Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Borderline personality traits in nonclinical young adults.

The main purpose of this study was to explore the dimensionality of the borderline personality disorder in nonclinical young adults by means of the Borderline Personality Questionnaire (BPQ; Poreh et al., 2006). We also studied the phenotypic expression of the borderline personality traits as a function of participants' gender and age, and the relationship between BPQ subscales and measures of depressive symptoms, anxiety, stress, hallucinatory predisposition, and paranoid ideation. The sample comprised 809 young adults, 562 (69.5%) were women, with a mean age of 20.2 years (SD = 2.9). The results indicate that the BPQ self-report has adequate psychometric properties. The levels of internal consistency for the BPQ subscales ranged between . 78 and . 93. Analysis of the internal structure of the BPQ subscales yielded a one-dimensional solution. In contrast, second-order principal components analysis at the item level yielded a five-dimensional solution. Likewise, statistically significant differences in the mean scores of the borderline personality traits as a function of participants' gender and age were found. The BPQ subscales correlated significantly with measures of depression, anxiety, stress, paranoid ideation, and hallucinatory predisposition. These results help to improve our understanding of the dimensional structure of the borderline personality in the general population. Future research should continue to identify participants who are at risk for the development of borderline personality disorder and facilitating the development of early detection and prevention programs.
Comparing estimated gaze depth in virtual and physical environments

We show that the error in 3D gaze depth (vergence) estimated from binocularly-tracked gaze disparity is related to the viewing distance of the screen calibration plane at which 2D gaze is recorded. In a stereoscopic (virtual) environment, this relationship is evident in gaze to target depth error: vergence error behind the screen is greater than in front of the screen and is lowest at the screen depth. In a physical environment, with no accommodation-vergence conflict, the magnitude of vergence error in front of the 2D calibration plane appears reversed, increasing with distance from the viewer.
Spatial politics in the digital realm: the logistics/precarity dialectics and Deliveroo’s tertiary space struggles

ABSTRACT This paper uses the case of mobilization of delivery workers from digital platform Deliveroo in order to illustrate the production of space of resistance, which develops as a result of the tension of two emerging factors shaping the digital labour realm: logistics and precarity. On the one hand, I consider how logistics in the digital capitalist context produce precarious workers whose ICT-driven connectivity and flexibility responds to the logistical imperatives of effective commodities circulation. On the other hand, taking advantage of the tech-savvy precarious position they were hired for, Deliveroo workers display the capability to strategically cut across “abstract” and “differential” space, and therefore re-territorialize a third space dimension where digital labour can organize and antagonize digital capitalism.
Mechanisms Involved in the Functional Divergence of Duplicated GroEL Chaperonins in Myxococcus xanthus DK1622

The gene encoding the GroEL chaperonin is duplicated in nearly 30% of bacterial genomes; and although duplicated groEL genes have been comprehensively determined to have distinct physiological functions in different species, the mechanisms involved have not been characterized to date. Myxococcus xanthus DK1622 has two copies of the groEL gene, each of which can be deleted without affecting cell viability; however, the deletion of either gene does result in distinct defects in the cellular heat-shock response, predation, and development. In this study, we show that, from the expression levels of different groELs, the distinct functions of groEL1 and groEL2 in predation and development are probably the result of the substrate selectivity of the paralogous GroEL chaperonins, whereas the lethal effect of heat shock due to the deletion of groEL1 is caused by a decrease in the total groEL expression level. Following a bioinformatics analysis of the composition characteristics of GroELs from different bacteria, we performed region-swapping assays in M. xanthus, demonstrating that the differences in the apical and the C-terminal equatorial regions determine the substrate specificity of the two GroELs. Site-directed mutagenesis experiments indicated that the GGM repeat sequence at the C-terminus of GroEL1 plays an important role in functional divergence. Divergent functions of duplicated GroELs, which have similar patterns of variation in different bacterial species, have thus evolved mainly via alteration of the apical and the C-terminal equatorial regions. We identified the specific substrates of strain DK1622's GroEL1 and GroEL2 using immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry techniques. Although 68 proteins bound to both GroEL1 and GroEL2, 83 and 46 proteins bound exclusively to GroEL1 or GroEL2, respectively. The GroEL-specific substrates exhibited distinct molecular sizes and secondary structures, providing an encouraging indication for GroEL evolution for functional divergence.
Extensional Semantics for Higher-Order Logic Programs with Negation

We develop an extensional semantics for higher-order logic programs with negation, generalizing the technique that was introduced in [2, 3] for positive higher-order programs. In this way we provide an alternative extensional semantics for higher-order logic programs with negation to the one proposed in [6]. As an immediate useful consequence of our developments, we define for the language we consider the notions of stratification and local stratification, which generalize the familiar such notions from classical logic programming. We demonstrate that for stratified and locally stratified higher-order logic programs, the proposed semantics never assigns the unknown truth value.
Prediction of brain age suggests accelerated atrophy after traumatic brain injury

The long‐term effects of traumatic brain injury (TBI) can resemble observed in normal ageing, suggesting that TBI may accelerate the ageing process. We investigate this using a neuroimaging model that predicts brain age in healthy individuals and then apply it to TBI patients. We define individuals' differences in chronological and predicted structural "brain age," and test whether TBI produces progressive atrophy and how this relates to cognitive function.
A multilevel analysis of sociability, usability, and community dynamics in an online health community

The aim of this research is to develop an in-depth understanding of the dynamics of online group interaction and the relationship between the participation in an online community and an individual's off-line life. The 2½-year study of a thriving online health support community (Bob's ACL WWWBoard) used a broad fieldwork approach, guided by the ethnographic research techniques of observation, interviewing, and archival research in combination with analysis of the group's dynamics during a one-week period. Research tools from the social sciences were used to develop a thick, rich description of the group. The significant findings of this study include: dependable and reliable technology is more important than state-of-the-art technology in this community; strong community development exists despite little differentiation of the community space provided by the software; members reported that participation in the community positively influenced their offline lives; strong group norms of support and reciprocity made externally-driven governance unnecessary; tools used to assess group dynamics in face-to-face groups provide meaningful information about online group dynamics; and, membership patterns in the community and strong subgroups actively contributed to the community's stability and vitality.
MaMaDroid: Detecting Android Malware by Building Markov Chains of Behavioral Models

The rise in popularity of the Android platform has resulted in an explosion of malware threats targeting it. As both Android malware and the operating system itself constantly evolve, it is very challenging to design robust malware mitigation techniques that can operate for long periods of time without the need for modifications or costly re-training. In this paper, we present MaMaDroid, an Android malware detection system that relies on app behavior. MaMaDroid builds a behavioral model, in the form of a Markov chain, from the sequence of abstracted API calls performed by an app, and uses it to extract features and perform classification. By abstracting calls to their packages or families, MaMaDroid maintains resilience to API changes and keeps the feature set size manageable. We evaluate its accuracy on a dataset of 8.5K benign and 35.5K malicious apps collected over a period of six years, showing that it not only effectively detects malware (with up to 99% F-measure), but also that the model built by the system keeps its detection capabilities for long periods of time (on average, 86% and 75% F-measure, respectively, one and two years after training). Finally, we compare against DroidAPIMiner, a state-of-the-art system that relies on the frequency of API calls performed by apps, showing that MaMaDroid significantly outperforms it.
Impact of Service Quality on Customer Loyalty in the Hotel Industry: An Empirical Study from Ghana

The hotel industry contributes significantly to Ghana’s development. However, they face the challenge of meeting and exceeding their customers’ expectations through high quality service delivery in order to ensure customer loyalty which is the bedrock of any business. The study investigates how service quality impacts customer loyalty in Golden Tulip, a 4-star hotel; Miklin Hotel, a 3-star hotel and Lizzie’s Hotel, a 2-star hotel in Kumasi, a leading city in Ghana. 50 customers seeking lodging and boarding services were randomly selected and 5 staff members were purposively selected from each hotel for the study. By use of the SERVQUAL model through survey questionnaire and interviews, the study reveals that customer satisfaction is not based solely on the rankings/classification of the hotels but on service quality that gives value for money which in turn produces customer loyalty. Miklin Hotel produced most satisfied and loyal customers, followed by Golden Tulip Hotel and then Lizzie’s Hotel contrary to the classification order. In addition to “responsiveness” service quality variable for Miklin, “empathy” and “assurance” variables made significant impact on customer loyalty for guests from Miklin and Golden Tulip hotels, while “reliability” accounts for the loyalty of guests from Lizzie’s Hotel. This confirms the direct relationship between customer satisfaction and loyalty. “Tangibility” does not play any significant role in developing customer loyalty for all the hotels because the guests were least satisfied with it and are likely to take it for granted in their quest for change. The study recommends that hotel classification should not be based mainly on the tangible factors alone but rather on comprehensive service that provide value for money and impact on customer loyalty.
Physicochemical Quality Assessment and Multivariate Statistical Analysis of Groundwater Quality in Basrah, Iraq

Groundwater is the very vital natural resource which must not be essentially utilized and sustained unless its quality is precisely evaluated. A total of 41 groundwater samples were collected from selected areas within Basrah province in 2014 to assess its suitability for irrigation uses. Physicochemical indices such as permeability index (PI 5.44 to 84.32 meq L), percentage of sodium (Na% 8.87 to 51.03 meq L) and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR 0.11 to 39.33 meq L) indicate that the groundwater in the study area is suitable for irrigation except for few locations. The results show that the high values of total dissolved solids (TDS > 3000 mg L) for some samples minimized their application for irrigation. Principal component and cluster analyses were usually used as a supporting tool for assistance arrange and interpret the chemical analysis. Three principal components explanation for most of the variability in the groundwater data were represented.
Can Metabolic Disorders in Aging Men Contribute to Prostatic Hyperplasia Eligible for Transurethral Resection of the Prostate (TURP)?

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence and severity of metabolic disorders occurring in the metabolic syndrome in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia eligible for surgical treatment. Methods: The study group consisted men with diagnosed benign prostatic hyperplasia. The control group consisted patients recruited from basic health care units. Abdominal circumference, body weight and blood serum metabolic parameters were determined in the experimental and control groups. The concentrations of glucose were determined, as well as total cholesterol (ChT), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high density lipoprotein (HDL) and triglycerides (TAG), by spectrophotometric method using reagent kits. Results: In the study group 91 (60.3%) cases of metabolic syndrome (MetS) were diagnosed, while in the control group 71 (46.1%) men met the diagnostic criteria for this syndrome (p = 0.018). The analysis shows a relationship between MetS in patients with BPH and concentration glucose, ChT, LDL, HDL, systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure. We found no significant statistical relationship between body weight, abdominal circumference and concentration TAG, hypertension in patients and controls. Conclusions: in the study presented in this article, statistically significant relationships between BPH and the diagnostic parameters of the metabolic syndrome were demonstrated. These results indicate to the necessity of the modification of the lifestyle, taking preventive measures in diabetes, and evaluation of lipid metabolism disorders. It is recommended to assess symptoms that may suggest BPH (as a manifestation of LUTS) in men over 50 years of age with diagnoses of metabolic disorders (including MetS), and provide them with specialist urological care in order to prevent surgical treatment of the prostate.
Powered Wheelchair Controlled by Eye-Tracking System

In this paper, we use the optical-type eye tracking system to control powered wheelchair. The useris eye movements are translated to screen position using the optical-type eye tracking system. The pupil-tracking goggles with a video CCD camera and a frame grabber analyzes a series of human pupil images when the user is gazing at the screen. A new calibration algorithm is then used to determine the direction of the eye gaze in real time. We design an interface with nine command zones to control powered wheelchair. The command at the calculated position of the gazed screen is then sent to move the powered wheelchair.
Prognostic Significance of Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio in Patients with Sepsis: A Prospective Observational Study

Background. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is an easily accessible biological marker that has been reported to represent disease severity. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between NLR and mortality in patients with sepsis. Methods. A total of 333 consecutive adult patients with sepsis were screened for eligibility in this prospective, observational study cohort. Severity scores and leukocyte counts were prospectively recorded upon entry to the intensive care unit (ICU). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and binary logistic regression models were used to assess the performance of NLR in predicting unfavorable outcome. Correlations between variables and disease severity were analyzed through Spearman correlation tests. Results. Median NLR levels were significantly higher in patients who died than in survivors. NLR had a modest power for predicting poor outcome as suggested by area under the curve (AUC) of 0.695 ± 0.036. Multivariate linear regression indicated that increased NLR levels were related to unfavorable outcome independently of the effect of possible confounders. Spearman correlation tests showed that there was a positive correlation between NLR levels and disease severity. Conclusions. Increased NLR levels were independently associated with unfavorable clinical prognosis in patients with sepsis. Further investigation is required to increase understanding of the pathophysiology of this relationship.
Chemical and Calorific Characterisation of Longleaf Pine Using near Infrared Spectroscopy

Gross calorific value (GCV) has been predicted by building models based on near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and multivariate analysis; however, to date, the impact of feedstock chemical composition on the models has not been directly assessed. In the present study, 20 longleaf pine trees were sampled at two positions (breast and mid-height) for calorimetric and spectroscopic analyses. The GCVs, which ranged from 20 MJ kg−1 to 24 MJ kg−1, showed a strong correlation with the wide-ranging values of acetone-soluble extractives content. After extraction of the samples with acetone, the range for the GCV was both lower and slightly narrower (19–21 MJ kg−1) and was poorly correlated to lignin content with its narrow range of values. Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy coupled with multivariate analysis was applied to the samples and provided a strong coefficient of determination (R2) between the values predicted by NIR and those determined by calorimetry for the unextracted, but not the extracted, samples. Plotting the regression coefficients validated the results by showing very similar plots for GCV and extractives content, thereby indicating that the same molecular features are driving the models. NIR spectroscopy coupled with multivariate analysis can predict GCV for bioenergy feedstocks and also provide insight into chemical features with the greatest impact on fuel value.
Temporal Variation of Close-Proximity Soundings within a Tornadic Supercell Environment

We examined proximity soundings at intervals of a few minutes and at distances of less than 20 km from a significant tornadic (SIGTOR) supercell that occurred on 6 May 2012 in Japan. We used a 1-dimensional variational (1DVAR) technique that combined the observations of a ground-based microwave radiometer with outputs from a numerical model. Based on the results of the 1DVAR, several supercell and tornado forecast parameters were calculated and compared with values typical of SIGTOR supercell environments in the United States. One and a half hours before the occurrence of the tornado, the value of convective available potential energy increased significantly to about 1000 J kg −1 , a value that is smaller than the typical value in the United States. Low-level vertical wind shear and some composite parameters attained maximum values at the time when the distance to the supercell was the smallest. The vertical wind shear parameters and some composite parameters indicated that the environment fell into the SIGTOR supercell category. This result shows that the thermodynamic environments became unstable before the approach of the supercell, and the low-level vertical wind shear changed locally near the supercell. 2014: Temporal variation of close-proximity soundings within a tornadic supercell environment.
Improving 3D navigation in multiscale environments using cubemap-based techniques

Navigation in virtual 3D environments, especially those with multiscale features, is still a problem for many users. In this regard, a good design of the navigation interfaces is critical to ensure that the users navigate with the best possible efficiency and comfort. In this paper, we present improvements made to two well-known interfaces: fly, including support to collision treatment and automatic navigation speed adjustment in relation to scale, and examine, with automatic pivot point. Such techniques are based on the cubemap structure. Usability tests have shown a significant improvement in the execution of navigation tasks.
An Equine Herpesvirus Type 1 (EHV-1) Expressing VP2 and VP5 of Serotype 8 Bluetongue Virus (BTV-8) Induces Protection in a Murine Infection Model

Bluetongue virus (BTV) can infect most species of domestic and wild ruminants causing substantial morbidity and mortality and, consequently, high economic losses. In 2006, an epizootic of BTV serotype 8 (BTV-8) started in northern Europe that caused significant disease in cattle and sheep before comprehensive vaccination was introduced two years later. Here, we evaluate the potential of equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1), an alphaherpesvirus, as a novel vectored DIVA (differentiating infected from vaccinated animals) vaccine expressing VP2 of BTV-8 alone or in combination with VP5. The EHV-1 recombinant viruses stably expressed the transgenes and grew with kinetics that were identical to those of parental virus in vitro. After immunization of mice, a BTV-8-specific neutralizing antibody response was elicited. In a challenge experiment using a lethal dose of BTV-8, 100% of interferon-receptor-deficient (IFNAR−/−) mice vaccinated with the recombinant EHV-1 carrying both VP2 and VP5, but not VP2 alone, survived. VP7 was not included in the vectored vaccines and was successfully used as a DIVA marker. In summary, we show that EHV-1 expressing BTV-8 VP2 and VP5 is capable of eliciting a protective immune response that is distinguishable from that after infection and as such may be an alternative for BTV vaccination strategies in which DIVA compatibility is of importance.
A multi-window stereo matching algorithm in rank tranform domain

A novel stereo video matching algorithm based on multiple searching windows in rank transform domain is proposed in this paper. By doing a rank transform, stereo videos are mapped to the rank space from the gray-level space, which eliminate the interference of the environment variations and diverse cameras. The disparity is estimated by a multi-window algorithm with fast searching strategy, which improves the accuracy of the depth map and the matching speed as well. After that, a disparity compensation step is done by smooth area based algorithm to get a smoother depth map and clearer region of objects. The experiment results show the efficiency and the robustness of the proposed method.
Non-Colliding Random Walks, Tandem Queues, and DiscreteOrthogonal Polynomial Ensembles

We show that the function $h(x)=\prod_{i < j}(x_j-x_i)$ is harmonic for any random walk in $R^k$ with exchangeable increments, provided the required moments exist. For the subclass of random walks which can only exit the Weyl chamber $W=\{x\colon x_1 < x_2 < \cdots < x_k\}$ onto a point where $h$ vanishes, we define the corresponding Doob $h$-transform. For certain special cases, we show that the marginal distribution of the conditioned process at a fixed time is given by a familiar discrete orthogonal polynomial ensemble. These include the Krawtchouk and Charlier ensembles, where the underlying walks are binomial and Poisson, respectively. We refer to the corresponding conditioned processes in these cases as the Krawtchouk and Charlier processes. In [O'Connell and Yor (2001b)], a representation was obtained for the Charlier process by considering a sequence of $M/M/1$ queues in tandem. We present the analogue of this representation theorem for the Krawtchouk process, by considering a sequence of discrete-time $M/M/1$ queues in tandem. We also present related results for random walks on the circle, and relate a system of non-colliding walks in this case to the discrete analogue of the circular unitary ensemble (CUE).