Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Short-Term Memory Trace in Rapidly Adapting Synapses of Inferior Temporal Cortex

Visual short-term memory tasks depend upon both the inferior temporal cortex (ITC) and the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Activity in some neurons persists after the first (sample) stimulus is shown. This delay-period activity has been proposed as an important mechanism for working memory. In ITC neurons, intervening (nonmatching) stimuli wipe out the delay-period activity; hence, the role of ITC in memory must depend upon a different mechanism. Here, we look for a possible mechanism by contrasting memory effects in two architectonically different parts of ITC: area TE and the perirhinal cortex. We found that a large proportion (80%) of stimulus-selective neurons in area TE of macaque ITCs exhibit a memory effect during the stimulus interval. During a sequential delayed matching-to-sample task (DMS), the noise in the neuronal response to the test image was correlated with the noise in the neuronal response to the sample image. Neurons in perirhinal cortex did not show this correlation. These results led us to hypothesize that area TE contributes to short-term memory by acting as a matched filter. When the sample image appears, each TE neuron captures a static copy of its inputs by rapidly adjusting its synaptic weights to match the strength of their individual inputs. Input signals from subsequent images are multiplied by those synaptic weights, thereby computing a measure of the correlation between the past and present inputs. The total activity in area TE is sufficient to quantify the similarity between the two images. This matched filter theory provides an explanation of what is remembered, where the trace is stored, and how comparison is done across time, all without requiring delay period activity. Simulations of a matched filter model match the experimental results, suggesting that area TE neurons store a synaptic memory trace during short-term visual memory.
Framing ICT-enabled Innovation for Learning: the case of one-to-one learning initiatives in Europe

This article discusses 1:1 learning initiatives in Europe in the context of a mapping framework of ICT-enabled innovation for learning. The aim of the framework, visualised as a spider's web, is two-fold: (i) to provide a further understanding of the nature of ICT-enabled innovation for learning; and (ii) to depict the impact of existing and emerging innovative initiatives using ICT in the Education and Training context. We present 1:1 learning initiatives in Europe as a case of ICT-enabled innovation for learning with significant scale, scope, and impact at system level and being implemented in real settings. We identified and analysed 29 1:1 learning initiatives from 19 European countries reaching a total of approximately 620,000 schools and 16,800,000 students. The application of the framework to the case of 1:1 learning in Europe (implemented in multi-faceted educational settings) showed the current state of development and the emerging trends regarding the nature, the reach, the target groups and the impact of 1:1 innovation in learning. Regarding the nature of innovation, 1:1 learning strategies in Europe can be considered as mostly incremental. There is a need to progressively move the focus away from the devices and infrastructure to the learners and to 1:1 pedagogies. The framework can contribute (i) to policy interventions -at micro, meso and macro level- aimed at diversity and systemic implementation and (ii) to strategic planning by a multiplicity of actors such as policy makers, researchers and practitioners, increasing the impact of ICT-enabled innovation in Education and Training.
The Effect of Vibroacoustic Stimulation and Music on Fetal Movement

Introduction Fetal movement started at the 7th weeks of pregnancy and by the end of pregnancy will gradually be perfect and harmonious. Near-term fetuses can discriminate acoustic features, such as frequencies and spectra, and process complex auditory streams. In this study, we aimed to evaluate fatal movement in response to music and vibration stimulation. Materials and Methods This study is a clinical trial that was conducted in two groups and two-steps. Participants were pregnant women (primigravida) who have referring to the Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Isfahan during 2013 to receive routine prenatal care. The 64 pregnant women (32-36 weeks) were randomly assigned to the groups of Vibroacoustic stimulation (n= 32) and Music (n=32). They were stimulated immediately after the first non stress test and before the second test. The researchers’ evaluated and analyzed possible changes in non-stress test results using SPSS software version 20. Results Mean age of the subjects in vibroacoustic group and in music group were (25.5±2.6) (24.9±4.4) respectively. Paired t-test showed there was no relationship between the average number of acceleration of the fetal heart rate before and after the intervention (P>0.05). On the other hand, there was a significant correlation between the average number of fetal movements in the music group before and after the intervention (P<0.05). ConclusionMothers listen to music has led to increase their perception of fetal movements and increased number of fetal movements. So perhaps the music can use for the evaluation of fetal movement in high-risk mothers or mothers who complain of decreased fetal movements. As a result, the music may be used as a tool for assessment of fetal well-being.
The Impact of Peer Interaction on an Editing Activity in EFL Classes

This study investigated the merits of peer interaction on a text editing activity in EFL classes in Iran. Sixty-two EFL students majoring in English Literature volunteered to take part in this study. The participants, randomly assigned to experimental and control groups, did the same activity under two conditions: individually and in pairs. The activity required the participants to edit a text containing grammatical errors featuring the use of articles, subordinating conjunctions, and prepositions in English. Data analysis revealed that students’ overall performance significantly improved when they worked in pairs than when they did the activity individually. However, their performance did not improve consistently over different grammatical items. As for articles and subordinating conjunctions, pair work improved students' performance. Nevertheless, with respect to prepositions, this phenomenon was not observed.
Barbed versus conventional 2-layer continuous running sutures for laparoscopic vaginal cuff closure

AbstractWe compared results using unidirectional barbed sutures and conventional sutures for vaginal cuff closure during total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH). The electronic medical records and surgical videos of 170 patients who underwent TLH between January 2013 and March 2015 at Uijeong-bu St. Mary's Hospital of Catholic University of Korea were reviewed. Vaginal cuffs were closed using the 2-layer continuous running technique with unidirectional barbed sutures (V-Loc; Covidien, Mansfield, MA) in 64 patients and with polycolic acid Vicryl; Ethicon, Somerville, NJ sutures in 106 patients. Procedure time, clinical characteristics, and postoperative complications were compared between the 2 study groups. There were no differences in clinical characteristics (age, body mass index, and demographic data) between groups. The mean suturing time was significantly reduced in the barbed group (7.2 vs 12.2 minutes; P < 0.001), although the mean number of stitches was greater than in the Vicryl group (14.1 vs 12.3, P < 0.001). Perioperative complications, including episodes of vaginal bleeding, vaginal cuff cellulitis, and postoperative fever, did not differ between groups. There were no instances of vaginal cuff dehiscence in either group. Unidirectional barbed sutures can be used safely to reduce procedure time and surgical difficulty relative to conventional sutures in laparoscopic vaginal cuff closure.
Demonstration of antibody‐associated cellular cytotoxicity in patients with acute myelogenous leukemia before and after chemotherapy

This study demonstrates that a cytotoxic serum reactivity not requiring the presence of complement appears in the sera of patients with acute myelogenous leukemia. The reaction is detected upon short‐term incubation of sera in vitro with autochthonous mononuclear white blood cells from peripheral venous blood of patients at the acute stage of the disease. This reactivity was demonstrated in 18/18 patients. Generally, the cytotoxicity was low in patients at the acute stage of the disease, but increased after chemotherapy and reached the highest level at the onset of clinical remission or just before. No cytotoxicity could be demonstrated against autochthonous remission white blood cells. The serum activity could be absorbed and eluted from protein A‐Sepharose CL‐4B and was recovered in the 7S‐fraction of the sera after gel filtration on Sephadex G‐200 and ion exchange chromatography. This indicates that the demonstrated cytotoxicity is due to immunoglobulins of IgG‐class. It is believed that Fc‐receptor‐bearing cells present in the target cell preparations function as effector cells. The reaction is designated antibody‐associated cellular cytotoxicity (AACC).
Interactions with big data analytics

Increasingly in the 21st century, our daily lives leave behind a detailed digital record: our shifting thoughts and opinions shared on Twitter, our social relationships, our purchasing habits, our information seeking, our photos and videos—even the movements of our bodies and cars. Naturally, for those interested in human behavior, this bounty of personal data is irresistible. Decision makers of all kinds, from company executives to government agencies to researchers and scientists, would like to base their decisions and actions on this data. In response, a new discipline of big data analytics is forming. Fundamentally, big data analytics is a workflow that distills terabytes of low-value data (e.g., every tweet) down to, in some cases, a single bit of high-value data (Should Company X acquire Company Y? Can we reject the null hypothesis? ). The goal is to see the big picture from the minutia of our digital lives. It is no surprise today that big data is useful for HCI researchers and user interface design. As one example, A/B testing is a standard practice in the usability community to help determine relative differences in user performance using different interfaces. For many years, we have used strict laboratory conditions to evaluate interfaces, but more recently we have seen the ability to implement those tests quickly and on a large population by running controlled Interactions with Big Data Analytics
Perceiving the Metropolis: Seeing the City Through a Prism of Race

Investigating the role of preferences in causing persistent patterns of racial residential segregation in the United States has a long history. In this paper, we bring a new perspective – and new data from the 2004 Detroit Area Study – to the question of how best to characterize black and white preferences toward living in neighborhoods with people of different races. White and black residents of the Detroit metropolitan area (n = 734) were asked in an area probability sample survey about their evaluations of 33 actual communities throughout their metro area. These evaluations are used as an indirect measure of racial residential preferences by viewing how race – both of the respondent and of the community – shapes them. We find modest racial agreement about which communities would be "seriously considered" and "never considered" as a place to live, but by and large perceptions of the metropolis are racialized. Whites are influenced by the percentage white in a community (net of the community's social class characteristics) and very unlikely to consider communities where they are anything but the strong majority. African Americans are also influenced by race, but in different ways and less fundamentally: 1. ) Communities with high percentages of African Americans are among those most likely to be "seriously considered," but so are communities with just a handful of African Americans; 2. ) African Americans are less likely to "never consider" all communities, and more likely than whites to consider both communities where they are in the majority and in the minority; 3. ) African Americans are unaffected by a community's percent white net of community social class characteristics. We place these results in the context of the debate about racial residential preferences, arguing for the importance of grounding our understanding – and measures – of racial residential preferences in the context of real urban landscapes.
Hearing-impaired children's strategies for managing communication breakdowns

AbstractThis article discusses communication breakdowns and strategies that are used to repair them. It focuses on other-initiated repair sequences (Brinton and Fujiki, 1989), such as when a listener fails to understand a speaker's utterance and indicates this by making a clarification request. Following the clarification request the speaker then tries to repair the communication breakdown. Both specific and non-specific clarification requests are discussed as devices for signalling communication breakdowns and initiating repair. Repetition and revision are discussed as repair strategies. The literature on the strategies of hearing-impaired children for managing communication breakdowns is then reviewed with reference to three research methodologies: naturalistic, elicitation and referential communication research. An approach to the assessment and development of the strategies of hearing-impaired children for managing communication breakdown is then suggested, based on the referential communication resea.
Ego Resilience, Problem Solving Process and Clinical Practice Competency in Nursing Students

Purpose: This study was done to identify the relationship among ego resilience, the problem solving process and clinical competency in nursing students. Methods: Data were collected by questionnaires from 265 nursing students in D city. Measures were ego resilience, problem solving process and clinical competency. Data was analyzed using frequency analysis, t-test, one-way ANOVA, person`s correlation coefficients, and multiple regression analysis with SPSS/WIN 19.0 version. Result: The Ego resilience score of subjects was 2.80 out of a perfect score of 4, the problem solving process score of subjects was 3.12, and the clinical competency score of subjects was 3.49 out of a perfect score of 5. There was a significant positive correlation among ego resilience, problem solving process and clinical competency. The significant predictors of problem solving process and clinical competency were ego resilience. Conclusion: These findings indicate that there is a need to increase ego resilience to improve the problem solving process and clinical competency of nursing students. The results should be reflected in the development of effective curricula.
A reexamination of the influence of muscle length on myocardial performance.

1provides a very neat summary of the essence of our understanding of how cardiac output is regulated. The interplay envisaged is between muscle length (which is governed by diastolic volume) and contractility (which can be altered by inotropic interventions), and these two factors are generally thought to influence myocardial performance through quite separate mechanisms. Muscle length and contractility or the inotropic state of the muscle have been regarded as amenable to independent manipulation as experimental variables, 2 and the quest for the perfect index of contractility has rested squarely on the belief that some fortunate person would, one day, find a measure of mechanical performance that could be shown to depend on the inotropic state of the muscle and to be independent of muscle length. The conclusion reached in this article is that (in the isolated papillary muscle at least) there can be no such index of contractility because the inotropic state of the muscle is strongly influenced by its length. The muscle literature over the past 15 years or more has included various papers that could be quoted in support of the above conclusion, but attention will be focused in this review on studies of the length-tension relation published during the past 3 years. Such a restricted coverage of the literature may be justified on two grounds: first, because some of these recent studies 3 " 8 have involved technical innovations that take us into a new era of research on isolated preparations of cardiac muscle; second, because the ultrastructural basis of the length-tension relation was given a very thorough review by Sonnenblick and Skelton' in 1974 and various related topics were discussed at the
Evaluating the effectiveness of counselling intervention with final year undergraduates

Abstract This study explores the effectiveness of a short-term counselling intervention model, with final year students, in reducing psychological distress and increasing students' ability to complete their degree programmes successfully. A clinical sample (final year students who consulted he counselling Service) was monitored before and after intervention using the psychometric instrument Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) (Derogatis, 1977). A significant reduction in levels of psychological distress was demonstrated with this sample. In contrast a parallel control sample (final year students who did not consult the Counselling Service but whose initial SCL scores were in the same range) showed no significant change in levels of psychological distress over the same time period. The clinical and educational implications of these findings are discussed.
Impact of media reporting of cervical cancer in a UK celebrity on a population-based cervical screening programme

Objectives To determine the impact of media reporting of cervical cancer in a UK celebrity on cervical screening uptake, response time and colposcopy referral and attendance. Setting Population-based national cervical screening programme for women in Wales, UK. Methods A time series regression analysis of the Welsh national cervical screening and colposcopy databases was used to examine the number of smear tests carried out between 2000 and 2010, stratified by age group and deprivation indicators. Logistic regression was used to analyse colposcopy attendance. Results Over 33,000 more cervical screening tests than expected were carried out in the year of media reporting (2008/9), 11,539 (35%) of which were in the month of Jade Goody's death. The largest increase was evident in women aged 35–39 years (475 additional tests per month, 95% CI 331–619). Impacts were similar across deprivation quintiles. Colposcopy referrals increased by 18% during the year of media reporting. Increases were observed for all smear test results in 2008/9, particularly among younger women, and further rises were evident in 2009/10 for smear tests showing borderline changes and mild dyskaryosis. The proportion of women attending colposcopy appointments rose in the year of media reporting (χ 2 = 45.8, P < 0.001). Conclusions Mass media reporting of cervical cancer in a UK celebrity was associated with a significant, but transient, increase in screening uptake and colposcopy referral and attendance. Mass media reporting can play a role in enhanced detection of abnormalities, but public health messages must be communicated effectively to minimize anxiety whilst maximizing case-finding and uptake among non-responders.
The effect of posthypnotic suggestion and task difficulty on adherence to health-related requests

The effects of posthypnotic suggestion on health-related behavior, using a behavioral measure of adherence were investigated. Three hundred twenty three students covering the full range of hypnotic suggestibility were prescribed an easy (mood rating) or a difficult (physical activity) task. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either a) hypnosis with posthypnotic suggestions to facilitate performance of the assigned task or b) a social request to perform the assigned task. There were significant effects for type of task and hypnosis, revealing that participants adhered significantly more to the easy task and that hypnosis decreased task adherence. Hypnotic suggestibility did not predict adherence, and its interaction with posthypnotic suggestion was not significant. These results suggest that posthypnotic suggestion may decrease adherence rates regardless of participants’ suggestibility level.
First Signs Acquired by a Norwegian Deaf Child with Hearing Parents

Signs learned and used by a Norwegian deaf child with hearing parents are described, both as vocabulary and as phonological development, and compared with reported acquisition of other children learning to speak or to sign. The phonological development seems to indicate that in certain aspects the acquisition of signs may follow a different developmental course from that of words. There is some indication that parents' receptive language skills may influence their children's acquisition of signs, a finding with implications for the education of hearing parents who have deaf children.
Parallel Scheduling of Multiclass M/M/m Queues: Approximate and Heavy-Traffic Optimization of Achievable Performance

We address the problem of scheduling a multiclass M/M/m queue with Bernoulli feedback on m parallel servers to minimize time-average linear holding costs. We analyze the performance of a heuristic priority-index rule, which extends Klimov's optimal solution to the single-server case: servers select preemptively customers with larger Klimov indices. We present closed-form suboptimality bounds approximate optimality for Klimov's rule, which imply that its suboptimality gap is uniformly bounded above with respect to i external arrival rates, as long as they stay within system capacity; and ii the number of servers. It follows that its relative suboptimality gap vanishes in a heavy-traffic limit, as external arrival rates approach system capacity heavy-traffic optimality. We obtain simpler expressions for the special no-feedback case, where the heuristic reduces to the classical cµ rule. Our analysis is based on comparing the expected cost of Klimov's rule to the value of a strong linear programming LP relaxation of the system's region of achievable performance of mean queue lengths. In order to obtain this relaxation, we derive and exploit a new set of work decomposition laws for the parallel-server system. We further report on the results of a computational study on the quality of the cµ rule for parallel scheduling.
A two-step optimization technique for functions placement, partitioning, and priority assignment in distributed systems

Modern development methodologies from the industry and the academia for complex real-time systems define a stage in which application functions are deployed onto an execution platform. The deployment consists of the placement of functions on a distributed network of nodes, the partitioning of functions in tasks and the scheduling of tasks and messages. None of the existing optimization techniques deal with the three stages of the deployment problem at the same time. In this paper, we present a staged approach towards the efficient deployment of real-time functions based on genetic algorithms and mixed integer linear programming techniques. Application to case studies shows the applicability of the method to industry-size systems and the quality of the obtained solutions when compared to the true optimum for small size examples.