Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sensitivity of Physiological Measures of Acute Driver Stress: A Meta-Analytic Review

Background: The link between driving performance impairment and driver stress is well-established. Identifying and understanding driver stress is therefore of major interest in terms of safety. Although many studies have examined various physiological measures to identify driver stress, none of these has as yet been definitively confirmed as offering definitive all-round validity in practice. Aims: Based on the data available in the literature, our main goal was to provide a quantitative assessment of the sensitivity of the physiological measures used to identify driver stress. The secondary goal was to assess the influence of individual factors (i.e., characteristics of the driver) and ambient factors (i.e., characteristics of the context) on driver stress. Age and gender were investigated as individual factors. Ambient factors were considered through the experimental apparatus (real-road vs. driving simulator), automation driving (manual driving vs. fully autonomous driving) and stressor exposure duration (short vs. long-term). Method: Nine meta-analyses were conducted to quantify the changes in each physiological measure during high-stress vs. low-stress driving. Meta-regressions and subgroup analyses were performed to assess the moderating effect of individual and ambient factors on driver stress. Results: Changes in stress responses suggest that several measures are sensitive to levels of driver stress, including heart rate, R-R intervals (RRI) and pupil diameter. No influence of individual and ambient factors was observed for heart rate. Applications and Perspective: These results provide an initial guide to researchers and practitioners when selecting physiological measures for quantifying driver stress. Based on the results, it is recommended that future research and practice use (i) multiple physiological measures, (ii) a triangulation-based methodology (combination of measurement modalities), and (iii) a multifactorial approach (analysis of the interaction of stressors and moderators).
Plasma EBV DNA: A Promising Diagnostic Marker for Endemic Burkitt Lymphoma

Endemic Burkitt lymphoma (eBL) is the most common childhood cancer in regions of equatorial Africa where P. falciparum malaria is holoendemic. The tumor is consistently associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Screening for EBV DNA in plasma in a high-risk population in Hong Kong has been shown to be useful in facilitating the early diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, another EBV-associated tumor. Here, we investigate plasma EBV as a diagnostic marker for eBL in children in Uganda. We studied plasma specimens from 25 children with eBL and 25 controls matched for age (<3-16 years), gender and geography, including many with asymptomatic P. falciparum infection. These specimens were previously collected under the auspices of the EMBLEM (Epidemiology of Burkitt lymphoma in East African children and minors) study. After cell-free DNA isolation, plasma EBV DNA was measured using a quantitative PCR assay that amplifies the large internal repeats of the EBV genome. All children with eBL had measurable plasma EBV, as compared to 84% of control children. The median plasma EBV DNA level was 5.23 log10 copies/mL (interquartile range 3.54-6.08 log10 copies/mL) in children with eBL. In contrast, the median plasma EBV DNA level was 0.37 log10 copies/mL (interquartile range 0.18-1.05 log10 copies/mL) in children without lymphoma. An EBV threshold of 2.52 log10 copies/mL yielded a sensitivity of.88 and a specificity of 1. The estimated AUC was 0.936 (95% CI: 0.8496 – 1.00) for the corresponding ROC curve. Plasma EBV copy number did not depend on age, gender, or malaria screening status. However, two control children with asymptomatic P. falciparum infection and parasitemia also had high plasma EBV copy number. Our analysis suggests that measurements of EBV copy number in plasma may be useful in identifying children with eBL versus control children. A promising area for future research is the differentiation of high copy number associated with tumor versus high copy number associated with asymptomatic parasitemia.
Hoehn and Yahr Stage and Striatal Dat-SPECT Uptake Are Predictors of Parkinson’s Disease Motor Progression

Currently, no treatments available for Parkinson’s disease (PD) can slow PD progression. At the early stage of the disease, only a subset of individuals with PD progress quickly, while the majority have a slowly progressive form of the disease. In developing treatments that aim to slow PD progression, clinical trials aim to include individuals who are likely to progress faster, such that a treatment effect, if one exists, can be identified easier and earlier. The aim of the present study was to identify baseline predictors of clinical progression in early PD. We analyzed 12-month data acquired from the PASADENA trial Part 1 (NCT03100149, n = 76 participants who were allocated to the placebo arm and did not start symptomatic therapy) and the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) study (n = 139 demographically and clinically matched participants). By using ridge regression models including clinical characteristics, imaging, and non-imaging biomarkers, we found that Hoehn and Yahr stage and dopamine transporter single-photon emission computed tomography specific binding ratios (Dat-SPECT SBR) in putamen ipsilateral to the side of motor symptom onset predicted PD progression at the early stage of the disease. Further studies are needed to confirm the validity of these predictors to identify with high accuracy individuals with early PD with a faster progression phenotype.
Bi5O7I/g-C3N4 Heterostructures With Enhanced Visible-Light Photocatalytic Performance for Degradation of Tetracycline Hydrochloride

Bi5O7I/g-C3N4 p-n junctioned photocatalysts were synthesized by alcohol-heating and calcination in air. The structures, morphologies and optical properties of as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). Photocatalytic activity of the heterojunctioned composites were evaluated by degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) and tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) under visible light illumination. The results indicated that the composites exhibited superior efficiencies for photodegradation of RhB and TCH in comparison with pure BiOI, Bi5O7I and g-C3N4. An effective built-in electric field was formed by the interface between p-type Bi5O7I and n-type g-C3N4, which promoted the efficient separation of photoinduced electron-hole pairs. In addition, 8% Bi5O7I/g-C3N4 composite showed excellent photostability in a five-cycle photocatalytic experiment. Experiments on scavenging active intermediates revealed the roles of active species.
Myosin 1g and 1f: A Prospective Analysis in NK Cell Functions

NK cells are contained in the ILC1 group; they are recognized for their antiviral and antitumor cytotoxic capacity; NK cells also participate in other immune response processes through cytokines secretion. However, the mechanisms that regulate these functions are poorly understood since NK cells are not as abundant as other lymphocytes, which has made them difficult to study. Using public databases, we identified that NK cells express mRNA encoding class I myosins, among which Myosin 1g and Myosin 1f are prominent. Therefore, this mini-review aims to generate a model of the probable participation of Myosin 1g and 1f in NK cells, based on information reported about the function of these myosins in other leukocytes.
Is There a (Dis-)Fluency Effect in Learning With Handwritten Instructional Texts? Evidence From Three Studies

The disfluency effect postulates that intentionally inserted desirable difficulties can have a beneficial effect on learning. Nevertheless, there is an ongoing discussion about the emergence of this effect since studies could not replicate this effect or even found opposite effects. To clarify boundary effects of the disfluency effect and to investigate potential social effects of disfluency operationalized through handwritten material, three studies (N 1 = 97; N 2 = 102; N 3 = 103) were carried out. In all three experiments, instructional texts were manipulated in terms of disfluency (computerized font vs. handwritten font). Learning outcomes and cognitive load were measured in all experiments. Furthermore, metacognitive variables (Experiment 2 and 3) and social presence (Experiment 3) were measured. Results were ambiguous, indicating that element interactivity (complexity or connectedness of information within the learning material) of the learning material is a boundary condition that determines the effects of disfluency. When element interactivity is low, disfluency had a positive effect on learning outcomes and germane processes. When element interactivity increases, disfluency had negative impacts on learning efficiency (Experiment 2 and 3) and extraneous load (Experiment 3). In contrast to common explanations of the disfluency effect, a disfluent font had no metacognitive benefits. Social processes did not influence learning with disfluent material as well.
Improving Knowledge on Pathways to Functional Outcome in Schizophrenia: Main Results From the Italian Network for Research on Psychoses

The identification of factors associated with functional outcome of subjects with schizophrenia is a great challenge in current research oriented to the personalization of care. The Italian Network for Research on Psychoses (NIRP) is a network of 26 university psychiatric clinics and/or mental health departments aimed to carry out multicenter research projects to improve the standards of prevention, diagnosis, and treatments of schizophrenia. The network has promoted 2 main studies, a cross-sectional one and a longitudinal one and seven “add-on” studies. The cross-sectional study of the network included 921 subjects with schizophrenia, 379 unaffected first-degree relatives of these patients, and 780 healthy controls. Results from this study documented that social and non-social cognition, functional capacity, negative symptoms, resilience, and family or social incentives strongly influence a measure of global functioning. The follow-up study included 618 patients from the original sample and has produced evidence of the key role of cognition, functional capacity, the experiential domain of negative symptoms, and everyday life skills in predicting functional outcome. The longitudinal study demonstrated that social cognition and the experiential domain of negative symptoms had an impact on interpersonal functioning, while non-social cognition had an impact on everyday life skills. Both non-social cognition and social cognition predicted work skills. The research question concerning the relationships of cognitive impairment and negative symptoms has been investigated with an innovative approach, using a structural equation model (SEM) and a network analysis. Both analyses demonstrated that only the experiential domain of negative symptoms had a distinct direct effect on functioning. The network analysis showed that expressive deficit was connected to functional capacity, as were social and non-social cognitive variables, and to disorganization. These findings were confirmed by the follow-up study. The add-on studies showed distinct electrophysiological correlates of the two negative symptom domains and the partial overlap between disorganization and neurocognitive impairment. Moreover, they identified and characterized a specific subgroup of patients suffering from schizophrenia with autism spectrum symptoms. The NIRP studies have implications for personalized management of patients with schizophrenia and highlight the need for a careful assessment of several domains rarely evaluated in clinical settings.
Empathy, Altruism, and Group Identification

This paper investigates the role of group identification in empathic emotion and its behavioral consequences. Our central idea is that group identification is the key to understanding the process in which empathic emotion causes helping behavior. Empathic emotion causes helping behavior because it involves group identification, which motivates helping behavior toward other members. This paper focuses on a hypothesis, which we call “self-other merging hypothesis (SMH),” according to which empathy-induced helping behavior is due to the “merging” between the helping agent and the helped agent. We argue that SMH should be interpreted in terms of group identification. The group identification interpretation of SMH is both behaviorally adequate (i.e., successfully predicts and explains the helping behavior in the experimental settings) and psychologically plausible (i.e., does not posit psychologically unrealistic beliefs, desires, etc.). Empathy-induced helping behavior, according to the group identification interpretation of the SMH, does not fit comfortably into the traditional egoism/altruism dichotomy. We thus propose a new taxonomy according to which empathy-induced helping behavior is both altruistic at the individual level and egoistic at the group level.
Stabilization of the SNARE Core by Complexin-1 Facilitates Fusion Pore Expansion

In the neuron, neurotransmitter release is an essential function that must be both consistent and tightly regulated. The continuity of neurotransmitter release is dependent in large part on vesicle recycling. However, the protein factors that dictate the vesicle recycling pathway are elusive. Here, we use a single vesicle-to-supported bilayer fusion assay to investigate complexin-1 (cpx1)’s influence on SNARE-dependent fusion pore expansion. With total internal reflection (TIR) microscopy using a 10 kDa polymer fluorescence probe, we are able to detect the presence of large fusion pores. With cpx1, however, we observe a significant increase of the probability of the formation of large fusion pores. The domain deletion analysis reveals that the SNARE-binding core domain of cpx1 is mainly responsible for its ability to promote the fusion pore expansion. In addition, the results show that cpx1 helps the pore to expand larger, which results in faster release of the polymer probe. Thus, the results demonstrate a reciprocal relationship between event duration and the size of the fusion pore. Based on the data, a hypothetical mechanistic model can be deduced. In this mechanistic model, the cpx1 binding stabilizes the four-helix bundle structure of the SNARE core throughout the fusion pore expansion, whereby the highly curved bilayer within the fusion pore is stabilized by the SNARE pins.
The DegU Orphan Response Regulator Contributes to Heat Stress Resistance in Listeria monocytogenes

Listeria monocytogenes is more heat-resistant than most other non-spore-forming foodborne pathogens, posing a severe threat to food safety and human health, particularly during chilled food processing. The DegU orphan response regulator is known to control heat resistance in L. monocytogenes; however, the underlying regulatory mechanism is poorly understood. Here, we show that DegU contributes to L. monocytogenes exponential growth under mild heat-shock stress. We further demonstrate that DegU directly senses heat stress through autoregulation and upregulates the hrcA-grpE-dnaK-dnaJ operon, leading to increased production of heat-shock proteins. We also show that DegU can directly regulate the expression of the hrcA-grpE-dnaK-dnaJ operon. In conclusion, our results shed light on the regulatory mechanisms underlying how DegU directly activates the hrcA-grpE-dnaK-dnaJ operon, thereby regulating heat resistance in L. monocytogenes.
The Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability From the Perspective of Hybrid Simulations

The flow shear-driven Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) instability is ubiquitous in planetary magnetospheres. At Earth these surface waves are important along the dawn and dusk flanks of the magnetopause boundary while at Jupiter and Saturn the entire dayside magnetopause boundary can exhibit KH activity due to corotational flows in the magnetosphere. Kelvin-Helmholtz waves can be a major ingredient in the so-called viscous-like interaction with the solar wind. In this paper, we review the KH instability from the perspective of hybrid (kinetic ions, fluid electrons) simulations. Many of the simulations are based on parameters typically found at Saturn’s magnetopause boundary, but the results can be generally applied to any KH-unstable situation. The focus of the discussion is on the ion kinetic scale and implications for mass, momentum, and energy transport at the magnetopause boundary.
Analysis and modeling of a two-input DC/DC converter with two controlled variables and four switched networks

A two-input tri-state DC/DC converter was presented by the authors (1994) capable of performing solar array peak-power tracking, battery power conditioning, and output voltage regulation all within the same converter structure. At light loads and during periods of low insolation, converter operation will naturally evolve through four linear switched networks. In this paper, the small-signal stability of the tri-state converter is analyzed and a large-signal averaged model is derived capable of predicting the dynamic behavior during and following transitions to and from this fourth state.
The Route Towards a Sustainable Design-Implement Course

The paper deals with sustainability aspects of design-implement courses in engineering education. Conclusions from a course at KTH that has proven to be sustainable are presented, based on experiences from seven years' course development. Design-implement courses are often assumed to be expensive but the presented paper illustrates that they can be united with sound economics. Enhanced student learning can be achieved but furthermore, the course can also contribute to increasing enrolment through good reputation and positive publicity among students. Some aspects of examination are discussed where the focus is on demonstration of individual abilities although most of the course work is performed in a group setting. In the example course, peer assisted individual formative and summative feedback and grading is used in a way that deeply involves the students. A very advantageous effect of this is that the students develop a thorough understanding of the rationale of the assessment scheme and thereby can place their own accomplishments in perspective. One important driver towards a sustainable design-implement course is to focus less on the details in the project work, in favor for the details in the course design and presentation.
Coplanar waveguide (CPW)‐FED circular slot antenna for W‐band and imaging system applications

Using a coplanar waveguide (CPW) feed with a short‐circuiting stub, the fed circular slot antenna for W‐band operation is presented.The obtained results show that the impedance bandwidth, which is determined by 10 dB return‐loss of the proposed slot antenna, can reach to 21% with the center frequency at 94 GHz (80 GHz–100 GHz), and the gain achieves 3.05 dBi at 92 GHz with good radiation performance. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 53:2298–2302, 2011; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/mop.26284
A Production Capacity Management Platform Using M2M Horizontal Integration Technology in Connector Industry

In this research, we proposed a management system platform to improve production capacity. By use of the machine to machine (M2M) information communication technology (ICT) and the network control and management technology, the mechanism aims to establish a set of well integrated schemes capable of controlling the entire production process from sources of raw materials to end products and building a product resume system as well as a load balance communication system for factory zones. To create a production capacity tracking system for each factory zone by use of the M2M information communication technology management platform to facilitate the tracking of production capabilities, achieve the load balance, and keep a complete record of the production resume.
Determination of Total Phenolic and Flavonoid Content in Small Berries: A Demonstration of the Active Learning Approach

Abstract The authors of this article applied the determination of phenolic and flavonoid content in small berries to create a didactic cycle based on student-centered active learning (SCAL) in which students actively participated in the topic while studying and profile-forming as future biology and chemistry teachers. The fundamental part of the proposed didactic cycle is that students solve the following task: Determine the phenolic and flavonoid content in berries (Vaccinium myrtillus L., Vaccinium vitis-idaea L., and Vaccinium corymbosum L.) in your region. The submitted interdisciplinary topic is relevant to everyday life, and it aroused interest and enthusiasm among students. The students had the opportunity to test their theoretical knowledge in practical experimental research, and they attempted to work as researchers.
Critical Keys to Being Successful at Techno-Parks in Turkey

This study investigates critically the structure of Silicon Valley in order to adapt properly to the Turkish system while changing science and technology policies to engage in growing high-tech economies through fostering university-industry-government collaborations and linkages. Even though many countries tried to replicate Silicon Valley by moving physically industries into certain geographic locations, they could not be compared to the original impact of Silicon Valley. Most of the best and the greatest high-tech companies are in the Valley where almost one-third of all the venture capital investments have been received and have become the locomotives of growth of the US and most of the brightest students try to study or work. The Valley has been analyzed using critical theory to understand the structure of the system, the values that have been decided and applied by the members in different processes, and the practices. Some unique findings of the research about the Valley which can be applied by many techno-parks or research centers are the capability of cooperation and active learning. Most of the companies are working around the same issues together with the universities’ members who are not only coming from Stanford. In other words, the cooperation has been conducted under the umbrella of Silicon Valley. An innovative platform has been created where people interact more often to cooperate and they are legally protected by developing social networks which are their value systems. The cultural diversity of different ethnic traditions, viewpoints, and value systems is welcomed in personal and professional level which strength unity in the community.
Deviations of perceived vowel quality as a result of F3 manipulations

This paper investigates impacts of F3 manipulations within given human voice signals. For this purpose two psychoacoustic experiments were carried out. Following the source filter theory of speech production, two modifications to the formant F3 have been investigated, the impact of shifting frequency and of widening bandwidth on perceived vowel quality. Parametric formant manipulations are possible by using the method of linear prediction (LP) analysis, root extraction of LP data and FIR zero-pole design. For the sake of control, test sounds are pitched synthetically. As reference for psychoacoustic tests natural voice signals were used across a wide range of the vowel quality. Subjects had to rate similarity of perceived vowel quality of two manipulated sounds against the original reference sound. A general result from the study is that vowel quality perception is rather tolerant against ba ndwidth manipulations but quite sensitive to frequency manipulations. Only 60% of the subjects perceived vowel quality dissimilarities even when the bandwidth of F3 had been increased by about 600 Hz. On the contrary, F3 frequency shifts even as low as 150 Hz already evoked likewise perceptual differences for 80% of the subjects.