Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Substantia Nigra Neuromelanin as an Imaging Biomarker of Disease Progression in Parkinson's Disease.

BACKGROUND A specific T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequence has been shown to detect substantia nigra (SN) neuromelanin (NM) signal changes that accurately discriminate Parkinson's disease (PD) patients from controls, even in early disease stages. However, it is unclear what happens to these SN changes in later disease stages and if they can be a marker of disease progression. OBJECTIVE to investigate the pattern of SN-NM area loss and contrast ratio (CR) intensity changes in late-stage PD (LSPD) compared to earlier disease stages. METHODS A comparative cross-sectional study was performed, analyzing SN-NM MRI signal in LSPD (Schwab and England Activities of Daily Living Scale score <50 or Hoehn Yahr Stage [HY] >3), comparing this group with de novo, 2-5 year PD and controls. SN-NM signal area and CR values for the internal and lateral SN regions were obtained with semi-automated methods. RESULTS 13 LSPD, 12 de novo patients with PD, 10 PD patients with a 2-5 year disease duration, and 10 controls were included. NM signal area was significantly decreased in LSPD compared to de novo PD (P-value = 0.005; sensitivity: 75%; specificity 92% and AUC: 0.86). In the lateral SN region, a decrease in the CR was detected in all PD groups compared to controls; despite not reaching statistical significance, a slight increment was observed comparing LSPD to 2-5 year PD. NM signal area significantly correlated with HY (R = -0.37; P < 0.05) and Movement disorder Society Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale part II (MDS-UPDRS) (R = -0.4; P < 0.05) while a weak correlation was found with MDS-UPDRS part III (R = -0.26; P: 0.1). CONCLUSION SN area evaluated by NM-sensitive MRI may be a promising biomarker of nigral degeneration and disease progression in PD patients.
Daily observations of interstellar scintillation in PSR B0329+54

Quasi-continuous observations of PSR B03239+54 over 20 d using the Nanshan 25-m telescope at 1540 MHz have been used to study the effects of refractive scintillation on the pulsar flux density and diffractive scintillation properties. Dynamic spectra were obtained from data sets of 90 min duration and diffractive parameters derived from a two-dimensional auto-correlation analysis. Secondary spectra were also computed but these showed no significant evidence for arc structure. Cross-correlations between variations in the derived parameters were much lower than predicted by thin-screen models and in one case was of opposite sign to the prediction. Observed modulation indices were larger than predicted by thin-screen models with a Kolmogorov fluctuation spectrum. Structure functions were computed for the flux density, diffractive time-scale and decorrelation bandwidth. These indicated a refractive time-scale of 8 +/- 2 h, much shorter than predicted by the thin-screen model. The measured structure function slope of 0.4 +/- 0.2 is also inconsistent with scattering by a single thin screen for which a slope of 2.0 is expected. All observations are consistent with scattering by an extended medium having a Kolmogorov fluctuation spectrum which is concentrated towards the pulsar. This interpretation is also consistent with recent observations of multiple diffuse scintillation arcs for this pulsar.
FAST APPROXIMATION OF THE H∞ NORM VIA OPTIMIZATION OVER SPECTRAL VALUE SETS∗

The H∞ norm of a transfer matrix function for a control system is the reciprocal of the largest value of ε such that the associated ε-spectral value set is contained in the stability region for the dynamical system (the left half-plane in the continuous-time case and the unit disk in the discrete-time case). After deriving some fundamental properties of spectral value sets, particularly the intricate relationship between the singular vectors of the transfer matrix and the eigenvectors of the corresponding perturbed system matrix, we extend an algorithm recently introduced by Guglielmi and Overton [SIAM J. Matrix Anal. Appl. , 32 (2011), pp. 1166–1192] for approximating the maximal real part or modulus of points in a matrix pseudospectrum to spectral value sets, characterizing its fixed points. We then introduce a Newton-bisection method to approximate the H∞ norm, for which each step requires optimization of the real part or the modulus over an ε-spectral value set. Although the algorithm is guaranteed only to find lower bounds on the H∞ norm, it typically finds good approximations in cases where we can test this. It is much faster than the standard Boyd– Balakrishnan–Bruinsma–Steinbuch algorithm to compute the H∞ norm when the system matrices are large and sparse and the number of inputs and outputs is small. The main work required by the algorithm is the computation of the spectral abscissa or radius of a sequence of matrices that are rank-one perturbations of a sparse matrix.
Embryonic-Derived Olfactory Ensheathing Cells Remyelinate Focal Areas of Spinal Cord Demyelination more Efficiently than Neonatal or Adult-Derived Cells

Transplanted olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) contribute to functional recovery in a range of CNS injuries by several mechanisms, one of which is potentially their ability to form myelin sheaths. OECs sourced from donors of different ages have been shown to remyelinate in several in vitro and in vivo models. However, the optimal donor age for OEC associated remyelination is unclear. This project directly compared the remyelinating potential of p75 purified OEC transplants from three donor ages. OECs were sourced from the olfactory bulbs of embryonic, neonatal, and adult rats and purified by immunopanning, and their remyelinating potential was directly compared by transplantation into the same adult rat toxin-induced model of spinal cord demyelination. Remyelination efficiency 3 weeks after transplantation was assessed morphologically and by immunostaining. Our results indicate that all donor ages remyelinate; however, this process is most efficiently achieved by embryonic-derived OECs.
Wnt3a promotes epithelial–mesenchymal transition, migration, and proliferation of lens epithelial cells

Purpose Posterior capsular opacification (PCO) is caused mainly by the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), proliferation, and migration of human lens epithelial (HLE) cells. wingless (Wnt) signaling has been implicated in the fibrotic process by inducing EMT and increasing the proliferation of epithelial cells. This study investigated the role of Wnt3a in PCO formation. Methods Wnt3a was overexpressed in the HLE B-3 cell line by transfected Wnt3a-pcDNA3 plasmid. The expressions of Wnt/β-catenin signaling component proteins, including β-catenin, E-cadherin, fibronectin, c-Myc, and cyclin D1, were detected by western blot analysis and immunocytofluorescence to confirm the efficiency of transfection efficiency and analyze the effects of overexpression. HLE migration ability was evaluated by transwell migration and wound healing assays, whereas HLE proliferation was analyzed by MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl) −2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] assay and flow cytometry. Results Overexpression of Wnt3a resulted in upregulated expression of β-catenin, c-Myc, and cyclin D1. Expression of the lens epithelial marker E-cadherin was down-regulated in Wnt3a-overexpressing HLE B-3 cells, whereas that of the mesenchymal marker fibronectin was upregulated. In addition, the morphology of HLE B-3 cells changed from the classic spindle shape to an irregular form. Overexpression of Wnt3a could enhance the ability of migration as determined by transwell migration and wound healing assays as well as promoted the proliferation of HLE B-3 cells by MTT assay and flow cytometry analysis. Conclusions Wnt3a can induce EMT, migration, and proliferation of HLE cells and may be a valuable therapeutic target for the prevention and treatment of PCO.
“Not in their right mind”: the relation of psychopathology to the quantity and quality of creative thought

The empirical link between psychopathology and creativity is often correlational and fraught with suspiciously causal interpretations. In this paper, we review research in favor of the position that certain forms of psychopathology that profoundly affect the neural substrates for rule-based thought (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder) can significantly influence the quantity of creative production. Because highly productive individuals, irrespective of psychopathology, often produce work of greater quality, it seems that such an increase in the quantity of one’s output positively affects the likelihood of generating those statistically rare acts and achievements identified and celebrated as creative. We consider evidence that offers support for such a claim. In addition, we explore findings from neuroscience that can address how a neural mechanism, the flexibility of which relies on tradeoffs between rule-based (e.g., prefrontal cortex) and stimulus-based (e.g., sensorimotor cortex) brain regions, is influenced by psychopathology in ways that can alter dramatically the quantity and quality of creative output.
Mobile Phone Call Data as a Regional Socio-Economic Proxy Indicator

The advent of publishing anonymized call detail records opens the door for temporal and spatial human dynamics studies. Such studies, besides being useful for creating universal models for mobility patterns, could be also used for creating new socio-economic proxy indicators that will not rely only on the local or state institutions. In this paper, from the frequency of calls at different times of the day, in different small regional units (sub-prefectures) in Côte d'Ivoire, we infer users' home and work sub-prefectures. This division of users enables us to analyze different mobility and calling patterns for the different regions. We then compare how those patterns correlate to the data from other sources, such as: news for particular events in the given period, census data, economic activity, poverty index, power plants and energy grid data. Our results show high correlation in many of the cases revealing the diversity of socio-economic insights that can be inferred using only mobile phone call data. The methods and the results may be particularly relevant to policy-makers engaged in poverty reduction initiatives as they can provide an affordable tool in the context of resource-constrained developing economies, such as Côte d'Ivoire's.
The navigation mobile robot systems using Bayesian approach through the virtual projection method

The paper presents the navigation mobile walking robot systems for movement in non-stationary and non-structured environments, using a Bayesian approach of Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) for avoiding obstacles and dynamical stability control for motion on rough terrain. By processing inertial information of force, torque, tilting and wireless sensor networks (WSN) an intelligent high level algorithm is implementing using the virtual projection method. The control system architecture for the dynamic robot walking is presented in correlation with a stochastic model of assessing system probability of unidirectional or bidirectional transition states, applying the non-homogeneous/non-stationary Markov chains. The rationality and validity of the proposed model are demonstrated via an example of quantitative assessment of states probabilities of an autonomous robot. The results show that the proposed new navigation strategy of the mobile robot using Bayesian approach walking robot control systems for going around obstacles has increased the robot's mobility and stability in workspace.
LTP saturation and spatial learning disruption: effects of task variables and saturation levels

The prediction that “saturation” of LTP/LTE at hippocampal synapses should impair spatial learning was reinvestigated in the light of a more specific consideration of the theory of Hebbian associative networks, which predicts a nonlinear relationship between LTP “saturation” and memory impairment. This nonlinearity may explain the variable results of studies that have addressed the effects of LTP “saturation” on behavior. The extent of LTP “saturation” in fascia dentata produced by the standard chronic LTP stimulation protocol was assessed both electrophysiologically and through the use of an anatomical marker (activation of the immediate-early gene zif268). Both methods point to the conclusion that the standard protocols used to induce LTP do not “saturate” the process at any dorsoventral level, and leave the ventral half of the hippocampus virtually unaffected. LTP- inducing, bilateral perforant path stimulation led to a significant deficit in the reversal of a well-learned spatial response on the Barnes circular platform task as reported previously, yet in the same animals produced no deficit in learning the Morris water task (for which previous results have been conflicting). The behavioral deficit was not a consequence of any after-discharge in the hippocampal EEG. In contrast, administration of maximal electroconvulsive shock led to robust zif268 activation throughout the hippocampus, enhancement of synaptic responses, occlusion of LTP produced by discrete high- frequency stimulation, and spatial learning deficits in the water task. These data provide further support for the involvement of LTP-like synaptic enhancement in spatial learning.
Genomic Entity Recognition at TREC

The University of Maryland has been as active participant in TREC, NTCIR and CLEF for many years, both as participants and as a track coordinator. In this position paper we argue for genomic entity recognition as a task in the TREC genomics pre-track. Experience has shown that identification of relevant entities is a critical component in many tasks that rely on processing natural language. In the context of information extraction, for example, the message understanding (MUC) community found that named entity identification was a critical prerequisite to effective template filling. In cross-language information retrieval, named entity transliteration has been found to be important in systems that must handle different writing systems. And in machine translation, handling of named entities is under consideration as an evaluation subtask for participants in the DARPA TIDES program. Judging by our experience so far (discussed below), we believe that recognition of genomic entities is going to be an essential part of any task that involved manipulating genomic information in text. Moreover, when recognized terms are ambiguous, disambiguation will also be important. We see our proposal as something that can bridge the gap between component-oriented approach and task-oriented approaches. A component orientation is dominant in the computational linguistics community, with enabling technologies like part-of-speech tagging, parsing, and word sense disambiguation typically evaluated outside the context of a broader task. A task-oriented perspective is evident in the new “KDD Cup” (http://www.biostat.wisc.edu/∼craven/kddcup/), where the tasks are defined in terms of their end-result characteristics (in this case, automating the curator’s task for FlyBase), but the range of component technologies is left wide open.
Human-centric study of digital-paper transitions: Framing design opportunity spaces

Although digital devices have their own unique features that differentiate them from other tangible types of resources for reading, writing and sketching, a majority of people still prefer traditional paper media as it provides better user experiences in many aspects: readability, portability, ease of making annotations, shared reading, tactile sensory experiences, etc. This paper identifies barriers and opportunities for paper-related features based on human-centric design research directed towards the overarching goal of providing insights for finding disruptive opportunity spaces. In framing our design research, we define journeys that tangible and digital media follow â from original form, transitions and final form. Our target populations are college students and professionals in diverse majors and work environments. Based on insights from our design research, we present personas and case studies.
DNA–DNA kissing complexes as a new tool for the assembly of DNA nanostructures

Kissing-loop annealing of nucleic acids occurs in nature in several viruses and in prokaryotic replication, among other circumstances. Nucleobases of two nucleic acid strands (loops) interact with each other, although the two strands cannot wrap around each other completely because of the adjacent double-stranded regions (stems). In this study, we exploited DNA kissing-loop interaction for nanotechnological application. We functionalized the vertices of DNA tetrahedrons with DNA stem-loop sequences. The complementary loop sequence design allowed the hybridization of different tetrahedrons via kissing-loop interaction, which might be further exploited for nanotechnology applications like cargo transport and logical elements. Importantly, we were able to manipulate the stability of those kissing-loop complexes based on the choice and concentration of cations, the temperature and the number of complementary loops per tetrahedron either at the same or at different vertices. Moreover, variations in loop sequences allowed the characterization of necessary sequences within the loop as well as additional stability control of the kissing complexes. Therefore, the properties of the presented nanostructures make them an important tool for DNA nanotechnology.
The computational psychiatry of reward: broken brains or misguided minds?

Research into the biological basis of emotional and motivational disorders is in danger of riding roughshod over a patient-centered psychiatry and falling into the dualist errors of the past, i.e., by treating mind and brain as conceptually distinct. We argue that a psychiatry informed by computational neuroscience, computational psychiatry, can obviate this danger. Through a focus on the reasoning processes by which humans attempt to maximize reward (and minimize punishment), and how such reasoning is expressed neurally, computational psychiatry can render obsolete the polarity between biological and psychosocial conceptions of illness. Here, the term ‘psychological’ comes to refer to information processing performed by biological agents, seen in light of underlying goals. We reflect on the implications of this perspective for a definition of mental disorder, including what is entailed in asserting that a particular disorder is ‘biological’ or ‘psychological’ in origin. We propose that a computational approach assists in understanding the topography of mental disorder, while cautioning that the point at which eccentric reasoning constitutes disorder often remains a matter of cultural judgment.
Exact Cramer Rao Bound for near field source localization

In this paper, we derive the conditional Cramer Rao Bound (CRB) for near field source localization using the exact expression of the time delay parameter. Based on this derivation, several observations and comments are made: (i) The exact CRB allows us to analyze the effect of the near field assumption on the angle of arrival estimation performance, (ii) the second order Taylor expansion of the exact CRB is shown to be different from the CRB given by El Korso et al for an approximate time delay parameter (i.e approximate model), and (iii) we show how the exact CRB can be used to define the `near field localization region' based on a target localization performance. Simulation experiments are provided to better illustrate our different results and observations.
Linear quadratic AMD controller with an observer for buildings under seismic ground motion

This paper is devoted to the study of active control with an observer for the control of structural vibration using an electric servomotor active mass driver (AMD) system. Composed primarily of an electric servomotor and a ball screw, the electrical AMD system is free from noise problems, oil leakage, and labor-intensive maintenance that commonly are associated with hydraulic AMD systems. For technological reasons and for cost reasons the number of sensors is limited by using the Luenberger observer. This observer is based on the synthesis of a static gain to stabilize the error state estimation and the convergence of the observer status to the state of the real system. In this study an instantaneous linear quadratic control algorithm is adopted using an observer. Numerical simulation is performed using a single sensor on the top floor of a five-story steel frame structure under the conditions of a Kanai-Tajimi power spectral density function of ground acceleration.
On the topological cyclic homology of the algebraic closure of a local field

The cyclotomic trace provides a comparison of the algebraic K-theory spectrum and a pro-spectrum TR that is built from the cyclic fixed points of topological Hochschild homology. In a previous paper with Ib Madsen, we used this comparison and an approximate evaluation of the structure of the pro-spectrum TR to evaluate the p-adic K-groups of a local field K of mixed characteristic (0,p) with perfect residue field. In this paper we completly determine the structure of the pro-spectrum TR for an algebrac closure of the local field K. This leads us to formulate a conjecture for the structure of the pro-spectrum TR for the field K. We also determine the structure of the absolute de Rham-Witt complex of the valuation ring R in the algebraic closure of K. The group in degree one is a p-divisible group whose Tate module is free module of rank one over the ring of Witt vectors in R. We give an explicit generator of this Tate module.
A tale of two global emergencies: tuberculosis control efforts can learn from the Ebola outbreak

In 1993, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a press release announcing that tuberculosis (TB) was a global emergency, making it the first infectious disease to be declared as such. Although progress has been made, no country has eliminated TB and there are 3 million missed TB diagnoses each year [1]. The term global health emergency has since evolved and most recently, the term “Public Health Emergency of International Concern” (as defined by the International Health Regulations in 2005) was applied to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, which has caused over 11 000 deaths [2]. Ebola control efforts are now focussed on getting to zero cases. Yet, while huge public interest has focussed on Ebola, TB is bereft of public attention despite causing 1.5 million deaths since the Ebola epidemic began a year ago. International TB control efforts can learn valuable lessons from the recent Ebola outbreak http://ow.ly/OaoKP
New model of antivirus protection of computer network users

—This article describes theoretic design and implementation of a network model for protecting computer network users from malicious software. Data stream analysis is realized as a " man in the middle " service. The implementation also suppresses threat of DDoS attacks originating in stations of the protected segment of network. The model is implemented as socks proxy server in C/C++ programming language. Main functionality is verifying downloaded files against Cloud AV system and databases of malware and phishing websites. Files that are not binary and still can become source of an infection are checked using file type analyzer. The implementation is appropriate for deployment by internet service providers. It includes methods for data stream optimization and database structure representing known results of previous inspections. SmartScreen, a closed source protocol created by Microsoft was analyzed using reverse engineering methods for purpose of using Microsoft cloud database.