Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Fluorescence Laminar Optical Tomography Scanner for Brain Imaging

Implementation of new instrumentation and techniques for neuroscience research in recent years has opened new avenues in the study of the dynamics of large-scale neural networks such as the brain. In many of these techniques, including fluorescence recordings and optogenetic stimulation, a combination of photonics and molecular genetic methods are exploited to manipulate and monitor neural activities. Such techniques have been proven to be highly efficient in unraveling the mysteries of data processing in the micro circuits of the brain and as a result these techniques are widely used nowadays in most neuroscience labs. In optogenetics, cell-types of interest are genetically modified by expressing light-sensitive proteins adapted from microbial opsin. Once these proteins are expressed, we are able to use light of appropriate wavelengths to manipulate, increase or suppress neural activity of specific neurons on command. With a high temporal resolution (in the order of milliseconds) and cell-type-specific precision, optogenetics is able to probe how the nervous system functions in real-time, even in freely-moving animals. Currently, whenever genetic modifications are employed in the study of nervous systems, fluorescence proteins are also co-expressed in the same cells as biological markers to visualize the induced changes in the targeted cells. Despite its importance to trace the signal of such markers in-vivo, capabilities of the developed fluorescence tomography instrumentation are still limited and researchers mostly document the fluorescence distribution and expression of proteins of interest after euthanizing the animal and dissection of the tissue. In this project, we present our effort in implementing a fluorescence laminar optical tomography (FLOT) system which is specifically designed for non-invasive three dimensional imaging of fluorescence proteins within the brain of rodents. The application of the developed technology is not limited to optogenetics, but it can be used as a powerful tool to help improving the precision and accuracy of neuroscience and optogenetic experiments. In this design, a set of galvanometer mirrors are employed for realization of a fast and flexible scanner while a highly sensitive camera records the produced fluorescence signals. Fluorescence laminar optical tomography (FLOT) scanner has shown promising results in imaging superficial areas up to 2mm deep from the surface, with the resolution of ~200µm. Details of the design of the hardware and reconstruction algorithms are discussed and samples of experimental results are presented

O valor da literatura no ensino da linguagem: problemas e princípios

Language and literature are two different subjects in the field of language teaching. Yet, if compared and analyzed, they undergo similarities and hide nuances. While the former is distinct from the point of view of a teacher, for a learner they are the same and twin brothers – literature is language. This paper, presenting some literary examples, contends that literature is a rich source for English language teaching, especially if it is used from the early years of education. It can be used in English teaching classes with respect to the language level, the cultural background, the age, and the tastes of the learners. A food without salt and spice may seem tasteless and so is language teaching without the use of literature.El lenguaje y la literatura son dos temas diferentes en el campo de la enseñanza de idiomas. Sin embargo, si se comparan y analizan, sufren similitudes y ocultan matices. Mientras que el primero es distinto desde el punto de vista de un profesor, para un alumno son los mismos y hermanos gemelos: la literatura es el lenguaje. Este documento, que presenta algunos ejemplos literarios, sostiene que la literatura es una fuente rica para la enseñanza de la lengua inglesa, especialmente si se usa desde los primeros años de la educación. Puede usarse en clases de enseñanza de inglés con respecto al nivel de idioma, el contexto cultural, la edad y los gustos de los alumnos. Un alimento sin sal y especias puede parecer insípido, al igual que la enseñanza de idiomas sin el uso de la literatura.Linguagem e literatura são dois tópicos diferentes no campo do ensino de línguas. No entanto, se eles são comparados e analisados, eles sofrem semelhanças e escondem nuances. Enquanto o primeiro é diferente do ponto de vista de um professor, para um estudante eles são os mesmos e irmãos gêmeos: literatura é linguagem. Este documento, que apresenta alguns exemplos literários, argumenta que a literatura é uma fonte rica para o ensino da língua inglesa, especialmente se usada desde os primeiros anos de ensino. Pode ser usado em aulas de inglês no que diz respeito ao nível da língua, contexto cultural, idade e os gostos dos alunos. Uma comida sem sal e especiarias pode parecer insípida, assim como o ensino de línguas sem o uso da literatura

Product Bundling: Impacts of Product Heterogeneity and Risk Considerations

Bundling has been extensively studied in the literature and its benefits have been manifested through three perspectives of achieving better price discrimination, helping to save costs, and preserving the power for deterring a potential entrant. In this study, we examine two aspects of bundling which have not been studied before. We examine the impact of product heterogeneity on bundling decisions. We also address risk considerations in a bundling problem. Specifically, we consider a retailer who has the option of selling a bundle of two products (pure bundling policy), or selling the products separately (no-bundling policy). The retailer could also face a product selection problem for which we consider three scenarios of choosing two products with perfectly positively correlated, perfectly negatively correlated or independent reservation prices. We use a Mean-Variance approach to include retailer’s risk through her profit variability when maximizing the expected value of profit. We characterize the conditions under which a policy or scenario performs better than the others under the influence of product heterogeneity and/or retailer’s risk aversion. Among other findings, we show that optimal bundling price chosen by a risk-averse decision maker cannot be larger than the one chosen by a risk neutral decision maker

Selecting Reading Texts for University Iranian EFL Students

Selecting appropriate reading texts is very important and teachers shouldn’t do it randomly. This research examined the importance of criteria involved in selecting reading texts and the extent these criteria used in Iran universities. The sample consisted of 82 male and female university Iranian EFL students from some governmental and nongovernmental universities in Tehran. This procedure was adopted due to the accessibility of the participants. For the sake of the best answers from students, a questionnaire was constructed.  The analysis of the data revealed that the students’ interests, topic, appearance of the text, students’ needs, exploitability, and relevance are the most important criteria involved in selecting reading texts. However, teachers do not consider some of these criteria while selecting reading texts. The findings imply that for effective academic reading course, process of text selection needs some changes. If teachers consider all of these criteria and select an appropriate reading text fit for the readers, reading courses in Iran universities will improve significantly

Parallel and Limited Data Voice Conversion Using Stochastic Variational Deep Kernel Learning

Typically, voice conversion is regarded as an engineering problem with limited training data. The reliance on massive amounts of data hinders the practical applicability of deep learning approaches, which have been extensively researched in recent years. On the other hand, statistical methods are effective with limited data but have difficulties in modelling complex mapping functions. This paper proposes a voice conversion method that works with limited data and is based on stochastic variational deep kernel learning (SVDKL). At the same time, SVDKL enables the use of deep neural networks' expressive capability as well as the high flexibility of the Gaussian process as a Bayesian and non-parametric method. When the conventional kernel is combined with the deep neural network, it is possible to estimate non-smooth and more complex functions. Furthermore, the model's sparse variational Gaussian process solves the scalability problem and, unlike the exact Gaussian process, allows for the learning of a global mapping function for the entire acoustic space. One of the most important aspects of the proposed scheme is that the model parameters are trained using marginal likelihood optimization, which considers both data fitting and model complexity. Considering the complexity of the model reduces the amount of training data by increasing the resistance to overfitting. To evaluate the proposed scheme, we examined the model's performance with approximately 80 seconds of training data. The results indicated that our method obtained a higher mean opinion score, smaller spectral distortion, and better preference tests than the compared methods

An Integrated Outsourcing Framework: Analyzing Boeing’s Outsourcing Program for Dreamliner (B787)

This paper analyzes the outsourcing model which Boeing devised to develop its latest commercial airplane model: Dreamliner (B787). The development of this airplane which seemed to be very promising in the beginning turned into the longest delayed program in the history of the company. In this paper, we propose an integrated outsourcing framework through which we try to find the root causes of the delays and the resulted extra costs. The proposed framework shows how the interaction of all influential factors in four outsourcing dimensions (who, what, to whom, and how) determines the performance of an outsourcing program

Evaluation of flexural modulus of carbon 3D orthogonal woven fabric using atrilinear model

Bending behaviour of 3D orthogonal carbon weave composite reinforcement has been investigated. The threepointbending test method has been employed and the load-deflection curves are examined. The influence of carbonfibre tow type, yarn insertion and tension of longitudinal yarns on fibre volume fraction and bending properties ofnon-crimp 3D orthogonal carbon weave is discussed. It is found that carbon fibre bending properties due to crosssectionshape and geometry have a great impact on bending behavior of non-crimp 3D orthogonal carbon weave.Increasing the number of transversal yarns layers and tension of longitudinal yarns increases both fibre volumefraction and bending modulus of non-crimp 3D orthogonal carbon weave. From the bending properties calculated, thefactors for improving fibre volume fraction and bending behavior of non-crimp 3D orthogonal carbon weaves arediscussed

The synergistic effects of hydro and hormone priming on seed germination, antioxidant activity and cadmium tolerance in borage

This research investigated the effects of priming with water for 24 hours and hormone-priming with different concentrations of gibberellic acid (GA3) (50, 100, 150 mg L-1) for 24 hours and hydro and hormone priming techniques either alone or in combination on the germination, growth and biochemical properties of borage seedlings under cadmium stress conditions. The results showed that cadmium stress reduces seed germination and seedling growth indices. Seed priming led to a significant increase in the germination percentage and rate, seedling dry weight and length, seedling vigor indices, as well as the catalase and peroxidase activity of borage seedlings under both cadmium stress and non-stress conditions. Among the priming treatments, the combination of hydro and hormone priming showed the greatest effects on the improvement of germination and seedling growth under cadmium conditions, significantly greater than those achieved with the individual uses of hydro or hormone priming. At all levels of cadmium stress, utilization of combined hydro and hormone priming led to a 0.9 to 11.53-fold, and 0.95 to 2.63-fold increase in seedling dry weight as compared with the control treatment and individual use of hydro or hormone priming, respectively. The highest activity of catalase and peroxidase enzymes in borage seedlings was obtained from seeds primed with the combination of hydro priming with 150 mg L-1 GA3, which was significantly higher than those of the other treatments. Generally, at all levels of cadmium stress, combined hydro and hormone (specially 150 mg L-1 GA3) priming had the most positive effects on seed germination, growth and biochemical properties of borage seedlings