Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Alternating monocular exposure increases the spacing of ocularity domains in area 17 of cats

Abstract Goodhill (1993) has recently suggested that the spacing of ocularity domains in visual cortex is not solely an intrinsic property of cortex, but is determined, at least in part, by the degree of correlation in the activity of the two eyes. In support of this model, Löwel (1994) has shown that strabismus, which decorrelates the activity of the two eyes, increases the spacing of ocular dominance columns in area 17, but not area 18, of the cat. As a further test of Goodhill's model, in this paper we examine the effects of another rearing procedure that decorrelates the activity of the two eyes, namely alternating monocular exposure (AME). Cats were reared either normally (9 cats) or with AME (21 cats). We labeled their ocularity domains by one of three methods: ocular dominance columns by 2-deoxyglucose (14 cats), and ocular dominance patches by transneuronal transport (14 cats), or by injections of tracer into single layers of the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN; 2 cats). The spacing of ocular dominance was 11% greater in the AME cats than in the normal cats (0.976 vs. 0.877 mm). These results are similar to those previously reported for strabismic cats, although the effect is less striking. We thus confirm that decorrelating the activity of the two eyes increases the spacing of cortical ocularity domains. Our results further suggest that the degree of decorrelation affects the extent of that increase.
The influence of COMT Val158Met genotype on the character dimension cooperativeness in healthy females

Although the Val158Met catechol‐O‐methyltransferase (COMT) gene has been linked with the temperament dimension Novelty Seeking (NS), new insights in this polymorphism might point to a major role for character features as well. Given that individual life experiences may influence Val158 and Met158 allele carriers differently it has been suggested that the character trait cooperativeness could be implicated.
The English Benchmark Policy for Graduation:An Investigation of Perception, Motivation, and Approaches to Learning at a University of Technology in Central Taiwan

The present study explored teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards the English graduation benchmark policy and the perceived impact of the policy on students’motivation for learning. Under the policy, students had to pass one of the recommended standardised English proficiency tests in order to graduate. 15 English teachers and 982 non-English majors at a technological university in central Taiwan participated in the study. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches were employed for the present study. The results showed that the policy was approved overall by teachers and students. Students reported relatively high levels of identified regulation(i.e., a more autonomous form of extrinsic motivation) and mastery-approach goals,indicating that they wanted to do well on the exam and had a desire to improve their English proficiency. Differences by gender, year of study, academic discipline, English proficiency levels, and test status in terms of the motivational responses to the policy were also examined in the present study. The results showed that the extent of the approval of the policy seemed to be more related to students’ English abilities than to other characteristics; the degree of test anxiety was more related to students’ year and their English abilities than to other characteristics; students’ English abilities seemed to play an important role in determining the adoption of motivational regulations and approaches to learning; and finally, the role of performance-avoidance goals might be more important than other types of achievement goals in this high-stakes testing context. The pedagogical suggestions are proposed as follows: the quality of the English exit exam has to be ensured; students need to be provided with different sets of standards under the policy; appropriate learning strategies, especially deep approaches, have to be taught; and finally, a connection among curriculum,instruction, and the assessment should be facilitated.
Channel utilization and loss rate in a single-wavelength fibre delay line (FDL) buffer

We present a detailed analysis of the maximum channel utilization and loss performance in an optical buffer having access to a single outgoing channel. Such a system, consisting of a number of fiber delay lines, can only realize a discrete set of delays to resolve output port contention. This leads to an underutilization of the channel capacity, which reduces overall performance. The framework considered in this paper greatly simplifies the assumptions made in previous work, which allows us to study the impact of a variety of new parameters on the performance, e.g., the burstiness of the arrival process and the correlation of consecutive burst lengths. Moreover, we present exact results for both the channel utilization and loss rate in such a system using matrix analytic methods. We show that carefully choosing the granularity parameter can, in some cases, make a substantial difference when trying to realize lower buffer losses or a high channel utilization. Optimal values of the granularity parameter are shown to be closely related to the optical burst length distribution.
Survival after hospital discharge for ST-segment elevation and non-ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction: a population-based study

Background Limited recent data are available describing differences in long-term survival, and factors affecting prognosis, after ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), especially from the more generalizable perspective of a population-based investigation. The objectives of this study were to examine differences in post-discharge prognosis after hospitalization for STEMI and NSTEMI, with a particular focus on factors associated with reduced long-term survival. Methods We reviewed the medical records of residents of the Worcester, MA, USA metropolitan area hospitalized at eleven central Massachusetts medical centers for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) during 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2007. Results A total of 3762 persons were hospitalized with confirmed AMI; of these, 2539 patients (67.5%) were diagnosed with NSTEMI. The average age of study patients was 70.3 years and 42.9% were women. Patients with NSTEMI experienced higher post-discharge death rates with 3-month, 1-year, and 2-year death rates of 12.6%, 23.5%, and 33.2%, respectively, compared to 6.1%, 11.5%, and 16.4% for patients with STEMI. After multivariable adjustment, patients with NSTEMI were significantly more likely to have died after hospital discharge (adjusted hazards ratio 1.28; 95% confidence interval 1.14–1.44). Several demographic (eg, older age) and clinical (eg, history of stroke) factors were associated with reduced long-term survival in patients with NSTEMI and STEMI. Conclusions The results of this study in residents of central Massachusetts suggest that patients with NSTEMI are at higher risk for dying after hospital discharge, and several subgroups are at particularly increased risk.
Statistical timing based optimization using gate sizing

The increased dominance of intra-die process variations has motivated the field of statistical static timing analysis (SSTA) and has raised the need for SSTA-based circuit optimization. We propose a new sensitivity based, statistical gate sizing method. Since brute-force computation of the change in circuit delay distribution to gate size change is computationally expensive, we propose an efficient and exact pruning algorithm. The pruning algorithm is based on a novel theory of perturbation bounds which are shown to decrease as they propagate through the circuit. This allows pruning of gate sensitivities without complete propagation of their perturbations. We apply our proposed optimization algorithm to ISCAS benchmark circuits and demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method. Our results show an improvement of up to 10.5% in the 99-percentile circuit delay for the same circuit area, using the proposed statistical optimizer and a run time improvement of up to 56/spl times/ compared to the brute-force approach.
Layer-By-Layer Nanoparticle Vaccines Carrying the G Protein CX3C Motif Protect against RSV Infection and Disease

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the single most important cause of serious lower respiratory tract infections in young children; however no effective treatment or vaccine is currently available. Previous studies have shown that therapeutic treatment with a monoclonal antibody (clone 131-2G) specific to the RSV G glycoprotein CX3C motif, mediates virus clearance and decreases leukocyte trafficking to the lungs of RSV-infected mice. In this study, we show that vaccination with layer-by-layer nanoparticles (LbL-NP) carrying the G protein CX3C motif induces blocking antibodies that prevent the interaction of the RSV G protein with the fractalkine receptor (CX3CR1) and protect mice against RSV replication and disease pathogenesis. Peptides with mutations in the CX3C motif induced antibodies with diminished capacity to block G protein-CX3CR1 binding. Passive transfer of these anti-G protein antibodies to mice infected with RSV improved virus clearance and decreased immune cell trafficking to the lungs. These data suggest that vaccination with LbL-NP loaded with the CX3C motif of the RSV G protein can prevent manifestations of RSV disease by preventing the interaction between the G protein and CX3CR1 and recruitment of immune cells to the airways.
First case of laboratory-confirmed Zika virus infection imported into Europe, November 2013.

In November 2013, an acute Zika virus (ZIKV) infection was diagnosed in a German traveller returning from Thailand. The patient reported a clinical picture resembling dengue fever. Serological investigations revealed anti-ZIKV-IgM and -IgG, as well as ZIKV-specific neutralising antibodies in the patient's blood. In Europe, viraemic travellers may become a source of local transmission of ZIKV, because Aedes albopictus (Skuse) and Ae. aegypti (Linnaeus) are invasive mosquitoes and competent vectors for ZIKV.
Moral Emotion Expectancies in Adolescence: A Cross-Cultural Perspective

Cross-cultural research on moral development has documented reliable cultural differences in people's evaluations of moral and immoral actions. Prosocial actions are typically viewed as more obligatory and less discretionary in collectivistic cultures relative to individualistic cultures. While past research mostly focused on moral judgments, it largely neglected moral emotions. The present study was aimed at investigating selfand other-evaluative emotions following (im) moral actions in different situational and cultural contexts. It investigated moral emotion expectancies of Canadian and Chinese adolescents and young adults across different situational contexts. For each culture, 179 Canadian and 193 Chinese adolescents from grade levels 7-8, 10-11 and 1 -2n year university filled out a questionnaire. Participants were provided with 16 different scenarios depicting moral and immoral actions of self and others in either prosocial or moral contexts. Emotional expectations about themselves and others were assessed following each scenario by asking adolescents to rate various positively as well as negatively charged selfand other evaluative emotions (pride, satisfaction, guilt, shame, admiration, respect, contempt, anger). Obligation/ discretion ratings and Horizontal/Vertical Collectivism-Individualism scales were measured. The main assumptions of cultural differences were confirmed in the present study that Chinese were more likely to hold a collectivist cultural view with more obligations in prosocial contexts and Canadians were more likely to hold an individualist view with more personal discretion in prosocial contexts. In a mixed model ANOVA, significant interactions between situational context (prosocial/moral), types of action (rule abiding/rule conforming) and culture were found for both selfand other-evaluative
Juvenile Offenders with Behavioral Disorders, Learning Disabilities, and No Disabilities: Self-Reports of Personal, Family, and School Characteristics

Juvenile offenders (n= 266) confined to a juvenile detention facility were interviewed using a structured questionnaire about personal, home, and school characteristics and experiences that may have placed them at risk for delinquency. The sample was divided into two groups—those who had special education experience and those who had not. Characteristics and experiences of the entire sample as well as comparisons between the special education and non-special education groups are reported and discussed. Most of the participants experienced multiple risk factors that predispose them to delinquency. A high proportion (37.1%) had been in special education, with most classified as having behavioral disorders (BD), learning disabilities (LD), or both. Males were more likely than females to have special education experience and to be classified as having BD, and African Americans were more likely than other racial and ethnic groups to be so classified. Although the experiences of special education and non-special education groups were similar in most ways, where differences were apparent, the special education group appeared to be at higher risk. Juvenile offenders with special education experience were more likely to need corrective lenses, to have been identified as having attention deficit with hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and to have taken medications for emotional problems. They had more foster placements, had attended more schools, and were more likely to have assaulted school officials. They got into trouble in school, were suspended, and made their first court appearances earlier than juvenile offenders without special education experience. Implications for prevention and intervention are suggested.
True global optimality of the pressure vessel design problem: a benchmark for bio-inspired optimisation algorithms

Real world" decision-making applications generally contain multifaceted performance requirements riddled with incongruent performance specifications. There are invariably unmodelled elements, not apparent during model construction, which can greatly impact the acceptability of the model's solutions. Consequently, it is preferable to generate numerous alternatives that provide dissimilar approaches to the problem. These alternatives should possess near-optimal objective measures with respect to all known objectives, but be maximally different from each other in terms of their decision variables. This maximally different solution creation approach is referred to as modelling-to-generate-alternatives MGA. This study demonstrates how the Firefly Algorithm can concurrently create multiple solution alternatives that both satisfy required system performance criteria and yet are maximally different in their decision spaces. This new approach is computationally efficient, since it permits the concurrent generation of multiple, good solution alternatives in a single computational run rather than the multiple implementations required in previous MGA procedures.
Quality of life self-assessment of children living in a children's home, based on own research conducted in the Podlaskie Province.

PURPOSE The purpose of the study was to diagnose the quality of life (QoL) of children brought up in children's homes, to compare findings with results for peers living in complete families. MATERIAL AND METHODS In the Stage I was to determine the usefulness of tools for QoL evaluation in a group of 120 children from children's homes in the Podlaskie Province and in a group of 120 children belonging to a control group, brought up in their own families, in the same places where the children's homes were located. Selected research tools were used in Stage II, and the study was carried out in a group of 180 children in the same children's homes and a control group. We used the following survey questionnaires: the standardised CHQ-CF87 survey, standardised KINDL survey and Children's Survey based on WHOQOL-BREF. RESULTS Significant relationship between the quality of life self-assessment and the place of being brought up for all categories of quality of life was found. A relationship was indicated between the QoL self-assessment and the place of living, age, gender, and physical condition. The charges of a children's home assessed their QoL as significantly lower compared to children living in normal families, mostly in the following categories: health, physical domain and psychological domain, social relations and the ability to function in everyday life. In KINDL survey, strong relationships were found between assessments of QoL categories. CONCLUSIONS Significant relation between QoL self-assessment and where children were brought up was found. Positive relationship between QoL self-assessment and the place of living, age, gender, and children's physical condition was found.
Clickstream clustering using weighted longest common subsequences

Categorizing visitors based on their interactions with a we bsite is a key problem in web usage mining. The clickstreams generated by various users often follow disti nct patterns, the knowledge of which may help in providing customized content. In this paper, we propose a novel and eff ective algorithm for clustering webusers based on a function of the longest common subsequence of their clickst reams that takes into account both the trajectory taken through a website and the time spent at each page. Results are presented on weblogs of www.sulekha. com to illustrate the techniques. keywords : web usage mining, clickstream, subsequence, clustering.
Towards Secure and Dependable Storage Services in Cloud Computing

—Cloud storage enables users to remotely store their data and enjoy the on-demand high quality cloud applications without the burden of local hardware and software management. Though the beneﬁts are clear, such a service is also relinquishing users’ physical possession of their outsourced data, which inevitably poses new security risks towards the correctness of the data in cloud. In order to address this new problem and further achieve a secure and dependable cloud storage service, we propose in this paper a ﬂexible distributed storage integrity auditing mechanism, utilizing the homomorphic token and distributed erasure-coded data. The proposed design allows users to audit the cloud storage with very lightweight communication and computation cost. The auditing result not only ensures strong cloud storage correctness guarantee, but also simultaneously achieves fast data error localization, i.e., the identiﬁcation of misbehaving server. Considering the cloud data are dynamic in nature, the proposed design further supports secure and efﬁcient dynamic operations on outsourced data, including block modiﬁcation, deletion, and append. Analysis shows the proposed scheme is highly efﬁcient and resilient against Byzantine failure, malicious data modiﬁcation attack, and even server colluding attacks.
Simultaneous characterization of polarization matrix components in pico cells

This paper describes a simultaneous sounding technique for polarization matrix investigations in pico cell environments at 1890 MHz. The measurement technique is based on two transmitting signals (separated by an artificial Doppler shift of 20 Hz), and a dual branch correlation sounder allowing the simultaneous sounding of four individual diversity branches. Dual polarized antennas with nearly identical radiation patterns for both polarization ports are used. The investigations of the polarization matrix are conducted in terms of cross-polarization discrimination (XPD) and correlation coefficients. The effect of different XPD's for the horizontal and the vertical polarization is mainly caused by the suppression of the horizontal co-polarized components in the propagation environment.
Conceptual information retrieval in litigation support systems

This paper is concerned with information retrieval in the context of supporting complex litigation by managing large numbers of documents. It is shown that the application is sufficiently different from searching for case/statute text or reasoning with the law, so as to render the techniques developed for the latter inappropriate, A new approach to information representation and system design is identified and developed. The paper presents an architecture that takes into account the peculiar characteristics of the application and enables the utilisation of existing skills of professionals, thereby facilitating rapid and consistent encoding. An extended object-oriented paradigm underlies the architecture. Using this paradigm, it has been possible to combine techniques developed for large databases with the purposive or functional similarity approach to search and retrieval taken in case-based design systems.
Immunostimulatory responses to crude extracts of Warburgia ugandensis (sprague) subsp ugandensis (canellaceae) by Balb/c mice infected with Leishmania major

Introduction To determine the immunostimulatory potential of crude extracts of Warburgia ugandensis subsp. ugandensis with a soluble leishmanial antigen in vaccinating BALB/c mice. Methods Seventy two female BALB/c mice were randomly assigned into six groups. The mice were vaccinated with soluble leishmania antigens (SLA) alone, hexane, ethyl acetate, and dichloromethane extract co-administered with SLA. Unvaccinated mice formed the control group. The induction of cell-mediated immunity following vaccination was determined by measuring in vitro lymphocyte proliferation and the production of interleukin (IL)-4 and gamma interferon (IFN-γ) determined by flow cytometry. Protection against L. major was determined by quantifying parasite burdens in L. major infected footpads using a limiting dilution assay and by measuring lesion sizes of the infected footpad compared to the contralateral uninfected footpad. Results On vaccination with extracts of W. ugandensis subsp. ugandensis alone or as adjuvants when used in combination with Leishmania antigens, the hexane extract and the dichloromethane extract plus SLA stimulated moderate production of IFN-γ and low levels of IL-4.These mice were partially protected from cutaneous leishmaniasis as shown by the slow development of lesions and comparatively less parasite burdens. Conclusion These data suggest that extracts of W. ugandensis subsp. ugandensis are suitable adjuvants for Leishmania vaccines. However, since W. ugandensis subsp. ugandensis has been shown to be effective against Leishmania parasites in vitro and in vivo, further studies ought to be conducted to determine its immunochemotherapeutic potential when co-administered with a soluble leishmanial antigen in vaccinating BALB/c mice.
A Unified Variance Reduction-Based Framework for Nonconvex Low-Rank Matrix Recovery

We propose a generic framework based on a new stochastic variance-reduced gradient descent algorithm for accelerating nonconvex low-rank matrix recovery. Starting from an appropriate initial estimator, our proposed algorithm performs projected gradient descent based on a novel semi-stochastic gradient specifically designed for low-rank matrix recovery. Based upon the mild restricted strong convexity and smoothness conditions, we derive a projected notion of the restricted Lipschitz continuous gradient property, and prove that our algorithm enjoys linear convergence rate to the unknown low-rank matrix with an improved computational complexity. Moreover, our algorithm can be employed to both noiseless and noisy observations, where the (near) optimal sample complexity and statistical rate can be attained respectively. We further illustrate the superiority of our generic framework through several specific examples, both theoretically and experimentally.