Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Automatic vs. clinical assessment of fall risk in older individuals: A proof of concept

Falling in elderly is a worldwide major problem because it can lead to severe injuries, and even sudden death. Fall risk prediction would provide rapid intervention, as well as reducing the over burden of healthcare systems. Such prediction is currently performed by means of clinical scales. Among them, the Tinetti Scale is one of the better established and mostly used in clinical practice. In this work, we proposed an automatic method to assess the Tinetti scores using a wearable accelerometer. The balance and gait characteristics of 13 elderly subjects have been scored by an expert clinician while performing 8 different motor tasks according to the Tinetti Scale protocol. Two statistical analysis were selected. First, a linear regression study was performed between the Tinetti scores and 8 features (one feature for each task). Second, the generalization quality of the regression model was assessed using a Leave-One SubjectOut approach. The multiple linear regression provided a high correlation between the Tinetti scores and the features proposed (adj. R2 = 0.948; p = 0.003). Moreover, six of the eight features added statistically significantly to the prediction of the scores (p <; 0.05). When testing the generalization capability of the model, a moderate linear correlation was obtained (R2 = 0.67; p <; 0.05). The results suggested that the automatic method might be a promising tool to assess the falling risk of older individuals.
The importance of reflective functioning to the diagnosis of psychic structure.

OBJECTIVE This pilot study examines the connection between the concept of Fonagy and Target's reflective functioning and the structure axis of operationalized psychodynamic diagnostics (OPD) and assesses the potential of both scales to predict therapy success. METHOD In the study, 24 (female) patients of the psychotherapy ward of the Frankfurt University Hospital for psychosomatic medicine and psychotherapy aged 18 to 55 were assessed on the basis of a 90-minute, semi-structured interview with regard to their capability for reflective functioning as well as with regard to their structural level according to OPD. In addition, the SCL-90-R was administered at the beginning and end of the 3-month in-patient therapy. RESULTS A significant correlation was found between reflective functioning and the structure axis of OPD. Reflective functioning also predicted improvement in overall mental condition through a 3-month in-patient therapy. This remained significant even when the influence of the overall assessment of structure according to OPD was removed. CONCLUSIONS The independence of the concept of reflective functioning (RF) and its implications for the clinical stance are discussed.
Circular Dichroism and Fluorescence Spectroscopy of Cysteinyl-tRNA Synthetase from Halobacterium salinarum ssp. NRC-1 Demonstrates that Group I Cations Are Particularly Effective in Providing Structure and Stability to This Halophilic Protein

Proteins from extremophiles have the ability to fold and remain stable in their extreme environment. Here, we investigate the presence of this effect in the cysteinyl-tRNA synthetase from Halobacterium salinarum ssp. NRC-1 (NRC-1), which was used as a model halophilic protein. The effects of salt on the structure and stability of NRC-1 and of E. coli CysRS were investigated through far-UV circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, and thermal denaturation melts. The CD of NRC-1 CysRS was examined in different group I and group II chloride salts to examine the effects of the metal ions. Potassium was observed to have the strongest effect on NRC-1 CysRS structure, with the other group I salts having reduced strength. The group II salts had little effect on the protein. This suggests that the halophilic adaptations in this protein are mediated by potassium. CD and fluorescence spectra showed structural changes taking place in NRC-1 CysRS over the concentration range of 0–3 M KCl, while the structure of E. coli CysRS was relatively unaffected. Salt was also shown to increase the thermal stability of NRC-1 CysRS since the melt temperature of the CysRS from NRC-1 was increased in the presence of high salt, whereas the E. coli enzyme showed a decrease. By characterizing these interactions, this study not only explains the stability of halophilic proteins in extremes of salt, but also helps us to understand why and how group I salts stabilize proteins in general.
The virtual infinite capacitor

We define the virtual infinite capacitor (VIC) as a nonlinear capacitor that has the property that for an interval of the charge Q (the operating range), the voltage V remains constant. We propose a lossless approximate realization for the VIC using a switched power converter and capacitors. This circuit is simple but it requires a complex control algorithm that we describe. There are two controllers needed to operate a VIC: the voltage controller acts fast to maintain the desired terminal voltage, while the charge controller acts more slowly and maintains the charge Q in the desired operating range by influencing the incoming current. The VIC is useful as a filter capacitor for various applications, for example power factor compensators (PFC), as we describe. In spite of using small capacitors, the VIC can replace a very large capacitor in applications that do not require substantial energy storage. We give simulation results for a PFC working in critical conduction mode with a VIC for output voltage filtering.
Essential AOP: The a calculus

Aspect-oriented programming (AOP) has produced interesting language designs, but also ad hoc semantics that needs clarification. We contribute to this clarification with a calculus that models essential AOP, both simpler and more general than existing formalizations. In AOP, advice may intercept method invocations, and proceed executes the suspended call. Proceed is an ad hoc mechanism, only usable inside advice bodies. Many pointcut mechanisms, for example, wildcards, also lack regularity. We model proceed using first-class closures, and shift complexity from pointcuts to ordinary object-oriented code. Two well-known pointcut categories, call and execution, are commonly considered similar. We formally expose their differences, and resolve the associated soundness problem. Our calculus includes type ranges, an intuitive and concise alternative to explicit type variables that allows advice to be polymorphic over intercepted methods. We use calculus parameters to cover type safety for a wide design space of other features. Type soundness is verified in Coq.
The molecular basis of carbon‐starvation‐induced general resistance in Escherichia coli

At the onset of starvation Escherichia coli undergoes a temporally ordered program of starvation gene expression involving 40–80 genes which some four hours later yields cells possessing an enhanced general resistance. Two classes of genes are induced upon carbon starvation: the cst genes, requiring cyclic AMP, and the pex genes, not requiring this nucleotide for induction. The cst genes are not involved in the development of the resistant state and are concerned with escape from starvation, while the pex gene induction appears to be associated with resistance. Many of the latter are induced in response to a variety of starvation conditions. They include heat shock and oxidation resistance genes, and some utilize minor, stationary‐phase‐specific sigma factors for induction during starvation. The protective role of stress proteins may be due to their ability to rescue misfolded macromolecules. The starvation promoters can be potentially useful for selective expression of desired genes in metabolically sluggish populations, e.g. in high‐density industrial fermentations and in situ bioremediation.
Human interaction recognition in the wild: Analyzing trajectory clustering from multiple-instance-learning perspective

In this paper, we propose a framework to recognize complex human interactions. First, we adopt trajectories to represent human motion in a video. Then, the extracted trajectories are clustered into different groups (named as local motion patterns) using the coherent filtering algorithm. As trajectories within the same group exhibit similar motion properties (i.e., velocity, direction), we adopt the histogram of large-displacement optical flow (denoted as HO-LDOF) as the group motion feature vector. Thus, each video can be briefly represented by a collection of local motion patterns that are described by the HO-LDOF. Finally, classification is achieved using the citation-KNN, which is a typical multiple-instance-learning algorithm. Experimental results on the TV human interaction dataset and the UT human interaction dataset demonstrate the applicability of our method.
Effect of vitamins C and E supplementation on Helicobacter pylori eradication: a meta-analysis

Vitamins C and E can act as potent antioxidants to reduce the damage caused by reactive oxygen species in gastric mucosa. Whether vitamin supplements for Helicobacter pylori eradication regimen could improve the rate of eradication remains uncertain. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy of vitamins C and E supplementation for the eradication of H. pylori. Searches were conducted in the databases PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane Library. Randomised controlled trials (RCT) that fulfilled the inclusion criteria and addressed the clinical questions of this analysis were further assessed. Of the six RCT included, five had a low methodological quality. Of the six RCT, three compared the efficacy of the eradication regimen v. eradication regimen plus vitamins C and E. The result of the meta-analysis showed a non-significant difference in the eradication rate of H. pylori between the two groups (risk ratio (RR) 0·93, P = 0·76). Another three RCT compared the eradication regimen v. eradication regimen plus vitamin C only, and there too there was no significant difference in the eradication rate (RR 0·83, P = 0·32). In conclusion, vitamins C and/or E supplements to the H. pylori eradication regimen could not improve the eradication rate. However, currently available data do not draw a definitive conclusion about the effectiveness of antioxidant vitamins on H. pylori eradication, owing to the small sample size and low-to-moderate methodological quality.
Winescape’s Aesthetic Impact on Lodging Room Prices: A Spatial Analysis of the Douro Region

ABSTRACT This study estimates the local economic effects on lodging establishments’ room prices of the winescape’s aesthetic attributes, mostly shaped by the wine filière, combined with other fundamental situation, site-specific and online reputation factors. A semi-parametric geographically weighted regression model was applied to examine how lodging establishments’ room prices vary in space. The hedonic pricing model was based on Booking.com’s room rates of lodging establishments located in the Douro region in Portugal, a monocultural environment, which is predominantly rural and dominated by vineyards, combining small towns with a hybrid urban-rural character. The results suggest that landscape factors, which encapsulate structural features of the Douro wine region, exert a statistically significant effect on lodging establishments’ room prices.
Complete Genome Sequence of the N2-Fixing Broad Host Range Endophyte Klebsiella pneumoniae 342 and Virulence Predictions Verified in Mice

We report here the sequencing and analysis of the genome of the nitrogen-fixing endophyte, Klebsiella pneumoniae 342. Although K. pneumoniae 342 is a member of the enteric bacteria, it serves as a model for studies of endophytic, plant-bacterial associations due to its efficient colonization of plant tissues (including maize and wheat, two of the most important crops in the world), while maintaining a mutualistic relationship that encompasses supplying organic nitrogen to the host plant. Genomic analysis examined K. pneumoniae 342 for the presence of previously identified genes from other bacteria involved in colonization of, or growth in, plants. From this set, approximately one-third were identified in K. pneumoniae 342, suggesting additional factors most likely contribute to its endophytic lifestyle. Comparative genome analyses were used to provide new insights into this question. Results included the identification of metabolic pathways and other features devoted to processing plant-derived cellulosic and aromatic compounds, and a robust complement of transport genes (15.4%), one of the highest percentages in bacterial genomes sequenced. Although virulence and antibiotic resistance genes were predicted, experiments conducted using mouse models showed pathogenicity to be attenuated in this strain. Comparative genomic analyses with the presumed human pathogen K. pneumoniae MGH78578 revealed that MGH78578 apparently cannot fix nitrogen, and the distribution of genes essential to surface attachment, secretion, transport, and regulation and signaling varied between each genome, which may indicate critical divergences between the strains that influence their preferred host ranges and lifestyles (endophytic plant associations for K. pneumoniae 342 and presumably human pathogenesis for MGH78578). Little genome information is available concerning endophytic bacteria. The K. pneumoniae 342 genome will drive new research into this less-understood, but important category of bacterial-plant host relationships, which could ultimately enhance growth and nutrition of important agricultural crops and development of plant-derived products and biofuels.
A case study of Cantonese acquired dysgraphia data for the organization of the orthographic lexicon

This paper reports a case study of a Chinese-speaking dysgraphic patient, NMY. Among his written errors in written naming and writing-to-dictation were phonologically plausible errors. Since his semantic processing of content words were hypothesized to be largely intact, as evidenced by normal performance on non-verbal semantic tests and word-picture matching, the occurrence of such errors provides evidence supporting previous proposals about the existence of non-semantic pathway of writing Chinese and the access from phonological output lexicon to orthographic output lexicon. In addition, the percentage of substituted or inserted signific radicals that were semantically related to the target words were shown to be higher than chance level. It provides supporting data for the existence of radical level in Chinese lexical processing and the direct connections between this level and the semantic units.
Novice Programmers Talking about Projects: What Automated Text Analysis Reveals about Online Scratch Users' Comments

In this paper we examine the possibilities of applying predictive analysis to users' written communication via comments in an open-ended online social networking forum: Scratch.mit. edu. Scratch is primarily used by youth ages 8-16 years to program software like games, animations, and stories; their social interactions take place around commenting, remixing, and sharing computer programs (called projects). This exploratory work contributes to work in educational data mining by broadly describing and comparing comments about projects versus other topics in Scratch. Referencing communication accommodation theory, we found that user comments about projects exhibited different linguistic cues than other comments, and these cues were successfully used to classify comment topic. Further, results also suggest that project comments embody richer language than other comments. This suggests several future avenues for research on youth's online comments about programming and other technical projects that may reveal educational opportunities in creating and sharing projects.
The role of the Big Five personality factors in vigilance performance and workload

Using the five‐factor personality model, the present study explored the influence of personality factors on sustained attention and perceived workload. Ninety‐six college‐aged participants were administered a 12 minute vigilance fast event rate task. Following the vigil, participants were asked to first, rate their perceived workload of the task using the NASA‐TLX, and then second, complete the NEO‐PI‐R personality inventory. Traditional measures of hits, false alarms, and reaction times were examined as well as the signal detection indices of perceptual sensitivity and response bias. Extraversion correlated with false alarms (r = 0.181; eta2 = 0.055) and conscientiousness correlated with both false alarms (r = −0.275, eta2 = 0.097) and perceptual sensitivity (r = 0.227, eta2 = 0.052). With regard to perceived workload, neuroticism was related to perceived frustration (r = 0.238, eta2 = 0.057). The findings are discussed in terms of theoretical implications, impact of task parameters, and practical applications. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Gender Type In Iranian Women And The Comparison Of Their Emotional Intelligence And Mental Health

The aim of the present study was to investigate and compare the gender types of employed Iranian women regarding their mental health and emotional intelligence. To do this, 824 employed women from different organizations, offices and governmental firms of Tehran and Ahvaz were randomly chosen. The instruments were the Bem Sex-Type Inventory (short form, 1981), The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) (Goldberg, 1972) and Emotional Intelligence Scale (Petrides & Furnham, 2000). The results showed that: 1) Androgyny gender type in employed Iranian women is significantly more than masculine and feminine gender types. 2) There is a significant difference among the three types of women regarding their mental health. 3) There is a significant difference among the three types of women regarding their emotional intelligence. The emotional intelligence of Androgynous women is higher. Finally, regarding the obtained results of this study and the previous studies it is recommended to Iranian families and other authorities responsible for education not to pay too much attention to the stereotypic beliefs and traditional frames of gender types.
Cerebral oxygenation is reduced during hyperthermic exercise in humans

Aim: Cerebral mitochondrial oxygen tension (PmitoO2) is elevated during moderate exercise, while it is reduced when exercise becomes strenuous, reflecting an elevated cerebral metabolic rate for oxygen (CMRO2) combined with hyperventilation‐induced attenuation of cerebral blood flow (CBF). Heat stress challenges exercise capacity as expressed by increased rating of perceived exertion (RPE).
Self-ordered pointing as a test of working memory in typically developing children

The self-ordered pointing test (SOPT; Petrides & Milner, 1982) is a test of non-spatial executive working memory requiring the ability to generate and monitor a sequence of responses. Although used with developmental clinical populations there are few normative data against which to compare atypical performance. Typically developing children (5–11 years) and young adults performed two versions of the SOPT, one using pictures of familiar objects and the other hard-to-verbalise abstract designs. Performance improved with age but the children did not reach adult levels of performance. Participants of all ages found the object condition easier than the abstract condition, suggesting that verbal processes are utilised by the SOPT. However, performance on the task was largely independent from verbal and nonverbal cognitive ability. Overall the results suggest that the SOPT is a sensitive measure of executive working memory.
Exigent: An Automatic Avatar Generation System

Avatars are pervasive in video games and virtual worlds. The automatic generation of these avatar promises to reduce player eﬀort and provide system-deﬁned mappings between “real” (physical) player characteristics and virtual identities. We present an avatar generation system called Exi-gent; given a photograph of a human face, Exigent creates an avatar. Exigent leverages two recent computer vision packages and extends them with a custom facial analysis and generation sub-module. The generated avatars incorporate the user’s gender, face shape, hair color, facial expression, eye shape, and more 1 . This system is diﬀerent from most avatar creators in its consideration of ﬁner-grained details such as curvature of the face, distance between eyes, size of features, etc.
Neural control and fault simulation of 6/4 switched reluctance motor

This paper presents fault simulation and neural network based optimal speed controller with good robustness properties for a 6/4 switched reluctance motor. The neuro controller is trained by the back propagation algorithm considering the current reference as the output, the error and its derivative as the inputs as like fuzzy logic controller. The performance of the proposed controller is compared with fuzzy logic controller, a classical proportional plus integral controller and the faults are simulated using Matlab simulink. The simulation result is presented to demonstrate remarkable performance of the proposed controller for the switched reluctance motor.
Arabic Broadcast News Transcription Using a One Million Word Vocalized Vocabulary

Recently it has been shown that modeling short vowels in Arabic can significantly improve performance even when producing a non-vocalized transcript. Since Arabic texts and audio transcripts are almost exclusively non-vocalized, the training methods have to overcome this missing data problem. For the acoustic models the procedure was bootstrapped with manually vocalized data and extended with semi-automatically vocalized data. In order to also capture the vowel information in the language model, a vocalized 4-gram language model trained on the audio transcripts was interpolated with the original 4-gram model trained on the (non-vocalized) written texts. Another challenge of the Arabic language is its large lexical variety. The out-of-vocabulary rate with a 65k word vocabulary is in the range of 4-8% (compared to under 1% for English). To address this problem a vocalized vocabulary containing over 1 million vocalized words, grouped into 200k word classes is used. This reduces the out-of-vocabulary rate to about 2%. The extended vocabulary and vocalized language model trained on the manually annotated data give a 1.2% absolute word error reduction on the DARPA RT04 development data. However, including the automatically vocalized transcripts in the language model reduces performance indicating that automatic vocalization needs to be improved
Scorpion antivenom effect of micropropagated Aristolochia elegans

Aristolochia elegans Mast. (Aristolochiaceae) has been used to treat scorpion envenoming in Mexican traditional medicine. In vitro studies of the pharmacological activity of raw extracts from A. elegans roots have shown activity against scorpion bite. The aim of the present study was to determine for the first time the antagonistic effect of hexane and methanol extracts of the aerial parts and roots from micropropagated A. elegans plants in a model of isolated guinea-pig ileum contracted by scorpion bite. Results showed that the methanol extracts of aerial organs (74%) and roots (65%) of micropropagated plants have a similar antitoxin activity against scorpion poisoning to hexane extracts of wild plants (65%). These results suggest that using methanol extracts from the micropropagated plant material instead of wild plant root extracts from A. elegans is an alternative for treatment against scorpion bite symptoms, and will contribute to the conservation of this medicinal species.