Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Simultaneously modeling semantics and structure of threaded discussions: a sparse coding approach and its applications

The huge amount of knowledge in web communities has motivated the research interests in threaded discussions. The dynamic nature of threaded discussions poses lots of challenging problems for computer scientists. Although techniques such as semantic models and structural models have been shown to be useful in a number of areas, they are inefficient in understanding threaded discussions due to three reasons: (I) as most of users read existing messages before posting, posts in a discussion thread are temporally dependent on the previous ones; It causes the semantics and structure to be coupled with each other in threaded discussions; (II) in online discussion threads, there are a lot of junk posts which are useless and may disturb content analysis; and (III) it is very hard to judge the quality of a post. In this paper, we propose a sparse coding-based model named SMSS to Simultaneously Model Semantics and Structure of threaded discussions. The model projects each post into a topic space, and approximates each post by a linear combination of previous posts in the same discussion thread. Meanwhile, the model also imposes two sparse constraints to force a sparse post reconstruction in the topic space and a sparse post approximation from previous posts. The sparse properties effectively take into account the characteristics of threaded discussions. Towards the above three problems, we demonstrate the competency of our model in three applications: reconstructing reply structure of threaded discussions, identifying junk posts, and finding experts in a given board/sub-board in web communities. Experimental results show encouraging performance of the proposed SMSS model in all these applications.
Robomote: enabling mobility in sensor networks

Severe energy limitations, and a paucity of computation pose a set of difficult design challenges for sensor networks. Recent progress in two seemingly disparate research areas namely, distributed robotics and low power embedded systems has led to the creation of mobile (or robotic) sensor networks. Autonomous node mobility brings with it its own challenges, but also alleviates some of the traditional problems associated with static sensor networks. We illustrate this by presenting the design of the robomote, a robot platform that functions as a single mobile node in a mobile sensor network. We briefly describe two case studies where the robomote has been used for table top experiments with a mobile sensor network.
Immunotoxicity of Penicillium Mycotoxins on Viability and Proliferation of Bovine Macrophage Cell Line (BOMACs)

Penicillium mycotoxins are natural contaminants found in grains, crops, fruits, and fermented products, especially during post harvest as well as storage periods. Contamination by individual and combinations of these toxins is likely to compromise food quality and safety. In this study, the potential immunotoxicity of citrinin (CIT), ochratoxin A (OTA), patulin (PAT), mycophenolic acid (MPA) and penicillic acid (PA) was evaluated using a bovine macrophage cell line (BOMACs) by assessing their potential cytotoxicity and then their effects on cell proliferation. The BOMACs were exposed to a range of mycotoxin concentrations, and then to different mycotoxin combinations for 48 hrs. Some cytotoxicity was evident at concentrations greater than 2.4 � M for PAT, and 160 � M for PA, however, at the IC50 (concentration that inhibits 50% cell proliferation), no cytotoxicity was observed for either of these mycotoxins. The mycotoxin IC50s from most potent to least potent were 0.56 � M (PAT), 12.88 � M (OTA), 29.85 � M (PA), and 91.20 � M (CIT). Concentrations of MPA greater than 80 � M did not inhibit cell proliferation enough to calculate an IC50. Significant higher inhibition of cell proliferation was observed from the combinations of CIT+OTA, OTA+PAT, and OTA+PA compared to the effects of individual mycotoxins suggesting additive and in some cases synergistic activity between these paired mycotoxins.
Evaluation of Selection Bias in an Incident-Based Dementia Autopsy Case Series

Neuropathological (np) relative frequency estimates of dementia may be biased if the autopsied subjects are not representative of all dementia subjects within a target population. We identified characteristics that differed between autopsied and non-autopsied subjects from an incident-based dementia case series and compared autopsy-based estimates of the relative frequency of np diagnoses before and after adjusting for potential selection bias. Clinically demented subjects who were autopsied (n = 206), had died but were not autopsied (n = 271), were still alive (n = 71), or had dropped out of the study (n = 82) were included. Compared with non-autopsied subjects, autopsied subjects were more likely to be Caucasian, educated beyond high school, and married. They also tended to have a lower baseline Mini-Mental State Examination score and were more likely to have a clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer disease (AD) than non-autopsied subjects. Neuropathological AD with Lewy bodies (LB) had the largest crude relative frequency estimate at 38% of the autopsy sample, followed by 25% for AD with vascular lesions, 13% for pure AD, 13% for LB (with or without vascular lesions), and 8% for pure vascular pathologies. Adjustment for potential sources of selection bias had little effect on relative frequency estimates, suggesting that np diagnoses in the autopsied subjects provide reasonable dementia relative frequency estimates among all clinically demented cases in this series.
MORE SINNED AGAINST THAN SINNING A Study of Young Teenagers’ Experience of Crime

Crime surveys have recently become commonplace in Britain. However, they tend to be based on interviewer administered questionnaires conducted with adults in their domiciles. Further, they neglect, for various reasons, to question respondents about their offending behaviour. The crime survey reported here used self-completion questionnaires on a sample of 11-15 year-old young teenagers. They were questioned at school, rather than at home, and quizzed on their offending behaviour (as well as on their victimization experiences). Victimization was common, with 82 per cent of the sample reporting at least one victimizationduring the previous year, with, for the whole sample, a mean of four victimizations in the previous year. Females were more likely to be victims of harassment and sexual offences, with males more likely to suffer from theft and assault. Overall, they are unlikely to report victimization experiences, although some 80 per cent of them were serious in the sense that victims identified the offender as an adult stranger. In terms of worry about victimization, females (andyounger teenagers) seem to worry more than males or older teenagers. Worry seems relatively independent of victimization, although rather high overall.On average, members of this sample confessed to having committed one offence (a quarter of therate of victimization: hence the title, 'More Sinned Against than Sinning*). Perhaps understandably, there is a consistent inverse relationship between having committed an offence and rating the commission of it as serious.In part this study was conducted as an attempted verification of path-breaking work carried out in Edinburgh by Richard Kinsey. Overall, there are striking similarities between the resultsindependently obtained. Rales of offending are slightly but consistently higher in Glasgow, and the converse, seriousness ratings, slightly but consistently lower. Accordingly, the Glasgow study offers initial verification of the startling results of the Edinburgh study.
Scandinavian Approaches to Gender Equality in Academia: A Comparative Study

ABSTRACT This study investigates how Denmark, Norway, and Sweden approach issues of gender equality in research differently. Based on a comparative document analysis of gender equality activities in six Scandinavian universities, together with an examination of the legislative and political frameworks surrounding these activities, the article provides new insights into the respective strategies for governing and promoting the advancement of women researchers. In doing so, it exposes some interesting disparities among the cases and shows how Norwegian and Swedish gender equality activities revolve around a broader span of different approaches than the Danish. The study draws upon existing knowledge on the efficacy and implementation success of diversity policy programmes to gain a more profound understanding of implications of these differences.
Imaging protein synthesis in cells and tissues with an alkyne analog of puromycin

Synthesis of many proteins is tightly controlled at the level of translation, and plays an essential role in fundamental processes such as cell growth and proliferation, signaling, differentiation, or death. Methods that allow imaging and identification of nascent proteins are critical for dissecting regulation of translation, both spatially and temporally, particularly in whole organisms. We introduce a simple and robust chemical method to image and affinity-purify nascent proteins in cells and in animals, based on an alkyne analog of puromycin, O-propargyl-puromycin (OP-puro). OP-puro forms covalent conjugates with nascent polypeptide chains, which are rapidly turned over by the proteasome and can be visualized or captured by copper(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition. Unlike methionine analogs, OP-puro does not require methionine-free conditions and, uniquely, can be used to label and assay nascent proteins in whole organisms. This strategy should have broad applicability for imaging protein synthesis and for identifying proteins synthesized under various physiological and pathological conditions in vivo.
Influence of increased rotational inertia on the turning performance of humans.

The rotational inertia of an animal can be expected to influence directly its ability to execute rapid turning maneuvers. We hypothesized that a ninefold increase in rotational inertia would reduce maximum turning performance to one-ninth of control values. To test this prediction, we increased rotational inertia about the vertical axis of six human subjects and measured their ability to turn during maximum-effort jump turns. We measured the free moment about a vertical (i.e. yaw) axis as the subjects performed maximum-effort jump turns under three conditions: (i) unencumbered, (ii) wearing a backpack with a control weight and (iii) wearing a backpack of the same mass that increased the rotational inertia of the subject to 9.2 times that with the control weight. Rotational inertia measurements allowed us to estimate the angle turned during the take-off period (i.e. from jump initiation until the feet leave the ground) and the angular power and work of the maximum-effort turns. Surprisingly, the angle turned during take-off in the increased inertia trials was 44.7 % of that of the control trials, rather than the 10.9 % (9.2-fold reduction) expected on the basis of the increase in rotational inertia. When the subjects turned with increased rotational inertia, the maximum and mean torques exerted were, on average, 142 % and 190 %, respectively, of the values recorded during the control trials. Maximum torques during increased rotational inertia trials actually approached isometric maxima. In the increased rotational inertia trials, the angular impulse was 252 % of that of the control trials and the take-off period was 130 % of that of the control trials. By exerting larger torques over longer take-off periods, the subjects were able partially to compensate for the excess rotational inertia. In contrast to the observed changes in torque, maximum and mean angular power were highest in the unencumbered trials and lowest in the increased inertia trials. On the basis of a decreased ability to generate vertical force when turning and of our estimates of angular power, we speculate that the greater than expected turning performance was due (i) to adjustments in the pattern of muscle recruitment and (ii) to a reduction in the velocity of muscle shortening that resulted in increased muscle forces.
Impact of Helminth Infections and Nutritional Constraints on the Small Intestine Microbiota

Helminth infections and nutrition can independently alter the composition and abundance of the gastrointestinal microbiota, however, their combined effect is poorly understood. Here, we used the T. retortaeformis-rabbit system to examine how the helminth infection and host restriction from coprophagy/ready-to-absorb nutrients affected the duodenal microbiota, and how these changes related to the acquired immune response at the site of infection. A factorial experiment was performed where the bacterial community, its functionality and the immune response were examined in four treatments (Infect, Infect+Collar, Control+Collar and Control). Helminths reduced the diversity and abundance of the microbiota while the combination of parasites and coprophagic restriction led to a more diversified and abundant microbiota than infected cases, without significantly affecting the intensity of infection. Animals restricted from coprophagy and free from parasites exhibited the richest and most abundant bacterial community. By forcing the individuals to absorb nutrients from less digested food, the coprophagic restriction appears to have facilitated the diversity and proliferation of bacteria in the duodenum. Changes in the microbiota were more clearly associated with changes in the immune response for the infected than the nutrient restricted animals. The functional and metabolic characteristics of the duodenal microbiota were not significantly different between treatments. Overall, infection and diet affect the gut microbiota but their interactions and outcome can be complex. These findings can have important implications for the development of control measures to helminth infections where poor nutrition/malnutrition can also be a concern.
The Life Attitudes Schedule and the relationship between health-related actions and depression : a 90-day test-retest with college-aged females

This study was an attempt to understand the relationship between health-related positive and negative actions and depression in 106 young adult females, over a 90-day test-retest period. Health-related behavior was defined and assessed using the Life Attitudes Schedule (LAS) (Lewinsohn, Langhinrichsen-Rohling, Langford, Rohde, Seeley, & Chapman, 1995). The LAS is a 144-item self-report questionnaire intended to measure both life-threatening and life-enhancing behaviors, as they relate to depression, suicide, and other risk-taking behaviors. Results indicated that practicing positive health-related behavior correlated with lower levels of concurrent depression and that practicing fewer or negative health-related behavior correlated with higher levels of concurrent depression. In addition, the initial practice of positive health-related behavior correlated with lower subsequent depression, while initial practice of negative health-related behavior correlated with higher levels of subsequent depression. Also, initial depression correlated with fewer positive and more negative subsequent health-related behaviors. Two health-related action items were significant
Longitudinal Brain Development of Numerical Skills in Typically Developing Children and Children with Developmental Dyscalculia

Developmental dyscalculia (DD) is a learning disability affecting the acquisition of numerical-arithmetical skills. Studies report persistent deficits in number processing and aberrant functional activation of the fronto-parietal numerical network in DD. However, the neural development of numerical abilities has been scarcely investigated. The present paper provides a first attempt to investigate behavioral and neural trajectories of numerical abilities longitudinally in typically developing (TD) and DD children. During a study period of 4 years, 28 children (8–11 years) were evaluated twice by means of neuropsychological tests and a numerical order fMRI paradigm. Over time, TD children improved in numerical abilities and showed a consistent and well-developed fronto-parietal network. In contrast, DD children revealed persistent deficits in number processing and arithmetic. Brain imaging results of the DD group showed an age-related activation increase in parietal regions (intraparietal sulcus), pointing to a delayed development of number processing areas. Besides, an activation increase in frontal areas was observed over time, indicating the use of compensatory mechanisms. In conclusion, results suggest a continuation in neural development of number representation in DD, whereas the neural network for simple ordinal number estimation seems to be stable or show only subtle changes in TD children over time.
The in vitro effects of instrumentation on multilevel cervical strut-graft mechanics.

STUDY DESIGN Biomechanical study using a programmable testing apparatus that replicated physiologic flexion-extension cervical spine motion, and loading mechanics. OBJECTIVES To determine the influence of anterior, posterior, or combined plating on multilevel cervical strut-graft mechanics in vitro. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA The addition of instrumentation does not prevent construct failure in multilevel (more than two levels) cervical corpectomy. METHODS Six fresh human cadaveric cervical spines (C2-T1) were tested in six sequential conditions that included harvested (H), C4-6 corpectomy, strut grafted, strut grafted with an anterior cervical plate (SGAP), strut grafted with posterior plates (SGPP), and strut grafted with combined anterior and posterior plates (SGAPP). A customized force-sensing strut graft (FSSG) was used to measure axial compression-tension, flexion-extension and lateral bending moments, and axial torsion. Parameters of stiffness, segmental vertebral motion, and strut-graft loads were compared, to determine differences among the spine conditions. RESULTS Flexion of the strut-grafted spine loaded the FSSG, and extension motion unloaded the FSSG. With the anterior plate, flexion of the SGAP spine significantly unloaded the FSSG; extension loaded the FSSG more than flexion of the unplated spine (P = 0.03). The opposite occurred with the posterior plates (SGPP), where flexion of the spine significantly loaded the FSSG (more than the strut grafted spine) and extension unloaded the FSSG (P < 0.03). The combined construct (SGAPP) counteracted the tension band effect of the individual plates and demonstrated significantly less overall FSSG load change than either plate alone (P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS Multilevel cervical instrumentation effectively increases stiffness after corpectomy. However, anterior or posterior plating alone excessively loads the graft with small degrees of motion, which may promote pistoning and failure of multilevel constructs.
Teachers, Children with Reading Difficulties, and Remedial Reading Assistance in Primary Schools

While there is a body of research addressing the causes of reading difficulty and the identification and remediation of children with a reading difficulty, little is reported regarding the type and adequacy of assistance that these children actually receive in school. This study addresses the latter two issues. A random sample of 110 Year 3 teachers from State primary schools answered questions concerning school resources for assisting children with a reading difficulty, main method of teaching reading, their beliefs concerning reading difficulty, and their own level of general teaching experience and experience and training in managing reading difficulty. These teachers then provided information concerning the ability level, behavioural problems, perceived cause of reading difficulty, assessment, and adequacy of assistance for 303 Year 3 children whom they identified as having a reading difficulty. Results indicated that 42.7% of teachers predominantly used a whole language approach to teaching reading and that, by teacher definition, only 36.6% of children were receiving adequate assistance for their reading difficulty. Regression analysis showed that the factors most strongly associated with adequate assistance were a less severe level of reading difficulty, a higher level of support available within the school, and more children with reading difficulty in the class. The implications of these findings and other characteristics of the children with reading difficulties are discussed.
Comparison of pain quality descriptors in cancer patients with nociceptive and neuropathic pain.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to explore the differences in the descriptors for neuropathic and nociceptive pain in cancer patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS One hundred and eighty-six cancer patients who participated in the study completed the Greek version of the McGill Pain Questionnaire (G-MPQ) for the assessment of their pain quality. RESULTS Significant differences were found between type of pain in all G-MPQ classes. Statistically significant associations were found between Present Pain Intensity and type of pain (p = 0.002). Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that patients who selected the descriptors "pricking" and "annoying" were 2.64 times and 2.2 times, respectively, more likely to experience nociceptive rather than neuropathic pain (p = 0.020 and p = 0.015, respectively). Further analysis showed that sensory seemed to be the most significant indicator for type of pain (95%, CI: 0.911-0.974, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION Sensory quality and some of pain descriptors may differentiate neuropathic from nociceptive pain in cancer patients.
Mild cognitive impairment in different functional domains and incident Alzheimer’s disease

Background: Little is known about factors that predict transition from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Objective: To examine the relation of impairment in different cognitive systems to risk of developing AD in persons with mild cognitive impairment. Methods: Participants are 218 older Catholic clergy members from the Religious Orders Study. At baseline, they met criteria for mild cognitive impairment based on a uniform clinical evaluation that included detailed cognitive testing. Evaluations were repeated annually for up to 10 years. Analyses were controlled for age, sex, and education. Results: Eighty two persons (37.6%) developed AD. In separate analyses, episodic memory, semantic memory, working memory, and perceptual speed, but not visuospatial ability, were associated with risk of AD, but when analysed together only episodic memory and perceptual speed were associated with AD incidence, with the effect for episodic memory especially strong. Overall, those with impaired episodic memory were more than twice as likely to develop AD as those with impairment in other cognitive domains (relative risk (RR) = 2.45; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.53 to 3.92), and they experienced more rapid cognitive decline. Lower episodic memory performance was associated with increased risk of AD throughout the observation period, whereas impairment in other cognitive domains was primarily associated with risk during the following year but not thereafter. Conclusion: Among persons with mild cognitive impairment, episodic memory impairment is associated with a substantial and persistent elevation in risk of developing AD compared to impairment in other cognitive systems.