Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of the early response in fMRI in individual subjects using short stimulus duration

Optical imaging studies have provided evidence of an initial increase in deoxyhemoglobin following the onset of neuronal stimulation/activation and demonstrated that this initial increase could be spatially more specific to the site of neuronal activity. These studies also raised the possibility of improving the specificity of fMRI by selective mapping of this early response. Previous MR studies reported the observation of this early response but were limited in scope and not in full agreement. This paper presents a more extensive study that (a) demonstrates the initial signal decrease in individual subjects and (b) examines its dependence on stimulus duration and subject. Binocular visual stimulation experiments were performed on 14 subjects using echo‐planar imaging (EPI) with high temporal resolution. An initial signal decrease was consistently observed in regions that were more localized than those displaying the delayed positive response. In agreement with previous fMRI and optical imaging findings, the maximum signal decrease was 1–2% and occurred at approximately 2 s after the onset of the stimulus, depending on the subject. For stimulus longer than 3.0 s, the temporal dynamics and the amount of signal change of the early response was essentially independent of the stimulus duration, while the delayed response and the post‐stimulus undershoot increased both in terms of magnitude and rise time as the duration of the stimulus increased; this observation is concordant with the recent optical imaging study.
Multi-agent based experiments on uniform price and pay-as-bid electricity auction markets

Discriminatory pricing rule or pay-as-bid pricing rule has been proposed to replace the uniform pricing rule in the deregulated electricity markets, with the expectation that it would lower market prices and reduce price volatility. Using a multi-agent approach, where each adaptive agent represents a generator who develops bid prices based on Q-learning algorithm, the pay-as-bid auction and the uniform price auction are compared. The experimental results show that the pay-as-bid auction indeed results in lower market prices and price volatility, as expected. Also the experimental results show that the demand-side response has less effect on the reduction of market prices in the pay-as-bid auction, because bidders in the pay-as-bid auction bid as close to the market prices as possible and this makes the aggregate supply curve more flattened than that in the uniform price auction.
Sensory impairment and driving: the Blue Mountains Eye Study.

OBJECTIVES This study examined the associations between vision, hearing, loss, and car accidents. METHODS A cross-sectional survey of 3654 people aged 49 years and older in the Blue Mountains, Australia, was used. Each subject had a detailed eye examination and interview. RESULTS Self-reported car accident rates in the past year among 2379 current drivers were 5.6% for those aged 49 to 79 years and 9.1% for those 80 years and older. A 2-line difference in visual acuity was associated with increased risk of accidents (adjusted prevalence ratio [PR] = 1.6), as was visual acuity worse than 6/18 in the right eye (PR = 2.0), overall moderate hearing loss (PR = 1.9), and hearing loss in the right ear (PR = 1.8). CONCLUSIONS Sensory loss in drivers may be an important risk factor for car accidents.
IDENTIFICAÇÃO DE HIDROFORMAS E HIDROMORFOLOGIAS EM ZONAS COSTEIRAS ARENOSAS UTILIZANDO TÉCNICAS DE CLASSIFICAÇÃO DE IMAGEM

A aplicacao de metodologias inovadoras no estudo da zona costeira, como as Tecnicas de Informacao Geografica (TIG), utilizando fotografia aerea e imagens de satelite de alta resolucao espacial, e um assunto proeminente da investigacao das areas das Ciencias Geo-Espaciais e da Engenharia Costeira. Um conjunto de fotografias aereas, entre 1958 e 2002, foi analisado visualmente num ambiente de Sistemas de Informacao Geografica (SIG), com o objectivo de identificar hidroformas e hidromorfologias costeiras, no sector entre Esmoriz e Mira. Este trabalho tem como objectivo principal identificar e analisar formas/padroes morfologicas e hidrodinâmicos (hidroformas e hidromorfologias) recorrendo a algoritmos da classificacao de imagem. Para alcancar esse objectivo foram aplicados diferentes metodos de classificacao de imagem, nomeadamente tecnicas de classificacao supervisionada e nao supervisionada, utilizando o software PCI Geomatica®. Foram testados diferentes algoritmos na classificacao supervisionada, (paralelepipedo, distância minima e maxima probabilidade) e na classificacao nao supervisionada, o K-medias e o ISODATA. Os algoritmos de classificacao supervisionada apresentaram bons resultados, demonstrados pela precisao global e coeficiente Kappa, de 95.65% - 0.95661 e de 95.85% - 0.95840, para o metodo do paralelepipedo e para o metodo da maxima probabilidade respectivamente. Os algoritmos de classificacao nao supervisionada (K-medias e ISODATA) permitiram identificar varias classes, como por exemplo, praia, face da praia e zona de rebentacao. Os resultados obtidos foram comparados (sobrepostos) com os da analise visual em ambiente SIG, mostrando uma boa concordância nas hidroformas e hidromorfologias identificadas.
Failures of the interpolation lemma in quantified modal logic

Beth's Definability Theorem, and consequently the Interpolation Lemma, fail for the version of quantified S5 that is presented in Kripke's [6]. These failures persist when the constant domain axiom-scheme ∀x□φ ≡ □∀xφ is added to S5 or, indeed, to any weaker extension of quantificational K. §1 reviews some standard material on quantificational modal logic. This is in contrast to quantified intermediate logics for, as Gabbay [6] has shown, the Interpolation Lemma holds for the logic CD with constant domains and for several of its extensions. §§2—4 establish the negative results for the systems based upon S5. §5 establishes a more general negative result and, finally, §6 considers some positive results and open problems. A basic knowledge of classical and modal quantificational logic is presupposed. Let me briefly review the relevant model theory for quantified modal logic. Further details can be found in [3] or [7]. The language is obtained from the language for classical first-order logic with identity by adding a unary operator □ for necessity. The atomic formula ‘Ex’ is used as an abbreviation for ‘∃y(y = x)’ and may be read as ‘x exists’.
Yatırımcı Davranışlarının Davranışçı Yaklaşım Çerçevesinde Değerlendirilmesi

Geleneksel normatif bir sekilde, yatirimcilarin nasil davranmasi gerektigini belirten fikir ve finansal araclar gelistirirek karar problemine rasyonel cozum bulmaya calismaktadirlar. Ancak karar onyargilari, zihinsel kisayollar, soylenti tacirleri ve arbitraj sinirlamalarina iliskin bulgular, modern finansta hakim paradigma olan geleneksel finansin gecerliliginin sorgulanmasina, davranissal finansin gelismesine yol acmistir. Davranissal finans, tanimlayicidir, insanlarin finansal ortamda gercekte nasil davrandiklari ile ilgilenir, psikoloji ve sosyolojiden elde edilen bulgulari finans teorilerine uygular
Non-spiking interneurones in the pedal ganglia of a swimming mollusc

Neurones that produce graded potentials and not action potentials are found in a diverse range of species (Roberts & Bush, 1981), and are usually associated with situations where sensory information is being integrated, for example in the vertebrate retina. Nevertheless, in several arthropod species, non-spiking interneurones can participate in the production of a centrally generated motor pattern (Mendelson, 1971; Pearson & Fourtner, 1975; Heitler & Pearson, 1980; Simmers & Bush, 1980; Takahata, Nagayama & Hisada, 1981; Paul & Mulloney, 1985). Surprisingly, such interneurones with similar functions have not been reported for other phyla. In this study, non-spiking interneurones are described in the pedal ganglia of a mollusc that are probably the source of the motor pattern controlling swimming.
The role of urokinase in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and implication for therapy

Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive and frequently fatal form of interstitial lung disease for which there are no proven drug therapies. The pathogenesis of IPF is complex and the urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA)/plasminogen system participates in the repair process. The balance between the activating enzyme uPA, and its inhibitor PAI-1, is a critical determinant of the amount of scar development that follows. Objective: To address the role of urokinase in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis and its implications for therapy. Methods: We reviewed a spectrum of therapeutic strategies and focused on fibrinolytic and anticoagulant drugs for IPF patients. Results/conclusion: There is currently a search for new pharmacotherapeutic agents that may modulate the fibrogenic pathways in IPF. Either blocking PAI-1 or using uPA itself may be a promising new therapeutic strategy.
Sizing and experimental characterization of ultra-capacitors for small urban hybrid electric vehicle

This paper presents the design and the experimental tests of an ultra-capacitor pack used as an energy storage system in a small hybrid electric vehicle. This design consists in calculating the capacitance and the power of the capacitors, which are necessary to store kinetic energy during deceleration of the vehicle and then to accelerate the vehicle. In a second part, experimental tests are achieved to determine the real parameters of the capacitor pack electric model [1] in order to validate the manufacturer data. Influence of temperature on those experimental data is investigated too. Finally, the authors determine the energetic behaviour of the ultra-capacitors: they have measured an efficiency of around 95% during capacitors charge and discharge.
Detection of IgG and IgA against the mycobacterial antigen A60 in patients with extrapulmonary tuberculosis

BACKGROUND Diagnosis of extrapulmonary tuberculosis is often difficult to establish using standard methods. Serological techniques based on detection of antibodies against mycobacterial antigen A60 have shown good sensitivity and specificity in pulmonary tuberculosis. The present study was undertaken to define the diagnostic accuracy of testing for IgG and IgA against A60 in extrapulmonary tuberculosis. METHODS One hundred and ninety eight subjects were studied: 42 patients with extrapulmonary tuberculosis confirmed by microbiology and/or histology, 24 subjects with healed pulmonary or extrapulmonary tuberculosis, 44 patients with a defined non-tuberculous disease, and 88 healthy volunteers (44 PPD negative and 44 PPD positive). Detection of IgG and IgA against A60 antigen was carried out by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Cut off values were determined by receiver operating characteristic curves. RESULTS Sensitivity of the IgG test was 73.8% in extrapulmonary tuberculosis, while the specificity was 96.1%. The IgA test showed a sensitivity of 69.0% with a specificity of 93.6%. Combination of the IgG and IgA tests showed a sensitivity of 80.9% and a specificity of 92.3%. Patients with extrapulmonary tuberculosis showed significantly higher titres of both IgG and IgA against A60 than other groups. CONCLUSIONS Anti-A60 IgG or IgA tests are characterised by good sensitivity and specificity. The combined use of both tests allows an increase in diagnostic accuracy of extrapulmonary tuberculosis.
Mammalian Sec61 Is Associated with Sec62 and Sec63*

In yeast, efficient protein transport across the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane may occur co-translationally or post-translationally. The latter process is mediated by a membrane protein complex that consists of the Sec61p complex and the Sec62p-Sec63p subcomplex. In contrast, in mammalian cells protein translocation is almost exclusively co-translational. This transport depends on the Sec61 complex, which is homologous to the yeast Sec61p complex and has been identified in mammals as a ribosome-bound pore-forming membrane protein complex. We report here the existence of ribosome-free mammalian Sec61 complexes that associate with two ubiquitous proteins of the ER membrane. According to primary sequence analysis both proteins display homology to the yeast proteins Sec62p and Sec63p and are therefore named Sec62 and Sec63, respectively. The probable function of the mammalian Sec61-Sec62-Sec63 complex is discussed with respect to its abundance in ER membranes, which, in contrast to yeast ER membranes, apparently lack efficient post-translational translocation activity.
A Novel Mode of Regulation of the Staphylococcus aureus Catabolite Control Protein A (CcpA) Mediated by Stk1 Protein Phosphorylation*

Background: The catabolite control protein A (CcpA) plays an important role in Staphylococcus aureus virulence, biofilm formation, and central metabolism. Results: Phosphorylation of CcpA negatively affects its DNA binding activity and thus the expression of its target genes. Conclusion: CcpA activity is modulated by Stk1 phosphorylation. Significance: This study highlights that phosphorylation of CcpA represents a novel regulatory control mechanism for this major transcriptional factor. The Staphylococcus aureus serine/threonine protein kinase Stk1 (also known as PknB) affects different key pathways such as cell wall metabolism, antibiotic susceptibility, and regulation of virulence. Here we report that the catabolite control protein A (CcpA), a highly conserved regulator of carbon catabolite repression and virulence in a number of Gram-positive pathogens, was efficiently phosphorylated in vitro and in vivo by Stk1 in S. aureus, whereas the CcpA homologues of Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus anthracis were not affected by the Stk1 orthologue PrkC. Mass spectrometry and mutational analyses identified Thr-18 and Thr-33 as the phosphoacceptors; both are located in the DNA binding domain of this protein. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays demonstrated that the CcpA DNA binding activity was completely abrogated for the phosphorylated CcpA. The physiological relevance of CcpA phosphorylation was assessed by generating CcpA phosphoablative (T18A/T33A) or phosphomimetic (T18D/T33D) mutants. In contrast to the wild-type and phosphoablative ccpA alleles, introduction of the phosphomimetic ccpA allele in a ΔccpA mutant failed to restore the parental biofilm formation profile and the transcription of citZ and hla to levels seen with the wild type. The strong up regulation of ccpA transcripts and CcpA level in the ccpA mutant trans-complemented with the phosphomimetic CcpA variant suggest furthermore that CcpA acts as a negative regulator of its own expression. Together, these findings demonstrate that Stk1-driven phosphorylation of CcpA inhibits its DNA binding activity toward its regulon in S. aureus, representing a novel regulatory mechanism of CcpA activity in addition to the well known regulation via HprKP/Hpr in this clinically important pathogen.
Denoising, deblurring, and superresoluton in mobile phones

Current mobile phones and web cameras are equipped with low-budget digital cameras and very poor optics. Consequently, images acquired by such cameras are deteriorated by noise and blur, and have effective resolution lower than the number of pixels. Recovering a noise-free, sharp and high-resolution image from a single input image is a heavily ill-posed problem. We propose a novel algorithm which takes a set of acquired images from low-budget cameras and performs simultaneously three tasks: registration, denoising, deblurring and resolution enhancement. The amount of each depends on the characteristics of the input set. In order to achieve all tasks in one framework, we formulate the image restoration as an energy minimization problem. A special attention is paid to implementation, so that a fast algorithm is achieved. We demonstrate performance of the proposed algorithm on a system, which comprises a camera in a mobile phone (or web camera) and a PC. The mobile acquires images, connects to the PC via wireless network, sends the images and shows the output after it is calculated on the PC.
Separation of DNA sequencing fragments using an automated capillary electrophoresis instrument

Rapid, high‐resolution separation of DNA sequencing fragments by capillary gel electrophoresis using an automated, commercially available instrument is presented. The effect of column lengths and electric field strength on the resolution of sequencing fragments as well as the sensitivity of laser‐induced rescence (LIF) detection was investigated. Using a short capillary of 20 length, which results in a U‐shape of the capillary in the capillary cartridge very high separation efficiency, up to 17 × 106 theoretical plates per m, is obtained. Analysis of the band broadening factors revealed that the resolution on the short column is predominantly determined by axial diffusion and to a minor extent by detection zone width. Presumably due to the coiling of longer capillaries in the capillary cartridge, increasing the capillary length does increase the separation efficiency as predicted for diffusion‐limited separation. The concentration limit to detection (signal‐to‐noise ratio = 2) is 0.2 × 10−1 M of fluorescein‐labeled oligonucleotide primer under the separating conditions for DNA sequencing samples. Increasing the electric field strength from 100 to 175 V/cm improved resolution and at the same time approximately doubled the sequencing speed. Fragments up to 500 nucleotides in length are resolved in less than 50 min.
3D line segment reconstruction by using HyperOmni vision and omnidirectional Hough transforming

We (1995) have proposed an omnidirectional image sensor called HyperOmni Vision. This sensor can acquire omnidirectional and perspective images in real time. In this paper we present a new Hough transform method for an omnidirectional image by using a cubic Hough space. Furthermore, we describe a method for reconstructing 3D line segments from an omnidirectional input image sequence obtained by HyperOmni Vision with known motion.
Beat-to-beat variability of microvascular peripheral resistances assessed with a non-invasive approach

The pressure-flow relationship at the peripheral level is non-invasively studied in human subjects: the impedance function and the beat-to-beat variability series of microvascular peripheral resistance are estimated. The frequency content of this variability signal is compared to those of more classical variability series at rest and during mild supine physical exercise.
Referee Bias

This paper surveys the empirical literature on the behavior of referees in professional football and other sports. Referees are typically appointed by a principal to be impartial, especially when unbiased referee judgment is vital for the accomplishment of the principal's objective. Answering whether referees make biased decisions and understanding the causes that lead referees to digress from their principal duty of impartiality is therefore fundamental from a theoretical point of view. At the same time, assessing the prevalence and origin of referee bias is germane to various domains of life. Referee bias is particularly relevant in sports, where partial decision‐making can determine competition outcomes, which can have strong repercussions on athletes' careers and supporters' well‐being.
In defense of the Genetic Virtue Program

The target paper of this invited forum has a vaulting ambition: to convince readers that we ought to attempt to reduce evil in our world by constructing an interdisciplinary program, which I call the Genetic Virtue Program (GVP), to enhance the biological aspects of virtue. Most of the contributors to this forum are not sympathetic to the project—to put it mildly. Yet, one of the surprising things, at least to this author, is that comparatively little is said about the paper's overall ambition. Jamie Bronstein offers the idea that better socialization may be key: “No one would argue that there have not also been great evils; but the historical record doesn't support the level of improbability for further moral improvement through socialization that Walker would like to assign. ” However, nowhere do I claim that there is no prospect for further moral improvement through socialization. Indeed, in recently published work I specifically recommend that we improve socialization efforts to enhance virtue by tracking prosocialization efforts.
High Performance Data Analysis via Coordinated Caches

With the second run period of the LHC, high energy physics collaborations will have to face increasing computing infrastructural needs. Opportunistic resources are expected to absorb many computationally expensive tasks, such as Monte Carlo event simulation. This leaves dedicated HEP infrastructure with an increased load of analysis tasks that in turn will need to process an increased volume of data. In addition to storage capacities, a key factor for future computing infrastructure is therefore input bandwidth available per core. Modern data analysis infrastructure relies on one of two paradigms: data is kept on dedicated storage and accessed via network or distributed over all compute nodes and accessed locally. Dedicated storage allows data volume to grow independently of processing capacities, whereas local access allows processing capacities to scale linearly. However, with the growing data volume and processing requirements, HEP will require both of these features. For enabling adequate user analyses in the future, the KIT CMS group is merging both paradigms: popular data is spread over a local disk layer on compute nodes, while any data is available from an arbitrarily sized background storage. This concept is implemented as a pool of distributed caches, which are loosely coordinated by a central service. A Tier 3 prototype cluster is currently being set up for performant user analyses of both local and remote data.
Vascular Permeability Factor, Fibrin, and the Pathogenesis of Tumor Stroma Formation a

An association between malignancy and abnormal hemostasis has been appreciated for more than a hundred years.1. 2 A broad spectrum of clinically significant hemostatic abnormalities (eg., migratory thrombophlebitis, hemorrhage, disseminated intravascular coagulation) afflicts as many as 15% of cancer patients, and hemostatic complications are the second most common cause of mortality in cancer. Only recently, however, has it been recognized that, in addition to a proclivity to systemic coagulation, cancer patients activate the clotting system locally and extravasdarly, depositing fibrin gels in solid tumors that serve as a provisional stroma and that have a role in the induction of mature tumor stroma. The Irish pathologist, R.A. Q. O'Meara, was the first to propose in the late 1950s that fibrin was deposited in solid tumors; however, his work was inconclusive because the techniques then available fbr identifylng fibrin in tissues were primitive and relatively nonspecific. The first solid evidence that fibrinogen-related proteins (FRP) were localized in solid tumors came fiom studies which showed that systemically administered fibrinogen, and also antifibrinogen antibodies, were selectively concentrated in animal and human tumors.2 Thereafter, seved groups demonstrated FRP in rat and human neoplasms by immunofluorescence. For some time there was considerable reluctance to accept even these findings. Valid questions were raised as to the specificity of the antibodies used, the generality of the observations, and the possibility ofartifict, arising from accumulation of FRP either postmortem or as tissues were being removed surg~cally. More recent work has W l y laid these doubts to rest.2 Moreover, immunohistochemical, electron microscopic, and, in some instances, biochemical studies