Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gender Similarities and Differences in Sexual Arousal, Desire, and Orgasmic Pleasure in the Laboratory

Relatively little is known about gender differences in the orgasm experience. The objectives of this study were to compare men's and women's patterns of sexual arousal and desire before and after orgasm, and the predictors of their orgasmic pleasure. Using their typical technique, where masturbation enjoyment was similar to that experienced at home, 38 men and 38 women masturbated to orgasm in the laboratory. Physiological sexual arousal (genital temperature) and subjective sexual arousal and desire measurements were taken at baseline, after masturbation almost to orgasm, and immediately and 15 minutes after orgasm. In both genders, all measures increased significantly during masturbation, with a greater buildup leading to a more pleasurable orgasm. After orgasm, however, sexual arousal and desire decreased more quickly and consistently in men than in women, thereby replicating Masters and Johnson's (1966) observations. More men than women exhibited resolution of subjective sexual arousal and sexual satiation; their genital temperature also decreased more than women's but did not return to baseline. Women's orgasmic pleasure was related to a postorgasmic decrease in genital temperature but, unexpectedly, the maintenance of subjective sexual arousal and desire. Future studies should explore whether this pattern explains gender differences in the pursuit of additional orgasms.
Perceived Cost of Auxotrophic Amino Acids in Two Bacterial Species

Amino acid biosynthetic pathways are highly conserved throughout all domains of life. Biosynthesis of amino acid requires the diversion of resources from energy production to amino acid production. The consequent energy-cost of producing an individual amino acid is can be estimated by addingthe amount of ATP expended in production itself to the amount of potential energy lost. Some organisms lack the metabolic pathways required for the synthesis of some or all of their amino acids and must obtain them from their environment or their host organism. The energetic costs associated with this means of obtaining amino acids are largely a matter of speculation at the present time. This study examines the perceived cost of auxotrophic amino acids (amino acids an organism is unable to synthesize) in two bacteria (Bacillus cereus ATCC 10987 andVibrio fischeri ES114). Auxotrophic amino acids in bothorganisms were found to be used preferentially in highlyexpressed genes and are therefore likely to be energetically inexpensive relative to those the organisms are capable of synthesizing themselves. A regression approach was used tocomputationally estimate the perceived costs to the organism.
Warming Up, Cooling Out, or Holding Steady? Persistence and Change in Educational Expectations After High School

This article examines the expectation to complete a bachelor's degree among a predominantly low-income, mainly African American, panel of Baltimore youths at the end of high school, at age 22, and at age 28. Across this time, stability is the modal pattern, but when expectations change, declines are more frequent than increases. Although disadvantaged youths and those with limited academic resources from high school are the most prone to give up the expectation to complete college, both factors recede in importance during the transition to adulthood when postsecondary enrollment becomes more salient. Clark's “cooling-out” thesis and Rosenbaum,s “college-for-all” thesis predict a downward leveling of ambition, especially among youths with high expectations and limited resources and those who attend two-year colleges. The results indicate, however, that the expectations of low-resource youths are not distinctively cooled out by the college experience, and, net of other considerations, two-year college attendance is associated more with warming up than with cooling out. Hence, the dynamics proposed by Clark and Rosenbaum do not adequately account for changes in college expectations over the years after high school. A broader framework, situated in life-course ideas, is recommended.
The case for being lazy: how to leverage lazy evaluation in MapReduce

In this paper, we study the benefits and overheads of lazy MapReduce processing, where the input data is partitioned and only the smallest subset of these partitions are processed to meet a user's need at any time. We also develop guidelines for successfully applying the lazy MapReduce computation technique to reduce processing times of analysis tasks.
Selected regulation of gastrointestinal acid–base secretion and tissue metabolism for the diamondback water snake and Burmese python

SUMMARY Snakes exhibit an apparent dichotomy in the regulation of gastrointestinal (GI) performance with feeding and fasting; frequently feeding species modestly regulate intestinal function whereas infrequently feeding species rapidly upregulate and downregulate intestinal function with the start and completion of each meal, respectively. The downregulatory response with fasting for infrequently feeding snakes is hypothesized to be a selective attribute that reduces energy expenditure between meals. To ascertain the links between feeding habit, whole-animal metabolism, and GI function and metabolism, we measured preprandial and postprandial metabolic rates and gastric and intestinal acid–base secretion, epithelial conductance and oxygen consumption for the frequently feeding diamondback water snake (Nerodia rhombifer) and the infrequently feeding Burmese python (Python molurus). Independent of body mass, Burmese pythons possess a significantly lower standard metabolic rate and respond to feeding with a much larger metabolic response compared with water snakes. While fasting, pythons cease gastric acid and intestinal base secretion, both of which are stimulated with feeding. In contrast, fasted water snakes secreted gastric acid and intestinal base at rates similar to those of digesting snakes. We observed no difference between fasted and fed individuals for either species in gastric or intestinal transepithelial potential and conductance, with the exception of a significantly greater gastric transepithelial potential for fed pythons at the start of titration. Water snakes experienced no significant change in gastric or intestinal metabolism with feeding. Fed pythons, in contrast, experienced a near-doubling of gastric metabolism and a tripling of intestinal metabolic rate. For fasted individuals, the metabolic rate of the stomach and small intestine was significantly lower for pythons than for water snakes. The fasting downregulation of digestive function for pythons is manifested in a depressed gastric and intestinal metabolism, which selectively serves to reduce basal metabolism and hence promote survival between infrequent meals. By maintaining elevated GI performance between meals, fasted water snakes incur the additional cost of tissue activity, which is expressed in a higher standard metabolic rate.
On reliability hardening in cyber-physical digital-microfluidic biochips

In the area of biomedical engineering, digital-microfluidic biochips (DMFBs) have received considerable attention, because of their capability of providing an efficient and reliable platform for conducting point-of-care clinical diagnostics. System reliability, in turn, mandates error-recoverability while implementing biochemical assays on-chip for medical applications. Unfortunately, the technology of DMFBs is not yet fully equipped to handle error-recovery from various microfluidic operations involving droplet motion and reaction. Recently, a number of cyber-physical systems have been proposed to provide real-time checking and error-recovery in assays based on the feedback received from a few on-chip checkpoints. However, in order to synthesize robust feedback systems for different types of DMFBs, certain practical issues need to be considered such as co-optimization of checkpoint placement and layout of droplet-routing pathways. For application-specific DMFBs, we propose here an algorithm that minimizes the number of checkpoints and determines their locations to cover every path in a given droplet-routing solution. Next, for general-purpose DMFBs, where the checkpoints are pre-deployed in specific locations, we present a checkpoint-aware routing algorithm such that every droplet-routing path passes through at least one checkpoint to enable error-recovery and to ensure physical routability of all droplets. Our experiments on assay benchmarks show encouraging results in terms of latest-arrival-time and routability of droplets. The proposed methods thus provide convenient reliability-hardening mechanisms for a wide class of cyber-physical DMFBs.
Adaptive Covariance Estimation Method for LiDAR-Aided Multi-Sensor Integrated Navigation Systems

The accurate estimation of measurements covariance is a fundamental problem in sensors fusion algorithms and is crucial for the proper operation of filtering algorithms. This paper provides an innovative solution for this problem and realizes the proposed solution on a 2D indoor navigation system for unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) that fuses measurements from a MEMS-grade gyroscope, speed measurements and a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor. A computationally efficient weighted line extraction method is introduced, where the LiDAR intensity measurements are used, such that the random range errors and systematic errors due to surface reflectivity in LiDAR measurements are considered. The vehicle pose change is obtained from LiDAR line feature matching, and the corresponding pose change covariance is also estimated by a weighted least squares-based technique. The estimated LiDAR-based pose changes are applied as periodic updates to the Inertial Navigation System (INS) in an innovative extended Kalman filter (EKF) design. Besides, the influences of the environment geometry layout and line estimation error are discussed. Real experiments in indoor environment are performed to evaluate the proposed algorithm. The results showed the great consistency between the LiDAR-estimated pose change covariance and the true accuracy. Therefore, this leads to a significant improvement in the vehicle's integrated navigation accuracy.
Gender‐related Causes of Stress in Trainee Teachers on Teaching Practice in the School of Education, University of Manchester, UK

Abstract In this paper the gender‐related causes of stress in trainee teachers on teaching practice in the School of Education, University of Manchester are examined. A questionnaire was administered to trainee teachers on a Post Graduate Certificate in Education course (teacher training course for both primary and secondary trainee teachers) during their period of initial teaching practice in the academic year 1998/9 in order to identify their stressors. The means and standard deviations of each item were then calculated separately for males and females. In only 12 of the 61 items did the males have a higher mean (indicating higher anxiety) than the females. There is clear evidence to indicate that the females were more stressed than the males. However, of the 12 items the males found more stressful than the females the two which were significant centred around issues of support of friends, family and partner. The best way to deal with stress is to try to prevent it occurring, and this research would seem to indicate the need for PGCE tutors to include some stress identification and management courses in teacher training.
A new algorithm for extracting specific signals with temporal structure

In this paper we develop a batch learning algorithm for semi-blind extraction of a desired source signal with temporal structure from linear mixtures. By studying the discrete time algorithm, an invariant set is obtained so that the non-divergence of the algorithm can be guaranteed. In the invariant set, the local convergence of the algorithm is analyzed. It is proven that the trajectories of the algorithm starting from the invariant set will converge to the desired source signal which is the most autocorrelated for an specific delay. The simulations verified the results.
Service Automata for Secure Distributed Systems ∗ Poster Proposal

Secure Distributed Systems. Together with the rising popularity and ubiquity of flexible distributed systems paradigms, such as service-oriented architectures and clouds, also the demand for equally flexible security solutions increases. However, one cannot easily transfer established security solutions for stand-alone systems to distributed systems, just as the security of distributed systems cannot be reduced to the security of each its components or the security of a single large monolithic system. Consider the example of a company providing software repository storage to other companies in the form of services. Even if we assume that every single service consists of a perfectly secured repository server, we may not conclude that these services fulfill the security requirements of the customers: the latter would probably desire that no user of the services may ever obtain or even manipulate the repository content of two competing companies, even if the user might have the permission to access each of the two repositories alone. Here, local access control does not suffice but needs to be supplemented by some kind of state exchange between services.
Identification of Proteins Likely To Be Involved in Morphogenesis, Cell Division, and Signal Transduction in Planctomycetes by Comparative Genomics

ABSTRACT Members of the Planctomycetes clade share many unusual features for bacteria. Their cytoplasm contains membrane-bound compartments, they lack peptidoglycan and FtsZ, they divide by polar budding, and they are capable of endocytosis. Planctomycete genomes have remained enigmatic, generally being quite large (up to 9 Mb), and on average, 55% of their predicted proteins are of unknown function. Importantly, proteins related to the unusual traits of Planctomycetes remain largely unknown. Thus, we embarked on bioinformatic analyses of these genomes in an effort to predict proteins that are likely to be involved in compartmentalization, cell division, and signal transduction. We used three complementary strategies. First, we defined the Planctomycetes core genome and subtracted genes of well-studied model organisms. Second, we analyzed the gene content and synteny of morphogenesis and cell division genes and combined both methods using a “guilt-by-association” approach. Third, we identified signal transduction systems as well as sigma factors. These analyses provide a manageable list of candidate genes for future genetic studies and provide evidence for complex signaling in the Planctomycetes akin to that observed for bacteria with complex life-styles, such as Myxococcus xanthus.
The cortical activation pattern by a rehabilitation robotic hand: a functional NIRS study

Introduction: Clarification of the relationship between external stimuli and brain response has been an important topic in neuroscience and brain rehabilitation. In the current study, using functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), we attempted to investigate cortical activation patterns generated during execution of a rehabilitation robotic hand. Methods: Ten normal subjects were recruited for this study. Passive movements of the right fingers were performed using a rehabilitation robotic hand at a frequency of 0.5 Hz. We measured values of oxy-hemoglobin (HbO), deoxy-hemoglobin (HbR) and total-hemoglobin (HbT) in five regions of interest: the primary sensory-motor cortex (SM1), hand somatotopy of the contralateral SM1, supplementary motor area (SMA), premotor cortex (PMC), and prefrontal cortex (PFC). Results: HbO and HbT values indicated significant activation in the left SM1, left SMA, left PMC, and left PFC during execution of the rehabilitation robotic hand (uncorrected, p < 0.01). By contrast, HbR value indicated significant activation only in the hand somatotopic area of the left SM1 (uncorrected, p < 0.01). Conclusions: Our results appear to indicate that execution of the rehabilitation robotic hand could induce cortical activation.
Replication and Transmission of H9N2 Influenza Viruses in Ferrets: Evaluation of Pandemic Potential

H9N2 avian influenza A viruses are endemic in poultry of many Eurasian countries and have caused repeated human infections in Asia since 1998. To evaluate the potential threat of H9N2 viruses to humans, we investigated the replication and transmission efficiency of H9N2 viruses in the ferret model. Five wild-type (WT) H9N2 viruses, isolated from different avian species from 1988 through 2003, were tested in vivo and found to replicate in ferrets. However these viruses achieved mild peak viral titers in nasal washes when compared to those observed with a human H3N2 virus. Two of these H9N2 viruses transmitted to direct contact ferrets, however no aerosol transmission was detected in the virus displaying the most efficient direct contact transmission. A leucine (Leu) residue at amino acid position 226 in the hemagglutinin (HA) receptor-binding site (RBS), responsible for human virus-like receptor specificity, was found to be important for the transmission of the H9N2 viruses in ferrets. In addition, an H9N2 avian-human reassortant virus, which contains the surface glycoprotein genes from an H9N2 virus and the six internal genes of a human H3N2 virus, showed enhanced replication and efficient transmission to direct contacts. Although no aerosol transmission was observed, the virus replicated in multiple respiratory tissues and induced clinical signs similar to those observed with the parental human H3N2 virus. Our results suggest that the establishment and prevalence of H9N2 viruses in poultry pose a significant threat for humans.
Right to Information Query Modelling via Graded Response Model

Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005 empowers citizens of India to access information from any governmental organization. Using this Act citizens can ask questions (through RTI applications/queries) to government offices and obtain answers. In this work we attempt to model RTI queries. Objective of modeling is to understand the latent patterns such as transparency and effectiveness of RTI Act implementation in the RTI query-reply process which are suggestive of possible amendments in the Indian Constitution. We employ Graded Response Model (GRM, a variant of Item Response Theory) for obtaining the latent patterns. A synthetic dataset corresponding to central and state educational institutions is constructed which has close characteristics to the collected RTI query dataset. From the GRM we infer that certain institutes are highly transparent in replying to citizen’s questions across various categories. We also infer that RTI act’s implementation is not uniform across diverse categories within a transparent institution.
On the design of Virtual machine Intrusion detection system

In this paper we propose comprehensive security architecture called VICTOR to deal with different types of attacks on virtual machines. Our model takes into account the specific characteristics of operating system and applications running in each virtual machine (VM) at a fine granular level to deal with the attacks. Our architecture has several components such as entity validation, intrusion detection engine and dynamic analyzer. The entity validation component is used in the detection of attack traffic with spoofed source address, secure logging, and capturing information of the operating system and applications running in the virtual machines. The intrusion detection engine component is used for detection of known attacks and suspicious behaviour by monitoring the incoming and outgoing traffic of virtual machines. The dynamic analyzer is used for detection and validation of suspicious processes, detection of zero day attacks and fine granular isolation of malicious process or application that is generating the attack traffic.
Difference in Antibody Responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis Antigens in Japanese Tuberculosis Patients Infected with the Beijing/Non-Beijing Genotype

The Beijing genotype Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), notorious for its virulence and predisposition to relapse, could be identified by spoligotyping based on genetic heterogeneity. The plasma samples from 20 cases of Beijing and 16 cases of non-Beijing MTB infected individuals and 24 healthy controls (HCs) were collected, and antibodies against 11 antigens (Rv0679c142Asn, Rv0679c142Lys, Ag85B, Ag85A, ARC, TDM-M, TDM-K, HBHA, MDP-1, LAM, and TBGL) were measured by ELISA. Compared to the HCs, the MTB infected subjects showed higher titers of anti-Ag85B IgG (positivity 58.2%) and anti-ACR IgG (positivity 48.2%). Of note, anti-ACR IgG showed higher titer in Beijing MTB infected tuberculosis (TB) patients than in HC (Kruskal–Wallis test, p < 0.05), while the levels of anti-Ag85B, anti-TBGL, anti-TDM-K, and anti-TDM-M IgG were higher in non-Beijing TB patients than in HC. Moreover, anti-Ag85B IgG showed higher response in non-Beijing TB patients than in Beijing TB patients (p < 0.05; sensitivity, 76.9% versus 44.4%). The sensitivity and specificity analysis showed that 78.8% Beijing infected individuals were negative in anti-TBGL-IgG or/and anti-Ag85B-IgG, while 75.0% of those were positive in anti-TBGL-IgA or/and anti-ACR-IgG tests. These results indicate the possibility of developing antibody-based test to identify Beijing MTB.
External-Beam Radiation Therapy for Improved Dialysis Access Patency: Feasibility and Early Safety

Abstract Rectenwald, J. E. , Pretus, H. A. , Seeger, J. M. , Huber, T. S. , Mendenhall, N. P., Zlotecki, R. A. , Palta, J. R. , Li, Z. F. , Hook, S. Y. , Sarac, T. P., Welborn, M. B. , Klingman, N. V. , Abouhamze, Z. S. and Ozaki, C. K. External-Beam Radiation Therapy for Improved Dialysis Access Patency: Feasibility and Early Safety. Radiat. Res. 156, 53–60 (2001). Prosthetic dialysis access grafts fail secondary to neointimal hyperplasia at the venous anastomosis. We hypothesized that postoperative single-fraction external-beam radiation therapy to the venous anastomosis of hemodialysis grafts can be used safely in an effort to improve access patency. Dogs (n = 8) underwent placement of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene grafts from the right carotid artery to the left jugular vein. Five dogs received single-fraction external-beam photon irradiation (8 Gy) to the venous anastomosis after surgery. Controls were not irradiated. Shunt angiograms were completed 3 and 6 months postoperatively. Anastomoses, mid-graft, and the surrounding tissues were analyzed. Immunohistochemistry for smooth muscle cell α-actin, proliferating cellular nuclear antigen (PCNA), and apoptosis was performed. Incisions healed well, though all animals developed wound seromas. One control suffered graft thrombosis 4 months postoperatively. Angiography/histology confirmed severe neointimal hyperplasia at the venous anastomosis. The remaining seven dogs developed similar amounts of neointimal hyperplasia. PCNA studies showed no accelerated fibroproliferative response at irradiated anastomoses compared to controls. Skin incisions and soft tissues over irradiated anastomoses revealed no radiation-induced changes or increase in apoptosis. Thus we conclude that postoperative single-fraction external-beam irradiation of the venous anastomosis of a prosthetic arteriovenous graft that mimics the situation in humans is feasible and safe with regard to early wound healing.