Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The evolved developmental niche in childhood: Relation to adult psychopathology and morality

ABSTRACT Following prior work linking childhood experience to adult outcomes, we used an evolutionary framework to examine effects of childhood experience on adult psychopathology and morality. Every animal provides an early life developmental system, developmental manifold or “niche” for its young, a set of inherited extra-genetic characteristics that match up with the maturational schedule of the offspring to optimize development. Humans inherit a niche first shaped over 30 million years ago with the emergence of social mammals and modified through human evolution. The human “evolved developmental niche” (EDN) has been related to positive outcomes in young children. Using an adult sample (n = 606), we examined adult retrospective recollection of childhood EDN and its relation to attachment, psychopathology, sociomoral capacities, and ethical orientations. Significant direct and indirect effects were found through mediation models, with EDN predicting Social Engagement orientation through perspective taking, Social Opposition orientation through lack of perspective taking and Social Withdrawal orientation through personal distress.
Proc . of Workshop on image and signal processing ( WISP ) , December 2007 , Guwahati , India FOUR-WAY CLASSIFICATION OF PLACE OF ARTICULATION OF MARATHI UNVOICED STOPS FROM BURST SPECTRA

Acoustic features computed from the release burst spectrum are evaluated for the classification of Marathi unvoiced and unaspirated stops characterized by four places of articulation. The burst onset spectra are found to provide significant information on place of articulation as determined by feature evaluation measures and classification experiments on a database of Marathi word-initial stops. Classification accuracies are compared with those of cepstral coefficients computed from the same analysis data.
Relationships between firefighters’ post-event distress and growth at different times after distressing incidents

As a consequence of exposure to distressing work-related incidents, firefighters may experience negative symptomatic responses, that is, postevent distress. As well as negative outcomes, empirical studies have documented the experience of growth, that is, positive psychological changes, among first responders after encountering distressing work-related incidents. Postevent distress and growth may evolve independently at different times following a distressing event yet are likely to influence each other. In the present study the impact of distressing work-related incidents on firefighters was investigated, examining the relationship (linear, quadratic, and cubic) between postevent distress and growth. To see what this relationship looked like in the immediate and in the more distant aftermath of distressing incidents, participants were split into 2 groups: those with more recent exposure (i.e., their distressing incident occurred within the past 12 months) and those with more distant exposure (i.e., their distressing incident occurred 13–24 months ago). A sample of 927 firefighters from 8 predominantly European countries completed the Impact of Event Scale–Revised and the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory–Short Form with reference to an incident they perceived to be most stressful. Time since this incident occurred was not significantly associated with growth, but was negatively associated with postevent distress. The relationship between postevent distress and growth at different times was first explored using the loess statistical method. Subsequent multivariate regression analyses produced evidence of both linear and curvilinear relationships between postevent distress and growth. Nevertheless, the cubic model appeared to be the best fit of the data for recent distressing incidents and the quadratic model for more distant distressing incidents. The regression results were consistent with the results of the loess smoothing. Implications for clinical practice are discussed.
Dichoptic multifocal pupillography reveals afferent visual field defects in early type 2 diabetes.

PURPOSE Multifocal pupillographic perimetry was used to examine differences in the visual fields of 23 subjects with early type 2 diabetes (T2D) and 23 age- and sex-matched control subjects. METHODS Independent stimuli were delivered to 44 regions of each eye while pupil responses were recorded with infrared cameras. The stimuli were presented in 8 segments of 30 seconds, and both eyes of each subject were tested twice. The direct and consensual responses provided 88 responses per eye. The diagnostic power of the method was then examined by applying receiver operator analysis to the peak regional contraction amplitudes, time to peaks, and linear combinations of those. RESULTS Dichoptic multifocal pupillography provided response amplitudes with a median z-score of 2.63 +/- 0.26 (SE). The diagnostic performance (expressed as areas under ROC plots) of the eight subjects (32 fields) who had had T2D for at least 10 years was 0.87 +/- 0.06 (mean +/- SE) for response amplitude deviations from normative data, rising to 0.95 +/- 0.04 when between-eye symmetry was considered. Mean pupil size did not have diagnostic power. Comparison of direct and consensual response fields indicated that the observed localized field defects were afferent. CONCLUSIONS Reasonable diagnostic power was obtained, especially for the 16 eyes that had had T2D for more than 10 years, inferring that even in the near absence of visible diabetic retinopathy, some retinal damage had been sustained. This result, if confirmed in a wider group, suggests the that the method may be clinically useful in screening for early damage to the retina in T2D diabetes.
A dynamic marking method for implicit information flow in dynamic taint analysis

Dynamic taint analysis is an important technique for tracking information flow in software and it has been widely applied in the field of software testing, debugging and vulnerability detection. However, most of the dynamic taint analysis tools only handle explicit information flow, while ignoring the implicit information flow, resulting in a large number of false negative errors. Considering this situation, we present a dynamic marking method for implicit information flow, to handle a specific type of control-dependence. The method can identify and propagate implicit data during runtime, thus increasing the coverage of the tested program. we also propose pipeline, integrating our method in the process of dynamic taint analysis. Pipeline is implemented on the base of the dynamic taint analysis framework avalanche, and is designed to detect vulnerabilities in binary programs. In the studies, we applied the tool to 5 applications from some open-source projects, and it has effectively located and propagated the specific kind of implicit information flow.
Can cry in the newborn be used as an assessment of pain?

Pain in the neonate is a complex subject. The assessment of pain should be simple and clinically usable. So far, the scales that have been used to assess pain are too time consuming and complex. The analysis of cry in a simple manner, as described in this issue of Acta Paediatrica by Bellieni et al., could be used in a simple and effective way at the bedside.
Maintenance and bandwidth scheduling for cloud rendering in optical data center networks

Animation rendering aims to transform a digital design into a vivid cartoon. To achieve a high-quality animation in the short term, the cloud rendering was presented through consolidating Data Center (DC) resources. Since DCs are far away from each other due to the space limitation, the cloud rendering will run over the Optical Data Center Network (ODCN) where DCs are interconnected by high-speed optical links. This high-speed interconnection well supports the fast data migration for the DC maintenance, which is a preventive measure for safeguarding the uptime of cloud rendering. In this paper, to achieve the least batch maintenance scheduling, multiple DCs are maintained simultaneously through one batch, which makes Rendering Processes (RPs) migrated among DCs via high-speed optical links, and brings the extra costs such as the link-bandwidth consumption. Thus, after performing the least batch maintenance using the heuristic, we determine the bandwidth provisioning for the optical links along a migration trajectory. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of our method.
Effects of postnatal light environment on the development of the mouse stress system

The postnatal period is a critical time for development where external influences can help shape the long-term structure and function of the brain. Adverse experiences or stressors during the postnatal period, such as abuse or neglect, can have huge consequences on the long term function, health and susceptibility to disease. One environmental factor, whose importance is becoming increasingly more recognised for normal development, is light. Abnormal light during the first three weeks of life has been shown to have long term effects on the circadian system of rodents. On the other hand, the effects of abnormal light during the postnatal period on the stress system have yet been relatively unexplored. Therefore the aim of this thesis was to assess if altered postnatal light environment, such as that a preterm baby might be exposed to, has any long-term effects on the stress system.Mice were raised under constant light (LL), constant darkness (DD) or a normal 12:12hr light:dark cycle (LD) for the first three weeks of life from postnatal day (P)1 up until P21. From P21, all mice were then housed in LD conditions and the stress system was assessed by looking at several different levels of the HPA axis including neuropeptide expression in the brain, body and adrenal weight, and plasma corticosterone levels under both basal and stressed conditions. Learning and memory, anxiety-like behaviour and circadian output rhythms were also evaluated. Finally, mother-pup behaviour and maternal HPA axis were assessed to see if maternal care was changed by altered postnatal light.Both LL and DD rearing caused changes in the HPA axis of offspring with LL raised mice showing alterations in neuropeptide and glucocorticoid receptor expression in the brain. Postnatal DD resulted in a blunted corticosterone response to a stressor in females but had no effect in males. In terms of behaviour, LL raised mice had increased depressive-like behaviour. In contrast, postnatal light appears to have no effect on learning and memory or anxiety behaviour. When we looked at circadian output rhythms, we found that LL rearing appears to confer resilience to the rhythm disrupting effects of LL later on in life as seen by the maintenance of locomotor activity, body temperature and plasma corticosterone rhythms in LL. Maternal care and maternal stress systems appeared unaltered under the different postnatal light environments suggesting that the changes we see in the offspring are attributed to mechanisms other than alterations in maternal care.
Self-Awareness and Personal Growth: Theory and Application of Bloom’s Taxonomy

Problem Statement :In this article, we summarize a group-based, self-development curriculum based on humanistic principles, framed by contemporary self-determination theory (SDT), and designed in accordance with Bloom’s Taxonomy. The processes of awareness and integration are common to SDT and Bloom’s Taxonomy, and to our knowledge, have not been applied together with the practical goal of promoting the studentself-development in an educational setting. Purpose of the Study :The underlying assumptions of our curriculum hold that (1) the self functions as the psychological agent responsible for regulating personal behavior, and that (2) personal growth is an outcome of the motivation to fulfill intrinsic goals coupled with the integration of learning through an awareness of personal limitations and potentialities. We describe the design and implementation of a school-based curriculum that integrates core elements of SDT with the sequential levels of cognitive and affective learning articulated by Bloom’s Taxonomy and that is intended to facilitate the student self-development. Method : Three distinct theoretical and empirical ingredients of SDT form the basis of our curriculum: goals and values, organismic integration, and mindful action. These core components of SDT are rooted in the humanistic tradition but can be transformed into a sequence of practical learning goals and activities when viewed through the lens of Bloom’s Taxonomy. We demonstrate how Bloom’s Taxonomy provides the architecture needed to implement the elements of SDT in such a way that students are able to engage in a programmatic process of self-development. In other words, the levels of Bloom Taxonomy are used to structure the application of the broad SDT/humanistic principles on which personal growth is founded. Findings : Combined with the anecdotal reactions of group members and facilitators, our impressions suggest that the consistent expression of personally selected values and characteristics requires that these aspects first become internalized as meaningful guides for living, second, motivate behavior that is consistent with the chosen values and characteristics, and third, contribute to a sense of well-being and personal growth. Conclusion and Recommendations : The process of self-development can be facilitated by the internalization of cognitive learning and is supported by affective processes that, together, yield favorable developmental outcomes for students. Although we did not subject our group-based curriculum to rigorous empirical evaluation, we encourage efforts to establish its effectiveness through qualitative and quantitative research. Keywords : Self-awareness, motivation, personal growth, Bloom’s Taxonomy
Dynamics of Dnmt1 interaction with the replication machinery and its role in postreplicative maintenance of DNA methylation

Postreplicative maintenance of genomic methylation patterns was proposed to depend largely on the binding of DNA methyltransferase 1 (Dnmt1) to PCNA, a core component of the replication machinery. We investigated how the slow and discontinuous DNA methylation could be mechanistically linked with fast and processive DNA replication. Using photobleaching and quantitative live cell imaging we show that Dnmt1 binding to PCNA is highly dynamic. Activity measurements of a PCNA-binding-deficient mutant with an enzyme-trapping assay in living cells showed that this interaction accounts for a 2-fold increase in methylation efficiency. Expression of this mutant in mouse dnmt1−/− embryonic stem (ES) cells restored CpG island methylation. Thus association of Dnmt1 with the replication machinery enhances methylation efficiency, but is not strictly required for maintaining global methylation. The transient nature of this interaction accommodates the different kinetics of DNA replication and methylation while contributing to faithful propagation of epigenetic information.
Anatomy of building Marathi n-grams

Statistical language processing uses n-grams. Building n-grams from a corpus is not a trivial process. It requires careful selection of the sources that make the corpus, data collection over a long period, data cleansing, script mix removal and finally building usable n-grams for a given language. While English language n-grams are available from Google and are very popular, most of the Indic languages do not have such readily available corpus. This paper describes building n-gram corpus for Marathi, a language used daily by 70 million people in India.
Enzymatic resistance to the lipopeptide surfactin as identified through imaging mass spectrometry of bacterial competition

Many species of bacteria secrete natural products that inhibit the growth or development of competing species. In turn, competitors may develop or acquire resistance to antagonistic molecules. Few studies have investigated the interplay of these countervailing forces in direct competition between two species. We have used an imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) approach to track metabolites exchanged between Bacillus subtilis and Streptomyces sp. Mg1 cultured together. Surfactin is a cyclic lipopeptide produced by B. subtilis that inhibits the formation of aerial hyphae by streptomycetes. IMS analysis exposed an addition of 18 mass units to surfactin in the agar proximal to Streptomyces sp. Mg1 but not other streptomycetes tested. The spatially resolved change in the mass of surfactin indicated hydrolysis of the molecule. We observed that the aerial growth of Streptomyces sp. Mg1 was resistant to inhibition by surfactin, which suggests that hydrolysis was a mechanism of resistance. To identify possible enzymes from Streptomyces sp. Mg1 with surfactin hydrolase activity, we isolated secreted proteins and identified candidates by mass spectrometry. We purified one candidate enzyme that hydrolyzed surfactin in vitro. We tested the role of this enzyme in surfactin resistance by deleting the corresponding gene from the S. Mg1 genome. We observed that aerial growth by the ΔsfhA mutant strain was now sensitive to surfactin. Our results identify an enzyme that hydrolyzes surfactin and confers resistance to aerial growth inhibition, which demonstrates the effective use of an IMS approach to track natural product modifications during interspecies competition.
Impact de la proximité perçue d’un magasin sur la fidélité des clients : le cas des magasins d’enseignes alimentaires de proximité

L’objectif de cette recherche est d’etudier l’impact de la proximite percue d’un magasin d’une enseigne alimentaire dediee a la proximite sur le comportement de fidelite de ses clients. Les resultats de l’etude menee aupres de 909 clients de trois magasins differents mettent tout d’abord en evidence l’existence de deux routes complementaires pour comprendre comment se forment les intentions comportementales futures des clients envers un magasin d’une enseigne alimentaire de proximite. L’une s’appuie principalement sur la proximite materielle percue du magasin et l’attitude des clients a l’egard de ce magasin. L’autre repose davantage sur la proximite immaterielle percue du magasin et l’attachement des clients envers ce magasin. Ils montrent aussi que dans le cas d’un magasin rural, les clients reguliers ont tendance a donner plus de poids a la route immaterielle alors que les clients occasionnels privilegient surtout la route materielle. Pour les magasins urbains, les deux routes, materielle et immaterielle, ont des poids similaires.
Effects of Acupuncture on 1-Chloro-2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene-Induced Atopic Dermatitis

Though the effects of acupuncture in atopic dermatitis have been proven in clinical studies, its mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we investigate the effectiveness and mechanism of action for acupuncture treatment on the LI11 meridian point for treatment of allergic contact dermatitis. BALB/c mice received 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (DNCB) application to induce skin inflammation. Acupuncture treatment on LI11 significantly inhibited cutaneous hyperplasia, serum IgE levels, and expression of proinflammatory cytokine (IL-4, IL-8, and TNF-α) mRNA and NF-κB, ERK1/2, JNK, and p38 proteins. Acupuncture treatment of local points also inhibited cutaneous hyperplasia and serum IgE levels; however, it was not effective in regulating proinflammatory cytokines and proteins. In addition, LI11 treatment is more effective at reducing serum IgE levels and pro-inflammatory cytokines and proteins than local point treatment. These results suggest that acupuncture treatment is effective in alleviating allergic contact dermatitis by reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines and proteins.
"For Telling" the Present: Using the Delphi Method to Understand Personal Information Management Practices

Researchers have been studying personal information management (PIM) for many years, but little exists by way of practical advice for how individuals should manage their own information. We employed the Delphi Method to engage PIM researchers with expertise in a variety of relevant areas in a five-round extended dialog about PIM practices. Participants identified key everyday choices of PIM, suggested alternatives, and identified pros and cons of each alternative. Our contributions include: 1) a set of 36 PIM practices, along with pros, cons, and recommendations for or against each practice, 2) directions of future research and development including "near-future" improvements in tool support and 3) a detailed description of how we applied the Delphi Method to study PIM and how it might be used more widely in HCI research as a complement to more established methods of inquiry.
NFP: Enabling Network Function Parallelism in NFV

Software-based sequential service chains in Network Function Virtualization (NFV) could introduce significant performance overhead. Current acceleration efforts for NFV mainly target on optimizing each component of the sequential service chain. However, based on the statistics from real world enterprise networks, we observe that 53.8% network function (NF) pairs can work in parallel. In particular, 41.5% NF pairs can be parallelized without causing extra resource overhead. In this paper, we present NFP, a high performance framework, that innovatively enables network function parallelism to improve NFV performance. NFP consists of three logical components. First, NFP provides a policy specification scheme for operators to intuitively describe sequential or parallel NF chaining intents. Second, NFP orchestrator intelligently identifies NF dependency and automatically compiles the policies into high performance service graphs. Third, NFP infrastructure performs light-weight packet copying, distributed parallel packet delivery, and load-balanced merging of packet copies to support NF parallelism. We implement an NFP prototype based on DPDK in Linux containers. Our evaluation results show that NFP achieves significant latency reduction for real world service chains.
A trend analysis of exploitations

We have conducted an empirical study of a number of computer security exploits and determined that the rates at which incidents involving the exploit are reported to CERT can be modeled using a common mathematical framework. Data associated with three significant exploits involving vulnerabilities in phf, imap, and bind can all be modeled using the formula C=I+S/spl times//spl radic/M where C is the cumulative count of reported incidents, M is the time since the start of the exploit cycle, and I and S are the regression coefficients determined by analysis of the incident report data. Further analysis of two additional exploits involving vulnerabilities in mountd and statd confirm the model. We believe that the models will aid in predicting the severity of subsequent vulnerability exploitations, based on the rate of early incident reports.