Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Imaging neuroscience: Lessons from studies of brain plasticity

The non-invasive brain scanning techniques, introduced a quarter of a century ago, have become crucial for diagnosis in clinical neurology. They have also been used to investigate brain function and have provided information about normal activity and pathogenesis. They have been used to investigate functional specialisation in the brain and how specialised areas communicate to generate complex integrated functions such as speech, memory, the emotions and so on. The phenomenon of brain plasticity is poorly understood, and yet clinical neurologists are aware, from everyday observations, that spontaneous recovery from brain lesions is common. An improved understanding of the mechanisms of recovery may generate new therapeutic strategies and indicate ways of modulating mechanisms that promote plastic compensation for loss of function. The main methods used to investigate these issues are positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MRI is also used to map brain structure. The techniques of functional brain mapping and computational morphometrics depend on high performance scanners and a validated set of analytic statistical procedures that generate reproducible data and meaningful inferences from brain scanning data. The motor system presents a good paradigm to illustrate advances made by scanning towards an understanding of plasticity at the level of brain areas. The normal motor system is organised in a nested hierarchy. Recovery from paralysis caused by internal capsule strokes involves functional reorganisation manifesting as changed patterns of activity in the component brain areas of the normal motor system. The pattern of plastic modification depends in part on patterns of residual or disturbed connectivity after brain injury. Therapeutic manipulations in patients with Parkinson's disease using deep brain stimulation, dopaminergic agents or foetal mesencephalic transplantation provide a means to examine mechanisms underpinning plastic change. Other models of plastic change, such as normal visuospatial learning or re-establishing speech comprehension after cochlear implantation in the deaf illustrate how patterns of brain function adapt over time. Limitations of the scanning techniques and prospects for the future are discussed in relation to new developments in the neuroimaging field.
Beyond Data Parallelism: The Advantages of Multiple Parallelizations in Combinatorial Search

Two popular myths concerning parallel programming are: (1) there is a ``best'''' parallelization for a given application on a given class of machine and (2) loop-based data parallelism captures all useful parallelizations. We challenge these myths by considering alternative parallelizations of combinatorial search, examining the factors that determine the best-performing option for this important class of problems. Using subgraph isomorphism as a representative search problem, we show how the density of the solution space, the number of solutions desired, the number of available processors, and the underlying architecture affect the choice of an efficient parallelization. Our experiments, which span seven different shared-memory machines and a wide range of input graphs, indicate that relative performance depends on each of these factors. On some machines and for some inputs, a sequential depth-first search of the solution space, applying data parallelism at each node in the search tree, performs best. On other machines or other inputs, parallel tree search, with no data parallelism, performs best. In still other cases, a hybrid solution, containing both parallel tree search and data parallelism, works best. From these experiences we conclude that there is no one ``best'''' parallelization that suffices over a range of machines, inputs, and precise problem specifications. As a corollary, we argue that programming environments should not focus exclusively on data parallelism, since parallel tree search or hybrid forms of parallelism may perform better for some applications.
Molecular epidemiology of norovirus infection among children with acute gastroenteritis in Shanghai, China, 2001–2005

Norovirus is one of the major causes of outbreaks and sporadic cases of acute gastroenteritis in young children worldwide. Obtaining local baseline information regarding this virus is important for developing and evaluating prevention strategies of norovirus transmission in children. The age, seasonal distribution and circulating genotypes of norovirus in Shanghai, China, between 2001 and 2005 were determined. Of 5411 stool specimens collected from children under 5 years of age who were hospitalized with acute gastroenteritis 3,975 were rotavirus‐negative, indicating the presence of another causative agent. From these specimens, 484 were selected at random for genotyping, and 45 were norovirus‐positive. Norovirus infection was detected in all age groups, but infants less than 6 months old showed the lowest prevalence (5.4%). Norovirus infections peaked from August to November. Among the 37 identified norovirus strains, 2 were GII‐3, 2 were GII‐7, and 33 were GII‐4 genotypes. This study demonstrated the impact of norovirus infection causing acute gastroenteritis in hospitalized children and the importance of vaccination against norovirus diarrhea in Shanghai, China. J. Med. Virol. 81:1826–1830, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Impact of Girls' Interscholastic Sport Participation on Academic Orientation

Abstract This study was designed to assess the influence of athletics and other extracurricular activities on the academic orientation of female high school students. Senior girls were categorized into groups—labeled athlete-only (comprising students who participated only in athletics as an extracurricular activity), service-only (students who participated in service activities only), athlete-service (students participating in both) and neither (students whose extracurricular activities included neither athletics nor service activities). Categorizations were based on listings from their high school yearbooks. Those taking the ACT college entrance exam (N = 487) were compared on composite and English scores to the other groups, and to national and state averages. Analyses of covariance, controlling for SES and extent of activity involvement revealed that the athlete-only group recorded the lowest average scores, but these could not be attributed to the participation category to which they belonged. Rather,.
Gender Associated High Body Mass Index in Allergic Diseases

BACKGROUND: The increasing prevalence of allergic diseases and atopy is affected by sex, age and lifestyle factors. Obesity and excess weight are reported to be potential risk factors for atopy and specifically for asthma symptoms in children and adults. OBJECTIVE: To assess the relation between body mass index (BMI) and allergic diseases in patients of both genders, as well as association of BMI with atopy in healthy subjects. METHODS: BMI (kg/m2), skin-prick test and total serum immunoglobulin E levels were assessed in 139 subjects: 109 were patients with allergic diseases (M to F ratio was 51:58) and 30 were healthy controls (M to F ratio was 6:24). RESULTS: The study population was grouped into asthma, asthmarhinitis, rhinitis, Urticaria oreczema and controls by BMI and sex. Females with the highest BMI were in asthma and urticaria/eczema group. Males with the highest BMI were in asthmarhinitis and urticariaeczema group. High BMI was associated with atopy in both genders of healthy controls. High levels of total IgE were in male allergic patients. CONCLUSION: High BMI was associated with asthma in females, urticaria/eczema in both genders and atopy in both genders of healthy controls. Higher levels of total IgE were concluded in male patients.
Analyzing Security Property of Android Application Implementation Using Formal Method

As mobile phones are becoming a main approach for people to use to access Internet, security is a major concern when people are using their mobile phones. Different from the Web browser which has mature isolation mechanisms to protect users' information such as cookies and credentials, Android app developers have to implement the isolation mechanism such as the Single Origin Policy (SOP) themselves. During the implementation process, it is highly likely that there is vulnerability in the implementation. Therefore, it is necessary to perform analysis to the implementation before it is released to market. As part of an ongoing Ph.D. research project, this dissertation inspects two scenarios. The first scenario is an app which provides Single Sign-on (SSO) service using Facebook SDK. The author builds formal models from the captured network traffic of the app and uses a verifier Proverif to check against the defined properties of the formal models. After the analysis, one vulnerability is discovered which violates SOP. As for the second scenario, it is an initial analysis of information flow leak in Android apps.
Genetic diversity and PCR-based identification of potential fumonisin-producing Fusarium verticillioides isolates infecting corn in the Philippines

Genetic diversity and identification of fumonisin-producing isolates of Fusarium verticillioides from two provinces in the Philippines were analyzed using molecular techniques. Using a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)-based technique, 49 of the 54 isolates were identified as F. verticillioides, with an amplified product of 800 bp using VERT-1 and VERT-2 primers. Of these, VERTF-1/VERTF-2 primers detected 38 fumonisin-producing F. verticillioides isolates producing a single fragment of 400 bp. The other five isolates, which had previously been identified as F. verticillioides by TEF sequences, morphology and sexual crosses, were negative using this method. Using Universally Primed-PCR (UP-PCR) markers for F. verticillioides, no grouping was observed based on geographical origin and species, but intermediate (53.8%) to high (99.6%) bootstrap values and high genotypic diversity (H=0.99) were generated, suggesting that all isolates clearly belonged to F. verticilliodes. Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Mean (UPGMA) cluster analysis with Jaccard's coefficient showed that similarities among F. verticillioides isolates were intermediate at 71% similarity level.
L'engagement des salariés dans le travail

Meyer et Allen (1991, 1997) ont developpe et valide une conception tridimensionnelle de l'engagement (affectif, de continuation, normatif) envers l'entreprise. Leur modele peut etre applique a d'autres cibles de travail telles que la profession, le superieur, le groupe de travail et les clients. La recherche concernant cette conceptualisation est passee en revue, une attention particuliere etant portee aux eventuels conflits entre engagements vis-a-vis de cibles differentes, aux antecedents et aux consequences de l'engagement. Enfin, nous analysons les liens potentiels entre engagement et pratiques de gestion des ressources humaines.
Is Big Data challenging criminology?

The advent of ‘Big Data’ and machine learning algorithms is predicted to transform how we work and think. Specifically, it is said that the capacity of Big Data analytics to move from sampling to census, its ability to deal with messy data and the demonstrated utility of moving from causality to correlation have fundamentally changed the practice of social sciences. Some have even predicted the end of theory—where the question why is replaced by what—and an enduring challenge to disciplinary expertise. This article critically reviews the available literature against such claims and draws on the example of predictive policing to discuss the likely impact of Big Data analytics on criminological research and policy.
Effect of experimental parameters on high b‐value q‐space MR images of excised rat spinal cord

The influence of diffusion time (Δ), gradient duration (δ), and TE on the appearance of high b‐value q‐space diffusion MR images of excised rat spinal cord (SC) was evaluated. The water signal decays in the white (WM) and gray matter (GM) were analyzed when the diffusion was measured perpendicular (⟂) and parallel (‖) to the fibers of the SC, using three different approaches: single‐component q‐space analysis, the biexponential model, and the bi‐Gaussian fit of the displacement distribution profile. Probability and displacement contrast and anisotropy indices were calculated for the WM and GM. It was found that WM/GM contrast increases as the diffusion time is increased when diffusion is measured perpendicular to the long axis of the SC. At a diffusion time of 50 ms, when diffusion was measured parallel to the fibers of the SC, the displacement was found to be higher for GM as compared to WM. For this direction the WM/GM contrast increased when diffusion time was increased, although here the changes were much less pronounced than for the perpendicular direction. The WM/GM displacement contrast nearly disappears for a diffusion time of 150 ms, when diffusion is measured parallel to the fibers of the SC. As expected, the anisotropy indices were found to be higher in WM than in GM, and increased with the increase in diffusion time. Both δ and TE affected the extracted parameters. It was found that long δ and long TE overemphasizes the apparent slow‐diffusing water component of the SC, which is also the more restricted one. It is demonstrated that the single‐component q‐space analysis best describes diffusion in WM when diffusion is measured perpendicular to the fibers of the SC. In other cases, a more complete description is obtained by using two‐component models. Magn Reson Med 54:96–104, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Who Benefits From Chatting, and Why?

The current study aimed to provide more insight into the role of online chatting in young adults’ emotional adjustment. A model was tested that takes into account (a) extraversion of individuals who communicate online, (b) the kind of peers these individuals communicate with online (i.e., online-exclusive peers vs. friends), and (c) the extent to which effects of online chatting on emotional adjustment are mediated by individuals’ ability to provide support to others. Young adults (age M = 18.9) filled out questionnaires about themselves and their fellow students at three measurements with a 4-month interval. Results showed that only for less extraverted individuals, chatting with peers found exclusively online directly predicted higher self-esteem and indirectly predicted less depressive symptoms through increases in supportiveness. Thus, results supported a model of social compensation where effects of online chatting with online-exclusive peers improved young adults’ emotional adjustment.
Rab11 mediates post-Golgi trafficking of rhodopsin to the photosensitive apical membrane of Drosophila photoreceptors

In developing Drosophila photoreceptors, rhodopsin is trafficked to the rhabdomere, a specialized domain within the apical membrane surface. Rab11, a small GTPase implicated in membrane traffic, immunolocalizes to the trans-Golgi network, cytoplasmic vesicles and tubules, and the base of rhabdomeres. One hour after release from the endoplasmic reticulum, rhodopsin colocalizes with Rab11 in vesicles at the base of the rhabdomere. When Rab11 activity is reduced by three different genetic procedures, rhabdomere morphogenesis is inhibited and rhodopsin-bearing vesicles proliferate within the cytosol. Rab11 activity is also essential for development of MVB endosomal compartments; this is probably a secondary consequence of impaired rhabdomere development. Furthermore, Rab11 is required for transport of TRP, another rhabdomeric protein, and for development of specialized membrane structures within Garland cells. These results establish a role for Rab11 in the post-Golgi transport of rhodopsin and of other proteins to the rhabdomeric membranes of photoreceptors, and in analogous transport processes in other cells.
The tools of disability outcomes research functional status measures.

OBJECTIVE To review the major functional status measures currently used in rehabilitation research, including the domains and scope of functional status measures, as well as the psychometric properties of selected functional status measures and their use in adult rehabilitation populations. DATA SOURCES Measures of physical functioning widely used in rehabilitation research. STUDY SELECTION Major generic measures included the following activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living: the FIM instrument, the Katz Activities of Daily Living Scale, the Level of Rehabilitation Scale, the Barthel index, and the Patient Evaluation and Conference System. Measures were evaluated based on published evidence of validity, reliability, and sensitivity. DATA EXTRACTION Measures were chosen on the basis of the amount and quality of published research on the functional measures widely used in rehabilitation medicine. Independent research of computer databases and reviews of functional measures were conducted to determine suitability for inclusion. The quality and validity of the measures were assessed using standard psychometric guidelines. DATA SYNTHESIS Measures were evaluated based on published evidence of validity, reliability, sensitivity response and administrative burdens and instrument bias. Each criterion was graded on a 3-point scale reflecting the level of evidence. CONCLUSION Researchers in the field of disabilities research need to consider carefully study objectives when measuring physical functioning in people with disabilities.
Neighborhood Stereotypes and Interpersonal Trust in Social Exchange: An Experimental Study

Recent research indicates that segregation is, in addition to many other undesirable consequences, negatively associated with social capital, in particular, generalized trust within a community. This study investigates whether an individual's residential neighborhood and the stereotypes associated with this neighborhood affect others’ trusting behavior as a specific form of social exchange. Using an anonymous trust game experiment in the context of five districts of the German capital, Berlin, we show that trusting is contingent on others’ residential neighborhood rather than on deliberate assessments of trustworthiness. Participants show significantly greater trust toward individuals from positively stereotyped neighborhoods with favorable sociodemographic characteristics than to persons from negatively stereotyped neighborhoods with unfavorable sociodemographics. Importantly, when stereotypes and sociodemographic factors point in opposite directions, participants’ trust decisions reflect stereotype content.
Testing a tripartite model: I. Evaluating the convergent and discriminant validity of anxiety and depression symptom scales.

L.A. Clark and D. Watson (1991) proposed a tripartite model that groups symptoms of depression and anxiety into 3 subtypes: symptoms of general distress that are largely nonspecific, manifestations of somatic tension and arousal that are relatively unique to anxiety, and symptoms of anhedonia and low Positive Affect that are specific to depression. This model was tested in 5 samples (3 student, 1 adult, and 1 patient sample) using the Mood and Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire (MASQ; D. Watson & L. A. Clark, 1991), which was designed to assess the hypothesized symptom groups, together with other symptom and cognition measures. Consistent with the tripartite model, the MASQ Anxious Arousal and Anhedonic Depression scales both differentiated anxiety and depression well and also showed excellent convergent validity. Thus, differentiation of these constructs can be improved by focusing on symptoms that are relatively unique to each.
Global burden of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis complicating sarcoidosis

Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) may complicate pulmonary sarcoidosis. We re-estimated the global burden of sarcoidosis and the burden of CPA complicating sarcoidosis. We searched the literature and reference lists of retrieved papers to identify all published sarcoidosis incidence and prevalence data. We estimated the frequency of CPA from 11 papers relating to >3,000 patients with sarcoidosis to derive CPA patient numbers. We applied an annual attrition rate of 15% (range 10–25%) to estimate the global burden of CPA. We estimate that the annual incidence of sarcoidosis is 344,000 patients worldwide and the prevalence is ∼1,238,000 cases, distributed as follows: 165,979 in Europe, 224,000 in the Americas, 492,892 in Africa, 80,023 in the Eastern Mediterranean, 41,660 in the West Pacific and 234,010 in Southeast Asia. CPA complicates sarcoidosis in 3–12% of cases. Using a 6% frequency, we estimate a global burden of 71,907 (range 35,954–143,815 (3–12%)) CPA cases complicating sarcoidosis, with 24% and 37% of cases estimated to be present in the Americas and Africa, because of the higher incidence of sarcoidosis in black people. As CPA responds to long-term antifungal therapy, which may prevent life-threatening haemoptysis, screening periodically for CPA in those with pulmonary sarcoidosis may be important, especially in patients requiring corticosteroid therapy.
Temperature-Dependent Transformation of Cells Infected with a Mutant of Bryan Rous Sarcoma Virus

Chick embryo cells infected with a mutant (Ta) of the Bryan high-titer strain of Rous sarcoma virus (RSV-BH) are morphologically transformed at 36 C but appear similar to uninfected cells at 41 C. When cells infected with RSV-BH-Ta are switched from 41 to 36 C, morphological changes characteristic of transformation are observable within 10 min. The transformation is reversible; cells shifted from 36 to 41 C have been observed to lose their transformed morphology within 1 hr. The transformation after a shift in temperature is unaffected by inhibition of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), ribonucleic acid (RNA), or protein synthesis, demonstrating that the proteins involved in the morphological change are already present. Transformed cells infected with RSV-BH or RSV-BH-Ta take up hexose and synthesize hyaluronic acid at higher rates than uninfected cells or RSV-BH-Ta-infected cells grown at 41 C. However, inhibition of either protein or RNA synthesis, but not DNA synthesis, prevented the induction of increased hexose uptake and hyaluronic acid synthesis after a shift of RSV-BH-Ta-infected cells from 41 to 36 C. Therefore, these biochemical changes are secondary to a more basic change responsible for morphological transformation.