Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An experimental field study of the effects of listening to self-selected music on emotions, stress, and cortisol levels.

Music listening may evoke meaningful emotions in listeners and may enhance certain health benefits. At the same time, it is important to consider individual differences, such as musical taste, when examining musical emotions and in considering their possible health effects. In a field experiment, 21 women listened to their own preferred music on mp3-players daily for 30 minutes during a two week time period in their own homes. One week they listened to their own chosen relaxing music and the other their own chosen energizing music. Self-reported stress, emotions and health were measured by a questionnaire each day and salivary cortisol was measured with 6 samples two consecutive days every week. The experiment group was compared to a control group (N = 20) who were instructed to relax for 30 minutes everyday for three weeks, and with a baseline week when they relaxed without music for one week (before the music intervention weeks). The results showed that when participants in the experiment group listened to their own chosen music they reported to have experienced significantly higher intensity positive emotions and less stress than when they relaxed without music. There was also a significant decrease in cortisol from the baseline week to the second music intervention week. The control group’s reported stress levels, perceived emotions and cortisol levels remain stable during all three weeks of the study. Together these results suggest that listening to preferred music may be a more effective way of reducing feelings of stress and cortisol levels and increasing positive emotions than relaxing without music.
Accelerating transition to virtual research organization in social science (AVROSS) : first results from a survey of e-infrastructure adopters

This paper presents the first results of a survey and case study analysis of early adopters of e-Infrastructure across the world, focusing on continental Europe, the UK and the USA. Information was gathered on a number of possible influences on the adoption and level of usage of e-Infrastructure in the social sciences and humanities, and comparisons are made by region. We find that the most important influences affecting whether and where e- Infrastructure is adopted in these disciplines is the availability of the necessary qualified staff and of the required funding are the most important influences on whether and where e-Infrastructure. There are indications that adoption could be accelerated were the most eminent scientists from the social sciences and humanities to more widely promote the benefits to research of e-Infrastructure adoption to their colleagues in the discipline. Last but not least, we see different types of projects in continental Europe, the UK and the US.
Mobile Ar Setups 1)

Augmented reality (AR) enriches the perceived reality by additional information with a representation ranging from video annotation or highlighting to projections of complex 3D objects. This technique is used as visual aid for medical and military purposes, for entertainment, for assembly processes or for engineering design or in fully mobile environments like in a city guide application. Concerning AR, the scientific focus of our group is real-time tracking for self localization. In this paper we present different concepts for mobile AR systems consisting of off-the-shelf components. keywords: AR, wearable, tracking, self-localization, real-time application
Effects of electrical stimulation of the carotid sinus baroreflex using the Rheos® device on ventricular-vascular coupling and myocardial efficiency assessed by pressure-volume relations in non-vagotomized anesthetized dogs

We investigated the effects of the carotid sinus baroreflex on coupling of the left ventricle (LV) and the arterial system in twelve anesthetized dogs, with all nerves and carotid sinus circulation intact and instrumented to measure LV pressure and volume. The Rheos® device was used to directly electrically stimulate the carotid sinus baroreceptors. Stimulation resulted in a significant reduction in systolic blood pressure (SBP), 95.6±8.1 to 77.3±5.3 mmHg (p<0.0001) and heart rate (HR), 85±13.2 to 67.2±18.8 (p<.001). Cardiac output was unchanged. Ventricular-vascular coupling was determined by the ratio of arterial and ventricular elastance (Ea/Ees). At baseline, Ea/Ees was 1.26±0.27 and after stimulation decreased to 0.51±0.16 (p<0.001), favoring optimization of metabolic efficiency. This decrease was entirely due to a reduction in Ea while Ees was unchanged. The maintenance of end-diastolic volume (EDV) during stimulation allowed stroke work (SW) to remain unchanged as arterial pressure decreased. Thus mechanical efficiency, described as the ratio of stroke work to pressure-volume area (SW/PVA) increased from baseline of 0.51±0.05 to 0.69±0.04 (p<0.0001) during baroreceptor stimulation. We conclude that electrical activation of the carotid sinus baroreceptors results in optimization of both energetic and mechanical efficiency and has no acute effect on LV Ees. These novel findings await confirmation in chronically instrumented animals.
“Happy Professional Development at an Unhappy Time”: Learning to Teach for Historical Thinking in a High-Pressure Accountability Context

Abstract Adolescent learners stand to benefit when history teachers center their practice on investigating open-ended questions, interrogating evidence, and constructing persuasive arguments. Taking up this kind of teaching requires professional development (PD) experiences that are sustained, subject-specific, learning-focused, and collaborative and that provide participants with opportunities to try out, discuss, and rethink new teaching practices in an intellectually nourishing environment. Yet such experiences and the history teaching that demands them can be stifled by accountability mechanisms that discourage both. Using Hochberg and Desimone’s theoretical framework for PD in accountability contexts, this comparative case study addresses how 2 teachers experienced the confluence of situational factors and facilitators in their efforts to adapt and enact PD-supported history teaching practices that conflicted with high-stakes state- and district-level accountability pressures. I suggest that PD in historical investigation and interpretation must deliberately and transparently reconcile the school-contextual constraints that challenge its effectiveness on practice. Findings also underscore divergent interpretations of what ends PD in accountability contexts ought to serve and how it should serve them.
MLP-ARD vs. logistic regression and C4.5 for PIP claim fraud explication

In this paper we demonstrate the explicative capabilities of multilayer perceptron neural networks (MLP) with automatic relevance determination (ARD) weight regularization for personal injury protection (PIP) automobile insurance claim fraud detection. The ARD objective function hyperparameter scheme provides a means for soft input selection as it allows to determine which predictor variables are most informative to the trained MLP. The MLP (hyper-)parameters are trained using MacKay’s (1992;1994) evidence framework for classification implementation of Bayesian learning on a data set of closed PIP insurance claims from accidents that occurred in Massachusetts during 1993. We adhere to an experimental strategy of using the aggregated decision from a ten-fold cross-validated ensemble for robust predictor importance assessment. The findings of MLP-ARD are then compared to the predictor importance evaluation from popular logistic regression and (smoothed+curtailed) C4.5 decision tree classifiers trained on the same data and using an identical experimental setup. The results show good agreement between logistic regression and MLP-ARD, while somewhat less between C4.5 and MLP-ARD.
Cough peak flows and extubation outcomes.

BACKGROUND Semiobjective methods of quantifying cough strength and endotracheal secretions have been demonstrated to predict extubation outcomes of patients who have passed a spontaneous breathing trial (SBT). HYPOTHESIS Cough strength, measured by voluntary cough peak expiratory flow (PEF), and endotracheal secretions, measured volumetrically, predict extubation outcomes of patients who have passed an SBT. PATIENT POPULATION Critically ill patients admitted to the medical ICU of a 300-bed community teaching hospital. METHODS All patients who passed an SBT and were about to be extubated were studied. The best of three cough attempts, measured with an in-line spirometer, and the average hourly rate of suctioned secretions prior to extubation were recorded with other weaning parameters and demographic data. RESULTS Ninety-five patients were studied before and after 115 extubations. There were 13 unsuccessful extubations. There were no differences in age, gender, duration of intubation, or APACHE (acute physiology and chronic health evaluation) II scores between successful and unsuccessful extubations. The magnitude of endotracheal secretions was not associated with outcomes. The PEF of patients with unsuccessful extubations was significantly lower than that of those with successful extubations (64.2 +/- 6.8 L/min vs 81.9 +/- 2.7 L/min, p = 0.03). Patients with unsuccessful extubations stayed longer in the ICU than those with successful extubations (11.7 +/- 2.1 days vs 5.3 +/- 0.4 days, p = 0.009). Those with PEF <or= 60 L/min were five times as likely to have unsuccessful extubations and were 19 times as likely to die on that hospital stay. PEF and the rapid shallow breathing index were independently associated with extubation outcomes, while only the PEF (<or= 60 L/min) was independently associated with in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSION These data suggest that cough strength, measured objectively, is a predictor of extubation outcome, morbidity, and mortality.
Metaphor and Knowledge Change Dedre Gentner

In a recent magazine article, the issue of government control of research agendas was explored by using the metaphor "Science is a flashlight . " Science, like a flashlight, is bounded in its scope: Only areas directly under its beam are visible . So far, the metaphor may seem obvious, but,a,further implication is that because of this boundedness, decisions about , the . -,direction of the beam are crucial. Until recently, the article pointed out, scientists have had the major say in where the flashlight was aimed, but increasingly it is government agencies, not scientists, who control the direction of search. The notion of controlling the direction of science was presumably not a new issue to readers . Nevertheless, the metaphor,contributed a new connection : The fact that vision is limited makes it crucial who controls its direction . There is broad consensus that metaphors can lead to change of . knowledge . In some cases, the change seems one of enrichment : New concepts, connections, or perspectives are added to the underlying representations . In other cases, the change involves the re-representation of old concepts and. /or the restructuring of the conceptual, systems . ' Yet despite this agreement;'there is little consensus on how sucli'change might occur: that is, on what processes might bring about knowledge
Developing CSCW tools for idea finding -: empirical results and implications for design

In this paper, we first describe a formative empirical study to inform the design of CSCW tools to support idea finding in co-located groups. Groups of students worked on creative problems with mapping and whiteboard tools in different work modes. Concluding from the results of the study, requirements are derived. A suite of tools that are informed by these requirements is presented along with typical scenarios of their usage. The suite consists of three software components covering a Mind-Mapping system (BeachMap), a novel interaction technique for successive bottom-up structuring of ideas (MagNets), and a PDA tool for asynchronous idea generation "on the road" (PalmBeach).
Tidal tails of star clusters

Based on recent findings of a formation mechanism of substructure in tidal tails by Kupper et al., we investigate a more comprehensive set of N-body models of star clusters on orbits about a Milky Way like potential. We find that the predicted epicyclic overdensities arise in any tidal tail no matter which orbit the cluster follows as long as the cluster lives long enough for the overdensities to build up.
In silico prediction of elementary mode fluxes

How perturbations s uch as enzyme deletions or changes i n nut rient composition affect th e d istribution o f f luxes in a metabolic s ystem remains poorly understood. Elementary modes are a mathematical concept enabling the decomposition of complex metabolic networks into minimal chains of reactions that operate at steady state. They were proven to be a useful tool for analyzing the range of possible functional modes of metabolic systems. We here report an investigation i nto h ow t he us age of e lementary m odes c hanges with s ubstrate input and gene mutation. The key method of this study involved the computa- tion of an elementary mode flux value for each elementary mode corresponding to different flux di stributions in the central metabolism o f E. coli. O ur re sults indicate that elementary modes which have no external outputs (excluding co- factors) tend to carry higher flux. Using an entirely in silico approach, we also propose a novel method for estimating elementary mode f lux values b ased on an u ptake score an d show th at its p redictions are i n better agreement with e x- perimental findings than previous estimations based on biomass production.
For Personal Use. Only Reproduce with Permission from the Lancet Publishing Group

ARTICLES Background Existing theoretical models of the potential effects of climate change on vector-borne diseases do not account for social factors such as population increase, or interactions between climate variables. Our aim was to investigate the potential effects of global climate change on human health, and in particular, on the transmission of vector-borne diseases. Methods We modelled the reported global distribution of dengue fever on the basis of vapour pressure, which is a measure of humidity. We assessed changes in the geographical limits of dengue fever transmission, and in the number of people at risk of dengue by incorporating future climate change and human population projections into our model. Findings We showed that the current geographical limits of dengue fever transmission can be modelled with 89% accuracy on the basis of long-term average vapour pressure. In 1990, almost 30% of the world population, 1·5 billion people, lived in regions where the estimated risk of dengue transmission was greater than 50%. With population and climate change projections for 2085, we estimate that about 5–6 billion people (50–60% of the projected global population) would be at risk of dengue transmission, compared with 3·5 billion people, or 35% of the population, if climate change did not happen. Interpretation We conclude that climate change is likely to increase the area of land with a climate suitable for dengue fever transmission, and that if no other contributing factors were to change, a large proportion of the human population would then be put at risk.
Mitochondria and apoptosis: emerging concepts

As mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell, their damage during the cell suicide process of apoptosis is essentially responsible for cellular demise in most cells. A key family of proteins, the B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2) family, determines the integrity of mitochondria in the face of apoptotic insult. A comprehensive understanding of the molecular details of how apoptosis is initiated and how it culminates is essential if apoptosis is to fulfil its undoubted potential as a therapeutic target to treat diseases ranging from cancer to neurodegenerative conditions. Recent advances have provided significant insight into the control of this fundamental process while prompting a re-evaluation of what was considered dogma in the field. Emerging evidence also points to a potential overarching control network that governs not only apoptosis but other fundamental mitochondrial processes, including mitochondrial fission/fusion and quality control.
Effect of zinc acetate concentration on the structural and optical properties of ZnO thin films deposited by Sol-Gel method

The transparent Zinc Oxide (ZnO) thin films were deposited by multi-step sol-gel method and the effect of sol concentration on structural, morphological and optical properties were investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were employed to characterize structures and morphologies of the as-deposited films. The crystallographic orientation of the ZnO films shows the preferred orientation of (002) that is along c-axis direction and the films were uniform and well adherent to the substrates. The grain size is in the range of 15.3~19.7 nm and the thickness in the range of 266~295 nm, both increase with zinc acetate concentration. It is found that the transmittance of the films is enhanced from 83 to 95% in the visible near- IR region in the range from 400 to 800 nm by increasing the concentration. The optical band gap energy attenuates from 3.307 to 3.227 eV and whereas the Urbach energies of the films increase from 68.2 to 82.4 meV with increasing the concentration from 0.35 M to 0.65 M. Key words: Sol-Gel method, spin coating, structural properties, optical properties.
ETV 6-NTRK 3 Chimeric Tyrosine Kinase Requires cSrc Akt Cascade by the − Phosphoinositide-3-Kinase Cellular Transformation and Activation of the Updated

The ETV6-NTRK3 (EN) chimeric tyrosine kinase, a potent oncoprotein expressed in tumors derived from multiple cell lineages, functions as a constitutively active protein-tyrosine kinase. ETV6-NTRK expression leads to the constitutive activation of two major effector pathways of wild-type NTRK3, namely, the Ras–mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) mitogenic pathway and the phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K)Akt pathway mediating cell survival, and both are required for EN transformation. However, it remains unclear how ETV6-NTRK3 activates Ras-Erk1/2 and/or PI3K-Akt cascades. Here, we define some aspects of the molecular mechanisms regulating ETV6-NTRK–dependent Ras-Erk1/2 and PI3K-Akt activation. We show that ETV6-NTRK3 associates with c-Src, and that treatment with SU6656, a c-Src inhibitor, completely blocks ETV6-NTRK-transforming activity. Treatment of NIH3T3 cells expressing ETV6-NTRK3 with SU6656 attenuated the activation of Ras-Erk1/2 and PI3K-Akt. Suppression of c-Src by RNA interference in NIH3T3-ETV6-NTRK3 cells resulted in markedly decreased expression of cyclin D1 and suppression of activation of Ras-Erk1/2 and PI3K-Akt. However, in Src-deficient cells, the ETV6-NTRK3 failed to activate the PI3K-Atk pathway, but not the Ras-Erk1/2 pathway. Therefore, these data indicate that ETV6-NTRK3 induces the PI3K-Akt cascade through the activation of c-Src. [Cancer Res 2007;67(7):3192–200]
Managerial Ownership and the Demand for Outside Directors

This paper investigates the relationship between managerial stock ownership and the demand for outside directors in the U.K. corporate-control process. Over moderate ownership levels, the incentive-alignment effects of insider ownership suggest a negative association between managerial ownership and the demand for costly monitoring in the form of outside board members. However, the costs of entrenchment in the form of reduced market-based monitoring suggest an increasing demand for monitoring and control mechanisms when managerial ownership is high. Combination of the incentive-alignment and entrenchment effects of inside ownership suggests a U-shaped association between managerial ownership and the demand for outside board members. Evidence of the predicted relation is presented for (i) a crosssection of firms in 1991 and 1995 and (ii) changes in the number of outside board members in response to the Cadbury Report’s (1992) recommendations on board composition. Further analysis indicates that the positive association between outside directors and managerial ownership documented at high ownership levels is confined to large firms. These findings provide new insights into the interrelation between ownership and board structure in public corporations.
How does earnings quality affect the equity market? An alternative measure and a new perspective

We propose and empirically validate forward-looking measures of earnings quality. Our earnings quality measures directly relate to how precisely future earnings can be estimated and have two components: an accrual component and a cash flow component. Our empirical tests produce three results: (i) The forward-looking earnings quality measures are more strongly associated with the absolute magnitude of earnings forecast errors relative to time-series based earnings quality measures. (ii) There is a strong negative relation between future returns and our measures of earnings quality. This relation is strongest in the accrual component of our earnings quality measure, but also exists in the cash flow component. (iii) Variation in earnings quality is unrelated to variation in conventional measures of risk.
Real-World Uplift Modelling with Significance-Based Uplift Trees

This paper seeks to document the current state of the art in ‘uplift modelling’—the practice of modelling the change in behaviour that results directly from a specified treatment such as a marketing intervention. We include details of the SignificanceBased Uplift Trees that have formed the core of the only packaged uplift modelling software currently available. The paper includes a summary of some of the results that have been delivered using uplift modelling in practice, with examples drawn from demand-stimulation and customer-retention applications. It also surveys and discusses approaches to each of the major stages involved in uplift modelling—variable selection, model construction, quality measures and postcampaign evaluation—all of which require different approaches from traditional response modelling.
2D face pose normalisation using a 3D morphable model

The ever growing need for improved security, surveillance and identity protection, calls for the creation of evermore reliable and robust face recognition technology that is scalable and can be deployed in all kinds of environments without compromising its effectiveness. In this paper we study the impact that pose correction has on the performance of 2D face recognition. To measure the effect, we use a state of the art 2D recognition algorithm. The pose correction is performed by means of 3D morphable model. Our results on the non frontal XM2VTS database showed that pose correction can improve recognition rates up to 30%.
Rhabdovirus Matrix Protein Structures Reveal a Novel Mode of Self-Association

The matrix (M) proteins of rhabdoviruses are multifunctional proteins essential for virus maturation and budding that also regulate the expression of viral and host proteins. We have solved the structures of M from the vesicular stomatitis virus serotype New Jersey (genus: Vesiculovirus) and from Lagos bat virus (genus: Lyssavirus), revealing that both share a common fold despite sharing no identifiable sequence homology. Strikingly, in both structures a stretch of residues from the otherwise-disordered N terminus of a crystallographically adjacent molecule is observed binding to a hydrophobic cavity on the surface of the protein, thereby forming non-covalent linear polymers of M in the crystals. While the overall topology of the interaction is conserved between the two structures, the molecular details of the interactions are completely different. The observed interactions provide a compelling model for the flexible self-assembly of the matrix protein during virion morphogenesis and may also modulate interactions with host proteins.