Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Functional lateralization of the anterior insula during feedback processing

Effective adaptive behavior rests on an appropriate understanding of how much responsibility we have over outcomes in the environment. This attribution of agency to ourselves or to an external event influences our behavioral and affective response to the outcomes. Despite its special importance to understanding human motivation and affect, the neural mechanisms involved in self‐attributed rewards and punishments remain unclear. Previous evidence implicates the anterior insula (AI) in evaluating the consequences of our own actions. However, it is unclear if the AI has a general role in feedback evaluation (positive and negative) or plays a specific role during error processing. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging and a motion prediction task, we investigate neural responses to self‐ and externally attributed monetary gains and losses. We found that attribution effects vary according to the valence of feedback: significant valence × attribution interactions in the right AI, the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), the midbrain, and the right ventral putamen. Self‐attributed losses were associated with increased activity in the midbrain, the ACC and the right AI, and negative BOLD response in the ventral putamen. However, higher BOLD activity to self‐attributed feedback (losses and gains) was observed in the left AI, the thalamus, and the cerebellar vermis. These results suggest a functional lateralization of the AI. The right AI, together with the midbrain and the ACC, is mainly involved in processing the salience of the outcome, whereas the left is part of a cerebello‐thalamic‐cortical pathway involved in cognitive control processes important for subsequent behavioral adaptations. Hum Brain Mapp 35:4428–4439, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
On increasing spectral efficiency of frequency division multiple access using synchronized superposition-modulation

We investigate the use of synchronized superpositionmodulation for increasing spectral efficiency of frequency division multiple access systems such as the long-term evolution extension of UMTS. We present the basic concept and depict results for an arbitrary two-user scenario. In Addition, a method of optimizing constellations for multiple users is defined based on maximizing the sum-rate mutual-information. The optimization method is applied to a three-user scenario. Preliminary results motivate further research into means of implementing superpositionmodulation in FDMA systems.
Seed mass, abundance and breeding system among tropical forest species: do dioecious species exhibit compensatory reproduction or abundances?

1 Dioecious species may suffer a reproductive handicap compared to sympatric cosexual (hermaphroditic or monoecious) species of equal abundance simply because populations of dioecious species contain fewer seed‐producing individuals. To compensate for this population‐level disadvantage, natural selection in dioecious populations should favour females that reallocate those reproductive resources, that in cosexual individuals are invested in male function, towards the production of higher quality or more seeds, potentially leading to a higher density of established individuals. 2 We tested for two compensatory fitness advantages (heavier seeds and higher population densities) in dioecious species in the flora of a high‐diversity tropical forest in Western Amazonia. Using a phylogenetically corrected generalized linear modelling approach, we examined the phylogenetic dependence (Pagel's λ) of seed mass, abundance, growth form and wood‐specific gravity for 641 species from Yasuní National Park, Ecuador. Seed mass was highly correlated with phylogeny, but abundance was not. We then used AIC values to test for models (including breeding system) that best explained seed mass and species abundance, using the maximum likelihood values of λ. 3 Contrary to expectations, dioecious species exhibited no advantage with respect to either seed mass or population density; there was no difference in mean seed mass or abundance between dioecious species and their most closely related cosexual species. 4 We compared our results with those from a similar forest in the Tambopata Wildlife Reserve, Peru. There, dioecious shrubs had larger seeds than hermaphroditic shrubs, but (as for Yasuní) there was no difference between breeding systems in seed size among trees. Differences in the composition of species sampled may have contributed to differences in the results between the two sites. 5 We suggest that other individual fitness advantages, such as reduced inbreeding, increased dispersal, superior seed quality (e.g. better defences) or increased seed number contribute to the persistence of dioecious populations at Yasuní. 6 Synthesis. Similarities in the statistical models of seed mass and abundance for plant species in a Western Amazonian rain forest indicate that selective pressures on the seed‐producing individuals are similar, despite variation in sexual system. Therefore, breeding system may play a more limited role in community assembly of tropical forests than was previously considered.
Laboratory Diagnosis of SARS

The virologic test results of 415 patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) were examined. The peak detection rate for SARS-associated coronavirus occurred at week 2 after illness onset for respiratory specimens, at weeks 2 to 3 for stool or rectal swab specimens, and at week 4 for urine specimens. The latest stool sample that was positive by reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was collected on day 75 while the patient was receiving intensive care. Tracheal aspirate and stool samples had a higher diagnostic yield (RT-PCR average positive rate for first 2 weeks: 66.7% and 56.5%, respectively). Pooled throat and nasal swabs, rectal swab, nasal swab, throat swab, and nasopharyngeal aspirate specimens provided a moderate yield (29.7%–40.0%), whereas throat washing and urine specimens showed a lower yield (17.3% and 4.5%). The collection procedures for stool and pooled nasal and throat swab specimens were the least likely to transmit infection, and the combination gave the highest yield for coronavirus detection by RT-PCR. Positive virologic test results in patient groups were associated with mechanical ventilation or death (p < 0.001), suggesting a correlation between viral load and disease severity.
Global Scheduling of Multi-Mode Real-Time Applications upon Multiprocessor Platforms

Multi-mode real-time systems are those which support applications with different modes of operation, where each mode is characterized by a specific set of tasks. At run-time, such systems can, at any time, be requested to switch from its current operating mode to another mode (called "new mode") by replacing the current set of tasks with that of the new-mode. Thereby, ensuring that all the timing requirements are met not only requires that a schedulability test is performed on the tasks of each mode but also that (i) a protocol for transitioning from one mode to another is specified and (ii) a schedulability test for each transition is performed. We propose two distinct protocols that manage the mode transitions upon uniform and identical multiprocessor platforms at run-time, each specific to distinct task requirements. For each protocol, we formally establish schedulability analyses that indicate beforehand whether all the timing requirements will be met during any mode transition of the system. This is performed assuming both Fixed-Task-Priority and Fixed-Job-Priority schedulers.
Doing research in primary school information activities in project-based learning

Academic dissertaion for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Library and Information Science at the University of Gothenburg and the University of Boras to be publicly defended on Friday 21 October 2011 at 13.15 in lecture room M402, University of Boras, Allegatan 1, Boras
Regulation of bi-directional movement of single kinesin-5 Cin8 molecules

Kinesin-5 mechanoenzymes drive mitotic spindle dynamics as slow, processive microtubule (MT)-plus-end directed motors. Surprisingly, the Saccharomyces cerevisiae kinesin-5 Cin8 was recently found to be bi-directional: it can move processively in both directions on MTs. Two hypotheses have been suggested for the mechanism of the directionality switch: (1) single molecules of Cin8 are intrinsically minus-end directed, but mechanical coupling between two or more motors triggers the switch; (2) a single motor can switch direction, and “cargo binding” i.e., binding between two MTs triggers the switch to plus-end motility. Single-molecule fluorescence data we published recently, and augment here, favor hypothesis (2). In low-ionic-strength conditions, single molecules of Cin8 move in both minus- and plus-end directions. Fluorescence photo bleaching data rule out aggregation of Cin8 while they move in the plus and in the minus direction. The evidence thus points toward cargo regulation of directionality, which is likely to be related to cargo regulation in other kinesins. The molecular mechanisms of this regulation, however, remain to be elucidated.
An investigation of early childhood outdoor play areas and social and emotional play

The earliest early childhood programs were thought of as a garden for children or kindergarten (Snider, 1900). The father of kindergarten, Frederick Froebel (1885), considered the garden space critical in early childhood programs. While there is an understanding of the importance of outdoor play for young children, many current issues and challenges have drastically reduced the amount of time children spend in the outdoor environment (Kuh, Ponte, & Chau, 2013). Much of the time children do spend outside is devoted to physical movement, often in environments with traditional manufactured playground equipment (Czalczynska-Podolska, 2014). Outdoor play holds potential for multi-dimensional (Nedovic & Morrissey, 2013) and rich play episodes (Luchs & Fikus, 2013). The overarching goal of this study was to investigate types of children’s play in early childhood programs and how the environment is related to children’s play during outdoor play time. Using a mixed methods design, the type of social play and emotional engagement in play pre-school children exhibit in outdoor play environments was investigated. Children’s engagement in play was based on the general social and emotional affect of children during play as well as the active play children engaged in during the play episodes. The research questions for this study were: 1. What types of emotional affect are observed in traditional and multi-dimensional outdoor play spaces? 2. What types of play behaviors are observed in traditional and multi-dimensional outdoor play spaces?
Two-Point Magnitude MRI for Rapid Mapping of Brown Adipose Tissue and Its Application to the R6/2 Mouse Model of Huntington Disease

The recent discovery of active brown fat in human adults has led to renewed interest in the role of this key metabolic tissue. This is particularly true for neurodegenerative conditions like Huntington disease (HD), an adult-onset heritable disorder with a prominent energy deficit phenotype. Current methods for imaging brown adipose tissue (BAT) are in limited use because they are equipment-wise demanding and often prohibitively expensive. This prompted us to explore how a standard MRI set-up can be modified to visualize BAT in situ by taking advantage of its characteristic fat/water content ratio to differentiate it from surrounding white fat. We present a modified MRI protocol for use on an 11.7 T small animal MRI scanner to visualize and quantify BAT in wild-type and disease model laboratory mice. In this application study using the R6/2 transgenic mouse model of HD we demonstrate a significantly reduced BAT volume in HD mice vs. matched controls (n = 5 per group). This finding provides a plausible structural explanation for the previously described temperature phenotype of HD mice and underscores the significance of peripheral tissue pathology for the HD phenotype. On a more general level, the results demonstrate the feasibility of MR-based BAT imaging in rodents and open the path towards transferring this imaging approach to human patients. Future studies are needed to determine if this method can be used to track disease progression in HD and other disease entities associated with BAT abnormalities, including metabolic conditions such as obesity, cachexia, and diabetes.
Activity recognition using smartphone sensors

Motion sensor embedded smartphones have provided a new platform for activity inference. These sensors, initially used for cell phone feature enhancement, are now being used for a variety of applications. Providing cell phone users information about their own physical activity in an understandable format can enable users to make more informed and healthier lifestyle choices. In this work, we built a smartphone application which tracks users' physical activities and provide feedback requiring no user input during routine operation. The application reports estimates of the calories burned, broken up by physical activities. Detectable physical activities include walking, running, climbing stairs, descending stairs, driving, cycling and being inactive. We evaluated a number of classification algorithms from the area of Machine Learning, including Naïve Bayes, Decision Tree, K-Nearest Neighbor and Support Vector Machine classifiers. For training and verification of classifiers, we collected a dataset of 510 activity traces using cell phone sensors. We developed a smartphone app that performs activity recognition that does not require any user intervention. The classifier implemented in the Android app performs at an average true positives rate of greater than 95%, false positives rate of less than 1.5% and an ROC area of greater than 98%.
Robust estimates of soil moisture and latent heat flux coupling strength obtained from triple collocation

Land surface models (LSMs) are often applied to predict the one‐way coupling strength between surface soil moisture (SM) and latent heat (LH) flux. However, the ability of LSMs to accurately represent such coupling has not been adequately established. Likewise, the estimation of SM/LH coupling strength using ground‐based observational data is potentially compromised by the impact of independent SM and LH measurements errors. Here we apply a new statistical technique to acquire estimates of one‐way SM/LH coupling strength which are nonbiased in the presence of random error using a triple collocation approach based on leveraging the simultaneous availability of independent SM and LH estimates acquired from (1) LSMs, (2) satellite remote sensing, and (3) ground‐based observations. Results suggest that LSMs do not generally overestimate the strength of one‐way surface SM/LH coupling.
Simulation of the IGBT switching-off with the charge extraction model

The Charge Extraction Model is a high voltage IGBT model for the turn-off behaviour under extreme switching conditions to evaluate different gate driving circuits. This model is a physical founded IGBT model and considers the carrier distribution and the current profiles during the switching-off in one dimension through the device. It can be used for circuit simulations and shows some advantages in relation to standard circuit models or finite element based device ones. In this paper, the charge extraction model is used to understand the current redistribution of paralleled IGBT, to master the gate drive under variable gate current profiles and to show effects concerning the carrier distribution before turning-off.
A Serotonin Transporter Gene (SLC6A4) Polymorphism Is Associated with Reduced Risk of Irritable Bowel Syndrome in American and Asian Population: A Meta-Analysis

Aim Association studies of serotonin transporter gene SLC6A4 I/S polymorphism and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) have shown inconsistent and contradictory results among different populations. In the present study, meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the association between SLC6A4 I/S polymorphism and IBS susceptibility. Methodology Systemic assessment was performed for the published studies based on the association of SLC6A4 I/S polymorphism and IBS risk from PubMed (Medline), EMBASE search. A meta-analysis was done to appraise the said association. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for allele contrast, homozygous, heterozygous, dominant and recessive genetic model. Results A total of twelve studies comprising 2068 IBS cases and 2076 controls were included in this meta-analysis. Overall, no significant results were obtained for S allele carrier (S vs. I: p=0.488; OR=1.073, 95% CI=0.879 to 1.311) Co-dominant (SS vs. II; p=0.587; OR=1.112, 95% CI=0.758 to 1.631), (IS vs. II; p=0.361; OR=0.878, 95% CI=0.665 to 1.160). Similarly, dominant (SS+IS vs. II: p=0.853; OR=0.974, 95% CI=0.736 to 1.288) and recessive (SS vs. II+IS: p=0.267; OR=1.172, 95% CI=0.886 to 1.522) genetic models did not demonstrate risk. In the subgroup population based analysis, reduced risks were found in American (IS vs. II: p=0.009; OR=0.685, 95% CI=0.516 to 0.908) and Asian (SS+IS vs. II; p=0.001; OR=0.116, 95% CI=0.068 to 0.197) population. However, no risk was observed in European population. Conclusions This investigation clearly demonstrates that SLC6A4 (Ins/Del) polymorphism is associated with reduced risk of IBS in American and Asian population. However, future well-designed studies with stratified case control and biological characterization will be needed to validate this finding.
The Role of Parents in Sundanese Language Preservation

This study aims to describe the efforts of parents in the preservation of the Sundanese language as a native language and a local language. The description of this paper includes the use of Sundanese language in everyday life at home and its surrounding environment; in communication with teachers at school; the importance of instilling manners of speaking (undak-usuk/unggah-ungguh) to children; the importance of Sundanese language teaching in schools; the importance of children learning local culture; the types of culture that children learn; the efforts of parents to encourage children to learn the culture; and the opinion that the local language is used as the language of education at the elementary level. The research used descriptive method. The data collection technique in this study was a questionnaire technique. The instrument used to collect data was a list of questions or questionnaires distributed to each respondent. The data analysis technique used in this research was descriptive statistical analysis techniques. This study concludes that the preservation of Sundanese should begin in households, where parents use it in communicating with members of the family. Parents must motivate, encourage, and facilitate children, or other family members, to have an understanding of the importance of Sundanese language as the local language, as well as having Sundanese language skills properly.
Robust and Efficient Surface Reconstruction From Range Data

We describe a robust but simple algorithm to reconstruct a surface from a set of merged range scans. Our key contribution is the formulation of the surface reconstruction problem as an energy minimisation problem that explicitly models the scanning process. The adaptivity of the Delaunay triangulation is exploited by restricting the energy to inside/outside labelings of Delaunay tetrahedra. Our energy measures both the output surface quality and how well the surface agrees with soft visibility constraints. Such energy is shown to perfectly fit into the minimum s − t cuts optimisation framework, allowing fast computation of a globally optimal tetrahedra labeling, while avoiding the “shrinking bias” that usually plagues graph cuts methods.
The Intellectual Capacity of Leadership Competencies as Perceived by Past Members of a Collegiate Sophomore Leadership Course.

The purpose of this study was to determine how well selected leadership competencies were remembered and used 1, 2, and 3 years after the completion of a structured collegiate leadership course. The study also investigated self-perceived leadership skills of the students 1, 2, and 3 years removed from the course and the use of selected leadership competencies compared to leadership experience. A 3-part survey was prepared and e-mailed to 25 members of the spring 2000 class, 24 members from spring 2001, and 25 members of the spring 2002 class. Students reported the same "amount" of knowledge comprehension about the 12 leadership competencies whether they had taken the class, 1, 2, or 3, years earlier. Students applied the competencies with the same regularity whether they had taken the course 1, 2, or 3 years earlier. There were no statistically significant differences between selfperceived leadership skills and the number of years after the collegiate leadership course. Findings did suggest that the use of certain leadership competencies was enhanced with time. (SLD) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. Intellectual Capacity of Leadership Competencies as Perceived by Past Members of a Collegiate Sophomore Leadership Course Jennifer R. Williams Christine D. Townsend July 16, 2003 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) 9Ir This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. o Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY