Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exploring the thoughts and focus of attention of elite musicians under pressure

Although musicians often have to perform under high pressure, there is little systematic research into the foci of attention needed to maintain performance in such situations. In the current study, we asked elite musicians to report what they focus on and think about during moments of high pressure, using two retrospective methods (concept mapping and verbal reports). For concept mapping, seven expert teachers from an elite academy of music generated clusters of statements about this issue. In the verbal reports, 44 elite musicians described their thoughts and focus of attention. Concept mapping resulted in six clusters, of which “focus on physical aspects,” “thoughts that give confidence,” and “music-related focus” were shown to be the main foci of attention, together representing 85.2% of all 190 statements generated in the verbal reports. Statements regarding “music-related focus” represented 49.7% of all statements. In conclusion, to maintain a high level of performance under pressure, experienced musicians frequently focus on music-related information, physical aspects, and thoughts that give confidence. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Relationships between Coaches and Parents of Female Field Hockey Athletes

Abstract The present study explored the relationships between coaches and parents of female high school and college field hockey athletes through a qualitative analysis of responses to an open-ended, on-line survey distributed to NCAA Division I, Division II, and high school field hockey coaches. The findings both converge and diverge from the existing literature. However, the most resounding convergence is the belief commonly held by coaches that positive relationships, between coaches and parents of female field hockey athletes, are crucial for both individual athlete and team success.
Stimulating Entrepreneurial Practices in the Public Sector

Unlike the practices of contracting out and privatization, which reduce public sector involvement and responsibility in service provision, public entrepreneurial practices may be one of the best ways to improve government performance and meet citizens’ demand efficiently and effectively. This study examines the relationships between organizational characteristics and public entrepreneurship in order to provide empirical support for entrepreneurial practices in state governments in the United States. The study found that most organizational characteristics influence the entrepreneurial behaviors defined as risk-taking, innovativeness, and proactiveness. The findings suggest that organizational structures and strategies in the public sector need to be adjusted to stimulate entrepreneurial activities and culture through opportunity-driven management.
Filter Bank Property of Multivariate Empirical Mode Decomposition

The multivariate empirical mode decomposition (MEMD) algorithm has been recently proposed in order to make empirical mode decomposition (EMD) suitable for processing of multichannel signals. To shed further light on its performance, we analyze the behavior of MEMD in the presence of white Gaussian noise. It is found that, similarly to EMD, MEMD also essentially acts as a dyadic filter bank on each channel of the multivariate input signal. However, unlike EMD, MEMD better aligns the corresponding intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) from different channels across the same frequency range which is crucial for real world applications. A noise-assisted MEMD (N-A MEMD) method is next proposed to help resolve the mode mixing problem in the existing EMD algorithms. Simulations on both synthetic signals and on artifact removal from real world electroencephalogram (EEG) support the analysis.
Mapping the diatom redox-sensitive proteome provides insight into response to nitrogen stress in the marine environment

Significance Phytoplankton form massive blooms in the oceans that are controlled by nutrients, light availability, and biotic interactions with grazers and viruses. Although phytoplankton were traditionally considered passive drifters with currents here we demonstrate how diatom cells sense and respond to oxidative stress through a redox-sensitive protein network. We further demonstrate the redox sensitivity of nitrogen assimilation, which is essential for diatom blooms in the ocean, and provide compelling evidence for organelle-specific oxidation patterns under nitrogen stress conditions using a genetically encoded redox sensor. We propose that redox regulation of metabolic rates in the response to stress provides a mechanism of acclimation to rapid fluctuations in the chemophysical gradients in the marine environment. Diatoms are ubiquitous marine photosynthetic eukaryotes responsible for approximately 20% of global photosynthesis. Little is known about the redox-based mechanisms that mediate diatom sensing and acclimation to environmental stress. Here we used a quantitative mass spectrometry-based approach to elucidate the redox-sensitive signaling network (redoxome) mediating the response of diatoms to oxidative stress. We quantified the degree of oxidation of 3,845 cysteines in the Phaeodactylum tricornutum proteome and identified approximately 300 redox-sensitive proteins. Intriguingly, we found redox-sensitive thiols in numerous enzymes composing the nitrogen assimilation pathway and the recently discovered diatom urea cycle. In agreement with this finding, the flux from nitrate into glutamine and glutamate, measured by the incorporation of 15N, was strongly inhibited under oxidative stress conditions. Furthermore, by targeting the redox-sensitive GFP sensor to various subcellular localizations, we mapped organelle-specific oxidation patterns in response to variations in nitrogen quota and quality. We propose that redox regulation of nitrogen metabolism allows rapid metabolic plasticity to ensure cellular homeostasis, and thus is essential for the ecological success of diatoms in the marine ecosystem.
Development and Psychometric Qualities of the SEIPS Survey to Evaluate CPOE/EHR Implementation in ICUs

Health Information Technology (IT) implementation can fail or meet high levels of user resistance for a variety of reasons, including lack of attention to users' needs and the significant workflow changes induced and required by the technology. End-user satisfaction is a critical factor in health IT implementation. In this paper we describe the process of developing and testing a questionnaire to evaluate health IT implementation, in particular Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) and Electronic Health Record (EHR) technologies. Results showed evidence for the validity and reliability of the questionnaire. The Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety (SEIPS) questionnaire is relatively easy to administer and allows researchers to evaluate different aspects of health IT implementation. Results of this research can be used for benchmarking results of future studies evaluating health IT implementation.
Volatiles Emitted from Maize Ears Simultaneously Infected with Two Fusarium Species Mirror the Most Competitive Fungal Pathogen

Along with barley and rice, maize provides staple food for more than half of the world population. Maize ears are regularly infected with fungal pathogens of the Fusarium genus, which, besides reducing yield, also taint grains with toxic metabolites. In an earlier work, we have shown that maize ears infection with single Fusarium strains was detectable through volatile sensing. In nature, infection most commonly occurs with more than a single fungal strain; hence we tested how the interactions of two strains would modulate volatile emission from infected ears. For this purpose, ears of a hybrid and a dwarf maize variety were simultaneously infected with different strains of Fusarium graminearum and F. verticillioides and, the resulting volatile profiles were compared to the ones of ears infected with single strains. Disease severity, fungal biomass, and the concentration of the oxylipin 9-hydroxy octadecadienoic acid, a signaling molecule involved in plant defense, were monitored and correlated to volatile profiles. Our results demonstrate that in simultaneous infections of hybrid and dwarf maize, the most competitive fungal strains had the largest influence on the volatile profile of infected ears. In both concurrent and single inoculations, volatile profiles reflected disease severity. Additionally, the data further indicate that dwarf maize and hybrid maize might emit common (i.e., sesquiterpenoids) and specific markers upon fungal infection. Overall this suggests that volatile profiles might be a good proxy for disease severity regardless of the fungal competition taking place in maize ears. With the appropriate sensitivity and reliability, volatile sensing thus appears as a promising tool for detecting fungal infection of maize ears under field conditions.
Foreground-distortion method for image synthesis

A new image synthesis method, which is called foreground-distortion, is presented in this paper. In this method, foreground extraction procedure is used to get the interesting part from the texture sample, and many-knot spline interpolation distortion method is used to generate similar texture foregrounds. These similar texture foregrounds are extracted and copied onto a larger background image and a new output image will be synthesized. Compared with other methods, this method is simple and fast, texture seam problem can be avoided and, fewer texture samples even only one will be used to generate a large synthesized image. The sheltering effect between texture foregrounds can be implemented in this method while the texture foregrounds are overlapped. The results for synthesizing natural scenes and random textures are shown. We also demonstrate how this method can be used to interactively merge different images to generate new pictures.
Fourier expansion of hammerstein models for nonlinear acoustic system identification

We consider the task of acoustic system identification, where the input signal undergoes a memoryless nonlinear transformation before convolving with an unknown linear system. We focus on the possibility of modeling the nonlinearity with different basis functions, namely the established power series and the proposed Fourier expansion. In this work the unknown coefficients of generic basis functions are merged with the unknown linear system to obtain an equivalent multichannel structure. We use a multichannel DFT-domain algorithm for learning the underlying coefficients of both types of basis functions. We show that the Fourier modeling achieves faster convergence and better learning of the underlying nonlinearity than the polynomial basis.
Efficient deterministic dirac mixture approximation of Gaussian distributions

We propose an efficient method for approximating arbitrary Gaussian densities by a mixture of Dirac components. This approach is based on the modification of the classical Cramér-von Mises distance, which is adapted to the multivariate scenario by using Localized Cumulative Distributions (LCDs) as a replacement for the cumulative distribution function. LCDs consider the local probabilistic influence of a probability density around a given point. Our modification of the Cramér-von Mises distance can be approximated for certain special cases in closed-form. The created measure is minimized in order to compute the positions of the Dirac components for a standard normal distribution.
Grid synchronization of power converters to weak unbalanced networks with disturbances

In the context of the multiplication of micro-grids or delocalized energy sources, one must face more and more disturbances coming especially from weaker isolated grids. The control of the active rectifier unit connecting the grid must be designed not only for surviving a voltage dip with some ride-through methods, but for actually controlling the currents during a network unbalance. This purpose is served with the accurate synchronization to the grid considering all its perturbations and allowing advanced dynamics for any type of disturbances. This paper presents the use of a performant PLL coming from renewable sources power converters oriented for drive applications.
An L-Type Substellar Object in Orion: Reaching the Mass Boundary between Brown Dwarfs and Giant Planets

We present near-infrared photometry (J band) and low-resolution optical spectroscopy (600-1000 nm) for one of the faintest substellar member candidates in the young σ Orionis cluster, S Ori 47 (I = 20.53; Béjar, Zapatero Osorio, & Rebolo). Its very red (I-J) = 3.3 ± 0.1 color and its optical spectrum allow us to classify S Ori 47 as an L1.5-type object that fits the low-luminosity end of the cluster photometric and spectroscopic sequences. It also displays atmospheric features indicative of low gravity, such as weak alkaline lines and hydride and oxide bands, consistent with the expectation for a very young object still undergoing gravitational collapse. Our data lead us to conclude that S Ori 47 is a true substellar member of the σ Orionis cluster. Additionally, we present the detection of Li I in its atmosphere, which provides an independent confirmation of youth and substellarity. Using current theoretical evolutionary tracks and adopting an age interval of 1-5 Myr for the σ Orionis cluster, we estimate the mass of S Ori 47 to be 0.015 ± 0.005 M☉, i.e., at the minimum mass for deuterium burning, which has been proposed as a definition for the boundary between brown dwarfs and giant planets. S Ori 47 could well be the result of a natural extension of the process of cloud fragmentation down to the deuterium-burning mass limit; a less likely alternative is that it has originated from a protoplanetary disk around a more massive cluster member and was later ejected from its orbit because of interacting effects within this rather sparse (~12 objects pc-3) young cluster. The study of this object serves as a guide for future deep searches for free-floating objects with planetary masses.
A haemophilia A and B molecular genetic diagnostic programme in Hungary: a highly informative and cost‐effective strategy

Our aim was to set up a protocol in order to provide carrier and prenatal diagnosis to Hungarian haemophilia A (HA) and B (HB) patients and their relatives. For HA, a combination of direct mutation detection and some indirect marker analyses were used: the detection of the inversion mutation and analysis of three polymorphisms, BclI, IVS13 (CA)n and P39(CA)n. In severe cases, direct mutation detection was performed first. In inversion‐negative severe cases and in moderate and mild cases, indirect methods were used. For carrier and prenatal diagnosis in HB, four polymorphisms, DdeI, TaqI, XmnI, and HhaI were examined. Our DNA bank contains samples from 50 HA families (34 severe, 15 moderate and one mild) and seven HB families from different parts of the country. In 100% of the HA cases either the gene inversion and/or at least one of the polymorphisms was found to be informative for carrier or prenatal diagnosis. In the HB cases, an informative marker was found in 95% of the cases (19 of 20). We conclude that these strategies are sufficient to make genetic diagnosis available to almost all HA and HB families in the region. This approach is highly informative and cost‐effective, so it can be very useful in countries where direct sequencing of genes for factor VIII and IX is not available for routine diagnosis.
Impact of Residential Substance Abuse Treatment on Affect and Personality-Related Variables Across Inner-city Substance Abusers

Title of Dissertation: IMPACT OF RESIDENTIAL SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT ON AFFECTAND PERSONALITY-RELATED VARIABLES ACROSS INNER-CITY SUBSTANCE ABUSERS Will M. Aklin, Ph.D., 2007 Dissertation Directed By: Carl W. Lejuez, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Psychology Substance abuse treatment outcome studies have shown positive effects for a large number of drug users with regard to reduction in substance use and criminal activity, as well as improvement of general well-being. However, high rates of relapse following treatment have compelled researchers to elucidate the individual difference factors that change among those who receive substance abuse treatment. Affect(depressive and anxiety symptoms) and disinhibition–related variables (impulsivity, risk taking) may be of particular relevance. These factors are related to the development and maintenance of substance use and distinguish between substance users with and without Axis I and II disorders that may interfere with treatment success, such as depression, anxiety disorders, or antisocial personality disorder. Consequently, these factors may be considered important treatment targets. However, there currently is a dearth of research focused on understanding whether these variables are affected by standard substance use treatments, and more specifically, which variables may change throughout the course of substance use treatment. Given that many of these variables are considered to be enduring aspects of an individual’s personality, the extent to which they are malleable by treatment is an important consideration. Moreover, to enhance the generalizability of these findings, it is important to understand the extent to which changes occur in more standard substance use treatments as opposed to more elaborate and targeted treatments that rarely are disseminated in real world treatment settings. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to examine the effect of a residential substance use treatment program on particular affect(e.g., depressive and anxiety symptoms, stress reactivity) and disinhibition-related variables (e.g., risk taking). A sample of 81 inner-city substance abusers were assessed on self-reported and behavioral measures of the above affectand disinhibition-related variables that have previously found to be implicated in substance use over a 30-day course of treatment. A residential treatment program provides an optimal setting for evaluating changes as behavioral confounds (i.e., substance use) can be controlled, and the natural changes during abstinence can be measured with both reliability and validity. A significant pre-post treatment decrease was found on scores of risk taking, as indexed by the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART); levels of depressive symptomatology and stress reactivity also evidenced a significant pre-post decrease. These data are discussed with respect to implications for understanding the factors that underlie mechanisms of change during treatment, thereby informing substance abuse prevention and treatment
Gang Norms and Risky Sex Among Adolescents With a History of Detention

ABSTRACT Prior studies have examined whether or not belonging to a gang was associated with risky sexual behaviors. However, the literature has yet to explore whether it is not just gang membership but gang norms that are associated with risky sex, which was the primary aim of this study. Audio computer-assisted self-interviewing technology was used to collect data from a convenience sample of 136 adolescent detainees who reported gang involvement. Demographics, gang norms, and risky sexual behaviors occurring in the 2 months prior to being detained were assessed. Multiple logistic regression models controlling for demographics documented that adolescents who reported high-risk gang norms were significantly more likely to: have sex while high on drugs, have sex with a partner who was high on drugs, have group sex, and report condom breakage or leakage during a sexual encounter, compared with those with low-risk gang norms. Results suggest that the norms present within gangs infer added sexual risks. Future research should assess how risk norms differ across various gangs. Sexually transmitted infection prevention approaches should target youth who belong to gangs that promote risky norms given that conventions exist on a continuum.
Annotation of Predicate-argument Structure on Molecular Biology Text

Annotated corpora are essential resources for natural language processing. This paper describes our approach for building a corpus annotated with predicateargument structure on research abstracts in molecular biology domain. Observation of the records in a database of cell signaling events and corresponding research abstracts showed that extracting predicateargument structure is a useful intermediate step for extracting reaction events but analysis of verb phrases is not sufficient because reactions and relations are often expressed in nominal phrases. Based on the observation, we try to annotate the predicate-argument structure in verbs including their nominalized forms in order to help develop extraction systems based on predicate-argument analysis.
Non-Cognitive Ability, Test Scores, and Teacher Quality: Evidence from 9th Grade Teachers in North Carolina

This paper presents a model where teacher effects on long-run outcomes reflect effects on both cognitive skills (measured by test-scores) and non-cognitive skills (measured by non-test-score outcomes). Consistent with the model, results from administrative data show that teachers have causal effects on skills not measured by testing, but reflected in absences, suspensions, grades, and on-time grade progression. Teacher effects on these non-test-score outcomes in 9th grade predict longer-run effects on high-school completion and proxies for college-going—above and beyond their effects on test scores. Effects on non-test-score outcomes are particularly important for English teachers for whom including effects on the non-test-score outcomes triples the predicable variability of teacher effects on longer-run outcomes.
Identification and Characterization of two Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy cases Diagnosed in the United States

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy of cattle, first detected in 1986 in the United Kingdom and subsequently in other countries. It is the most likely cause of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) in humans, but the origin of BSE has not been elucidated so far. This report describes the identification and characterization of two cases of BSE diagnosed in the United States. Case 1 (December 2003) exhibited spongiform changes in the obex area of the brainstem and the presence of the abnormal form of the prion protein, PrPSc, in the same brain area, by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Western blot analysis. Initial suspect diagnosis of BSE for case 2 (November 2004) was made by a rapid ELISA-based BSE test. Case 2 did not exhibit unambiguous spongiform changes in the obex area, but PrPSc was detected by IHC and enrichment Western blot analysis in the obex. Using Western blot analysis, PrPSc from case 1 showed molecular features similar to typical BSE isolates, whereas PrPSc from case 2 revealed an unusual molecular PrPSc pattern: molecular mass of the unglycosylated and monoglycosylated isoform was higher than that of typical BSE isolates and case 2 was strongly labeled with antibody P4, which is consistent with a higher molecular mass. Sequencing of the prion protein gene of both BSE-positive animals revealed that the sequences of both animals were within the range of the prion protein gene sequence diversity previously reported for cattle.
Do just‐world believers practice private charity?

The relationship between belief in a just world and private charity was examined in a representative sample of 805 French people. Participants were given money for their participation to a survey research and had the opportunity to allocate a part of it to an organization supporting victims of aggression. A multiple regression analysis including a selection of relevant covariates indicated that just-world beliefs provided a unique contribution to monetary generosity. The amount of money left for the organization supporting victims was higher among women, and was correlated with participant’s age and educational level. This study contributes to the literature by providing for the first time a behavioral demonstration of the relationship between just-world belief for self and altruistic behavior.