Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Role of Bodily Feedback in Discourse Processing

amodal symbols that are arbitrarily related to their referents. From this perspective, the mind is an abstract information processor and sensory-motor systems are not relevant to understanding of higher-level cognitive processes (Fodor, 1975; Newell & Simon, 1972; Pylyshyn, 1984). The idea that relations among symbols may lead to successful language processing was corroborated by several symbolic models describing how human memory is organized semantically and schematically (e.g., Bobrow & Norman, 1975; Charniak, 1978; Norman, 1975; Quillian, 1969; Rumelhart, 1975; Shank & Abelson, 1975) as well as computational implementations, such as Knowledge Representation Language (Bobrow & Winograd, 1977), CYC (Lenat & Guha, 1989), Hyperspace Analog to Language (Lund & Burgess, 1966), Topic Model (Griffiths & Steyvers, 2004), and Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA) of Landauer & Dumais (1997). Furthermore, the demonstrations of the most popular model, such as LSA, in picking out synonyms, measuring coherence of texts (Landauer & Dumais, 1997), and even scoring students’ essays (Landauer, Laham, Rehder, & Schreiner, 1997) led some scholars to support the potential of this model to account for human meaning (e.g., Landauer, 2002; Louwerse & Ventura, 2005). Nonetheless, about 10 years ago the dominance of amodal theory was challenged and ultimately declined by the appearance of a new embodied account of cognition. This new account is based on the idea that language processing should be viewed in the context of relationship between the mind and the body. Neuroscientific research provided substantial support for this idea by demonstrating that the same sensory-motor regions of the brain get activated when individuals process the words and their referents (e.g., Eskenazi, Grosjean, Humphreys, & Knoblich, 2009; Gallese, 2008; Kan, Barsalou, Solomon, Minor, & Thompson-Schill, 2003; Martin, 2001, 2007; Pulvermuller, 2008; Thompson-Schill, 2003). Similarly, research in cognitive psychology and cognitive linguistics showed that language comprehension arises at least partially from simulations of sensory, motor, and affective states (Borghi, Ferdinando, & Parasi, 2011; Foroni & Semin, 2009; Gibbs, 2006; Glenberg, 1997;
Midodrine: a role in the management of neurocardiogenic syncope

Objective To determine the benefit of midodrine, an α agonist, on symptom frequency and haemodynamic responses during head up tilt in patients with neurocardiogenic syncope. Setting Cardiovascular investigation unit (a secondary and tertiary referral centre for the investigation and management of syncope). Patients 16 outpatients (mean (SD) age 56 (18) years; five men) with frequent hypotensive symptoms (more than two syncopal episodes and fewer than 20 symptom free days per month), and reproducible syncope with glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) during head up tilt. Design and intervention Randomised double blind placebo controlled study. Patients were randomised to receive either placebo or midodrine for one month. Symptom events were recorded during each study month. At the end of each study month patients completed a quality of life scoring scale (Short Form 36) and a global assessment of therapeutic response. They received GTN with head up tilt for measurement of heart rate (electrocardiography), phasic blood pressure (digital photoplethysmography), and thoracic fluid index (transthoracic impedance plethysmography) during symptom provocation. Results Patients administered midodrine had an average of 7.3 more symptom free days than those who received placebo (95% confidence interval (CI) 4.6 to 9; p < 0.0001). Eleven patients reported a positive therapeutic response with midodrine (p = 0.002). All domains of quality of life showed improvement with midodrine, in particular physical function (8.1; 95% CI 3.7 to 12.2), energy and vitality (14.6; 95% CI 7.3 to 22.1), and change in health status (22.2; 95% CI 11 to 33.4 ). Fourteen patients who were given placebo had tilt induced syncope compared with six given midodrine (p = 0.01). Baseline supine systolic blood pressure was higher and heart rate lower in patients who received midodrine than in those who were given placebo ( p < 0.05). A lower thoracic fluid index in patients administered midodrine indicates increased venous return when supine and during head up tilt. There were no serious adverse effects. Conclusions Midodrine had a conspicuous beneficial effect on symptom frequency, symptoms during head up tilt, and quality of life. Midodrine is recommended for the treatment of neurocardiogenic syncope in patients with frequent symptoms.
Cultural intelligence as a predictor of individuals’ adaptive performance: A study in a multicultural environment

As the work environment is changing rapidly, organizations need more adaptable employees who can work creatively, learn new skills and adapt to diverse social contexts and novel environments. Individual differences such as prior experience and self-efficacy have been extensively examined as predictors of adaptive performance. In contrast, the role of cultural intelligence in promoting adaptive performance has been overlooked. The primary goal of this study was to examine cultural intelligence that may account for adaptive performance beyond prior experience and self-efficacy. Moreover, we examined the moderating role of self-efficacy in terms of the relationship between cultural intelligence and adaptive performance. We tested our hypothesis with multisource data in a sample of 132 military personnel assigned in a multinational military organization. Hierarchical regression analysis demonstrated that cultural intelligence, together with self-efficacy and prior experience, was important predictors of adaptive performance. Specifically, cultural intelligence explained additional variance in adaptive performance over and above that of prior experience and self-efficacy. These findings suggested the importance of cultural intelligence as a critical predictor of adaptive performance in multicultural contexts.
Dialogue: driven information retrieval

Web search engines are built for helping web users to locate information quickly and efficiently. However, despite the fact that search engines provide considerable assistance in locating information, one of the main difficulties remains the ambiguity and uncertainty involved in matching information needs against documents which might satisfy those needs. A possible solution is the application of natural language dialogue systems, an area that is becoming increasingly prominent in the field of natural language processing. Dialogue Systems aim at conversing with a human using a logical and articulate structure. Dialogue systems have been shown to work well over structured knowledge sources. Imposing a dialogue system on an intranet however is a new challenge. Here we are looking at combining a dialogue system with the power of a standard search engine.
Should We Protect the Strong or the Weak? Risk, Resilience, and the Selection of Marine Protected Areas

Abstract: It is thought that recovery of marine habitats from uncontrollable disturbance may be faster in marine reserves than in unprotected habitats. But which marine habitats should be protected, those areas at greatest risk or those at least risk? We first defined this problem mathematically for 2 alternate conservation objectives. We then analytically solved this problem for both objectives and determined under which conditions each of the different protection strategies was optimal. If the conservation objective was to maximize the chance of having at least 1 healthy site, then the best strategy was protection of the site at lowest risk. On the other hand, if the goal was to maximize the expected number of healthy sites, the optimal strategy was more complex. If protected sites were likely to spend a significant amount of time in a degraded state, then it was best to protect low‐risk sites. Alternatively, if most areas were generally healthy then, counterintuitively, it was best to protect sites at higher risk. We applied these strategies to a situation of cyclone disturbance of coral reefs on Australia's Great Barrier Reef. With regard to the risk of cyclone disturbance, the optimal reef to protect differed dramatically, depending on the expected speed of reef recovery of both protected and unprotected reefs. An adequate consideration of risk is fundamental to all conservation actions and can indicate surprising routes to conservation success.
Ab Initio Calculation of the Gilbert Damping Parameter via Linear Response Formalism

A Kubo-Greenwood-like equation for the Gilbert damping parameter α is presented that is based on the linear response formalism. Its implementation on the basis of the fully relativistic Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker (KKR) band structure method together with the Coherent Potential Approximation (CPA) alloy theory allows application to a wide range of situations. This is demonstrated by results obtained for the alloy system bcc FexCo1-x as well as for a series of alloys of permalloy with 5d transition metals. To account for the thermal displacements of atoms as a scattering mechanism, an alloy-analogy model is introduced. In line with experiment, calculations for Ni correctly describe the rapid change of α when small amounts of Cu are introduced substitutionally.
Accurate position control of a flapping-wing robot enabling free-flight flow visualisation in a wind tunnel

Flow visualisations are essential to better understand the unsteady aerodynamics of flapping wing flight. The issues inherent to animal experiments, such as poor controllability and unnatural flapping when tethered, can be avoided by using robotic flyers that promise for a more systematic and repeatable methodology. Here, we present a new flapping-wing micro air vehicle (FWMAV)-specific control approach that, by employing an external motion tracking system, achieved autonomous wind tunnel flight with a maximum root-mean-square position error of 28 mm at low speeds (0.8–1.2 m/s) and 75 mm at high speeds (2–2.4 m/s). This allowed the first free-flight flow visualisation experiments to be conducted with an FWMAV. Time-resolved stereoscopic particle image velocimetry was used to reconstruct the three-dimensional flow patterns of the FWMAV wake. A good qualitative match was found in comparison to a tethered configuration at similar conditions, suggesting that the obtained free-flight measurements are reliable and meaningful.
Lactic Acid Production from Potato Peel Waste, Spent Coffee Grounds and Almond Shells with Undefined Mixed Cultures Isolated from Coffee Mucilage from Coatepec Mexico

Food waste is considered a non-valued material and the volume is increasing with population and these wastes can be used as raw materials to produce useful bioproducts. Potato peel waste (PPW), almond shells (AS) and spent coffee grounds (SCG) are such wastes and were used as feedstocks to produce lactic acid (LA) via fermentation. Two lactic acid producing bacterial consortia were screened/selected based on glucose and arabinose fed media and were each used for subsequent fermentations. The food wastes were subjected to either: (i) starch gelatinization, (ii) hydrothermal pretreatment, (ii) hydrothermal and cellulase pretreatment, and (iv) hydrothermal and cellulase pretreatment buffered with CaCO3 prior to fermentation. The glucose selected consortia was better than the arabinose selected consortia for generating LA, and thus was used for further fermentations trials using pretreated biomass. The best LA yield (0.175 g LA g-1 biomass) was from gelatinized AS than the hydrothermal plus cellulase pretreatment. LA productivity was improved for the hydrothermal plus cellulase pretreated biomass by addition of CaCO3 as buffer to give LA production rates of 0.063 g LA g-1 PPW, 0.045 g LA g-1 AS and 0.049 g LA g-1 SCG.
Connecting and protecting? Comparing predictors of self-disclosure and privacy settings use between adolescents and adults

The present study serves two purposes. First, we explore how adolescents and adults approach the disclosure of personal information and the application of privacy settings on social network sites (SNS). Second, we investigate whether the factors that predict these two privacy-management strategies differ for adolescents and adults. To achieve the goals of this study, an online survey was conducted among a sample of 1484 SNS users ranging in age from 10 to 65 years. In addition to gender and age, we investigated the following predictors: frequency of and motives for SNS use, trust in other users, peer influence and concerns related to privacy and contact risks. The results show that adolescents disclose more personal data and apply more lenient privacy settings to these data than adults do. Several factors were found to affect disclosure and profile-access management, with differences between adolescents and adults in some cases. Finally, we discuss implications emerging from the study’s findings.
Utilisation of prehospital emergency medical services for hyperglycaemia: A community-based observational study

Aims This study examines prehospital Emergency Medical Service (EMS) utilisation and patterns of demand for hyperglycaemia management, including characteristics of individuals and factors related to hospital transport. Materials and methods A state-wide, community-based observational study of all patients requiring prehospital EMS for hyperglycaemia during a 7 year study period (Jan 2009–Dec 2015) using electronic data from the Ambulance Victoria data warehouse was conducted. Pre-specified variables related to patient demographics, comorbidities, examination findings, paramedic treatment and transport outcomes were obtained. Logistic regression was used to assess factors associated with transport to hospital. Results There were 11,417 cases of hyperglycaemia attended by paramedics during the study period, accounting for 0.3–0.4% of the total annual EMS caseload, and equating to 0.54 attendances per 100 people with diabetes in the state of Victoria, Australia, per year. There was a significant increase in annual utilisation, with a rate ratio of 1.62 between 2009 (2.42 cases per 10,000 population) and 2015 (3.91 cases per 10,000 population). Fifty-one percent of cases had type 2 diabetes, 37% had type 1 diabetes, 4% had diabetes with the type unspecified and 8% had no recorded history of diabetes. Ninety percent of cases were transported to hospital. Factors associated with increased odds of transport to hospital included no known history of diabetes, regional/rural locations, case time between 0600 and <1800 hours, increasing number of comorbidities and increasingly unstable vital sign observations. Conclusion There is substantial utilisation of prehospital EMS for hyperglycaemia. With increased population prevalence of diabetes predicted, further research on opportunities for prevention, as well as optimal management in the prehospital environment is warranted.
Attentional Biases in Processing Emotional Facial Expressions: Effects of State Anxiety, Trait Anxiety and Awareness

The effect of state anxiety and trait anxiety on selective attention for threatening, neutral and happy schematic faces was investigated. A student sample was assigned to high trait anxious (HTA) or low trait anxious (LTA) groups using questionnaire scores and state anxiety was manipulated through the threat of electric shock. Stimulus materials were presented both outside (using a backward masking procedure) and within awareness. A novel version of a probe classification task was developed to assess performance when distracting information and the central task were spatially separated. For the masked trials, the LTA group were slower to identify the status of the probe on happy face trials relative to threat face trials in the shock safe condition, and slower on threat face trials relative to happy face trials in the shock threat condition. For the HTA group, performance on the probe status task was unaffected by shock condition status or item valence for the masked exposures. During the unmasked exposure trials neither trait anxiety status, item valence nor shock condition affected response latencies to the probes. Results are interpreted with respect to contemporary models of attention and anxiety.
Ongoing revolution in bacteriology: routine identification of bacteria by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

BACKGROUND Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry accurately identifies both selected bacteria and bacteria in select clinical situations. It has not been evaluated for routine use in the clinic. METHODS We prospectively analyzed routine MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry identification in parallel with conventional phenotypic identification of bacteria regardless of phylum or source of isolation. Discrepancies were resolved by 16S ribosomal RNA and rpoB gene sequence-based molecular identification. Colonies (4 spots per isolate directly deposited on the MALDI-TOF plate) were analyzed using an Autoflex II Bruker Daltonik mass spectrometer. Peptidic spectra were compared with the Bruker BioTyper database, version 2.0, and the identification score was noted. Delays and costs of identification were measured. RESULTS Of 1660 bacterial isolates analyzed, 95.4% were correctly identified by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry; 84.1% were identified at the species level, and 11.3% were identified at the genus level. In most cases, absence of identification (2.8% of isolates) and erroneous identification (1.7% of isolates) were due to improper database entries. Accurate MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry identification was significantly correlated with having 10 reference spectra in the database (P=.01). The mean time required for MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry identification of 1 isolate was 6 minutes for an estimated 22%-32% cost of current methods of identification. CONCLUSIONS MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry is a cost-effective, accurate method for routine identification of bacterial isolates in <1 h using a database comprising > or =10 reference spectra per bacterial species and a 1.9 identification score (Brucker system). It may replace Gram staining and biochemical identification in the near future.
Therapeutic Options for the Treatment of Postherpetic Neuralgia: A Systematic Review

ABSTRACT Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a chronic and painful condition that may result in significant disturbances to normal activities and decreases in the quality of life for those affected. Despite the availability of several first- and second-line treatment options, many patients may experience refractory pain. The objectives of this review were to summarize evidence for Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved and off-label therapies for the treatment of PHN and to present gaps in the current literature for future research focus. Several agents, including pregabalin, gabapentin, and opioids, have been shown to significantly improve pain when compared with placebo. However, evidence regarding the comparative effectiveness of these treatment alternatives is lacking. In order to choose the optimal treatment, providers should consider issues related to efficacy, safety, and tolerability in conjunction with patient goals, preferences, and adherence issues. Evidence from randomized or observational studies that directly compare agents with each other should help to inform treatment choices.
The Economic Value of Volatility Timing

Numerous studies report that standard volatility models have low explanatory power, leading some researchers to question whether these models have economic value. We examine this question by using conditional mean-variance analysis to assess the value of volatility timing to short-horizon investors. We find that the volatility timing strategies outperform the unconditionally efficient static portfolios that have the same target expected return and volatility. This finding is robust to estimation risk and transaction costs.
Tuning of Natural Killer Cell Reactivity by NKp46 and Helios Calibrates T Cell Responses

Natural Killer Controls Cytolytic natural killer (NK) cells participate in both antimicrobial and antitumor immunity. Their responsiveness is tuned through signals received through a variety of inhibitory and activating receptors expressed on their cell surface. Narni-Mancinelli et al. (p. 344) now show that signaling through the activating receptor NKp46 paradoxically keeps NK cell responses in check. NK cells from mice with disrupted NKp46 expression were hyperresponsive to stimulation and better protected against viral infection. NK cell responses, which are part of the early response to infection, may thus need to be carefully tuned to ensure optimal initiation of adaptive immunity and formation of protective long-lived memory cells. The activating receptor NKp46 is important for keeping the responses of natural killer cells in check. Natural killer (NK) cells are lymphocytes involved in antimicrobial and antitumoral immune responses. Using N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea mutagenesis in mice, we identified a mutant with increased resistance to viral infections because of the presence of hyperresponsive NK cells. Whole-genome sequencing and functional analysis revealed a loss-of-function mutation in the Ncr1 gene encoding the activating receptor NKp46. The down-regulation of NK cell activity by NKp46 was associated with the silencing of the Helios transcription factor in NK cells. NKp46 was critical for the subsequent development of antiviral and antibacterial T cell responses, which suggests that the regulation of NK cell function by NKp46 allows for the optimal development of adaptive immune responses. NKp46 blockade enhanced NK cell reactivity in vivo, which could enable the design of immunostimulation strategies in humans.
lymphocytic leukemia : an Italian multicenter study Comprehensive characterization of IGHV 3-21-expressing B-cell chronic

Prepublished online December 5, 2006; Gianluca Gaidano and Valter Gattei Guarini, Giovanni Del Poeta, Richard Rosenquist, Dimitar G Efremov, Roberto Marasca, Robin Foa, Ilaria Del Principe, Giuseppe Palermo, Mia Thorselius, Massimo Degan, Renato Campanini, Anna Zucchetto, Francesco Forconi, Rossana Maffei, Emanuela M Ghia, Luca Laurenti, Pietro Bulian, Maria Riccardo Bomben, Michele Dal Bo, Daniela Capello, Dania Benedetti, Daniela Marconi, Antonella lymphocytic leukemia: an Italian multicenter study Comprehensive characterization of IGHV3-21-expressing B-cell chronic
Regulation of mammalian MOR-1 gene expression after chronic treatment with morphine

Morphine is an effective analgesic that acts by binding to the μ-opioid receptor (MOR) coded in the human by the OPRM1 gene. In the present study, we investigated the regulation of μ-opioid receptor (MOR-1) mRNA levels in all-trans-retinoic acid-differentiated SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells under in vitro conditions with 10 μM morphine treatment for 24 h. In addition, we measured the MOR-1 levels in recombinant Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, transfected with human μ-opioid receptor gene (hMOR) with 10 μM morphine treatment for 24 h. The isolated mRNA from these cells was subjected to real-time quantitative RT-PCR analysis to determine the regulation of μ-opioid receptor gene expression. It was observed that morphine treatment did not alter MOR-1 levels in undifferentiated SH-SY5Y cells compared to undifferentiated control cells. However, the MOR-1 levels in all-trans-retinoic acid-differentiated cells were significantly higher compared to the undifferentiated cells. Morphine treatment in differentiated SH-SY5Y cells caused significant downregulation of MOR-1 expression compared to the control cells. In the morphine-treated CHO cells, the hMOR-1 mRNA levels remained the same as the untreated control. Finally, pretreatment of SH-SY5Y cells with 10 μM naloxone, the antagonist of μ-opioid receptor, for 1 h significantly blocked the downregulation of MOR-1 mRNA levels with morphine treatment. These findings suggest that regulation of MOR-1 gene expression is cell-type specific after chronic morphine treatment and provide some evidence in the understanding of morphine tolerance.