Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Voluntary Selection of Task Sets Revealed by Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

In everyday life, we have to selectively adapt our behavior to different situations and tasks. In cognitive psychology, such adaptive behavior can be investigated with the task-switching paradigm. However, in contrast to everyday life, in experiments participants are unequivocally told which task to perform. The present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study was set out to investigate processes that are relevant when participants can decide by their own which task to perform. The number of tasks to choose from was varied between a forced condition (no choice) and two voluntary selection conditions (two or three choices). We expected to find prolonged reaction times as well as higher activations within the midcingulate cortex for the choice conditions compared to the no-choice condition. The fMRI results revealed a significant activation difference for the choice conditions versus the no-choice condition. For the choice contrast, activation was found in the rostral cingulate zone (RCZ) as well as the superior parietal lobule and the posterior part of the intraparietal sulcus. These activations revealed no selection-specific difference between three and two choices. Finally, a post hoc analysis showed that the activation in the RCZ is not associated with higher task-dependent response conflict when participants can select a task set. Taken together, these findings indicate that distinct brain areas are involved in the voluntary selection of abstract task set information.
Neuronal activation and corticotropin‐releasing hormone expression in the brain of obese (fa/fa) and lean (fa/?) Zucker rats in response to refeeding

The present study was conducted to investigate the pattern of neuronal activation and corticotropin‐releasing hormone (CRH) expression in fed, food deprived and refed lean (Fa/? ) and obese (fa/fa) Zucker rats. The pattern of neuronal activation was studied by measuring the expression of the immediate‐early gene c‐fos. Expression of c‐fos and CRH mRNA was determined by in situ hybridization histochemistry. In both lean and obese rats, one hour of refeeding led to a transient increase in c‐fos mRNA levels which was detected in the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVH), the dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus, the supraoptic nucleus, the paraventricular thalamic nucleus, the central nucleus of amygdala (CeA), the lateral and medial parabrachial nuclei, the nucleus of the solitary tract, and the area postrema. In addition, refeeding led to strong activation of the arginine‐vasopressin neurons located in the magnocellular part of the PVH. Following 24 h of food deprivation, CRH expression in the parvocellular division of the PVH was significantly higher in obese rats compared to lean animals. During refeeding, PVH CRH mRNA levels in obese rats decreased to reach control values. The decrease in CRH expression in obese rats was accompanied by the alleviation of the hypercorticosteronemia that characterized obese Zucker rats. CRH mRNA levels in the central nucleus of the amygdala were significantly higher in lean rats than in obese animals, when the rats were fed ad libitum During food deprivation, CeA CRH mRNA levels decreased in lean rats and gradually returned to predeprivation values during refeeding. In refed obese rats, CeA levels of CRH mRNA were higher than those of ad libitum fed or food‐deprived obese mutants. In the perifornical region of the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA), the expression of CRH mRNA rose significantly in response to refeeding in lean rats, but not in obese animals. Following the first hour of refeeding, the number of neurons expressing CRH mRNA in the LHA in lean rats almost doubled. The present results demonstrate that refeeding has a stimulating effect in obese Zucker rats in a pattern of activation similar to that seen in lean Fa/? rats. They also demonstrate differences in CRH expression between Fa/? and fa/fa rats after refeeding. The most apparent of these differences was seen in the lateral hypothalamus in which refeeding failed to up‐regulate CRH expression in obese rats.
Statistical Profiling of the Unemployed

Abstract Labour market policy in Canada has undergone profound reforms over the past several decades. Successive federal and provincial governments have sought to “activate” the unemployed through measures such as Employment Insurance (EI) retrenchment and employment service models that stress individual responsibility for the problem of unemployment. This paper analyzes a little known attempt by federal officials to implement statistical profiling of the unemployed in employment service delivery during the mid-1990s. Known as the Service Outcome Measurement System (SOMS) and intended for use by frontline employment counsellors, the technology computed personal data about unemployed service users to predict the employment outcomes of different service options.
Contribution of Oceanic Gabbros to Sea-Floor Spreading Magnetic Anomalies

The contribution of oceanic gabbros, representative rocks for layer 3 of the oceanic crust, to sea-floor spreading magnetic anomalies has been controversial because of the large variation in magnetic properties. Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 118 contains a continuous 500.7-meter section of oceanic gabbro that allows the relations between magnetization and petrologic characteristics, such as the degree of metamorphism and the magmatic evolution, to be clarified. The data suggest that oceanic gabbros, together with the effects of metamorphism and of magmatic evolution, account for a significant part of the marine magnetic anomalies.
A Microsized Microbial Solar Cell: A demonstration of photosynthetic bacterial electrogenic capabilities.

This article focuses on a microsized microbial solar cell (MSC) that can produce sustainable energy through photosynthetic reactions of cyanobacteria Synechocystis PCC 6803 in the anode. The MSC has 57-μL anode/cathode chambers defined by laser-machined poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) substrates. We obtained a maximum power density of 7.09 nW/cm2, which is 170 times more power than previously reported microelectromechanical system (MEMS) MSCs. The importance of the light intensity was demonstrated by the higher values of generated current during the day than at night, indicating light-dependent photosynthetic processes. Considering that sunlight offers an unlimited source of energy, the development of self-sustainable MSCs that rely on light as an energy source will become an increasingly important area of research in the future. In accordance with the MSC, we developed a photosynthetic cathode-based microbial fuel cell (MFC), showing that the use of cyanobacteria can be useful as well as efficient and sustainable catalysts for the cathode since they act as oxygenators.
Effect of planting methods, source and level of nitrogen on, the growth and yield of rice (Oryza sativa) and on succeeding wheat (Triticum aestivum)

A field experiment was conducted during the rainy (kharif) and winter (rabr) seasons of 1996 97 and 1997 98 to study the effect of source and level of nitrogen on growth and yield of rice (Oryza sativa L.) under different planting methods and its residual effect on wheat (Triticum aestivum L. emend. Fiori Paol.). Transplanting methods proved best for maximum grain yield (45.35 qlha), recording significantly higher yield than broadcasting and direct seeding methods. Urea supergranule (USG) exhibited its superiority by recording significantly higher value of all the yield contributing characters, nitrogen uptake and consistently resulted in significantly higher grain yield than prilled urea (PU), the increase being 12.0 and 10.2% during 1996 and 1997 respectively. The increased level of N improved the yiel% nd yield attributes. Maximum values of yield attributes and the grain yield wer recorded with the highest level of nitrogen (1 20 kglha). The grain yield increased with 120 kg N was 29.7 and 23.7% over the 60 kg Nlha in 1996 and 1997 respectively.
Permanent Culture of Macrophages at Physiological Oxygen Attenuates the Antioxidant and Immunomodulatory Properties of Dimethyl Fumarate

We hypothesized that O2 tension influences the redox state and the immunomodulatory responses of inflammatory cells to dimethyl fumarate (DMF), an activator of the nuclear factor Nrf2 that controls antioxidant genes expression. This concept was investigated in macrophages permanently cultured at either physiological (5% O2) or atmospheric (20% O2) oxygen levels and then treated with DMF or challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce inflammation. RAW 264.7 macrophages cultured at 20% O2 exhibited a pro‐oxidant phenotype, reflected by a lower content of reduced glutathione, higher oxidized glutathione and increased production of reactive oxygen species when compared to macrophages continuously grown at 5% O2. At 20% O2, DMF induced a stronger antioxidant response compared to 5% O2 as evidenced by a higher expression of heme oxygenase‐1, NAD(P)H:quinone oxydoreductase‐1 and superoxide dismutase‐2. After challenge of macrophages with LPS, several pro‐inflammatory (iNOS, TNF‐α, MMP‐2, MMP‐9), anti‐inflammatory (arginase‐1, IL‐10) and pro‐angiogenic (VEGF‐A) mediators were evaluated in the presence or absence of DMF. All markers, with few interesting exceptions, were significantly reduced at 5% O2. This study brings new insights on the effects of O2 in the cellular adaptation to oxidative and inflammatory stimuli and highlights the importance of characterizing the effects of chemicals and drugs at physiologically relevant O2 tension. Our results demonstrate that the common practice of culturing cells at atmospheric O2 drives the endogenous cellular environment towards an oxidative stress phenotype, affecting inflammation and the expression of antioxidant pathways by exogenous modulators. J. Cell. Physiol. 230: 1128–1138, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company
Rapid-high, syncytium-inducing isolates of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 induce cytopathicity in the human thymus of the SCID-hu mouse

Clinical deterioration in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) disease is associated with an increased viral burden in the peripheral blood and a loss of circulating CD4+ T cells. HIV-1 isolates obtained prior to this stage of disease often have a "slow-low," non-syncytium-inducing (NSI) phenotype, whereas those obtained afterwards are often characterized as "rapid-high" and syncytium inducing (SI). Paired NSI and SI isolates from two different patients were inoculated into the human thymus implants of SCID-hu mice. The two slow-low, NSI isolates replicated to minimal levels in the grafts and did not induce thymocyte depletion. In contrast, the two SI isolates from the same patients showed high levels of viral replication and induced a marked degree of thymocyte depletion, accompanied by evidence of programmed cell death. These observations reveal a correlation between the replicative and cytopathic patterns of HIV-1 isolates in vitro and in the SCID-hu mouse in vivo and provide direct evidence that the biological phenotype of HIV-1 switch may be a causal and not a derivative correlate of HIV-1 disease progression.
The Organization of Global Service MNEs

Since the seminal work of Chandler (1962), the notion of a linkage between strategy and structure has become widely accepted that is, if an organization is to implement its strategy most effectively, it needs the appropriate structure and support systems. At the same time, it needs the flexibility to exploit strategic options that arise from environmental changes. However, at least in the short run, a firm cannot easily change its organizational structure, and this may be a major impediment to its ability to change its strategy. In an increasingly globally integrated world, firms attempting to become major players in their industry need to cope with and exploit environmental changes and adjust their organizational structure to create what Bartlett and Ghoshal ( 1 989) termed "transnational" organizations. In other words, firms need to be able simultaneously to achieve local responsiveness, global efficiency, and the creation of knowledge (learning). Chandler based his conclusions on a study of four of the largest corporations in the United States General Motors, Dupont, Standard Oil, and Sears Roebuck of which only Sears Roebuck was a service organization. Indeed, much of the literature on both the strategy of multinational firms and organizational structure has emanated from studies of large and powerful manufacturing firms, notwithstanding the ever-increasing importance of large multinational firms in service industries. While some of these service industries have more in common with MNEs producing goods, others are quite different. The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of globalization on the organizational structures and systems of service firms in general, and professional service firms in particular. The paper postulates certain relationships between key success factors in multinational professional service firms and the structure and systems of these firms. The resulting propositions help provide the basis for a contingency theory of organizational structure and systems. In the first section, some of the contributions to organization design theory and to organizational taxonomies are briefly surveyed. In the second section, some of the relevant theories on the organizational structure of multinational
Simulation of the measurement by scanning electron microscopy of edge and linewidth roughness parameters in nanostructures

Uncertainties in the sub-nanometer range, the use of new materials, roughness, and the three-dimensional structures represent main challenges for the metrology of critical dimensions in nanostructures. In this paper, realistic PMMA lines in the 40nm range are generated by full 3D process simulation and the corresponding secondary electron SEM image is obtained by Monte Carlo simulation. Line Edge and Line Width Roughness parameters are extracted from the simulated SEM image and compared with the parameters obtained from the true geometry.
Visual stimulations' critical period in infants with perinatal brain damage.

BACKGROUND Children with perinatal brain damage have a high prevalence of visual impairment. Stimulation of vision at a critical period can encourage brain plasticity and the recovery of impaired function. OBJECTIVE The aim of our study was to investigate when is the critical period for visual stimulation in children with perinatal brain damage. METHODS We compared 35 children within the first eight months of life (median age = 4 months) to 35 children aged between eight and thirty months (median age = 15 months), all with perinatal brain damage. All the children were attending an early intervention program at Mali dom, Zagreb, a rehabilitation centre for children with visual impairment. We compared the results from baseline and follow-up assessments of visual functions (grating acuity and contrast sensitivity). We also compared differences in change scores between the two groups. RESULTS Our results have shown that children who commence a visual stimulation program within the first eight months of life had more improvement in both visual functions. This improvement is statistically significant in visual acuity (p = 0.048). CONCLUSIONS These results indicate the importance of starting a visual stimulation program within the first eight months after birth.
Gait speed in older people: an easy test for detecting cognitive impairment, functional independence, and health state

With ageing, physical and cognitive functions become impaired. Analyzing and determining the association between both functions can facilitate the prevention and diagnosis of associated problems. Some previous works have proposed batteries of physical performance tests to determine both physical and cognitive functions. However, only a few studies have used the gait speed (GS) test as a tool to evaluate parameters representative of health in the elderly such as functionality, mobility, independence, autonomy, and comorbidity. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the association between physical and cognitive functions in older people (over 65 years old) and to detect the most appropriate physical test to assess cognitive impairment, functional independence, comorbidity, and perceived health in this population.
Employee Bargaining Power, Inter-Firm Competition, and Equity-Based Compensation

We develop a model to illustrate that equity-based compensation for non-executive employees and product market decisions are related. When the product market is competitive and employees have low bargaining power, the unique equilibrium is for each firm’s owners to offer equity-based compensation to their employees. In this setting, equity-based compensation leads to a lower wage rate, which makes each firm more competitive with its rival. However, this unique equilibrium is a Prisoner’s Dilemma for the firms’ original owners. Our results are consistent with several empirical regularities and provide predictions on when firms will offer equity-based compensation to their employees.
Molecular Mechanisms and New Treatment Paradigm for Atrial Fibrillation

Background—Atrial fibrillation represents the most common arrhythmia leading to increased morbidity and mortality, yet, current treatment strategies have proven inadequate. Conventional treatment with antiarrhythmic drugs carries a high risk for proarrhythmias. The soluble epoxide hydrolase enzyme catalyzes the hydrolysis of anti-inflammatory epoxy fatty acids, including epoxyeicosatrienoic acids from arachidonic acid to the corresponding proinflammatory diols. Therefore, the goal of the study is to directly test the hypotheses that inhibition of the soluble epoxide hydrolase enzyme can result in an increase in the levels of epoxyeicosatrienoic acids, leading to the attenuation of atrial structural and electric remodeling and the prevention of atrial fibrillation. Methods and Results—For the first time, we report findings that inhibition of soluble epoxide hydrolase reduces inflammation, oxidative stress, atrial structural, and electric remodeling. Treatment with soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitor significantly reduces the activation of key inflammatory signaling molecules, including the transcription factor nuclear factor &kgr;-light-chain-enhancer, mitogen-activated protein kinase, and transforming growth factor-&bgr;. Conclusions—This study provides insights into the underlying molecular mechanisms leading to atrial fibrillation by inflammation and represents a paradigm shift from conventional antiarrhythmic drugs, which block downstream events to a novel upstream therapeutic target by counteracting the inflammatory processes in atrial fibrillation.
Evidence of fractional-Brownian-motion-type asperity model for earthquake generation in candidate pre-seismic electromagnetic emissions

Abstract. Many aspects of earthquake generation still escape our full understanding. Observations of electromagnetic emissions preceding significant earthquakes provide one of the few cases of premonitory events that are possibly related to a subsequent earthquake. Understanding the factors that control electromagnetic precursors generation seems to be important for determining how significant earthquakes nucleate. Here we report the results of a comprehensive study of the appearance of individual patterns in candidate electromagnetic precursors possibly indicating the breaking of backbone of large and strong asperities that sustain the activated fault. The search of precursory patterns is mainly based on well documented scaling properties of fault surface topology. More precisely, we argue that the candidate electromagnetic precursors might be originated during the slipping of two rough and rigid fractional-Brownian-motion-type profiles one over the other, with a roughness which is consistent with field and laboratory studies. The results also imply that the activation of a single earthquake (fault) is a reduced self-affine image of the whole regional seismicity and a magnified self-affine image of the laboratory seismicity.
Fiscal policy and the term structure of interest rates in a DSGE model

We examine the role of government spending in the dynamics of the term structure of interest rates. Is the quantity of risk related government spending important for the price of risk? How does it depend on monetary policy conduct? Can fiscal policy immunize its impact on the term structure of interest rates? To answer this questions, we explore asset pricing implications of fiscal policy in what become paradigm in dynamic general equilibrium macro-finance literature. We break down the transmission of the government spending to macroeconomic attributes driving the dynamic response of the yield curve, both analytically and numerically. The novelty of our approach lies in the way we quantify the decomposition of pricing kernel. We find that rise in fiscal uncertainty amplifies the hedging property of bonds against real and nominal risks. Depending on the size of uncertainty monetary policy drives up the price of nominal risk. Spending reversals break the link between quantity and price of fiscal risk.
A comparative study of transformational leadership in nursing development units and conventional clinical settings.

AIMS This is a comparative study of the leadership provided by nurse managers and leaders in Nursing Development Units and conventional clinical settings in England. BACKGROUND Nursing development units (NDUs) were originally conceived as centres of nursing excellence, innovation and leadership development. This article describes the first published use of a leadership practices inventory (LPI) explicitly based upon a model of transformational leadership. This style of leadership has been commended as highly effective and suitable for nursing. METHODS The use of the LPI was piloted as a postal questionnaire and as a schedule for telephone interviewing, these pilots supported the use of telephone interviewing in the main study. Two matched samples of 70 nurses in total were recruited from across England, comprising 14 nurse leaders and 56 of their day to day colleagues. Data was collected by telephone interviewing over a 6-week period between February and April 1998. Six null hypotheses were developed to identify significant inter-group differences in leadership behaviour. Descriptive and inferential data analysis techniques were employed using SPSS for Windows. FINDINGS The leadership provided by NDU leaders was evaluated more highly than non-NDU leaders. A higher level of congruence between self and observer evaluations was shown by NDU leaders. Statistically significant inter-group differences were apparent in three of the five practices of exemplary leadership and in the overall leadership behaviour. NDU leaders show greater self awareness and are more transformational than their non-NDU counterparts. The limitations of the study design are discussed. CONCLUSIONS NDU leaders provide leadership of a more transformational nature than their counterparts working in conventional settings. This finding suggests that NDU leaders have enhanced leadership potential and that formalizing nursing development within NDUs may promote the emergence of transformational leadership and provide a microculture in which it might flourish. The LPI is regarded as a useful, adaptable tool suitable for use in UK nursing applications including research, leadership development and education.