Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
GABA, experimental myopia, and ocular growth in chick.

PURPOSE To learn whether gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) participates in retinal mechanisms that influence refractive development. METHODS White leghorn chicks, some of which wore a unilateral goggle to induce myopia, received daily intravitreal injections of agonists or antagonists to the major GABA receptor subtypes. Eyes were studied with refractometry, ultrasound, and calipers. Retinas of other chicks wearing unilateral goggles were assayed for GABA content. RESULTS Antagonists to GABA(A) or GABA(A0r) (formerly known as GABA(C)) receptors inhibited form-deprivation myopia. GABA(A) antagonists showed greater inhibition of myopic growth in the equatorial than the axial dimension. A GABA(A0r) antagonist displayed parallel inhibition in the axial and equatorial dimensions. A GABA(A0r) agonist but not GABA(A) agonists altered the myopic refraction of goggled eyes. GABA(B) receptor antagonists, more so than an agonist, also slowed development of myopia, inhibiting axial growth more effectively than equatorial expansion of goggled eyes. When administered to nongoggled eyes, GABA(A) or GABA(A0r) agonists or antagonists also altered eye growth, chiefly stimulating it. Only a GABA(A) agonist induced a myopic refraction. Several of these agents stimulated eye growth in the axial, but not the equatorial, dimension. Retinal GABA content was slightly reduced in goggled eyes. CONCLUSIONS GABA(A), GABA(A0r), and GABA(B) receptors modulate eye growth and refractive development. The anatomic effects of these drugs reinforce the notion that eye shape and not just eye size is regulated. A retinal site of action is consistent with the known ocular localizations of GABA and its receptors and with the altered retinal biochemistry in form-deprived eyes.
Bounded-velocity motion control of four wheel steered mobile robots

In this paper, we address the problem of motion control for a mobile robot with four independently steer and drive wheels. Our solution fully takes advantage of steerability of all wheels and provide capability of independent control of translation and rotation of the robot. Using non-linear control techniques, we provide a motion control law that makes the base follow a given desired smooth path and heading profile. Derivation of motion control is three folded. Assuming velocity vector orientation and angular velocity of the base as control signals, control laws are derived to solve the path and heading profile following problem. Then these control signals are mapped to eight actuator signals (driving and steering). In a later stage, robot base speed magnitude is controlled in such a way to keep the control signals under predefined limits. Simulations as well as experiment on a real robot show the efficacy of the proposed method.
Enhancing Interdisciplinary Learning with a Learning Management System

Interdisciplinary learning is a form of knowledge production that is increasingly being embraced as an educational approach in higher education. A role of information and communication technologies (ICT) is to enhance interdisciplinary learning. Issues surrounding the mix of interdisciplinary pedagogic methodologies and emerging digital technologies are worthy of investigation. In this paper, the authors report the findings of a study that examined student perceptions of an interdisciplinary course on information technology (IT) and visual design that utilized a learning management system. Using questionnaire instrumentation, the authors sought the perceptions of first-year university students enrolled in a newly formed interdisciplinary IT course. Results indicate that ICT-based interdisciplinary learners prefer a self-directed and collaborative instructional modality, as well as teacher presence and interventions in the online environment. The types of student participation can significantly influence how students perceive ICTbased interdisciplinary learning design.
Coombes, Stephen (2008) Neuronal networks with gap junctions: A study of piece-wise linear planar neuron models. SIAM Journal on Applied Dynamical Systems .

The presence of gap junction coupling among neurons of the central nervous systems has been appreciated for some time now. In recent years there has been an upsurge of interest from the mathematical community in understanding the contribution of these direct electrical connections between cells to large-scale brain rhythms. Here we analyze a class of exactly soluble single neuron models, capable of producing realistic action potential shapes, that can be used as the basis for understanding dynamics at the network level. This work focuses on planar piece-wise linear models that can mimic the ﬁring response of several diﬀerent cell types. Under constant current injection the periodic response and phase response curve (PRC) is calculated in closed form. A simple formula for the stability of a periodic orbit is found using Floquet theory. From the calculated PRC and the periodic orbit a phase interaction function is constructed that allows the investigation of phase-locked network states using the theory of weakly coupled oscillators. For large networks with global gap junction connectivity we develop a theory of strong coupling instabilities of the homogeneous, synchronous and splay state. For a piece-wise linear caricature of the Morris–Lecar model, with oscillations arising from a homoclinic bifurcation, we show that large amplitude oscillations in the mean membrane potential are organized around such unstable orbits.
Polyhydroxyalkanoate Granules Are Complex Subcellular Organelles (Carbonosomes)

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) such as poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) or poly(3-hydroxyoctanoate), are universal prokaryotic storage compounds of carbon and energy. PHAs are accumulated intracellularly in form of inclusion bodies (PHA granules) during times of oversupply with carbon sources (for
SECCO: A test framework for controlling and monitoring end user service sessions

In order to evaluate the efficacy of new research approaches as well as existing systems for management of end user service sessions, it is necessary to set up controlled sessions in a realistic, measurable, and repeatable manner. While service delivery clients support automation of end user sessions and expose mechanisms for retrieval of end user service experience and context, there is no single manner for collection of service experience and context measurements, or for collation and delivery of those measurements to a management system. The Service Experience and Context COllection (SECCO) framework was developed to fulfil three roles. Firstly, it allows end user service sessions to be run in a controlled manner. Secondly, it records end user service experience and context for running sessions. Thirdly, it compiles terminal reports for end user sessions and forwards them to Aesop for processing. This paper outlines the design and implementation of SECCO and describes three separate cases where SECCO was applied.
Image Texture Segmentation Using Local Binary Pattern and Color Information : A Comparison

Image texture and color are important features for image segmentation. Several algorithms have been proposed using color features, texture features or combination of color and texture features for image segmentation in the literature. One of the important issues is how well these algorithms work on differentiating among different textures and colors. In this study, we analyze and compare some of the simple but powerful texture classifiers to explore their strengths and weaknesses in the classification of different type of textures. Texture Spectrum (TS) and Uniform local binary pattern (ULBP) are compared. In order to see the influence of color features in classification process, the combination of ULBP and color is also compared with ULBP and TS in our experiments. Co-occurrence probabilities (GLCPs) are used as a benchmark for the evaluation.
Standards for Sequencing Viral Genomes in the Era of High-Throughput Sequencing

ABSTRACT Thanks to high-throughput sequencing technologies, genome sequencing has become a common component in nearly all aspects of viral research; thus, we are experiencing an explosion in both the number of available genome sequences and the number of institutions producing such data. However, there are currently no common standards used to convey the quality, and therefore utility, of these various genome sequences. Here, we propose five “standard” categories that encompass all stages of viral genome finishing, and we define them using simple criteria that are agnostic to the technology used for sequencing. We also provide genome finishing recommendations for various downstream applications, keeping in mind the cost-benefit trade-offs associated with different levels of finishing. Our goal is to define a common vocabulary that will allow comparison of genome quality across different research groups, sequencing platforms, and assembly techniques.
CoSwitch: A Cooperative Switching Design for Software Defined Data Center Networking

Software Defined Network (SDN) provides flexibility and agility for customizing the Data Center Network (DCN), which is essential element for the full support of multitenancy. In the current DCN infrastructure, physical switchs are able to support SDN protocols, such as OpenFlow. However, due to the limited resources of embedded CPU and on-chip memory size, physical OpenFlow switch suffers from considerable overhead for handling frequent control plane workload. Worse still, great numbers of mice flows existing in DCN real-life trace generate huge control plane workload, causing the control plane of physical switch to be the serious performance bottleneck. In this paper, based on the performance profiling of virtual and physical switches, we present CoSwitch, a novel switching design for DCN. CoSwitch leverages virtual switch on the server, which has powerful control plane, to cooperate with physical switch, which has high-speed data plane. A close-loop workload balancing mechanism is designed to distribute different kinds of workload into different types of switches in the most efficient way. Through real-life trace experiments on physical testbed, CoSwitch is demonstrated to achieve both scalable control plane and data plane. Without specialized hardware requirement, CoSwitch mitigates the bottlenecks of OpenFlow. Keywords-DCN, SDN/OpenFlow, Mice Flow, Control Plane Workload, Virtual Switch, Physical Switch
Simplified Subspaced Regression Network for Identification of Defect Patterns in Semiconductor Wafer Maps

Wafer defects, which are primarily defective chips on a wafer, are of the key challenges facing the semiconductor manufacturing companies, as they could increase the yield losses to hundreds of millions of dollars. Fortunately, these wafer defects leave unique patterns due to their spatial dependence across wafer maps. It is thus possible to identify and predict them in order to find the point of failure in the manufacturing process accurately. This paper introduces a novel simplified subspaced regression framework for the accurate and efficient identification of defect patterns in semiconductor wafer maps. It can achieve a test error comparable to or better than the state-of-the-art machine-learning (ML)-based methods, while maintaining a low computational cost when dealing with large-scale wafer data. The effectiveness and utility of the proposed approach has been demonstrated by our experiments on real wafer defect datasets, achieving detection accuracy of 99.884% and R2 of 99.905%, which are far better than those of any existing methods reported in the literature.
Interaction between CD8 and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I mediated by multiple contact surfaces that include the alpha 2 and alpha 3 domains of MHC class I

The cell surface glycoprotein CD8 functions as a coreceptor with the TCR on cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Mutational analysis of the binding site of CD8 for MHC class I predicted that distinct surfaces of CD8 would interact with both the alpha 2 and alpha 3 domains of class I. Using a cell-cell adhesion assay, we identified three residues Q115, D122, and E128 in the alpha 2 domain of class I critical for interaction with CD8. The side chains of these residues point towards a cavity formed by the alpha 1/alpha 2 platform, the alpha 3 domain and beta 2- microglobulin (beta 2m) of class I. These residues were predicted to contact CD8 based on a bivalent model of interaction between one CD8 alpha/alpha homodimer and two MHC class I molecules. These results therefore provide support for the model.
Learning context modulates aversive taste strength in honey bees

ABSTRACT The capacity of honey bees (Apis mellifera) to detect bitter substances is controversial because they ingest without reluctance different kinds of bitter solutions in the laboratory, whereas free-flying bees avoid them in visual discrimination tasks. Here, we asked whether the gustatory perception of bees changes with the behavioral context so that tastes that are less effective as negative reinforcements in a given context become more effective in a different context. We trained bees to discriminate an odorant paired with 1 mol l−1 sucrose solution from another odorant paired with either distilled water, 3 mol l−1 NaCl or 60 mmol l−1 quinine. Training was either Pavlovian [olfactory conditioning of the proboscis extension reflex (PER) in harnessed bees], or mainly operant (olfactory conditioning of free-walking bees in a Y-maze). PER-trained and maze-trained bees were subsequently tested both in their original context and in the alternative context. Whereas PER-trained bees transferred their choice to the Y-maze situation, Y-maze-trained bees did not respond with a PER to odors when subsequently harnessed. In both conditioning protocols, NaCl and distilled water were the strongest and the weakest aversive reinforcement, respectively. A significant variation was found for quinine, which had an intermediate aversive effect in PER conditioning but a more powerful effect in the Y-maze, similar to that of NaCl. These results thus show that the aversive strength of quinine varies with the learning context, and reveal the plasticity of the bee's gustatory system. We discuss the experimental constraints of both learning contexts and focus on stress as a key modulator of taste in the honey bee. Further explorations of bee taste are proposed to understand the physiology of taste modulation in bees. Summary: Learning context is a key modulator of taste in the honey bee.
Context-aware web search in ubiquitous sensor environments

This article proposes a new concept for a context-aware Web search method that automatically retrieves a webpage related to the daily activity that a user currently is engaged in and displays the page on nearby Internet-connected home appliances such as televisions. For example, when a user is washing a coffeemaker, a webpage is retrieved that includes tips such as “cleaning a coffee maker with vinegar removes stains well,” and the page is displayed on a nearby appliance. In this article, we design and implement a Web search method that employs ubiquitous sensors to monitor a user's daily life. Our proposed method automatically searches for a webpage related to a daily activity by using a query constructed from the use of daily objects employed in the activity that is detected with object-attached sensors. We evaluate the search method with real datasets collected from vast numbers of sensors and achieve very accurate webpage retrieval. We then investigate the usefulness and effectiveness of a daily life Web search with Wizard-of-Oz (WOz)-like experiments. We confirm that the presentation of webpages related to daily activities improves participants' future daily lives and triggers communication among the participants in the experiment.
3D Model Retrieval Based on Grid Sphere and Dodecahedral Silhouette Descriptors

With the development of computer graphics and virtual realities, the demand for a content-based 3D model retrieval system becomes urgent. In this study, two features, grid sphere and dodecahedral silhouettes, are proposed and combined for 3D model retrieval. The experiments are conducted on a 3D model database. Experiment results show that the proposed methods are superior to others.
Modularity produces small-world networks with dynamical time-scale separation

The functional consequences of local and global dynamics can be very different in natural systems. Many such systems have a network description that exhibits strong local clustering as well as high communication efficiency, often termed as small-world networks (SWN). We show that modular organization in otherwise random networks generically give rise to SWN, with a characteristic time-scale separation between fast intra-modular and slow inter-modular processes. The universality of this dynamical signature, that distinguishes modular networks from earlier models of SWN, is demonstrated by processes as different as spin-ordering, synchronization and diffusion.
Comparisons of metaheuristics for the layered digragh drawing problem

In this paper we present a Genetic Algorithm (GA) with problem-specific operators for the layered digraph drawing problem and compare it with two very different meta-heuristics: Tabu search and Multi-start descents. Tabu search has previously proved to be better than the classical deterministic local heuristic often employed in graph drawing. Here, we show on a set of 282 medium-sized graphs that GAs lead to similar results to Tabu for graphs of relatively high density and better results for graphs with medium density. Comparisons with multi-start descents tend to confirm the good quality of the solutions found by using GAs. Key-Words:meta-heuristics, combinatorial optimization, graph drawing, genetic algorithm, tabu search, multistart descents
Tassi Di Cambio Fluttuanti, Deprezzamento Valutario E Domanda Effettiva (Floating Exchange Rates, Currency Depreciation and Actual Demand)

This paper examines the relative advantages of floating exchange rates against a system of exchange rates for the same rigidly anchored (hard peg), with particular emphasis on the implications for effective demand. In particular, it will assess whether a currency depreciation has a beneficial effect on aggregate demand and hence employment. It is argued that this issue is central to the principle of effective demand, and that the idea that a currency depreciation is able to stabilize the effective demand, is equivalent to a large extent to support that flexibility (down) in nominal wages (and real) to ensure full employment. Consistent with this, we analyze the relationship between the downward flexibility of wages and effective demand, and is critically evaluated (in terms of both theoretical and empirical) hypothesis that the flexibility of the exchange rate can have stabilizing properties when account is taken of external shocks of varying nature. The article closes with brief conclusions of economic theory and policy.
Differential Responses of Two Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var Italica) Cultivars to Salinity and Nutritional Quality Improvement

The comparative responses of two broccoli cultivars (Brassica oleracea var. Italica, cv. Parthenon and cv. Naxos) to a 15 d exposure to different NaCl levels were investigated. Salinity led to increased concentrations of Na+ and Cl− ions in both cultivars, a disruption of the endogenous minerals levels in the shoots and roots—that varied with the cultivar and salt concentration—and decreases in the osmotic potential (Ψπ), root hydraulic conductance (L 0), and stomatal conductance (G s). The reduced biomass of Naxos at moderate NaCl indicates greater sensitivity to salinity, compared with Parthenon. Parthenon accumulated more soluble sugars, for osmotic adjustment, whereas Naxos accumulated proline, which gave the two cultivars differing nutritional characteristics. The total glucosinolates (GSLs) content was not affected by salinity in Parthenon while it decreased significantly in Naxos as a consequence of the decrease in the indole GSL. However, Naxos accumulated more aliphatic GSLs under salt stress than Parthenon, which confers on this cultivar a greater nutritional value when cultivated under salinity.These results suggest that, at distinct salinity levels, each broccoli cultivar adopts a specific strategy, indicating the crucial role of the genetic background on the organoleptic and nutritional properties that each cultivar acquires.
The Implementation of Smartphones and Tablet Technologies into the Classroom by Selected New York State Public School Leaders.

i Acknowledgements . iii List of Tables . ix Chapter 1: Introduction . 1 Problem Statement . 1 Purpose Statement . 4 Research Questions . 6 Definition of Terms . 7 Significance of Study . 8 Delimitations . 11 Limitations . 12 Chapter 2: Literature Review . 13 Technology Standards . 13 The Integration Process . 16 Barriers to Integration . 27 Benefits of Integration . 35 Change Models . 41 Leadership and the Integration Process . 43 Summary . 46 Chapter 3: Methods . 47 Research Design . 47 Research Questions . 49
Howling Suppression in Hearing Aids Using Least-Squares Estimation and Perceptually Motivated Gain Control

Howling is a significant problem even in digital hearing aids equipped with adaptive feedback cancellation. Among the many causes of howling is the inability of the adaptive filter to track rapid changes in the feedback path. Many systems use howling detectors to detect the start of howling and reduce the hearing aid gain for several seconds to avoid prolonged howling. Unfortunately the inadequate speech pressure levels (SPL) during times when the gain is reduced causes loss of information and reduced intelligibility of speech signals arriving at the patient's ears. This paper presents a new method that switches to a least-squares adaptation scheme with linear complexity at the onset of howling. The method adapts to the altered feedback path quickly and allows the patient to not lose perceivable information. The complexity of the least-squares estimate is reduced by reformulating the least-squares estimate into a Toeplitz system and solving it with a direct Toeplitz solver. In addition, the gain function is changed immediately after howling detection in such a way that the system operates in a stable manner and the distortions caused are not perceived because of temporal masking. Simulation results comparing with a conventional method is presented in the paper to demonstrate the superior howling suppression capabilities of the method
Adaptive image decomposition via dictionary learning with stuctural incoherence

Initialization sensitivity usually occurs in dictionary learning algorithm for image decomposition. In this paper, we propose an adaptive dictionary learning algorithm by promoting structural incoherence at the stage of dictionary updating. The structural incoherence based dictionary learning (SIDL) method guides the cartoon and texture parts to be more properly represented by two incoherent dictionaries. The resulting minimization is approximately addressed by majorization-minimization (MM) technique. Experimental results demonstrate that the dictionaries generated by SIDL can better describe different morphological contents and subsequently the cartoon and texture components are better separated, in terms of visual comparisons and quantitative measures.