Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A circuit for detection of interaural time differences in the nucleus laminaris of turtles

ABSTRACT The physiological hearing range of turtles is approximately 50–1000 Hz, as determined by cochlear microphonics ( Wever and Vernon, 1956a). These low frequencies can constrain sound localization, particularly in red-eared slider turtles, which are freshwater turtles with small heads and isolated middle ears. To determine if these turtles were sensitive to interaural time differences (ITDs), we investigated the connections and physiology of their auditory brainstem nuclei. Tract tracing experiments showed that cranial nerve VIII bifurcated to terminate in the first-order nucleus magnocellularis (NM) and nucleus angularis (NA), and the NM projected bilaterally to the nucleus laminaris (NL). As the NL received inputs from each side, we developed an isolated head preparation to examine responses to binaural auditory stimulation. Magnocellularis and laminaris units responded to frequencies from 100 to 600 Hz, and phase-locked reliably to the auditory stimulus. Responses from the NL were binaural, and sensitive to ITD. Measures of characteristic delay revealed best ITDs around ±200 μs, and NL neurons typically had characteristic phases close to 0, consistent with binaural excitation. Thus, turtles encode ITDs within their physiological range, and their auditory brainstem nuclei have similar connections and cell types to other reptiles. Summary: Turtles share auditory brainstem connectivity with other reptiles, as well as birds, and encode interaural time differences in the nucleus laminaris.
Exploring multi-session web tasks

Users are now performing more sophisticated web tasks. In this work, we explore web tasks that require multiple web sessions to complete (multi-session tasks) to satisfy a goal. We conducted a web-based diary study and a field study that used a customized version of Firefox which logged the participants' interactions for multi-session tasks and all their web activity. We found that multi-session tasks occur frequently and that users utilize a variety of browser tools and actions to help complete these tasks.
Server-side dynamic code analysis

The common use of packers is a real challenge for the anti-virus community. Indeed, a static signature analysis can usually only detect and sometimes remove known packers if a specific unpacking routine has been programmed manually. Generic unpacking does not solve the problem due to its limited effectiveness. Additionally, the important number of binaries to scan on a daily basis makes automated analysis necessary in order to protect information systems. In this context, we propose a taxonomy of self-modifying behaviors, a generic method to detect them in potentially malicious samples and a scalable architecture for the distributed analysis of a high volume of binaries.
Medical comorbidity in schizophrenia

Schizophrenia has been described as a “life‐shortening disease”, and physical comorbidity accounts for 60% of premature deaths not related to suicide. People with schizophrenia and other mental illnesses have a higher rate of preventable risk factors such as smoking, high alcohol consumption, poor diet, and lack of exercise. Recognition and management of morbidity in people with mental illness are made more difficult by barriers related to the patient, the illness, the attitudes of medical practitioners, and the structure of healthcare delivery services. Improved detection and treatment of medical illness in people with schizophrenia will have significant benefits for their psychosocial functioning and overall quality of life.
Explicit Determination of Piezoelectric Eshelby Tensors for a Spheroidal Inclusion

In this paper, by systematically treating the integrals involved in the piezoelectric inclusion problem, explicit results were obtained for the piezoelectric Eshelby tensors for a spheroidal inclusion aligned along the axis of the anisotropy in a transversely isotropic piezoelectric material. This problem was first treated by Dunn and Wienecke (1996) using a Green's function approach, which closely follows Withers' approach (1989) for an ellipsoidal inclusion problem in a transversely isotropic elastic medium. The same problem was recently treated by Michelitsch and Levin (2000) also using a Green's function approach. In this paper, a different method was used to obtain the explicit results for the piezoelectric Eshelby tensors for a spheroidal inclusion. The method is a direct extension of a more unified approach, which has been recently developed by Mikata (2000), which is based on Deeg's results (1980) on a piezoelectric inclusion problem. The main advantage of this method is that it is more straightforward and simpler than Dunn and Wienecke (1996), or Michelitsch and Levin (2000), and the results are a little bit more explicit than their solutions. The key step of this paper is an analytical closed form evaluation of several integrals, which was made possible after a careful treatment of a certain bi-cubic equation.
Rare earth reduction using a novel variable magnetomotive force, flux intensified IPM machine

This paper presents a novel variable magnetomotive force, flux intensifying IPM (VFI-IPM) machine which uses only low coercive force magnets to reduce usage of rare earth metals. The VFI-IPM machine is designed with a characteristic of Ld>;Lq, which is typical for FI-IPM machines, and uses low coercive force magnets with magnetization level control. A theoretical magnet operating point analysis was conducted to investigate the design methodology. A proof-of-principle prototype machine was then designed based on these principles. Simulation results show that the VFI-IPM prototype can achieve a wide torque-speed envelope and variable torque-speed characteristics, while not requiring high coercive force magnets that would include far more expensive rare earth materials, such as dysprosium.
Forecasting Extreme Volatility of FTSE-100 with Model Free VFTSE, Carr-Wu and Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) Option Implied Volatility Indices

Since its introduction in 2003, volatility indices such as the VIX based on the model-free implied volatility (MFIV) have become the industry standard for assessing equity market volatility. MFIV suffers from estimation bias which typically underestimates volatility during extreme market conditions due to sparse data for options traded at very high or very low strike prices, Jiang and Tian (2007). To address this problem, we propose modifications to the CBOE MFIV using Carr and Wu (2009) moneyness based interpolations and extrapolations of implied volatilities and so called GEV-IV derived from the Generalised Extreme Value (GEV) option pricing model of Markose and Alentorn (2011). GEV-IV gives the best forecasting performance when compared to the model-free VFTSE, Black-Scholes IV and the Carr-Wu case, for realised volatility of the FTSE-100, both during normal and extreme market conditions in 2008 when realised volatility peaked at 80%. The success of GEV-IV comes from the explicit modelling of the implied tail shape parameter and the time scaling of volatility in the risk neutral density which can rapidly and flexibly reflect extreme market sentiments present in traded option prices.
Program Comprehension During Software Maintenance and Evolution

Code cognition models examine how programmers understand program code. The authors survey the current knowledge in this area by comparing six program comprehension models: the Letovsky (1986) model; the Shneiderman and Mayer (1979) model; the Brooks (1983) model; Soloway, Adelson and Ehrlich's (1988) top-down model; Pennington's (1987) bottom-up model; and the integrated metamodel of von Mayrhauser and Vans (1994). While these general models can foster a complete understanding of a piece of code, they may not always apply to specialized tasks that more efficiently employ strategies geared toward partial understanding. We identify open questions, particularly considering the maintenance and evolution of large-scale code. These questions relate to the scalability of existing experimental results with small programs, the validity and credibility of results based on experimental procedures, and the challenges of data availability. >
Interleukin 12 signaling in T helper type 1 (Th1) cells involves tyrosine phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription (Stat)3 and Stat4

Interleukin 12 (IL-12) initiates the differentiation of naive CD4+ T cells to T helper type 1 (Th1) cells critical for resistance to intracellular pathogens such as Leishmania major. To explore the basis of IL-12 action, we analyzed induction of nuclear factors in Th1 cells. IL-12 selectively induced nuclear DNA-binding complexes that contained Stat3 and Stat4, recently cloned members of the family of signal transducers and activators of transcription (STATs). While Stat3 participates in signaling for several other cytokines, Stat4 was not previously known to participate in the signaling pathway for any natural ligand. The selective activation of Stat4 provides a basis for unique actions of IL-12 on Th1 development. Thus, this study presents the first identification of the early events in IL-12 signaling in T cells and of ligand activation of Stat4.
Pleiotropic Effects of an Allele Producing White Flowers in Ipomoea purpurea

Abstract Although it is generally believed that pollinators are the primary selective agents driving flower-color evolution, it has recently been suggested that pleiotropic effects of mutations affecting flower color may serve as important constraints on floral evolution. We examined this hypothesis using white-flowered variants of the common morning glory, Ipomoea purpurea. Previous experiments indicate that the white-flowered a allele has a transmission advantage because of increased selfing and no detectable pollen discounting. We confirm this transmission advantage using a large field experiment in which both selfing rate and outcross success were measured for all three genotypes at the A locus. We also demonstrate that this transmission advantage is opposed by apparent pleiotropic effects in aa individuals manifested as reduced survival from germination to flowering. The magnitude of this effect, in combination with the known magnitude of inbreeding depression, more than compensates for the transmission advantage. Our results thus support the notion that deleterious pleiotropy may influence the evolutionary trajectory of flower-color mutants.
An Information-Based Approach to Sensor Management in Large Dynamic Networks

This paper addresses the problem of sensor management for a large network of agile sensors. Sensor management, as defined here, is the process of dynamically retasking agile sensors in response to an evolving environment. Sensors may be agile in a variety of ways, e.g., the ability to reposition, point an antenna, choose sensing mode, or waveform. The goal of sensor management in a large network is to choose actions for individual sensors dynamically so as to maximize overall network utility. Sensor management in the multiplatform setting is a challenging problem for several reasons. First, the state space required to characterize an environment is typically of very high dimension and poorly represented by a parametric form. Second, the network must simultaneously address a number of competing goals. Third, the number of potential taskings grows exponentially with the number of sensors. Finally, in low-communication environments, decentralized methods are required. The approach we present in this paper addresses these challenges through a novel combination of particle filtering for nonparametric density estimation, information theory for comparing actions, and physicomimetics for computational tractability. The efficacy of the method is illustrated in a realistic surveillance application by simulation, where an unknown number of ground targets are detected and tracked by a network of mobile sensors.
Hypercholesterolemia Association with Aortic Stenosis of Various Etiologies

Abstract Background: Hypercholesterolemia has been found to be associated with aortic valve stenosis and to resemble the inflammatory process of atherosclerosis in many studies. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of hypercholesterolemia in development of aortic valve calcification in different etiologies. Methods: The study included 988 patients with rheumatic, congenital, or degenerative aortic stenosis, who underwent aortic valve replacement at Koşuyolu Heart and Research Hospital between 1985 and 2005. Effects of hypercholesterolemia and high low‐density lipoprotein level on calcific aortic stenosis or massive aortic valve calcification were analyzed for each etiologic group. Results: Both univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that the high serum cholesterol level (>200 mg/dL) was related to massive aortic valve calcification in all patients (p = 0.003). Hypercholesterolemia was linked to calcific aortic stenosis and massive calcification in patients with degenerative etiology (p = 0.02 and p = 0.01, respectively) and it was related to massive calcification in patients with congenital bicuspid aorta (p = 0.02). Other independent risk factors for calcific aortic stenosis and massive calcification in the degenerative group were high low‐density lipoprotein level (>130 mg/dL; p = 0.03 and p = 0.05, respectively) and high serum C‐reactive protein level (p = 0.04 and p = 0.05, respectively). Conclusions: Hypercholesterolemia is related to increased risk of aortic valve calcification in patients with degenerative and congenital etiology. Preventive treatment of hypercholesterolemia could play an important role to decrease or inhibit development of aortic valve calcification.
Hybrid Structure of TiO2 Nanofiber and Nanoparticle for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Hybrid structure of TiO2 nanofiber and nanoparticle as a photoelectrode was very attractive in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) because TiO2 nanoparticle provided a high specific surface area to adsorb the N719 dye and TiO2 nanofiber was a direct path to transfer photoelectron from dye to electrode. TiO2 nanofiber film was prepared with titanium-tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) based precursor by electro-spinning process. To fabricate the hybrid structure, TiO2 nanoparticular paste was screen printed on the TiO2 nanofiber film. Electrospun TiO2 nanofiber film and screen printed TiO2 nanoparticular film were combined in layer by layer method. These films were observed as an anatase phase by X-ray diffraction pattern. Thickness and diameter of TiO2 nanofibers were ~5μm and ~400nm, respectively. Thickness and particle size of TiO2 particles were ~5μm and ~20nm, respectively. Compared to conventional DSCs, higher short circuit current densities (Jsc) of 6.47 mA/cm2 and higher power conversion efficiency of 3.06 % were measured in DSCs having hybrid structure of TiO2 nanofiber and nanoparticle. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was observed to understand an electron transfer and life time.
An Oct-like binding factor regulates Myf-5 expression in primary avian cells.

Myogenic regulatory factors (MRFs) are hierarchical regulators of skeletal myogenesis. Many MRF promoters have been well characterized with respect to flanking sequences that control their expression. Yet the promoter elements that regulate Myf-5, the first MRF expressed during mammalian embryogenesis, are still largely unknown. Comparison of Myf-5 5' flanking regions from bovine, mouse, and chicken genes revealed three evolutionarily conserved elements proximal to the transcription start site: the TATA box, an octamer motif, termed OLS, and a 6-bp C-rich element. Mobility shift assays and DNase I footprinting analysis demonstrated that a nuclear factor(s) present in both bovine and avian muscle and nonmuscle tissues specifically recognized OLS. Furthermore, this binding activity reacted with a polyclonal Oct-1 antibody. In avian primary myoblast and fibroblast cultures, CAT reporter constructs under regulation of the proximal Myf-5 5' flanking sequence were expressed preferentially in myoblasts with CAT levels approximately 12-fold higher than in fibroblasts. The TATA box and octamer motif were important for expression in both myoblasts and fibroblasts: loss of the TATA box abolished activity, and disruption of the OLS resulted in 50-75% loss of promoter activity.
Quatorzièmes Journées nationales de la FFER ( Clermont-Ferrand , 18 – 20 novembre 2009 ) Évaluation non invasive de l ’ embryon : morphologie embryonnaire préimplantatoire Non invasive evaluation of the embryo : Morphology of preimplantation embryos

From all the possibilities of assessment of the embryonic viability in vitro, morphology observed at microscope is the most elective criteria because of its specificity, sensibility and its armless side. The use of classifications at each stage of the development is essential for the selection of the right embryo to be replaced but do not allow dynamic evaluation. The development of computerized tools to capture and analyse images must emancipate us from oversimplification that doesn’t cover frequent daily situations. The purpose is to examine the most frequent widespread classifications, the proposed alternatives and the consequences on embryonic replacement policy. More than a simple morphological factual evaluation of an attempt, it would be interesting to correlate embryonic development to stimulation criteria or quality culture media and other variables to enhance the obtaining of good prognostic embryos. The retrospective analysis of the databases of images will probably respond to this preoccupation. # 2009 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.
2‐D gel electrophoresis‐based proteomic analysis reveals that ormeloxifen induces G0–G1 growth arrest and ERK‐mediated apoptosis in chronic myeloid leukemia cells K562

Ormeloxifen is a nonsteroidal selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) and has been shown to possess anticancer activities in breast and uterine cancer. Here, we show that ormeloxifen induces apoptosis in dose‐dependent manner in a variety of leukemia cells, more strikingly in K562. 2‐DE‐gel electrophoresis of K562 cells induced with ormeloxifen showed that 57 and 30% of proteins belong to apoptosis and cell‐cycle pathways, respectively. Our data demonstrate that ormeloxifen‐induced apoptosis in K562 cells involves activation of extracellular signal‐regulated kinases (ERKs) and subsequent cytochrome c release, leading to mitochondria‐mediated caspase‐3 activation. Ormeloxifen‐induced apoptosis via ERK activation was drastically inhibited by prior treatment of K562 cells with ERK inhibitor PD98059. Ormeloxifen also inhibits proliferation of K562 cells by blocking them in G0–G1 phase by inhibiting c‐myc promoter via ormeloxifen‐induced MBP‐1 (c‐myc promoter‐binding protein) and upregulation of p21 expression. We further show that ormeloxifen‐induced apoptosis in K562 is translatable to mononuclear cells isolated from chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients. Thus, ormeloxifen induces apoptosis in K562 cells via phosphorylation of ERK and arrests them in G0–G1 phase by reciprocal regulation of p21 and c‐myc. Therefore, inclusion of ormeloxifen in the therapy of chronic myeloid leukemia can be of potential utility.
The Ras/MAPK Pathway Is Required for Generation of iNKT Cells

iNKT cells derive from CD4+CD8+ DP thymocytes, and are selected by thymocyte-thymocyte interactions through signals from their invariant Vα14-Jα18 TCR and from the costimulatory molecules SLAMF1 and SLAMF6. Genetic studies have demonstrated the contribution of different signaling pathways to this process. Surprisingly, current models imply that the Ras/MAPK pathway, one of the critical mediators of conventional αβ T cell positive selection, is not necessary for iNKT cell development. Using mice defective at different levels of this pathway our results refute this paradigm, and demonstrate that Ras, and its downstream effectors Egr-1 and Egr-2 are required for positive selection of iNKT cells. Interestingly our results also show that there are differences in the contributions of several of these molecules to the development of iNKT and conventional αβ T cells.
Preparation and Characterization of Poly(methyl methacrylate)/Reactive Montmorillonite Nanocomposites

The poly(methylmetacrylate)(PMMA)/reactive montmorillonite nanocomposites were prepared by emulsion polymerization. The double bonds were introduced to both the surfaces and interlayers of the montmorillonites to obtain the reactive montmorillonites. The structure of the nanocomposites measured by wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) indicated that the montmorillonites were exfoliated. The average molecular weight of the nanocomposites revealed by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) was larger than that of pure PMMA. The results of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) indicated that the thermal properties of the nanocomposites were enhanced and could be affected by the amount of the reactive montmorillonites. In addition, the tensile properties of the nanocomposites measured by an Instron testing machine improved and the nanocomposites including 3 wt% reactive montmorillonites showed the best tensile strength. The Young's modulus increased with the addition of the reactive montmorillonites. The aging properties of the nanocomposites had an improvement compared with pure PMMA. The optical properties assessed by UV-Visible spectroscopy revealed that the transmittance decreased as the amount of the reactive montmorillonites increased. Finally, the mechanism to prepare PMMA/reactive montmorillonite nanocomposites was proposed. POLYM. COMPOS. , 2015. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers
Poster: Evolution of a Theremin-Based 3D-Interface for Music Synthesis

The Theremin (including its variants) is the world's unique instrument that is played without being touched. We present the evolution of a 3D interface for a virtual Theremin, the VRemin. Based on a music synthesizer application we built a number of different 3D interfaces that allow for a contact-free play of the virtual music instrument based on gestures. The variants differ in the size of the interaction space, the use of unimanual and bimanual interaction techniques and the applied IO devices.
ANALYTICAL SIMULATION OF PROGRESSIVE COLLAPSE OF PERIMETER FRAMES DUE TO OUT-OF-PLANE BEHAVIOR IN MOMENT FRAME STRUCTURES

Typical steel moment-resisting frame structures in the United States, similar to many super-high-rise framed-tube structures being constructed in Japan, have stiff beams and columns only around perimeters and often have none or few seismic beams inside the building. The lack of strength and stiffness of connections between perimeter frames and floors to support the out-of-plane behavior of perimeter frames may cause unstable behavior when perimeter frames are separated from the floors due to accidental or earthquake loading. This study analytically simulates progressive collapse when the attachment of perimeter frames to floors is lost and predicts the strength of the connections required to prevent progressive collapse during earthquakes.
Asymptotically Optimal Encodings for Range Selection

We consider the problem of preprocessing an array A[1.n] to answer range selection and range top-k queries. Given a query interval [i.j] and a value k, the former query asks for the position of the k-th largest value in A[i.j], whereas the latter asks for the positions of all the k largest values in A[i.j]. We consider the encoding} version of the problem, where A is not available at query time, and an upper bound kappa on k, the rank that is to be selected, is given at construction time. We obtain data structures with asymptotically optimal size and query time on a RAM model with word size Theta(lg(n)): our structures use O(n*lg(kappa)) bits and answer range selection queries in time O(1+lg(k) / lg(lg(n))) and range top-k queries in time O(k), for any k <= kappa.