Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Higher Fecal Immunochemical Test Cutoff Levels: Lower Positivity Rates but Still Acceptable Detection Rates for Early-Stage Colorectal Cancers

Background: Adjusting the threshold for positivity of quantitative fecal immunochemical tests (FIT) allows for controlling the number of follow-up colonoscopies in a screening program. However, it is unknown to what extent higher cutoff levels affect detection rates of screen-relevant neoplasia. This study aimed to assess the effect of higher cutoff levels of a quantitative FIT on test positivity rate and detection rate of early-stage colorectal cancers (CRC). Methods: Subjects above 40 years old scheduled for colonoscopy in 5 hospitals were asked to sample a single FIT (OC sensor) before colonoscopy. Screen-relevant neoplasia were defined as advanced adenoma or early-stage cancer (stage I and II). Positivity rate, sensitivity, and specificity were evaluated at increasing cutoff levels of 50 to 200 ng/mL. Results: In 2,145 individuals who underwent total colonoscopy, 79 patients were diagnosed with CRC, 38 of which were with early-stage disease. Advanced adenomas were found in 236 patients. When varying cutoff levels from ≥50 to ≥200 ng/mL, positivity rates ranged from 16.5% to 10.2%. With increasing cutoff levels, sensitivity for early-stage CRCs and for screen-relevant neoplasia ranged from 84.2% to 78.9% and 47.1% to 37.2%, respectively. Conclusions: Higher FIT cutoff levels substantially decrease test positivity rates with only limited effects on detection rates of early-stage CRCs. However, spectrum bias resulting in higher estimates of sensitivity than would be expected in a screening population may be present. Impact: Higher cutoff levels can reduce strain on colonoscopy capacity with only a modest decrease in sensitivity for curable cancers. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 20(2); 272–80. ©2010 AACR.
Role of Cholinesterase Inhibitors in Parkinson’s Disease and dementia with Lewy Bodies

This article reviews the cholinergic changes in Parkinson’s disease and dementia (PDD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), their potential clinical implications, and the available evidence for cholinesterase inhibitors in the treatment of PDD and DLB. Marked neuronal loss of cholinergic nuclei, reduced cholinergic markers in the neocortex, hippocampus, and selected thalamic nuclei, and receptor changes have been reported. One large and 2 small placebo-controlled trials and nearly 20 open-label studies suggest that cholinesterase inhibitors have a positive effect on cognition, psychiatric symptoms, and global function in patients with DLB and PDD. The treatment is well tolerated in most patients without any apparent worsening of extrapyramidal motor features. Given the high risk of severe sensitivity reactions and increased risk of cerebrovascular incidents during treatment with neuroleptics, more clinical trials of cholinesterase inhibitors are encouraged to establish their precise role in DLB and PDD. (J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol 2004; 17:164-171)
Luck and Good Fortune in the Eudemian Ethics

Recently there has been some discussion of Aristotle's treatment of good fortune (£\m>x;{a) in the penultimate chapter of the Eudemian Ethics. I There are two claims about this chapter I wish to challenge. One maintains that the use of the word tUXll (usually translated as 'luck' or 'chance') in the EE is 'quite different' from Aristotle's theoretical discussion of luck, found in the Physics (Woods 1992, 67). The other claim is that good fortune is a subspecies of luck (Kenny 1992, ch. 5, esp. 71 and 75). In challenging these two views, I hope to develop an account of Aristotle's true intent in this chapter. In the first part of this article I consider the notion of luck as it is presented in the Physics and then argue that the discussion of luck in the EE accords with this. In the second part I argue that by the end of his discussion of good fortune in the EE, Aristotle does not consider good fortune to be any kind of luck at all.
The Role of Social Security in Household Decisions: VAR Estimates of Saving and Fertility Behaviour in Germany

Estimating saving and fertility simultaneously by the VAR method, we find that social security cover has a positive effect on household saving, and a negative effect on fertility. In Germany, as in other countries where the hypothesis was tested,social security is thus good for growth. A possible explanation for this unconventional finding is that compulsory saving in the form of pension contributions tends to displace intra-family transfers, rather than asset formation. However, the negative effect of social security on fertility tends to erode the system’s own contributory base, because it reduces the number of future contributors. That is one of the reasons why, in Germany as elsewhere, pay-as-you-go pension systems tend to be financially unstable. To some extent, this is counteracted by child-related benefits, which tend to encourage fertility, but the effect appears to be weak.
Distribution of CB1 Cannabinoid Receptors in the Amygdala and their Role in the Control of GABAergic Transmission

Cannabinoids are the most popular illicit drugs used for recreational purposes worldwide. However, the neurobiological substrate of their mood-altering capacity has not been elucidated so far. Here we report that CB1 cannabinoid receptors are expressed at high levels in certain amygdala nuclei, especially in the lateral and basal nuclei, but are absent in other nuclei (e.g., in the central nucleus and in the medial nucleus). Expression of the CB1 protein was restricted to a distinct subpopulation of GABAergic interneurons corresponding to large cholecystokinin-positive cells. Detailed electron microscopic investigation revealed that CB1 receptors are located presynaptically on cholecystokinin-positive axon terminals, which establish symmetrical GABAergic synapses with their postsynaptic targets. The physiological consequence of this particular anatomical localization was investigated by whole-cell patch-clamp recordings in principal cells of the lateral and basal nuclei. CB1 receptor agonists WIN 55,212–2 and CP 55,940 reduced the amplitude of GABAA receptor-mediated evoked and spontaneous IPSCs, whereas the action potential-independent miniature IPSCs were not significantly affected. In contrast, CB1 receptor agonists were ineffective in changing the amplitude of IPSCs in the rat central nucleus and in the basal nucleus of CB1 knock-out mice. These results suggest that cannabinoids target specific elements in neuronal networks of given amygdala nuclei, where they presynaptically modulate GABAergic synaptic transmission. We propose that these anatomical and physiological features, characteristic of CB1 receptors in several forebrain regions, represent the neuronal substrate for endocannabinoids involved in retrograde synaptic signaling and may explain some of the emotionally relevant behavioral effects of cannabinoid exposure.
Optimal Network Security Hardening Using Attack Graph Games

Preventing attacks in a computer network is the core problem in network security. We introduce a new game-theoretic model of the interaction between a network administrator who uses limited resource to harden a network and an attacker who follows a multi-stage plan to attack the network. The possible plans of the attacker are compactly represented using attack graphs, while the defender adds fake targets (honeypots) to the network to deceive the attacker. The compact representation of the attacker's strategies presents a computational challenge and finding the best response of the attacker is NP-hard. We present a solution method that first translates an attack graph into an MDP and solves it using policy search with a set of pruning techniques. We present an empirical evaluation of the model and solution algorithms, evaluating scalability, the types of solutions that are generated for realistic cases, and sensitivity analysis.
Children’s emotional and behavioral responses to peer provocation and early school adjustment

ABSTRACT Even very young children think about their own and others’ behavior, including emotions. Such cognitions and emotions about the self and others convey information that is crucial to social interactions and relationships. The current study based on an integrated model of emotion processes and cognition in social information processing (SIP) aimed to explore students’ emotional and behavioral responses in SIP choices, and their association with teacher-reported early school adjustment. Two-hundred and thirty pre-school and first-grade primary school students were interviewed using the Challenging Situations Task (CST). CST assessed students’ emotional and behavioral responses to 12 unambiguous hypothetical peer provocation situations. Children’s preschool and first-grade primary teachers rated children’s early school adjustment with the Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation (SCBE-30) measure. The results revealed that children chose mainly sad and angry emotions and socially competent and passive behaviors. We found a relationship both between sad emotions and socially competent behavior choices, and between angry emotion and aggressive behavior choices. Sad emotions and aggressive behavior choices were the main predictors of school adjustment. Children’s responses to peer provocation situations varied depending on how the children interpreted the situations. The results address the importance of children’s SIP and school adjustment.
Novel type of phase transition in a system of self-driven particles.

A simple model with a novel type of dynamics is introduced in order to investigate the emergence of self-ordered motion in systems of particles with biologically motivated interaction. In our model particles are driven with a constant absolute velocity and at each time step assume the average direction of motion of the particles in their neighborhood with some random perturbation $(\ensuremath{\eta})$ added. We present numerical evidence that this model results in a kinetic phase transition from no transport (zero average velocity, $|{\mathbf{v}}_{a}|\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}0$) to finite net transport through spontaneous symmetry breaking of the rotational symmetry. The transition is continuous, since $|{\mathbf{v}}_{a}|$ is found to scale as $({\ensuremath{\eta}}_{c}\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\eta}{)}^{\ensuremath{\beta}}$ with $\ensuremath{\beta}\ensuremath{\simeq}0.45$.
Application of genetically engineered finite-state-machine sequences to sequential circuit ATPG

New methods for fault-effect propagation and state justification that use finite-state-machine sequences are proposed for sequential circuit test generation. Distinguishing sequences are used to propagate the fault effects from the flip-flops to the primary outputs by distinguishing the faulty machine state from the fault-free machine state. Set, clear, and pseudoregister justification sequences are used for state justification via a combination of partial state justification solutions. Reengineering of existing finite-state machine sequences may be needed for specific target faults. Moreover, conflicts imposed by the use of multiple sequences may need to be resolved. Genetic-algorithm-based techniques are used to perform these tasks. Very high fault coverages have been obtained as a result of this technique.
The Effects of Formative and Dynamic Assessments of Reading Comprehensions on Intermediate EFL Learners’ Test Anxiety

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of formative and dynamic assessments of reading comprehension on intermediate EFL learners’ test anxiety. To conduct the study, 50 out of 66 intermediate Iranian EFL learners, males (N= 22) and females (N=28) with age range of 14 to 19 were selected from a private institute based on their performance on the Oxford Placement Test (syndicate, 2001). They were randomly classified into formative and dynamic assessment groups of intermediate EFL learners which were 25 learners in each group. For the formative group the researchers administered reading comprehension test after teaching each reading task. The researcher provides feedback for each student based on their performance on the test separately. For dynamic group the researcher used sandwich model of dynamic assessment i.e. after each reading task the researcher administered reading comprehension test as a pre-test then after collecting pre-test information, the researcher provided mediation and necessary information for answering test question generally to students. The data were collected through the pre-test and the post-test. For pre-test and post-test the researcher used test anxiety questionnaire (Sarason, 1984). The data were analyzed using SPSS software. The result of this study showed that formative assessment of reading comprehension have statistically significant effect on intermediate EFL learners’ test anxiety reduction and dynamic assessment of reading comprehension have statistically significant effect on intermediate EFL learners’ test anxiety reduction. Also dynamic assessment of reading comprehension had more effect on intermediate EFL learners’ test anxiety reduction.
Broken Cities: The Effect of Government Responsiveness on Citizens' Participation

What is the impact of government responsiveness on citizens' participation in local public goods provision? I explore whether government receptiveness to requests for maintenance work (e.g., sidewalk repairs, tree pruning) affects the likelihood that citizens will demand new government projects. I ran a field experiment in collaboration with the Government of the City of Buenos Aires that generated an exogenous increase in repairs of broken sidewalks reported by citizens. I find that when the government repairs sidewalks after citizens file complaints, other citizens are more likely to issue additional requests for public maintenance work. Most subsequent demands come from citizens who had not filed a complaint before, which indicates that government performance may have an "enfranchising" effect. The evidence suggests that the repairs change citizens' underlying beliefs about government responsiveness rather than merely reminding them of other maintenance problems. I also find suggestive evidence that citizens' complaints lead to government repairs. These findings are consistent with the existence of strategic complementarities between government responsiveness and citizen participation, which could help explain the substantial variation in public goods provision both across and within countries.
The universal derived invariant of DG categories

Using the formalism of Grothendieck's derivators, we construct 'the universal derived invariant of dg categories'. By this, we mean a mor-phism U d from the pointed derivator HO(dgcat) associated with the Morita homotopy theory of dg categories to a triangulated strong derivator M dg such that U d commutes with filtered homotopy colimits, preserves the point, sends each exact sequence of dg categories to a triangle and is universal for these properties.
How Does the European Union Talk about Migrant Women and Religion? A Critical Discourse Analysis of the Agenda on Migration of the European Union and the Case Study of Nigerian Women

Women with different identity and migration origins represent one of the most significant groups in the migration flows of the Mediterranean in recent years and the intersection of their religious identity and gender has been often neglected in migration policies. The paper applies the method of Critical Frame Analysis (CFA) to analyze the ways in which European policy documents address the intersection between gender and religious diversity. Through the CFA, the article examines the European Agenda on Migration and the priorities identified in the text. The analysis of the document is based on recent case studies of trafficked Nigerian women, which provide examples of the dangerous invisibility of ethnic and religious women in the priorities highlighted in the policy document of the European Commission. The CFA results show that the European Agenda on Migration, in responding to the increased number of arriving migrants from Africa and in designing a new approach towards mixed migration flows, lacks any reference to the gender perspective of migration and gender mainstreaming is missing from the text. The neutrality of the document and the securitization frame applied does not take into perspective the importance of recognizing a gender and intersectional dimension of migration flows, which impacts primarily women coming from African countries beholding strong religious beliefs.
Predicting Burnout Syndrome in Greek Mental Health Professionals

Abstract The aim of the study was to explore predictors of burnout in clinicians working across different mental health settings in Greece. The Maslach & Jackson Inventory (Maslach Burnout Inventory, MBI; Maslach & Jackson, Journal of Organizational Behavior, 1981, 2(2), 99–113) was used to evaluate burnout syndrome and assess the relationship between demographic factors (age, children, education, and job experience) and each sub-factor (emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), and personal accomplishment (PA)) of the MBI. Results revealed that out of three burnout factors, EE and PA demonstrated one significant predictor each whereas DP showed no significant predictors. In addition, job experience (years in the job) was found to be a significant predictor of EE in clinical staff. Further analysis showed no significant differences across job type for EE, DP, and PA. The findings are discussed with a focus on prevention and coping strategies for clinicians working in mental health settings.
Electro-Acupuncture Stimulation Improves Spontaneous Locomotor Hyperactivity in MPTP Intoxicated Mice

Bradykinesia is one of the major clinical symptoms of Parkinson`s disease (PD) for which treatment is sought. In most mouse models of PD, decreased locomotor activity can be reflected in an open field behavioral test. Therefore the open field test provides a useful tool to study the clinic symptoms of PD patients. Our previous work demonstrated that 100 Hz electro-acupuncture (EA) stimulation at ZUSANLI and SANYINJIAO protected the dopaminergic nigrostriatal system of C57BL/6 mice from MPTP toxicity, indicating that acupuncture might be an effective therapy for PD sufferers. In the present study, we investigated the effects of 100 Hz EA stimulation on the spontaneous locomotor activity in MPTP injured mice. Here we found that, in MPTP treated mice, the total movements significantly decreased and the movement time, velocity and distance dramatically increased, although the dopaminergic nigrostriatal system was devastated, revealed by immunohistochemistry and HPLC-ECD. After 12 sessions of 100 Hz EA stimulation, the total movements elevated and the movement time, velocity and distance decreased, in MPTP mice. 100 Hz EA increased striatal dopamine content in MPTP mice by 35.9%, but decreased its striatal dopamine turnover. We assumed that the injury of other regions in the brain, such as the A11 group in diencephalon, might be involved in the hypermotility in MPTP mice. The effects of 100 Hz EA on spontaneous locomotor activity in MPTP mice might not relate with the striatal dopamine, but with its neuroprotective and regulatory effects on motor circuits in the brain. Our study suggests that EA might be a promising treatment for neurological disorders including PD.
Adiponectin and Leptin Molecular Actions and Clinical Significance in Breast Cancer

Obesity is an important public health problem and major risk factor for postmenopausal breast cancer. Adipose tissue is the major component involved in the control of the metabolism through energy homeostasis, adipocyte differentiation, insulin sensitivity and the activation of anti-inflammatory metabolic and immune pathways. Leptin and Adiponectin pathways are involved in proliferation process in breast cancer. Current review describes potential relationship between the molecular actions and clinical significance of leptin and adiponectin in breast cancer.
An examination of digital footprint awareness and digital experiences of higher education students

Rapid changes are occurring in life owing to information and communication technologies. During this change period, digitalidentities have begun to emerge. These identities are associated with actions that users perform in online environments. Adigital footprint is formed with these actions. The purpose of this study is to determine the digital footprint awareness anddigital footprint experiences of higher education students. In order to collect data for the study, researchers developed adata collection tool titled ‘A survey for digital media use’. The study group consisted of 508 higher education students from41 Turkish universities. Data were collected through an online-form where participation was on a volunteer basis. Thefindings of the research show that students have a high level of digital footprint awareness ( x = 4.251) and a low level ofdigital footprint experience ( x = 1.907). Keywords: Digital footprint, digital footprint awareness, digital footprint experiences, higher education students.
Least Square-SVM Detector for Wireless BPSK in Multi-Environmental Noise

—Support Vector Machine (SVM) is a statistical learning tool developed to a more complex concept of structural risk minimization (SRM). In this paper, SVM is applied to signal detection in communication systems in the presence of channel noise in various environments in the form of Rayleigh fading, additive white Gaussian background noise (AWGN), and interference noise generalized as additive color Gaussian noise (ACGN). The structure and performance of SVM in terms of the bit error rate (BER) metric is derived and simulated for these advanced stochastic noise models and the computational complexity of the implementation, in terms of average computational time per bit, is also presented. The performance of SVM is then compared to conventional binary signaling optimal model-based detector driven by binary phase shift keying (BPSK) modulation. We show that the SVM performance is superior to that of conventional matched filter, innovation filter, and Wiener filter-driven detectors, even in the presence of random Doppler carrier deviation, especially for low SNR (signal-to-noise ratio) ranges. For large SNR, the performance of the SVM was similar to that of the classical detectors. However, the convergence between SVM and maximum likelihood detection occurred at a higher SNR as the noise environment became more hostile.
TeraFLOP computing on a desktop PC with GPUs for 3D CFD

A very efficient implementation of a lattice Boltzmann (LB) kernel in 3D on a graphical processing unit using the compute unified device architecture interface developed by nVIDIA is presented. By exploiting the explicit parallelism offered by the graphics hardware, we obtain an efficiency gain of up to two orders of magnitude with respect to the computational performance of a PC. A non-trivial example shows the performance of the LB implementation, which is based on a D3Q13 model that is described in detail.
Using diversity in cluster ensembles

The pairwise approach to cluster ensembles uses multiple partitions, each of which constructs a coincidence matrix between all pairs of objects. The matrices for the partitions are then combined and a final clustering is derived thereof. Here we study the diversity within such cluster ensembles. Based on this, we propose a variant of the generic ensemble method where the number of overproduced clusters is chosen randomly for every ensemble member (partition). Using three artificial sets we show that this approach increases the spread of the diversity within the ensemble thereby leading to a better match with the known cluster labels. Experimental results with three real data sets are also reported.