Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exploring the underlying cognitive mechanisms of driver distraction

This thesis explores how naturalistic dual tasks may affect the key processes which underpin everyday tasks. With a focus on processes essential to safe driving, this thesis attempts to establish whether naturalistic conversation has an impact on: intentional time-based visual selection [2], memory in visual search [3], our ability to become alerted and maintain an alerted state, to effectively orient our attention and to executively control attention [5]. I next examine the effect of holding a conversation on another essential element of driving, our ability to make risky decisions [6]. Further, I investigate whether performing a different naturalistic task, following satellite navigation instructions, affects intentional time based visual selection and subsequent search processes [4]. Finally, I present a study which was conducted in collaboration with Dorset Police (UK) Driver Education Unit. This study reports the design and evaluation of a road safety intervention which was included within the driver awareness courses delivered by my collaborators. The intervention was effective in reducing drivers’ self-reported overconfidence in their observational abilities and the findings suggest that the intervention has the potential to have a positive impact on subsequent behaviour. The laboratory work of this thesis demonstrates that naturalistic conversation impacts upon the rate at which we are able to search through the world around us, negatively affects reaction times and limits the amount of information that may be taken in from a single fixation. In addition, I show that we take greater risks and are less likely to experience a physiological response to the consequences of our actions when conversing. These findings are discussed in the context of their theoretical implications and have wide reaching real world impacts on, for example, vehicle interface design, the use and design of in-vehicle technology and legislation focusing on distracted driving and driver education.
Surveillance of Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli in Irish sheep

Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is a foodborne zoonotic pathogen of significant public health concern. Ruminant animals are considered the primary reservoir of STEC. STEC predominantly colonises the lower gastro-intestinal tract, termed the recto-anal junction (RAJ). The number of STEC shed in the faeces of ruminants can vary widely with some animals, termed ‘super-shedders’ (>Log104 c.f.u. g−1 faeces), high risk carriers of the pathogen. The objective of this study was to sample a large cohort of Irish sheep, with quantitative and qualitative analysis of each sample for STEC. RAJ swab samples (N=410) were collected over a 9 month period from an ovine slaughtering facility. Each swab was enriched in 30 ml of modified Tryptone Soya Broth with Novobiocin at 41.5 °C for 5 h and subjected to a quantitative real-time PCR assay to detect and enumerate serogroups O157 and O26 in super-shedding animals. Incubation was allowed to continue for 24 h and shiga-toxin prevalence was assessed using a targeted qualitative real-time PCR assay. Eight O157 strains were isolated, of which six were super-shedding strains. The incidence of stx, O157 and O26 positive swabs was 49.3 %, 1.95 % and 0.24 % respectively. The prevalence of stx1, stx2 and stx1/stx2 virulence factors in isolated strains was 15.9 %, 8.8 % and 22.4 %. Additionally, the occurrence of stx1/stx2 in combination with eaeA in strains was found to be significant according to Pearson’s correlation and a paired T-test. In conclusion, these results underline the risk Irish sheep pose as a potential source of STEC infection.
Classi ers : A Theoretical and Empirical Study

This paper describes how a competitive tree learning algorithm can be derived from rst principles. The algorithm approximates the Bayesian decision theoretic solution to the learning task. Comparative experiments with the algorithm and the several mature AI and statistical families of tree learning algorithms currently in use show the derived Bayesian algorithm is consistently as good or better, although sometimes at computational cost. Using the same strategy, we can design algorithms for many other supervised and model learning tasks given just a probabilistic representation for the kind of knowledge to be learned. As an illustration, a second learning algorithm is derived for learning Bayesian networks from data. Implications to incremental learning and the use of multiple models are also discussed.
Revisión narrativa y desarrollo de un programa de intervención para la disminución de los efectos del Alzheimer a través de la práctica del Surf en Personas Mayores

espanolLa enfermedad de Alzheimer (EA) y otros trastornos demenciales son factores importantes a tener en cuenta en los indices de morbilidad y mortalidad en la sociedad actual. El deterioro cognitivo tiene un impacto negativo en las actividades funcionales de los pacientes con EA, y la eficacia del tratamiento farmacologico es limitada y no consigue detener el deterioro cognitivo asociado a esta demencia. Por lo que el objetivo principal de este articulo es revisar la bibliografia y disenar estrategias de intervencion para retrasar la aparicion o reducir el riesgo de padecer alteraciones neurodegenerativas provenientes de la EA. En la ultima decada ha aumentado el interes hacia el diseno y la experimentacion a partir de nuevas terapias no farmacologicas. El ejercicio fisico es un tipo de terapia complementaria en el que la practica habitual tiene un efecto beneficioso para la salud en la EA. Sus efectos se circunscriben a nivel fisico y funcional mejorando el mantenimiento de la autonomia y la disminucion de la carga de los cuidadores. En este articulo se hace una revision de los beneficios del ejercicio sobre la EA, proponiendo un programa de intervencion de ejercicios multitarea y de mejora del acondicionamiento fisico, utilizando el medio acuatico a traves del surf, para prevenir la aparicion de EA. Se estima que los sujetos obtengan mejoras en el rendimiento cognitivo, el equilibrio y la autonomia personal en las tareas de la vida diaria. Ademas, estimamos que el programa de entrenamiento implicara un incremento en algunos parametros de condicion fisica, como la capacidad aerobica. EnglishAlzheimer’s disease (AD) and other dementia disorders are important factors of morbidity and mortality in our society. Cognitive impairment has a negative impact on the functional activities of AD patients, and the effectiveness of drug treatment is limited and fails to avoid cognitive decline associated with this dementia. Hence, the main aim of this work is to review the literature, and to design an intervention to reduce the risk of neurodegenerative disorders provoked by AD. There has been an increased interest in designing and testing new non-drug therapies during the last decade. Exercising is a type of complementary therapy that has a beneficial effect on health in persons with AD. The main benefits of exercising are focused on physical and functional improvement, which increase the maintenance of autonomy and decrease caregivers’ burden. This study reviews the benefits of exercising on patients with AD, and proposes an intervention program to prevent the onset of AD based on multitasking training by means of improving physical fitness through surfing. It is deemed that patients could improve their cognitive performance, balance, and personal autonomy in everyday life tasks. Also, we consider that the proposed training program should determine an increase in some parameters of physical fitness, such as aerobic capacity.
Discovery of factors in matrices with grades

We present an approach to decomposition and factor analysis of matrices with ordinal data. The matrix entries are grades to which objects represented by rows satisfy attributes represented by columns, e.g. grades to which an image is red, a product has a given feature, or a person performs well in a test. We assume that the grades form a bounded scale equipped with certain aggregation operators and conforms to the structure of a complete residuated lattice. We present a greedy approximation algorithm for the problem of decomposition of such matrix in a product of two matrices with grades under the restriction that the number of factors be small. Our algorithm is based on a geometric insight provided by a theorem identifying particular rectangular-shaped submatrices as optimal factors for the decompositions. These factors correspond to formal concepts of the input data and allow an easy interpretation of the decomposition. We present illustrative examples and experimental evaluation.
Protective effect of experimental mouthrinses containing NaF and TiF4 on dentin erosive loss in vitro

Objective This in vitro study assessed the anti-erosive effect of experimental mouthrinses containing TiF4 and NaF on dentin erosive loss. Material and Methods Bovine dentin specimens were randomly allocated into the groups (n=15): 1) SnCl2/NaF/AmF (Erosion Protection®/GABA, pH 4.5, positive control); 2) experimental solution with 0.0815% TiF4 (pH 2.5); 3) 0.105% NaF (pH 4.5); 4) 0.042% NaF+0.049% TiF4 (pH 4.4); 5) 0.063% NaF+0.036% TiF4 (pH 4.5); 6) no treatment (negative control). Each specimen was cyclically demineralized (Sprite Zero, pH 2.6, 4x90 s/day) and exposed to artificial saliva between the erosive challenges for 7 days. The treatment with the fluoride solutions was done 2x60 s/day, immediately after the first and the last erosive challenges of the day. Dentin erosive loss was measured by profilometry (μm). The data were analyzed using Kruskal Wallis/Dunn tests (p<0.05). Results Mouthrinses containing TiF4 or Sn/F were able to show some protective effect against dentin erosive loss compared to negative control. The best anti-erosive effect was found for experimental solution containing 0.0815% TiF4 (100% reduction in dentin loss), followed by 0.042% NaF+0.049% TiF4 (58.3%), SnCl2/NaF/AmF (52%) and 0.063% NaF+0.036% TiF4 (40%). NaF solution (13.3%) did not significantly differ from control. Conclusion The daily application of experimental mouthrinse containing TiF4 and NaF has the ability to reduce dentin erosion, as well as Erosion Protection® and TiF4 alone.
CYCLIC PHOTOBIOLOGICAL ALGAL H2-PRODUCTION

Previous work from our laboratory demonstrated the feasibility of using sulfur-deprived algal cultures to photoproduce H2 continuously for 3-4 days (Melis et al., 2000; Ghirardi et al., 2000a). The production of H2 depends mostly on the photosynthetic H2O-oxidation activity of the cultures (Ghirardi et al., 2000 a and b; Kosourov et al., 2002), and requires concomitant operation of O2-consumption pathways (Ghirardi et al., 2000a; Kosourov et al., 2002; Antal et al., submitted). Our research has focused on the elucidation of the pathways involved in H2production under sulfur-deprivation and on approaches to improve the H2 production yield of the process. This year’s results show that (a) H2-production can be optimized by controlling the initial pH of the medium and (b) different maximum amounts of sulfate can be re-added to the system at different points of the sulfur-deprivation process without decreasing H2 production. Moreover, we present evidence from in situ fluorescence measurements, that H2-production during sulfurdeprivation provides the means to re-activate residual photosynthetic electron transport capacity, which is rapidly down-regulated at the establishment of anaerobiosis. These measurements can be used to determine the transition of the cultures to anaerobic conditions and thus serve as a means to monitor the physiological state of the culture from outside the photobioreactor vessel. Finally, we show that different pathways for photosyntheticallygenerated O2 consumption are prevalent during different phases of the process. We conclude that the rates of H2-production in the system are limited by the rates of electron transport from the H2O-oxidizing complex to the hydrogenase under anaerobic conditions, and that these rates can be manipulated, to a certain extent, by changes in pH and addition of sulfate to the medium.
The Xsense project: The application of an intelligent sensor array for high sensitivity handheld explosives detectors

Multiple independent sensors are used in security and military applications in order to increase sensitivity, selectivity and data reliability. The Xsense project has been initiated at the Technical University of Denmark in collaboration with a number of partners in an effort to produce a handheld sensor for trace detection of explosives. We are using micro- and nano technological approaches for integrating four sensing principles into a single device. At the end of the project, the consortium aims at having delivered a sensor platform consisting of four independent detector principles capable of identifying concentrations of TNT, DNT, HMX and RDX at sub parts-per-billion (ppb) levels and with a false positive rate less than 1 parts-per-thousand. The specificity, sensitivity, reliability and the speed of responses are ensured by the use of advanced data processing, surface functionalization and nanostructured sensors and sensor design.
Hom-algebras and Hom-coalgebras

The aim of this paper is to develop the theory of Hom-coalgebras and related structures. After reviewing some key constructions and examples of quasi-deformations of Lie algebras involving twisted derivations and giving rise to the class of quasi-Lie algebras incorporating Hom–Lie algebras, we describe the notion and some properties of Hom-algebras and provide examples. We introduce Hom-coalgebra structures, leading to the notions of Hom-bialgebra and Hom–Hopf algebras, and prove some fundamental properties and give examples. Finally, we define the concept of Hom–Lie admissible Hom-coalgebra and provide their classification based on subgroups of the symmetric group.
Function of the sexually dimorphic ear of the American bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana: brief review and new insight

SUMMARY The dimorphic ear of the bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana, has long been enigmatic. The male's tympanic membrane (TM) area approximates twice the area of the female's; however, similar size differences in the area of the columellar footplate were not observed between the sexes. Hence, the male's hearing is expected to be more sensitive than the female's but this is not the case. Asking what offsets the advantage of the large TM, we applied a series of experiments to the auditory system. Male and female audiograms based on stimulation with airborne sound and on both multi-unit responses from the brain and alternating cochlear potentials (`microphonics') showed equal sensitivity and a small difference in frequency response; at low frequencies the male was more sensitive than the female. Amputating the columella and stimulating the stump with mechanical vibration showed that for an equal microphonic response, the male's footplate vibrated with lower amplitude than the female's footplate. Mechanically stimulating the TM of the intact ear replicated this result, excluding the involvement of the mechanical lever. The TM of the male weighs five times the TM of the female, and artificial loading of the TM of either sex greatly reduced the ear's sensitivity. Hence, the male's excessive area ratio (TM to columellar footplate) is offset by the heavier cartilage cushion on the male's TM, damping the TM's response to sound. This is corroborated by experimentally artificially loading the TM. The product of area ratio and footplate vibration amplitude would result in similar stimulation of the inner ear in the two sexes.
A Novel Zero-Sequence Current Elimination PWM Scheme for an Open-Winding PMSM With Common DC Bus

This paper introduces a novel pulsewidth modulation (PWM) scheme for an open-winding permanent magnet synchronous machine (OW-PMSM) driven by dual two-level three-phase inverter with common dc bus, which can effectively deal with the inherent zero-sequence current (ZSC) problem. Based on the conventional symmetrical unipolar double-frequency sinusoidal PWM scheme with an appropriate phase shift, the common mode voltage (CMV) of two inverters remains same and cancel out each other to eliminate the modulated zero-sequence voltage (ZSV) disturbance source. In this case, the double-frequency effect can be retained to reduce the ac side current ripple and suppress both corresponding motor vibration and acoustic noise, which is advantageous to improve the synthetic performance of motor. The dc-bus voltage utilization of the novel PWM scheme is proved to reach the same maximum value comparing to the conventional modulated ZSV elimination scheme. Meanwhile, a zero-sequence controller is designed to suppress ZSC by further adjusting the two CMVs to counteract other zero-sequence disturbance sources. To verify the analysis, the proposed PWM technique associated with the control method is implemented in an OW-PMSM experimental setup to validate the superiority of the proposed method.
Book Review: Signs of Identity: The Anatomy of Belonging by Ehala, M.

While cross-cultural comparisons of mnemonic practices appear to be an easy route to travel in order to advance the approach to culture and memory adopted by this volume, one theme that it briefly touched upon is poised for a boom theoretically as well as practically. Assistive technology and self-tracking digital devices generate a wealth of information about individuals, their practices, preferences, social relations, and patterns of daily life that augment (if not altogether alter) one’s view of oneself and one’s lifestyle. Calendars, pop-up reminders, and to-do lists synchronized across multiple devices seem to have replaced sticky-notes and notepads as basic tools for organizing our short-term memory. Their proliferation rapidly expands the realm of cultural objects to consider and indicates that the question of culture, memory, and power is far from being settled.
Achieving Wideband sub-1dB Noise Figure and High Gain with MOSFETs if Input Power Matching is not Required

A 0.18 mum CMOS low noise amplifier (LNA) achieves sub-1 dB noise figure over more than an octave of bandwidth without external noise matching components. It is designed for a future radio telescope, requiring millions of cheap LNAs mounted directly on phased array antenna elements. The short distance between antenna and LNA and low frequency below 2 GHz allows for using an LNA with reflective input impedance, increasing the gain with 6 dB. Without any matching network, very low noise figure is achieved over a wide bandwidth. At 90 mW power, sub-1 dB Noise is achieved for 50 Omega source impedance over a 0.8-1.8 GHz band without external coils, and S21>20 dB, OIP2>25 dBm and OIP3>15 dBm. Preliminary results with 150 Omega source impedance show noise temperatures as low as 25 K around 900 MHz.
Regulation of serotonin-stimulated phosphoinositide hydrolysis: relation to the serotonin 5-HT-2 binding site

The hypothesis that serotonin (5-HT)-stimulated phosphoinositide hydrolysis is mediated by the 5-HT-2 binding site in cerebral cortex was tested by comparing antagonist Kd values determined by Schild analyses with Ki values at the 5-HT-2 binding site. A significant correlation was found between Kd values and Ki values at competing for 3H-ketanserin binding (R = 0.98), suggesting that the phosphoinositide- linked receptor and the 5-HT-2 site are identical. The 5-HT-2-mediated phosphoinositide response was then used as a measure of 5-HT-2 receptor sensitivity after in vivo treatments that alter the availability of 5- HT. Chronic treatment with the 5-HT-2 antagonist mianserin resulted in a significant decrease (52%) in the density of 5-HT-2 binding sites and a significant decrease (49%) in the maximal phosphoinositide hydrolysis response to 5-HT. Depletion of 5-HT levels with para- chlorophenylalanine or chemical denervation of serotonergic neurons with 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine had no significant effect upon 5-HT-2 receptor density or upon the phosphoinositide response to 5-HT. These data suggest that changes or lack of changes in 5-HT-2 receptor density following in vivo manipulations reflect the functional state of the receptor.
The Causal Effect of Cognitive Abilities on Economic Behavior: Evidence from a Forecasting Task with Varying Cognitive Load

We identify the causal effect of cognitive abilities on economic behavior in an experimental setting. Using a forecasting task with varying cognitive load, we identify the causal effect of working memory on subjects' forecasting performance, while also accounting for the effect of other cognitive, personality and demographic characteristics. Addressing the causality is important for understanding the nature of various decision-making errors, as well as for providing reliable policy implications in contexts such as student placement, personnel assignment, and public policy programs designed to augment abilities of the disadvantaged. We further argue that establishing the causality of cognitive abilities is a prerequisite for studying their interaction with financial incentives, with implications for the design of efficient incentive schemes.
EXTRaCTiOn METHODs FOR anaLYsis OF OiL PaLM LEaF anD ROOT PROTEins BY TWO-DiMEnsiOnaL GEL ELECTROPHOREsis

Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) is an important crop in Malaysia, and as such, it has become the second largest export earner for the country. This study ventured into developing suitable gel-based proteomics methods for specific oil palm tissues with the aim of understanding its biological systems. An optimal procedure for extraction of proteins from oil palm root and leaf tissues was developed through evaluations and modifications of three existing methods. The TCA/acetone, phenol/ammonium acetate and chloroform/ acetone protein extraction approaches were tested on the root and leaf tissues of oil palm. The total protein yields and resulting 2-DGE protein spot profiles revealed that TCA/acetone method is the most effective approach for both tissues. Thus, TCA/acetone method will be used to produce total proteins for downstream analyses by mass spectrometry.
A Further Study of ENSO Rectification: Results from an OGCM with a Seasonal Cycle

AbstractThe potential role that rectification of ENSO plays as a viable mechanism to generate climate anomalies on the decadal and longer time scales demands a thorough study of this process. In this paper, rectification of ENSO was studied using an ocean GCM that has a realistic seasonal cycle. In addition to conducting a pair of forced ocean GCM experiments with and without ENSO fluctuations, as done in a previous study, a forced experiment was also conducted with the sign of wind anomalies reversed, with the goal of clarifying the role of the asymmetry in the wind forcing and more generally to better understand the nonlinear dynamics responsible for the rectification. It is found that the rectification effect of ENSO is to cool the western Pacific warm pool and warm the eastern equatorial Pacific. Further, it is found that when the sign of the wind stress anomalies is reversed the impact of the rectification on the mean state remains almost unchanged. This lack of change is further explained by noting .