Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Importance of Awareness for Understanding Language

Is consciousness required for high level cognitive processes, or can the unconscious mind perform tasks that are as complex and difficult as, for example, understanding a sentence? Recent work has argued that, yes, the unconscious mind can: Sklar et al. (2012) found that sentences, masked from consciousness using the technique of continuous flash suppression (CFS), broke into awareness more rapidly when their meanings were more unusual or more emotionally negative, even though processing the sentences’ meaning required unconsciously combining each word’s meaning. This has motivated the important claim that consciousness plays little-to-no functional role in high-level cognitive operations. Here, we aimed to replicate and extend these findings, but instead, across 10 high-powered studies, we found no evidence that the meaning of a phrase or word could be understood without awareness. We did, however, consistently find evidence that low-level perceptual features, such as sentence length and familiarity of alphabet, could be processed unconsciously. Our null findings for sentence processing are corroborated by a meta-analysis that aggregates our studies with the prior literature. We offer a potential explanation for prior positive results through a set of computational simulations, which show how the distributional characteristics of this type of CFS data, in particular its skew and heavy tail, can cause an elevated level of false positive results when common data exclusion criteria are applied. Our findings thus have practical implication for analyzing such data. More importantly, they suggest that consciousness may well be required for high-level cognitive tasks such as understanding language.
Abstinence Self-Efficacy and Substance Use at 2 Years: The Moderating Effects of Residential Treatment Conditions

ABSTRACT The relationship between abstinence self-efficacy and substance use at 2 years was examined among a sample (N = 470) of persons with substance use disorders and recent incarceration histories. Participants were assigned to residential (therapeutic community/TC or Oxford House) or nonresidential (usual care) conditions. The authors hypothesized abstinence self-efficacy would predict decreased substance use, and residential treatments would moderate this relationship. A conditional effect was observed, with low levels of abstinence self-efficacy predicting significant increases in substance use in the TC and usual care conditions. Supplemental analyses revealed significant decreases in substance use over time among participants in the Oxford House condition, and a significant conditional effect (gender x treatment condition) in relation to substance use. Findings point to the need for researchers to examine factors that mitigate the relationship between abstinence self-efficacy and substance use outcomes, and for treatment providers to consider the Oxford House model for this population.
Susceptibility testing of Cryptococcus neoformans: a microdilution technique

We studied a series of test conditions in a microtiter system to define the optimal method for determining the susceptibility of Cryptococcus neoformans to antifungal agents. Twenty-one isolates of C. neoformans were grown for 24 or 48 h in four chemically defined media: yeast nitrogen base (BYNB 7); RPMI 1640; synthetic amino acid medium--fungal (SAAMF), buffered at pH 7.0 to select the medium that best supported growth of this fastidious yeast; and yeast nitrogen base, pH 5.4 (YNB 5.4). Maximum growth of C. neoformans, at 35 degrees C, was obtained in YNB 5.4, with the next highest growth levels in BYNB 7, SAAMF, and RPMI. Growth at 24 h was uniformly poor in all media and lacked reproducibility. In contrast, incubation for 48 h gave adequate growth with low standard deviations, and 48 h was selected as the optimal incubation period for this study. Comparison of the relationship between growth kinetics and initial inoculum size for eight cryptococcal isolates showed that 10(4) cells per ml yielded optimal growth in BYNB 7 and YNB 5.4, whereas 10(5) cells per ml was optimal in RPMI and SAAMF. Furthermore, variation of inocula from 10(3) to 10(5) cells per ml showed small but significant inoculum effects in determining MICs of fluconazole, amphotericin B, and flucytosine for C. neoformans. Therefore, 10(4) cells per ml was chosen as the optimal inoculum for susceptibility testing in this study. Mean MICs of fluconazole, amphotericin B, and flucytosine for 21 crytococcal isolates in RPMI and BYNB 7 were low (for example, fluconazole had mean MICs of 1.2 and 1.3 micrograms/ml in RPMI and BYNB 7, respectively) and differed significantly from medium to medium. In contrast, the MICs obtained in SAAMF were significantly higher (e.g., fluconazole had a mean MIC of 2.2 micrograms/ml). Variance in MICs was large with fluconazole and flucytosine but small with amphotericin B, irrespective of the medium used. A microtiter system employing BYNB 7 as the medium, 48 h as the incubation period, and 10(4) cells per ml as the final inoculum is a simple, accurate, and reproducible method for the testing of C. neoformans susceptibility to fluconazole, amphotericin B, and flucytosine.
Blue light-induced kinetics of H+ and Ca2+ fluxes in etiolated wild-type and phototropin-mutant Arabidopsis seedlings

Ion flux kinetics associated with blue light (BL) treatment of two wild types (WTs) and the phot1, phot2 and phot1/phot2 mutants of Arabidopsis were studied by using the MIFE noninvasive ion-selective microelectrode technique. BL induced significant changes in activity of H+ and Ca2+ transporters within the first 10 min of BL onset, peaking between 3 and 5 min. In all WT plants and in phot2 mutants, BL induced immediate Ca2+ influx. In phot1 and phot1/phot2 mutants, net Ca2+ flux remained steady. It is suggested that PHOT1 regulates Ca2+ uptake into the cytoplasm from the apoplast. Changes in ion fluxes were measured from cotyledons of intact seedlings and from the cut top of the hypocotyl of decapitated seedlings. Thus the photoreceptors mediating BL-induced Ca2+ and H+ fluxes are present in the rest of the decapitated seedling and probably in the cotyledons as well. The H+ and Ca2+ flux responses to BL appear not to be linked because, (i) when changes were observed for both ions, Ca2+ flux changed almost immediately, whereas H+ flux lagged by about 1.5 min; (ii) in the Wassilewskija ecotype, changes in H+ fluxes were small. Finally, wave-like changes in Ca2+ and H+ concentrations were observed along the cotyledon–hook axis regardless of its orientation to the light.
Design and Validation of Force Control Loops for a Parallel Manipulator

This paper addresses problems for design and validation of force control loops for a 3-DOF parallel manipulator in drilling applications. In particular, the control design has been investigated for a built prototype of CaPaMan2bis at LARM Laboratory of Robotics and Mechatronics of Cassino. Two control loops have been developed, each one with two types of controllers. The first one is a Constrained Control Loop, which limits the force that is applied to an object to stay below a given value. The second one is a Standard Control Loop with external force feedback, which keeps the force at a given value. The control loops have been implemented on CaPaMan2bis by a Virtual Instrument in LABVIEW Software. CaPaMan2bis has been attached to a serial robot to make dynamic tests. The results of the experimental tests show the effectiveness and quick response of both algorithms after a careful calibration process.
Characterization of a slow cholinergic post‐synaptic potential recorded in vitro from rat hippocampal pyramidal cells.

Intracellular recording from CA1 pyramidal cells in the hippocampal slice preparation was used to compare the action of exogenously applied acetylcholine (ACh) and cholinomimetics to the effect of electrically stimulating sites in the slice known to contain cholinergic fibres. ACh depolarized pyramidal cells with an associated increase in input resistance, blocked a calcium‐activated potassium conductance (GK(Ca], and blocked accommodation of action potential discharge. All of these actions were blocked by the muscarinic antagonist, atropine. Repetitive electrical stimulation of stratum (s.) oriens evoked a series of fast excitatory post‐synaptic potentials (e.p.s.p.s) followed by an inhibitory post‐synaptic potential. These potentials were followed by a slow e.p.s.p. that lasted 20‐30 s. The slow e.p.s.p. was selectively enhanced by eserine and blocked by atropine. Ionophoretic application of ACh closely mimicked the time course of the slow e.p.s.p. The slow e.p.s.p. was blocked by tetrodotoxin and cadmium, indicating that it was dependent on propagated action potentials and on calcium. Considerably higher stimulus strengths were needed to elicit a slow e.p.s.p. than to elicit the earlier synaptic potentials. The size of the slow e.p.s.p. was markedly increased by repetitive stimulation. Stimulation of the alveus, s. oriens, s. pyramidale and fimbria all evoked a slow e.p.s.p., while stimulation of s. radiatum was relatively ineffective. The input resistance of the cell increased during the slow e.p.s.p. Hyperpolarizing the cell decreased the size of the slow e.p.s.p. and at membrane potentials of ‐70 mV or greater, little response was recorded. Stimulation of s. oriens blocked GK(Ca) and accommodation of action potential discharge. These effects, which could be seen in the absence of any change in membrane potential, were enhanced by eserine and blocked by atropine. The present electrophysiological results establish that CA1 pyramidal cells receive a cholinergic input and demonstrate that this input can dramatically alter the firing properties of these neurones for tens of seconds in the absence of any marked effect on membrane potential. Such an action contrasts with previously characterized synaptic potentials in this region of the brain.
A distributed Gauss-Newton approach for range-based localization of multi agent formations

We propose a distributed technique for estimating position of nodes in a networked system from pairwise distance measurements. The localization problem is firstly formulated as an unconstrained optimization problem and the well-known Gauss-Newton centralized approach for obtaining a local solution is reviewed. Then, a distributed Gauss-Newton approach is presented, which is proved to converge to the same solution as its centralized counterpart, under an hypothesis of network connectivity. Localization performance and computational effort of the described approach are evaluated through numerical examples. The distributed solution allows each agent to autonomously compute its position estimate, exchanging information only with its neighbors, without need of communicating with a central station. Furthermore, when the initial guess for optimization is shared among the nodes, each node may retrieve the whole network configuration (i.e., its own position and the positions of all the other nodes in the network), exploiting local measurements into a global representation.
Factors Influencing the Intention to Quit Drinking Alcohol Among African American/Black Pregnant Women

Factors influencing the intention to quit drinking alcohol among pregnant African American/Black women in San Bernardino and Riverside counties, California were investigated using the theory of planned behavior. Qualitative data were collected via focus groups from 22 pregnant women to ascertain behavioral outcomes, normative, and control beliefs associated with drinking during pregnancy. These data were used to develop a quantitative questionnaire. One hundred forty eight questionnaires were analyzed. Most of the women (86%) reported current alcohol use and 14% were former users. When adjusted for attenuation the correlation of intention with perceived control was . 89, attitude . 80, and subjective norm . 77 all of which were statistically significant. The prediction of these three from their underlying beliefs provides insight into factors which may need to be changed to reduce alcohol use by pregnant African American/ Black women.
Minimum-jitter design of bang-bang PLLs in the presence of 1/f2 and 1/f3 DCO noise

Digital phase-locked loops based on bang-bang phase detectors are attractive candidates for frequency synthesizers and clock multipliers because of their simplicity and low power consumption. However, being nonlinear systems, they are proved difficult to analyze and prone to the generation of limit cycles. Under the presence of phase noise originating from the controlled oscillator with 1/f2 and 1/f3 spectral shapes, simple expressions of the output jitter as a function of the loop parameters are developed which allow us to avoid limit cycles and to optimize the design to minimize output jitter.
The Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL): a self-report symptom inventory.

This report describes the historical evolution, development, rationale and validation of the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL), a self-report symptom inventory. The HSCL is comprised of 58 items which are representative of the symptom configurations commonly observed among outpatients. It is scored on five underlying symptom dimensions—sommatization, obsessive-compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, anxiety and depression—which have been identified in repeated factor analyses. A series of studies have established the factorial invariance of the primary symptom dimensions, and substantial evidence is given in support of their construct validity. Normative data in terms of both discrete symptoms and primary symptom dimensions are presented on 2,500 subjects—1,800 psychiatric outpatients and 700 normals. Indices of pathology reflect both intensity of distress and prevalence of symptoms in the normative samples. Standard indices of scale reliability are presented, and a broad range of criterion-related validity studies, in particular an important series reflecting sensitivity to treatment with psychotherapeutic drugs, are reviewed and discussed.
Outcome after first relapse in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia – lessons from the United Kingdom R2 trial

A retrospective analysis of children with first relapse of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), treated on the UKALL R2 protocol at four different hospitals, between June 1995 and December 2002 was performed. Of the 150 children 139 (93%) achieved a second complete remission. The overall survival (OS) and event‐free survival (EFS) for the whole group was 56% and 47% respectively. The duration of first complete remission and immunophenotype, but not sites of relapse, were predictive for survival. Using the Berlin–Frankfürt–Münster risk stratification for relapsed ALL, the OS and EFS for standard, intermediate (IR) and high risk (HR) groups were 92% and 92%, 64% and 51%, and 14% and 15%, respectively; P < 0·0001 for both OS and EFS. In the IR group, those with a very early isolated central nervous system relapse also had a significantly worse outcome (P = 0·0001). Given the poor outcome of a second relapse, clear strategies are required to identify those in the IR group who will most benefit from stem cell transplantation (SCT). A higher proportion (16%) of induction failures in the HR group suggest the need for novel agents during this phase of treatment, but SCT was associated with a lower relapse rate and better outcome than those treated with chemotherapy alone.
Assessment of Rheumatoid Arthritis in Clinical Care

Quantitative clinical monitoring of patients with musculoskeletal conditions should be included in the infrastructure of every clinical practice. Quantitative monitoring improves the physician’s capacity to assess and document a patient’s clinical status and changes over time, which leads to greater accuracy in the underlying rationale for clinical decisions. Furthermore, routine data collection in consecutive patients facilitates analyses of groups of patients over long periods in usual care, beyond information that can be obtained from randomized clinical trials. (Turk J Rheumatol 2010; 25: 1-11)
Stability of Melatonin and Temperature as Circadian Phase Markers and Their Relation to Sleep Times in Humans

Circadian rhythms of core body temperature and melatonin are commonly used as phase markers of the circadian clock. Melatonin is a more stable marker of circadian phase when measured under constant routine conditions. However, little is known about the variability of these phase markers under less controlled conditions. Moreover, there is little consensus about the preferred method of analysis. The objective of this study was to assess various methods of calculating melatonin and temperature phase in subjects with regular sleep schedules living in their natural environment. Baseline data were analyzed from 42 healthy young subjects who were studied on at least two occasions. Each hospital admission was separated by at least 3 weeks. Subjects were instructedto maintain a regular sleep schedule, which was monitored for 1 week before admission by sleep logs and actigraphy. Subjects spent one habituation night under controlled conditions prior to collecting baseline temperature and melatonin measurements. The phase of the melatonin rhythm was assessed by 9 different methods. The temperature nadir (Tmin) was estimated using both Cleveland and Cosine curve fitting procedures, with and without demasking. Variability between admissions was assessed by correlation analysis and by the mean absolute difference in timing of the phase estimates. The relationship to sleep times was assessed by correlation of sleep onset or sleep offset with the various phase markers. Melatonin phase markers were more stable and more highly correlated with the timing of sleep than estimates of Tmin. Of the methods for estimating Tmin, simple cosine analysis was the least variable. In addition, sleep offset was more strongly correlated with the various phase markers than sleep onset. The relative measures of melatonin offset had the highest correlation coefficients, the lowest study-to-study variability, and were more strongly associated with sleep timing than melatonin onsets. Concordance of the methods of analysis suggests a tendency for the declining phase of the melatonin profile to be more stable and reliable than either markers of melatonin onset or measures of the termination of melatonin synthesis.
Rat × Mouse T‐cell Hybrids with Inducible Specific Cytolytic Activity

We still know extremely little about the structural bases of the phenotypic characteristics which distinguish T-lymphocytes, of different lineages and maturation stages, from each other. One way to explore the mechanisms which determine whether a cell is an "immature" thymocyte, a cytolytic T-lymphocyte (CTL) or a "helper" T-cell would be to identify the genes which control the functional properties of these cells, by an approach based, in part, on somatic cell genetic techniques. This is, in principle, possible since it has become feasible to clone mature T-cells and derive from them lines which maintain their functional activities for indefinite periods in defined culture conditions (Nabholz et al. 1980a, Moller 1981). The extraordinary stability with which such cell lines express the differentiated properties of the cells from which they were derived has given rise to the notion that such cells are "arrested" in a given stage of differentiation: they transmit the characteristics of this stage like heritable traits. It is the need to explain this stability, which makes so attractive those hypotheses postulating that commitment to a new stage of differentiation involves heritable changes at the level of the DNA (e.g. methyiation) {Wigler et al, 1981). If this is true, then cell lines belonging to different stages of the same lineage can be considered as equivalent to mutants which differ from each other in the expression of precisely those genes that control these stages (Nabholz 1982a). We have applied this concept to the interpretation of the results obtained with somatic cell hybrids derived from crosses between CTL-lines and cell lines derived from thymomas arising spontaneously in AKR mice (Nabholz et al. 1981, Nabholz etal . 1982c). The latter are probably derived from immature thymocytes (Cloyd 1983) and differ from CTL-lines in their morphology, lack of cytolytic activity, inde-
High‐ and low‐protein gestation diets do not provoke common transcriptional responses representing universal target‐pathways in muscle and liver of porcine progeny

Maternal diets introduce transcriptional changes in the offspring, highlighting the concept of genetic and physiological plasticity. Our previous analyses investigated stage‐dependent transcriptional responses to either maternal high or low protein/carbohydrate ratios in either muscle or liver. Foetal programming is proposed to be mediated by a small number of gatekeeper processes, such as cytoskeleton remodelling and cell‐cycle regulation. Here, we conducted an overall analysis of a three‐dimensional data set aiming to elucidate, whether there are universally targeted pathways of adaptive transcriptional response to different protein/carbohydrate ratios.
High throughput and parallel flow cytometer with solid immersion microball lens array

We demonstrate a high-throughput fluorescence based microfluidic flow cytometer with 64 microfluidic channels with each channel capable of detecting 1600 droplets/sec. This cytometer is realized by utilizing solid immersed high N.A. microball lens array for high sensitivity, parallel, and low chromatic aberration detection across a 6 mm distance.
Aging Analysis of the Android Mobile OS

Mobile devices are significantly complex, featurerich, and heavily customized, thus they are prone to software reliability and performance issues. This paper considers the problem of software aging in Android mobile OS, which causes the device to gradually degrade in responsiveness, and to eventually fail. We present a methodology to identify factors (such as workloads and device configurations) and resource utilization metrics that are correlated with software aging. Moreover, we performed an empirical analysis of recent Android devices, finding that software aging actually affects them. The analysis pointed out processes and components of the Android OS affected by software aging, and metrics useful as indicators of software aging to schedule software rejuvenation actions.
How to get the most from the medical literature: Searching the medical literature effectively

Different clinical questions are best answered using different study designs. This paper describes the best methods for finding relevant studies for well‐framed clinical questions. We focus on which database is best to search to answer your question, describe the structure of effective search strategies and explore ways to develop appropriate search terms. We illustrate these with sensitive and specific search strategies to answer different clinical questions arising from a hypothetical clinical scenario typical of a nephrologist's everyday practice.