Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of BOLD fMRI Signal Preprocessing Pipeline on Different Datasets while Reducing False Positive Rates

The technology of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) based on Blood Oxygen Level Dependent (BOLD) signal has been widely used in clinical treatments and brain function researches. The BOLD signal has to be preprocessed before being analyzed using either functional connectivity measurements or statistical methods. Current researches show that data preprocessing steps may influence the results of analysis, yet there is no consensus on preprocessing method. In this paper, an evaluation method is proposed for analyzing the preprocessing pipeline of resting state BOLD fMRI (rs-BOLD fMRI) data under putative task experiment designs to cast some lights on the preprocessing stage, covering both first and second level analysis. The choices of preprocessing parameters and steps are altered to investigate preprocessing pipelines while observing statistical analysis results, trying to reduce false positives as reported by Eklund et al. in their 2016 PNAS paper. All of the experiment data are separated into 7 datasets, consisting of 220 healthy control samples and 136 patient data that are from 38 incomplete Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) patients and 16 Cerebral Stroke (CS) patients, including multiple scans of some patients at different time. These data were acquired from two different MRI scanners, which may cause difference in analysis results. The evaluation result shows that it has little effect to change parameters in each steps of the classical preprocessing pipeline, which consists head motion correction, normalization and smoothing. Removing time points and the following detrend step can reduce false positives. However, covariates regression and filtering has complicated effects on the data. Note that for single subject analysis, false positives declined consistently after filtering. The result of patient data and healthy controls data which are scanned under the same machine with .
Molecular coevolution of a sex pheromone and its receptor triggers reproductive isolation in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

Significance Reproductive isolation is a key event leading to speciation as suggested by the observation of living populations in nature. This paper shows that novel reproductive populations of Schizosaccharomyces pombe, which are reproductively isolated from the WT population, can be created by genetically altering the primary structure of a mating pheromone and its receptor. Based on the biological concept of species, this reproductive group should be regarded as a new species. This is the first report, to our knowledge, of the artificial creation of a new species of any living organism in the history of evolutional research. The diversification of sex pheromones is regarded as one of the causes of prezygotic isolation that results in speciation. In the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, the molecular recognition of a peptide pheromone by its receptor plays an essential role in sexual reproduction. We considered that molecular coevolution of a peptide-mating pheromone, M factor, and its receptor, Map3, might be realized by experimentally diversifying these proteins. Here, we report the successful creation of novel mating-type pairs by searching for map3 suppressor mutations that rescued the sterility of M-factor mutants that were previously isolated. Several strong suppressors were found to also recognize WT M factor. The substituted residues of these Map3 suppressors were mapped to F204, F214, and E249, which are likely to be critical residues for M-factor recognition. These critical residues were systematically substituted with each of the other amino acids by in vitro mutagenesis. Ultimately, we successfully obtained three novel mating-type pairs constituting reproductive groups. These novel mating-type pairs could not conjugate with WT maters. Furthermore, no flow of chromosomally integrated drug-resistance genes occurred between the novel and the WT mating pairs, showing that each experimentally created reproductive group [e.g., M factor(V5H) and Map3(F214H)] was isolated from the WT group. In conclusion, we have succeeded in creating an artificial reproductive group that is isolated from the WT group. In keeping with the biological concept of species, the artificial reproductive group is a new species.
Improvements in Child Behavior and Family Mealtime Environment After an Intensive Behavioral Feeding Intervention

The present study examined changes in child and family mealtime patterns before and after intensive behavioral feeding intervention at a multidisciplinary hospital-based program for 50 children. At preintervention and postintervention, caregivers completed surveys to report child feeding goals and the About Your Child’s Eating scale (AYCE). In addition, at postintervention, each caregiver rated intervention effectiveness for his or her child’s feeding goals identified at preintervention and provided intervention satisfaction ratings. Results revealed that caregivers perceived all three AYCE family mealtime patterns to improve from preintervention to postintervention, the majority of caregivers rated intervention as being effective for improving the specific child feeding goals identified at preintervention, and caregivers gave high satisfaction ratings for the intervention.
NUSAS: Negative pressure driving HEPG2/3T3 cells mixing/gradient co-culture inside U trapper array on rapid multicellular Spheroid Assembling System

This article presents a Negative-pressure-powered U-trapper of Spheroid Assembling System (NUSAS) and four unique features are addressed: (1) Negative pressure powered medium driving, (2) HepG2/3T3 gradient distribution and mixing co-culture, (3) Cell trapping effect via gravity force and liquid flow co-activation, and (4) Large area of U trapper array. The development of in vitro liver device benefits liver toxicology and metabolism. [1,2] However, due to the complexity of human liver tissue, it has been rarely discussed what kind of hepatocyte to fibroblast ratio has nearest performance to a real liver tissue. Here, we culture liver/fibroblast cells with gradient ratio as multicellular assembling spheroids simultaneously to find this ratio. These results based on our efficient approaches give us meaningful foundations to investigate biomedical character of 3D HepG2/3T3 artificial tissue in different mixing cell conditions.
Considering The ffect Of Standard Cell Placement In Mi ed-Size Placement

Large-scale mixed-size placement gets more and more attention in recent years. Traditional placement algorithms for pure standard-cell placement or pure macro placement are not suitable to deal with mixed-size placement. But, many design flows combine the techniques for macro placement and the techniques for standard cell placement to solve mixed-size placement. In these flows, making standard cell placement according with macro placement is a critical problem. In this paper, we address the effect of standard cell placement in mixed-size placement, which is not only to help locate macro blocks but also influence the wire length more. Through treating standard cell placement reasonably, we improve a previous design flow combing partition, floorplan and standard cell placement. The experimental results show standard cell placement acts an important actor in mixed-size placement. Comparing to the previous flow, the results have 2%~20% improvement on wire length
Allergic Sensitization to Common Airborne Allergens among Adults in Estonia

Background: Allergies and asthma exhibit a growing health problem in the world. Sparse data are available about the prevalence of allergic sensitization in Estonia and Eastern Europe as well. We studied the prevalence of allergic sensitization, the associations between respiratory symptoms and allergic sensitization, and the influence of age, gender, area of residence, number of siblings and other demographic attributes on allergic sensitization in the population aged 17–69 years. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study with 1,346 randomly selected participants distributed in 3 geographically and culturally distinct areas of Estonia. Sensitization to 15 aeroallergens was assessed by skin prick tests. The study also included a structured interview. Results: The total prevalence of allergic sensitization was 33.0%. When estimated in patients aged 20–44 years, the prevalence was 38.5%. The most common sensitizer was cockroach followed by storage mites, while sensitization to cat, dog or pollen (common sensitizers in Scandinavian countries) was low. Allergic sensitization was significantly more common in urban and suburban compared with rural areas. Storage mites were the most common sensitizers in rural areas. Living in urban or suburban areas before the age of 5 significantly increased the risk for positive skin prick tests to several allergens. Conclusions: A higher prevalence of allergic sensitization than previously believed was found. Cockroach and storage mite allergens are suggested to be included in the routine investigation panel in Estonia.
Identification and reporting of domestic minor sex trafficking

Victims of domestic minor sex trafficking experience a myriad of health problems, giving healthcare providers an important opportunity to identify these children. Despite the significant role of physicians, midlevel providers, nurses, and social workers, little is known about factors influencing healthcare providers‟ likelihood of identifying and reporting possible victims. The purpose of this study was to examine the individual (knowledge, perceived barriers, selfefficacy) and environmental (healthcare environment) factors impacting a healthcare provider‟s intention to identify and report domestic minor sex trafficking victims within a clinical setting. This exploratory, mixed-methods study was divided into two phases. In both phases, participants were healthcare providers working in the United States. In Phase 1, participants (n=21) completed an in-depth interview exploring their views and experiences in relation to sex trafficking of American children. In Phase 2, participants (n=59) completed an electronic survey examining knowledge, perceived barriers, self-efficacy, views of the healthcare environment, and behavioral intention. Results from the analysis in Phase 1 informed the development of the survey in Phase 2. Interview respondents reported a lack of awareness and minimal education on sex trafficking as the primary factors impacting their perceived ability to assist victims. Environmental factors constraining their capacity to identify victims were time limitations, lack of multidisciplinary teams, and unclear policies to identify and report victims. Phase 1 participants described the need for more education among healthcare providers in order to increase victim identification. Results of the Phase 2 surveys supported the results from Phase 1. Participants in Phase 2 reported low self-efficacy in their ability to identify and assist victims of sex trafficking. Knowledge and views of the healthcare environment predicted participants‟ intention to identify and report possible sex trafficking victims. Participants with higher knowledge of domestic minor sex trafficking and greater self-efficacy had the greatest intention to report possible victims. Based on these results, interventions targeting healthcare professionals should incorporate more education on trafficking victims and their clinical characteristics. As a part of these interventions, improving policies and organizational environment for healthcare providers are essential to increase identification and reporting INDEX WORDS: sex trafficking, domestic minor sex trafficking, healthcare, violence prevention, mixed-methods IDENTIFICATION AND REPORTING OF DOMESTIC MINOR SEX TRAFFICKING: THE ROLE OF HEALTHCARE WORKERS
Some Measures of Verbal and Spatial Working Memory in Eight- and Nine-Year-Old Hearing-Impaired Children with Cochlear Implants

Objective The purpose of this study was to examine working memory for sequences of auditory and visual stimuli in prelingually deafened pediatric cochlear implant users with at least 4 yr of device experience. Design Two groups of 8- and 9-yr-old children, 45 normal-hearing and 45 hearing-impaired users of cochlear implants, completed a novel working memory task requiring memory for sequences of either visual-spatial cues or visual-spatial cues paired with auditory signals. In each sequence, colored response buttons were illuminated either with or without simultaneous auditory presentation of verbal labels (color-names or digit-names). The child was required to reproduce each sequence by pressing the appropriate buttons on the response box. Sequence length was varied and a measure of memory span corresponding to the longest list length correctly reproduced under each set of presentation conditions was recorded. Additional children completed a modified task that eliminated the visual-spatial light cues but that still required reproduction of auditory color-name sequences using the same response box. Data from 37 pediatric cochlear implant users were collected using this modified task. Results The cochlear implant group obtained shorter span scores on average than the normal-hearing group, regardless of presentation format. The normal-hearing children also demonstrated a larger “redundancy gain” than children in the cochlear implant group—that is, the normal-hearing group displayed better memory for auditory-plus-lights sequences than for the lights-only sequences. Although the children with cochlear implants did not use the auditory signals as effectively as normal-hearing children when visual-spatial cues were also available, their performance on the modified memory task using only auditory cues showed that some of the children were capable of encoding auditory-only sequences at a level comparable with normal-hearing children. Conclusions The finding of smaller redundancy gains from the addition of auditory cues to visual-spatial sequences in the cochlear implant group as compared with the normal-hearing group demonstrates differences in encoding or rehearsal strategies between these two groups of children. Differences in memory span between the two groups even on a visual-spatial memory task suggests that atypical working memory development irrespective of input modality may be present in this clinical population.
College Textbook Publishing

Based on the author’s many years of experience in college textbook publishing, this article discusses three topics relevant to the textbook-publishing business: (a) the motivations of the author and publisher regarding revenue maximization versus profit maximization, (b) the reimportation of textbooks as an impediment to the international price-discrimination practices of publishers, and (c) the effects of mergers among publishers. Each of these topics is an application of undergraduate microeconomic theories and principles.
On the Modeling and Analysis of Communication Traffic in Intelligent Electric Power Substations

The underlying substation communication network (SCN) is of paramount importance in facilitating the advanced functionalities of substation automation. To design and maintain an efficient SCN to guarantee high transmission availability and information integrity, an accurate traffic model is required and the traffic characteristics need to be understood. This paper exploits the challenge of modeling and analyzing SCN data traffic from the data generating mechanism to the transmission and retransmission mechanisms, and reveals the symbiosis of short-range dependence and self-similarity. Recognizing that there is little research effort available, this paper proposes a viable approach in modeling the SCN traffic and mathematically analyzes the associated parameters aiming to accurately model the self-similarity behavior of SCN traffic, describes the symbiotic characteristics, and effectively predicts the traffic pattern. Further, the proposed modeling approach is validated and assessed through a case study by using a realistic 24-h dataset collected from a 110 kV substation's supervisory-control-and-data-acquisition system. The result clearly demonstrates that the model can accurately describe and forecast the SCN traffic with the autocorrelation function mean square error as small as $\mathrm{MSE}\left(\mathrm{m}\right)=2.077\times {10}^{-3}$. The insights obtained from this work can significantly promote the design and operation of SCNs.
An examination of commodity derivative markets : efficiency, volatility and diversification benefits

This thesis comprises three papers which all examine commodity derivative markets and have a particular focus on commodity futures markets. The first paper examines market efficiency in metal, agricultural, financial and energy futures markets across different maturities. In the long-run, we found all markets to be efficient. And in the short-run, inefficiencies are found in the metal and energy future markets but not in the agricultural and financial markets. Moreover, results from a quantitative measure of short-run inefficiency indicate that all markets studied are at least 90% efficient along the futures curve for a 30-day forecast horizon. When the forecast horizon increases to 60-days, the efficiency measure drops to 50% in all the metal and energy futures markets, but not in the agricultural and financial markets. These findings indicate that the structure of markets and the forecast horizon are important factors to consider when assessing market efficiency. The second paper analyses the diversification benefits brought into traditional stock portfolios by adding commodities such as WTI Crude Oil, Copper or Soya Bean futures. Adopting a commodity futures curves perspective, we found that commodities are still useful in portfolio diversification even after the recent increase in the correlation between returns of commodities and equities. Moreover, we found that investors would be better off using a constant-distant maturity futures contract as it has higher return accompanied with lower volatility in comparison to a short-maturity futures contract. The constant-distant maturity also brings more benefit than a traditional buy and hold long-maturity futures contract does. Furthermore, we found the constant-distant maturity Copper futures to be the best among all the commodities that we studied regarding the diversification benefit during the financial turmoil period. The third paper examines the determinants of volatility along WTI Crude Oil futures curves. We analyse the effect of inventory, trading volume, open interest and speculative activities on the volatility of futures with different maturities. We find that trading volume has a positive relationship with volatility and open interest has a negative relationship with volatility. The inventory is found to have a negative relationship with volatility of up to 6-month maturity; while a positive relationship emerges for futures contracts with 12 and 18-month maturity. Speculative activities are found to be partially responsible for the high volatility in the post-crisis period.
Dynamic Changes in Determinants of Inequalities in Health in Europe with Focus on Retired - With Particular Regard to Retired Danes

Earlier studies of health inequality across European countries have shown intriguing results, in particular with respect to retirement status as one of the determinants of health inequality. A priori, one would expect that inequality in health and income would be associated. Theory suggests that health deteriorates with age, in particular for low income groups. Moreover, as income declines after retirement, elderly people tend to rank lower in the relative income ranking. Consequently, retirement status, and in particular early retirement due to health problems, is expected to contribute to inequalities in income-related inequalities in health. The present paper contributes to previous knowledge by looking further into the contribution by retired Europeans to income-related inequalities in health and the development in this contribution over time. The study is based on data from the first and the fourth waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), including individuals born in 1954 or earlier (wave 1) and 1960 or earlier (wave 2) from 10 European countries. Income-related inequality in health is measured using the concentration index. A decomposition of the index into its determinants allows a calculation of the contribution of each determinant’s separate contribution to inequality in health. The results presented here indicate that retirement status contributes substantially to income-related inequality in health across European countries, and that the variation can be explained by income differences as well as health differences, depending on the country considered. Furthermore, it is indicated that the contribution from retirement status falls for certain countries due to improved socioeconomic status as well as improved health of the retired.
Functional and Physical Interaction between Rad24 and Rfc5 in the Yeast Checkpoint Pathways

ABSTRACT The RFC5 gene encodes a small subunit of replication factor C (RFC) complex in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and has been shown to be required for the checkpoints which respond to replication block and DNA damage. Here we describe the isolation ofRAD24, known to play a role in the DNA damage checkpoint, as a dosage-dependent suppressor of rfc5-1. RAD24overexpression suppresses the sensitivity of rfc5-1 cells to DNA-damaging agents and the defect in DNA damage-induced Rad53 phosphorylation. Rad24, like Rfc5, is required for the regulation of Rad53 phosphorylation in response to DNA damage. The Rad24 protein, which is structurally related to the RFC subunits, interacts physically with RFC subunits Rfc2 and Rfc5 and cosediments with Rfc5. Although therad24Δ mutation alone does not cause a defect in the replication block checkpoint, it does enhance the defect inrfc5-1 mutants. Furthermore, overexpression ofRAD24 suppresses the rfc5-1 defect in the replication block checkpoint. Taken together, our results demonstrate a physical and functional interaction between Rad24 and Rfc5 in the checkpoint pathways.