Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Students’ predictions in novel situations and the role of self-generated analogies in their reasoning

This cross age study was designed to investigate students’ predictions in novel situations and the role that self-generated analogies play in non-scientific reasoning. The study used a mixed method ap-proach. Data was collected through the conduction of group interviews which were audio-tape rec-orded and additional data was collected through the use of written responses in the questionnaire. There were 37, 31, 29, 35 and 34 students recruited from Year 4, Year 6, Year 7, Year 9 and Year 11 (aged 9-10, 11-12, 12-13. 14-15 and 16-17 years) respectively from ten different schools in Greece. Students’ responses were analysed to ascertain whether their predictions drew on the use of analogies, and if so, the nature of the analogies that they used and whether the ideas used in the explanations of their predictions could be understood from a p-prims or a misconception perspective. The study found that students regularly make use of analogies, rather than scientific thinking in order to make their predictions. It also emerged that there were many similarities among students’ predic-tions as well as the analogies they used to explain the latter. In many cases this students’ non-scientific reasoning was based on their experiential knowledge which led them to make a prediction which is not compatible with the scientific view. However, according to the findings, there were cases in which analogical reasoning led some of them, more frequently the older (secondary education) ones, to make correct predictions. The study suggests that teachers need to be more aware of the nature of the analogies used and how, and why, these analogies can, in many cases, lead students to make scientifically incorrect or correct predictions.
Illumination invariant representation for privacy preserving face identification

Most effective face recognition methods store biometric information in the clear. Doing so exposes those systems to the risk of identity theft and violation of privacy. This problem significantly narrows the practical use of face recognition technology. Recent methods for privacy preserving face recognition address face verification task. Most of them are unable to generalize to unseen conditions and require a large number of images of every user for training. We address the problem of face identification, which is more useful in security applications, and propose a binary, illumination invariant representation that can be easily integrated with various efficient cryptographic tools for protection. We propose several privacy preserving applications for our representation and test it on a number of benchmark databases to show its robustness to severe illumination changes, occlusions, and some other appearance variations.
A composition algorithm based on crossmodal taste-music correspondences

While there is broad consensus about the structural similarities between language and music, comparably less attention has been devoted to semantic correspondences between these two ubiquitous manifestations of human culture. We have investigated the relations between music and a narrow and bounded domain of semantics: the words and concepts referring to taste sensations. In a recent work, we found that taste words were consistently mapped to musical parameters. Bitter is associated with low-pitched and continuous music (legato), salty is characterized by silences between notes (staccato), sour is high pitched, dissonant and fast and sweet is consonant, slow and soft (Mesz et al., 2011). Here we extended these ideas, in a synergistic dialog between music and science, investigating whether music can be algorithmically generated from taste-words. We developed and implemented an algorithm that exploits a large corpus of classic and popular songs. New musical pieces were produced by choosing fragments from the corpus and modifying them to minimize their distance to the region in musical space that characterizes each taste. In order to test the capability of the produced music to elicit significant associations with the different tastes, musical pieces were produced and judged by a group of non-musicians. Results showed that participants could decode well above chance the taste-word of the composition. We also discuss how our findings can be expressed in a performance bridging music and cognitive science.
[Mortality in the Czech republic by family status].

"A differential mortality study of marital status and medical causes of death has been made for the period 1982-1993 for the Czech republic.within two age groups: 15-69 years and 70 or more. Mortality patterns by marital status have shown stronger differences in the first (younger) group and for males. Married people most contributed to the recent decrease in mortality and thus the inequalities in mortality by marital status have widened. " (EXCERPT)
Test of a Homeopathic Dilution of Aconitum napellus

Background: Although healthy persons often report on reactions to homeopathically diluted substances, the mechanism behind such reactions remains unclear. This study examines whether a distinction can be made between the short-term reactions of healthy volunteers to a homeopathically diluted substance – Aconitum napellus C30 – and to a placebo. Participants and Methods: From the 33 subjects randomized for this double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study, 27 could be included in the analysis. The study comprised two 7-day-long treatment periods, each including the intake of a study preparation for 3 days and a wash-out period of 4 days. One group was first treated with Aconitum napellus C30 and then with placebo; the other group received the two study preparations in the reverse order. The signs and symptoms before the first treatment and after each treatment were collected, evaluated, weighted and repertorized. Based on this classification the blinded physician assessed these signs and symptoms as study outcome parameter to represent the responses to each of the study preparations. Statistical analysis of the data was performed using the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney rank test. Results: Crossover differences yielded statistical significance between the classified reactions towards Aconitum napellus C30 and to placebo (p = 0.004). Conclusions: A clear difference between the reported short-term reactions of healthy subjects towards Aconitum napellus C30 and towards placebo was shown. The crossover design with intra-individual comparisons proved to be adequate to recognize the study preparations and for the statistical analysis of a small population sample.
Analysis of backoff protocols for multiple access channels

In the paper, we analyze the stochastic behavior of backoff protocols for multiple access channels such as the Ethernet. In particular, we prove that binary exponential backoff is unstable if the arrival rate of new messages at each station is &lgr;/N for any number of stations N exceeding 1 and any overall arrival rate &lgr; exceeding . 567 + 1/4N - 2. More importantly, we also prove that any superlinear polynomial backoff protocol (e.g., quadratic backoff) is stable for any set of arrival rates that sum to less than one, and any number of stations. The results significantly extend the previous work in the area, and provide the first examples of acknowledgement based protocols known to be stable for a nonnegligible overall arrival rate distributed over an arbitrarily large number of stations. The results also disprove a popular assumption that exponential backoff is the best choice among acknowledgement based protocols for systems with large overall arrival rates. Finally, we prove that any linear or sublinear backoff protocol is unstable if the arrival rate at each station is &lgr;/N for any fixed &lgr; and sufficiently large N.
Epidemiologic survey of 196 patients with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome

This study examined the cross‐sectional medical and social characteristics of children diagnosed with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS). A detailed questionnaire was mailed to all families with a child with CCHS who are affiliated with a family network or support group. The questionnaire response rate was >75% (n = 196). Mean age was 10.22 years ±6.6 years (SD) (range, 0.4–38 years), with a 1:1 sex ratio. Multisystem involvement was almost universal among the cohort, with Hirschsprung's disease (HD) present in 16.3%; 61.7% of the children had a tracheotomy, but 14.3% were never tracheotomized, with 77 subjects (39.3%) not having a tracheostomy tube at time of survey. Respiratory support approaches varied but clearly reflected the trend towards earlier and more widespread transition to noninvasive ventilatory modalities. Significant developmental problems were noted, but attendance in regular classes occurred in the majority. Significant deficiencies in routine periodic evaluation and management were reported. In addition, the presence of CCHS was associated with a significant financial and psychosocial burden to the families. In conclusion, a comprehensive survey of 196 CCHS children and their families revealed a cross‐sectional picture of substantial medical and psychosocial complexities associated with this disorder, and pointed out substantial inadequacies in routine preventive care that appear to impose stress on the families. The emerging trend of earlier transition to noninvasive ventilatory support warrants future studies. Implementation of recommended guidelines for diagnosis and multidisciplinary follow‐up of CCHS should ultimately ameliorate the long‐term outcome of this lifelong condition. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2004; 37:217–229. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Adolescent's Competency for Interacting with Alcohol as a Determinant of Intake: The Role of Self-Regulation

The competency for interacting with alcohol is a highly useful Educational Psychology model for preventing and for understanding the different behavioral levels of this interaction. Knowledge of facts, concepts and principles about alcohol use, self-regulated behavior, and attitudes toward alcohol are predictive of adequate interaction with alcohol. The objective of this study was to empirically evaluate this postulated relationship. A total of 328 Spanish adolescents participated, between the ages of 12 and 17. All were enrolled in 1st–4th year of compulsory secondary education, in the context of the ALADO Program for prevention of alcohol intake in adolescents. An ex post facto design was used, with inferential analyses and SEM analyses. Results show an interdependence relationship, with significant structural prediction between the behavioral levels defined and the level of alcohol intake, with principles, self-regulating control and attitudes carrying more weight. Analyses are presented, as are implications for psychoeducational intervention using preventive programs based on this competency model.
Size Aftereffects Are Eliminated When Adaptor Stimuli Are Prevented from Reaching Awareness by Continuous Flash Suppression

Size aftereffects are a compelling perceptual phenomenon in which we perceive the size of a stimulus as being different than it actually is following a period of visual stimulation of an adapter stimulus with a different size. Here, we used continuous flash suppression (CFS) to determine if size aftereffects require a high-level appraisal of the adapter stimulus. The strength of size aftereffects was quantified following a 3-s exposure to perceptually visible and invisible adapters. Participants judged the size of a target that followed the adapter in comparison to a subsequent reference. Our experiments demonstrate that the adapter no longer influenced the perceived size of the subsequent target stimulus under CFS. We conclude that the perception of size aftereffects is prevented when CFS is used to suppress the conscious awarness of the adapting stimulus.
Bereitschaftspotential in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS): lower amplitudes in patients with hyperreflexia (spasticity)

In a pilot study the Bereitschaftspotential (BP) was investigated in 16 patients suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (mean age 58.6, mean severity of the illness according to Norris ALS score 76.4 points). Comparing the total ALS group (n = 16) with matched controls no significant differences in the BP amplitude parameters were found. However, a subgroup of 7 ALS patients with signs of pronounced spasticity (hyperreflexia) differed significantly at the central midline from matched controls and significantly in addition from patients with a lower degree of spasticity. Controls as well as patients with a lower degree of spasticity had significantly higher BP amplitudes at the midline (electrode positions Cz and Pz, P<0.05, H‐test). The correlation coefficient between the hyperreflexia Norris score and the various BP parameters for the total ALS sample (n = 16) revealed a significant correlation especially over the midline. Stronger signs of spasticity (hyperreflexia) are associated with lower amplitudes of the BP.
Shrinking instability of toroidal droplets

Significance Liquid doughnuts or tori exhibit an inherent instability consisting in the shrinking of their “hole. ” For sufficiently thick tori, this behavior is the only route for the torus to become spherical and thus minimize the area for a given volume. Of note, this shrinking instability is not completely understood. In this work, we experimentally determine the flow field of toroidal droplets as they shrink and account for our observations by solving the relevant equations of motion in toroidal coordinates. We find that four modes, out of the many possible ones, are needed to successfully account for all of the relevant features in the experiment. These results highlight the rich fluid mechanics that results in the presence of interfaces with nonconstant mean curvature. Toroidal droplets are inherently unstable due to surface tension. They can break up, similar to cylindrical jets, but also exhibit a shrinking instability, which is inherent to the toroidal shape. We investigate the evolution of shrinking toroidal droplets using particle image velocimetry. We obtain the flow field inside the droplets and show that as the torus evolves, its cross-section significantly deviates from circular. We then use the experimentally obtained velocities at the torus interface to theoretically reconstruct the internal flow field. Our calculation correctly describes the experimental results and elucidates the role of those modes that, among the many possible ones, are required to capture all of the relevant experimental features.
REMOVAL OF SULFATE FROM WATER AND WASTEWATER BY SURFACTANT- MODIFIED COIR PITH, AN AGRICULTURAL SOLID 'WASTE' BY ADSORPTION METHODOLOGY

The surface of coconut coir pith, a lignocellulosic polymer was modified with a cationic surfactant, hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide and used as an adsorbent for the removal of sulfate from aqueous solutions. Optimum pH for maximum removal of sulfate was found to be 2.0. Adsorption has been found to be concentration dependent and follows pseudo second order kinetics. Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherms were applied to describe the equilibrium data and the system followed all the three isotherms and the Langmuir adsorption capacity of the adsorbent was found to be 8.8 mg g -1 . Desorption studies showed that recovery of sulfate from the spent adsorbent was feasible. Effect of foreign anions on the adsorption of sulfate was also examined. Removal of sulfate by surfactant modified coir pith from industrial wastewater was also tested.
Efron‐Type Measures of Prediction Error for Survival Analysis

Summary Estimates of the prediction error play an important role in the development of statistical methods and models, and in their applications. We adapt the resampling tools of Efron and Tibshirani (1997, Journal of the American Statistical Association92, 548–560) to survival analysis with right‐censored event times. We find that flexible rules, like artificial neural nets, classification and regression trees, or regression splines can be assessed, and compared to less flexible rules in the same data where they are developed. The methods are illustrated with data from a breast cancer trial.
Palmitoylation and localisation of RAS isoforms are modulated by the hypervariable linker domain

RAS isoforms have been proposed to exhibit differing biological outputs due to differences in their relative occupancy of cellular organelles and signalling microdomains. The membrane binding and targeting motifs of RAS are encoded by the C-terminal hypervariable region (HVR), and the precise localisation depends upon interactions between the HVR and the host membrane. Classic studies revealed that all RAS proteins rely on farnesylation and either palmitoylation or a polybasic stretch for stable binding to membranes. We now show that, for N-RAS and Ki-RAS4A, mono-palmitoylation and farnesylation are not sufficient for specifying stable cell-surface localisation. A third motif that is present within the linker domain of all palmitoylated RAS HVRs is necessary for stabilising localisation to the plasma membrane. This motif comprises acidic residues that stabilise palmitoylation and basic amino acids that are likely to interact electrostatically with acidic phospholipids enriched at the cell surface. Importantly, altered localisation is achieved without changes in palmitoylation status. Our data provide a mechanism for distinct HVR membrane interactions controlling subcellular distribution. In the context of the full-length RAS proteins, this is likely to be of crucial importance for controlling signalling output and engagement with different pools of effectors.
Study of streptococcal hemoprotein receptor (Shr) in iron acquisition and virulence of M1T1 group A streptococcus

Streptococcus pyogenes (group A streptococcus, GAS) is a human bacterial pathogen of global significance, causing severe invasive diseases associated with serious morbidity and mortality. To survive within the host and establish an infection, GAS requires essential nutrients, including iron. The streptococcal hemoprotein receptor (Shr) is a surface-localized GAS protein that binds heme-containing proteins and extracellular matrix components. In this study, we employ targeted allelic exchange mutagenesis to investigate the role of Shr in the pathogenesis of the globally disseminated serotype M1T1 GAS. The shr mutant exhibited a growth defect in iron-restricted medium supplemented with ferric chloride, but no significant differences were observed in neutrophil survival, antimicrobial peptide resistance, cell surface charge, fibronectin-binding or adherence to human epithelial cells and keratinocytes, compared with wild-type. However, the shr mutant displayed a reduction in human blood proliferation, laminin-binding capacity and was attenuated for virulence in in vivo models of skin and systemic infection. We conclude that Shr augments GAS adherence to laminin, an important extracellular matrix attachment component. Furthermore, Shr-mediated iron uptake contributes to GAS growth in human blood, and is required for full virulence of serotype M1T1 GAS in mouse models of invasive disease.
Application QoS Fairness in Wireless Video Scheduling

The video pre-roll delay for filling up the client buffer can not be too long for user utility and buffer limitations in wireless point-to-multipoint streaming systems. Cross-layer design that deals with both physical and application layer aspects jointly is necessary for this purpose. We present a cross-layer optimized multiuser video adaptation and user scheduling framework for wireless video communication, where quality-of-service (QoS) fairness among users is provided with maximum video quality and video throughput. Both protocol layers are jointly optimized using a single multi-objective optimization (MOO) framework that aims to schedule the user with the least remaining playback time and the highest video throughput (delivered video seconds per transmission slot) with maximum video quality. Experiments carried out in the IS-856 (IxEV-DO) standard and ITU pedestrian and vehicular environments demonstrate the improvements over the state-of-the-art schedulers in terms of video QoS fairness, video quality and throughput
Lactose-Free Compared with Lactose-Containing Formula in Dietary Management of Acute Childhood Diarrhea

Objective Few reports are available on some benefits, such as shortened duration of diarrhea and better weight gain, for lactose-free over lactose-containing formula in acute childhood diarrhea. We evaluated the effects of lactose-free formula in dietary management of acute diarrhea in formula-fed children. Methods This controlled-clinical trial was conducted on formula-fed children, aged 1 to 24 months, referring with acute non-bloody diarrhea (≤2 weeks). Those who had major systemic illness, severe malnutrition, severe dehydration, severe vomiting, or history of antibiotic therapy were not included. Children were allocated to receive lactose-free formula (intervention, n=37) or lactose-containing formula (control, n=34). Time to diarrhea relief and weight change were compared between the two groups after one week. Findings During the study, 32 male and 39 female children (7.1±3.7 months) were included. Those who received lactose-free formula had a significantly shorter time to diarrhea relief compared with the controls (1.7±0.7 vs. 2.6±0.7 days, P<0.001). Weight significantly increased in both groups, but there was no difference between the two groups in weight change (37±100 vs. 38±77 gr, P=0.673). Multivariate analysis showed that receiving lactose-free formula significantly predicted time to diarrhea relief (95% CI: 1.5 to 3.9, P<0.001) controlling for baseline characteristics. Conclusion Early administration of lactose-free formula for formula-fed children presenting with acute diarrhea can result in a more rapid relief of acute diarrhea and thus perhaps less mortality and morbidity. Trials with longer follow-ups are warranted to better evaluate long-term results such as weight change and feeding problems in this regard.
Mutations in the cyp51A gene and susceptibility to itraconazole in Aspergillus fumigatus serially isolated from a patient with lung aspergilloma.

OBJECTIVES To monitor changes in itraconazole susceptibility of isolates from a patient undergoing treatment for pulmonary Aspergillus infection and relate these changes to genotypic/phenotypic alterations. METHODS Six Aspergillus fumigatus isolates were serially recovered from the patient. Itraconazole MICs were determined by Etest and NCCLS methodology. Growth characteristics and phenotype were monitored. Molecular analysis included random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) assay and sequencing of the cyp51A gene. RESULTS The MIC of itraconazole against the first isolate before treatment was 0.25 mg/L; the MIC against the second isolate, recovered after 6 months of itraconazole therapy, was >16 mg/L; and that against the third isolate, obtained 2 months after discontinuation of the therapy, was 0.5 mg/L. The MIC against the last three isolates, acquired after restoration of itraconazole therapy for 4-7 months, was >16 mg/L. The six isolates shared identical band patterns of RAPD assay using four primers and the same sequence in intertranscribed spacers (ITS). Therefore, the six isolates were likely to be the same strain of A. fumigatus, and mutations involving itraconazole resistance possibly occurred in these isolates after prolonged itraconazole therapy. Sequencing of the cyp51A gene in the coding region revealed a mutation of M220I in cytochrome P450 sterol 14-alpha-demethylase in the second resistant isolate and a mutation of G54R in the last three resistant isolates. Expression changes of some pump genes, such as MDR3, may also, in part, be related to the resistance to itraconazole. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that resistance of A. fumigatus to itraconazole occurred in a patient treated with the drug, and the resistance may result from mutations in the cyp51A gene-the gene encoding the target enzyme for itraconazole.