Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Chemotactic effect of ciliary neurotrophic factor on macrophages in retinal ganglion cell survival and axonal regeneration.

PURPOSE To examine whether ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) has a chemotactic effect on macrophages and whether macrophages are involved in CNTF-induced retinal ganglion cell (RGC) survival and axonal regeneration after optic nerve (ON) injury. METHODS Adult Fischer 344 rats received an autologous peripheral nerve graft onto transected ON for injured axons to grow. CNTF was applied intravitreally. When needed, clodronate liposomes were applied intravitreally or intravenously to deplete macrophages in the eye. A chemotaxis microchamber system was used to examine whether CNTF has a chemotactic effect on macrophages in vitro, whereas immunohistochemistry was used to identify the location of macrophages/microglia in the retina. The effects of CNTF on RGC neurite outgrowth and macrophage/microglia proliferation were tested in retinal explants. RESULTS Intravitreal CNTF significantly enhanced RGC survival and axonal regeneration as well as the number of macrophages in the eye. Removal of macrophages significantly reduced CNTF-induced RGC survival and axon regeneration. A chemotaxis assay showed a clear chemotactic effect of CNTF on blood-derived but not peritoneal macrophages. Immunohistochemistry revealed that local microglia was located in a region from the nerve fiber layer (NFL) to the inner nuclear layer, whereas blood-derived macrophages were in the NFL. In vitro experiments revealed that CNTF did not enhance neurite outgrowth or macrophage/microglia proliferation in retinal explants. CONCLUSIONS CNTF is a chemoattractant but not a proliferation enhancer for blood-derived macrophages, and blood-borne macrophages recruited into the eye by CNTF participate in RGC protection. This finding thus adds an important category to the existing understanding of the biological actions of CNTF.
How Do Migrant Remittances Affect Household Consumption Patterns?

This study analyzes differential consumption patterns of Pakistani migrant households resulting from foreign and domestic remittances. Using the Working-Leser model and a number of matching techniques, we analyze a large representative household survey carried out in 2010-2011 to compare various expenditure categories of recipient and non-recipient households across different income brackets. Findings show that foreign remittances lead to significant consumption changes. Contrary to the widely-held view, remittances do not raise the budget share on consumer goods and recreation, while the allocation on education increases substantially. Households receiving domestic remittances also show a strong focus on human capital with significantly higher shares of health and education. Recipients of international transfers living below one dollar a day spend proportionally more on food compared with their non-recipient counterparts, whereas their education and health budget shares are not dissimilar. We find that migrant households perceive remittances as a mainly transient, not fully fungible source of income.
Hall drift of axisymmetric magnetic fields in solid neutron-star matter

Context. The Hall drift, namely, the transport of magnetic flux by the moving electrons giving rise to the electrical current, may be the dominant effect causing the evolution of the magnetic field in the solid crust of neutron stars. It is a nonlinear process that, despite a number of theoretical efforts, is still not fully understood. Aims. Through mostly analytic arguments and solutions, we intend to help understand this highly nonlinear process. Methods. We use the Hall induction equation in axial symmetry to obtain some general properties of nonevolving fields, as well as analyzing the evolution of purely toroidal fields, their poloidal perturbations, and current-free, purely poloidal fields. We also analyze energy conservation in Hall instabilities and write down a variational principle for Hall equilibria. Results. We show that the evolution of any toroidal magnetic field can be described by Burgers’ equation, as previously found by Vainshtein and collaborators in a plane-parallel geometry. This evolution leads to sharp current sheets, which dissipate on the Hall time scale, yielding a stationary field configuration that depends on a single, suitably defined coordinate. This field, however, is unstable to poloidal perturbations, which grow as their field lines are stretched by the background electron flow, as in the instabilities found numerically by Rheinhardt and Geppert. On the other hand, current-free poloidal configurations are stable and could represent a long-lived crustal field supported by currents in the fluid stellar core. There may be additional, stable configurations, corresponding to restricted local minima or maxima of the magnetic energy. Conclusions. Hall equilibria can be described by a simple variational principle. Long-lived, toroidal fields are not expected in neutron star crusts or other regions where Hall drift is the dominant evolution mechanism. However, other stable configurations do exist, such as current-free poloidal fields and possibly others.
Predicting temporal sequences using an event-based spiking neural network incorporating learnable delays

This paper presents a novel paradigm for a spiking neural network to forecast temporal sequences. The key to the approach is a new model of a spiking neuron that can make multi-step predictions, using learnable temporal delays at both dendrites and axons. This model is able to learn the temporal structure of space-time events, adaptable to multiple scales, with the neurons able to function asynchronously to predict future events in a video sequence. This approach contrasts with conventional neural network approaches that use fixed time steps and iterative prediction. Simulations were conducted to compare the new model to a conventional iterative paradigm on motion sequences from a frame-free event-driven Dynamic Vision Sensor (DVS128, 16k pixels), showing that the new approach consistently has a low prediction error while the iterative paradigm is affected by propagated errors.
Efficacy and safety of deferiprone (Ferriprox), an oral iron-chelating agent, in pediatric patients

Background Iron overload is a predictable and life-threatening complication in patients dependent on the regular transfusion of RBCs. The aims of this study were to investigate the efficacy and safety of deferiprone in a variety of pediatric hematologic and/or oncologic patients with a high iron overload. Methods Seventeen patients (age: 1.1-20.4 years; median: 10.6 years) from 7 hospitals who were treated with deferiprone from 2006 to 2009 were enrolled in this study. Medical records of enrolled patients were reviewed retrospectively. Results Serum ferritin levels were 4,677.8±1,130.9 µg/L at baseline compared to 3,363.9±1,149.7 µg/L at the end of deferiprone treatment (P=0.033). Only 1 patient developed neutropenia as a complication. Conclusion Deferiprone treatment is relatively safe for pediatric patients suffering from various hematologic and oncologic diseases that require RBC transfusions as part of treatment. However, the potential development of critical complications such as agranulocytosis and/or neutropenia remains a concern.
Antecedents to Successful Adoption of e- Procurement in Textile and Apparel Firms in Kenya

This study examined the factors that affect implementation of e-procurement within the textile and apparel firms in Kenya. Specifically it sought to investigate the effect of organizational issues, environmental factors and technological factors on the implementation of e- Procurement. A survey approach was employed, using a stratified random sampling to ensure representativeness. Both quantitative and qualitative methods of data analysis were used. Descriptive statistics as well as regression analysis were used to facilitate examination of the relationship between the variables of interest. The study findings indicate that environmental factors have the most influence on e-procurement implementation, followed by technological and organizational factors respectively. The study points out that management support, employee empowerment, policy strengthening in ICT use are key to effective e-procurement implementation and therefore should be given due attention.
Research Infrastructures in Europe: The Hype and the Field

Research Infrastructures (RIs) are tools for scientific research that have received increased attention in science policy in Europe in recent years, including the launch of specific governance bodies and a structured process of prioritization and organization of RI projects in the making. But there is no commonly accepted definition of what RIs are, and the category is both very varied and lacks historical roots. This article provides a historical contextualization of this policy area and discusses, in some detail, different ways of categorizing the 60 RIs identified by EU-level governance bodies as strategically important for Europe as a whole. Showing that the concept of RIs is a political construct with little analytical value for assessing the role and function of RIs in science and innovation systems, the article paves the way for more conceptually and analytically stringent studies of the politics of RIs in Europe.
MobileSens: A framework of behavior logger on Andriod mobile device

To provide a better service, it is important to understand user's behavior on mobile device. In this paper, we propose a framework for logging, MobileSens, to record users' operations on Andriod mobile device, including smart phone and pad. The operations include turning on screen, sending messages, and browsing the web, etc. This system uploads the data to server via GPRS(General Packet Radio Service) for further analysis. MobileSens monitors system events, and identifies any event that related to the user behavior. Recording the usage information could help us understand the user's intention and mental status, thus refine the user interface, then make these mobile devices serve people better.
Distributed fusion robust H2 and H∞ filtering for uncertain discrete-time systems

The distributed fusion robust H<inf>2</inf> and H<inf>∞</inf> filtering problems for discrete-time systems with polytopic uncertainty are investigated. Based on the existing results on the robust H<inf>2</inf> and H<inf>∞</inf> filtering problems for single-sensor systems, the sufficient conditions for existing of distributed fusion robust H<inf>2</inf> and H<inf>∞</inf> filters are obtained. An illustrative example shows that the fusion filter is better than each local filter.
Joint MFCC-and-vector quantization based text-independent speaker recognition system

Signal processing front end for extracting the feature set is an important stage in any speaker recognition system. There are many types of features that are derived differently and have good impact on the recognition rate. This paper uses one of the techniques to extract the feature set from a speech signal known as Mel Frequency Cepstrum Coefficients (MFCCs) to represent the signal parametrically for further processing. Speakers provide samples of their voices once in a training session and once in a testing session later. Subsequently, the feature coefficients {MFCCs} are calculated in both phases and the speaker is identified according to the minimum quantization distance which is calculated between the stored features in the training phase and the MFCCs of the speaker who requests to log into the system in the testing phase. The proposed recognition system was designed and implemented using three different algorithms in MATLAB. Simulation and experimental results show that the Joint MFCC-and-vector quantization algorithm achieves better performance compared to the MFCC and FFT algorithms in terms of recognition accuracy and text dependency.
The effects of responsive eye movement and blinking behavior in a communication robot

In face-to-face communication, eyes play a central role, for example in directing attention and regulating turn-taking. For this reason, it has been a central topic in several fields of interaction study. Although many psychology findings have encouraged previous work in both human-computer and human-robot interaction studies, so far there have been few explorations on how to move the agent's eye, including when to move it, for communication. Therefore, it is this topic we address in this study. The impression a person forms from an interaction is strongly influenced by the degree to which their partner's gaze direction correlates with their own. In this paper, we propose methods of controlling a robot's gaze responsively to its partner's gaze and confirm the effect of this on the feeling of being looked at, which is considered to be the basis of conveying impressions using gaze in face-to-face interaction experiments. Furthermore, an additional preliminary experiment with an on-screen agent shows the possibility of using blinking behaviour as another modality for responding to a partner
Swarm-Keeping Strategies for Spacecraft Under J2 and Atmospheric Drag Perturbations

This paper presents several new open-loop guidance methods for spacecraft swarms comprised of hundreds to thousands of agents with each spacecraft having modest capabilities. These methods have three main goals: preventing relative drift of the swarm, preventing collisions within the swarm, and minimizing the fuel used throughout the mission. The development of these methods progresses by eliminating drift using the Hill-ClohessyWiltshire equations, removing drift due to nonlinearity, and minimizing the J2 drift. In order to verify these guidance methods, a new dynamic model for the relative motion of spacecraft is developed. These dynamics are exact and include the two main disturbances for spacecraft in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), J2 and atmospheric drag. Using this dynamic model, numerical simulations are provided at each step to show the eectiveness of each method and to see where improvements can be made. The main result is a set of initial conditions for each spacecraft in the swarm which provides hundreds of collision-free orbits in the presence of J2. Finally, a multi-burn strategy is developed in order to provide hundreds of collision free orbits under the inuence of atmospheric drag. This last method works by enforcing the initial conditions multiple times throughout the mission thereby providing collision free motion for the duration of the mission.
Performance of Genomic Selection in Mice

Selection plans in plant and animal breeding are driven by genetic evaluation. Recent developments suggest using massive genetic marker information, known as “genomic selection. ” There is little evidence of its performance, though. We empirically compared three strategies for selection: (1) use of pedigree and phenotypic information, (2) use of genomewide markers and phenotypic information, and (3) the combination of both. We analyzed four traits from a heterogeneous mouse population (http://gscan.well.ox.ac.uk/), including 1884 individuals and 10,946 SNP markers. We used linear mixed models, using extensions of association analysis. Cross-validation techniques were used, providing assumption-free estimates of predictive ability. Sampling of validation and training data sets was carried out across and within families, which allows comparing across- and within-family information. Use of genomewide genetic markers increased predictive ability up to 0.22 across families and up to 0.03 within families. The latter is not statistically significant. These values are roughly comparable to increases of up to 0.57 (across family) and 0.14 (within family) in accuracy of prediction of genetic value. In this data set, within-family information was more accurate than across-family information, and populational linkage disequilibrium was not a completely accurate source of information for genetic evaluation. This fact questions some applications of genomic selection.
THE SPITZER SURVEY OF THE SMALL MAGELLANIC CLOUD (S3MC): INSIGHTS INTO THE LIFE CYCLE OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS

We present the results of modeling dust spectral energy distributions (SEDs) across the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) with the aim of mapping the distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in a low-metallicity environment. Using Spitzer Survey of the SMC photometry from 3.6 to 160 μm over the main star-forming regions of the Wing and Bar of the SMC along with spectral mapping observations from 5 to 38 μm from the Spitzer Spectroscopic Survey of the SMC in selected regions, we model the dust SED and emission spectrum to determine the fraction of dust in PAHs across the SMC. We use the regions of overlapping photometry and spectroscopy to test the reliability of the PAH fraction as determined from SED fits alone. The PAH fraction in the SMC is low compared to the Milky Way and variable—with relatively high fractions (qPAH ∼1%–2%) in molecular clouds and low fractions in the diffuse interstellar medium (ISM; average 〈qPAH〉 = 0.6%). We use the map of PAH fraction across the SMC to test a number of ideas regarding the production, destruction, and processing of PAHs in the ISM. We find weak or no correlation between the PAH fraction and the distribution of carbon asymptotic giant branch stars, the location of supergiant H i shells and young supernova remnants, and the turbulent Mach number. We find that the PAH fraction is correlated with CO intensity, peaks in the dust surface density and the molecular gas surface density as determined from 160 μm emission. The PAH fraction is high in regions of active star formation, as predicted by its correlation with molecular gas, but is suppressed in H ii regions. Because the PAH fraction in the diffuse ISM is generally very low—in accordance with previous work on modeling the integrated SED of the SMC—and the PAH fraction is relatively high in molecular regions, we suggest that PAHs are destroyed in the diffuse ISM of the SMC and/or PAHs are forming in molecular clouds. We discuss the implications of these observations for our understanding of the PAH life cycle, particularly in low-metallicity and/or primordial galaxies.
Medical treatment of advanced testicular cancer.

CONTEXT The medical treatment of advanced testicular germ cell tumors has changed over the past 30 years, with long-term survival now achieved in the majority of patients. Clinicians need to be familiar with the available treatment regimens for testicular cancer and their associated toxic effects. OBJECTIVE To review the treatments used for advanced testicular germ cell tumors and their associated short-term and long-term complications. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION A search was performed of all English-language literature (1966 to October 2007) within the MEDLINE database using the terms neoplasms, germ cell, or embryonal or testicular neoplasms restricted to humans, drug therapy, complications, and mortality. The Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials Databases (through October 2007) was also searched using the terms testicular cancer or germ cell tumors. Bibliographies were reviewed to extract other relevant articles. One hundred eighty-six articles were selected based on pertinence to advanced testicular cancer treatment, associated complications, and late relapses with an emphasis on randomized controlled trials. DATA SYNTHESIS The treatment of advanced testicular germ cell tumors with cisplatin combination chemotherapy is based on risk stratification (good, intermediate, or poor prognosis) according to pretreatment clinical features of prognostic value. Clinical trials have demonstrated that approximately 90% of patients classified as having a good prognosis achieve a durable complete remission to either 4 cycles of etoposide and cisplatin or 3 cycles of cisplatin, etoposide, and bleomycin. Complete responses are achieved less frequently for patients with intermediate- and poor-risk germ cell tumors, in whom 4 cycles of bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin remains the standard of care. Second- and third-line programs, including high-dose chemotherapy, also have curative potential. Chronic toxicities associated with therapy include cardiovascular disease, infertility, and secondary malignancies. Late relapses may also occur. CONCLUSIONS Clinical trials have led to evidence-based treatment recommendations for advanced testicular cancer based on risk stratification. Clinicians should be familiar with the potential complications of these therapies.
What Leads to Decision Fatigue ? The Roles of Enjoyment and Choosing for

Past research has shown that people tend to feel depleted by their decisions. In contrast, we found people report that making decisions for others (vs. the self) is less depleting because it is more enjoyable. Our investigation thus replicated a prior finding (that decision-making is depleting), moderated it by target of decision (self vs. other), and demonstrated mediation (enjoyment). We further measured chronic focus on self or others (self-construal) and established a full process model that marries prior findings with the current ones: Choosing for others is more enjoyable and less depleting to the extent that decision makers are independent, and less enjoyable and more depleting to the extent that decision makers are interdependent. That a mismatch between chronic and state orientation leads to the better outcomes for self-control indicates a special link between self-construal and decision-making.
Binaural Scene Analysis and Automatic Speech Recognition

The human auditory system is known to be able to easily analyze and decompose complex acoustic scenes into its constituent acoustic sources. This requires the integration of a multitude of acoustic cues, a phenomenon that is often referred to as cocktail-party processing. Auditory Scene Analysis, especially the segregation and comprehension of concurrent speakers, is one of the key features in cocktail-party processing [1].
Dynamic Set-Point Weighted Fuzzy PID Controller

A fuzzy PID controller with dynamic set-point weighting technique is proposed. Fuzzy PID controller is realized by combining the control actions produced by a fuzzy PI and fuzzy PD controllers with suitable output scaling factors. Input to the fuzzy controllers i.e., error and change of error are calculated from the dynamically weighted set-point for each sampling instant. The dynamic weighting factor is calculated online from a simple relation consisting of normalized change of error and normalized process dead time. The proposed dynamic set-point weighted fuzzy PID controller provides a significant amount of performance enhancement for higher order processes with dead time, verified through simulation as well as real time implementation. Unlike to the conventional fixed set-point weighting which offers only improved set-point response, our proposed dynamic set-point weighting is capable to provide simultaneous improvement during both the set-point tracking as well as load variation with considerable robustness in close-loop behavior.
Pattern Mining Technique for Text Mining

Many data mining techniques have been proposed for mining useful patterns in text documents. However, how to effectively use and update discovered patterns is still an open research issue, especially in the domain of text mining. Since most existing text mining methods adopted term-based approaches, they all suffer from the problems of polysemy and synonymy. Over the years, people have often held the hypothesis that pattern (or phrase)-based approaches should perform better than the term-based ones, but many experiments do not support this hypothesis. In This approach we used an innovative and effective pattern discovery technique which includes the processes of pattern deploying and pattern evolving, to improve the effectiveness of using and updating discovered patterns for finding relevant and interesting information.