Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modality Switching in a Property Verification Task: An ERP Study of What Happens When Candles Flicker after High Heels Click

The perceptual modalities associated with property words, such as flicker or click, have previously been demonstrated to affect subsequent property verification judgments (Pecher et al., 2003). Known as the conceptual modality switch effect, this finding supports the claim that brain systems for perception and action help subserve the representation of concepts. The present study addressed the cognitive and neural substrate of this effect by recording event-related potentials (ERPs) as participants performed a property verification task with visual or auditory properties in key trials. We found that for visual property verifications, modality switching was associated with an increased amplitude N400. For auditory verifications, switching led to a larger late positive complex. Observed ERP effects of modality switching suggest property words access perceptual brain systems. Moreover, the timing and pattern of the effects suggest perceptual systems impact the decision-making stage in the verification of auditory properties, and the semantic stage in the verification of visual properties.
Cooperative MPC-Based Energy Management for Networked Microgrids

Microgrids are subsystems of the distribution grid operating as a single controllable system either connected or isolated from the grid. In this paper, a novel cooperative model predictive control (MPC) framework is proposed for urban districts comprising multiple microgrids sharing certain distributed energy resources (DERs). The operation of the microgrids, along with the shared DER, are coordinated such that the available flexibility sources are optimised and a common goal is achieved, e.g., minimizing energy exchanged with the distribution grid and the overall energy costs. Each microgrid is equipped with an MPC-based energy management system, responsible for optimally controlling flexible loads, heating systems, and local generation devices based on end-user preferences, weather-dependent generation and demand forecasts, energy prices, and technical and operational constraints. The proposed coordination algorithm is distributed and guarantees constraints satisfaction, cooperation among microgrids and fairness in the use of the shared resources, while addressing the issue of scalability of energy management in an urban district. Furthermore, the proposed framework guarantees an agreed cost saving to each microgrid. The described method is implemented and evaluated in a virtual testing environment that integrates accurate simulators of the microgrids. Numerical experiments show the feasibility, the computational benefits, and the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Involvement of nucleic acid synthesis in cell killing mechanisms of topoisomerase poisons.

The primary cytotoxic mechanism of camptothecin has been proposed to involve an interaction between the replication machinery and the camptothecin-mediated topoisomerase I-DNA cleavable complex (Y. H. Hsiang, M.G. Lihou, and L.F. Liu, Cancer Res., 49:5077-5082, 1989). In the present study, we show that killing of V79 cells by the topoisomerase II poisons 4'-(9-acridinylamino)methanesulfon-m-anisidide (m-AMSA) and etoposide may involve ongoing RNA synthesis in addition to ongoing DNA synthesis. V79 cells synchronized by mitotic shake-off were treated with topoisomerase poisons in the presence of inhibitors of nucleic acid synthesis. S-Phase V79 cells were more sensitive to the topoisomerase I poison camptothecin and the topoisomerase II poison m-AMSA than G1-phase cells. The greater sensitivity of S-phase cells to killing by m-AMSA and camptothecin was abolished during cotreatment, but not posttreatment, with aphidicolin, suggesting that ongoing DNA synthesis in involved in cell killing by both topoisomerase I and II poisons. Cotreatment with transcription inhibitors, such as 5,6-dichloro-1-beta-D-ribofuranosyl benzimidazole or cordycepin, partially protected cells from the cytotoxic effects of m-AMSA but had no effect on camptothecin-mediated cytotoxicity. These results suggest that ongoing RNA transcription may be involved in cell killing by topoisomerase II poisons but not topoisomerase I poisons. Cotreatment with camptothecin reduced m-AMSA-mediated cytotoxicity in G1-phase V79 cells, suggesting a possible antagonism between topoisomerase I and II poisons. This antagonistic effect between topoisomerase I and II poisons could be explained by the strong inhibitory effect of camptothecin on RNA transcription.
Cell polarity: models and mechanisms from yeast, worms and flies

Determinants of cell polarity orient the behaviour of many cell types during development. Pioneering genetic screens in yeast, worms and flies have identified key polarity determinants that are evolutionarily conserved across the animal kingdom. Recent work in these three model organisms has combined computer modelling with experimental analysis to reveal the molecular mechanisms that drive the polarisation of determinants. Two key principles have emerged: the first is the requirement for a positive-feedback loop to drive self-recruitment of determinants to the plasma membrane; the second is the requirement for mutual antagonism between determinants that localise to opposite ends of the cell.
Effects of different drying treatments on fungal population and ochratoxin A occurrence in sultana type grapes

ABSTRACT This study aimed to determine the changes in mould and ochratoxin A (OTA) occurrence in sultanas under three different conventional drying conditions. Five different vineyards were chosen, and the three different treatments were applied to these grapes while drying. At the end of the drying process, total mould and black aspergilli (BA) populations in the samples varied from 2.45 to 5.61 log colony-forming units (CFU) g–1 and from 0 to 4.92 log CFU g–1, respectively. Significant increases (p < 0.05) occurred in mould loads depending on the extending drying period. However, independent of vineyard location, all the samples treated with cold dipping solution showed the lowest fungal loads. These results indicate that dipping solution treatment was the most effective drying method to minimise fungal infection of grapes. The expected results could not be achieved by drying grapes artificially contaminated with ochratoxigenic Aspergillus carbonarius spores. Seventy-one of 96 isolates (73.95%) obtained during drying were Aspergillus spp. , and the remaining (n = 25, 26.05%) belonged to other genera, such as Penicillium, Trichoderma and Cladosporium. Grape juice-based agar medium was used to determine the realistic OTA production capacities of the isolated mould strains. The highest OTA production capacities were 809.70 ± 9.19, 87.58 ± 16.89 and 45.44 ± 18.78 ng g–1 in 50% grape juice agar (GJ50), all five of which were from A. niger isolates. OTA was not present in any sample during the drying period; however, OTA was detected in two samples at 0.32 ± 0.15 and 0.52 ± 0.36 µg kg–1 after the end of the drying process. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) of the method used for detecting OTA in samples were 0.1 and 0.3 µg kg–1, respectively. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
“The Chinese learner” or “learners from China”? A multiple case study of Chinese masters’ students in the University of Bath

This thesis presents research into Chinese students’ learning experiences in the UK. In recent years this has become an important issue given the fact that students from China now form the largest international student group in British universities. In this study, I explore problems of stereotyping ‘the Chinese learner’. It aims to challenge essentialist conceptualisation which sees individual students from China as undifferential collective members marked by a unique and fixed set of cultural scripts. A qualitative multiple-case study was conducted to investigate experiences of 13 Chinese postgraduate students in a UK university. Specifically, an audio diary method combined with various types of interviews, observation and internet-mediated methods were employed. In addition, the research design evolved under critical reflection as the study progressed. The research was permeated by complex social interactions. This in turn required careful attention to ethical considerations and the conventions that governed such interaction. The research reveals how diverse meanings and understandings the participants derived from their experiences combined to impact on their perceptions and actions. Firstly, the findings indicate the interrelationship between different contextual factors. They show that the students’ learning performance was influenced by various social activities. The participants, aware of the challenges they face, employed diverse strategies to survive and succeed in new cultural and academic environments. Finally, the research reveals the reformation and reconstruction of self-identity as crucial consequences of learning in the UK. In the conclusion, I summarize the findings and give recommendations. Specifically, I stress my stance of problematising an over-generalised depiction of ‘the Chinese learner’ and call for much greater attention to be paid to the complexity of each individual, and the power of individual agency. I also urge future research to turn to methodologies sensitive to individual difference, without necessarily denying similarities that may be attributed to shared cultural constructs. Finally, a model as a base on which to study students’ experiences is tentatively proposed to aid future research.
Evolution of direct reciprocity under uncertainty can explain human generosity in one-shot encounters

Are humans too generous? The discovery that subjects choose to incur costs to allocate benefits to others in anonymous, one-shot economic games has posed an unsolved challenge to models of economic and evolutionary rationality. Using agent-based simulations, we show that such generosity is the necessary byproduct of selection on decision systems for regulating dyadic reciprocity under conditions of uncertainty. In deciding whether to engage in dyadic reciprocity, these systems must balance (i) the costs of mistaking a one-shot interaction for a repeated interaction (hence, risking a single chance of being exploited) with (ii) the far greater costs of mistaking a repeated interaction for a one-shot interaction (thereby precluding benefits from multiple future cooperative interactions). This asymmetry builds organisms naturally selected to cooperate even when exposed to cues that they are in one-shot interactions.
Regional modulation of neurofilament organization by myelination in normal axons

Previous studies in the hypomyelinating mouse mutant Trembler have suggested that demyelinating axons are smaller in caliber compared to normal axons, and that there are differences in the organization of axonal neurofilaments. In the normal PNS, however, the relationship between neurofilament organization and myelination has not been investigated extensively. In normal axons, only the initial segments, the nodes of Ranvier (approximately 1 micron), and the terminals are not covered by myelin. We took advantage of an unusual feature of the primary sensory neurons in the dorsal root ganglion, the relatively long nonmyelinated stem process (up to several hundred micrometers), to determine if the presence of myelination correlates with differences in cytoskeletal organization and neurofilament phosphorylation. Axonal caliber and neurofilament numbers were substantially greater in the myelinated internodes than in the stem process or nodes of Ranvier. Neurofilament spacing, assessed by measuring the nearest-neighbor neurofilament distance, was 25–50% less in the stem processes and nodes of Ranvier than in the myelinated internodes. In the myelinated internodes, neurofilaments had greater immunoreactivity for phosphorylated epitopes than those in the stem process. These findings indicate that interactions with Schwann cells modulate neurofilament phosphorylation within the ensheathed axonal segments, and that increased phosphorylation within myelinated internodes leads to greater interfilament spacing. Lastly, the myelinated internodes had three fold more neurofilaments, but the same number of microtubules. Both the increased neurofilament spacing and the increase in neurofilament numbers in myelinated internodes contribute to a greater axonal caliber in the myelinated internodes.
Rectifiability of Optimal Transportation Plans

Abstract The regularity of solutions to optimal transportation problems has become a hot topic in current research. It is well known by now that the optimal measure may not be concentrated on the graph of a continuous mapping unless both the transportation cost and the masses transported satisfy very restrictive hypotheses (including sign conditions on the mixed fourth-order derivatives of the cost function). The purpose of this note is to show that in spite of this, the optimal measure is supported on a Lipschitz manifold, provided only that the cost is ${{C}^{2}}$ with non-singular mixed second derivative. We use this result to provide a simple proof that solutions to Monge's optimal transportation problem satisfy a change of variables equation almost everywhere.
Of Unsound Mind and Body: A Statistical Test of the Association Between Intimate Partner Violence and Chronic Physical and Mental Health Outcomes

A growing body of literature, both academic and in the popular media, has focused on intimate partner violence (IPV) and its consequences. In addition to the acute physical, social, and economic consequence of IPV, IPV clearly causes great stress for IPV women. While research has shown an association between exposure to external stressors and poor chronic physical and mental health, known as the "stress-health hypothesis," few studies have extrapolated this to examine IPV as a stressor. The goal of this research is to do just that using preexisting data from the Chicago Women's Health Risk Study (CWHRS). The CWHRS is a quasi-experimental cross-sectional design conducted from 1997-1998. Participants completed an initial interview and then another interview one year later. The interview focused on the respondent's experiences of IPV as well as self-reported demographic characteristics and self-reported physical health measures. Using descriptive statistics as well as regression and factor analyses, my research tested the associations between IPV and poor physical and mental health. After controlling for known demographic risk factors for IPV and for poor physical and mental health, IPV victimization (controlling for severity) was modeled as a predictor for self-reported health. The results of this study found a relationship between IPV and certain physical and mental health outcomes. In addition, support social support was found to provide a buffering effect between IPV and physical and mental health outcomes.
Classification of hyperspectral data using support vector machines and adaptive neighborhoods

A new spectral-spatial classification scheme for hyperspectral images is presented. Pixel-wise Support Vector Machines classification and segmentation are performed independently, and then the results are combined, using the majority vote approach. Thus, every region from a segmentation map defines an adaptive neighborhood for all the pixels within this region. The use of several segmentation techniques is investigated: watershed, partitional clustering and hierarchical image segmentation (HSEG). The developed classification scheme substantially improves the classification accuracies and provides classification maps with more homogeneous regions, compared to pixel-wise classification. The proposed method is especially suitable for classification of images with large spatial structures, and when different classes have dissimilar spectral responses.
Robust dynamic classes revealed by measuring the response function of a social system

We study the relaxation response of a social system after endogenous and exogenous bursts of activity using the time series of daily views for nearly 5 million videos on YouTube. We find that most activity can be described accurately as a Poisson process. However, we also find hundreds of thousands of examples in which a burst of activity is followed by an ubiquitous power-law relaxation governing the timing of views. We find that these relaxation exponents cluster into three distinct classes and allow for the classification of collective human dynamics. This is consistent with an epidemic model on a social network containing two ingredients: a power-law distribution of waiting times between cause and action and an epidemic cascade of actions becoming the cause of future actions. This model is a conceptual extension of the fluctuation-dissipation theorem to social systems [Ruelle, D (2004) Phys Today 57:48–53] and [Roehner BM, et al., (2004) Int J Mod Phys C 15:809–834], and provides a unique framework for the investigation of timing in complex systems.
Synthesis of Research on Staff Development for Effective Teaching.

S taff de clvopment offecrs ollr' of the most promising roads to the illlpros-lncmnt of inlstruction. I It can bIx thought of as a "-nested process" that includes goals and content, the training process. and the context I The diagram in Figure I remilnds us that thcsc factors are interrelated and that staff dceclopmenlt takes place within all organizational context. While the research 0i11 thCe CItCllnt of staff dexclopincnt is examilned first. the emphasis of this rcsiexs is on the proccss-or dlelysen ss'stclis-Of staff deelopmnclt and hos, thle! affcct teachcr changc andl inproemeincnt. The fiinal sections focus on the process of teacher change and recommnendations for staff des-clopilnnt.
Using page residency to select the working set parameter

Denning's method for selecting the working set parameter, which uses interreference intervals, is examined. Several omissions in his model are noted, and new assumptions are introduced to overcome these omissions. Using this modified model, Denning's results on page residency are rederived and reconsidered for selecting the working set parameter.
Effect of fibromyalgia syndrome on the health-related quality of life and economic burden in Korea.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and economic burden of patients with FM syndrome (FMS) and compare the changes in these parameters 3 months before and after FMS diagnosis. METHODS A total of 2098 patients with FMS (1818 previously diagnosed with FMS and 280 newly diagnosed with FMS) were enrolled in this study. The newly diagnosed patients with FMS participated in a 3-month prospective observational study to assess HRQOL and economic burden in terms of direct health-care costs, direct non-health-care costs and indirect costs. HRQOL was estimated using the Short Form 36 Health Survey. RESULTS Mean (S.D.) scores obtained on the physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) scales by patients with FMS were 34.01 (7.28) and 37.29 (11.17), respectively. The total expenditure for the 3 months before enrolment was $1481 (S.D. $2206). Indirect costs [$1126 (S.D. $2016)] were about three times higher than direct costs [$355 (S.D. $534)]. The PCS and MCS scores increased to 4.03 (S.D. 6.79) and 4.06 (S.D. 10.57), respectively, 3 months after the initial FMS diagnosis (P < 0.001, both). Total expenditure after FMS diagnosis was reduced by $1025 (S.D. $1347) as compared with costs before FMS diagnosis (P < 0.001). Conclusion. Patients with FMS experience a decline in their HRQOL and constitute a significant economic burden on health-service utilization. The improvement in health-related costs and HRQOL after a diagnosis of FMS demonstrates a need for early diagnosis and treatment of FMS to reduce costs and enhance HRQOL.
Plasma Glucagon and the Insulin:Glucagon Ratio in Gestational Diabetes

The influence of pregnancy on serum glucose, serum insulin, and plasma glucagon concentrations was studied in eight normal women and 14 nonobese gestational diabetics. Each normal individual was subjected to an oral glucose tolerance test in midpregnancy, and all subjects were investigated late in pregnancy and again four to six weeks postpartum. As compared with the postpartum values, fasting glucose concentration decreased during gestation in the normals and increased in the gestational diabetics, but the changes were small and insignificant. In contrast, fasting insulin concentration increased equally and significantly in pregnancy in both groups. Likewise, the glucagon concentration was enhanced in the fasting state in both groups in pregnancy. However, the molar insulin-to-glucagon ratio was significantly elevated in both normals and gestational diabetics. In late pregnancy the magnitude of the insulin response to oral glucose (i.e., the incremental insulin area above fasting baseline) was equally and significantly enhanced in the normals and the gestational diabetics. However, when the insulin response during the first 60 minutes of the OGTT was expressed per unit of glucose stimulus (i.e., the Δinsulin/Δglucose ratio) a significantly higher mean response was found in the normal pregnants than in the gestational diabetics. In pregnancy and postpartum, plasma glucagon always decreased to levels significantly below fasting levels after glucose ingestion. In normal midpregnancy the degree of suppression of glucagon was close to that of postpartum, whereas an exaggerated and prolonged suppression was found in late pregnancy in the normals as well as the gestational diabetics. These findings indicate that plasma glucagon and serum insulin concentrations are profoundly influenced by pregnancy. As the changes, however, lead to an increased insulin-to-glucagon ratio, the diabetogenicity of pregnancy is not explained by this relationship.
Cinematic Operation of the Cerebral Cortex Interpreted via Critical Transitions in Self-Organized Dynamic Systems

Measurements of local field potentials over the cortical surface and the scalp of animals and human subjects reveal intermittent bursts of beta and gamma oscillations. During the bursts, narrow-band metastable amplitude modulation (AM) patters emerge for a fraction of a second and ultimately dissolve to the broad-band random background activity. The burst process depends on previously learnt conditioned stimuli (CS), thus different AM patterns may emerge in response to different CS. This observation leads to our cinematic theory of cognition when perception happens in discrete steps manifested in the sequence of AM patterns. Our article summarizes findings in the past decades on experimental evidence of cinematic theory of cognition and relevant mathematical models. We treat cortices as dissipative systems that self-organize themselves near a critical level of activity that is a non-equilibrium metastable state. Criticality is arguably a key aspect of brains in their rapid adaptation, reconfiguration, high storage capacity, and sensitive response to external stimuli. Self-organized criticality (SOC) became an important concept to describe neural systems. We argue that transitions from one AM pattern to the other require the concept of phase transitions, extending beyond the dynamics described by SOC. We employ random graph theory (RGT) and percolation dynamics as fundamental mathematical approaches to model fluctuations in the cortical tissue. Our results indicate that perceptions are formed through a phase transition from a disorganized (high entropy) to a well-organized (low entropy) state, which explains the swiftness of the emergence of the perceptual experience in response to learned stimuli.