Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cortical Plasticity During Three-Week Motor Skill Learning

The authors studied motor behavior and primary motor (M1) and somatosensory (S1) cortical representations of movement during hand motor skill acquisition over 3 weeks. During four functional MRI sessions 1 week apart, subjects performed simple movements of single fingers and wrist, and a sequential movement of the middle three fingers, contrasted with rest. Half of the subjects practiced the sequential movement, whereas the other half practiced a gross motor task (squeezing a sponge). In both groups, motor performance gradually improved both on the practiced sequence and also on unrelated tests of general hand performance. Similarly, gradual expansion of active M1 and S1 areas was observed with the practiced sequence and with the unpracticed single-finger and wrist movements. Motor practice enhanced overlaps and sharing of cortex (significantly more so in the fine-skill group), preserving somatotopy and the overall extent of the hand representations. Even a limited amount of practice on a complex task can thus lead to both specific and nonspecific improvements in behavior and to expansion of M1 and S1 movement representations. Finally, the extent of active M1 and S1 was significantly correlated with out-of-scanner performance on sequential finger movement and may reflect the current motor ability of the individual.
The Fuzzy Description Logic ALCFH with Hedge Algebras as Concept Modifiers

In this paper we present the fuzzy description logic ALCFH introduced, where primitive concepts are modified by means of hedges taken from hedge algebras. ALCFH is strictly more expressive than Fuzzy-ALC defined in [11]. We show that given a linearly ordered set of hedges primitive concepts can be modified to any desired degree by prefixing them with appropriate chains of hedges. Furthermore, we define a decision procedure for the unsatisfiability problem in ALCFH , and discuss knowledge base expansion when using terminologies, truth bounds, expressivity as well as complexity issues. We extend [8] by allowing modifiers on non-primitive concepts and extending the satisfiability procedure to handle concept definitions.
Credible Reforms and Stock Return Volatility: Evidence from Privatization

In this paper we investigate how privatization affects stock return volatility. We show that privatization is related to volatility via political risk. In particular, a privatization program that is maintained over time signals credibility, which reduces political risk and in turn volatility. We further show that privatization is associated with lower idiosyncratic volatility mainly among developed markets, while it is associated with lower systematic volatility in developing markets. Additional tests suggest that the reduction in volatility is greater when privatization sales are carried out through the stock market than when they are carried out through asset sales.
Teachers' Beliefs About Students' Social Disadvantage Exploring High School Contexts and Teachers' Influence on the Achievement Gap.

My dissertation explores teachers' beliefs about the extent to which students' social background is an obstacle to effective teaching. Beliefs of empowerment to overcome social disadvantage have been highlighted in accounts of so-called " transformational " schools—where students of color and from low-income families perform far better than their social background predicts—but have never been systematically analyzed. I use data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 and quantitative techniques to provide the first large-scale examination of teachers' beliefs of helplessness or empowerment to overcome students' social disadvantage, and the implications of such teacher beliefs for educational inequality. My dissertation examines the national prevalence of these beliefs among teachers, the school contexts surrounding such beliefs, how teachers' beliefs about student' social disadvantage relate to students' educational outcomes, and whether this relationship varies by student race and socioeconomic status.
Ja n 20 09 HU-EP-09 / 01 Superprotected n-point correlation functions of local operators in N = 4 super Yang-Mills Nadav Drukker

In this paper we study the n-point correlation functions of two different families of local gauge invariant operators in N = 4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory. The main idea is to consider the correlation functions of operators which all share a number of supersymmetries irrespective of their relative locations. We achieve this by equipping the operators with explicit space-time dependence. We provide evidence by different methods that these n-point correlators do not receive quantum corrections in perturbation theory and are hence given exactly by their tree-level result. The arguments rely on explicit checks for general fourpoint correlators, some five-point and six-point correlators and a more abstract calculation based on a novel topological twisting of N = 4 supersymmetric YangMills theory.
A pr 2 00 6 MORSE THEORY AND TILTING SHEAVES

Tilting perverse sheaves arise in geometric representation theory as natural bases for many categories. (See [1] or Section 3 below for definitions and some background results.) For example, for category O of a complex reductive group G, tilting modules correspond to tilting sheaves on the Schubert stratification S of the flag variety B. In this setting, there are many characterizations of tilting objects involving their categorical structure. (See [13] and [14].) In this paper, we propose a new geometric construction of tilting sheaves. Namely, we show that they naturally arise via the Morse theory of sheaves on the opposite Schubert stratification S. In the context of the flag variety B, our construction takes the following form. Let F be a complex of sheaves on B with bounded constructible cohomology. We will refer to such an object as simply a sheaf. Given a point p ∈ B, and the germ F at p of a complex analytic function, we have the corresponding local Morse group (or vanishing cycles) M p,F (F) which measures how F changes at p as we move in the family defined by F . The local Morse groups play a central role in the theory of perverse sheaves. For an arbitrary sheaf on B, its local Morse groups are graded by cohomological degree. The perverse sheaves on B are characterized by the fact that their local Morse groups (with respect to sufficiently generic functions F ) are concentrated in degree 0. In other words, the local Morse groups are t-exact functors (with respect to the perverse t-structure), and any sheaf on which they are concentrated in degree 0 is in turn perverse. If we restrict to sheaves F on the Schubert stratification S, then for any function F at a point p, it is possible to find a sheaf Mp,F on a neighborhood of p which represents the functor M p,F (though Mp,F is not constructible with respect to S.) To be precise, for any F on S, we have a natural isomorphism
Calibrating trajectory data for similarity-based analysis

Due to the prevalence of GPS-enabled devices and wireless communications technologies, spatial trajectories that describe the movement history of moving objects are being generated and accumulated at an unprecedented pace. Trajectory data in a database are intrinsically heterogeneous, as they represent discrete approximations of original continuous paths derived using different sampling strategies and different sampling rates. Such heterogeneity can have a negative impact on the effectiveness of trajectory similarity measures, which are the basis of many crucial trajectory processing tasks. In this paper, we pioneer a systematic approach to trajectory calibration that is a process to transform a heterogeneous trajectory dataset to one with (almost) unified sampling strategies. Specifically, we propose an anchor-based calibration system that aligns trajectories to a set of anchor points, which are fixed locations independent of trajectory data. After examining four different types of anchor points for the purpose of building a stable reference system, we propose a geometry-based calibration approach that considers the spatial relationship between anchor points and trajectories. Then a more advanced model-based calibration method is presented, which exploits the power of machine learning techniques to train inference models from historical trajectory data to improve calibration effectiveness. Finally, we conduct extensive experiments using real trajectory datasets to demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed calibration system.
Byzantine Diplomacy: Papers from the Twenty-Fourth Spring Symposium of Byzantine Studies, Cambridge, March 1990

Part 1 The Byzantine notion of diplomacy: the notion of Byzantine diplomacy, A. Kazhdan. Part 2 Phases of Byzantine diplomacy: Byzantine diplomacy, A.D. 300-800 - means and ends, E. Chrysos Byzantine diplomacy, A.D. 800-1204 - means and ends, J. Shepard Byzantine diplomacy, A.D. 1204-1453 - means and ends, N. Oikonomidess. Part 3 Byzantium and others: Constantinople, Rome and the franks in the 7th and 8th centuries, J. Herrin Byzantium and teh Khazars - a special relationship? , T. Noonan Byzantine-Arab diplomacy in the near east from the Islamic conquests to the mid-11th century, H. Kennedy diplomacy and ideology - Byzantium and the RUssina church in the mid-12th century, S. Franklin low level diplomacy between Byzantines adn Ottoman Turks - the case of Bithynia, K. Hopwood. Part 4 Sources on diplomacy: diplomacy in the 6th century - the evidence of John Malalas, R. Scott re-reading Constantine porphyrogenitus, I. Sevcenko liudprand of cremona - a diplomat? , C. Schummer the language of diplomacy, M. Mullett. Paart 5 Art in diplomacy: but is it art? , R. Cormack silken diplomacy, A. Muthesius the luxury book as diplomatic gift, J. Lowden. Part 6 Social aspects: dynastic marriages and political kinship, R. Macrides "Blood and ink" - some observations on Byzantine attitudes towards warfare and diplomacy, J. Haldon from frontier to palace - the personal role of the emperor in diplomacy, M. Whitby who do barbarians stand round the emperor at diplomatic receptions? , D. Smythe. Part 7 The less obvious end: the less obvious ends of Byzantine diplomacy, P. Antonopoulos.
Probabilistic Projections of Climate Change for the Mid-Atlantic Region of the United States: Validation of Precipitation Downscaling during the Historical Era*

AbstractThis study uses a statistical downscaling method based on self-organizing maps (SOMs) to produce high-resolution, downscaled precipitation estimates over the state of Pennsylvania in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The SOMs approach derives a transfer function between large-scale mean atmospheric states and local meteorological variables (daily point precipitation values) of interest. First, the SOM was trained using seven coarsely resolved atmospheric variables from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) reanalysis dataset to model observed daily precipitation data from 17 stations across Pennsylvania for the period 1979–2005. Employing the same coarsely resolved variables from nine general circulation model (GCM) simulations taken from the historical analysis of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, phase 3 (CMIP3), the trained SOM was subsequently applied to simulate daily precipitation at the same 17 sites for the period 1961–2000. The SOM analysis indicate.
A combined component approach for finding collection-adapted ranking functions based on genetic programming

In this paper, we propose a new method to discover collection-adapted ranking functions based on Genetic Programming (GP). Our Combined Component Approach (CCA)is based on the combination of several term-weighting components (i.e.,term frequency, collection frequency, normalization) extracted from well-known ranking functions. In contrast to related work, the GP terminals in our CCA are not based on simple statistical information of a document collection, but on meaningful, effective, and proven components. Experimental results show that our approach was able to outper form standard TF-IDF, BM25 and another GP-based approach in two different collections. CCA obtained improvements in mean average precision up to 40.87% for the TREC-8 collection, and 24.85% for the WBR99 collection (a large Brazilian Web collection), over the baseline functions. The CCA evolution process also was able to reduce the overtraining, commonly found in machine learning methods, especially genetic programming, and to converge faster than the other GP-based approach used for comparison.
(18F)-FDG PET/CT AND MRI IN DIAGNOSIS OF IDIOPATHIC LATE-ONSET CEREBELLAR ATAXIA

Adult-onset progressive cerebellar disorders can result from many pathological processes. The diagnosis is usually based on the medical history, neurological examination, laboratory investigations, and presence of cerebellar atrophy on CT and MRI. In addition, SPECT and PET have been used in detection of genetic and non-genetic ataxias. We studied the cerebral glucose metabolism and neurological dysfunction in 7 patients with late-onset cerebellar ataxia. All patients underwent (18F)-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) PET scanning with Phillips Gemini TF (16slice) PET/CT. The age at progressive cerebellar symptoms onset was over 45 years. Detailed medical history, physical findings and laboratory tests excluded other acquired causes of cerebellar ataxia. CT scans and MRI revealed presence of cerebellar and brainstem atrophy. (18F)-FDG PET showed moderate to severe cerebellar and brainstem hypometabolism. Based on our own clinical and neuroimaging findings, we support the notion that brain FDG PET scanning may be useful as a complimentary diagnostic tool in evaluation of patients with lateonset progressive cerebellar syndromes.
Symmetry nonrestoration in a Gross-Neveu model with a random chemical potential

We study the symmetry behavior of the Gross-Neveu model in three and two dimensions with a random chemical potential. This is equivalent to a four-fermion model with charge conjugation symmetry as well as ${Z}_{2}$ chiral symmetry. At high temperature the ${Z}_{2}$ chiral symmetry is always restored. In three dimensions the initially spontaneously broken charge conjugation symmetry is not restored at high temperature, irrespective of the value of the disorder strength. In two dimensions and at zero temperature the charge conjugation symmetry undergoes a quantum phase transition from a symmetric state (for weak disorder) to a broken state (for strong disorder) as the disorder strength is varied. For any given value of disorder strength, the high-temperature behavior of the charge conjugation symmetry is the same as its zero-temperature behavior. Therefore, in two dimensions and for strong disorder strength the charge conjugation symmetry is not restored at high temperature.
A Study of the Thermal Characteristics of the Leading Edge Groove and Conventional Tilting Pad Journal Bearings

Kingsbury, Inc., Philadelphia, PA 19154 In this paper dealing with the tilting pad journal bearing, experim'ental results are presented which show that, at higher shaft speeds, the leading-edge-groove (LEG) design has significantly lower operating temperatures to those of the conventional design of tilting pad journal bearing. Subsequent theoretical analysis has shown that this reduction in pad operating temperature is the result of feeding cool oil directly to the leading edge of the pad. This has the effect of reducing the amount of hot oil carried over from one pad to the next.
Biochar for Horticultural Rooting Media Improvement: Evaluation of Biochar from Gasification and Slow Pyrolysis

Peat is used as rooting medium in greenhouse horticulture. Biochar is a sustainable alternative for the use of peat, which will reduce peat derived carbon dioxide emissions. Biochar in potting soil mixtures allegedly increases water storage, nutrient supply, microbial life and disease suppression but this depends on feedstock and the production process. The aim of this paper is to find combinations of feedstock and production circumstances which will deliver biochars with value for the horticultural end user. Low-temperature (600 °C–750 °C) gasification was used for combined energy and biochar generation. Biochars produced were screened in laboratory tests and selected biochars were used in plant experiments. Tests included dry bulk density, total pore space, specific surface area, phytotoxicity, pH, EC, moisture characteristics and microbial stability. We conclude that biochars from nutrient-rich feedstocks are too saline and too alkaline to be applied in horticultural rooting media. Biochars from less nutrient-rich feedstocks can be conveniently neutralized by mixing with acid peat. The influence of production parameters on specific surface area, pH, total pore space and toxicity is discussed. Biochar mildly improved the survival of beneficial micro-organisms in a mix with peat. Overall, wood biochar can replace at least 20% v/v of peat in potting soils without affecting plant growth.
Towards an active IP accounting infrastructure

Traditional IP accounting infrastructures cannot withstand the shock waves produced by voice over IP integration, increasingly large accounting data volumes, adaptive pricing schema that reflect resource utilization, and real time requirements on accounting applications such as billing and traffic monitoring. To suit tomorrow's networks, the Active IP Accounting Co-processor Environment (AIACE) argues that the number of accounting tasks performed at the network nodes and at the accounting servers be fluid and not necessarily known a priori. The AIACE infrastructure introduces the notion of an active accounting co-processor coupled with the network node. This co-processor performs custom operations on accounting data exactly where the accounting data is being generated. For instance, the co-processor can efficiently manage pre-paid debit card semantics, reflect settlements among providers, apply fraud detectors, or enable real time accounting data mining, The AIACE infrastructure dynamically pushes intelligence into network nodes and applies Active Networks themes to network management. Isolated from any problematic interference with end-to-end data paths, AIACE can set IP accounting free to exploit the power of open and active network nodes.
Intrinsic mono‐component decomposition of functions: An advance of Fourier theory

We propose a function decomposition model, called intrinsic mono‐component decomposition (IMD). It is a continuation of the recent study on adaptive decomposition of functions into mono‐components (MCs). It is a further improvement of two recent results of which one is adaptive decomposition of functions into modified inner functions, and the other is decomposition by using adaptive Takenaka‐Malmquist systems. The proposed new decomposition model is of less restriction and thus gains more adaptivity. The theory is valid to both the unit circle and the real line contexts. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Consistency and functional specialization in the default mode brain network

The notion of a “default mode of brain function” has taken on certain relevance in human neuroimaging studies and in relation to a network of lateral parietal and midline cortical regions that show prominent activity fluctuations during passive imaging states, such as rest. In this study, we perform three fMRI experiments that demonstrate consistency and specialization in the default mode network. Correlated activity fluctuations of default mode network regions are identified during (i) eyes-closed spontaneous rest, (ii) activation by moral dilemma, and (iii) deactivation by Stroop task performance. Across these imaging states, striking uniformity is shown in the basic anatomy of the default mode network, but with both tasks clearly and differentially modulating this activity compared with spontaneous fluctuations of the network at rest. Against rest, moral dilemma is further shown to evoke regionally specific activity increases of hypothesized functional relevance. Mapping spontaneous and task-related brain activity will help to constrain the meaning of the default mode network. These findings are discussed in relation to recent debate on the topic of default modes of brain function.
The relationship between international trade openness and economic growth in the developing economies: Some new dimensions

Purpose - – This paper aims to establish a relationship between trade openness and economic growth in the context of the developing countries. This study has proposed a new measure of trade openness to the literature, as the available measures are flawed. Design/methodology/approach - – Empirical analyses are carried out with the help of panel econometric techniques. Findings - – The main finding of the paper is that the relationship between trade openness and economic growth is positive and statistically significant for developing countries. Besides trade openness, other determinants of economic growth such as investment and labour force are also significantly related with economic growth and carry expected coefficients. Further, it is found that frequent fluctuations in prices are detrimental to long-run economic growth. Practical implications - – Therefore, the developing countries are suggested to speed up the process of trade liberalization and also pay favourable attention to other determinants of economic growth to achieve high economic growth. Originality/value - – The authors have used a new measure of trade openness apart from the conventional trade volume measure of trade openness.
Reply to Schooler: Consistent Is Not Conclusive

In this reply, I address the major issues raised by Schooler in his commentary on my article. Although we probably disagree about some points, I suspect that we are in agreement that there is empirical evidence that can be interpreted as being consistent with some aspects of the mental-exercise hypothesis. However, from my perspective, the available evidence is far from conclusive with respect to mental exercise slowing the rate of age-related mental decline, and recognition of the current state of uncertainty on this issue will likely facilitate progress in identifying the role of mental activity and other moderators of mental aging.