Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dancing with Physio: A Mobile Game with Physiologically Aware Virtual Humans

This study presents an evaluation of a mobile game with physiologically aware virtual humans as an approach to modulate the participant's affective and physiological state. We developed a mobile version of a virtual reality scenario where the participants were able to interact with virtual human characters through their psychophysiological activity. Music was played in the background of the scenario and, depending on the experimental condition, the virtual humans were initially either barely dancing or dancing very euphorically. The task of the participants was to encourage the apathetic virtual humans to dance or to calm down the frenetically dancing characters, through the modulation of their own mood and physiological activity. Results from our study show that by using this mobile game with the physiologically aware and affective virtual humans the participants were able to emotionally arouse themselves in the Activation condition and were able to relax themselves in the Relaxation condition, during the same session with only a brief break between conditions. The self-reported affective data was also corroborated by the physiological data (heart rate, respiration and skin conductance) which significantly differed between the Activation and Relaxation conditions.
Ex-Ante vs. Ex-Post Efficiency in Personal Bankruptcy Proceedings

Amidst a sharp increase in household debt levels, many countries have substantially reformed their consumer bankruptcy regulations. I first classify the mechanisms triggered by current U.S. and European bankruptcy regulations and then evaluate these mechanisms within a hidden action model. I analyze the consumer’s incentives prior to distress and during a ’period of good conduct’ following bankruptcy, appraising the capacity of existing regulations to implement those conflicting objectives. Though the institution of debt release provides adequate bankruptcy regulation ex-post, the prospect of debt release also distorts the debtor’s choices prior to distress. I propose alternative regulations that provide superior incentives, minimizing the overall distortions at both dates. A numerical example illustrates the findings.
The Sisters in Science Program: A Three Year Analysis.

In 1974, the Women's Educational Equity Act expanded math, science, and technology programs for all females. Current reform movements focus on providing more equitable education by changing the curriculum, teaching, and assessment. Research suggests that girls and boys currently receive different education and that girls have less exposure to science equipment than boys. The Sisters in Science (SIS) Program focuses on fourth and sixth grade students, its goals being to increase: (1) interest, achievement, self-esteem, environmental awareness, career awareness, and attitudes in the areas of mathematics and science; (2) inservice and preservice teachers' knowledge of the relationship between gender and effective instruction; and (3) parental knowledge of the importance of science and mathematics education in the lives of their children. (Contains 36 references.) (YDS) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. 1 The Sisters in Science Program: A Three Year Analysis by Penny L. Hammrich Greer Richardson Beverly Livingston PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS PBEEN GRANTED BY TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) Thi cument has been reproduced as ceived from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy.
Regime Changes and Monetary Stagflation

This paper examines whether monetary shocks can consistently generate stagflation in a dynamic, stochastic setting. I assume that the monetary authority can induce transitory shocks and longer-lasting monetary regime changes in its operating instrument. Firms cannot distinguish between these shocks and must learn about them using a signal extraction problem. The possibility of changes in the monetary regime greatly improves the ability of money to generate stagflation. This is true whether the regime actually changes or not. If the monetary regime changes on average once every ten years, stagflation occurs in 76% of model simulations. The intuition for this result is simple: increased output volatility due to learning coupled with inflation inertia produce conditions conducive to the emergence of stagflation. The incidence of stagflation can be reduced by a stable, transparent central bank.
Real-Time Parallel Processing of Grammatical Structure in the Fronto-Striatal System: A Recurrent Network Simulation Study Using Reservoir Computing

Sentence processing takes place in real-time. Previous words in the sentence can influence the processing of the current word in the timescale of hundreds of milliseconds. Recent neurophysiological studies in humans suggest that the fronto-striatal system (frontal cortex, and striatum – the major input locus of the basal ganglia) plays a crucial role in this process. The current research provides a possible explanation of how certain aspects of this real-time processing can occur, based on the dynamics of recurrent cortical networks, and plasticity in the cortico-striatal system. We simulate prefrontal area BA47 as a recurrent network that receives on-line input about word categories during sentence processing, with plastic connections between cortex and striatum. We exploit the homology between the cortico-striatal system and reservoir computing, where recurrent frontal cortical networks are the reservoir, and plastic cortico-striatal synapses are the readout. The system is trained on sentence-meaning pairs, where meaning is coded as activation in the striatum corresponding to the roles that different nouns and verbs play in the sentences. The model learns an extended set of grammatical constructions, and demonstrates the ability to generalize to novel constructions. It demonstrates how early in the sentence, a parallel set of predictions are made concerning the meaning, which are then confirmed or updated as the processing of the input sentence proceeds. It demonstrates how on-line responses to words are influenced by previous words in the sentence, and by previous sentences in the discourse, providing new insight into the neurophysiology of the P600 ERP scalp response to grammatical complexity. This demonstrates that a recurrent neural network can decode grammatical structure from sentences in real-time in order to generate a predictive representation of the meaning of the sentences. This can provide insight into the underlying mechanisms of human cortico-striatal function in sentence processing.
The roles, responsibilities and characteristics of audit committee in China

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the perceptions of the roles, responsibilities and basic characteristics of audit committees (ACs) in the current business environment in China, from the perspectives of investors/creditors, independent directors (AC members), company officers and auditors. Design/methodology/approach - The study is conducted through a questionnaire survey of the four groups of stakeholders with two forms of survey instruments being distributed to randomly selected survey subjects. The data collected from the returned questionnaires are analyzed at both the aggregate and sub-sample levels. Findings - The study finds that various groups of stakeholders have generally accepted the ceremonial roles and responsibilities of ACs in terms of lifting the image of good corporate governance, enhancing communication between board of directors (BoD) and auditors, and mediating conflict between management and auditors. However, the more concrete AC oversight roles and responsibilities for improving internal control, rules compliance, sound corporate financial reporting and auditing processes have not been fully recognized at present, particularly by company management and independent directors. In addition, the study reveals that actual AC operations in practice are ineffective even though a large portion of Chinese listed companies have set up ACs. Originality/value - The paper should assist readers to understand the recent development of corporate governance and stock market reforms in China and generate some policy implications that can be applied to other countries as well, emerging economies in particular.
Orbital and physical parameters of eclipsing binaries from the All-Sky Automated Survey catalogue - I. A sample of systems with components' masses between 1 and 2 M

We derive the absolute physical and orbital parameters for a sample of 18 detached eclipsing binaries from the All-Sky Automated Survey (ASAS) data base based on the available photometry and our own radial velocity (RV) measurements. The RVs are computed using spectra we collected with the 3.9-m Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT) and its University College London Echelle Spectrograph (UCLES), and the 1.9-m Radcliffe telescope and its Grating Instrument for Radiation Analysis with a Fibre-Fed Echelle (GIRAFFE) at the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO). In order to obtain as precise RVs as possible, most of the systems were observed with an iodine cell available at the AAT/UCLES and/or analysed using the two-dimensional cross-correlation technique (TODCOR). The RVs were measured with TODCOR using synthetic template spectra as references. However, for two objects we used our own approach to the tomographic disentangling of the binary spectra to provide observed template spectra for the RV measurements and to improve the RV precision even more. For one of these binaries, AI Phe, we were able to the obtain an orbital solution with an RV rms of 62 and 24 m s−1 for the primary and secondary, respectively. For this system, the precision in M sin3i is 0.08 per cent. For the analysis, we used the photometry available in the ASAS data base. We combined the RV and light curves using phoebe and jktebop codes to obtain the absolute physical parameters of the systems. Having precise RVs, we were able to reach ∼0.2 per cent precision (or better) in masses in several cases but in radii, due to the limited precision of the ASAS photometry, we were able to reach a precision of only 1 per cent in one case and 3–5 per cent in a few more cases. For the majority of our objects, the orbital and physical analysis is presented for the first time.
A new agenda for forest conservation and poverty alleviation: making markets work for low-income producers

Community based forestry has the potential to contribute much more to achieving sustainable development and poverty reduction than is the case today. This paper describes and analyzes these potentials and demonstrates their feasibility with real world cases of community forest businesses and innovative policies and business partnerships. This preliminary assessment is offered as a first step in a longer-term effort to understand existing forest product and service markets, and to identify the most promising market opportunities for local community producers, focusing particularly on developing countries. Part I presents the broader context of forestry's changing relation to rural development and poverty reduction. Part II develops a framework for considering which market niches have potential for poor producers. Part III proposes strategies and targeted actions to realize that potential.
Overview of the coordinated ground-based observations of Titan during the Huygens mission

Coordinated ground-based observations of Titan were performed around or during the Huygens atmospheric probe mission at Titan on 14 January 2005, connecting the momentary in situ observations by the probe with the synoptic coverage provided by continuing ground-based programs. These observations consisted of three different categories: (1) radio telescope tracking of the Huygens signal at 2040 MHz, (2) observations of the atmosphere and surface of Titan, and (3) attempts to observe radiation emitted during the Huygens Probe entry into Titan's atmosphere. The Probe radio signal was successfully acquired by a network of terrestrial telescopes, recovering a vertical profile of wind speed in Titan's atmosphere from 140 km altitude down to the surface. Ground-based observations brought new information on atmosphere and surface properties of the largest Saturnian moon. No positive detection of phenomena associated with the Probe entry was reported. This paper reviews all these measurements and highlights the achieved results. The ground-based observations, both radio and optical, are of fundamental importance for the interpretation of results from the Huygens mission.
Neonatal exposure to 65% oxygen durably impairs lung architecture and breathing pattern in adult mice.

STUDY OBJECTIVE To test the hypothesis that exposure to hyperoxia during the postnatal period of rapid alveolar multiplication by septation would cause permanent impairments, even with moderate levels of hyperoxia. DESIGN We exposed mouse pups to 65% O(2) (hyperoxic mice) or normoxia (normoxic mice) during their first postnatal month, and we analyzed lung histology, pulmonary mechanics, blood gas, and breathing pattern during normoxia or in response to chemical stimuli in adulthood, when they reached 7 to 8 months of postnatal age. RESULTS Hyperoxic mice had fewer and larger alveoli than normoxic mice (number of alveoli per unit surface area of parenchyma, 266 +/- 62/mm(2) vs 578 +/- 77/mm(2), p < 0.0001) [mean +/- SD], the cause being impaired alveolarization (radial alveolar count, 5.8 +/- 0.2 in hyperoxic mice vs 10.5 +/- 0.5 in normoxic mice, p < 0.0001). Respiratory system compliance was higher in hyperoxic mice (0.098 +/- 0.006 mL/cm H(2)O) than in normoxic mice (0.064 +/- 0.006 mL/cm H(2)O, p < 0.016). Baseline tidal volume (VT) and breath duration (TTOT]) measured noninvasively by whole-body plethysmography were larger in hyperoxic mice than in normoxic mice (VT, + 15%, p < 0.01; TTOT, + 12%, p < 0.01). Despite these impairments, blood gas, baseline minute ventilation E, and E responses to hypoxia and hypercapnia were normal in hyperoxic mice, compared with normoxic mice. CONCLUSION Hyperoxic exposure during lung septation in mice may cause irreversible lung injury and breathing pattern abnormalities in adulthood at O(2) concentrations lower than previously thought. However, ventilatory function and body growth were preserved, and ventilatory function showed no major abnormalities, at least at rest, despite early oxygen-induced injuries.
A Context-Aware Recommender System Based on Social Media

Context-aware recommender systems, which recommend products, content, or learning resource to users according to not only user preference and item characteristics but also contextual information, have received much attention in recent years. However, many existing systems collect only limited amount of user rating without any contextual information. That brings these systems into a crisis of cold starting. In this paper, we propose a framework which collects information from social media. By analyzing user reviews from a forum, our framework extracts contextual features, such as date, time, and motivation, for each user review, and recommends items to users according to reviews with similar contextual features. We also developed a modified collaborative filtering algorithm to integrate different contextual features. To sum it up, this study proposes a new framework which integrates rich information on social media to ease the lack of contextual information of context-aware recommender systems. Keywords—Context-Aware Recommender Systems, Personalization, Recommendation, Social Network
Intratracheal Instillation Methods and the Distribution of Administered Material in the Lung of the Rat

Intratracheal instillation is widely used for respiratory toxicity tests in experimental animals. However, there are wide variations in the techniques used for instillation, and it is thus difficult to compare the results obtained using different techniques. To examine the effect of instillation methods, we compared the distribution of a test substance in the lungs of rats after intratracheal instillations under various conditions. Rats received an intratracheal instillation of 0.3 mL of india ink suspension under different conditions as follows: 3 different angles of body restraint, 0° (supine horizontal), 45° (supine head up) and 90° (vertical head up); 2 instillation speeds, high (40 mL/min) and low (4 mL/min); and 2 different devices, a standard bulb-tipped gavage needle and an aerosolizing microsprayer designed for intratracheal instillation. One hour after treatment under these various conditions, rats were sacrificed, and the local distribution of the suspension in the lungs was observed. No animal restrained in the supine head-up or vertical head-up position died from the treatment; however, fatalities were observed when rats were restrained in the supine horizontal position except under high-speed dosing conditions with a microsprayer. Better distribution of the suspension in the lungs was observed in the rats restrained in the supine head-up position after instillation at high speed when compared with other conditions. These results indicated that high-speed instillation to the subject restrained in the supine head-up position is an appropriate condition for performing intratracheal instillation.
Dependency Parsing Domain Adaptation using Transductive SVM

Dependency Parsing domain adaptation involves adapting a dependency parser, trained on an annotated corpus from a given domain (e.g., newspaper articles), to work on a different target domain (e.g., legal documents), given only an unannotated corpus from the target domain. We present a shift/reduce dependency parser that can handle unlabeled sentences in its training set using a transductive SVM as its action selection classifier. We illustrate the the experiments we performed with this parser on a domain adaptation task for the Italian language.
Comparison of the Hemagglutination Inhibition Test and IgG ELISA in Categorizing Primary and Secondary Dengue Infections Based on the Plaque Reduction Neutralization Test

Secondary dengue infection by heterotypic serotypes is associated with severe manifestations of disease, that is, dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS). The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended criteria based on the hemagglutination inhibition (HI) test to distinguish between primary and secondary dengue infections. Since the HI test has practical limitations and disadvantages, we evaluated the accuracy of WHO HI criteria and compared it with criteria based on an IgG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using a plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT) as the gold standard. Both WHO HI criteria and IgG ELISA criteria performed strongly (16/16) in determining primary infection. However, to determine secondary infection, the IgG ELISA criteria performed better (72/73) compared to the WHO HI criteria (23/73).
Cytomegalovirus Infection May Contribute to the Reduced Immune Function, Growth, Development, and Health of HIV-Exposed, Uninfected African Children

With increasing access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Africa, most children born to HIV-infected mothers are not themselves HIV-infected. These HIV-exposed, uninfected (HEU) children are at increased risk of mortality and have immune, growth, development, and health deficits compared to HIV-unexposed children. HEU children are known to be at higher risk than HIV-unexposed children of acquiring cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in early life. This risk is largely unaffected by ART and is increased by breastfeeding, which itself is critically important for child health and survival. Early CMV infection, namely in utero or during early infancy, may contribute to reduced growth, altered or impaired immune functions, and sensory and cognitive deficits. We review the evidence that CMV may be responsible for the health impairments of HEU children. There are currently no ideal safe and effective interventions to reduce postnatal CMV infection. If a clinical trial showed proof of the principle that decreasing early CMV infection improved health and development of HEU children, this could provide the impetus needed for the development of better interventions to improve the health of this vulnerable population.
AN ANALYSIS OF SOLAR P-MODE FREQUENCIES EXTRACTED FROM BISON* DATA : 1991-1996

We present a comprehensive frequency analysis of Doppler velocity observations of the visible solar disc made by the Birmingham Solar Oscillations Network (BiSON) from 1990-1996, i.e. covering the falling phase of activity cycle 22, up to and including the cycle 22/23 boundary. We have fitted low-degree (low-l) solar p modes in a variety of power spectra of differing lengths generated from these data. The analysis of the extracted frequencies reveals the expected clear solar-cycle dependence; in addition, there is now sufficient accuracy in the data to show that the low-l modal eigenfrequencies are less affected by the solar cycle than their higher l counterparts. The observed low-degree frequency shifts up to approximate to 3900 mu Hz are consistent - at the level of precision of the data - with an inverse mode-mass scaling. At frequencies above this, the blending of modes adjacent in frequency space makes it increasingly difficult to extract reliable frequency estimates. However, our data show indications of a turnover and possibly also an eventual sign change in the solar cycle shifts at frequencies above;approximate to 4000 mu Hz, as seen in higher l data. We have parametrized the observed shifts as a function of the 10.7-cm radio flux, and produced an activity-corrected, average frequency table which incorporates eigenfrequencies from 18 4-month and 9 8-month spectra. We also present the fitted frequencies from a 32-month power spectrum, generated from data collected at or close to solar minimum. In addition, we also searched for frequency asymmetries in the l = 2 mode multiplets. These could result from strong near-surface magnetic activity, or a buried magnetic field. Our fits merely place an upper limit to any mean asymmetry - over the range 10 less than or equal to n less than or equal to 21 - of between approximate to - 80 and approximate to 170 nHz (3 sigma).