Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Horizontal Branch Morphology in Galactic Globular Clusters:Dense Environment is "A" Second Parameter

The Horizontal Branch (HB) morphology in the color -- magnitude diagram of the Galactic globular clusters depends on many factors, and it is now firmly established that the so-called Second Parameter is not just the cluster age as claimed for several years. As a part of a wider program devoted to the search for the physical processes driving the Horizontal Branch Morphology, we re-address here the problem of the extension of blue HB tails by introducing a new quantitative observable, B2/B+R+V where B2={Number of HB stars with (B-V)_0<-0.02}. We demonstrate that the environmental conditions within a cluster clearly affect its HB morphology, in the sense that, in general, the higher the cluster central density the higher is the relative number of stars populating the most blue region of its HB.
I Don’t Care Much as Long as I Am Also on Facebook

This research investigated the impacts of social media use while being with a partner on the perception of relationship problems experienced by the other partner. The results from the partial least squares regression indicated that individuals who perceived that their partners used social media excessively tended to report a higher perception of lack of caring, loneliness, and jealousy. However, only lack of caring was found to be the key reason that significantly explained the intention to break up. In addition, the analysis of the moderating effect revealed interesting evidence showing that the perception of relationship problems associated with social media use of own partners appeared to be more severe for the respondents who reported that they used social media less intensively than their partners. Conversely, for the respondents who reported that they used social media to a greater degree than their partners, the impacts on the perceived relationship problems were significantly lessened.
Computerized Immediate Feedback Increases Product Recall Efficiency Due to Interlocking Contingencies in Food Manufacturing

ABSTRACT Food manufacturing companies are challenged with tracking their products so that the company will be able to remove that product from circulation quickly and effectively in the event of a product recall. The accuracy of a recall is dependent upon the accuracy of a product selected for order fulfillment, with the correct product going to the correct store. An integrated solution using wireless handheld computers was programmed to provide immediate visual and audio feedback to the order selectors, in order to prevent errors in order selection. For each case selected, vital information was archived to databases in real-time, which in turn, allowed the company’s safety manager to perform quick and accurate product recall tracking in mock recall drills and state inspections. Results were discussed in terms of the expanding the role of the Organizational Behavior Management professional who addresses operational and ethical issues associated with technologies for better consumer safety.
pp-waves with torsion and metric-affine gravity

A classical pp-wave is a four-dimensional Lorentzian spacetime which admits a nonvanishing parallel spinor field; here the connection is assumed to be Levi-Civita. We generalize this definition to metric compatible spacetimes with torsion and describe basic properties of such spacetimes. We use our generalized pp-waves for constructing new explicit vacuum solutions of quadratic metric-affine gravity.
On thinking about the nexus between art and everyday aesthetics

Abstract Because certain aestheticians attempt to keep art and everyday aesthetics apart, the aim of this article is to question whether it is tenable and beneficial to do so. To this end, poststructural thinking is employed to argue that essentialist aesthetics does not hold water and that the deconstruction of such opens the door for thinking art and quotidian aesthetics together. This is not a trivial matter, because by resisting reciprocity between art and everyday aesthetic life, one stands to impoverish both.
Gender Differences in ICT Competencies among Academicians atUniversiti Putra Malaysia

This paper reports on a descriptive study that was conducted to assess existing levels of information and communication technology (ICT) competencies among the academic staff of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) according to gender. Specifically, it seeks to investigate if differences exist between females and males in terms of eight components (word processing, spreadsheets, databases, presentations, electronic mail, World Wide Web, multimedia and virtual class applications) related to ICT. A total of 109 academic staff participated in this study. The results of the study shows that there exists a gap between female and male academicians; in certain cases, the competencies of female academicians have even surpassed those possessed by males. The various possible reasons attributed to these results will be highlighted and discussed.
EigenEvent: An algorithm for event detection from complex data streams in syndromic surveillance

Syndromic surveillance systems continuously monitor multiple pre-diagnostic daily streams of indicators from different regions with the aim of early detection of disease outbreaks. The main objective of these systems is to detect outbreaks hours or days before the clinical and laboratory confirmation. The type of data that is being generated via these systems is usually multivariate and seasonal with spatial and temporal dimensions. The algorithm What's Strange About Recent Events (WSARE) is the state-of-the-art method for such problems. It exhaustively searches for contrast sets in the multivariate data and signals an alarm when find statistically significant rules. This bottom-up approach presents a much lower detection delay comparing the existing top-down approaches. However, WSARE is very sensitive to the small-scale changes and subsequently comes with a relatively high rate of false alarms. We propose a new approach called EigenEvent that is neither fully top-down nor bottom-up. In this method, we instead of top-down or bottom-up search, track changes in data correlation structure via eigenspace techniques. This new methodology enables us to detect both overall changes (via eigenvalue) and dimension-level changes (via eigenvectors). Experimental results on hundred sets of benchmark data reveals that EigenEvent presents a better overall performance comparing state-of-the-art, in particular in terms of the false alarm rate.
Researchers Deserve a Better Critique: Response to Larzelere, Gunnoe, Roberts, and Ferguson (2017)

ABSTRACT This commentary addresses the critique by Larzelere, Gunnoe, Roberts, and Ferguson (2017: Marriage & Family Review, 53, 24–35) ostensibly concerning the quality of research on “positive parenting” but actually critiquing physical punishment research. The critique revealed that the authors have a poor understanding of positive parenting. After explicating the different meanings of that term and describing what positive parenting is, we then address each of their four critiques of the physical punishment research. Each critique was flawed in multiple ways. After identifying their errors and correcting misinformation, we then raise broader issues about children’s right not to be hit and how professional organizations are increasingly recognizing the need and calling for an end to all physical punishment of children.
Excitation of Ventral Tegmental Area Dopaminergic and Nondopaminergic Neurons by Orexins/Hypocretins

Orexins/hypocretins are involved in mechanisms of emotional arousal and short-term regulation of feeding. The dense projection of orexin neurons from the lateral hypothalamus to mesocorticolimbic dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) is likely to be important in both of these processes. We used single-unit extracellular and whole-cell patch-clamp recordings to examine the effects of orexins (A and B) and melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) on neurons in this region. Orexins caused an increase in firing frequency (EC50 78 nm), burst firing, or no change in firing in different groups of A10 dopamine neurons. Neurons showing oscillatory firing in response to orexins had smaller afterhyperpolarizations than the other groups of dopamine neurons. Orexins (100 nm) also increased the firing frequency of nondopaminergic neurons in the VTA. In the presence of tetrodotoxin (0.5 μm), orexins depolarized both dopaminergic and nondopaminergic neurons, indicating a direct postsynaptic effect. Unlike the orexins, MCH did not affect the firing of either group of neurons. Single-cell PCR experiments showed that orexin receptors were expressed in both dopaminergic and nondopaminergic neurons and that the calcium binding protein calbindin was only expressed in neurons, which also expressed orexin receptors. In narcolepsy, in which the orexin system is disrupted, dysfunction of the orexin modulation of VTA neurons may be important in triggering attacks of cataplexy.
Ixeris dentata NAKAI Reduces Clinical Score and HIF-1 Expression in Experimental Colitis in Mice

Ixeris dentata (ID) is an herbal medicine used in Asian countries to treat indigestion, pneumonia, hepatitis, contusions, and tumors; however, its effect on intestinal inflammation is unknown. Thus, we investigated the effect of ID in the dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) model of colitis in female BALB/c mice; animals were evaluated after seven days of DSS treatment. DSS-treated mice showed considerable clinical signs, including weight loss, reduced colon length, colonic epithelial injury, infiltration of inflammatory cells in the colon tissue, and upregulation of inflammatory mediators. However, administration of ID attenuated body weight loss, colon shortening, and the increase in disease activity index score. ID also significantly decreased the colonic mucosal injury and the number of infiltrating mast cells. Moreover, ID inhibited the expressions of cyclooxygenase-2 and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α in colon tissue. Taken together, the results provide experimental evidence that ID might be a useful therapy for patients with ulcerative colitis.
Computational modelling suggests that temporal integration results from synaptic adaptation in auditory cortex

Incoming sounds are represented in the context of preceding events, and this requires a memory mechanism that integrates information over time. Here, it was demonstrated that response adaptation, the suppression of neural responses due to stimulus repetition, might reflect a computational solution that auditory cortex uses for temporal integration. Adaptation is observed in single‐unit measurements as two‐tone forward masking effects and as stimulus‐specific adaptation (SSA). In non‐invasive observations, the amplitude of the auditory N1m response adapts strongly with stimulus repetition, and it is followed by response recovery (the so‐called mismatch response) to rare deviant events. The current computational simulations described the serial core‐belt‐parabelt structure of auditory cortex, and included synaptic adaptation, the short‐term, activity‐dependent depression of excitatory corticocortical connections. It was found that synaptic adaptation is sufficient for columns to respond selectively to tone pairs and complex tone sequences. These responses were defined as combination sensitive, thus reflecting temporal integration, when a strong response to a stimulus sequence was coupled with weaker responses both to the time‐reversed sequence and to the isolated sequence elements. The temporal complexity of the stimulus seemed to be reflected in the proportion of combination‐sensitive columns across the different regions of the model. Our results suggest that while synaptic adaptation produces facilitation and suppression effects, including SSA and the modulation of the N1m response, its functional significance may actually be in its contribution to temporal integration. This integration seems to benefit from the serial structure of auditory cortex.
Impairment in category fluency in ischemic vascular dementia.

The underlying mechanisms for impaired output on letter (F, A, and S) and category (e.g., animal) word list generation (WLG) tasks in subcortical ischemic vascular dementia (IVD) were investigated. Normal control (NC) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) participants were also studied. IVD and NC participants performed better on category than letter WLG tasks, whereas the opposite was observed among AD participants. IVD participants produced fewer responses than AD participants on letter WLG tasks, but there was no difference between AD and IVD participants on the "animal" WLG task. AD participants scored lower than IVD and NC participants on animal WLG indexes measuring semantic knowledge. There were few differences between IVD and NC participants. The reduced output on the animal WLG task for IVD participants is consistent with search-retrieval deficits. The reduced output of AD participants may be caused by degraded semantic knowledge.
A Mathematical Model of Sentimental Dynamics Accounting for Marital Dissolution

BACKGROUND Marital dissolution is ubiquitous in western societies. It poses major scientific and sociological problems both in theoretical and therapeutic terms. Scholars and therapists agree on the existence of a sort of second law of thermodynamics for sentimental relationships. Effort is required to sustain them. Love is not enough. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Building on a simple version of the second law we use optimal control theory as a novel approach to model sentimental dynamics. Our analysis is consistent with sociological data. We show that, when both partners have similar emotional attributes, there is an optimal effort policy yielding a durable happy union. This policy is prey to structural destabilization resulting from a combination of two factors: there is an effort gap because the optimal policy always entails discomfort and there is a tendency to lower effort to non-sustaining levels due to the instability of the dynamics. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE These mathematical facts implied by the model unveil an underlying mechanism that may explain couple disruption in real scenarios. Within this framework the apparent paradox that a union consistently planned to last forever will probably break up is explained as a mechanistic consequence of the second law.
Elevated MicroRNA-31 Expression Regulates Colorectal Cancer Progression by Repressing Its Target Gene SATB2

Several studies have brought about increasing evidence to support the hypothesis that miRNAs play a pivotal role in multiple processes of carcinogenesis, including cell growth, apoptosis, differentiation, and metastasis. In this study, we investigated the potential role of miR-31 in colorectal cancer (CRC) aggressiveness and its underlying mechanisms. We found that miR-31 increased in CRC cells originated from metastatic foci and human primary CRC tissues with lymph node metastases. Furthermore, the high-level expression of miR-31 was significantly associated with a more aggressive and poor prognostic phenotype of patients with CRC (p < 0.05). The stable over-expression of miR-31 in CRC cells was sufficient to promote cell proliferation, invasion, and migration in vitro. It facilitated tumor growth and metastasis in vivo too. Further studies showed that miR-31 can directly bind to the 3’untranslated region (3’UTR) of SATB2 mRNA and subsequently repress both the mRNA and protein expressions of SATB2. Ectopic expression of SATB2 by transiently transfected with pCAG-SATB2 vector encoding the entire SATB2 coding sequence could reverse the effects of miR-31 on CRC tumorigenesis and progression. In addition, ectopic over-expression of miR-31 in CRC cells induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Our results illustrated that the up-regulation of miR-31 played an important role in CRC cell proliferation, invasion, and metastasis in vitro and in vivo through direct repressing SATB2, suggesting a potential application of miR-31 in prognosis prediction and therapeutic application in CRC.
The Economics of Slotting Contracts

Slotting fees, per‐unit‐time payments made by manufacturers to retailers for shelf space, have become increasingly prevalent in grocery retailing. Shelf space contracts are shown to be a consequence of the normal competitive process when retailer shelf space is promotional, in the sense that the shelf space induces profitable incremental individual manufacturer sales without drawing customers from competing stores. In these circumstances, retailer and manufacturer incentives do not coincide with regard to the provision of promotional shelf space, and manufacturers must enter shelf space contracts with retailers. Retailers are compensated for supplying promotional shelf space at least partially with a per‐unit‐time slotting fee when interretailer price competition on the particular product makes compensation with a lower wholesale price a more costly way to generate equilibrium retailer shelf space rents. Our theory implies that slotting will be positively related to manufacturer incremental profit margins, a fact that explains both the growth and the incidence across products of slotting contracts in grocery retailing.
Generalized Random Coefficients With Equivalence Scale Applications

We propose a generalization of random coefficients models, in which the regression model is an unknown function of a vector of regressors, each of which is multiplied by an unobserved error. We also investigate a more restrictive model which is additive (or additive with interactions) in unknown functions of each regressor multiplied by its error. We show nonparametric identification of these models. In addition to providing a natural generalization of random coefficients, we provide economic motivations for the model based on demand system estimation. In these applications, the random coefficients can be interpreted as random utility parameters that take the form of Engel scales or Barten scales, which in the past were estimated as deterministic preference heterogeneity or household technology parameters. We apply these results to consumer surplus and related welfare calculations.
Constructing Attitudes †

The singular term theory maintains that that-clauses are complex singular terms which designate propositions. Though extremely well-supported, the theory is endangered by the existence of oblique thatclauses; that is, that-clauses occurring in what appear to be non-argument positions (e.g., ‘Lola was upset that Slick Willy had all the fun’). In this paper I argue that the best solution to the problem consistent with the singular term theory, invokes a construction-based grammatical theory. Such an approach challenges traditional views of semantic compositionality by rejecting a central dogma of semantics, namely, that linguistic constructions contribute only trivial logical or quasi-logical information to semantic interpretation (e.g., function-application relations).
Humans Mimicking Animals: A Cortical Hierarchy for Human Vocal Communication Sounds

Numerous species possess cortical regions that are most sensitive to vocalizations produced by their own kind (conspecifics). In humans, the superior temporal sulci (STSs) putatively represent homologous voice-sensitive areas of cortex. However, superior temporal sulcus (STS) regions have recently been reported to represent auditory experience or “expertise” in general rather than showing exclusive sensitivity to human vocalizations per se. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging and a unique non-stereotypical category of complex human non-verbal vocalizations—human-mimicked versions of animal vocalizations—we found a cortical hierarchy in humans optimized for processing meaningful conspecific utterances. This left-lateralized hierarchy originated near primary auditory cortices and progressed into traditional speech-sensitive areas. Our results suggest that the cortical regions supporting vocalization perception are initially organized by sensitivity to the human vocal tract in stages before the STS. Additionally, these findings have implications for the developmental time course of conspecific vocalization processing in humans as well as its evolutionary origins.
Brain Alterations and Neurocognitive Dysfunction in Patients with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Mr Data Acquisition and Processing Neurocognitive Tasks Statistical Analysis

Few studies have examined the involvement of specific subregions of the prefrontal cortex in complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). We analyzed cortical thickness to identify morpho-logic differences in local brain structures between patients with CRPS and healthy control subjects (HCs). Furthermore, we evaluated the correlation between cortical thickness and neurocognitive function. Cortical thickness was measured in 25 patients with CRPS and 25 HCs using the FreeSurfer method. Pain severity and psychiatric symptoms were assessed using the Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire and the Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories, respectively. Neurocognitive function was assessed via the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and the stop-signal task. The right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and left ventromedial prefrontal cortex were significantly thinner in CRPS patients than in HCs. CRPS patients made more perseveration errors on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and had longer stop-signal task reaction times than HCs. Although the Beck Depression Inventory and the Beck Anxiety Inventory differ significantly between the groups, they were not correlated with cortical thickness. Our study suggests that the pathophysiology of CRPS may be related to reduced cortical thickness in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. The structural alterations in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex may explain executive dysfunction and disin-hibited pain perception in CRPS. Perspective: The present study reports decreased cortical thickness in the prefrontal cortex and neurocognitive dysfunctions in patients with CRPS. These findings may contribute to the understanding of pain-related impairments in cognitive function and could help explain the symptoms or progression of CRPS. C omplex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a rare chronic pain disorder with a lifetime prevalence of approximately 26 per 100,000 person years. Characteristically, the pain of CRPS is disproportionate in intensity to the initial triggering event. Furthermore, CRPS patients experience a spectrum of painful sensations such as mechanical, cold, and heat allodynia or hyperalgesia. 36 Unlike in other chronic pain disorders, most patients with CRPS have an abnormal sudomotor activity, edema, and trophic skin changes. 15 These distinct sympathetic, sensory, and somatomotor abnormalities indicate that CRPS is a systemic disease involving the peripheral and central nervous systems. 36 Though differences in brain morphology between chronic pain patients and healthy controls have been examined, no consistent patterns have been identified. 2,5,11 Decreased density of prefrontal cortex (PFC) and thalamic gray matter (GM), which are involved with pain, have been reported in patients with chronic back pain (CBP). 2 Fibromyalgia patients showed …