Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Solving Bidirectional Tasks using MTRNN

In this paper we study the learning of bidirectional tasks in a Recurrent Neural Network (RNN). Most of such models deal with a flow of information in only one direction, either generating outputs or encoding inputs; However, using a single network to do both tasks simultaneously would be more efficient and biologically plausible. We will be using a Multiple Timescales Recurrent Neural Network (MTRNN) to solve these tasks. The network proves capable of dealing with this bidirectional-flow of information simply by training in both directions, with outputs becoming inputs and vice-versa. We showcase this behaviour on two tasks, using the same network. the first is a sentence learning task, akin to a classification problem. The second task is a motor trajectory learning task, akin to a regression problem. The data used in these tasks has been generated through an iCub robot. We present the results of these experiments and show that this model maintains its properties for the bidirectional tasks. We discuss possible future implementations using this ability to solve more complex scenarios such as action and language grounding.
GALACTIC CHEMICAL EVOLUTION AND SOLAR s-PROCESS ABUNDANCES: DEPENDENCE ON THE 13C-POCKET STRUCTURE

We study the s-process abundances (A ≳ 90) at the epoch of the solar system formation. Asymptotic giant branch yields are computed with an updated neutron capture network and updated initial solar abundances. We confirm our previous results obtained with a Galactic chemical evolution (GCE) model: (1) as suggested by the s-process spread observed in disk stars and in presolar meteoritic SiC grains, a weighted average of s-process strengths is needed to reproduce the solar s distribution of isotopes with A > 130; and (2) an additional contribution (of about 25%) is required in order to represent the solar s-process abundances of isotopes from A = 90 to 130. Furthermore, we investigate the effect of different internal structures of the 13C pocket, which may affect the efficiency of the 13C(α, n)16O reaction, the major neutron source of the s process. First, keeping the same 13C profile adopted so far, we modify by a factor of two the mass involved in the pocket; second, we assume a flat 13C profile in the pocket, and we test again the effects of the variation of the mass of the pocket. We find that GCE s predictions at the epoch of the solar system formation marginally depend on the size and shape of the 13C pocket once a different weighted range of 13C-pocket strengths is assumed. We obtain that, independently of the internal structure of the 13C pocket, the missing solar system s-process contribution in the range from A = 90 to 130 remains essentially the same.
Endothelial Cell Mechano-Metabolomic Coupling to Disease States in the Lung Microvasculature

Lungs are the most vascular part of humans, accepting the totality of cardiac output in a volume much smaller than the body itself. Due to this cardiac output, the lung microvasculature is subject to mechanical forces including shear stress and cyclic stretch that vary with the cardiac and breathing cycle. Vessels are surrounded by extracellular matrix which dictates the stiffness which endothelial cells also sense and respond to. Shear stress, stiffness, and cyclic stretch are known to influence endothelial cell state. At high shear stress, endothelial cells exhibit cell quiescence marked by low inflammatory markers and high nitric oxide synthesis, whereas at low shear stress, endothelial cells are thought to “activate” into a pro-inflammatory state and have low nitric oxide. Shear stress' profound effect on vascular phenotype is most apparent in the arterial vasculature and in the pathophysiology of vascular inflammation. To conduct the flow of blood from the right heart, the lung microvasculature must be rigid yet compliant. It turns out that excessive substrate rigidity or stiffness is important in the development of pulmonary hypertension and chronic fibrosing lung diseases via excessive cell proliferation or the endothelial-mesenchymal transition. Recently, a new body of literature has evolved that couples mechanical sensing to endothelial phenotypic changes through metabolic signaling in clinically relevant contexts such as pulmonary hypertension, lung injury syndromes, as well as fibrosis, which is the focus of this review. Stretch, like flow, has profound effect on endothelial phenotype; metabolism studies due to stretch are in their infancy.
Comparison of Mechanisms of Endothelial Cell Protections Between High-Density Lipoprotein and Apolipoprotein A-I Mimetic Peptide

Apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) mimetic peptide, D-4F, exhibits anti-atherogenic effects similar to high-density lipoprotein (HDL). However, it remains elusive whether D-4F and HDL share similar molecular mechanisms underlying anti-atherogenic effects and endothelial cell protections. We here compared the metabolic changes in endothelial cells induced by D-4F and HDL against oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL), which may be of benefit to understanding the protective mechanisms of HDL and D-4F. Functional assays, including wound healing, transwell migration, and tube formation, were used to evaluate the pro-angiogenic effects of HDL and D-4F. NMR-based metabolomic analysis was employed to explore the protective mechanisms underlying HDL and D-4F. Partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) was performed to assess metabolic profiles, and orthogonal PLS-DA (OPLS-DA) was carried out to identify characteristic metabolites. Moreover, significantly altered metabolic pathways were also analyzed. We found that ox-LDL impaired the migration and tube formation of endothelial cells. Metabolomic analysis showed that ox-LDL triggered oxidative stress, impaired glycolysis, and enhanced glycerophospholipid metabolism. Both HDL and D-4F improved the migration and angiogenesis of endothelial cells, alleviated oxidative stress, and ameliorated disordered glycolysis impaired by ox-LDL. Strikingly, HDL partially attenuated the disturbed glycerophospholipid metabolism, whereas D-4F did not show this effect. In summary, although D-4F shared the similar protective effects with HDL on the migration and angiogenesis of endothelial cells, it could not deduce the molecular mechanisms of HDL completely. Nevertheless, D-4F possesses the potentiality to be exploited as clinically applicable agent for endothelial cell protection and cardiovascular disease treatment.
Mosquito Bite-Induced Localized NK/T-Cell Lymphoma Relapsed in a Patient with Complete Remission of Extranodal NK/T-Cell Lymphoma, Nasal Type

We report a rare case of localized NK/T-cell lymphoma following a mosquito bite after achieving complete response of extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type (ENKL). T cells and NK cells infected by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) lead to NK/T-cell lymphoma, including ENKL. Lymphoma related to mosquito bites usually requires a prolonged treatment course, and the disease onset of hypersensitivity begins in early childhood. In the current case, the patient had no history of hypersensitivity to mosquito bites. We speculate that the latently EBV-infected NK/T cells in the blood were reactivated by mosquito gland antigens, expanded abnormally, and accumulated at the site of the mosquito bite.
Low-temperature crystal and magnetic structure of α -RuCl 3

Here, single crystals of the Kitaev spin-liquid candidate α – RuCl3 have been studied to determine the low-temperature bulk properties, the structure, and the magnetic ground state. Refinements of x-ray diffraction data show that the low-temperature crystal structure is described by space group C2/m with a nearly perfect honeycomb lattice exhibiting less than 0.2% in-plane distortion. The as-grown single crystals exhibit only one sharp magnetic transition at TN = 7 K. The magnetic order below this temperature exhibits a propagation vector of k=(0,1,1/3), which coincides with a three-layer stacking of the C2/m unit cells. Magnetic transitions at higher temperatures up to 14 K can be introduced by deformations of the crystal that result in regions in the crystal with a two-layer stacking sequence. The best-fit symmetry-allowed magnetic structure of the as-grown crystals shows that the spins lie in the ac plane, with a zigzag configuration in each honeycomb layer. The three-layer repeat out-of-plane structure can be refined as a 120° spiral order or a collinear structure with a spin direction of 35° away from the a axis. The collinear spin configuration yields a slightly better fit and also is physically preferred. The average ordered moment in either structure is lessmore » than 0.45(5) μB per Ru3+ ion. « less
Bottom-up social development through reproducing contingency with sensorimotor clustering

This paper presents a learning mechanism that nds a reasonable segmentation to achieve social behavior as well as that incrementally acquires it by reproducing the contingency in interactions with a caregiver. The robot autonomously categorizes sensorimotor activity according to a contingency measure based on transfer entropy. The advantage of adaptive categorization is tested in a task of acquiring joint attention behaviors. The re-sults of computer simulations of human-robot interaction indicate that a robot acquires a series of joint attention behaviors such as gaze following and alternation and nds suitable segmentation over time that improves gaze following performance.
Itch Processing in the Skin

Itching can result from activity of specialized primary afferent neurons (“pruriceptors”) that have been shown to express certain molecular markers such as B-type natriuretic peptide and several members of the Mrgpr-family in rodents. On the other hand, neurons involved in pain processing (“nociceptors”) can also provoke itching when the activation site is restricted to an isolated tiny spot within the epidermis. Individuals classified as having sensitive skin report increased itching and pain sensations upon weak external stimuli that are not painful or itchy in the control group. Numerous possible factors could contribute to sensitive skin along the pathway of transduction of the external stimuli into peripheral neuronal signals, followed by neuronal processing, finally resulting in the perception: (a) reduced local protective factors leading to impaired skin barrier function, (b) increased production of excitatory skin mediators, (c) sensitized peripheral neurons, (d) facilitated spinal and central processing, and (e) reduced descending inhibition from the central nervous system. For all of those pathophysiological mechanisms there are clinical examples such as atopic dermatitis (a,b,c), neuropathic itching (c,e), and restless leg syndrome (d,e). However, none of these factors have been directly linked to the occurrence of sensitive skin. Moreover, individuals reporting sensitive skin are heterogeneous and a subpopulation with defined pathophysiology has not yet been identified. Given that the condition is reported in about 50% of women, and thereby includes many healthy individuals, it appears problematic to assign a definitive pathophysiological mechanism to it.
Formal models and tools to improve nids accuracy

It is accepted among researchers and industry professionals that the accuracy of current network intrusion detection systems (NIDS) is questionable. It is well known that NIDS generate many false alarms; it is less publicized that NIDS miss equally many real attacks. This dissertation is about improving NIDS accuracy. Our underlying thesis is that formal methods, previously used in areas such as software analysis and protocol verification, can help us evaluate and increase the accuracy of such systems. We address NIDS accuracy from three different directions. First, we develop a testing methodology which has already gained recognition through finding vulnerabilities in commercial systems. Second, we develop a technique to evaluate the accuracy of a NIDS signature. A signature is the core of NIDS accuracy because it specifies how the NIDS should recognize an attack. Last, we develop a method for constructing a novel signature that matches many different variants of the same attack. An important contribution of this dissertation is a principle that underlies our three techniques. These three techniques are based on formal methods: methods that have solid mathematical foundations. For testing purposes, this foundation provides the ability to precisely define the test cases that should be covered. For signature evaluation, this foundation enables iterative improvement of signature accuracy. Last, for signature construction, this foundation enables both precise definition of all attack variants that a signature must identify, and automatic construction of a recognizes that determines whether the network traffic matches the signature. Our techniques are not a panacea for NIDS accuracy. However, we believe that they provide the means to systematically improve it. We, for example, used the methods to improve the accuracy of real network-based intrusion detection systems deployed worldwide.
Exploring the Extent in the Visual Field of the Honeycomb and Extinction Illusions

There are situations in which what is perceived in central vision is different to what is perceived in the periphery, even though the stimulus display is uniform. Here, we studied two cases, known as the Extinction illusion and the Honeycomb illusion, involving small disks and lines, respectively, presented over a large extent of the visual field. Disks and lines are visible in the periphery on their own, but they become invisible when they are presented as part of a pattern (grid). Observers (N = 56) adjusted a circular probe to report the size of the region in which they had seen the lines or the disks. Different images had black or white lines/disks, and we included control stimuli in which these features were spatially separated from the regular grid of squares. We confirmed that the illusion was experienced by the majority of observers and is dependent on the interaction between the elements (i.e., the lines/disks have to be near the squares). We found a dissociation between the two illusions in the dependence on contrast polarity suggesting different mechanisms. We analysed the variability between individuals with respect to schizotypical and autistic-spectrum traits (short version of the Oxford-Liverpool Inventory of Feelings and Experiences [O-LIFE] questionnaire and the Autistic Quotient, respectively) but found no significant relationships. We discuss how illusions relative to what observers are aware of in the periphery may offer a unique tool to study visual awareness.
Absence of Repetitive Correlation Patterns Between Pairs of Adjacent Neocortical Neurons in vivo

Neuroanatomy suggests that adjacent neocortical neurons share a similar set of afferent synaptic inputs, as opposed to neurons localized to different areas of the neocortex. In the present study, we made simultaneous single-electrode patch clamp recordings from two or three adjacent neurons in the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) of the ketamine-xylazine anesthetized rat in vivo to study the correlation patterns in their spike firing during both spontaneous and sensory-evoked activity. One difference with previous studies of pairwise neuronal spike firing correlations was that here we identified several different quantifiable parameters in the correlation patterns by which different pairs could be compared. The questions asked were if the correlation patterns between adjacent pairs were similar and if there was a relationship between the degree of similarity and the layer location of the pairs. In contrast, our results show that for putative pyramidal neurons within layer III and within layer V, each pair of neurons is to some extent unique in terms of their spiking correlation patterns. Interestingly, our results also indicated that these correlation patterns did not substantially alter between spontaneous and evoked activity. Our findings are compatible with the view that the synaptic input connectivity to each neocortical neuron is at least in some aspects unique. A possible interpretation is that plasticity mechanisms, which could either be initiating or be supported by transcriptomic differences, tend to differentiate rather than harmonize the synaptic weight distributions between adjacent neurons of the same type.
Homogenization of Non-Local Navier-Stokes-Korteweg Equations for Compressible Liquid-Vapour Flow in Porous Media

We consider a nonlocal version of the quasi-static Navier-Stokes-Korteweg equations with a non-monotone pressure law. This system governs the low-Reynolds number dynamics of a compressible viscous fluid that may take either a liquid or a vapour state. For a porous domain that is perforated by cavities with diameter proportional to their mutual distance the homogenization limit is analyzed. We extend the results for compressible one-phase flow with polytropic pressure laws and prove that the effective motion is governed by a nonlocal version of the Cahn-Hilliard equation. Crucial for the analysis is the convolution-like structure of the nonlocal capillarity term that allows to equip the system with a generalized convex free energy. Moreover, the capillarity term accounts not only for the energetic interaction within the fluid but also for the interaction with a solid wall boundary.
On the Hα behaviour of blue supergiants: rise and fall over the bi-stability jump

Context. The evolutionary state of blue supergiants is still unknown. Stellar wind mass loss is one of the dominant processes determining the evolution of massive stars, and it may provide clues on the evolutionary properties of blue supergiants. As the Hα line is the most oft-used mass-loss tracer in the OB-star regime, we investigate Hα line formation as a function of Teff. Aims. We provide a detailed analysis of the Hα line for OB supergiant models over an Teff range between 30 000 and 12 500 K, with the aim of understanding the mass-loss properties of blue supergiants. Methods. We model the Hα line using the non-LTE codecmfgen, in the context of the bi-stability jump at Teff∼ 22 500 K. Results. We find a maximum in the Hα equivalent width at 22 500 K - exactly at the location of the bi-stability jump. The Hα lineprofile behaviour is characterised by two branches of e ffective temperature: (i) a hot branch between 30 000 and 22 500 K, where Hα emission becomes stronger with decreasing Teff, and (ii) a cool branch between 22 500 and 12 500 K, where the Hα line becomes weaker. Our models show that this non-monotonic Hα behaviour is related to the optical depth of Lyα, finding that at the “cool” branch the population of the 2 nd level of hydrogen is enhanced in comparison to the 3 rd level. This is expected to increase line absorption, leading to weaker Hα flux when Teff drops from 22 500 K downwards. We also show that for late B supergiants (at Teff below ∼15 000 K), the differences in the Hα line between homogeneous and clumpy winds becomes insignifi cant. Moreover, we show that at the bi-stability jump Hα changes its character completely, from an optically thin to an optically thick line, implying that macroclumping should play an important role at temperatures below the bi-stability jump. This would not only have consequences for the character of observed Hα line profiles, but also for the reported discrepancies betwe en theoretical and empirical mass-loss rates.
Blastic natural killer cell lymphoma/leukaemia in a cat

Case summary A 7-year-old mixed-breed cat presented with subcutaneous oedema and erythema extending from the right axilla to the abdomen. Fine-needle aspiration of the subcutaneous lesion revealed large, atypical, round cells. A clonality analysis for the T-cell receptor-gamma and immunoglobulin heavy chain genes showed no clonal rearrangement. The presumed diagnosis was lymphoma and the cat was treated with prednisolone and L-asparaginase but died 78 days after initial treatment. At necropsy, an oedematous subcutaneous mass in the right axilla, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly and lymphadenopathy of the mediastinum and left axilla were observed. Histopathological examination revealed diffuse infiltration of large atypical round cells in the subcutaneous mass, liver, spleen, lymph nodes and bone marrow. Immunohistochemically, the tumour cells were strongly positive for CD56, and negative for CD3, CD20, CD79a, CD57, granzyme B and perforin. Based on these findings, the cat was diagnosed with blastic natural killer (NK) cell lymphoma/leukaemia. Relevance and novel information Here, we report the pathological and clinical findings of NK cell lymphoma/leukaemia in a cat. The antibody for human CD56, a diagnostic marker for human NK cell neoplasms, showed cross-reactivity with feline CD56 by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting analysis. The antibody could be a useful diagnostic marker for feline NK cell neoplasms.
A Longitudinal Study of Changes in Cognition Among Older Thais: Studying From the Kanchanaburi Demographic Surveillance System

Objectives: To examine the impacts of changes in social determinants of health (SDH) toward changes in cognition. Methods: Longitudinal data came from the Kanchanaburi Demographic Surveillance System (KDSS) collected in 2007 and 2011. Cognitive impairment was measured by category fluency and delayed recall. Generalized estimating equation (GEE) was used to investigate changes in cognition by taking SDH and other variables including age, gender, marital status, education, and depression into the model. Results: GEE revealed longitudinal effects of wealth index and working status against cognition. Older Thais living with richest wealth index (odds ratio [OR] = 0.54; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.31-0.94) and still being employed (OR = 0.65; 95% CI = 0.47-0.89) were less likely to have cognitive impairment. Discussion: Poorer wealth index and being unemployed were served as a risk factor for cognitive impairment over time. Increasing age was still the major risk for cognitive impairment.
Clozapine in Treatment-Resistant Bipolar Disorder With Suicidality. Three Case Reports

Bipolar disorder is associated with a high risk of suicide attempts and suicide deaths. The suicide mortality of people with bipolar disorder is approximately 25 times higher than the general population. No approved pharmacological strategies for suicidal thoughts and attempts in bipolar disorder have been introduced so far, and lithium remains as the first-line treatment for suicidal subjects. Clozapine is also a potentially good candidate for this indication. This case series represents three treatment-resistant bipolar patients with severe suicidal ideation who responded to low-dose clozapine treatment.
Mechanochemical Signaling of the Extracellular Matrix in Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition

Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) is a critical process in embryonic development in which epithelial cells undergo a transdifferentiation into mesenchymal cells. This process is essential for tissue patterning and organization, and it has also been implicated in a wide array of pathologies. While the intracellular signaling pathways that regulate EMT are well-understood, there is increasing evidence that the mechanical properties and composition of the extracellular matrix (ECM) also play a key role in regulating EMT. In turn, EMT drives changes in the mechanics and composition of the ECM, creating a feedback loop that is tightly regulated in healthy tissues, but is often dysregulated in disease. Here we present a review that summarizes our understanding of how ECM mechanics and composition regulate EMT, and how in turn EMT alters ECM mechanics and composition.