Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Brief Cognitive‐Behavioral Approach to Reducing Anxiety Sensitivity Decreases Pain‐Related Anxiety

Anxiety sensitivity (AS; fear of anxiety‐related sensations) is a known risk factor for anxiety disorders and recently has been linked to pain disorders. The present study was guided by the hypothesis that a program designed to reduce AS levels might also result in a decrease in anxiety related to pain sensations. Female undergraduates, selected as either high or low in AS according to screening scores on the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI), were randomly assigned to participate in 3 1‐hour, small group sessions of either cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT; psycho‐education, cognitive restructuring, and interoceptive exposure) or a non‐specific treatment (NST). Immediately prior to and following the intervention, participants completed the 20‐item Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale (PASS‐20). Consistent with hypothesis, results revealed a 3‐way interaction between AS group, intervention condition, and time on PASS‐20 total scores. Only participants with high pre‐morbid levels of AS assigned to the CBT condition showed a significant reduction in scores on the PASS‐20 from pre‐ to post‐treatment. Implications for improving CBT approaches for pain disorders are discussed.
The Deeation-innation Method for Certain Semideenite Programming and Maximum Determinant Completion Problems

The deeation-innation convex optimization method is introduced. One result is a simple and practical approximation algorithm for the max cut problem based on the semideenite programming relaxation and analysis of Goemans and Williamson. Another consequence is a closed-form expression for the maximum-determinant completion of a positive deenite band matrix. Local and global convergence results are established, along with other properties. The overall development reveals an interesting interplay between the language and outlook of probability, and that of positive deenite matrices and mathematical programming.
Joint Uncertainty Decoding (JUD) with Histogram-Based Quantization (HQ) for Robust and/or Distributed Speech Recognition

Histogram-based quantization (HQ) has been recently proposed as a robust and scalable quantization approach for distributed speech recognition (DSR). In this paper, histogram-based quantization (HQ) is further verified as an attractive feature transformation approach for robust speech recognition, joint uncertainty decoding (JUD) is developed to be applied with HQ for improved recognition accuracy, and the approach was evaluated for both cases of robust speech recognition and DSR. In joint uncertainty decoding (JUD), we jointly consider and estimate the uncertainty caused by both the environmental noise and the quantization errors in Viterbi decoding under the framework of HQ. For robust speech recognition, HQ was used as the front-end feature transformation and JUD as the enhancement approach at the back-end recognizer. For DSR, HQ was applied at the client end as a data compression process and JUD at the server. The evaluation with Aurora 2.0 testing environment showed very significant improvements for both cases of robust and/or distributed speech recognition
Prevention of Autoimmunity by Targeting a Distinct, Noninvariant CD1d-reactive T Cell Population Reactive to Sulfatide

Class I and class II MHC-restricted T cells specific for proteins present in myelin have been shown to be involved in autoimmunity in the central nervous system (CNS). It is not yet known whether CD1d-restricted T cells reactive to myelin-derived lipids are present in the CNS and might be targeted to influence the course of autoimmune demyelination. Using specific glycolipid-CD1d tetramers and cloned T cells we have characterized a T cell population reactive to a myelin-derived glycolipid, sulfatide, presented by CD1d. This population is distinct from the invariant Vα14+ NK T cells, and a panel of Vα3/Vα8+ CD1d-restricted NK T cell hybridomas is unable to recognize sulfatide in the presence of CD1d+ antigen-presenting cells. Interestingly, during experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis a model for human multiple sclerosis, sulfatide-reactive T cells but not invariant NK T cells are increased severalfold in CNS tissue. Moreover, treatment of mice with sulfatide prevents antigen-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in wild-type but not in CD1d-deficient mice. Disease prevention correlates with the ability of sulfatide to suppress both interferon-γ and interleukin-4 production by pathogenic myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein-reactive T cells. Since recognition of sulfatide by CD1d-restricted T cells has now been shown both in mice and humans, study of murine myelin lipid-reactive T cells may form a basis for the development of intervention strategies in human autoimmune demyelinating diseases.
Calcium Sensitivity of Neurotransmitter Release Differs at Phasic and Tonic Synapses

The efficacy of synaptic transmission varies greatly among synaptic contacts. We have explored the origins of differences between phasic and tonic crustacean neuromuscular junctions. Synaptic boutons of a phasic motor neuron release three orders of magnitude more quanta to a single action potential and show strong depression to a train, whereas tonic synapses are nearly unresponsive to single action potentials and display an immense facilitation. Phasic and tonic synapses display a similar nonlinear dependence on extracellular [Ca2+]. We imposed similar spatially uniform intracellular [Ca2+] ([Ca2+]i) steps in phasic and tonic synapses by photolysis of presynaptic caged calcium. [Ca2+]i was measured fluorometrically while transmitter release was monitored electrophysiologically from single boutons in which the [Ca2+]i was elevated. Phasic synapses released the readily releasable pool (RRP) of vesicles at a much higher rate and with a shorter delay than did tonic synapses. Comparison of several kinetic models of molecular events showed that a difference in Ca2+-sensitive priming of vesicles in the RRP combined with a revision of the kinetic Ca2+-binding sequence to the secretory trigger produced the best fit to the markedly different responses to Ca2+ steps and action potentials and of the characteristic features of synaptic plasticity in phasic and tonic synapses. The results reveal processes underlying one aspect of synaptic diversity that may also regulate changes in synaptic strength during development and learning and memory formation.
Large Genomic Fragment Deletions and Insertions in Mouse Using CRISPR/Cas9

ZFN, TALENs and CRISPR/Cas9 system have been used to generate point mutations and large fragment deletions and insertions in genomic modifications. CRISPR/Cas9 system is the most flexible and fast developing technology that has been extensively used to make mutations in all kinds of organisms. However, the most mutations reported up to date are small insertions and deletions. In this report, CRISPR/Cas9 system was used to make large DNA fragment deletions and insertions, including entire Dip2a gene deletion, about 65kb in size, and β-galactosidase (lacZ) reporter gene insertion of larger than 5kb in mouse. About 11.8% (11/93) are positive for 65kb deletion from transfected and diluted ES clones. High targeting efficiencies in ES cells were also achieved with G418 selection, 46.2% (12/26) and 73.1% (19/26) for left and right arms respectively. Targeted large fragment deletion efficiency is about 21.4% of live pups or 6.0% of injected embryos. Targeted insertion of lacZ reporter with NEO cassette showed 27.1% (13/48) of targeting rate by ES cell transfection and 11.1% (2/18) by direct zygote injection. The procedures have bypassed in vitro transcription by directly co-injection of zygotes or co-transfection of embryonic stem cells with circular plasmid DNA. The methods are technically easy, time saving, and cost effective in generating mouse models and will certainly facilitate gene function studies.
Systematics of the family Plectopylidae in Vietnam with additional information on Chinese taxa (Gastropoda, Pulmonata, Stylommatophora)

Abstract Vietnamese species from the family Plectopylidae are revised based on the type specimens of all known taxa, more than 600 historical non-type museum lots, and almost 200 newly-collected samples. Altogether more than 7000 specimens were investigated. The revision has revealed that species diversity of the Vietnamese Plectopylidae was previously overestimated. Overall, thirteen species names (anterides Gude, 1909, bavayi Gude, 1901, congesta Gude, 1898, fallax Gude, 1909, gouldingi Gude, 1909, hirsuta Möllendorff, 1901, jovia Mabille, 1887, moellendorffi Gude, 1901, persimilis Gude, 1901, pilsbryana Gude, 1901, soror Gude, 1908, tenuis Gude, 1901, verecunda Gude, 1909) were synonymised with other species. In addition to these, Gudeodiscus hemmeni sp. n. and Gudeodiscus messageri raheemi ssp. n. are described from north-western Vietnam. Sixteen species and two subspecies are recognized from Vietnam. The reproductive anatomy of eight taxa is described. Based on anatomical information, Halongella gen. n. is erected to include Plectopylis schlumbergeri and Plectopylis fruhstorferi. Additionally, the genus Gudeodiscus is subdivided into two subgenera (Gudeodiscus and Veludiscus subgen. n.) on the basis of the morphology of the reproductive anatomy and the radula. The Chinese Gudeodiscus phlyarius werneri Páll-Gergely, 2013 is moved to synonymy of Gudeodiscus phlyarius. A spermatophore was found in the organ situated next to the gametolytic sac in one specimen. This suggests that this organ in the Plectopylidae is a diverticulum. Statistically significant evidence is presented for the presence of calcareous hook-like granules inside the penis being associated with the absence of embryos in the uterus in four genera. This suggests that these probably play a role in mating periods before disappearing when embryos develop. Sicradiscus mansuyi is reported from China for the first time.
Reactive GRASP: An Application to a Matrix Decomposition Problem in TDMA Traffic Assignment

A greedy randomized adaptive search procedure (GRASP) is a metaheuristic for combinatorial optimization. In this paper, we describe a GRASP for a matrix decomposition problem arising in the context of traffic assignment in communication satellites. We review basic concepts of GRASP: construction and local search algorithms. The local search phase is based on the use of a new type of neighborhood defined by constructive and destructive moves. The implementation of a GRASP for the matrix decomposition problem is described in detail. Extensive computational experiments on literature and randomly generated problems are reported. Moreover, we propose a new procedureReactive GRASP, in which the basic parameter that defines the restrictiveness of the candidate list during the construction phase is self-adjusted according to the quality of the solutions previously found. The approach is robust and does not require calibration efforts. On most of the literature problems considered, the newReactive GRASP heuristic matches the optimal solution found by an exact column-generation with branch-and-bound algorithm.
The Timing of Careers and Human Capital Depreciation

This paper explores the short and long run effects of career interruptions on wages for young skilled workers in West Germany. The analysis distinguishes four types of career interruptions: unemployment, parental leave for female workers, national service for male workers and other non-work spells. We adopt the human capital model by Mincer and Polachek (1974) with homogenous human capital and test whether net depreciation is equal across types of employment interruptions, and equal in the short and in the long run. The main findings are that timing effects seem important and net depreciation differs across types of interruptions.
Family and Community Influences on Educational Outcomes Among Appalachian Youth.

Recent research has shown how quantifiable aspects of community context affect a wide range of behaviors and outcomes. Due partially to the historical development of this field, currently published work focuses on urban rather than rural areas. We draw upon data from a longitudinal study of families and health in Appalachia—the Great Smoky Mountains Study (GSMS), and an ethnographically based interview tool—the Life Trajectory Interview for Youth (LTI-Y), to examine the impact of community and family poverty and educational attainment on educational goals and attainment among rural white youth (n=200). Exposure to family poverty and more educated parents were associated with youths' educational attainment. Meanwhile, both community education levels and parental education were associated with college goal-setting. These relationships were particularly strong among rural white males. This evidence suggests that more attention should be focused on how rural environments affect the lives and life chances of their inhabitants. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Sexual behavior among high school students in Brazil: alcohol consumption and legal and illegal drug use associated with unprotected sex

OBJECTIVE: Alcohol and other drug use appears to reduce decision-making ability and increase the risk of unsafe sex, leading to possible unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases/human immunodeficiency virus/HIV transmission, and multiple sexual partners. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that risky sexual behaviors among adolescents are associated with legal and illegal drug use. METHODS: A national cross-sectional survey of 17,371 high-school students was conducted in 2010. Students were selected from 789 public and private schools in each of the 27 Brazilian state capitals by a multistage probabilistic sampling method and answered a self-report questionnaire. Weighted data were analyzed through basic contingency tables and logistic regressions testing for differences in condom use among adolescents who were sexually active during the past month. RESULTS: Approximately one third of the high school students had engaged in sexual intercourse in the month prior to the survey, and nearly half of these respondents had not used a condom. While overall sexual intercourse was more prevalent among boys, unsafe sexual intercourse was more prevalent among girls. Furthermore, a lower socioeconomic status was directly associated with non-condom use, while binge drinking and illegal drug use were independently associated with unsafe sexual intercourse. CONCLUSION: Adolescent alcohol and drug use were associated with unsafe sexual practices. School prevention programs must include drug use and sexuality topics simultaneously because both risk-taking behaviors occur simultaneously.
Transient Suppression of Broadband Gamma Power in the Default-Mode Network Is Correlated with Task Complexity and Subject Performance

Task performance is associated with increased brain metabolism but also with prominent deactivation in specific brain structures known as the default-mode network (DMN). The role of DMN deactivation remains enigmatic in part because its electrophysiological correlates, temporal dynamics, and link to behavior are poorly understood. Using extensive depth electrode recordings in humans, we provide first electrophysiological evidence for a direct correlation between the dynamics of power decreases in the DMN and individual subject behavior. We found that all DMN areas displayed transient suppressions of broadband gamma (60–140 Hz) power during performance of a visual search task and, critically, we show for the first time that the millisecond range duration and extent of the transient gamma suppressions are correlated with task complexity and subject performance. In addition, trial-by-trial correlations revealed that spatially distributed gamma power increases and decreases formed distinct anticorrelated large-scale networks. Beyond unraveling the electrophysiological basis of DMN dynamics, our results suggest that, rather than indicating a mere switch to a global exteroceptive mode, DMN deactivation encodes the extent and efficiency of our engagement with the external world. Furthermore, our findings reveal a pivotal role for broadband gamma modulations in the interplay between task-positive and task-negative networks mediating efficient goal-directed behavior and facilitate our understanding of the relationship between electrophysiology and neuroimaging studies of intrinsic brain networks.
Nebular abundances of nearby southern dwarf galaxies

The results of optical spectroscopy of H II regions in a sample of southern dwarf irregulars consisting of five dwarf galaxies in the Centaurus A group, four dwarfs in the Sculptor group, and eight additional dwarf galaxies are presented. Oxygen abundances are derived using the direct method where (O III)λ4363 is detected; otherwise, abundances are derived with the bright-line method using the McGaugh and the Pilyugin calibrations. ESO358−G060 has the lowest oxygen abun- dance (12+log(O/H) = 7.32) in the sample, which is comparable to the value for the second most metal-poor galaxy known (SBS 0335−052). In all, new oxygen abundances are reported for nine dwarf galaxies; updated values are presented for the remaining galaxies. Derived oxygen abundances are in the range from 3% to 26% of the solar value. Oxygen abundances for dwarfs in the southern sample are consistent with the metallicity-luminosity relationship defined by a control sample of dwarf irregulars with (O III)λ4363 abundances and well-measured distances. However, NGC 5264 appears to have an (upper branch) oxygen abundance approximately two to three times higher than other dwarfs at similar luminosities. Nitrogen-to-oxygen and neon-to-oxygen abundance ratios are also reported; in particular, IC 1613 and IC 5152 show elevated nitrogen-to-oxygen ratios for their oxygen abundances.
IPOs: insights from seven European countries

We perform a comparative country-by-country study of companies going public in the six largest Continental European markets and Sweden during 1988 and 1998, a time period characterized by IPO activity in a broad set of industries. By applying a common research methodology, we find broad similarity in the overall and cross-sectional initial pricing and long-run performance patterns. Positive long-run IPO performance is a function of a countries' ability to attract "New Economy" IPOs. This helps to shed some light on the rational behind the frantic efforts made be individual European Stock Exchanges to establish "New Market" segments during the late 1990s.
Studying the Characteristics of a "Good" GUI Test Suite

The widespread deployment of graphical-user interfaces (GUIs) has increased the overall complexity of testing. A GUI test designer needs to perform the daunting task of adequately testing the GUI, which typically has very large input interaction spaces, while considering tradeoffs between GUI test suite characteristics such as the number of test cases (each modeled as a sequence of events), their lengths, and the event composition of each test case. There are no published empirical studies on GUI testing that a GUI test designer may reference to make decisions about these characteristics. Consequently, in practice, very few GUI testers know how to design their test suites. This paper takes the first step towards assisting in GUI test design by presenting an empirical study that evaluates the effect of these characteristics on testing cost and fault detection effectiveness. The results show that two factors significantly effect the fault-detection effectiveness of a test suite: (1) the diversity of states in which an event executes and (2) the event coverage of the suite. Test designers need to improve the diversity of states in which each event executes by developing a large number of short test cases to detect the majority of "shallow" faults, which are artifacts of modern GUI design. Additional resources should be used to develop a small number of long test cases to detect a small number of "deep" faults
Multiperturbation analysis of distributed neural networks: The case of spatial neglect

This study assesses the feasibility of using a multiperturbation analysis (MPA) approach for lesion‐symptom mapping. We analyze the relative contribution of damage in different brain regions to the expression of spatial neglect, as revealed in line‐bisection performance. The data set comprised of normalized lesion information and bisection test results from 23 first‐event right‐hemisphere stroke patients. Obtaining quantitative measures of task relevance for different regions of interest (ROIs), the following ROIs were found to be the most contributing: the supramarginal and angular gyri of the inferior parietal lobule, the superior parietal lobule, the anterior part of the temporo‐parietal junction connecting the superior temporal and supramarginal gyri, and the thalamus. MPA is likely to play an important role in elucidating the anatomical substrate of complex functions. Hum Brain Mapp, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Investigation of the Effects of Naratriptan, Rizatriptan, and Sumatriptan on Jugular Venous Oxygen Saturation in Anesthetized Pigs: Implications for Their Mechanism of Acute Antimigraine Action

The effects of naratriptan, rizatriptan, and sumatriptan on arteriovenous oxygen saturation difference and carotid hemodynamics were compared in the anesthetized pig. Oxygen and carbon dioxide partial pressures in systemic arterial and jugular venous blood as well as hemoglobin oxygen saturation were determined by conventional blood gas analysis. Vehicle (n = 19) or naratriptan, rizatriptan, or sumatriptan (0.63, 2.5, 10, 40, 160, 630, and 2,500 μg/kg i.v.; n = 7/group) were infused cumulatively. In naratriptan-, rizatriptan-, and sumatriptan-treated animals, jugular venous oxygen saturation decreased dose dependently (geometric mean ED50 values of 3.1, 17.9, and 16.0 μg/kg, respectively) concomitantly with increases in carotid vascular resistance. Rizatriptan significantly and dose dependently, from 160 μg/kg, increased PvCO2 (P < 0.05 versus vehicle). Naratriptan and sumatriptan also tended to increase PvCO2 albeit nonstatistically significantly. All three triptans consistently evoked quantitatively similar carotid vasoconstriction, whereas decreases in jugular venous oxygen saturation (VOS) and increases in PvCO2 had different magnitudes and occurred only in around one-half of the animals studied. Maximal variations in PvCO2 were found to correlate highly with those in PvO2 (P = 0.002), but maximal variations in carotid resistance failed to correlate with those in PvCO2 (P = 0.76) or PvO2 (P = 0.28). The results demonstrate that the triptans investigated robustly produced carotid vasoconstriction, but elicited less consistent decreases in VOS and increases in jugular PvCO2, possibly suggestive of distinct mechanisms. Collectively, the data suggest that triptan-induced increases in arteriovenous oxygen saturation difference and carbon dioxide partial pressure in venous blood draining the head are class effects.