Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Cognitive Contribution of Spatial Representation to Arithmetical Skills

The aim of the present paper is to show that, contrary to the main current approach to numerical cognition, the link between space and numbers cannot be reduced to the concept of a mental number line (MLN). A distinction between low-level numerical skills, that involve MLN processing, and higherlevel arithmetical skills, which are related to algorithmic processing, is needed in order to understand the different contribution given by visuo-spatial skills. I suggest that cognitive skills related to symbolic manipulation should be analyzed on their own in order to better understand the importance of spatial representation for arithmetical processing and, to this purpose, I propose a model of algorithmic skills that could be useful to study some typical features of symbolic manipulation, such as the influence of spatial schemes and the role for external resources in working memory offloading.
A Consistent Design Methodology for Wireless Embedded Systems

Complexity demand of modern communication systems, particularly in the wireless domain, grows at an astounding rate, a rate so high that the available complexity and even worse the design productivity required to convert algorithms into silicon are left far behind. This effect is commonly referred to as the design productivity crisis or simply the design gap. Since the design gap is predicted to widen every year, it is of utmost importance to look closer at the design flow of such communication systems in order to find improvements. While various ideas for speeding up designs have been proposed, very few have found their path into existing EDA products. This paper presents requirements for such tools and shows how an open design environment offers a solution to integrate existing EDA tools, allowing for a consistent design flow, considerably speeding up design times.
Predictive path parameterization for constrained robot control

For robotic systems tracking a given geometric path, the paper addresses the problem of satisfying input and state constraints. According to a prediction of the evolution of the robot from the current state, a discrete-time device called a path governor generates online a suitable time-parameterization of the path to be tracked, by solving at fixed intervals a constrained scalar look-ahead optimization problem. Higher level switching commands are also taken into account by simply associating a different optimization criterion to each mode of operation. Experimental results are reported for a three-degree-of-freedom PUMA 560 manipulator subject to absolute position error, Cartesian velocity, and motor voltage constraints.
Multilevel-coded QAM with MIMO turbo-equalization in broadband single-carrier signaling

A new scheme employing multilevel coded bit-interleaved transmission allowing for efficient turbo-equalization is proposed for multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) broadband single-carrier signaling. The proposed scheme is based on block-partitioned hierarchical constellations and offers robustness in data throughput efficiency against varying spatio-temporal characteristics of fading channels. The proposed scheme is compared to a standard bit-interleaved-coded-modulation (BICM) system in frequency-selective channels, and found to offer better overall throughput. It is also shown that level-wise retransmission control with the proposed multilevel single-carrier signaling scheme can offer further throughput improvement. Channel measurement-based simulations are used to evaluate performances of both schemes in real fields. Channel parameter analysis using a superresolution technique is performed to clarify the underlying reasons for the performance characteristics of the systems.
Do Women Panic More than Men? An Experimental Study on Financial Decision

We report experimental evidence on gender differences in financial decision-making that involves three depositors choosing whether to keep their money deposited or to withdraw it. We find that one's position in the line, the fact that one is being observed and observed decisions are key determinants in explaining the subjects’ behavior. Our main result is that men and women do not react differently to what is observed. However, there are gender differences regarding the effect of being observed: women value the fact of being observed more, while men value the number of subsequent depositors who observe them. Interestingly, risk aversion has no predictive power on depositors’ behavior.
Selective Hardening in Early Design Steps

Hardening a circuit against soft errors should be performed in early design steps before the circuit is laid out. A viable approach to achieve soft error rate (SER) reduction at a reasonable cost is to harden only parts of a circuit. When selecting which locations in the circuit to harden, priority should be given to critical spots for which an error is likely to cause a system malfunction. The criticality of the spots depends on parameters not all available in early design steps. We employ a selection strategy which takes only gate-level information into account and does not use any low-level electrical or timing information. We validate the quality of the solution using an accurate SER estimator based on the new UGC particle strike model. Although only partial information is utilized for hardening, the exact validation shows that the susceptibility of a circuit to soft errors is reduced significantly. The results of the hardening strategy presented are also superior to known purely topological strategies in terms of both hardware overhead and protection.
Is the Value Spread a Useful Predictor of Returns?

No. Two related variables, the book-to-market spread (the book-to-market of value stocks minus the book-to-market of growth stocks), and the market-to-book spread (the market-to-book of growth stocks minus the market-to-book of value stocks) predict returns but with opposite signs. The value spread mixes the cyclical variations of the book-to-market and market-to-book spreads, and appears much less useful in predicting returns. Our evidence casts doubt on Campbell and Vuolteenaho [2004. Bad beta, good beta. American Economic Review 94(5), 1249-1275] because their conclusion relies critically on using the value spread as a predictor of aggregate stock returns.
The pricing effect of certification on bank loans: evidence from the syndicated credit market

This paper provides a direct test of banks' ability to mitigate informational asymmetries. In syndicated loans, lenders' incentive to screen ex ante and monitor ex post borrowers increases with the share they retain; consequently, the higher this share, the less risky the loan is considered by investors, and the lower is the interest rate they require. We analyze a large sample of syndicated loans arranged in over 80 countries during the nineties. We find that interest rates decrease in the share of the facility retained by the arranger. This certification effect is greater for smaller, more opaque loans where screening and monitoring are more valuable.
State-Complexity Reduction in MLSD Receivers for Optical Communications With Direct Photodetection

We investigate the impact of state-complexity reduction on the performance of maximum likelihood sequence detection (MLSD) receivers for direct-photodetection long-haul optical communication systems affected by uncompensated chromatic dispersion (CD). We directly compare two possible approaches: (i) detection through a simple ldquobrute-forcerdquo state-complexity reduction strategy and (ii) a more structured reduced-state sequence detection (RSSD) strategy. The performance of both state-complexity reduction techniques is evaluated considering two realistic optical transmission schemes, based on on-off keying (OOK) and optical duobinary modulation (ODBM), respectively. The detection algorithms are characterized considering the impact of the timing offset, the quantization scheme, and the amount of uncompensated CD. As one would expect, for a given number of states in MLSD receivers, the schemes based on RSSD exhibit better performance with respect to those based on simple brute-force state-complexity reduction. However, we show that MLSD schemes based on the use of brute-force state-complexity reduction are characterized by a better complexity/performance trade-off for low/medium CD values, whereas RSSD is the best choice for high CD values.
Mature-aged Social Work Students: Challenges, Study Realities, and Experiences of Poverty

ABSTRACT There has been a substantial increase in mature-aged students enrolled in higher education in recent decades. Equally, mature-aged women, often with family responsibilities, are well represented in social work degree programs. In this article, the findings from the National Study of Social Work Students (NSSWS) are examined in relation to mature-age students to better understand their study experiences, and factors that may be impeding their ability to take advantage of a university education. What is clear from the data is that many mature-age social work students were experiencing poverty at higher rates than their younger counterparts who were themselves financially struggling at higher than average rates for domestic Australian tertiary students. Here, mature-age social work students’ experiences and perspectives are presented using quantitative data and students’ own qualitative responses. The results have important implications for social work educators and administrators, and wider policy ramifications regarding student equity. IMPLICATIONS These findings provide a spotlight for national bodies, universities, educators, policy makers, sector partners, and researchers into the under-researched, lived realities for mature-aged Australian social work students. Better understanding the grinding effect of poverty on many mature-aged social work students can spur political action to enact systemic change.
Elevated expression of NEDD9 is associated with metastatic activity in gastric cancer

Objective To investigate the protein and mRNA expression of NEDD9 in gastric cancer (GC) tissues, adjacent atypical hyperplasia tissues, and normal gastric mucosa tissues, and analyze its relationship with the pathological features and prognosis of GC. Methods Forty cases of GC tissues, 20 cases of adjacent atypical hyperplasia tissues, and 40 cases of normal gastric mucous tissues were collected. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot were used to examine the expression of NEDD9 protein in various tissues. Situ hybridization and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction were applied to detect the expression of NEDD9 mRNA in various tissues. The correlation of NEDD9 expression with invasion and metastasis of GC was analyzed. Results The protein expression level of NEDD9 was significantly higher in GC tissues than in adjacent atypical hyperplasia tissues and normal gastric mucous tissues (P<0.05). The protein expression level of NEDD9 was positively related to the invasion depth of carcinoma and tumor lymph node metastasis (P<0.05), but unrelated to age, sex, tumor size, and clinical classification of cancer (P<0.05). The mRNA expression level of NEDD9 was also significantly higher in GC tissues than in adjacent atypical hyperplasia tissues and normal gastric mucous tissues (P<0.05), and positively related with the tumor lymph node metastasis and invasion depth of carcinoma (P<0.05). Conclusion NEDD9 is involved in the occurrence and development of GC, and it may be an important biological marker of GC metastasis and infiltration.
Effects of dietary selenium concentration on the development of enzyme-altered liver foci and hepatocellular carcinoma induced by diethylnitrosamine or N-acetylaminofluorene in rats.

Three protocols were used to determine the effects of dietary selenium concentration on the development of gamma-glutamyl-transpeptidase (GGT)-positive foci and hepatocellular carcinoma induced by either diethylnitrosamine (DEN) or N-acetylaminofluorene in rats. In the first experiment, foci were induced by a carcinogenic dose of DEN (100 mg/kg body weight, p.o.) at 20-22 h after two-thirds partial hepatectomy. One wk after DEN administration, during which time 0.1 ppm (representing a control level), 3.0, or 6.0 ppm selenium as Na2SeO3 was fed for 8 or 16 wk, at which time focal analysis was conducted using quantitative stereology. The results demonstrated that 3.0 and 6.0 ppm dietary selenium, initiated 1 wk following carcinogen administration, decreased focal growth rate without affecting the number of GGT foci compared to 0.1 ppm selenium. Decreased focal growth was temporary and reversible with 6.0 ppm selenium which may be related to chronic selenosis observed after 16 wk of 6.0 ppm selenium feeding. A second experiment involved a noncarcinogenic dose of DEN (25 mg/kg body weight, p.o.), then 0.1 or 6.0 ppm selenium feeding for 8 wk, followed by 0.05% phenobarbital (PB), a liver tumor promoter in a diet containing 0.1 ppm selenium. Analysis of GGT foci at 5 or 8 wk of PB feeding indicated that 6.0 ppm selenium caused a trend towards an increase in the number of foci/cm3 of liver and mean focal volume and a significant increase in GGT focal volume as a percentage of liver volume by 8 wk of PB feeding. Thus, high dietary selenium concentrations prior to PB enhance the tumor-promoting ability of PB. In a third experiment, using male Fischer 344 rats (150 g), 0.1 or 6.0 ppm selenium was fed concurrently with 0.02% AAF which was fed in a cyclic regimen. After 4 cycles, where 1 cycle equalled 4 wk of AAF, followed by 1 wk of control diet (0.1 ppm selenium), 6.0 ppm selenium significantly decreased the mean focal volume and focal volume as a percentage of liver volume, while not affecting the number of foci/cm3 of liver, again indicating a selenium effect on focal growth while not affecting the number of "preneoplastic" lesions in the liver. Six ppm selenium feeding after AAF treatment had no effect on the percentage of incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (100%) but did cause a significant decrease in the percentage of liver volume occupied by macroscopic subcapsular liver lesions compared to 0.1 ppm selenium. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Performance Evaluation of Fischer's Protocol through Steady-State Analysis of Markov Regenerative Processes

Fischer's protocol is a well-known timed mechanism through which a set of processes can synchronize access to a critical section without relying on atomic test-and-set operations, as might occur in a distributed environment or on a low-level computing platform. The protocol is based on a deterministic waiting time that can be defined so as to guarantee that possible interference due to concurrent accesses with random bounded delays be resolved with certainty. While protocol correctness descends from firm lower and upper bounds on waiting times and random delays, performance attained in synchronization also depends on continuous distributions of delays. Performance evaluation of a correct implementation thus requires the solution of a non-Markovian model whose underlying stochastic process falls in the class of Markov regenerative processes (MRPs) with multiple concurrent delays with non-exponential duration. Numerical solution of this class of models is to a large extent still an open problem. We provide a twofold contribution. We first introduce a novel method for the steady-state analysis of MRPs where regenerations are reached in a bounded number of discrete events, which enlarges the class amenable to numerical solution by allowing multiple concurrent timers with non-exponential distributions. The proposed technique is then applied to Fischer's protocol by characterizing the latency overhead due to synchronization, which comprises the first case where performance of the protocol is quantitatively assessed by jointly accounting for firm bounds and continuous distributions of delays.
No pain, no gain: the useful function of angina.

Myocardial ischemia, the major cause of mortality and morbidity in the United States, accounts for nearly 20% of all deaths.1 The prognosis of patients with acute myocardial infarction is strongly related to the amount of tissue destroyed during ischemia/reperfusion; hence, limiting this injury is of paramount importance for reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with ischemic heart disease.2,3 Over the past 40 years, several hundred pharmacological or nonpharmacological therapies have been reported to alleviate ischemia/reperfusion injury in experimental animal models; unfortunately, few of these results have been reproducible, and, with the exception of early reperfusion, none have been translated into clinical therapies.4 These sobering facts provide a cogent rationale for a reassessment of the models and methodologies that have been used heretofore to test the efficacy of putative cardioprotective interventions. The obvious translational failure in this field calls for a new paradigm in which preclinical studies must be done as rigorously as their clinical counterparts, that is, using clinically relevant animal models, appropriate statistical methods, and a multicenter, randomized, blinded design using centralized core laboratories for data analysis.4 This paradigm would also improve our understanding of the mechanism of cardiomyocyte death during ischemia/reperfusion. Article p 3617 One facet of ischemic biology that has received relatively little attention is the role of cardiac sensory nerves. Myocardial ischemia/reperfusion is known to cause the release of bradykinin and protons, both of which activate the vanilloid receptor 1 (VR1, also known as transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 [TRPV1]) on the capsaicin-sensitive cardiac sensory nerves (unmyelinated [type C] or thinly myelinated [A-δ] fibers). 5 The VR1 is a nonselective cation channel that plays an important role in the polymodal detection of noxious stimuli such as low pH and heat.6 It can also be activated by chemicals such as capsaicin …
Competitive Live Evaluations of Activity-Recognition Systems

Ensuring the validity and usability of activity recognition approaches requires agreement on a set of standard evaluation methods. Due to the diversity of the sensors and other hardware employed, however, designing, implementing, and accepting standard tests is a difficult task. This article presents an initiative to evaluate activity recognition systems: a living-lab evaluation established through the annual Evaluating Ambient Assisted Living Systems through Competitive Benchmarking-Activity Recognition (EvAAL-AR) competition. In the EvAAL-AR, each team brings its own activity-recognition system; all systems are evaluated live on the same activity scenario performed by an actor. The evaluation criteria attempt to capture practical usability: recognition accuracy, user acceptance, recognition delay, installation complexity, and interoperability with ambient assisted living systems. Here, the authors discuss the competition and the competing systems, focusing on the system that achieved the best recognition accuracy, and the system that was evaluated as the best overall. The authors also discuss lessons learned from the competition and ideas for future development of the competition and of the activity recognition field in general.
Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use by Pediatric Specialty Outpatients

OBJECTIVE: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use is high among children and youth with chronic illnesses. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence and patterns of CAM use in 10 subspecialty clinics in Canada and to compare CAM use between 2 geographically diverse locations. METHODS: This survey was carried out at 1 Children’s Hospital in western Canada (Edmonton) and 1 Children’s Hospital in central Canada (Ottawa). Questionnaires were completed by parents in either French or English. RESULTS: Although demographic characteristics of the 2 populations were similar, CAM use at the western hospital was 71% (n = 704) compared with 42% (n = 222) at the central hospital (P < .0001). Most respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they feel comfortable discussing CAM in their clinic. The most common CAM products currently used were multivitamins/minerals, herbal products, and homeopathic remedies. The most common CAM practices currently used were massage, chiropractic, relaxation, and aromatherapy. Eighty adverse effects were reported, and 55 (68.8%) of these were self-assessed as minor. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this study indicate that CAM use is high among pediatric specialty clinic outpatients and is much greater in the western than in the central hospital. Most respondents felt that their CAM use was helpful with few or no harms associated. Many patients, using CAM alongside their conventional medicines, are still not discussing their CAM use with their physicians and are increasing the likelihood for potential interactions and preventable harms.
A Comparison of Offline and Online Measures of Metacognition

Both offline and online measures have advantages and disadvantages as ways of measuring metacognitive skills. The present study compared data using an offline measure of metacognition, The Metacognition Five (MC5), to an online think-aloud and reflect when prompted measure. The online measure used The Oregon Trail, a computer game used in social studies curriculum. The participants were 8th grade students who were asked to play The Oregon Trail once as a “novice” and then again as an “expert” (after having played six additional times on their own). The results suggest there is no difference in correlations between the offline measure and the online measure when assessed for novice versus expert players. Furthermore, especially for expert players, the online measure more strongly correlates with success playing The Oregon Trail than the offline measure. Additionally, online measures were a stronger predictor of course performance than the offline measure. Lastly, there was no significant difference between novice and expert players for mean levels of metacognition. Experts traveled significantly farther than novices but had fewer survivors than the novices. OFFLINE VERSUS ONLINE ASSESSMENT OF METACOGNITION 6
Remodelling of Membrane Rafts Expression in Lung Cells as an Early Sign of Mechanotransduction-Signalling in Pulmonary Edema

Membrane rafts (MRs) are clusters of lipids, organized in a “quasicrystalline” liquid-order phase, organized on the cell surface and whose pattern of molecules and physicochemical properties are distinct from those of the surrounding plasma membrane. MRs may be considered an efficient and fairly rapid cell-activated mechanism to express or mask surface receptors aimed at triggering specific response pathways. This paper reports observations concerning the role of MRs in the control of lung extravascular water that ought to be kept at minimum to assure gas diffusion, supporting the hypothesis that MRs expression is a potential mechanism of sensing minor changes in the volume of extravascular water. We present the evidence that MRs expression specifically relates to signal-transduction processes evoked by mechanical stimuli arising in the interstitial lung compartment when a small increase in extravascular volume occurs. We further hypothesize that a differential expression of MRs might also reflect the damage to precise components of the extracellular matrix caused by the perturbation in water balance and thus can trigger a molecule-oriented specific matrix remodelling.