Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Microcolumns in the cerebral cortex.

Neuroanatomists from Cajal on (1) have searched in the cerebral cortex for units of structural organization that transcend the laminar pattern visible even to the untutored eye in Nissl-stained preparations. Many have commented on the vertical column-like arrays of cell bodies running orthogonal to the horizontal laminae that are particularly conspicuous in the temporal cortex of humans and other primates (Fig. 1). These columns have been promoted in the past as the morphological correlates of the functional columnarity of the cortex, known from physiological studies (2). The hypothesis of the column as the fundamental processing unit of the cerebral cortex was formulated by Mountcastle (3) from studies of cells responding to tactile stimuli in the somatosensory cortex of the cat. The hypothesis requires that nerve cells in middle layers of the cortex, in which thalamic afferents terminate, should be joined by narrow vertical connections to cells in layers lying superficial and deep to them, so that all cells in the column are excited by incoming stimuli with only small latency differences. The columns form a series of repeating units across the horizontal extent of the cortex. Figure 1 Nissl-stained section of the upper bank of the superior temporal sulcus from a human brain, showing microcolumns of nerve cells (×40). The verticality of cell–cell connections in the cortex has never been in doubt, but determining the minimal unit of such connectivity and the extent to which it is based on morphologically definable arrays of cells continues to exercise investigators. One problem inherent in the different experimental models customarily invoked as demonstrative of cortical columns is that they differ in scale. A column defined by neurons responding to peripheral stimulation as a vertically oriented microelectrode descends through the cortical layers, is narrower than the layer IV barrels of the rodent somatosensory cortex, and the …
Does Everyone Use Probabilities? Intuitive and Rational Decisions About Stockholding

In this paper we explore to what degree people use probabilities to make decisions under uncertainty. We focus on the decision to invest in stocks. Our hypothesis is that individuals with substantial cognitive skills use probabilities akin to the expected utility model. In contrast, individuals that are less cognitively skilled do not make use of probabilities. We derive this prediction from a model based on the dual-systems framework in psychology (Kahneman, 2003). Using data from the U.S. Health and Retirement Study (HRS), we examine how the relationship between stockholding and subjective probabilities about future stock returns varies according to cognitive ability. We nd that an increase in subjective probabilities has a signicantly stronger eect for individuals with high cognitive abilities than for those with low cognitive abilities. Our empirical analysis is based on pooled OLS models, xed-eects models and instrumental variables estimation. We use past realized returns as instrumental variables for subjective return probabilities. In addition, we also show that individuals with low cognitive abilities are less likely to give meaningful answers to subjective probability questions. Our ndings are consistent with rationality, in a broader sense, if we acknowledge that there are costs of scrutinizing probabilistic thinking.
Perception and relevance of quality issues in web vocabularies

Web vocabularies provide organization and orientation in information environments and can facilitate resource discovery and retrieval. Several tools have been developed that support quality assessment for the increasing amount of vocabularies expressed in SKOS and published as Linked Data. However, these tools do not yet take into account the users' perception of vocabulary quality. In this paper, we report the findings from an online survey conducted among experts in the field of vocabulary development to study the perception and relevance of vocabulary quality issues in the context of real-world application scenarios. Our results indicate that structural and labeling issues are the most relevant ones. We also derived design recommendations for vocabulary quality checking tools.
Expression of the AMPA Receptor Subunits GluR1 and GluR2 is Associated with Granule Cell Maturation in the Dentate Gyrus

The dentate gyrus produces new granule neurons throughout adulthood in mammals from rodents to humans. During granule cell maturation, defined markers are expressed in a highly regulated sequential process, which is necessary for directed neuronal differentiation. In the present study, we show that α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methy-4-isoxazole propionate (AMPA) receptor subunits GluR1 and GluR2 are expressed in differentiated granule cells, but not in stem cells, in neonatal, and adult dentate gyrus. Using markers for neural progenitors, immature and mature granule cells, we found that GluR1 and GluR2 were expressed mainly in mature cells and in some immature cells. A time-course analysis of 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine staining revealed that granule cells express GluR1 around 3 weeks after being generated. In mice heterozygous for the alpha-isoform of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II, a putative animal model of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in which dentate gyrus granule cells fail to mature normally, GluR1 and GluR2 immunoreactivities were substantially downregulated in the dentate gyrus granule cells. In the granule cells of mutant mice, the expression of both presynaptic and postsynaptic markers was decreased, suggesting that GluR1 and GluR2 are also associated with synaptic maturation. Moreover, GluR1 and GluR2 were also expressed in mature granule cells of the neonatal dentate gyrus. Taken together, these findings indicate that GluR1 and GluR2 expression closely correlates with the neuronal maturation state, and that GluR1 and GluR2 are useful markers for mature granule cells in the dentate gyrus.
Emerging Holography

We rederive AdS/CFT predictions for infrared two-point functions by an entirely four dimensional approach, without reference to holography. This approach, originally due to Migdal in the context of QCD, utilizes an extrapolation from the ultraviolet to the infrared using a Pad´e approximation of the two-point function. We show that the Pad´e approximation and AdS/CFT give the same leading order predictions, and we discuss including power corrections such as those due to condensates of gluons and quarks in QCD. At ﬁnite order the Pad´e approximation provides a gauge invariant regularization of a higher dimensional gauge theory in the spirit of deconstructed extra dimensions. The radial direction of anti-de Sitter space emerges naturally in this approach.
Acyclic Orientations with Path Constraints

Many well-known combinatorial optimization problems can be stated over the set of acyclic orientations of an undirected graph. For example, acyclic orientations with certain diameter constraints are closely related to the optimal solutions of the vertex coloring and frequency assignment problems. In this paper we introduce a linear programming formulation of acyclic orientations with path constraints, and discuss its use in the solution of the vertex coloring problem and some versions of the frequency assignment problem. A study of the polytope associated with the formulation is presented, including proofs of which constraints of the formulation are facet-defining and the introduction of new classes of valid inequalities.
Precise 3D pose estimation of human faces

Robust human face recognition is one of the most important open tasks in computer vision. This study deals with a challenging subproblem of face recognition: the aim of the paper is to give a precise estimation for the 3D head pose. The main contribution of this study is a novel non-rigid Structure from Motion (SfM) algorithm which utilizes the fact that the human face is quasi-symmetric. The input of the proposed algorithm is a set of tracked feature points of the face. In order to increase the precision of the head pose estimation, we improved one of the best eye corner detectors and fused the results with the input set of feature points. The proposed methods were evaluated on real and synthetic face sequences. The real sequences were captured using regular (low-cost) web-cams.
High performance work systems and firm performance

Purpose The link between high-performance work systems (HPWS) and firm performance can be enhanced through the mediating effect of relational correlations. By building employee social capital and incorporating relevant HR practices within the HPWS, optimum results can be attained. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings The link between high-performance work systems (HPWS) and firm performance can be enhanced through the mediating effect of relational correlations. By building employee social capital and incorporating relevant HR practices within the HPWS, optimum results can be attained. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.
Systematic Risk and the Muni Puzzle

The muni puzzle refers to the empirical fact that relative to taxable bond yields, long-term tax-exempt yields are significantly higher than predicted by theory, while short-term yields conform well to theory. The systematic risk hypothesis is a candidate to explain the muni puzzle. I find that risk characteristics of government and municipal bond portfolio returns are very similar across the term structure. From this evidence, I conclude that systematic risk is unlikely to explain the muni puzzle. I also illustrate that a tax adjustment to duration is important when comparing the expected volatility of bonds with different tax status.
A Relevance Feedback Method to Trademark Retrieval Based on SVM

Relevance feedback is a good method for the semantic gap between the low-level similarity and the high-level user's query in Content-based Image Retrieval. It interactively asks user whether certain proposed images and the query output are relevant or not. In this paper we propose the use of a support vector machines for conducting effective relevance feedback for trademark retrieval. The algorithm selects the Tamura textures feature which consistent with human vision perception and the low-level feature of images. Experimental results show that it achieves significantly higher search accuracy after just three or four rounds of relevance feedback. Keywords-relevacne feedback;content-based image retrieval; Tamura texture feature; semantic gap;support vector machine
Oil price shocks: A comparative study on the impacts of oil price movements in Malaysia and the UK economies

The study investigates the relationship between changes in crude oil prices and Malaysia and the UK macro-economy. A multivariate VAR analysis is carried out among five key macroeconomic variables: real gross domestic product, short term interest rate, real effective exchange rates, long term interest rate and money supply. From the VAR model, the impulse response functions reveal that oil price movements cause significant reduction in aggregate output and increase real exchange rate. The variance decomposition shows that crude oil prices significantly contribute to the variability of real exchange rate long term interest rate in the Malaysia economy while oil price shocks are found to have significant effects on money supply and short term interest rate in the UK economy. Despite these macro-econometric results, caution must be exercised in formulating energy policies since future effects of upcoming oil shocks will not be the same as what happened in the past. Explorations and development of practicable alternatives to imported fuel energy will cushion the economy from the repercussions of oil shocks.
Short-Time Fractional Fourier Transform and Its Applications

The fractional Fourier transform (FRFT) is a potent tool to analyze the chirp signal. However, it fails in locating the fractional Fourier domain (FRFD)-frequency contents which is required in some applications. The short-time fractional Fourier transform (STFRFT) is proposed to solve this problem. It displays the time and FRFD-frequency information jointly in the short-time fractional Fourier domain (STFRFD). Two aspects of its performance are considered: the 2-D resolution and the STFRFD support. The time-FRFD-bandwidth product (TFBP) is defined to measure the resolvable area and the STFRFD support. The optimal STFRFT is obtained with the criteria that maximize the 2-D resolution and minimize the STFRFD support. Its inverse transform, properties and computational complexity are presented. Two applications are discussed: the estimations of the time-of-arrival (TOA) and pulsewidth (PW) of chirp signals, and the STFRFD filtering. Simulations verify the validity of the proposed algorithms.
RXTE observations of single pulses of PSR B0531+21 - I. Flux variations

This article is the rst in the series that analyze about 1.87 million periods of PSR B0531+21 (Crab pulsar), observed by the PCA detector aboard the RXTE X-ray observatory. The Crab pulsar's X-ray light curve shows little variation over time scales ranging from days to a period (33.46 milliseconds). The standard deviation of its X-ray flux variation is0.7% of its mean value, which is negligible compared to its radio flux variations. The phase resolved power spectrum of pulse to pulse X-ray flux variation shows no spectral feature; an upper limit to the peak of any possible broad spectral feature is 0.06% of the mean power. The X-ray fluxes in the two components of its integrated prole are unrelated to each other; their linear correlation coecient is 0:0004 0:0010. \Giant pulses" that are routinely seen at radio wavelengths are absent here. This work sets very strong constraints on the connection (if any) between the flux variations at radio and X-ray energies, for example due to variation in the degree of coherence of the basic emitters. Its phase resolved X-ray flux variation shows a weak correlation with the integrated prole. If conrmed, this might be an important clue to understanding the X-ray emission mechanism of Crab pulsar.
Design of Intelligent Surveillance System Based on Wireless Video Transmissionand PID Multiplexed Control Strategy

A kind of wireless video transmission intelligence surveillance system is developed to perform work normally done by human being in hazardous environment, narrow space, as well as chemical and toxic places. This system consists of two main parts: a host computer with monitoring software and a mobile intelligent vehicle. The host computer software can provide real-time display of video, temperature, humidity, light intensity and other environmental information collected by the intelligent vehicle, and can control the movement direction, movement speed of the intelligent vehicle as well as the camera platform angle with control buttons. The vehicle can collect images and sensor data, and transmit them to the host computer via wireless fidelity (WIFI). The speed of intelligent vehicle is regulated by joint control of position type proportion integration differentiation (PID) and bang-bang control strategy. The video is captured by universal serial bus (USB) interface camera, and transmitted to the host computer by WIFI for real-time display. The testing results show that the system can not only display clear video images, but also accurately display the dynamic data of sensors. At the same time, the host computer can reliably control the multi-directional movement, grabbing obstacles and changing camera platform angle of the intelligent vehicle.
Methodology to study the three-dimensional spatial distribution of prostate cancer and their dependence on clinical parameters

Abstract. A methodology to study the relationship between clinical variables [e.g., prostate specific antigen (PSA) or Gleason score] and cancer spatial distribution is described. Three-dimensional (3-D) models of 216 glands are reconstructed from digital images of whole mount histopathological slices. The models are deformed into one prostate model selected as an atlas using a combination of rigid, affine, and B-spline deformable registration techniques. Spatial cancer distribution is assessed by counting the number of tumor occurrences among all glands in a given position of the 3-D registered atlas. Finally, a difference between proportions is used to compare different spatial distributions. As a proof of concept, we compare spatial distributions from patients with PSA greater and less than 5 ng/ml and from patients older and younger than 60 years. Results suggest that prostate cancer has a significant difference in the right zone of the prostate between populations with PSA greater and less than 5 ng/ml. Age does not have any impact in the spatial distribution of the disease. The proposed methodology can help to comprehend prostate cancer by understanding its spatial distribution and how it changes according to clinical parameters. Finally, this methodology can be easily adapted to other organs and pathologies.
Parkia speciosa Hassk.: A Potential Phytomedicine

Parkia speciosa Hassk. , or stink bean, is a plant indigenous to Southeast Asia. It is consumed either raw or cooked. It has been used in folk medicine to treat diabetes, hypertension, and kidney problems. It contains minerals and vitamins. It displays many beneficial properties. Its extracts from the empty pods and seeds have a high content of total polyphenol, phytosterol, and flavonoids. It demonstrates a good antioxidant activity. Its hypoglycemic effect is reported to be attributable to the presence of β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, and stigmast-4-en-3-one. The cyclic polysulfide compounds exhibit antibacterial activity, while thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid possesses anticancer property. The pharmacological properties of the plant extract are described in this review. With ongoing research conducted on the plant extracts, Parkia speciosa has a potential to be developed as a phytomedicine.
The Development of Literacy Coaches’ Self-Efficacy Beliefs in a Dual-Role Position

In this sequential mixed-methods study, we examined literacy coaches’ self-efficacy development in 21 secondary schools over the course of a 4–year literacy initiative. Teacher efficacy surveys revealed that coaches experienced a decrease in their sense of self-efficacy after their first year of participation and gained an increasing sense of competence as the project progressed. Through exit interviews, respondents indicated that coaches’ initial dip in efficacy was linked to overwhelming and competing responsibilities. Their subsequent efficacy increases were supported by internal and external influences, such as personal growth and student learning. Given the study results, we suggest a model of literacy coaches’ self-efficacy development.
Emotion regulation and executive function measures: exploration of predicted relationships

Emotion regulation and executive function measures: exploration of predicted relationships" (2012). Approved by: __________________________________________ Advisor Date ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I'd like to thank my advisor Rita Casey for the guidance provided to me for this project. Her input, along with that of my committee members Ty Partridge and Doug Whitman, was vital to the success of this project. I would also like to thank research assistants Kimberly Compton, Catherine Wagel and Luke Moore, for their invaluable help on this project.
The morphic Abel–Jacobi map

The morphic Abel–Jacobi map is the analogue of the classical Abel–Jacobi map one obtains by using Lawson and morphic (co)homology in place of the usual singular (co)homology. It thus gives a map from the group of $r$-cycles on a complex variety that are algebraically equivalent to zero to a certain ‘Jacobian’ built from the Lawson homology groups viewed as inductive limits of mixed Hodge structures. In this paper, we define the morphic Abel–Jacobi map, establish its foundational properties, and then apply these results to the study of algebraic cycles. In particular, we show the classical Abel–Jacobi map (when restricted to cycles algebraically equivalent to zero) factors through the morphic version, and show that the morphic version detects cycles that cannot be detected by its classical counterpart; that is, we give examples of cycles in the kernel of the classical Abel–Jacobi map that are not in the kernel of the morphic version. We also investigate the behavior of the morphic Abel–Jacobi map on the torsion subgroup of the Chow group of cycles algebraically equivalent to zero modulo rational equivalence.
Molecular analysis of the poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate) synthase gene from a methylotrophic bacterium, Paracoccus denitrificans

A 3.6-kb EcoRI-SalI fragment of Paracoccus denitrificans DNA hybridized with a DNA probe carrying the poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate) (PHA) synthase gene (phaC) of Alcaligenes eutrophus. Nucleotide sequence analysis of this region showed the presence of a 1,872-bp open reading frame (ORF), which corresponded to a polypeptide with a molecular weight of 69,537. Upstream of the ORF, a promoter-like sequence was found. Escherichia coli carrying the fusion gene between lacZ and the ORF accumulated a level of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) that was as much as 20 wt% of the cell dry weight in the presence of beta-ketothiolase and acetoacetylcoenzyme A reductase genes of A. eutrophus. The ORF was designated phaCPd. A plasmid vector carrying the phaCPd'-'lacZ fusion gene downstream of the promoter-like sequence expressed beta-galactosidase activity in P. denitrificans. When a multicopy and broad-host-range vector carrying the ORF along with the promoter-like sequence was introduced into P. denitrificans, the PHA content in the cells increased by twofold compared with cells carrying only a vector sequence.
On the worldsheet theories of strings dual to free large N gauge theories

We analyze in detail some properties of the worldsheet of the closed string theories suggested by Gopakumar to be dual to free large N SU(N) gauge theories (with adjoint matter fields). We use Gopakumar's prescription to translate the computation of space-time correlation functions to worldsheet correlation functions for several classes of Feynman diagrams, by explicit computations of Strebel differentials. We compute the worldsheet operator product expansion in several cases and find that it is consistent with general worldsheet conformal field theory expectations. A peculiar property of the construction is that in several cases the resulting worldsheet correlation functions are non-vanishing only on a sub-space of the moduli space (say, for specific relations between vertex positions). Another strange property we find is that for a conformally invariant space-time theory, the mapping to the worldsheet does not preserve the special conformal symmetries, so that the full conformal group is not realized as a global symmetry on the worldsheet (even though it is, by construction, a symmetry of all integrated correlation functions).
Altimetric Analysis of the Sea-Surface GPS-Reflected Signals

We describe the development and implementation of a method for extracting altimetric information using the Passive Reflectometry and Interferometry System (PARIS), i.e., from GPS signals after their reflection off the sea surface. We have formalized one idea laid out in the description of a bistatic system for ocean altimetry using the GPS signal, by Hajj and Zuffada (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), and have extended it to real situations encountered in PARIS aircraft experiments. Second, we have developed the corresponding algorithms to produce real-time altimetric observables to be used in dedicated digital signal processors. Finally, we have applied this method to estimate sea-surface height from one flight experiment in the North Sea off the coast of Norway.