Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The influence of olanzapine on facial expression of emotions in schizophrenia – An improved facial EMG study

Background: The purpose of the study was to investigate the facial expression of emotions (FEE) and its correlation to psychopathology in schizophrenic, olanzapine-treated patients, using an improved facial-EMG method. Method: We compared fifteen olanzapine-treated, schizophrenic patients with nineteen healthy subjects over a period of two weeks. Emotions were induced by showing pictures from the International Affective Picture System. The activity of five facial muscles was measured with a new, highly sensitive and discriminative facial EMG, recording pre-visible facial muscle activity. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the Simpson-Angus rating scale for extrapyramidal side effects (EPS) were administered. Results and Conclusion: Unmedicated schizophrenic patients showed fewer joy/smile reactions than the control group. Compared to healthy controls, the relative smile frequency was not significantly changed by olanzapine. The smile frequency and its changes over time are not significantly correlated with the PANSS depressive syndrome. The changes of facial muscle activity do not correlate with EPS (German J Psychiatry 2004; 7: 14-19).
"Growing" Citizenship From The Grassroots: Nijera Kori And Social Mobilization In Bangladesh

The constitution of Bangladesh is committed to uphold certain universal human rights, including the right to life and personal liberty, privacy, equality and non-discrimination, and freedom of movement, religion, expression, thought and conscience, and property. It also contains fundamental principles of state policy that address the need for the state to ensure the availability of food, shelter, employment, health and education for all its citizens. Though non-justiciable, the constitution provides that these prin- ciples should be fundamental to the governance of Bangladesh, applied in its laws, and a guide to constitutional and legal interpretation
The state of the art in critical infrastructure protection: a framework for convergence

The protection of critical infrastructure systems has recently become a major concern for many countries. This is due to the effect of these systems on the daily lives of all citizens and the high possibility of disruption because of their complex structure and hidden interdependencies, which subsequently attract the attention of many researchers and scientists. The investigations of researchers have encompassed issues of national security, policymaking, infrastructure system organisation, and behaviour analysis and modelling. In this paper, we look into the latter subject and explore the attempts that have been made. Based on the available schemes and the requirements of this area, we propose a five-dimensional framework that introduces the major research necessities in this field. Among the various available schemes, we study ten of the most recently developed and/or influential systems. A comparison of these schemes based on the features of our proposed framework is made. The comparison allows us to conclude our examination with the identification of current research strengths and guidelines for future work.
Educational Administrators' Perceptions of the use of School Performance Profiles to Improve Student Performances

EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATORS' PERCEPTIONS OF THE USE OF SCHOOL PERFORMANCE PROFILES TO IMPROVE STUDENT PERFORMANCES DECEMBER 2002 ELEANOR JEAN JANUFKA B.S. UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA M.A. WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY ED.D. GEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY Directed by: Professor Michael Richardson The purpose of this study was to examine educational administrators' perceptions of the use of school performance profiles to improve student performances. Using a survey instrument developed and validated at the University of Texas at El Paso, the perceptions of Chatham County administrators were examined and analyzed. Through the analysis of the open-ended questions and the Likert scale survey, the administrators' responses clearly showed that they accept the use of the school performance profiles to improve student performances, but they have doubts about the fairness of the documents as accountability measures. In addition, a significant difference was identified between the school and district administrators' perceptions of the disadvantages of the use of the school performance profiles as indicators of student success.
Experiences using Design Patterns to Reorganize an Object-Oriented Application

Most current object-oriented design techniques and approaches focus on the new development of a software system, without regarding the reorganization of existing systems at all. But many people point out, that after the initial design and implementation of an object-oriented system, the system must often be reorganized in order to get a cleaner design which is easier to understand, modify and extend. This paper presents experiences in the reorganization process of a hypermedia application, in which the new design pattern approach [Gamm93] was extensively used.
ENGAGE AF: Effective anticoagulation with factor Xa in next generation treatment of atrial fibrillation

Recent trials have presented compelling evidence for the safety and efficacy of the new oral anticoagulants (NOACs) versus warfarin for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). The ENGAGE AF-TIMI 48 trial, the biggest of these trials, aims to evaluate the use of the direct factor Xa inhibitor, edoxaban.
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Using 3dvar Data Assimilation System to Improve Ozone Simulations in the Mexico City Basin

This study investigates the improvement of ozone (O 3) simulations in the Mexico City basin using a three-dimensional variational (3DVAR) data assimilation system in meteorological simulations during the MCMA-2003 field measurement campaign. Meteorological simulations from the NCAR/Penn State mesoscale model (MM5) are used to drive photochemical simulations with the Comprehensive Air Quality Model with extensions (CAMx) during a four-day episode on 13–16 April 2003. The simulated wind circulation , temperature, and humidity fields in the basin with the data assimilation are found to be more consistent with the observations than those from the reference deterministic forecast. This leads to improved simulations of plume position , peak O 3 timing, and peak O 3 concentrations in the photochemical model. The improvement in O 3 simulations is especially strong during the daytime. The results demonstrate the importance of applying data assimilation in meteorological simulations for air quality studies in the Mexico City basin.
Effect of Antioxidant Mineral Elements Supplementation in the Treatment of Hypertension in Albino Rats

Oxidative stress has been implicated in various pathologies, including hypertension, atherosclerosis, diabetes, and chronic renal disease. The current work was designed with the aim of investigating the potentials of antioxidants copper, manganese, and zinc in the treatment of hypertension in Wistar rats. The rats were fed 8% NaCl diet for 5 weeks and treatment with supplements in the presence of the challenging agent for additional 4 weeks. The supplementation significantly decreased the blood pressure as compared with hypertensive control. The result also indicated significant decreased in the levels of total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, malondialdehyde, insulin and increase in the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, total antioxidant activities, and nitric oxide of the supplemented groups relative to the hypertensive control. The average percentage protection against atherogenesis indicated 47.13 ± 9.60% for all the supplemented groups. The mean arterial blood pressure showed significant positive correlation with glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, atherogenic index, insulin resistance and malondialdehyde while high density lipoprotein-cholesterol and total antioxidant activities showed negative correlation. The result therefore indicated strong relationship between oxidative stress and hypertension and underscores the role of antioxidant minerals in reducing oxidative stress, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance associated with hypertension.
The World Rice Market--Government Intervention and Multilateral Policy Reform

The world rice market is characterized by the relatively small share of production traded compared with other major grains and substantial price variability. These characteristics are primarily due to the uncertainties associated with the timing of the Asian monsoon, concentration of production in South Asia and Southeast Asia, and domestic and trade policies conducted by most Asian countries that ban or restrict imports and support production. In addition, developed exporters and some developing exporters support domestic producers and/or assist exports. The combination of policies conducted by major producers and traders, especially Japan's and South Korea's complete ban on imports of rice, have lowered trading prices and reduced trade volumes. If all trade-distorting policies were eliminated, world price and trade would increase, while production and consumption would decline. The United States could lose some of its lower quality indica markets to Asian producers, but would likely expand japonica trade with Japan and South_Korea and higher quality indica trade with the EC and the Middle East. This report describes world rice production and trade, catalogs the trade and domestic policies of the major producing, consuming, and trading countries, and examines the potential effects of a liberalized trade environment on the world and domestic rice markets.
Stability and Error Estimates for Vector Field Interpolation and Decomposition on the Sphere with RBFs

A new numerical technique based on radial basis functions (RBFs) is presented for fitting a vector field tangent to the sphere, $\mathbb{S}^2$, from samples of the field at “scattered” locations on $\mathbb{S}^2$. The method naturally provides a way to decompose the reconstructed field into its individual Helmholtz-Hodge components, i.e., into divergence-free and curl-free parts, which is useful in many applications from the atmospheric and oceanic sciences (e.g., in diagnosing the horizontal wind and ocean currents). Several approximation results for the method will be derived. In particular, Sobolev-type error estimates are obtained for both the interpolant and its decomposition. Optimal stability estimates for the associated interpolation matrices are also presented. Finally, numerical validation of the theoretical results is given for vector fields with characteristics similar to those of atmospheric wind fields.
Dynamic software engineering: An evolutionary approach to automated software development and management

Cybernomorphic leverage techniques have been extracted from the Air Force Weapons Laboratory HULL system and generalized to provide a new management system called SAIL for producing, updating and maintaining software and data files. SAIL is being used on CDC6600, CDC7600, IBM 360/85 and HIS6080 computers at twelve installations. The system provides a totally new level of centralized software development and maintenance control, while simultaneously decentralizing user applications, providing user controlled task specialization, and realizing transportability between dissimilar machines. Cybernomorphic techniques offer an evolutionary approach to economy in software by encouraging maximum reutilization of existing code without duplication or arbitrary management restraints, and enhancing the benefits realized from modularity and structured programming. The techniques offer economy in hardware resource utilization by producing code which is optimized at execution time for the task. Although the first strategic planning application of the SAIL techniques is only in the preliminary test and evaluation phase, the approach already promises new opportunities for improved effectiveness and economy in mission support applications software.
Persistent enhancement of the HF pump‐induced plasma line measured with a UHF diagnostic radar at HAARP

[1] Plasma lines excited by a powerful, high-frequency (HF) radio wave are studied using data obtained with an ultrahigh frequency (UHF) radar at HAARP (High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program) from 3 to 5 February 2005. Of particular interest is persistent enhancement of the radar backscatter power during HF on at several HF frequencies. The persistent enhancement is induced with the HF frequency slightly lower than foF2 by a few hundred kHz; by contrast the persistent enhancement does not appear when the HF frequency is equal to and higher than foF2 or lower than foF2 by more than 500 kHz. When persistent enhancements of the radar backscatter power appear, two case studies show that the local plasma frequency at the reflection height of the O-mode polarization wave is close to the second or third electron gyroharmonic frequencies, but one case study shows that the local plasma frequency at the reflection height is significantly different from the third electron gyroharmonic frequency.
ON A CONE AND BLACK HOLE ENTROPY

String propagation on a cone with deficit angle 2π(1 − 1 N) is described by constructing a non-compact orbifold of a plane by a Z N subgroup of rotations. It is modular invariant and has tachyons in the twisted sectors that are localized to the tip of the cone. A possible connection with the quantum corrections to the black hole entropy is outlined. The entropy computed by analytically continuing in N would receive contribution only from the twisted sectors and be naturally proportional to the area of the event horizon. Evidence is presented for a new duality for these orbifolds similar to the R → 1 R duality.
The Convertible Bond Announcement Effect in Japan

In this paper, we analyse the announcement effect of 367 Japanese convertible bond issues from 1992 to 2002. This study is the first that provides CB announcement effect results from Japanese issuers that are consistent with the results from US issuers. In previous studies, CB announcements in Japan have been met with positive or neutral share price performance whereas negative share price returns resulted in the US. Secondly, we provide a new multivariate regression model that quantifies the impact that key variables have on the strength of the CB announcement effect in Japan. Finally, we review and critique a variety of explanatory variables that have been discussed in the financial literature.
Discovery, Validation and Characterization of Erbb4 and Nrg1 Haplotypes Using Data from Three Genome-Wide Association Studies of Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is one of the most common and complex neuropsychiatric disorders, which is contributed both by genetic and environmental exposures. Recently, it is shown that NRG1-mediated ErbB4 signalling regulates many important cellular and molecular processes such as cellular growth, differentiation and death, particularly in myelin-producing cells, glia and neurons. Recent association studies have revealed genomic regions of NRG1 and ERBB4, which are significantly associated with risk of developing schizophrenia; however, inconsistencies exist in terms of validation of findings between distinct populations. In this study, we aim to validate the previously identified regions and to discover novel haplotypes of NRG1 and ERBB4 using logistic regression models and Haploview analyses in three independent datasets from GWAS conducted on European subjects, namely, CATIE, GAIN and nonGAIN. We identified a significant 6-kb block in ERBB4 between chromosome locations 212,156,823 and 212,162,848 in CATIE and GAIN datasets (p = 0.0206 and 0.0095, respectively). In NRG1, a significant 25-kb block, between 32,291,552 and 32,317,192, was associated with risk of schizophrenia in all CATIE, GAIN, and nonGAIN datasets (p = 0.0005, 0.0589, and 0.0143, respectively). Fine mapping and FastSNP analysis of genetic variation located within significantly associated regions proved the presence of binding sites for several transcription factors such as SRY, SOX5, CEPB, and ETS1. In this study, we have discovered and validated haplotypes of ERBB4 and NRG1 in three independent European populations. These findings suggest that these haplotypes play an important role in the development of schizophrenia by affecting transcription factor binding affinity.
Novel Animal Defenses against Predation: A Snail Egg Neurotoxin Combining Lectin and Pore-Forming Chains That Resembles Plant Defense and Bacteria Attack Toxins

Although most eggs are intensely predated, the aerial egg clutches from the aquatic snail Pomacea canaliculata have only one reported predator due to unparalleled biochemical defenses. These include two storage-proteins: ovorubin that provides a conspicuous (presumably warning) coloration and has antinutritive and antidigestive properties, and PcPV2 a neurotoxin with lethal effect on rodents. We sequenced PcPV2 and studied whether it was able to withstand the gastrointestinal environment and reach circulation of a potential predator. Capacity to resist digestion was assayed using small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), fluorescence spectroscopy and simulated gastrointestinal proteolysis. PcPV2 oligomer is antinutritive, withstanding proteinase digestion and displaying structural stability between pH 4.0–10.0. cDNA sequencing and protein domain search showed that its two subunits share homology with membrane attack complex/perforin (MACPF)-like toxins and tachylectin-like lectins, a previously unknown structure that resembles plant Type-2 ribosome-inactivating proteins and bacterial botulinum toxins. The protomer has therefore a novel AB toxin combination of a MACPF-like chain linked by disulfide bonds to a lectin-like chain, indicating a delivery system for the former. This was further supported by observing PcPV2 binding to glycocalix of enterocytes in vivo and in culture, and by its hemaggutinating, but not hemolytic activity, which suggested an interaction with surface oligosaccharides. PcPV2 is able to get into predator’s body as evidenced in rats and mice by the presence of circulating antibodies in response to sublethal oral doses. To our knowledge, a lectin-pore-forming toxin has not been reported before, providing the first evidence of a neurotoxic lectin in animals, and a novel function for ancient and widely distributed proteins. The acquisition of this unique neurotoxic/antinutritive/storage protein may confer the eggs a survival advantage, opening new perspectives in the study of the evolution of animal defensive strategies.
Development of superficial white matter and its structural interplay with cortical gray matter in children and adolescents

Healthy human brain undergoes significant changes during development. The developmental trajectory of superficial white matter (SWM) is less understood relative to cortical gray matter (GM) and deep white matter. In this study, a multimodal imaging strategy was applied to vertexwise map SWM microstructure and cortical thickness to characterize their developmental pattern and elucidate SWM‐GM associations in children and adolescents. Microscopic changes in SWM were evaluated with water diffusion parameters including fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD) in 133 healthy subjects aged 10–18 years. Results demonstrated distinct maturational patterns in SWM and GM. SWM showed increasing FA and decreasing MD and RD underneath bilateral motor sensory cortices and superior temporal auditory cortex, suggesting increasing myelination. A second developmental pattern in SWM was increasing FA and AD in bilateral orbitofrontal regions and insula, suggesting improved axonal coherence. These SWM patterns diverge from the more widespread GM maturation, suggesting that cortical thickness changes in adolescence are not explained by the encroachment of SWM myelin into the GM‐WM boundary. Interestingly, age‐independent intrinsic association between SWM and cortical GM seems to follow functional organization of polymodal and unimodal brain regions. Unimodal sensory areas showed positive correlation between GM thickness and FA whereas polymodal regions showed negative correlation. Axonal coherence and differences in interstitial neuron composition between unimodal and polymodal regions may account for these SWM‐GM association patterns. Intrinsic SWM‐GM relationships unveiled by neuroimaging in vivo can be useful for examining psychiatric disorders with known WM/GM disturbances. Hum Brain Mapp 35:2806–2816, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Essays on financial liberalisation, financial crises and economic growth

This thesis investigates the impact of financial liberalisation policies on finance-growth relationship and financial crises. Analysis of recent trends and economic performance of financially developed and stable economies raises at least two very important questions that seem to have strong analytical connections. The first question is associated with the link between financial development and economic growth and the second question focuses the possible association between the policies of financial liberalisation and financial vulnerability. In this thesis we aim to shed light on some of the aspects that have gained so much attention from academics and policy makers during the last two decades.First we address whether excessive liberalisation has caused financial development to lose its effectiveness in generating economic growth. We employ a dynamic panel data analysis for 88 countries over the period of 1973 to 2005. Our index for the financial sector liberalisation covers seven aspects: credit controls and reserve requirements, interest rate controls, entry barriers, state ownership, policies on securities markets, banking regulations and restrictions on capital market. We use a comprehensive financial development indicator constructed through principal component analysis of five different indicators: bank private credit to GDP ratio, liquid liability to GDP ratio, deposit money bank assets to total bank assets ratio, deposit money bank assets to GDP ratio, and bank credit to bank deposit ratio. The results indicate that the positive effect of financial development on long-run growth continues to decline as the financial sector becomes more liberalised. Our results are robust to changes in the financial development indicators and the dis-aggregation of the financial liberalisation index.Second, we examine the possibility for an optimal sequence of financial sector reforms that may reduce an economy? s vulnerability to financial crises. We construct a distance measure from the countries that followed a more gradual approach and liberalised their capital account at a later stage. Our analysis shows that the experience of the countries that delayed or followed a very gradual approach for the liberalisation of their capital accounts have high level of implications to those countries that allowed for shock approach or liberalised their capital account before bringing reforms in other sectors.