Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Does Power Corrupt? The Evidence from Event-Related Potentials

The approach/inhibition theory of power suggested that power conduced to more reward-related behavior, while powerless individual had more inhibited behavior. In this study, participants were told to take part in the dictator game and the ultimatum game, which respectively made them feel powerful or powerless. In the meanwhile, ERPs (Event-Related Potentials) was also adopted in the experiment. After comparing the behavioral and potential differences between those two power conditions, the study found that people felt more powerful and allocated less interests to the counterparts when they played the dictator game than that in the ultimatum game. Four types of ERP component were found in this study: P2, N2, P3 and LNC. In the power condition, participants probed larger N2 than in the powerlessness condition. Particularly, the P2 of left cerebral hemisphere was larger than that on the right. However, N2, P3 and LNC probed in powerlessness condition were larger. The results implied that powerful individual put more cognitive resource at the early stage of decision-making while powerless individual allocated more cognitive recourse in the later stage. Besides, more conflict processing might be performed when people had less power. The study found a new neural evident to support the approach/inhibition theory of power.
Translating Measures of Biological Aging to Test Effectiveness of Geroprotective Interventions: What Can We Learn from Research on Telomeres?

Intervention studies in animals suggest molecular changes underlying age-related disease and disability can be slowed or reversed. To speed translation of these so-called “geroprotective” therapies to prevent age-related disease and disability in humans, biomarkers are needed that can track changes in the rate of human aging over the course of intervention trials. Algorithm methods that measure biological processes of aging from combinations of DNA methylation marks or clinical biomarkers show promise. To identify next steps for establishing utility of these algorithm-based measures of biological aging for geroprotector trials, we considered the history a candidate biomarker of aging that has received substantial research attention, telomere length. Although telomere length possesses compelling biology to recommend it as a biomarker of aging, mixed research findings have impeded clinical and epidemiologic translation. Strengths of telomeres that should be established for algorithm biomarkers of aging are correlation with chronological age across the lifespan, prediction of disease, disability, and early death, and responsiveness to risk and protective exposures. Key challenges in telomere research that algorithm biomarkers of aging must address are measurement precision and reliability, establishing links between longitudinal rates of change across repeated measurements and aging outcomes, and clarity over whether the biomarker is a causal mechanism of aging. These strengths and challenges suggest a research agenda to advance translation of algorithm-based aging biomarkers: establish validity in young-adult and midlife individuals; test responsiveness to exposures that shorten or extend healthy lifespan; and conduct repeated-measures longitudinal studies to test differential rates of change.
Effect of platinum doping on the structural and electrical properties of SnO2 thin films

ABSTRACT The investigation of Pt doping effect on the structural and electrical properties of SnO2 thin films was aimed in this study. For this purpose, the polycrystalline pure and Pt-doped SnO2 thin films were deposited onto n-type silicon substrate and the Pt sputter power was varied as 0 (un-doped), 2, 5 and 7 W by using radio frequency confocal sputtering system. The structural properties of the samples were analysed by X-ray diffraction measurements. The structural results show that the 5 W Pt-doped SnO2 sample has better crystallinity than the other samples. The results of the electrical measurements as current–voltage, capacitance–voltage and conductance–voltage were also obtained and discussed in detail for fabricated diodes. The analysis of electrical characteristics shows that the use of different Pt doping has significant effect on electrical properties of such devices. The study also provides an improved supplemental understanding to the related technologies which use Pt-doped SnO2 materials.
Lack of implementation of eating disorder education and prevention programs in high schools: Data from incoming college freshmen

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine the implementation of eating disorder education and prevention programs in high schools retrospectively, as reported by incoming college freshmen, exploring whether characteristics of the school influenced implementation. The sample, 169 first-year students from a public university, participated in an online survey inquiring about exposure to programs and high school characteristics. Results demonstrated few students exposed to any eating disorder programming (29.0%), with no students reporting exposure to prevention programming. Furthermore, there were no significant differences in the implementation based on school characteristics, suggesting that this is a universal issue across high schools.
Compute intensive code offloading in mobile device cloud

With the advancement of mobile computing technologies computation intensive mobile applications are also thriving in a rapid pace. Existing cloud and cloudlet based solutions are not best suited for these applications in terms of response time and cost. A rampant technology to execute these applications is mobile device cloud, where the compute intensive part of the applications are migrated to nearby powerful mobile devices for offloaded execution. In this paper, we propose an offloading decision making algorithm to select the appropriate devices for offloading. The emulation results of the proposed algorithm show that, our algorithm outperforms the relevant approaches in terms of application execution time.
Vascular Health and Risk Management Dovepress a Comparative Cohort Study of Totally Laparoscopic and Open Aortobifemoral Bypass for the Treatment of Advanced Atherosclerosis

Background: Totally laparoscopic aortobifemoral bypass (LABF) procedure has been shown to be feasible for the treatment of advanced aortoiliac occlusive disease (AIOD). This study compares the LABF with the open aortobifemoral bypass (OABF) operation. Methods: In this prospective comparative cohort study, 50 consecutive patients with type D atherosclerotic lesions in the aortoiliac segment were treated with an LABF operation. The group was compared with 30 patients who were operated on with the OABF procedure for the same disease and time period. We had an explanatory strategy, and our research hypothesis was to compare the two surgical procedures based on a composite event (all-cause mortality, graft occlusion, and systemic morbidity). Stratification analysis was performed by using the Mantel–Haenszel method with the patient–time model. Cox multivariate regression method was used to adjust for confounding effect after considering the proportional hazard assumption. Cox proportional cause-specific hazard regression model was used for competing risk endpoint. Results: There was a higher frequency of comorbidity in the OABF group. A significant reduction of composite event, 82% (hazard ratio 0.18; 95% CI 0.08–0.42, P=0.0001) was found in the LABF group when compared with OABF group, during a median follow-up time period of 4.12 years (range from 1 day to 9.32 years). In addition, less operative bleeding and shorter length of hospital stay were observed in the LABF group when compared with the OABF group. All components of the composite event showed the same positive effect in favor of LABF procedure. Conclusion: LABF for the treatment of AIOD, TransAtlantic Inter-Society Consensus II type D lesions, seems to result in a less composite event when compared with the OABF procedure. To conclude, our results need to be replicated by a randomized clinical trial.
Bacteriuria by extended-spectrum Beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae: isolates in a governmental hospital in South of Tehran, Iran.

INTRODUCTION Antibiotic resistant mutants producing extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) have emerged among Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. This study was done to determine the frequency of ESBL-producing E coli and K pneumoniae species isolated from urine samples of our patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS A study was conducted on 164 urine isolates (124 E coli and 40 K pneumoniae) in the laboratory Loghman Hakim Hospital in Tehran, Iran, in 2007. Microbial sensitivity tests were done on Mueller-Hinton agar plates with disk diffusion method. Broad-spectrum resistance was defined as resistance to ampicillin or cephalothin; ESBL resistance, as resistance of these bacteria to one of ceftriaxone, ceftazidime, or ceftizoxime; and MDR-ESBL; as resistance to 3 of the following antibiotic groups: trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, aminoglycosides, fluoroquinolones, and nitrofurantoin. RESULTS An ESBL resistance was detected in 52.5% of isolates with K pneumoniae and 45.2% of those with E coli. The MDR-ESBL pattern was detected in 26.8% of the isolates. These included 30.0% of the K pneumoniae and 25.8% of the E coli isolates. Broad-spectrum resistance was detected in all K pneumoniae isolates and 87.9% of 124 E coli isolates. CONCLUSIONS Our study showed a high rate of ESBL resistant strain of E coli and K pneumoniae and the emergency of multiple drug resistance to these bacteria in our patients in Tehran, Iran.
PAPER Special Section on Circuits and Design Techniques for Advanced Large Scale Integration 0.18-V Input Charge Pump with Forward Body Bias to Startup Boost Converter for Energy Harvesting Applications

SUMMARY In this paper, a 0.18-V input three-stage charge pump circuit applying forward body bias is proposed for energy harvesting applications. In the developed charge pump, all the MOSFETs are forward body biased by using the inter-stage/output voltages. By applying the proposed charge pump as the startup in the boost converter, the kick-up input voltage of the boost converter is reduced to 0.18 V. To verify the circuit characteristics, the conventional zero body bias charge pump and the proposed forward body bias charge pump were fabricated with 65 nm CMOS process. The measured output current of the proposed charge pump under 0.18-V input voltage is increased by 170% comparing to the conventional one at the output voltage of 0.5 V. In addition, the boost converter successfully boosts the 0.18-V input to higher than 0.65-V output.
Feature Fusion for Robust Object Tracking Using Fragmented Particles

Tracking people or objects across multiple cameras and maintaining a track within a camera is a challenging task in applications such as video surveillance. Some of the major challenges while tracking a target are illumination/scale changes and partial occlusion. In this paper, we propose a novel tracking framework using particle filter to efficiently track an object within a camera and a blob-based target association scheme for tracking across cameras. The proposed particle filter tracking algorithm uses a fragment-based approach to model the target and track it by fusing color and gradient features. Also, the proposed solution incorporates coarser level spatial information by fragmenting each particle and is shown to be beneficial for tracking under partial occlusion. A fast yet robust model update is employed to overcome illumination changes. Experimental results show (i) the robustness of the fragment-based tracking approach with respect to illumination/scale change and partial occlusion and (ii) tracking persons across two cameras.
Effect of soil contamination with arsenic and application of different substances on the manganese content in plants.

The aim of the study has been to determine the effect of some substances such as dolomite, loam, compost, pinewood bark, peat, lime, charcoal, natural and synthetic zeolite on reducing the impact of soil contamination with arsenic on the content of manganese in some plant species. The content of manganese in the test plants depended on the degree of soil contamination with arsenic, application of different substances as well as on the plant species and organ. Soil contamination with arsenic caused either an increase or a decrease in the content of manganese in plants depending on a plant species and organ. In the series without soil amending substances, in the arsenic contaminated objects the manganese content decreased in above-ground parts of cocksfoot and swede but increased in above-ground parts and roots of maize and yellow lupine, in roots of cocksfoot and swede and in straw and roots of spring barley. On the other hand, the highest rates of arsenic depressed the content of manganese in roots of cocksfoot, swede and spring barley. Addition of any of the aforementioned substances to contaminated soil changed the content of manganese in the plants. The most unambiguous effect of the different substances was determined in the case of above-ground parts of maize as well as above-ground parts and roots of cocksfoot, in which the manganese content fell down, and in roots of yellow lupine, grain and straw of spring barley, in which the content of manganese rose. Charcoal and loam caused the largest and synthetic zeolite led to the smallest changes in the content of manganese in plants.
Comparative analysis of response modes for gold nanoparticle biosensor based on localized surface plasmon resonance

The theoretical comparison of possible response measurement techniques for a biosensor based on localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) in spherical Au nanoparticle was made. The methods for measuring LSPR response considered differed in the treatment of the change of light extinction spectrum along the wavelength and extinction coordinate axes upon the formation of dense biomolecular monolayer on the surface of the sensitive element. In addition, the transformation of the extinction LSPR band with increase of the nanoparticle radius from 5 to 125 nm was investigated towards the optimization of LSPR response for dipolar and quadrupolar LSPR extinction peaks. A novel method for the measurement of wavelength shift was introduced and demonstrated to be more effective for estimation of the LSPR biosensor response as compared to commonly measured extinction peak shift + top
Positioning in Cyberspace: Evaluating Telecom Web Sites Using Correspondence Analysis

The growth of presence in the marketspace of the Web has been exponential, both in general and within specific industries. While the academic literature on the phenomena is still in its infancy, there exists a pressing need to establish methodologies to evaluate and map Web sites within and between industries. With the exception of a few notable papers little or no theoretical, descriptive, or normative research has been conducted into Web site positioning and evaluation. This article goes a little towards addressing this lacuna. Specifically, Web sites from the Telecom Industry are evaluated and mapped using correspondence analysis. The technique of correspondence analysis and the interpretation of the maps produced are described in detail. The implications for management are also discussed.
Triage in the Angiography Suite for Mechanical Thrombectomy in Acute Ischemic Stroke: Not Such a Good Idea

The recent evidence on the effectiveness of mechanical thrombectomy (MT) for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) with large-vessel occlusion[1][1] has led to rethinking of the patient workflow. Indeed, the need to rapidly bring the patients eligible for MT into the angiography suite has
Molecular detection of Helicobacter species in the bile and histopathological evaluation of gall bladders of patients with calculus cholycystitis in Duhok province, Kurdistan region of Iraq

Background and objective: The presence of bile-resistant Helicobacter spp. in bile and gallbladder tissues has been proposed as a cause of gallbladder disease. This study aimed to assess the histopathological events in calculus cholecystitis and investigate the presence of the DNA of Helicobacter spp. in the bile. Methods: Forty patients who underwent cholecystectomy for calculus cholecystitis were evaluated for the presence of Helicobacter spp. by polymerase chain reaction methods and gallbladder tissue was evaluated histopathologically. Gall bladders were fixed in formalin and subjected to histopathological investigation while bile sample was used for the extraction of DNA. Results: The histopathological findings revealed that twenty-seven (67.5%) samples showed mild chronic inflammation, one (2.5 %) sample with acute inflammation, four (10 %) samples with acute on chronic inflammation, eight (20 %) samples have normal histological findings. The molecular investigation revealed that twenty one (52 %) samples out of the forty showed the presence of genomic DNA after being subjected to DNA extraction and that fourteen (66.7 %) samples out of the twenty one showed amplification bands of 300 bp after PCR amplification indicating the presence of Helicobacter spp. within the samples. But no sample revealed the presence of H. pylori DNA when PCR was applied. Conclusion: Helicobacter spp. are considered as a determining factor for the development of gall bladder inflammation.
Neuronal LRP4 regulates synapse formation in the developing CNS

The low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 4 (LRP4) is essential in muscle fibers for the establishment of the neuromuscular junction. Here, we show that LRP4 is also expressed by embryonic cortical and hippocampal neurons, and that downregulation of LRP4 in these neurons causes a reduction in density of synapses and number of primary dendrites. Accordingly, overexpression of LRP4 in cultured neurons had the opposite effect inducing more but shorter primary dendrites with an increased number of spines. Transsynaptic tracing mediated by rabies virus revealed a reduced number of neurons presynaptic to the cortical neurons in which LRP4 was knocked down. Moreover, neuron-specific knockdown of LRP4 by in utero electroporation of LRP4 miRNA in vivo also resulted in neurons with fewer primary dendrites and a lower density of spines in the developing cortex and hippocampus. Collectively, our results demonstrate an essential and novel role of neuronal LRP4 in dendritic development and synaptogenesis in the CNS. Summary: Overexpression and knockdown of LRP4 in mouse cortical and hippocampal neurons both in vitro and in vivo reveals a key role for LRP4 in dendrite and synapse formation during development.
A Prefix-Filter based Method for Spatio-Textual Similarity Join

Location-based services have attracted significant attention due to modern mobile phones equipped with GPS devices. These services generate large amounts of spatio-textual data which contain both spatial location and textual descriptions. Since a spatio-textual object may have different representations, possibly because of deviations of GPS or different user descriptions, it calls for efficient methods to integrate spatio-textual data from different sources. In this paper we study a new research problem called spatio-textual similarity join: given two sets of spatio-textual objects, find the similar object pairs. We make the following contributions: (1) We develop a filter-and-refine framework and devise several efficient algorithms. We extend the prefix filter technique to generate spatial and textual signatures for the objects and build inverted index on top of these signatures. Then we generate candidate pairs using the inverted lists of signatures. Finally we refine the candidates and generate the final result. (2) We study how to generate high-quality signatures for spatial information. We develop an MBR-prefix based signature to prune large numbers of dissimilar object pairs. (3) We propose a hybrid signature scheme to support both textual pruning and spatial pruning simultaneously. (4) Experimental results on real and synthetic datasets show that our algorithms achieve high performance and scale well.
Developmental Conductive Hearing Loss Reduces Modulation Masking Release

Hearing-impaired individuals experience difficulties in detecting or understanding speech, especially in background sounds within the same frequency range. However, normally hearing (NH) human listeners experience less difficulty detecting a target tone in background noise when the envelope of that noise is temporally gated (modulated) than when that envelope is flat across time (unmodulated). This perceptual benefit is called modulation masking release (MMR). When flanking masker energy is added well outside the frequency band of the target, and comodulated with the original modulated masker, detection thresholds improve further (MMR+). In contrast, if the flanking masker is antimodulated with the original masker, thresholds worsen (MMR−). These interactions across disparate frequency ranges are thought to require central nervous system (CNS) processing. Therefore, we explored the effect of developmental conductive hearing loss (CHL) in gerbils on MMR characteristics, as a test for putative CNS mechanisms. The detection thresholds of NH gerbils were lower in modulated noise, when compared with unmodulated noise. The addition of a comodulated flanker further improved performance, whereas an antimodulated flanker worsened performance. However, for CHL-reared gerbils, all three forms of masking release were reduced when compared with NH animals. These results suggest that developmental CHL impairs both within- and across-frequency processing and provide behavioral evidence that CNS mechanisms are affected by a peripheral hearing impairment.
Intestinal Barrier Disruption in Ileal Pouchitis After Ileal Pouch-Anal Anastomosis in a Rat Model

Background: Pouchitis occurs in approximately 50% of patients with ulcerative colitis after ileal pouch–anal anastomosis (IPAA) but the pathogenesis remains unclear. We used a rat model of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)–induced ileal pouchitis to examine whether intestinal barrier disruption plays a role in the development and progression of the disease. Methods: Rats were randomly divided into DSS (underwent IPAA and administered 5% DSS orally), IPAA (underwent IPAA), and Sham groups (underwent switch abdominal surgery). In the DSS group, levofloxacin intervention and nonintervention subgroups were used to determine the influence of antibiotics on intestinal barrier dysfunction. Hematochezia and fecal scores were recorded. Ileum and pouch specimens were obtained for histological assessment. Immunohistochemistry was performed for myeloperoxidase and occludin protein expression. Levels of interleukin-1&bgr; (IL-1&bgr;), IL-6, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor &agr; mRNA were detected by real-time PCR. Plasma D-lactate concentrations were determined with colorimetry. Results: Only rats in the DSS group experienced hematochezia, and their fecal and histological scores significantly increased (P < 0.01). Compared with the IPAA and Sham groups, levels of myeloperoxidase, IL-1&bgr;, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor &agr;, and plasma D-lactate significantly increased, whereas occludin and IL-10 reduced in the DSS group (P < 0.01). The levofloxacin subgroup showed increased occludin expression and more balanced inflammatory cytokine levels than the nonintervention subgroup. All differences showed linear correlations. Conclusions: The intestinal barrier was disrupted in this rat model of pouchitis. Increased proinflammatory and decreased anti-inflammatory factors aggravated the intestinal barrier damage. Antibiotics may ameliorate this process.