Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exacerbation of Pain by Anxiety Is Associated with Activity in a Hippocampal Network

It is common clinical experience that anxiety about pain can exacerbate the pain sensation. Using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI), we compared activation responses to noxious thermal stimulation while perceived pain intensity was manipulated by changes in either physical intensity or induced anxiety. One visual signal, which reliably predicted noxious stimulation of moderate intensity, came to evoke low anxiety about the impending pain. Another visual signal was followed by the same, moderate-intensity stimulation on most of the trials, but occasionally by discriminably stronger noxious stimuli, and came to evoke higher anxiety. We found that the entorhinal cortex of the hippocampal formation responded differentially to identical noxious stimuli, dependent on whether the perceived pain intensity was enhanced by pain-relevant anxiety. During this emotional pain modulation, entorhinal responses predicted activity in closely connected, affective (perigenual cingulate), and intensity coding (mid-insula) areas. Our finding suggests that accurate preparatory information during medical and dental procedures alleviates pain by disengaging the hippocampus. It supports the proposal that during anxiety, the hippocampal formation amplifies aversive events to prime behavioral responses that are adaptive to the worst possible outcome.
Clinicians' Perceptions of the Mental Health of Gay Clients and the Effects of Diversity Competency and Modern Homophobia

Attitudes within the psychological community regarding sexual minorities have evolved over time with a significant history of assigning pathology to lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) clients. Though attitudes have shifted, prejudice has not disappeared. Modern forms of homophobia are less overt and subtler expressions of contempt, disapproval, or discrimination and are rooted in internal conflict. In mental health training programs, LGB clients have historically received little attention, failing to prepare professionals to competently work with this population; encouragingly, this trend is changing. The present study investigated how mental health clinicians assess the level of mental health of gay male clients considering modern homophobia and LGB competency. Specifically, it was hypothesized that less mental health would be assigned to gay clients when compared with heterosexual clients, higher levels of modern homophobia would lead to lower levels of assessed mental health, and LGB competency would moderate both of these associations. Eighty-six mental health trainees and clinicians were randomly assigned a case vignette with either a gay client or a heterosexual client. The vignettes maintained the same symptoms and presenting concerns, yet implied different sexual orientations. Participants completed instruments measuring the mental health of the client, modern homophobia, and diversity
Self-rated health status and cardiorespiratory fitness as predictors of mortality in men

Self-rated health (SRH) and cardiorespiratory fitness (fitness) are independent risk factors for all-cause mortality. The purpose of this report is to examine the single and joint effects of these exposures on mortality risk. The study included 18 488 men who completed a health survey, clinical examination and a maximal exercise treadmill test during 1987–2003. Cox regression analysis was used to quantify the associations of SRH and fitness with all-cause mortality. There were 262 deaths during 17 years of follow-up. There was a significant inverse trend (ptrend <0.05) for mortality across SRH categories after adjustment for age, examination year, body mass index, physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption, abnormal ECG, hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. Adjustment for fitness attenuated the association (p value =0.09). The authors also observed an inverse association between fitness and mortality after controlling for the same covariates and SRH (ptrend = 0.006). The combined analysis of SRH and fitness showed that fit men with good or excellent SRH had a 58% lower risk of mortality than their counterparts. SRH and fitness were both associated with all-cause mortality in men. Fit men with good or excellent SRH live longer than unfit men with poor or fair SRH.
Improved Aprori Algorithm Based on bottom up approach using Probability and Matrix

Knowledge Discovery through mining association rule among data from a large database is the one of key area of research. The first proposed Algorithm apriori is used to mine frequent items from the large database which leads to mine Association Rule between the data for discovering the Knowledge from the large database. Due to the limitation and complexity of Apriori algorithm, lot of research is underway for discovering new algorithms with a motive of minimizing the time and number of database scans for Knowledge Discovery through mining Association Rule among data from a large database. This paper propose one such kind of new algorithm which takes less number of scans to mining the frequent items from the large database which leads to mine the association rule between the data.
Multi-Feature Object-Based Change Detection Using Self-Adaptive Weight Change Vector Analysis

Change detection in multi-temporal remote sensing images has usually been treated as a problem of explicitly detecting land cover transitions. To date, multi-dimensional change vector analysis has been an effective solution to such problems. However, using change vector analysis makes it hard to calculate multiple directions or kinds of change. Through combining multi-feature object-based image analysis and change vector analysis, this paper presents a novel method for object-based change detection of multiple changes. Our technique, named self-adaptive weight-change vector analysis, carries out: (1) change vector analysis to determine magnitude and direction of changes; and (2) self-adaptive weight-based analysis of the standard deviation of image objects. Furthermore, a polar representation has been adopted to acquire visual change information for image objects. This paper proposes an automatic technique that can be applied to the field of multi-feature object-based change detection for very high resolution remotely sensed images. The two-step automatic detection strategy includes extraction of changed objects using an expectation-maximization algorithm to estimate the threshold under a Gaussian assumption, and identification of different kinds of changes using a K-means clustering algorithm. The effectiveness of our approach has been tested on both multispectral and panchromatic fusion images. Results of these two experimental cases confirm that this approach can detect multiple kinds of change. We found that self-adaptive weight-change vector analysis had superior capabilities of object-based change detection compared with standard change vector analysis, yielding Kappa statistics of 0.7976 and 0.7508 for Cases 1 and 2, respectively.
From Policing to Parole: Reconfiguring American Criminal Justice

American criminal justice has deteriorated in almost every respect in the past 40 years. Overcriminalization is more common and mens rea requirements are lower. Procedural protections against wrongful conviction are weaker. Many police are demoralized and alienated from the communities they serve and lack legitimacy in the eyes of many citizens. Prosecutors have displaced judges in sentencing and routinely abuse their powers to coerce guilty pleas. Mandatory minimum and similar sentencing laws force judges to choose between imposing unjustly severe punishments and circumventing applicable laws. Prisons are overcrowded, often brutalizing and inhumane, and lack resources needed to provide essential services. Community corrections agencies are overwhelmed by caseloads and inadequately funded to help offenders live law-abiding lives. Parole agencies are loath to release eligible inmates and quick to revoke parole. Evidence-based means exist to make major improvements in every facet of American criminal justice. What has been lacking is the political will to use them.
Cystic fibrosis: ironing out the problem of infection?

the study by moreau-marquis et al. (3) in this issue of AJP-Lung advances our understanding of lung disease in cystic fibrosis (CF). Their findings are important because they may largely explain the peculiar propensity to early Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection that characterizes this most common of lethal genetic diseases. Moreau-Marquis et al. (3) demonstrate that immortalized human CF airway epithelial cells cocultured with P. aeruginosa promote the formation of antibiotic-resistant biofilms. Their series of experiments demonstrate that this is due to abnormal accumulation and loss of iron by CF epithelial cells and that biofilm formation can be prevented by either iron chelation therapy or by increasing normal cell membrane cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR) expression using the novel compound Corr4a. The observations of Moreau-Marquis et al. (3) confirm what has been clinically suspected in CF with respect to iron promotion of infection with P. aeruginosa. Previous studies have demonstrated that the airways of CF patients contain increased amounts of total iron and the iron-binding protein ferritin as well as a relationship between airway iron content and quantitative P. aeruginosa load assessed by colony-forming units per milliliter of sputum (5). This study also found an increase in iron in sputum in CF patients who had not previously been infected with P. aeruginosa, suggesting that elevated airway iron content may predate P. aeruginosa acquisition. Further evidence to support a problem with iron trafficking comes from the CF G551D mouse model. The teeth of these mice exhibit abnormal iron transport in pigment ameloblasts compared with wild-type mice, resulting in unusually white dentition (7). The study by Moreau-Marquis et al. (3) lends biological rationale to these earlier observations and brings two key questions into focus. First, what is the underlying link between abnormal or absent CFTR and cell iron homeostasis? Second, how does this impact on the CF host and P. aeruginosa interaction?
Transport-layer-assisted routing for runtime thermal management of 3D NoC systems

To ensure thermal safety and to avoid performance degradation from temperature regulation in 3D NoC, we propose a new temperature-traffic control framework. The framework contains the vertical throttling-based runtime thermal management (VT-RTM) scheme and the transport-layer assisted routing (TLAR) scheme. VT-RTM scheme increases the cooling speed and maintains high availability. TLAR scheme sustains the throughput of the nonstationary irregular mesh network. In our experiments, VT-RTM scheme reduces cooling time by 84% and achieves 98% network availability; the overall performance impact is around 8% of traditional schemes. TLAR scheme reduces average latency by 35∼% and improves sustainable throughput by 76%
Bioavailability of isoflavone phytoestrogens in postmenopausal women consuming soya milk fermented with probiotic bifidobacteria

We investigated the effects of consuming an isoflavone aglycone-enriched soya milk containing viable bifidobacteria on urinary isoflavone excretion and percentage recovery. Sixteen postmenopausal women were randomly divided into two groups to consume either fermented or non-fermented soya milk. Each group participated in a double-blind, crossover study with three 14 d supplementation periods, separated by a 14 d washout. Subjects ingested three daily dosages of isoflavone via the soya milk and collected four 24 h pooled urine specimens per supplementation period. Soya milks were prepared with soya protein isolate and soya germ, followed by fermentation with bifidobacteria. Isoflavone levels were quantified using HPLC. Non-fermented soya milks at 20, 40 and 80 mg isoflavone/200 ml contained 10 %, 9 % and 7 % aglycone, respectively, with their fermented counterparts containing 69 %, 57 % and 36 % aglycone (P<0·001). A trend to a greater percentage urinary recovery of daidzein and glycitein was observed among women consuming fermented soya milk at a dosage of 40 mg isoflavone (P=0·13). A distinct linear dose response for the fermented soya milk group (R2=0·9993) compared with the non-fermented group (R2=0·8865) suggested less interindividual variation in isoflavone absorption. However, total urinary isoflavone excretion was similar for both groups (P>0·05), with urinary isoflavone recovery at approximately 31 %. Increasing the isoflavone dosage correlated positively with its urinary excretion, but urinary percentage recovery of isoflavone was inversely related to dosage level. Hence, a modest dosage ranging from 20 to 30 mg/d may provide the most bioavailable source of isoflavone, regardless of whether it is via an aglycone-rich fermented soya milk or a glucoside-rich soya milk.
Color Stability Assessment of Light and Self-Cured Composites Following Accelerated Aging

Adresa za dopisivanje Samra Korać DMD, MSc Sveučilište u Sarajevu Stomatološki fakultet Zavod za restorativnu stomatologiju i endodonciju Bolnička 4 a 1000 Sarajevo, Bosna i Hercegovina samragk@gmail.com Sažetak Svrha istraživanja bila je izmjeriti i usporediti unutarnju stabilnost boje triju svjetlosnopolimerizirajućih materijala i jednoga kemijski stvrdnjavajućeg nakon njihova ubrzanog starenja. Materijali i metode: Testovi za stabilnost boja obavljeni su na svjetlosnopolimerizirajućim kompozitima – nanopunjenju Filtek Supreme XT (3M ESPE), nanohibridu Tetric Evo Ceram (Ivoclar Vivadent) i mikrohibridu Herculite XRV (Kerr) te na samopolimerizirajućem kompozitu Bisfil II (Bisco). Svi uzorci bili su uronjeni u destiliranu vodu (37°C) i držani u tamnoj posudi 24 sata. Nakon toga podijeljeni su u tri skupine. Postupak ubrzanog starenja proveden je prema dvama protokolima – u vodenoj kupelji na 60°C i prema ISO-u 7491. Uzorci iz kontrolne skupine držani su u destiliranoj vodi 30 dana na temperaturi od 37°C. Razlike u boji – ∆E, računale su se iz koordinata CIE L*a*b* izmjerenih spektrofotometrom nasuprot bijeloj pozadini prije postupka starenja uzoraka i poslije njega. Razina osjetljivosti boje postavljena je na 1, a prihvatljivi šum na 3,5. Statistička analiza obavljena je uparenim t-testom i ANOVA-om (p≤0,05). Rezultati: Svi ispitani materijali pokazali su klinički neprihvatljive promjene boje nakon ubrzanog starenja u vodenoj kupelji, a fotostarenjem nastala je vidljiva promjena boje kod svih svjetlosnopolimerizirajućih kompozita. Nanokompozitni materijali značajno su promijenili boju i u kontrolnoj skupini. Zaključak: Unutarnja stabilnost boje testiranih materijala ovisi o uvjetima starenja i vrsti dentalnog kompozita. Kemijski stvrdnjavajući kompoziti pokazali su tijekom fotostarenja bolju stabilnost. Ključne riječi kompozitne smole; starenje; materijali, testiranje; boja 1 Katedra za restorativnu stomatologiju i endodonciju Stomatološkog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Sarajevu Department of Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Sarajevo 2 Odjel za ispitivanje dentalnih materijala Akademskog centra za stomatologiju, Amsterdam (ACTA), Nizozemska Dental Materials Science Department, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA) 3 Katedra za pretkliničku stomatologiju Stomatološkog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Sarajevu Departmet of Preclinical Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Sarajevo
Complementary Feeding Adequacy in Relation to Nutritional Status Among Early Weaned Breastfed Children Who Are Born to HIV-Infected Mothers: ANRS 1201/1202 Ditrame Plus, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire

OBJECTIVE. In high HIV prevalence resource–constrained settings, exclusive breastfeeding with early cessation is one of the conceivable interventions aimed at the prevention of HIV through breast milk. Nevertheless, this intervention has potential adverse effects, such as the inappropriateness of complementary feeding to take over breast milk. The purpose of our study first was to describe the nature and the ages of introduction of complementary feeding among early weaned breastfed infants up to their first birthday and second was to assess the nutritional adequacy of these complementary foods by creating a child feeding index and to investigate its association with child nutritional status. METHODS. A prospective cohort study in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, was conducted in HIV-infected pregnant women who were willing to breastfeed and had received a perinatal antiretroviral prophylaxis. They were requested to practice exclusive breastfeeding and initiate early cessation of breastfeeding from the fourth month to reduce breast milk HIV transmission. Nature and ages of introductory complementary feeding were described in infants up to their first birthday by longitudinal compilation of 24-hour and 7-day recall histories. These recalls were done weekly until 6 weeks of age, monthly until 9 months of age, and then quarterly. We created an index to synthesize the nutritional adequacy of infant feeding practices (in terms of quality of the source of milk, dietary diversity, food, and meal frequencies) ranging from 0 to 12. The association of this feeding index with growth outcomes in children was investigated. RESULTS. Among the 262 breastfed children included, complete cessation of breastfeeding occurred in 77% by their first birthday, with a median duration of 4 months. Most of the complementary foods were introduced within the seventh month of life, except for infant food and infant formula that were introduced at age 4 months. The feeding index was relatively low (5 of 12) at age 6 months, mainly as a result of insufficient dietary diversity, but was improved in the next 6 months (8.5 of 12 at 12 months of age). Inadequate complementary feeding at age 6 months was associated with impaired growth during the next 12 months, with a 37% increased probability of stunting. CONCLUSION. Adequate feeding practices around the weaning period are crucial to achieving optimal child growth. HIV-infected women should turn to early cessation of breastfeeding only when they are counseled properly to provide adequate complementary feeding to take over breast milk. Our child feeding index could contribute to the assessment of the nutritional adequacy of complementary feeding around the weaning period and therefore help to detect children who are at risk for malnutrition.
Bono Bo and Fla Mingo: Reflections of Speech Prosody in German Second Graders’ Writing to Dictation

Written German is characterized by an underrepresentation of prosody. During writing acquisition, children have to tackle the question which prosodic features are realized by what means – if any. We examined traces of speech prosody in German children’s writing to dictation. A sample of 79 second graders were asked to write down eight sentences to dictation. We analyzed three potential reflections of speech prosody in children’s dictations: (a) Merging of preposition and definite article, potentially preferred after monosyllabic prepositions as in this case preposition and article may melt to the canonical trochaic foot in German. (b) The introduction of orthographically inadequate graphemic border markings within trisyllabic animal names, respecting borders of prosodic units like foot or syllable. (c) Omissions of the definite article in non-optimal prosodic positions, deviating from the preferred strong-weak rhythm. The occurrence of border markings was evaluated via graded perceptual judgments. We found no evidence for inter-word border markings being influenced by prosodic context, probably due to a ceiling effect. However, word-internal markings within animal names, although rarely occurring in general, were clearly influenced by prosodic structure: Most of them were produced at borders of feet or syllables, while significantly fewer markings were perceived at borders of syllable constituents or within consonant clusters. Moreover, we observed significantly more omissions of the definite article in non-optimal prosodic positions compared to potentially optimal positions. Thus, our results provide first evidence from writing acquisition for prosodic influences on writing in a language with scarce graphemic marking of prosody.
Forecasting Fraudulent Financial Statements using Data Mining

This paper explores the effectiveness of machine learning techniques in detecting firms that issue fraudulent financial statements (FFS) and deals with the identification of factors associated to FFS. To this end, a number of experiments have been conducted using representative learning algorithms, which were trained using a data set of 164 fraud and non-fraud Greek firms in the recent period 2001-2002. The decision of which particular method to choose is a complicated problem. A good alternative to choosing only one method is to create a hybrid forecasting system incorporating a number of possible solution methods as components (an ensemble of classifiers). For this purpose, we have implemented a hybrid decision support system that combines the representative algorithms using a stacking variant methodology and achieves better performance than any examined simple and ensemble method. To sum up, this study indicates that the investigation of financial information can be used in the identification of FFS and underline the importance of financial ratios. Keywords—machine learning, stacking, classifier
Recent Results on the Decay of Metastable Phases

We review some aspects of current knowledge regarding the decay of metastable phases in many-particle systems. In particular we emphasize recent theoretical and computational developments and numerical results regarding homogeneous nucleation and growth in kinetic Ising and lattice-gas models. An introductory discussion of the droplet theory of homogeneous nucleation is followed by a discussion of Monte Carlo and transfer-matrix methods commonly used for numerical study of metastable decay, including some new algorithms. Next we discuss specific classes of systems. These include a brief discussion of recent progress for fluids, and more exhaustive considerations of ferromagnetic Ising models ({\it i.e.}, attractive lattice-gas models) with weak long-range interactions and with short-range interactions. Whereas weak-long-range-force (WLRF) models have infinitely long-lived metastable phases in the infinite-range limit, metastable phases in short-range-force (SRF) models eventually decay, albeit extremely slowly. Recent results on the finite-size scaling of metastable lifetimes in SRF models are reviewed, and it is pointed out that such effects may be experimentally observable.