Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
What does a neuron talk about?

We study the coding accuracy of a population of stochastically spiking neurons that respond to di erent features of a stimulus. By using Fisher information as a measure of the encoding error, it can be shown that narrow tuning functions in one of the encoded dimensions increase the coding accuracy for this dimension as long as the active sub-population is large enough. This can be achieved by neurons that are broadly tuned in the other dimensions. If one or more stimulus features encoded by the neural population are unknown, the relative widths of the tuning curves in the remaining dimensions are a measure of the corresponding relative accuracies. This feature allows a quantitative description of the kind of information conveyed by the neural population.
AIS Electronic Library (AISeL)

How information systems (IS) affect organizations and enable radical organizational change has been explored from a variety of perspectives. Through a case study in the investment banking industry, we will examine the changing nature of IS(cid:150)organization relationships focusing on the crucial role that IS play and will continue to play as organizations strive for competitive advantage in a global economy. By expanding on the organizational emergence theoretical framework of Truex et al. (1999) and drawing on the technology evolution literature, we aim to gain a deeper understanding of the coevolution between an IS and an investment banking company.
Study of QRS-loop parameters and conventional ST-T indexes for identification of ischemic and healthy subjects

Several studies have shown the usefulness of the vectorcardiogram (VCG) and the electrocardiogram (ECG) for the detection of cardiac ischemia. We computed a set of VCG and ECG parameters to identify ischemic patients from healthy subjects. The study groups consisted of 80 ischemic patients and 52 healthy subjects. For both populations, five VCG parameters computed on QRS-loop were analyzed, i.e.: (a) Volume, (b) Planar Area, (c) Ratio between Area and Perimeter, (d) Perimeter, and (e) Distance between Centroid and Loop. Likewise, three conventional ECG ST-T parameters were calculated, i.e: (f) ST Vector Magnitude, (g) ST segment level and, (h) T-wave amplitude. Results indicate that VCG and ECG parameters have significant differences between healthy and ischemic subjects. The QRS-loop parameter with the best global performance was Volume, which reached a Sensitivity (Se)=64.5%, a Specificity (Sp)=74.6%, and an Area Under Relative Operating Characteristic Curve (AUC)= 0.77. The best ST-T index was STVM, which obtained Se= 73.2%, Sp=73.9%, and AUC=0.79. However, when all QRS-loop and ST-T parameters were combined, we obtained Se=90.9%, Sp=93.7% and AUC=0.97. In conclusion, the inclusion of QRS-loop parameters improves the conventional ST-T analysis in the identification of ischemic patients.
A single-chip 15–32 GHz signal source in SiGe bipolar technology

This paper presents a single-chip octave-bandwidth signal source covering a frequency band from 15GHz to 32GHz. The circuit was fabricated in a 0.35 μm SiGe bipolar technology with an ft/fmax = 170/250GHz. An array of four cross-coupled voltage controlled oscillators with subsequent frequency ranges is implemented. The oscillator cores only draw 13mA from a 3.3V supply. Another 13mA is drawn by following buffer stages. A 4-to-1 multiplexing amplifier acts as a combiner providing the octave-wide bandwidth at a single differential output. The output power was measured to be between -2.5 dBm and 0.7 dBm. The signal source provides a good phase noise performance of -105 dBc/Hz at 15GHz and -96.8 dBc/Hz at 30GHz at an offset of 100MHz from the carrier frequencies. The overall circuit consumes a total power of 205mW and occupies a chip area of 1128 μm × 1028 μm.
GATA6 Activates Wnt Signaling in Pancreatic Cancer by Negatively Regulating the Wnt Antagonist Dickkopf-1

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly lethal disease characterized by late diagnosis and treatment resistance. Recurrent genetic alterations in defined genes in association with perturbations of developmental cell signaling pathways have been associated with PDAC development and progression. Here, we show that GATA6 contributes to pancreatic carcinogenesis during the temporal progression of pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia by virtue of Wnt pathway activation. GATA6 is recurrently amplified by both quantitative-PCR and fluorescent in-situ hybridization in human pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia and in PDAC tissues, and GATA6 copy number is significantly correlated with overall patient survival. Forced overexpression of GATA6 in cancer cell lines enhanced cell proliferation and colony formation in soft agar in vitro and growth in vivo, as well as increased Wnt signaling. By contrast siRNA mediated knockdown of GATA6 led to corresponding decreases in these same parameters. The effects of GATA6 were found to be due to its ability to bind DNA, as forced overexpression of a DNA-binding mutant of GATA6 had no effects on cell growth in vitro or in vivo, nor did they affect Wnt signaling levels in these same cells. A microarray analysis revealed the Wnt antagonist Dickopf-1 (DKK1) as a dysregulated gene in association with GATA6 knockdown, and direct binding of GATA6 to the DKK1 promoter was confirmed by chromatin immunoprecipitation and electrophoretic mobility shift assays. Transient transfection of GATA6, but not mutant GATA6, into cancer cell lines led to decreased DKK1 mRNA expression and secretion of DKK1 protein into culture media. Forced overexpression of DKK1 antagonized the effects of GATA6 on Wnt signaling in pancreatic cancer cells. These findings illustrate that one mechanism by which GATA6 promotes pancreatic carcinogenesis is by virtue of its activation of canonical Wnt signaling via regulation of DKK1.
Epigenetics, Plant (Poly)phenolics, and Cancer Prevention

Epigenetics describes a phenomenon of modifications in gene expression caused by heritable, but potentially reversible, alterations in the chromatin structure, DNA methylation, and post-transcriptional effects of small noncoding (micro) RNAs (miRNAs), without changes in the DNA sequence. These mechanisms represent novel targets for polyphenols and other natural products in the prevention and treatment of cancer and other diseases. This chapter summarizes the influence of various classes of polyphenol on the enzymatic activities of major enzymes involved in epigenetic gene regulation: DNA and histone methyltransferases (DNMTs and HMTs), histone acetyltransferases (HATs), histone deacetylases (HDACs), and histone demethylases (HDMs). Inhibitory effects mediated by (−)-epigallocatechin 3-gallate (ECGC) from green tea and the isoflavone genistein from soy in vitro and in vivo are described in detail. Functional consequences on gene expression in cell culture, in rodent models and in human intervention studies, are highlighted.
The information content of cash flows in dividend policy

This paper aims to investigate the information content of cash flows in the context of dividend smoothing. Unlike previous studies, we propose a novel partial adjustment model based on cash flows, and compare it to Lintner's (1956) model. The results show that UK firms smooth their cash flows and that cash flows are the key determinant of dividend policy. Moreover, our proposed dividend partial adjustment model has a lower adjustment coefficient than Lintner's model, suggesting that our estimates are much closer to reality. The results are consistent across different measures of cash flows.
An empirical analysis on the optimal concentration degree of production and population for Chinese provinces

According to the empirical analysis in this paper, there is an optimal concentration degree of production and population for Chinese provinces, whether below or above the optimal value will cause serious loss to economic growth. These provinces, such as Guangdong, Hubei, Sichuan, Liaoning, Heilongjiang should scatter production and population to their medium and small cities, so as to avoid the non-economical effect of aggregation in large cities and promote economic growth. Other provinces, whose concentration degrees are lower than their optimal values, should continue to drive production and population to their big cities in order to make good use of agglomeration economies in large cities and promote economic growth.
Loss of NOX-Derived Superoxide Exacerbates Diabetogenic CD4 T-Cell Effector Responses in Type 1 Diabetes

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play prominent roles in numerous biological systems. While classically expressed by neutrophils and macrophages, CD4 T cells also express NADPH oxidase (NOX), the superoxide-generating multisubunit enzyme. Our laboratory recently demonstrated that superoxide-deficient nonobese diabetic (NOD.Ncf1m1J) mice exhibited a delay in type 1 diabetes (T1D) partially due to blunted IFN-γ synthesis by CD4 T cells. For further investigation of the roles of superoxide on CD4 T-cell diabetogenicity, the NOD.BDC-2.5. Ncf1m1J (BDC-2.5.Ncf1m1J) mouse strain was generated, possessing autoreactive CD4 T cells deficient in NOX-derived superoxide. Unlike NOD.Ncf1m1J, stimulated BDC-2.5. Ncf1m1J CD4 T cells and splenocytes displayed elevated synthesis of Th1 cytokines and chemokines. Superoxide-deficient BDC-2.5 mice developed spontaneous T1D, and CD4 T cells were more diabetogenic upon adoptive transfer into NOD.Rag recipients due to a skewing toward impaired Treg suppression. Exogenous superoxide blunted exacerbated Th1 cytokines and proinflammatory chemokines to approximately wild-type levels, concomitant with reduced IL-12Rβ2 signaling and P-STAT4 (Y693) activation. These results highlight the importance of NOX-derived superoxide in curbing autoreactivity due, in part, to control of Treg function and as a redox-dependent checkpoint of effector T-cell responses. Ultimately, our studies reveal the complexities of free radicals in CD4 T-cell responses.
Evaluating service quality in insurance customer complaint handling throught text categorization

The paper presents the findings of an industry-based study in the utility of text categorization. The purpose of the study is to explore new approach to evaluate service quality of customer complaint handling. The industrial research setting is a large China insurance company. The text categorization methodologies are used in this research including nature language processing and machine learning. In addition, a multiple filtration algorithm using synonyms (near-synonym) dictionary, term frequency and Chi-square statistic is adopted in feature selection. The experimental result shows that text categorization can be used to evaluate the service quality by text data from customer complaint handling. The method can solve automatic evaluation problems in customer complaint handling management.
Inhibition by isoniazid of synthesis of mycolic acids in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

SUMMARY Exposure of growing Mycobacterium tuberculosis BCG to 1 μg. isoniazid/ml. inhibited the incorporation of 14C from [U-14C] and [2-14C]glycerol and [I-14C]-glutamate into its walls by about 50% over 12 h. because 14C incorporation into the mycolic acids of the walls was prevented. Isoniazid, 0.5 μg. /ml. with M. tuberculosis BCG or 0. 1μg. ml. with M. tuberculosis H37Ra, inhibited incorporation of 14C from [U-14C]glycerol into total mycolic acids by about 99% over 6 h. , indicating that inhibition began within 1 h. of the addition of the drug. There was no effect on mycolic acid synthesis in an isoniazid-resistant strain of M. tuberculosis BCG. The primary inhibitory action of isoniazid in sensitive mycobacteria is probably on mycolic acid synthesis, and this leads to formation of defective boundary layers of the bacteria.
Event attribute tainting: A new approach for attack tracing and event correlation

The number of revealed and analyzed attacks that use sophisticated and complex methods increased lately. Through the usage of such methods the attackers are able to evade existing security systems and prevent a comprehensive detection of the malicious activities. Therefore, it is often necessary to perform a manual investigation of complex attacks, to identify all steps and malicious activities that belong to an attack. One main objective of an investigation is to correlate existing events and reveal relations between different activities, to get a comprehensive overview of the attack. Due to the fact that the correlation is often done manually, this process is complex and time consuming. In this paper, we propose a new automated correlation approach that uses the tainting concept to identify related log events. The approach uses meaningful attributes as taint sources and a taint policy to propagate the taint to related events. For the identification of the correlations, it is also possible to use meta-information sources to support the correlation process. Furthermore, the tainting based approach allows to visualize the correlation results in a taint graph, which simplifies the traceability. We successfully evaluated the proposed approach with log events from a simulated attack where real world attack methods and tools were used. With the new approach it was possible to identify all events that recorded the malicious activities of the attacker and the created taint graph allowed a comprehensive retracing of the attack. Thus, the correlation approach can support investigations in an effective way, because it reduces the complexity of event correlation and the needed time.
Collective Decision-Theoretic Planning for Planet Exploration

In this paper, we describe an approach of platoon formation for planet exploration like problems. In such problems, the agents have partial observability about their environment (using on-board sensors), must deal with uncertain outcomes of their actions (a wheel could slip) and can not communicate (it uses too much energy). In order to address those limitations, we use 2V-DEC-MDP: this model deals with such problems and uses local interactions between agents instead of explicit coordinations. First, we describe how to use specific flocking rules in a 2V-DEC-MDP to build a platoon shape. Second, we use the stochastic games theory to analyze the optimality of our approach. Then, we show how we can effectively compute good policies with a low complexity. We finally give a practical usage example of our approach, on a platooning problem.
Owner‐occupied housing and household asset allocation: A review of the issues

This second of two related papers in this Journal, reviews empirical evidence available from the literature on the problem of household's optimal portfolio when owner‐occupied housing is included in the list of available assets, namely the risk‐return performance of residential investment, and its usefulness in efficient mixed‐asset portfolios. The risk‐return characteristics of the housing asset is highly dependent on the type of perspective under analysis (household or institutional investor's perspective) and therefore, the two housing investment approaches could lead to different conclusions about the role of housing investment in an portfolio context. The consumption demand for housing together with the markets imperfections place serious constraint on the household's portfolio problem.
Azor: Using Two-Level Block Selection to Improve SSD-Based I/O Caches

Flash-based solid state drives (SSDs) exhibit potential for solving I/O bottlenecks by offering superior performance over hard disks for several workloads. In this work we design Azor, an SSD-based I/O cache that operates at the block-level and is transparent to existing applications, such as databases. Our design provides various choices for associativity, write policies and cache line size, while maintaining a high degree of I/O concurrency. Our main contribution is that we explore differentiation of HDD blocks according to their expected importance on system performance. We design and analyze a two-level block selection scheme that dynamically differentiates HDD blocks, and selectively places them in the limited space of the SSD cache. We implement Azor in the Linux kernel and evaluate its effectiveness experimentally using a server-type platform and large problem sizes with three I/O intensive workloads: TPC-H, SPECsfs 2008, and Hammerora. Our results show that as the cache size increases, Azor enhances I/O performance by up to 14.02×, 1.63×, and 1.55× for each workload respectively. Additionally, our two-level block selection scheme further enhances I/O performance compared to a typical SSD cache by up to 95%, 16%, and 34% for each workload, respectively.
Using naive Bayes method for learning object identification

After establishment of Internet based learning, during last 10 years a great variety of e-learning courses had been created. They involve many different technologies ready-made platforms and resemble a chaotic mass. XML based e-learning standards provide answers for this situation and solve most important tasks of content interoperability and reuse. In this paper authors overview those issues and propose a naive Bayes based solution for identification of learning objects within a course. Authors review main steps of algorithm and summarize results of executed experiments. Computer aided learning (CAL) is around for couple decades. During this time lots of e-learning courses incorporating valuable training pieces, learning tools were created. Those courses use best-breed products and technologies of that time, but indeed that does not mean interoperability and reuse. Fortunately current e-learning standards like IMS and SCORM [1, 2] provide ways to stop reinventing bicycle over and over again.
Econometric analysis of economic and environmental efficiency of Dutch dairy farms

The Dutch government aims for competitive and sustainable farms, that use marketable inputs efficiently as well as apply environmentally detrimental variables efficiently in the production process. The objective of this research is to define, to estimate and to evaluate environmental efficiency. Environmental efficiency is a measure that allows for the combination of a firm's environmental pressure with its economic performance. If the environmental efficiency could be improved, the emission of nitrogen into the environment will decrease without loss of production or additional costs. Three econometric methods based on the neoclassical production theory (stochastic production frontier, output distance function and shadow cost system) are transformed to enable the definition and estimation of environmental efficiency. These methods are applied to a panel of Dutch dairy farms. Nitrogen surplus is the environmentally detrimental variable throughout this thesis. In the stochastic production frontier, nitrogen surplus is modelled as an environmentally detrimental input. In the distance function N surplus is applied as a bad output. Due to the materials balance definition of N surplus the shadow price of bad output is positive. A shadow cost system is used to compute the cost-efficient and the nitrogen-efficient production. The latter is based upon the input mix that minimises the nitrogen content of variable inputs. Finally the variation in efficiency is explained in a two-stage approach with characteristics that are hypothesised to influence environmental efficiency. The environmental efficiency measures are compared to alternative environmental indicators currently used.
Public Monuments: Art in Political Bondage 1870-1997

Public monuments to significant individuals or to political concepts are all too familiar. But the notions underlying them are not so obvious. Sergiusz Michalski traces the history of the public monument from the 1870s, when erecting them became an artistic, political and social pre-occupation, to today when the distinction between public monuments and public sculpture is increasingly blurred. The author shows how, in its golden age up until 1914 the public monument served the purpose of both education and legitimization. The French Third Republic, for example, envisaged the monument as a symbol of bourgeois meritocracy. In more recent decades, the public monument has been charged with the task of commemorating and symbolizing one of humankind's most terrible catastrophes - the Holocaust. Today, although the artistic failure of countless European war memorials has signalled the beginning of the demise of the public monument in the West, it continues to flourish elsewhere, commemorating despotic leaders from Kim Il Sung to Saddam Hussein.
Mining λ-Maximal Cliques from a Fuzzy Graph

The depletion of natural resources in the last century now threatens our planet and the life of future generations. For the sake of sustainable development, this paper pioneers an interesting and practical problem of dense substructure ( i.e. , maximal cliques) mining in a fuzzy graph where the edges are weighted by the degree of membership. For parameter 0 ≤ λ ≤ 1 (also called fuzzy cut in fuzzy logic), a newly defined concept λ -maximal clique is introduced in a fuzzy graph. In order to detect the λ -maximal cliques from a fuzzy graph, an efficient mining algorithm based on Fuzzy Formal Concept Analysis (FFCA) is proposed. Extensive experimental evaluations are conducted for demonstrating the feasibility of the algorithm. In addition, a novel recommendation service based on an λ -maximal clique is provided for illustrating the sustainable usability of the problem addressed.
Monitoring mining induced surface deformation

There exists a significant demand for the monitoring of mining induced surface deformation for legal obligation safety, and environmental reasons. In recent years land surface deformation monitoring with SAR data reached some maturity. Nevertheless, there remain important limitations to the availability of the EO based information. Reasons include incomplete spatial coverage with information gaps for low coherence areas, problems in resolving high phase gradients, and unavailability of the required SAR data. The objective of our contribution is to show that important improvements to these limitations are still possible. In vegetated areas and for fast deformations L-band INSAR was found to be more robust with a wider applicability than C-band INSAR. In some low coherence areas point-like scatterers can be identified which permit to fill important information gaps. Furthermore, pairs with long baselines can be included in the interferometric analysis, supporting a more complete use of the available SAR acquisitions and to improve the temporal sampling
The Design of a Relational Engine Emina Torlak and

The key design challenges in the construction of a SAT-based relational engine are described, and novel techniques are proposed to address them. An efficient engine must have a mechanism for specifying partial solutions, an effective symmetry detection and breaking scheme, and an economical translation from relational to boolean logic. These desiderata are addressed with three new techniques: a symmetry detection algorithm that works in the presence of partial solutions, a sparse-matrix representation of relations, and a compact representation of boolean formulas inspired by boolean expression diagrams and reduced boolean circuits. The presented techniques have been implemented and evaluated, with promising results.