Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Electrophysiological Evidence for Immature Processing Capacity and Filtering in Visuospatial Working Memory in Adolescents

The present study investigated the development of visuospatial working memory (VSWM) capacity and the efficiency of filtering in VSWM in adolescence. To this end, a group of IQ-matched adults and adolescents performed a VSWM change detection task with manipulations of WM-load and distraction, while performance and electrophysiological contralateral delay activity (CDA) were measured. The CDA is a lateralized ERP marker of the number of targets and distracters that are selectively encoded/maintained in WM from one hemifield of the memory display. Significantly lower VSWM-capacity (Cowan's K) was found in adolescents than adults, and adolescents' WM performance (in terms of accuracy and speed) also suffered more from the presence of distracters. Distracter-related CDA responses were partly indicative of higher distracter encoding/maintenance in WM in adolescents and were positively correlated with performance measures of distracter interference. This correlation suggests that the higher interference of distracters on WM performance in adolescents was caused by an inability to block distracters from processing and maintenance in WM. The lower visuospatial WM-capacity (K) in adolescents in the high load (3 items) condition was accompanied by a trend (p<.10) towards higher CDA amplitudes in adolescents than adults, whereas CDA amplitudes in the low load (1 item) condition were comparable between adolescents and adults. These findings point to immaturity of frontal-parietal WM-attention networks that support visuospatial WM processing in adolescence.
Invasion patterns during two-phase flow in deformable porous media

We study the formation of viscous fingering and fracturing patterns that occur when air at constant overpressure invades a circular Hele-Shaw cell containing a liquid-saturated deformable porous medium -- i.e. during the flow of two non-miscible fluids in a confined granular medium at high enough rate to deform it. The resulting patterns are characterized in terms of growth rate, average finger thickness as function of radius and time, and fractal properties. Based on experiments with various injection pressures, we identify and compare typical pattern characteristics when there is no deformation, compaction, and/or decompaction of the porous medium. This is achieved by preparing monolayers of glass beads in cells with various boundary conditions, ranging from a rigid disordered porous medium to a deformable granular medium with either a semi-permeable or a free outer boundary. We show that the patterns formed have characteristic features depending on the boundary conditions. For example, the average finger thickness is found to be constant with radius in the non-deformable system, while in the deformable ones there is a larger initial thickness decreasing to the non-deformable value. Then, depending on whether the outer boundary is semi-permeable or free there is a further decrease or increase in the average finger thickness. When estimated from the flow patterns, the box-counting fractal dimensions are not found to change significantly with boundary conditions, but by using a method to locally estimate fractal dimensions, we see a transition in behavior with radius for patterns in deformable systems; In the deformable system with a free boundary, it seems to be a transition in universality class as the local fractal dimensions decrease towards the outer rim, where fingers are opening up like fractures in a paste.
Quantification of water balance using a lysimeter in Mexico

Under conditions of high pressure on water resources, it is essential to quantify the water balance. There are tools to perform the water balance, but unfortunately, they are expensive and hardly accessible in developing countries. The objective of this study was to quantify the water balance using a low-cost lysimeter (LCL). Rainfall was measured using rain gauge. Soil water content (SWC) and infiltration were measured in the LCL, which was out in the open. The site of study was a place in La Malinche volcano (Mexico). Evaporation was calculated using the water balance equation. In order to evaluate the LCL efficiency, measurements were registered for two years (2015-2016). The distribution of the rainfall data was assessed using Kolmogorov-Smirnov test (K-S). The Mann-Whitney test (M-W) was used to compare rainfall, SWC and infiltration for the two years. HYDRUS-1D software was used to simulate soil water storage (SWS) in the LCL. The efficiency of HYDRUS-1D was evaluated with Nash-Sutcliffe test (N-S). The total annual rainfall was 992.1 mm for 2015 and 1025.1 mm for 2016. The K-S test showed that rainfall data had exponential distribution in both years. The M-W test evidenced that rainfall, SWC and infiltration were not significantly different (p>0.05) for the two years. Rainwater infiltration was 6.4% for 2015 and 5.9% for 2016. Most of the rainfall was evaporated, reaching percentages around 94%. N-S test showed that there was a good simulation of the LCL by HYDRUS-1D software. The water balance indicated that currently, La Malinche recharge area is insufficient to compensate the water consumption of Puebla and Tlaxcala. The use of low cost lysimeter would be of great help in expanding basin-scale water balance studies. Key words: La Malinche volcano, low-cost lysimeter, water balance, HYDRUS-1D.
Cerebellar pathology does not impair performance on identification or categorization tasks

In comparison to the basal ganglia, prefrontal cortex, and medial temporal lobes, the cerebellum has been absent from recent research on the neural substrates of categorization and identification, two prominent tasks in the learning and memory literature. To investigate the contribution of the cerebellum to these tasks, we tested patients with cerebellar pathology (seven with bilateral degeneration, six with unilateral lesions, and two with midline damage) on rule-based and information-integration categorization tasks and an identification task. In rule-based tasks, it is assumed that participants learn the categories through an explicit reasoning process. In information-integration tasks, optimal performance requires the integration of information from multiple stimulus dimensions, and participants are typically unaware of the decision strategy. The identification task, in contrast, required participants to learn arbitrary, color-word associations. The cerebellar patients performed similar to matched controls on all three tasks and performance did not vary with the extent of cerebellar pathology. Although the interpretation of these null results requires caution, these data contribute to the current debate on cerebellar contributions to cognition by providing boundary conditions on understanding the neural substrates of categorization and identification, and help define the functional domain of the cerebellum in learning and memory. (JINS, 2008, 14, 760–770.)
Garment Motion Capture Using Color‐Coded Patterns

We present a new image-based algorithm for surface reconstruction of moving garment from multiple calibrated video cameras. Using a color-coded cloth texture, we reliably match circular features between different camera views. As surface model we use an a priori known triangle mesh. By identifying the mesh vertices with texture elements we obtain a coherent parameterization of the surface over time without further processing. Missing data points resulting from self-shadowing are plausibly interpolated by minimizing a thin-plate functional. The deforming geometry can be used for different graphics applications, e.g. for realistic retexturing. We show results for real garments demonstrating the accuracy of the recovered flexible shape.
Desktop microforming and welding system powered by a flextensional Terfenol-D transducer

Magnetostrictive Terfenol-D was examined as a prime-mover for bulk motion in a microforming system. Careful design and analysis led to the creation of a Terfenol-D transducer capable of 3.8 kN of blocked force and 212 μm of displacement. A linear model of the Terfenol-D transducer to simulate its output as a function of displacement under saturation magnetic field was created that matched both force and displacement within 10%. Thermal drift occurred at a rate of 2 μm/oC. A flextensional lever system was designed to amplify the displacement of the Terfenol-D transducer to levels sufficient for microforming. Sub-micron displacement resolution was observed, with no perceivable effects from friction or backlash. The full system provided 365 N of blocked force and 1.6 mm of displacement. A linear model of the full system was also created that used the linear model of the transducer’s output which matched experimental results for displacement with a 2% error and force with an 11% error, which was found to be useful for selection of design parameters. In ultrasonic-assisted punching, a circular punch of 3.2 mm diameter that vibrates transversely at 9.6 kHz was used to punch samples of 1100-O at several punching speeds and vibration intensities. Higher speed punching tests showed up to a 30% reduction in punching force accompanied by an apparent elimination of adiabatic strain rate effects. Lower speed punching showed a smaller degree of softening, but an increased burnished-to-fractured area ratio.
Hypoxia is an inducer of vasodilator agents in peritoneal macrophages of cirrhotic patients

The aim of the investigation was to assess whether hypoxia induces the production of endogenous vasoactive peptides in macrophages of cirrhotic patients with ascites because low tissue oxygenation is a relatively frequent event in these patients. Peritoneal macrophages were isolated from ascites, seeded on well plates, and cultured at different times under hypoxic (5% O2) or normoxic conditions (21% O2). Then, accumulation of vasoactive peptides sensitive to hypoxia including endothelin‐1 (ET‐1), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and adrenomedullin (ADM) was measured. Only VEGF and ADM were constitutively secreted, and hypoxia further stimulated the release of these vasodilator peptides. In concordance, increased messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of VEGF and ADM were found at culturing macrophages in hypoxia. This characteristic response was not observed in circulating monocytes of either cirrhotic patients or healthy subjects. Next the expression of the transcription factor, hypoxia inducible factor 1 (HIF‐1), was analyzed. Expression of HIF‐1α and HIF‐1β messengers and HIF‐1β protein subunit remained unchanged regardless of O2 tension, whereas HIF‐1α protein subunit was overexpressed under hypoxic conditions. Moreover, conditioned medium from macrophages cultured under hypoxic conditions promoted a larger nitric oxide (NO) release in endothelial cells than that of normoxic macrophages. In conclusion, these data indicate that hypoxia induces the synthesis of VEGF and ADM in macrophages of cirrhotic patients, likely through HIF‐1–enhanced transcriptional activity. These data suggest that a local reduction in O2 tension could enhance the synthesis of macrophage‐derived vasodilators, thus aggravating the circulatory disturbance of these patients.
Lobular carcinoma in situ

The diagnosis of lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) provokes considerable anxiety in patients owing to misconceptions about this diagnosis. Initially LCIS was considered a premalignant lesion, but it is now a marker of increased risk. The number of women diagnosed with LCIS has increased in recent years most likely owing to more rigorous breast cancer screening. Implications of this diagnosis and management options are discussed in this review.
A decade of nutrition research in Africa: assessment of the evidence base and academic collaboration

Abstract Objective Malnutrition in Africa has not improved compared with other regions in the world. Investment in the build-up of a strong African research workforce is essential to provide contextual solutions to the nutritional problems of Africa. To orientate this process, we reviewed nutrition research carried out in Africa and published during the last decade. Design We assessed nutrition research from Africa published between 2000 and 2010 from MEDLINE and EMBASE and analysed the study design and type of intervention for studies indexed with major MeSH terms for vitamin A deficiency, protein–energy malnutrition, obesity, breast-feeding, nutritional status and food security. Affiliations of first authors were visualised as a network and power of affiliations was assessed using centrality metrics. Setting Africa. Subjects Africans, all age groups. Results Most research on the topics was conducted in Southern (36 %) and Western Africa (34 %). The intervention studies (9 %; n 95) mainly tested technological and curative approaches to the nutritional problems. Only for papers on protein–energy malnutrition and obesity did lead authorship from Africa exceed that from non-African affiliations. The 10 % most powerfully connected affiliations were situated mainly outside Africa for publications on vitamin A deficiency, breast-feeding, nutritional status and food security. Conclusions The development of the evidence base for nutrition research in Africa is focused on treatment and the potential for cross-African networks to publish nutrition research from Africa remains grossly underutilised. Efforts to build capacity for effective nutrition action in Africa will require forging a true academic partnership between African and non-African research institutions.
COMPARING ANNs AND GENETIC PROGRAMMING FOR VOICE QUALITY ASSESSMENT POST-TREATMENT

In the U.K., the rehabilitation of a patient's voice following treatment for cancer of the larynx is managed by Speech and Language Therapists (SALT), who listen to a patient's stylized speech and then use their experience and domain knowledge to make an assessment of the current quality of the patient's voice. This process is very subjective and time consuming, and could benefit from using AI techniques to provide objective, reproducible assessments of voice quality. A comparative study of voice quality assessment post-treatment using Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), the preferred AI technique in this application area, and Genetic Programming (GP) is described, using the same dataset, training, and verification procedures. The GP approach was found to give more accurate classifications of bad quality (immediately post-treatment) and good quality (recovered) voicings than the ANN, and in addition, gave indication of the most significant parameters in the input dataset.
Generalization in Threshold Networks , Combined DecisionTrees and Combined Mask

We derive an upper bound on the generalization error of classiiers from a certain class of threshold networks. The bound depends on the margin of the classiier and the average complexity of the hidden units (where the average is over the weights assigned to each hidden unit). By representing convex combinations of decision trees or mask perceptrons as such threshold networks we obtain similar bounds on the generalization error of these classiiers. These bounds have immediate application to combinations of decision trees or mask perceptrons by majority vote which appear in techniques such as boosting, bagging and arcing. For combined decision trees, previous bounds depend on either the complexity of the most complex decision tree in the combination or the average complexity of the individual decision trees, where the complexity of each decision tree depends on the maximum depth and total number of leaves. The bound in this paper depends on the average complexity of the individual decision trees, where the complexity of each decision tree depends on the average depth and eeective number of leaves, quantities which can be signiicantly less than the maximum depth and total number of leaves respectively.
Revenue Management with Forward-Looking Buyers

A seller wishes to sell multiple goods by a deadline, for example, the end of a season. Potential buyers enter over time and can strategically time their purchases. Each period, the profit-maximizing mechanism awards units to the buyers with the highest valuations exceeding a sequence of cutoffs. We show that these cutoffs are deterministic, depending only on the inventory and time remaining; in the continuous-time limit, the optimal mechanism can be implemented by posting anonymous prices. When incoming demand decreases over time, the optimal cutoffs satisfy a one-period-look-ahead property and prices are defined by an intuitive differential equation.
AIDS Awareness: An Iranian Case Study at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad

The present study aimed to assess Iranian university students’ awareness about AIDS and their perspective on HIV-positive patients. The study also took into account the relationship between the university students’ attitudes toward AIDS patient and their sensitivity towards AIDS. The required data for this survey study was obtained through the use of a questionnaire. The target population for the research consisted of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad university students during the 2014/2015 academic year. The questionnaire was distributed among the students and the analysis was done using Cochran’s formula and stratified random sampling. Sample size consisted of 230 male and female students. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS (Version 21) software. Research findings indicated that there was a positive correlation between the students’ awareness level and their perspective towards HIV-positive patients. In other words, with the increase of awareness about AIDS, students could gradually formulate a more positive perspective towards AIDS patients. The results also showed a negative correlation between students’ awareness level and their sensitivity to this issue. This means that students became less sensitive to AIDS as a taboo while becoming more knowledgeable regarding AIDS. Furthermore, the achieved findings demonstrated a significant relationship between the mean of awareness level in two variables of gender and academic degree. Finally, the mean of the students’ level of awareness about AIDS, their perspective about AIDS patients, and their sensitivity were respectively evaluated as high, high, and moderate.
Estimating average shock pressures recorded by impactite samples based on universal stage investigations of planar deformation features in quartz—Sources of error and recommendations

Planar deformation features (PDFs) in quartz are the most widely used indicator of shock metamorphism in terrestrial rocks. They can also be used for estimating average shock pressures that quartz‐bearing rocks have been subjected to. Here we report on a number of observations and problems that we have encountered when performing universal stage measurements and crystallographically indexing of PDF orientations in quartz. These include a comparison between manual and automated methods of indexing PDFs, an evaluation of the new stereographic projection template, and observations regarding the PDF statistics related to the c‐axis position and rhombohedral plane symmetry. We further discuss the implications that our findings have for shock barometry studies. Our study shows that the currently used stereographic projection template for indexing PDFs in quartz might induce an overestimation of rhombohedral planes with low Miller–Bravais indices. We suggest, based on a comparison of different shock barometry methods, that a unified method of assigning shock pressures to samples based on PDFs in quartz is necessary to allow comparison of data sets. This method needs to take into account not only the average number of PDF sets/grain but also the number of high Miller–Bravais index planes, both of which are important factors according to our study. Finally, we present a suggestion for such a method (which is valid for nonporous quartz‐bearing rock types), which consists of assigning quartz grains into types (A–E) based on the PDF orientation pattern, and then calculation of a mean shock pressure for each sample.
An improved algorithm for reconstruction of the surface of the human body from 3D scanner data using local B-spline patches

There are an increasing number of applications that require the construction of computerised human body models. The work presented here is a follow-up on a previously presented surface reconstruction algorithm that has been greatly improved by following a local approach. The advantages of the method are presented along with explanation of why its results are better compared to the previous algorithm. The result is a compound, multi-segment, and yet entirely smooth and watertight surface. Such a surface has a strong potential of being used for applications of a mainly medical nature, such as calculation of surface area and physical surface reconstruction for prosthetics manufacturing.
Evidence for the penetration of the vitelline membrane of the hen's ovum by a trypsin-like acrosomal enzyme.

In the process of fertilization, most mammalian spermatozoa must penetrate through a series of egg investments before reaching the vitelline membrane. By contrast, cock spermatozoa have only to penetrate the vitelline membrane of the hen's ovum. The composition of the vitelline membrane of the hen's ovum at the time of ovulation has been described by Bellairs, Harkness & Harkness (1963) as a single layer of connective tissue-like protein. Sperm penetration of the investments surrounding mammalian ova is aided by hydrolytic enzymes contained within the sperm acrosome. One of these enzymes is a trypsin-like enzyme (TLE) or protease which has been demonstrated by Stambaugh & Buckley (1969) to be active in the dissolution of the
CHARACTERISTIC DEPENDENCE OF UMBRAL DOTS ON THEIR MAGNETIC STRUCTURE

Umbral dots (UDs) were observed in a stable sunspot in NOAA 10944 by the Hinode Solar Optical Telescope on 2007 March 1. The observation program consisted of blue continuum images and spectropolarimetric profiles of Fe i 630 nm line. An automatic detection algorithm for UDs was applied to the 2 hr continuous blue continuum images, and using the obtained data, the lifetime, size, and proper motion of UDs were calculated. The magnetic structure of the sunspot was derived through the inversion of the spectropolarimetric profiles. We calculated the correlations between UD's parameters (size, lifetime, occurrence rate, proper motion) and magnetic fields (field strength, inclination, azimuth), and obtained the following results. (1) Both the lifetime and size of UDs are almost constant regardless of the magnetic field strength at their emergence site. (2) The speed of UDs increases as the field inclination angle at their emergence site gets larger. (3) The direction of movement of UDs is nearly parallel to the direction of the horizontal component of magnetic field in the region with strongly inclined field, while UDs in the region with weakly inclined field show virtually no proper motion. Our results describe the basic properties of magnetoconvection in sunspots. We will discuss our results in comparison to recent magnetohydrodynamic simulations by Schüssler & Vögler and Rempel et al.