Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Perceived Stigma and Barriers to Care for Psychological Treatment: Implications for Reactions to Stressors in Different Contexts

Two studies examined how perceiving a stigma and barriers to care for psychological treatment moderate the relationships between stressors and psychological symptoms. One study utilized a sample of college students and the other a sample of U.S. Army soldiers. Factor analytic results from the two samples supported stigma and barriers to care being separate constructs. In the student sample, perceived stigma interacted with subjective stress to predict depression, such that the relationship between stress and depression was stronger when perceived stigma was high. In the military sample, barriers to care interacted with work overload to predict depression, such that the relationship between overload and depression was stronger when perceived barriers to care were high. Results reveal the importance of examining both stigma and barriers to care as moderators of the stressor–strain relationship, and reinforce the need to develop interventions to address stigma and remove barriers to care.
A Survey on Energy Depletion Attacks in Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless Sensor Network (WSN), a collection of mobile nodes, is vulnerable to various attacks due to their mobility and resource constrained nature. As this network and its applications became ubiquitous for machine critical applications, it is indispensable to safeguard its communications in energy efficient fashion. Availability of such network is crucial for productivity. Wireless Ad Hoc Sensor Networks are vulnerable Denial of Service (DoS) is the that cause short term unavailability of network. However, the attacks that affect long term availability of the network are resource depletion attacks that cause more damage to the applications for which availability of network is important. This paper presents QoS issues and energy depletion issues and the countermeasures employed. As security QoS, and availability of network are to be given paramount importance, this paper provides insights into the present state of the art pertaining to resource depletion attacks and prevention methods employed.
Preliminary comparison between the roles of support workers and social workers in community mental health services

Within New Zealand there is a definite confusion between the role identity of social workers and support workers within community mental health services. Currently there appears to be a degree of confusion as to the distinguishing features of these two roles. The objective of this preliminary investigation was to identify the similarities and differences within the two discipline areas. The themes identified through the thematic analysis indicated marked similarities between the two roles examined. The fundamental differences identified were the level of qualification, competencies, clinical work and experience of the workers. Scopes of practice are considered as a means of offering individual identities for both disciplines.
Crossmodal point cloud registration in the Hough space for mobile laser scanning data

In this paper we propose a general approach for registration of point clouds obtained by various mobile laser scanning technologies. Our method is able to robustly match measurements with significantly different density characteristic including the sparse and inhomogeneous instant 3D (I3D) data taken be self-driving cars, and the dense and regular point clouds captured by mobile mapping systems (MMS) for virtual city generation. The core steps of the algorithm are robust scan segmentation, abstract street object extraction, object based coarse transformation estimation in the Hough accumulator space, and point-level registration refinement. Experimental results are provided using three different sensors: Velodyne HDL64 and VLP16 I3D scanners, and a Riegl VMX450 MMS. Application examples are shown regarding self localization of autonomous cars through crossmodal I3D and MMS frame registration, IMU-less SLAM and change detection based on I3D data.
Leukocyte Arrest During Cytokine-Dependent Inflammation In Vivo1

Leukocyte rolling along the walls of inflamed venules precedes their adhesion during inflammation. Rolling leukocytes are thought to arrest by engaging β2 integrins following cellular activation. In vitro studies suggest that chemoattractants may instantaneously activate and arrest rolling leukocytes. However, how leukocytes stop rolling and become adherent in inflamed venules in vivo has remained rather mysterious. In this paper we use a novel method of tracking individual leukocytes through the microcirculation to show that rolling neutrophils become progressively activated while rolling down the venular tree. On average, leukocytes in wild-type mice roll for 86 s (and cover 270 μm) before becoming adherent with an efficiency around 90%. These rolling leukocytes exhibit a gradual β2 integrin-dependent decrease in rolling velocity that correlates with an increase in intracellular free calcium concentration before arrest. Similar tracking analyses in gene-targeted mice demonstrate that the arrest of rolling leukocytes is very rare when β2 integrins are absent or blocked by a mAb. Arrest is ∼50% less efficient in the absence of E-selectin. These data suggest a model of leukocyte recruitment in which β2 integrins play a critical role in stabilizing leukocyte rolling during a protracted cellular activation period before arrest and firm adhesion.
Use of the COOH Portion of the Nucleocapsid Protein in an Antigen-Capturing Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for Specific and Sensitive Detection of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus

ABSTRACT Antibody detection with a recombinant COOH portion of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus nucleocapsid (N) protein, N13 (amino acids 221 to 422), was demonstrated to be more specific and sensitive than that with the full-length N protein, and an N13-based antigen-capturing enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay providing a convenient and specific test for serodiagnosis and epidemiological study of SARS was developed.
Effect of solvent lamination on roll-to-roll hot-embossed PMMA microchannels evaluated by optical coherence tomography

Manufacturing of microfluidic based diagnostic devices requires small tolerances and uniform quality to guarantee reliable and repeatable test results. This work describes characterization of morphological changes that occur to a hot embossed PMMA microfluidic channel after solvent lamination with a PMMA lid. A non-contact cross-sectional analysis of the lidded microfluidic device was performed by optical coherence tomography (OCT). The solvent induced morphology change led to a porous structure in bottom corners of hot-embossed channels, which allowed a fluid to absorb in the material. The measurements of solvent diffusion showed faster diffusion rate at the corners of the channel, in which the accumulated stress during the embossing process was the highest. The stress profile was verified by simulation of von Mises stresses during a molding phase of a hot embossing process. The porous structure with increased fluid diffusion has an unwanted effect on bioassay result, e.g. when detection molecules leak into the substrate thus leading to unspecific signal on chip. OCT was found to be a valuable, non-destructive imaging method to monitor solvent diffusion process and lamination process quality.
Dose-dense regimen of temozolomide given every other week in patients with primary central nervous system tumors.

BACKGROUND Temozolomide has shown activity and limited toxicity in patients with primary brain tumors at doses of 150-200 mg/m(2)/day on days 1-5 every 4 weeks. In this study, a new alternative dose-dense regimen of temozolomide was explored in patients with recurrent brain tumors. PATIENTS AND METHODS In this study, we evaluated the safety, dose-limiting toxicity, maximum tolerated dose, recommended dose and activity of temozolomide given on days 1-3 and 14-16 every 28 days (one cycle). The starting daily dose was 200 mg/m(2) in a group of at least six patients, with subsequent increments of 50 mg/m(2) in groups of at least 12 patients until unacceptable toxicity was reached. Oral ondansetron (8 mg) was given 1 h prior to temozolomide administration. McDonald's criteria were used to evaluate antitumor activity. RESULTS Seventy patients with brain tumors entered this study. The median number of prior chemotherapy treatments was two (range 1-3). Patients were assigned to one of four groups to receive temozolomide at daily doses of 200 (seven patients), 250 (13 patients), 300 (38 patients) and 350 mg/m(2)/day (12 patients). The absence of dose-limiting toxicity at cycle 1 led us to establish dose recommendations based on toxicity after repeated cycles. A total of 23, 72, 192 and 83 cycles were given at daily doses of 200, 250, 300 and 350 mg/m(2), respectively. Grade 3-4 thrombocytopenia was observed in 0/7, 1/13, 5/38 and 4/12 patients treated at doses of 200, 250, 300 and 350 mg/m(2)/day, respectively. Grade 3-4 neutropenia was observed in 1/7, 0/13, 3/38 and 4/12 patients treated with 200, 250, 300 and 350 mg/m(2)/day temozolomide, respectively. At a dose of 350 mg/m(2), sustained grade 2-3 thrombocytopenia did not allow treatment to be resumed at day 14 in >40% of patients, and this dose was considered to be the maximum tolerated dose. Thus, a dose of 300 mg/m(2)/day that was associated with <20% treatment delay due to sustained hematological toxicity was considered as the recommended dose. Objective responses were reported in 13 patients. CONCLUSIONS Temozolomide can be given safely using a dose-dense regimen of 300 mg/m(2)/day for 3 consecutive days every 2 weeks in patients with recurrent brain tumors.
Finding approximate matches in large lexicons

Approximate string matching is used for spelling correction and personal name matching. In this paper we show how to use string matching techniques in conjunction with lexicon indexes to find approximate matches in a large lexicon. We test several lexicon indexing techniques, including n‐grams and permuted lexicons, and several string matching techniques, including string similarity measures and phonetic coding. We propose methods for combining these techniques, and show experimentally that these combinations yield good retrieval effectiveness while keeping index size and retrieval time low. Our experiments also suggest that, in contrast to previous claims, phonetic codings are markedly inferior to string distance measures, which are demonstrated to be suitable for both spelling correction and personal name matching.
A dynamic perspective on social identification: Pedictors and consequences of identification during group formation

Obwohl die Identifikation mit der eigenen Gruppe das zentrale Konstrukt in der Theorie der sozialen Identitat ist (Tajfel & Turner, 1979), ist die Entwicklung der Identifikation mit der eigenen Gruppe bisher kaum untersucht worden. Theorien der Gruppenbildung (Tuckman, 1965; Worchel et al., 1992) unterstutzen die Annahme, dass sich die Funktionen der Identifikation uber die Zeit andern. In insgesamt 3 langsschnittlichen Studien und einer Nachfolgestudie wurde in verschiedenen Kontexten untersucht, welche quer- und langsschnittlichen Pradiktoren (d.h. Unsicherheit, Selbstprototypikalitat, Interpersonale Attraktion) Identifikation zu verschiedenen Phasen des Gruppenbildungsprozesses vorhergesagen und mit welchen Konsequenzen dies verbunden ist. Die Pradiktoren und Konsequenzen von Identifikation spiegeln Funktionen wider. Entsprechend der Vorhersagen waren die Variablen Interpersonale Attraktion, Unsicherheit und Eigengruppenfavorisierung uber die Zeit unterschiedlich mit Identifikation verbunden. Damit wurde die Annahme bestatigt, dass sich die Funktionen von Identifikation uber die Zeit andern.
Transactional Memory: How to perform load adaption in a simple and distributed manner

We analyze and present different strategies to adapt the load in transactional memory systems based on contention. Our experimental results show a substantial overall improvement for our best performing strategies QuickAdapter and AbortBackoff on the throughput when compared to the best existing contention management policies (without load adaption). Opposed to prior work our load adapting schemes are simple and fully distributed, while maintaining the same throughput rate. Our theoretical analysis gives insights into the usefulness of load adaption schemes. We show a constant expected speed-up compared to systems without load adaption in several important scenarios, but also illustrate that the worst-case behavior can result in an exponential increase in the running time.
Noncorrelating Pap tests and cervical biopsies: Histological predictors of subsequent correlation

Lack of correlation between dysplastic cervicovaginal Papanicolaou (Pap) tests and subsequent cervical biopsies raises the concern that a significant squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL) may go unconfirmed. Additional tissue sections of cervical biopsies may detect SILs after noncorrelation on initial sections. Complete step sectioning of paraffin blocks was undertaken on 111 noncorrelating biopsy specimens from 95 patients and selected slides were reviewed for the presence of SIL. The initial negative biopsy slides were evaluated for four histological features: chronic cervicitis, acute cervicitis, mucosal erosion, and squamous atypia. Twenty‐seven biopsies (24.3%) demonstrated the presence of a SIL in deeper levels. The presence of squamous atypia was significantly associated with the presence of dysplasia deeper in the block (P < 0.002). Acute and chronic cervicitis was seen roughly equally. Additional tissue levels are a productive way of confirming SILs, and squamous atypia allows a refined selection of negative cervical biopsies most likely to reveal an SIL on review of deeper levels. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2005;32:310–314. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
PRODUCTION OF SMALL ANTIBACTERIAL PEPTIDES USING SILKWORM–BACULOVIRUS PROTEIN EXPRESSION SYSTEM

The recombinant proteins with strong antimicrobial activity are known to be very difficult to express using bacterial expression system. Here, human β-defensin (DEFB) 1, DEFB2, and DEFB3 were successfully produced using a silkworm–baculovirus protein expression system. We have generated four baculoviruses for each DEFB protein to compare the effect of different peptide tags in secretion into silkworm larval hemolymph. Interestingly, the best performing peptide tags for the secretion were different among DEFBs: C-terminal GST-H8 tag for DEFB1, N-terminal H8 tag for DEFB2, and C-terminal H8 tag for DEFB3, respectively. In addition, the colony count assay demonstrated that the recombinant DEFB2 s showed antimicrobial activities against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Paenibacillus thiaminolyticus.
The value of culture

Culture manifests itself in everything human, including the ordinary business of everyday life. Culture and art have their own value, but economic values are also constrained. Art sponsorships and subsidies suggest a value that exceeds market price. So what is the real value of culture? Unlike the usual focus on formal problems, which has 'de-cultured' and 'de-moralized' the practice of economics, this book brings together economists, philosophers, historians, political scientists and artists to try to sort out the value of culture. This is a book not only for economists and social scientists, but also for anybody actively involved in the world of the arts and culture.
Nonlinear Feedback Design for Fixed-Time Stabilization of Linear Control Systems

Two types of nonlinear control algorithms are presented for uncertain linear plants. Controllers of the first type are stabilizing polynomial feedbacks that allow to adjust a guaranteed convergence time of system trajectories into a prespecified neighborhood of the origin independently on initial conditions. The control design procedure uses block control principles and finite-time attractivity properties of polynomial feedbacks. Controllers of the second type are modifications of the second order sliding mode control algorithms. They provide global finite-time stability of the closed-loop system and allow to adjust a guaranteed settling time independently on initial conditions. Control algorithms are presented for both single-input and multi-input systems. Theoretical results are supported by numerical simulations.
No evidence for allelic association of a human CTLA‐4 promoter polymorphism with autoimmune thyroid disease in either population‐based case–control or family‐based studies

The cytotoxic T lymphocyte associated‐4 (CTLA‐4) gene is a candidate for T‐cell mediated autoimmune disease and polymorphism has been reported to be associated with both type 1 diabetes and autoimmune thyroid disease. A previously unreported polymorphism of the promoter region of the human CTLA‐4 gene has recently been described in a sample of a normal control population. We investigated the distribution of this polymorphism, situated at position ‐318 to the ATG start codon and resulting in a C–T change leading to an Mse I restriction site, in both population based case control studies and family studies in patients with Graves' disease (Caucasian and Hong Kong Chinese), autoimmune hypothyroidism and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
A Query Expansion Technique using the EWC Semantic Relatedness Measure

This paper analyses the efficiency of the EWC semantic relatedness measure in an ad-hoc retrieval task. This measure combines the Wikipedia-based Explicit Semantic Analysis (ESA) measure, the WordNet path measure and the mixed collocation index. EWC considers encyclopaedic, ontological, and collocational knowledge about terms. This advantage of EWC is a key factor to find precise terms for automatic query expansion. In the experiments, the open source search engine Terrier is utilised as a tool to index and retrieve data. The proposed technique is tested on the NTCIR data collection. The experiments demonstrated superiority of EWC over ESA. Povzetek: Clanek obravnava razsirjanje poizvedb z uporabo semanticne povezave med besedami.
Identity Positioning: NarrativeAnalysis of Sjuzet and Fabula

In this paper I will argue that identity is the product of at least two processes – subject positioning and identity positioning. While the focus of much of the previous research in this field has largely been on subject positioning, it would seem clear that we can also participate to a greater or lesser extent in the construction of our own identities. I propose that we achieve these identity positions primarily through narrative – through the stories we construct of the person we are. Crucial to understanding the role that narrative plays in the construction of identity is the distinction between sjuzet – the way in which a story is being re-told, and fabula – the content of that story. The analysis of these features is particularly supported by Herman and Vervaeck’s (2001) distinction between “unbounded” and “bounded” motifs in narrative. In exploring this distinction, it turns out that the sjuzet (the unbounded motifs) is especially important in understanding the construction of identity positions. This approach is applied to the analysis of holocaust narratives collected by the Imperial War Museum Sound Archive. These testimonies offer a constant theme of the struggle for identity in the face of overwhelming atrocities, horror and suffering.
A method for determining states in the course of protein unfolding

A simple model is presented for analyzing a set of spectra obtained from spectrophotometric study of protein titration. With this model one can determine the states of (probable) intermediates in the course of protein unfolding. The model is developed based on abundance of native state, intermediate(s) and denatured state, and their contributions to differential absorbance at selected wavelengths. The model is tested for the two-state unfolding of ribonuclease A by urea in formate buffer, and also for the three-state unfolding of α-lactalbumin by guanidine hydrochloride (GdnHCl) in phosphate buffer. It was demonstrated that unfolding of ribonuclease A is matched acceptably with the two-state model, while α-lactalbumin unfolding starts with a twostate mechanism (when [GdnHCl]≥1.6M) followed by a three-state pathway.
Tissue‐specific pioneer factors associate with androgen receptor cistromes and transcription programs

Androgen receptor (AR) binds male sex steroids and mediates physiological androgen actions in target tissues. ChIP‐seq analyses of AR‐binding events in murine prostate, kidney and epididymis show that in vivo AR cistromes and their respective androgen‐dependent transcription programs are highly tissue specific mediating distinct biological pathways. This high order of tissue specificity is achieved by the use of exclusive collaborating factors in the three androgen‐responsive tissues. We find two novel collaborating factors for AR signaling in vivo—Hnf4α (hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α) in mouse kidney and AP‐2α (activating enhancer binding protein 2α) in mouse epididymis—that define tissue‐specific AR recruitment. In mouse prostate, FoxA1 serves for the same purpose. FoxA1, Hnf4α and AP‐2α motifs are over‐represented within unique AR‐binding loci, and the cistromes of these factors show substantial overlap with AR‐binding events distinct to each tissue type. These licensing or pioneering factors are constitutively bound to chromatin and guide AR to specific genomic loci upon hormone exposure. Collectively, liganded receptor and its DNA‐response elements are required but not sufficient for establishment of tissue‐specific transcription programs.
Exploring the Role of Stress in Bayesian Word Segmentation using Adaptor Grammars

Stress has long been established as a major cue in word segmentation for English infants. We show that enabling a current state-of-the-art Bayesian word segmentation model to take advantage of stress cues noticeably improves its performance. We find that the improvements range from 10 to 4%, depending on both the use of phonotactic cues and, to a lesser extent, the amount of evidence available to the learner. We also find that in particular early on, stress cues are much more useful for our model than phonotactic cues by themselves, consistent with the finding that children do seem to use stress cues before they use phonotactic cues. Finally, we study how the model’s knowledge about stress patterns evolves over time. We not only find that our model correctly acquires the most frequent patterns relatively quickly but also that the Unique Stress Constraint that is at the heart of a previously proposed model does not need to be built in but can be acquired jointly with word segmentation.
Collaborating with Kaspar: Using an autonomous humanoid robot to foster cooperative dyadic play among children with autism

This article describes a pilot study in which children with autism alternated between playing a co-operative, dyadic video game with an adult human and playing the same game with an autonomous humanoid robot. The purpose of the study was to determine whether the children, all of whom had difficulties communicating and engaging in social play with others, would display more collaborative behaviours when playing with an adult after playing and interacting with the humanoid robot. Based on our analysis of the children's behaviours while playing the cooperative game, our findings suggest that the children were more entertained, seemed more invested in the game, and collaborated better with their partners during their second sessions of playing with human adults than during their first. One possible explanation for this result is that the children's intermediary play session with the humanoid robot had an impact on their subsequent play session with the adult. Additionally, while the autistic children saw the robotic partner as being more interesting and entertaining, they played more collaboratively and cooperated better with the human adult.