Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Gait and Cognitive Task Difficulty on Cognitive-Motor Interference in Aging

Although gait-related dual-task interference in aging is well established, the effect of gait and cognitive task difficulty on dual-task interference is poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of gait and cognitive task difficulty on cognitive-motor interference in aging. Fifteen older adults (72.1 years, SD 5.2) and 20 young adults (21.7 years, SD 1.6) performed three walking tasks of varying difficulty (self-selected speed, fast speed, and fast speed with obstacle crossing) under single- and dual-task conditions. The cognitive tasks were the auditory Stroop task and the clock task. There was a significant Group × Gait Task × Cognitive Task interaction for the dual-task effect on gait speed. After adjusting for education, there were no significant effects of gait or cognitive task difficulty on the dual-task effects on cognitive task performance. The results of this study provide evidence that gait task difficulty influences dual-task effects on gait speed, especially in older adults. Moreover, the effects of gait task difficulty on dual-task interference appear to be influenced by the difficulty of the cognitive task. Education is an important factor influencing cognitive-motor interference effects on cognition, but not gait.
Resolving the amalgam: connecting pedagogical content knowledge, content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge

ABSTRACT This paper concludes the Special Issue (SI) ‘Probing the Amalgam: the relationship between science teachers’ content, pedagogical and pedagogical content knowledge’. We review the five papers (Sorge et al; Gess-Newsome et al; Kind; Pitjeng-Mosabala and Rollnick; and Liepertz and Bronowski) by discussing evidence these present regarding the relationships between content knowledge (CK), pedagogical knowledge (PK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK); the development of CK, PK and PCK in novice and experienced secondary science teachers and how CK, PK and/or PCK impact students’ learning. In conclusion, we draw these findings together in offering proposals for future research via reconsideration of Shulman’s amalgam. This includes post-hoc examination of a PCK model known as ‘the Consensus Model’ (Gess-Newsome, [2015]. A model of teacher professional knowledge and skill including PCK: Results of the thinking from the PCK Summit. In A. Berry, P. J. Friedrichsen, & J. Loughran (Eds.), Re-examining Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Science Education (pp. 28–42). New York, NY: Routledge; Neumann, Kind, & Harms [2018]. Probing the amalgam: The relationship between science teachers’ content, pedagogical and pedagogical content knowledge. International Journal of Science Education, 1–15) and presentation of a novel PCK structure based on evidence from the SI studies.
Preliminary discussion on globally prioritized medium access for multi-channel wireless systems

We discuss the development of a simple globally prioritized multi-channel medium access control (MAC) protocol for wireless networks. This protocol provides “hard” pre-run-time real-time guarantees to sporadic message streams, exploits a very large fraction of the capacity of all channels for “hard” real-time traffic and also makes it possible to fully utilize the channels with non real-time traffic when hard real-time messages do not request to be transmitted. The potential of such protocols for real-time applications is discussed and a schedulability analysis is also presented.
Metabolomics changes in a rat model of obstructive jaundice: mapping to metabolism of amino acids, carbohydrates and lipids as well as oxidative stress

The study examined the global metabolic and some biochemical changes in rats with cholestasis induced by bile duct ligation (BDL). Serum samples were collected in male Wistar rats with BDL (n = 8) and sham surgery (n = 8) at day 3 after surgery for metabolomics analysis using a combination of reversed phase chromatography and hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) and quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (Q-TOF MS). The serum levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidative capacity (T-AOC), glutathione (GSH) and glutathione disulfide (GSSG), the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathion peroxidase (GSH-Px) were measured to estimate the oxidative stress state. Key changes after BDL included increased levels of l-phenylalanine, l-glutamate, l-tyrosine, kynurenine, l-lactic acid, LysoPCc (14:0), glycine and succinic acid and decreased levels of l-valine, PCb (19:0/0:0), taurine, palmitic acid, l-isoleucine and citric acid metabolism products. And treatment with BDL significantly decreased the levels of GSH, T-AOC as well as SOD, GSH-Px activities, and upregulated MDA levels. The changes could be mapped to metabolism of amino acids and lipids, Krebs cycle and glycolysis, as well as increased oxidative stress and decreased antioxidant capability. Our study indicated that BDL induces major changes in the metabolism of all 3 major energy substances, as well as oxidative stress.
Unbelieving the Unbelievable: Some problems in the rejection of false information

Spinoza suggested that all information is accepted during comprehension and that false information is then unaccepted. Subjects were presented with true and false linguistic propositions and, on some trials, their processing of that information was interrupted. As Spinoza's model predicted, interruption increased the likelihood that subjects would consider false propositions true but not vice versa (Study 1). This was so even when the proposition was iconic and when its veracity was revealed before its comprehension (Study 2). In fact, merely comprehending a false proposition increased the likelihood that subjects would later consider it true (Study 3). The results suggest that both true and false information are initially represented as true and that people are not easily able to alter this method of representation. Results are discussed in terms of contemporary research on attribution, lie detection, hypothesis testing, and attitude change.
Reliable Identification by Color under Natural Conditions the Locations Baseline Measurement

In order to recognize objects on the basis of the way in which they reflect different wavelengths of light, the visual system must deal with the different illuminant and background conditions under which the objects are seen. To test this ability under natural conditions, subjects were asked to name 6 uniformly colored papers. The experiment started by showing subjects six papers simultaneously in a normally illuminated room, and instructing them about how to name them. The papers were easy to differentiate when seen together but they were so similar that subjects only identified 87% correctly when they were presented in isolation under otherwise identical conditions to those during the instruction. During the main part of the experiment subjects walked between several indoor and outdoor locations that differed considerably in lighting and background colors. At each location subjects were asked to identify one paper. They correctly identified the paper on 55% of the trials (well above chance level), despite the fact that the variation in the light reaching their eyes from the same paper at different positions was much larger than that from different papers at the same position. We discuss that under natural conditions color constancy is probably as good as it can be considering the theoretical limitations. Introduction The light that is reflected from an illuminated object depends both on its surfaces' reflectance properties and on the illumination of the scene. If we are interested in the object's reflectance properties the fact that the illumination can vary drastically over time and between locations raises a problem for our visual system, since the intensity and spectral distribution of the light that is reflected from the object in question onto the receptors in our eyes will also vary considerably (von Helmholtz, 1866). Extracting the influence of surface reflectance from the light reaching the eye is the problem of color constancy. The main advantages of having color vision are to enhance the detection and identification of objects in the environment For detection, a shift in illumination need not be a problem, but for identification a failure in color constancy could be a hindrance. Color constancy has mainly been studied by matching the colors of two surfaces, which is quite an indirect test of color identification (Foster, 2003). Other methods that have been used to study color constancy include color naming detecting reflectance changes at the time of a change in illumination (Foster …
The Impact of Divergence of Opinions About Earnings within a Social Network

We collect a unique dataset of Twitter posts and use these posts to contrast investors' private opinions about stocks with opinions available in public press releases. This technique allows us to directly measure the divergence of investors' opinions from publicly available information. We find that post-earnings announcement returns are significantly more negative when divergence of opinion is present in the pre-announcement period. These negative post-announcement returns are concentrated in stocks where divergence of opinion is resolved into agreement after the announcement. Consistent with recent theory, investors' opinions can either converge or diverge around earnings announcements and the level of this disagreement is strongly related to volume.
THE EFFECTS OF SYSTEMATIC SAMPLING AND TEMPORAL AGGREGATION ON DISCRETE TIME LONG MEMORY PROCESSES AND THEIR FINITE SAMPLE PROPERTIES

This study investigates the effects of varying sampling intervals on the long memory characteristics of certain stochastic processes. We find that although different sampling intervals do not affect the decay rate of discrete time long memory autocorrelation functions in large lags, the autocorrelation functions in short lags are affected significantly. The level of the autocorrelation functions moves upward for temporally aggregated processes and downward for systematically sampled processes, and these effects result in a bias in the long memory parameter. For the ARFIMA(0,d,0) process, the absolute magnitude of the long memory parameter, |d|, of the temporally aggregated process is greater than the |d| of the true process, which is greater than the |d| of the systematically sampled process. We also find that the true long memory parameter can be obtained if we use a decay rate that is not affected by different sampling intervals.
Inflammatory and mechanical factors of allergen-induced bronchoconstriction in mild asthma and rhinitis.

We studied whether different bronchial responses to allergen in asthma and rhinitis are associated with different bronchial inflammation and remodeling or airway mechanics. Nine subjects with mild asthma and eight with rhinitis alone underwent methacholine and allergen inhalation challenges. The latter was preceded and followed by bronchoalveolar lavage and bronchial biopsy. The response to methacholine was positive in all asthmatic but in only two rhinitic subjects. The response to allergen was positive in all asthmatic and most, i.e., five, rhinitic subjects. No significant differences between groups were found in airway inflammatory cells or basement membrane thickness either at baseline or after allergen. The ability of deep inhalation to dilate methacholine-constricted airways was greater in rhinitis than in asthma, but it was progressively reduced in rhinitis during allergen challenge. We conclude that 1) rhinitic subjects may develop similar airway inflammation and remodeling as the asthmatic subjects do and 2) the difference in bronchial response to allergen between asthma and rhinitis is associated with different airway mechanics.
Chemical Synthesis of Proanthocyanidins in Vitro and Their Reactions in Aging Wines

Proanthocyanidins are present in many fruits and plant products like grapes and wine, and contribute to their taste and health benefits. In the past decades of years, substantial progresses has been achieved in the identification of composition and structure of proanthocyanidins, but the debate concerning the existence of an enzymatic or nonenzymatic mechanism for proanthocyanidin condensation still goes on. Substantial attention has been paid to elucidating the potential mechanism of formation by means of biomimetic and chemical synthesis in vitro. The present paper aims at summarizing the research status on chemical synthesis of proanthocyanidins, including non-enzymatic synthesis of proanthocyanidin precursors, chemical synthesis of proanthocyanidins with direct condensation of flavanols and stereoselective synthesis of proanthocyanidins. Proanthocyanidin-involved reactions in aging wines are also reviewed such as direct and indirect reactions among proanthocyanidins, flavanols and anthocyanins. Topics for future research in this field are also put forward in this paper.
Selenium Protects Neonates against Neurotoxicity from Prenatal Exposure to Manganese

Manganese (Mn) exposure can affect brain development. Whether Selenium (Se) can protect neonates against neurotoxicity from Mn exposure remains unclear. We investigated this issue in 933 mother-newborn pairs in Shanghai, China, from 2008 through 2009. Umbilical cord serum concentrations of Mn and Se were measured and Neonatal Behavioral Neurological Assessment (NBNA) tests were conducted. The scores <37 were defined as the low NBNA. The median concentrations of cord serum Mn and Se were 4.0 µg/L and 63.1 µg/L, respectively. After adjusting for potential confounders, the interaction between Se and Mn was observed. Cord blood Mn levels had different effects on NBNA scores stratified by different cord blood Se levels. With Se<P50 (<63.1 µg/L), Mn was negatively associated with NBNA scores (adjusted ß = −1.1, 95% CI: −1.3 to −0.9, p<0.001) and a higher cord blood Mn level increased the risk of low NBNA (adjusted OR = 5.7, 95% CI: 2.8 to 11.5, p<0.001). However, the adverse effect of Mn was reduced with Se≥P50 (≥63.1 µg/L) (NBNA: adjusted ß = 0.1, 95% CI: −0.3 to 0.5, p = 0.746; Low NBNA: adjusted OR = 4.5, 95% CI: 0.4 to 46.7, p = 0.205). Furthermore, the high Mn exposure group with a low Se level [Mn≥P75 (9.1 µg/L) and Se<P50 (63.1 µg/L)] had much lower NBNA scores than that of high Mn exposure group with a high Se level [Mn≥P75 (9.1 µg/L) and Se≥P50 (63.1 µg/L)] (38.0±1.6 & 39.5±0.9, p<0.001). Mn/Se ratio and NBNA scores were moderately correlated (r = −0.41, p<0.001). Our findings suggest that Se has a protective effect on neonates’ brain development against neurotoxicity from prenatal exposure to Mn. Se supplementation should be considered during pregnancy, especially in areas with low natural Se.
Determinants of Patients' Choice of Provider in Accessing Brucellosis Care among Pastoral Communities Adjacent to Lake Mburo National Park in Kiruhura District, Uganda

Background Brucellosis is the commonest zoonotic infection worldwide with symptoms similar to other febrile syndromes such as malaria and typhoid fever. It is often easily misdiagnosed, resulting in underreporting and misdirected treatments. Understanding of the factors that influence brucellosis care seeking is essential in enhancing its effective management. Our study sought to determine the factors associated with choice of provider in accessing care for brucellosis among pastoral communities in Uganda. Methods This was a cross-sectional survey involving 245 randomly selected respondents previously diagnosed and treated for brucellosis, two months before the study. They were enrolled from three sub-counties neighboring Lake Mburo National Park between December 2012 to April 2013. Data on socio-demographics, availability, accessibility, affordability and acceptability of health services were collected. A multivariable logistic regression model was fitted to determine association between independent and outcome variables using odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals with p-value≤0.05 considered statistically significant. Results Of the 245 respondents, 127(51.8%) sought health care at government facilities and the rest at private. Respondents who were less likely to choose a government facility were either single (OR: 0.50, CI: 0.26–0.97), had general weakness (OR: 0.09, CI: 0.01–0.72) or whom family took a decision (OR: 0.52, CI: 0.28–0.97). At multivariable analysis, choice of government facility was influenced by primary education (aOR: 0.46, CI: 0.22–0.97), having six to ten household members (aOR:3.71, CI:1.84–7.49), family advice (aOR:0.64, CI: 0.23–0.91), distance ≥10 kms (aOR:0.44, CI: 0.21–0.92), high costs at private clinics (aOR:0.01, CI:0.02–0.15) and no diagnosis at government facility (aOR:0.11, CI:0.01–0.97). Females were more likely to seek health care at government facilities, while those with tertiary education were less likely, after the first provider. Conclusions Females and households with six to ten members were more likely to choose government facilities. Government facilities need to be equipped to attract more patients.
Donsker Type Theorem for the Rosenblatt Process and a Binary Market Model

Abstract In this article, we prove a Donsker type approximation theorem for the Rosenblatt process, which is a selfsimilar stochastic process exhibiting long range dependence. We use this result to construct a binary market model driven by this process and we show that the model admits arbitrage opportunities. Finally we present some numerical simulations to illustrate the method of approximation.
Assessing American Education: Shrinking Resources, Growing Demands.

There is a need for educational research even during financial difficulties. Wisdom and efficiency in spending, careful data collection, and collaboration among agencies should be important goals while resources are scarce. Considering the situation, this paper describes critical issues in elementary and secondary education and the manner in which national data collection efforts might address these issues effectively. The critical issues include the equal importance of equity and excellence as goals of American education. Several phenomena related to the goals of equity and excellence are discussed, including bilingual education, private schools, use of computers in schools, drop-outs, and the transition from school to work. A second major issue is the development of students from childhood through adolescence. Developmental issues include longitudinal studies, especially of elementary school children, preprimary school programs, and adolescent development. The quality of instruction, including teacher preparation and classroom processes, and public perceptions of education are discussed as well. A five-page reference list is included. (JAZ) *********************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ***********************************************************************
Algorithmic determination of commutation relations for Lie symmetry algebras of PDEs

We present an algorithm COMMUTATION.RELATIONS, which can calculate the commutation relations for the Lie symmetry algebra of symmetry operators for any system of PDEs. Unlike existing methods, COMMUTATION_RELATIONS does not depend on the heuristic process of integrating the associated differential equations for the symmetry operators (i.e. integrating the ‘determining equations’), An algorithm INITIAL-DATA, developed in previous work, is used to calculate lists of initial data which are in l-to-l correspondence with solutions of determining equations. COMMUTATION.RELATIONS exploits this correspondence by calculating commutators in terms of initial data. The method has been implemented in the symbolic language MAPLE and can be applied to both finiteand infinite-dimensional Lie symmetry algebras. We show how knowledge of the Lie symmetry algebra calculated by CoMMUTATION.RELATIONS can simplify the task of explicitly integrating determining equations.
A new ab initio reconstruction method from unknown-direction projections of 2D binary set

This article focuses on the tomographic reconstruction of 2D binary images from projections whose directions are unknown. Observing that there is a mutual influence between the image reconstruction and the directions reconstruction, a new ab-initio method based on joint reconstruction of directions and image is proposed for 2D binary objects. Its implementation is done by optimizing a cost function taking as arguments the input projections, the current reconstructed image and the current directions. The optimization of the cost function is based on simulated annealing. After detailing the cost function, we test the proposed method for different resolutions and different noise levels. Finally, we present the future development of this promising method.
AN OPTIMAL CONTROL THEORY FOR DISCRETE EVENT SYSTEMS

In certain discrete event applications it may be desirable to find a particular controller, within the set of acceptable controllers, which optimizes some quantitative performance measure. In this paper we propose a theory of optimal control to meet such design requirements for deterministic systems. The discrete event system (DES) is modeled by a formal language. Event and cost functions are defined which induce costs on controlled system behavior. The event costs associated with the system behavior can be reduced, in general, only by increasing the control costs. Thus it is nontrivial to find the optimal amount of control to use, and the formulation captures the fundamental tradeoff motivating classical optimal control. Results on the existence of minimally restrictive optimal solutions are presented. Communication protocols are analyzed to motivate the formulation and demonstrate optimal controller synthesis. Algorithms for the computation of optimal controllers are developed for the special case of DES modeled by regular languages. It is shown that this framework generalizes some of the existing literature.
Renegotiation-Proof Implementation and Time Preferences

This paper explores how the requirement that the implementation of contracts be renegotiation-proof affects the set of contracts that can be implemented in a seller-buyer scenario in which the information regarding the agents' valuations is nonverifiable. This paper explicitly adds a time dimension to an implementation problem and introduces a natural criterion of renegotiation-proofness for the case of time-consuming renegotiation. The main insight gained is that the addition of the time dimension enlarges significantly the set of contracts that can be implemented in a renegotiation-proof manner. Copyright 1992 by American Economic Association. (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)
Distributions of Financial Accounting Ratios: Some Empirical Evidence

R ECENT application of advanced statistical techniques to the traditional financial ratio analysis of companies has raised some question concerning the usefulness of these ratios for persons external to the firm [Altman, 1968; Beaver, 1968; Beaver, 1967; Deakin, 1972; Manak and Huefner, 1972; Horrigan, 1967; O'Connor, 1973]. O'Connor's findings are of particular interest since he found that financial ratios provided little or no assistance in the determination of future rate of return rankings [O'Connor, 1973]. Most of these studies have employed parametric statistical tools whose validity is somewhat dependent upon the nature of the underlying distribution of the data that is input to the model.