Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Compatibility between Observed and Executed Finger Movements: Comparing Symbolic, Spatial, and Imitative Cues

Intuitively, one can assume that imitating a movement is an easier task than responding to a symbolic stimulus like a verbal instruction. Support for this suggestion can be found in neuropsychological research as well as in research on stimulus-response compatibility. However controlled experimental evidence for this assumption is still lacking. We used a stimulus-response compatibility paradigm to test the assumption. In a series of experiments, it was tested whether observed finger movements have a stronger influence on finger movement execution than a symbolic or spatial cue. In the first experiment, we compared symbolic cues with observed finger movements using an interference paradigm. Observing finger movements strongly influenced movement execution, irrespective of whether the finger movement was the relevant or the irrelevant stimulus dimension. In the second experiment, effects of observed finger movements and spatial finger cues were compared. The observed finger movement dominated the spatial finger cue. A reduction in the similarity of observed and executed action in the third experiment led to a decrease of the influence of observed finger movement, which demonstrates the crucial role of the imitative relation of observed and executed action for the described effects. The results are discussed in relation to recent models of stimulus-response compatibility. Neurocognitive support for the strong relationship between movement observation and movement execution is reported.
Generators operating with variable frequency drives in an offshore facility

Due to wide application of Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs), it becomes common that a dedicated generator supplies power to a VFD in the offshore oil field. In this paper, a case study was conducted and analyzed for a generator instability issue when operating with a VFD. Serious current oscillation happens between the generator output and the drive input at two electrical submersible pump (ESP) systems consisting of a dedicated generator and a VFD in each well. Minor changes of certain parameters and settings of the two ESP systems could trigger current oscillation at the input of the drives, also a current fluctuation at the ESP motors connected to the output of the drive and thus serious vibration of the ESP pumps. The analysis indicates that the low DC link voltage at the drives and the low displacement power factor at the drive input are the root causes of the problem. Effective solutions for this type of instability problem are proposed in this paper.
Service utilization for mental problems in a metropolitan migrant population in china.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence and predictors of service utilization for mental health problems of the first-generation migrant population in Shenzhen, China, a city that attracts millions of unskilled rural laborers each year. METHODS Using the structured World Mental Health Composite International Diagnostic Interview, the investigators conducted face-to-face surveys between September 1, 2005, and January 30, 2006. A total of 7,134 respondents age 18 years and above finished the surveys. The main outcomes were prevalence of mental disorders according to DSM-IV criteria, as well as prevalence of mental health services used in different sectors. RESULTS Nine percent of the sample had ever used some type of service for mental health issues, and 6.3% used services outside of the health service sector, such as human services and complementary and alternative medicine. In addition, DSM criteria for a mental disorder over the lifetime were met by 18.1% of respondents; of the respondents with a mental disorder, 18.3% had used mental health services at least once. Migrants who were unmarried, had high family income, were raised in metropolitan areas, had histories of homelessness or attempted suicide, had a psychotic disorder, or had an anxiety disorder were more likely to use services for mental health care. CONCLUSIONS In Shenzhen, few migrants used mental health services and most used complementary and alternative medicine services. Future studies of service utilization patterns in migrant populations should give special attention to personal characteristics, such as family support.
Detection of “Occult” Lymph Node Metastasis in Breast Cancer: Should Pathologists Go the Extra Mile?

Summary: Approximately 25% of patients with stage I (node negative) breast cancer relapse at a rate similar to those with stage II disease. Inadvertent pathologic “under‐staging” of lymph node status is one plausible explanation for this phenomenon. While many studies have shown that additional sectioning +/− immunohistochemical staining for epithelial markers increases the rate of detection of small deposits of metastatic carcinoma, few have had sufficient statistical power to examine the impact of “occult” metastasis on clinical outcome. This provocative update by the International Ludwig Breast Cancer Study Group provides support for considering going “the extra mile” to detect lymph node metastasis in postmenopausal patients and those with the lobular subtype of invasive breast cancer.
Molecular Epidemiology of Contemporary G2P[4] Human Rotaviruses Cocirculating in a Single U.S. Community: Footprints of a Globally Transitioning Genotype

ABSTRACT Group A rotaviruses (RVs) remain a leading cause of childhood gastroenteritis worldwide. Although the G/P types of locally circulating RVs can vary from year to year and differ depending upon geographical location, those with G1P[8], G2P[4], G3P[8], G4P[8], G9P[8], and G12P[8] specificities typically dominate. Little is known about the evolution and diversity of G2P[4] RVs and the possible role that widespread vaccine use has had on their increased frequency of detection. To address these issues, we analyzed the 12 G2P[4] RV isolates associated with a rise in RV gastroenteritis cases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) during the 2010-2011 winter season. Full-genome sequencing revealed that the isolates had genotype 2 constellations typical of DS-1-like viruses (G2P[4]-I2-R2-C2-M2-A2-N2-T2-E2-H2). Phylogenetic analyses showed that the genome segments of the isolates were comprised of two or three different subgenotype alleles; this enabled recognition of three distinct clades of G2P[4] viruses that caused disease at VUMC in the 2010-2011 season. Although the three clades cocirculated in the same community, there was no evidence of interclade reassortment. Bayesian analysis of 328 VP7 genes of G2 viruses isolated in the last 39 years indicate that existing G2 VP7 gene lineages continue to evolve and that novel lineages, as represented by the VUMC isolates, are constantly being formed. Moreover, G2 lineages are characteristically shaped by lineage turnover events that introduce new globally dominant strains every 7 years, on average. The ongoing evolution of G2 VP7 lineages may give rise to antigenic changes that undermine vaccine effectiveness in the long term. IMPORTANCE Little is known about the diversity of cocirculating G2 rotaviruses and how their evolution may undermine the effectiveness of rotavirus vaccines. To expand our understanding of the potential genetic range exhibited by rotaviruses circulating in postvaccine communities, we analyzed part of a collection of rotaviruses recovered from pediatric patients in the United States from 2010 to 2011. Examining the genetic makeup of these viruses revealed they represented three segregated groups that did not exchange genetic material. The distinction between these three groups may be explained by three separate introductions. By comparing a specific gene, namely, VP7, of the recent rotavirus isolates to those from a collection recovered from U.S. children between 1974 and 1991 and other globally circulating rotaviruses, we were able to reconstruct the timing of events that shaped their ancestry. This analysis indicates that G2 rotaviruses are continuously evolving, accumulating changes in their genetic material as they infect new patients.
PRIVACY preservation in big data using anonymization techniques

In todays world each individual wish that his private information is not revealed in some or the other way. Privacy preservation plays a vital role in preventing individual private data preserved from the praying eyes. Anonymization techniques enable publication of information which permit analysis and guarantee privacy of sensitive information in data against variety of attacks. It sanitizes the information. It can also keep the person anonymous using encryption technique. There are various anonymization techniques and algorithms available which are discussed in this paper. Paper focuses on Generalization and Suppression techniques and describes Datafly and Mondrian algorithm and also discusses their comparison.
Elevated Plasma Brain Natriuretic Peptide Levels Independent of Heart Disease in Acute Ischemic Stroke: Correlation with Stroke Severity

We tested the hypothesis that plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels are elevated in patients with acute cerebrovascular diseases (CVD) independent of heart disease, and reflect CVD severity. After careful evaluations for heart disease, the study included 79 consecutive patients with CVD without any evidence of heart disease admitted within 48 h after onset (71±10 years), and 26 control subjects without CVD (CT, 67±12 years). Ischemic stroke subtypes were defined by the TOAST classification. Large-artery atherosclerosis (LAA, n=27), small-artery occlusion (SAO, n=27), and intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH, n=25) were included. The plasma BNP levels were measured at admission and 1 month later. Stroke severity and brain infarct volume were evaluated. There were no significant differences in the clinical profiles including echocardiographic parameters among the groups. The plasma BNP level (pg/mL) upon admission was higher in LAA (70.6±53.9) than in SAO (38.2±28.4) and CT (28.5±19.9) (both p<0.05). The level in ICH (47.3±28.6) was not significantly different from that in CT. The BNP level in ischemic stroke was positively correlated with the NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS) (ρ=0.42, p<0.05) and infarct volume (r=0.34, p<0.05). Brain infarct volume and NIHSS were independent contributors to the plasma BNP level in ischemic stroke. One month later, the BNP level was significantly decreased and was similar in all CVD groups. The plasma BNP level transiently increased in patients with LAA independently of heart disease, and reflected infarct volume and the severity of acute ischemic stroke.
The Importance of Disagreeing: Contrarians and Extremism in the Coda Model

In this paper, we study the effects of introducing contrarians in a model of Opinion Dynamics where the agents have internal continuous opinions, but exchange information only about a binary choice that is a function of their continuous opinion, the CODA model. We observe that the hung election scenario that arises when contrarians are introduced in discrete opinion models still happens. However, it is weaker and it should not be expected in every election. Finally, we also show that the introduction of contrarians make the tendency towards extremism of the original model weaker, indicating that the existence of agents that prefer to disagree might be an important aspect and help society to diminish extremist opinions.
A cluster of three long-range enhancers directs regional Shh expression in the epithelial linings

The sonic hedgehog (Shh) pathway plays indispensable roles in the morphogenesis of mouse epithelial linings of the oral cavity and respiratory and digestive tubes. However, no enhancers that regulate regional Shh expression within the epithelial linings have been identified so far. In this study, comparison of genomic sequences across mammalian species and teleost fishes revealed three novel conserved non-coding sequences (CNCSs) that cluster in a region 600 to 900 kb upstream of the transcriptional start site of the mouse Shh gene. These CNCSs drive regional transgenic lacZ reporter expression in the epithelial lining of the oral cavity, pharynx, lung and gut. Together, these enhancers recapitulate the endogenous Shh expression domain within the major epithelial linings. Notably, genomic arrangement of the three CNCSs shows co-linearity that mirrors the order of the epithelial expression domains along the anteroposterior body axis. The results suggest that the three CNCSs are epithelial lining-specific long-range Shh enhancers, and that their actions partition the continuous epithelial linings into three domains: ectoderm-derived oral cavity, endoderm-derived pharynx, and respiratory and digestive tubes of the mouse. Targeted deletion of the pharyngeal epithelium specific CNCS results in loss of endogenous Shh expression in the pharynx and postnatal lethality owing to hypoplasia of the soft palate, epiglottis and arytenoid. Thus, this long-range enhancer is indispensable for morphogenesis of the pharyngeal apparatus.
Text comparison using word vector representations and dimensionality reduction

This paper describes a technique to compare large text sources using word vector representations (word2vec) and dimensionality reduction (t-SNE) and how it can be implemented using Python. The technique provides a bird's-eye view of text sources, e.g. text summaries and their source material, and enables users to explore text sources like a geographical map. Word vector representations capture many linguistic properties such as gender, tense, plurality and even semantic concepts like "capital city of". Using dimensionality reduction, a 2D map can be computed where semantically similar words are close to each other. The technique uses the word2vec model from the gensim Python library and t-SNE from scikit-learn.
Design of energy efficient walking gaits for a three-link planar biped walker with two unactuated degrees of freedom

We consider the example of a three-link planar biped walker with two passive links. The main objective is to design symmetric periodic gaits in flat ground, that can be exponentially stabilized by feedback control. To this end, we apply recent advances in nonlinear control, to propose a systematic procedure to the problems of gait synthesis and control design. The core of the method lays on a nontrivial coordinate transformation, in order to approach the problem in a state-dependent form. For gait synthesis, such procedure allows a reduction of the search space, with the feasibility of considering energetic performance for optimization. For control design, this allows to apply concepts of transverse linearization, to design a nonlinear feedback control law, which performance is studied by numerical simulations.
Mandibular Metastasis from a Skull Base Chordoma: Report of a Case with Review of Literature

This article reports an unusual presentation wherein the first evidence of distant failure from a locally controlled, recurrent skull base chordoma was a metastasis to the mandible. We present a case report from a tertiary-care academic skull base referral center and a review of literature. A 33-year-old woman with a locally recurrent spheno-occipital chordoma that was stabilized with multimodality therapy presented with a right mandibular mass. Immunohistochemical stains demonstrated the tumor cells staining positive for vimentin, cytokeratin, epithelial membrane antigen (EMA), and S100 consistent with metastatic chordoma. Positron emission tomography-computed tomography imaging further revealed widespread distant failure. Chordomas are rare tumors with only four previous reports of metastasis to the mandible. This is the first presentation of a mandibular metastasis from a spheno-occipital chordoma. We present a review of literature and summarize the demographic, clinical, pathological, treatment-related data, and discuss follow-up information from previous reports of metastatic chordomas to the mandible.
Anion-Channel Blockers Inhibit S-Type Anion Channels and Abscisic Acid Responses in Guard Cells

The effects of anion-channel blockers on light-mediated stomatal opening, on the potassium dependence of stomatal opening, on stomatal responses to abscisic acid (ABA), and on current through slow anion channels in the plasma membrane of guard cells were investigated. The anion-channel blockers anthracene-9-carboxylic acid (9-AC) and niflumic acid blocked current through slow anion channels of Vicia faba L. guard cells. Both 9-AC and niflumic acid reversed ABA inhibition of stomatal opening in V. faba L. and Commelina communis L. The anion-channel blocker probenecid also abolished ABA inhibition of stomatal opening in both species. Additional tests of 9-AC effects on stomatal aperture in Commelina revealed that application of this anion-channel blocker allowed wide stomatal opening under low (1 mM) KCI conditions and increased the rate of stomatal opening under both low and high (100 mM) KCI conditions. These results indicate that anion channels can function as a negative regulator of stomatal opening, presumably by allowing anion efflux and depolarization, which prohibits ion up-take in guard cells. Furthermore, 9-AC prevented ABA induction of stomatal closure. A model in which ABA activation of anion channels contributes a rate-limiting mechanism during ABA-induced stomatal closure and inhibition of stomatal opening is discussed.
Hyperglycemia as a Risk Factor of Ischemic Stroke

Diabetes is considered a major risk factor for stroke and is associated with worsened stroke outcomes. Here, we discuss and summarize the mechanisms that have been associated with the increased risk of stroke due to the hyperglycemia in diabetes mellitus. In diabetic stroke models, hyperglycemia exaggerates the following damaging processes: acidosis, accumulation of reactive oxygen species/reactive nitrogen, inflammation and mitochondrial dysfunction. Understanding the mechanism of diabetes acting as a stroke risk factor will definitely assist to reveal issues related to drug metabolism and toxicity in diabetic stroke. In addition, it is suggested that future studies may focus on the mechanisms mediating blood-brain barrier and astrocytes dysfunction under hyperglycemic stroke.
Single-trial P300 detection with Kalman filtering and SVMs

Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI) are systems enabling humans to communicate with machines through signals generated by the brain. Several kinds of signals can be envisioned as well as means to measure them. In this paper we are particularly interested in even-related brain potentials (ERP) and especially visually-evoked potential signals (P300) measured with surface electroencephalograms (EEG). When the human is stimulated with visual inputs, the P300 signals arise about 300 ms after the visual stimulus has been received. Yet, the EEG signal is often very noisy which makes the P300 detection hard. It is customary to use an average of several trials to enhance the P300 signal and reduce the random noise but this results in a lower bit rate of the interface. In this contribution, we propose a novel approach to P300 detection using Kalman ﬁltering and SVMs. Experiments show that this method is a promising step toward single-trial detection of P300.
Sex, bowers and brains

Inter– and intraspecific variations in the sizes of specific avian brain regions correspond to the complexity of the behaviour that they govern. However, no study has demonstrated a relationship between gross brain size and behavioural complexity, a hypothesis that has been proposed to explain the unusually large human brain. I show, using X–rays of museum specimens, that species of bowerbirds that build bowers have relatively larger brains than both related and ecologically similar but unrelated species that do not build bowers. Bower design varies across species from simple cleared courts to ornate, hut–like structures large enough to contain a small child. Furthermore, species building more complex bowers have relatively larger brains, both within each of the two different bower–building clades and across the family as a whole, controlling for phylogeny. Such gross differences in brain size are surprising and may reflect the range of cognitive processes necessary for successful bower building. The relationships are strongest for males, the bower–building sex, although there is a similar trend in females. Because the size and complexity of bower design is targeted by female choice, the observation that relative brain size is related to bower complexity suggests that sexual selection may drive gross brain enlargement.
Querying Very Large Multi-dimensional Datasets in ADR

Applications that make use of very large scientific datasets have become an increasingly important subset of scientific applications. In these applications, datasets are often multi-dimensional, i.e., data items are associated with points in a multi-dimensional attribute space, and access to data items is described by range queries. The basic processing involves mapping input data items to output data items, and some form of aggregation of all the input data items that project to the each output data item. We have developed an infrastructure, called the Active Data Repository (ADR), that integrates storage, retrieval and processing of multi-dimensional datasets on distributed-memory parallel architectures with multiple disks attached to each node. In this paper we address efficient execution of range queries on distributed memory parallel machines within ADR framework. We present three potential strategies, and evaluate them under different application scenarios and machine configurations. We present experimental results on the scalability and performance of the strategies on a 128-node IBM SP.
Learning the parameters of quantitative prosody models

The article introduces a novel hybrid data driven and rule based approach for the prosody control in a TTS system, which combines the advantages of well-balanced, quantitative models with the flexible training of derived model parameters. Instancing the training of Fujisaki intonation parameters for German (MFGI) the article describes the hybrid data driven and rule based architecture HYDRA, the speech database, the extraction of the model parameters and the neural network (NN) training of these parameters. Preliminary results using the hybrid intonation model are presented. A hybrid neural network and rule based, quantitative model can be easily parameterized and adapted e.g. for multilingual applications, but has a higher complexity and requires the automatic extraction of the model parameters from a speech database.
Fast algorithm for local stereo matching in disparity estimation

The typical local stereo matching for disparity estimation can deliver accurate disparity maps by a well-designed cost aggregation method, but usually suffers from natively high computational complexity due to its dense processing. To address it, we propose a fast algorithm with search point reduction on spatial and disparity domains to generate a sparse search map. The sparse search map guides the local stereo matching to produce a sparse disparity map, and then it is recovered to a dense disparity map. The experimental results show the proposed fast algorithm could reduce the computation time to 8.8% of original algorithm for 2-megapixel images, and only has slightly quality degradation by 0.92dB in final view synthesis images.
Open-Domain Question Answering on Heterogeneous Data

Open-domain question answering is a hot research topic in recent years. QA Track held by NIST has offered a new evaluation on this topic. However, its target is aimed at plain text collection only. This paper focuses on QA for heterogeneous data, including plain text, summaries, tabular data, and video programs. Discussion of what necessary adaptation could be done to deal with such kind of data is shown. MRR scores of QA on each kind of data are: plain text, 0.62; summaries, 0.43; and tables, 0.36.