Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ambulant Cognitive Assessment Using a Smartphone

The focus of neuropsychology is to understand the relationship between assessment results and everyday cognitive abilities and disabilities. However, the generalizability of traditional neuropsychological tests to real-life behaviors, the ecological validity, is compromised by the test environment, among other things. Neuropsychological tests are often completed in a laboratory setting that is typically quiet with few distractions. This is very unlike most everyday environments. The aim of the present study was to investigate the possibility of using a smartphone in standardized cognitive assessment. A short-term memory task was obtained from young adults in either an everyday-life environment or a controlled test setting at four time points during a day. Results show no significant differences between the task performances in both conditions. There was no indication that fatigue, tension, or environmental noise had an effect on task performance. High correlations between subsequent time points were found in the everyday-life environment, suggesting a high test–retest reliability and commitment of the participants. The present study demonstrates that smartphones can be used to assess cognitive functions outside a laboratory setting.
Crystal structure of 1-[(Z)-2-phenylhydrazin-1-ylidene]naphthalen-2(1H)-one

In the title compound, C16H12N2O, the dihedral angle between the planes of the benzene ring and naphthalenone ring system is 1.89 (8)°; an intramolecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bond occurs between the imino group and the carbonyl group. In the crystal, molecules are linked by weak C—H⋯π interactions into supramolecular chains propagating along the [01-1] direction.
Axonal regeneration is associated with glial migration: Comparison between the injured optic nerves of fish and rats

The central nervous systems of mammals and fish differ significantly in their ability to regenerate. Central nervous system axons in the fish readily regenerate after injury, while in mammals they begin to elongate but their growth is aborted a the site of injury, an area previously shown to contain no glial cells. In the present study we compared the ability of glial cells to migrate and thus to repopulate the injured area in fish and rats, and used light and electron microscopy in an attempt to correlate such migration with the ability of axons to traverse this area. One week after the optic nerve was crushed, both axonal and glial responses to injury were similar in fish and rat. In both species glial cells were absent in the injured area (indicated by the disappearance of glial fibrillary acidic protein and vimentin immunoreactive cells from the site of injury in rat and fish, respectively), while at the same time axonal growth, indicated by expression of the growth‐associated protein GAP‐43, was restricted to the proximal part of the nerve. In fish, 2 weeks after the crush, GAP‐43 staining (i.e., growing axons) was seen at the site of injury, in association with migrating vimentin‐positive glial cells. One week later the site of injury in the fish optic nerve was repopulated by vimentin‐positive glial cells, and GAP‐43‐positive axons had already traversed the site of injury and reached the distal part of the nerve. In contrast, the site of injury in the rat remained devoid of glial fibrillary acidic protein immunoreactive cells, and the expression of GAP‐43 by growing axons was still restricted to the proximal part of the nerve. Double‐labeling experiments and transmission electron microscopy performed 2 weeks after crush injury of the fish optic nerve revealed that the frontier of axonal growth (i.e., the leading growth cones) appeared to be 200–300 μm ahead of the nearest vimentin‐positive glial cells. The leading growth cones were associated with other cells, presumably glial precursors, that seemed to have a high migratory potential. We suggest that the ability of fish glial precursor cells to migrate into the injured area may contribute to the potential of growing axons to traverse this area. The failure of glia and glial precursor cells to migrate into the injured area in the rat may partially account for the failure of rat axons to enter and traverse the injured area.
''Let's sweep some mines together'' : social interaction & competition in casual games

Casual games distinguish themselves from other digital games in their easy access, simple rules, minimal time commitment and simple interface. These games are known for their quick and short rounds, which make them ideal to play in mini-breaks between other activities. Recently, many social networking sites have started offering opportunities to chat and play multiplayer casual games with other users. Studies on digital games have shown that social characteristics of play settings have a strong impact on players’ in-game experience. As little attention has been given to casual games in literature, in this paper we discuss the important role of social factors in understanding and measuring player experience in casual digital games.
Did R&D Firms Used to Patent? Evidence from the First Innovation Surveys

Matching 2,777 R&D firms in surveys conducted by the National Research Council between 1921 and 1938 with U.S. patents reveals that 59 percent of all firms and 88 percent of publicly traded firms patented. These shares are much higher than those observed for modern R&D firms. Industry, firm size and the location of R&D facilities relative to major cities are shown to be important determinants of the propensity to patent. The effect of these factors remained constant across the 1920s and the Depression years suggesting that the tradeoff between patent disclosure and secrecy did not change over time.
A Method for the Analysis of AP Foot Convexity: Insights into Smooth Muscle Biophysics

Action potential (AP) profiles vary based on the cell type, with cells of the same type typically producing APs with similar shapes. But in certain syncytial tissues, such as the smooth muscle of the urinary bladder wall, even a single cell is known to exhibit APs with diverse profiles. The origin of this diversity is not currently understood, but is often attributed to factors such as syncytial interactions and the spatial distribution of parasympathetic nerve terminals. Thus, the profile of an action potential is determined by the inherent properties of the cell and influenced by its biophysical environment. The analysis of an AP profile, therefore, holds potential for constructing a biophysical picture of the cellular environment. An important feature of any AP is its depolarization to threshold, termed the AP foot, which holds information about the origin of the AP. Currently, there exists no established technique for the quantification of the AP foot. In this study, we explore several possible approaches for this quantification, namely, exponential fitting, evaluation of the radius of curvature, triangulation altitude, and various area based methods. We have also proposed a modified area-based approach (CX,Y) which quantifies foot convexity as the area between the AP foot and a predefined line. We assess the robustness of the individual approaches over a wide variety of signals, mimicking AP diversity. The proposed (CX,Y) method is demonstrated to be superior to the other approaches, and we demonstrate its application on experimentally recorded AP profiles. The study reveals how the quantification of the AP foot could be related to the nature of the underlying synaptic activity and help shed light on biophysical features such as the density of innervation, proximity of varicosities, size of the syncytium, or the strength of intercellular coupling within the syncytium. The work presented here is directed toward exploring these aspects, with further potential toward clinical electrodiagnostics by providing a better understanding of whole-organ biophysics.
Value Conflict and Policy Change

In what ways can a values-based perspective on policy be used to gain a better understanding of policy change? In an obvious sense, when policy changes, it is the enacted values that change, and where there has been associated controversy, the role of values can be very visible. But there is an invisible role as well. We know, from the work of Arrow and others, that under most assumptions there can be no non-arbitrary way of making a choice between values (considered as preference orderings), which suggests the overall importance of institutional structures in managing value conflicts.
Reciprocity: The Supply of Public Goods Through Voluntary Contributions

In modern economies, there are two main ways of financing the production of goods and services. One way is by charging consumers: if you consume, you must pay. The other way is by raising taxes: whether you consume or not, you must pay. But there is also a third way, characteristic of what I shall call the voluntary sector, which is to finance production out of voluntary contributions: whether you consume or not, you choose for yourself whether you pay. There can be no doubt that this third method does sometimes work. In the United Kingdom, for example, the lifeboat service is financed by voluntary contributions and the blood transfusion service is dependent on unpaid donors. Much medical research is funded by gifts; many theatres, orchestras and sports clubs are able to continue only through the success of their fund-raising appeals; trade unions manage to exist where there is no compulsion on anyone to join. This is an economic phenomenon that needs to be explained. In this paper I shall propose a theory of the voluntary sector, based on the assumption that most people believe free riding to be morally wrong.
Family Involvement, Family Influence, and Family–Centered Non–Economic Goals in Small Firms

Using behavioral and stakeholder theories, we suggest that family firms may have family–centered non–economic goals and that these goals could influence firm behaviors. This study extends the literature by hypothesizing that the essence of family influence partially mediates the relationship between family involvement and family firms’ adoption of family–centered non–economic goals. The results using 1,060 small firms support the hypotheses. Aside from contributing to family business theory by explaining and testing mediating variables as sources of goal heterogeneity among family firms, our findings also imply that the involvement and essence approaches to defining family businesses may be hierarchically reconciled.
Expression Analysis of Interferon-Stimulated Gene 15 in the Rock Bream Oplegnathus fasciatus against Rock Bream Iridovirus (RSIV) Challenge

ABSTRACT Interferon-stimulated gene 15 (ISG15) is known to interfere with viral replication and infection by limiting the viral infection of cells. Interferon-stimulated gene 15 (ISG15) interferes with viral replication and infectivity by limiting viral infection in cells. It also plays an important role in the immune response. In this study, tissue-specific expression of ISG15 in healthy rock bream samples and spatial and temporal expression analysis of rock bream ISG15 (RbISG15) were performed following rock bream iridovirus (RSIV) infection. RbISG15 expression was significantly higher in the eye, gill, intestine, kidney, liver, muscle, spleen, and stomach, but low in the brain. There were particularly high levels of expression in the liver and muscle. RbISG15 expression was also examined in several tissues and at various times following RSIV infection. ISG15 expression increased within 3 h in the whole body and decreased at 24 h after infection. In addition, temporal expression of several tissues following RSIV infection showed a similar pattern in the muscle, kidney, and spleen, increasing at 3 h and decreasing at 72 h. These results suggest that ISG15 plays an important role in the immune response of rock bream. Overall, this study characterizes the response of RbISG15 following RSIV infection.
Non-robust Test Generation for Crosstalk-Induced Delay Faults

Crosstalk issues in deep sub-micron (DSM) cause severe design validation and test problems. This paper addresses the problems of delay test considering crosstalkinduced effects, and proposes a non-robust delay test generation method based on single precise crosstalkinduced path delay fault (S-PCPDF) model. With some necessary static timing analysis, the target crosstalkinduced delay fault set was reduced. And the delay test generation for crosstalk-induced delay faults can be implemented by few alterations of non-robust path delay test generation algorithms whereas the timing information is only considered during the selection of target faults. Experimental results on ISCAS’89 and ITC’99 benchmark circuits showed that the proposed method does efficiently for circuits of reasonable sizes, and the CPU time is acceptable.
A case of refractory rheumatoid pericarditis

History of the Present Illness A 63-year-old man with an outside diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) presented to our medical center for new-onset, progressively worsening dyspnea (New York Heart Association class IV), abdominal bloating, and peripheral edema for 3–4 weeks prior to presentation. A chest radiograph showed mild enlargement of the cardiac silhouette with pulmonary venous hypertension, mild pulmonary edema, and small pleural effusions. Electrocardiogram showed atrial flutter with a 3:1 atrioventricular conduction, left anterior fascicular block, and a prolonged QT interval. A transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) revealed severe constrictive pericarditis (CP) with pronounced diastolic flow reversal in the hepatic veins. There was no evidence of an intracardiac mass or thrombus. The left ventricular ejection fraction was normal at 70%. He was hospitalized for further evaluation of congestive heart failure (CHF).
Online Monotone Games

Algorithmic game theory (AGT) focuses on the design and analysis of algorithms for interacting agents, with interactions rigorously formalized within the framework of games. Results from AGT find applications in domains such as online bidding auctions for web advertisements and network routing protocols. Monotone games are games where agent strategies naturally converge to an equilibrium state. Previous results in AGT have been obtained for convex, socially-convex, or smooth games, but not monotone games. Our primary theoretical contributions are defining the monotone game setting and its extension to the online setting, a new notion of regret for this setting, and accompanying algorithms that achieve sub-linear regret. We demonstrate the utility of online monotone game theory on a variety of problem domains including variational inequalities, reinforcement learning, and generative adversarial networks.
Military Spending, Growth, Development And Conflict

This paper makes a contribution to the debate on the economic effects of military spending using a large cross-country panel data-set for 1988–2006. As well as providing a relatively up to date analysis, sub-groups are created that allow the analysis to focus on groups of countries at different income levels and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), an area which has seen a large number of damaging conflicts. Estimating the empirical growth model gives results that show variation across the sub-groups, with the general picture of significant negative short-run effect and insignificant long-run effect of military burden on per capita GDP growth, not consistent across the different income groups. In addition, breaking down the SSA group into those involved in conflict and those that are not, provides some further intriguing findings that suggest the value of further work on the impact of conflict on growth.
The parliamentary agreement between the Labour Party and the Liberal Party 1977-1978 ‘The Lib-Lab Pact’

This thesis is a chronological case study into the origins, operation and consequences of the Lib-Lab Pact 1977-1978. Cross-party co-operation in British politics since 1945 is assessed. David Steel’s election as Liberal Party leader, his political philosophy and strategy are examined. Concepts of realignment, ‘co-operation strategy’ are explored. The parliamentary and political events together with a detailed assessment of the inter-party negotiations which led the Pact are examined. New perspectives include: the significance of the leader-led nature of the negotiation process; the Labour-Ulster Unionist understanding which ran concurrent with the Pact; the importance of Lib-Lab discussions on devolution which pre-dated the Pact in influencing Steel’s subsequent decision-making. Analysis focuses on the Lib-Lab negotiations into if the Direct Elections to the European Parliament Bill should include a proportional voting system and whether the parliamentary Labour party should be compelled to vote for PR. A key finding of the thesis is that rather than allowing a free vote, as was agreed, the Prime Minister, James Callaghan, was prepared to offer the Liberals a ‘pay roll’ vote; the significance of Michael Foot in this process is also noted. The structure of the Lib-Lab consultative mechanism is reviewed. Case studies include a review of on Liberal policy influence on the Budget 1977 and 1978. The nature of intra-party dissent is reviewed with the difference between Labour and the Liberal parties noted. An examination of the serious internecine conflict is complemented by a reassessment of the role of Christopher Mayhew in this process. The Lib-Lab Pact is reviewed, assessing its affect in influencing Callaghan’s decision not to call a General Election in 1978; its influence on Liberal/Liberal Democrat party strategy, and its importance in the subsequent formation of the triple-lock, as such the thesis highlighting the Pacts relevance to subsequent cross-party understandings.
Gender Division of Childcare and the Sharing of Parental Leave among New Parents in Sweden

The gender division of childcare has received less research attention than the division of paid work and unpaid household work, possibly because time for childcare has been presumed to have the same determinants as time for household work and because of lack of appropriate data. Further, some of the previous studies of parents' time for childcare have been subject to limitations, such as small sample size, selective samples, and self-reports on childcare time, and few had access to earnings data. This paper uses register data on days of parental-leave used by mothers and fathers of Swedish children born in 1994, including information on the earnings of mothers and fathers, to analyse the determinants of fathers' participation in childcare. In 1994 parents were entitled to 15 months of parental leave of which 12 months were compensated at 90 per cent of prior earnings. Our major finding is that while both father's and mother's earnings had positive effects on father's leave use, this was smaller at higher levels of earnings, and father's earnings had a greater impact than mother's. At similar levels of earnings, the more educated fathers used more leave. Fathers also used more leave if the mother had more schooling and if they were established in the labour market, but used less leave if the mother was established in the labour market
Development and Evaluation of a Nanoemulsion Containing Ursolic Acid: a Promising Trypanocidal Agent

Over a hundred years after the discovery of Chagas disease, this ailment continues to affect thousands of people. For more than 40 years, only two drugs have been available to treat it. Ursolic acid is a naturally occurring terpene that has shown a good trypanocidal action. However, the hydrophobicity of this compound presents a challenge for the development of proper delivery systems. Nanostructured systems are a prominent in delivering lipophilic drugs. Thus, a nanoemulsion containing ursolic acid was developed and had its trypanocidal activity and cytotoxicity evaluated. Pseudo-ternary phase diagrams and hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) system were used in the development. The system was stable throughout 90 days of testing, as evidenced by turbidimetry analysis and measurements of the droplet size (57.3 nm) and polydispersity index (0.24). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and mass spectrometry evidenced drug’s integrity in the formulation. An in vitro dissolution profile showed 75% of ursolic acid release after 5 min from the nanoemulsion into the alkaline dissolution medium, while only 20% could be released from a physical mixture after 2 h. Trypanocidal activity and cytotoxicity were evaluated on the CL Brener strain and LLC-MK2 (monkey kidney) fibroblast by chlorophenol red-β-d-galactoside (CPRG) method. Biological studies showed that the developed formulation was nontoxic and effective against replicant forms of the parasite. A stable and efficient nanoemulsion could be developed to improve the delivery of a promising drug to treat a threatening illness such as Chagas disease.
Electricity demand in multi-family, renter-occupied residences

This paper focuses on multi-family, renter-occupied housing where the landlord provides major appliances, a large residential sector that has not received widespread attention in the literature. Experimental data are used from a test where one group of households was billed directly for the electricity they consumed, while a control group had unlimited electric service included as part of the monthly rent. The empirical analysis yields short-run demand estimates that satisfy to a remarkable extent the ceteris paribus assumptions of demand analysis. This is the case for two reasons: (1) the households did not individually execute the appliance choice decision at various (unknown) times in the past, and (2) the stock of appliances upon which the derived short-run demand is conditional is identical for all households in the sample. A second important feature is emphasis on functional form. Examined in some detail is the question of the appropriate functional form for residential electricity demand. Finally, empirical results of the analysis are used to investigate the cost-effectiveness and welfare effects of installing submeters in existing multi-family residences.
Infection of mammalian cells with Theileria species

SUMMARY Experiments were carried out to determine the susceptibility of mammalian cells to infection with different species of Theileria in vitro. Sporozoites of Theileria parva (parva), Theileria parva (lawrencei) and Theileria taurotragi were isolated from Rhipicephalus appendiculatus ticks by grinding infected ticks in medium, filtering the suspension and concentrating by centrifugation. The sporozoites were used in attempts to infect in vitro peripheral blood leucocytes harvested from 16 different mammalian species which included 12 species of Bovidae from 6 different sub-families. The technique was shown to be both sensitive and reproducible. The sporozoites of T. parva (parva) infected and transformed cells from 2 species of the sub-family Bovinae, the two cattle types and African buffalo. Theileria parva (lawrencei) infected and transformed cells from the two cattle types, African buffalo and Defassa waterbuck. Theileria taurotragi sporozoites infected in vitro cells from 11 different species of Bovidae which were members of 6 sub-families; Bovinae, Tragelaphinae, Reduncinae, Alcelaphinae, Antilopinae and Caprinae. Transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines were established from 7 of the species infected. Sporozoite attachment and infection was not observed with non-susceptible bovid host cells, nor were any of the non-bovid leucocytes infected by the parasites. The host range observed in this study corresponded to the known host range in vivo.