Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Redox‐sensitive protein phosphatase activity regulates the phosphorylation state of p38 protein kinase in primary astrocyte culture

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been implicated as second messengers that activate protein kinase cascades, although the means by which ROS regulate signal transduction remains unclear. In the present study, we show that interleukin 1β (IL1β), H2O2, and sorbitol‐induced hyperosmolarity mediate a 5‐ to10‐fold increase in phosphorylation (activation) of the p38 protein kinase in rat primary glial cells as measured by analyses of Western blots using an antibody directed against the dually phosphorylated (active) p38. Additionally, IL1β was found to elicit H2O2 synthesis in these cells. Concurrent with p38 phosphorylation, all three stimulation paradigms caused an inhibition of protein phosphatase activity. Phenyl‐tert‐butyl nitrone (PBN), a nitrone‐based free radical trap and N‐acetyl‐cysteine (NAC), a thiol reducing agent, were examined for their effects on the phosphorylation of p38 as well as phosphatase activity. Pretreatment of cells with either PBN or NAC at 1.0 mM suppressed IL1β H2O2, and sorbitol‐mediated activation of p38 and significantly increased phosphatase activity. These data suggest that ROS, particularly H2O2 , are used as second messenger substances that activate p38 in part via the transient inactivation of regulatory protein phosphatases. J. Neurosci. Res. 55:724–732, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Facilitation not Revolution: Railways and British Flat Racing 1830–1914

I Scwral historians liavc argucd that thc dcvclopmcnt of thc railways in ninctccnth-ccntury Britain brought hcncficial changc to domcstic horscracing. Vamplcw claimcd that ‘it is no cxaggcration to say that thc railways rcvolutioniscd Iiorscracing’; anothcr sports historian, Urailsford, argucd that ‘thc cffccts of thc railways on horscracing wcrc . positivc, dramatic and longlasting [andJ oncc tlic railway arrivcd, tlic local racc mccting changcd its naturc almost ovcrniglit’; and crnincnt railway historian, tlic latc Jack Simmons, asscrtcd that tlic railways ‘contributcd largcly to thc growth of spcctator sports. First of all . to racc mcctings’. 2 Tlic mcclianism of this influcncc has bccn spcllcd out morc fully by Vamplcw a dccadc or so ago and inorc rcccntly by both Trantcr and Huggins. Vamplcw argucd that tlic railways
Here today, gone tomorrow? Targeting conservation investment in the face of climate change

To optimize the use of scarce resources, it is imperative to target conservation investment wisely. We discuss the impact assessment of potential climate-driven shifts in species distributions on the future conservation utility of a present-day reserve design. We provide examples using breeding bird survey data for 150 species in the eastern USA, and two predicted future species distributions models. Using present-day distributions, this study systematically selects sets of units meeting a range of conservation targets; 10 to 100 occurrences of each species in the reserve network. Units provide coverage to 68 ‐ 79% of bird species in the two future scenarios. Underrepresented species fall into two principal groups, those associated with northern tree species (Balsam fir Abies balsamea or Paper birch Betula papyrifera) and those linked to temperature variables. Changes in the geography of conservation priority are highlighted by a ‘conservation priority surface’ and compared to existing protected areas. These techniques inform adaptive conservation management strategies and encourage the geographic targeting of long-term conservation investment.
Using color image

The parameter-controlled virtual histogram distribution (PCVHD) method is proposed in this project to enhance the fusion image. This introduces a new hybrid image enhancement approach driven by both global and local processes on luminance and chrominance components of the image simultaneously the overall contrast and the sharpness of an image also increased. An original image creates equally distributed brightness level. This approach also increases the visibility of specified portions or better maintaining image colour. Primary operation for almost all vision and image processing tasks in several areas such as computer vision, biomedical image analysis, forensic video/image analysis, remote sensing and fault detection is to enhance the visual information. A simulation result shows better brightness preservation.
Exploiting the Power of Stereo Confidences

Applications based on stereo vision are becoming increasingly common, ranging from gaming over robotics to driver assistance. While stereo algorithms have been investigated heavily both on the pixel and the application level, far less attention has been dedicated to the use of stereo confidence cues. Mostly, a threshold is applied to the confidence values for further processing, which is essentially a sparsified disparity map. This is straightforward but it does not take full advantage of the available information. In this paper, we make full use of the stereo confidence cues by propagating all confidence values along with the measured disparities in a Bayesian manner. Before using this information, a mapping from confidence values to disparity outlier probability rate is performed based on gathered disparity statistics from labeled video data. We present an extension of the so called Stixel World, a generic 3D intermediate representation that can serve as input for many of the applications mentioned above. This scheme is modified to directly exploit stereo confidence cues in the underlying sensor model during a maximum a posteriori estimation process. The effectiveness of this step is verified in an in-depth evaluation on a large real-world traffic data base of which parts are made publicly available. We show that using stereo confidence cues allows both reducing the number of false object detections by a factor of six while keeping the detection rate at a near constant level.
Efficient Fast Stereo Acoustic Echo Cancellation Based on Pairwise Optimal Weight Realization Technique

In stereophonic acoustic echo cancellation (SAEC) problem, fast and accurate tracking of echo path is strongly required for stable echo cancellation. In this paper, we propose a class of efficient fast SAEC schemes with linear computational complexity (with respect to filter length). The proposed schemes are based on pairwise optimal weight realization (POWER) technique, thus realizing a "best" strategy (in the sense of pairwise and worst-case optimization) to use multiple-state information obtained by preprocessing. Numerical examples demonstrate that the proposed schemes significantly improve the convergence behavior compared with conventional methods in terms of system mismatch as well as echo return loss enhancement (ERLE).
The town in my mind: How place attachment and identification are linked to place perception

Abstract The relationship between individuals and environment implies an affective and a cognitive dimension, i.e. place attachment and place identification. While predictors of these two constructs have been extensively studied, their relationship with place perception has received less attention. The research here presented aimed to explore the subjective perceptions of the locality where one lives. Such perceptions were considered in relation to the degree of place attachment and social identification with inhabitants, and taking into account: sex, place of birth, length of residence, and location of meaningful relationships. 403 Italian undergraduates participated in the research. Results showed that semantic contents related to place perception are described in accordance to different levels of attachment and identification. Moreover, those who have experienced a relocation show a more stereotypical perception of the town than individuals who are studying in the place where they were born.
Hand posture recognition for human-robot interaction

In this paper, we describe a fast and accurate method for hand posture recognition in video sequences using multiple video cameras. The technique we propose is based on the head detection, skin detection and human body proportions in order to recognize commands from real-time video sequences. Our technique is also a robust one in order to deal with changes of lighting. The experimental results show that it can be used in various vision-based applications that require real-time detection and recognition of hand posture.
Will the peer leader please stand up? The personality of the peer leader in elite and non-elite sport teams

We examine associations between self-reported personal characteristics (i.e., skills and Big-Five traits) and peer leadership in team sports at elite and non-elite levels. At a general level, the peer-rated leadership was positively correlated with self-reported athletic skill, positive affect and Openness, while negatively correlated with negative affect and Neuroticism. Moreover, peer leadership was predicted by Extraversion in the non-elite group, while counter-predicted by Agreeableness in the elite group. Suggesting that athletic level might provide a “strong” (elite level) and a “weak” (non-elite level) context in which different traits predict who is perceived as a leader.
Misery Does Not Love Company

Conventional wisdom holds that friends protect against depression through the social support they provide; however, depression likely has a role in structuring friendship networks. In particular, we investigate friend selection mechanisms responsible for similarity in depression among friends (i.e., homophily). Preference is one explanation, yet several correlates of depression make homophilous selection among depressed individuals unlikely. We propose two alternative mechanisms—avoidance and withdrawal—that can produce depression homophily in the absence of preference. These alternative mechanisms create homophily indirectly by limiting friendship partners available to depressed individuals. We test the preference, avoidance, and withdrawal mechanisms using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health and a dynamic network model. Results provide support for the withdrawal mechanism. These findings help explain how depression affects friend selection and have broader implications for understanding selection mechanisms responsible for network patterns such as homophily.
Long-Lasting Depolarizations in Mitral Cells of the Rat Olfactory Bulb

We investigated the mechanisms of long-lasting depolarizing potentials (LLDs) generated in mitral cells with whole-cell patch recordings in the rat olfactory bulb slice. LLDs occur spontaneously and are evoked by either orthodromic stimulation of the olfactory nerve or antidromic stimulation of mitral and tufted (M/T) cells. LLDs are followed by a long refractory period, limiting LLD generation to ∼1 Hz. LLD production does not appear to involve either intrinsic voltage-activated or metabotropic mechanisms. The initiation of LLDs requires activation of non-NMDA but not NMDA receptors. Dual recordings from the apical dendrites and somata of mitral cells show that LLDs are generated in the distal portion of the apical dendrite, most likely in the glomerulus. The rising phase of LLDs shows characteristics of polyneuronal input, including a high variability and sensitivity to charge screening. Paired recordings from adjacent mitral cells suggest that LLDs occur synchronously only in cells whose apical dendrites ramify in the same glomerulus. These findings suggest that LLDs involve recurrent, intraglomerular dendrodendritic interactions among M/T cells.
Data Processing in Current 3 D Robotic Perception Systems

The past decade has witnessed tremendous advancements in robotic autonomy. One of the driving forces making this happen is the advance in 3D robotic vision. New 3D imaging sensors and data processing methods have drastically changed the way a robot interacts with its environment and improved its intelligence. The most popular 3D perception sensors in robotics include stereovision system and LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). Recently a new class of 3D imaging sensorFlash LIDAR Camera (FLC)has been developed and applied to robotic vision. The commercially available products include the SwissRanger SR4000 and the TigerEyer FLCs.
Toward a Microprocess Perspective on Adolescent Identity Development

An abundance of research has been conducted on identityformation during adolescence, however, very little is bwwn about the processes that actually drive identity development. Furthermore, limited attention has been paid to the active influence of relationships with parents and peers on identity. Recentl, control theory has-been recognized as a useful framewor*from which to examine the microprocesses involved in identityformation. The purpose of this article is to describe identity development from this microprocess perspective and to extend the Grotevant model of identity formation processes. When applied to identity, control theory brings attennon to such intrapersonal factors as identity standards and self-perceptions, and such interpersonal factors as reflected appraisals and social behaviors as major contrbutors to the process of identity development. Implicationsfor using identty control theory to elaborate the identity statuses, to understand reciprocal identity influences in interpersonal relationships, and to drive methodologies used to exanune identity processes, are offered.
Global Care Crisis

More and more of the world's migrants are mothers who leave their families in the villages of the South to take up jobs caring for families in the North. Most current research on this trend focuses on the conditions of work that such migrant mothers face in the North or on the children she leaves in the South, understood as a rearrangement of roles in the family. Here, the authors call for a macro-analytic theory of the effect of such migration and consider two alternate views. According to one, the care of children in the South involves a transfer of “social capital” from South to North. According to the other, it involves a more fundamental erosion of the “commons” of the South by the markets of the North. The latter, the authors propose, best captures the full nature of this important hidden injury of global capitalism.
A pilot study of interictal cognitive changes in elderly patients during ECT

Ten elderly patients were evaluated serially for interictal cognitive changes during the course of ECT using the Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE) and a modification of the Digit Symbol Substitution task (M‐DSS), an assessment of attention that measures the speed of mental processing. Performance decrease on the M‐DSS and MMSE correlated with both the number of seizures and cumulative seizure duration. The M‐DSS correlated with the MMSE items of ‘orientation’ and ‘attention’, but not with the ‘recall’ item, suggesting that the interictal memory and attentional changes induced by ECT may occur independently. For most patients, the serial performance on both the MMSE and M‐DSS decreased significantly during the course of ECT; however, the increase in the M‐DSS (indicating a performance decrement) was greater than 100%, compared to a decrease in MMSE score of less than 10%. These data are preliminary and replication with more patients and extension of the assessment for several weeks following cessation of treatment is needed.
Comparison of the anti-diabetic effects of resveratrol, gliclazide and losartan in streptozotocin-induced experimental diabetes

Abstract Aim: The aim of this study was to compare the effect of the resveratrol with gliclazide and losartan in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats. Materials and methods: Adult male Wistar albino rats were divided into five groups of seven rats each. Diabetes was induced with a single intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of streptozotocin (55 mg/kg). Rats with blood glucose levels above 250 mg/dl after 48 h of streptozotocin injection were included in the diabetic group. Gliclazide and resveratrol were administered for 3 weeks at 5 mg/kg per day and losartan was administered for 3 weeks at 30 mg/kg per day in an oral aqueous suspension. At the end of the third week all rats were euthanized and fasting blood glucose, HbA1c and the metabolic activity of the hepatic enzymes hexokinase and glucose-6 phosphate dehydrogenase were measured in tail blood and liver specimens. All parameters were quantified using an ELISA plate reader. Results: Resveratrol and gliclazide significantly reduced both blood glucose levels and HbA1c levels in diabetic rats (p < 0.001). However, losartan did not exhibit the same effects (p < 0.05). The enzymatic activity of the liver enzymes hexokinase, glucose-6 phosphate dehydrogenase, fructose 1,6-biphosphatase, pyruvate kinase and glucose-6 phosphatase were enhanced by resveratrol and gliclazide, while losartan treatment was not associated with significant changes in liver carbohydrate metabolism. Conclusion: Resveratrol was not effective in improving liver carbohydrate metabolism relative to gliclazide, a drug widely used to treat diabetes. Dose-response profile of resveratrol remains indeterminate and additional studies may be necessary to determine effective dosing in diabetes.
An Investigation of Development toward Instructional Design Expertise.

This research investigated expertise development among instructional designers by tracking novice designers' unfolding perceptions of instructional design (ID), design-related self-perceptions, and other individual differences. It examined development toward ID expertise from multiple aspects: processes, product, and cognition, through a case study approach. Evidence included qualitative data from interviews, design artifacts, and metacognitive essays, along with quantitative data from questionnaires which assessed goals, need for structure, need for cognition, previous design competence, and design self-efficacy. Findings indicated that it was not one single characteristic, but the interaction of various factors, that most profoundly seem to influence the development of ID expertise. Relevant characteristics included: perceptions about learning, knowledge and ID; individual needs and learning strategies; and background experiences and orientations. Research in this field will help us to better understand the processes that lead to the development of ID expertise, and to develop better approaches to preparing future instructional designers.
The Work-related Attitudes of Australian Accounting Academics

Abstract This study examines the work-related attitudes of Australian accounting academics. A survey of 350 academics provides an insight into the specific organisational and institutional factors associated with the dissatisfaction, stress levels, and propensity to remain of academics. Of particular concern is the lower level of satisfaction and propensity to remain of Associate Lecturers and Senior Lecturers and the significant research pressures placed on these emerging academics. The findings have important implications for university management in respect to the retention and recruitment of quality academics and will facilitate further discussion and debate concerning the issues facing accounting academics and their role in contributing to the profession.
Sparse and Redundant Modeling of Image Content Using an Image-Signature-Dictionary

Modeling signals by sparse and redundant representations has been drawing considerable attention in recent years. Coupled with the ability to train the dictionary using signal examples, these techniques have been shown to lead to state-of-the-art results in a series of recent applications. In this paper we propose a novel structure of such a model for representing image content. The new dictionary is itself a small image, such that every patch in it (in varying location and size) is a possible atom in the representation. We refer to this as the image-signature-dictionary (ISD) and show how it can be trained from image examples. This structure extends the well-known image and video epitomes, as introduced by Jojic, Frey, and Kannan [in Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Computer Vision, 2003, pp. 34-41] and Cheung, Frey, and Jojic [in Proceedings of the IEEE Computer Society Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition, 2005, pp. 42-49], by replacing a probabilistic averaging of patches with their sparse representations. The ISD enjoys several important features, such as shift and scale flexibilities, and smaller memory and computational requirements, compared to the classical dictionary approach. As a demonstration of these benefits, we present high-quality image denoising results based on this new model.
An Empirical Validation of the Benefits of Adhering to the Law of Demeter

The Law of Demeter formulates the rule-of-thumb that modules in object-oriented program code should "only talk to their immediate friends". While it is said to foster information hiding for object-oriented software, solid empirical evidence confirming the positive effects of following the Law of Demeter is still lacking. In this paper, we conduct an empirical study to confirm that violating the Law of Demeter has a negative impact on software quality, in particular that it leads to more bugs. We implement an Eclipse plugin to calculate the amount of violations of both the strong and the weak form of the law in five Eclipse sub-projects. Then we discover the correlation between violations of the law and the bug-proneness and perform a logistic regression analysis of three sub-projects. We also combine the violations with other OO metrics to build up a model for predicting the bug-proneness for a given class. Empirical results show that violations of the Law of Demeter indeed highly correlate with the number of bugs and are early predictor of the software quality. Based on this evidence, we conclude that obeying the Law of Demeter is a straight-forward approach for developers to reduce the number of bugs in their software.
The Tyranny of the Everyday in Mobile Video Messaging

This paper reports on how asynchronous mobile video messaging presents users with a challenge to doing 'being ordinary'. 53 participants from three countries were recruited to try Skype Qik at launch for two weeks. Some participants embraced Skype Qik as a gift economy, emphasizing a special relationship enacted through crafted self-presentation. However, gift exchange makes up only a small proportion of conversation. Many participants struggled with the self-presentation obligations of video when attempting more everyday conversation. Faced with the 'tyranny of the everyday', many participants reverted to other systems where content forms reflected more lightweight exchange. We argue that designing for fluid control of the obligations of turn exchange is key to mobile applications intended to support everyday messaging.