Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sleep deprivation and cellular responses to oxidative stress.

STUDY OBJECTIVES It has been hypothesized that sleep deprivation represents an oxidative challenge for the brain and that sleep may have a protective role against oxidative damage. This study was designed to test this hypothesis by measuring in rats the effects of sleep loss on markers of oxidative stress (oxidant production and antioxidant enzyme activities) as well as on markers of cellular oxidative damage (lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation). DESIGN The analyses were performed in the brain and in peripheral tissues (liver and skeletal muscle), after short-term sleep deprivation (8 hours), after long-term sleep deprivation (3-14 days), and during recovery sleep after 1 week of sleep loss. Short-term sleep deprivation was performed by gentle handling; long-term sleep deprivation was performed using the disk-over-water method. SETTING Sleep research laboratory at University of Wisconsin-Madison. PARTICIPANTS AND INTERVENTIONS Adult male Wistar Kyoto rats (n = 69) implanted for polygraphic (electroencephalogram, electromyogram) recording. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS Aliquots of brain, liver, or skeletal muscle homogenate were used to assess oxidant production, superoxide dismutase activity, lipid peroxidation, and protein oxidation. No evidence of oxidative damage was observed at the lipid and/or at the protein level in long-term sleep-deprived animals relative to their yoked controls, nor in the cerebral cortex or in peripheral tissues. Also, no consistent change in antioxidant enzymatic activities was found after prolonged sleep deprivation, nor was any evidence of increased oxidant production in the brain or in peripheral tissues. CONCLUSION The available data do not support the assumption that prolonged wakefulness may cause oxidative damage, nor that it can represent an oxidative stress for the brain or for peripheral tissue such as liver and skeletal muscle.
Evaluating Intelligibility and Battery Drain of Mobile Sign Language Video Transmitted at Low Frame Rates and Bit Rates

Mobile sign language video conversations can become unintelligible if high video transmission rates cause network congestion and delayed video. In an effort to understand the perceived lower limits of intelligible sign language video intended for mobile communication, we evaluated sign language video transmitted at four low frame rates (1, 5, 10, and 15 frames per second [fps]) and four low fixed bit rates (15, 30, 60, and 120 kilobits per second [kbps]) at a constant spatial resolution of 320 × 240 pixels. We discovered an “intelligibility ceiling effect,” in which increasing the frame rate above 10fps did not improve perceived intelligibility, and increasing the bit rate above 60kbps produced diminishing returns. Given the study parameters, our findings suggest that relaxing the recommended frame rate and bit rate to 10fps at 60kbps will provide intelligible video conversations while reducing total bandwidth consumption to 25% of the ITU-T standard (at least 25fps and 100kbps). As part of this work, we developed the Human Signal Intelligibility Model, a new conceptual model useful for informing evaluations of video intelligibility and our methodology for creating linguistically accessible web surveys for deaf people. We also conducted a battery-savings experiment quantifying battery drain when sign language video is transmitted at the lower frame rates and bit rates. Results confirmed that increasing the transmission rates monotonically decreased the battery life.
Do you hear what I see? Vocalization relative to visual detection rates of Hawaiian hoary bats (Lasiurus cinereus semotus)

Abstract Bats vocalize during flight as part of the sensory modality called echolocation, but very little is known about whether flying bats consistently call. Occasional vocal silence during flight when bats approach prey or conspecifics has been documented for relatively few species and situations. Bats flying alone in clutter‐free airspace are not known to forgo vocalization, yet prior observations suggested possible silent behavior in certain, unexpected situations. Determining when, why, and where silent behavior occurs in bats will help evaluate major assumptions of a primary monitoring method for bats used in ecological research, management, and conservation. In this study, we recorded flight activity of Hawaiian hoary bats (Lasiurus cinereus semotus) under seminatural conditions using both thermal video cameras and acoustic detectors. Simultaneous video and audio recordings from 20 nights of observation at 10 sites were analyzed for correspondence between detection methods, with a focus on video observations in three distance categories for which accompanying vocalizations were detected. Comparison of video and audio detections revealed that a high proportion of Hawaiian hoary bats “seen” on video were not simultaneously “heard. ” On average, only about one in three visual detections within a night had an accompanying call detection, but this varied greatly among nights. Bats flying on curved flight paths and individuals nearer the cameras were more likely to be detected by both methods. Feeding and social calls were detected, but no clear pattern emerged from the small number of observations involving closely interacting bats. These results may indicate that flying Hawaiian hoary bats often forgo echolocation, or do not always vocalize in a way that is detectable with common sampling and monitoring methods. Possible reasons for the low correspondence between visual and acoustic detections range from methodological to biological and include a number of biases associated with the propagation and detection of sound, cryptic foraging strategies, or conspecific presence. Silent flight behavior may be more prevalent in echolocating bats than previously appreciated, has profound implications for ecological research, and deserves further characterization and study.
Bounds on hop distance in greedy routing approach in wireless ad hoc networks

Wireless ad hoc networks are generally characterised by random node locations and multi-hop routes. A quantitative knowledge of the relation between hop count and Euclidean distance could provide a better understanding of important network parameters such as end-to-end delay, power consumption along the route, and node localisation. In this paper, we present an analytic approach to capture the statistics on hop count for a given source-to-destination Euclidean distance in a greedy routing approach. We also show that, for a given hop count, the bounds on Euclidean distance can be computed from the distribution characteristics of per-hop progress.
Implicit Attitudes Toward Arab-Muslims and the Moderating Effects of Social Information

Three studies examined the relative valence and strength of implicit attitudes toward Arab-Muslims using the Implicit Association Test (IAT) while exploring the moderation of such implicit effects. Studies have suggested that repeated exposure to information associating members of a social group (e.g., Arab-Muslims) with evaluative attributes (e.g., terrorism) might create automatic attitudes toward them. Consistent with this notion, the IAT results indicated strong implicit preference for White over Arab-Muslim, whereas the magnitude of such a bias was substantially diminished when assessed by explicit measures (Study 1). It is also interesting to note that participants exhibited implicit preference for Black over Arab-Muslim when measured by the IAT, whereas no difference was found between the 2 groups in stimulus familiarity and in explicit attitudes (Studies 2 and 3). However, such implicit effects were moderated when participants were exposed to positive information about Arab-Muslims (Study 3). Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are further discussed.
An examination of subtype criteria for bulimia nervosa.

OBJECTIVE We examined the new subtyping criteria for bulimia nervosa by comparing purging and nonpurging bulimia nervosa patients with two similar subgroups: binge eating disorder patients and an eating disorder not otherwise specified (ED-NOS) group who compensates but does not binge eat or meet weight criteria for anorexia, which we labeled compensatory eating disorder (CED). Of particular interest was whether purging could differentiate a more "disturbed" group of patients, bulimic or otherwise. METHOD We compared these four subgroups on the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI), the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (SCL-90R), and rates of hospitalization. RESULTS There were few differences between either the purging or nonpurging bulimic patients, or the CED patients. All three groups showed more comorbid disturbance than the binge eating patients. DISCUSSION The findings failed to support the current subgrouping criteria for purging and nonpurging bulimia nervosa but indicated the need for further revision in the Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders and the possible creation of a subgroup based on compensatory behaviors.
Characterization of ‘faecal streptococci’ as indicators of faecal pollution and distribution in the environment

The recent revision of the taxonomy of ‘faecal streptococci’ prompted us to verify the importance of identifying the species of this group of cocci. During a study carried out to assess the hygienic quality of environmental samples from a variety of sources, we isolated 198 strains named faecal streptococci on the basis of conventional international tests (EVA broth multiple tube test) used for Public Health purposes. The predominant species were Enterococcus faecalis (39%) and Ent. faecium (29%), followed by Ent. durans/hirae, Ent. casseliflavus/gallinarum, Ent. raffinosus, with a different prevalence of the species depending on the source. Eighty‐four per cent of isolates were true faecal species. Only one isolate was identified as belonging to the Streptococcus genus. The authors stress the opportunity to identify the species. This may help to clarify the ecological and epidemiological characteristics of intestinal enterococci and streptococci in the environment, in drinking and recreational waters and their meaning as indicators of faecal pollution. All isolates were tested for their susceptibility to some antimicrobial agents widely used in medical therapy and the pattern was compared with the pattern of isolates from clinical specimens.
Impact of temporal coherence-based Tone Mapping on video compression

Tone Mapping Operators (TMOs) aim at converting real world high dynamic range (HDR) images captured with HDR cameras, into low dynamic range (LDR) images that can be displayed on LDR displays. Even though most of the designed solutions provide good results for still HDR images, they are not efficient for tone mapping video sequences. The main issue is their inability to preserve the temporal correlation inherent in a video sequence. This has a consequence on the video compression efficiency. In this work, we show that higher compression ratios can be obtained by preserving the temporal coherency of a sequence. We evaluate temporal coherency and video compression in regard to two aspects. The first one evaluates the quality of the decoded LDR sequences after applying different TMOs. The second aspect assesses the quality of a reconstructed HDR sequence when a TMO and a codec are applied.
Terms of use : Click here TESTING EVOLUTIONARY THEORIES OF DISCRIMINATIVE GRANDPARENTAL INVESTMENT

Journal of Biosocial Science / Volume 45 / Issue 03 / May 2013, pp 289 310 DOI: 10.1017/S0021932012000612, Published online: 15 November 2012 Link to this article: http://journals.cambridge. org/abstract_S0021932012000612 How to cite this article: RALF KAPTIJN, FLEUR THOMESE, AART C. LIEFBROER and MERRIL SILVERSTEIN (2013). TESTING EVOLUTIONARY THEORIES OF DISCRIMINATIVE GRANDPARENTAL INVESTMENT. Journal of Biosocial Science, 45, pp 289-310 doi:10.1017/S0021932012000612 Request Permissions : Click here
Income disparities in body mass index and obesity in the United States, 1971-2002.

BACKGROUND Although obesity is frequently associated with poverty, recent increases in obesity may not occur disproportionately among the poor. Furthermore, the relationship between income and weight status may be changing with time. METHODS We use nationally representative data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (1971-2002) to examine (1) income differentials in body mass index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters) and (2) change over time in the prevalence of obesity (body mass index, >or=30) at different levels of income. RESULTS Over the course of 3 decades, obesity has increased at all levels of income. Moreover, it is typically not the poor who have experienced the largest gains. For example, among black women, the absolute increase in obesity is 27.0% (1.05% per year) for those at middle incomes, but only 14.5% (0.54% per year) for the poor. Among black men, the increase in obesity is 21.1% (0.77% per year) for those at the highest level of income, but only 4.5% (0.06% per year) for the near poor and 5.4% (0.50% per year) for the poor. Furthermore, all race-sex groups show income differentials on body mass index, but patterns show substantial variation between groups and consistency and change within groups over time. For example, white women consistently show a strong inverse gradient, while a positive gradient emerges in later waves for black and Mexican American men. CONCLUSION The persistence and emergence of income gradients suggests that disparities in weight status are only partially attributable to poverty and that efforts aimed at reducing disparities need to consider a much broader array of contributing factors.
A numerical study of the topographic effects on structure and rainfall in Hurricane Georges (1998)

The interaction of a landfalling tropical cyclone (TC) with mesoscale topographic features is not well understood. Significant variations in wind, pressure, and precipitation distribution in TC’s have been observed over mountainous regions. The impact of the Caribbean islands on passing TC’s is one of the difficult problems in hurricane prediction in the western Atlantic. Hurricane Georges (1998) made direct landfalls on the mountainous islands of Puerto Rico and Hispaniola as a strong category 2 on the Saffir-Simpson intensity scale. Georges produced copious rain (up to 800 mm), deadly flash floods, and mud slides over the two islands, with over 400 fatalities in Hispaniola alone. Operational forecast models did not accurately predict Hurricane Georges’ track at the landfalls. In this study, we use a highresolution mesoscale model to investigate the physical processes associated with a powerful hurricane’s landfalls on the topographic Caribbean islands.
A shrinkage estimator for speech recognition with full covariance HMMs

We consider the problem of parameter estimation in fullcovariance Gaussian mixture systems for automatic speech recognition. Due to the high dimensionality of the acoustic feature vector, the standard sample covariance matrix has a high variance and is often poorly-conditioned when the amount of training data is limited. We explain how the use of a shrinkage estimator can solve these problems, and derive a formula for the optimal shrinkage intensity. We present results of experiments on a phone recognition task, showing that the estimator gives a performance improvement over a standard full-covariance system.
The student profile, service delivery model, and support practices of four early childhood intervention environments in Singapore

The student profile, model of service delivery, and support practices for young children with disabilities receiving early childhood intervention (ECI) in Singapore is reported and contrasted in this study. The supervisors/managers/principals of eight Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children (EIPIC) centres, eight Integrated Child Care Programmes (ICCP), six privately run ECI centres, and 65 preschools participated in this study. Overall, autism spectrum disorder was the most commonly reported diagnosis in this study. EIPIC and privately run ECI centres supported mostly children with disabilities (frequently those with more severe disabilities) and provided more specialized education and therapy support, whereas ICCPs and preschools educated them alongside typically developing peers. EIPIC centres provided the most resource and teacher support for young children with disabilities. Issues pertaining to the reported rates of disabilities among the young children and support models/practices are discussed.
The impact of psychotherapy training: Introduction to the special section

Does psychotherapy training positively, negatively, or negligibly impact process and outcome of clinical practice? This fundamental question touches a deep core of meaning not only for students of psychotherapy but for all of those engaged in the training of psychotherapists, including the clinical and academic staff of training institutions, clinical supervisors, and therapists’ personal therapists. The question is important not only to students and staff at training and treatment institutions but even more so to patients and to society, as was suggested by the tripartite outcome model of Strupp and Hadley (1977).
Executive functioning in overweight individuals with and without loss-of-control eating.

OBJECTIVE The current study sought to examine executive function (EF) in overweight individuals with and without loss-of-control (LOC) eating. METHOD Eighty overweight and obese individuals entering a behavioural weight loss trial with (n=18) and without (n=62) LOC eating were administered a clinical interview and neuropsychological battery designed to assess self-regulatory control, planning, delayed discounting and working memory. RESULTS After controlling for age, IQ and depression, individuals with LOC eating performed worse on tasks of planning and self-regulatory control and did not differ in performance on other tasks. DISCUSSION Results indicate that overweight individuals with LOC eating display relative deficits in EF compared with overweight individuals without LOC eating. Planning and self-regulatory control deficits in particular may contribute to dysregulated eating patterns, increasing susceptibility to LOC episodes. Future research should examine how EF deficits relate to treatment outcome.
Modelling of pollutant transport in rivers : process engineering approach

This thesis addresses the important problem of river pollution and pollutant propagation, which has to be attended with the help of predictive tools (pollutant transport models) in order to develop pollution assessment and counteracting systems and to take correct management decisions. This research field is having a lot of progress, mainly in the latest 15 years: the monitoring benefits from better technological support; data processing tools are able to deal with impressive quantity of data; new parameter calculation methods with improved accuracy have been proposed; and modelling methods have been improved. Even though, there still are important issues requiring attention, for instance the parameter estimation techniques; the wider applicability and transferability of mathematical models or the use of new software. On the other hand there is a possibility to develop the current approach on water quality modelling by using knowledge and experience from the process engineering field. The present thesis is aimed to address questions of this kind. The thesis main objective is to develop a comprehensive process engineering approach on pollutant transport modelling by means of methods and tools from different fields. The thesis main contribution could be summarized as consisting of several support tools and techniques to be used in the modelling of pollutant transport in rivers. • Analytical and numerical models for pollutant transport prediction are developed for case studies where: very little water quality related research has been carried out (Someş River); no detailed mathematical models were available to predict pollutant transport (Swale River); or only short river reaches were investigated (Murray Burn). The advection-dispersion models have increasing level of complexity: from the simple conservative models for a short stream (540 m) representing one pollutant, to a complicated non-conservative model for a bigger river stretch (50.4 km) including multiple pollutants with inter-dependent transformations. Models for pollutant transport are able to simulate accidents and also customary pollution. • Two novel techniques which enable the use of variable parameters along rivers in analytical models are implemented. They allow the inclusion of influences at the real location along the river; the representation of river non-uniformities and further application of already validated models to other river stretches.
Gender Differences in Privacy-Related Measures for Young Adult Facebook Users

ABSTRACT This study examines gender differences in young adults’ privacy beliefs, their reactions to behavioral advertising, personal information-sharing behaviors, and privacy protection behaviors on social networks. This investigation uses a large-scale survey of college students based on a social networked sampling technique facilitated through a Facebook group. Results reveal several gender differences in these areas. Third-party data usage beyond the original purpose and behavioral advertising techniques are of concern to both genders but more to women. In addition, women engage in noticeably more proactive privacy protection behavior compared with a decade ago. The authors conclude with a discussion of implications for behavioral advertising.
Prevalence of Hepatitis B and C Infections and HCV Genotypes Among Haemophilia Patients in Ahvaz, Southwest Iran

Background Transfusion-transmitted hepatitis is the most important cause of transmitted infections by the parenteral route in patients with haemophilia. Objectives This study was performed to determine the prevalence of HBV, HCV, and different genotypes of HCV among haemophilia patients in Ahvaz city, southwest Iran. Patients and Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on 87 haemophilia patients referred to the Hemoglobinopathy and Thalassemia research centre during February 2008 to March 2009. Patients, sera were tested for HBsAg and anti-HCV using ELISA and confirmed by PCR (HBV) and RT-PCR (HCV). HCV genotypes were determined with HCV genotype specific primers using HCV genotyping kit. Results The overall prevalence rate of HBsAg and anti-HCV were 1.1% (95% CI: 0-3.39) and 54% (95% CI: 43.5-64.4), respectively. Forty two of the anti-HCV patients (89.3%) were also HCV RNA positive. The prevalence of anti-HCV seropositivity was significantly higher (P = 0.0008) among patients who had started to receive transfusions before implementation of blood donor screening. Moreover, the number of transfusion were significantly associated with anti-HCV and HCV RNA positivity (P = 0.0041 and P = 0.023, respectively). The predominant HCV genotype among haemophilia patients in our region was 1a (26/42, 61.9%), although genotypes 1b and 3a were found in 26.1% (11/42) and 11.9% (5/42) of the patients, respectively. Conclusions It appears stringent donor selection procedures reduced HCV infection in multi-transfused patients, but it is still serious risk for these subjects.