SIRIS-Lab/unlabelled-sti-corpus huggingface dataset:
Boosting reward-based attention through vestibular stimulation

Intrinsically rewarding stimuli strongly favour attentional capture (AC) in humans, this effect being dramatic in a number of addiction disorders. The physiology of this phenomenon is poorly understood, but recent neuroimaging studies point to a role of the Anterior Cingulate Cortex (aCC) in this kind of attentional engagement. A way to act on this circuitry would provide compelling evidence and be a major advance for the cognitive and clinical neuroscience of motivation. 
Most brain stimulation techniques (i.e. TMS, tDCS) typically do not allow for stimulation of deep brain structures, their effect being limited to superficial areas. In contrast, Vestibular Stimulation (VS), via galvanic or thermal activation of the peripheral organs devoted to balance, have been consistently shown to produce reliable activation of deep structures involved in mood and affective processing, including the aCC. VS are routinely employed in medicine and physiology, but a deeper understanding of their cognitive effects is needed. 
Here I propose having healthy participants and patients with brain damage and attentional disorders (i.e. Spatial Neglect) to complete simple behavioural tasks assessing the interaction between attention and motivation, while receiving VS. The main objective is to assess whether the modulation of brain activity through VS may modulate the degree of AC, i.e. facilitate the orienting of attention towards rewarding stimuli. Such project could not only greatly advance our knowledge on the neural circuitry underlying the interplay between reward processing and visuospatial attention, but also shed light on the neural underpinnings of the aberrant AC observed in several clinical pathologies, allowing devising novel therapeutic approaches. Beside this main goal, I will receive advanced training for fMRI analysis, boosting my attractiveness as independent scholar and allowing me to further explore the role of brain areas extending beyond the aCC.
Method of preparing polyester elastomer meltblown nonwoven fabric membrane with porous and high bonding strength

A method of preparing polyester elastomer meltblown nonwoven fabric membrane with porous and high bonding strength includes the following steps of: (a) Adding a reaction solvent to a reaction solvent to thermoplastic polyester elastomer (TPEE) powder or granules to prepare a solvent mixture. (b) Adding a modifier to the solvent mixture, and mixing uniformly to prepare a first mixture, the modifier includes at least one of o-xylylenediamine, m-xylylenediamine, alpha, alpha′-diamino-p-xylene, 2,3,5,6-Tetrachloro-p-xylene-alpha,alpha′-diamine, and 1,3,5,7-Tetraazatricyclodecane. (c) Adding an initiator to the first mixture, and mixing uniformly to prepare a second mixture. (d) Drying the second mixture to form a masterbatch, and (e) preparing the polyester elastomer meltblown nonwoven fabric membrane by passing the masterbatch through a meltblown process.
Perverse timing or biased coefficients?

The aim of this work is to examine the influence of mutual fund flows on market timing models, thus providing unbiased timing coefficients. However, as this control is motivated by the existing relationship between mutual fund flows and market returns, we first analyse this relationship, considering previous and concurrent market returns. However, unlike existing studies, we do not consider future returns, since investors do not observe them when making investment decisions. Thus, we feel it is more appropriate to consider expected market returns. We construct the expected market returns by running an AR model and considering the available public information about the macro-economy. The relationship is analysed under different conditions, considering a variety of different mutual fund flow measures, and considering (or not) the sensitivity of mutual fund flows to positive and negative market returns. We also propose different controls for the traditional timing models, and we further analyse the reverse-c...
Vocal emotion recognition in five native languages of Assam using prosodic features in presence of white noise

Summary form only given. This work investigates whether vocal emotion expressions of (i) discrete emotion be distinguished from `no-emotion' (i.e. neutral), (ii) one discrete emotion be distinguished from another, (iii) surprise, which is actually a cognitive component that could be present with any emotion, be also recognized as distinct emotion, (iv) discrete emotion be recognized cross-lingually. This study will enable us to get more information regarding nature and function of emotion. Furthermore, this work will help in developing a generalized vocal emotion recognition system, which will increase the efficiency of human-machine interaction systems. In this work, an emotional speech database consisting of short sentences of six full-blown basic emotions and neutral is created with 140 simulated utterances per speaker of five native languages of Assam. This database is validated by a Listening Test. The Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) is used as classifier. The performance of the prosodic feature set is computed at sampling frequency of 8.1 kHz from the utterances with and without additive white noise of 5 db and 0 db Signal-to-Noise Ratios (SNRs) under matched noise training and testing condition.
Flexural behaviour of CNT-filled glass/epoxy composites in an in-situ environment emphasizing temperature variation

Abstract The paucity of structural defects in carbon nanotube (CNT) with unrivalled mechanical properties has always posed an interest to material scientists for its potential incorporation in soft polymer resins to achieve superior mechanical stability. Present investigation focuses on the assessment of flexural behaviour of glass/epoxy (GE) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) embedded glass/epoxy (0.3 wt. % of epoxy) (CNT-GE) composites at different in-service environmental temperatures. In-situ 3-point bend tests were performed on GE and CNT-GE composites at −80 °C, −40 °C, room temperature (20 °C), 70 °C and 110 °C temperatures at 1 mm/min crosshead speed. The results revealed that at 110 °C temperature, the flexural strength of GE and CNT-GE composites was significantly decreased by 67% and 81% respectively in comparison to their strength at −80 °C temperature. Similarly, 38% and 77% decrement in modulus was noted for GE and CNT-GE composites respectively. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) was carried out in the temperature range of −100 °C to 200 °C to correlate the mechanical and thermo-mechanical response of both the material systems. Addition of 0.3 wt. % MWCNT in GE composite resulted in lowering of glass transition temperature (Tg) by 12 °C. Furthermore, to understand various possible deformation and failure mechanisms, the post failure analysis of the fractured specimens, tested at different temperatures, was carried out using scanning electron microscope (SEM). The critical parameters needed during designing composite structures were calculated and modelled using Weibull constitutive model.
Money, Trust and Happiness in Transition Countries: Evidence from Time Series

Trends of subjective well-being (SWB) in transition countries are peculiar: they show substantial changes that are more strongly correlated with the trends of GDP than in other developed countries. This paper examines the role of the trends of GDP and of social trust in predicting the trends of well-being. We find that the strength of the relationship between social trust and SWB over the medium-term is comparable to that of GDP. We conclude that in the medium-term, even in countries where material concerns strongly affect well-being, social trust is a powerful predictor of the trends of SWB. However, in the short run the relationship between social trust and SWB does not hold and GDP stands out as the only significant correlate of SWB.
A Novel Translocation Breakpoint within the BPTF Gene Is Associated with a Pre-Malignant Phenotype

Partial gain of chromosome arm 17q is an abundant aberrancy in various cancer types such as lung and prostate cancer with a prominent occurrence and prognostic significance in neuroblastoma--one of the most common embryonic tumors. The specific genetic element/s in 17q responsible for the cancer-promoting effect of these aberrancies is yet to be defined although many genes located in 17q have been proposed to play a role in malignancy. We report here the characterization of a naturally-occurring, non-reciprocal translocation der(X)t(X;17) in human lung embryonal-derived cells following continuous culturing. This aberrancy was strongly correlated with an increased proliferative capacity and with an acquired ability to form colonies in vitro. The breakpoint region was mapped by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to the 17q24.3 locus. Further characterization by a custom-made comparative genome hybridization array (CGH) localized the breakpoint within the Bromodomain PHD finger Transcription Factor gene (BPTF), a gene involved in transcriptional regulation and chromatin remodeling. Interestingly, this translocation led to elevation in the mRNA levels of the endogenous BPTF. Knock-down of BPTF restricted proliferation suggesting a role for BPTF in promoting cellular growth. Furthermore, the BPTF chromosomal region was found to be amplified in various human tumors, especially in neuroblastomas and lung cancers in which 55% and 27% of the samples showed gain of 17q24.3, respectively. Additionally, 42% percent of the cancer cell lines comprising the NCI-60 had an abnormal BPTF locus copy number. We suggest that deregulation of BPTF resulting from the translocation may confer the cells with the observed cancer-promoting phenotype and that our cellular model can serve to establish causality between 17q aberrations and carcinogenesis.
Effect of applying an arsenic-resistant and plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium to enhance soil arsenic phytoremediation by Populus deltoides LH05-17

Bioremediation of highly arsenic (As)-contaminated soil is difficult because As is very toxic for plants and micro-organisms. The aim of this study was to investigate soil arsenic removal effects using poplar in combination with the inoculation of a plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR).A rhizobacterium D14 was isolated and identified within Agrobacterium radiobacter. This strain was highly resistant to arsenic and produced indole acetic acid and siderophore. Greenhouse pot bioremediation experiments were performed for 5 months using poplar (Populus deltoides LH05-17) grown on As-amended soils, inoculated with strain D14. The results showed that P. deltoides was an efficient arsenic accumulator; however, high As concentrations (150 and 300 mg kg(-1)) inhibited its growth. With the bacterial inoculation, in the 300 mg kg(-1) As-amended soils, 54% As in the soil was removed, which was higher than the uninoculated treatments (43%), and As concentrations in roots, stems and leaves were significantly increased by 229, 113 and 291%, respectively. In addition, the As translocation ratio [(stems + leaves)/roots = 0·8] was significantly higher than the uninoculated treatments (0·5). About 45% As was translocated from roots to the above-ground tissues. The plant height and dry weight of roots, stems and leaves were all enhanced; the contents of chlorophyll and soluble sugar, and the activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase were all increased; and the content of a toxic compound malondialdehyde was decreased.The results indicated that the inoculation of strain D14 could contribute to the increase in the As tolerance of P. deltoides, promotion of the growth, increase in the uptake efficiency and enhancement of As translocation.The use of P. deltoides in combination with the inoculation of strain D14 provides a potential application for efficient soil arsenic bioremediation.
Exploring the molecular control of seed yield in crops

ExpoSEED aims to integrate forward and reverse genetic approaches to dissect the molecular mechanisms that control seed/kernel (hereafter referred as seed) yield in model species and to transfer the acquired knowledge to selected crops as legumes and cereals. The identification of “molecular hubs” that determine seed number and size will put the basis for the development of breeding tools to improve seed production at the beginning of the seed market.
Research on model species has recently allowed to identify key transcription factors that regulate plant reproduction together with exploring the conservation of the molecular mechanisms that finally control the plant fitness in distantly related species. The next challenge is now to deeper dissect the molecular networks controlled by these key factors to finally manipulate agronomic traits.
The partners of ExpoSEED will identify the targets of key transcription factors in model species as Arabidopsis and rice and they will transfer this knowledge to crops, as soybean, wheat and barley. Candidate target genes will be further characterized using genetic and cell-biology tools together with searching new alleles in large panel of wild and cultivated germplasm. As a parallel approach, germplasm collections and segregating populations will be used for mapping studies to identify novel factors controlling seed yield in legumes and cereals.
ExpoSEED aims to create synergies to efficiently address scientific and societal issues. From the scientific perspective, now is the right moment: a number of completed crop genome sequences and novel genetic and cell biology tools will support the comparative biology approaches aimed in this project. Considering the societal issue, food security is a worldwide priority: in the context of population growth and less arable land, increasing food production is one of the challenges for this century
GOA circuit

The present invention relates to a GOA circuit. The GOA circuit comprises: a first thin film transistor (T1) to a fourteenth thin film transistor (T14), a first capacitor (C1) and a second capacitor (C2). The present invention adds a control unit consisted of thin film transistors (T9-T14) on the basis of the GOA circuit structure according to prior art, and a set of control signals (Select1, Select2) of which phases are opposite is introduced. The main function is to divide the gate output of the GOA circuit into two. In some special display mode, the frequency corresponded with Data signal will be halved, and the corresponding drive power consumption will be decreased. The present invention provides a GOA circuit, which can effectively reduce the layout space occupied by the GOA circuit for having a certain help to the development of the narrow frame technology.
Toward software assurance: infusing a threat modeling methodology into beginning level programming courses

Software Assurance (SwA) is about achieving a level of confidence that the software in question is free from vulnerabilities and that it functions as intended. SwA requires software developers to have competency in both the software assurance life cycle and threat risk management that they acquire the requisite knowledge (K), practitioner skills (S), and abilities (A), i.e. KSA; however, beginning-level programmers typically learn fundamental object-orientation concepts and programming skills without understanding SwA throughout their introductory programming courses. For this purpose, we have infused a threat modeling methodology, Microsoft Threat Modeling, into beginning level programming courses that answer the following questions: 1) can we infuse the threat modeling into existing laboratory teaching modules without having to make any significant changes to those modules? 2) If we need to change existing laboratory teaching modules, what changes should we make? 3) What approaches can we propose to the existing curriculum in order for the students equip with the KSAs for SwA? We first assessed whether threat modeling could be infused into existing programming assignment modules without needing any significant changes to those modules. Based upon this analysis, we reengineered a programming assignment for an introductory programming course to demonstrate how threat modeling can be infused into these modules in order to convey to students knowledge of threat modeling, equip them with the skills specific to the threat modeling methodology, and develop their abilities to mitigate software vulnerabilities by using a threat modeling toolkit. Based upon empirical results, we provide suggestions for others who are interested in infusing one KSA for SwA, threat modeling, into their beginning level programming courses.
Evaluation of safety and short-term therapeutic effect of patients with breast cancer treated with endoscopic surgery

Objective To explore the safety and short-term therapeutic effect of patients with breast cancer treated with endoscopic surgery.Methods With the aid of endoscopy,71 patients with breast cancer were admitted into writer's department from September 2010 to October 2011 were given breast-conserving surgery.Results All patients were operated successfully and their surgical incisions healed in stage Ⅰ.According to the drainage situation,the axillary drainage tubes and surgical wires of these patients were removed 5-9 d and 7-11 d after the operation,respectively.There were 3 patients had postoperative complication,and the incidence rate was 4.2%.All patients felt that they had good breast shape all the same after the operation.Conclusion With the help of endoscopy,the breast-conserving surgery is of good short-term therapeutic effect,good breast shape after the operation,low incidence rate of complication and so on,so this technique is worthy of being popularized and applied clinically.
METHODS OF FRACTURING WITH AND PROCESSING LPG BASED TREATMENT FLUIDS

A method of processing liquefied petroleum gas used in a treatment fluid previously injected into a hydrocarbon reservoir is disclosed, the method comprising recovering at least a portion of the treatment fluid from the hydrocarbon reservoir to produce recovered treatment fluid, and separating liquefied petroleum gas in the form of a gas or liquid from the recovered treatment fluid using a separator An apparatus for processing liquefied petroleum gas used in a treatment fluid previously injected into a hydrocarbon reservoir is also disclosed, the apparatus comprising a separator, a recovery line for recovering treatment fluid from the hydrocarbon reservoir, the recovery line connected to supply recovered treatment fluid to the separator, the separator being to separate a liquefied petroleum gas portion in gas or liquid form from the recovered treatment fluid
Diagnosing the sexual pattern ofDiplodus cervinus hottentotus(Pisces: Sparidae) from southern Angola

The sexual pattern of Diplodus cervinus hottentotus was investigated in southern Angola. Females were significantly smaller and found in greater numbers, with an adult sex ratio of 1.0:0.7, F:M. Histological observations of preserved gonads indicated that the species is a rudimentary hermaphrodite, possessing a non-functional bisexual ovotestis before maturation. Histological examination of five macroscopically staged ‘bisexual’ individuals revealed that they were functional males with residual ovarian tissue in the gonad, which had persisted from a juvenile bisexual stage. Although empirical population structure and macroscopic observations suggested protogyny, histological evidence suggested otherwise, confirming the need for the use of histology when diagnosing the sexual pattern of sparid fishes.
Between Give and Take: A Clinical Guide to Contextual Therapy

In this volume, Boszormenyi-Nagy and Krasner provide a comprehensive, sharply focused guide to the clinical use of Contextual Therapy (CT) as a therapy rooted in the reality of human relationships. The authors describe a far-reaching trust-based approach to individual freedom and interpersonal fairness that makes possible a remarkably effective system of psychotherapy. Between Give and Take clearly delineates four basic dimensions of relational reality: factual predeterminants, human psychology, communications and transactions and due consideration or merited trust. It is this last dimension that is the cornerstone of CT. It builds on the realm of the between that reshapes human relationships and liberates each relating person for mature living.
A customizable robot to include children with autism spectrum disorder

Nowadays, more than 1% of the children below the age of 14 are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), which is a group of developmental disabilities characterized by impairments in social interaction/communication. The social and financial cost of this disorder are enormous, both for the families and for the national health systems. Most of the costs are related to special education and this hinders the inclusion in the society of children with ASD, whose talent is often squandered.

Recent studies have proved that robotics can play a crucial role in this domain: robots are perceived by children with autism as being more predictable less complicated and threatening than humans. In the last few years, several robots have been launched to the market as educational and social aids; yet, no existing solution is affordable for families and provides enough flexibility to be tailored to the needs of a specific child. Hookie – the robot described in this proposal – fills exactly this niche, being customizable and affordable.

Hookie is 3D printed (and hence families can create it together with their children) and based on a standard user interface, such as a smartphone. The system is at TRL 7: two iterations of design-trials have already been performed with specialised hospitals, and the results are very encouraging. It is now time to perform the business activities around the technology. This proposal describes the objectives of a feasibility study aimed at launching Hookie in nine EU markets (four in a first phase and other five later on). Upon the successful completion of the feasibility study, we will seek additional funds via different sources (including the SME phase 2 scheme) to take the product up to TRL 9 and eventually to full commercialization.
The system of cultivated land requisition-compensation balance in the development of economic society

The cultivated land requisition-compensation balance was an important method to guarantee the quantity and quality of cultivated land.Taking Liaoning province as an example,based on many problems such asoccupying better and supplementing bad,occupying more and supplementing less of cultivated land,the research put forward that the cultivated land gradation conversion in the cultivated land requisition-compensation balance should be carried out based on the cultivated land gradation results,on the conversion results basis,the evaluation index system of the cultivated land requisition-compensation balance was established referring to the LESA system,which would provide scientific test criterion for the projection implementation effect of the cultivated land requisition-compensation balance.
Semiconductor innovation: Is the party over, or just getting started?

Semiconductor Innovation Trends: The hardware paradigm underpinning the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry has experienced three major shifts over the past 60 years — the mainframe era, the personal computing era, and the Internet of Things era (Figure 1.1.1). During this period, the user-to-device ratio inverted; the mainframe era's many-to-one ratio has become a one-to-many ratio. Today, users are outnumbered by the devices they access, and even more significantly outnumbered by the instrumented nodes on which they rely. This exponential growth in devices and nodes has created a virtuous cycle of pervasive digitization and automation that is driving an even greater need for devices and nodes.