Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Product personality and its influence on consumer preference

Purpose – Beyond their functional utility products have a symbolic meaning. Parts of this symbolic meaning are accounted for by concepts like brand personality and product‐user image, which describe the symbolic meaning associated with the brand or product class. However, the physical product also carries symbolic meaning. That part of the symbolic meaning that refers to the physical product itself, and is described with human personality characteristics, is called product personality. The purpose of this article is to show that product personality positively influences consumer preference through a congruence effect.Design/methodology/approach – A two‐phase study was conducted. In the first phase, product‐personality congruence was measured. The second phase was used to establish user‐image congruence.Findings – The results indicate that people prefer products with a product personality that matches their self‐image. Moreover, this positive effect of product‐personality congruence is found to be independ.
Cognitive mechanisms of memory for order in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta)

One important aspect of episodic memory is the ability to remember the order in which events occurred. Memory for sequences in rats and has been shown to rely on the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex (DeVito and Eichenbaum (2011) J Neuro 31:3169‐3175; Fortin et al. (2002) Nat Neuro 5:458‐462). Rats with hippocampal lesions were impaired in selecting the odor that had appeared earlier in a sequence of five odors but were not impaired in recognition of previously sampled odors (Fortin et al., 2002; Kesner et al. (2002) Behav Neuro 116:286‐290). These results suggest that order is not represented by relative familiarity or memory strength. However, the cognitive mechanisms underlying memory for order have not been determined. We presented monkeys with lists of five images drawn randomly from a pool of 6,000 images. At test, two images were presented and monkeys were rewarded for selecting the image that had appeared earlier in the studied list. Monkeys learned to discriminate the order of the images, even those that were consecutive in the studied list. In subsequent experiments, we found that discrimination of order was not controlled by list position or relative memory strength. Instead, monkeys used temporal order, a mechanism that appears to encode order of occurrence relative to other events, rather than in absolute time. We found that number of intervening images, rather than passage of time per se, most strongly determined the discriminability of order of occurrence. Better specifying the cognitive mechanisms nonhuman primates use to remember the order of events enhances this animal model of episodic memory, and may further inform our understanding of the functions of the hippocampus. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Genetic Disorders of Surfactant Dysfunction

Mutations in the genes encoding the surfactant proteins B and C (SP-B and SP-C) and the phospholipid transporter, ABCA3, are associated with respiratory distress and interstitial lung disease in the pediatric population. Expression of these proteins is regulated developmentally, increasing with gestational age, and is critical for pulmonary surfactant function at birth. Pulmonary surfactant is a unique mixture of lipids and proteins that reduces surface tension at the air-liquid interface, preventing collapse of the lung at the end of expiration. SP-B and ABCA3 are required for the normal organization and packaging of surfactant phospholipids into specialized secretory organelles, known as lamellar bodies, while both SP-B and SP-C are important for adsorption of secreted surfactant phospholipids to the alveolar surface. In general, mutations in the SP-B gene SFTPB are associated with fatal respiratory distress in the neonatal period, and mutations in the SP-C gene SFTPC are more commonly associated with interstitial lung disease in older infants, children, and adults. Mutations in the ABCA3 gene are associated with both phenotypes. Despite this general classification, there is considerable overlap in the clinical and histologic characteristics of these genetic disorders. In this review, similarities and differences in the presentation of these disorders with an emphasis on their histochemical and ultrastructural features will be described, along with a brief discussion of surfactant metabolism. Mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of lung disease caused by mutations in these genes will also be discussed.
Design, reflect, explore: encouraging children's reflections with mechanix

The integration of meaningful and effective reflection interfaces with learning technologies remains an open yet important challenge. In this paper, we describe the incorporation of several interfaces for reflection into Mechanix, an interactive system for creating tangible simple machine designs. We also discuss the results of early user studies that demonstrate the potential of these interfaces to engage children in reflection and facilitate transformative shifts in understanding.
Mid-air displays enabling novel user interfaces

Displays are the most visible part of most computer applications. We discuss how displays have an impact on the possibilities of future computers and their user interfaces. The issue is especially interesting for the era of ubiquitous computing or ambient media, where fundamental changes will happen for the whole context of computing. Displays may be everywhere or nowhere, depending on the situation. We present some of our experiments with a novel category of displays, the "immaterial" FogScreen. It can be described as a novel media platform as it has some fundamental differences and advantages over other displays. It also enables novel kinds of user interfaces and experiences. In this paper we will look onto it as an enabling technology for future user interfaces.
Modulation of Presynaptic Action Potential Kinetics Underlies Synaptic Facilitation of Type B Photoreceptors after Associative Conditioning in Hermissenda

Descriptions of conditioned response generation inHermissenda stipulate that the synaptic interaction between type B and A photoreceptors should be enhanced after associative pairings of light and rotation. Although evidence from several laboratories has confirmed this assumption, the mechanism underlying this synaptic facilitation has not been elucidated. Here we report that in vitro conditioning (i.e., light paired with stimulation of vestibular hair cells) modifies the kinetics of presynaptic action potentials in the B photoreceptor in a manner sufficient to account for this synaptic facilitation. After paired training, we observed an increase in the duration of evoked action potentials and a decrease in the amplitude of the spike afterhyperpolarization in the B-cell. As previously reported, paired training also enhanced the excitability (i.e., input resistance and evoked spike rate) of the B photoreceptor. In a second experiment, simultaneous recordings were made in type B and A photoreceptors, and paired training was found to produce an increase in the amplitude of the IPSP in the A photoreceptor in response to an evoked spike in the B-cell. Importantly, there was no change in the initial slope of the postsynaptic IPSP in the A photoreceptor, suggesting that spike duration-independent mechanisms of neurotransmitter exocytosis or postsynaptic receptor sensitivity did not contribute to the observed synaptic facilitation. Perfusion of 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) mimicked a known effect of behavioral conditioning in that it specifically reduced the amplitude of the transient voltage-dependent K+current (IA) in the B-cell, but in addition, produced action potential broadening and synaptic facilitation that was analogous to that observed after in vitro conditioning. Finally, the effect of 4-AP on B-cell action potentials and on the postsynaptic IPSP in the A-cell was occluded by previous paired (but not unpaired) training, suggesting that the prolongation of the B-cell action potential by a reduction ofIA was sufficient to account for the observed synaptic facilitation. The occlusion of the effects of 4-AP by paired training was not attributable to a saturation of the capacity of the B-cell for transmitter exocytosis, because it was observed that tetraethylammonium (TEA)-induced inhibition of the delayed voltage-dependent K+ current induced both spike broadening and synaptic facilitation regardless of training history. Collectively, these results demonstrate that training-induced facilitation at B-cell synapses is attributable to the effects of a reduction of a presynaptic K+ conductance on action potential kinetics and suggest another critical similarity between the cellular basis for learning in Hermissenda and other invertebrate systems.
Compound Heterozygosity for Null Mutations and a Common Hypomorphic Risk Haplotype in TBX6 Causes Congenital Scoliosis

Congenital scoliosis (CS) occurs as a result of vertebral malformations and has an incidence of 0.5–1/1,000 births. Recently, TBX6 on chromosome 16p11.2 was reported as a disease gene for CS; about 10% of Chinese CS patients were compound heterozygotes for rare null mutations and a common haplotype defined by three SNPs in TBX6. All patients had hemivertebrae. We recruited 94 Japanese CS patients, investigated the TBX6 locus for both mutations and the risk haplotype, examined transcriptional activities of mutant TBX6 in vitro, and evaluated clinical and radiographic features. We identified TBX6 null mutations in nine patients, including a missense mutation that had a loss of function in vitro. All had the risk haplotype in the opposite allele. One of the mutations showed dominant negative effect. Although all Chinese patients had one or more hemivertebrae, two Japanese patients did not have hemivertebra. The compound heterozygosity of null mutations and the common risk haplotype in TBX6 also causes CS in Japanese patients with similar incidence. Hemivertebra was not a specific type of spinal malformation in TBX6‐associated CS (TACS). A heterozygous TBX6 loss‐of‐function mutation has been reported in a family with autosomal‐dominant spondylocostal dysostosis, but it may represent a spectrum of the same disease with TACS.
Iatrogenic injuries to the trachea and main bronchi

Introduction Iatrogenic tracheobronchial injuries are rare. Aim To analyse the mechanism of injury, symptoms and treatment of these patients. Material and methods Retrospective analysis of hospital records of all patients treated for main airway injuries between 1990 and 2012 was performed. Results There were 24 patients, including 21 women and 3 men. Mean time between injury and initiation of treatment was 12 hours (range: 2-48). In 16 patients the injury occurred during tracheal intubation, in 1 during rigid bronchoscopy, in 1 during rigid oesophagoscopy, in 1 during mediastinoscopy and in 5 during open surgery. Mean length of airway tear was 3.8 cm (range: 1.5-8). In 1 patient there was an injury to the cervical trachea and in the remaining 23 in the thoracic part of the airway. The treatment included repair of the membranous part of the trachea performed via right thoracotomy in 10 patients (in 1 patient additionally coverage with a pedicled intercostal muscle flap was used), a self-expanding metallic stent in 1 patient, suture of the right main bronchus and the oesophagus in 1, left upper sleeve lobectomy in 1, right upper lobectomy in 1, implantation of a silicone Y stent in 3, mini-tracheostomy in 1, and conservative treatment in 5 patients. Conclusions Intubation is the most frequent cause of iatrogenic main airway injuries. Patients with these life-threatening complications require an individualised approach and treatment in a reference centre.
Human-Agents Experience Sharing: Creating Social Agents for Elderly People with Dementia

As intelligent technology steadily becomes a part of modern societies, people collaborate with agents more frequently, and so agents need to be socially intelligent, i.e. personalised and context-sensitive. This paper introduces a context-sensitive personalisation framework for social agents that facilitates the establishment of human-agent relationships by sharing past experiences through personal conversation, and sharing new experiences by engaging in joint activities together. We apply the framework in a robot application for the dementia care practice: ReJAM Robots engaging Elderly in Joint Activities with Music. CCS Concepts •Human-centered computing → HCI theory, concepts and models; •Social and professional topics → Seniors; •Applied computing → Consumer health; Psychology;
Public Review for Firefox ( In ) Security Update Dynamics Exposed

Although there is an increasing trend for attacks against popular Web browsers, only little is known about the actual patch level of daily used Web browsers on a global scale. We conjecture that users in large part do not actually patch their Web browsers based on recommendations, perceived threats, or any security warnings. Based on HTTP useragent header information stored in anonymized logs from Google’s web servers, we measured the patch dynamics of about 75% of the world’s Internet users for over a year. Our focus was on the Web browsers Firefox and Opera. We found that the patch level achieved is mainly determined by the ergonomics and default settings of built-in auto-update mechanisms. Firefox’ auto-update is very effective: most users installed a new version within three days. However, the maximum share of the latest, most secure version never exceeded 80% for Firefox users and 46% for Opera users at any day in 2007. This makes about 50 million Firefox users with outdated browsers an easy target for attacks. Our study is the result of the first global scale measurement of the patch dynamics of a popular browser.
Accurate Monitoring and Fault Detection in Wind Measuring Devices through Wireless Sensor Networks

Many wind energy projects report poor performance as low as 60% of the predicted performance. The reason for this is poor resource assessment and the use of new untested technologies and systems in remote locations. Predictions about the potential of an area for wind energy projects (through simulated models) may vary from the actual potential of the area. Hence, introducing accurate site assessment techniques will lead to accurate predictions of energy production from a particular area. We solve this problem by installing a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) to periodically analyze the data from anemometers installed in that area. After comparative analysis of the acquired data, the anemometers transmit their readings through a WSN to the sink node for analysis. The sink node uses an iterative algorithm which sequentially detects any faulty anemometer and passes the details of the fault to the central system or main station. We apply the proposed technique in simulation as well as in practical implementation and study its accuracy by comparing the simulation results with experimental results to analyze the variation in the results obtained from both simulation model and implemented model. Simulation results show that the algorithm indicates faulty anemometers with high accuracy and low false alarm rate when as many as 25% of the anemometers become faulty. Experimental analysis shows that anemometers incorporating this solution are better assessed and performance level of implemented projects is increased above 86% of the simulated models.
A New Nonlinear Beamformer for CDMA Wireless Communications

Design of a nonlinear adaptive antenna array receiver is a challenging task in wireless communications due to the limited number of antenna elements and the presence of correlated signals, which directly affect the performance of an antenna array. More importantly, a conventional nonlinear array receiver is often associated with a high computational complexity that undermines its applicability in practice. In this paper, we present a new approach to adaptive beamforming receiver that provides superior performance in antenna array overloading and in the presence of correlated signals with a low complexity. In particular, the proposed receiver requires a small data record size to estimate the beamformer weights, which is beneficial in applications with fast fading channels. Simulation examples illustrate the performance improvement of the proposed array receiver when it is compared to the conventional beamformers
Antecedents and Consequences of Risky Credit Behavior among College Students: Application and Extension of the Theory of Planned Behavior

The Credit Card Act of 2009 reflects increased public policy concern about the risky credit behaviors of young adults. This act promotes increased responsibility of parents and implies that young adults must acquire financial knowledge and practice responsible financial behaviors. This study addresses this public issue by investigating the psychological processes underlying young adults’ risky credit card behaviors and the role of parents and financial knowledge in the financial behavior of young adults. A conceptual model based on an extension of the theory of planned behavior is proposed. The authors collected data from a sample of first-year students at a major public university. The results show that both parental norm and parental socioeconomic status are important factors that influence students’ risky credit behaviors. Furthermore, subjective financial knowledge does more to prevent risky credit behaviors than objective financial knowledge. Finally, behavioral intention is the most important factor in preventing risky credit behaviors and credit card debt accumulation. The authors draw on their findings to provide public policy implications.
The Unravelling of a Sector: Does the introduction of fees spell the end of education for all?

This paper offers the results of a single university department (Sociology) where the entire undergraduate body was broken down by entry-year based cohorts (1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99) and demographics ('sex', 'age at entry', and whether or not the student was first in family to attend university) using a questionnaire. Their attitudes towards the current financial predicaments of students were assessed. Results indicate that there are fewer mature students in the two more recent-year cohorts (possible reasons are discussed). Also, responses, where divisions occur, are largely age-group related, with the split being at the 'under 30'/'over 30' point (age groupings are discussed). Students over 30 being more cautious about debt and feeling that mature students need greater financial support.
Internet-based exercise intervention systems: Are more interactive designs better?

Abstract The benefits of Internet-based health promotion programmes are much discussed, yet the literature on their feasibility and utility is limited. Here, we evaluate an Internet-based exercise motivation and action support system (Test system), relative to a group receiving no intervention (Reference) and another receiving a less interactive version of the same system (Control). We report results from a 10-week pilot study with 75 participants aged 23–54 years. We found that, relative to the control system and reference group, the more interactive (test) system was more engaging (better user retention), created higher expectations for exercise, greater satisfaction with motivation and increased self-perception of fitness. Seven months after the intervention, participants who used the test system reported greater levels of increase in exercise than the control or reference groups. Our study adds to the growing body of evidence on the benefits of interactive systems and the role they could play in health promotion programmes. However, it should also be noted that not all Web-based systems offer the same level of advantage; careful design is crucial to ensure that key messages are clearly communicated to attentive users. Further research is required to identify the optimum interactive system design principles, across a range of user types.
Ribosomal Gene Polymorphism in Small Genomes: Analysis of Different 16S rRNA Sequences Expressed in the Honeybee Parasite Nosema ceranae (Microsporidia)

To date, few organisms have been shown to possess variable ribosomal RNA, otherwise considered a classic example of uniformity by concerted evolution. The polymorphism for the 16S rRNA in Nosema ceranae analysed here is striking as Microsporidia are intracellular parasites which have suffered a strong reduction in their genomes and cellular organization. Moreover, N. ceranae infects the honeybee Apis mellifera, and has been associated with the colony‐loss phenomenon during the last decade. The variants of 16S rRNA include single nucleotide substitutions, one base insertion‐deletion, plus a tetranucleotide indel. We show that different gene variants are expressed. The polymorphic sites tend to be located in particular regions of the rRNA molecule, and the comparison to the Escherichia coli 16S rRNA secondary structure indicates that most variations probably do not preclude ribosomal activity. The fact that the polymorphisms in such a minimal organism as N. ceranae are maintained in samples collected worldwide suggest that the existence of differently expressed rRNA may play an adaptive role in the microsporidian.
Factors Influencing Player Preferences for Heroic Roles in Role-Playing Games

Two studies were conducted to investigate whether player personality or social cognition influence preferences for heroic roles in role-playing games (RPG). In Study 1, 149 teenager subjects were categorized into five groups according to the Guilford Personality Inventory. Heroes were clustered into three types based on their attributes. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) results indicated that each personality group did not display distinctive preference for any particular heroic type. However, of the three heroic types teenagers most strongly preferred, Justice Warrior was followed, in order of preference, by Visionary Leader and Saint. In Study 2, the influence of three player social cognition factors (similarity, proximity, and familiarity) on player preference for heroic roles was studied. Multiple regression analysis results indicated that similarity and familiarity predicted player preferences for heroic roles.
Power-scalable multi-mode reconfigurable continuous-time lowpass/quadrature bandpass sigma-delta modulator for zero/low-IF receivers

A multi-mode reconfigurable wideband continuous-time lowpass/quadrature bandpass sigma-delta (CT LP/QBP ΣΔ) modulator employing power scaling technique (PST) for LTE-advanced/industry-specialized zero/low-IF receivers is presented. The proposed modulator consists of a loop filter with active-RC integrator configured as 3rd-order lowpass or 2nd-order complex bandpass architecture and 4-bit internal quantizer operating at 80MHz, 160MHz and 320MHz, respectively. A programmable differential current-steering DAC unit is adopted for high linearity. In LP mode, the excess loop delay is set to half the sampling period of the quantizer and an additional feedback DAC is used to maintain stability, which is not used in QBP mode. The modulator employs flexible high gain and high bandwidth amplifiers with PST to optimize power consumption among various modes. Implemented in 65nm CMOS, the modulator achieves 84.8/85.8/84.5dB SNDR, 94.9/94.1/94.6dB SFDR over 2.5/5/10-MHz signal bands in LP modes and 83.8/ 84.6dB SNDR, 94.3/96dB SFDR across 2.5/5-MHz bandwidth with programmable center frequencies of 2/4-MHz in QBP modes, respectively. Powered by a 1.2-V supply, the modulator consumes 1.8 to 4.2mW, which results in simulated FOMs of 15.5 to 27.8fJ/conversion.