Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The evaluation of cognitive function in the dementias: methodological and regulatory considerations

Impairment of cognitive function is the central feature of dementia. Although, clinically, the cognitive deficit most often manifests itself as memory problems, a number of other areas of cognition are affected, and memory is but one of the cognitive skills compromised in dementia. Dementia with Lewy bodies, for example, accounts for 15% to 25% of all dementias and does not have memory deficits as a core feature. Our cognitive facilities underlie our abilities to engage successfully in the activities of daily living (ADL) and it follows thai enhancement of cognitive function will facilitate performance of ADL The assessment and understanding of these impairments are crucial to any treatment of the disorder. Unfortunately, the principal instrument used to assess cognitive function in most of the major clinical trials of Alzheimer's disease in recent years, the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subsection (ADAS-COG), primarily assesses aspects of memory, which has resulted in other important cognitive deficits in dementia being overlooked. Automated cognitive tests are now available that can identify an earlier onset of improvements in dementia in smaller samples than the ADAS, Regulatory authorities should encourage - or even require - the use of automated procedures alongside the ADAS in pivotal trials to help determine the relative utility of the instruments in the fairest way possible. Whatever the outcome, this will be of long-term benefit to patients, carers, drug developers, clinicians, and regulators in this important area.
Growth of bioconvection patterns in a suspension of gyrotactic micro-organisms in a layer of finite depth

The effect of gyrotaxis on the linear stability of a suspension of swimming, negatively buoyant micro-organisms is examined for a layer of finite depth. In the steady basic state there is no bulk fluid motion, and the upwards swimming of the cells is balanced by diffusion resulting from randomness in their shape, orientation and swimming behaviour. This leads to a bulk density stratification with denser fluid on top. The theory is based on the continuum model of Pedley, Hill & Kessler (1988), and employs both asymptotic and numerical analysis. The suspension is characterized by five dimensionless parameters: a Rayleigh number, a Schmidt number, a layer-depth parameter, a gyrotaxis number G, and a geometrical parameter measuring the ellipticity of the micro-organisms. For small values of G, the most unstable mode has a vanishing wavenumber, but for sufficiently large values of G, the predicted initial wavelength is finite, in agreement with experiments. The suspension becomes less stable as the layer depth is increased. Indeed, if the layer is sufficiently deep an initially homogeneous suspension is unstable, and the equilibrium state does not form. The theory of Pedley, Hill & Kessler (1988) for infinite depth is shown to be appropriate in that case. An unusual feature of the model is the existence of overstable or oscillatory modes which are driven by the gyrotactic response of the micro-organisms to the shear at the rigid boundaries of the layer. These modes occur at parameter values which could be realized in experiments.
Parenting with Style: Altruism and Paternalism in Intergenerational Preference Transmission

We develop a theory of parent-child relations that rationalizes the choice between alternative parenting styles (as set out in Baumrind 1967). Parents maximize an objective function that combines Beckerian altruism and paternalism towards children. They can affect their children’s choices via two channels: either by influencing children’s preferences or by imposing direct restrictions on their choice sets. Different parenting styles (authoritarian, authoritative, and permissive) emerge as equilibrium outcomes and are affected both by parental preferences and by the socioeconomic environment. Parenting style, in turn, feeds back into the children’s welfare and economic success. The theory is consistent with the decline of authoritarian parenting observed in industrialized countries and with the greater prevalence of more permissive parenting in countries characterized by low inequality.
Equine metabolic syndrome impairs adipose stem cells osteogenic differentiation by predominance of autophagy over selective mitophagy

Adipose‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASC) hold great promise in the treatment of many disorders including musculoskeletal system, cardiovascular and/or endocrine diseases. However, the cytophysiological condition of cells, used for engraftment seems to be fundamental factor that might determine the effectiveness of clinical therapy. In this study we investigated growth kinetics, senescence, accumulation of oxidative stress factors, mitochondrial biogenesis, autophagy and osteogenic differentiation potential of ASC isolated from horses suffered from equine metabolic syndrome (EMS). We demonstrated that EMS condition impairs multipotency/pluripotency in ASCs causes accumulation of reactive oxygen species and mitochondria deterioration. We found that, cytochrome c is released from mitochondria to the cytoplasm suggesting activation of intrinsic apoptotic pathway in those cells. Moreover, we observed up‐regulation of p21 and decreased ratio of Bcl‐2/BAX. Deteriorations in mitochondria structure caused alternations in osteogenic differentiation of ASCEMS resulting in their decreased proliferation rate and reduced expression of osteogenic markers BMP‐2 and collagen type I. During osteogenic differentiation of ASCEMS, we observed autophagic turnover as probably, an alternative way to generate adenosine triphosphate and amino acids required to increased protein synthesis during differentiation. Downregulation of PGC1α, PARKIN and PDK4 in differentiated ASCEMS confirmed impairments in mitochondrial biogenesis and function. Hence, application of ASCEMS into endocrinological or ortophedical practice requires further investigation and analysis in the context of safeness of their application.
High-accuracy positioning of microchips on patterns with jagged edges using hybrid microassembly

This paper studies the accuracy of positioning 200μm × 200μm SU-8 chips on patterns with jagged edges using hybrid microassembly technique. This hybrid microassembly technique combines both the robotic pick-and-place and the droplet self-assembly technique, where the robotic technique is used for coarse positioning and the droplet self-assembly technique is applied to achieve the high-accuracy positioning. To study the positioning accuracy on patterns with jagged edges, patterns with regular and random jaggedness of 1 μm-8 μm have been designed and fabricated. An image based analysis method is used to determine the positioning accuracy after droplet self-assembly is achieved. The results show that the edge jaggedness has less significant effect on the positioning accuracy than we expected. The positioning accuracy decreases as the amplitude of the edge jaggedness increases. However, high positioning accuracy of 2μm can still be achieved even with the edge jaggedness of 8μm.
Coordinate Autophagy and mTOR Pathway Inhibition Enhances Cell Death in Melanoma

The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/AKT/mTOR) pathway promotes melanoma tumor growth and survival while suppressing autophagy, a catabolic process through which cells collect and recycle cellular components to sustain energy homeostasis in starvation. Conversely, inhibitors of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, in particular the mTOR inhibitor temsirolimus (CCI-779), induce autophagy, which can promote tumor survival and thus, these agents potentially limit their own efficacy. We hypothesized that inhibition of autophagy in combination with mTOR inhibition would block this tumor survival mechanism and hence improve the cytotoxicity of mTOR inhibitors in melanoma. Here we found that melanoma cell lines of multiple genotypes exhibit high basal levels of autophagy. Knockdown of expression of the essential autophagy gene product ATG7 resulted in cell death, indicating that survival of melanoma cells is autophagy-dependent. We also found that the lysosomotropic agent and autophagy inhibitor hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) synergizes with CCI-779 and led to melanoma cell death via apoptosis. Combination treatment with CCI-779 and HCQ suppressed melanoma growth and induced cell death both in 3-dimensional (3D) spheroid cultures and in tumor xenografts. These data suggest that coordinate inhibition of the mTOR and autophagy pathways promotes apoptosis and could be a new therapeutic paradigm for the treatment of melanoma.
The Feasibility of a Japanese Crowdsourcing Service for Experimental Research in Psychology

Recent studies have empirically validated the data obtained from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Amazon’s Mechanical Turk workers behaved similarly not only in simple surveys but also in tasks used in cognitive behavioral experiments that employ multiple trials and require continuous attention to the task. The present study aimed to extend these findings to data from Japanese crowdsourcing pool in which participants have different ethnic backgrounds from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk workers. In five cognitive experiments, such as the Stroop and Flanker experiments, the reaction times and error rates of Japanese crowdsourcing workers and those of university students were compared and contrasted. The results were consistent with those of previous studies, although the students responded more quickly and poorly than the workers. These findings suggested that the Japanese crowdsourcing sample is another eligible participant pool in behavioral research; however, further investigations are needed to address issues of qualitative differences between student and worker samples.
Impact of psychological capital on occupational burnout and performance of faculty members

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact and interrelation between positive psychological capital and occupational burnout among faculty associates of technical and professional training institutions. Design/methodology/approach In total, 282 faculty members from 17 technical institutions were selected from the province of Punjab, Pakistan. Results were drawn using bivariate correlation and linear regression on the data that were collected through adopted questionnaire. Findings Results of the study revealed that occupational burnout is significantly related to the performance of the faculty of technical institutes and that psychological capital moderates this relationship. Practical implications Conclusions from this research suggested that the personality trait of a psychological capital is an essential determinant of job burnout and performance among faculty members; therefore, it must be considered as an essential part of the selection criteria and job-assessment process. This is important, since psychological capital reduces the detrimental impact of occupational burnout on performance outcomes. Further the faculty members with higher psychological capital should be retained to create positive work environment which can be an inspiration for others. Originality/value The research provides important information about the impact of personality traits upon the performance of a faculty member who joins an educational institution coming from an industrial environment. Although having similar technological skills required for the position, still the effects of a new environment can cause performance issues, the research insisted that positive personality traits like psychological capital can help in gaining required confidence to perform in a changed environment.
Roles of Fukutin, the Gene Responsible for Fukuyama-Type Congenital Muscular Dystrophy, in Neurons: Possible Involvement in Synaptic Function and Neuronal Migration

Fukutin is a gene responsible for Fukuyama-type congenital muscular dystrophy (FCMD), accompanying ocular and brain malformations represented by cobblestone lissencephaly. Fukutin is related to basement membrane formation via the glycosylation of α-dystoglycan (α-DG), and astrocytes play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of the brain lesion. On the other hand, its precise function in neurons is unknown. In this experiment, the roles of fukutin in mature and immature neurons were examined using brains from control subjects and FCMD patients and cultured neuronal cell lines. In quantitative PCR, the expression level of fukutin looked different depending on the region of the brain examined. A similar tendency in DG expression appears to indicate a relation between fukutin and α-DG in mature neurons. An increase of DG mRNA and core α-DG in the FCMD cerebrum also supports the relation. In immunohistochemistry, dot-like positive reactions for VIA4-1, one of the antibodies detecting the glycosylated α-DG, in Purkinje cells suggest that fukutin is related to at least a post-synaptic function via the glycosylation of α-DG. As for immature neurons, VIA4-1 was predominantly positive in cells before and during migration with expression of fukutin, which suggest a participation of fukutin in neuronal migration via the glycosylation of α-DG. Moreover, fukutin may prevent neuronal differentiation, because its expression was significantly lower in the adult cerebrum and in differentiated cultured cells. A knockdown of fukutin was considered to induce differentiation in cultured cells. Fukutin seems to be necessary to keep migrating neurons immature during migration, and also to support migration via α-DG.
Lyn Kinase Regulates Mesolimbic Dopamine Release: Implication for Alcohol Reward

We report here that the Src family tyrosine kinase Lyn negatively regulates the release of dopamine (DA) in the mesolimbic system, as well as the rewarding properties of alcohol. Specifically, we show that RNA interference-mediated knockdown of Lyn expression results in an increase in KCl-induced DA release in DAergic-like SH-SY5Y cells, whereas overexpression of a constitutively active form of Lyn (CA-Lyn) leads to a decrease of DA release. Activation of ventral tegmental area (VTA) DAergic neurons results in DA overflow in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), and we found that the evoked release of DA was higher in the NAc of Lyn knock-out (Lyn KO) mice compared with wild-type littermate (Lyn WT) controls. Acute exposure of rodents to alcohol causes a rapid increase in DA release in the NAc, and we show that overexpression of CA-Lyn in the VTA of mice blocked alcohol-induced (2 g/kg) DA release in the NAc. Increase in DA levels in the NAc is closely associated with reward-related behaviors, and overexpression of CA-Lyn in the VTA of mice led to an attenuation of alcohol reward, measured in a conditioned place preference paradigm. Conversely, alcohol place preference was increased in Lyn KO mice compared with Lyn WT controls. Together, our results suggest a novel role for Lyn kinase in the regulation of DA release in the mesolimbic system, which leads to the control of alcohol reward.
Towards flexible automated software architecture erosion diagnosis and treatment

Uncontrolled software architecture erosion can lead to a degradation of the quality of a software system. It is hence of great importance to repair erosion efficiently. Refactorings can help to systematically reverse software architecture erosion through applying them in the system where architectural violations have been detected. However, existing refactoring approaches do not address architecture erosion holistically. In this paper, we describe and formalize the theoretical problem of repairing eroded software systems by finding optimal repair sequences. Furthermore, we investigate the applicability and limitations of existing refactoring approaches. We argue, true to the motto "more knowledge means less search" that using formalized and explicit knowledge of software engineers---modeled as fault patterns and repair strategies---combined with heuristic search techniques could overcome those limitations. This paper outlines a new approach---analog to a patient history in medicine---we have been starting to investigate in our recent research and also aims at stimulating a discussion about further research challenges in repairing eroded software systems.
Speech emotion classification with the combination of statistic features and temporal features

For classifying speech emotion, most previous systems used either statistical features or temporal features exclusively. However, these two distinct feature representations appear to be concerned with different aspects of emotion, and should be combined in the task. This work proposes a classification scheme that enables the combination of them both. In the scheme, GMM and HMM are first performed to model the statistical features and temporal features respectively. Then the GMM likelihoods and HMM likelihoods are used as features in a further procedure. Finally, a weighted Bayesian classifier and MLP are applied to accomplish the classification. Experiments on a Chinese speech corpus have demonstrated that the scheme could improve the classification accuracy greatly. More detailed analysis indicated that these two feature representations could compensate each other efficiently in the classification.
Multiple Levels of Stimulus Representation in Visual Working Memory

Object recognition presumably involves activation of multiple levels of representation. Here we use the encoding-related lateralization (ERL) method [Gratton, G. The contralateral organization of visual memory: A theoretical concept and a research tool. Psychophysiology, 35, 638647, 1998] to describe the sequential activation of several of these levels. The ERL uses divided-field encoding to generate contralaterally biased representations in the brain. The presence and nature of these representations can be demonstrated by examining the event-related potentials (ERPs) elicited by centrally presented test probes for lateralized activity corresponding to the encoding side. We recorded ERPs during a memory-search task. Memory sets were composed of two or four uppercase letters displayed half to the left and half to the right of fixation. Probe stimuli were composed of one letter presented foveally in either upper- or lowercase. Letter case was manipulated to differentiate the time course of physical and symbolic levels of letter representation. Memory set size was manipulated to examine a relational level of letter representation. We found multiple ERLs in response to the probes: (1) An early (peak = 170 msec) case-dependent (but set size independent) ERL, most evident at P7/P8, indexing the availability of a physical level of letter representation; (2) a later (200400 msec) more diffusedly distributed ERL, independent of both letter case and set size, indexing a symbolic level of letter representation; (3) a long-latency (400600 msec) ERL occurring at posterior sites, larger for the case match, Set Size 2 condition, indexing competition for neural representation across multiple letters. By assuming that these ERL activities track the progression of letter representation over time, we propose a model of letter processing in the context of visual working memory.
The Impact of Mandated Cash Flow Disclosure on Bid-Ask Spreads

This study provides evidence that mandatory cash flow disclosure required by Approved Australian Accounting Standard "AASB 1026, Statement of Cash Flows"(June 1992) was associated with a decline in bid-ask spreads following the introduction of the regulation, even after controlling for changes in trading volume and price volatility. More pronounced decreases in bid-ask spreads were associated with firms having lower correlations between reported CFO and estimates of CFO using balance sheet reconstructions. We conclude that mandatory cash flow disclosure reduces information asymmetry across market participants. Copyright Blackwell Publishers Ltd, 2005.
Aphasia therapy on a neuroscience basis

Background: Brain research has documented that the cortical mechanisms for language and action are tightly interwoven and, concurrently, new approaches to language therapy in neurological patients are being developed that implement language training in the context of relevant linguistic and non‐linguistic actions, therefore taking advantage of the mutual connections of language and action systems in the brain. A further well‐known neuroscience principle is that learning at the neuronal level is driven by correlation; consequently, new approaches to language therapy emphasise massed practice in a short time, thus maximising therapy quantity and frequency and, therefore, correlation at the behavioural and neuronal levels. Learned non‐use of unsuccessful actions plays a major role in the chronification of neurological deficits, and behavioural approaches to therapy have therefore employed shaping and other learning techniques to counteract such non‐use. We wish to thank Chris Code, Barbro Johansson, Bettina Mohr, and two anonymous referees for their comments on an earlier version of this article and for their helpful suggestions. This work was supported by the Medical Research Council (UK) and by the European Community under the “New and Emerging Science and Technologies Programme” (NESTCOM project) and by the Ministerio de Educacion y Ciencia, Spain (SEJ2007‐67793). Aims: Advances in theoretical and experimental neuroscience have important implications for clinical practice. We exemplify this in the domain of aphasia rehabilitation. Main Contribution: Whereas classical wisdom had been that aphasia cannot be significantly improved at a chronic stage, we here review evidence that one type of intensive language‐action therapy (ILAT)—constraint‐induced aphasia therapy—led to significant improvement of language performance in patients with chronic aphasia. We discuss perspectives for further improving speech‐language therapy, including drug treatment that may be particularly fruitful when applied in conjunction with behavioural treatment. In a final section we highlight intensive and rapid therapy studies in chronic aphasia as a unique tool for exploring the cortical reorganisation of language. Conclusions: We conclude that intensive language action therapy is an efficient tool for improving language functions even at chronic stages of aphasia. Therapy studies using this technique can open new perspectives for research into the plasticity of human language circuits.
Message authentication scheme for mobile ad hoc networks

As wireless ad-hoc networks become feasible, security issues have been important. Because taping and the falsification are easy in a wireless network, and it is difficult to find the attacker, defenses are more difficult than in cable networks. Therefore, a message authentication scheme in wireless networks is becoming important. For wireless ad-hoc networks, it is necessary to reduce signature information, etc. which become overheads in narrow wireless communication. In addition, since an ad hoc network is often achieved with mobile terminals, a security scheme which does not need computation power and any complex mechanism is required. In this paper, we propose two efficient message authentication schemes which improve the performance of conventional schemes. In our scheme, the hash calculation time and overhead of the packet is less than the conventional method. The simulation results show that our schemes have a better packet authentication rate in a burst error environment than conventional methods.