Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
REGIONAL AND SOCIAL CLEAVAGES IN THE SLOVAK ELECTIONS AFTER THE CHANGE OF THE REGIME

The article gives an overview on the regional features of voting behaviour in postsocialist Slovakia. The aim of this study is to identify the main cleavages in the Slovak society through the analysis of the spatially solid voter base of the parties. It presents how enduring and strong are the traditional cleavages and those connected to the change of regime. Post-socialist Slovakia’s elections show that some of the regional and social cleavages (re)emerged immediately after the change of regime and have remained stable in the last twenty years. Due to the characteristics of the electoral system the election results clearly reflect the spatial embeddedness of the parties. A significant change of the party structure of Slovakia has undergone since 1992. It still does not fit the Western European patterns. The classic cleavages have proved to be durable in this period. The party preferences indicate that the division and stratification of the Slovak society are still determined by the classic cultural (ethnic and religious) and centre-periphery (urban-rural and West-East) cleavages. Along these cleavages five or six main, geographically identified, seemingly solid political blocks can be defined.
Speaker recognition by means of restrictedBoltzmann machine adaptation

Restricted Boltzmann Machines (RBMs) have shown success in speaker recognition. In this paper, RBMs are investigated in a framework comprising a universal model training and model adaptation. Taking advantage of RBM unsupervised learning algorithm, a global model is trained based on all available background data. This general speaker-independent model, referred to as URBM, is further adapted to the data of a specific speaker to build speaker-dependent model. In order to show its effectiveness, we have applied this framework to two different tasks. It has been used to discriminatively model target and impostor spectral features for classification. It has been also utilized to produce a vector-based representation for speakers. This vector-based representation, similar to i-vector, can be further used for speaker recognition using either cosine scoring or Probabilistic Linear Discriminant Analysis (PLDA). The evaluation is performed on the core test condition of the NIST SRE 2006 database.
The influence of socio-demographic factors and product attributes on attitudes toward purchasing special rice among Malaysian consumers

The study investigated socio-demographic factors and product attributes affecting purchase decision of special rice by Malaysian consumer. The primary data were analyzed by using binary logit model. Demographic factors and consumer preference for special rice (with reference to basmati rice) attributes were identified to affect purchasing behavior for special rice. Size of household, marital status, number of children, household income and gender of consumers are the main socio-demographic factors that significantly influence households’ choices of special rice for home consumption in the Klang Valley area. The findings also suggest that product attributes such as flavor and aroma, availability, brand name and quality also influence the frequent purchasing of Basmati rice among the Malaysian consumers. However price and easy preparation are not significant in influencing the frequent purchasing of Basmati rice since most consumers are aware that special rice such as Basmati is expensive and all rice has to be prepared in a usual way.
Maternal intake of trans-unsaturated or interesterified fatty acids during pregnancy and lactation modifies mitochondrial bioenergetics in the liver of adult offspring in mice

Abstract The quality of dietary lipids in the maternal diet can programme the offspring to diseases in later life. We investigated whether the maternal intake of palm oil or interesterified fat, substitutes for trans-unsaturated fatty acids (FA), induces metabolic changes in the adult offspring. During pregnancy and lactation, C57BL/6 female mice received normolipidic diets containing partially hydrogenated vegetable fat rich in trans-unsaturated fatty acids (TG), palm oil (PG), interesterified fat (IG) or soyabean oil (CG). After weaning, male offspring from all groups received the control diet until day 110. Plasma glucose and TAG and liver FA profiles were ascertained. Liver mitochondrial function was accessed with high-resolution respirometry by measuring VO2, fluorimetry for detection of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production and mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake. The results showed that the IG offspring presented a 20 % increase in plasma glucose and both the IG and TG offspring presented a 2- and 1·9-fold increase in TAG, respectively, when compared with CG offspring. Liver MUFA and PUFA contents decreased in the TG and IG offspring when compared with CG offspring. Liver MUFA content also decreased in the PG offspring. These modifications in FA composition possibly affected liver mitochondrial function, as respiration was impaired in the TG offspring and H2O2 production was higher in the IG offspring. In addition, mitochondrial Ca2+ retention capacity was reduced by approximately 40 and 55 % in the TG and IG offspring, respectively. In conclusion, maternal consumption of trans-unsaturated and interesterified fat affected offspring health by compromising mitochondrial bioenergetics and lipid metabolism in the liver.
Clinically identifying women with vulvar lichen sclerosus at increased risk of squamous cell carcinoma: a case-control study.

OBJECTIVE To identify clinical factors that might identify women with vulvar lichen sclerosus who are at increased risk of developing squamous cell cacinoma. STUDY DESIGN A retrospective, case-control study compared 46 women presenting between 1992 and 2000 with clinical and histologic evidence of squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva arising in a background of lichen sclerosus and 213 new referrals with vulvar lichen sclerosus during the same period. RESULTS The ages of the patients and presence of clinical hyperplasia were the only differences between the 2 groups. CONCLUSION Women presenting with vulvar cancer arising within a background of lichen sclerosus are significantly older than women presenting with lichen sclerosus. In addition, clinical evidence of squamous hyperplasia is independently associated with vulvar carcinoma. Neither the presence nor duration of symptoms nor the loss of vulvar architecture is a useful indicator of potential cancer risk.
Calcium Antagonism in Neonatal Rats With Kaolin-Induced Hydrocephalus

Juvenile rats with kaolin-induced hydrocephalus have reduced brain injury if treated with nimodipine or magnesium sulfate. Experiments were conducted to determine if the neuroprotective effects could be replicated in neonatal rats with experimental hydrocephalus at an age comparable to prematurely born humans. In a blinded and randomized manner, drugs were administered for 14 days beginning 7 days after induction of hydrocephalus. Nimodipine was given twice daily by subcutaneous injections. Daily doses greater than 38 mg/kg of body weight were fatal. Daily doses of 3.8 to 30 mg/kg were not associated with behavioral, structural, or biochemical improvements. Magnesium chloride was administered via daily subcutaneous minipump infusion (0.87 or 1.74 mM/kg) along with twice daily injections of 0.74 or 1.48 mM/kg. Magnesium sulfate was administered by twice daily subcutaneous doses of 1.54 or 7.72 mM/kg. Sedation occurred, but there was no statistically significant protection in regard to behavior, brain structure, or brain composition in any of the magnesium experiments. Developmental alterations in calcium channels of the neonatal rat brain could account for differences from prior experiments in young hydrocephalic rats.
The TATA Motif Is a Target for Efficient Transcriptional Activation and Nerve Growth Factor Induction of the Peripherin Gene*

Three proximal elements, PER1, PER2, and PER3, have been implicated in the regulation of peripherin gene expression. PER1 contains the TATA motif and was identified as the principal mediator of neuronal specificity. Here, we demonstrate by transfection of constructs mutated in PER1 that the in vitro protein binding activity of PER1 is irrelevant to its function. However, mutations or substitutions in the TATA box decreased promoter activity by up to 80%. We have investigated this unusual preference for a particular TATA sequence in PC12 cells. In these cells, nerve growth factor induces neuronal differentiation, increasing peripherin gene expression 3-4-fold, while dexamethasone elicits chromaffin differentiation and a 3-fold decrease in peripherin mRNA. Experiments with stably transfected PC12 cells revealed that the specific TATA box of the peripherin gene was crucial for nerve growth factor response. However, it did not affect dexamethasone down-regulation. Therefore, nerve growth factor acts through an element essential for neuronal peripherin gene expression. The results predict that proteins interacting in the vicinity of the TATA box, by inference factors associated with the preinitiation complex, are important for peripherin gene regulation and provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying neuronal differentiation.
Energy intake highs and lows: how much does consistency matter in weight control?

Behavioural weight control programmes recommend adherence to daily energy intake goals, yet also allow for flexibility in intake across days. Evidence is lacking as to whether intake consistency is important for weight control. The current study explored the relation between day‐to‐day intake consistency and weight loss in the context of behavioural weight loss treatment and examined the relationship between variability in intake and several factors known to be associated with weight control success. Participants (N = 283) enrolled in a 12‐month behavioural weight loss programme completed 24‐h recalls of dietary intake and psychological measures. At the end of treatment, low intake variability and greater weight loss were associated, but variability was not predictive of weight loss independent of mean intake in continuous analyses. Interestingly, participants who met the programme goal of ≥10% weight loss had less intake variability compared to those who lost <10%, although groups did not differ significantly on mean intake. Results suggest that daily intake consistency may facilitate successful weight loss for some. Additionally, autonomous motivation for weight management and cognitive dietary restraint were inversely related to end‐of‐treatment intake variability. Additional research is needed to examine whether recommendations to limit intake variability during behavioural weight loss treatment improve long‐term weight control.
Chronic food restriction is associated with subtle dendritic alterations in granule cells of the rat hippocampal formation

The hippocampal formation undergoes significant morphological and functional changes after prolonged feeding with low‐protein diets. In this study we tested whether prolonged food restriction causes deleterious alterations in this brain region as well. It was found that the total number of dentate granule cells and hippocampal CA3 and CA1 pyramidal neurons did not differ between controls and rats submitted to food restriction (40%) for 36 weeks. Likewise, no effects of this dietary regimen have been detected on the morphology of the dendritic trees of hippocampal pyramids, and on the total number of the mossy fiber‐CA3 synapses. By contrast, the dendritic arborizations of granule cells were found to have a reduced number of segments in food‐restricted rats. However, the spine density on the distal segments of their dendritic trees and the total number of axospinous synapses in the outer molecular layer of the dentate gyrus were increased in these animals. In addition, the total dendritic length of the granule cells and the overall surface area of the active zones of the synapses in the outer molecular layer were preserved, indicating that the capacity of dentate granule cells to process afferent stimuli is likely to be unaffected by this dietary treatment. Supporting this view are the results obtained in the water maze experiment which show that food‐restricted rats exhibit unimpaired spatial abilities, which are known to be dependent on the entorhinal drive towards the hippocampal formation. These results show that, among hippocampal neurons, dentate granule cells are selectively vulnerable to food restriction. Nonetheless, the reorganization which takes place in their dendrites and synapses is capable of minimizing the functional impairments that were expected to occur following changes in the hippocampal neuronal circuitry induced by this type of dietary restriction. Hippocampus 2002;12:149–164. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
RHEUMATIC FEVER AS A FAMILIAL DISEASE. ENVIRONMENT, COMMUNICABILITY AND HEREDITY IN THEIR RELATION TO THE OBSERVED FAMILIAL INCIDENCE OF THE DISEASE.

The concentration of rheumatic fever in certain families, particularly the frequent occurrence of multiple cases in the same household, has long been recognized. The reported familial incidence of rheumatic fever, based on clinical studies, ranges from 15 to 58 per cent. Three factors have been implicated in the observed familial incidence of this disease. First, common environmental conditions; second, communicability; and third, susceptibility, probably on an hereditary basis. Up to the present time, conclusive evidence establishing any one or all of these hypotheses has not been presented. It is believed that rheumatic fever has its highest incidence in urban populations of the north temperate zone. It also occurs in other sections of the world, particularly in localities where there are wide fluctuations in temperature. The disease appears to be more prevalent among the poorer classes of society, although not necessarily the poorest. The existence of unfavorable environmental conditions such as overcrowding, insufficient food and clothing, and frequent respiratory infections, are believed to be influential factors in the high familial incidence of the disease among the children of the poor. It does not, however, explain satisfactorily the occurrence of this disease in families of the well-to-do (1, 2, 3, 4, 5). The simultaneous occurrence of rheunmatic fever in several members of a family group has been reported. Epidemics of rheumatic fever have been described in barracks, boarding schools, convalescent homes, and hospital wards. These observations suggest that rheumatic fever may spread by intimate contact. It is generally be-
Maladaptive health beliefs, illness-related self-regulation and the role of the information provided by physicians

This prospective study in 119 patients with cardiovascular diseases aimed to examine whether (a) illness representations mediate the relation of general maladaptive health beliefs to patients’ coping behaviours and (b) these relations are moderated by the patients’ perception of the amount of information provided by their physicians. Personal control and illness coherence mediated the relation of maladaptive health beliefs to coping behaviour. The amount of the provided information buffered the negative relation of maladaptive health beliefs to illness representations and coping. Thus, the detrimental effect of general maladaptive health beliefs may be counterbalanced by the amount of information provided by physicians.
Kernel-enabled methods for subspace regression and efficient control

Due to many inherent desirable properties, kernel-based formalisms are quite popular and find many applications in diverse areas. They are routinely applied to solve important class of three machine learning problems viz. pattern classification, function approximation and density estimation. In the present work, three kernel variants of traditional algorithms viz. Principal Component Regression (PCR), Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression and Recursive Least Squares (RLS) regression are used and compared on two benchmark problems viz. Henon map and problem due to Narendra and Li. All the methods performed equally well. These methods are found to be robust in presence of noise also. Owing to its adaptive nature, Kernel Recursive Least Squares (KRLS) was used in controlling the above non-linear systems with set point stabilisation and trajectory tracking as two control objectives. KRLS performed well on all the systems for both the control objectives. In general, it was found that kernel-based formalisms deal effectively with the non-linearity in the data thereby making subspace regression and control accurate.
The risks of early cordocentesis (12–21 weeks): Analysis of 500 procedures

Five hundred cordocenteses were performed between 12 and 21 weeks. The indications were thalassaemia (386), rapid karyotyping (97), feto‐maternal allo‐immunization (10), rubella (6), and toxoplasmosis (1). One hundred and ten pregnancies underwent termination on the basis of the result, while 20 of the 370 pregnancies intended to continue were lost to follow‐up. Amongst these were 16 fetal losses (4·3 per cent) and 22 premature deliveries (5·9 per cent); no other complications were reported. Four adverse prognostic factors were identified: (a) cord bleeding; (b) fetal bradycardia; (c) prolonged procedure time; and (d) anterior insertion of the placenta. There was no‘obvious’ difference in fetal loss rate with advancing gestation until 19–21 weeks, when the risk of fetal loss decreased to 2·5 per cent.
Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia associated with injected new psychoactive substances

SUMMARY Injecting drug use is often associated with deep-seated infection. In Lothian in Scotland there has been a recent increase in the use of injected new psychoactive substances (NPS). Patients who have injected NPS have presented with Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB) with life-threatening complications. We describe a unique case-series of 14 episodes of SAB in ten patients. Users of injected NPS had a significantly higher incidence of endocarditis and cavitating pulmonary lesions (P < 0·05) compared to those who inject only opiates. Cases of SAB in people who inject NPS have contributed to a significant rise in the overall incidence of SAB in people who inject drugs (P < 0·05) which has in turn impacted on the ability of Lothian to meet national targets for reducing the incidence of SAB.
The stress-negative affect model of adolescent alcohol use: disaggregating negative affect.

The current study addressed three primary limitations of previous research on the relations among stress, negative affect and adolescent alcohol use. These include failure to distinguish among different types of negative affect, inattention to potential moderators of the relation between affect and alcohol use (e.g., impulsivity), and insufficient utilization of high-risk samples (e.g., children of alcoholics). In the current study, anger, anxiety and depression were found to differentially mediate the relation between stress and alcohol use, such that depression was the only significant mediator (above and beyond the effects of the other two affect measures). Impulsivity was also found to moderate the depression to alcohol use relation such that depressed, impulsive adolescents drank more heavily than depressed, nonimpulsive adolescents or nondepressed adolescents. Research implications include a need for future attention to the unique relations between forms of negative affect and alcohol use and to variables that might moderate these relations.
Dynamic and Experimental Performance of Linear-Switched Reluctance Machine With Inductance Variation According to Airgap Length

This paper deals with the dynamic and experimental performance of a linear-switched reluctance machine with inductance variation according to airgap length. First, analytical solutions for flux density due to mover winding currents are derived for the case when the mover is located at an aligned and unaligned position. And then, using the inductance at an aligned and unaligned position obtained from 2-D analytical solutions and Fourier series expansion proposed in this paper, we predict the inductance profile of the linear-switched reluctance machine (LSRM) analytically. Finally, with the experiment of manufactured LSRM, the validity of the characteristic equations is demonstrated, and the operating experiment is performed by manufacturing the operating circuit for the experiment of the operating characteristic according to the airgap length.
Workplace-based assessment as an educational tool: AMEE Guide No. 31

Background: There has been concern that trainees are seldom observed, assessed, and given feedback during their workplace-based education. This has led to an increasing interest in a variety of formative assessment methods that require observation and offer the opportunity for feedback. Aims: To review some of the literature on the efficacy and prevalence of formative feedback, describe the common formative assessment methods, characterize the nature of feedback, examine the effect of faculty development on its quality, and summarize the challenges still faced. Results: The research literature on formative assessment and feedback suggests that it is a powerful means for changing the behaviour of trainees. Several methods for assessing it have been developed and there is preliminary evidence of their reliability and validity. A variety of factors enhance the efficacy of workplace-based assessment including the provision of feedback that is consistent with the needs of the learner and focused on important aspects of the performance. Faculty plays a critical role and successful implementation requires that they receive training. Conclusions: There is a need for formative assessment which offers trainees the opportunity for feedback. Several good methods exist and feedback has been shown to have a major influence on learning. The critical role of faculty is highlighted, as is the need for strategies to enhance their participation and training.
Properties of an almost localized Fermi liquid in an applied magnetic field revisited: a statistically consistent Gutzwiller approach

We discuss the Hubbard model in an applied magnetic field and analyze the properties of neutral spin-12? > fermions within the so-called statistically consistent Gutzwiller approximation. The magnetization curve reproduces in a semiquantitative manner the experimental data for liquid 3He in the regime of moderate correlations and in the presence of a small number of vacant cells, modeled by a non-half-filled band situation, when a small number of vacancies (∼5%) is introduced in the virtual fcc lattice. We also present the results for the magnetic susceptibility and the specific heat, in which a metamagnetic-like behavior is also singled out in a non-half-filled band case.
How Do Mobiles Communicate? the Role of Product Design in Product Related Consumer Responses: the Case of Mobile Telephones

Reconciling artistic approaches to industrial design and consumption studies we set up a conceptual model for assessing the impact of industrial design, product form in the case of ordinary objects from two perspectives: in the context of making choices and its influence on the usage experience. Propositions are given to study relating consumer responses with respect to characteristics of product form, individual differences: materialism and processing preferences. Underlying empirical research has been executed in Hungary, in the case of mobile telephones. We set test our model in an quasi experimental study. We report on product related consumer responses with respect to differences in mobile design and also to the impact of personal and attitudinal factors. The theoretical consequences of the empirical outcomes will be discussed.