Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identifying Prototypical Components in Behaviour Using Clustering Algorithms

Quantitative analysis of animal behaviour is a requirement to understand the task solving strategies of animals and the underlying control mechanisms. The identification of repeatedly occurring behavioural components is thereby a key element of a structured quantitative description. However, the complexity of most behaviours makes the identification of such behavioural components a challenging problem. We propose an automatic and objective approach for determining and evaluating prototypical behavioural components. Behavioural prototypes are identified using clustering algorithms and finally evaluated with respect to their ability to represent the whole behavioural data set. The prototypes allow for a meaningful segmentation of behavioural sequences. We applied our clustering approach to identify prototypical movements of the head of blowflies during cruising flight. The results confirm the previously established saccadic gaze strategy by the set of prototypes being divided into either predominantly translational or rotational movements, respectively. The prototypes reveal additional details about the saccadic and intersaccadic flight sections that could not be unravelled so far. Successful application of the proposed approach to behavioural data shows its ability to automatically identify prototypical behavioural components within a large and noisy database and to evaluate these with respect to their quality and stability. Hence, this approach might be applied to a broad range of behavioural and neural data obtained from different animals and in different contexts.
Pathological Video-Game Use Among Youth Ages 8 to 18

Researchers have studied whether some youth are “addicted” to video games, but previous studies have been based on regional convenience samples. Using a national sample, this study gathered information about video-gaming habits and parental involvement in gaming, to determine the percentage of youth who meet clinical-style criteria for pathological gaming. A Harris poll surveyed a randomly selected sample of 1,178 American youth ages 8 to 18. About 8% of video-game players in this sample exhibited pathological patterns of play. Several indicators documented convergent and divergent validity of the results: Pathological gamers spent twice as much time playing as nonpathological gamers and received poorer grades in school; pathological gaming also showed comorbidity with attention problems. Pathological status significantly predicted poorer school performance even after controlling for sex, age, and weekly amount of video-game play. These results confirm that pathological gaming can be measured reliably, that the construct demonstrates validity, and that it is not simply isomorphic with a high amount of play.
Altered Microstructure in Corticospinal Tract in Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus: Comparison with Alzheimer Disease and Parkinson Disease with Dementia

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Previous neuropathologic studies in chronic hydrocephalus have suggested the presence of white matter damage, presumably from mechanical pressure due to ventricular enlargement and metabolic derangement. This study aimed to investigate the diffusional properties of the CST in patients with iNPH by using DTI and to determine whether this method could be used as a new diagnostic tool to differentiate patients with iNPH from those with AD and PDD and control subjects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We enrolled 18 patients with iNPH, 11 patients with AD, 11 patients with PDD, and 19 healthy control subjects. Diffusion tensor metrics of the segmented CST, including FA values, axial eigenvalues, and radial eigenvalues, were evaluated by using tract-specific analysis. The anisotropy color-coding tractography of the CST was visually evaluated. The DTI findings were compared among groups. RESULTS: Tract-specific analysis of the CST showed that FA values and axial eigenvalues were significantly increased (P < .001), whereas radial eigenvalues were not significantly altered, in patients with iNPH compared with other subjects. The CST tractographic images in patients with iNPH was visually different from those in other subjects (P < .001). In discriminating patients with iNPH from other subjects, the CST FA values had a sensitivity of 94% and specificity of 80% at a cutoff value of 0.59. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that patients with iNPH have altered microstructures in the CST. Quantitative and visual CST evaluation by using DTI may be useful for differentiating patients with iNPH from patients with AD or PDD or healthy subjects.
Modeling Bacterial Evolution with Comparative-Genome-Based Marker Systems: Application to Mycobacterium tuberculosis Evolution and Pathogenesis

ABSTRACT The comparative-genomic sequencing of two Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains enabled us to identify single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers for studies of evolution, pathogenesis, and epidemiology in clinical M. tuberculosis. Phylogenetic analysis using these “comparative-genome markers” (CGMs) produced a highly unusual phylogeny with a complete absence of secondary branches. To investigate CGM-based phylogenies, we devised computer models to simulate sequence evolution and calculate new phylogenies based on an SNP format. We found that CGMs represent a distinct class of phylogenetic markers that depend critically on the genetic distances between compared “reference strains. ” Properly distanced reference strains generate CGMs that accurately depict evolutionary relationships, distorted only by branch collapse. Improperly distanced reference strains generate CGMs that distort and reroot outgroups. Applying this understanding to the CGM-based phylogeny of M. tuberculosis, we found evidence to suggest that this species is highly clonal without detectable lateral gene exchange. We noted indications of evolutionary bottlenecks, including one at the level of the PHRI “C” strain previously associated with particular virulence characteristics. Our evidence also suggests that loss of IS6110 to fewer than seven elements per genome is uncommon. Finally, we present population-based evidence that KasA, an important component of mycolic acid biosynthesis, develops G312S polymorphisms under selective pressure.
Vaccine discussions with parents: The experience of Australian paediatricians

Health‐care providers are crucial in maintaining parental confidence in vaccination. Health‐care providers are the most commonly accessed resource by parents for vaccine‐related information and are highly trusted. We investigated paediatricians’ (i) frequency of vaccine discussions; (ii) specific vaccine‐related topics discussed; (iii) perceived role in childhood vaccination; (iv) challenges faced when having discussions; (v) confidence in vaccine‐related knowledge and communication skills; and (vi) interest in online education and training.
A Schumpeterian Model of Top Income Inequality

Top income inequality rose sharply in the United States over the last 40 years but increased only slightly in France and Japan. Why? We explore a model in which heterogeneous entrepreneurs, broadly interpreted, exert effort to generate exponential growth in their incomes, which tends to raise inequality. Creative destruction by outside innovators restrains this expansion and induces top incomes to obey a Pareto distribution. Economic forces that affect these two mechanisms—including information technology, taxes, and policies related to innovation blocking—may explain the varied patterns of top income inequality that we see in the data.
Quality of Innervation in Sensate Medial Plantar Flaps for Heel Reconstruction

Background: Reconstruction of the heel represents a difficult challenge for surgeons, given the demand for thick, durable skin capable of withstanding both pressure and shear. The authors describe the use of a sensate medial plantar flap for heel reconstruction in three patients and document the long-term retention of sensation compared with the contralateral uninjured heel and corresponding donor site. Methods: A medial plantar flap was harvested to include the branch of the medial plantar nerve to the instep to preserve innervation. Sharp pain, light and deep pressure, vibration, cold temperature, and static and dynamic two-point discrimination were examined between 6 months and 1 year after surgery. Results: Sharp pain, vibration, and deep pressure sensation were present equally in the medial plantar flap, contralateral heel, and contralateral instep. Cold perception, light pressure, and static two-point and dynamic two-point discrimination were significantly less in the normal contralateral heel when compared with the heel reconstructed by the innervated flap. There were no significant differences in sensation between the medial plantar flap and the contralateral instep. Conclusions: The medial plantar flap is capable of providing durable, sensate coverage of plantar hindfoot defects with minimal donor-site morbidity. Furthermore, that sensation remains identical to that of the instep donor site and superior to that of the normal heel pad.
Longman English Interactive

System Requirements: Windows 98, XP, 2000 with service Pack 2 (or higher), or NT 4.0 with service pack 5 (or higher) Pentium II processor 400+ MHz 64+ MB RAM (128 MB recommended) 16 bit graphics card Monitor resolution of 800 x 600 or higher Sound card, microphone, and speakers (Microphones plugged into USB ports are not supported.) 10X CD-ROM drive Floppy disk drive Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher Macromedia's Flash 5 (or higher), Shockwave 8 (or higher), Apple's QuickTime 5 (or higher), and Java 1.4. 1 (or higher) plug-ins. These components are on the CD if the user does not already have them.
PROSTATE CANCER FOLLOWING TESTOSTERONE REPLACEMENT IN KLINEFELTER SYNDROME

Klinefelter syndrome is a common cause of hypogonadism. Testosterone replacement therapy has beneficial effects on bone, muscle and psychosexual function. However, it may remove the relative protection from adenocarcinoma of prostate, which is otherwise rare in uncomplicated Klinefelter syndrome. We report the case of a 55‐year‐old man with Klinefelter syndrome who developed prostate cancer after only 7 years of androgen supplementation. Androgen deprivation therapy was complicated by the presence of testosterone implants. The patient was treated with androgen blockade followed by radiation therapy. We recommend that serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) and digital rectal examinations be carried out during, as well as before androgen replacement.
An interview approach to work sample criterion measurement

A variety of measurement techniques have been used to assess job proficiency, including hands-on work sample tests, job knowledge tests, and ratings. The current research effort examined the viability of an interview approach to work sample criterion measurement. Hands-on and interview work sample measures were developed and administered to 1,491 enlisted personnel in eight Air Force specialties. Job-level analyses yielded moderate (.46) to high (.84) correlations but produced significant mean differences (six of eight specialties) between the two techniques. In addition, the patterns of relationships between each work sample test and a series of related performance, aptitude, and experience measures were found to be quite similar, and the magnitudes of these correlations were similar to those in studies reported previously
Oxaliplatin-Based Chemotherapy Is More Beneficial in KRAS Mutant than in KRAS Wild-Type Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Patients

To identify better regimens in currently available chemotherapy would be beneficial to KRAS mutant metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients because they have fewer treatment options than KRAS wild-type mCRC patients. Clinicopathologic features and overall survival (OS) of KRAS mutant and wild-type mCRC patients who had used oxaliplatin-based, irinotecan-based, bevacizumab-based, as well as cetuximab-based regimens were compared to those who had never-used oxaliplatin-based, irinotecan-based, bevacizumab-based, as well as cetuximab-based regimens respectively. Between 2007 and 2012, a total of 394 mCRC patients, in whom 169 KRAS mutant and 225 KRAS wild-type, were enrolled. In KRAS mutant patients who had used oxaliplatin-based regimens (N = 131), the OS was significantly longer than that in KRAS mutant patients who had never-used oxaliplatin-based regimens (N = 38). The OS was 28.8 months [95% confidence interval (CI): 23.2–34.4] in KRAS mutant patients who had used oxaliplatin-based regimens versus 17.8 months [95% CI: 6.5–29.1] in KRAS mutant patients who had never-used oxaliplatin-based regimens (P = 0.026). Notably, OS in KRAS wild-type mCRC patients who had used oxaliplatin-based regimens (N = 185) was not significantly longer than that in KRAS wild-type mCRC patients who had never-used oxaliplatin-based regimens (N = 40) (P = 0.25). Furthermore, the OS in KRAS mutant patients who had used either irinotecan-based, bevacizumab-based or cetuximab-based regimens was not significantly different than that in KRAS mutant patients who had never-used either irinotecan-based, bevacizumab-based or cetuximab-based regimens respectively. In multivariate analyses, patients who had used oxaliplatin-based regimens remains an independent prognostic factor for longer OS in KRAS mutant mCRC patients. In conclusion, oxaliplatin-based regimens are more beneficial in KRAS mutant than in KRAS wild-type mCRC patients.
Density computations for real quadratic units

In order to study the density of the set of positive integers d for which the negative Pell equation x 2 - dy 2 = -1 is solvable in integers, we compute the norm of the fundamental unit in certain well-chosen families of real quadratic orders. A fast algorithm that computes 2-class groups rather than units is used. It is random polynomial-time in log d as the factorization of d is a natural part of the input for the values of d we encounter. The data obtained provide convincing numerical evidence for the density heuristics for the negative Pell equation proposed by the second author. In particular, an irrational proportion P = 1 - Π j≥1 odd (1 - 2 -j ) . 58 of the real quadratic fields without discriminantal prime divisors congruent to 3 mod 4 should have a fundamental unit of norm -1.
A Moral Method? Thoughts on cultivating empathy through Method acting

Notable educational theorists have begun to call for the cultivation of empathy in moral education. Currently, and almost exclusively, theorists advocate exploring the characters and worlds in literature and biography to nurture empathic capacities. This paper suggests that we can expand the conversation to include the dramatic art of acting. Using Nel Noddings ethic of Care, I contend that the type of empathy necessary for Caring holds certain skills and processes in common with the type of empathy Method actors employ in their work. Given that acting training breaks down the process of empathy into do-able (and discuss-able) steps, Method techniques may prove useful to educators. The paper also points to certain moral divergences between the empathy in Caring and that employed in acting and suggests that the use of Method techniques be supplemented with moral content and by the exercise of moral reasoning.
Men and Women Are Only as Different as They Look!

Much of what Stewart-Williams and Thomas (this issue) say in their article sounds quite reasonable, even to a dyed-in-the-wool evolutionary psychologist. But after a well-informed and thoughtful review, their conclusion is a bit perplexing. They imply that, for all practical purposes, psychologists might as well regard Homo sapiens as a (more or less) monomorphic species and downplay the sex differences that do exist. There are three questions I have about their conclusion: First, what should psychologists regard as a large effect size? Second, how much blame should be placed on evolutionary psychologists for overemphasizing sex differences and ignoring sex similarities? Third, do we really want to treat “monomorphic versus dimorphic” as a single continuum, or should we instead ask when, where, and why the sexes are different, and when, where, and why they are similar?
Treatment of Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats With AVE7688, a Vasopeptidase Inhibitor

In epineurial arterioles, acetylcholine-mediated vascular relaxation is mediated by nitric oxide and endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF), and both mechanisms are impaired by diabetes. The mediator responsible for the effect of EDHF is unknown. In epineurial arterioles, C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) has properties consistent with EDHF-like activity. Epineurial arterioles express CNP, and exogenous CNP causes a concentration-dependent vascular relaxation. In streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats, CNP-mediated vascular relaxation in epineurial arterioles is decreased. Since CNP may be a regulator of vascular function, a vasopeptidase inhibitor may be an effective treatment for diabetes-induced vascular and neural disease. Vasopeptidase inhibitors inhibit ACE activity and neutral endopeptidase, which degrades natriuretic peptides. Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were treated with AVE7688 (450 mg/kg in the diet), a vasopeptidase inhibitor, for 8–10 weeks after 4 weeks of untreated diabetes. Treatment of diabetic rats corrected the diabetes-induced decrease in endoneurial blood flow, significantly improved motor and sensory nerve conduction velocity, prevented the development of hypoalgesia in the hind paw, and reduced superoxide and nitrotyrosine levels in epineurial arterioles. The diabetes-induced decrease in acetylcholine-mediated vascular relaxation by epineurial arterioles was significantly improved with treatment. These studies suggest that vasopeptidase inhibitors may be an effective approach for the treatment of diabetic vascular and neural dysfunction.
Sleep in detoxified alcoholics: impairment of most standard sleep parameters and increased risk for sleep apnea, but not for myoclonias--a controlled study.

OBJECTIVE To assess recently alcohol-abstinent chronic alcoholic patients for selected parameters indicative of sleep quality. METHOD Patients (n = 24, 14 male), abstinent 3-6 weeks, and healthy controls (n = 20) were admitted to a clinical sleep unit. Measurements included sleep respiratory events and periodic limb movements, using strict methodology. RESULTS Clear signs of sleep deterioration and a high prevalence of apneic/hypopneic episodes were observed. Apneas were found at the same frequency for men and women; this has not been described before. No periodic limb movement was found. CONCLUSIONS Considering the high degree of morbidity and mortality observed in sleep apneic syndrome, systematic screening for sleep apneas is recommended for alcoholics seeking help.
Ultrasensitive proteome analysis using paramagnetic bead technology

In order to obtain a systems‐level understanding of a complex biological system, detailed proteome information is essential. Despite great progress in proteomics technologies, thorough interrogation of the proteome from quantity‐limited biological samples is hampered by inefficiencies during processing. To address these challenges, here we introduce a novel protocol using paramagnetic beads, termed Single‐Pot Solid‐Phase‐enhanced Sample Preparation (SP3). SP3 provides a rapid and unbiased means of proteomic sample preparation in a single tube that facilitates ultrasensitive analysis by outperforming existing protocols in terms of efficiency, scalability, speed, throughput, and flexibility. To illustrate these benefits, characterization of 1,000 HeLa cells and single Drosophila embryos is used to establish that SP3 provides an enhanced platform for profiling proteomes derived from sub‐microgram amounts of material. These data present a first view of developmental stage‐specific proteome dynamics in Drosophila at a single‐embryo resolution, permitting characterization of inter‐individual expression variation. Together, the findings of this work position SP3 as a superior protocol that facilitates exciting new directions in multiple areas of proteomics ranging from developmental biology to clinical applications.
Lasting effects of alcohol: Subliminal alcohol cues, impairment expectancies, and math performance

Many people believe that drinking alcohol reduces cognitive performance, and prior research has shown such expectancyrelated impairment even when people merely thought that the (non-alcoholic) drink they consumed contained alcohol. This study tested whether subliminal priming with alcohol-related cues would similarly result in expectancy-consistent cognitive performance decrements. Additionally, the moderating role of alcohol use was examined. After assessing participants’ baseline math performance, participants were primed with alcohol-related or neutral words and then completed a post-treatment math task. Whereas impairment expectancies had no influence on math performance in control participants, expectancies predicted math performance for participants primed with alcohol-related words. As hypothesized, expectancy-consistent impairment in performance was only observed among high alcohol users. The current findings suggest that, in the presence of alcohol-related cues in the environment, some people may perform less on cognitive tasks even in the absence of actual or assumed alcohol consumption and without being aware of it. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. It is generally accepted that alcohol consumption lowers inhibitions and impairs cognitive and motor performance. Contrary to lay beliefs that these effects are solely due to the pharmacology of alcohol, people’s expectancies about the consequences of alcohol consumption can be a contributory factor as well. Considerable research has shown that people behave in line with their expectations regarding alcohol use whenever they believe that they have consumed alcohol, regardless of whether they actually consumed an alcoholic drink or a placebo (e.g., Hull & Bond, 1986; Marlatt & Rohsenow, 1980). In the present study, we examined whether subliminal exposure to alcohol-related primes (e.g., words associated with alcohol) would similarly engender expectancyconsistent behavior related to cognitive performance. Confirmation of this hypothesis would mean that, even in the absence of actual or assumed alcohol consumption and without being aware of it, some people are likely to perform less well on cognitive tasks when their environment confronts them with alcohol-related cues (e.g., a businessman who attends a meeting in a restaurant and believes that alcohol leads to cognitive impairment).
The impact of the 1999 CAP reforms on the efficiency of the COP sector in Spain

The cereal, oilseeds, and protein crop sector (COP) occupies a prominent position within the European Union's agricultural sector. Within Spain, the COP sector accounts for almost a third of total Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund expenses, and half of the utilized agricultural area (UAA). The COP sector is not only relevant because of its physical and economic magnitude, but also because of the political attention it receives. The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reforms that occurred during the 1990s paid special attention to this sector. This article aims to determine the impacts of Agenda 2000 on a sample of Spanish COP farmers' production decisions by using an output-oriented stochastic distance function. The distance function allows for an assessment of the reform-motivated changes on total output, input used, input composition, and crop mix. It also permits an assessment of the impacts of the reform on farms' technical efficiency. Copyright (c) 2009 International Association of Agricultural Economists.