Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sensitivity of preference to reinforcement amount depends upon the method used to manipulate amount

Four pigeons were trained on concurrent variable-interval 30-s schedules. Relative reinforcer amounts arranged across the two alternatives was varied. During Experiment 1, sessions consisted of a mixed concurrent schedule with different ratios of reinforcer amounts arranged for the two alternatives across components. Sessions consisted of 5 components that differed only with respect to the relative reinforcer amounts arranged for each alternative. Reinforcer amount was manipulated by presenting an arranged number of brief (1.2-s) hopper presentations. The amounts presented ranged from one to five presentations and the ratios used were 1/5, 2/4, 3/3, 4/2, and 5/1 (L/R). The order of ratios within each session was randomly determined, and there were no exteroceptive stimuli signaling the particular ratio in effect. After 60 sessions of training, responding for all subjects remained insensitive to reinforcer amount ratios. During Experiment 2, relative reinforcer was held constant within and across sessions until responding became stable, at which point, the absolute amounts arranged for each alternative were switched. The ratios used were 1/7 and 7/1 hopper presentations. After six sessions in each condition, all subjects showed an appreciable shift in preference toward the alternative providing the larger amount, and asymptotic sensitivity was comparable to previous reports using a similar procedure. During Experiment 3, sessions were identical to those used during Experiment 2, except that the amount ratio (either 1/7 or 7/1) presented during each session changed from session to session according to a pseudorandom binary sequence (cf., Hunter & Davison, 1985). After 30 sessions, response ratios within each session for all subjects began to shift in the direction of the amount ratio in effect for that session (i.e., subjects’ responding showed a moderate increase in sensitivity to reinforcer amount). Characteristics of responding under this procedure were quite similar to responding procedures under which reinforcer rate and delay were manipulated in much the same fashion. The procedure used in Experiment 3 may serve as a method for studying the effects of certain environmental manipulations (e.g., drug administration) on sensitivity to reinforcer amount.
Simulated In-Home Teletreatment for Anomia

This pilot study explored the feasibility of in-home teletreatment for patients with post-stroke anomia. Three participants over 65 years of age suffering from post-stroke anomia were treated in this pre/post-intervention case study. They received 12 speech therapy teletreatments (two sessions/week for 6 weeks) aimed at improving confrontation naming skills. Half of the failed items from a set of 120 preselected stimuli were trained during treatment (Block A-trained stimuli) while the other half served as controls (Block B-untrained stimuli). Variables measured were: 1) efficacy of treatment (performance on Block-A vs. Block B Stimuli), and 2) participants’ satisfaction with teletreatment (using a French adaptation of the Telemedicine satisfaction questionnaire). All participants showed a clinically relevant improvement on confrontation naming of trained items and less improvement for untrained items. The researchers also obtained high satisfaction scores on the questionnaire (above 57/60). This pilot study supports the feasibility of speech therapy teletreatments applied to neurological language disorders.
Do Grandmaternal Smoking Patterns Influence the Etiology of Childhood Asthma?

Background: Animal data suggest that tobacco smoke exposure of a mother when she is in utero influences DNA methylation patterns in her offspring and that there is an effect on the respiratory system, particularly airway responsiveness. The only study, to our knowledge, in humans suggests that there is a similar effect on asthma. The present study tests whether an association with respiratory problems can be confirmed in a large population study and aims to determine whether in utero exposure of the father has similar effects on his offspring. Methods: Information from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children was used to compare the offspring of women and of men who had themselves been exposed to cigarette smoke in utero; separate analyses were performed for children of women smokers and nonsmokers. The outcome measures were trajectories of history of early wheezing, doctor-diagnosed asthma by age 7 years, and results of lung function and methacholine challenge tests at 8 years. A variety of social and environmental factors were taken into account; offspring sexes were examined separately. Results: There was no association with any outcome in relation to maternal prenatal exposure. There was some evidence of an increase in asthma risk with paternal prenatal exposure when the study mother was a nonsmoker (adjusted OR, 1.17; 95% CI, 0.97-1.41). This was particularly strong for girls (adjusted OR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.04-1.86). Conclusions: We did not find that maternal prenatal exposure to her mother’s smoking had any effect on her children’s respiratory outcomes. There was suggestive evidence of paternal prenatal exposure being associated with asthma and persistent wheezing in the granddaughters.
Formation and Loss of Hierarchical Structure in Two-dimensional Magnetohydrodynamic Simulations of Wave-driven Turbulence in Interstellar Clouds

Two-dimensional compressible magnetohydrodynamical (MHD) simulations run for ~20 crossing times on a 800 × 640 grid with two stable thermal states show persistent hierarchical density structures and Kolmogorov turbulent motions in the interaction zone between incoming nonlinear Alfvén waves. These structures and motions are similar to what is commonly observed in weakly self-gravitating interstellar clouds, suggesting that these clouds get their fractal structures from nonlinear magnetic waves generated in the intercloud medium; no internal source of turbulent energy is necessary. The clumps in the simulated clouds are slightly warmer than the interclump medium as a result of magnetic dissipational and compressive heating when the clumps form. Thus, the interclump medium has a lower pressure than the clumps, demonstrating that the clumps owe their existence entirely to transient compressive motions, not pressure confinement by the interclump medium. Clump lifetimes increase with size and are about one sound crossing time. Two experiments with this model illustrate a possible trigger for star formation during spontaneous cloud evolution driven by self-gravity and increased self-shielding. A first test is of the hypothesis that a low ionization fraction and enhanced magnetic diffusion lead to the disappearance of clumps smaller than an Alfvén wavelength. Two identical models are run that differ only in the magnetic diffusion rate. The results show a significant decrease in the magnetic wave amplitude as the diffusion rate increases, in agreement with expectations for wave damping, but there is virtually no change in the density structure or amplitude of the density fluctuations as a result of this increased diffusion. This is because all of the density fluctuations are essentially sonic in nature, driven by the noise from Alfvén wave motions outside and at the surface of the cloud. These sonic disturbances travel throughout the cloud parallel to the mean field orientation and are not affected by the local magnetic wave dissipation rate. This result implies that low ionization fractions in molecular clouds do not necessarily lead to increased cloud smoothing. The second experiment tests the hypothesis that enhanced density alone in a self-gravitating cloud leads to wave self-shielding and loss of incident turbulent energy. Three models with identical conditions except for the presence or lack of an imposed plane-parallel gravitational field confirm that externally generated magnetic waves tend to be excluded from the densest regions of self-gravitating clouds, and as a result these clouds show a significant loss of density substructure. This loss of turbulent energy and density substructure may trigger star formation in the relatively quiescent gas pools that contain a thermal Jeans mass or more. Such a model fits well with the hypothesis that the stellar initial mass function comes from the structure of turbulent hierarchical clouds.
How Does Reward Expectation Influence Cognition in the Human Brain?

The prospect of reward changes how we think and behave. We investigated how this occurs in the brain using a novel continuous performance task in which fluctuating reward expectations biased cognitive processes between competing spatial and verbal tasks. Critically, effects of reward expectancy could be distinguished from induced changes in task-related networks. Behavioral data confirm specific bias toward a reward-relevant modality. Increased reward expectation improves reaction time and accuracy in the relevant dimension while reducing sensitivity to modulations of stimuli characteristics in the irrelevant dimension. Analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging data shows that the proximity to reward over successive trials is associated with increased activity of the medial frontal cortex regardless of the modality. However, there are modality-specific changes in brain activity in the lateral frontal, parietal, and temporal cortex. Analysis of effective connectivity suggests that reward expectancy enhances coupling in both early visual pathways and within the prefrontal cortex. These distributed changes in task-related cortical networks arise from subjects' representations of future events and likelihood of reward.
Supernova Remnants in the Magellanic Clouds. IV. X-Ray Emission from the Largest Supernova Remnant in the Large Magellanic Cloud

We present the first X-ray detection of SNR 0450-70.9, the largest known supernova remnant (SNR) in the Large Magellanic Cloud. To study the physical conditions of this SNR, we have obtained XMM-Newton X-ray observations, optical images and high-dispersion spectra, and radio continuum maps. Optical images of SNR 0450-70.9 show a large, irregular elliptical shell with bright filaments along the eastern and western rims and within the shell interior. The interior filaments have higher [S II]/Hα ratios and form an apparent inner shell morphology. The X-ray emission region is smaller than the full extent of the optical shell, with the brightest X-ray emission found within the small interior shell and on the western rim of the large shell. The expansion velocity of the small shell is ~220 km s-1, while that of the large shell is ~120 km s-1. The radio image shows central brightening and a fairly flat radio spectral index over the SNR. However, no point X-ray or radio source corresponding to a pulsar is detected, and the X-ray emission is predominantly thermal. Therefore, these phenomena can be most reasonably explained in terms of the advanced age of the large SNR. Using hydrodynamic models combined with a nonequilibrium ionization model for thermal X-ray emission, we derived a lower limit on the SNR age of ~45,000 yr, well into the later stages of SNR evolution. Despite this, the temperature and density derived from spectral fits to the X-ray emission indicate that the remnant is still overpressured and thus that the development is largely driven by hot gas in the SNR interior.
Atherogenic lipoproteins support assembly of the prothrombinase complex and thrombin generation: modulation by oxidation and vitamin E.

The importance of lipoproteins in the etiology of atherosclerosis is well established. Evidence is now accumulating to implicate thrombin in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. We have investigated whether atherogenic lipoproteins can support thrombin generation. In the absence of platelets or endothelial cells, both very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) and oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) support assembly of the prothrombinase complex and generation of thrombin. Thrombin generation (per microgram of apolipoprotein) supported by VLDL was 19.4-fold greater than that supported by high-density lipoprotein (HDL), P < . 00001, and 11.7-fold greater than that supported by LDL, P < . 00001. Oxidation of LDL increased lipoprotein-supported thrombin generation 12-fold compared to unmodified LDL, P < . 0001. We have shown that the phenomenon of lipoprotein-supported thrombin generation is mediated predominantly by specific phospholipids and is enhanced by oxidation of these phospholipids. The addition of vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) markedly reduced the increase in thrombin generation observed after oxidation of LDL (822 +/- 57 v 138 +/- 47 nmol/L; P < .0001). These effects suggest that lipoproteins are important in the production of thrombin and that vitamin E may confer protection from the detrimental effects of lipoprotein oxidation by limiting thrombin formation. These results suggest that atherogenic lipoproteins are linked to the development of atherosclerosis in part by their capacity to support thrombin generation.
Food for thought. Dietary change was a driving force in human evolution.

We walk on two legs, carry around enormous brains and have colonized every corner of the globe. Anthropologists and biologists have long sought to understand how our lineage came to differ so profoundly from the primate norm in these ways, and over the years all manner of hypotheses aimed at explaining each of these oddities have been put forth. But a growing body of evidence indicates that these miscellaneous quirks of humanity in fact have a common thread: they are largely the result of natural selection acting to maximize dietary quality and foraging efficiency. Changes in food availability over time, it seems, strongly influenced our hominid ancestors. Thus, in an evolutionary sense, we are very much what we ate.
Mid‐Infrared Sky Brightness Site Testing at the South Pole

During the austral summer of 1996, the mid‐infrared imaging polarimeter NIMPOL was operated at the Amundsen‐Scott South Pole Station, to obtain quantitative measurements of the 10 and 20 μm sky brightness and stability. These observations were conducted as part of the Joint Australian Centre for Astrophysical Research in Antarctica (JACARA) site testing program on the Antarctic Plateau. The results of this site testing program are presented. The observations show that the mid‐infrared sky brightness at the South Pole Station is much less than comparison sky brightness observations made at the Canberra base of the instrument. This reduction in sky brightness is attributed largely to the low emissivity of the atmosphere (because of its dryness and lack of aerosols), and the effect of the reduced atmospheric temperature (there is an expected decrease by a factor of 2.5 from the temperature difference between the two sites alone). The measured 11 μm sky emissivity at the South Pole is also lower than previous measurements of the sky emissivity at Mauna Kea Observatory in Hawaii. The sky brightness was also found to be more stable than at the warmer, mid‐latitude site (Canberra), and it is expected that “stare” mode operation of the instrument for astronomical observations would be quite feasible under these conditions. Measurements were also made during a period of “ice haze,” and the suspended ice crystals were observed to increase the sky background by 16% compared with clear weather and to add low‐frequency brightness variations. However, this variability could be removed by slow (2 Hz) chopping, allowing high‐sensitivity observing to continue through the “ice haze. ”
Modeling the effects of treating diabetic wounds with engineered skin substitutes

In this paper, a novel mathematical model of wound healing in both normal and diabetic cases is presented, focusing upon the effects of adding two currently available commercial engineered skin substitute therapies to the wound (Apligraf™ and Dermagraft™). Our work extends a previously developed model, which considers inflammatory and repair macrophage dynamics in normal and diabetic wound healing. Here, we extend the model to include equations for platelet‐derived growth factor concentration, fibroblast density, collagen density, and hyaluronan concentration. This enables us to examine the variation of these components in both normal and diabetic wound healing cases, and to model the treatment protocols of these therapies. Within the context of our model, we find that the key component to successful healing in diabetic wounds is hyaluronan and that the therapies work by increasing the amount of hyaluronan available in the wound environment. The time‐to‐healing results correlate with those observed in clinical trials and the model goes some way to establishing an understanding of why diabetic wounds do not heal, and how these treatments affect the diabetic wound environment to promote wound closure.
Blind low-complexity estimation of reverberation time

Real-time blind reverberation time estimation is of interest in speech enhancement techniques such as e.g. dereverberation and microphone beamforming. Advances in this field have been made where the diffusive reverberation tail is modeled and the decay rate is estimated using a maximum-likelihood approach. Various methods for reducing the computational complexity have also been presented. This paper proposes a method for even further computational complexity reduction, by more than 60% in some cases, and it is shown through simulations that the results of the proposed method are very similar to that of the original.
Edinburgh Research Explorer Evolution of CD8(+) T Cell Responses after Acute PARV4 Infection

PARV4 is a small DNA human virus that is strongly associated with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HIV infections. The immuno-logic control of acute PARV4 infection has not been previously described. We deﬁne the acute onset of PARV4 infection and the characteristics of the acute-phase and memory immune responses to PARV4 in a group of HCV- and HIV-negative, active intravenous drug users. Ninety-eight individuals at risk of blood-borne infections were tested for PARV4 IgG. Gamma interferon en-zyme-linked immunosorbent spot assays, intracellular cytokine staining, and a tetrameric HLA-A2–peptide complex were used to deﬁne the T cell populations responding to PARV4 peptides in those individuals who acquired infection during the study. Thirty-ﬁve individuals were found to be PARV4 seropositive at the end of the study, eight of whose baseline samples were found to be seronegative. Persistent and functional T cell responses were detected in the acute infection phase. These responses had an active, mature, and cytotoxic phenotype and were maintained several years after infection. Thus, PARV4 infection is common in individuals exposed to blood-borne infections, independent of their HCV or HIV status. Since PARV4 elicits strong, broad, and persistent T cell responses, understanding of the processes responsible may prove useful for future vaccine design.
Force-Generating Capacity and Contractile Protein Content of Arterial Smooth Muscle

After correction for extracellular space (40%) determined from electron micrographs, the maximum isometric force developed by strips prepared from the media of the hog carotid artery (2.2 x 106 dyn/cm2) can be extrapolated to give a value of 3.7 x 106 dyn/cm2 for the smooth muscle component of the strip. Three independent estimates of the myosin content of the smooth muscle cells were made based on (a) exhaustive extraction and purification with estimates of preparative losses, (b) the myosin catalyzed ATPase activity of media homogenates, and (c) quantitative densitometry of the peaks containing myosin, actin, and tropomyosin after disk electrophoresis of sodium dodecyl sulfate-treated media homogenates. The results were consistent and gave a myosin content of 5–10 mg/g media, or 8–17 mg/g cell. Method (c) gave myosin:actin:tropomyosin weight ratios of 1:3.2:0.8. Although measured force developed by the smooth muscle cell exceeds that of mammalian striated muscle, the myosin content in smooth muscle is about five times lower. The actin content of smooth muscle is relatively high. The actin and myosin contents are consistent with thick and thin filament ratios observed in electron micrographs of vascular smooth muscle.
Out-of-Band Covert Channels—A Survey

A novel class of covert channel, out-of-band covert channels, is presented by extending Simmons’ prisoners’ problem. This new class of covert channel is established by surveying the existing covert channel, device-pairing, and side-channel research. Terminology as well as a taxonomy for out-of-band covert channels is also given. Additionally, a more comprehensive adversarial model based on a knowledgeable passive adversary and a capable active adversary is proposed in place of the current adversarial model, which relies on an oblivious passive adversary. Last, general protection mechanisms are presented, and an argument for a general measure of “covertness” to effectively compare covert channels is given.
Credit Growth in Central and Eastern Europe: New (Over)Shooting Stars?

This paper analyzes the equilibrium level of private credit to GDP in 11 Central and Eastern European countries in order to see whether the high credit growth recently observed in some of these countries led to above equilibrium private credit-to-GDP levels. We use estimation results obtained for a panel of small open OECD economies (out-of-sample panel) to derive the equilibrium credit level for a panel of transition economies (in-sample panel). We opt for this (out-of-sample) approach because the coefficient estimates for transition economies are fairly unstable. We show that there is a large amount of uncertainty to determine the equilibrium level of private credit. Yet our results indicate that a number of countries are very close or even above the estimated equilibrium levels, whereas others are still well below the equilibrium level. JEL Classification: C31, C33, E44, G21
Self-regulation, heuristics and compliance : a deeper insight in the underlying process of sequential request techniques

Is self-regulation a limited resource and can depleting this resource prompt a greater willingness to comply with a request, by relying on heuristics? Across two lab experiments, we examined this process, guided by a recent two-stage model which tends to give an explanation for the underlying process. In study 1, participants who had to answer cognitively demanding questions of a foot-in-the-door script, had less regulatory resources left and showed a greater willingness to comply with a target request. In experiment 2, more evidence was found for the two-stage model by replicating the results of experiment 1. Finally, participants in study 2 were motivated to use all of their regulatory resources on subsequent tasks. This induced motivation moderated the effect of depletion on the presented target requests, resulting in a greater willingness to comply.