Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Contraction behaviors of Vorticella sp. stalk investigated using high-speed video camera. II: Viscosity effect of several types of polymer additives

The contraction process of living Vorticella sp. in polymer solutions with various viscosities has been investigated by image processing using a high-speed video camera. The viscosity of the external fluid ranges from 1 to 5mPa·s for different polymer additives such as hydroxypropyl cellulose, polyethylene oxide, and Ficoll. The temporal change in the contraction length of Vorticella sp. in various macromolecular solutions is fitted well by a stretched exponential function based on the nucleation and growth model. The maximum speed of the contractile process monotonically decreases with an increase in the external viscosity, in accordance with power law behavior. The index values approximate to 0.5 and this suggests that the viscous energy dissipated by the contraction of Vorticella sp. is constant in a macromolecular environment.
PLASTICITY IN ADULT DEVELOPMENT: EXPERIENCE WITH YOUNG MALES ENHANCES MATING COMPETENCE IN ADULT MALE COWBIRDS, MOLOTHRUS ATER

The social environment can play an important role in organizing organisms' behavioural development. We studied the effect on adult male cowbirds' communication and mating-related behaviour of being housed in social groups with juvenile males. In two large outdoor aviaries, we housed adult males, juvenile females and adult females either with or without juvenile males. Conditions remained intact from September 1999 through the first half of the breeding season in May 2000. We observed them throughout this time, documenting singing interactions, patterns of affiliation, and song production. We then brought the two groups of adult males together by rotating individuals from the groups into a mating competency tournament, allowing the males to compete with each other for mating opportunities with a new group of females. Throughout the study prior to the mating competency test, there were few differences among adult males in the two conditions as measured by amount and use of song, the quality of their songs, or number of copulations they received. In the mating competency tournament however, significant differences among males in the two conditions emerged. Compared with adult males that had been housed without juvenile males, adult males that had formerly been housed with juvenile males were more successful in the mating competition as measured by: success in getting copulations, number of copulations received, and latency to get copulations. They also engaged in more male-male singing interactions. These results provide evidence to suggest that development of mating competency is malleable throughout life in response to the social environment that individuals experience.
Examining the relationship between behavioral repetition priming and fMRI repetition suppression

Priming refers to a change in the ability to identify, produce, or classify a stimulus as a result of a previous encounter with the same or a related stimulus. Recent neuroimaging studies often found behavioral priming to co-occur with a reduction in neural activations in various cortical regions, which is called repetition suppression. It is thought that repetition suppression is closely related to behavioral priming, and may even be the underlying neural mechanism that supports priming. However, current literature still has several unsolved questions about the relationship between repetition suppression and priming. The present dissertation set out to further elucidate their relationship. In Study 1, a mirror-word identification task was used to limit overlap between study and test to a primarily perceptual level with little or no conceptual overlap nor top-down modulation. Repetition suppression was found in visual perceptual and frontal phonological regions involved at both study and test, supporting a “component process” view that repetition suppression and priming can occur at a perceptual level with limited conceptual or top-down processes involved. In Study 2, three perceptual priming tasks and one conceptual priming task were used to directly examine component process view’s prediction that perceptual priming would be correlated with posterior repetition suppression and conceptual priming would be correlated with frontal repetition suppression. The results showed that both perceptual and conceptual priming involved repetition suppression in both frontal and posterior perceptual regions, at least when measured with our paradigm and tasks, and both frontal and posterior repetition suppression effects were correlated with behavioral priming in all four perceptual and
Improving Chronological Sentence Ordering by Precedence Relation

It is necessary to find a proper arrangement of sentences in order to generate a well-organized summary from multiple documents. In this paper we describe an approach to coherent sentence ordering for summarizing newspaper articles. Since there is no guarantee that chronological ordering of extracted sentences, which is widely used by conventional summarization system, arranges each sentence behind presupposed information of the sentence, we improve chronological ordering by resolving antecedent sentences of arranged sentences. Combining the refinement algorithm with topical segmentation and chronological ordering, we address our experiment to test the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results reveal that the proposed method improves chronological sentence ordering.
Query recommendations for OLAP discovery driven analysis

Recommending database queries is an emerging and promising field of investigation. This is of particular interest in the domain of OLAP systems where the user is left with the tedious process of navigating large datacubes. In this paper we present a framework for a recommender system for OLAP users, that leverages former users' investigations to enhance discovery driven analysis. The main idea is to recommend to the user the discoveries detected in those former sessions that investigated the same unexpected data as the current session.
Parallelizing SPECjbb 2000 with Transactional Memory

As chip-multiprocessors become ubiquitous, it is critical to provide architectural support for practical parallel programming. Transactional Memory (TM) [4] has the potential to simplify concurrency management by supporting parallel tasks (transactions) that appear to execute atomically and in isolation. By virtue of optimistic concurrency, transactional memory promises good parallel performance with easy-to-write, coarse-grain transactions. Furthermore, transactions can address other challenges of lock-based parallel code such as deadlock avoidance and robustness to failures. In this paper, we use transactional memory to parallelize SPECjbb2000 [9], a popular benchmark for Java middleware. SPECjbb2000 combines in a single Java program many common features of 3-tier enterprise systems, hence it is significantly more complicated than the data structure microbenchmarks frequently used for TM research [3, 5, 8]. Since SPECjbb2000 models the operation of a wholesale company with multiple warehouses, the original code is already parallel, with a separate Java thread managing each warehouse. Different warehouses accesses mostly disjoint data structures, hence dependencies are rare. We focus onparallelism within a single warehouse , which is a more challenging case 1. Conceptually, there are significant amounts of parallelism within a single warehouse as different customers order or pay for different objects. Nevertheless, all operations within a warehouse access the same data structures (B-trees), hence dependencies are possible and difficult to predict. Overall, single-warehouse SPECjbb2000 is an excellent candidate to explore the ease-of-use and performance potential of transactional memory with irregular code. We study multiple ways of defining transactions within the SPECjbb2000 code and explore their performance potential using an execution-driven simulator for a CMP system with TM support. We demonstrate that even the simplest, coarse-grain transactions (one transaction for a whole operation) lead to significant speedups. Nevertheless, performance is still limited by frequent dependency violations on shared data structures. To mitigate the violation overhead, we use nested transactions, both closed and open, to achieve up to a 75% speedup increase. Closed nesting reduces the penalty of violations and open nesting reduces the frequency of violations. While nested transactions, particularly open, require some additional effort by the programmer, they are still significantly easier to use than fine-grain locks. Overall, we conclude that for SPECjbb2000, transactional memory lives up to its promise of good performance with simple parallel code.
A requirements specification case study with ProjectIT-studio/requirements

The early stages of the software development process are crucial to overcome the generalized unsuccess among IT projects. Therefore, we embraced the goal of creating a CASE tool for requirements specification. Our approach is based on a controlled natural language, seeking to achieve a higher level of rigor and quality of requirements specifications. Moreover, this tool belongs to a broader workbench, which covers the software development life-cycle, providing guidance according to SE best practices. This paper presents an illustrative specification case study, emphasizing the tool's support and its advantages.
T OWARDS U NIVERSAL R ATING OF O NLINE M ULTIMEDIA C ONTENT

Most website classification systems have dealt with the question of classifying websites based on their content, design, usability, layout and such, few have considered website classification based on users’ experience. The growth of online marketing and advertisement has lead to fierce competition that has resulted in some websites using disguise ways so as to attract users. This may result in cases where a user visits a website and does not get the promised results. The results are a waste of time, energy and sometimes even money for users. In this context, we design an experiment that uses fuzzy linguistic model and data mining techniques to capture users’ experiences, we then use the k-means clustering algorithm to cluster websites based on a set of feature vectors from the users’ perspective. The content unity is defined as the distance between the real content and its keywords. We demonstrate the use of bisecting k-means algorithm for this task and demonstrate that the method can incrementally learn from user’s profile on their experience with these websites.
PSR J1756–2251: A New Relativistic Double Neutron Star System

We report the discovery during the Parkes Multibeam Pulsar Survey of PSR J1756-2251, a 28.5 ms pulsar in a relativistic binary system. Subsequent timing observations showed the pulsar to have an orbital period of 7.67 hr and an eccentricity of 0.18. They also revealed a significant advance of periastron, 2. °585 ± 0. °002 yr-1. Assuming this is entirely due to general relativity implies a total system mass (pulsar plus companion) of 2.574 ± 0.003 M☉. This mass and the significant orbital eccentricity suggest that this is a double neutron star system. Measurement of the gravitational redshift, γ, and an evaluation of the Shapiro delay shape, s, indicate a low companion mass of less than 1.25 M☉. The expected coalescence time due to emission of gravitational waves is only ~1.7 Gyr, substantially less than a Hubble time. We note an apparent correlation between spin period and eccentricity for normally evolving double neutron star systems.
The Cathepsin B-Selective Inhibitors CA-074 and CA-074Me Inactivate Cathepsin L Under Reducing Conditions

The inhibitor CA-074 and its membrane-permeable derivative CA-074Me have been widely employed to study the biological function of cathepsin B. These compounds have been described as selective inactivators of cathepsin B with barely detectable action on other cathepsins. However, in this study it is demonstrated that CA-074 and CA-074Me also inactivate cathepsin L in the presence of the thiol reagents dithiothreitol and glutathione. In addition, it is also found that CA-074Me inactivates cathepsin B in the presence of dithiothreitol, an inhibition reaction previously not described. Furthermore, it is shown that CA-074 and CA-074Me are able to inhibit cathepsin L within living HL-60 cells and blood- stream forms of Trypanosoma brucei brucei. For HL-60 cells it is also shown that the inhibition of cathepsin L by the inhibitors is due to the reducing intracellular environment. These results suggest that CA-074 and CA-074Me are not suitable to discriminate between cathepsin B and L in vivo. Accordingly, previous demonstrations of the involvement of cathepsin B in physiological and pathological processes probably need re-evaluation.
Neural Measures of Individual Differences in Selecting and Tracking Multiple Moving Objects

Attention can be divided so that multiple objects can be tracked simultaneously as they move among distractors. Although attentional tracking is known to be highly limited, such that most individuals can track only approximately four objects simultaneously, the neurophysiological mechanisms that underlie this capacity limitation have not been established. Here, we provide electrophysiological measures in humans of the initial selection and sustained attention processes that facilitate attentional tracking. Each measure was modulated by the number of objects the subject was tracking and was highly sensitive to each individual's specific tracking capacity. Consequently, these measures provide strong neurophysiological predictors of an individual's attentional tracking capacity. Moreover, by manipulating the difficulty of these two phases of the task, we observe that the limiting factor underlying tracking capacity can flexibly shift between these two attentional mechanisms depending on the requirements of the task.
The role of emotional intelligence in the workplace: a literature review

Emotional intelligence has become a familiar issue between educators, counselors and business leaders due to a considerable role in the workplace. Namely, accurate self-assessment together with conflict management are just some significant influences of emotional intelligence within organisations that would result in increasing organisational effectiveness. Hence the purpose of this manuscript is to provide a comprehensive literature review on the emergence of emotional intelligence in the workplace as well as discussing main theories of emotional intelligence, based on the relevant literature and previous empirical studies.
Context and linking in retrieval from personal digital archives

Advances in digital capture and storage technologies mean that it is now possible to capture and store one's entire life experiences in personal digital archives. These vast personal archives (or Human Digital Memories (HDMs)) pose new challenges and opportunities for the research community, not the least of which is developing effective means of retrieval from HDMs. Personal archive retrieval research is still in its infancy and there is much scope for novel research. My PhD proposes to develop effective HDM retrieval algorithms by combining rich sources of context associated with items, such as location and people present data, with information obtained by linking HDM items in novel ways.
Early T lymphocytes. Differentiation in vivo of adult intrathymic precursor cells

A minor subpopulation of adult murine thymocytes (less than 5%) that is Lyt-2-, L3T4-, and expresses low levels of Ly-1 (designated dLy-1 [dull] thymocytes) has been identified, isolated, and characterized. This study assesses the differentiation potential of dLy-1 thymocytes in the thymus in vivo. Using multiparameter flow cytometry, radiation chimeras of C57BL/6 mice congenic at the Ly-1 or Ly-5 locus, and allelic markers to discriminate host and donor, we showed that transferred dLy-1 cells were able to generate thymocytes expressing both cortical and medullary phenotypes in a sequential manner. The proportion of donor-derived thymocytes obtained was directly related to the number of dLy-1 thymocytes transferred. Transfer of purified Lyt-2+ or Lyt-2+ + L3T4+ thymocytes, which constitute greater than 94% of total thymocytes, failed to generate any donor-derived thymocytes in irradiated recipients. Transfer of bone marrow (BM) cells produced the same sequential pattern of differentiation as that produced by dLy-1 cells, but was delayed by 4-5 d. Transferred dLy-1 thymocytes exhibited a limited capacity for self-renewal, and resulted in a single wave of differentiation in irradiated hosts. Thus, thymic repopulation by donor- derived cells after transfer of dLy-1 thymocytes was transient, while repopulation by BM was permanent. These findings suggest that the isolated dLy-1 thymocytes described herein are precursor thymocytes that represent a very early stage in intrathymic development.
Feedback and the educational alliance: examining credibility judgements and their consequences

Several recent studies have documented the fact that, in considering feedback, learners are actively making credibility judgements about the feedback and its source. Yet few have intentionally explored such judgements to gain a deeper understanding of how the process works or how these judgements might interact to influence engagement with and interpretation of feedback. Using the educational alliance framework, we sought to elaborate an understanding of learners’ credibility judgements and their consequences.
Molecular basis of HNPCC: Mutations of MMR genes

Hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) is inherited as a dominant disorder caused by germline defects in one of at least four mismatch repair (MMR) genes. Two of these genes, hMSH2 and hMLH1, account for the vast majority of the germline mutations in HNPCC kindreds, whereas hPMS1 and hPMS2 are mutated in only few families. MMR genes also are susceptible to somatic mutations in sporadic tumors. The mutational spectrum of the MMR genes shows no predominant type of mutation. Furthermore, the mutations are spread throughout the length of the genes, with no significant hot spots. Identification of MMR genes as the cause of HNPCC made presymptomatic diagnosis a reality. However, the presence of multiple genes and the heterogeneity of mutations present challenges to the development of diagnostic tests for this disease. Hum Mutat 10:89–99, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Impact of spontaneous smoking cessation on sperm quality: case report

We evaluated sperm quality after a 3‐month smoking cessation programme by sperm analysis, objective sperm motility analysis, protein tyrosine phosphorylation in capacitating conditions and DNA fragmentation (TUNEL). Sperm analysis after smoking cessation revealed a distinctive improvement in sperm concentration, fast spermatozoa (≥35 μm/s), sperm vitality, percentage of spermatozoa recuperated after an enrichment technique and protein tyrosine phosphorylation. However, no changes were observed in the number of germinal cells in the ejaculate, sperm morphology and sperm DNA fragmentation. It is concluded that physicians should strongly advise their patients to quit smoking before undergoing medical treatment or assisted reproduction techniques to achieve pregnancy.
Radiofrequency exposure in young and old: different sensitivities in light of age-relevant natural differences

Abstract Our environment is now permeated by anthropogenic radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation, and individuals of all ages are exposed for most of each 24 h period from transmitting devices. Despite claims that children are more likely to be vulnerable than healthy adults to unwanted effects of this exposure, there has been no recent examination of this, nor of comparative risk to the elderly or ill. We sought to clarify whether research supports the claim of increased risk in specific age-groups. First, we identified the literature which has explored age-specific pathophysiological impacts of RF-EMR. Natural life-span changes relevant to these different impacts provides context for our review of the selected literature, followed by discussion of health and well-being implications. We conclude that age-dependent RF-EMR study results, when considered in the context of developmental stage, indicate increased specific vulnerabilities in the young (fetus to adolescent), the elderly, and those with cancer. There appears to be at least one mechanism other than the known thermal mechanism causing different responses to RF-EMR depending upon the exposure parameters, the cell/physiological process involved, and according to age and health status. As well as personal health and quality-of-life impacts, an ageing population means there are economic implications for public health and policy.
News event evolution model based on the reading willingness and modified TF-IDF formula

In order to better demonstrate the evolution relationships between the events from newswires and to improve the readability of the event evolution graphs, we propose an improved news event evolution model from a view of users’ reading willingness. The model discusses two factors that affect the willingness of users’ reading, including the comprehensiveness of news information and reading cost. We define the cost function of user’s reading to determine the granularity of news events. After classifying the news stories by K-means clustering algorithm, this model takes the general structure of the news reports into consideration to calculate the TF-IDF weights and does some correction as well as model fusion. Finally, the parameters of the model are estimated by genetic algorithm based on Levy flight. By generating a more readable event evolution graph, our model is more capable of discovering the evolution relationships between the News events. We carried out experiments to evaluate the performance of our proposed model. The result shows that the proposed model outperformed the baseline and other comparable models in previous work by about 13% in the corpus we collected from the CNN & ABC News websites.
Exploring how the central executive works: A search for independent components

Although the central executive component of working memory has become a focus of theoretical and empirical interest, its functioning is still poorly specified. The present study explored the factorial structure of a comprehensive sample of executive and working memory tasks assumed to assess the main functions generally attributed to the central executive: coordination, inhibition, long-term memory retrieval, and planning. The aim of the analysis was to identify the various executive abilities underlying these functions. A principal components analysis revealed that several independent capacities contributed to the performance of 65 young adults on the selected tasks: inhibiting prepotent responses in association with long-term memory strategic retrieval, inhibiting distracting information, coordinating storage and processing of verbal information, coordinating storage and processing of visuospatial information and finally, coordinating different processing operations that do not involve storage. This pattern of results suggested the independence of certain control processes and supported the executive fractionation hypothesis. The results also suggested that a theoretical fractionation of the central executive functioning in terms of general functions does not correspond to an empirical reality and that more fine-grained dissociations should be considered.