Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Chronic Sodium Loading on Cardiovascular Response in Young Blacks and Whites

The effect of long-term oral sodium loading on blood pressure and on stress-induced cardiovascular response was studied in normotensive and marginally hypertensive young adults. The 121 subjects, 18–23 years old, included 38 whites and 83 blacks. Blood pressure and heart rate response to the stress of mental arithmetic was measured before and after 14 days of sodium load, which consisted of 10 g NaCl/day added to the usual diet. A sodium-sensitive response to sodium load occurred in 18.4% of whites and 37.3% of blacks. Sodium-insensitive subjects had a higher rate of sodium excretion (p < 0.001). Sodium-sensitive hypertensive subjects had a significantly greater weight gain (p < 0.001). A significant correlation between blood pressure change and sodium excretion (r=−0.28, p < 0.01) occurred in the sodiumsensitive group. The high sodium intake did not augment the blood pressure or heart rate response to the ⁁-adrenergic-mediated stimulus of mental arithmetic in the population when grouped by blood pressure, race, or sodium sensitivity. These results suggest that blood pressure increase in response to sodium load, particularly in blacks, is related to functional changes in peripheral vascular resistance.
An Investigation of Visual Attention in FPS Computer Gameplay

Cognitive science provides a useful approach to studying computer gameplay, especially from the perspective of determining the cognitive skills that players learn during play. Computer games are highly visual medium and game interaction involves continuous visual cognition. A system integrating an eyetracker with a 3D computer game engine has been developed to provide real time gaze object logging, a fast and convenient way of collecting gaze object data for analysis. This system has been used to test three hypotheses concerning visual attention in close combat tactics as simulated by a first-person shooter (FPS) computer game. Firstly, the cuing effect of the player’s gun graphic on visual attention was tested, but no evidence was found to support this. Data supported the second hypothesis, that a player attends to the target opponent while shooting at them, in most cases, while in a small percentage of cases this is achieved in peripheral vision. Finally, in most cases, a player targets the nearest opponent. These results provide a baseline for further investigations in which the stimulus game design may be modified to provide more detailed models of the visual cognitive processes involved in gameplay. These models document the learning outcomes of game interaction and provide a basis for improvements, such as the optimization of combat survival tactics.
Prologue—Framing Public Life: A Bridging Model for Media Research

quality. The frame is not the same as its symbolic manifestation, which means we must get behind surface features to the generating principle that produced one way of framing a story, but is at work in many others as well. This suggests that we must often infer the organizing principle from media discourse, which is a conglomeration of inter-locking and competing organizing ideas. Or we must ask what principles are held by journalists or frame sponsors that give rise to certain ways of expressing them. Ultimately, frames may best be viewed as an abstract principle, tool, or “schemata” of interpretation that works through media texts to structure social meaning. Gamson and Modigliani (1989), for example, refer to a frame as an “organizing idea. ” These interpretive principles are made manifest in discourse; symbolic devices making up media texts constitute the epiphenomena of the underlying principle. Entman (1993) suggests that frames can be located in the communicator, the text, the receiver and the culture. More accurately perhaps we should say that frames are principles of organizing information, clues to which may be found in the media discourse, within individuals, and within social and cultural practices. While we may consider whether information is in or out of a text, we need to also consider the principles that naturally lead to it being excluded or included, such that one may not even notice the exclusion. In Gitlin’s (1980) view, for example, frames are inevitably part of a much larger set of structures, or societal ideology, that finds its manifestation in the text. To ignore the principle that gives rise to the frame is to take media texts at face value, and to be misled by manifest content. A focus on the organizing principle should caution us that what is seen in media texts is often the result of many inter-related, competing principles from contending sources and media professionals themselves. The framing principle may generate a coverage blackout, yielding little discourse to analyze. This is the case, for example, with stories identified by Project Censored in both the U.S. and Canada (1996), watchdog groups that look for issues not getting the coverage their importance deserved. Thus, we may ask whose principle was dominant in producing the observed coverage? How did the principles brought to bear by journalists interact with those promoted by their sources? These questions require looking behind the scenes and making inferences from the symbolic patterns in news texts.
The modulatory role of second language proficiency on performance monitoring: evidence from a saccadic countermanding task in high and low proficient bilinguals

We compared Hindi-English bilinguals differing in their L2 proficiency on a saccadic countermanding task which taps inhibitory control as well as monitoring. We particularly explored whether response inhibition and performance monitoring within the oculomotor domain are affected by language proficiency in bilinguals. There were two different oculomotor redirect tasks: Visually Guided Redirect (VGR) task (Experiment1) and Memory Guided Redirect (MGR) task (Experiment 2). In the redirect task, typically a target is presented and the subject is required to make a saccade (no-step trials), unless a new target appears on a different location after some delay from the first target onset (step trials). On such trials participants are required to inhibit and cancel the saccade to the first target and programme a saccade to the new target. Using trial switch reaction time (TSRT), the time taken to inhibit the initiated saccade to the first target as a measure of response inhibition and post-step slowing as a measure of performance monitoring. The results showed the high proficient bilinguals displayed more post-step slowing on the no-step trials as compared to the low proficient bilinguals for both VGR and MGR versions of the task. Secondly, both the high and low proficient bilinguals exhibited comparable TSRT in both VGR and MGR task, showing no modulatory effects of language proficiency on the response inhibition. These results suggest that language proficiency may have an effect on performance monitoring, but not the inhibitory control per se. Thus, we infer that higher proficiency may lead to superior cognitive flexibility and an ability to adjust behavior that facilitates the attainment of the cognitive goal. These findings are in consonance with other current studies that suggest a top-down effect of bilingualism on action control systems.
Effective teachers of Indian and Eskimo high school students

The focus of this study is upon analyzing effective and ineffective teachers in terms of their behavior in the classroom, not in terms of their personalities or attitudes. It is suggested that 2 fundamental characteristics distinguish effective from ineffective teachers of American Indian and Eskimo students: (1) a high level of personal warmth, especially warmth communicated nonverbally through facial expression, body distance, and touch; and (2) a high level of active demandingness in the classroom--demandingness expressed as an aspect of the teacher's personal concern for the student, rather than a concern for subject matter. This study also suggests the need for pre-service and in-service training for teachers to acquire the type of interpersonal behavior that facilitates learning among the Indian and Eskimo students. Teachers of Indian and Eskimo students were observed in 2 boarding schools and in 5 integrated urban high schools during the 1970-71 school year. The focus was on teachers of 9th grade Indian and Eskimo students. The teachers were videotaped to permit a more intensive analysis and interviewed to discuss problems of village students and effective teaching methods. The "Supportive Gadflies," who exhibited personal warmth and active demandingness, appeared to be successful with the Indian and Eskimo students as compared to the other types of teachers (traditionalists, sophisticates, and sentimentalists). (FF)
Ethnic differences using behavior rating scales to assess the mental health of children : a measurement equivalence study

Cultural competence in measurement has become increasingly important in child welfare and juvenile justice systems where disproportionate numbers of children and families from diverse ethnic groups are served. However, there is a present gap in the literature regarding the assessment of children from different ethnic groups using behavior-rating scales. This study examined the cross-ethnic measurement equivalence of the SAC (Glisson et al, 2001) using a sample that included 562 African American (AA) and 692 Caucasian­ American (CA) children. These data were part of a three panel longitudinal survey of families referred to juvenile court in one state. Specifically, baseline and first time follow-up data (at least six months) on these children were used to conduct the analyses presented here. Caregivers completed several assessment instruments and a family interview questionnaire. Two types of reliability, as well as multiple sources of postdictive and predictive criterion­ related validity were analyzed. Furthermore, the factorial equivalence of the SAC was analyzed using a structural equation modeling procedure. Alpha reliabilities for the full scale and for each sub-scale (i.e., externalizing and internalizing) were high for both groups. Test­ retest reliabilities were also good for both groups. There were substantially more similarities than there were differences between the two groups in terms of the criterion validity evidence. The factorial equivalence evidence was mixed, and suggested that while the factor structure of the SAC was non-equivalent across the two groups, it worked similar and equally well for both groups. Practical implications of these results and directions for future research are forwarded.
Essays on Nonlinearities and Structural Breaks in the Relationships between Macroeconomic Variables

There are three leading explanations for the recent jobless recoveries: increasing importance of permanent shocks; long expansions creating greater need for restructuring; and a move towards making adjustments at the intensive margin (hours) rather than at the extensive margin (employment). This paper considers these competing explanations using a correlated unobserved components model of aggregate data for output, sales, employment, and hours. The main finding is that there is little empirical support for the first two hypotheses; however, hours and employment now respond to demand shocks in a way that is more consistent with just-in-time utilization of labor resources.
Spin ladders with spin gaps: A description of a class of cuprates.

We investigate the magnetic properties of the Cu-O planes in stoichiometric Sr$_{n-1}$Cu$_{n+1}$O$_{2n}$ (n=3,5,7,.) which consist of CuO double chains periodically intergrown within the CuO$_2$ planes. The double chains break up the two-dimensional antiferromagnetic planes into Heisenberg spin ladders with $n_r=\frac{1}{2}(n-1)$ rungs and $n_l=\frac{1}{2}(n+1)$ legs and described by the usual antiferromagnetic coupling J inside each ladder and a weak and frustrated interladder coupling J$^\prime$. The resulting lattice is a new two-dimensional trellis lattice. We first examine the spin excitation spectra of isolated quasi one dimensional Heisenberg ladders which exhibit a gapless spectra when $n_r$ is even and $n_l$ is odd ( corresponding to n=5,9,.) and a gapped spectra when $n_r$ is odd and $n_l$ is even (corresponding to n=3,7,.). We use the bond operator representation of quantum $S=\frac{1}{2}$ spins in a mean field treatment with self-energy corrections and obtain a spin gap of $\approx \frac{1}{2} J$ for the simplest single rung ladder (n=3), in agreement with numerical estimates.
Perception of lighting and shading for animated virtual characters

The design of lighting in Computer Graphics is directly derived from cinematography, and many digital artists follow the conventional wisdom on how lighting is set up to convey drama, appeal, or emotion. In this paper, we are interested in investigating the most commonly used lighting techniques to more formally determine their effect on our perception of animated virtual characters. Firstly, we commissioned a professional animator to create a sequence of dramatic emotional sentences for a typical CG cartoon character. Then, we rendered that character using a range of lighting directions, intensities, and shading techniques. Participants of our experiment rated the emotion, the intensity of the performance, and the appeal of the character. Our results provide new insights into how animated virtual characters are perceived, when viewed under different lighting conditions.
Linear Precoder Design for Doubly Correlated Partially Coherent Fading MIMO Channels

We consider the single-user multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) precoder design problem for the doubly spatially correlated partially coherent Rayleigh fading channels with discrete inputs. The objective is to design a linear precoder to adapt to the degradation caused by the imperfect channel estimation at the receiver and the transmit-receive antenna correlation. The system is partially coherent so that the MIMO channel coefficients are estimated at the receiver and its error covariance matrix is fed back to the transmitter. We utilized the cutoff rate (CR) expression, an alternative to the mutual information (MI), and propose to use it as a design criterion to design the linear precoders. A linear precoder is obtained by numerically maximizing the CR with respect to the precoder matrix with a given average power constraint. Furthermore, the precoder matrix is decomposed using singular value decomposition (SVD) into the input shaping matrix, power loading matrix, and beamforming matrix. The beamforming matrix is found to coincide with the eigenvectors of the transmit correlation matrix. The power loading and input shaping matrices are solved numerically using the difference of convex (d.c.) functions programming algorithm and optimization under the unitary constraint, respectively. A 2-block alternating optimization (AO) algorithm is proposed to solve the input shaping matrix and power loading matrix iteratively. Precoders are designed to be used in conjunction with two MIMO transmission schemes: the spatial multiplexing (SM) and space-time (ST) block transmission modes. The frame error rate (FER) and average MI are used as the performance metrics to validate the performance of the newly designed CR-precoders in comparison with the conventional no-precoding case and cutoff rate optimized partially coherent constellations (PCCs). Numerical examples show that the performance gains of the designed precoders are significant compared to the CR-PCCs and conventional codewords.
Non-Equilibrium Green's Function Calculation of Optical Absorption in Nano Optoelectronic Devices

The high speed of optical devices motivates the integration between electronics and photonics. One of the most common optoelectronic devices used for such integration is a photodetector. This paper describes the formulation of an optical absorption inside a photodetector using the non-equilibrium Green's function (NEGF) framework. To illustrate the use of the formulation, optical properties of a double barrier quantum well photodetector are simulated. The photocurrent and the spectral response of the photodetector are calculated and presented. We also study the effect of varying various bias voltage and introducing non-uniformity in the effective mass. It is found that the peak locations do not change significantly under these variations.
Automatic Storage Optimization for Arrays

Efficient memory allocation is crucial for data-intensive applications, as a smaller memory footprint ensures better cache performance and allows one to run a larger problem size given a fixed amount of main memory. In this article, we describe a new automatic storage optimization technique to minimize the dimensionality and storage requirements of arrays used in sequences of loop nests with a predetermined schedule. We formulate the problem of intra-array storage optimization as one of finding the right storage partitioning hyperplanes: each storage partition corresponds to a single storage location. Our heuristic is driven by a dual-objective function that minimizes both the dimensionality of the mapping and the extents along those dimensions. The technique is dimension optimal for most codes encountered in practice. The storage requirements of the mappings obtained also are asymptotically better than those obtained by any existing schedule-dependent technique. Storage reduction factors and other results that we report from an implementation of our technique demonstrate its effectiveness on several real-world examples drawn from the domains of image processing, stencil computations, high-performance computing, and the class of tiled codes in general.
Genetic-related and carbohydrate-related factors affecting liver fat accumulation

Purpose of reviewTo summarize recent findings that have examined dietary, genetic and gene–diet interactions that contribute to fat accumulation in the liver during growth and development, with particular focus on contributions relating to dietary carbohydrate and sugar consumption. In addition, this review highlights how some of these contributions to liver fat vary across the population in terms of ethnic-specific effects. Recent findingsDietary carbohydrate, and especially sugars contribute to increased liver fat accumulation due to the lipogenic potential of fructose during liver metabolism. In addition, recent genome-wide studies have identified several polymorphisms that contribute to increased liver fat accumulation, with some of these genes relating to dietary carbohydrate and sugar consumption. In particular, the patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing protein 3 (PNPLA3) gene, which is highly prevalent in Hispanics, contributes to excessive liver fat beginning at a young age, especially in the context of high sugar consumption. SummaryDietary sugar contributes to liver fat accumulation, with this being explained by de-novo lipogenesis from fructose in the liver. Certain genetic factors, including PNPLA3, glucokinase regulatory protein and APOC3 contribute to increased liver fat accumulation, with these effects being manifested at an early age. Hispanics in particular are at elevated risk for liver fat accumulation because of the higher frequency of genetic variants such as PNPLA3 and glucokinase regulatory protein as well as an interaction between the PNPLA3 and dietary sugar.
Flow Cytometric Investigation of Classical and Alternative Platelet Activation Markers

Platelets show a substantial role in the maintenance of vascular integrity when these cells after a rapid activation adhere to the vessel wall lesion, aggregate with other platelets and leukocytes resulting in an arterial thrombosis. Analysis of in vivo platelet activation at an early time point is crucial in the detection of developing thrombotic events. In addition, the forecast of future complications as well as the evaluation of the efficacy of anti- platelet medication are also essential in a large group of patients. Changes in the levels of platelet receptors or alteration in other surface properties due to intra- and extracellular responses to a stimulus can be measurable primarily by flow cytometry with specific antibodies via the assessment of classical and alternative platelet activation markers. Some of these biomarkers have been already used in routine laboratory settings in many cases, while others still stand in the phase of research applications. Deficiency in platelet receptors is also accessible with this technique for the diagnosis of certain bleeding disorders. We here describe the most important types of platelet activation markers, and give an overview how the levels of these markers are altered in different diseases.
High‐Altitude Wind Velocity at Sierra Negra and San Pedro Mártir

It has been proposed that the global circulation of atmospheric winds at 200 mbar can be used as a criterion to establish the suitability of a site for the development of adaptive optics techniques such as slow wave front corrugation correction. By using the NOAA NCEP/NCAR reanalysis database, we analyze the monthly average wind velocity at 200 mbar for a 16 yr period for two sites in Mexico: Sierra Negra and San Pedro Mártir. We compare the results with those obtained for Mauna Kea, Paranal, and La Silla, and with Maidanak in Uzbekistan and Gamsberg in Namibia. We show that for all the sites studied, there is a yearly wind speed modulation, and we model that modulation. Our results show that Sierra Negra and San Pedro Mártir are comparable to the best observatory sites, such as Mauna Kea, and are among the best sites to apply adaptive optics techniques.
High-density amorphous phase of silicon carbide obtained under large plastic shear and high pressure

Valery I. Levitas,1,* Yanzhang Ma,2 Emre Selvi,2 Jianzhe Wu,2 and John A. Patten3 1Departments of Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Material Science and Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA 2Department of Mechanical Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409, USA 3Department of Manufacturing Engineering, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49008, USA (Received 20 September 2011; revised manuscript received 4 December 2011; published 29 February 2012)
Eco-Friendly Nets and Floating Row Covers Reduce Pest Infestation and Improve Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) Yields for Smallholder Farmers in Kenya

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is an important vegetable for supplying vitamins, minerals and fiber in human diets worldwide. Successful open field production of tomato in the tropics is limited by insect pests among other constraints. Two trials were conducted at the Horticulture Research and Teaching Field, Egerton University, Kenya with the objective of evaluating the effects of agricultural nets (agronets) herein called eco-friendly nets (EFNs) and floating row covers (FRCs) on pest population and yield of tomatoes. A randomized complete block design with five replications was used. Tomato plants were protected with either fine mesh EFN (0.4-mm pore diameter), large mesh EFN (0.9-mm pore diameter) or FRC. The EFN and FRC were maintained permanently closed or opened thrice a week from 9 am to 3 pm. Two control treatments were used: open unsprayed (untreated control) or open and sprayed with alpha-cypermethrin based insecticide (treated control). The use of EFN and FRC helped to manage pests with the lowest pest population obtained under FRC maintained permanently covered and the highest population recorded in the untreated control. Covering tomato plants with EFN or FRC also resulted in more marketable fruit and lower yield losses compared with the unprotected systems. The EFN and FRC offer great potential as part of integrated systems for pest management and yield improvement in tomato production in regions with a tropical climate.