Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Preliminary Exploration of on-Line Study Question Performance and Response Certitude as Predictors of Future Examination Performance

This research evaluated an online study task intended to improve the study metacognition and examination performance of inexperienced college students. Existing research has commonly operationalized metacognition as the accuracy of examination score predictions. This research made use of the average discrepancy between rated confidence in individual study question responses and the accuracy of the responses to these questions as a second way to assess metacognition. Study questions accuracy, average study question confidence discrepancy, and examination predictions were contrasted as predictors of examination performance. Study question accuracy and examination predictions were significant predictors of performance. The usefulness of the accuracy of confidence ratings in predicting examination performance may have been diminished by the decreasing use of the online study questions by those who performed most poorly on examinations. Those students who ended up scoring in the bottom third on course examinations made significantly less use of the study system after the first examination. The results indicate that performance on study questions offers a useful way to predict future examination performance. The accuracy of rated confidence did improve across examinations possibly indicating students become more aware of the accuracy of their understanding and the variable may have potential value if student compliance with the proposed use of online study questions can be improved.
First identification of Toll-like receptor-4 in avian brain: evolution of lipopolysaccharide recognition and inflammation-dependent responses

In this work, we examine the effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment on nerve cells of chick embryo used as a universal avian model. We demonstrate that LPS leads to a dramatic cell loss in primary cultures of both glia and neurons, isolated from chick embryos. Toxic effects appear to be mediated by the Toll-like receptor (TLR)-4 complex, expressed in both glial and neuronal cells, since after TLR-4 silencing by RNA interference experiments LPS-induced cytotoxicity was prevented. The role of nitric oxide in LPS-induced cell damage has also been investigated. These results demonstrate, for the first time in avian nerve cells, the surface expression of TLR-4 and its role as a pattern recognition receptor involved in LPS-induced cell responses in a similar manner to that observed in mammals.
Exploring modulation spectrum features for speech-based depression level classification

In this paper, we propose a Modulation Spectrum-based manageable feature set for detection of depressed speech. Modulation Spectrum (MS) is obtained from the conventional speech spectrogram by spectral analysis along the temporal trajectories of the acoustic frequency bins. While MS representation of speech provides rich and high-dimensional joint frequency information, extraction of discriminative features from it remains as an open question. We propose a lower dimensional representation, which first employs a Mel-frequency filterbank in the acoustic frequency domain and Discrete Cosine Transform in the modulation frequency domain, and then applies feature selection in both domains. We compare and fuse the proposed feature set with other complementary prosodic and spectral features at the feature and decision levels. In our experiments, we use Support Vector Machines for discriminating the depressed speech in a speaker-independent fashion. Feature-level fusion of the proposed MS-based features with other prosodic and spectral features after dimension reduction provides up to ~9% improvement over the baseline results and also correlates the most with clinical ratings of patients’ depression level.
Using market schedules to improve secondary control design

Trends in the power system's development, such as increased demand response or penetration of renewable energy, indicate that in the future, power system will experience significant daily changes in their physical properties. Time frames of energy economics and physical processes start to overlap. These changes require proper secondary controller tuning, for which high-quality up-to-date models are needed. The main contribution of this paper, we utilize the information on the energy market outcome, which is known in advance, to identify the dynamics of a control area relevant for the secondary control (SC) design/tuning. By rethinking the interconnected power systems in the system identification framework, and exploiting the developed theory, a consistent model of a control area is obtained within a few hours. This is sufficient to follow the daily changes in the system dynamics. It is expected that a controller based on a better model adapts to the daily changes in power system dynamics, and moreover, is capable of improving the system performance. Several illustrative examples confirm that the use of market based signals in the identification process is an important step that helps getting accurate models.
ENDORSEMENT AND CONCORDANCE OF ICD-10 VERSUS DSM-IV CRITERIA FOR SUBSTANCE DEPENDENCE : INDIAN PERSPECTIVE

Substance use disorders have undergone major changes in both the international (ICD-10) and American (DSM-IV) nosological systems, thus necessitating a study of cross-system agreement between ICD-10 and DSM-IV substance dependence, especially from a developing country setting. Further, endorsement rates for various substance dependence criteria in the two systems need to be studied from a similar perspective. Hence, 221 consecutive patients with 279 diagnostic categories of substance dependence attending a de-addiction centre in Northern India were studied with regard to endorsement of the various ICD-10 and DSM-IV criteria as well as for cross-system agreement for severity of dependence. High endorsement rates were seen for most criteria in both the systems, except for those related to ‘persistence despite harm’ and ‘salience (neglect of various activities, plus excessive time spent to procure the substance)’. There were some significant differences, however, between endorsement rates across different substance categories in both the systems. Cross-system agreement on severity of substance dependence ranged from fair to good for all categories combined, and was good to excellent for the opioid category. The category of ‘others’ (nicotine, cannabis and sedative-hypnotics) showed poor cross-system agreement Overall, the results lend support to the basic theoretical construct behind both ICD-10 and DSM-IV substance dependence syndrome from a developing country perspective.
Estimation of Burden of Lead for Offspring of Female Lead Workers: A Quality-Adjusted Life Year (QALY) Assessment

This study demonstrates an empirical example that uses quality-adjusted life year (QALY) as a common metric for occupational health assessment to measure the utility loss of potential lead-exposed children delivered by female lead-battery-exposed workers. A set of nationwide health examination data was used for 1726 lead workers. Among them, there were 649 female workers. The numbers of offspring from female lead workers were estimated by multiplying the age-specific fertility rate (ASFR) by the number of workers in each age stratum. The quality of life assessment for these offspring was assumed impaired by increased absorption of lead using a measure of utility for quality of life that was adapted from Rosser’s index of health-related quality of life. The total utility loss was calculated by summing up the loss of QALY for these expected offspring. Dose-response and exposure assessments were based on their mothers’ blood lead levels. It was estimated that more than 38 babies were delivered in 1 yr. There would be 19 babies born with blood lead levels over 30 µg/dl, and about 17 babies with blood lead between 10 and 29 µg/dl. The expected utility loss of the babies was estimated to be about 216 QALY, of which 51.6 QALY was attributed to the babies with moderate blood lead level, while that of high blood lead was 164.4 QALY. An effective industrial hygiene program to reduce blood lead to 5, 10, and 15 µg/dl in female lead-exposed workers would decrease the utility loss to 169.5, 126.8, and 92.3 QALY, respectively, in the offspring. An alternative policy of raising the age of female workers by 5 or 10 yr before employment would also reduce the loss to 174.6 or 107.4 QALY. Data suggest that an effective industrial hygiene program should be implemented, and the use of QALY as a common metric for comparative assessment of occupational health policy may be feasible.
Protective mechanisms against protein damage in hyperhomocysteinemia: Systemic and renal detoxification of homocysteine-thiolactone

Homocysteine (Hcy) and its metabolite Hcy-thiolactone (HTL) are implicated in cardiovascular disease (CVD). Recent studies show that HTL is a predictor of acute myocardial infarction in CVD patients, independent of established risk factors and plasma total Hcy. HTL is formed in all cell types as a result of error-editing reactions in protein biosynthesis. Its ability to N-homocysteinylate protein lysine residues and cause protein damage has been mechanistically linked to the pathology of CVD induced by hyperhomocysteinemia. Specific HTL-detoxifying mechanisms have been identified that can potentially be exploited for modulation of HTL levels and the risk of CVD. Correspondence to: Hieronim Jakubowski, Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School, International Center for Public Health, Newark, NJ 07103, USA, Tel: 973-9728733, Fax: 973-972-8981, E-mail: jakubows@rutgers.edu
Task Productivity of Groups of Friends and Non-Friends

friends. Indeed, Cronbach (1954), in discussing the use of the sociogram (p. 161 ), has stated, "To maintain confidence, the choices must then really be used in making committees; and good work is obtained from such compatible committee members. " To test such conclusions, an experimental friendship clique of eight girls, identified by sociometric testing from a total of 70 seventh grade pupils, and a control group of non-friends, consisting of eight girls from the same class, matched on the basis of age, social class, IQ, and grade point average, were selected. The task assigned consisted of two treatments for each group. The first required that the group discuss a Thematic Apperception Test picture and decide who the men in the picture were and what they were talking about. The second treatment required that the group decide what feelings the men in the picture were experiencing. A tape recording of the discussions was made. Although 20 min. was allotted for each treatment, neither group used all the time for each treatment. For analyzing the taped discussions, our measure of productivity consisted of the number of quarter-minute periods (15 sec.) which were devoted by the individuals in the groups to the assigned task. The products of each discussion
Cardiovascular effects of dexmedetomidine, with or without MK-467, following intravenous administration in cats.

OBJECTIVE To characterize the cardiovascular effects of dexmedetomidine, with or without MK-467, following intravenous (IV) administration in cats. STUDY DESIGN Prospective Latin square experimental study. ANIMALS Six healthy adult purpose-bred cats. METHODS Cats were anesthetized with desflurane in oxygen for instrumentation with a carotid artery catheter and a thermodilution catheter in the pulmonary artery. One hour after discontinuation of desflurane, cats were administered dexmedetomidine (25 μg kg-1), MK-467 (600 μg kg-1), or dexmedetomidine (25 μg kg-1) and MK-467 (600 μg kg-1). All treatments were administered IV as a bolus. Cardiovascular variables were measured prior to drug administration and for 8 hours thereafter. Only data from the dexmedetomidine and dexmedetomidine-MK-467 treatments were analyzed. RESULTS Dexmedetomidine produced significant decreases in heart rate, cardiac index and right ventricular stroke work index, and significant increases in arterial blood pressure, central venous pressure, pulmonary artery pressure and systemic vascular resistance index. Dexmedetomidine combined with MK-467 resulted in significant but transient decrease in blood pressure and right ventricular stroke work index. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Following IV co-administration, MK-467 effectively attenuated dexmedetomidine-induced cardiovascular effects in cats. The drug combination resulted in transient reduction in arterial blood pressure, without causing hypotension.
Collegiate Athletes' Perceptions of the Legitimacy of Aggression in Sport

Abstract The purpose of the current study was to examine the perception of legitimacy of aggressive acts by male and female contact, noncontact, collision, and intramural athletes at the collegiate level. It was hypothesized that males would perceive aggressive acts as more legitimate than female athletes and collision and contact athletes would perceive aggressive acts as more legitimate than noncontact and intramural athletes. Collegiate varsity and intramural athletes (N = 237) completed a demographic questionnaire and a modified version of the Sport Behavior Inventory (Conroy, Silva, Newcomer, Walker, & Johnson, 2001), which evaluated the perception of legitimacy of aggressive acts. Results revealed that male athletes perceived aggressive acts as more legitimate than female athletes. Additionally, collision sport athletes and noncontact sport athletes perceived aggressive acts as more legitimate than contact sport athletes. No interaction was found between gender and sport type. This research assists in understanding the connection between sport socialization and perceived legitimacy of aggressive acts in sport.
Practitioners’ views on cross-community music education projects in Northern Ireland : alienation, socio-economic factors and educational potential

This article reports a qualitative investigation of the perceptions on cross‐community music education activities of 14 key practitioners with experience with the two main communities in Northern Ireland (NI), Protestant and Catholic. The segregation of the NI education system is outlined in the first section, which is followed by a review of literature, cross‐community projects, and the research methodology. Two hundred and sixteen pages of interview transcripts were analysed with NVivo. Interviewees reflected on current activities and on memories of their own experiences when younger, their fears and hopes. They explained how such projects are and have been organised in NI. The participants' perceptions are discussed, including their comments on ‘Project processes and effectiveness’, ‘Music education potential’ and ‘Music as a sign of identity’. The reported educational activities and aims vary depending on a number of factors, one of the most important being the level of acknowledgement of integration .
Continuous High-Frequency Oscillation Therapy in Invasively Ventilated Pediatric Subjects in the Critical Care Setting

BACKGROUND: Continuous high-frequency oscillation (CHFO) creates a pressure gradient in the small airways that accelerates expiratory flow. The intended use of CHFO therapy is to facilitate secretion removal and treat atelectasis. Our objective was to assess the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of CHFO in the mechanically ventilated pediatric population. METHODS: After institutional review board approval, we retrospectively reviewed medical records of mechanically ventilated children treated with CHFO (the MetaNeb system) at our institution from July 1, 2007 through August 31, 2012. Patients supported with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation were excluded. We evaluated changes in ventilator settings in subjects with ventilator data documented within 6 h pre- and post-treatment. We evaluated arterial blood gas (ABG) results for individual treatments, comparing ABG results within 8 h pre-therapy to ABG results within 3 h post-treatment. Oxygen index and PaO2/FIO2 were calculated. Demographic data, blood pressure, heart rate, and development of new air leak while being treated with CHFO were recorded. Pre- and post-CHFO measurements were compared using Wilcoxon signed-rank testing. RESULTS: Our cohort included 59 invasively ventilated subjects. Median age was 2 y (range 1 month to 19 y), and median weight was 14 kg (2–81 kg). We evaluated data on 528 total treatments (range per subject 1–39 treatments). Peak inspiratory pressure significantly decreased with CHFO, whereas other parameters, including PaCO2 and breathing frequency, remained stable. There was no significant change in systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, or heart rate following treatment with CHFO. One subject (2%) developed a clinically insignificant pneumothorax during CHFO. CONCLUSIONS: CHFO is feasible and seems safe in our cohort of mechanically ventilated pediatric subjects. The rate of pneumothorax was consistent with that seen in similar pediatric ICU populations. These preliminary results suggest that CHFO may be beneficial by improving lung compliance in pediatric subjects with secretion-induced atelectasis. Prospective clinical studies are needed to further evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of CHFO in children receiving invasive mechanical ventilation.
Head motion during dialogue speech and nod timing control in humanoid robots

Head motion naturally occurs in synchrony with speech and may carry paralinguistic information, such as intention, attitude and emotion, in dialogue communication. With the aim of verifying the relationship between head motion and the dialogue acts carried by speech, analyses were conducted on motion-captured data for several speakers during natural dialogues. The analysis results first confirmed the trends of our previous work, showing that regardless of the speaker, nods frequently occur during speech utterances, not only for expressing dialogue acts such as agreement and affirmation, but also appearing at the last syllable of the phrase, in strong phrase boundaries, especially when the speaker is talking confidently, or expressing interest in the interlocutor's talk. Inter-speaker variability indicated that the frequency of head motion may vary according to the speaker's age or status, while intra-speaker variability indicated that the frequency of head motion also differs depending on the inter-personal relationship with the interlocutor. A simple model for generating nods based on rules inferred from the analysis results was proposed and evaluated in two types of humanoid robots. Subjective scores showed that the proposed model could generate head motions with naturalness comparable to the original motions.
Clustering Algorithm for Hidden Node Problem In Infrastructure Mode IEEE 802.11 Wireless LANs

In this paper, we propose a clustering algorithm for resolving the hidden node problem in infrastructure mode IEEE 802.11 wireless LANs by partitioning the STAs (stations) in a BSS (basic service set) into the clusters, so that the STAs can detect the transmission signal of the other STAs within the same cluster, i.e., the hidden node problem does not exist within each cluster. When M (> 1) clusters of STAs are derived by the proposed clustering algorithm, a CP (contention period) is divided into M SPs (Sub-Periods), each of which is nonoverlappingly assigned to a cluster, so that the STAs within each cluster contend for the access to the wireless channel with the reduced possibility of hidden nodes within the cluster. Taking into consideration the fairness among the clusters, we also propose a fairness algorithm for dividing a CP into the SPs.
ALTERATION OF INTEROCULAR SUPPRESSION FOLLOWING MONOCULAR HOMOGENEOUS STIMULUS

Flash suppression is a phenomenon of interocular suppression where a monocular prime is immediately followed by dichoptic rival targets, inducing dominance of the contralateral view. Studies examining flash suppression have shown that a prime with visual features provokes feature-selective suppression. This study employed a prime lacking any features and examined the effects on visibility of the dichoptic targets. The prime (homogeneous grey field; luminance, 3.0 cd/m2) was presented to one eye alone for 1000 ms, followed immediately by dichoptic rival targets (blue vs. red squares) for durations of 10–200 ms. Visible colors were contralateral to the prime for targets 50 ms. The results suggest that the net effect of flash suppression might be eye-specific and different from feature-selective suppression.
Global Talent Management

The Problem Despite increasing attention in business, talent management in global contexts has not been explored adequately in HRD. Most studies related to global talent management explain only part of it and do not provide an integrative understanding of what is going on globally in talent management in an HRD perspective. The Solution This article proposed an integrative conceptual framework for global talent management that involves the necessity, challenges, and roles of HRD. Considering cross-cultural viewpoints and multinational enterprise issues in HRD, the study analyzed why talent management is necessary and the challenges of developing talent. Finally, proposals were made for developing global talent and roles for HRD researchers and practitioners. The Stakeholders The results of this study will provide insights or guides for researchers interested in talent management/development and HR practitioners involved in a multinational enterprise.
Frontotemporal dementia: Its definition, differential diagnosis, and management

Background: Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is defined as primary neurodegeneration of the anterior temporal and/or frontal lobes resulting in a group of associated conditions marked by changes in cognition, language, personality, and social functioning. FTD was previously thought to be a rare disease. However, researchers report that FTD is the third most common form of dementia. Because adults with FTD have deficits in language, cognition, and behaviour, familiarity with FTD subtypes, associated deficits, and currently available management strategies is warranted. Aims: The aims of this tutorial are (a) to define frontotemporal dementia including behavioural and language characteristics of the three clinically distinct FTD subtypes (frontotemporal variant, nonfluent progressive aphasia, semantic dementia); (b) to identify similarities and differences between FTD and Alzheimer's dementia; and (c) to discuss management strategies for patients with FTD. Main Contribution: Different subtypes and presentations of FTD as well as the neurological, behavioural, and language symptoms that have been consistently identified are reviewed. Behavioural and language symptoms of the two FTD subtypes with primary language disturbances (nonfluent progressive aphasia and semantic dementia) are also reviewed. Patients with FTD are frequently misdiagnosed as presenting with Alzheimer's dementia due to limitations in the literature describing the differing profiles of the two populations. When considering neurological changes, behavioural changes, language and communication behaviours, and disease progression, these patient populations are distinct and easily differentiated. Finally, management strategies are discussed. Although there is no cure for FTD, medical intervention can address some of the associated symptoms, and behavioural techniques may manage the client's environment and prolong communication abilities. Conclusions: General discussion seeks to differentially diagnose FTD dementia from Alzheimer's dementia as well as to clarify the language and communication symptoms of FTD subtypes. Future research directions are suggested for developing evidence‐based direct and indirect management strategies.