Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The supraspinal control of mammalian locomotion.

For detailed neurophysiological analyses of supraspinal contributions to locomotor control we have been, and continue to be, very largely dependent on work carried out using cats; the mammal of my title is therefore essentially a synonym for the cat. As to the ground to be covered, I shall restrict myself to research in three areas. First, what is known concerning the locomotor capabilities of the spinal cord will be briefly considered: this is necessary because any supraspinal controls are inevitably mediated via the cord and the functional characteristics of the cord must influence the nature of the neural signals descending from the brain to the cord. Secondly, I shall review in outline what is known about what might be called supraspinal locomotor drives: one function of descending impulse traffic is to provide energizing signals which stir up the cord so that its locomotor circuits are brought into operation and its capabilities expressed. Finally, I shall discuss at greater length some contributions to locomotor control which originate from the cerebellum and the motor cortex: via their functional association with various descending motor pathways these parts of the brain seem essentially to fine-tune locomotor performance in an adaptive way, fitting the movements to the particular environmental contexts in which they are executed. As to the types of evidence to be considered, reference will be made to lesion studies, to studies in which cell groups and fibre tracts have been stimulated electrically (and more recently also chemically) and, most importantly, to studies in which microelectrodes have been used to record the impulse discharges of single central neurones in animals engaged in locomotor acts. Space constraints inevitably imply that a review of the present kind must be selective in its coverage. More detailed expositions of areas which are here touched on briefly (or not at all) are available in the book by Arshavsky, Gelfand & Orlovsky (1986) and in reviews by Wetzel & Stuart (1976), Grillner (1981), Garcia-Rill (1986) and Armstrong (1986).
3D NoC-enabled heterogeneous manycore architectures for accelerating CNN training: Performance and thermal trade-offs

As deep learning technology is increasingly employed in diverse applications domains, the demand for computational power to enable these algorithms also increases. In this respect, high-performance three-dimensional (3D) heterogeneous manycore systems present a promising direction. However, deep learning on these systems pose several design challenges. First, the network-on-chip (NoC) must handle the traffic requirements of both CPU and GPU communications. Second, 3D system designs must address thermal issues resulting from high-power density. In this work, we propose a design methodology for a heterogeneous 3D NoC architecture that not only satisfies the traffic requirements of both CPUs and GPUs, but also reduces thermal hotspots. To this end, we target the training of two widely employed convolutional neural networks (CNN), namely, LeNet and CIFAR. By using our joint performance-thermal optimization methodology to create a 3D NoC for training CNNs, we reduce the maximum temperature by 22% while incurring only 5% full-system energy-delay-product degradation over a solely performance optimized 3D NoC. This demonstrates that, our design methodology achieves considerable temperature reduction with negligible loss in performance.
PITUITARY AUTOANTIBODIES IN ENDOCRINE DISORDERS

Autoimmune endocrine disorders are characterised by the development of autoantibodies to specific autoantigens in the target organs. Lymphocytic hypophysitis (LyH) is a disease characterised by inflammation of the pituitary gland, often resulting in hypopituitarism. The aetiology of LyH is considered to be autoimmune. However, only a few pituitary autoantigens have so far been identified. Reliable autoantibody markers are requested in the diagnostic procedure of LyH to avoid unnecessary surgical intervention. The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of pituitary autoantibodies in patients with nonadenomatous pituitary disease and also to identify novel pituitary autoantigens. Autoantibodies to human pituitary cytosolic proteins were determined by immunoblotting. Reactivity to a Mr 49 000 pituitary autoantigen was significantly more frequent in patients with idiopathic pituitary hormone deficiency (6/21 (28%) p< 0.05) as well as their relatives (10/35 (28%) p<0.02) compared to control subjects (3/44 (6.8%)). The importance of these pituitary autoantibodies as markers for LyH remains to be confirmed. Autoantibodies against human pituitary cytosol and ten additional organ-specific autoantigens were measured in sera from 30 patients with empty sella syndrome (ESS). None of the autoantibodies tested was more frequently found in ESS patients compared to healthy controls. Thus, by analysing autoantibodies we did not find evidence of ESS being associated with any autoimmune disease. Autoantibodies to a novel 36-kDa pituitary cytosolic autoantigen were more common in patients with ACTH-deficiency (12/65 (18.5%) compared to control subjects (2/57 3.5%) (p<0.0214). In addition, autoantibodies to thyroglobulin (TG) were positively correlated to immunoreactivity against the 36-kDa pituitary autoantigen. A human pituitary cDNA expression library was successfully constructed. Immunoscreening identified secretogranin II as a pituitary autoantigen in a patient with partial pituitary insufficiency and empty sella. By immunohistochemistry, autoantibodies against ACTH and gonadotrophs were detected in sera from patients with autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1 (APS1) and GHdeficiency. Sera from these patients also showed staining of monoamine and GABA nerve terminals in the pituitary intermediate lobe, in agreement with immunoreactivity towards enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of neurotransmittors. By screening of the human pituitary cDNA expression library we identified TDRD6 as a major autoantigen in APS1.
CONFIRMATION OF A RECENT BIPOLAR EJECTION IN THE VERY YOUNG HIERARCHICAL MULTIPLE SYSTEM IRAS 16293–2422

We present and analyze two new high-resolution (∼0.″3), high-sensitivity (∼50 μJy beam−1) Very Large Array 3.6 cm observations of IRAS 16293–2422 obtained in 2007 August and 2008 December. The components A2α and A2β recently detected in this system are still present, and have moved roughly symmetrically away from source A2 at a projected velocity of 30–80 km s−1. This confirms that A2α and A2β were formed as a consequence of a very recent bipolar ejection from A2. Powerful bipolar ejections have long been known to occur in low-mass young stars, but this is—to our knowledge—the first time that such a dramatic one is observed from its very beginning. Under the reasonable assumption that the flux detected at radio wavelengths is optically thin free–free emission, one can estimate the mass of each ejecta to be of the order of 10−8 M☉. If the ejecta were created as a consequence of an episode of enhanced mass loss accompanied by an increase in accretion onto the protostar, then the total luminosity of IRAS 16293–2422 ought to have increased by 10%–60% over the course of at least several months. Between A2α and A2β, component A2 has reappeared, and the relative position angle between A2 and A1 is found to have increased significantly since 2003–2005. This strongly suggests that A1 is a protostar rather than a shock feature, and that the A1/A2 pair is a tight binary system. Including component B, IRAS 16293–2422 therefore appears to be a very young hierarchical multiple system.
Efficient spectrum harvesting using adaptive co-channel interference suppression based on polynomial classifier

This paper discusses the problem of adaptively suppressing co-channel interference in a cellular wireless receiver. The technique makes use of statistical data to design a polynomial based classifier which can be used to identify the number of co-channel interferers. The result of detection is used to adaptively vary the order of interference suppression filter and the length of overall channel impulse response. The polynomial classifier is based on the eigenvalues of error covariance matrix and signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR). An improvement of 1.5 dB is seen in receiver performance. Further, the parameters so derived for the classifier can be used to enhance the reliability of channel state information in more advanced communication systems, preferably LTE-A or 5G.
Protective Equipment and the Injury Crisis in English Rugby Union

This paper argues that the increasing use of protective equipment in British rugby union and elsewhere occurs in the context of rising concern over injury rates in the game, but also in an atmosphere of confusion as to its efficacy. A seminal, but methodologically flawed study has resulted in its authors calling on the International Rugby Board to have a moratorium on their use, while at some levels in Canada and throughout the game in Japan, the use of head guards in compulsory. The data gathered from a study of elite professional rugby in England, indicate the extent of the divergence of opinion within and between various groups involved in the game. There appears to be little agreement as to whether the use of protective equipment makes the game more or less dangerous for players and opinion also varied in regard to specific items of protective equipment. The paper concludes by considering whether some of the divergence found may be related to the differing occupational experiences of the groups involved, and suggesting ways in which future research may be modelled to provide more reliable data on this phenomenon. Introduction At regular intervals since rugby union became an openly professional sport, the British media has raised the question of whether injury rates in the game have become unacceptably high. Headlines such as 'Set Standards, Save Lives' (Telegraph, 20 June 2002), 'Players' body calls for a cap on club appearances to cut injuries'; (Guardian, 2 January 2001), 'Has rugby become too dangerous in the professional era? ' (Guardian, 7 December 2002) and French international, Thomas Castaignede's article, 'The hits get bigger and our shelf life grows shorter' (Guardian, 5 January 2003) are just a few indications of a broader trend. The recent death of an eighteen year old schoolboy rugby player James Harding (BBC News Online, 5 December 2002) and Richard Vowles' successful claim for compensation for the paralysis suffered due to a refereeing error in a Welsh club rugby match (BBC News Online, 13 December 2002) have served to heighten the public's sensitivity towards the health risks involved in the sport. That rugby is a relatively dangerous sport is, of course, well established (Sports Council 1991; Hume & Marshall 1994). This has led to a large body of sports medicine literature that has addressed the epidemiology of rugby injuries (Garraway & MacLeod, 1995; Targett, 1998; Sharp, Murray & MacLeod, 2001), the identification of key risk factors (Quarrie et al, 2001), the long term effects of injury (Lee, Garraway, Hepburn, & Laidlaw, 2001), the effectiveness of protective headgear (McIntosh & McCory, 2001) and, most recently,
Expression-invariant three-dimensional face reconstruction from a single image by facial expression generic elastic models

Abstract. An efficient method for expression-invariant three-dimensional (3-D) face reconstruction from a frontal face image with a variety of facial expressions (FE) using the FE generic elastic model (GEM) is proposed. Three generic models are employed for FE modeling in the generic elastic model (GEM) framework, which are combined based on the similarity distance around the lips. Exclusively, FE-GEM demonstrated that it is more precisely able to estimate a 3-D model of a frontal face, attaining a more robust and better quality 3-D face reconstruction under a variety of FEs compared to the original GEM approach. It is tested on an available 3-D face database and its accuracy and robustness are demonstrated compared to the GEM approach under a variety of FEs. Also, the FE-GEM method is tested on available two-dimensional face databases and a new synthesized pose is generated from gallery images for handling pose variations in face recognition.
Interleukin-33 Induces Protective Effects in Adipose Tissue Inflammation During Obesity in Mice

Rationale: Chronic low-grade inflammation involving adipose tissue likely contributes to the metabolic consequences of obesity. The cytokine interleukin (IL)-33 and its receptor ST2 are expressed in adipose tissue, but their role in adipose tissue inflammation during obesity is unclear. Objective: To examine the functional role of IL-33 in adipose tissues and investigate the effects on adipose tissue inflammation and obesity in vivo. Methods and Results: We demonstrate that treatment of adipose tissue cultures in vitro with IL-33 induced production of Th2 cytokines (IL-5, IL-13, IL-10) and reduced expression of adipogenic and metabolic genes. Administration of recombinant IL-33 to genetically obese diabetic (ob/ob) mice led to reduced adiposity, reduced fasting glucose and improved glucose and insulin tolerance. IL-33 also induced accumulation of Th2 cells in adipose tissue and polarization of adipose tissue macrophages toward an M2 alternatively activated phenotype (CD206+), a lineage associated with protection against obesity-related metabolic events. Furthermore, mice lacking endogenous ST2 fed high-fat diet had increased body weight and fat mass and impaired insulin secretion and glucose regulation compared to WT controls fed high-fat diet. Conclusions: In conclusion, IL-33 may play a protective role in the development of adipose tissue inflammation during obesity.
Distributed File System Based on Erasure Coding for I/O-Intensive Applications

Distributed storage systems take advantage of the network, storage and computational resources to provide a scalable infrastructure. But in such large system, failures are frequent and expected. Data replication is the common technique to provide fault-tolerance but suffers from its important storage consumption. Erasure coding is an alternative that offers the same data protection but reduces significantly the storage consumption. As it entails additional workload, current storage providers limit its use for longterm storage. We present the Mojette Transform (MT), an erasure code whose computations rely on fast XOR operations. The MT is part of RozoFS, a distributed file system that provides a global namespace relying on a cluster of storage nodes. This work is part of our ongoing effort to prove that erasure coding is not necessarily a bottleneck for intense I/O applications. In order to validate our approach, we consider a case study involving a storage cluster of RozoFS that supports video editing as an I/O intensive application.
The Role of Mechanical-Electrical Interaction in Ventricular Arrhythmia: Evidence From a Novel Animal Model for Repaired Tetralogy of Fallot

Pulmonary regurgitation and prolonged QRS duration of right bundle branch (RBB) block are common in repaired tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) and increase the risk of sudden death. We sought to establish an animal model to reflect both abnormalities. Twenty-one canines: group I (n = 7) received a surgical right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) transannular patch plus pulmonary valve destruction; group II (n = 5) received RBB ablation and sham operation; and group III (n = 9) received combined interventions. Serial electrophysiological data were obtained up to 1 y. Procedure mortality was 27.6%. At 1 y, although severe pulmonary regurgitation was documented in most dogs in groups I (71%) and III (100%), progressive RVOT dilatation was noted in group III. RBB block was present in all dogs in groups II and III. However, the increments of QRS duration, QTc, JTc, and QT dispersion progression between 1 mo and 1 y were all greatest in group III. Ventricular arrhythmia events were frequent in group III (median 3.3/mo) but uncommon in groups I and II (median 1/mo). We have created a novel animal model that adequately reflects both the hemodynamic and electrophysiological characteristics of repaired TOF patients and can be applied to examine the risk of ventricular arrhythmias.
Metabolic and immunological changes in transition dairy cows: A review

Smooth transition from pregnancy to lactation is important for high productive and reproductive performance during later postpartum period in dairy animals. On the other hand, the poor transition often leads to huge economic loss to dairy farmers due to compromised production and reproduction. Therefore, understanding the causes and consequence of metabolic changes during the transition period is very important for postpartum health management. In this review, metabolic changes with reference to negative energy balance in transition cow and its effect on health and reproduction during the later postpartum period in dairy animals are discussed besides the role of metabolic inflammation in postpartum performance in dairy animals.
Smart sensor systems for human health breath monitoring applications

Breath analysis techniques offer a potential revolution in health care diagnostics, especially if these techniques can be brought into standard use in the clinic and at home. The advent of microsensors combined with smart sensor system technology enables a new generation of sensor systems with significantly enhanced capabilities and minimal size, weight and power consumption. This paper discusses the microsensor/smart sensor system approach and provides a summary of efforts to migrate this technology into human health breath monitoring applications. First, the basic capability of this approach to measure exhaled breath associated with exercise physiology is demonstrated. Building from this foundation, the development of a system for a portable asthma home health care system is described. A solid-state nitric oxide (NO) sensor for asthma monitoring has been identified, and efforts are underway to miniaturize this NO sensor technology and integrate it into a smart sensor system. It is concluded that base platform microsensor technology combined with smart sensor systems can address the needs of a range of breath monitoring applications and enable new capabilities for healthcare.
Apolipoproteins: correlation with carotid intimamedia thickness and coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND Lower levels of plasma apolipoprotein AI (Apo A-I) and higher levels of ApoB, and the ratio of ApoB to ApoA-I are considered to be independent risk factors for coronary heart disease, and may assume importance in the definite subset of Indian patients with normal levels of traditional lipid risk factors and an early-onset of coronary artery disease (CAD). Carotid intima-media thickness is considered as a marker of atherosclerosis and in prediction of clinical coronary events and coronary artery disease. With increasing interest in the role of non-traditional lipid risk factors in CAD and few studies reported in Indian subjects, we undertook this study to correlate the apolipoprotein levels with CAD and their impact on arterial thickening utilizing the carotid intima-media thickness as a surrogate marker. METHODS AND RESULTS Traditional lipid profile, apolipoprotein A-I and B and carotid artery Intima-media thickness (IMT) with a B-mode scan were measured in 309 patients recruited for the study (age group 36-64 years), which included 193 males and 116 females. Mean of maximal IMT exceeding 0.8 mm at the far wall of common carotid artery, excluding plaques, was selected as the higher values for comparison. One hundred and twenty two subjects had evidence for CAD as diagnosed by documented hospitalization with myocardial infarction or acute coronary syndrome, coronary angiography when feasible or noninvasive cardiac evaluation. Prevalence of subjects with increased IMT was higher among subjects with an apolipoprotein B: apolipoprotein A-I ratio exceeding one compared to those with a ratio less than one (30.6% vs 16.5%, p = 0.005). Prevalence of CAD was significantly higher among subjects with apolipoprotein B: apolipoprotein A-I ratio exceeding one as compared to those with a ratio less than one (53.7% vs 30.3%, p = 0.0002). Subjects with apolipoprotein B: apolipoprotein A-I ratio exceeding one and carotid IMT more than 0.8 mm had a 2.7-fold prevalence for CAD as against those with a ratio less than one and IMT less than 0.8 mm. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, apolipoprotein B: apolipoprotein A-I ratio exceeding one was significantly associated with increased IMT (odds ratio 2.27) and CAD (odds ratio 2.50) even after inclusion of sex, smoking, body mass index, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, total cholesterol:HDL-cholesterol ratio and serum triglycerides into the model. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that apolipoprotein B to A-I ratio shows a strong association with carotid intimal medial thickening and coronary artery disease in this Western Indian population and may play an important role is assessment of coronary risk in addition to traditional coronary risk factors.
Water treeing--a potential mechanism for degradation of dentin adhesives.

PURPOSE To test the hypothesis that water channels are present along the adhesive-dentin interface that can be detected using transmission electron microscopy examination of tracer penetration. MATERIALS AND METHODS Different total-etch adhesives (Single Bond, Excite, and PQ1) and self-etch adhesives (Prompt L-Pop, Reactmer Bond, and an experimental self-etch adhesive) were bonded to dentin and enamel. Bonded resin-tooth slabs were immersed in 50 wt% conventional silver nitrate or 50 wt% basic, ammoniacal silver nitrate for 24 hours, exposed to a photodeveloping solution, and prepared for transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS With both types of silver nitrate, all adhesives exhibited nanoleakage within hybrid layers. In addition, water trees in the form of interconnecting, dendritic silver deposits were seen along the surface of the hybrid layers that extended perpendicularly into the adhesive layers. With ammoniacal silver nitrate, additional isolated, unconnected silver grains were observed within the adhesives.
Comparing Partial and Full Return Spectral Methods

An analysis on the arithmetic complexity of recently proposed spectral modular arithmetic – in particular spectral modular multiplicationis presented through a step-by-step evaluation. Standart use of spectral methods in computer arithmetic instructs to utilize separated multiplication and reduction steps taking place in spectrum and time domains respectively. Such a procedure clearly needs full return (forward and backward) DFT calculations. On the other hand, by calculating some partial values on-the-fly, new methods adopt an approach that keeps the data in the spectrum at all times, including the reduction process. After comparing the timing performances of these approaches, it is concluded that full return algorithms perform better than the recently proposed methods.
High gain νMOS ISFET front end

The maximum theoretical sensitivity of ion sensitive field effect transistors (ISFETs) is known to be 59.2 mV/pH at 25°C. Devices built using standard CMOS processes generally have less sensitivity. Using floating gate νMOS concepts it is possible, without using additional circuitry or processing steps; to increase it when reflected to the input. That is by using a second electrical input that is capacitively coupled to ISFETs floating gate via a small capacitance. The ratio between the chemical sensitive passivation capacitance and this small capacitance becomes the amplification ratio of pH sensitivity referred to this input. A sensitivity of 459.17 mV/pH referred to the second input was measured. The same device had a sensitivity of 46.17 mV/pH referred to the reference voltage.