Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PRECLINICAL EVALUATION OF LOBELINE FOR THE TREATMENT OF ADHD: COMPARISON WITH PSYCHOSTIMULANT THERAPIES

OF DISSERTATION PRECLINICAL EVALUATION OF LOBELINE FOR THE TREATMENT OF ADHD: COMPARISON WITH PSYCHOSTIMULANT THERAPIES This dissertation work investigated the effect of acute and repeated in vivo administration of lobeline on dopamine transporter (DAT) and vesicular monoamine transporter (VMAT2) function. The effects of lobeline were then compared to the effects of acute and repeated in vivo administration of methylphenidate and amphetamine to determine if lobeline produced similar effects compared to these Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) medications. These medications are considered the first line of pharmacotherapy for ADHD, although there is a growing concern associated with their potential for abuse and other side effects. This merits the need for novel ADHD treatments that have a safer side effect profile. If lobeline alters DAT and VMAT2 function in the same way as methylphenidate or amphetamine, further investigation may be necessary to evaluate lobeline as a potential treatment for ADHD. Kinetic analysis of [H]dopamine (DA) was utilized to determine the effect on DAT and VMAT2 function in rat striatum. Results from the DAT experiments, revealed that lobeline as well as amphetamine had no effect on DAT function. However, methylphenidate increased DAT function after acute and 7-day treatment. None of the drug treatment regimens altered Km. To determine if the methylphenidateinduced increase in DAT function was due to DAT trafficking, biotinylation and Western blot analyses were performed. Acute administration of methylphenidate did not alter surface DAT, however repeated administration of methylphenidate for 7 days decreased intracellular DAT, suggesting that methylphenidate redistributes DAT in a time-dependent manner. Similar results were found in the VMAT2 experiments. Lobeline and amphetamine had no effect on VMAT2 function after acute or repeated administration. Amphetamine decreased the Km after repeated administration for 7 days. Methylphenidate increased VMAT2 function after acute and repeated administration for 7 days. The overall results of these experiments suggest that methylphenidate interacts with DAT and VMAT2 in a different manner than amphetamine and lobeline. In addition, since lobeline and amphetamine had no effect on DAT and VMAT2 function, further investigation is warranted to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of the therapeutic actions of these agents. This additional information will aid in the development of novel treatments for ADHD.
Robust Filtering for Nonlinear Nonhomogeneous Markov Jump Systems by Fuzzy Approximation Approach

This paper addresses the problem of robust fuzzy L2 - L∞ filtering for a class of uncertain nonlinear discrete-time Markov jump systems (MJSs) with nonhomogeneous jump processes. The Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy model is employed to represent such nonlinear nonhomogeneous MJS with norm-bounded parameter uncertainties. In order to decrease conservation, a polytope Lyapunov function which evolves as a convex function is employed, and then, under the designed mode-dependent and variation-dependent fuzzy filter which includes the membership functions, a sufficient condition is presented to ensure that the filtering error dynamic system is stochastically stable and that it has a prescribed L2 - L∞ performance index. Two simulated examples are given to demonstrate the effectiveness and advantages of the proposed techniques.
Spurious Regressions in Technical Trading: Momentum or Contrarian?

This paper investigates the spurious effect in forecasting asset returns when signals from technical trading rules are used as predictors. Against economic intuition, the simulation result shows that, even if past information has non predictive power, buy or sell signals based on the difference between the short-period and long-period moving averages of past asset prices can be statistically significant when the forecast horizon is relatively long. The theory implies that both e momentum f and econtrarian f strategies can be falsely supported, while the probability of obtaining each result depends on the type of the test statistics employed. Several modifications to these test statistics are considered for the purpose of avoiding spurious regressions. They are applied to the stock market index and the foreign exchange rate in order to reconsider the predictive power of technical trading rules.
Validity and factor structure of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) in university students

Introduction: The aim of this study was to investigate psychometric properties of General Health Questionnaire of the students. Method: In this study, 500 students of medical universities in Tehran were selected in a relative sampling. Participants responded to the General Health Questionnaire 12 items form and interviewed by trained interviewers with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview Form (CIDI). Results: Exploratory factor analysis through principle component analysis showed the two-factor structure of this questionnaire. This questionnaire was made of two components, of which the first factor explained the greatest amount of variance. The best cut-off point of GHQ-12 questionnaire was 9, and the sensitivity, specificity, and overall classification error for the best cut-off point were81.5%, 77.1%, and 17.8%, respectively. The cut-off point with maximum sensitivity index (95.5%) was five and the maximum specificity score (95.8%) was 15. Construct validity by examining correlations between the subscales of the questionnaire together with the total score was calculated, which were strongly significantly correlated. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.92 and the split-half and Spearman-Brown reliability was 0.91. Conclusion: The best cut-off point for this questionnaire was 9 for two-stage studies and 15 for one-stage studies. Obtained construct validity and reliability coefficients indicate that this questionnaire is suitable for screening psychopathology in university students.
Introduction: Comparative Civic Culture

ABSTRACT: This symposium presents a subset of findings from a larger multicity research project using a single operational and methodological scheme to explore the nature of civic culture. The overall purpose is to explore civic cultures in an array of larger cities, test an initial typology of civic culture, and begin to examine the connections between civic culture and local policy. The articles in the symposium make clear that it is possible to empirically identify a parsimonious taxonomy of local civic cultures focusing on systems of community power, values, and decision-making. While many questions about the internal dynamics of each type remain to be answered, the civic cultures identified here appear empirically distinct and theoretically logical. Future research and dialogue need to focus on defining what culture is and what it is not, and then move to explore the linkages between the elements of civic culture and ultimately to local policy.
Structural Analysis of the Abridged Big Five Circumplex

This study explores the structure of the Big Five personality traits and the relationship of ethnicity and gender to this structure. Data from a previously published study on gender, ethnicity and the Abridged Big Five Circumplex are reanalyzed using Similarity Structure Analysis (SSA). 1 This revealed a radex structure in which the pure five factor markers are arranged in a polar configuration, with Agreeableness placed opposite Neuroticism and Conscientiousness opposite Openness and Extraversion. The structure was verified among the entire survey population and among each sub-population by ethnicity and gender. The Agreeableness and Conscientiousness factors were the least stable.
INCOME INEQUALITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Although good theoretical reasons exist for expecting development to be inegalitarian in its early phase, a reverse-U pattern of change in measured inequality might just as easily derive from a statistical composition effect. That such a pattern occurs in reality, however, is far from certain, and all authors agree on governments' ability to keep inequality in check, if they so desire. The effects of redistribution on income and employment do not seem to be appreciable. All empirical studies, including those offering elaborate models of less developed economies, suffer from the inadequacy of historical data, as well as from unresolved problems in definition, methodology, and measurement. Most authors, but not all, would subscribe to the statement that absolute poverty (which should cause more concern than, and should not be confused with, relative inequality) is reduced by economic development.
Semantically-based 2.5D texture printing

Relief printing, also known as 2.5D printing, is capable of representing texture in a more appealing way to the human observer due to the fact that it can reproduce the tactile details and structures of a texture. This paper describes a novel method to reproduce a given textured area of an image based on the semantic information linked to that area. A texture detector is trained offline with a non-parametric test in order to produce a printing mask which labels pixels more likely to belong to a specific texture-related semantic concept. The height map needed to print pixels in relief is calculated automatically from the printing mask and the gray-scale version of the original image.
A Novel Transition From Substrate Integrated Suspended Line to Conductor Backed CPW

A novel transition from substrate integrated suspended line (SISL) to conductor backed coplanar waveguide (CBCPW) is proposed in this letter. The proposed transition utilizing the standard PCB techniques eliminates the drawbacks of the traditional suspended circuits and integrates the suspended circuits effectively. The new transition is a self-packaged system verified by both simulation and experiment results. Back-to-back transition structure has insertion loss of less than 0.6 dB and return loss of better than 15 dB from dc to 8 GHz.
RELATIONS AMONG INTERPARENTAL RELATIONSHIP QUALITY, MATERNAL DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, PARENTING IN THE HOME ENVIRONMENT, AND PRE-SCHOOL CHILD BEHAVIOR IN AFRICAN AMERICAN, LOW-INCOME, SINGLE-MOTHER FAMILIES

Extensive literature links interparental relationship quality, particularly coparent conflict, with child behavior problems. Evidence suggests associations between and among interparental discord related to child-rearing disagreements, parenting difficulties, maternal depressive symptoms and child functioning. Experts assert that children function best when their biological parents have a stable marital relationship, and that interparental conflict can jeopardize the stability of the marriage, potential for marriage and the continuation of father involvement However, the preponderance of such research has investigated White, middle-class married or divorced families. Little is known about interparental relationship quality, family moderating factors and behavior problems of young children in African American, low-income, single- mother-headed families. Exploration of this problem is important because early childhood behavioral problems can persist and can contribute to children's academic underachievement and societal maladjustment. Grounded in the ecological and risk and resilience theoretical perspectives, this quantitative, cross-sectional survey design study investigated associations among interparental relations, maternal depressive symptoms, maternal parenting, and pre-school child behavior problems in African American, low-income, single-mother-headed families. With the cooperation of the Allegheny County Assistance Office, a randomly selected group of 100 mothers and their 3- or 4-year old children, participated in this study. This study used the Time 1 data from an NIMH-funded longitudinal study with Dr. Aurora Jackson as principal investigator. Hierarchical regression analyses were used. Contrary to research with White families, greater mother-reported interparental relationship problems were not associated with more child behavior problems. As hypothesized, fewer maternal depressive symptoms and more optimal maternal parenting were associated with fewer child behavior problems. Controlling for frequency of father contact did not affect relationships in the model. A post hoc finding showed that greater father contact was associated with fewer internalizing behavior problems. Neither fewer maternal depressive symptoms nor more optimal maternal parenting buffered the association between poor interparental relations and child behavior problems. These findings suggest further investigation particularly considering the extensive financial investments and programs funded by the African American Healthy Marriage Initiative. These programs intend to encourage marriage and strengthen poor families, yet have scant research about Black nonmarital, coparent relationships from which to inform these efforts.
Polarizer based on waveguide with complex cross-section

Waveguide transducers of linear polarization waves to the circular ones are widely used in microwave engineering. The concept of such devices is based on the decomposition of an initial linearly polarized wave into two orthogonal components and obtaining the 90° phase shift between them in the polarizer output. Many ways of implementation of this concept are known, the most common way is an insertion of lumped or longitudinal discontinuities into a regular circular or square waveguide.
The British in Egypt. Community, Crime and Crises, 1882–1922

activities that are not sufficiently examined in Jeffery’s book, especially covert political action, or ‘dirty tricks’ as they were defined. It can be established that SIS and SOE, before its integration with the former in January 1946, were closely involved in covert political activities in the Middle East, including co-opting prominent Arab politicians and manipulating local political systems to ensure the election or nomination of pro-British leaders. Details of the joint operation by the SIS and CIA in 1953 that toppled Musaddiq’s nationalist government in Iran are well known, but SIS and other British intelligence agencies were more involved in covert political action and black propaganda in the Middle East than previously assumed. An example hitherto unknown was the highly successful covert political operation in which SIS and SOE were involved during the Syrian crisis in the summer of 1945, which forced France out of the Levant and placed Syria under tacit British hegemony. This raises the issue of Great Britain’s use of its intelligence services during the decolonization process to defend its strategic and economic interests in its former colonies or spheres of influence. Another topic revealed in the ‘French documents’, which Jeffery’s work does not adequately address, is the Foreign Office’s use of SIS in its foreign policy, not merely to provide political intelligence, but as an active tool. For example, in the Middle East traditional diplomacy and special political operations were used simultaneously, as when SIS agents were employed in manoeuvring Arab leaders against the Soviet Union or the United States. In the latter case they tried to exploit President Truman’s endorsement of Jewish immigration to Palestine to undermine the American position in Saudi Arabia. SIS was understandably reluctant to expose such controversial activities, and we can only speculate that Jeffery was either barred from seeing documents on such issues for ‘national security’ reasons, or that they were among the large number of documents disposed of. We should therefore pay attention to the warning of Richard Aldrich, a leading historian of British intelligence, about the services’ attempts to ‘manipulate’ or ‘police’ their records. This criticism does not detract from the importance of Jeffery’s work, or from his achievements. His book is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of British intelligence and for anyone seeking to learn more on the behind-the-scenes role of an intelligence organization in a democratic country.
MCSSim: A memory channel storage simulator

Recently, NVDIMM (Non-Volatile Dual In-line Memory Module) is being widely supported by leading hardware design companies, such as IBM. Nevertheless, existing efforts largely focus on NVDIMM specification and fabrication issues, and the potential performance gains brought by NVDIMM are not fully investigated. In this paper, we present a NVDIMM-based simulator called MCSSim to help study the memory channel storage techniques. MCSSim is a cycle-accurate simulator that is elaborated with the consideration of differences between the memory channel interface and the NAND flash memory features. MCSSim is also implemented with the DRAMSim2 [31] simulator thus enabling the simulation of a variety of hybrid memory systems by combining of DRAM DIMM and NVDIMM. We have done some experiments with MCSSim, and the experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed simulator.
Petroleum Hydrocarbons And Chlorinated Solvents Differ In Their Potential For Vapor Intrusion

Response issued draft vapor intrusion guidance (EPA, 2002), which specifically states that it is not recommended for Subtitle I underground storage tank (UST) sites. EPA's Office of Underground Storage Tanks (OUST) is thus currently developing guidance to address petroleum vapor intrusion (PVI) at UST sites. OUST has consulted on several occasions with experts in the field of vapor intrusion and petroleum releases from EPA, state regulatory agencies, private consultants, and industry groups to obtain their individual input on technical and practitioner issues for EPA to consider in developing the UST PVI guidance. This information paper 1 describes how petroleum compounds behave differently in the subsurface from other volatile chemicals, in particular chlorinated solvents, and how these behaviors can be considered when evaluating the potential for vapor intrusion at sites contaminated by leaking Subtitle I USTs or other sources of petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs). 2 PHCs typically degrade biologically in groundwater as well as in unsaturated soil zones. In many cases, this aerobic 3 biodegradation is substantial and can limit the potential for PVI. In contrast, biodegradation of chlorinated solvents is anaerobic (under anoxic conditions), which is generally slower than aerobic biodegradation of PHCs. This limited biodegradability is to some degree responsible for the greater observed prevalence of chlorinated solvent vapor intrusion when compared with PVI. During the 1980s and 1990s, a better understanding of PHC biodegradation in groundwater led to the development of monitored natural attenuation, a remediation approach that involves no external inputs and has now been used successfully to address groundwater contamination at many leaking UST sites (Wilson et al., EPA recognizes that analogous aerobic biodegradation processes are active in the unsaturated zone and that these processes can limit the potential for PVI. 1 This information paper is intended to communicate the overall concepts of petroleum vapor intrusion. It is not intended to be interpreted as either a technical guidance document or statement of regulatory policy. 2 Petroleum hydrocarbons are chemical compounds made up of hydrogen and carbon that are constituents of petroleum and various refined products of petroleum, including automotive gasoline, diesel fuel, lubricating oils, and the like. 3 Aerobic means that the process requires oxygen. In contrast, anaerobic means the process does not require oxygen. Anoxic refers to the absence of oxygen.
Neuroscience perspectives on culture and intersubjectivity and their implications for technology enhanced learning: a literature review

The present literature review departs from the discovery of mirror neurons to consider some Neuroscience studies which appear particularly relevant for research and practice in Technology Enhanced Learning TEL. Two tables in the article summarise the key findings of some neuroscience studies and their implications for TEL. The writing highlights two main broad research areas that a closer collaboration between neuroscience and TEL may fruitfully address: first, the relevance and the reciprocal influence between mirror neurons and the sensorimotor experiences that TEL leverages and second, the neurological bases that may explain variations in the use TEL, by people belonging to different cultures. With reference to the second area of investigation, this paper offers an operational definition of culture, as the set of priming processes and tools. This definition is derived from research practices recently adopted in Cultural Neuroscience and it seems to offer an interesting perspective to conduct further neuroscience studies on TEL.
A New Look at Intrauterine Growth and the Impact of Race, Altitude, and Gender

Background. Growth curves described in the 1960s are used to classify neonate intrauterine growth as normal or abnormal. Our objective was to determine whether continued use of these curves is appropriate. Methods. From 1996 to 1998, we collected birth weight, length, head circumference, estimated gestational age (EGA), gender, race, and place of birth (<4000 feet or ≥4000 feet) on 27 229 neonates to evaluate the effects of each on intrauterine growth and the diagnoses of small for gestational age (SGA) and large for gestational age (LGA). We compared the gestation-specific growth parameters derived from our sample with those reported in 1966 and 1969. Results. Gestational age had the largest influence on each growth parameter. Race and gender both had effects on birth weight. Female neonates were smaller than male neonates, and black neonates were smaller than Hispanic and white neonates at each EGA. For neonates with an EGA <30 weeks, our data had a smaller variance and lower average weights, lengths, and head circumferences than those reported in 1966 and in 1969. For neonates >36 weeks, the variance was similar, but our curves showed that neonates in our sample were larger and heavier. Use of the older growth curves to classify neonates as SGA, LGA, and appropriate for gestational age (AGA) led to significantly different rates of each by gender and race. Conclusions. Intrauterine growth patterns previously described and commonly used to classify neonates as AGA are inaccurate for use in current populations and lead to gender- and race-specific diagnoses of SGA and LGA that are misleading. neonates, growth, race, gender.