Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neural Signature of Value-Based Sensorimotor Prioritization in Humans

In situations in which impending sensory events demand fast action choices, we must be ready to prioritize higher-value courses of action to avoid missed opportunities. When such a situation first presents itself, stimulus–action contingencies and their relative value must be encoded to establish a value-biased state of preparation for an impending sensorimotor decision. Here, we sought to identify neurophysiological signatures of such processes in the human brain (both female and male). We devised a task requiring fast action choices based on the discrimination of a simple visual cue in which the differently valued sensory alternatives were presented 750–800 ms before as peripheral “targets” that specified the stimulus–action mapping for the upcoming decision. In response to the targets, we identified a discrete, transient, spatially selective signal in the event-related potential (ERP), which scaled with relative value and strongly predicted the degree of behavioral bias in the upcoming decision both across and within subjects. This signal is not compatible with any hitherto known ERP signature of spatial selection and also bears novel distinctions with respect to characterizations of value-sensitive, spatially selective activity found in sensorimotor areas of nonhuman primates. Specifically, a series of follow-up experiments revealed that the signal was reliably invoked regardless of response laterality, response modality, sensory feature, and reward valence. It was absent, however, when the response deadline was relaxed and the strategic need for biasing removed. Therefore, more than passively representing value or salience, the signal appears to play a versatile and active role in adaptive sensorimotor prioritization. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT In many situations such as fast-moving sports, we must be ready to act fast in response to sensory events and, in our preparation, prioritize courses of action that lead to greater rewards. Although behavioral effects of value biases in sensorimotor decision making have been widely studied, little is known about the neural processes that set these biases in place beforehand. Here, we report the discovery of a transient, spatially selective neural signal in humans that encodes the relative value of competing decision alternatives and strongly predicts behavioral value biases in decisions made ∼500 ms later. Follow-up manipulations of value differential, reward valence, response modality, sensory features, and time constraints establish that the signal reflects an active, feature- and effector-general preparatory mechanism for value-based prioritization.
The epilepsy treatment gap in developing countries: A systematic review of the magnitude, causes, and intervention strategies

In many developing countries, people with epilepsy do not receive appropriate treatment for their condition, a phenomenon called the treatment gap (TG). We carried out a systematic review to investigate the magnitude, causes, and intervention strategies to improve outcomes in developing countries. We systematically searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PsycINFO databases, supplemented by a hand search of references in the key papers. The degree of heterogeneity and a pooled TG estimate were determined using metaanalysis techniques. The estimates were further stratified by continent and location of study (urban, rural). Twenty‐seven studies met the inclusion criteria: twelve from Africa, nine from Asia and six from Latin America. We observed a high degree of heterogeneity and inconsistency between studies. The overall estimate of the TG was 56/100 [95% confidence interval (CI) 31.1–100.0]. The variation in estimates could possibly be explained by nonuniform TG estimation methods and the diverse study populations, among other factors. The TG was mainly attributed to inadequate skilled manpower, cost of treatment, cultural beliefs, and unavailability of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). These factors have been addressed using different intervention strategies, such as education and supply of AEDs. Future research should estimate the TG coherently and develop sustainable interventions that will address the causes.
The Intrinsic Fraction of Broad Absorption Line Quasars

We carefully reconsider the problem of classifying broad-absorption line quasars (BALQSOs) and derive a new, unbiased estimate of the intrinsic BALQSO fraction from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) DR3 quasi-stellar object (QSO) catalogue. We first show that the distribution of objects selected by the so-called 'absorption index' (AI) is clearly bimodal in log AI, with only one mode corresponding to definite BALQSOs. The surprisingly high BALQSO fractions that have recently been inferred from AI-based samples are therefore likely to be overestimated. We then present two new approaches to the classification problem that are designed to be more robust than the AI, but also more complete than the traditional 'balnicity index' (BI). Both approaches yield observed BALQSO fractions around 13.5 per cent, while a conservative third approach suggests an upper limit of 18.3 per cent. Finally, we discuss the selection biases that affect our observed BALQSO fraction. After correcting for these biases, we arrive at our final estimate of the intrinsic BALQSO fraction. This is fBALQSO= 0.17 ± 0.01 (stat) ± 0.03 (sys) with an upper limit of fBALQSO? 0.23 . We conclude by pointing out that the bimodality of the log AI distribution may be evidence that the BAL-forming region has clearly delineated physical boundaries.
On universal LDPC code ensembles

A universal design of low-density parity-check (LDPC) code ensembles which enables to operate reliably over various channels is of great theoretical and practical interest. This paper considers the universality of LDPC code ensembles over multitude memoryless binary-input output-symmetric (MBIOS) channels, addressing their universality under belief-propagation (BP) decoding. Based on the density evolution approach, analytical results related to the universality of LDPC code ensembles under BP decoding are derived; these results are expressed in closed form, and are easy to calculate. The full paper version related to this work [11] provides further results, full proofs, additional discussions on the theorems, and it also considers the universality issue under ML decoding.
Rapid Changes in MicroRNA-146a Expression Negatively Regulate the IL-1β-Induced Inflammatory Response in Human Lung Alveolar Epithelial Cells1

Posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression by microRNAs (miRNAs) has been implicated in the regulation of chronic physiological and pathological responses. In this report, we demonstrate that changes in the expression of miRNAs can also regulate acute inflammatory responses in human lung alveolar epithelial cells. Thus, stimulation with IL-1β results in a rapid time- and concentration-dependent increase in miRNA-146a and, to a lesser extent, miRNA-146b expression, although these increases were only observed at high IL-1β concentration. Examination of miRNA function by overexpression and inhibition showed that increased miRNA-146a expression negatively regulated the release of the proinflammatory chemokines IL-8 and RANTES. Subsequent examination of the mechanism demonstrated that the action of miRNA-146a was mediated at the translational level and not through the down-regulation of proteins involved in the IL-1β signaling pathway or chemokine transcription or secretion. Overall, these studies indicate that rapid increase in miRNA-146a expression provides a novel mechanism for the negative regulation of severe inflammation during the innate immune response.
Midazolam Reverses Salicylate-Induced Changes in Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Arg3.1 Expression: Implications for Tinnitus Perception and Auditory Plasticity

Tinnitus is a phantom auditory perception, which can be induced via application of concentrated sodium salicylate, and is known to be associated with hearing loss and altered neuronal excitability in peripheral and central auditory neurons. The molecular features of this excitability, however, has been poorly characterized to date. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), the activity-dependent cytoskeletal protein (Arg3.1, also known as Arc), and c-Fos are known to be affected by changes in excitability and plasticity. Using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, in situ hybridization, and immunohistochemistry, the expression of these genes was monitored in the rat auditory system after local (cochlear) and systemic application of salicylate. Induction of tinnitus and hearing loss was verified in a behavioral model. Regardless of the mode of salicylate application, a common pattern became evident: 1) BDNF mRNA expression was increased in the spiral ganglion neurons of the cochlea; and 2) Arg3.1 expression was significantly reduced in the auditory cortex. Local application of the GABAA receptor modulator midazolam resulted in the reversal not only of salicylate-induced changes in cochlear BDNF expression, but also in cortical Arg3.1 expression, indicating that the tinnitus-associated changes in cochlear BDNF expression trigger the decline of cortical Arg3.1 expression. Furthermore, local midazolam application reduced tinnitus perception in the animal model. These findings support Arg3.1 and BDNF as markers for activity changes in the auditory system and suggest a role of GABAergic inhibition of cochlear neurons in the modulation of Arg3.1 plasticity changes in the auditory cortex and tinnitus perception.
Quantitative Methodology of Economic Cycles

The Fourier transformation of a stationary series allows to look at the different frequency components of the series. By isolating frequency components in a group of series, the possibility of the relationships between the series varying with frequency can be also analysed. The aim of this paper is to present evidence on the validity of the application of the spectral analysis to economic phenomena. The postulates of the quantity theory of money provide the basic framework for the application of this method to quantify economic theories. The period analysed covers a great deal of the capitalistic stage, and it is focused on three European countries: Spain, France and Great Britain. For the purpose of this study, this period was selected because it presents very different phases, since throughout this long time, the classic gold-standard alternated with a fiduciary system as a result of the changes in institutional policy. The main conclusion of this work is that the values of the parameters obtained from theoretical cycles -that result of the decomposition based on this analysisare significantly closer to those postulated by quantity theory than those obtained from the time series data or from subsequent empirical cycles.
Randomness Exposed – An Attack on Hosted Virtual Machines

The wide-spread adoption of virtualization technologies by the industry has enabled new innovations, but has also broken existing assumptions about the security of the system. While virtualization makes multiple operating systems, shared hardware, and cheap storage possible, it brings with it new and unforeseen attacks and potential security holes. In this research paper, we explore a possible attack in which the host operating system records the entropy used by the guest and predicts the guest’s generated pseudo-random number. This allows the attacker to break some of the guest’s cryptographically secure numbers or communications, such as session keys.
SU(3) Clebsch-Gordan Coefficients

The paper contains the derivation of a general set of recurrence formulas for the calculus of the SU(3) Clebsch-Gordan coefficients. The first six sections are introductory, presenting the notations and placing SU(3) in the framework of the general group theory. The following eight sections are devoted to the detailed treatment of the carrier spaces of the irreducible representations and their direct product.
Expertise in Software Design

In this chapter, we review research evidence on expertise in software design, computer programming, and related tasks. Research in this domain is particularly interesting because it refers both to rather general features and processes associated with expertise (e.g., knowledge representation, problem-solving strategies) and to speci£c characteristics of high performers in an economically relevant real-world setting. Therefore, in this chapter we draw on literature from various £elds, mainly from cognitive psychology, but also from work and organizational psychology and from the software-design literature within computer science. Our chapter is organized as follows: In the first main section we provide a brief description of the domain and give an overview of tasks in software development. Next} we briefly describe the expertise concept and distinguish between a conceptualization of expertise as years of experience and expertise as high performance. The third main section is the core part of this chapter. In this section, we review empirical research on expertise in tasks such as software design, programming, program comprehension, testing, and debugging. Moreover, we describe how expert performers differ from non-experts with respect to knowledge as well as communication and cooperation processes. In the £nal section, we present directions for future research and discuss some practical implications.
Quantification of integrin receptor agonism by fluorescence lifetime imaging

Both spatiotemporal analyses of adhesion signalling and the development of pharmacological inhibitors of integrin receptors currently suffer from the lack of an assay to measure integrin-effector binding and the response of these interactions to antagonists. Indeed, anti-integrin compounds have failed in the clinic because of secondary side effects resulting from agonistic activity. Here, we have expressed integrin-GFP and effector-mRFP pairs in living cells and quantified their association using fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) to measure fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). Association of talin with β1 integrin and paxillin with α4 integrin was dependent on both the ligand and receptor activation state, and was sensitive to inhibition with small molecule RGD and LDV mimetics, respectively. An adaptation of the assay revealed the agonistic activity of these small molecules, thus demonstrating that these compounds may induce secondary effects in vivo via integrin activation. This study provides insight into the dependence of the activity of small molecule anti-integrin compounds upon receptor conformation, and provides a novel quantitative assay for the validation of potential integrin antagonists.
Sleep-like behavior and 24-h rhythm disruption in the Tc1 mouse model of Down syndrome

Down syndrome is a common disorder associated with intellectual disability in humans. Among a variety of severe health problems, patients with Down syndrome exhibit disrupted sleep and abnormal 24‐h rest/activity patterns. The transchromosomic mouse model of Down syndrome, Tc1, is a trans‐species mouse model for Down syndrome, carrying most of human chromosome 21 in addition to the normal complement of mouse chromosomes and expresses many of the phenotypes characteristic of Down syndrome. To date, however, sleep and circadian rhythms have not been characterized in Tc1 mice. Using both circadian wheel‐running analysis and video‐based sleep scoring, we showed that these mice exhibited fragmented patterns of sleep‐like behaviour during the light phase of a 12:12‐h light/dark (LD) cycle with an extended period of continuous wakefulness at the beginning of the dark phase. Moreover, an acute light pulse during night‐time was less effective in inducing sleep‐like behaviour in Tc1 animals than in wild‐type controls. In wheel‐running analysis, free running in constant light (LL) or constant darkness (DD) showed no changes in the circadian period of Tc1 animals although they did express subtle behavioural differences including a reduction in total distance travelled on the wheel and differences in the acrophase of activity in LD and in DD. Our data confirm that Tc1 mice express sleep‐related phenotypes that are comparable with those seen in Down syndrome patients with moderate disruptions in rest/activity patterns and hyperactive episodes, while circadian period under constant lighting conditions is essentially unaffected.
Content-based retrieval of human actions by analysing the statistical information of features

Fast growth of video data on the Internet requires managing these video data. In the last decade, Content-Based Video Retrieval (CBVR) became a considerable research interest to handle the large amounts of collecting video media on the Internet. Due to concerning a large ratio of the videos on the Internet to humans, human action retrieval is presented as a new topic in CBVR domain. In this paper, we seek to improve the current state-of-the-art retrieval algorithms for CBVR by using the statistical information. The statistical information is utilized to represent the video by a vector with m units instead of local points of m×n units and creating a histogram of Bag of Words and also, it decreases the complexity significantly. Furthermore, each vector is used to compare the videos and to find the similar videos to the query one instead of histogram of Bag of Words. The experimental results on KTH dataset illustrated that in contrast to the Bag-of-Words model and its various parameters, our method can perform better.
Expanded Classification of Hepatitis C Virus Into 7 Genotypes and 67 Subtypes: Updated Criteria and Genotype Assignment Web Resource

The 2005 consensus proposal for the classification of hepatitis C virus (HCV) presented an agreed and uniform nomenclature for HCV variants and the criteria for their assignment into genotypes and subtypes. Since its publication, the available dataset of HCV sequences has vastly expanded through advancement in nucleotide sequencing technologies and an increasing focus on the role of HCV genetic variation in disease and treatment outcomes. The current study represents a major update to the previous consensus HCV classification, incorporating additional sequence information derived from over 1,300 (near‐)complete genome sequences of HCV available on public databases in May 2013. Analysis resolved several nomenclature conflicts between genotype designations and using consensus criteria created a classification of HCV into seven confirmed genotypes and 67 subtypes. There are 21 additional complete coding region sequences of unassigned subtype. The study additionally describes the development of a Web resource hosted by the International Committee for Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) that maintains and regularly updates tables of reference isolates, accession numbers, and annotated alignments (http://talk.ictvonline.org/links/hcv/hcv-classification.htm). The Flaviviridae Study Group urges those who need to check or propose new genotypes or subtypes of HCV to contact the Study Group in advance of publication to avoid nomenclature conflicts appearing in the literature. While the criteria for assigning genotypes and subtypes remain unchanged from previous consensus proposals, changes are proposed in the assignment of provisional subtypes, subtype numbering beyond “w,” and the nomenclature of intergenotypic recombinant. Conclusion: This study represents an important reference point for the consensus classification of HCV variants that will be of value to researchers working in clinical and basic science fields. (Hepatology 2014;59:318‐327)
An efficient TOPS imaging algorithm based on spectral analysis

The Terrain Observation by Progressive Scans (TOPS) mode solves the problems existing in the conventional ScanSAR mode by steering the antenna along the azimuth direction. However, the antenna steering introduces a serious azimuth signal aliasing both in time-domain and frequency-domain, thus traditional imaging algorithms are not available for the TOPS mode. In order to solve the azimuth signal aliasing, an efficient TOPS imaging algorithm based on spectral analysis (SPECAN) is presented in this paper, which is improved by sub-apertures division in the azimuth processing part. Only few FFTs and complex multiplications are used in the whole imaging processing, thus the algorithm has a high efficiency. What's more, in the final focused image, different ranges have the same azimuth interval and the azimuth image resolution is alterable according to the application requirements. Finally, some simulations are conducted to verify the validity of the proposed method.
Enhanced LCCG: A novel test clock generation scheme for faster-than-at-speed delay testing

On-chip faster-than-at-speed delay testing provides a promising way for small delay defect detection. However, the frequency of on-chip generated test clock would be impacted by process variations. Hence, it requires determining the actual frequency of generated test clock to ensure the effectiveness of faster-than-at-speed delay testing. In this paper, we present a novel test clock generation scheme, namely Enhanced LCCG, for faster-than-at-speed delay testing. In the proposed scheme, faster-than-at-speed test clock is firstly generated by configuring the corresponding control information specified in the test pattern into Enhanced LCCG. Then, by constructing oscillation paths and counting the corresponding oscillation iteration numbers, the actual frequency of test clock can be measured and calculated with high resolution. Experimental results are presented to validate the proposed method.
The Contribution of Conformational Adjustments and Long-range Electrostatic Forces to the CD2/CD58 Interaction*

CD2 is a T cell surface molecule that enhances T and natural killer cell function by binding its ligands CD58 (humans) and CD48 (rodents) on antigen-presenting or target cells. Here we show that the CD2/CD58 interaction is enthalpically driven and accompanied by unfavorable entropic changes. Taken together with structural studies, this indicates that binding is accompanied by energetically significant conformational adjustments. Despite having a highly charged binding interface, neither the affinity nor the rate constants of the CD2/CD58 interaction were affected by changes in ionic strength, indicating that long-range electrostatic forces make no net contribution to binding.
On Applying an Image Processing Technique to Detecting Spams

In this paper we describe a preliminary study on applying an image processing technique to spam detection. We propose a simple method of processing email messages as image data for detecting spams out of them, and show some experimental results obtained from comparing our scheme with a Bayesian filter system. Although the image processing technique we adopted in this paper is quite simple, the results indicate that our method must be potentially useful for spam detection.