Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prepulse Inhibition of the Acoustic Startle Reflex in High Functioning Autism

Background High functioning autism is an autism spectrum disorder that is characterized by deficits in social interaction and communication as well as repetitive and restrictive behavior while intelligence and general cognitive functioning are preserved. According to the weak central coherence account, individuals with autism tend to process information detail-focused at the expense of global form. This processing bias might be reflected by deficits in sensorimotor gating, a mechanism that prevents overstimulation during the transformation of sensory input into motor action. Prepulse inhibition is an operational measure of sensorimotor gating, which indicates an extensive attenuation of the startle reflex that occurs when a startling pulse is preceded by a weaker stimulus, the prepulse. Methods In the present study, prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle was compared between 17 adults with high functioning autism and 17 sex-, age-, and intelligence-matched controls by means of electromyography. Results Results indicate that participants with high functioning autism exhibited significantly higher startle amplitudes than the control group. However, groups did not differ with regard to PPI or habituation of startle. Discussion These findings challenge the results of two previous studies that reported prepulse inhibition deficits in high-functioning autism and suggest that sensorimotor gating is only impaired in certain subgroups with autism spectrum disorder.
DDoS attack on cloud auto-scaling mechanisms

Auto-scaling mechanisms are an important line of defense against Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) in the cloud. Using auto-scaling, machines can be added and removed in an on-line manner to respond to fluctuating load. It is commonly believed that the auto-scaling mechanism casts DDoS attacks into Economic Denial of Sustainability (EDoS) attacks. Rather than suffering from performance degradation up to a total denial of service, the victim suffers only from the economic damage incurred by paying for the extra resources required to process the bogus traffic of the attack. Contrary to this belief, we present and analyze the Yo-Yo attack, a new attack against the auto-scaling mechanism, that can cause significant performance degradation in addition to economic damage. In the Yo-Yo attack, the attacker sends periodic bursts of overload, thus causing the auto-scaling mechanism to oscillate between scale-up and scale-down phases. The Yo-Yo attack is harder to detect and requires less resources from the attacker compared to traditional DDoS. We demonstrate the attack on Amazon EC2 [4], and analyze protection measures the victim can take by reconfiguring the auto-scaling mechanism.
Endogenous reward mechanisms and their importance in stress reduction, exercise and the brain

Stress can facilitate disease processes and causes strain on the health care budgets. It is responsible or involved in many human ailments of our time, such as cardiovascular illnesses, particularly related to the psychosocial stressors of daily life, including work. Besides pharmacological or clinical medical treatment options, behavioral stress reduction is much-needed. These latter approaches rely on an endogenous healing potential via life-style modification. Hence, research has suggested different ways and approaches to self-treat stress or buffer against stressors and their impacts. These self-care-centred approaches are sometimes referred to as mind-body medicine or multi-factorial stress management strategies. They consist of various cognitive behavioral techniques, as well as relaxation exercises and nutritional counselling. However, a critical and consistent element of modern effective stress reduction strategies are exercise practices. With regard to underlying neurobiological mechanisms of stress relief, reward and motivation circuitries that are imbedded in the limbic regions of the brain are responsible for the autoregulatory and endogenous processing of stress. Exercise techniques clearly have an impact upon these systems. Thereby, physical activities have a potential to increase mood, i.e., decrease psychological distress by pleasure induction. For doing so, neurobiological signalling molecules such as endogenous morphine and coupled nitric oxide pathways get activated and finely tuned. Evolutionarily, the various activities and autoregulatory pathways are linked together, which can also be demonstrated by the fact that dopamine is endogenously converted into morphine which itself leads to enhanced nitric oxide release by activation of constitutive nitric oxide synthase enzymes. These molecules and mechanisms are clearly stress-reducing.
Rolling Based Manipulation under Neighborhood Equilibrium

This paper proposes an idea of Neighborhood Equilibrium (NE) and applies it to the manipulation of an object. Under NE, an object with rolling contact can automatically find another equilibrium state close to the original one even when the current one is broken due to the change of input. For manipulating an object by taking NE into account, all the contact coordinates between the object and the plate are controlled to the desired values. To guarantee NE during the manipulation, we define the contact stable region (CSR) on the object surface. We plan the trajectory of contact coordinates within the CSR. The planned trajectory of contact point on the object surface is composed of multiple equilateral triangles. By using the Gauss-Bonnet theorem, the reachability of the algorithm is shown for a spheroidal object. Numerical examples and experiments are shown to explain our idea.
Influence of Variation in the Aggregate Gradation Range on Mix Design Properties of Bituminous Concrete (BC) Mixes used as Wearing Course

India is one of the countries having the largest road network where majority of the roads are paved with bitumen-based macadamized roads with a thin bituminous surfacing or a premix carpet as a wearing course. Bituminous roads are mainly composed of naturally available aggregates and hot bitumen/asphalt, where aggregate makes up 90-95 percent by weight of Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA). Among the various type of bituminous paving mixes in India, Bituminous Concrete (BC) mix having dense grading specification (as per Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH))has been used as a wearing course in a pavement structure to distribute stresses caused by heavily trafficked loading and to protect underlying unbound layers from the effects of water. Therefore, designing a bituminous mix to meet the desired requirements of a particular paving project requires careful selection of the compatible aggregate source, aggregate gradation and bitumen grade to sustain till its design life. Hence, is important to analyze that how the variation in aggregate gradation within the specified limits can affect the essential mix design properties of bituminous mix. The present study was taken up with the objective of evaluating the properties of HMA mixtures designed using bituminous concrete (BC)1 and 2 gradation. For the preparation of bituminous mixes, three aggregate gradation limits (upper limit, mid-point range and lower limit) for both BC grading 1 and 2 were used and evaluation is doneby using Marshall Method of mix design.By evaluating the volumetric and Marshall properties of the bituminous mixes with different gradations, results indicate that the performance of mixes made with midpoint value of gradation range shows higher Marshasll Stability value than other mixes while the optimum binder content (OBC) increases form coarser gradation to finer gradation for both the grading specifications. However in both the grading specifications, value of void filled with bitumen (VFB) is in the marginal range for upper and lower limit gradation and the value of voids filled with asphalt (VFA) is above the specified minimum value and the overall resultshows satisfactory performance with the variation in aggregate gradation limits. Keywords— Bituminous concrete, Marshall method of mix design, wearing course, hot mix asphalt.
Online Cake Cutting (published version)

We propose an online form of the cake cutting problem. This models situations where agents arrive and depart during the process of dividing a resource. We show that well known fair division procedures like cut-and-choose and the Dubins-Spanier moving knife procedure can be adapted to apply to such online problems. We propose some fairness properties that online cake cutting procedures can possess like online forms of proportionality and envy-freeness. We also consider the impact of collusion between agents. Finally, we study theoretically and empirically the competitive ratio of these online cake cutting procedures. Based on its resistance to collusion, and its good performance in practice, our results favour the online version of the cut-and-choose procedure over the online version of the moving knife procedure.
Sequence analysis and expression of the Salmonella typhimurium asr operon encoding production of hydrogen sulfide from sulfite

A chromosomal locus of Salmonella typhimurium which complements S. typhimurium asr (anaerobic sulfite reduction) mutants and confers on Escherichia coli the ability to produce hydrogen sulfide from sulfite was recently cloned (C. J. Huang and E. L. Barrett, J. Bacteriol. 172:4100-4102, 1990). The DNA sequence and the transcription start site have been determined. Analysis of the sequence and gene products revealed a functional operon containing three genes which have been designated asrA, asrB, and asrC, encoding peptides of 40, 31, and 37 kDa, respectively. The predicted amino acid sequences of both asrA and asrC contained arrangements of cysteines characteristic of [4Fe-4S] ferredoxins. The sequence of asrB contained a typical nucleotide-binding region. The sequence of asrC contained, in addition to the ferredoxinlike cysteine clusters, two other cysteine clusters closely resembling the proposed siroheme-binding site in biosynthetic sulfite reductase. Expression of lacZ fused to the asr promoter was repressed by oxygen and induced by sulfite. Analysis of promoter deletions revealed a region specific for sulfite regulation and a second region required for anaerobic expression. Computer-assisted DNA sequence analysis revealed a site just upstream of the first open reading frame which had significant homology to the FNR protein-binding site of E. coli NADH-linked nitrite reductase. However, asr expression by the fusion plasmid was not affected by site-specific mutations within the apparent FNR-binding site.
Identification and Characterization of the Corazonin Receptor and Possible Physiological Roles of the Corazonin-Signaling Pathway in Rhodnius prolixus

Neuropeptides control many physiological and endocrinological processes in animals, acting as neuroactive chemicals within the central and peripheral nervous systems. Corazonin (CRZ) is one such neuropeptide that has a variety of physiological roles associated with control of heartbeat, ecdysis behavior initiation, and cuticle coloration. These physiological effects are mediated by the CRZ receptor (CRZR). In order to understand the role of the CRZ-signaling pathway in Rhodnius prolixus, the cDNA sequence encoding the Rhopr-CRZR was isolated and cloned revealing two splice variants (Rhopr-CRZR-α and β). Sequence analysis revealed characteristics of rhodopsin-like GPCRs. Rhopr-CRZR-α and β were dose-dependently activated by Rhopr-CRZ with EC50 values of 2.7 and 1 nM, respectively, when tested in a functional receptor assay using CHOKI-aeq cells. Neither receptors were activated by the evolutionarily-related peptides, Rhopr-AKH, or Rhopr-ACP. For 5th instars, qPCR revealed expression of Rhopr-CRZR transcript in the CNS, the dorsal vessel, abdominal dorsal epidermis, and prothoracic glands with associated fat body. Interestingly, transcript expression was also found in the female and male reproductive tissues. Rhopr-CRZR transcript was reduced after injection of dsCRZR into adult R. prolixus. In these insects, the basal heartbeat rate was reduced in vivo, and the increase in heartbeat frequency normally produced by CRZ on dorsal vessel in vitro was much reduced. No effect of dsCRZR injection was seen on ecdysis or coloration of the cuticle.
Architectural Semantics for Practical Transactional Memory

Transactional memory (TM) simplifies parallel programming by allowing for parallel execution of atomic tasks. Thus far, TM systems have focused on implementing transactional state buffering and conflict resolution. Missing is a robust hardware/software interface, not limited to simplistic instructions defining transaction boundaries. Without rich semantics, current TM systems cannot support basic features of modern programming languages and operating systems such as transparent library calls, conditional synchronization, system calls, I/O, and runtime exceptions. This paper presents a comprehensive instruction set architecture (ISA) for TM systems. Our proposal introduces three key mechanisms: two-phase commit; support for software handlers on commit, violation, and abort; and full support for open- and closed-nested transactions with independent rollback. These mechanisms provide a flexible interface to implement programming language and operating system functionality. We also show that these mechanisms are practical to implement at the ISA and microarchitecture level for various TM systems. Using an execution-driven simulation, we demonstrate both the functionality (e.g., I/O and conditional scheduling within transactions) and performance potential (2.2times improvement for SPECjbb2000) of the proposed mechanisms. Overall, this paper establishes a rich and efficient interface to foster both hardware and software research on transactional memory
Match Sensing Using Match-Line Stability in Content-Addressable Memories (CAM)

This paper presents a match-line (ML) sensing scheme that distinguishes a match from a miss by first shunting every ML with a fixed negative resistance, then exciting the MLs with an initial charge, and subsequently observing their voltage developments. It is shown that the voltage on the matched ML will grow to VDD as in an unstable system, whereas the voltage on a missed ML will decay to zero, as in a stable system. Since the initial excitation charge on the ML's can be as low as the noise level in the system, this scheme can approach the minimum possible energy consumption level for match-line sensing. We have implemented, in 0.18 mum CMOS, a 144 times 144 ternary CAM array that includes the stability-based sensing scheme along with two previously-reported sensing schemes. The measured results confirm the power savings of the proposed sensing scheme. In addition, the CAM includes a pipelined search-line (SL) architecture that can reduce the SL portion of CAM power by up to 50%.
Systems analysis of the CO2 concentrating mechanism in cyanobacteria

Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic bacteria with a unique CO2 concentrating mechanism (CCM), enhancing carbon fixation. Understanding the CCM requires a systems level perspective of how molecular components work together to enhance CO2 fixation. We present a mathematical model of the cyanobacterial CCM, giving the parameter regime (expression levels, catalytic rates, permeability of carboxysome shell) for efficient carbon fixation. Efficiency requires saturating the RuBisCO reaction, staying below saturation for carbonic anhydrase, and avoiding wasteful oxygenation reactions. We find selectivity at the carboxysome shell is not necessary; there is an optimal non-specific carboxysome shell permeability. We compare the efficacy of facilitated CO2 uptake, CO2 scavenging, and HCO3− transport with varying external pH. At the optimal carboxysome permeability, contributions from CO2 scavenging at the cell membrane are small. We examine the cumulative benefits of CCM spatial organization strategies: enzyme co-localization and compartmentalization. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.02043. 001
A Novel Processing Technique of Silicon Carbide‐Based Ceramic Composites for High Temperature Applications

It was demonstrated that silicon carbide (SiC) fiber reinforced SiC matrix composites (Sic/SiC composites) with outstanding performances could be produced through a transient eutectic phase route, by employing moderate matrix densification conditions and applying appropriate fiber and/or interphase protections, incorporating a technique named nano-infiltration. This paper provides an introduction of the nano-infiltration and transient eutectic phase (NITE) process for SiC/SiC composite processing, followed by the evaluation of thermo-mechanical properties including tensile strength, fracture behavior and thermal conductivity. The lab-grade unidirectionally-reinforced composites with fiber volume fraction of 0 percent exhibited proportional limit tensile stresses of >200MPa and ultimate tensile strength of ∼400MPa. The thermal conductivity was in the range of 15∼30W/m-K at 20∼1200C.
Propagation of Discontinuities in Heterogeneous Anisotropic Plates

Abstract : Elastic stress waves propagating in thin, laminated composite plates are analyzed on the basis of a lamination theory based on the Kirchhoff assumptions, but including effects of shear deformation and rotary inertia. The individual layers comprising the plate are assumed to possess different thicknesses and material properties. Each layer may be arbitrarily anisotropic. Thus, a general coupling in shear, bending, twisting and extensional effects is present in the plate constitutive relations, resulting in simultaneously coupled stress waves propagating in the plane of the plate. Numerical examples involving laminated fiber-reinforced composite plates are presented.
Two Discrete Calcium Environments on the Surface of Enamel and Synthetic Apatites

In the present report, we outline a procedure using an adsorption model that permits the assessment of the surface pool of calcium in enamel and synthetic apatites. Enamel samples at various developmental stages were obtained from porcine unerupted incisors, as well as human erupted dentition. The dissected enamel samples were freeze-dried, pulverized, and finally treated by plasma ashing (decomposition of organic matter). For references free from organic matter, synthetic hydroxyapatite and Mg-containing carbonatoapatite were also included. Each of the samples was equilibrated in solutions containing various initial concentrations of Ca2+, Mg2+ and Na+ as nitrate salts. Following equilibration, the total concentrations and activities of the calcium and magnesium ions in the experimental solution were determined. Experimental data on the calcium adsorption onto the crystals were interpreted on the basis of the Langmuir-type model for binary systems, assuming competition of Ca2+ and Mg2+ for the same adsorption sites on the crystal surfaces. The results supported the presence of two distinct types of surface calcium: one corresponded to the same pool competing in adsorption with Mg ions, while the other was labile in nature, and was displaced easily from the solid with water. From a biological point of view, it is interesting to point out that the surface pools of calcium varied with tissue development, most probably reflecting the composition (particularly Ca2+ and Mg2+ activities) of the fluid responsible for biomineralization. 抄録:本 研 究 では,Ca2+とMg2+に よる競 合的 吸着 モデル に基づ き,異 な る成熟段 階 にあ るエナ メル質結 晶表 面 でのCaイ オ ンの存 在様 式 とモル濃度 について検 討 した。 また,低 温 灰化法 に よる有機基 質 の分解処 理後 に,水 溶 液 中 に容 易 に抽 出 され て くる不 安定 なCaイ オ ン(labile Ca)の 存在 量 につ いて も定量 した。 実験 には,未 萌 出 ブ タ切歯 の基 質形成 期,成 熟期 初期,成 熟期 後期 か ら分 離採取 したエナ メル質 と,ヒ ト萌 出永久歯 か ら採取 した エナ メル質 の粉末試 料 を用 いた。 定量 解析 に及 ぼす有機 成分 の影響 を知 る 目的 で,有 機 質 を含 まな い合 成結 晶試 料(ハ イ ドロキ シアパ タイ トとMg含 有炭 酸 アパ タイ ト)も 比 較材料 と して用 いた。 初 期 イオ ン組 成 の異 な る水 溶 液 内での結 晶試料 の平衡 化 に伴 い,固 液界 面 でCa2+お よびMg2+の 移動 が観 察 された。 吸着 モデル に基 づ く解 析 か ら,エ ナ メル結晶 と合成結 晶 のいず れに おいて も,結 晶表面 でのCaイ オ ンは2種 類 の異 な る存 在様 式(Mg2+ と競合 す る吸 着部位 を占め るCa2+イ オ ン と,特 有 の吸着 親和性 を示 さない不安定 なカル シウム)を とるこ とが わ か った。 エ ナ メル結 晶表面 で の これ らのCa量(単 位表面 積 当た りのモ ル濃 度)は,成 熟 化 に伴 う石灰 化環境 を反 映 して変 動 す るこ とが示唆 され た。 54 Jpn. J. Oral Biol., 41: 53-60, 1999.
Elevated levels of pro-apoptotic p53 and its oxidative modification by the lipid peroxidation product, HNE,in brain from subjects with amnestic mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease

Oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Both AD and arguably its earlier form, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), have elevated membrane oxidative damage in brain. The tumor suppressor and transcription factor p53 plays a pivotal function in neuronal apoptosis triggered by oxidative stress. Apoptosis contributes to neuronal death in many neurological disorders, including AD. In this study, we investigated p53 expression in a specific region of the cerebral cortex, namely the inferior parietal lobule (IPL), in MCI and AD brain, to test the hypothesis that alterations of this pro‐apoptotic protein may be involved in neuronal death in the progression of AD. By immunoprecipitation assay, we also investigated whether 4‐hydroxy‐2‐transnonenal (HNE), an aldehydic product of lipid peroxidation, was bound in excess to p53 in IPL from subjects with MCI and AD compared to control. Overall, the data provide evidence that p53 is involved in the neuronal death in both MCI and AD, suggesting that the observed alterations are early events in the progression of AD. In addition, HNE may be a novel non‐protein mediator of oxidative stress‐induced neuronal apoptosis.
Color-coding: a new method for finding simple paths, cycles and other small subgraphs within large graphs

We describe a novel randomized method, the method of color-coding for finding simple paths and cycles of a specified length k, and other small subgraphs, within a given graph G = (V,E). The randomized algorithms obtained using this method can be derandomized using families of perfect hash functions. Using the color-coding method we obtain, among others, the following new results: • For every fixed k, if a graph G = (V,E) contains a simple cycle of size exactly k, then such a cycle can be found in either O(V ω) expected time or O(V ω log V ) worst-case time, where ω < 2.376 is the exponent of matrix multiplication. (Here and in what follows we use V and E instead of |V | and |E| whenever no confusion may arise.) • For every fixed k, if a planar graph G = (V,E) contains a simple cycle of size exactly k, then ∗Work supported in part by The basic research foundation administrated by The Israel academy of sciences and humanities and by grant No. 93-6-6 of the Sloan foundation. †Institute for Advanced study, school of Mathematics, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA. ‡School of Mathematical Sciences, Raymond and Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, ISRAEL. E-mail addresses of authors: {noga,raphy,zwick}@math.tau. ac.il. such a cycle can be found in either O(V ) expected time or O(V log V ) worst-case time. The same algorithm applies, in fact, not only to planar graphs, but to any minor closed family of graphs which is not the family of all graphs. • If a graph G = (V,E) contains a subgraph isomorphic to a bounded tree-width graph H = (VH , EH) where |VH | = O(log V ), then such a copy of H can be found in polynomial time. This was not previously known even if H were just a path of length O(log V ). These results improve upon previous results of many authors. The third result resolves in the affirmative a conjecture of Papadimitriou and Yannakakis that the LOG PATH problem is in P. We can even show that the LOG PATH problem is in NC.