Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Choosing the Lesser of Two Evils, the Better of Two Goods: Specifying the Roles of Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex and Dorsal Anterior Cingulate in Object Choice

The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and dorsal anterior cingulate cortices (ACd) are considered important for reward-based decision making. However, work distinguishing their individual functional contributions has only begun. One aspect of decision making that has received little attention is that making the right choice often translates to making the better choice. Thus, response choice often occurs in situations where both options are desirable (e.g., choosing between mousse au chocolat or crème caramel cheesecake from a menu) or, alternatively, in situations where both options are undesirable. Moreover, response choice is easier when the reinforcements associated with the objects are far apart, rather than close together, in value. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to delineate the functional roles of the vmPFC and ACd by investigating these two aspects of decision making: (1) decision form (i.e., choosing between two objects to gain the greater reward or the lesser punishment), and (2) between-object reinforcement distance (i.e., the difference in reinforcements associated with the two objects). Blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) responses within the ACd and vmPFC were both related to decision form but differentially. Whereas ACd showed greater responses when deciding between objects to gain the lesser punishment, vmPFC showed greater responses when deciding between objects to gain the greater reward. Moreover, vmPFC was sensitive to reinforcement expectations associated with both the chosen and the forgone choice. In contrast, BOLD responses within ACd, but not vmPFC, related to between-object reinforcement distance, increasing as the distance between the reinforcements of the two objects decreased. These data are interpreted with reference to models of ACd and vmPFC functioning.
Greater glucose uptake heterogeneity in knee muscles of old compared to young men during isometric contractions detected by [18F]-FDG PET/CT

We used positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) and [18F]-FDG to test the hypothesis that glucose uptake (GU) heterogeneity in skeletal muscles as a measure of heterogeneity in muscle activity is greater in old than young men when they perform isometric contractions. Six young (26 ± 6 years) and six old (77 ± 6 years) men performed two types of submaximal isometric contractions that required either force or position control. [18F]-FDG was injected during the task and PET/CT scans were performed immediately after the task. Within-muscle heterogeneity of knee muscles was determined by calculating the coefficient of variation (CV) of GU in PET image voxels within the muscles of interest. The average GU heterogeneity (mean ± SD) for knee extensors and flexors was greater for the old (35.3 ± 3.3%) than the young (28.6 ± 2.4%) (P = 0.006). Muscle volume of the knee extensors were greater for the young compared to the old men (1016 ± 163 vs. 598 ± 70 cm3, P = 0.004). In a multiple regression model, knee extensor muscle volume was a predictor (partial r = −0.87; P = 0.001) of GU heterogeneity for old men (R2 = 0.78; P < 0.001), and MVC force predicted GU heterogeneity for young men (partial r = −0.95, P < 0.001). The findings demonstrate that GU is more spatially variable for old than young men and especially so for old men who exhibit greater muscle atrophy.
A hybrid swarm optimization for neural network training with application in stock price forecasting

A improved swarm optimization method based on particle swarm optimization (PSO) and simplified swarm optimization (SSO) is proposed to adjust the weight in artificial neural network. This method is a modification of traditional PSO and SSO, and combines them to a new optimization method (PSOSSO for short). The proposed method overcomes some of the drawbacks of SSO and improves its ability to train the weight of ANN. In the experiments, the PSOSSO is employed to train fuzzy wavelet neural network (FWNN) forecasting model to predict the prices of Hong Kong Hang Seng Index. The experimental results present that the PSOSSO is more efficient than traditional PSO and SSO methods.
Investigating the epidemiology of medication errors and error-related adverse drug events (ADEs) in primary care, ambulatory care and home settings: a systematic review protocol

Introduction There is a need to better understand the epidemiology of medication errors and error-related adverse events in community care contexts. Methods and analysis We will systematically search the following databases: Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), EMBASE, Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office of the WHO (EMRO), MEDLINE, PsycINFO and Web of Science. In addition, we will search Google Scholar and contact an international panel of experts to search for unpublished and in progress work. The searches will cover the time period January 1990–December 2015 and will yield data on the incidence or prevalence of and risk factors for medication errors and error-related adverse drug events in adults living in community settings (ie, primary care, ambulatory and home). Study quality will be assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program quality assessment tool for cohort and case–control studies, and cross-sectional studies will be assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Descriptive Studies. Meta-analyses will be undertaken using random-effects modelling using STATA (V.14) statistical software. Ethics and dissemination This protocol will be registered with PROSPERO, an international prospective register of systematic reviews, and the systematic review will be reported in the peer-reviewed literature using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.
Dem-assisted back-projection algorithm in high resolution geosynchronous SAR imaging

Since geosynchronous synthetic aperture radar (GEO SAR) has curved trajectories, back-projection algorithm (BPA) greatly fits for its imaging. However, for a scene with height variation, the reference range based on the fixed-height imaging grid under curved trajectories is inaccurate in azimuth back-projection. Resultantly, the GEO SAR image quality will be obviously deteriorated in high resolution imaging. To address the issue, this paper proposed the digital elevation model (DEM)-assisted BPA to realize the accurate high resolution GEO SAR imaging for the scene with height variation. DEM information is utilized to construct the imaging grid in the new method for generating the accurate reference range. Simulation results validate that the proposed method achieves good imaging performance for the scene with height variation.
Spectral Volume Rendering

Volume renderers for interactive analysis must be sufficiently versatile to render a broad range of volume images: unsegmented "raw" images as recorded by a 3D scanner, labeled segmented images, multimodality images, or any combination of these. The usual strategy is to assign to each voxel a three component RGB color and an opacity value /spl alpha/. This so-called RGB/spl alpha/ approach offers the possibility of distinguishing volume objects by color. However, these colors are connected to the objects themselves, thereby bypassing the idea that in reality the color of an object is also determined by the light source and light detectors c.q. human eyes. The physically realistic approach presented, models light interacting with the materials inside a voxel causing spectral changes in the light. The radiated spectrum falls upon a set of RGB detectors. The spectral approach is investigated to see whether it could enhance the visualization of volume data and interactive tools. For that purpose, a material is split into an absorbing part (the medium) and a scattering part (small particles). The medium is considered to be either achromatic or chromatic, while the particles are considered to scatter the light achromatically, elastically, or inelastically. Inelastic scattering particles combined with an achromatic absorbing medium offer additional visual features: objects are made visible through the surface structure of a surrounding volume object and volume and surface structures can be made visible at the same time. With one or two materials the method is faster than the RGB/spl alpha/ approach, with three materials the performance is equal. The spectral approach can be considered as an extension of the RGB/spl alpha/ approach with greater visual flexibility and a better balance between quality and speed.
Action Change Theory: A Reinforcement Learning Perspective on Behavior Change

Traditional theories of behavior change rely mostly on influencing higher-order mental processes as a route to altering deliberate responses, whereas more recent theorizing postulates that interventions can also rely on using contextual cues influencing lower-order processes as a route to changing spontaneous responses. We propose an alternative mechanistic account based on reinforcement learning theory, which utilizes different action control systems in the brain. Therefore, this account works at a different level of analysis and description, which promises to lead to the development of a more general and integrative theory of behavior change. Reward systems generate specific affective states that influence behavior via 3 action controllers. Innate actions are stereotyped evolutionarily determined responses to stimuli. Habitual actions develop through stimulus-response learning without explicit outcome representations. Goal-directed actions are based on an explicit model of the structure of the environment, which utilizes computations of action-outcome contingencies. We describe how these mechanisms for action control parsimoniously explain behavior change theories and techniques.
Involvement of bactericidal factors from thrombin-stimulated platelets in clearance of adherent viridans streptococci in experimental infective endocarditis

Platelets activated with thrombin release bactericidal factors. We studied the role of the susceptibility of viridans streptococci to these bactericidal factors in the development of infective endocarditis (IE). By using the experimental endocarditis rabbit model, the initial adherence and the development of IE were assessed for 10 viridans streptococcal strains differing in their susceptibilities to releasate (material released) from thrombin-activated platelets. Six strains were susceptible and four strains were resistant to these releasates. The numbers of vegetations (VGs) colonized at 5 min and 48 h after intravenous challenge with 10(4) CFU were determined. At 5 min after challenge, significantly more VGs were colonized with bacteria of the six platelet releasate-susceptible strains than with bacteria of the four releasate-resistant strains (P < 0.005). In the releasate-susceptible group of strains, the number of colonized VGs decreased significantly between 5 min and 48 h after intravenous inoculation (P < 0.001). Such a decrease was not observed with the releasate-resistant strains. As a result, the final developments of IE due to releasate-susceptible and -resistant strains were not significantly different. The releasate-susceptible strain 1 and the releasate-resistant strain 2 were selected for more detailed experiments. Rabbits were killed at 5 and 30 min and 2, 4, and 48 h after inoculation. The number of culture-positive VGs as well as the number of adherent bacteria on the individual VGs were determined. The 90% infective dose for each strain was 10(5) CFU. At low inoculum concentrations (10(3) and 10(4) CFU) a larger proportion of the inoculated bacteria of both strains was found to be adherent on VGs than at higher challenge doses. The number of culture-positive VGs as well as the number of adherent bacteria per VG decreased rapidly in the first 30 min after challenge with strain 1 but not after challenge with strain 2. Additional experiments with the platelet releasate-susceptible strain S224 and the platelet releasate-resistant stain S182 confirmed the data obtained with strains 1 and 2 and indicated that releasate-susceptible strains disappeared from the VGs with time, whereas releasate-susceptible strains persisted. In vitro studies with VGs excised 5 min after challenge with stain 1 or 2 showed that clearance of the releasate-susceptible strain 1 was not caused by complement bactericidal activity or surface phagocytosis by polymorphonuclear cells. Bacterial cells of strain 1 adherent on excised VTGs were rapidly cleared by exposure to fresh clotting blood or to releasates from thrombin-stimulated platelet suspension. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
The Effect of EEG Biofeedback on Reducing Postcancer Cognitive Impairment

Background and hypotheses. Postcancer cognitive impairment (PCCI) is observed in a substantial number of breast cancer survivors, persisting for as long as 20 years in some subgroups. Although compensatory strategies are frequently suggested, no restorative interventions have yet been identified. This study examined the feasibility of EEG biofeedback (“neurofeedback”) and its potential effectiveness in reducing PCCI as well as the fatigue, sleep disturbance, and psychological symptoms that frequently accompany PCCI. Study design. This was a 6-month prospective study with a waitlist control period followed by an active intervention. Participants were female breast cancer survivors (n = 23), 6 to 60 months postchemotherapy, with self-reported cognitive impairment. Methods. Four self-report outcome measures (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–Cognitive Function [FACT-Cog], Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy–Fatigue [FACIT-Fatigue], Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index [PSQI], and Brief Symptom Inventory [BSI]-18) were administered 3 times during a 10-week waitlist control period, 3 times during a 10-week (20-session) neurofeedback training regimen, and once at 4 weeks postneurofeedback. Results. All 23 participants completed the study, demonstrating the feasibility of EEG biofeedback in this population. Initially, the sample demonstrated significant dysfunction on all measures compared with general population norms. Repeated-measures ANOVAs revealed strongly significant improvements (P < .001) on all 4 cognitive measures (perceived cognitive impairment, comments from others, perceived cognitive abilities, and impact on quality of life [QOL]), the fatigue scale, and the 4 psychological scales (somatization, depression, anxiety and global severity index) as well as on 3 of 8 sleep scales (quality, daytime dysfunction, and global). Two of the other sleep scales (latency and disturbance) were significant at P < . 01, and 1 (use of medication) at P < . 05; 2 were not significant. Improvements were generally linear across the course of training, and were maintained at the follow-up testing. At the follow-up testing, the sample no longer differed significantly from normative populations on 3 of the 4 FACT-Cog measures (impairment, impact on QOL, and comments), FACIT-Fatigue, PSQI sleep quality and habitual efficiency, or any of the BSI-18 measures of psychological disturbance. Conclusions. Data from this limited study suggest that EEG biofeedback has potential for reducing the negative cognitive and emotional sequelae of cancer treatment as well as improving fatigue and sleep patterns.
Party Campaigners or Citizen Campaigners? How Social Media Deepen and Broaden Party-Related Engagement

Digital media are often blamed for accelerating the decline of political parties as channels for citizen participation. By contrast, we show that political engagement on social media may revitalize party activities because these platforms are means for both party members and ordinary citizens to discuss politics and engage with and around political parties. Using online surveys conducted in Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom, we find that party members engage in a wider variety of party-related activities than average respondents, but the same can also be said of nonparty members who informally discuss politics on social media. Moreover, the strength of the relationship between party membership and engagement decreases as the intensity of political discussion on social media increases. This suggests that political discussions on social media can narrow the divide in party-related engagement between members and nonmembers, and to some extent flatten rather than reinforce existing political hierarchies. Finally, we find that the correlation between party membership and engagement is stronger in Germany, where party organizations are more robust, than in Italy and the United Kingdom, highlighting the role of party organizational legacies in the digital age.
A DYNAMIC MODEL OF CHURCH GROWTH AND ITS APPLICATION TO CONTEMPORARY REVIVALS

REVIEW OF RELIGIOUS RESEARCH, 2002, VOLUME 43:3, PAGES 218 - 241 The Christian church has grown substantially since its beginnings in the first century AD, with much of that growth coming through conversion into the church. This paper sets up a dynamical model of such church growth, based on the methods of systems dynamics, capable of giving qualitative analysis and quantitative simulations of growth. The model investigates the claim that conversion growth is driven by a subclass of church members called enthusiasts who alone are active in the conversion of others. These enthusiasts make contact with unbelievers leading to some being converted. Some of these new converts also become enthusiasts. A further claim is that enthusiasts only retain their conversion potentialfor a fixed length of time after which they become inactive church members playing no further part in recruitment.
FPGA-Aware Scheduling Strategies at Hypervisor Level in Cloud Environments

Current open issues regarding cloud computing include the support for nontrivial Quality of Service-related Service Level Objectives (SLOs) and reducing the energy footprint of data centers. One strategy that can contribute to both is the integration of accelerators as specialized resources within the cloud system. In particular, Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) exhibit an excellent performance/energy consumption ratio that can be harnessed to achieve these goals. In this paper, a multilevel cloud scheduling framework is described, and several FPGA-aware node level scheduling strategies (applied at the hypervisor level) are explored and analyzed. These strategies are based on the use of a multiobjective metric aimed at providing Quality of Service (QoS) support. Results show how the proposed FPGA-aware scheduling policies increment the number of users requests serviced with their SLOs fulfilled while energy consumption is minimized. In particular, evaluation results of a use case based on a multimedia application show that the proposal can save more than 20% of the total energy compared with other baseline algorithms while a higher percentage of Service Level Agreement (SLA) is fulfilled.
Women Social Activists of Atlantic Canada: Stories of Re-Enchantment, Authenticity, and Hope.

In this paper, we offer our analysis of the profiles of 27 elder women social activists of Atlantic Canada, profiles that were created by Dr. Liz Burge. Our goal is to honor these women and to inform, and hopefully inspire, others involved in social activism. We hope our research will contribute to the growing field of inquiry in adult education into feminist approaches to social movement learning (SML). We found these social activists’ engagements were powerfully shaped by their families’ values, initial experiences of finding voice and “speaking up”, and both formal and informal learning about effective approaches for political engagement. The stories speak to a social activism where the personal is political and the boundaries between the private and the public sphere are blurred. These women’s profiles, we argue, resist the ‘malaise of modernity’, specifically its glorification of individualism, disenchantment with the world, and retreat from political engagement. In their stories we see a process of re-enchantment that involves a search for authenticity fueled by hope.
Magnetic nanoparticles for drug delivery

Targeting specific sites in vivo for the delivery of therapeutic compounds presents a major obstacle to the treatment of many diseases. One targeted delivery technique that has gained prominence in recent years is the use of magnetic nanoparticles. In these systems, therapeutic compounds are attached to biocompatible magnetic nanoparticles and magnetic fields generated outside the body are focused on specific targets in vivo. The fields capture the particle complex resulting in enhanced delivery to the target site. This review will focus on technical aspects of magnetic targeting as well as nanoparticle design and animal and clinical trials. Drug Dev. Res. 67:55–60, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Concept Based vs. Pseudo Relevance Feedback Performance Evaluation for Information Retrieval System

This article evaluates the performance of two techniques for query reformulation in a system for information retrieval, namely, the concept based and the pseudo relevance feedback reformulation. The experiments performed on a corpus of Arabic text have allowed us to compare the contribution of these two reformulation techniques in improving the performance of an information retrieval system for Arabic texts.
Nck and Cdc42 co-operate to recruit N-WASP to promote Fc&ggr;R-mediated phagocytosis

Summary The adaptor protein Nck has been shown to link receptor ligation to actin-based signalling in a diverse range of cellular events, such as changes in cell morphology and motility. It has also been implicated in phagocytosis. However, its molecular role in controlling actin remodelling associated with phagocytic uptake remains to be clarified. Here, we show that Nck, which is recruited to phagocytic cups, is required for Fc&ggr; receptor (Fc&ggr;R)- but not complement receptor 3 (CR3)-induced phagocytosis. Nck recruitment in response to Fc&ggr;R ligation is mediated by the phosphorylation of tyrosine 282 and 298 in the ITAM motif in the cytoplasmic tail of the receptor. In the absence of Fc&ggr;R phosphorylation, there is also no recruitment of N-WASP or Cdc42 to phagocytic cups. Nck promotes Fc&ggr;R-mediated phagocytosis by recruiting N-WASP to phagocytic cups. Efficient phagocytosis, however, only occurs, if the CRIB domain of N-WASP can also interact with Cdc42. Our observations demonstrate that Nck and Cdc42 collaborate to stimulate N-WASP-dependent Fc&ggr;R-mediated phagocytosis.
Transient annealing of indium phosphide

Thermal treatment of semiconductor samples in the range ∼ 650 to 900°C is an integral part of planar device processing for the activation of implanted ion species. This letter describes a rapid annealing procedure for the short-term treatment of such implants, which from data obtained on InP is seen to result in high activation efficiencies and mobilities ∼ 85 percent and 2600 cm2/V.s, respectively, while at the same time minimizing surface degradation and bulk impurity redistribution.
CYTOCHEMICAL STAINING OF THE GOLGI APPARATUS IN AMOEBA PROTEUS

The Golgi apparatus has been shown to be involved in the packaging of secretory proteins (Caro and Palade, 1964 ; Jamieson and Palace 1967 a, 1967 b), and in the production of acid mucopolysaccharides and glycoproteins (Neutra and Leblond, 1966 ; Berlin, 1967 ; Thiéry, 1967 ; Rambourg et al, 1969; Whur et al., 1969) . Other suggested functions of the Golgi apparatus include the formation of the plasma membrane