Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Engagement in a non‐escape (displacement) behavior elicits a selective and lateralized suppression of frontal cortical dopaminergic utilization in stress

Although the preferential activation of the prefrontal cortical (PFC) dopaminergic system is generally observed in stress, limited exceptions to this have been observed. Certain non‐escape behaviors have been demonstrated to attenuate physiological indices of stress (e.g., coping or displacement responses). One well‐characterized non‐escape behavior observed in stress is chewing, or gnawing, of inedible objects. Engagement in this behavior attenuates stress‐related activation of the hypothalamopituitary‐adrenal axis, in a variety of species. We examined the degree to which engagement in this non‐escape behavior modulates stressor‐induced activation of the PFC dopamine (DA) system. Rats and mice were exposed to a brightly lit novel environment (novelty stress) in the presence or absence of inedible objects. Following novelty exposure, various dopaminergic terminal fields were collected and dopamine and its major catabolite, DOPAC, were measured using HPLC with electrochemical detection. DOPAC/DA ratios were calculated as an index of DA utilization. In some cases serotonin (5‐HT) and its major catabolite, 5‐HIAA, were also measured. In animals that did not chew, novelty exposure elicited significant increases in DOPAC/DA levels within PFC, nucleus accumbens (shell and core subdivisions), and striatum (relative to quiet‐controls). DOPAC/DA responses were greater in the right PFC than in the left PFC. Animals that chewed displayed significantly lower DOPAC/DA responses in PFC, but not other dopaminergic terminal fields. This effect of chewing was always observed in the right PFC and less consistently in the left PFC. Chewing did not alter novelty‐induced increases in PFC 5‐HIAA/5‐HT responses. Thus, engagement in this non‐escape behavior elicits a neuroanatomically and neurochemically specific attenuation of the PFC DA response in stress. Given the pivotal role of the PFC in certain cognitive and affective processes, behavioral regulation of PFC DA utilization may modulate cognitive and/or affective function in stress. Synapse 32:187–197, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Motion data-driven model for semantic events classification using an optimized support vector machine

The spatio-temporal constraints that accompany video data types are one of the unique characteristics of video information. The importance of the temporal constraints has led to recent efforts to incorporate them in video events representation, indexing and retrieval. To support the classification of a given video event, we propose a data-driven model which utilizes the motion information to enhance event classification performance. Kernel-based methods have become popular in multimedia classification tasks. However, in order to use them effectively, several factors that hinder accurate classification results, such as feature subset selection and kernel parameters, must be addressed through the use of heuristic-based techniques. Here, we present a novel approach to enhance the performance of support vector machine based on a search method. The latter relies on the simultaneous optimization of: (i) the feature subset, (ii) the instance subset and, (iii) the SVM kernel function parameters, with genetic algorithms. Experimental results on a collection of sports videos show that this method significantly improves the classification accuracy of conventional SVM based techniques.
RectMag: An accurate magnetic field model based actuation system

Micro-robots manipulated wirelessly with magnetic actuation system have great potential in the minimally invasive surgery. Both magnetic field components and gradients of the system are key factors for efficient actuation. In this paper, we proposed a new magnetic actuation system called RectMag. It consists four rectangular electromagnetic coils and provides 3 degree of freedom operation. Compared with the cylindrical coils, the rectangular coil has accurate closed form analytical expression for the calculation of magnetic field and gradient. Therefore, more accurate control would be achieved. Effectiveness of the proposed actuation system has been validated with experiments.
Website Adoption By Local Sporting Bodies In Australia And New Zealand

Local sporting clubs rely heavily on volunteers to run and manage their everyday activities. Some clubs are turning to Internet technologies, such as club websites, to assist them in carrying out these functions. However, little is known about the effect that the adoption of these websites has on these clubs. --PACIS 2011 held: Brisbane, 7-11 July, 2011
Cross-layer exploration of link adaptation in wireless LANs with TCP traffic

Wireless communication systems enable new and exciting applications, but also impose significant technical challenges to achieve the required performance at minimal energy consumption. Traditionally, those systems are designed and optimized for operation in one typical situation, taking into account some worst case considerations and a functional layer partitioning which simplifies the design to a great extent. To enable a broad range of applications in a highly dynamic wireless environment, with optimal performance in each situation, this worst case partitioning of the system is not a good strategy. In this paper we show that a physical layer mode, optimal from a physical-centric point of view, results in a bad performance when used with a real protocol stack on top of it. We show that this effect is strengthened when the system is designed on the edge of what is possible for its energy budget. A new cross-layer design methodology is the only way to achieve the best possible end user performance versus energy and deserves extensive further research.
Metaphor and Creativity in Learning Science Metaphor and Creativity in Learning Science

Janice Hansen & Lindsey E. Richland Department of Education University of California, Irvine Eric P. S. Baumer Information Science Cornell University William Tomlinson Information Technology University of California, Irvine ABSTRACT While much work has examined how students think and and learn with metaphors, relatively little research has focused on thinking about metaphors, that is, thinking critically about current metaphors and considering creative alternatives. This paper presents results from a classroombased study that involves metaphor in science learning and incorporates a novel computational technique for analyzing metaphors in text. The results here show that students’ ability to engage with a metaphor’s deep, structural aspects significantly predicts ability to generate creative, novel metaphors. Not only do these results carry implications for how best to incorporate metaphor into instruction, but they also draw attention to the ability to reason critically about metaphors as an important area for future research.
Correction: Environmental Statistics and Optimal Regulation

Any organism is embedded in an environment that changes over time. The timescale for and statistics of environmental change, the precision with which the organism can detect its environment, and the costs and benefits of particular protein expression levels all will affect the suitability of different strategies–such as constitutive expression or graded response–for regulating protein levels in response to environmental inputs. We propose a general framework–here specifically applied to the enzymatic regulation of metabolism in response to changing concentrations of a basic nutrient–to predict the optimal regulatory strategy given the statistics of fluctuations in the environment and measurement apparatus, respectively, and the costs associated with enzyme production. We use this framework to address three fundamental questions: (i) when a cell should prefer thresholding to a graded response; (ii) when there is a fitness advantage to implementing a Bayesian decision rule; and (iii) when retaining memory of the past provides a selective advantage. We specifically find that: (i) relative convexity of enzyme expression cost and benefit influences the fitness of thresholding or graded responses; (ii) intermediate levels of measurement uncertainty call for a sophisticated Bayesian decision rule; and (iii) in dynamic contexts, intermediate levels of uncertainty call for retaining memory of the past. Statistical properties of the environment, such as variability and correlation times, set optimal biochemical parameters, such as thresholds and decay rates in signaling pathways. Our framework provides a theoretical basis for interpreting molecular signal processing algorithms and a classification scheme that organizes known regulatory strategies and may help conceptualize heretofore unknown ones.
IMAGE RESTORATION BASED ON UNSYMMETRIC FUZZY SWITCHED STEERING KERNEL

The Digital image restoration is one of the image processing techniques that deals with the methods used to recover an original image from a degraded image. The proposed work is done for high density impulse noise which is affected by gaussian blur and is solved by using fuzzy filtering techniques for denoising and a Noise Suppressed Steering Kernel for deblurring which is a hybrid method. In the previous work the outputs suffering with spurious edges in the case of denoising. The above disadvantages of the steering kernel are overcome by using median filters. The presence of spurious edges on iterative process gets added up and becomes stronger if not removed. Hence it can be eliminated by using median filters at the end of the each iteration, since this method is an iterative process. A noise suppressed steering kernel NSSK is used in the proposed method.
Dynamic Context Logic and its Application to Norm

Building on a simple modal logic of context, the paper presents a dynamic logic characterizing operations of contraction and expansion on theories. We investigate the mathematical properties of the logic, and use it to develop an axiomatic and semantic analysis of norm change in normative systems. The proposed analysis advances the state of the art by providing a formal semantics of norm-change which, at the same time, takes into account several different aspects of the phenomenon, such as permission and obligation dynamics, as well as the dynamics of classificatory rules.
On computational aspects of bounded linear least squares problems

The paper describes numerical experiments with active set methods for solving bounded linear least squares problems. It concentrates on two problems that arise in the implementation of the active set method. One problem is the choice of a good starting point. The second problem is how to move out of a “dead point. ” The paper investigates the use of simple iterative methods to solve these problems. The results of our experiments indicate that the use of Gauss-Seidel iterations to obtain a starting point is likely to provide large gains in efficiency. Another interesting conclusion is that dropping one constraint at a time is advantageous to dropping several constraints at a time.
The dimensions and correlates of systems development quality

The need to improve systems development quality is increasingly felt by information systems departments in organizations. A clear definition of systems development quality is required to focus quality management efforts. We develop a broader definition of quality by identifying product and process dimensions of quality that systems development should ensure, and present a framework to classify systems development quality metrics. We then go on to develop, a theoretical model to explain the correlates of systems development quality, by integrating related research in the areas of total quality management, systems development, management of the IS function, and IS implementation. Five factors (top management support, development methodology characteristics, project management characteristics, task structure of IS teams and control structure of IS teams) were identified. Implications for theory, future research and practice are discussed.
Actin in dendritic spines: connecting dynamics to function

Dendritic spines are small actin-rich protrusions from neuronal dendrites that form the postsynaptic part of most excitatory synapses and are major sites of information processing and storage in the brain. Changes in the shape and size of dendritic spines are correlated with the strength of excitatory synaptic connections and heavily depend on remodeling of its underlying actin cytoskeleton. Emerging evidence suggests that most signaling pathways linking synaptic activity to spine morphology influence local actin dynamics. Therefore, specific mechanisms of actin regulation are integral to the formation, maturation, and plasticity of dendritic spines and to learning and memory.
Deconstructing the Success of RBC

The empirical success of RBC models is often judged by their ability to explain the behavior of a multitude of real macroeconomic variables using a single exogenous shock process. This paper shows that in a model with the same basic structure as the bare bones RBC model, monetary, cost push or preference shocks are equally successful at explaining the behavior of macroeconomic variables. Thus, the empirical success of the RBC model with respect to standard RBC evaluation techniques arises from the basic form of the dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model, not from the specific role of the productivity shock.
The impact of Teach First on pupil attainment at age 16

We evaluate whether the placement of Teach First's inexperienced new teachers into secondary schools with recruitment difficulties in disadvantaged areas in England has raised or lowered pupil attainment at the age of 16. Our matched difference-in-difference panel estimation approach compares the experiences of 168 schools participating early on in the scheme to those in the same region who will go on to participate in later years. We find the programme has not been damaging to these schools who joined and most likely produced school-wide gains in GCSE results of around one grade in one of the pupils’ best eight subjects. Similarly, we estimate departmental gains of over 5% of a subject grade resulting from placing a Teach First participant in a teaching team of six teachers. The estimation approach cannot assert whether these gains arise solely through the greater teaching quality of Teach First participants compared to those they displace, or whether spillovers raise standards across the department or somehow change the ethos within the school.
FP 6-004381-MACS MACS Multi-sensory Autonomous Cognitive Systems Interacting with Dynamic Environments for Perceiving and Using Affordances

s h t n o m 6 3 : n o i t a r u D 4 0 0 2 , 1 r e b m e t p e S : t c e j o r p f o e t a d t r a t S m r o f n I d n u-e s y l a n A e n e g i l l e t n I r u ¨ f e t u t i t s n I r e f o h n u a r F ationssysteme (FhG/AIS) Dissemination Level PU Public PP Restricted to other programme participants (including the Commission Services) RE Restricted to a group specified by the consortium (including the Commission Services) X CO Confidential, only for members of the consortium (including the Commission Services)
Research of underwater target passive detection based on three-element correlation

An underwater target detecting method based on the correlation metric of three signals received by three elements is provided, and the advantage of the provided method in detecting performances is analyzed in theory and is verified by simulations. The results of theory analysis and simulation tests show that, compared with the two-element correlation method, the provided method has the improvement of 2dB in detecting performance.
Public speaking in virtual reality: Audience design and speaker experiences

Whether we are talking about our research at a conference, making a speech at a friend’s wedding, or presenting a proposal in a businessmeeting,we have to speak in public from time to time. How well we deliver a presentation affects the way people think about us and our message. To deliver a well-received speech, preparation is necessary. Among various speech preparation activities, practicing with an audience is regarded as an effective way for enhancing speech performance. However, it is often impractical to organize an audience to practice a presentation and to arrange the diverse set of audience behaviours that are tailored to trainee’s individual skills and learning goals. Virtual reality can provide a solution by practicing with a virtual audience. Although virtual audiences have been used in many domains, e.g., evoking social stress, therapy for social phobia, and improving teaching performance, little research has been reported on the impact of virtual audiences on public speakers’ belief and performance. Therefore, this thesis aims to create a virtual audience which generates flexible expressive behaviours for a public speaking scenario and examines how public speaking experiences in front of such an audience affect the speakers’ belief and speech performance.
Do Targeted Bans of Insecticides to Prevent Deaths from Self-Poisoning Result in Reduced Agricultural Output?

Background The pesticides monocrotophos, methamidophos, and endosulfan were a very common cause of severe poisoning in Sri Lanka during the 1980s and early 1990s, before they were banned in 1995 and 1998. Now, the most commonly used insecticides are the less toxic World Health Organization Class II organophosphorus pesticides and carbamates. These bans were followed by a large reduction in both fatal poisonings and suicide in Sri Lanka. Objective We aimed to see if these bans adversely affected agricultural production or costs. Methods We used data from the World Resources Institute to compare the yields of the main crop groups in Sri Lanka with those from surrounding South Asian countries for 1980–2005. We also examined data from the Sri Lankan Department of Census and Statistics to examine the yields of 13 specific vegetable crops and rice for 1990–2003, along with the costs of rice production. Results We found no drop in productivity in the years after the main bans were instituted (1995, 1998). We observed substantial annual fluctuation in estimated yields in all data sources, but these did not coincide with the bans and were no larger than the fluctuations in other countries. Also, there was no sudden change in costs of rice production coinciding with bans. Conclusions Countries aiming to apply restrictions to reduce deaths from pesticide poisoning should evaluate agricultural needs and develop a plan that encourages substitution of less toxic pesticides. If farmers have an affordable alternative for pest control for each crop, there is no obvious adverse effect on agricultural output.
Identification and Functional Analysis of the S-Layer Protein SplA of Paenibacillus larvae, the Causative Agent of American Foulbrood of Honey Bees

The Gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium Paenibacillus larvae is the etiological agent of American Foulbrood (AFB), a globally occurring, deathly epizootic of honey bee brood. AFB outbreaks are predominantly caused by two genotypes of P. larvae, ERIC I and ERIC II, with P. larvae ERIC II being the more virulent genotype on larval level. Recently, comparative proteome analyses have revealed that P. larvae ERIC II but not ERIC I might harbour a functional S-layer protein, named SplA. We here determine the genomic sequence of splA in both genotypes and demonstrate by in vitro self-assembly studies of recombinant and purified SplA protein in combination with electron-microscopy that SplA is a true S-layer protein self-assembling into a square 2D lattice. The existence of a functional S-layer protein is novel for this bacterial species. For elucidating the biological function of P. larvae SplA, a genetic system for disruption of gene expression in this important honey bee pathogen was developed. Subsequent analyses of in vivo biological functions of SplA were based on comparing a wild-type strain of P. larvae ERIC II with the newly constructed splA-knockout mutant of this strain. Differences in cell and colony morphology suggest that SplA is a shape-determining factor. Marked differences between P. larvae ERIC II wild-type and mutant cells with regard to (i) adhesion to primary pupal midgut cells and (ii) larval mortality as measured in exposure bioassays corroborate the assumption that the S-layer of P. larvae ERIC II is an important virulence factor. Since SplA is the first functionally proven virulence factor for this species, our data extend the knowledge of the molecular differences between these two genotypes of P. larvae and contribute to explaining the observed differences in virulence. These results present an immense advancement in our understanding of P. larvae pathogenesis.
ANALISIS PENGARUH KEMUDAHAN PEMAKAIAN SITUS, MUTU INFORMASI, KEPERCAYAAN PEMBELIAN, DAN KESAN HARGA TERHADAP NIAT BELANJA DARING DI OLX.CO.ID PADA MAHASISWA UNIVERSITAS DIPONEGORO SEMARANG

This research aims to analyze the influence of ease of use site, quality information, purchasing trust, and the impression of price against visitor’s shopping intention on OLX.co.id. The sampling method used on this research is probability sampling with random sampling technique. Samples were collected from 258 respondents who are students of Diponegoro University Semarang who have visited the site OLX.co.id. Analysis method used here is multiple regression analysis which includes validity test, reliability test, classic assumption test, multiple linear regression test, t-test, f-test, determination test The result showed that the ease of use of the site, quality informartion, purchasing trust, and the impression of price has positive influence towards the shopping intention.
Shape, chirality and internal order of freely suspended nematic nanodroplets

We investigate the properties of freely suspended nematic nanodroplets of increasing size formed by elongated Gay–Berne mesogens, using extensive molecular dynamics simulations. We find that the nanodroplets have an elongated shape with an aspect ratio changing with size and that in the 50–100 nm size range (N ≈ 50 000–100 000 particles) they show a spontaneous symmetry breaking of the surface bipolar director field into a twisted pattern, whose chirality we quantify with a specific index. The droplets are found to be inhomogeneous in terms, e.g. of the local orientational order, and a detailed description of their internal and interfacial structure is given.
The What’s and Why’s of The How To of Qualitative Research

The book provides an excellent guide for those wishing to conduct qualitative research, whether new or experienced scholars. It links theoretical foundations with practical tools, including examples that illustrate how to bridge the gap between theorizing and conducting real-life qualitative research in the field. It shows how to design and craft the qualitative research in the field using different research tools (e.g., interviews, observations etc.) and how to analyze the data and compose a qualitative draft. In short, it answers the “what,” “why,” and “how” of qualitative research.
Quantifying the Deign Quality of Object Oriented System The metric based rules and heuristic

The design structure of OO software has decisive impact on its quality. The design must be strongly correlated with quality characteristics like analyzability, changeability, stability and testability, which are important for maintaining the system. But due to the diversity and complexity of the design properties of OO system e.g. Polymorphism, encapsulation, coupling it becomes cumbersome.