Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Exploration of Apathy and Impulsivity in Parkinson Disease

Background. Apathy and impulsivity in Parkinson disease (PD) are associated with clinically significant behavioral disorders. Aim. To explore the phenomenology, distribution, and clinical correlates of these two behaviors. Methods. In PD participants (n = 99) without dementia we explored the distribution of measures of motivation and impulsivity using univariate methods. We then undertook factor analysis to define specific underlying dimensions of apathy and impulsivity. Regression models were developed to determine the associated demographic and clinical features of the derived dimensions. Results. The factor analysis of apathy (AES-C) revealed a two-factor solution: “cognitive-behavior” and “social indifference”. The factor analysis of impulsivity (BIS-11) revealed a five-factor solution: “inattention”; “impetuosity”; “personal security”; “planning”; and “future orientation”. Apathy was significantly associated with: age, age of motor symptom onset (positive correlation), disease stage, motor symptom severity, and depression. Impulsivity was significantly associated with: age of motor symptom onset (negative correlation), gambling and anxiety scores, and motor complications. We observed an overlap of apathy and impulsivity in some participants. Conclusion. In PD, apathy and impulsivity have specific phenomenological profiles and are associated with particular clinical phenotypes. In spite of this, there is some overlap of behaviors which may suggests common aspects in the pathology underlying motivation and reward processes.
A possible preseismic anomaly in the ground wave of a radio broadcasting (216 kHz) during July-August 1998 (Italy)

Abstract. On February 1996, a receiver able to measure the electric field strength of LF radio broadcastings, with a sampling frequency of ten minutes, was put into operation in a site (AS) located in central Italy. One of the broadcasting stations selected is MCO (f=216 kHz), located in southeast France, 518 km far from the receiver. The MCO data collected since February 1996 up to September 2004 were examined and, at first, the night time data and the day time data (in winter and summer) were separated. Then, the wavelet analysis on the night and day time data was applied. The main result of the analysis was the appearance of a very clear anomaly during summer (July–August) 1998, at day time and at night time. The anomaly is a strong exaltation of the signal components with period in the 25–40 days range. Theoretical calculations of electric field strength were made and the only way to justify this anomaly seems to be the occurrence of an increase of the ground wave propagation mode of the radio signal. Such an increase could have been produced by an increase of the ground conductivity and by modifications of some parameter of the troposphere, mainly the refractive index. On 15 August 1998 a seismic sequence started with 17 earthquakes (M=2.2–4.6) on the Reatini mountains, a seismogenic zone located 30 km far from the AS receiver along the path MCO-AS. In this paper, the possibility that the previous radio anomaly can be a precursor of this seismic sequence is proposed.
BMP 4 rescues a non-cell-autonomous function of Msx 1 in tooth development

The development of many vertebrate organs depends on sequential and reciprocal inductive signaling between epithelium and mesenchyme (Grobstein, 1967; Wessells, 1977; Saxén, 1977; Gurdon, 1992). Experiments in which the epithelium and mesenchyme are systematically separated and recombined have provided insight into the nature of signaling interactions that operate between tissue layers. In the developing mouse molar tooth germ, such experiments have shown that early (embryonic day (E) 9.5E12. 0) oral epithelium possesses odontogenic potential and can elicit tooth formation in non-dental mesenchyme. With the early bud stage, developmental dominance shifts to the mesenchyme, which can now induce non-oral epithelium to form an enamel organ (Kollar and Baird, 1969; Mina and Kollar, 1987; Lumsden, 1988). Expression and functional analysis have implicated the TGFβ superfamily member bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) as a possible inductive signal that transfers tooth inductive potential from dental epithelium to mesenchyme (Vainio et al., 1993). Bmp4expression in the molar is first observed in the thickened E11.5 dental lamina epithelium, but then shifts to the dental mesenchyme by E12.5. Moreover, BMP4 induces its own expression and that of the Msx1 homeobox transcription factor in the dental mesenchyme. The requirement for Msx1 function is demonstrated by Msx1 knockout mice, which exhibit an arrest at the bud stage of molar tooth development (Satokata and Maas, 1994). Insight into the genetic relationship between Msx1 and Bmp4 comes from experiments showing that Bmp4 expression is reduced in Msx1-deficient dental mesenchyme but is preserved in Msx1mutant epithelium (Bei et al., 1996; Chen et al., 1996). Moreover, in Msx1mutant dental mesenchyme, BMP4 cannot induce its own expression, indicating that mesenchymal Bmp4 expression requires Msx1 function. In addition, recombinant BMP4 weakly stimulates dental epithelial growth in in vitro culture (Chen et al., 1996). These results indicate that Msx1is 4711 Development 127, 4711-4718 (2000) Printed in Great Britain © The Company of Biologists Limited 2000 DEV1558
Screening methods for thyroid hormone disruptors.

The U.S. Congress has passed legislation requiring the EPA to implement screening tests for identifying endocrine-disrupting chemicals. A series of workshops was sponsored by the EPA, the Chemical Manufacturers Association, and the World Wildlife Fund; one workshop focused on screens for chemicals that alter thyroid hormone function and homeostasis. Participants at this meeting identified and examined methods to detect alterations in thyroid hormone synthesis, transport, and catabolism. In addition, some methods to detect chemicals that bind to the thyroid hormone receptors acting as either agonists or antagonists were also identified. Screening methods used in mammals as well as other vertebrate classes were examined. There was a general consensus that all known chemicals which interfere with thyroid hormone function and homeostasis act by either inhibiting synthesis, altering serum transport proteins, or by increasing catabolism of thyroid hormones. There are no direct data to support the assertion that certain environmental chemicals bind and activate the thyroid hormone receptors; further research is indicated. In light of this, screening methods should reflect known mechanisms of action. Most methods examined, albeit useful for mechanistic studies, were thought to be too specific and therefore would not be applicable for broad-based screening. Determination of serum thyroid hormone concentrations following chemical exposure in rodents was thought to be a reasonable initial screen. Concurrent histologic evaluation of the thyroid would strengthen this screen. Similar methods in teleosts may be useful as screens, but would require indicators of tissue production of thyroid hormones. The use of tadpole metamorphosis as a screen may also be useful; however, this method requires validation and standardization prior to use as a broad-based screen.
Spatial Downscaling of Agricultural Land-Use Data: An Econometric Approach Using Cross Entropy

We propose a spatial disaggregation tool to help researchers make the best use of aggregated data in studies of land use. The proposed approach uses parcel-level agricultural data in conjunction with biophysical processes to break down agricultural regional data to the pixel level. It is a two-step procedure. First, we estimate a land-use model using a multinomial logit model. Second, we disaggregate the observed regional data using a generalized cross-entropy approach, taking the first-step predictions as priors. This procedure is applied to the French Picardie region. Results indicate a significant correlation between observed and estimated land-use shares. (JEL C11, C81, Q12, R14)
On Cache Coherency and Memory Consistency Issues in NoC Based Shared Memory Multiprocessor SoC Architectures

The concept of network on chip (NoC) is a recent breakthrough in the system on chip (SoC) design area. A lot of work has been done to define efficient NoC architectures and implementations. In this paper, our goal is twofold. Firstly, we want to outline that the use of a NoC based shared-memory multiprocessor SoC challenges the application integrator because of the underlying assumptions of software, namely cache coherency and memory consistency. These problems are well known in general purpose shared memory multiprocessors. However, when designing a SoC, we benefit on the one hand from the knowledge of the applications, the much simpler usage of virtual memory, lower interconnect latencies and very high bandwidth at lost cost, but on the other hand we suffer from more tight design constraints (yield, power, predictable performances, .). Secondly, we define simple and yet attractive solutions - in term of design time and hardware cost - to both problems in the context of application specific multiprocessor SoCs
Link Spam Detection based on DBSpamClust with Fuzzy C-means Clustering

Search engine became omnipresent means for ingoing to the web. Spamming Search engine is the technique to deceiving the ranking in search engine and it inflates the ranking. Web spammers have taken advantage of the vulnerability of link based ranking algorithms by creating many artificial references or links in order to acquire higher-than-deserved ranking n search engines' results. Link based algorithms such as PageRank, HITS utilizes the structural details of the hyperlinks for ranking the content in the web. In this paper an algorithm DBSpamClust is proposed for link spam detection. As showing through experiments such a method can filter out web spam effectively
The NiosII Dual-Core Processor Realizing the Digital Image Watermark

Digital watermark is the effective way to realize the copyright protection, the digital watermark application with the multi-core technology is being more and more widely in embedded systems today. This paper proposes a way that NiosII dual-core realizes the digital images embedding watermarking, including the DCT algorithm, NiosII dual-core parallel processing, barrier synchronization mechanism, realizing digital images embedding watermarking. The experiment results shows that dual-core is more efficient than single-core, images embedded with watermark comparing with the original one have no change in vision.
Incidental vocabulary acquisition from reading-only and reading-while-listening: a multi-dimensional approach

ABSTRACT This study compared the effects of the reading-while-listening condition and the reading-only condition on English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ acquisition of the four dimensions of vocabulary knowledge: form recognition, grammar recognition, meaning recall, and collocation recognition. Accordingly, 24 words within four frequency groups were selected and total 60 Chinese EFL students were enrolled. The results revealed that new words could be learned incidentally in both conditions. However, more words were learned in the reading-while-listening condition. A significant effect of word exposure frequency on incidental vocabulary gains was observed for acquisition of word form and grammar, but no significant effect was found for acquisition of meaning and collocation. Although the reading-while-listening condition was more effective for incidental vocabulary acquisition than the reading-only condition, it appeared that for these two conditions to be a valuable source for incidental vocabulary acquisition, both word exposure frequency and elaborate word processing were needed.
Enhanced Synchrony in Epileptiform Activity? Local versus Distant Phase Synchronization in Generalized Seizures

Synchronization is a fundamental characteristic of complex systems and a basic mechanism of self-organization. A traditional, accepted perspective on epileptiform activity holds that hypersynchrony covering large brain regions is a hallmark of generalized seizures. However, a few recent reports have described substantial fluctuations in synchrony before and during ictal events, thus raising questions as to the widespread synchronization notion. In this study, we used magnetoencephalographic recordings from epileptic patients with generalized seizures and normal control subjects to address the extent of the phase synchronization (phase locking) in local (neighboring) and distant cortical areas and to explore the ongoing temporal dynamics for particular ranges of frequencies at which synchrony occurs, during interictal and ictal activity. Synchronization patterns were found to differ somewhat depending on the epileptic syndrome, with primary generalized absence seizures displaying more long-range synchrony in all frequency bands studied (3–55 Hz) than generalized tonic motor seizures of secondary (symptomatic) generalized epilepsy or frontal lobe epilepsy. However, all seizures were characterized by enhanced local synchrony compared with distant synchrony. There were fluctuations in the synchrony between specific cortical areas that varied from seizure to seizure in the same patient, but in most of the seizures studied, regardless of semiology, there was a constant pattern in the dynamics of synchronization, indicating that seizures proceed by a recruitment of neighboring neuronal networks. Together, these data indicate that the concept of widespread “hypersynchronous” activity during generalized seizures may be misleading and valid only for very specific neuronal ensembles and circumstances.
Semiclassical quantization of rotating superstring in AdS(5) x S**5

Motivated by recent proposals in hep-th/0202021 and hep-th/0204051 we develop semiclassical quantization of superstring in AdS5 × S5. We start with a classical solution describing string rotating in AdS5 and boosted along large circle of S5. The energy of the classical solution E is a function of the spin S and the momentum J (R-charge) which interpolates between the limiting cases S = 0 and J = 0 considered previously. We derive the corresponding quadratic fluctuation action for bosonic and fermionic fields from the GS string action and compute the string 1-loop (large √λ = R2/α') correction to the classical energy spectrum in the (S,J) sector. We find that the 1-loop correction to the ground-state energy does not cancel for S ≠ 0. For large S it scales as ln S, i.e. as the classical term, with no higher powers of ln S appearing. This supports the conjecture made in hep-th/0204051 that the classical E−S = aln S scaling can be interpolated to weak coupling to reproduce the corresponding operator anomalous dimension behaviour in gauge theory.
Limited long term effects of a management programme for heart failure

Objective: To evaluate the effects of a nurse based outpatient management programme for elderly patients discharged with heart failure from a university hospital. Design: Patients with heart failure (New York Heart Association class II–IV) and left ventricular systolic dysfunction aged 60 years or more were randomly assigned to follow up within the management programme or to conventional follow up, usually in primary care. Of the 208 participants, 58% were men, mean age was 75 years, and mean ejection fraction 34%. All patients were scheduled for three observational study visits at six month intervals. The primary end point was quality of life (QoL) and secondary end points were hospitalisation and mortality. Results: More patients achieved target doses of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors in the intervention group than in the control group (82% v 69%, 88% v 69%, and 88% v 74% of recommended target doses at 6, 12, and 18 months of follow up, respectively, p < 0.05 for all). Patients with initial low QoL had a poor prognosis. After a mean 1122 days of follow up, 82% of all patients had been readmitted. There were on average 4.7 readmissions per patient and 66% were due to non-cardiac diagnoses. There were no differences in QoL or health care consumption between the two study groups during follow up. Conclusion: A nurse based management programme is more effective than follow up in primary care in optimising medication for elderly patients with heart failure. However, such a programme does not seem to have a favourable influence on QoL or readmission rate during long term follow up.
Search for the SM Higgs boson in the τ + τ − qq final state

We search for the standard model Higgs boson using 3.9 fb −1 of Run IIb data from the DØ experiment at the Fermilab pp collider. We examine five processes in which the final state τ + τ − + 2 jets can contribute. Three involve associated production of a Higgs boson and a vector boson: ZH → τ + τ − bb, HZ → τ + τ − qq and HW → τ + τ − qq. The vector boson fusion and gluon gluon fusion processes with H → τ τ can also contribute to this final state. We require that one τ decays via τ → µντ νµ and the other τ into hadrons and ντ. We construct a boosted decision tree whose output characterizes the difference between signal and background, and set a 95% C.L. limit on the the measured cross sections which is 30.3 times larger than that expected in the standard model, for MH = 115 GeV. When combined with a previous DØ analysis using 1.0 fb −1 of data for the same signal processes we obtain this ratio to be 27.0, again for MH = 115 GeV.
How to Design Internet of Things to Encourage Office Workers to Take More Regular Micro-Breaks

Prolonged sitting at work has become a new health hazard for office workers. The current PhD is thus dedicated to exploring the potential of Internet of Things (IoT) for supporting healthier office work and break routines. An "enchanted object" approach that utilizes the "glanceability" and "gesturability" of everyday artefacts is proposed as a potential solution to tackle the challenge of user disturbance and scarcity of cognitive resources in this persuasion context. The vision is to eventually have a collection of digitally "enchanted" office objects that harness ubiquitous sensing and context-aware algorithms to subtly prompt different types of breaks at opportune moments throughout workdays, as a mechanism to break up prolonged sitting; in addition, behavioural data captured from embedded and wearable sensors will be visualized to facilitate self-reflection and habit development. An initial qualitative study is being conducted to unpack challenges and opportunities in reducing prolonged sitting in office work through the lens of both behaviour change and Human Computer Interaction, which has led to preliminary insights to share and discuss with the audience.
Low-level motion activity features for semantic characterization of video

Efficient methods of content characterization for the browsing, retrieval or filtering of vast amount of digital video content has become a necessity. Still, there is a gap between the computationally available measures of content characteristics and the semantic interpretations of these characteristics. We want to establish connections between motion activity characteristics of video segments and the semantic characterization of them. For this purpose, two simple descriptors for motion activity of video content is used to infer high-level semantic features of video in certain contexts. One of these descriptors, monotonous activity, is defined as the average block-based motion vector magnitude. The second descriptor, nonmonotonous activity, is an approximation to the average temporal derivative of motion vectors. Simulation results for browsing and retrieval applications show that by using the two measures together, object motions that occur close to the camera can be distinguished from distant ones. Also by using the two descriptors together, we are able to differentiate between high activity due to camera motion and high activity due to dancing people. Hence, these simple descriptors, especially when used to complete each other, promise to provide important clues about semantics of a video.
Transformation Rules for Building Owl Ontologies from Relational Databases

Relational Databases (RDB) are used as the backend database by most of information systems. RDB encapsulate conceptual model and metadata needed in the ontology construction. Schema mapping is a technique that is used by all existing approaches for ontology building from RDB. However, most of those methods use poor transformation rules that prevent advanced database mining for building rich ontologies. In this paper, we propose transformation rules for building owl ontologies from RDBs. It allows transforming all possible cases in RDBs into ontological constructs. The proposed rules are enriched by analyzing stored data to detect disjointness and totalness constraints in hierarchies, and calculating the participation level of tables in n-ary relations. In addition, our technique is generic; hence it can be applied to any RDB. The proposed rules were evaluated using a normalized and open RDB. The obtained ontology is richer in terms of nontaxonomic relationships.
A Multimodal System with Synergistic Effects of Magneto-Mechanical, Photothermal, Photodynamic and Chemo Therapies of Cancer in Graphene-Quantum Dot-Coated Hollow Magnetic Nanospheres

In this study, a multimodal therapeutic system was shown to be much more lethal in cancer cell killing compared to a single means of nano therapy, be it photothermal or photodynamic. Hollow magnetic nanospheres (HMNSs) were designed and synthesized for the synergistic effects of both magneto-mechanical and photothermal cancer therapy. By these combined stimuli, the cancer cells were structurally and physically destroyed with the morphological characteristics distinctively different from those by other therapeutics. HMNSs were also coated with the silica shells and conjugated with carboxylated graphene quantum dots (GQDs) as a core-shell composite: HMNS/SiO2/GQDs. The composite was further loaded with an anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) and stabilized with liposomes. The multimodal system was able to kill cancer cells with four different therapeutic mechanisms in a synergetic and multilateral fashion, namely, the magnetic field-mediated mechanical stimulation, photothermal damage, photodynamic toxicity, and chemotherapy. The unique nanocomposites with combined mechanical, chemo, and physical effects will provide an alternative strategy for highly improved cancer therapy efficiency.
Tree – An Adept Index for Handling Geographic Document Searching

In processing a location based query, that is propel to a geographic search engine, it retrieves documents that are more textual and spatially relevant. After retrieval search engine ranks the documents based on their combined relevance of textual and spatial aspects to query. Here in this case, both textual and spatial information should be indexed. Existing systems cannot handle both textual and spatial aspects simultaneously, so an adept index is needed that can handle textual and spatial aspects simultaneously. In this paper, we propose an efficient index called IR Tree which indexes textual and spatial information in an integrated way. IR Tree along with Top K document retrieval algorithm performs spatial and textual filtering, relevance computation, and also document ranking by considering the document length i.e., relevance is computed using document length. KeywordsGeographic document searching, indexing, IR Tree, TopK document Retrieval.