Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A statistical mechanics view on Kitaev's proposal for quantum memories

We compute rigorously the ground and equilibrium states for Kitaev's model in 2D, both the finite and infinite versions, using an analogy with the 1D Ising ferromagnet. Next, we investigate the structure of the reduced dynamics in the presence of thermal baths in the Markovian regime. Special attention is paid to the dynamics of the topological freedoms which have been proposed for storing quantum information.
Adult neurogenesis and cellular brain repair with neural progenitors, precursors and stem cells

Recent work in neuroscience has shown that the adult central nervous system (CNS) contains neural progenitors, precursors and stem cells that are capable of generating new neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. While challenging the previous dogma that no new neurons are born in the adult mammalian CNS, these findings bring with them the future possibilities for development of novel neural repair strategies. The purpose of this review is to present the current knowledge about constitutively occurring adult mammalian neurogenesis, highlight the critical differences between ‘neurogenic’ and ‘non-neurogenic’ regions in the adult brain, and describe the cardinal features of two well-described neurogenic regions—the subventricular zone/olfactory bulb system and the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. We also provide an overview of presently used models for studying neural precursors in vitro, mention some precursor transplantation models and emphasize that, in this rapidly growing field of neuroscience, one must be cautious with respect to a variety of methodological considerations for studying neural precursor cells both in vitro and in vivo. The possibility of repairing neural circuitry by manipulating neurogenesis is an intriguing one, and, therefore, we also review recent efforts to understand the conditions under which neurogenesis can be induced in non-neurogenic regions of the adult CNS. This work aims towards molecular and cellular manipulation of endogenous neural precursors in situ, without transplantation. We conclude this review with a discussion of what might be the function of newly generated neurons in the adult brain, and provide a summary of present thinking about the consequences of disturbed adult neurogenesis and the reaction of neurogenic regions to disease.
Noninvasive Multimodal Imaging to Predict Recovery of Locomotion after Extended Limb Ischemia

Acute limb ischemia is a common cause of morbidity and mortality following trauma both in civilian centers and in combat related injuries. Rapid determination of tissue viability and surgical restoration of blood flow are desirable, but not always possible. We sought to characterize the response to increasing periods of hind limb ischemia in a porcine model such that we could define a period of critical ischemia (the point after which irreversible neuromuscular injury occurs), evaluate non-invasive methods for characterizing that ischemia, and establish a model by which we could predict whether or not the animal’s locomotion would return to baselines levels post-operatively. Ischemia was induced by either application of a pneumatic tourniquet or vessel occlusion (performed by clamping the proximal iliac artery and vein at the level of the inguinal ligament). The limb was monitored for the duration of the procedure with both 3-charge coupled device (3CCD) and infrared (IR) imaging for tissue oxygenation and perfusion, respectively. The experimental arms of this model are effective at inducing histologically evident muscle injury with some evidence of expected secondary organ damage, particularly in animals with longer ischemia times. Noninvasive imaging data shows excellent correlation with post-operative functional outcomes, validating its use as a non-invasive means of viability assessment, and directly monitors post-occlusive reactive hyperemia. A classification model, based on partial-least squares discriminant analysis (PLSDA) of imaging variables only, successfully classified animals as “returned to normal locomotion” or “did not return to normal locomotion” with 87.5% sensitivity and 66.7% specificity after cross-validation. PLSDA models generated from non-imaging data were not as accurate (AUC of 0.53) compared the PLSDA model generated from only imaging data (AUC of 0.76). With some modification, this limb ischemia model could also serve as a means on which to test therapies designed to prolong the time before critical ischemia.
The ages of pre-main-sequence stars

The position of pre-main-sequence or protostars in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram is often used to determine their mass and age by comparison with pre-main-sequence evolution tracks. On the assumption that the stellar models are accurate, we demonstrate that, if the metallicity is known, the mass obtained is a good estimate. However, the age determination can be very misleading, because it is significantly (generally different by a factor of 2 to 5) dependent on the accretion rate and, for ages less than about 106 yr, the initial state of the star. We present a number of accreting protostellar tracks that can be used to determine age if the initial conditions can be determined and the underlying accretion rate has been constant in the past. Because of the balance established between the Kelvin–Helmholtz, contraction time-scale and the accretion time-scale, a pre-main-sequence star remembers its accretion history. Knowledge of the current accretion rate, together with an HR-diagram position, gives information about the rate of accretion in the past, but does not necessarily improve any age estimate. We do not claim that ages obtained by comparison with these particular accreting tracks are likely to be any more reliable than those from comparisons with non-accreting tracks. Instead, we stress the unreliability of any such comparisons, and use the disparities between various tracks to estimate the likely errors in age and mass estimates. We also show how a set of coeval accreting objects do not appear coeval when compared with non-accreting tracks. Instead, accreting pre-main-sequence stars of around a solar mass are likely to appear older than those of either smaller or larger mass.
A Neonatal Resuscitation Curriculum in Malawi, Africa: Did It Change In-Hospital Mortality?

Objective. The WHO estimates that 99% of the 3.8 million neonatal deaths occur in developing countries. Neonatal resuscitation training was implemented in Namitete, Malawi. The study's objective was to evaluate the training's impact on hospital staff and neonatal mortality rates. Study Design. Pre-/postcurricular surveys of trainee attitude, knowledge, and skills were analyzed. An observational, longitudinal study of secondary data assessed neonatal mortality. Result. All trainees' (n = 18) outcomes improved, (P = 0.02). Neonatal mortality did not change. There were 3449 births preintervention, 3515 postintervention. Neonatal mortality was 20.9 deaths per 1000 live births preintervention and 21.9/1000 postintervention, (P = 0.86). Conclusion. Short-term pre-/postintervention evaluations frequently reveal positive results, as ours did. Short-term pre- and postintervention evaluations should be interpreted cautiously. Whenever possible, clinical outcomes such as in-hospital mortality should be additionally assessed. More rigorous evaluation strategies should be applied to training programs requiring longitudinal relationships with international community partners.
The role of self-efficacy in the information-seeking behaviour of high school students in Mauritius

9 Chapter 1: General Introduction . 10 1.1. Mauritian education: An overview . 10 1.2. Introduction to the study . 11 1.3. Definition of the topic . 12 1.4. The aims of this study. 14 1.5. Research questions . 15 1.6. Research objectives . 16 Chapter 2: Literature Review . 17 2.1. Self-efficacy . 17 2.1.
Advertising in Duopoly Market

The paper presents the dynamics of consumer preferences over two competing products acting in duopoly market. The model presented compared the majority and minority rules as well as the modified Snazjd model in the Von Neumann neighborhood. We showed how important advertising in marketing a product is. We show that advertising should also consider the social structure simultaneously with the content of the advertisement and the understanding to the advertised product. Some theoretical explorations are discussed regarding to size of the market, evaluation of effect of the advertising, the types of the advertised products, and the social structure of which the product is marketed. We also draw some illustrative models to be improved as a further work.
Tinnitus and its risk factors in the Beaver Dam Offspring Study

Abstract Objective: To assess the prevalence of tinnitus along with factors potentially associated with having tinnitus. Design: Data were from the Beaver Dam Offspring Study, an epidemiological cohort study of aging. Study Sample: After a personal interview and audiometric examination, participants (n = 3267, ages 21–84 years) were classified as having tinnitus if in the past year they reported having tinnitus of at least moderate severity or that caused difficulty in falling asleep. Results: The prevalence of tinnitus was 10.6%. In a multivariable logistic regression model adjusting for age and sex, the following factors were associated with having tinnitus: hearing impairment (Odds Ratio (OR) = 3.20), currently having a loud job (OR = 1.90), history of head injury (OR = 1.84), depressive symptoms (OR = 1.82), history of ear infection (men, OR = 1.75), history of target shooting (OR = 1.56), arthritis (OR = 1.46), and use of NSAID medications (OR = 1.33). For women, ever drinking alcohol in the past year was associated with a decreased risk of having tinnitus (OR = 0.56). Conclusions: These results suggest that tinnitus is a common symptom in this cohort and may be associated with some modifiable risk factors. Sumario Objetivo: Evaluar la prevalencia del acúfeno junto con los factores potencialmente asociados para tenerlo. Diseño: Los datos fueron obtenidos del Estudio “Beaver Dam Offspring”, una cohorte epidemiológica para el estudio del envejecimiento. Muestra: Después de una entrevista personal y un examen audiométrico, los participantes (n = 3267, edades 21–84 años) fueron clasificados como portadores de acúfeno si en el pasado año habían reportado tener acúfeno al menos de severidad moderada o si éste les ocasionaba dificultad conciliar el sueño. Resultados: La prevalencia del acúfeno fue de 10.6%. En modelo de regresión logística multivariada ajustada para edad y sexo, los siguientes factores fueron asociados al acúfeno: hipoacusia (tasa de probabilidad (OR) = 3.20), tener un empleo ruidoso (OR = 1.90), historia de traumatismo cefálico (OR = 1.84), síntomas depresivos (OR = 1.82), historia de infección ótica (hombres, OR = 1.75), historia de tiro con arma de fuego (OR = 1.56), artritis (OR = 1.46), y uso de AINES (OR = 1.33). Para las mujeres, el no haber bebido alcohol en el pasado año fue asociado con un decremento en el riesgo de tener acúfeno (OR = 0.56). Conclusiones: Estos resultados sugieren que el acúfeno es un síntoma común en esta cohorte y que puede estar asociado con algunos de los factores de riesgo modificables.
PDE5 Inhibition Improves Object Memory in Standard Housed Rats but Not in Rats Housed in an Enriched Environment: Implications for Memory Models?

Drug effects are usually evaluated in animals housed under maximally standardized conditions. However, it is assumed that an enriched environment (EE) more closely resembles human conditions as compared to maximally standardized laboratory conditions. In the present study, we examined the acute cognition enhancing effects of vardenafil, a PDE5 inhibitor, which stimulates protein kinase G/CREB signaling in cells, in three different groups of male Wistar rats tested in an object recognition task (ORT). Rats were either housed solitarily (SOL) or socially (SOC) under standard conditions, or socially in an EE. Although EE animals remembered object information longer in the vehicle condition, vardenafil only improved object memory in SOL and SOC animals. While EE animals had a heavier dorsal hippocampus, we found no differences between experimental groups in total cell numbers in the dentate gyrus, CA2–3 or CA1. Neither were there any differences in markers for pre- and postsynaptic density. No changes in PDE5 mRNA- and protein expression levels were observed. Basal pCREB levels were increased in EE rats only, whereas β-catenin was not affected, suggesting specific activation of the MAP kinase signaling pathway and not the AKT pathway. A possible explanation for the inefficacy of vardenafil could be that CREB signaling is already optimally stimulated in the hippocampus of EE rats. Since previous data has shown that acute PDE5 inhibition does not improve memory performance in humans, the use of EE animals could be considered as a more valid model for testing cognition enhancing drugs.
Facebook as a learning tool? A case study on the appropriation of social network sites from mobile phones in developing countries

This exploratory research investigates how students and professionals use social network sites ( SNSs) in the setting of developing and emerging countries. Data collection included focus groups consisting of medical students and faculty as well as the analysis of a Facebook site centred on medical and clinical topics. The findings show how users, both students and professionals, appropriate SNSs from their mobile phones as rich educational tools in informal learning contexts. First, unlike in previous studies, the analysis revealed explicit forms of educational content embedded in informal learning contexts in Facebook. Quizzes, JOUR presentations and associated deliberate (e-)learning practices which are typically found in (more) formal educational settings were identified. Second, from a sociocultural learning perspective, it is shown how the participation in such virtual professional communities across national boundaries permits the announcement and negotiation of occupational status and professional identities. Practitioner Notes What is already known about this topic Social network sites (SNSs) support education- related learning practices. , What this paper adds Learners appropriate SNSs sites from their mobiles as tools for a wide range of educational practices in informal learning contexts in developing/emerging countries. , The (e-)learning practices identified include deliberate engagement by users with explicit forms of educational content such as quizzes and JOUR presentations as well as participation in virtual professional communities that allows for the announcement and negotiation of occupational status and professional identities. , Such technologies permit the students' educational engagement beyond local communities and facilitate loose connections to professional networks. , Implications for practice and/or policy Overhasty claims regarding the more systematic use or the integration of such informal (e-)learning in formal educational settings to support education and health in developing countries should be avoided. Instead, more systematic research is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
The effects of verbal labelling on psychophysiology: Objective but not subjective emotion labelling reduces skin-conductance responses to briefly presented pictures

Verbally labelling emotional stimuli has been shown to reliably decrease emotional responding. The present study compared the use of identical emotional labels during two types of verbal labelling: subjective labelling of one's own emotional response and objective labelling of the stimulus. We recorded skin conductance responses (SCRs) to emotional pictures presented at four brief durations preceding a backward mask. We observed that as the exposure duration increased, SCRs decreased during objective labelling of the stimuli. However, when participants subjectively labelled their own emotional state, SCRs increased as exposure duration increased. In addition, subjective labelling produced larger SCRs than objective labelling at a shorter exposure duration when the presented stimuli were biologically prepared. These results indicate that only objective labelling results in decreased emotional responding, and describe a novel interaction between bottom-up stimulus characteristics and top-down cognitive effects on physiological responses.
Type-IVC Secretion System: A Novel Subclass of Type IV Secretion System (T4SS) Common Existing in Gram-Positive Genus Streptococcus

A growing number of pathogens are being found to possess specialized secretion systems which they use in various ways to subvert host defenses. Type IV secretion system (T4SS) is one of versatile secretion systems essential for the virulence and even survival of some bacteria species, and they enable the secretion of protein and DNA substrates across the cell envelope. T4SS was once believed to be present only in Gram-negative bacteria. In this study, we present evidence of a new subclass of T4SS, Type-IVC secretion system and indicate its common existence in the Gram-positive bacterial genus Streptococcus. We further identified that VirB1, VirB4, VirB6 and VirD4 are the minimal key components of this system. Using genome comparisons and evolutionary relationship analysis, we proposed that Type-IVC secretion system is movable via transposon factors and mediates the conjugative transfer of DNA, enhances bacterial pathogenicity, and could cause large-scale outbreaks of infections in humans.
Network dynamics of memory operations in language processing

Michiru Makuuchi1, Yosef Grodzinsky2, 3, Katrin Amunts4, 5, Andrea Santi2, Angela D. Friederici1,6 1 Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences 2 Department of Linguistics, McGill University 3 Department of Psychology, Tel Aviv University 4 Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, RWTH Aachen University 5 INB-3, Medicine of the Research Center Juelich 6 Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University, USA
Instigating transformational changes : an interdisciplinary approach based on the appraisal theories of emotion

Recent research has questioned the commonly accepted notion that transformational changes are instigated when compelling evidence establishes a clear sense of urgency for action. Following these intriguing results, this thesis set out to investigate why some leaders avoid taking action even when a crisis is threatening their systems. For that reason, a sophisticated interdisciplinary approach was designed, which allowed insights from the discipline of psychology and the study field of management to be reviewed and meta-synthesized into a conceptual framework that expands the myopic paradigm of urgency and thereby elaborates the process of change instigation. The findings suggest that once a crisis is faced, leaders engage in an emotional change process during which the compelling evidence is appraised in reference to business goals and ego-commitments. These appraisals give rise to negative emotions as they inform the individual of the encountered threat. As a result, a self-protective regulatory mechanism is triggered, the operations of which determine the future of subsequent appraisals and thus the response to be adopted. That is, action might be taken to secure business continuation (adaptive), or the leader could trigger defence mechanisms (maladaptive) and thus respond in ways which might go against organizational interests, but protect the threatened ego. Although the theorization has not yet been empirically validated, the thesis bears significant contributions to knowledge. It demonstrates that urgency a) is a necessary yet insufficient element of the emotional change process; b) provides a superficial explanation of how transformations are instigated. Its logic is grounded in the outdated assumption that human beings are purely cognitive, cold and rational processors of information. Instead, the suggested framework emphasizes the important role that the unconscious hot cognitions and the emotional experiences play. Ultimately, through the analysis of more than 1200 multi domain sources, this theorization provides a viable alternative to the current urgency paradigm. It facilitates the diagnosis of defensive appraisals and paves the way for the development of tools to assist the agents of change.
Shear instability for stratified hydrostatic flows

Stratified flows in hydrostatic balance are studied in both their multilayer and continuous formulations. A novel stability criterion is proposed for stratified flows, which reinterprets stability in terms not of growth of small perturbations but of the well‐posedness of the time evolution. This reinterpretation allows one to extend the classic results of Miles and Howard concerning steady and planar flows to the realm of flows that are nonuniform and unsteady. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Intra- and inter-stream synchronisation for stored multimedia streams

Multimedia streams such as audio and video impose tight temporal constraints due to their continuous nature. Often, different multimedia streams must be presented in a synchronized way. We introduce a scheme for the continuous and synchronous delivery of distributed stored multimedia streams across a communications network. We propose a protocol for the synchronized playback, compute the buffer requirement, and describe the experimental results of our implementation. The scheme is very general and does not require bounded jitter or synchronized clocks and is able to cope with clock drifts and server drop outs.
NTPase and 5′-RNA Triphosphatase Activities of Chikungunya Virus nsP2 Protein

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an insect borne virus (genus: Alphavirus) which causes acute febrile illness in humans followed by a prolonged arthralgic disease that affects the joints of the extremities. Re-emergence of the virus in the form of outbreaks in last 6–7 years has posed a serious public health problem. CHIKV has a positive sense single stranded RNA genome of about 12,000 nt. Open reading frame 1 of the viral genome encodes a polyprotein precursor, nsP1234, which is processed further into different non structural proteins (nsP1, nsP2, nsP3 and nsP4). Sequence based analyses have shown helicase domain at the N-terminus and protease domain at C-terminus of nsP2. A detailed biochemical analysis of NTPase/RNA helicase and 5′-RNA phosphatase activities of recombinant CHIKV-nsP2T protein (containing conserved NTPase/helicase motifs in the N-terminus and partial papain like protease domain at the C-terminus) was carried out. The protein could hydrolyze all NTPs except dTTP and showed better efficiency for ATP, dATP, GTP and dGTP hydrolysis. ATP was the most preferred substrate by the enzyme. CHIKV-nsP2T also showed 5′-triphosphatase (RTPase) activity that specifically removes the γ-phosphate from the 5′ end of RNA. Both NTPase and RTPase activities of the protein were completely dependent on Mg2+ ions. RTPase activity was inhibited by ATP showing sharing of the binding motif by NTP and RNA. Both enzymatic activities were drastically reduced by mutations in the NTP binding motif (GKT) and co-factor, Mg2+ ion binding motif (DEXX) suggesting that they have a common catalytic site.