Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Psychopathological and Functional Correlates of Behavioral Activation and Avoidance in Schizophrenia

Behavioral activation and avoidance are well studied in depression, yet the relationship of these constructs to symptoms, cognitive ability and functioning in schizophrenia is poorly understood. In a sample of 73 middle-aged and older outpatients with schizophrenia (mean [SD] age, 50.3 [6.3] years), we examined the relationship of the Activation and Avoidance subscales of the Behavioral Activation for Depression Scale with measures of psychopathology (positive and negative symptoms, depression), global cognitive ability, and functioning (observer-rated, performance-based, and subjective functioning). Neither activation nor avoidance related to sociodemographic variables, age of onset, or antipsychotic dose. Although activation and avoidance were significantly intercorrelated, only behavioral activation was significantly associated with depression and subjective functioning, whereas only avoidance related to negative symptoms. Avoidance accounted for significant variation in observer-rated functioning after adjusting for cognitive ability. These results suggest that activation and avoidance may be important therapeutic targets in schizophrenia, with somewhat divergent pathways among psychopathological features to functional impairment.
Multiple Secret Keys based Security for Wireless Sensor Networks

We propose a security approach that uses secret key cryptography and key management along with re-keying support. A salient feature of our approach is that a secret key is embedded in the source code of every node to protect the other keys in its non-volatile memory. Even the node is captured physically; the sensitive information cannot be retrieved. Our key selection protocol uses the node ID and some basic rotate and multiplication function to select the key for current data transmission. Because of this dynamic key selection, our approach identifies the replay attack, DoS attack and Sybil attack. Our simulation results shows that our security mechanism efficiently controls various attacks with lower resource requirements and the network resilience against node capture is substantially improved.
Localized Learning and Social Capital: the Geography Effect in Technological and Institutional Dynamics Localized Learning and Social Capital: the Geography Effect in Technological and Institutional Dynamics

Providing a concise working definition of social capital, this conceptual paper analyses why social capital is important for learning and economic development, why it has a regional dimension, and how it is created. It argues that with the rise of the Knowledge Economy, social capital is becoming valuable because it organizes markets, lowering business firms' costs of coordinating and allowing them to flexibly connect and reconnect. Thus, it serves as a social framework for localized learning in both breadth and depth. The paper suggests that a range of social phenomena such as altruism, trust, participation, and inclusion, are created when a matrix of various social relations is combined with particular normative and cognitive social institutions that facilitate cooperation and reciprocity. Such a matrix of social relations, plus facilitating institutions, is what the paper defines as " social capital ". The paper further suggests that social capital is formed at the regional (rather than national or international) level, because it is at this level we find the densest matrices of social relations. The paper also offers a discussion of how regional policies may be suited for promoting social capital.
Wireless sensors and neural networks for intruders detection and classification

The problem of automating the detection and classification of intruders in vast and hard to reach terrains has been an active research topic over the past decade. In this paper we present a new paradigm of intrusion detection and classification by combining the sensing potential of self-configuring and instantly-deployable wireless sensor networks (WSN's) with the reasoning capabilities of artificial neural networks (ANN's). The implemented system is referred to by WINIDC (Wireless Sensors and Neural Networks for Intruders Detection and Classification). WINIDC has been designed to detect intruders of many sizes and types. It can be considered as a smart and economical solution for the addressed surveillance problem. It is smart as it utilizes artificial neural networks to classify the different types of intruders. It is economical as it utilizes small, cheap wireless sensor nodes that are self-powered and self-configuring. Traditional solutions to such surveillance problem are expensive, complex and hard to maintain. The results show that integrating ANNs along with WSNs allow for real-time and accurate detection and classification of intruders. The proposed system can be utilized in monitoring intruders to protect assets and national borders.
Inhibition of gamma-secretase activity inhibits tumor progression in a mouse model of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND & AIMS The Notch signaling pathway is required for the expansion of undifferentiated pancreatic progenitor cells during embryonic development and has been implicated in the progression of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The interaction of Notch ligands with their receptors promotes a gamma-secretase-dependent cleavage of the Notch receptor and release of the Notch intracellular domain, which translocates to the nucleus and activates transcription. We investigated the role of this pathway in PDAC progression. METHODS We tested the effects of a gamma-secretase inhibitor (GSI) that blocks Notch signaling in PDAC cell lines and a genetically engineered mouse model of PDAC (Kras p53 L/+ mice). RESULTS Notch signaling was activated in PDAC precursors and advanced tumors. The GSI inhibited the growth of premalignant pancreatic duct-derived cells in a Notch-dependent manner. Additionally, in a panel of over 400 human solid tumor-derived cell lines, PDAC cells, as a group, were more sensitive to the GSI than any other tumor type. Finally, the GSI completely inhibited tumor development in the genetically engineered model of invasive PDAC (P < .005, chi2 test; compared with mice exposed to vehicle). CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that Notch signaling is required for PDAC progression. Pharmacologic targeting of this pathway offers therapeutic potential in this treatment-refractory malignancy.
Experience with Memory Allocators for Parallel Mesh Generation on Multi-core Architectures

Scalable and locality-aware multiprocessor memory allocators are critical for harnessing the potential of emerging multithreaded and multicore architectures. This paper evaluates two state-of-the-art generic multithreaded allocators designed for both scalability and locality, against custom allocators, written to optimize the multithreaded implementation of parallel mesh generation algorithms. We use three different algorithms in terms of communication/synchronization requirements. The implementations of all three algorithms are heavily dependent on dynamically allocated pointer-based data structures and all three use optimized internal memory allocators based on application-specific knowledge. For our study we used memory allocators which are implemented and evaluated on two real multiprocessors with a multi-SMT (quad Hyperthreaded Intel) and a multi-CMP/SMT (dual IBM Power5) organization. Our results indicate that properly engineered generic memory allocators can come close or sometimes exceed (in sequential allocation) the performance of custom multi-threaded allocators. These results suggest that in the near future we should be able to develop generic multi-threaded allocators that can adapt to application characteristics and increase productivity without compromising performance.
Non-target Effects of Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP)-derived Double-Stranded RNA (dsRNA-GFP) Used in Honey Bee RNA Interference (RNAi) Assays

RNA interference has been frequently applied to modulate gene function in organisms where the production and maintenance of mutants is challenging, as in our model of study, the honey bee, Apis mellifera. A green fluorescent protein (GFP)-derived double-stranded RNA (dsRNA-GFP) is currently commonly used as control in honey bee RNAi experiments, since its gene does not exist in the A. mellifera genome. Although dsRNA-GFP is not expected to trigger RNAi responses in treated bees, undesirable effects on gene expression, pigmentation or developmental timing are often observed. Here, we performed three independent experiments using microarrays to examine the effect of dsRNA-GFP treatment (introduced by feeding) on global gene expression patterns in developing worker bees. Our data revealed that the expression of nearly 1,400 genes was altered in response to dsRNA-GFP, representing around 10% of known honey bee genes. Expression changes appear to be the result of both direct off-target effects and indirect downstream secondary effects; indeed, there were several instances of sequence similarity between putative siRNAs generated from the dsRNA-GFP construct and genes whose expression levels were altered. In general, the affected genes are involved in important developmental and metabolic processes associated with RNA processing and transport, hormone metabolism, immunity, response to external stimulus and to stress. These results suggest that multiple dsRNA controls should be employed in RNAi studies in honey bees. Furthermore, any RNAi studies involving these genes affected by dsRNA-GFP in our studies should use a different dsRNA control.
Receipt of cancer screening procedures among Hispanic and non‐Hispanic health maintenance organization members

Hispanic Americans have been shown to receive fewer cancer screening procedures than nonminority populations. Although lack of insurance or a regular source of care appear to be important determinants, cultural factors also have been suggested. This study examines whether Hispanic patients receive cancer screening at the same rate as the non‐Hispanic population when both groups have equivalent insurance and a regular source of care.
Suspended-sediment concentration and pool sedimentation data for the Gibbon River, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, September 2000 through October 2001

Abstract : This report presents data on streamflow, suspended- sediment concentration, geomorphic measurements of pools, and particle-size distribution of surficial bed material, collected along a 5-mile reach of the Gibbon River in Yellowstone National Park. The study was done in cooperation with the National Park Service. The Park Service was concerned about the potential effects that road reconstruction would have on water quality. A streamflow-gaging station and two automatic pumping samplers were installed in September 2000 to collect suspended-sediment samples. The gage and samplers were operated seasonally from March through September 2001. The geomorphic survey of pools and sampling of bed material occurred during October 2000.
Historical Instability and Recent Slope Evolution of the Ilice Torrent Catchment, Calabria, Italy

The present paper focuses on the geomorphological evolution of the central sector of Ilice Torrent basin, Italy, where deeply weathered crystalline rocks are present. Based on archival research, multitemporal air photo analysis, and geomorphological surveys, the study gives new insights into an area extensively affected by mass movements. The Santo Miele complex landslide is the main landform in the area. In 1996 it underwent a phase of reactivation, which in turn caused serious damage to public infrastructure and private properties. Based on analysis of the study area during the period 1955-2004, five geomorphological maps were produced, integrated by field surveys conducted between 2005 and 2006. Since 1955 several landslides have been recognized, with a relevant increase in the areal extent of unstable areas in 1979. Slope instability has been documented since at least the 16th century, when the Santo Miele landslide was already active.
Integration of Six-Phase EV Drivetrains Into Battery Charging Process With Direct Grid Connection

The paper proposes two novel topologies for integrated battery charging of electric vehicles. The integration is functional and manifests through re-utilization of existing propulsion drivetrain components, primarily a six-phase inverter and a six-phase machine, to serve as components of a fast (three-phase) charging system. An important feature of the proposed charging systems is that they are with direct grid connection, thus nonisolated from the mains. Torque is not produced in machines during the charging process. The paper provides a comprehensive evaluation of the novel systems, together with an existing topology. Various aspects of the considered chargers are detailed and elaborated, including current balancing, interleaving modulation strategy, and influence of rotor field pulsation on control and overall performance. A control strategy is proposed and the theory and control scheme are verified by experiments.
An efficient link aware route selection algorithm for WiMAX mobile multi-hop relay networks

Multi-hop relay technology is designed to provide capacity enhancement and coverage extension for wireless broadband access system such as WiMAX and LTE-Advanced. However, overall system performances worsen as the number of hop increases. For this reason, resource control function specifically route selection problem should be tackled precisely so that better system performance can be achieved. Route selection or routing is a process to identify the best route to deliver information from source to destination by considering the constraints of available radio resource of the route. In this paper, we proposed a new route selection scheme named as Link Aware Route Selection Scheme (LARSS) for WiMAX Mobile Multi-hop Relay Networks aiming at maximizing network throughput and minimizing end-to-end delay. The proposed scheme exploits link quality and hop count as route metric. We conducted simulation study to evaluate the performance of the proposed scheme. Through the simulation, our proposed scheme outperformed the existing scheme in term of throughput and end-to-end delay.
Using the forest to see the trees: exploiting context for visual object detection and localization

Recognizing objects in images is an active area of research in computer vision. In the last two decades, there has been much progress and there are already object recognition systems operating in commercial products. However, most of the algorithms for detecting objects perform an exhaustive search across all locations and scales in the image comparing local image regions with an object model. That approach ignores the semantic structure of scenes and tries to solve the recognition problem by brute force. In the real world, objects tend to covary with other objects, providing a rich collection of contextual associations. These contextual associations can be used to reduce the search space by looking only in places in which the object is expected to be; this also increases performance, by rejecting patterns that look like the target but appear in unlikely places. Most modeling attempts so far have defined the context of an object in terms of other previously recognized objects. The drawback of this approach is that inferring the context becomes as difficult as detecting each object. An alternative view of context relies on using the entire scene information holistically. This approach is algorithmically attractive since it dispenses with the need for a prior step of individual object recognition. In this paper, we use a probabilistic framework for encoding the relationships between context and object properties and we show how an integrated system provides improved performance. We view this as a significant step toward general purpose machine vision systems.
Segregation of areas related to visual working memory in the prefrontal cortex revealed by rTMS.

The functional organization of working memory (WM) in the human prefrontal cortex remains unclear. Storage and processing functions might be segregated in ventral and dorsal areas of the prefrontal cortex, respectively. If so, storage functions might be spared, irrespective of informational domain, following damage or dysfunction in dorsolateral areas. Alternatively, WM and prefrontal function in general might be segregated according to informational domains (e.g. spatial versus object-based information). In the present study we used repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to directly test these competing hypotheses. We applied rTMS to transiently and selectively disrupt the function of the dorsomedial, dorsolateral or ventral prefrontal cortex in normal human volunteers performing either a spatial or a face-recognition delayed-response task. Performance in the spatial task was impaired by rTMS of the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex. Performance in the face-recognition (non-spatial) task was impaired by rTMS of the ventral prefrontal cortex. Transient disruption of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex affected performance in both tasks. These findings provide evidence of domain-specific segregation of WM functions in widely separated areas of prefrontal cortex.
Double waves in multi-dimensional systems of hydrodynamic type: the necessary condition for integrability

The invariant differential-geometric approach to the integrability of (2+1)- dimensional systems of hydrodynamic type is developed. It is argued that the existence of special solutions known as `double waves' is generically equivalent to the diagonalizability of an arbitrary matrix of some two-parameter family of matrices associated with the system. Since the diagonalizability can be effectively verified by differential-geometric means, this provides a simple necessary condition for integrability.
An analysis of the charge structure of lightning discharges to ground

Sources of charge for the individual strokes of four multiple-stroke flashes to ground have been determined, using measurements of the electrostatic field change obtained at eight locations on the ground beneath the storm. The resulting charge locations have been compared to 3-cm radar measurements of precipitation structure in the storm. The field changes of individual strokes were found to be reasonably consistent with the lowering to ground of a localized or spherically symmetric charge in the cloud. The centers of charge for successive strokes of each flash developed over large horizontal distances within the cloud, up to 8 km, at more or less constant elevation between the −9° and −17°C environmental (clear air) temperature levels. Comparison with the radar measurements has shown that the discharges developed through the full horizontal extent of the precipitating region of the storm and appeared to be bounded within this extent. In one instance where cellular structure of the storm was apparent, the strokes selectively discharged regions where the precipitation echo was the strongest. Vertical extent of the stroke charge locations was small in comparison with the vertical extent of the storm. The field changes in the intervals between strokes have been found to exhibit many of the features which Malan and Schonland used to infer that ground flashes discharge a nearly vertical column of charge in the cloud. This and other evidence is used to show that their observations, which were made at a single station, could instead have been of horizontally developing discharges. The interstroke field changes have been analyzed using a point dipole model and found to correspond to predominantly horizontal charge motion that was closely associated with the ground stroke sources for the flashes. The interstroke activity served effectively to transport negative charge in the direction of earlier stroke volumes and often persisted in the vicinity of an earlier stroke volume, while subsequent strokes discharged more distant regions of the cloud. Long-duration field changes that sometimes preceded the first stroke of a flash have been analyzed and found to correspond to a series of vertical and horizontal breakdown events within the cloud, prior to development of a leader to ground. These events were associated in part with the negative charge region that became the source of the first stroke and effectively transported negative charge away from the first stroke charge volume and from the charge volumes of subsequent strokes. Several continuing current discharges were found also to progress horizontally within the cloud and sustained currents in the range of 580 A to less than 50 A. The continuing current field changes were consistently better fitted by the monopole charge model than the field changes of discrete strokes within the same flash.
Representing the global-scale water masses in ocean general circulation models

Abstract A hierarchy of coarse-resolution World Ocean experiments were integrated with a view to determining the most appropriate representation of the global-scale water masses in ocean general circulation models. The largest-scale response of the simulated ocean to the prescribed forcing in each model run is described. The World Ocean model eventually has a realistic approximation of continental outlines and bottom bathymetry. The model forcing at the sea surface is derived from climatological fields of temperature, salinity, and wind stress. The first experiment begins with a quite unrealistic and idealized World Ocean. Subsequent experiments then employ more realistic surface boundary conditions, model geometry, and internal physical processes. In all, 16 changes to the model configuration are investigated. A fundamental dynamical constraint in the Drake Passage gap appears to limit the outflow rate of bottom water in the Antarctic region. This constraint acts to decouple the extreme Antarctic waters .
Identification and Analysis of Expression of Novel MicroRNAs of Murine Gammaherpesvirus 68

ABSTRACT Murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV-68) is closely related to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) and provides a small-animal model with which to study the pathogenesis of gammaherpesvirus (γHV) infections. To completely explore the potential of the MHV-68 system for the investigation of γHV microRNAs (miRNAs), it would be desirable to know the number and expression patterns of all miRNAs encoded by MHV-68. By deep sequencing of small RNAs, we systematically investigated the expression profiles of MHV-68 miRNAs in both lytically and persistently infected cells. In addition to the nine known MHV-68 miRNAs, we identified six novel MHV-68 miRNA genes and analyzed the expression levels of all MHV-68 miRNAs. Furthermore, we also characterized the cellular miRNA expression signatures in MHV-68-infected versus noninfected NIH 3T3 fibroblasts and in 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-treated versus nontreated S11 cells. We found that mmu-mir-15b and mmu-mir-16 are highly upregulated upon MHV-68 infection of NIH 3T3 cells, indicating a potential role for cellular miRNAs during MHV-68 infection. Our data will aid in the full exploration of the functions of γHV miRNAs.