Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dissociable effects of surprise and model update in parietal and anterior cingulate cortex

Significance This study investigates the brain mechanisms by which people disregard their previous beliefs about their environment and start forming new beliefs. Surprising events are often a signal that one’s previous beliefs are no longer valid. Using brain imaging, we identified separate brain systems involved in dealing with the immediate consequences of surprise (i.e., reprogramming actions) and in updating one’s beliefs about the environment to predict future events accurately. We present a mathematical and neuroanatomical model of how brains adjust to change in their environment that may inform our understanding of neurological disorders in which this adjustment process fails. Brains use predictive models to facilitate the processing of expected stimuli or planned actions. Under a predictive model, surprising (low probability) stimuli or actions necessitate the immediate reallocation of processing resources, but they can also signal the need to update the underlying predictive model to reflect changes in the environment. Surprise and updating are often correlated in experimental paradigms but are, in fact, distinct constructs that can be formally defined as the Shannon information (IS) and Kullback–Leibler divergence (DKL) associated with an observation. In a saccadic planning task, we observed that distinct behaviors and brain regions are associated with surprise/IS and updating/DKL. Although surprise/IS was associated with behavioral reprogramming as indexed by slower reaction times, as well as with activity in the posterior parietal cortex [human lateral intraparietal area (LIP)], the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) was specifically activated during updating of the predictive model (DKL). A second saccade-sensitive region in the inferior posterior parietal cortex (human 7a), which has connections to both LIP and ACC, was activated by surprise and modulated by updating. Pupillometry revealed a further dissociation between surprise and updating with an early positive effect of surprise and late negative effect of updating on pupil area. These results give a computational account of the roles of the ACC and two parietal saccade regions, LIP and 7a, by which their involvement in diverse tasks can be understood mechanistically. The dissociation of functional roles between regions within the reorienting/reprogramming network may also inform models of neurological phenomena, such as extinction and Balint syndrome, and neglect.
The Company's Intellectual Capital: Interaction and Value Creation Case of Tunisian Companies

The gap between the value of the company in the accounting and financial books and its real market value is growing more and more. This difference represents the effect of intellectual capital that arises in the company in various forms. His cleavage in three types is the most widely used: human capital, organizational capital and customer capital. These different forms of intellectual capital are related to one another and to the financial structure of the company. They correspond to the realization of employees’ knowledge skills with their effects on the structure of the company and on creating value for it. In addition, the value is not produced by only one component of intellectual capital, but by their interaction. Our study is to determine a synthesis model explaining these relationships. It does not intend to measure intangible capital of the company (financial and accounting approach), but to determine existing relationships within the intangible assets, on the one hand, and the creation of value for the firm of the other side. We agree, therefore, the qualitative approach and strategic management of intellectual capital.
Alterations of rabbit aortic smooth muscle cell proliferation in diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVE Diabetes mellitus is a known risk factor for atherosclerosis. Because initiation and/or progression of the atherosclerotic process is associated with alterations in vascular smooth muscle cell growth and differentiation, the present studies were conducted to evaluate the effect of diabetes mellitus on the proliferative behaviour of cultured aortic smooth muscle cells. METHODS Male New Zealand White rabbits were made diabetic with a single intravenous injection of alloxan monohydrate (100 mg.kg-1) in saline. Primary cultures of smooth muscle cells were established from thoracic aortic segments of control and diabetic rabbits and used to develop multiple cell strains. The proliferative capability of secondary cultures was determined by measurements of [3H]-thymidine incorporation into DNA, cell counts, and protein content in control and diabetic cultures. The serum dependence of cellular growth was evaluated by incubation of cultured cells in growth medium supplemented with various fetal calf serum concentrations. RESULTS Cultures of diabetic origin incorporated thymidine to a greater extent than control cultures. Although the efficiency of cell attachment was not different between control and diabetic cells, diabetic cells had a shorter population doubling time than control cells [41.08(SEM 4.15) h v 58.08(6.79) h] and achieved higher final densities than control cultures. The serum dependence of smooth muscle cell cultures for viability and growth was different between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS These findings support the hypothesis that diabetes induces changes in vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation which may be associated with the onset or progression of the atherogenic process observed in diabetes.
Short Text Representation for Detecting Churn in Microblogs

Churn happens when a customer leaves a brand or stop using its services. Brands reduce their churn rates by identifying and retaining potential churners through customer retention campaigns. In this paper, we consider the problem of classifying micro-posts as churny or non-churny with respect to a given brand. Motivated by the recent success of recurrent neural networks (RNNs) in word representation, we propose to utilize RNNs to learn micro-post and churn indicator representations. We show that such representations improve the performance of churn detection in microblogs and lead to more accurate ranking of churny contents. Furthermore, in this researchwe show that state-of-the-art sentiment analysis approaches fail to identify churny contents. Experiments on Twitter data about three telco brands show the utility of our approach for this task.
The effect of instructional methods on the performance of the students having different cognitive styles

This study reports i) the effect of traditionally designed teaching method and the group work on students' performance in a topic related to biology and, ii) the difference between the performance of students who have field dependent and field independent cognitive styles. Second year science teacher students (N=80) in primary teaching department were participated. Students in the control group (N=40) were given a traditional lecture whereas in the experiment group (N=40) discussion-based group work was adopted. To measure Field dependence/Field Independence, (FD/FI) Group Embedded Figures Test and to measure students' achievement before and after instruction an achievement test were applied. The results showed i) the students in the experiment group showed significantly higher performance than control group students in the achievement test and ii) may be the most importantly, the group work in the experiment group favoured both FD and FI students whereas FI students benefited more than FD students in traditional teaching method in control group.
Development and performance analysis of an intra-body communication device

Personal area networks would benefit from a wireless communication system in which a variety of information could be exchanged through wearable electronic devices and sensors. Intra-body communication using the human body as the transmission medium enables wireless communication without transmitting radio waves through the air. A human arm phantom is designed and used to reduce uncertainty in experiments with the human body. The phantom exhibits transmission characteristics similar to those of the human body at frequencies between 1 MHz and 10 MHz. A 10.7 MHz frequency modulation (FM) intra-body transmitter and receiver are developed which allow transmission of analog sine waves even in the presence of external noise. Digital data transmission at 9600 bps was also achieved using newly fabricated 10.7 MHz frequency shift keying (FSK) transmitter and receiver devices. The carrier frequency of 10.7 MHz, which is the intermediate frequency in FM radio receivers, means that a wide selection of commercial radio frequency (RF) devices is available.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy with Suicidal Adolescents

Swenson, Foreword. Introduction. Suicidal Behaviors in Adolescents: Who is Most at Risk? What Do We Know About Effective Treatments for Suicidal Adolescents? Dialectical Behavior Therapy: Treatment Stages, Primary Targets, and Strategies. DBT Program Structure: Functions and Modes. Dialectical Dilemmas for Adolescents: Addressing Secondary Targets. Assessing Adolescents: Suicide Risk, Diagnosis, and Treatment Feasibility. Orienting Adolescents and Families to Treatment and Obtaining Commitment. Individual Therapy with Adolescents. Including Families in Treatment. Skills Training with Adolescents. Assessing Progress, Running a Graduate Group, and Terminating Treatment. Program Issues. Appendix A. Mindfulness Exercises for Adolescents. Appendix B. Walking the Middle Path Skills: Lecture and Discussion Points. Appendix C. Handouts for Walking the Middle Path Skills.
Globally convergent edge-preserving regularized reconstruction: an application to limited-angle tomography

We introduce a generalization of a deterministic relaxation algorithm for edge-preserving regularization in linear inverse problems. This algorithm transforms the original (possibly nonconvex) optimization problem into a sequence of quadratic optimization problems, and has been shown to converge under certain conditions when the original cost functional being minimized is strictly convex. We prove that our more general algorithm is globally convergent (i.e., converges to a local minimum from any initialization) under less restrictive conditions, even when the original cost functional is nonconvex. We apply this algorithm to tomographic reconstruction from limited-angle data by formulating the problem as one of regularized least-squares optimization. The results demonstrate that the constraint of piecewise smoothness, applied through the use of edge-preserving regularization, can provide excellent limited-angle tomographic reconstructions. Two edge-preserving regularizers-one convex, the other nonconvex-are used in numerous simulations to demonstrate the effectiveness of the algorithm under various limited-angle scenarios, and to explore how factors, such as the choice of error norm, angular sampling rate and amount of noise, affect the reconstruction quality and algorithm performance. These simulation results show that for this application, the nonconvex regularizer produces consistently superior results.
Do Futures Lead Price Discovery in Electronic Foreign Exchange Markets?

Using intraday data, this study investigates the contribution to the price discovery of Euro and Japanese Yen exchange rates in three foreign exchange markets based on electronic trading systems: the CME GLOBEX regular futures, E‐mini futures, and the EBS interdealer spot market. Contrary to evidence in equity markets and more recent evidence in foreign exchange markets, the spot market is found to consistently lead the price discovery process for both currencies during the sample period. Furthermore, E‐mini futures do not contribute more to the price discovery than the electronically traded regular futures. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 29:137–156, 2009
Recombinant factor VIIa in the management of postpartum bleeds: an audit of clinical use

Background. This paper presents an analysis of 25 patient cases in which recombinant factor VIIa was used in the management of postpartum hemorrhage, including severe and/or life‐threatening bleeds. Anecdotal experiences in the empirical use of this agent are described and dosing regimens, effects on bleeding, and safety data are presented.
Young New Zealand women’s sexual decision making in casual sex situations: A qualitative study

This qualitative study explores the sexual decision making (SDM) of a group of young New Zealand women who had previously participated in casual sex without a condom. In doing so, it helps address a gap in the literature of first-hand accounts of the factors that have influenced SDM related to sexually transmitted infection (STI) risk in New Zealand. Eleven women were interviewed with the intention of gaining a greater understanding of their SDM before, and in, the ‘heat of the moment’. Four major themes related to SDM emerged from the data: 1) the importance of being in a relationship; 2) the influence of alcohol on SDM; 3) the power of societal expectations and the women’s desire to be seen as “normal”; and 4) the sense of powerlessness many felt in negotiating condom use. The findings are discussed in relation to their relevance for sexual health promotion in the social context of New Zealand and in terms of research indicating that similar factors influence the SDM of young women in other Western countries.
Heparin‐induced thrombocytopenia: is it a graft‐threatening complication?

Heparin‐induced thrombocytopenia (HIT), a prothrombotic complication of heparin therapy, can lead to serious thromboembolic events and cause significant morbidity and mortality. We aim to study the prevalence of HIT in the transplant population at our institute. This is a retrospective, single‐center study which looked into the transplant database over a 25‐year period. In patients with clinical suspicion of HIT, the 4T score was used, and laboratory tests such as ELISA HIT antibody and functional serotonin release assay, along with clinical manifestation of thromboembolic events were reviewed. Medical records of 2800 patients who underwent transplantation from January 1985 to December 2010 were reviewed. HIT antibody assay was performed in 262 patients from this group in which HIT was suspected. Of these, only 48 patients were HIT antibody positive along with moderate to high 4T score. The mean 4T score was 6.75 ± 1.4. Thrombotic complications were seen in 11 patients, with the highest in cardiac transplant recipients. Direct thrombin inhibitor (DTI) therapy was used in only eight patients who had thrombotic event. No other complications or mortality was reported in any of the HIT antibody‐positive transplant patients. To our knowledge, this is the first study of its kind that has shown very low incidence of HIT in the transplant population except for in cardiac transplant recipients.
Comparison of physio ball and plinth trunk exercises regimens on trunk control and functional balance in patients with acute stroke: a pilot randomized controlled trial

Objective: To examine the effects of trunk exercises performed using the physio ball as against the plinth, on trunk control and functional balance in patients with acute stroke. Design: An observer-blinded pilot randomized controlled trial. Subjects: Thirty patients with acute stroke (mean post-stroke duration 12 (95% confidence interval (CI) 2–34) days) who had the first onset of unilateral haemorrhagic or ischaemic lesion and an independent ability to sit for 30 seconds. Setting: Inpatient stroke rehabilitation centre. Interventions: The experimental group performed task-specific trunk exercises on an unstable surface (physio ball) while the control group performed them on a stable surface (plinth). In addition to regular acute physiotherapy, both the groups underwent 1 hour of trunk exercises a day, four days a week for three weeks. Main measures: Trunk Impairment Scale and Brunel Balance Assessment. Results: The difference between the baseline characteristics of the patients belonging to both groups was not statistically significant. Post-intervention, both the groups improved on trunk control and functional balance but the experimental group improved more significantly than the control group (change scores of between-group comparison for the total Trunk Impairment Scale 3.06 (1.43), dynamic sitting balance 1.47 (1.36) and coordination 1.3 (0.67) subscales of Trunk Impairment Scale; the total Brunel Balance Assessment 1.8 (1.4) and stepping 1.87 (1.6) component of Brunel Balance Assessment). The level of significance was set at P < 0.05. Conclusions: The trunk exercises performed on the physio ball are more effective than those performed on the plinth in improving both trunk control and functional balance in acute stroke patients, suggesting a task-specific effect and also a carry-over effect.
The Role of Data

I qualitative inquiry we write endlessly about the role of the investigator. We write that the researcher is the research instrument, manipulating passive data so that the theory eventually emerges. We write that qualitative research is led by the research question and the question determines the method so that the research process actually sounds very standardized and logical. It comes as a shock, therefore, to begin a research project and find that things are not going quite as well as expected. Sometimes data do not fall into analysis as neatly as expected, and sometimes data even appear to resist analysis. What, then, should the researcher do? We are and have been very clear about the role of the researcher in qualitative inquiry. However, it comes as a surprise to acknowledge that data may also play an active role in determining the method, type of analyses, and even the most appropriate analysis. I know of three instances in which the role of data is significant— there may be more. The first instance is when data are of a particular form that demands to be treated by a particular method, and no amount of forcing by the investigator will mold data to conform to the original question and analytic plan. The second instance is when data are of a particular type that must be treated with the most appropriate method for that type of data. A most obvious example is when the phenomenon can only be observed, then clearly an observational method must be used. The third occasion is when data are compromised. The ideal data form or type of data cannot be obtained or are compromised during data collection, and as a result, data of desired quality cannot be obtained. Eventually, data gathered and analyzed are the best available data, considering the circumstances. Considering the nature of data and adjusting research methods, the research question, and the study purpose places data in a dominant position, one that drives the study. Such realization is sometimes painful. The way that research is (or should be) taught is that research is purposeful inquiry. Although we claim that all qualitative research is inductive and the findings emerge from data, in reality qualitative research is normally driven by the researcher’s interest, the questions that are subsequently identified and asked, and the proposal developed. However, when the characteristics of data being collected are recognized, and the a priori plans are are not practical or feasible, qualitative researchers must be flexible enough to change both the proposal and their approach to the problem. Beating a dead horse is painfully unproductive, leads to less than perfect results, and is a dreadful waste of time. Let us consider each of the occasions when the role of data must be considered.
Detection of volatile organic sulfur compounds (VOSCs) by SAW sensor based on hydrogen-bond acidic polymers

In this paper, PLF, LSFA and DKAP, three linear hydrogen-bond acidic (HBA) polymers synthesized in our laboratory and one commercial available hyperbranched HBA polymer HC were coated on 434 MHz surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices for rapid detection of volatile organic sulfur compounds (VOSCs). Sensitivity and selectivity of the polymer-coated sensors were studied by exposing to VOSCs in the concentration range of 1 mg/m3 to 49 mg/m3, as well as some common interference vapors at 10 mg/m3. High sensitivity and selectivity of these sensors to VOSCs are demonstrated. The sensitivities are attributed to the lone pair electrons in the sulfur atoms, which act as electron donors and facilitate the hydrogenbond formation between the analytes and the hydroxy groups of HBA polymers. The sensitive mechanism is further confirmed by the calculated results based on density functional theory.
Small Mechanical Strains Selectively Suppress Matrix Metalloproteinase-1 Expression by Human Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells*

Mechanical forces and biochemical stimuli may interact to regulate cellular responses. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that very small mechanical strains interact with growth factors in the regulation of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1. Human vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) were cultured on a precoated silicone membrane in a device that imposes a highly uniform biaxial strain. VSMCs cultured on fibronectin were treated with cyclic 1-Hz strains of 0, 1, or 4%, and MMPs were assayed by Western analysis or gelatin zymography. Small strains did not induce MMP-1 in VSMCs, but strain was a potent inhibitor of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)- or tumor necrosis factor-α-induced synthesis of MMP-1. In contrast, MMP-2 and TIMP-2 levels were not changed by PDGF and/or mechanical strain. VSMCs strained on the 120-kDa chymotryptic fragment of fibronectin or RGD peptides suppressed PDGF-induced expression of MMP-1, indicating that this effect is not mediated by the heparin-binding domain or connecting segment-1 of fibronectin. Northern analysis of ets-1, a transcriptional activator of MMP-1 expression, showed that strain down-regulated ets-1expression, whereas c-fos expression was augmented. Thus, small deformations can selectively suppress MMP-1 synthesis by VSMCs, demonstrating the exquisite sensitivity of the cell to mechanical stimuli.
Revisiting Teacher Feedback in EFL Writing from Sociocultural Perspectives

While research on teacher feedback has largely been influenced by second language writing and second language acquisition perspectives, little attention has been paid to the contextual and sociocultural dimension of teachers' work. Overall, there is a dearth of discussion on teacher feedback that is influenced by sociocultural perspectives. Drawing on mediated learning experience (MLE) theory, this article discusses the limitations of conventional feedback approaches in English as a foreign language school contexts and underscores the need to replace these approaches with more effective practices typical for the process-oriented writing classroom, so that feedback can mediate student learning. Informed by activity theory (AT), the article further suggests that providing MLE as a new object of the feedback system and introducing other innovations can lead to more effective feedback and help students improve learning. The article concludes with suggestions for research informed by MLE and AT perspectives.
Alprazolam (a benzodiazepine activating GABA receptor) reduces the neuroendocrine responses to insulin‐induced hypoglycaemia in humans

objective Alprazolam (ALP), a benzodiazepine‐activating GABAergic receptor, possesses clear centrally mediated inhibitory effects on ACTH and cortisol secretion that could reflect an inhibitory influence on CRH‐ and/or AVP‐secreting neurones. An inhibitory effect of ALP on catecholamine release has also been shown while its effect on GH secretion is unclear. To further clarify the neuroendocrine actions of ALP, we studied the ALP effects on the neurohormonal responses to hypoglycaemia in a group of normal subjects.