From a Distance

An exhibition of very large scale documentary photographs of the Elephant and Castle exhibited at London College of Communication. From a Distance was a commission given to photographer Paul Reas to respond to the regeneration of the Elephant and Castle in south London. Paul Reas was chosen for his track record of personal, socially committed documentary work. From a Distance forms part of the Elephant Vanishes project, a long-term documentation of the changes facing this area. The exhibition was curated by Patrick Sutherland and Paul Reas and co-curated by Monica Takvam and the accompanying catalogue (Fieldstudy 16) was edited by Patrick Sutherland and Monica Takvam, with a commissioned essay by Giles Fraser, the Guardian's "Loose Canon" columnist. Installation shots by Monica Takvam

ESPecIaL an Embedded Systems Programming Language

Nowadays embedded systems, available at very low cost, are becoming more and more present in many fields such as industry, automotive and education. This master thesis presents a prototype implementation of an embedded systems programming language. This report focuses on a high-level language, specially developed to build embedded applications, based on the dataflow paradigm. Using ready-to-use blocks, the user describes the block diagram of his application, and its corresponding C++ code is generated automatically, for a specific target embedded system. With the help of this prototype Domain Specific Language (DSL), implemented using the Scala programming language, embedded applications can be built with ease. Low-level C/C++ codes are no more necessary. Real-world applications based on the developed Embedded Systems Programming Language are presented at the end of this document

Dietary Patterns and Cognitive Function among Older Community-Dwelling Adults.

Diet may be an important modifiable risk factor for maintenance of cognitive health in later life. This study aimed at examining associations between common dietary indices and dietary patterns defined by factor analysis and cognitive function in older community-dwelling adults. Dietary information for 1499 participants from the Rancho Bernardo Study was collected in 1988⁻1992 and used to calculate the alternate Mediterranean diet score, Alternate Healthy Eating Index (AHEI)-2010 score and factor scores derived from factor analysis of nutrients. Global cognitive function, executive function, verbal fluency and episodic memory were assessed at approximate four-year intervals from 1988⁻2016. Linear mixed models were used to examine associations between dietary patterns and cognitive trajectories. Estimates for the highest vs. lowest tertile in models adjusting for age, sex, education, energy intake, lifestyle variables and retest effect showed greater adherence to the Mediterranean score was associated with better baseline global cognitive function (β (95% CI) = 0.33 (0.11, 0.55)). The AHEI-2010 score was not significantly associated with cognitive performance. Higher loading on a plant polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)/vitamin E factor was associated with better baseline global cognitive function and executive function (β = 0.22 (0.02, 0.42) and β = -7.85 (-13.20, -2.47)). A sugar/low protein factor was associated with poorer baseline cognitive function across multiple domains. Dietary patterns were not associated with cognitive decline over time. Adherence to a healthy diet with foods high in PUFA and vitamin E and a low sugar to protein ratio, as typified by a Mediterranean diet, may be beneficial for cognitive health in late life

Aroclor 1254 inhibits the chemiluminescence response of peritoneal cavity cells from sharpsnout sea bream (Diplodus puntazzo)

Chronic exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) affect the immune system of fish and could lead to a decreased disease resistance. The effects of Aroclor 1254, PCB mixtures, on the Diplodus puntazzo innate immunity were examined by assaying the zymosan stimulated chemiluminescence response (CL) of peritoneal cavity cells (PCCs) at various times (1, 24, 48 h and 1-4 weeks) from intraperitoneal injection of the xenobiotic (1 mg kg(-1) body weight). Controls were performed by assaying cells from medium-treated fish. Since the kinetic of the chemiluminescence response showed the highest peak at 25 min after the zymosan stimulation of the cells, the values found at that time were considered. The CL enhancement observed at 1 h after the treatment with xenobiotic was followed by a decreased response at 24 h and appeared to be lower at 1-4 weeks when compared to the CL response of the control, suggesting a protracted effect of PCBs on the peritoneal cavity. Since PCCs incubated in vitro for 1 h with 0.05 and 0.1 mu g ml(-1) Aroclor showed an enhanced CL, the effect of the xenobiotic could be exerted on the cell responsiveness to zymosan. It is known that fish CL response of PCCs can be imputed to phagocyte (macrophages and neutrophils) activation, these cells and their responsiveness to zymosan can be used in immunotoxicology assay to monitor the fish health in polluted environment. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Tau and atrophy: domain-specific relationships with cognition.

BackgroundLate-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by primary memory impairment, which then progresses towards severe deficits across cognitive domains. Here, we report how performance in cognitive domains relates to patterns of tau deposition and cortical thickness.MethodsWe analyzed data from 131 amyloid-β positive participants (55 cognitively normal, 46 mild cognitive impairment, 30 AD) of the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative who underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), flortaucipir (FTP) positron emission tomography, and neuropsychological testing. Surface-based vertex-wise and region-of-interest analyses were conducted between FTP and cognitive test scores, and between cortical thickness and cognitive test scores.ResultsFTP and thickness were differentially related to cognitive performance in several domains. FTP-cognition associations were more widespread than thickness-cognition associations. Further, FTP-cognition patterns reflected cortical systems that underlie different aspects of cognition.ConclusionsOur findings indicate that AD-related decline in domain-specific cognitive performance reflects underlying progression of tau and atrophy into associated brain circuits. They also suggest that tau-PET may have better sensitivity to this decline than MRI-derived measures of cortical thickness

Body checking in non-clinical women: experimental evidence of a specific impact on fear of uncontrollable weight gain.

Body checking is used widely among clinical and non-clinical individuals. It is suggested to be a safety behavior, reducing anxiety initially but potentially enhancing eating and shape concerns in the longer term. However, there is little causal evidence of those negative effects. This experimental study tests the potential negative impact of body checking. Fifty non-clinical women took part in a study of the effects of body checking in naturalistic settings. Each checked their wrist size every 15 minutes for eight hours on one day, then did not check the next day (order randomized). The impact on eating cognitions and body dissatisfaction was measured at the end of each day, and levels of change in those characteristics were also associated with eating pathology levels. Body checking did not result in more negative general eating attitudes or body dissatisfaction, but did result in a significant increase in a specific cognition that is hypothesised to be relevant to eating pathology - the fear of uncontrollable weight gain following eating. This impact was greater among those women with more negative existing eating attitudes. These findings add to the small experimental evidence base, demonstrating negative causal links between body checking and eating pathology. The findings need to be extended to clinical groups, but support the use of existing cognitive-behavioral methods to reduce body checking behavior

An initial psychometric evaluation and exploratory cross-sectional study of the Body Checking Questionnaire among Brazilian women

Body checking is considered an expression of an excessive preoccupation with appearance. The first aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of a Brazilian Portuguese version of the Body Checking Questionnaire (BCQ). Additionally, we wanted to examine the questionnaire’s associations with body avoidance behaviour, body mass index, dietary habits, and the intensity, frequency, and length of physical exercise. Finally, we also examined the differences between the total BCQ score and the individual BCQ factor scores. Differences between active and sedentary persons and between non-dieters and those on weight-loss diets were also analyzed. For the psychometric study, 546 female public university students from four different courses were surveyed. Two minor samples of university students and eating disorders women were also recruited. In the second part of the study, 403 women were recruited from weight-loss programs, gyms, and a university. All participants were verbally invited to participate in the research and voluntarily took part. Confirmatory factor analysis showed a good fit to the original model of the Brazilian BCQ that retained all 23 items. Satisfactory evidence of construct validity and internal consistency were also generated through analysis of factor loadings, t-values, Cronbach’s alpha, and construct reliability tests. The results also showed associations among body checking and body avoidance, body satisfaction, social anxiety, body mass index, and the frequency and intensity of physical exercise. Significant differences were found between non-dieters and weight-loss dieters for all BCQ factors and the total BCQ score. For physically active and sedentary persons, a significant difference was only observed for idiosyncratic checking behaviour. In conclusion, the BCQ appears to be a valid and reliable scale for Brazilian research, and the associations and differences found in this study suggest that women at gyms and especially in weight-loss programs should be targeted for future body checking studies

The Missing Moral Dimension: Perceptions of Transgressions and the Moderating Role of Moral Foundations on Psychological Distress

Anxiety and depression can be represented on a dimensional spectrum of negative affect, broadly termed psychological distress. Research has identified several factors that maintain negative emotion, but have neglected the possibility that individuals’ interpretations of moral issues in the larger macro-system affects their level of distress. Thus, the current study investigated the role of perceptions of moral transgressions, or cognitive interpretations of stimuli (“transgressions”) that violate beliefs about right and wrong, as a predictor of psychological distress. Furthermore, this study tested how perceptions of moral transgressions vary as a function of individuals’ own moral intuitions, or moral foundations. Participants (N = 418) completed a one-time online-survey composed of two parts – correlational and experimental phases. In the correlational phase, participants rated their perception of moral transgressions (others-toward-others) in the socio-political climate over the past two weeks. The experimental phase examined momentary distress ratings elicited after random assignment to morally valanced news articles, compared to a control condition. Each portion investigated moral transgressions predicting distress while controlling for risk factors of distress. Moral foundations in domains of harm, fairness, in-group, authority, and purity were expected to moderate (amplify) this pathway. As hypothesized, moderated regression analysis and multi-level modeling (MLM) demonstrated that perceptions of moral transgressions uniquely predicted distress, above and beyond risk factors of distress. Moreover, in line with moderation hypotheses, high moral foundations amplified some effects (e.g., fairness PMT*MF; b = .23, p = .001). These findings elucidate the importance of conceptualizing distress through a comprehensive lens which incorporates clients’ moral systems and perceptions of events in the larger socio-political-cultural climate

Facing the Spectator

We investigated the familiar phenomenon of the uncanny feeling that represented people in frontal pose invariably appear to ‘‘face you’’ from wherever you stand. We deploy two different methods. The stimuli include the conventional one—a flat portrait rocking back and forth about a vertical axis—augmented with two novel variations. In one alternative, the portrait frame rotates whereas the actual portrait stays motionless and fronto-parallel; in the other, we replace the (flat!) portrait with a volumetric object. These variations yield exactly the same optical stimulation in frontal view, but become grossly different in very oblique views. We also let participants sample their momentary awareness through ‘‘gauge object’’ settings in static displays. From our results, we conclude that the psychogenesis of visual awareness maintains a number—at least two, but most likely more—of distinct spatial frameworks simultaneously involving ‘‘cue–scission.’’ Cues may be effective in one of these spatial frameworks but ineffective or functionally different in other ones

Effect Of Adaptation Constant Μ In The Achievable Amplification Of A Real Time Lms Based Adaptive Feedback Canceller For Public Address System

This study considers the problem experienced with public address system in an area constrained environment. In an environment wherein public address system is used to address the general public, acoustic feedback occurs unpredictably which significantly degrades the acoustic quality of the information signal. An adaptive filter is then presented, with the objective to reduce the effect of acoustic feedback of the public address system that might occur at any point within the area. The system covers a 20th order multi-tapped finite impulse response (FIR) adaptive filter that is implemented in field programmable gate array (FPGA). The performance of the adaptive filter with least mean square (LMS) adaptive algorithm was presented and the effects of the adaptation constant μ were investigated.  The system was evaluated with a prepositioned speaker and microphone to which an acoustic feedback would occur by slowly increasing the gain of the audio power amplifier. An acoustic signal was also applied to a microphone as part of the evaluation. During an evaluation, the acoustic activity of the environment was observed by a spectrum analyzer and spectrograph. Results show that with large μ, the adaptive filter was able to quickly reduce the howling signal before the system exhibit an unstable behavior. However, results also show that the magnitude of the output information signal of the public address system with large μ is lesser compared to a smaller μ of the adaptive filter. This shows that the adaptation constant μ does not only eliminate the acoustic feedback but also reduces the amplification of the public address system with acoustic feedback controller