Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Breathlessness in humans activates insular cortex

Dyspnea (shortness of breath, breathlessness) is a major and disabling symptom of heart and lung disease. The representation of dyspnea in the cerebral cortex is unknown. In the first study designed to explore the central neural structures underlying perception of dyspnea, we evoked the perception of severe ‘air hunger’ in healthy subjects by restraining ventilation below spontaneous levels while holding arterial oxygen and carbon dioxide levels constant. PET revealed that air hunger activated the insular cortex. The insula is a limbic structure also activated by visceral stimuli, temperature, taste, nausea and pain. Like dyspnea, such perceptions underlie behaviors essential to homeostasis and survival.
Identifying volcanic endmembers in hyperspectral images using spectral unmixing

Spectral unmixing technique is used in remote sensed data analysis for the determination of certain basis spectra called 'endmembers'. Once those spectra are found, the image cube can be 'unmixed' into fractional abundance of each material in each pixel. In the present work infrared spectra recorded by Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) were used to characterize the emission from Grimsvotn volcanic eruption on 2011. In particular, a methodology based on spectral unmixing theory was used in order to extract the spectral signature of volcanic cloud constituents, such as ash and sulphur dioxide (SO2) and maps of their abundances in a IASI image were obtained. Taking the advantage of IASI broad spectral coverage the broadband signature in the Thermal Infrared (TIR) radiance spectra in the 1000-1410 cm-1 range associated with the presence of aerosols was obtained. Volcanic ash and SO2 spectral signatures were extracted, as well as those related to the simultaneous presence of ash, SO2 and cloud. The study proved that spectral unmixing, applied to Hyperspectral images, is able to identify volcanic aerosols and other species like SO2 despite a strong presence of meteorological clouds. Moreover, the analysis of hyperspectral datasets permitted to generate abundance maps for each endmember extracted. In particular, maps obtained for the test case of 2011 May, 23th put in evidence the separation between clouds of ejected SO2 and volcanic ash. The former dispersed at Northern latitudes, whilst the latter was situated at southern latitudes, South of Iceland.
3-(R)-[3-(2-Methoxyphenylthio-2-(S)-methylpropyl]amino-3,4-dihydro-2H-1,5-benzoxathiepine Bromhydrate (F 15845) Prevents Ischemia-Induced Heart Remodeling by Reduction of the Intracellular Na+ Overload

The present study investigates whether 3-(R)-[3-(2-methoxyphenylthio-2-(S)-methylpropyl]amino-3,4-dihydro-2H-1,5-benzoxathiepine bromhydrate (F 15845), a new, persistent sodium current blocker, can reduce the ischemic Na+ accumulation and exert short- and long-term cardioprotection after myocardial infarction. First, F 15845 concentration-dependently reduced veratrine-induced diastolic contracture (IC50 = 0.14 μM) in isolated atria. Second, F 15845 from 1 μM preserved viability in 54.2 ± 12.5% of isolated cardiomyocytes exposed to lysophosphatidylcholine. Third, the effect of F 15845 on intracellular Na+ of isolated hearts from control and diabetic db/db mice was monitored using 23Na-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. F 15845 (0.3 μM) significantly counteracted [Na+]i increase during no-flow ischemia in control mouse hearts. In diabetic db/db mouse hearts, the reduction in [Na+]i was delayed relative to control. However, it was more marked and maintained upon reperfusion. The cardioprotective properties after myocardial infarction associated with short- (24-h) and long-term (14-day) reperfusion were measured in anesthetized rats. After 24-h reperfusion, F 15845 (5 mg/kg) significantly reduced infarct size (32.4 ± 1.7% with vehicle and 24.2 ± 3.4% with F 15845; P < 0.05) and decrease of troponin I levels (524 ± 93 μg/l with vehicle versus 271 ± 63 μg/l with F 15845; P < 0.05). It is important that F 15845 limits the long-term expansion of infarct size (35.2 ± 2.6%, n = 19 versus 46.7 ± 1.6%, n = 27 in the vehicle group; P < 0.001). Overall, F 15845 attenuates [Na+]i and prevents (or reverses) contractile and biochemical dysfunction in ischemic and remodeling heart. F 15845 constitutes a new generation of cardioprotective agent.
Strong converse for a degraded wiretap channel via active hypothesis testing

We establish an upper bound on the rate of codes for a wiretap channel with public feedback for a fixed probability of error and secrecy parameter. As a corollary, we obtain a strong converse for the capacity of a degraded wiretap channel with public feedback. Our converse proof is based on a reduction of active hypothesis testing for discriminating between two channels to coding for wiretap channel with feedback.
Reviving an Islamic Approach for Environmental Conservation in Indonesia

In this paper, the authors argue that while state-sponsored efforts to preserve Indonesia’s natural resources have been needed, their effectiveness has been limited due to the paucity of available arable land and the frequent conflicts conservation policies have generated among local populations. Rather than a top-down structural approach, they argue, what is needed is an innovative approach that includes education at the grassroots, which in Indonesia will combine Islamic principles of environmental protection with traditional methods of conservation. After a section presenting an Islamic theology of creation care and then highlighting some projects in the Muslim world, the spotlight is turned on Indonesia, where a number of initiatives involve the cooperation of religious leaders, eco-friendly pesantren (religious boarding schools), international NGOs, and government policy at the national and regional levels.
Please Scroll down for Article International Journal of Geographical Information Science Assessing Vulnerability to Earthquake Hazards through Spatial Multicriteria Analysis of Urban Areas Assessing Vulnerability to Earthquake Hazards through Spatial Multicriteria Analysis of Urban Areas

This article may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution , reselling , loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material. Abstract. Assessing urban vulnerability to natural hazards such as earthquakes can be regarded as an ill-structured problem (i.e. a problem for which there is no unique, identifiable, objectively optimal solution). A review of the literature indicates a number of contrasting definitions of what vulnerability means, as well as numerous conflicting perspectives on what should or should not be included within the broad assessment of vulnerability in cities. This paper reports on the findings from a project in which a GIS methodology has been developed to assess urban vulnerability through a spatial analytical procedure. First, we highlight the deficiencies of current GIS approaches to urban vulnerability analysis and discuss the ill-structured nature of the vulnerability problem. We then propose a working definition for vulnerability assessment in which vulnerability is thought of as a spatial decision problem under the conditions of uncertainty. Next, we present a methodology to incorporate this definition into a GIS framework that combines elements from the techniques of spatial multicriteria analysis and fuzzy logic. The application of this methodology is then illustrated with a case study from Los Angeles County. The results suggest that the proposed methodology may provide a new approach for analyzing vulnerability that can add to our understanding of human/hazards interaction. 1. Introduction Urban vulnerability to natural hazards such as earthquakes is a function of human behavior. It describes the degree to which socioeconomic systems and physical assets in urban areas are either susceptible or resilient to the impact of natural hazards. Over the past two decades, vulnerability has come to represent an essential concept in hazards research and in the development of mitigation strategies at the Several models of urban vulnerability have been proposed to address the various ways …
To study an accurate method for analysis of substrate integrated waveguide

In this paper, an accurate analysis method of substrate integrated waveguide based on mode matching technique is presented. The structure is approximated by consecutive rectangular waveguides. A unit cell structure is analyzed by considering field distribution as the summation of TEn0 modes in rectangular coordinate system. Due to the periodicity of the structure, the propagation characteristics of substrate integrated waveguide modes can be deduced from investigating of the unit cell and employing Floquet theory. Finally, through comparison between our results with other published results, accuracy of the proposed method is verified.
Achieving self-efficacy in the virtual learning environment

Virtual learning environments (VLEs) provide a seamless interface for organising online learning, and are proving indispensable in distance learning. The technological environments, though, are often adopted with little thought about pedagogical strategies, especially for students who may be adversely affected by the additional challenges of new technology. The mature age student, in particular, faces a barrage of factors, which may adversely affect their learning abilities. This paper explores factors that influence achievement of learning objectives by mature students. We propose a self-efficacy model which enables learners to attain self-efficacy in virtual learning environments. The model takes into account factors that impact specifically on mature students. We propose changes in learning as well as pedagogical strategies to accommodate the specific needs of mature students.
Effects of fixation and tissue processing on immunohistochemical demonstration of specific antigens.

Identification of biomarkers in archival tissues using immunochemistry is becoming increasingly important for determining the diagnosis and prognosis of tumors, for characterizing preinvasive neoplastic changes in glandular tissues such as prostate, for evaluating the response of tumors and preinvasive neoplastic changes to certain therapies (i.e., as a surrogate intermediate end point), for selecting patients who are candidates for specific therapies (e.g., immunotherapy) and for retrospective studies. For detecting specific biomarkers it is important to understand the limitations imposed by the fixation methods and processing of the tissues. This study was designed to determine the effects of fixation on the detection in archival paraffin blocks of selected antigens postulated to be important in tumor biology. We evaluated the antigens TGF alpha, p185erbB-2, broad spectrum keratins, p53, and TAG-72 (B72.3). Fixatives evaluated included standard preparations of neutral buffered formalin, acid formalin, zinc formalin, alcoholic formalin, ethanol, methanol, and Bouin's fixative. We found that in general neutral buffered formalin is the poorest fixative for maintaining antigen recognition by immunohistochemistry and that no single fixative was best for all antigens. The dehydrating (coagulant) fixatives (e.g., ethanol and methanol) preserved immunorecognition of p53 and broad spectrum keratins best while the slow cross-linking fixatives (e.g., unbuffered zinc formalin) were best for demonstrating TGF alpha and p185erbB-2. Fixatives other than neutral buffered formalin produced equivalent recognition of the epitope of TAG-72 by B72.3. In formalin fixed archival tissues, only a portion of the antigen signal can be detected by routine immunohistologic methods.
Homozygous myotonic dystrophy: clinical and molecular studies of three unrelated cases

We report the clinical and molecular study of three unrelated homozygous myotonic dystrophy patients. In the first family, the homozygous patient shows the classical form of the disease with two DM alleles of very different expansion sizes (1000 and 60 repeats). In the second family, the homozygous patient is mildly affected and carries a minimally expanded allele (64 repeats) and a "normal" allele (38 repeats) that increases in size when transmitted. Such an intergenerational expansion of an allele in this range of repeats has not been reported to date. The third homozygous case has late onset bilateral cataracts as the only symptom. She has two minimally expanded alleles (51 and 120 repeats) that showed different intergenerational enlargement during transmission to the next generation.
Re‐formation of chlorine reservoirs in southern hemisphere polar spring

This paper focuses on the recovery of chlorine reservoir species in the lower stratosphere in late Antarctic spring. The investigations are based on measurements from the Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE) on board the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) and calculations by the Mainz photochemical box model and the NASA Langley Research Center trajectory model. During late Antarctic spring 1994, HALOE observed high HCl mixing ratios up to 2.7 ppbv at 20 km altitude in the ozone-depleted air inside the polar vortex. These values correspond approximately to the sum of all available inorganic chlorine species. In the preceding period of chlorine activation on polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs), the observed HCl mixing ratios in some cases were below 0.3 ppbv. This indicates a fast conversion of active chlorine species into the form of HCl after PSCs disappear with increasing stratospheric temperatures. Box model calculations are presented that assess the rate of HCl increase in late spring when heterogeneous chemistry on polar stratospheric clouds becomes insignificant. The calculations were performed along Lagrangian trajectories starting from HALOE measurements in September 1994. Sensitivity calculations are presented regarding uncertainties in input parameters of the calculations. In the vortex edge region, calculated HCl increase rates are significantly lower compared with HALOE observations. Introducing additional HCl-yielding branches of the reactions of ClO with OH and HO2 helps to reduce this discrepancy.
Stature estimation using odontometry and skull anthropometry.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the possibility of estimating height from odontometry and anthropometric data of the skull for the positive identification of height in forensic investigations concerned with fragmentary human remains. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was carried out on 100 Mysorean patients, 50 males, and 50 females. Measurements of mesiodistal widths of the six maxillary anterior teeth, circumference of the skull, and height were made directly on each patient. Anteroposterior diameter of the skull was obtained on the lateral cephalograph. The data collected were subjected to statistical methods. The known heights of the combined data, data for males, and females were regressed against the odontometric and anthropometric variables using linear regression analysis. RESULTS Significant sexual dimorphism was observed for the parameters studied ( P 0.05). Highly significant correlation was found between height and other parameters when combined data and data for males were regressed. The equation relating height to the combined mesiodistal width of maxillary anterior teeth was derived as height = 982.421 + 13.65 x combined mesiodistal width of maxillary anterior teeth ( P 0.0001). Similarly equations were obtained by regressing height to head circumference and skull diameter ( P 0.0001 for both). The above findings may hence provide reliable method of estimation of height from skeletal remains in the forensic setup.
Mining Motivated Trends of Usage of Haskell Libraries

We propose an initial approach to minethe usage trends of libraries in Haskell, a popular functional programminglanguage. We integrate it with a novel, initial method to automaticallydetermine the reasons of clients for switching to different versions. Based onthese, we conduct a preliminary investigation of trends of usage in Haskelllibraries. Results suggest that trends are similar to those in the Javaecosystem and in line with Rogers' theory on the diffusion of innovation. Our results also provide indication on Haskell libraries being allby and large stable.
Direct experimental evidence for alternative stable states: a review

A large number of studies have presented empirical arguments for the existence of alternative stable states (ASS) in a wide range of ecological systems. However, most of these studies have used non-manipulative, indirect methods, which findings remain open for alternative explanations. Here, we review the direct evidence for ASS resulting from manipulation experiments. We distinguish four conclusive experimental approaches which test for predictions made by the hysteresis effect: (1) discontinuity in the response to an environmental driving parameter, (2) lack of recovery potential after a perturbation, (3) divergence due to different initial conditions and (4) random divergence. Based on an extensive literature search we found 35 corresponding experiments. We assessed the ecological stability of the reported contrasting states using the minimum turnover of individuals in terms of life span and classified the studies according to 4 categories: (1) experimental system, (2) habitat type, (3) involved organisms and (4) theoretical framework. 13 experiments have directly demonstrated the existence of alternative stable states while 8 showed the absence of ASS in other cases. 14 experiments did not fulfil the requirements of a conclusive test, mostly because they applied a too short time scale. We found a bias towards laboratory experiments compared to field experiments in demonstrating bistability. There was no clear pattern of the distribution of ASS over categories. The absence of ASS in 38% of the tested systems indicates that ASS are just one possibility of how ecological systems can behave. The relevance of the concept of ASS for natural systems is discussed, in particular under consideration of the observed laboratory bias, perturbation frequency and variable environments. It is argued, that even for a permanently transient system, alternative attractors may still be of relevance.
Preprogramming Knowledge: A Major Source of Misconceptions in Novice Programmers

We present a process model to explain bugs produced by novices early in a programming course. The model was motivated by interviews with novice programmers solving simple programming problems. Our key idea is that many programming bugs can be explained by novices inappropriately using their knowledge of step-by-step procedural specifications in natural language. We view programming bugs as patches generated in response to an impasse reached by the novice while developing a program. We call such patching strategies bug generators. Several of our bug generators describe how natural language preprogramming knowledge is used by novices to create patches. Other kinds of bug generators are also discussed. We describe a representation both for novice natural language preprogramming knowledge and novice fragmentary programming knowledge. Using these representations and the bug generators, we evaluate the model by analyzing four interviews with novice programmers.
Re-Imagining the Future: Repetition Decreases Hippocampal Involvement in Future Simulation

Imagining or simulating future events has been shown to activate the anterior right hippocampus (RHC) more than remembering past events does. One fundamental difference between simulation and memory is that imagining future scenarios requires a more extensive constructive process than remembering past experiences does. Indeed, studies in which this constructive element is reduced or eliminated by “pre-imagining” events in a prior session do not report differential RHC activity during simulation. In this fMRI study, we examined the effects of repeatedly simulating an event on neural activity. During scanning, participants imagined 60 future events; each event was simulated three times. Activation in the RHC showed a significant linear decrease across repetitions, as did other neural regions typically associated with simulation. Importantly, such decreases in activation could not be explained by non-specific linear time-dependent effects, with no reductions in activity evident for the control task across similar time intervals. Moreover, the anterior RHC exhibited significant functional connectivity with the whole-brain network during the first, but not second and third simulations of future events. There was also evidence of a linear increase in activity across repetitions in right ventral precuneus, right posterior cingulate and left anterior prefrontal cortex, which may reflect source recognition and retrieval of internally generated contextual details. Overall, our findings demonstrate that repeatedly imagining future events has a decremental effect on activation of the hippocampus and many other regions engaged by the initial construction of the simulation, possibly reflecting the decreasing novelty of simulations across repetitions, and therefore is an important consideration in the design of future studies examining simulation.
THE UTILITY OF SURFACE AND UPPER AIR DATA IN SYNOPTIC CLIMATOLOGICAL SPECIFICATION OF SURFACE CLIMATIC VARIABLES

The relative merits of applying 1000 and 500 hPa map classifications to specifying departures in daily and monthly climatic elements have been examined for a network of 82 stations over New Zealand. The map classification technique was based on eigenanalysis of twice daily geopotential height fields at 2.5° resolution, followed by cluster analysis. Five significant EOFs were obtained at each level and subsequent cluster analysis resulted in stable patterns of seven and ten synoptic classes at the 1000 and 500 hPa levels respectively. The application of EOF analysis and cluster analysis to the combined data from both levels led in each case to equivalent-barotropic patterns, so that it was not possible to distinguish between varying vertical structures associated with the same low-level circulation. On a daily basis, the ten 500 hPa classes were better able to distinguish between maximum and minimum temperatures and daily precipitation, but comparable results with the seven 1000 hPa map types were obtained for the duration of bright sunshine and daily wind run. The difference in skill was at least partly related to the number of synoptic classes at each level. Monthly mean departures for all variables over 1980-1993 were estimated by regression from the relative frequencies of each synoptic class, from the weighted daily mean departure patterns for each class, and from the mean EOF values for the month. In general the first two methods showed similar skill, with estimates based on the 500 hPa data slightly superior to those based on 1000 hPa analyses, but combinations of the predictors at both levels gave the best results. Direct estimates from the monthly mean EOFs proved better overall than those based on daily map classifications, limiting the value of the stochastic weather generator approach to the down-scaling of New Zealand's regional climate.