Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Activin A supplement in the hESCs culture enhances the endoderm differentiation efficiency

Activin A is a critical regulator in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) maintenance and differentiation. Different concentrations of Activin A affect hESC maintenance and differentiation in different ways. A high concentration favors anterior primitive streak and gives rise to DE if the stimulation persists. hESCs were cultured with and without 10 ng/mL Activin A supplement respectively. The two groups of cells were differentiated into endoderm cells with 100 ng/mL Activin A and other reagents. Microarray‐based DNA methylation was analyzed with the Infinium Human Methylation450 BeadChip on these two groups. There was a significant difference in endoderm differentiation efficiency (average efficiency: 71 vs. 58.5%, P < 0.05). hESCs cultured with Activin A supplement had an increased propensity to form definitive endoderm cells in response to Activin A and Wnt signal. Differentially Methylated Regions (DMRs) between these two groups were found. DMRs were related to the stem cell maintenance and gene regulation by peroxisome proliferators via PPARα, indicating that hESCs maintained with Activin A supplement had stronger “stemness. ”
Coercive Power And Concession Making in Bilateral Negotiation

This experiment examined the effects of negotiators' and opponents' coercive capability on level of demand and on communication of threats and promises. Applying conflict spiral and deterrence perspectives inspired contrasting predictions. Subjects were given high, moderate, or low coercive power and learned that their opponents had low, moderate, or high coercive power. Subsequently, subjects negotiated through computers with opponents (in reality, simulated by a computer), who sent compellent threats or promises designed to induce some desired behavior. Higher levels of the focal negotiator's coercive power increased communication of threats but did not influence level of demand. Higher levels of the opponent's coercive power produced greater decline in level of demand but only when the opponent sent threats instead of promises. Power balance produced less communication of threats and greater decline of demand than power preponderance. The conclusion discusses limitations and contributions, as well as the applied value for mediation and dispute resolution.
Computational Initial Value Method for Vibration Analysis of Symmetrically Laminated Composite Plate

In the present paper, an improved initial value numerical technique is presented to analyze the free vibration of symmetrically laminated rectangular plate. A combination of the initial value method (IV) and the finite differences (FD) devices is utilized to develop the present (IVFD) technique. The achieved technique is applied to the equation of motion of vibrating laminated rectangular plate under various types of boundary conditions. Three common types of laminated symmetrically cross-ply, orthotropic and isotropic plates are analyzed here. The convergence and accuracy of the presented Initial Value-Finite Differences (IVFD) technique have been examined. Also, the merits and validity of improved technique are satisfied via comparing the obtained results with those available in literature indicating good agreements. Keywords—Free Vibrations, Initial Value, Finite Differences, Laminated plates.
Understanding referring expressions involving perceptual grouping

This paper deals with understanding referring expressions involving perceptual grouping. The ability to use referring expressions is important for conversational agents aimed at real-world interaction. We conducted a psychological experiment to collect referring expressions involving perceptual grouping. A set of methods to identify referents based on the collected data are presented. We were able to identify 78.8% of the referents in the collected expressions
Comparison of Radiofrequency-targeted Vertebral Augmentation With Balloon Kyphoplasty for the Treatment of Vertebral Compression Fractures: 2-Year Results

Study Design: A retrospective study. Objectives: The aim of this study was the evaluation of the safety and effectiveness of radiofrequency-targeted vertebral augmentation (RF-TVA) in comparison with balloon kyphoplasty (BK) for the treatment of acute painful vertebral compression fractures (VCFs) on the basis of matched pairs. Summary of Background: Vertebroplasty and BK are the common surgical interventions for the treatment of VCF. Both are effective and safe but pose some risks such as adjacent fractures and cement leakage. In 2009, RF-TVA was introduced as an innovative augmentation procedure for the treatment of VCF. Materials and Methods: A total of 192 patients (116 female; 51–90 y) with VCF (n=303) at 1 to 3 levels were treated with RF-TVA or BK. Functionality (Oswestry Disability Index), pain (visual analogue scale), vertebral height (anterior, middle), and kyphotic angle were evaluated over a 2-year period (postoperatively, 3–4 d, 3, 6, 12, and 24 mo). In addition, operating time and occurrence of cement leakage were recorded. Results: Pain and functionality were significantly improved after both treatments. In both groups, there was an increase in the vertebral height and a decrease in the kyphotic angle, which remained relatively consistent during 24 months. The incidence of cement leakage was 9.4% (n=9) in the RF-TVA group and 24.0% (n=25) in the BK group. The mean operating time with radiofrequency kyphoplasty was 25.9±9.9 minutes, and with balloon kyphoplasty 48.0±18.4 minutes. Conclusions: RF-TVA is a safe and effective procedure for the treatment of vertebral compression fractures when compared with BK. Improvement in pain and functional scores after RF-TVA are durable through 24 months postprocedure and remained better than those after BK at long-term follow-up. Operating time for RF-TVA is shorter and the risk of cement leakage is lower. Both procedures provided similar results in vertebral height restoration and reduction in the kyphotic angle.
Lost in Translation: An Enculturation Effect in Music Memory Performance

THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO TEST THE cross-cultural musical understanding of trained and untrained listeners from two distinct musical cultures by exploring the influence of enculturation on musical memory performance. Trained and untrained participants (N = 150) from the United States and Turkey listened to a series of novel musical excerpts from both familiar and unfamiliar cultures and then completed a recognition memory task for each set of examples. All participants were significantly better at remembering novel music from their native culture and there were no performance differences based on musical expertise. In addition, Turkish participants were better at remembering Western music, a familiar but nonnative musical culture, than Chinese music. The results suggest that our cognitive schemata for musical information are culturally derived and that enculturation influences musical memory at a structural level.
Evolution, dynamics, and fixed points

Sign-compatible dynamics describe changes in the composition of a population driven by differences in fitness. A saturated equilibrium is a fixed point for sign-compatible dynamics where each subgroup with positive population share has highest fitness. An evolutionary stable equilibrium is a saturated equilibrium attracting all trajectories nearby, such that the Euclidean distance to it decreases monotonically. We address existence, multiplicity, and dynamical stability of fixed points of sign-compatible dynamics. A saturated equilibrium may be approximated by using a variable dimension restart algorithm for solving the nonlinear complementarity problem. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: C62, C68, C72, C73. Keywords: Sign-compatible population dynamics, saturated equilibrium, evolutionary stable equilibrium, dynamic stability, nonlinear complementarity problem.
Energy efficient real-time task scheduling on CPU-GPU hybrid clusters

Conserving the energy consumption of large data centers is of critical significance, where a few percent in consumption reduction translates into millions-dollar savings. This work studies energy conservation on emerging CPU-GPU hybrid clusters through dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS). We aim at minimizing the total energy consumption of processing a sequence of real-time tasks under deadline constraints. We compute the appropriate voltage/frequency setting for each task through mathematical optimization, and assign multiple tasks to the cluster with heuristic scheduling algorithms. In performance evaluation driven by real-world power measurement traces, our scheduling algorithm shows comparable energy savings to the theoretical upper bound. With a GPU scaling interval where analytically at most 38% of energy can be saved, we record 30–36% of energy savings. Our results are applicable to energy management on modern heterogeneous clusters. In particular, our model stresses the nonlinear relationship between task execution time and processor speed for GPU-accelerated applications, for more accurately capturing real-world GPU energy consumption.
Quadrupedal gaits in hexapod animals – inter-leg coordination in free-walking adult stick insects

SUMMARY The analysis of inter-leg coordination in insect walking is generally a study of six-legged locomotion. For decades, the stick insect Carausius morosus has been instrumental for unravelling the rules and mechanisms that control leg coordination in hexapeds. We analysed inter-leg coordination in C. morosus that freely walked on straight paths on plane surfaces with different slopes. Consecutive 1.7 s sections were assigned inter-leg coordination patterns (which we call gaits) based on footfall patterns. Regular gaits, i.e. wave, tetrapod or tripod gaits, occurred in different proportions depending on surface slopes. Tetrapod gaits were observed most frequently, wave gaits only occurred on 90 deg inclining slopes and tripod gaits occurred most often on 15 deg declining slopes, i.e. in 40% of the sections. Depending on the slope, 36–66% of the sections were assigned irregular gaits. Irregular gaits were mostly due to multiple stepping by the front legs, which is perhaps probing behaviour, not phase coupled to the middle legs’ cycles. In irregular gaits, middle leg and hindleg coordination was regular, related to quadrupedal walk and wave gaits. Apparently, front legs uncouple from and couple to the walking system without compromising middle leg and hindleg coordination. In front leg amputees, the remaining legs were strictly coordinated. In hindleg and middle leg amputees, the front legs continued multiple stepping. The coordination of middle leg amputees was maladapted, with front legs and hindlegs performing multiple steps or ipsilateral legs being in simultaneous swing. Thus, afferent information from middle legs might be necessary for a regular hindleg stepping pattern.
Etiological features of borderline personality related characteristics in a birth cohort of 12-year-old children

Abstract It has been reported that borderline personality related characteristics can be observed in children, and that these characteristics are associated with increased risk for the development of borderline personality disorder. It is not clear whether borderline personality related characteristics in children share etiological features with adult borderline personality disorder. We investigated the etiology of borderline personality related characteristics in a longitudinal cohort study of 1,116 pairs of same-sex twins followed from birth through age 12 years. Borderline personality related characteristics measured at age 12 years were highly heritable, were more common in children who had exhibited poor cognitive function, impulsivity, and more behavioral and emotional problems at age 5 years, and co-occurred with symptoms of conduct disorder, depression, anxiety, and psychosis. Exposure to harsh treatment in the family environment through age 10 years predicted borderline personality related characteristics at age 12 years. This association showed evidence of environmental mediation and was stronger among children with a family history of psychiatric illness, consistent with diathesis–stress models of borderline etiology. Results indicate that borderline personality related characteristics in children share etiological features with borderline personality disorder in adults and suggest that inherited and environmental risk factors make independent and interactive contributions to borderline etiology.
A Descriptive Study of Six High School Puente Classrooms

This article reports observational research in six High School Puente 9th and 10th grade classrooms in four schools in Northern and Southern California during fall, winter, and spring visits in 2000-2001. After two opening vignettes, observations are summarized in five categories: curriculum and teaching, socialization into habits of mind and habits for life, teacher perceptions of differences between Puente and non-Puente classes, Puente events outside the classroom, and how the four teachers learned to be Puente teachers. Finally, three conceptual frameworks are suggested for these findings.
The Reliability and Validity of the Turkish Version of the Fibrofatigue Scale

ABSTRACT Objective: To validate translated Turkish version of the Fibrofatigue Scale [FFS]. Methods: The Turkish version of FFS was administered to a consecutive sample of 82 patients with fibromyalgia syndrome [FMS; 78 women]; mean age was 37 years and mean symptom duration was 2.3 years. The Turkish version of the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, the Beck Depression Inventory [BDI], and the Medical Outcome Survey Short Form-36 [SF-36] were documented. Reliability was tested by the test-to-test reliability [intraclass correlation coefficient] and internal consistency [Cronbach's alpha coefficients]. Construct validity was assessed by association with BDI and SF-36 [Spearman's correlation coefficient]. Paired t-test was used to determine the statistical significance of change score [responsiveness]. Results: The test–retest reliability and internal consistency of the FFS were excellent with intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.98 [0.97–0.99] and Cronbach's alpha of 0.74. The correlations between the FFS and the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire items [rho = 0.56], BDI [rho = 0.52], and subscales of SF-36 [rho value ranging from −0.333 to −0.553] were adequate. The FFS score improved significantly after a four-week physical therapy program [P < 0.001]. Conclusions: The Turkish FFS is a reliable and valid instrument for detecting and measuring functional disability and symptom severity in Turkish patients with FMS.
Changing faces: Direction is important

Recent research has provided evidence for the role of norm-based coding in face recognition (e.g., Leopold et al., 2001). In such a model, any given face can be represented by a vector from the norm, with the difference between two faces being the difference between the two vectors. However, as has previously been suggested it is also possible to conceive of a model in which the angle between two vectors provides relevant information for differentiating faces. Two experiments investigated this possibility using a face matching paradigm. Discrimination was found to be better when two faces lay on different vectors than when they were the same physical distance apart but lying on the same vector. The results favour a specific type of norm-based model suggesting that vector angle is important in face perception.
Calcium‐regulated fusion of yolk granules during early embryogenesis of Periplaneta americana

This work reported membrane fusion of yolk granules (YGs) during early embryogenesis of the insect Periplaneta americana (P. americana). We showed that eggs from Day 5 of embryogenesis possess a greater amount of enlarged YGs in comparison with Day 1. Day 5 is also the period when the largest amount of free calcium is found (∼17 mM) within the oothecae from early embryogenesis. Treatment of Day 1‐YGs fraction with 17 mM Ca2+ resulted in a YG size pattern very similar to the one observed in Day 5 eggs, where enlarged YGs were formed. YG membrane fusion was observed by fluorescent membrane dye transfer from previously labeled small YGs to larger ones and was also visualized by electron microscopy. We also showed that the small “in fusion” YGs seemed to be acidic, suggesting that acidification is correlated with YG membrane fusion. Hence, it was shown that YGs are capable of membrane fusion in a calcium‐dependent manner and this process probably occurs in vivo during early embryogenesis of P. americana. Mol. Reprod. Dev. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Dual Luciferase Assay System for Rapid Assessment of Gene Expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

ABSTRACT A new reporter system has been developed for quantifying gene expression in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The system relies on two different reporter genes, Renilla and firefly luciferase, to evaluate regulated gene expression. The gene encoding Renilla luciferase is fused to a constitutive promoter (PGK1 or SPT15) and integrated into the yeast genome at the CAN1 locus as a control for normalizing the assay. The firefly luciferase gene is fused to the test promoter and integrated into the yeast genome at the ura3 or leu2 locus. The dual luciferase assay is performed by sequentially measuring the firefly and Renilla luciferase activities of the same sample, with the results expressed as the ratio of firefly to Renilla luciferase activity (Fluc/Rluc). The yeast dual luciferase reporter (DLR) was characterized and shown to be very efficient, requiring approximately 1 minute to complete each assay, and has proven to yield data that accurately and reproducibly reflect promoter activity. A series of integrating plasmids were generated that contain either the firefly or Renilla luciferase gene preceded by a multicloning region in two different orientations and the three reading frames to make possible the generation of translational fusions. Additionally, each set of plasmids contains either the URA3 or LEU2 marker for genetic selection in yeast. A series of S288C-based yeast strains, including a two-hybrid strain, were developed to facilitate the use of the yeast DLR assay. This assay can be readily adapted to a high-throughput platform for studies requiring numerous measurements.
Another postmodern report on knowledge: positivism and its others

During the first decade of the twenty-first century, neopositivist claims made about the nature and validity of knowledge in the debates about scientifically based research were countered by educators who, decades earlier, had made various turns away from positivism and were surprised by its resurgence. In those debates, positivists often used postmodernism as a code word for any social science approach that was not positivist and so, they claimed, could not be scientific. To remind us of the nature of positivism and the limits of the knowledge it enables, this paper reviews its assumptions and then returns to Lyotard’s 1979 cogent critique, paralogy that describes postmodern knowledge that moves toward the unknown by engaging undecidables, paradox, incomplete information and catastrophes.
Efficient FTL-Aware Data Categorization and Identification Scheme for Flash Memory

Hot data identification in flash memory is of great interest because it significantly affects the garbage collection and wear-leveling performance. Presently, certain hot and cold data classification schemes based on Bloom filters (BFs) have been proposed. Although BFs are efficient in most cases, there is a significant trade-off between false positive rates, which are the result of hash value collisions and memory utilization. In this paper, we suggest a better data categorization mechanism that is based on a hashing technique called Fingerprinting by Random Polynomials with the aim of reducing false positive rates and achieving lower memory consumption compared to the BF-based schemes. We also introduce a new methodology for classifying write requests by linking the definition of hot and cold write requests to the flash memory software layer, the flash translation layer (FTL) characteristics. Our approach improves space utilization by representing each logical block number (lbn) by one counter in the hash table, and achieves an extremely low error rate by choosing the degree of the hash function based on the address space of the flash memory. In addition, we achieved lower false identification rates. We demonstrate the performance using mathematical analysis and trace-driven simulation.
Methylene Blue-Mediated Photodynamic Inactivation Followed by Low-Laser Therapy versus Miconazole Gel in the Treatment of Denture Stomatitis.

PURPOSE Photodynamic therapy (PDT) appears to be an effective method for the in vitro and in vivo inactivation of Candida spp. , but no clinical trials in this context have yet been conducted. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of oral miconazole gel to PDT combined with low-power laser (LPL) therapy in the treatment of denture stomatitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS Forty participants with clinical and microbiological diagnoses of type II denture stomatitis were randomly allocated to two treatment groups (PDT and miconazole gel), each with 20 individuals. The PDT group was submitted to one session of methylene blue-mediated PDT plus two sessions of low-laser therapy twice a week for 15 days. The miconazole group was submitted to the drug four times a day for 15 days. RESULTS Forty percent of the patients achieved clinical and microbiological resolution of denture stomatitis after methylene blue-mediated photodynamic inactivation followed by low-laser therapy. The cure rate associated with miconazole was 80% (p < 0.05). Fifteen days after the end of treatment, the recurrence rate was 25% in patients treated with PDT combined with LPL therapy and 12.5% in patients treated with miconazole. CONCLUSION Miconazole gel provides better results than a protocol combining methylene blue-mediated PDT and LPL therapy in the treatment of type II denture stomatitis.
A Compact Dielectric-Loaded Log-Periodic Dipole Array (LPDA) Antenna

A compact, dielectric-loaded, and wideband log-periodic dipole array antenna operating between 200 and 803 MHz for VSWR less than 2 is presented in this letter. The antenna consists of sinusoidal dipoles and parallel stripline printed on a substrate partially loading an air layer, as well as two stepped dielectric materials with $\varepsilon _{{{r}}}= 10$. These two stepped dielectric materials are placed on both sides of the substrate. It is found that a remarkable lower frequency performance is obtained by using these two stepped dielectric materials, and the antenna's impedance matching performance is improved through the air layer partially loaded in the substrate. Good agreement is achieved between simulated and measured results. The antenna is also shown to work normally through the experimental results of VSWR under the 100 W continuous-wave power excitation for 30 min.