Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Use of Murine Bioassay to Resolve Ovine Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy Cases Showing a Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Molecular Profile

Two cases of unusual transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) were diagnosed on the same farm in ARQ/ARQ PrP sheep showing attributes of both bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and scrapie. These cases, UK‐1 and UK‐2, were investigated further by transmissions to wild‐type and ovine transgenic mice. Lesion profiles (LP) on primary isolation and subpassage, incubation period (IP) of disease, PrPSc immunohistochemical (IHC) deposition pattern and Western blot profiles were used to characterize the prions causing disease in these sheep. Results showed that both cases were compatible with scrapie. The presence of BSE was contraindicated by the following: LP on primary isolation in RIII and/or MR (modified RIII) mice; IP and LP after serial passage in wild‐type mice; PrPSc deposition pattern in wild‐type mice; and IP and Western blot data in transgenic mice. Furthermore, immunohistochemistry (IHC) revealed that each case generated two distinct PrPSc deposition patterns in both wild‐type and transgenic mice, suggesting that two scrapie strains coexisted in the ovine hosts. Critically, these data confirmed the original differential IHC categorization that these UK‐1 and UK‐2 cases were not compatible with BSE.
Evaluation of Gene Association Methods for Coexpression Network Construction and Biological Knowledge Discovery

Background Constructing coexpression networks and performing network analysis using large-scale gene expression data sets is an effective way to uncover new biological knowledge; however, the methods used for gene association in constructing these coexpression networks have not been thoroughly evaluated. Since different methods lead to structurally different coexpression networks and provide different information, selecting the optimal gene association method is critical. Methods and Results In this study, we compared eight gene association methods – Spearman rank correlation, Weighted Rank Correlation, Kendall, Hoeffding's D measure, Theil-Sen, Rank Theil-Sen, Distance Covariance, and Pearson – and focused on their true knowledge discovery rates in associating pathway genes and construction coordination networks of regulatory genes. We also examined the behaviors of different methods to microarray data with different properties, and whether the biological processes affect the efficiency of different methods. Conclusions We found that the Spearman, Hoeffding and Kendall methods are effective in identifying coexpressed pathway genes, whereas the Theil-sen, Rank Theil-Sen, Spearman, and Weighted Rank methods perform well in identifying coordinated transcription factors that control the same biological processes and traits. Surprisingly, the widely used Pearson method is generally less efficient, and so is the Distance Covariance method that can find gene pairs of multiple relationships. Some analyses we did clearly show Pearson and Distance Covariance methods have distinct behaviors as compared to all other six methods. The efficiencies of different methods vary with the data properties to some degree and are largely contingent upon the biological processes, which necessitates the pre-analysis to identify the best performing method for gene association and coexpression network construction.
Reliability Analysis for Component-based Software System in Open Distributed Environments

Summary Internet provides an open, dynamic, and uncertain environment. Component-based software development in this environment faces more challenges with built upon a set of heterogeneous, autonomous software components distributed in the open network. Making analysis on the reliability of component-based software system in this environment has important meanings. However, current approaches to software reliability are not very applicable to this open environment. This paper presents a new approach to evaluate the reliability of the component-based software system in this open distributed environment by analyzing the reliabilities of the components in different application domains, the reliabilities of the connections to these components and the architecture style of their composition. Sensitivity analysis on the elements in the software system is also presented and we make experiments on an example to show the approach’s characteristics.
Virtual Synchronization for Real-Time Multi-Target Tracking by Asynchronous Distributed Cameras

Object tracking is one of the most important and fundamental technologies for various real-world vision systems. To realize real-time flexible tracking in a wide-spread area, we employ a group of network-connected computers with an active camera, whose logical model is called an Active Vision Agent (AVA). A three-layered interaction architecture with AVAs for tracking was proposed in [2]. Autonomous reactive behaviors of AVAs without synchronization allow the total system to cope with dynamic situations in the scene and achieve complex tasks. For the system to integrate information observed by different AVAs, however, all the information should be synchronized. To solve these two contrary problems, we propose the virtual synchronization mechanism employing the dynamic memory architecture proposed in [3]. In addition, by employing multiple pan-tilt-zoom cameras and exchanging time-series data among them in real time, we realize active-camera controls for wide-area observation and acquiring high-resolution images of observed moving objects.
Efficient support of TCP traffic in ATM networks

The ATM Forum has recently defined a new data service called Guaranteed Frame Rate (GFR) Service. This new service aims to support minimum bandwidth guarantee for a VC and allows any excess bandwidth in the network to be shared among the contending VCs in a fair manner. It was proposed that the service requirement of GFR may be supported using the Generic Cell Rate Algorithm (GCRA), or equivalently, a leaky-bucket algorithm. Such an approach has significant implementation and cost advantage because most commercial ATM switches already have hardware for GCRA, which is used for example in VBR service. However, previous ATM Forum contributions showed that a straightforward application of GCRA may not always guarantee both minimum bandwidth and fairness of excess bandwidth, particularly when bursty TCP traffic is considered. In this paper, we present an enhanced leaky-bucket buffer admission scheme in switches with FIFO queuing for supporting the GFR service requirements. Simulation results are presented to show that our scheme performs well under various TCP and UDP traffic environment. Thesis Supervisor: Kai-Yeung Siu Title: Assistant Professor
Searching for Rehabilitation in Nonparametric Regression Models with Exogenous Treatment Assignment

This paper offers some new directions in the analysis of nonparamertric models with exogenous treatment assignment. The nonparametric approach opens the door to the examination of potentially different distributed outcomes. When combined with cross-validation, it also identifies potentially irrelevant variables and linear versus nonlinear effects. Examination of the distribution of effects requires distribution metrics, such as stochastic dominance tests for ranking based on a wide range of criterion functions, including dollar valuations. We can identify subgroups with different treatment outcomes. We offer an empirical demonstration based on the GAIN data. In the case of one covariate (English as the primary language), there is support for a statistical inference of uniform first order dominant treatment effects. We also find several others that indicate second and higher order dominance rankings to a statistical degree of confidence.
fMRI: Clinical and Research Applications

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) has become the most popular method for assessing major facts of functional brain topography for both research and clinical purposes. fMRI is a powerful non-invasive tool in the study of the function of the brain, used, for example, by psychologists, psychiatrists, neurologists and neuroscientists [2]. fMRI is a technique that uses magnetic resonance imaging to measure brain activity by measuring changes in the local oxygenation of blood, which in turn reflects the amount of local brain activities. While this technique has the advantages of high spatial resolution and non-invasive nature, it has a low temporal resolution respect to other brain imaging techniques. This is because it is not a direct measure; it only measures the secondary physiological correlates of neural activity. fMRI uses the contrast mechanisms which are correlated to physiological changes in local regions of the brain. The first mechanism used for fMRI is Blood Oxygenation Level-Dependent (BOLD) contrast [3] and the second contrast mechanism is the perfusion contrast obtained using Arterial Spin Labeling (ASL). The ASL uses magnetically labeled arterial blood water as a flow tracer [4]. As compared to the BOLD contrast, that is most useful for detecting dynamic changes in brain activity over short time periods (seconds to minutes), ASL is most useful for characterizing resting states, particularly in pathological conditions that affect C erebral Blood Flow (CBF), such as cerebrovascular disease, or for measuring slow variations in CBF or neural activity that occur over long periods. fMRI can give high quality visualization of the location of activity in the brain resulting from motor or sensory stimulation or cognitive functions [5]. It therefore allows the study of how the healthy brain functions is affected by different diseases, how it attempts to recover after damage and how drugs can modulate activity or post-damage recovery and how cognitive states are encoded by the brain activities.
Regulator preferences and managers’ manipulation choices

• A submitted manuscript is the version of the article upon submission and before peer-review. There can be important differences between the submitted version and the official published version of record. People interested in the research are advised to contact the author for the final version of the publication, or visit the DOI to the publisher's website. • The final author version and the galley proof are versions of the publication after peer review. • The final published version features the final layout of the paper including the volume, issue and page numbers.
Clinical characteristics and premorbid variables in childhood-onset schizophrenia: a descriptive study of twelve cases from a schizophrenia founder population.

OBJECTIVE To analyze clinical and demographic data of childhood-onset (12 years and younger) schizophrenia patients collected for a genetic study in schizophrenia, undertaken nationally in South Africa, using multiple parameters. METHOD Patients with an onset of schizophrenia at 12 years or younger, were included. From the Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies (DIGS), patients' information and summary report data was tabulated and analyzed. Specific subgroups were further compared. This sub-population of 12 subjects was further compared with a group of the adult sample. RESULTS Of the 12 patients recruited, prominent results were: male to female ratio of 1:1; all had insidious onset of psychosis; a third had all 3 multidimensional impairment (MDI) symptoms; all patients that received ADHD treatment had ADHD treatment failure; two thirds had milestone delay; 58% had birth complications; a third were predominantly bottle fed; 42% had family history of schizophrenia; a third had family history of other major psychiatric conditions; all patients had at least one non-psychotic deviant behaviour (NPDB); no patient used cannabis; all delusions were paranoid; 92% had school achievement difficulty and a third had treatment resistance. Gender comparison included: earlier onset of psychosis in females; all females had aggression versus a third of males; more females had school achievement difficulty than males; males had more treatment resistance. Patients with MDI, compared to the sample average had: earlier onset of non-psychotic deviant behaviour; lower school drop-out rate; less social difficulty and no treatment resistance. CONCLUSION The results compare well to previous research on this topic. The new concepts introduced by the present study require further investigation.
Impact of Extending the Runtime of Underestimated Jobs in Backfilling Schedulers

In standard backfill algorithms, a job will be terminated immediately it has been processed for its estimated runtime. This drives users not to provide tight estimates to make their jobs to be scheduled earlier but at the risk of being killed. This paper presents an enhanced mechanism to tolerate underestimated jobs by continuing processing them on condition that they will not delay any other running or reserved jobs. By comparing the performance of this new mechanism with that of the standard easy backfill with simulation of real workloads, it is shown that the benefits of extending the runtime of underestimated jobs are attractive and the possible degradations are very slight.
Multiple description coding over multiple correlated erasure channels

This paper examines the use of Multiple Description Coding (MDC) for information transmission over multiple correlated erasure channels. It addresses the problem of optimal rate allocation between descriptions to attain the minimum possible average distortion at the receiver. The rate allocation problem is formulated on the basis of rate‐distortion theory for the general case of unbalanced MDC and under the constraint that the total coding rate is fixed. The channel parameters, that is, erasure rates, for which MDC outperforms Single Description Coding are characterised. It is shown that MDC is optimal when the channel erasure rates are comparable and the total coding rate is large. A heuristic approximation for optimal rate allocation is also presented, which can be readily used in practice to determine the relative rates between descriptions needed to achieve the minimal average distortion. The relationship between the optimal average distortion and the erasure correlation is explored. It is shown that for some cases, such as for equal average erasure probabilities, the average distortion decreases as the channel correlation increases. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Research on Wavelet Threshold De-noising Method of Remainder Detection for Stand-Alone Electronic Equipments in Satellite

Stand-alone electronic equipments are important parts of a satellite system, inside which remainders will bring great harm to reliability of the satellite system. Particle shock noise detection (PIND) is an effective method to detect the remainders in stand-alone electronic equipments. Signal to noise ratio (SNR) of detection signal is a bottleneck to improve processing accuracy and robustness of testing software. In this paper, key factors of wavelet threshold de-noising method were investigated and a wavelet threshold algorithm was proposed to improve the SNR of remainder detection signal of the stand-alone electronic equipments. The analytic results proved that the wavelet threshold method efficiently improved the de-noising effect.
A novel experimental mouse model of retinal detachment: complete functional and histologic recovery of the retina.

PURPOSE To establish an experimental mouse model of retinal detachment (RD) created by corneal puncture (CP). METHODS Mouse corneas were punctured with a 30.5-gauge beveled needle, and the anterior chamber was penetrated. Histologic and functional changes of the retina were examined by light microscopy and electroretinography (ERG). Certain retinal cellular responses were examined by immunofluorescence microscopy. Internucleosomal DNA fragmentation in the retina was determined by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated uridine 5'-triphosphate-biotin nick-end labeling (TUNEL). RESULTS. CP caused transient leakage of aqueous humor along the needle shaft and immediate formation of multiple retinal blebs, which shrank and flattened within 24 hours. Bleb formation was associated with detachment of the neuroretina from the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). After CP, the RPE cells underwent extensive transformation during retinal detachment/reattachment, but they resumed normal morphology on retinal reattachment around 10 to 13 days after CP. Relative to pre-CP ERG amplitudes, the punctured eyes showed decreases of 45% and 24% in scotopic and 7% and 12% in photopic b- and a-wave amplitudes, respectively, within 10 to 20 minutes after CP. The ERG amplitudes recovered fully by 12 hours after CP. No infiltrated cells were observed in the subretinal space, and no proliferating or TUNEL-positive cells were observed in the retina of the punctured eyes. CONCLUSIONS Puncturing the mouse cornea can create transient RD, and the functional and histologic changes in the retina can subsequently recover. This experimental mouse model of RD mimics human traction and serous RD.
Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells Interact with Tumors in Terms of Myelopoiesis, Tumorigenesis and Immunosuppression: Thick as Thieves

Tumor progression is often associated with chronic inflammation in the tumor microenvironment, which is mediated by numerous cytokines, chemokines and growth factors produced by cancer and stroma cells. All these mediators support tumor development and immunosuppression in autocrine and/or paracrine ways. Neutralization of chronic inflammatory conditions can lead to the restoration of anti-tumor immune responses. Among stroma cells infiltrating tumors, myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) represent one of the most important players mediating immunosuppression. These cells may not only inhibit an anti-tumor immunity but also directly stimulate tumorigenesis as well as tumor growth and expansion. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms of generation, migration to the tumor site and activation of MDSC is necessary for the development of new strategies of tumor immunotherapy.
EMU Fiscal Rules: A New Answer to an Old Question?

EMU fiscal rules aim at ensuring sound fiscal policies in EU Member States while allowing sufficient margins for stabilisation policy. The Treaty of Maastricht and the Stability and Growth Pact introduced a detailed framework of rules, surveillance procedures and sanctions that are tighter than those generally applying in federal countries. In this paper we try to assess to what extent the issue facing the founders of EMU was a new one in the field of public finance and to what extent the solution chosen can be regarded as innovative. To this end, we review the literature on budgetary rules from its very beginning to the years immediately before the Treaty of Maastricht. We consider the arguments brought forward to justify EMU fiscal rules and the novel feature of the problem faced at the EU level, represented by the interaction between its multinational nature and the lack of a political authority of federal rank. The solutions chosen, while drawing heavily on ideas that were central in the debate on fiscal rules, reflect this new aspect of the problem. The highly decentralised setting of fiscal policy in EMU gave prominence to moral hazard issues; it is probably at the roots of the rejection of both the dual budget approach and the distinction between ordinary and extraordinary finance; it motivated the adoption of a detailed multilateral surveillance procedure and the introduction of a predetermined limit for the annual deficit in a framework that envisages the targeting of a balanced budget over the cycle.
Alterations to Dendritic Spine Morphology, but Not Dendrite Patterning, of Cortical Projection Neurons in Tc1 and Ts1Rhr Mouse Models of Down Syndrome

Down Syndrome (DS) is a highly prevalent developmental disorder, affecting 1/700 births. Intellectual disability, which affects learning and memory, is present in all cases and is reflected by below average IQ. We sought to determine whether defective morphology and connectivity in neurons of the cerebral cortex may underlie the cognitive deficits that have been described in two mouse models of DS, the Tc1 and Ts1Rhr mouse lines. We utilised in utero electroporation to label a cohort of future upper layer projection neurons in the cerebral cortex of developing mouse embryos with GFP, and then examined neuronal positioning and morphology in early adulthood, which revealed no alterations in cortical layer position or morphology in either Tc1 or Ts1Rhr mouse cortex. The number of dendrites, as well as dendrite length and branching was normal in both DS models, compared with wildtype controls. The sites of projection neuron synaptic inputs, dendritic spines, were analysed in Tc1 and Ts1Rhr cortex at three weeks and three months after birth, and significant changes in spine morphology were observed in both mouse lines. Ts1Rhr mice had significantly fewer thin spines at three weeks of age. At three months of age Tc1 mice had significantly fewer mushroom spines - the morphology associated with established synaptic inputs and learning and memory. The decrease in mushroom spines was accompanied by a significant increase in the number of stubby spines. This data suggests that dendritic spine abnormalities may be a more important contributor to cognitive deficits in DS models, rather than overall neuronal architecture defects.
Almost all graphs with high girth and suitable density have high chromatic number

Erdös proved that there exist graphs of arbitrarily high girth and arbitrarily high chromatic number. We give a different proof (but also using the probabilistic method) that also yields the following result on the typical asymptotic structure of graphs of high girth: for all ℓ ≥ 3 and k ∈ ℕ there exist constants C1 and C2 so that almost all graphs on n vertices and m edges whose girth is greater than ℓ have chromatic number at least k, provided that $C_{1}n\,\leq\, m\,\leq\, C_{2}n^{\ell /(\ell -1)}$. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Graph Theory 37: 220–226, 2001