Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Selective elimination of axons extended by developing cortical neurons is dependent on regional locale: experiments utilizing fetal cortical transplants

In adult rats, cortical neurons that extend an exon through the pyramidal tract (a major subcortical efferent projection of the neocortex) are limited to layer V of about the rostral two-thirds of the neocortex. In neonates, however, pyramidal tract neurons are distributed throughout the neocortex, but all of those found in certain areas, such as the posterior occipital region (including primary visual cortex) selectively lose their pyramidal tract axon (Stanfield et al., 1982) yet maintain axon collaterals to other subcortical targets (O'Leary and Stanfield, 1985). To determine if the regional location of a developing pyramidal tract neuron critically influences the maintenance or elimination of the axon collaterals it initially extends, pieces of cortex from embryonic day 17 (E17) rat fetuses (exposed to 3H-thymidine on E15) were transplanted heterotopically into the cortex of newborn (PO) rats; rostral cortex was placed into the posterior occipital region (R----O), or posterior occipital cortex into a rostral cortical locale (O----R). The retrograde tracers Fast blue (FB) and Diamidino yellow (DY) were used to assay for the presence of specific populations of cortical projection neurons within the autoradiographically identified transplants. In terms of the extension and maintenance of pyramidal tract axons, the transplanted neurons behave like the host neurons of the recipient cortical region rather than like those of their site of origin. At P40, following FB injections into the pyramidal decussation on P34, pyramidal tract neurons are labeled within the O----R transplants, but none can be labeled within R----O transplants, although in the same R----O cases transplanted neurons are labeled by an injection of DY in the superior colliculus. However, at P13 pyramidal tract neurons can be identified within the R----O transplants, as well as in the host occipital cortex, following injections made on P9, a period when the distribution of pyramidal tract neurons in normal rats is widespread (Stanfield and O'Leary, 1985b). In a second series of host rats, on P34 FB was injected in the pyramidal decussation of the O----R cases, or in the superior colliculus of the R----O cases, and in both groups DY was injected into the region of contralateral cortex homotopic for the new location of the transplant. On P40, in both the O----R and R----O transplants, many neurons singly labeled with FB or DY are found, but no double dye-labeled cells are seen. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Sélection de Variables et Réseaux de Neurones

Features gathered from the observation of a phenomenon are not all equally informative: some of them may be noisy, correlated or irrelevant. Feature selection aims at selecting a feature set that is relevant for a given task. This problem is complex and remains an important issue in many domains. In the field of neural networks, feature selection has been studied for the last ten years and classical as well as original methods have been employed. This paper is a review of neural network approaches to feature selection. We first briefly introduce baseline statistical methods used in regression and classification. We then describe families of methods which have been developed specifically for neural networks. Representative methods are then compared on different test problems.
Differential Flatness of Mechanical Control Systems: A Catalog of Prototype Systems

This paper describes the application of diierential atness techniques from nonlinear control theory to mechanical (La-grangian) systems. Systems which are diierentially at have several useful properties which can be exploited to generate eeective control strategies for nonlinear systems. For the special case of mechanical control systems, much more geometric information is present and the purpose of this paper is to explore the implications and features of that class of systems. We concentrate on several worked examples which illustrate the general theory and present a detailed catalog of known examples of diierentially at mechanical systems.
Optimal Fault Tolerance Strategy Selection for Web Services

Service-oriented systems are usually composed by heterogeneous Web services, which are distributed across the Internet and provided by organizations. Building highly reliable service-oriented systems is a challenge due to the highly dynamic nature of Web services. In this paper, the authors apply software fault tolerance techniques for Web services, where the component failures are handled by fault tolerance strategies. In this paper, a distributed fault tolerance strategy evaluation and selection framework is proposed based on versatile fault tolerance techniques. The authors provide a systematic comparison of various fault tolerance strategies by theoretical formulas, as well as real-world experiments. This paper also presents the optimal fault tolerance strategy selection algorithm, which employs both the QoS performance of Web services and the requirements of service users for selecting optimal fault tolerance strategy. A prototype is implemented and real-world experiments are conducted to illustrate the advantages of the evaluation framework. In these experiments, users from six different locations perform evaluation of Web services distributed in six countries, where over 1,000,000 test cases are executed in a collaborative manner to demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach.
Step-up versus step-down DC/DC converters for RF-powered systems

We compare two designs for dual power supply RF-powered systems such as implantable stimulators and contactless smartcards. Specifically, we compare a traditional design using a step-up DC/DC converter versus a design that uses a step-down converter. We analyze which system can operate from a lower input source voltage, and show how non-idealities in DC/DC converters affect the relative merits of the step-up versus step-down designs. We demonstrate that the step-down architecture can increase maximum operable link distance and power available to the load in systems with high source resistances or inefficient DC/DC converters. Through simulation and experiment, we verify that source resistances greater than 250k/spl Omega/ are possible in RF-powered systems, and that step-down converters can improve available load power by 100%.
Mapping apparent eccentricity and residual ensemble anisotropy in the gray matter using angular double‐pulsed‐field‐gradient MRI

Conventional diffusion MRI methods are mostly capable of portraying microarchitectural elements such as fiber orientation in white matter from detection of diffusion anisotropy, which arises from the coherent organization of anisotropic compartments. Double‐pulsed‐field‐gradient MR methods provide a means for obtaining microstructural information such as compartment shape and microscopic anisotropies even in scenarios where macroscopic organization is absent. Here, we apply angular double‐pulsed‐gradient‐spin‐echo MRI in the rat brain both ex vivo and in vivo for the first time. Robust angular dependencies are detected in the brain at long mixing time (tm). In many pixels, the oscillations seem to originate from residual directors in randomly oriented media, i.e., from residual ensemble anisotropy, as corroborated by quantitative simulations. We then developed an analysis scheme that enables one to map of structural indices such as apparent eccentricity (aE) and residual phase (φ) that enables characterization of the rat brain in general, and especially the rat gray matter. We conclude that double‐pulsed‐gradient‐spin‐echo MRI may in principle become important in characterizing gray matter morphological features and pathologies in both basic and applied neurosciences. Magn Reson Med, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Generic hardness estimation using fitness and parameter landscapes applied to robust taboo search and the quadratic assignment problem

Fitness landscape analysis methods have become an increasingly popular topic for research. The future application of these methods to metaheuristics can yield advanced self-adaptive metaheuristics and knowledge bases that can take the role of expert systems in the field of optimization. One important feature of such an expert system would be the prediction of algorithm effort on a certain instance. Estimating whether a certain algorithm is able to tackle the problem adequately or not is a valuable piece of information that currently only an experienced human expert can give. The ability to generate such an advice automatically is, therefore, an important milestone. While fitness landscape analysis methods have been developed for exactly this purpose, it has been shown in the past that single-value analyses have limited applicability. Here, a general method for extracting fitness landscape features will be shown in combination with regression models that indicate a strong correlation between the actual and the predicted effort. Significant potential to increase the prediction quality arises when combining several measures each derived from several different sampling trajectories.
A Simple Adaptive Control Approach for Trajectory Tracking of Electrically Driven Nonholonomic Mobile Robots

Almost all existing controllers for nonholonomic mobile robots are designed without considering the actuator dynamics. This is because the presence of the actuator dynamics increases the complexity of the system dynamics, and makes difficult the design of the controller. In this paper, we propose a simple adaptive control approach for path tracking of uncertain nonholonomic mobile robots incorporating actuator dynamics. All parameters of robot kinematics, robot dynamics, and actuator dynamics are assumed to be uncertain. For the simple controller design, the dynamic surface control methodology is applied and extended to mobile robots that the number of inputs and outputs is different. We also adopt the adaptive control technique to treat all uncertainties and derive adaptation laws from the Lyapunov stability theory. Finally, simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed controller.
ELVIS: Extensible Log VISualization

In this article, we propose ELVIS, a security-oriented log visualization tool that allows security experts to visually explore numerous types of log files through relevant representations. When a log file is loaded into ELVIS, a summary view is displayed. This view is the starting point for exploring the log. The analyst can then choose to explore certain fields or sets of fields from the dataset. To that end, ELVIS selects relevant representations according to the fields chosen by the analyst for display.
A countermeasure against power analysis attacks for FSR-based stream ciphers

In this paper we analyze the power characteristics of Feedback Shift Registers (FSRs) and their e ect on FSR-based stream ciphers. We introduce a technique to isolate the switching activity of a stream cipher by equalizing the current drawn from the cipher with lower power overhead compared to previously introduced countermeasures. By re-implementing the Grain-80 and the Grain-128 ciphers with the presented approach, we lower their power consumption respectively by 20% and 25% compared to previously proposed countermeasures.
Estimating and exploiting the degree of independent information in distributed data fusion

Double counting is a major problem in distributed data fusion systems. To maintain flexibility and scalability, distributed data fusion algorithms should just use local information. However globally optimal solutions only exist in highly restricted circumstances. Suboptimal algorithms can be applied in a far wider range of cases, but can be very conservative. In this paper we present preliminary work to develop distributed data fusion algorithms that can estimate and exploit the correlations between the estimates stored in different nodes in a distributed data fusion network. We show that partial information can be modelled as kind of “overweighted” Covariance Intersection algorithm. We motivate the need for an adaptive scheme by analysing the correlation behaviour of a simple distributed data fusion network and show that it is complicated and counterintuitive. Two simple approaches to estimate the correlation structure are presented and their results analysed. We show that significant advantages can be obtained.
Towards estimation of front-crawl energy expenditure using the wearable aquatic movement analysis system (WAMAS)

Inertial measurement unit (IMU) is a promising tool in the quantification of energy expenditure for human on-land activities, though has never been deployed before to calculate the aquatic activities energy expenditure. Investigating the factors that influence the required energy in aquatic locomotion can help the biomecanicians to better understand the biophysics of swimming. We used a set of three waterproofed IMUs worn on the forearms and sacrum of twelve swimmers to estimate the front-crawl energy expenditure. The swimmers performed three 300-m trials at 70%, 80% and 90% of their 400-m personal best time. At the end of each 300-m the reference value of energy expenditure was measured based on indirect calorimetry and blood lactate concentration. The three IMUs were used to extract the main spatio-temporal determinants of the front-crawl energy expenditure. Extraction of these parameters using IMU was previously validated. We used a combination of a linear estimator and kernel smoother on the residuals of the linear part to derive the mapping between the spatio-temporal inputs and reference energy expenditure. The algorithm validation on test data shows a strong association between the estimated and reference energy expenditure (Spearman's rho = 0.97, p-value <0.001) and a high relative precision of 9.7%.
Tree recruitment in the Forest-tundra Ecotone: Limitation and facilitation processes in contrasting climatic Regions

Aim: The aim of this study was to analyse how abiotic and biotic constraint and facilitation agents determine tree recruitment in the alpine zone in climatically different regions as well as across species; Birch, pine and spruce. Location: The study was located to Grodalen, Haltdalen and Roros representing a coastal-inland gradient, where birch was included along the entire climatic gradient and all three species in one region (Haltdalen). Methods: Variables collected for seedling/sapling (specimen <2m) locations and associated control locations were; surrounding vegetation layers at ground-, field- and shrub level, occurrence and tyoe of shelter, soil samples, topography (land cover and slope position) and plant measurements (height, base diameter, crown area and age; Not recorded for control locations). Statistical analyses consisted of ANOVA and chi-squared tests were used to compare across regions and among variables. Results: The occurrence of shelter (shrub, depression and boulder) and moist location characteristics such as dominance of bryophytes, facilitated seedling recruitment equally across all regions and species. Shrub shelters and high amounts of organic material in the soil only facilitated birch height growth in the drier regions. Benefits from surrounding vegetation positively influenced the growth and survival of birch seedlings/saplings in drier regions. Dwarf shrub vegetation and shrub shelters increase moisture availability in the soil and provide shelter from wind scouring. Yet, dwarf shrub vegetation did not show any influence on height growth and survival for pine and spruce. In addition, pine recruitment was less affected by shelter presence and moist location characteristics than birch and spruce. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that there is an interplay of regional and local facilitation agents effecting seedling recruitment and that these agents vary across species. This complicates production of general predictions regarding future response of tree recruitment to changing climate. Identifying relevant facilitation agents supplies the necessary building blocks for estimating the potential for further recruitment and growth of seedlings and saplings into the tundra environment.
- 1-TechScreen : Networked Knowledge Management

This paper describes a system supporting knowledge sharing in and between networked organizations. Knowledge resources are stored in a structured way, supporting the flexible association of access levels to knowledge resources and thus giving an organization the possibility to share knowledge while securing knowledge resources which are categorized as critical for competition. The system considers explicit knowledge stored in a Web-based information system and the implicit knowledge of human experts. Both types of knowledge are described by meta-data, in terms of an ontology and/or user created keywords/tags. These meta-data are used to find relevant knowledge sources, cluster these resources and to recommend certain resources to users. In this paper we introduce the system through a usage scenario at the university where students and university staff use the system to share knowledge.
From hybrid electro-photonic to all-optical on-chip interconnections for future CMPs

Wants to be an excursus on the different solutions in which an optical Network-on-Chip (NoC) could be applied to, starting from passive NoC topologies (Mesh/Torus) enhanced by a simple shared optical ring and moving to more complex all-optical reconfigurable networks, in a state-of-the-art coherence assisted Chip-Multi-Processor (CMP). We investigate performance and power consumption effects on a CMP comparing them against a standard electronic Mesh (passive) and both a standard Torus (electronic baseline) and an optical Torus with sequential path-setup done through a symmetric electronic helper network (optical baseline, active).
Voltage based droop control in an islanded microgrid with wind turbines and battery storage

With increasing levels of distributed generation (DG) units in the power system, smart control systems have to be developed to obtain a reliable operation of the system. It is likely that this 'smart grid' will emerge from several small smart grids called microgrids. These microgrids are able to provide a coordinated integration of DG units in the electric power system. Integrating wind turbines as microsources in islanded microgrids could be a first step towards achieving this goal. In this paper, a small wind turbine and storage device are equipped with the voltage based droop control (VBD) strategy to investigate their ability to obtain a stable microgrid operation. It was shown in an experimental setup that the wind turbine has the ability to maintain the power balance and control the voltage in the microgrid. The addition of a storage device leads to better results as the energy yield losses can be lowered by storing the excess energy in the batteries or providing energy when needed.
THE PSYCHOLOGIC EFFECTS FROM BREATHING AIR AT 4 ATMOSPHERES PRESSURE

Air at high barometric pressures produces a narcotic effect on man. The changes which first appear at 3 atmospheres pressure are expressed in alterations of behavior, slowed mental activity, and impaired neuromuscular coordination. These effects, although previously observed, have not been attributed to the direct action of air or of the component gases, oxygen, nitrogen3 and carbon dioxide. Hill and Phillips (1932) reported that some of the deep sea divers (at depths of 270 to 300 feet, or 9 to 10 atmospheres absolute) had difficulty in assimilating facts and in making quick decisions, summarized as “a slowing of the process of cerebration. ” Severe emotional disturbances were sometimes observed and loss of consciousness reported. The men affected in this manner were regarded as psychologically unstable. Damant (3 930) with reference to the paper of Hill and Phillips mentioned the “subtle change in character and behavior which comes over some men at less high air pressures,” and considered that either the increased oxygen tension or impurities in the air might be responsible. Hill, according to Damant, excluded oxygen and carbon dioxide as etiologic factors. Because of the many abnormal factors in the environment of the deep sea diver, the conclusion could not be drawn that changes in behavior and mental activity were caused by increased air pressure alone. It was of interest, therefore, to make observations on persons who were subjected to high air pressures in surroundings that were otherwise normal. This paper presents a description of the psychic changes in air at 4 atmospheres, and the inference is drawn that the increased partial pressure of nitrogen is mainly responsible for the abnormal responses. The observations were made in a large, well lighted pressure chamber described by Thomson, Yaglou and Van Woert (1932), on nine persons engaged in physiologic research under ordinary laboratory conditions except that the barometric pressure was raised from 1 to 4 atmospheres.
A Network Management Model based on Mobile Agent System

While realizing that the mobile agent technology has significant meaning to network management systems, we also realized the limitation of current mobile agent systems and the need for the combination of mobile agents and Web technology; thus, through adding a queuing mechanism into mobile agent system and combining mobile agent system with the Web technology, an efficient and reliable model for network management system is proposed.
Botulinum neurotoxin type A modulates vesicular release of glutamate from satellite glial cells

This study investigated the presence of cell membrane docking proteins synaptosomal‐associated protein, 25 and 23 kD (SNAP‐25 and SNAP‐23) in satellite glial cells (SGCs) of rat trigeminal ganglion; whether cultured SGCs would release glutamate in a time‐ and calcium‐dependent manner following calcium‐ionophore ionomycin stimulation; and if botulinum neurotoxin type A (BoNTA), in a dose‐dependent manner, could block or decrease vesicular release of glutamate. SGCs were isolated from the trigeminal ganglia (TG) of adult Wistar rats and cultured for 7 days. The presence of SNAPs in TG sections and isolated SGCs were investigated using immunohistochemistry and immunocytochemistry, respectively. SGCs were stimulated with ionomycin (5 μM for 4, 8, 12 and 30 min.) to release glutamate. SGCs were then pre‐incubated with BoNTA (24 hrs with 0.1, 1, 10 and 100 pM) to investigate if BoNTA could potentially block ionomycin‐stimulated glutamate release. Glutamate concentrations were measured by ELISA. SNAP‐25 and SNAP‐23 were present in SGCs in TG sections and in cultured SGCs. Ionomycin significantly increased glutamate release from cultured SGCs 30 min. following the treatment (P < 0.001). BoNTA (100 pM) significantly decreased glutamate release (P < 0.01). Results from this study demonstrated that SGCs, when stimulated with ionomycin, released glutamate that was inhibited by BoNTA, possibly through cleavage of SNAP‐25 and/or SNAP‐23. These novel findings demonstrate the existence of vesicular glutamate release from SGCs, which could potentially play a role in the trigeminal sensory transmission. In addition, interaction of BoNTA with non‐neuronal cells at the level of TG suggests a potential analgesic mechanism of action of BoNTA.