Task demands modulate decision and eye movement responses in the chimeric face test: examining the right hemisphere processing account

A large and growing body of work, conducted in both brain-intact and brain-damaged populations, has used the free viewing chimeric face test as a measure of hemispheric dominance for the extraction of emotional information from faces. These studies generally show that normal right-handed individuals tend to perceive chimeric faces as more emotional if the emotional expression is presented on the half of the face to the viewer's left (“left hemiface”). However, the mechanisms underlying this lateralized bias remain unclear. Here, we examine the extent to which this bias is driven by right hemisphere processing advantages vs. default scanning biases in a unique way—by changing task demands. In particular, we compare the original task with one in which right-hemisphere-biased processing cannot provide a decision advantage. Our behavioral and eye movement data are inconsistent with the predictions of a default scanning bias account and support the idea that the left hemiface bias found in the chimeric face test is largely due to strategic use of right hemisphere processing mechanisms

Structural Modeling of Straw Bale Loadbearing Wall

In Ecuador, there are qualitative and quantitative housing deficits that must be covered with materials that produce seismic-resistant, energy-efficient buildings that do not require a large amount of energy to be produced. Several studies indicate that the answer lies in straw bale structures. However, for these to be considered by designers, aids are needed to facilitate their structural modeling in specialized computer programs. Through literature reviews, the present research proposes a model that adapts the specific structural considerations of straw bale buildings to the tools available in a design program. Keywords: structure, bales, straw, model, program, design. Resumen En el Ecuador existe un déficit cualitativo y cuantitativo de viviendas que debe ser cubierto con materiales que produzcan edificaciones sismo resistentes, energéticamente eficientes y a la vez que no requieran gran cantidad de energía para ser producidos. Varios estudios señalan que la respuesta está en las estructuras elaboradas con fardos de paja. Sin embargo, para que éstas sean consideradas por los diseñadores son necesarias ayudas para facilitar su modelamiento estructural en programas informáticos especializados. La presente investigación, a través de revisiones bibliográficas, propone un modelo que adapta las consideraciones estructurales específicas de las construcciones con fardos de paja a las herramientas disponibles en un programa de diseño. Palabras Clave: estructura, fardos, paja, modelo, programa, diseñ

Variable order Mittag-Leffler fractional operators on isolated time scales and application to the calculus of variations

We introduce new fractional operators of variable order on isolated time scales with Mittag-Leffler kernels. This allows a general formulation of a class of fractional variational problems involving variable-order difference operators. Main results give fractional integration by parts formulas and necessary optimality conditions of Euler-Lagrange type.Comment: This is a preprint of a paper whose final and definite form is with Springe

Evidence of suppression of onchocerciasis transmission in the Venezuelan Amazonian focus.

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization (WHO) has set goals for onchocerciasis elimination in Latin America by 2015. Most of the six previously endemic countries are attaining this goal by implementing twice a year (and in some foci, quarterly) mass ivermectin (Mectizan®) distribution. Elimination of transmission has been verified in Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico. Challenges remain in the Amazonian focus straddling Venezuela and Brazil, where the disease affects the hard-to-reach Yanomami indigenous population. We provide evidence of suppression of Onchocerca volvulus transmission by Simulium guianense s.l. in 16 previously hyperendemic Yanomami communities in southern Venezuela after 15 years of 6-monthly and 5 years of 3-monthly mass ivermectin treatment. METHODS: Baseline and monitoring and evaluation parasitological, ophthalmological, entomological and serological surveys were conducted in selected sentinel and extra-sentinel communities of the focus throughout the implementation of the programme. RESULTS: From 2010 to 2012–2015, clinico-parasitological surveys indicate a substantial decrease in skin microfilarial prevalence and intensity of infection; accompanied by no evidence (or very low prevalence and intensity) of ocular microfilariae in the examined population. Of a total of 51,341 S. guianense flies tested by PCR none had L3 infection (heads only). Prevalence of infective flies and seasonal transmission potentials in 2012–2013 were, respectively, under 1 % and 20 L3/person/transmission season. Serology in children aged 1–10 years demonstrated that although 26 out of 396 (7 %) individuals still had Ov-16 antibodies, only 4/218 (2 %) seropositives were aged 1–5 years. CONCLUSIONS: We report evidence of recent transmission and morbidity suppression in some communities of the focus representing 75 % of the Yanomami population and 70 % of all known communities. We conclude that onchocerciasis transmission could be feasibly interrupted in the Venezuelan Amazonian focus. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-016-1313-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Simulation results for a low energy nuclear recoil yields measurement in liquid xenon using the MiX detector

Measuring the scintillation and ionization yields of liquid xenon in response to ultra-low energy nuclear recoil events is necessary to increase the sensitivity of liquid xenon experiments to light dark matter. Neutron capture on xenon can be used to produce nuclear recoil events with energies below $0.3$ keV$_\text{NR}$ via the asymmetric emission of $\gamma$ rays during nuclear de-excitation. The feasibility of an ultra-low energy nuclear recoil measurement using neutron capture was investigated for the Michigan Xenon (MiX) detector, a small dual-phase xenon time projection chamber that is optimized for a high scintillation gain. Simulations of the MiX detector, a partial neutron moderator, and a pulsed neutron generator indicate that a population of neutron capture events can be isolated from neutron scattering events. Further, the rate of neutron captures in the MiX detector was optimized by varying the thickness of the partial neutron moderator, neutron pulse width, and neutron pulse frequency.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures. LIDINE 2022 proceeding

Accuracy of diabetes screening methods used for people with tuberculosis, Indonesia, Peru, Romania, South Africa

Objective To evaluate the performance of diagnostic tools for diabetes mellitus, including laboratory methods and clinical risk scores, in newly-diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis patients from four middle-income countries. Methods In a multicentre, prospective study, we recruited 2185 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis from sites in Indonesia, Peru, Romania and South Africa from January 2014 to September 2016. Using laboratory-measured glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) as the gold standard, we measured the diagnostic accuracy of random plasma glucose, point-of-care HbA1c, fasting blood glucose, urine dipstick, published and newly derived diabetes mellitus risk scores and anthropometric measurements. We also analysed combinations of tests, including a two-step test using point-of-care HbA1cwhen initial random plasma glucose was ≥ 6.1 mmol/L. Findings The overall crude prevalence of diabetes mellitus among newly diagnosed tuberculosis patients was 283/2185 (13.0%; 95% confidence interval, CI: 11.6–14.4). The marker with the best diagnostic accuracy was point-of-care HbA1c (area under receiver operating characteristic curve: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.75–0.86). A risk score derived using age, point-of-care HbA1c and random plasma glucose had the best overall diagnostic accuracy (area under curve: 0.85; 95% CI: 0.81–0.90). There was substantial heterogeneity between sites for all markers, but the two-step combination test performed well in Indonesia and Peru. Conclusion Random plasma glucose followed by point-of-care HbA1c testing can accurately diagnose diabetes in tuberculosis patients, particularly those with substantial hyperglycaemia, while reducing the need for more expensive point-of-care HbA1c testing. Risk scores with or without biochemical data may be useful but require validation

Towards An Enhanced Backpropagation Network for Short-Term Load Demand Forecasting

Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are ideal for the prediction and classification of non-linear relationships however they are also known for computational intensity and long training times especially when large data sets are used. A two-tiered approach combining data mining algorithms is proposed in order to enhance an artificial neural network’s performance when applied to a phenomenon exhibits predictable changes every calendar year such as that of electrical load demand. This approach is simulated using the French zonal load data for 2016 and 2017. The first tier performs clustering into seasons and classification into day-types. The second tier uses artificial neural networks to forecast 24-hour loads. The first tier results are the focus of this. The K-means algorithm is first applied to the morning slope feature of the data set and a comparison is then made between the Naïve Bayes algorithm and the k-Nearest Neighbors algorithm to determine the better classifier for this particular data set. The first tier results show that calendar-based clustering does not accurately reflect electrical load behavior. The results also show that k-Nearest Neighbors is the better classifier for this particular data set. It is expected that by optimizing the data set and reducing training time, the learning performance of ANN-based short-term load demand forecasting