Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterization of the Non-Damped Modal Response of a Portuguese Guitar Including its Twelve Strings

The Portuguese guitar is a pear-shaped twelve-string musical instrument (six pairs of strings). This thesis is dedicated to the study of the analysis of the un-dampened vibrational response of a Portuguese guitar, including its twelve strings. This study is motivated by the interest in predicting, in the project stage, which geometrical characteristics (dimensions) allow for a certain amount of modal characteristics, in this case, focusing on the three first frequencies associated with the modes (0,0), (0,1) and (0,2) in the guitar sound board. Besides the body, part of the arm is included in the simulation, as well as the twelve strings tuned in the standard Lisbon Portuguese guitar tuning (B, A, E, B, A, D). As far as the author knowledge is concerned, there is no study which such characteristics in the current literature, connecting CAD (computer assisted drawing) with a un-dampened modal analysis with pre-tension in the cables. The strings were tuned to the centesimal and the frequencies of modes (0,0), (0,1) and (0,2) adjusted to values found in the literature.
AN APPROACH FOR RECOMMENDATION SYSTEM BASED ON CF

Personalized online systems for Web search, news recommendation, and e-commerce, are developed. The process of personalization of online systems consists of three main steps: determining a user's needs, classifying products or services, and matching the user's needs with suitable products or services. A multi-feature based method to automatically classify Web pages into categories of topics hierarchically representing the Web pages is proposed. An approach to modeling and quantifying a user’s interests and preferences using the user’s Web navigational data is presented. The approach is based on the premise that frequently visiting certain types of content or Web sites indicates that the user is interested in related content or retrieving information from those sites. This paper approaches a line in which we intend to design a model for integrating users interest based on Collaborative filtering for a personalized recommender
Overconfidence and Elitism∗

I propose a behavioral foundation for the practice of elitism and show that it can give rise to inaccurate statistical discrimination against candidates who lack elite credentials. My theoretical model demonstrates that hirers’ overconfidence in own ability, coupled with personal success, can cause them to overvalue elite credentials beyond what these credentials signal about candidates’ underlying productivity. Results from a controlled laboratory experiment confirm the model’s predictions: on average, subjects with a higher level of confidence have a higher relative willingness to pay for candidates with similar credentials to themselves. By simulating the competitive labor market outcome using the experimental data, I find that an increase in hirer confidence raises elite firms’ tendency to hire candidates with elite credentials, thereby leading to a greater degree of labor market sorting in equilibrium. Given that overconfidence has been widely documented, the results suggest that this channel may be present in hiring decisions in practice. ∗I am indebted to my advisors Pedro Dal Bó, Louis Putterman, Geoffroy de Clippel, and Neil Thakral for their support and continuous feedback in the development of this project. I am also thankful to Nisvan Erkal, Jack Fanning, Boon Han Koh, and seminar participants at Brown University for their helpful comments and suggestions. I gratefully acknowledge support from The James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Wealth and Income Inequality Project and Brown Unversity Social Science Research Institute. †Department of Economics, Brown University.
Achyranthes bidentata polypeptides prevent apoptosis by inhibiting the glutamate current in cultured hippocampal neurons

Glutamate-induced excitotoxicity plays a critical role in the neurological impairment caused by middle cerebral artery occlusion. Achyranthes bidentata polypeptides have been shown to protect against neurological functional damage caused by middle cerebral artery occlusion, but the underlying neuroprotective mechanisms and the relationship to glutamate-induced excitotoxicity remain unclear. Therefore, in the current study, we investigated the protective effects of Achyranthes bidentata polypeptides against glutamate-induced excitotoxicity in cultured hippocampal neurons. Hippocampal neurons were treated with Mg2+-free extracellular solution containing glutamate (300 µM) for 3 hours as a model of glutamate-mediated excitotoxicity (glutamate group). In the normal group, hippocampal neurons were incubated in Mg2+-free extracellular solution. In the Achyranthes bidentata polypeptide group, hippocampal neurons were incubated in Mg2+-free extracellular solution containing glutamate (300 µM) and Achyranthes bidentata polypeptide at different concentrations. At 24 hours after exposure to the agents, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay and Hoechst 33258 staining were used to assess neuronal viability and nuclear morphology, respectively. Caspase-3 expression and activity were evaluated using western blot assay and colorimetric enzymatic assay, respectively. At various time points after glutamate treatment, reactive oxygen species in cells were detected by H2DCF-DA, and mitochondrial membrane potential was detected by rhodamine 123 staining. To examine the effect of Achyranthes bidentata polypeptides on glutamate receptors, electrophysiological recording was used to measure the glutamate-induced inward current in cultured hippocampal neurons. Achyranthes bidentata polypeptide decreased the percentage of apoptotic cells and reduced the changes in caspase-3 expression and activity induced by glutamate. In addition, Achyranthes bidentata polypeptide attenuated the amplitude of the glutamate-induced current. Furthermore, the glutamate-induced increase in intracellular reactive oxygen species and reduction in mitochondrial membrane potential were attenuated by Achyranthes bidentata polypeptide treatment. These findings collectively suggest that Achyranthes bidentata polypeptides exert a neuroprotective effect in cultured hippocampal neurons by suppressing the overactivation of glutamate receptors and inhibiting the caspase-3-dependent mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. All animal studies were approved by the Animal Care and Use Committee, Nantong University, China (approval No. 20120216-001) on February 16, 2012.
Evaluating the impact of Chile’s marketing regulation of unhealthy foods and beverages: pre-school and adolescent children’s changes in exposure to food advertising on television

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the effects of Chile’s 2016 regulation restricting child-directed marketing of products high in energy, saturated fats, sodium and sugars on reducing children’s exposure to ‘high-in’ television food advertising. Design: Television use by pre-schoolers and adolescents was assessed via surveys in the months prior to implementation and a year after implementation. Hours and channels of television use were linked with the amount of high-in food advertising observed in corresponding content analyses of food advertisements (ads) from popular broadcast and cable channels to estimate changes in exposure to food ads from these channels. Setting: Middle-lower and lower-income neighbourhoods in Santiago, Chile. Participants: Pre-schoolers (n 879; mothers reporting) and adolescents (n 753; self-reporting). Results: Pre-schoolers’ and adolescents’ exposure to high-in food advertising in total decreased significantly by an average of 44 and 58 %, respectively. Exposure to high-in food advertising with child-directed appeals, such as cartoon characters, decreased by 35 and 52 % for pre-schoolers and adolescents, respectively. Decreases were more pronounced for children who viewed more television. Products high in sugars were the most prevalent among the high-in ads seen by children after implementation. Conclusions: Following Chile’s 2016 child-directed marketing regulation, children’s exposure to high-in food advertising on popular broadcast and cable television decreased significantly but was not eliminated from their viewing. Later stages of the regulation are expected to eliminate the majority of children’s exposure to high-in food advertising from television.
Surveying Pornography Use: A Shaky Science Resting on Poor Measurement Foundations

ABSTRACT A great deal of pornography research relies on dubious measurements. Measurement of pornography use has been highly variable across studies and existing measurement approaches have not been developed using standard psychometric practices nor have they addressed construct validation or reliability. This state of affairs is problematic for the accumulation of knowledge about the nature of pornography use, its antecedents, correlates, and consequences, as it can contribute to inconsistent results across studies and undermine the generalizability of research findings. This article provides a summary of contemporary measurement practices in pornography research accompanied by an explication of the problems therein. It also offers suggestions on how best to move forward by adopting a more limited set of standardized and validated instruments. We recommend that the creation of such instruments be guided by the careful and thorough conceptualization of pornography use and systematic adherence to measurement development principles.
Convergent Evolution of Cysteine-Rich Keratins in Hard Skin Appendages of Terrestrial Vertebrates

Abstract Terrestrial vertebrates have evolved hard skin appendages, such as scales, claws, feathers, and hair that play crucial roles in defense, predation, locomotion, and thermal insulation. The mechanical properties of these skin appendages are largely determined by cornified epithelial components. So-called “hair keratins,” cysteine-rich intermediate filament proteins that undergo covalent cross-linking via disulfide bonds, are the crucial structural proteins of hair and claws in mammals and hair keratin orthologs are also present in lizard claws, indicating an evolutionary origin in a hairless common ancestor of amniotes. Here, we show that reptiles and birds have also other cysteine-rich keratins which lack cysteine-rich orthologs in mammals. In addition to hard acidic (type I) sauropsid-specific (HAS) keratins, we identified hard basic (type II) sauropsid-specific (HBS) keratins which are conserved in lepidosaurs, turtles, crocodilians, and birds. Immunohistochemical analysis with a newly made antibody revealed expression of chicken HBS1 keratin in the cornifying epithelial cells of feathers. Molecular phylogenetics suggested that the high cysteine contents of HAS and HBS keratins evolved independently from the cysteine-rich sequences of hair keratin orthologs, thus representing products of convergent evolution. In conclusion, we propose an evolutionary model in which HAS and HBS keratins evolved as structural proteins in epithelial cornification of reptiles and at least one HBS keratin was co-opted as a component of feathers after the evolutionary divergence of birds from reptiles. Thus, cytoskeletal proteins of hair and feathers are products of convergent evolution and evolutionary co-option to similar biomechanical functions in clade-specific hard skin appendages.
Design and modeling of a high-load soft robotic gripper inspired by biological winding

The improvement of the load capacity of soft robotic grippers has always been a challenge. The load improvement methods of existing soft robotic grippers mainly include the development of soft actuators with high output force and the creation of closed gripping structures. Inspired by winding behaviors of animals and plants, we propose a high-load soft robotic gripper driven by pneumatic artificial muscles (PAMs) that combines the advantages of a high force soft actuator and a closed gripping structure. Most existing model formulations focus on characterizing the end force generated to the length contraction and applied pressure of PAMs. However, the focus of this work is to build the force model of PAMs in winding shape to analyze the tightening force of the high-load soft gripper, and the model is validated by a tightening force test. An experimental work is carried out to characterize the load capacity and multi-object gripping capacity of the high-load soft gripper. We experimentally prove that it can lift heavy objects that weigh up to 35.5 kg, which is more than 47 times its weight. This work contributes to the load improvement of soft robotic grippers, and the mathematical modeling of engineering systems with winding structures. The developed high-load soft gripper is expected to enter the practical application field from the laboratory.
Measurement of the leak rate of masks used for anticancer drug handling using a mask fitting tester

Background Exposure to inhalation of anticancer drugs is frequent in anticancer drug handling. Using an activated carbon mask with the ability to remove particulates and vapors of anticancer drugs may be effective. Mask fitting performance is important, because low fitting performance leads to inhalation via bypassing the mask filter (leak). This study evaluated the leak rate of multiple-shaped masks. Methods Activated carbon and nonactivated carbon masks of the pleated-type (like surgical mask) and cup-type were used. Four pharmacists wore the masks and a fitting tester was employed. The particle reduction rate of particles in ambient air was calculated using: particle count (outside - inside)/outside × 100 (%). Leak rate was calculated as the difference in the particle reduction rate due to the presence or the absence of a seal in the mask surroundings. Results Reduction rates of the pleated-type nonactivated carbon mask and the pleated-type activated carbon mask were 14.8% and 34.8% (mean). These values significantly increased to 85.6% and 83.3% upon sealing the mask surroundings. Particle reduction rates of the cup-type nonactivated carbon mask and activated carbon mask were 99.3% and 33.6%. When mask surroundings were sealed, these values were 99.6% and 39.2%. Leak rates of pleated-type nonactivated carbon mask, pleated-type activated carbon mask, cup-type nonactivated carbon mask, and cup-type activated carbon mask were 70.8%, 48.5%, 0.3%, and 5.6%, respectively. Conclusion A difference was found in the leak rate between masks used in anticancer drug handling. Based on the low leak rate, the cup-type activated carbon mask was thought to be effective.
Association of Primary Hyperhidrosis with Depression and Anxiety: A Systematic Review

The medical databases PubMed, Embase and PsycINFO were searched using the following terms: primary hyperhidrosis AND depression OR suicide OR suicidal ideation OR antidepressants OR anxiety OR anxious OR panic attacks OR worry OR anxiolytic. All studies in English examining the relationship between patients with primary hyperhidrosis and either depression or anxiety were reviewed according to title and abstract. Furthermore, studies were identified by screening reference lists and citations lists of key articles and review articles. The aim of this review was to include controlled studies examining the association between primary hyperhidrosis and depression and/or anxiety. Therefore the databases were searched for studies that employed validated screening instruments.
Effect of Spatial Structure Defined by Binocular Disparity with Uniform Luminance on Lightness

We examined whether lightness is determined based on the experience of the relationship between a scene’s illumination and its spatial structure in actual environments. For this purpose, we measured some characteristics of scene structure and the illuminance in actual scenes and found some correlations between them. In the psychophysical experiments, a random-dot stereogram consisting of dots with uniform distribution was used to eliminate the effects of local luminance and texture contrasts. Participants matched the lightness of a presented target patch in the stimulus space to that of a comparison patch by adjusting the latter’s luminance. Results showed that the matched luminance tended to increase when the target patch was interpreted as receiving weak illumination in some conditions. These results suggest that the visual system can probably infer a scene’s illumination from a spatial structure without luminance distribution information under an illumination–spatial structure relation.
Trait multi-functionality in plant stress response.

Plants often experience multiple stresses in a given day or season, and it is self-evident that given functional traits can provide tolerances of multiple stresses. Yet, the multiple functions of given traits are rarely explicitly considered in ecology and evolution due to a lack of a quantitative framework. We present a theory for considering the combined importance of the several functions that a given trait can contribute to alleviating multiple stresses. We derive five inter-related general predictions: (1) that trait multifunctionality is overall highly beneficial to fitness; (2) that species possessing multifunctional traits should increase in abundance and in niche breadth; (3) that traits are typically optimized for multiple functions and thus can be far from optimal for individual functions; (4) that the relative importance of each function of a multifunctional trait depends on the environment; and (5) that traits will be often "co-opted" for additional functions during evolution and community assembly. We demonstrate how the theory can be applied quantitatively by examining the multiple functions of leaf trichomes (hairs) using heuristic model simulations, substantiating the general principles. We identify avenues for further development and applications of the theory of trait multifunctionality in ecology and evolution.
Ligand-Based Design of Allosteric Retinoic Acid Receptor-Related Orphan Receptor γt (RORγt) Inverse Agonists

Retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor γt (RORγt) is a nuclear receptor associated with the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. Allosteric inhibition of RORγt is conceptually new, unique for this specific nuclear receptor, and offers advantages over traditional orthosteric inhibition. Here, we report a highly efficient in silico-guided approach that led to the discovery of novel allosteric RORγt inverse agonists with a distinct isoxazole chemotype. The the most potent compound, 25 (FM26), displayed submicromolar inhibition in a coactivator recruitment assay and effectively reduced IL-17a mRNA production in EL4 cells, a marker of RORγt activity. The projected allosteric mode of action of 25 was confirmed by biochemical experiments and cocrystallization with the RORγt ligand binding domain. The isoxazole compounds have promising pharmacokinetic properties comparable to other allosteric ligands but with a more diverse chemotype. The efficient ligand-based design approach adopted demonstrates its versatility in generating chemical diversity for allosteric targeting of RORγt.
Psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire-25

Background To investigate the psychometric properties of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25) questionnaire in a group of patients with different eye diseases. Methods Cross-sectional study. All subjects completed the Portuguese version of the NEI VFQ-25 questionnaire. Another questionnaire containing a survey about clinical and demographics data was also applied. Rasch analysis was used to evaluate the psychometric properties of the NEI VFQ-25. Results The study included 104 patients with cataract, 65 with glaucoma and 83 with age macular degeneration. Mean age was 70.7 ± 9.9 years, with 143 female (56.7%) and 109 male patients (43.2%). Mean visual acuity was 0.47 and 1.17 logMAR in the better and worse eye, respectively. According to Rasch analysis, seven items were found to misfit. Those items belonged to the following subscales: general health, social function, mental health, ocular pain and role limitations. The principal component analysis of the residuals showed that 55.5% of the variance was explained by the principal component. Eight items loaded positively onto the first contrast with a correlation higher than 0.4. These items belonged to the following subscales: near vision, distance vision, mental health and dependency. After excluding those items, we were able to isolate items from the NEI VFQ-25, related only to a visual functioning component. Finally, the principal component analysis from residuals of this revised version of the NEI VFQ-25 (items related to visual function) showed that the principal component explained 61.2% of the variance, showing no evidence of multidimensionality. Conclusions The Portuguese version of the NEI VFQ-25 is not a unidimensional instrument. We were able to find items that belong to a different trait, possible related to a socio-emotional component. Thus, in order to obtain psychometrically valid constructs, both the visual functioning and socio-emotional components should be analyzed separately.
Isobaric mass tagging and triple quadrupole mass spectrometry to determine lipid biomarker candidates for Alzheimer's disease

The isobaric tagging method widely used in proteomic and lipidomic fields, with the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) approach using a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer, was applied to identify biomarker candidates from plasma samples for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We focused on the following phospholipids that have amino groups as the functional group: phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), Lyso-PE, phosphatidylserine, and Lyso-phosphatidylserine. We also investigated fatty acids that have a carboxy group. A sixplex tandem mass tag (TMT) was used for the isobaric tagging method in this study. The TMT reaction had high reproducibility in human plasma. A total of 196 human plasma samples from three AD cohorts were used for the study, and compared to pooled plasma quality control (QC) samples. The described method required only 40 MRM measurements, including the pooled QC samples, for a full comparison of the data. We found that the content of free fatty acids increased in AD samples in all the three cohorts, alkenyl PEs (ePEs) decreased over a one-year interval in AD patients, and ePEs weakly correlated with amyloid peptide (a-beta) 1–42 in cerebrospinal fluid. In conclusion, total free fatty acids in plasma are a risk factor for AD, and ePEs monitor candidates for AD. Therefore, TMT-lipidomics is a powerful approach for the determination of plasma biomarkers because of the high sample throughput.