Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Homeostatic development of dynamic neural fields

Dynamic neural field theory has become a popular technique for modeling the spatio-temporal evolution of activity within the cortex. When using neural fields the right balance between excitation and inhibition within the field is crucial for a stable operation. Finding this balance is a severe problem, particularly in face of experience-driven changes of synaptic strengths. Homeostatic plasticity, where the objective function for each unit is to reach some target firing rate, seems to counteract this problem. Here we present a recurrent neural network model composed of excitatory and inhibitory units which can self-organize via a learning regime incorporating Hebbian plasticity, homeostatic synaptic scaling, and self-regulatory changes in the intrinsic excitability of neurons. Furthermore, we do not define a neural field topology by a fixed lateral connectivity; rather we learn lateral connections as well.
FCGR2A polymorphism is correlated with clinical outcome after immunotherapy of neuroblastoma with anti-GD2 antibody and granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor.

PURPOSE Anti-GD2 murine IgG3 antibody 3F8 kills neuroblastoma cells by antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC). Granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) enhances phagocyte-mediated ADCC. The differential affinity of the human FCGR polymorphic alleles for 3F8 may influence the effectiveness of antibody immunotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS The entire cohort of high risk neuroblastoma patients (N = 136) treated on protocol using 3F8 and GM-CSF were the subjects of this analysis. Tumor response was measured by standard clinical tools plus sensitive molecular monitoring using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Polymorphic alleles of FCGR2A and FCGR3A were determined by PCR plus direct sequencing using genomic DNA samples obtained from marrow or blood of patients. RESULTS FCGR2A (R/R) genotype correlated with progression-free survival for the entire cohort (P = .049) and for the subset of patients with no history of prior relapse (P = .023). FCGR2A (R/R) also correlated with marrow remission 2.5 months after treatment initiation: by histology (P = .021 and P = .036, for the entire cohort and the subset, respectively) and by qRT-PCR (P = .052 and P = .033, respectively). CONCLUSION The favorable outcome associated with FCGR2A (R/R) genotype is consistent with the proposed role of FCGR2A and phagocyte-mediated ADCC in 3F8 plus GM-CSF immunotherapy.
The Motives Behind the Decision for Choosing Self-Immolation as a Method for Suicide

One of the most dramatic and appalling forms of suicidal attempts is Self- burning, also called self- immolation. Iran is one of the countries with the highest rates of self-immolation. As a result, prevention of self- immolation is one of the health priorities in Irans society. We briefly aimed to reveal who attempts self-immolation and investigate the prominent motives for such suicidal attempts. Each patient filled out a two-part questionnaire, the first section of which targeted aspects like demographics, history of mental illness, previous suicidal attempts and the liquid material which was employed in the process, while the latter concerned eight principal reasons under which the patients choose Self-burning. Among the 80 burned patients under investigation in our study, 73 patients (91.3%) were female with a female to male ratio of 10.4: 1. Mean age was 26.7 ± 0.4. Suicidal victims were more likely to be married (52 cases=65%) rather than single (24cases=30%) or separated (4cases=5%). Fifty three patients (66.2%) were illiterate or had low levels of education, and housewives represented the largest group (70 cases=87.5%). Investigation of the patients' history revealed that a minority of patients (n = 17, 21.3%) had a history of mental illness and 78 (97.5%) of cases were reported to have committed Self-burning for the first time. Almost all self burnings were through application of flammable liquids especially petroleum. The major motive for suicide was impulsive suicidal act (n=48, 60%). Moreover, concealing attempt (n=29, 36.3%), attracting attention (n=21, 26.3%) and considering this method as being more successful were other frequents reasons for self-immolation victims who had chosen this method. In majority of cases (n=50, 62.5%), more than one reason had been given by patients for selecting this type of suicide. Seventy cases (87.5%) regret committing self-immolation. Our results are mostly in agreement with previous studies on self-immolators regarding socio-demographic characteristics of patients. However, the motive behind the self-immolation varied widely. The major motive for suicide was impulsive suicidal act. The results of this study support and explain. the necessity of previously discussed multi-disciplinary interventions for preventing self-immolation. (Marzieh Assareh, Mahboube Firouzkouhi Moghaddam, Tayebeh Rakhshani, Mohammad Ali Nikoo, Mohamd Effatpanah, Alireza Rai , Leeba Rezaie. The Motives Behind the Decision for Choosing Self-Immolation as a Method for Suicide. Life Sci J 2013; 10(4): 1610-1614). (ISSN: 1097-8135). http://www.lifesciencesite. com 212
Timing of prophylactic hysterectomy‐oophorectomy, mastectomy, and microsurgical breast reconstruction in BRCA1 and BRCA2 carriers

BRCA (breast cancer susceptibility gene) carriers are at high risk for breast and ovarian malignancies, and often undergo prophylactic total abdominal hysterectomy‐bilateral salpingo‐oophorectomy (TAH‐BSO), bilateral mastectomy, and microsurgical breast reconstruction. Our goal was to determine whether abdominal wall complications and flap choice are affected by the order of those procedures.
Low-Dark-Current $\hbox{TiO}_{2}$ MSM UV Photodetectors With Pt Schottky Contacts

We report on the fabrication and characterization of very low-dark-current TiO2 metal-semiconductor-metal ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors (PDs) with Pt Schottky contacts. The dark current of the PDs is merely 1.28 pA at a 5-V bias, which is much better than the previously reported data. The photoconductive gain is less than one for a bias of less than 10 V. The remarkable reduction of the dark current and the gain can be attributed to the combined effect of the large Schottky barrier height produced at the Pt/TiO2 contacts and the high quality of the sputtered TiO2 films, such as low intrinsic carrier concentration, large grain size, and absence of oxygen vacancies. The PDs also display a high quantum efficiency and a large UV-to-visible rejection ratio of about three orders of magnitude.
Modeling Accident Occurrence at Signalized Tee Intersections with Special Emphasis on Excess Zeros

In implementing effective remedial treatments at hazardous intersections, it often is necessary to identify the geometric and traffic factors that lead to accident occurrence. However, one particular problem frequently encountered in accident studies is how to distinguish virtually safe intersections with little likelihood of accident occurrence from those that have happened to have no accident due to the random process. To deal with this problem, the "excess" records of zero accident, the zero-inflated negative binomial was used to assign the probability to the accident outcome. Accident data at 104 signalized tee intersections in Singapore over a period of 9 years were employed for model development. The model indicates that uncontrolled left-turn slip road, permissive right-turn phase, existence of a horizontal curve, short sight distances, large number of signal phases, total approach volume, and left-turn volume may increase accident occurrence. On the other hand, right-turn channelization, acceleration section on the left-turn lane, median railings, and more than 5% approach gradient may reduce accident occurrence. Moreover, there is a trend of reducing accidents over the years.
Approximate Message Passing with A Class of Non-Separable Denoisers Yanting Ma North Carolina State

Approximate message passing (AMP) is a class of low-complexity scalable algorithms for solving high-dimensional linear regression tasks where one wishes to recover an unknown signal β0 from noisy, linear measurements y = Aβ0 + w. AMP has the attractive feature that its performance (for example, the mean squared error of its estimates) can be accurately tracked by a simple, scalar iteration referred to as state evolution when the unknown signal has independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) entries. However, in many real-world applications, like image or audio signal reconstruction, the unknown signal contains dependencies between entries and so a coordinate-wise independence structure is not a good approximation for the prior of the unknown signal. In this paper we study the case where the unknown signal has dependent entries using a class of non-separable sliding-window denoisers and prove that a new form of state evolution still accurately predicts AMP performance in this scenario. This is an early step in understanding the role of non-separable denoisers within AMP, and will lead to a characterization of more general denoisers in problems including compressive image reconstruction.
Office-based motivational interviewing to prevent childhood obesity: a feasibility study.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether pediatricians and dietitians can implement an office-based obesity prevention program using motivational interviewing as the primary intervention. DESIGN Nonrandomized clinical trial. Fifteen pediatricians belonging to Pediatric Research in Office Settings, a national practice-based research network, and 5 registered dietitians were assigned to 1 of 3 groups: (1) control; (2) minimal intervention (pediatrician only); or (3) intensive intervention (pediatrician and registered dietitian). SETTING Primary care pediatric offices. PARTICIPANTS Ninety-one children presenting for well-child care visits met eligibility criteria of being aged 3 to 7 years and having a body mass index (calculated as the weight in kilograms divided by the height in meters squared) at the 85th percentile or greater but lower than the 95th percentile for the age or having a normal weight and a parent with a body mass index of 30 or greater. INTERVENTIONS Pediatricians and registered dietitians in the intervention groups received motivational interviewing training. Parents of children in the minimal intervention group received 1 motivational interviewing session from the physician, and parents of children in the intensive intervention group received 2 motivational interviewing sessions each from the pediatrician and the registered dietitian. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Change in the body mass index-for-age percentile. RESULTS At 6 months' follow-up, there was a decrease of 0.6, 1.9, and 2.6 body mass index percentiles in the control, minimal, and intensive groups, respectively. The differences in body mass index percentile change between the 3 groups were nonsignificant (P=.85). The patient dropout rates were 2 (10%), 13 (32%), and 15 (50%) for the control, minimal, and intensive groups, respectively. Fifteen (94%) of the parents reported that the intervention helped them think about changing their family's eating habits. CONCLUSIONS Motivational interviewing by pediatricians and dietitians is a promising office-based strategy for preventing childhood obesity. However, additional studies are needed to demonstrate the efficacy of this intervention in practice settings.
LEPTONIC AND HADRONIC MODELING OF FERMI-DETECTED BLAZARS

We describe new implementations of leptonic and hadronic models for the broadband emission from relativistic jets in active galactic nuclei in a temporary steady state. For the leptonic model, a temporary equilibrium between particle injection/acceleration, radiative cooling, and escape from a spherical emission region is evaluated, and the self-consistent radiative output is calculated. For the hadronic model, a temporary equilibrium between particle injection/acceleration, radiative and adiabatic cooling, and escape is evaluated for both primary electrons and protons. A new, semianalytical method to evaluate the radiative output from cascades initiated by internal γγ pair production is presented. We use our codes to fit snapshot spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of a representative set of Fermi-LAT-detected blazars. We find that the leptonic model provides acceptable fits to the SEDs of almost all blazars with parameters close to equipartition between the magnetic field and the relativistic electron population. However, the hard γ-ray spectrum of AO 0235+164, in contrast to the very steep IR–optical–UV continuum, poses a severe problem for the leptonic model. If charge neutrality in leptonic models is provided by cold protons, the kinetic energy carried by the jet should be dominated by protons. We find satisfactory representations of the snapshot SEDs of most blazars in our sample with the hadronic model presented here. However, in the case of two quasars the characteristic break at a few GeV energies cannot be well modeled. All of our hadronic model fits require powers in relativistic protons in the range Lp ∼ 1047–1049 erg s−1.
Effects of target distance on select biomechanical parameters in taekwondo roundhouse kick

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of target distance on temporal and impact force parameters that are important performance factors in taekwondo kicks. Forty-nine taekwondo athletes (age = 24.5 ± 5.9 years; mass = 79.9 ± 10.8 kg) were recruited: 13 male experts, 21 male novices, 8 female experts, and 6 female novices. Impact force, reaction time, and execution time were computed. Three-way repeated measure ANOVAs revealed significant ‘distance’ effect on impact force, reaction time, and execution time (p = 0.001). Comparisons between distance conditions revealed that taekwondo athletes kicked with higher impact force from short distance (17.6 ± 7.5 N/kg) than from long distance (13.1 ± 5.7 N/kg) (p < 0.001), had lower reaction time from short distance (498 ± 90 ms) and normal distance (521 ± 111 ms) than from long distance (602 ± 121 ms) (p < 0.001), and had lower execution time from short distance (261 ± 69 ms/m) than from normal distance (306 ± 105 ms/m) or from long distance (350 ± 106 ms/m) (p = 0.003 and p < 0.001, respectively). In conclusion, target distance affected the kick performance; as distance increases, impact force decreased and reaction time increased. Therefore, when reaction to a simple visual stimulus is needed, kicking from a long distance is not recommended, as longer time is required to respond.
A New Approach to Performing Bundle Adjustment for Time Series UAV Images 3D Building Change Detection

Successful change detection in multi-temporal images relies on high spatial co-registration accuracy. However, co-registration accuracy alone cannot meet the needs of change detection when using several ground control points to separately geo-reference multi-temporal images from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). This letter reports on a new approach to perform bundle adjustment—named united bundle adjustment (UBA)—to solve this co-registration problem for change detection in multi-temporal UAV images. In UBA, multi-temporal UAV images are matched with each other to construct a unified tie point net. One single bundle adjustment process is performed on the unified tie point net, placing every image into the same coordinate system and thus automatically accomplishing spatial co-registration. We then perform change detection using both orthophotos and three-dimensional height information derived from dense image matching techniques. Experimental results show that UBA co-registration accuracy is higher than the accuracy of commonly-used approaches for multi-temporal UAV images. Our proposed preprocessing method extends the capacities of consumer-level UAVs so they can eventually meet the growing need for automatic building change detection and dynamic monitoring using only RGB band images.
Antes and Hoy DÍa: Plant knowledge and categorization as adaptations to life in Panama in the Twenty-First Century

Ethnobotanical studies often assume plant knowledge is shared by all members of an arbitrarily bounded human group. By describing the uses and local categorization of plants in one village in rural Panama in a heteroglossic approach, the different knowledges within a village are presented in one article. Plants used in the daily work of women and men, and the work of village spe-cialists are described. Villagers negotiate changing realities by adapting plant use and knowl-edge; this is reflected in local categorization of plant names into antes and hoy dia. Unlike the established ethnobotanical assumption that bounded units of plant knowledge are dying, the younger generations of villagers, who work both within and outside the village, know more plants useful to their changing economic opportunities. Subsistence agriculturalists possess the adaptive plant knowledge skills to be stewards of the environment.
O método lógico-histórico nas análises epistemológicas: a experiência brasileira no campo da Educação Física

Diversas pesquisas sobre a producao do conhecimento em Educacao Fisica no Brasil nos ultimos dez anos, registram dificuldades na superacao dos conflitos proprios da construcao de seu campo cientifico. A rivalidade entre as ciencias naturais (Fisica, Anatomia, Biomecânica, Fisiologia, Fisica) e Humanidades e Ciencias Sociais (Pedagogia, Sociologia, Psicologia, Historia, Filosofia), as disputas entre os metodos quantitativos e qualitativos, a busca pela objetividade na pesquisa analitica e explicitacao da subjetividade nas pesquisas interpretativas desafiar os cientistas que analisam essa producao. Estudos sobre a producao de professores portadores de titulos de mestrado e doutorado que atuam na regiao nordeste do Brasil, mostram que estes conflitos podem tambem ser elucidados e compreendidos, interpretando a producao cientifica desde o ponto de vista da epistemologia da praxis e do metodo logico historico. De acordo com a epistemologia da praxis, a pesquisa e o desenvolvimento do campo cientifico devem se originar na pratica e no campo profissional e intelectual e devem dar respostas as necessidades e problemas da pratica. O metodo logico-historico e uma ferramenta de analise epistemologica da producao cientifica que ajuda, em primeiro lugar, a recuperar suas caracteristicas, sua logica interna, o modelo paradigmatico ou epistemologia dominante nas teses, ou relatorios de pesquisa. Em segundo lugar, ajuda a recuperar as condicoes materiais, institucionais e politicas que determinam a producao e revelam sua insercao em perspectivas, tendencias, concepcoes cientificas privilegiadas e a influencia de politicas cientificas, interesses e ideologias sociais dominantes. Os resultados indicam que a formacao do campo cientifico da Educacao Fisica ainda esta na fase da "guerra da ciencia". Confirma-se assim, que a producao cientifica nao e neutra e que obedece a interesses dominantes nas regioes, instituicoes, grupos de pesquisa e estruturas sociais.
In vitro activities of ramoplanin, selected glycopeptides, fluoroquinolones, and other antibiotics against clinical bloodstream isolates of gram-positive cocci

The susceptibilities of 316 gram-positive bacteremic isolates to ramoplanin, vancomycin, and teicoplanin and seven other antibiotics were tested. Ramoplanin demonstrated MICs of < or = 0.25 microgram/ml for at least 99% of Staphylococcus aureus isolates and 100% of coagulase-negative staphylococci tested. For both oxacillin-susceptible and oxacillin-resistant S. aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci, the activity of ramoplanin surpassed those of both vancomycin and teicoplanin. Ramoplanin and teicoplanin had comparable activities against enterococci and Streptococcus pneumoniae and were superior to vancomycin.
Functional Properties of the Neuronal Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor β3 Promoter in the Developing Central Nervous System*

Within the chick central nervous system, expression of the β3 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor gene is restricted to a subset of retinal neurons, the majority of which are ganglion cells. Transient transfection in retinal neurons and in neural and non-neural cells from other regions of the chick embryo allowed the identification of the cis-regulatory domain of the β3 gene. Within this domain, a 75-base pair fragment located immediately upstream of the transcription start site suffices to reproduce the neuron-specific expression pattern of β3. This fragment encompasses an E-box and a CAAT box, both of which are shown to be key positive regulatory elements of the β3 promoter. Co-transfection experiments into retinal, telencephalic, and tectal neurons with plasmid reporters of β3 promoter activity and a number of vectors expressing different neuronal (ASH-1, NeuroM, NeuroD, CTF-4) and non-neuronal (MyoD) basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors indicate that the cis-regulatory domain of β3 has the remarkable property of discriminating accurately between related members of the basic helix-loop-helix protein family. The sequence located immediately 3′ of the E-box participates in this selection, and the E-box acts in concert with the nearby CAAT box.
Brave little yeast, please guide us to Thebes: sphingolipid function in S. cerevisiae

Sphingolipids typically cover the exoplasmic leaflet of the plasma membrane of eukaryotic cells. They differ from the more abundant glycerophospholipids in that they contain ceramide instead of diacylglycerol as a hydrophobic anchor. Why did nature choose to invent this complex class of lipids, and why do eukaryotic cells follow elaborate remodelling pathways in order to generate dozens to hundreds of different molecular species of sphingolipid, depending on cell type? Yeast may, once again, serve as a model to dissect sphingolipid function at various levels. Almost the complete pathway for sphingolipid synthesis in yeast has been uncovered during the past two decades. More recently, key enzymes in sphingolipid degradation and signalling have been identified. Together with a wealth of genetic data obtained from the characterization of various suppressor mutants, this information now allows for an unprecedented analysis of sphingolipid function in this organism. This overview summarizes recent data on sphingolipid function in cell signalling, their role in the heat‐stress response and Ca2+ homeostasis, and addresses their function in transport of glycosylphosphatidylinositol‐anchored proteins. BioEssays 21:1004–1010, 1999. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Obesity among Schoolchildren in Developing Countries

The threat of worldwide obesity in children is a reality and has become pandemic. Previously a concern of only developed countries, rapid, escalating rates of overweight children now dominate the public health concerns of middle-and low-income nations as well. There are, of course, many influences that have literally shaped the global population, but there is also a recent observable pattern that is shared by those developing countries with increasingly obese children: a grand structural shift in diet and activity levels on every continent and in every region has occurred in the last quarter century, accompanied by rising rates of obesity. Two central public health concerns drive the need for effective interventions: the immediate health of children and the imminently crushing blow that is coming to health care systems and developing economies due to high rates of chronic disease. In developed nations, the role of gatekeeper has shifted to childcare providers, media, and schools, but in the developing world the traditional role of the mother as home manager has remained intact. Accepting the mother as the primary care provider within the child's nuclear environment places the mother as the guardian of the family's resources, which may be a viable alternative to the types of health-promotion efforts found in past ineffective models.