Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Conflicts as Aversive Signals for Control Adaptation

The dynamic adaptation of cognitive control in the face of competition from conflicting response tendencies is one of the hallmarks of flexible human action control. Here, we suggest an alternative framework that places conflict-triggered control adaptation into the broader context of affect regulation. Specifically, we review evidence showing that (a) conflicts are inherently aversive, that (b) aversive stimuli in the absence of conflict also trigger behavioral adjustments, and, finally, that (c) conflict stimuli do trigger processes of affective counter-regulation. Together with recent findings showing that conflict-triggered control adaptation depends on the subjective experience of the conflict, we suggest that it is the subjective aversive conflict experience that originally motivates control adaptations. Such a view offers new perspectives for investigating and understanding intra- and interindividual differences in the regulation of cognitive control by differentiating between the individual sensitivity to experience and the individual ability to utilize the aversive signal.
Yersinia YopJ Acetylates and Inhibits Kinase Activation by Blocking Phosphorylation

Yersinia species use a variety of type III effector proteins to target eukaryotic signaling systems. The effector YopJ inhibits mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and the nuclear factor κB (NFκB) signaling pathways used in innate immune response by preventing activation of the family of MAPK kinases (MAPKK). We show that YopJ acted as an acetyltransferase, using acetyl–coenzyme A (CoA) to modify the critical serine and threonine residues in the activation loop of MAPKK6 and thereby blocking phosphorylation. The acetylation on MAPKK6 directly competed with phosphorylation, preventing activation of the modified protein. This covalent modification may be used as a general regulatory mechanism in biological signaling.
Facebook Use and Social Capital

This study employs the uses and gratification approach to investigate how different forms of Facebook use are linked to bridging social capital and bonding social capital. A survey of 152 college students was conducted to address research questions and to test hypotheses. Factor analysis identified six unique uses and gratifications: (a) information seeking, (b) entertainment, (c) communication, (d) social relations, (e) escape, and (f) Facebook applications. Findings reveal that intensity of Facebook use and the use of Facebook for social relations are positive predictors of bridging social capital, whereas the use of Facebook for escape is negatively linked to bonding social capital.
A mortality study of electrical utility workers in Québec.

OBJECTIVES--The objective of this study was to investigate the mortality of electrical utility workers exposed to electric and magnetic fields. METHODS--A historical cohort mortality study was carried out on 21,744 workers who were employed in an electrical company in the province of Québec between 1970 and 1988. The last job held by each study subject was coded. A job exposure matrix (JEM) was used to estimate the exposure to 60 Hz electric and magnetic fields, and pulsed electromagnetic fields (as recorded by the PEMF (POSITRON) meter) in this job. Standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated relative to Québec men. Because the exposure was exclusively among blue collar workers, the remainder of the analyses by exposure were restricted to them. Rate ratios (RRs) in the exposed groups relative to the background groups were estimated with Poisson regression. There were 1582 deaths by the end of follow up. RESULTS--SMRs were almost all below one and never substantially increased, although there were a few increased rate ratios (RRs). There was a significant RR of 2.00 (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.37-2.93) for deaths caused by accidents and violence in workers exposed to magnetic fields, RR of 1.82 (95% CI 1.25-2.65) for electric fields, and RR of 1.62 (95% CI 1.13-2.32) for pulsed electromagnetic fields. Occupational accidents related to power lines explain some of the excess of deaths from accidents and violence. Some association was found between magnetic fields and leukaemia, brain cancer, and suicide, between electric fields and brain cancer and suicide, and between pulsed electromagnetic fields and lung cancer, but these were not significant. CONCLUSION--These results are broadly reassuring that major causes of death are not strongly associated with exposure to electric and magnetic fields, but small numbers and approximate exposure assessments preclude the denial of any risk, in particular if it were to affect a rare cause of death.
Proton Pump Inhibitor or Testing for Helicobacter pylori as the First Step for Patients Presenting with Dyspepsia? A Cluster-Randomized Trial

OBJECTIVES:The optimal approach for management of patients with dyspepsia has not been determined. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of three strategies for management of dyspepsia: empirical antisecretory therapy, testing for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), or a combination of the two.METHODS:Cluster-randomized trial in general practices. Initial treatment with proton pump inhibitor (PPI) was performed in 222 patients, H. pylori test-and-eradicate in 250 patients, and PPI followed by H. pylori-testing if symptoms improved in 250 patients. Symptoms, quality of life, patient satisfaction, and use of resources were recorded during a 1-yr follow-up.RESULTS:The prevalence of H. pylori infection was 24%. We found no difference among the three strategies (p = 0.16) in terms of the proportion of days without dyspeptic symptoms. After 1 yr gastrointestinal symptom scores and quality-of-life scores had improved significantly and equally in the three groups (p < 0.001), but no statistically significant differences were found among the groups. The mean use of endoscopies per patient after 1 yr was higher in the PPI group (0.36 [95% CI 0.30–0.43]) than in the test-and-eradicate group (0.28 [95% CI 0.23–0.34]) and the combination group (0.22 [95% CI 0.17–0.27]), p = 0.02. H. pylori-positive patients given eradication therapy had more days without dyspeptic symptoms (p < 0.001), used less antisecretory therapy (p < 0.01), and were more satisfied (p < 0.001) than H. pylori-negative patients.CONCLUSION:The strategies based on H. pylori test enjoyed similar symptom resolution, but reduced endoscopic workload and lower 1-yr total costs compared with empirical antisecretory therapy.
Learning and representation: Tensions at the interface

s Connectionist models provide a promising alternative to the traditional computational approach that has for several decades dominated cognitive science and artificial intelligence, although the nature of connectionist models and their relation to symbol processing remains controversial. Connectionist models can be characterized by three general computational features: distinct layers of interconnected units, recursive rules for updating the strengths of the connections during learning, and "simple" homogeneous computing elements. Using just these three features one can construct surprisingly elegant and powerful models of memory, perception, motor control, categorization, and reasoning. What makes the connectionist approach unique is not its variety of representational possibilities (including "distributed representations") or its departure from explicit rule-based models, or even its preoccupation with the brain metaphor. Rather, it is that connectionist models can be used to explore systematically the complex interaction between learning and representation, as we try to demonstrate through the analysis of several large networks.
The association of circulating angiogenic factors and HbA1c with the risk of preeclampsia in women with preexisting diabetes

Objective: To assess whether glycemic control, soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt1) and placental growth factor (PlGF) were associated with the development of preeclampsia (PE) or gestational hypertension (GHTN) in women with preexisting diabetes. Methods: Maternal circulating angiogenic factors (sFlt1 and PlGF) measured on automated platform were studied at four time points during pregnancy in women with diabetes (N = 159) and reported as multiples of the median (MOM) of sFlt1/PlGF ratio (median, 25th–75th percentile) noted in non-diabetic non-hypertensive control pregnant population (N = 139). Diagnosis of PE or GHTN was determined by review of de-identified clinical data. Results: PE developed in 12% (N = 19) and GHTN developed in 23% (N = 37) of the women with diabetes. Among diabetic women without PE or GHTN, median sFlt1/PlGF levels at 35–40 weeks was threefold higher than in non-diabetic controls [MOM 3.21(1.19–7.24), p = 0.0001]. Diabetic women who subsequently developed PE had even greater alterations in sFlt1/PlGF ratio during the third trimester [MOM for PE at 27–34 weeks 15.18 (2.37–26.86), at 35–40 weeks 8.61(1.20–18.27), p ≤ 0.01 for both windows compared to non-diabetic controls]. Women with diabetes who subsequently developed GHTN also had significant alterations in angiogenic factors during third trimester; however, these findings were less striking. Among women with diabetes, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) during the first trimester was higher in subjects who subsequently developed PE (7.7 vs 6.7%, p = 0.0001 for diabetic PE vs diabetic non-PE). Conclusions: Women with diabetes had a markedly altered anti-angiogenic state late in pregnancy that was further exacerbated in subjects who developed PE. Altered angiogenic factors may be one mechanism for the increased risk of PE in this population. Increased HbA1c in the first trimester of pregnancies in women with diabetes was strongly associated with subsequent PE.
Epigenetic modifications and their relation to caste and sex determination and adult division of labor in the stingless bee Melipona scutellaris

Abstract Stingless bees of the genus Melipona, have long been considered an enigmatic case among social insects for their mode of caste determination, where in addition to larval food type and quantity, the genotype also has a saying, as proposed over 50 years ago by Warwick E. Kerr. Several attempts have since tried to test his Mendelian two-loci/two-alleles segregation hypothesis, but only recently a single gene crucial for sex determination in bees was evidenced to be sex-specifically spliced and also caste-specifically expressed in a Melipona species. Since alternative splicing is frequently associated with epigenetic marks, and the epigenetic status plays a major role in setting the caste phenotype in the honey bee, we investigated here epigenetic chromatin modification in the stingless bee Melipona scutellaris. We used an ELISA-based methodology to quantify global methylation status and western blot assays to reveal histone modifications. The results evidenced DNA methylation/demethylation events in larvae and pupae, and significant differences in histone methylation and phosphorylation between newly emerged adult queens and workers. The epigenetic dynamics seen in this stingless bee species represent a new facet in the caste determination process in Melipona bees and suggest a possible mechanism that is likely to link a genotype component to the larval diet and adult social behavior of these bees.
From mindless to mindful decision making: Reflecting on prescriptive processes

Huber, Michaela (Ph.D., Department of Psychology and Neuroscience) From mindless to mindful decision making: Reflecting on prescriptive processes Thesis directed by Leaf Van Boven, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience People frequently make judgments and decisions in ways that, in hindsight, they might prefer to have made differently. Their judgments and decisions may be strongly influenced by some attributes that people would prefer receive less weight (e.g. transient emotions, peripheral cues, and social influence), and people may neglect other attributes that they would prefer receive more weight (e.g. factual information, subjective experiences, and personal preference). The central claim in this dissertation is that asking people to reflect on prescriptive decision processes—how decisions should be made—elicits a psychological state of mindfulness where people are increasingly aware of and better able to correct decisional influences. Such mindfulness thus improves the subjective quality of decisions. Six experiments examine how introspection-induced mindfulness changes the weighting of decision attributes and the outcome of decisions in various domains including charitable giving (Studies 1 & 5), dating (Studies 2 & 6), policy evaluations (Study 3), and movie preferences (Study 4). In each experiment, people’s decisions are strongly influenced by some attributes while neglecting other attributes, in contrast with people’s beliefs about how decisions
By the Hands of Our Brothers: An Exploration of Sibling-to-Sibling Aggression for Victimized Heterosexual and Sexual Minority Women

Abstract Two major forms of aggression against children have recently received considerable attention from the media: childhood bullying specific to gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer (GLBTQ) youths and family violence. As a consequence, research on these topics has also increased and expanded to include bullying and violence within the family for both heterosexual and GLBTQ youths. Importantly, however, these studies have focused on adult-to-child victimization, leaving a gap in the literature in regard to sibling-to-sibling bullying and violence, especially for GLBTQ individuals. This study explores this gap in the research through the examination of 64 heterosexual and GLBTQ women's experiences of sibling-to-sibling aggression. Comparative analyses reveal that the GLBTQ participants experienced more severe forms of verbal victimization from their brothers than the heterosexual participants. Meanwhile, heterosexual participants experienced more physical aggression from their brothers than GLBTQ participants and they experienced verbal aggression from siblings that lasted longer in their lives than GLBTQ participants. This study importantly reveals the dire need for further research on sibling-to-sibling aggression and specifically sexual aggression as experienced by GLBTQ women.
The full vs. partial reduplication in Korean sālsal and sălɨlɨ: A case for over- and under-application

The reduplication in Kor. sālsal and sălɨlɨ ‘gently’ presents interesting phonological problems in 1) what should be the underlying base, *sal or salɨ? and 2) how the length alternation should be explained. In this paper I first present a serial analysis in which these examples are explained as cases of overand under-application, and then examine how it compares with a similar analysis in recent frameworks, e.g. the Correspondence Theory of McCarthy and Prince (1995), transderivational identity of Benua (1997) and the Stratal/ LPM-OT of Kiparsky (2000). The main conclusion drawn is that Wilbur’s (1973) Identity Constraint, which facilitates explanation of the reduplicative identity in languages but causes all kinds of problems for traditional rule ordering, can be better understood if we take into account the rule persistency and productivity, as envisioned by Chafe (1968) and Chen (1972).
THE THEORETICAL IMPORTANCE OF LOVE

Love is analyzed as an element of social action and therefore of social structure. Although the romantic complex is rare, a "love pattern" is found in a wide range of societies. Since love is potentially disruptive of lineages and class strata, it must be controlled. Since its meaning is different within different social structures, it is controlled by various measures. The five principal types of "love control" are described. Disruptions are more important to the upper social strata who possess the means for control. Therefore these strata achieve a higher degree of control over both the occurrence of love relationships and the influence of love upon action.
What do worms want ?

Parasites can exert strong control on their hosts, influencing behavior, fertility, and mortality (Jokela & Lively 1994; Levri & Lively 1996). In areas where parasitism is common, parasites are likely to be important agents of natural selection and significantly affect host distributions. If the selective pressure is strong enough and if there are environmental variables that produce patterns in parasite distributions, these should also control host distributions but with an inverse pattern. But what determines parasite distributions is poorly understood. Two major factors for parasite distributions are availability of hosts and the ease of transmission between hosts. Digenean trematodes have complex life cycles that involve multiple hosts with at least one intermediate molluscan host (Briers 2003). The definitive hosts for digenean parasites are most often vertebrate species (Mouritsen & Poulin 2002). In Lake Tanganyika the Lavigeria gastropod species flock has been studied extensively and multiple parasites have been found (McIntyre, et al. 2005, Faloon 2002) but the definitive hosts have not yet been identified. Significant differences in intensity of parasitism between sites have been indicated in past studies (McIntyre, et al. 2005, Faloon 2002), but the extent and ecological correlates of geographic variation were not explored. Lavigeria species also show highly patchy distributions (Michel, et al. 2003, Barrett, et al., 2003) but the factors structuring communities are unknown (see papers by Huntington and Meyer, this volume). I aimed to document patterns of parasite variation on a wider scale than had been attempted in the past, focusing on Lavigeria nassa which is found at most sites around the lake, and to correlate parasite prevalence with habitat variables.
Validity and reliability of skinfold measurement in assessing body fatness of Chinese children.

BACKGROUND Validity and reliability of skinfold equations in estimating body fat in Chinese Children has not been documented. OBJECTIVE Using Air Displacement Plethysmography (ADP) as a criterion, the validity and reliability of skinfold (SKF) measurement in predicting percent body fat (% fat) of Chinese children in Hong Kong were evaluated. DESIGN 230 Chinese children in Hong Kong were recruited to participate in measurements of ADP, body height and weight, waist and arm circumferences, and skinfold (SKF) from different body sites. A sub-sample of 41 participants was asked to take an additional measurement of Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA). % fat was measured from ADP, DXA, and estimated from Slaughter SKF equations. RESULTS internal consistency of SKF and ADP measurements were very high (r>or=0.988). Significant difference was found between % fat Slaughter and % fat ADP (p<0.05). The Slaughter equations slightly underestimate %fat (boys: 1.52%; girls: 1.84%). The slope of the regression line for boys and both the slope and intercept of regression line for prepubescent girls were significantly different from the line of identity. Subsequent stepwise regression found the best model for boys includes predictors of height, and Sigma3SKF (triceps, calf, and suprailiac) (R2=0.88, see=3.70), and that for girls includes height, Sigma2SKF (triceps and calf), and waist circumference (R2=0.71, see=3.38). The most convenient model for both genders required only triceps and age (boys: R2=0.81, see=4.67; girls: R2=0.63, see=3.77). CONCLUSIONS Skinfold measurements provide valid and reliable %fat estimation in Chinese children. However, the application of Slaughter equations in Chinese children is questionable. Alternative skinfold models are proposed.
Movement data anonymity through generalization

In recent years, spatio-temporal and moving objects databases have gained considerable interest, due to the diffusion of mobile devices (e.g., mobile phones, RFID devices and GPS devices) and of new applications, where the discovery of consumable, concise, and applicable knowledge is the key step. Clearly, in these applications privacy is a concern, since models extracted from this kind of data can reveal the behavior of group of individuals, thus compromising their privacy. Movement data present a new challenge for the privacy-preserving data mining community because of their spatial and temporal characteristics. In this position paper we briefly present an approach for the generalization of movement data that can be adopted for obtaining k-anonymity in spatio-temporal datasets; specifically, it can be used to realize a framework for publishing of spatio-temporal data while preserving privacy. We ran a preliminary set of experiments on a real-world trajectory dataset, demonstrating that this method of generalization of trajectories preserves the clustering analysis results.
Effect of scoliosis on growth of alveoli and pulmonary arteries and on right ventricle

During childhood the lung not only grows in size but alveoli and arteries multiply and the pattern of muscularity of the arteries changes. A quantitative study is here reported on 4 cases of scoliosis. The limitation and distortion of space available affect lung growth. In scoliosis, alveoli are too few in number, often emphysematous, and may even atrophy, the changes being irregularly distributed throughout a lobe or lung. Generally, the size of the large pulmonary arteries is appropriate to the lobar volume and hence small for the age of the child: arterial muscle hypertrophy and abnormal extension to the periphery were seen only in 2 of the 4 cases in which there was right ventricular hypertrophy. In these, hypoxaemia had been present for some time before death and this, not hypoplasia, seemed responsible for the muscle hypertrophy. In 2 cases where scoliosis was associated with a mesodermal dysplasia, there was an excessive number of intra-acinar arteries.
Quasianalytic multiparameter perturbation of polynomials and normal matrices

We study the regularity of the roots of multiparameter families of complex univariate monic polynomials P (x)(z) = zn + P n=1 (−1) jaj(x)znij with fixed degree n whose coefficients belong to a certain subringC of C 1 - functions. We require that C includes polynomial but excludes flat functions (quasianalyticity) and is closed under composition, derivation, division by a coordinate, and taking the inverse. Examples are quasianalytic Denjoy- Carleman classes, in particular, the class of real analytic functions C! We show that there exists a locally finite covering {¼k} of the parameter space, where each ¼k is a composite of finitely many C-mappings each of which is either a local blow-up with smooth center or a local power substitution (in coordinates given by x 7→ (±x ° 1 1 , . . . , ±x °q q ), °i ∈ N>0), such that, for each k, the family of polynomials P ◦ ¼k admits a C-parameterization of its roots. If P is hyperbolic (all roots real), then local blow-ups suffice. Using this desingularization result, we prove that the roots of P can be parameterized by SBVloc-functions whose classical gradients exist almost ev- erywhere and belong to L1 . In general the roots cannot have gradients in L p for any 1 < p ≤ ∞. Neither can the roots be in W 1,1 loc or V MO. We obtain the same regularity properties for the eigenvalues and the eigen- vectors of C-families of normal matrices. A further consequence is that every continuous subanalytic function belongs to SBVloc.