Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ovarian hormones act to differentially impact choice for sexual and feeding behavior at the same time in operant choice paradigm

Motivation is what drives animals to choose which stimuli to engage in out of the hundreds of choices they are faced with daily. In terms of sexual behavior, the motivation for females to engage in copulatory behavior apart from their ability to do so is not well studied. Further, the impacts of estradiol on the motivational aspects of sexual and feeding behavior have not been tested in a lab setting. Here, Becker Lab scientists have developed a novel paradigm to study the motivational aspects of female sexual motivation apart from the consummatory aspects of physical mating behaviors. Ovariectomized female rats were trained on an FI15s operant conditioning schedule to nose poke for palatable food pellets or access to a sexually receptive male within the same apparatus. Males were tethered to one side of the apparatus, allowing females to have free range and control the pace of mating interactions. Results showed that when primed with injections of estradiol benzoate and progesterone, females made more responses for access to a sexually receptive mate than for palatable food pellets. Oppositely, females made more responses for pellets when unprimed, and less responses for access to a mate. Females made the same amount of effort across all trials, indicating that circulating levels of estradiol increase the incentive value for cues associated with a male while at the same time decrease the incentive value for pellet cues.
Bilateral Image Subtraction and Multivariate Models for the Automated Triaging of Screening Mammograms

Mammography is the most common and effective breast cancer screening test. However, the rate of positive findings is very low, making the radiologic interpretation monotonous and biased toward errors. This work presents a computer-aided diagnosis (CADx) method aimed to automatically triage mammogram sets. The method coregisters the left and right mammograms, extracts image features, and classifies the subjects into risk of having malignant calcifications (CS), malignant masses (MS), and healthy subject (HS). In this study, 449 subjects (197 CS, 207 MS, and 45 HS) from a public database were used to train and evaluate the CADx. Percentile-rank (p-rank) and z-normalizations were used. For the p-rank, the CS versus HS model achieved a cross-validation accuracy of 0.797 with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.882; the MS versus HS model obtained an accuracy of 0.772 and an AUC of 0.842. For the z-normalization, the CS versus HS model achieved an accuracy of 0.825 with an AUC of 0.882 and the MS versus HS model obtained an accuracy of 0.698 and an AUC of 0.807. The proposed method has the potential to rank cases with high probability of malignant findings aiding in the prioritization of radiologists work list.
The past and future of delusions research: from the inexplicable to the treatable

Background Problems with the diagnosis and treatment of schizophrenia have led for a call to change strategy and focus on individual psychotic experiences. In recent years, research on delusions has led the way. Aims To update our 1999 review of almost 40 studies on delusions. Method A systematic literature search was conducted of reasoning and affective processes related to delusions. Results Over 200 studies were identified. The presence of jumping to conclusions' in individuals with delusions has been substantiated, the theory of mind account has not stood up to subsequent testing, and there is a promising new focus on the ways that affective processes contribute to delusional experience. Conclusions Theoretical work rendering delusions understandable can be translated into treatment; future clinical trials should focus on individual psychotic experiences as outcomes.
Unambiguous angular momentum of radiative spacetimes and asymptotic structure in terms of the center of mass system

We present a definition of angular momentum for radiative spacetimes which does not suffer from any ambiguity of supertranslations. We succeed in providing an appropriate notion of {\it intrinsic} angular momentum; and at the same time a definition of center of mass frame at future null infinity. We use the center of mass frame to present the asymptotic structure equations for vacuum spacetimes.
Buffet-Style Expression Factor-Adjusted Discovery Increases the Yield of Robust Expression Quantitative Trait Loci

Expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) analysis relates genetic variation to gene expression, and it has been shown that power to detect eQTLs is substantially increased by adjustment for measures of expression variability derived from singular value decomposition-based procedures (referred to as expression factors, or EFs). A potential downside to this approach is that power will be reduced for eQTL that are correlated with one or more EFs, but these approaches are commonly used in human eQTL studies on the assumption that this risk is low for cis (i.e. local) eQTL associations. Using two independent blood eQTL datasets, we show that this assumption is incorrect and that, in fact, 10-25% of eQTL that are significant without adjustment for EFs are no longer detected after EF adjustment. In addition, the majority of these “lost” eQTLs replicate in independent data, indicating that they are not spurious associations. Thus, in the ideal case, EFs would be re-estimated for each eQTL association test, as has been suggested by others; however, this is computationally infeasible for large datasets with densely imputed genotype data. We propose an alternative, “buffet-style” approach in which a series of EF and non-EF eQTL analyses are performed and significant eQTL discoveries are collected across these analyses. We demonstrate that standard methods to control the false discovery rate perform similarly between the single EF and buffet-style approaches, and we provide biological support for eQTL discovered by this approach in terms of immune cell-type specific enhancer enrichment in Roadmap Epigenomics and ENCODE cell lines. Significance Statement: Genetic differences between individuals cause disease through their effects on the function of cells and tissues. One of the important biological changes affected by genetic differences is the expression of genes, which can be identified with expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) analysis. Here we explore the basic methods for performing eQTL analysis, and we identify some underappreciated negative impacts of commonly applied methods, and propose a practical solution to improve the ability to identify genetic differences that affect gene expression levels, thereby improving the ability to understand the biological causes of many common diseases.
Analysis of Floodplain Dynamics in the Atrato River Colombia Using SAR Interferometry

Floodplain water flows have large volumetric flowrates and high complexity in space and time that are difficult to understand using water level gauges. We here analyze the spatial and temporal fluctuations of surface water flows in the floodplain of the Atrato River, Colombia, in order to evaluate their hydrological connectivity. The basin is one of the rainiest areas of the world with wetland ecosystems threatened by the expansion of agriculture and mining activities. We used 16 Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radars (DInSAR) phase observations from the ALOS-PALSAR L-band instrument acquired between 2008–2010 to characterize the flow of surface water. We were able to observe water level change in vegetated wetland areas and identify flooding patterns. In the lower basin, flow patterns are conditioned by fluctuations in the levels of the main river channel, whereas in the middle basin, topography and superficial channels strongly influence the flow and connectivity. We found that the variations in water level in a station on the main channel 87 km upstream explained more than 56% of the variations in water level in the floodplain. This result shows that, despite current expansion of agriculture and mining activities, there remain significant hydrological connectivity between wetlands and the Atrato River. This study demonstrates the use of DInSAR for a spatially comprehensive monitoring of the Atrato River basin hydrology. For the first time, we identified the spatiotemporal patterns of surface water flow of the region. We recommend these observations serve as a baseline to monitor the potential impact of ongoing human activities on surface water flows across the Atrato River basin.
Is HIV a model of accelerated or accentuated aging?

BACKGROUND Antiretroviral therapy has reduced the incidence of adverse events and early mortality in HIV-infected persons. Despite these benefits, important comorbidities that increase with age (eg, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, liver disease, and neurocognitive impairment) are more prevalent in HIV-infected persons than in HIV-uninfected persons at every age, and geriatric syndromes such as falls and frailty occur earlier in HIV-infected persons. This raises a critical research question: Does HIV accelerate aging through pathways and mechanisms common to the aging process or is HIV simply an additional risk factor for a wide number of chronic conditions, thus accentuating aging? METHODS Extensive literature review. RESULTS The purpose of this review is to briefly outline the evidence that age-related clinical syndromes are exacerbated by HIV, examine the ways in which HIV is similar, and dissimilar from natural aging, and assess the validity of HIV as a model of premature aging. Specific biomarkers of aging are limited in HIV-infected hosts and impacted by antiretroviral therapy, and a high rate of modifiable life style confounders (eg, smoking, substance abuse, alcohol) and coinfections (eg, hepatitis) in HIV-infected participants. CONCLUSIONS There is a need for validated biomarkers of aging in the context of HIV. Despite these differences, welldesigned studies of HIV-infected participants are likely to provide new opportunities to better understand the mechanisms that lead to aging and age-related diseases.
QuaLity assurance anD Best Practices at yasHWantrao cHavan MaHarasHtra oPen university ( ycMou ) : a case stuDy

Today there are 12 open universities in India, each contributing distinctly to the open and distance learning system in the country. This study summarises some of the major initiatives taken by the Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University (YCMOU)— those that have contributed to its success and the international accolade received as a consequence. Maharashtra, the state in which this university is located, has contributed extensively to social and educational reform in India as well as to the industrial and agricultural sectors. Though best practices have a contextual relevance, there is a consensus regarding the areas that call for quality assurance and enhancement in the DE systems. The case of YCMOU has been presented here using a generally accepted quality perspective consisting of the following components: • Institutional commitment and support • Curricular flexibility • Flexibility in learning strategies
Privacy-Preserving Cloud Database Querying

Due to its low cost, robustness, flexibility and ubiquitous nature, cloud computing is changing the way entities manage their data. However, various privacy concerns arise whenever potentially sensitive data is outsourced to the cloud. This paper presents a novel approach for coping with such privacy concerns. The proposed scheme prevents the cloud server from learning any possibly sensitive plaintext in the outsourced databases. It also allows the database owner to delegate users to conducting content-level fine-grained private search and decryption. Moreover, our scheme supports private querying whereby neither the database owner nor the cloud server learns query details. Additional requirement that user’s input be authorized by CA can also be supported.
Modeling worm propagation in the advanced metering infrastructure

A computer worm is malicious software that can spread rapidly between interconnected devices and perform malicious actions. In an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), smart meters may communicate in an ad-hoc fashion to perform many functionalities like remote metering and demand response. However, the AMI is susceptible to cyber-physical threats caused by malware like worms. The speed at which worms propagate in the AMI affects the physical consequences of cyber attacks. In this paper, worm propagation in the AMI is simulated and a probabilistic model is derived. This model can be used to estimate the time required to infect N meters in the AMI and accordingly predict possible physical consequences.
The inner structure of ΛCDM haloes – III. Universality and asymptotic slopes

We investigate the mass profile of cold dark matter (ACDM) haloes using a suite of numerical simulations spanning five decades in halo mass, from dwarf galaxies to rich galaxy clusters. These haloes typically have a few million particles within the virial radius (r 200 ), allowing robust mass profile estimates down to radii <1 per cent of r 200 . Our analysis confirms the proposal of Navarro, Frenk & White (NFW) that the shape of the ACDM halo mass profiles differs strongly from a power law and depends little on mass. The logarithmic slope of the spherically averaged density profile, as measured by β = -d In p/d In r, decreases monotonically towards the centre and becomes shallower than isothermal (β < 2) inside a characteristic radius, r -2 . The fitting formula proposed by NFW provides a reasonably good approximation to the density and circular velocity profiles of individual haloes; circular velocities typically deviate from NFW best fits by <10 per cent over the radial range that is numerically well resolved. Alternatively, systematic deviations from the NFW best fits are also noticeable. Inside r -2 , the profile of simulated haloes becomes shallower with radius more gradually than predicted and, as a result, NFW fits tend to underestimate the dark matter density in these regions. This discrepancy has been interpreted as indicating a steeply divergent cusp with asymptotic inner slope, β 0 ≡ β(r = 0) ∼ 1.5. Our results suggest a different interpretation. We use the density and enclosed mass at our innermost resolved radii to place strong constraints on β 0 : density cusps as steep as r -1.5 are inconsistent with most of our simulations, although β 0 = 1 is still consistent with our data. Our density profiles show no sign of converging to a well-defined asymptotic inner power law. We propose a simple formula that reproduces the radial dependence of the slope better than the NFW profile, and so may minimize errors when extrapolating our results inward to radii not yet reliably probed by numerical simulations.
Observer-Based Estimation of Stator-Winding Faults in Delta-Connected Induction Motors: A Linear Matrix Inequality Approach

This paper addresses the subject of interturn short circuit estimation in the stator of a delta-connected induction motor. In this paper, an adaptive observer scheme is proposed. The proposed observer is capable of simultaneously estimating the speed of the motor, the amount turns involved in the short circuit, and an expression of the current in the short circuit. Moreover, the states of the motor are estimated, meaning that the magnetizing currents are made available even though a fault has occurred in the motor. To be able to develop this observer, a model that is particularly suitable for the chosen observer design, is also derived. The efficiency of the proposed observer is demonstrated by tests performed on a test setup with a customized designed induction motor. With this motor it is possible to simulate interturn short-circuit faults.
Designing Imbricated Cells Multilevel Inverter using Naturally Sampled Sine-Triangle PWM

Multilevel inverters have been attracting attention in recent years due to high power quality, high-voltage capability, low switching losses, and low EMC concerns. Hence a detailed work has been done on the design and performance study of a three-phase five-level imbricated cells PWM inverter. The heavy and bulky transformers that have been used in traditional inverters are eliminated completely from the system. Sine-triangle pulse width modulation technique has been used to generate the switching signal of the inverter. Harmonic analysis with modulation index and frequency modulation ratio has been done and found that as the carrier frequency increases the harmonics are shifted to higher frequency region. An LC filter is used to minimize the harmonic distortion at a tolerable value
Beating the 2Δ bound for approximately counting colourings: a computer-assisted proof of rapid mixing

We consider random walks on graph colourings of an nvertex graph. It has been shown by Jerrum and by Salas and Sokal that a simple random walk would mix rapidly provided the number of colours, k, exceeded the maximum degree A of the graph by a factor of at least 2. Lack of improvements on this bound led to a conjecture that k 2 2A was a natural barrier. We disprove this conjecture in the simplest case of 5-colouring graphs of maximum degree 3. Our proof involves a novel computer-assisted proof technique to establish rapid mixing of a new “heat bath” Markov chain on colourings using the method of path coupling. We outline an extension to 7-colourings of triangle-free 4-regular graphs.
Analgesic Activity of Phyllanthus lawii Extract in Swiss Albino Mice

The analgesic activity of the methanol extract of Phyllanthus lawii (MEPL) was investigated in Swiss albino mice with hot plate and acetic acid induced writhing models. The results suggested that MEPL possess potent analgesic activity. The MEPL produced a significant decrease in mice writhing induced by acetic acid suggesting peripheral analge- sic activity and elevated mean basal reaction time in hot plate method suggesting central analgesic activity. The results are in agreement with its traditional use for pain treatment of P. lawii.
Conformational Diversity of Single-Stranded DNA from Bacterial Repetitive Extragenic Palindromes: Implications for the DNA Recognition Elements of Transposases

Repetitive extragenic palindrome (REP)—associated tyrosine transposase enzymes (RAYTs) bind REP DNA domains and catalyze their cleavage. Genomic sequence analyses identify potential noncoding REP sequences associated with RAYT‐encoding genes. To probe the conformational space of potential RAYT DNA binding domains, we report here spectroscopic and calorimetric measurements that detect and partially characterize the solution conformational heterogeneity of REP oligonucleotides from six bacterial species. Our data reveal most of these REP oligonucleotides adopt multiple conformations, suggesting that RAYTs confront a landscape of potential DNA substrates in dynamic equilibrium that could be selected, enriched, and/or induced via differential binding. Thus, the transposase‐bound DNA motif may not be the predominant conformation of the isolated REP domain. Intriguingly, for several REPs, the circular dichroism spectra suggest guanine tetraplexes as potential alternative or additional RAYT recognition elements, an observation consistent with these REP domains being highly nonrandom, with tetraplex‐favoring 5′‐G and 3′‐C‐rich segments. In fact, the conformational heterogeneity of REP domains detected and reported here, including the formation of noncanonical DNA secondary structures, may reflect a general feature required for recognition by RAYT transposases. Based on our biophysical data, we propose guanine tetraplexes as an additional DNA recognition element for binding by RAYT transposase enzymes. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 103: 585–596, 2015.
A Genetically Generated Drone A/V Composition Using Video Analysis as a 'Disturbance Factor' to the Fitness Function

This paper discusses the development of an audio-visual composition based on genetic algorithms strategies. The genetic algorithm’s fitness function dynamically adjusts the optimisation targets linked to the mechanisms responsible for the generating of drone soundscapes. The fitness function continuously changes based on the results of an analysis of the visual elements of the artwork thus acting as disturbance factor. In doing so, the audio material never achieves full optimisation and constantly shapes itself. The paper offers both a technical and aesthetic analysis of the development of the composition.
Quadratic Term Structure Models: Theory and Evidence

This article theoretically explores the characteristics underpinning quadratic term structure models (QTSMs), which designate the yield on a bond as a quadratic function of underlying state variables. We develop a comprehensive QTSM, which is maximally flexible and thus encompasses the features of several diverse models including the double square-root model of Longstaff (1989), the univariate quadratic model of Beaglehole and Tenney (1992), and the squared-autoregressive-independent-variable nominal term structure (SAINTS) model of Constantinides (1992). We document a complete classification of admissibility and empirical identification for the QTSM, and demonstrate that the QTSM can overcome limitations inherent in affine term structure models (ATSMs). Using the efficient method of moments of Gallant and Tauchen (1996), we test the empirical performance of the model in determining bond prices and compare the performance to the ATSMs. The results of the goodness-of-fit tests suggest that the QTSMs outperform the ATSMs in explaining historical bond price behavior in the United States. Copyright 2002, Oxford University Press.
Design of a CMOS on-chip high voltage generator

In this paper, an original CMOS on-chip high voltage generator has been proposed. Having a hybrid charge pump structure, this high voltage generator benefits advantages of two charge pumps used and allows obtaining an output voltage that neither of the two charges pumps can reach individually. Simulation results show that an output voltage as high as 41V, which is inferior to the breakdown voltage of the 0. 8µ CMOS process used.
Exploring the relationships between sense of hopelessness, worry, self-rated oral health status, and behavior in a Romanian adult population.

AIM The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of psychological states, self-rated oral health, and oral health behavior on hopelessness. METHODS AND MATERIALS A cross-sectional study design was used. Data were collected between September and November 2006. The sample consisted of 233 Romanian adults (mean age 47.3 years; 65.6% women; 65.8% married). The questionnaire included information about demographic, psychological, self-reported oral health, and oral health related behavior items. RESULTS 'Hopeless' participants were more likely to self-evaluate their dental health as poor/very poor (P<0.001), to be less satisfied by the appearance of their teeth (P<0.05), to report more non-treated caries (P<0.01), to brush their teeth less than twice per day (P<0.01), and never use mouthrinse (P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed 'hopeless' participants were apt to have a lower educational level, brush less frequently, have higher financial problems as the reason for not visiting the dentist, and report higher anxiety (odds ratio = 5.4, 4.2, 2.6, and 12.6, respectively). Forty-seven (73.4%) of 64 'hopeless' participants and 90 (80.4%) of 112 'non-hopeless' participants were correctly predicted by the above four variables. CONCLUSION The results of this study found impaired oral health and financial problems may pose an increased risk for hopelessness. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Poor oral health can be regarded as a risk marker for the level of hopelessness.