Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
“My Avatar and Her Beloved Possession”: Characteristics of Attachment to Virtual Objects

Given the increasing emphasis on online consumption in our digital era, the current study aimed to explore the avatar–self relationship in association with the concept of product attachment. Through constructing their own avatars and selecting certain virtual possessions for them, participants in the sample were able to represent different elements of their identities to be manifested in their embodied virtual presence. Certain attributes and emotions characterizing both the real as well as the virtual existence of participants appeared to exert important influences. Additional gender differences emerged, in that males were more likely to represent their possible and hidden self-aspects, and focus on the functional meaning of virtual products, while females were more likely to reveal their ideal selves, and attach symbolic meaning to their virtual possessions. For female participants, the role of experimentation emerged as an important construct, with their avatars often reflecting upon their ambivalence toward perceived social norms and societal expectations. Implications for scholars and practitioners are discussed.
Representational Similarity of Social and Valence Information in the Medial pFC

The human brain is remarkably adept at integrating complex information to form unified psychological representations of agents, objects, and events in the environment. Two domains in which this ability is particularly salient are the processing of social and valence information and are supported by common cortical areas in the medial pFC (MPFC). Because social information is often embedded within valenced emotional contexts, it is possible that activation patterns within the MPFC may represent both of these types of cognitive processes when presented simultaneously. The current study tested this possibility by employing a large-scale automated meta-analysis tool, together with multivoxel pattern analysis to investigate the representational similarity of social and valence information in the MPFC during fMRI. Using a representational similarity analysis, we found a high degree of representational similarity both within social dimensions and within valence dimensions, but not across them (e.g., positive social information was highly dissimilar to negative nonsocial information), in a ventral portion of the MPFC. These results were significantly correlated with a behaviorally measured similarity structure of the same stimuli, suggesting that a psychologically meaningful representation of social and valence information is reflected by multivoxel activation patterns in the ventral MPFC.
FACTORS RELATED TO SIBLING INVOLVEMENT IN EARLY CHILDHOOD INTERVENTION

OF DISSERTATION FACTORS RELATED TO SIBLING INVOLVEMENT IN EARLY CHILDHOOD INTERVENTION Professionals in early intervention have little information about the levels of sibling involvement in intervention, factors that contribute to sibling involvement, or how sibling involvement is related to families’ perceptions of self-efficacy. Few studies have investigated siblings in early intervention, and none have focused on relationships between sibling involvement in early intervention and parent self-efficacy. Using quantitative survey research this study investigated factors related to sibling involvement in early intervention strategies. Respondents completing the survey consisted of 129 parents who had a child enrolled in Michigan’s early intervention program, and at least one sibling in the home. Results indicated a significant relationship between sibling use of early intervention strategies and 1) the region in which the family lives, and 2) the age difference between the siblings in each sibling dyad. Practical implications of the findings are discussed.
Job Satisfaction and Affective Events Theory: What Have We Learned in the Last 15 Years?

Job satisfaction is a topic that garners quite a lot of attention in the literature as researchers and practitioners alike seek to understand, predict and improve employees’ contentment with their jobs. Similarly, in the decade and a half since its introduction, affective events theory (AET, Weiss & Cropanzano, 1996) is also gaining attention as it is recognized as a theoretically rigorous framework (Humphrey, 2006) and the prominent theory relating to workplace affect (Ashton-James & Ashkanasy, 2005). AET supplies a framework for investigating the relationship between work events, emotions and the resulting attitudes and behaviors – a structure which several investigations have empirically tested. The current paper reviews research conducted on job satisfaction within the AET framework and identifies areas in need of additional investigation.
Dual Energy CT in Clinical Practice.

Dual Energy CT in Clinical Practice, Johnson, T. , Fink, C. , Schönberg, S. O. , Reiser, M. F. , Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg, 2011. Hardcover, 219 pp. Price: $239.00. ISBN: 978-3-642-01739-1.
Growth Options , Incentives , and Pay-for-Performance : Theory and Evidence ∗

When firm value is non-linear in manager effort, pay-for-performance, measured as the sensitivity of manager compensation to firm value, is not a sufficient statistic for the strength of managerial incentives. To demonstrate this effect, we characterize the optimal contract between an investor and a risk-averse manager in the presence of a lumpy investment option. In our model, increasing the size of the growth option can decrease pay-performance sensitivity despite always increasing managerial effort and incentives. Low pay-performance sensitivity is consistent with higher effort and incentives because increasing the size of the growth opportunity increases the sensitivity of firm value to managerial effort. We document new empirical evidence consistent with our model. In a within firm analysis, a one standard deviation increase in Market-toBook, a proxy for the presence of growth options, is associated with a roughly 6.5% decrease in Jensen and Murphy’s (1990) pay-performance sensitivity, as measured by dollar changes in manager wealth to dollar changes in firm value.
Bronchiolization of the alveoli in lung cancer: Pathology, patterns of differentiation and oncogene expression

We examined the incidence and association of bronchiolization of the alveoli with non‐small cell lung cancer in lung resection specimens from 2 patient groups: those with non‐small cell lung cancer and those diagnosed with a variety of non‐neoplastic lung conditions. We observed marked variation in bronchiolization of the alveoli morphology ranging from normal to severely atypical and developed a classification scheme based on growth pattern, cell number and cytologic criteria. Patterns of differentiation, proliferation and growth factor receptor and oncogene expression were studied using immuno‐histochemical and in situ hybridization techniques. While low‐grade (0–I) bronchiolization of the alveoli lesions demonstrated markers similar to normal bronchiolar epithelium, a significant decrease in the Clara cell 10 kDa protein and tubulin and an increase in surfactant protein‐A expression were observed in high‐grade (II–III) lesions. Focal p53 expression was detected in 2 high‐grade lesions, while c‐ myc mRNA and cJun protein were observed in all grades. No correlation was observed between bronchiolization of the alveoli incidence and histologic tumor type. A comparison of marker expression in lesions and tumors from the same case revealed a negative correlation between cytokeratin‐14 and c‐erbB‐2 immuno‐reactivity. Only one bronchialization of the alveoli lesion was found in the non‐neoplastic patient group. We conclude that up to 12% of non‐small cell lung cancer resection specimens contain bronchiolization of the alveoli lesions which exhibit altered morphology and patterns of differentiation. Int. J. Cancer 75:489–496, 1998. Published 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
OnabotulinumtoxinA (Botox) nerve blocks provide durable pain relief for men with chronic scrotal pain: a pilot open-label trial.

INTRODUCTION Chronic scrotal pain (CSP) is a common, often debilitating, condition affecting approximately 4.75% of men. While nerve blocks using local anesthetics usually provide temporary pain relief, there are no publications on the use of longer acting nerve blocks to provide more durable pain relief for men with CSP. AIM The aim of this study was to determine if onabotulinumtoxinA (Botox) cord blocks provide durable pain relief for men with CSP. METHODS In this pilot open-label study, men with CSP who had failed medical management but experienced temporary pain relief from a standard cord block underwent a cord block with 100U Botox. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The outcomes measured were changes 1, 3, and 6 months post-Botox injection in (i) a 10-point visual analog scale (VAS) pain score; (ii) scrotal tenderness on a three-point scale as rated by physical examination; and (iii) the Chronic Epididymitis Symptom Index (CESI) to measure the severity and impact of scrotal pain on men. Paired t-tests were used to compare groups. RESULTS Eighteen patients with CSP seen between April and September 2013 had Botox injected as a cord block. At the 1-month follow-up, pain reduction was reported by 72% of patients (mean VAS score: 7.36 vs. 5.61, P < 0.003), while by physical examination 44 and 34% of the men had either complete or partial resolution of scrotal tenderness. In addition, there was also a significant reduction in CESI scores (22.19 vs. 19.25, P < 0.04). At 3 months, 56% had both sustained pain reduction and reduced tenderness based on the VAS score (mean: 7.36 vs. 6.02, P < 0.05) and physical exam. The CESI score continued to be significantly lower. Unfortunately, by 6 months, most men had a return to their baseline levels of pain and tenderness. CONCLUSIONS Our pilot study found that Botox cord blocks provide pain reduction for 3 months or more for most men with CSP.
Long-term Results of Percutaneous Lumbar Decompression for LSS: Two-Year Outcomes

Objective:The aim of this report was to evaluate the long-term effectiveness and safety of mild lumbar decompression for the treatment of neurogenic claudication associated with lumbar spinal stenosis. This technique uses a percutaneous dorsal approach to remove small portions of ligament and lamina, thereby restoring space and decompressing the spinal canal. Materials and Methods:Two-year data are reported for 45 patients treated with mild decompression at 11 US sites. Outcome measures included the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index, and Zurich Claudication Questionnaire. Safety was monitored throughout the procedural and follow-up period for all patients. Interim data are included for these patients at 1 week, 6 months, and 1-year follow-up. Results:Seventy-one percent of patients reported improvement in VAS at the end of the reporting period. At 2 years, patients demonstrated a statistically significant reduction of pain as measured by VAS, and improvement in physical function and mobility was significant as measured by Zurich Claudication Questionnaire and Oswestry Disability Index. Tukey honestly significant different test found significant improvement in all outcome measures from baseline to each follow-up interval. Further, major improvement occurred by 1-week follow-up and showed no difference between each subsequent follow-up, signifying considerable stability and durability of the initial result over time. No major device or intraprocedural adverse events were reported. Discussion:In this report of 2-year follow-up on 45 patients treated with mild percutaneous lumbar decompression, patients experienced statistically significant pain relief and improved functionality.
An Information-Theoretic Approach for Evaluating Probabilistic Tuning Functions of Single Neurons

Neuronal tuning functions can be expressed by the conditional probability of observing a spike given any combination of explanatory variables. However, accurately determining such probabilistic tuning functions from experimental data poses several challenges such as finding the right combination of explanatory variables and determining their proper neuronal latencies. Here we present a novel approach of estimating and evaluating such probabilistic tuning functions, which offers a solution for these problems. By maximizing the mutual information between the probability distributions of spike occurrence and the variables, their neuronal latency can be estimated, and the dependence of neuronal activity on different combinations of variables can be measured. This method was used to analyze neuronal activity in cortical area MSTd in terms of dependence on signals related to eye and retinal image movement. Comparison with conventional feature detection and regression analysis techniques shows that our method offers distinct advantages, if the dependence does not match the regression model.
Effect of iron deficiency on simultaneous measures of behavior, brain activity, and energy expenditure in the performance of a cognitive task

Objectives: Iron deficiency (ID) – the highly prevalent nutritional deficiency – has been shown to have deleterious effects on measures of cognitive performance and brain activity. Many of these results are suggestive of the impact of ID on neurotransmitter regulation and myelination. A third critical potential effect of ID on brain function is at the level of brain energy expenditure; however, to date there has not been any method for indirectly estimating the impact of ID on energy expenditure in humans in the context of cognitive work. Methods: We report here a study comparing ID and iron sufficient (IS) college students in which simultaneous behavioral, encephelographic (EEG), and metabolic data were collected in a task designed as a cognitive analog to standard physical exertion tasks. Results: We show that increases in cognitive demands produced decrements in behavioral measures of performance, and increases in EEG and metabolic measures of work. Critically, we found that the magnitudes of those changes were directly related to iron levels. Discussion: We find support for the idea that brain activity mediates the relationship between cognitive demands and energy expenditure, with ferritin and hemoglobin moderating those relationships in distinct ways. Finally, we show that levels of energy expenditure can be indirectly estimated by measures of EEG spectral power.
Controlled Flooding of Fountain Codes

We consider a multihop network where a source node must reliably deliver a set of data packets to a given destination node. To do so, the source applies a fountain code and floods the encoded packets through the network, until they reach their destination or are lost in the process. We model the probability that the destination can recover the original transmissions from the received coded packets as a function of the network topology and of the code redundancy, and show that our analytical results predict the outcome of simulations very well. These results are employed to design distributed forwarding policies that achieve a good tradeoff between the success probability and the total number of transmissions required to advance a packet toward the destination. We finally develop in detail the case where intermediate relays can inject additional redundancy in the network, provided that they have successfully decoded the source packets.
Treatment of scabies: newer perspectives

Scabies is a common dermatological problem managed by general physicians, family physicians, and dermatologists. Scabies manifests itself in various forms in different individuals. The treatment of scabies has undergone developments with the evolution of new treatment strategies and antiectoparasitic drugs. The advent of drugs such as permethrin and ivermectin has revolutionised treatment. Management of scabies not only includes prescribing the drugs but also educating patients properly about the method of application of the drug. Treatment failures may result for various reasons and must be managed appropriately.
The Association of AMPK with ULK1 Regulates Autophagy

Autophagy is a highly orchestrated intracellular bulk degradation process that is activated by various environmental stresses. The serine/threonine kinase ULK1, like its yeast homologue Atg1, is a key initiator of autophagy that is negatively regulated by the mTOR kinase. However, the molecular mechanism that controls the inhibitory effect of mTOR on ULK1-mediated autophagy is not fully understood. Here we identified AMPK, a central energy sensor, as a new ULK1-binding partner. We found that AMPK binds to the PS domain of ULK1 and this interaction is required for ULK1-mediated autophagy. Interestingly, activation of AMPK by AICAR induces 14-3-3 binding to the AMPK-ULK1-mTORC1 complex, which coincides with raptor Ser792 phosphorylation and mTOR inactivation. Consistently, AICAR induces autophagy in TSC2-deficient cells expressing wild-type raptor but not the mutant raptor that lacks the AMPK phosphorylation sites (Ser722 and Ser792). Taken together, these results suggest that AMPK association with ULK1 plays an important role in autophagy induction, at least in part, by phosphorylation of raptor to lift the inhibitory effect of mTOR on the ULK1 autophagic complex.
In the company of men : male dominance and sexual harassment

Men, Domination, and Sexual Harassment Just Men Out of Control? Criminology and the Likelihood to Sexually Harass (Robert S. Done, University of Arizona) Toward a Criminology of Sexual Harassment (Beth A. Quinn, Montana State University - Bozeman) Fitting in: The Conflation of Firefighting Male Domination and Harassment (Dave Baigent, Anglia Polytechnic University) Sexualization of Work Roles Among Men Miners: Structural and Gender-Based Origins of "Harazzment" (Kristen R. Yount, Northern Kentucky University) Recognition Processes in Sexual Harassment, Bullying and Violence at Work: The Move to Organization Violations (Jeff Hearn, University of Manchester, and Wendy Parkin, University of Huddersfield) The Sexual Harassment of Men: Articulating the Approach-Rejection Theory of Sexual Harassment Motives (Margaret S. Stockdale, Southern Illinois University) The Hidden Discourse of Masculinity in Sexual Harassment Litigation (Michael Kimmel and Tyson Smith, both State University of New York at Stony Brook) Dominance, Harassment, and Women The Impact of Male Domination on the Prevalence of Sexual Harassment: An Analysis of European Union Surveys (Greetje Timmerman, University of Groningen) Sexual Harassment and Violence Toward Policewomen in Finland (Kaisa Kauppinen, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, and Saara Patuotlo, Helsinki University) Blue Collar Feminism: The Link Between Male Domination and Sexual Harassment (Carrie N. Baker, Emory University) A Missing Link: Institutional Homophobia and Sexual Harassment in the U.S. Military (Melissa Sheridan Embser-Herbert, Hamline University) The Architecture of Sexual Harassment (Carla Corroto, Mississippi State University) The Nexus of Race and Gender Domination: The Racialized Sexual Harassment of African American Women (NiCole Buchanan, Michigan State University)
EXACT LINEARIZATION WITH DISTURBANCE REJECTION FOR CONTROL OF ROBOT MANIPULATORS

This paper proposes an adaptive global asymptotic stable (adaptive GAS) control scheme for the compensation of friction and disturbance effect to control robot manipulators. This control method integrates both model reference technique and exact linearization. In addition, it employs disturbance compensating mechanics to control the system to follow a linear reference model which has pole placement (on the left of the complex plane), even though modelling error, disturbance and noise exist. The simulation results of the 2DOF planar robot demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Observing the clustering properties of galaxy clusters in dynamical dark-energy cosmologies

We study the clustering properties of galaxy clusters expected to be observed by various forthcoming surveys both in the X-ray and sub-mm regimes by the thermal Sunyaev-Zel’dovich effect. Several different background cosmological models are assumed, including the concordance ΛCDM and various cosmologies with dynamical evolution of the dark energy. Particular attention is paid to models with a significant contribution of dark energy at early times which affects the process of structure formation. Past light cone and selection effects in cluster catalogs are carefully modeled by realistic scaling relations between cluster mass and observables and by properly taking into account the selection functions of the different instruments. The results show that early dark-energy models are expected to produce significantly lower values of effective bias and both spatial and angular correlation amplitudes with respect to the standard ΛCDM model. Among the cluster catalogs studied in this work, it turns out that those based on eRosita, Planck, and South Pole Telescope observations are the most promising for distinguishing between various dark-energy models.
Photocurrent Calculation of Intersubband Transitions to Continuum-Localized States in GaAs/AlGaAs Multiquantum Wells for Mid-Infrared Photodetector

In this paper, we propose a system based on GaAs heterostructure where it is possible to generate photocurrent with mid-infrared radiation. This system is based on a central quantum well (CQW) embedded in a superlattice. Because of the CQW, which acts as a defect, there are localized states between the mini-bands in the continuum of the conduction band. Unlike the usual systems where the final states are delocalized, the oscillator strength due to the transitions between electrons occupying the ground-state to these continuum-localized states is enhanced. An applied electrical bias mixes the mini-band states with the localized state in the continuum, and due to the combined effects of strong oscillator strength and high transmission coefficients, narrow and sharp peaks are observed in the photocurrent when exciting these final states. We calculate and present results of the absorption and photocurrent for a system built to operate at 4.1 μm and discuss their dependence with the bias applied to the system and with the intensity of the incident radiation.