Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multimodal metaphors as cognitive pivots for the construction of cultural otherness in talk

Abstract When people experience and talk about cultural alterity, they normally refer to polar scales, such as “individual/collective orientation patterns” or “direct/indirect ways of speaking” etc. The project of the research group (Inter-)Cultural Communication in Interaction entitled Intercultural communication in extended contacts: linguistic and (self-) reflexive processes (2012–2016) aimed to reveal how exchange students retrospectively co-construct and frame their experiences abroad on a verbal, vocal, and visual-corporal plane in elicited talk on encountered divergent cultural differences. The empirical data of the study originates from the corpus recorded by our group whose activities were initiated at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) in Brazil in 2012 (http://www.letras.ufmg.br/nucleos/nucoi/). The specific proposal was to reveal the connection between communicative and cognitive processes coming into play in the co-construction of cultural dimensions in interaction, especially by the multimodal use of key metaphors and their underlying image schemas. For the theoretical background, conversation analysis and interactional linguistics with its focus on prosodic cues, as well as recent work on the multimodality of cognitive metaphor with its crucial contribution to gesture studies, serve as a starting point for a more detailed microanalytic approach as a first step of analysis. In a second step, we see how the results point to studies in the field of intercultural pragmatics, as well as to underlying polar cognitive cultural schemas, as discussed in cultural linguistics. Schemas found in the sequences might be associated with cultural styles reflected in embodied communication practices: These are strength/looseness, the conceptualization of people/cultures as open or closed, which refers to the container schema, as well as rectilinear/deviating motions designed in relation to the source-path-goal schema.
Total time taken and heart rate changes of youth golfers during pre-shot routines in on-course conditions

The aim of the research was to assess the total time taken and the heart rate (HR) changes of youth golfers during pre-shot routines in on-course conditions. Ten male golfers participated. Data of a golf round were gathered hole by hole using a golf personal statistical protocol. HR responses were recorded at 2 s intervals using Suunto t6 HR monitors. Observers recorded behavioural patterns during the pre-shot routines. The subjects’ pre-shot routines for approach shots were significantly shorter (p < 0.05) than their pre-shot routines for tee shots. HR increased significantly (p < 0.05) from the start to the end of the pre-shot routines for tee and fairway shots; the number of practice swings had the strongest relationship with the increased HR from the start to the end of the pre-shot routines for tee (r = 0.474; p < 0.05) and fairway (r = 0.373; p < 0.05) shots. Approach shots require more accuracy than full swing shots; therefore, findings suggest that a longer pre-shot routine for these shots is essential. The number of practice swings is the factor significantly increasing HR responses before full swings shots. The increase in HR before tee shots has a negative influence on the accuracy of these shots.
Interictal Functional Connectivity of Human Epileptic Networks Assessed by Intracerebral EEG and BOLD Signal Fluctuations

In this study, we aimed to demonstrate whether spontaneous fluctuations in the blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal derived from resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) reflect spontaneous neuronal activity in pathological brain regions as well as in regions spared by epileptiform discharges. This is a crucial issue as coherent fluctuations of fMRI signals between remote brain areas are now widely used to define functional connectivity in physiology and in pathophysiology. We quantified functional connectivity using non-linear measures of cross-correlation between signals obtained from intracerebral EEG (iEEG) and resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) in 5 patients suffering from intractable temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Functional connectivity was quantified with both modalities in areas exhibiting different electrophysiological states (epileptic and non affected regions) during the interictal period. Functional connectivity as measured from the iEEG signal was higher in regions affected by electrical epileptiform abnormalities relative to non-affected areas, whereas an opposite pattern was found for functional connectivity measured from the BOLD signal. Significant negative correlations were found between the functional connectivities of iEEG and BOLD signal when considering all pairs of signals (theta, alpha, beta and broadband) and when considering pairs of signals in regions spared by epileptiform discharges (in broadband signal). This suggests differential effects of epileptic phenomena on electrophysiological and hemodynamic signals and/or an alteration of the neurovascular coupling secondary to pathological plasticity in TLE even in regions spared by epileptiform discharges. In addition, indices of directionality calculated from both modalities were consistent showing that the epileptogenic regions exert a significant influence onto the non epileptic areas during the interictal period. This study shows that functional connectivity measured by iEEG and BOLD signals give complementary but sometimes inconsistent information in TLE.
Attack characterization for effective watermarking

We present and analyze an approach to improve the performance of a broad class of watermarking schemes through attack characterization. Traditional robust watermarking methods use little information concerning the way in which the image is tampered to estimate the embedded watermark. In our novel scheme we propose adding two types of watermarks: reference and robust. The reference watermark is used to assess the way in which the marked image has been modified so that the robust watermark can be optimally extracted to maximize security. Analysis and simulation results are provided to demonstrate the significant performance improvement when the proposed approach is employed in an existing watermarking scheme.
African Psychology in Historical Perspective and Related Commentary

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Administration of Heme Arginate Ameliorates Murine Type 2 Diabetes Independently of Heme Oxygenase Activity

Amelioration of rodent type 2 diabetes by hemin has been linked to increased heme oxygenase (HO) activity, however alternative mechanisms have recently been proposed for its anti-diabetic effect. We sought to determine the anti-diabetic efficacy of heme arginate (HA), a clinically licensed preparation of heme, and whether its predominant mode of action is via increased HO activity. Intravenous administration of HA reduced hyperglycemia in diabetic (db/db) mice. Co-administration of the HO inhibitor stannous (IV) mesoporphyrin IX dichloride (SM) resulted unexpectedly in a further improvement in glycaemic control despite restoring HO activity to baseline levels. The anti-diabetic effects of HA±SM were associated with increased adiposity, increased serum adiponectin levels, reduced adipose tissue and islet inflammation and preservation of islet β-cell function. HO activity independent effects of HA on adipogenesis and β-cell inflammation were further confirmed in cell culture models using the 3T3-L1 pre-adipocyte and MIN6 β-cell lines, respectively. In conclusion, our work demonstrates that the heme component of HA ameliorates experimental type 2 diabetes by promoting metabolically favourable adipogenesis and preserving islet β-cell function, but this is not mediated via increased HO activity.
On the coupling of tensors to gauge fields: D=5, N=2 supergravity revisited

A general free differential algebra encoding the anti-Higgs mechanism among two-index antisymmetric tensors and gauge vectors is analyzed at the full group theoretical level. N=2 supergravity in five dimensions coupled to tensor, vector and hyper multiplets with all possible couplings included is reconsidered from this point of view. Within our approach, we find that some of the constraints on the couplings usually considered are too stringent and may in fact be relaxed. This generalization also affects the scalar potential.
Efficient techniques for document sanitization

Sanitization of a document involves removing sensitive information from the document, so that it may be distributed to a broader audience. Such sanitization is needed while declassifying documents involving sensitive or confidential information such as corporate emails, intelligence reports, medical records, etc. In this paper, we present the ERASE framework for performing document sanitization in an automated manner. ERASE can be used to sanitize a document dynamically, so that different users get different views of the same document based on what they are authorized to know. We formalize the problem and present algorithms used in ERASE for finding the appropriate terms to remove from the document. Our preliminary experimental study demonstrates the efficiency and efficacy of the proposed algorithms.
Clinical and radiographic analysis of the operative procedure results according to the method of Mitchell and Keller used for correction of hallux valgus deformities.

UNLABELLED The aim of this study is to make a correlation of the clinical and radiographic results after performing two different surgical procedures for correction of hallux valgus deformity. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study included 70 patients having hallux valgus deformity of the foot, and they were divided into two groups. The first group (Group 1) was composed of 35 patients who were treated by osteotomy of the I-st metatarsal bone according to Mitchell, while the second group (Group 2) was also composed of 35 patients who were treated by resectional arthroplasty according to Keller. Clinical (pain and metatarsalgia, as well as most dominant symptoms) and radiographic examinations (I metatarsophalangeal angle and I intermetatarsal angle) were analysed comparatively during the evaluation. The analysis of the clinical and radiographic results was performed pre-operatively and post-operatively for the two groups. RESULTS According to their sex, the patients were 5 men and 65 women. Using the method of Mitchell, pain as a clinical symptom post-operatively was found in only 3 patients out of the 35 with operated feet, while in the other group of patients treated by the method of Keller, there was no presence of pain in any of the patients. Comparatively, this does not present a statistically significant difference (p>0.05). Nor do, the differences in the distribution of metatrsalgia incidence show a statistical significance between the two groups (p>0.05). There is no significant difference (p>0.05) in the patients of the two groups concerning the pre-operative mean dimension values of the I metatarsophalangeal angle and I intermetatarsal angle. However, the radiographic analysis of the same angles in both groups, one year post-operatively, showed a high statistically significant difference (p<0.001). SUMMARY Mitchell's operative technique could be recommended as an effective procedure for the correction of hallux valgus and metatarsus primus varus in young and middle-aged patients, while the resection arthroplasty according to the method of Keller is recommended for older patients with arthrotic changes.
The impact of aesthetic preference in product design-golden ratio and Korean's preference proportion

Background Over the past decades a considerable number of studies have been done on the golden ratio and the relation between their aesthetics and design. These studies, after analyzing design icons with the golden ratio, seem to prove that the golden ratio is an important principle for good design. However, these studies mainly focused on western products that were used in western countries. And thus, the majority of the products were designed by western designers and analyzed by western scholars. These factors raised a doubt whether the golden ratio is also the most aesthetically pleasing proportion in other countries, for example in Asia. Proportions are determined by mathematical logic; however preference and aesthetic judgment are aroused from individual's experience and environmental context. Questioning whether the golden ratio is the most commonly preferred proportion across cultures led to an empirical study to examine the differences between Western and Asian preferences on the golden ratio. Specifically, this study is focused on Koreans' preference and their traditional products. Methods First, the preference experiment on proportion was conducted in South Korea with 277 subjects. Second, this study continued to analyze the proportion of over 100 Korean traditional objects that exemplify the research results. Results The experimental data clearly reveals that Korean subjects have a significant preference for the root ratio (1:1.414). This result obviously contradicts previous studies conducted in western countries that showed a strong preference for the golden ratio, and their good design objects are also characterized by the golden ratio (1:1.618). This study continues to verify that Koreans' favorite ratio could be found in Korean traditional design objects reflecting their preference. Korean traditional design objects show a clearly shorter ratio (1:1, 1:1.333) than the golden ratio (1:1.618). Conclusions It is concluded that the golden ratio is not always the best proportion for a good design, but it may be a preferred proportion since this ratio can be found in everyday objects as one of the predominant design features. Specifically, this finding will evoke deeper insights in the correlation of an influential impact between aesthetic preference and the element of design form and shape.
Dichloroacetate Prevents and Reverses Pulmonary Hypertension by Inducing Pulmonary Artery Smooth Muscle Cell Apoptosis

The pulmonary arteries (PA) in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) are constricted and remodeled;. They have suppressed apoptosis, partly attributable to suppression of the bone morphogenetic protein axis and selective downregulation of PA smooth muscle cell (PASMC) voltage-gated K+ channels, including Kv1.5. The Kv downregulation-induced increase in [K+]i, tonically inhibits caspases, further suppressing apoptosis. Mitochondria control apoptosis and produce activated oxygen species like H2O2, which regulate vascular tone by activating K+ channels, but their role in PAH is unknown. We show that dichloroacetate (DCA), a metabolic modulator that increases mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, prevents and reverses established monocrotaline-induced PAH (MCT-PAH), significantly improving mortality. Compared with MCT-PAH, DCA-treated rats (80 mg/kg per day in drinking water on day 14 after MCT, studied on day 21) have decreased pulmonary, but not systemic, vascular resistance (63% decrease, P<0.002), PA medial thickness (28% decrease, P<0.0001), and right ventricular hypertrophy (34% decrease, P<0.001). DCA is similarly effective when given at day 1 or day 21 after MCT (studied day 28) but has no effect on normal rats. DCA depolarizes MCT-PAH PASMC mitochondria and causes release of H2O2 and cytochrome c, inducing a 10-fold increase in apoptosis within the PA media (TUNEL and caspase 3 activity) and decreasing proliferation (proliferating-cell nuclear antigen and BrdU assays). Immunoblots, immunohistochemistry, laser-captured microdissection-quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and patch-clamping show that DCA reverses the Kv1.5 downregulation in resistance PAs. In summary, DCA reverses PA remodeling by increasing the mitochondria-dependent apoptosis/proliferation ratio and upregulating Kv1.5 in the media. We identify mitochondria-dependent apoptosis as a potential target for therapy and DCA as an effective and selective treatment for PAH.
Ranking mechanisms in twitter-like forums

We study the problem of designing a mechanism to rank items in forums by making use of the user reviews such as thumb and star ratings. We compare mechanisms where forum users rate individual posts and also mechanisms where the user is asked to perform a pairwise comparison and state which one is better. The main metric used to evaluate a mechanism is the ranking accuracy vs the cost of reviews, where the cost is measured as the average number of reviews used per post. We show that for many reasonable probability models, there is no thumb (or star) based ranking mechanism that can produce approximately accurate rankings with bounded number of reviews per item. On the other hand we provide a review mechanism based on pairwise comparisons which achieves approximate rankings with bounded cost. We have implemented a system, shoutvelocity, which is a twitter-like forum but items (i.e., tweets in Twitter) are rated by using comparisons. For each new item the user who posts the item is required to compare two previous entries. This ensures that over a sequence of n posts, we get at least n comparisons requiring one review per item on average. Our mechanism uses this sequence of comparisons to obtain a ranking estimate. It ensures that every item is reviewed at least once and winning entries are reviewed more often to obtain better estimates of top items.
A CHARACTERIZATION OF CERTAIN MORPHIC TRIVIAL EXTENSIONS

Given a ring R, we study the bimodules M for which the trivial extension R ∝ M is morphic. We obtain a complete characterization in the case where R is left perfect, and we prove that R ∝ Q/R is morphic when R is a commutative reduced ring with classical ring of quotients Q. We also extend some known results concerning the connection between morphic rings and unit regular rings.
Smartphone-Based Recognition of States and State Changes in Bipolar Disorder Patients

Today's health care is difficult to imagine without the possibility to objectively measure various physiological parameters related to patients' symptoms (from temperature through blood pressure to complex tomographic procedures). Psychiatric care remains a notable exception that heavily relies on patient interviews and self-assessment. This is due to the fact that mental illnesses manifest themselves mainly in the way patients behave throughout their daily life and, until recently there were no “behavior measurement devices. ” This is now changing with the progress in wearable activity recognition and sensor enabled smartphones. In this paper, we introduce a system, which, based on smartphone-sensing is able to recognize depressive and manic states and detect state changes of patients suffering from bipolar disorder. Drawing upon a real-life dataset of ten patients, recorded over a time period of 12 weeks (in total over 800 days of data tracing 17 state changes) by four different sensing modalities, we could extract features corresponding to all disease-relevant aspects in behavior. Using these features, we gain recognition accuracies of 76% by fusing all sensor modalities and state change detection precision and recall of over 97%. This paper furthermore outlines the applicability of this system in the physician-patient relations in order to facilitate the life and treatment of bipolar patients.
Why are negative behaviours likely to be immediately invoked traits? The effects of valence and frequency on spontaneous trait inferences

People make trait inferences immediately when observing others’ behaviours. Previous studies reported that this spontaneous trait inference (STI) occurs more strongly from negative behaviours than from positive behaviours. However, what is responsible for this negativity bias in STI is unclear. In this study, two experiments investigated the effects of valence (an event's affective positivity or negativity) and frequency (how frequently the behaviour is observed in everyday life) on the occurrence of STI using an adapted version of a savings-in-relearning paradigm. Experiment 1 revealed that only valence affected the frequent occurrence of STI. In addition, the instructions to suppress impression formation or to focus attention on an actor's face made no difference to the results. In Experiment 2, the negativity bias in STIs was shown a week after exposure to the behavioural stimuli. These results suggest that the negativity bias in STIs occurs robustly, and the negative valence of observed behaviour is mostly responsible for the negativity bias in STI. The importance of immediate categorization of negative stimuli is discussed in terms of ecological priority.
Cross-Resistance of Pink Bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella) to Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins

ABSTRACT Two strains of pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella) selected in the laboratory for resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis toxin Cry1Ac had substantial cross-resistance to Cry1Aa and Cry1Ab but not to Cry1Bb, Cry1Ca, Cry1Da, Cry1Ea, Cry1Ja, Cry2Aa, Cry9Ca, H04, or H205. The narrow spectrum of resistance and the cross-resistance to activated toxin Cry1Ab suggest that reduced binding of toxin to midgut target sites could be an important mechanism of resistance.
Identifying the factors that influence eWOM in SNSs: the case of Chile

ABSTRACT The factors that influence electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) in social networking sites (SNSs) in Latin American countries still need to be understood. This paper looks at factors included by prior research, as well as two new factors that have the power to influence eWOM in SNSs in the region. The study is conducted in Chile, a country which already has high Internet and SNSs penetration rates and Hofstede's scores close to the average for Latin America. The results show that tie strength, normative influence, informational influence, self-presentation, and voluntary self-disclosure are all positively directly associated with eWOM in SNSs. The results also show that homophily exerts a positive indirect influence on eWOM through the mediators of tie strength, normative influence, informational influence, and self-presentation. Additionally, the results show that trust exerts a positive indirect influence on eWOM through the mediators of tie strength, normative influence, and voluntary self-disclosure.