Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cortical Plasticity and Behavioral Recovery Following Focal Lesion to Primary Motor Cortex in Adult Rats

iii DEDICATION v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vi TABLE OF CONTENTS viii LIST OF TABLES xi LIST OF FIGURES xi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS xiv CHAPTER ONE: Introduction Organization of Motor Cortex 2 Motor Cortical Functional Plasticity 11 Neural Consequences of Cortical Injury 17 Behavioral Consequences of Experimental Cortical Injury 19 Resolution of Diaschisis as a Mechanism of Functional Recovery 22 Adaptive Plasticity (Vicariation) as a Mechanism of Functional Recovery 24 Behavioral Compensation as a Mechanism of Functional Recovery 26 Neurorehabilitation after TBI and Stroke 28
The Auditor ’ s Going-Concern Opinion Decision

In this study, we expand on several previous studies related to the materiality judgments and the auditor’s propensity to issue a going-concern opinion to financially troubled but non-bankrupt companies. We test the auditor’s materiality thresholds by investigating whether there is any significant difference in accuracy among audit firms, especially between Big Six (Five) and non-Big Six (Five) audit firms. Binary logit regression is used to analyze 1,332 firms that were non-bankrupt but financially stressed between 1997 and 1999. This study finds that Big Six (Five) firms had higher materiality thresholds and were less likely to issue a going-concern opinion to their clients with financial problems than non-Big Six (Five) firms. Our results are consistent with previous research findings in that the materiality threshold levels are statistically different between the two groups of auditors. The results of this study provide a basis for comparing audit performance between Big Six (Five) and non-Big Six (Five) firms.
The Effects of Extrinsic Rewards on Admissions Counselors' Performance.

This study examines the best ways to motivate college admissions counselors. A review of literature revealed multiple perspectives on intrinsic and extrinsic as well as tangible and intangible rewards. Primary research was designed to examine the impact of tangible rewards and verbal reinforcements with a convenience sample of nine college admissions counselors. Results revealed that verbal praise was a stronger motivating factor than tangible rewards. These results can be applied to management of college admissions counselors in a variety of settings. Running head: EFFECTS OF EXTRINSIC REWARDS 3
Light Fall-off Stereo

We present light fall-off stereo-LFS-a new method for computing depth from scenes beyond lambertian reflectance and texture. LFS takes a number of images from a stationary camera as the illumination source moves away from the scene. Based on the inverse square law for light intensity, the ratio images are directly related to scene depth from the perspective of the light source. Using this as the invariant, we developed both local and global methods for depth recovery. Compared to previous reconstruction methods for non-lamebrain scenes, LFS needs as few as two images, does not require calibrated camera or light sources, or reference objects in the scene. We demonstrated the effectiveness of LFS with a variety of real-world scenes.
Developing a scale to assess three styles of television mediation: "restrictive mediation," "instructive mediation," and "social coviewing"

Telephone interviews from a random sample of Dutch parents (N = 123 for the pilot study, N = 519 for the main study), provided an opportunity to explore television mediation activities in which parents could engage. From principal components analysis, three reliable styles of television mediation emerged: restrictive mediation, instructive mediation, and social coviewing. In addition to a number of demographic variables, parental concerns about the negative effects of television were significant predictors of style of television mediation.
Flipped SU(5): Origins and Recent Developments

We present an account of the early developments that led to the present form of the flipped $SU(5)$ string model. We focus on the method used to decide on this particular string model, as well as the basic steps followed in constructing generic models in the free fermionic formulation of superstrings in general and flipped $SU(5)$ in particular. We then describe the basic calculable features of the model which are used to obtain its low-energy spectrum: doublet and triplet Higgs mass matrices, fermion Yukawa matrices, neutrino masses, and the top-quark mass. We also review the status of proton decay in the model, as well as the hidden sector bound states called cryptons. Finally, we comment on the subject of string threshold corrections and string unification.
THE MUSICIANS' GLANCE: A PILOT STUDY COMPARING EYE MOVEMENT PARAMETERS IN MUSICIANS AND NON-MUSICIANS

The study aims to test whether the eye movements (saccades) of professional musicians differ from a corresponding nonmusician control group. It is assumed that the early commencement of instrumental practice, which is characterized by demanding "visual input" for the perceptual system (such as the reading of musical notation), can modify the way visual information is processed in professional adult musicians. It can be assumed that the movement parameters of the oculomotoric system reveal a kind of "fingerprint" of a person's way of processing information. However, up until now, no data has been available that could illuminate special features of eye movements in musicians compared to non-musicians. An electrooculogram (EOG) was used to obtain eye movement data (horizontal movements only) from 8 professional musicians (pianists) while performing an oculomotoric tracking task on a screen (hereafter called the "jumping point"). The jumping point's velocity increased over 90 seconds from 0.2 to 1.5 Hz, following a rectangular waveform of movement. An extensive sample of psychology students (n = 254) served as the control group. The data revealed clear differences in eye movement parameters between musicians and non-musicians: The 'musicians' glance' of our sample was characterized by a considerably reduced frequency of omissions, shorter reaction time in reactive saccades, a higher proportion of anticipatory saccades, higher saccade velocity and shorter anticipatory latencies. Our carefully selected group of musicians seem to be characterized by extremely efficient strategies for the processing of visual information in an oculomotoric task. All findings indicate a strong tendency for optimized task adaptation in professional musicians for a task which is different from the domain of music. Results are discussed within the framework of general mental ability for the efficient optimization of task adaptation.
The detection of concealed firearm carrying trough CCTV: the role of affect recognition

This research aimed to explore whether the recognition of offenders with a concealed firearm by a human operator might be based on the recognition of affective (negative) state derived from non-verbal behaviour that is accessible from CCTV images. Since a firearm is concealed, it has been assumed that human observers would respond to subtle cues which individuals inherently produce whilst carrying a hidden firearm. These cues are believed to be reflected in the body language of those carrying firearms and might be apprehended by observers at a conscious or subconscious level. Another hypothesis is that the ability to recognize the carrier of concealed firearm in the CCTV footage might be affected by other factors, such as the skills in decoding an affective state of others and the viewpoint of observation of the surveillance targets. In order to give a theoretical and experimental basis for these hypotheses the first objective was to examine the extant literature to determine what is known about recognition of affect from non-verbal cues (e.g. facial expressions and body movement), and how it can be applied to the detection of human mal-intent. A second objective was to explore this subject in relation to the detection of concealed firearm carrying through performing a number of experimental studies. The studies employed experts, i.e. CCTV operators and mainly the lay people as participants. Also, various experimental techniques such as questionnaires and eye-tracking registration were used to investigate the topic. The results show that human observers seem to use visual indicators of affective state of surveillance targets to make a decision whether or not the individuals are carrying a concealed firearm. The most prominent cues were face, and upper body of surveillance targets, gait, posture and arm movements. The test of decoding ability did not show sufficient relationship with the ability to detect a concealed firearm bearer. The performance on the task might be view dependent. Further research into this topic will be needed to generate strategies that would support reliable detection of concealed firearm carrying through employing of related affective behavioural cues.
Observing slow crustal movement in residential user traffic

It is often argued that rapidly increasing video content along with the penetration of high-speed access is leading to explosive growth in the Internet traffic. Contrary to this popular claim, technically solid reports show only modest traffic growth worldwide. This paper sheds light on the causes of the apparently slow growth trends by analyzing commercial residential traffic in Japan where the fiber access rate is much higher than other countries. We first report that Japanese residential traffic also has modest growth rates using aggregated measurements from six ISPs. Then, we investigate residential per-customer traffic in one ISP by comparing traffic in 2005 and 2008, before and after the advent of YouTube and other similar services. Although at first glance a small segment of peer-to-peer users still dictate the overall volume, they are slightly decreasing in population and volume share. Meanwhile, the rest of the users are steadily moving towards rich media content with increased diversity. Surely, a huge amount of online data and abundant headroom in access capacity can conceivably lead to a massive traffic growth at some point in the future. The observed trends, however, suggest that video content is unlikely to disastrously overflow the Internet, at least not anytime soon.
Growth in utero and serum cholesterol concentrations in adult life.

OBJECTIVE--To see whether reduced rates of fetal growth are related to raised serum cholesterol concentrations in adult life. DESIGN--Follow up study of men and women whose size at birth had been recorded. SETTING--Jessop and Northern General Hospitals, Sheffield. SUBJECTS--219 men and women born in the Jessop Hospital during 1939-40. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Serum concentrations of total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B. RESULTS--Men and women who had had a small abdominal circumference at birth had raised serum concentrations of total and low density lipoprotein cholesterol and apolipoprotein B. This was independent of the duration of gestation. Serum concentrations of total cholesterol fell by 0.25 mmol/l (95% confidence interval 0.09 to 0.42) with each 1 in (2.54 cm) increase in abdominal circumference. The corresponding figure for serum low density lipoprotein cholesterol was 0.26 mmol/l (0.11 to 0.42) and for serum apolipoprotein B 0.04 g/l (0.02 to 0.07). Small head and chest circumferences at birth and short length were each associated with raised serum low density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations but the trends disappeared in a simultaneous regression with abdominal circumference at birth. The association between abdominal circumference at birth and low density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration was independent of social class, current body weight, cigarette smoking, and alcohol consumption. CONCLUSION--Raised serum cholesterol concentrations in adult life are associated with impaired growth during late gestation, when fetal undernutrition has a disproportionate effect on liver growth. Impaired liver growth may permanently alter low density lipoprotein cholesterol metabolism.
Docosahexaenoic Acid and Cognition throughout the Lifespan

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is the predominant omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) found in the brain and can affect neurological function by modulating signal transduction pathways, neurotransmission, neurogenesis, myelination, membrane receptor function, synaptic plasticity, neuroinflammation, membrane integrity and membrane organization. DHA is rapidly accumulated in the brain during gestation and early infancy, and the availability of DHA via transfer from maternal stores impacts the degree of DHA incorporation into neural tissues. The consumption of DHA leads to many positive physiological and behavioral effects, including those on cognition. Advanced cognitive function is uniquely human, and the optimal development and aging of cognitive abilities has profound impacts on quality of life, productivity, and advancement of society in general. However, the modern diet typically lacks appreciable amounts of DHA. Therefore, in modern populations, maintaining optimal levels of DHA in the brain throughout the lifespan likely requires obtaining preformed DHA via dietary or supplemental sources. In this review, we examine the role of DHA in optimal cognition during development, adulthood, and aging with a focus on human evidence and putative mechanisms of action.
Effect of declawing on behaviour and skin quality of ostriches.

Approximately one-third of ostrich skins and one-half of emu skins are downgraded because of the presence of scars on the hide. Some of these scars are caused by claw abrasions. To reduce the incidence of scars from claw injuries, declawing is practised in Australia. Partial amputation of the toes of ratites has welfare implications. It may cause chronic pain and affect locomotor behaviour. However blunting the toes reduces the ability of birds to deliver effective kicks to other birds. Studies with emus showed that declawing reduced aggressive behaviours. Neuromas were not observed in the toe stumps of adult birds indicating they may not be suffering from chronic pain. Studies were undertaken on two ostrich farms in Australia to determine if declawing affected behaviour and skin quality of ostriches. Declawing modified chick ostrich behaviour and reduced the potential for skin damage in the initial two weeks after the operation. In 12 month-old ostriches, however, there was no major differences in behaviour detected between declawed and control ostriches. Control ostriches tended to engage in more bouts of walking and chasing compared to declawed birds. A concern, however, was the significant increase in the incidence of slipping observed in birds. The skin grades of the declawed birds were significantly better than the control birds not declawed. Most of this difference was attributable to an increase in grade one skins.
Approximate frequent itemsets mining on data streams using hashing and lexicographie order in hardware

Frequent Itemsets Mining is a Data Mining technique that has been employed to extract useful knowledge from datasets; and recently, from data streams. Data streams are an unbounded and infinite flow of data arriving at high rates; therefore, traditional Data Mining approaches for Frequent Itemsets Mining cannot be used straightforwardly. Finding alternatives to improve the discovery of frequent itemsets on data streams is an active research topic. This paper introduces the first hardware-based algorithm for such task. It uses the top-k frequent 1-itemsets detection, hashing and the lexicographic order of received items. Experimental results demonstrate the viability of the proposed method.
Characterization of fuzzy implication functions with a continuous α-natural negation satisfying the law of importation with a given uninorm-revisited

In this work, we partially study a problem which generalizes and comes from an open problem related to law of importation and suggested by international conference on fuzzy set theory and applications 8th in 2006. In fact, this problem has also partially been investigated in [16]. The obtained results in our paper dramatically extend the aforementioned ones. In detail, we characterizes all fuzzy implications with a continuous α-natural negation which satisfy the law of importation w.r. t a fixed uninorm U, where U is a uninorm continuous in (0,1)2.
Sublingual Immunotherapy for Experimental Allergic Conjunctivitis in a Murine Model Induced by Dermatophagoides farinae Allergen

Background: Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is a clinically effective treatment in allergic conjunctivitis (AC); however, the mechanism of the underlying pharmacodynamics remains unclear. Here, we investigate the efficacy and the mechanism of a sublingually administered Dermatophagoides farinae (Der f) vaccine in a murine AC model. Methods: A murine model of AC caused by Der f extract was developed in BALB/c mice by repeated application of allergen. Sensitized mice were SLIT treated by Der f drops and subsequently analyzed for AC symptoms, histopathological and immunological parameters. Results: In this study, Der f extract successfully induced the symptoms of AC in BALB/c mice. In these sensitized mice, clinical symptoms (scratching behavior, lacrimation, conjunctival hyperemia and edema), immunological and histopathological findings (inflammatory cell infiltration) were very similar to those in human AC. SLIT treatment of sensitized mice markedly reduced the clinical and histopathological symptoms and decreased the expression levels of total immunoglobulin E (IgE), Der f-specific IgE and T helper cell 2 (Th2) cytokine interleukin-4, with a significant increase in Der f-specific IgG4 and Th1 cytokine interferon-γ. Conclusions: SLIT with Der f drops is a potentially effective means of immunotherapy for Der f-induced AC by modulating the Th2-biased allergic immune response.
Benefits and Challenges of Business Intelligence Adoption in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Leveraging information is a key success factor for companies. Over the last two decades Business Intelligence (BI) has evolved to become a foundational cornerstone of enterprise decision support. However, prior research shows that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in particular, lag behind in the proliferation of BI. In this exploratory study we examine BI adoption within German SMEs in the state of Saxony (n = 214). We explore perceived benefits and challenges in their efforts to implement BI. By applying cluster analysis to these results we suggest four types of BI SMEs, each with an individual profile concerning potential benefits as well as a certain set of challenges that are to be expected when it comes to adopting BI solutions. Results can create value for enterprises that plan to implement a BI solution, BI consultants as well as BI suppliers.
Acute respiratory infection and bacteraemia as causes of non-malarial febrile illness in African children: a narrative review

The replacement of “presumptive treatment for malaria” by “test before treat” strategies for the management of febrile illness is raising awareness of the importance of knowing more about the causes of illness in children who are suspected to have malaria but return a negative parasitological test. The most common cause of non-malarial febrile illness (NMFI) in African children is respiratory tract inflection. Whilst the bacterial causes of NMFI are well known, the increasing use of sensitive techniques such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests is revealing large numbers of viruses that are potential respiratory pathogens. However, many of these organisms are commonly present in the respiratory tract of healthy children so causality and risk factors for pneumonia remain poorly understood. Inflection with a combination of viral and bacterial pathogens is increasingly recognised as important in the pathogenesis of pneumonia. Similarly, blood stream inflections with organisms typically grown by aerobic culture are well known but a growing number of organisms that can be identified only by PCR, viral culture, or serology are now recognised to be common pathogens in African children. The high mortality of hospitalised children on the first or second day of admission suggests that, unless results are rapidly available, diagnostic tests to identify specific causes of illness will still be of limited use in guiding the potentially life saving decisions relating to initial treatment of children admitted to district hospitals in Africa with severe febrile illness and a negative test for malaria. Malaria control and the introduction of vaccines against Haemophilus influenzae type b and pneumococcal disease are contributing to improved child survival in Africa. However, increased parasitological testing for malaria is associated with increased use of antbiotics to which resistance is already high.
Modeling Accommodation Control of the Human Eye: Chromatic Aberration and Color Opponency

Accommodation is the process by which the eye lens changes optical power to maintain a clear retinal image as the distance to the fixated object varies. Although luminance blur has long been considered the driving feature for accommodation, it is by definition unsigned (i.e., there is no difference between the defocus of an object closer or farther than the focus distance). Nonetheless, the visual system initially accommodates in the correct direction, implying that it exploits a cue with sign information. Here, we present a model of accommodation control based on such a cue: Longitudinal Chromatic Aberration (LCA). The model relies on color-opponent units, much like those observed among retinal ganglion cells, to make the computation required to use LCA to drive accommodation.
Do different depression phenotypes have different risks for recurrent coronary heart disease?

Abstract Although research has consistently established that depression and elevated depressive symptoms are associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) recurrence and mortality, clinical trials have failed to show that conventional depression interventions offset this risk. As depression is a complex and heterogeneous syndrome, we believe that examining simpler, or intermediary, phenotypes rather than one complex phenotype may allow better identification of those at particular risk of CHD recurrence and mortality. This approach may further contribute to the development of specific depression treatments that would improve medical outcomes. Although there are many possible intermediary phenotypes (IPs), specifiers and dimensions of depression, we will focus on only two when considering the relation between depression and risk of CHD recurrence and mortality: Incident Depression and Anhedonic Depression. Future research on IPs of depression is needed to clarify which are associated with the greatest risk for CHD recurrence and mortality and which, if any, are benign. Theoretical advances in depression phenotyping may also help elucidate the behavioural and biological mechanisms underlying the increased risk of CHD among patients with specific depression phenotypes. Finally, tests of depression interventions may be guided by this new theoretical approach.