Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Salience Network and Default Mode Network dysfunction after traumatic brain injury

It is now widely accepted that cognitive control depends on the integrated operation of large-scale distributed brain networks. Recent methodological advances allow both structural and functional connectivity (FC) within these networks to be studied non- invasively in vivo. These approaches hold the promise of dramatically extending our understanding of the impact of traumatic brain injury (TBI) on cognitive control, which has the potential to help determine strategic targets for the rehabilitation of individuals with TBI. In the current thesis, structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging is combined to test the general hypothesis that cognitive deficits after TBI arise from functional disconnection within brain networks that mediate cognitive functions. Of particular interest are the interactions between two brain networks known as the Salience Network (SN) and the Default Mode Network (DMN). These networks are thought to be important for cognitive control however, how these networks interact during cognitive control is limited. This thesis largely investigates the effect of TBI on network interactions that accompany changing motor control. Functional MRI of the Stop Signal Task (SST) is initially used to study response inhibition. In healthy subjects, FC between the right anterior insula (rAI), a key node of the SN, and the DMN transiently increased during stopping. This change in FC was not seen in a group of TBI patients with impaired cognitive control. Furthermore, the amount of damage to the underlying white matter tract negatively correlated with the strength of FC between the networks. These findings are confirmed in a second group of TBI patients. In the second group, switching rather than inhibiting a motor response: (1) was accompanied by a similar increase in network FC in healthy controls; (2) was not seen in TBI patients; and (3) tract damage after TBI again correlated with FC breakdown. I also replicate this pattern of structure-function in a group of elderly participants who demonstrate similar cognitive control impairments as the TBI group. The findings show that FC between the rAI and DMN increases with cognitive control, and that the ability to efficiently regulate the FC between the rAI and DMN can be predicted by the structural integrity within a remote brain network previously proposed to be involved in switching between internally and externally directed attention. This work provides evidence for a model of cognitive control where the SN is involved in the attentional capture of salient external stimuli and signals the DMN to reduce its activity when attention is externally focused. It also identifies DMN dysfunction as underlying various cognitive deficits after TBI, and confirms the relevance of white matter damage in the development of brain dysfunctions after TBI.
Systematic Noise

A substantial literature in institutional herding examines reasons for and evidence of correlated trading across institutional investors, but little has been written about the extent to which individual investor trading is correlated or why. We document that the trading of individuals is highly correlated and surprisingly persistent. Furthermore, we find that the systematic trading of individual investors is driven by their own decisions - trades they initiated - rather than by passive reactions to institutional herding. We discuss why this correlation is unlikely to stem from the same motivations as institutional herding. Correlated trading by individuals is a necessary condition for the trading biases of individual investors to affect asset prices, since the trades of any particular individual are likely to be small. The preferences for buying some stocks while selling others must be shared by many individual investors if these preferences are to affect prices. We analyze trading records for 66,465 households at a large national discount broker between January 1991 and November 1996 and 665,533 investors at a large retail broker between January 1997 and June 1999. Using a variety of empirical approaches, we document that the trading of individuals is more coordinated than one would expect by mere chance. For example, if individual investors are net buyers of a stock this month, they are likely to be net buyers of the stock next month.
An Efficient Structure‐Aware Bilateral Texture Filtering for Image Smoothing

Photos contain well‐structured and plentiful visual information. Edges are active and expressive stimuli for human visual perception. However, it is hard to separate structure from details because edge strength and object scale are entirely different concepts. This paper proposes a structure‐aware bilateral texture algorithm to remove texture patterns and preserve structures. Our proposed method is simple and fast, as well as effective in removing textures. Instead of patch shift, smaller patches represent pixels located at structure edges, and original patches represent the texture regions. Specifically, this paper also improves joint bilateral filter to preserve small structures. Moreover, a windowed inherent variation is adapted to distinguish textures and structures for detecting structure edges. Finally, the proposed method produces excellent experimental results. These results are compared to some results of previous studies. Besides, structure‐preserving filtering is a critical operation in many image processing applications. Our proposed filter is also demonstrated in many attractive applications, such as seam carving, detail enhancement, artistic rendering, etc.
Cohen's d Corrected for Case IV Range Restriction: A More Accurate Procedure for Evaluating Subgroup Differences in Organizational Research

Organizational and staffing researchers are often interested in evaluating whether subgroup differences exist (e.g., between Caucasian and African-American individuals) on predictors of job performance. To investigate subgroup differences, researchers often will collect data from current employees to make inferences about subgroup differences among job applicants. However, the magnitude of subgroup differences (i.e., Cohen's d) within incumbent samples may be different (i.e., smaller) than the magnitude of subgroup differences in applicant samples because selection of applicants typically reduces the variance of scores on the predictors (i.e., because lower scoring applicants are not selected). If researchers seek to generalize a d value in an incumbent sample to the applicant population, they may use Bobko, Roth, and Bobko's (correcting the effect size of d for range restriction and unreliability, 2001) Case II or III correction. By extension, Hunter, Schmidt, and Le (implications of direct and indirect range restriction for meta-analysis methods and findings, 2006) have proposed a Case IV correction, which is more realistic than Bobko et al.'s approach. Therefore, this paper develops a Case IV correction for d (i.e., dc4). The simulation results showed that the dc4 was generally accurate across 6,000 simulation conditions. Moreover, 2 published datasets were reanalyzed to show the influence of the Case IV correction on d. In addition, implications and future directions of the dc4 are discussed
A simple Matlab/Simulink model of balanced radial distribution systems and its application to find optimal penetration of active, reactive and complex power to minimize power losses

This paper presents and validates the balanced radial distribution network (RDN) Matlab/Simulink model. The validation of Simulink model is carried out by comparing node voltages, total active and reactive power loss of balanced RDN with an existing vector distribution load flow (VDLF) method. The Simulink model is very helpful for proper sizing of distributed generation (DG) in RDN in considering DG as negative load. The proposed model is tested for 12, 15, 33 and 69-bus test balanced RDN. The variation in total active power loss (TPL) and total reactive power loss (TQL) for different penetration level of different types of DG are presented. At a given location, an optimal penetration level of DG to minimize total power loss is found by applying the proposed Simulink model for the 12-bus system.
Metabolic changes in cattle due to the specific effect of the tick, Boophilus microplus

1. An experiment was designed to provide information on the alterations in body metabolism which would account for the loss of body-weight in cattle due to the specific effect (factors other than reduced food intake) of the tick Boophilus microplus. 2. Two groups of British (Shorthorn × Hereford) and Africander × British calves, each approximately 6 months old, were used: one group (treated) of each breed was tick-infested and the other (control) was tick-free. Within breeds, calves in the control group were pair-fed to calves in the treated group. 3. In both breeds, the effect of ticks: (a) depressed packed cell volume, serum alkaline phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.1) and amylase (EC 3.2.1.1) activities, plasma cholesterol and phospholipid levels, serum iron and albumin levels. (b) increased the plasma levels of urea-nitrogen and γ-globulin (c) increased rectal temperature, water intake, urine volume, urinary and faecal total N, urinary urea-N and α-amino acids, the excretion of water, sodium and potassium in the faeces and (d) reduced N balance, N and dry-matter digestibilities. 4. In the British breed, ticks increased the excretion of K with a corresponding decrease in the excretion of Na in the urine and inreased the plasma clearance of bromsulphthalein. 5. A second experiment showed that the specific effect of tick infestation increased the flow of organic matter (OM) from the abomasum and the fractional turnover of rumen fluid of Hereford steers. It was also shown that the decrease in OM digestibility in the gastrointestinal tract was largely due to a decrease in OM digestibility in the rumen and that the increased urinary urea excretion and plasma urea concentration was caused by higher production rates of urea despite a tendency for lowered urea degradation in the gastroinestinal tract.
Diffantom: Whole-Brain Diffusion MRI Phantoms Derived from Real Datasets of the Human Connectome Project

Diffantom is a whole-brain digital phantom generated from a dataset from the Human Connectome Project. Diffantom is presented here to be openly and freely distributed along with the diffantomizer workflow to generate new diffantoms. We encourage the neuroimage community to contribute with their own diffantoms and share them openly.
The effects of an arts-based curriculum on academic achievement

MELISSA D. MCCLURE. The Effects of an Arts-Based Curriculum on Academic Achievement (under the direction of DR. MARY BESS DUNN). The purpose of this study was to determine whether attending an arts-based middle school appeared to positively impact student academic achievement as measured by standardized achievement tests. In order to determine whether patterns of improved academic achievement were discernable following attendance at a four-year arts-based middle school, achievement data from the grade four and grade eight Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) and the grade nine through twelve Gateway Test were examined. The study examined differences between score trends, differences between scores for students from an arts-based curriculum vs. those from a standard curriculum; specifically differences between the three standardized dependent measures of (a) language arts scores, (b) mathematics scores, and (c) science scores. The study found that the arts-based curriculum group had higher grade 8 and grade 9-12 overall standardized scores than the standard curriculum group. In addition, the overall standardized mean test score values for the arts-based curriculum group was higher than the overall standardized mean test scores for the standard curriculum group.
Oscillatory Local Field Potentials Recorded from the Subthalamic Nucleus of the Alert Rat

Hitherto, high-frequency local field potential oscillations in the upper gamma frequency band (40-80 Hz) have been recorded only from the region of subthalamic nucleus (STN) in parkinsonian patients treated with levodopa. Here we show that local field potentials recorded from the STN in the healthy alert rat also have a spectral peak in the upper gamma band (mean 53 Hz, range 46-70 Hz). The power of this high-frequency oscillatory activity was increased by 30 +/- 4% (+/-SEM) during motor activity compared to periods of alert immobility. It was also increased by 86 +/- 36% by systemic injection of the D2 dopamine receptor agonist quinpirole. The similarities between the high-frequency activities in the STN of the healthy rat and in the levodopa-treated parkinsonian human argue that this oscillatory activity may be physiological in nature and not a consequence of the parkinsonian state.
Motivated for Learning? The introduction of e-portfolios to Level 1 students in a Further Education college

This study examines the impact of the use of IT on the results and achievements of a group of Level 1 students. The study looks at models for learning, and the impact of curriculum modelling and learning networks within the classroom (as a form of communities of practice). It also examines the effect on student achievement that the introduction of online portfolio building brings. Using constructivist grounded theory the research sought to examine student results using an online virtual learning environment (VLE) as opposed to a paper based system and how this might be used as an indicator of motivation. Initial results suggest a significant improvement in submission times as well as students taking more ownership of the tracking and completion of their work and apparently being motivated to complete work more quickly and effectively. This is an initial study; findings from this project could form the basis of further research into the formation of learning networks, communities of practice amongst Further Education students and the impact of their education experience on learning identities.
Processing of human mitochondrial tRNA(Ser(AGY))GCU: a novel pathway in tRNA biosynthesis.

The 5' end of mature tRNAs is formed by the endonucleolytic removal of a leader sequence. RNase P, the enzyme generally responsible for this event, makes use of structural information contained within the tRNA domain of the precursor to recognize substrates and direct cleavage to the tRNA's 5' end. Human mitochondrial tRNA(Ser(AGY)GCU, a tRNA that , a tRNA that shows several structural deviations from "classical" as well as mitochondrial tRNAs, the most prominent of which is the lack of a D domain, is processed at its 5' end via a novel, "non-RNase P" pathway. 5' end maturation of tRNA(Ser(AGY)GCU is the consequence of 3' end processing of the abutting tRNA(His), precisely flanking the tRNA(Ser(AGY)GCU gene at its 5' end. Deletion of this adjoining tRNA structure abolishes efficient 5' end maturation of tRNA(Ser(AGY)GCU in vitro, suggesting that the human mitochondrial tRNA(SeR(AGY)GCU employs a 5'abutting tRNA as a processing signal for 5' end maturation in a kind of molecular commensalism.
Effects of sensory feedback while interacting with graphical menus in virtual environments

The present study investigates the effect of three types of sensory feedback (visual, auditory and passive haptic) in a context of two-handed interaction with graphical menus in virtual environments. Subjects controlled the position and orientation of a graphical menu using their non-dominant hand and interacted with menu items using their dominant index fingertip. An ISO 9241–9-based multi-tapping task and a sliding task were respectively used to evaluate subjects' performance in different feedback conditions. Adding passive haptic to visual feedback increased movement time and error rate, decreased throughput in the multi-tapping task, but outperformed visual only and visual-auditory feedback in the sliding task (in terms of movement time and number of times the contact between the finger and the pointer was lost). The results also showed that visual-auditory feedback, even if judged as useful by some subjects, decreased users' performance in the sliding task, as compared to visual-only feedback.
Lipid peroxidation and DNA adduct formation in lymphocytes of premenopausal women: Role of estrogen metabolites and fatty acid intake

A diet high in linoleic acid (an ω‐6 PUFA) increased the formation of miscoding etheno (ε) ‐ DNA adducts in WBC‐DNA of women, but not in men (Nair et al., Cancer Epidemiol Biomark Prev 1997;6:597‐601). This gender specificity could result from an interaction between ω‐6 PUFA intake and estrogen catabolism, via redox‐cycling of 4‐hydroxyestradiol (4‐OH‐E2) and subsequent lipid peroxidation (LPO). In this study, we investigated whether in premenopausal women LPO‐derived adducts in WBC‐DNA are affected by serum concentration of 2‐ and 4‐hydroxyestradiol metabolites and by fatty acid intake. DNA extracted from buffy coat and plasma samples, both blindly coded from healthy women (N = 124, median age 40 year) participating in the EPIC‐Heidelberg cohort study were analyzed. Three LPO‐derived exocyclic DNA adducts, εdA, εdC and M1dG were quantified by immuno‐enriched 32P‐postlabelling and estradiol metabolites by ultra‐sensitive GC‐mass spectrometry. Mean M1dG levels in WBC‐DNA were distinctly higher than those of εdA and εdC, and all were positively and significantly interrelated. Serum levels of 4‐OH‐E2, but not of 2‐OH‐E2, metabolites were positively related to etheno DNA adduct formation. Positive correlations existed between M1dG levels and linoleic acid intake or the ratios of dietary linoleic acid/oleic acid and PUFA/MUFA. Aerobic incubation of 4‐OH‐E2, arachidonic acid and calf thymus DNA yielded two to threefold higher etheno DNA adduct levels when compared with assays containing 2‐OH‐E2 instead. In conclusion, this study is the first to compare M1dG and etheno‐DNA adducts and serum estradiol metabolites in human samples in the same subjects. Our results support a novel mechanistic link between estradiol catabolism, dietary ω‐6 fatty acid intake and LPO‐induced DNA damage supported by an in vitro model. Similar studies in human breast epithelial tissue and on amplification of DNA‐damage in breast cancer patients are in progress.
Soil Carbon Sequestration Impacts on Global Climate Change and Food Security

The carbon sink capacity of the world's agricultural and degraded soils is 50 to 66% of the historic carbon loss of 42 to 78 gigatons of carbon. The rate of soil organic carbon sequestration with adoption of recommended technologies depends on soil texture and structure, rainfall, temperature, farming system, and soil management. Strategies to increase the soil carbon pool include soil restoration and woodland regeneration, no-till farming, cover crops, nutrient management, manuring and sludge application, improved grazing, water conservation and harvesting, efficient irrigation, agroforestry practices, and growing energy crops on spare lands. An increase of 1 ton of soil carbon pool of degraded cropland soils may increase crop yield by 20 to 40 kilograms per hectare (kg/ha) for wheat, 10 to 20 kg/ha for maize, and 0.5 to 1 kg/ha for cowpeas. As well as enhancing food security, carbon sequestration has the potential to offset fossilfuel emissions by 0.4 to 1.2 gigatons of carbon per year, or 5 to 15% of the global fossil-fuel emissions.
Fluctuating seawater pH/pCO2 regimes are more energetically expensive than static pH/pCO2 levels in the mussel Mytilus edulis

Ocean acidification (OA) studies typically use stable open-ocean pH or CO2 values. However, species living within dynamic coastal environments can naturally experience wide fluctuations in abiotic factors, suggesting their responses to stable pH conditions may not be reflective of either present or near-future conditions. Here we investigate the physiological responses of the mussel Mytilus edulis to variable seawater pH conditions over short- (6 h) and medium-term (2 weeks) exposures under both current and near-future OA scenarios. Mussel haemolymph pH closely mirrored that of seawater pH over short-term changes of 1 pH unit with acidosis or recovery accordingly, highlighting a limited capacity for acid–base regulation. After 2 weeks, mussels under variable pH conditions had significantly higher metabolic rates, antioxidant enzyme activities and lipid peroxidation than those exposed to static pH under both current and near-future OA scenarios. Static near-future pH conditions induced significant acid–base disturbances and lipid peroxidation compared with the static present-day conditions but did not affect the metabolic rate. These results clearly demonstrate that living in naturally variable environments is energetically more expensive than living in static seawater conditions, which has consequences for how we extrapolate future OA responses in coastal species.
Psychology: Briefer Course

Foreword Introduction by Michael M. Sokal Psychology: Briefer Course Index Notes Appendix James's Annotations of His Private Copy of Psychology: Briefer Course A Note on the Editorial Method The Text of Psychology: Briefer Course 1. The History 2. The Documents 3. The Editorial Problem Apparatus Emendations Textual Notes Historical Collation Word-Division General Index Key to the Pagination of Editions
Primavera gets agile: a successful transition to agile development

Primavera Systems provides enterprise project portfolio management solutions that help customers manage their projects, programs, and resources. When we decided to improve how we build software and increase the quality of life for everyone on the team, we found our answer in agile software development. Adopting agile practices is a process of continuous learning and improvement. Primavera's development team is a model for others looking to adopt agile processes.
Contrasting Coping Styles Meet the Wall: A Dopamine Driven Dichotomy in Behavior and Cognition

Individual variation in the ability to modify previously learned behavior is an important dimension of trait correlations referred to as coping styles, behavioral syndromes or personality. These trait clusters have been shaped by natural selection, and underlying control mechanisms are often conserved throughout vertebrate evolution. In teleost fishes, behavioral flexibility and coping style have been studied in the high (HR) and low-responsive (LR) rainbow trout lines. Generally, proactive LR trout show a behavior guided by previously learned routines, while HR trout show a more flexible behavior relying on environmental cues. In mammals, routine dependent vs. flexible behavior has been connected to variation in limbic dopamine (DA) signaling. Here, we studied the link between limbic DA signaling and individual variation in flexibility in teleost fishes by a reversal learning approach. HR/LR trout were challenged by blocking a learned escape route, previously available during interaction with a large and aggressive conspecific. LR trout performed a higher number of failed escape attempts against the transparent blockage, while HR trout were more able to inhibit the now futile escape impulse. Regionally discrete changes in DA neurochemistry were observed in micro dissected limbic areas of the telencephalon. Most notably, DA utilization in the dorsomedial telencephalon (DM, a suggested amygdala equivalent) remained stable in HR trout in response to reversal learning under acute stress, while increasing from an initially lower level in LR trout. In summary, these results support the view that limbic homologs control individual differences in behavioral flexibility even in non-mammalian vertebrates.