Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Regulatory focus and adherence to self-care behaviors among adults with type 2 diabetes

Abstract The aims of this study were, first, to test the association between regulatory focus of adults with type 2 diabetes and their adherence to two types of self-care behaviors – lifestyle change (e.g. physical activity and diet) and medical care regimens (blood-glucose monitoring, foot care and medication usage). Second, to explore whether a fit between the message framing and patients’ regulatory focus would improve their intentions to adhere specifically when the type of behavior fits the patients’ regulatory focus as well. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 130 adults with type 2 diabetes who were hospitalized in an academic medical center. The patients completed a set of questionnaires that included their diabetes self-care activities, regulatory focus, self-esteem and demographic, socioeconomic and clinical data. In addition, participants were exposed to either a gain-framed or a loss-framed message, and were then asked to indicate their intention to improve adherence to self-care behaviors. A multivariable linear regression model revealed that promoters reported higher adherence to lifestyle change behaviors than preventers did (B = .60, p = .028). However, no effect of regulatory focus on adherence to medical care regimens was found (B = .46, p = .114). In addition, preventers reported higher intentions to adhere to medical care behaviors when the message framing was congruent with prevention focus (B = 1.16, p = .023). However, promoters did not report higher intentions to adhere to lifestyle behaviors when the message framing was congruent with promotion focus (B = −.16, p = .765). These findings justify the need to develop tailor-made interventions that are adjusted to both patients’ regulatory focus and type of health behavior.
Generalising human demonstration data by identifying affordance symmetries in object interaction trajectories

This paper concerns modelling human hand or tool trajectories when interacting with everyday objects. In these interactions symmetries may be exhibited in portions of the trajectories which can be used to identify task space redundancy. This paper presents a formal description of a set of these symmetries, which we term affordance symmetries, and a method to identify them in multiple demonstration recordings. The approach is robust to arbitrary motion before and after the symmetry artifact and relies only on recorded trajectory data. To illustrate the method's performance two examples are discussed involving two different types of symmetries. An simple illustration of the application of the concept in reproduction planning is also provided.
Parenting beliefs and academic achievement across African-American and Caucasian family contexts

The purpose of this research was to examine the role of parents' child-rearing beliefs in determining the academic achievement of African-American and Caucasian children, with a particular emphasis on describing the differential impact of parenting beliefs across these family contexts. Models were specified in which third-grade academic outcome measures (teacher ratings and standardised assessments) were regressed on a composite variable representing the cumulative parenting beliefs between infancy and the transition to school, along with demographic controls. Across models, traditional parenting beliefs uniquely negatively impacted subsequent achievement across ethnicities and there was a moderating impact of ethnicity such that African-American children were more adversely affected by traditional beliefs than were Caucasian children. These results suggest that traditional child-rearing beliefs represent a risk factor for poorer academic achievement for both African-American and Caucasian children and may represent an important factor contributing to ethnic-group differences in school achievement.
Bayesian Learning of Kernel Embeddings

Kernel methods are one of the mainstays of machine learning, but the problem of kernel learning remains challenging, with only a few heuristics and very little theory. This is of particular importance in methods based on estimation of kernel mean embeddings of probability measures. For characteristic kernels, which include most commonly used ones, the kernel mean embedding uniquely determines its probability measure, so it can be used to design a powerful statistical testing framework, which includes nonparametric two-sample and independence tests. In practice, however, the performance of these tests can be very sensitive to the choice of kernel and its lengthscale parameters. To address this central issue, we propose a new probabilistic model for kernel mean embeddings, the Bayesian Kernel Embedding model, combining a Gaussian process prior over the Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Space containing the mean embedding with a conjugate likelihood function, thus yielding a closed form posterior over the mean embedding. The posterior mean of our model is closely related to recently proposed shrinkage estimators for kernel mean embeddings, while the posterior uncertainty is a new, interesting feature with various possible applications. Critically for the purposes of kernel learning, our model gives a simple, closed form marginal pseudolikelihood of the observed data given the kernel hyperparameters. This marginal pseudolikelihood can either be optimized to inform the hyperparameter choice or fully Bayesian inference can be used.
Process variation effects on ΔIDDQ testing of CMOS data converters

We present, implementation of a built-in current sensor (BICS) which takes into account the increased background current of defect-free circuits and the effects of process variation on ? IDDQ testing of CMOS data converters. A 12-bit digital-to-analog converter (DAC) is designed as the circuit under test (CUT). The BICS uses frequency as the output for fault detection in CUT. A fault is detected if it causes the output frequency to deviate more than ±10% from the reference frequency. The output frequencies of the BICS for various (MOSIS) model parameters are simulated to check for the effect of process variation on the frequency deviation. A set of eight faults simulating manufacturing defects in CMOS data converters are injected using fault-injection transistors and tested successfully.
Understanding Cloud Adoption Decisions in the Public Sector

Cloud computing is bringing significant changes in the way that public organizations interact with information systems. Existing research exploring cloud computing adoption in the public sector tends to privilege the technological factors. This paper contributes to the understanding of cloud computing adoption decisions in the public sector by also considering the organizational and environmental contexts of the adoption. By drawing on diffusion of innovation literature, we analyze the results of 21 interviews conducted across six European countries. The results of the study reveal that the adoption of cloud computing in the public sector is viewed with optimism and highlight that most of the factors that hinder the adoption are relevant to the environmental context.
Job control and occupational health: The moderating role of national R&D activity

Workers (n = 17 275) from 14 European Union (EU) member states provided data on job control, job dissatisfaction, perceived risk of occupational stress, and absence. For each state, level of research and development (R&D) activity was assessed. Associations between individual levels of control and occupational health were stronger where national R&D activity was higher. The moderation occurred for individuals' levels of control in relation to job dissatisfaction, perceived risk of occupational stress, and absence. The findings with job dissatisfaction and absence were replicated in a sample of workers from 10 Eastern European former Communist countries (n = 7926). Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Role of Cardiac Receptor and Arterial Baroreceptor Reflexes in Control of the Circulation during Acute Change of Blood Volume in the Conscious Rabbit

We have studied overall reflex control of the circulation by the arterial baroreceptors and cardiac receptors during acute change of blood volume in seven conscious rabbits. A factorial experimental design allowed analysis of the direction, magnitude, and significance of the reflex effects of independent input from each set of receptors, and the reflex interactions when the inputs were combined. Right atrial pressure, arterial pressure, systemic vascular resistance, cardiac output, and heart rate were measured during acute, graded, isohemic change of blood volume over the range ±27%. This was done with both reflexes present, only the arterial baroreceptor reflex present (intrapericardial 2% procaine), only the cardiac receptor reflex present (surgical baroreceptor denervation), and with both reflexes absent. As blood volume was depleted, the arterial baroreceptor reflex independently increased systemic vascular resistance and sustained arterial pressure, but the cardiac receptor reflex had no significant independent or interactive effects. As blood volume was expanded, each reflex had an independent effect in decreasing systemic vascular resistance and preventing arterial pressure from rising, the cardiac receptor reflex being the more powerful. Their effect in combination on systemic vascular resistance and arterial pressure was only two-fifths of the sum of their independent effects, so that they interacted negatively. In combination, the reflexes supported right atrial pressure during blood loss, despite their negative interaction, but did not significantly affect the relation of cardiac output to blood volume change in either direction. Thus both reflexes have important actions in moderating the overall effects of acute blood volume changes in conscious rabbits, but these are markedly diminished by their interactions.
Evolving Childhood's Length and Learning Parameters in an Intrinsically Motivated Reinforcement Learning Robot

The capacity of re-using previously acquired skills can greatly enhance robots’ learning speed and behavioral complexity. ‘Intrinsically Motivated Reinforcement Learning (IMRL)’ is a framework that exploits this idea and proposes to build agents capable of solving several speciflc tasks by assembling general-purpose building-block behaviors (‘skills’) previously acquired on the basis of ‘intrinsic motivations’. This paper proposes a novel neural-network hierarchical reinforcement-learning architecture which exploits ‘evolutionary robotics (ER)’ techniques that not only allow tackling important limits of IMRL, as shown in previous papers, but they also allow investigating two other important issues, namely: (1) the optimization of the parameters that regulate the architecture’s learning processes; (2) the optimization of the time the architecture dedicates to the acquisition of the skills’ repertoire. These two issues are investigated here through a simulated robot engaged in solving compositional path-following navigation tasks. The results obtained indicate that the proposed approach allows obtaining a remarkable improvement of performance of the architecture, while at the same time decreasing the time the system needs to learn the skills, with respect to cases where hand-tuned parameters are used.
Generation of a Family-specific Phage Library of Llama Single Chain Antibody Fragments That Neutralize HIV-1*

Recently, we described llama antibody fragments (VHH) that can neutralize human immunodeficiency virus, type 1 (HIV-1). These VHH were obtained after selective elution of phages carrying an immune library raised against gp120 of HIV-1 subtype B/C CN54 with soluble CD4. We describe here a new, family-specific approach to obtain the largest possible diversity of related VHH that compete with soluble CD4 for binding to the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein. The creation of this family-specific library of homologous VHH has enabled us to isolate phages carrying similar nucleotide sequences as the parental VHH. These VHH displayed varying binding affinities and neutralization phenotypes to a panel of different strains and subtypes of HIV-1. Sequence analysis of the homologs showed that the C-terminal three amino acids of the CDR3 loop were crucial in determining the specificity of these VHH for different subtype C HIV-1 strains. There was a positive correlation between affinity of VHH binding to gp120 of HIV-1 IIIB and the breadth of neutralization of diverse HIV-1 envelopes. The family-specific approach has therefore allowed us to better understand the interaction of the CD4-binding site antibodies with virus strain specificity and has potential use for the bioengineering of antibodies and HIV-1 vaccine development.
Selection of alternative G-mediated signaling pathways at the dopamine D2 receptor by protein kinase C

Evidence indicates that a single membrane receptor subtype may be responsible for the generation of multiple intracellular signals, but mechanisms allowing for the selection of a specific effector pathway have not yet been documented. In neurons and other cells, the stimulation of dopamine D2 receptors produces, via G-protein activation, a spectrum of intracellular responses including inhibition of adenylyl cyclase activity, modulation of K+ currents, and potentiation of Ca(2+)-evoked arachidonic acid (AA) release. In this study, we report that, in Chinese hamster ovary cells, stimulation of protein kinase C (PKC) directs the preferential coupling of transfected D2 receptors from inhibition of adenylyl cyclase to potentiation of AA release, two responses mediated by Gi. The switch between these two signaling systems is accompanied by marked changes in their GTP sensitivities, indicating that it may result from the phosphorylation of component(s) of the receptor-Gi-protein complex. Brain PKC activity is enhanced by neurotransmitters and by neuronal depolarization. Thus, the ability of this protein kinase to remodel signaling pathways at the D2 receptor may regulate these Gi-mediated responses in an activity- dependent manner, and represent a novel form of synaptic plasticity.
Glucocorticoids Mediate Short-Term High-Fat Diet Induction of Neuroinflammatory Priming, the NLRP3 Inflammasome, and the Danger Signal HMGB1

Abstract The impact of the foods we eat on metabolism and cardiac physiology has been studied for decades, yet less is known about the effects of foods on the CNS, or the behavioral manifestations that may result from these effects. Previous studies have shown that long-term consumption of high-fat foods leading to diet-induced obesity sensitizes the inflammatory response of the brain to subsequent challenging stimuli, causing deficits in the formation of long-term memories. The new findings reported here demonstrate that short-term consumption of a high-fat diet (HFD) produces the same outcomes, thus allowing the examination of mechanisms involved in this process long before obesity and associated comorbidities occur. Rats fed an HFD for 3 d exhibited increases in corticosterone, the inflammasome-associated protein NLRP3 (nod-like receptor protein 3), and the endogenous danger signal HMGB1 (high-mobility group box 1) in the hippocampus. A low-dose (10 μg/kg) lipopolysaccharide (LPS) immune challenge potentiated the neuroinflammatory response in the hippocampus of rats fed the HFD, and caused a deficit in the formation of long-term memory, effects not observed in rats fed regular chow. The blockade of corticosterone action with the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist mifepristone prevented the NLRP3 and HMGB1 increases in unchallenged animals, normalized the proinflammatory response to LPS, and prevented the memory impairment. These data suggest that short-term HFD consumption increases vulnerability to memory disruptions caused by an immune challenge by upregulating important neuroinflammatory priming and danger signals in the hippocampus, and that these effects are mediated by increases in hippocampal corticosterone.
The Promise of Bacteriophage Therapy for Burkholderia cepacia Complex Respiratory Infections

In recent times, increased attention has been given to evaluating the efficacy of phage therapy, especially in scenarios where the bacterial infectious agent of interest is highly antibiotic resistant. In this regard, phage therapy is especially applicable to infections caused by the Burkholderia cepacia complex (BCC) since members of the BCC are antibiotic pan-resistant. Current studies in BCC phage therapy are unique from many other avenues of phage therapy research in that the investigation is not only comprised of phage isolation, in vitro phage characterization and assessment of in vivo infection model efficacy, but also adapting aerosol drug delivery techniques to aerosol phage formulation delivery and storage.
On using peer profiles to create self-organizing P2P networks

Searching and organization of peers are fundamental challenges in P2P networks. Unstructured networks, such as Gnutella, inefficiently use broadcast searches and random neighbors. Structured networks are similarly inefficient, as they generally rely on globally unique identifiers (GUIDs) which are assigned irrespective of content, which prevents fuzzy semantic searches. In both types of network search, neighbors establish trust between themselves, regardless of whether or not their content is likely to satisfy searches. We present the idea of using context-based profiles to describe peers. This enables self-organizing clusters of similar peers. A profile represents a peer's expertise based on content and responsiveness. By refining the search process using these profiles, more efficient directed searches are possible. Moreover, expertise provides a basis for trust establishment.
Rights and ratios? Evaluating the relationship between social rights and immigration

Since 1960 citizens of many industrialised democracies have obtained greater rights, including access to social welfare programmes. Several countries have also offered similar rights to immigrants. Some researchers hypothesise that, as a result of extending rights to immigrants, these countries face constraints in relation to the reduction of immigration flows. We evaluate this rights-based hypothesis by comparing long-term immigration of children and older adults to nine countries over a 25-year period. We find the rights-based hypothesis is a strong explanation for immigration of children, but is not the key to evaluating entry of older immigrants.
Stability conditions for polynomial T-S fuzzy systems using a sum of squares approach

This paper focuses on deriving stability conditions for continuous-time polynomial Takagi-Sugeno systems using a sum of squares (SOS) approach. The stability conditions proposed are based on exploring the properties of the time derivatives of premise membership functions, using the concept of decay rate in the multiple polynomial Lyapunov function. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated by some numerical examples.
Shannon capacity of signal transduction for multiple independent receptors

Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) is considered a model system for signal transduction, the mechanism by which cells exchange chemical messages. Our previous work calculated the Shannon capacity of a single cAMP receptor; however, a typical cell may have thousands of receptors operating in parallel. In this paper, we calculate the capacity of a cAMP signal transduction system with an arbitrary number of independent, indistinguishable receptors. By leveraging prior results on feedback capacity for a single receptor, we show (somewhat unexpectedly) that the capacity is achieved by an IID input distribution, and that the capacity for n receptors is n times the capacity for a single receptor.
A survey of plasma irregularities as seen by the midlatitude Blackstone SuperDARN radar

[1] The Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) is a chain of HF radars that monitor plasma dynamics in the ionosphere. In recent years, SuperDARN has expanded to midlatitudes in order to provide enhanced coverage during geomagnetically active periods. A new type of backscatter from F region plasma irregularities with low Doppler velocity has been frequently observed on the nightside during quiescent conditions. Using three years of data from the Blackstone, VA radar, we have implemented a method for extracting this new type of backscatter from routine observations. We have statistically characterized the occurrence properties of the Sub Auroral Ionospheric Scatter (SAIS) events, including the latitudinal relationships to the equatorward edge of the auroral oval and the ionospheric projection of the plasmapause. We find that the backscatter is confined to local night, occurs on ≈70% of nights, is fixed in geomagnetic latitude, and is equatorward of both the auroral region and the plasmapause boundary. We conclude that SAIS irregularities are observed within a range of latitudes that is conjugate to the inner magnetosphere (plasmasphere).
The Spitzer c2d Survey of Nearby Dense Cores. III. Low-Mass Star Formation in a Small Group, L1251B

We present a comprehensive study of a low-mass star-forming region, L1251B, at wavelengths from the near-infrared to the millimeter. L1251B, in which only one protostar, IRAS 22376+7455, was known previously, is confirmed to be a small group of protostars on the basis of observations with the Spitzer Space Telescope. The most luminous source of L1251B is located 5'' north of the IRAS position. A near-infrared bipolar nebula, which is not associated with the brightest object and is located at the southeast corner of L1251B, has been detected in the IRAC bands. OVRO and SMA interferometric observations indicate that the brightest source and the bipolar nebula source in the IRAC bands are deeply embedded disk sources. Submillimeter continuum observations with single-dish telescopes and the SMA interferometric observations suggest two possible prestellar objects with very high column densities. Outside of the small group, many young stellar object candidates have been detected over a larger region of 12′ × 12′. Extended emission to the east of L1251B has been detected at 850 μm; this "east core" may be a site for future star formation since no point source has been detected with IRAC or MIPS. This region is therefore a possible example of low-mass cluster formation, where a small group of pre- and protostellar objects (L1251B) is currently forming, alongside a large starless core (the east core).