Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adolescent brain development in normality and psychopathology

Abstract Since this journal's inception, the field of adolescent brain development has flourished, as researchers have investigated the underpinnings of adolescent risk-taking behaviors. Explanations based on translational models initially attributed such behaviors to executive control deficiencies and poor frontal lobe function. This conclusion was bolstered by evidence that the prefrontal cortex and its interconnections are among the last brain regions to structurally and functionally mature. As substantial heterogeneity of prefrontal function was revealed, applications of neuroeconomic theory to adolescent development led to dual systems models of behavior. Current epidemiological trends, behavioral observations, and functional magnetic resonance imaging based brain activity patterns suggest a quadratic increase in limbically mediated incentive motivation from childhood to adolescence and a decline thereafter. This elevation occurs in the context of immature prefrontal function, so motivational strivings may be difficult to regulate. Theoretical models explain this patterning through brain-based accounts of subcortical–cortical integration, puberty-based models of adolescent sensation seeking, and neurochemical dynamics. Empirically sound tests of these mechanisms, as well as investigations of biology–context interactions, represent the field's most challenging future goals, so that applications to psychopathology can be refined and so that developmental cascades that incorporate neurobiological variables can be modeled.
Burden of anaemia in rural and urban jat women in haryana state, India.

A cross-sectional study was undertaken on 600 Jat women (rural=300, urban=300), aged 40 to 70 years from Haryana state in North India. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of anaemia and the dietary intake of rural and urban middle-aged (40-59 years) and older (60 and above) Jat women. The findings indicated that all the subjects exhibited a decline in the mean values of haemoglobin (Hb) concentration with advancement in age. The mean blood Hb concentration of urban middle-aged and older women was 10.1±1.3g/dl and 9.91. 4g/dl respectively, which was higher than their rural counterparts at all age groups, although the differences were statistically non-significant (p>0.05). The overall prevalence of anaemia reached 88.7% (rural women= 91.3%, urban women =86%). Daily dietary intake of rural and urban subjects was below the recommended dietary allowances. Physical performance of both groups of the women showed a decline with a decrease in Hb concentration. A significant and positive correlation of Hb status was observed with grip strength and vital capacity while a negative association was witnessed with blood pressure and pulse rate in both the rural and urban women. Anaemia among these women may be attributed to inadequate dietary intake, illiteracy, and poor access to health services.
Improving Overall Mechanical Performance of Magnesium Using Nano‐Alumina Reinforcement and Energy Efficient Microwave Assisted Processing Route

Improving energy efficiency has been identified as the cheapest, fastest and most environmentally friendly way to meet the increasing demand in energy by the International Energy Agency (IEA). [1] This can be achieved through innovation, the adoption of new cost-effective technologies and a better use of existing energy-efficient technologies. One of the key areas targeted by IEA for improved energy efficiency lies in buildings, industry and transport. For industry, it was highlighted that there is huge potential to reduce energy consumption and CO 2 emission through increased energy recovery in materials-production processes and the adoption of new and more advanced processes and materials. Similarly in the transport sector, the use and development of lighter materials can reduce fuel consumption leading to improved energy efficiency.
Population Based CVD Health Risk Appraisal

This study used a population based screening procedure as a means for a combined strategy for targeting individuals at high risk of cardiovascular disease while aiming for a low-risk population. During a five month period 68% of the total target population (2642 out of 3880) men and women attended the screening. We found, 1) that a broad population based health risk appraisal activity, supported by a personal computer as an educational tool and as a means to speed up the handling of each test, was feasible, 2) that it was easy to identify high risk individuals, to be able to offer them further follow-up, and 3) that there is evidence supporting the view that reaching a large proportion of the population in a limited time period, a “critical mass”, will contribute to a growing health awareness not only among participants but also among the general population in the actual area.
Eradication of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Stem Cells: A Novel Mathematical Model Predicts No Therapeutic Benefit of Adding G-CSF to Imatinib

Imatinib mesylate induces complete cytogenetic responses in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), yet many patients have detectable BCR-ABL transcripts in peripheral blood even after prolonged therapy. Bone marrow studies have shown that this residual disease resides within the stem cell compartment. Quiescence of leukemic stem cells has been suggested as a mechanism conferring insensitivity to imatinib, and exposure to the Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor (G-CSF), together with imatinib, has led to a significant reduction in leukemic stem cells in vitro. In this paper, we design a novel mathematical model of stem cell quiescence to investigate the treatment response to imatinib and G-CSF. We find that the addition of G-CSF to an imatinib treatment protocol leads to observable effects only if the majority of leukemic stem cells are quiescent; otherwise it does not modulate the leukemic cell burden. The latter scenario is in agreement with clinical findings in a pilot study administering imatinib continuously or intermittently, with or without G-CSF (GIMI trial). Furthermore, our model predicts that the addition of G-CSF leads to a higher risk of resistance since it increases the production of cycling leukemic stem cells. Although the pilot study did not include enough patients to draw any conclusion with statistical significance, there were more cases of progression in the experimental arms as compared to continuous imatinib. Our results suggest that the additional use of G-CSF may be detrimental to patients in the clinic.
Building a University-wide Automated Information Assurance Awareness Exercise

Students in an academic environment regularly install malware such as viruses and spyware on their personal computers and then connect to institutional automation resources. Malware reduces personal productivity and places a strain on university automation resources such as network bandwidth, email servers and enterprise storage servers. Technical products to malware detection and removal provide only a partial solution. Student education on information awareness can provide another vector to help deter malware installation. To test the effect of the information assurance education already in place at the United States Military Academy, we designed, built and ran an information awareness exercise system across the entire student body. The exercise was designed to target those counter-productive behaviors most prevalent in the student body. This paper discusses how we implemented the system and the results of the exercise
Scheduling nonlinear sensors for stochastic process estimation

In this paper, we focus on activating only a few sensors, among many available, to estimate the batch state of a stochastic process of interest. This problem is important in applications such as target tracking and simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), and in general, in problems where we need to have a good estimate of the trajectory taken so far, e.g., for linearisation purposes. It is challenging since it involves stochastic systems whose evolution is largely unknown, sensors with nonlinear measurements, and limited operational resources that constrain the number of active sensors at each measurement step. We provide an algorithm applicable to general stochastic processes and nonlinear measurements whose time complexity is linear in the planning horizon and whose performance is up to a multiplicative factor 1/2 away from the optimal performance. This is notable because the algorithm offers a significant computational advantage over the polynomial-time algorithm that achieves the best approximation factor 1/e. In addition, for important classes of Gaussian processes and nonlinear measurements corrupted with Gaussian noise, our algorithm enjoys the same time complexity as the state-of-the-art algorithms for linear systems and measurements. We achieve our results by proving two properties for the entropy of the batch state vector conditioned on the measurements: a) it is supermodular in the choice of the sensors; b) it has a sparsity pattern (involves block tri-diagonal matrices) that facilitates its evaluation at each sensor set.
Experimental and Numerical Validation of Selective Weakening Retrofit for Existing Non-Ductile R.C. Frames

The development of cheap, whilst effective and relatively non-invasive structural retrofit techniques for existing non-ductile reinforced concrete (RC) structures still remains the most challenging issue for a wide implementation on a macro scale. Seismic retrofit is too often being confused as purely structural strengthening. As part of a six-years national project on “Seismic retrofit solutions for NZ multi-storey building”, focus has been given at the University of Canterbury on the development of a counter-intuitive retrofit strategy for earthquake vulnerable existing rc frame, based on a “selective weakening” (SW) approach. After an overview of the SW concept, this paper presents the experimental and numerical validation of a SW retrofit strategy for earthquake vulnerable existing RC frame with particular focus on the exterior beam-column (b-c) joints. The exterior b-c joint is a critically vulnerable region in many existing pre-1970s RC frames. By selectively weakening the beam by cutting the bottom longitudinal reinforcements and/or adding external pre-stressing to the b-c joint, a more desirable inelastic mechanism can be attained, leading to improved global seismic performance. The so-called SW retrofit is implemented on four 2/3-scaled exterior RC b-c joint subassemblies, tested under quasi-static cyclic loading at the University of Canterbury. Complemented by refined 3D Finite Element (FE) models and dynamic time-history analyses results, the experimental results have shown the potential of a simple and cost-effective yet structurally efficient structural rehabilitation technique. The research also demonstrated the potential of advanced 3D fracture-mechanics-based microplane concrete modelling for refined FE analysis of non-ductile RC b-c joints. Keyword: Selective weakening, seismic retrofit / rehabilitation, concrete beamcolumn joint, modelling concrete, 1.0 INTRODUCTION AND STATEMENT OF PROBLEM The recent publications of technical guidelines [11, 22], FEMA 356 pre-standard [10] and international standards (Eurocode8-Part 3 [8] the ASCE-SEI 41 standard[2]) represent significant progress and address crucial needs in seismic rehabilitation and retrofit for modern urban society. It is widely recognised that poorly detailed nonductile reinforced concrete (RC) moment-resisting frames pose significant risks to urban population in seismic zones. Research on the seismic performance of pre706 ATC & SEI 2009 Conference on Improving the Seismic Performance of Existing Buildings and Other Structures
Silicon Nanowire Conductance in the Ballistic Regime: Models and Simulation

This paper deals with phonon heat transport in silicon nanowires. A review of various techniques that can be used to assess thermal conductance of such nanodevices is presented and a peculiar attention is paid to the case of the Landauer Formalism that can describe extremely thin wires. Several models for normal modes of silicon nanowire determination are considered, among them elastic wave theory has been used to determine the normal mode number. Besides, transmission and reflection of phonon at the interface between two nanostructures is discussed. Calculations and comparisons of thermal conductance of a 20 nm silicon nanowire between bulk thermal reservoirs are thus discussed.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Timing within the menstrual cycle, sex, and the use of oral contraceptives determine adrenergic suppression of NK cell activity

Physiological responses that involve adrenergic mechanisms, such as stress-induced changes in cardiovascular indices, were reported to fluctuate along the menstrual cycle. Metastatic development following surgery was also reported to vary according to the menstrual phase during which a primary breast tumour was removed. Natural killer (NK) cells are believed to play an important role in controlling metastases. Our recent studies in rats demonstrated that adrenergic suppression of NK activity and of resistance to metastasis is more profound during oestrous phases characterized by high levels of oestradiol. In the current study in humans, we examined the in vitro impact of a β-adrenergic agonist, metaproterenol (MP), on NK activity, comparing blood drawn from (a) women tested at 3–4 different phases of their menstrual cycle (n = 10), (b) women using oral contraceptives (OC) (n = 10), and (c) men (n = 7). NK activity in each blood sample was assessed in the presence of 5 different concentrations of MP (10–8M to 10–6M), and in its absence (baseline). The results indicated marked group differences in the magnitude of NK suppression by MP: EC50was 2.6-fold lower in the luteal phase compared to the follicular phase, and 1.8-fold lower in OC users compared to men, who were least susceptible to the effects of MP. No significant group differences or menstrual effects in baseline levels of NK activity were evident. These findings provide the first empirical evidence for menstrual regulation of adrenergic impact on cellular immune competence. Relevance of these findings to the relation between the timing of breast cancer excision within the menstrual cycle and survival rates is discussed. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaign http://www.bjcancer. com
Tolerance to Non-Opioid Analgesics is Opioid Sensitive in the Nucleus Raphe Magnus

Repeated injection of opioid analgesics can lead to a progressive loss of effect. This phenomenon is known as tolerance. Several lines of investigations have shown that systemic, intraperitoneal administration or the microinjection of non-opioid analgesics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) into the midbrain periaqueductal gray matter induces antinociception with some effects of tolerance. Our recent study has revealed that microinjection of three drugs analgin, ketorolac, and xefocam into the central nucleus of amygdala produce tolerance to them and cross-tolerance to morphine. Here we report that repeated administrations of these NSAIDs into the nucleus raphe magnus (NRM) in the following 4 days result in progressively less antinociception compare to the saline control, i.e., tolerance develops to these drugs in male rats. Special control experiments showed that post-treatment with the μ-opioid antagonist naloxone into the NRM significantly decreased antinociceptive effects of NSAIDs on the first day of testing in the tail-flick (TF) reflex and hot plate (HP) latency tests. On the second day, naloxone generally had trend effects in both TF and HP tests and impeded the development of tolerance to the antinociceptive effect of non-opioid analgesics. These findings strongly support the suggestion of endogenous opioid involvement in NSAIDs antinociception and tolerance in the descending pain-control system. Moreover, repeated injections of NSAIDs progressively lead to tolerance to them, cross-tolerance to morphine, and the risk of a withdrawal syndrome. Therefore, these results are important for human medicine too.
Material Characterization and Continuum Modeling of Poly (Methyl Methacrylate) (PMMA) above the Glass Transition

Uniaxial compression tests were conducted on poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) over a wide range of strain rates and temperatures in and above the glass transition (from 102°C to 130°C). PMMA exhibits different behavior close to the glass transition (below 115°C) as compared to temperatures farther above the glass transition. In the temperature range just above the glass transition, a clear yield point and strain hardening at higher strains is observed. At temperatures farther above the glass transition, PMMA shows more fluid-like behavior, with no clear yield point or strain hardening at high strains. This change in behavior with temperature poses difficulties in using some of the existing constitutive models, as illustrated by the use of two different models, namely, the Dupaix-Boyce model and the Doi-Edwards model. The data obtained is used to calibrate the two models in order to predict the behavior of PMMA across this industrially significant range of processing temperatures for hot embossing applications.
An Evaluation of Interpolation Techniques for Reconstructing Ionospheric TEC Maps

Maps of the total electron content (TEC) of the ionosphere can be reconstructed using data extracted from global positioning system (GPS) signals. For historic and other sparse data sets, the reconstruction of TEC images is often performed using a multivariate interpolation technique. Although there are many interpolation methods available, only a limited number, for example kriging, have been applied to TEC data. This paper presents a quantitative comparison of various commonly used algorithms for scattered-data interpolation over a range of sparsi- ties. Techniques evaluated include a relatively new approach called Adaptive Normalized Convolution (ANC) that has not previously been applied to ionospheric reconstruction. The proposed evaluation scheme employs a quantitative methodology applied to both simulated and real TEC data. Results show that, although the performance of kriging is good in many cases, it is several times worse than the best performing techniques at some sparsities. Natural-neighbor interpolation has a better overall performance than kriging for both simulated and TEC data. Although its performance is a few percent worse than other methods for the simulated data, ANC produces the best performance for the TEC reconstructions.
Effects of combination therapy with mitiglinide and voglibose on postprandial plasma glucose in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Patients with diabetes mellitus are at increased risk from cardiovascular-related morbidity and mortality as compared with healthy individuals. An association between the postprandial metabolic state and atherogenesis has been observed in patients with diabetes mellitus. In the Study to Prevent Non-Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (STOP-NIDDM), treatment with an α-glucosidase inhibitor (α-GI) in patients with impaired glucose tolerance not only reduced the rate of conversion from impaired glucose tolerance to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), but was also associated with a reduction in the risk of cardiovascular events. These results suggested the importance of treating postprandial hyperglycemia in the early stages of T2DM. Glinides are rapid and short-acting insulin secretagogues that bind to the sulfonylurea receptors on pancreatic β-cells to facilitate rapid insulin secretion, restore postprandial early insulin secretion, and reduce the postprandial glucose spike. Moreover, α-GIs reduce postprandial hyperglycemia and insulin secretion by delaying the digestion of carbohydrates and polysaccharides in the small intestine. Then, both glinides and α-GI have beneficial effects for treating patients with T2DM and impaired glucose tolerance. Considering the ameliorating effects of these drugs on postprandial metabolic disorders, combinations of glinides and α-GI might constitute a promising therapeutic strategy for managing patients with T2DM, and also appear to be suitable for Japanese people, who consume more carbohydrates, such as polished rice, than Caucasians. It has recently been reported that combined use of mitiglinide and voglibose reduces postprandial insulin secretion and blunts diurnal glycemic changes in T2DM patients. This therapy can thus be regarded as being suitable for achieving strict postprandial glycemic control. In this report, we outline the effects of this combination therapy on postprandial plasma glucose and assess its safety.
Relationship between ftsZ gene expression and chromosome replication in Escherichia coli

Transcriptional levels within the ftsQAZ region of the Escherichia coli chromosome were correlated with chromosome replication and the division cycle. The transcripts were measured either in synchronous cultures generated by the baby machine technique or in dnaC2(Ts) mutants that had been aligned for initiation of chromosome replication by temperature shifts. Transcription within the ftsZ reading frame was found to fluctuate during the cell cycle, with maximal levels about midcycle and a minimum level at division, in cells growing with a doubling time of 24 min at 37 degrees C. Examination of transcription in dnaC(Ts) mutants aligned for chromosome replication indicated that the periodicity was due to a reduction in transcripts coincident with replication of the ftsQAZ region. Transcription originating upstream of the ftsA gene exhibited the periodicity and accounted for a significant proportion of the transcripts entering ftsZ. The most obvious interpretation of the data is that replication of the region transiently inhibits transcription, but alternative explanations have not been ruled out. However, no other relationship between transcription and either replication or division was detected.
Sea surface height evidence for long-term warming effects of tropical cyclones on the ocean

Tropical cyclones have been hypothesized to influence climate by pumping heat into the ocean, but a direct measure of this warming effect is still lacking. We quantified cyclone-induced ocean warming by directly monitoring the thermal expansion of water in the wake of cyclones, using satellite-based sea surface height data that provide a unique way of tracking the changes in ocean heat content on seasonal and longer timescales. We find that the long-term effect of cyclones is to warm the ocean at a rate of 0.32 ± 0.15 PW between 1993 and 2009, i.e., ∼23 times more efficiently per unit area than the background equatorial warming, making cyclones potentially important modulators of the climate by affecting heat transport in the ocean–atmosphere system. Furthermore, our analysis reveals that the rate of warming increases with cyclone intensity. This, together with a predicted shift in the distribution of cyclones toward higher intensities as climate warms, suggests the ocean will get even warmer, possibly leading to a positive feedback.