Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Disability and autonomy: priming alternative identities.

OBJECTIVE Despite the broad stigmatization that people with disabilities experience, the ways they respond as targets of prejudice have received little attention in the psychological literature. The present study examined the reactions of college students with disabilities to being primed with different aspects of their identity and how individual differences in stigma consciousness moderate this effect. DESIGN After being primed with their identity as a person with a disability or a student, college students with disabilities (n = 116) completed measures of autonomy-related thoughts, help-seeking, and stigma consciousness. RESULTS Students primed with their disability status activated autonomy-related thoughts less than the participants primed with their student identity. Moreover, as predicted, the priming manipulation had a stronger impact for participants higher in stigma consciousness. Across all participants, greater activation of autonomy-related thoughts was associated with a lower likelihood of seeking help. CONCLUSION Depending on the aspect of their identity that is most salient in a given context and their level of stigma consciousness, people with disabilities can access autonomy-related thoughts to a greater or lesser extent. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.
Mixed integer optimization using the quasi-chaotic optimization with the discrete simultaneous perturbation stochastic approximation

In this study, we propose a new optimization method based on the quasi-chaotic optimization method for constrained mixed integer optimization problems. The quasi-chaotic optimization method has been proposed recently as a new global optimization method for unconstrained optimization problems. Its superior global search capability has been confirmed in high dimensional optimization problems. The proposed method deals with discrete variables by the discrete simultaneous perturbation stochastic approximation technique. The proposed method deals with constraint conditions by the exact penalty method. Then, we confirm effectiveness of the proposed method through applications to the unconstrained discrete optimization problems and the pressure vessel design problem.
Different algal symbionts explain the vertical distribution of dominant reef corals in the eastern Pacific

Symbiotic reef corals occupy the entire photic zone; however, most species have distinct zonation patterns within the light intensity gradient. It is hypothesized that the presence of specific symbionts adapted to different light regimes may determine the vertical distribution of particular hosts. We have tested this hypothesis by genetic and in situ physiological analyses of the algal populations occupying two dominant eastern Pacific corals, over their vertical distribution in the Gulf of California. Our findings indicate that each coral species hosts a distinct algal taxon adapted to a particular light regime. The differential use of light by specific symbiotic dinoflagellates constitutes an important axis for niche diversification and is sufficient to explain the vertical distribution patterns of these two coral species.
A Longitudinal Study of the Leadership Development Process: Individual Differences Predicting Leader Effectiveness

This study tracked the leadership development of236 male cadets from matriculation through graduation ata military college. Cognitive ability, physical fitness,prior influence experiences, and self-esteem measured in Year 1 were relevant to predictingthose who assumed formal leadership positions in Year 4.Physical fitness and prior influence experiencesmeasured when cadets entered the college predicted leader effectiveness rated in their fourthyear. Stress tolerance and moral reasoning levels didnot predict leader emergence or effectiveness, thoughthe set of individual difference measures significantly predicted emergence and effectiveness. Physicalfitness levels and moral reasoning increased over timefor all cadets, though surprisingly, levels ofself-esteem and stress tolerance did not increase over time. Overall the study demonstrated thatleadership effectiveness and emergence could bepredicted from early measures of individualdifferences.
Turning a Negative into a Positive: Ascending GABAergic Control of Cortical Activation and Arousal

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. Recent technological advances have illuminated the role of GABAergic neurons in control of cortical arousal and sleep. Sleep-promoting GABAergic neurons in the preoptic hypothalamus are well-known. Less well-appreciated are GABAergic projection neurons in the brainstem, midbrain, hypothalamus, and basal forebrain, which paradoxically promote arousal and fast electroencephalographic (EEG) rhythms. Thus, GABA is not purely a sleep-promoting neurotransmitter. GABAergic projection neurons in the brainstem nucleus incertus and ventral tegmental nucleus of Gudden promote theta (4–8 Hz) rhythms. Ventral tegmental area GABAergic neurons, neighboring midbrain dopamine neurons, project to the frontal cortex and nucleus accumbens. They discharge faster during cortical arousal and regulate reward. Thalamic reticular nucleus GABAergic neurons initiate sleep spindles in non-REM sleep. In addition, however, during wakefulness, they tonically regulate the activity of thalamocortical neurons. Other GABAergic inputs to the thalamus arising in the globus pallidus pars interna, substantia nigra pars reticulata, zona incerta, and basal forebrain regulate motor activity, arousal, attention, and sensory transmission. Several subpopulations of cortically projecting GABAergic neurons in the basal forebrain project to the thalamus and neocortex and preferentially promote cortical gamma-band (30–80 Hz) activity and wakefulness. Unlike sleep-active GABAergic neurons, these ascending GABAergic neurons are fast-firing neurons which disinhibit and synchronize the activity of their forebrain targets, promoting the fast EEG rhythms typical of conscious states. They are prominent targets of GABAergic hypnotic agents. Understanding the properties of ascending GABAergic neurons may lead to novel treatments for diseases involving disorders of cortical activation and wakefulness.
Effects of raised extracellular potassium on the excitability of, and hormone release from, the isolated rat neurohypophysis.

1. Single neurohypophyses from male rats were maintained in an in vitro perifusion chamber. Ion‐sensitive microelectrodes were introduced into the tissue to measure changes in [K+]o and [Ca2+]o during electrical stimulation. 2. Electrical stimulation at 6 Hz for 1 min and 30 Hz for 12 s raised [K+]o by 5.4 +/‐ 0.4 and 13.5 +/‐ 0.5 mM (mean +/‐ S.E.M., n = 8) respectively. To investigate the effects of raised [K+]o on the excitability of the neurosecretory terminals, stimulations were repeated in media of altered K+ concentration. The increase in [K+]o evoked by 6 Hz stimulation was elevated in 10 mM‐K+ medium (133% of that in 5 mM‐K+ medium) and reduced in 0 mM‐K+ medium and in 25 mM‐K+ medium. Thus it appeared that stimulus‐induced changes in [K+]o might enhance the excitability of the tissue during electrical activation. 3. To test this hypothesis, we measured the field potential responses evoked by 0.5 Hz stimulation in media of different K+ concentrations. The size of the field potential was enhanced in 10 mM‐K+ medium and depressed in 0 mM‐K+ medium and in 25 mM‐K+ medium. 4. Electrical stimulation (6 Hz, 1 min) decreased [Ca2+]o by 10.9 +/‐ 1.8% (n = 6). This decrease was absent in the presence of 1 microM‐tetrodotoxin or 1 mM‐cadmium. Again, the [Ca2+] response to stimulation was enhanced in 10 mM‐K+ medium and depressed in 0 mM‐K+ medium or 25 mM‐K+ medium. 5. The release of vasopressin and oxytocin evoked by stimulation at 6 or 30 Hz from isolated neurohypophyses was measured by radioimmunoassay in a separate series of experiments. Stimulation at 30 Hz for 1 min released 5‐ to 6‐fold more hormone than stimulation at 6 Hz for 5 min. Release evoked by 6 Hz stimulation was enhanced in 15 mM‐K+ medium and depressed in 25 mM‐K+ medium. 6. We conclude that the rise in [K+]o that accompanies high‐frequency activation of axons and terminals in the neurohypophysis contributes to the facilitation of hormone release with increasing frequencies of stimulation, and in particular to the efficiency of the milk‐ejection burst discharge of oxytocin neurones for evoking oxytocin release.
Inhibition of Quorum Sensing-Controlled Virulence Factor Production in Pseudomonas aeruginosa by South Florida Plant Extracts

ABSTRACT Quorum sensing (QS) is a key regulator of virulence and biofilm formation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other medically relevant bacteria. Aqueous extracts of six plants, Conocarpus erectus, Chamaesyce hypericifolia, Callistemon viminalis, Bucida buceras, Tetrazygia bicolor, and Quercus virginiana, were examined in this study for their effects on P. aeruginosa virulence factors and the QS system. C. erectus, B. buceras, and C. viminalis caused a significant inhibition of LasA protease, LasB elastase, pyoverdin production, and biofilm formation. Additionally, each plant presented a distinct effect profile on the las and rhl QS genes and their respective signaling molecules, suggesting that different mechanisms are responsible for efficacy. Extracts of all plants caused the inhibition of QS genes and QS-controlled factors, with marginal effects on bacterial growth, suggesting that the quorum-quenching mechanisms are unrelated to static or cidal effects.
Review of DNA‐based census and effective population size estimators

The detection of reductions in effective population size (Ne) or census size (Nc) is essential for conservation. Recent developments allow wildlife researchers to obtain genetic material via non‐invasive sampling techniques that may provide the large sample sizes necessary for precise estimates of Ne and Nc. Population genetic theory provides several methods to estimate Ne from allele frequency data: including temporal change in allele frequencies, gametic disequilibrium and heterozygote excess methods. Modification of capture–mark–recapture methods for use with multi‐locus genotype data provides new means for estimating Nc. The combination of new DNA sampling techniques, polymerase chain reaction‐based DNA markers and analytical methods may provide unprecedented power to detect reductions in Ne and Nc of endangered populations. However, these genetic methods are largely untested in the field. We review some relatively unexplored, but promising ways that multi‐locus genetic data can be used to provide important genetic and demographic information and suggest avenues for further research in this area.
A Novel Approach for Assessing Density and Range-wide Abundance of Prairie Dogs

Abstract Habitat loss, introduced disease, and government-sponsored eradication programs have caused population declines in all 5 species of prairie dogs. Black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) currently occupy only about 2% of an extensive geographic range (160 million hectares) and were recently considered for listing under the United States Endangered Species Act. Accurate estimates of density for populations of prairie dogs would be valuable for estimating range-wide abundance and for determining threats to species persistence, yet estimates of density using robust approaches (e.g., complete enumeration or mark–recapture) are rarely undertaken. We introduce a novel approach to estimating density of prairie dogs using mark–resight methods. Using mark–resight, mark–recapture, and 3 other indices, we estimated the abundance of prairie dogs on 3 reintroduced colonies over a 3-year period (2003–2005). We show that mark–resight is a superior approach to estimating abundance of prairie dogs, that average density estimates from the southern extremity of the species' range are considerably lower (11.3 prairie dogs/ha) than estimates from more northerly climes (X̄ = 18.3–90.3 prairie dogs/ha), and that population densities can fluctuate widely in accordance with local environmental conditions. We propose that resource agencies use mark–resight methods to obtain density estimates of prairie dog populations within diverse ecoregions, and couple these estimates with an assessment of the area occupied by prairie dog colonies to determine range-wide abundance.
Ligand for Translocator Protein Reverses Pathology in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease

Ligands of the translocator protein (TSPO) elicit pleiotropic neuroprotective effects that represent emerging treatment strategies for several neurodegenerative conditions. To investigate the potential of TSPO as a therapeutic target for Alzheimer's disease (AD), the current study assessed the effects of the TSPO ligand Ro5-4864 on the development of neuropathology in 3xTgAD mice. The effects of the TSPO ligand on neurosteroidogenesis and AD-related neuropathology, including β-amyloid accumulation, gliosis, and behavioral impairment, were examined under both early intervention (7-month-old young-adult male mice with low pathology) and treatment (24-month-old, aged male mice with advanced neuropathology) conditions. Ro5-4864 treatment not only effectively attenuated development of neuropathology and behavioral impairment in young-adult mice but also reversed these indices in aged 3xTgAD mice. Reduced levels of soluble β-amyloid were also observed by the combination of TSPO ligands Ro5-4864 and PK11195 in nontransgenic mice. These findings suggest that TSPO is a promising target for the development of pleiotropic treatment strategies for the management of AD.
Efficient estimation of CFA pattern configuration in digital camera images

This paper proposes an efficient method to determine the concrete configuration of the color filter array (CFA) from demosaiced images. This is useful to decrease the degrees of freedom when checking for the existence or consistency of CFA artifacts in typical digital camera images. We see applications in a wide range of multimedia security scenarios whenever inter-pixel correlation plays an important role. Our method is based on a CFA synthesis procedure that finds the most likely raw sensor output for a given full-color image. We present approximate solutions that require only one linear filtering operation per image. The effectiveness of our method is demonstrated by experimental results from a large database of images.
A Chest Wall Model Based on Rib Kinematics

The success of radiotherapy treatment could be compromised by motion. Lung tumours are particularly concerned by this problem because their positions are subject to breathing motion. To reduce the uncertainty on the position of pulmonary tumours during breathing cycle, we propose to develop a complete thoracic biomechanical model. This model will be monitored through the measurement of external parameters (thorax outer-surface motion, air flow.) and should predict in real-time the location of lung tumour. In this paper, we expose a biomechanical model of the lung environment, based on anatomical and physiological knowledge. The model includes the skin, the ribs, the pleura and the soft tissue between the skin and the ribcage. Motions and deformations are computed with the Finite Element Method. The ribcage direct kinematics model, permits to compute the skin position from the ribs motion. Conversely, the inverse kinematics provides rib motion and consequently lung motion. It can be computed from the outer-surface motion.With regards to available clinical data the results are promising. In particular, the average error is lower than the resolution of the CT-scan images used as input data.
Using Data Postcompensation and Predistortion to Tolerate Cell-to-Cell Interference in MLC nand Flash Memory

With the appealing storage-density advantage, multilevel-per-cell (MLC) NAND Flash memory that stores more than 1 bit in each memory cell now largely dominates the global Flash memory market. However, due to the inherent smaller noise margin, the MLC NAND Flash memory is more subject to various device/circuit variability and noise, particularly as the industry is pushing the limit of technology scaling and a more aggressive use of MLC storage. Cell-to-cell interference has been well recognized as a major noise source responsible for raw-memory-storage reliability degradation. Leveraging the fact that cell-to-cell interference is a deterministic data-dependent process and can be mathematically described with a simple formula, we present two simple yet effective data-processing techniques that can well tolerate significant cell-to-cell interference at the system level. These two techniques essentially originate from two signal-processing techniques being widely used in digital communication systems to compensate communication-channel intersymbol interference. The effectiveness of these two techniques have been well demonstrated through computer simulations and analysis under an information theoretical framework, and the involved design tradeoffs are discussed in detail.
FPGA-Based Real-Time Power Converter Failure Diagnosis for Wind Energy Conversion Systems

This paper discusses the design, implementation, experimental validation, and performances of a field-programmable gate array (FPGA)-based real-time power converter failure diagnosis for three-leg fault tolerant converter topologies used in wind energy conversion systems (WECSs). The developed approach minimizes the time interval between the fault occurrence and its diagnosis. We demonstrated the possibility to detect a faulty switch in less than 10 mus by using a diagnosis simultaneously based on a ldquotime criterionrdquo and a ldquovoltage criterion.rdquo To attain such a short detection time, an FPGA fully digital implementation is used. The performances of the proposed FPGA-based fault detection method are evaluated for a new fault tolerant back-to-back converter topology suited for WECS with doubly fed induction generator (DFIG). We examine the failure diagnosis method and the response of the WECS when one of the power switches of the fault tolerant back-to-back converter is faulty. The experimental failure diagnosis implementation based on ldquoFPGA in the looprdquo hardware prototyping verifies the performances of the fault tolerant WECS with DFIG.
Resveratrol Exerts Antiproliferative Activity and Induces Apoptosis in Waldenström's Macroglobulinemia

Purpose: Resveratrol (3,4',5-tri-hydroxy-trans-stilbene) is an antioxidant constituent of a wide variety of plant species including grapes. It has gained considerable attention because of its anticancer properties, as shown in solid and hematologic malignancies. Whether resveratrol could inhibit proliferation or induce cytotoxicity in Waldenström's macroglobulinemia (WM) was investigated. Experimental Design: We studied resveratrol-induced inhibition of proliferation and induction of cytotoxicity in WM cell lines, WM primary tumor cells, IgM-secreting cells, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The mechanisms of action and different signaling pathways involved were studied using Western blot and gene expression profile analysis. Resveratrol activity was also evaluated in the bone marrow microenvironment. We finally investigated whether or not resveratrol could have any synergistic effect if used in combination with other drugs widely used in the treatment of WM. Results: Resveratrol inhibited proliferation and induced cytotoxicity against WM cells, IgM-secreting cells, as well as primary WM cells, without affecting peripheral blood mononuclear cells; down-regulated Akt, extracellular signal-regulated kinase mitogen-activated protein kinases, and Wnt signaling pathways, as well as Akt activity; induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis; and triggered c-Jun-NH2-terminal-kinase activation, followed by the activation of intrinsic and extrinsic caspase pathways. Lastly, adherence to bone marrow stromal cells did not confer protection to WM cells against resveratrol-induced cytotoxicity. Furthermore, resveratrol showed synergistic cytotoxicity when combined with dexamethasone, fludarabine, and bortezomib. Conclusion: Our data show that resveratrol has significant antitumor activity in WM, providing the framework for clinical trials in this disease.
Sharp Phylogeographic Breaks and Patterns of Genealogical Concordance in the Brine Shrimp Artemia franciscana

Genealogical concordance is a critical overlay of all phylogenetic analyses, irrespective of taxonomic level. To assess such patterns of congruence we have compiled and derived sequence data for two mitochondrial (16S rRNA, COI) and two nuclear (ITS1, p26) markers in 14 American populations of the hypersaline branchiopod Artemia franciscana. Cladistic analysis revealed three reciprocally monophyletic mitochondrial clades. For nuclear DNA, incomplete lineage sorting was evident presumably as a result of slower coalescence or male-mediated dispersal. Our findings capture the genealogical interval between gene splitting and population divergence. In this sense, strong indications are provided in favour of a superspecies status and ongoing speciation in A. franciscana.
How the overlap between the search results of different retrieval systems correlates with document relevance

This paper provides an analysis of the overlap between the search results of retrieval systems that participated in TREC 3, 6, 7 and 8 to provide empirical support for some of the key assumptions guiding the design of data fusion methods. It shows that the potential relevance of a document increases exponentially as the number of search methods retrieving it increases – called the Authority Effect. It also shows that documents higher up in ranked lists and found by more systems are more likely to be relevant – called the Ranking Effect. Both effects can help explain why major data fusion methods perform well.
Using Diaries to Promote Metalinguistic Reflection among Elementary School Students

This study is part of a larger research project investigating the effects of using metalinguistic reflection integrated into a communicative class as a way of promoting second language acquisition among French-speaking Grade six (i.e. 10-11 year old) ESL learners (n = 81). Even though metalinguistic reflection is thought to promote language development, only a few studies have empirically investigated its effects (Armand, 2000). Different ways of promoting metalinguistic reflection can be identified in the literature. Allison (1998), for instance, used diaries for this purpose. The questions addressed in this article are: Can diary writing promote metalinguistic reflection among grade six ESL learners? If so, what kind of metalinguistic reflection do these learners produce in their reflections? Does this reflection differ according to the type of students who produce it? The data were obtained from diaries and tests of metalinguistic reflection ability. Students were assigned to one of three groups (Enriched, Regular, Control) and were measured at three different periods of measurement (pre-test, immediate post-test and delayed post-test). Enriched students more frequently wrote explicit comments about L2 in their diaries. All students noticed elements of the L2. Differences in their ability to report about language remained the same throughout the study. The amount of metalinguistic reflection produced by the Control group increased dramatically at the delayed post-test.