Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Aging and the Detection of Visual Errors in Scenes

Young and older adults performed a visual error detection task in two experiments. In Experiment 1, errors and anomalies were embedded in large, complex visual scenes, and participants were to find them and describe the nature of the identified problems. Young adults found more errors than older adults, a finding unrelated to age differences in near visual acuity or time constraints. Experiment 2 replicated the age difference in error detection using simplified visual scenes containing fewer errors. Results are interpreted as reflecting older adults' decreased ability to form representations for novel information, even though the task did not require the creation of new episodic memories.
Deixis and gaze in collaborative work at a distance (over a shared map): a computational model to detect misunderstandings

This paper presents an algorithm that detects misunderstandings in collaborative work at a distance. It analyses the movements of collaborators' eyes on the shared workspace, their utterances containing references about this workspace, and the availability of 'remote' deictic gestures. This method is based on two findings: 1. participants look at the points they are talking about in their message; 2. their gazes are more dense around these points compared to other random looks in the same timeframe. The algorithm associates the distance between the gazes of the emitter and gazes of the receiver of a message with the probability that the recipient did not understand the message.
Applications in Time Series Forecasting with Sparse Kernel Machines

Time series prediction methods applied to chaotic signals affected by noise use a continuous pattern function as the least-squares estimate of an unknown deterministic map. The noise variance around the continuous pattern function is not always constant but may exhibit spatial variability, which directly affects prediction performance, as suggested in Chapter 1. In this section we propose a novel approach for increasing predictor performance using a multi-resolution signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) map of phase space. We calculate it using a parralel algorithm on a high performance computing cluster and in the final stage of the approach we use a novel feature selection algorithm to build a sparse kernel machine. It is shown the selected features form sparse kernel machines which outperform existing methods for the prediction of noisy financial data.
A Computational Method for Segmenting Topological Point-Sets and Application to Image Analysis

We propose a computational method for segmenting topological subdimensional point-sets in scalar images of arbitrary spatial dimensions. The technique is based on calculating the homotopy class defined by the gradient vector in a subdimensional neighborhood around every image point. This neighborhood is defined as the linear envelope spawned over a given subdimensional vector frame. In the simplest case where the rank of this frame is maximal, we obtain a technique for localizing the critical points. We consider, in particular, the important case of frames formed by an arbitrary number of the first largest by absolute value principal directions of the Hessian. The method then segments positive and and negative ridges as well as other types of critical surfaces of different dimensionalities. The signs of the eigenvalues associated to the principal directions provide a natural labeling of the critical subsets. The result, in general, is a constructive definition of a hierarchy of point-sets of different dimensionalities linked by inclusion relations. Because of its explicit computational nature, the method gives a fast way to segment height ridges or edges in different applications. The defined topological point-sets are connected manifolds and, therefore, our method provides a tool for geometrical grouping using only local measurements. We have demonstrated the grouping properties of our construction by presenting two different cases where an extra image coordinate is introduced.
Its Receptor in Ovarian Cancer Expression of Insulin-like Growth Factor I , Its Binding Proteins

Insulin-like growth factor (IGF) I is a polypeptide hormone important in normal growth and development. Although IGF-I is a mitogen for many cancer cell lines, previous work has suggested that autocrine production of IGF-I is uncommon in cancers of epithelial origin. In this study, expression of IGF-I, its binding proteins, and its receptor were examined in ovarian cancer cell lines and tissues. Of 10 ovarian cancer cell lines, 3 (OVCAR-3, OVCAR-7, and PEO4) expressed IGF-I mRNA. RNase protection assays using probes derived from IGF-IA, IGF-IB, and alternate exon 1 IGF-I complementary DNAs demonstrated that these cells contained a predominant IGF-I transcript with an alternate first exon. RNA extracted from primary and metastatic ovarian cancer tissues also expressed IGF-I mRNAs (7 of 7) with the alternate first exon. IGFI protein was detected in OVCAR-3-conditioned media; this activity was secreted in conjunction with several IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs). IGFBP-2, IGFBP-3, an M, 24,000 species, and an M, 30,000 species could also be demonstrated in OVCAR-3. Type I IGF receptor mRNA was found in all 10 of the ovarian cancer cell lines and all 7 of the primary or metastatic ovarian cancer tissues. IGF-I was a mitogen for OVCAR3, demonstrating the presence of a functional type I IGF receptor. These data show that all the necessary components for an IGF-I-mediated autocrine loop are expressed by ovarian cancer cells.
Singing behaviour in a client with traumatic brain injury: a conversation analysis investigation

ABSTRACT Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with pragmatic communication difficulties that lead to difficulty in social interaction. Research on conversation abilities in persons with TBI is limited, but has revealed unique patterns of behaviour that result in success or breakdown in conversation. Only a handful of studies have examined real-world conversations of persons with TBI to better understand how these behaviours might be motivated by conversation moves of partners. Aims: This study involved an exploration of a particular behaviour in a man with TBI, singing, to better understand the interactional environment, and goals associated with the behaviour. Methods & Procedures: Over 7 h of conversation data were videorecorded from 10 therapy sessions in which a man with TBI recurrently employed singing during conversation. Instances of singing were identified and transcribed according to principles of conversation analysis (CA). A total of 39 instances were included and analysed independently, focusing on explaining the sequential context of the device and the interactional work that was achieved. Outcomes & Results: Data analysis revealed four distinct sequences involving instances of singing. These included a normative sequence in which the participant inserted singing in ways similar to neurotypical speakers. The other three sequences comprised of unusual instances of singing that allowed the participant to nominate new topics, demonstrate disalignment, and close topics in conversation. Conclusions: CA revealed that the participant produced singing in response to the actions of his conversation partners. All sequences were jointly produced and dependent upon the conversation turns before and after the instance of singing. The findings suggest that conversational partners pursue various interactional agendas during conversation in therapy sessions and the participant uses singing to perform facework in this context.
A Comprehensive Analysis of Academic Library Websites: Design, Navigation, Content, Services, and Web 2.0 Tools

ABSTRACT This article's purpose is to analyze the current state of library websites in academic institutions in Gulf Cooperative Council (GCC) countries, aiming to determine their compliance with standard website practices. Based on the Library Website Evaluation Checklist (L-WEC) developed for this study, a content analysis is performed of 110 academic library websites. This research, being one of the first studies of its kind, should interest information professionals and educators responsible for developing and improving the quality of their websites. With the majority of academic users growing up in the Google generation, it is important to create more millennial-friendly websites that provide quick and easy access to Web-based services and content-rich information.
Prototypic Force Feedback Instrument for Minimally Invasive Robotic Surgery

In recent years the success of the daVinci robotic surgery system (Intuitive Surgical Inc., Sunnyvale, CA, USA) has demonstrated the advantages of a telerobotic approach in minimally invasive surgery (MIS). The worldwide need and acceptance of robotic assistance systems for minimally invasive surgery can be seen with more than 600 sold systems worldwide1. Still haptic feedback, important to surgeons who generally rely on the sense of touch in assessing tissue properties, is missing. This is due to the lack of suitable instruments capable of measuring the manipulation forces inside the human body on one hand and the lack of haptic displays for conveying this force information in a comprehensible way to the surgeon on the other hand. In this chapter we present a prototypic force feedback instrument as well as a surgeon workstation as part of a complete setup for minimally invasive robotic surgery (MIRS). The system serves as technology demonstrator showing the feasibility of integrating advanced manipulator technology, haptic feedback and (semi-) autonomous functionality in the context of MIRS. The system will be used to evaluate the impact and benefit of these technologies and hopefully help to improve the acceptance of advanced MIRS. A selection of surgical applications, notably suturing (anastomosis) of coronary vessels while following the motion of the beating heart (motion compensation), provide the requirements in terms of functionality and performance. In a first step, described in this chapter, components are built and the adherence to the required specifications is assured (objective performance measurement). In a future step the impact and benefit on the selected surgical tasks (subjective performance measurement) will be evaluated by defining relevant experiments and performance metrics. Over the course of the project emphasize is given to generic and modular concepts, as acceptance of MIRS technology will be improved by high usability and good integration into the clinical workflow. After a short introduction into MIS and MIRS (Section 1.1 and 1.2) the DLR scenario is introduced in Section 2 followed by a selection of related research in Section 3. Main focus lies on an instrument and a surgeon workstation providing haptic feedback, which are presented in Section 4, together with initial results. The chapter is concluded with a critical review of the contributions (Section 5) and closes with an outlook about future research (Section 6).
The Impact of Health Information Technology on the Quality of Medical and Health Care: A Systematic Review

The aim of this study was to systematically review the published evidence of the impact of health information technology (HIT) or health information systems (HIS) on the quality of healthcare, focusing on clinicians' adherence to evidence-based guidelines and the corresponding impact this had on patient clinical outcomes. The review covered the use of health information technologies and systems in both medical care (i.e. clinical and surgical) and other areas such as allied health and preventive services. Studies were included in the review if they examined the impact of Electronic Health Record (EHR), Computerised Provider Order-Entry (CPOE), or Decision Support System (DS); and if the primary outcomes of the studies were focused on the level of compliance with evidence-based guidelines among clinicians. Measurements considered relevant to the review were either of changes in clinical processes resulting from a change of the providers' behaviour, or of specific patient outcomes that demonstrated the effectiveness of a particular treatment given by providers. Of 23 studies included in the current review, 17 assessed the impact of HIT/HIS on health care practitioners' performance. A positive improvement, in relation to their compliance with evidence-based guidelines, was seen in 14 studies. Studies that included an assessment of patient outcomes, however, showed insufficient evidence of either clinically or statistically important improvements. Although the number of studies reviewed was relatively small, the findings demonstrated consistency with similar previous reviews of this nature in that wide scale use of HIT has been shown to increase clinician's adherence to guidelines.
Blame Conformity: Innocent Bystanders Can Be Blamed for a Crime as a Result of Misinformation from a Young, but Not Elderly, Adult Co-Witness

This study examined whether or not exposing an eyewitness to a co-witness statement that incorrectly blames an innocent bystander for a crime can increase the likelihood of the eyewitness subsequently blaming the innocent bystander for the crime. It also examined whether or not the perceived age of the co-witness influences this effect. Participant eyewitnesses first watched a video of a crime featuring a perpetrator and an innocent bystander. They then read one of six bogus co-witness statements about the crime. All were presented as having been written by a female co-witness and they differed in terms of her age (young adult or elderly) and who she blamed for the crime (the perpetrator, the innocent bystander, or nobody). One week later the participants were asked who committed the crime. When the young adult co-witness had blamed the innocent bystander just over 40% of participants subsequently did the same. Few participants (less than 8%) in the other conditions subsequently blamed the innocent bystander. The elderly co-witness was also rated as less credible, less competent, and less accurate than the younger co-witness suggesting eyewitnesses were less likely to be influenced by her incorrect statement as they perceived her to be a less reliable source of information. The applied implications of these findings are discussed.
Diffuse Stellar Component in Galaxy Clusters and the Evolution of the Most Massive Galaxies at z ≲ 1

The high end of the stellar mass function of galaxies is observed to have little evolution since z ~ 1. This represents a stringent constraint for merger-based models, aimed at explaining the evolution of the most massive galaxies in the concordance ΛCDM cosmology. In this Letter we show that it is possible to remove the tension between the above observations and model predictions by allowing a fraction of stars to be scattered to the diffuse stellar component (DSC) of galaxy clusters at each galaxy merger, as recently suggested by the analysis of N-body hydrodynamical simulations. To this purpose, we use the MORGANA model of galaxy formation in a minimal version, in which gas cooling and star formation are switched off after z = 1. In this way, any predicted evolution of the galaxy stellar mass function is purely driven by mergers. We show that, even in this extreme case, the predicted degree of evolution of the high end of the stellar mass function is larger than that suggested by data. Instead, the assumption that a significant fraction, ~30%, of stars are scattered in the DSC at each merger event leads to a significant suppression of the predicted evolution, in better agreement with observational constraints, while providing a total amount of DSC in clusters, which is consistent with recent observational determinations.
Using students' assessment of classroom environment to develop a typology of secondary school classrooms

Research employing the Technology-Rich Outcomes-Focused Learning Environment Inventory (TROFLEI) was conducted in Australian secondary schools. A sample of 4,146 students from 286 classes responded to the TROFLEI which assesses 10 classroom environment dimensions: student cohesiveness, teacher support, involvement, task orientation, investigation, cooperation, equity, differentiation, computer usage and young adult ethos. Validation data attested to the sound structural characteristics of the TROFLEI. Cluster analysis was used to develop a classroom typology of five relatively homogeneous groups of classes which were described as exemplary; safe and conservative; non-technological teacher-centred; contested technological and contested non-technological.
Embryonic Politics: Attitudes about Abortion, Stem Cell Research, and IVF

Efforts by anti-abortion advocates to introduce “personhood” initiatives, which state that human life begins at fertilization, have prompted concern among infertility specialists that these initiatives would hinder access to in vitro fertilization (IVF). Yet, our understanding of public opinion about IVF is limited. It remains unclear whether attitudes about this technology are consistent with opinions about other issues related to human embryos, particularly abortion and embryonic stem cell (ESC) research. Using data from a nationally representative survey, I fill this gap by exploring the role that religion plays in shaping attitudes about a range of embryonic politics issues. I find that religiosity, income, and ideology strongly influence whether individuals view these issues in moral terms. Respondents who are most devout and Evangelical Protestants are most likely to consistently oppose all three embryonic politics issues. Yet, the relationship between religion and attitudes about the morality of each procedure is also influenced by the procedure's outcome, with religion most influential with respect to abortion attitudes and least influential in the case of IVF. Additionally, women are less likely than men to describe IVF as morally wrong, while, in comparison to non-Hispanic whites, Latino respondents are more likely to do so. Replication Data . Replication data is publicly available on the website of the Pew Research Center Religion and Public Life Project.
Instanton Moduli for T 3 × IR

We review the specific problems that arise when studying instantons on a torus. We discuss how the Nahm transformation shows that no exact charge one instanton on T 4 can exist. However, taking one of the directions (the time) to infinity, it can be shown that vacuum to vacuum tunnelling solutions exist. A precise description of the moduli space for T 3 × IR, studied numerically using lattice techniques, remains an interesting open problem. New is an explicit application of the Nahm transformation to (anti-)selfdual constant curvature solutions on T 4
Support vector machine based exploratory projection pursuit optimization for user face identification

For most real-world biometric identification applications, the training database size could be very large, i.e. in the range of several thousands. This yields to the curse of dimensionality problem. The downside of such a problem is that it could negatively affect both the identification performance and speed. In this paper we use Exploratory Projection Pursuit (EPP) methods to determine clusters of users having significant similarities and then apply Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifiers on each cluster of users independently. This allows reducing the dimensionality of the dataset for training SVMs and thus improving the performance of user identification.
ResponseHuman Anti-Mycobacterial Immune T Cell Subsets Contribute to the + CD4Distinct, Specific IL-17- and IL-22-Producing

We investigated whether the proinﬂammatory T cell cytokines IL-17 and IL-22 are induced by human mycobacterial infection. Remarkably, > 20% of speciﬁc cytokine-producing CD4 (cid:1) T cells in peripheral blood of healthy, mycobacteria-exposed adults expressed IL-17 or IL-22. Speciﬁc IL-17- and IL-22-producing CD4 (cid:1) T cells were distinct from each other and from Th1 cytokine-producing cells. These cells had phenotypic characteristics of long-lived central memory cells. In patients with tuberculosis disease, peripheral blood frequencies of these cells were reduced, whereas bronchoalveolar lavage ﬂuid contained higher levels of IL-22 protein compared with healthy controls. IL-17 was not detected in this ﬂuid, which may be due to suppression by Th1 cytokines, as PBMC IL-17 production was inhibited by IFN- (cid:2) in vitro. However, Th1 cytokines had no effect on IL-22 production in vitro. Our results imply that the magnitude and complexity of the anti-mycobacterial immune response have historically been under-estimated. IL-17- and IL-22-producing CD4 (cid:1) T cells may play important roles in the human immune response to mycobacteria. The Journal of Immunology, 2008, 180: 1962–1970.
Hamiltonian analysis of the double null 2+2 decomposition of Ashtekar variables

We derive a canonical analysis of a double null 2+2 Hamiltonian description of general relativity in terms of complex self-dual 2-forms and the associated SO(3) connection variables. The algebra of first class constraints is obtained and forms a Lie algebra that consists of two constraints that generate diffeomorphisms in the 2-surface, a constraint that generates diffeomorphisms along the null generators and a constraint that generates self-dual spin and boost transformations.
Treatment of low doses curcumin could modulate Th17/Treg balance specifically on CD4+ T cell cultures of systemic lupus erythematosus patients

Introduction The balance between T helper 17 (Th17) and regulatory T cells (Treg) is a new paradigm in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Currently, there are no drugs that able to modulate Th17/Treg balance specifically in SLE. Curcumin is a bioactive agent that has a specific action against hyperproliferative cells. However, its role in modulating Th17/Treg balance in SLE is still unknown. This research aimed to investigate the role of curcumin in modulating Th17/Treg balance on CD4+ T cell cultures of SLE patients. Material and methods CD4+ T cells from SLE 6 untreated patients and 6 healthy subjects were collected, stimulated with Th17 differentiating factors, and curcumin 0.1 and 1 µg/ml was added on cultures. After 72 hours incubation, cells were harvested and measured for Th17 and Treg percentages using flow cytometry and interleukin-17A (IL-17A) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) levels using ELISA. Results Administration of low doses of curcumin (0.1 and 1 µg/ml) could decrease Th17 percentages (p = 0.000 and p = 0.000 compared to control), reduce IL-17A productions (p = 0.000 and p = 0.000 compared to control), increase Treg percentages (p = 0.001 and p = 0.000 compared to control), and increase TGF-β1 productions (p = 0.001 and p = 0.000 compared to control) on CD4+ T cells of SLE patients. Interestingly, these effects were not reproduced on CD4+ T cells cultures of healthy subjects. Conclusions These data suggest that curcumin can modulate Th17/Treg balance specifically on CD4+ T cells of SLE patients without affecting healthy subjects.