Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Source Imaging of P300 Visual Evoked Potentials and Cognitive Functions in Healthy Subjects

The P300 event-related potential (EPR) is regarded as a neurophysiological indicator of cognitive processing of a stimulus. However, it is not known whether the P300 is a unitary component recorded on the scalp as a result of the activity of a specific intracerebral structure, or if it represents the sum of underlying components that may reflect the activation of broadly distributed intracerebral structures. The objective of the present experiment was to investigate possible correlations among the source(s) involved in the generation of the P300 and their possible neurocognitive function. The visual-evoked potential (VEP) was elicited by the oddball paradigm and analyzed after employment of sLORETA (standardized low-resolution electromagnetic tomography). The window of the P300 wave encompasses the period during which the response to the target and nontarget condition differs significantly (≈375 ms to ≈465 ms, with a peak at ≈422.5 ms). The results showed sequential and what appeared to be logical activation patterns of specific structures (specific for the processing of the stimulus used here) after presentation of the target stimulus. The peak of the P300 wave represented activation of the parahippocampal gyrus, which is responsible for upgrading memory in response to a target stimulus.
Diversity of Bacillus anthracis Strains in Georgia and of Vaccine Strains from the Former Soviet Union

ABSTRACT Despite the increased number of anthrax outbreaks in Georgia and the other Caucasian republics of the former Soviet Union, no data are available on the diversity of the Bacillus anthracis strains involved. There is also little data available on strains from the former Soviet Union, including the strains previously used for vaccine preparation. In this study we used eight-locus variable-number tandem repeat analyses to genotype 18 strains isolated from infected animals and humans at different sites across Georgia, where anthrax outbreaks have occurred in the last 10 years, and 5 strains widely used for preparation of human and veterinary vaccines in the former Soviet Union. Three different genotypes affiliated with the A3.a cluster were detected for the Georgian isolates. Two genotypes were previously shown to include Turkish isolates, indicating that there is a regional strain pattern in the South Caucasian-Turkish region. Four of the vaccine strains were polymorphic, exhibiting three different patterns of the cluster A1.a genotype and the cluster A3.b genotype. The genotype of vaccine strain 71/12, which is considered an attenuated strain in spite of the presence of both of the virulence pXO plasmids, appeared to be a novel genotype in the A1.a cluster.
Activation of paraventricular nucleus neurones by the dorsomedial hypothalamus via a tachykinin pathway in rats

The dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH) innervates the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) with substance P (SP) immunoreactive neurones. The PVN itself powerfully influences both the neuroendocrine and the cardiovascular systems. In this in vitro study, we examine the DMH‐to‐PVN pathway electrophysiologically. Glutamate application to the DMH increased action current frequency in the PVN. This effect was prevented by the glutamate antagonist kynurenic acid or by synaptic block with a high‐Mg2+ low‐Ca2+ buffer solution. Crucially, the selective tachykinin NK1 receptor antagonist L‐703606 also inhibited DMH‐to‐PVN neurotransmission. Thus we show, for the first time, an excitatory connection between the DMH and PVN that uses tachykinin NK1 receptors. This pathway may be important for the hypothalamic control of neuroendocrine and/or cardiovascular function.
The Untenable Case for Perpetual Dual-Class Stock

The desirability of a dual-class structure, which enables founders of public companies to retain a lock on control while holding a minority of the company’s equity capital, has long been the subject of a heated debate. This debate has focused on whether dual-class stock is an efficient capital structure that should be permitted at the time of initial public offering (“IPO”). By contrast, we focus on how the passage of time since the IPO can be expected to affect the efficiency of such a structure. Our analysis demonstrates that the potential advantages of dual-class structures (such as those resulting from founders’ superior leadership skills) tend to recede, and the potential costs tend to rise, as time passes from the IPO. Furthermore, we show that controllers have perverse incentives to retain dual-class structures even when those structures become inefficient over time. Accordingly, even those who believe that dual-class structures are in many cases efficient at the time of the IPO should recognize the substantial risk that their efficiency may decline and disappear over time. Going forward, the debate should focus on the permissibility of finite-term dual-class structures — that is, structures that sunset after a fixed period of time (such as ten or fifteen years) unless their extension is approved by shareholders unaffiliated with the controller. We provide a framework for designing dual-class sunsets and address potential objections to their use. We also discuss the significant implications of our analysis for public officials, institutional investors, and researchers.
Blocking Hedgehog release from pancreatic cancer cells increases paracrine signaling potency

ABSTRACT Members of the Hedgehog (Hh) family of morphogens play crucial roles in development but are also involved in the progression of certain types of cancer. Despite being synthesized as hydrophobic dually lipid-modified molecules, and thus being strongly membrane-associated, Hh ligands are able to spread through tissues and act on target cells several cell diameters away. Various mechanisms that mediate Hh release have been discussed in recent years; however, little is known about dispersion of this ligand from cancer cells. Using co-culture models in conjunction with a newly developed reporter system, we were able to show that different members of the ADAM family of metalloproteinases strongly contribute to the release of endogenous bioactive Hh from pancreatic cancer cells, but that this solubilization decreases the potency of cancer cells to signal to adjacent stromal cells in direct co-culture models. These findings imply that under certain conditions, cancer-cell-tethered Hh molecules are the more potent signaling activators and that retaining Hh on the surface of cancer cells can unexpectedly increase the effective signaling range of this ligand, depending on tissue context.
Changes in the edentulous maxilla in persons wearing implant-retained mandibular overdentures.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM It has been suggested that risk for severe resorption in the anterior maxilla is increased in persons wearing mandibular implant-retained overdentures. However, little information is available about the changes in the edentulous maxilla after mandibular implant treatment. PURPOSE This study determined the possible changes in the width of the maxillary residual ridge 6 years after receiving mandibular implant-supported or implant-mucosa-supported overdentures and evaluated the association between the anatomic changes and subjective complaints with maxillary complete dentures. METHODS AND MATERIAL The subjects for this study (n = 55), enrolled among the participants of a prospective clinical trial, were randomly assigned into 3 groups treated with: (a) implant-supported overdentures on a transmandibular implant system (n = 21); (b) implant-mucosa-supported overdentures on 2 IMZ implants (n = 20); or (c) conventional complete dentures (n = 14). A lingual contact occlusion concept with anterior open bite was used for tooth arrangement in all subjects. Diagnostic casts were made at baseline, and again at the 6-year follow-up. Most prominent points perpendicular to the crest of residual ridge were located in the incisor, canine, and premolar regions, after which the width of the ridge was recorded at these points with a Boley gage. Subjects' opinions on their dentures were evaluated with a questionnaire. RESULTS Significant reduction in the width of the ridge was found in all measurement areas (mean difference = 0.4 to 0.6 mm; P <.0001). However, changes were small and not associated with the type of prosthetic restoration in the mandible. In subjects with implant-mucosa-supported overdentures, complaint of loose maxillary denture correlated with the decrement of residual ridge width. CONCLUSION The width of residual ridge decreases with time, despite the type of mandibular prosthetic restoration.
Web-Enhanced and Face-to-Face Classroom Instructional Methods: Effects on Course Outcomes and Student Satisfaction

Web-enhanced courses are increasingly popular for providing rich learning experiences and greater flexibility in achieving course outcomes. As technology emerges as an adjunct to face-to-face teaching methodologies, nursing educators are compelled to determine to what extent students are able to meet course objectives when technology is used to enhance the classroom experience. Graduate nursing students enrolled in face-to-face and web-enhanced sections of a course were evaluated on technical ability, learning style, learning outcomes, and course satisfaction.There was no difference on technical ability and learning outcomes. Overall, students in the web-enhanced section were more satisfied with the course, and reported advantages such as greater flexibility in scheduling, less travel, and greater independence and self-pacing of content. The data suggest that web-enhanced courses can provide a valid alternative to more traditional face-to-face classroom formats, and may remove some of the barriers to pursuing advanced nursing degrees.
Investigation of human motion under conditions with sensory feedbacks restricted in yo-yo control

Getting accustomed to and enjoying sports or such physical activity is desirable for people to achieve high quality of life. Whereas learning various motions in such sports requires long time because of the complexity of the motions themselves or ambiguity of verbal instructions. Therefore it is worth struggling to sophisticate such instructions from the perspective of human motion analysis and control engineering. This paper describes an investigation of human motion in yo-yo control. For separating effects of visual and force sensory feedbacks, human motion in yo-yo control is observed under conditions 1) with no sensory feedback restricted, 2) with only visual sensory feedback restricted, and 3) with only force feedback restricted.
Cluster evolution and the change of knowledge bases: the development of a design cluster

ABSTRACT Most studies portray cluster knowledge bases as a given resource, tied to specific industries and locations. However, this paper challenges that view and uncovers their dynamic nature by identifying endogenous and exogenous triggering events that influence and change the cluster knowledge base mix over time. This is done by building on the theoretical concepts of pre-existing conditions, triggering events and knowledge bases and by drawing on a case study of the design cluster located in the Triangle Area of Denmark. The paper concludes that the design cluster has changed its mix of knowledge bases several times during its evolution. Starting out as a firm-driven cluster with a dominant synthetic knowledge base, it then evolved into an artistic and creative cluster with a prevailing symbolic knowledge base. In the last few years, the cluster has increasingly adopted an analytical knowledge base at the expense of other knowledge bases. These developments have caused numerous changes in both knowledge building and the sources of knowledge in and around the cluster. These findings have implications for the framing of cluster knowledge bases, considering how they emerge, change and combine, as well as how that affects clusters’ composition of actors, activities and resources.
Accurate defect cluster detection and localisation on fabricated semiconductor wafters using joint count statistics

It is widely observed in the industry that defective dies tend to occur in groups of systematic pattern. These are so-called defect clusters. There are many proposed methods to achieve cluster classification and recognition with different degree of accuracy and limitations. Many of these methods, although powerful, generally do not actually detect the presence/absence of a cluster but simply segments them and then attempts to calculate the validity of the segment. Thus, they fail to be flexible and accurate because they implicitly assume that the problem is singular: identify the defect clusters, when in actuality, the problem of defect cluster identification can be divided into three distinct stages: detection, segmentation and recognition. This paper proposes the use of joint-count statistics to perform the sole task of defect cluster detection. It is recommended that segmentation and recognition be performed after the detetion algoritm completed to a satisfactory level.
Extraction of Material Parameters for Metamaterials Using a Full-Wave Simulator [Education Column]

In this paper, a step-by-step procedure is devised for extracting the material parameters to facilitate and simplify the design procedure of metamaterial structures using commercial software packages. A parameter-retrieval method using the S parameters is used to calculate the curves for the complex permittivity and permeability of the metamaterial based on its unit element. The S parameters are extracted using HFSSTM, which is a Finite-Element-Method (FEM)-based full-wave simulator. The permittivity and permeability curves are calculated using a MATLAB script. Two different methods are used in HFSS to extract the S parameters: one using perfect electric and perfect magnetic (PE-PM) boundary conditions, and the second using the master-slave boundary conditions. Wave ports and Floquet ports are used to excite the structure. The results of the proposed procedure are validated by comparing the calculated curves with already published results.
Assessment and Optimization of Mortality Prediction Tools for Admissions to Pediatric Intensive Care in the United Kingdom

OBJECTIVE. To assess the Pediatric Risk of Mortality (PRISM, PRISM III-12, and PRISM III-24) systems and the Pediatric Index of Mortality (PIM and PIM2) systems for use in comparing the risk-adjusted mortality of children after admission for pediatric intensive care in the United Kingdom. METHODS. All PICUs in the United Kingdom were invited to participate. Predicted probability of PICU mortality was calculated using the published algorithms for PIM, PIM2, and PRISM and compared with observed mortality. These scores, along with PRISM III-12 and PRISM III-24, whose algorithms are not published, were optimized for the United Kingdom. RESULTS. Of 26 PICUs in the United Kingdom, 22 (85%) were recruited, and sufficient prospective data were collected from 18 (69%) units on 10197 (98%) of 10385 admissions between March 2001 and February 2002. All published tools were found to have poor calibration but provided good discriminatory power. After estimation of UK-specific coefficients, only PIM2, PRISM III-12, and PRISM III-24 had satisfactory calibration. All models provided good discriminatory power. Funnel plots for all of the recalibrated models indicated that the risk-adjusted mortality for all units was consistent with random variation. CONCLUSIONS. PIM2, PRISM III-12, and PRISM III-24 all were found to be suitable for use in a UK PICU setting. All tools provided similar conclusions in assessing the distribution of risk-adjusted mortality in UK PICUs. It now is important that these tools be used to monitor outcome and improve the quality of pediatric intensive care within the United Kingdom.
Scalar politics of border heritage: an examination of the EU’s northern and southern border areas

ABSTRACT This paper studies the production and representation of border heritage in tourist sites and events. Understanding heritage as a form of collective memory, subject to continual active renegotiation in which past events and artifacts are portrayed selectively, border heritage is a focal element in the shaping of spatial identities. The empirical focus is on the EU border regions that have become arenas for collaborative tourism development. Since the internal border regions are the key sites of the territorial cohesion policy of the EU, the selection of a particular heritage may be indicative of the development of the spatial identities in the area. Yet the type of the border has an impact on the modes of heritage-making. Drawing on various materials, documents and fieldwork at sites of heritage tourism, the study examines how the traditions and past events of the Finnish-Swedish and Spanish-Portuguese borders are memorialized in EU-funded tourism development. The approaches of geographical scale and scalar politics are employed as an analytical lens through which the sites and events of border heritage-making are examined. The study shows that border heritage in the EU border areas is constructed through multiple scales, thus offering parallel versions of the past.
The Direct and Indirect Costs of Employee Depression, Anxiety, and Emotional Disorders—An Employer Case Study

Objective: To quantify the direct and indirect costs of employee depression, anxiety, and emotional disorders at one large employer in 2004 using administrative data sources. Methods: Health care claims, personnel, disability, and productivity data were merged at the individual employee level. Direct medical costs were attributed to disease status using Episode Treatment Groups, and indirect costs were attributed using regression models and relative weights. Results: Depression, anxiety, and emotional disorders were the fifth costliest of all disease categories. The average cost per case was $1646, with 53% coming from indirect costs and 47% from direct costs. Conclusions: The cost burden of depression, anxiety, and emotional disorders is among the greatest of any disease conditions in the workforce. It is worth considering methods for quantifying direct and indirect costs that use administrative data sources given their utility.
A Novel Silicon Carbide Accumulation Channel Injection Enhanced Gate Transistor With Buried Barrier Under Shielding Region

A silicon carbide (SiC) injection enhanced gate transistor with accumulation channel (AC-IEGT) is proposed in this letter, which has a barrier layer with small windows under the p+ shielding region. The new structure can enhance electron injection through accumulation channel. Thus, an optimized carrier density can be obtained in the emitter side. Compared with conventional SiC insulated gate bipolar transistor and carrier stored trench bipolar transistor, static simulation results show that the static characteristics of the device are improved significantly. The figure of merit (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$V_{\text {BR}}^{2}/R_{\text {on,sp}})$ </tex-math></inline-formula> of AC-IEGT increases by 81.96 % and 17.78 %, respectively. The mix-mode circuit simulation results show that the proposed could be more suitable for ultra-high voltage application.
Perceptional assistance using transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and emphasized single-camera view for tele-existence robot user

Skill acquisition for remote control machines such as tele-existence robot (TER) is affected by a body schema (BS) modification defined as a postural model of the body in the brain. Based on the BS concept, in this study, a spatial perception support system utilizing both emphasized single-camera view and the transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) was presented as visual and somatosensory stimuli, respectivelyh, which affect the BS modification. Through experiments using the support system with a TER at a office room, operational performance of the operators, involving with the BS modification, was investigated for two conditions. The first condition was given by an emphasized view, that is image-emphasized (IE) and image-no-emphasized (IN). Analysis concerning distance between the TER and obstacles illustrated that the IE condition could increase the minimum distance, which means safety margin. The second condition was given by TENS with the former emphasized view, named TENS-assistance (TA) and TENS-no-assistance (TN). As the result, by applying stimulus considering operator's individual characteristics, it was clear that the TENS and emphasized view stimulus can support to maintain safe margin.
Position estimation at zero speed for PMSM using the principal component analysis

The article proposes a method for estimating the shaft position of a synchronous motor with permanent magnets for the zero and very low speed range. Presented method involves a comparison of obtained shape of current hodograph to the reference pattern using the principal component analysis. The method is based on an analyzing of the high frequency currents, which are excited by high frequency additional voltages. Although this method imply the recognition of a currents hodograph, in a case of using this method, it is no necessity to calculating the ellipse position. The method can achieve satisfactory accuracy in a case the high asymmetry of the inductance, as well as in the case of small values of the inductance asymmetry ratio, also in the case of a presence of a measurement noise.
Examining the Skewness and Kurtosis of Value vs. Glamour Portfolios

We analyze the relationships between higher moments (i.e., skewness and kurtosis) of common stock portfolio returns in the context of how they reflect the behavioral traits or investment style of market participants. Normally, any participant in the stock market is classified as an investor. However, Benjamin Graham, the acknowledged father of value investing, defines investment as an operation that upon thorough analysis promises safety of principal and satisfactory returns. Anything other than that is speculative. We classify investors, or more specifically value investors, as those who make their investment decisions in a manner consistent with Benjamin Graham’s definition. In contrast to Benjamin Graham’s definition, traditional finance theory labels as “investor” anyone who is making choices among financial assets. In this paper, we make a distinction between those who are behaving as investors as defined by Benjamin Graham and those who are making common stock investment decisions that are more representative of gambling behavior. We hypothesize that the common stock portfolio returns of value investors will be more negatively skewed, or at least lower than that of gamblers. Similarly, we hypothesize that the kurtosis of portfolio returns of value investors will be greater than that of gamblers. Using stock returns data from NYSE from 1999 to 2013, we created two portfolios based on price-to-book ratio: one we call quasi value (lowest price-to-book) and the other glamour portfolios (highest price-to-book). We then compared the higher moments of both sets of portfolios. The results show that contrary to what we hypothesized, the returns of glamour portfolios had lower skewness than the quasi value portfolios. However, as hypothesized, the kurtosis of the quasi value portfolios were higher than those of the glamour portfolios. We interpret that to mean that without a full value investing analysis, the extent of diversification of a portfolio is the primary determinant of its skewness.