Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dependence of Regenerated Sensory Axons on Continuous Neurotrophin-3 Delivery

Previous studies have shown that injured dorsal column sensory axons extend across a spinal cord lesion site if axons are guided by a gradient of neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) rostral to the lesion. Here we examined whether continuous NT-3 delivery is necessary to sustain regenerated axons in the injured spinal cord. Using tetracycline-regulated (tet-off) lentiviral gene delivery, NT-3 expression was tightly controlled by doxycycline administration. To examine axon growth responses to regulated NT-3 expression, adult rats underwent a C3 dorsal funiculus lesion. The lesion site was filled with bone marrow stromal cells, tet-off-NT-3 virus was injected rostral to the lesion site, and the intrinsic growth capacity of sensory neurons was activated by a conditioning lesion. When NT-3 gene expression was turned on, cholera toxin β-subunit-labeled sensory axons regenerated into and beyond the lesion/graft site. Surprisingly, the number of regenerated axons significantly declined when NT-3 expression was turned off, whereas continued NT-3 expression sustained regenerated axons. Quantification of axon numbers beyond the lesion demonstrated a significant decline of axon growth in animals with transient NT-3 expression, only some axons that had regenerated over longer distance were sustained. Regenerated axons were located in white matter and did not form axodendritic synapses but expressed presynaptic markers when closely associated with NG2-labeled cells. A decline in axon density was also observed within cellular grafts after NT-3 expression was turned off possibly via reduction in L1 and laminin expression in Schwann cells. Thus, multiple mechanisms underlie the inability of transient NT-3 expression to fully sustain regenerated sensory axons.
Identify Beta-Hairpin Motifs with Quadratic Discriminant Algorithm Based on the Chemical Shifts

Successful prediction of the beta-hairpin motif will be helpful for understanding the of the fold recognition. Some algorithms have been proposed for the prediction of beta-hairpin motifs. However, the parameters used by these methods were primarily based on the amino acid sequences. Here, we proposed a novel model for predicting beta-hairpin structure based on the chemical shift. Firstly, we analyzed the statistical distribution of chemical shifts of six nuclei in not beta-hairpin and beta-hairpin motifs. Secondly, we used these chemical shifts as features combined with three algorithms to predict beta-hairpin structure. Finally, we achieved the best prediction, namely sensitivity of 92%, the specificity of 94% with 0.85 of Mathew’s correlation coefficient using quadratic discriminant analysis algorithm, which is clearly superior to the same method for the prediction of beta-hairpin structure from 20 amino acid compositions in the three-fold cross-validation. Our finding showed that the chemical shift is an effective parameter for beta-hairpin prediction, suggesting the quadratic discriminant analysis is a powerful algorithm for the prediction of beta-hairpin.
User Perceived Quality-of-Service for Voice-over-IP in a Heterogeneous Multi-Domain Network Environment ∗

: One of the main barriers to the commercial success of Voice-over-IP (VoIP) services beyond a single domain (e.g., a company intranet, a single operator’s domain) as a viable alternative to the classical voice telephony services is Quality-of-Service (QoS). The ability to deliver QoS is particularly challenging in next-generation networks, where VoIP services will be accessible via a variety of end-device types and over sequences of heterogeneous network domains, each with their specific QoS-mechanisms and owned by different competing network operators that will negotiate Service Level Agreements (SLAs) amongst each other. In this paper, we provide a method to effectively realize end-to-end QoS for VoIP as perceived by the end user in an environment in which multiple business domains are involved. To this end, we first present a quantitative model for the relation between (1) the end-to-end QoS at the end-user perception level, (2) the QoS requirements to network infrastructure given the specifics of the end user terminal, and (3) the SLAs negotiated at the network level between the different domain owners. Second, we show how the concept of a per-domain QoS certificate can help to guarantee predictable QoS for VoIP traffic over their network domains. This enables VoIP service providers to realize the desired perceived QoS levels for both intra and inter-domain VoIP sessions. This paper provides a simple and practically feasible approach for VoIP service providers to identify which network level SLAs need to be negotiated with other parties to realize the desired QoS level to their customers.
Properties of channels reconstituted from the major intrinsic protein of lens fiber membranes

Detergent-solubilized plasma membrane protein of either adult bovine or calf lens and high-performance liquid chromatography-purified major intrinsic protein (MIP) of the lens were reconstituted into unilamellar vesicles and planar lipid bilayers. Freeze-fracture studies showed that the density of intramembrane particles in the vesicles was proportional to the protein/lipid ratio. At high ratios, these particles crystallized into tetragonal arrays as does MIP in lens fibers. Channels induced by either purified MIP or detergent-solubilized protein had essentially identical properties. The conductance of multichannel membranes was maximal near 0 mV and decreased to 0.49 +/- 0.08 of the maximum value at voltages greater than 80 mV. The dependence of the conductance on voltage was well fit by a two-state Boltzmann distribution. Voltage steps greater than 30 mV elicited an ohmic current step followed by a slow (seconds) biexponential decrease. The amplitudes and time constants depended on the magnitude but not the sign of the voltage. Steps from 100 mV to voltages less than 30 mV caused the channels to open exponentially with a millisecond time constant. Analysis of latency to first closure after a voltage step gave nearly the same time constants as multichannel kinetics. Single- channel conductance is proportional to salt concentration from 0.1 to 1.0 M in KCl. In 0.1M KCl, the channel had two preferred conductance states with amplitudes of 380 and 160 pS, as well as three additional substates. Multi- and single-channel data suggest that the channel has two kinetically important open states. The channel is slightly anion selective. The properties of the channel do not vary appreciably from pH 7.4 to 5.8 or from pCa 7 to 2. We propose that a channel with these properties could contribute to maintenance of lens transparency and fluid balance.
1 Circular Sort : A New Improved Version of Insertion Sort Algorithm

A new sorting algorithm, called here Circular Sort, is described. It is an improved version of the conventional Insertion Sort. It is of interest for the following reasons: it retains all the favourable features of Insertion Sort and at the same time removes the main unfavourable feature of Insertion Sort; it is an adaptive sorting algorithm; it is a comparison based general sorting algorithm; it does not put any restriction on the type of keys; it provides an example of an interesting application of a circular list. The Circular Sort algorithm is compared with well known algorithms such as Insertion Sort, Heap Sort; and also with some newer algorithms such as DeqSort, MinMaxSort and SublistMergeSort in terms of times required to sort various input lists. Input lists of various sizes and degrees of 'presortedness' were used in the comparison tests. It has been demonstrated that the performance of Circular Sort is better than Insertion Sort and comparable to Heap Sort, DeqSort, MinMaxSort, and SublistMergeSort.
Vertex partitions of chordal graphs

A k-tree is a chordal graph with no (k + 2)-clique. An 𝓁-tree-partition of a graph G is a vertex partition of G into 'bags,' such that contracting each bag to a single vertex gives an 𝓁-tree (after deleting loops and replacing parallel edges by a single edge). We prove that for all k ≥ 𝓁 ≥0, every k-tree has an 𝓁-tree-partition in which each bag induces a connected ${\lfloor k} /(\ell+1) \rfloor$-tree. An analogous result is proved for oriented k-trees. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 53: 167172, 2006 Supported by Government of Spain grant MEC SB2003-0270, and by the projects MCYT-FEDER BFM2003-00368 and Gen. Cat 2001SGR00224. Research initiated at the Department of Applied Mathematics and the Institute for Theoretical Computer Science at Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic. Supported by project LN00A056 of the Ministry of Education of the Czech Republic, and by the European Union Research Training Network COMBSTRU (Combinatorial Structure of Intractable Problems).
Reconstruction of a complex-valued object from the modulus of its Fourier transform using a support constraint

Previously it was shown that one can reconstruct an object from the modulus of its Fourier transform (solve the phase-retrieval problem) by using the iterative Fourier-transform algorithm if one has a nonnegativity constraint and a loose support constraint on the object. In this paper it is shown that it is possible to reconstruct a complexvalued object from the modulus of its Fourier transform if one has a sufficiently strong support constraint. Sufficiently strong support constraints include certain special shapes and separated supports. Reconstruction results are shown, including the effect of tapered edges on the object's support.
Students' performance on programming-related tasks in an informatics contest in Finland, Sweden and Lithuania

The ways in which informatics is covered in K-12 education vary among European countries. In Finland and Sweden, informatics is not included in the core curriculum, whereas, for example, in Lithuania, all students are exposed to some informatics concepts starting in the fifth grade. Bebras is an annually arranged international informatics contest for K-12 level, resulting in a large collection of data about contestants and their results. In this paper, we analyse contest data from the Finnish, Swedish and Lithuanian 2013 con- tests, focusing on students' performance on tasks related to algorithmic thinking. Our findings suggest that despite coming from different educational systems, students perform rather similarly on the tasks. The same tasks are difficult and the thinking behind picking an incorrect answer seems rather similar throughout the countries. The analysis also points out that there is a lack of easy questions -- this needs to be fixed in order to not risk scaring students away.
Compound Pulse Position Modulation Codes

A general class of nonlinear compound pulse position modulation (CPPM) codes is introduced to incorporate nonlinear low-rate PPM constraints directly into a Tanner-like code graph on which iterative decoding can be performed. The iterative decoding algorithm is specified for these codes, including the extrinsic message computations at the nonlinear constraint nodes. For a particular subclass of CPPM codes a simple but strange encoding algorithm is defined that encodes a variable number of source bits for each code block. The encoding algorithm is applied to calculate the average information rate of a particular type of parallel concatenated CPPM code ensemble called turbo PPM
A dynamic method for handling the inference problem in multilevel secure databases

The inference problem exits when users can infer sensitive data classified at higher security levels from the knowledge of data at their level by performing inference. Inference problems greatly compromise database security, especially in multilevel secure (MLS) databases where both users and data are classified into different security levels. This paper presents an approach of dynamic control over the inference problem after all inference channels have been identified in a multilevel database. A set of key schemes are used for this purpose. We prove that these schemes are more efficient, in both space and time complexity, than previously proposed approaches.
A Non-cooperative Power Control Algorithm for Wireless Ad Hoc and Sensor Networks

In mobile ad hoc & sensor networks, power control is an efficient way to improve the efficiency of energy. However, it will also produce negative influence on many aspects of the networks such as the network connectivity, delay and network capacity. In this paper, proposed related energy control mechanisms for ad hoc & sensor networks are introduced. Considering the QoS requirement such as maximum network capacity, minimum network radius and guaranteed network connectivity, a power control model based on non-cooperative game theory is given. And a distributed non-cooperative game algorithm to power control for ad hoc & sensor networks is presented. The existing and uniqueness of Nash equilibrium for the algorithm is also proved in this paper. Finally simulation experiments are implemented to verify the algorithm. The results show that the algorithm is efficient and has a good integrated performance.
Linking authoritarian leadership to employee creativity

The present study aims to examine how and when authoritarian leadership affects employee creativity. Based on social exchange theory and team identification literature, the present research attempts to simultaneously explore how leader–member exchange (LMX) and team identification serve as two important mediating processes in the relationship between authoritarian leadership and employee creativity. Furthermore, this research uncovers the mechanism under which conditions the effects of authoritarian leadership will be magnified or minimized. ,A survey has been conducted in China by using a questionnaire to collect data. The study sample consisted of 325 employees. LISREL 8.7 and SPSS 18.0 were used to test the mediating and moderating effects, respectively. ,Results from 325 employees revealed that both LMX and team identification mediated the negative relationships between authoritarian leadership and employee creativity. Specifically, the relationship between two mediators was that LMX was positively related to team identification. In addition, the relationship between authoritarian leaderships and LMX and team identification was moderated by power distance, such that the negative relationships will be weaker with high power distance and stronger with low power distance. ,First, firms and managers should recognize and take actions to reduce the negative effects of authoritarian leadership, such as effective selection system and interventional mechanisms because authoritarian leadership is important in influencing employee creativity. Second, managers are suggested to take specific actions, such as increasing communications and team-building activities, to promote LMX and team identification, thereby enhancing employee creativity. Third, managers should engage in behaviors that motivate employee creativity, such as empowerment behaviors, other than authoritarian leadership, when the employee has low power distance. ,The primary contribution of this research is that two psychological processes (i.e. LMX and team identification) have been identified through which authoritarian leadership is related to employee creativity. Meanwhile, this study explores the relationship between LMX and team identification. Moreover, the current research deepens our understanding of power distance by empirically examining the moderating effect of power distance. Overall, the findings extend our understanding about the relationship between authoritarian leadership and employee creativity and contribute to literature on authoritarian leadership and creativity.
Proper positioning of the cleavage furrow requires &agr;-actinin to regulate the specification of different populations of microtubules

Summary Proper positioning of the cleavage furrow is essential for successful cell division. The mitotic spindle, which consists of dynamic astral microtubules and stable equatorial microtubules is responsible for this process. However, little is known about how microtubules are regulated in a time- and region-dependent manner. Here, we show that &agr;-actinin-regulated cortical actin filament integrity is crucial to specify different populations of microtubules during cell division in mammalian cells. Depletion of &agr;-actinin caused aberrant recruitment of centralspindlin, but not aurora B or PRC1, to the tips of astral microtubules, leading to a stable association of astral microtubules with the cortex and induction of ectopic furrowing. Depletion of &agr;-actinin also caused impaired assembly of midzone microtubules, leading to a failure of relocation of aurora B to midzone. Our findings unveil an unexpected yet crucial role for an actin crosslinking protein in the regulation of the localization of the microtubule-associated cytokinetic regulator.
The neural basis of audio-visual integration and adaptation

The brain integrates or segregates audio-visual signals effortlessly in everyday life. In order to do so, it needs to infer the causal structure by which the signals were generated. Although behavioural studies extensively characterized causal inference in audio-visual perception, the neural mechanisms are barely explored. The current thesis sheds light on these neural processes and demonstrates how the brain adapts to dynamic as well as long-term changes in the environmental statistics of audio-visual signals. In Chapter 1, I introduce the causal inference problem and demonstrate how spatial audiovisual signals are integrated at the behavioural as well as neural level. In Chapter 2, I describe methodological foundations for the following empirical chapters. In Chapter 3, I present the neural mechanisms of explicit causal inference and the representations of audio-visual space along the human cortical hierarchy. Chapter 4 reveals that the brain is able to use recent past to adapt to the dynamically changing environment. In Chapter 5, I discuss the neural substrates of encoding auditory space and its adaptive changes in response to spatially conflicting visual signals. Finally, in Chapter 6, I summarize the findings of the thesis, its contributions to the literature, and I outline directions for future research.
Emerging Infectious Diseases in Mongolia

Since 1990, Mongolia’s health system has been in transition. Impressive gains have been accomplished through a national immunization program, which was instituted in 1991. Nevertheless, the country continues to confront four major chronic infections: hepatitis B and C, brucellosis, tuberculosis, and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). As of 2001, only two cases of HIV infections had been detected in Mongolia, but concern grows that the rate will increase along with the rising rates of STDs and increase in tourism. Other infectious diseases of importance in Mongolia include echinococcus, plague, tularemia, anthrax, foot-and-mouth, and rabies.
Literature Survey on Interaction Techniques for Large Displays

When designing for large screen displays, designers are forced to deal with cursor tracking issues, interacting over distances, and space management issues. Because of the large visual angle of the user that the screen can cover, it may be hard for users to begin and complete search tasks for basic items such as cursors or icons. In addition, maneuvering over long distances and acquiring small targets understandably takes more time than the same interactions on normally sized screen systems. To deal with these issues, large display researchers have developed more and more unconventional devices, methods and widgets for interaction, and systems for space and task management. For tracking cursors there are techniques that deal with the size and shape of the cursor, as well as the “density” of the cursor. There are other techniques that help direct the attention of the user to the cursor. For target acquisition on large screens, many researchers saw fit to try to augment existing 2D GUI metaphors. They try to optimize Fitts’ law to accomplish this. Some techniques sought to enlarge targets while others sought to enlarge the cursor itself. Even other techniques developed ways of closing the distances on large screen displays. However, many researchers feel that existing 2D metaphors do not and will not work for large screens. They feel that the community should move to more unconventional devices and metaphors. These unconventional means include use of eye-tracking, laser-pointing, hand-tracking, two-handed touchscreen techniques, and other high-DOF devices. In the end, many of these developed techniques do provide effective means for interaction on large displays. However, we need to quantify the benefits of these methods and understand them better. The more we understand the advantages and disadvantages of these techniques, the easier it will be to employ them in working large screen systems. We also need to put into place a kind of interaction standard for these large screen systems. This could mean simply supporting desktop events such as pointing and clicking. It may also mean that we need to identify the needs of each domain that large screens are used for and tailor the interaction techniques for the domain.
A study on the learning styles and learning approaches among medical students

Background: Designing of active learning strategies that promote self-directed learning, has been emphasized in the directives of undergraduate medical education by the Medical Council of India. Acknowledging the diverse learning styles and learning approaches of the medical students is often an underutilized approach to improve classroom instructions. Aims and Objectives: The present study aimed to study the percentage distribution of diverse learning styles and predominant learning approach among the medical students. Materials and Methods: Self-administered visual, auditory, read/write, kinesthetic questionnaire and Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students questionnaire were distributed to 121 medical undergraduate students, to assess their learning style and learning approach, respectively. Results: Of the total 121 students, 53.8% students were unimodal learners and 46.2% were multimodal learners. Among the unimodal learners, predominant were visual learners (24.1%). There was no significant influence of gender on the learning style preferences among the medical students. Deep approach was the predominant learning approach among the medical students. The mean scores of the strategic approach were significantly higher in females compared to the male medical students. Conclusion: A successful learning results only when the teaching and assessment methods are in alignment with the students learning preferences. Students aware of their learning style and approach may be motivated to adopt techniques that best suit their learning styles and this may result in greater educational satisfaction.