Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Violent Video Games Prime Both Aggressive and Positive Cognitions

Previous studies have shown that violent video games prime aggressive thoughts and concepts. Interestingly, positively valenced test stimuli are rarely used in this field, though they might provide useful information on the nature of the emotional response to virtual violence and its associative structure. According to the General Aggression Model (GAM) and its extensions (Carnagey, Anderson, & Bushman, 2007), normal negative reactions to violence are expected. Alternatively, playing violent video games might be construed as engaging in positively valenced playful fighting behavior. To test the potential of violent video games to prime positive concepts, N = 29 adult males played either a violent or a nonviolent video game for 20 minutes and were subsequently tested in a standard lexical decision task consisting of positive, aggressive, nonaggressive negative, and neutral target words. The data show that the violent video game primed aggressive concepts as expected, but also raised positive concepts, and .
Surface modification of powders and nanostructure deposition in the afterglow of a low power barrier discharge at atmospheric pressure

The generation of solid-state sphere-like nanostructures from an organosilicon precursor at atmospheric pressure is investigated with the prospect of improving powder flowabilty by the attachment of nanoscopic spacers to the powder particles`surface. An atmospheric pressure plasma discharge is used for remote surface modification. The setup effectively separates the discharge zone, where the active gassphase species are created from the deposition or afterglow zone, in which the chemical reactions of the active species occur. As a first step, the nanoparticle formation from Ar/O2 or a He/O2 atmospheric pressure plasma with tetramethylsilane as monomer added to the afterglow is investigated. The influence of the total gas glow rate and oxygen content on the formation of SiOx particles is studied. The morphology of created nanostructures is investigated by electron microscopy and their chemical structure is analyzed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy
Involvement of sensory innervation in the skin of SOD1G93A ALS mice

Sensory alterations have been described in both amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients and mouse models. While involvement of intraepidermal and subepidermal axons has been shown in skin biopsies of ALS patients, it is unclear if the SOD1G93A mouse presents similar alterations. We analyzed the epidermal and dermal innervation, based on PGP9.5 immunostaining, of SOD1G93A mice at different stages. The results showed a marked reduction of intraepidermal nerve fibers, Meissner's corpuscles, and subepidermal nerve density already at 4 weeks. This loss of innervation progressed over time. Dermal axonal density decreased at a later stage of the disease. There was a gradient of axonal loss, with a more severe decline in the epidermis compared with deeper structures, indicating a distal axonal neuropathy as the mechanism of degeneration. These findings suggest that the analysis of the cutaneous sensory innervation may be an accessible and useful tool to assess the neurodegeneration process in motoneuron diseases.
Co-Crystalization and In Vitro Biological Characterization of 5-Aryl-4-(5-Substituted-2-4-Dihydroxyphenyl)-1,2,3-Thiadiazole Hsp90 Inhibitors

A potential therapeutic strategy for targeting cancer that has gained much interest is the inhibition of the ATP binding and ATPase activity of the molecular chaperone Hsp90. We have determined the structure of the human Hsp90α N-terminal domain in complex with a series of 5-aryl-4-(5-substituted-2-4-dihydroxyphenyl)-1,2,3-thiadiazoles. The structures provide the molecular details for the activity of these inhibitors. One of these inhibitors, ICPD 34, causes a structural change that affects a mobile loop, which adopts a conformation similar to that seen in complexes with ADP, rather than the conformation generally seen with the pyrazole/isoxazole-resorcinol class of inhibitors. Competitive binding to the Hsp90 N-terminal domain was observed in a biochemical assay, and these compounds showed antiproliferative activity and induced apoptosis in the HCT116 human colon cancer cell line. These inhibitors also caused induction of the heat shock response with the upregulation of Hsp72 and Hsp27 protein expression and the depletion of Hsp90 clients, CRAF, ERBB2 and CDK4, thus confirming that antiproliferative activity was through the inhibition of Hsp90. The presence of increased levels of the cleavage product of PARP indicated apoptosis in response to Hsp90 inhibitors. This work provides a framework for the further optimization of thiadiazole inhibitors of Hsp90. Importantly, we demonstrate that the thiadiazole inhibitors display a more limited core set of interactions relative to the clinical trial candidate NVP-AUY922, and consequently may be less susceptible to resistance derived through mutations in Hsp90.
Experimental Assessment of Electrons and Holes in Erase Transient of TANOS and TANVaS Memories

We present carrier separation experiments based on direct charge measurement to assess the contributions of electrons and holes to the erase transient of TANOS-like nonvolatile memories. The role of different carrier species is analyzed as a function of erase voltage and charge configuration at the initial programmed state. We extend the analysis to band-engineered tunneling barriers, demonstrating that the performance improvement in these devices lies more on the enhancement of hole current rather than that of the electron one.
A Petri Nets Model for Blockchain Analysis

A Blockchain is a global shared infrastructure where cryptocurrency transactions among addresses are recorded, validated and made publicly available in a peer- to-peer network. To date the best known and important cryptocurrency is the bitcoin. In this paper we focus on this cryptocurrency and in particular on the modeling of the Bitcoin Blockchain by using the Petri Nets formalism. The proposed model allows us to quickly collect information about identities owning Bitcoin addresses and to recover measures and statistics on the Bitcoin network. By exploiting algebraic formalism, we reconstructed an Entities network associated to Blockchain transactions gathering together Bitcoin addresses into the single entity holding permits to manage Bitcoins held by those addresses. The model allows also to identify a set of behaviours typical of Bitcoin owners, like that of using an address only once, and to reconstruct chains for this behaviour together with the rate of firing. Our model is highly flexible and can easily be adapted to include different features of the Bitcoin crypto-currency system.
Angiotensin II Type 2 Receptor Stimulation Initiated After Stroke Causes Neuroprotection in Conscious Rats

We have demonstrated previously that pretreatment with an angiotensin II type 2 receptor (AT2R) agonist is neuroprotective against a subsequent stroke independent of any changes in blood pressure. Therefore, in the current study, we have examined the potential neuroprotective effect of AT2R stimulation initiated after stroke induction to mimic the clinical setting. Intracerebroventricular administration of the AT2R agonist CGP42112 was commenced 6 hours after an ischemic stroke had been induced in conscious spontaneously hypertensive rats. CGP42112 given over 4 doses in the same rats (3 µg/kg per dose centrally) at 6, 24, 48, and 72 hours after stroke induction reduced total infarct volume (32±13 mm3 versus vehicle, 170±49 mm3; P<0.05) and improved motor function. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that AT2R stimulation after stroke increased neuronal survival, decreased apoptosis, and caused an increase in the number of activated microglia in the core region of damage. The effects of CGP42112 were partially reversed with the coadministration of an AT2R antagonist, PD123319. Thus, the current study has shown for the first time that delayed central AT2R stimulation after a cerebral incident is neuroprotective in a conscious rat model of stroke.
Influence of surgery on deglutitive upper oesophageal sphincter mechanics in Zenker's diverticulum.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To evaluate the role of upper oesophageal sphincter (UOS) compliance in dysphagia, the functional consequences of surgery were evaluated in eight patients with pharyngeal diverticula. The study examined the hypotheses that hypopharyngeal intrabolus pressure is an indicator of UOS compliance and that UOS opening and intrabolus pressure are normalised by surgery. METHODS: In eight patients and nine healthy controls, we measured the timing of swallow events, UOS relaxation, maximal UOS dimensions, intrabolus pressure, and trans-sphincteric bolus flow rates by simultaneous videoradiography and pharyngeal manometry. RESULTS: Bolus flow rates were not changed by surgery. Surgery significantly increased UOS opening (p = 0.0001) and reduced hypopharyngeal intrabolus pressure (p = 0.0001). The slope of the relation between sphincter area and intrabolus pressure was steeper in patients than controls and was normalised by surgery. Surgery had minor effects on basal UOS tone and timing of swallow events. CONCLUSIONS: Upper oesophageal sphincter compliance is poor in Zenker's diverticulum and is normalised by surgery. Hypopharyngeal intrabolus pressure, which correlates with resistance to trans-sphincteric bolus flow, is a useful indicator of UOS compliance. Intrabolus pressure may be a predictor of outcome after myotomy in pharyngeal dysphagia. Cricopharyngeal myotomy is a mandatory component of surgery for Zenker's diverticulum.
Non-data-aided SNR estimation for QPSK modulation in AWGN channel

Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) estimation is an important parameter that is required in any receiver or communication systems. It can be computed either by a pilot signal data-aided approach in which the transmitted signal would be known to the receiver, or without any knowledge of the transmitted signal, which is a non-data-aided (NDA) estimation approach. In this paper, a NDA SNR estimation algorithm for QPSK signal is proposed. The proposed algorithm modifies the existing Signal-to-Variation Ratio (SVR) SNR estimation algorithm in the aim to reduce its bias and mean square error in case of negative SNR values at low number of samples of it. We first present the existing SVR algorithm and then show the mathematical derivation of the new NDA algorithm. In addition, we compare our algorithm to two baselines estimation methods, namely the M2M4 and SVR algorithms, using different test cases. Those test cases include low SNR values, extremely high SNR values and low number of samples. Results showed that our algorithm had a better performance compared to second and fourth moment estimation (M2M4) and original SVR algorithms in terms of normalized mean square error (NMSE) and bias estimation while keeping almost the same complexity as the original algorithms.
Microfoundations of Corporate Social Responsibility and Irresponsibility

This study examines how social perception of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and irresponsibility (CSI) affects organizational outcomes. Drawing from the social psychology literature on stereotypes, we argue that two fundamental dimensions of social perception — warmth and competence — mediate and moderate the effects of socially responsible and irresponsible practices. We propose that firms engaging in CSR are perceived as higher in warmth and, by default, competence than firms engaging in CSI; moreover, different perceptions of warmth and competence of the organization explain the asymmetric rewards and penalties for CSR and CSI. We conduct two experiments: Experiment 1 links CSR with perceptions of warmth and competence, and shows that warmth perceptions mediate the relationship between CSR and important organizational outcomes, such as sales and reputation. Experiment 2 adds information on firms’ countries of origin to show that CSR rewards and CSI penalties will differ depending on the (mis)alignment of CSR strategy with country stereotypes. We find that firms from high-warmth countries (USA, Portugal) receive lower benefits for CSR and pay higher penalties for CSI than firms from low-warmth countries (Germany, Pakistan); furthermore, this effect reverses when combined with high competence. This micro-macro study extends social evaluation, strategic CSR, and international management literatures.
Insensitivity to social reputation in autism

People act more prosocially when they know they are watched by others, an everyday observation borne out by studies from behavioral economics, social psychology, and cognitive neuroscience. This effect is thought to be mediated by the incentive to improve one's social reputation, a specific and possibly uniquely human motivation that depends on our ability to represent what other people think of us. Here we tested the hypothesis that social reputation effects are selectively impaired in autism, a developmental disorder characterized in part by impairments in reciprocal social interactions but whose underlying cognitive causes remain elusive. When asked to make real charitable donations in the presence or absence of an observer, matched healthy controls donated significantly more in the observer's presence than absence, replicating prior work. By contrast, people with high-functioning autism were not influenced by the presence of an observer at all in this task. However, both groups performed significantly better on a continuous performance task in the presence of an observer, suggesting intact general social facilitation in autism. The results argue that people with autism lack the ability to take into consideration what others think of them and provide further support for specialized neural systems mediating the effects of social reputation.
The relationships among teacher characteristics and perceived caring

When asked to describe what characteristics or behaviors make teachers effective, a sample of pre‐service and experienced teachers mentioned caring more often than any other variable (Perry & Rog, 7992). The primary purpose of this research was to identify specific teacher characteristics or behavior patterns that communicate caring to students and to identify teacher characteristics or “misbehaviors”; that disrupt the students’ perceptions of caring. Respondents in the study were 249 students (142 males and 107 females) enrolled in Communication classes at a large mid‐Atlantic university. The target teachers were those the participants had in the classes they took immediately prior to the class in which the data were collected. Students’ perceptions of their teachers’ caring was found to be positively related to their perceptions of their teachers’ immediacy, responsiveness, and assertiveness while negatively related to teacher verbal aggressiveness. Teacher immediacy, responsiveness, assertiveness, and verbal aggressiveness each contributed to the prediction of a significant amount of variance in perceived caring. Implications for teacher training and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Mitochondrial DNA Diversity in Southeast Asian Populations

In a previous study of Southeast Asian genetic variation, we characterized mitochondrial DNAs (mtDNAs) from six populations through high-resolution restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. Our analysis revealed that these Southeast Asian populations were genetically similar to each other, suggesting they had a common origin. However, other patterns of population associations also emerged. Haplotypes from a major founding haplogroup in Papua New Guinea were present in Malaysia; the Vietnamese and Malaysian aborigines (Orang Asli) had high frequencies of haplogroup F, which was also seen in most other Southeast Asian populations; and haplogroup B, defined by the Region V 9-base-pair deletion, was present throughout the region. In addition, the Malaysian and Sabah (Borneo) aborigine populations exhibited a number of unique mtDNA clusters that were not observed in other populations. Unfortunately, it has been difficult to compare these patterns of genetic diversity with those shown in subsequent studies of mtDNA variation in Southeast Asian populations because the latter have typically sequenced the first hypervariable segment (HVS-I) of the control region (CR) sequencing rather than used RFLP haplotyping to characterize the mtDNAs present in them. For this reason, we sequenced the HVS-I of Southeast Asian mtDNAs that had previously been subjected to RFLP analysis, and compared the resulting data with published information from other Southeast Asian and Oceanic groups. Our findings reveal broad patterns of mtDNA haplogroup distribution in Southeast Asia that may reflect different population expansion events in this region over the past 50,000-5000 years.
Optimal Control of Logical Control Networks

This paper considers the infinite horizon optimal control of logical control networks, including Boolean control networks as a special case. Using the framework of game theory, the optimal control problem is formulated. In the sight of the algebraic form of a logical control network, its cycles can be calculated algebraically. Then the optimal control is revealed over a certain cycle. When the games, using memory μ >; 1 (which means the players only consider previous μ steps' action at each step), are considered, the higher order logical control network is introduced and its algebraic form is also presented, which corresponds to a conventional logical control network (i.e., μ = 1 ). Then it is proved that the optimization technique developed for conventional logical control networks is also applicable to this μ-memory case.
Socio-economic Status Factors Effecting the Students Achievement: A Predictive Study

This study tries to predict which socio-economic status (SES) factors effects Pakistani students’ achievement. The indicators of SES were taken from the national documents of Pakistan. The SES questionnaire was constructed keeping in view the defined indicators. The sample of the study was secondary school students enrolled in four districts of Rawalpindi Division. The achievement of students was collected in form of grades from the gazette of respective Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education. Linear regression showed mother’s education, income, refrigerator, and source used to travel to school has positive effect on achievement. Number of siblings and transport facility (car/van) has negative effect on achievement. The linear regression equation was used to get SES score of each student. The obtained SES score was interpreted by five SES classes/groups. In the sample the A + grade achievers were not upper and lower class students. Majority of the students of middle class were average achievers. The students belong to lower class remain low achievers.
Violence and the Formation of Hopelessness and Pessimistic Prospects of Upward Mobility in Colombia

We explore the impact of violence on perceived prospects of upward mobility. For a sample of victims of violence in Colombia, we bring together data on expected upward mobility, exposure to violence, and symptoms of psychological trauma. After controlling for material losses and current circumstances, we find that exposure to more severe violence leads victims’ perceived prospects of upward mobility to become increasingly hopeless. The estimated impacts are large: victims exposed to more severe violence expect that the likelihood of being in extreme poverty in the long-run is more than two times as high than those exposed to less severe violence. Additional evidence indicates that depression and psychological trauma mediate this result, identifying a channel by which these pessimistic expectations can become self-confirming. Together, these findings suggest the existence of a psychological poverty trap and the need to rethink strategies to assist the economic recovery of the victims of violence.
Bypass of a Meiotic Checkpoint by Overproduction of Meiotic Chromosomal Proteins

ABSTRACT The Saccharomyces cerevisiae zip1 mutant, which exhibits defects in synaptonemal complex formation and meiotic recombination, triggers a checkpoint that causes cells to arrest at the pachytene stage of meiotic prophase. Overproduction of either the meiotic chromosomal protein Red1 or the meiotic kinase Mek1 bypasses this checkpoint, allowing zip1 cells to sporulate. Red1 or Mek1 overproduction also promotes sporulation of other mutants (zip2, dmc1, hop2) that undergo checkpoint-mediated arrest at pachytene. In addition, Red1 overproduction antagonizes interhomolog interactions in thezip1 mutant, substantially decreasing double-strand break formation, meiotic recombination, and homologous chromosome pairing. Mek1 overproduction, in contrast, suppresses checkpoint-induced arrest without significantly decreasing meiotic recombination. Cooverproduction of Red1 and Mek1 fails to bypass the checkpoint; moreover, overproduction of the meiotic chromosomal protein Hop1 blocks the Red1 and Mek1 overproduction phenotypes. These results suggest that meiotic chromosomal proteins function in the signaling of meiotic prophase defects and that the correct stoichiometry of Red1, Mek1, and Hop1 is needed to achieve checkpoint-mediated cell cycle arrest at pachytene.
Modeling Cognition with Probabilistic Programs: Representations and Algorithms

This thesis develops probabilistic programming as a productive metaphor for understanding cognition, both with respect to mental representations and the manipulation of such representations. In the first half of the thesis, I demonstrate the representational power of probabilistic programs in the domains of concept learning and social reasoning. I provide examples of richly structured concepts, defined in terms of systems of relations, subparts, and recursive embeddings, that are naturally expressed as programs and show initial experimental evidence that they match human generalization patterns. I then proceed to models of reasoning about reasoning, a domain where the expressive power of probabilistic programs is necessary to formalize our intuitive domain understanding due to the fact that, unlike previous formalisms, probabilistic programs allow conditioning to be represented in a model, not just applied to a model. I illustrate this insight with programs that model nested reasoning in game theory, artificial intelligence, and linguistics. In the second half, I develop three inference algorithms with the dual intent of showing how to efficiently compute the marginal distributions defined by probabilistic programs, and providing building blocks for process-level accounts of human cognition. First, I describe a Dynamic Programming algorithm for computing the marginal distribution of discrete probabilistic programs by compiling to systems of equations and show that it can make inference in models of "reasoning about reasoning" tractable by merging and reusing subcomputations. Second, I introduce the setting of amortized inference and show how learning inverse models lets us leverage samples generated by other inference algorithms to compile probabilistic models into fast recognition functions. Third, I develop a generic approach to coarse-to-fine inference in probabilistic programs and provide evidence that it can speed up inference in models with large state spaces that have appropriate hierarchical structure. Finally, I substantiate the claim that probabilistic programming is a productive metaphor by outlining new research questions that have been opened up by this line of investigation.