Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Supersymmetry without a Light Higgs Boson

Motivated by the absence, so far, of any direct signal of conventional low-energy supersymmetry, we explore the consequences of making the lightest Higgs boson in supersymmetry relatively heavy, up to about 300 GeV, in the most straightforward way, i.e. via the introduction of a chiral singlet S with a superpotential interaction with the Higgs doublets, {lambda}SH{sub 1}H{sub 2}. The coupling {lambda} dominates over all the other couplings and, to maintain the successful perturbative analysis of the electroweak precision tests, is only restricted to remain perturbative up to about 10 TeV. The general features of this '{lambda}SUSY' framework, which deviates significantly from the minimal supersymmetric standard model or the standard next to minimal supersymmetric standard model, are analyzed in different areas: electroweak precision tests, dark matter, naturalness bounds on superparticle masses, and LHC signals. There is a rich Higgs/Higgsino sector in the (200-700) GeV mass region, which may include LSP Higgsino dark matter. All other superpartners, apart from the top squarks, may naturally be heavier than 1-2 TeV.
ICA-based sparse features recovery from fMRI datasets

Spatial Independent Components Analysis (ICA) is increasingly used in the context of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to study cognition and brain pathologies. Salient features present in some of the extracted Independent Components (ICs) can be interpreted as brain networks, but the segmentation of the corresponding regions from ICs is still ill-controlled. Here we propose a new ICA-based procedure for extraction of sparse features from fMRI datasets. Specifically, we introduce a new thresholding procedure that controls the deviation from isotropy in the ICA mixing model. Unlike current heuristics, our procedure guarantees an exact, possibly conservative, level of specificity in feature detection. We evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of the method on synthetic and fMRI data and show that it outperforms state-of-the-art approaches.
Transformation in a Constructivist Montessori Teacher Education Program Using a Blended Course Design

This applied dissertation was designed to understand the experience of participants as they engaged in a process of transforming attitudes about teaching and learning through participation in a Montessori teacher-training program with a blended design. Participants were surveyed regarding their previous experiences in education as both student and educator, previous experiences in Montessori education, and previous experiences with distance education programs. Research questions guiding the study:Particular aspects such as self-directed learning, facilitating relationships, and learning in social contexts have been known to be considered best practice in constructivist program design, but what is the phenomenological experience of adult participants as they grapple with transforming best practice in teaching and learning with their own pre-kindergarten to eighth-grade students? 2. How do individual participants perceive the blended program influenced a personal transformation of teaching and learning? How does the perceptual transformation compare to others? 3. How do administrators perceive the blended program influenced changes to the overall school culture as a result of faculty participation in the program? 4. How consistent are standards of best practice in constructivist settings with individual perceptual transformations and perceptions of changes to school culture as well as to interactions with students? A comparative design was carried out for the study. Participant and administrator questionnaires were analyzed for patterns and insights regarding descriptions of change experienced during a blended distance education (DE) course using constructivist methodology. A final analysis of the data revealed that participants had various experiences with traditional education as students and as educational professionals. Most participants reported a lack of confidence teaching within the traditional system and subsequent relief when learning the constructivist, Montessori pedagogy and methodology. One surprising finding was that some educators were predisposed to using constructivist principles in teaching before any formal training. Another significant finding was that adults were able to guide school-age students in becoming self-directed and autonomous as learners. A third finding was that there were specific advantages of a blended DE training program design that were not present in other models of DE or face-to-face teacher training.
Parameter adaptive identification and control

A new parameter adaptive control scheme is outlined which essentially allows one to arbitrarily position all of the poles of an unknown, linear, scalar system of known dynamical order. The technique is based on identifying the parameters which characterize the dynamical behavior of the system in differential operator form and simultaneously implementing an adaptive observer which generates a feedback control signal which converges to the equivalent of an appropriate pole placing linear state variable control law. It is shown that the overall control configuration, consisting of a system identifier and a complementary adaptive observer, is globally stable provided only that the control input is "sufficiently rich" in frequency content.
Lack of Risk of Adverse Birth Outcomes After Deworming in Pregnant Women

Background: Pregnant women who live in hookworm-endemic areas may benefit from deworming during their pregnancy. The benefit derives from reducing anemia, primarily iron-deficiency anemia caused by hookworm infection-attributable blood loss. Where the prevalence of hookworm is more than 20% to 30%, the World Health Organization recommends that pregnant women receive anthelminthic treatment (mebendazole, albendazole, levamisole or pyrantel) after their first trimester. The objective of this study is to report, describe and compare the occurrence of adverse birth outcomes in a large randomized, controlled trial of antenatal mebendazole (500 mg single dose) plus iron supplements versus placebo plus iron supplements conducted between April 2003 and June 2004 in the Amazon region of Peru. Methods: Physician-recorded data on adverse birth outcomes occurring during the trial (N = 1042) were obtained. Proportions were compared using χ2 analysis. Results: No statistically significant difference (P = 0.664) was found between the mebendazole group and the placebo group in terms of numbers of miscarriages, malformations, stillbirths, early neonatal deaths and premature babies (28 versus 31, respectively). Conclusions: The evidence provided by this large randomized, controlled trial of mebendazole administered during pregnancy indicates that deworming with mebendazole can be safely included in antenatal care programs in hookworm-endemic areas.
Genetic Influences on Alcoholism Risk

Researchers have used two different strategies to determine the relative contributions of genes and shared environment to the development of alcoholism among family members: the adoption study and the twin study. Adoption studies compare the risk to biological relatives with the risk to adoptive relatives of alcoholics. Twin studies compare identical and fraternal pairs of twins reared in the same environment. Evidence indicates an important genetic influence on alcoholism risk; this influence appears as strong in women as in men. These results have been remarkably consistent despite major differences between research methods.
Breathing laser as an inertia-free swept source for high-quality ultrafast optical bioimaging.

We demonstrate an all-fiber breathing laser as inertia-free swept source (BLISS), with an ultra-compact design, for the emerging ultrafast bioimaging modalities. The unique feature of BLISS is its broadband wavelength-swept operation (∼60 nm) with superior temporal stability in terms of both long term (0.08 dB over 27 h) and shot-to-shot power variations (2.1%). More importantly, it enables a wavelength sweep rate of >10 MHz (∼7×10⁸ nm/s)—orders-of-magnitude faster than the existing swept sources based on mechanical or electrical tuning techniques. BLISS thus represents a practical and new generation of swept source operating in the unmet megahertz swept-rate regime that aligns with the pressing need for scaling the optical bioimaging speed in ultrafast phenomena study or high-throughput screening applications. To showcase its utility in high-speed optical bioimaging, we here employ BLISS for ultrafast time-stretch microscopy and multi-MHz optical coherence tomography of the biological specimen at a single-shot line-scan rate or A-scan rate of 11.5 MHz.
Childhood Disability Risk Factors in Kenya: Impact of Poverty and Other Socio-demographics

The overarching purpose of this study was to ascertain the prevalence of maternal and infant/child health indices that have an established link to childhood disability (CHD) and their association with socio-economic status (SES) in Kenya. Data were drawn from the 2008/2009 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey. Descriptive and weighted Pearson’s chi-square tests were conducted to determine the characteristics of respondents and differences in the proportion of the disability risk factors by place of residence. Logistic regression analyses were then conducted to evaluate the association between SES and select CHD-related factors. Results showed that almost all the disability risk factors were more prevalent and statistically significant among rural residents compared to their urban counterparts. Stratified univariate and multivariate analyses showed differential associations between SES and several disability risk factors by area of resident. This study has provided empirical evidence connecting poverty with several known disability risk factors, i.e. maternal and infant/child health indices.
Analyse de la coexistence d'organisations non lucratives, lucratives et publiques dans le secteur des maisons de repos

Outre le role sans cesse croissant des organisations non lucratives dans la vie economique, on constate depuis une quinzaine d’annees que nombre d’entre elles coexistent de plus en plus souvent aux cotes d’organisations lucratives et publiques. L’objectif de cette etude est d’examiner les modalites de la coexistence d’organisations non lucratives, lucratives et publiques dans un meme secteur d’activites, en l’occurrence le secteur des maisons de repos pour personnes âgees (MR). Au travers de trois etudes de cas approfondies, les auteurs adoptent une perspective conventiontionaliste permettant traiter symetriquement une pluralite de formes de coordination et d’apprehender et operationnaliser, dans ses multiples facettes, le concept de qualite des services offerts par les MR. Les resultats montrent que la coexistence de differentes formes de MR peut s’expliquer par la specificite des compromis realises par chacune d’entre elles entre diverses formes possibles de justification de leur action ; compromis duquel ressort une certaine conception de la qualite de leurs services. Le role joue par le statut juridique ainsi que par les acteurs externes sont plus particulierement mis en evidence.
Essential basal cytonemes take up Hedgehog in the Drosophila wing imaginal disc

Morphogen concentration gradients that extend across developmental fields form by dispersion from source cells. In the Drosophila wing disc, Hedgehog (Hh) produced by posterior compartment cells distributes in a concentration gradient to adjacent cells of the anterior compartment. We monitored Hh:GFP after pulsed expression, and analyzed the movement and colocalization of Hh, Patched (Ptc) and Smoothened (Smo) proteins tagged with GFP or mCherry and expressed at physiological levels from bacterial artificial chromosome transgenes. Hh:GFP moved to basal subcellular locations prior to release from posterior compartment cells that express it, and was taken up by basal cytonemes that extend to the source cells. Hh and Ptc were present in puncta that moved along the basal cytonemes and formed characteristic apical-basal distributions in the anterior compartment cells. The basal cytonemes required diaphanous, SCAR, Neuroglian and Synaptobrevin, and both the Hh gradient and Hh signaling declined under conditions in which the cytonemes were compromised. These findings show that in the wing disc, Hh distributions and signaling are dependent upon basal release and uptake, and on cytoneme-mediated movement. No evidence for apical dispersion was obtained. Summary: Distributions of Hh:GFP expressed during a timed pulse, and of Hh:GFP, Ptc:mCherry and Smo:GFP expressed by BAC transgenes, reveal a basal route of Hh dispersion and Hh intracellular choreography in the Drosophila wing disc.
Function-Based Analysis of an Electronic Commerce Website

Traditionally, studies with the technology acceptance model (TAM) have treated software systems as holistic units. A survey is conducted to understand the model better by dropping from system-wide measurement to function-based measurement. The first part of the survey replicates Gefen and Straub’s (2000) study where only intention is measured at the function level, with consistent results. System-wide perceived ease of use (PEOU) has more effect on an intrinsic task (intention to search for books) than on an extrinsic task (intention to purchase books). In the second part of the survey, all factors are measured at the function level. The result shows that the function-level models are more predictive than the system-wide model. Specifically, each PEOU is a significant predictor for each intention in both models. This study shows the value of using function-based analysis and suggests that function-based analysis is particularly useful and timely for the study of integrated products offering relatively distinct functions.
Isolation and analysis of the 3'-untranslated regions of the human relaxin H1 and H2 genes.

The human has two relaxins, termed H1 and H2, both of which are biologically active and co-expressed in the decidua, placenta and prostate; in the corpus luteum, the main source of circulating relaxin, only the H2 form is expressed. The reasons for this differential expression of the relaxin genes are unknown. The possibility that their 3'-untranslated regions (UTRs) contribute to this differential expression by affecting their mRNA stabilities was investigated. Thus the 3'-UTRs of both relaxin genes were isolated through a combined 3'-rapid amplification of cDNA ends-PCR (RACE-PCR) using poly (A)(+)RNA from human decidua, placenta, prostate and corpus luteum. The sequences obtained for each 3'-UTR were identical in the tissues examined, were AT-rich (72%) and showed 91% homology between relaxin H1 and H2 when maximally aligned to include several gaps, the significance of which is unknown. Relaxin H1 has two, and relaxin H2 has one, poly (A)(+) signal, in addition to one cytoplasmic polyadenylation element 30 nucleotides upstream of this. The mRNA levels of relaxin H1 and H2 in the prostate adenocarcinoma LNCaP.FGC cell line were determined by quantitative competitive RT-PCR. Relaxin H1 had a 10-fold greater number of molecules (approximately 2.5x10(7)) per microgram of total RNA than relaxin H2 (approximately 2.5x10(6)). The stability of relaxin H1 and H2 mRNAs were compared in LNCaP cells treated with the transcription inhibitor actinomycin D (10 mM) for 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, 10, 14, or 24 h. Half-lives of 3.17 days for relaxin H1 mRNA and 11. 4 h for relaxin H2 mRNA were obtained from semi-logarithmic plots. Thus both mRNAs are relatively stable; however, relaxin H1 mRNA is considerably more stable than relaxin H2, at least in LNCaP cells. This difference in their mRNA stability may partly explain the greater level of expression of relaxin H1 in these cells.
Principles of psychophysiology : physical, social, and inferential elements

Preface Part I. Psychophysiological Foundations: 1. Psychophysiology and psychophysiological inference J. T. Cacioppo and L. G. Tassinary 2. Fundamentals of neuroscience R. Matsumoto, B. B. Walker, J. M. Walker and H. Hughes 3. Principles of bioelectrical measurement B. Marshall-Goodell, L. G. Tassinary and J. T. Cacioppo 4. Psychoneuroendocrinology N. Grunberg and J. E. Singer 5. Human psychoneuroimmunology S. Kennedy, R. Glaser and J. Kiecolt-Glaser 6. Psychophysiology of interoception S. Reed, A. Harver and E. S. Katkin 7. Psychometric principles: from physiological data to psychological constructs M. J. Strube Part II. General Concepts: 8. Response patterning R. M. Stern and C. E. E. Sison: 9. Stress and arousal A. K. Johnson and E. A. Anderson Part III. Systemic Psychophysiology: 10. The skeletomotor system: surface electromyography J. T. Cacioppo, L. G. Tassinary and A. J. Fridlund 11. The electrodermal system M. E. Dawson, A. M. Schell and D. L. Filion 12. The cardiovascular system J. Papillo and D. Shapiro 13. The electrocortical system W. Ray 14. Event-related brain potentials M. G. H. Coles, G. Gratton and M. Fabiani 15. The ocular system J. A. Stern and D. N. Dunham 16. The gastrointestinal system R. M. Stern, K. L. Koch and M. W. Vasey 17. The pulmonary system T. S. Lorig and G. E. Schwartz 18. Psychophysiology of sexual response J. H. Geer and S. Head 19. The verbal system J. A. Skelton and J. W. Pennbaker Part IV. General Issues in the Analysis or Psychophysiological Signals: 20. Waveform moments analysis: topographical analysis of nonrhythmic waveforms D. D. Dorfman and J. T. Cacioppo 21. The analysis of periodic processes in psychophysiological research S. W. Porges and R. E. Bohrer 22. Time-series analysis for physiological data J. Gottman 23. The analysis of psychophysiological data: multivariate approaches D. W. Russell End material Glossary List of abbreviations.
The Impact of Autoimmune Diseases on the Incidence and Prognosis of Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma

Background: Persons being treated with IFNα-2b for advanced cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) have been reported to have a greatly improved prognosis if they develop autoantibodies or clinical signs of autoimmunity during therapy. Consequently, we examined whether autoimmune diseases might also be associated with lower CMM incidence and better prognosis. Methods: We established a study cohort based on the entire Danish population, obtaining information on CMM and autoimmune diseases from the Danish national registers. Using log-linear regression models adjusting for age, period, and sex, we compared CMM incidence and CMM-specific mortality rates in persons with and without a history of autoimmune disease. Results: Between 1977 and 2003, 20,482 cases of CMM were registered in the Danish Cancer Register. Previously diagnosed autoimmune diseases did not affect the incidence of CMM (incidence rate ratio, 1.0; 95% confidence interval, 0.9-1.1). In the first 5 years after CMM diagnosis, we observed 8,957 deaths in individuals with CMM (5,181 expected). CMM-specific mortality rates 1 to 5 years after diagnosis were similar in CMM patients with and without autoimmune diseases (mortality rate ratio, 0.9; 95% confidence interval, 0.7-1.2). Conclusions: Autoimmune conditions were not associated with CMM incidence or prognosis. The better CMM prognosis previously observed when autoantibodies or clinical signs of autoimmunity developed during IFNα-2b therapy may have been related to variation in individual responses to this therapy, with individuals sensitive to treatment exhibiting more signs of autoimmunity but also (independently) experiencing greater antitumor responses as a result of treatment. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2007;16(9):1840–4)
Endmember extraction algorithm using orthogonal subspace projection and local spatial correlation

Endmember extraction plays an important role in spectral unmixing. Traditional endmember extraction algorithms, such as EEAs, only use spectral information to get the endmember, but ignore the spatial characteristic of the remote sensing image. Because of this, the algorithms are susceptible to the noise and anomaly image, which reduces the accuracy of endmember extraction. Focusing on this problem, a new EEA (OSP-LSC) combining subspace projection and local spatial information is proposed. Based on the theory of convex simplex, the algorithm sequentially extracts the endmembers by combining the subspace projection and simplex volume analysis. During the extracting process, the local spectral similarity constraint is used to improve the robustness to the noise and anomaly pixel, which also avoids to the huge computational cost caused by global spatial information. Furthermore, the simplex volume calculation is free of dimensionality which may cause the possible loss of original information, The experimental results on synthetic and real hyperspectral image show that the experimental results on synthetic and real hyperspectral image show that the proposed algorithm can improve the accuracy of the endmember extraction, and is more robust to the noise and anomaly pixels compared to the spectral based EEAs.
RNA-seq mixology: designing realistic control experiments to compare protocols and analysis methods

Carefully designed control experiments provide a gold standard for benchmarking different genomics research tools. A shortcoming of many gene expression control studies is that replication involves profiling the same reference RNA sample multiple times. This leads to low, pure technical noise that is atypical of regular studies. To achieve a more realistic noise structure, we generated a RNA-sequencing mixture experiment using two cell lines of the same cancer type. Variability was added by extracting RNA from independent cell cultures and degrading particular samples. The systematic gene expression changes induced by this design allowed benchmarking of different library preparation kits (standard poly-A versus total RNA with Ribozero depletion) and analysis pipelines. Data generated using the total RNA kit had more signal for introns and various RNA classes (ncRNA, snRNA, snoRNA) and less variability after degradation. For differential expression analysis, voom with quality weights marginally outperformed other popular methods, while for differential splicing, DEXSeq was simultaneously the most sensitive and the most inconsistent method. For sample deconvolution analysis, DeMix outperformed IsoPure convincingly. Our RNA-sequencing dataset provides a valuable resource for benchmarking different protocols and data pre-processing workflows. The extra noise mimics routine lab experiments more closely, ensuring any conclusions are widely applicable.
Classes sociais e estudantes universitários: Origens, oportunidades e orientaçoes

A importância da dimensao escolar/educacional na constituicao das sociedades actuais e, mais especificamente, na configuracao das desigualdades sociais contemporâneas, tem sido um dos principais objectos de interesse da sociologia. Situando-se no quadro desta problematica, o presente artigo analisa, com base nos resultados de um inquerito recente a uma amostra representativa dos estudantes universitarios portugueses, as probabilidades desiguais de acesso a esse nivel de ensino. A investigacao e orientada por um conjunto de propostas teoricas e operatorias para a analise sociologica das classes sociais. Sao analisadas as relacoes entre classe de origem e sexo, area de estudos, ensino publico/privado e orientacoes de vida dos estudantes. Estas analises sao, por fim, confrontadas com a situacao educativa portuguesa no âmbito da Uniao Europeia.