Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impulsive noise removal using threshold Boolean filtering based on the impulse detecting functions

A filter for impulsive noise removal is presented here. The problem of impulsive noise elimination is closely connected with the problem of maximal preservation of image edges. To avoid smoothing of the image during filtering, all noisy pixels must be detected. We consider here an approach, which is based on threshold Boolean filtering, where the binary slices of an image, obtained by the threshold decomposition, are processed by the impulse-detecting Boolean functions proposed. These functions provide a possibility of single-pass filtering, because they detect and replace impulses at the same time.
Large Variation in Brain Exposure of Reference CNS Drugs: a PET Study in Nonhuman Primates

Background: Positron emission tomography microdosing of radiolabeled drugs allows for noninvasive studies of organ exposure in vivo. The aim of the present study was to examine and compare the brain exposure of 12 commercially available CNS drugs and one non-CNS drug. Methods: The drugs were radiolabeled with 11C (t 1/2 = 20.4 minutes) and examined using a high resolution research tomograph. In cynomolgus monkeys, each drug was examined twice. In rhesus monkeys, a first positron emission tomography microdosing measurement was repeated after preadministration with unlabeled drug to examine potential dose-dependent effects on brain exposure. Partition coefficients between brain and plasma (K P) were calculated by dividing the AUC0-90 min for brain with that for plasma or by a compartmental analysis (V T). Unbound K P (K P u,u) was obtained by correction for the free fraction in brain and plasma. Results: After intravenous injection, the maximum radioactivity concentration (C max, %ID) in brain ranged from 0.01% to 6.2%. For 10 of the 12 CNS drugs, C max, %ID was >2%, indicating a preferential distribution to brain. A lower C max, %ID was observed for morphine, sulpiride, and verapamil. K P ranged from 0.002 (sulpiride) to 68 (sertraline) and 7 of 13 drugs had K P u,u close to unity. For morphine, sulpiride, and verapamil, K P u,u was <0.3, indicating impaired diffusion and/or active efflux. Brain exposure at microdosing agreed with pharmacological dosing conditions for the investigated drugs. Conclusions: This study represents the largest positron emission tomography study on brain exposure of commercially available CNS drugs in nonhuman primates and may guide interpretation of positron emission tomography microdosing data for novel drug candidates.
Self-efficacy and work engagement: test of a chain model

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the mediating roles of work and family demands and work-life balance on the relationship between self-efficacy (to regulate work and life) and work engagement. Specifically, it seeks to explain how self-efficacy influences employees’ thought patterns and emotional reactions, which in turn enable them to cope with work and family demands, and ultimately achieve work-life balance and work engagement. Design/methodology/approach: Structural equation modelling (SEM) of survey data obtained from a heterogeneous sample of 1,010 Australian employees is used to test the hypothesised chain mediation model. Findings: The SEM results support the hypothesised model. Self-efficacy was significantly and negatively related to work and family demands, which in turn were negatively associated with work-life balance. Work-life balance, in turn, enabled employees to be engaged in their work. Research limitations/implications: The findings support the key tenets of social cognitive theory and conservation of resources (COR) theory and demonstrate how self-efficacy can lead to work-life balance and engagement despite the presence of role demands. Study limitations (e.g. cross-sectional research design) and future research directions are discussed. Originality/value: This study incorporates COR theory with social cognitive theory to improve understanding of how self-efficacy enhances work-life balance and work engagement through a self-fulfilling cycle in which employees achieve what they believe they can accomplish, and in the process, build other skills and personal resources to manage work and family challenges.
Finger tracking for the Digital Desk

One trend in computing environments today is to move towards more 'natural' interaction. Another is to make hardware invisible to the user. Both these ideas converge into ubiquitous computing-the Digital Desk is an example of this idea. In this paper, we concentrate on an input device for the Digital Desk, namely the user's fingertip, which is made to act like a mouse. Tracking such an input device is common to a number of augmented reality environments and involves vision and motion analysis. However, previous attempts have focused more on the vision aspect of tracking general objects than on using the information already known about the user's hand, which is the approach taken in this paper. We adopted the goal of tracking the user's fingertips as fast as possible in real time, so that the system could be compared with other input devices by using models such as Fitts' law. Our system is shown to comply with the law adequately.
Mouse Models of Genomic Syndromes as Tools for Understanding the Basis of Complex Traits: An Example with the Smith-Magenis and the Potocki-Lupski Syndromes

Each human's genome is distinguished by extra and missing DNA that can be “benign” or powerfully impact everything from development to disease. In the case of genomic disorders DNA rearrangements, such as deletions or duplications, correlate with a clinical specific phenotype. The clinical presentations of genomic disorders were thought to result from altered gene copy number of physically linked dosage sensitive genes. Genomic disorders are frequent diseases (~1 per 1,000 births). Smith-Magenis syndrome (SMS) and Potocki-Lupski syndrome (PTLS) are genomic disorders, associated with a deletion and a duplication, of 3.7 Mb respectively, within chromosome 17 band p11.2. This region includes 23 genes. Both syndromes have complex and distinctive phenotypes including multiple congenital and neurobehavioral abnormalities. Human chromosome 17p11.2 is syntenic to the 32-34 cM region of murine chromosome 11. The number and order of the genes are highly conserved. In this review, we will exemplify how genomic disorders can be modeled in mice and the advantages that such models can give in the study of genomic disorders in particular and gene copy number variation (CNV) in general. The contributions of the SMS and PTLS animal models in several aspects ranging from more specific ones, as the definition of the clinical aspects of the human clinical spectrum, the identification of dosage sensitive genes related to the human syndromes, to the more general contributions as the definition of genetic locus impacting obesity and behavior and the elucidation of general mechanisms related to the pathogenesis of gene CNV are discussed.
Confirmatory Factor Analytic Structure and Measurement Invariance of the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents in a Longitudinal Sample of Adolescents

While adolescence is a critical stage of development marked by heightened bottom-up emotional reactivity and immature top-down regulatory control, research on emotion regulation has relatively neglected middle childhood to adolescence years. This may be attributed to the limited number and scope of age-appropriate, reliable, and valid measures of emotion regulation. This study examines the confirmatory factor analytic structure and measurement invariance of the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (ERQ-CA), a 10-item self-report measure designed to measure habitual use of cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression, across a 1-year time interval in school samples of adolescents. Results indicate low test–retest reliability but high to acceptable internal consistency over a 1-year time period. The two-factor model has an approximate but close fit to the data collected, which is consistent with underlying theoretical framework and prior empirical findings. Tests of measurement equivalence support strong invariance, indicating that there were no statistically significant differences in factor means, variances, and correlations over a 1-year interval.
Different Selves Have Different Effects: Self-Activation and Defensive Social Comparison

Three studies show that different forms of self-activation have differential influences on the processing of social comparison information. Activating neutral self-conceptions results in defensive processing of threatening social comparison information (Study 1). Participants maintain favorable selfevaluations in the face of upward comparison and rate the upward target of comparison negatively. Activating positive selfconceptions results in nondefensive processing of threatening social comparison information (Study 2). Participants endorse negative self-evaluations following upward comparison and rate the upward target of comparison positively. Activating negative self-conceptions maximizes defensive processing of threatening social comparison information (Study 3). Participants maintain favorable self-evaluations in the face of upward comparison and rate both upward and downward targets of comparison negatively. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for strategies to maintain self-esteem in the face of threatening comparisons.
Scientific Uncertainty in the Press: How Newspapers Describe Initial Biomedical Findings

Newspapers preferentially cover initial biomedical findings although they are often disconfirmed by subsequent studies. We analyzed 426 newspaper articles covering 40 initial biomedical studies associating a risk factor with 12 pathologies and published between 1988 and 2009. Most articles presented the study as initial but only 21% mentioned that it must be confirmed by replication. Headlines of articles with a replication statement were hyped less often than those without. Replication statements have tended to disappear after 2000, whereas hyped headlines have become more frequent. Thus, the public is increasingly poorly informed about the uncertainty inherent in initial biomedical findings.
Experimental Extracorporeal Photopheresis Inhibits the Sensitization and Effector Phases of Contact Hypersensitivity via Two Mechanisms: Generation of IL-10 and Induction of Regulatory T Cells1

Extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) is used to treat immune-mediated diseases including transplant rejection and graft-vs-host-disease. An experimental murine model of ECP utilizing contact hypersensitivity (CHS) revealed that ECP inhibits the sensitization of CHS and induces regulatory T cells (Treg). In this study, we find that ECP inhibits not only the sensitization but also the effector phase of CHS, although Treg only inhibited sensitization. IL-10 was determined to be a critical component of the effector phase inhibition and also a driving force in developing Treg. Thus, we propose that the inhibition of the effector phase of CHS by ECP is a process that does not require Treg but may be mediated via enhanced IL-10 as suggested by the use of IL-10-deficient mice. This suggests that ECP has at least two mechanisms of action, one inhibiting the effector phase of CHS and one generating Treg, which in turn can inhibit CHS sensitization and is responsible for the transferable protection. Together, this may help explain the clinical benefits of ECP in prophylactic, acute, and therapeutic settings.
The Molecular Basis for Na-Dependent Phosphate Transport in Human Erythrocytes and K562 Cells

The kinetics of sodium-stimulated phosphate flux and phosphate-stimulated sodium flux in human red cells have been previously described (Shoemaker, D.G., C.A. Bender, and R.B. Gunn. 1988. J. Gen. Physiol. 92:449–474). However, despite the identification of multiple isoforms in three gene families (Timmer, R.T., and R.B. Gunn. 1998. Am. J. Physiol. Cell Physiol. 274:C757–C769), the molecular basis for the sodium-phosphate cotransporter in erythrocytes is unknown. Most cells express multiple isoforms, thus disallowing explication of isoform-specific kinetics and function. We have found that erythrocyte membranes express one dominant isoform, hBNP-1, to which the kinetics can thus be ascribed. In addition, because the erythrocyte Na-PO4 cotransporter can also mediate Li-PO4 cotransport, it has been suggested that this transporter functions as the erythrocyte Na–Li exchanger whose activity is systematically altered in patients with bipolar disease and patients with essential hypertension. To determine the molecular basis for the sodium-phosphate cotransporter, we reasoned that if the kinetics of phosphate transport in a nucleated erythroid-like cell paralleled those of the Na-activated pathway in anucleated erythrocytes and yet were distinct from those known for other Na-PO4 cotransporters, then the expressed genes may be the same in both cell types. In this study, we show that the kinetics of sodium phosphate cotransport were similar in anuclear human erythrocytes and K562 cells, a human erythroleukemic cell line. Although the erythrocyte fluxes were 750-fold smaller, the half-activation concentrations for phosphate and sodium and the relative cation specificities for activation of 32PO4 influx were similar. Na-activation curves for both cell types showed cooperativity consistent with the reported stoichiometry of more than one Na cotransported per PO4. In K562 cells, external lithium activation of phosphate influx was also cooperative. Inhibition by arsenate, K I = 2.6–2.7 mM, and relative inhibition by amiloride, amiloride analogs, phosphonoformate, and phloretin were similar. These characteristics were different from those reported for hNaPi-3 and hPiT-1 in other systems. PCR analysis of sodium-phosphate cotransporter isoforms in K562 cells demonstrated the presence of mRNAs for hPiT-1, hPiT-2, and hBNP-1. The mRNAs for hNaPi-10 and hNaPi-3, the other two known isoforms, were absent. Western analysis of erythrocytes and K562 cells with isoform-specific antibodies detected the presence of only hBNP-1, an isoform expressed in brain neurons and glia. The similarities in the kinetics and the expression of only hBNP-1 protein in the two cell types is strong evidence that hBNP-1 is the erythrocyte and K562 cell sodium-phosphate cotransporter.
Two-Time Scale Controlled Markov Chains: A Decomposition and Parallel Processing Approach

This correspondence deals with a class of ergodic control problems for systems described by Markov chains with strong and weak interactions. These systems are composed of a set of subchains that are weakly coupled. Using results already available in the literature one formulates a limit control problem the solution of which can be obtained via an associated nondifferentiable convex programming (NDCP) problem. The technique used to solve the NDCP problem is the Analytic Center Cutting Plane Method (ACCPM) which implements a dialogue between, on one hand, a master program computing the analytical center of a localization set containing the solution and, on the other hand, an oracle proposing cutting planes that reduce the size of the localization set at each main iteration. The interesting aspect of this implementation comes from two characteristics: (i) the oracle proposes cutting planes by solving reduced sized Markov Decision Problems (MDP) via a linear program (LP) or a policy iteration method; (ii) several cutting planes can be proposed simultaneously through a parallel implementation on processors. The correspondence concentrates on these two aspects and shows, on a large scale MDP obtained from the numerical approximation ldquoa la Kushner-Dupuisrdquo of a singularly perturbed hybrid stochastic control problem, the important computational speed-up obtained.
Occupational Stressors, Burnout, and Predictors of Suicide Ideation Among U.S. Air Force Remote Warriors

ABSTRACT Suicide is a growing concern in the virtual warrior community of the United States Air Force (USAF). Identifying risk factors for suicide that are unique to this community of military personnel is therefore critical. A total of 4,340 USAF remote warriors (27.8% remotely piloted aircraft, 60.3% intelligence, and 11.9% cyber warfare operators) completed anonymous surveys that assessed demographic, occupational demands, psychological distress, and suicide ideation. Suicide ideation was self-reported by 5–6% of participants. Results of multinomial logistic regression indicated that burnout increased risk for suicide ideation, but not when psychological distress was included as a covariate.
Prevalence and Characterization of Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae Isolated from Mulago National Referral Hospital, Uganda

Introduction Carbapenemases have increasingly been reported in enterobacteriaceae worldwide. Most carbapenemases are plasmid encoded hence resistance can easily spread. Carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae are reported to cause mortality in up to 50% of patients who acquire bloodstream infections. We set out to determine the burden of carbapenem resistance as well as establish genes encoding for carbapenemases in enterobacteriaceae clinical isolates obtained from Mulago National Referral Hospital, Uganda. Methods This was a cross-sectional study with a total of 196 clinical isolates previously collected from pus swabs, urine, blood, sputum, tracheal aspirates, cervical swabs, endomentrial aspirates, rectal swabs, Vaginal swabs, ear swabs, products of conception, wound biopsy and amniotic fluid. All isolates were subjected to phenotypic carbapenemase screening using Boronic acid-based inhibition, Modified Hodge and EDTA double combined disk test. In addition, all the isolates were subjected to PCR assay to confirm presence of carbapenemase encoding genes. Results The study found carbapenemase prevalence of 22.4% (44/196) in the isolates using phenotypic tests, with the genotypic prevalence slightly higher at 28.6% (56/196). Over all, the most prevalent gene was blaVIM (21,10.7%), followed by blaOXA-48 (19, 9.7%), blaIMP (12, 6.1%), blaKPC (10, 5.1%) and blaNDM-1 (5, 2.6%). Among 56 isolates positive for 67 carbapenemase encoding genes, Klebsiella pneumonia was the species with the highest number (52.2%). Most 32/67(47.7%) of these resistance genes were in bacteria isolated from pus swabs. Conclusion There is a high prevalence of carbapenemases and carbapenem-resistance encoding genes among third generation cephalosporins resistant Enterobacteriaceae in Uganda, indicating a danger of limited treatment options in this setting in the near future.
Reviews and syntheses: Effects of permafrost thaw on Arctic aquatic ecosystems

Abstract. The Arctic is a water-rich region, with freshwater systems covering about 16 % of the northern permafrost landscape. Permafrost thaw creates new freshwater ecosystems, while at the same time modifying the existing lakes, streams, and rivers that are impacted by thaw. Here, we describe the current state of knowledge regarding how permafrost thaw affects lentic (still) and lotic (moving) systems, exploring the effects of both thermokarst (thawing and collapse of ice-rich permafrost) and deepening of the active layer (the surface soil layer that thaws and refreezes each year). Within thermokarst, we further differentiate between the effects of thermokarst in lowland areas vs. that on hillslopes. For almost all of the processes that we explore, the effects of thaw vary regionally, and between lake and stream systems. Much of this regional variation is caused by differences in ground ice content, topography, soil type, and permafrost coverage. Together, these modifying factors determine (i) the degree to which permafrost thaw manifests as thermokarst, (ii) whether thermokarst leads to slumping or the formation of thermokarst lakes, and (iii) the manner in which constituent delivery to freshwater systems is altered by thaw. Differences in thaw-enabled constituent delivery can be considerable, with these modifying factors determining, for example, the balance between delivery of particulate vs. dissolved constituents, and inorganic vs. organic materials. Changes in the composition of thaw-impacted waters, coupled with changes in lake morphology, can strongly affect the physical and optical properties of thermokarst lakes. The ecology of thaw-impacted lakes and streams is also likely to change; these systems have unique microbiological communities, and show differences in respiration, primary production, and food web structure that are largely driven by differences in sediment, dissolved organic matter, and nutrient delivery. The degree to which thaw enables the delivery of dissolved vs. particulate organic matter, coupled with the composition of that organic matter and the morphology and stratification characteristics of recipient systems will play an important role in determining the balance between the release of organic matter as greenhouse gases (CO2 and CH4), its burial in sediments, and its loss downstream. The magnitude of thaw impacts on northern aquatic ecosystems is increasing, as is the prevalence of thaw-impacted lakes and streams. There is therefore an urgent need to quantify how permafrost thaw is affecting aquatic ecosystems across diverse Arctic landscapes, and the implications of this change for further climate warming.
Age-related reduction in daytime sleep propensity and nocturnal slow wave sleep.

OBJECTIVE To investigate whether age-related and experimental reductions in SWS and sleep continuity are associated with increased daytime sleep propensity. METHODS Assessment of daytime sleep propensity under baseline conditions and following experimental disruption of SWS. Healthy young (20-30 y, n = 44), middle-aged (40-55 y, n = 35) and older (66-83 y, n = 31) men and women, completed a 2-way parallel group study. After an 8-h baseline sleep episode, subjects were randomized to 2 nights with selective SWS disruption by acoustic stimuli, or without disruption, followed by 1 recovery night. Objective and subjective sleep propensity were assessed using the Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT) and the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS). FINDINGS During baseline sleep, SWS decreased (P < 0.001) and the number of awakenings increased (P < 0.001) across the 3 age groups. During the baseline day, MSLT values increased across the three age groups (P < 0.0001) with mean values of 8.7 min (SD: 4.5), 11.7 (5.1) and 14.2 (4.1) in the young, middle-aged, and older adults, respectively. KSS values were 3.7 (1.0), 3.2 (0.9), and 3.4 (0.6) (age-group: P = 0.031). Two nights of SWS disruption led to a reduction in MSLT and increase in KSS in all 3 age groups (SWS disruption vs. control: P < 0.05 in all cases). CONCLUSIONS Healthy aging is associated with a reduction in daytime sleep propensity, sleep continuity, and SWS. In contrast, experimental disruption of SWS leads to an increase in daytime sleep propensity. The age-related decline in SWS and reduction in daytime sleep propensity may reflect a lessening in homeostatic sleep requirement. Healthy older adults without sleep disorders can expect to be less sleepy during the daytime than young adults.
Stemming the Tide of Mission Drift: Microfi nance Transformations and the Double Bottom Line

Historically, the demand for microfi nance services has been attributed to the inability and unwillingness of the formal fi nancial sector to serve the needs of low-income clients. In recent years, however, the microfi nance industry has evolved to include microfi nance institutions (MFIs) operating under a wide range of legal structures, including a growing number of RFIs (regulated fi nancial institutions) in addition to traditional NGOs. This paper will provide an overview of the process by which MFIs convert from NGOs into RFIs, also called transformation or formalization, and will examine the impact of the transformation process upon a control group of approximately 25 MFIs that Women’s World Banking has been tracking since 2002.1