Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Towards all optical functional imaging of neuronal cells : development of a video rate multimodal laser scanning microscope

The main goal of this master’s project is to develop a novel video rate multimodal laser scanning microscope specifically designed to perform functional imaging of neuronal cells. A microscope was designed, built and tested at the Centre de Recherche Universite Laval Robert Giffard (CRULRG) in Quebec City. This thesis summarizes the system implementation choices we made (optical design, electronics) in order to achieve our imaging goals. Results showing the correlation between the optical signal variations and the cell transmembrane potential or calcic activity changes are presented. This tool opens the door to new experiments, allowing for non-invasive observations of cell activity over a large volume thus overcoming important limitations of the established ‘patch-clamp’ technique.
The role of evidentiality in Bulgarian children's reliability judgments*

ABSTRACT Evidentials are grammatical source-of-knowledge markers. In Bulgarian they provide information about authorship – whether the speaker has personally acquired the information or not – and modality – whether perceptual or cognitive mechanisms were involved in the information's generation. In two experiments, Bulgarian kindergarteners and third-graders (ages 6 and 9, N=96) had to decide which one of two utterances containing different evidentials to believe. Experiment 1 showed that children draw on modality information in their decisions: Third-graders favored perceptual over cognitive and kindergartners cognitive over perceptual sources. Experiment 2 showed that third-graders can also draw on the authorship information carried by evidentials: they favored first- over second-hand information. The discussion focuses on understanding the development of children's use of evidentials.
[The role of social support in the relationship between stress and depression among family caregivers of older adults with dementia].

PURPOSE This study was to determine the mediator or moderator role of social support in the relationship between stress and depression among family caregivers of older adults with dementia. METHOD Sixty nine family caregivers were randomly selected from health care centers in P city and a face-to-face interview was conducted using questionnaires from January to May of 2002. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and hierarchical multiple regression using SPSS program. RESULT Family caregivers of older adults with higher dependency in ADLs and higher problematic behaviors, provided care to the older adults for a longer period of time, and perceived less social support reported higher depression. Social support showed mediating effects between stress and depression, while did not show moderating effects. Elderly dependency on ADLs and caregiving duration decreased perceived social support and decreased social support increased depression. CONCLUSION To increase family and social support to the caregivers of more functionally impaired elderly, family education to increase emotional support and physical assistance to the caregivers and broader and flexible application of social support such as increasing accessibility to the elderly daycare service with lower price may prove beneficial.
Bacterial protein HU dictates the morphology of DNA condensates produced by crowding agents and polyamines

DNA condensation in vitro by multivalent cations and crowding agents is known to produce nanometer‐scale particles with toroidal, spherical and rod‐like morphologies. Controlling the size and shape of DNA condensates is an integral part of several approaches for the improvement of nonviral gene delivery. Using transmission electron microscopy we demonstrate that the morphology of DNA condensates, formed by polyamines and molecular crowding agent, is shifted completely from toroids to rods if the bacterial protein HU is present during condensation. HU is a nonsequence‐specific DNA binding protein that sharply bends the DNA double helix, but alone does not condense DNA into densely packed particles. Our results illustrate the potential utility of naturally derived proteins for controlling the shape of DNA condensates formed in vitro. HU is an abundant, highly conserved bacterial nucleoid‐associated protein and has been implicated in shaping nucleoid structure. However, the exact role of HU in chromosome compaction is not well understood. Our results regarding how HU governs DNA condensation in vitro suggest a mechanism by which HU could act as an architectural protein in bacterial chromosome compaction and nucleoid organization in vivo.
3D lunar craters detection based on stereo matching

In this paper, we focus on the 3D crater detection problem on lunar surface, which helps high-precision spacecraft landing and rover navigation in moon exploration projects. A random structured forests method is firstly applied to detect the 2D edges of craters, and then dense correspondence between CCD stereo images estimates the elevations of craters. Finally, we propose a 3D crater detection model, which is solved by an iterative optimization algorithm with the initial 2D edge. Our method is evaluated on three pairs of stereo images captured by Chang'E-I satellite. Experimental results show that the 3D craters in each pair are quickly and accurately located, which demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency.
A programmable and reconfigurable core for binary image processing

Binary-image processing cores are extremely useful in many image and video applications such as object recognition, tracking, motion detection, and identification. To address the variety of applications and binary-image kernels, we propose an FPGA-based intellectual property core with enhanced flexibility: it is programmable, reconfigurable, and parameterizable. The core performs single binary image kernels (morphological operations) and even complete algorithms composed by sequences of operations; the algorithms' control does not require an external processor as in previous approaches. The reconfiguration features allow adapting the image size, structuring element, and even image parallelism for some operations at run-time. Finally, the parameterization allows defining the maximum image, feature, and command-buffer sizes as well as the number of pixel processing units at compile time. The careful combination of programmability, reconfigurability, and parameterization produces a flexible yet efficient binary-image processing architecture. A detailed experimental validation using a Virtex 5 platform assesses the advantages of the proposed architecture versus previous approaches. The results show that the core can process about 1500 frames per second for 32 operations for a 1024 × 1024 image and 5×5 structure-element at 100MHz frequency. The results demonstrate that the core is suitable for real-time binary image processing applications.
Enlightenment of old ideas from new investigations: more questions regarding the evolution of bacteriogenic light organs in squids

Bioluminescence is widespread among many different types of marine organisms. Metazoans contain two types of luminescence production, bacteriogenic (symbiotic with bacteria) or autogenic, via the production of a luminous secretion or the intrinsic properties of luminous cells. Several species in two families of squids, the Loliginidae and the Sepiolidae (Mollusca: Cephalopoda) harbor bacteriogenic light organs that are found central in the mantle cavity. These light organs are exceptional in function, that is, the morphology and the complexity suggests that the organ has evolved to enhance and direct light emission from bacteria that are harbored inside. Although light organs are widespread among taxa within the Sepiolidae, the origin and development of this important feature is not well studied. We compared light organ morphology from several closely related taxa within the Sepiolidae and combined molecular phylogenetic data using four loci (nuclear ribosomal 28S rRNA and the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and 12S and 16S rRNA) to determine whether this character was an ancestral trait repeatedly lost among both families or whether it evolved independently as an adaptation to the pelagic and benthic lifestyles. By comparing other closely related extant taxa that do not contain symbiotic light organs, we hypothesized that the ancestral state of sepiolid light organs most likely evolved from part of a separate accessory gland open to the environment that allowed colonization of bacteria to occur and further specialize in the eventual development of the modern light organ.
Continuing Clozapine Despite Neutropenia

Background A 40-year-old chronic schizophrenic patient whose psychosis and associated violent behaviour resolved on clozapine, required chemotherapy for a testicular teratoma with pulmonary metastases. His treatment was initially delayed due to refusal to consent. Treatment The patient finally agreed to orchidectomy and cytotoxic therapy, and following agreement by the CPMS, clozapine continued to be dispensed despite neutropenia and ‘red alert’ status on full blood count. Discussion This is the only patient to continue clozapine despite ‘red alert’ status, and as such is an exceptional case, but may open the way for such patients in the future.
A Random Effects Model for Multivariate Failure Time Data from Multicenter Clinical Trials

Summary. A random effects model for analyzing multivariate failure time data is proposed. The work is motivated by the need for assessing the mean treatment effect in a multicenter clinical trial study, assuming that the centers are a random sample from an underlying population. An estimating equation for the mean hazard ratio parameter is proposed. The proposed estimator is shown to be consistent and asymptotically normally distributed. A variance estimator, based on large sample theory, is proposed. Simulation results indicate that the proposed estimator performs well in finite samples. The proposed variance estimator effectively corrects the bias of the naive variance estimator, which assumes independence of individuals within a group. The methodology is illustrated with a clinical trial data set from the Studies of Left Ventricular Dysfunction. This shows that the variability of the treatment effect is higher than found by means of simpler models.
Accuracy of Intraocular Lens Power Calculation Formulas for Highly Myopic Eyes

Purpose. To evaluate and compare the accuracy of different intraocular lens (IOL) power calculation formulas for eyes with an axial length (AL) greater than 26.00 mm. Methods. This study reviewed 407 eyes of 219 patients with AL longer than 26.0 mm. The refractive prediction errors of IOL power calculation formulas (SRK/T, Haigis, Holladay, Hoffer Q, and Barrett Universal II) using User Group for Laser Interference Biometry (ULIB) constants were evaluated and compared. Results. One hundred seventy-one eyes were enrolled. The Barrett Universal II formula had the lowest mean absolute error (MAE) and SRK/T and Haigis had similar MAE, and the statistical highest MAE were seen with the Holladay and Hoffer Q formulas. The interquartile range of the Barrett Universal II formula was also the lowest among all the formulas. The Barrett Universal II formulas yielded the highest percentage of eyes within ±1.0 D and ±0.5 D of the target refraction in this study (97.24% and 79.56%, resp.). Conclusions. Barrett Universal II formula produced the lowest predictive error and the least variable predictive error compared with the SRK/T, Haigis, Holladay, and Hoffer Q formulas. For high myopic eyes, the Barrett Universal II formula may be a more suitable choice.
Aurora at the pole and equator: overlapping functions of Aurora kinases in the mitotic spindle

The correct assembly and timely disassembly of the mitotic spindle is crucial for the propagation of the genome during cell division. Aurora kinases play a central role in orchestrating bipolar spindle establishment, chromosome alignment and segregation. In most eukaryotes, ranging from amoebas to humans, Aurora activity appears to be required both at the spindle pole and the kinetochore, and these activities are often split between two different Aurora paralogues, termed Aurora A and B. Polar and equatorial functions of Aurora kinases have generally been considered separately, with Aurora A being mostly involved in centrosome dynamics, whereas Aurora B coordinates kinetochore attachment and cytokinesis. However, double inactivation of both Aurora A and B results in a dramatic synergy that abolishes chromosome segregation. This suggests that these two activities jointly coordinate mitotic progression. Accordingly, recent evidence suggests that Aurora A and B work together in both spindle assembly in metaphase and disassembly in anaphase. Here, we provide an outlook on these shared functions of the Auroras, discuss the evolution of this family of mitotic kinases and speculate why Aurora kinase activity may be required at both ends of the spindle microtubules.
A dynamic gap dimension reduction approach for high order n-gram phonotactic language recognition

In this paper, we demonstrate the feasibility and usefulness of using high-order n-grams for n = 4, 5, 6,7 in SVM-based phonotactic language recognition by using a dynamic gap dimension reduction algorithm, which can reduce the affection of insert error as the same time. For evaluating the approaches, experiments were carried out on the NIST-LRE2009 database in which systems were built by means of open software (HTK, SRILM) and an English phone decoder. The experimental results on NIST-LRE2009 30s, 10s, 3s closed-set test by proposed method are 2.77%, 7.87%, 19.73% (meaning a relative reduction of 6.73%, 5.74%, 8.44% compared with the baseline system) in terms of equal error rate (EER) and the fusion of the systems with the proposed approaches yielded 2.26%, 7.62%, 18.06%. Details of implementation and experimental results are presented in this paper.
Genetic and Biochemical Characterization of the First Extended-Spectrum CARB-Type ß-Lactamase, RTG-4, from Acinetobacter baumannii

ABSTRACT Acinetobacter baumannii isolate KAR was uncommonly more resistant to cefepime and cefpirome than to ceftazidime and cefotaxime. Cloning and expression of the β-lactamase gene content of this isolate into Escherichia coli TOP10 identified ß-lactamase RTG-4 (or CARB-10), which corresponds to the first reported extended-spectrum CARB-type enzyme. RTG-4 is a plasmid-encoded Ambler class A β-lactamase whose sequence differs by 4 amino acid substitutions from the narrow-spectrum β-lactamase RTG-3. RTG-4 hydrolyzes cefepime and cefpirome and weakly hydrolyzes ceftazidime due to the single Ser-to-Thr substitution at Ambler position 69. RTG-4 is less susceptible to inhibition by tazobactam and sulbactam than RTG-3. Expression of β-lactamase RTG-4 in a wild-type A. baumannii reference strain showed that it conferred resistance to cefepime and cefpirome. The genetic environment of the blaRTG-4 gene was made of a peculiar transposon located on a ca. 50-kb plasmid. ISAba9, located upstream of blaRTG-4, may be responsible for its acquisition by recognizing a secondary right inverted repeat sequence, thus acting by a one-ended transposition process.
The disappearance of cyclin B at the end of mitosis is regulated spatially in Drosophila cells

We have followed the behaviour of a cyclin B–green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion protein in living Drosophila embryos in order to study how the localization and destruction of cyclin B is regulated in space and time. We show that the fusion protein accumulates at centrosomes in interphase, in the nucleus in prophase, on the mitotic spindle in prometaphase and on the microtubules that overlap in the middle of the spindle in metaphase. In cellularized embryos, toward the end of metaphase, the spindle‐associated cyclin B–GFP disappears from the spindle in a wave that starts at the spindle poles and spreads to the spindle equator; when the cyclin B–GFP on the spindle is almost undetectable, the chromosomes enter anaphase, and any remaining cytoplasmic cyclin B–GFP then disappears over the next few minutes. The endogenous cyclin B protein appears to behave in a similar manner. These findings suggest that the inactivation of cyclin B is regulated spatially in Drosophila cells. We show that the anaphase‐promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) specifically interacts with microtubules in embryo extracts, but it is not confined to the spindle in mitosis, suggesting that the spatially regulated disappearance of cyclin B may reflect the spatially regulated activation of the APC/C.
Pointman - A Device-Based Control for Realistic Tactical Movement

Pointmantrade is a new virtual locomotion control that uses a conventional dual joystick gamepad in combination with a tracked head-mounted display and sliding foot pedals. Unlike the control mappings of a conventional gamepad, Pointman allows users to specify their direction of movement independently from the heading of the upper body. The motivation for this work is to develop a virtual infantry training simulator that is inexpensive, portable, and allows the user to execute realistic tactical infantry movements. Tactical movements rely heavily on the ability to scan while moving along a path, which requires the ability to independently coordinate course and heading. Conventional gamepad control mappings confound course and heading, and facilitate moving sideways and spiraling toward or away from targets. Pointman was derived from an analysis of how people move and coordinate actions in the real and virtual worlds
Disegnare per ricostruire. Studio pilota sul riconoscimento delle risorse interne ed esterne dei detenuti in una Casa Circondariale

Drawing to reconstruct. Pilot study on acknowledging prisoners’ internal and external resources in a penitentiary institution Since the first offender rehabilitation treatments, all theoretical approaches have been focused on reducing risk factors that may influence recidivism, without obtaining good results. Recent resilience researches have instead shown the important mediating or moderating role of protective factors and provided the theoretical principles for the Good Lives Model Comprehensive (GLM-C). This holistic model suggests the importance of integrating the reduction of risk factors with the reinforcement of protective factors in offender treatments programmes. This combined action is considered the main condition through which offenders are motivated to change their life and develop a sense of agency on their current life conditions. This paper presents a pilot study, aimed at analyzing the feasibility of a psychosocial intervention, based on graphic workshops. The purpose of the intervention is helping prisoners striving toward adaptation in jail, and facilitating the redesign of their life beyond bars. The drawing activities allowed the prisoners enhancing their own internal and external resources, and recognizing the risk and protective factors that could influence their successful reintegration into society. The main limit of this study is directly linked to the setting of the penitentiary institution where the study was conducted, which is characterized by a high prisoners’ turn over.
Finite element analysis of skin injuries by water jet cutting

FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF SKIN INJURIES BY WATER JET CUTTING by Syed Muhammad Arif High pressure water jets are used in industry for cleaning and cutting purposes. These devices can generate pressure upto 400 MPa. As high pressure water jets become more widespread in industry, injuries will be seen with great frequency. Penetrating injuries by these devices can produce minimal external evidence of extensive soft tissue injury. To know the extent of injury, it is important to study the relationship between operating parameters of water jet and the skin layers. A computational analysis is carried out using finite element method to find the effects of water jet pressure on the skin layer. Finite element skin model is made and the analysis is carried out at different pressure. Linear and non linear static analyses are done here to study the behavior of skin layers under pressure. The results obtained from both analyses shows linear effect that is elastic behavior. The skin materials rupture before going into the plastic region. The results show that the layer of skin will start to shear at about 45 MPa of water jet pressure. The epidermis bears most of the stresses and is deformed, other layers are also deformed but do not reveal high stress concentration. High stress concentration are seen in the dermis where there are not enough collagen fibers. FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF SKIN INJURIES BY WATER JET CUTTING by Syed Muhammad Arif A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of New Jersey Institute of Technology in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Manufacturing Systems Engineering Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
Implementation of the robot ego-motion estimation algorithm with FPGA circuits

Abstract A task-oriented implementation of the SoC system in FPGA technology is described. The goal of the system is to identify the ego-motion of a mobile device (e.g. a mobile robot) equipped with a single camera. Solution involves partitioning of different portions of the used algorithm into software and dedicated hardware. A detailed description of the hardware part is given. Trade-offs of the hardware/software decomposition are discussed. Resources required and performance are specified and compared with alternative solutions.
Who Benefits From Casual Sex? The Moderating Role of Sociosexuality

Casual sex has become a normative experience among young people, raising concerns regarding its well-being consequences. Prior findings on main effects of casual sex on well-being are mixed, suggesting possible moderating factors. Using longitudinal and weekly diary methodologies, this study examined the moderating influence of sociosexuality, a stable personality orientation toward casual sex, on psychological well-being (self-esteem, life satisfaction, depression, and anxiety) following penetrative (oral, vaginal, or anal) casual sex among single undergraduates. As predicted, sociosexuality moderated the effect of casual sex on well-being on a weekly basis across 12 consecutive weeks, over one semester, and over one academic year. Sociosexually unrestricted students typically reported higher well-being after having casual sex compared to not having casual sex; there were no such differences among restricted individuals. Few gender differences were found. Findings are discussed in terms of authenticity in one’s sexual behaviors.
Multiplicative Weights Update with Constant Step-Size in Congestion Games: Convergence, Limit Cycles and Chaos

The Multiplicative Weights Update (MWU) method is a ubiquitous meta-algorithm that works as follows: A distribution is maintained on a certain set, and at each step the probability assigned to action $\gamma$ is multiplied by $(1 -\epsilon C(\gamma))>0$ where $C(\gamma)$ is the ``cost" of action $\gamma$ and then rescaled to ensure that the new values form a distribution. We analyze MWU in congestion games where agents use \textit{arbitrary admissible constants} as learning rates $\epsilon$ and prove convergence to \textit{exact Nash equilibria}. Interestingly, this convergence result does not carry over to the nearly homologous MWU variant where at each step the probability assigned to action $\gamma$ is multiplied by $(1 -\epsilon)^{C(\gamma)}$ even for the simplest case of two-agent, two-strategy load balancing games, where such dynamics can provably lead to limit cycles or even chaotic behavior.