Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Developmental change in the calcium sensor for synaptic vesicle endocytosis in central nerve terminals

Synaptic vesicle endocytosis is stimulated by calcium influx in mature central nerve terminals via activation of the calcium‐dependent protein phosphatase, calcineurin. However, in different neuronal preparations calcineurin activity is either inhibitory, stimulatory or irrelevant to the process. We addressed this inconsistency by investigating the requirement for calcineurin activity in synaptic vesicle endocytosis during development, using vesicle recycling assays in isolated nerve terminals. We show that endocytosis occurs independently of calcineurin activity in immature nerve terminals, and that a calcineurin requirement develops 2–4 weeks after birth. Calcineurin‐independent endocytosis is not due to the absence of calcineurin activity, since calcineurin is present in immature nerve terminals and its substrate, dynamin I, is dephosphorylated on depolarization. Calcineurin‐independent endocytosis is calcium‐dependent, since substitution of the divalent cation, barium, inhibits the process. Finally, we demonstrated that in primary neuronal cultures derived from neonatal rats, endocytosis that was initially calcineurin‐independent developed a calcineurin requirement on maturation in culture. Our data account for the apparent inconsistencies regarding the role of calcineurin in synaptic vesicle endocytosis, and we propose that an unidentified calcium sensor exists to couple calcium influx to endocytosis in immature nerve terminals.
The Mind Module—Using an Affectand Personality Computational Modelas a Game-Play Element

This paper describes the Mind Module (MM) which can be used in game worlds to assign avatars and autonomous characters personality traits, emotions, emotional attachments and moods which together form finely granulated states which are especially appropriate in systems where individualized play experiences are desired. The MM is implemented as a spreading activation network where the different nodes represent affective properties and has been used in several experimental game prototypes. In this paper, results are reported from play-tests where representations of affective processes were used as game-play elements. The MM API can be used with the particular nodes described in this paper or extended for use with nodes appropriate to other applications.
Parallel Bayesian Network Modelling for Pervasive Health Monitoring System

Nowadays patients are experiencing pervasive health monitoring service. In order to improve the quality of service, managers and clinicians need to analyze plentiful data collected by medical information system. In this way, because they can acquire useful knowledge, wise decision will be made and the treatment and prevention will become more effective. Since Heart Disease (HD) is considered as one of the main reasons of death for adults, heart disease analysis deserves more attention. This paper uses Bayesian networks to analyze heart disease and presents a method to conform the sequence of network nodes from sample dataset. This method overcomes the limitation of traditional algorithms, which require experts of medical field give the order of network nodes. In addition, in order to shorten the analysis time, a parallel optimization technique is adopted to accelerate the establishment of HD diagnosis model over large amounts of data. Experiments show that the proposed method can improve the accuracy of the modeling and shorten the modeling time to some extent.
China’s language input system in the digital age affects children’s reading development

Written Chinese as a logographic system was developed over 3,000 y ago. Historically, Chinese children have learned to read by learning to associate the visuo-graphic properties of Chinese characters with lexical meaning, typically through handwriting. In recent years, however, many Chinese children have learned to use electronic communication devices based on the pinyin input method, which associates phonemes and English letters with characters. When children use pinyin to key in letters, their spelling no longer depends on reproducing the visuo-graphic properties of characters that are indispensable to Chinese reading, and, thus, typing in pinyin may conflict with the traditional learning processes for written Chinese. We therefore tested character reading ability and pinyin use by primary school children in three Chinese cites: Beijing (n = 466), Guangzhou (n = 477), and Jining (n = 4,908). Children with severe reading difficulty are defined as those who were normal in nonverbal IQ but two grades (i.e., 2 y) behind in character-reading achievement. We found that the overall incidence rate of severe reading difficulty appears to be much higher than ever reported on Chinese reading. Crucially, we found that children’s reading scores were significantly negatively correlated with their use of the pinyin input method, suggesting that pinyin typing on e-devices hinders Chinese reading development. The Chinese language has survived the technological challenges of the digital era, but the benefits of communicating digitally may come with a cost in proficient learning of written Chinese.
Improving sparsely labeled text classification with data editing

In this paper, an active semi-supervised framework combining with data editing is proposed to improve sparsely labeled text classification. It integrates semi-supervised learning with active learning, and fully utilizes the advantage of active learning by fusing it with a data editing technique. The algorithm works in an iterative fashion in which the steps of self-labeling, active labeling and editing are iterated alternatively. Active learning and data editing techniques are designed to cope with the training data bias and sparsity. According to our knowledge, the fusion of active learning with data editing technique to eliminate self-labeled noise is novel. Extensive experimental study on several real-world data sets shows the encouraging results of the proposed text classification framework for sparsely labeled text classification compared with several state-of-the-art methods.
Anesthetics and the developing brain: time for a change in practice? A pro/con debate

1 Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Intensive Care, University Hospital of Geneva Geneva, Switzerland 2 Department of Fundamental Neuroscience, University of Geneva Medical School Geneva, Switzerland 3 Department of Anesthesia and Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Pittsburgh, PA, USA 4 Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC Pittsburgh, PA, USA 5 Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark 6 Clinical Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
Novel Peptide Marker Corresponding to Salivary Protein gSG6 Potentially Identifies Exposure to Anopheles Bites

Background In order to improve malaria control, and under the aegis of WHO recommendations, many efforts are being devoted to developing new tools for identifying geographic areas with high risk of parasite transmission. Evaluation of the human antibody response to arthropod salivary proteins could be an epidemiological indicator of exposure to vector bites, and therefore to risk of pathogen transmission. In the case of malaria, which is transmitted only by anopheline mosquitoes, maximal specificity could be achieved through identification of immunogenic proteins specific to the Anopheles genus. The objective of the present study was to determine whether the IgG response to the Anopheles gambiae gSG6 protein, from its recombinant form to derived synthetic peptides, could be an immunological marker of exposure specific to Anopheles gambiae bites. Methodology/Principal Findings Specific IgG antibodies to recombinant gSG6 protein were observed in children living in a Senegalese area exposed to malaria. With the objective of optimizing Anopheles specificity and reproducibility, we designed five gSG6-based peptide sequences using a bioinformatic approach, taking into consideration i) their potential antigenic properties and ii) the absence of cross-reactivity with protein sequences of other arthropods/organisms. The specific anti-peptide IgG antibody response was evaluated in exposed children. The five gSG6 peptides showed differing antigenic properties, with gSG6-P1 and gSG6-P2 exhibiting the highest antigenicity. However, a significant increase in the specific IgG response during the rainy season and a positive association between the IgG level and the level of exposure to Anopheles gambiae bites was significant only for gSG6-P1. Conclusions/Significance This step-by-step approach suggests that gSG6-P1 could be an optimal candidate marker for evaluating exposure to Anopheles gambiae bites. This marker could be employed as a geographic indicator, like remote sensing techniques, for mapping the risk of malaria. It could also represent a direct criterion of efficacy in evaluation of vector control strategies.
Real-time facial expression recognition in the interactive game based on embedded hidden Markov model

Combine the facial expression of the game player with the game role and the context can highly enhance the interaction and attractiveness of the interactive computer game. We propose a framework to real-time facial expression recognition in the interactive computer game environment. There are two main contributions of this work. First, an embedded HMM for face recognition as stated in A. V. Nefian and M. H. Hayes III (1999) is used in real-time facial expression recognition. Second, face alignment is used in facial expression environment. In this paper, the embedded HMM uses two-dimensional discrete cosine transform (2D-DCT) coefficients as the observation vectors opposite to previous HMM approaches which use pixel intensities to form the observation vectors. Our proposed system reduces the complexity of the training and recognition system.
Topography of Native SK Channels Revealed by Force Nanoscopy in Living Neurons

The spatial distribution of ion channels is an important determinant of neuronal excitability. However, there are currently no quantitative techniques to map endogenous ion channels with single-channel resolution in living cells. Here, we demonstrate that integration of pharmacology with single-molecule atomic force microscopy (AFM) allows for the high-resolution mapping of native potassium channels in living neurons. We focus on calcium-activated small conductance (SK) potassium channels, which play a critical role in brain physiology. By linking apamin, a toxin that specifically binds to SK channels, to the tip of an AFM cantilever, we are able to detect binding events between the apamin and SK channels. We find that native SK channels from rat hippocampal neurons reside primarily in dendrites as single entities and in pairs. We also show that SK channel dendritic distribution is dynamic and under the control of protein kinase A. Our study demonstrates that integration of toxin pharmacology with single-molecule AFM can be used to quantitatively map individual native ion channels in living cells, and thus provides a new tool for the study of ion channels in cellular physiology.
Theories Of Public Service Improvement

Abstract The use of performance auditing and inspection as tools of public services reform is a key feature of contemporary public management. In the UK, external assessments of organizational capacity and performance play a pivotal role in attempts to drive public service improvement. However significant differences have emerged between the local government performance assessment frameworks which now operate in England, Scotland and Wales. These reflect contrasting theories of improvement and differences in the relationships between central government, local authorities and audit bodies.
Superiority of tandem autologous transplantation over standard therapy for previously untreated multiple myeloma.

Virtually no progress has been made during more than 2 decades of clinical trials for multiple myeloma (MM) involving standard therapy (ST). Recent studies suggest that dose intensification requiring hematopoietic stem cell support results in higher complete response (CR) rates and extended disease control. "Total Therapy" (TT) consisting of noncross-resistant induction regimens, followed by a double autotransplant (AT) procedure, was administered to 123 untreated patients with symptomatic MM. Upon hematologic recovery, interferon (IFN) maintenance (3 million units [MU]/m2 subcutaneously thrice weekly) was given until disease recurrence/progression. Results were compared with the outcome of untreated patients receiving ST according to Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) trials. One hundred sixteen pair mates were selected from both TT and among 1,123 patients to match for the major prognostic features. TT induced CR in 40% of all 123 patients (intent-to-treat). By 12 months, 7% had died, including 4% from treatment-related complications. With a median follow-up of 31 months, median durations of event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) are 49 and 62+ months, respectively. Abnormalities of chromosomes 11q and 13 were associated with inferior outcome, whereas CR within 6 months after induction was a favorable prognostic feature for both EFS and OS. In comparison to ST, TT induced higher PR rates (85% v 52%, P < .0001) (CR rates not available on SWOG trials) and extended EFS (49 v 22 months, P = .0001) and OS (62+ v 48 months, P = .01). Compared to ST, dose intensification with double AT markedly augments tumor cytoreduction, effecting not only higher CR rates but also significantly extending EFS and OS in previously untreated patients with MM.
Scalable Video Coding for Flexible Multimedia Services

We review the concept and the principal features of scalable video coding with particular emphasis on the current standardization effort and benefits for applications. We discuss the requirements that motivated the development of this technology and the recent research breakthroughs that enable highly efficient and flexible distribution of video in heterogeneous networks. The above-mentioned requirements and technical progress have led to the joint effort of ISO/IEC and ITU-T to develop the new Scalable Video Coding standard, which is currently being finalized and the development of which we outline. We also discuss the advantages of scalable video coding in some selected application areas and related implementation and deployment issues.
Research methods in criminal justice

Part 1 The context of the research: criminal justice research and the social science process the conduct logic, and procedures of social scientific inquiry - introduction to alternate pathways theories ethical issues in criminal justice research. Part 2 charts, tables and measurements: introduction measures and inquiry. Part 3 Benchmarks of scientific quality: reliability internal validity external validity and linking all three benchmarks. Part 4 The gallery of research tools: qualitative field methods sampling strategies surveys field experiments, quasi-experiments and evaluation research longitudinal research content analysis, historical criminology newer methods - meta-analysis, simulations, and biocriminology a generic checklist for assessing research methodologies.
Energy-Source-Aware Cost Optimization for Green Cellular Networks with Strong Stability

Last decade witnessed the explosive growth in mobile devices and their traffic demand, and thereby the significant increase in the energy cost of the cellular service providers. One major component of the service providers' operational expenditure comes from the operation of cellular base stations using grid power or diesel generators when grid power is absent, which also causes adverse environmental impact due to enormous carbon footprint. Therefore, from the service providers' perspective, how to effectively reduce the energy cost of base stations while satisfying cellular users' soaring traffic demands has become an imperative and challenging problem. In this paper, we investigate the minimization of the long-term time-averaged expected energy cost of cellular service providers while guaranteeing the strong stability of the network. In particular, we first formulate the problem by jointly considering flow routing, link scheduling, and energy (i.e., renewable energy resource, energy storage unit, and so on) constraints. Since the formulated problem is a time-coupling stochastic mixed-integer nonlinear programming problem, which is prohibitively expensive to solve, we reformulate the problem by employing Lyapunov optimization theory. A decomposition-based algorithm is developed to solve the problem and the network strong stability is proven. We then derive and prove both the lower and the upper bounds on the optimal result of the original problem. Simulation results demonstrate the tightness of the obtained bounds and the efficacy of the proposed scheme.
1 MULTIBASELINE POLARIZATION COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY

— In this paper we consider a multibaseline formulation of polarization coherence tomography (PCT). We first summarise the main concepts behind PCT, which combines interferometric coherence with SAR polarimetric imaging to generate 3-D images of penetrable volume scattering. We then extend the published work in this area by considering a 6 th order Legendre polynomial expansion of coherence. This then permits consideration of up to three baselines in the tomographic reconstruction process. We then apply the technique to broad-band anechoic chamber data from the EMSL for a maize sample. We use this to demonstrate several important features of the polarization and frequency dependence of backscatter. Finally we briefly consider the calibration and numerical stability issues required for a future spaceborne implementation of the technique.
Equalization of energy consumption at cluster head for prolonging lifetime in cluster-based wireless sensor networks

In cluster-based wireless sensor networks (WSN), the most of energy is consumed in cluster head which performs data aggregations and relaying. The lifetime in cluster-based WSN is subjected by the lifetime of cluster heads. Therefore, in this paper, we equalize the energy consumption of the cluster heads to prolong the lifetime of WSN. After equalization, we obtain the length of sides of cluster area. Numerical results show that the length of far site cluster is shorter than the nearest cluster to perform equalization for all three routing schemes. Moreover, simulation results show that the three-hop scheme can obtain the most energy efficiency than other two schemes.
Silky, sticky chimeras-designer VEGFs display their wares.

See related articles, pages 1460–1467 and 1468–1475 To the casual observer of the VEGF field, the panoply of players involved already looks sufficiently intimidating; 5 VEGF genes (A,B,C,D and E) with multiple splicing variants encoding proteins of varied functionality, 3 high-affinity tyrosine kinase receptors (VEGF-R1, 2 and 3), and at least 2 nontyrosine kinase receptors (neuropilin-1 and 2). One would imagine that with such a variety we would have encountered by now all possible variations on the theme of VEGF control of new vessel growth, arterial or lymphatic. But one would be wrong. Two reports in this issue of Circulation Research by Kari Alitalo and colleagues demonstrate how various VEGF domains dictate hitherto unappreciated biological nuances of vascular growth and how these can be combined into “designer” VEGFs with new activities not present in parent molecules.1,2 Principal VEGF-A domains include a signal peptide sequence, a VEGF homology domain (VHD) common to all VEGF but dictating specific VEGF receptor binding properties (VEGF-R1 and VEGF- R 2 in the case of VEGF-A VHD), and a heparin binding domain (HBD) encoded by exons 6 and 7 in VEGF189 or a shorter HBD encoded only by exon 7 in VEGF-A165. Exon 7 also encodes a neurolin-1 binding domain present in both VEGF-A165 and A189 (Figure). Similarly, VEGF-C principal domains include the signal peptide domain and VEGF-C VHD (in this case dictating VEGF- R 2 and VEGF-R3 binding) flanked by N- and C-terminal domains that normally undergo proteolytic process to form the mature protein (Figure). The C-terminal domain of VEGF-C, because of its cysteine-rich sequences eliciting comparisons with a protein component of silk, has been termed a silk homology domain. VEGF and VEGF chimera domain structure. Domain structure of VEGF-A189, VEGF-A165 and VEGF-C (top) and …
Novel IMC-PID controller design and parameter tuning with improving control performance for the SOPTD processes

In process industry, aiming to deal with the second order plus time delay (SOPTD) processes, especially the large time delay processes, this paper introduces mainly a novel proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller based on the internal model control (IMC) theory and proposes the relative parameter tuning rules. Then, the explicit analytical results are obtained to make controller parameters be tuned easily and reduce uncertainty and complexity of parameter tuning. The proposed control approach is tested and verified by simulation examples and compared to several traditional PID methods in different conditions. The results show the main features and benefits of the proposed approach, which can achieve better control performances and good robustness.
FUZZY LOGIC MPPT CONTROLLER WITH ENERGY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR SOLAR-WIND-BATTERY- DIESEL HYBRID POWER SYSTEM

Effective utilization of power is more important th an generation of power because power scarcity is th e major problem at present in India. It leads many in dustries to utilize the diesel generator results po lluti n and demand to fossil fuel. So nowadays many industr ies and government passions on renewable energy. A wind solar hybrid power system plays a crucial role t day in renewable power resources because it uses solar energy combined with wind energy to create a stand-alone energy source that is both dependable a nd consistent. This paper proposes effective energy ma nagement controller for solar wind hybrid renewable power system for telecommunication industries. In p ower systems apart from power generation managing of power without wastage is imperative. This paper roposes Fuzzy Logic Controller based Effective Energy Management Controller to monitor the power f rom all resources and load demand consistently and to control whole hybrid power system. Fuzzy logic c ontroller makes accurate selection of sources in ri ght timing. Fuzzy Logic Maximum Power Point Tracking is proposed in this paper for solar and wind power system to provide a constant voltage with the help of DC-DC Single-Ended Primary-Inductance Converter . Absence of telecommunication devices per day is uni mag nable in current trend. Main objective of this paper is to supply uninterruptible power for teleco mmunication loads from standalone solar-wind-Diesel hybrid power system with efficient energy storage s ystem. It provides uninterrupted power, effective utilization of sources, improves life time of batte ry and minimized usage of diesel. The whole system is analyzed using MATLAB / Simulink.