Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characteristics of extracurricular physical activity and cognitive performance in adolescents. The AVENA study

Abstract The aim of this report was to examine the associations between some characteristics (i.e., structure and number) of extracurricular physical activity (EPA) and cognitive performance in adolescents. A total of 1662 adolescents (880 girls; 13.0–18.5 years) from 5 Spanish cities (Granada, Madrid, Murcia, Santander and Zaragoza) were included in this study. Structure (organised and non-organised) and number of EPAs, and participation at vigorous intensity during EPA were self-reported. Cognitive performance (verbal, numeric and reasoning abilities, and an overall score) was measured with the “SRA-Test of Educational Ability”. Results showed that vigorous EPA was positively associated with all cognitive variables. Adolescents who practiced an organised EPA had higher scores in 3 of the 4 cognitive variables than those who practiced a non-organised EPA (all P < 0.05). Likewise, the group who participated in more than one EPA had higher cognitive performance in all variables than the group who participated in only one EPA (all P < 0.05). Regardless of potential confounder variables, including vigorous EPA, both structure and number of EPAs were each other independently associated with cognitive performance. Therefore, structure and number of EPAs may positively influence cognitive performance in adolescents. Participating in multiple, organised EPA may have benefits for cognitive performance.
COMT Val158Met genotypes differentially influence subgenual cingulate functional connectivity in healthy females

Brain imaging studies have consistently shown subgenual Anterior Cingulate Cortical (sgACC) involvement in emotion processing. catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158 and Met158 polymorphisms may influence such emotional brain processes in specific ways. Given that resting-state fMRI (rsfMRI) may increase our understanding on brain functioning, we integrated genetic and rsfMRI data and focused on sgACC functional connections. No studies have yet investigated the influence of the COMT Val158Met polymorphism (rs4680) on sgACC resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) in healthy individuals. A homogeneous group of 61 Caucasian right-handed healthy female university students, all within the same age range, underwent rsfMRI. Compared to Met158 homozygotes, Val158 allele carriers displayed significantly stronger rsFC between the sgACC and the left parahippocampal gyrus, ventromedial parts of the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), and the nucleus accumbens (NAc). On the other hand, compared to Val158 homozygotes, we found in Met158 allele carriers stronger sgACC rsFC with the medial frontal gyrus (MFG), more in particular the anterior parts of the medial orbitofrontal cortex. Although we did not use emotional or cognitive tasks, our sgACC rsFC results point to possible distinct differences in emotional and cognitive processes between Val158 and Met158 allele carriers. However, the exact nature of these directions remains to be determined.
Pattern Dictionary of English Prepositions

We present a new lexical resource for the study of preposition behavior, the Pattern Dictionary of English Prepositions (PDEP). This dictionary, which follows principles laid out in Hanks’ theory of norms and exploitations, is linked to 81,509 sentences for 304 prepositions, which have been made available under The Preposition Project (TPP). Notably, 47,285 sentences, initially untagged, provide a representative sample of preposition use, unlike the tagged sentences used in previous studies. Each sentence has been parsed with a dependency parser and our system has near-instantaneous access to features developed with this parser to explore and annotate properties of individual senses. The features make extensive use of WordNet. We have extended feature exploration to include lookup of FrameNet lexical units and VerbNet classes for use in characterizing preposition behavior. We have designed our system to allow public access to any of the data available in the system.
Counting CSP Solutions Using Generalized XOR Constraints

We present a general framework for determining the number of solutions of constraint satisfaction problems (CSPs) with a high precision. Our first strategy uses additional binary variables for the CSP, and applies an XOR or parity constraint based method introduced previously for Boolean satisfiability (SAT) problems. In the CSP framework, in addition to the naive individual filtering of XOR constraints used in SAT, we are able to apply a global domain filtering algorithm by viewing these constraints as a collection of linear equalities over the field of two elements. Our most promising strategy extends this approach further to larger domains, and applies the so-called generalized XOR constraints directly to CSP variables. This allows us to reap the benefits of the compact and structured representation that CSPs offer. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our counting framework through experimental comparisons with the solution enumeration approach (which, we believe, is the current best generic solution counting method for CSPs), and with solution counting in the context of SAT and integer programming.
Mental rotation performance and the effect of gender in fourth graders and adults

Whereas a gender effect favouring males in adults' mental rotation performance can be reliably found, the respective gender effect in children's performance does not appear consistently in the literature. Therefore, this study investigated whether there is a “crucial” time slot on infantile development when a gender effect is detectable. Following Johnson and Meade's (1987) hypothesis that age ten might be crucial, we investigated 96 fourth graders—split into two age groups (mean: 9.3 vs. 10.3 years)—and 48 adults that performed the MRT (Peters et al., 1995). We observed large gender effects in older children as well as in adults. However, the younger children did not reveal a significant gender effect, although effect sizes indicated a small-to-medium effect. Surprisingly, the performance of women, older girls, and younger girls did not differ significantly, whereas older boys and adults clearly outperformed younger boys. Possible reasons for these effects are discussed.
Positron Emission Tomography Reveals Abnormal Topological Organization in Functional Brain Network in Diabetic Patients

Recent studies have demonstrated alterations in the topological organization of structural brain networks in diabetes mellitus (DM). However, the DM-related changes in the topological properties in functional brain networks are unexplored so far. We therefore used fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) data to construct functional brain networks of 73 DM patients and 91 sex- and age-matched normal controls (NCs), followed by a graph theoretical analysis. We found that both DM patients and NCs had a small-world topology in functional brain network. In comparison to the NC group, the DM group was found to have significantly lower small-world index, lower normalized clustering coefficients and higher normalized characteristic path length. Moreover, for diabetic patients, the nodal centrality was significantly reduced in the right rectus, the right cuneus, the left middle occipital gyrus, and the left postcentral gyrus, and it was significantly increased in the orbitofrontal region of the left middle frontal gyrus, the left olfactory region, and the right paracentral lobule. Our results demonstrated that the diabetic brain was associated with disrupted topological organization in the functional PET network, thus providing functional evidence for the abnormalities of brain networks in DM.
Generalized Slotted-Aloha in Cooperative , Competitive and Adversarial Environments

Aloha [1] and its slotted variation [2] are commonly deployed Medium Access Control (MAC) protocols in environments where multiple transmitting devices compete for a medium, yet may have difficulty sensing each other’s presence. This is also known as the “hidden terminal problem”. Competing 802.11 [3] gateways, as well as most modern digital cellular systems, like GSM[4], are examples. This paper models and evaluates the throughput that can be achieved in a system where nodes compete for bandwidth using a generalized version of slottedAloha protocols. The protocol is implemented as a two-state system, where the probability that a node transmits in a given slot depends on whether the node’s prior transmission attempt was successful. Using Markov Models, we evaluate the channel utilization and fairness of these types of protocols for a variety of node objectives, including maximizing aggregate throughput of the channel, each node greedily maximizing its own throughput, and attacker nodes that attempt to jam the channel. If all nodes are selfish and greedily attempt to maximize their own throughputs, a situation similar to the traditional Prisoner’s Dilemma[5] arises. Our results reveal that under heavy loads, a greedy strategy reduces the utilization, and that attackers cannot do much better than attacking during randomly selected slots.
Isolation and characterization of centroacinar/terminal ductal progenitor cells in adult mouse pancreas

The question of whether dedicated progenitor cells exist in adult vertebrate pancreas remains controversial. Centroacinar cells and terminal duct (CA/TD) cells lie at the junction between peripheral acinar cells and the adjacent ductal epithelium, and are frequently included among cell types proposed as candidate pancreatic progenitors. However these cells have not previously been isolated in a manner that allows formal assessment of their progenitor capacities. We have found that a subset of adult CA/TD cells are characterized by high levels of ALDH1 enzymatic activity, related to high-level expression of both Aldh1a1 and Aldh1a7. This allows their isolation by FACS using a fluorogenic ALDH1 substrate. FACS-isolated CA/TD cells are relatively depleted of transcripts associated with differentiated pancreatic cell types. In contrast, they are markedly enriched for transcripts encoding Sca1, Sdf1, c-Met, Nestin, and Sox9, markers previously associated with progenitor populations in embryonic pancreas and other tissues. FACS-sorted CA/TD cells are uniquely able to form self-renewing “pancreatospheres” in suspension culture, even when plated at clonal density. These spheres display a capacity for spontaneous endocrine and exocrine differentiation, as well as glucose-responsive insulin secretion. In addition, when injected into cultured embryonic dorsal pancreatic buds, these adult cells display a unique capacity to contribute to both the embryonic endocrine and exocrine lineages. Finally, these cells demonstrate dramatic expansion in the setting of chronic epithelial injury. These findings suggest that CA/TD cells are indeed capable of progenitor function and may contribute to the maintenance of tissue homeostasis in adult mouse pancreas.
Evaluation of the accuracy of three different computer-aided surgery systems in dental implantology: optical tracking vs. stereolithographic splint systems.

OBJECTIVES In dental implant surgery, computer-aided surgery (CAS) techniques can provide a high medical benefit. Two different techniques are established for transferring a CAS treatment planning to the patient: the use of surgical templates (splints) or intraoperative navigation using optical tracking. The aim of this study was to evaluate the total application accuracy of three different CAS systems (Artma virtual patient, RoboDent LapAccedo, Materialise SurgiGuide): two featuring optical tracking, one featuring stereolithographically manufactured splints. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 120 implants were placed into 20 human cadaver mandibles. Preoperative computed tomography (CT) scans imported to the corresponding software were used to plan the implant positions on the computer. Implant placement was performed using either optical tracking or stereolithographic splints. Postoperative CT scans were used to obtain the achieved implant positions. A semi-automatic approach was developed to compare planned and achieved implant positions. Deviations between planned and achieved positions were measured for each implant in position (Delta xy), depth (Delta z) and axis (Delta phi). CONCLUSION Despite the different techniques of transfer, no statistically significant differences were found between all groups. The accuracy achieved corresponded well with the spatial resolution of the CT Scans used.
Radial Profile and Lognormal Fluctuations of the Intracluster Medium as the Origin of Systematic Bias in Spectroscopic Temperature

The origin of the recently reported systematic bias in the spectroscopic temperature of galaxy clusters is investigated using a cosmological hydrodynamic simulation. We find that the local inhomogeneities of the gas temperature and density, after being corrected for their global radial profiles, have a nearly universal distribution that resembles a lognormal function. Based on this lognormal approximation for the fluctuations in the intracluster medium, we develop an analytical model that explains the bias in the spectroscopic temperature. We conclude that the multiphase nature of the intracluster medium, due not only to the radial profiles but also to the local inhomogeneities, plays an essential role in producing the systematic bias.
A comparison of lipid and lipoprotein measurements in the fasting and nonfasting states in patients with type 2 diabetes*

ABSTRACT Background: Patients with diabetes often do not reach recommended lipid targets. This may be in part due to the difficulty of obtaining fasting measurements. Objective: To compare fasting and nonfasting low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc), non-high density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDLc), and low density lipoprotein particle number (LDLP) patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and to determine the effect on assessing treatment success. Research design and methods: Standard lipids and NMR lipoproteins were analyzed at baseline and following a standardized meal in patients with T2DM. Outcomes measures: Primary outcomes were agreement between fasting and nonfasting LDLc, non-HDLc, and LDLP and the agreement between these measures for determining fasting LDLc treatment success. Direct LDL cholesterol (DLDL) was a secondary outcome. Results: Of 31 patients, only 56% of LDLc measurements were equivalent in the fasting and nonfasting states, compared to 97% of DLDLc ( p < 0.0001), 94% of non-HDLc ( p < 0.001) and 77% of LDLP ( p < 0.01) measurements. Assessment of nonfasting lipid values would have resulted in misclassification by treatment target in 15% of LDLc, 3.2% of DLDLc assessments ( p < 0.05 vs. LDLc), and 0% of non-HDLc and LDLP assessments ( p < 0.01 vs. LDLc). Nonfasting LDLc, non-HDLc, LDLP, and DLDLc correctly identified fasting LDLc classification in 23/27 (85%), 26/30 (87%, p = NS vs. nonfasting LDLc), 16/30 (53%, p < 0.001 vs. nonfasting LDLc), and 24/30 (80%, p = NS vs. nonfasting LDLc), respectively. Conclusions: If confirmed in larger studies, nonfasting non-HDLc may be a suitable proxy for fasting LDLc in patients with T2DM.
Induction and migration of the anterior visceral endoderm is regulated by the extra-embryonic ectoderm

The anterior visceral endoderm (AVE) is an extra-embryonic tissue required for specifying anterior pattern in the mouse embryo. The AVE is induced at the distal tip of the 5.5 dpc embryo and then migrates to the prospective anterior, where it imparts anterior identity upon the underlying epiblast (the tissue that gives rise to the embryo proper). Little is known about how the AVE is induced and what directs its migration. In this paper, we describe an essential role for another extra-embryonic tissue, the extra-embryonic ectoderm (ExE), in patterning the AVE and epiblast. Removal of the ExE in pre-gastrulation embryos leads to ectopic AVE formation, to a failure of AVE cell migration and to the assumption by the entire epiblast of an anterior identity. Ectopic transplantation of ExE cells inhibits AVE formation and leads to an expansion of the posterior epiblast marker T. These results demonstrate that the ExE restricts the induction of the AVE to the distal tip of the mouse embryo and is required to initiate the migration of these cells to the prospective anterior. Together, these data reveal a novel role for the ExE in the specification of the anteroposterior axis of the mouse embryo.
Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial comparing the efficiency of two provider-endorsed manual paediatric fluid resuscitation techniques

Introduction Paediatric shock is a life-threatening condition with many possible causes and a global impact. Current resuscitation guidelines require rapid fluid administration as a cornerstone of paediatric shock management. However, little evidence is available to inform clinicians how to most effectively perform rapid fluid administration where this is clinically required, resulting in suboptimal knowledge translation of current resuscitation guidelines into clinical practice. Objectives This study aims to determine which of the two commonly used techniques for paediatric fluid resuscitation (disconnect–reconnect technique and push–pull technique) yields a higher fluid administration rate in a simulated clinical scenario. Secondary objectives include determination of catheter dislodgement rates, subjective and objective measures of provider fatiguability and descriptive information regarding any technical issues encountered with performance of each method under the study. Methods and analysis This study will utilise a randomised crossover trial design. Participants will include consenting healthcare providers from McMaster Children's Hospital. Each participant will administer 900 ml (60 ml/kg) of normal saline to a simulated 15 kg infant as quickly as possible on two separate occasions using the manual fluid administration techniques under the study. The primary outcome, rate of fluid administration, will be evaluated using a paired two-tailed Student t test. Ethics and dissemination This protocol has been approved by the Hamilton Health Sciences Research Ethics Board. Results These will be published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal and presented at one or more scientific conferences. Protocol Registration Protocol Registered on ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01774214
Underachieving Students in Community Colleges: Common Personality and Biographical Characteristics

This paper reports a study to determine for community college and technical institute students which of several personality and biographical variables significantly correlate with quality point ratio and academic success. Academic success was defined as attainment of a first quarter QPR (quality point ratio) of at least 2.00. Locus of control, academic self-concept, and study habits and attitudes were the personality variables studied. The biographical variables of age, sex, race, and marital status were also studied. These data were used in the development of a model representing conditions common to underachieving students. The model should be useful in reducing the high rate of attrition in these institutions by facilitating early identification and assistance to the potential dropout.
Evaluating the Influence of Particle Shape On Liquefaction Behavior Using Discrete Element Modeling

New developments in liquefaction modeling of angular soils using the Discrete Element Method (DEM) are presented. A technique is introduced to simulate the two-dimensional projection of angular grains by clumping a series of overlapping discrete circular elements of equivalent properties. Representative particles from different types of sands are scanned using a digital image analyzer, and the corresponding particle outlines are fitted accordingly for the DEM simulation. Particle assemblies of varying degrees of angularity are then subjected to simulated undrained cyclic shear conditions to assess their liquefaction susceptibility. The influence of grain morphology on the cyclic response is evaluated.
Design of Artificial Riboswitches as Biosensors

RNA aptamers readily recognize small organic molecules, polypeptides, as well as other nucleic acids in a highly specific manner. Many such aptamers have evolved as parts of regulatory systems in nature. Experimental selection techniques such as SELEX have been very successful in finding artificial aptamers for a wide variety of natural and synthetic ligands. Changes in structure and/or stability of aptamers upon ligand binding can propagate through larger RNA constructs and cause specific structural changes at distal positions. In turn, these may affect transcription, translation, splicing, or binding events. The RNA secondary structure model realistically describes both thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of RNA structure formation and refolding at a single, consistent level of modelling. Thus, this framework allows studying the function of natural riboswitches in silico. Moreover, it enables rationally designing artificial switches, combining essentially arbitrary sensors with a broad choice of read-out systems. Eventually, this approach sets the stage for constructing versatile biosensors.
Innovación, cultura y tamaño: la microempresa en una región ultraperiférica

The analysis of innovation activities, attitudes, beliefs and behaviours of micro companies has few precedents in innovation studies, although this group represents over 95% of all businesses in Spain and the European Union. This paper presents the empirical results of a study on innovation in micro firms, which aims to identify and explain the factors that most affect their ability to innovate, based on the approach of the Triple Helix. Among these factors, next stand out: human, social and relational capital, the ability to absorb foreign knowledge and the existence of an innovative culture that facilitates the attitudes, beliefs and opportunities necessary to innovate in collaborative environments with multiple relationships and interactions. The analysis is completed with a characterization of micro companies, attending to the weight of these factors and some of the innovation barriers that were identified.
Comparison of the addiction levels, sociodemographics and buying behaviours of three main types of lottery buyers in China

Objective: To compare the addiction levels, sociodemographic characteristics and buying behaviours of the buyers of the three main types of lottery in China. Design: A cross-sectional study using a battery of self-reported questionnaires, including the Lottery Addiction Scale (LAS) and questions related to sociodemographic information and buying behaviours. Setting: Zhejiang, Liaoning and Anhui Provinces in China. Sample: 856 respondents between 19 and 65 years old (mean age 37.96 years). The sample sizes for the buyers of the Union Lotto, 3-Digit lottery and Online Lottery were 304, 289 and 263, respectively. Results: A one-way ANOVA (F [2,806] = 21.43, p < 0.001) revealed that the buyers of the 3-Digit lottery received the highest mean LAS score (M = 30.32, SD = 7.37), followed by the Online Lottery buyers (M = 28.15, SD = 8.69) and then the Union Lotto buyers (M = 25.86, SD = 8.11). Sociodemographically, the 3-Digit buyers were the oldest and had the lowest levels of education and income, whereas the buyers of Online Lottery tickets were the youngest and had the highest levels of education and income. In terms of buying behaviours, 49.3% of the 3-Digit buyers allocated more than 20% of their income to the lottery every month, and this group spent the most time on the lottery every day. Conclusion: The most addictive lottery in China is the 3-Digit lottery. Further research is needed to explore the causal relationships between addiction levels, sociodemographics and buying behaviours among Chinese lottery buyers.