Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Symptom domains of schizophrenia: the role of atypical antipsychotic agents

Given their more obvious presentation, the reduction of positive symptoms and their associated behavioural problems have been considered the most important treatment outcome parameter in patients with schizophrenia. However, the development of the atypical antipsychotic agents in the early 1990s resulted in the adoption of more wide-reaching measures of therapeutic outcome. The aim of this review was to evaluate the efficacy of currently available atypical agents across multiple symptom domains of schizophrenia with a specific focus on negative symptoms, neurocognition, social functioning, quality of life and insight. As such, studies published between January 1990 and December 2005 that evaluated the clinical efficacy and tolerability of atypical antipsychotics in different symptom domains of schizophrenia were reviewed as identified from literature researches using MEDLINE and Embase. Abstracts and posters presented at key psychiatry and schizophrenia congresses during this period were also reviewed where available in the public domain. Results from the studies identified have consistently demonstrated that atypical antipsychotics have substantial advantages over conventional antipsychotics with a broader spectrum of efficacy across symptomatic domains of schizophrenia as proven by greater improvements in negative symptoms and cognitive function and a beneficial effect on affective symptoms and quality of life. However, their clinical advantages have often been limited by patients’ partial compliance with therapy. As such, the development of a long-acting atypical antipsychotic agent may provide a new and valuable treatment option for patients with schizophrenia.
The effect of stereotype threat on older people’s clinical cognitive outcomes: investigating the moderating role of dementia worry

Abstract Objective: Numerous studies have shown that stereotype threat (ST) reduces older people’s cognitive performance, but few have studied its impact on clinical cognitive outcomes. Our study was designed to further examine the impact of ST on the clinical assessment of older subjects’ cognitive functioning, as well as the moderating role of fear of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) (or ‘dementia worry’). Method: Seventy-two neurologically normal (MMSE > 26) participants aged between 59 and 70 completed a set of neuropsychological tasks in either an ST or a positive condition (condition in which negative stereotypes were invalidated). Results: Regression-based path analyses showed that only participants who expressed moderate or high fear of AD underperformed on executive tasks in the ST condition compared to their counterparts in the positive condition. Moreover, in the ST condition, participants’ performance on executive tasks was more impaired (relative to normative data) than in the positive condition. However, ST had no effect on memory and attention performance. Discussion: Our results showed that ST can cause older people to perform at pathological levels on executive tasks. Results highlight the need for clinicians to be cautious when conducting neuropsychological assessments of older people who express high levels of dementia worry.
The evolving dynamics of outsourcing: control and conflict a vendors perspective

This paper reports on unique longitudinal research conducted within a complex multi-vendor environment in the defence sector and describes the evolving relationship between the vendors and the defence client organization as they developed and implemented an outsourced HRM application development within Europe. The scale, technical complexity and multinational nature of the project drove the formation of a supplier consortium to deliver the project. The project was tracked over a period of four years and a contextualised process model was applied, focused on the design and configuration phase, to clarify complex social processes and to expose the key incidents that framed its evolution. The analysis demonstrated the critical nature of initial and antecedent conditions and how governance and strict contractual controls interacted to cause project failure. The study gives a unique insight into the vendor perspective in an outsourced context and shows how the interplay between bargaining and control led to the focal organization shifting between collaborative and compliant work processes.
In vitro organogenesis of pancreas in Xenopus laevis dorsal lips treated with retinoic acid

Dorsal lips of Xenopus laevis may differentiate into pancreas after treatment with retinoic acid in vitro. The dorsal lip region is fated to be dorsal mesoderm and anterior endoderm. Dorsal lip cells isolated from stage 10 early gastrula differentiate into tissues such as notochord, muscle and pharynx. However, in the present study, dorsal lips treated with 10–4M retinoic acid for 3 h differentiated into pancreas‐like structures accompanied by notochord and thick endodermal epithelium. Sections of the explants showed that some cells gathered and formed an acinus‐like structure as observed under microscopes. In addition to the morphological changes, expressions of the pancreas‐specific molecular markers, XlHbox8 and insulin, were induced in retinoic acid‐treated dorsal lip explants. Therefore, it is suggested that retinoic acid may induce the dorsal lip cells to differentiate into a functional pancreas. However, continuous treatment with retinoic acid did not induce pancreas differentiation at any concentration. Dorsal lips treated with retinoic acid within 5 h after isolation differentiated into pancreas‐like cells, while those treated after 15 h or more did not. The present study provided a suitable test system for analyzing pancreas differentiation in early vertebrate development.
3D graphics file formats - a programmers reference

This text/CD-ROM package facilitates the process of converting 3D files. It looks at commonly used file formats - VRML, 3D studio Wavefront, trueSpace, AutoCAD and POVray. The CD-ROM contains C/C++ code from the book, and over 100 royalty-free objects.
Knowledge management capability: defining knowledge assets

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show that separate sources of knowledge are identified, described and clearly defined as organizational intangible knowledge assets. These knowledge assets are referred to as knowledge capabilities (KCs). knowledge management (KM) is utilized to leverage these assets with a view to systematic improvement in the process of achieving increased firm performance.Design/methodology/approach – In this paper knowledge capabilities are described in terms of their knowledge life cycle, tacit/implicit/explicit nature of knowledge, technology and organizational processes that encompass a firm's human capital identified as knowledge workers.Findings – The paper finds that five knowledge capability are presented and described as expertise, lessons learned, policies and procedures, data and knowledge documents.Research limitations/implications – The paper shows that knowledge assets can be measured and improved in order to investigate causal relationships with identified measur.
Understanding Agent-Based On-Line Persuasion and Bargaining Strategies: An Empirical Study

The application of software agents to facilitate on-line trading was an important initiative at the dawn of e-commerce, but researchers have not studied the effects of agent-to-human persuasion under different customer characteristics. This paper investigates the application of several persuasion and bargaining strategies to customers with different elaboration levels. Two experiments based on the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) were conducted in an on-line used-car-selling scenario. A software agent interacting with customers as a virtual salesperson adopted a persuasion strategy that was either relevant or irrelevant to product attributes and a bargaining strategy that was either tough or moderate. The results show that if the sales agent's strategies accord with the customer's characteristics, the customer's purchasing attitude can be changed and the seller's profit increased. This finding can be used as a guideline in designing sales agents for on-line sales activities.
A REVIEW OF THE CONTROL OF PHLEBOTOMINE SANDFLIES (DIPTERA: PSYCHODIDAE) AND A SURVEY OF RESPONSES ON MANAGEMENT OF VISCERAL LEISHMANIASIS BY RESIDENTS LIVING IN A FOCUS OF THE DISEASE IN MARIGAT, KENYA.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a serious disease caused by species of the parasitic protists Leishmania. It can affect humans living in parts of the tropics and sub-tropics and is transmitted by Phlebotomus sandflies. I review the current knowledge of the disease with emphasis on its occurence in Kenya. The annual increase of reported cases indicates that a detailed study of vector habitats, animal reservoirs and socioeconomic policies on the disease is neccessary. A survey was conducted in a focus of the disease in western Kenya to investigate the control of sandflies. Residents were interviewed on issues related to vector control and observations were made of factors that influence the use of control measures. Age, life styles and population migrations had a direct effect on the risk of sandfly attack. Children aged 3-14 years appeared more at risk as well as inhabitants who were pastoralists. Use of permethrin-impregnated screens as barriers or repellants was limited by the cost of materials used, handling and effectiveness of the insecticide against different vector species. Current treatment of patients with injections of pentavalent antimonials is expensive due to the length of treatment and the distance the patient must travel to receive it. I conclude that there is need for increased public education, structural development plans that include sandfly management strategies and control methods that would ensure the removal of breeding and resting sites of the vectors within human habitation.
View Does Axonemal Dynein Push , Pull , or Oscillate ?

Dynein is the molecular motor that provides motive force in cilia and flagella. Dynein is anchored to the A-subtubule of the outer doublets by a club-shaped extension called the stem, which supports the large globular head of the molecule. Dynein forms an attachment or cross-bridge to the B-subtubule of the adjacent outer doublet through a slender appendage extending from the head that is called the stalk or alternately the B-link. It is generally thought that the B-link mediates the interdoublet transfer of force that bends the flagellum. This requires that energy released at the site of ATP hydrolysis, located in the globular head, be transferred as mechanical work to the microtubule binding site at the tip of the B-link. It has been proposed that this is accomplished by a sideways or rotational translocation of the B-link caused by a rotation of the globular head. An estimate of the stiffness of the B-link and stem derived from the recently published data of Burgess et al. [2003: Nature 421:715–718] yields a maximum stiffness of 0.47 pN/nm for the B-link and 0.1 pN/nm for the stem. The B-link stiffness would allow transfer of 3.8 pN of force in response to an 8-nm displacement of the B-link tip. However, if as proposed the globular head of the dynein heavy chain is supported by the stem, the B-link and stem elasticity are in series. Thus, the flexibility of the stem would limit the force that can be transferred laterally by the entire dynein heavy chain to 0.6 pN at 8 nm displacement. This force is insufficient to support flagellar motility. So, if the stem were the only support for the globular head, then force would have to be transmitted linearly along the axis defined by the stem and B-link. Because this configuration is never observed, the hypothesis that dynein generates force by lateral displacement of the B-link is more attractive, but requires that the globular head of the dynein is stabilized by an additional means of support during the power stroke. We propose that the microtubule affinity of the tip of the B-link is independent of the ATP-dependent powerstroke, and that detachment from the B-subtubule is regulated by tension. A dynein cross-bridge cycle that incorporates an anchored head, together with a ratchet-like mechanism for microtubule translocation by the B-link, would have distinct advantages. This mechanism may reconcile dynein oscillation and interdoublet sliding within one cross-bridge mechanism. Cell Motil. Cytoskeleton 56:237–244, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Control of Inverted Double Pendulum using Reinforcement Learning

In this project, we apply reinforcement learning techniques to control an inverted double pendulum on a cart. We successfully learn a controller for balancing in a simulation environment using Qlearning with a linear function approximator, without any prior knowledge of the system at hand. We do however fail to learn a controller for the swingup maneuver, which leads to a discussion on what might be needed to solve more complex control problems using reinforcement learning.
An experimental study of 3D odor plume tracking using multicopter with gas sensor array

This paper shows that experimental results for three-dimensional odor plume tracking using a multicopter with semiconductor-type gas sensor array. The 3D gas tracking aerial robot for monitoring of forest fire is developed, and the quadcopter has four gas sensor pairs put on under each rotor to expose the sensors to localized airflow made by rotors, which the sensor pairs will be prepared to detect a change of odorants and generation of hydrogen in early stage of fire. Here it is investigated that detecting odorants and estimating of a direction of arrival (DOA) of the source. The results of preliminary experiments of the 3D ethanol gas plume tracking by the aerial robot are illustrated. Then aspirating odor around the rotors of the multicopter, the gas sensor array can be responded to the gas concentration gradient even though the sensors are not separated with any airflow rectifiers. The results show that the gas sensor array in the rotors can express the DOA of gas source.
Notice of RetractionHuman Resource Practices and Organizational Innovation Performance in the PRC: The Mediating Role of Absorptive Capacity

The capability to acquire, assimilate, transfer and utilize new knowledge is considered as one of the main sources of the competitive advantage of an organization. This study examined the role of absorptive capacity in the relationship between human resource practices and innovation performance. The empirical tests in a sample of 154 Chinese firms indicated that HR practices were positively related to absorptive capacity which, in turn, had a positive effect on innovation performance. Implications of these results and future research were discussed.
Spectroscopic Identification of Carbonate Minerals in the Martian Dust

Thermal infrared spectra of the martian surface indicate the presence of small concentrations (∼2 to 5 weight %) of carbonates, specifically dominated by magnesite (MgCO3). The carbonates are widely distributed in the martian dust, and there is no indication of a concentrated source. The presence of small concentrations of carbonate minerals in the surface dust and in martian meteorites can sequester several bars of atmospheric carbon dioxide and may have been an important sink for a thicker carbon dioxide atmosphere in the martian past.
David Grove ' s Metaphors for Healing

Within the ever-expanding list of approaches to psychotherapy, there is a tendency to overlook deep imagery approaches. The current paper reports on one such metaphor-based therapy developed by David Grove (Grove & Panzer, 1989). The approach is analyzed within the context of mainstream contemporary psychotherapy in general, the state of empirical understanding of common processes to psychotherapy, and in relation to other deep imagerybased approaches to therapy. Next, a step-by-step description of the techniques used within metaphor therapy are presented, along with a case example demonstrating the use of these techniques on a case involving pain symptoms. Finally, it is argued that deep imagery approaches in general, and Grove’s approach in particular, may provide a means for greater theoretical integration within integrative health-care.
Detection and Quantification of Bremia lactucae by Spore Trapping and Quantitative PCR.

Bremia lactucae is an obligate, oomycete pathogen of lettuce that causes leaf chlorosis and necrosis and adversely affects marketability. The disease has been managed with a combination of host resistance and fungicide applications with success over the years. Fungicide applications are routinely made under the assumption that inoculum is always present during favorable environmental conditions. This approach often leads to fungicide resistance in B. lactucae populations. Detection and quantification of airborne B. lactucae near lettuce crops provides an estimation of the inoculum load, enabling more judicious timing of fungicide applications. We developed a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)-based assay using a target sequence in mitochondrial DNA for specific detection of B. lactucae. Validation using amplicon sequencing of DNA from 83 geographically diverse isolates, representing 14 Bremia spp. , confirmed that the primers developed for the TaqMan assays are species specific and only amplify templates from B. lactucae. DNA from a single sporangium could be detected at a quantification cycle (Cq) value of 32, and Cq values >35 were considered to be nonspecific. The coefficient of determination (R2) for regression between sporangial density derived from flow cytometry and Cq values derived from the qPCR was 0.86. The assay was deployed using spore traps in the Salinas Valley, where nearly half of U.S. lettuce is produced. The deployment of this sensitive B. lactucae-specific assay resulted in the detection of the pathogen during the 2-week lettuce-free period as well as during the cropping season. These results demonstrate that this assay will be useful for quantifying inoculum load in and around the lettuce fields for the purpose of timing fungicide applications based on inoculum load.
Harmonic-balance analysis of digital frequency dividers

In this letter, a novel technique that enables the simulation of digital frequency dividers at low computation cost using conventional harmonic-balance software is presented. It relies on a continuation method, implemented with standard library elements, which is externally coupled to the core of the harmonic-balance algorithm. The technique provides a straightforward method for tracing solution curves and input sensitivity curves of frequency dividers. A digital divide-by-two monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) has been analyzed using the proposed technique.
An investigation into IS outsourcing success: the role of quality and change management

Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) has been recognised as a means of achieving organisational strategy. Information System (IS) outsourcing causes deep impact to organisations, such as managerial structure change, task and jobs changes, people and relationship changes and information technology and infrastructure changes. Therefore, finding effective ways to manage organisational changes is a key outsourcing success factor. This paper proposes a model to illustrate the interrelationships between and among the constructs of outsourcing competence, outsourcing change management, outsourcing quality and outsourcing success.
Properties of Surface Metal Micromachined Rectangular Waveguide Operating Near 3 THz

Single-mode TE10 rectangular waveguides operating near 3 THz have been demonstrated. The waveguides have internal dimensions of 75 μm × 37 μm (WR-0.3) and are fabricated using an additive gold electroplating process on a silicon substrate. The impact of photoresist removal holes was minimized by full-wave design of the hole and matching structures. Waveguides were measured at three frequencies from 2.56 to 3.11 THz and demonstrated loss as low as 1.3 dB/mm at 3.11 THz, corresponding to a loss per wavelength of 0.12 dB/λ. This paper summarizes the design, fabrication, and measurement of these micromachined waveguides operating near 3 THz.
Design Of A Single-Ridged Waveguide Test-Set For The 28 GHz Band

This paper describes the design of a novel test-set for single-ridged waveguides in the 28.5 GHz band. The test-set composes of three main parts: a waveguide transformer with a 90° bend, a part of an antenna array (slots) represented by a ridged waveguide transmission line and a load. The transformer provides a single-ridged-waveguide-to-standard-WR-28 transition and vice versa. This transition forms the interface to the measurement equipment and parts of its design will also be applied to the original design of the antenna. The load can be tested by connecting it to the single-ridged output port of the adapter or to the waveguide transmission line. This saves precious development time and costs, and enables also an accurate verification of the adapter design. The waveguide transmission line can be used to test different slot configurations. Some simulations have been performed to investigate the tolerance values required for manufacturing the test-set.
Constructing important features from massive network traffic for lightweight intrusion detection

Efficiently processing massive data is a big issue in high-speed network intrusion detection, as network traffic has become increasingly large and complex. In this work, instead of constructing a large number of features from massive network traffic, the authors aim to select the most important features and use them to detect intrusions in a fast and effective manner. The authors first employed several techniques, that is, information gain (IG), wrapper with Bayesian networks (BN) and Decision trees (C4.5), to select important subsets of features for network intrusion detection based on KDD'99 data. The authors then validate the feature selection schemes in a real network test bed to detect distributed denial-of-service attacks. The feature selection schemes are extensively evaluated based on the two data sets. The empirical results demonstrate that with only the most important 10 features selected from all the original 41 features, the attack detection accuracy almost remains the same or even becomes better based on both BN and C4.5 classifiers. Constructing fewer features can also improve the efficiency of network intrusion detection.
Differential entry of botulinum neurotoxin A into neuronal and intestinal cells

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are often acquired from the digestive tract and specifically target neuromuscular junctions where they cause an inhibition of acetylcholine release. A transcytotic mechanism has been evidenced in epithelial intestinal cells, which delivers whole BoNTs across the intestinal barrier, whereas BoNTs enter motoneurons through a pathway that permits the translocation of light chain into the cytosol. We used fluorescent BoNT/A C‐terminal part of H chain (Hc) that mediates toxin binding to cell receptors to monitor toxin entry into NG108‐15 neuronal cells as well as into Caco‐2 and m‐ICcl2 intestinal cells. BoNT/A Hc receptors were found to be distributed in membrane structures closely associated to cholesterol‐enriched microdomains, but distinct from detergent‐resistant microdomains in both cell types. BoNT/A Hc was trapped into endocytic vesicles, which progressively migrated to a perinuclear area in NG108‐15 cells, and in a more scattered manner in intestinal cells. In both cell types, BoNT/A Hc entered through a dynamin‐ and intersectin‐dependent pathway, reached an early endosomal compartment labelled with early endosome antigen 1. In neuronal cells, BoNT/A Hc entered mainly via a clathrin‐dependent pathway, in contrast to intestinal cells where it followed a Cdc42‐dependent pathway, supporting a differential toxin routing in both cell types.