Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Observing, Performing, and Understanding Actions: Revisiting the Role of Cortical Motor Areas in Processing of Action Words

Language content and action/perception have been shown to activate common brain areas in previous neuroimaging studies. However, it is unclear whether overlapping cortical activation reflects a common neural source or adjacent, but distinct, sources. We address this issue by using multivoxel pattern analysis on fMRI data. Specifically, participants were instructed to engage in five tasks: (1) execute hand actions (AE), (2) observe hand actions (AO), (3) observe nonbiological motion (MO), (4) read action verbs, and (5) read nonaction verbs. A classifier was trained to distinguish between data collected from neural motor areas during (1) AE versus MO and (2) AO versus MO. These two algorithms were then used to test for a distinction between data collected during the reading of action versus nonaction verbs. The results show that the algorithm trained to distinguish between AE and MO distinguishes between word categories using signal recorded from the left parietal cortex and pre-SMA, but not from ventrolateral premotor cortex. In contrast, the algorithm trained to distinguish between AO and MO discriminates between word categories using the activity pattern in the left premotor and left parietal cortex. This shows that the sensitivity of premotor areas to language content is more similar to the process of observing others acting than to acting oneself. Furthermore, those parts of the brain that show comparable neural pattern for action execution and action word comprehension are high-level integrative motor areas rather than low-level motor areas.
MOSES: A Framework for QoS Driven Runtime Adaptation of Service-Oriented Systems

Architecting software systems according to the service-oriented paradigm and designing runtime self-adaptable systems are two relevant research areas in today's software engineering. In this paper, we address issues that lie at the intersection of these two important fields. First, we present a characterization of the problem space of self-adaptation for service-oriented systems, thus providing a frame of reference where our and other approaches can be classified. Then, we present MOSES, a methodology and a software tool implementing it to support QoS-driven adaptation of a service-oriented system. It works in a specific region of the identified problem space, corresponding to the scenario where a service-oriented system architected as a composite service needs to sustain a traffic of requests generated by several users. MOSES integrates within a unified framework different adaptation mechanisms. In this way it achieves greater flexibility in facing various operating environments and the possibly conflicting QoS requirements of several concurrent users. Experimental results obtained with a prototype implementation of MOSES show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Control of rotational wave packets in field-free molecular alignment by chirped laser pulses

We experimentally observed revival signals of high-order harmonics under field-free molecular alignment by applying chirp-free and chirped laser pulses. The revival signal obtained even with chirp-free laser pulses exhibited linearly dependant spectral phase with respect to frequency, and the slope of the spectral phase changed with the laser chirp condition.
WIDE‐ANGLE INDOCYANINE GREEN ANGIOGRAPHY

Background: Evaluation of the vasculature and blood flow in the fundus is limited by the small field of view of conventional fundus cameras. We sought to develop an easy method to image wide areas of the fundus. Methods: Wide-angle contact fundus lenses with antireflective coatings in the infrared range were placed on the eye and indocyanine green angiography was done on the fundus through the contact lenses. More than 50 patients with varying fundus pathology have been examined. Results: The angular field of view using this method can reach 160 degrees. Obtaining angiograms where the field of view extended anterior to the ora serrata was simplified, and studying the choroidal vasculature in detail was possible. In addition, imaging of entities such as peripheral choroidal neovascularization and choroidal tumors was enhanced with the present technique as compared with conventional techniques. Conclusions: Angiography through wide-angle fundus lenses is an easy and inexpensive method of visualizing large areas of the fundus. This technique may help improve our ability to image the angioarchitecture, hemodynamics, and pathologic changes in the retina and choroid.
Rhythmic-motion synthesis based on motion-beat analysis

Real-time animation of human-like characters is an active research area in computer graphics. The conventional approaches have, however, hardly dealt with the rhythmic patterns of motions, which are essential in handling rhythmic motions such as dancing and locomotive motions. In this paper, we present a novel scheme for synthesizing a new motion from unlabelled example motions while preserving their rhythmic pattern. Our scheme first captures the motion beats from the example motions to extract the basic movements and their transitions. Based on those data, our scheme then constructs a movement transition graph that represents the example motions. Given an input sound signal, our scheme finally synthesizes a novel motion in an on-line manner while traversing the motion transition graph, which is synchronized with the input sound signal and also satisfies kinematic constraints given explicitly and implicitly. Through experiments, we have demonstrated that our scheme can effectively produce a variety of rhythmic motions.
The effects of animal-assisted therapy on loneliness in an elderly population in long-term care facilities.

BACKGROUND Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is claimed to have a variety of benefits, but almost all published results are anecdotal. We characterized the resident population in long-term care facilities desiring AAT and determined whether AAT can objectively improve loneliness. METHODS Of 62 residents, 45 met inclusion criteria for the study. These 45 residents were administered the Demographic and Pet History Questionnaire (DPHQ) and Version 3 of the UCLA Loneliness Scale (UCLA-LS). They were then randomized into three groups (no AAT; AAT once/week; AAT three times/week; n = 15/group) and retested with the UCLA-LS near the end of the 6-week study. RESULTS Use of the DPHQ showed residents volunteering for the study had a strong life-history of emotional intimacy with pets and wished that they currently had a pet. AAT was shown by analysis of covariance followed by pairwise comparison to have significantly reduced loneliness scores in comparison with the no AAT group. CONCLUSIONS The desire for AAT strongly correlates with previous pet ownership. AAT reduces loneliness in residents of long-term care facilities.
Using goals, rules, and methods to support reasoning in business process reengineering

One step towards a more systematic approach to the design of business processes is to develop models that provide appropriate representations of the knowledge that is needed for understanding and for reasoning about business processes. We present a modelling framework which uses goals, rules, and methods to support the systematic analysis and design of business processes. The framework consists of two main components/spl minus/an actor dependency model that describes a process organization in terms of intentional dependencies among actors, and an issue argumentation model that supports reasoning during process redesign. Formal representation of these models allows computer-based tools to be developed as extensions to, and eventually integrated with, other tools for supporting information systems development. <<ETX>>
Stratospheric CO2 isotopic anomalies and SF6 and CFC Tracer Concentrations in the Arctic Polar Vortex

Isotopic measurements (δ17O and δ18O) of CO2 along with concentration measurements of SF6, CCl3F (CFC‐11), CCl2F2 (CFC‐12) and CCl2FCClF2 (CFC‐113) in stratospheric samples collected within the Arctic polar vortex are reported. These are the first simultaneous measurements of the concentration of fluorinated compounds and the complete oxygen isotopic composition of CO2 in the middle atmosphere. A mass‐independent anomaly in the oxygen isotopic composition of CO2 is observed that arises from isotopic exchange with stratospheric O(¹D) derived from O3 photolysis. The data exhibit a strong anti‐correlation between the Δ17O (the degree of the mass‐independent anomaly) and molecular tracer concentrations. The potential ability of this isotopic proxy to trace mesospheric and stratospheric transport is discussed.
X-band AlGaN/GaN HEMT with over 80W Output Power

AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) were developed for X-band applications. The operating voltage and temperature dependence of output power characteristics in CW operating conditions were investigated. The developed AlGaN/GaN HEMT with combined two dies of 11.52 mm gate periphery exhibits output power of over 81.3W with a power added efficiency (PAE) of 34% under VDS=30V, CW operating condition at 9.5GHz, and a gain compression level of 3dB
Street and House Lighting Using Photovoltaic Panels *

In this work, the experimental investigation includes determination of (power output, monthly average daily energy generation, and efficiency) for the solar module (BP1211SR) at four different tilt angles (0o, 26o, 36o, 46o) in Erbil city (latitude=36o11' N, longitude=44o E, and 430m above sea level), also determining PV area required for demand loads after selecting the best tilt angle for Erbil city. The data has been taken for one year; the data of each month represents the average of (4-5) times in the month taken in three different day times. The experimental results show that maximum average energy production in Erbil city for one year is (781.080 W.h/m2 day) recorded at angle (β=36o), resistance load (20Ω), and at solar noon (ω=0). The area required for the PV module depends on the demand load, and type of solar module, for example for house lighting (5A, 220V, for 6 hours) it will need (18.5m2) PV area, for street lighting a lamp of (200W, for 10 hours) need (5.6m2) PV area, and finally for DC power of (5A, 12V, for 6 hours) it needs (1m2) PV area.
Stable Keypoint Recognition using Viewpoint Generative Learning

We propose a stable keypoint recognition method that is robust to viewpoint changes. Conventional local features such as SIFT, SURF, etc., have scale and rotation invariance but often fail in matching points when the camera pose significantly changes. In order to solve this problem, we adopt viewpoint generative learning. By generating various patterns as seen from different viewpoints and collecting local invariant features, our system can learn feature descriptors under various camera poses for each keypoint before actual matching. Experimental results comparing usual local feature matching or patch classification method show both robustness and fastness of learning.
Soil bacterial community responses to altered precipitation and temperature regimes in an old field grassland are mediated by plants

The structure and function of soil microbiomes often change in response to experimental climate manipulations, suggesting an important role in ecosystem feedbacks. However, it is difficult to know if microbes are responding directly to environmental changes or are more strongly impacted by plant responses. We investigated soil microbial responses to precipitation and temperature manipulations at the Boston-Area Climate Experiment in Massachusetts, USA, in both vegetated and bare plots to parse direct vs. plant-mediated responses to multi-factor climate change. We assessed the bacterial community in vegetated soils in 2009, two years after the experiment was initiated, and bacterial and fungal community in vegetated and bare soils in 2011. The bacterial community structure was significantly changed by the treatments in vegetated soils. However, such changes in the bacterial community across the treatments were absent in the 2011 bare soils. These results suggest that the bacterial communities in vegetated soils were structured via plant community shifts in response to the abiotic manipulations. Co-variation between bacterial community structure and temperature sensitivities and stoichiometry of potential enzyme activities in the 2011 vegetated soils suggested a link between bacterial community structure and ecosystem function. This study emphasizes the importance of plant-soil-microbial interactions in mediating responses to future climate change.
Insects as food and feed in the Asia Pacific region: current perspectives and future directions

Western cultures currently struggle to have insects accepted as a human food. This barrier is not as high in many parts of the Asia Pacific region because entomophagy is (or was until recent times) a part of their accepted diets. The region is comprised of many different cultural groups and the degree to which they embraced entomophagy has been determined by dietary needs, cultural considerations, and the availability of insects. While entomophagy has decreased in westernised societies, the demand for edible insects has increased in parts of Asia in association with rising standards of living. An assessment of the use of insects as food and feed in the Asia Pacific region is provided and important knowledge gaps are identified. Edible insects are sourced by three main strategies: wild harvesting, semi-domestication of insects in the wild, and farming. Semi-domestication and farming have the potential to provide a more sustainable food supply, but globally 92% of species are wild harvested. The harvested i.
Calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy and assemblages of the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary interval: Implications for the origin and timing of oceanic anoxia

A detailed nannofossil zonation has been derived for the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary interval consisting of three zones, two subzones, and nine additional biohorizons. This biostratigraphy, based on the investigation of numerous sections from Europe, North America, and Africa, allows accurate correlation of sections from shelf and deep-sea environments. The increased resolution helps solve several pertinent paleoceanographic and sedimentologic problems in this time period. Facies patterns are variable in this interval for numerous reasons. A widespread hiatus occurred in the latest Cenomanian and earliest Turonian in much of northwest Europe and may have been an indirect result of peak marine transgression. In parts of the deep Tethys, dissolution of carbonate took place in undersaturated bottom waters or during early diagenesis. Only a few boundary sections, mostly within the Western Interior, United States, are characterized by continuous carbonate deposition. In many sections a ∥13C excursion (which has been associated with the burial of large amounts of marine organic matter) coincides with a facies change, lower ratios of coccolith carbonate to micrite, and poorer nannofossil preservation. This excursion therefore may be strongly overprinted by diagenesis. Numerous nannofossil events indicate that the carbon excursion is slightly diachronous between sequences of the Western Interior, and that the shift occurred distinctly later in this region than in northwest Germany. The data obtained do not invalidate the concept of a Cenomanian-Turonian ocean-wide anoxic event but show how local tectonic, climatic, and oceanographic perturbations have masked the global scenario. In particular, they indicate that carbon shifts may be basinal and not always oceanic phenomena, a conclusion which can be rationalized with overall sluggish middle Cretaceous circulation. Nannofossil assemblages in almost all sequences observed contain exceptionally high abundances of two dissolution-resistant taxa in particular samples: Eprolithus floralis and Broinsonia sp. However, the overall composition of assemblages does not change dramatically in the boundary interval, in contrast to the macrofossils and foraminifera, which suffered widespread extinctions.
Longitudinal study of sleep patterns of United States Military Academy cadets.

STUDY OBJECTIVES The study provided an opportunity to observe sleep patterns in a college-age population attending the United States Military Academy. DESIGN This 4-year longitudinal study investigated sleep patterns of cadets. A stratified sample of 80 cadets had sleep patterns monitored using actigraphy for 8 months: one month in both fall and spring academic semesters over a 4-year period. SETTING Data were collected at the United States Military Academy, West Point, NY. PARTICIPANTS Participants were members of the class of 2007 (n˜1300) ranging in age from 17 to 22 when entering USMA. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS A sample of the class (n=80) wore wrist activity monitors and completed activity logs for one month in fall and spring academic semesters for the 4-year period. On average over the 4 years, cadets slept<5.5 h on school nights. Cadets napped extensively, perhaps in an attempt to compensate for chronic sleep debt. Cadets slept more during fall than spring semesters. Male and female cadet sleep patterns varied dramatically, with males consistently receiving less sleep than females (˜21 m for nighttime sleep and ˜23 m for daily sleep). CONCLUSIONS Cadet sleep at USMA is related to academic year, semester, season, sex, school day or weekend, and day of the week. These students suffer from chronic sleep debt. Restrictions imposed by the military academy limit the generalizability of the findings to other college age populations.
Scalable Nearest Neighbors with Guarantees in Large and Composite Networks Technical Report , September 2010

We address the problem of k Nearest Neighbor (kNN) search in networks, according to a random walk proximity measure calledEffective Importance. Our approach retrieves the exact top neighbors at query time without relying on off-line indexing or summaries of the entire network. This makes it suitable for very large dynamic networks, as well as for composite network overlays mixed at query time. We provide scalability and flexibility without compromising the quality of results due to theoretical bound guarantees that we develop and incorpo rate in our search procedure. We incrementally construct a subgr aph of the underlying network, sufficient to obtain the exact top k neighbors. We guide the construction of the relevant subgra ph in order to achieve fast refinement of the lower and upper proximity bounds, which in turn enables effective pruning of infeasible candidates. We apply our kNN search algorithm on social, information and biological networks and demonstrate the effectiveness and scalability of our approach. For networks in the order of a million nodes, our method retrieves the exact top20 using less than0.2% of the network edges in a fraction of a second on a conventiona l desktop machine without prior indexing. When employed for nearest neighbors search in composite network overlays, it scales linearly with the number of networks mixed in the overlay.
[Measuring retinal vascular diameter using the scanning laser ophthalmoscope and computer. Initial results].

The diameter of the large retinal vessels is an important factor in retinal microcirculation. A system configuration was developed that uses SLO images to measure the diameter of retinal branch vessels off-line. The place for measurement is defined in the image by the investigator, and the diameter is measured automatically. The mean standard deviation of the diameter of arterial vessels was 2.37% and for veins 3.43% by repeat measurement in sequential pictures by optimal scanner settings. The reproduction of vessel diameters was unsatisfactorily for repeat examinations. The course of these results may be changes in the fundus image connected with changes in the position of the scanner-bulbus (e.g., new examination, poor fixation). The scanner-bulbus position is not yet precisely defined and not reproducible enough.
Extracting Propositional Rules from Feed-forward Neural Networks - A New Decompositional Approach

In this paper, we present a new decompositional approach for the extraction of propositional rules from feed-forward neural networks of binary threshold units. After decomposing the network into single units, we show how to extract rules describing a unit's behavior. This is done using a suitable search tree which allows the pruning of the search space. Furthermore, we present some experimental results, showing a good average runtime behavior of the approach.
Carbon‐Nanotube Based Electrochemical Biosensors: A Review

Carbon nanofibers (CNFs), a novel carbon nanomaterial, have the similar conductivity and stability to carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The main distinguishing characteristic of CNFs from CNTs is the stacking of graphene sheets of varying shapes, producing more edge sites on the outer wall of CNFs than CNTs, which can facilitate the electron transfer of electroactive analytes. The unique chemical and physical properties make CNFs exceptional candidates for electrode materials and promising candidates as immobilization substrates. This review is an attempt to give an overview on electrochemical biosensors based on CNFs and their various applications. We discussed the application of CNFs as electrode material in electroanalysis, as well as their functionalization and surface immobilization. Vertically aligned carbon nanofibers (VACNFs) as substrates for the immobilization of biological molecules have also been discussed.
Long-term effects of home visitation on maternal life course and child abuse and neglect. Fifteen-year follow-up of a randomized trial.

CONTEXT Home-visitation services have been promoted as a means of improving maternal and child health and functioning. However, long-term effects have not been examined. OBJECTIVE To examine the long-term effects of a program of prenatal and early childhood home visitation by nurses on women's life course and child abuse and neglect. DESIGN Randomized trial. SETTING Semirural community in New York. PARTICIPANTS Of 400 consecutive pregnant women with no previous live births enrolled, 324 participated in a follow-up study when their children were 15 years old. INTERVENTION Families received a mean of 9 home visits during pregnancy and 23 home visits from the child's birth through the second birthday. DATA SOURCES AND MEASURES: Women's use of welfare and number of subsequent children were based on self-report; their arrests and convictions were based on self-report and archived data from New York State. Verified reports of child abuse and neglect were abstracted from state records. MAIN RESULTS During the 15-year period after the birth of their first child, in contrast to women in the comparison group, women who were visited by nurses during pregnancy and infancy were identified as perpetrators of child abuse and neglect in 0.29 vs 0.54 verified reports (P<.001). Among women who were unmarried and from households of low socioeconomic status at initial enrollment, in contrast to those in the comparison group, nurse-visited women had 1.3 vs 1.6 subsequent births (P=.02), 65 vs 37 months between the birth of the first and a second child (P=.001), 60 vs 90 months' receiving Aid to Families With Dependent Children (P=.005), 0.41 vs 0.73 behavioral impairments due to use of alcohol and other drugs (P=.03), 0.18 vs 0.58 arrests by self-report (P<.001), and 0.16 vs 0.90 arrests disclosed by New York State records (P<.001). CONCLUSIONS This program of prenatal and early childhood home visitation by nurses can reduce the number of subsequent pregnancies, the use of welfare, child abuse and neglect, and criminal behavior on the part of low-income, unmarried mothers for up to 15 years after the birth of the first child.