Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Learning with Support Vector Machines

Support Vectors Machines have become a well established tool within machine learning. They work well in practice and have now been used across a wide range of applications from recognizing hand-written digits, to face identification, text categorisation, bioinformatics, and database marketing. In this book we give an introductory overview of this subject. We start with a simple Support Vector Machine for performing binary classification before considering multi-class classification and learning in the presence of noise. We show that this framework can be extended to many other scenarios such as prediction with real-valued outputs, novelty detection and the handling of complex output structures such as parse trees. Finally, we give an overview of the main types of kernels which are used in practice and how to learn and make predictions from multiple types of input data. Table of Contents: Support Vector Machines for Classification / Kernel-based Models / Learning with Kernels
Refining the Candidate Environment

Meta-analytic evidence has supported a gene-environment interaction between life stress and the serotonin transporter–linked polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) on depression, but few studies have examined factors that influence detection of this effect, despite years of inconsistent results. We propose that the candidate environment (akin to a candidate gene) is key. Theory and evidence have implicated major stressful life events (SLEs)—particularly major interpersonal SLEs—as well as chronic family stress. A total of 400 participants from the Youth Emotion Project (which began with 627 high school juniors oversampled for high neuroticism) completed up to five annual diagnostic and stress interviews and provided DNA samples. A significant gene-environment effect for major SLEs and S-carrier genotype was accounted for significantly by major interpersonal SLEs but not significantly by major noninterpersonal SLEs. S-carrier genotype and chronic family stress also significantly interacted. Identifying such candidate environments may facilitate future gene-environment research in depression and psychopathology more broadly.
The Family Attitudes Questionnaire. Patients' and spouses' views of bipolar illness.

A newly devised Family Attitudes Questionnaire has been employed to quantify the perceptions of 19 bipolar manic-depressive patients and their well spouses about the etiology, familial risk, and long-term burden of bipolar illness, and to assess their abilities about marriage and childbearing. In this study, 53% of well spouses compared with 5% of patients (P less than .01) would not have had children if they had known more about bipolar illness prior to making these decisions. The overall data suggest that the bipolar patients, compared with his or her spouse, minimizes the burden and denies the heritable/familial nature of affective illness. These findings should be borne in mind for genetic counseling as well as for psychotherapy.
Bessel beams: Diffraction in a new light

Diffraction is a cornerstone of optical physics and has implications for the design of all optical systems. The paper discusses the so-called 'non-diffracting' light field, commonly known as the Bessel beam. Approximations to such beams can be experimentally realized using a range of different means. The theoretical foundation of these beams is described and then various experiments that make use of Bessel beams are discussed: these cover a wide range of fields including non-linear optics, where the intense central core of the Bessel beam has attracted interest; short pulse non-diffracting fields; atom optics, where the narrow non-diffracting features of the Bessel beam are able to act as atomic guides and atomic confinement devices and optical manipulation, where the reconstruction properties of the beam enable new effects to be observed that cannot be seen with Gaussian beams. The intensity profile of the Bessel beam may offer routes to investigating statistical physics as well as new techniques for the optical sorting of particles.
Older adults with asthma: does age of asthma onset make a difference?

Abstract Objective: Older adults with asthma can develop symptoms early in life or during adulthood. Differences between these groups may have diagnostic and therapeutic implications. Our goal was to identify differences in demographics, control, quality of life and healthcare utilization between those with long-standing asthma (LSA) and late-onset asthma (LOA). Methods: Data from a cross-sectional study of asthma patients over age 65 were analyzed. LSA or LOA was based on age of diagnosis (before or after age 40). Demographic and asthma specific information were analyzed, and allergy prick tests and lung function testing (spirometry and FENO) were performed. Results: After regression analysis, LSA subjects were more likely to demonstrate positive prick tests (92 versus 71%, p = 0.04), with both groups demonstrating higher levels of atopy than previously reported. LSA subjects were also more likely to have received a peak flow meter (p = 0.07). LOA subjects were more likely to have moderate or severe asthma (OR = 3.1, p = 0.05), and had higher FENO readings (p = 0.02). They also had more hospitalizations (p = 0.04), though significance was lost after regression analysis. No differences were noted in demographic information, medical comorbidities, spirometry, compliance, asthma control, or asthma quality of life between LSA and LOA subjects. Conclusion: LSA subjects are more atopic and more likely to be given a peak flow meter, while LOA subjects have higher FENO levels and more severe asthma. Defining age of asthma onset may help improve treatment recommendations and outcomes for older adults.
Market Mechanisms and Funding Dynamics in Equity Crowdfunding

Equity crowdfunding is a new form of entrepreneurial finance, in which investors do not receive perks or engage in pre-purchase of the product, but rather participate in the future cash flows of a firm. In this paper, we analyze what determines individual investment decisions in this new financial market. One important factor that may influence the behavior of investors is the way the portal allocates securities. We use unique data from four German equity crowdfunding portals to examine how the allocation mechanism affects funding dynamics. In contrast with the crowdfunding campaigns on Kickstarter, on which the typical pattern of project support is U shaped, we find that equity crowdfunding dynamics are L shaped under a first-come, first-served mechanism and U shaped under a second-price auction. The evidence also shows that investors base their decisions on information provided by the entrepreneur in the form of updates as well as by the investment behavior and comments of other crowd investors.
Recurrent hepatitis C virus disease after liver transplantation and concurrent biliary tract complications: poor outcome

Abstract: Recurrent hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is particularly aggressive in the post‐liver transplantation setting, with rapid progression of liver fibrosis. Biliary complications remain a significant cause of morbidity following liver transplantation. Post‐cholecystectomy biliary strictures are associated with advanced hepatic fibrosis. The aim of this retrospective study was to determine whether the presence of biliary complications affects survival in liver transplant recipients with recurrent HCV disease. The files of liver transplant recipients (53.7% male; mean age 52.7 ± 10.3 yr) were reviewed for incidence, type and treatment of biliary complications, and findings were compared between those who developed recurrent HCV disease (n = 47, 83.9%) and those who did not (n = 9). Twenty‐one biliary complications developed in 12 patients with recurrent HCV (25.5%). Treatment with endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography or percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography with balloon dilatation and stent placement or surgical revision was successful in nine (75%). Three biliary complications developed in three patients with no recurrence (p = NS). There was no statistically significant association between recurrent HCV disease and biliary complications. However, among those with recurrent disease, the recurrence was severe in nine of 12 recipients with biliary complications (75%) but in only nine of 35 without biliary complications (26%) (p = 0.001). Death was documented in eight patients with severe recurrence (44.4%), including three (37.5%) with biliary complications and two (7%) with non‐severe recurrence, neither of whom had biliary complications (p = 0.003). Antiviral treatment was successful in nine of 25 patients (36%) who received it. On multivariate analysis, biliary complications were a significant predictor of severe recurrence (OR 27.0, 95% confidence interval 2.07–351.4) (p = 0.012). Fibrosis stage in the second biopsy was significantly correlated with serum alanine aminotransferase (p = 0.01) and with duration of biliary obstruction (p = 0.07). In conclusion, biliary complications of liver transplantation strongly affect outcome in patients with recurrent HCV disease despite attempts to relieve the biliary obstruction and to treat the recurrent HCV disease.
Intraoperative monitoring of analgesia using nociceptive reflexes correlates with delayed extubation and immediate postoperative pain: A prospective observational study

BACKGROUND Immediate postoperative pain could be prevented by the administration of long-lasting analgesics before the end of the anaesthesia. However, to prevent over or underdosing of analgesics under anaesthesia, tools are required to estimate the analgesia–nociception balance. OBJECTIVE We investigated whether the pupillary dilation reflex (PDR) and the nociceptive flexion reflex (NFR) at the end of general anaesthesia correlate with immediate postoperative pain, as a sign of analgesic underdosing, and with delayed tracheal extubation as a sign of analgesic overdosing. DESIGN Prospective observational study. SETTING Klinikum im Friedrichshain, Berlin, Germany, from May 2013 to April 2015. PATIENTS A total of 110 patients scheduled for primary hip arthroplasty under general anaesthesia. OBSERVATIONS Psychometric and clinical data were obtained preoperatively. The PDR and the NFR were assessed preoperatively and at the end of anaesthesia. Shortly after extubation of the trachea, patients rated their pain intensity. ENDPOINTS The primary endpoint was the immediate postoperative numeric rating scale pain intensity (0 to 10) and the secondary endpoint was the length of the time interval between reflex measurements and tracheal extubation. RESULTS PDR correlated significantly with the immediate postoperative pain intensity (Spearman's &rgr; = −0.28, P < 0.01). PDR and NFR correlated significantly with the time interval until extubation (&rgr; = 0.33/0.26, both P < 0.01). Multivariable linear regression models were able to predict 38% of the variability of immediate postoperative pain intensity and 44% of the variability of the time interval until extubation. The intraoperative nociceptive reflex thresholds were the strongest factors in both multivariable models, only exceeded by the preoperative reflex measurements in the model for postoperative pain. CONCLUSION The investigated nociceptive reflexes reflected the analgesia–nociception balance under general anaesthesia. The preoperative reflexes provide additional information about individual subjective pain sensitivity. TRIAL REGISTRATION Deutsches Register Klinischer Studien, DRKS (registration number DRKS00000665).
A Description of Sexual Offending Committed by Canadian Teachers

The aim of this investigation was to describe teachers who sexually offend against youth and the circumstances related to these offenses. Archival Violent Crime Linkage Analysis System reports were obtained from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and demographic and criminal characteristics for the offender, as well as information about the victim and offense, were selected for analyses. A descriptive approach was used to analyze the qualitative reports for a group of 113 Canadian sexual offenders between 1995 and 2002. The results provide a description of adult male teachers who offended within their position of trust as well as offense and victim characteristics.
Antiplatelet activity of carvedilol in comparison to propranolol

The non-selective vasodilating g -blocker carvedilol was found to inhibit platelet aggregation as well as thromboxane B 2 formation more effectively than propranolol. The antiaggregatory activity of carvedilol decreased, depending on the stimulus used, in the following rank order of potency (in parentheses the respective mean inhibitory concentrations of carvedilol and propranolol are given in w mol/l): PMA (19 and 34) > thrombin (55 and 77) > Ca 2+ -ionophore A23187 (58 and 81) > epinephrine (86 and 118). However, aggregation of platelets activated with ADP was not affected by carvedilol in concentrations up to 100 w mol/l. In platelets stimulated with thrombin, carvedilol (10 w mol/l) reduced thromboxane B 2 formation by 64%, whereas propranolol was ineffective at this concentration. Moreover, A23187-induced formation of thromboxane B 2 , not affected by propranolol, was completely blocked by 100 w mol/l carvedilol. In comparison to propranolol, the molecule of carvedilol is more lipophilic and possesses lower dipole moment and higher molar refractivity, thus penetrating into platelet membranes readily and in large quantities. The antiplatelet effect was assumed to result from interactions of carvedilol with membrane macromolecules (phospholipids, ion channels, enzymes, etc.) rather than from blockade of f - and g -adrenergic receptors.
Dictyostelium Lipid Droplets Host Novel Proteins

ABSTRACT Across all kingdoms of life, cells store energy in a specialized organelle, the lipid droplet. In general, it consists of a hydrophobic core of triglycerides and steryl esters surrounded by only one leaflet derived from the endoplasmic reticulum membrane to which a specific set of proteins is bound. We have chosen the unicellular organism Dictyostelium discoideum to establish kinetics of lipid droplet formation and degradation and to further identify the lipid constituents and proteins of lipid droplets. Here, we show that the lipid composition is similar to what is found in mammalian lipid droplets. In addition, phospholipids preferentially consist of mainly saturated fatty acids, whereas neutral lipids are enriched in unsaturated fatty acids. Among the novel protein components are LdpA, a protein specific to Dictyostelium, and Net4, which has strong homologies to mammalian DUF829/Tmem53/NET4 that was previously only known as a constituent of the mammalian nuclear envelope. The proteins analyzed so far appear to move from the endoplasmic reticulum to the lipid droplets, supporting the concept that lipid droplets are formed on this membrane.
Modulating the Activity of the DLPFC and OFC Has Distinct Effects on Risk and Ambiguity Decision-Making: A tDCS Study

Human beings are constantly exposed to two types of uncertainty situations, risk and ambiguity. Neuroscientific studies suggest that the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the orbital frontal cortex (OFC) play significant roles in human decision making under uncertainty. We applied the transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) device to modulate the activity of participants’ DLPFC and OFC separately, comparing the causal relationships between people’s behaviors and the activity of the corresponding brain cortex when confronted with situations of risk and ambiguity. Our experiment employed a pre–post design and a risk/ambiguity decision-making task, from which we could calculate the preferences via an estimation model. We found evidences that modulating the activity of the DLPFC using right anodal/left cathodal tDCS significantly enhanced the participants’ preferences for risk, whereas modulating the activity of the OFC with right anodal/left cathodal tDCS significantly decreased the participants’ preferences for ambiguity. The reverse effects were also observed in the reversed tDCS treatments on the two areas. Our results suggest that decision-making processes under risk and ambiguity are complicated and may be encoded in two distinct circuits in our brains as the DLPFC primarily impacts decisions under risk whereas the OFC affects ambiguity.
Myocardial infarction mortality risk after treatment for Hodgkin disease: a collaborative British cohort study.

BACKGROUND Myocardial infarction is a major cause of excess long-term mortality in survivors of Hodgkin disease, but limited information exists on the effects of specific chemotherapy regimens used to treat these patients on their risk of death from myocardial infarction. METHODS We followed a cohort of 7033 Hodgkin disease patients who were treated in Britain from November 1, 1967, through September 30, 2000, and compared their risk of myocardial infarction mortality with that in the general population of England and Wales. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS A total of 166 deaths from myocardial infarction occurred in the cohort, statistically significantly more than expected (standardized mortality ratio [SMR] = 2.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.1 to 2.9), with an absolute excess risk of 125.8 per 100,000 person-years. Standardized mortality ratios decreased sharply with older age at first treatment, but absolute excess risks of death from myocardial infarction increased with older age up to age 65 years at first treatment. The statistically significantly increased risk of myocardial infarction mortality persisted through to 25 years after first treatment. Risks were increased statistically significantly and independently for patients who had been treated with supradiaphragmatic radiotherapy, anthracyclines, or vincristine. Risk was particularly high for patients treated with the doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine regimen (SMR = 9.5, 95% CI = 3.5 to 20.6). Risk at 20 or more years after first treatment was particularly great for patients who had received supradiaphragmatic radiotherapy and vincristine without anthracyclines (SMR = 14.8, 95% CI = 4.8 to 34.5). CONCLUSIONS The risk of death from myocardial infarction after treatment for Hodgkin disease remains high for at least 25 years. The increased risks are related to supradiaphragmatic radiotherapy but may also be related to anthracycline and vincristine treatment.
[The evaluation of the relationships between marital adjustment, attachment styles, temperament and character features].

OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to investigate the relationships between marital adjustment and demographics, attachment styles, temperament, and character profiles of the couples. METHOD The study group included 25 couples that presented to a psychiatry clinic with marital problems and 25 couples without marital problems and those who were not diagnosed with any psychiatric disorder as the control group. Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Disorders, Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R Axis-II Personality Disorders, Temperament and Character Inventory, Birtchnell Marital Partner Evaluation Scale, and Experiences in Close Relationships Inventory were used. Sociodemographic and some marital characteristics were recorded on a separate form. RESULTS It was found that the men and women in the study group thought of each other as less reliable than the controls. Men were more detached and controlled by women and women were more dependent on men. Attachment styles of women in the study group were avoidant and anxious while men had higher scores in the avoidance dimension. In the study group, women received higher scores for harm avoidance, sentimentality, congruent second nature and lower scores for empathy subscales, while men received lower scores for attachment, self-forgetfulness, self-transcendence and higher scores for congruent second nature. Overall, 48% of the women in the study group were found to have depression. DISCUSSION We found that men and women couples with marital problems were different from controls in the way they evaluated each other, and these differences were related to temperament, character and attachment patterns.
Performance of Various Trap Types for Monitoring Populations of Cherry Fruit Fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) Species

Abstract The eastern cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis cingulata (Loew), and black cherry fruit fly, R. fausta (Osten Sacken), are the most important insect pests of cherries Prunus spp. in the eastern and midwestern United States. In 1998, we studied the responses of cherry fruit fly species using the recommended V-shaped Pherocon AM board. Significantly more R. cingulata flies were caught on boards with aqueous solutions of ammonium baits compared with boards that had solid ammonium baits mixed into the Tangle-Trap. Captures of R. fausta flies were low in 1998 and the weekly trapping data never exceeded a total of five adults. In 1999, several commercial traps were evaluated including the unbaited, three-dimensional Rebell trap and different types of ammonium baited spheres and boards including a 9-cm-diameter red sphere, a modified version of the Ladd trap (L & S trap), and the Pherocon AM yellow board in the vertical and V-shaped orientations. There were significantly more R. fausta flies caught on unbaited Rebell traps compared with any other commercial traps studied. Red sphere treatments (regardless of baiting system) consistently captured significantly fewer R. fausta flies than any other treatment evaluated. For R. cingulata, total captures on unbaited Rebell traps were not significantly different from other commercial traps including the 9-cm-diameter red spheres baited with ammonium acetate mixed into the Tangle-Trap, L & S traps, and the baited Pherocon AM yellow boards deployed in a vertical orientation. The study demonstrated that the unbaited Rebell trap was the most effective and selective device evaluated for monitoring R. fausta and R. cingulata flies. In addition, red sphere (9-cm-diameter) traps were found ineffective for use in R. fausta monitoring programs.
A Field Experiment in Blended Learning Performance Effects of Supplementing the Traditional Classroom Experience with a Web-based Virtual Learning Environment Completed Research Paper

This study examines the efficacy of blended learning—an approach that seeks to combine traditional and online methods in a way that leverages the strengths of both—using a field experiment spanning nearly four months. An information-processing model of learning suggests that information accessibility plays a key role in learners’ interaction with the available information source and can thereby affect learning outcomes. Results of our study suggest that information accessibility does, indeed, impact the efficacy of blended learning by providing high value content in low cost settings, thereby enhancing performance. The largest gains in performance were seen by those who used the blended learning system the most, with the lowest gains by those who did not use the system at all (i.e., the control group).