Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A discrete Reeb graph approach for the segmentation of human body scans

Segmentation of 3D human body (HB) scan is a very challenging problem in applications exploiting human scan data. To tackle this problem, we propose a topological approach based on discrete Reeb graph (DRG) which is an extension of the classical Reeb graph to unorganized cloud of 3D points. The essence of the approach is detecting critical nodes in the DRG thus permitting the extraction of branches that represent the body parts. Because the human body shape representation is built upon global topological features that are preserved so long as the whole structure of the human body does not change, our approach is quite robust against noise, holes, irregular sampling, moderate reference change and posture variation. Experimental results performed on real scan data demonstrate the validity of our method.
Female gender doubles executive dysfunction risk in ALS: a case-control study in 165 patients

Background Cognitive impairment, mainly characterised by executive dysfunction, occurs in about half of cases in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). There is evidence that gender influences some clinical features of the disease, but its influence on the cognitive spectrum is unknown. Our objective was to investigate the impact of gender on cognitive profiles of patients with ALS. Methods A retrospective study based on an exhaustive neuropsychological battery was performed in a group of 165 (70 females, 95 males) sporadic, non-demented patients with ALS compared with 134 healthy control participants. This assessment primarily focused on executive, memory and language functions. Results 47 (29%) patients revealed impairment in executive function and 30 (18%) patients revealed cognitive non-executive impairment. Independent from mood tone and clinical variables, a significantly greater executive impairment was determined in female patients than in male patients and control participants. The relative risk for ALS females having impairment in executive function compared with male patients was 2.6 (95% CI 1.6 to 4.4; p=0.0003). ALS females scored lower in Phonemic Fluency, Trial Making, and Wisconsin Card Sorting test. Conclusions Results highlight a significant vulnerability of ALS female patients to develop cognitive dysfunctions peculiar to the disease, independently of bulbar onset. The explicative hypotheses of the data are focused on two interpretative lines not mutually exclusive: the role of gonadal hormones and gender-related brain asymmetry pre-existing to the disease. These findings, never reported before in the literature, can have important implications for models of ALS pathogenesis and for future clinical trial designs.
Entorhinal cortex grid cells can map to hippocampal place cells by competitive learning

‘Grid cells’ in the dorsocaudal medial entorhinal cortex (dMEC) are activated when a rat is located at any of the vertices of a grid of equilateral triangles covering the environment. dMEC grid cells have different frequencies and phase offsets. However, cells in the dentate gyrus (DG) and hippocampal area CA3 of the rodent typically display place fields, where individual cells are active over only a single portion of the space. In a model of the hippocampus, we have shown that the connectivity from the entorhinal cortex to the dentate granule cells could allow the dentate granule cells to operate as a competitive network to recode their inputs to produce sparse orthogonal representations, and this includes spatial pattern separation. In this paper we show that the same computational hypothesis can account for the mapping of EC grid cells to dentate place cells. We show that the learning in the competitive network is an important part of the way in which the mapping can be achieved. We further show that incorporation of a short term memory trace into the associative learning can help to produce the relatively broad place fields found in the hippocampus.
Occupational Stress among Textile Workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Context: In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), scientific studies on occupational health are scarce. The present study aims at estimating the level of occupational stress, as well as associated factors, in a textile company. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional survey among textile workers in DRC. Data (N = 192 subjects) were collected through a self-questionnaire validated for the assessment of stress (Karasek and Siegrist’s scale); supplemented by a medical examination. Frequencies and odds ratios (ORs) were estimated for descriptive analyses. Adjusted ORs were calculated through a logistic regression model to investigate associations between socio-demographic and organisational variables and stress. Results: Our study highlighted a high level of stress among individuals: 28% of them were suffering from stress, according to Karasek, and 22%, when applying Siegrist’s model. A 14%-isostrain was calculated when considering all workers. A statistically significant association was observed between stress and age, seniority and perceived non-adaptation to work, considering both approaches. Furthermore, when job strain was determined according to Karasek, it was related to the worker status, the poor perception of organisation and alcohol consumption, while stress estimated by applying Siegrist’s model showed an association with education level and the occurrence of cardiac symptoms. Conclusion: The present study provides of stress among individuals through both models. Several socio-professional factors are associated with stress, which determines populations at risk. The results revealed that both stress models offer complementary information, thus increasing the probability to model workers’ health more exactly and to make recommendations on prevention and management.
Algebraic elimination of ε -transitions

We here describe a method of removing the e -transitions of a weighted automaton. The existence of a solution for this removal depends on the existence of the star of a single matrix which, in turn, is based on the computation of the stars of scalars in the ground semiring. We discuss two aspects of the star problem (by infinite sums and by equations) and give an algorithm to suppress the e -transitions and preserve the behaviour. Running complexities are computed.
Research update : psychoeducational family interventions

The research on psychoeducational family interventions is reviewed, outlining the key findings of the early intervention studies, and summarizing what later studies contribute to our knowledge. Questions of relevance to clinicians are addressed. The author draws attention to pertinent issues in relation to training and supervision of therapists, and highlights difficulties which must be overcome if family interventions are to be provided routinely in clinical services.
Relational progression as a dialectic: Examining turning points in communication among friends

This study claims that relationship development can be viewed as a dialectic. Evidence for this hypothesis is obtained by examining friendships of three different intimacy levels: casual, close, and best friends. Over one-half of the friendships examined exhibited patterns of recalled relational development predicted by viewing development as a dialectic. Five trajectories for friendships were found. The most commonly reported turning points consisted of activities that the friends shared. Few differences were found between casual, close, and best friends; however, number of turning points was negatively related to satisfaction for casual friends. Implications for the conceptualization of relational development and interpersonal communication research are discussed.
Literacy and Cerebral Palsy: Factors Influencing Literacy Learning in a Self-Contained Setting

This study was conducted as an ethnography of one self-contained classroom at a school for children with cerebral palsy. The five students were severely multiply disabled, exhibiting differing degrees and combinations of physical, visual, speech, hearing, and perceptual impairments. All were diagnosed as having severe reading disabilities. The purpose of the study was to describe and explain those factors that impacted on literacy learning within this setting. Data collection involved nonparticipant observation, interviews with teachers and administrators, videotape analysis and examination of student records. Factors identified as facilitating literacy learning were (a) the room as a text-rich environment, (b) the latitude often given students to govern their own literate behavior, (c) the regularly conducted storyreading sessions, and (d) the constructive use of computers. Factors identified as hindering literacy learning were (a) restriction of instructional time, (b) overreliance on individual instruction, and (c) lack of student literate interaction.
Skeletal development of the Mexican spadefoot, Spea multiplicata (Anura: Pelobatidae)

The larval chondrocranium of Spea multiplicata is described, as is the development and adult morphology of the skeleton. There are major modifications to the larval chondrocranium throughout development, including the presence of embryonic trabeculae in young tadpoles and significant reorganization of cartilaginous structures at metamorphosis. The first bone to ossify is the parasphenoid (Stage 35), followed by the presacral neural arches, ilium, and femur (Stage 36). By Stage 39, most of the postcranial elements have begun to ossify. Metamorphic climax is accomplished over three Gosner stages (39–41) and involves major modifications to the chondrocranium, as well as the appearance of three cranial elements (septomaxilla, nasal, and premaxilla). After metamorphosis, the exoccipital, vomer, dentary, angulosplenial, squamosal, pterygoid, sphenethmoid, ischium, and hyoid begin to ossify. The stapes, mentomeckelian, operculum, carpals, and tarsals do not appear until juvenile and adult stages. The development of the hyoid and cartilaginous condensations of the carpals and tarsals are described. In addition, phenotypic plasticity within the genus and the absence of a palatine (= neopalatine) bone are discussed. J. Morphol. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Identification of Dipeptidyl-Peptidase (DPP)5 and DPP7 in Porphyromonas endodontalis, Distinct from Those in Porphyromonas gingivalis

Dipeptidyl peptidases (DPPs) that liberate dipeptides from the N-terminal end of oligopeptides are crucial for the growth of Porphyromonas species, anaerobic asaccharolytic gram negative rods that utilize amino acids as energy sources. Porphyromonas endodontalis is a causative agent of periapical lesions with acute symptoms and Asp/Glu-specific DPP11 has been solely characterized in this organism. In this study, we identified and characterized two P. endodontalis DPPs, DPP5 and DPP7. Cell-associated DPP activity toward Lys-Ala-4-methylcoumaryl-7-amide (MCA) was prominent in P. endodontalis ATCC 35406 as compared with the Porphyromonas gingivalis strains ATCC 33277, 16-1, HW24D1, ATCC 49417, W83, W50, and HNA99. The level of hydrolysis of Leu-Asp-MCA by DPP11, Gly-Pro-MCA by DPP4, and Met-Leu-MCA was also higher than in the P. gingivalis strains. MER236725 and MER278904 are P. endodontalis proteins belong to the S9- and S46-family peptidases, respectively. Recombinant MER236725 exhibited enzymatic properties including substrate specificity, and salt- and pH-dependence similar to P. gingivalis DPP5 belonging to the S9 family. However, the k cat/K m figure (194 µM−1·sec−1) for the most potent substrate (Lys-Ala-MCA) was 18.4-fold higher as compared to the P. gingivalis entity (10.5 µM−1·sec−1). In addition, P. endodontalis DPP5 mRNA and protein contents were increased several fold as compared with those in P. gingivalis. Recombinant MER278904 preferentially hydrolyzed Met-Leu-MCA and exhibited a substrate specificity similar to P. gingivalis DPP7 belonging to the S46 family. In accord with the deduced molecular mass of 818 amino acids, a 105-kDa band was immunologically detected, indicating that P. endodontalis DPP7 is an exceptionally large molecule in the DPP7/DPP11/S46 peptidase family. The enhancement of four DPP activities was conclusively demonstrated in P. endodontalis, and remarkable Lys-Ala-MCA-hydrolysis was achieved by qualitative and quantitative potentiation of the DPP5 molecule.
Gene V protein-mediated translational regulation of the synthesis of gene II protein of the filamentous bacteriophage M13: a dispensable function of the filamentous-phage genome

Introduction of a deletion in the genome of wild-type M13 bacteriophage that eliminates translational repression of M13 gene II by its cognate gene V protein had no effect on phage viability. Furthermore, it was noted that gene V protein of phage IKe, a distant relative of M13, does not function as a translational repressor of its cognate gene II protein. The data strongly indicate that the gene V protein-mediated control of gene II expression in bacteriophage M13 is an evolutionary relic of the ancestral filamentous-phage genome and thus dispensable for proper filamentous-phage replication.
CDD: conserved domains and protein three-dimensional structure

CDD, the Conserved Domain Database, is part of NCBI’s Entrez query and retrieval system and is also accessible via http://www.ncbi. nlm.nih. gov/Structure/cdd/cdd.shtml. CDD provides annotation of protein sequences with the location of conserved domain footprints and functional sites inferred from these footprints. Pre-computed annotation is available via Entrez, and interactive search services accept single protein or nucleotide queries, as well as batch submissions of protein query sequences, utilizing RPS-BLAST to rapidly identify putative matches. CDD incorporates several protein domain and full-length protein model collections, and maintains an active curation effort that aims at providing fine grained classifications for major and well-characterized protein domain families, as supported by available protein three-dimensional (3D) structure and the published literature. To this date, the majority of protein 3D structures are represented by models tracked by CDD, and CDD curators are characterizing novel families that emerge from protein structure determination efforts.
Making Consistent Judgments: Assessing Student Attainment of Systemic Achievement Targets

Abstract Making Consistent Judgments (MCJ) was a systemic professional development program designed to increase teachers’ capacity to make consistent judgments about students’ achievement of educational standards in government schools in Western Australia; the MCJ program was in operation from 2004 to 2007 (Department of Education and Training 2007; 2008). The author describes the MCJ program as a case study in the context of the educational environment in which it was implemented and evaluated. Data were collected as a result of participant observation, documentation, and artefacts. Examples are drawn from the English learning area.
Large Negative Magnetoresistance and Strong Localization in Highly Disordered Electrospun Pregraphitic Carbon Nanofiber

A highly disordered pregraphitic carbon nanofiber with the product of its quasi-Fermi wave vector and mean free path close to 1 was fabricated using electrospinning technique. Strong localization made the conductivity vary with temperature as lnσ∝T−1∕2 from 300to5K, suggesting variable range hopping as the conductivity mechanism, and resulted in a large negative magnetoresistance from 300K down to 1.9K that can still be quantitatively described using weak localization and electron interaction models.
The Effects of Anti-Hypertensive Drugs Evaluated Using Markov Modelling for Northern Ireland Chronic Kidney Disease Patients

The aim of this paper is to use Markov modelling to investigate survival for particular types of kidney patients in relation to their exposure to anti-hypertensive treatment drugs. In order to monitor kidney function an intuitive three point assessment is proposed through the collection of blood samples in relation to chronic kidney disease for Northern Ireland patients. A five state Markov model was devised using specific transition probabilities for males and females over all age groups. These transition probabilities were then adjusted appropriately using relative risk scores for the event death for different subgroups of patients. The model was built using TreeAge software package in order to explore the effects of anti-hypertensive drugs on patients.
Comfortably Engaging: Which Approach to Alcohol Screening Should We Use?

PURPOSE We wanted to compare 2 screening instruments for problem drinking, the CAGE and a single question, assessing frequency of use, patient and clinician comfort, and patient engagement in change. METHODS The study was a crossover, cluster-randomized clinical trial with 31 clinicians in Missouri and 13 in the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) National Network for Family Practice and Primary Care Research; 2,800 patients provided data. The clinician was the unit of randomization. Clinicians decided whether to screen each patient; if they chose to screen, they used the screening approach assigned for that block of patients. The clinician and patient separately completed questionnaires immediately after the office visit to assess each one’s comfort with screening (and any ensuing discussion) and the patient’s engagement in change. RESULTS Missouri clinicians screened more patients when assigned the single question (81%) than the CAGE (69%, P = .001 in weighted analysis). There was no difference among AAFP network clinicians (96% of patients screened with the CAGE, 97% with the single question). Eighty percent to 90% of clinicians and 70% of patients reported being comfortable with screening and the ensuing discussion, with no difference between approaches in either network. About one third of patients who were identified as problem drinkers reported thinking about or planning to change their drinking behavior, with no difference in engagement between screening approaches. CONCLUSIONS Clinicians and patients reported similar comfort with the CAGE questions and the single-question screening tools for problem drinking, and the 2 instruments were equal in their ability to engage the patient. In Missouri, the single question was more likely to be used.
Motion Opponency in Visual Cortex

Perceptual studies suggest that visual motion perception is mediated by opponent mechanisms that correspond to mutually suppressive populations of neurons sensitive to motions in opposite directions. We tested for a neuronal correlate of motion opponency using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure brain activity in human visual cortex. There was strong motion opponency in a secondary visual cortical area known as the human MT complex (MT+), but there was little evidence of motion opponency in primary visual cortex. To determine whether the level of opponency in human and monkey are comparable, a variant of these experiments was performed using multiunit electrophysiological recording in areas MT and MST of the macaque monkey brain. Although there was substantial variability in the degree of opponency between recording sites, the monkey and human data were qualitatively similar on average. These results provide further evidence that: (1) direction-selective signals underly human MT+ responses, (2) neuronal signals in human MT+ support visual motion perception, (3) human MT+ is homologous to macaque monkey MT and adjacent motion sensitive brain areas, and (4) that fMRI measurements are correlated with average spiking activity.
Wireless Sensor Networks in the control loop: Delay-sensitive networks

Traditional short-range wireless network standards, such as IEEE 802.11 and IEEE 802.15. 4, do not consider packets according to their delay deadlines and they treat the packets all the same regardless of these requirements. In this document, we propose a cross-layer architecture where the application using the wireless medium associates each packet it is pushing down the communication stack with a delay requirement. We propose two new mechanisms: ER (Early Retirement) and PHY+. These mechanisms utilize the deadline associated with each packet for further transmission and redundancy optimization. In our simulations, we focus on the Wireless Sensor Networks domain and apply our methods as an extension to the well-known and widely acceptable low-power, low-throughput IEEE 802.15. 4 standard. Simulations performed showed that our mechanisms outperform the original standard considerably, especially in situations where high numbers of users exist in the system.
Development and Validation of an Adult Children of Alcoholics Tool

We describe the development and validation of a 25-item Adult Children of Alcoholics Tool (ACAT) in three separate studies: (a) The ACAT was administered to a normative student sample and a clinical outpatient sample to develop a scale with satisfactory reliability and criterion validity; (b) these findings were replicated with a sample of social work students and another clinical sample, providing further construct validation with other measures of current mental health functioning (e.g., depression, internalized shame), and family of origin characteristics; (c) using a third student sample, the ACATwas found to be significantly correlated with the Adult Children of Alcoholics Index, suggesting measurement of a similar but not identical construct. We discuss the implications of using the ACAT in social work practice as a measure of internalized negative attributes associated with familial alcoholism, particularly, the need to determine the cross-cultural generalizability of the "adult children of alcoholics" syndrome.
A reflection on substantive equality jurisprudence

In recent years, the European Court of Human Rights has begun to acknowledge the considerable disadvantage and discrimination that Roma and persons with disabilities face in society. The Court has characterised both Roma and disabled applicants as vulnerable and disadvantaged groups and has stated its intention to apply a strict standard of scrutiny to alleged violations of the rights of both groups. This contribution will analyse the standard of scrutiny adopted by the Court in the context of alleged claims of discriminatory treatment of Roma and disabled applicants. The essential question to be addressed by this article is whether the differential treatment in question is deemed to be justified (either required or allowed) by the Court and whether the Court’s case law relating to these two groups reflects a more substantive conception of equality capable of addressing the deep-seated structural inequalities faced by Roma and persons with disabilities in society. A related question to be addressed by this article is the extent to which the Court’s case law has been influenced by developments in the fields of European and international law, such as the Racial Equality Directive and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, among others. The influence (and potential influence) of European and international law can be seen in case law related to Roma education and also in recent disability equality case law. This article will analyse case law in these two areas.