Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Decoding Unattended Fearful Faces with Whole-Brain Correlations: An Approach to Identify Condition-Dependent Large-Scale Functional Connectivity

Processing of unattended threat-related stimuli, such as fearful faces, has been previously examined using group functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) approaches. However, the identification of features of brain activity containing sufficient information to decode, or “brain-read”, unattended (implicit) fear perception remains an active research goal. Here we test the hypothesis that patterns of large-scale functional connectivity (FC) decode the emotional expression of implicitly perceived faces within single individuals using training data from separate subjects. fMRI and a blocked design were used to acquire BOLD signals during implicit (task-unrelated) presentation of fearful and neutral faces. A pattern classifier (linear kernel Support Vector Machine, or SVM) with linear filter feature selection used pair-wise FC as features to predict the emotional expression of implicitly presented faces. We plotted classification accuracy vs. number of top N selected features and observed that significantly higher than chance accuracies (between 90–100%) were achieved with 15–40 features. During fearful face presentation, the most informative and positively modulated FC was between angular gyrus and hippocampus, while the greatest overall contributing region was the thalamus, with positively modulated connections to bilateral middle temporal gyrus and insula. Other FCs that predicted fear included superior-occipital and parietal regions, cerebellum and prefrontal cortex. By comparison, patterns of spatial activity (as opposed to interactivity) were relatively uninformative in decoding implicit fear. These findings indicate that whole-brain patterns of interactivity are a sensitive and informative signature of unattended fearful emotion processing. At the same time, we demonstrate and propose a sensitive and exploratory approach for the identification of large-scale, condition-dependent FC. In contrast to model-based, group approaches, the current approach does not discount the multivariate, joint responses of multiple functional connections and is not hampered by signal loss and the need for multiple comparisons correction.
A Novel Fuzzy C-Means Based Defuzzification Approach with an Adapted Minkowski Distance

In this paper, we present a novel defuzzification approach by feature distance minimization with an adapted Minkowski distance. The proposed approach aims at providing a segmented image through the defuzzification of the fuzzy partitions of the original image. A mathematical derivation of which best pixel would be added/removed to/from the alpha-region of the crisp set is described. And, an evaluation of the proposed approach is carried out.
Reliability and validity of brief measures of oral health-related knowledge, fatalism, and self-efficacy in mothers of African American children.

PURPOSE Low-income African American children experience high rates of dental caries compared to the general population. Knowledgeable and efficacious caregivers can play an important role in caries prevention. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate 4 brief measures reflecting mothers' potentially modifiable cognitions associated with African American children's oral health: (1) knowledge about appropriate bottle use (KBU); (2) knowledge about children's oral hygiene (KCOH); (3) oral health-related fatalism (OHF); and (4) oral health-related self-efficacy (OHSE). METHODS Questions were selected based on reviews of the health promotion and oral health literature, with input from low-income African American caregivers of young children. Reliability and validity were evaluated using survey and dental examination data from 719 low-income African American mothers and their 1- to 5-year-old children. RESULTS Alpha reliabilities ranged from 0.76 to 0.91. KCOH was significantly associated with mothers' oral health perceptions and children's caries status. OHSE was significantly positively correlated with children's brushing frequency and with mothers' subjective perceptions of children's oral health, which was, in turn, significantly associated with children's caries status. CONCLUSIONS Results support the reliability and validity of the new measures. If confirmed by further research, these measures can be used to develop tailored educational and cognitive-behavioral interventions to reduce oral health disparities.
Optimum Estimation of Rain Microphysical Parameters From X-Band Dual-Polarization Radar Observables

Modern polarimetric weather radars typically provide reflectivity, differential reflectivity, and specific differential phase shift, which are used in algorithms to estimate the parameters of the rain drop size distribution (DSD), the mean drop shape, and rainfall rate. A new method is presented to minimize the parameterization error using the Rayleigh scattering limit relations multiplied with a rational polynomial function of reflectivity-weighted raindrop diameter to approximate the Mie character of scattering. A statistical relation between the shape parameter of the DSD with the median volume diameter of raindrops is derived by exploiting long-term disdrometer observations. On the basis of this relation, new optimal estimators of rain microphysical parameters and rainfall rate are developed for a wide range of rain DSDs and air temperatures using X-band scattering simulations of polarimetric radar observables. Parameterizations of radar specific path attenuation and backscattering phase shift are also developed, which do not depend on this relation. The methodology can, in principle, be applied to other weather radar frequencies. A numerical sensitivity analysis shows that calibration bias and measurement noise in radar measurements are critical factors for the total error in parameters estimation, despite the low parameterization error (less than 5%). However, for the usual errors of radar calibration and measurement noise (of the order of 1 dB, 0.2 dB, and 0.3 $\hbox{deg}\ \hbox{km}^{-1}$ for reflectivity, differential reflectivity, and specific differential propagation phase shift, respectively), the new parameterizations provide a reliable estimation of rain parameters (typically less than 20% error).
Can physicians warn patients of potential side effects without fear of causing those side effects?

BACKGROUND When initiating treatment, it has been shown that only one quarter of the physicians discuss potential side effects with patients. There are several possible reasons, but, in particular, many physicians are concerned that the power of suggestion may lead some patients to experience an increase in side effects if they are fully informed. Accordingly, this study was designed to determine whether providing patients with information about potential side effects of new medications increases the reported incidence of those side effects. METHODS All clinic patients are randomly assigned to one of four firms. Two firms served as the intervention group and two served as control groups. All patients receiving new prescriptions for the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were recruited. Patients without telephones were excluded. Intervention patients received verbal instructions and a handout describing the name, purpose, dose, and three most common side effects of the drug. Control patients received usual discharge instructions. Patients were interviewed 14 to 21 days later using a standardized questionnaire. RESULTS There was no difference in incidence of targeted side effects for specific medications between the study groups (38% vs 37%). Study groups were similar with regard to age, sex, financial status, and type of medication prescribed. CONCLUSION Informing patients of potential side effects prior to starting a new medication does not lead to an increased incidence of those side effects. This should not be a reason for physicians to avoid warning patients of potential side effects.
Educational Performance of ALN via Content Analysis

Learning in an ALN mode is modeled by a set of educational processes. The group is modeled by an abstract entity that provides services to the learners via its group educational processes. The learners reciprocate by their corresponding educational processes. Following findings of the Social Interdependence Theory of Cooperative Learning, we conjecture that the ALN is Cooperative Learning enhanced by extended think time. If ALN is structured for effective cooperation then the group dynamics will regulate the high level reasoning and the interpersonal relationships of the learners towards their highest levels.If this conjecture is found to be true, it identifies the maximization of reasoning and interpersonal relationships as one of the educational benefits of an ALN.To test the conjecture, we developed a methodology for the evaluation of the performance profiles of the ALN educational processes. Performance profiles are calculated via content analysis of the information flows exchanged between the participants, and the results are tested for reproducibility. We use this methodology to analyze three weeks of asynchronous discussions embedded in an ALN course of the Open University of Israel (OUI). The results of this analysis indicate the plausibility of our conjecture.
Contact lenses and special back surface design after penetrating keratoplasty to improve contact lens fit and visual outcome

Aims: To describe the fitting of patients with high or irregular astigmatism following penetrating keratoplasty with contact lenses and to answer the question whether or not contact lenses with special back surface design can improve visual acuity in complex cases after penetrating keratoplasty. Methods: 28 eyes were included. They were fitted with contact lenses with a special back surface that was designed for optical rehabilitation after penetrating keratoplasty. Four different types of these lenses (tricurve, keratoconus, reverse, oblong) were used selectively depending on abnormal eccentricity determined by videokeratoscope. The patients were followed up for an average period of 15.5 months. Lens tolerance and corrected visual acuity were evaluated and compared with that corrected with spectacles. Results: The visual acuity was significantly improved in nearly all eyes with an average increase of 3.6 lines (maximal nine lines) accompanied by good contact lens tolerance and satisfactory contact lens fit. No noticeable complications were observed. Conclusion: Contact lenses with special back surface design can improve visual results and lens tolerance, and minimise problems in contact lens fitting. This is in favour of contact lenses as an alternative to surgical procedures for correction of high or irregular astigmatism after penetrating keratoplasty. This procedure is recommended especially in cases of patients who decline further operative interventions.
Introducing IT-enabled Business Flexibility and IT Integration in the Acquirer's M&A Performance Equation

Though mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are a common strategy to reduce costs and pursue growth, the variance in returns from M&A is very high. This research explores how information technology (IT) affects firms’ ability to sense and seize M&A opportunities and assimilate acquisitions. Using a combination of secondary as well as matched-pair survey data from 100 mid-size Spanish firms, the empirical analysis suggests that through the development of business flexibility and IT integration capability, a flexible IT infrastructure enables firms to pursue M&A opportunities and facilitates the integration of IT and business resources of the merged firm, to help realize the economic benefits of M&A activities.
The Impact of Nutritional Status and Longitudinal Recovery of Motor and Cognitive Milestones in Internationally Adopted Children

Internationally adopted children often arrive from institutional settings where they have experienced medical, nutritional and psychosocial deprivation. This study uses a validated research assessment tool to prospectively assess the impact of baseline (immediately post adoption) nutritional status on fifty-eight children as measured by weight-for-age, height-for-age, weight-for-height and head circumference-for-age z scores, as a determinant of cognitive (MDI) and psychomotor development (PDI) scores longitudinally. A statistical model was developed to allow for different ages at time of initial assessment as well as variable intervals between follow up visits. The study results show that both acute and chronic measures of malnutrition significantly affect baseline developmental status as well as the rate of improvement in both MDI and PDI scores. This study contributes to the body of literature with its prospective nature, unique statistical model for longitudinal evaluation, and use of a validated assessment tool to assess outcomes.
CONTRIBUTION OF GASTRIC ACID IN ELDERLY NURSING HOME PATIENTS WITH COUGH REFLEX HYPERSENSITIVITY

reliable escape rhythm (Figure 1). She was transferred to the cardiac care unit, where her rhythm disorder could be better monitored. Continuous cardiac monitoring revealed that all screaming episodes occurred during cardiac pauses. The echocardiogram showed a calcified mitral valve with stenosis and aortic valve sclerosis and insufficiency. The cardiac pauses also occurred during sleep, one lasting up to 16 seconds. Consequently, a ventricle-paced ventricle-sensed inhibited (VVI) pacemaker was implanted, after which the patient’s screaming stopped. In conclusion, a cardiac rhythm disorder caused screaming in this patient and was probably directly connected to presyncopal feelings, which were provoked by secondand third-degree atrioventricular blockades with unreliable escape rhythm superimposed on a sick sinus syndrome. Initially, no transient rhythm changes could be assessed. This woman’s history emphasizes that screaming in older people should be taken seriously, because it may indicate severe disease. It also underscores that severe cardiac diseases may present with atypical symptoms such as screaming in geriatric patients. A literature search was conducted, but no single case history of screaming based on cardiac pathology was found. Nevertheless, cardiac arrhythmias should be part of a differential diagnosis for vocalization behavior, especially when presyncopal feelings accompany this behavior. ECG should be performed routinely, and continuous electrocardiographic monitoring should be considered if the cause of screaming remains unclear. Psychiatric or cognitive comorbidity should not exclude cardiological examination, because screaming in older people may really be a ‘‘cri de coeur. ’’
Enhancing Performance in Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) Retrieval

We have previously described an extension of the vector retrieval method called "Latent Semantic Indexing" (LSI) (Deerwester, et al., 1990; Dumais, et al., 1988; Furnas, et al., 1988). The LSI approach partially overcomes the problem of variability in human word choice by automatically organizing objects into a "semantic" structure more appropriate for information retrieval. This is done by modeling the implicit higher-order structure in the association of terms with objects. Initial tests find this completely automatic method to be a promising way to improve users’ access to many kinds of textual materials or to objects for which textual descriptions are available. This paper describes some enhancements to the basic LSI method, including differential term weighting and relevance feedback. Appropriate term weighting improves performance by an average of 40%, and feedback based on 3 relevant documents improves performance by an average of 67%. September 1, 1992 D R A F T
Sexual Behavior of Gender-Dysphoric Individuals Before Gender-Confirming Interventions: A European Multicenter Study

A transsexual course of development that starts before puberty (early onset) or during or after puberty, respectively (late onset), may lead to diverse challenges in coping with sexual activity. The authors explored the sexual behavior of 380 adult male-to-female and female-to-male individuals diagnosed according to DSM-IV-TR criteria who had not yet undergone gender-confirming interventions. Data originated from the European Network for the Investigation of Gender Incongruence Initiative, conducted in Belgium, Germany, The Netherlands, and Norway. Information on outcome variables was collected using self-administered questionnaires at first clinical presentation. Compared with late-onset male-to-females, early-onset individuals tended to show sexual attraction toward males more frequently (50.5%), involve genitals less frequently in partner-related sexual activity, and consider penile sensations and orgasm as more negative. Early-onset female-to-males predominantly reported sexual attraction toward females (84.0%), whereas those with a late-onset more frequently showed other sexual attractions (41.7%). The study (a) shows that early- and late-onset male-to-females differ considerably with regard to coping strategies involving their body during sexual relations and (b) reveals initial insights into developmental pathways of late-onset female-to-males.
The ultrastructural localization of alpha-bungarotoxin binding sites in relation to synapses on chick ciliary ganglion neurons

The distribution of alpha-bungarotoxin binding sites on chick ciliary ganglion neurons was examined at the ultrastructural level by incubating ganglia with horseradish peroxidase-conjugated toxin and examining the peroxidase-stained and thin-sectioned ganglia with the electron microscope. Both in embryonic and in adult ganglia heavy labeling was restricted to the surface membrane of short processes emerging from the ciliary and choroid cell somata in the region of preganglionic innervation. Less dense labeling occasionally was present on the smooth surface membrane of the soma in the same region. In contrast, the pre- and postsynaptic membranes of most synapses were clearly not labeled even in the immediate vicinity of heavily labeled processes. The labeling represented specific binding of the toxin conjugate since it could be prevented by d-tubocurarine and hexamethonium or by unconjugated toxin. The conjugated toxin was not excluded from the synaptic cleft on the basis of size because a substantially larger protein conjugate, a horseradish peroxidase- labeled monoclonal antibody, was able to enter the cleft and heavily label synaptic membranes as well as soma membranes. Even neurons in adult ganglia had very little synaptic labeling after exposure to the conjugated toxin. These results strongly suggest that the high affinity alpha-bungarotoxin binding sites on chick ciliary ganglion neurons are different from the synaptic ACh receptors which would be expected to be concentrated in the postsynaptic membrane. Clustering of the alpha- bungarotoxin binding sites in the vicinity of synapses, however, may reflect a related synaptic function.
Adaptive CIR prediction of time-varying channels for OFDM systems

Channel Impulse Response (CIR) prediction is important because it makes possible the provision of up-to-date channel state information which is essential for coherent detection of transmitted message symbols. Different prediction techniques have been proposed for OFDM systems. These range from the Minimum Mean Square Error (MMSE) techniques to Adaptive techniques. However, it has been confirmed that the adaptive predictors present better performance than its MMSE counterpart. Besides, the computational complexity of the MMSE class of predictors is more costly than the adaptive predictors. In this paper we propose an improved version of an adaptive Normalized Least Mean Square (NLMS) predictor named Variable Step Size Normalized Least Mean Square (VSSNLMS) predictor. The proposed VSSNLMS predictor is employed for the implementation of Decision Directed Channel Estimation (DDCE) for OFDM systems. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed VSSNLMS predictor outperforms the NLMS predictor at a cost of a negligible high complexity, and its performance is very close to that of the Recursive Least Square (RLS) predictor that exhibits an enormous computational complexity.
Incremental reconstruction of urban environments by Edge-Points Delaunay triangulation

Urban reconstruction from a video captured by a surveying vehicle constitutes a core module of automated mapping. When computational power represents a limited resource and, a detailed map is not the primary goal, the reconstruction can be performed incrementally, from a monocular video, carving a 3D Delaunay triangulation of sparse points; this allows online incremental mapping for tasks such as traversability analysis or obstacle avoidance. To exploit the sharp edges of urban landscape, we propose to use a Delaunay triangulation of Edge-Points, which are the 3D points corresponding to image edges. These points constrain the edges of the 3D Delaunay triangulation to real-world edges. Besides the use of the Edge-Points, a second contribution of this paper is the Inverse Cone Heuristic that preemptively avoids the creation of artifacts in the reconstructed manifold surface. We force the reconstruction of a manifold surface since it makes it possible to apply computer graphics or photometric refinement algorithms to the output mesh. We evaluated our approach on four real sequences of the public available KITTI dataset by comparing the incremental reconstruction against Velodyne measurements.
Higher Serum Iron Is Associated With Increased Oxidant Stress in HIV-Infected Men

Background:F2-isoprostanes (F2-IsoP) are oxidant stress biomarkers that are higher in HIV-infected women than men. We explored whether the effect of hemoglobin (Hgb), serum iron, or anemia on F2-IsoP is different between HIV-infected women and men. Methods:Plasma F2-IsoP were quantified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry; clinical and laboratory data were collected at enrollment or from the medical record. Multivariable linear regression was used to assess associations between F2-IsoP and Hgb, anemia as a dichotomous variable, and serum iron with adjustment for age, sex, race, body mass index, CD4+ lymphocyte count, self-reported current smoking status, and antiretroviral therapy. Results:Compared with men, women had lower Hgb [median: 12.7 (interquartile range: 11.8–13.9) vs. 14.9 (13.7–15.8) g/dL, P < 0.001], lower iron levels [75 (47–97) vs. 90 (69–121) µg/dL, P = 0.004], more anemia (29% vs. 10%, P < 0.001), and higher levels of F2-IsoP [42 (32–62) vs. 36 (25–46) pg/mL, P < 0.001]. The relationship between iron and F2-IsoP differed significantly between men and women (interaction P = 0.02). Men had a 21% (95% confidence interval: 8 to 36) increase in F2-IsoP per interquartile increase in iron (P = 0.001), whereas no relationship was seen among women [−4% (−17 to 13, P = 0.65]. Conclusions:Although women have overall higher F2-IsoP than men, a relationship between circulating F2-IsoP and iron levels was observed in men but not in women with HIV infection. The association between female sex and higher F2-IsoP is not explained by iron or Hgb levels because the association persists when controlling for these factors. The role of iron in oxidant stress and sex-specific differences among HIV-infected individuals require further study.
Bioinformatics Applications Note Genome Analysis Genoplotr: Comparative Gene and Genome Visualization in R

The amount of gene and genome data obtained by next-generation sequencing technologies generates a need for comparative visualization tools. Complementing existing software for comparison and exploration of genomics data, genoPlotR automatically creates publication-grade linear maps of gene and genomes, in a highly automatic, flexible and reproducible way. Availability: genoPlotR is a platform-independent R package, available with full source code under a GPL2 license at R-Forge: