Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor blockade during development lowers long-term potentiation threshold without affecting dynamic range of CA3-CA1 synapses

During development, excitatory synapses in the CA1 region of the hippocampus undergo activity-dependent and N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-dependent long-lasting changes in synaptic efficacy. These bidirectional changes occur between limits that determine the dynamic range within which synapses operate. It is unknown whether the dynamic range itself is also activity-dependent and NMDA receptor-dependent. Here, we show that chronic blockade of NMDA receptors in hippocampal slice cultures during early postnatal development does not affect the dynamic range but results in a lower threshold for the induction of long-term potentiation. Thus, the dynamic range of CA3-CA1 synapses, unlike long-term potentiation threshold, is NMDA receptor-independent, thereby providing functional stability to the hippocampal network during development.
Ethnic Identity, Life Satisfaction, and Depressive Symptoms of Mexican Descent Adolescents: Self-Esteem as a Mediating Mechanism

The present study investigates the mediating role of self-esteem and the moderating role of gender in the relationship between ethnic identity components (i.e., exploration, resolution, affirmation) and depressive symptoms and life satisfaction. Participants were 294 Mexican descent adolescents (55.4% female) ages 14 to 18 years (M = 15.27 years; SD = 1.00 years). A mediated multigroup path analysis was conducted. The final model indicated that self-esteem is a potential mediator between ethnic identity affirmation and resolution with depressive symptoms and life satisfaction due to significant indirect relationships. The full model achieved acceptable model fit. Ethnic identity exploration was not significantly related to self-esteem, and no gender differences were present in the model. This study helps those working with Mexican descent youth come to a better understanding of self-esteem as a potential mechanism through which ethnic identity is related to psychological functioning (i.e., life satisfaction and depressive symptoms). Implications for practice and suggestions for future directions are discussed.
Experimental Study on Effect of Simulated Microgravity on Structural Chromosome Instability of Human Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes

Experimental study was made by keeping human peripheral blood lymphocytes under simulated microgravity in a Rotary Cell Culture System bioreactor to investigate the changes that occur in the number of chromosomes, the expression rate of chromosome fragile site, and the expressions of DNA replication- and repair-related genes. Experimental results indicate simulated microgravity has no effect on the numerical chromosome instability of human peripheral blood lymphocytes, but it enhances the structural chromosome instability of human peripheral blood lymphocytes through the inhibition of DNA replication and the reduction of DNA repair. So, the mechanism of chromosome fragile site induced by simulated microgravity can be explained using the changes that occur in the chromosome structure of human peripheral blood lymphocytes, the DNA replication and repair under the effect of simulated microgravity.
Implementing test enhanced learning : Swedish teacher students’ perception of quizzing

Given previous findings on test enhanced learning, the present study examined the implementation of this practice in terms of quizzing, during the progress of a course. After completing the university course, 88 Swedish teacher students were asked to answer an adapted Retrieval Practice and Test Anxiety Survey. The results showed that students perceived quizzing to improve learning, and reduce test anxiety. Nonetheless, based on students’ misconceptions regarding why quizzing actually enhances learning, it is suggested that implications of test enhanced learning was not fully conveyed. It is for educational purpose imperative to not forget this application.
Learning Fast Low-Rank Projection for Image Classification

Rooted in a basic hypothesis that a data matrix is strictly drawn from some independent subspaces, the low-rank representation (LRR) model and its variations have been successfully applied in various image classification tasks. However, this hypothesis is very strict to the LRR model as it cannot always be guaranteed in real images. Moreover, the hypothesis also prevents the sub-dictionaries of different subspaces from collaboratively representing an image. Fortunately, in supervised image classification, low-rank signal can be extracted from the independent label subspaces (ILS) instead of the independent image subspaces (IIS). Therefore, this paper proposes a projective low-rank representation (PLR) model by directly training a projective function to approximate the LRR derived from the labels. To the best of our knowledge, PLR is the first attempt to use the ILS hypothesis to relax the rigorous IIS hypothesis in the LRR models. We further prove a low-rank effect that the representations learned by PLR have high intraclass similarities and large interclass differences, which are beneficial to the classification tasks. The effectiveness of our proposed approach is validated by the experimental results on three databases.
Ultrasound examination of polycystic ovaries: is it worth counting the follicles?

BACKGROUND This study revisited the ultrasonographic diagnostic criteria of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and studied the relationship between the major hormonal and metabolic features of PCOS and the follicle number per ovary (FNPO). METHODS This prospective study included 214 women with PCOS compared with 112 women with normal ovaries. Main clinical, biological and ultrasonographic markers of PCOS were assessed during the early follicular phase. RESULTS The mean FNPO of follicles 2-5 mm in size was significantly higher in polycystic ovaries than in controls, while it was similar within the 6-9 mm range. Setting the threshold at 12 for the 2-9 mm FNPO offered the best compromise between specificity (99%) and sensitivity (75%). Within the 2-5 mm follicular range, we found significant positive relationships between the FNPO and androgens. The FNPO within the 6-9 mm range was significantly and negatively related to body mass index and fasting insulin serum level. CONCLUSIONS We propose to modify the definition of polycystic ovaries by adding the presence of > or =12 follicles measuring 2-9 mm in diameter (mean of both ovaries). Also, our findings strengthen the hypothesis that the intra-ovarian hyperandrogenism promotes excessive early follicular growth and that further progression cannot proceed normally because of hyperinsulinism and/or other metabolic influence linked to obesity.
Performance evaluation for coexistence of LTE and WiFi

As the traffic load in cellular networks grows exponentially, the capacity crunch is becoming more and more severe, partially due to the fact that the licensed spectrum is rather limited and dwarfed by the ever-increasing traffic demand. To alleviate this issue, the unlicensed spectrum has attracted significant attention as a piece of valuable resource for offloading and for best effort traffic. Therefore, operating cellular technologies with high spectral efficiency, mainly the Long Term Evolution (LTE), in the unlicensed band, is deemed promising. However, the coexistence of different wireless technologies such as LTE and WiFi deployed in the same frequency band is a challenging problem. In this paper, we study the coexistence between LTE and WiFi. Three schemes for coexistence are proposed, evaluated, and compared, based on which the impacts of the coexistence on WiFi performance and LTE performance are analyzed. This study can be useful for the standardization and deployment of LTE on the unlicensed band.
The Role of Transformational Leadership in Encouraging Employee Voice:A Jordanian Experience

Objective: To provide an understanding of the role of transformational leadership in encouraging employee voice at one of the main Jordanian organizations. Methods/Statistical Analysis: A cross-sectional design by conducting a questionnaire was collected from 304 non-managerial employees. The study applied the descriptive techniques to demonstrate and categorize the most significant features and structure of the targeted population. Correlation analysis was applied to investigate the relationship between transformational leadership practices and employee voice. Findings: The results demonstrated that a positive relationship between transformational leadership and its practices on employee voice exists. Transformational leaders have the ability to foster an environment which encourages and embolden employees' expression of ideas and concerns. As for the practical implications, organizations are required to take into consideration investing in transformational leadership training, to reinforce and support such leadership behaviors which contribute to the growth of a robust and energetic organizational environment. Moreover, leaders are a vital component within the itinerary of creating strategies and approaches such as organized feedback, brainstorming sessions, joint consultation, and communication channels to encourage and motivate employees to express their opinions and ideas regarding work-related matters. Novelty/Improvements: This research paper is considered as one of the first studies to examine transformational leadership role in encouraging employee voice within the context of developing countries. "Every individual opinion matters. "
A thin stretchable interface for tangential force measurement

We have developed a simple skin-like user interface that can be easily attached to curved as well as flat surfaces and used to measure tangential force generated by pinching and dragging interactions. The interface consists of several photoreflectors that consist of an IR LED and a phototransistor and elastic fabric such as stocking and rubber membrane. The sensing method used is based on our observation that photoreflectors can be used to measure the ratio of expansion and contraction of a stocking using the changes in transmissivity of IR light passing through the stocking. Since a stocking is thin, stretchable, and nearly transparent, it can be easily attached to various types of objects such as mobile devices, robots, and different parts of the body as well as to various types of conventional pressure sensors without altering the original shape of the object. It can also present natural haptic feedback in accordance with the amount of force exerted. A system using several such sensors can determine the direction of a two-dimensional force. A variety of example applications illustrated the utility of this sensing system.
Fingerprint Matching Incorporating RidgeFeatures Using Contourlet Transforms

This paper introduces a novel fingerprint matching algorithm using both ridge features and the conventional minutiae feature to increase the recognition performance against nonlinear deformation in fingerprints. The proposed ridge features are composed of four elements: ridge count, ridge length, ridge curvature direction, and ridge type. These ridge features have some advantages in that they can represent the topology information in entire ridge patterns existing between two minutiae and are not changed by nonlinear deformation of the finger. For extracting ridge features, we also define the ridge-based coordinate system in a skeletonized image. With the proposed ridge features and conventional minutiae features (minutiae type, orientation, and position),we propose a novel matching scheme using a breadthfirst search to detect the matched minutiae pairs incrementally. Following that, the maximum score is computed and used as the final matching score of two fingerprints. Experiments were conducted for the FVC2002 and FVC2004 databases to compare the proposed method with the conventional minutiaebased method.The proposed method achieved higher matching scores. The limitations of commonly used separable extensions of onedimensional transforms, such as the Fourier and wavelet transforms, in capturing the geometry of image edges are well known. In this paper, we pursue a ―true􀀀 two dimensional transform that can capture the intrinsic geometrical structure that is key in visual information. The main challenge in exploring geometry in images comes from the discrete nature of the data. Thus, unlike other approaches, such as curvelets, that first develop a transform in the continuous domain and then discretize for sampled data, our approach starts with a discrete-domain construction and then studies its convergence to an expansion in the continuous domain. Specifically, we construct a discrete domain multi resolution and multi direction expansion using non-separable filter banks, in much the same way that wavelets were derived from filter banks. This construction results in a flexible multi resolution, local, and directional image expansion using contour segments, and thus it is named the contourlet transform. Thus, we conclude that the proposed ridge feature gives additional information for fingerprint matching with little increment in template size and can be used in conjunction with existing minutiae features to increase the accuracy and robustness of fingerprint recognition systems.
Hormone-Balancing Effect of Pre-Gelatinized Organic Maca (Lepidium peruvianum Chacon): (III) Clinical responses of early-postmenopausal women to Maca in double blind, randomized, Placebo-controlled, crossover configuration, outpatient study

This is the second, conclusive part of the clinical study on clinical responses of early-postmenopausal women to standardized doses of pre-Gelatinized Organic Maca (Maca-GO). Total of 34 Caucasian women volunteers participated in a double-blind, randomized, four months outpatient crossover configuration Trial. After fulfilling the criteria of being early-postmenopausal: blood Estrogen (E2<40 pg/ml) and Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH>30 IU/ml) at admission, they were randomly allocated to Placebo (P) and Maca-GO (M) treatments (2 groups of 11 participants each). Two 500 mg vegetable hard gel capsules with Maca-GO or Placebo powder were self-administered twice daily with meals (total 2 g/day). At admission and follow-up monthly intervals, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, levels of gonadal, pituitary, thyroid and adrenal hormones, lipids and key minerals were measured. Bone markers were determined after four months M and P use in 12 participants. Menopausal symptoms were assessed according to Greene’s Score (GMS) and Kupperman’s Index (KMI). Data were analyzed using multivariate technique on blocs of monthly. Results and canonical variate technique was applied to GMS and KMI matrices. Two months application of Maca-GO stimulated (P<0.05) production of E2, suppressed (P<0.05) blood FSH, Thyroid (T3) and Adrenocorticotropic hormones, Cortisol, and BMI, increased (P<0.05) low density lipoproteins, blood Iron and alleviated (P<0.001) menopausal symptoms. Maca-GO noticeably increased bone density markers. In conclusion, Maca-GO applied to early-postmenopausal women (i) acted as a toner of hormonal processes along the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Ovarian axis, (ii) balanced hormone levels and (iii) relieved symptoms of menopausal discomfort, (hot flushes and night sweating in particular), thus, (iv) exhibited a distinctive function peculiar to adaptogens, providing an alternative non-hormonal plant option to reduce dependence on hormone therapy programs (HRT).
On the Spectral Energy Dependence of Gamma-Ray Burst Variability

The variable activity of a gamma-ray burst (GRB) source is thought to be correlated with its absolute peak luminosity—a relation that, if confirmed, can be used to derive an independent estimate of the redshift of a GRB. We find that bursts with highly variable light curves have greater νFν spectral peak energies when we transform these energies to the cosmological rest frame using the redshift estimates derived either from optical spectral features or from the luminosity-variability distance indicator itself. This positive correlation between peak energy and variability spans ≈2 orders of magnitude and appears to accommodate GRB 980425, lending credibility to the association of this burst with SN 1998bw. The existence of such a correlation not only provides an interesting clue to the nature of this luminosity indicator but potentially reinforces the validity of the redshift estimates derived from this method. It also implies that the rest-frame GRB peak energy is correlated with the intrinsic luminosity of the burst, as has been suggested in the past as an explanation of the observed hardness-intensity correlation in GRBs.
Finite-horizon optimal control for affine nonlinear systems with dead-zone control input

For affine nonlinear systems with dead-zone control input and discount factor in performance index function, a finite-horizon adaptive dynamic programming (ADP) algorithm is proposed in this paper. To deal with dead-zone nonlinearity, a new utility function is defined, and the corresponding discrete-time Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (DTHJB) equation is derived. Then, finite-horizon ADP algorithm is developed to obtain the optimal control with convergence analysis. A dead-zone network is introduced for implementing the algorithm, which is different from implementing the traditional ADP algorithm. A simulation example is given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the presented algorithm.
Constructing informative prior distributions from domain knowledge in text classification

Supervised learning approaches to text classification are in practice often required to work with small and unsystematically collected training sets. The alternative to supervised learning is usually viewed to be building classifiers by hand, using a domain expert's understanding of which features of the text are related to the class of interest. This is expensive, requires a degree of sophistication about linguistics and classification, and makes it difficult to use combinations of weak predictors. We propose instead combining domain knowledge with training examples in a Bayesian framework. Domain knowledge is used to specify a prior distribution for the parameters of a logistic regression model, and labeled training data is used to produce a posterior distribution, whose mode we take as the final classifier. We show on three text categorization data sets that this approach can rescue what would otherwise be disastrously bad training situations, producing much more effective classifiers.
Low-temperature sintering of (Ba0.85Ca0.15)(Zr0.1Ti0.9)O3 ceramics and thick-films

This paper reports low-temperature sintering methods for the (Ba<sub>0.85</sub>Ca<sub>0.15</sub>)(Zr<sub>0.1</sub>Ti<sub>0.9</sub>)O<sub>3</sub> (50BCZT) ceramics and thick-films. A commercial borosilicate glass and Li<sub>2</sub>O have been investigated as sintering aids. Bulk ceramic samples with 1 wt% borosilicate glass and sintered at 1200°C exhibited d<sub>33</sub> and k<sub>eff</sub> (effective electromechanical coupling coefficient) values of approximately 160 pC/N and 0.2 respectively, which were 35 % and 54 % of values measured on ceramic samples without glass addition and sintered at higher temperatures. Bulk ceramic samples with 0.6 wt% Li<sub>2</sub>O addition and sintered at 1100°C exhibited d<sub>33</sub> and k<sub>eff</sub> values of about 130 pC/N and 0.16 respectively. 50BCZT thick-films with 0.6 wt% Li<sub>2</sub>O and sintered at 1100°C exhibited d<sub>31</sub> values of about 70 pC/N, which reached 77 % of counterparts without addition and sintered above 1400°C. This shows that the sintering temperature of 50BCZT can be reduced by more than 300°C, thus making it compatible with the use of Ag-Pd as a co-sintered electrode, which is more cost-effective than Pt.
Development of capacitor-based tunable frequency selective surface for wireless communication

This paper deal with the development of frequency selective surfaces (FSS) structure with tunable bandpass characteristic. The primary resonant frequency of FSS is 2.4GHz which is suitable for wireless communication system. Basic principle of tunable FSS is the ability to tune the resonant frequency by varying the reactance value of the unit cell circuit. It can be accomplished by using solid-states diodes like varactor, PIN diode and Schottky diode. By varying the DC voltage across the varactor, varactor will give varied capacitance values. In this work, capacitors with several values, namely 1pF, 2.2pF, 3pF, 3.9pF, 4.7pF, 5.6pF and 6.8pF will be used as the representation of capacitance values of varactor. The simulation results show that for the variation of capacitance value between 1pF and 6.8pF, the resonant frequency shifts from 2.6GHz to 2.36GHz. The bandwidth also changes from 130MHz to 260MHz. The measurement results also show that the resonant frequency shifts as the capacitance value changes.
Social Sensing for Epidimiological Behavior Change

An important question in behavioral epidemiology and public health is to understand how individual behavior is affected by illness and stress. Although changes in individual behavior are intertwined with contagion, epidemiologists today do not have sensing or modeling tools to quantitatively measure its effects in real-world conditions. In this paper, we propose a novel application of ubiquitous computing. We use mobile phone based co-location and communication sensing to measure characteristic behavior changes in symptomatic individuals, reflected in their total communication, interactions with respect to time of day (e.g. late night, early morning), diversity and entropy of face-toface interactions and movement. Using these extracted mobile features, it is possible to predict the health status of an individual, without having actual health measurements from the subject. Finally, we estimate the temporal information flux and implied causality between symptoms, behavior and mental health.
PRICING AND HEDGING OPTIONS UNDER STOCHASTIC VOLATILITY

A method of preparing generally amorphous copolymers of ethylene and at least one norbornene (NB)-type comonomer. These polymers may be random or alternating, depending on the choice of catalyst and/or the relative ratio of the monomers used. This method comprises polymerizing said monomers in a diluent or in bulk in the presence of a cationic palladium catalyst resulting from reacting a chelating ligand with a palladium (II) compound. The catalysts employed in this invention may be represented by the formula:whereinX and Y each independently is a donor heteroatom selected from P, N, O, S and As or an organic group containing said heteroatoms, and the heteroatoms are bonded to the bridging group A;A is a divalent group selected from an organic group and phosphorus forming together with X, Y and Pd a 4, 5, 6, or 7-membered ring, and preferably a 5-membered ring;R is a hydrocarbyl group; andCA is a weakly coordinating anion.
A Multilevel Analysis of Innovation in Developing Countries

Innovation is a multilevel phenomenon. Not only characteristics of firms but also environment within which firms operate matter. Although this has been for long recognized in the literature, a quantitative test that explicitly concerns the hypothesis that framework conditions affect innovativeness of firms remains lacking. Using a large sample of firms from many developing countries, we estimate a multilevel model of innovation that integrates explanatory factors at different levels of the analysis. Apart from various firm’s characteristics, national economic, technological and institutional conditions directly predict the likelihood of firms to innovate.