Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Principles of Image Representation in Visual Cortex

The visual cortex is responsible for most of our conscious perception of the visual world, yet we remain largely ignorant of the principles underlying its function despite progress on many fronts of neuroscience. The principal reason for this is not a lack of data, but rather the absence of a solid theoretical framework for motivating experiments and interpreting findings. The situation may be likened to trying to understand how birds fly without knowledge of the principles of aerodynamics: no amount of experimentation or measurements made on the bird itself will reveal the secret. The key experiment— measuring air pressure above and below the wing as air is passed over it—would not seem obvious were it not for a theory suggesting why the pressures might be different. But neuroscience can not simply turn to mathematics or engineering for a set of principles that will elucidate the function of the cortex. Indeed, engineers and mathematicians themselves have had little success in emulating even the most elementary aspects of intelligence or perceptual capabilities, despite much effort devoted to the problem over the past 40 years. The lack of progress here is especially striking considering the fact that the past two decades alone have seen a 1000-fold increase in computer power (in terms of computer speed and memory capacity), while the actual “intelligence” of computers has improved only moderately by comparison.
Offensive Defensiveness: Toward an Integrative Neuroscience of Compensatory Zeal After Mortality Salience, Personal Uncertainty, and Other Poignant Self-Threats

When teams are losing, wise coaches do not harp on what went wrong. Instead, they rally pride and buoy confidence for seizing success. Invoking the ideal of glorious victory encourages aggressive offense, and also indirectly sharpens defense by preventing preoc cupation with mistakes. I submit that a similar dynamic can help explain why mortality salience and other threats cause defensively zealous reactions (e.g., Greenberg. Solomon, & Pyszczynski, 1997; McCGregor & Marigold, 2003; McGregor, Nail, Marigold, & Kang, 2005; MccGregor, Zanna, 'Holmes, & Spencer, 2001; Solomon. Greenberg & Pyszczynski, 2004). Mounting evidence now indicates that people use zeal ous ideals to capture their imaginations and re-engage
THE SPECTRAL EVOLUTION ALONG THE Z TRACK OF THE BRIGHT NEUTRON STAR X-RAY BINARY GX 17+2

Z sources are bright neutron star X-ray binaries, accreting at around the Eddington limit. We analyze the 68 RXTE observations (∼270 ks) of Sco-like Z source GX 17+2 made between 1999 October 3 and 12, covering a complete Z track. We create and fit color-resolved spectra with a model consisting of a thermal multicolor disk, a single-temperature-blackbody boundary layer and a weak Comptonized component. We find that, similar to what was observed for XTE J1701-462 in its Sco-like Z phase, the branches of GX 17+2 can be explained by three processes operating at a constant accretion rate into the disk: increase of Comptonization up the horizontal branch (HB), transition from a standard thin disk to a slim disk up the normal branch (NB), and temporary fast decrease of the inner disk radius up the flaring branch. We also model the Comptonization in an empirically self-consistent way, with its seed photons tied to the thermal disk component and corrected for to recover the pre-Comptonized thermal disk emission. This allows us to show a constant along the entire Z track based on the thermal disk component. We also measure the upper kHz quasi-periodic oscillation frequency and find it to depend on the apparent inner disk radius Rin (prior to Compton scattering) approximately as frequency ∝ R−3/2in, supporting the identification of it as the Keplerian frequency at Rin. The HB oscillation is probably related to the dynamics in the inner disk as well, as both its frequency and Rin vary significantly on the HB but become relatively constant on the NB.
Intra prediction modes signalling in HEVC

The High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard defines 35 Intra Prediction Modes (IPM) to provide an efficient compression of intra coded blocks. To signal these IPMs to the decoder a list of 3 Most Probable Modes (MPM) is created based on the IPMs of the neighbour Intra coded blocks. These MPMs will be transmitted in the bit stream with a reduced number of bits. However, the signalling scheme used in HEVC is not optimal and can be further improved. In this paper a method is proposed to enhance the Intra mode signalling in HEVC. The IPM signaling is first modelled as a tree with forks and leaves representing tests and labels, respectively. The proposed solution introduces new decision tree process by adding new tests and new labels not considered in HEVC. This solution provides a systematic way to find the best signalling scheme for a given set of data. Experimental results show that the proposed solution enables to reduce the BD-Rate by 0.38% in all Intra coding configuration.
Effects of an Extended Case Study on Environmental Behavior and Associated Variables in Seventh-and Eighth-Grade Students

Abstract The authors assessed the effects of an extended case study that focused on wetland issues with 7th and 8th graders. The extended case study is an instructional method that incorporates the issue investigation-evaluation and action training model. A modified pretest-posttest nonequivalent control group design was used with 15 intact classes from Illinois and Missouri. Posttest data were collected on the following variables: overt environmental behavior, knowledge of ecological foundations, individual locus of control, group locus of control, knowledge of citizenship action skills, and perceived skill in use of citizenship action skills.
Lifeworlds For Player 2: Affective Networks, Affordances, and Gender Dynamics In Player-Computer Interaction

This dissertation investigates the limited affordances in which women are allowed to be included in games as players by identifying how -- even during moments of "inclusivity" -- games are often produced "for" women in a way that only accepts limited forms of engagement. It uses qualitative ethnographic research to construct a more nuanced and multifaceted picture of women in gaming. This thesis provides critiques and interventions into the toxic masculinity of gaming across online, offline, domestic, and public spaces. With its emphasis on rethinking diversity in gaming, this PhD seeks to contribute not only to games, women, media, and cultural studies but also provide an intervention into future models for best practices in the games industry to reconcile and prevent further acts of hostility towards women and minorities in gaming.
Exercise as an augmentation treatment for nonremitted major depressive disorder: a randomized, parallel dose comparison.

OBJECTIVE Most patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) require second-step treatments to achieve remission. The Treatment with Exercise Augmentation for Depression (TREAD) study was designed to test the efficacy of aerobic exercise as an augmentation treatment for MDD patients who had not remitted with antidepressant treatment. METHOD Eligible participants in this randomized controlled trial were sedentary individuals (men and women aged 18-70 years) diagnosed with DSM-IV nonpsychotic MDD who had not remitted with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) treatment. Participants were recruited through physician referrals and advertisements. A total of 126 participants were randomized to augmentation treatment with either 16 kcal per kg per week (KKW) or 4 KKW of exercise expenditure for 12 weeks while SSRI treatment was held constant. Supervised sessions were conducted at The Cooper Institute, Dallas, Texas, with additional home-based sessions as needed to fulfill the weekly exercise prescription. The primary outcome was remission (as determined by a score ≤ 12 on the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology, Clinician-Rated). The study took place between August 2003 and August 2007. RESULTS There were significant improvements over time for both groups combined (F₁,₁₂₁ = 39.9, P < .0001), without differential group effect (group effect: F₁,₁₃₄ = 3.2, P = .07; group-by-time effect: F₁,₁₁₉ = 3.8, P = .06). Adjusted remission rates at week 12 were 28.3% versus 15.5% for the 16-KKW and 4-KKW groups, respectively, leading to a number needed to treat (NNT) of 7.8 for 16 KKW versus 4 KKW. Men, regardless of family history of mental illness, and women without a family history of mental illness had higher remission rates by week 12 with higher-dose (women, 39.0%; men, 85.4%) than with lower-dose exercise (women, 5.6%; men, 0.1%) (women: t₉₅ = 2.1, P = .04; men: t₈₈ = 5.4, P < .0001) (NNT: women, 3.0; men, 1.2). CONCLUSIONS There was a trend for higher remission rates in the higher-dose exercise group (P < .06), with a clinically meaningful NNT of 7.8 in favor of the high exercise dose. Significant differences between groups were found when the moderating effects of gender and family history of mental illness were taken into account and suggest that higher-dose exercise may be better for all men and for women without a family history of mental illness. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00076258.
Analysis of the internal motion of free and ligand‐bound human lysozyme by use of 15N NMR relaxation measurement: A comparison with those of hen lysozyme

Human lysozyme has a structure similar to that of hen lysozyme and differs in amino acid sequence by 51 out of 129 residues with one insertion at the position between 47 and 48 in hen lysozyme. The backbone dynamics of free or (NAG)3‐bound human lysozyme has been determined by measurements of 15N nuclear relaxation. The relaxation data were analyzed using the Lipari‐Szabo formalism and were compared with those of hen lysozyme, which was already reported (Mine S et al., 1999, J Mol Biol 286:1547–1565). In this paper, it was found that the backbone dynamics of free human and hen lysozymes showed very similar behavior except for some residues, indicating that the difference in amino acid sequence did not affect the behavior of entire backbone dynamics, but the folded pattern was the major determinant of the internal motion of lysozymes. On the other hand, it was also found that the number of residues in (NAG)3‐bound human and hen lysozymes showed an increase or decrease in the order parameters at or near active sites on the binding of (NAG)3, indicating the increase in picosecond to nanosecond. These results suggested that the immobilization of residues upon binding (NAG)3 resulted in an entropy penalty and that this penalty was compensated by mobilizing other residues. However, compared with the internal motions between both ligand‐bound human and hen lysozymes, differences in dynamic behavior between them were found at substrate binding sites, reflecting a subtle difference in the substrate‐binding mode or efficiency of activity between them.
Synthesis and Antifungal Activity of Derivatives of 2- and 3-Benzofurancarboxylic Acids

We found that amiodarone has potent antifungal activity against a broad range of fungi, potentially defining a new class of antimycotics. Investigations into its molecular mechanisms showed amiodarone mobilized intracellular Ca2+, which is thought to be an important antifungal characteristic of its fungicidal activity. Amiodarone is a synthetic drug based on the benzofuran ring system, which is contained in numerous compounds that are both synthetic and isolated from natural sources with antifungal activity. To define the structural components responsible for antifungal activity, we synthesized a series of benzofuran derivatives and tested them for the inhibition of growth of two pathogenic fungi, Cryptococcus neoformans and Aspergillus fumigatus, to find new compounds with antifungal activity. We found several derivatives that inhibited fungal growth, two of which had significant antifungal activity. We were surprised to find that calcium fluxes in cells treated with these derivatives did not correlate directly with their antifungal effects; however, the derivatives did augment the amiodarone-elicited calcium flux into the cytoplasm. We conclude that antifungal activity of these new compounds includes changes in cytoplasmic calcium concentration. Analyses of these benzofuran derivatives suggest that certain structural features are important for antifungal activity. Antifungal activity drastically increased on converting methyl 7-acetyl-6-hydroxy-3-methyl-2-benzofurancarboxylate (2b) into its dibromo derivative, methyl 7-acetyl-5-bromo-6-hydroxy-3-bromomethyl-2-benzofurancarboxylate (4).
Serum (1->3)-ÃÂ-D-Glucan Assay for Diagnosis of Pneumocystis Pneumonia in Immunocompromised Patients

Copyright: © 2012 Fan LC. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Pneumocystis Pneumonia (PCP) is one of the most prevalent infections in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-Infected Patients [1]. PCP also occurs in non-HIV patients who receiving transplantation, immunosuppressive therapy and anti-tumor chemotherapeutic agents [2]. The diagnosis of PCP is usually based on the microscopic detection of cysts by certain stain in respiratory specimens among patients at risk with fever, progressive dyspnea, nonproductive cough and relevant pulmonary infiltrates. However, the methods are limited to the quality of the respiratory specimens and the skill of the observer. Novel tests with greater sensitivity, such as Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) of respiratory samples, are potentially promising, but not yet widely available [3]. Emerging data from recent years have pointed to serum (1->3)-β-D-Glucan (BG) measurement as a promising tool for the diagnosis of PCP [4-6].
Covariance approximation for fast and accurate computation of channelized Hotelling observer statistics

We describe a method for computing linear observer statistics for maximum a posteriori (MAP) reconstructions of PET images. The method is based on a theoretical approximation for the mean and covariance of MAP reconstructions. In particular, we derive here a closed form for the channelized Hotelling observer (CHO) statistic applied to 2D MAP images. We show reasonably good correspondence between these theoretical results and Monte Carlo studies. The accuracy and low computational cost of the approximation allow us to analyze the observer performance over a wide range of operating conditions and parameter settings for the MAP reconstruction algorithm.
Generating the surface mapping class group by two elements

Wajnryb proved in 1996 that the mapping class group of an orientable surface is generated by two elements. We prove that one of these generators can be taken as a Dehn twist. We also prove that the extended mapping class group is generated by two elements, again one of which is a Dehn twist. Another result we prove is that the mapping class groups are also generated by two elements of finite order.
Choosing Outcomes Versus Choosing Products: Consumer-Focused Retirement Investment Advice

Investing for retirement is one of the most consequential yet daunting decisions consumers face. We present a way to both aid and understand consumers as they construct preferences for retirement income. The method enables consumers to build desired probability distributions of wealth constrained by market forces and the amount invested. We collect desired wealth distributions from a sample of working adults, provide evidence of the technique’s reliability and predictive validity, characterize individual- and cluster-level differences, and estimate parameters of risk aversion and loss aversion. We discuss how such an interactive method might help people construct more informed preferences.
Gamma-Ray Burst Energetics

We estimate the fraction of the total energy in a gamma-ray burst (GRB) that is radiated in photons during the main burst. Random internal collisions among different shells limit the efficiency for converting bulk kinetic energy to photons. About 1% of the energy of explosion is converted to radiation, in the 10-103 keV energy band in the observer frame, for long-duration bursts (lasting 10 s or more); the efficiency is significantly smaller for shorter duration bursts. Moreover, about 50% of the energy of the initial explosion could be lost to neutrinos during the early phase of the burst if the initial fireball temperature is ~10 MeV. If isotropic, the total energy budget of the brightest GRBs is ≳1055 ergs, a factor of ≳20 larger than previously estimated. Anisotropy of explosion, as evidenced in two GRBs, could reduce the energy requirement by a factor of 10-100. Putting these two effects together, we find that the energy release in the most energetic bursts is about 1054 ergs.
Curriculum Change in Further Education

ABSTRACT For over a decade, the government of the United Kingdom has expressed dissatisfaction with the skills base of the nation, and has introduced a number of initiatives aimed at achieving a further education curriculum which is broader, more flexible and more closely tied to the needs of employers. This paper describes the advent of new qualifications and a new funding system, and reports on interviews with curriculum managers in further education, as to how they have experienced this change. It argues that the funding system is causing a great preoccupation with finance, to the potential detriment of the curriculum, and that the new qualifications have raised a number of problems in maintaining a broad and balanced curriculum. It examines the resultant changing relationship of managers to staff and employers. The paper concludes that the positive impact has been greatest amongst a minority of students, and that managers are achieving development in the curriculum often despite, rather than because o.
Virgin College Students' Reasons for and Reactions to Their Abstinence From Sex: Results From a 23-Year Study at a Midwestern U.S. University

Sexual activity is normative in college. Thus, college students who are virgins are a minority; they are also an understudied group. This study extended a prior investigation (Sprecher & Regan, 1996) that focused on U.S. college virgins' reported reasons for and reactions to virginity. Data were collected from the same university over an additional 18 years and from more than 700 additional virgin students. We found differences between male and female virgins that showed that men are more reluctant virgins. For example, the only reason for being a virgin that male virgins endorsed to a greater degree than did female virgins was “my partner was not willing. ” Men also had more negative affective reactions to being a virgin than did women. We also found some variation in reasons for and reactions to virginity based on sociodemographic variables such as religiosity and ethnicity. A temporal analysis revealed that reasons for being a virgin that referred to a fear (e.g., fear of AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections) became less important over the 23-year period. We discuss our findings in the frameworks of evolutionary and social exchange theories.
On the modeling of the transport of particles in turbulent flows

We investigate different asymptotic regimes for Vlasov equations modeling the evolution of a cloud of particles in a turbulent flow. In one case we obtain a convection or a convection-diffusion effective equation on the concentration of particles. In the second case, the effective model relies on a Vlasov-Fokker-Planck equation.
Pocket v.2: Further Developments on Receptor-Based Pharmacophore Modeling

A deriving pharmacophore model from the three-dimensional structure of a target protein provides helpful information for analyzing protein-ligand interactions and further improvement of ligand binding affinity. A standalone program, Pocket v.2, has been developed based on the original Pocket module in the de novo drug design program LigBuilder. Pocket v.2 is able to derive a pharmacophore model directly from a given protein-ligand complex structure without human intervention. Key features in the pharmacophore model are automatically reduced to a reasonable number. Pocket v.2 has been applied to several case studies, including cyclin dependent kinase 2, HIV-1 protease, estrogen receptor, and 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase. It well reproduced previously published pharmacophore models in all of these cases. One notable feature of Pocket v.2 is that it can tolerate minor conformational changes on the protein side upon binding of different ligands to give a consistent pharmacophore model. For different proteins accommodating the same ligand, Pocket v.2 gives similar pharmacophore models, which opens the possibility to classify proteins with their binding features.
Cognitive readiness and adolescent parenting.

Hayes has written that about one million young women aged 15-19 become pregnant annually resulting in 500000 live births. The adverse long-term consequences associated with adolescent pregnancy include significant loss of education higher fertility rates the increased probability of single parenthood and increased dependence upon welfare assistance. Early parenthood also has critical implications for the children of young mothers who often suffer more developmental problems than children of older parents. The authors posit that due to their youth and relative inexperience adolescents knowledge of children and appropriate parenting practices is in general likely to be more limited than older mothers. Cognitive readiness for parenthood implies that mothers should be attitudinally predisposed to being a parent know how children develop and understand what constitutes appropriate parenting practices. Deficits in cognitive readiness among adolescents is thus hypothesized to predispose teen mothers to greater parenting stress as well as to less responsive parenting. The authors tested this hypothesis by comparing cognitive readiness for parenting in 171 pregnant adolescents 48 nonpregnant adolescents and 38 pregnant adults. They also assessed the relations between cognitive readiness and parenting stress and behavior to indeed find adolescents to be less cognitively prepared experiencing more stress in the parenting role and less adaptive in their parenting style than adult mothers. Relations between cognitive readiness and parenting stress and maternal interactional style were found. Additional analyses controlling for multiple demographic factors suggested that demographic variables played a role in explaining age-related differences in cognitive readiness as well as the relations between the readiness to parent and parenting behavior. Cognitive readiness however had unique and differential explanatory power in predicting parenting stress.
Generically intended, but specifically interpreted: When beauticians, musicians, and mechanics are all men

The influence of stereotype and grammatical information (masculine intended as generic) on the representation of gender in language was investigated using a sentence evaluation paradigm. The first sentence introduced a role name (e.g., The spies came out …) and the second sentence contained explicit information about the gender of one or more of the characters (e.g., …one of the women …). The experiment was conducted in French, German, and English. In contrast to English, stereotypicality of role names had no influence on readers’ male biased representations in French and German, where interpretations were dominated by the masculinity of the masculine (allegedly) intended as generic.