Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Subject-performed tasks improve associative learning in amnestic mild cognitive impairment

Subject-performed tasks (SPTs) may facilitate the deficit in associative learning among individuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) by inducing episodic integration of object-action associations. To test this hypothesis, we examined free recall and recognition memory following enactment and verbal encoding in healthy elderly controls and individuals with aMCI. Study lists contained either semantically integrated (“Bounce the ball”) or crossed object-action commands, in which episodic and semantic associations were placed in opposition (“Pet the compass”). Associative learning was indeed better after SPT than verbal encoding and with integrated relative to crossed lists for the aMCI group, as it was for controls. Moreover, the degree to which SPTs reduced the semantic interference inherent in the crossed conditions was equivalent for the two groups. The results showed that enactment facilitates formation of episodic associations, even when not supported by preexisting semantic knowledge, and even among individuals who have particular difficulty forming new associations (JINS, 2006, 12, 493–501.)
Investigación de la caracterización experimental de las uniones entre componentes de bastidores de vehículos pesados

El presente trabajo se encuentra englobado en el estudio de optimizacion del peso de vehiculos de transporte pesados. La cada vez mas necesaria reduccion de los costes del transporte hace que la reduccion de la tara del vehiculo resulte mas importante. Trasladar el valor de una porcion de tara del vehiculo a la carga util o transportable permite reducir en gran medida estos costes. Para conseguir esto, se debe disponer de un modelo de analisis de bastidores que optimice el peso frente a la resistencia. Las peculiaridades de las estructuras empleadas en estos vehiculos conducen a elaborar una metodologia de analisis acorde con ellas. Los metodos tradicionales, aunque sencillos, no posibilitan la profundizacion en el conocimiento del comportamiento resistente de estos bastidores. Es necesaria una herramienta que se ajuste mejor al analisis de las mismas. Con la modelizacion por el metodo de elementos finitos se consigue simular muy variados comportamientos. Dar con el modelo que represente mejor la realidad permitira conseguir estos objetivos. El fin ultimo de esta investigacion desarrollada, en la que se encuentra la presente tesis, es establecer una metodologia contrastada para modelizar estas estructuras de vehiculos del tipo remolque y articulados. La metodologia que se propone es estudiar el comportamiento de los diversos tipos de elementos que componen estas estructuras. El desarrollo de una metodologia de analisis que parte del estudio de los elementos estructurales que la componen y de los cuales se conoce fehacientemente su respuesta (como son perfiles de secciones delgadas, uniones de perfiles, distintos materiales, etc.), permitira conseguir un modelo mas adecuado. El presente trabajo parte de estos conceptos para proponer modelos de analisis contrastados de los elementos estructurales que conforman los bastidores. La verificacion experimental de estos modelos lleva consigo una mayor fiabilidad
THE COSMIC INFRARED BACKGROUND EXPERIMENT (CIBER): THE LOW RESOLUTION SPECTROMETER

Absolute spectrophotometric measurements of diffuse radiation at 1 μm to 2 μm are crucial to our understanding of the radiative content of the universe from nucleosynthesis since the epoch of reionization, the composition and structure of the zodiacal dust cloud in our solar system, and the diffuse galactic light arising from starlight scattered by interstellar dust. The Low Resolution Spectrometer (LRS) on the rocket-borne Cosmic Infrared Background Experiment is a λ/Δλ ∼ 15–30 absolute spectrophotometer designed to make precision measurements of the absolute near-infrared sky brightness between 0.75 μm <λ < 2.1 μm. This paper presents the optical, mechanical, and electronic design of the LRS, as well as the ground testing, characterization, and calibration measurements undertaken before flight to verify its performance. The LRS is shown to work to specifications, achieving the necessary optical and sensitivity performance. We describe our understanding and control of sources of systematic error for absolute photometry of the near-infrared extragalactic background light.
Throughput Gain of Fractional Frequency Reuse with Frequency Selective Scheduling in SC-FDMA Uplink Cellular System

SC-FDMA is a multiple access technique adopted in LTE uplink transmission. SC-FDMA, as well as OFDMA, can improve system throughput by assigning different frequency portions of system bandwidth to different user equipments (UEs) adaptively based on their channel quality information. In SC-FDMA uplink cellular system, interference arising from UEs in neighboring cells degrades system performance, especially the performance of the cell-edge UE. To overcome this drawback, many papers propose the Fractional Frequency Reuse (FFR) technique and analyze its influence. However, these studies have different conclusions on the effectiveness of FFR, and the throughput gain of FFR depends on the evaluating conditions. In this paper, we reveal the conditions where FFR is effective by demonstrating the throughput gain of FFR in SC-FDMA uplink cellular system. In order to analyze the throughput gain of FFR, we focus on the performance relationship between FFR and frequency selective scheduling (FSS). From the analysis, the throughput gain of FFR is small because of the degradation of the FSS gain, and FFR is effective when the following conditions are met; (i) the number of UEs is small, (ii) the multipath delay spread is large or equal to 0.
Plasma-treated, collagen-anchored polylactone: Its cell affinity evaluation under shear or shear-free conditions.

Poly(L-lactic acid)(PLLA) and poly(L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) (85/15) were modified by plasma treatment. Then they were collagen anchored (PT/CA), and the cell affinity was evaluated by cell culture under shear or shear-free conditions. A convenient and "intuitionistic" dyeing method has been proposed for measuring the modified depth when plasma treatment is applied for the treatment of porous scaffolds. A parallel plate flow chamber was developed in order to study the cell affinity of a material under shear stress. Our results show that a porous scaffold can be modified by plasma treatment and that a depth of about 4.0 mm for this modification can be reached with NH(3) plasma treatment (50 w, 20 Pa, 5 min). PT/CA modification is an effective surface modification method for facilitating cell transplantation and improving the cell affinity of three-dimensional porous cell scaffolds in tissue engineering. It can solve the problem of non-uniform cell distribution in most synthetic porous cell scaffolds. Using the flow chamber system, a series of quantitative data, including cell adherent fraction, cell area, and mean shape, were compared to evaluate the cell affinity of PLLA before and after PT/CA modification. The results indicate that the quality of cell attachment on PT/CA-modified PLLA apparently is better than that on unmodified PLLA. The flow chamber system potentially may be a tool for evaluating surface modification methods.
Breves Considerações Sobre a Atenção à Pessoa com Transtorno do Espectro Autista na Rede Pública de Saúde

O Transtorno do Espectro Autista (TEA) é uma desordem do neurodesenvolvimento, caracterizada por déficits na comunicação social e presença de padrões de comportamento repetitivos. Como uma condição usualmente crônica, o TEA normalmente requer atenção de equipes interdisciplinares por afetar o desenvolvimento de forma global. Recentemente, o Ministério da Saúde publicou dois documentos que estabelecem a linha de cuidado e as diretrizes para sua reabilitação na rede pública de saúde brasileira. O presente artigo caracteriza e analisa a linha de cuidado proposta e as abordagens terapêuticas recomendadas. A análise permitiu verificar que os documentos reafirmam que pessoas com TEA são indivíduos com os mesmos direitos de pessoas com deficiência, seu cuidado deve ocorrer de maneira multidisciplinar pela Rede de Atenção Psicossocial, mas faltou clareza quanto aos critérios de escolha das abordagens terapêuticas e o local em que estas seriam oferecidas. Algumas implicações para o tratamento do TEA são discutidas.
Low frequency surface plasmon waves guided on metal structured surface with periodic subwavelength rectangular grooves partially loaded with an optically plasma induced semiconductor

In this paper, I theoretically explore low frequency plasmon waves on perfect electric conductor (PEC) structured surface with an infinite periodic array of subwavelength rectangular grooves partially loaded with an optically plasma induced semiconductor with very electrically narrow period, using mode matching technique. I theoretically discuss how the low frequency surface plasmon waves could be controlled by photoinduced plasma through the numerical result of the dispersion diagram.
Construção de Escalas para Avaliação em Conteúdos Matemáticos Básicos com Base na Teoria da Resposta ao Item

A Teoria da Resposta ao Item (TRI) consiste em um conjunto de modelos matematicos, que representam a probabilidadede um individuo dar uma certa resposta a um item, como funcao dos parâmetros dos itens e da sua habilidade (ou traco latente). Neste trabalho, utilizou-se o modelo logistico unidimensional de tres parâmetros (ML3), com o objetivo de estimar a proficiencia em conteudos matematicos basicos, de ingressantes nos cursos da area de exatas. Este e um dos modelos mais utilizados para itens dicotomicos (corrigidos como certo ou errado), caracterizado pelos parâmetros de discriminacao, de dificuldade e de acerto ao acaso. Devido a complexidade do modelo, para o procedimento de inferencia sobre os parâmetros e habilidades, sob o paradigma classico ou bayesiano, se faz necessario o uso de metodos numericos. Neste caso, utilizou-se o amostrador de Gibbs, algoritmo da classe dos Metodos de Monte Carlo via Cadeia de Markov (MCMC), implementado via software OpenBUGS (Bayesian inference Using Gibbs Sampling), direcionado para analise bayesiana de modelos complexos. Esta pesquisa, em andamento, da continuidade ao trabalho desenvolvido por (ROSSI,2015) e tem por objetivo apresentar um estudo sobre construcao de escalas, baseadas na Teoria da Resposta ao Item, com enfase na area educacional e, tambem, a construcao e interpretacao de uma escala para avaliacao de proficiencia em conteudos matematicos basicos.
Prolonged second stage of labor and risk of adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND Safe and effective management of the second stage of labor presents a clinical challenge for laboring women and practitioners of obstetric care. This systematic review was conducted to evaluate evidence for the influence of prolonged second stage of labor on the risk of selected adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. METHODS Articles were searched using PubMed, Cochrane Library, and CINAHL from 1980 until 2005. Studies were included according to 3 criteria: if they reported duration of the second stage of labor, if they reported maternal and/or neonatal outcomes in relation to prolonged second stage, and if they reported original research. RESULTS Our systematic review found evidence of a strong association between prolonged second stage and operative delivery. Although significant associations with maternal outcomes such as postpartum hemorrhage, infection, and severe obstetric lacerations were reported, inherent limitations in methodology were evident in the studies. Recurrent limitations included oversimplified categorization of second stage, inconsistency in study population characteristics, and lack of control of confounding factors. No associations between prolonged second stage and adverse neonatal outcomes were reported. CONCLUSIONS The primary findings of our review indicated that most of the studies are flawed and do not answer the important questions for maternity caregivers to safely manage prolonged second stage. Meanwhile, approaches for promoting a normal second stage of labor are available to caregivers, such as maternal positioning and pain relief measures and also promoting effective pushing technique.
Developing a foundation for eco‐epidemiological assessment of aquatic ecological status over large geographic regions utilizing existing data resources and models

Eco‐epidemiological studies utilizing existing monitoring program data provide a cost‐effective means to bridge the gap between the ecological status and chemical status of watersheds and to develop hypotheses of stressor attribution that can influence the design of higher‐tier assessments and subsequent management. The present study describes the process of combining existing data and models to develop a robust starting point for eco‐epidemiological analyses of watersheds over large geographic scales. Data resources from multiple federal and local agencies representing a range of biological, chemical, physical, toxicological, and other landscape factors across the state of Ohio, USA (2000–2007), were integrated with the National Hydrography Dataset Plus hydrologic model (US Environmental Protection Agency and US Geological Survey). A variety of variable reduction, selection, and optimization strategies were applied to develop eco‐epidemiological data sets for fish and macroinvertebrate communities. The relative importance of landscape variables was compared across spatial scales (local catchment, watershed, near‐stream) using conditional inference forests to determine the scales most relevant to variation in biological community condition. Conditional inference forest analysis applied to a holistic set of environmental variables yielded stressor–response hypotheses at the statewide and eco‐regional levels. The analysis confirmed the dominant influence of state‐level stressors such as physical habitat condition, while highlighting differences in predictive strength of other stressors based on ecoregional and land‐use characteristics. This exercise lays the groundwork for subsequent work designed to move closer to causal inference. Environ Toxicol Chem 2014;33:1665–1677. © 2014 SETAC
Association of genetic variants of ABCA1 with Alzheimer's disease risk

ABCA1 plays key roles in cholesterol transport and apolipoprotein E (APOE) metabolism in the brain. To evaluate the relationship between ABCA1 genetic variants and Alzheimer's disease (AD), independently or in concert with the APOE ε4 allele, we examined three ABCA1 polymorphisms located in the coding region (R219K, I883M, and R1587K) and two ABCA1 polymorphisms in the promoter region (C−14T and C−477T) in a group of 372 Spanish AD patients and 440 controls. The ABCA1 219K, 883I, 1587R haplotype was significantly associated with AD, conferring a risk of 1.78 (P = 0.007). The ABCA1 C−14T polymorphism modified the risk of AD in an APOE ε4 allele‐dependent fashion: in APOE ε4 carriers, homozygous for the ABCA1 −14T allele had 3.7 times higher risk of developing AD (OR = 13.99) than carriers of the ABCA1 −14CC and CT genotypes (OR = 3.79). These data suggest that the development of AD might be influenced by either a qualitative change of the ABCA1 protein caused by coding region variants (219K, 883I, and 1587R), or by a quantitative change in ABCA1 expression caused by promoter region variant (−14T) in concert with the APOE ε4 allele. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A different glimpse into mobilities: On the interrelations between daily spatial mobility and social mobility

ABSTRACT We explore the link between daily spatial mobility and social mobility, taking changes in the contemporary labor market and family as examples. We propose a new theoretical approach to mobility that is defined as a productive force of social labor. Analyzing the relationship between daily spatial mobility and social mobility, we show that spatial mobility has become a strategy of compensation for the lack of social mobility. Explanations for the increase in daily spatial mobility are also provided. Lastly, we reveal how spatial mobility has the capacity to produce major social change, taking the family as an example.
A comparison of 60, 70, and 90 kDa stress protein expression in normal rat NRK‐52 and human HK‐2 kidney cell lines following in vitro exposure to arsenite and cadmium alone or in combination

Arsenite and cadmium are two potent nephrotoxicants and common Superfund site elements. These elements are included among the stress protein inducers, but information regarding relationships between toxicity produced by combinations of these agents to the stress protein response is lacking. In this study, the immortalized cell lines normal rat kidney NRK‐52E and human kidney HK‐2 were exposed in vitro to arsenite (As3+), cadmium (Cd2+), or to equimolar As3+ plus Cd2+ mixture combinations for 3 and 5 h over a concentration range of 0.1–100 μM. After a 12‐h recovery period, cultured cells were then evaluated for expression of the 60, 70, and 90 kDa major stress protein families. Results indicated that expression of stress proteins varied depending on the species of kidney cells exposed, the exposure concentrations, and the length of exposure to each element on an individual basis and for combined mixtures. For the HK‐2 kidney cell line, increased levels of the 70 kDa stress protein was observed for single and combined element exposures whereas there was no change or a decrease of stress proteins 60 and 90 kDa. Increased 70 kDa expression was observed for 10‐μM doses of single elements and for a lower dose of 1 μM of the As plus Cd mixture at 3‐ and 5‐h exposures. NRK‐52 kidney cells exposed to equivalent doses of As3+ and Cd2+ alone or in combination showed increased levels of all stress proteins 60, 70, and 90 kDa. This increase was seen for 10 μM of the As plus Cd mixture at 3 h whereas for single element exposures, increased stress protein levels were generally observed for the 100‐μM doses. At 5 h‐ exposure, 60 and 90 kDa levels increased for 10 μM of Cd2+ and 60 kDa levels increased for 1 μM of As3+. However, exposures to 10 μM of the As plus Cd mixture decreased 60 kDa protein expression to control levels at 5 h. For both kidney cell lines, there was a decrease in the stress protein expression levels for all three stress protein families for 100‐μM doses of the mixture combination for 3‐ and 5‐h exposures. These data indicate a dose‐ and combination‐related correlation between depression of the stress protein response and the onset of overt cellular toxicity and/or cell death. The threshold for these changes was cell line specific. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biochem Mol Toxicol 16:24–32, 2002; DOI 10.1002/jbt.10015
A Polynomial Planning Algorithm that Beats LAMA and FF

It has been shown recently that heuristic and width-based search can be combined to produce planning algorithms with a performance that goes beyond the state-of-the-art. Such algorithms are based on best-first width search (BFWS), a plain best-first search set with evaluations functions combined lexicographically to break ties, some of which express novelty based preferences. In BFWS(f5), for example, the evaluation function f5 weights nodes by a novelty measure, breaking ties by the number of non-achieved goals. BFWS(f5) is a best-first algorithm, and hence, it is complete but not polynomial, and its performance doesn’t match the state of the art. In this work we show, however, that incomplete versions of BFWS(f5) where nodes with novelty greater than k are pruned, are not only polynomial but have an empirical performance that is better than both BFWS(f5) and state-of-the-art planners. This is shown by considering all the international planning competition instances. This is the first time where polynomial algorithms with meaningful bounds are shown to achieve state-of-the-art performance in planning. Practical and theoretical implications of this empirical finding are briefly sketched.
Mapping Wetlands in Zambia Using Seasonal Backscatter Signatures Derived from ENVISAT ASAR Time Series

Wetlands are considered a challenging environment for mapping approaches based on Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data due to their often complex internal structures and the diverse backscattering mechanisms caused by vegetation, soil moisture and flood dynamics contributing to the resulting imagery. In this study, a time series of >100 SAR images acquired by ENVISAT during a time period of ca. two years over the Kafue River basin in Zambia was compared to water heights derived from radar altimetry and surface soil moisture from a reanalysis dataset. The backscatter time series were analyzed using a harmonic model to characterize the seasonality in C-band backscatter caused by the interaction of flood and soil moisture dynamics. As a result, characteristic seasonal signatures could be derived for permanent water bodies, seasonal open water, persistently flooded vegetation and seasonally flooded vegetation. Furthermore, the analysis showed that the influence of local incidence angle could be accounted for by a linear shift in backscatter averaged over time, even in wetland areas where the dominant scattering mechanism can change depending on the season. The retrieved harmonic model parameters were then used in an unsupervised classification to detect wetland backscattering classes at the regional scale. A total area of 7800 km2 corresponding to 7.6% of the study area was classified as either one of the wetland backscattering classes. The results demonstrate the value of seasonality parameters extracted from C-band SAR time series for wetland mapping.
Kinases and G proteins join the Wnt receptor complex

Wnt proteins form a family of secreted signaling proteins that play a key role in various developmental events such as cell differentiation, cell migration, cell polarity and cell proliferation. It is currently thought that Wnt proteins activate at least three different signaling pathways by binding to seven transmembrane receptors of the Frizzled family and the co‐receptor LRP6. Despite our growing knowledge of intracellular components that mediate a Wnt signal, the molecular events at the membrane have remained rather unclear. Now several publications 1–4 indicate that Frizzled receptors are G‐protein coupled and kinases were identified that phosphorylate the co‐receptor LRP6. These data deepen our understanding of Wnt‐mediated signal transduction and provide more insight into how specificity may be achieved. BioEssays 28: 339–343, 2006. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Caractérisation des polymères par analyse thermique

L’analyse thermique englobe toute une serie de techniques de caracterisation des materiaux fondees sur l’etude de la variation d’une propriete physique en fonction de la temperature . Il s’agit donc essentiellement d’approches macroscopiques du comportement des materiaux, qui font intervenir des considerations de thermodynamique des etats d’equilibre et des processus irreversibles, et de cinetique, associees aux changements d’etats (phenomenes de transition) et aux phenomenes de relaxation qui peuvent les accompagner. Dans le cas specifique des materiaux macromoleculaires, ou polymeres, l’analyse de la reponse thermique permet de mettre en evidence et de donner une interpretation microscopique de phenomenes tels que la transition vitreuse , la fusion/cristallisation , le vieillissement physique et chimique, la segregation de phases . selon les cas. Dans cet article, les principales techniques d’ analyse thermique basees sur l’etude d’un parametre thermodynamique extensif, tel que l’ enthalpie ou le volume , ou d’une susceptibilite dynamique telle que le module mecanique en elongation ou en cisaillement ou la permittivite dielectrique sont abordees. De nombreux laboratoires en France sont equipes d’une ou plusieurs de ces techniques et sont donc susceptibles de preter leur concours dans les domaines concernes.