Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Leukoencephalopathy With Vanishing White Matter: A Review

Vanishing white matter (VWM) is one of the most prevalent inherited childhood leukoencephalopathies, but this may affect people ofall ages, including neonates and adults. It is a progressive disorder clinically dominated by cerebellar ataxia and in which minor stress conditions, such as fever or mild trauma, provoke major episodes of neurologic deterioration. Typical pathological findings include increasing white matter rarefaction and cystic degeneration, oligodendrocytosis with highly characteristic foamy oligodendrocytes, meager astrogliosis with dysmorphic astrocytes, and loss of oligodendrocytesby apoptosis. Vanishing white matter is caused by mutations in any of the genes encoding the 5 subunits of the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2B (eIF2B), EIF2B1 through EIF2B5. eIF2B is a ubiquitously expressed protein complex that plays a crucial role in regulating the rate of protein synthesis. Vanishing white matter mutations reduce the activity of eIF2B and impair its function to couple protein synthesis to the cellular demands in basal conditions and during stress. Reduced eIF2B activity leads to sustained improper activation of the unfolded protein response, resulting in concomitant expression of proliferation, prosurvival, and proapoptotic downstream effectors. Consequently, VWM cells are constitutively predisposed and hyperreactive to stress. In view of the fact that VWM genes are housekeeping genes, it is surprising that the disease is primarily a leukoencephalopathy. The pathophysiology of selective glial vulnerability in VWM remains poorly understood.
Statistics for the evaluation and comparison of models

Procedures that may be used to evaluate the operational performance of a wide spectrum of geophysical models are introduced. Primarily using a complementary set of difference measures, both model accuracy and precision can be meaningfully estimated, regardless of whether the model predictions are manifested as scalars, directions, or vectors. It is additionally suggested that the reliability of the accuracy and precision measures can be determined from bootstrap estimates of confidence and significance. Recommended procedures are illustrated with a comparative evaluation of two models that estimate wind velocity over the South Atlantic Bight.
Kurtosis as a non-Gaussian signature of the large-scale velocity field

We discuss the non--linear growth of the kurtosis of the smoothed peculiar velocity field (along an arbitrary direction), in an Einstein--de Sitter universe, induced by Gaussian primordial density fluctuations. Applying the perturbative theory, we show that, for different cosmological models, a departure from the original Gaussian distribution is gravitationally induced only on small scales ($\simlt 20-30$ Mpc). Models with scale--free power spectrum $P(k)\propto k^{\,n}$, with $-1< n \leq 1$, are also considered. When the fluid particles move according to the Zel'dovich approximation the probability distribution of the peculiar velocity field remains unaltered during the evolution.
The chemistry influencing ODEs in the Polar Boundary Layer in spring: a model study

Abstract. Near-total depletions of ozone have been observed in the Arctic spring since the mid 1980s. The autocatalytic cycles involving reactive halogens are now recognized to be of main importance for Ozone Depletion Events (ODEs) in the Polar Boundary Layer (PBL). We present sensitivity studies using the model MISTRA in the box-model mode on the influence of chemical species on these ozone depletion processes. In order to test the sensitivity of the chemistry under polar conditions, we compared base runs undergoing fluxes of either Br 2 , BrCl, or Cl 2 to induce ozone depletions, with similar runs including a modification of the chemical conditions. The role of HCHO, H 2 O 2 , DMS, Cl 2 , C 2 H 4 , C 2 H 6 , HONO, NO 2 , and RONO 2 was investigated. Cases with elevated mixing ratios of HCHO, H 2 O 2 , DMS, Cl 2 , and HONO induced a shift in bromine speciation from Br/BrO to HOBr/HBr, while high mixing ratios of C 2 H 6 induced a shift from HOBr/HBr to Br/BrO. Cases with elevated mixing ratios of HONO, NO 2 , and RONO 2 induced a shift to BrNO 2 /BrONO 2 . The shifts from Br/BrO to HOBr/HBr accelerated the aerosol debromination, but also increased the total amount of deposited bromine at the surface (mainly via increased deposition of HOBr). These shifts to HOBr/HBr also hindered the BrO self-reaction. In these cases, the ozone depletion was slowed down, where increases in H 2 O 2 and HONO had the greatest effect. The tests with increased mixing ratios of C 2 H 4 highlighted the decrease in HO x which reduced the production of HOBr from bromine radicals. In addition, the direct reaction of C 2 H 4 with bromine atoms led to less available reactive bromine. The aerosol debromination was therefore strongly reduced. Ozone levels were highly affected by the chemistry of C 2 H 4 . Cl 2 -induced ozone depletions were found unrealistic compared to field measurements due to the rapid production of CH 3 O 2 , HO x , and ROOH which rapidly convert reactive chlorine to HCl in a "chlorine counter-cycle". This counter-cycle efficiently reduces the concentration of reactive halogens in the boundary layer. Depending on the relative bromine and chlorine mixing ratios, the production of CH 3 O 2 , HO x , and ROOH from the counter-cycle can significantly affect the bromine chemistry. Therefore, the presence of both bromine and chlorine in the air may unexpectedly lead to a slow down in ozone destruction. For all NO y species studied (HONO, NO 2 , RONO 2 ) the chemistry is characterized by an increased bromine deposition on snow reducing the amount of reactive bromine in the air. Ozone is less depleted under conditions of high mixing ratios of NO x . The production of HNO 3 led to the acid displacement of HCl, and the release of chlorine out of salt aerosols (Cl 2 or BrCl) increased.
OVLT lesion decreases basal arterial pressure and the chronic hypertensive response to AngII in rats on a high-salt diet

We have reported that lesion of the organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis (OVLT) has no effect on basal levels of mean arterial pressure (MAP) but abolishes the hypertensive effects of angiotensin II (AngII) in rats consuming a normal‐salt diet. These results suggest that the OVLT does not contribute to regulation of MAP under conditions of normal salt intake, but it is an important brain site for the hypertensive actions of AngII. The OVLT has been proposed as a major sodium sensor in the brain and the hypertensive effects of AngII are exacerbated by high‐salt intake. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the role of the OVLT during AngII‐induced hypertension in rats fed a high‐salt diet. Male Sprague‐Dawley rats underwent sham (Sham; n = 9) or OVLT lesion (OVLTx; n = 8) surgery and were placed on a high‐salt (2% NaCl) diet. MAP was measured by radio telemetry during three control days, 10 days of AngII infusion (10 ng/kg/min, i.v.), and a 3‐day recovery period. MAP was significantly lower in OVLTx (97 ± 2 mmHg) compared to Sham (106 ± 1 mmHg) rats during the control period (P < 0.05). Moreover, the chronic pressor response to AngII was markedly attenuated in OVLTx rats. MAP increased 58 ± 3 mmHg in Sham rats by Day 10 of AngII compared to a 40 ± 7 mmHg increase in OVLTx rats (P < 0.05). We conclude that (1) the OVLT regulates the basal levels of MAP in rats consuming a high‐salt and (2) the OVLT is an important brain site of action for the pathogenesis of AngII‐salt hypertension in the rat. Supported by HL076312.
T Diet , Exercise and the Metabolic Syndrome

The metabolic syndrome is a combination of metabolic disorders, such as dyslipidemia, hypertension, impaired glucose tolerance, compensatory hyperinsulinemia and the tendency to develop fat around the abdomen. Individuals with the metabolic syndrome are at high risk for atherosclerosis and, consequently, cardiovascular disease. However, as a result of several epidemiologic studies and some clinical trials, it has been suggested that people with the metabolic syndrome may benefit from intensive lifestyle modifications including dietary changes and adopting a physically more active lifestyle. In this review we summarize the effects of diet and physical activity on the development of the metabolic syndrome.
Örgütsel Güven ile Bireysel İş Performansı Arasındaki İlişki

Yapilan bu arastirma ile orgutsel guven ve bireysel is performansi arasindaki iliskinin tespit edilmesi amaclanmaktadir. Arastirmanin orneklem grubunu Mersin’de gorev yapmakta olan 100 adet banka calisani olusturmaktadir. Calisma kapsaminda veri toplanmasinda Nyhan ve Marlowe (1997), Cook ve Wall (1980) tarafindan gelistirilen ve Omarov (2009) tarafindan yapilan arastirmada kullanilan yoneticiye, orgute ve arkadaslara guven olmak uzere toplam uc boyuttan olusan Orgutsel Guven Olcegi ve Kirkman ve Rosen (1999) tarafindan gelistirilen, Altas ve Kuzu (2013) tarafindan uyarlanan Is Performansi Olcegi kullanilmistir. Elde edilen veriler, student t testi, ANOVA, Pearson Korelâsyon analizi, Kanonik korelasyon ve Regresyon analizine tabi tutulmus olup yapilan analiz ve testler IBM SPSS 24 Demo versiyonu kullanilarak degerlendirilmistir. Arastirma sonucunda calisanlarin bireysel is performanslarinin yoneticiye guven, orgute guven ve arkadaslara guven ile aralarinda pozitif yonde ve istatistiksel olarak anlamli bir iliski oldugu tespit edilmistir. Ayrica arkadaslara guven boyutunun bireysel performans uzerinde etkisi oldugu tespit edilmistir.
Long-Term Spectral Variability of Seyfert Galaxies from Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer Color-Flux Diagrams

We present results from Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer data obtained during a systematic monitoring program of four Seyfert galaxies (NGC 5548, NGC 5506, MCG -6-30-15, and NGC 4051). We studied the variability of three hardness ratios derived from the light curves in four energy bands (HR1, which describes the continuum variations, and HR2 and HR3, which are sensitive to the iron line and reflection component variations with respect to the continuum, respectively). All the objects show similar spectral variations in all ratios. In order to interpret the results we computed the hardness ratios corresponding to a simple spectral model of a power law plus iron line plus reflection component. In order to derive the model HR2 and HR3 colors, we considered two possibilities: (1) variations with constant line equivalent width and reflection parameter R (the case of a reflecting/reprocessing material that responds with a short delay to the continuum variability) and (2) variations with constant line and reflection flux (the case of a reprocessor that does not respond to the fast, intrinsic variations). The overall, mean observed trends can be explained by spectral slope variations (ΔΓ ≃ 0.2-0.3, and ≃1 for NGC 4051) and a constant-flux Fe line and reflection component, although the existence of a line component that is variable on short timescales cannot be excluded. Finally, we find that the data are not consistent with an increase of R with flux for individual sources, indicating that, as a single source varies, softer spectra do not correspond to larger R values.
Mechanisms of Renal Release of Renin by Electrical Stimulation of the Brainstem in the Cat

Electrical stimulation of the dorsolateral pons for 5-minute periods in anesthetized cats produced a rise in blood pressure of 40%, a reduction in renal blood flow of 28%, and an increase in the rate of renin release (the product of renal plasma flow and the venoarterial difference of plasma renin activity) of more than 100% in intact kidneys. Comparison of an intact kidney with the contralateral denervated one showed that denervation abolished the decrease in renal blood flow and the increase in renin release induced by pontine stimulation. Infusion of phenoxybenzamine into an otherwise intact kidney prevented the decrease in renal blood flow on that side, but brain-induced renin release was at least equal to that from the contralateral kidney in which the vasomotor response remained unchanged. Treatment of the animal with intravenously administered propranolol (1.3–3.0 mg/kg) abolished any rise in renin release, although propranolol accentuated the reduction in renal blood flow during stimulation of the brainstem. We concluded that the increased renal release of renin induced by electrical stimulation of a pressor area of the brainstem was dependent on intact renal nerves and on mechanisms blocked by propranolol but was not dependent on changes in renal blood flow or on renal alpha receptors.
The ambiguous personality of the European economy

ABSTRACT The notion of the existence of ‘the economy’ as a separate domain of social life and an apparently self-evident spatial entity is very much imagined. This paper addresses a specific aspect of the processes through which imagined economic spaces are created and consolidated, namely, the discursive construction of what Ben Rosamond in 2012 called the ‘personality’ of an economic space, and it does so by using the empirical example of the emergence of an imagined European economic space since the late 1980s. It is argued that the European social model (ESM) is central to the personality of the imagined European economy. However, drawing on the discourse theory of Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe, and their successors in the so-called ‘Essex School’, this personality is conceptualized as a floating signifier, since different actors, in different contexts, often attribute different meanings to this term. Furthermore, it is argued that it is the very ambiguity at the heart of the ESM that ensures its legitimacy – it allows a multitude of actors to adhere to the common reference frame of an apparently European model, while they simultaneously hold on to their own specific interpretation of that model.
CAN STANDARD ANALYSIS TOOLS BE USED ON DECOMPRESSED SPEECH ?

This paperquantifiessomeof theeffectsof "lossy" audiocompressionon basicacousticspeechanalysisproceduresby comparing original audio-CD speechrecordings to compressed/decompressed versions of these recordings.The differencesfoundarebenchmarkedagainsttheeffectsof a changeof microphone.Testedarea SonyMinidisc Walkman recorderandtwo audiocompressioncodecs:OggVorbis 1.0rc3andLAME 3.92(MP3), with 3 bit rates:40, 80 (Ogg Vorbis), and192 kbs (MP3). Thesearetestedagainstpitch andformantextractionandspectralcenterof gravity (i.e., first spectralmoment). Audio compressionaddedonly a limited amountof "jump errors" ( 3%) to vowel pitch and formant measurements. Only small systematiceffects on measurementswere found that could be attributed to compression.However,rather large systematiceffectsresultedfrom a switch of microphone,mostly on the spectral centerof gravity. The audiocompressionalgorithmsintroduceda Root-Mean-Square(RMS) error,after removingjump errors,of lessthan1 semitoneto vowel mid-pointpitch, formant,andCoGmeasurements. Theeffectof themicrophone changeon RMS error was as large, i.e., for pitch, or larger, i.e., >1.2 semitonesfor formantsand centerof gravity. Comparisonof the pitch in sonorantsandthe spectralcenterof gravity measurements in continuantsshowedthat here too, theRMS errorsintroducedby theaudiocompressionwerealwayslessthan1 semitone,exceptfor thelowestbit-rate, 40 kbs, where CoG errors exploded in vowel-like consonants and fricatives (> 2 semitones). The size of the errors shows aneffectof compressionfactor (bit-rate). Thehigherbit-rateencodingsalwayshadsmallerRMS errors,exceptfor pitch measurementswhere there was no effect of encodingor bit-rate whatsoever.When audio compressionis applied repeatedly,e.g.,during recording,distribution,andarchiving,the weakestlink determinesthe total RMS error for pitch andformantmeasurements. However,thetotal RMS errorof theCoGmeasurements i thesumof thecomponenterrors. It is concludedthatMinidisc recordingsandcompressedspeechof bit-ratesfrom 80 kbsandup canbeusedfor acoustic speechanalysisif anincreasedRMS errorof up to 1 semitoneis acceptable. A low bit-rateencodingof 40 kbsintroduces markedlylargererrorsin formantmeasurements andmustbe consideredunsuitablefor whole-spectrummeasurements like the CoG. Repeatedly compressed speech is still useful for pitch and formant measurments, but whole spectrum (e.g., CoG) measurements should only be used with care.
Familiar words capture the attention of 11-month-olds in less than 250 ms

The capacity of human infants to discriminate contrasting speech sounds specializes to the native language by the end of the first year of life, when the first signs of word recognition have also been found, using behavioural measures. The extent of voluntary attentional involvement in such word recognition has not been explored, however, nor do we know what its neural time-course may be. Here we demonstrate that 11-month-old children shift their attention automatically to familiar words within 250 ms of presentation onset by measuring event-related potentials elicited by familiar and unfamiliar words. A significant modulation of the first negative peak (N200), known to index implicit change detection in adults, was induced by word familiarity in the infants.
World Journal on Educational Technology: Current Issues

It is stated that programming skills, which are ever-increasingly becoming crucial nowadays, have an impact on cognitive processes and promote individual’s self-efficacy in different ways. It is noted that students with programming skills have the character of problem solving, inquiry and being able to make decisions, which are all requisites of today’s education system. The purpose of this research is to examine the programming self-efficacy of Information Technologies and Software teacher candidates, who are trained in the field of programming. In total, 707 students, who are studying in the Department of Computer and Instructional Technologies Education of the Faculty of Education of eight universities in Turkey, participated in this research. The results of the research demonstrate that students’ programming self-efficacy is at medium level, whereas high level is observed for their inquiry and problem-solving skills. Also, inquiry skills have a significant impact on their perceived programming self-efficacy; whereas problem-solving skills has not any impact on it.
Large System Analysis of the Energy Consumption Distribution in Multi-User MIMO Systems With Mobility

In this work, we consider the downlink of a single-cell multi-user MIMO system in which the base station (BS) makes use of N antennas to communicate with K single-antenna user equipments (UEs). The UEs move around in the cell according to a random walk mobility model. We aim at determining the energy consumption distribution when different linear precoding techniques are used at the BS to guarantee target rates within a finite time interval T. The analysis is conducted in the asymptotic regime where N and K grow large with fixed ratio under the assumption of perfect channel state information (CSI). Both recent and standard results from large system analysis are used to provide concise formulae for the asymptotic transmit powers and beamforming vectors for all considered schemes. These results are eventually used to provide a deterministic approximation of the energy consumption and to study its fluctuations around this value in the form of a central limit theorem. Closed-form expressions for the asymptotic means and variances are given. Numerical results are used to validate the accuracy of the theoretical analysis and to make comparisons. We show how the results can be used to approximate the probability that a battery-powered BS runs out of energy and also to design the cell radius for minimizing the energy consumption per unit area. The imperfect CSI case is also briefly considered.
Lack of Efficacy of a Salience Nudge for Substituting Selection of Lower-Calorie for Higher-Calorie Milk in the Work Place

Obesity is a major burden on healthcare systems. Simple, cost effective interventions that encourage healthier behaviours are required. The present study evaluated the efficacy of a salience nudge for promoting a change in milk selection from full-cream to low-fat (lower-calorie) in the kitchen of a university-based research institute that provided full-cream and low-fat milk free of charge. Milk selection was recorded for 12 weeks (baseline). A sign with the message “Pick me! I am low calorie” was then placed on the low-fat milk and selection was recorded for a further 12 weeks. During baseline, selection of low-fat milk was greater than selection of full-cream milk (p = 0.001) with no significant milk-type × time interaction (p = 0.12). During the intervention period overall milk selection was not different from baseline (p = 0.22), with low-fat milk selection remaining greater than full-cream milk selection (p < 0.001) and no significant milk-type × time interaction (p = 0.41). However, sub-analysis of the first two weeks of the intervention period indicated an increase in selection of both milk types (p = 0.03), but with a greater increase in low-fat milk selection (p = 0.01, milk-type × time interaction). However, milk selection then returned towards baseline during the rest of the intervention period. Thus, in the present setting, salience nudging promoted a transient increase in low-fat milk selection, but also increased selection of full-cream milk, indicating that nudging was not effective in promoting healthier milk choices.
Optical and Radio Observations of the Afterglow from GRB 990510: Evidence for a Jet

We present multicolor optical and two-frequency radio observations of the bright BeppoSAX event GRB 990510. Neither the well-sampled optical decay nor the radio observations are consistent with simple spherical afterglow models. The achromatic steepening in the optical band and the early decay of the radio afterglow, which both occur at t ~ 1 day, are evidence for hydrodynamical evolution of the source and can be most easily interpreted by models in which the gamma-ray burst ejecta are collimated in a jet. Employing a simple jet model to explain the observations, we derive a jet opening angle of θ0 = 0.08(n/1 cm-3)1/8, reducing the isotropic gamma-ray energy release of 2.9 × 1053 ergs by a factor of ~300.
Realistic virtues and how to study them: Introducing the STRIVE-4 model

ABSTRACT This article argues that ordinary virtue trait attributions presuppose the existence of realistic traits that fall short of, for example, Aristotelian ideals and that debate about the existence of virtue traits should be reoriented in the light of this fact. After clarifying and motivating that basic thesis, we discuss what the existing psychological research shows about the existence of realistic traits and how future psychological research could be designed to show more. Our first conclusion is that current psychological research (weakly) supports virtue trait optimism not skepticism. Our second conclusion is that psychologists will need to adopt new models and conduct new studies before they can convincingly answer questions about the existence, development and normative significance of virtue traits. In short, we argue that there is no mature science of virtue today but that we can and should develop one. We end by presenting our STRIVE-4 Model, which is designed to guide future work.