Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nostalgic marketing and its working mechanism in three cultural groups : Canadians, Chinese, and Chinese immigrants to Canada

Although the existing marketing research on nostalgia has provided an understanding of nostalgia from different perspectives, it remains scattered. The confusion on the nature of nostalgia and a lack of theoretical framework on nostalgic marketing greatly restrains our understanding of nostalgic marketing. To contribute to the gaps in the marketing literature on nostalgia, this research aims to clarify the nature of nostalgia through combined effort of literature review and exploratory interviews with participants of different cultural backgrounds. Five major dimensions of nostalgia in the general sense are identified, namely emotional, attitudinal, cognitive, behavioural, and symbolic dimensions. Based on the five major dimensions that emerged for nostalgia in the general sense, nostalgia in marketing is distinguished for its unique characteristics of its separation from direct personal experiences, the dominantly positive emotion imbued, and the promotion of the imagined past. Nostalgic marketing is then defined, as well as its classification and major forms. In reference to the interviews conducted, the underlying working mechanisms of different forms of nostalgic marketing are proposed. Some pitfalls related to the application of nostalgic marketing disclosed by our interviews are also presented. The scope of this research project is extended by examining the theoretical framework empirically on three cultural groups: Canadians, Chinese, and Chinese immigrants to Canada. The findings indicate that (1) nostalgic marketing is overall more positively evaluated by Chinese and Chinese immigrants to Canada than by Canadians; (2) different cultural groups have varied preference for certain nostalgic marketing forms; and (3) a same nostalgic marketing form can be equally effective for different cultural groups but for different reasons. In explaining the findings, nostalgia proneness and individuals' general attitude toward advertising and marketing are identified as the two major influential variables. However, while nostalgia proneness should be examined within a particular cultural group, the general attitude toward advertising and marketing should be investigated across cultures
Central compartment dissection in laryngeal cancer

We report here a review of the literature intended to clarify the nomenclature and boundaries of the nodes in the “central compartment” of the neck, the frequency with which tumors from the different laryngeal sites metastasize to these nodes, and the indications for central compartment node dissection in the treatment of cancers of the larynx. From this review, we conclude that, until consensus is reached about grouping of the lymph nodes in this area, it is best to refer to these nodes by their anatomic location, ie, prelaryngeal, pretracheal, or paratracheal lymph nodes. It is also advisable to describe dissection of these nodes as selective neck dissection (SND) with an annotation about the specific lymph node groups removed. Metastases in prelaryngeal and paratracheal lymph nodes in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx are associated with increased tumor recurrence, more frequent metastases in lymph nodes of the lateral compartment of the neck, and decreased survival. If untreated, they may lead to the development of peristomal recurrence. Therefore, elective treatment of level VI nodes is recommended in patients with squamous cell carcinomas of the subglottic region, advanced glottis carcinomas with subglottic extension, and in certain advanced carcinomas of the supraglottic region. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2011
The Primary Visual Cortex Is Differentially Modulated by Stimulus-Driven and Top-Down Attention

Selective attention can be focused either volitionally, by top-down signals derived from task demands, or automatically, by bottom-up signals from salient stimuli. Because the brain mechanisms that underlie these two attention processes are poorly understood, we recorded local field potentials (LFPs) from primary visual cortical areas of cats as they performed stimulus-driven and anticipatory discrimination tasks. Consistent with our previous observations, in both tasks, we found enhanced beta activity, which we have postulated may serve as an attention carrier. We characterized the functional organization of task-related beta activity by (i) cortical responses (EPs) evoked by electrical stimulation of the optic chiasm and (ii) intracortical LFP correlations. During the anticipatory task, peripheral stimulation that was preceded by high-amplitude beta oscillations evoked large-amplitude EPs compared with EPs that followed low-amplitude beta. In contrast, during the stimulus-driven task, cortical EPs preceded by high-amplitude beta oscillations were, on average, smaller than those preceded by low-amplitude beta. Analysis of the correlations between the different recording sites revealed that beta activation maps were heterogeneous during the bottom-up task and homogeneous for the top-down task. We conclude that bottom-up attention activates cortical visual areas in a mosaic-like pattern, whereas top-down attentional modulation results in spatially homogeneous excitation.
The effect of membrane domains on the G protein–phospholipase Cβ signaling pathway

The plasma membrane serves as a barrier to limit the exit and entry of components into and out of the cell, offering protection from the external environment. Communication between the cell and the external environment is mediated by multiple signaling pathways. While the plasma membrane was historically viewed as a lipid bilayer with freely diffusing proteins, the last decade has shown that the lipids and proteins in the plasma membrane are organized in a non-random manner, and that this organization can direct and modify various signaling pathways in the cell. In this review, we qualitatively discuss the ways that membrane domains can affect cell signaling. We then focus on how membrane domains can affect a specific signaling pathway – the G protein–phospholipase Cβ pathway and show how membrane domains can play an active role in directing or redirecting G protein signals.
FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION AN ANALYSIS OF DATA FROM THE FI1R8T NATIONAL HEALTH AND NUTRITION EXAMINATION SURVEY

Data from the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey collected between 1971 and 1972 were used to determine what factors are associated with the prevalence of age-related macular degeneration. The study was limited to those who were at least 45 years old at the time of the ophthalmology examination. Stratified analysis, adjusting for age, showed that education, systolic blood pressure, past history of hypertension, cerebrovascular disease, and refractive error were all associated with macular degeneration. With the exception of education, these factors remained statistically significant when simultaneously entered into a logistic regression model. The frequency of consumption of fruits and vegetables rich in vitamins A and C suggested a negative association with the prevalence of macular degeneration after stratified adjustment for age. In a logistic regression analysis, adjusting for demographic and medical factors, the inverse association of vitamin C with age-related macular degeneration was no longer present. The frequency of consumption of fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin A remained negatively correlated with age-related macular degeneration even after adjustment for demographic and medical factors.
On the Meir / Sharma / Hall / Meyer analysis of the spline interpolation error

The basic idea of the Meir/Sharma/Hall/Meyer error analysis for cubic spline interpolation (see [SM66], [H68], [HM76]) has been extended to cover also certain deficient quartic and quintic spline interpolation schemes, the latter already by them, the former by Howell/Varma [HV89] and, perhaps, others. It is the purpose of this note to describe the most general situation to which this idea applies and thereby, perhaps, to obviate further papers on various special cases. In full generality, the idea covers the following situation. Let
Research Challenges in the Automation of Spoken Language Interaction

Spoken language interaction plays a fundamental role in almost all human activities, and this has given rise to a burgeoning market for spoken language technology. However, despite strong aspirations for future automated interactive systems, attempts to develop such a technology raises significant research challenges at the forefront of human knowledge. This paper surveys the main issues that emerge, and it is concluded that the long-term prospects for the area are critically dependent on the successful deployment of technically viable and economically valuable applications in the short-term, coupled with a fundamental re-appraisal of the underpinning strategy for tackling the necessary research.
Dal suono alla parola

Manuale aggiornato che si prefigge di orientare il lettore tra le teorie piu interessanti e recenti del vasto campo della psico-neuro-linguistica. Dopo aver passato in rassegna le ultime teorie sulla percezione e produzione del linguaggio in eta adulta ed evolutiva, vengono illustrati gli studi piu recenti sul rapporto fra anatomia e funzioni cerebrali che aprono nuove prospettive anche sullo studio del linguaggio.
Age-Related Memory Impairment Is Associated with Disrupted Multivariate Epigenetic Coordination in the Hippocampus

Mounting evidence linking epigenetic regulation to memory-related synaptic plasticity raises the possibility that altered chromatin modification dynamics might contribute to age-dependent cognitive decline. Here we show that the coordinated orchestration of both baseline and experience-dependent epigenetic regulation seen in the young adult hippocampus is lost in association with cognitive aging. Using a well-characterized rat model that reliably distinguishes aged individuals with significant memory impairment from others with normal memory, no single epigenetic mark or experience-dependent modification in the hippocampus uniquely predicted differences in the cognitive outcome of aging. The results instead point to a multivariate pattern in which modification-specific, bidirectional chromatin regulation is dependent on recent behavioral experience, chronological age, cognitive status, and hippocampal region. Whereas many epigenetic signatures were coupled with memory capacity among young adults and aged rats with preserved cognitive function, such associations were absent among aged rats with deficits in hippocampal memory. By comparison with the emphasis in current preclinical translational research on promoting chromatin modifications permissive for gene expression, our findings suggest that optimally successful hippocampal aging may hinge instead on enabling coordinated control across the epigenetic landscape.
Union College Senior Design Project : Using Spatial Context and Clarification Questions to Interpret Ambiguous Natural Language Commands

Natural Language Command systems are a type of NLP system in which a user provides commands in the form of natural language that are subsequently interpreted and executed. Many previous Natural Language Command systems have successfully implemented this process, but few focus on the ability to handle ambiguous or vague commands. This ability is crucial in order to further the true understanding of natural language because it is an unnatural expectation that all commands will contain every piece of necessary information. This project attempts to address ambiguity by implementing a Natural Language Command system that employs techniques to counter the possibility of failure due to confusion generated by such commands. Using a virtual 3D environment, a robot avatar can be given various navigational and basic operational commands. If ambiguity exists, it utilizes both its knowledge of the surrounding environment and any pertinent information given in previous commands to rank the executional options and choose the best course of action. If no decision can be made, it asks the user a clarification question in order to obtain the missing information. By means of thorough system and unit testing, it has proven successful in its ability to identify if and when additional information is needed, and what to do with that information. The reusable construction of the environment allows for the system to be tested under varying conditions, with which it has successfully coped. When compared with a similar system that lacks the ability to handle ambiguous situations, it provides an alternative that accepts a more natural way of speaking.
Who are the false negatives on continuous performance tests

Compared children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with normal and abnormal continuous performance test (CPT) scores. Children with normal scores showed less inattention and more conduct and psychosomatic problems on Conners Parent Rating Scale and Teacher Rating Scale ratings, and performed more normally on other laboratory measures. A drug trial showed that they were less likely to respond positively to stimulant medication, and less likely to do well on a higher dose than a lower dose when response was documented. The results suggest that CPTs can identify clinically meaningful differences between children referred for ADHD evaluations.
An Extended Subsampling Based Reversible Data Hiding Method

An improved reversible data hiding scheme, which can restore the original image completely after data extraction, is presented in this paper. The method is an extended subsampling reversible data hiding method. Compared with the previous method, the proposed method has much more room for data hiding. The data hiding capacity is much higher than the previous method while the visual distortion keep the same as the previous method. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm provides high embedding capacity while keeping the distortions low
Exploratory behavior without novelty drive?

We argue that a map is meaningless unless we have a process for using it. Thus, in this paper, we not only offer the world graph as a representation of relationships among situations the animal has encountered and may encounter again, but we also offer algorithms for how the information encoded in the world graph may be used by the animal in determining its behavior. Each node of the graph encodes a recognizable situation in the animal's world, but a given place may well be encoded in a number of different nodes. Nodes not only require algorithms for the recognition of the situation; they store information about drive reduction associated with the encoded situation. We note that the use of graphs as a basis for exploring some search space is well known in artificial intelligence (AI), but we stress the importance of the animal's exploration of its environment for growing the graph, as distinct from the mathematically described potential nodes frequent in AI search spaces. To explore a number of hypotheses about the way information in the world graph is used to guide the animal's movement, we recall a number of classical experiments on maze exploration by animals, and use them to argue for the nonlocal hypothesis (selection of a path does not depend only upon information about the immediate environment of the animal) and the competing nodes hypothesis (more than one drive may enter into the determination of the animal's behavior at any time). An important feature of the model is that it yields exploration and latent learning without the introduction of an exploratory drive. We also note that the performance exhibited by the model appears to be statedependent when the animal operates under high drive levels. The drive-interaction matrix is offered as a subject for future research. We complement the presentation of the world graph model, its drive dynamics, and how these are constrained by experiments on maze behavior, with a brief analysis of maps in the brain. We distinguish egocentric maps which we relate to the many visual systems from allocentric maps. We offer a somewhat unconventional view of short-term and long-term memory. We examine cooperative computation in somatotopically organized networks, relating this to visually guided behavior in the frog, and to the interaction of colliculus and cortex in the control of eye movements. We examine, but do not advocate, the hypothesis that the hippocampus is a cognitive map. We do stress that if it is a cognitive map, it must be seen as a chart of the local neighborhood, rather than the whole atlas; and we note that the cognitive map hypothesis would lead one to expect the region to exhibit activation of place cells before the animal leaves the previous place.
Towards a Sociological Critique of the Normalisation Principle

ABSTRACT The normalisation principle is the dominant paradigm in the field of learning difficulty research and service development. This paper attempts a sociological examination of the normalisation principle. It argues that the location of learning difficulty as a practice-oriented issue and its absence from a sociological agenda have rendered normalisation theoretically weak. The critique discusses the following points. The concerns of the normalisation principle reflect those of professionals rather than of people with learning difficulties. Normalisation lacks an exploration of the power relationship between (able-bodied) professionals and (disabled) service users. Finally, it encompasses no analysis of the material and ideological factors which socially construct learning difficulty and disempower and (literally) impoverish people with learning difficulties.
Towards an understanding of the structural and functional properties of MscL, a mechanosensitive channel in bacteria

Summary— Whether it be to sense a touch, arterial pressure, or an osmotic gradient across a cell membrane, essentially all living organisms require the capability of detecting mechanical force. Electrophysiological evidence has suggested that mechanosensitive ion channels play a major role in many systems where mechanical force is detected. But, despite their biological importance, determination of the most basic structural and functional features of mechanosensitive channels has only recently become possible. A gene called mscL, which was isolated from Escherichia coli, was the first gene shown to encode a mechanosensitive channel activity. This channel directly responds to tension in the membrane; no other proteins are required. MscL appears to be a homohexamer of a 136 amino acid polypeptide that is highly α helical, contains two transmembrane domains, and has both the amino and carboxyl termini in the cytoplasm. The study of the MscL protein remains, to date, one of the most viable options for understanding the structural and functional characteristics of a mechanosensitive channel.
Moving Object Detection Using Delayed - Cellular Neural Network

Bu makalede, 2 boyutlu goruntuler geciktirilmis hucresel yapay sinir agi (GHYSA) ile incelenmistir. GHYSA ilk defa 1993 yilinda tanitilmistir. Gecikme miktari belirli bir degerden kucuk secilmesi halinde, asimptotik kararlilik saglanir. Ozellikle son yillarda, goruntunun hareketli olan kismi diger bolgelere gore daha onemli olabilmektedir. Tip biliminde, kanserli hucrelerin yonelimini GHYSA ile belirlemek cok onem tasimaktadir. Burada Java dilinde yazilim gerceklestirilmis ve yapay ornekler icin iyi sonuclar elde edilmistir.
IMECE 01 / DSC-3 B-4 ON THE DESIGN OF ADAPTIVE ROBUST REPETITIVE CONTROLLERS

A new perspective on dealing with the noise sensitive problem of repetitive control algorithms is given in the paper. It is firstly shown that, in continuous-time domain, what the conventional repetitive learning algorithm does is equivalent to adapting all the values of the periodic uncertainties over one period. Such an endeavor means very high bandwidth of the learning algorithm as an infinite number of parameters need to be adapted, which puts a great demand on microprocessor memory in implementing the algorithms. At the same time, such a formulation also makes the algorithm very sensitive to noise as it treats the values of the periodic uncertainties over the same period totally independent from each other, just like a random noise. Based on this new perspective on the noise sensitive problem of repetitive algorithm, a simple remedy is provided for the recently proposed adaptive robust repetitive control (ARRC) design by recognizing the physical dependence of the values of the periodic uncertainties over the same period and using certain known basis functions to capture these physical dependence. By doing so, only the amplitudes of these known basis functions need to be adapted on-line. The net results are that, not only the number of the parameters to be adapted is reduced drastically, but also the noise sensitive problem of the conventional learning algorithm is overcome. The precision motion control of a linear motor drive system is used as an application example. The comparative experimental results demonstrate that, with the new adaptive robust repetitive control design, not only the noise sensitive problem of repetitive learning is completely eliminated, but also a much improved tracking performance is achieved due to the built-in extrapolation capability of the basis functions used. THE WORK IS SUPPORTED IN PART BY THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION UNDER THE CAREER GRANT CMS-9734345 AND IN PART BY A GRANT FROM THE PURDUE RESEARCH FOUNDATION.
Effects of fentanyl on pain and motor behaviors following a collagenase-induced intracerebral hemorrhage in rats

Purpose Intracerebral hemorrhage (IH) and cephalalgia are common consequences of traumatic brain injury. One of the primary obstacles for patient recovery is the paucity of treatments to support an appropriate analgesic protocol. The present study aimed to assess pain and motor behaviors following different doses of fentanyl on a rat model of IH. Methods Twenty-one male Sprague Dawley rats underwent a stereotaxic surgery to produce a collagenase-induced IH in the right caudoputamen nucleus. The control group (n=6) received saline subcutaneously (SC), and experimental groups received either 5 (n=6), 10 (n=6), or 20 (n=3) µg/kg of fentanyl SC, 2 hours following surgery and on 2 subsequent days. Only 3 animals received 20 µg/kg because this dose caused catalepsy for 15–20 minutes following the injection. The rat grimace scale, a neurological examination, balance beam test, and rotarod test were performed for 5 consecutive days postoperatively to evaluate pain and motor performance. At the end of the experimentation, the brains were evaluated to determine hematoma volume, and the number of reactive astrocytes and necrotic neurons. Results When compared to controls, the grimace scale showed that 5 µg/kg fentanyl significantly alleviated pain on day 2 only (P<0.01) and that 10 µg/kg alleviated pain on days 1 (P<0.01), 2 (P<0.001), and 3 (P<0.01). For the rotarod test, only the 10 µg/kg group showed significant decreases in performance on days 5 (P<0.05) and 6 (P<0.02). The neurological examination was not significantly different between the groups, but only the hopping test showed poor recuperation for the 5 and 10 µg/kg fentanyl group when compared to saline (P<0.01). No differences were found between the groups for the balance beam test, the histopathological results. Conclusion Fentanyl, at a dose of 10 µg/kg SC, provides substantial analgesia following a collagenase-induced IH in rats; however, it can alter motor performance following analgesic treatments.