Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Properties and Opioid Inhibition of Mesolimbic Dopamine Neurons Vary according to Target Location

The mesolimbic dopamine system, which mediates the rewarding properties of nearly all drugs of abuse, originates in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and sends major projections to both the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and the basolateral amygdala (BLA). To address whether differences occur between neurons that project to these separate areas, retrograde microspheres were injected to either the BLA or the NAc of DBA/2J mice. Whole-cell recordings were made from labeled VTA dopamine neurons. We found that identified neurons that projected to the BLA and NAc originated within different quadrants of the VTA with neither group exhibiting large-amplitude h-currents. Neurons that projected to the NAc exhibited a greater outward current in response to the κ-opioid agonist (5α,7α,8α)-(+)-N-methyl-N-[7-(pyrrolidinyl)-1-oxaspiro [4,5]dec-8-yl]-benzeneacetamide (U69593; 200 nm), whereas neurons that projected to the BLA exhibited greater inhibition to the μ/δ opioid agonist [Met5] enkephalin (ME; 3 μm). In addition, we found that the presynaptic inhibition of GABAergic transmission at both GABAA and GABAB receptors was differentially regulated by U69593 between the two groups. When dopamine IPSCs were examined, U69593 caused a greater inhibition in NAc- than BLA-projecting neurons. ME had no effect on either. Finally, the regulation of extracellular dopamine by dopamine uptake transporters was equal across the VTA. These results suggest that opioids differentially inhibit mesolimbic neurons depending on their target projections. Identifying the properties of projecting mesolimbic VTA dopamine neurons is crucial to understanding the action of drugs of abuse.
Video codecs Subjective quality of internet — Phase 2 evaluations using SAMVIQ

In order to evaluate the performance of video codecs for the internet, EBU Project Group B/VIM has developed a new subjective evaluation methodology called SAMVIQ (Subjective Assessment Methodology for Video Quality). This new methodology was used recently during B/VIM’s Phase 2 subjective evaluations of four codecs designed for internet use: Envivio MPEG-4, QuickTime 6, RealNetworks 9 and Windows Media 9.
Intelligent response system to mitigate the success likelihood of ongoing attacks

Intrusion response models and systems have been recently an active field in the security research. These systems rely on a fine diagnosis to perform and optimize their response. In particular, previous papers focus on balancing the cost of the response with the impact of the attack. In this paper, we present a novel attack response system, based on the assessment of the likelihood of success of attack objectives. First, the ongoing potential attacks are identified, and their success likelihood are calculated dynamically. The success likelihood depends mainly on the progress of the attack and the state of the monitored system. Second, candidate countermeasures are identified, and their effectiveness in reducing the pre-calculated success likelihood are assessed. Finally, the candidate countermeasures are prioritized.
Broadband printed antenna for radiofrequency energy harvesting

In this work a broadband UHF antenna with high inductive input impedance for radiofrequency energy harvesting is presented. It consists of a small feeding loop and a biconical radiating dipole. A prototype has been fabricated on a FR4 substrate and tested. Experimental results show a -3dB power transmission bandwidth of about 135MHz (840MHz-975MHz).
Analysis of SER Improvement by Radiation Hardened Latches

Soft error rate (SER) of various radiation hardened latches is analyzed by simulation. SER is estimated by modeling the variety of current pulses triggered by particle strikes such as neutrons from space or alpha particles using Monte Carlo method. By using proposed method, we show that SER of various latches is accurately analyzed without conducting irradiation experiments. As for the soft error tolerant latches, we use DICE, Path-exclusive, BISER and TMR latches. The DICE and Path-exclusive latches achieve soft error resilience by adopting local redundancy with feedbacks from cross coupled nodes, on the other hand, BISER and TMR latches archive soft error resilience by multiplexing vulnerable normal latches with the help of auxiliary circuit to mask error states. From our simulation results, it is confirmed that Path-exclusive latch is the most favorable radiation hardened latch design with limited delay, area and energy overhead.
TRAM: An approach for assigning bug reports using their Metadata

Bug triage is an essential phase in the bug fixing process. The aim of bug triage is to assign an experienced developer to a new coming bug report. Existing bug triage approaches are mainly based on machine learning techniques. These approaches suffer from low prediction accuracy. In this paper, we propose TRAM (TRiaging Approach using bug reports Metadata). The goal is to improve the prediction accuracy of bug triage by utilizing the most discriminating terms of bug reports, the components in which the bugs belong to, and the reporter who filed the bug.We perform experimental evaluation on open-source projects namely Freedesktop, NetBeans, Eclipse, and Firefox. The results show that TRAM outperforms existing machine learning-based approaches in terms of classification accuracy. TRAM improves the F-score by approximately 34%, 40%, 20%, and 21% for Freedesktop, NetBeans, Eclipse, and Firfox respectively.
Robust and Imperceptible Image Watermarking using Full Counter Propagation Neural Networks

Digital Media is the main source of communication now a days. A drastic change emerged with the access of internet to everyone, which made it possible to copy and distribute the digital content illegally. Digital Watermarking/Steganography has been used for digital media protection. Many techniques have been developed for effective watermarking. However, there is always a tradeoff between robustness and imperceptibility features of watermarking offered by these techniques. In this paper, we have proposed a method based on Full Counter Propagation Neural Network (FCPN) to train multiple grey or color cover images to produce a desired watermark image. We have used grey, binary and color images as watermarks. The results have proved the higher imperceptibility and robustness of this scheme when compared with the other available watermarking techniques.
Lessons learned from development of a software tool to support academic advising

We detail some lessons learned while designing and testing a decision-theoretic advising support tool for undergraduates at a large state university. Between 2009 and 2011 we conducted two surveys of over 500 students in multiple majors and colleges. These surveys asked students detailed questions about their preferences concerning course selection, advising, and career paths. We present data from this study which may be helpful for faculty and staff who advise undergraduate students. We find that advising support software tools can augment the student-advisor relationship, particularly in terms of course planning, but cannot and should not replace in-person advising.
Cold chain and virus‐free chloroplast‐made booster vaccine to confer immunity against different poliovirus serotypes

Summary The WHO recommends complete withdrawal of oral polio vaccine (OPV) type 2 by April 2016 globally and replacing with at least one dose of inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV). However, high‐cost, limited supply of IPV, persistent circulating vaccine‐derived polioviruses transmission and need for subsequent boosters remain unresolved. To meet this critical need, a novel strategy of a low‐cost cold chain‐free plant‐made viral protein 1 (VP1) subunit oral booster vaccine after single IPV dose is reported. Codon optimization of the VP1 gene enhanced expression by 50‐fold in chloroplasts. Oral boosting of VP1 expressed in plant cells with plant‐derived adjuvants after single priming with IPV significantly increased VP1‐IgG1 and VP1‐IgA titres when compared to lower IgG1 or negligible IgA titres with IPV injections. IgA plays a pivotal role in polio eradication because of its transmission through contaminated water or sewer systems. Neutralizing antibody titres (~3.17–10.17 log2 titre) and seropositivity (70–90%) against all three poliovirus Sabin serotypes were observed with two doses of IPV and plant‐cell oral boosters but single dose of IPV resulted in poor neutralization. Lyophilized plant cells expressing VP1 stored at ambient temperature maintained efficacy and preserved antigen folding/assembly indefinitely, thereby eliminating cold chain currently required for all vaccines. Replacement of OPV with this booster vaccine and the next steps in clinical translation of FDA‐approved antigens and adjuvants are discussed.
Reconsidering Business Cycles of Credit Constraints

─ ─ 101 Abstract This paper reconsiders the amplification and propagation mechanism of the creditconstrained economy by highlighting the elasticity of substitution between capital and an asset used for collateral. We develop a generalized version of the Kiyotaki and Moore (1997, hereafter KM) model in which capital and land are combined in production with a constant elasticity of substitution (CES). The substitutability/complementarity between capital and land plays a crucial role in amplifying quantitative effects of the TFP shock. When the elasticity of substitution is unity as in the Cobb-Douglas production function, the amplification is small. On the other hand, when it is small and sufficiently less than unity, credit constraints amplify movements of real variables. The adjustment cost of investment, combined with the small elasticity of substitution, strengthens the amplification effect and yields an interesting propagation mechanism among the holding of land by debtors and investment.
Dynamic directional gradient vector flow for snakes

Snakes, or active contour models, have been widely used in image segmentation. However, most present snake models do not discern between positive and negative step edges. In this paper, a new type of dynamic external force for snakes named dynamic directional gradient vector flow (DDGVF) is proposed that uses this information for better performance. It makes use of the gradients in both x and y directions and deals with the external force field for the two directions separately. In snake deformation, the DDGVF field is utilized dynamically according to the orientation of snake in each iteration. Experimental results demonstrate that the DDGVF snake provides a much better segmentation than GVF snake in situations when edges of different directions are present which pose confusion for segmentation.
Age-related differences in recommended anthropometric cut-off point validity to identify cardiovascular risk factors in ostensibly healthy women

Aim: To investigate validity of widely recommended anthropometric and total fat percentage cut-off points in screening for cardiovascular risk factors in women of different ages. Methods: A population-based sample of 1002 Swedish women aged 38, 50, 75 (younger, middle-aged and elderly, respectively) underwent anthropometry, health examinations and blood tests. Total fat was estimated (bioimpedance) in 670 women. Sensitivity, specificity of body mass index (BMI; ≥25 and ≥30), waist circumference (WC; ≥80 cm and ≥88 cm) and total fat percentage (TF; ≥35%) cut-off points for cardiovascular risk factors (dyslipidaemias, hypertension and hyperglycaemia) were calculated for each age. Cut-off points yielding high sensitivity together with modest specificity were considered valid. Women reporting hospital admission for cardiovascular disease were excluded. Results: The sensitivity of WC ≥80 cm for one or more risk factors was ~60% in younger and middle-aged women, and 80% in elderly women. The specificity of WC ≥80 cm for one or more risk factors was 69%, 57% and 40% at the three ages (p < .05 for age trends). WC ≥80 cm yielded ~80% sensitivity for two or more risk factors across all ages. However, specificity decreased with increasing age (p < .0001), being 33% in elderly. WC ≥88 cm provided better specificity in elderly women. BMI and TF % cut-off points were not better than WC. Conclusions: Validity of recommended anthropometric cut-off points in screening asymptomatic women varies with age. In younger and middle-age, WC ≥80 cm yielded high sensitivity and modest specificity for two or more risk factors, however, sensitivity for one or more risk factor was less than optimal. WC ≥88 cm showed better validity than WC ≥80 cm in elderly. Our results support age-specific screening cut-off points for women.
Facets for the Maximum Common Induced Subgraph Problem Polytope

This paper presents some strong valid inequalities for the Maximum Common Induced Subgraph Problem (MCIS) and the proofs that the inequalities are facet-defining under certain conditions. TheMCIS is an NP-hard problem and, therefore, no polynomial time algorithm is known to solve it. In this context, the study of its polytope can help in the development of more efficient branch-and-bound and branch-and-cut algorithms.
Patch Clamp Recordings from Embryonic Zebrafish Mauthner Cells

Mauthner cells (M-cells) are large reticulospinal neurons located in the hindbrain of teleost fish. They are key neurons involved in a characteristic behavior known as the C-start or escape response that occurs when the organism perceives a threat. The M-cell has been extensively studied in adult goldfish where it has been shown to receive a wide range of excitatory, inhibitory and neuromodulatory signals1. We have been examining M-cell activity in embryonic zebrafish in order to study aspects of synaptic development in a vertebrate preparation. In the late 1990s Ali and colleagues developed a preparation for patch clamp recording from M-cells in zebrafish embryos, in which the CNS was largely intact2,3,4. The objective at that time was to record synaptic activity from hindbrain neurons, spinal cord neurons and trunk skeletal muscle while maintaining functional synaptic connections within an intact brain-spinal cord preparation. This preparation is still used in our laboratory today. To examine the mechanisms underlying developmental synaptic plasticity, we record excitatory (AMPA and NMDA-mediated)5,6 and inhibitory (GABA and glycine) synaptic currents from developing M-cells. Importantly, this unique preparation allows us to return to the same cell (M-cell) from preparation to preparation to carefully examine synaptic plasticity and neuro-development in an embryonic organism. The benefits provided by this preparation include 1) intact, functional synaptic connections onto the M-cell, 2) relatively inexpensive preparations, 3) a large supply of readily available embryos 4) the ability to return to the same cell type (i.e. M-cell) in every preparation, so that synaptic development at the level of an individual cell can be examined from fish to fish, and 5) imaging of whole preparations due to the transparent nature of the embryos.
Surveying Enterprise Resource Planning ( ERP ) failure factors in governmental organizations in Middle East

Implementing enterprise resource planning (ERP) is an important factor for organizations to consider. However, ERP software is too expensive and the failure rate of implementation is high. This step requires some preliminaries which are mentioned in another article of the same authors. It is obvious that ERP selection is becoming increasingly more difficult as new competitors emerge. In this paper, we will look at failure factors of ERP implementation. Then we will survey the mentioned factors in the Ministry of Commerce in Iran.
Sliding mode control of Biglide planar parallel manipulator

This work presents the control of a two-degree of freedom parallel manipulator using nonlinear sliding mode approach. The aim is to achieve a robust control for trajectory tracking. The control is based on the inverse dynamic model in the Cartesian space of the parallel manipulator. Kinematic analysis are also discussed. To guarantee the high performance on the tracking control. Biglide robot requires full knowledge on the system's dynamics. In this paper, some important properties of the parallel manipulators are considered to develop a sliding mode controller which can drive the movement tracking error to zero asymptotically. Numerical simulations are completed to show the effectiveness of the approach for a large parameter variations.
Collecting Sensitive Information from Windows Physical Memory

When investigators are faced with a target system, they want to find sensitive information such as userID and password. Unfortunately, sensitive information can not be found on the hard drive in most cases. Consequently, sensitive information needs to be gathered from physical memory. In our research, we have found lots of sensitive information from physical memory by different techniques. Besides userID and password, we also have found QQ-chat logs that never have been referred in other papers.
Lowering C11 Atomics for ARM in LLVM

—This report explores the way LLVM generates the memory barriers needed to support the C11/C++11 atomics for ARM. I measure the inﬂuence of memory barriers on performance, and I show that in some cases LLVM generates too many barriers. By leaving these barriers out, performance increases signiﬁcantly. I introduce two LLVM passes, which will remove these extra barriers, improving performance in my test by 40%. I believe one of these passes is ready to be upstreamed to LLVM, while the other will need more testing.
An overview of scheduling algorithms in mobile ad-hoc networks

Scheduling algorithms are essential in guaranteeing Quality of Service (QoS) provisioning. Through QoS guarantee, a network application could obtain services which fulfil its specific requirements such as less delay, reduction in loss rate and higher throughput. However, due to dynamic nature of mobile ad-hoc networks (MANETs) which results to frequently changing topology and link breaks, the design of scheduling algorithms becomes more difficult. This paper presents a survey of scheduling techniques specifically developed for ad-hoc wireless networks with regards to their strengths and shortcomings. This is followed by a summary of their simulation parameters.
The social inclusion policy agenda in Australia: A case of old wine, new bottles?

The election of an Australian Labor Government in Australia in 2007 saw ‘social inclusion’ emerge as the official and overarching social policy agenda. Being ‘included’ was subsequently defined by the ALP Government as being able to ‘have the resources, opportunities and capabilities needed to learn, work, engage and have a voice’. Various researchers in Australia demonstrated an interest in social inclusion, as it enabled them to construct a multi-dimensional framework for measuring disadvantage. This research program resulted in various forms of statistical modelling based on some agreement about what it means to be included in society. The multi-dimensional approach taken by academic researchers, however, did not necessarily translate to a new model of social policy development or implementation. We argue that, similar to the experience of the UK, Australia’s social inclusion policy agenda was for the most part narrowly and individually defined by politicians and policy makers, particularly in terms of equating being employed with being included. We conclude with discussion about the need to strengthen the social inclusion framework by adopting an understanding of social inequality and social justice that is more relational and less categorical.
Cerebrospinal Fluid Research Molecular Diagnosis of Toxoplasma Gondii Infection in Cerebrospinal Fluid from Aids Patients

Background: Toxoplasmic encephalitis (TE) is one of the most common opportunistic infections in immunocompromised patients. In Cuba, despite the highly active antiretroviral therapy, TE is still the most important cause of cerebral mass lesions in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The detection of Toxoplasma gondii by PCR may facilitate the diagnosis and follow-up of TE in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients by direct identification of parasite DNA in clinical samples. The aim of the present study was to evaluate a rapid PCR method using the B1 gene to detect T. gondii in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from patients with suspected TE.
Stochastic Control in Optimal Portfolio with Regime Switching Model

Portfolio stochastic control problem is proposed and analyzed for a market consisting of one bank account and multiple stocks. The market parameters, including the bank interest rate and the appreciation and volatility rates of the stocks, depend on the market mode that switches among a finite number of states. The random regime switching is assumed to be independent of the underlying Brownian motion. This essentially renders the underlying market incomplete. A Markov chain modulated diffusion formulation is employed to model the problem. Using techniques of stochastic control theory and martingale optimality principle, a general verification theorem is obtained. Applying the verification theorem, the optimal control and value functions for the problems of utility maximization are derived explicitly.
Dynamics of Rad9 Chromatin Binding and Checkpoint Function Are Mediated by Its Dimerization and Are Cell Cycle–Regulated by CDK1 Activity

Saccharomyces cerevisiae Rad9 is required for an effective DNA damage response throughout the cell cycle. Assembly of Rad9 on chromatin after DNA damage is promoted by histone modifications that create docking sites for Rad9 recruitment, allowing checkpoint activation. Rad53 phosphorylation is also dependent upon BRCT-directed Rad9 oligomerization; however, the crosstalk between these molecular determinants and their functional significance are poorly understood. Here we report that, in the G1 and M phases of the cell cycle, both constitutive and DNA damage-dependent Rad9 chromatin association require its BRCT domains. In G1 cells, GST or FKBP dimerization motifs can substitute to the BRCT domains for Rad9 chromatin binding and checkpoint function. Conversely, forced Rad9 dimerization in M phase fails to promote its recruitment onto DNA, although it supports Rad9 checkpoint function. In fact, a parallel pathway, independent on histone modifications and governed by CDK1 activity, allows checkpoint activation in the absence of Rad9 chromatin binding. CDK1-dependent phosphorylation of Rad9 on Ser11 leads to specific interaction with Dpb11, allowing Rad53 activation and bypassing the requirement for the histone branch.