Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Perceived Duration of Emotional Events: Evidence for a Positivity Effect in Older Adults

Background/Study Context: Arousal and negative affect modulate the effect of emotion on the subjective experience of the passage of time. Given that older adults are less aroused by negative emotional stimuli, and report lower levels of negative affect, compared with younger adults, the present study examined whether the effect of emotion on time perception differed in older and younger adults. Methods: Participants performed a temporal bisection task for emotional (i.e., angry, sad, happy) and neutral facial expressions presented at varying temporal intervals. Results: Older adults perceived the duration of both positive and threatening events longer than neutral events, whereas younger adults only perceived threatening events longer than neutral events. Conclusion: The results, which are partially consistent with the positivity effect of aging postulated by the socioemotional selectivity theory, are the first to show how the effect of emotion on perceived duration affects older adults, and support previous research indicating that only threatening events prolong perceived duration in younger adults.
Cyclic variations in the eosinophil count during the phases of the menstrual cycle.

MENSTRUATION is initiated and maintained by a complex coordinated activity of the endocrines. Its various phases are known to be associated with many hematologic changes, both biochemical and cytologic (1). The total leukocyte count of peripheral blood increases during the menstrual flow (2). Opinion varies regarding the behavior of the level of circulating eosinophils, and both eosinophilia and eosinopenia have been reported during the menstrual period. The relationship of the adrenal cortex to some reproductive functions is well known (3). Recently, widespread changes in serum electrolyte levels have been reported during the menstrual cycle, presumably due to alterations in adrenocortical activity (4). The menstrual cycle includes two significant events—ovulation and vascular crisis—which may work as endogenous stressing agents. The present work was undertaken in order to obtain comprehensive data regarding the level of circulating eosinophils during the various phases of the menstrual cycle and to find.
Effects of Breeder Age and Stocking Density on Performance, Carcass Characteristics and Some Stress Parameters of Broilers

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of breeder age and stocking density on performance, carcass characteristics and some stress parameters (H-L ratio, serum glucose, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, tonic immobility test (TI), antibody production, relative asymmetry (RA) and external appearances). This experiment was carried out with 705 one-day old male broiler chicks (Ross 308) obtained from three different ages of broiler breeder (32, 48 and 61 wks). Each age group was randomly divided into two stocking density groups (11.9 and 17.5 broilers per m 2 ) with 5 replications per group. The experimental period was 6 weeks. Broilers from 32 wk-old breeders had lower initial weight (p<0.001), body weight gain of the first 3 week of rearing (p<0.01), the percentage of abdominal fat (p<0.001) and serum cholesterol level (p<0.01); higher percentage of gizzard (p<0.01) and longer TI duration (p<0.001) than those from 48 and 61 wk-old breeders. Broilers reared at 17.5 b/m 2 had lower final BW, body weight gain, feed consumption, feather condition and foot health (p<0.001), higher percentage of heart, H-L ratio, serum glucose and cholesterol levels (p<0.001), and longer TI durations (p<0.001). There were no significant interactions in examined parameters except for feed to gain ratio between breeder age and stocking density.
Analytical modeling of the two-dimensional potential distribution and threshold voltage of the SOI four-gate transistor

The two-dimensional (2-D) channel potential and threshold voltage of the silicon-on-insulator (SOI) four-gate transistor (G4-FET) are modeled. The 2-D analytical body potential is derived by assuming a parabolic potential variation between the lateral junction-gates and by solving Poisson's equation. The model is used to obtain the surface threshold voltage of the G4-FET as a function of the lateral gate bias and for all possible charge conditions at the back interface. The body-potential model is extendable to fully depleted SOI MOSFETs and can serve to depict the charge-sharing and drain-induced barrier-lowering effects in short-channel devices
Efficacy of methylcobalamin on lowering total homocysteine plasma concentrations in haemodialysis patients receiving high-dose folic acid supplementation.

BACKGROUND Hyperhomocysteinaemia, which is considered to be induced by impairment of the remethylation pathway in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF), cannot be cured solely by folic acid therapy. In the present study, we investigated the additional benefit of administration of methylcobalamin, which is a co-enzyme in the remethylation pathway, on lowering total homocysteine (tHcy) plasma concentrations in haemodialysis (HD) patients receiving high-dose folic acid supplementation. METHODS In order to assess the efficacy on lowering plasma tHcy levels (fasting concentration), 21 HD patients, were randomly assigned and provided folic acid supplementation: 15 mg/day orally (group I, n=7); methylcobalamin 500 mg intravenously after each HD, in addition to folic acid (group II, n=7); or vitamin B(6) (B(6)), 60 mg/day orally, in addition to folic acid and methylcobalamin (group III, n=7). All patients were treated for 3 weeks. A methionine-loading test was conducted before and after supplementation. The following measurements were also made before and after supplementation for each group: serum folic acid, B(6), and vitamin B(12) (B(12)) concentrations (including measurement of proportion of methylcobalamin fraction). Twelve HD patients receiving methylcobalamin alone served as the HD control group and seven healthy volunteers served as the normal control group for this study. RESULTS In our randomized HD patients the proportions of methylcobalamin fraction (48.3+/-7.5%) and plasma vitamin B(6) concentration (2.9+/-1.1 ng/ml) were significantly lower than in the normal controls (methylcobalamin 58.7+/-2.2%, P<0.01; B(6) 20.1+/-10.8 ng/ml, P<0.01), while folic acid and vitamin B(12) were not significantly different from the normal controls. Mean percentage reduction in fasting tHcy was 17.3+/-8.4% in group I, 57.4+/-13.3% in group II, 59.9+/-5.6% in group III, and 18.7+/-7.5% in HD controls. The power of the test to detect a reduction of tHcy level was 99.6% in group II and 99.9% in group III when type I error level was set at 0.05. Groups II and III had normal results for the methionine-loading test after treatment. Treatment resulted in normalization of fasting tHcy levels (<12 ng/ml) in all 14 patients treated by the combined administration of methylcobalamin and supplementation of folic acid regardless of whether there was supplementation of vitamin B(6). CONCLUSION The benefit of methylcobalamin administration on lowering plasma tHcy levels in HD patients was remarkable. Our study suggested that both supplementations of high-dose folic acid and methylcobalamin are required for the remethylation pathway to regain its normal activity. This method could be a therapeutic strategy to combat the risk associated with atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease in patients with chronic renal failure.
Adaptive Readout Schemes for Thin-Film Magnetoelectric Sensors Based on the delta-E Effect

Thin-film magnetoelectric sensors, i.e., composites of magnetostrictive and piezoelectric materials, are able to measure very low magnetic fields. As a consequence, an application of such sensors could be, e.g., the measurement of biomagnetic fields in the near future. To measure these signals, typically characterized by low-frequency components, techniques, such as the delta-E effect, are utilized. The limit of detection (LoD) of such sensor systems did not reach the required level until now. In order to improve this, an adaptive readout scheme is proposed for sensor systems based on the delta-E effect. The basis is a simultaneous measurement with a single sensor at different frequency ranges close to the resonance frequencies. The signals are combined optimally in regard to their signal-to-noise ratio. Two combination approaches are presented and evaluated. An improvement up to 6 dB in terms of LoD is achieved. Due to an adaption of the weighting coefficients with time, the proposed method can be interpreted as a noise reduction technique, which increases the usability of such sensors in realistic measurement scenarios.
CHAPTER 23 PERIPHERAL AND AUTONOMIC NEUROPATHY IN DIABETES

Dr. Rodica Pop-Busui is Professor of Internal Medicine, Metabolism, Endocrinology and Diabetes in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Diabetes, and Co-Director of the Neuropathy Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. Dr. Andrew J. M. Boulton is Professor of Medicine, University of Manchester, and Consultant Physician, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Centre for Endocrinology and Diabetes, Institute of Human Development, University of Manchester, United Kingdom, and Visiting Professor, University of Miami, Miami, FL. Dr. Jay M. Sosenko is Professor of Medicine, Pediatrics, and Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL.
PFC, codages et représentations : la question du schwa

L’objectif de cet article est de faire le point sur le programme de recherche PFC (« Phonologie du francais contemporain : usages, varietes et structure »), plus de quinze ans apres son lancement et d’illustrer le travail mene dans ce cadre par la question du schwa, phenomene bien connu dans le domaine de la variation phonologique et central a la phonologie du francais. Apres avoir brievement presente le programme, nous abordons la question du schwa en francais et expliquons son traitement dans PFC. Nous illustrons ensuite le travail effectue en nous penchant tout d’abord sur les varietes meridionales, que nous opposons aux varietes septentrionales, avant d’aborder la question du schwa dans les varietes suisses romandes.
Wideband characterization of fabrics for textile antennas

A method for wideband characterization of conductive textiles for use as part of an antenna is presented. The method takes into account edge effects of the conductive textile that are important for the antenna performance. The method is also used in an initial measurement campaign: five conductive textiles are categorized according to the suggested method. The method is microscopic compared to macroscopic methods such as waveguide methods or shielding effectiveness methods normally used for electromagnetic characterizations of materials. To emphasize this simulations are provided illustrating the importance of edge effects.
Surveillance data for waterborne illness detection: an assessment following a massive waterborne outbreak of Cryptosporidium infection

Following the 1993 Milwaukee cryptosporidiosis outbreak, we examined data from eight sources available during the time of the outbreak. Although there was a remarkable temporal correspondence of surveillance peaks, the most timely data involved use of systems in which personnel with existing close ties to public health programmes perceived the importance of providing information despite workload constraints associated with an outbreak. During the investigation, surveillance systems which could be easily linked with laboratory data, were flexible in adding new variables, and which demonstrated low baseline variability were most useful. Geographically fixed nursing home residents served as an ideal population with non-confounded exposures. Use of surrogate measurements of morbidity can trigger worthwhile public health responses in advance of laboratory-confirmed diagnosis and help reduce total morbidity associated with an outbreak. This report describes the relative strengths and weaknesses of these surveillance methods for community-wide waterborne illness detection and their application in outbreak decision making.
CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF READING Technical Report No 285 A COMPARISON OF SOME PROCESSING TIME MEASURES BASED ON EYE ' MOVEMENTS

Fifty-one college students read a passage while their eye movements were being monitored; Five different measures of processing time in reading derived from the eye movement data were each fit, using hierarchical multiple regression, to a model similar to that of Just and Carpenter (1980). The processing time measures were Just and Carpenterts gaze durations, two modified gaze duration measures, number of fixations, and average fixation duration. The components of gaze duration, number of fixations and average fixation duration, were shown to be influenced by different independent variables. Also, some evidence was obtained which called into question one of the assumptions of the gaze duration measure: the assumption that there is a trade-off between increased fixation duration and making multiple fixations on a word when increased processing time is needed. It was suggested that gaze duration measures should be considered as indices of aspects of the processing of words during reading rather than as measures of the actual processing time required by those words. Processing Time Measures Based on Eye Movements A Comparison of Some Processing Time Measures Based on Eye Movements Eye movements may provide a real time measure of mental processes during reading. Eye movement data indicate where in the text the reader fixated and how long the reader paused at each location; They do not, however, directly indicate what mental processes are responsible for how long the eye stays at ,each location or what units of text are to be allocated to each fixation. These two issues must eventually be answered by empirical investigation. Currently, a measure of processing time must be constructed by making assumptions en these issues. Using these assumptions, an algorithm can be defined which constructs an index of processing time from the raw eye movement data. Just and Carpenter (1980) defined such an algorithm which produced what they called a gaze duration profile. The assumptions Just and Carpenter made were (1) on each fixation, a single word, the word that was directly fixated, was being processed (the eye=mind assumption), and (2) there was no processing lag: readers processed only what was being fixated; there were no temporal effects of processing previous words while fixated on the current word (the immediacy assumption). Seemingly consistent with these assumptions was the observation that readers averaged about 1.2 words per fixation. They further assumed that readerS trade off fixation durations and number of fixations. For example, extended prodessing time could be realized as either one long fixation on a word or two or more shorter fixations. This will be referred to as the trade=off assumption. Using these assumptions, the gaze duration measure was constructed as folloWS: (1) for each fixation on a word, the Processing Tine Measures Based on Eye Movements
Neuroscience of reward, motivation, and drive

Drive and motivation are central to affective neuroscience. Here, we describe the development of conceptualizations from early behaviorist theories to contemporary theories linking motivation closely to reward. Current experimental data suggest key roles of drive and motivation in the wanting, liking, and learning processes underlying the pleasure cycle supporting survival of individuals and species. In particular, the underlying functional neuroanatomy of drive and motivation is now becoming clearer in humans and other mammals, which provides hope for novel more effective interventions for the pervasive problems of drive and motivation in affective and addictive disorders.
Teaching artificial intelligence using a web-based game server

Games are a classical field of application for concepts of artificial intelligence (AI). We outline a didactic concept for teaching AI to Business Information Systems students at the university level and a web-based game server that was implemented to support this concept. Our results show an improved engagement of students as well as a flexible technical basis for AI education and AI research which can be applied in various learning and research contexts.
Short‐latency excitation of brain stem neurones in the rat by acetylcholine

A fast excitatory response to acetylcholine (ACh) which has not previously been reported, has been found in the rat brain stem. Micro-iontophoretic applications of ACh to single brain stem neurones in unanaesthetized rats excited 81% and inhibited 3% of neurones studied. Two types of excitatory response were distinguished by their time course. Type I ACh excitation of neurones was of long latency resembling that previously reported in various parts of the brain. Type II excitation was of short latency, similar to that of micro-iontophoretically applied glutamate ions and to ACh excitation of Renshaw cells.
Reproductive Experience and Expression of Dopamine D2 Receptor mRNA: A Possible Mechanism for Reduced Prolactin Secretion in Primiparous Rats

Reproductive experience (i.e. pregnancy and lactation) leads to reduced levels of circulating prolactin in both women and rats. Stimulation of prolactin secretion by dopamine antagonists is also blunted following reproductive experience in both species. Whereas a parity‐induced reduction in haloperidol‐stimulated prolactin secretion is evident in ovariectomised rats, it is unknown whether a similar attenuation of prolactin secretion is present in reproductively experienced, cycling pro‐oestrous rats. The present study examined this possibility. Moreover, to determine possible mechanisms involved in parity‐mediated changes in prolactin secretion, both dopamine utilisation within the arcuate nucleus/median eminence and expression of dopamine D2 receptor mRNA (short and long forms) in the anterior pituitary were measured across the afternoon of pro‐oestrous in reproductively experience and inexperienced females. Prolactin secretion was lower on the afternoon of pro‐oestrous in primiparous females compared to age‐matched, nulliparous controls. In addition, haloperidol‐stimulated prolactin secretion was reduced in ovariectomised, reproductively experienced females. Although no differences in dopamine utilisation were observed as a function of reproductive experience, parity did affect the expression of both forms of D2 receptor mRNA in the anterior pituitary. Compared with nulliparous controls, primiparous females had increased D2 long mRNA expression at 12.00 h on pro‐oestrous as well as increased D2 short mRNA expression at 14.00 h. Because the ratio of D2 long/D2 short can significantly effect lactotroph proliferation and prolactin secretion, a shift in relative expression of the two D2 receptor isoforms within the anterior pituitary of parous females may help account for the reduction in prolactin secretion that occurs following reproductive experience.
On the power for linkage detection using tests based on scan statistics

We analyze some aspects of Scan statistics, which have been proposed to help detect weak signals in linkage analysis. For dense markers we derive approximations for the thresholds to control the genome wide false positive rate and for the power of a test based on moving averages of the identity-by-descent (IBD) allele sharing proportions for pairs of relatives at several contiguous markers. We use these results, which we conﬁrm by simulation, to show that when there is a single trait gene on a chromosome this scan statistic is generally slightly less powerful than the customary allele sharing statistic, but if two genes having a moderate aﬀect on the same trait lie close to each other on the same chromosome, this test can be more powerful than that based on the original statistic
A single infusion of zoledronic acid produces sustained remissions in paget disease: Data to 6.5 years

Two trials have shown that a single 5‐mg infusion of zoledronic acid achieves much higher response rates in Paget disease of bone than risedronate. The duration of this effect is unknown. We have conducted an open follow‐up of responders from the two trials (152 originally treated with zoledronic acid, 115 with risedronate) out to 6.5 years without further intervention. Endpoints were times to relapse (ie, return of serum total alkaline phosphatase activity to within 20% of the pretreatment value) or loss of response (response = normalization of alkaline phosphatase or 75% or greater reduction in its excess). Bone turnover markers were lower in the zoledronic acid group throughout follow‐up, with mean alkaline phosphatase (ALP) remaining within the reference range in these patients, whereas the mean in the risedronate group was above normal from 1 year. Relapse rates were substantially greater in the risedronate group (23 of 115, 20%) than in those treated with zoledronic acid (1 of 152, 0.7%, p < .001), and loss of response occurred in 19 (12.5%) zoledronic acid patients compared with 71 (62%) risedronate patients (p < .0001). Risk ratios for relapse and loss of response in zoledronic acid patients were 0.02 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.00–0.18] and 0.12 (95% CI 0.07–0.19), respectively. Changes from baseline in quality of life, assessed using SF‐36 scores, were more positive in the zoledronic acid group across the follow‐up period (p = .01). Bone markers at 6 months were predictive of response duration. These data demonstrate an unprecedented duration of remission of Paget disease following treatment with zoledronic acid, accompanied by an improved quality of life. © 2011 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
Ictal Perfusion Patterns Associated with Single MRI‐Visible Focal Dysplastic Lesions: Implications for the Noninvasive Delineation of the Epileptogenic Zone

Summary: Background: Invasive electroencephalogram (EEG) studies are often considered necessary to localize the epileptogenic zone in partial epilepsies associated with focal dysplastic lesions (FDL). Our aim was to evaluate the relationships between subtraction ictal SPECT coregistered with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (SISCOM) hyperperfusion clusters and MRI‐visible FDL, and to establish a preliminary algorithm for a noninvasive presurgical evaluation protocol for MRI‐visible FDLs in patients with refractory epilepsy.