Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Psychotherapy and brain plasticity

In this paper, I will review why psychotherapy is relevant to the question of how consciousness relates to brain plasticity. A great deal of the research and theorizing on consciousness and the brain, including my own on hallucinations for example (Collerton and Perry, 2011) has focused upon specific changes in conscious content which can be related to temporal changes in restricted brain systems. I will argue that psychotherapy, in contrast, allows only a focus on holistic aspects of consciousness; an emphasis which may usefully complement what can be learnt from more specific methodologies.
Biomechanical Factors Associated With Jump Height: A Comparison of Cross-Sectional and Pre-to-Posttraining Change Findings

Abstract Marshall, BM and Moran, KA. Biomechanical factors associated with jump height: A comparison of cross-sectional and pre-to-posttraining change findings. J Strength Cond Res 29(12): 3292–3299, 2015—Previous studies investigating the biomechanical factors associated with maximal countermovement jump height have typically used cross-sectional data. An alternative but less common approach is to use pre-to-posttraining change data, where the relationship between an improvement in jump height and a change in a factor is examined more directly. Our study compared the findings of these approaches. Such an evaluation is necessary because cross-sectional studies are currently a primary source of information for coaches when examining what factors to train to enhance performance. The countermovement jump of 44 males was analyzed before and after an 8-week training intervention. Correlations with jump height were calculated using both cross-sectional (pretraining data only) and pre-to-posttraining change data. Eight factors identified in the cross-sectional analysis were not significantly correlated with a change in jump height in the pre-to-post analysis. Additionally, only 6 of 11 factors identified in the pre-to-post analysis were identified in the cross-sectional analysis. These findings imply that (a) not all factors identified in a cross-sectional analysis may be critical to jump height improvement and (b) cross-sectional analyses alone may not provide an insight into all of the potential factors to train to enhance jump height. Coaches must be aware of these limitations when examining cross-sectional studies to identify factors to train to enhance jump ability. Additional findings highlight that although exercises prescribed to improve jump height should aim to enhance concentric power production at all joints, a particular emphasis on enhancing hip joint peak power may be warranted.
Welfare Conditions of Donkeys in Europe: Initial Outcomes from On-Farm Assessment

Simple Summary This paper aims to present the first outcomes of data collected using the AWIN welfare assessment protocol for donkeys in 20 EU donkey facilities. Three assessors evaluated 278 donkeys. The authors found recurrent issues: tendency to obesity, lack of hoof care and irregular positive interactions with humans. The protocol proved to be applicable in different management conditions and for donkeys of different attitude. Abstract This paper is a baseline study to present the initial outcomes of data collected in a sample of EU donkey farms using the AWIN welfare assessment protocol for donkeys, comprehensive of 22 valid, reliable and feasible animal-based indicators. A total of 20 donkey facilities (N = 12 in Italy and N = 8 in United Kingdom) were visited and 278 donkeys of different breed, aged 2–45 years, were assessed. Three assessors underwent a common training period to learn how to perform and score all the indicators included in the protocol. Data was collected using digitalized systems and downloaded to a database. A descriptive statistic for each welfare indicator was calculated. The authors found recurrent issues: 25% of donkeys were moderately over weight; although most of the assessed animals had good quality hoof care, 15.16% of them presented some signs of neglect, such as overgrowth and/or incorrect trimming; 18.05% of donkeys showed an avoidance reaction to an approaching human in the avoidance distance test. The protocol has proven to be applicable in different management conditions and for donkeys of different attitude.
Psychological transition and adjustment processes related to retirement: influence on cognitive functioning

ABSTRACT Objective: To investigate the relationship between psychological transition and adjustment to retirement and cognitive performances in older adults. Methods: The study's sample was taken from the Approche Multidisciplinaire Intégrée cohort, a French prospective study of retirees from agriculture, aged 65 and over, living in rural settings in southwestern France. The cross-sectional analyses were conducted on a sample of 590 elderly people without dementia at baseline and for whom information on perception of the work setting, experience of the retirement transition and adaptation to retirement life (nine variables) as well as neuropsychological measures (global cognitive functioning, episodic memory, verbal fluency, attention and psychomotor speed) were available at first visit. Results: Multivariable linear regression analyses, including nine variables related to retirement and adjusted for potential confounding factors, indicated that three of them – positive consideration of former work situation, development of new activities during retirement and good adaptation to free time – were associated with better cognitive performances. Conclusions: We found that several factors proved to be determinants of good cognitive functioning at retirement and could serve as a basis for the development of more efficient intervention programs aimed at helping retirees to maintain good cognitive functioning after retirement.
Fusion of Smartphone Motion Sensors for Physical Activity Recognition

For physical activity recognition, smartphone sensors, such as an accelerometer and a gyroscope, are being utilized in many research studies. So far, particularly, the accelerometer has been extensively studied. In a few recent studies, a combination of a gyroscope, a magnetometer (in a supporting role) and an accelerometer (in a lead role) has been used with the aim to improve the recognition performance. How and when are various motion sensors, which are available on a smartphone, best used for better recognition performance, either individually or in combination? This is yet to be explored. In order to investigate this question, in this paper, we explore how these various motion sensors behave in different situations in the activity recognition process. For this purpose, we designed a data collection experiment where ten participants performed seven different activities carrying smart phones at different positions. Based on the analysis of this data set, we show that these sensors, except the magnetometer, are each capable of taking the lead roles individually, depending on the type of activity being recognized, the body position, the used data features and the classification method employed (personalized or generalized). We also show that their combination only improves the overall recognition performance when their individual performances are not very high, so that there is room for performance improvement. We have made our data set and our data collection application publicly available, thereby making our experiments reproducible.
Development and optimization of dextromethorphan hydrobromide oral disintegrating tablets: effect of formulation and process variables

Orally disintegrating tablets (ODTs), which disintegrate rapidly (<1 min) in the mouth and do not require water for administration, have become a very popular dosage form. The study aims to develop a simple and inexpensive method of manufacturing ODTs of a sparingly water-soluble drug, Dextromethorphan hydrobromide. Two factors, three levels (32) full factorial design was used to optimize the diluent, microcrystalline cellulose (X1) and superdisintegrant, croscarmellose sodium (X2) concentrations. Disintegration time, hardness and T50 values for all the formulations varied from 12.5 to 152.6 s, 3.58 to 4.92 kp and 0.8 to 2.8 min, respectively. The results indicated that the selected variables have a strong influence on disintegration time, hardness and T50 of the ODTs. The manufactured ODTs formula composed of 30% microcrystalline cellulose in combination with 3% croscarmellose sodium was chosen as optimized formula, as it showed the lowest disintegration time (12.5 ± 1.22 s), low T50 (0.8 min.) and hard tablets (4.92 ± 0.28 kp) amongst other tested ODTs formulations. Hardness of DM ODTs was not affected by changing the type of superdisintegrant and lubricant. The disintegration time was significantly (p < 0.05) increased by using sodium starch glycolate instead of croscarmellose sodium.
APMP Pilot Study on Transmittance Haze

Five NMIs within APMP, including CMS/ITRI, MSL, NIM, NIMT and KRISS from TCPR applied to the APMP technical committee initiative project for funding to carry out a pilot comparison of transmittance haze in 2012. The project started in 2014 and the final report was completed at the end of 2016. In this pilot comparison, three different haze standards were adopted, and transmittance haze for each standard was measured according to ASTM D1003 or ISO 14782. This paper presents the first results of an APMP pilot study of transmittance haze and the analysis of the variation among different haze measurement systems which are commonly used. The study shows that the variables such as sphere multiplier, transmittance distribution, fluorescence of samples and optical path of the incident beam cause discrepancies among NMIs and highlight deficiencies in current documentary standards.
Short inter‐set rest blunts resistance exercise‐induced increases in myofibrillar protein synthesis and intracellular signalling in young males

What is the central question of this study? Does shorter rest between sets of resistance exercise promote a superior circulating hormonal and acute muscle anabolic response compared with longer rest periods? What is the main finding and its importance? We demonstrate that short rest (1 min) between sets of moderate‐intensity, high‐volume resistance exercise blunts the acute muscle anabolic response compared with a longer rest period (5 min), despite a superior circulating hormonal milieu. These data have important implications for the development of training regimens to maximize muscle hypertrophy.
Evaluating the strength of identification in DSGE models. An a priori approach

The strength of identification in structural models is a reflection of the empirical relevance of the model features represented by the parameters. Weak identification arises when some parameters are nearly irrelevant or nearly redundant with respect to the aspects of reality the model is intended to explain. The strength of identification is therefore not only a crucial requirement for the reliable estimation of models, but also has important implications for model development. This paper proposes a new framework for evaluating the strength of identification in linearized dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) models prior to their estimation. In a parametric setting, the empirical implications of a model are contained in the likelihood function, which, for DSGE models, is completely characterized by the underlying structural model. I show how to use standard asymptotic theory to evaluate the theoretical properties of likelihood-based estimators at any point in the parameter space associated with the model. Furthermore, in addition to assessing the informativeness of the likelihood as a whole, I show how to determine which particular features of the data, such as moments of a given variable or a set of variables, are most important for the identification of a given parameter. The methodology is illustrated using a medium-scale business cycle model.
MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a popular topic in the literature on aging and dementia. This condition refers to persons who are slightly cognitively impaired for age but do not meet the criteria for dementia. Many longitudinal studies addressing these persons are underway, and data are emerging regarding neuroimaging features and the underlying neuropathology of MCI. Clinical trials are being conducted to determine if any treatments might be effective at preventing the progression to dementia.
Phytotoxic Potential and Biological Activity of Three Synthetic Coumarin Derivatives as New Natural-Like Herbicides

Coumarin is a natural compound well known for its phytotoxic potential. In the search for new herbicidal compounds to manage weeds, three synthetic derivatives bearing the coumarin scaffold (1–3), synthesized by a carbonylative organometallic approach, were in vitro assayed on germination and root growth of two noxious weeds, Amaranthus retroflexus and Echinochloa crus-galli. Moreover, the synthetic coumarins 1–3 were also in vitro assayed on seedlings growth of the model species Arabidopsis thaliana to identify the possible physiological targets. All molecules strongly affected seed germination and root growth of both weeds. Interestingly, the effects of synthetic coumarins on weed germination were higher than template natural coumarin, pointing out ED50 values ranging from 50–115 µM. Moreover, all synthetic coumarins showed a strong phytotoxic potential on both Arabidopsis shoot and root growth, causing a strong reduction in shoot fresh weight (ED50 values ≤ 60 µM), accompanied by leaf development and a decrease in pigment content. Furthermore, they caused a strong alteration in root growth (ED50 values ≤ 170 µM) and morphology with evident alterations in root tip anatomy. Taken together, our results highlight the promising potential herbicidal activity of these compounds.
The sharp end of the dural puncture

As the pain of a sudden onset dural puncture headache was searing and spreading like hot molten metal I forgot what I was there for. The pain of the contractions disappeared into the head pain. Three failed epidurals, two spinal blocks, and a few incisions into a caesarean section the head pain was all consuming, the lights surreal and too bright, and the only sound that I could hear through the ringing woolliness was my own screaming. My head. Please help me. “Patient not coping. Converted to general anaesthetic. Delivered of female infant. ” Recovering from the anaesthetic I forgot that there had been a baby, only remembering the headache, which seemed to have gone. In morphined confusion I cried a bit and turned away from the baby, and the headache came back. “Patient lying down. Unable to care for baby. Not coping. Very upset. ” Four days and two painful blood patches later the headache resolved enough to allow me to stand up and let light and life back in. The anaesthetist sat on my bed and stroked my hair. Tears …
Modelling the Disk (three-phase) Interstellar Medium

Abstract The evolution of galactic disks from their early stages is dominated by gas dynamical effects like gas infall, galactic fountains, and galactic outflows, and more. The influence of these processes is only understandable in the framework of diverse gas phases differing in their thermal energies, dynamics, and element abundances. To trace the temporal and chemical evolution of galactic disks, it is therefore essential to model the interstellar gasdynamics combined with stellar dynamics, the interactions between gas phases, and star-gas mass and energy exchanges as detailed as possible. This article reviews the potential of state-of-the-art numerical schemes like Smooth-Particle and grid-based hydrodynamics and their ingredients, such as star-formation criteria and feedback, energy deposit and metal enrichment by stars, and the influence of gas-phase interactions on the galactic gas dynamics and chemistry.
The interfacial thermal conductance of epitaxial metal-semiconductor interfaces

Understanding heat transport at nanometer and sub-nanometer lengthscales is critical to solving a wide range of technological challenges related to thermal management and energy conversion. In particular, finite Interfacial Thermal Conductance (ITC) often dominates transport whenever multiple interfaces are closely spaced together or when heat originates from sources that are highly confined by interfaces. Examples of the former include superlattices, thin films, quantum cascade lasers, and high density nanocomposites. Examples of the latter include FinFET transistors, phasechange memory, and the plasmonic transducer of a heat-assisted magnetic recording head. An understanding of the physics of such interfaces is still lacking, in part because experimental investigations to-date have not bothered to carefully control the structure of interfaces studied, and also because the most advanced theories have not been compared to the most robust experimental data. This thesis aims to resolve this by investigating ITC between a range of clean and structurally well-characterized metal-semiconductor interfaces using the TimeDomain Thermoreflectance (TDTR) experimental technique, and by providing theoretical/computational comparisons to the experimental data where possible. By studying the interfaces between a variety of materials systems, each with unique aspects to their tunability, I have been able to answer a number of outstanding questions regarding the importance of interfacial quality (epitaxial/non-epitaxial interfaces), semiconductor doping, matching of acoustic and optical phonon band structure, and the role of phonon transport mechanisms apart from direct elastic transmission on ITC. In particular, we are able to comment on the suitability of the diffuse mismatch model (DMM) to describe the transport across epitaxial interfaces.
On k-coverage in a mostly sleeping sensor network

Sensor networks are often desired to last many times longer than the active lifetime of individual sensors. This is usually achieved by putting sensors to sleep for most of their lifetime. On the other hand, surveillance kind of applications require guaranteed k-coverage of the protected region at all times. As a result, determining the appropriate number of sensors to deploy that achieves both goals simultaneously becomes a challenging problem. In this paper, we consider three kinds of deployments for a sensor network on a unit square - a √n x √n grid, random uniform (for all n points), and Poisson (with density n). In all three deployments, each sensor is active with probability p, independently from the others. Then, we claim that the critical value of the function npπr2/log(np) is 1 for the event of k-coverage of every point. We also provide an upper bound on the window of this phase transition. Although the conditions for the three deployments are similar, we obtain sharper bounds for the random deployments than the grid deployment, which occurs due to the boundary condition. In this paper, we also provide corrections to previously published results for the grid deployment model. Finally, we use simulation to show the usefulness of our analysis in real deployment scenarios.
An iteration scheme for the design of equiripple Mth-band FIR filters

A new iterative procedure for the design of approximate equiripple Mth-band FIR filters is presented. If the deviation from the Nyquist condition in the initial filter (obtained using standard methods) is small enough, then the error is reduced in the resultant filter, without significant change in the equiripple stop-band attenuation. >
Adaptive Servo-Ventilation for Central Sleep Apnea in Systolic Heart Failure.

BACKGROUND Central sleep apnea is associated with poor prognosis and death in patients with heart failure. Adaptive servo-ventilation is a therapy that uses a noninvasive ventilator to treat central sleep apnea by delivering servo-controlled inspiratory pressure support on top of expiratory positive airway pressure. We investigated the effects of adaptive servo-ventilation in patients who had heart failure with reduced ejection fraction and predominantly central sleep apnea. METHODS We randomly assigned 1325 patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction of 45% or less, an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of 15 or more events (occurrences of apnea or hypopnea) per hour, and a predominance of central events to receive guideline-based medical treatment with adaptive servo-ventilation or guideline-based medical treatment alone (control). The primary end point in the time-to-event analysis was the first event of death from any cause, lifesaving cardiovascular intervention (cardiac transplantation, implantation of a ventricular assist device, resuscitation after sudden cardiac arrest, or appropriate lifesaving shock), or unplanned hospitalization for worsening heart failure. RESULTS In the adaptive servo-ventilation group, the mean AHI at 12 months was 6.6 events per hour. The incidence of the primary end point did not differ significantly between the adaptive servo-ventilation group and the control group (54.1% and 50.8%, respectively; hazard ratio, 1.13; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.97 to 1.31; P=0.10). All-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality were significantly higher in the adaptive servo-ventilation group than in the control group (hazard ratio for death from any cause, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.06 to 1.55; P=0.01; and hazard ratio for cardiovascular death, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.09 to 1.65; P=0.006). CONCLUSIONS Adaptive servo-ventilation had no significant effect on the primary end point in patients who had heart failure with reduced ejection fraction and predominantly central sleep apnea, but all-cause and cardiovascular mortality were both increased with this therapy. (Funded by ResMed and others; SERVE-HF ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00733343.).