Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Conversion disorder: towards a neurobiological understanding

Conversion disorders are a common cause of neurological disability, but the diagnosis remains controversial and the mechanism by which psychological stress can result in physical symptoms “unconsciously” is poorly understood. This review summarises research examining conversion disorder from a neurobiological perspective. Early observations suggesting a role for hemispheric specialization have not been replicated consistently. Patients with sensory conversion symptoms have normal evoked responses in primary and secondary somatosensory cortex but a reduction in the P300 potential, which is thought to reflect a lack of conscious processing of sensory stimuli. The emergence of functional imaging has provided the greatest opportunity for understanding the neural basis of conversion symptoms. Studies have been limited by small patient numbers and failure to control for confounding variables. The evidence available would suggest a broad hypothesis that frontal cortical and limbic activation associated with emotional stress may act via inhibitory basal ganglia–thalamocortical circuits to produce a deficit of conscious sensory or motor processing. The conceptual difficulties that have limited progress in this area are discussed. A better neuropsychiatric understanding of the mechanisms of conversion symptoms may improve our understanding of normal attention and volition and reduce the controversy surrounding this diagnosis.
The Role of Retiree Health Insurance in the Employment Behavior of Older Men

Using data from the Health and Retirement Survey, we estimate preference and expectations parameters of a structural model of the employment and medical care decisions of older men in order to evaluate the role of health insurance. The budget constraint incorporates detailed cost-sharing characteristics of private health insurance and Medicare as well as rules and requirements associated with Social Security and private pensions. Simulations imply that changes in health insurance, including access and restrictions to retiree health insurance and Medicare, have a modest impact on employment behavior among older males, with the greatest effect on men in bad health.
The Disappearing Seasonality of Autism Conceptions in California

Background Autism incidence and prevalence have increased dramatically in the last two decades. The autism caseload in California increased 600% between 1992 and 2006, yet there is little consensus as to the cause. Studying the seasonality of conceptions of children later diagnosed with autism may yield clues to potential etiological drivers. Objective To assess if the conceptions of children later diagnosed with autism cluster temporally in a systematic manner and whether any pattern of temporal clustering persists over time. Method We searched for seasonality in conceptions of children later diagnosed with autism by applying a one-dimensional scan statistic with adaptive temporal windows on case and control population data from California for 1992 through 2000. We tested for potential confounding effects from known risk factors using logistic regression models. Results There is a consistent but decreasing seasonal pattern in the risk of conceiving a child later diagnosed with autism in November for the first half of the study period. Temporal clustering of autism conceptions is not an artifact of composition with respect to known risk factors for autism such as socio-economic status. Conclusion There is some evidence of seasonality in the risk of conceiving a child later diagnosed with autism. Searches for environmental factors related to autism should allow for the possibility of risk factors or etiological drivers that are seasonally patterned and that appear and remain salient for a discrete number of years.
Privacy by design and customers' perceived privacy and security concerns in the success of e-commerce

– The purpose of this paper is to gain a deeper understanding of customers’ perceived privacy and security (CPPS) by investigating privacy concerns, data security, and exploring the factors that elevate or minimise these concerns in relation to organisations’ practices. , – The research study utilises an explanatory research design. Data were collected from six organisations from different industry sectors through in-depth interviews with managers and from customers’ through four focus groups of a high-user demographic segment. , – The paper identified Privacy by Design (PbD) in the area of organisations’ practices as well as identifying the main areas of CPPS. These themes were used as the basis for an analysis of customer concerns instrumental to the success of e-commerce. , – The findings will inform the development of a general conceptual model. This will provide a better understanding of CPPS in general and in relation to the success of e-commerce web sites and transactional sites in particular. , – The value and the originality of the paper comes from the adoption of the “PbD” paradigm. Organisations have to explore the factors that elevate or minimise customers’ concerns in relation to adopting and continuing to use online transactions. It is necessary for organisations to do this because when privacy and security practices are clearly disclosed, customers increase their intention to use, or continue to use online transactions.
Probing, by Self-Assembly, the Number of Potential Binding Sites for Minor Protein Subunits in the Procapsid of Double-Stranded RNA Bacteriophage φ6

ABSTRACT The double-stranded RNA bacteriophage ϕ6 is an extensively studied prokaryotic model system for virus assembly. There are established in vitro assembly protocols available for the ϕ6 system for obtaining infectious particles from purified protein and RNA constituents. The polymerase complex is a multifunctional nanomachine that replicates, transcribes, and translocates viral RNA molecules in a highly specific manner. The complex is composed of (i) the major structural protein (P1), forming a T=1 icosahedral lattice with two protein subunits in the icosahedral asymmetric unit; (ii) the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (P2); (iii) the hexameric packaging nucleoside triphosphatase (NTPase) (P4); and (iv) the assembly cofactor (P7). In this study, we analyzed several ϕ6 virions and recombinant polymerase complexes to investigate the relative copy numbers of P2, P4, and P7, and we applied saturated concentrations of these proteins in the self-assembly system to probe their maximal numbers of binding sites in the P1 shell. Biochemical quantitation confirmed that the composition of the recombinant particles was similar to that of the virion cores. By including a high concentration of P2 or P7 in the self-assembly reaction mix, we observed that the numbers of these proteins in the resulting particles could be increased beyond those observed in the virion. Our results also suggest a previously unidentified P2-P7 dependency in the assembly reaction. Furthermore, it appeared that P4 must initially be incorporated at each, or a majority, of the 5-fold symmetry positions of the P1 shell for particle assembly. Although required for nucleation, excess P4 resulted in slower assembly kinetics.
Crystal structure of the PDZ1 domain of human Na(+)/H(+) exchanger regulatory factor provides insights into the mechanism of carboxyl-terminal leucine recognition by class I PDZ domains.

The Na(+)/H(+) exchanger regulatory factor (NHERF; also known as EBP50) contains two PDZ domains that mediate the assembly of transmembrane and cytosolic proteins into functional signal transduction complexes. The NHERF PDZ1 domain interacts specifically with the motifs DSLL, DSFL, and DTRL present at the carboxyl termini of the beta(2) adrenergic receptor (beta(2)AR), the platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR), and the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), respectively, and plays a central role in the physiological regulation of these proteins. The crystal structure of the human NHERF PDZ1 has been determined at 1.5 A resolution using multiwavelength anomalous diffraction phasing. The overall structure is similar to known PDZ structures, with notable differences in the NHERF PDZ1 carboxylate-binding loop that contains the GYGF motif, and the variable loop between the beta2 and beta3 strands. In the crystalline state, the carboxyl-terminal sequence DEQL of PDZ1 occupies the peptide-binding pocket of a neighboring PDZ1 molecule related by 2-fold crystallographic symmetry. This structure reveals the molecular mechanism of carboxyl-terminal leucine recognition by class I PDZ domains, and provides insights into the specificity of NHERF interaction with the carboxyl termini of several membrane receptors and ion channels, including the beta(2)AR, PDGFR, and CFTR.
Secondary Instabilities in Incompressible Axisymmetric Boundary Layers: Effect of Transverse Curvature

The secondary instability of the incompressible boundary layer in the axial flow past a cylinder is studied. The laminar flow is shown to be always stable at high transverse curvatures to secondary disturbances. Because the primary mode is stable as well, (Tutty et al., 2002, “Boundary Layer Flow on a Long Thin Cylinder,”. Phys. Fluids, 14(2), pp. 628‐637), this implies that the boundary layer on a thin long cylinder may undergo transition to turbulence by means very different from that on a flat plate. The azimuthal wavenumber of the least stable secondary modes (m6) are related to that of the primary (n) by mþ ¼2n and m� ¼� n. The base flow is shown to be inviscidly stable at any curvature. [DOI: 10.1115/1.4005767]
Supplemental material to : Commuters ’ Exposure to Particulate Matter Air Pollution is Affected by Mode of Transport , Fuel Type and Route

In the supplemental material more information is provided on quality assurance of the exposure measurements. Results of laboratory comparison tests between the CPC3007 and CPC3022 are reported. Comparison tests between the three CPC3007 samplers used in the study are described. Comparison tests between the three DataRAMs used in the study are described. Duplicate PM10 and soot measurements are discussed.
The influence of sensory delay on the yaw dynamics of a flapping insect

In closed-loop systems, sensor feedback delays may have disastrous implications for performance and stability. Flies have evolved multiple specializations to reduce this latency, but the fastest feedback during flight involves a delay that is still significant on the timescale of body dynamics. We explored the effect of sensor delay on flight stability and performance for yaw turns using a dynamically scaled robotic model of the fruitfly, Drosophila. The robot was equipped with a real-time feedback system that performed active turns in response to measured torque about the functional yaw axis. We performed system response experiments for a proportional controller in yaw velocity for a range of feedback delays, similar in dimensionless timescale to those experienced by a fly. The results show a fundamental trade-off between sensor delay and permissible feedback gain, and suggest that fast mechanosensory feedback in flies, and most probably in other insects, provide a source of active damping which compliments that contributed by passive effects. Presented in the context of these findings, a control architecture whereby a haltere-mediated inner-loop proportional controller provides damping for slower visually mediated feedback is consistent with tethered-flight measurements, free-flight observations and engineering design principles.
Functional Anatomy of High-Resolution Visual Mental Imagery

This study had two purposes. First, in order to address the controversy regarding activation of the primary visual area (PVA) during visual mental imagery, regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was recorded while subjects performed a task that required high-resolution visual mental imagery. Second, in order to discover whether verbal descriptions can engage visual mechanisms during imagery in the same way as visual stimuli, subjects memorized 3D scenes that were visually presented or were based on a verbal description. Comparison of the results from the imagery conditions to a non-imagery baseline condition revealed no activation in PVA for imagery based on a verbal description and a significant decrease of rCBF in this region for imagery based on visual learning. The pattern of activation in other regions was very similar in the two conditions, including parietal, midbrain, cerebellar, prefrontal, left insular, and right inferior temporal regions. These results provide strong evidence that imagery based on verbal descriptions can recruit regions known to be engaged in high-order visual processing.
Why don't we catch liars ?

L'A. montre qu'il est souvent difficile de decouvrir qu'un individu est un menteur. Il s'efforce de comprendre les raisons de cette situation. Il distingue le mensonge des autres formes de tromperies. Il estime que le menteur choisit de travestir la realite et qu'il dissimule son intention de tromper. Il presente un certain nombre de donnees collectees aupres d'infirmieres et montre que celles-ci tendent a cacher leurs emotions reelles lorsqu'on leur presente des blessures effrayantes. Il affirme que les officiers de police, les psychiatres, les juges d'instruction et les avocats ne parviennent que tres difficilement a discerner les mensonges auxquels ils peuvent etre confrontes. Il presente une etude sur le mensonge realisee en Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinee ou tous les habitants sont en contact quasi permanent les uns avec les autres. Il souligne que le mensonge est plus frequent dans les societes modernes ou existe une importante sphere privee. Il etudie l'entrevue entre N. Chamberlain et A. Hitler en Septembre 1938 lorsque ce denier s'est efforce de rassurer les autorites britanniques apres l'annexion de l'Autriche
Early and mid-term impacts of cardiopulmonary bypass on coronary artery bypass grafting in patients with poor left ventricular dysfunction: a propensity score analysis.

BACKGROUND Cardiopulmonary bypass may exacerbate myocardial damage in compromised left ventricles. Early and mid-term outcomes of off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB) vs on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (On-pump CABG) were compared in patients with poor left ventricular dysfunction, using an analysis of a propensity score matching. METHODS AND RESULTS Between December 2000 and November 2005, 1,473 patients underwent isolated coronary artery bypass grafting in our institute and 153 patients who had a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) lower than 35% were enrolled. The OPCAB group contained 100 patients and the On-pump CABG group contained 53 patients. Preoperative risk factors were compared and 50 patients in each group were matched. The mean follow-up time was 35.5+/-17.3 months. Three deaths (3.0%) occurred in the matched cohort, with no significant difference between 2 groups. The operation time, ventilation time, intensive care unit admission time and occurrence of respiratory failure were significantly lower in the OPCAB group. The mean LVEF of the 2 groups improved significantly. The overall 6-year actuarial survival rates of the OPCAB and On-pump CABG group were 88.2% and 72.4% (p=0.2), respectively, and there were no significant differences in 6-year rates of freedom from major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (p=0.97). CONCLUSIONS Coronary artery bypass grafting in patients with poor left ventricular dysfunction improved myocardial function. Postoperative respiratory failure was significantly related to the cardiopulmonary bypass for surgical myocardial revascularization. Off-pump and On-pump surgical revascularization resulted in equivalent mid-term outcomes.
Inside the Walled Garden: Deconstructing Facebook's Free Basics Program

Free Basics is a Facebook initiative to provide zero-rated web services in developing countries. The program has grown rapidly to 60+ countries in the past two years. But it has also seen strong opposition from Internet activists and has been banned in some countries like India. Facebook highlights the societal benefits of providing low-income populations with free Internet access, while detractors point to concerns about privacy and network neutrality. In this paper, we provide the first independent analysis of such claims regarding the Free Basics service, using both the perspective of a Free Basics service provider and of web clients visiting the service via cellular phones providing access to Free Basics in Pakistan and South Africa. Specifically, with control of both endpoints, we not only provide a more detailed view of how the Free Basics service is architected, but also can isolate the likely causes of network performance impairments. Our analysis reveals that Free Basics services experience 4 to 12 times worse network performance than their paid counterparts. We isolate the root causes using factors such as network path inflation and throttling policies by Facebook and telecom service providers. The Free Basics service and its restrictions are designed with assumptions about users' device capabilities (e.g., lack of JavaScript support). To evaluate such assumptions, we infer the types of mobile devices that generated 47K unique visitors to our Free Basics services between Sep 2016 and Jan 2017. We find that there are large numbers of requests from constrained WAP browsers, but also large fractions of high-capability mobile phones that send Free Basics requests. We discuss the implications of our observations, with the hope to aid more informed debates on such telecom policies.
The Effect of Working Position on Trunk Posture and Exertion for Routine Nursing Tasks: An Experimental Study

Objectives: To examine the influence of the two following factors on the proportion of time that nurses spend in a forward-bending trunk posture: (i) the bed height during basic care activities at the bedside and (ii) the work method during basic care activities in the bathroom. A further aim was to examine the connection between the proportion of time spent in a forward-bending posture and the perceived exertion. Methods: Twelve nurses in a geriatric nursing home each performed a standardized care routine at the bedside and in the bathroom. The CUELA (German abbreviation for ‘computer-assisted recording and long-term analysis of musculoskeletal loads’) measuring system was used to record all trunk inclinations. Each participant conducted three tests with the bed at different heights (knee height, thigh height, and hip height) and in the bathroom, three tests were performed with different work methods (standing, kneeling, and sitting). After each test, participants rated their perceived exertion on the 15-point Borg scale (6 = no exertion at all and 20 = exhaustion). Results: If the bed was raised from knee to thigh level, the proportion of time spent in an upright position increased by 8.2% points. However, the effect was not significant (P = 0.193). Only when the bed was raised to hip height, there was a significant increase of 19.8% points (reference: thigh level; P = 0.003) and 28.0% points (reference: knee height; P < 0.001). Bathroom tests: compared with the standing work method, the kneeling and sitting work methods led to a significant increase in the proportion of time spent in an upright posture, by 19.4% points (P = 0.003) and 25.7% points (P < 0.001), respectively. The greater the proportion of time spent in an upright position, the lower the Borg rating (P < 0.001) awarded. Conclusions: The higher the proportion of time that nursing personnel work in an upright position, the less strenuous they perceive the work to be. Raising the bed to hip height and using a stool in the bathroom significantly increase the proportion of time that nursing personnel work in an upright position. Nursing staff can spend a considerably greater proportion of their time in an ergonomic posture if stools and height-adjustable beds are provided in healthcare institutions.
Improving direct-mapped cache performance by the addition of a small fully-associative cache and prefetch buffers

Hardware techniques for improving the performance of caches are presented. Miss caching places a small, fully associative cache between a cache and its refill path. Misses in the cache that hit in the miss cache have only a 1-cycle miss penalty. Small miss caches of 2 to 5 entries are shown to be very effective in removing mapping conflict misses in first-level direct-mapped caches. Victim caching is an improvement to miss caching in that it loads the small fully associative cache with the victim of a miss and not the requested line. Small victim caches of 1 to 5 entries are even more effective at removing conflict misses than miss caching. Stream buffers prefetch cache lines starting at a cache miss address. The prefetched data are placed in the buffer and not in the cache. Stream buffers are useful in removing capacity and compulsory cache misses, as well as some instruction cache conflict misses. An extension to the basic stream buffer, called a multiway stream buffer, is introduced. <<ETX>>
Hierarchical Recurrent Neural Network for Video Summarization

Exploiting the temporal dependency among video frames or subshots is very important for the task of video summarization. Practically, RNN is good at temporal dependency modeling, and has achieved overwhelming performance in many video-based tasks, such as video captioning and classification. However, RNN is not capable enough to handle the video summarization task, since traditional RNNs, including LSTM, can only deal with short videos, while the videos in the summarization task are usually in longer duration. To address this problem, we propose a hierarchical recurrent neural network for video summarization, called H-RNN in this paper. Specifically, it has two layers, where the first layer is utilized to encode short video subshots cut from the original video, and the final hidden state of each subshot is input to the second layer for calculating its confidence to be a key subshot. Compared to traditional RNNs, H-RNN is more suitable to video summarization, since it can exploit long temporal dependency among frames, meanwhile, the computation operations are significantly lessened. The results on two popular datasets, including the Combined dataset and VTW dataset, have demonstrated that the proposed H-RNN outperforms the state-of-the-arts.