Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An application of feature selection to on-line P300 detection in brain-computer interface

We propose a new EEG-based wireless brain computer interface (BCI) with which subjects can “mind-type” text on a computer screen. The application is based on detecting P300 event-related potentials in EEG signals recorded on the scalp of the subject. The BCI uses a linear classifier which takes as input a set of simple amplitude-based features that are optimally selected using the Group Method of Data Handling (GMDH) feature selection procedure. The accuracy of the presented system is comparable to the state-of-the-art systems for on-line P300 detection, but with the additional benefit that its much simpler design supports a power-efficient on-chip implementation.
Donating Context Data to Science: The Effects of Social Signals and Perceptions on Action-Taking

It is becoming increasingly easy for researchers to develop context-aware applications for smartphones. A perennial challenge, however, is to convince a large number of people to install them and donate contextual data for scientific purposes. Our empirical study seeks to address this challenge by investigating how people’s perception and attitude affect their willingness to donate context data to researchers and quantifies the effects of social signals on donation action-taking. Our findings indicate that the perceived need for donation and perceived organization reputation are key determinants in deciding whether to donate: people with altruistic personality do not necessarily donate if they cannot see the need to take an action. Furthermore, we provide evidence that even if people indicate a willingness to donate, they are hesitant to take action towards donating data unless catalysts like social signals (hints about the actions of others) are present.
Relative Distance-Based Laplacian Eigenmaps

In many areas of pattern recognition and machine learning, low dimensional data are often embedded in a high dimensional space. There have been many dimensionality reduction and manifold learning methods to discover the low dimensional representation from high dimensional data. Locality based manifold learning methods often rely on a distance metric between neighboring points. In this paper, we propose a new distance metric named relative distance, which is learned from the data and can better reflect the relative density. Combining the relative distance with Laplacian Eigenmaps (LE), we obtain a new algorithm called Relative Distance-based Laplacian Eigenmaps (RDLE) for nonlinear dimensionality reduction. Based on two different definitions of the relative distance, we give two variations of the RDLE. For efficient projection of out-of-sample data, we also present the linear version of RDLE, LRDLE. Experimental results on toy problems and real-world data demonstrate the effectiveness of our methods.
Model selection as a science driver for dark energy surveys

A key science goal of upcoming dark energy surveys is to seek time evolution of the dark energy. This problem is one of model selection, where the aim is to differentiate between cosmological models with different numbers of parameters. However, the power of these surveys is traditionally assessed by estimating their ability to constrain parameters, which is a different statistical problem. In this paper we use Bayesian model selection techniques, specifically forecasting of the Bayes factors, to compare the abilities of different proposed surveys in discovering dark energy evolution. We consider six experiments — supernova luminosity measurements by the Supernova Legacy Survey, SNAP, JEDI, and ALPACA, and baryon acoustic oscillation measurements by WFMOS and JEDI — and use Bayes factor plots to compare their statistical constraining power. The concept of Bayes factor forecasting has much broader applicability than dark energy surveys.
Building a hyponymy lexicon with hierarchical structure

Many lexical semantic relations, such as the hyponymy relation, can be extracted from text as they occur in detectable syntactic constructions. This paper shows how a hypernym-hyponym based lexicon for Swedish can be created directly from a news paper corpus. An algorithm is presented for building partial hierarchical structures from non domain-specific texts.
Synaptic Symmetry Increases Coherence in a Pair of Excitable Electronic Neurons

We study how the synaptic connections in a pair of excitable electronic neurons affect the coherence of their spike trains when the neurons are submitted to noise from independent sources. The coupling is provided by electronic circuits which mimic the dynamics of chemical AMPA synapses. In particular, we show that increasing the strength of an unidirectional synapse leads to a decrease of coherence in the post-synaptic neuron. More interestingly, we show that the decrease of coherence can be reverted if we add a synapse of sufficient strength in the reverse direction. Synaptic symmetry plays an important role in this process and, under the right choice of parameters, increases the network coherence beyond the value achieved at the resonance due to noise alone in uncoupled neurons. We also show that synapses with a longer time scale sharpen the dependency of the coherence on the synaptic symmetry. The results were reproduced by numerical simulations of a pair of synaptically coupled FitzHugh-Nagumo models.
Assessing potential biomarkers of micronutrient status by using a systematic review methodology: methods.

BACKGROUND To explore the relation between micronutrient status and health, it is important to understand which markers of micronutrient status can be relied on and under what circumstances. OBJECTIVE The objective of this article was to develop a common systematic review methodology for use in the assessment of micronutrient status for selenium, iodine, copper, zinc, riboflavin, vitamin B-12, vitamin D, and omega-3 (n-3) long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. DESIGN We developed a methodology on the basis of defining studies that clearly altered micronutrient status and then pooled data on the effects of this intervention on each specific biomarker to assess objectively the response of various status markers to changes in intake. RESULTS The generic methodology included defining, and systematically searching for, studies that resulted in a change in micronutrient status. Study inclusion, data extraction, and assessment of validity were conducted with a minimum of 10% independent duplication. For each study and each potential biomarker, the highest dose and longest duration intervention data were selected to assess the statistical significance of any change in intake on the status biomarker. The consistency of biomarker response was explored by subgrouping the studies according to baseline micronutrient status, sex, population group, supplementation type, dose, duration, and analytic method. CONCLUSION This methodology allows systematic assessment of the usefulness of a number of biomarkers for a selection of micronutrients.
Cocoon and Epidermis of Australian Cyclorana Frogs Differ in Composition of Lipid Classes That Affect Water Loss

For amphibians to survive in environments that experience annual droughts, they must minimize evaporative water loss. One genus of Australian hylid frogs, Cyclorana, prevents desiccation by burrowing in the soil and forming cocoons composed of alternating layers of shed epidermis and glandular secretions. Previous data are inconclusive about the role that lipids play in reducing evaporative water loss through skin (cutaneous water loss [CWL]) when Cyclorana spp. are within cocoons. In this study, we measured CWL and lipids in the epidermis and in cocoons of five species of Cyclorana. CWL was significantly lower in frogs within cocoons than in frogs without cocoons. Surface-area-specific CWL for the three small species was significantly higher than that of the two larger species of Cyclorana, but this difference was not apparent in frogs within cocoons. Although lipids were responsible for more of the dry mass of the epidermis (approximately 20%) than of the cocoons (approximately 7%) we found that cerebrosides and ceramides, two polar lipid classes, were almost exclusively found in cocoons. This suggests that these lipid classes are in the glandular secretions rather than in the epidermis. Because these polar lipids are the types that reduce water loss in birds (cerebrosides and ceramides) and mammals (ceramides), we conclude that they are important not only for holding together the shed layers of skin but also for contributing to the barrier against water loss.
A 10-kW Two-Stage Isolated/Bidirectional DC/DC Converter With Hybrid-Switching Technique

This paper suggests a two-stage isolated/bidirectional dc/dc converter with hybrid-switching technique. High-frequency bidirectional resonant converter with a fixed gain can reduce the bulky transformer size by minimizing Insulated Gate Bipolar Junction Transistor (IGBT) turn-off loss due to tail current, and it forms bidirectional power flow without any control operation. Pulsewidth-modulation nonisolated converter takes in charge of bidirectional control, and its serious turn-off switching loss is alleviated using MOSFET-assisted hybrid-switching structure. The proposed scheme provides low switching loss and removes snubber circuitry so a high efficiency and a high power density can be obtained in high-voltage/high-power bidirectional applications.
Perceived Risks and Normative Beliefs as Explanatory Models for College Student Alcohol Involvement: An Assessment of a Campus with Conventional Alcohol Control Policies and Enforcement Practices

The aim of this study was to conduct a multivariate assessment of college student drinking motivations at a campus with conventional alcohol control policies and enforcement practices, including the establishment and dissemination of alcohol policies and the use of warnings to arouse fear of sanctions. Two explanatory models were compared: perceptions of risk and normative beliefs. An anonymous questionnaire was administered to 1,396 students at a large Midwestern university. Data analyses were conducted on the subsample of participants who had reported using alcohol within the past 12 months (n = 1,322). Overall, the results from a canonical correlation analysis indicated that alcohol involvement was best explained by normative beliefs about the drinking practices of one’s closest friends. Perceptions of drinking risk were less important to the explanation of alcohol involvement, and some of these measures unexpectedly had positive associations with indicators of alcohol risk behavior. The findings call into question the conventional deterrence strategies used in many university communities (i.e., belief that students who perceive there to be a low risk of receiving sanctions are those most likely to engage in alcohol related misbehavior). Furthermore, the findings suggest that effective interventions will need to impact students' normative beliefs about the drinking practices of proximal peer groups.
Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction

Critical pedagogy refers to the means and methods of testing and attempting to change the structures of schools that allow inequities. It is a cultural-political tool that takes seriously the notion of human differences, particularly those related to race, class, and gender. Critical pedagogy seeks to release the oppressed and unite people in a shared language of critique, struggle, and hope, to end various forms of human suffering. This book is the first elementary primer in critical pedagogy, making it possible for all levels of educators to understand and use its common vision of human justice and decency for all in the battered classrooms of today. University professors and public school teachers alike will learn how to address their own prophetic commitments to belief and faith in the fight against despair, institutional chaos, oppression, death of spirit, and exile.
Effect of Teriparatide [rhPTH(1,34)] and Calcitonin on Intertransverse Process Fusion in a Rabbit Model

Study Design. Randomized, double-blinded, placebo controlled animal study. Objective. To evaluate the effect of teriparatide and calcitonin after an intertransverse process spinal fusion in a rabbit model. Summary of Background Data. It is widely recognized that some osteoporosis medications, including bisphosphonates, can interfere with bone healing. Although prescribed frequently in the treatment of osteoporosis, the effect of teriparatide and calcitonin on spinal fusion has not been fully elucidated. We hypothesized that teriparatide, being the only anabolic medication for osteoporosis treatment, would have a beneficial effect on spine fusion. Methods. Fifty-one New Zealand white rabbits underwent a posterolateral L5–L6 intertransverse process arthrodesis using autogenous iliac crest bone graft. The rabbits were randomly divided into 3 groups. All animals received daily subcutaneous injections of group I (n = 17) 1 mL of saline placebo; group II (n = 17) 10 &mgr;g/kg/day of teriparatide; group III (n = 17) 14 IU/animal of calcitonin during the 8-week postoperative period. Postmortem analyses included manual palpation, radiographic, biomechanical, and histologic assessment. Three random 10× fields were examined/graded within the cephalad, middle, and caudal regions of each section (810 fields). Fusion quality was graded using the Emery histologic scale (0–7 based on fibrous/bone content of the fusion mass). Results. Histologic fusion rates for teriparatide averaged 86.7% and was significantly greater than the autograft control group (50%) (P = 0.033). Radiographically, there was a strong trend towards teriparatide being superior to the calcitonin group (85.7% vs. 56.3%, respectively; P = 0.07). The average Emery grading score was 5.99 ± 1.46 SD for the autologous group and 6.26 ± 0.93 SD for the teriparatide group (P = 0.031). Although not significant, the teriparatide group showed less motion in flexion/extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation. Conclusion. Our results suggest that teriparatide enhances spinal fusion while calcitonin has a neutral effect. The teriparatide group had the best histologic fusion rate and Emery scores, while the calcitonin group was similar to the saline controls. Although not significant, the teriparatide group had a strong trend towards superior radiographic fusion over the calcitonin group.
Thinking Out of the Grid and Inside the Spiral – Geometric Interpretations of and Comparisons with the Spiral Array Model

This paper presents a geometric interpretation of the Spiral Array model and its comparison to Lerdahl's Tonal Pitch Space and Krumhansl's spatial representation of pitch relations. The Spiral Array model is derived from a three-dimensional configuration of the Harmonic Network. The fundamental idea underlying the model is the representing of higher-level objects in the spiral's interior as convex combinations of the representations of the lower level components. By using the interior of the spiral, the original discrete space is relaxed to one that is continuous. Geometric mappings are demonstrated among Lerdahl's Tonal Pitch Space, Krumhansl's and Krumhansl & Kessler’s spatial representations of pitch class and key relations, and the Spiral Array model. The interior-point approach of the Spiral Array model is shown to generate higher-level structures that are consistent with the results of these other approaches. The advantages of the interior-point approach are that it facilitates comparisons across different hierarchical levels, and problems that were previously combinatorial in nature can be modeled more efficiently and robustly, mathematically and computationally, using the continuous space in the interior. Author’s estimated word count (<5,000): 6090 Date of submission: 15 October, 2003 Date of revision: 12 September, 2007 2 COMPUTING IN MUSICOLOGY PREPRINT • PREPRINT • PREPRINT • PREPRINT • PREPRINT
The impact of calcium current reversal on neurotransmitter release in the electrically stimulated retina

Objective. In spite of intense theoretical and experimental investigations on electrical nerve stimulation, the influence of reversed ion currents on network activity during extracellular stimulation has not been investigated so far. Approach. Here, the impact of calcium current reversal on neurotransmitter release during subretinal stimulation was analyzed with a computational multi-compartment model of a retinal bipolar cell (BC) that was coupled with a four-pool model for the exocytosis from its ribbon synapses. Emphasis was laid on calcium channel dynamics and how these channels influence synaptic release. Main results. Stronger stimulation with anodic pulses caused transmembrane voltages above the Nernst potential of calcium in the terminals and, by this means, forced calcium ions to flow in the reversed direction from inside to the outside of the cell. Consequently, intracellular calcium concentration decreased resulting in a reduced vesicle release or preventing release at all. This mechanism is expected to lead to a pronounced ring-shaped pattern of exocytosis within a group of neighbored BCs when the stronger stimulated cells close to the electrode fail in releasing vesicles. Significance. Stronger subretinal stimulation causes failure of synaptic exocytosis due to reversal of calcium flow into the extracellular space in cells close to the electrode.
Mental Status Changes in Children Receiving Glucocorticoids

Glucocorticoid preparations are used commonly in the treatment of many diseases in children and adolescents. Although their physiologic side of effects have been described well, the psychiatric side effects of these medications have received little attention. Limited data suggest that disturbances of affect and behavior may occur in 25-50% of children receiving glucocorticoid. These steroid-induced mental changes may be underrecognized in children, and yet these changes can have considerable impact on social and psychological functioning and treatment outcome. An enhanced awareness and reporting of this phenomenon by clinicians, parents, and teachers would likely lead to better compliance with treatment, improved outcomes, and greater understanding of emotional concomitants of illness.
Prosodie neutraler und nicht-neutraler Äußerungen der russischen Standardsprache im Kontext des Fremdspracherwerbs

Beim Fremd- und Zweitspracherwerb kommt es neben der segmentalen Phone- tik und Phonologie auch darauf an, den im Unterricht noch nicht immer genugend be- rucksichtigten Bereich der Intonation und Prosodie nebst der gesamten suprasegmentalen Phonetik mit einzubinden. Hierfur wird vorgeschlagen, auch Daten aus kontrastiven, aber auch einzelsprachlichen Studien zur Prosodie zu nutzen. Insbesondere fur das Russische, sowohl als Ziel- als auch als Ausgangssprache, soll auf die prosodische Realisierung von Auserungen in nicht-neutralem Kontext, wie dies etwa bei Bewertungen der Fall ist, eingegangen werden. Die hierbei relevanten Parameter, wie bspw. Akzentstruktur, Grundfrequenzniveau, Grundfrequenzintervall und Anzahl der Akzente werden ausge- hend von einem linguistischen Experiment zu Bewertungssequenzen erlautert. Fur eine Einbindung solcher nicht-neutraler Auserungen in den Fremdsprachunterricht spricht auch die Haufigkeit dieser Auserungen in Alltagssituationen.
Providing QoS guarantees to multiple classes of EVs under deterministic grid power

In order to push Electric Vehicles (EVs) into the mainstream, the wide deployment of charging stations that can serve multiple classes of customers (e.g. fast charge, slow charge etc.) and provide a certain level of Quality of Service (QoS) is required. However, the operation of the power grid becoming more strenuous due to the addition of new large loads represented by EVs. Hence in this paper we propose a control and resource provisioning framework that can alleviate the strain on the power grid. We propose two design problems; first one considers a charging station located in a big metropolitan with a large and highly stochastic EV demand. For this case, we propose a pricing based control mechanism to maximize the total aggregated utility by controlling the arrival rates. Second case provides a capacity planning framework for stations located in small cities where arrival rates can be obtained via profiling studies. At each model, station draws a constant power from the grid and provides QoS guarantees, namely blocking probability, to each class. Hence total stochastic demand is replaced with a deterministic one, by sacrificing to reject a very few percentage of customers. Our results indicate that significant gains can be obtained with the proposed model.
Recruitment of Gr-1+ monocytes is essential for control of acute toxoplasmosis

Circulating murine monocytes comprise two largely exclusive subpopulations that are responsible for seeding normal tissues (Gr-1−/CCR2−/CX3CR1high) or responding to sites of inflammation (Gr-1+/CCR2+/CX3CR1lo). Gr-1+ monocytes are recruited to the site of infection during the early stages of immune response to the intracellular pathogen Toxoplasma gondii. A murine model of toxoplasmosis was thus used to examine the importance of Gr-1+ monocytes in the control of disseminated parasitic infection in vivo. The recruitment of Gr-1+ monocytes was intimately associated with the ability to suppress early parasite replication at the site of inoculation. Infection of CCR2−/− and MCP-1−/− mice with typically nonlethal, low doses of T. gondii resulted in the abrogated recruitment of Gr-1+ monocytes. The failure to recruit Gr-1+ monocytes resulted in greatly enhanced mortality despite the induction of normal Th1 cell responses leading to high levels of IL-12, TNF-α, and IFN-γ. The profound susceptibility of CCR2−/− mice establishes Gr-1+ monocytes as necessary effector cells in the resistance to acute toxoplasmosis and suggests that the CCR2-dependent recruitment of Gr-1+ monocytes may be an important general mechanism for resistance to intracellular pathogens.
Rosacea-like demodicidosis involving the eyelids. A case report.

A case is presented which illustrates the classical appearance of rosacea-like demodicidosis of the face with an unusual complication of eyelid involvement showing dry, follicular scales and superficial papulopustules in which enormous numbers ofDemodex folliculorumwere present. Clinical cure and disappearance of the organisms resulted from topical therapy alone, consisting of a compound sulfur ointment (Danish ointment). There was no evidence of irritation of either the eyes or eyelids from this medication.
Panorama images stitching on android phones

The objective of this paper is to present algorithm to create panorama images from stitching image sequences taken by camera on mobile phone with the Android operating system. The images for stitching to create panorama are captured in a fixed linear spatial interval and the orientation information are obtained from the sensors on the Android mobile phone. The processing method involves image warping to cylindrical projection coordinates, image matching based on SURF (Speeded Up Robust Features) method as the feature detection and neighboring pairs alignment using RANSAC (RANdom SAmple Consensus) algorithm. The average weighted linear blending is applied to remove the transition between the aligned images. The presented image stitching algorithm is successfully able to create panorama image on the Android mobile phone.