Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An improved lightning flash rate parameterization developed from Colorado DC3 thunderstorm data for use in cloud‐resolving chemical transport models

Accurate prediction of total lightning flash rate in thunderstorms is important to improve estimates of nitrogen oxides (NOx) produced by lightning (LNOx) from the storm scale to the global scale. In this study, flash rate parameterization schemes from the literature are evaluated against observed total flash rates for a sample of 11 Colorado thunderstorms, including nine storms from the Deep Convective Clouds and Chemistry (DC3) experiment in May‐June 2012. Observed flash rates were determined using an automated algorithm that clusters very high frequency radiation sources emitted by electrical breakdown in clouds and detected by the northern Colorado lightning mapping array. Existing schemes were found to inadequately predict flash rates and were updated based on observed relationships between flash rate and simple storm parameters, yielding significant improvement. The most successful updated scheme predicts flash rate based on the radar‐derived mixed‐phase 35 dBZ echo volume. Parameterizations based on metrics for updraft intensity were also updated but were found to be less reliable predictors of flash rate for this sample of storms. The 35 dBZ volume scheme was tested on a data set containing radar reflectivity volume information for thousands of isolated convective cells in different regions of the U.S. This scheme predicted flash rates to within 5.8% of observed flash rates on average. These results encourage the application of this scheme to larger radar data sets and its possible implementation into cloud‐resolving models.
Selective Interaction of Vitamin D Receptor with Transcriptional Coactivators by a Vitamin D Analog

ABSTRACT The nuclear vitamin D receptor (VDR) is a member of a nuclear receptor superfamily and acts as a ligand-dependent transcription factor. A family of cotranscriptional activators (SRC-1, TIF2, and AIB-1) interacts with and activates the transactivation function of nuclear receptors in a ligand-dependent way. We examined interaction of VDR with these coactivators that was induced by several vitamin D analogs, since they exert differential subsets of the biological action of vitamin D through unknown mechanisms. Unlike other vitamin D analogs tested, OCT (22-oxa-1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3) induced interaction of VDR with TIF2 but not with SRC-1 or AIB-1. Consistent with these interactions, only TIF2 was able to potentiate the transactivation function of VDR bound to OCT. Thus, the present findings suggest that the structure of VDR is altered in a vitamin D analog-specific way, resulting in selective interactions of VDR with coactivators. Such selective interaction of coactivators with VDR may specify the array of biological actions of a vitamin D analog like OCT, possibly through activating a particular set of target gene promoters.
"You've got video": increasing clickthrough when sharing enterprise video with email

In this Note we summarize our research on increasing the information scent of video recordings that are shared via email in a corporate setting. We compare two types of email messages for sharing recordings: the first containing basic information (e.g. title, speaker, abstract) with a link to the video; the second with the same information plus a set of video thumbnails (hyperlinked to the segments they represent), which are automatically created by video summarization technology. We report on the results of two user studies. The first one compares the quality of the set of thumbnails selected by the technology to sets selected by 31 humans. The second study examines the clickthrough rates for both email formats (with and without hyperlinked thumbnails) as well as gathering subjective feedback via survey. Results indicate that the email messages with the thumbnails drove significantly higher clickthrough rates than the messages without, even though people clicked on the main video link more frequently than the thumbnails. Survey responses show that users found the email with the thumbnail set significantly more appealing and novel.
Desymbolisierung in der schweren Depression und das Problem der Hemmung: Ein neuropsychoanalytisches Modell der Störung des emotionalen Selbstbezugs Depressiver

Das Hemmungsphanomen in der schweren Depression wird als ein Grenzproblem einer geschlossenen psychoanalytischen Depressionstheorie dargestellt. Empirische Befunde zu emotional-kognitiver Interaktion bei Gesunden und Depressiven werden zur Entwicklung eines neuro-psychoanalytischen Modells der Abwehr- und Bewaltigungsmechanismen in der Depression herangezogen. Dabei wurde von der Hypothese ausgegangen, das bestimmte Prinzipien der neuronalen Integration mit spezifischen Abwehrmechanismen verbunden sind. Die neuropsychologischen und neurophysiologischen Korrelate dieser regressiven Prozesse in der Depression werden beschrieben. Das vorgestellte neuro-psychoanalytische Modell last sich als Ausgangspunkt fur zukunftige empirische Untersuchungen der den Abwehr- und Bewaltigungsmechanismen zugrundeliegenden psychophysiologischen Mechanismen in der Depression auffassen. Es last sich ferner zur Konzeptualisierung der fur die psychoanalytische Psychotherapie depressiv Erkrankter bedeutsamen partiellen Entkopplung vom psychischen Prozes und aktueller Psychopathologie heranziehen.
Using Perceptually Grounded Semantic Models to Autonomously Convey Meaning Through Visual Art

Using Perceptually Grounded Semantic Models to Autonomously Convey Meaning Through Visual Art Derrall L. Heath Department of Computer Science, BYU Doctor of Philosophy Developing advanced semantic models is important in building computational systems that can not only understand language but also convey ideas and concepts to others. Semantic models can allow a creative image-producing-agent to autonomously produce artifacts that communicate an intended meaning. This notion of communicating meaning through art is often considered a necessary part of eliciting an aesthetic experience in the viewer and can thus enhance the (perceived) creativity of the agent. Computational creativity, a subfield of artificial intelligence, deals with designing computational systems and algorithms that either automatically create original and functional products, or that augment the ability of humans to do so. We present work on DARCI (Digital ARtist Communicating Intention), a system designed to autonomously produce original images that convey meaning. In order for DARCI to automatically express meaning through the art it creates, it must have its own semantic model that is perceptually grounded with visual capabilities. The work presented here focuses on designing, building, and incorporating advanced semantic and perceptual models into the DARCI system. These semantic models give DARCI a better understanding of the world and enable it to be more autonomous, to better evaluate its own artifacts, and to create artifacts with intention. Through designing, implementing, and studying DARCI, we have developed evaluation methods, models, frameworks, and theories related to the creative process that can be generalized to other domains outside of visual art. Our work on DARCI has even influenced the visual art community through several collaborative efforts, art galleries, and exhibits. We show that the DARCI system is successful at autonomously producing original art that is meaningful to human viewers. We also discuss insights that our efforts have contributed to the field of computational creativity.
Diet-Induced Adipose Tissue Inflammation and Liver Steatosis Are Prevented by DPP-4 Inhibition in Diabetic Mice

OBJECTIVE Diet composition alters the metabolic states of adipocytes and hepatocytes in diabetes. The effects of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibition on adipose tissue inflammation and fatty liver have been obscure. We investigated the extrapancreatic effects of DPP-4 inhibition on visceral fat and the liver. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We investigated diet-induced metabolic changes in β-cell–specific glucokinase haploinsufficient (Gck+/−) diabetic mice. We challenged animals with a diet containing a combination of sucrose and oleic acid (SO) or sucrose and linoleic acid (SL). Next, we assessed the effects of a DPP-4 inhibitor, des-fluoro-sitagliptin, on adipose tissue inflammation and hepatic steatosis. RESULTS The epididymal fat weight and serum leptin level were significantly higher in Gck+/− mice fed SL than in mice fed SO, although no significant differences in body weight or adipocyte size were noted. Compared with SO, SL increased the numbers of CD11c+ M1 macrophages and CD8+ T-cells in visceral adipose tissue and the expression of E-selectin, P-selectin, and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1). DPP-4 inhibition significantly prevented adipose tissue infiltration by CD8+ T-cells and M1 macrophages and decreased the expression of PAI-1. The production of cytokines by activated T-cells was not affected by DPP-4 inhibition. Furthermore, DPP-4 inhibition prevented fatty liver in both wild-type and Gck+/− mice. DPP-4 inhibition also decreased the expressions of sterol regulatory element–binding protein-1c, stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1, and fatty acid synthase, and increased the expression of peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor-α in the liver. CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicated that DPP-4 inhibition has extrapancreatic protective effects against diet-induced adipose tissue inflammation and hepatic steatosis.
Dissenting youth: how student and youth struggles helped shape anti-austerity mobilisations in Southern Europe

Abstract Social movements do not appear spontaneously. They are rooted in cultures and contexts and their evolution depends both on macro structural factors and on the action and organisation of pre-existing actors. In particular, the anti-austerity protest events that characterised southern European countries in the last few years cannot be understood through a focus on them as isolated incidents. They need, instead, to be analysed as part of a cycle of protest. Furthermore, some of their components are rooted in the activity and elaboration of pre-existing actors. We contribute to this issue by analysing the role of the student movement in the lead up to the anti-austerity mobilisations in Italy and Spain. This analysis allows us to show that a relevant component of the discourse of anti-austerity mobilisation comes from a long-standing trajectory of critique of neoliberalism, and that specific actors in specific fields of action reshaped and recontextualised this heritage in the context of the economic crisis, paving the way, at least from the discursive point of view, for the emergence of anti-austerity mobilisations. Our analysis, based on qualitative interviews of Italian and Spanish activists, point outs how student activists acted as initiators of anti-austerity mobilisations and as brokers in the adaptation of the anti-neoliberal discourse in the new context, with the goal of addressing a wider audience. We stress that pre-existing political trajectories play a significant role in the development of social movements, we highlight the importance of discursive continuities of cycle of protest and we argue that this role needs to be taken into account, together with structural factors and political processes, in understanding protest. Furthermore, we aim to contribute to the study of social movement continuities and cross-temporal diffusion, pointing out the active role of movements in this process in a dialectic relationship with the structural context.
Visual Memory for Fixated Regions of Natural Images Dissociates Attraction and Recognition

Recognition memory for fixated regions from briefly viewed full-screen natural images is examined. Low-level image statistics reveal that observers fixated, on average (pooled across images and observers), image regions that possessed greater visual saliency than non-fixated regions, a finding that is robust across multiple fixation indices. Recognition-memory performance indicates that, of the fixation loci tested, observers were adept at recognising those with a particular profile of image statistics; visual saliency was found to be attenuated for unrecognised loci, despite that all regions were freely fixated. Furthermore, although elevated luminance was the local image statistic found to discriminate least between human and random image locations, it was the greatest predictor of recognition-memory performance, demonstrating a dissociation between image features that draw fixations and those that support visual memory. An analysis of corresponding eye movements indicates that image regions fixated via short-distance saccades enjoyed better recognition-memory performance, alluding to a focal rather than ambient mode of processing. Recognised image regions were more likely to have originated from areas evaluated (a posteriori) to have higher fixation density, a numerical metric of local interest. Surprisingly, memory for image regions fixated later in the viewing period exhibited no recency advantage, despite (typically) also being longer in duration, a finding for which a number of explanations are posited.
The Lithium Depletion Boundary as a Clock and Thermometer

We take a critical look at the lithium depletion boundary (LDB) technique that has recently been used to derive the ages of open clusters. We identify the sources of experimental and systematic error and show that the probable errors are larger by approximately a factor two than presently claimed in the literature. We then use the Pleiades LDB age and photometry in combination with evolutionary models to define empirical colour-T_eff relations that can be applied to younger clusters. We find that these relationships DO NOT produce model isochrones that match the younger cluster data. We propose that this is due either to systematic problems in the evolutionary models or an age (gravity) sensitivity in the colour-T_eff relation which is not present in published atmospheric models.
The Role of Injury-related Injustice Perception in Adjustment to Spinal Cord Injury: an Exploratory Analysis

Research has begun to explore the presence and role of health-related injustice perceptions in samples of individuals who experience chronic pain associated with traumatic injury. Existing studies indicate that higher level of injustice perception is associated with poorer physical and psychosocial outcomes. However, to date, few clinical populations have been addressed. The aim of the current study was to explore injustice perceptions in a sample of individuals who have sustained a spinal cord injury (SCI), as research suggests that such individuals are likely to experience cognitive elements characteristic of injustice perception (e.g., perceptions of irreparable loss, blame, and unfairness). The study explored the relationship between participants’ level of perceived injustice and several variables associated with outcomes following SCI (depression, pain, and disability) at initial admission to a rehabilitation unit and at three months following discharge. The Injustice Experience Questionnaire was used to measure injustice perceptions. IEQ was found to significantly contribute to depression and anger at baseline. IEQ significantly contributed to depression, present pain intensity, and anger at follow-up. The implication of these preliminary findings may be beneficial for development of future interventions, as many individuals in the United States experience the lifelong physical and psychological consequences of SCI at a high personal and public cost.
Genomic organisation of the chicken ghrelin gene and its single nucleotide polymorphisms detected by denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography

1. Ghrelin is a novel endogenous ligand for the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS-R) and is expressed primarily in the stomach and hypothalamus with the probable function of stimulating GH secretion and food intake both in mammals and poultry. The complete sequences of ghrelin gene have been reported in humans and mice; however, that of chickens remains unclear. 2. Here, we report the complete sequence of chicken ghrelin gene (submitted to Genbank; accession number AY303688), which consists of 5 exons and 4 introns. As in mice, the first exon of chicken ghrelin gene does not encode any amino acid. 3. Scanning point mutations with denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) using WAVE® DNA Fragment Analysis Systems and confirmed with direct sequencing for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products, we analysed the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the entire gene of chicken ghrelin. 4. Results showed that there were 19 SNPs in chicken ghrelin gene, and most of these SNPs were scattered in the 4 introns. In these SNPs, one mutation in exon 5 (A2355G) led to the change of amino acid from glutamine to arginine (Gln 113 Arg): as a result a different ghrelin precursor instead of a mature peptide was produced. In addition, one SNP in 5′UTR (C223G) determined the presence or absence of a potential binding site of transcription factor serum response factor (SRF), which might affect the expression of chicken ghrelin gene. Some of the SNPs detected in the present study could be used in quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping for growth characters in chickens. 5. Because one SNP is located in a polymorphic site of restriction enzyme PagI of intron 4, it was possible to design a PCR-RFLP procedure and analyse the diversity of 10 chicken populations. Results showed the allelic frequencies of C2100T differ among these breeds, however, no significant difference was observed between imported breeds and Chinese native ones, nor between egg layers and meat type chickens. A chi-square test showed that 4 chicken populations of Beijing Fat, Xinghua, Recessive White and Silky followed the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium.
An Examination of Technical, Pure Technical, and Scale Efficiencies in Indian Public Sector Banks using Data Envelopment Analysis

Using data envelopment analysis (DEA), the present study aims to measure the extent of technical, pure technical, and scale efficiencies in 27 public sector banks (PSBs) operating in India in the year 2004/05. The empirical findings reveal that PSBs operate at 88.5 percent level of overall technical efficiency i.e., inputs could be reduced by 11.5 percent without sacrificing output if all banks were efficient as 7 benchmark banks identified by DEA. Further, the contribution of scale inefficiency in overall technical inefficiency has been observed to be smaller than what been observed due to managerial inefficiency (i.e., pure technical inefficiency). The findings pertaining to returns-to-scale in Indian public sector banking industry highlight that the predominant form of scale inefficiency is decreasing returns-toscale. The results of logistic regression analysis provide that the exposure of the banks to off-balance sheet activities (i.e., non-traditional activities) has a strong and positive impact on the overall technical efficiency of banks.
Correlations of heterogeneous wave fields propagating in homogeneous media

The paper concerns the analysis of the correlations of wave fields propagating in heterogeneous media. We show that selected field-field correlations asymptotically propagate in non-scattering media, i.e., propagate as if the underlying medium was homogeneous. Such correlations are therefore good candidates for imaging strategies in heterogeneous media based on back-propagations in a homogeneous medium. keywords: inverse problem, imaging, correlations, radiative transfer, random media.
An Overview of Plant Phenolic Compounds and Their Importance in Human Nutrition and Management of Type 2 Diabetes

In this paper, the biosynthesis process of phenolic compounds in plants is summarized, which include the shikimate, pentose phosphate and phenylpropanoid pathways. Plant phenolic compounds can act as antioxidants, structural polymers (lignin), attractants (flavonoids and carotenoids), UV screens (flavonoids), signal compounds (salicylic acid and flavonoids) and defense response chemicals (tannins and phytoalexins). From a human physiological standpoint, phenolic compounds are vital in defense responses, such as anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-proliferative activities. Therefore, it is beneficial to eat such plant foods that have a high antioxidant compound content, which will cut down the incidence of certain chronic diseases, for instance diabetes, cancers and cardiovascular diseases, through the management of oxidative stress. Furthermore, berries and other fruits with low-amylase and high-glucosidase inhibitory activities could be regarded as candidate food items in the control of the early stages of hyperglycemia associated with type 2 diabetes.
Student Response Systems and Learning: Perceptions of the Student

ABSTRACT To assess student perception of learning and use of a student response system (SRS) as a teaching/learning strategy. Survey methods were used to explore student perceptions of learning and use of student response systems as a pedagogical strategy. Fifty-nine graduate students participated in the survey post completion of two graduate intervention courses. Overall, there was a positive response to the use of SRS's in the classroom. All of the students (100%) recommended the continued use of the clickers for various reasons. The primary benefit reported by students related to providing immediate feedback, the opportunity to manipulate and revisit the content, and the ability to check for understanding within a class session. Students recommended the continued use of the SRS in classes to support acquisition of content and exam preparation. The student reported technology difficulties as the only the negative to SRS use in the classroom. Instructor perception was that the addition of the SRS devices added a new way to interact with the students. Suggestions for incorporating the use of a SRS devices into classroom instruction are offered.
The Inverse Inertia Problem for Graphs

Let G be an undirected graph on n vertices and let S(G) be the set of all real symmetric n × n matrices whose nonzero off-diagonal entries occur in exactly the positions corresponding to the edges of G. The inverse inertia problem for G asks which inertias can be attained by a matrix in S(G). We give a complete answer to this question for trees in terms of a new family of graph parameters, the maximal disconnection numbers of a graph. We also give a formula for the inertia set of a graph with a cut vertex in terms of inertia sets of proper subgraphs. Finally, we give an example of a graph that is not inertia-balanced, and investigate restrictions on the inertia set of any graph.
Dealing With Imbalanced Datasets For Coreference Resolution

In this paper we present our proposed model for coreference resolution and we discuss the imbalanced dataset problem related to this task. We conduct a few experiments showing how well our set of features can solve coreference for Por-tuguese. In order to minimize the imbalance between the classes, we evalaluated the system on the basis of well known re-sampling techniques.