Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Connectionism—the miracle mind model

Abstract: Connectionism as a model of the mind has recently been challenging the Classical model, in which the mind is regarded as symbol manipulating system. The main arguments against Connectionism concern its inability to form mental representations for complex expressions, which can be used for structure sensitive operations. Some argue for hybrid models which combine some of the most attractive features of the Classical and Connectionist models. This paper starts off by examining the definitions of the different approaches and also their strengths and weaknesses. One section is devoted to the debate between the advocators of the different paradigms, including the arguments about the lack of compositionality and systematicity in Connectionist cognitive models. We then argue for the Connectionist approach as the most attractive model of the mind. This includes performing the "miracle" of defining structure sensitive operations on non-symbolic representations of concepts. Annotation: Published in Connectionism in a Broad Perspective, (Eds) Niklasson & Boden, Ellis Horwood, 1994
Enabling Tunneling in CCN

Content-centric networking (CCN) is a new networking architecture that adopts a receiver-driven transport design with pervasive in-network cache support, which precisely meets the present Internet usage pattern. However, present CCN design lacks support for tunneling, which is proved to be an important feature that simplifies the addition of new network functionality to the network and eases the network architecture evolution. In this letter, we propose a mechanism to add tunneling capability to the CCN with full compatibility with CCN's naming convention and forwarding logic. We show that the proposed tunneling mechanism not only works, but also largely inherits the performance benefits introduced by the CCN architecture.
Induction of Protective Antitumor Immunity through Attenuation of ERAAP Function

The endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase associated with Ag processing, ERAAP, plays an important role in the trimming of antigenic peptides for presentation at the cell surface complexed with MHC class I molecules. Tumors express varying levels of ERAAP, highlighting a possible mechanism of immune-evasion through alteration of the peptide repertoire. Using the CT26 tumor model, we investigated the effects of ERAAP modulation on peptide presentation and the use of ERAAP inhibition as an antitumor therapy. We show that generation of the cross-protective tumor Ag GSW11 in the colorectal carcinoma CT26 is increased when ERAAP expression is reduced. BALB/c mice with reduced ERAAP expression challenged with CT26 induced protective immunity that was mediated by CD8+ T cells. This antitumor immunity also protected mice when rechallenged with wild-type CT26 tumor; strong CD8+ T cell responses to GSW11 were observed, despite its presentation being considerably lower. Furthermore, boosting the tumor immunogenicity through inhibition of ERAAP function with the small molecule inhibitor leucinethiol in vitro, or in established tumors in vivo, abrogated tumor growth and prolonged survival. Thus, our results highlight the promising possibility of using modulation of ERAAP to generate protective antitumor responses as a strategy for cancer immunotherapy.
Prevalence and trends of selected congenital malformations in New York State, 1983 to 2007.

BACKGROUND Major birth defects result in high infant mortality and morbidity. It is important to evaluate the burden of birth defects and trends for future intervention and public health improvement. Using the New York State (NYS) Congenital Malformations Registry data, we examined the prevalence and trends of birth defects among children in NYS during 25 years of surveillance. METHODS Children who had any of the 21 selected birth defects and were born to NYS residents between 1983 and 2007 were selected. The prevalence of each defect was characterized by demographic and birth factors, and the prevalence ratio was calculated. Live births of NYS residents for the same birth year period were used as the denominators for calculating the prevalence. The prevalence trends of birth defects were analyzed by maternal age and race/ethnicity. RESULTS Compared with non-Hispanic whites, we detected 33%, 21%, and 37% higher prevalence of encephalocele, lower limb deficiencies and omphalocele among non-Hispanic blacks, respectively, and 22% higher prevalence of gastroschisis among Hispanics. Increasing trends of gastroschisis and Down syndrome among non-Hispanic blacks and decreasing trends of spina bifida and limb deficiencies were observed in NYS. CONCLUSION The findings from this study suggest the existence of racial disparities among children with selected birth defects in NYS. The increasing trends of gastroschisis and Down syndrome observed in NYS are consistent with nationwide trends.
Isolation and characterization of Acetobacter aceti from rotten papaya

The present study was concerned with the isolation and characterization of Acetobacter aceti from rotten papaya for vinegar production. The samples were inoculated in sterilized GYC standard media and then incubated at 30°C for 48 hours. Successive subculture was performed to screen out the strains. In Grams staining, the morphology of the isolated bacteria exhibited pink, small rod shaped single, pair and chain in arrangement, in the hanging drops technique, all the isolates revealed motile. Biochemical tests were performed by fermentation of five basic sugars by producing both acid and gas bubbles in Durham tube. All of the isolates were Indole, Voges-Proskauer (VP) and Oxidase negative, Methyl Red (MR) and Catalase positive. The growth rate of isolated strain was optimized by weighing dry cell and turbidity at 600 nm at different concentrations of dextrose (1%, 5% and 10%). Ten (10) percent dextrose solution showed rapid growth and higher cell mass than 5% and 1% solution respectively. Acidity of the media gradually increased from 0.102% to 2.18% from day 0 to day 7 and pH of the media decreased from 6.8 to 5.5 during the period. This protocol was successful for enriching Acetobacter aceti, which was essential for vinegar production. J. Bangladesh Agril. Univ. 13(2): 299-306, December 2015
Early childhood pacifier use in relation to breastfeeding, SIDS, infection and dental malocclusion.

This information on best practice is based on a systematic review (Callaghan et al 2005) conducted by the Institute Nurses' Network (Telethon Institute of Child Health Research), Western Australian community and child health nurses and the Western Australian Centre for Evidence Based Nursing and Midwifery, a collaborating centre of the Joanna Briggs Institute. The primary references on which this information is based are available online via Blackwell Synergy: www.blackwell-synergy.com and to members of the institute via the web site: www.joannabriggs. edu.au
Trends and Challenges for Social Enterprises in Romania

Abstract: Over the last years, the interest for the potential of social economy organisations to support and produce economic and social development has increased substantially. Against the background of this increased interest in the area, the interest for the research of this economic sector having specific characteristics and grouping various organisations under the same identity has also increased. Starting from recent research, the main purpose of this article is to describe the landscape of social economy actors and the key elements in the evolution of the social enterprises in Romania. In the first part, we present structured information about the status quo of social economy entities such as they appear by analyzing the data collected at national level by the National Institute of Statistics and by analyzing the juridical and institutional framework of each type of organization. The analysis mainly focuses on three types of organisations – cooperatives, NGOs with an economic activity and mutual organisations. In the second part, the authors identify and analyze several key policy fields enabling the development of social economy actors. The last part of the review is dedicated to a discussion concerning the development of a specific policy framework to support the social enterprises in Romania.
Complete characterization of a plasma mirror for the production of high-contrast ultraintense laser pulses.

Improving the temporal contrast of ultrashort and ultraintense laser pulses is a major technical issue for high-field experiments. This can be achieved using a so-called "plasma mirror. " We present a detailed experimental and theoretical study of the plasma mirror that allows us to quantitatively assess the performances of this system. Our experimental results include time-resolved measurements of the plasma mirror reflectivity, and of the phase distortions it induces on the reflected beam. Using an antireflection coated plate as a target, an improvement of the contrast ratio by more than two orders of magnitude can be achieved with a single plasma mirror. We demonstrate that this system is very robust against changes in the pulse fluence and imperfections of the beam spatial profile, which is essential for applications.
Differential expression of the four untranslated BDNF exons in the adult mouse brain

Brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a member of the neurotrophin family of secreted proteins and has important functions in the peripheral and central nervous systems (CNS). Its gene organization is complex, comprising four untranslated exons, each with an associated promoter. We have examined the expression of the four untranslated exons in direct comparison to one another and to the fifth BDNF coding exon by in situ hybridization. Other studies have examined untranslated exon expression in several brain regions in response to specific stimuli; however, this is the first detailed study to describe endogenous exon 1–4 expression throughout the adult mouse brain at baseline conditions. The differential expression of the four untranslated exons seen throughout the brain indicates a complex regulation of BDNF. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Implementation of convolution operation on general purpose processors

Convolution (FIR filtering) is a computationally demanding operation, especially when performed as a two-dimension (2D) operation in a real time image processing system. Consequently, a great amount of research has been done to perform this operation more and more efficiently. This paper reviews different architectures of general-purpose processors giving the example of Pentium family. In recent years a rapid development of microprocessors have been observed, however, it can be seen that architecture of microprocessors is already complex and a further rapid increase of the calculation speed rather limited. Dedicated processors implement convolution operation very efficiently, nevertheless, the design is not flexible which makes design development, test and upgrade difficult.
Neutrophil recruitment in endotoxin-induced murine mastitis is strictly dependent on mammary alveolar macrophages

JUANCARLOS LINARES, J. JULIO CAMARERO and JOSÉ ANTONIO CARREIRA 1 Departamento de Sistemas Fı́sicos, Quı́micos y Naturales, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Ctra. Utrera km. 1, 41002 Sevilla, Spain 2 Corresponding author (jclincal@upo.es) 3 ARAID, Instituto Pirenaico de Ecologı́a (CSIC), Apdo. 202, 50192 Zaragoza, Spain 4 Departamento de Biologı́a Animal, Biologı́a Vegetal y Ecologı́a, Universidad de Jaén, Ed. B3, Paraje las Lagunillas s/n, 23071, Jaén, Spain
Molecular Changes on Cancer Cells as Affected by Willow Extracts

The aim of the work was to study the mode of action of willow (salix safsaf) extracts on two types of tumors, Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells (EACC) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The fresh water extract of willow (5.4 mg/ml of cell media) gave 86% dead cells in EACC and 63% in AML. The cell membrane damage of tumor cells was evaluated by LDH increased activity. GST activity was also increased as antitumor marker and/or affected the redox system. Apoptosis was induced by the natural tested materials and showed an increase in DNA fragmentation and expression of P protein in tumor cells by willow extract treatment. The 53 extract increased the percentage of diploid cells and S-phase as well as metaphase of tumor cells. Suggested mechanisms have been given for the action of willow extract as anticancer.
Association between water consumption and body weight outcomes: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND Drinking water is often applied as a dietary means for weight loss and overweight/obesity prevention, but no evidence-based recommendation exists for this indication. OBJECTIVE We summarized the existing evidence on the association between water consumption and body weight outcomes in adults of any body weight status. DESIGN In a systematic review, we retrieved studies from 4 electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and COCHRANE), cross-references by PubMed functions and hand-searching, and experts' recommendations. Any type of study including adults aged >18 y that reported the association between daily water consumption and any weight-related outcome, such as body weight, body mass index, or body weight classifications, was eligible. RESULTS Of 4963 retrieved records, 11 original studies and 2 systematic reviews were included. In participants dieting for weight loss or maintenance, a randomized controlled trial, a nonrandomized controlled trial, and an observational longitudinal study showed that increased water consumption, in addition to a program for weight loss or maintenance, reduced body weight after 3-12 mo compared with such a program alone. In mixed-weight populations not primarily dieting for weight loss or maintenance, 2 short-term randomized trials showed no effect of water consumption on body weight; 6 cross-sectional studies showed inconsistent results. CONCLUSIONS Studies of individuals dieting for weight loss or maintenance suggest a weight-reducing effect of increased water consumption, whereas studies in general mixed-weight populations yielded inconsistent results. The evidence for this association is still low, mostly because of the lack of good-quality studies. This trial was registered at www.crd. york.ac. uk/Prospero as CRD42012002585.
Verifying the safety of lane change maneuvers of self-driving vehicles based on formalized traffic rules

Validating the safety of self-driving vehicles requires an enormous amount of testing. By applying formal verification methods, we can prove the correctness of the vehicles' behavior, which at the same time reduces remaining risks and the need for extensive testing. However, current safety approaches do not consider liabilities of traffic participants if a collision occurs. Utilizing formalized traffic rules to verify motion plans allows this problem to be solved. We present a novel approach for verifying the safety of lane change maneuvers, using formalized traffic rules according to the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. This allows us to provide additional guarantees that if a collision occurs, the self-driving vehicle is not responsible. Furthermore, we consider misbehavior of other traffic participants during lane changes and propose feasible solutions to avoid or mitigate a potential collision. The approach has been evaluated using real traffic data provided by the NGSIM project as well as simulated lane changes.
Nickel requirement and factor F430 content of methanogenic bacteria

Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum has been reported to require nickel for growth and to contain high concentrations of a nickel tetrapyrrole designated factor F430. In this communication it is shown that all methanogenic bacteria investigated incorporated nickel during growth and also synthesized factor F430. This was also true for Methanobrevibacter smithii, which is dependent on acetate as a carbon source, and for Methanosarcina barkeri growing on acetate or methanol as energy sources. Other bacteria, including Acetobacterium woodii and Clostridium thermoaceticum, contained no factor F430. It is further shown that two yellow nickel-containing degradation products were formed from factor F430 when heated at pH 7. This finding explains why several forms of factor F430 were found in methanogenic bacteria when a heat step was employed in the purification procedure.
Glyphosate-Resistant Parthenium hysterophorus in the Caribbean Islands: Non Target Site Resistance and Target Site Resistance in Relation to Resistance Levels

Glyphosate has been the most intensely herbicide used worldwide for decades, and continues to be a single tool for controlling weeds in woody crops. However, the adoption of this herbicide in a wide range of culture systems has led to the emergence of resistant weeds. Glyphosate has been widely used primarily on citrus in the Caribbean area, but a study of resistance in the Caribbean islands of Cuba and the Dominican Republic has never been carried out. Unfortunately, Parthenium hysterophorus has developed glyphosate-resistance in both islands, independently. The resistance level and mechanisms of different P. hysterophorus accessions (three collected in Cuba (Cu-R) and four collected in the Dominican Republic (Do-R) have been studied under greenhouse and laboratory conditions. In in vivo assays (glyphosate dose causing 50% reduction in above-ground vegetative biomass and survival), the resistance factor levels showed susceptible accessions (Cu-S ≥ Do-S), low-resistance accessions (Cu-R3 < Do-R4), medium-resistance accessions (Do-R3 < Cu-R2 < Do-R2) and high-resistance accessions (Do-R1 < Cu-R1). In addition, the resistance factor levels were similar to those found in the shikimic acid accumulation at 1000 μM of glyphosate (Cu-R1 ≥ Do-R1 > Do-R2 > Cu-R2 > Do-R3 > Do-R4 > Cu-R3 >> Cu-S ≥ Do-S). Glyphosate was degraded to aminomethylphosphonic acid, glyoxylate and sarcosine by >88% in resistant accessions except in Cu-R3 and Do-R4 resistant accessions (51.12 and 44.21, respectively), whereas a little glyphosate (<9.32%) was degraded in both susceptible accessions at 96 h after treatment. There were significant differences between P. hysterophorus accessions in the 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) activity enzyme with and without different glyphosate rates. The R accessions showed values of between 0.026 and 0.21 μmol μg−1 TSP protein min−1 basal EPSPS activity values with respect to the S (0.024 and 0.025) accessions. The same trend was found in the EPSPS enzyme activity treated with glyphosate, where a higher enzyme activity inhibition (glyphosate μM) corresponded to greater resistance levels in P. hysterophorus accessions. One amino acid substitution was found at position 106 in EPSPS, consisting of a proline to serine change in Cu-R1, Do-R1 Do-R2. The above-mentioned results indicate that high resistance values are determined by the number of defense mechanisms (target-site and non-target-site resistance) possessed by the different P. hysterophorus accessions, concurrently.
Systemes Comptables Dans Le Contexte De La Mondialisation

La comptabilite joue un role important dans les politiques economiques nationales et internationales et analysees dans le contexte de la mondialisation economique, l’harmonisation des normes comptables, a donne lieu au fil du temps, a une source continue de controverse. L'evolution de la comptabilite dans le contexte actuel est caracterisee par un phenomene d'harmonisation et de normalisation internationale. Cet article veut faire connaitre au public les deux principaux systemes comptables existants et leur besoin d'harmonisation.
Femtocells: Past, Present, and Future

Femtocells, despite their name, pose a potentially large disruption to the carefully planned cellular networks that now connect a majority of the planet's citizens to the Internet and with each other. Femtocells - which by the end of 2010 already outnumbered traditional base stations and at the time of publication are being deployed at a rate of about five million a year - both enhance and interfere with this network in ways that are not yet well understood. Will femtocells be crucial for offloading data and video from the creaking traditional network? Or will femtocells prove more trouble than they are worth, undermining decades of careful base station deployment with unpredictable interference while delivering only limited gains? Or possibly neither: are femtocells just a "flash in the pan"; an exciting but short-lived stage of network evolution that will be rendered obsolete by improved WiFi offloading, new backhaul regulations and/or pricing, or other unforeseen technological developments? This tutorial article overviews the history of femtocells, demystifies their key aspects, and provides a preview of the next few years, which the authors believe will see a rapid acceleration towards small cell technology. In the course of the article, we also position and introduce the articles that headline this special issue.
Time-dependent effects of cortisol on selective attention and emotional interference: a functional MRI study

Acute stress is known to induce a state of hypervigilance, allowing optimal detection of threats. Although one may benefit from sensitive sensory processing, it comes at the cost of unselective attention and increased distraction by irrelevant information. Corticosteroids, released in response to stress, have been shown to profoundly influence brain function in a time-dependent manner, causing rapid non-genomic and slow genomic effects. Here, we investigated how these time-dependent effects influence the neural mechanisms underlying selective attention and the inhibition of emotional distracters in humans. Implementing a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design, 65 young healthy men received 10 mg hydrocortisone either 60 min (rapid effects) or 270 min (slow effects), or placebo prior to an emotional distraction task, consisting of color-naming of either neutral or aversive words. Overall, participants responded slower to aversive compared to neutral words, indicating emotional interference with selective attention. Importantly, the rapid effects of corticosteroids increased emotional interference, which was associated with reduced amygdala inhibition to aversive words. Moreover, they induced enhanced amygdala connectivity with frontoparietal brain regions, which may reflect increased influence of the amygdala on an executive network. The slow effects of corticosteroids acted on the neural correlates of sustained attention. They decreased overall activity in the cuneus, possibly indicating reduced bottom-up attentional processing, and disrupted amygdala connectivity to the insula, potentially reducing emotional interference. Altogether, these data suggest a time-specific corticosteroid modulation of attentive processing. Whereas high circulating corticosteroid levels acutely increase emotional interference, possibly facilitating the detection of threats, a history of elevation might promote sustained attention and thereby contribute to stress-recovery of cognitive function.
“I'm Not That Type of Person”: Managing the Stigma of Having an Abortion

Drawing on interviews with U.S. women, this article offers a social–psychological framework for understanding the stigma of having an abortion and identifies the individual stigma management strategies women use to mitigate negative intrapersonal and interpersonal consequences of abortion stigma. We also contribute to contemporary understandings of abortion stigma by theorizing how aspects of abortion stigma—such as its concealability and episodic expression—interfere with women's potential to collectively manage or dismantle abortion stigma. Finally, we discuss how our conceptual framework can be used to inform the development of a measure of the stigma experiences of women who have had an abortion, which can help improve health and well-being outcomes for women.