Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Does Mandarin Spatial Metaphor for Time Influence Chinese Deaf Signers' Spatio-Temporal Reasoning?

In Mandarin Chinese, the space-time word “前/qian” is used to express both the spatial concept of front/forward and the temporal concept of early/before (e.g., “前天/qian-tian”, literally front day, meaning the day before yesterday). This is consistent with the fact that Mandarin speakers can gesture to the front of the body to refer to a past event, and more generally can have past-in-front space-time mappings. In Chinese Sign Languages, however, the spatial front/forward and the temporal early/before are signed differently as the sign for spatial front is only used for the spatial concept of forward, and the sign for before/past is directed to the back. In this study we investigate whether the Mandarin sagittal spatial metaphors for time influence Chinese deaf signers’ spatio-temporal reasoning. In two experiments, we found that Chinese deaf signers with higher Mandarin proficiency were more likely to interpret the Mandarin word “前/qian” as the temporal conception of past (Study 1), and to perform past-in-front space-time mappings (Study 2) as opposed to signers with lower Mandarin proficiency. The findings of the study not only provide within-culture evidence for the influence of language on thought, but also demonstrate that even cross-modal space-time metaphors can have an impact on deaf-signers’ spatio-temporal reasoning.
Playing Nine Men ’ s Morris with the Humanoid Robot Nao

Playing games is an important aspect in human life in order to develop skills or in terms of entertainment. Games also play a major role in research such as Artificial Intelligence and Robotics. In this paper we present an approach to enable the humanoid robot Nao to play a board game against a human opponent. We discuss the challenges that arise by the task of playing a board game with a humanoid robot, provide solutions for the Nao, and, introduce our proof-ofconcept implementation for the board game Nine Men’s Morris. Finally, we will present a first experimental evaluation of the approach. The main contribution of this paper is the integration of various techniques into one real robot system, enabling it to manage a complex task such as playing a board game.
The life and leadership of William P. Foster: The maestro and the legend

The purpose of this study was to examine the life and leadership of William P. Foster. As an acclaimed African American band director, the history of Foster was considered a parable rather than a leader who had made important contributions to the progression of band theory, practice, and performance both nationally and abroad. This misconception is an omission within the history of ethnomusicology, music education, music literature, band philosophy, as well as higher education leadership. Focusing on his 52-year tenure at Florida Agriculture and Mechanical University as director of bands as well as over 45 years as the music department chair allowed for a better understanding of what inspired Foster’s concepts for band leadership and development in higher education. Utilizing a qualitative case study approach, this study examined the life of Foster through the unique stories of seven purposefully selected African American band directors with at least 25 years’ experience and direct access to Foster. Participants selected were former students of Foster and music education alumni of Florida A&M University. This provided a deeper understanding of how the participants utilized Foster’s techniques, leadership, and teachings. An analysis of the study participants’ experiences yielded five emergent themes: highest quality character, excellence in leadership, great communicator, respect, and outstanding musicianship. This study used the servant leadership model, specifically the seven pillars of servant leadership, to examine Foster’s band and academic leadership experiences.
Regulation of Naturally Acquired Mucosal Immunity to Streptococcus pneumoniae in Healthy Malawian Adults and Children

Worldwide, invasive pneumococcal disease caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae is most common in young children. In adults, disease rates decline following intermittent colonization and the acquisition of naturally acquired immunity. We characterized mucosal and systemic pneumococcal-specific T-cell responses in African children and adults who contend with intense rates of colonization, up to 100% and 60% respectively. We find most Malawian children have high pneumococcal-specific T-cell responses in tonsil tissue and peripheral blood. In addition, frequent commensalism generates CD25hi (Tregs) which modulate mucosal pneumococcal-specific T-cell responses in some children and ≥50% of adults. We propose that immune regulation may prolong pneumococcal colonization and predispose vulnerable individuals to disease.
Impedance control and internal model use during the initial stage of adaptation to novel dynamics in humans

This study investigated the neuromuscular mechanisms underlying the initial stage of adaptation to novel dynamics. A destabilizing velocity‐dependent force field (VF) was introduced for sets of three consecutive trials. Between sets a random number of 4–8 null field trials were interposed, where the VF was inactivated. This prevented subjects from learning the novel dynamics, making it possible to repeatedly recreate the initial adaptive response. We were able to investigate detailed changes in neural control between the first, second and third VF trials. We identified two feedforward control mechanisms, which were initiated on the second VF trial and resulted in a 50% reduction in the hand path error. Responses to disturbances encountered on the first VF trial were feedback in nature, i.e. reflexes and voluntary correction of errors. However, on the second VF trial, muscle activation patterns were modified in anticipation of the effects of the force field. Feedforward cocontraction of all muscles was used to increase the viscoelastic impedance of the arm. While stiffening the arm, subjects also exerted a lateral force to counteract the perturbing effect of the force field. These anticipatory actions indicate that the central nervous system responds rapidly to counteract hitherto unfamiliar disturbances by a combination of increased viscoelastic impedance and formation of a crude internal dynamics model.
Effects of Growth Hormone on Insulin Action in Man: Mechanisms of Insulin Resistance, Impaired Suppression of Glucose Production, and Impaired Stimulation of Glucose Utilization

The present studies were undertaken to assess the mechanisms responsible for growth hormone-induced insulin resistance in man. The insulin dose-response characteristics for suppression of glucose production and stimulation of glucose utilization and their relationship to monocyte insulin binding were determined in six normal volunteers after 12-h infusion of growth hormone and 12-h infusion of saline. The infusion of growth hormone (2 μg · kg−1 · h−1) increased plasma growth hormone nearly threefold (to ≃9 ng/ml) within the range observed during sleep and exercise. This increased plasma insulin (14 ± 1 versus 8 ± 1 μU/ml, P < 0.005) concentrations without significantly altering plasma glucose concentrations or basal rates of glucose production and utilization. Insulin dose-response curves for both suppression of glucose production (half-maximal response at 37 ± 3 versus 20 ± 3 μu/ml, P < 0.01) and stimulation of glucose utilization (half-maximal response at 98 ± 8 versus 52 ± 8 μU/ml, P / 0.01) were shifted to the right with preservation of normal maximal responses to insulin. Monocyte insulin binding was unaffected. Thus, except at near maximal insulin receptor occupancy, the action of insulin on glucose production and utilization per number of monocyte insulin receptors occupied was decreased. These results indicate that increases in plasma growth hormone within the physiologic range can cause insulin resistance in man, which is due to decreases in both hepatic and extrahepatic effects of insulin. Assuming that insulin binding to monocytes reflects insulin binding in insulin sensitive tissues, this decrease in insulin action can be explained on the basis of a postreceptor defect.
Inhibitory effects of polyoxyethylene stearate, PANTA, and neutral pH on growth of Mycobacterium genavense in BACTEC primary cultures

We report on the influences of polyoxyethylene stearate (POES), PANTA, and pH on primary cultures of Mycobacterium genavense in BACTEC vials. As a model for primary cultures from tissue, seven different strains first isolated from AIDS patients (five from Switzerland and two from the United States) were inoculated into nude mice in order to obtain large amounts of bacilli to test different conditions simultaneously. Our results demonstrate that the size of the inoculum (10[6] acid-fast bacilli/vial), an acid pH (pH 6.0), and the absence of additives (POES and PANTA) significantly (P < 0.001) increased the probability of a successful culture in 1 month, considering growth index (GI) of > or =100 or a GI of > or =999 as criterion of success. In logistic regression analysis, all factors maintained a significant (P < 0.001) independent effect, and no interactions were observed between them. The best conditions for the primary cultures of M. genavense were the use of Middlebrook 7H12 medium at pH 6.0 without any additives.
2+1 Flavor QCD simulated in the epsilon-regime in different topological sectors

We generated configurations with the parametrized fixed-point Dirac operator D_{FP} on a (1.6 fm)^4 box at a lattice spacing a=0.13 fm. We compare the distributions of the three lowest k=1,2,3 eigenvalues in the nu= 0,1,2 topological sectors with that of the Random Matrix Theory predictions. The ratios of expectation values of the lowest eigenvalues and the cumulative eigenvalue distributions are studied for all combinations of k and nu. After including the finite size correction from one-loop chiral perturbation theory we obtained for the chiral condensate in the MSbar scheme Sigma(2GeV)^{1/3}=0.239(11) GeV, where the error is statistical only.
Local-global background modeling for anomaly detection in hyperspectral images

In this paper, we address the problem of unsupervised detection of anomalies in hyperspectral images. Our proposed method is based on a novel statistical background modeling approach that combines local and global approaches. The local-global background model has the ability to adapt to all nuances of the background process like local approaches but avoids over-fitting due to a too high number of degrees of freedom, which produces a high false alarm rate. This is done by constraining the local background models to be interrelated. The results strongly prove the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. We experimentally show that our localglobal algorithm performs better than several other global or local anomaly detection techniques, such as the well known RX or its Gaussian Mixture version (GMRX).
Genetics of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy is a rare clinical entity characterised by fibro-fatty replacement of myocardium, mainly involving right ventricular free wall, leading to malignant electrical instability and sudden cardiac death. The disease is inherited in up to 50% of cases, with incomplete penetrance and variable phenotypic expression. To date, more than 300 pathogenic mutations have been identified in 12 genes, mainly with autosomal dominant inheritance. Here, we focus on recent advances in the genetics of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. Despite continuous improvements, current genotype–phenotype studies have not contributed yet to establish a genetic risk stratification of the disease.
Evaluation of the inhibitory activity of (aza)isoindolinone‐type compounds: toward in vitro InhA action, Mycobacterium tuberculosis growth and mycolic acid biosynthesis

Inhibitors of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis enoyl‐ACP reductase (InhA) are considered as potential promising therapeutics for the treatment of tuberculosis. Previously, we reported that azaisoindolinone‐type compounds displayed, in vitro, inhibitory activity toward InhA. Herein, we describe chemical modifications of azaisoindolinone scaffold, the synthesis of 15 new compounds and their evaluations toward the in vitro InhA activity. Based on these results, a structure–InhA inhibitory activity relationship analysis and a molecular docking study, using the conformation of InhA found in the 2H7M crystal structure, were carried out to predict a possible mode of interaction of the best (aza)isoindolinone‐type inhibitors with InhA in vitro. Then, the work was extended toward evaluations of these compounds against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) growth, and finally, some of them were also investigated in respect of their ability to inhibit mycolic acid biosynthesis inside mycobacteria. Although, some azaisoindolinones were able to inhibit InhA activity and Mtb growth in vitro, they did not inhibit the mycolic acid biosynthesis inside Mtb.
Maintenance and Mediation in Database Federations

This paper proposes a novel approach to the processing of global queries in a tight federation of heterogeneous relational databases. It is based on query correspondence assertions, which are declarative rules that describe semantic correspondences betw een different relational schemas. A mediator uses these rules to translate queries agai n t the federated schema into semantically contained sequences of queries against source database s. We argue that this approach has significant maintenance advantages over traditional approaches.
Immunolocalization of TAR DNA‐binding protein of 43 kDa (TDP‐43) in mouse seminiferous epithelium

TAR DNA‐binding protein of 43 kDa (TDP‐43) is an evolutionarily conserved, ubiquitously expressed, multi‐functional DNA/RNA‐binding protein with roles in gene transcription, mRNA splicing, stability, transport, micro RNA biogenesis, and suppression of transposons. Aberrant expression of TDP‐43 in testis and sperm was recently shown to be associated with male infertility, which highlights the need to understand better the expression of TDP‐43 in the testis. We previously cloned TDP‐43 from a mouse testis cDNA library, and showed that it functions as a transcriptional repressor and regulates the precise spatiotemporal expression of the Acrv1 gene, which encodes the acrosomal protein SP‐10, during spermatogenesis. Here, we performed immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry of the mouse testis using four separate antibodies recognizing the amino and carboxyl termini of TDP‐43. TDP‐43 is present in the nuclei of germ cells as well as Sertoli cells. TDP‐43 expression begins in type B/intermediate spermatogonia, peaks in preleptotene spermatocytes, and becomes undetectable in leptotene and zygotene spermatocytes. Pachytene spermatocytes and early round spermatids again express TDP‐43, but its abundance diminishes later in spermatids (at steps 5–8). Interestingly, two of the four antibodies showed TDP‐43 expression in spermatids at steps 9–10, which coincides with the initial phase of the histone‐to‐protamine transition. Immunoreactivity patterns observed in the study suggest that TDP‐43 assumes different conformational states at different stages of spermatogenesis. TDP‐43 pathology has been extensively studied in the context of neurodegenerative diseases; its role in spermatogenesis warrants further detailed investigation of the involvement of TDP‐43 in male infertility.
Metabolism, Distribution, and Excretion of a Next Generation Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator, Lasofoxifene, in Rats and Monkeys

Disposition of lasofoxifene (LAS; 6-phenyl-5-[4-(2-pyrrolidin-1-yl-ethoxy)-phenyl]-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-naphthalen-2-ol. tartrate) was investigated in rats and monkeys after oral administration of a single oral dose of [14C]LAS. Total mean recoveries of the radiocarbon were 96.7 and 94.3% from rats and monkeys, respectively. The major route of excretion in both species was the feces, and based on a separate study in the bile duct-cannulated rat, this likely reflects excretion in bile rather than incomplete absorption. Whole-body autoradioluminography suggested that [14C]LAS radioequivalents distributed rapidly in the rat with most tissues achieving maximal concentrations at 1 h. Half-life of radioactivity was longest in the uvea (124 h) and shortest in the spleen (∼3 h). LAS was extensively metabolized in both rats and monkeys because no unchanged drug was detected in urine and/or bile. Based on area under the curve(0–24) values, >78% of the circulating radioactivity was due to the metabolites. A total of 22 metabolites were tentatively identified by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Based on the structures of the metabolites, six metabolic pathways of LAS were identified: hydroxylation at the tetraline ring, hydroxylation at the aromatic ring attached to tetraline, methylation of the catechol intermediates by catechol-O-methyl transferase, oxidation at the pyrrolidine ring, and direct conjugation with glucuronic acid and sulfuric acid. LAS and its glucuronide conjugate (M7) were the major circulating drug-related moieties in both rats and monkeys. However, there were notable species-related qualitative and quantitative differences in the metabolic profiles. The catechol (M21) and its sulfate conjugate (M10) were observed only in monkeys, whereas the glucuronide conjugate of the methylated catechol (M8) and hydroxy-LAS (M9) were detected only in rats.
Differential expression of connexins during histogenesis of the chick retina

Gap junction (GJ) channels couple adjacent cells, allowing transfer of second messengers, ions, and molecules up to 1 kDa. These channels are composed by a multigene family of integral membrane proteins called connexins (Cx). In the retina, besides being essential circuit element in the visual processing, GJ channels also play important roles during its development. Herein, we analyzed Cx43, Cx45, Cx50, and Cx56 expression during chick retinal histogenesis. Cx exhibited distinct expression profiles during retinal development, except for Cx56, whose expression was not detected. Cx43 immunolabeling was observed at early development, in the transition of ventricular zone and pigmented epithelium. Later, Cx43 was seen in the outer plexiform and ganglion cell layers, and afterwards also in the inner plexiform layer. We observed remarkable changes in the phosphorylation status of this protein, which indicated modifications in functional properties of this Cx during retinal histogenesis. By contrast, Cx45 showed stable gene expression levels throughout development and ubiquitous immunoreactivity in progenitor cells. From later embryonic development, Cx45 was mainly observed in the inner retina, and it was expressed by glial cells and neurons. In turn, Cx50 was virtually absent in the chick retina at initial embryonic phases. Combination of PCR, immunohistochemistry and Western blot indicated that this Cx was present in differentiated cells, arising in parallel with the formation of the visual circuitry. Characterization of Cx expression in the developing chick retina indicated particular roles for these proteins and revealed similarities and differences when compared to other species. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol, 2008
Effects of a brief mindfulness-based intervention program on psychological symptoms and well-being among medical students in Malaysia: a controlled study

Medical students often experience heightened psychological distress that may undermine their training experience. This study evaluated the effects of a 4-week mindfulness-based intervention program on psychological health among medical students and whether the effects were mediated by changes in mindfulness. The study also examined whether trait mindfulness moderated the effectiveness of the intervention. One hundred thirty-nine medical students participated in the study. They completed measures of mindfulness and psychological symptoms at pre- and post-intervention. Analysis showed that the intervention group reported significantly greater improvements in depressive symptoms, anxiety, general psychiatric symptoms, perceived stress, subjective happiness, and satisfaction with life compared to the control group. Low trait mindfulness at baseline predicted greater improvements on depressive and anxiety symptoms. Changes in mindfulness mediated several outcomes. The findings show that a brief mindfulness-based intervention program is efficacious in reducing psychological symptoms among medical students. Mindfulness may be a key mechanism of change of the intervention.
Mucosal and Systemic Immune Responses Induced by Recombinant Lactobacillus spp. Expressing the Hemagglutinin of the Avian Influenza Virus H5N1

ABSTRACT To develop a safe, effective, and convenient vaccine for the prevention of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), we have successfully constructed two recombinant lactobacillus strains (LA4356-pH and DLD17-pH) that express the foreign HPAI virus protein hemagglutinin 1 (HA1). The mucosal and systemic immune responses triggered by these two recombinant lactobacilli following oral administration to BALB/c mice were evaluated. The results showed that both LA4356-pH and DLD17-pH could significantly increase the specific anti-HA1 IgA antibody level in the mucosa and the anti-HA1 IgG level in serum, as well as stimulating the splenic lymphocyte proliferative reaction through increased expression of interleukin-4 (IL-4). Compared with LA4356-pH, DLD17-pH was more effective at inducing systemic and mucosal immune responses, with higher anti-HA1-specific IgA and IgG levels. Therefore, DLD17-pH could be a promising oral vaccine candidate against HPAI.
The Risks of Autonomy: Empirical Evidence for the Necessity of a Balance Management in Promoting Organizational Innovativeness

For the purpose of promoting innovativeness in organizations, the literature recommends more decentralization of power and more participative leadership as one dimension of empowerment and thus greater situation control for employees. In fact, however, increasing situation control involves specific risks (including co-ordination problems). Without concurrent integration to cushion these risks through orientation, consensus and trust, increasing situation control therefore leads not to a further increase in innovativeness but to a decline. This first empirical demonstration of the covert curvilinear relationship between situation control and innovativeness in n 101 organizations reveals these risks. At the same time, it calls into question the widespread recommendations in the literature for action on innovation-friendly organization and leadership.
Single-Source Shortest Paths with the Parallel Boost Graph Library

The Parallel Boost Graph Library (Parallel BGL) is a library of graph algorithms and data structures for distributed-memory computation on large graphs. Developed with the Generic Programming paradigm, the Parallel BGL is highly customizable, supporting various graph data structures, arbitrary vertex and edge properties, and different communication media. In this paper, we describe the implementation of three parallel variants of Dijkstra’s single-source shortest paths algorithm in the Parallel BGL. We also provide an experimental evaluation of these implementations using synthetic and realworld benchmark graphs from the 9th DIMACS Implementation Challenge and present performance results of solving the single-source shortest path problem for graphs with over a billion vertices on a modest size cluster.