Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Factors related to coping with physical and instrumental activities of daily living among people born in 1904–1923

Functional ability is affected by a number of different factors, including biological ageing, illness, and living environment. This study was concerned with the connections of functional ability with mood and cognitive capacity in elderly individuals. It forms part of a cross‐sectional study which was carried out in 1988, involving two random samples of 800 non‐institutionalized persons born in 1904–1913 and 1914–1923. Functional ability tests included 18 questions; eight concerned coping with physical activities of daily living (PADL) and 10 instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). Depressive symptoms and cognitive capacity were examined by tests. In addition, there was a set of questions concerning health status and socioeconomic situation. Regression models (LISREL) were used to identify factors associated with PADL and IADL activities. In the younger age group, 68% of the men and 65% of the women had no difficulty in coping with PADL activities. The figures for the older group were 58% and 37%, respectively. Difficulties were reported more frequently with IADL activities. In the older age group 17% of the men and 10% of the women coped with no difficulty. In all activities difficulties tended to increase with age, and more so among women than men. The explanatory factors that emerged from the regression models as most significant were the number of chronic illnesses, the number of depressive symptoms and cognitive capacity.
Human Territorial Functioning: An Empirical, Evolutionary Perspective on Individual and Small Group Territorial Cognitions, Behaviors, and Consequences

1. Introduction Part I. Origins of Human Territorial Functioning: 2. Territorial Functioning and Related Processes in Different Species 3. The Origins of Human Territorial Functioning 4. Theoretical Perspectives on Interpreting Territorial Functioning: Exactly How did it Evolve? Part II. A Conceptual Model of Human Territorial Functioning: 5. A Perspective on Human Territorial Functioning 6. Clarifying Psychological and Ecological Consequences Part III. Territorial Functioning in Settings of Varying Centrality: 7. Interior Residential Settings 8. Territorial Functioning in Outdoor Residential Spaces Close to the Home 9. Regular Use Settings 10. Minimal Territorial Functioning Part IV. Applications to Social Problems: 11. Disorder 12. Resource Conservatism Part V. Review and Prospects: 13. Summary of the General Line of Argument and its Implications 14 Future Directions for Research and Application.
Spin-Fluctuation-Driven Superconductivity in the Kondo Lattice Model

Superconductivity in solids usually arises due to the generation of an attractive effective interaction between fermions close to the Fermi energy by some bosonic fluctuations. In the conventional theory, these are phonons, but in correlated electron systems like the cuprates or heavy fermions, one believes that the relevant bosonic degrees of freedom are the spin fluctuations. In this context, one usually argues that standard s-wave superconductivity cannot be formed as these spin fluctuations in general lead to a repulsive local interaction. Recently, we observed s-wave superconductivity in the Kondo lattice model using the dynamical mean-field approach. We can indeed show that this superconducting (SC) solution is due to local spin fluctuations arising from the Kondo effect. The reason for these fluctuations mediating an effective attractive interaction lies in the special properties of the heavy electron ground state, i.e., the formation of hybridized bands. Using a simple model, we can show that it is indeed an interband coupling that is largely responsible for the observed SC state. Such an observation is possibly rather interesting also concerning the situation in the pnictide superconductors.
Identification of MicroRNA as Sepsis Biomarker Based on miRNAs Regulatory Network Analysis

Sepsis is regarded as arising from an unusual systemic response to infection but the physiopathology of sepsis remains elusive. At present, sepsis is still a fatal condition with delayed diagnosis and a poor outcome. Many biomarkers have been reported in clinical application for patients with sepsis, and claimed to improve the diagnosis and treatment. Because of the difficulty in the interpreting of clinical features of sepsis, some biomarkers do not show high sensitivity and specificity. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs which pair the sites in mRNAs to regulate gene expression in eukaryotes. They play a key role in inflammatory response, and have been validated to be potential sepsis biomarker recently. In the present work, we apply a miRNA regulatory network based method to identify novel microRNA biomarkers associated with the early diagnosis of sepsis. By analyzing the miRNA expression profiles and the miRNA regulatory network, we obtained novel miRNAs associated with sepsis. Pathways analysis, disease ontology analysis, and protein-protein interaction network (PIN) analysis, as well as ROC curve, were exploited to testify the reliability of the predicted miRNAs. We finally identified 8 novel miRNAs which have the potential to be sepsis biomarkers.
Haemophilus influenzae phasevarions have evolved from type III DNA restriction systems into epigenetic regulators of gene expression

Phase variably expressed (randomly switching) methyltransferases associated with type III restriction-modification (R-M) systems have been identified in a variety of pathogenic bacteria. We have previously shown that a phase variable methyltransferase (Mod) associated with a type III R-M system in Haemophilus influenzae strain Rd coordinates the random switching of expression of multiple genes, and constitutes a phase variable regulon—‘phasevarion’. We have now identified the recognition site for the Mod methyltransferase in H. influenzae strain Rd as 5′-CGAAT-3′. This is the same recognition site as the previously described HinfIII system. A survey of 59 H. influenzae strains indicated significant sequence heterogeneity in the central, variable region of the mod gene associated with target site recognition. Intra- and inter-strain transformation experiments using Mod methylated or non-methylated plasmids, and a methylation site assay demonstrated that the sequence heterogeneity seen in the region encoding target site specificity does correlate to distinct target sites. Mutations were identified within the res gene in several strains surveyed indicating that Res is not functional. These data suggest that evolution of this type III R-M system into an epigenetic mechanism for controlling gene expression has, in some strains, resulted in loss of the DNA restriction function.
Heterogeneity of the Left Temporal Lobe in Semantic Representation and Control: Priming Multiple versus Single Meanings of Ambiguous Words

Semantic judgments involve both representations of meaning plus executive mechanisms that guide knowledge retrieval in a task-appropriate way. These 2 components of semantic cognition—representation and control—are commonly linked to left temporal and prefrontal cortex, respectively. This simple proposal, however, remains contentious because in most functional neuroimaging studies to date, the number of concepts being activated and the involvement of executive processes during retrieval are confounded. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we examined a task in which semantic representation and control demands were dissociable. Words with multiple meanings like “bank” served as targets in a double-prime paradigm, in which multiple meaning activation and maximal executive demands loaded onto different priming conditions. Anterior inferior temporal gyrus (ITG) was sensitive to the number of meanings that were retrieved, suggesting a role for this region in semantic representation, while posterior middle temporal gyrus (pMTG) and inferior frontal cortex showed greater activation in conditions that maximized executive demands. These results support a functional dissociation between left ITG and pMTG, consistent with a revised neural organization in which left prefrontal and posterior temporal areas work together to underpin aspects of semantic control.
Gender Differences in Social and Emotional Skills and Charismatic Leadership

The relationships among leader gender, social and emotional skills, and charismatic leadership were examined from a dataset of 108 senior leaders and 325 of their direct followers in numerous organizations, including universities, government agencies, and for-profit companies. Results showed that female leaders scored higher on social and emotional skills, and follower ratings of charismatic leadership, while social and emotional skills mediated the relationship between leader gender and charismatic leadership. Surprisingly, leader tenure predicted leader social skills but was unrelated to leader emotional skills, which demonstrated the strongest relationship to leader gender and charismatic leadership. Implications for theory, practice, and future research are discussed.
Behavioral/systems/cognitive Controlling Bursting in Cortical Cultures with Closed-loop Multi-electrode Stimulation

One of the major modes of activity of high-density cultures of dissociated neurons is globally synchronized bursting. Unlike in vivo, neuronal ensembles in culture maintain activity patterns dominated by global bursts for the lifetime of the culture (up to 2 years). We hypothesize that persistence of bursting is caused by a lack of input from other brain areas. To study this hypothesis, we grew small but dense monolayer cultures of cortical neurons and glia from rat embryos on multi-electrode arrays and used electrical stimulation to substitute for afferents. We quantified the burstiness of the firing of the cultures in spontaneous activity and during several stimulation protocols. Although slow stimulation through individual electrodes increased burstiness as a result of burst entrainment, rapid stimulation reduced burstiness. Distributing stimuli across several electrodes, as well as continuously fine-tuning stimulus strength with closed-loop feedback, greatly enhanced burst control. We conclude that externally applied electrical stimulation can substitute for natural inputs to cortical neuronal ensembles in transforming burst-dominated activity to dispersed spiking, more reminiscent of the awake cortex in vivo. This nonpharmacological method of controlling bursts will be a critical tool for exploring the information processing capacities of neuronal ensembles in vitro and has potential applications for the treatment of epilepsy.
We Can Hear You with Wi-Fi!

Recent literature advances Wi-Fi signals to “see” people's motions and locations. This paper asks the following question: Can Wi-Fi “hear” our talks? We present WiHear, which enables Wi-Fi signals to “hear” our talks without deploying any devices. To achieve this, WiHear needs to detect and analyze fine-grained radio reflections from mouth movements. WiHear solves this micro-movement detection problem by introducing Mouth Motion Profile that leverages partial multipath effects and wavelet packet transformation. Since Wi-Fi signals do not require line-of-sight, WiHear can “hear” people talks within the radio range. Further, WiHear can simultaneously “hear” multiple people's talks leveraging MIMO technology. We implement WiHear on both USRP N210 platform and commercial Wi-Fi infrastructure. Results show that within our pre-defined vocabulary, WiHear can achieve detection accuracy of 91 percent on average for single individual speaking no more than six words and up to 74 percent for no more than three people talking simultaneously. Moreover, the detection accuracy can be further improved by deploying multiple receivers from different angles.
A term dependency-based approach for query terms ranking

Formulating appropriate and effective queries has been regarded as a challenging issue, since a large number of candidate words or phrases could be chosen as query terms to convey users' information needs. In this paper, we propose an approach to rank a set of given query terms according their effectiveness, wherein top ranked terms will be selected as an effective query. Our ranking approach exploits and benefits from the underlying relationship between the query terms, and thereby the effective terms can be properly combined into the query. Two regression models which capture a rich set of linguistic and statistical properties are used in our approach. Experiments on NTCIR-4 ad-hoc retrieval tasks demonstrate that the proposed approach can significantly improve retrieval performance, and can be well applied to other problems such as query expansion and querying by text segments.
Potential expats in Singaporean organizations

Purpose – With globalization and accompanying expatriation becoming a reality for developed countries, including those that have recently arrived in Southeast Asia, this study explored the effects of family and personal characteristics on Singaporeans’ willingness to accept an expat assignment.Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from a random sample of 191 managers and engineers across a number of organizations in Singapore.Findings – The results indicated that the perception of a negative influence on family members has a negative impact on Singapore engineers and managers intention to accept an international assignment. Further, both need for achievement and perseverance personal characteristics had a positive impact on intention for an international assignment.Originality/value – The study findings suggest how international human resource manager can provide help to expatriates and their family in dealing with family issues related to expatriation.
A comparison of new methods for generating energy-minimizing configurations of patchy particles

Increasingly complex particles are pushing the limits of traditional simulation techniques used to study self-assembly. In this work, we test the use of a learning-augmented Monte Carlo method for predicting low energy configurations of patchy particles shaped like “Tetris®” pieces. We extend this method to compare it against Monte Carlo simulations with cluster moves and introduce a new algorithm—bottom-up building block assembly—for quickly generating ordered configurations of particles with a hierarchy of interaction energies.
Effect of resource availability on biparental care, and offspring neural and behavioral development in the California mouse (Peromyscus californicus)

Maternal care influences cognitive function in humans, primates and rodents; however, little is known about the effect of biparental care. Environmental factors such as resource availability play an important role in modulating parental investment strategies with subsequent effects on the offspring. Thus, we examined the interaction between foraging demand and biparental care on hippocampal development and novel object recognition in the monogamous, biparental California mouse. We characterized biparental behavior for 15 days in families exposed to either control (ad libitum feeding) or a high‐foraging demand across the weaning period. Adult male offspring were then tested in the open field, and for novel object and place recognition, as well as for hippocampal synaptic density and the expression of genes encoding for subunits of the N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA) receptor complex, and the postsynaptic density (PSD)‐95 scaffolding protein. Under high‐foraging demand, the mothers' body weight was decreased at weaning and fathers spent significantly less time in contact with pups. Offspring reared under high‐foraging demand weighed less at weaning and, as adults, were more fearful in the open field and showed profound deficits in both novel object and place recognition. While synaptic density and NR1 mRNA expression were unaffected, offspring reared under high‐foraging demand showed increased NR2A and decreased NR2B mRNA expression. Further, PSD‐95 protein expression was decreased in mice reared under high‐foraging demand. Together, the results suggest that resource availability affects biparental investment strategies, with subsequent effects on hippocampal development and novel object recognition in the offspring.
An intelligent algorithm: MACO for continuous optimization models

Ant colony optimization algorithm is a metaheuristic approach for the solutions of combinatorial optimization problems. In order to solve continuous optimization models, a new intelligent algorithm MACO combining a mutation ant colony optimization algorithm and a simulated annealing method is designed. Experiments and comparison with other metaheuristic methods by some test functions are shown the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
Sport as a catalyst for cooperation: Why sport dialogue between the two Koreas succeeds in some cases but not in others

There is a wide belief that sport has a positive utility in the diplomatic arena and can be used as a catalyst for cooperation. The very instrumental effectiveness of sport gave a birth to the idea that sport can be used effectively to promote contact between or among hostile countries. This idea was adopted by the governments of the two Koreas and a sport agenda was used as a pretext for initiating official dialogues between the two countries. Throughout the history of South–North dialogues, we can find some cases of success and other cases of failure. Some successful dialogues brought concrete results of cooperation, while other unsuccessful dialogues ended only as pre-steps that did not develop into cooperation or negotiation. Thus our attention should go to two directions. One is “what is the main force which drove the two Koreas to open a sport dialogue? ” The other is to find out “why sport dialogues between the two Koreas succeed in some cases but not others”. This article aims to review the role of sport as an instrument or a catalyst for cooperation. The author divides the whole period of dialogues into several phases and examines the role of sport. After reviewing the success and failure of dialogues, the author argues for sport to be used as a tool for dialogue, the strategic choice of the actors being the prerequisite. The author emphasizes that strategic choices made by the governments of the two Koreas play an important role when casting sport as an instrument to develop relations, which is explained with the framework of simple 2 × 2 games. In line with this, this article explores the strategic thoughts of the two Koreas by reviewing the political intentions, situations of the time, contextual connectivity and strategic thinkings of two Koreas.
Using stacks to impose tangency conditions on curves

We define a Deligne-Mumford stack XD,r which depends on a scheme X, an effective Cartier divisor D ⊂ X, and a positive integer r. Then we show that the Abramovich-Vistoli moduli stack of stable maps into XD,r provides compactifications of the locally closed substacks of M g,n(X, β) corresponding to relative stable maps.
Ion kinetics and symmetric charge-transfer collisions in low-current, diffuse (Townsend) discharges in argon and nitrogen.

Translational kinetic-energy distributions of mass-selected ions have been measured in diffuse, low-current Townsend-type discharges at high electric field-to-gas density ratios (E/N) in the range of 1\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}18}$--2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}17}$ V ${\mathrm{m}}^{2}$ (1--20 kTd). The discharges were generated in Ar and ${\mathrm{N}}_{2}$ under uniform-field conditions and ion energies were measured using a cylindrical-mirror energy analyzer coupled to a quadrupole mass spectrometer. The mean ion energies determined from measured energy distributions of ${\mathrm{Ar}}^{+}$ in Ar and ${\mathrm{N}}_{2}^{+}$ in ${\mathrm{N}}_{2}$ are compared with the mean energies predicted from solutions of the Boltzmann transport equation based on the assumption that symmetric resonant charge transfer is the predominant ion-neutral interaction. The results for ${\mathrm{Ar}}^{+}$ and ${\mathrm{N}}_{2}^{+}$ are consistent with predictions made using a constant (energy independent) cross section for which an effective ion temperature can be defined. However, for both ions, the measured mean energies tend to fall increasingly below the predicted values as E/N increases. The possible causes and significance of the differences between the measured and calculated mean ion energies are examined by considering collisions other than charge transfer that can affect ion energies as well as uncertainties in the charge-transfer cross sections used in the calculations. Measurements were also made of the relative contributions from ${\mathrm{N}}^{+}$ and ${\mathrm{Ar}}^{++}$ to the ion flux. Over the E/N range of interest, ${\mathrm{N}}^{+}$ accounts for less than 15% of the ion flux in nitrogen and ${\mathrm{Ar}}^{++}$ accounts for less than 5% of the ion flux in argon.
What Does it Take? Successful Alaska Native Students at the University of Alaska Fairbanks

This is a descriptive, qualitative study of successful, Alaska Native students at the upper-division and graduate levels at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Two focus groups were held during spring of 1999, at the university that explored factors contributing to students' academic success and factors acting as barriers to students' academic success. Because more Alaska Native females than Alaska Native males attend and graduate from the university, the groups interviewed were divided along gender lines. Identified as contributing to students' academic success were persistence and hard work; financial support from Native Corporations, family support (both emotional and financial); employment; and the availability of developmental classes on campus (described as important in assisting them to develop academic skills they felt they lacked). Identified as barriers to academic success at the higher education level included poor academic preparation, especially at the high school level, difficulty in financing their college education, inadequate childcare, lack of affordable housing, and a difficulty in speaking up in class (a possible cultural difference that students in this study learned to mediate). Students offered practical advice to other potential Alaska Native students and provided suggestions to university administrators. Gender differences were found in students' responses in reporting perceived or real discrimination or bias at the university. All students reported experiences with discrimination or bias against Alaska Natives in and out of the university setting. Liberal use of students' comments were used throughout this study.
TCP Performance over Wi-Fi: Joint Impact of Buffer and Channel Losses

We propose an analytical model for a Wi-Fi network acting as a last-mile Internet access with multiple long-lived TCP connections on both the up and down links. Our model considers the joint impact of buffer losses at the access point, contention at the medium access control layer, and packet losses due to the wireless channel being erroneous. We show that the model accurately quantifies the probability of an arbitrary TCP packet being discarded, and the total throughput obtained on the up and down links. Furthermore, quantitative insights can be gained into the throughput that long-lived TCP flows achieve under the joint impact of all aforementioned types of losses. In particular, we find that the wireless channel errors and buffer overflows both lead to throughput unfairness, but that they do so in the opposite direction on the up and down links, respectively. We demonstrate that this insight can be exploited so as to significantly mitigate the throughput unfairness without compromising the total obtainable network throughput.