Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Support Ratio on Infants' Perception of Illusory Contours

We used a preferential looking technique to investigate the effect of support ratio (a ratio of the physically specified contours to the total edge length) on the perception of Kanizsa illusory contours in infants aged 3–8 months. Previous work has shown that for adult observers the illusory-contour strength increases proportionally with the support ratio. When the support ratio was relatively high (66%), infants preferred illusory contours to non-illusory figures by 3–4 months of age (experiment 1). In contrast, only infants 7–8 months old showed this preference for illusory contours when the support ratio was reduced to 37% (experiment 3). Further, infants showed no preference for an outline version of the illusory-contour figure, which produced no illusory contours (experiment 2). This result confirms that the infants' preference reflects their perception of illusory contours. Our results show that (i) illusory-contour perception emerges at around 3–4 months of age, but (ii) that this ability is very limited until around 7–8 months of age.
Paliperidone in the treatment of Schizophrenia: An overview

The schizophrenia is a psychiatric disease, characterized by symptoms alterating the mind, behaviour and emotion. The terms antipsychotic and neuroleptic define a group of drugs mainly used to treat schizophrenia. The antipsychotics may be divided into two classes: classic or typical and atypical. The paliperidone, the major metabolite of risperidone, shares with the native drug the characteristics of receptorial binding and the serotonin (5HT2A) and dopamine (D2) antagonism Paliperidone is available in a prolonged release formulation and it allows the administration once daily. Besides, the paliperidone has a pharmacological action independent of CYT P450, thus, several pharmacological interactions would be avoided to interference with the activity of the CYP2D6, that is known to have involved in the metabolism of the 25% of the drugs.
Simultaneous use of mark-recapture and radiotelemetry to estimate survival, movement, and capture rates

Biologists often estimate separate survival and movement rates from radiotelemetry and mark -recapture data from the same study population. We describe a method for combining these data types in a single model to obtain joint, potentially less biased estimates of survival and movement that use all available data. We furnish an example using wood thrushes (Hylocichla mustelina) captured at the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge in central Georgia in 1996. The model structure allows estimation of survival and capture probabilities, as well as estimation of movements away from and into the study area. In addition, the mode structure provides many possibilities for hypothesis testing. Using the combined model structure, we estimated that weekly survival of wood thrushes was 0.989 ± 0.007 (±SE). Survival rates of banded and radiomarked individuals were not different (α[S radioed , S banded ] = log[S radioed /S banded ] = 0.0239, 95% CI = -0.0196 to 0.0486) Fidelity rates (weekly probability of remaining in a stratum) did not differ between geographic strata (ψ = 0.911 ± 0.020; α[ψ 11 ψ 22 ] = 0.0161, 95% CI = -0.0309 to 0.0631). and recapture rates (p = 0.097 ± 0.016) of banded and radiomarked individuals were not different (α[P radioed , P banded ] = 0.145, 95% CI = -0.510 to 0.800). Combining these data types in a common model resulted in more precise estimates of movement and recapture rates than separate estimation, but ability to detect stratum or mark-specific differences in parameters was weak. We conducted simulation trials to investigate the effects of varying study designs on parameter accuracy and statistical power to detect important differences. Parameter accuracy was high (relative bias [RBIAS] <2%) and confidence interval coverage close to nominal, except for survival estimates of banded birds for the off study area stratum, which were negatively biased (RBIAS -7 to -15%) when sample sizes were small (5-10 banded or radioed animals released per time interval). To provide adequate data for useful inference from this model, study designs should seek a minimum of 25 animals of each marking type observed (marked or observed via telemetry) in each time period and geographic stratum.
Analysis of Drosophila p8 and p52 mutants reveals distinct roles for the maintenance of TFIIH stability and male germ cell differentiation

Eukaryotic gene expression is activated by factors that interact within complex machinery to initiate transcription. An important component of this machinery is the DNA repair/transcription factor TFIIH. Mutations in TFIIH result in three human syndromes: xeroderma pigmentosum, Cockayne syndrome and trichothiodystrophy. Transcription and DNA repair defects have been linked to some clinical features of these syndromes. However, how mutations in TFIIH affect specific developmental programmes, allowing organisms to develop with particular phenotypes, is not well understood. Here, we show that mutations in the p52 and p8 subunits of TFIIH have a moderate effect on the gene expression programme in the Drosophila testis, causing germ cell differentiation arrest in meiosis, but no Polycomb enrichment at the promoter of the affected differentiation genes, supporting recent data that disagree with the current Polycomb-mediated repression model for regulating gene expression in the testis. Moreover, we found that TFIIH stability is not compromised in p8 subunit-depleted testes that show transcriptional defects, highlighting the role of p8 in transcription. Therefore, this study reveals how defects in TFIIH affect a specific cell differentiation programme and contributes to understanding the specific syndrome manifestations in TFIIH-afflicted patients.
Enabling secure and resource-efficient blockchain networks with VOLT

This paper describes VOLT, a permissioned blockchain network for a group of autonomous organizations to automate cross-organizational business processes. Specifically, VOLT ensures that a correct member— without trusting anyone else—shares a consistent history of trans-actions with other members in the system. VOLT achieves this strong security property using the concept of a self-verifying ledger : an append-only ledger of transactions that can be checked locally by a verifier process at each node; the ledger also embeds succinct cryptographic messages encoding views of members to enable each veri-fier to locally determine globally-committed transactions. To orchestrate this concept, VOLT employs a logically centralized—but untrusted— service provider . We instantiate the service provider using a highly-available cloud service built atop a fault-tolerant cloud storage service. An experimental evaluation of our implementation demonstrates that VOLT achieves tens of thousands of transactions per second for a realistic 50-node payment network.
FINE STRUCTURAL CHANGES IN NERVE CELL BODIES OF THE ADULT RABBIT DORSAL MOTOR VAGAL NUCLEUS DURING AXON REACTION

Counts of neuronal nucleoli were made in the dorsal motor vagal nucleus (DMV) of the adult rabbit 10, 18, 70 and 90 days following unilateral cervical vagotomy. The structural characteristics of nerve cell bodies in the DMV were studied electron microscopically 2–90 days after cervical vagotomy. The nucleolar counts indicated that 20% of the large DMV neurones had disappeared ipsilateral to the operation 10 days postoperatively (p. o.), 65% 18 days p. o. and 70% 70 and 90 days p. o. No loss of small neurones was found. Large neurones ipsilateral to the operation showed nuclear displacement, infoldings of the nuclear membrane and disappearance of granular endoplasmic reticulum beginning 4 days p. o. and being prominent 6–18 days p. o. At the peak of the response, 10–18 days p. o. , reacting neurones showed nucleolar condensation and vacuolation, the appearance of intranuclear electron‐dense particles, extensive accumulation of intracytoplasmic lipid droplets, increased numbers of microtubules and neurofilaments, focal mitochondrial aggregates, and widespread mitochondrial degeneration. Ten to 21 days p. o. degenerating neurones were observed. After 30 days p. o. survival a partial recovery of surviving large DMV neurones seemed to have taken place. The findings are interpreted as indications of distubed protein metabolism, oxidative metabolism and intraneuronal transport in the axotomized DMV neurones. The unique response of these neurones compared to previously studied peripherally projecting neurones is emphasized.
Binding between Pseudomonas aeruginosa adhesins and human salivary, tracheobronchial and nasopharyngeal mucins

Endogenous aspiration of nasooropharyngeal secretions is a major source of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to lungs. To understand the mechanism of binding between P. aeruginosa and nasooropharyngeal secretions, we have utilized an overlay binding assay employing P. aeruginosa nonpilus protein adhesins (18 kDa and 15 kDa) and mucins from human saliva, tracheobronchial and nasopharyngeal secretions. Nasopharyngeal mucin bound to both the 18 kDa and 15 kDa adhesins. A high molecular weight salivary mucin and tracheobronchial mucin bound only to the 18 kDa adhesin. On the other hand, asialonasopharyngeal and asialotracheobronchial mucins did not bind to either of the adhesins. Binding of nasopharyngeal mucin to the 18 kDa and 15 kDa was not inhibitable by glycoproteins, bovine submaxillary mucins and sialic acid. Further, a low molecular weight salivary mucin which contains sialylated oligosacchardies also did not bind to either of the adhesins. Collectively, the results suggest that binding between P. aeruginosa and mucins may involve specific receptors and adhesins.
Variable Frequency Digital PWM Control for Low-Power Buck Converters

Abstract—This paper describes digital pulse width modulation (DPWM) controller technique for implementing low-power buck converters. The converter is operated at Discontinuous conduction mode to reduce the losses during switching. A DPWM controller is developed to achieve the best possible transient performance under load current change. Simulation of the converter is carried out using MATLAB/SIMULINK and the results indicate that it has good dynamic performance under load change.
The p21Cip1 and p27Kip1 CDK ‘inhibitors’ are essential activators of cyclin D‐dependent kinases in murine fibroblasts

The widely prevailing view that the cyclin‐dependent kinase inhibitors (CKIs) are solely negative regulators of cyclin‐dependent kinases (CDKs) is challenged here by observations that normal up‐regulation of cyclin D–CDK4 in mitogen‐stimulated fibroblasts depends redundantly upon p21Cip1 and p27Kip1. Primary mouse embryonic fibroblasts that lack genes encoding both p21 and p27 fail to assemble detectable amounts of cyclin D–CDK complexes, express cyclin D proteins at much reduced levels, and are unable to efficiently direct cyclin D proteins to the cell nucleus. Restoration of CKI function reverses all three defects and thereby restores cyclin D activity to normal physiological levels. In the absence of both CKIs, the severe reduction in cyclin D‐dependent kinase activity was well tolerated and had no overt effects on the cell cycle.
Lymphatic function, lymphangiogenesis, and cancer metastasis

The lymphatic system serves as the primary route for the metastasis of many cancers and the extent of lymph node involvement is the most important indicator of tumor aggressiveness. Despite the apparent importance of the lymphatic vessels for tumor dissemination, it has remained unclear whether activation of lymphatic endothelial cells may affect tumor progression and metastasis and the molecular mechanisms of lymphangiogenesis are just beginning to be elucidated. This overview describes the unique structural and functional characteristics of the lymphatic vessels that render them particularly suitable for invasion by tumor cells and for their efficient transport to lymph nodes. Recent evidence indicates occurrence of tumor lymphangiogenesis and its correlation with metastasis. Molecular regulation of tumor lymphangiogenesis, its significance for tumor metastasis, and implications for cancer therapy are discussed. Microsc. Res. Tech. 55:92–99, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Audio/video databases: an object-oriented approach

The notion of an audio/video (AV) database is introduced. An AV database is a collection of AV values such as digital audio and video data and AV activities such as interconnectable components used to process AV values. Two abstraction mechanisms, temporal composition and flow composition, allow the aggregation of AV values and AV activities respectively. An object-oriented framework, incorporating an AV data model and prescribing AV database/application interaction, is described. <<ETX>>
Participatory Sensing or Participatory Nonsense?

Citizen Science with mobile and wearable technology holds the possibility of unprecedented observation systems. Experts and policy makers are torn between enthusiasm and scepticism regarding the value of the resulting data, as their decision making traditionally relies on high-quality instrumentation and trained personnel measuring in a standardized way. In this paper, we (1) present an empirical behavior taxonomy of errors exhibited in non-expert smartphone-based sensing, based on four small exploratory studies, and discuss measures to mitigate their effects. We then present a large summative study (N=535) that compares instructions and technical measures to address these errors, both from the perspective of improvements to error frequency and perceived usability. Our results show that (2) technical measures without explanation notably reduce the perceived usability and (3) technical measures and instructions nicely complement each other: Their combination achieves a significant reduction in observed error rates while not affecting the user experience negatively.
Shape Discrimination for Motion-Defined and Contrast-Defined form: Squareness is Special

Shape discrimination was measured for: (i) two-dimensional rectangular targets that were perfectly camouflaged within a stationary pattern of random dots and rendered visible by relative motion of the dots, and (ii) similar dotted rectangles that were rendered visible by luminance contrast. Shape discrimination was disconfounded from size discrimination by requiring subjects to discriminate the aspect ratios of rectangles whose areas were altered independently of aspect ratio. When dot speed and contrast were both high, the aspect-ratio discrimination threshold was as acute for motion-defined (MD) rectangles as for contrast-defined (CD) rectangles and, at 2–3%, corresponded to a change of side length of about 24 s arc compared to a mean dot separation of 360 s arc. Discrimination of MD rectangles collapsed at low dot speeds and could not be measured at speeds less than about 0.03–0.08 deg s−1, but discrimination of CD rectangles was almost unaffected by dot speed. The aspect-ratio discrimination threshold was lowest for a square and progressively increased as the rectangle became more asymmetric. It is suggested that the visual system contains a mechanism that compares the separations of pairs of contours along different azimuths, and that, during visual development, this shape-discrimination processing of MD and CD targets is driven by the same environmental and behavioural pressures towards a common end point. The human equivalent of a pathway that includes the cortical area MT is thought to be important for shape discrimination of MD forms.
RARA fusion genes in acute promyelocytic leukemia: a review

The t(15;17)(q24;q21), generating a PML-RARA fusion gene, is the hallmark of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). At present, eight other genes fusing with RARA have been identified. The resulting fusion proteins retain domains of the RARA protein allowing binding to retinoic acid response elements (RARE) and dimerization with the retinoid X receptor protein (RXRA). They participate in protein-protein interactions, associating with RXRA to form hetero-oligomeric complexes that can bind to RARE. They have a dominant-negative effect on wild-type RARA/RXRA transcriptional activity. Moreover, RARA fusion proteins can homodimerize, conferring the ability to regulate an expanded repertoire of genes normally not affected by RARA. RARA fusion proteins behave as potent transcriptional repressors of retinoic acid signalling, inducing a differentiation blockage at the promyelocyte stage which can be overcome with therapeutic doses of ATRA or arsenic trioxide. However, resistance to these two drugs is a major problem, which necessitates development of new therapies.
Relative navigation algorithm research of chaser spacecraft

In this paper, the relative navigation algorithm of chaser spacecraft with orbit maneuvering is investigated. Based on the relative motion dynamic model and linear relative measurement model, a robust H∞ filter for chaser spacecraft is proposed, which contains affine norm-bounded uncertainties, disturbances, and non-Gaussian noise. The necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of robust H∞ filter are obtained in terms of a linear matrix inequality(LMI). The filter design is then cast into a convex optimization problem subject to LMI constraints. The numerical simulation results show that the relative position precision is 0.1m and the relative velocity precision is 0.02m/s when the chaser spacecraft has orbit maneuvering, which illustrates the effectiveness and advantage of the proposed navigation algorithm. 1 2
Ambient Intelligence in Assisted Living for the Elderly

The average life span is increasing, and as a result so is the average population age. The typical person aged 65 years or older lives in a single person home. To improve the quality of life experienced by these individuals, which are an ever increasing portion of the overall population, is the aim of the research into Ambient Intelligence for assisted home living. This field is rapidly expanding due to world wide coverage, and acknowledgement of the benefits it can over. Ambient Intelligence has endless possibilities to improve the lives of its intended users. This research paper looks at this field of research, which is now being extensively developed and tested. Looking first at the wider view of ambient intelligence, before looking in more depth at the specific and unique problems faced by researchers when dealing with systems for the older generation. This paper looks to indentify gaps in the current application base and identify areas that require improvement for the acceptance and use of ambient intelligence for elderly home care to become common place. AUTHOR
A glycoprotein in the plasma membrane matrix as a major potential substrate of p60v-src

A potential substrate of p60v-src in Rous sarcoma virus-transformed cells was found to be a 130-kilodalton (kDa) glycoprotein which binds to lectin-Sepharose and can be immunoprecipitated by an anti-phosphotyrosine antibody. This glycoprotein was shown to be distinct from the fibronectin receptor and a cellular protein phosphorylated in p60v-src immune complexes. The protein was a transmembrane protein localized in the plasma membrane and resistant to extraction with Triton X-100. The 130-kDa protein was also highly phosphorylated in cells transformed by Fujinami sarcoma virus or Y73 but not in cells infected with Rous sarcoma virus mutants that encode p60v-src lacking myristoylated N termini. Phosphorylation of this glycoprotein was temperature dependent in cells infected with temperature-sensitive mutants. The good correlation between its phosphorylation and morphological transformation, together with its relative abundance among phosphorylated proteins and its subcellular localization, suggests that phosphorylation of the 130-kDa glycoprotein is one of the primary events important for cell transformation by p60v-src and related oncogene products.
LTAG-spinal treebank and parser for Hindi

Statistical parsers need huge annotated treebanks to learn from and building treebanks is an expensive proposition. To create parsers for different grammar formalisms in a language, building separate treebanks for each of those isn’t a feasible task. Treebanks available in one formalism can be converted into an other either automatically or with minimal human effort by exploiting the similarities and differences between the two. In this work, we present an approach to extract an LTAGspinal treebank from Hyderabad Dependency Treebank for Hindi. LTAG-spinal is a variant of Lexicalized Tree Adjoining Grammar (LTAG) with desirable linguistic, computational and statistical properties. A bidirectional LTAG dependency parser is trained on the extracted treebank and an LTAG dependency accuracy of 80.86% is reported.
Treatment of Cancer of the Liver: Twenty Years' Experience with Infusion and Resection in 414 Patients

The factors influencing survival for patients with cancer of the liver were studied by reviewing the records of 414 patients operated on in a private oncology practice. Approximately half (47%) had colorectal metastasis; 17% had metastatic breast carcinoma, 14% had malignant hepatoma, 5% had metastatic melanoma, and the remainder had a variety of primary cancers. Eighty-two per cent of all patients had advanced liver disease when first diagnosed. One quarter of the patients had some type of resection; the remainder had abdominal exploration plus insertion of an infusion catheter into the hepatic artery. The postoperative mortality rate after liver resection for 108 patients was 6.5%. After resection, the most important prognostic factor influencing survival was the presence or absence of extrahepatic métastases. When possible, resection was by far the best treatment available, and the best results were seen in patients who had resection of a solitary lesion. For advanced disease, when resection was not possible, intra-arterial chemotherapy, primarily with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), was associated with response rates of 36% for colorectal cancer, 45% for breast cancer, 13% for hepatocellular cancer, 12% for melanoma, and 14% for metastases from other primary sites. The patients who responded to infusion lived longer than those who did not respond. For example, at 18 months, 26% of the responders with colorectal cancer were alive, as were 50% of the responders with breast cancer and 40% of the responders with hepatocellular cancer. In contrast, at 18 months, there were no survivors among the nonresponders with colorectal, breast, or hepatocellular cancer. For those patients treated solely by infusion chemotherapy, the extent of disease in the liver was the most reliable factor in predicting the length of survival. However, very few patients treated in this manner lived longer than 3 years.