Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Modulates Human Color Discrimination in a Pathway-Specific Manner

Previous research showed that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can modulate visual cortex excitability. However, there is no experiment on the effects of tDCS on color perception to date. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of tDCS on color discrimination tasks. Fifteen healthy subjects (mean age of 25.6 ± 4.4 years) were tested with Cambridge Color Test 2.0 (Trivector and ellipses protocols) and a Forced-choice Spatial Color Contrast Sensitivity task (vertical red-green sinusoidal grating) while receiving tDCS. Anodal, cathodal, and sham tDCS were delivered at Oz for 22 min using two square electrodes (25 cm2 with a current of 1.5 mA) in sessions separated by 7 days. Anodal tDCS significantly increased tritan sensitivity (p < 0.01) and had no significant effect on protan, deutan, or red-green grating discrimination. The effects on the tritan discrimination returned to baseline after 15 min (p < 0.01). Cathodal tDCS reduced the sensitivity in the deutan axis and increased sensitivity in the tritan axis (p < 0.05). The lack of anodal tDCS effects in the protan, deutan, and red-green grating sensitivities could be explained by a “ceiling effect” since adults in this age range tend to have optimal color discrimination performance for these hues. The differential effects of cathodal tDCS on tritan and deutan sensitivities and the absence of the proposed ceiling effects for the tritan axes might be explained by Parvocellular (P) and Koniocellular (K) systems with regard to their functional, physiological, and anatomical differences. The results also support the existence of a systematic segregation of P and K color-coding cells in V1. Future research and possible clinical implications are discussed.
Array comparative genomic hybridization analysis does not show genetic alterations in spermatozoa and offspring generated after spermatogonial stem cell transplantation in the mouse.

BACKGROUND The most promising procedure to restore fertility in male childhood cancer patients is spermatogonial stem cell transplantation (SSCT). Although the efficiency of SSCT has been proven in the mouse model, its safety needs to be investigated too before considering any implementation in the clinic. To examine the incidence of genetic abnormalities after SSCT, the karyotypes of donor-derived spermatozoa and offspring were analyzed. METHODS Donor cells were obtained from prepubertal mice and introduced in the seminiferous tubules of genetically sterile W/W(v) mice. Five to 10 months after SSCT, DNA was extracted from epididymal sperm to perform array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) analysis. In addition, spermatozoa, liver and kidney from the offspring were subjected to aCGH analysis. RESULTS Numerical chromosomal aberrations could not be detected in spermatozoa from transplanted males, nor in their offspring. The few genetic deviations (deletions, amplifications) observed were all polymorphisms. CONCLUSIONS No major genetic alterations could be detected after SSCT. These data are supportive for further development of SSCT as a strategy for fertility restoration.
Automated nanorobotic handling of bio- and nano-materials

Automated handling on the nanoscale is a crucial challenge for commercialization of bio- and nano-technologies. This paper describes current implementations towards two fields of application: Micro-nano integration for NEMS prototyping, and biosensor development. (1) The integration of nanomaterials into micro-systems can improve the properties of such systems and enable novel innovative solutions. Using nanorobotic systems operating inside the vacuum chamber of a scanning electron microscope is a promising approach. Nanorobotic strategies for the microgripper-based handling with focus on automation are presented. A fully automated handling sequence demonstrates the micro-nano integration of prototypic nanotube-enhanced atomic force microscope probes. (2) Nanorobotic systems employing an atomic force microscope are a promising approach for the handling of nanoscopic biomaterials. Methods for the handling of DNA to design bio-nano chips and to solve packaging problems on the nanoscale are presented. Additionally, an AFM-based approach for the structuring of biomaterials is presented.
Estimating canopy cover from Eucalypt dominant tropical savanna using the extraction of tree crowns from very high resolution imagery

Very high spatial resolution satellite imagery provides data that enables spatially detailed analysis of landscapes. The identification and extraction of information about tree crowns is one such use. Tree crown or canopy cover is one parameter of vegetation structural classification. The estimation of canopy cover has a wide range if uses related to management and policies. Tree crown extraction of Eucalypts is not without its challenges. The inherent characteristics of Eucalypt crowns include open spaces within the crowns, verti-cally angled leaves, and the irregular crown shapes provide a number of challenges to remote sensing. This paper proposes an object-based method for extracting tree crowns from Eucalypt dominant savanna in the wet/dry tropics of northern Australia. A two level multi-resolution segmentation was undertaken upon QuickBird data (multispectral, panchromatic and derivatives) covering the area under investigation. The first broader segmentation allowed the differentiation of Eucalypt dominant communities from other vegeta-tion types. The second finer segmentation produced segments smaller than the tree crowns. A rule-set containing a series of classifi-cation and object growing algorithms were then used to firstly identify objects within a crown and then to expand the objects to cover the entire crown. Results indicate the potential of this method for delineating tree crowns from Eucalypt savanna and the use of this information to estimate canopy cover. The approach used here offers a method of tree crown delineation where the availability of other forms of data such as hyperspectral and laser scanning imagery may not be available.
A Novel On-line Differential Technique for Partial Discharge Measurement of MV/HV Power Cables

Insulation deterioration is an increasing problem because of the ageing of high voltage power cables and current deregulation circumstance. Partial discharge (PD) measurement has been used for insulation assessment for many years. It has been widely adapted as an insulation diagnosis tool for factory acceptance, commission and maintenance purpose. However PD measurement carried out on site is affected by strong electromagnetic interference (EMI), which makes accurate PD measurement very difficult. The differential circuit has been applied for common mode noise rejection purpose for many years. This paper presents a novel software implementation of the differential circuit to handle the interference. The conventional hardware differential circuit technique is compared with this software-based technique in many aspects from short length to medium length distribution power cables. Some difficulties with the differential technique as applied to PD measurement are also discussed and investigated in this paper
HubPPR: Effective Indexing for Approximate Personalized PageRank

Personalized PageRank (PPR) computation is a fundamental operation in web search, social networks, and graph analysis. Given a graph G , a source s, and a target t, the PPR query Π( s, t ) returns the probability that a random walk on G starting from s terminates at t. Unlike global PageRank which can be effectively pre-computed and materialized, the PPR result depends on both the source and the target, rendering results materialization infeasible for large graphs. Existing indexing techniques have rather limited effectiveness; in fact, the current state-of-the-art solution, BiPPR, answers individual PPR queries without pre-computation or indexing, and yet it outperforms all previous index-based solutions. Motivated by this, we propose HubPPR, an effective indexing scheme for PPR computation with controllable tradeoffs for accuracy, query time, and memory consumption. The main idea is to pre-compute and index auxiliary information for selected hub nodes that are often involved in PPR processing. Going one step further, we extend HubPPR to answer top- k PPR queries, which returns the k nodes with the highest PPR values with respect to a source s , among a given set T of target nodes. Extensive experiments demonstrate that compared to the current best solution BiPPR, HubPPR achieves up to 10x and 220x speedup for PPR and top- k PPR processing, respectively, with moderate memory consumption. Notably, with a single commodity server, HubPPR answers a top- k PPR query in seconds on graphs with billions of edges, with high accuracy and strong result quality guarantees.
Extensive conversion of hepatic biliary epithelial cells to hepatocytes after near total loss of hepatocytes in zebrafish.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Biliary epithelial cells (BECs) are considered to be a source of regenerating hepatocytes when hepatocyte proliferation is compromised. However, there is still controversy about the extent to which BECs can contribute to the regenerating hepatocyte population, and thereby to liver recovery. To investigate this issue, we established a zebrafish model of liver regeneration in which the extent of hepatocyte ablation can be controlled. METHODS Hepatocytes were depleted by administration of metronidazole to Tg(fabp10a:CFP-NTR) animals. We traced the origin of regenerating hepatocytes using short-term lineage-tracing experiments, as well as the inducible Cre/loxP system; specifically, we utilized both a BEC tracer line Tg(Tp1:CreER(T2)) and a hepatocyte tracer line Tg(fabp10a:CreER(T2)). We also examined BEC and hepatocyte proliferation and liver marker gene expression during liver regeneration. RESULTS BECs gave rise to most of the regenerating hepatocytes in larval and adult zebrafish after severe hepatocyte depletion. After hepatocyte loss, BECs proliferated as they dedifferentiated into hepatoblast-like cells; they subsequently differentiated into highly proliferative hepatocytes that restored the liver mass. This process was impaired in zebrafish wnt2bb mutants; in these animals, hepatocytes regenerated but their proliferation was greatly reduced. CONCLUSIONS BECs contribute to regenerating hepatocytes after substantial hepatocyte depletion in zebrafish, thereby leading to recovery from severe liver damage.
Three decades in: Priming for meta-analysis in play-literacy research

In this literature review, we examined 30 years of play-literacy inquiry through a quantitative lens in order to identify, assemble and summarize studies of sufficient methodological strength to form a corpus of research that encourages meta-analytic thinking. First, a multi-phase search of the literature was conducting yielding 192 studies that addressed pretend play and early literacy variables. Subsequent screening resulted in a total of 16 studies that met inclusion criteria, constituting a corpus of primary research that quantitatively measured play-literacy relationships in early childhood educational settings serving children ages 3—7. Next, several content analyses were used to describe and organize the corpus as a resource for meta-analytic thinking. The first round of analysis focused on developing a survey matrix that organized the particulars of individual studies into categories of information conducive to a meta-analytic approach. The second round probed for the theory of change used to explain the relations between pretend play interventions and early literacy skills. The third round entailed creating an effect size type matrix. Notably, most of the corpus studies showed modest to large effect sizes on a selected set of dependent variables which points to the potential of meta-analysis for better understanding the practical significance of the play-literacy relationship in promoting the acquisition of early literacy skills.
Crime Victim and Offender Mediation as a Social Work Strategy

Juvenile offenders and their victims are brought together to discuss the offense/victimization and to negotiate a mutually satisfactory restitution plan. One hundred sixty-five offenders participated in the first 2 years. One hundred sixty-two victims were involved in the offenses and 54 percent (87) decided to meet their offenders. One hundred twenty-eight agreements were negotiated involving 99 offenders and 84 victims. Seventy-nine percent of the agreements were successfully closed. Crime victim and offender mediation will be useful for social workers; mediation provides an opportunity for both victims and offenders to participate actively in decision making and challenge stereotypes through a process of communication. From a policy perspective the practice provides a mechanism to respond to victim interest in participating in the justice system and provides a dispute settlement procedure to replace other responses to property offenders. A growing body of research indicates that mediation is feasible and acceptable to both victims and the general public and that the public supports replacing prison and jail with restitution, community service, and mediation as a response to property offenders.
Improving Monte Carlo simulation efficiency of level-I blackout probabilistic risk assessment

Blackouts in power systems are due to cascading failures whose typical development can be split in two phases: a slow cascade and a fast cascade. Once a blackout occurred, the restoration is as an additional (and last) phase. The blackout Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) can be decomposed in three levels, according to three phases. An analog Monte Carlo simulation has been developed for the level-I, in order to simulate independent and thermal failures during the slow cascade. The main limitation of such an analog simulation is the small fraction of runs leading to interesting consequences. The aim of this paper is then to propose biasing techniques in order to improve the blackout PRA level-I Monte Carlo simulation efficiency. Two methods are explored: favoring failures during the cascade by forcing them to occur before a time limit and favoring thermal failures by biasing weather conditions sampling. Results obtained on a test case show that a significant gain can be reached.
Riding the Sphinx — Lines about ‘Live’

The article discusses various aspects of live electronic music performance. The question of the physical gesture is of highest importance to the author, who also pays careful attention to the audience feedback. More generally, the author mentions several questions relative to interaction, such as direct engagement with the instrument and distributed engagement … Taking a strong esthetical stand, the article discusses the relationship between the instrument and the composer as a result of live performance on stage.
Managing Trade-offs and Tensions between Knowledge Management Initiatives and Expertise Development Practices

This article explores the trade-offs and tensions between knowledge management initiatives and expertise development practices. While studies of knowledge management and expertise development are abundant, there is no research that has addressed the inter-relationships between these two organizational practices. This article, therefore, addresses the following question: How does the introduction and implementation of a knowledge management initiative affect the development of engineer’s expertise within a firm? An in-depth case study of a company introducing new practices to promote knowledge transfer between projects in a fast-changing project environment is analysed. Based on the findings, we conclude that the introduced knowledge transfer initiative has upset the past harmony between expertise development and knowledge management practices.
Dimensioning of wireless mesh networks with flow-level QoS requirements

We study dimensioning of wireless mesh networks with elastic traffic subject to flow-level performance constraints. The objective of the dimensioning is to provide order-of-magnitude estimates of the required transmission resources in the network. The results can be used to evaluate the feasibility and sensitivity of a given network scenario, consisting of node locations, the interference model and the traffic matrix. We apply a network model which incorporates the dynamic flow-level behavior and MAC layer wireless interference. We formulate the dimensioning problems for two capacity parameters resulting from different interference models. Furthermore, three approximation schemes are presented to facilitate the computations. The approaches are illustrated by numerical examples
Vulnerability Analysis for Custom Instructions

Today circuits are becoming more vulnerable to electronic noises and reliable system design has emerged as a key challenge to embedded system design. Logic fault in terms of soft errors or transient faults are now a serious problem for embedded processors. Recent developments in customized embedded processors significantly focus on improving the performance and area of the processor by augmenting it with application specific custom functional units that implement custom instructions. This paper analyzes the effect of type, order, and bit-width of the operations of different custom instruction sub-graphs on the vulnerability of extensible processors. We have developed a framework for studying the effects of different operations and their dependencies on overall vulnerability of the custom functional units and our experiments show that, in most cases, similar custom functional units could have different vulnerabilities to soft errors. Our approach enables designers to optionally constrain the operand types and also the custom functional unit structure to reach an acceptable vulnerability.
Concrete behaviour and reappraisal deficits after a left frontal stroke: A case study

Concrete behaviour, the inability to disengage from immediate experience in order to manipulate ideas and thoughts, has long been understood to be a common problem after frontal lobe lesions. However, there has been little consideration of the impact that concreteness may have on emotional functioning, specifically in the use of thinking to manipulate emotional responses. One widely studied emotion regulation strategy is reappraisal, which depends on several frontal lobe related cognitive control processes. While there have been numerous neuroimaging findings on reappraisal, no study has used brain injured patients to investigate this issue. The present case study is the first to describe the capacity to generate reappraisals in a patient (Mrs M), whose behaviour became concrete after a left prefrontal stroke. Using a picture-based reappraisal paradigm, her performance was compared to non-concrete brain-lesioned patients, and neurologically healthy controls. Although Mrs M showed relatively preserved overall cognitive function, she was completely unable to spontaneously generate reappraisals. In striking contrast, once external support was offered, in the form of prompts, her capacity to reappraise dramatically improved. The results are analysed in terms of three neuropsychological capacities – all compromised in Mrs M – previously proposed as reappraisal components: response inhibition, abstraction, and verbal fluency. A number of implications for rehabilitation are discussed, including how the use of prompting may facilitate reappraisal capacity.
Using muscle to produce multiple sequence alignments in Bioconductor

Producing high-quality multiple sequence alignments of DNA, RNA, or amino acid sequences is often an essential component of any comparative sequence-based study. The MUSCLE algorithm employs a progressive alignment approach to optimise pairwise alignment scores, and achieves both high accuracy and reduced computational time even when handling thousands of sequences (Edgar, 2004,a). The R package muscle integrates the MUSCLE algorithm into the Bioconductor project by utilizing existing Biostrings classes for representing sequence objects and multiple alignments.
Approximating Lognormal Sum Distributions With Power Lognormal Distributions

In wireless communications, cochannel interference is usually characterized by a sum of lognormal random variables. Since the characteristic function of a lognormal distribution lacks explicit expression, and numerical calculation of a lognormal sum distribution is very challenging, lognormal distributions are often used to approximate lognormal sum distributions. However, it has been shown that a lognormal distribution can only capture a certain part of the body of a lognormal sum distribution. To improve the accuracy of approximation of lognormal sum distributions, one must resort to non-lognormal approximations. In this paper, we propose the use of power lognormal distributions to approximate lognormal sum distributions. To illustrate the superiority of the proposed model, some numerical experimental results are provided.
Relationship of Workaholism with Teachers’ Organizational Commitment and Organizational Citizenship Behavior

Teachers voluntarily dedicate a lot of time to their vocational activates. This can lead to workaholism and may result in organizational commitment and organizational citizenship behavior. The main objective of the current study was to investigate the relationship of workaholism with organizational commitment and organizational citizenship behavior of teachers in Zahedan. This was a descriptive-correlational study. The sample included 300 teachers in Zahedan who were selected through applying stratified random sampling method and were examined using questionnaires on workaholism, organizational commitment, and organizational citizenship behavior. To analyze the obtained data, correlation coefficient and simultaneous multiple regression analysis were applied using SPSS21. The obtained results indicated that teachers’ mean scores on workaholism, organizational commitment and organizational citizenship behavior were higher than the considered theoretical mean. Workaholism and its components (feeling of being driven to work, work involvement, and work enjoyment) were significantly and positively related to organizational commitment and organizational citizenship behavior (p < 0.01). Moreover, the results of simultaneous multiple regression analysis indicated that components of workaholism could predict teachers’ organizational commitment and organizational citizenship behavior (p < 0.05).