Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Criteria and awareness in perceptual decision

The immediacy of subjective experience belies the complex process of inference and categorisation that our brains undertake every moment of our waking lives, a process that allows the selection of the best course of action in the face of under-determined sensory input. There is much behavioural evidence that humans use the context in which decisions occur to actively shape links between perception and action. However, there are several remaining questions as to how this process occurs in the brain, and how such decision-making is linked to subjective reports, four of which are addressed in this thesis. It is unknown at which stage along the path from sensory to motor areas a loss function is integrated into the perceptual decision process. Using fMRI I show that asymmetries in value affect a fronto-parietal-basal ganglia network, rather than impacting upon the coding of visual categories. Theoretical models predict that the basal ganglia adjust the link between decision and action on the basis of contextual variables, but supporting empirical evidence is scarce. In two further imaging studies I show that the subthalamic nucleus modulates action control when default expectations are violated. That links between perception and action may be labile leads one to ask to what extent the observer has metacognitive access to these stages of the decision process, and which brain structures might mediate this access. I show that a second-order signal detection model can capture some, but not all, features of metacognitive confidence. Finally, I show that individual differences in metacognitive ability are associated with the structure of anterior prefrontal cortex. Comparing the levels of perceptual and metacognitive decision is critical for understanding how the mechanisms of decision-making are linked to awareness and self-report. The thesis concludes with a brief discussion of future challenges in this direction.
Methylation Abnormalities in Mammary Carcinoma: The Methylation Suicide Hypothesis

Promoter silencing by ectopic de novo methylation of tumor suppressor genes has been proposed as comparable or equivalent to inactivating mutations as a factor in carcinogenesis. However, this hypotheses had not previously been tested by high resolution, high-coverage whole-genome methylation profiling in primary carcinomas. We have determined the genomic methylation status of a series of primary mammary carcinomas and matched control tissues by examination of more than 2.7 billion CpG dinucleotides. Most of the tumors showed variable losses of DNA methylation from all sequence compartments, but increases in promoter methylation were infrequent, very small in extent, and were observed largely at CpG-poor promoters. De novo methylation at the promoters of proto-oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes occurred at approximately the same frequency. The findings indicate that tumor suppressor silencing by de novo methylation is much less common than currently believed. We put forward a hypothesis under which the demethylation commonly observed in carcinomas is a manifestation of a defensive system that kills incipient cancer cells.
FROM THE ELEMENTARY FORMS OF THE RELIGIOUS LIFE

'If religion generated everything that is essential in society, this is because the idea of society is the soul of religion. ' In The Elementary Forms of Religious Life (1912), Emile Durkheim set himself the task of discovering the enduring source of human social identity. He investigated what he considered to be the simplest form of documented religion - totemism among the Aborigines of Australia. Aboriginal religion was an avenue 'to yield an understanding of the religious nature of man, by showing us an essential and permanent aspect of humanity'. The need and capacity of men and women to relate socially lies at the heart of Durkheim's exploration, in which religion embodies the beliefs that shape our moral universe. The Elementary Forms has been applauded and debated by sociologists, anthropologists, ethnographers, philosophers, and theologians, and continues to speak to new generations about the origin and nature of religion and society. This new, lightly abridged edition provides an excellent introduction to Durkheim's ideas. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
Forward-Masking Recovery and the Assumptions of the Temporal Masking Curve Method of Inferring Cochlear Compression

The temporal masking curve (TMC) method is a behavioral technique for inferring human cochlear compression. The method relies on the assumptions that in the absence of compression, forward-masking recovery is independent of masker level and probe frequency. The present study aimed at testing the validity of these assumptions. Masking recovery was investigated for eight listeners with sensorineural hearing loss carefully selected to have absent or nearly absent distortion product otoacoustic emissions. It is assumed that for these listeners basilar membrane responses are linear, hence that masking recovery is independent of basilar membrane compression. TMCs for probe frequencies of 0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 6 kHz were available for these listeners from a previous study. The dataset included TMCs for masker frequencies equal to the probe frequencies plus reference TMCs measured using a high-frequency probe and a low, off-frequency masker. All of the TMCs were fitted using linear regression, and the resulting slope and intercept values were taken as indicative of masking recovery and masker level, respectively. Results for on-frequency TMCs suggest that forward-masking recovery is generally independent of probe frequency and of masker level and hence that it would be reasonable to use a reference TMC for a high-frequency probe to infer cochlear compression at lower frequencies. Results further show, however, that reference TMCs were sometimes shallower than corresponding on-frequency TMCs for identical probe frequencies, hence that compression could be overestimated in these cases. We discuss possible reasons for this result and the conditions when it might occur.
Solution studies of recombinant human stromal-cell-derived factor-1.

Stromal-cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1alpha) is an 8-kDa chemokine that is constitutively expressed in bone-marrow-derived stromal cells and has been identified as a ligand for the CXCR4 receptor. We produced the chemokine recombinantly as methionine-SDF-1alpha in Escherichia coli without the leader peptide sequence. The protein was denatured, refolded, and further purified by reversed-phase HPLC. SDF-1alpha was shown to be >95% pure as judged by SDS-PAGE. The final yield of purified and refolded SDF-1alpha was 1-2 mg per gram of wet cell paste. The refolded protein is a ligand for the CXCR4 receptor and has been used to block HIV-mediated cell fusion and downmodulates the CXCR4 receptor. Our ability to purify hundreds of milligrams of refolded protein allowed us to conduct detailed studies of the biophysical properties of the protein. We have used a combination of biophysical techniques to study the solution properties of SDF-1alpha. The average mass of SDF-1alpha, as determined by static light scattering, gave us the first indications that the chemokine may self-associate. Further investigation with sedimentation velocity ultracentrifugation confirmed the existence of two species. The measured s(20, W) values defined two masses corresponding to monomer and dimer. Finally, sedimentation equilibrium ultracentrifugation and dynamic light scattering yielded a composite value of 150 +/- 30 microM for the dimerization constant. We conclude that SDF-1alpha exists in a monomer-dimer equilibrium.
Algorithm 508: Matrix Bandwidth and Profile Reduction [F1]

This program, REDUCE, reduces the bandwidth and profile of sparse symmetric matrices, using row and corresponding column permutations. I t is a realization of the algorithm described by the authors in [4]. I t was extensively tested and compared with several other programs [5] and was found to be considerably faster than the others, generally superior for bandwidth reduction and as satisfactory as any other for profile reduction.
Recent Developments in Heavy Quark and Quarkonium Production

Recent measurements of J/{psi} production in e{sup +}e{sup -} colliders pose a challenge to the NRQCD factorization theorem for quarkonium production. Discrepancies between leading order calculations of color-octet contributions and the momentum distribution of J/{psi} observed by Belle and BaBar are resolved by resumming large perturbative and nonperturbative corrections that are enhanced near the kinematic endpoint. The large cross sections for J/{psi} + c + {bar c} and double quarkonium production remain poorly understood. Nonperturbative effects in fixed-target hadroproduction of open charm are also discussed. Large asymmetries in the production of charm mesons and baryons probe nonperturbative corrections to the QCD factorization theorem. A power correction called heavy-quark recombination can economically explain these asymmetries with a few universal parameters.
Prevalence of Retinopathy in People With Diabetes, Impaired Glucose Tolerance, and Normal Glucose Tolerance

OBJECTIVE Recently, an international expert committee published new revised criteria for diagnosing diabetes. According to the new criteria, the 2-h glucose level for diabetes in the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) is the same as in the previous World Health Organization criteria, but the cut point for the fasting blood glucose level has been lowered to be equivalent to the 2-h OGTT level. Measurement of the fasting blood glucose level is preferred to the 2-h OGTT glucose level. The ability of the new cut point for fasting blood glucose to discriminate between those at a high and a low risk for retinopathy was tested in a population-based study. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The population consisted of all the 1,008 subjects (456 men) born in 1935 and living in a Finnish city. A screening for type 2 diabetes was carried out in the first phase. All participants who were not on antidiabetic medication were invited for an OGTT in the second phase. A fasting blood glucose value was measured from the diabetic subjects on antidiabetic medication. In addition, measurements of serum cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides were made, and fundus photographs were taken. Altogether, 831 subjects (368 men) (82%) participated and constitute the eligible study population for the present analyses. Fundus photographs were available for 790 subjects (347 men) (95%). RESULTS There were 28 subjects (3.5%) who had mild retinopathic changes in the fundus photographs. Retinopathic changes were associated with higher fasting blood glucose levels, but not with any of the other background factors. The prevalence of retinopathy was 10.2% (95% CI 4.8−18.5) in subjects with a fasting blood glucose of ≥6.1 mmol/l, while it was 2.6% (1.5–4.0) in those with a lower fasting blood glucose level. In the former group, a majority (seven of nine) of the subjects with retinopathy were previously diagnosed diabetic patients. Some cases of retinopathy were found regardless the level of glycemia, and measurement of the 2-h OGTT glucose levels did not increase information. CONCLUSIONS The results of this population study give support to the use of fasting blood glucose levels in diagnosing type 2 diabetes. The lower limit of the highest decile of the fasting glucose level was 6.1 mmol/l, and it discriminated subjects at a high risk for retinopathy from those at a low risk. Because of the limited number of subjects with retinopathy in this study, the level of hyperglycemia associated with retinopathy cannot be estimated accurately.
The Dynamics of Child Poverty in Industrialised Countries: Poverty among British children: chronic or transitory?

We investigate the nature of child poverty in Britain, adding a longitudinal perspective to cross-sectional pictures such as provided by previous research. Using panel data from the British Household Panel Survey, we analyse poverty over a six year interval (1991-6). We provide information about how many times over this period each child or adult in our sample was poor. In addition, and the principal focus of our research, we provide information about the extent of chronic and transitory poverty. For this analysis, we use information about current incomes and smoothed income (the six-year average of each individual’s current income) relative to the poverty line. Whichever longitudinal poverty concept we use, we find that children, especially very young children, have high poverty risks compared to other groups in the population. Since people’s incomes typically vary from one year to the next, the observed (current income) poverty status for many people may not match with their chronic poverty status. Consequently policies aiming to reduce chronic poverty using means-tested benefits will be compromised if benefits are targeted using information about current incomes, as we demonstrate with a numerical illustration.
Streptochlorin Suppresses Allergic Dermatitis and Mast Cell Activation via Regulation of Lyn/Fyn and Syk Signaling Pathways in Cellular and Mouse Models

Allergic diseases are chronic inflammatory conditions with specific immune and inflammatory mechanisms. Scientific interest in understanding the mechanisms and discovering novel agents for the prevention and treatment of allergic disease is increasing. Streptochlorin, a small compound derived from marine actinomycete possesses anti-angiogenic and anti-tumor activities. However, the anti-allergic effects and underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated. In the present study, we investigated the effect of streptochlorin on allergic responses in vitro and in vivo. Streptochlorin inhibited degranulation and production of tumor necrosis factor-α and IL-4 by antigen-stimulated mast cells. Streptochlorin also inhibited the phosphorylation of Akt and the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), including p38, ERK, and JNK. Further, streptochlorin reduced the phosphorylation of Syk in RBL-2H3 cells and inhibited the activity of Lyn and Fyn. Furthermore, administration of streptochlorin suppressed the allergic reactions in both passive cutaneous anaphylaxis reaction and 2, 4-dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB)-induced allergic dermatitis in mice model. Considering the data obtained, we report for the first time that streptochlorin possess anti-allergic properties. The underlying mechanism of streptochlorin in exhibiting potent anti-allergic activity might be through the inhibition of the Lyn/Fyn and Syk signaling pathways.
Quality of experience for 3D video streaming

New 3D video applications and services are emerging to fulfill increasing user demand. This effort is well supported by the increasing 3D video content including user generated content (e.g., through 3D capture/display enabled mobile phones), technological advancements (e.g., HD 3D video capture and processing methods), affordable 3D displays, and standardization activities. However, not much attention has been given to how these technologies, along the end-to-end chain from content capture to display, affect user perception and whether the overall experience of 3D video users is satisfactory or not. 3D video streaming also introduces artifacts on the reconstructed 3D video at the receiver end, leading to inferior quality and user experience. In this article we present and discuss in detail how artifacts introduced during 3D video streaming affect the end-user perception and how we could use realtime quality evaluation methodologies to overcome these effects. The observations presented can underpin the design of future QoE-aware 3D video streaming systems.
The relationship between DSM‐III symptom disorders (Axis I) and personality disorders (Axis II) in an outpatient population

The relationship between symptom disorder and personality disorder according to DSM‐III was studied in 289 consecutive outpatients. It was observed that personality disorders occurred frequently among the chronic affective and anxiety disorders. The “dramatic” personality disorders were observed especially frequently among patients with cyclothymic disorder, and the “eccentric” personality disorders among patients with a diagnosis of dysthymic disorder, social phobia and agoraphobia. Dramatic personality disorder was also common among patients with simple phobia. As expected, a close correspondence was observed between social phobia, agoraphobia and avoidant personality disorder, between substance use disorder and borderline personality disorder, and between obsessive‐compulsive disorder and compulsive personality disorder. Even if a relationship was observed, it was not strong enough to warrant a combination of chronic symptom disorder diagnoses and personality disorder diagnoses.
Genetic Algorithms for the Calibration of Cellular Automata Urban Growth Modeling

This paper discusses the use of genetic algorithms to enhance the efficiency of transition rule calibration in cellular automata urban growth modeling. The cellular automata model is designed as a function of multitemporal satellite imagery and population density. Transition rules in the model identify the required neighborhood urbanization level for a test pixel to develop to urban. Calibration of the model is initially performed by exhaustive search, where the entire solution space is examined to find the best set of rule values. This method is computationally extensive and needs to consider all possible combinations for the transition rules. The rise in the number of variables will exponentially increase the time required for running and calibrating the model. This study introduces genetic algorithms as an effective solution to the calibration problem. It is shown that the genetic algorithms are able to produce modeling results close to the ones obtained from the exhaustive search in a time effective manner. Optimal rule values can be reached within the early generations of genetic algorithms. It is expected that genetic algorithms will significantly benefit urban modeling problems with larger set of input data and bigger solution spaces.
Erratum: Spectropolarimetry of PKS 0040−005 and the orientation of broad absorption line quasars

We have used the Very Large Telescope (VLT) to obtain spectropolarimetry of the radio-loud, double-lobed broad absorption line (BAL) quasar PKS 0040−005. We find that the optical continuum of PKS 0040−005 is intrinsically polarized at 0.7 per cent with an electric vector position angle nearly parallel to that of the large-scale radio axis. This result is naturally explained in terms of an equatorial scattering region seen at a small inclination, building a strong case that the BAL outflow is not equatorial. In conjunction with other recent results concerning BAL quasars, the era of simply characterizing these sources as ‘edge-on’ is over.
Modelling the process of learning in economics

Student learning research literature has shown that students' learning approaches are influenced by the learning context (Evans, Kirby, & Fabrigar, 2003). Of the many contextual factors, assessment has been found to have the most important influence on the way students go about learning. For example, assessment that is perceived to required a low level of cognitive abilities will more likely elicit a learning approach that concentrate on reproductive learning activities. Moreover, assessment demand will also interact with learning approach to determine academic performance. In this paper an assessment specific model of learning comprising presage, process and product variables (Biggs, 2001) was proposed and tested against data obtained from a sample of introductory economics students (n=434). The model developed was used to empirically investigate the influence of learning inputs and learning approaches on academic performances across assessment types (essay assignment, multiple choice question exam and exam essay). By including learning approaches in the learning model, the mechanism through which learning inputs determine academic performance was examined. Methodological limitations of the study will also be discussed.
Effect of Drought Stress on Total Protein , Essential Oil Content , and Physiological Traits of Levisticum Officinale

Levisticum officinale Koch is one of the most important plants producing essential oil. An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of drought stress on growth, total protein and essential oil content of Levisticum officinale. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse, in a completely randomized design using 5 replications. Aridity levels of field capacity irrigation (as control), -0.6 and -1.0 MPa were applied. There was significant effect of aridity on leaf area in Levisticum officinale. The highest leaf area values were found in the lowest aridity (FC) level. The root weight and root length in the -0.6 MPa aridity level were more than that of the control aridity level, but, shoot height and shoot weight were highest in the control treatment. Total soluble protein contents under -0.6 MPa drought stress was numerically lower than that in the control treatment, but statistically there was no significant difference between protein contents in the -0.6 MPa and the control treatment. Compared to the control treatment, total soluble protein contents of Levisticum officinale were significantly decreased in the -1.0 MPa drought treatment. Essential oil content of Levisticum officinale was significantly increased in the -0.6 MPa drought D ow nl oa de d by [ U ni ve rs ity o f A ri zo na ] at 1 4: 49 2 8 Ju ne 2 01 6
Adipocyte Heme Oxygenase-1 Induction Attenuates Metabolic Syndrome in Both Male and Female Obese Mice

Increases in visceral fat are associated with increased inflammation, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, and vascular dysfunction. We examined the effect of the potent heme oxygenase (HO)-1 inducer, cobalt protoporphyrin (CoPP), on regulation of adiposity and glucose levels in both female and male obese mice. Both lean and obese mice were administered CoPP intraperitoneally (3 mg/kg once per week) for 6 weeks. Serum levels of adiponectin, tumor necrosis factor &agr; (TNFa), interleukin (IL)-1&bgr; and IL-6, and HO-1, PPAR&ggr;, pAKT, and pAMPK protein expression in adipocytes and vascular tissue were measured. While female obese mice continued to gain weight at a rate similar to controls, induction of HO-1 slowed the rate of weight gain in male obese mice. HO-1 induction led to lowered blood pressure levels in obese male and female mice similar to that of lean male and female mice. HO-1 induction also produced a significant decrease in the plasma levels of IL-6, TNF&agr;, IL-1&bgr;, and fasting glucose of obese females compared to untreated female obese mice. HO-1 induction increased the number and decreased the size of adipocytes of obese animals. HO-1 induction increased adiponectin, pAKT, pAMPK, and PPAR&ggr; levels in adipocyte of obese animals. Induction of HO-1 in adipocytes was associated with an increase in adiponectin and a reduction in inflammatory cytokines. These findings offer the possibility of treating not only hypertension, but also other detrimental metabolic consequences of obesity including insulin resistance and dyslipidemia in obese populations by induction of HO-1 in adipocytes.