Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gating by induced Α–Γ asynchrony in selective attention

Visual selective attention operates through top–down mechanisms of signal enhancement and suppression, mediated by α‐band oscillations. The effects of such top–down signals on local processing in primary visual cortex (V1) remain poorly understood. In this work, we characterize the interplay between large‐scale interactions and local activity changes in V1 that orchestrates selective attention, using Granger‐causality and phase‐amplitude coupling (PAC) analysis of EEG source signals. The task required participants to either attend to or ignore oriented gratings. Results from time‐varying, directed connectivity analysis revealed frequency‐specific effects of attentional selection: bottom–up γ‐band influences from visual areas increased rapidly in response to attended stimuli while distributed top–down α‐band influences originated from parietal cortex in response to ignored stimuli. Importantly, the results revealed a critical interplay between top–down parietal signals and α–γ PAC in visual areas. Parietal α‐band influences disrupted the α–γ coupling in visual cortex, which in turn reduced the amount of γ‐band outflow from visual areas. Our results are a first demonstration of how directed interactions affect cross‐frequency coupling in downstream areas depending on task demands. These findings suggest that parietal cortex realizes selective attention by disrupting cross‐frequency coupling at target regions, which prevents them from propagating task‐irrelevant information.
College data analysis based on multi-learning method

This paper proposes a new approach to data analysis based on multi-learning method. The proposed method employs a combination of principal component analysis, K-means clustering, random forest, deep neural network and Jack Philips ROI evaluation model, and is effective in solving the problem of choosing donation recipients. Results are validated through data envelop analysis and are believed to accurately reflect the reality. This research can be helpful to analyses of large scale economic problems.
Progress in developing a classification of personality disorders for ICD‐11

only a limited set of skills. Despite the growing evidence base supporting these exciting innovations, access to psychological treatments remains an exception. One unique exemplar of scaling up these treatments is the UK’s Improving Access to Psychological Treatments (IAPT). IAPT services treat more than 537,000 patients with depression and anxiety annually, train non-specialist providers and specialists with brief accredited courses, and assess the progress of almost all (98%) patients using a unique monitoring outcome system. Their results show that stepped care models of delivery are clinically effective, facilitate short wait times to improve patient attendance, and ultimately increase collaboration between therapists and patients. In order to integrate and optimize new models of delivery beyond a mental health specialist providing individual care, we must develop, implement and evaluate stepped care systems. As demonstrated by IAPT, this model of care would consist of two levels: an entry, low-intensity step (Step 1) for the majority of patients with mild to moderate symptoms; and a high-intensity step (Step 2) for the minority of patients suffering from severe symptoms and those who do not respond to the first step. Step 1 would involve either guided self-care or non-specialist professionals performing a range of tasks such as screening, delivering brief evidence-based psychological treatments, and acting as case managers to link the patient, family physician and specialists from mental health or other disciplines. In Step 2, mental health specialists would treat the more severe spectrum of these disorders, monitor use and adherence to medication when appropriate, and ensure treatment quality by training and supervising non-specialist professionals. This stepped care model emphasizes patient-centered approaches and collaboration with local communities. This includes receiving input on how treatment could be best delivered in order to reduce administrative barriers, and engaging patient advocates in planning and improving the navigation of existing systems. In addition, we can target relevant cooccurring risk factors through integrated health programmes such as parenting platforms, chronic disease interventions and community-based care. In doing so, we may also have the opportunity to reach marginalized groups who may not typically seek mental health care. We call on the mental health community at large to embrace these evidence-based strategies into routine health care delivery platforms, as a cost-effective approach to reducing the astonishingly large treatment gap for common mental disorders worldwide.
Association Between Disease Severity and Calcium Concentration in Critically Ill Patients Admitted to Intensive Care Unit

Background Hypocalcemia is very common in critically ill patients admitted to ICU. However, its clinical importance and relation to patient’s outcome during early days of ICU admission is questionable. Based on the mentioned problem, it seems that calcium assessment is highly important in these patients. The present study aimed at evaluating the relationship between different calcium concentrations (total/ionized/corrected) and disease severity in critically ill patients. Methods A total of 100 patients admitted to intensive care units of Imam Reza and Shohada hospitals during Feb 2014 and Apr 2016 were enrolled in this prospective trial. Concentrations of total, corrected, and ionized calcium and their relationship with APACHE score and disease severity were noted during the study. Results There was a strong and inverse correlation between disease severity and ionized calcium concentration (P < 0.001, r = -0.697). There was a medium and significant inverse correlation between disease severity and total calcium concentration (P < 0.001, r = -0.368). Weak and direct significant correlation was observed between disease severity and corrected calcium concentration (P 0.02, r = 0.232). Conclusions A significant correlation was found between total and ionized calcium, but there was not any significant correlation between corrected and ionized calcium. Hypocalcemia is a predictor of disease severity and mortality. We recommend measuring ionized calcium concentration for patients admitted to ICU.
Andragogical Methods to Sustain Quality Adult Education in Ethiopia.

This study aims to analyse the extent andragogy serves as a means to secure quality in adult education programs. It attempts to scrutinize how active learning methods are implemented effectively in adult education program in the Eastern part of Ethiopia. A survey research design was adapted as a method of the study. Stratified and purposive sampling techniques were employed to select respondents (515 male and 285 female adult learners and 30 facilitators). Questionnaire and interview was used to gather pertinent information about the adult education program. Descriptive statistics and one way ANOVA were used as a means for data analysis. The findings show that active learning methods employed by facilitators were not satisfactorily implemented. The least rated active learning methods employed by facilitators were role play and project methods. And, the most highly used and rated active learning method was collaborative learning. There was a significance mean difference between first and second year adult education followers (in favour of second year learners) in experiencing active learning.
SERS-Active Nanoparticles for Sensitive and Selective Detection of Cadmium Ion (Cd2+)

We report a new class of turn-on surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensors for the sensitive and selective detection of cadmium ion (Cd2+) by taking advantage of the interparticle plasmonic coupling generated in the process of Cd2+-selective nanoparticle self-aggregation. The SERS-active nanoparticles consist of 41-nm gold nanoparticles, encoded with a Raman-active dye through a disulfide anchoring group, and a layer of Cd2+-chelating polymer brush coating grafted on the nanoparticle via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization. These SERS nanoparticles are optimized to remain spectrally silent when staying as single particles. Addition of Cd2+ leads to interparticle self-aggregation and immediately turns on the SERS fingerprint signal with up to 90-fold of signal enhancement. The selectivity of the SERS nanoparticle for Cd2+ was also examined, showing that various common metal ions cannot induce interparticle self-aggregation and the turn-on of SERS signal. In contrast to nanoparticl.
Assessment of change in knowledge about research methods among delegates attending research methodology workshop

Aim: In an era of evidence based medicine research is an essential part of medical profession whether clinical or academic. A research methodology workshop intends to help participants, those who are newer to research field or those who are already doing empirical research. The present study was conducted to assess the changes in knowledge of the participants of a research methodology workshop through a structured questionnaire. Methods: With administrative and ethical approval, a four day research methodology workshop was planned. The participants were subjected to a structured questionnaire (pre-test) containing 20 multiple choice questions (Q1-Q 20) related to the topics to be covered in research methodology workshop before the commencement of the workshop and then subjected to similar posttest questionnaire after the completion of workshop. The mean values of pre and post-test scores were calculated and the results were analyzed and compared. Results: Out of the total 153 delegates, 45(29 %) were males and 108 were (71 %) females. 92 (60%) participants consented to fill the pre-test questionnaire and 68 (44%) filled the post-test questionnaire. The mean Pre-test and post-test scores at 95% Confidence Interval were 07.62 (SD ±3.220) and 09.66 (SD ±2.477) respectively. The differences were found to be significant using Paired Sample T test (P <0.003). Conclusion: There was increase in knowledge of the delegates after attending research methodology workshops. Participatory research methodology workshops are good methods of imparting knowledge, also the long term effects needs to be evaluated.
Evaluation of Noise Levels affecting Schools in Cairo-Egypt

Educational institutions and Schools are among the sensitive areas that have to be protected from high noise levels which adversely affect students and hinder the process of their education in terms of speech interference, disturbance of information comprehension, message communication and annoyance. The WHO guidelines issued in 1999 has recommended 35 dB LAeq for the background sound pressure level during teaching sessions in order to be able to hear and understand spoken messages in classrooms. For outdoor playgrounds it has recommended 55 dB LAeq for the sound pressure level of the noise from external sources, which is the same value given for outdoor residential areas in daytime. The EEAA through its Noise Monitoring Network monitored the noise levels in 9 sites of educational institutions in Cairo City, which were mainly affected by noise from road traffic. Results revealed that noise levels ranged between 73 – 78 dB during day time. All monitored levels exceeded the recommended limits and the levels set in the executive regulation concerning the area classification. Recommendations and noise reduction measures have been proposed to protect these schools from high noise levels. The recommendations also, included the necessity of land use planning regarding placement of schools and educational institutions in the sensitive areas, and preparing environmental impact assessment studies for the educational institutions allocation as well as considerations of engineering measures for noise protection. Based on the results of this study, The Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency was recently recommended the noise limits for educational institutions among many other limits for indoors and outdoors activities in the amendment of the executive regulation of environmental law no 9/2009. The recommended limits were 40 dB LAeq in classes and 55 dB LAeq for outdoor playgrounds.
Russian Troll Hunting in a Brexit Twitter Archive

Twitter has identified 2,752 accounts that it believes are linked to the Internet Research Agency (IRA), a Russian company that creates online propaganda. These accounts are known to have tweeted about the US 2016 Elections and the list was submitted as evidence by Twitter to the United States Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism. There is no equivalent officially published list of accounts from the IRA known to be active in the UK-EU Referendum debate (Brexit), but we found that the troll accounts active on the 2016 US Election also produced content related to Brexit. We found 3,485 tweets from 419 of the accounts listed as IRA accounts which specifically discussed Brexit and related topics such as the EU and migration. We have been collating an archive of tweets related to Brexit since August 2015 and currently have over 70 million tweets. The Brexit referendum took place on the 23rd June 2016 and the UK voted to leave the European Union. We gathered the data using the Twitter API and a selection of hashtags chosen by a panel of academic experts. Currently we have in excess of fifty different hashtags and we add to the set periodically to accurately represent the evolving conversation. Twitter has closed the accounts that were documented in the Senate list meaning that these tweets are no longer available through the webpage or API. Due to Twitter's terms of service we are unable to share specific tweet text or user profile information but our findings, utilising text and metadata from derived and aggregated data, allows us to provide important insights into the behaviour of these trolls.
Appropriate level of alfalfa hay in diets for rearing Simmental crossbred calves in dryland China

Objective In dryland areas of China, alfalfa hay (AH) is a possible substitute for concentrate feed for beef cattle. To evaluate the potential benefits of this substitution, we studied the effect of the ratio of AH intake to total dry matter (DM) intake on average daily body-weight gain (ADG), dietary energy utilization status, and economic benefit in Gansu province. Methods In each of two feeding trials in 2016 (trial 1 [T1], July 3 to 17; trial 2 [T2], August 15 to September 23), crossbred male Simmental calves were allocated to low AH (LA), medium AH (MA), and high AH (HA) feeding groups (n = 4 per group). The target ADG was set as 1 kg for both trials. In a one-way-layout design based on conventional feeding practices in the province, calves received diets containing the different AH amounts, with a constant ratio of corn stover:total DM and decreasing rations of concentrate feed proportional to the increase in AH. Calves in T1 received AH at 15% (T1-LA), 23% (T1-MA), or 31% (T1-HA) of their dietary DM allowances; those in T2 received 9% (T2-LA), 24% (T2-MA), or 34% (T2-HA) AH. Results Among the T1 groups, both ADG and economic benefit were highest in T1-LA; whereas in T2, they were higher in the T2-LA and T2-MA groups than in T2-HA. Energy digestibility did not significantly differ among the groups in either trial. The dietary AH inclusion ratios of 14% in the warm season and 8% to 21% in the cool season appeared to yield optimal ADG, metabolizable energy intake, and economic benefit. Conclusion Low-level inclusion of AH, ranging from 8% to 21%, is a practical approach for beef cattle feeding. This modified feeding regimen likely will promote increased growth performance during the fattening stage of beef steers in dryland areas of Gansu province, China.
The Trajectory of Coparenting Relationship Quality Across Early Adolescence: Family, Community, and Parent Gender Influences

This study examined longitudinal change in coparenting support and conflict for married parents during their child’s adolescence, and the links between financial, work, and community factors and coparenting support and conflict. We utilized an ecological perspective, drawing on five waves of data from 635 dual-earner families with adolescents (M = 11.29, SD = .48 years old at Time 1). Applying a multilevel modeling approach and using reports from mothers and fathers we examined: (a) change in coparenting support and conflict over six years; (b) correlated change in contextual factors (financial strain, work hours and satisfaction, and community cohesion) with change in coparenting; and (c) differences in associations for mothers versus fathers. Findings revealed a decline over six years in perceptions of partner coparenting support for mothers and fathers, but no significant change in perceived coparenting conflict. Changes in financial strain, work characteristics, and community cohesion were associated with change in coparenting support and conflict in expected directions; interactions by parent gender suggest that mothers’ reports of coparenting quality are more closely linked to some contextual influences than fathers’ reports. Discussion centers on the implications of social contexts for coparenting at a critical period in youth development.
Update on Peripheral Nerve Electrodes for Closed-Loop Neuroprosthetics

In this paper various types of electrodes for stimulation and recording activity of peripheral nerves for the control of neuroprosthetic limbs are reviewed. First, an overview of interface devices for (feedback-) controlled movement of a prosthetic device is given, after which the focus is on peripheral nervous system (PNS) electrodes. Important electrode properties, i.e., longevity and spatial resolution, are defined based upon the usability for neuroprostheses. The cuff electrode, longitudinal intrafascicular electrodes (LIFE), transverse intrafascicular multichannel electrode (TIME), Utah slanted electrode array (USEA), and the regenerative electrode are discussed and assessed on their longevity and spatial resolution. The cuff electrode seems to be a promising electrode for the control of neuroprostheses in the near future, because it shows the best longevity and good spatial resolution and it has been used on human subjects in multiple studies. The other electrodes may be promising in the future, but further research on their longevity and spatial resolution is needed. A more quantitatively uniform study protocol used for all electrodes would allow for a proper comparison of recording and stimulation performance. For example, the discussed electrodes could be compared in a large in vivo study, using one uniform comparison protocol.
Approach or avoidance: Neural correlates of intelligence evaluation from faces

Intelligence is among the key determinants of power and social status in modern societies. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging study, we examined the neural correlates of intelligence evaluation from faces. Participants underwent scans while they evaluated the perceived intelligence and friendliness of faces. We found that medial orbitofrontal cortex activity increased linearly with friendliness ratings. The relationship between perceived intelligence and brain activity was positively linear in the right caudate nucleus and U‐shaped (i.e., strong responses to unintelligent‐looking or intelligent‐looking faces) in the right anterior insula/inferior frontal gyrus. Perceived intelligence was also significantly positively correlated with both friendliness and attractiveness. Furthermore, intelligence rating scores had a positive linear effect on reaction times in the friendliness rating task, suggesting that participants had greater conflicts when making friendliness judgments for faces that appeared to belong to intelligent individuals. In addition, the degree of this effect predicted individual differences in the positive linear modulatory effect of intelligence scores in the right caudate nucleus. Our interpretation was that the activity in the caudate nucleus revealed an approach‐avoidance conflict with regard to highly intelligent people, that is, they were perceived as attractive but also potentially threatening. Although our interpretations are merely suggestive because we did not measure the approach‐avoidance behaviors directly, our findings have important implications for understanding the dynamics of human interaction in modern societies that increasingly allocate power and status based on intelligence.
Thermo-mechanical characterisation of thin sputtered copper films on silicon: Towards elasto-plastic, fatigue and subcritical fracture-mechanical data

Thin metal layers, especially those made of copper, are omnipresent in today's packaging applications as e.g. RDL structures, conductor traces on flexible and stretchable substrates, chip finishes or terminal metallisation, serving electrical, thermal or mechanical purposes. During operation, thermo-mechanical stress will cause failures in the Cu layers and interfaces over time. As Cu is very process and size dependent, its resistance to fatigue failure needs to be characterised with samples which have undergone identical processing steps as those in the real application. For that purpose, simple specimens and fast testing routines are necessary, some of which may need special loading stages for varying the load variables of interest such as stress amplitude and temperature. This paper addresses fatigue characterisation of thin Cu films on silicon under typical processing conditions on simple and inexpensive but industry-grade samples. Along with them, custom built test stands have been used to handle those specimens appropriately within a specimen-centred approach.
Robust Distant Supervision Relation Extraction via Deep Reinforcement Learning

Distant supervision has become the standard method for relation extraction. However, even though it is an efficient method, it does not come at no cost—The resulted distantly-supervised training samples are often very noisy. To combat the noise, most of the recent state-of-the-art approaches focus on selecting one-best sentence or calculating soft attention weights over the set of the sentences of one specific entity pair. However, these methods are suboptimal, and the false positive problem is still a key stumbling bottleneck for the performance. We argue that those incorrectly-labeled candidate sentences must be treated with a hard decision, rather than being dealt with soft attention weights. To do this, our paper describes a radical solution—We explore a deep reinforcement learning strategy to generate the false-positive indicator, where we automatically recognize false positives for each relation type without any supervised information. Unlike the removal operation in the previous studies, we redistribute them into the negative examples. The experimental results show that the proposed strategy significantly improves the performance of distant supervision comparing to state-of-the-art systems.