Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Neural Correlates of the Noradrenergic Modulation of Human Attention, Arousal and Learning

The prefrontal cortex has been suggested as a site of action for the noradrenergic modulation of cognition. In healthy volunteers attentional deficits can be induced by the α2 adrenoceptor agonist clonidine, without impairment of more explicit tests of frontal lobe function. It is therefore possible that the effects of noradrenaline cannot be localized to a specific brain area such as the prefrontal cortex, but instead involve structures in a more widespread attentional network. A 1.5 μg/kg dose of clonidine or placebo was administered to 13 healthy male volunteers performing the rapid visual information processing task, which places demands on both sustained attention and working memory. Twelve positron emission tomography measurements of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) were collected during performance of this task and also during a rest state. A second experiment in 12 healthy volunteers examined the effects of a 1.3 μg/kg dose of clonidine on the rCBF changes associated with performance of a paired associates learning task compared with passive listening to word pairs. Comparison of each of the experimental tasks with its respective control replicated previous findings. A significant drug × task interaction, common to the two studies, was found in the right thalamus. Inspection of the adjusted rCBF values showed that the effect was due to attenuation of thalamic rCBF during the control states rather than to any effects of clonidine during performance of the cognitive tasks, although the effect was stronger in the rapid visual information processing study than in the paired associates learning study. The significant effect of clonidine during the control as opposed to the ‘cognitive’ activation state is consistent with previous findings in animals and humans demonstrating greater effects of clonidine during states of relatively low arousal. The results suggest neuroanatomical dissociation of the noradrenergic modulation of arousal (via the thalamus) and attention.
Small Plot Trials Documenting Effective Mating Disruption of Oriental Fruit Moth by Using High Densities of Wax-Drop Pheromone Dispensers

Abstract In 2004 field experiments, we compared the effectiveness of various deployment densities of 0.1-ml paraffin wax drops containing 5% pheromone versus Isomate M-Rosso “rope” dispensers for disruption of Grapholita molesta (Busck). Treatments were evaluated in 0.05-ha (12-tree) plots of ‘Delicious’ apples receiving regular maintenance according to growers’ standards, but not sprayed with insecticides. The application densities of 0.1-ml wax drops were 3 per tree (820/ha), 10 per tree (2,700/ha), 30 per tree (8,200/ha), and 100 per tree (27,300/ha). Wax drops were compared with 3-ml dispensers of pheromone-containing paraffin wax or Isomate M-Rosso ropes at 1.8 per tree (500/ha) and untreated control plots. Treatments were applied before the start of each of three moth generations. Orientational disruption, as measured by inhibition of moth captures in pheromone-baited delta traps, was greatest in plots that received 100 drops per tree (99.2%) and 30 drops per tree (99.4%). More than 55% of tethered, virgin females were mated in control plots after one night of deployment. However, no mating was recorded at the two highest application densities of wax drops where orientational disruption of traps exceeded 99%. Mating ranged from 7 to 20% among the other treatments, including Isomate rope dispensers. G. molesta males were observed closely approaching pheromone dispensers in plots containing ropes and wax drops, documenting competitive attraction between synthetic pheromone sources and feral females. The majority of observed G. molesta males approached within 60 cm of wax drops or pheromone ropes and departed within 20 s by flying upwind. Thirty wax drops per tree yielded higher mating disruption of G. molesta than did Isomate M-Rosso dispensers deployed at the recommended rate of 500/ha (1.8 per tree). Measurement of release rates confirmed behavioral data indicating that paraffin wax dispensers would need to be applied once per G. molesta generation in Michigan. Paraffin wax drops are a promising technology for moth mating disruption. They are cheaper and easier to produce, require less total pheromone per annual application, and produce better mating disruption at appropriate deployment densities compared with Isomate M-Rosso dispensers under high G. molesta population densities. The cost-effectiveness of this approach will require an appropriate mechanized applicator for wax drops.
Assessing Serial Irregularity and Its Implications for Health

Abstract: Approximate entropy (ApEn) is a recently formulated family of parameters and statistics quantifying regularity (orderliness) in serial data, with developments within theoretical mathematics as well as numerous applications to multiple biological contexts. We discuss the motivation for ApEn development, from the study of inappropriate application of dynamical systems (complexity) algorithms to general time‐series settings. ApEn is scale invariant and model independent, evaluates both dominant and subordinant patterns in data, and discriminates series for which clear feature recognition is difficult. ApEn is applicable to systems with at least 50 data points and to broad classes of models: it can be applied to discriminate both general classes of correlated stochastic processes, as well as noisy deterministic systems. Moreover, ApEn is complementary to spectral and autocorrelation analyses, providing effective discriminatory capability in instances in which the aforementioned measures exhibit minimal distinctions. Representative ApEn applications to human aging studies, based on both heart rate and endocrinologic (hormonal secretory) time series, are featured. Heart rate (HR) studies include gender‐ and age‐related changes in HR dynamics in older subjects, and analyses of “near‐SIDS” infants. Endocrinologic applications establish clear quantitative changes in joint LH‐testosterone secretory dynamics in older versus younger men (a “partial male menopause”), via cross‐ApEn, a related two‐variable asynchrony formulation; a disruption in LH‐FSH‐NPT (penile tumescence) synchrony in older subjects; and changes in LH‐FSH secretory dynamics across menopause. The capability of ApEn to assess relatively subtle disruptions, typically found earlier in the history of a subject than mean and variance changes, holds the potential for enhanced preventative and earlier interventionist strategies.
The Geneva-Copenhagen survey of the Solar neighbourhood - Ages, metallicities, and kinematic properties of ~14 000 F and G dwarfs

We present and discuss new determinations of metallicity, rotation, age, kinematics, and Galactic orbits for a com- plete, magnitude-limited, and kinematically unbiased sample of 16 682 nearby F and G dwarf stars. Our ∼63 000 new, accurate radial-velocity observations for nearly 13 500 stars allow identification of most of the binary stars in the sample and, together with published uvbyβ photometry, Hipparcos parallaxes, Tycho-2 proper motions, and a few earlier radial velocities, complete the kinematic information for 14 139 stars. These high-quality velocity data are supplemented by effective temperatures and metallicities newly derived from recent and/or revised calibrations. The remaining stars either lack Hipparcos data or have fast rotation. Am ajor effort has been devoted to the determination of new isochrone ages for all stars for which this is possible. Particular attention has been given to a realistic treatment of statistical biases and error estimates, as standard techniques tend to under- estimate these effects and introduce spurious features in the age distributions. Our ages agree well with those by Edvardsson et al. (1993), despite several astrophysical and computational improvements since then. We demonstrate, however, how strong observational and theoretical biases cause the distribution of the observed ages to be very different from that of the true age distribution of the sample. Among the many basic relations of the Galactic disk that can be reinvestigated from the data presented here, we revisit the metallicity distribution of the G dwarfs and the age-metallicity, age-velocity, and metallicity-velocity relations of the Solar neighbourhood. Our first results confirm the lack of metal-poor G dwarfs relative to closed-box model predictions (the "G dwarf problem"), the existence of radial metallicity gradients in the disk, the small change in mean metallicity of the thin disk since its formation and the substantial scatter in metallicity at all ages, and the continuing kinematic heating of the thin disk with an efficiency consistent with that expected for a combination of spiral arms and giant molecular clouds. Distinct features in the distribution of the V component of the space motion are extended in age and metallicity, corresponding to the effects of stochas- tic spiral waves rather than classical moving groups, and may complicate the identification of thick-disk stars from kinematic criteria. More advanced analyses of this rich material will require careful simulations of the selection criteria for the sample and the distribution of observational errors.
Tool Support for Continuous Quality Control

Over time, software systems suffer gradual quality decay and therefore costs can rise if organizations fail to take proactive countermeasures. Quality control is the first step to avoiding this cost trap. Continuous quality assessments help users identify quality problems early, when their removal is still inexpensive; they also aid decision making by providing an integrated view of a software system's current status. As a side effect, continuous and timely feedback helps developers and maintenance personnel improve their skills and thereby decreases the likelihood of future quality defects. To make regular quality control feasible, it must be highly automated, and assessment results must be presented in an aggregated manner to avoid overwhelming users with data. This article offers an overview of tools that aim to address these issues. The authors also discuss their own flexible, open-source toolkit, which supports the creation of dashboards for quality control.
Uncovering adolescent choral singers’ philosophical beliefs about music-making: A qualitative inquiry

The purpose of this qualitative inquiry was to investigate adolescent choral singers’ philosophical beliefs regarding music-making within three different, mid-sized, Midwestern mixed choirs in the United States. Eighteen participants were interviewed for approximately 40 minutes each. Audio files were transcribed and coded with four themes resulting: (1) music-making as a simultaneously feelingful experience for participants; (2) musical knowing as interpersonal knowing; (3) expressed music as expressed feeling; and (4) music-making as enlightening. Participants verified the data through member checks. The presence of a peer de-briefer helped the investigator work through potential ethical issues. The findings reflect many ideas within the field of music philosophy including aesthetic perception, expressiveness by convention, music-making as distinctly human and art as self-unification. Findings also aligned with past studies regarding participants’ expressed meaning of musical experiences including areas such as social growth, expression of emotion, increased self-confidence, and development of personal character. Future suggestions for study include investigating perspectives of individual performers and participants who engage in different music ensembles to strengthen understanding of contextual factors.
Anthropometric Profile and Nutritional Status of Selected Oraon Tribals in and Around Sambalpur Town, Orissa

Abstract The present study was carried out to determine anthropometric profile and nutritional status of selected Oraon tribal adults and children of Sambalpur town of Sambalpur district, Orissa. Oraon is one of the most primitive tribes of Eastern India. A total of 120 households comprising of 552 individuals (60 native and 60 migrant families) of Sambalpur District were selected purposively and interviewed through the help of a pre-tested structured scheduled for collecting the relevant information on socio-economic and demographic characteristics. Height and weight of all the members of the household were measured using standard protocol. Weight for age and height for age was calculated for assessing child nutritional status using NCHS standard of children and body mass index (BMI) was used to assess the nutritional status of adults. The study revealed that the overall socio-economic condition of migrants was good in comparison to the native counterparts. 70 % of native males, 66 % of native females, 91 % of migrant males and of 87 % migrant females were in low weight normal category. The extent of malnutrition among children was found to be high in both natives and migrants groups. In conclusion, the study provided evidence that the nutritional status of children and adult was not satisfactory. Immediate appropriate nutrition intervention programs are needed for improving their status.
Relationships of Ligand Binding, Redox Properties, and Protonation in Coprinus cinereus Peroxidase*

The pH dependence of the redox potentials and kinetics for CO association and dissociation was determined between pH 3.0 and 13.0 at 25 °C for the wild-type Coprinus cinereus fungal peroxidase and for a site-directed mutant in which Asp245, which is H-bonded to Nδ of the imidazole of the proximal His183, was substituted with Asn. The determination of these functional properties allowed this information to be merged in a self-consistent fashion and to formulate for the first time a complete scheme employing the minimum number of groups required to describe the whole proton-linked behavior of both redox and ligand binding properties. The overall pH dependence can be accounted for by four redox- and ligand-linked groups. The proximal H-bond, which is strictly conserved in all peroxidases, will still be present in the site-specific mutant, but will no longer have an ionic character, and this event will bring about an alteration of redox equilibria and CO binding kinetics, envisaging a relevant role played by this H-bond also in modulating redox properties and ligand binding equilibria.
Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcal Bacteremia Pharmacotherapy

Objective: To review the literature on the pharmacotherapy of bloodstream infections (BSI) caused by vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). Data Sources: A MEDLINE literature search was performed for the period 1946 to May 2014 using the search terms Enterococcus, enterococci, vancomycin-resistant, VRE, bacteremia, and bloodstream infection. References were also identified from selected review articles. Study Selection and Data Extraction: English-language case series, cohort studies, and meta-analyses assessing the options in the pharmacotherapy of VRE BSIs in adult patients were evaluated. Data Synthesis: Studies were identified that utilized linezolid, quinupristin/dalfopristin (Q/D), and daptomycin. In all, 8 comparative retrospective cohort studies, 2 meta-analyses of daptomycin and linezolid, and 3 retrospective comparisons of linezolid and Q/D were included for review. Mortality associated with VRE BSIs was high across studies, and the ability to determine differences in outcomes between agents was confounded by the complex nature of the patients included. Two meta-analyses comparing daptomycin with linezolid for VRE BSIs found modest advantages for linezolid, but these conclusions may be hampered by heterogeneity within the included studies. Conclusions: VRE BSIs remain a difficult-to-treat clinical situation. Differences in toxicity between the agents used to treat it are clear, but therapeutic differences are more difficult to discern. Meta-analyses suggest that a moderate advantage for linezolid over daptomycin may exist, but problems with the nature of studies that they included make definitive conclusions difficult.
Cortical connections of area 17 in tree shrews

In order to better understand the organization of extrastriate cortex in tree shrews, injections in area 17 of wheat germ agglutinin or tritiated proline were used to reveal an intrinsic pattern of connections, ipsilateral connections with area 18 and two other subdivisions of cortex, and callosal connections with areas 17 and 18 of the opposite cerebral hemisphere. Areal patterns of connections were best seen in sections cut parallel to the surface of flattened cortex. Within area 17, periodic foci of labeled terminations and cells extended from and surrounded injection sites as described by Rockland et al. ('82). Single injections produced multiple foci of labeled terminations and cells in area 18. The foci tended to fuse into short bands that sometimes crossed the width of area 18. Double injections produced more foci, and multiple injections tended to produce more continuous regions of label. An overall retinotopic pattern was evident with rostral area 17 connected to rostral area 18 and caudal area 17 connected to caudal area 18. Terminations extended through layers II–VI, with some increase in density in layer IV. Cells in area 18 projecting back to area 17 were in layers III and V. The injections also allowed identification of previously undefined subdivisions of visual cortex in temporal cortex immediately adjoining area 18. Dense reciprocal connections were observed in a 13 mm2 oval of cortex on the lateral border of the middle section of area 18 that we define as the temporal dorsal area, TD. Connections indicate a crude topographic organization with lower field represented rostrally and upper field caudally. Inputs were most dense in the middle cortical layers, and labeled cells were supragranular, and less frequently, infragranular. A 10‐mm2 oval of cortex near the posterior edge of the hemisphere, the temporal posterior area (TP), contained labeled cells after area 17 injections, but terminal labeling was only obvious in the dorsal part. Single injections sometimes produced quite separate dorsal and ventral zones of label in TP, suggesting a small separate dorsal division. A crude retinotopic order appears to exist within ventral TP, with the lower field most ventral. Labeled cells were largely supragranular. A fourth zone of ipsilateral connections was in posterior limbic cortex bordering area 17 on the ventromedial surface of the cerebral hemisphere. The callosal connections were reciprocal and included regions 1 mm wide on either side of the area 17 and area 18 border. Callosal connections were roughly homotopic. Callosal terminations included superficial layers, and projecting cells were both supragranular and infragranular. We conclude that extrastriate cortex in tree shrews contains at least three subdivisions, one of which (TD) may be the homologue of the middle temporal visual area of primates.
Toward Defining Situations Objectively

There is recognition that an understanding of the situation is essential to our understanding of behavior, but that there is a scarcity of resources for situational analysis. Most studies use individual perceptions of behaviors as input for situational analysis. Such analyses, however, make the situation a projection of personality processes. To identify one aspect of the objective situation, this study extends the work of Marwell and Hage by developing culture-level taxonomies of role dyads, defined in terms of objective context variables, in two cultures: Hong Kong and Australia. The results reveal similarity of culture-level relational space defined by four dimensions: complexity, equality, adversarialness, and containment. Cultural differences are expressed in the location of role dyads within this space. These differing positions of any given role dyad may be combined with personality variables in the future to help explain differences in social behavior.
Nationally Normed Elementary Achievement Testing in America's Public Schools: How All 50 States Are Above the National Average

Dr. Cannell asks how all 50 states can report being above average on nationally normed tests. Me reports that increased achievement is by no means the whole explanation for this finding. Whatever the full explanation of the phenomenon to which Dr. Cannell has brought widespread attention, he clearly presents a challenge to specialists in educational measurement both to better account for the phenomenon and to find better ways of explaining test results to the public.
Agroforestry: An Application of the Farming Systems Approach to Forestry

While agroforestry is fairly recent as a research focus, the integration of forestry and other agricultural activities is a well established indigenous practice in many parts of the world. As such, it is a tested technology which can be adapted to economic and -. environmental development goals in order to avoid the problems of structural incompatibility often associated with the introduction of modem production techniques. Since the interactive benefits of agroforestry systems are often not immediately apparent, a holistic interpretive framework for on-farm activities such as the Farming Systems Research (FSR) methodology is necessary to understand or suggest adaptations in these systems. This paper outlines the biological contribution of trees on farms, and describes some common agroforestry systems in Costa Rica. As an example of how an FSR approach can be used in the analysis of agroforestry systems, a recent analysis of farmer motivations for participation in a fuelwood plantation project in Piedades.
Tuning Static Data Race Analysis for Automotive Control Software

Implementation of concurrent software systems is difficult and error-prone. Race conditions can cause intermittent failures, which are rarely found during testing. In safety-critical applications, the absence of race conditions should be demonstrated before deployment of the system. Several static analysis techniques to show the absence of data races are known today. In this paper, we report on our experiences with a static data race detector. We define a basic analysis based on classical lockset analysis and present three enhancements to that algorithm. We evaluate and compare the effectiveness of the basic and enhanced analysis algorithms empirically for an automotive embedded system. We find that the number of warnings could be reduced by more than 40% and that the ratio of true positives per total number of warnings could be doubled.
Insights into atrial fibrillation newly diagnosed after stroke

We know that cardiac disease can directly influence the brain: the burden of atrial fibrillation (AF), one of the most important risk factors for ischemic stroke, continues to grow with the increase in the age of the population and the frequency of mechanical triggers.1 Patients with AF and other risk factors, in particular ischemic stroke (measured using the CHA2DS2 VASc score), should receive oral anticoagulation to prevent further ischemic strokes or systemic embolism. A recent US study2 showed a high prevalence of inadequate use or underuse of therapeutic anticoagulation in patients with AF prior to their stroke. Determining stroke etiology is crucial for informing patients, their caregivers, and families about recurrence risk and the best choices for adequate secondary prevention. With rigorous workup, up to a quarter of patients with ischemic stroke have AF newly detected.3