Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nonrandom variability of respiration during sleep in healthy humans.

STUDY OBJECTIVES Breath-to-breath variability is not purely random but is, instead, characterized by correlations on short- and long-term scales. Short-term correlations might reflect intact metabolic-control mechanisms. To investigate whether the higher variability of breathing during rapid eye movement (REM) compared to non-REM (NREM) sleep is of random or nonrandom nature--reflecting an altered respiratory control--short-term and long-term correlations of respiratory drive and timing were determined. DESIGN A full-night polysomnogram with a pneumotachograph attached to a full-face mask was performed. For each breath during NREM and REM sleep, respiratory components were analyzed based on the quantitative airflow. SETTING Data collection took place in the sleep laboratory. PARTICIPANTS Twenty-nine healthy subjects (age, 25.8 +/- 3.1 years). MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS Long-term correlations are practically absent in respiratory timing and drive components during NREM sleep, whereas they are present during REM sleep. Short-term correlations are present in respiratory drive, tidal volume, and minute ventilation during both NREM and REM sleep. In all timing components, additional short-term correlations are absent. CONCLUSION We conclude that from NREM to REM sleep, short-term regulation of respiratory drive remains strongly metabolically controlled and clearly different from the short-term regulation of the rhythm-generating function. Regulation of respiratory timing and drive during REM sleep is characterized by additional long-term correlations. We speculate that this is the result of cortical influences during phasic REM sleep. Thus, the variability of breathing during REM sleep contains a nonrandom component, such that breathing components remain dependent upon each other even with large time lags between components.
Online Word Alignment for Online Adaptive Machine Translation

A hot task in the Computer Assisted Translation scenario is the integration of Machine Translation (MT) systems that adapt sentence after sentence to the postedits made by the translators. A main role in the MT online adaptation process is played by the information extracted from source and post-edited sentences, which in turn depends on the quality of the word alignment between them. In fact, this step is particularly crucial when the user corrects the MT output with words for which the system has no prior information. In this paper, we first discuss the application of popular state-of-the-art word aligners to this scenario and reveal their poor performance in aligning unknown words. Then, we propose a fast procedure to refine their outputs and to get more reliable and accurate alignments for unknown words. We evaluate our enhanced word-aligner on three language pairs, namely English-Italian, EnglishFrench, and English-Spanish, showing a consistent improvement in aligning unknown words up to 10% absolute Fmeasure.
Oral Insulin Supplementation Attenuates Atherosclerosis Progression in Apolipoprotein E-Deficient Mice

Objective—The role of insulin in atherosclerosis progression in diabetes is uncertain. We examined the effects of oral insulin supplementation on atherogenesis in apolipoprotein E-deficient (E0) mice. Methods and Results—One-month-old male E0 mice were orally supplemented with human insulin (0.1, 0.5, and 1 U/mL) or placebo for 3 months. At the end of the study, serum and macrophage oxidative stress and atherosclerosis progression were studied. Insulin reduced lesion size by 22% to 37% (P <0.05) in all study groups. Lipid peroxides serum levels were 18% lower (P <0.01), and serum paraoxonase activity was 30% higher (P <0.01) in mice supplemented with 1.0 U/mL insulin compared with controls. Insulin reduced mouse peritoneal macrophage (MPM) lipid peroxides content and superoxide anion release by up to 44% and 62%, respectively (P <0.01). In addition, oral insulin reduced MPM cholesterol content and cholesterol biosynthesis by up to 36% and 53%, respectively (P <0.01). In vitro incubation of E0 mice MPM with increasing insulin concentrations (0 to 100 &mgr;U/mL) resulted in a dose-dependent reduction of cholesterol synthesis by up to 66% (P <0.05). Conclusions—In E0 mice, oral insulin supplementation attenuates the atherosclerotic process. This may be attributable to insulin-mediated reduction of oxidative stress in serum and macrophages as well as reduction in macrophage cholesterol content.
Civil society contributions to local level flood resilience: Before, during and after the 2015 Boxing Day floods in the Upper Calder Valley

There is an increasing emphasis on the local level as well as growing expectations regarding civil society actors in flood‐risk management in the UK. However, not enough is known about the potential contributions of civil society to flood resilience at the local level. This paper addresses this knowledge gap by conceptualising flood resilience at the local level across three phases inherent to flood disasters: pre‐flood, during the flood and post‐flood. These phases act as the foundation for this paper's exploration of the contributions of civil society to local‐level flood resilience. Data were collected before, during and after the 2015 Boxing Day floods through interviews (in 2015 and 2017) and from secondary data sources. The paper identifies the importance of time and place when analysing civil society contributions to local level flood resilience. These contributions were dynamic over time with a strong initial response that diminished over time due to apathy, “active forgetting” and lack of further exposure. Exposure and a sense of community strongly influenced civil society contributions to flood resilience in the Upper Calder Valley. Issues of representation and varying place‐based capacities were also identified as relevant for flood resilience‐based policies. These results have larger implications for our understanding of the contributions of civil society actors to flood resilience and suggest that while they can deliver better local context‐specific approaches, there needs to be caution over the long‐term sustainability and longevity of their contributions.
Computational Investigation on the Photoacoustics of Malaria Infected Red Blood Cells

A computer simulation study on the possibility of using photoacoustic (PA) technique to differentiate intraerythrocytic stages of malarial parasite is reported. This parasite during its development substantially converts hemoglobin into hemozoin. This conversion is expected to alter the cellular absorption leading to changes in the PA emission of a red blood cell (RBC) at certain incident optical wavelengths. The PA signals from blood samples corresponding to ring, trophozoite and schizont stages were computed and compared with that of normal blood. A Monte Carlo algorithm was implemented generating random locations of RBCs in 3D to simulate blood samples. The average PA amplitude for wide bandwidth signals decreases for 434 nm incident radiation, but increases for 700 nm as the parasite matures. The spectral power at 7.5 MHz for the blood sample at the schizont stage compared to the normal blood is nearly reduced by 6 dB and enhanced by 22 dB at those incident wavelengths, respectively. Bandlimited signals for transducers of 15 and 50 MHz center frequencies were studied and found to exhibit similar characteristics. The presence of hemozoin inside the cells was examined and an excellent estimation was made. The simulation results suggest that intraerythrocytic stages of malarial parasite may be assessed using the PA technique.
Semiparametric Analysis to Estimate the Deal Effect Curve

The marketing literature suggests several phenomena that may contribute to the nature of the relationship between sales and price discounts. These phenomena can produce complex nonlinearities and interactions in the deal effect curve that are best captured with a flexible approach. Because a fully nonparametric regression model suffers from the curse of dimensionality, the authors propose a semiparametric regression model. Store-level sales over time are modeled as a non-parametric function of own- and cross-item price discounts and a parametric function of other predictors. The authors compare the predictive validity of the semiparametric model with that of two parametric benchmark models and obtain superior performance. The results for three product categories indicate threshold and saturation effects for both own-and cross-item temporary price cuts. The authors also find that the nature of the own-item curve depends on other items' price discounts. Comparisons with restricted model specifications show that both the flexible main effects and flexible interaction effects contribute to the superior results for the semiparametric approach. The interaction effects are so complex that it is unlikely for any parametric model to be satisfactory. In a separate analysis, the authors illustrate how the shape of the deal effect curve depends on own-item promotion signals. There is a crossover interaction effect: For the item analyzed, feature advertising produces a higher sales effect up to a 20% discount, whereas display achieves higher sales for discounts in excess of 20%.
The contribution of NADPH thioredoxin reductase C (NTRC) and sulfiredoxin to 2-Cys peroxiredoxin overoxidation in Arabidopsis thaliana chloroplasts

Highlight This work shows the dominant effect of NADPH thioredoxin reductase C (NTRC) over sulfiredoxin on 2-Cys peroxiredoxin (2-Cys Prx) overoxidation, and uncovers an NTRC-independent, light-dependent component contributing to 2-Cys Prx overoxidation in Arabidopsis thaliana chloroplasts.
The Financial Instability Hypothesis: A Stochastic Microfoundation Framework

This paper examines the dynamics of financial distress and in particular the mechanism of transmission of shocks from the financial sector to the real economy. The analysis is performed by representing the linkages between microeconomic financial variables and the aggregate performance of the economy by means of a microfounded model with firms that have heterogeneous capital structures. The model is solved both numerically and analytically, by means of a stochastic approximation that is able to replicate quite well the numerical solution. These methodologies, by overcoming the restrictions imposed by the traditional microfounded approach, enable us to provide some insights into the stabilization policies which may be effective in a financially fragile system.
G.R.A.C.E. for nurses: Cultivating compassion in nurse/patient interactions

The practice of nursing is grounded in clinical competence, but it is also deeply embedded in the experience of relationship and the cultivation and expression of compassion. In the world of Western medicine, however, nurses can suffer profound challenges to compassionate practice. A deficit of compassion might be relevant to the nursing experience, affecting nurse well-being, patient and family satisfaction, frequency of nursing errors, and the retention of nurses in their vocation.
Whole genome methylation analyses of schizophrenia patients before and after treatment

The aetiology of schizophrenia is still unknown but it involves both heritable and non-heritable factors. DNA methylation is an inheritable epigenetic modification that stably alters gene expression. It takes part in the regulation of neurodevelopment and may be a contributing factor to the pathogenesis of brain diseases. It was found that many of the antipsychotic drugs may lead to epigenetic modifications. We have performed 42 high-resolution genome-wide methylation array analyses to determine the methylation status of 27,627 CpG islands. Differentially methylated regions were studied with samples from 20 Bulgarian individuals divided in four groups according to their gender (12 males/8 females) and their treatment response (6 in complete/14 in incomplete remission). They were compared to two age and sex matched control pools (110 females in female pool/110 males in male pool) before and after treatment. We found significant differences in the methylation profiles between male schizophrenia patients with complete remission and control male pool before treatment (C16orf70, CST3, DDRGK1, FA2H, FLJ30058, MFSD2B, RFX4, UBE2J1, ZNF311) and male schizophrenia patients with complete remission and control male pool after treatment (AP1S3, C16orf59, KCNK15, LOC146336, MGC16384, XRN2) that potentially could be used as target genes for new therapeutic strategies as well as markers for good treatment response. Our data revealed major differences in methylation profiles between male schizophrenia patients in complete remission before and after treatment and healthy controls which supports the hypothesis that antipsychotic drugs may play a role in epigenetic modifications.
Trading on the information content of open interest: Evidence from the US equity options market

This paper uses daily closing data on Chicago Board of Options Exchange (CBOE) options of 30 stocks during February to July, 1999, to investigate whether options open interest contains information that can be used for trading purposes. Individual stock price at option maturity is first predicted based on the distribution of options open interest. Several stock only and stock plus options directional trading strategies are then considered after comparing the predicted stock price at maturity and the actual stock price at the trade initiation date. In the sample, these trading strategies generate better returns compared with the S&P500, the buy and hold strategy involving the sample stocks and the Merton et al. (1978, ‘The Returns and Risk of Alternative Call Option Portfolio Investment Strategies’, Journal of Business, Vol. 51, pp. 183–242) style covered call strategy. The empirical evidence thus indicates that non-price measures of activity in the derivatives market — such as open interest — contain information about the future level of the underlying asset. This lends support to prior works which suggest that derivatives cannot be considered as redundant in a market with information-related frictions. One implication is that the distribution of non-price derivatives market activity may be helpful for other purposes where the physical instead of the risk-neutral distribution of the underlying asset is needed. These include beta estimation, volatility forecasting and volatility trading.
Dissociative Part-Dependent Resting-State Activity in Dissociative Identity Disorder: A Controlled fMRI Perfusion Study

Background In accordance with the Theory of Structural Dissociation of the Personality (TSDP), studies of dissociative identity disorder (DID) have documented that two prototypical dissociative subsystems of the personality, the “Emotional Part” (EP) and the “Apparently Normal Part” (ANP), have different biopsychosocial reactions to supraliminal and subliminal trauma-related cues and that these reactions cannot be mimicked by fantasy prone healthy controls nor by actors. Methods Arterial spin labeling perfusion MRI was used to test the hypotheses that ANP and EP in DID have different perfusion patterns in response to rest instructions, and that perfusion is different in actors who were instructed to simulate ANP and EP. In a follow-up study, regional cerebral blood flow of DID patients was compared with the activation pattern of healthy non-simulating controls. Results Compared to EP, ANP showed elevated perfusion in bilateral thalamus. Compared to ANP, EP had increased perfusion in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, primary somatosensory cortex, and motor-related areas. Perfusion patterns for simulated ANP and EP were different. Fitting their reported role-play strategies, the actors activated brain structures involved in visual mental imagery and empathizing feelings. The follow-up study demonstrated elevated perfusion in the left temporal lobe in DID patients, whereas non-simulating healthy controls had increased activity in areas which mediate the mental construction of past and future episodic events. Conclusion DID involves dissociative part-dependent resting-state differences. Compared to ANP, EP activated brain structures involved in self-referencing and sensorimotor actions more. Actors had different perfusion patterns compared to genuine ANP and EP. Comparisons of neural activity for individuals with DID and non-DID simulating controls suggest that the resting-state features of ANP and EP in DID are not due to imagination. The findings are consistent with TSDP and inconsistent with the idea that DID is caused by suggestion, fantasy proneness, and role-playing.
A force-feedback exoskeleton for upper-limb rehabilitation in virtual reality

This paper presents the design and the clinical validation of an upper-limb force-feedback exoskeleton, the L-EXOS, for robotic-assisted rehabilitation in virtual reality VR. The L-EXOS is a five degrees of freedom exoskeleton with a wearable structure and anthropomorphic workspace that can cover the full range of motion of human arm. A specific VR application focused on the reaching task was developed and evaluated on a group of eight post-stroke patients, to assess the efficacy of the system for the rehabilitation of upper limb. The evaluation showed a significant reduction of the performance error in the reaching task paired t-test, p < 0.02.
Individual preferences and the distribution of wealth

For a sub-sample of French households of an Insee wealth survey, we obtain new and relative measures of 5 individual preference parameters : the risk "attitude" (aversion, prudence.), the rate of time depreciation over the life-cycle, the degree of short-term impatience, and the degrees of family and non family altruism. Short-term impatience and non family altruism are found no to affect wealth but, contrarily to recent results of behavioural analysis, the three other parameters have significant effects on wealth (financial, gross or net), which are consistent with theoretical predictions : wealth accumulation increases with the degree of prudence (precautionary saving), falls with time preference (life-cycle saving) and rises with the degree of family altruism (wealth intended for bequests). The way preferences are measured allows to get rid of potential causality problems and the joint explanatory power of the three parameters appears sizeable, although less important than the one of classic explanatory variables (age, income, social class and inheritance).
Temperament, ADHD Symptoms, And Impairment In Middle Childhood

iv LIST OF TABLES . vii LIST OF FIGURES . viii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION . 1 CHAPTER 2: METHOD . 19 CHAPTER 3: RESULTS . 29 CHAPTER 4: DISCUSSION . 54 REFERENCES . 68
Are NTBFs keen on Having VC Financing? An Empirical Analysis on the Determinants of VC Seeking and Its Impact in Evaluating Performance

In this paper we analyze the decision of firms to be on the market for Venture Capital (VC) financing and its inclusion in econometric models on the impact of VC on firms performance. We develop a simple model according to which the decision of a company to look for VC is equivalent to the decision upon whether or not to buy a call option. The value of the option is increasing with the (expected) value added by VC to the investee company. The cost of the option is increasing with the size of the search cost and decreasing with the competitiveness and development of the VC industry in the sector and area of the firm. We also show that including the decision of the firm to be on the market in an econometric model can greatly improve the accuracy of estimates about the treatment effect of VC on firm’s performance, especially when few companies find it optimal to be on the market. We test the theoretical prediction of the model on a sample of 215 Italian New Technology Based Firms. The empirical evidence supports the view that search costs and VC market development substantially affect the likelihood of a company to be on the market for VC. It also confirms that pooled estimates (i.e. estimates that do not distinguish between companies on or off the market for VC) might substantially underestimate the real impact of VC on firms performance.
Cultural Influences on Environmental Consciousness and Green Environmental Behavior

This paper focuses on investigating the relationship between culture and green attitudes and environmental behavior across two countries representing societies with different cultural norms. The paper presents a theoretical model suggesting that individual level cultural differences influence consumer’s environmental consciousness which then influence their green consumerism and active ecological Behaviors’. Data was collected using survey research from two countries representing societies with different cultural norms—the United States and India. SmartPLS was used to assess the quality of the measurement model and test the proposed research hypotheses. Although the United States is a society that is generally driven by individualism and mastery orientation, study results indicate that at the individual level people attitudes and behaviors might be influenced by different orientations depending on the consumption situation. Overall, study findings highlight the value in understanding the influence of cultural factors at the individual level and not just at the country level.
Time Course and Nerve Growth Factor Dependence of Inflammation-Induced Alterations in Electrophysiological Membrane Properties in Nociceptive Primary Afferent Neurons

Novel findings of changes in nociceptive dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons during hindlimb inflammation induced by complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) injections in the hindpaw and hindleg are reported. These include increased maximum fiber following frequency in nociceptive C- and Aδ-fiber units by 2.7 and 3 times, respectively, and increased incidence of ongoing (spontaneous) activity by 3.3 times (to 54%) and 2.4 times (to 27%), respectively. These changes and the CFA-induced changes in somatic action potential (AP) configuration in nociceptive neurons (Djouhri and Lawson, 1999) were incomplete 24 hr after CFA. The nerve growth factor (NGF) dependence of the inflammation-induced changes was examined by injecting a synthetic NGF sequestering protein [tyrosine receptor kinase A Ig2 (trkA Ig2)] with CFA and subsequently into the CFA injection sites. NGF sequestration prevented some CFA-induced changes in nociceptive neurons including: the increased fiber following frequency (C and Aδ), the increased proportions of units with ongoing activity (C and Aδ), the decreased AP duration (C and Aδ), but not the decreased afterhyperpolarization (AHP) durations (C, Aδ, and Aα/β) (Djouhri and Lawson, 1999). AP variables of nociceptive units with spontaneous activity were examined. The time course of electrophysiological changes in nociceptive units is consistent with processes involving altered protein expression and/or retrograde transport of factors. These results (1) implicate NGF in regulating inflammation-induced decreases in AP duration and in increases in firing rate and spontaneous activity but not in decreases in AHP duration and (2) suggest clinical advantages of reducing NGF in some inflammatory pain states.
NTCIR-11 Math-2 Task Overview

This paper presents an overview of the NTCIR-11 Math-2 Task, which is speci cally dedicated to information access to mathematical content. In particular, the paper summarizes the task design, analysis of the submitted runs, and the main approaches deployed by the participating groups. It also contains an introduction to the optional free Wikipedia subtask, a newly introduced mathematical retrieval task using Wikipedia articles.