Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neural Control Adaptation to Motor Noise Manipulation

Antagonistic muscular co-activation can compensate for movement variability induced by motor noise at the expense of increased energetic costs. Greater antagonistic co-activation is commonly observed in older adults, which could be an adaptation to increased motor noise. The present study tested this hypothesis by manipulating motor noise in 12 young subjects while they practiced a goal-directed task using a myoelectric virtual arm, which was controlled by their biceps and triceps muscle activity. Motor noise was increased by increasing the coefficient of variation (CV) of the myoelectric signals. As hypothesized, subjects adapted by increasing antagonistic co-activation, and this was associated with reduced noise-induced performance decrements. A second hypothesis was that a virtual decrease in motor noise, achieved by smoothing the myoelectric signals, would have the opposite effect: co-activation would decrease and motor performance would improve. However, the results showed that a decrease in noise made performance worse instead of better, with no change in co-activation. Overall, these findings suggest that the nervous system adapts to virtual increases in motor noise by increasing antagonistic co-activation, and this preserves motor performance. Reducing noise may have failed to benefit performance due to characteristics of the filtering process itself, e.g., delays are introduced and muscle activity bursts are attenuated. The observed adaptations to increased noise may explain in part why older adults and many patient populations have greater antagonistic co-activation, which could represent an adaptation to increased motor noise, along with a desire for increased joint stability.
Subjective Inequality: a Review of International Comparative Studies on People’s Views about Inequality

Abstract This study reviews international comparative studies investigating people’s views on inequality. These studies are classified using a framework consisting of three types of conceptions of inequality and two dimensions of inequality. Four perspectives are discussed explaining cross-national differences in views on inequality: the modernist, the culturalist, the micro and the macro perspective. The findings of studies comparing views on inequalities in post-communist and Western states provide more support for the modernist than for the culturalist perspective. Few comparative studies appear to investigate views on inequalities as independent variables impacting on other social attitudes and behaviours. It is argued that the social relevance of the field will be enhanced if more studies can show that views on inequality have an effect on social outcomes complementary to that of objective inequalities. Résumé L’étude fait le tour des comparaisons internationales qui ont analysé les opinions sur l’inégalité. On peut les classer à partir de trois conceptions de l’inégalité et de deux dimensions. On obtient en fait quatre modèles qui rendent compte des différences entre nations : le moderniste, le culturaliste, la perspective micro et la perspective macro. Les données comparatives pour les pays ex-communistes et les pays occidentaux s’accordent mieux avec une perspective moderniste que culturaliste. Les études comparatives ont fort peu traité les jugements sur l’inégalité comme variables indépendantes ayant un impact sur d’autres attitudes et comportements sociaux. La pertinence sociale de ce champ d’études serait augmentée si davantage d’études montraient que les jugements sur l’inégalité ont des effets sociaux qui s’ajoutent à ceux des inégalités objectives. Zusammenfassung Dieser Beitrag interessiert sich für internationale vergleichende Studien, die die Anschauungen über Ungleichheit zum Thema haben. Diese Studien lassen sich in drei Konzepte und zwei Dimensionen von Ungleichheit einteilen. Daraus entstehen vier Modelle, die die unterschiedlichen nationalen Betrachtungsweisen von Ungleichheit erklären: die modernistische Perspektive, die kulturelle Perspektive, die Mikroperspektive und die Makroperspektive. Die vergleichenden Angaben ehemaliger kommunistischer und westlicher Länder stimmen eher mit der modernistischen als mit der kulturalistischen Perspektive überein. Nur wenige der vergleichenden Studien scheinen Ungleichheiten als unabhängige Variablen zu verstehen, die zu anderen sozialen Formen und Verhaltensweisen führen könnten. Die soziale Bedeutung dieses Studienbereichs könnte zunehmen, falls mehrere Untersuchungen zeigen würden, dass die Einstufungen der Ungleichheit soziale Auswirkungen haben, die zu den objektiven Ungleichheiten hinzugefügt werden müssen.
Building the World’s Visual Language: The Increasing Global Importance of Image Banks in Corporate Media

Many of the images we now find in magazines, news, promotional material and advertisements are bought cheaply from image banks like Getty Images, which can be accessed by people all around the world. These images are technically of high quality. They have bright lighting and flat colours; attractive models are highly posed and are set in non-descript locations to make them usable across the world. They do not represent actual places or events and they do not document or bear witness, but they symbolically represent marketable concepts and moods such as ‘contentment’ and ‘freedom’. The world in magazines and other similar media therefore comes to resemble the limited world of the image bank categories, which are based on marketing categories. This is therefore an ideologically pre-structured world which is in harmony with consumerism.
Skill Bias Magnified: Intersectoral Linkages and White-Collar Labor Demand in U.S. Manufacturing

Abstract This paper presents a novel stylized fact and analyzes its contribution to the skill bias of technical change in U.S. manufacturing. The share of skilled labor embedded in intermediate inputs correlates strongly with the skill share employed in final production. This finding points toward an intersectoral technology-skill complementarity (ITSC). Together with input-output linkages, the observed complementarity delivers a multiplier that reinforces skill demand along the production chain. Reduced-form estimates suggest that the effect is quantitatively important, explaining about as much skill upgrading as outsourcing. Empirical evidence suggests that one channel through which this complementarity works is product innovation. I also analyze the importance of different drivers of skill upgrading over time. While foreign outsourcing and IT capital are associated with skill demand particularly strongly from the 1980s on (a period of rapidly increasing skill premiums), R&D contributed stably throughout the period 1958 to 2005. The same is true for ITSC, which augmented within-sector skill bias in a stable fashion throughout the past five decades.
Amylin and Bone Metabolism in Streptozotocin‐Induced Diabetic Rats

Amylin (AMY) is a 37 amino acid peptide cosecreted with insulin (INS) by pancreatic β‐cells and absent in type 1 diabetes, a condition frequently associated with osteopenia. AMY binds to calcitonin receptors, lowers plasma calcium concentration, inhibits osteoclast activity, and stimulates osteoblasts. In the present study, we examined the effects of AMY replacement on bone loss in a streptozotocin (STZ)‐induced rodent model type 1 diabetes. Of 50 male Wistar rats studied, 40 were made diabetic with intraperitoneal STZ (50 mg/kg; plasma glucose concentrations >11 mM within 5 days). Ten nondiabetic control (CONT) rats received citrate buffer without STZ. Diabetic rats were divided into four groups (n = 10/group) and injected subcutaneously with rat AMY (45 mg/kg), INS (12 U/kg), both (same doses), or saline (STZ; diabetic controls) once per day. After 40 days of treatment and five 24‐h periods of urine collection for deoxypyridinoline (DPD), the animals were killed, blood was sampled, and femurs were removed. The left femur was tested for mechanical resistance (three‐point bending). The right femur was tested for total, diaphyseal (cortical bone), and metaphyseal (trabecular bone) bone densities using dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA). Bone was ashed to determine total bone mineral (calcium) content. None of the treatments had any significant effect on femoral length and diameter. Untreated diabetic rats (STZ; 145 ± 7N) had lower bone strength than did nondiabetic CONT (164 ± 38; p < 0.05). Total bone mineral density (BMD; g/cm2) was significantly lower in STZ (0. 2523 ± 0. 0076) than in CONT (0.2826 ± 0.0055), as were metaphyseal and diaphyseal densities. Diabetic rats treated with AMY, INS, or both had bone strengths and bone densities that were indistinguishable from those in nondiabetic CONT. Changes in bone mineral content paralleled those for total BMD (T‐BMD). Plasma osteocalcin (OC) concentration, a marker for osteoblastic activity, was markedly lower in untreated diabetic rats (7. 6 ± 0. 9 ng/ml); p < 0. 05) than in nondiabetic CONT (29. 8 ± 1. 7; p < 0. 05) or than in AMY (20. 1 ± 0. 7; p < 0. 05). Urinary DPD excretion, a marker for bone resorption, was similar in untreated and AMY‐treated diabetic rats (35.0 ± 3.1 vs. 35.1 ± 4.4 nmol/mmol creatinine), intermediate in rats treated with INS (49.9 ± 2.7), and normalized in diabetic rats treated with both agents (58.8 ± 8.9 vs. 63.2 ± 4.5 in CONT). Thus, in our STZ rat model of diabetic osteopenia, addition of AMY improved bone indices apparently by both inhibiting resorption and stimulating bone formation.
The presence or absence of older siblings and variation in infant goal-directed motor development

This study investigates the relationship between having an older sibling and early goal-directed motor development. In a longitudinal study, infants were filmed playing with their mother and were observed at 5 and 12 months of age. After each observation, they were assessed with the Mental Bayley Scale. From the mother—child interaction, playing was coded in terms of the production of infant goal-directed actions. Results indicated that infants with siblings produced fewer goal-directed actions at 5 months than infants without older siblings, but at 12 months they produced relatively more goal-directed actions than infants without older siblings. There was no relationship with scores on the Mental Bayley Scale. In order to examine differences in adult behavior that may account for variation in infant motor performance, maternal level of motionese was scored with no differences found between the sibling—no sibling groups.
A Meta-Analytic Review of the Effect on Learning of the Interaction Between Prior Achievement and Instructional Support

Aptitude-treatment interaction research has been plagued by conceptual and methodological problems that are evidenced in inconsistent results and unreplicated studies. These problems can be addressed, in part, by using meta-analytic techniques. These techniques were used in this study to test the effect of the interaction of prior achievement with instructional support on learning. This aptitude-treatment interaction was tested by assessing how the learning of subjects with different levels of prior achievement is effected by providing organizational and structuring instructional support as opposed to learner-controlled or self-paced instructional support. The results reveal an interaction that is consistent with the interpretation that there are greater differences in learning achievement between subjects with high prior achievement and subjects with low prior achievement when structuring and organizing support are provided and smaller differences between these subjects when instruction is self-paced. Although this study indicates that differences in achievement levels can be reduced through instructional treatment, further research is needed to evaluate other effects, such as total and subgroup mean achievement.
Folk theory of social change

People have a folk theory of social change (FTSC). A typical Western FTSC stipulates that as a society becomes more industrialized, it undergoes a natural course of social change, in which a communal society marked by communal relationships becomes a qualitatively different, agentic society where market-based exchange relationships prevail. People use this folk theory to predict a society's future and estimate its past, to understand contemporary cross-cultural differences, and to make decisions about social policies. Nonetheless, the FTSC is not particularly consistent with the existing cross-cultural research on industrialization and cultural differences, and needs to be examined carefully.
Mycoplasma stress response: adaptive regulation or broken brakes?

The avian bacterial pathogen Mycoplasma gallisepticum is a good model for transcriptional regulation studies due to its small genome and relative simplicity. In this study, we used RNA-Seq experiments combined with MS-based proteomics to accurately map coding sequences (CDSs), transcription start sites (TSSs) and transcription terminators (TTs) and to decipher their roles in stress-induced transcriptional responses. We identified 1061 TSSs at an FDR (false discovery rate) of 10% and showed that almost all transcription in M. gallisepticum is initiated from classic TATAAT promoters, which are surrounded by A/T-rich sequences and rarely accompanied by a −35 element. Our analysis revealed the pronounced complexity of the operon structure: on average, each coding operon has one internal TSS and TT in addition to the primary ones. Our new transcriptomic approach based on the intervals between the two closest transcription initiators and/or terminators allowed us to identify two classes of TTs: strong, unregulated and hairpin-containing TTs and weak, heat shock-regulated and hairpinless TTs. Comparing the gene expression levels under different conditions (such as heat, osmotic and peroxide stresses) revealed widespread and divergent transcription regulation in M. gallisepticum. Modeling suggested that the structure of the core promoter plays a major role in gene expression regulation. We have shown that the heat stress activation of cryptic promoters combined with the suppression of hairpinless TTs leads to widespread, seemingly non-functional transcription.
Estimation of the number of operating sensors in large-scale sensor networks with mobile access

This paper investigates the estimation of the number of operating sensors in a sensor network in which the data collection is made by a mobile access point. In this paper, an estimator based on the Good-Turing estimator of the missing mass is proposed and it is generalized to other related problems such as the estimation of the distribution of energy available at sensors. The estimator is analyzed using the theory of large deviations. Closed-form bounds on the large deviation exponent are presented and confidence intervals for the estimator are characterized.
Control of arginine biosynthesis in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

SUMMARY: Arginine biosynthesis in Pseudomonas aeruginosa proceeded via transacetylation of acetylornithine with glutamate; it resembled Micrococcus glutamicus rather than Escherichia coli. Of four arginine biosynthetic enzymes, N-acetyl-y-glutamokinase, N-acetylornithine glutamate transacetylase, ornithine transcarbamylase and argininosuccinase determined under various conditions of arginine excess and deprivation, only ornithine transcarbamylase (OTCase) varied. It appeared to be fully derepressed in the wild-type strain grown in minimal medium and partially repressed in the presence of arginine. OTCase was also partially repressed in all arginine auxotrophs, even when deprived of arginine. OTCase was derepressed in bradytrophic revertants of arginine auxotrophs grown in minimal medium, but its level was never greater than that in the wild-type. The level of endogenous arginine in the wild-type strain grown in minimal medium is probably insufficient to effect repression. Exogenous arginine is more effective in repression when present as the sole carbon source.
Educational Research in Developing 3‐D Spatial Skills for Engineering Students

The ability to visualize in three dimensions is a cognitive skill that has been shown to be important for success in engineering and other technological fields. For engineering, the ability to mentally rotate 3‐D objects is especially important. Unfortunately, of all the cognitive skills, 3‐D rotation abilities exhibit robust gender differences, favoring males. The assessment of 3‐D spatial skills and associated gender differences has been a topic of educational research for nearly a century; however, a great deal of the previous work has been aimed at merely identifying differences. The author has been conducting applied research in the area of spatial skills development for more than a decade aimed at identifying practical methods for improving 3‐D spatial skills, especially for women engineering students. This paper details the significant findings obtained over the past several years through this research and identifies strategies that appear to be effective in developing 3‐D spatial skills and in contributing to student success.
Extranjeros en el campo científico mexicano: primeras aproximaciones

The article explores some demographic and academic characteristics of foreign scientists in Mexican institutions who are dedicated to the development of educational and scientific activities. Their situation was contextualized by analyzing public and cooperative policies geared at attracting foreign scientists. The policies were identified using a 2009 database of the national system of researchers (SNI for its Spanish acronym) compiled by the National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT for its Spanish acronym). The features and training paths were established. The following was analyzed; reasons for their departure, conditions for professionalization, the pattern of migration, integration in social networks plus the results of interviews with 73 foreign researchers.
Epispadias repair: functional outcome of complete disassembly

Purpose of review Complete penile disassembly (CPD) is a widely utilized procedure for epispadias repair. The rarity of the anomaly and limited number of patients in published series limit our ability to fully evaluate the outcome of such a technique. Recent findings We reviewed the literature for published data on CPD. We looked at different complications of the procedure and the main modifications to alleviate such complications. We looked at functional data on the effect of such a technique on erectile function. This review should be helpful in parents/patient counseling. Future areas for research are suggested. Summary CPD is a safe and highly successful technique for epispadias repair in infants, boys and adults. There is an ongoing concern with the procedure in neonates. The procedure has a satisfactory outcome when performed for isolated epispadias. In the exstrophy population, long-term data are required to evaluate the outcome of the technique on urinary continence and sexual functions.
Web-based student evaluations of professors: the relations between perceived quality, easiness and sexiness

College students critique their professors' teaching at RateMyProfessors.com, a web page where students anonymously rate their professors on Quality, Easiness, and Sexiness. Using the self-selected data from this public forum, we examine the relations between quality, easiness, and sexiness for 3190 professors at 25 universities. For faculty with at least ten student posts, the correlation between quality and easiness is 0.61, and the correlation between quality and sexiness is 0.30. Using simple linear regression, we find that about half of the variation in quality is a function of easiness and sexiness. When grouped into sexy and non-sexy professors, the data reveal that students give sexy-rated professors higher quality and easiness scores. If these findings reflect the thinking of American college students when they complete in-class student opinion surveys, then universities need to rethink the validity of student opinion surveys as a measure of teaching effectiveness. High student opinion survey scores might well be viewed with suspicion rather than reverence, since they might indicate a lack of rigor, little student learning, and grade inflation.
College Men's and Women's Motives for Participation in Physical Activity

The Attitude Toward Physical Activity Questionnaire was utilized to study the importance of nine dimensions (social experience, health and fitness, thrill and risk, beauty in movement, release of tension, prolonged and strenuous training, pursuit of victory, demonstration of ability, competition) in involvement in physical activity of 50 male and 50 female athletes and 100 nonathletes. Factor analyses of intercorrelations among the dimensions reduced these to three factors (competition, health and fitness, social experience). Mean factor scores showed that the total sample rated health and fitness as significantly more important than the other two as a motive for involvement in physical activity. A 2 × 2 multivariate analysis of variance showed a significant relationship between sex and skill and the factors. Further univariate analyses showed that men and women similarly rated health and fitness the most important, but women rated competition significantly lower and social experience significantly higher than men. Athletes differed significantly from nonathletes only in the assignment of higher scores to competition.
Clock mesh synthesis method using the Earth Mover's Distance under transformations

A novel clock mesh generation method is proposed based on the EMDg (Earth Mover's Distance under transformations) algorithm. A bottom-up approach is adopted in creating local-level tree clusters to drive the generation of a regional-level uniform clock mesh. The EMDg method incrementally moves the regional-level uniform clock mesh closer to the register cluster roots in order to reduce the total stub wirelength. Post-EMDg mesh reduction, the redundant mesh wires are eliminated from the initial uniform mesh in order to reduce the mesh wirelength, preserving the stub wire connections and the integrity of the clock mesh. The optimization results show that the proposed method can achieve an average total wirelength saving of 20.1% and power savings of 12.2% on a suite of ISCAS'89 benchmark circuits compared to the previous clock mesh generation methods.
Essays in Experimental Economics and the Improvement of Judgment and Decision Making

This dissertation presents essays on the relationship between judgment and decision making and public policy, with a focus on gender diversity. The gender di erence in career advancement is the likely result both of decisions made on the supply side (i.e. female and male job candidates) as well as decisions on the demand side (i.e. evaluators). These essays explore the behavioral foundations of decision making processes on both sides, and also make recommendations on how to use these behavioral insights to improve decisions, as well as increase gender diversity. The first essay, Opening the Black Box of Gender Di erences in Risk Taking, experimentally tests the drivers behind increased risk aversion of females. The essay demonstrates that this gender di erence is not driven by di erences in probability weighting but by di erences in the valuation of outcomes. In addition, in environments where probabilities and outcomes are not common knowledge, females expect a higher chance of a bad outcome to occur, and dislike the bad outcome more. Controlling for the expected probabilities and the valuation of outcomes eliminates the gender di erence in risk preferences, except for monetary risks. The second essay, Risk in the Background: How Men and Women Respond, experimentally tests the gender-specific e ect of risk in the decision environment on subsequent risk taking. It demonstrates that females increase risk taking after an increase in income and in the presence of an unrealized risk with strictly positive