Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Living with a long term physical health condition:psychological experiences of older lifestyle migrants

An increasing number of people are living with at least one long term health condition or chronic illness (Ham, 2006). One concept within chronic illness research increasingly regarded as important is psychological adjustment. In this study this is understood as the result of a series of adaptations to maintain a positive view of the self and the world in the face of a health problem’ (Sharpe & Curran, 2006, p. 1161). One example of when successful psychological adjustment to a long term condition faces a number of additional challenges is when it is experienced in a different social context – for example as an expatriate or migrant living in a different country from that of birth and early life. One area of migration which is of particular interest given its increase and relative lack of research is ‘lifestyle’ migration (Benson & O'Reilly, 2009). This type of migration is ‘the very antithesis of being economically motivated, and [is] undertaken by those who prioritise quality-of-life and aesthetic concerns over income’ (King, 2002, p. 100). Many lifestyle migrants tend to be older (e.g., retirees) (Huete & Mantecon, 2011) and many relocate from northern Europe to Southern Europe which, through the search for sunnier climates, has also been referred to as ‘heliotropic migration’ (King, Warnes, & Williams, 2000). Although figures are difficult to determine given the lack of data on specific types of migration within Europe, it is generally accepted that lifestyle migration in older north European citizens to southern Europe is on the rise (e.g., King, 2002). Indeed, in a study looking at the number of foreign nationals in one part of Spain, the Costa Blanca, 78% of the inhabitants of one town are foreign nationals and 92% of those are from the EU. Consequently, the aim of the study was to provide an in-depth idiographic account of the psychological processes involved in the adjustment of older UK citizens with a long term physical health condition currently living in Crete, the largest of the Greek islands.
Gameplay analysis through state projection

Analysis of gameplay data is crucial for evaluating design decisions and refining a game experience. However, identifying player strategies and finding areas of confusion is difficult because a designer may not know what queries to ask or what patterns to look for in the data. To make this task easier, we present Playtracer, a method for visually analyzing play traces that is independent of a specific game's structure. Playtracer applies multidimensional scaling to cluster players and game states, providing a detailed visual representation of the paths the players take through a game. We evaluate our method by analyzing an educational puzzle game and highlighting common hypotheses, pitfalls, confusing elements, and anomalies. Our results suggest that Playtracer can be an effective tool for game analysis and improvement.
Continuous caudal epidural anaesthesia for vaginal hysterectomy in a patient of heart disease and severe spinal deformity; a case report

We present this case report where we have used fluoroscopic localization of caudal space and caudal epidural catheter placement to conduct caudal epidural anaesthesia in a case of vaginal hysterectomy and colporrhaphy with co-morbidity of severe spinal deformity, valvular heart disease and pulmonary hypertension.
The neural representation of value and individual differences in human intertemporal choice

Intertemporal choices, or decisions that involve tradeoffs between rewards and time, are ubiquitous in our daily lives. The tendency to devalue, or discount, future rewards has been linked to maladaptive long-term health and financial outcomes. Despite their broad clinical relevance, individual differences in discounting preferences are poorly understood. In this thesis, we make progress on the understanding of the neural basis of these decisions and factors that affect individual differences. The first two chapters focus on neurobiology. Chapter 2 investigates the decision-related variables that best explain the observed patterns of BOLD activity in ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) and ventral striatum (VS) during intertemporal choice. We find that these regions carry different signals and likely contribute to different stages of the choice process. Across the brain, we find four kinds of value-responsive regions, each carrying different combinations of value-related signals. Next, we examine whether we can predict participants' choices from any or all of these groups of regions, and find that we can predict choice from most value-responsive regions, with interesting exceptions. In Chapter 3, we identify a novel brain predictor of individual differences in discounting. When participants are making judgments about how far away some number of days feels, discount rates, measured a week later, can be predicted from how VMPFC and VS respond as a function of temporal distance. This difference in the basic response to delayed time intervals could be a target for interventions aiming to reduce discount rates. In the final chapter, we find several behavioral manipulations that are able to reduce discount rates persistently and to a significant degree. We find that there is a general lack of knowledge about the normative strategy in the monetary discounting task, and that providing information about this strategy to accept all delayed offers that provide higher interest rates than one could obtain elsewhere reduces discounting significantly, for at least one month. Information about peers' strategies for making these decisions also reduces discounting. Taken together, this work advances our understanding of individual differences in discounting and further suggests interventions that could be used to reduce discounting. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Neuroscience First Advisor Joseph W. Kable
Immuno‐informatics: Mining genomes for vaccine components

The complete genome sequences of more than 60 microbes have been completed in the past decade. Concurrently, a series of new informatic stools, designed to harness this new wealth of information, have been developed. Some of these new tools allow researchers to select regions of microbial genomes that trigger immune responses. These regions, termed epitopes, are ideal components of vaccines. When the new tools are used to search for epitopes, this search is usually coupled with in vitro screening methods; an approach that has been termed computational immunology or immuno‐informatics. Researchers are now implementing these combined methods to scangenomic sequences for vaccine components. They are thereby expanding the number of different proteins that can be screened for vaccine development, while narrowing this search to those regions of the proteins that are extremely likely to induce an immune response. As the tools improve, it may soon be feasible to skip over many of the in vitro screening steps, moving directly from genome sequence to vaccine design. The present article reviews the work of several groups engaged in the development of immuno‐informatic stools and illustrates the application of these tools to the process of vaccine discovery.
Distance-aware multi-carrier (DAMC) modulation in Terahertz Band communication

Terahertz Band (0.1-10 THz) communication is envisioned as a key technology to satisfy the increasing demand for ultra-broadband wireless communication. THz Band communication will alleviate the spectrum scarcity and capacity limitations of current wireless systems, and enable new applications both in classical networks and novel nanoscale networks. In this paper, a novel distance-aware multi-carrier (DAMC) modulation scheme is developed for both single-transmitter single-receiver and single-transmitter multiple-receiver cases in THz Band communication. The developed DAMC modulation scheme takes advantage of the distance- and frequency-dependent channel peculiarities, and provides adaptive utilization of the ultra-broad bandwidth in the THz Band. Furthermore, the data rates of the DAMC scheme are analytically investigated, numerically evaluated, and compared with existing single-band pulse-based modulation and fixed-bandwidth adaptive modulation. The results show that data rates can be improved by one order of magnitude by using the DAMC scheme, at the costs of design complexity for the control unit, multi-carrier modulator and channel feedback path.
Surgery formula for Seiberg–Witten invariants of negative definite plumbed 3-manifolds

Abstract We derive a cut-and-paste surgery formula of Seiberg–Witten invariants for negative definite plumbed rational homology 3-spheres. It is similar to (and motivated by) Okuma's recursion formula [Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. ], 4.5, targeting analytic invariants of splice-quotient singularities. Combining the two formulas automatically provides a proof of the equivariant version [Némethi, Line bundles associated with normal surface singularities, World Sci. Publ. , 2007], 5.2(b), of the Seiberg–Witten invariant conjecture [Némethi and Nicolaescu, Geom. Topol. 6: 269–328, 2002] for these singularities.
Modulation of Caenorhabditis elegans infection sensitivity by the LIN-7 cell junction protein

In Caenorhabditis elegans, the LIN‐2/7/10 protein complex regulates the activity of signalling proteins. We found that inhibiting lin‐7 function, and also lin‐2 and lin‐10, resulted in enhanced C. elegans survival after infection by Burkholderia spp. , implicating a novel role for these genes in modulating infection outcomes. Genetic experiments suggested that this infection phenotype is likely caused by modulation of the DAF‐2 insulin/IGF‐1 signalling pathway. Supporting these observations, yeast two‐hybrid assays confirmed that the LIN‐2 PDZ domain can physically bind to the DAF‐2 C‐terminus. Loss of lin‐7 activity also altered DAF‐16 nuclear localization kinetics, indicating an additional contribution by hsf‐1. Unexpectedly, silencing lin‐7 in the hypodermis, but not the intestine, was protective against infection, implicating the hypodermis as a key tissue in this phenomenon. Finally, consistent with lin‐7 acting as a general host infection factor, lin‐7 mutants also exhibited enhanced survival upon infectionby two other Gram‐negative pathogens, Pseudomonas and Salmonella spp.
Effects of homogenous soil characteristics to the transient responses of a single long horizontal ground conductor model

This study presents various transient responses behaviours of a single long horizontal ground conductor due to various types of its surrounding homogenous soil. The study is done in time domain using TLM method for the transient node voltages and transient node currents along the ground conductor are demonstrated to be dissipated faster into its surrounding soil with a low resistivity value. It also shown that soil at low hills with rich soil and trees environments is more suitable to be the burial medium of a ground conductor compared to soil at high-rise city streets and industrial areas.
Inhibition of Axonal Growth by Brefeldin A in Hippocampal Neurons in Culture

The outgrowth of neuronal processes involves a great increase in the surface area of the cell. The supply of membrane material necessarily must be coordinated with the demands for neurite growth. The selective growth of only one or two neurites at any given time during the development of polarity raises the possibility that the production of materials by the soma is limiting for growth (Dotti and Banker, 1987; Dotti et al., 1988; Goslin and Banker, 1990). To examine the role of the availability of membrane components during the development of polarity and axonal elongation, we treated neurons with brefeldin A, an antibiotic that disrupts the trafficking of vesicles from the Golgi complex to the plasma membrane. Treatment with brefeldin A (1 μg/ml) inhibited axonal growth within 0.5 hr; in unpolarized cells it prevented the formation of an axon. These results indicate that the availability of membrane components of Golgi-derived vesicles is required for axonal growth and hence the development of polarity. Inhibitors of protein and RNA synthesis also blocked axonal growth and the development of polarity, but over a much slower time course. This suggests that the full complement of proteins and mRNAs required for the initial development of polarity is present for several hours before polarity is actually established.
Wavelet and wavelet-packet analysis of Lamb wave signatures in real-time instrumentation

A persistent problem in the analysis of Lamb wave signatures in experimental data is the fact that several different modes appear simultaneously in the signal. The modes overlap in both frequency and time domains. Attempts to separate the overlapping Lamb wave signatures by conventional signal processing methods have been unsatisfactory, As might be expected, the transient nature of Lamb waves makes them readily tractable to wavelet analysis. The authors have used the discrete wavelet transform and the wavelet packet transform to untangle the Lamb wave signature. Furthermore, both techniques are realizable in the highly parallel cascaded-lattice architecture, and are well suited for on-line real-time instrumentation. For signatures of Lamb waves captured in laser ultrasonic data in tailor-welded blanks, this has led to straightforward detection of weld defects and demonstration of principle that weld defects can be classified according to the type of defect as revealed by features in wavelet space. This technique has considerable commercial value for online monitoring of manufacturing processes. For example, laser-based ultrasonic (LBU) measurement shows great promise for on-line monitoring of weld quality in tailor-welded blanks. Tailor-welded blanks are steel blanks made from plates of differing thickness and/or properties butt-welded together; they are used in automobile manufacturing to produce body, frame, and closure panels.
The Impact of Education on the Development of Political Trust

There is a strong ongoing debate about the impact of higher education experiences on political attitudes and behaviours. While some authors assume a direct socialisation effect of educational experience, others have argued that education should be seen as a mere proxy variable for socioeconomic status and pre-adult socialisation experiences. In this paper we use a five-year Belgian panel study (BPPS, 2006-2011, n= 1,634) that tracked respondents between the ages of 16 and 21. Using a hierarchical linear model of repeated measurements, we are able to demonstrate that differences with regard to political trust between future students and non-students are already present and stable at the age of 16. Significant determinants were school track and educational goal. The inclusion of actual educational status in the model (at age 21), however, rendered the relation with educational goal not significant. The results suggest that students already during secondary education anticipate for and acquire a value pattern that is congruent with their future status. Ultimately, however, this effect is dependent on the fact whether they actually enroll in higher education or not.
Expository Writing Program: Making connections between reading and writing

completed the task through free associ ation or a "knowledge dump. " You are disappointed, and the stu dents confused about why their papers are not more positively received. What went wrong? Why do both good and poor readers have such difficulty writ ing informational papers? How can we design programs equally valuable for those who read grade level appropriate materials with ease, and those for whom low readability texts must be provided? One program recently developed and tested is the Expository Writing Pro gram (EWP). The EWP is designed to help students, regardless of reading level, learn about the writing process and the processes by which informa tion is gathered from multiple sources to produce well organized informa tional reports. Research studies on the effect of par ticipation in the EWP showed that
Neutral Amino Acid Transporter ASCT1 Is Preferentially Expressed in l-Ser-Synthetic/Storing Glial Cells in the Mouse Brain with Transient Expression in Developing Capillaries

Nonessential amino acid l-Ser plays an essential role in neuronal survival and differentiation, through preferential expression of the l-Ser biosynthetic enzyme 3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (3PGDH), in particular in glial cells but not in neurons. To seek the molecular candidates responsible for glia-borne l-Ser transport, we performed histochemical analyses on amino acid transporter ASCT1, which prefers small neutral amino acids, such as Ala, Ser, Cys, and Thr, and mediates their obligatory exchange. At early developmental stages, neuroepithelial cells constituting the ventricular zone expressed ASCT1 mRNA and protein ubiquitously. Thereafter, ASCT1 expression was gradually downregulated in neuronal populations during the late embryonic and neonatal periods, whereas its high expression was transmitted to radial glial cells and then to astrocytes. High levels of ASCT1 were also detected in the olfactory ensheathing glia. The preferential glial expression of ASCT1 was consistent with that of 3PGDH, and their extensive colocalization was demonstrated at the cellular level. Moreover, high cellular contents of l-Ser were revealed in these glial cells by using a specific antibody to l-Ser. These results strongly suggest that a large amount of l-Ser is synthesized and stored in these glial cells and is released through ASCT1 in exchange for other extracellular substrates. In addition, we observed prominent expression of ASCT1 in capillary endothelial cells of embryonic and neonatal brains. Therefore, ASCT1 appears to be regulated to meet metabolic demands by differentiating and mature neurons through the transport of glia- and blood-borne small neutral amino acids.
Detecting and correcting WiFi positioning errors

Recent advances in GPS and WiFi-based positioning technologies for mobile phones have triggered many location-based services. However, GPS positioning quickly drains a phone's battery and cannot be used indoors. On the other hand, WiFi positioning provides energy-efficient indoor and outdoor positioning with reasonable accuracy. However, WiFi positioning sometimes makes large errors caused by various reasons, e.g., the movement of reference WiFi access points. In this paper we attempt to detect and correct such errors automatically by performing outlier detection in time series. So, we solve this problem by comparing a user's current measurement at time T with her coordinate point at time T predicted from her past coordinate history, and judging whether the current measurement is correct or not by computing the distance between the measurement location and the predicted location. However, it is difficult to predict the user's coordinates accurately with a single prediction method (predictor) because the user's context (e.g., migration speed and sparseness of past coordinates) greatly affects predictor performance. We thus design a context-aware error detection method by employing an ensemble of predictors that have different strengths and weaknesses.
Prospects of molecular imaging in neurology

Molecular imaging aims towards the non‐invasive kinetic and quantitative assessment and localization of biological processes of normal and diseased cells in vivo in animal models and humans. Due to technological advances during the past years, imaging of molecular processes is a rapidly growing field, which has the potential of broad applications in the study of cell biology, biochemistry, gene/protein function and regulation, signal transduction, characterization of transgenic animals, development of new treatment strategies (gene or cell‐based) and their successful implementation into clinical application. Most importantly, the possibility to study these parameters in the same subject repeatedly over time makes molecular imaging an attractive technology to obtain reliable data and to safe recourse; for example, molecular imaging enables the assessment of an exogenously introduced therapeutic gene and the related alterations of endogenously regulated gene functions directly in the same subject. Therefore, molecular imaging will have great implications especially when molecular diagnostic and treatment modalities have to be translated from experimental into clinical application. Here, we review the three main imaging technologies, which have been developed for studying molecular processes in vivo, the disease models, which have been studied so far, and the potential future applications. J. Cell. Biochem. Suppl. 39: 98–109, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
An overview of automatic speaker diarization systems

Audio diarization is the process of annotating an input audio channel with information that attributes (possibly overlapping) temporal regions of signal energy to their specific sources. These sources can include particular speakers, music, background noise sources, and other signal source/channel characteristics. Diarization can be used for helping speech recognition, facilitating the searching and indexing of audio archives, and increasing the richness of automatic transcriptions, making them more readable. In this paper, we provide an overview of the approaches currently used in a key area of audio diarization, namely speaker diarization, and discuss their relative merits and limitations. Performances using the different techniques are compared within the framework of the speaker diarization task in the DARPA EARS Rich Transcription evaluations. We also look at how the techniques are being introduced into real broadcast news systems and their portability to other domains and tasks such as meetings and speaker verification
Clinical Outcomes of Patients with Rare and Heavily Pretreated Solid Tumors Treated according to the Results of Tumor Molecular Profiling

Patients with heavily pretreated advanced cancer or with rare tumors are difficult to treat. Molecular profiling (MP) of tumors to identify biomarkers that predict potential outcomes with individual therapies is an emerging strategy to guide treatment decisions. Patients with rare tumors for which standard-of-care therapy was unavailable or more common tumors for which standard-of-care options had been exhausted underwent MP at a single Australian center. Data regarding treating physicians' choice of therapy, MP results and recommendations, and patient outcomes were collected. Seven patients had received prior standard first-line therapy (PST), 16 had rare tumors, and 31 had been heavily pretreated (HPT; ≥2 prior lines). Most treatments suggested by MP (541/594; 91.1%) were common chemotherapy drugs available in generic formulations. MP-guided therapy recommendations differed from physician's recommendations in 48 patients (88.9%). MP-guided therapy produced clinical benefit (improved QOL and/or performance status, symptoms, bodyweight, or RECIST) in 19/31 (61.3%), 11/16 (68.8%), and 3/7 (42.9%) patients with HPTs, rare tumors, and PSTs, respectively, and had a PFS ratio ≥1.3 in 22/37 evaluable patients (59.5%; 95% confidence interval 44–76%). The null hypothesis that ≤15% of these patients would have a PFS ratio ≥1.3 was rejected (one-sided p < 0.0001). In conclusion, using MP to guide therapy selection is feasible in clinical practice and may improve patient outcomes.