Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cognitive coordinate systems: accounts of mental rotation and individual differences in spatial ability.

Abstract : Strategic differences in spatial tasks can be explained in terms of different cognitive coordinate systems that subjects adopt. The strategy of mental rotation (of the type used in most mental rotation experiments and in some psychometric tests of spatial ability) uses a coordinate system defined by the standard axes of our visual world (i.e. horizontal, vertical, and depth axes). Within this strategy, rotations are performed around one or more of the standard axes. The paper provides a detailed theoretical account of the mental rotation of individuals of low and high spatial ability as they solve problems taken from psychometric tests. The theory is instantiated as two related computer simulation models that not only solve the problems, but also match the response times for the two groups. The simulation models contain modularized units of procedural knowledge called productions, that select and execute the appropriate actions at each knowledge state. Small localized differences between the two models simulate the large quantitative and qualitative differences between the two groups of subjects.
Prednisolone measurement in human serum using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry

Prednisolone is a commonly prescribed corticosteroid used in the treatment of many diseases. Despite high doses of prednisolone, some patients appear to have subtherapeutic concentrations of the drug. It would be useful to measure prednisolone in this group to determine if they have poor absorption or compliance. Hence, we have developed a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the determination of prednisolone in serum. Chromatography was performed using a C18 column, giving a retention time for both prednisolone and deuterated prednisolone (internal standard) of 1.6 min. Two transitions were monitored for both prednisolone and deuterated prednisolone. These were m/z 361.2>343.0 and m/z 361.2>146.9 for prednisolone, and m/z 367.2>349.0 and m/z 367.2>149.9 for the internal standard. The intra- and inter-batch imprecision was <7% in both cases over a concentration range of 62.5-750 μg/L. The imprecision at the lower limit was 8%, the lower limit of quantitation was determined to be 30 μg/L and the method was linear up to 5000 μg/L. The method allows rapid prednisolone analysis because of a simplified sample extraction step, and has a cycle time of 3.5 min.
Birth Family Contact Experiences Among Lesbian, Gay, and Heterosexual Adoptive Parents With School‐Age Children

Objective: To examine how lesbian, gay, and heterosexual adoptive parents navigate openness dynamics with children’s birth family across a 5-year period, when children are preschoolto school-age. Background: Few studies regarding birth family contact have included longitudinal data as well as a sample of adoptive parents of varying sexual orientations. Thus, this study used a multiprong theoretical approach grounded in emotional distance regulation, families of choice, and gender theory. Method: A mixed-methods approach with longitudinal quantitative survey and qualitative interview data from 106 lesbian, gay, and heterosexual adoptive parent families was employed to examine the type of contact, its frequency, who was involved, perceptions of this contact, and the extent to which formal agreements exist between adoptive and birth families regarding contact. Results: Findings revealed variations in the status and perceptions of contact across adoptive families. We also discovered that many lesbian and gay adoptive parents reported that birth
Benign Violations

Humor is an important, ubiquitous phenomenon; however, seemingly disparate conditions seem to facilitate humor. We integrate these conditions by suggesting that laughter and amusement result from violations that are simultaneously seen as benign. We investigated three conditions that make a violation benign and thus humorous: (a) the presence of an alternative norm suggesting that the situation is acceptable, (b) weak commitment to the violated norm, and (c) psychological distance from the violation. We tested the benign-violation hypothesis in the domain of moral psychology, where there is a strong documented association between moral violations and negative emotions, particularly disgust. Five experimental studies show that benign moral violations tend to elicit laughter and amusement in addition to disgust. Furthermore, seeing a violation as both wrong and not wrong mediates behavioral displays of humor. Our account is consistent with evolutionary accounts of laughter, explains humor across many domains, and suggests that humor can accompany negative emotion.
Inverting sampled traffic

Routers have the ability to output statistics about packets and flows of packets that traverse them. Since, however, the generation of detailed traffic statistics does not scale well with link speed, increasingly routers and measurement boxes implement sampling strategies at the packet level. In this paper, we study both theoretically and practically what information about the original traffic can be inferred when sampling, or "thinning", is performed at the packet level. While basic packet level characteristics such as first order statistics can be fairly directly recovered, other aspects require more attention. We focus mainly on the spectral density, a second-order statistic, and the distribution of the number of packets per flow, showing how both can be exactly recovered, in theory. We then show in detail why in practice this cannot be done using the traditional packet based sampling, even for high sampling rate. We introduce an alternative flow-based thinning, where practical inversion is possible even at arbitrarily low sampling rate. We also investigate the theory and practice of fitting the parameters of a Poisson cluster process, modeling the full packet traffic, from sampled data.
Machine translation vs. common language: effects on idea exchange in cross-lingual groups

Diversity among members of international teams can be a valuable source of novel ideas. However, to reap these benefits, groups need to overcome communication barriers that stem from differences in members' native languages. We compare two strategies for overcoming these barriers: the use of English as a common language, and the use of machine translation (MT) tools that allow each person to communicate in his or her own native language. Dyads consisting of one English-speaking American and one native Mandarin-speaking Chinese participant exchanged ideas to perform brainstorming tasks, either through English or using MT. We found that MT helped the non-native English speakers produce ideas but that both native and non-native English speakers viewed MT-mediated messages as less comprehensible than English messages. The findings suggest it can be effective to support cross-lingual communication with asymmetric design, using MT technology to help people produce messages in their native languages, while leaving incoming messages untranslated and leveraging people's second language proficiency for comprehension.
Infectivity of Trypanosoma (Trypanozoon) brucei gambiense for baboons (Papio hamadryas, Papio papio).

In order to study sensitivity or resistance of T.b. gambiense to baboon serum, two species of baboons, P. hamadryas and P. papio were inoculated with T.b. gambiense clone LiTat 1.1. Both species were receptive to infection but, parasitological and immunological parameters showed that P. papio was more trypanotolerant than P. hamadryas. The VAT-specific trypanolysis test and the ELISA, using MoAb for circulating antigen detection may be appropriate for the diagnosis of human trypanosomiasis due to T.b. gambiense.
Trading sex: Voluntary or coerced? The experiences of homeless youth

This study examined the circumstances surrounding a homeless youth's “decision “ to trade sex for food, money, shelter, or drugs. Forty homeless youth in 4 Midwestern states participated in individual, in‐depth qualitative interviews. Interviewers recruited youth through both service agencies and street outreach. The findings revealed that approximately one third of the sample had some experience with trading sex, whether it was in the form of having traded sex, having been propositioned to trade sex but having refused, or having friends or acquaintances that had traded sex. Young people's reports indicated that they had traded sex for things they deemed necessary in order to survive (i.e., food, shelter, money, or drugs) and that they did not want to trade sex, but did so because they were desperate and lacked alternatives. Additionally, others were coerced, manipulated, or forced to do so, indicating that the decision to trade sex is not always voluntary. We discuss the implications of these findings in terms of cumulative effects on youths’ later development. Directions for future research among this population are also discussed.
“Not to lose the chain in learning mathematics”: expert teaching with variation in Shanghai

This paper reports on an expert teacher’s ideas and practice of teaching with variation that underpin her guidance of junior teachers in lesson design study in a research project in Shanghai, China. The data we analysed included the teacher’s lesson plan, teaching references, classroom materials, together with the video of the lesson and its transcript. Using the framework of teaching with variation, we identified four types of variation: task variation, example variation, calculation method variation, and exercises variation. The findings help towards a deeper understanding of the complexity of teaching expertise valued in the Chinese mathematics classroom.
Impoundment of the Zipingpu reservoir and triggering of the 2008 Mw 7.9 Wenchuan earthquake, China

Impoundment of the Zipingpu reservoir (ZR), China, began in September 2005 and was followed 2.7 years later by the 2008 Mw 7.9 Wenchuan earthquake (WE) rupturing the Longmen Shan Fault (LSF), with its epicenter ~12 km away from the ZR. Based on the poroelastic theory, we employ three‐dimensional finite element models to simulate the evolution of stress and pore pressure due to reservoir impoundment, and its effect on the Coulomb failure stress on the LSF. The results indicate that the reservoir impoundment formed a pore pressure front that slowly propagated through the crust with fluid diffusion. The reservoir loading induced either moderate or no increase of the Coulomb failure stress at the hypocenter prior to the WE. The Coulomb failure stress, however, grew ~9.3–69.1 kPa in the depth range of 1–8 km on the LSF, which may have advanced tectonic loading of the fault system by ~60–450 years. Due to uncertainties of fault geometry and hypocenter location of the WE, it is inconclusive whether impoundment of the ZR directly triggered the WE. However, a small event at the hypocenter could have triggered large rupture elsewhere on fault, where the asperities were weakened by the ZR. The microseismicity around the ZR also showed an expanding pattern from the ZR since its impoundment, likely associated with diffusion of a positive pore pressure pulse. These results suggest a poroelastic triggering effect (even if indirectly) of the WE due to the impoundment of the ZR.
Regional Air Quality Modeling System (RAQMS) predictions of the tropospheric ozone budget over east Asia

[1] The NASA Langley Research Center and University of Wisconsin Regional Air Quality Modeling System (RAQMS) is used to estimate the tropospheric ozone budget over east Asia during the NASA Global Tropospheric Experiment (GTE) Transport and Chemical Evolution over the Pacific (TRACE-P) mission. The computed ozone budget explicitly accounts for stratosphere/troposphere exchange (STE) and in situ ozone production using on-line chemical calculations. The east Asian O3 budget is computed during the period from 7 March to 12 April 2001. Gross formation dominates STE by a ratio of 7 to 1 in east Asia during TRACE-P. However, this ratio is strongly influenced by altitude of the tropopause. Approximately 30% of the ozone that is advected across the tropopause over east Asia is subsequently advected out over the western Pacific within the upper 4 km of the troposphere by the Japan jet. The average net photochemical production (gross formation-gross destruction) within the regional domain is 0.37 Tg d−1 or 7% of the average flux at the eastern boundary of the domain during the TRACE-P time period. The budget analysis shows a very close balance between sources and sinks within the RAQMS regional domain during the TRACE-P time period. This balance results in very small average accumulation (∼1 Tg) of O3 in the east Asian region and very little net export averaged over the period (0.03 Tg d−1). The low ozone export from east Asia predicted by RAQMS during TRACE-P is a consequence of relatively high dry deposition rates, which are 37% of the gross ozone formation (1.469 Tg d−1) within the TRACE-P regional domain.
Early prediction of sepsis-induced disseminated intravascular coagulation with interleukin-10, interleukin-6, and RANTES in preterm infants.

BACKGROUND The progression to disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) in infected very low birth weight (VLBW; <1500 g) infants is difficult to predict with precision at the onset of sepsis. We investigated the immunologic profiles of preterm infants with sepsis, using chemokine and cytokine measurements to predict the development of sepsis-induced DIC at the onset of infection. METHODS We measured a panel of chemokines and cytokines at 0 and 24 h after clinical presentation in VLBW infants with suspected infection requiring full sepsis screening. The chemokines measured were interleukin (IL)-8, interferon-gamma-inducible protein-10 (IP-10), monokine induced by interferon-gamma, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, and regulated upon activation normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES), and the cytokines were IL-6, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. RESULTS Of 195 episodes of suspected clinical sepsis investigated, 62 were culture-confirmed septicemia or necrotizing enterocolitis (28 of these infants developed DIC), 22 were culture-negative clinical infections, and 111 involved noninfected episodes. All studied inflammatory mediators except RANTES showed significantly greater up-regulation in culture-positive infected infants than in noninfected infants at 0 and 24 h, whereas RANTES showed significant down-regulation. The model that used plasma IL-10 (>208 ng/L), IL-6 (>168 ng/L), and RANTES (<3110 ng/L) at 0 h had sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of 100%, 97%, 85%, and 100%, respectively, for identifying infected patients who subsequently developed DIC. CONCLUSIONS IL-10, IL-6, and RANTES measured at clinical presentation sensitively and accurately predicted the development of DIC in severely infected infants. This information could be vital for early and effective treatment of neonatal sepsis.
Characterization of an Exo-β-d-Glucosaminidase Involved in a Novel Chitinolytic Pathway from the Hyperthermophilic Archaeon Thermococcus kodakaraensis KOD1

ABSTRACT We previously clarified that the chitinase from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus kodakaraensis KOD1 produces diacetylchitobiose (GlcNAc2) as an end product from chitin. Here we sought to identify enzymes in T. kodakaraensis that were involved in the further degradation of GlcNAc2. Through a search of the T. kodakaraensis genome, one candidate gene identified as a putative β-glycosyl hydrolase was found in the near vicinity of the chitinase gene. The primary structure of the candidate protein was homologous to the β-galactosidases in family 35 of glycosyl hydrolases at the N-terminal region, whereas the central region was homologous to β-galactosidases in family 42. The purified protein from recombinant Escherichia coli clearly showed an exo-β-d-glucosaminidase (GlcNase) activity but not β-galactosidase activity. This GlcNase (GlmATk), a homodimer of 90-kDa subunits, exhibited highest activity toward reduced chitobiose at pH 6.0 and 80°C and specifically cleaved the nonreducing terminal glycosidic bond of chitooligosaccharides. The GlcNase activity was also detected in T. kodakaraensis cells, and the expression of GlmATk was induced by GlcNAc2 and chitin, strongly suggesting that GlmATk is involved in chitin catabolism in T. kodakaraensis. These results suggest that T. kodakaraensis, unlike other organisms, possesses a novel chitinolytic pathway where GlcNAc2 from chitin is first deacetylated and successively hydrolyzed to glucosamine. This is the first report that reveals the primary structure of GlcNase not only from an archaeon but also from any organism.
Acrylamide-induced Subacute Neurotoxic Effects on the Cerebral Cortex and Cerebellum at the Synapse Level in Rats.

OBJECTIVE To investigate acrylamide (ACR)-induced subacute neurotoxic effects on the central nervous system (CNS) at the synapse level in rats. METHODS Thirty-six Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomized into three groups, (1) a 30 mg/kg ACR-treated group, (2) a 50 mg/kg ACR-treated group, and (3) a normal saline (NS)-treated control group. Body weight and neurological changes were recorded each day. At the end of the test, cerebral cortex and cerebellum tissues were harvested and viewed using light and electron microscopy. Additionally, the expression of Synapsin I and P-Synapsin I in the cerebral cortex and cerebellum were investigated. RESULTS The 50 mg/kg ACR-treated rats showed a significant reduction in body weight compared with untreated individuals (P < 0.05). Rats exposed to ACR showed a significant increase in gait scores compared with the NS control group (P < 0.05). Histological examination indicated neuronal structural damage in the 50 mg/kg ACR treatment group. The active zone distance (AZD) and the nearest neighbor distance (NND) of synaptic vesicles in the cerebral cortex and cerebellum were increased in both the 30 mg/kg and 50 mg/kg ACR treatment groups. The ratio of the distribution of synaptic vesicles in the readily releasable pool (RRP) was decreased. Furthermore, the expression levels of Synapsin I and P-Synapsin I in the cerebral cortex and cerebellum were decreased in both the 30 mg/kg and 50 mg/kg ACR treatment groups. CONCLUSION Subacute ACR exposure contributes to neuropathy in the rat CNS. Functional damage of synaptic proteins and vesicles may be a mechanism of ACR neurotoxicity.
A Review on Locomotor Training after Spinal Cord Injury: Reorganization of Spinal Neuronal Circuits and Recovery of Motor Function

Locomotor training is a classic rehabilitation approach utilized with the aim of improving sensorimotor function and walking ability in people with spinal cord injury (SCI). Recent studies have provided strong evidence that locomotor training of persons with clinically complete, motor complete, or motor incomplete SCI induces functional reorganization of spinal neuronal networks at multisegmental levels at rest and during assisted stepping. This neuronal reorganization coincides with improvements in motor function and decreased muscle cocontractions. In this review, we will discuss the manner in which spinal neuronal circuits are impaired and the evidence surrounding plasticity of neuronal activity after locomotor training in people with SCI. We conclude that we need to better understand the physiological changes underlying locomotor training, use physiological signals to probe recovery over the course of training, and utilize established and contemporary interventions simultaneously in larger scale research studies. Furthermore, the focus of our research questions needs to change from feasibility and efficacy to the following: what are the physiological mechanisms that make it work and for whom? The aforementioned will enable the scientific and clinical community to develop more effective rehabilitation protocols maximizing sensorimotor function recovery in people with SCI.
In vitro activity of tosufloxacin, a new quinolone, against respiratory pathogens derived from cystic fibrosis sputum

By using broth microdilution methods, the in vitro activity of tosufloxacin (A-64730), a new quinolone, was compared with those of other agents, including five quinolones, against geographically diverse cystic fibrosis sputum isolates obtained from 26 cystic fibrosis centers in the United States. These included Pseudomonas aeruginosa, conventional as well as especially resistant (ceftazidime, aztreonam, gentamicin, and/or tobramycin) isolates: Escherichia coli; Pseudomonas cepacia; Staphylococcus aureus; and Haemophilus influenzae. Tosufloxacin MICs for 50 and 90% of isolates of standard P. aeruginosa were 0.5 and 2.0 mg/liter, for resistant P. aeruginosa they were 4.0 and greater than 16.0 mg/liter, for E. coli they were less than or equal to 0.016 mg/liter, for P. cepacia they were 4.0 and 8.0 mg/liter, for S. aureus they were 0.063 and 0.063 mg/liter, and for H. influenzae they were less than or equal to 0.016 and 0.032 mg/liter, respectively. Tosufloxacin activities against standard and resistant strains of P. aeruginosa were similar to those of comparative quinolones. Against E. coli, tosufloxacin activity was similar to those of other quinolones. Against S. aureus, tosufloxacin activity was similar to those of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and cephalexin, but tosufloxacin was more active than other agents. Against H. influenzae, tosufloxacin activity was similar to those of other quinolones. There was minor diminution of activity at pH 8.2 but major diminution of activity at pH 5.2 and at inoculum sizes of greater than or equal to 10(7) CFU/ml. Activity was unaffected by sputum but was enhanced by serum and by the omission of cation supplementation. Tosufloxacin has consistent activity against common cystic fibrosis pathogens. Its high degree of activity against S. aureus with activity maintained against P. aeruginosa and other gram-negative bacteria of interest suggests that further in vitro studies and assessment of activity in in vivo models of cystic fibrosis pulmonary infections are warranted.
Physical integrity of 3D printed parts for use as embossing tools

Abstract On inception, 3D printed parts were typically used at prototyping stage to give the end user/customer a real world concept of how the part may appear when traditional manufacturing techniques were employed for final part fabrication. In this context, mechanical properties such as load bearing capacity or wear rate were not typically of primary concern. This paper investigates, given the advances in 3D printing technology, the potential for using 3D printed parts for high throughput embossing tools. The key mechanical properties for embossing tools are compression and wear rate. To this end, commercially available engineering grade photopolymer materials were characterised in terms of compression and wear using ASTM D695 and ASTM G99 standards respectively. Parts were fabricated via the Polyjet ink-jetting 3D printing technique using the commercially available Connex 260 from Stratasys. Given the nature of the fabrication technique, differences in compressive strength of the material based on orientation of build were also investigated.