Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Protective and Risk Effects of Parents and Peers on Substance Use, Attitudes, and Behaviors of Mexican and Mexican American Female and Male Adolescents

This study explores the extent to which parental and peer behaviors and norms may affect substance use, personal antidrug norms, and intentions to use drugs in a group of Mexican heritage preadolescents in the Southwest United States, and whether these parental and peer influences differ according to gender. Secondary data from a randomized trial of a drug prevention program were used. The sample consisted of 2,733 adolescents. The outcomes were recent alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use, personal antidrug norms, and intentions to use drugs. In this study, peer variables were more consistently related to the outcomes than parent variables, with the exception of parental injunctive norms, which were the most predictive parent factor. Recommendations are provided to further study the protective processes that are maintained through the transition into adolescence and acculturation as a foundation for the design of resiliency-focused prevention interventions.
Lower Bounds for Heuristic MA ?

Santhanam (2007) proved that MA/1 does not have circuits of size n. We translate his result to the heuristic setting by proving that there is a constant a such that for any k, there is a language in HeurMA that cannot be solved by circuits of size n on more than the 1 − 1 na fraction of inputs. In order to get rid of the non-uniform advice, we supply the inputs with the probability threshold that we use to determine the acceptance. This technique was used by Pervyshev (2007) for proving a time hierarchy for heuristic computations.
Agent-based Simulations of Patterns for Self-adaptive Systems

Self-adaptive systems are distributed computing systems composed of different components that can adapt their behavior to different kinds of conditions. This adaptation does not concern the single components only, but the entire system. In a previous work we have identified several patterns for self-adaptation, classifying them by means of a taxonomy, which aims at being a support for developers of self-adaptive systems. Starting from that theoretical work, we have simulated the described self-adaptation patterns, in order to better understand the concrete and real features of each pattern. The contribution of this paper is to report about the simulation work, detailing how it was carried out, and to present a âtable of applicabilityâ that complete the initial taxonomy of patterns and provides a further support for the developers.
Dasatinib for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myelogenous leukaemia after imatinib failure

Dasatinib, a potent, oral kinase inhibitor, is presently approved for Philadelphia-positive chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML) following imatinib failure. In an in vitro study, dasatinib had 325-fold greater potency than imatinib for inhibiting unmutated BCR-ABL. Phase I and II data show that dasatinib 70 mg b.i. d. is effective after imatinib failure in various phases of CML. Comparative data of dasatinib versus high-dose imatinib in patients with resistance or intolerance to imatinib demonstrated that dasatinib was associated with improved response rates and progression-free survival. Side effects of dasatinib, including pleural effusions, are manageable with modification of dose or schedule. Phase III dose optimisation studies and future indications are also discussed.
Scaling Effect of Area-Averaged NDVI: Monotonicity along the Spatial Resolution

Changes in the spatial distributions of vegetation across the globe are routinely monitored by satellite remote sensing, in which the reflectance spectra over land surface areas are measured with spatial and temporal resolutions that depend on the satellite instrumentation. The use of multiple synchronized satellite sensors permits long-term monitoring with high spatial and temporal resolutions. However, differences in the spatial resolution of images collected by different sensors can introduce systematic biases, called scaling effects, into the biophysical retrievals. This study investigates the mechanism by which the scaling effects distort normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). This study focused on the monotonicity of the area-averaged NDVI as a function of the spatial resolution. A monotonic relationship was proved analytically by using the resolution transform model proposed in this study in combination with a two-endmember linear mixture model. The monotonicity allowed the inherent uncertainties introduced by the scaling effects (error bounds) to be explicitly determined by averaging the retrievals at the extrema of theresolutions. Error bounds could not be estimated, on the other hand, for non-monotonic relationships. Numerical simulations were conducted to demonstrate the monotonicity of the averaged NDVI along spatial resolution. This study provides a theoretical basis for the scaling effects and develops techniques for rectifying the scaling effects in biophysical retrievals to facilitate cross-sensor calibration for the long-term monitoring of vegetation dynamics.
Integrated local correlation: A new measure of local coherence in fMRI data

This article introduces the measure of integrated local correlation (ILC) for assessing local coherence in the brain using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data and characterizes the measure in terms of reproducibility, the effect of physiological noise, and the dependence on image resolution. The coupling of local neuronal processes influences coherence in a voxel's neighborhood. ILC is defined, for each voxel, as the integration of its spatial correlation function. This integrated measure does not require the specification of a neighborhood and, as demonstrated by experimental data, is effectively independent of image resolution. Respiratory and cardiac fluctuations do not considerably alter the ILC value except in isolated areas in and surrounding large vessels. With resting‐state fMRI data, ILC was demonstrated to be tissue‐specific, higher in gray matter than white matter, and reproducible across consecutive runs in healthy individuals. Within the gray matter, ILC was found to be higher in the default mode network, particularly the posterior and anterior cingulate cortices. Comparing ILC maps obtained from resting state and continuous motor task data, we observed reduced local coherence in the default mode network during the task. Finally, we compared ILC and regional homogeneity by examining their ability to discriminate between gray and white matters in resting state data and found ILC to be more sensitive. Hum Brain Mapp 2009. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
GROWTH AND DIFFERENTIATION OF THE GOLGI APPARATUS AND WALL FORMATION DURING CARPOSPOROGENESIS IN THE RED ALGA , GIGARTINA TEEDII ( ROTH )

The fine structure of the Golgi apparatus during development of carposporangia of Gigartina teedii has been studied. Dictyosomes in differentiating carposporangia undergo extraordinary changes in size and morphology. Dictyosomes of gonimoblast cells and the auxiliary cell are composed of a stack of 5-7 straight cisternae and are approximately o-i8/tm thick; from the structural and functional viewpoint, these are similar to dictyosomes in most other plants. Hypertrophied Golgi cisternae with fibrillar contents occur in immature and nearly mature carposporangia. Secretory vesicles originate from the ends of cisternae and by complete vesiculation of terminal cisternae; vesicles with a diameter of O-2-O-6 fitn and fibrillar contents are abundant throughout the cytoplasm of immature and nearly mature carposporangia. Some vesicles secrete their contents into the carpospore wall. At this stage the dictyosomes are straight in profile and only some Golgi cisternae and Golgi vesicles show acid phosphatase activity. Mucilage sacs appearing to be derived from either dilating endoplasmic reticulum or membraneous formations with a lysosomal character exist in both the mature gonimoblast cells and the immature carposporangia. These mucilage sacs constitute a considerable portion of the cytoplasmic volume and ultimately migrate to the outside of the cytoplasm. The mucilage sacs disappear completely in the mature carposporangia. Throughout the development of the wall of immature and nearly mature carposporangia, multi-vesicular lomasome-like bodies, showing acid phosphatase activity, are released through the plasmalemma. Apart from any other possible activities, these bodies seem to contribute to the plasticity of the expanding cell wall. The older carposporangia are recognized by having very active dictyosomes with a semicircular profile, producing vesicles with an electron-opaque centre (cored vesicles). These vesicles are likely to contain glycoproteins and to contribute to the formation of vacuoles with fibrous contents, as they are dominant in the carpospores before their liberation. The dictyosomes of older carposporangia are composed of a polarized stack usually composed of 7 to 11 cisternae. They exhibit anomalous, densely staining, laminated mid-regions, which are formed due to close apposition of 6—7 adjacent cisternae from the forming face. The mid-regions of the rest of the cisternae towards the maturing face have large intercisternal spaces, which usually contain darkly staining small vesicles probably originating from the endoplasmic reticulum. The cisternae towards the maturing face contain dense granules. Observations suggest that materials polymerize into fibrils within the Golgi system and the inflated Golgi-derived vesicles participate directly in the formation of the fibrillar network of the carpospore wall in the Gigartina teedii.
Intelligent Methodology for Brain Tumors Classification in Magnetic Resonance Images

Recently, a lot of researches have been made in the area of automatic detection and diagnosing the brain tumor type based on different medical imaging techniques. This paper presents a new intelligent methodology applying k-means segmentation technique and a hybrid support vector machine (SVM) classifier based on Linear-SVM and Multi-SVM using two feature extraction techniques, namely : Gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) and discrete wavelet transform (DWT) followed by Principle component analysis (PCA) to detect brain tumors in brain magnetic resonance images (MRIs) and differentiate between three types of malignant brain tumors: glioblastoma, sarcoma and metastatic bronchogenic carcinoma. The results of the two feature extraction techniques were compared according to their accuracy, sensitivity and specificity showing good results and high robustness. Keywords—machine learning, support vector machine, k-means, discrete wavelet transform, Principle component analysis, Gray level co-occurrence matrix, medical informatics.
P2X3 receptor localizes into lipid rafts in neuronal cells

P2X receptors are a family of seven (P2X1–7) cation channels gated by extracellular ATP, widely expressed in neurons and nonneuronal cells. Lipid rafts are cholesterol/sphingolipid‐rich membrane domains, involved in many cellular processes, including transmembrane receptor signaling, vesicle traffic, and protein sorting. We provide direct biochemical evidence that P2X3 receptor localizes into lipid rafts, in primary cultures of cerebellar granule neurons as well as in brain and dorsal root ganglia extracts. We show that P2X3 exhibits all the characteristics distinctive of a protein associated with lipid rafts. These characteristics include resistance to detergent extraction at 4°C, solubility after extraction of cholesterol from membranes with either saponin or methyl‐β‐cyclodextrin, and partitioning to low buoyant density fractions after sucrose gradient centrifugation in both detergent‐containing and detergent‐free conditions. Furthermore, P2X3 localizes in raft‐containing fractions in transiently transfected SH‐SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. The present finding contributes to the characterization of the functional localization of P2X3 in neurons and provides a novel potential mechanism for correct targeting and dynamic activation of this receptor. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A two-sex polygenic model for the evolution of premating isolation. I. Deterministic theory for natural populations.

It is proposed that mating behavior is normally determined by independent genetic systems in the male and female. A specific model is put forward in which mating behavior is determined by additive gene contributions in both sexes, and the strength of mating attraction is maximized when mating "scores" in the two sexes are equalized. This type of model, which may be described as a "facilitation" model, is related to models proposed by a number of authors. It is pointed out that a second class of models exists, "avoidance" models, and that these, although less tractable analytically, could be more realistic. -An organism is assumed to be divided into two strains, and selection is introduced through lethality or sterility of the hybrid (postmating isolation). The selective tendency for divergence of mating behavior in one sex is then shown to be proportional to the amount of divergence that already exists in the opposite sex, multiplied by a quantity that can be described as the heritability of mating attraction. The situation in which no initial divergence exists in either sex constitutes an equilibrium that is unstable, but one that requires substantial deviations before any selective progress can be made. Thus, the evolution of premating isolation to reinforce postmating isolation may be an inefficient process. The process would occur much more efficiently if some initial chance divergence in mating behavior occurred during the period in which postmating isolation evolved.
Comparable morphometric data of pathological nerve obtained using the three‐window sampling method and total fiber quantification

Morphometric analysis of nerve biopsy provides data of structural changes that are essential for early detection of peripheral neuropathy. Because of the laborious work associated with the total fiber quantification, various sampling methods have been introduced with controversial accuracy. Three‐window sampling technique has been recently proposed to provide the accurate morphometric data of normal human sural nerve. However, its application in the diseased nerve has not been validated. This study, therefore, compared the morphometric data of nerve biopsies from 12 patients with various neuropathies obtained using this sampling method and those obtained by total fiber analysis. Total number, density, and diameter of myelinated fibers including myelin thickness and g ratio were analyzed. Intraclass correlation coefficients ranging from 0.95 to 0.99 indicate the high agreement between the data derived from the two methods in these parameters. This finding suggests the accuracy of the three‐window sampling technique in the morphometric study of nerve with pathological alterations. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
On the Trade Balance Effects of Free Trade Agreements between the EU-15 and the CEEC-4 Countries

The expansion of regionalism has spawned an extensive theoretical literature analyzing the effects of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) on trade flows. In this paper we focus on FTAs (also called European agreements) between the European Union (EU-15) and the Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC-4, i.e. Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Romania) and model their effects on trade flows by treating the agreement variable as endogenous. Our theoretical framework is the gravity model, and the econometric method used to isolate and eliminate the potential endogeneity bias of the agreement variable is the fixed effect vector decomposition (FEVD) technique.
Multidimensional scaling and factor analysis of coaching behavior as perceived by high school hockey players.

Abstract A study was undertaken to determine the dimensionality of commonly perceived coaching behaviors as perceived by adolescent hockey players. To this end 160 players (ages 12 to 18 yr) attending a summer sport camp were administered a 140-item questionnaire concerned with leadership behaviors of coaches. The 57 most commonly reported coaching behaviors were subjected to factor analytic and multidimensional scaling procedures to infer the underlying dimensionality. Incomplete principal component analysis with varimax rotation gave 20 dimensions accounting for 68% of total variance while Kruskal-Shepard multidimensional scaling gave 8 dimensions with a stress value of 12.1%. In terms of frequency of occurrence, behaviors considered a priori to be of a communicative nature, that is involving the passing of information either to or from the coach, were found to be much more characteristic of hockey coaches than were behaviors considered a priori to be dominating behaviors. The scaling solution was given.
Fuzzy Models for the Study of Hydro Power Plant Dynamics

In this paper, the hydro power plant dynamics is identified using fuzzy models. The plant data is generated from Pade and H-infinity approximated first, second, third and fourth-order rational transfer function models. The models are simulated as (i) gate-servo motor position and turbine speed with random load disturbance and (ii) gate position and developed turbine power. Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy model structures are identified with smooth stepped wave signal input and the identified model is generalized on its validation data set and with random stepped wave signal as input. The fuzzy rules are extracted from data by means of Gustafson-Kessel clustering with antecedents determined using product-space and point-wise projection techniques
Stat4, a novel gamma interferon activation site-binding protein expressed in early myeloid differentiation

Interferon regulation of gene expression is dependent on the tyrosine phosphorylation and activation of the DNA-binding activity of two related proteins of 91 kDa (STAT1) and/or 113 kDa (STAT2). Recent studies have suggested that these proteins are substrates of Janus kinases and that proteins related in STAT1 are involved in a number of signalling pathways, including those activated in myeloid cells by erythropoietin and interleukin-3 (IL-3). To clone STAT-related proteins from myeloid cells, degenerate oligonucleotides were used in PCRs to identify novel family members expressed in myeloid cells. This approach allowed the identification and cloning of the Stat4 gene, which is 52% identical to STAT1. Unlike STAT1, Stat4 expression is restricted but includes myeloid cells and spermatogonia. In the erythroid lineage, Stat4 expression is differentially regulated during differentiation. Functionally, Stat4 has the properties of other STAT family genes. In particular, cotransfection of expression constructs for Stat4 and Jak1 and Jak2 results in the tyrosine phosphorylation of Stat4 and the acquisition of the ability to bind to the gamma interferon (IFN-gamma)-activated sequence of the interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF-1) gene. Stat4 is located on mouse chromosome 1 and is tightly linked to the Stat1 gene, suggesting that the genes arose by gene duplication. Unlike Stat1, neither IFN-alpha nor IFN-gamma activates Stat4. Nor is Stat4 activated in myeloid cells by a number of cytokines, including erythropoietin, IL-3, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, stem cell factor, colon-stimulating factor 1, hepatocyte growth factor, IL-2, IL-4, and IL-6.
Principle, Validity, and Reliability of Scanning Laser Doppler Flowmetry

PurposeThe objective of this study is to present the reliability and validity of scanning laser Doppler flowmetry (SLDF) performing a high-definition topography of perfused vessels of the retina and the optic nerve head with simultaneous evaluation of blood flow. MethodsThe examination of blood flow by SLDF is based on the optical Doppler effect. The data aquisition and evaluation system is a modified laser scanning device; the wavelength of the laser source is 670 nm, with a power of 100 μW (Heidelberg Engineering, HRF). The reliability of SLDF was estimated by performing five seperate measurements in 10 eyes on 5 days. The validity of the method was tested by two experiments. First, in an experimental set-up, the capability of SLDF to measure the velocity of a moving plane in absolute units was estimated. Second, comparative measurements were performed of retinal blood flow in 16 normal eyes and in 33 glaucomatous eyes with SLDF and a commercially available single-point laser Doppler flowmeter (Oculix). ResultsWe found SLDF to produce a high reliability. The reliability coefficients rx of flow, volume, and velocity were 0.82, 0.81, and 0.83, respectively. Comparative measurements of the retinal blood flow by SLDF and a single-point laser Doppler flowmeter of corresponding retinal points showed a linear and significant relationship between flow (r = 0.83, p < 0.0001), volume (r = 0.51, p < 0.0001), and velocity (r = 0.59, p < 0.0001). In the experimental set-up, SLDF was able to quantitatively measure velocity in absolute units. ConclusionsSLDF enables the visualization of perfused vessels of the jux-tapapillary retina and the optic nerve head in high resolution by two-dimensional mapping of the optical Doppler shift and a reproducible evaluation of capillary blood flow.
The multi-UAVs cooperative observation and tracking considering communication interference and transmission loss

This paper presents the multi-UAVs cooperative target observation and tracking considering the communication interference and the propagation loss. UAVs are assigned to the appropriate target group which maximises information defined by the Fisher information matrix (FIM). We propose multi-UAVs cooperative target optimal measurement and tracking models considering the communication factors. Using the rolling horizon optimization method for optimal solution. The main contributions of this paper are threefold. Firstly, this paper proposes a new method of target tracking by considering the communication interference and the propagation loss. Secondly, UAVs are assigned to the appropriate target group which maximises information defined by the FIM. Lastly, using Information Consensus Filter (ICF) to solve the convergence problem and improve topology.
Gettering Effect Induced by Oxygen-Deficient Titanium Oxide in InZnO and InGaZnO Channel Systems for Low-Power Display Applications

This paper reported the IGZO and IZO thin-film transistor (TFT) with titanium-oxide semiconductor as channel capping layer. After the TiOx Gettering process, the oxygen vacancies in IGZO channel were successfully modified to maximize the carrier concentration and device mobility. The superior transfer characteristics included a low sub-threshold swing of 79 mV/decade, a very high mobility of 68 cm2/V·s, and good on/off-current ratio of 5.61×106. However, the IZO channel with nano-crystallized grains and without Ga atom doping showed unfavorable transistor characteristics. In addition to apparently degraded transfer properties, the spontaneously oxidized TiOx capping layer also lead to an increase of channel parasitic resistance that limits the output driving current. Therefore, we believe that the existence of Ga-O bonds among IGZO channel would be helpful to stabilize oxygen diffusion behavior and electric structure during Gettering process.