Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors and Dopamine Receptors Cooperate to Enhance Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase Phosphorylation in Striatal Neurons

Striatal medium spiny neurons are an important site of convergence for signaling mediated by the neurotransmitters dopamine and glutamate. We report that in striatal neurons in primary culture, signaling through group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) 1/5 and the D1 class of dopamine receptors (DRs) 1/5 converges to increase phosphorylation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase ERK2 (extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2). Induction of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase-dependent signaling cascades by either mGluR1/5 or DR1/5 gave rise to increases in phosphorylation of ERK2. Coactivation of mGluR1/5 and DR1/5 with (S)-3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine and (+)-1-phenyl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-(1H)-3-benzazepine-7,8-diol hydrochloride enhanced the phosphorylation of ERK2. This interaction between mGluR1/5 and DR1/5 required protein kinase C (PKC), because the PKC inhibitors calphostin C, bisindolylmaleimide I, and Gö6976 blocked DR1/5-enhanced phosphorylation of ERK2. Use of the phosphatase inhibitors calyculin and okadaic acid indicated that inhibition of protein phosphatases 1 and 2A dramatically enhanced ERK2 phosphorylation by mGluR1/5. Coactivation of mGluR1/5 and DR1/5 also enhanced cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB) phosphorylation (compared with each receptor agonist alone) but did not enhance CREB-mediated transcriptional activity. Thus, signal transduction pathways activated by DR1/5 and mGluR5 interact to modify downstream events in striatal neurons while retaining numerous regulatory checkpoints.
Exploring the Influences of Intergenerational Pregnancies on Teenage Girls, Ages 16 - 19

Exploring the Influences of Intergenerational Pregnancies on Teenage Girls, Ages 16 19 by Tynika Cosey Greensberry MA, University of Cincinnati, 2009 BS, Southern University and A&M College, 2008 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Human Services Administration Walden University November 2018 Abstract Generational cycles of teenage pregnancy trend among many families create economic, social, and health problems on teen parents and their families. Scholarly literature includes quantitative studies addressing the issue of teenage pregnancy but there is notGenerational cycles of teenage pregnancy trend among many families create economic, social, and health problems on teen parents and their families. Scholarly literature includes quantitative studies addressing the issue of teenage pregnancy but there is not many qualitative studies about the family cycle of teenage pregnancy among a highlyconcentrated area of African American females in the Southern region of the United States. The life history theory and the socialization and social control theories of the intergenerational transmission of early childbearing served as the theoretical framework. A qualitative case study is designed to identify factors that contributed to generational cycles of teenage pregnancy among families in the Southern region of the United States. Data were collected using questionnaires from 3 family triads of teenage mothers. Data were analyzed and display tables were created. The results indicated that participants had a lack of knowledge of proper contraceptive use and experienced peer pressure to engage in sexual behaviors. Teenagers looked at their mothers and sister’s pregnancy in a favorable way making their pregnancy acceptable within families. Most participants felt teenagers should wait before becoming pregnant. Participants felt teenage mothers could overcome obstacles associated with teenage pregnancies. Pregnancy prevention programs may benefit from the results of this study through parenting programs to teach mothers, who were pregnant in their teen age, how to communicate with their teenage daughters about their sexual experiences. Exploring the Influences of Intergenerational Pregnancies on Teenage Girls, Ages 16 19 by Tynika Cosey Greensberry MA, University of Cincinnati, 2009 BS, Southern University and A&M College, 2008 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Human Services Administration
Modeling the Adaptation of Search Termination in Human Decision Making

We study how people terminate their search for information when making decisions in a changing environment. In 3 experiments, differing in the cost of search, participants made a sequence of 2-alternative decisions, based on the information provided by binary cues they could search. Whether limited or extensive search was required to maintain accurate decisions changed across the course of the experiment, but was not indicated to participants. We find large individual differences but that, in general, the extent of search is changed in response to environmental change, and is not necessarily triggered by a reduction in accuracy. We then examine the ability of 4 models to account for individual participant behavior, using a generalization measure that tests model predictions. Two of the models use reinforcement learning, and differ in whether they use error or both error and effort signals to control how many cues are searched. The other 2 models use sequential sampling processes, and differ in the regulatory mechanisms they use to adjust the decision thresholds that control the extent of search. We find that error-based reinforcement learning is usually an inadequate account of behavior, especially when search is costly. We also find evidence in the model predictions for the use of confidence as a regulatory variable. This provides an alternative theoretical approach to balancing error and effort, and highlights the possibility of hierarchical regulatory mechanisms that lead to delayed and abrupt changes in the extent of search.
Non-induction of radioadaptive response in zebrafish embryos by neutrons

In vivo neutron-induced radioadaptive response (RAR) was studied using zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos. The Neutron exposure Accelerator System for Biological Effect Experiments (NASBEE) facility at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS), Japan, was employed to provide 2-MeV neutrons. Neutron doses of 0.6, 1, 25, 50 and 100 mGy were chosen as priming doses. An X-ray dose of 2 Gy was chosen as the challenging dose. Zebrafish embryos were dechorionated at 4 h post fertilization (hpf), irradiated with a chosen neutron dose at 5 hpf and the X-ray dose at 10 hpf. The responses of embryos were assessed at 25 hpf through the number of apoptotic signals. None of the neutron doses studied could induce RAR. Non-induction of RAR in embryos having received 0.6- and 1-mGy neutron doses was attributed to neutron-induced hormesis, which maintained the number of damaged cells at below the threshold for RAR induction. On the other hand, non-induction of RAR in embryos having received 25-, 50- and 100-mGy neutron doses was explained by gamma-ray hormesis, which mitigated neutron-induced damages through triggering high-fidelity DNA repair and removal of aberrant cells through apoptosis. Separate experimental results were obtained to verify that high-energy photons could disable RAR. Specifically, 5- or 10-mGy X-rays disabled the RAR induced by a priming dose of 0.88 mGy of alpha particles delivered to 5-hpf zebrafish embryos against a challenging dose of 2 Gy of X-rays delivered to the embryos at 10 hpf.
New constraints for underwater stereo calibration

In this paper we present new constraints for calibration of underwater stereo-camera-systems and 3D-reconstruction. These constraints are both intuitive and simple to realize. We show that additionally needed refractive parameters in such a system can be calibrated simultaneously. Our constraints partially build upon each other. A subset of them even enables the calibration from stereo-correspondences alone, making known calibration targets unnecessary.
Handling uncertainties in criticality assessment

Reliability is the most important criterion in the design of advanced driver assistance systems. In this context the use of probabilistic activation conditions for e.g. driver warnings or automatic system interventions allows handling of noisy input data and thus reduction of false alarms. In this paper we present a novel computation method for the time metric Time-To-Collision (TTC) in complex traffic situations. Our algorithm is based on a computationally efficient, non Euclidean distance function between extended objects. This function is approximated by a interpolating polynomial and TTC is computed by finding a root of this polynomial. The main contribution of this work is the determination of the collision probability. The calculation of this probability relies on the minimum of the aforementioned distance function and statistical linearization via the Unscented Transformation. The accuracy of the presented method was proven in the simulation using the example of a turning left scenario.
Use of Natriuretic Peptide Measurement in the Management of Heart Failure

Heart failure (HF) is a major concern for health care systems because of its chronic nature and resource implications. HF affects approximately 5.7 million Americans, and 670,000 new cases are diagnosed annually.1 Based on current population estimates,2 HF is present in 1.8 percent of Americans. The estimated total cost for HF in 2010 was $39.2 billion, or 1 to 2 percent of all health care expenditures.1 Health care professionals, who face an aging population coupled with the need to be efficient with health care dollars, require sound evidence regarding the diagnosis and management of this disease.
Strong Coupling Between Single-Electron Tunneling and Nanomechanical Motion

Tuning Carbon Nanotube Resonances Nanoscale resonators can be used in sensing and for processing mechanical signals. Single-walled carbon nanotubes have potential design advantages as resonators in that their oscillatory motion could be coupled to electron transport (see the Perspective by Hone and Deshpande). Steele et al. (p. 1103, published online 23 July) and Lassagne et al. (p. 1107, published online 23 July) report that the resonance frequency of a suspended single-walled carbon nanotube can be excited when operated as a single-electron transistor at low temperatures. Electrostatic forces are set up when the carbon nanotubes charge and discharge. The resonance frequency depends on applied voltages, and the coupling is strong enough to drive the mechanical motion into the nonlinear response regime. Differences in the responses of the devices in the two studies reflect in part the different quality factors of the resonators and different cryogenic temperatures. Individual electrons tunneling onto and out of a carbon nanotube can be used to tune its oscillatory motion. Nanoscale resonators that oscillate at high frequencies are useful in many measurement applications. We studied a high-quality mechanical resonator made from a suspended carbon nanotube driven into motion by applying a periodic radio frequency potential using a nearby antenna. Single-electron charge fluctuations created periodic modulations of the mechanical resonance frequency. A quality factor exceeding 105 allows the detection of a shift in resonance frequency caused by the addition of a single-electron charge on the nanotube. Additional evidence for the strong coupling of mechanical motion and electron tunneling is provided by an energy transfer to the electrons causing mechanical damping and unusual nonlinear behavior. We also discovered that a direct current through the nanotube spontaneously drives the mechanical resonator, exerting a force that is coherent with the high-frequency resonant mechanical motion.
Recovery from Psychosis in a Forensic Service: Assessing Staff and Service Users’ Perspectives Using Q Methodology

ABSTRACT Recovery has become a guiding principle for mental health service delivery. However, the implementation of recovery-oriented services is hindered by conceptual multiplicity, and forensic services in particular face additional challenges. The perspectives of both those receiving and providing services are central in understanding how the recovery approach can best be supported in practice. Therefore, this study used Q methodology to explore staff and service-users’ views regarding factors deemed important to recovery from psychosis in a forensic service. Ten service-users and 13 mental health professionals completed a 60-item Q-sort to obtain their idiosyncratic views about recovery in this context. Q analysis produced a four-factor solution (accounting for 60% of the variance), revealing four distinct perspectives. The first placed emphasis on “personal growth and psychosocial aspects of recovery,” the second on “gaining insight and reducing recidivism,” the third placed importance on “self-focused aspects of recovery,” and the final factor highlighted “making amends & service engagement” as important to recovery. The heterogeneity of recovery beliefs indicated that multiple dimensions of recovery are important in clinical practice. The bio-medical model of care appeared most prominent, suggesting the need for greater choice in alternative treatments and improved access to alternative models of care. To better apply recovery values, service-users and mental health professionals require a better understanding of the various recovery dimensions, and this broad conceptualisation of recovery should be reflected in service provision.
Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Does Incentive-elicited Nucleus Accumbens Activation Differ by Substance of Abuse? an Examination with Adolescents

Numerous questions surround the nature of reward processing in the developing adolescent brain, particularly in regard to polysubstance use. We therefore sought to examine incentive-elicited brain activation in the context of three common substances of abuse (cannabis, tobacco, and alcohol). Due to the role of the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) in incentive processing, we compared activation in this region during anticipation of reward and loss using a monetary incentive delay (MID) task. Adolescents (ages 14–18; 66% male) were matched on age, gender, and frequency of use of any common substances within six distinct groups: cannabis-only (n = 14), tobacco-only (n = 34), alcohol-only (n = 12), cannabis + tobacco (n = 17), cannabis + tobacco + alcohol (n = 17), and non-using controls (n = 38). All groups showed comparable behavioral performance on the MID task. The tobacco-only group showed decreased bilateral nucleus accumbens (NAcc) activation during reward anticipation as compared to the alcohol-only group, the control group, and both polysubstance groups. Interestingly, no differences emerged between the cannabis-only group and any of the other groups. Results from this study suggest that youth who tend toward single-substance tobacco use may possess behavioral and/or neurobiological characteristics that differentiate them from both their substance-using and non-substance-using peers.
Vintage Capital and Inequality

If machines are indivisible, a vintage capital model must give rise to income inequality. If new machines are always better than old ones and if society cannot provide everyone with a new machine all of the time, inequality will result. I explore this mechanism in detail. If technology resides in machines and if a firm or worker must use just one technology at a time, a variety of machines will be in use, and workers' productivities will differ. This is because not everyone can be given the latest vintage machine all of the time. Inequality thus originates in the limited capacity of the capital goods sector. If machine quality and skill are complements, a worker who is paired with the best machine will acquire more skill, and inequality persists indefinitely. Moreover, if the used equipment market or the process of labor turnover function without frictions, a perfect positive assignment between the quality of labor and of capital can be maintained by a process of continual reassignment. This serves to enhance the degree of equilibrium inequality. Paradoxically, in this type of model, free migration of labor across borders raises cross-country inequality instead of lowering it as it does in some other models.
Investigating the Emotion Regulation Strategies Implemented by Adults Grieving the Death of a Pet in Australia and the UK

Abstract Pet-related grief has been for the most part been overlooked in psychological research. The aim of this study was twofold. First, to investigate whether the ambiguous loss of one’s pet was associated with heightened grief compared to certain pet death; and second, to examine whether adaptive emotion regulation (ER) strategies were related to less pet grief reactions compared to maladaptive ER strategies. One hundred and thirty-four bereaved individuals recruited from the UK and Australia completed an online survey. Within the Australian sample no significant difference in grief severity emerged between individuals who had experienced ambiguous pet loss (N = 10) vs. certain death (N = 65). For the second aim, based on 67 Australian and 56 UK participants who had experienced the death of their pet, maladaptive ER strategies including catastrophizing were positively associated with heightened grief, anger and trauma symptoms following pet death, while more ‘adaptive’ ER strategies were significantly associated with less grief, anger, trauma and guilt symptoms. The findings have clinical implications for individuals recovering from the death of their pet.
Using Latent Class Analysis to Explore Subtypes of Youth Who Have Committed Sexual Offenses

Attempts to identify typologies of youth who have committed sexual offenses have been challenged by their overlapping characteristics with youth who have committed nonsexual crimes, as well as methodological limitations that make the results difficult to translate into direct practice. In the current study, a technical new way of identifying subtypes of these young people was proposed using latent class analysis, a person-centered approach that allows categorical subtypes to be revealed by the data rather than hypothesized differences based on individual factors. The indicators included in this analysis were sexual behaviors only, thereby eliminating any overlap with general delinquents. In a sample of 573 male youth between the ages of 11 and 20 (M = 16.75, SD = 1.72), four unique classes were identified. Research implications are offered.
Probabilistic surface matching for bathymetry based SLAM

This paper describes a probabilistic surface matching method for pose-based bathymetry SLAM using a multibeam sonar profiler. The proposed algorithm compounds swath profiles of the seafloor with dead reckoning localization to build surface patches. Then, a probabilistic implementation of the ICP is used to deal with the uncertainty of the robot pose as well as the measured points in a two-stage process including point-to-point and point-to-plane metrics. A novel surface adaptation using octrees is proposed to have ICP-derived methods working in feature-poor or highly unstructured areas typical of bathymetric scenarios. Moreover, a heuristic based on the uncertainties of the surface points is used to improve the basic algorithm, decreasing the ICP complexity to O(n). The performance of the method is demonstrated with real data from a bathymetric survey.
Climate, energy and diversity

In recent years, a number of species–energy hypotheses have been developed to explain global patterns in plant and animal diversity. These hypotheses frequently fail to distinguish between fundamentally different forms of energy which influence diversity in dissimilar ways. Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) can be utilized only by plants, though their abundance and growth rate is also greatly influenced by water. The Gibbs free energy (chemical energy) retained in the reduced organic compounds of tissue can be utilized by all heterotrophic organisms. Neither PAR nor chemical energy influences diversity directly. Both, however, influence biomass and/or abundance; diversity may then increase as a result of secondary population dynamic or evolutionary processes. Temperature is not a form of energy, though it is often used loosely by ecologists as a proxy for energy; it does, however, influence the rate of utilization of chemical energy by organisms. It may also influence diversity by allowing a greater range of energetic lifestyles at warmer temperatures (the metabolic niche hypothesis). We conclude that there is no single species/energy mechanism; fundamentally different processes link energy to abundance in plants and animals, and diversity is affected secondarily. If we are to make progress in elucidating these mechanisms, it is important to distinguish climatic effects on species' distribution and abundance from processes linking energy supply to plant and animal diversity.
The Value of Exercising Control Over Monetary Gains and Losses

Using functional MRI, we examined how the affective experience of choice, the means by which individuals exercise control, is modulated by the valence of potential outcomes (gains, losses). When trials involved potential gains, participants reported liking cues predicting a choice opportunity better than cues predicting no choice opportunity—an effect that corresponded with blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) increases in ventral striatum (VS) activity. Surprisingly, no differences were observed between choice and no-choice cues when participants anticipated potential losses. Individual differences in subjective choice preference in the loss condition, however, corresponded to choice-related BOLD activity in VS. We conducted a second experiment to examine whether monetary losses were perceived differently in the context of simultaneous gains. When losses occurred in the absence of gains, participants showed an increased affective experience of choice—they reported greater liking of choice than no-choice trials, and VS activity was greater for choice than for no-choice cues. Collectively, the findings suggest that the affective experience of choice involves reward-processing circuitry when people anticipate appetitive and aversive outcomes, but the choice experience may be sensitive to context and individual differences.
A preliminary analysis of vulnerability scores for attacks in wild: the ekits and sym datasets

NVD and Exploit-DB are the de facto standard databases used for research on vulnerabilities, and the CVSS score is the standard measure for risk. On open question is whether such databases and scores are actually representative of attacks found in the wild. To address this question we have constructed a database (EKITS) based on the vulnerabilities currently used in exploit kits from the black market and extracted another database of vulnerabilities from Symantec's Threat Database (SYM). Our final conclusion is that the NVD and EDB databases are not a reliable source of information for exploits in the wild, even after controlling for the CVSS and exploitability subscore. An high or medium CVSS score shows only a significant sensitivity (i.e. prediction of attacks in the wild) for vulnerabilities present in exploit kits (EKITS) in the black market. All datasets exhibit a low specificity.