Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Biofeedback-Induced Relaxation Training and Impulsivity, Attention to Task, and Locus of Control Among Hyperactive Boys

This study examines the effects of biofeedback-induced relaxation training on impulsivity, attention to task, and locus of control among 32 hyperactive boys. Subjects, who were identified through teacher ratings on the abbreviated form of the Conners' Behavior Rating Scale, were randomly assigned to experimental (n= 16) and control (n= 16) groups. The experimental treatment consisted of four sessions of biofeedback-induced relaxation training spaced approximately two weeks apart. Multivariate analysis of variance results indicated a significant difference between groups, F (3, 28) = 19.62, p<. 01. Univariate F tests and discriminant analysis procedures revealed that impulsivity and attention to task measures were significant discriminators, both p<. 01. The locus of control variable did not prove to be a valid discriminator. It was concluded that biofeedback-induced relaxation training increased attention to task and reduced impulsivity but did not affect the measure of locus of control on the population studied.
Efficient Cbir Using Color Histogram Processing

The need for efficient content-based image retrieval system has increased hugely. Efficient and effective retrieval techniques of images are desired because of the explosive growth of digital images. content based image retrieval (CBIR) is a promising approach because of its automatic indexing retrieval based on their semantic features and visual appearance. The similarity of images depends on the feature representation.However users have difficulties in representing their information needs in queries to content based image retrieval systems. In this paper we investigate two methods for describing the contents of images. The first one characterizes images by global descriptor attributes, while the second is based on color histogram approach.To compute feature vectors for Global descriptor, required time is much less as compared to color histogram. Hence cross correlation value & image descriptor attributes are calculated prior histogram implementation to make CBIR system more efficient.The performance of this approach is measured and results are shown. The aim of this paper is to compare various global descriptor attributes and to make CBIR system more efficient. It is found that further modifications are needed to produce better performance in searching images.
Scapulothoracic and Glenohumeral Kinematics During Daily Tasks in Users of Manual Wheelchairs

Background Rates of shoulder pain in individuals who use manual wheelchairs (MWCs) as their primary means of mobility have been reported to be as high as 70% during activities of daily living. Current prevailing thought is that mechanical impingement of the soft tissues that reside within the subacromial space between the humeral head and coracoacromial arch is a major contributor to the shoulder pain in users of MWCs. The subacromial space size is directly related to the kinematics at the shoulder joint. Yet to be answered are questions about which common daily tasks are characterized by the most potentially detrimental kinematics. Objective The purpose of this analysis was to quantify and compare potentially detrimental kinematics in three common tasks performed by individuals with spinal cord injury and shoulder pain. These data will add to the body of knowledge and test common assumptions about relative risk of tasks. Design A cross-sectional study of 15 MWC users with shoulder pain. Methods Electromagnetic surface sensor measures of mean and peak scapulothoracic (ST) internal and downward rotation, anterior tilt, and glenohumeral (GH) internal rotation were compared across propulsion, weight relief, and scapular plane abduction tasks using one-way repeated-measure ANOVA. Results Statistical differences were observed between the tasks for all rotations. Mean ST anterior tilt was greater in weight relief and propulsion than during scapular plane abduction (24°, 23°, and 13° of anterior tilt, respectively). Mean GH axial rotation during weight relief was more internally rotated than during propulsion and scapular plane abduction (9°, 26°, and 51° of external rotation, respectively). Limitations Surface-based measures of kinematics are subject to skin motion artifact, especially in translation which was not addressed in this study. Conclusion Each task presented with specific variables that might contribute to risk of developing shoulder “impingement” and pain. These data may assist therapists in their assessment of movement contributions to shoulder pain in this population, as well as in subsequent treatment planning.
Bridging of double-stranded breaks by the nonhomologous end-joining ligation complex is modulated by DNA end chemistry

Abstract The nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ) pathway is the primary repair pathway for DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) in humans. Repair is mediated by a core complex of NHEJ factors that includes a ligase (DNA Ligase IV; L4) that relies on juxtaposition of 3΄ hydroxyl and 5΄ phosphate termini of the strand breaks for catalysis. However, chromosome breaks arising from biological sources often have different end chemistries, and how these different end chemistries impact the way in which the core complex directs the necessary transitions from end pairing to ligation is not known. Here, using single-molecule FRET (smFRET), we show that prior to ligation, differences in end chemistry strongly modulate the bridging of broken ends by the NHEJ core complex. In particular, the 5΄ phosphate group is a recognition element for L4 and is critical for the ability of NHEJ factors to promote stable pairing of ends. Moreover, other chemical incompatibilities, including products of aborted ligation, are sufficient to disrupt end pairing. Based on these observations, we propose a mechanism for iterative repair of DSBs by NHEJ.
Deception Detection Accuracy is a Predictable Linear Function of Message Veracity Base-Rate: A Formal Test of Park and Levine's Probability Model

This study provided the first empirical test of point predictions made by the Park-Levine probability model of deception detection accuracy. Participants viewed a series of interviews containing truthful answers, unsanctioned, high-stakes lies, or some combination of both. One randomly selected set of participants (n=50) made judgments where the probability that each message was honest was P(H)=. 50. Accuracy judgments in this condition were used to generate point predictions generated from the model and tested against the results from a second set of data (n=413). Participants were randomly assigned to one of eight base-rate conditions where the probability that a message was honest systematically varied from 0.00 to 1.00. Consistent with the veracity effect, participants in P(H)=. 50 condition were significantly more likely to judge messages as truths than as lies, and consequently truths (67%) were identified with greater accuracy than lies (34%). As predicted by the model, overall accuracy was a linear function of message veracity base-rate, the base-rate induction explained 24% of the variance in accuracy scores, and, on average, raw accuracy scores for specific conditions were predicted to within approximately±2.6%. The findings show that specific deception detection accuracy scores can be precisely predicted with the Park-Levine model.
Seamless and Secure VR: Adapting and Evaluating Established Authentication Systems for Virtual Reality

Virtual reality (VR) headsets are enabling a wide range of new opportunities for the user. For example, in the near future users may be able to visit virtual shopping malls and virtually join international conferences. These and many other scenarios pose new questions with regards to privacy and security, in particular authentication of users within the virtual environment. As a first step towards seamless VR authentication, this paper investigates the direct transfer of well-established concepts (PIN, Android unlock patterns) into VR. In a pilot study (N = 5) and a lab study (N = 25), we adapted existing mechanisms and evaluated their usability and security for VR. The results indicate that both PINs and patterns are well suited for authentication in VR. We found that the usability of both methods matched the performance known from the physical world. In addition, the private visual channel makes authentication harder to observe, indicating that authentication in VR using traditional concepts already achieves a good balance in the trade-off between usability and security. The paper contributes to a better understanding of authentication within VR environments, by providing the first investigation of established authentication methods within VR, and presents the base layer for the design of future authentication schemes, which are used in VR environments only.
The Potency of Humor and Instructional Self-Efficacy on Art Teacher Stress

This quantitative study was sparked by a keen interest in art teachers who practice humor in challenging school environments. Stressors unique to art education can cause teachers to lose heart in such a way that their ability to perform is compromised. To teach effectively, teachers must maintain resilience to cope with stress. Pedagogical humor, a theme of resilience, serves teachers socially, emotionally, and cognitively in classroom practice. Public school art teachers completed auto-report scales measuring sense of humor, self-efficacy beliefs, and perceived stress. Correlation and multiple regression analyses revealed a positive relationship between high humor perceptions and effective instruction when controlling for age, gender, and experience. Instructional efficacy declined as perceived stress escalated. This study proposes that professional development and preservice teacher training programs focus on the development of humor disposition and instructional humor strategies.
An efficient MMSE-based demodulator for MIMO bit-interleaved coded modulation

In bit-interleaved coded modulation (BICM) systems employing maximum-likelihood decoding, a demodulator (demapper) calculates a log-likelihood ratio (LLR) for each coded bit, which is then used as a bit metric for Viterbi decoding. In the MIMO case, the computational complexity of LLR calculation tends to be excessively high, even if the log-sum approximation is used. Thus, there is a strong demand for efficient suboptimum MIMO-BICM demodulation algorithms with near-optimum performance. We propose an efficient MIMO-BICM demodulator that is derived by means of a Gaussian approximation for the post-detection interference. Our derivation results in an MMSE equalizer followed by per-layer LLR calculation (i.e., LLRs are calculated separately for each layer). The novel demodulator can be interpreted as an MMSE analogue of a recently proposed ZF-equalization based demodulator, as well as an extension of ZF-equalization based demodulation to correlated post-detection interference. Because it performs per-layer LLR calculation, it has the same (low) computational complexity as the ZF-equalization based demodulator. Simulation results demonstrate that the performance of our demodulator is close to that of LLR calculation using all layers jointly, and significantly better than that of the ZF-equalization based demodulator.
Regulation of cardiac output in hypoxia

This brief review addresses the regulation of cardiac output (Q) at rest and during submaximal exercise in acute and chronic hypoxia. To preserve systemic O2 delivery in acute hypoxia Q is increased by an acceleration of heart rate, whereas stroke volume (SV) remains unchanged. Tachycardia is governed by activation of carotid and aortic chemoreceptors and a concomitant reduction in arterial baroreflex activation, all balancing sympathovagal activity toward sympathetic dominance. As hypoxia extends over several days a combination of different adaptive processes restores arterial O2 content to or beyond sea level values and hence Q normalizes. The latter however occurs as a consequence of a decrease in SV whereas tachycardia persists. The diminished SV reflects a lower left ventricular end‐diastolic volume which is primarily related to hypoxia‐generated reduction in plasma volume. Hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction may contribute by increasing right ventricular afterload and thus decreasing its ejection fraction. In summary, the Q response to hypoxia is the result of a complex interplay between several physiological mechanisms. Future studies are encouraged to establish the individual contributions of the different components from an integrative perspective.
The presence of two sites of action of endothelins in the isolated rabbit iris sphincter and dilator muscles.

The contractile activity of endothelins (ETs) and their effect on twitch contraction evoked by electrical field stimulation were studied in the isolated rabbit iris sphincter and dilator muscles using the isometric tension recording method. ET-1, ET-2 and ET-3 caused slow contractile response of the sphincter as well as the dilator muscles, with sphincter muscle EC50 values of 37.3, 58.0 and 84.3 nM, and dilator muscle values of 31.7, 69.0 and 224.4 nM, respectively. These contractile responses were not affected by atropine (1 microM), prazosin (1 microM) or indomethacin (1 microM). ET-1 and ET-3 slightly but significantly inhibited the fast cholinergic component of twitch contraction of the sphincter muscle evoked by field stimulation, without affecting the response to carbachol. However, ET-1 did not affect the slow substance P-ergic component of twitch contraction of this preparation. In the dilator muscle, ET-1 and ET-3 had little effect on the contraction induced by phenylephrine but reduced the amplitude of the twitch contraction evoked by the field stimulation. The inhibitory effect of ETs on the dilator muscle was antagonized by pretreatment with BQ-123 (100 nM), which is a selective ETA receptor antagonist. Pretreatment with indomethacin (1 microM) also attenuated the inhibitory effect of ETs on the twitch contraction. These results suggest that ETs may have two sites of action, pre- and post-synaptic effects, on the rabbit iris sphincter muscle as well as the dilator muscle. All three ET isopeptides may have direct contractile activity on the smooth muscles of the sphincter as well as the dilator without mediation by prostaglandins or neuronal mechanisms. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Local Likelihood SiZer Map

The SiZer Map, proposed by Chaudhuri and Marron (1999), is a statistical tool for finding which features in noisy data are strong enough to be distinguished from background noise.In this paper, we propose the local likelihood SiZer map.Some simulation examples illustrate that the newly proposed SiZer map is more efficient in distinguishing features than the original one, because of the inferential advantage of the local likelihood approach.Some computational problems are addressed, with the result that the computational cost in constructing the local likelihood SiZer map is close to that of the original one.
Using Time-Varying Covariates in Multilevel Growth Models

This article provides an illustration of growth curve modeling within a multilevel framework. Specifically, we demonstrate coding schemes that allow the researcher to model discontinuous longitudinal data using a linear growth model in conjunction with time-varying covariates. Our focus is on developing a level-1 model that accurately reflects the shape of the growth trajectory. We demonstrate the importance of adequately modeling the shape of the level-1 growth trajectory in order to make inferences about the importance of both level-1 and level-2 predictors.
State-Dependent Firing Determines Intrinsic Dendritic Ca2+ Signaling in Thalamocortical Neurons

Activity-dependent dendritic Ca2+ signals play a critical role in multiple forms of nonlinear cellular output and plasticity. In thalamocortical neurons, despite the well established spatial separation of sensory and cortical inputs onto proximal and distal dendrites, respectively, little is known about the spatiotemporal dynamics of intrinsic dendritic Ca2+ signaling during the different state-dependent firing patterns that are characteristic of these neurons. Here we demonstrate that T-type Ca2+ channels are expressed throughout the entire dendritic tree of rat thalamocortical neurons and that they mediate regenerative propagation of low threshold spikes, typical of, but not exclusive to, sleep states, resulting in global dendritic Ca2+ influx. In contrast, actively backpropagating action potentials, typical of wakefulness, result in smaller Ca2+ influxes that can temporally summate to produce dendritic Ca2+ accumulations that are linearly related to firing frequency but spatially confined to proximal dendritic regions. Furthermore, dendritic Ca2+ transients evoked by both action potentials and low-threshold spikes are shaped by Ca2+ uptake by sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPases but do not rely on Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release. Our data demonstrate that thalamocortical neurons are endowed with intrinsic dendritic Ca2+ signaling properties that are spatially and temporally modified in a behavioral state-dependent manner and suggest that backpropagating action potentials faithfully inform proximal sensory but not distal corticothalamic synapses of neuronal output, whereas corticothalamic synapses only “detect” Ca2+ signals associated with low-threshold spikes.
Ultrasound Findings After Surgical Decompression of the Tarsal Tunnel in Patients With Painful Diabetic Polyneuropathy: A Prospective Randomized Study

OBJECTIVE It has been hypothesized that the development of diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN) is due to swelling of the nerve, as well as thickening and stiffening of the surrounding ligaments, causing chronic compression of nerves. We aimed to examine the effect of surgical decompression of the tibial nerve on the mean cross-sectional area (CSA). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We performed a randomized controlled trial of 42 subjects with painful DPN diagnosed using the Diabetic Neuropathy Score. A computer randomized for the surgery arm of the study. A control group consisting of 38 healthy subjects was included. An experienced sonographer measured the CSA and thickness-to-width (T/W) ratio of the tibial nerve, as well as the thickness of the flexor retinaculum. RESULTS CSA is significantly larger in patients with painful DPN (8.4 ± 3.9 mm2) than in control subjects (6.4 ± 1.3 mm2), P = 0.007. The T/W ratio in patients with painful DPN is 0.64 and in control subjects 0.59, P = 0.03. Patients with DPN have a significantly thicker retinaculum (1.07 mm) than control subjects (0.84 mm), P < 0.001. Mean follow-up was 28.2 weeks (range 23–45). Difference between baseline and follow-up in the operated leg was 1.49 mm2 and in the control leg 1.81 mm2, P = 0.674. CONCLUSIONS Decompression of the tibial nerve does not result in a significant difference between baseline and follow-up in CSA using ultrasound between the operated and control leg. Ultrasound measurements show a significantly increased CSA, a significantly thicker retinaculum, and a significantly increased T/W ratio in patients with painful DPN compared with healthy control subjects.
Effect of roasting on site and extent of digestion of soybean meal by sheep: II. Digestion of artifacts of heating.

Six mature wethers (BW 72 kg) with ruminal, duodenal, and ileal cannulas were fed a basal (no added soybean meal [SBM]) diet or diets containing unheated SBM or SBM roasted at 165 degrees C for 75, 150, 180 or 210 min in a 6 x 6 Latin square experiment. Concentrations of indicators of heat exposure (NDF, ADF, and ADIN) in SBM increased with increasing roasting time. Organic matter digestion characteristics were not affected (P > .05) by supplementation or roasting of SBM. Daily intakes of NDF, ADF, and ADIN were higher (P < .05) when wethers were fed SBM-containing diets than when they were fed the basal diet and also were higher (P < .05) when wethers were fed diets containing roasted SBM than when fed the diet containing unheated SBM. Roasting time of SBM had a quadratic effect (P < .05) on intakes of NDF, ADF, and ADIN, with the lowest intakes observed for diets containing unheated SBM or SBM roasted for 75 min and the highest intakes observed for diets containing SBM roasted for 180 or 210 min. Disappearance of ADF in the stomach (grams per day) was not affected by supplementation or roasting of SBM. Disappearance of NDF and ADIN in the stomach (grams per day) were higher (P < .05) when wethers were fed SBM-containing diets than when they were fed the basal diet and also were higher (P < .05) when wethers were fed diets containing roasted SBM than when they were fed those containing unheated SBM. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Playing Repeated Security Games with No Prior Knowledge

This paper investigates repeated security games with unknown (to the defender) game payoffs and attacker behaviors. As existing work assumes prior knowledge about either the game payoffs or the attacker's behaviors, they are not suitable for tackling our problem. Given this, we propose the first efficient defender strategy, based on an adversarial online learning framework, that can provably achieve good performance guarantees without any prior knowledge. In particular, we prove that our algorithm can achieve low performance loss against the best fixed strategy on hindsight (i.e., having full knowledge of the attacker's moves). In addition, we prove that our algorithm can achieve an efficient competitive ratio against the optimal adaptive defender strategy. We also show that for zero-sum security games, our algorithm achieves efficient results in approximating a number of solution concepts, such as algorithmic equilibria and the minimax value. Finally, our extensive numerical results demonstrate that, without having any prior information, our algorithm still achieves good performance, compared to state-of-the-art algorithms from the literature on security games, such as SUQR, which require significant amount of prior knowledge.
Bmc Medical Research Methodology Open Access Blood Spots as an Alternative to Whole Blood Collection and the Effect of a Small Monetary Incentive to Increase Participation in Genetic Association Studies

Background: Collection of buccal cells from saliva for DNA extraction offers a less invasive and convenient alternative to venipuncture blood collection that may increase participation in genetic epidemiologic studies. However, dried blood spot collection, which is also a convenient method, offers a means of collecting peripheral blood samples from which analytes in addition to DNA can be obtained.