Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
GENDER DIFFERENCES IN CHARACTER STRENGTHS, SOCIAL CONNECTIONS, AND BELIEFS ABOUT CRIME AMONG ADOLESCENTS

Most gang-involved youth in Canada are predominantly males (94%) and between the age of 16 and 18 (Youth Gangs in Canada, 2007). However, young adolescent girls are now increasingly seen among youth gangs (Girls, Gangs, and Sexual Exploitation in British Columbia, 2010). Within the strength-based framework for research targeting social problems such as youth violence and criminal gang activities (Tweed, Bhatt, Dooley, Spindlier, Douglas, & Viljoen, 2011), a study was conducted in local high schools in British Columbia; Canada, in which 194 boys and 226 girls aged 12 to 14 participated. The results of the preliminary analyses of the data indicated several gender differences among the participants’ character strengths, social connections, and cognitive beliefs pertaining to violence. Boys in comparison to girls, reported a higher level of self-esteem, and a stronger belief in violence as a way to deal with conflicts. Girls reported higher satisfaction in the area of friendship than boys. Additionally, girls reported higher levels of parental monitoring of where they were, who they were with and what they were doing. These preliminary findings suggest that prevention strategies would serve the youth well when they are derived from a targeted gendered strategies with a focus on a strength-based approach for a positive adolescent development
Impact of antipsychotic treatment on attention and motor learning systems in first-episode schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND Antipsychotic medications have established clinical benefit, but there are few neuroimaging studies before and after initiating antipsychotic medication to assess drug influence on brain circuitry. Attention and motor learning tasks are promising approaches for examining treatment-related changes in frontostriatal systems. METHODS Twenty-one unmedicated first-episode schizophrenia patients (14 antipsychotic-naïve) participated in functional imaging studies while performing visual attention (prosaccades) and motor learning tasks (predictive saccades). Posttreatment testing was completed in 14 patients after 4-6 weeks of antipsychotic treatment. Matched healthy controls were studied in parallel. RESULTS Pretreatment, patients had reduced activation in the dorsal neocortical visual attention network. Activation deficits were significantly reduced posttreatment. Higher medication dose was associated with greater caudate activation at follow-up. For the motor learning task, patients' dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) was unimpaired prior to treatment but showed significantly reduced activation after treatment. CONCLUSION Impairments in dorsal cortical attention networks are present in untreated first-episode schizophrenia patients. These impairments are reduced after antipsychotic treatment, suggesting a beneficial effect on neural systems for attention. Treatment-emergent decreases in DLPFC activation observed for the motor learning task are consistent with other clinical and preclinical evidence suggesting that antipsychotics can have adverse effects on prefrontal function.
CFD-Based Mapping of the Thermo-Acoustic Stability of a Laminar Premix Burner

A novel method for thermo-acoustic stability analysis is presented and validated against experimental data from a laminar premix combustion test rig. The method combines CFD simulation of compressible, reacting flow with a low-order network model to identify the open-loop transfer function of the test rig. The linear growth rates of stable as well as unstable eigenmodes are then evaluated from a Nyquist plot. Using times series data from only one CFD run, the stability map of the test rig, i.e., the dependence of stability and frequency of the eigenmodes modes on the plenum length, is reproduced successfully in this study.
The Effect of Automated Compensation for Incongruent Axes on Teleoperator Performance

Teleoperation is frequently performed with misalignments between operator or camera viewing direction and controller orientation. Examples of this occur in endoscopic surgery and in teleoperation with multiple camera views. The objective of this study was to find a method to automatically compensate for those misalignments so that human operators performing tasks under such scenarios could achieve levels of performance comparable to aligned conditions without additional training requirements. In this paper we report on a set of experiments conducted to test a method developed for that purpose. Participants were asked to track a randomly moving target on a computer display using a cursor controlled with a joystick. Performance was recorded under various visual-motor misalignments with and without automated compensation. Results indicated significant improvements in operator performance through use of automatic compensation only under certain types of misalignment. Actual or potential applications of this research include teleoperation and endoscopic surgery.
The blended learning delivery design model

This paper presents model of information system for blended learning delivery. ADDIE model has been used for instructional design these information system. Instructional design is the systematic approach to the Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of learning materials and activities. ADDIE model helps to estimate learning processes and project tasks. It causes better design distance education information system (DEIS). This system is presenting and describing in this paper and has been realised in Vilnius Gediminas technical university (VGTU). DEIS is based on IBM Lotus technologies and is adapting and using for Master studies.
Decreasing Impatience: A Criterion for Non-Stationary Time Preference and 'Hyperbolic' Discounting

Despite recent interest in hyperbolic discounting, there has been little discussion of exactly what property of time preferences is instantiated by hyperbolic or quasi-hyperbolic functional forms. The paper revives an earlier proposal in Prelec (1989) that the key property is Pratt-Arrow convexity of the log of the discount function, which corresponds to "decreasing impatience"(DI) at the level of preferences. DI provides a natural criterion for assessing the severity of departure from stationarity in that greater DI is equivalent to more choices of dominated options in two-stage decision problems, as well as greater convexity of the log of the discount function. Inefficient choices may arise as intentional precommitments, or as unintended reversals of preference by "naive" agents. Copyright The editors of the "Scandinavian Journal of Economics", 2004 .
STUDENTS ’ MOTIVATIONAL BELIEFS , SELF-REGULATION STRATEGIES AND MATHEMATICS ACHIEVEMENT

In this study we examine the relationships between motivational beliefs, selfregulation strategies use, and mathematics achievement in Cypriot pre-service teachers. Specifically, we developed a model depicting connections and causal relations among cognitive and affective factors, which was tested on the basis of selfreport data collected from 194 pre-service teachers using a modified version of MSLQ and a mathematics achievement test. We found that the data fits the theoretical model very well, meaning that the model explains the structure of the above relationships, with self-efficacy being a strong predictor of mathematics achievement and self-regulation strategies use having a negative effect on achievement.
Inter- and intra-rater reliabilities of the Beighton Score compared to the Contompasis Score to assess Generalised Joint Hypermobility

Abstract Objectives: Generalized Joint Hypermobility [GJH] is a common connective tissue disorder associated with a range of musculoskeletal complaints. An effective screening tool to assess GJH may influence our understanding and choice of management. Diagnosis is clinical, using tools such as the Beighton Hypermobility Score and the Contompasis Scoring System. The comparable reliability of these tools has not been previously reported. The aim of the present study was to compare the intra- and the inter-rater reliability of the Beighton Score to the Contompasis Score to assess GJH. Methods: This was an observational study assessing 36 pain-free participants; 27 females and nine males; aged 18–32 years. Participants were assessed in random order, by two researchers over two sessions to determine intra- and inter-rater analyses. Intraclass Correlation Coefficient [ICC] and weighted Kappa statistics were used to calculate the level of agreement. Results: The intra- [ICC: 0.71–0.82] and the inter- [ICC: 0.72–0.80] rater reliability of the Beighton Score was substantial to almost perfect. The Contompasis Score displayed substantial to almost perfect intra-rater [ICC: 0.73–0.82] reliability and moderate to substantial inter-rater [ICC: 0.58–0.62] reliability. Conclusions: The present study provides an indication of the measurement capabilities of the Beighton and Contompasis Scores. The Beighton score appears to be superior compared with the Contompasis score particularly based on inter-rater reliability.
Exploiting latent relevance for relational learning of ubiquitous things

With recent advances in radio-frequency identification (RFID), wireless sensor networks, and Web services, physical things are becoming an integral part of the emerging ubiquitous Web. While this integration offers many exciting opportunities such as efficient supply chains and improved environmental monitoring, it also presents many significant challenges. One such challenge lies in how to classify, discover, and manage ubiquitous things, which is critical for efficient and effective object search, recommendation, and composition. In this paper, we focus on automatically classifying ubiquitous things into manageable semantic category labels by exploiting the information hidden in interactions between users and ubiquitous things. We develop a novel approach to extract latent relevance by building a relational network of ubiquitous things (RNUbiT) where similar things are linked via virtual edges according to their latent relevance. A discriminative learning algorithm is also developed to automatically determine category labels for ubiquitous things. We conducted experiments using real-world data and the experimental results demonstrate the feasibility and validity of our proposed approach.
Development of a Kelp-type Structure Module in a Coastal Ocean Model to Assess the Hydrodynamic Impact of Seawater Uranium Extraction Technology

Abstract: With the rapid growth of global energy demand, interest in extracting uranium from seawater for nuclear energy has been renewed. While extracting seawater uranium is not yet commercially viable, it serves as a ―backstop‖ to the conventional uranium resources and provides an essentially unlimited supply of uranium resource. With recent technology advances, extracting uranium from seawater could be economically feasible only when the extraction devices are deployed at a large scale (e.g., several hundred km 2 ). There is concern however that the large scale deployment of adsorbent farms could result in potential impacts to the hydrodynamic flow field in an oceanic setting. In this study, a kelp-type structure module based on the classic momentum sink approach was incorporated into a coastal ocean model to simulate the blockage effect of a farm of passive uranium extraction devices on the flow field. The module was quantitatively validated against laboratory flume experiments for both velocity and turbulence profiles.Model results suggest that the reduction in ambient currents could range from 4% to 10% using adsorbent farm dimensions and mooring densities previously described in the literature and with typical drag coefficients.
Mixed Logit Estimation of the Value of Travel Time

In this paper we use mixed logit specifications to allow parameters to vary in the population when estimating the value of time for long-distance car travel. Our main conclusion is that the estimated value of time is very sensitive to how the model is specified: we find that it is significantly lower when the coefficients are assumed to be normally distributed in the population, as compared to the traditional case when they are treated as fixed. In our most richly parameterised model, we find a median value of time of 57 SEK per hour, with the major part of the mass of the value of time distribution closely centred around the median value. The corresponding figure when the parameters are treated as fixed is 89 SEK per hour. Furthermore, our finding that the ratio of coefficients in a mixed logit specification differ significantly from the ones in a traditional logit specification is contrary to the results obtained by Brownstone & Train (1996) and Train (1997). Whether the ratios will differ or not depends on the model and the data generating process at hand.
Predicting the Starquakes in PSR J0537–6910

We report on more than 7 yr of monitoring of PSR J0537-6910, the 16 ms pulsar in the LMC, using data acquired with RXTE. During this campaign the pulsar experienced 23 sudden increases in frequency ("glitches") amounting to a total gain of over 6 ppm of rotation frequency superposed on its gradual spin-down of = -2 × 10-10 Hz s-1. The time interval from one glitch to the next obeys a strong linear correlation to the amplitude of the first glitch, with a mean slope of about 400 days ppm-1 (6.5 days μHz-1), such that these intervals can be predicted to within a few days, an accuracy that has never before been seen in any other pulsar. There appears to be an upper limit of ~40 μHz for the size of glitches in all pulsars, with the 1999 April glitch of PSR J0537-6910 the largest so far. The change of its spin-down across the glitches, Δ, appears to have the same hard lower limit, -1.5 × 10-13 Hz s-1, as that observed in all other pulsars. The spin-down continues to increase in the long term, = -10-21 Hz s-2, and thus the timing age of PSR J0537-6910 (-0.5ν-1) continues to decrease at a rate of nearly 1 yr every year, consistent with movement of its magnetic moment away from its rotational axis by 1 rad every 10,000 yr, or about 1 m yr-1. PSR J0537-6910 was likely to have been born as a nearly aligned rotator spinning at 75-80 Hz, with a || considerably smaller than its current value of 2 × 10-10 Hz s-1. Its pulse profile consists of a single pulse that is found to be flat at its peak for at least 0.02 cycles.
Discharge Properties of Hippocampal Neurons during Performance of a Jump Avoidance Task

We recorded single hippocampal cells while rats performed a jump avoidance task. In this task, a rat was dropped onto the metal floor of a 33 cm gray wooden cube and was given a mild electric shock if it did not jump up onto the box rim in <15 s. We found that many hippocampal pyramidal cells and most interneurons discharged preferentially at the drop, the jump, or on both events. By simultaneously recording the hippocampal EEG, we found that the discharge of most of the event-related pyramidal cells was modulated by the theta rhythm and moreover that discharge precessed with theta cycles in the same manner seen for pyramidal cells in their role as place cells. The elevations of firing rate at drop and jump were accompanied by increases in theta frequency. We conclude that many of the features of event-related discharge can be interpreted as being equivalent to the activity of place cells with firing fields above the box floor. Nevertheless, there are sufficient differences between expectations from place cells and observed activity to indicate that pyramidal cells may be able to signal events as well as location.
INPAINTING OF MULTI-CHANNEL IMAGES USING A DICTIONARY LEARNED FROM A SINGLE IMAGE

Image inpainting consists in recovering missing parts of an image. Since a color image is a D array, tensor completion methods are applicable to this problem. Tensor completion approach based on trace norm minimization can be useful when the fraction of missing pixels is not large, with the advantage that the training set is not required. Here, we demonstrate that the dictionary for sparse representation of multichannel image patches can be learned from a single (clean) image, yielding results comparable to those as obtained by a dictionary learned on a training set of images. We show that the learned dictionary-based approach performs considerably better than tensor completion both on color images of natural scenes and multi-phase computed tomography images. Index Terms – dictionary learning, independent component analysis, color image, computed tomography image, inpainting, tensor completion.
The Relationship between Seminal Melatonin with Sperm Parameters, DNA Fragmentation and Nuclear Maturity in Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection Candidates

Objective Melatonin, the chief secretory product of the pineal gland, regulates dynamic physiological adaptations that occur in seasonally breeding mammals as a response to changes in daylight hours. Because of the presence of melatonin in semen and the mem- brane melatonin receptor in spermatozoa, the impact of melatonin on the regulation of male infertility is still questionable. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of endogenous melatonin on human semen parameters (sperm concentration, motility and normal morphology), DNA fragmentation (DF) and nuclear maturity. Materials and Methods In this clinical prospective study, semen samples from 75 infer- tile men were routinely analyzed and assessed for melatonin and total antioxidant capac- ity (TAC) levels using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and colorimetric assay kits, respectively. DF was examined by the sperm chromatin dispersion (SCD) test. Acidic aniline blue staining was used to detect chromatin defects in the sperm nuclei. Results There was no significant correlation between seminal plasma melatonin and TAC with sperm parameters and nuclear maturity. However, we observed a positive significant correlation between DF and melatonin level (r=0.273, P<0.05). Conclusion Melatonin in seminal plasma is positively correlated with damaged sperm DNA of infertile patients. The mechanism of this phenomenon needs further study.
MMPI-2, MMPI-2-RF, and MMPI-A Administrations (2007–2014): Any Evidence of a “New Standard?”

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) was introduced at the 2007 American Psychological Association convention, and has been marketed every year since as the “new standard” for MMPI measures. The MMPI-A-RF, marketed as the “new standard in adolescent personality assessment,” was released in 2016. However, the adequacy of the MMPI-2-RF as a viable replacement for the MMPI-2 is debated among experts. University of Minnesota MMPI royalty statements, available under Minnesota law guaranteeing public access to government records, were examined to determine use of the various MMPI instruments. Six years after the introduction of the MMPI-2-RF, practitioners were more likely to administer the MMPI-2. For the most recent 3 years, test administrations of the MMPI-2-RF appear to have stabilized around 30% of all administrations of the adult instruments. In contrast, according to figures in the publisher’s 1995 royalty statement, the MMPI-2 achieved near universal professional acceptance in the 6 years following its introduction. Although still widely used (i.e., 576,576 MMPI-2, MMPI-2-RF, and MMPI-A estimated administrations in 2014) and despite the debut of the MMPI-2-RF in 2008, results show an 18% decrease in use of the adult versions from 2007 to 2014. The ethical issues facing psychologists in determining when a psychological test is obsolete and the Frye and Daubert admissibility standards for forensic testimony are considered. Also explored are marketing forces, previously unavailable for psychologists’ scrutiny, which can impact these issues.
Prostaglandin-E2 is a potent inhibitor of human interleukin 12 production

During human immunodeficiency virus infection and allergic diseases, characterized by a dominant T helper (Th) 2 response, overproduction of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) is observed. In this paper we studied the effect of PGE2 on interleukin (IL)-12 synthesis, because this cytokine has been described to be essential in induction of Th1 responses. IL-12 synthesis was induced in monocytes that were stimulated with Neisseria meningitidis-derived lipopolysaccharide in whole blood cultures. PGE2 almost completely inhibited lipopolysaccharide induced IL-12 production, whereas IL-6 production was only partially inhibited by PGE2. In contrast, the production of IL-10 was approximately twofold enhanced at these conditions. The effects of PGE2 were due to its cAMP- inducing capacity, since they could be mimicked by other cAMP inducers. Recombinant human IL-10 also inhibited IL-12 and IL-6 production. However, the inhibitory effect of PGE2 on IL-12 production was independent of IL-10 since neutralizing anti-IL-10 antibodies were unable to reverse this inhibition. These results suggest that the capacity of an antigen to induce PGE2 synthesis may play a crucial role in the development of either a Th1 or Th2 response.
Génolevures: protein families and synteny among complete hemiascomycetous yeast proteomes and genomes

The Génolevures online database (http://cbi.labri.fr/Genolevures/ and http://genolevures.org/) provides exploratory tools and curated data sets relative to nine complete and seven partial genome sequences determined and manually annotated by the Génolevures Consortium, to facilitate comparative genomic studies of Hemiascomycete yeasts. The 2008 update to the Génolevures database provides four new genomes in complete (subtelomere to subtelomere) chromosome sequences, 50 000 protein-coding and tRNA genes, and in silico analyses for each gene element. A key element is a novel classification of conserved multi-species protein families and their use in detecting synteny, gene fusions and other aspects of genome remodeling in evolution. Our purpose is to release high-quality curated data from complete genomes, with a focus on the relations between genes, genomes and proteins.
The Plasmodium falciparum blood stages acquire factor H family proteins to evade destruction by human complement

The acquisition of regulatory proteins is a means of blood‐borne pathogens to avoid destruction by the human complement. We recently showed that the gametes of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum bind factor H (FH) from the blood meal of the mosquito vector to assure successful sexual reproduction, which takes places in the mosquito midgut. While these findings provided a first glimpse of a complex mechanism used by Plasmodium to control the host immune attack, it is hitherto not known, how the pathogenic blood stages of the malaria parasite evade destruction by the human complement. We now show that the human complement system represents a severe threat for the replicating blood stages, particularly for the reinvading merozoites, with complement factor C3b accumulating on the surfaces of the intraerythrocytic schizonts as well as of free merozoites. C3b accumulation initiates terminal complement complex formation, in consequence resulting in blood stage lysis. To inactivate C3b, the parasites bind FH as well as related proteins FHL‐1 and CFHR‐1 to their surface, and FH binding is trypsin‐resistant. Schizonts acquire FH via two contact sites, which involve CCP modules 5 and 20. Blockage of FH‐mediated protection via anti‐FH antibodies results in significantly impaired blood stage replication, pointing to the plasmodial complement evasion machinery as a promising malaria vaccine target.