Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The role of salience on crowding and visual search in the context of synaesthesia

Visual crowding is a phenomenon in which the identification of visual stimuli is impaired by nearby directions. it occurs both for simple stimuli (oriented lines) and for more complex forms. The literature on crowding is reviewed, along with relevant literature on visual search and stimulus salience. Experiments are reported to test the idea that visually salient stimuli can escape, in part from crowding. The salience of stimuli was manipulated by varying their motion direction, colour, or temporal frequency relative to dis tractors. Salience was also measured independently of crowding using the pop out paradigm in visual search. Results showed that stimuli independently defined as salient did escape, in part, from crowding. A following experiment attempted to see whether the same would be true for the subjective colours experienced by synaesthetes.
Nucleoporin 62 and Ca2+/calmodulin dependent kinase kinase 2 regulate androgen receptor activity in castrate resistant prostate cancer cells

Re‐activation of the transcriptional activity of the androgen receptor (AR) is an important factor mediating progression from androgen‐responsive to castrate‐resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). However, the mechanisms regulating AR activity in CRPC remain incompletely understood. Ca2+/calmodulin‐dependent kinase kinase (CaMKK) 2 was previously shown to regulate AR activity in androgen‐responsive prostate cancer cells. Our objective was to further explore the basis of this regulation in CRPC cells.
Action Reprogramming in Parkinson's Disease: Response to Prediction Error Is Modulated by Levels of Dopamine

Humans are able to use knowledge of previous events to estimate the probability of future actions. Consequently, an unexpected event will elicit a prediction error as the prepared action has to be replaced by an unprepared option in a process known as “action reprogramming” (AR). Here we show that people with Parkinson's disease (PD) have a dopamine-sensitive deficit in AR that is proportional to the size of the prediction error. Participants performed a probabilistic reaction time (RT) task in the context of either a predictable or unpredictable environment. For an overall predictable sequence, PD patients, on and off dopamine medication, and healthy controls showed similar improvements in RT. However, in the context of a generally predictable sequence, PD patients off medication were impaired in reacting to unexpected events that elicit large prediction errors and require AR. Critically, this deficit in AR was modulated by the prediction error associated with the upcoming event. The prolongation of RT was not observed during an overall unpredictable sequence, in which relatively unexpected events evoke little prediction error and the requirement for AR should be minimal, given the context. The data are compatible with recent theoretical accounts suggesting that levels of dopamine encode the reliability, i.e., precision, of sensory information. In this scheme, PD patients off medication have low dopamine levels and may therefore be less confident about incoming sensory information and more reliant on top-down predictions. Consequently, when these internal predictions are incorrect, PD patients take longer to respond appropriately to unexpected sensory information.
Specificity of resistance to dengue virus isolates is associated with genotypes of the mosquito antiviral gene Dicer-2

In contrast to the prevailing view that invertebrate immunity relies on broad-spectrum recognition and effector mechanisms, intrinsic genetic compatibility between invertebrate hosts and their pathogens is often highly specific in nature. Solving this puzzle requires a better understanding of the molecular basis underlying observed patterns of invertebrate host–pathogen genetic specificity, broadly referred to as genotype-by-genotype interactions. Here, we identify an invertebrate immune gene in which natural polymorphism is associated with isolate-specific resistance to an RNA virus. Dicer-2 (dcr2) encodes a key protein upstream of the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway, a major antiviral component of innate immunity in invertebrates. We surveyed allelic polymorphism at the dcr2 locus in a wild-type outbred population and in three derived isofemale families of the mosquito Aedes aegypti that were experimentally exposed to several, genetically distinct isolates of dengue virus. We found that dcr2 genotype was associated with resistance to dengue virus in a virus isolate-specific manner. By contrast, no such association was found for genotypes at two control loci flanking dcr2, making it likely that dcr2 contains the yet-unidentified causal polymorphism(s). This result supports the idea that host–pathogen compatibility in this system depends, in part, on a genotype-by-genotype interaction between dcr2 and the viral genome, and points to the RNAi pathway as a potentially important determinant of intrinsic insect-virus genetic specificity.
Sugar ingestion and dichotic listening: Increased perceptual capacity is more than motivation

Participants ingested a sugar drink or a sugar-free drink and then engaged in a pair of dichotic listening tasks. Tasks presented category labels then played a series of word pairs, one in the left ear and one in the right. Participants attempted to identify pairs containing a target category member. Target category words were homonyms. For example, arms appeared as a target in the “body parts” category. Nontargets that played along with targets were related to a category-appropriate version of the target (e.g., sleeves), a category-inappropriate version (e.g., weapons), or were unrelated to either version of the target (e.g., plant). Hence, an effect of nontarget type on number of targets missed was evidence that participants processed nontargets for meaning. In the divided attention task, participants monitored both ears. In the focused attention task, participants monitored the left ear. Half the participants in each group had the divided attention task before the focused attention task; the other half had the focused attention task before the divided attention task. We set task lengths to about 12 min so working on the first task would give sufficient time for metabolizing sugar from the drink before the start of the second task. Nontarget word type significantly affected targets missed in both tasks. Drink type affected performance in the divided attention task only after sufficient time for converting sugar into blood glucose. The result supports an energy model for the effect of sugar ingestion on perceptual tasks rather than a motivational model.
Search for millisecond periodicities in type I X-ray bursts of the Rapid Burster

We have searched the rising portion of type I X-ray bursts observed from the Rapid Burster with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer for the presence of periodicities. The 95per cent confidence upper limit on the average rms variation of near coherent pulsations with a width of &1Hz (in 60±2048Hz) during the first second of the bursts is ,8.8per cent. We find a possible detection (.98per cent significance) at 306.5Hz.
In-Network Distributed Solar Current Prediction

Long-term sensor network deployments demand careful power management. While managing power requires understanding the amount of energy harvestable from the local environment, current solar prediction methods rely only on recent local history, which makes them susceptible to high variability. In this article, we present a model and algorithms for distributed solar current prediction based on multiple linear regression to predict future solar current based on local, in situ climatic and solar measurements. These algorithms leverage spatial information from neighbors and adapt to the changing local conditions not captured by global climatic information. We implement these algorithms on our Fleck platform and run a 7-week-long experiment validating our work. In analyzing our results from this experiment, we determined that computing our model requires an increased energy expenditure of 4.5mJ over simpler models (on the order of 10-7% of the harvested energy) to gain a prediction improvement of 39.7%.
Thinking in Parallel: Some Basic Data-Parallel Algorithms and Techniques

∗Copyright 2007, Uzi Vishkin. These class notes reflect the theorertical part in the Parallel Algorithms course at UMD. The parallel programming part and its computer architecture context within the PRAM-On-Chip Explicit Multi-Threading (XMT) platform is provided through the XMT home page www.umiacs. umd.edu/users/vishkin/XMT and the class home page. Comments are welcome: please write to me using my last name at umd.edu
Attack identification for software-defined networking based on attack trees and extension innovation methods

Taking security management of Software-Defined Networking (SDN) into consideration, the identification of attacks due to the SDN-specific vulnerabilities is of great significance. Thus in this case, formalization of security attacks becomes essential in promoting the identification process of attacks. This paper then proposes an integrated approach of attack trees and extension innovation methods from the viewpoint of attack identification for security management of SDN. It first uses attack trees to identify various attacks for security management of SDN, consisting of both the basic attack tree model and the augment attack tree model. Furthermore, it considers the use of extension innovation methods to improve attack trees by means of formalization, including application of the extension analysis method to the basic attack tree model and application of the extension transformation method to the augment attack tree model. Finally, case study about a Denial of Service (DoS) attack on the SDN controller validates the feasibility of proposed integrated approach based on attack trees and extension innovation methods.
Capacity Maximisation for Hybrid Digital-to-Analog Beamforming mm-Wave Systems

Millimetre waves (mm-Waves) with massive multiple input and multiple output (MIMO) have the potential to fulfill fifth generation (5G) traffic demands. In this paper, a hybrid digital-to-analog (D-A) precoding system is investigated and a particle swarm optimisation (PSO) based joint D-A precoding optimisation algorithm is proposed. This algorithm maximises the capacity of the hybrid D-A mm-Wave massive MIMO system. The proposed algorithm is compared with three known hybrid D-A precoding algorithms. The analytical and simulation results show that the proposed algorithm achieves higher capacity than the existing hybrid D-A precoding algorithms.
Putting feet first

There is tremendous variation in lower leg amputation attributable to diabetes worldwide and, even more disturbingly, within countries, such as the UK. In the January 2015 issue of Diabetic Medicine, a pilot study was conducted to assess measures to be used in a prospective audit of the management of foot ulcers in people with diabetes [1] and describes the essential first steps required for a national audit. The care of the ‘at risk’ diabetic foot requires the presence of a multidisciplinary team with complementary skills. In 2011 the England National Diabetes Inpatient Audit found that 40.5% of sites participating in the audit did not have access to a multidisciplinary team, consisting of ‘a diabetologist with an expertise in lower limb complications, a surgeon with expertise in managing diabetic foot ulcers, a diabetes specialist nurse, a specialist podiatrist and a tissue viability nurse [2]. ’ In this issue of Diabetic Medicine we have focused on the diabetic foot with four complementary state-of-the-art reviews and four peer-reviewed original papers. In the first article, we are reminded by Brownrigg et al. (page 738) that half the patients with a diabetic foot ulcer have peripheral arterial disease. This timely review elegantly covers the diagnosis and assessment of peripheral arterial disease in the diabetic foot. The second review by Glaudemans et al. (page 748) highlights the difficulty in diagnosing infection in the foot, and then reviews in detail the challenges to diagnosing infection, starting with history and examination, and progressing to the many tests now available, including stateof-the-art imaging.TheCharcot foot is one of themost difficult complications to treat in a person with diabetes. Bill Jeffcoate (page 760) comprehensively covers the disease definition, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, treatment (off-loading, bisphosphonates, calcitonin, parathyroid hormone, newer agents and surgery) and prevention strategies. The last review in this series by Gandhi and Selvarajah (page 771) provides insights into the understanding and treatment of painful diabetic neuropathy, emphasizing that it is a heterogeneous disorder that requires differing therapeutic approaches.
Synergies and tensions in child protection and parent support: policy lines and practitioners cultures

Social workers' interventions in support of children and their families have often proved a minefield of sort, filled up with conflicting demands, expectations and tasks. This paper sets the resulting debate in the context of both social policy orientations and social work cultures. It argues that partnerships between families and practitioners have to be understood as the result of a complex set of factors. Data from a qualitative study of social work professional cultures suggest that among practitioners, policy orientations intertwine with different styles of conceiving social work; accordingly, professional cultures play an important part in connecting, or failing to connect, child protection and family support. Language: en
T cell genetic background determines maintenance of IL-12 signaling: effects on BALB/c and B10.D2 T helper cell type 1 phenotype development.

In this report, we examined the molecular basis underlying the genetic difference between BALB/c and B10.D2 T cells for T helper phenotype development in vitro. We found a strain-dependent difference in early maintenance of IL-12 responsiveness by T cells developing in vitro in unmanipulated (neutral) conditions. Thus, when activated without addition of exogenous cytokines or neutralization of endogenous cytokines, B10.D2, but not BALB/c, T cells remain responsive to IL-12 when activated for 7 days. The pattern of IL-12 responsiveness correlated with expression of the IL-12R signaling subunit, IL-12R beta2, and with IL-12-induced STAT4 phosphorylation. When activated under neutral conditions, BALB/c T cells rapidly lose IL-12R beta2 expression, STAT4 phosphorylation, and functional IL-12 responsiveness. More efficient maintenance of IL-12R beta2 expression by B10.D2 T cells activated under neutral conditions may explain the previously observed increase in IFN-gamma production relative to that of BALB/c. This difference could potentially provide greater protection from certain pathogens that do not immediately elicit strong Th1-inducing conditions via activation of the innate immune system.
Schizophrenia, substance abuse, and violent crime.

CONTEXT Persons with schizophrenia are thought to be at increased risk of committing violent crime 4 to 6 times the level of general population individuals without this disorder. However, risk estimates vary substantially across studies, and considerable uncertainty exists as to what mediates this elevated risk. Despite this uncertainty, current guidelines recommend that violence risk assessment should be conducted for all patients with schizophrenia. OBJECTIVE To determine the risk of violent crime among patients diagnosed as having schizophrenia and the role of substance abuse in mediating this risk. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Longitudinal designs were used to link data from nationwide Swedish registers of hospital admissions and criminal convictions in 1973-2006. Risk of violent crime in patients after diagnosis of schizophrenia (n = 8003) was compared with that among general population controls (n = 80 025). Potential confounders (age, sex, income, and marital and immigrant status) and mediators (substance abuse comorbidity) were measured at baseline. To study familial confounding, we also investigated risk of violence among unaffected siblings (n = 8123) of patients with schizophrenia. Information on treatment was not available. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Violent crime (any criminal conviction for homicide, assault, robbery, arson, any sexual offense, illegal threats, or intimidation). RESULTS In patients with schizophrenia, 1054 (13.2%) had at least 1 violent offense compared with 4276 (5.3%) of general population controls (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 2.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.8-2.2). The risk was mostly confined to patients with substance abuse comorbidity (of whom 27.6% committed an offense), yielding an increased risk of violent crime among such patients (adjusted OR, 4.4; 95% CI, 3.9-5.0), whereas the risk increase was small in schizophrenia patients without substance abuse comorbidity (8.5% of whom had at least 1 violent offense; adjusted OR, 1.2; 95% CI, 1.1-1.4; P<.001 for interaction). The risk increase among those with substance abuse comorbidity was significantly less pronounced when unaffected siblings were used as controls (28.3% of those with schizophrenia had a violent offense compared with 17.9% of their unaffected siblings; adjusted OR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.4-2.4; P<.001 for interaction), suggesting significant familial (genetic or early environmental) confounding of the association between schizophrenia and violence. CONCLUSIONS Schizophrenia was associated with an increased risk of violent crime in this longitudinal study. This association was attenuated by adjustment for substance abuse, suggesting a mediating effect. The role of risk assessment, management, and treatment in individuals with comorbidity needs further examination.
Personalized Learning in Medical Education: Designing a User Interface for a Dynamic Haptic Robotic Trainer for Central Venous Catheterization

While Virtual Reality (VR) has emerged as a viable method for training new medical residents, it has not yet reached all areas of training. One area lacking such development is surgical residency programs where there are large learning curves associated with skill development. In order to address this gap, a Dynamic Haptic Robotic Trainer (DHRT) was developed to help train surgical residents in the placement of ultrasound guided Internal Jugular Central Venous Catheters and to incorporate personalized learning. In order to accomplish this, a 2-part study was conducted to: (1) systematically analyze the feedback given to 18 third year medical students by trained professionals to identify the items necessary for a personalized learning system and (2) develop and experimentally test the usability of the personalized learning interface within the DHRT system. The results can be used to inform the design of VR and personalized learning systems within the medical community.
Sparse Grids and Related Approximation Schemes for Higher Dimensional Problems

The efficient numerical treatment of high dimensional problems is hampered by the curse of dimensionality. We review approximation techniques which overcome this problem to some extent. Here, we focus on methods stemming from Kolmogorov’s theorem, the ANOVA decomposition and the sparse grid approach and discuss their prerequisites and properties. Moreover, we present energy-norm based sparse grids and demonstrate that, for functions with bounded mixed derivatives on the unit hypercube, the associated approximation rate in terms of the involved degrees of freedom shows no dependence on the dimension at all, neither in the approximation order nor in the order constant. 1.
Design and Analysis of Energy Efficient Wireless Sensor Networks Using Data Aggregation Techniques

Energy optimization is a crucial issue in designing wireless sensor networks (WSNs) where nodes are powered by batteries . In this paper data aggregation technique is the most efficient technique to reduce the energy consumption in wireless sensor networks. Cooperative multiinput-multi-output (MIMO) and data aggregation techniques are jointly adopted to improve energy efficiency of the point-to-point communication system. We compare the total energy consumption at critical distances at which cooperative MIMO outperforms the SISO system for different redundant data for both local and long-haul distance is analyzed. Simulations provide better results of energy saving achieved by data aggregation techniques. It is shown that data aggregation into cooperative MIMO techniques optimizes the total energy consumption.
Stress accumulation between volcanoes: an explanation for intra-arc earthquakes in Nicaragua?

SUMMARY Destructive upper crustal earthquakes in Central America are often located between active volcanic centres—a geometric relationship that we study using finite element Coulomb failure stress (CFS) models that incorporate the rheologically heterogeneous nature of the volcanic arc. Volcanoes are simulated as mechanically weak zones within a stronger crust. We find that deformation of the volcanic centres within a regional stress field dominated by dextral shear causes stress increases in surrounding crust, with a maximum CFS change between neighbouring volcanoes. This increase in CFS enhances the probability of fault slip on arc- normal faults that are located between volcanic centres; for example, the Tiscapa fault, which ruptured during the 1972 December 13, M s 6.2 Managua earthquake. The amount of stress increase due to long-term (100 yr) volcano shearing is on the order of 0.1-0.6 bars, similar to values estimated for subduction zone earthquakes.
Benchmarking Discount Rate in Natural Resource Damage Assessment with Risk Aversion

Benchmarking a credible discount rate is of crucial importance in natural resource damage assessment (NRDA) and restoration evaluation. This article integrates a holistic framework of NRDA with prevailing low discount rate theory, and proposes a discount rate benchmarking decision support system based on service‐specific risk aversion. The proposed approach has the flexibility of choosing appropriate discount rates for gauging long‐term services, as opposed to decisions based simply on duration. It improves injury identification in NRDA since potential damages and side‐effects to ecosystem services are revealed within the service‐specific framework. A real embankment case study demonstrates valid implementation of the method.