Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Role of Switching, Inhibition and Working Memory in Older Adults' Performance in the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test

ABSTRACT The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) is considered a typical executive test. However, several interesting questions are still open as to the specific executive processes underlying this task. In the present study, we explored how local and global switching, inhibition and working memory, assessed through the Number–Letter, the Stop Signal and the Reading Span tasks, relate to older adults' performance in the WCST. Results showed that older adults' performance variability in the number of perseverative errors was predicted by the local switch component of the Number–Letter task. Results also showed age-related differences in inhibition, working memory and global switching, while local switching resulted largely spared in aging. This study provides evidence that switching abilities may contribute to performance of older adults in the WCST. It also provides initial evidence suggesting that switching processes, associated with local switch costs, are involved in performance on the WCST, at least in older adults.
Determinants of Prevalent HIV Infection and Late HIV Diagnosis among Young Women with Two or More Sexual Partners in Beira, Mozambique

Background The prevalence and determinants of HIV and late diagnosis of HIV in young women in Beira, Mozambique, were estimated in preparation for HIV prevention trials. Methods An HIV prevalence survey was conducted between December 2009 and October 2012 among 1,018 women aged 18–35 with two or more sexual partners in the last month. Participants were recruited in places thought by recruitment officers to be frequented by women at higher-risk, such as kiosks, markets, night schools, and bars. Women attended the research center and underwent a face-to-face interview, HIV counseling and testing, pregnancy testing, and blood sample collection. Results HIV prevalence was 32.6% (95% confidence interval (CI) 29.7%–35.5%). Factors associated with being HIV infected in the multivariable analysis were older age (p<0.001), lower educational level (p<0.001), self-reported genital symptoms in the last 3 months (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.4; CI 1.1–2.0), more than one lifetime HIV test (aOR = 0.4; CI 0.3–0.6), and not knowing whether the primary partner has ever been tested for HIV (aOR = 1.7; CI 1.1–2.5). About a third (32.3%) of participants who tested HIV-positive had a CD4 lymphocyte count of <350 cells/µl at diagnosis. Factors associated with late diagnosis in multivariable analyses were: not knowing whether the primary partner has ever been tested for HIV (aOR = 2.2; CI 1.1–4.2) and having had a gynecological pathology in the last year (aOR = 3.7; CI 1.2–12.0). Conclusions HIV prevalence and late diagnosis of HIV infection were high in our study population of young women with sexual risk behavior in Beira, Mozambique. HIV prevention programs should be strengthened, health care providers should be sensitized, and regular HIV testing should be encouraged to enroll people living with HIV into care and treatment programs sooner.
Neuropsychological functioning in children with Tourette syndrome (TS).

OBJECTIVE We examined whether children with Tourette syndrome (TS) displayed a unique pattern of neuropsychological deficits on the CANTAB relative to control children. We also looked at whether children with TS and other comorbidities had more neuropsychological impairments than those with uncomplicated TS and how age was related to the profile of neuropsychological deficits in TS. METHOD Participants included 38 children with TS (aged 7 to 13 years) and 38 control children (aged 6 to 12 years). All children were administered 8 subtests from the CANTAB and parents and teachers completed the BRIEF rating scale on children in the TS group. RESULTS Children with TS displayed deficits relative to control children on measures of visual memory, executive functioning, and attention from the CANTAB. Among the TS group, age was negatively correlated with performance on measures of executive functioning, speed of response and working memory. CONCLUSIONS Identifying the pattern of neuropsychological deficits in children with TS on the CANTAB is important for highlighting areas of deficit that can be targeted for intervention and teaching strategies. With further research, the CANTAB may prove to be a useful resource in the assessment and treatment of children with TS.
The Buffer-Stock Theory of Saving: Some Macroeconomic Evidence

As I WRITE, the U.S. economy remains mired in the slowest recovery from any recession in the postwar period. Consumer confidence and consumption spending, in particular, have been exceptionally weak, and the unemployment rate has continued to rise long after many other indicators began to improve. This paper presents evidence that these facts are related, in the sense that consumer pessimism about unemployment explains a substantial part of the recent weakness in consumption. However, neither theoretical consumption models commonly used for macroeconomic research' nor standard macroeconometric forecasting models2 provide a direct role for unemployment expectations in determining current consumption.3 By contrast, this paper shows that the "buffer-stock" model of saving that has evolved from the work of Stephen Zeldes and Angus Deaton and from my previous work can imply a central role for unemployment expectations.4 In the buffer-stock model,
DGPS-INS data fusion for land navigation

The interest for land navigation has increased for the recent years. With the advent of the Global Position System (GPS) we have now the ability to determine the absolute position anywhere on the globe. The problem is that the GPS systems work well only in open environments with no overhead obstructions and they are subject to large unavoidable errors when the reception from some of the satellites are blocked. This occurs frequently in urban environments, forests and tunnels. GPS systems require at least four “visible” satellites to maintain a good position fix. In many situations in which higher level of accuracy is required, the navigation cannot be achieved by GPS alone. This paper discusses the design of a reliable multisensor fusion algorithm using GPS and Inertial Navigation System in order to decrease the implementation cost of such systems on land vehicles. The major contribution of this paper is in the definition of the possible developments and research axes in land navigation.
Relying on topic subsets for system ranking estimation

Ranking a number of retrieval systems according to their retrieval effectiveness without relying on costly relevance judgments was first explored by Soboroff et al [6]. Over the years, a number of alternative approaches have been proposed. We perform a comprehensive analysis of system ranking estimation approaches on a wide variety of TREC test collections and topics sets. Our analysis reveals that the performance of such approaches is highly dependent upon the topic or topic subset, used for estimation. We hypothesize that the performance of system ranking estimation approaches can be improved by selecting the "right" subset of topics and show that using topic subsets improves the performance by 32% on average, with a maximum improvement of up to 70% in some cases.
Multiple Aspect Grasp performance index for cooperative object manipulation tasks

In this paper, a new Multiple Aspect Grasp (MAG) performance index is presented for evaluating grasp quality for object manipulation tasks. The position of contact points, the configuration of cooperative manipulators, and the kinetics aspects of manipulators and the manipulated object are taken into account by the proposed MAG index. The MAG index is used to evaluate the candidate grasp points, selecting the effective branch of inverse kinematics solution, and cooperation of two manipulators. Simulation results reveal capabilities of MAG index in grasp planning for both individual and cooperative object manipulation tasks.
Structural Decomposition Analysis of Carbon Emissions and Policy Recommendations for Energy Sustainability in Xinjiang

Regional carbon dioxide emissions study is necessary for China to realize the emissions mitigation. An environmental input–output structural decomposition analysis (IO-SDA) has been conducted in order to uncover the driving forces for the increment in energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in Xinjiang from both production and final demands perspectives from 1997 to 2007. According to our research outcomes, emissions increase can be illustrated as a competition between consumption growth (per capita GDP) and efficiency improvement (carbon emission intensity). Consumption growth have caused an increase of 109.98 Mt carbon dioxide emissions during 1997 to 2007, and efficiency improvement have caused a 97.03 Mt decrease during the same period. Per capita GDP is the most important driver for the rapid emission growth, while carbon emission intensity is the significant contributor to offset these increments. In addition, production structure changes performed as a new major driver for the steep rise in carbon dioxide emissions in recent years (2002–2007), indicating that the rapid emission growth in Xinjiang is the result of structural changes in the economy making it more carbon-intensive. From the viewpoint of final demands, fixed capital formation contributed the highest carbon dioxide emission, followed by inter-provincial export and urban residential consumption; while inter-provincial imports had the biggest contributions to offset emission increments. Based on our analysis results, Xinjiang may face great challenges to curb carbon dioxide emissions in the near future. However, several concrete mitigation measures have been further discussed and then raised by considering the regional realities, aiming to harmonize regional development and carbon dioxide emissions reduction.
LPS exacerbates functional and inflammatory responses to ovalbumin and decreases sensitivity to inhaled fluticasone propionate in a guinea pig model of asthma

Asthma exacerbations contribute to corticosteroid insensitivity. LPS is ubiquitous in the environment. It causes bronchoconstriction and airway inflammation and may therefore exacerbate allergen responses. This study examined whether LPS and ovalbumin co‐administration could exacerbate the airway inflammatory and functional responses to ovalbumin in conscious guinea pigs and whether these exacerbated responses were insensitive to inhaled corticosteroid treatment with fluticasone propionate (FP).
Enterolactone induces apoptosis in human prostate carcinoma LNCaP cells via a mitochondrial-mediated, caspase-dependent pathway

The mammalian lignan enterolactone is a major metabolite of plant-based lignans that has been shown to inhibit the growth and development of prostate cancer. However, little is known about the mechanistic basis for its anticancer activity. In this study, we report that enterolactone selectively suppresses the growth of LNCaP prostate cancer cells by triggering apoptosis. Mechanistic studies showed that enterolactone-induced apoptosis was characterized by a dose-dependent loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, release of cytochrome c and cleavage of procaspase-3 and poly(ADP-ribose)-polymerase (PARP). Caspase dependence was indicated by the ability of the pan-caspase inhibitor z-VAD-fmk to attenuate enterolactone-mediated apoptosis. Mechanistic studies suggested roles for Akt, GSK-3β, MDM2, and p53 in enterolactone-dependent apoptosis. Our findings encourage further studies of enterolactone as a promising chemopreventive agent against prostate cancer. [Mol Cancer Ther 2007;6(9):2581–90]
Sporothrix schenckii Cell Wall Peptidorhamnomannans

This mini-review article is dedicated to clarifying certain important biochemical aspects of Sporothrix schenckii cell wall peptidorhamnomannans. Cell wall components involved in the host interaction such as antigens as well as a gp70 adhesin are important molecules present on the surface of the yeast parasitic phase. Other structural glycoconjugates present on the fungus cell surface are also described here. Knowledge of the fine structure of carbohydrate epitopes expressed on the surface in both morphological phases of S. schenckii permitted the development of non-invasive immunochemical methods to diagnose human and feline sporotrichosis.
Pulsed low-intensity ultrasound therapy for chronic lateral epicondylitis: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES Pulsed low-intensity ultrasound therapy (LIUS) has been found to be beneficial in accelerating fracture healing and has produced positive results in animal tendon repair. In the light of this we undertook a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of LIUS vs placebo therapy daily for 12 weeks in patients with chronic lateral epicondylitis (LE). METHODS Patients with LE of at least 6 weeks' duration were recruited from general practice, physiotherapy and rheumatology clinics, and had to have failed at least one first-line treatment including non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and corticosteroid injection. Participants were assigned either active LIUS or placebo. Treatment was self-administered daily for 20 min over a 12-week period. The primary end-point was a 50% improvement from baseline in elbow pain measured at 12 weeks using a patient-completed visual analogue scale. RESULTS Fifty-five subjects aged 18-80 were recruited over a 9-month period. In the active group 64% (16/25) achieved at least 50% improvement from baseline in elbow pain at 12 weeks compared with 57% (13/23) in the placebo group (difference of 7%; 95% confidence interval -20 to 35%). However, this was not statistically significant (chi(2) = 0.28, P = 0.60). CONCLUSION In this study LIUS was no more effective for a large treatment effect than placebo for recalcitrant LE. This is in keeping with other interventional studies for the condition.
Detection of optic disc in retinal images by means of a geometrical model of vessel structure

We present here a new method to identify the position of the optic disc (OD) in retinal fundus images. The method is based on the preliminary detection of the main retinal vessels. All retinal vessels originate from the OD and their path follows a similar directional pattern (parabolic course) in all images. To describe the general direction of retinal vessels at any given position in the image, a geometrical parametric model was proposed, where two of the model parameters are the coordinates of the OD center. Using as experimental data samples of vessel centerline points and corresponding vessel directions, provided by any vessel identification procedure, model parameters were identified by means of a simulated annealing optimization technique. These estimated values provide the coordinates of the center of OD. A Matlab/spl reg/ prototype implementing this method was developed. An evaluation of the proposed procedure was performed using the set of 81 images from the STARE project, containing images from both normal and pathological subjects. The OD position was correctly identified in 79 out of 81 images (98%), even in rather difficult pathological situations.
An Indoor Pedestrian Positioning Method Using HMM with a Fuzzy Pattern Recognition Algorithm in a WLAN Fingerprint System

With the rapid development of smartphones and wireless networks, indoor location-based services have become more and more prevalent. Due to the sophisticated propagation of radio signals, the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) shows a significant variation during pedestrian walking, which introduces critical errors in deterministic indoor positioning. To solve this problem, we present a novel method to improve the indoor pedestrian positioning accuracy by embedding a fuzzy pattern recognition algorithm into a Hidden Markov Model. The fuzzy pattern recognition algorithm follows the rule that the RSSI fading has a positive correlation to the distance between the measuring point and the AP location even during a dynamic positioning measurement. Through this algorithm, we use the RSSI variation trend to replace the specific RSSI value to achieve a fuzzy positioning. The transition probability of the Hidden Markov Model is trained by the fuzzy pattern recognition algorithm with pedestrian trajectories. Using the Viterbi algorithm with the trained model, we can obtain a set of hidden location states. In our experiments, we demonstrate that, compared with the deterministic pattern matching algorithm, our method can greatly improve the positioning accuracy and shows robust environmental adaptability.
Absolute diffuse calibration of IRAC through mid-infrared and radio study of H ii regions

We investigate the diffuse absolute calibration of the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC )o n the Spitzer Space Telescope (SST) at 8.0 μm using a sample of 43 H II regions with a wide range of morphologies near l = 312 ◦ . For each region we carefully measure sky-subtracted, pointsource-subtracted, areally integrated IRAC 8.0-μm fluxes and compare these with Midcourse Space eXperiment (MSX) 8.3-μm images at two different spatial resolutions, and with radio continuum maps. We determine an accurate median ratio of IRAC 8.0-μm/MSX 8.3-μm fluxes, of 1.55 ± 0.15. From robust spectral energy distributions of these regions we conclude that the present 8.0-μm diffuse calibration of the SST is 36 per cent too high compared with the MSX validated calibration, perhaps due to scattered light inside the camera. This is an independent confirmation of the result derived for the diffuse calibration of IRAC by the Spitzer Science Centre (SSC). From regression analyses we find that 843-MHz radio fluxes of H II regions and mid-infrared (MIR) fluxes are linearly related for MSX at 8.3 μm and Spitzer at 8.0 μm, confirming the earlier MSX result by Cohen & Green. The median ratio of MIR/843-MHz diffuse continuum fluxes is 600× smaller in non-thermal than thermal regions, making it a sharp discriminant. The ratios are largely independent of morphology up to a size of ∼24 arcmin. We provide homogeneous radio and MIR morphologies for all sources. MIR morphology is not uniquely related to radio structure. Compact regions may have MIR filaments and/or diffuse haloes, perhaps infrared counterparts to weakly ionized radio haloes found around compact H II regions. We offer two IRAC colour‐colour plots as quantitative diagnostics of diffuse H II regions.
The energy minimization problem for two-level dissipative quantum systems

In this article, we study the energy minimization problem of dissipative two-level quantum systems whose dynamics is governed by the Kossakowski–Lindblad equations. In the first part, we classify the extremal curve solutions of the Pontryagin maximum principle. The optimality properties are analyzed using the concept of conjugate points and the Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman equation. This analysis completed by numerical simulations based on adapted algorithms allows a computation of the optimal control law whose robustness with respect to the initial conditions and dissipative parameters is also detailed. In the final section, an application in nuclear magnetic resonance is presented.
Functional and structural interactions between selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors

Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are involved in the regulation of mood and their related disorders such as anxiety and major depressive disorder. For example, there is a clear and strong association between major depression and smoking, where depressed patients smoke twice more than the non-depressed population, and opposite to that, nicotine consumption may lead to depressive symptoms. In patients with major depressive disorder, although the number of nAChRs is not altered, there is a low availability of nAChRs, possibly caused by higher endogenous ACh levels and the consequent nAChR desensitization, consistent with the cholinergic hypothesis of depression, in which the cholinergic systems is hypersensitive. Moreover, studies using animal models of depression reveal that nicotine-evoked serotonin release is mediated by nAChR activation compensating the deficiency of serotonin in depressed conditions. It was also reported that several common clinically prescribed antidepressants, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), inhibit different nAChRs by non-competitive mechanisms, including ion channel blockade and accelerating nAChR desensitization. More specifically, SSRIs decrease channel open time without changing the single-channel conductance, indicating that these antidepressants act as open-channel blockers. Furthermore, inactive doses of citalopram, a SSRI antidepressant, and of PNU-28298, an α7 nAChR agonist, exert antidepressant-like effects. According with functional and structural results, SSRIs (e.g., fluoxetine) and tricyclic antidepressants (e.g., imipramine) bind to overlapping sites located within the nAChR ion channel in the desensitized and resting states.
Infantile nystagmus. Development documented by eye movement recordings.

PURPOSE To report on the development of infantile nystagmus in a patient's first year of life. METHODS A case study using consecutive photo-oculographic and electro-oculographic eye movement recordings in the subject ranging between 1 and 12 months of age. RESULTS Although no nystagmus was present at 5 weeks of age, square-wave jerks were recorded at 7 weeks, and a small pendular nystagmus was recorded at 8 weeks. At 10 weeks of age, evaluation revealed predominantly larger jerk-type nystagmus with increasing and decreasing exponential velocities of the slow phase. After 14 weeks of age, the nystagmus became smaller and was predominantly pendular. Between 7 and 12 months of age, binocular electro-oculography recordings showed conjugate pendular nystagmus typical of infantile nystagmus. CONCLUSION This is the first report documenting that, at least in some forms of infantile nystagmus, eye movement abnormalities are not present at birth. Before the development of the typical pattern of infantile nystagmus waveforms (that is, conjugated pendular or jerk-type nystagmus with increasing exponential velocity slow phases), saccadic abnormalities (square-wave jerks) and jerk-type nystagmus with increasing as well as decreasing velocities were observed.
Predictores del deseo sexual en una muestra de mujeres mexicanas

El deseo sexual es un energia psicobiologica (Levine, 2003) un interes en objetos o actividades sexuales (Regan & Berscheid, 2000) y un constructo que existe y toma su forma debido a la cultura y la historia (Giles, 2006). Por tanto, el objetivo del presente estudio consistio en detectar si la satisfaccion con la relacion, los celos, la sociosexualidad y la conducta sexual son predictores confiables del deseo sexual en un grupo de mujeres heterosexuales mexicanas. Las variables incluidas en el modelo fueron los patrones de comportamiento sexual, satisfaccion con la relacion, celos e infidelidad. La muestra se conformo con 193 mujeres voluntarias, seleccionadas mediante un muestreo no probabilistico accidental, cuyas edades oscilan entre los 18 y los 64 anos, con una relacion de pareja heterosexual. Para probar los modelos se llevaron a cabo analisis de regresion multiple. Los resultados mostraron la alta personalidad sexual conquistadora y la baja tendencia a la promiscuidad como los principales predictores del deseo sexual en las mujeres de la muestra