Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Individual Difference Factors on Men’s Competitive Intent Against a Female Confederate Following Social Stress

The perpetration of violence against women by men is an important social issue. There is sufficient evidence to suggest that particular individual factors increase risk of perpetration; however, much of the research occurs outside of social contexts. The current study examined the manipulation of feedback valence on male participants’ competitive intent, conceptualized as a precursor to aggression, against a female confederate following a social stress task. It was expected that negative feedback (i.e., experimental condition) would elicit greater increases in competitive intent compared with positive feedback (i.e., control condition). However, it was also expected that this increase in competitive intent would be moderated by individual difference factors (i.e., physical aggression, hostility, emotion regulation difficulties, and psychological symptoms). The results suggest differential responding between the experimental and control conditions for competitive intent. Physical aggression, emotion regulation difficulties, and depression symptom severity moderated the differences in competitive intent in the experimental condition.
An Efficient Localization Scheme with Ring Overlapping by Utilizing Mobile Anchors in Wireless Sensor Networks

In this study, we propose an efficient localization scheme in wireless sensor networks. The proposed scheme utilizes mobile anchors and is based on ring overlapping. In a wireless sensor network, there are some nodes knowing their locations, which are called the reference nodes, and the other nodes without the knowledge of their locations are called the blind nodes. Based on the relative RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) values, we utilize mobile beacons to find out the rings that are centered with a certain reference node and contain the blind node. These rings are called B-Rings. Since the mobile anchor and the reference node know their own locations, the B-rings can be precisely derived. By utilizing the mobile beacons, the widths of the B-Rings can be further minimized; and then by overlapping them, the location of the blind nodes can be efficiently estimated. Besides, most existing location schemes that utilize mobile anchors let the mobile anchor move randomly. In contrast, we propose a regular and simple movement scheme for the mobile anchor. Thus, the mobile anchor consumes less energy than other schemes in which the mobile anchor move randomly. Simulations of the proposed scheme show that the proposed localization mechanism has better accuracy than other existing related approaches
Co-occupations: The caregiving challenges of mothers of children with cerebral palsy

Introduction This study was conducted in an Iranian context to explore the co-occupations of mothers of children with cerebral palsy as experienced by them. Method This qualitative study was conducted using content analysis methodology. Sixteen mothers of children with cerebral palsy participated in the study. Data was collected via in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Constant comparative analysis was deployed for data analysis. Results The results were classified into nine sub-categories and four main categories that were identified as (1) coping with self-care problems, (2) effort to gain treatment follow-up, (3) coping challenges of educational care, and (4) limited parental personal leisure time. Conclusion Understanding the challenges of caring for a child with cerebral palsy and the experiences of mothers when engaging in co-occupations with their child, provides a broader perspective of the potential impact on participation and engagement of mothers. However, more research is required to understand the various factors influencing participation and co-occupations and interaction effects between these factors.
Multi-modal demands of a smartphone used to place calls and enter addresses during highway driving relative to two embedded systems

Abstract There is limited research on trade-offs in demand between manual and voice interfaces of embedded and portable technologies. Mehler et al. identified differences in driving performance, visual engagement and workload between two contrasting embedded vehicle system designs (Chevrolet MyLink and Volvo Sensus). The current study extends this work by comparing these embedded systems with a smartphone (Samsung Galaxy S4). None of the voice interfaces eliminated visual demand. Relative to placing calls manually, both embedded voice interfaces resulted in less eyes-off-road time than the smartphone. Errors were most frequent when calling contacts using the smartphone. The smartphone and MyLink allowed addresses to be entered using compound voice commands resulting in shorter eyes-off-road time compared with the menu-based Sensus but with many more errors. Driving performance and physiological measures indicated increased demand when performing secondary tasks relative to ‘just driving’, but were not significantly different between the smartphone and embedded systems. Practitioner Summary: The findings show that embedded system and portable device voice interfaces place fewer visual demands on the driver than manual interfaces, but they also underscore how differences in system designs can significantly affect not only the demands placed on drivers, but also the successful completion of tasks.
Reward System And Its Impact On Employee Motivation In Commercial Bank Of Sri Lanka Plc, In Jaffna District.

Increasingly, organizations are realizing that they have to establish an equitable balance between the employee's contribution to the organization and the organization's contribution to the employee. Establishing this balance is one of the main reasons to reward employees. Organizations that follow a strategic approach to creating this balance focus on the three main components of a reward system, which includes, compensation, benefits and recognition. Studies that have been conducted on the topic indicates that the most common problem in organizations today is that they miss the important component of Reward, which is the low-cost, high-return ingredient to a well-balanced reward system. A key focus of recognition is to make employees feel appreciated and valued. Research has proven that employees who get recognized tend to have higher self- esteem, more confidence, more willingness to take on new challenges and more eagerness to be innovative. The aim of this study is to investigate whether rewards and recognition has an impact on employee motivation. A biographical and Work Motivation Questionnaire was administered to respondents. The results also revealed that staff, and employees from non-white racial backgrounds experienced lower levels of rewards, and motivation. Future research on the latter issues could yield interesting insights into the different factors that motivate employees. Notwithstanding the insights derived from the current research, results need to be interpreted with caution since a convenience sample was used, thereby restricting the generalisability to the wider population.
Variable length dominant Gabor local binary pattern (VLD-GLBP) for face recognition

Gabor filters are one of the most successful methods for face recognition. However they dramatically increase the data volume for face representation. To extract compact and distinctive information, we propose the Variable Length Dominant Gabor Local Binary Pattern (VLD-GLBP) for face recognition. It significantly reduces the face representation data volume whereas the performance is comparable to that of the complex state-of-the-art techniques. Specifically, local binary pattern (LBP) features are first computed from the Gabor images. Then, the most frequently occurred patterns are extracted to form VLD-GLBP. Finally the distance between VLD-GLBPs is computed to realize the face image classification. The experiment results on FERET database verify the efficiency of the proposed VLD-GLBP method.
Multi-layered integrated path planning for solving path mismatch problem

This paper proposes an integrated path planner which provides global waypoints from a multi-layered merged map and a local path planner (LPP) using a built-in sensor. The LPPs can avoid obstacles within the range of built-in sensors, but it is impossible to generate an efficient path out of the sensor range. The GPPs can generate an efficient global path with a built-in global map in a target region, but fidelity is very low because of the absence of local sensors. A simple combination of a GPP and a LPP causes a path mismatch problem due to the difference of the information acquired from the local sensor and the information of the preliminary global map. When some wrong global waypoints which are caused by the low fidelity information or the change of the terrain are given to UGVs, the proposed method can escape a standstill of UGVs using the multi-layered map and the adaptive layer transition. When there is no problem to follow global waypoints, the proposed method tries to search global waypoints in a detailed layer map for acquiring more optimal paths as much as possible. The results of simulations show the better performance of the multi-layered integrated path planner by comparing with other algorithms.
Spline regression in clinical research.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this article is to illustrate the statistical technique of spline regression, an under-utilized tool in clinical research. Spline regression was used to assess the dose-response association between serum albumin and hospital mortality. METHODS Data from a previous study of patients hospitalized throughout Florida, United States of America (U.S.A.), for invasive group A streptococcal disease were accessed. For the current analysis, serum albumin (SA) at the time of admission was the risk factor of interest. The outcome was unadjusted hospital mortality among 117 patients. First, a traditional, suboptimal approach was employed by breaking SA into three groups and calculating the crude hospital mortality rate in each SA category. The second approach involved the creation of a curve using a quadratic spline model. RESULTS The traditional approach yielded only three points of information: the hospital mortality rate for the three SA groups. Among patients whose SA upon admission was < 2.5 g/l00 mL, 2.5 to 3.4, and 3.5 or greater, the hospital mortality rate was 40.7%, 14.8%, and 8.3%, respectively. The spline model, however, resulted in a smooth curve which was more clinically plausible. CONCLUSION The goal of this paper is to expose clinicians to splines. Spline regression, unlike categorical analysis, does not impose the unrealistic assumption of a homogenous risk within categories. Another disadvantage of categorical analyses is that they allow large changes in risk between categories,
Analysis of the Quasi-Monte Carlo Integration of the Rendering Equation

Quasi-Monte Carlo integration is said to be better than Monte-Carlo integration since its error bound can be in the order of instead of the probabilistic bound of classical Monte-Carlo integration if the integrand has finite variation. However, since in computer graphics the integrand of the rendering equation is usually discontinuous and thus has infinite variation, the superiority of quasi-Monte Carlo integration has not been theoretically justified. This paper examines the integration of discontinuous functions using both theoretical arguments and simulations and explains what kind of improvements can be expected from the quasi-Monte Carlo techniques in computer graphics.
The blind breeding the blind: adaptive behavior without looking

Sensors and internal states are often considered necessary components of any adaptively behaving organism, providing the information needed to adapt a creature’s behavior in response to conditions in its external or internal environment. But adaptive, survivalenhancing behavior is possible even in simple simulated creatures lacking all direct contact with their environment — evolutionarily shaped blind action may suffice to keep a population of creatures alive and reproducing. In this paper, we consider the evolution of the behavioral repertoires of such sensor-less creatures in response to environments of various types. Different spatial and temporal distributions of food result in the evolution of very different behavioral strategies, including the use of looping movements as time-keepers in these otherwise cognitively-challenged creatures. Exploring the level of adaptiveness available in even such simple creatures as these serves to establish a baseline to which the adaptive behavior of animats with sensors and internal states can be compared.
An Energy-Efficient MAC Protocol for Ad Hoc Networks

A mobile ad hoc network (MANET) is a collection of nodes equipped with wireless communications and a networking capability without central network control. Nodes in a MANET are free to move and organize themselves in an arbitrary fashion. Energy-efficient design is a significant challenge due to the characteristics of MANETs such as distributed control, constantly changing network topology, and mobile users with limited power supply. The IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol includes a power saving mechanism, but it has many limitations. A new energy-efficient MAC protocol (EE-MAC) is proposed in this paper. It is shown that EE-MAC performs better than IEEE 802.11 power saving mode and exceeds IEEE 802.11 with respect to balancing network throughput and energy savings.
Bronchiolitis-associated hospitalizations among US children, 1980-1996.

CONTEXT Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes more lower respiratory tract infections, often manifested as bronchiolitis, among young children than any other pathogen. Few national estimates exist of the hospitalizations attributable to RSV, and recent advances in prophylaxis warrant an update of these estimates. OBJECTIVES To describe rates of bronchiolitis-associated hospitalizations and to estimate current hospitalizations associated with RSV infection. DESIGN AND SETTING Descriptive analysis of US National Hospital Discharge Survey data from 1980 through 1996. PARTICIPANTS Children younger than 5 years who were hospitalized in short-stay, non-federal hospitals for bronchiolitis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Bronchiolitis-associated hospitalization rates by age and year. RESULTS During the 17-year study period, an estimated 1.65 million hospitalizations for bronchiolitis occurred among children younger than 5 years, accounting for 7.0 million inpatient days. Fifty-seven percent of these hospitalizations occurred among children younger than 6 months and 81 % among those younger than 1 year. Among children younger than 1 year, annual bronchiolitis hospitalization rates increased 2.4-fold, from 12.9 per 1000 in 1980 to 31.2 per 1000 in 1996. During 1988-1996, infant hospitalization rates for bronchiolitis increased significantly (P for trend <.001), while hospitalization rates for lower respiratory tract diseases excluding bronchiolitis did not vary significantly (P for trend = .20). The proportion of hospitalizations for lower respiratory tract illnesses among children younger than 1 year associated with bronchiolitis increased from 22.2% in 1980 to 47.4% in 1996; among total hospitalizations, this proportion increased from 5.4% to 16.4%. Averaging bronchiolitis hospitalizations during 1994-1996 and assuming that RSV was the etiologic agent in 50% to 80% of November through April hospitalizations, an estimated 51, 240 to 81, 985 annual bronchiolitis hospitalizations among children younger than 1 year were related to RSV infection. CONCLUSIONS During 1980-1996, rates of hospitalization of infants with bronchiolitis increased substantially, as did the proportion of total and lower respiratory tract hospitalizations associated with bronchiolitis. Annual bronchiolitis hospitalizations associated with RSV infection among infants may be greater than previous estimates for RSV bronchiolitis and pneumonia hospitalizations combined.
Effect of vitamin B supplementation on cancer incidence, death due to cancer, and total mortality

Background: Observational studies have suggested that vitamin B supplementation is associated with cancer risk, but this association remains controversial. A pooled data-based meta-analysis was conducted to summarize the evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effects of vitamin B supplementation on cancer incidence, death due to cancer, and total mortality. Methods: PubMed, EmBase, and the Cochrane Library databases were searched to identify trials to fit our analysis through August 2015. Relative risk (RR) was used to measure the effect of vitamin B supplementation on the risk of cancer incidence, death due to cancer, and total mortality using a random-effect model. Cumulative meta-analysis, sensitivity analysis, subgroup analysis, heterogeneity tests, and tests for publication bias were also conducted. Results: Eighteen RCTs reporting the data on 74,498 individuals were included in the meta-analysis. Sixteen of these trials included 4103 cases of cancer; in 6 trials, 731 cancer-related deaths occurred; and in 15 trials, 7046 deaths occurred. Vitamin B supplementation had little or no effect on the incidence of cancer (RR: 1.04; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.98–1.10; P = 0.216), death due to cancer (RR, 1.05; 95% CI: 0.90–1.22; P = 0.521), and total mortality (RR, 1.00; 95% CI: 0.94–1.06; P = 0.952). Upon performing a cumulative meta-analysis for cancer incidence, death due to cancer, and total mortality, the nonsignificance of the effect of vitamin B persisted. With respect to specific types of cancer, vitamin B supplementation significantly reduced the risk of skin melanoma (RR, 0.47; 95% CI: 0.23–0.94; P = 0.032). Conclusion: Vitamin B supplementation does not have an effect on cancer incidence, death due to cancer, or total mortality. It is associated with a lower risk of skin melanoma, but has no effect on other cancers.
Detection of bounded weak echo regions in meteorological radar images

Supercell severe thunderstorms are often associated with bounded weak echo regions (BWERs). Consequently, the presence or absence of a BWER within a storm is important for severe weather forecasting. However, for reasons we explain in this paper, the three dimensional structure of a BWER is often not clearly defined in radar data. We describe a fuzzy logic approach where the various uncertainties associated with a BWER's radar profile (capping, three-dimensional structure, vertical height, reflectivity ranges, proximity to a mesocyclone, etc.) are taken into account. This leads to a reliable BWER detection scheme.
Ionic Mechanism Underlying Optimal Stimuli for Neuronal Excitation: Role of Na + Channel Inactivation

The ionic mechanism underlying optimal stimulus shapes that induce a neuron to fire an action potential, or spike, is relevant to understanding optimal information transmission and therapeutic stimulation in the nervous system. Here we analyze for the first time the ionic basis for stimulus optimality in the Hodgkin and Huxley model and for eliciting a spike in squid giant axons, the preparation for which the model was devised. The experimentally determined stimulus is a smoothly varying biphasic current waveform having a relatively long and shallow hyperpolarizing phase followed by a depolarizing phase of briefer duration. The hyperpolarizing phase removes a small degree of the resting level of Na + channel inactivation. This result together with the subsequent depolarizing phase provides a signal that is energetically more efficient for eliciting spikes than rectangular current pulses. Sodium channel inactivation is the only variable that is changed during the stimulus waveform, other than the membrane potential, V. The activation variables for Na + and K + channels are unchanged throughout the stimulus. This result demonstrates how an optimal stimulus waveform relates to ionic dynamics and may have implications for energy efficiency of neural excitation in many systems including the mammalian brain.
Ultrastructure of diploid and haploid cells of Xenopus laevis larvae.

A study was made of tissues of diploid and haploid Xenopus laevis larvae by electron microscopy. The comparison of the two types of larvae was both quantitative and qualitative. Haploid cells contain fewer similarly sized mitochondria and/or cilia (compared with the diploid), commensurate with their smaller cell size. Cellular differentiation is retarded in haploids and the degree of retardation is reflected in the retention of cellular lipid and yolk. It is suggested that the failure to differentiate adequately is an important component in the development of the haploid syndrome.
Matching of video frames through coupled decomposition

In this paper an algorithm used for video matching process is discussed. This algorithm basically works on the principle of tie-point extraction. This algorithm is conceptualized to extract information from different video frames in the similar locations. This extracted information is called tie-points. Without the video matching process, most of the video processing applications cannot exist. A few applications where video matching plays a vital role is video retrieval, video registration and 3D construction. In the current methodologies, full frame matching is done, where an important parameter called spatial constraint is being neglected. The spatial constraint will give the information about the area from where the tie-points are being extracted, which is in fact going to lead the matching process. The matching of video frames through coupled decomposition is a novel technique which is introduced in this paper. This algorithm will also include the spatial constraints in the matching process along with the parameters used in the general methodologies. Though in this technique the sub frames are generated from the reference and target frames as the subsamples of conventional methods, in the generated sub frames, some specific characteristics like geometric transformation, additive noise and global radiometric differences remain consistent. They remain robust to the local changes.
A new design method for broadband microphone arrays for speech input in automobiles

A new design method for broadband microphone arrays is presented. Using sequences of calibration signals, the method is able to design finite-impulse response (FIR) filters with specific performance. The method can control and adjust the speech distortion, noise suppression, and echo cancellation directly. It turns out that a significantly shorter filter length can be applied to achieve better overall performance than the least-squares method or the signal-to-noise plus interference method.