Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Different Skills and Their Different Effects on Personal Development: An Investigation of European Social Fund Objective 4 Financed Training in SMEs in Britain.

This paper examines a data set that has its origins in European Social Fund Objective 4 financed training programmes in small‐ to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in Britain to examine the extent to which three different personal development outcomes are attributable to different types of skills acquired during the training process. The three outcomes in question are: whether an individual gains more confidence at the workplace; whether an individual obtains a qualification; and whether an individual quits the company at which the training took place. To the extent that it is possible to isolate one skill dimension from an inherently multi‐dimensional bundle, it is observed that some of these skill dimensions have important, if sometimes different, impacts on the likelihood that the outcome in question occurs.
Improvement in Academic Screening Instruments? A Concurrent Validity Investigation of the K-FAST, MBA, and WRAT-3

The present study examined the extent to which the scores from the K-FAST, MBA, and WRAT-3 are comparable in degree of correlation and mean scores in a sample of university students (N = 62). Results generally provided concurrent validity evidence for the three academic screening tests, although several significant differences were found between measures. An examination of test intercorrelations and test content revealed that the reading and writing domains are not assessed similarly across batteries. The intercorrelations between reading scores were relatively low, ranging from . 31 (K-FAST and WRAT-3) to . 48 (MBA and WRAT-3). The MBA provides the broadest assessment of reading (word recognition, word comprehension, passage comprehension), followed by the K-FAST. The WRAT-3 Reading test assesses mainly word recognition, as demonstrated by a . 68 correlation with the MBA Identification test. The MBA also provides the broadest assessment of writing (punctuation, capitalization, spelling, word usage), followed by the WRAT-3 (which assesses only spelling). The math scores from the three batteries were most consistently correlated (rs ranging from .52 to .54), a finding that supports the validity of the mathematics scores obtained from these instruments. Recommendations for the use and interpretation of the K-FAST, MBA, and WRAT-3 are offered, and avenues for future research are suggested.
Identifying the asylum speaker: reflection on the pitfalls of language analysis in the determination of national origin

The objective of this article is to come closer to an empirically grounded perception of the functions linguistic method can serve in the Belgian asylum procedure. It investigates the extent to which linguistic expert vision can anticipate practical problems related to language and identity in the procedure. Given the enormous demand for linguistic expertise in the Belgian asylum procedure, this article will call into question the reliability of linguistic methods in determining nationality. I will do this on the basis of (a) an analysis of a translation test conducted during one of the application interviews and (b) a reconsideration of a case of linguistic identification conducted at the language analysis desk of the Belgian migration agencies. I will argue that, on the basis of the current research methods and the limited resources available, the validity of linguistic identification practices in the Belgian asylum procedure needs to be qualified.
Application of multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification, and identification of a heterozygous Alu-associated deletion and a uniparental disomy of chromosome 1 in two patients with 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA lyase deficiency

Mitochondrial 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA lyase (HMGCL) deficiency is an autosomal recessive disorder affecting the leucine catabolic pathway and ketone body synthesis, and is clinically characterized by metabolic crises with hypoketotic hypoglycemia, metabolic acidosis and hyperammonemia. In the present study, we initially used PCR with genomic followed by direct sequencing to investigate the molecular genetic basis of HMGCL deficiency in two patients clinically diagnosed with the condition. Although we identified a mutation in each patient, the inheritance patterns of these mutations were not consistent with disease causation. Therefore, we investigated HMGCL using multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) to determine the copy numbers of all exons. A heterozygous deletion that included exons 2–4 was identified in one of the patients. MLPA revealed that the other patient had two copies for all HMGCL exons. Paternal uniparental isodisomy of chromosome 1 was confirmed in this patient by microarray analysis. These findings indicate that MLPA is useful for the identification of genomic aberrations and mutations other than small-scale nucleotide alterations. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study describing HMGCL deficiency caused by uniparental disomy.
Generating photomosaics: an empirical study

Photomosaics are images obtained from assembling a large number of small photographs called tiles. They were invented in 1995 by Rob Silvers while working on his ma+ ter’s thesis under Michael Hawley [7]. Besides their obvious values in art and entertainment, photomosaics could potentially be useful in digital copyrighting, compression, and complexity theory. This paper proposes to measure i) the effectiveness of algorithms for generating photomosaics in terms of similarity to the original image, granularity of the individual tiles, and variety of the selected tiles; and ii) the costs of these algorithms in terms of running time and tile library size. The effectiveness and costs of two photo mosaic algorithms based on string matching techniques are studied. Results suggest various direct and inverse linear relationships between similarity, granularity, variety, and the library size.
A multi-agent approach to smart grid energy management

In this paper, we propose a method of smart grid energy management. A smart grid is an energy system formed by the interconnection of small, modular generation units (microturbines, fuel cells, photovoltaic equipment, etc.), together with storage devices (flywheels, energy capacitors and batteries) and controllable loads over low voltage distribution systems. The target of this study is to develop an agent-based approach to smart grid energy management. In order to verify the performance of the proposed system, it applied to a simple model system with different conditions. From the simulation results, it can be seen the proposed multi-agent system could perform the smart grid management efficiently.
The Evolution of Media Effects Theory: A Six-Stage Model of Cumulative Research

The literature of media effects is frequently characterized as a three-stage progression initially embracing a theory of strong effects followed by a repudiation of earlier work and new model of minimal effects followed by yet another repudiation and a rediscovery of strong effects. We argue that although this dramatic and somewhat romantic simplification may be pedagogically useful in introductory courses, it may prove a significant impediment to further theoretical refinement and progress in advanced scholarship. We analyze the citation patterns of 20,736 scholarly articles in five communication journals with special attention to the 200 most frequently cited papers in an effort to provide an alternative six-stage model of, we argue, cumulative media effects theories for the period 1956–2005.
Prediction of evolution toward brain death upon admission to ICU in comatose patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage using simple signs

The aim of the study was to identify the predictors of brain death (BD) upon admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) of comatose patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Patients admitted in our ICU from 2002 to 2010 for spontaneous ICH and placed under mechanical ventilation were retrospectively analyzed. Of the 72 patients, 49% evolved to BD, 39% died after withdrawal of life support, and 12% were discharged alive. The most discriminating characteristics to predict BD were included in two models; Model 1 contained ≥3 abolished brainstem responses [adjusted odds ratios (OR) = 8.4 (2.4, 29.1)] and the swirl sign on the baseline CT‐scan [adjusted OR = 5.0 (1.6, 15.9)] and Model 2 addressed the abolition of corneal reflexes [unilateral/bilateral: adjusted OR = 4.2 (0.9, 20.1)/8.8 (2.4, 32.3)] and the swirl sign on the baseline CT‐scan [adjusted OR = 6.2 (1.9, 20.0)]. Two scores predicting BD were created (sensitivity: 0.89 and 0.88, specificity: 0.68 and 0.65). Risk of evolution toward BD was classified as low (corneal reflexes present and no swirl sign), high (≥1 corneal reflexes abolished and swirl sign), and intermediate. Simple signs at ICU admission can predict BD in comatose patients with ICH and could increase the potential for organ donation.
A CPG Component LE Generates Depolarization of Buccal Neurons by Producing Constant Plateau Potentials During Feeding Responses of Aplysia kurodai

Abstract In the buccal ganglia of Aplysia kurodai we have identified neurons (here termed LE neurons, or LE) producing plateau potentials lasting several seconds by application of short depolarizing currents. Results obtained from experiments using various bath solutions suggest that generation of these plateau potentials may be an endogenous property of LE. Application of various intensities or lengths of depolarizing currents induced in LE almost constant plateau potentials with fixed duration and depolarizing size. LE spikes produced monosynaptic EPSPs in the ipsilateral multi-action neuron (MA) and the jaw-closing motor neuron (JC) in the buccal ganglia. Conversely, MA spikes produced monosynaptic IPSPs in LE. There was electrical coupling between LE and both MA and JC. During the feeding-like response elicited by electrical stimulation of the nerve, LE showed rhythmic depolarization almost simultaneously with MA and JC, and firing on the plateau potentials occurred during the period of JC firing, the later phase of radula retraction. Hyperpolarization of LE during the feeding-like response suppressed generation of plateau potentials, though rhythmic small depolarization was still induced. During LE hyperpolarization, the duration of the depolarization of MA and JC was shortened. These results suggest that LE may be an element of the feeding CPG circuit and may contribute to part of the depolarization of MA and JC by generating constant plateau potentials during the feeding response, though LE may not have rhythm-generating ability.
Face Recognition-based Lecture Attendance System

In this paper, we propose a system that takes the attendance of students for classroom lecture. Our system takes the attendance automatically using face recognition. However, it is diﬃcult to estimate the attendance precisely using each result of face recognition independently because the face detection rate is not suﬃciently high. In this paper, we propose a method for estimating the attendance precisely using all the results of face recognition obtained by continuous observation. Continuous observation improves the performance for the estimation of the attendance We constructed the lecture attendance system based on face recognition, and applied the system to classroom lecture. This paper ﬁrst review the related works in the ﬁeld of attendance management and face recognition. Then, it introduces our system structure and plan. Finally, experiments are implemented to provide as evidence to support our plan. The result shows that continuous observation improved the performance for the estimation of the attendance.
Semantic Components: A model for enhancing retrieval of domain-specific information

Despite the success of general Internet search engines, information retrieval remains an incompletely solved problem. Our research focuses on supporting domain experts when they search domain-specific libraries to satisfy targeted information needs. The semantic components model introduces a schema specific to a particular document collection. A semantic component schema consists of a two-level hierarchy, document classes and semantic components. A document class represents a document grouping, such as topic type or document purpose. A semantic component is a characteristic type of information that occurs in a particular document class and represents an important aspect of the document's main topic. Semantic component indexing identifies the location and extent of semantic component instances within a document and can supplement traditional full text and keyword indexing techniques. Semantic component searching allows a user to refine a topical search by indicating a preference for documents containing specific semantic components or by indicating terms that should appear in specific semantic components. We investigate four aspects of semantic components in this research. First, we describe lessons learned from using two methods for developing schemas in two domains. Second, we demonstrate use of semantic components to express domain-specific concepts and relationships by mapping a published taxonomy of questions asked by family practice physicians to the semantic component schemas for two document collections about medical care. Third, we report the results of a user study, showing that manual semantic component indexing is comparable to manual keyword indexing with respect to time and perceived difficulty and suggesting that semantic component indexing may be more accurate and consistent than manual keyword indexing. Fourth, we report the results of an interactive searching study, demonstrating the ability of semantic components to enhance search results compared to a baseline system without semantic components. In addition, we contribute a formal description of the semantic components model, a prototype implementation of semantic component indexing software, and a prototype implementation adding semantic components to an existing commercial search engine. Finally, we analyze metrics for evaluating instances of semantic component indexing and keyword indexing and illustrate use of a session-based metric for evaluating multiple-query search sessions.
World cities under conditions of financialized globalization

This paper interrogates the enduring yet changing role of world cities as centers of capitalist ‘command and control’ amidst deepening uneven development. By incorporating financialization processes in Friedmann’s (1986) world city hypothesis, we hypothesize that the world city archipelago remains an obligatory passage point for the relatively assured realization of capital. The advanced producer services complex appropriates superprofits as producers of co-constitutive knowledge on operational and financial firm restructuring, the creation of new circuits of value, and capital switching. Geographically, beyond the international financial center shortlist, the wider world city archipelago inserts finance capital (logics) in contemporary economies and societies.
Is halo helpful? Effects of inducing halo on performance rating accuracy

Halo error, although traditionally viewed as being detrimental to the quality of social cognition, has been purported to have potentially beneficial effects in some situations (Murphy, Jako, & Anhalt, 1993; Nathan & Tippins, 1990). Consequently, Murphy et al. called for investigations on the effects of inducing halo. The present experiment tested the effect of inducing halo on performance rating accuracy. Participants ( N = 160) were randomly assigned to either the induced halo or control condition. Participants observed videotaped performances then made job performance ratings after a 24-hour delay. In spite of a high degree of power, the effect of the halo induction on rating accuracy was not significant. Thus, it appears plausible that any potentially beneficial effects of halo on performance ratings may be limited to naturally occurring halo rather than to induced halo.
Pitched Instrument Onset Detection based on Auditory Spectra

In this paper, a novel method for onset detection of music signals using auditory spectra is proposed. The auditory spectrogram provides a time-frequency representation that employs a sound processing model resembling the human auditory system. Recent work on onset detection employs DFT-based features, such as the spectral flux and group delay function. The spectral flux and group delay are introduced in the auditory framework and an onset detection algorithm is proposed. Experiments are conducted on a dataset covering 11 pitched instrument types, consisting of 1829 onsets in total. Results indicate the superiority of the auditory representations over the DFT-based ones, with the auditory spectral flux exhibiting an onset detection improvement by 2% in terms of F-measure when compared to the DFT-based feature.
TimeReach: Historical Reachability Queries on Evolving Graphs

Since most graphs evolve over time, it is useful to be able to query their history. We consider historical reachability queries that ask for the existence of a path in some time interval in the past, either in the whole duration of the interval (conjunctive queries), or in at least one time instant in the interval (disjunctive queries). We study both alternatives of storing the full transitive closure of the evolving graph and of performing an online traversal. Then, we propose an appropriate reachability index, termed TimeReach index, that exploits the fact that most real-world graphs contain large strongly connected components. Finally, we present an experimental evaluation of all approaches, for dierent graph sizes, historical query types and time granularities.
Acute silver toxicity in aquatic animals is a function of sodium uptake rate.

On the basis of these facts about freshwater fish and invertebrates: (i) the Na+ turnover is a physiological process associated with the gill membranes; (ii) the key mechanism of acute silver toxicity consists of reduction in Na+ uptake by blockade of gill Na+,K+-ATPase; (iii) the mass-specific surface area of the gills depends on animal body mass; and (iv) the gill surface is also the major site of Na+ loss by diffusion, we hypothesized that whole body Na+ uptake rate (i.e., turnover rate) and secondarily body mass would be good predictors of acute silver toxicity. Results obtained from toxicological (LC50 of AgNO3) and physiological (22Na uptake rate) tests performed on juvenile fish (rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss), early juvenile and adult crayfish (Cambarusdiogenes diogenes), and neonate and adult daphnids (Daphnia magna) in moderately hard water of constant quality support the above hypothesis. Therefore, sensitivity to AgNO3, in terms of either total measured silver or free Ag+, was reliably predicted from the whole body Na+ uptake rate in animals with body mass ranging over 6 orders of magnitude (from micrograms to grams). A positive log-log correlation between acute AgNO3 toxicity and body mass of the same species was also observed. Furthermore, the whole body Na+ uptake rate was inversely related to body mass in unexposed animals. The combination of these last two results explains why the small animals in this study were more sensitive to Ag+ than the larger ones. Taken together, these results clearly point out the possibility of incorporating the Na+ uptake rate into the current version of the Biotic Ligand Model to improve the predictive capacity of this model. In the absence of information on Na+ uptake rate, then body mass may serve as a surrogate.
Screening and Improvement of an Anti-VEGF DNA Aptamer

To obtain an aptamer with a high affinity for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), we focused on the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of VEGF as a target epitope. Three rounds of screening gave Vap7, which bound to the VEGF isoforms VEGF121 and VEGF165 with KD values of 1.0 nM and 20 nM, respectively. Moreover, Vap7 showed specificity within the VEGF family. Secondary structure predictions and circular dicrhoism suggested that Vap7 folds into a G-quadruplex structure. We obtained a mutant aptamer that contains only this region of the aptamer sequence. This truncated mutant (V7t1) bound to both VEGF121 and VEGF165 with KD values of 1.1 nM and 1.4 nM, respectively. Its sequence was 5'-TGTGGGGGTGGACGGGCCGGGTAGA-3', and it appeared to form a G-quadruplex structure. We also produced an aptamer heterodimer consisting of our previously derived aptamer (del5-1), which binds to the heparin-binding domain of VEGF, linked to V7t1. The resulting heterodimer bound strongly to VEGF165 with a KD value of 4.7 × 102 pM.
Multiparametric prediction with application to early detection of cardiovascular events

Cardiovascular diseases are a major public health concern, and a cause of considerable morbidity and mortality. As a consequence, the prediction of severe events is of great importance for professionals, since it provides the adequate tools to diagnose. The main goal of this work is the development of algorithms that perform the early detection of critical events, using multi-parametric approaches that combine physiological measurements (e.g. ECG, blood pressure, weight) and other sources of information (e.g. medication). Two main scientific challenges will be addressed: prediction methods and information fusion schemes, based on computational intelligence methodologies. The main hypothesis is that physiological time series with similar progression have prognostic value in future clinical states. The main applications will be the prediction of hypertension or decompensation episodes for heart failure patients. The clinical validation will be carried out in the context of tele-monitoring studies using private dataset (myHeart), and intensive care units using public datasets (mimic II-Physionet). This paper presents the main guidelines of research and some preliminary results on the similarity assessment from heart failure patients.
Effect of Follicular Fluid Proteins and Gonadotropins on Progesterone Secretion by Buffalo Granulosa Cells In vitro

In the mammalian ovary the follicular fluid contains proteins and peptides which play an important role in growth, development and maturation of oocytes. The gonadotropins and some other factors work synergistically and regulate ovarian functions. In the present study the effect of follicular fluid proteins (FFP) and gonadotropins on progesterone secretion by granulosa cells (GC) from buffalo ovary, was investigated during culture. The follicular fluid was collected from small (<5 mm), and medium (5-8 mm) follicles obtained from buffalo ovaries. The follicular fluid from medium follicles was fractionated with ammonium sulphate at 80% saturation. The precipitated protein fraction was further resolved in to minor (peaks I, III) and major (peak II) proteins using gel filtration (Sephadex G-200). The FFP from small follicles and major FFP (peak II) at a dose of 200 μg/well, significantly stimulated progesterone secretion by pooled GC (3×10 5 cells/2 ml medium/well). The minor FFP did not show any stimulatory effect. There was a significant increase in progesterone secretion by pooled GC in presence of FFP and LH (10 ng/well), however, FSH (20 ng/well) with FFP exhibited an inhibitory effect. The major FFP and gonadotropins were also studied for their effect on progesterone production by GC isolated from medium and large size follicles. The GC from medium follicles were more responsive to FSH and FFP whereas GC from large follicles exhibited enhanced progesterone secretion with LH and FFP. These results indicated that FFP have their own stimulatory effect and also act synergistically with gonadotropins. The significantly different response shown by GC, for steroid hormone secretion, is based on their stage of growth and differentiation. The purification and characterization of such steroidogenic proteins may help in elucidating their role in growth and differentiation of granulosa cells.