Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neurturin and Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Receptor-β (GDNFR-β), Novel Proteins Related to GDNF and GDNFR-α with Specific Cellular Patterns of Expression Suggesting Roles in the Developing and Adult Nervous System and in Peripheral Organs

Cloning strategies were used to identify a gene termed glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor receptor-β (GDNFR-β) related to GDNFR-α. In situ hybridization was then used to map cellular expression of the GDNF-related trophic factor neurturin (NTN) and GDNFR-β mRNA in developing and adult mice, and comparisons with GDNFR-α and RET were made. Neurturin is expressed in postnatal cerebral cortex, striatum, several brainstem areas, and the pineal gland. GDNFR-β mRNA was more widely expressed in the developing and adult CNS, including cerebral cortex, cerebellum, thalamus, zona incerta, hypothalamus, brainstem, and spinal cord, and in subpopulations of sensory neurons and developing peripheral nerves. NTN colocalized with RET and GDNFR-α in ureteric buds of the developing kidney. The circular muscle layer of the developing intestines, smooth muscle of the urether, and developing bronchiolae also expressed NTN. GDNFR-β was found in myenteric but not submucosal intestinal plexuses. In developing salivary glands NTN had an epithelial expression, whereas GDNFR-β was expressed in surrounding tissue. Neurturin and GDNFR-β were present in developing sensory organs. In the gonads, NTN appeared to be expressed in Sertoli cells and in the epithelium of the oviduct, whereas GDNFR-β was expressed by the germ cell line. Our findings suggest multiple roles for NTN and GDNFR-β in the developing and adult organism. Although NTN and GDNFR-β expression patterns are sometimes complementary, this is not always the case, suggesting multiple modi operandi of GDNF and NTN in relation to RET and the two binding proteins, GDNFR-α and GDNFR-β.
Inhibitions of Nucleus Accumbens Neurons Encode a Gating Signal for Reward-Directed Behavior

The nucleus accumbens (NAcc) is critical in the control of goal-directed behavior. Pharmacological studies suggest that the NAcc may act in both instructive and permissive modes; however, previous electrophysiological studies in behaving rats have reported firing patterns consistent with an instructive, but not permissive, role for NAcc neurons. We now report that a subset of NAcc neurons shows a long-lasting inhibition in firing rate whose onset precedes initiation of goal-directed sequences of behavior and terminates at the conclusion of the sequence. Together with data from previous behavioral studies, this firing pattern suggests that, when active, these neurons tonically inhibit appetitive and consummatory behaviors and that, when inhibited, these neurons permissively gate those behaviors.
Inferring social activities with mobile sensor networks

While our daily activities usually involve interactions with others, the current methods on activity recognition do not often exploit the relationship between social interactions and human activity. This paper addresses the problem of interpreting social activity from human interactions captured by mobile sensing networks. Our first goal is to discover different social activities such as chatting with friends from interaction logs and then characterize them by the set of people involved, and the time and location of the occurring event. Our second goal is to perform automatic labeling of the discovered activities using predefined semantic labels such as coffee breaks, weekly meetings, or random discussions. Our analysis was conducted on a real-life interaction network sensed with Bluetooth and infrared sensors of about fifty subjects who carried sociometric badges over 6 weeks. We show that the proposed system reliably recognized coffee breaks with 99% accuracy, while weekly meetings were recognized with 88% accuracy.
Media Genealogy| Cinema/Cybernetics/Visuality: A Conversation with Orit Halpern

In this interview between Orit Halpern, associate professor of anthropology, sociology, and interactive design at Concordia University, and Eddie Lohmeyer, PhD student in the Communication, Rhetoric, and Digital Media Program at North Carolina State University, Professor Halpern discusses the challenges of writing a history of big data and interactivity and the possibilities that such a history might provide for advancing media criticism and practice. Particularly vital to the conversation was a discussion of method, the relationship between design, art, and scholarly practice in the humanities, and the challenges to rethinking, reworking, and revising older theoretical discussions concerning cybernetics, cinema, and biopolitics.
Decision Support Methods for Finding Phenotype — Disorder Associations in the Bone Dysplasia Domain

A lack of mature domain knowledge and well established guidelines makes the medical diagnosis of skeletal dysplasias (a group of rare genetic disorders) a very complex process. Machine learning techniques can facilitate objective interpretation of medical observations for the purposes of decision support. However, building decision support models using such techniques is highly problematic in the context of rare genetic disorders, because it depends on access to mature domain knowledge. This paper describes an approach for developing a decision support model in medical domains that are underpinned by relatively sparse knowledge bases. We propose a solution that combines association rule mining with the Dempster-Shafer theory (DST) to compute probabilistic associations between sets of clinical features and disorders, which can then serve as support for medical decision making (e.g., diagnosis). We show, via experimental results, that our approach is able to provide meaningful outcomes even on small datasets with sparse distributions, in addition to outperforming other Machine Learning techniques and behaving slightly better than an initial diagnosis by a clinician.
The photospheric solar oxygen project. I. Abundance analysis of atomic lines and influence of atmosp

Context: The solar oxygen abundance has undergone a major downward revision in the past decade, the most noticeable one being the update including 3D hydrodynamical simulations to model the solar photosphere. Up to now, such an analysis has only been carried out by one group using one radiation-hydrodynamics code. Aims: We investigate the photospheric oxygen abundance considering lines from atomic transitions. We also consider the relationship between the solar model used and the resulting solar oxygen abundance, to understand whether the downward abundance revision is specifically related to 3D hydrodynamical effects. Methods: We performed a new determination of the solar photospheric oxygen abundance by analysing different high-resolution high signal-to-noise ratio atlases of the solar flux and disc-centre intensity, making use of the latest generation of CO5BOLD 3D solar model atmospheres. Results: We find 8.73 ? log (N_O/N_H) +12 ? 8.79. The lower and upper values represent extreme assumptions on the role of collisional excitation and ionisation by neutral hydrogen for the NLTE level populations of neutral oxygen. The error of our analysis is ± (0.04± 0.03) dex, the last being related to NLTE corrections, the first error to any other effect. The 3D ? granulation effects? do not play a decisive role in lowering the oxygen abundance. Conclusions: Our recommended value is log (N_O/N_H) = 8.76 ± 0.07, considering our present ignorance of the role of collisions with hydrogen atoms on the NLTE level populations of oxygen. The reasons for lower O abundances in the past are identified as (1) the lower equivalent widths adopted and (2) the choice of neglecting collisions with hydrogen atoms in the statistical equilibrium calculations for oxygen. This paper is dedicated to the memory of Hartmut Holweger.
The bHLH Subgroup IIId Factors Negatively Regulate Jasmonate-Mediated Plant Defense and Development

Plants have evolved sophisticated systems for adaptation to their natural habitat. In response to developmental and environmental cues, plants produce and perceive jasmonate (JA) signals, which induce degradation of JASMONATE-ZIM-Domain (JAZ) proteins and derepress the JAZ-repressed transcription factors to regulate diverse aspects of defense responses and developmental processes. Here, we identified the bHLH subgroup IIId transcription factors (bHLH3, bHLH13, bHLH14 and bHLH17) as novel targets of JAZs. These bHLH subgroup IIId transcription factors act as transcription repressors and function redundantly to negatively regulate JA responses. The quadruple mutant bhlh3 bhlh13 bhlh14 bhlh17 showed severe sensitivity to JA-inhibited root growth and JA-induced anthocyanin accumulation, and exhibited obvious increase in JA-regulated plant defense against pathogen infection and insect attack. Transgenic plants overexpressing bHLH13 or bHLH17 displayed reduced JA responses. Furthermore, these bHLH factors functioned as transcription repressors to antagonize the transcription activators, such as MYC2 and the WD-repeat/bHLH/MYB complex, through binding to their target sequences. Coordinated regulation of JA responses by transcription activators and repressors would benefit plants by allowing fine regulation of defense and development, and survival in their frequently changing environment.
Techniques for an energy aware parallel file system

The decreasing cost of disk drives has made it possible to maintain large-scale storage systems and to achieve high performance for I/O demanding applications. One possible optimization that can be applied to these types of systems is to move the I/O load to a subset of the disks; so that the commonly accessed data resides in a set of `popular' disks, whereas the `unpopular' disks can stay in low energy modes. There have been several approaches to this kind of optimization both at the hardware and the software level. In this paper, we propose techniques for an Energy-Aware Parallel File System and compare different server assignment configurations to understand what kind of improvements can be achieved at the file system level to save energy while maintaining acceptable performance.
Effect of cytochalasin B on the adhesion of mouse peritoneal macrophages

The adhesion of normal mouse macrophages to glass surfaces was reduced by nontoxic levels (1-50 mug/ml) of cytochalasin B in combination with a centrifugal force (1,000-8,000 g). Macrophages nonspecifically activated by Corynebacterium acnes were also detached by this treatment, but less effectively. The effects of cytochalasin B treatment on these cells were shown to be reversible. After detachment, the cells reattached to glass, appeared morphologically normal, and behaved like untreated cells as judged by adhesion, acid phosphatase levels, and phagocytosis. The effect of cytochalasin B on several parameters of phagocytosis by normal macrophages was also examined. The results demonstrate that cytochalasin B can be used to detach macrophages from surfaces and suggest a functional relationship between phagocytosis and macrophage adhesion to surfaces. Furthermore, the effect of cytochalasin B on adhesion of phagocytic cells provides a probe for further investigation of the adhesion of cells to surfaces.
Probing the formation of the first low‐mass stars with stellar archaeology

ABSTRACT We investigate the conditions under which the ﬁrst low-mass stars formed in theUniverse by confronting theoretical predictions governing the transition from massivePopulationIII to low-mass PopulationII stars with recent observational C and/or Oabundance data of metal-poor Galactic stars. We introduce a new “observer-friendly”function, the transition discriminant D trans , which provides empirical constraints aswell as a powerful comparison between the currently available data of metal-poor halostars and theoretical predictions of the formation of the ﬁrst low-mass stars (. 1M ⊙ ). Speciﬁcally, we comparethe empirical stellarresults with the theorythat ﬁne-structurelines of C and O dominate the transition from PopIII to PopII in the early Universe.We ﬁnd the currently-available data for halo stars as well as for dSph galaxies andglobularclusters to be consistent with this theory. An explanationfor the observedlackof metal-poor stars in dSph galaxies and globular clusters is also suggested. Finally, wepredict that any star to be found with [Fe/H] . −4 should have enhanced C and/orO abundances. The high C and O abundances of the two most iron-poor stars are inline with our prediction.Key words: cosmology: early Universe — stars: abundances — stars: Population II— Galaxy: halo — Galaxy: stellar content — techniques: spectroscopic
Fitness Transmission - A Genealogic Signature of Adaptive Evolution

We introduce fitness transmission as a simple statistical signature of adaptive evolution within a system. Fitness transmission is the correlation between the fitness of parents and children, where fitness is evaluated after the number of grandchildren, suitably normalised. This measure is a direct calculation based on a genealogical record, rather than on genetic or phenotypic observation. We point out that the BedauPackard statistics of evolutionary activity cannot be used as a reliable system-wide signature of adaptive evolution, because they can produce positive signals when applied to certain “random”, non-evolutionary systems. We apply fitness transmission to simple evolutionary algorithms (as well as neutral equivalents) and demonstrate its capacity to accurately detect the presence or absence of Darwinian evolution.
Low Back Pain in Athletes

Context: Low Back Pain (LBP) in athletes is common and has a broad spectrum of differential diagnoses that must be taken in to account when a clinician approaches the patient with LBP. The physicians should take into account spinal and extra spinal causes of low back pain in athletes. Evidence Acquistion: A literature review was performed for the years 1951 through 2013. Keywords used were Low Back Pain and Athletes. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, OVID, PUBMED, the Cochrane Library, ELSEVIER, and the references of reviewed articles, for English-language of Low Back Pain in Athletes. Results: The two most common causes of LBP arising from spine in athletes are degenerative disc disease and spondylolysis with or without listhesis. Although most athletes, respond well to conservative treatment, surgical treatment is indicated when conservative treatment failes. Conclusions: The major concern in athletes with LBP is return to play and previous level of their activity after treatment. There is insufficient evidence regarding this issue in literature to define the optimal time of return to play following treatment.
Gouverner les citoyens. Normes civiques et mentalité en France : Nation, nationalisme, citoyenneté

A l'origine de la presente etude, le desir de comprendre la resistance des mentalites que rencontre durablement en France la diffusion de normes civiques emancipees de la religion catholique. Analysant le contenu d'une soixantaine de lettres pastorales publiees entre 1870 et 1940, l'A. etablit l'importance des conflits normatifs qui accompagnent l'emergence de la citoyennete comme mode de division du travail politique moderne. Dans la critique qu'elles formulent, les elites catholiques font reculer le processus de differenciation favorise par la citoyennete entre la communaute politique et la religion. D'ou une tension essentielle entre catholicisme et citoyennete, tension qui traverse historiquement et parfois dechire encore aujourd'hui la societe francaise
Two-Stage Classification Model to Detect Malicious Web Pages

Malicious web pages are an emerging security concern on the Internet due to their popularity and their potential serious impacts. Detecting and analyzing them is very costly because of their qualities and complexities. There has been some research approaches carried out in order to detect them. The approaches can be classified into two main groups based on their used analysis features: static feature based and run-time feature based approaches. While static feature based approach shows it strengthens as light-weight system, run-time feature based approach has better performance in term of detection accuracy. This paper presents a novel two-stage classification model to detect malicious web pages. Our approach divided detection process into two stages: Estimating maliciousness of web pages and then identifying malicious web pages. Static features are light-weight but less valuable so they are used to identify potential malicious web pages in the first stage. Only potential malicious web pages are forwarded to the second stage for further investigation. On the other hand, run-time features are costly but more valuable so they are used in the final stage to identify malicious web pages.
Ju l 2 00 2 Measurements of the complex conductivity of Nb x Si 1 − x alloys on the insulating side of the metal-insulator transition

We have conducted temperature and frequency dependent transport measurements in amorphous NbxSi1−x samples in the insulating regime. We find a temperature dependent dc conductivity consistent with variable range hopping in a Coulomb glass. The frequency dependent response in the millimeter-wave frequency range can be described by the expression σ(ω) ∝ (−ıω) with the exponent somewhat smaller than one. Our ac results are not consistent with extant theories for the hopping transport.
Creating physical visualizations with makervis

An increasing variety of physical visualizations are being built, for purposes ranging from art and entertainment to business analytics and scientific research. The creation of physical visualizations is however a laborious process and demands expertise in both data visualization and (digital) fabrication. We illustrate one of the currently many possible ways of creating a physical visualization through a case-study. We then present our prototype system, MakerVis. It is the first tool that integrates the entire workflow, from data selection to digital fabrication using additive or subtractive techniques. We demonstrate the usage of MakerVis through a complete scenario of how an end-user would construct a physical visualization.
Micro and Meso Scale Robotic Assembly

of the challenges associated with micro systems assembly are examined in this paper, and illustrated with examples of on-going research at the authors' institution. One of the basic challenges in precision assembly is the need for very high accuracy over a large range of motion. We address this challenge through a "multiscale" approach. This involves the design of assembly tools and processes at multiple scales, and their integration into coherent sys- tem architectures. Parallelism is an important aspect of this architecture, with the goal of enabling high throughput, fault tolerant assembly at moderate cost. The modularity of the architecture is also important, given the need to frequently reconfigure microsystems assembly cells for small batch production. In this paper, we present several concepts for the development of multiscale robotic tools for the assem- bly of microsystems. Numerical simulations and experimen- tal results are used to illustrate the relevance of the pro- posed approaches. Extensions to manipulation at the nanoscale are briefly discussed. We conclude with some guidelines for the design of multiscale assembly systems.
Impacts of Climate Change and Land Use Changes on Land Surface Radiation and Energy Budgets

Land surface radiation and energy budgets are critical to address a variety of scientific and application issues related to climate trends, weather predictions, hydrologic and biogeophysical modeling, and the monitoring of ecosystem health and agricultural crops. This is an introductory paper to the special issue of land surface radiation and energy budgets from an international conference on this subject. The temporal trends of these components are first discussed in the context of climate change and human induced land use changes. After a brief introduction to the conference, results from each paper of this special issue are summarized.
Drusen and Pro-inflammatory Mediators in the Post-Mortem Human Eye

With age and drusen accumulation, the environment of the eye tends to shift more towards a pro-inflammatory state (Figure 6) through either IL-1β and/or possibly IFN pathways. Little change is induced in the complement inhibitor, CFI, in association with drusen, suggesting a failure to activate protective mechanisms against complement activation. Alternatively, the lack of change in CFI accumulation level could indicate that that the pro-inflammatory actions of drusen may not yet be enough to trigger inhibition of the complement cascade in healthy eye tissue. Here, we identified three inflammatory molecules in the postmortem human eye, p-STAT3, CXCL-10, and CXCL-11, to be strongly correlated with the presence of drusen within a population controlled for age (≤57 years old, Figure 6). This pattern of accumulation suggests that these molecules are closely involved with the presence of drusen rather than with aging, and may represent a predisposition toward AMD pathogenesis. A recent microarray study on mouse RPE cells reported expression changes in over 315 genes associated with advanced age [48]. Many pathways they identified were also found in our prior microarray study (unpublished observation) [16]. Similarly, Chen et al. [49] found that the mouse neuroretina displayed age-related upregulation of the complement cascade and activation of retinal microglia [49]. Curiously, neither study found expression changes in any of the gene products examined in this study. It is important to note that drusen-like deposits have not been documented in wild-type-mouse eyes [50]. Thus, one interpretation for this discrepancy may be that the genes identified in our microarray studies, and specifically the gene products studied here reflect a drusen-specific response rather than a general response to aging. Our studies now set the stage for future experiments testing the function of each of these potential mediators in the pathogenesis of AMD. One approach might involve assessing the response of each mediator following Aβ and/or AGE injection into young wild-type mice to determine degree of mimicry to AMD pathology. Figure 6 Summary diagram depicting the distribution of IL-1β, RSAD2, p-STAT3, and CXCL-10/11 immunoreactivity in post-mortem eye tissue with respect to aging and present of drusen. Icons denote the relative immunostaining of each molecule in a given retinallocation. Acknowledgments We thank Jonathan Tang, Jonathan Coleman, and Dr. Ian Clark for discussion and editing of the manuscript. This work was funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR-MOP-97806) to J.A.M. Grant Support Supported by Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Grant# MOP-97806 (to JAM).
Vehicle detection fusing 2D visual features

This paper presents a method for detection and tracking of vehicles by finding various characteristic features in the images of a monochrome camera. The detection process uses shadow and symmetry features to generate vehicle hypotheses. These are fused and tracked over time using an Interacting Multiple Model method (IMM). Results for natural traffic scenes demonstrate high reliability of the proposed method.
Involutions, trace maps, and pseudorandom numbers

Abstract Interesting properties of the partitions of a finite field 𝔽q induced by the combination of involutions and trace maps are studied. The special features of involutions of the form , u being a fixed element of 𝔽q, are exploited to generate pseudorandom numbers, the randomness resting on the uniform distribution of the images of zero-trace elements among the sets of non-zero trace elements of 𝔽q.