Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Long-Term Predictive and Feedback Encoding of Motor Signals in the Simple Spike Discharge of Purkinje Cells

Abstract Most hypotheses of cerebellar function emphasize a role in real-time control of movements. However, the cerebellum’s use of current information to adjust future movements and its involvement in sequencing, working memory, and attention argues for predicting and maintaining information over extended time windows. The present study examines the time course of Purkinje cell discharge modulation in the monkey (Macaca mulatta) during manual, pseudo-random tracking. Analysis of the simple spike firing from 183 Purkinje cells during tracking reveals modulation up to 2 s before and after kinematics and position error. Modulation significance was assessed against trial shuffled firing, which decoupled simple spike activity from behavior and abolished long-range encoding while preserving data statistics. Position, velocity, and position errors have the most frequent and strongest long-range feedforward and feedback modulations, with less common, weaker long-term correlations for speed and radial error. Position, velocity, and position errors can be decoded from the population simple spike firing with considerable accuracy for even the longest predictive (-2000 to -1500 ms) and feedback (1500 to 2000 ms) epochs. Separate analysis of the simple spike firing in the initial hold period preceding tracking shows similar long-range feedforward encoding of the upcoming movement and in the final hold period feedback encoding of the just completed movement, respectively. Complex spike analysis reveals little long-term modulation with behavior. We conclude that Purkinje cell simple spike discharge includes short- and long-range representations of both upcoming and preceding behavior that could underlie cerebellar involvement in error correction, working memory, and sequencing.
Visual Impairment and Mental Health Outcomes: Lack of Research Output from India

“Depression: let’s talk” is the theme of this year’s World Health Day. This is a timely call, as mental health is generally still under-recognised. Blindness continues to be one of the major public health problems in developing countries. As per census India 2011, about 2.2% of the total population are disabled and of which 18.8% are visually disabled the second highest form of disability. According to the publically-funded National Program for Control of Blindness (NPCB), cataract and refractive errors account for over 82% of visual impairment (VI) in India [1].
Continuous, Evolutionary and Large-Scale: A New Perspective for Automated Mobile App Testing

Mobile app development involves a unique set of challenges including device fragmentation and rapidly evolving platforms, making testing a difficult task. The design space for a comprehensive mobile testing strategy includes features, inputs, potential contextual app states, and large combinations of devices and underlying platforms. Therefore, automated testing is an essential activity of the development process. However, current state of the art of automated testing tools for mobile apps posses limitations that has driven a preference for manual testing in practice. As of today, there is no comprehensive automated solution for mobile testing that overcomes fundamental issues such as automated oracles, history awareness in test cases, or automated evolution of test cases.In this perspective paper we survey the current state of the art in terms of the frameworks, tools, and services available to developers to aid in mobile testing, highlighting present shortcomings. Next, we provide commentary on current key challenges that restrict the possibility of a comprehensive, effective, and practical automated testing solution. Finally, we offer our vision of a comprehensive mobile app testing framework, complete with research agenda, that is succinctly summarized along three principles: Continuous, Evolutionary and Large-scale (CEL).
County level of urbanization quality classification based on support vector machine

The county level of urbanization quality analysis and classification play an important role in county economic growth and improve benefit of healthy development of urbanization in China. According to the county level of urbanization quality data which is large scale and imbalance, this paper presented a support vector machine model to classify the county level of urbanization quality. The method was compared with artificial neural network, decision tree, logistic regression and naive Bayesian classifier regarding the county level of urbanization quality classification for Guanzhong urban agglomeration. It is found that the method has the best accuracy rate, hit rate, covering rate and lift coefficient, and provides an effective measurement for county level of urbanization quality classification and prediction.
Big Data Tools-An Overview

With the increasing of data to be analyzed either in social media, industry applications, or even science, there is a need for nontraditional methods for data analysis. Big data is a way for nontraditional strategies and techniques to organize, store, and process huge data collected from large datasets. Large dataset, in this context, means too large data that cannot be handled, stored, or processed using traditional tools and techniques or one computer. Therefore, there is a challenge to come up with different analytical approaches to analyze massive scale heterogeneous data coming with high speed. Consequently, big data has some characteristics that makes it different from any other data which are Veracity, Volume, Variety, Velocity, and Value. Veracity means variety of resources while Variety means data from different sources. Big data Value characteristic is one of the ultimate challenge that could be complex enough to be stored, extracted, and processed. The Volume deals with the size of the data and required storage while Velocity is related to data streaming time and latency. Throughout this paper, we review the state-of-the-art of big data tools. For the benefits of researchers, industry and practitioners, we review a large number of tools either commercial or free tools. The article also shows some of the important characteristics of the collected tools to make it easy on organizations and scientists to select the best tool for the type of data to be handled.
The effects of incomplete breath‐holding on 3D MR Image Quality

The purpose of this study was to investigate how fast three‐dimensional (3D) MR image quality is affected by breath‐holding and to develop an optimal breath‐holding strategy that minimizes artifact in the event of an incomplete breath‐hold. A computer model was developed to study variable‐duration breath‐holds during fast 3D imaging. Modeling was validated by 3D gradient‐echo imaging performed on 10 volunteers. Signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) and image blur were measured for both simulated and clinical images. Insights gained were applied to clinical 3D gadolinium‐enhanced MR angiography. Breath‐holding significantly improved abdominal 3D MR image quality. Most of this benefit could be achieved with a breath‐hold fraction of 50% if it occurred during acquisition of central k space. Breath‐holding during peripheral k‐space acquisition, however, had no significant benefit. Respiratory motion artifact on fast 3D MRI occurring when a patient fails to suspend respiration for the entire scan duration can be minimized by collecting central k space first (centric acquisition) so that premature breathing affects only the acquisition of peripheral k space.
Glutathione S-Transferase Regulation in Calanus finmarchicus Feeding on the Toxic Dinoflagellate Alexandrium fundyense

The effect of the dinoflagellate, Alexandrium fundyense, on relative expression of glutathione S-transferase (GST) transcripts was examined in the copepod Calanus finmarchicus. Adult females were fed for 5-days on one of three experimental diets: control (100% Rhodomonas spp.), low dose of A. fundyense (25% by volume, 75% Rhodomonas spp.), and high dose (100% A. fundyense). Relative expression of three GST genes was measured using RT-qPCR on days 0.5, 1, 2 and 5 in two independent experiments. Differential regulation was found for the Delta and the Sigma GSTs between 0.5 to 2 days, but not on day 5 in both experiments. The third GST, a microsomal, was not differentially expressed in either treatment or day. RT-qPCR results from the two experiments were similar, even though experimental females were collected from the Gulf of Maine on different dates and their reproductive output differed. In the second experiment, expression of 39 GSTs was determined on days 2 and 5 using RNA-Seq. Global gene expression analyses agreed with the RT-qPCR results. Furthermore, the RNA-Seq measurements indicated that only four GSTs were differentially expressed under the experimental conditions, and the response was small in amplitude. In summary, the A. fundyense diet led to a rapid and transient response in C. finmarchicus in three cytosolic GSTs, while a fourth GST (Omega I) was significantly up-regulated on day 5. Although there was some regulation of GSTs in response the toxic dinoflagellate, the tolerance to A. fundyense by C. finmarchicus is not dependent on the long-term up-regulation of specific GSTs.
Robotic Sacrocolpopexy Performance and Cumulative Summation Analysis

Objectives This study aimed to apply Cumulative Summation (CUSUM) analysis as a tool to monitor robotic sacrocolpopexy (RSCP) proficiency over time. Methods A retrospective analysis of all women who underwent RSCP between September of 2008 and December of 2011 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The performance for 2 attending surgeons was analyzed sequentially over time. Intraoperative complications such as genitourinary or gastrointestinal tract injury, conversion to laparotomy, pulmonary embolus, hemorrhage, and blood transfusion, were identified by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision and Current Procedural Terminology codes. A successful outcome was defined as no intraoperative complications. The target value of success was set at less than 10% complications. CUSUM analysis was then sequentially applied to all RSCP cases for 2 attending surgeons. Results Over 27 months, 169 RSCPs were performed. The first surgeon performed 107 RSCPs and the second surgeon performed 62 RSCPs with 8 (7.4%) and 3 (4.9%) intraoperative complications, respectively. Total complications included 7 (4.1%) cystotomies, 2 (1.2%) vaginal lacerations, 1 (0.6%) blood transfusion, and 1 (0.6%) bowel perforation. A CUSUM graph was created for each surgeon. Conclusions CUSUM analysis was successfully applied to monitor RSCP proficiency. Such testing of individual successive procedural outcomes with CUSUM may offer an objective tool to aid in physician self-assessment.
Identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and rifampin resistance in clinical specimens using the Xpert MTB/RIF assay.

PURPOSE The Xpert MTB/RIF assay is a novel real-time polymerase chain reaction technique for the detection of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) complex and rifampin (RIF) resistance. We evaluated the performance of this assay in identifying MTB and resistance to RIF in clinical specimens. MATERIALS AND METHODS We analyzed clinical specimens from 383 patients with suspected TB who were hospitalized at a secondary hospital in Korea. Specimens were processed using the Xpert MTB/RIF assay, acid-fast bacilli smear and culture, and drug susceptibility test (DST). RESULTS Among the 444 clinical samples analyzed, the Xpert MTB/RIF assay identified MTB in 56 (13.8%) of 405 respiratory specimens, but did not detect MTB in the remaining 39 non-respiratory specimens. Of the 65 pulmonary TB patients, 52 (80.0%) were confirmed by using mycobacterial culture as a reference standard. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of the Xpert MTB/RIF assay were 73.85%, 99.03%, 94.12%, and 94.72%, respectively. Among five patients with RIF resistance determined by the Xpert MTB/RIF assay, four (80%) were confirmed as suffering from multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB by DST. CONCLUSIONS The Xpert MTB/RIF assay appears to be an accurate, simple, and useful technique for detecting MTB, especially in respiratory specimens. However, RIF resistance, if detected, should be verified with DST.
Stable producer–scrounger dynamics in wild birds: sociability and learning speed covary with scrounging behaviour

There has been extensive game-theoretic modelling of conditions leading to equilibria of producer–scrounger dichotomies in groups. However there is a surprising paucity of experimental evidence in wild populations. Here, we examine producer–scrounger games in five subpopulations of birds feeding at a socially learnt foraging task. Over four weeks, a bimodal distribution of producers and scroungers emerged in all areas, with pronounced and consistent individual tactic specialization persisting over 3 years. Tactics were unrelated to exploratory personality, but correlated with latency to contact and learn the foraging task, with the late arrivers and slower learners more likely to adopt the scrounging role. Additionally, the social environment was also important: at the broad scale, larger subpopulations with a higher social density contained proportionally more scroungers, while within subpopulations scroungers tended to be central in the social network and be observed in larger foraging flocks. This study thus provides a rare example of a stable, dimorphic distribution of producer–scrounger tactics in a wild population. It further gives support across multiple scales for a major prediction of social foraging theory; that the frequency of scroungers increases with group size.
A review of normal calcium and phosphorus metabolism.

OUR INVESTIGATIVE UNIT has been interested in the metabolism of calcium and phosphorus for a number of years, and we have come to realize that no one medical text or journal renders an easily comprehensible, complete and yet concise review of the subject. We feel that a precise account of this subject may be of service to others, both in stimulating interest in the field and in providing an adequate reference list. It is hoped that this paper dealing with the metabolism of calcium and phosphorus in normal people, and following the outline listed below, will pave the way for a discussion, subsequently to be published, on the etiology, pathogenesis, and treatment of hypercalcxmia and hypocalcaemia. The values for calcium and phosphorus are expressed in mg. % rather than in mEq. /l. The
Veratridine modifies open sodium channels

The state dependence of Na channel modification by the alkaloid neurotoxin veratridine was investigated with single-channel and whole- cell voltage-clamp recording in neuroblastoma cells. Several tests of whole-cell Na current behavior in the presence of veratridine supported the hypothesis that Na channels must be open in order to undergo modification by the neurotoxin. Modification was use dependent and required depolarizing pulses, the voltage dependence of production of modified channels was similar to that of normal current activation, and prepulses that caused inactivation of normal current had a parallel effect on the generation of modified current. This hypothesis was then examined directly at the single-channel level. Modified channel openings were easily distinguished from normal openings by their smaller current amplitude and longer burst times. The modification event was often seen as a sudden, dramatic reduction of current through an open Na channel and produced a somewhat flickery channel event having a mean lifetime of 1.6 s at an estimated absolute membrane potential of -45 mV (23 degrees C). The modified channel had a slope conductance of 4 pS, which was 20-25% the size of the slope conductance of normal channels with the 300 mM NaCl pipette solution used. Most modified channel openings were initiated by depolarizing pulses, began within the first 10 ms of the depolarizing step, and were closely associated with the prior opening of single normal Na channels, which supports the hypothesis that modification occurs from the normal open state.
Acute Immune-Inflammatory Responses to a Single Bout of Aerobic Exercise in Smokers; The Effect of Smoking History and Status

This study examined the acute immune and inflammatory responses to exercise in smokers compared to non-smokers, and further, the effect of smoking history on these immune-inflammatory responses. Fifty-four recreationally active males who were either smokers (SM; n = 27) or non-smokers (NS; n = 27) were allocated into either young (YSM, YNS) or middle-aged groups (MSM, MNS) based on smoking status. Participants were matched for fitness and smoking habits and following familiarization and baseline testing, undertook an exercise protocol that involved 40 min of cycle ergometry at 50% of VO2peak. Venous blood was obtained pre- and post- (0 min, 1, and 4 h) exercise to measure circulating leukocytes and inflammatory markers interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, IL-1ra, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1). Compared to MNS, MSM showed elevated basal concentrations of MCP-1, which were increased with a longer smoking history (P < 0.05). In response to exercise, YSM demonstrated an amplified IL-6 response from immediately- to 1 h-post compared to YNS. Furthermore, IL-1ra in YSM was elevated above that of YNS across all time points (P < 0.05). The MSM group had higher IL-1β at baseline when compared to YSM, although IL-1ra was greater for YSM at baseline (P < 0.05). Finally, the post-exercise leukocyte response was greater in MSM compared to YSM and non-smokers (P < 0.05). In conclusion, smoker’s exhibit elevated MCP-1 and IL-1β that seem to be evident with a longer smoking history (~15 years). Furthermore, the differences in exercise-induced inflammatory responses noted in YSM may be indicative tobacco smoke exposure priming circulating leukocytes to amplify inflammatory responses.
Dynamic Analyses of Drosophila Gastrulation Provide Insights into Collective Cell Migration

The concerted movement of cells from different germ layers contributes to morphogenesis during early embryonic development. Using an optimized imaging approach and quantitative methods, we analyzed the trajectories of hundreds of ectodermal cells and internalized mesodermal cells within Drosophila embryos over 2 hours during gastrulation. We found a high level of cellular organization, with mesoderm cell movements correlating with some but not all ectoderm movements. During migration, the mesoderm population underwent two ordered waves of cell division and synchronous cell intercalation, and cells at the leading edge stably maintained position. Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling guides mesodermal cell migration; however, we found some directed dorsal migration in an FGF receptor mutant, which suggests that additional signals are involved. Thus, decomposing complex cellular movements can provide detailed insights into collective cell migration.
Environmental and Policy Interventions to Control Tobacco Use and Prevent Cardiovascular Disease

Despite its declining prevalence during the past few decades, tobacco use remains one of the most significant public health issues of the 1990s. Environmental and policy interventions are among the most cost-effective approaches to control tobacco use and prevent cardiovascular diseases. In this article, the authors review and offer to state and local health departments and other public health partners a summary of recommended policy and environmental interventions that have either reduced or show potential to reduce tobacco use. Priority recommendations include clean indoor air policies, restrictions on tobacco advertising and promotion, policies limiting youth access to tobacco, comprehensive school health programs, and excise taxes and other economic incentives. Many of these recommendations should be integrated with other health promotion interventions to also improve nutrition and physical activity. The authors also highlight several successful interventions and strategies used to establish policies at the state and local levels.
On Generalized Additive Value-Function Decomposition

We consider the challenge of preference elicitation in systems that help users discover the most desirable item(s) within a given database. Past work on preference elicitation focused on structured models that provide a factored representation of users’ preferences. Such models require less information to construct and support efficient reasoning algorithms. This paper makes two substantial contributions to this area: (1) Strong representation theorems for factored value functions. (2) A methodology that utilizes our representation results to address the problem of optimal item selection.
Translocation of sugars into infected cabbage tissues during clubroot development.

Sucrose, glucose, and inositol were the major sugars in cabbage hypocotyls infected by Plasmodiophora brassicae and in noninfected hypocotyls, based on paper, thin-layer, and gas-liquid chromatography. Small amounts of trehalose were tentatively identified in extracts from noninfected hypocotyls, whereas up to 20x this level occurred in extracts from infected hypocotyls. Inositol declined in the infected hypocotyls while glucose increased to about 4x the level in noninfected hypocotyls. Fructose and mannose concentrations increased about 2-fold in the diseased hypocotyls, whereas the galactose concentration was about one-third that of noninfected hypocotyls.Translocation of (14)CO(2) sugar photosynthates into infected hypocotyls was more rapid than that into noninfected hypocotyls. The infected tissues also exported less sugar than the non-infected tissues. Sucrose was the major sugar translocated into the hypocotyls of both infected and noninfected plants.
Differences in the connectivity of rat pudendal motor nuclei as revealed by retrograde transneuronal transport of wheat germ agglutinin

Bilateral coordinated activation of pudendal motoneurons is an essential component of penile reflexes in male rats. However, little is known about the intraspinal organization of these reflexes. In the present study, retrograde transneuronal transport of wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) was used to examine the organization of spinal motoneurons and putative interneurons mediating penile reflexes in adult male rats. Injection of WGA into the ventral bulbospongiosus muscle resulted in direct retrograde labeling of motoneurons in the ipsilateral dorsomedial (DM) nucleus and transneuronal labeling of ipsilateral and contralateral DM motoneurons. Motoneurons in the ipsilateral and contralateral dorsolateral (DL) nuclei were not labeled. WGA‐labeled putative interneurons were observed bilaterally, primarily in the ventromedial spinal gray matter extending dorsally to the central canal and the dorsal gray commissure. The number of transneuronally labeled putative interneurons increased with longer survival times. Injection of WGA into the ischiocavernosus muscle resulted in direct retrograde labeling of motoneurons in the medial subdivision of the ipsilateral DL nucleus. However, no WGA labeling was detected in motoneurons in the lateral subdivision of the ipsilateral DL nucleus, the contralateral DL nucleus, or the DM nuclei at any of the survival times studied (1–7 days). Only a small number of transneuronally labeled putative interneurons was observed in the ventrolateral gray matter at longer survival times (3–7 days). Thus, marked differences were observed between the DM and DL nuclei with respect to the transneuronal transport of WGA. These results are discussed with respect to the organization of the spinal circuits that mediate pudendal motor reflexes. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.