Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Motivation through Goal Setting: A Self-Determined Perspective

July/August 2010 Jump Rope For Heart gives students several great opportunities: helping kids with special hearts; learning the benefits of physical activity, healthy eating and avoiding tobacco; and raising funds for research and programs to fight heart disease and stroke. Besides having fun, students will learn to jump rope, supporting the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) Standards of Physical Education and the American Association for Health Education (AAHE) Standards. Join millions of kids in serving others, saving lives and supporting research — hold a Jump Rope For Heart event! IT TAKES HEART TO BE A HERO!
Habits without Values 1 Habits without values

Habits form a crucial component of behavior. In recent years, key computational models have conceptualized habits as behaviors arising from model-free reinforcement learning (RL) mechanisms, which typically represent the expected value associated with possible outcomes of each action before one of those actions is chosen. Traditionally, however, habits are understood as arising from mechanisms that are independent of outcomes. Here, we develop a computational model instantiating this traditional view, in which habits are acquired through the direct strengthening of recently taken actions, independent of outcome. We demonstrate how this model accounts for key behavioral manifestations of habits, including outcome devaluation, contingency degradation, and perseverative choice in probabilistic environments. We suggest that mapping habitual behaviors onto value-free mechanisms provides a parsimonious account of existing behavioral and neural data. This mapping may provide a new foundation for building robust and comprehensive models of the interaction of habits with other, more goal-directed types of behaviors, and help to better guide research into the neural mechanisms underlying control of instrumental behaviors more generally.
Why do Japanese Write Characters in Space?

A series of experiments examines the cognitive function of finger writing an action widely used by Japanese people and thought to be related to Kanji learning. In one experiment 105 Japanese students displayed finger writing in their efforts to solve Kanji anagram tasks, confirming that finger writing is used to facilitate the solution of Kanji anagrams. In another experiment Japanese children were observed to commence their finger writing at 10 years old and by 11 years old its role in cognition was apparently similar to that observed in adults. Finally, a cross-cultural study examined whether finger writing is related only to learning or knowing Kanji: 83 Japanese, 21 Taiwanese students and 23 other foreign students coming from a non-Kanji cultural area were tested. Taiwanese subjects used finger writing just as the Japanese subjects had. In a later study which involved solving English word problems, almost all of those using finger writing were from countries using Kanji characters. Japanese subjects also used finger writing in English word tasks. Finger writing appears to originate from the existence of motoric or action based representation. This has implications for research in nonvisual imagery. The relationships between finger writing, aphasia and cross-cultural studies of cognition are discussed.
Measurement of the MTF of a Cone-Beam Breast Computed Tomography Laboratory Scanner

We measured the spatial resolution of the prototype scanner developed for laboratory investigations on Cone-Beam Breast Computed Tomography (CBBCT). The scanner has potential for high spatial resolution, since it employs a minifocus X-ray tube (0.04 mm nominal focal spot size) and a fine pitch (0.05 mm) flat panel detector. With the available maximum tube current (0.25 mA) and detector field of view (120 × 120 mm2), adequate sample volume coverage and exposure requirements as in a clinical scan are obtained via increasing the total acquisition time and by combining laterally translated projections at each angular position. The Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) of the system was evaluated in step-and-shoot acquisitions with the tilted wire method, by imaging a test pattern made by an array of vertical and horizontal thin metal wires. MTF measurements in each tomographic plane were performed. Spatial frequency values of 3-3.5 mm- 1 at 10% MTF were measured. A lower spatial resolution performance is expected in continuous acquisitions, due to the gantry motion blur.
Energy analysis of wrist impact and surface rebound

The mechanical interactions during impact of a falling human body onto a non-rigid surface are complex. Mechanical properties of both the impacting body and the impacted surface contribute to risk of injury. Increased understanding of these properties should provide insight into the process and how to reduce injury risk. We assessed whether modelling energy flows in the body during impact can provide useful information. As input, we used data from gymnastic tumbling mats and from children performing an exercise involving freefall onto an outstretched arm. Even basic energy transfer principles provided information not discerned by the mechanical approach traditionally used. The model identified differences between surfaces in how energy flowed through an arm and the strains imposed on the wrist during impact and rebound. Therefore, it shows promise for identifying potentially injurious human–surface interactions. Analysis of other human impact situations, and the relationship between the energy flow and injury risk, is planned.
Apathy and Attitude: A Study of Motivation in Japanese High School Students of English

Abstract While the authorities in Japan regularly assert the need to improve the nation’s English ability, English teachers are still heard to complain about their students’ lack of motivation, both at high school and university levels. This paper suggests some possible causes for this apparent contradiction between public support and student apathy. While it is easy to understand the need for motivation, understanding exactly what motivation is and where it comes from is far more complex. It is particularly problematic in a Foreign Language Learning (FLL) situation like Japan, where students get few opportunities to interact in English with people from other cultures. In order to address this issue, it is imperative to develop our understanding of what motivation is and how it works. This paper looks at the diverse nature of motivation and reports a study of students’ motivation at one Japanese high school. The results seem to contradict the myth that students are solely motivated by the need to get through university entrance tests. Evidently, no one teaching system, whether grammar translation or a communicative method, works for all the people all the time, so to tackle the problem of motivation it is necessary to accommodate individual differences and offer students a meaningful cultural experiences.
Self-Presentation Strategies and the Five-Factor Model

Abstract Two samples of subjects (a sample of undergraduate students and a sample from the general population) filled out the Self-Monitoring Scale (Snyder, 1974) and the NEO-PI (Costa & McCrae, 1985). The results showed an acquisitive self-monitoring pattern associated with Extraversion and Openness to Experience, and a defensive self-monitoring pattern associated with Neuroticism. These results support previous research which has identified two styles of self-presentation (acquisitive vs. defensive) and confirm the usefulness of the NEO-PI as a broad instrument for research in personality.
The reported impact of psychotherapy training: Undergraduate disclosures after a course in experiential psychotherapy

The purpose of this study was to explore what students considered to be the personal and professional impact of an experientially based psychotherapy training course on their lives. After completing the introductory course, 24 senior undergraduate psychology students provided personal narratives of their experiences, which were then subjected to a grounded theory analysis. The results produced 28 hierarchically organized individual clusters; revealing that over the semester of training, students perceived multiple changes on both a professional level (i.e., skill acquisition and learning related to the therapeutic process) and a personal level (i.e., self-growth in a more private sphere). Analysis also highlighted key areas of difficulty in skills acquisition. Post hoc analyses further demonstrated gender differences in the reported training experiences.
Non-verbal humor and joke performance

Abstract Many jokes fall outside the province of script theory, because they depend on performance in various ways. Interactional features of the joke performance, along with pantomime, gestures, voice shifts, and so on, require modes of description separate from the verbally oriented script theory. There are significant differences between the written joke text and the oral joke performance, and these differences cast doubt on the simple extendibility of script theory from written joke texts to the spoken joke performance.
The Netflix Prize

Netflix released a dataset containing 100 million anonymous movie ratings and challenged the data mining, machine learning and computer science communities to develop systems that could beat the accuracy of its recommendation system, Cinematch. We briefly describe the challenge itself, review related work and efforts, and summarize visible progress to date. Other potential uses of the data are outlined, including its application to the KDD Cup 2007.
Gated Neural Networks for Option Pricing: Rationality by Design

We propose a neural network approach to price EU call options that significantly outperforms some existing pricing models and comes with guarantees that its predictions are economically reasonable. To achieve this, we introduce a class of gated neural networks that automatically learn to divide-and-conquer the problem space for robust and accurate pricing. We then derive instantiations of these networks that are 'rational by design' in terms of naturally encoding a valid call option surface that enforces no arbitrage principles. This integration of human insight within data-driven learning provides significantly better generalisation in pricing performance due to the encoded inductive bias in the learning, guarantees sanity in the model's predictions, and provides econometrically useful byproduct such as risk neutral density.
Extracellular Calcium Modulates the Effects of Protamine on Rat Myocardium

We studied the effects of protamine (10–300 &mgr;g · mL−1) as well as its interaction with heparin in rat left ventricular papillary muscles in vitro at calcium concentrations of 0.5 and 1 mM under low (isotony) and high (isometry) loads. Protamine induced a negative inotropic effect that was less pronounced at calcium 0.5 mM (active force at protamine 300 &mgr;g/mL, 84 ± 20 vs 57 ± 15% of baseline, P < 0.05); whereas at calcium 1 mM there was a marked contracture of the muscle. For the smallest concentrations of protamine and at calcium 0.5 mM, we observed a moderate positive inotropic effect that was suppressed by nifedipine. Protamine induced a negative lusitropic effect under low load and decreased postrest potentiation, suggesting an impairment in the functions of the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Heparin was able to inhibit and reverse the negative inotropic effect of protamine. The negative inotropic effect of protamine is enhanced by an increase in extracellular calcium concentration. This negative inotropic effect is probably related to calcium overload and impairment in sarcoplasmic reticulum functions, and heparin can block these effects.
The Colour of a Chameleon: Perspectives on Concepts of Culture

The question being asked of the contributors to this symposium is how ’culture’ should be defined for the purposes of psychology. Let me admit at the outset that there was a time when I believed such a conceptual clarification to be possible and desirable. Since then I have come to the conclusion, implicit in my title, that such a quest would be illusory. The remainder of my paper will be devoted to an attempt at justifying such a view. Norbert Elias, in his brilliant study of The civilizing process, discussed the concepts of ’civilization’ in Britain and France juxtaposing it to Kultur in German; and he wrote that these concepts
Adding Postal Follow-Up to a Web-Based Survey of Primary Care and Gastroenterology Clinic Physician Chiefs Improved Response Rates but not Response Quality or Representativeness

This study assessed whether postal follow-up to a web-based physician survey improves response rates, response quality, and representativeness. We recruited primary care and gastroenterology chiefs at 125 Veterans Affairs medical facilities to complete a 10-min web-based survey on colorectal cancer screening and diagnostic practices in 2010. We compared response rates, response errors, and representativeness in the primary care and gastroenterology samples before and after adding postal follow-up. Adding postal follow-up increased response rates by 20–25 percentage points; markedly greater increases than predicted from a third e-mail reminder. In the gastroenterology sample, the mean number of response errors made by web responders (0.25) was significantly smaller than the mean number made by postal responders (2.18), and web responders provided significantly longer responses to open-ended questions. There were no significant differences in these outcomes in the primary care sample. Adequate representativeness was achieved before postal follow-up in both samples, as indicated by the lack of significant differences between web responders and the recruitment population on facility characteristics. We conclude adding postal follow-up to this web-based physician leader survey improved response rates but not response quality or representativeness.
A Note on Post-Modern Monetary Policy

This paper surveys the roots of the modern literature on monetary policy, and illustrates the convergence that occurs between open-economy approaches and the micro foundations of monetary policy. From the Banking School versus Currency School debate to the “credibility versus flexibility” refinement, monetary policy has a long history of scholarly works. Although it may be hard to imagine that there is still room for innovations, the current developments of the literature on open-economy monetary policy seem to spawn a new and essential branch.
The efficacy and safety of heat‐killed Lactobacillus paracasei for treatment of perennial allergic rhinitis induced by house‐dust mite

Live Lactobacillus paracasi 33 (LP33) may effectively improve the quality of life for patients with perennial allergic rhinitis. It has been demonstrated that heat‐killed lactic acid bacteria (LAB) suppress specific immunoglobulin E synthesis and stimulate interleukin‐12 production in animals. The aim of this study was, therefore, to evaluate the efficacy of heat‐killed LP33 in the treatment of allergic rhinitis induced by house‐dust‐mite in human subjects. A total of 90 patients were enrolled in a randomized, double blind, placebo‐controlled trial and assigned to three treatment groups. Patients in groups A and B received two capsules per day of live or heat‐killed LAB (5 × 109 colony‐forming units/capsule), respectively, over a period of 30 days while those in Group C received placebo capsules. A modified questionnaire on pediatric rhinoconjunctivitis‐related quality of life was administered to all subjects or their parents during each clinical visit. The overall quality of life score decreased for groups A and B, as compared with the placebo group, in terms of both frequency (9.47 ± 2.89, 6.30 ± 2.19, vs. −3.47 ± 1.53, respectively; p < 0.0001) and level of bother (5.91 ± 3.21, 6.04 ± 2.44, vs. −2.80 ± 1.64, respectively; p = 0.004) after the 30‐day treatment. The efficacy of the heat‐killed LP33 was not inferior to the live variant. No obvious side effects were reported for either active treatment group during the study period. Our results suggest that heat‐killed LP33 can effectively improve the overall quality of life for patients with allergic rhinitis, and that it may be efficacious as an alternative treatment.
Tangible Query Interfaces: Physically Constrained Tokens for Manipulating Database Queries

We present a new approach for using physically constrained tokens to express, manipulate, and visualize parameterized database queries. This method extends tangible interfaces to enable interaction with large aggregates of information. We describe two interface prototypes that use physical tokens to represent database parameters. These tokens are manipulated upon physical constraints, which map compositions of tokens onto interpretations including database queries, views, and Boolean operations. We propose a framework for “token + constraint” interfaces, and compare one of our prototypes with a comparable graphical interface in a preliminary user study. † Current affiliation: Visualization Dept., Zuse Institute Berlin (ZIB), ullmer@zib.de †† Current affiliation: Computer Science Dept., Tufts University, jacob@cs.tufts. edu
Comparative analysis of rDNA distribution in chromosomes of various species of Brassicaceae.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS The Brassicaceae family encompasses numerous species of great agronomic importance, belonging to such genera, as Brassica, Raphanus, Sinapis and Armoracia. Many of them are characterized by extensive intraspecific diversity of phenotypes. The present study focuses on the polymorphism of number, appearance and chromosomal localization of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sites and, when possible, in relation to polyploidy, in 42 accessions of Brassica species and ten accessions of Diplotaxis, Eruca, Raphanus and Sinapis species. METHODS Chromosomal localization of ribosomal DNA was carried out using dual colour fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with 5S rDNA and 25S rDNA sequences as probes on enzymatically digested root-tip meristematic cells. KEY RESULTS Loci for 5S and 18S-5.8S-25S rDNA were determined for the first time in six taxa, and previously unreported rDNA constellations were described in an additional 12 accessions. FISH revealed frequent polymorphism in number, appearance and chromosomal localization of both 5S and 25S rDNA sites. This phenomenon was most commonly observed in the A genome of Brassica, where it involves exclusively pericentromeric sites of 5S and 25S rRNA genes. The intraspecific polymorphism was between subspecies/varieties or within a variety or cultivar (i.e. interindividual). CONCLUSIONS The number of rDNA sites can differ up to 5-fold in species with the same chromosome number. In addition to the eight previously reported chromosomal types with ribosomal genes, three new variant types are described. The extent of polymorphism is genome dependent. Comparing the A, B and C genomes revealed the highest rDNA polymorphism in the A genome. The loci carrying presumably inactive ribosomal RNA genes are particularly prone to polymorphism. It can also be concluded that there is no obvious polyploidization-related tendency to reduce the number of ribosomal DNA loci in the allotetraploid species, when compared with their putative diploid progenitors. The observed differences are rather caused by the prevailing polymorphism within the diploids and allotetraploids. This would make it difficult to predict expected numbers of rDNA loci in natural polyploids.
Improving children's working memory and classroom performance

Previous research has demonstrated close relationships between working memory and children's scholastic attainment. The aim of the present study was to explore a method of improving working memory, using memory strategy training. Two hundred and fifty‐four children aged five to eight years were tested on measures of the phonological loop, visuo‐spatial sketchpad and central executive components of the multiple component model of working memory. Subgroups of children also completed tasks of following instructions and mental arithmetic in the classroom, and standardised tests of reading, arithmetic and mathematics. Half of the children then used Memory Booster, a computer game that teaches memory strategies, over a period of six to eight weeks. All the children were then retested on the memory and ability measures. The standardised tests were also administered five months later. The results revealed that working memory strategy training resulted in significant improvements in tasks assessing the phonological loop and central executive components of working memory, and tasks assessing following instructions and mental arithmetic in the classroom. However, no improvements were observed on standardised tests of reading, arithmetic or mathematics, either immediately following training or five months later. The results are discussed in terms of implications for educational practice.
Key Agreement over Wiretap Models with Non-Causal Side Information

The security of information is an indispensable element of a communication system when transmitted signals are vulnerable to eavesdropping. This issue is a challenging problem in a wireless network as propagated signals can be easily captured by unauthorized receivers, and so achieving a perfectly secure communication is a desire in such a wiretap channel. On the other hand, cryptographic algorithms usually lack to attain this goal due to the following restrictive assumptions made for their design. First, wiretappers basically have limited computational power and time. Second, each authorized party has often access to a reasonably large sequence of uniform random bits concealed from wiretappers. To guarantee the security of information, Information Theory (IT) offers the following two approaches based on physical-layer security. First, IT suggests using wiretap (block) codes to securely and reliably transmit messages over a noisy wiretap channel. No confidential common key is usually required for the wiretap codes. The secrecy problem investigates an optimum wiretap code that achieves the secrecy capacity of a given wiretap channel. Second, IT introduces key agreement (block) codes to exchange keys between legitimate parties over a wiretap model. The agreed keys are to be reliable, secure, and (uniformly) random, at least in an asymptotic sense, such that they can be finally employed in symmetric key cryptography for data transmission. The key agreement problem investigates an optimum key agreement code that obtains the key capacity of a given wiretap model. In this thesis, we study the key agreement problem for two wiretap models: a Discrete Memoryless (DM) model and a Gaussian model. Each model consists of a wiretap channel paralleled with an authenticated public channel. The wiretap channel is from a transmitter, called Alice, to an authorized receiver, called Bob, and to a wiretapper, called Eve. The Probability Transition Function (PTF) of the wiretap channel is controlled by a random sequence of Channel State Information (CSI), which is assumed to be non-causally available at Alice. The capacity of the public channel is C P1 ∈ [0,∞) in the forward direction from Alice to Bob and C P2 ∈ [0,∞) in the backward direction from Bob to Alice. For