Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Improving feature extraction in the automatic classification of seismic events. Application to Colima and Arenal volcanoes

Monitoring of precursory seismicity in volcanoes is the most reliable and widely used technique in volcano monitoring. Since a visual inspection by human operators is a tedious task in a non-stop monitoring process, Hidden Markov Models have been previously proposed to automatically classify the different types of volcano-seismic events. Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefficients were successfully used as feature vector in this continuous classification system. In this paper seven novel features to be included in the MFCC feature vector are proposed. A very elementary GMM-based classifier has been implemented in order to assess the efficiency of the proposed parameters. Results using hundreds of events recorded from stations situated at Colima (Mexico) and Arenal (Costa Rica) volcanoes show that the proposed features improve the recognition accuracy and therefore they may be relevant in continuous volcano-seismic event automatic classification.
Elevated CSF prostaglandin E2 levels in patients with probable AD.

OBJECTIVE To determine CSF eicosanoid concentrations and brain cyclo-oxygenase activity in AD patients and age-matched control subjects. BACKGROUND Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may benefit AD patients by inhibiting cyclo-oxygenases and thereby reducing prostaglandin (PG) production or oxidant stress in the CNS. METHODS CSF eicosanoid and F2-isoprostane (IsoP) levels were determined in seven probable AD patients and seven age-matched control subjects. Cyclo-oxygenase activity was determined in microsomes prepared from the hippocampus of 10 definite AD patients and 8 age-matched control subjects. All measurements were made using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. RESULTS CSF concentrations of prostaglandin (PG) E2 were increased fivefold (p < 0.01) and 6-keto-PGF1alpha was decreased fourfold (p < 0.01) in probable AD patients. There was no change in total CSF eicosanoid concentration in probable AD patients. CSF F2-IsoP, a quantitative marker of lipid peroxidation in vivo, was increased in probable AD patients (p < 0.05). Cyclo-oxygenase activity in the hippocampus from definite AD patients was not different from age-matched control subjects. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that cyclo-oxygenase activity may not contribute significantly to CNS oxidative damage in AD. Increased CSF PGE2 concentration in probable AD patients suggest that cyclo-oxygenase inhibitors may benefit AD patients by limiting PG production.
Black Studies and the Problematic of Paradigm

In spite of its ideals and continuing promise, it was clear from its inception that Black Studies would encounter a series of internal and external challenges to its realization as a legitimate and effective discipline. And it was equally clear that how it responded to those challenges would determine its course, content, and ultimate future (Hare, 1972). At the heart of these challenges is the problematic of paradigm that, although it was posed and pursued at the inception of Black Studies, was never definitively resolved. This, in turn, has led to an ongoing and crisis-oriented struggle to define, develop, and defend the discipline and at the same time defend Black Studies scholars' preeminent right to internal definition and development of the discipline. For given its academic and political vulnerability as a relatively young discipline, there is a continuing thrust-politically and philosophically-to define and/or disestablish it from external sources. Hare (1975: 46), a founding father of the discipline, has recognized this vulnerability and its possible consequences. He observed that although "Black Studies remains relevant indeed . we are slowly letting the discipline slip from our political grip. " For "it is being increasingly shaped and defined for us rather than by us. "
Sport-Type Differences in Alcohol Use Among Intercollegiate Athletes

Prior research has found that (a) intercollegiate athletes are especially “at-risk” for excessive alcohol consumption (e.g., Nelson & Wechsler, 2001), and (b) sport-type differences exist among college athletes in terms of yearly drinking prevalence rates (National Collegiate Athletic Association, 2001). No studies, however, have examined sport-type differences on more specific measures of alcohol consumption (e.g., drinks per week), or examined potential mediators of the relationship between sport type and alcohol consumption. In the present study, data were analyzed on 298 intercollegiate athletes from two different universities. Resuls indicated significant sport type differences on alcohol consumption variables, with athletes from the sports of swimming and diving reporting the highest levels of alcohol consumption. Results provided partial support for the role of positively reinforcing drinking motives in mediating the sport type–alcohol consumption relationship. Findings are discussed in light of prior research in the area of college student–athlete alcohol consumption.
Blending scenarios of use and informal argumentation to facilitate universal access: Experience with the Universal Access Assessment Workshop method

The accessibility of interactive computer-based products and services has long been an issue of concern to the Assistive Technology (AT) and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) communities. In recent years, there have been several efforts aiming to document the consolidated wisdom in the form of general guidelines and examples of best practice. Despite their sound human factors content, these guidelines require substantial interpretation by designers, before they can generate practically useful and context-specific recommendations. In this paper, we examine how this task can be aided by blending scenarios of use and informal argumentation in the context of a structured technique referred to as Universal Access Assessment Workshop (UA2W). The paper provides a review of the technique and proposes two instruments, namely scenario screening and growth scenarios, which can be used to structure the conduct of UA2Ws. Finally, the paper summarises recent experiences in the use of these techniques in the context of a case study, which seeks to provide universal access insight to the design of a ward-based service to patient medical data.
Team‐based learning in a medical gross anatomy and embryology course

The application of team‐based learning (TBL) as a major component of a medical gross anatomy course was evaluated. TBL is a method of small group instruction that addresses some of the shortcomings of other small‐group teaching approaches. The core components of TBL were instituted in 12 small group sessions in the course. Each session included objective‐oriented assignments, an individual readiness assurance test, a group readiness assurance test and a group application problem. Peer evaluation was carried out on a regular basis. Scores from TBL session activities and course examinations were analyzed and compared to previous years' course performance. Student course evaluation data and faculty feedback were also collected. Student evaluation data and faculty response indicated strong support for the TBL method as it was implemented in the course. Faculty noted improvements in students' day‐to‐day preparedness and group problem solving skills. Students' mean scores on exams were not significantly different from those of previous years. There was, however, a significantly smaller variance in examination scores that was reflected in a lower course failure rate compared to previous years. Correlation analyses of TBL and examination performance suggested that individual readiness assurance test performance is a good predictor of examination performance. TBL proved to be a superior method for small group learning in our anatomy course. Student performance suggested that TBL may most benefit academically at‐risk students who are forced to study more consistently, are provided regular feedback on their preparedness and given the opportunity to develop higher reasoning skills. Clin. Anat. 18:56–63, 2005. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effects of attitude dissimilarity and time on social integration: A longitudinal panel study

A longitudinal panel study in 25 work groups of elementary school teachers examined the effect of attitudinal dissimilarity and time on social integration across a 9-month period. In line with the prediction based on both the similarity-attraction approach and social identity theory, cross-lagged regression and LISREL analyses showed that attitudinal dissimilarity decreased social integration rather than the other way around. In addition, results showed that this effect was not stronger for group members who had spent a longer period of time with the other group members. Finally, mediated regression analyses revealed that attitude dissimilarity did not mediate the effect of time on social integration.
Hamming distance based approximate similarity text search algorithm

We propose a Hamming distance based approximate similarity text search (HASTS) algorithm to improve the quality of queries in massive text data. The HASTS algorithm first constructs an index table with the substrings extracted randomly from the feature fingerprints generated by the SimHash algorithm. Then, it assigns weights to text terms to reduce the size of the candidate set. Furthermore, the final query result can be obtained by comparing the Hamming distance between the query term and the text terms in the candidate set. Finally, Extensive simulations are conducted to analysis the influence of different parameters on query performance of the HASTS algorithm and compare its performance with the existing search algorithm. The results show that the HASTS algorithm can satisfy the query requirements in massive text data with relatively low overheads.
Getting to know computer science freshmen

This paper reports an ongoing study on CS freshmen at two universities in Finland. The goal of this report is to describe what kind of students decide to study computer science; what are students' programming background, expectations and perceptions regarding their studies and future work life. We collected data from 190 students from two universities at the beginning of the first study year. The results draw a picture of students' who have mainly positive and trusting perceptions of the IT field and who have high expectations of their success at their studies. We will discuss the results, especially the students' heterogeneous programming background and some gender differences, in more detail and consider how we could and should take those into consideration in our curriculum and teaching.
Developmental issues and their resolution for gay and lesbian adolescents.

The primary developmental task for homosexually oriented adolescents is adjustment to a socially stigmatized role. Although the individual homosexual adolescent reacts with diversity and great resilience to societal pressures, most pass through a turbulent period that carries the risk of maladaptive behaviors that may affect adult performance. Despite individual variation, certain issues have been found to concern most homosexual adolescents. Empirical data from the Institute for the Protection of Lesbian and Gay Youth, Inc. in New York City suggests that isolation, family violence, educational issues, emotional stresses, shelter, and sexual abuse are the main concerns of youth entering the program. If not resolved, the social, cognitive, and social isolation may extend into adulthood, and anxiety, depressive symptoms, alienation, self-hatred, and demoralization may result. In a non-threatening supportive environment that provides accurate information and appropriate peer and adult role models, many of th.
Vocalization patterns of dairy animals to detect animal state

Animals cannot communicate the different states of their being - such as normal, hunger, or heat state - through semantics. However, they do generate voices in different states. In this paper, we start with the hypothesis that identification of the specific state of the animal is possible by analyzing their speech signals. We use a variety of spectral features for the purpose of identifying the type of a dairy animal, and then the state of a particular animal. The animal vocalization data is collected through regular microphones and the audio is then analyzed by extracting features. The details of the data collection process, feature extraction and classification results are presented in this paper. Experiments performed on 60 animals provide a strong argument for the usefulness of the vocalization pattern analysis techniques for animal identification and state detection. The paper therefore paves a new direction for non-intrusively detecting the state in dairy animals.
Seismic Triggering of Eruptions in the Far Field : Volcanoes and Geysers

Approximately 0.4% of explosive volcanic eruptions occur within a few days of large, distant earthquakes. This many “triggered” eruptions is much greater than expected by chance. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain triggering through changes in magma overpressure, including the growth of bubbles, the advection of large pressures by rising bubbles, and overturn of magma chambers. Alternatively, triggered eruptions may occur through failure of rocks surrounding stored magma. All these mechanisms require a process that enhances small static stress changes caused by earthquakes or that can convert (the larger) transient, dynamic strains into permanent changes in pressure. All proposed processes, in addition to viscoelastic relaxation of stresses, can result in delayed triggering of eruptions, although quantifying the connection between earthquakes and delayed, triggered eruptions is much more challenging. Mud volcanoes and geysers also respond to distant earthquakes. Mud volcanoes that discharge mud from depths greater than many hundreds of meters may be triggered by liquefaction caused by shaking, and may thus be similar to small mud volcanoes that originate within a few meters of the surface. Changes in permeability of the matrix surrounding main geyser conduits, by opening or creating new fractures, may explain the observed changes in their eruption frequency. 263 A nn u. R ev . E ar th P la ne t. Sc i. 20 06 . 3 4: 26 329 1. D ow nl oa de d fr om w w w . a nn ua lr ev ie w s. or g A cc es s pr ov id ed b y U ni ve rs ity o f C al if or ni a Sa nt a C ru z on 0 7/ 14 /1 6. F or p er so na l u se o nl y. ANRV273-EA34-09 ARI 26 April 2006 20:33
Bright light transmits through the brain: Measurement of photon emissions and frequency-dependent modulation of spectral electroencephalographic power

Photons are emitted during brain activity and when applied externally alter its functional connectivity during the resting state. In the present study we applied constant or time varying light (~10,000 lux) stimuli to one side of the skull and measured by photomultiplier tubes the photon density emitted from the opposite side of the skull along its two horizontal planes. Global quantitative electroencephalographic activity (QEEG) was recorded simultaneously. Reliable increases of ~2.5 × 10-11 W· m-2 during either constant or specific flash frequencies between 3 and 7 Hz as well as enhanced QEEG power in the theta and low beta range were measured. According to source localization by Low Resolution Electromagnetic Tomography (LORETA) the right parahippocampal region was particularly enhanced. Calculations employing known quantitative values for permeability and permittivity of brain tissue were consistent with this frequency band. Estimated concentrations of protons from hydronium ions indicated a Grotthuss chain-like process for moving photon energy through the cerebral medium may have mediated the distance-dependent latency. The results suggest that external light is transmitted through cerebral tissue, can be measured externally, and significantly affects functional connectivity. The findings support the conclusions of Starck et al. (World Journal Neuroscience, 2012).
Multimarker circulating DNA assay for assessing blood of prostate cancer patients.

BACKGROUND Prostate cancer (PCa) detection using serum-based prostate specific antigen (PSA) is limited by frequent false-positive and -negative results. Genetic aberrations such as allelic imbalance (AI) and epigenetic changes such as promoter hypermethylation have been detected in circulating DNA of cancer patients. We hypothesized that circulating multimarker DNA assays detecting both genetic and epigenetic markers in serum would be useful in assessing PCa patients. METHODS We assayed blood from healthy male donors (n = 40) and 83 patients with American Joint Cancer Committee (AJCC) stage I-IV PCa. DNA was assayed for AI of 6 genome microsatellites. We assessed methylation of RASSF1, RARB2, and GSTP1 using a methylation-specific PCR assay and analyzed the sensitivity of each assay for the detection of genetic or epigenetic changes in circulating DNA. The relation between circulating tumor-related DNA detection and prognostic factors was investigated. RESULTS The proportion of patients demonstrating AI for > or =1 marker was 47% (38 of 81 patients). Methylation biomarkers were detected in 24 of 83 patients (28%). By combining 2 DNA assays, the number of PCa patients positive for > or =1 methylated or LOH marker increased (52 of 83; 63%). The combined assays detected PCa in 15 of 24 patients (63%) with normal PSA concentrations. The combination of the DNA assays detected the presence of PCa regardless of AJCC stage or PSA concentration. Combination of the DNA and PSA assays gave 89% sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS This pilot study demonstrates that the combined circulating DNA multimarker assay identifies patients with PCa and may yield information independent of AJCC stage or PSA concentration.
Endosperm cellularization defines an important developmental transition for embryo development

The endosperm is a terminal seed tissue that is destined to support embryo development. In most angiosperms, the endosperm develops initially as a syncytium to facilitate rapid seed growth. The transition from the syncytial to the cellularized state occurs at a defined time point during seed development. Manipulating the timing of endosperm cellularization through interploidy crosses negatively impacts on embryo growth, suggesting that endosperm cellularization is a critical step during seed development. In this study, we show that failure of endosperm cellularization in fertilization independent seed 2 (fis2) and endosperm defective 1 (ede1) Arabidopsis mutants correlates with impaired embryo development. Restoration of endosperm cellularization in fis2 seeds by reducing expression of the MADS-box gene AGAMOUS-LIKE 62 (AGL62) promotes embryo development, strongly supporting an essential role of endosperm cellularization for viable seed formation. Endosperm cellularization failure in fis2 seeds correlates with increased hexose levels, suggesting that arrest of embryo development is a consequence of failed nutrient translocation to the developing embryo. Finally, we demonstrate that AGL62 is a direct target gene of FIS Polycomb group repressive complex 2 (PRC2), establishing the molecular basis for FIS PRC2-mediated endosperm cellularization.
Teaching in a play-based curriculum: Theory, practice and evidence of developmental education for young children

This article focuses on the possibilities of teaching in a play-based curriculum, which has become an issue of international relevance. As a domain of study, the Developmental Education approach was taken in the early grades of Dutch primary schools (grades 1–4, ages 4–8). The article describes the theoretical basis of the approach and how it is elaborated in a play-based curriculum for early years classrooms. Particularly the teachers’ strategies for the promotion of development will be discussed in more detail. Finally, the article presents a piece of the evidence base of this approach by reporting a research on vocabulary acquisition. Despite methodological limitations of the empirical study, the evidence suggests that teaching in a play-based curriculum is not only theoretically plausible and practically feasible, but also seems to be effectively useful for the attainment of positive outcomes (on vocabulary learning) as compared to a strictly teacher-driven approach.
Designing System Dualities: Characterizing a Web-Supported Professional Development Community

In this article we focus on the challenges we have encountered in attempting to support the development of an online community of practice for grade 5-12 mathematics and science teachers. Specifically, this project involves the design and evaluation of an electronic knowledge network, the Inquiry Learning Forum (ILF), a web-based professional development system designed to support a community of practice (CoP) of in-service and preservice mathematics and science teachers who are creating, reflecting upon, sharing, and improving inquiry-based pedagogical practices. This research examines the interplay among a variety of variables that characterize the dynamics of building a social network through which participating teachers will seek to share and improve their pedagogical practices. Our research suggests that designing for virtual communities involves balancing and leveraging complex dualities from the "inside" rather than applying some set of design principles from the "outside. " This research provides an illuminative case study from which others can more readily identify patterns occurring in their own interventions and navigate the challenges they face more intelligently.
Conjugation of the Ubiquitin Activating Enzyme UBE1 with the Ubiquitin-Like Modifier FAT10 Targets It for Proteasomal Degradation

The ubiquitin-like modifier HLA-F adjacent transcript 10 (FAT10) directly targets its substrates for proteasomal degradation by becoming covalently attached via its C-terminal diglycine motif to internal lysine residues of its substrate proteins. The conjugation machinery consists of the bispecific E1 activating enzyme Ubiquitin-like modifier activating enzyme 6 (UBA6), the likewise bispecific E2 conjugating enzyme UBA6-specific E2 enzyme 1 (USE1), and possibly E3 ligases. By mass spectrometry analysis the ubiquitin E1 activating enzyme ubiquitin-activating enzyme 1 (UBE1) was identified as putative substrate of FAT10. Here, we confirm that UBE1 and FAT10 form a stable non-reducible conjugate under overexpression as well as under endogenous conditions after induction of endogenous FAT10 expression with proinflammatory cytokines. FAT10ylation of UBE1 depends on the diglycine motif of FAT10. By specifically downregulating FAT10, UBA6 or USE1 with siRNAs, we show that UBE1 modification depends on the FAT10 conjugation pathway. Furthermore, we confirm that UBE1 does not act as a second E1 activating enzyme for FAT10 but that FAT10ylation of UBE1 leads to its proteasomal degradation, implying a putative regulatory role of FAT10 in the ubiquitin conjugation pathway.
MonthlySpawning Stock and Egg Production of Peruvian Anchoveta ( Engra ~ / is ringens ) , 1953 to 1982 *

Available data on the reproductive biology of the Peruvian anchoveta (ElIgrauJis ringens, nonhem/caltral stock, 4-1405) are reviewed and lUed to estimate monthly spawning size and egg production iran January 1953 to December 1982. Basic information used are: (a) monthly biomass by length class (4 to 20 em), (b) a model relating the shape and position of the matUration ogive to sea surface tcnperatUre, (c) seasonal patterns of matUrity, (d) batch fecundity estimates of fcnales anchoveta and (e) various ancillary information woven into a coherent whole. Potential uses of the time series derived are discussed along with sources of errors and ways of reducing these.