Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of focusing and caustics on exit phenomena in systems lacking detailed balance.

We study the trajectories followed by a particle weakly perturbed by noise, when escaping from the domain or attraction of a stable fixed point. If the particle's stationary distribution lacks detailed balance, a focus may occur along the most probable exit path, leading to a breakdown or symmetry (if present). The exit trajectory bifurcates, and the exit location distribution may become «skewed» (non-Gaussian). The weak-noise asymptotics or the mean escape time are also affected. Our methods extend to the study or skewed exit location distributions in stochastic models without symmetry
MicroRNA miR‐196a controls melanoma‐associated genes by regulating HOX‐C8 expression

Resulting from a screening for microRNAs differentially regulated in melanocytes and melanoma cells, we found expression of miR‐196a to be significantly down‐regulated in malignant melanoma cell lines and tissue samples. As it was stated before that miR‐196a might negatively regulate expression of the transcription factor HOX‐C8, we analyzed HOX‐C8 levels in NHEMs and melanoma cells and found a strong up‐regulation of HOX‐C8 expression in malignant melanoma cell lines and tissue samples compared with melanocytes. Several HOX‐C8 target genes are known to be involved in processes such as oncogenesis, cell adhesion, proliferation and apoptosis. We, therefore, aimed to further investigate a potential “miR‐196a → HOX‐C8 → HOX‐C8 target gene” relationship. Stable transfection with an miR‐196a expression plasmid led to strong down‐regulation of HOX‐C8 expression in melanoma cells. Luciferase assays using reporter plasmids containing different fragments of the HOX‐C8 3′UTR confirmed direct interactions of miR‐196a with the HOX‐C8 mRNA. Focusing on target genes of HOX‐C8, which might play an important role in melanomagenesis, we identified three genes (cadherin‐11, calponin‐1 and osteopontin) that are up‐ or down‐regulated, respectively, by altered HOX‐C8 expression in miR‐196a expressing cell clones and are thus indirectly regulated by this microRNA. As those target genes are closely related to important cellular mechanisms such as cell adhesion, cytoskeleton remodeling, tumor formation and invasive behavior of tumor cells, altered miR‐196a expression exerts strong effects contributing to tumor cell transformation and formation and progression of malignant melanoma. This fact is underlined by a strongly reduced invasive behavior of melanoma cells re‐expressing miR‐196a in vitro.
The First Communications About Operant Conditioning of the EEG

Neurofeedback clearly makes key contributions as a clinical tool for the treatment of neurological and behavioral disorders. It also has a critical role to play as a tool for the investigations of basic scientific questions of how human subjective experience is related to its biology. Indeed, it got its start as a tool for investigating the relation between EEG activity and its subjective concomitants. Recounted here is an account of how the author's interests in this area led first to the study of dreaming sleep using the EEG, followed by an analysis of the conceptual status of subjective experiences like dreams, introspective reports and physiological indicators. At the same time, in the laboratory the development of operant discrimination of brain events became a primary focus, and its results led to the development of EEG biofeedback, now known as neurofeedback, involving both training in the control of the fluctuations in EEG alpha activity, as well as in the control of the central frequency of alpha.
Detailed versus gross spectro-temporal cues for the perception of stop consonants

In this chapter, the accuracy of the analysis of rapidly varying formants using spectrogram and Linear Prediction is assessed. Analysis of various dynamic signals shows that, when a long analysis window, like 25 ms, is used, the quality of the representation may be impoverished. Obvious unwanted effects are staircaselike formant tracks, flattening-off of formants close to voicing onset, and bending of the formant towards a strong energy concentration in the release burst. The parameters that have the largest influence on the quality of the representation are the length of the analysis window, the transition rate of the formant, the fundamental frequency, and the position and energy of the release burst. It is shown that the most accurate analysis using a quasi-stationary method is made when windows are positioned pitch-synchronously. Finally, a quantitative analysis of the influence of the mentioned parameters provides evidence that no deviations due to the quasi-stationarity assumption occur when the effective length of the analysis window is not larger than the pitch period. The wideband spectrogram is expected to be a reliable speech-analysis tool because it meets this condition for fundamental frequencies up to 370 Hz.
Optimization of Bioactive Polyphenols Extraction from Picea Mariana Bark

Reported for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and non-toxicity properties, the hot water extract of Picea mariana bark was demonstrated to contain highly valuable bioactive polyphenols. In order to improve the recovery of these molecules, an optimization of the extraction was performed using water. Several extraction parameters were tested and extracts obtained analyzed both in terms of relative amounts of different phytochemical families and of individual molecules concentrations. As a result, low temperature (80 °C) and low ratio of bark/water (50 mg/mL) were determined to be the best parameters for an efficient polyphenol extraction and that especially for low molecular mass polyphenols. These were identified as stilbene monomers and derivatives, mainly stilbene glucoside isorhapontin (up to 12.0% of the dry extract), astringin (up to 4.6%), resveratrol (up to 0.3%), isorhapontigenin (up to 3.7%) and resveratrol glucoside piceid (up to 3.1%) which is here reported for the first time for Picea mariana. New stilbene derivatives, piceasides O and P were also characterized herein as new isorhapontin dimers. This study provides novel information about the optimal extraction of polyphenols from black spruce bark, especially for highly bioactive stilbenes including the trans-resveratrol.
Binary translation

Binary translation is a technique used to change an executable program for one computer architecture and operating system into an executable program for a different computer architecture and operating system. Two binary translators are among the migration tools available for Alpha AXP computers: VEST translates OpenVMS VAX binary images to OpenVMS AXP images; mx translates ULTRIX MIPS images to DEC OSF/1 AXP images. In both cases, translated code usually runs on Alpha AXP computers as fast or faster than the original code runs on the original architecture. In contrast to other migration efforts in the industry, the VAX translator reproduces subtle CISC behavior on a RISC machine, and both open-ended translators provide good performance on dynamically modified programs. Alpha AXP binary translators are important migration tools hundreds of translated OpenVMS VAX and ULTRIX MIPS images currently run on Alpha AXP systems.
Concentrations of resveratrol and derivatives in foods and estimation of dietary intake in a Spanish population: European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Spain cohort

Resveratrol has been shown to have beneficial effects on diseases related to oxidant and/or inflammatory processes and extends the lifespan of simple organisms including rodents. The objective of the present study was to estimate the dietary intake of resveratrol and piceid (R&P) present in foods, and to identify the principal dietary sources of these compounds in the Spanish adult population. For this purpose, a food composition database (FCDB) of R&P in Spanish foods was compiled. The study included 40 685 subjects aged 35–64 years from northern and southern regions of Spain who were included in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Spain cohort. Usual food intake was assessed by personal interviews using a computerised version of a validated diet history method. An FCDB with 160 items was compiled. The estimated median and mean of R&P intake were 100 and 933 μg/d respectively. Approximately, 32 % of the population did not consume R&P. The most abundant of the four stilbenes studied was trans-piceid (53·6 %), followed by trans-resveratrol (20·9 %), cis-piceid (19·3 %) and cis-resveratrol (6·2 %). The most important source of R&P was wines (98·4 %) and grape and grape juices (1·6 %), whereas peanuts, pistachios and berries contributed to less than 0·01 %. For this reason the pattern of intake of R&P was similar to the wine pattern. This is the first time that R&P intake has been estimated in a Mediterranean country.
A simple nutrient-dependence mechanism for predicting the stoichiometry of marine ecosystems

Significance The elemental ratios of nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon in marine phytoplankton can diverge significantly from the “Redfield ratio,” but the underlying reasons have been hard to elucidate. As a result, global biogeochemical models often ignore this stoichiometric variability. Here we show that, hidden within the noise of a large dataset of particulate measurements, a surprisingly consistent relationship exists between community P:C and dissolved phosphate concentrations. The plasticity of ecosystem stoichiometry in the face of nutrient scarcity, with greater plasticity for P relative to N, appears to explain the main divergences from the Redfield ratio. When included in a simple model, the relationship implies a more important role for low latitude nutrient cycling in the biological pump than is commonly assumed. It is widely recognized that the stoichiometry of nutrient elements in phytoplankton varies within the ocean. However, there are many conflicting mechanistic explanations for this variability, and it is often ignored in global biogeochemical models and carbon cycle simulations. Here we show that globally distributed particulate P:C varies as a linear function of ambient phosphate concentrations, whereas the N:C varies with ambient nitrate concentrations, but only when nitrate is most scarce. This observation is consistent with the adjustment of the phytoplankton community to local nutrient availability, with greater flexibility of phytoplankton P:C because P is a less abundant cellular component than N. This simple relationship is shown to predict the large-scale, long-term average composition of surface particles throughout large parts of the ocean remarkably well. The relationship implies that most of the observed variation in N:P actually arises from a greater plasticity in the cellular P:C content, relative to N:C, such that as overall macronutrient concentrations decrease, N:P rises. Although other mechanisms are certainly also relevant, this simple relationship can be applied as a first-order basis for predicting organic matter stoichiometry in large-scale biogeochemical models, as illustrated using a simple box model. The results show that including variable P:C makes atmospheric CO2 more sensitive to changes in low latitude export and ocean circulation than a fixed-stoichiometry model. In addition, variable P:C weakens the relationship between preformed phosphate and atmospheric CO2 while implying a more important role for the nitrogen cycle.
Towards Augmented Fabrication: Combining Fabricated and Existing Objects

One of the main uses for digital fabrication systems is fabrication for use with existing objects. We call this paradigm "augmented fabrication. " In this paper, we discuss the types of augmented fabrication activities that can take place, situate previous work into this context, and introduce Printy, an augmented fabrication system that allows novice users to fabricate fully-functional Internet-connected objects.
Prognostic Values of C-Reactive Protein Levels on Clinical Outcome After Implantation of Sirolimus-Eluting Stents in Patients on Hemodialysis

Background—Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) using drug-eluting stents significantly reduces the risk of restenosis in the general population. However, in patients on hemodialysis, adverse cardiac events are frequently seen even if treated with drug-eluting stents. Recent studies suggest that C-reactive protein (CRP) reflects vascular wall inflammation and can predict adverse cardiac events. We evaluated possible prognostic values of CRP on outcomes in patients on hemodialysis undergoing PCI with drug-eluting stents. Methods and Results—A total of 167 patients undergoing PCI with sirolimus-eluting stents for stable angina (322 lesions) were enrolled. They were divided into tertiles according to serum CRP levels. We analyzed the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events including cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and target lesion revascularization after PCI as well as quantitative coronary angiographic data. The mean follow-up was 31 months (SD, 14). Major adverse cardiac events occurred in 11 patients (19.6%) of the lowest tertile, in 22 patients (39.3%) of the middle tertile, and in 28 patients (50.9%) of the highest tertile during follow-up period (P=0.0009). There was a progressive increase in neointimal growth after sirolimus-eluting stent implantation during follow-up because preprocedural CRP levels were higher, despite similar angiographic data just after PCI. Angiographic restenosis at 6 to 8 months after PCI was seen in 10.6% in the lowest tertile, 17.9% in the middle tertile, and 32.0% in the highest tertile (P=0.0007). Conclusions—Increased preprocedural serum CRP levels would predict higher major adverse cardiac events and restenosis rates after sirolimus-eluting stents implantation in patients on hemodialysis.
The impact of overtime and long work hours on occupational injuries and illnesses: new evidence from the United States

Aims: To analyse the impact of overtime and extended working hours on the risk of occupational injuries and illnesses among a nationally representative sample of working adults from the United States. Methods: Responses from 10 793 Americans participating in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) were used to evaluate workers’ job histories, work schedules, and occurrence of occupational injury and illness between 1987 and 2000. A total of 110 236 job records were analysed, encompassing 89 729 person-years of accumulated working time. Aggregated incidence rates in each of five exposure categories were calculated for each NLSY survey period. Multivariate analytical techniques were used to estimate the relative risk of long working hours per day, extended hours per week, long commute times, and overtime schedules on reporting a work related injury or illness, after adjusting for age, gender, occupation, industry, and region. Results: After adjusting for those factors, working in jobs with overtime schedules was associated with a 61% higher injury hazard rate compared to jobs without overtime. Working at least 12 hours per day was associated with a 37% increased hazard rate and working at least 60 hours per week was associated with a 23% increased hazard rate. A strong dose-response effect was observed, with the injury rate (per 100 accumulated worker-years in a particular schedule) increasing in correspondence to the number of hours per day (or per week) in the workers’ customary schedule. Conclusions: Results suggest that job schedules with long working hours are not more risky merely because they are concentrated in inherently hazardous industries or occupations, or because people working long hours spend more total time “at risk” for a work injury. Strategies to prevent work injuries should consider changes in scheduling practices, job redesign, and health protection programmes for people working in jobs involving overtime and extended hours.
Turbulence, amalgamation, and generic automorphisms of homogeneous structures

We study topological properties of conjugacy classes in Polish groups, with emphasis on automorphism groups of homogeneous countable structures. We first consider the existence of dense conjugacy classes (the topological Rokhlin property). We then characterize when an automorphism group admits a comeager conjugacy class (answering a question of Truss) and apply this to show that the homeomorphism group of the Cantor space has a comeager conjugacy class (answering a question of Akin, Hurley and Kennedy). Finally, we study Polish groups that admit comeager conjugacy classes in any dimension (in which case the groups are said to admit ample generics). We show that Polish groups with ample generics have the small index property (generalizing results of Hodges, Hodkinson, Lascar and Shelah) and arbitrary homomorphisms from such groups into separable groups are automatically continuous. Moreover, in the case of oligomorphic permutation groups, they have uncountable cofinality and the Bergman property. These results in particular apply to automorphism groups of many ω‐stable, ℵ0‐categorical structures and of the random graph. In this connection, we also show that the infinite symmetric group S∞ has a unique non‐trivial separable group topology. For several interesting groups we also establish Serre's properties (FH) and (FA).
Eosinophil-Derived Cationic Proteins Activate the Synthesis of Remodeling Factors by Airway Epithelial Cells1

Eosinophil cationic proteins influence several biological functions of the respiratory epithelium, yet their direct contribution to airway remodeling has not been established. We show that incubation of the human bronchial epithelial cell line, BEAS-2B, or primary cultured human bronchial epithelial cells, normal human bronchial epithelial cells, with subcytotoxic concentrations (0.1, 0.3, and 1 μM) of major basic protein (MBP), or eosinophil peroxidase (EPO), augmented the transcripts of endothelin-1, TGF-α, TGF-β1, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-β, epidermal growth factor receptor, metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, fibronectin, and tenascin. A down-regulation of MMP-1 gene expression was observed exclusively in BEAS-2B cells. Cationic protein-induced transcriptional effects were followed by the release of endothelin-1, PDGF-AB in the supernatants by ELISA, and by a down- and up-regulation, respectively, in the levels of MMP-1 and MMP-9 in cell lysates, by Western blot. Cell stimulation with the synthetic polycation, poly-l-arginine, reproduced some but not all effects of MBP and EPO. Finally, simultaneous cell incubation with the polyanion molecules, poly-l-glutamic acid or heparin, restored MMP-1 gene expression but incompletely inhibited MBP- and EPO-induced transcriptional effects as well as endothelin-1 and PDGF-AB release, suggesting that cationic proteins act partially through their cationic charge. We conclude that eosinophil-derived cationic proteins are able to stimulate bronchial epithelium to synthesize factors that influence the number and behavior of structural cells and modify extracellular matrix composition and turnover.
Cognitive learning and memory in children : progress in cognitive development research

For some time now, the study of cognitive development has been far and away the most active discipline within developmental psychology. Although there would be much disagreement as to the exact proportion of papers published in developmental journals that could be considered cognitive, 50% seems like a conservative estimate. Hence, a series of scholarly books devoted to work in cognitive development is especially appropriate at this time. The Springer Series in Cognitive Development contains two basic types of books, namely, edited collections of original chapters by several authors, and original volumes written by one author or a small group of authors. The flagship for the Springer Series is a serial pUblication of the" advances" type, carrying the subtitle Progress in Cognitive Development Research. Each volume in the Progress sequence is strongly thematic, in that it is limited to some well-defined domain of cognitive-developmental research (e. g., logical and mathematical development, development of learning). All Progress volumes will be edited collections. Editors of such collections, upon consultation with the Series Editor, may elect to have their books published either as contributions to the Progress sequence or as separate volumes. All books written by one author or a small group of authors are being published as separate volumes within the series. A fairly broad definition of cognitive development is being used in the selection of books for this series.
Evaluation and analysis of hybrid intelligent pattern recognition techniques for speaker identification

The rapid momentum of the technology progress in the recent years has led to a tremendous rise in the use of biometric authentication systems. The objective of this research is to investigate the problem of identifying a speaker from its voice regardless of the content (i.e. text-independent), and to design efficient methods of combining face and voice in producing a robust authentication system. A novel approach towards speaker identification is developed using wavelet analysis, and multiple neural networks including Probabilistic Neural Network (PNN), General Regressive Neural Network (GRNN) and Radial Basis Function-Neural Network (RBF NN) with the AND voting scheme. This approach is tested on GRID and VidTIMIT corpora and comprehensive test results have been validated with stateof-the-art approaches. The system was found to be competitive and it improved the recognition rate by 15% as compared to the classical Mel-frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCC), and reduced the recognition time by 40% compared to Back Propagation Neural Network (BPNN), Gaussian Mixture Models (GMM) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Another novel approach using vowel formant analysis is implemented using Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA). Vowel formant based speaker identification is best suitable for real-time implementation and requires only a few bytes of information to be stored for each speaker, making it both storage and time efficient. Tested on GRID and VidTIMIT, the proposed scheme was found to be 85.05% accurate when Linear Predictive Coding (LPC) is used to extract the vowel formants, which is much higher than the accuracy of BPNN and GMM. Since the proposed scheme does not require any training time other than creating a small database of vowel formants, it is faster as well. Furthermore, an increasing number of speakers makes it difficult for BPNN and GMM to sustain their accuracy, but the proposed score-based methodology stays almost linear. Finally, a novel audio-visual fusion based identification system is implemented using GMM and MFCC for speaker identification and PCA for face recognition. The results of speaker identification and face recognition are fused at different levels, namely the feature, score and decision levels. Both the score-level and decision-level (with OR voting) fusions were shown to outperform the feature-level fusion in terms of accuracy and error resilience. The result is in line with the distinct nature of the two modalities which lose themselves when combined at the feature-level. The GRID and VidTIMIT test results validate that the proposed scheme is one of the best candidates for the fusion of face and voice due to its low computational time and high recognition accuracy.