Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Wolfpack Effect

Imagine a pack of predators stalking their prey. The predators may not always move directly toward their target (e.g., when circling around it), but they may be consistently facing toward it. The human visual system appears to be extremely sensitive to such situations, even in displays involving simple shapes. We demonstrate this by introducing the wolfpack effect, which is found when several randomly moving, oriented shapes (darts, or discs with “eyes”) consistently point toward a moving disc. Despite the randomness of the shapes’ movement, they seem to interact with the disc—as if they are collectively pursuing it. This impairs performance in interactive tasks (including detection of actual pursuit), and observers selectively avoid such shapes when moving a disc through the display themselves. These and other results reveal that the wolfpack effect is a novel “social” cue to perceived animacy. And, whereas previous work has focused on the causes of perceived animacy, these results demonstrate its effects, showing how it irresistibly and implicitly shapes visual performance and interactive behavior.
Ionic Dynamics Mediate Spontaneous Termination of Seizures and Postictal Depression State

Epileptic seizures are characterized by periods of recurrent, highly synchronized activity that spontaneously terminates, followed by postictal state when neuronal activity is generally depressed. The mechanisms for spontaneous seizure termination and postictal depression remain poorly understood. Using a realistic computational model, we demonstrate that termination of seizure and postictal depression state may be mediated by dynamics of the intracellular and extracellular ion concentrations. Spontaneous termination was linked to progressive increase of intracellular sodium concentration mediated by activation of sodium channels during highly active epileptic state. In contrast, an increase of intracellular chloride concentration extended seizure duration making possible long-lasting epileptic activity characterized by multiple transitions between tonic and clonic states. After seizure termination, the extracellular potassium was reduced below baseline, resulting in postictal depression. Our study suggests that the coupled dynamics of sodium, potassium, and chloride ions play a critical role in the development and termination of seizures. Findings from this study could help identify novel therapeutics for seizure disorder.
Comparing the biological and cultural inheritance of personality and social attitudes in the Virginia 30 000 study of twins and their relatives

Abstract Measures of four dimensions of personality (Psychoticism, Extraversion, Neuroticism, and Lie scores) and six aspects of social attitudes (to sex, taxation, militarism, politics, religion and a general conservatism scale) were obtained by mailed questionnaire from 29 691 US subjects including adult twins (n = 14 761) their parents (n = 2360), their spouses (n = 4391), siblings (n = 3184) and adult children (n = 4800). After correction for the average effects of age, sex and source of sample, familial correlations were computed for 80 distinct biological and social relationships. The data allow for the estimation of the additive and non-additive effects of genes, assortative mating, vertical cultural inheritance and other non-parental effects of the shared environment on differences in personality and social attitudes. The interaction of genetic and environmental effects with sex may also be analyzed. Model-fitting analyses show that personality and social attitude measures differ markedly in major features of family resemblance. Additive and dominant genetic effects contribute to differences in both personality and attitudes, but the effects of the family environment, including vertical cultural transmission from parent to child, are much more marked for social attitudes than for personality. There is substantial assortative mating for social attitudes and almost none for personality. The causes of family resemblance depend significantly on sex for almost every variable studied. These findings clarify and extend the more tentative findings derived from previous twin, family and adoption studies.
The Influence of Oral Versus Silent Reading on Reading Comprehension in Students With Reading Disabilities

This study examined the effects of reading modality (oral vs. silent) on comprehension in elementary school students with a specific learning disability in reading (N = 77). A 2 (development-level) × 2 (reading modality) × 2 (time) mixed factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to determine the influence of these variables on comprehension. Significant main effects were found for reading modality and time on comprehension, but the main effect for developmental level was not significant. Students understood more of what was read orally than silently and showed improved comprehension across the year. The development-level by modality interaction was significant. Early elementary students benefited from oral reading in terms of comprehension, whereas equivalent comprehension was observed for late elementary students across modalities. No other two- or three-way interactions were significant. Results from this study suggest that reading modality is an important variable to consider for researchers and educators who are interested in the construct of reading comprehension.
Increased dietary protein consumed at breakfast leads to an initial and sustained feeling of fullness during energy restriction compared to other meal times

The objective of the study was to assess whether the timing of increased dietary protein throughout the day influences the feelings of fullness during energy balance (EB) and restriction (ER). Nine men (age 48 (sem 6) years; BMI 32·7 (sem 0·7) kg/m2) randomly completed five controlled feeding trials, each consisting of 3 d of EB, followed by 3 d of ER of a 3138 kJ/d (750 kcal/d) reduction). The diet was composed of a normal amount of protein (NP) (0·8 g protein/kg per d), or an additional amount of protein (HP) (+0·6 g protein/kg per d) given at breakfast (HP-B), lunch (HP-L), dinner (HP-D) or equally divided among all meals (HP-E). Meal-related (3 h postprandial) and overall (15 h composite) feelings of fullness were assessed from thirteen-point, numbered, linear category scale questionnaires (reported as arbitrary units (au)). When comparing HP treatments, the data are presented as difference from NP. No differences in meal-related or overall fullness were observed among HP treatments during EB. During ER, the HP-B led to greater meal-related fullness (+137 (sem 44) au × 180 min) compared to HP-D ( − 1 (sem 37) au × 180 min; P = 0·003), but not for HP-L (+62 (sem 53) au × 180 min; P = 0·188) or HP-E-B (+92 (sem 85) au × 180 min; P = 0·587). HP-B also led to greater overall (15 h) fullness (+404 (sem 162) au × 900 min) v. HP-L (+33 (sem 162) au × 900 min; P = 0·009) and HP-D ( − 60 (sem 132) au × 900 min; P = 0·05), but not HP-E (+274 (sem 165) au × 900 min; P = 0·188). The initial and sustained feelings of fullness following protein consumption at breakfast suggests that the timing of protein intake differentially influences satiety during ER.
Rhinitis, Asthma and Respiratory Infections among Adults in Relation to the Home Environment in Multi-Family Buildings in Sweden

Risk factors for rhinitis, asthma and respiratory infections in the home environment were studied by a questionnaire survey. Totally 5775 occupants (≥18 years old) from a stratified random sample of multi-family buildings in Sweden participated (46%). 51.0% had rhinitis in the last 3 months (current rhinitis); 11.5% doctor diagnosed asthma; 46.4% respiratory infections in the last 3 months and 11.9% antibiotic medication for respiratory infections in the last 12 months. Associations between home environment and health were analyzed by multiple logistic regression, controlling for gender, age and smoking and mutual adjustment. Buildings constructed during 1960–1975 were risk factors for day time breathlessness (OR = 1.53, 95%CI 1.03–2.29). And those constructed during 1976–1985 had more current rhinitis (OR = 1.43, 95%CI 1.12–1.84) and respiratory infections (OR = 1.46, 95%CI 1.21–1.78). Cities with higher population density had more current rhinitis (p = 0.008) and respiratory infections (p<0.001). Rented apartments had more current rhinitis (OR = 1.23, 95%CI 1.07–1.40), wheeze (OR = 1.20, 95%CI 1.02–1.41), day time breathlessness (OR = 1.31, 95%CI 1.04–1.66) and respiratory infections (OR = 1.13, 95%CI 1.01–1.26). Living in colder parts of the country was a risk factor for wheeze (p = 0.03) and night time breathlessness (p = 0.002). Building dampness was a risk factor for wheeze (OR = 1.42, 95%CI 1.08–1.86) and day time breathlessness (OR = 1.57, 95%CI 1.09–2.27). Building dampness was a risk factor for health among those below 66 years old. Odor at home was a risk factor for doctor diagnosed asthma (OR = 1.49, 95%CI 1.08–2.06) and current asthma (OR = 1.52, 95%CI 1.03–2.24). Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) was a risk factor for current asthma (OR = 1.53, 95%CI 1.09–2.16). Window pane condensation was a risk factor for antibiotic medication for respiratory infections (OR = 1.41, 95%CI 1.10–1.82). In conclusion, rhinitis, asthma and respiratory infections were related to a number of factors in the home environment. Certain building years (1961–1985), building dampness, window pane condensation and odor in the dwelling may be risk factors.
The Effect of Game Tutorial: A Comparison Between Casual and Hardcore Gamers

Today's freemium mobile gaming market faces two major issues: conversion and retention. To this end, tutorials are used to help players quickly adopt a new game mechanic, but does it have the same effect on purchase and continuous use intentions for all players? We suggest that tutorials have different effects on casual players (i.e., a gamer who is playing sporadically up to a few games a year, with a low gaming session average length) vs. hardcore gamers (i.e., a more dedicated gamer who is playing the various games downloaded for free or purchased more frequently). Preliminary results of this experimental research involving 43 participants already propose that casual players' intentions toward a game differ from those of hardcore players when exposed to the game tutorial. To better understand this difference, further analyses are underway to explore the players' psychophysiological state during the tutorial using eye tracking and physiological data.
Cross-country Differences in Well-being Consequences of Unemployment in Europe

Unemployment is one of the most damaging personal experiences for someone participating in the labor market. In this paper we examine the factors that affect unemployed workers’ well-being, distinguishing several dimensions such as satisfaction with activity, income and leisure time, using the data from ECHP. While in all EU countries unemployment incidence reduces substantially the satisfaction levels with main activity and finance, and increases substantially the satisfaction level with leisure time, there are large cross-country differences in the well-being consequences of unemployment. We show that these differences can be partially attributed to employment policies and regulations affecting the functioning of the labor market. In countries where the unemployment rate is lower, unemployment spells are shorter and unemployment protection (unemployment benefits and active labor market policies) is greater, the observed effects of unemployment on satisfaction are much smaller. A similar relationship is found with respect to job prospects expressed by unemployed workers. That is, well-being loss of unemployment is smaller in those countries where a greater proportion of unemployed workers express good job prospects during the next 12 months. In particular, Denmark and the Netherlands stand out for their reduced negative effect of unemployment on worker's well-being. We may conclude tentatively that the flexicurity model that underpins employment policies in these two countries is indeed effective at reducing the burden of unemployment on individual well-being.
Understanding Continued IT Usage: An Extension to the Expectation-Confirmation Model in IT Domain

A model that has been proposed to investigate the continued IT usage behavior is the Expectation-Confirmation Model in IT Domain (ECM-IT). This paper proposes an extension to the ECM-IT that incorporates perceived ease of use; provide empirical evidence for the utility of the extended ECM-IT; and deepen our knowledge about the factors affecting the continued IT usage behavior. The extended ECM-IT was tested with data collected from 1,826 Mobile Data Services (MDS) users. The LISREL analysis showed that the extended ECM-IT has good explanatory power (R=67%), with perceived ease of use having a stronger impact on user satisfaction and continued usage intention than perceived usefulness. Hence, the extended ECM-IT can provide valuable additional information that is relevant for understanding continued IT usage. The strong impact of perceived ease of use on user satisfaction and intention implies that the nature of the target technology can be an important boundary condition in understanding the continued IT usage behavior. At a more specific level, the extended ECM-IT provides practitioners with deeper insights into how to address customer satisfaction and retention.
HOUSE AGE, SUBSTRUCTURE AND HEATING SYSTEM: RELATIONSHIPS TO INDOOR RADON CONCENTRATIONS by: Mack Rugg

The Nev Jersey Statewide Scientific Study of Radon collected data on the substructure, heating system, age, and lowest-level radon concentration of 5,700 homes. In 200 of these homes, radon measurements were made on two levels. The presence of a crawlspace did not appear to affect basement radon concentrations. The basements of basement houses contained twice as much radon as the first level of slab-on-grade houses and three times as much as the first level of nonbasement houses built on cravlspaces. The data indicate that houses with forced-air heat distribution systems had less radon in the basement and more radon above the basement than houses with hot vater/steam or electric heating systems. For houses built in the 20th century, radon concentration was negatively associated vith age. However, homes built before 1900 had higher concentrations than those built between 1900 and the end of World War 11.
Modeling the influence of commutation in voltage source inverters on rotor losses of permanent magnet machines

Rotor losses in inverter-fed permanent magnet (PM) machines depend on stator current waveform and consequently on inverter output voltage. These losses can be very harmful due to the vulnerability of magnets to heat. In this study, the rotor losses in high-speed PM machines supplied by voltage-source PWM inverters were analytically correlated with the inverter switching parameters. An analytical model which shows the dependency of the rotor losses on a frequency modulation ratio was derived. The derived model was verified by a 2D transient finite element model.
Mobility Modeling and Performance Evaluation of Heterogeneous Wireless Networks

The future-generation wireless systems will combine heterogeneous wireless access technologies to provide mobile users with seamless access to a diverse set of applications and services. The heterogeneity in this inter-technology roaming paradigm magnifies the mobility impact on system performance and user perceived service quality, necessitating novel mobility modeling and analysis approaches for performance evaluation. In this paper, we present and compare three mobility models in two-tier integrated heterogeneous wireless systems, the independence model as a naive extension of the traditional cell residence time modeling techniques for homogeneous cellular networks, the basic Coxian model which takes into consideration the correlation between the residence time within different access technologies, and the extended-Coxian model for further improved estimation accuracy. We propose a general stochastic performance analysis framework based on application session models derived from these mobility models, applying it to a 3G-WLAN integrated system as an example. Our numerical and simulation results demonstrate the general superiority of Coxian-based mobility modeling over the independence model. Furthermore, using the proposed modeling and analysis methods, we investigate the impact of different parameters on system performance metrics such as network utilization time, handoff rates, and forced termination probability, for a wide range of user applications.
Serum HMGB1 is a predictive and prognostic biomarker for oncolytic immunotherapy

With the emergence of effective immunotherapeutics, which nevertheless harbor the potential for toxicity and are expensive to use, biomarkers are urgently needed for identification of cancer patients who respond to treatment. In this clinical-epidemiological study of 202 cancer patients treated with oncolytic adenoviruses, we address the biomarker value of serum high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) protein. Overall survival and imaging responses were studied as primary endpoints and adjusted for confounding factors in two multivariate analyses (Cox and logistic regression). Mechanistic studies included assessment of circulating tumor-specific T-cells by ELISPOT, virus replication by quantitative PCR, and inflammatory cytokines by cytometric bead array. Patients with low HMGB1 baseline levels (below median concentration) showed significantly improved survival (p = 0.008, Log-Rank test) and radiological disease control rate (49.2% vs. 30.0%, p = 0.038, χ2 test) as compared to high-baseline patients. In multivariate analyses, the low HMGB1 baseline status was a strong prognostic (HR 0.638, 95% CI 0.462–0.881) and the best predictive factor for disease control (OR 2.618, 95% CI 1.004–6.827). Indicative of an immune-mediated mechanism, antitumor T-cell activity in blood and response to immunogenic-transgene coding viruses associated with improved outcome only in HMGB1-low patients. Our results suggest that serum HMGB1 baseline is a useful prognostic and predictive biomarker for oncolytic immunotherapy with adenoviruses, setting the stage for prospective clinical studies.
Significance, progress and prospects for research in simplified cultivation technologies for rice in China

SUMMARY Simplified cultivation technologies for rice have become increasingly attractive in recent years in China because of their social, economical and environmental benefits. To date, several simplified cultivation technologies, such as conventional tillage and seedling throwing (CTST), conventional tillage and direct seeding (CTDS), no-tillage and seedling throwing (NTST), no-tillage and direct seeding (NTDS) and no-tillage and transplanting (NTTP), have been developed in China. Most studies have shown that rice grown under each of these simplified cultivation technologies can produce a grain yield equal to or higher than traditional cultivation (conventional tillage and transplanting). Studies that have described the influences of agronomic practices on yield formation of rice under simplified cultivation have demonstrated that optimizing agronomy practices would increase the efficiencies of simplified cultivation systems. Further research is needed to optimize the management strategies for CTST, CTDS and NTST rice which have developed quickly in recent years, to strengthen basic research for those simplified cultivation technologies that are rarely used at present (such as NTTP and NTDS), to select and breed cultivars suitable for simplified cultivation and to compare the practicability and effectiveness of different simplified cultivation technologies in different rice production regions.
RSU placement optimization in vehicular participatory sensing networks

This paper proposes a multi-objective optimization evolutionary algorithm for placement of roadside units (RSUs) in participatory sensing using vehicular networks. The proposed algorithm heuristically optimizes RSUs' communication coverage area in a city with the minimal number of RSUs. The extensive simulation results show the efficacy of the proposed algorithm comparing to a traditional placement algorithm.
Micromachined High-Aspect-Ratio Parylene Spring and Its Application to Low-Frequency Accelerometers

A new microfabrication technology for high-aspect- ratio parylene structure has been developed for soft spring applications. Free-standing parylene beams with widths of 10–40$mu m$and aspect ratios of 10–20 have been successfully fabricated. Since parylene has a small Young's modulus, a high-aspect-ratio beam with a spring constant of the order of$1,times, 10 ^-3~ N/ m$has been realized. The large yield strain of parylene enables a test structure to have a large-amplitude oscillation of 600$mu m _ pmathchar"702D p$, without any failure of the high-aspect-ratio springs. An early prototype of in-plane capacitive accelerometer was also developed. It was found that its resonant frequency is as low as 37 Hz, and the noise spectral density is 64$mu g/( Hz)^0.5$. 1606
Public-Key Encryption Schemes with Auxiliary Inputs . Theory of Cryptography Citation

We construct public-key cryptosystems that remain secure even when the adversary is given any computationally uninvertible function of the secret key as auxiliary input (even one that may reveal the secret key informationtheoretically). Our schemes are based on the decisional Diffie-Hellman (DDH) and the Learning with Errors (LWE) problems. As an independent technical contribution, we extend the Goldreich-Levin theorem to provide a hard-core (pseudorandom) value over large fields.
Weak scale superstrings.

Recent developments in string duality suggest that the string scale may not be irrevocably tied to the Planck scale. Two explicit but unrealistic examples are described where the ratio of the string scale to the Planck scale is arbitrarily small. Solutions that are more realistic may exist in the intermediate coupling or {open_quote}{open_quote}truly strong coupling{close_quote}{close_quote} region of the heterotic string. Weak scale superstrings have dramatic experimental consequences for both collider physics and cosmology. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society. }
Luteinizing Hormone-Releasing Hormone Distribution in the Anterior Hypothalamus of the Female Rats

Luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) neurons and fibers are located in the anteroventral hypothalamus, specifically in the preoptic medial area and the organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis. Most luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone neurons project to the median eminence where they are secreted in the pituitary portal system in order to control the release of gonadotropin. The aim of this study is to provide, using immunohistochemistry and female brain rats, a new description of the luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone fibers and neuron localization in the anterior hypothalamus. The greatest amount of the LHRH immunoreactive material was found in the organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis that is located around the anterior region of the third ventricle. The intensity of the reaction of LHRH immunoreactive material decreases from cephalic to caudal localization; therefore, the greatest immunoreaction is in the organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis, followed by the dorsomedial preoptic area, the ventromedial preoptic area, and finally the ventrolateral medial preoptic area, and in fibers surrounding the suprachiasmatic nucleus and subependymal layer on the floor of the third ventricle where the least amount immunoreactive material is found.