Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
One size fits all? Dialectometry in a small clan-based indigenous society

Abstract In many societies, dialectometry has revealed strong correlations between geographic distances and dialect differences (e.g., Gooskens, 2005; Heeringa & Nerbonne, 2001; Nerbonne, 2009, 2010). But what happens when dialectometry is applied to a small, clan-based society such as the indigenous Sui people of rural southwest China? The Sui results show a strong correlation between dialect difference and geographic distance, thus supporting Nerbonne and Kleiweg's (2007) Fundamental Dialectological Postulate. A new culturally specific computation, “rice paddy distance,” also provides a strong correlation with dialect differences. However, the study finds that some dialectometry patterns of larger societies are not “compressible” into small societies such as Sui. Clan exogamy also poses challenges for dialectometry. Nonetheless, the overall results show that basic principles of dialect variation in space can be generalized cross-culturally, even across very different cultures. This paper also suggests a “lower limit” for dialectology, that is, the smallest distance where regional dialectology may be relevant, all other things being equal.
Graph Codes for Distributed Instant Message Collection in an Arbitrary Noisy Broadcast Network

We consider the problem of minimizing the number of broadcasts for collecting all sensor measurements at a sink node in a noisy broadcast sensor network. Focusing first on arbitrary network topologies, we provide: 1) fundamental limits on the required number of broadcasts of data gathering and 2) a general in-network computing strategy to achieve an upper bound within factor <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\log N$ </tex-math></inline-formula> of the fundamental limits, where <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$N$ </tex-math></inline-formula> is the number of agents in the network. Next, focusing on two example networks, namely, arbitrary geometric networks and random Erdös-Rényi networks, we provide improved in-network computing schemes that are optimal in that they attain the fundamental limits, i.e., the lower and upper bounds are tight in scaling sense. Our main techniques are three distributed encoding techniques, called graph codes, which are designed, respectively, for the above-mentioned three scenarios. Our work, thus, extends and unifies previous works such as those of Gallager and Karamchandani on the number of broadcasts for distributed function computation in special network topologies, while bringing in novel techniques, e.g., from error-control coding and noisy circuits, for both upper and lower bounds.
Neurochemistry of Alzheimer’s disease

Abstract Investigation of neurochemical correlates of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has led to the development of current treatment strategies. The cholinergic system has profound loss of the acetylcholine synthesis enzyme choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and neurons in the forebrain's nucleus basalis of Meynert (origin of major cortical cholinergic projections). Loss of ChAT activity is the most consistent finding in post-mortem AD brains and the degree of cognitive impairment has been found to correspond with the extent of deficit. Reductions in acetylcholine release, muscarinic (mAChR) and nicotinic (nAChR) acetylcholine receptors are other cholinergic features of AD; this accumulating evidence has led to the ‘cholinergic hypothesis’ of dementia. There are indications that loss of glutamate activity also correlates with cognitive impairment. Changes in monoamine activity are implicated in the behavioural symptoms of AD. The principal therapeutic agents in AD are cholinesterase inhibitors, which inhibit acetylcholine breakdown. Further treatment targets include mAChRs, nAChRs and glutamate receptors.
Beyond the Rhetoric: A framework for evaluating improvements to the student experience

A framework is described to assist institutions in evaluating the extent to which activities described as “quality improvements” or “quality enhancements” are likely to directly improve the student experience. The framework classifies ways of improving the student experience into “coaching improvements”, “umpiring improvements”, and “facilities improvements”, while also considering the location of improvements along a “risk avoidance—quality assurance—quality enhancement” continuum. The utility of this framework is explored through case studies of sector-wide initiatives in Scotland and Australia. If used to stimulate internal discussion, the framework can help institutions to better balance their efforts to improve the student experience.
CK2 activates kinesin via induction of a conformational change

Significance Kinesin regulation by autoinhibition has been extensively studied. However, it is known that cargo-bound kinesin motion can be altered by various signaling pathways. How are these kinesins regulated? Kinesin regulation by the signaling kinase casein kinase 2 (CK2) was previously reported to activate inactive kinesin at the level of the single motor head domain, but the mechanism was unknown. Here, using a multidisciplinary approach, we discover that kinesin inactivation involves a specific conformational change in the molecule’s neck linker, which controls microtubule affinity and is reversed by CK2. Kinesin is the canonical plus-end microtubule motor and has been the focus of intense study since its discovery in 1985. We previously demonstrated a time-dependent inactivation of kinesin in vitro that was fully reversible by the addition of purified casein kinase 2 (CK2) and showed that this inactivation/reactivation pathway was relevant in cells. Here we show that kinesin inactivation results from a conformational change that causes the neck linker to be positioned closer to the motor domain. Furthermore, we show that treatment of kinesin with CK2 prevents and reverses this repositioning. Finally, we demonstrate that CK2 treatment facilitates ADP dissociation from the motor, resulting in a nucleotide-free state that promotes microtubule binding. Thus, we propose that kinesin inactivation results from neck-linker repositioning and that CK2-mediated reactivation results from CK2’s dual ability to reverse this repositioning and to promote ADP release.
Biological roles of translesion synthesis DNA polymerases in eubacteria

Biological systems are strongly selected to maintain the integrity of their genomes by prevention and repair of external and internal DNA damages. However, some types of DNA lesions persist and might block the replication apparatus. The universal existence of specialized translesion synthesis DNA polymerases (TLS polymerases) that can bypass such lesions in DNA implies that replication blockage is a general biological problem. We suggest that the primary function for which translesion synthesis polymerases are selected is to rescue cells from replication arrest at lesions in DNA, a situation that, if not amended, is likely to cause an immediate and severe reduction in cell fitness and survival. We will argue that the mutagenesis observed during translesion synthesis is an unavoidable secondary consequence of this primary function and not, as has been suggested, an evolved mechanism to increase mutation rates in response to various stresses. Finally, we will discuss recent data on additional roles for translesion synthesis polymerases in the formation of spontaneous deletions and in transcription‐coupled TLS, where the coupling of transcription to TLS is proposed to allow the rescue of the transcription machinery arrested at DNA lesions.
Looking for happiness in all the wrong places: The moderating role of gratitude and affect in the materialism–life satisfaction relationship

We propose a model that explains the negative relationship between materialism and life satisfaction. We test negative affect as a mediator of the relationship between materialism and dissatisfaction with life, and gratitude and positive affect as moderators of this effect. Self-report data collected from 246 (129 female) undergraduate students generally supported our predictions. The negative relationship between materialism and life satisfaction was mediated in part by an increase in negative affect. Additionally, gratitude – and to a lesser extent, positive affect – functioned as moderators of the effect of materialism on life satisfaction. Individuals high in gratitude showed less of a relationship between materialism and negative affect. Additionally, individuals high in materialism showed decreased life satisfaction when either gratitude or positive affect was low. Thus, negative affect, positive affect, and gratitude seem to be important variables in the relationship between materialism and dissatisfaction with life.
Role of Novelty Seeking Personality Traits as Mediator of the Association between COMT and Onset Age of Drug Use in Chinese Heroin Dependent Patients

Background Personality traits such as novelty seeking (NS) are associated with substance dependence but the mechanism underlying this association remains uncertain. Previous studies have focused on the role of the dopamine pathway. Objective Examine the relationships between allelic variants of the catechol-O- methlytransferase (COMT) gene, NS personality traits, and age of onset of drug use in heroin-dependent subjects in China. Methods The 478 heroin dependent subjects from four drug rehabilitation centers in Shanghai who were genotyped for eight tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) on the COMT gene completed the NS subscale from the Temperament and Character Inventory. Multivaritate analyses were used to assess the potential mediating role of NS personality traits in the association between COMT gene variants and the age of onset of heroin use. Principal Findings and Conclusions In the univariate analysis the COMT rs737866 gene variants were independently associated with both NS and age of onset of drug use: those with the TT genotype had higher NS subscale scores and an earlier onset age of heroin use than individuals with CT or CC genotypes. In the multivariate analysis the inclusion of the NS subscore variable weakened the relationship between the COMT rs737866 TT genotype and an earlier age of onset of drug use. Our findings that COMT is associated with both NS personality traits and with the age of onset of heroin use helps to clarify the complex relationship between genetic and psychological factors in the development of substance abuse.
Sensitive analysis of poly-carboxylic acids in soil solution by capillary electrophoresis after excimer-forming fluorescence derivatization.

A sensitive method for the determination of citrate and malate in sub-microliter samples of soil solution is described. The organic acids were derivatized with a pyrene reagent (1-pyrenebutanoic acid hydrazide) and analysed by micellar electrokinetic chromatography separation. The citrate and malate derivatives were detected within 10 min by using a fluorescence detector with a broad excitation wavelength of 240-400 nm and an emission wavelength of 400 nm. The detection limits (noise x 3) were about 0.24 µM for citrate and 0.72 µM for malate. By using internal standardization, this method was applicable to the determination of citrate and malate in soil solution. Furthermore, application of siphon injection with a commercial micropipette enabled the injection of a sub-microliter sample into the analytical system with acceptable reproducibility. When combined with a microsampling method, the method presented here will be useful for the sensitive and selective analysis of citrate and malate in soil solution with high spatial resolution.
Biocompatibility and osteogenesis of the castor bean polymer doped with silica (SiO2) or barium titanate (BaTiO3) nanoparticles.

PURPOSE To evaluate the biocompatibility and osteogenesis of castor oil polymer doped with SiO2 or BaTiO3 nanoparticles. METHODS Twenty four male rats Wistar were submitted to bone defect filled with castor oil polymer. The animals were distributed in two experimental groups had been formed with 12 animals each: Group 1 - Castor oil polymer doped with 0.30 grams of SiO2 replacing 0.30 grams of CaCO3. Group 2 - Castor oil polymer doped with 0.30 grams of BaTiO3 replacing 0.30 grams of CaCO3. Euthanasia occurred 30 and 60 days after surgery and the femurs were sent to histological analysis and MEV. RESULTS The implants were biocompatible and allowed for progressive osteogenesis through osteoconduction in both observation periods. There was significant bone neoformation at 30 and 60 days in both groups within the histomorphometric evaluation, but group 1's osteogenesis was lesser in the 30 and 60-day periods observed when compared to the animals of group 2. The MEV morphometric evaluation evidenced a lesser percentage of osseous tissue filling within the BaTiO2-doped polymer. CONCLUSION The castor oil polymer doped with SiO2 or BaTiO3 remained biocompatible and allowed for progressive osteogenesis in both observation periods.
Assessment of communication skills in manager selection: some evidence from Australia

– The purpose of this paper is to ascertain to what extent organisations specifically use communication skills as a key criterion in their selection and subsequent development of managerial staff. , – The paper presents empirical findings from semi‐structured qualitative interviews conducted with senior HR managers in large to medium sized organisations in Southern Australia. , – This study suggests that HR practitioners regard communication skills as subsumed under a generic idea of leadership. There were no specific programs reported that explicitly targeted communication skills. , – The findings contribute to knowledge concerning the nature of communication skills for managerial staff such as, interpersonal, verbal, written and listening skills. Further, time needs to be allocated to the audit of training in the development of communication skills so that HR professionals are clear on the action that needs to be taken. , – The paper will be of value to researchers, HR practitioners and consultants in the management development field. The paper's main finding is that despite repeated claims that communication skills are important for successful managerial performance, HR managers only assess these informally during managerial selection and rarely target these skills in training staff for managerial positions. It is recommended that HR staff need to review these practices towards a more targeted communication skills appraisal that would measure the extent to which these skills are already apparent at selection and develop further following additional training.
Speech Acts of Argumentation: Inference Anchors and Peripheral Cues in Dialogue

It is well known that argumentation can usefully be analysed as a distinct, if complex, type of speech act. Speech acts that form a part of argumentative discourse, and in particular, of argumentative dialogue, can be seen as anchors for the establishment of inferences between propositions in the domain of discourse. Most often, the speech acts that directly give rise to inference are implicit, but can be drawn out in analysis by consideration of the type of dialogue game being played. AI approaches to argumentation often focus solely on such inferences as the means by which persuasion can be effected -- but this is in contrast with psychological and rhetorical models which have long recognised the role played by extra-logical features of the dialogical context. These 'peripheral' cues can not only affect persuasive effect of the logical, 'central' argumentation, but can override and dominate it. This paper presents a theory which allows both central and peripheral aspects of argumentation to be represented in a coherent analytical account based on the sequences of speech acts which constitute dialogues.
'Everything is relative': Comparison processes in social judgment: The 2002 Jaspars Lecture

Any judgment involves a comparison of the evaluated target to a pertinent norm or standard, so that comparison processes lie at the core of human judgment. Despite this prominent role, however, little is known about the psychological mechanisms that underlie comparisons and produce their variable consequences. To understand these consequences, one has to examine what target knowledge is sought and activated during the comparison process. Two alternative comparison mechanisms are distinguished. Similarity testing involves a selective search for evidence indicating that the target is similar to the standard and leads to assimilation. Dissimilarity testing involves a selective search for evidence indicating that the target is dissimilar from the standard and leads to contrast. Distinguishing between these alternative mechanisms provides an integrative perspective on comparison consequences in the realm of social comparison and beyond. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Risk Factors for Childhood Mental Health Symptoms: National Longitudinal Study of Australian Children

OBJECTIVE: To determine predictors of child externalizing (behavioral) and internalizing (emotional) symptoms in a national population sample. METHODS: Data were collected in 3 biennial waves (2004, 2006, and 2008) from 2 cohorts in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, initially including 5107 children 0 to 1 year of age and 4983 children 4 to 5 years of age. The primary outcomes were child externalizing and internalizing symptoms. Relationships between potential risk factors and child mental health outcomes were described by using linear regression. RESULTS: In unadjusted analyses, children's mental health symptoms were predicted by a large number of risk factors. In multivariate models, early childhood factors (birth through 5 years) explained 30% and 18% of variations in externalizing and internalizing symptoms, respectively, at 4 to 5 years of age. Middle childhood (5–9 years of age) factors explained 20% and 23% of variations in externalizing and internalizing symptoms, respectively, at 8 to 9 years of age. Harsh discipline was a strong consistent predictor of externalizing symptoms in both age groups, whereas poorer child physical health, maternal emotional distress, harsh discipline, and overinvolved/protective parenting (younger cohort only) predicted internalizing symptoms consistently. CONCLUSIONS: National data on predictors of child mental health symptoms highlighted a small number of significant risk factors, situated in the family context and present from a very young age. This knowledge is informing population-level, randomized, prevention trials of family support programs.
Effect of physical activity on the life quality of coronary artery bypass graft patients

Abstract Introduction. The quality of life depends on physical, psychological and social factors that are evidently influenced by the individual’s actions, prospect, attitude and behavior. Heart disease is one of the most imperative health problems in the world. Studies showed that exercise-based rehabilitation for patients with coronary artery disease effectively lowers the rate of cardiac death. The intent of this study was to determine the effects of physical activity on the life quality of cardiovascular patients after coronary artery bypass graft. Materials and Methods. This randomized clinical trial was performed on two groups of coronary artery patients of Yazd Afshar hospital. All the 70 participants were post surgery coronary artery patients who were divided into two groups. Data was collected by two questionnaires: A personal information questionnaire and a quality of life questionnaire (SF=36). Data of both groups was collected in the first and fourth month after the discharge from surgery and sessions were analyzed by SPSS 16 and by using T-test and Chi-square. Results. Results displayed that after the intervention, all the categories of the components of the quality of life were increased except for general health. There was no significant differentiation between these statuses in the control group and the premier grades about the components of the social function (88.98 out of 100). The comparison of total scores of the quality of life before the intervention showed the quality of life of both groups one month after surgery was not significant (p=75%), but in four months after surgery, the distinction between the mean grade scores of the intervention, the group was considerable (p=0.0001). Conclusion. The comparison of the total scores of the quality of life indicated an increase in the scores of the quality of life in the intervention group after the exercise.
Experimental Demonstration of the High-Performance Floating-Body/Gate DRAM Cell for Embedded Memories

A capacitorless DRAM cell, floating-body/gate cell (FBGC), is experimentally presented with planar partially depleted SOI CMOS technology. The specially designed gate/drain underlap and gate/source overlap of the first transistor enable long worst case retention time as well as the fast write speed. The operation power dissipation is dramatically reduced while maintaining high sense margin. In addition, FBGC demonstrates excellent endurance performance and nondestructive read operation.
Human Neuroscience

" potential image " (Gamboni, 2002), namely a complex multiplicity of possible images, none of which ever fi nally resolves. Meanwhile, traditional abstract compositions, which do not suggest natural objects, use purely visual forms of line, color and shape to evoke emotional and aesthetic responses, and tend not to produce a rep-resentational dilemma in the viewer. Recently we have shown that compared with representational paintings that explicitly depict objects, subjects are slower to recognize familiar objects in indeterminate and abstract art works. Moreover, representational paintings are more likely to be remembered than indeterminate compositions in a delayed memory task, suggesting that meaningful content is critical for incidental memory (Ishai et al., 2007). Using fMRI, we have shown that representa-tional paintings, which depict scenes cluttered with familiar objects, evoke stronger activation than indeterminate and abstract paintings in higher-tier visual areas and in the temporoparietal junction, whereas scrambled paintings evoke imagery-related activation in the precuneus and prefrontal cortex. Our fi ndings suggest that recognition of familiar content in art works is mediated by object recognition, memory recall and mental imagery, cognitive processes that evoke wide spread activation (Fairhall and Ishai, 2008). It has been previously suggested that relevant contextual knowledge is a prerequisite for comprehending prose passages (e.g., Bransford and Johnson, 1972). It is currently unknown, however, to what extent prior knowledge about indeterminate works of art affect their perception. In cubist artworks, objects are broken up, analyzed, and reassembled to produce abstracted forms, which often depict the same objects from different viewing points. To the naïve observer, these paintings appear to contain geometrical forms in which familiar objects are hardly recognizable, even in the presence of a meaningful title. Cubist paintings are therefore unique " stimuli " with which one can study the effect of top-down
Design of a mobile robot system for automatic integrity evaluation of large size reservoirs and pipelines in industrial fields

A mobile robot system using NDT (Non-Destructive Testing) method is designed for automatic integrity evaluation of large size reservoirs and pipelines in industrial fields. The designed mobile robot can crawl on the outer surface of the reservoirs and the pipelines with different shapes and can detect defects such as pinholes, cracks and thickness reduction using EMAT (Electro-Magnetic Acoustic Transducer). Automation of defect detection by mobile robot systems for these kinds of large-scale structures helps to prevent significant troubles of the structures without danger of human beings under harmful environment.