Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A network engineering perspective on probing and perturbing cognition with neurofeedback

Network science and engineering provide a flexible and generalizable tool set to describe and manipulate complex systems characterized by heterogeneous interaction patterns among component parts. While classically applied to social systems, these tools have recently proven to be particularly useful in the study of the brain. In this review, we describe the nascent use of these tools to understand human cognition, and we discuss their utility in informing the meaningful and predictable perturbation of cognition in combination with the emerging capabilities of neurofeedback. To blend these disparate strands of research, we build on emerging conceptualizations of how the brain functions (as a complex network) and how we can develop and target interventions or modulations (as a form of network control). We close with an outline of current frontiers that bridge neurofeedback, connectomics, and network control theory to better understand human cognition.
Cancer Mortality in Kidney Transplantation

Immunosuppression is associated with an increased risk of cancer in kidney transplant recipients compared to the general population. It is less clear whether standardized cancer mortality ratios (SMRs) are also increased. This study's hypothesis is that SMRs are not increased because of competing risks of death. During the median follow‐up of 5.05 years (Q1–Q3: 2.36–8.62), there were 1937 cancer deaths and 36 619 noncancer deaths among 164 078 first kidney‐only transplant recipients captured in the United States Renal Data System between January 1990 and December 2004. The observed cancer death rate was 206 per 100 000 patient‐years compared to an expected rate of 215 per 100 000 patient‐years in the general population. The overall age‐ and sex‐adjusted SMR was only 0.96 (95% CI 0.92–1.00). However, patients <50 years had SMRs significantly greater than unity while patients >60 had SMRs lower than unity. Up to 25% of cancer‐related deaths occurred after allograft failure. These findings challenge the notion that cancer is a major cause of premature death in all kidney transplant recipients and has implications for design of cancer prevention strategies in kidney transplant recipients.
Effects of ionizing radiation on biological molecules--mechanisms of damage and emerging methods of detection.

SIGNIFICANCE The detrimental effects of ionizing radiation (IR) involve a highly orchestrated series of events that are amplified by endogenous signaling and culminating in oxidative damage to DNA, lipids, proteins, and many metabolites. Despite the global impact of IR, the molecular mechanisms underlying tissue damage reveal that many biomolecules are chemoselectively modified by IR. RECENT ADVANCES The development of high-throughput "omics" technologies for mapping DNA and protein modifications have revolutionized the study of IR effects on biological systems. Studies in cells, tissues, and biological fluids are used to identify molecular features or biomarkers of IR exposure and response and the molecular mechanisms that regulate their expression or synthesis. CRITICAL ISSUES In this review, chemical mechanisms are described for IR-induced modifications of biomolecules along with methods for their detection. Included with the detection methods are crucial experimental considerations and caveats for their use. Additional factors critical to the cellular response to radiation, including alterations in protein expression, metabolomics, and epigenetic factors, are also discussed. FUTURE DIRECTIONS Throughout the review, the synergy of combined "omics" technologies such as genomics and epigenomics, proteomics, and metabolomics is highlighted. These are anticipated to lead to new hypotheses to understand IR effects on biological systems and improve IR-based therapies.
Poly(ϵ-caprolactone) microcapsules and nanocapsules in drug delivery

Introduction: Poly(ϵ-caprolactone) (PCL), a biodegradable and biocompatible polymer, is useful to encapsulate a wide range of drugs making it an interesting material for the preparation of carriers with potential applications in therapeutics. Areas covered: The design and development of those carriers to modulate drug release, to improve the drug stability or apparent solubility in aqueous media, as well as to target tissues and organs are discussed. Expert opinion: Microencapsulation is a well-established process in pharmaceutical industry to protect drugs from chemical degradation and to control drug release. In this context, PCL is a useful polymer to prepare microcapsules. Nanoencapsulation, a more recent approach, offers new possibilities in drug delivery. PCL can be used as polymer to prepare different types of nanocapsules presenting diverse flexibility according to the chemical nature of the core. Those nanocapsules are capable of controlling drug release and improving photochemical stability. In addition, they can modulate cutaneous drug penetration/permeation and act as physical sunscreen due to their capability of light scattering. Considering the pharmaceutical point of view, PCL nanocapsules are versatile formulations, once they can be used in the liquid form, as well as incorporated into semi-solid or solid dosage forms.
Determination of growth rates as an input of the stock discount valuation models

When determining the value of the stocks with different stock discount valuation models, one of the important inputs is expected growth rate of dividends, earnings, cash flows and other relevant parameters of the company. Growth rate can be determined by three basic ways, and those are: on the basis of extrapolation of historical data, on the basis of professional assessment of the analytics who follow business of the company and on the basis of fundamental indicators of the company. Aim of this paper is to depict theoretical basis and practical application of stated methods for growth rate determination, and to indicate their advantages, or deficiencies.
O2 consumption during exercise in dogs--roles of splenic contraction and alpha-adrenergic vasoconstriction.

To examine the influence of alpha-adrenergic vasoconstriction on the aerobic capacity of dogs, we calculated O2 consumption (VO2) by the Fick method during submaximal and maximal exertion before and during alpha-adrenergic blockade with phentolamine. Regional blood flow was measured with radioactive microspheres. alpha-Adrenergic receptor blockade reduced VO2 by 12.9% during submaximal and 17.9% during maximal exercise. Arterial and venous lactic acid approximately doubled during both levels of stress in the presence of alpha-adrenergic receptor blockade. Calculated VO2 decreased because arteriovenous O2 (A-V)O2 extraction was reduced by 11.6% during submaximal exercise. During maximal exercise a 16.7% decrease in (A-V)O2 extraction and a 5.7% decrease in cardiac output contributed to the decrease in maximal VO2. During both levels of stress, (A-V)O2 extraction was reduced because arterial O2 content was decreased. Since circulating hematocrits during exercise were reduced by alpha-adrenergic receptor blockade (43-38%), we postulate that splenic contraction likely was inhibited. Additionally, distribution of blood flow to skeletal muscle and visceral organs was unaltered by alpha-blockade. To examine the importance of splenic contraction during maximal exercise, we examined hemodynamic and metabolic responses before and after splenectomy. Compared with the spleen-intact condition, splenectomized dogs demonstrated a 12.6% reduction in VO2 as a result of 7.7 and 5.5% reductions in (A-V)O2 extraction and cardiac output, respectively. (A-V)O2 extraction was reduced because arterial O2 content and circulating hematocrit during exercise were decreased. Therefore, in the exercising dog, alpha-adrenergic receptor blockade reduces O2 consumption and causes a shift to anaerobic metabolism. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Realistic Analysis of Energy Efficiency in Multihop Wireless Sensor Networks

As one of the most widely investigated studies in wireless sensor networks (WSNs), multihop networking is increasingly developed and applied for achieving energy efficient communications and enhancing transmission reliability. To accurately and realistically analyze the performance metric (energy efficiency), firstly we provide a measurement of the energy dissipation for each state and establish a practical energy consumption model for a WSN. According to the analytical model of connectivity, Gaussian approximation approaches to experimental connection probability are expressed for optimization problem on energy efficiency. Moreover, for integrating experimental results with theories, we propose the methodology in multihop wireless sensor networks to maximize efficiency by nonlinear programming, considering energy consumptions and the total quantity of sensing data to base station. Furthermore, we present evaluations adapting to various wireless sensor networks quantitatively with respect to energy efficiency and network configuration, in view of connectivity, the length of data, maximum number of hops and total number of nodes. As the consequence, the realistic analysis can be used in practical applications, especially on self-organization sensor networks. The analysis also shows correlations between the efficiency and maximum number of hops, that is the multihop systems with several hops can accommodate enough devices in ordinary applications. In this paper, our contribution distinguished from others is that our model and analysis are extended from experiments. Therefore, the results of analysis and proposal can be conveniently applied to actual networks. key words: energy efficiency, multihop wireless sensor networks, optimization, realistic analysis, connectivity, nonlinear programming
Moderating Backlash: Racial Mobilization, Partisan Coalitions, and Public Policy in the American States

In general, state public policy responds positively to increased electoral participation among social groups. However, consistent with the racial threat hypothesis, this pattern appears to reverse itself for African Americans: as blacks turn out in greater proportions they actually incur decreasing policy responsiveness. Another research tradition suggests that political parties play a crucial mediating role between interests and government. Thus, African Americans may be able to counter this backlash effect by increasing their participation in the Democratic partisan coalition. Using a variety of pooled time series techniques, we demonstrate the general robustness of the racial backlash model but find that when African Americans increase their contribution to the Democratic coalition, state policy responds better to their interests. This result demonstrates the centrality of parties for democratic responsiveness.
Non-governmental Organisations and Democracy: An Empirical Analysis

Abstract The United Nations established in 2005 the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF), whose objective is to support projects submitted by national NGOs aimed at increasing government accountability. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of NGOs activity on democracy exploiting the UNDEF database. An empirical analysis based on a propensity score matching (PSM) method is implemented on a sample of 102 developing countries. The findings indicate that the average treatment effect on the treated (ATT) is positive and significant only when countries receive UNDEF-funded NGOs projects for three rounds or more. In this case the Polity IV indicator improves by an average of 1.08 points with respect to the level of 2005.
Muscle formation in regenerating Xenopus froglet limb

A spike, a resultant regenerate made after amputation of a Xenopus froglet limb, has no muscle tissue. This muscle‐less phenotype was analyzed by molecular approaches, and the results of analysis revealed that the spike expresses no myosin heavy chain or Pax7, suggesting that neither mature muscle tissue nor satellite cells exist in the spike. The regenerating blastema in the froglet limb lacked some myogenesis‐related marker genes, myoD and myf5, but allowed implanted muscle precursor cells to survive and differentiate into myofiber. Implantation of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) ‐releasing cell aggregates rescued this muscle‐less phenotype and induced muscle regeneration in Xenopus froglet limb regenerates. These results suggest that failure of regeneration of muscle is due to a disturbance of the early steps of myogenesis under a molecular cascade mediated by HGF/c‐met. Improvement of muscle regeneration in the Xenopus adult limb that we report here for the first time will give us important insights into epimorphic tissue regeneration in amphibians and other vertebrates. Developmental Dynamics 233:337–346, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Trade and Environmental Diplomacy: Strategic Options for ASEAN

I NJUNE 1992, the Austrian parliament passed a law requiring mandatory labelling of tropical timber imports. This legislation required that imported timber commodities be certified as having been produced under sustainable forest conditions. In ajoint communique issued inJuly 1992, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) reiterated that "environment and development are mutually interrelated and mutually reinforcing. The right to development is a fundamental right of all peoples and measures for the protection of the environment should support economic growth and sustainable development. The Foreign Ministers reaffirmed that ASEAN should strengthen joint actions in countering the anti-tropical timber campaign in the major developed countries. "'" Malaysia elevated the case to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in November 1992. However, before a GATT ruling could be obtained, the tropical timber countries threatened to ban all Austrian imports. In March 1993, Austria repealed its legislation. This case illustrates the advanced perception among ASEAN countries regarding the impact of environmental issues in the development process. Their suspicion and resistance against proposed restrictions against the timber trade emanate from the central role these countries ascribe to export capability in the development effort. Among the members of ASEAN, Thailand and the Philippines have lost the capacity to export tropical hardwood and are now net importers of wood. Indonesia, on the other hand, has expressed no strong objections to the eco-labelling of tropical timber exports. ASEAN was able to arrive at a common stance on the timber trade issue based on a shared antipathy against the protectionist policies of industrial economies. In 1992, after several unsuccessful attempts to deepen their economic linkages, the ASEAN countries announced the formation of an ASEAN Free Trade Area
College Students with Tattoos and Piercings: Motives, Family Experiences, Personality Factors, and Perception by Others

The motives, family experiences, and personality characteristics of 341 college students with and without tattoos or piercings were studied. Participants completed Lippa's 1991 measures of the Big Five personality factors, a shortened version of the Body Cathexis Scale, a series of questions about their childhood experiences, and questions about risk-taking behaviors. In addition, reasons to have or not have body modifications and the perceptions of people with body modifications were investigated. Of the 116 men and 186 women, 25% and 33%, respectively, had at least one tattoo or body piercing. There were very few differences in the childhood experiences or personality characteristics of people with or without body modifications. Although people with body modifications did not differ from people without modifications on the Big Five personality measures, people without modifications perceived people with modifications as much different from themselves on these measures. These results indicate that tattoos and piercings in college students are associated with significantly more risk-taking behavior, greater use of alcohol and marijuana, and less social conformity. However, the traditional stereotype that body modifications are indicators of social or personal pathology does not describe contemporary college students.
Hand2 controls osteoblast differentiation in the branchial arch by inhibiting DNA binding of Runx2

Members of the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) family of transcription factors regulate the specification and differentiation of numerous cell types during embryonic development. Hand1 and Hand2 are expressed by a subset of neural crest cells in the anterior branchial arches and are involved in craniofacial development. However, the precise mechanisms by which Hand proteins mediate biological actions and regulate downstream target genes in branchial arches is largely unknown. Here, we report that Hand2 negatively regulates intramembranous ossification of the mandible by directly inhibiting the transcription factor Runx2, a master regulator of osteoblast differentiation. Hand proteins physically interact with Runx2, suppressing its DNA binding and transcriptional activity. This interaction is mediated by the N-terminal domain of the Hand protein and requires neither dimerization with other bHLH proteins nor DNA binding. We observed partial colocalization of Hand2 and Runx2 in the mandibular primordium of the branchial arch, and downregulation of Hand2 precedes Runx2-driven osteoblast differentiation. Hand2 hypomorphic mutant mice display insufficient mineralization and ectopic bone formation in the mandible due to accelerated osteoblast differentiation, which is associated with the upregulation and ectopic expression of Runx2 in the mandibular arch. Here, we show that Hand2 acts as a novel inhibitor of the Runx2-DNA interaction and thereby regulates osteoblast differentiation in branchial arch development.
A Brief Primer on the Mental Health Impact of the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq

The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are the most sustained combat operations since the Vietnam War, and initial signs imply that these ongoing wars are likely to produce a new generation of veterans with chronic mental health problems associated with participation in combat. Many of the challenges facing the soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq are stressors that have been identified and studied in veterans of previous wars (e.g., fear for own life, participation in killing). However, these new wars also present challenges that impact the mental health problems facing veterans of these wars.
The effect of initiating combined antiretroviral therapy on endothelial cell activation and coagulation markers in South African HIV-infected individuals

Summary An increased incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) is observed in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients. Only a limited number of studies described the effect of combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) on coagulation markers. In a prospective cohort study in cART-naive South African HIV-infected individuals the effect of initiating cART on markers of endothelial cell activation, coagulation and natural anticoagulation was studied. These markers were compared to the reference ranges for an HIV-uninfected control population recruited from hospital staff. A venous ultrasound of both legs was performed to detect asymptomatic deep venous thrombosis (DVT). A total number of 123 HIV-infected participants were included. The patients were predominantly black and severely immuno-compromised. The CD4 cell count increased and the HIV viral load decreased significantly after the initiation of cART (p<0.001). The median follow-up period was 7.2 (± 1.6) months. Laboratory testing before and after initiation of cART was completed by 86 patients. Before initiating cART significantly elevated von Willebrand factor and D-dimer levels, increased activated protein C sensitivity ratio (APCsr) and decreased total and free protein S and protein C levels were observed compared to HIV-negative controls. At follow-up all markers, except APCsr, improved towards the normal range for controls without showing complete normalisation. In a subgroup of 57 patients no asymptomatic DVT was found. Compared to the controls, abnormal levels of coagulation markers were observed in HIV-infected individuals before and after the initiation of cART. Most markers improved after starting cART, but remained significantly different from the controls, indicating a persistent disturbed haemostatic balance.
The influence of preoperative use of ventricular assist devices on survival after heart transplantation: propensity score matched analysis

Objective To determine the influence of the preoperative placement of a left ventricular assist device on survival after heart transplantation. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Organ sharing database with patient level data on heart transplants in the United States. Participants 2786 adults aged 18 or older in status 1A or 1B (highest priority for heart transplantation with either some form of ventricular assist device, intravenous inotrope, or life expectancy of less than seven days), based on the United Network for Organ Sharing Registry, 1996-2004. Main outcome measure Survival after heart transplantation in patients who did and did not receive a left ventricular assist device. Results The left ventricular assist device was not associated with decreased survival, even after the data were stratified by propensity score (the odds of being a treated patient). Inspection of the strata showed no difference in survival between patients who received the device and those who did not. The hazard ratios in strata 1 to 5 were 0.69, 1.37, 1.55, 0.75, and 1.19, respectively, and none was statistically significant. Conclusion Overall, survival after heart transplantation in patients who received a left ventricular assist device before transplantation was comparable to those who did not receive the device.
A new xanthone from Halenia elliptica D. Don

A new xanthone, 1,5-dihydroxy-2,3,4-trimethoxyxanthone (1), together with 15 known compounds (2–16), was isolated from an ethanolic extract of Halenia elliptica D. Don. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods. Among the known compounds, the 13C NMR spectroscopic data of 2,3,4,5-tetramethoxyxanthone-1-O-gentiobioside (2) were reported for the first time.
Enforcing mandatory integrity protection in operating system

It is functionality other than security that was put in the first place when most systems and applications were built. The threats brought by Internet connectivity, downloaded code and loaded modules are obvious and dangerous and requires a kind of reliable integrity protection. In this paper we present our mandatory integrity protection (RS-MIP) building in a secure Linux operating system kernel. We describe the security policy and integrity model on which RS-MIP is based, and its underlying implementation technology. Finally, we compare it to other security protection approaches.
An optical arrangement for boosting the efficiency of a system containing a GaAs solar cell

GaAs solar cells exceed 28% efficiency under no light concentration, and this is partly due to their near-optimum bandgap of 142 eV. Also, the electrical and optical properties of GaAs enable efficient generation and collection of free carries excited by photons with wavelengths below 870 nm. However, this part of the spectrum represents less than 40% of the total solar spectrum, and the remaining 60% is not utilized. The purpose of this research is to convert this part of the spectrum to enhance the efficiency of the GaAs cell. This is achieved by proposing an optical arrangement that splits the solar spectrum at the wavelength 870 nm, and direct the normally not utilized part of the spectrum towards a single-junction thermophotovoltaic cell. Several medium and low energy bandgap materials are considered, and based on their I-V parameters, the optimal configuration of the proposed optical design is decided. Around 40% improvement in efficiency has been achieved by combining the GaAs cell with an InGaAs cell in the proposed optical arrangement.