzyme‐linked immunoadsorbent assay (ELISA). The VEE‐specific ELISA for IgG, IgG subclasses, IgA and IgM were developed and standardized using sera from vaccine‐ exposed and unexposed human subjects. Paired human sera (before and 28 days after immunization) were tested from laboratory workers vaccinated with either TC‐83 (Group A: 20 paired sera from subjects receiving a single TC‐83 vaccine and with no prior history of vaccination) or C‐84 in varying schedules (Group B: 19 paired sera from subjects who had a distant vaccination history to TC‐83 but no evidence of neutralizing antibody; Group C: 19 paired sera from subjects receiving their first C‐84 vaccination and no prior documented history of vaccination; Group D: 15 paired sera from subjects receiving a C‐84 booster vaccination with prior history of C‐84 but no TC‐83 exposure). Sera were all tested for viral neutralization in vitro using a Vero cell monolayer for culturing virus and establishing 80% plaque reduction for each serum tested.
Re‐Examining Machiavelli: A Three‐Dimensional Model of Machiavellianism in the Workplace

Machiavellianism has been studied extensively over the past 40 years as a personality characteristic that shares features with the manipulative leadership tactics Machiavelli advocated in The Prince. We introduce a new model of Machiavellianism based in organizational settings that is multidimensional, incorporating aspects not previously included in Machiavellianism scales. Our model consists of 3 factors: maintaining power, harsh management tactics, and manipulative behaviors. The results of 3 studies are summarized, discussing the development of these 3 factors and how they relate to individual-difference and organizational variables. jasp_643 1868.1896
Citizenship Lessons from the Past: The Contours of Immigrant Naturalization in the Early 20th Century

What were the determinants and patterns of naturalization in the first two decades of the 20th century? Low levels of citizenship acquisition among contemporary immigrants are frequently contrasted to the assumed rapid naturalization of prior European migrants, but in truth we know little about the earlier period. Historic data are well suited to investigate four explanations for naturalization: individuals' resources and skills; regulatory and bureaucratic barriers to citizenship; relative costs and benefits of citizenship; and the degree of political mobilization directed to immigrants. Copyright (c) 2006 Southwestern Social Science Association.
MAKING STRATEGY IN HALF AN HOUR

Dear reader, welcome to strategy in the desert of the real! This is essentially an exploratory work in which we attempt to address the question – How do we make strategy in half an hour? Traditional business strategy can be neatly summed up in two words: “formulate” and “implement”. Two facets of the emerging e-business landscape, however, appear to strongly conflict with this model (Bontis & De Castro, 2000). Firstly, the speed at which e-business changes, morphs or develops allows neither senior management nor front level employees the luxury of traditional strategic planning exercises - action and decisions are often needed NOW. Secondly, the loosely coupled nature of network relationships suggests that virtual organisational structures no longer conform to traditional configurations. Strategy is a construction, reproduced by a variety of texts and practices that assist us in making some sense (or nonsense) of the world – in this sense, strategic discourse does not simply mirror social reality – strategic discourses create social realities (Hardy, Palmer & Phillips, 2000) and sometimes even social orientations. Create your own realities – your first assignment is to view the movie, The Matrix. Drawing mainly on insights from complex adaptive systems theory and Habermas we frame our discourse here with reference to the metaphor of the Matrix - we can choose the red pill or the blue pill! Within our digital real time experiences of ambiguity, fundamental uncertainty and sometimes sheer terror or fear, we can accept the code that puts our observations and actions into form; complain about it; change it; or write some completely new code. How do we operate in digital real-time? How do we address this question?
The fundamental role of general orthonormal bases in system identification

The purpose of this paper is threefold. Firstly, it is to establish that contrary to what might be expected, the accuracy of well-known and frequently used asymptotic variance results can depend on choices of fixed poles or zeros in the model structure. Secondly, it is to derive new variance expressions that can provide greatly improved accuracy while also making explicit the influence of any fixed poles or zeros. This is achieved by employing certain new results on generalized Fourier series and the asymptotic properties of Toeplitz-like matrices in such a way that the new variance expressions presented here encompass pre-existing ones as special cases. Via this latter analysis a new perspective emerges on recent work pertaining to the use of orthonormal basis structures in system identification. Namely, that orthonormal bases are much more than an implementational option offering improved numerical properties. In fact, they are an intrinsic part of estimation since, as shown here, orthonormal bases quantify the asymptotic variability of the estimates whether or not they are actually employed in calculating them.
Electromagnetic signature of human cortical dynamics during wakefulness and sleep : = Signature électromagnétique de la dynamique corticale pendant l'éveil et le sommeil chez l'homme

We have used a series of computational techniques and correlation analyses to analyze human brain activity during wakefulness and sleep. We analyzed simultaneous EEG/MEG recordings in awake human. We conclude that there is a significant difference in frequency scaling between EEG and MEG, which can be explained if the extracellular medium is globally non-resistive. We analyzed the spatio-temporal dynamics of excitation and inhibition during human sleep from high-density intracranial recordings. A marked exponential decay with distance was observed for excitatory but not for inhibitory cells. We investigated dynamical signatures of complex dynamics, and self-organized activity, from intracranial recordings. Collectively, these results show no clear evidence for power-law scaling or self-organized critical states, at the level of spiking activity or local field potential, in the awake and sleeping brain of mammals, from cat to man. We analyzed the excitatory/inhibitory relation with local field potentials in human sleep. These results provide a characterization of the different roles of excitation and inhibition in the different wake and sleep states in humans. In conclusion, we have used different measurement methods, from microscopic scale, mesoscopic and macroscopic to characterize wake and sleep states in humans. We conclude that the brain follows complex dynamics at all scales. There is globally no evidence for self-organized criticality, but the brain activity manifests other signs of self-organization, such as large-scale rhythmical activity and multiple exponential processes. We suggest that all results could be explained by the interplay of excitation and inhibition
Soziale Ungleichheit und Bildungskompetenz - Erklärung und Exploration in den PISA-Studien

Die international und national vergleichenden Schulleistungsstudien des PISA-Projekts haben die fachlichen Leistungen der Schuler in einer Weise in den Mittelpunkt gestellt, die in fruheren Studien quantitativer empirischer Bildungsforschung nicht vorstellbar waren. Dazu hat der konkurrentielle Vergleich der nationalen und regionalen Bildungssysteme masgeblich beigetragen. Indes haben altere und neuere empirische Bildungsforschung ein gemeinsames Thema in der Erklarung der schichtspezifischen Bildungsbeteiligung und -kompetenzen. Sie sind am Ende der Sekundarstufe I in Deutschland besonders ausgepragt. Zur Erklarung legen die deutschen P1SA-Autoren ein meritokratisches Karrieremodell der Akkumulation schichtspezifisch ungleicher Bildungskompetenzen in differenziellen Entwicklungsmilieus vor, das sie alteren Erklarungsmodellen (z. B. Bourdieu, Rolff) gegenuberstellen. Der Aufsatz weist auf Mehrdeutigkeiten der Interpretation von Querschnittsdaten der PISA-Studien hin und pladiert dafur, die differenziellen Entwicklungsmilieus der Schulformen in Deutschland nicht unabhangig von der Frage schichtspezifischer institutionalisierter Normen, Werte und Verkehrsformen zu erortern. (DIPF/Orig.) The Â„Programme for International Student Assessment" (PISA) which compares Student achievements between nations and - with respect to Germany - between the German states ("Lander") puts special emphasis on competences in certain domains which were not accounted for in former quantitative educational research. However, both the older educational research and the new comparative research share a strong interest in social inequalities of participation and competences In Germany, they are particularly high at the end of compulsory schooling. In explaining these inequalities the German contributors to PISA prefer a meritocratic career model of schooling, where initial social inequalities of achievement at the time of entering the different types of secondary schools (age 11 to 13) are strengthened by what the authors call "differential environments for academic development". The article shows ambiguities of this explanation which uses cross-sectional data to confirm a career model. It also argues that the "differential environments for academic development", which the different types of secondary schools in Germany are said to represent, might refer to characteristics of the institution (norms and values, forms of relations) rather than individuals. (DIPF/Orig.)
A comparison of discriminative classifiers for web news content extraction

Until now, approaches to web content extraction have focused on random field models, largely neglecting large margin methods. Structured large margin methods, however, have recently shown great practical success. We compare, for the first time, greedy and structured support vector machines with conditional random fields on a real-world web news content extraction task, showing that large margin approaches are indeed competitive with random field models.
Hydrogen sulfide signaling: interactions with nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species

Signaling in cells involving reactive compounds is well established. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) are known to be extremely influential in the control of a range of physiological responses in many organisms, from animals to plants. Often, their generation is triggered in reaction to stress, and it is common for ROS and NO metabolism to interact to give a coordinated response. Recently, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has also been found to be an important signaling molecule, being shown to be involved in vascular tone in animals. Of relevance to respiration, in plants, H2S has been shown to affect stomatal apertures and the transpiration stream, while, in animals, H2S has been shown to be a source of electrons for ATP synthesis in mitochondria. However, in signaling, H2S does not work in isolation, and it is likely that it will interact with both ROS and NO. This may occur at a variety of levels, from influencing the generation of such molecules, interacting directly, or competing for control of downstream signaling events. A full understanding of the impact of this toxic molecule in the control of cells requires all these factors to be taken into account.
Role of the Yersinia pestis Yersiniabactin Iron Acquisition System in the Incidence of Flea-Borne Plague

Plague is a flea-borne zoonosis caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Y. pestis mutants lacking the yersiniabactin (Ybt) siderophore-based iron transport system are avirulent when inoculated intradermally but fully virulent when inoculated intravenously in mice. Presumably, Ybt is required to provide sufficient iron at the peripheral injection site, suggesting that Ybt would be an essential virulence factor for flea-borne plague. Here, using a flea-to-mouse transmission model, we show that a Y. pestis strain lacking the Ybt system causes fatal plague at low incidence when transmitted by fleas. Bacteriology and histology analyses revealed that a Ybt-negative strain caused only primary septicemic plague and atypical bubonic plague instead of the typical bubonic form of disease. The results provide new evidence that primary septicemic plague is a distinct clinical entity and suggest that unusual forms of plague may be caused by atypical Y. pestis strains.
Single syllable tongue motion analysis using tagged cine MRI

The complicated muscle activity of the human tongue and the resultant surface shapes can give us important clues about speech motor control and pathological tongue motion. This study uses tagged magnetic resonance imaging to provide a 2D surface deformation analysis of the tongue, as well as a 4D compression–expansion analysis, during utterances of four different syllables (/ba/, /ta/, /sha/ and /ga/). All speech tasks were performed several times to confirm the repeatability of the motion analysis. The results showed that the tongue has unique motion patterns for utterances of different syllables, and these differences, which may not be observed by a simple surface analysis, can be examined thoroughly by a 4D motion model-based analysis of the tongue muscles.
Effect of Compression Stockings on Physiological Responses and Running Performance in Division III Collegiate Cross-Country Runners During a Maximal Treadmill Test

Abstract Rider, BC, Coughlin, AM, Hew-Butler, TD, and Goslin, BR. Effect of compression stockings on physiological responses and running performance in division III collegiate cross-country runners during a maximal treadmill test. J Strength Cond Res 28(6): 1732–1738, 2014—There is a growing trend for runners to use compression stockings (CS) to improve performance. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of CS on physiological variables associated with running performance. Participants were 10 NCAA division III cross-country runners. The study used a randomized, crossover design with 2 conditions (with CS and without CS). Both conditions consisted of a maximal treadmill test that involved 3-minute stages of increasing speed and incline, separated by a minute and one-half walking recovery stage. Seven days later, the participants repeated the maximal test but switched CS condition. Heart rate, blood lactate (BLa), blood lactate threshold, maximal oxygen consumption (V[Combining Dot Above]O2max), respiratory exchange ratio, rating of perceived exertion, and time to fatigue were measured. Before and during the maximal treadmill tests, the variables showed no significant difference (p ⩽ 0.05) between the CS conditions. Blood lactate was lower while wearing CS when measured during recovery at the 1-minute (CS = 13.3 ± 2.9 mmol·L−1, non-CS = 14.8 ± 2.8 mmol·L−1, p = 0.03) and the 5-minute (CS = 11.0 ± 2.7 mmol·L−1, non-CS = 12.8 ± 2.8 mmol·L−1, p = 0.02) periods. Time to fatigue was longer without CS (CS = 23.570 ± 2.39 minutes, non-CS = 23.93 ± 2.49 minutes, p = 0.04). These findings suggest that CS may not improve running performance, but could lend credence to certain manufacturers' claims of improved recovery through lower BLa values after exercise.
FROM CONCEPTION TO DESIGN, A Practical Guide to Designing Ambient Displays

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