Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
HIERARCHICAL CONTROL OF MANEUVERABILITY IN WALKING AND FLYING INSECTS- A NEUROBIOLOGICAL AND HARDWARE MODEL APPROACH 05/14/2010

The primary goal of our project was to document common control schemes that allow animals to move seamlessly through very diverse and complex terrain. A common strategy among most animals relies upon interactions between circuitry in the brain that processes information from the numerous sensory systems on the animal's head and more local control circuitry that resides in the thoracic ganglia of arthropods or the spinal cords of vertebrates and that responds directly to sensory structures located upon specific appendages (Orlovsky et al., 1999; Ritzmann, 2010; Ritzmann and Buschges, 2007). The head sensors provide a large variety of information which is then processed in the brain to ultimately form descending commands. When these commands reach local control regions, they can re-direct the movements of legs or wings. The question posed by our original proposal was: How do these descending commands exert their influence on local control systems? Since the local reflexes act in locomotory patterns, while the head sensors are typically unpattcrned, the manner in which interactions occur is not always obvious. In our proposal, we suggested that a common control scheme could exist in various animals by which descending commands influenced movement, not by micromanaging changes, but rather by altering a few critical reflexes then allowing the resulting changes in movement to generate a cascade of additional reflex changes. Ultimately these processes could lead to a new stable set of joint movements associated with a completely different movement such as turning or climbing. Under this strategy, the higher centers work with local systems to influence re-directed movements through critical but subtle changes rather than dictating radically new actions. To examine this hypothesis, we proposed to look directly at the changes that occur in cockroaches when they transition between walking and turning and to generate a hardware model of the cockroach leg that would allow us to test our interpretation of neurobiological data under realistic physical conditions. Because the proposed leg is controlled by realistic reflex circuits, it would also allow us to formulate new hypotheses that could be further tested with biological experiments. Finally, in order to examine how general these control schemes are, we proposed to perform parallel studies on a flight system, focusing upon proprioceptive influences that act on moth flight.
Preliminary and Incomplete: Please do not cite Globalization and the Jobs Ladder

We develop a model in which firms differ in terms of productivity ala Melitz (2003) and workers differ in terms of the skills that they possess. There are two types of skills that determine a worker’s productivity – the ability to work with the appropriate technology, which we call “basic experience,” and the ability to facilitate international commerce, which we refer to as “international experience. ” Workers imperfectly acquire these skills on the job. Firms cannot observe the skills embodied in a worker, but can observe each potential recruit’s employment history. In equilibrium, firm self-select into groups that use different networks to fill vacancies. Some firms hire young, inexperienced workers and pay a low wage; while other firms poach workers with either basic experience or international experience from other firms by offering a higher wage. The heterogeneity in firm productivity implies that firms will also differ in their level of international engagement. We use the model to examine how globalization affects the career path of workers as they climb the jobs ladder. a Department of Economics; Michigan State University; East Lansing, MI 48824 b Research Institute of Industrial Economics; Stockholm, Sweden c Department of Economics; Lund University; Lund Sweden
PMMA-CNT-HAp nanocomposites optimized for 3D-printing applications

PMMA/CNT/HAp nanocomposites with various CNT and HAp ratios were prepared using melt mixing technique. Mechanical properties, rheological behavior, morphology and biocompatibility of the samples were reported. Results indicated that increasing the content of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles leads to lower mechanical properties which are pertaining to the low aspect ratio of hydroxyapatite particles and also lack of sufficient adhesion to the matrix. Nano-indentation test results revealed that upon addition of only 4 wt% HAp and 0.1 wt% CNT, modulus and hardness were improved 325 and 139%, respectively. This is favorable in implant applications. Rheological measurements and morphology depictions portrayed a better distribution for 2 wt% nanocomposite. Biocompatibility test results indicated that this nanocomposite accelerates cell attachment, growth, and proliferation. This observation propose this sample as a potential candidate for bone tissue applications. 3D-printing filaments were also successfully prepared using the optimized composition nanocomposite and specimens were printed.
Classification Tree Models for Predicting Cancer Status

CLASSIFICATION TREE MODELS FOR PREDICTING CANCER STATUS By Pu Chen August 2009 Thesis Supervised by Dr. Doug Landsittel Early detection of cancers might improve the clinical outcomes. Multiple biomarkers with a novel LabMAP technology were used as the laboratory method to develop the diagnostic assay for ovarian, breast, endometrial, and lung cancer. To evaluate the accuracy of early stage detection, logistic regression (with forward selection) and classification tree models were applied as statistical methods. Furthermore, complexity parameters and the number of bootstrap samples were varied to assess the effect on sensitivity and specificity. The receiver operating characteristic curves reflected high sensitivities and specificities.
Examining Children’s Engineering Practices During an Engineering Activity in a Designed Learning Setting: A Focus on Troubleshooting (Fundamental)

Children spend most of their time in out-of-school settings. As a result, informal learning settings can play a significant role in children’s learning development. Museums and science centers are informal settings that are intentionally designed to promote learning and interest development. Studies show that these settings are where children begin to develop competencies, skills, knowledge and problem-solving processes that support participation in STEM-related careers. For example, many engineering exhibits have been designed for children to promote their engineering skills and practices as well as their understanding of engineering careers. One engineering practice is troubleshooting; troubleshooting is a practice used in many aspects of engineering work, including design, analysis, and programming. We situate this study in the engineering design literature as the task that our participants engaged in was an engineering design task. In this study, we examined ways young women engaged in design-based troubleshooting and compared them with what previous studies showed about the ways informed and beginning engineers troubleshoot their designs. To do so, we asked 7-11 years old girls with their caregivers to design a pneumatic ball run using pneumatic pistons in thirty minutes. The video data of four cases were then analyzed. Design-based troubleshooting was observed very often due to the immediate feedback they received (i.e., falling the ball means a problem). Our findings suggest that children can engage in some aspects of troubleshooting the same way as informed designers.
Structure and dynamics of atactic Na+-poly(acrylic) acid (PAA) polyelectrolyte in aqueous solution in dilute, semi-dilute and concentrated regimes

ABSTRACT Structural and dynamic properties of aqueous solution of atactic poly(acrylic) acid (PAA) in dilute, semi-dilute and concentrated regimes were studied by fully atomistic molecular dynamics simulations with explicit solvent description, as a function of polymer concentration c (i.e. volume fraction φp) and charge density f. PAA size (Rg, R) decreases with φp in semi-dilute and concentrated regimes, due to increase in counter-ion condensation. For all values of f, in dilute regime (c < c*) chains are expanded and in semi-dilute regime (c*< c < c**) chains are in contact with each other, while for c ≅ c** aggregates comprising of few PAA chains occur (at f = 0.2, 0.4 and 0.7). Number of PAA intrachain h-bonds is greater than PAA–PAA interchain h-bonds at all values of f and φp. The number of h-bonds between carboxylic acid groups and carboxylate groups remain unaffected by φp. The Na+ ion self-diffusion coefficient shows linear decrease with concentration for f < 1 and exponential decrease for f = 1. The PAA self-diffusion coefficient shows power law decrease with concentration for f < 1 and exponential decrease for f = 1. Aggregation of chains is favoured due to PAA–PAA interactions with increase in concentration. Our simulation results are in agreement with experiments and coarse-grained simulations in the literature.
Screening of Endophytic Fungal Secondary Metabolites from Garcinia kola and Cola nitida for Antioxidant Properties

Objectives: Plant endophytic fungi are novel reservoir of bioactive compounds. The aim of this study was to explore endophytic fungi from Garcinia kola and Cola nitida for antioxidant secondary metabolites. Methods: Six fungal endophytes, Gn1-3 and Cn1-3 were isolated from the medicinal plants G. kola and C. nitida respectively. The pure endophytes were fermented, their crude secondary metabolites extracted and screened for antioxidant properties using 1, 1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activities and reducing power (RP) assay. The bioactive principles were identified by dereplication using High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Diode Array Detector (HPLC-DAD) analysis Results: Extracts of Cn3 (identified as Trichophyton sp.) and Gc3 (identified as Collectotrichum sp.) demonstrated the most potent antioxidant activity. In the DPPH scavenging assay, extracts of Cn3 and Gc3 showed an IC50 of 50.7 and 69. 1μg/ml respectively compared to ascorbic acid (12.2μg/ml). Extracts of Cn3, Gc3and positive control (ascorbic acid, 250μg/ml) showed reduction values of 1.112 ± 0.011, 1.075 ± 0.014 and 1.203 ± 0.004, respectively. There was positive correlation between TPC and results obtained in both assay (DPPH, R2 = 0.7039; RP, R2 = 0.9778), thus suggesting phenolics-related antioxidant activity. HPLC-DAD analysis revealed extract of Cn3 contain protocatechuic acid and phydroxybenzoic acid, while Gn3contain 4-hydroxyphenyl acetic acid and indole-3-acetic acid. These compounds have been previously reported to exhibit potent antioxidant activity. In conclusion, this study reveals that endophytic fungi Research Article
Mittag-Leffler stability for non-instantaneous impulsive Caputo fractional differential equations with delays

Abstract Caputo fractional delay differential equations with non-instantaneous impulses are studied. Initially a brief overview of the basic two approaches in the interpretation of solutions is given. A generalization of Mittag-Leffler stability with respect to non-instantaneous impulses is given and sufficient conditions are obtained. Lyapunov functions and the Razumikhin technique will be applied and appropriate derivatives among the studied fractional equations is defined and applied. Examples are given to illustrate our results.
Optimizing website quality: the case of two superstar museum websites

Purpose Studies that examine users’ perceptions of museum’s website quality are scarce. The purpouse of this paper is to propose a multi-group comparison between two superstar museums to outline the variables that define website quality regarding museum websites towards achieving e-loyalty, trust and perceived control. Design/methodology/approach The sample comprised 305 valid online questionnaires, collected from a panel survey using a quota-sampling technique. The proposed model was tested using partial least squares analysis multi-group comparison between Prado and Thyssen-Bornemisza museum websites. Findings Website quality plays a determinant role in users’ behavioural outcomes. As evidenced in the results for the first time in a museum setting, website quality has the potential of influencing e-loyalty, trust and perceived control. Besides, trust has a positive influence on e-loyalty and perceived control, on trust. The multi-group comparison revealed no significant differences between the two museum superstars, which offer highly useful insights for the correct design of these websites. Originality/value This research addresses a multi-group comparison using partial least squares, a quite recent technique that advances knowledge regarding this method. It contributes to knowledge museum website management and online literature by means of proposing website quality as a dimension that includes content, ease of understanding, emotion, informational fit-to-task, promotion and visual appeal and by revealing significant effects of the relationships of the proposed model. Museum managers are provided with valuable inputs to design websites in an appropriate and suitable way for their users so they will be more willing to repeat their navigation experience.
The Within-Month Pattern of Medical Care Utilization among SNAP Households

It is well documented that households receiving food assistance do not spend SNAP benefits smoothly over the month between disbursement dates. We investigate the implications of this SNAP cycle for medical care utilization. We find that the probability of visiting emergency departments, outpatient providers, and dentists are lower in the last week of the benefit month for two-parent, but not single-parent households. This is consistent with the finding that two-parent households have a higher propensity to spend SNAP benefits early in the month than single-parent households, which leads to higher cash spending on food during the last week of the benefit month. These results suggest that two-parent households may need to reduce spending on medical care at the end of the benefit month in order to reallocate cash income to the purchase of food. Moreover, we show that the reduction in emergency room visits is concentrated among emergent injuryrelated visits. The results thus suggest that the SNAP benefit cycle not only constitutes a financial barrier to care but also affects health care utilization indirectly by changing the need for care. JEL Codes: I1, I38, D13
The Iowa Gambling Task in Violent and Nonviolent Incarcerated Male Adolescents

Previous studies have found impaired affective decision-making, as measured by the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), in various antisocial populations. This is the first study to compare the IGT in violent and nonviolent incarcerated American youth. The IGT was administered to 185 incarcerated adolescent male offenders charged with either nonviolent (38.4%) or violent (61.6%) crimes. General linear mixed models and t tests were used to assess differences between the groups. The full sample performed worse than if they had selected from the decks at random. The violent offenders performed more poorly than the nonviolent offenders overall, primarily because they preferred “disadvantageous” Deck B to a greater degree; however, they did demonstrate some degree of learning by the final block of the task. Adolescent offenders demonstrate impaired affective decision-making. Behavior suggested preferential attention to frequency of loss and amount of gain and inattention to amount of loss.
Microbial Communities in Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park and Their Function as Indicators of Water Quality

Abstract The objective of this study was to establish meaningful relationships between prokaryotic community profiles and water quality parameters in different water bodies (spring, stream, cave, and mine) in the middle reach of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park (C&O), Maryland. The microbial profiles in the water samples were determined using metagenomic analysis. The relationships between microbial phylogenetic profiles and water quality parameters were investigated using principal component analysis (PCA) and redundancy analysis (RDA). The most abundant phyla identified in most samples were Proteobacteria (55.4%), Bacteroidetes (12.3%), Actinobacteria (10.6%), Firmicutes (2.4%), Planktomycetes (1.8%), Verrucomicrobia (1.5%), Chloroflexi (1.5%), and Acidobacteria (1.3%), which are major bacterial and archaeal groups typically observed in natural freshwater environments. PCA showed that water chemistry was determined primarily by the geology of the site and the type of water source (i.e., spring, stream, cave, or mine). Most samples located in carbonate formations correlated with high alkalinity, inorganic carbon, and calcium, representing the typical karstic geochemistry. RDA shows that pH, electrical conductivity, temperature and nutrients including nitrate, phosphate, and sulfate, were significant determinants of the microbial ecology.
Mastering temptation: Behavioral, neuraland physiological investigations of self-control in goal-directed choice

Self-control is a key skill that has important implications for life success. Parallel research programs in psychology, economics, and most recently neuroeconomics have identified important correlates and outcomes of self-control. Among those are for example educational achievements, financial stability, and health. However, the cognitive mechanisms underlying self-control remain elusive. The influence of situational modulators of self-control capacity such as stress has been recognized, but behavioral observations show that the impact of such modulators varies widely between individuals. In order to better understand inter-individual differences in reactions to self-control challenges and the impact of situational modulators on the effective use of self-control, I investigated it at the neural level. Combining behavioral and neural levels of analysis may allow us to better detect and understand changes in cognitive mechanisms that explain when and why some individuals fail in using self-control when experiencing such states. This thesis investigates the neural mechanisms underlying self-control in goal-directed choice using dietary self-control as a model behavior. In goaldirected choice, options can be flexibly evaluated based on the current state of the environment and current goals. That flexibility and generalizability allows agents to make optimal decisions in novel or variable contexts. One specific mechanism, a circuit involving the dorsolateral (dlPFC) and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) has been suggested to provide information about a goal while evaluating choice options and thereby bias choices in favor of self-control. The current work provides evidence in line with the notion that the dlPFC might introduce or stabilize a bias favoring a current self-control goal. Applying transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) showed that impeding the neural processing in dlPFC decreased the effective use of self-control in service of following a health goal. Conversely, facilitating information processing and propagation in the same area interacted with existing strategies to restrain dietary behavior and increased self-control in those individuals that were regularly applying such strategies. Taken together, this suggests that the dlPFC is causally involved in goal-directed self-control decisions.
Bridging the gap between theory and data: the Red Queen Hypothesis for sex

Sexual reproduction persists in nature despite its large cost. The Red Queen Hypothesis postulates that parasite pressure maintains sexual reproduction in the host population by selecting for the ability to produce rare genotypes that are resistant to infection. Mathematical models have been used to lay theoretical foundations for the hypothesis; empirical studies have confirmed these predictions. For example, Lively used a simple host-parasite model to predict that the frequency of sexual hosts should be positively correlated with the prevalence of infection. Lively et al. later confirmed the prediction through numerous field studies of snail-trematode systems in New Zealand. In this study, we fit a simple metapopulation host-parasite coevolution model to three data sets, each representing a different snail-trematode system, by matching the observed prevalence of sexual reproduction and trematode infection among hosts. Using the estimated parameters, we perform a power analysis to test the feasibility of observing the positive correlation predicted by Lively. We discuss anomalies in the data that are poorly explained by the model and provide practical guidance to both modelers and empiricists. Overall, our study suggests that a simple Red Queen model can only partially explain the observed relationships between parasite infection and the maintenance of sexual reproduction.
The impact of music on auditory and speech processing

Background and Aim: Researchers in the fields of psychoacoustic and electrophysiology are mostly focused on demonstrating the better and different neurophysiological performance of musicians. The present study explores the imp­act of music upon the auditory system, the non-auditory system as well as the improvement of language and cognitive skills following listening to music or receiving music training. Recent Findings: Studies indicate the impact of music upon the auditory processing from the cochlea to secondary auditory cortex and other parts of the brain. Besides, the impact of music on speech perception and other cognitive proce­ssing is demonstrated. Some papers point to the bottom-up and some others to the top-down pro­cessing, which is explained in detail. Conclusion: Listening to music and receiving music training, in the long run, creates plasticity from the cochlea to the auditory cortex. Since the auditory path of musical sounds overlaps functionally with that of speech path, music hel­ps better speech perception, too. Both percep­tual and cognitive functions are involved in this process. Music engages a large area of the brain, so music can be used as a supplement in rehabi­litation programs and helps the improvement of speech and language skills.
Broadband Symmetrical E-Shaped Patch Antenna With Multimode Resonance for 5G Millimeter-Wave Applications

A symmetrical E-shaped patch antenna with multimode resonance is proposed for 5G broadband millimeter-wave (mmWave) applications. A longitudinal slot is etched on the patch surface to change the original E-field distribution of the TM20 mode without affecting that of the TM10 mode. This etching also tunes the resonance frequencies of these two modes to be sufficiently close to each other. Therefore, the antenna is able to realize good impedance performance within the wide designated bandwidth. Moreover, two transverse slots are etched to suppress undesirable modes, but the slots have a small effect on the current distribution of the two designed modes. Thus, the antenna is able to realize a stable radiation pattern and low cross-polarization within the whole operating band. The proposed patch antenna is designed, fabricated, and measured around the $Ka$ -band. The fabricated prototype achieves a wide impedance bandwidth of 45.4%. The simulated total efficiency of the proposed antenna is more than 85.0%. The proposed broadband symmetrical E-shaped patch antenna has a very simple structure and great electrical performance and is a very attractive candidate for 5G mmWave applications.