Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Age-specific differences of dual n-back training

Age-related decline in executive functions can be decisive in performing everyday tasks autonomously. Working memory (WM) is closely related to executive functions, and training of WM has yielded evidence toward cognitive plasticity in older adults. The training effects often transfer to untrained tasks and functions. These effects have mostly been shown in processes such as WM and attention, whereas studies investigating transfer to executive functions have been scarce. We trained older adults aged 57–73 years in a WM training task that was reported to be effective in producing transfer in young adults. The training intervention consisted of a dual n-back task including independently processed auditory and visual n-back tasks. We investigated transfer to tasks engaging executive functions, and compared the effects in older adults to those reported in young adults. We found that both training groups improved in the training task. Although the training effect in older adults was smaller than the training effect in young adults, the older adults still showed a notable improvement so that after training they performed on the same level as young adults without training. The older adults also showed transfer to an untrained WM updating task, a result that was in accordance with the findings in young adults; other transfer effects in older adults were lacking. We conclude that although transfer effects were scarce, the present study provides encouraging evidence toward the possibilities to compensate for age-related decline in executive functions by a WM training intervention.
Model-Based Deep Brain Stimulation Programming for Parkinson's Disease: The GUIDE Pilot Study

Background: Achieving optimal results following deep brain stimulation (DBS) typically involves several months of programming sessions. The Graphical User Interface for DBS Evaluation (GUIDE) study explored whether a visual programming system could help clinicians accurately predetermine ideal stimulation settings in DBS patients with Parkinson's disease. Methods: A multicenter prospective, observational study was designed that utilized a blinded Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS)-III examination to prospectively assess whether DBS settings derived using a neuroanatomically based computer model (Model) could provide comparable efficacy to those determined through traditional, monopolar review-based programming (Clinical). We retrospectively compared the neuroanatomical regions of stimulation, power consumption and time spent on programming using both methods. Results: The average improvement in UPDRS-III scores was 10.4 ± 7.8 for the Model settings and 11.7 ± 8.7 for the Clinical settings. The difference between the mean UPDRS-III scores with the Model versus the Clinical settings was 0.26 and not statistically significant (p = 0.9866). Power consumption for the Model settings was 48.7 ± 22 μW versus 76.1 ± 46.5 μW for the Clinical settings. The mean time spent programming using the Model approach was 31 ± 16 s versus 41.4 ± 29.1 min using the Clinical approach. Conclusion: The Model-based DBS settings provided similar benefit to the Clinical settings based on UPDRS-III scores and were often arrived at in less time and required less power than the Clinical settings.
Impact of weighted composite compared to traditional composite endpoints for the design of randomized controlled trials

Composite endpoints are commonly used in cardiovascular clinical trials. When using a composite endpoint a subject is considered to have an event when the first component endpoint has occurred. The use of composite endpoints offers the ability to incorporate several clinically important endpoint events thereby augmenting the event rate and increasing statistical power for a given sample size. One assumption of the composite is that all component events are of equal clinical importance. This assumption is rarely achieved given the diversity of component endpoints included. One means of adjusting for this diversity is to adjust the outcomes using severity weights determined a priori. The use of a weighted endpoint also allows for the incorporation of multiple endpoints per patient. Although weighting the outcomes lowers the effective number of events, it offers additional information that reduces the variance of the estimate. We created a series of simulation studies to examine the effect on power as the individual components of a typical composite were changed. In one study, we noted that the weighted composite was able to offer discriminative power when the component outcomes were altered, while the traditional method was not. In the other study, we noted that the weighted composite offered a similar level of power to the traditional composite when the change was driven by the more severe endpoints.
Use of OWA operators for feature aggregation in image classification

Feature aggregation is a crucial step in many methods of image classification, like the Bag-of-Words (BoW) model or the Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN). In this aggregation step, usually known as spatial pooling, the descriptors of neighbouring elements within a region of the image are combined into a local or a global feature vector. The combined vector must contain relevant information, while removing irrelevant and confusing details. Maximum and average are the most common aggregation functions used in the pooling step. To improve the aggregation of relevant information without degrading their discriminative power for classification in this work we propose the use of Ordered Weighted operators. We provide an extensive evaluation that shows that the final result of the classification using OWA aggregation is always better than average pooling and better than maximum pooling when dealing with small dictionary sizes.
Broadband Setup for Magnetic-Field-Induced Domain Wall Motion in Cylindrical Nanowires

In order to improve the precision of domain wall (DW) dynamics measurements, we develop a coplanar waveguide-based setup, where the DW motion should be triggered by pulses of magnetic field. The latter are produced by the Oersted field of the waveguide as a current pulse travels toward its termination, where it is dissipated. Our objective is to eliminate a source of bias in DW speed estimation while optimizing the field amplitude. Here, we present the implementations of this concept for magnetic force microscopy and synchrotron-based investigation.
Etude des problèmes de corrélation et d'incomplétude dans les marchés de crédit

Nous etudions des questions liees a l'evaluation et a la couverture des derives de credit sur panier. En particulier, nous nous interessons, d'une part, a la modelisation de la correlation de defaut, et d'autre part, a l'incompletude de marche introduite par le risque de correlation. Cette these contribue egalement a la litterature sur les methodes numeriques d'evaluation des produits sur panier. Dans le premier chapitre, on etudie l'approche des diffusions a sauts conditionnels et l'impact du grossissement de filtrations sur la dynamique des processus d'intensite. Le deuxieme chapitre est consacree a la copule de Marshall-Olkin. On effectue une etude detaillee de ses proprietes, ainsi que de la parametrisation de cette structure de correlation. Dans le troisieme chapitre, on developpe des methodes semi-analytiques afin d'evaluer des derives de credit sur panier dans un modele de Marshall-Olkin. Dans le quatrieme chapitre, on resout le probleme de couverture des produits sur panier. Enfin, dans le cinquieme chapitre, on analyse le risque de correlation qu'on trouve dans une nouvelle generation de produits connus sous le nom de CDO-au-carre.
Characterization of PET partial volume corrections for variable myocardial wall thicknesses

Limited scanner resolution and cardiac motion contribute to partial volume (PV) averaging of positron emission tomography (PET) images. An extravascular (EV) density image, created from the subtraction of a blood pool (BP) from a transmission (TX) image can be used to estimate PV losses in the myocardium (MYO). A phantom emulating the left ventricle myocardium, with a variable wall thickness (5 mm to 25 mm), was used to characterize the method for use in 3-D PET /sup 18/FDG studies. At a myocardial thickness of 5 mm, 40% recovery of the activity was obtained. At myocardial thicknesses greater than 20 mm, full recovery was seen. Prior to EV image creation, the morphological operators dilation/erosion were applied to the BP and TX images to account for the presence of the phantom's plastic walls, which would otherwise bias the EV values. Dividing MYO by the EV values improved the recovery to 95% at 5 mm, however, TX ring artifacts and the anisotropic nature of dilation/erosion contributed to errors in the EV image. Instead of using dilation/erosion, a second method, involving placement of adjusted ROIs on the BP and TX images was investigated. Use of these new EV values, as well as placement of the cardiac phantom in a chest phantom to reduce TX ring artifacts, allowed for 90% recovery of the activity at 5 mm. These results show that the EV density image can correct for PV averaging with 3-D PET over a range of myocardial thicknesses applicable to patient studies. However, in the thinnest regions, the method was found to be sensitive to errors in both the blood pool and transmission images.
Optimization of bioavailability of topical steroids: thermodynamic control.

In theory, under strictly defined ideal conditions, the bioavailability of a drug from a topical formulation should depend only on the thermodynamic activity of the medicament in the base. We tested this fundamental postulate using a steroid as the test drug, formulated in a series of solutions and gels at 90% saturation, i.e., ideally at constant thermodynamic activity. The in vivo assessment method was the occluded vasoconstrictor test in humans. For most systems, this simple measure of thermodynamic activity correlated with drug bioavailability as assessed by the blanching response. Where there were differences, we have rationalized them in terms of penetration enhancement, irritancy, dehydration of the stratum corneum, or steroid binding in the base, although such factors have not been explicitly demonstrated.
Intraclass Correlation for Measures from a Middle School Nutrition Intervention Study: Estimates, Correlates, and Applications

This article presents the first estimates of school-level intraclass correlation for dietary measures based on data from the Teens Eating for Energy and Nutrition at School study. This study involves 3,878 seventh graders from 16 middle schools from Minneapolis–St. Paul, Minnesota. The sample was 66.8% White, 11.2% Black, and 7.0% Asian; 48.8% of the sample was female. Typical fruit and vegetable intake was assessed with a modified version of the Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System questionnaire. Twenty-four-hour dietary recalls were conducted by nutritionists using the Minnesota Nutrition Data System. Mixed-model regression methods were used to estimate variance components for school and residual error, both before and after adjustment for demographic factors. School-level intraclass correlations were large enough, if ignored, to substantially inflate the Type I error rate in an analysis of treatment effects. The authors show how to use the estimates to determine sample size requirements for future studies.
Number plate recognition using template comparison for various fonts in MATLAB

In a diverse country like India, gated communities, corporate premises and university campuses witness a lot of unfamiliar vehicles with number plates in different formats, fonts, font sizes and sometimes even in various languages which enter and leave the estate every day, and it is difficult to register the vehicle numbers manually even for a multi-lingual person. This document aims to extract image frames from a streaming CCTV footage, recognize the vehicle number and convert it into its corresponding text format. Template matching has been used earlier in recognition of digits and letters, this paper also uses the concept of template matching methodology using a SIMULINK model in MATLAB which is developed to extract the vehicle number from the number plate. The alphanumeric values are extracted from the image containing the number plate, one after the other, and are matched with its corresponding template with the help of the template matching methodology. This template matching block compares each and every pixel value of the original image with the pixel values of the corresponding stored template and returns a template metrics value as an output. The templates stored in the model consists or various fonts in English as well as templates of some of the widely used languages (22 official languages) across India. The SIMULINK model uses the Digital Signal Processing Toolbox and the Computer System Vision Toolbox in MATLAB. Various factors affects the efficiency of this process such as luminance, blurred images, incomplete numbers or characters, damaged number plates, etc.
DELLA protein functions as a transcriptional activator through the DNA binding of the INDETERMINATE DOMAIN family proteins

Significance Gibberellin (GA)-dependent degradation of DELLA protein, a key negative regulator, is essential for GA action. However, it is unclear how DELLA regulates downstream gene expression. Although possessing strong transactivation activity, DELLA lacks a DNA-binding domain. Therefore, a model has been proposed in which DELLA acts as a transcriptional coactivator with another transcription factor or factors containing a DNA-binding domain. Here, we show that some members of the INDETERMINATE DOMAIN (IDD) protein family are such intermediate proteins. The DELLA/IDD complex up-regulates the expression of the GA-positive regulator SCARECROW-LIKE 3 (SCL3). Meanwhile, SCL3 protein also interacts with IDD proteins to suppress its own expression. We propose that a coregulator exchange system between DELLA (as coactivator) and SCL3 (as corepressor) regulates the expression of SCL3. DELLA protein is a key negative regulator of gibberellin (GA) signaling. Although how DELLA regulates downstream gene expression remains unclear, DELLA has been proposed to function as a transcriptional activator. However, because DELLA lacks a DNA-binding domain, intermediate protein(s) mediating the DELLA/DNA interaction are believed to be necessary for activating DELLA target genes. Here, using yeast hybrid screenings, we identified five members of INDETERMINATE DOMAIN (IDD) protein family which bind physically to both DELLA and the promoter sequence of the GA-positive regulator SCARECROW-LIKE 3 (SCL3), which previously was characterized as a DELLA direct target gene. Transient assays using Arabidopsis protoplasts demonstrated that a luciferase reporter controlled by the SCL3 promoter was additively transactivated by REPRESSOR of ga1-3 (RGA) and IDDs. Phenotypic analysis of transgenic plants expressing AtIDD3 (one of the 16 IDDs in the Arabidopsis genome) fused with the plant-specific repression domain (SRDX) supported the possibility that AtIDD3 is positively involved in GA signaling. In addition, we found that SCL3 protein also interacts with IDDs, resulting in the suppression of its target gene expression. In this context, DELLA and SCL3 interact competitively with IDD proteins to regulate downstream gene expression. These results suggest that the coregulators DELLA and SCL3, using IDDs as transcriptional scaffolds for DNA binding, antagonistically regulate the expression of their downstream targets to control the GA signaling pathway.
The ?Bolsa-Família? Program And The Food Insecurity In Brazilian Household Between 2009 And 2013

Food insecurity is a global phenomenon; more freque nt in poor, but also present in the world’s richest countries. More frequent among the poorest, but als o concern for some families even distant from the poverty line. Understand how families deal with thi s phenomenon, and how they make their decisions on the need to allocate their income and time, and how thi s decision is reversed in a sense of satisfaction i s an important way to end hunger and food insecurity. Th is understanding can give a support to the welfare programs, whose objectives are to diminish food ins ecurity. Using repeated cross-section data from Bra zil (PNAD/IBGE) for the years of 2009 and 2013, this is the first work to evaluate the impact of the Bolsa Familia Program (BFP) on households’ food insecurit y using a model that controls for the selection bia s from observable and unobservable variables. The diff-indiff estimates, with and without matching, are comp ared with the estimates of the ordered logit model. The comparisons show how much endogeneity can mask the results, if it is not treated properly. According t o he estimates of the diff-in-diff results, the BF P is responsible for a reduction of 0.076 in the food in security index.
A calcium-specific site influences the structure and activity of the manganese cluster responsible for photosynthetic water oxidation.

EPR studies have revealed that removal of calcium using citric acid from the site in spinach photosystem II which is coupled to the photosynthetic O2-evolving process produces a structural change in the manganese cluster responsible for water oxidation. If done in the dark, this yields a modified S1' oxidation state which can be photooxidized above 250 K to form a structurally altered S2' state, as seen by formation of a "modified" multiline EPR signal. Compared to the "normal" S2 state, this new S2'-state EPR signal has more lines (at least 25) and 25% narrower 55Mn hyperfine splittings, indicative of disruption of the ligands to manganese. The calcium-depleted S2' oxidation state is greatly stabilized compared to the native S2 oxidation state, as seen by a large increase in the lifetime of the S2' EPR signal. Calcium reconstitution results in the reduction of the oxidized tyrosine residue 161YD+ (Em approximately 0.7-0.8 V, NHE) within the reaction center D1 protein in both the S1' and S2' states, as monitored by its EPR signal intensity. We attribute this to reduction by Mn. Thus a possible structural role which calcium plays is to bring YD+ into redox equilibrium with the Mn cluster. Photooxidation of S2' above 250 K produces a higher S state (S3 or S4) having a new EPR signal at g = 2.004 +/- 0.003 and a symmetric line width of 163 +/- 3 G, suggestive of oxidation of an organic donor, possibly an amino acid, in magnetic contact with the Mn cluster. This EPR signal forms in a stoichiometry of 1-2 relative to YD+. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Stroke complicating pregnancy and the puerperium

Stroke complicating pregnancy and the puerperium in Taiwan and the comparison between Western and Eastern countries have not been well studied. We identified retrospectively 32 cases of stroke from 66 781 deliveries, including 21 intracranial hemorrhages and 11 cerebral infarctions from 1992 to 2004. The most common causes of intracranial hemorrhage were vascular anomaly (29%), pre‐eclampsia/eclampsia (24%), undetermined (24%) and coagulopathy (19%). The most common causes of cerebral infarction were cardioembolism (36%), cerebral venous thrombosis (27%) and pre‐eclampsia/eclampsia (18%). Perinatal adverse outcome included two stillbirths, nine premature deliveries and four abortions. The compiled results of previous studies and ours revealed that intracranial hemorrhage appeared to be slightly more common in Taiwan (43–69%) than in the Western countries (33–52%). The average maternal mortality rate was 17.8% (range 9–38) with 77.8% due to intracranial hemorrhage. The average incidence of stroke associated with pregnancy and the puerperium was 21.3 per 100 000 deliveries (range 8.9–67.1). Our study, different from the Western countries, showed that intracranial hemorrhage is slightly more common than cerebral infarction. Pre‐eclampsia/eclampsia is an important cause of stroke, however, the possibility of cardioembolism in cerebral infarction and vascular anomaly in intracranial hemorrhage should be studied.
Method Forming Signals for High-Speed Radio Access Systems

Communication systems built on the basis of soft difinion radio (SDR) architecture using Cognitive radio (CRS) algorithms are assigned greater expectations. However, signals, which are used in today's modern radio communication systems (signals with orthogonal frequency multiplexing Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex (OFDM)) have a number of shortcomings, one of which is the high side lobe level of individual subcarriers that does not allow the provision of potential spectral effectiveness of high-speed radio access systems. The article describes a new method developed, which is based on the use of special shaping functions with good localization of energy in the frequency domain, which provides a rapid decline in side lobe spectrum of the generated signal in the specified time duration of the signal. Using of this method allows for the generation of a signal not only with empty areas in the spectrum of a signal of a certain width for adaptation to complex electromagnetic conditions, but also a low level of noise interference in these areas, that cannot be obtained using signals from orthogonal frequency multiplexing.
Legumes are different: Leaf nitrogen, photosynthesis, and water use efficiency

Significance Leaf traits are used to drive models of global carbon fluxes and understand plant evolution. Many syntheses have highlighted relationships between plant leaf nitrogen and photosynthesis as evidence of a strong evolutionary drive to “intercept light and capture CO2. ” Different from previous studies, we compiled a global dataset constrained to sites and studies where nitrogen-fixing plants (N2FP) and nonfixing species [other plants (OP)] could be directly compared. We show that photosynthesis is not related to leaf nitrogen for N2FP, irrespective of climate or growth form. N2FP have clear advantages in water use efficiency over OP. These findings contribute to a more complete explanation of global distributions of N2FP and can help improve models of global carbon and nitrogen cycles. Using robust, pairwise comparisons and a global dataset, we show that nitrogen concentration per unit leaf mass for nitrogen-fixing plants (N2FP; mainly legumes plus some actinorhizal species) in nonagricultural ecosystems is universally greater (43–100%) than that for other plants (OP). This difference is maintained across Koppen climate zones and growth forms and strongest in the wet tropics and within deciduous angiosperms. N2FP mostly show a similar advantage over OP in nitrogen per leaf area (Narea), even in arid climates, despite diazotrophy being sensitive to drought. We also show that, for most N2FP, carbon fixation by photosynthesis (Asat) and stomatal conductance (gs) are not related to Narea—in distinct challenge to current theories that place the leaf nitrogen–Asat relationship at the center of explanations of plant fitness and competitive ability. Among N2FP, only forbs displayed an Narea–gs relationship similar to that for OP, whereas intrinsic water use efficiency (WUEi; Asat/gs) was positively related to Narea for woody N2FP. Enhanced foliar nitrogen (relative to OP) contributes strongly to other evolutionarily advantageous attributes of legumes, such as seed nitrogen and herbivore defense. These alternate explanations of clear differences in leaf N between N2FP and OP have significant implications (e.g., for global models of carbon fluxes based on relationships between leaf N and Asat). Combined, greater WUE and leaf nitrogen—in a variety of forms—enhance fitness and survival of genomes of N2FP, particularly in arid and semiarid climates.