Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Here’s Looking at You, Bud

This research investigated the role of individual differences for the control of attention in the early stages of self-regulation. Theories on the development of addiction posit that repeated substance use alters memory structures referring to the substance through classical conditioning processes, leading to the attention-grabbing properties of the substance. The authors predicted that such memory structures influence attentional processes toward the substance, but only in individuals with low executive control. One executive function that is closely related to attention control is working memory capacity. Using eye-tracking methodology, the authors found individual differences in an alcohol single category implicit association test to predict indicators of attention allocation such as initial orienting and attention maintenance for social drinkers low but not high in working memory capacity. This effect primarily resulted from the controlled attention component as opposed to the short-term memory component of working memory capacity. Implications and directions for further research are discussed.
Chapter 2 Approaches to Robust H ∞ Controller Synthesis of Nonlinear Discrete-time-delay Systems via Takagi-Sugeno Fuzzy Models

This chapter investigates the problem of robust H∞ piecewise statefeedback control for a class of nonlinear discrete-time-delay systems via TakagiSugeno (T-S) fuzzy models. The state delay is assumed to be time-varying and of an interval-like type with the lower and upper bounds. The parameter uncertainties are assumed to have a structured linear-fractional form. Based on two novel piecewise Lyapunov-Krasovskii functionals and some matrix inequality convexifying techniques, both delay-independent and delay-dependent controller design approaches are developed in terms of a set of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Numerical examples are also provided to illustrate the effectiveness and less conservatism of the proposed methods.
A Comparative Study of the Germination Characteristics of Seeds from a Moist Tall Grassland Community

To account for observed patterns of emergence in the warm temperate grasslands of Japan the seed germination of several dozen species was tested following various types of thermal pre-treatment. An enormous variety of responses was observed among the species, especially in the capacity for immediate germination and the responses to moist storage with chilling. The extent of chilling requirement for the breakage of primary dormancy was largely correlated with the timing of seed dispersal, spring-summer dispersers tending to have a larger chilling requirement. On the other hand, the seedling emergence phenology of the species was closely related to the temperature dependency of the germination of non-dormant seeds. Key-words: Germination, phenology, seedling emergence, seed dispersal, thermal responses
The adoption of women and gender as development assistance priorities: An event history analysis of world polity effects

Growing similarity of development assistance policy and reference to emerging global consensus on development issues has been a striking trend in the foreign aid community in recent years. This article uses event history techniques to undertake an exploratory analysis and test world polity effects on the spread of gender and development policies and institutional structures among 22 aid donors of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Development Assistance Committee from 1968 through 2003. Findings point to the influence of other donors, international civil society, international treaties and conferences as strong determinants of the homogenization of development assistance policy and the adoption of gender policies by donor organizations.
Hyalinizing trabecular tumor of the thyroid: a clinicopathological analysis of four cases and review of the literature.

OBJECTIVE To explore the clinicopathological features, diagnosis and differential diagnosis of hyalinizing trabecular tumor (HTT) of the thyroid. METHODS The four HTT specimens were collected including demographics, clinical information, relevant images, the extent of thyroidectomy, the follow-up and representative pathological data of tumors were available for analysis. In addition, the immumohistochemical staining related to the tumor as well as the BRAF and N-ras mutation analysis were analysed. RESULTS The mean age of four patients was 47 years old and the mean size of the tumor was 2.8 cm. Most of the patients were asymptomatic, while detecting incidentally by using neck ultrasound test. Ultrasound imaging of all cases showed demarcated substantial hypoechoic nodules in ipsilateral thyroid lobe. Computed Tomography (CT) showed a clear low density shadow in the affected thyroid lobe. Tumors of three cases were located at the left, but the other one was located at the right thyroid gland with a complete fibrous capsule. The cytological features resembled papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). The histological test indicated that the tumors had characteristic of trabecular growth pattern with hyalinizing material. The tumor cells were in shape of polygonal, oval or high columnar with an acidophilic or clear cytoplasm. The nuclei were oval with inconspicuous small nucleoli, prominent grooves and pseudoinclusion body in cell nucleus. Mitosis and psammoma bodies were rare to be observed. Cytoplasmic "yellow bodies" were frequently observed. The hyaline material was prominent, with positive periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) and negative Congo red staining. Immunohistochemically, tumor cells were positive for thyroglobulin (Tg), thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1), CD56 and negative for calcitonin, cytokeratin 19 (CK19), HBME-1, S-100 and synaptophysin (SyN). Chromogranin A (CgA) and galectin-3 were expressed weakly in some cases. Staining with the MIB-1 antibody showed membranous/cytoplasmic immunoreactivity. Whereas, another clone of Ki-67 (SP6) showed a common nuclear pattern with an index of <1%. None of the four cases exhibited the BRAF V600E protein reactivity. Gene mutation analysis demonstrated no BRAF and N-ras mutation. There was no evidence of local recurrence or metastasis after 6 to 36 months of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS HTT is an uncommon thyroid tumor with very low malignant potential. It has no particular clinical features, so it's often misdiagnosed in fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC)/Ultrasonography-guided fine needle aspiration cytology (US-FNAC) and frozen section (FS). Its final diagnosis mainly relies on typical histopathological features and characteristic expression pattern of MIB-1 immunohistochemical staining.
Partial Nitration/anammox process in the moving bed biofilm reactor operated at low temperatures

Bacteria capable of anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) enable autotrophic nitrogen removal. Organic carbon in wastewater can instead be utilized for energy production. However, anammox-based processes are not yet used at any extent for treatment of the main stream at wastewater treatment plants. One of the reasons for this is the challenge for the slow growing autotrophic bacteria to work at low temperatures. Here we investigate one-stage nitritation-anammox at temperatures of 13-16°C in a pilot moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) receiving reject water from anaerobic sludge digestion. At a target nitrogen loading rate of 1 g NH4+-N m-2 d-1 the average nitrogen removal rate was 0.81 g NH4+-N m-2 d-1 and 0.55 g NH4+-N m-2 d-1 at 16°C and 13°C respectively. At low temperatures oxygen control is important to avoid oxygen penetration to the deeper parts of the biofilm, which causes inhibition of the anammox bacteria and as a result nitrite accumulation. Hence, the process was operated at conditions to limit the activity of the aerobic ammonium oxidizing bacteria (AOB) by oxygen availability. The biofilm biomass was dominated by anammox bacteria, with 1.0 × 1014 copies m-2 (16S rRNA), with considerably fewer AOB of 2.1 × 1012 copies m-2 (amoA), as measured by quantitative PCR. Cell specific conversion rates of anammox bacteria and AOB were estimated at 0.3-0.5 fmol N cell-1 d-1 and 7-9 fmol N cell-1 d-1, respectively. The study shows the applicability of one-stage nitritation-anammox in MBBRs at low temperatures and highlights the importance of quantification of AOB and anammox bacteria for understanding process performance.
Sympathetic Nervous System and Hypertension

Aim: The review emphasizes on the sympathetic and parasympathetic abnormalities in essential hypertension, the possible mechanisms underlying these abnormalities, and their importance in the development and progression of the structural and functional cardiovascular (CV) damage that characterizes hypertension. Background: Apart from being a hemodynamic phenomenon, primary hypertension is a vicious syndrome involving abnormal adiposity, overactivation of the adrenergic system, metabolic abnormalities, and activation of the immune system. Physiological studies have established the key role played by the autonomic nervous system in modulating CV functions and in controlling arterial pressure values. Many factors contribute to increased sympathetic nerve activity in metabolic abnormalities including obesity, impaired baroreflex sensitivity, hyperinsulinemia, and elevated adipokine levels. Review results: Experimental and clinical investigations clearly indicate that the origin, progression, and outcome of hypertension are related to dysfunction of the autonomic CV system, especially to abnormal activation of the adrenergic division. The activation of the sympathetic nervous system is essential in energy homeostasis and can exert intense metabolic effects. Accumulating data from a number of studies suggest that central sympathetic overactivity plays a crucial role in the causative factors and complications of several metabolic conditions that can cluster to form the metabolic syndrome. Conclusion: This review provides an evidence of attenuation of autonomic CV control in essential hypertension and that sympathetic overdrive is a major component of this autonomic dysregulation. Arterial pressure control requires complex integration of regulatory mechanisms across multiple physiological systems. A continuous increase in blood pressure therefore, reflects a failure of one or more of these controls. Clinical significance: The findings discussed herein provide a rationale for pursuing sympathetic deactivation by nonpharmacological as well as pharmacological interventions aimed at lowering elevated blood pressure values and protecting patients from hypertension-related complications.
ADAPTIVE AND ROBUST SYSTEMS Adaptive Observer-based Synchronization of the Nonlinear Nonpassifiable Systems 1

The general approach to synchronization of the dynamic systems on the bassis on the adaptive observer and the passification method was extended to the nonpassifiable nonlinear systems—in particular, to those whose model has the relative order higher than one. Two schemes of synchronization relying on the extended-error adaptive observers and the high-order tuning algorithms were proposed. Solution of the problem of synchronization relies on a new canonical form of the adaptive observer. The conditions for convergence of the parameter estimates to the true values in the case of no system noise were established, and also robustness of the adaptive synchronization to the bounded measurement error was proved. The feasibility of information transmission by modulation of the chaotic signal with the use of the proposed method was demonstrated by the example of the controllable Lorentz system. PACS number: 02.30. Yy DOI: 10.1134/S0005117907070077
Comparative study of Monascus sanguineus and Monascus purpureus for red pigment production under stress condition.

Monascus sp. is known for pigment production. Monascus sp. synthesized pigment has been used as food colorants for quite a long time. According to literature, many strains have been isolated from Monascus, which are internationally acknowledged and there are many studies on Monascus purpureus, Monascus anka or other species. In the present study, Monascus strain was isolated and identified as Monascus sanguineus on the molecular basis. This strain was then compared with a reference strain Monascus purpureus MTCC 410 for red pigment production under stress condition. Both strains were treated with different stress conditions viz. different concentration of glycerol, NaCl, peptone and also with the spores treated at different temperatures. Both strains had shown increased pigmentation under stressed condition. Maximum pigment yield was observed with 0.5M glycerol concentration for both strains (Monascus sanguineus 33.4 color value units (CVU)/ml, Monascus purpureus 36.7 CVU/ ml). For salt stress, both strains produced maximum pigment with 3% NaCl concentration. At 12% NaCl concentration, both the strains showed very slow growth and almost no pigment yield. When spores were treated with different temperatures, Monascus sanguineus produced maximum pigment with spores treated at 90 o C, whereas Monascus purpureus lost viability at
The halo shape and evolution of polar disc galaxies

We examine the properties and evolution of a simulated polar disc galaxy. This galaxy is composed of two orthogonal discs, one of which contains old stars (old stellar disc) and the other both younger stars and cold gas (polar disc). By exploring the shape of the inner region of the dark matter halo, we are able to confirm that the halo shape is an oblate ellipsoid flattened in the direction of the polar disc. We also note that there is a twist in the shape profile, where the innermost 3 kpc of the halo flattens in the direction perpendicular to the old disc and then aligns with the polar disc out until the virial radius. This result is then compared to the halo shape inferred from the circular velocities of the two discs. We also use the temporal information of the simulation to track the system's evolution and identify the processes which give rise to this unusual galaxy type. We confirm the proposal that the polar disc galaxy is the result of the last major merger, where the angular moment of the interaction is orthogonal to the angle of the infalling gas. This merger is followed by the resumption of coherent gas infall. We emphasize that the disc is rapidly restored after the major merger and that after this event the galaxy begins to tilt. A significant proportion of the infalling gas comes from filaments. This infalling gas from the filament gives the gas its angular momentum, and, in the case of the polar disc galaxy, the direction of the gas filament does not change before or after the last major merger.
Can a learner-centered syllabus change students’ perceptions of student–professor rapport and master teacher behaviors?

There have been few studies assessing students’ use and perception of traditional teacher-centered syllabi versus learner-centered syllabi. Therefore, we compared students’ perceptions of both teacher-centered and learner-centered syllabi using an experimental design. In the present study, 90 students were randomly assigned to either learneror teacher-centered syllabi; they rated the faculty authors using well-validated measures of teaching behaviors. Student perceptions of faculty using a learner-centered syllabus were markedly more positive; they rated faculty as more creative, caring, happy, receptive, reliable, and enthusiastic as well as having more student engagement in their class than faculty using a teacher-centered syllabus. Implications for student engagement and learning are discussed.
A vertical-mode decomposition to investigate low-frequency internal motion across the Atlantic at 26° N

Abstract. Hydrographic data from full-depth moorings maintained by the Rapid/\-MOCHA project and spanning the Atlantic at 26° N are decomposed into vertical modes in order to give a dynamical framework for interpreting the observed fluctuations. Vertical modes at each mooring are fit to pressure perturbations using a Gauss-Markov inversion. Away from boundaries, the vertical structure is almost entirely described by the first baroclinic mode, as confirmed by high correlation between the original signal and reconstructions using only the first baroclinic mode. These first baroclinic motions are also highly coherent with altimetric sea surface height (SSH). Within a Rossby radius (45 km) of the western and eastern boundaries, however, the decomposition contains significant variance at higher modes, and there is a corresponding decrease in the agreement between SSH and either the original signal or the first baroclinic mode reconstruction. Compared to the full transport signal, transport fluctuations described by the first baroclinic mode represent
Bacterial symbionts and mineral deposits in the branchial chamber of the hydrothermal vent shrimp Rimicaris exoculata: relationship to moult cycle

The shrimp Rimicaris exoculata is considered a primary consumer that dominates the fauna of most Mid-Atlantic Ridge hydrothermal ecosystems. The shrimps harbour in their gill chamber an important ectosymbiotic community of chemoautotrophic bacteria associated with iron oxide deposits. The settlement and development of this ectosymbiosis was investigated using micro- scopy techniques (light microscopy, LM; and scanning, transmission and environmental scanning electron microscopy: SEM and ESEM, respectively) for shrimps from 2 different vent fields (Rainbow, 36° 14.0' N and TAG, 26° 08.0' N). The results revealed a bacterial re-colonisation after each exuvia- tion and a development of the bacterial community in 5 steps in relation to the moult stages, which were used as a reference time scale. In 287 shrimps from both vent fields, pre-ecdysial stages pre- vailed in the population, suggesting a short anecdysis and high moulting rate, probably to renew the ectosymbiosis. Comparisons with moult cycles of littoral shrimps suggest that the interval between successive exuviations in R. exoculata may be as short as 10 d. The colours of R. exoculata result from accumulation of iron oxide, which forms a bacteria-associated mineral crust in the gill chambers. The close correspondence between moult stages, the development of the ectosymbiont community and shrimp colours indicate that colour could be used to rapidly determine shrimp moult stages.
Analysis and Design of Derivative Free Filters against Derivative Based Filter on the Simulated Model of a Three Phase Induction Motor

Recursive state estimation methods have aroused substantial attraction among many researchers and in particular, the drives research fraternity has shown increased interest in recent years. State estimators that surrogate direct measurements play an integral part in the operation of modern a.c. drives. Their robustness and accuracy are very much decisive for the performance of the drive. In this paper, a comparative analysis of the three nonlinear filtering schemes to estimate the states of a three phase induction motor on the simulated model is presented. The efficacy of Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) against the traditional Jacobian based Filter or Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) and almost forbidden, hitherto least-attempted Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF) is very much exemplified. Theoretical aspects and comparative simulation results are investigated comprehensively with respect to three different scenarios viz., step changes in load torque, speed reversal, and low speed operation. Also, “Monte Carlo Simulation” runs have been exploited very extensively to show the superior practical usefulness of EnKF, by which the minimum mean square error (MMSE), which is often used as the performance index, ostensibly gets mitigated very radically by the proposed approach. The results throw light on alleviating the intrinsic intricacies encountered in EKF in parlance with the observer theory.
Intraguild interactions in aphid parasitoids

We reviewed the literature on aphid parasitoids to determine the occurrence, nature and outcome of intraguild interactions. Intraguild interactions were described for larval, pupal and adult aphid parasitoids and by the type of natural enemy (fungus, predator, or parasitoid). They appear to be prevalent in most aphid parasitoid systems and, except for parasitoid‐parasitoid interactions, they are mostly asymmetric, with aphidophagous predators and pathogens killing parasitoids. The limited experimental evidence from field studies is insufficient to provide a comprehensive pattern of the consequences of intraguild interactions for aphid parasitoid populations in general and, more specifically, for the efficacy of biological control. However, because intraguild interactions are widespread in aphid‐natural enemy communities and mostly detrimental to aphid parasitoids, we conclude that intraguild interactions have a primary effect in driving fluctuations in aphid parasitoid populations. Drawing on case studies, we further argue that intraguild interactions can substantially alter the effectiveness of aphid parasitoids as biological‐control agents.
Optimization of red pigment production by Monascus purpureus MTCC369 under solid-state fermentation using response surface methodology

Monascus pigments are used as a traditional food colorant in orient China, are produced by solid-state fermentation of non-glutinous rice using Monascus purpureus MTCC 369. Five nutrient parameters screened using Plackett-Burman experimental design were optimized by central composite design (central rotatory) of response surface methodology for Monascus red pigment production under solid-state fermentation. Maximum red pigment production of 12 mg was predicted per gram of rice based solid medium containing 20g pre-soaked rice and 40 ml distilled water containing dextrose 74.59 g/l, peptone 5.54 g/l, NH4Cl 6.57 g/l, MnSO4.H2O 0.58 g/l and malt extract 14.46 g/l using response surface plots and point prediction tool of Design Expert 7.1:3 (Stat-Ease Inc., USA).
Propranolol and breast cancer—a work in progress

The non-selective beta-blocker propranolol is a leading candidate for repurposing as a novel anti-cancer agent. Emerging evidence, including human data, suggests that there are multiple mechanisms of action particularly relevant to breast cancer. This editorial reviews a number of recent studies that show it has anti-metastatic activity that warrants clinical investigation, including investigation as a potential perioperative therapy in breast cancer.
Pygmy Rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis) Habitat Selection: Does Sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) Age Influence Selection?

Abstract. The pygmy rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis) is a sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) obligate that depends on sagebrush habitats for food and cover throughout its life cycle. Invasive species, frequent fires, overgrazing, conversion of land to agriculture, energy development, and many other factors have contributed to recent declines in both quantity and quality of sagebrush habitats required by pygmy rabbits. Given declining availability of sagebrush, there is a need to identify characteristics of suitable pygmy rabbit habitat. Although habitat selection information exists from several western states, data is limited for pygmy rabbits in Utah at the extent of their range. We sampled 77 different habitat variables at occupied (n = 72) and unoccupied (n = 61) sites in Utah. We then used random forests to determine which variables best discriminated between occupied and unoccupied sites. We predicted that sites occupied by pygmy rabbits would have greater percentages of sagebrush, greater amounts of cover, and greater mean sagebrush age compared to unoccupied sites. Occupied sites had greater horizontal obscurity (measure of cover), occurred at higher elevations, had greater percent understory composed of sagebrush and other shrubs, and lower percent sagebrush decadence than unoccupied sites. Contrary to our predictions, sagebrush age at occupied sites was not an important variable and mean age did not differ by site type. We suggest managers use this information to help identify suitable pygmy rabbit habitats to further conservation of this imperiled lagomorph.