Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Altered mesolimbocortical and thalamic dopamine in Tourette syndrome

We used [F-18]fallypride PET in six adults with Tourette syndrome and age-matched controls to assess extrastriatal dopamine 2 (D2) receptors. D2 receptor availability was significantly lower in the orbitofrontal cortex, primary motor cortex, anterior cingulate gyrus, mediodorsal nucleus of thalamus, and hippocampus, areas important for motivation and reward, sensory gating, movement, and attention. Altered dopaminergic function in mesolimbocortical systems and thalamus may contribute to increased motivational salience of tics.
Survey of directly mapping SQL databases to the Semantic Web

Abstract The Semantic Web anticipates integrated access to a large number of information sources on the Internet represented as Resource Description Framework (RDF). Given the large number of websites that are backed by SQL databases, methods that automate the translation of those databases to RDF are crucial. One approach, taken by a number of researchers, is to directly map the SQL schema to an equivalent Web Ontology Language (OWL) or RDF Schema representation, which in turn, implies an RDF representation for the relational data. This paper reviews this research, and derives a consolidated, overarching set of translation rules expressible as a stratified Datalog program. We present all the possible key combinations in an SQL schema and consider their implied semantic properties. We review the approaches and characterize them with respect to the scope of their coverage of SQL constructs.
"My Great Hope in Life Is to Have a House, a Family and a Daughter": Relationships and Sexuality in Intellectually Disabled People.

Accessible summary Relationships and sexuality are important for disabled people. Through the voices of 16 intellectually disabled adults, this paper shows what they consider to be important in areas such as education or personal relationships. Most of the people interviewed would like to have a partner and live together as a couple. Intellectually disabled people encounter many barriers to obtain certain basic rights. Summary This study starts from the premise that we are sexual beings, and therefore, sexuality is part of our lives and defines us as human beings. This is also true with regard to intellectually disabled people. Within the framework of broader qualitative research carried out in Spain, some partial results of an ongoing study aimed at finding out what a group of adults see as important in different areas of their lives are presented here. Through the personal narratives of 16 intellectually disabled people, this paper explores some of their ideas and demands about sexuality and their sexual lives. Most of the people interviewed expressed their desire to have a partner and to live as a couple. There is no doubt that many intellectually disabled people have greater control over their lives and the decisions that affect them, but as they tell us, the presence of old ideas can hinder them from securing their fundamental rights.
Can community participation mobilise social capital for improvement of rural schooling? A case study from Ghana

This article uses a case study of rural education in Ghana to investigate an important element of the decentralisation agenda – community participation in schooling. Drawing on a theoretical framework derived from Bourdieu, it argues that schooling and community life are two distinct and differently structured fields. The research demonstrates how this acts as a severe constraint on attempts to mobilise community social capital for the improvement of the school. The position is further complicated by specific postcolonial socio‐cultural conditions and a view of community that does not correspond with people's experience. The article concludes by arguing that if community participation is desirable in itself, then the state, through the school, should be active in trying to create it, rather than looking to the community to develop the school.
Predictors of sustained smoking cessation: a prospective analysis of chronic smokers from the alpha-tocopherol Beta-carotene cancer prevention study.

OBJECTIVES Because US smoking rates have not declined during the past decade, there is a renewed need to identify factors associated with smoking cessation. Using a nested case-control design, we explored the association between ability to sustain cessation over an extended period and demographic, smoking, medical, and behavioral variables. METHODS We selected a sample of 1379 sustained quitters (abstinent from smoking for at least 40 months) and 1388 relapsers (abstinent for more than 8 months before relapse) from participants in the Alpha-Tocopherol Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study, a nutritional intervention study involving Finnish men aged 50 to 69 years at baseline. Contingency table and multiple regression analyses were used to evaluate potential differences between the 2 groups on baseline variables. RESULTS Compared with sustained quitters, relapsers were more likely to report symptoms of emotional distress and higher levels of nicotine dependence, to drink more alcohol, and to report more medical conditions. CONCLUSIONS Factors associated with both tobacco use and comorbid conditions impact an individual's ability to maintain long-term smoking cessation. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of action and potential common pathways among these factors may help to improve smoking cessation therapies.
Gendered drinking: Meanings and norms among young Estonian adults

Aim Current research in Estonia shows that drinking has increased both among men and women and that the gender gap in alcohol consumption is decreasing, especially among young people. This article will explore from a micro-level perspective how gender, meanings and norms are interconnected, and how these meanings and norms regulate and legitimise gendered drinking behaviour. Design The study is based on in-depth individual and focus groups interviews with young adults from rural and urban areas in Estonia, supported by participant observation. Results Women's drinking still carries a clear, albeit contested, double standard. Young men, on the other hand, contest the traditional masculine drinking norms and distance themselves from the heavy drinking practices of drinking to intoxication and drinking vodka, which are connected with images of Soviet-era (inflexible rural) masculinity. Conclusion In creating alternative modes of masculinity and femininity, young adults stress independence, individualism and being active agents in the reconstruction of their gendered identities. These aspects can be explained through broader processes in Estonian society during the last two decades.
A meeting of experts: the emerging roles of non-professionals in the education of health professionals

Most academic programmes that prepare students for the health professions have a long history of involving patients in teaching and learning. Until recently such involvement has been largely passive, but the last 20 years have seen major growth in the number and diversity of educational initiatives in which patients play an active role as educators. This article describes how and why these changes have occurred, identifies some of the challenges of learning from those outside the academy – and professions – and explores some of the questions raised about the nature of ‘professional’ and ‘lay’ knowledge and expertise.
Consent Searches as a Threat to Procedural Justice and Police Legitimacy

Consent searches during traffic stops offer police a way to expediently check motorists’ vehicles for contraband. Asking drivers for consent to search their vehicles, however, may cause them to feel negatively about the encounter and, consequently, to question officers’ motives for pulling them over. The present study analyzes stopped motorists’ reactions to consent requests; specifically, consent requests are theorized to damage these individuals’ perceptions of procedural justice and, moreover, of the legitimacy of the stop itself. Logistic regression analyses of a nationally representative sample support these hypotheses. Policy implications include the need for judicious use of consent searches, as they appear to be a form of procedural injustice that erodes police legitimacy.
Heterogeneous Multi-column ConvNets with a Fusion Framework for Object Recognition

The purpose of this paper is to investigate heterogeneous multi-column ConvNets (MCCNN) and fusion methods for them. We first construct heterogeneous MCCNN by combining ConvNets with different structures. We then use different fusion methods to check their performances to find out the effect of fusion methods for MCCNN. We also propose a novel sliding window based fusion framework which defines a specific subset of columns to be picked up from MCCNN for fusion. Two different strategies (exhaustive sliding window and sliding window from training) are investigated to determine the best performance of the fusion process. We tested the heterogeneous MCCNN and sliding window fusion on the MNIST dataset for optical character recognition. Experiments show that MCCNN improved the accuracy of recognition compared with a single column of ConvNets. Moreover, sliding window fusion is a more generalized fusion method and consistently achieves better results compared with the traditional fusion methods. We also tested the MCCNN and sliding window fusion on CIFAR-10 and Caltech-256 datasets. We achieved superior results compared to existing state-of-the-art techniques.
A Politics of Imperceptibilities, Possibilities and Early Childhood Practice

A growing body of research suggests that a range of ‘hidden’ or ‘less tangible’ aspects of early childhood practice play an important part in early childhood practice. The purpose of this article is to contribute to this existing research literature by identifying some of the complex ways that less tangible aspects work. To do this, the authors focus on a data fragment describing ways that conceptualisations of ‘secret’ are at work in one educator's practice. To give readings of this data fragment, the authors use a strategy of ‘plugging in’ everyday and theoretical understandings of ‘the secret’, and, a popular culture text. The authors also use post-structural understandings of ‘being’ and ‘language’, and additional illustrative data fragments to illuminate these complex aspects of practice at work. The article concludes by considering some implications and cautions of the politics of possibility that the readings of imperceptibility and early childhood practice have opened. Participant: It almost is like a secret language of its own. Researcher: What is? P: Being an early childhood educator [1] we've got all the - we all know that you - I don't have to say to Mary Jane, ‘Go and stand over there because you need your back against the wall because you need to look at all the children’ … We automatically know that. We speak about pedagogy and speak about all these words that - these now little secret words. Or we bend down to look at the children so the children can look at us in our faces. It's almost like this little secret movement we've got going on. (Data fragment from an interview with an early childhood educator) Is the secret in the content or in the form? And the answer is already apparent: neither. (Deleuze & Guattari, 1987, p. 289)
Enhanced giant magnetoresistance in spin-valves sandwiched between insulating NiO.

We have investigated the giant magnetoresistance of artificial structures containing metallic Co/Cu/Co and Ni80Fe20/Cu/Ni80Fe20 spin-valves confined within insulating antiferromagnetic NiO layers. The observed enhanced magnetoresistance as compared to conventional all-metal spin-valves is interpreted with a semiclassical approach in which specular reflections at the metal/insulator barrier are included.
A systems analysis of importin-α–β mediated nuclear protein import

Importin-β (Impβ) is a major transport receptor for Ran-dependent import of nuclear cargo. Impβ can bind cargo directly or through an adaptor such as Importin-α (Impα). Factors involved in nuclear transport have been well studied, but systems analysis can offer further insight into regulatory mechanisms. We used computer simulation and real-time assays in intact cells to examine Impα–β-mediated import. The model reflects experimentally determined rates for cargo import and correctly predicts that import is limited principally by Impα and Ran, but is also sensitive to NTF2. The model predicts that CAS is not limiting for the initial rate of cargo import and, surprisingly, that increased concentrations of Impβ and the exchange factor, RCC1, actually inhibit rather than stimulate import. These unexpected predictions were all validated experimentally. The model revealed that inhibition by RCC1 is caused by sequestration of nuclear Ran. Inhibition by Impβ results from depletion nuclear RanGTP, and, in support of this mechanism, expression of mRFP-Ran reversed the inhibition.
Hyaluronic Acid Bioconjugates for the Delivery of Bioactive Molecules

Hyaluronic acid (HA) has currently several therapeutic applications: in ophthalmology, osteoarthritis, wound healing, tissue regeneration, postoperative anti-adhesion and anesthetic medicine. In the last ten years, it has also been successfully investigated in the field of drug delivery, in the form of conjugates or hydrogel depot systems. HAylation, the covalent conjugation of HA to bioactive molecules, allows the overcoming of disadvantages associated with some pharmaceuticals, such as insolubility, instability and fast kidney clearance. These issues can be addressed also by covalent attachment of polyethylene glycol (PEGylation), but HA has the relevant advantages of biodegradability, high loading and specific targeting. In this review, the novel HA derivatives and the latest advances in HA-based drug delivery with a particular focus on the chemistry of conjugation will be discussed. Although, so far, there are no HA-drug conjugates on the market, several derivatives are presently under clinical investigation, and the promising results encourage further investigations and the exploitation of this versatile polysaccharide.
Agriculture and food systems in sub-Saharan Africa in a 4°C+ world

Agricultural development in sub-Saharan Africa faces daunting challenges, which climate change and increasing climate variability will compound in vulnerable areas. The impacts of a changing climate on agricultural production in a world that warms by 4°C or more are likely to be severe in places. The livelihoods of many croppers and livestock keepers in Africa are associated with diversity of options. The changes in crop and livestock production that are likely to result in a 4°C+ world will diminish the options available to most smallholders. In such a world, current crop and livestock varieties and agricultural practices will often be inadequate, and food security will be more difficult to achieve because of commodity price increases and local production shortfalls. While adaptation strategies exist, considerable institutional and policy support will be needed to implement them successfully on the scale required. Even in the 2°C+ world that appears inevitable, planning for and implementing successful adaptation strategies are critical if agricultural growth in the region is to occur, food security be achieved and household livelihoods be enhanced. As part of this effort, better understanding of the critical thresholds in global and African food systems requires urgent research.
Extended target localization using the variational Garrote

In several high-resolution array processing applications such as radar and sonar, it is necessary to localize targets that have a finite angular spread. In such scenarios, conventional subspace-based techniques tend to provide erroneous results, and hence, an extended target model is more appropriate. In this work, we consider a multiple input multiple output system model and propose to jointly estimate the range, Doppler shift and angular spread of extended targets. More specifically, we show that the extended nature of the target leads to a block-sparse recovery problem. To solve the problem, we present an extension of the variational Garrote method to estimate the unknown block sparse vector. The variational Garrote provides a simple approach for direct feature subset selection via a variational approximation to the posterior distribution over the subsets. In addition, our proposed method also takes into account the scaling of the angular spread of the target(s) at different distances. We illustrate the efficacy of our approach using Monte Carlo simulations.
Effects of Spontaneous Bilayer Curvature on Influenza Virus–mediated Fusion Pores

Cells expressing the hemagglutinin protein of influenza virus were fused to planar bilayer membranes containing the fluorescent lipid probes octadecylrhodamine (R18) or indocarbocyanine (DiI) to investigate whether spontaneous curvature of each monolayer of a target membrane affects the growth of fusion pores. R18 and DiI lowered the transition temperatures for formation of an inverted hexagonal phase, indicating that these probes facilitate the formation of negative curvature structures. The probes are known to translocate from one monolayer of a bilayer membrane to the other in a voltage-dependent manner. The spontaneous curvature of the cis monolayer (facing the cells) or the trans monolayer could therefore be made more negative through control of the polarity of voltage across the planar membrane. Electrical admittance measurements showed that the open times of flickering fusion pores were shorter when probes were in trans monolayers and longer when in cis monolayers compared with times when probe was symmetrically distributed. Open times were the same for probe symmetrically distributed as when probes were not present. Thus, open times were a function of the asymmetry of the spontaneous curvature between the trans and cis monolayers. Enriching the cis monolayer with a negative curvature probe reduced the probability that a small pore would fully enlarge, whereas enriching the trans monolayer promoted enlargement. Lysophosphatidylcholine has positive spontaneous curvature and does not translocate. When lysophosphatidylcholine was placed in trans leaflets of planar membranes, closing of fusion pores was rare. The effects of the negative and positive spontaneous curvature probes do not support the hypothesis that a flickering pore closes from an open state within a hemifusion diaphragm (essentially a “flat” structure). Rather, such effects support the hypothesis that the membrane surrounding the open pore forms a three-dimensional hourglass shape from which the pore flickers shut.
Conners’ continuous performance test (CCPT-II) in children with ADHD, ODD, or a combined ADHD/ODD diagnosis

The current study investigated if results on the Conners’ Continuous Performance Test (CCPT-II) could discriminate between children with ADHD (n = 59), ODD (n = 10), ADHD+ODD (n = 15), and normal controls (n =160), and how the results are associated with and explained by the intellectual function of the child. The sample was derived from the Bergen Child Study (BCS), a longitudinal, ongoing, population-based study of children’s development and mental health. CCPT-II performance did not differentiate between the three diagnostic groups (i.e., ADHD, ODD, and ADHD+ODD). Children with ODD (with or without comorbid ADHD) did not differ from children in the control group on any CCPT-II parameters. Children with ADHD made statistically significant more errors of omissions and showed a more variable response time to targets than the control group. The correlations between CCPT-II measures and IQ were mild to moderate, and there was a statistically significant group difference in IQ: Children with ADHD, and children with ADHD+ODD, obtained lower IQ scores than normal controls. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that IQ, but not diagnostic group status, was significant predictors of CCPT-II performance. CCPT-II performance should be interpreted with caution when assessing ADHD and/or ODD in children.
Women and Educational Management: a Trinidad and Tobago perspective

Abstract The paper describes women teachers’ perceptions of factors which facilitated or militated against their involvement in educational management. In‐depth interviews were held with seven women, four Afro‐Trinidadians and three Indo‐Trinida‐dians. Women teachers tended not to have well‐defined career plans, to defer and modify their career aspirations due to domestic responsibilities and to prefer the professional technical aspect of teaching to the administrative managerial aspect. Women who were successful in administration tended to have been supported by sponsors or mentors, especially in male‐dominated environments. However, women did become career ambitious later in their careers and actively sought administrative posts for a variety of reasons, so that the existing imbalance between male and female administrators is being challenged.
Walking Before and During a Sea Voyage

Stationary and moving surfaces impose different constraints on walking. In this study we investigated within-participants differences between walking on a ship before (at the dock) and during (at sea) a sea voyage. Four individuals participated in the study. While on the ship they wore a tri-axial accelerometer (ActiGraph GT3X+; ActiGraph LLC, Pensacola, FL) on their waists. Activity data were sampled at 30 Hz. Data were collected on the day before the voyage began and on several days at sea. The number of steps per day was greater at the dock than at sea. The net resultant force per day also was greater at the dock than at sea. However, resultant force per step was greater at sea (79.97 ± 8.50 vector magnitude counts/step) than on land (62.94 ± 10.03 vector magnitude counts/step). In addition, we observed variations in resultant force per step across days at sea. Ship motion decreased overall activity but increased the force per step.
Successful Adoption of Software Process Improvement Models: A Cultural-Methodological Proposal

Adoption of a Software Process Improvement Model (SPIM) is a problematic activity that occurs in almost all software development companies. This problem has different causes. One of these causes has relation with cultural aspects that are present in: a) The Company’s organizational culture, b) The SPIM’s documents embedded culture. Whether these cultural aspects are not treated properly there will be a problem that generates millions in economic losses to companies around the world. To reduce these economic losses and increase successful rates of SPIM adoptions, we developed a cultural-methodological proposal. This has four steps: a) Identify the Company’s organizational culture, b) identify the SPIM’s documents embedded culture and, c) Identify and quantify cultural aspects of organizational culture and embedded culture and, d) explain differences between them. The purpose is to generate information that can be used to develop plans and strategies for adoption and institutionalization of SPIM. Our proposal is illustrated using the Mexican Norm: NMX-I-059/NYCE-2005 as an example of a SPIM and 8 Mexican Software development companies as an example of organizational culture.