Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
(In)validation in the Minority: The Experiences of Latino Students Enrolled in an HBCU

This qualitative, phenomenological study examined the academic and interpersonal validation experiences of four female and four male Latino students who were enrolled in their second-to fifth-year at an HBCU in Texas. Using interviews, campus observations, a questionnaire, and analytic memos, this study sought to understand the role of in- and out-of-class experiences that encouraged Latino students to be active members of the university's learning community and to overcome obstacles in their adjustment to college. The findings revealed family members, professors, administrators, peers, and off-campus employers were instrumental in offering academic and interpersonal validation. The participants in this study encountered challenges to academic validation if multiple responsibilities limited their ability to interact with their professors. Obstacles to interpersonal validation emerged when family members were unfamiliar with the HBCU campus, when Latino student organizations were unsupported, and when the presence of Latino students and culture was not represented on-campus and online. Implications and recommendations for practice and areas for future research are presented.
Dynamics of Actin Waves on Patterned Substrates: A Quantitative Analysis of Circular Dorsal Ruffles

Circular Dorsal Ruffles (CDRs) have been known for decades, but the mechanism that organizes these actin waves remains unclear. In this article we systematically analyze the dynamics of CDRs on fibroblasts with respect to characteristics of current models of actin waves. We studied CDRs on heterogeneously shaped cells and on cells that we forced into disk-like morphology. We show that CDRs exhibit phenomena such as periodic cycles of formation, spiral patterns, and mutual wave annihilations that are in accord with an active medium description of CDRs. On cells of controlled morphologies, CDRs exhibit extremely regular patterns of repeated wave formation and propagation, whereas on random-shaped cells the dynamics seem to be dominated by the limited availability of a reactive species. We show that theoretical models of reaction-diffusion type incorporating conserved species capture partially the behavior we observe in our data.
The causal Model of effective factors on Intention to use of information technology among payam noor and Traditional universities students

The objective of this study is presenting the causal modeling of intention to use technology among university student. Correlation is used as the method of research. Instrument of this study is standard questionnaire. The collected data is analyzed with AMOS software. The result indicate that facilitative condition, cognitive absorption, perceived enjoyment, perceived ease of use, and perceived usefulness have significant and direct effect on intention to use technology. Also, facilitative condition, cognitive absorption, perceived enjoyment, perceived ease of use and computer playfulness have significant and direct of effect on perceived usefulness. Facilitative condition, cognitive absorption, perceived enjoyment, and playfulness have significant and direct effect on perceived ease of use. (Hossien Zare,Sedigheh Yazdanparast. The causal Model of effective factors on Intention to use of information technology
Stationary map coloring

We consider a planar Poisson process and its associated Voronoi map. We show that there is a proper coloring with 6 colors of the map which is a deterministic isometry-equivariant function of the Poisson process. As part of the proof we show that the 6-core of the corresponding Delaunay triangulation is empty. Generalizations, extensions and some open questions are discussed.
From Sensorimotor Sequence to Grammatical Construction: Evidence from Simulation and Neurophysiology

The current research describes a functional trajectory from sensorimotor sequence learning to the learning of grammatical constructions in language. A brief review of the functional neurophysiology of the cortex and basal ganglia will be provided as background for a neural network model of this system in sensorimotor sequence learning. Sequential behavior is then defined in terms of serial, temporal and abstract structure. The resulting neuro-computational framework is demonstrated to account for observed sequence learning behavior. More interestingly, this framework naturally extends to grammatical constructions as form-to-meaning mappings. Predictions from the neuro-computational model concerning parallels in language and cognitive sequence processing are tested against behavioral and neurophysiological observations in humans, resulting in a refinement of the allocation of model functions to subdivisions of Broca's area. From a functional perspective this analysis will provide insight into the relation between the coding structure in human languages, and constraints derived from the underlying neurophysiological computational mechanisms.
Nicotine replacement therapies : patient safety and persistence

Correspondence: Stuart G Ferguson School of Pharmacy, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 26, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia Tel +61 3 6226 8536 Fax +61 3 6226 7627 email stuart.ferguson@utas.edu. au Abstract: Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) has become a central part of the treatment of nicotine dependence. However, NRT’s potential efficacy is limited to some extent by patient adherence and persistence. Here we review the relationship between NRT compliance and adherence, and overall treatment outcome. We then examine the factors that likely impact on treatment compliance and persistence, with a special focus on users’ perceptions of treatment safety and efficacy as possible mediators. Potential clinical strategies for improving suboptimal medication use are also discussed.
Core Clinical Phenotypes in Myotonic Dystrophies

Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) and type 2 (DM2) represent the most frequent multisystemic muscular dystrophies in adulthood. They are progressive, autosomal dominant diseases caused by an abnormal expansion of an unstable nucleotide repeat located in the non-coding region of their respective genes DMPK for DM1 and CNBP in DM2. Clinically, these multisystemic disorders are characterized by a high variability of muscular and extramuscular symptoms, often causing a delay in diagnosis. For both subtypes, many symptoms overlap, but some differences allow their clinical distinction. This article highlights the clinical core features of myotonic dystrophies, thus facilitating their early recognition and diagnosis. Particular attention will be given to signs and symptoms of muscular involvement, to issues related to respiratory impairment, and to the multiorgan involvement. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled “Beyond Borders: Myotonic Dystrophies—A European Perception. ”
Time-varying sliding plane design for congestion control in multi-source connection-oriented communication networks

The paper presents a new discrete time sliding mode flow control algorithm for connection-oriented communication networks. The networks are modeled as discrete time systems with the available bandwidth acting as disturbance. The algorithm employs a time-varying sliding plane, which helps reduce the initial flow rate magnitude. The plane parameters are determined so that the closed-loop system stability and fast, finite time error convergence are guaranteed. When the proposed controller is applied no bottleneck link buffer overflow and full utilization of its available bandwidth are ensured. Furthermore, transmission rates generated by the controller are always upper bounded and nonnegative.
Modulating the Semantic System: The Role of Bilateral Anterior Temporal Lobes in Confrontation Naming- A Combined tDCS and Eye-Tracking Study

Modulating the Semantic System: The role of Bilateral Anterior Temporal Lobes in Confrontation NamingA Combined tDCS and Eye-Tracking Study Adviser: Professor Loraine K. Obler Confrontation naming is a complex process that involves multiple stages and can be initiated through multiple modalities. Models of confrontation naming have implicated areas such as the anterior temporal lobe (ATL) and temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) for the semantic stage of naming. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) was used to modulate neural excitability in the bilateral ATLs and the TPJs to understand brain-behavior relationships involved in the semantic stage of confrontation naming. Effects of tDCS are often very small or non-existent when measured by reaction times and accuracy. Therefore the present study used more sensitive eye-tracking measures (first fixation duration and fixation time) in combination with reaction times to measure the effect of tDCS. Twenty-four neurologically healthy native English speakers ranging in ages 18-30 took part in the study. Participants named 120 pictures and six-digit numbers both pre and post tDCS in three different sessions. Three sessions corresponded to three different brain regions targeted; bilateral ATLs, bilateral TPJs and Motor Cortex (MC) which served as a control site. Analysis of eye-tracking and behavioral data revealed that application of tDCS over the bilateral ATLs increased first fixation duration and fixation time but decreased naming latencies. The results from the present study thus confirm the role of bilateral ATLs for the semantic stage of naming. However, no evidence for the role of TPJs for the semantic stage of naming was found. The present study also provides further support for the efficacy of tDCS and suggests that it is a viable tool for investigating neural bases of language/cognitive processes.
Optimal Selling Mechanisms on Incentive Graphs

We present a model highlighting one advantage of negotiation over posted prices from the seller’s perspective. In the process, we develop a general methodology for studying mechanism design with weaker incentive constraints. To do so, we introduce the notion of an incentive graph, which encodes the relevant constraints. This construction is relevant when agents possess hard evidence, when they partake in a specic form of costly signaling, or when they are boundedly rational. In such settings, we show that the optimal selling mechanism involves price discrimination and study the form which this price discrimination takes. When the incentive graph has a tree structure, we oer a complete solution. Our solution involves an adaptation of the classic notion of a virtual valuation as in Myerson (1981) to a tree. We show that for acyclic graphs, all allocations are incentive compatible, but nevertheless, the revenue maximizing mechanism is in many ways similar to that found in the classic analysis.
Ca2+-Dependent Mechanisms of Presynaptic Control at Central Synapses

Classically, a high-power association relates the neurotransmitter release probability to the concentration of presynaptic Ca2+. Activated by the action potential waveform, voltage-gated Ca2+ channels mediate Ca2+entry into presynaptic terminals. Inside the terminal, Ca2+ ions rapidly bind to endogenous intracellular buffers and could trigger Ca2+ release from internal Ca2+ stores. The resulting space-time profile of free Ca2+ determines the time course and probability of neurotransmitter release through the interaction with molecular release triggers strategically located in the vicinity of release sites. Following a rapid concentration transient, excess Ca2+ has to be removed from the cytosol through the process involving Ca2+ uptake by the endoplasmatic reticulum stores, sequestration by mitochondria, and/or extrusion into the extracellular medium. The ongoing synaptic activity could affect any of the multiple factors that shape presynaptic Ca2+dynamics, thus arbitrating use-dependent modification of the neurotransmitter release probability. Here we present an overview of major players involved in Ca2+-dependent presynaptic regulation of neurotransmitter release and discuss the relationships arising between their actions.
Effects of Different Mineral Admixtures on the Properties of Fresh Concrete

This paper presents a review of the properties of fresh concrete including workability, heat of hydration, setting time, bleeding, and reactivity by using mineral admixtures fly ash (FA), silica fume (SF), ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS), metakaolin (MK), and rice husk ash (RHA). Comparison of normal and high-strength concrete in which cement has been partially supplemented by mineral admixture has been considered. It has been concluded that mineral admixtures may be categorized into two groups: chemically active mineral admixtures and microfiller mineral admixtures. Chemically active mineral admixtures decrease workability and setting time of concrete but increase the heat of hydration and reactivity. On the other hand, microfiller mineral admixtures increase workability and setting time of concrete but decrease the heat of hydration and reactivity. In general, small particle size and higher specific surface area of mineral admixture are favourable to produce highly dense and impermeable concrete; however, they cause low workability and demand more water which may be offset by adding effective superplasticizer.
Emotion recognition in progressive supranuclear palsy

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is an atypical parkinsonian syndrome characterised by akinesis, rigidity, falls, supranuclear gaze palsy and cognitive, particularly executive, dysfunction. This study examined the extent to which emotion recognition is affected by PSP. Although deficits in the recognition of emotion have been reported in several diseases which share clinicopathological characteristics with PSP, it has never been studied systematically in PSP. Twenty-four patients with probable or definite PSP and matched healthy controls were studied using tests of facial identity and facial emotion recognition. Patients were not impaired in recognising famous faces, but they showed significant deficits in the recognition of emotions, particularly negative emotions. Moreover, emotion recognition was strongly correlated with the severity of other cognitive deficits in PSP, but not disease duration. Deficits in emotion recognition form an integral part of the cognitive spectrum of the disease. The findings point to the pathological involvement of key regions necessary for the processing of emotions and to a subtype of PSP with cognitive and emotion recognition impairments. The acknowledgement of deficits in emotion recognition is important for management of both patients and their carers.
Cryptogenic epileptic syndromes related to SCN1A: twelve novel mutations identified.

BACKGROUND Sodium channel alpha 1 subunit gene, SCN1A, is the gene encoding the neuronal voltage-gated sodium channel alpha 1 subunit (Na(v)1.1) and is mutated in different forms of epilepsy. Mutations in this gene were observed in more than 70% of patients with severe myoclonic epilepsy of infancy (SMEI) and were also found in different types of infantile epileptic encephalopathy. OBJECTIVE To search for disease-causing mutations in SCN1A in patients with cryptogenic epileptic syndromes (ie, syndromes with an unknown cause). DESIGN Clinical characterization and molecular genetic analysis of a cohort of patients. SETTING University hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and molecular biology laboratories. PATIENTS Sixty unrelated patients with cryptogenic epileptic syndromes. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Samples of DNA were analyzed for mutations and for large heterozygous deletions encompassing the SCN1A gene. A search for microdeletions in the SCN1A gene was also performed in the subset of patients with SMEI/SMEI-borderland who had negative results at the point mutation screening. RESULTS No large deletions at the SCN1A locus were found in any of the patients analyzed. In contrast, 13 different point mutations were identified in 12 patients: 10 with SMEI, 1 with generalized epilepsy with febrile seizures plus, and 1 with cryptogenic focal epilepsy. An additional search for SCN1A intragenic microdeletions in the remaining patients with SMEI/SMEI-borderland and no point mutations was also negative. CONCLUSIONS These results confirm the role of the SCN1A gene in different types of epilepsy, including cryptogenic epileptic syndromes. However, large deletions encompassing SCN1A were not common disease-causing rearrangements in this group of epilepsies.
Effects of Childhood Asthma on the Development of Obesity among School‐aged Children

Rationale: Asthma and obesity often occur together in children. It is unknown whether asthma contributes to the childhood obesity epidemic. Objectives: We aimed to investigate the effects of asthma and asthma medication use on the development of childhood obesity. Methods: The primary analysis was conducted among 2,171 nonobese children who were 5‐8 years of age at study enrollment in the Southern California Children's Health Study (CHS) and were followed for up to 10 years. A replication analysis was performed in an independent sample of 2,684 CHS children followed from a mean age of 9.7 to 17.8 years. Measurements and Main Results: Height and weight were measured annually to classify children into normal, overweight, and obese categories. Asthma status was ascertained by parent‐ or self‐reported physician‐diagnosed asthma. Cox proportional hazards models were fitted to assess associations of asthma history with obesity incidence during follow‐up. We found that children with a diagnosis of asthma at cohort entry were at 51% increased risk of developing obesity during childhood and adolescence compared with children without asthma at baseline (hazard ratio, 1.51; 95% confidence interval, 1.08‐2.10) after adjusting for confounders. Use of asthma rescue medications at cohort entry reduced the risk of developing obesity (hazard ratio, 0.57; 95% confidence interval, 0.33‐0.96). In addition, the significant association between a history of asthma and an increased risk of developing obesity was replicated in an independent CHS sample. Conclusions: Children with asthma may be at higher risk of obesity. Asthma rescue medication use appeared to reduce obesity risk independent of physical activity.
Vascular and Cardiac Impairments in Rats Inhaling Ozone and Diesel Exhaust Particles

Background Mechanisms of cardiovascular injuries from exposure to gas and particulate air pollutants are unknown. Objective We sought to determine whether episodic exposure of rats to ozone or diesel exhaust particles (DEP) causes differential cardiovascular impairments that are exacerbated by ozone plus DEP. Methods and results Male Wistar Kyoto rats (10–12 weeks of age) were exposed to air, ozone (0.4 ppm), DEP (2.1 mg/m3), or ozone (0.38 ppm) + DEP (2.2 mg/m3) for 5 hr/day, 1 day/week for 16 weeks, or to air, ozone (0.51 or 1.0 ppm), or DEP (1.9 mg/m3) for 5 hr/day for 2 days. At the end of each exposure period, we examined pulmonary and cardiovascular biomarkers of injury. In the 16-week study, we observed mild pulmonary pathology in the ozone, DEP, and ozone + DEP exposure groups, a slight decrease in circulating lymphocytes in the ozone and DEP groups, and decreased platelets in the DEP group. After 16 weeks of exposure, mRNA biomarkers of oxidative stress (hemeoxygenase-1), thrombosis (tissue factor, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, tissue plasminogen activator, and von Willebrand factor), vasoconstriction (endothelin-1, endothelin receptors A and B, endothelial NO synthase) and proteolysis [matrix metalloprotease (MMP)-2, MMP-3, and tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloprotease-2] were increased by DEP and/or ozone in the aorta, but not in the heart. Aortic LOX-1 (lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1) mRNA and protein increased after ozone exposure, and LOX-1 protein increased after exposure to ozone + DEP. RAGE (receptor for advanced glycation end products) mRNA increased in the ozone + DEP group. Exposure to ozone or DEP depleted cardiac mitochondrial phospholipid fatty acids (DEP > ozone). The combined effect of ozone and DEP exposure was less pronounced than exposure to either pollutant alone. Exposure to ozone or DEP for 2 days (acute) caused mild changes in the aorta. Conclusions In animals exposed to ozone or DEP alone for 16 weeks, we observed elevated biomarkers of vascular impairments in the aorta, with the loss of phospholipid fatty acids in myocardial mitochondria. We conclude that there is a possible role of oxidized lipids and protein through LOX-1 and/or RAGE signaling.
Cramer-rao Lower Bounds for Estimation of Doppler Frequency in Emitter Location Systems

This paper derives Cramer-Rao bounds on estimates of the Doppler-shifted frequency of a coherent pulse-train intercepted at a single moving antenna. Such estimates are used to locate the emitter that transmitted the pulse train. Coherency from pulse to pulse allows much better frequency accuracy and is considered to be necessary to support accurate emitter location. Although algorithms for estimating the Doppler-shifted frequency of a coherent pulse train have been proposed, previously no results were available for the Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB) for frequency estimation from a coherent pulse train. This paper derives the CRLB for estimating the Doppler-shifted frequency of a coherent pulse train as well as for a non-coherent pulse train; a comparison of these two cases is made and the bound is compared to previously published accuracy results. It is shown that a general rule of thumb is that the frequency CRLB for coherent pulse trains depends inversely on pulse on-time, number of pulses, variance of pulse times, and the product of signal-to-noise-ratio and sampling frequency SNR×F s ; pulse shape and modulation have virtually no impact on the frequency accuracy. For the case that the K intercepted pulses are equally spaced by the pulse repetition interval (PRI), then the CRLB decreases as 1/PRI 2 and as 1/K 3. It is also shown that roughly the gain in coherent accuracy vs. the non-coherent case is K times the ratio of pulse on-time to PRI; since PRI is typically much larger than pulse on-time, the coherent scenario allows much better frequency estimation accuracy.
Facilitating text reading in posterior cortical atrophy

Objective: We report (1) the quantitative investigation of text reading in posterior cortical atrophy (PCA), and (2) the effects of 2 novel software-based reading aids that result in dramatic improvements in the reading ability of patients with PCA. Methods: Reading performance, eye movements, and fixations were assessed in patients with PCA and typical Alzheimer disease and in healthy controls (experiment 1). Two reading aids (single- and double-word) were evaluated based on the notion that reducing the spatial and oculomotor demands of text reading might support reading in PCA (experiment 2). Results: Mean reading accuracy in patients with PCA was significantly worse (57%) compared with both patients with typical Alzheimer disease (98%) and healthy controls (99%); spatial aspects of passages were the primary determinants of text reading ability in PCA. Both aids led to considerable gains in reading accuracy (PCA mean reading accuracy: single-word reading aid = 96%; individual patient improvement range: 6%–270%) and self-rated measures of reading. Data suggest a greater efficiency of fixations and eye movements under the single-word reading aid in patients with PCA. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate how neurologic characterization of a neurodegenerative syndrome (PCA) and detailed cognitive analysis of an important everyday skill (reading) can combine to yield aids capable of supporting important everyday functional abilities. Classification of evidence: This study provides Class III evidence that for patients with PCA, 2 software-based reading aids (single-word and double-word) improve reading accuracy.