Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A study of selective attention in young autistic subjects

Pertinence level of the information in the unattended channel is supposed to play an important role in the process of selective attention in normal subjects (Norman, 1968). The developmental disorder of autism has been found to affect different measures of attention, but the attributes of the information to be ignored have not been investigated. This study examines the effect of information pertinence in the distracting auditory channel on primary task performance in young autistic subjects as compared to normal controls. A dichotic listening procedure and a bimodal selective attention task were implemented. It was found that, although the autistic group performed as fast as control groups, it made more errors on the dichotic listening task even when matched on receptive language abilities. Post-hoc comparisons showed that the autism group had increased error rates with all verbal distractors. All groups were slowest and made the most errors when the irrelevant channel presentation was the participants’ name or a negatively, emotionally charged word. The first one or two presentations of these stimuli seemed to attract the most attention. It was concluded that even though children with autism appear to orient to the same types of stimuli as control groups, they are at a disadvantage when processing verbal stimuli in general.
Retired A Stars and Their Companions: Exoplanets Orbiting Three Intermediate-Mass Subgiants

We report precision Doppler measurements of three intermediate-mass subgiants obtained at Lick and Keck Observatories. All three stars show variability in their radial velocities consistent with planet-mass companions in Keplerian orbits. We find a planet with a minimum mass MP sin i = 2.5 MJ in a 351.5 day orbit around HD 192699, a planet with a minimum mass of 2.0 MJ in a 341.1 day orbit around HD 210702, and a planet with a minimum mass of 0.61 MJ in a 297.3 day orbit around HD 175541. Mass estimates from stellar interior models indicate that all three stars were formerly A-type, main-sequence dwarfs with masses ranging from 1.65 to 1.85 M☉. These three long-period planets would not have been detectable during their stars' main-sequence phases due to the large rotational velocities and stellar jitter exhibited by early-type dwarfs. There are now nine "retired" (evolved) A-type stars (M* > 1.6 M☉) with known planets. All nine planets orbit at distances a ≥ 0.78 AU, which is significantly different from the semimajor axis distribution of planets around lower mass stars.
User Preference for Product Information in Remote Purchase Environments

While the appeal of shopping online is enormous, successful methods of attracting and keeping customers remain elusive. Product offerings, service, and price are important considerations in online shopping, and a useful and satisfying Web site is also a consideration for on-line success. This research investigates product presentation in remote purchase environments and whether to accommodate user preferences for information processing in that presentation. After simulating an on-line shopping experience, users were asked about their satisfaction with it. Results indicate that regardless of the individual information processing style, the sentential style Web site was preferred over the diagrammatic style of product presentation. However, a combination site including both pictures and text was preferred over the others. These results address a conflict between goals of fast download time and thorough product presentation. Pictures may represent confirmation of the verbal description and provides a holistic view of the product, which slightly increases satisfaction.
Kant’s model for building the true church: transcending “might makes right” and “should makes good” through the Idea of a non-coercive theocracy

Kant’s Religion postulates the idea of an ethical community as a necessary requirement for humanity to become good. Few interpreters acknowledge Kant’s claims that realizing this idea requires building a “church” characterized by unity, integrity, freedom, and unchangeability, and that this new form of community is a non-coercive version of theocracy. Traditional (e.g., Jewish) theocracy replaces the political state of nature (“might makes right”) with an ethical state of nature (“should makes good”); non-coercive theocracy transcends this distinction, uniting humanity in a common vision of a divine legislator whose legislation is inward: the law of love binds church members together like families.
Plant traits, environmental factors, and pollinator visitation in winter-flowering Helleborus foetidus (Ranunculaceae).

BACKGROUND AND AIMS This study examined the effect of plant traits and environmental factors on pollinator visitation in the winter-flowering Helleborus foetidus (Ranunculaceae) in three distant regions in the Iberian Peninsula. METHODS Geographical variation in floral visitor assemblage, plant traits and environmental factors were analysed during the flowering season. KEY RESULTS Differences were found in all plant traits measured (number of open flowers, flower size, number of stamens per flower, and number of nectaries) both within and among regions, and differences among regions in all the environmental factors considered (air temperature, exposure to sunlight, canopy cover, and distance to the nearest neighbour). Differences were also found among regions in the probability that plants would be visited by pollinators. CONCLUSIONS The results show that, although floral display (i.e. number of open flowers on a plant on a given day) consistently explained among-plant differences in visitation rate in all regions, visitation rate was not significantly affected by any other biological or environmental variable. In Helleborus foetidus, then, 'how' the plant is would seem to be more important than 'where' is it.
The Expression of the Zonula Adhaerens Protein PLEKHA7 Is Strongly Decreased in High Grade Ductal and Lobular Breast Carcinomas

PLEKHA7 is a junctional protein, which participates in a complex that stabilizes E-cadherin at the zonula adhaerens. Since E-cadherin is involved in epithelial morphogenesis, signaling, and tumor progression, we explored PLEKHA7 expression in cancer. PLEKHA7 expression was assessed in invasive ductal and lobular carcinomas of the breast by immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence and quantitative RT-PCR. PLEKHA7 was detected at epithelial junctions of normal mammary ducts and lobules, and of tubular and micropapillary structures within G1 and G2 ductal carcinomas. At these junctions, the localization of PLEKHA7 was along the circumferential belt (zonula adhaerens), and only partially overlapping with that of E-cadherin, p120ctn and ZO-1, as shown previously in rodent tissues. PLEKHA7 immunolabeling was strongly decreased in G3 ductal carcinomas and undetectable in lobular carcinomas. PLEKHA7 mRNA was detected in both ductal and lobular carcinomas, with no observed correlation between mRNA levels and tumor type or grade. In summary, PLEKHA7 is a junctional marker of epithelial cells within tubular structures both in normal breast tissue and ductal carcinomas, and since PLEKHA7 protein but not mRNA expression is strongly decreased or lost in high grade ductal carcinomas and in lobular carcinomas, loss of PLEKHA7 is a newly characterized feature of these carcinomas.
Endoplasmic reticulum stress in spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy: a potential target for therapy

Spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy is a degenerative motor neuron disease caused by CAG repeat expansion in the androgen receptor gene. Montague et al. reveal an early increase in endoplasmic reticulum stress in a mouse model, and suggest that this pathway may be a therapeutic target for polyglutamine diseases.
δ-Opioid Receptor Activation Rescues the Functional TrkB Receptor and Protects the Brain from Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in the Rat

Objectives δ-opioid receptor (DOR) activation reduced brain ischemic infarction and attenuated neurological deficits, while DOR inhibition aggravated the ischemic damage. The underlying mechanisms are, however, not well understood yet. In this work, we asked if DOR activation protects the brain against ischemic injury through a brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) -TrkB pathway. Methods We exposed adult male Sprague-Dawley rats to focal cerebral ischemia, which was induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). DOR agonist TAN-67 (60 nmol), antagonist Naltrindole (100 nmol) or artificial cerebral spinal fluid was injected into the lateral cerebroventricle 30 min before MCAO. Besides the detection of ischemic injury, the expression of BDNF, full-length and truncated TrkB, total CREB, p-CREB, p-ATF and CD11b was detected by Western blot and fluorescence immunostaining. Results DOR activation with TAN-67 significantly reduced the ischemic volume and largely reversed the decrease in full-length TrkB protein expression in the ischemic cortex and striatum without any appreciable change in cerebral blood flow, while the DOR antagonist Naltrindole aggregated the ischemic injury. However, the level of BDNF remained unchanged in the cortex, striatum and hippocampus at 24 hours after MCAO and did not change in response to DOR activation or inhibition. MCAO decreased both total CREB and pCREB in the striatum, but not in the cortex, while DOR inhibition promoted a further decrease in total and phosphorylated CREB in the striatum and decreased pATF-1 expression in the cortex. In addition, MCAO increased C11b expression in the cortex, striatum and hippocampus, and DOR activation specifically attenuated the ischemic increase in the cortex but not in the striatum and hippocampus. Conclusions DOR activation rescues TrkB signaling by reversing ischemia/reperfusion induced decrease in the full-length TrkB receptor and reduces brain injury in ischemia/reperfusion
Aerosol properties over the western Mediterranean basin: temporal and spatial variability

Abstract. This study focuses on the analysis of Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) aerosol data obtained over Alboran Island (35.90° N, 3.03° W, 15 m a.s.l.) in the western Mediterranean from July 2011 to January 2012. Additional aerosol data from the three nearest AERONET stations (Malaga, Oujda and Palma de Mallorca) and the Maritime Aerosol Network (MAN) were also analyzed in order to investigate the temporal and spatial variations of aerosol over this scarcely explored region. High aerosol loads over Alboran were mainly associated with desert dust transport from North Africa and occasional advection of anthropogenic fine particles from central European urban-industrial areas. The fine particle load observed over Alboran was surprisingly similar to that obtained over the other three nearest AERONET stations, suggesting homogeneous spatial distribution of fine particle loads over the four studied sites in spite of the large differences in local sources. The results from MAN acquired over the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and Atlantic Ocean from July to November 2011 revealed a pronounced predominance of fine particles during the cruise period.
Capacidade funcional e morbidades referidas: uma análise comparativa em idosos

Objetivo: avaliar a influencia das morbidades cronicas na capacidade funcional em idosos residentes no municipio de Herval d´Oeste, Santa Catarina, Brasil. Metodos: Estudo analitico e transversal com amostra de 272 idosos adscritos nas Estrategias Saude da Familia do municipio de Herval d´Oeste, SC. Foram utilizados como instrumentos um questionario sociodemografico, a Escala de Atividades Basicas de Vida Diaria de Katz e a Escala de Atividades Instrumentais de Vida Diaria (AIVD) de Lawton. As variaveis sociodemograficas foram calculadas em frequencias e porcentagens. As associacoes foram analisadas por meio do teste qui-quadrado. Resultados: Foram encontradas associacoes estatisticas significativas para dependencia somente nas avaliacoes de AIVD. Observou-se que a hipertensao arterial sistemica e a diabetes mellitus nao influenciam na dependencia dos idosos. Ja nos idosos que referiram ter patologias do sistema gastrointestinal houve um numero maior de idosos classificados como dependentes. O numero de morbidades nao influenciou na dependencia dos idosos nas AIVD, no entanto, aqueles com mais de tres morbidades associadas apresentaram menor diferenca percentual entre dependentes e independentes. Conclusao: Nao ha relacao entre o numero de morbidades e a capacidade funcional e instrumental dos idosos. Contudo, as patologias do sistema gastrointestinal demonstraram ter influencia na dependencia dos idosos de Herval d´Oeste, SC.
MOLECULAR GAS STREAMERS FEEDING AND OBSCURING THE ACTIVE NUCLEUS OF NGC 1068

We report the first direct observations of neutral, molecular gas streaming in the nucleus of NGC 1068 on scales of <30 pc using SINFONI near-infrared integral field spectroscopy. At a resolution of 0. ″075, the flux map of 2.12 μm 1–0 S(1) molecular hydrogen emission around the nucleus in the central arcsec reveals two prominent linear structures leading to the active galactic nucleus from the north and south. The kinematics of the gas in these features are dominated by noncircular motions and indicate that material streams toward the nucleus on highly elliptical or parabolic trajectories, whose orientations are compatible with that of the disk plane of the galaxy. We interpret the data as evidence for fueling of gas to the central region. The radial transport rate from ∼30 pc to a few parsecs from the nucleus is ∼15 M☉ yr−1. One of the infalling clouds lies directly in front of the central engine. We interpret it as a tidally disrupted streamer that forms the optically thick outer part of an amorphous clumpy molecular/dusty structure which contributes to the nuclear obscuration.
3D trajectories for action recognition

Recent development in affordable depth sensors opens new possibilities in action recognition problem. Depth information improves skeleton detection, therefore many authors focused on analyzing pose for action recognition. But still skeleton detection is not robust and fail in more challenging scenarios, where sensor is placed outside of optimal working range and serious occlusions occur. In this paper we investigate state-of-the-art methods designed for RGB videos, which have proved their performance. Then we extend current state-of-the-art algorithms to benefit from depth information without need of skeleton detection. In this paper we propose two novel video descriptors. First combines motion and 3D information. Second improves performance on actions with low movement rate. We validate our approach on challenging MSR Daily Activty 3D dataset.
Relations Between Fathers’ Power, Prestige, Acceptance and Involvement and Psychological Adjustment among Croatian Adolescents

The aim of this research was to examine the impact of fathers’ power, prestige, acceptance and involvement on adolescent psychological adjustment. The research was carried out in Zagreb, Croatia among 572 high school students (318 boys and 254 girls). The age of respondents was between 14 and 19 years (mean = 16.18, sd=1.174). Adolescents completed Rohner’s Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire (Mother and Father version), Child Personality Assessment Questionnaire, Father Involvement Scale, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, Parent's Evaluation of Child’s Conduct, Substance Use Questionnaire, two items assessing the relative power and prestige of fathers versus mothers, and Personal Information Form (Youth and Adult). Data were analysed for adolescent boys and girls separately. In families where fathers were perceived by their children to have the highest power and prestige (versus families where fathers have lesser power and prestige relative to mothers) both adolescent girls and boys tend to perceive fathers to be significantly more loving and accepting, and more involved. The status of fathers power and prestige within the family significantly affects perceptions of maternal acceptance among adolescent girls but not boys. In families where fathers were perceived by their daughters to have the highest power and prestige, mothers were perceived by their daughters as more rejecting. Adolescent girls from families where fathers were perceived to have the highest power and prestige self-report significantly worse psychosocial adjustment – more hostility and aggression, more emotional instability, more negative world-view, and more depressive symptoms. Adolescent boys self-report less negative world-view.
PULSAR BINARY BIRTHRATES WITH SPIN-OPENING ANGLE CORRELATIONS

One ingredient in an empirical birthrate estimate for pulsar binaries is the fraction of sky subtended by the pulsar beam: the pulsar beaming fraction. This fraction depends on both the pulsar's opening angle and the misalignment angle between its spin and magnetic axes. The current estimates for pulsar binary birthrates are based on an average value of beaming fractions for only two pulsars, i.e., PSRs B1913+16 and B1534+12. In this paper, we revisit the observed pulsar binaries to examine the sensitivity of birthrate predictions to different assumptions regarding opening angle and alignment. Based on empirical estimates for the relative likelihood of different beam half-opening angles and misalignment angles between the pulsar rotation and magnetic axes, we calculate an effective beaming correction factor, fb,eff, whose reciprocal is equivalent to the average fraction of all randomly selected pulsars that point toward us. For those pulsars without any direct beam geometry constraints, we find that fb,eff is likely to be smaller than 6, a canonically adopted value when calculating birthrates of Galactic pulsar binaries. We calculate fb,eff for PSRs J0737−3039A and J1141−6545, applying the currently available constraints for their beam geometry. As in previous estimates of the posterior probability density function P() for pulsar binary birthrates , PSRs J0737−3039A and J1141−6545 still significantly contribute to, if not dominate, the Galactic birthrate of tight pulsar–neutron star (NS) and pulsar–white dwarf (WD) binaries, respectively. Our median posterior present-day birthrate predictions for tight PSR–NS binaries, wide PSR–NS binaries, and tight PSR–WD binaries given a preferred pulsar population model and beaming geometry are 89 Myr−1, 0.5 Myr−1, and 34 Myr−1, respectively. For long-lived PSR–NS binaries, these estimates include a weak (×1.6) correction for slowly decaying star formation in the galactic disk. For pulsars with spin period between 10 ms and 100 ms, where few measurements of misalignment and opening angle provide a sound basis for extrapolation, we marginalized our posterior birthrate distribution P() over a range of plausible beaming correction factors. We explore several alternative beaming geometry distributions, demonstrating that our predictions are robust except in (untestable) scenarios with many highly aligned recycled pulsars. Finally, in addition to exploring alternative beam geometries, we also briefly summarize how uncertainties in each pulsar binary's lifetime and in the pulsar luminosity distribution can be propagated into P(.
The impact of parents’ education and attending vocational high school to college entrance

Using IFLS data 2007 and 2014, this study aims to examine the impact of parents’ education and attending vocational high school to the probability of children attending tertiary education. This study is motivated by the government plan in increasing the proportion of vocational high school graduates compare to general high school graduates. Multinomial-Logit model is used to examine the senior high school types, Logit and Probit are used to examine the decision on pursuing tertiary education. The main conclusions are (1) parents’ education has significant impact on the children’s senior high school preference and college enrollment, (2) children who attended vocational senior high school have a lower probability to enrol in tertiary education compared to those who attended general senior high school or MA
The Dynamics of Sustainable IS Alignment: The Case for IS Adaptivity

Our research addresses one of the most vexing issues in IS, that of how IS alignment occurs. Even more vexing, and largely unaddressed, is the issue of sustainable IS alignment. We address sustainable IS alignment as a dynamic, multi-faceted, and non-deterministic process based on the complexity theory worldview. The complexity theory worldview conceives of organizations and IS as complex adaptive systems (CAS) that co-evolve over time. Sustainable IS alignment results when an organization's complex adaptive IS adapt to remain in alignment with the constantly-changing (that is, evolving) organization's goals. Our co-evolutionary theory of IS alignment links bottom-up, emergent processes that foster adaptivity with top-down, formal organizational processes essential to established organizations. We illustrate the theory by applying it to the co-evolution and therefore adaptation of enterprise architectures and IS development projects. Our research on the role of co-evolution in sustainable IS alignment contributes to IS research in general and to prior research on IS alignment in particular, and has implications for achieving sustainable IS alignment. We believe that portraying organizations and their IS as complex adaptive systems that co-evolve provides both research and practice with a way to move forward in their endeavors to realize the potential benefits from using IS to enable businesses.
Secular rule of law erodes believers' political intolerance of atheists

Atheists are distrusted in societies with religious majorities. However, relatively little is known about the underlying reasons for this phenomenon. Previous evidence suggests that distrust of atheists is in part the result of believers thinking that being under supernatural surveillance by a watchful God underlies moral behavior. However, secular rule of law, including institutions such as police, judges, and courts, are also potent sources of prosocial behavior in some parts of the world. The presence of such secular authority therefore could replace religion's prosocial role and erode believers' rejection of atheists. In two complementary cross-national analyses, we found support for this hypothesis: believers from countries with a strong secular rule of law showed markedly reduced political intolerance of atheists compared to believers from countries with a weak secular rule of law. This relationship remained strong after controlling for individual demographic characteristics and several country-level socio-economic predictors of atheist distrust, such as human development, individualism, religious involvement, and distrust of people in general.
A Case of ‘You Can Always Get What You Want’? Committee Assignments in the European Parliament

Committees are central to the operation of the European Parliament (EP), providing fora for the detailed consideration of legislative proposals. This article provides the first systematic assessment of how far and why Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are successful in obtaining places on the committees to which they most want to be assigned. In doing so, we employ a new dataset of MEPs’ committee preferences, information which has never before been systematically collected. Adapted forms of three theories of legislative organisation (distributive, informational and partisan) provide a framework for the analysis. The results indicate a high degree of success for MEPs in achieving the committee assignments they want, within the restrictions of proportional representation of party groups on committees. We find strong support for the informational approach to legislative organisation when examining variations in success rates. Nevertheless, there is also some evidence that partisan concerns influence the assignment process. This, in combination with the role of party coordinators in the EP, means that party groups and national parties in the EP attempt to limit the agency losses that might result from a high degree of self-selection in committee assignments.