Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Parametric evaluation of the differential reinforcement of alternative behavior procedure

of Dissertation Presented to the Graduate School of the University of Florida in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy PARAMETRIC EVALUATION OF THE DIFFERENTIAL REINFORCEMENT OF ALTERNATIVE BEHAVIOR PROCEDURE By Elizabeth S. Athens May 2008 Chair: Timothy R. Vollmer Major: Psychology The purpose of this study was to determine if children who exhibit problem behavior would allocate responding according to the differences in reinforcement following appropriate and problem behavior. Relative reinforcer values were manipulated in relation to the parameters of reinforcement using a differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) procedure without an extinction (EXT) component. A total of 6 individuals diagnosed with developmental disabilities who engaged in severe problem behavior participated. In Experiment I, functional analyses were conducted for all 6 participants to identify the reinforcers for problem behavior. Results showed that problem behavior was sensitive to social positive reinforcement in the form of access to tangible items for two participants and access to attention for one participant, social negative reinforcement in the form of escape from instructional demands for two other participants, and social positive reinforcement in the form of attention and social negative reinforcement in the form of escape from instructional demands for the sixth participant. Two individuals participated in each subsequent experiment. In Experiments II-V, concurrent variable-interval (VI) schedules of reinforcement were in place for problem and appropriate behavior. In Experiment II, problem behavior resulted in access to a relatively lower quality reinforcer, and appropriate behavior in access to a relatively higher
Relaxant Effect of trans-Resveratrol on Isolated Porcine Coronary Arteries

Summary Recent studies provided evidence that trans-resveratrol (3,4’,5-trihydroxystilbene, found in high concentrations in some red wines, may possibly decrease the risk of coronary heart disease mortality. The aim of this study, performed with large epicardial porcine coronary arteries (PCA) strips, was to investigate the relaxant effect of trans-resveratrol on these main conductance vessels, which have been described to be pathologically prone for vasospastic contractions. The data show that the tonic component of the biphasic contractions induced by histamine, as well as the contractions induced by F- ions (10 mmol/l), which activate G proteins downstream of the receptors, could dose-dependently be inhibited by trans-resveratrol (0.1-100 The EC50 values of the dose-response curves established for the inhibition of the sustained component of histamine-induced contractions were very similar to those obtained for the relaxations of fluoride-induced contractions: 0.45 ± 0.08 and 0.29 ± 0.05 μmol/l, resp. (n = 6). Ouabain (10 μmol/l)-induced contractions and rhythmic contractions elicited by tetraethylammonium (12 mmol/l) were also strongly inhibited by trans-resveratrol (20 μmol/1). It may be inferred from the results obtained in this study, that the relaxation of the coronary conductance vessels induced by trans-resveratrol is possibly based on a nongenomic interaction with steroid-like receptors located on the cell membrane.
Recognition of analogous and homologous protein folds: analysis of sequence and structure conservation.

An analysis was performed on 335 pairs of structurally aligned proteins derived from the structural classification of proteins (SCOP http://scop.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk/scop/) database. These similarities were divided into analogues, defined as proteins with similar three-dimensional structures (same SCOP fold classification) but generally with different functions and little evidence of a common ancestor (different SCOP superfamily classification). Homologues were defined as pairs of similar structures likely to be the result of evolutionary divergence (same superfamily) and were divided into remote, medium and close sub-divisions based on the percentage sequence identity. Particular attention was paid to the differences between analogues and remote homologues, since both types of similarities are generally undetectable by sequence comparison and their detection is the aim of fold recognition methods. Distributions of sequence identities and substitution matrices suggest a higher degree of sequence similarity in remote homologues than in analogues. Matrices for remote homologues show similarity to existing mutation matrices, providing some validity for their use in previously described fold recognition methods. In contrast, matrices derived from analogous proteins show little conservation of amino acid properties beyond broad conservation of hydrophobic or polar character. Secondary structure and accessibility were more conserved on average in remote homologues than in analogues, though there was no apparent difference in the root-mean-square deviation between these two types of similarities. Alignments of remote homologues and analogues show a similar number of gaps, openings (one or more sequential gaps) and inserted/deleted secondary structure elements, and both generally contain more gaps/openings/deleted secondary structure elements than medium and close homologues. These results suggest that gap parameters for fold recognition should be more lenient than those used in sequence comparison. Parameters were derived from the analogue and remote homologue datasets for potential used in fold recognition methods. Implications for protein fold recognition and evolution are discussed.
Effects of somatostatin and bromocryptine on the plasma ACTH level in bilaterally adrenalectomized patients with Cushing's disease.

The effects of somatostatin and bromocryptine were examined in patients bilaterally adrenalectomized because of Cushing's disease, in one of whom Nelson's syndrome had developed. Following a 250 microgram (152 nmol) somatostatin bolus, administered i.v. , a further 250 microgram *152 nmol) somatostatin was given by infusion over 90 minutes. In all patients the high basal value of the serum ACTH was considerably decreased 60 minutes after the bolus, but after 240 minutes the basic value was almost restored. In the patients without Nelson's syndrome the plasma ACTH decreasing action of oral 2.5 mg (3.38 mumol) bromocryptine exceeded 300 minutes. In the Nelson's syndrome patient the early ACTH-decreasing effect of bromocryptine was greater, but after 300 minutes the ACTH level had risen to nearly twice the basic value.
Discipline with Dignity: Oakland Classrooms Try Healing Instead of Punishment.

Nelson Mandela's adage, "I destroy my enemies when I make them my friends" captures the profoundly inclusive nature of restorative justice (RJ). The hallmark of RJ is intentionally bringing together people with seemingly diametrically opposed viewpoints--particularly people who have harmed with people who have been harmed--in a carefully prepared face-to-face encounter where everyone listens and speaks with respect and from the heart, no matter their differences. The talking piece is a powerful equalizer, allowing everyone's voice to be heard and honored, whether that of a police officer, a judge, or a 14-year-old youth. The school-to-prison pipeline refers to the alarming national trend of punishing and criminalizing our youth instead of educating and nurturing them. Exclusionary discipline policies such as suspensions, expulsions, and school-based arrests are increasingly being used to address even the most minor infractions: a 5-year-old girl's temper tantrum, a child doodling on her desk with erasable ink, or adolescent students having a milk fight in the cafeteria. Use of suspensions has almost doubled since the 1970s. Black students are disproportionately impacted. According to data from the U.S. Office of Civil Rights, black students are three times more likely to be suspended than their white counterparts for comparable offenses. In this article the author discusses the successful techniques that California organization, Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth (RJOY) has used to eliminate violence and expulsions, while reducing school suspension rates at various school sites. Oakland is considered one of the most violent cities in the nation. However, today hundreds of Oakland students are learning a new habit. Instead of resorting to violence, they are being empowered to engage in restorative processes that bring together persons harmed with persons responsible for harm in a safe and respectful space, promoting dialogue, accountability, a deeper sense of community, and healing. Language: en
Human Rights Reporting as a Policy Tool: An Examination of the State Department Country Reports

In the decade since their inception, the annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 1 have come to be widely known and respected. This 1000+ page compendium, presenting statistics and analyses of human rights in virtually all nations, has gained wide attention from the public and policy makers. Many in Congress view it as the most authoritative and complete statement on human rights conditions available today, and they make regular use of the findings in debates and public statements. The document itself is a best seller in the Government Printing Office. Human rights organizations and governments around the world each year await the Reports' publication and take considerable trouble to respond. While there are serious criticisms of chapters on particular countries, even the critics who scrutinize these most closely agree that the vast majority of the volume reflects a professional effort to report accurately and fairly. This situation is remarkable because the Reports are produced by an administration whose initial appointees were openly antagonistic to applying human rights criteria in foreign policy and whose current pursuit of human rights policy could at most be described as reluctant. Many were opposed to embarrassing friendly nations with public critiques. Some disagreed with the basic premise that human rights violations in communist and noncommunist nations should be viewed as comparable. Despite these difficulties, the
Time Course Analysis of the Effects of Botulinum Neurotoxin Type A on Pain and Vasomotor Responses Evoked by Glutamate Injection into Human Temporalis Muscles

The effect of botulinum neurotoxin type A (BoNTA) on glutamate-evoked temporalis muscle pain and vasomotor responses was investigated in healthy men and women over a 60 day time course. Subjects participated in a pre-BoNTA session where their responses to injection of glutamate (1 M, 0.2 mL) and saline (0.2 mL) into the temporalis muscles were assessed. On Day 1, BoNTA (5 U) was injected into one temporalis muscle and saline into the contralateral temporalis muscle, in a randomized order. Subjects then received intramuscular injections of glutamate (1 M, 0.2 mL) into the left and right temporalis muscles at 3 h and subsequently 7, 30 and 60 days post-injection of BoNTA. Pain intensity, pain area, and neurogenic inflammation (skin temperature and skin blood perfusion) were recorded. Prior to BoNTA treatment, glutamate evoked significantly greater pain and vasomotor reactions (P < 0.001) than saline. BoNTA significantly reduced glutamate-evoked pain intensity (P < 0.05), pain area (P < 0.01), skin blood perfusion (P < 0.05), and skin temperature (P < 0.001). The inhibitory effect of BoNTA was present at 3 h after injection, peaked after 7 days and returned to baseline by 60 days. Findings from the present study demonstrated a rapid action of BoNTA on glutamate-evoked pain and neurogenic inflammation, which is in line with animal studies.
What caused the atmosphere's CO2 content to rise during the last 8000 years?

We make a case that the 20 ppm rise in atmospheric CO2 content over the last 8000 years was at least in part a consequence of the 500 Gt C increase in terrestrial biomass early in the present interglacial rather than of a 200 Gt C decrease in terrestrial biomass during the latter part of the Holocene as proposed by Indermühle et al. [1999]. In support of this claim, we present new 13C measurements from an Ontong Java Plateau box core, which do not reproduce the trend deduced from measurements on CO2 from the Taylor Dome ice core. In attempt to distinguish between scenarios put forth to accounting for the late Holocene rise in atmospheric CO2 content, we also made foraminifera shell weight measurements on three box cores from the Ontong Java Plateau. We were surprised to find that the early Holocene CaCO3 preservation event we sought was strongly depth dependent. The largest magnitude was at 4 km where CO3= ion concentrations appear to have been 30 μmol/kg higher than today's and hence nearly as high as those in today's North Atlantic Deep Water.
Combating NBTI-induced aging in data caches

The negative bias temperature instability (NBTI) in CMOS devices is one of most prominent sources of aging mechanisms, which can induce severe threats to the reliability of modern processors at deep submicron semiconductor technologies. Due to the unbalanced duty cycle ratio of the SRAM cells, the data cache suffers a heavy NBTI stress and this will further exacerbate the aging effect in the data cache. In this paper, an aging-aware design is proposed to combat the NBTI-induced aging in the data cache. First, the detailed lifetime behaviors of the cachelines in the data cache are studied. Then, different schemes are proposed to mitigate the negative aging effects by balancing the duty cycle ratio of the SRAM cells in the cachelines according to their different lifetime phases. By applying our proposed idle-time-based cacheline invalidation, early write-back, and bit-flipping schemes, the duty cycle ratio of the data cache can be well balanced. By adopting the drowsy scheme for invalidated cachelines, our design can also reduce the power consumption significantly, which will further optimize the thermal behavior and aging effect of data caches.
Haberle and Káš : Simulation Of Nitrogen Leaching And Nitrate Concentration In A Long-Term

The effects of organic and mineral nitrogen fertilization on nitrogen leaching and nitrate concentration in percolated water were simulated using the CANDY model. In a long-term IOSDV field experiment carried out from 1983 to the present in Lukavec, Czech Republic, increasing nitrogen rates from 0 kg to 200 kg N*ha in mineral fertilizers were combined with the application of farmyard manure or straw, the control treatment was without organic fertilization. The simulation results of four rotations in the years 1996 – 2007 are presented. In the treatments, the average simulated nitrogen leaching ranged from 2 kg to 71 kg N*ha y, the average nitrate concentrations were between 5 mg and 191 mg*l. The average year concentration of nitrate about 40 mg*l indicated increasing occurrence of concentrations above 50 mg*l at daily basis. Nitrogen leaching and nitrate concentrations were non-linearly related to the total nitrogen inputs (R= 0.98), the organic fertilizer treatments only negligibly altered the form of the relationship. The average nitrate concentration exceeded 50 mg*l at a total nitrogen input level about 150 kg N*ha; this corresponding to an average leaching of 20 kg N*ha y.
Sex differences in the processing of flankers

The study of sex differences in cognition has often focused on differences in spatial processing. Recently, sex differences in selective attention have been observed by Bayliss, di Pellegrino, and Tipper (2005), showing that women are more influenced than men by irrelevant spatial cues. The current study elaborates on this finding and tests whether sex differences in the processing of irrelevant information also occur in a simpler task, in which there is no need to redirect visual attention and no need to remember multiple spatial stimulus–response associations. Here, attention is studied using a novel combination of a go/no-go task and a flanker task. A total of 80 neurotypical participants were studied, and it was found that responses in women were more strongly affected by flanker information than were responses in men. This suggests that these sex differences were not due to difficulties with spatial reorientation, or remembering spatial stimulus–response relationships. The findings are discussed in the context of the hunter–gatherer theory of sex differences.
Crystal structure of a cyanobacterial phytochrome response regulator

The two‐component signal transduction pathway widespread in prokaryotes, fungi, molds, and some plants involves an elaborate phosphorelay cascade. Rcp1 is the phosphate receiver module in a two‐component system controlling the light response of cyanobacteria Synechocystis sp. via cyanobacterial phytochrome Cph1, which recognizes Rcp1 and transfers its phosphoryl group to an aspartate residue in response to light. Here we describe the crystal structure of Rcp1 refined to a crystallographic R‐factor of 18.8% at a resolution of 1.9 Å. The structure reveals a tightly associated homodimer with monomers comprised of doubly wound five‐stranded parallel β‐sheets forming a single‐domain protein homologous with the N‐terminal activator domain of other response regulators (e.g., chemotaxis protein CheY). The three‐dimensional structure of Rcp1 appears consistent with the conserved activation mechanism of phosphate receiver proteins, although in this case, the C‐terminal half of its regulatory domain, which undergoes structural changes upon phosphorylation, contributes to the dimerization interface. The involvement of the residues undergoing phosphorylation‐induced conformational changes at the dimeric interface suggests that dimerization of Rcp1 may be regulated by phosphorylation, which could affect the interaction of Rcp1 with downstream target molecules.
Exploring the Science of Conducting Surveys for Studying Men’s Sexual Assault Perpetration Behaviors

ABSTRACT Focus groups were used to explore the most appropriate ways to conduct survey research about men’s relationships with women and their sexual assault behaviors that result in high response rates and decrease socially desirable answers. A racially diverse group of 24 English-speaking heterosexual men, aged 18 years or older, were recruited for participation in 3 focus groups. The men were asked to review a survey instrument used in a previous study and the results from that study. Analysis of the focus group transcripts indicates that the men responded to the survey instrument from 3 distinct perspectives: (a) perpetrators, (b) victims, and (c) respondents. From these perspectives, the men also commented on participant anonymity, survey construction and delivery method, question wording, and potential pitfalls in asking men about sexual assault.
Scripts and Medical Diagnostic Knowledge: Theory and Applications for Clinical Reasoning Instruction and Research

Medical diagnosis is a categorization task that allows physicians to make predictions about features of clinical situations and to determine appropriate course of action. The script concept, which first arose in cognitive psychology, provides a theoretical framework to explain how medical diagnostic knowledge can be structured for diagnostic problem solving. The main characteristics of the script concept are pre-stored knowledge, values acceptable or not acceptable for each illness attribute, and default values. Scripts are networks of knowledge adapted to goals of clinical tasks. The authors describe how scripts are used in diagnostic tasks, how the script concept fits within the clinical reasoning literature, how it contrasts with competing theories of clinical reasoning, how educators can help students build and refine scripts, and how scripts can be used to assess clinical competence.
brachyenteron is necessary for morphogenesis of the posterior gut but not for anteroposterior axial elongation from the posterior growth zone in the intermediate-germband cricket Gryllus bimaculatus

In the long-germband insect Drosophila, all body segments and posterior terminal structures, including the posterior gut and anal pads, are specified at the blastoderm stage. In short- and intermediate-germband insects, however, posterior segments are sequentially produced from the posterior growth zone, a process resembling somitogenesis in vertebrates, and invagination of the posterior gut starts after anteroposterior (AP) axial elongation from the growth zone. The mechanisms underlying posterior segmentation and terminal patterning in these insects are poorly understood. In order to elucidate these mechanisms, we have investigated the roles of the Brachyury/brachyenteron (Bra/byn) homolog in the intermediate-germband cricket Gryllus bimaculatus. Loss-of-function analysis by RNA interference (RNAi) revealed that Gryllus byn (Gb'byn) is not required for AP axial elongation or normal segment formation, but is required for specification of the posterior gut. We also analyzed Gryllus caudal (Gb'cad) RNAi embryos using in situ hybridization with a Gb'byn probe, and found that Gb'cad is required for internalization of the posterior gut primordium, in addition to AP axial elongation. These results suggest that the functions of byn and cad in posterior terminal patterning are highly conserved in Gryllus and Drosophila despite their divergent posterior patterning. Moreover, because it is thought that the progressive growth of the AP axis from the growth zone, controlled by a genetic program involving Cdx/cad and Bra/byn, might be ancestral to bilaterians, our data suggest that the function of Bra/byn in this process might have been lost in insects.
Obstetric outcomes in pregnant women with diabetes versus hypertensive disorders versus both

Abstract Objective. To compare obstetrical outcomes in pregnant women with diabetes versus hypertensive disorders versus both. Methods. One million patients in the New Jersey Database were analyzed. Of which 6.91% had hypertension, 4.79% had diabetes, and 0.91% had both. Information was derived from a perinatal linked data-set provided by the Maternal Child Health Epidemiology (MCH Epi) Program in the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services. Linking of electronic birth certificates, hospital discharge records for mother and newborn, and infant death certificates for all infants born in New Jersey between the years 1997 and 2005 created the data-set. Results. Coexistence of hypertension and diabetes increased with advancing maternal age (OR 3.41; CI 3.12–3.72). Among ethnic groups, diabetes was more common in Asians (OR 2.92; CI 2.84–3.00), while hypertension was more common in Blacks (OR 1.49; CI 1.46–1.53). Blacks followed by Asians had a higher risk of being in the combined category. Induction of labor (OR 4.16; CI 3.96–4.38), shoulder dystocia (OR 2.56; CI 2.05–3.19), operative vaginal delivery (OR 3.92; CI 3.29–4.66), cesarean deliveries with no trial of labor (OR 2.54; CI 2.40–2.69) as well as with failed trial of labor (OR 4.09; CI 3.88–4.31) were more common in the combined group. Neonatal outcomes were poor in the combined category, with high rate of preterm deliveries, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admissions (OR 2.14; CI 2.01–2.28), neonatal seizures (OR 2.30; CI 1.31–4.04), low 5-min APGAR scores (OR 1.78; CI 1.57-2.01), and longer NICU stay (OR 2.30; CI 2.15-2.47). Conclusions. Coexistence of hypertension and diabetes was associated with worse obstetric and neonatal outcomes than either alone. This should be emphasized to mothers during prenatal counseling. Further research should focus on interventions to improve morbidity in the combined category.
Point of View: A Linguistic Analysis of Literary Style

Acknowledgments Abbreviations Introduction 1. Sentence-Based Approaches to Point of View 2. Cohesion, Coherence, and Episodes 3. Referential and Semantic Connector Linking 4. Temporal Linking 5. Aspect, Coherence, and Point of View 6. Conclusions 7. Implications: The Foreground/Background Distinction Notes References Subject Index Author Index