Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pacemaker neurons of the forebrain medical septal area and theta rhythm of the hippocampus.

: The hippocampus is of critical importance for the organization of selective attention and memory. The activity of its neurons is rhythmically modulated by the direct afferent input from cholinergic and GABAergic neurons of the medial septal nucleus and the nucleus of diagonal band (MS-DB). This modulation is expressed in the hippocampal electroencephalogram as a slow (4-9 Hz) sinusoidal theta rhythm. The paper presents a short review of the authors' data on the properties of MS-DB cells, their interactions in organizing the theta expression in the hippocampus, and the probable functional significance of this rhythm. Extracellular recordings of neural activity of the MS-DB and hippocampus were performed in chronic alert rabbits with transection of various afferent pathways, in brain slices, and in the embryonic tissue grafts developing in the anterior eye chamber and brain. Theta modulation disappeared in all structures deprived of the MS-DB afferent connections, but was retained by MS-DB neurons under isolation conditions. A limited group of MS-DB neurons (6-8%) discharge in regular bursts after complete synaptic blockade in high Mg(2+)-low Ca2+ medium, while other neurons in these conditions exhibited the highly regular single-spike activity. Thus, the MS-DB neurons can be regarded as bursting and regular pacemakers. The frequency of bursts and the number of neurons involved in the rhythmic activity are in parallel increased by afferent stimulation-either natural (sensory stimuli) or imitated by electrical stimulation of ascending reticular formation. An increase in the number of MS-DB neurons secondarily involved in theta bursts with the resulting expression of theta rhythm in EEG can be also obtained by up-regulation of endogenous acetylcholine (by physostigmine), but in this case the frequency of theta is not changed. The MS-DB neurons contain acetylcholine and GABA as neurotransmitters. Analysis of the effects of their agonists and antagonists suggests that the frequency of theta depends on the GABAergic mechanism, while its power is controlled by cholinergic influences. In the control state, input signals triggered in the hippocampal neurons an inhibitory reset followed by synchronous theta modulation, gradually habituating during repeated presentations of the stimulus. Against the background of continuous theta evoked by physostigmine, the responses were blocked or significantly depressed, while after theta suppression by scopolamine the efficacy of the stimuli was increased, and habituation was absent. It is suggested that the theta rhythm operates as a selective filter: it augments and prolongs the input signal by which it was triggered and simultaneously protects it from the interference of extraneous stimuli appearing during its processing and registration. The theta rhythm may be regarded as an important mechanism of selective attention, which is a prerequisite for memory trace formation.
Weighted entropy training for the decision tree based text-to-phoneme mapping

The pronunciation model providing the mapping from the written form of words to their pronunciations is called the text-to-phoneme (TTP) mapping. Such a mapping is commonly used in automatic speech recognition (ASR) as well as in text-to-speech (TTS) applications. Rule based TTP mappings can be derived for structured languages, such as Finnish and Japanese. Data-driven TTP mappings are usually applied for non-structured languages such as English and Danish. Artificial neural network (ANN) and decision tree (DT) approaches are commonly applied in this task. Compared to the ANN methods, the DT methods usually provide more accurate pronunciation models. The DT methods can, however, lead to a set of models with a high memory footprint if the mappings between letters and phonemes are complex. In this paper, we present a weighted entropy training method for the DT based TTP mapping. Statistical information about the vocabulary is utilized in the training process in order to optimize the TTP performance for pre-defined memory requirements. The results obtained in the simulation experiments indicate that the memory requirements of the TTP models can be significantly reduced without degrading the mapping accuracy. The applicability of the approach is also verified in the speech recognition experiments.
‹deal Beden ‹mgesini Oluflturan Sosyal ve Kurumsal Faktörler ve Bu ‹dealin Bireyler Üzerindeki Etkileri Social and Institutional Factors Shaping the Ideal Body Image and Effects of This Ideal on Individuals

Oz Gunumuzde ideal beden imgesi tan›mlan›rken zay›fl›k, uzun boy ve genclik gibi kavramlar one c›kmaktad›r. Toplumda, bircok insan›n bu ideal goruntulere sahip olmamas›n›n sonucu olarak, bireylerde kendine guven eksiklii, yeme bozukluklar›yla ilgili hastal›klar, gereksiz estetik cerrahi gibi problemler ortaya c›km›flt›r. ‹zmir'de yap›lan bu araflt›rma ile hedefimiz, toplumsal bir sorun olma potansiyeli tafl›yan bu konuda bilgimizi derinlefltirmektir. Oncelikle tuketicilerin ideal beden imgeleri hakk›ndaki goruflleri araflt›r›lm›fl ve bu ideallerin oluflumunu etkileyen cevresel faktorler incelenmifltir. Ayr›ca, bu ideale sahip olman›n veya olamaman›n bireyler uzerinde yaratabilecei etkilere bak›lm›flt›r. Araflt›rma konusu tuketicilerin beden imgeleri hakk›ndaki duflunceleri, hisleri, arzular› veya endifleleri gibi derin duygular› incelemek olduu icin, kat›l›mc›lar› kendilerini ifade etmekte ozgur b›rakan, ucu ac›k sorular›n sorulabilecei kalitatif yontemler kullan›lm›fl; ‹zmir'de 20-30 yafl aras› kad›n ve erkek kat›l›mc›larla mulakatlar yap›lm›flt›r. Bulgularda, bir taraftan medya, moda, muzik ve sinema endustrileri gibi kurumsal faktorlerin, dier taraftan ise aile, arkadafl, efl gibi sosyal faktorlerin bu guzellik mitinin oluflumunda etkili olduu ortaya c›km›flt›r. Ozellikle moda ve kozmetik sektorleri ince ve genc mitinin oluflumunda buyuk rol oynam›flt›r. Bu sektorler tuketicilere ait olmay› arzu ettikleri bir fantazi dunyas› sunmaktad›rlar. Moda dergileri ve defileleri ince ve genc kad›n goruntuleriyle doludur. fiohretli insanlar da bu etkileflimde buyuk rol oynarlar. Filmlerde veya televizyon programlar›nda gordu¤umuz unluler, s›radan insanlar›n hayranl›k duyduu ideal beden olculerine sahiptirler. Sonuc olarak, bu ideale sahip olmak bireylerin kendilerine olan guvenini artt›r›rken, toplum icinde beenilmelerini ve tercih edilmelerini salad›¤› ortaya c›km›flt›r. ‹lginc bir flekilde, cal›flman›n sonuclar› eitim duzeyinin yuksek olmas›n›n d›fl gorunume verilen deeri azaltmad›¤›n› gostermektedir.
Error Analysis and Design Considerations for Stereo Vision Systems Used to Analyze Animal Behavior

This paper presents an analysis of patterns of error in the triangulation of 3D points from stereo camera systems that are used in field work to study the behavior of bats in flight. A measure of the error present in a 3D reconstruction is proposed. A method for empirically testing the performance of a particular stereo camera configuration through a software simulation is presented. Randomly generated 3D calibration points are projected onto the image planes of simulated cameras, and autocalibration is performed using the direct linear transform (DLT) method. The accuracy of the computed 3D reconstruction is determined by computing the proposed measure of geometric error over a grid of reference scene points. A series of experiments are performed with this simulator to evaluate the accuracy of 3D reconstruction with various camera placements and under differing levels of noise. Results of these experiments are used to motivate suggestions for the design and calibration procedure of stereo vision systems used in ecology field work.
Characterizing sources of ghosting in time-sequential stereoscopic video displays

A common artefact of time-sequential stereoscopic video displays is the presence of some image ghosting or crosstalk between the two eye views. In general this happens because of imperfect shuttering of the Liquid Crystal Shutter (LCS) glasses used, and the afterglow of one image into another due to phosphor persistence. This paper describes a project that has measured and quantified these sources of image ghosting and developed a mathematical model of stereoscopic image ghosting. The primary parameters which have been measured for use in the model are: the spectral response of the red, green and blue phosphors for a wide range of monitors, the phosphor decay rate of same, and the transmission response of a wide range of LCS glasses. The model compares reasonably well with perceived image ghosting. This paper aims to provide the reader with an improved understanding of the mechanisms of stereoscopic image ghosting and to provide guidance in reducing image ghosting in time-sequential stereoscopic displays.
Wait-free queues with multiple enqueuers and dequeuers

The queue data structure is fundamental and ubiquitous. Lock-free versions of the queue are well known. However, an important open question is whether practical wait-free queues exist. Until now, only versions with limited concurrency were proposed. In this paper we provide a design for a practical wait-free queue. Our construction is based on the highly efficient lock-free queue of Michael and Scott. To achieve wait-freedom, we employ a priority-based helping scheme in which faster threads help the slower peers to complete their pending operations. We have implemented our scheme on multicore machines and present performance measurements comparing our implementation with that of Michael and Scott in several system configurations.
Automatic Evaluation of Employee Satisfaction

English. Human Resources are one of the most important assets in modern organizations. Their capability of facing employees’ needs is critical in order to have an effective and efficient company, where people are the center of all business processes. This work is focused on developing new techniques that, leveraging a data driven approach, can help Human Resources to find a more precise employee satisfaction categorization, to easily identify possible issues and to act in a proactive fashion. Italiano. Le Risorse Umane sono una delle funzioni piú importanti nelle aziende moderne. La loro capacità di affrontare le necessità dei dipendenti è fondamentale per avere un’azienda efficiente, dove le persone sono al centro di tutti i processi di business. Il presente lavoro è focalizzato sullo sviluppo di nuove tecniche che, facendo leva su un approccio data driven, possano aiutare le Risorse Umane a dare una categorizzazione della soddisfazione dei dipendenti piú precisa, ad identificare piú facilmente possibili problemi condivisi e ad agire in maniera proattiva.
Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-dependent Akt Activation by Oxidative Stress Enhances Cell Survival*

The serine/threonine kinase Akt (also known as protein kinase B) is activated in response to various stimuli by a mechanism involving phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3-K). Akt provides a survival signal that protects cells from apoptosis induced by growth factor withdrawal, but its function in other forms of stress is less clear. Here we investigated the role of PI3-K/Akt during the cellular response to oxidant injury. H2O2treatment elevated Akt activity in multiple cell types in a time- (5–30 min) and dose (400 μM-2 mm)-dependent manner. Expression of a dominant negative mutant of p85 (regulatory component of PI3-K) and treatment with inhibitors of PI3-K (wortmannin and LY294002) prevented H2O2-induced Akt activation. Akt activation by H2O2 also depended on epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling; H2O2 treatment led to EGFR phosphorylation, and inhibition of EGFR activation prevented Akt activation by H2O2. As H2O2 causes apoptosis of HeLa cells, we investigated whether alterations of PI3-K/Akt signaling would affect this response. Wortmannin and LY294002 treatment significantly enhanced H2O2-induced apoptosis, whereas expression of exogenous myristoylated Akt (an activated form) inhibited cell death. Constitutive expression of v-Akt likewise enhanced survival of H2O2-treated NIH3T3 cells. These results suggest that H2O2activates Akt via an EGFR/PI3-K-dependent pathway and that elevated Akt activity confers protection against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis.
Orientifolds with branes at angles

We present supersymmetry breaking four-dimensional orientifolds of type-IIA strings. The compact space is a torus times a four-dimensional orbifold. The orientifold group reflects one direction in each torus. RR tadpoles are cancelled by D6-branes intersecting at angles in the torus and in the orbifold. The angles are chosen such that supersymmetry is broken. The resulting four-dimensional theories contain chiral fermions. The tadpole cancellation conditions imply that there are no non-abelian gauge anomalies. The models also contain anomaly-free U(1) factors.
The mediating effects of dietary habits on the relationship between television viewing and body mass index among youth

There is evidence to suggest that excessive television viewing is an independent determinant of obesity in young people. However, the pathways between television viewing and obesity are not fully understood. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine whether the relationship between television and body mass index (BMI) is mediated by television snacking and junk food consumption.
Comparison of Mortality Associated With Sepsis in the Burn, Trauma, and General Intensive Care Unit Patient: A Systematic Review of the Literature

ABSTRACT The purpose of this systematic review of the literature was to determine the association of sepsis with mortality in the severely injured adult patient by means of a comparative analysis of sepsis in burn and trauma injury with other critically ill populations. The MEDLINE (PubMed), Cochrane Library, and ProQuest databases were searched. The following keywords and MeSH headings were used: “sepsis,” septicemia,” “septic shock,” “epidemiology,” “burns,” “thermal injury,” “trauma,” “wounds and injuries,” “critical care,” “intensive care,” “outcomes,” and “mortality. ” Included studies were clinical studies of adult burn, trauma, and critically ill patients that reported survival data for sepsis. Thirty-eight articles were reviewed (9 burn, 11 trauma, 18 general critical care). The age of burn (<45 years) and trauma (34–49 years) groups was lower than the general critical care (57–64 years) population. Sepsis prevalence varied with trauma-injured patients experiencing fewer episodes (2.4%–16.9%) contrasted with burn patients (8%–42.5%) and critical care patients (19%–38%). Survival differed with trauma patients experiencing a lower rate of mortality associated with sepsis (7%–36.9%) compared with the burn (28%–65%) and critical care (21%–53%) groups. This study is the first to compare sepsis outcomes in three distinct patient populations: burn, trauma, and general critical care. Trauma patients tend to have relatively low sepsis-associated mortality; burn patients and the older critical care population have higher prevalence of sepsis with worse outcomes. Great variability of criteria to identify septic patients among studies compromises population comparisons.
Reaction Kernels - Structured Output Prediction Approaches for Novel Enzyme Function

Abstract: Enzyme function prediction problem is usually solved using annotation transfer methods. These methods are suitable in cases where the function of the new protein is previously characterized and included in the taxonomy such as EC hierarchy. However, given a new function that is not previously described, these approaches arguably do not offer adequate support for the human expert. In this paper, we explore a structured output learning approach, where enzyme function—an enzymatic reaction—is described in fine-grained fashion with so called reaction kernels which allow interpolation and extrapolation in the output (reaction) space. Two structured output models are learned via Kernel Density Estimation and Maximum Margin Regression to predict enzymatic reactions from sequence motifs. We bring forward two choices for constructing reaction kernels and experiment with them in the remote homology case where the functions in the test set have not been seen in the training phase. Our experiments demonstrate the viability of our approach.
Regulation of fibronectin receptor distribution [published erratum appears in J Cell Biol 1992 Jul;118(2):491]

To determine the role of each intracellular domain of the fibronectin receptor in receptor distribution, chimeric receptors were constructed containing the human interleukin-2 receptor (gp55 subunit) as the extracellular and transmembrane domains, in combination with either the alpha 5 or beta 1 intracellular domain of the fibronectin receptor as the cytoplasmic domain. These chimeric receptors were transiently expressed in normal fibroblasts, and their localization on the cell surface was determined by immunofluorescence using antibodies to the human interleukin-2 receptor. The alpha 5 chimera was expressed diffusely on the plasma membrane. The beta 1 chimera, however, colocalized with the endogenous fibronectin receptor at focal contacts of cells spread on fibronectin. On cells spread in the presence of serum, the beta 1 chimera colocalized both with the fibronectin receptor at sites of extracellular fibronectin fibrils and with the vitronectin receptor at focal contacts. The beta 1 intracellular domain alone, therefore, contains sufficient information to target the chimeric receptor to regions of the cell where ligand-occupied integrin receptors are concentrated. The finding that the beta 1 chimeric protein behaves like a ligand-occupied receptor, even though the beta 1 chimera cannot itself bind extracellular ligand, suggests an intracellular difference between occupied and unoccupied receptors, and predicts that the distribution of integrin receptors can be regulated by ligand occupancy. We tested this prediction by providing a soluble cell-binding fragment of fibronectin to cells spread on laminin. Under conditions preventing further ligand adsorption to the substrate, this treatment nevertheless resulted in the relocation of diffuse fibronectin receptors to focal contacts. Similarly, a redistribution of diffuse vitronectin receptors to focal contacts occurred on cells spread on laminin after the addition of the small soluble peptide GRGDS. We conclude that the propensity for receptor redistribution to focal contacts driven by the beta 1 cytoplasmic domain alone is suppressed in heterodimeric unoccupied fibronectin receptors, and that ligand occupancy can release this constraint. This redistribution of integrin receptors after the binding of a soluble substrate molecule may provide a direct means of assembling adhesion sites.
Salvage Radiation Therapy Improves Metastasis-free Survival for Clinically Aggressive and Indolent Prostate Cancer Recurrences After Radical Prostatectomy

Objectives:To describe 5- and 10-year rates of metastasis-free survival (MFS) stratified by Gleason score (GS) and prostate-specific antigen doubling time (PSADT) for patients receiving salvage radiation therapy (SRT) after biochemical recurrence (BR) postradical prostatectomy (RP). Methods:A total of 236 patients who underwent SRT without receiving concomitant androgen deprivation therapy at a single institution after BR post-RP were retrospectively reviewed. The Kaplan-Meier methods and log-rank analysis were used to determine the MFS rates. Results:Median follow-up post-SRT was 7.1 years. As of last follow-up, 59 men (25%) had developed metastasis. On univariate analysis, both GS and PSADT predicted MFS (P<0.001). Five- and 10-year rates of MFS were calculated for patients with GS 2 to 6, 7, and 8 to 10 and for patients with PSADT < 3, 3 to 9, 9 to 15, and >15 months, who received no additional salvage therapy until the development of metastases. The 5- and 10-year MFS for GS 8 to 10 were 62% and 50%, respectively, compared with 94% at both 5 and 10 years for GS 2 to 6. The 5- and 10-year MFS for PSADT < 3 months were 70% and 61%, respectively, compared with 100% and 90% at 5 and 10 years, respectively, for PSADT >15 months. Conclusions:After BR post-RP, SRT results in low 5- and 10-year rates of metastasis after initial BR. Importantly, a substantial proportion of patients with high-risk disease (GS 8 to 10 or PSADT < 3 mo) are free from metastasis at these same time points. Therefore, SRT should not be withheld from patients based solely on the presence of adverse disease risk factors.
An Analysis of the Medical Costs of Obesity for Fifth Graders in California and Texas

The prevalence of childhood obesity in the United States increased more than three-fold from 1976 – 1980 to 2007 – 2008. The Presidential Youth Fitness Program’s FitnessGram® is the current method recommended by the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition for assessing health-related fitness factors, including body composition. FitnessGram® data from California and Texas, the two most populous states, over a three-year time span indicate that more than one-third of fifth grade students, typically ten-year-olds, are obese. Previous studies report that an obese ten-year-old child who remains obese into adulthood will incur elevated direct medical costs beyond his or her normal-weight peers over a lifetime. The recommended elevated cost estimates are approximately $12,660 when comparing against a normal-weight child who gains weight as an adult and approximately $19,000 compared to a child who remains at normal weight as an adult. By applying these figures to FitnessGram® results from California and Texas, each group of fifth grade students in each of the two states will incur between $1.4 and $3.0 billion in direct medical costs over a lifetime. When the percentage of obese fifth graders is extrapolated to the rest of the United States’ 4 million ten-year-olds, this results in more than $17 billion (accounting for adulthood weight gain) or $25 billion (not accounting for adulthood weight gain) in added direct lifetime medical costs attributable to obesity for this single-year age cohort. This information should be used to influence spending decisions and resource allocation to obesity reduction and prevention efforts.
Horizontal Synchronization of Neuronal Activity in the Barrel Cortex of the Neonatal Rat by Spindle-Burst Oscillations

During development, activity in the somatosensory cortex is characterized by intermittent oscillatory bursts at gamma (early gamma-oscillations, EGOs) and alpha–beta (spindle-bursts, SBs) frequencies. Here, we explored the topography of EGOs and SBs in the neighbor barrels of the whisker-related barrel cortex of neonatal rats (P4-7) during responses evoked by simultaneous activation of multiple whiskers as it occurs during natural conditions. We found that brief simultaneous deflection of all whiskers evoked complex neuronal responses comprised of EGOs and SBs. In contrast to EGOs, that specifically synchronized neuronal activity in each individual barrel, SBs efficiently synchronized activity between neighboring barrels. After plucking a single whisker, synchronous stimulation of spared whiskers evoked EGO-lacking responses in the whisker-deprived barrel, even though the remaining neuronal activity was synchronized by SBs in neighboring barrels. Thus, EGOs specifically support topographic synchronization of neuronal activity within barrels, whereas SBs support horizontal synchronization between neighboring barrels during stimulation of multiple whiskers. We suggest that these two co-existing activity patterns coordinate activity-dependent formation of topographic maps and support the emergence of integrative functions in the primary somatosensory cortex during the critical period of somatosensory maps development.