Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Morphologic features of the amygdala and hippocampus in children and adults with Tourette syndrome.

CONTEXT Limbic portions of cortical-subcortical circuits are likely involved in the pathogenesis of Tourette syndrome (TS). They are anatomically, developmentally, neurochemically, and functionally related to the basal ganglia, and the basal ganglia are thought to produce the symptoms of tics, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder that commonly affect persons with TS. OBJECTIVE To study the morphologic features of the hippocampus and amygdala in children and adults with TS. DESIGN A cross-sectional, case-control study using anatomical magnetic resonance imaging. SETTING University research center. PARTICIPANTS A total of 282 individuals (154 patients with TS and 128 controls) aged 6 to 63 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Volumes and measures of surface morphologic features of the hippocampus and amygdala. RESULTS The overall volumes of the hippocampus and amygdala were significantly larger in the TS group. Surface analyses suggested that the increased volumes in the TS group derived primarily from the head and medial surface of the hippocampus (over the length of the dentate gyrus) and the dorsal and ventral surfaces of the amygdala (over its basolateral and central nuclei). Volumes of these subregions declined with age in the TS group but not in controls, so the subregions were significantly larger in children with TS but significantly smaller in adults with TS than in their control counterparts. In children and adults, volumes in these subregions correlated inversely with the severity of tic, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms, suggesting that enlargement of the subregions may have a compensatory and neuromodulatory effect on tic-related symptoms. CONCLUSION These findings are consistent with the known plasticity of the dentate gyrus and with findings from previous imaging studies suggesting the presence of failed compensatory plasticity in adults with TS who have not experienced the usual decline in symptoms during adolescence.
Activity recognition based on wearable sensors using selection/fusion hybrid ensemble

Activity recognition with mobile sensors is a challenging task due to the inherent noisy nature of the input data and resource limitations of the target platform. This paper presents a novel method of hybridizing classifier selection and classifier fusion in order to address these difficulties. It efficiently decreases the computational cost by activating appropriate classifiers according to the characteristics of the given input, and resolves the pattern variations by combining the chosen classifiers with localized templates. The proposed method is integrated with a wearable system that includes five motion sensors (accelerometers and gyroscopes), a set of bio-signal sensors, and data-gloves. The experiments on two different levels of activities, such as 11 primitive motions and eight composite behaviors, demonstrated that the proposed method is useful to the wearable systems.
Living morphogenesis of the ventricles and congenital pathology of their component parts

Living morphogenetic studies show that each definitive ventricle is constructed from different primitive cardiac segments, and each has its specific anatomical features. These ventricular segments are the atrioventricular junction; the primitive inlet segment, part of the primary heart tube, which initially provides the inlets of each ventricle; the primitive outlet segment, which gives rise to both ventricular outlets; and the apical trabeculated regions of the right and left ventricles which grow from the primary heart tube, respectively. In this review, we describe regional pathology based on the relationship of these primitive ventricular components. We propose that the abnormal morphogenesis of one of these segments gives origin to regional ventricular pathology. For example, abnormal embryogenesis of the atrioventricular canal produces malformations of the atrioventricular junctions, such as double inlet ventricle, absence of one atrioventricular connection, and straddling and overriding atrioventricular valves. Similarly, abnormal morphogenesis of the primitive outlet segment gives rise to malformations of the subarterial region of each ventricle, along with the valves guarding these vessels. The principal anatomical features of these malformations of the ventricular inlets and outlets are described, and their possible morphogenesis is discussed. Due to the fact that the apical trabeculated region of each ventricle arises from a separate primitive segment, each ventricle can be identified according to the pattern of its apical trabeculations. This feature is crucial in the elucidation of complex congenital pathology, such as discordant atrioventricular connections.
ATTEMPTS TO DIMINISH UNCERTAINTY IN QUALITY EVALUATION OF COMPRESSED VIDEO BY HUMAN AUDIENCE

The paper concerns one of subjective continuous quality evaluation method (SSCQE) (1, 2), which is used for measuring the human perception of compression errors in video. The problem with subjective quality assessment is a big measurement uncertainty that makes drawing conclusions on quality of compared materials with required significance level difficult. The paper presents a new method of measurement data processing, which enables for decreasing the unwanted influence of human factors and diminishing the standard deviation of the measurement results by a half. The Mandel's h and k statistics are used, likewise in inter- laboratory comparisons programs.
Community Reactions to Young People Who Have Sexually Abused and Their Families: A Shotgun Blast, Not a Rifle Shot

Data on 117 young sexual abusers were examined to investigate the nature of community responses to young people's abusive behaviour. A wide range of community responses were found, with stigmatisation, social isolation and collateral damage being common. A contagion effect was noted, with community responses extending over time and across contexts. Some young offenders and their families were attacked and forced out of their homes. In some cases, community responses heightened risk factors. The policy and practice implications of the findings are discussed, including the need for caution about the inclusion of children in policies on community notification of sex offenders.
RNA Secondary Structures

The three-dimensional structures of nucleic acids, RNA, and DNA, are dominated by double-helical regions that are formed by canonical Watson–Crick and wobble (GU) base pairs, which collectively are referred to as the secondary structure of the molecule. In the case of RNA, this level of description is of particular interest because it captures the thermodynamics of RNA folding quite well and allows a self-consistent description of folding dynamics. Furthermore, secondary structures are often evolutionarily well conserved, evolving much slower than the underlying sequences. From a bioinformatics perspective, RNAsecondary structures are a convenient representation because efficient exact algorithms are known to enumerate the structures that can be formed by a given sequence, to solve the folding problem, and to compute the partition function (and hence any thermodynamic quantity of interest) from a well-measured set of empirical energy parameters. Keywords: Base Pair; Dynamic Programming; Helix or Stem; Loops; Noncoding RNA; Pseudoknot; RNomics; Secondary Structure
An active audition framework for auditory-driven HRI: Application to interactive robot dancing

In this paper we propose a general active audition framework for auditory-driven Human-Robot Interaction (HRI). The proposed framework simultaneously processes speech and music on-the-fly, integrates perceptual models for robot audition, and supports verbal and non-verbal interactive communication by means of (pro)active behaviors. To ensure a reliable interaction, on top of the framework a behavior decision mechanism based on active audition policies the robot's actions according to the reliability of the acoustic signals for auditory processing. To validate the framework's application to general auditory-driven HRI, we propose the implementation of an interactive robot dancing system. This system integrates three preprocessing robot audition modules: sound source localization, sound source separation, and ego noise suppression; two modules for auditory perception: live audio beat tracking and automatic speech recognition; and multi-modal behaviors for verbal and non-verbal interaction: music-driven dancing and speech-driven dialoguing. To fully assess the system, we set up experimental and interactive real-world scenarios with highly dynamic acoustic conditions, and defined a set of evaluation criteria. The experimental tests revealed accurate and robust beat tracking and speech recognition, and convincing dance beat-synchrony. The interactive sessions confirmed the fundamental role of the behavior decision mechanism for actively maintaining a robust and natural human-robot interaction.
A new diagnosis of asthma or COPD is linked to smoking cessation – the Tromsø study

Background Patients with COPD have had a lower tendency to quit smoking compared to patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). We wanted to investigate if this is still true in a Norwegian population. Methods Our data came from the fifth and sixth Tromsø surveys, which took place in 2001–2002 and 2007–2008. The predictors of smoking cessation were evaluated in a cohort of 4,497 participants who had stated their smoking status in both surveys. Results Of the 4,497 subjects in the cohort, 1,150 (25.6%) reported daily smoking in Tromsø 5. In Tromsø 6, 428 had quit (37.2%). A new diagnosis of obstructive lung disease (asthma or COPD) and CHD were both associated with increased quitting rates, 50.6% (P=0.01) and 52.1% (P=0.02), respectively. In multivariable logistic regression analysis with smoking cessation as outcome, the odds ratios (ORs) of a new diagnosis of obstructive lung disease and of CHD were 1.7 (1.1–2.7) and 1.7 (1.0–2.9), respectively. Male sex had an OR of 1.4 (1.1–1.8) compared to women in the multivariable model, whereas the ORs of an educational length of 13–16 years and ≥17 years compared to shorter education were 1.6 (1.1–2.2) and 2.5 (1.5–4.1), respectively. Conclusion The general trend of smoking cessation in the population was confirmed. Increased rates of smoking cessation were associated with a new diagnosis of heart or lung disease, and obstructive lung disease was just as strongly linked to smoking cessation as was CHD. This should encourage the pursuit of early diagnosis of COPD.
Cross-situational patterns in children's coping with observed interpersonal conflict.

Investigated cross-situational patterns in children's coping with observed interpersonal conflict. Children in Grades 4, 5, 7, and 8 (N = 417) reported on their use of five coping responses when exposed to conflict they observed between the adults in their homes and between their peers. Although children reported using the same relative pattern of coping responses across situations (i.e., distancing/denial the most, support seeking the least), they used a much higher level of internalizing/worrying responses when exposed to the adult conflict situation than the peer conflict situation. Sex and developmental differences were not consistent across observed interpersonal conflict situations.
Literature review on monitoring technologies and their outcomes in independently living elderly people

Abstract Purpose: To obtain insight into what kind of monitoring technologies exist to monitor activity in-home, what the characteristics and aims of applying these technologies are, what kind of research has been conducted on their effects and what kind of outcomes are reported. Methods: A systematic document search was conducted within the scientific databases Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane, PsycINFO and Cinahl, complemented by Google Scholar. Documents were included in this review if they reported on monitoring technologies that detect activities of daily living (ADL) or significant events, e.g. falls, of elderly people in-home, with the aim of prolonging independent living. Results: Five main types of monitoring technologies were identified: PIR motion sensors, body-worn sensors, pressure sensors, video monitoring and sound recognition. In addition, multicomponent technologies and smart home technologies were identified. Research into the use of monitoring technologies is widespread, but in its infancy, consisting mainly of small-scale studies and including few longitudinal studies. Conclusions: Monitoring technology is a promising field, with applications to the long-term care of elderly persons. However, monitoring technologies have to be brought to the next level, with longitudinal studies that evaluate their (cost-) effectiveness to demonstrate the potential to prolong independent living of elderly persons. Implications for Rehabilitation Insight was obtained of what kind of technologies exist to monitor activity of daily living, what their functionalities and outcomes of using these technologies are to prolong independent living of non-institutionalised elderly people. Five main groups of monitoring technologies exist with a wide range of functionalities. Research into the use of monitoring technologies is widespread but in its infancy, consisting mainly of small-scale studies and including few longitudinal studies. Research into the use of monitoring technologies demonstrated that the systems are able to monitor daily activities and have the potential of prolonging independent living of elderly people.
Why Do Gen Y Students Study Abroad? Individual Growth and the Intent to Study Abroad

We propose that Generation Y college students’ motivations to study abroad are rooted in the desire for individual growth, which, combined with other motivation factors—gender, parents’ educational level, prior international experience, age, and household income—drives the intent to study abroad. The study samples juniors and seniors in business majors, thereby attempting to shorten the temporal distance between study abroad intent and action. A significant number of students declare intent to study abroad as freshmen, yet fail to act on those intentions when the opportunity presents itself a year or two later. Results showed that the desire for individual growth was significantly and positively related to Gen Y business students’ intention to study abroad. Students’ prior experience visiting foreign countries and younger age positively moderated the effect of the desire for individual growth on intent to study abroad. The time lag between intent and action, and the fact that study abroad is a high involvement activity creates promotional challenges on how to best promote study abroad to Gen Y students. The article suggests practical implications and suggests how schools might increase study abroad participation among Gen Y college students.
Nutrition and sexuality in protandric gastropods of the genus Crepidula.

It is well known that the nutrition of the Crepidulas and other fixed or sedentary ciliary-feeding gastropods depends upon the ingestion of minute organisms and particles suspended in the water. These materials are brought to the gill by ciliary action. The water in passing through the gill is filtered through sheets of mucus secreted by the cells of the gill. Many of the suspended particles are caught in this mucus which is then carried by ciliary action through the long food groove on the dorsal surface of the body and thence to the mouth. The larger particles are carried directly to the mouth from the anterior end of the gill, as so fully described by Yonge (1938). These ingested materials consist of dinoflagellates, diatoms, bacteria and other phytoplankton, together with various kinds of flagellates, ciliates and other protozoa, ova and spermatozoa of invertebrates, and a large proportion of detritus derived from the disintegrated cells of any unicellular or multicellular plant or animal. Particles of sand, of mollusk shells, and other inert substances are included in the stomach contents.
Reactive animation: realistic modeling of complex dynamic systems

Some complex systems are transformational, of an input-process-output type, repeatedly carrying out their prescribed work for each new set of inputs. A far more problematic class comprises large systems that are heavily controlor event-driven. Such systems (dubbed reactive because they react to various kinds of events, signals, and conditions in intricate ways) are often concurrent and distributed. Reactive animation, a patent pending technology, offers great promise as a way to enhance the visualization of system behavior, especially for reactive systems, which are a central part of most current computerized technologies.
Angiotensin-I-Converting Enzyme (ACE) Inhibitors from Marine Resources: Prospects in the Pharmaceutical Industry

Hypertension or high blood pressure is one of the major independent risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. Angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (EC 3.4.15.1; ACE) plays an important physiological role in regulation of blood pressure by converting angiotensin I to angiotensin II, a potent vasoconstrictor. Therefore, the inhibition of ACE activity is a major target in the prevention of hypertension. Recently, the search for natural ACE inhibitors as alternatives to synthetic drugs is of great interest to prevent several side effects and a number of novel compounds such as bioactive peptides, chitooligosaccharide derivatives (COS) and phlorotannins have been derived from marine organisms as potential ACE inhibitors. These inhibitory derivatives can be developed as nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals with potential to prevent hypertension. Hence, the aim of this review is to discuss the marine-derived ACE inhibitors and their future prospects as novel therapeutic drug candidates for treat hypertension.
The probability of the improbable: society–nature coevolution

Abstract. This article aims to show how evolutionary theory, social‐metabolism and sociological systems theory can be utilized to develop a concept of society–nature coevolution. The article begins with a conception of industrialization as a socio‐metabolic transition, that is, a major transformation in the energetic and consequently material basis of society. This transition to industrial metabolism was essential for the emergence and maintenance of industrial societies and is at the same time the main cause of global environmental change. The article proceeds by asking what the notion of society–nature coevolution can potentially contribute to understanding environmental sustainability problems. An elaborated concept of coevolution hinges on (1) a more precise and sociologically more meaningful concept of cultural evolution and (2) understanding how cultural evolution is linked to the environment. Next I briefly outline major lines of thought and controversies surrounding the idea of cultural evolution. The direction proposed here commences with an abstract version of Darwinian evolution, which is then re‐specified for social systems, understood as communication systems, as developed by Luhmann. The re‐specification implies three important changes in the theoretical outline of cultural evolution: first, shifting from the human population to the communication system as the unit of cultural evolution and to single communications as the unit of cultural variation; second, shifting from transmission or inheritance to reproduction as necessary condition for evolution; and third, shifting from purely internal (communicative) forces of selection towards including also environmental selection. Adopting elements from the work of Hägerstrand and Boserup, the primary environmental selective force in cultural evolution is conceptualized as the historically variable constraints in human time–space occupation. In the conclusions I tie the argument back to its beginning, by arguing that the most radical changes in human time–space occupation have been enabled by major socio‐metabolic transitions in the energy system.
PEWeb: Product Extraction from the Web Based on Entropy Estimation

Mining product descriptions (PDs) from e-commercial web sites is an important task in information extraction from the Web. In this paper, we propose an efficient technique for this task. The technique first discovers the set of PDs based on the measure of entropy at each internal node in the HTML tag tree. Afterwards, a set of association rules based on heuristic features is employed to filter the output and therefore enhance the precision. The experimental results of PEWeb system show that the proposed method outperforms existing automatic techniques remarkably.
Migration and the metropolis: recent research on the causes of migration to southeast England

"The paper focuses on one main issue: the relative importance of housing and labour market forces in explaining the volume and nature of migration to the southeast region [of England]. " The author reviews recent literature in an attempt to determine "why people migrated to [and from] the southeast. [and] what the consequences of these in-migration and out-migration streams were for their respective origin and destination regions. "
Prevalence and Correlates of Delegitimization Among Jewish Israeli Adolescents

Intractable political conflicts are characterized by a sociopsychological infrastructure (Bar-Tal, 2007) in which individuals are subject to a cognitive and emotional repertoire that legitimizes the use of violence. This study examined the prevalence and correlates of delegitimization, one psychological component theorized as central to the maintenance and reproduction of intractable conflict. Jewish Israeli adolescents completed a survey assessing delegitimization (a process by which members of the outgroup are morally derogated and considered of less existential value than ingroup members), demographic variables, political violence exposure and participation, and attitudes toward policies related to conflict resolution with the Palestinians. Higher levels of delegitimization were associated with being male and with higher reported levels of religiosity, political violence participation, and endorsement of non-compromising attitudes associated with conflict resolution. Analyses supported a conceptual mod.