Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Parental Threatening Behaviors and Offspring Substance Use: The Moderating Role of Anxiety Sensitivity

ABSTRACT Despite extensive evidence linking childhood exposure to adverse parenting and subsequent substance use, the extant research literature is more limited regarding individual difference factors that may moderate this association. This study examines the moderating role of anxiety sensitivity (AS) in the association between childhood exposure to parental threatening behaviors and substance use in a sample of late adolescents with clinical anxiety. One hundred fifty-one late adolescents with clinical levels of anxiety (18.61 years old; SD = 0.91) completed measures assessing childhood exposure to parental threatening behaviors, AS, alcohol/tobacco and illicit substance use frequency, negative affect, and history of negative life events. A significant moderating effect of AS in the association between childhood exposure to parental threatening behaviors and both average and illicit drug use was found—even after controlling for participants' age and history of negative life events. Specifically, for individuals with high AS, as childhood exposure to parental threatening behaviors increased so too did average and illicit substance use frequency; however, for individuals with low AS, childhood exposure to parental threatening behaviors was not significantly associated with either substance use frequency. Findings underscore the profound impact that early negative experiences have on substance use outcomes, particularly for individuals with high AS who have difficulty coping with and regulating physiological arousal. Limitations and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.
Universality for random matrices and log-gases Lecture Notes for Current Developments in Mathematics, 2012

Eugene Wigner’s revolutionary vision predicted that the energy levels of large complex quantum systems exhibit a universal behavior: the statistics of energy gaps depend only on the basic symmetry type of the model. These universal statistics show strong correlations in the form of level repulsion and they seem to represent a new paradigm of point processes that are characteristically different from the Poisson statistics of independent points. Simplified models of Wigner’s thesis have recently become mathematically accessible. For mean field models represented by large random matrices with independent entries, the celebrated Wigner-Dyson-Gaudin-Mehta (WDGM) conjecture asserts that the local eigenvalue statistics are universal. For invariant matrix models, the eigenvalue distributions are given by a log-gas with potential V and inverse temperature � = 1;2;4. corresponding to the orthogonal, unitary and symplectic ensembles. For � 㘲 f1;2;4g, there is no natural random matrix ensemble behind this model, but the analogue of the WDGM conjecture asserts that the local statistics are independent of V . In these lecture notes we review the recent solution to these conjectures for both invariant and non-invariant ensembles. We will discuss two different notions of universality in the sense of (i) local correlation functions and (ii) gap distributions. We will demonstrate that the local ergodicity of the Dyson Brownian motion is the intrinsic mechanism behind the universality. In particular, we review the solution of Dyson’s conjecture on the local relaxation time of the Dyson Brownian motion. Additionally, the gap distribution requires a De Giorgi-Nash-Moser type
Reflex cardiovascular response to exercise is modulated by circulating vasopressin.

Peripheral vasopressin (AVP) can act centrally to sensitize the arterial baroreflex and/or peripherally to attenuate regional blood flow by a direct vascular effect. Because plasma concentrations of AVP increase during exercise, this study examined the possibility that AVP is capable of modulating the reflex cardiovascular response to static muscle contraction. Thus, in anesthetized cats, the pressor [mean arterial pressure (MAP)], myocardial contractile (dP/dt), and heart rate responses to 30-45 s of electrically induced static contraction of the hindlimb muscles were compared before and after intravenous injection of the V1 receptor antagonist d[CH2)5Tyr(Me)]-AVP (V1-x, n = 7), V1-x plus the V2 receptor antagonist [d(CH2)5,D-Phe2,Ile4,Arg8,Ala9]vasopressin (V2-x, n = 5), or the ganglionic blocker hexamethonium chloride (n = 5). In three additional cats, the contraction-induced cardiovascular response was monitored before and after injection of V1-x + V2-x and after hexamethonium. Subsequent to treatment with V1-x, the MAP and dP/dt responses to contraction were augmented by 18 +/- 5 and 22 +/- 10%, respectively (P < 0.05). After injection of V1-x + V2-x, the MAP and dP/dt responses were augmented to a similar extent (32 +/- 6 and 40 +/- 17%, respectively; P < 0.05). However, there was no difference in the magnitude of augmentation of these responses between the two conditions. The heart rate response was not altered by either treatment. Ganglionic blockade eliminated the cardiovascular responses to contraction. Last, when the pressor and contractile responses to contraction were initially augmented by administration of V1-x + V2-x, subsequent ganglionic blockade abolished the entire cardiovascular response. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Special Issue on the AMCIS 2001 Workshops: Speech Enabled Information Systems: The Next Frontier

Speech technologies are coming of age. They are applied in an increasing number of mobile, call-center, home, and office settings. They challenge the established Graphical User Interface metaphor and promise to fundamentally alter the way humans conceptualize and interact with computers. This change leads to new requirements for the development of information systems. It also provides new research issues and opportunities for the academic community. In this article, the main elements of speech technologies will be presented and their applications will be discussed. The article does not focus on technical aspects of speech technologies but is concerned with the business aspects of applying such technologies. The article is based on a workshop at the Americas Conference on Information Systems 2001 in Boston.
Hybrid Rate-Monotonic/Reward-Based Scheduling of Real-Time Embedded Systems

A common need of many embedded systems is the on-line scheduling of periodic, independent, preemptible real-time sets of tasks composed of a mandatory and an optional part. In this paper, a scheduling method, allowing a rearrangement of slack time based on the detection of singular instants during the processing, is presented. The priority policies used are rate monotonic and reward-based, for mandatories and optionals respectively. Contrary to other proposed methods, no restrictions are imposed on the reward- functions except their computability at every slot. The method shows a good performance relative to the Best Incremental Return method, often used as a yardstick.
Modeling Land Use with Multi-Agent Systems Perspectives for the Analysis of Agricultural Policies

This paper addresses the adequacy and perspectives of multi-agent system (MAS) models in the context of policy sup- port for agricultural policy makers. The paper starts illustrating what MAS are and how they may be used. The general presenta- tion is followed by the description of an exemplary spatial dynamic model of a large number of interacting farms (agents). This model is simulated for different policy scenarios and farm sizes. The results are analyzed with regard to the farm structure, l and use, efficiency, and farmers' incomes. It is concluded that policy analysis should not only address problems of price distortio ns. If agricultural policies affect structural change in the way the simulations show, the dynamic efficiency and income implications may be much more severe. In particular, well meant subsidies may in the long run create a dependency on further support.
Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Central Nervous System Tumors: Agents, Mechanisms, and Applications

Brain tumors are one of the most common neoplasms in young adults and are associated with a high mortality and disability rate. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is widely accepted to be the most sensitive imaging modality in the assessment of cerebral neoplasms. Because the detection, characterization, and exact delineation of brain tumors require a high lesion contrast that depends on the signal of the lesion in relation to the surrounding tissue, contrast media is given routinely. Anatomical and functional, contrast agent-based MRI techniques allow for a better differential diagnosis, grading, and especially therapy decision, planing, and follow-up. In this article, the basics of contrast enhancement of brain tumors will be reviewed. The underlying pathology of a disrupted blood-brain barrier and drug influences will be discussed. An overview of the currently available contrast media and the influences of dosage, field strength, and application on the tumor tissue contrast will be given. Challenging, contrast-enhanced, functional imaging techniques, such as perfusion MRI and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI, are presented both from the technical side and the clinical experience in the assessment of brain tumors. The advantages over conventional, anatomical MRI techniques will be discussed as well as possible pitfalls and drawbacks.
Circadian Clock-Specific Roles for the Light Response Protein WHITE COLLAR-2

ABSTRACT To understand the role of white collar-2 in theNeurospora circadian clock, we examined alleles ofwc-2 thought to encode partially functional proteins. We found that wc-2 allele ER24 contained a conservative mutation in the zinc finger. This mutation results in reduced levels of circadian rhythm-critical clock gene products, frq mRNA and FRQ protein, and in a lengthened period of the circadian clock. In addition, this mutation altered a second canonical property of the clock, temperature compensation: as temperature increased, period length decreased substantially. This temperature compensation defect correlated with a temperature-dependent increase in overall FRQ protein levels, with the relative increase being greater in wc-2(ER24) than in wild type, while overall frq mRNA levels were largely unaltered by temperature. We suggest that this temperature-dependent increase in FRQ levels partially rescues the lowered levels of FRQ resulting from the wc-2 (ER24) defect, yielding a shorter period at higher temperatures. Thus, normal activity of the essential clock component WC-2, a positive regulator offrq, is critical for establishing period length and temperature compensation in this circadian system.
Statistical fluctuations in charge transfer at Ia synapses on spinal motoneurones.

1. Net inward charge is calculated for unitary Ia e.p.s.p.s. evoked in spinal motoneurones. Fluctuations in this charge are used to describe the fluctuations in transmission at the Ia synapse. 2. The statistical details of variation in transmission at Ia synapses are largely obscured by noise, arising from spontaneous activity and recording apparatus. 3. A computational procedure is described, which utilized the measured statistical properties of the recording noise, and the measured charge histogram of the evoked e.p.s.p. (with noise) to calculate the variations in charge due to the e.p.s.p. alone. 4. The fluctuation in charge transmission at Ia synapses are, in general, non‐quantal. Nor are they described by binomial or Poisson statistics. 5. It is suggested that the basic mode of transmission at a single terminal is all‐or‐none. The fluctuations result from the combined effect of failures at several terminals arising from a single afferent fibre. This hypothesis is supported by further analysis of these results in a subsequent paper (Edwards, Redman & Walmysley, 1976a).
Role of the Rep Helicase Gene in Homologous Recombination in Neisseria gonorrhoeae

ABSTRACT In Escherichia coli, the Rep helicase has been implicated in replication fork progression, replication restart, homologous recombination, and DNA repair. We show that a Neisseria gonorrhoeae rep mutant is deficient in the homologous-recombination-mediated processes of DNA transformation and pilus-based colony variation but not in DNA repair.
Performance , Area and Bandwidth Implications on Large-scale CMP Cache Design

Large-scale CMP (LCMP) platforms that consist of 10s of cores for throughput computing will soon become reality. The performance and scalability of these architectures is highly dependent on the design of the cache hierarchy. In this paper, our goal is to explore the cache design space for LCMP platforms. We approach this exploration problem by developing a constraintaware analysis methodology (CAAM). CAAM first considers two important constraints and limitations that the LCMP cache design needs to account for -area constraints and on-die / off-die bandwidth limitations. Based on the approximate area constraints, we determine a viable range of cache hierarchy options. We then estimate the bandwidth requirements for these cache hierarchy options by running server workload traces on our LCMP performance model. Based on allowable bandwidth constraints, we narrow the design space further to highlight a few cache options that are indeed viable for LCMP platforms. We then compare these options based on performance and make specific recommendations for future LCMP cache hierarchies.
Admission control and concurrent scheduling for IPTV over mmWave-based WPANs

Communications at 60 GHz millimeter-wave (mmWave) band is a promising technology for future wireless personal area networks (WPAN) supporting high data rate applications. Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) is anticipated to be one of the next killer applications, which requires high data rate and stringent quality of services (QoS) in terms of delay and loss. In this paper, we propose how to efficiently support IPTV flows in a mmWave-based WPAN with QoS guarantee, considering the characteristics of both the IPTV traffic and the mmWave communication technology. We first quantify the effective bandwidth of IPTV video sources using a simple, two-level Markov traffic model. By considering the overheads of the protocol stack in mmWave WPANs, we then quantify the minimal channel time needed for each IPTV flow. Since mmWave-based WPANs will deploy directional antennae to not only extend the transmission range, but also achieve higher spatial multiplexing gain, we further propose an admission control scheme and scheduling algorithm which take advantage of concurrent transmissions. Extensive simulations with NS-2 using real video traces have validated our analysis and demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed schemes, which will be an enabling technology for future mmWave-based WPANs supporting IPTV services.
Shape smoothing using double offsets

It has been observed for a long time that the operation consisting of offsetting a solid by a quantity r and then offsetting its complement by d < r produces, in some cases, a new solid with the same topology but with a smooth boundary. While this fact has been widely used in Computer Aided Geometric Design or in the field of image processing, we provide here for the first time a tight and robust condition that guarantees the smoothness of the new solid and gives a lower bound on its reach (distance to the medial axis). This condition is based on the general properties of the distance function to a compact set and relies on the recently introduced critical function and μ-reach.
Decision making of negotiation agents using markov chains

In dynamic and complex negotiation environments, a negotiation agent can participate or quit negotiation at any time and can potentially reach an agreement with more than one trading partner as the result of the existence of dynamic outside options. Thus, it's important for a negotiation agent to make a decision on when to complete negotiation given its trading partners' current proposals and market dynamics. Rather than explicitly modeling all the trading partners, this paper presents a novel decision making strategy based on a tractable Markov chain model of negotiation process. An agent can use this model to determine whether to accept the best proposal of its trading partners or let negotiation proceed forward during each round of negotiation. Experimental results suggest that the proposed strategy achieved more favorable negotiation outcomes as compared with the general strategy.
Direct Phosphorylation of Capsaicin Receptor VR1 by Protein Kinase Cε and Identification of Two Target Serine Residues*

The capsaicin receptor, VR1, is a sensory neuron-specific ion channel that serves as a polymodal detector of pain-producing chemical and physical stimuli. It has been reported that ATP, one of the inflammatory mediators, potentiates the VR1 currents evoked by capsaicin or protons and reduces the temperature threshold for activation of VR1 through metabotropic P2Y1 receptors in a protein Kinase C (PKC)-dependent pathway, suggesting the phosphorylation of VR1 by PKC. In this study, direct phosphorylation of VR1 upon application of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) was proven biochemically in cells expressing VR1. An in vitro kinase assay using glutathione S-transferase fusion proteins with cytoplasmic segments of VR1 showed that both the first intracellular loop and carboxyl terminus of VR1 were phosphorylated by PKCε. Patch clamp analysis of the point mutants where Ser or Thr residues were replaced with Ala in the total 16 putative phosphorylation sites showed that two Ser residues, Ser502and Ser800 were involved in the potentiation of the capsaicin-evoked currents by either PMA or ATP. In the cells expressing S502A/S800A double mutant, the temperature threshold for activation was not reduced upon PMA treatment. The two sites would be promising targets for the development of substance modulating VR1 function, thereby reducing pain.
Prospective Association of Physical Activity and Heart Failure Hospitalizations Among Black Adults With Normal Ejection Fraction: The Jackson Heart Study

Background Given high rates of obesity, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus, black persons are at risk to develop heart failure. The association of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and heart failure in black adults is underresearched. The purpose of this study was to explore whether greater MVPA was associated with lower risk of heart failure hospitalizations (HFHs) among black adults with normal ejection fractions. Methods and Results We performed a prospective analysis of 4066 black adults who participated in the Jackson Heart Study and who had physical activity measured, had normal ejection fraction on 2‐dimensional echocardiograms, and were followed for 7 years for incident HFH. We used Cox proportional regression analyses adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, smoking status, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, coronary heart disease, atrial fibrillation, and chronic kidney disease and examined effect modification by sex and body mass index. Of the eligible population, 1925 participants, according to the duration of MVPA, had poor health (0 minutes/week), 1332 had intermediate health (1–149 minutes/week), and 809 had ideal health (≥150 minutes/week). There were 168 incident HFHs. MVPA for intermediate and ideal health was associated with decreasing risk of incident HFH (hazard ratio: 0.70 [95% confidence interval, 49–1.00] and 0.35 [95% confidence interval, 0.19–0.64], respectively; P trend=0.003). The full model revealed hazard ratios of 0.74 [95% confidence interval, 0.52–1.07] and 0.41 [95% confidence interval, 0.22–0.74], respectively. There was no effect modification between MVPA and body mass index or sex on incident HFH. Conclusions A dose‐response relationship between increasing levels of MVPA and protection from incident HFH was found in black men and women with normal ejection fractions.
An Evaluation of Threaded Models for a Classical MD Proxy Application

Exascale systems will have many-core nodes, less memory capacity per core than today's systems, and a large degree of performance variability between cores. All these conditions challenge bulk synchronous SPMD models in which execution is typically synchronous and communication is based on buffers and ghost regions.We explore the design of a multithreaded MD code to evaluate several tradeoffs that arise when converting an MPI application into a hybrid multithreaded application, to address the aforementioned constraints of future architectures.Using OpenMP and PThreads, we implemented several variants of CoMD, a molecular dynamics proxy application. We found that in CoMD, duplicating some of the work to avoid race conditions is an easier and more scalable solution than using atomic updates; that data allocation and placement can be controlled to some extent with a hybrid MPI+threads approach, though an explicit NUMA API to control locality may be desirable; and finally that dynamically scheduling the work within a process can mitigate the impact of performance variability among cores and preserve most of the performance, especially when compared to bulk synchronous implementations such as the MPI reference.
The Fading Miracle

The Fading Miracle provides a lucid account of economic policy in West Germany from the late 1940s up to the present. First published in hardback in 1992, this paperback edition has been updated to include events since then. The authors describe and evaluate the major policy controversies and decisions, and place particular emphasis on the characteristically German institutions of policy counselling and their role in policy formation. The book will be of interest to students and teachers of economics, and to all those with an interest in the development of the greatest economic power in Europe.
Towards a Model on the Factors Influencing Social App Users’ Valuation of Interdependent Privacy

Abstract In the context of third-party social apps, the problem of interdependency of privacy refers to users making app adoption decisions which cause the collection and utilization of personal information of users’ friends. In contrast, users’ friends have typically little or no direct influence over these decision-making processes. We conduct a conjoint analysis study with two treatment conditions which vary the app data collection context (i.e., to which degree the functionality of the app makes it necessary for the app developer to collect friends’ information). Analyzing the data, we are able to quantify the monetary value which app users place on their friends’ and their own personal information in each context. Combining these valuations with the responses to a comprehensive survey, we apply structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis to investigate the roles of privacy concern, its antecedents, as well as app data collection context to work towards a model of interdependent privacy for the scenario of third-party social app adoption. We find that individuals’ past experiences regarding privacy invasions are negatively associated with their trust for third-party social apps’ proper handling of their personal information, which in turn influences their concerns for their own privacy associated with third-party social apps. In addition, positive effects of users’ privacy knowledge on concerns for their own privacy and concerns for friends’ privacy regarding app adoption are partially supported. These privacy concerns are further found to affect how users value their own and their friends’ personal information. However, we are unable to support an association between users’ online social capital and their concerns for friends’ privacy. Nor do we have enough evidence to show that treatment conditions moderate the association between the concern for friends’ personal information and the value of such information in app adoption contexts.