Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Issues on Mechatronic Devices Aiming to Test Neuroprothesis

This paper presents three robotic structures and the software components aiming to emulate the human body motion. A neuroprosthesis is supposed to provide the control over the muscles of a disabled person during a rehabilitation process. The control method developed under Matlab®&Simulink® implements the mathematical model of the human body, the modeled muscles being electrically stimulated and the resulted motion is shown by controlling a humanoid-like robotic structure. The main feature of the proposed humanoid-like robotic structures is to support the training, development, implementation and testing of user defined control algorithms for a neuroprosthesis.
Increased nitrogen leaching following soil freezing is due to decreased root uptake in a northern hardwood forest

The depth and duration of snow pack is declining in the northeastern United States as a result of warming air temperatures. Since snow insulates soil, a decreased snow pack can increase the frequency of soil freezing, which has been shown to have important biogeochemical implications. One of the most notable effects of soil freezing is increased inorganic nitrogen losses from soil during the following growing season. Decreased nitrogen retention is thought to be due to reduced root uptake, but has not yet been measured directly. We conducted a 2‐year snow‐removal experiment at Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in New Hampshire, USA to determine the effects of soil freezing on root uptake and leaching of inorganic nitrogen simultaneously. Snow removal significantly increased the depth of maximal soil frost by 37.2 and 39.5 cm in the first and second winters, respectively (P < 0.001 in 2008/2009 and 2009/2010). As a consequence of soil freezing, root uptake of ammonium declined significantly during the first and second growing seasons after snow removal (P = 0.023 for 2009 and P = 0.005 for 2010). These observed reductions in root nitrogen uptake coincided with significant increases in soil solution concentrations of ammonium in the Oa horizon (P = 0.001 for 2009 and 2010) and nitrate in the B horizon (P < 0.001 and P = 0.003 for 2009 and 2010, respectively). The excess flux of dissolved inorganic nitrogen from the Oa horizon that was attributable to soil freezing was 7.0 and 2.8 kg N ha−1 in 2009 and 2010, respectively. The excess flux of dissolved inorganic nitrogen from the B horizon was lower, amounting to 1.7 and 0.7 kg N ha−1 in 2009 and 2010, respectively. Results of this study provide direct evidence that soil freezing reduces root nitrogen uptake, demonstrating that the effects of winter climate change on root function has significant consequences for nitrogen retention and loss in forest ecosystems.
Peripheral bone densitometry.

A. What is the evidence that peripheral systems detect osteoporosis and predict fractures? 1. Despite the fact that all the early work in the field was done using peripheral (mainly forearm) systems, the role of peripheral densitometry in the diagnosis and management of osteoporosis is controversial. 2. Facts: a. Output variables of peripheral systems are generally correlated with bone strength and BMD by central DXA. b. Peripheral systems can differentiate osteoporotic patients (with and without preexisting fractures) from normals. c. Peripheral systems can predict global fracture risk in postmenopausal women nearly as well as central DXA. B. Reality check: controlled clinical trials versus realworld use of peripherals. 1. Technical limitations affect utility. a. Ambient temperature, edema, foot size, injuries, etc. may confound measurements. b. Output variables differ among peripheral systems. c. Regions of interest differ among peripheral systems. d. Normative databases differ among peripheral systems. e. Diagnostic discrepancy exists among peripheral systems. f. Operation: generally no in-person, manufacturer-guided training. 2. T-scores from peripherals can be used to assess fracture risk but should not be used to make a diagnosis following World Health Organization criteria. a. T-score cutpoints vary among peripheral systems. b. Sensitivity and specificity of peripheral systems compared with central DXA for detecting osteopenia and osteoporosis generally does not meet International Society for Clinical Densitometry recommendations. c. Discordance with central DXA. 3. Results of most (but not all) studies suggest that peripherals should not be used to monitor patients on antiresorptive treatment. 4. Use with men and premenopausal women is commonplace but not well validated. 5. Lack of interpretation guidelines leads to confusion about what to do with results (eg, when should additional testing with central DXA be recommended? ). 6. Reporting of results is often poorly done, especially in nonmedical settings. 7. Educational and wellness programs are good venues for use of peripheral systems.
Illicit Prescription Drug Use among Pharmacists

On average, pharmacists spend six years in college studying the intricacies of prescription medicines and their effects on the human body. Upon graduation, they embark on a career where their expertise and familiarity with the proper use and dangers of prescription drugs continuously grows. Despite this wealth of experience, some pharmacists become prescription drug abusers. The present analysis uses interview data obtained from 50 recovering drug dependent pharmacists to understand the process by which these professionals come to abuse the tools of their trade. Ironically, the data show several ways in which the individuals' knowledge and expertise may actually contribute to progressive prescription drug abuse. The authors argue that being and becoming a pharmacist presents a paradox of familiarity wherein technical knowledge and opportunity, in the absence of proper appreciation of the risks of substance abuse, can delude pharmacists into believing that they are immune to prescription drug abuse.
Frequent cognitive activity compensates for education differences in episodic memory.

OBJECTIVES To test the hypothesis that frequent participation in cognitive activities can moderate the effects of limited education on cognitive functioning. DESIGN A national study of adult development and aging, Midlife in the United States, with assessments conducted at the second wave of measurement in 2004-2006. SETTING Assessments were made over the telephone (cognitive measures) and in a mail questionnaire (demographic variables, measures of cognitive and physical activity, and self-rated health). PARTICIPANTS A total of 3,343 men and women between the ages of 32 and 84 with a mean age of 55.99 years. MEASUREMENTS The dependent variables were Episodic Memory (Immediate and Delayed Word List Recall) and Executive Functioning (Category Fluency, Backward Digit Span, Backward Counting Speed, Reasoning, and Attention Switching Speed). The independent variables were years of education and frequency of cognitive activity (reading, writing, doing word games or puzzles, and attending lectures). The covariates were age, sex, self-rated health, income, and frequency of physical activity. RESULTS The two cognitive measures were regressed on education, cognitive activity frequency, and their interaction, while controlling for the covariates. Education and cognitive activity were significantly correlated with both cognitive abilities. The interaction of education and cognitive activity was significant for episodic memory but not for executive functioning. CONCLUSION Those with lower education had lower cognitive functioning, but this was qualified by level of cognitive activity. For those with lower education, engaging frequently in cognitive activities showed significant compensatory benefits for episodic memory, which has promise for reducing social disparities in cognitive aging.
High-resolution whole-brain dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI using compressed sensing

MRI sparse sampling and constrained reconstruction techniques enable high-resolution images of the entire brain with no increase in scan time or apparent loss of diagnostic information. Dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI is a powerful tool that maps the spatial distribution of vascular parameters in the brain, including blood-brain-barrier (BBB) permeability, interstitial transit times, and interstitial volume. DCE-MRI is widely used to assess BBB leakage in brain tumors and multiple sclero-sis lesions, and it has potential applications in Alzheimer’s de-mentia, vascular cognitive impairment, migraine, epilepsy, and neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression. It involves in-travenous administration of a paramagnetic contrast agent and continuous MRI acquisition of images to track the passage of the contrast through the volume of interest. Due to conventional Nyquist sampling requirements, most brain DCE-MRI scans have 5-second temporal resolution, 8-slice coverage, and relatively poor spatial resolution. Using MRI sparse sampling and constrained reconstruction techniques, we showed order of magnitude improvements in spatial resolution and coverage. Our recent work demonstrates the potential for improved clinical assessment of primary and metastatic brain tumors. Current clinical DCE-MRI protocols spatial resolution A typical spatial is 5cm, with spatial 0:9 0:9 , and a temporal of The restricted coverage and spatial resolution make it difﬁcult to fully characterize large tumors or scattered metastatic lesions may be present through-out the brain. MRI methods involve sparse and constrained including compressed (CS—
Maternal serum human chorionic gonadotrophin levels in systemic lupus erythematosus and antiphospholipid syndrome

Maternal serum human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) levels were measured during the second and the third trimesters of pregnancy in patients with either systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or primary antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). All results were expressed in multiples of the gestation‐specific normal medians (MoM). The median MoM level in 17 samples from SLE patients was 1.48 compared with 0.79 MoM in 99 controls of similar gestation (p<0.002, Wilcoxon Rank sum test). In contrast the median MoM level in 19 samples from primary APS patients was only 1.14. These preliminary findings should be further studied to evaluate the implications for Down syndrome screening, detection of SLE cases during pregnancy and the prediction of adverse outcome in SLE gestations. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fenton , Krause and Neil 1 Software Measurement : Uncertainty and Causal Modelling

Software measurement has the potential to play an important role in risk management during product development. Metrics incorporated into predictive models can give advanced warning of potential risks. However, the common approach of using simple regression models, notably to predict software defects, can lead to inappropriate risk management decisions. These naïve models should be replaced with predictive models incorporating genuine cause-effect relationships. We show how these can be built using Bayesian networks; a powerful graphical modelling technique. We describe how a Bayesian network for software quality risk management is providing accurate predictions of software defects in a range of real projects. As well as their use for prediction, Bayesian networks can also be used for performing a range of “what if” scenarios to identify potential problems and possible improvement actions. This really is the dawn of an exciting new era for software measurement.
Hierarchical Triple-Modular Redundancy (H-TMR) Network For Digital Systems

Hierarchical application of Triple-Modular Redundancy (TMR) increases fault tolerance of digital Integrated Circuit (IC). In this paper, a simple probabilistic model was proposed for analysis of fault masking performance of hierarchical TMR networks. Performance improvements obtained by second order TMR network were theoretically compared with first order TMR network.
An Essay on the Growing Contribution of Economic Markets to the Proliferation of the Social

The aim of this article is to provide analytical tools for understanding why and how economic markets are becoming a growing source of political issues. We show, first, that the mechanisms of framing and overflowing, which characterize the functioning of markets, contribute towards the emergence of matters of concern and of concerned groups. We then explain why this proliferation of the social is accelerating, with particular emphasis on the establishment of a new innovation regime and the growing role of certain scientific disciplines and technologies. The multiplication of emergent concerned groups raises the question of what forms of market organization and political procedures could be designed and implemented to take their demands and expectations into account.
Understanding High-Stakes Decision Making: Constructing a Model of the Decision to Seek Shelter From Intimate Partner Violence

ABSTRACT Violent events, options considered, commitment influences on the generation of options, and decisions to stay or leave for shelter were extracted from interview transcripts of 25 women living in a shelter. The purpose was to create a graphic representation of the model of the decision to seek shelter from intimate partner violence (IPV). Sequential decision problem models were constructed to illuminate the complexity of such a high-stakes, poorly structured decision involving conflicting goals and time pressure. The sequential structure of this behavioral decision problem is significant, partially explaining the many violent episodes and multiple attempts to leave that many abused women experience.
Struggling for balance amid turbulence on international assignments: work–family conflict, support and commitment

Using human capital theory, we develop hypotheses about the impact of perceived organizational support and two forms of work–family conflict on the psychological withdrawal of expatriates. We also consider the exacerbating effects of commitment to either domain. To test these hypotheses, we collected multisource data from 324 expatriates in 46 countries. Results indicate that perceived organizational support and the interplay between work and family domains have direct and unique influences on expatriates’ intentions to quit.
Unfolding transition state and intermediates of the tumor suppressor p16INK4a investigated by molecular dynamics simulations

The ankyrin repeat is one of the most common protein motifs and is involved in protein–protein interactions. It consists of 33 residues that assume a β‐hairpin helix‐loop‐helix fold. Mutagenesis and kinetic experiments (Φ‐value analysis of the folding transition state) have shown that the tumor suppressor p16INK4a, a four‐repeat protein, unfolds sequentially starting from the two N‐terminal repeats. Here, the flexibility of p16INK4a at room temperature and its unfolding mechanism at high temperature have been investigated by multiple molecular dynamics runs in explicit water for a total simulation time of 0.65 μs. The transition state ensemble (TSE) of p16INK4a was identified by monitoring both the deviation from the experimental Φ values and sudden conformational changes along the unfolding trajectories. Conformations in the TSE have a mainly unstructured second repeat whereas the other repeats are almost completely folded. A rigid‐body displacement of the first repeat involving both a rotation and translation is observed in all molecular dynamics simulations at high temperature. The Trp15, Pro75, and Ala76 side‐chains are more buried in the TSE than the native state. The sequential unfolding starting at the second repeat is in agreement with the mutagenesis studies whereas the displacement of the first repeat and the presence of nonnative interactions at the TSE are simulation results which supplement the experimental data. Furthermore, the unfolding trajectories reveal the presence of two on‐pathway intermediates with partial α‐helical structure. Finally, on the basis of the available experimental and simulation results we suggest that in modular proteins the shift of the folding TSE toward the native structure upon reduction of the number of tandem repeats is consistent with the Hammond effect. Proteins 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Intergenerational Transmission Effects on Relationship Satisfaction

Although intergenerational transmission processes have been studied on various aspects of family life, cross-cultural comparisons have rarely been made. In the present study, the authors examine how intergenerational transmission processes on relationship satisfaction differ between individuals with different gender and cultural identities. A multigroup structural equation modeling analysis compares the influence of family-of-origin factors on relationship satisfaction between Asian-born Asian, North American–born Asian, and Caucasian American heterosexual couples. Results suggest that Asian-born Asians experience greater influence from their family-of-origin than North American–born Asians and Caucasians. Males experience greater influence from their family-of-origin than females in Asian couples whereas females experience greater influence in Caucasian couples. The results suggest that both cultural identity and gender have an impact on the intergenerational transmission of relationship quality. The findings underscore the need for further exploration of the mechanisms of the intergenerational transmission processes in different contexts.
Statins Trigger Mitochondrial Reactive Oxygen Species-Induced Apoptosis in Glycolytic Skeletal Muscle.

AIMS Although statins are the most widely used cholesterol-lowering agents, they are associated with a variety of muscle complaints. The goal of this study was to characterize the effects of statins on the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway induced by mitochondrial oxidative stress in skeletal muscle using human muscle biopsies as well as in vivo and in vitro models. RESULTS Statins increased mitochondrial H2O2 production, the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, and TUNEL staining in deltoid biopsies of patients with statin-associated myopathy. Furthermore, atorvastatin treatment for 2 weeks at 10 mg/kg/day in rats increased H2O2 accumulation and mRNA levels and immunostaining of the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, as well as TUNEL staining and caspase 3 cleavage in glycolytic (plantaris) skeletal muscle, but not in oxidative (soleus) skeletal muscle, which has a high antioxidative capacity. Atorvastatin also decreased the GSH/GSSG ratio, but only in glycolytic skeletal muscle. Cotreatment with the antioxidant, quercetin, at 25 mg/kg/day abolished these effects in plantaris. An in vitro study with L6 myoblasts directly demonstrated the link between mitochondrial oxidative stress following atorvastatin exposure and activation of the mitochondrial apoptosis signaling pathway. INNOVATION Treatment with atorvastatin is associated with mitochondrial oxidative stress, which activates apoptosis and contributes to myopathy. Glycolytic muscles are more sensitive to atorvastatin than oxidative muscles, which may be due to the higher antioxidative capacity in oxidative muscles. CONCLUSION There is a link between statin-induced mitochondrial oxidative stress and activation of the mitochondrial apoptosis signaling pathway in glycolytic skeletal muscle, which may be associated with statin-associated myopathy.
Examining Prediction Models of Giving Up within a Resource-based Framework of Coping in Primary School Students with and without Learning Disabilities

This study tests a proposed model of coping outcomes for 290 primary school students in Years 5 and 6 (mean age = 11.50 years) with and without learning disabilities (LDs) within a resource-based framework of coping. Group-administered educational and intelligence tests were used to screen students for LDs. Students also completed a questionnaire measuring coping resources, namely student engagement and internal control as well as outcome measures of coping styles and inability to cope. Structural equation modelling revealed that student engagement promoted the use of productive coping strategies for both groups and that this relationship was partially mediated by internal control. Internal control also partially mediated the relationship between student engagement and non-productive coping for students without LDs. Furthermore, less reliance on productive and greater reliance on non-productive coping strategies, respectively, predicted more of a tendency to not cope or give up in both groups.
A GLOBAL THREE-DIMENSIONAL RADIATION MAGNETO-HYDRODYNAMIC SIMULATION OF SUPER-EDDINGTON ACCRETION DISKS

We study super-Eddington accretion flows onto black holes using a global three-dimensional radiation magneto-hydrodynamical simulation. We solve the time-dependent radiative transfer equation for the specific intensities to accurately calculate the angular distribution of the emitted radiation. Turbulence generated by the magneto-rotational instability provides self-consistent angular momentum transfer. The simulation reaches inflow equilibrium with an accretion rate ∼220 LEdd/c2 and forms a radiation-driven outflow along the rotation axis. The mechanical energy flux carried by the outflow is ∼20% of the radiative energy flux. The total mass flux lost in the outflow is about 29% of the net accretion rate. The radiative luminosity of this flow is ∼10 LEdd. This yields a radiative efficiency ∼4.5%, which is comparable to the value in a standard thin disk model. In our simulation, vertical advection of radiation caused by magnetic buoyancy transports energy faster than photon diffusion, allowing a significant fraction of the photons to escape from the surface of the disk before being advected into the black hole. We contrast our results with the lower radiative efficiencies inferred in most models, such as the slim disk model, which neglect vertical advection. Our inferred radiative efficiencies also exceed published results from previous global numerical simulations, which did not attribute a significant role to vertical advection. We briefly discuss the implications for the growth of supermassive black holes in the early universe and describe how these results provided a basis for explaining the spectrum and population statistics of ultraluminous X-ray sources.
Spontaneous Inferences from Pictorially Presented Behaviors

Previous research on spontaneous trait inferences (STI) was based on verbal stimuli. In this research, stimulus behaviors were presented pictorially and STIs were measured in terms of the time needed to identify a trait term that gradually appeared behind a mask. An attempt was made to demonstrate that the STI cannot be reduced to a side effect of language comprehension. A pilot study showed that the phenomenon extends to pictures and that a graphical encoding task leads to even stronger STIs than verbal recoding. Experiment 1 corroborated the basic finding using an improved methodology. In Experiment 2, specific encoding operations were manipulated in a verification task. STIs were strongest when the verification task referred to concrete stimulus aspects. The findings support neither an account in terms of mere language comprehension nor a verbal interference of inferential-distance account, but they are consistent with a concreteness advantage or picture-superiority effect.