Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Borderline or Schizotypal? Differential Psychodynamic Assessment in Severe Personality Disorders

Considerable overlap in symptoms between patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and schizotypal personality disorder (STPD) complicates personality diagnostics. Yet very little is known about the level of psychodynamic functioning of both personality disorders. Psychodynamic assessment procedures may specify personality characteristics relevant for differential diagnosis and treatment planning. In this cross-sectional study we explored the differences and similarities in level of personality functioning and psychodynamic features of patients with severe BPD or STPD. In total, 25 patients with BPD and 13 patients with STPD were compared regarding their level of personality functioning (General Assessment of Personality Disorder), current quasipsychotic features (Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire), and psychodynamic functioning [Developmental Profile (DP) interview and Developmental Profile Inventory (DPI) questionnaire]. Both groups of patients showed equally severe impairments in the level of personality functioning and the presence of current quasipsychotic features. As assessed by the DP interview, significant differential psychodynamic patterns were found on the primitive levels of functioning. Moreover, subjects with BPD had significantly higher scores on the adaptive developmental levels. However, the self-questionnaire DPI was not able to elucidate all of these differences. In conclusion, our study found significant differences in psychodynamic functioning between patients with BPD and STPD as assessed with the DP interview. In complicated diagnostic cases, personality assessment by psychodynamic interviewing can enhance subtle but essential differentiation between BPD and STPD.
Enhancing skill maintenance through relapse prevention strategies: a comparison of two models.

In a quasi-experimental field study, two posttraining interventions composed of relapse prevention (RP) strategies were compared and tested for the effects on participant transfer outcomes. Participant retention of training content, skill maintenance, use of relapse prevention strategies, and self-efficacy served as the dependent variables. Self-efficacy was also tested as a mediator between the experimental treatment levels and both participant skill maintenance and participant use of RP strategies. Participants (n = 39) included managers, directors, and supervisors from various departments within a multi-national telecommunications organization located in a large southern city. After participating in a four-hour leadership development training, two of the three groups participated in a 30-40 minute training where they received one of two RP interventions. One intervention included the steps of (1) identifying potential obstacles to positive training transfer, (2) predicting the first lapse to pretraining behavior, and (3) applying relevant coping strategies to thwart a lapse. The alternative RP intervention included the same steps in addition to a goal setting step. Descriminant descriptive analysis was used to test for group differences across the response variables and to identify on which variables the groups differed. Three separate regression equations were used to test for the mediating relationship of self-efficacy between the RP treatment levels and participant skill maintenance and participant use of RP strategies. Results indicated minimal, but non-statistically significant results between treatment levels and each of the response variables. Self-efficacy was not found to mediate the relationship between RP treatment level and participant skill maintenance or participant use of RP strategies, but did function as a strong predictor of both variables. Suggestions for future research include using additional motivational and efficacy variables to better explore group differences and including efficacy-inducing methods both in training design and as part of a transfer intervention to enhance training transfer. Further, specific suggestions concerning conceptual and psychometric refinement of the RP construct are discussed.
Effects of prenatal alcohol exposure and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder on adaptive functioning.

BACKGROUND Heavy prenatal alcohol exposure and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are associated with adaptive behavior deficits. This study examined the interaction between these 2 factors on parent ratings of adaptive behavior. METHODS As part of a multisite study, primary caregivers of 317 children (8 to 16 years, M = 12.38) completed the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-Second Edition (VABS-II). Four groups of subjects were included: children with prenatal alcohol exposure with ADHD (AE+, n = 82), children with prenatal alcohol exposure without ADHD (AE-, n = 34), children with ADHD (ADHD, n = 71), and control children (CON, n = 130). VABS-II domain scores (Communication, Daily Living Skills, Socialization) were examined using separate 2 (Alcohol Exposure [AE]) × 2 (ADHD diagnosis) between-subjects analyses of covariance. RESULTS There were significant main effects of AE (p < 0.001) and ADHD (p < 0.001) on all VABS-II domains; alcohol-exposed children had lower scores than children without prenatal alcohol exposure and children with ADHD had lower scores than those without ADHD. There was a significant AE × ADHD interaction effect for Communication, F(1, 308) = 7.49, p = 0.007, partial η(2) = 0.024, but not Daily Living Skills or Socialization domains (ps > 0.27). Follow-up analyses in the Communication domain indicated the effects of ADHD were stronger in comparison subjects (ADHD vs. CON) than exposed subjects (AE+ vs. AE-), and the effects of alcohol exposure were stronger in subjects without ADHD (AE- vs. CON) than in subjects with ADHD (AE+ vs. ADHD) CONCLUSION As found previously, both prenatal alcohol exposure and ADHD increase adaptive behavior deficits in all domains. However, these 2 factors interact to cause the greatest impairment in children with both prenatal alcohol exposure and ADHD for communication abilities. These results further demonstrate the deleterious effects of prenatal alcohol exposure and broaden our understanding of how ADHD exacerbates behavioral outcomes in this population.
A unified approach for robust speech recognition

There are two major structural approaches to robust speech recognition. In the first approach to the problem, compensation is performed by modifying the incoming cepstral stream using ML or MMSE methods to estimate parameters characterizing environmental degradation, from direct frame-by-frame comparisons between speech recorded in high-quality and degraded acoustical environments, or by signal processing techniques such as spectral subtraction. The second approach tackles the problem by modifying the statistics of the internal representation of speech cepstra in the classifier to make them more closely resemble the statistics of degraded speech. This paper attempts to unify these approaches to robust speech recognition by presenting three techniques that share the same basic assumptions and internal structure but differ in whether they modify the incoming speech cepstra or whether they modify the classifier statistics. We present SNR-dependent multivaRiate gAussian-based cepsTral normaliZation (SNR-RATZ) and SNR-based Blind RATZ (SNR-BRATZ), which modify incoming cepstra, along with STAR (STAtistical Re-estimation), which modifies the internal statistics of the classifier. The algorithms were tested using the SPHINX-II speech recognition system on the CENSUS database, a database of strings of letters and numbers to which unknown added and unknown linear filtering was introduced artificially. While all the algorithms showed good performance, STAR was observed to provide lower error rates as SNR decreases than any of the algorithms that modify incoming cepstra.
Prediction of Long-Term Prognosis in 12 169 Men Referred for Cardiac Rehabilitation

Background—Predicting the risk of cardiac and all-cause death in patients with established coronary heart disease is important in counseling the individual and designing risk-stratified rehabilitation and secondary prevention programs. Cox proportional hazards and Kaplan-Meier survival curves were thus completed on initial assessment data obtained from patients referred to an outpatient cardiac rehabilitation center. Methods and Results—A single-center prospective observational design took peak cardiorespiratory exercise test data for 12 169 male rehabilitation candidates aged 55.0±9.6 years (7096 myocardial infarctions [MIs], 3077 coronary artery bypass grafts [CABGs], and 1996 documented cases of ischemic heart disease [IHD]). A follow-up of 4 to 29 years (median, 7.9) yielded 107 698 man-years of experience. Entry data were tested for associations with time to cardiac and all-cause death. We recorded 1336 cardiac deaths (953 MI, 225 CABG, and 158 IHD) and 2352 all-cause deaths. A powerful predictor of cardiac and all-cause mortality was measured peak oxygen intake (&OV0312;o2peak). For the overall sample, values of <15, 15 to 22, and >22 mL/kg per minute yielded respective multivariate adjusted hazard ratios of 1.00, 0.62, and 0.39 for cardiac and 1.00, 0.66, and 0.45 for all-cause deaths. For the separate diagnostic categories, apart from &OV0312;o2peak, the only other significant predictors of cardiac death common to all 3 were smoking and digoxin, and for all-cause death, age, smoking, digoxin, and diabetes. Conclusions—Exercise capacity, as determined by direct measurement of &OV0312;o2peak, exerts a major long-term influence on prognosis in men after MI, CABG, or IHD and can play a valuable role in risk stratification and counseling.
"My heart couldn't take it": older women's beliefs about exercise benefits and risks.

Daily physical activity is advocated by various federal health agencies for reducing many of the health risks affecting old age, but older women are generally not heeding the message. The Health Belief Model proposes that sedentary living occurs when people believe that the risks of exercising exceed the benefits. To clarify the beliefs that act as incentives and barriers to more active living, the author asked 143 independent-living women aged 70 and older to respond to open-ended questions on their beliefs about benefits and risks for 6 fitness activities: brisk walking, aquacize, riding a bike or cycling, stretching slowly to touch the toes, modified push-ups from a kneeling position, and supine curl-ups. Content analysis organized perceived risks into 19 categories and perceived benefits into 6 categories providing original data on the conceptions that older women hold about the utility of various types of physical activity. Respondents generally recognized broad health benefits to fitness activities, but beliefs about risks were strong, anatomically specific, and sometimes sensational in description. The findings suggest that many older women feel physically vulnerable, are unsure about their actual risks and benefits in exercise settings, and, in the face of that uncertainty, report medical reasons why they should be excused from fitness-promoting exercise.
Exposing Digital Forgeries by Detecting Traces of Image Splicing

In this paper, we investigate the trace of seamless splicing for blind image splicing. Image splicing is an essential operation for digital photomontage, which in turn is a technique for creating image forgery. Although good forgeries may leave no visual clues of having been tampered with, they may, nevertheless, alter the underlying statistics of an image. Through investigating the observation of the photomontages, we find the specific correlations in the image, which can be detected and used as evidence of digital tampering. The features derived from the proposal are useful and are proved by experimentation
Formation of gullies on Mars: Link to recent climate history and insolation microenvironments implicate surface water flow origin

Features seen in portions of a typical midlatitude Martian impact crater show that gully formation follows a geologically recent period of midlatitude glaciation. Geological evidence indicates that, in the relatively recent past, sufficient snow and ice accumulated on the pole-facing crater wall to cause glacial flow and filling of the crater floor with debris-covered glaciers. As glaciation waned, debris-covered glaciers ceased flowing, accumulation zones lost ice, and newly exposed wall alcoves continued as the location for limited snow/frost deposition, entrapment, and preservation. Analysis of the insolation geometry of this pole-facing crater wall, and similar occurrences in other craters at these latitudes on Mars, shows that they are uniquely favored for accumulation of snow and ice, and a relatively more rapid exposure to warmer summer temperatures. We show that, after the last glaciation, melting of residual snow and ice in alcoves could have formed the fluvial channels and sedimentary fans of the gullies. Recent modeling shows that top-down melting can occur in these microenvironments under conditions similar to those currently observed on Mars, if small amounts of snow or frost accumulate in alcoves and channels. Accumulation and melting is even more favored in the somewhat wetter, relatively recent geological past of Mars, after the period of active glaciation.
State-based Testing is Functional Testing

Empirical studies report unsatisfactory fault detection of state-based methods in class testing and advocate the use of functional methods to complement state-based testing. In this paper, we take the view that the modest fault detection of state-based class testing reported in the literature is actually due to the inappropriate state diagram used. We show that functional testing of a class can be reduced to state-based testing, provided that the right state model is produced. We present a strategy for constructing a state diagram for a class method, based on a domain partition derived through functional techniques. We also describe a method for deriving test sequences from the resulting state diagrams, essentially a variant of the W-method. The paper also reports results from an experimental evaluation of the proposed approach, based on mutants generated by Mu- Java.
Use of data from smart meters in optimal operation of distribution systems

The paper presents a clustering based algorithm for consumers' classification in representative consumption categories characterized by typical load profiles obtained using measurements performed by smart meters. The results obtained were extended to other consumers that don't have a smart metering system implemented. In the case study, a working database described by information provided by smart meters installed at 87 residential consumers from a rural distribution network from Romania was considered. A comparative study was realized using a testing database formed by 60 residential customers. The results obtained demonstrated that the proposed approach can be used with the success in the optimal operation and planning of distribution systems or in building specific tariff structures of the customers.
Cortical Correlates of the Processing of Feared and Fear-Relevant Stimuli : Evidence from Event-Related Potential Studies Comparing Phobic and Non-Phobic Subjects

Diese Arbeit untersucht die elektrokortikalen Korrelate der Verarbeitung gefurchteter und furcht-relevanter Reize bei Spinnenphobikern und nicht-spinnenangstlichen Personen. Die Einleitung gibt einen Uberblick zum aktuellen Stand der Forschung zu Phobien und kognitiven Verarbeitungsanomalien bei Phobikern und stellt die Befunde bisheriger psychophysiologischer Studien zu den neuronalen Korrelaten der Verarbeitung gefurchteter bzw. hoch emotionaler Reize dar. Die Experimente I und II untersuchen die emotionale Interferenz bei Spinnenphobikern mittels eines emotionalen Stroop-Paradigmas, wobei in Experiment I eingefarbte Spinnen-, Vogel- und Blumenbilder verwendet wurden und in Experiment II farbige schematische Spinnen- und Blumenbilder. Experiment III untersucht, ab wann eine Spinne von Spinnenphobikern und nicht-phobischen Probanden als Spinne wahrgenommen wird. Hierfur wurde speziell eine Serie von Bildern konstruiert, in denen eine schematische Spinne sich langsam in eine Blume verwandelt und umgekehrt. Es wurden sowohl Verhaltensmase wie Reaktionszeiten und Klassifikationshaufigkeiten als auch hirnelektrische Parameter untersucht. Die Ergebnisse weisen auf einen Interpretationsbias oder eine Art Reizgeneralisation bei Spinnenphobikern hin.
Ubiquitin-Associated (UBA) Domain in Human Fas Associated Factor 1 Inhibits Tumor Formation by Promoting Hsp70 Degradation

Human Fas associated factor 1 (hFAF1) is a pro-apoptotic scaffolding protein containing ubiquitin-associating (UBA), ubiquitin like 1 and 2 (UBL1, UBL2), and ubiquitin regulatory X (UBX) domains. hFAF1 interacts with polyubiquitinated proteins via its N-terminal UBA domain and with valosin containing protein (VCP) via its C-terminal UBX domain. Overexpression of hFAF1 or its N-terminal UBA domain significantly increases cell death by increasing the degradation of polyubiquitinated proteins. In this study, we investigated whether hFAF1, whose expression level is reduced in cervical cancer, plays a role in tumor formation. We found that HeLa cells overexpressing full-length hFAF1 or the hFAF1 UBA domain alone, significantly suppressed the anchorage independent tumor growth in soft agar colony formation, increased cell death, and activated JNK and caspase 3. Employing UBA-specific tandem immunoprecipitation, we identified moieties specifically interacting with UBA domain of hFAF1, and found that polyubiquitinated Hsp70s are recruited to UBA domain. We also demonstrated that hFAF1 overexpression promotes Hsp70 degradation via the proteasome. We further found that mutating the UBA domain (I41N), as well as knocking down hFAF1 with specific RNAi, abolishs its ability to increase the proteasomal degradation of Hsp70. These findings suggest that hFAF1 inhibits tumor formation by increasing the degradation of Hsp70 mediated via its UBA domain.
Space–time coordination dynamics in basketball: Part 1. Intra- and inter-couplings among player dyads

Abstract We examined space–time patterns of basketball players during competition by analysing movement data obtained from six game sequences. Strong in-phase relations in the longitudinal (basket-to-basket) direction were observed for all playing dyads, especially player–opponent dyads matched for playing position, indicating that these movements were very constrained by the game demands. Similar findings for in-phase relations were observed for the most part in the lateral direction, the main exception being dyads comprising the two wing players from the same team. These dyads instead demonstrated strong attractions to anti-phase, a consequence perhaps of seeking to increase and decrease team width in tandem. Single instances from select dyads and game sequences demonstrated further evidence of phase stabilities and phase transitions on some occasions. Together, these findings demonstrate that space–time movement patterns of playing dyads in basketball, while unique, nonetheless conform to a uniform description in keeping with universal principles of dynamical self-organizing systems as hypothesized.
Endothelial Apoptosis and Chronic Transplant Vasculopathy: Recent Results, Novel Mechanisms

Chronic transplant vasculopathy (CTV) is a progressive form of vascular obliteration affecting the arteries, arterioles and capillaries of solid organ transplants. It is characterized by intimal accumulation of mononuclear cells, vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC), myofibroblasts and connective tissue. Mounting evidence, based on animal models and human biopsy results, suggests that acute and persistent rejection triggering apoptosis of endothelial cells (EC) plays a pivotal role in CTV. The precise mechanisms that underlie the induction of fibroproliferative changes in association with endothelial apoptosis have yet to be clearly delineated. Recent observations in the field of apoptosis research provide some important mechanistic clues. First, endothelial apoptosis creates a state of hyperadhesiveness for mononuclear cells, thus facilitating sustained leukocyte infiltration. Second, phosphatidylserine‐dependent engulfment of apoptotic cells by infiltrating mononuclear leukocytes promotes transforming growth factor‐β1 production. Third, apoptosis of EC triggers extracellular matrix (ECM) proteolysis thus initiating the production of fibroproliferative/fibrogenic ECM fragments. The relative importance of these mechanisms in the pathophysiology of CTV will need to be addressed in vivo. Yet, these recent developments provide a new mechanistic framework that will help better define the importance of immune‐mediated EC apoptosis in the regulation of vascular repair.
Neurite outgrowth stimulatory effects of myco synthesized AuNPs from Hericium erinaceus (Bull.: Fr.) Pers. on pheochromocytoma (PC-12) cells

Background Hericium erinaceus has been reported to have a wide range of medicinal properties such as stimulation of neurite outgrowth, promotion of functional recovery of axonotmetic peroneal nerve injury, antioxidant, antihypertensive, and antidiabetic properties. In recent years, the green synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) has attracted intense interest due to the potential use in biomedical applications. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of AuNPs from aqueous extract of H. erinaceus on neurite outgrowth of rat pheochromocytoma (PC-12) cells. Methods The formation of AuNPs was characterized by UV–visible spectrum, energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), particle size distribution, and Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Furthermore, the neurite extension study of synthesized AuNPs was evaluated by in vitro assay. Results The AuNPs exhibited maximum absorbance between 510 and 600 nm in UV–visible spectrum. FESEM and TEM images showed the existence of nanoparticles with sizes of 20–40 nm. FTIR measurements were carried out to identify the possible biomolecules responsible for capping and efficient stabilization of the nanoparticles. The purity and the crystalline properties were confirmed by EDX diffraction analysis, which showed strong signals with energy peaks in the range of 2–2.4 keV, indicating the existence of gold atoms. The synthesized AuNPs showed significant neurite extension on PC-12 cells. Nerve growth factor 50 ng/mL was used as a positive control. Treatment with different concentrations (nanograms) of AuNPs resulted in neuronal differentiation and neuronal elongation. AuNPs induced maximum neurite outgrowth of 13% at 600 ng/mL concentration. Conclusion In this study, the AuNPs synthesis was achieved by a simple, low-cost, and rapid bioreduction approach. AuNPs were shown to have potential neuronal differentiation and stimulated neurite outgrowth. The water-soluble bioconstituents could be responsible for the neuroactivity. This is the first report for the biosynthesis of AuNPs using the hot aqueous extract of H. erinaceus.