Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dynamic Signal Detection Theory : The next logical step in the evolution of signal detection analysis

Measurement, design, and training programs in human factors often rely on the formal concepts of signal detection theory in order to analyze and interpret the performance of human operators. Following recent work in the response time modeling literature, we propose a generalization of this classical framework that is as simple to apply and yet more powerful, in the sense that it is able to identify speed-accuracy trade-off effects that would be confused by detection theory with sensitivity effects. Like the classical, static detection models, this dynamic framework distinguishes between the sensitivity of the operator and operator biases that may lead to higher identification rates for some events but at the expense of lower identification rates of other events. We deve lop formulas for the three free parameters of the dynamic model that can be computed easily without requiring a parameter search routine. We also show how two different kinds of biases, in the stopping rule and in the decision rule, can be distinguished and related to conditions of the display or to operator preferences. These methods require no additional design features and make it possible for investigators not only to quantify an operator’s ability to perform a discrimination task but also to provide feedback that operators can use to correct any suboptimality in their decision making strategy.
The Podocyte Power-Plant Disaster and Its Contribution to Glomerulopathy

Proper podocyte function within the glomerulus demands a high and continuous energy supply that is mainly derived from the respiratory chain of the inner mitochondrial membrane. Dysregulations in the metabolic homeostasis of podocytes may result in podocyte damage and glomerular disease. This article highlights the current knowledge about podocyte energy supply by the respiratory chain. We review the regulation of mitochondrial oxidative metabolism with regard to podocytopathy and discuss the latest understanding of different mitochondrial dysfunctions of the podocyte in diabetic nephropathy and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). We discuss genetic forms of mitochondriopathy of the podocyte and end with recent knowledge about crosstalk between NADH and NADPH and potential therapeutic options for podocyte mitochondriopathy. We aim to raise awareness for the complex and interesting mechanisms of podocyte damage by impaired energy supply that, despite of novel findings in recent years, is poorly understood so far.
A Simulation of Entrepreneurial Spawning

This paper describes how patterns of industrial clustering arise with respect to the size of an initial firm when measured in terms of innovation. Through principles of evolutionary economics, the aim of this paper is to examine the â€˜birthâ€™ of industrial clusters. We take an endogenous and supply-side approach, where firms in a region spawn from incumbents. Technology is qualitatively described using a code set mapped on a cognitive space. Assuming inheritability of networking skills, we seek to model how the size of an initial firm influences future patterns of cluster formation through a model of technical cognition and a mimicking of creativity. It is found that initial firm size has a lasting impact on clustering patterns through its influence on the level of cognitive distance of the underlying agents. The model replicates the stylised facts of entrepreneurial cluster formation.
Gender-related change in occupational aspirations

This article analyzes change in the occupational aspirations of young people in the United States between the late 1960s and the late 1970s. During this period, the change in occupational aspirations was gender related, occuring primarily among women. Because this change preceded significant change in the distribution of women in the occupational structure, the authors argue that it was primarily a manifestation of cultural change resulting from the resurgence of the women's movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Gender-related change in occupational aspirations occurred broadly across social classes and racial groups, although it was greater among those whose parents were highly educated. As a result, the effect of parental socioeconomic status on the earning potential and sex type of occupational aspirations increased for women during the period studied
The Influence of Carotenoid Acquisition and Utilization on the Maintenance of Species‐Typical Plumage Pigmentation in Male American Goldfinches (Carduelis tristis) and Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis)

Birds display a tremendous variety of carotenoid‐based colors in their plumage, but the mechanisms underlying interspecific variability in carotenoid pigmentation remain poorly understood. Because vertebrates cannot synthesize carotenoids de novo, access to pigments in the diet is one proximate factor that may shape species differences in carotenoid‐based plumage coloration. However, some birds metabolize ingested carotenoids and deposit pigments that differ in color from their dietary precursors, indicating that metabolic capabilities may also contribute to the diversity of plumage colors we see in nature. In this study, we investigated how the acquisition and utilization of carotenoids influence the maintenance of species‐typical plumage pigmentation in male American goldfinches (Carduelis tristis) and northern cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis). We supplemented the diet of captive goldfinches with red carotenoids to determine whether males, which are typically yellow in color, were capable of growing red plumage. We also deprived cardinals of red dietary pigments to determine whether they could manufacture red carotenoids from yellow precursors to grow species‐typical red plumage. We found that American goldfinches were able to deposit novel pigments in their plumage and develop a striking orange appearance. Thus, dietary access to pigments plays a role in determining the degree to which goldfinches express carotenoid‐based plumage coloration. We also found that northern cardinals grew pale red feathers in the absence of red dietary pigments, indicating that their ability to metabolize yellow carotenoids in the diet contributes to the bright red plumage that they display.
Activating Transcription Factor 1 Directs Mhem Atheroprotective Macrophages Through Coordinated Iron Handling and Foam Cell Protection

Rationale: Intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH) drives atherosclerosis through the dual metabolic stresses of cholesterol-enriched erythrocyte membranes and pro-oxidant heme/iron. When clearing tissue hemorrhage, macrophages are typically seen storing either iron or lipid. We have recently defined hemorrhage-associated macrophages (HA-mac) as a plaque macrophage population that responds adaptively to IPH. Objective: This study aimed to define the key transcription factor(s) involved in HO-1 induction by heme. Methods and Results: To address this question, we used microarray analysis and transfection with siRNA and plasmids. To maintain physiological relevance, we focused on human blood-derived monocytes. We found that heme stimulates monocytes through induction of activating transcription factor 1 (ATF-1). ATF-1 coinduces heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and Liver X receptor beta (LXR-&bgr;). Heme-induced HO-1 and LXR-&bgr; were suppressed by knockdown of ATF-1, and HO-1 and LXR-&bgr; were induced by ATF-1 transfection. ATF-1 required phosphorylation for full functional activity. Expression of LXR-&bgr; in turn led to induction of other genes central to cholesterol efflux, such as LXR-&agr; and ABCA1. This heme-directed state was distinct from known macrophage states (M1, M2, Mox) and, following the same format, we have designated them Mhem. Conclusions: These results show that ATF-1 mediates HO-1 induction by heme and drives macrophage adaptation to intraplaque hemorrhage. Our definition of an ATF-1–mediated pathway for linked protection from foam cell formation and oxidant stress may have therapeutic potential.
An Empirical Failure-Analysis of a Large-Scale Cloud Computing Environment

Cloud computing research is in great need of statistical parameters derived from the analysis of real-world systems. One aspect of this is the failure characteristics of Cloud environments composed of workloads and servers, currently, few metrics are available that quantify failure and repair times of workloads and servers at a large-scale. Workload metrics in particular are critical for characterizing and modeling accurate workload behavior, enabling more realistic workload simulation and failure scenarios of systems. This paper presents the analysis of failure data of a large-scale production Cloud environment (consisting of over 12,500 servers), and includes a study of failure and repair times and characteristics for both Cloud workloads and servers. Our results show that failure characteristics for workload and servers are highly variable and that production Cloud workloads can be accurately modeled by a Gamma distribution. Repair times range between 30 seconds to 4 days, and 25 minutes to 8 days, for workloads and servers respectively.
Response to ruxolitinib in patients with intermediate‐1–, intermediate‐2–, and high‐risk myelofibrosis: results of the UK ROBUST Trial

Myelofibrosis is characterized by splenomegaly and debilitating constitutional symptoms that negatively impact patients’ quality of life. ROBUST, a UK, open‐label, phase II study, evaluated the safety and efficacy of ruxolitinib in patients with myelofibrosis (N = 48), including intermediate‐1 risk patients. The primary composite endpoint was the proportion of patients achieving treatment success [≥50% reduction in palpable spleen length and/or a ≥50% decrease in Myelofibrosis Symptom Assessment Form Total Symptom Score (MF‐SAF TSS)] at 48 weeks. This was the first time that efficacy of ruxolitinib in myelofibrosis has been evaluated based on these criteria and the first time the MF‐SAF was used in a population of patients solely from the United Kingdom. Overall, 50% of patients and 57% of intermediate‐1 risk patients, achieved treatment success; reductions in spleen length and symptoms were observed in all risk groups. The majority of patients (66·7%) experienced ≥50% reductions from baseline in spleen length at any time. Improvements in MF‐SAF TSS were seen in 80·0%, 72·7%, and 72·2% of intermediate‐1, intermediate‐2, and high‐risk patients, respectively. Consistent with other studies of ruxolitinib, the most common haematological adverse events were anaemia and thrombocytopenia. Results indicate that most patients with myelofibrosis, including intermediate‐1 risk patients, may benefit from ruxolitinib treatment.
The health effects of peace-keeping in the UK Armed Forces: Bosnia 1992–1996. Predictors of psychological symptoms

Background. Peace-keeping duties are associated with unique stresses for military personnel. There have been few reports on the effects of peace-keeping on psychological health. Method. We used data from a cross-sectional study originally established to examine health effects of service in the Gulf War, which included a control group who had been deployed in Bosnia (N=2049). This group was examined to establish which demographic, occupational, and deployment-related risk factors were associated with psychological distress measured on the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and stress symptoms akin to a post-traumatic stress reactions. Results. The main risk factors for stress symptoms in the Bosnia group were – lower rank, being deployed early in the campaign, having more deployment-related exposures, and serving on staff duties. There was no protective effect of previous deployments to the Falklands or Northern Ireland, and time off following deployment was not protective. For GHQ-12 cases, the main risk factors were: female gender, lower rank, increased deployment-related exposures and serving on staff duties. Conclusions. This study suggests that stress symptoms and GHQ-12 cases, are strongly predicted both by experiences during deployment and demographic factors.
Why Do Bystanders of Bullying Help or Not? A Multidimensional Model

The authors employed Latanè and Darley’s model about bystanders’ behavior to explain children’s active defending and passive bystanding behavior in school bullying. The three central steps of the model were operationalized by measuring provictim attitudes, personal responsibility for intervention, and coping strategies. Moreover, the role of perceived expectations from parents and peers was investigated. A total of 759 children and 995 early adolescents participated. The findings from structural equation modeling (SEM) confirmed the hypothesized relationships and the impact of perceived peer and parent pressure on nearly all the study variables. The model was confirmed for both age groups, with only a few differences in the paths’ magnitudes, and the model demonstrated the importance of considering both strictly individual characteristics and contextual variables. These results substantially expand previous findings and have potential interest for both researchers and educators.
Torque ripple compensation based on instantaneous torque estimation in permanent magnet synchronous motors

This study presents a new torque ripple compensation for permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs). The proposed method is based on instantaneous torque estimation by a mathematical model. The model is described in a new expression to estimate the torque with low volume offline data. The offline data is constructed by only a magnetic flux and a cogging torque. Therefore, the new model makes the torque ripple compensation possible at low cost within existing drive platforms. In this paper, the proposed method is evaluated by both simulations and experiments. These results show the proposed method has excellent performances.
Enhancing partial-order reduction via process clustering

Partial-order reduction is a well-known technique to cope with the state-space-explosion problem in the verification of concurrent systems. Using the hierarchical structure of concurrent systems, we present an enhancement of the partial-order-reduction scheme of G.J. Holzman and D. Peled (1995) and D. Peled (1994). A prototype of the new algorithm has been implemented on top of the verification tool SPIN. The first experimental results are encouraging.
Addressing Social Difference with Prospective Teachers Who Want “To Make a Difference”

This paper focuses on a cohort of B.Ed. students' understandings about social difference and social justice as recorded in their professional journals in the first semester of third year. It shows that their reasons for choosing teaching as a career, reflections on their school experiences and discussions about future students are grounded in the culture of individualism that is commonplace in Australian society. However, some also acknowledge that class, race, gender and ethnicity shape their lives and their future students' worlds. Furthermore, most were prepared to engage with social justice in their professional journals. Keeping these findings in mind, the paper identifies discursive spaces where teacher educators might work with prospective teachers to promote critical reflection about social difference and facilitate a commitment to social justice in education.
Using case study comparisons to explore genotype-phenotype correlations in Williams-Beuren syndrome

Williams-Beuren syndrome (WBS, MIM 194050) is a rare condition, with striking physical and behavioural features,1–3 which occurs in 1/20 000-1/50 000 live births. Cases are generally sporadic; however, familial cases with an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance have been reported. It results in a complex phenotype with physical, cognitive, and behavioural aspects that include an uneven cognitive profile (WBSCP), with verbal tasks outstripping spatial tasks, and overall IQs in the 50-60 range. Physically, WBS phenotypes include a dysmorphic face, congenital heart disease (typically supravalvular aortic stenosis (SVAS)), growth retardation, hyperacusis, premature ageing, and often infantile hypercalcaemia. These features are caused by deletion of the Williams-Beuren syndrome critical region (WBSCR) at chromosomal position 7q11.23 on either the maternal or paternal chromosome 7. The deletion is thought to arise from recombination between misaligned repeat sequences flanking the WBSCR during meiosis. The breakpoints cluster within these repeat regions, so that most WBS patients have similar deletions of approximately 1.5 Mb. A few WBS patients have, however, been reported with smaller deletions (<1 Mb). 3,4 Patients with partial deletions of the WBSCR (that include the elastin gene) and SVAS as the only resulting phenotype have also been described.5 No credible cases of WBS without the deletion have so far been reported, suggesting that haploinsufficiency for a single gene will not explain the phenotype. Nineteen genes have so far been described in the WBSCR, yet only elastin hemizygosity has been confidently associated with any aspect of the WBS phenotype, namely SVAS, hernias, and possibly premature ageing. It would therefore appear that, alone or in combination, some of the remaining genes in the deleted region are responsible for the other features of WBS. Relations between genotype and phenotype in WBS are mainly studied at the group level with rather gross measures of …
An Investigation of Tactical Transfer in Net Games

The purpose of this study was to address the question of whether tactical understanding transfers across games in the net games tactical category. Subjects in the study were 21 (12 boys and 9 girls) randomly selected American ninth grade students, age 14‐15 years. Following initial video taping of badminton singles game play subjects received badminton instruction for five lessons. Instruction focused on solutions to the tactical problem of setting up to attack by the creation of space on the opponent's side of the net. After five lessons subjects were video taped again playing singles badminton. Subjects then received five lessons of instruction in pickleball investigating solutions to the same tactical problem. During the third lesson of pickleball instruction six subjects were randomly selected to answer structured written questions related to the similarities between badminton and pickleball and the degree to which learning badminton had helped with learning pickleball. Subjects were video taped again.
The MIT Press Journals

To successfully apply evolutionary algorithms to the solution of increasingly complex problems, we must develop effective techniques for evolving solutions in the form of interacting coadapted subcomponents. One of the major difficulties is finding computational extensions to our current evolutionary paradigms that will enable such subcomponents to “emerge” rather than being hand designed. In this paper, we describe an architecture for evolving such subcomponents as a collection of cooperating species. Given a simple stringmatching task, we show that evolutionary pressure to increase the overall fitness of the ecosystem can provide the needed stimulus for the emergence of an appropriate number of interdependent subcomponents that cover multiple niches, evolve to an appropriate level of generality, and adapt as the number and roles of their fellow subcomponents change over time. We then explore these issues within the context of a more complicated domain through a case study involving the evolution of artificial neural networks.
THE ILLINOIS TEST OF PSYCHOLINGUISTIC ABILITIES

The psycholinguistic model of learning disabilities and with it the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities (ITPA), are in widespread use in the fields of special education and speech pathology. As occupational and physical therapists have become more involved in sensory integrative procedures, they are sometimes expected to interpret the Southern California Sensory Integrative Tests in relation to results on the ITPA. This paper provides an overview of the ITPA, describing the psycholinguistic model from which it was developed and the research on its usefulness, reliability and validity. Since the majority of studies suggest that the validity of the ITPA is questionable when it is not used in conjunction with other tests and since the tests may not be sensitive enough to therapeutic changes as a consequence of therapy, a recommendation is made that therapists exercise considerable discretion in using this test for research purposes. At the same time, the test may be a useful supplement in clinical ev.
Organochlorine pesticide residues in human breast milk in El-Gabal Al-Akhdar , Libya

The present study determined the residues of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in 40 samples of human milk collected from eight rural and urban regions in El-Gabal AlAkhdar region –Libya, between March to December 2007. The ages of mothers ranged between 18 and 44 years. The OCPs were analyzed using Gas-Liquid Chromatography (GLC) with Flame Photometric and electron capture detectors. In this work, we have detected 7 pesticides from the dirty dozen (Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, 2001) from all breast milk samples, including dieldrin, aldrin, endrin, chlordane, heptachlor, DDT, and BHC. Their mean concentrations were higher than the Maximum Residue Limit (MRL). The mean concentration of OCPs residues was higher in rural than urban regions. Low DDE/DDT ratio (1.026) found in this area indicates recent exposure to DDT. The present study showed higher OCPs residue patterns which points to the necessity of implementing a yearly monitoring program for organochlorine pesticide residues in human milk in El Gabal Al Akder area,Libya .
Subcortical projections to the frontal pole in the marmoset monkey

The subcortical projections to the marmoset frontal pole were mapped with the use of fluorescent tracer injections. The main thalamic projections, which originated in both the magnocellular and parvocellular subdivisions of the mediodorsal nucleus, were topographically organized. Our results suggest the existence of a third, caudal subdivision of this nucleus, which is likely to be homologous to the macaque’s pars densocellularis. A substantial, but not topographically organized, projection to Brodmann’s area 10 originated in the medial part of the ventral anterior nucleus. Minor thalamic projections originated in the medial pulvinar nucleus and in the midline/intralaminar nuclei. Finally, the posterior thalamic group (including the limitans and suprageniculate nuclei) sent a small projection to rostral area 10 that has not previously been documented in primates. The main extrathalamic projections stemmed from the claustrum, which contained as many as 50% of all subcortical labelled neurons. Minor connections originated in the hypothalamus (mainly in the lateral anterior and lateral tuberal regions), dorsal periaqueductal grey matter, basal forebrain (nucleus basalis of Meynert and horizontal limb of the diagonal band of Broca), and amygdala (basal, accessory basal and lateral nuclei). The present results, combined with recent data on the cortical projections to area 10, reveal the frontal pole as a region that integrates information from multiple neural processing systems, including high‐level sensory, limbic and working memory‐related structures. Although the pattern of subcortical projections is similar to that previously described in the macaque, suggesting a homologous organization, the present data also suggest functional distinctions between medial and lateral sectors of area 10.