Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
“What Works” Literature, How Is That Reflected in Juvenile Justice Policies in Albania?

The principles of “What works” literature are based on theory, practice and research and they bring evidence on successful interventions in different contexts and specifically in juvenile justice policies. “What works” literature in the field of juvenile justice in Albania is not taken in consideration in none of the stages of criminal justice, including investigation, security measures, trial and criminal sentence, the execution of criminal sentence. Ministry of Justice has not developed yet a Strategy for Juvenile Justice to address the minor’s problematic facing the criminal justice system. The plan of Action for Children 2012- 2015 has some objectives not achieved yet regarding the minors in conflict with law. The amendments of Code of Criminal Procedures regarding the minors, in force in 2014, has not yet produced positive effects on the minors in conflicts with law in Albania. The role of General Prosecution Office and the court system in this aspect are of great importance for the investigation stage, trial and the execution of the sentence. The discussion presents the principles of literature “What works” in the field of juvenile justice and in this frame suggestions will be presented in line with Criminal Code and Code of Criminal Procedures. DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2015. v4n2s2p134
Integrated Multiagent Course Search to Goal by Epsilon-Greedy Learning Strategy: Dual-Probability Approximation Searching

This paper presents a multistart, multiagent robust approach to search for a pattern (route to a goal), it uses dual probability approximation searching with the gradual decrease of a simple temperature parameter, which is initially warm and cools as the search converges. This is integrated with e-greedy learning, which is used to monitor changes in the optimal search and in the course. The resulting method has various new properties, including, for example, excellent goal convergence, wide initial searching, jumping obstacles, and active high curacy sensing. We present simulation results that validate this approach in the presence of obstacles.
Update Exchange with Mappings and Provenance

We consider systems for data sharing among heterogeneous peers related by a network of schema mappings. Each peer has a locally controlled and edited database instance, but wants to ask queries over related data from other peers as well. To achieve this, every peer's updates propagate along the mappings to the other peers. However, this update exchange is filtered by trust conditions --- expressing what data and sources a peer judges to be authoritative --- which may cause a peer to reject another's updates. In order to support such filtering, updates carry provenance information. These systems target scientific data sharing applications, and their general principles and architecture have been described in [20]. In this paper we present methods for realizing such systems. Specifically, we extend techniques from data integration, data exchange, and incremental view maintenance to propagate updates along mappings; we integrate a novel model for tracking data provenance, such that curators may filter updates based on trust conditions over this provenance; we discuss strategies for implementing our techniques in conjunction with an RDBMS; and we experimentally demonstrate the viability of our techniques in the ORCHESTRA prototype system.
Towards a migrant-centred perspective on international migration : the contribution of Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach

Cross-border migration, a multifaceted phenomenon involving a heterogeneous population all over the world, is studied by a fragmented host of theories. Departing from a critical review of economic neo-classical theories, this paper proposes a model which is able to overcome some of the pitfalls of such approaches to migration and to bring to the forefront migration as a fundamental capability whose impact on migrants? well-being depends on the interconnection between structural phenomena and migrants? agency. This is achieved by combining the explanatory power provided by an integrated reading of the main existing theories about international migration with the theoretical tools offered by the Amartya Sen? capability framework and the findings of the migration-related literature recently developed within the HDCA scholarship. A discussion of the most suited methods to operationalize such framework concludes the paper.
Effects of Gabapentin in Acute Inflammatory Pain in Humans

Background and Objectives The aim of the study was to examine the analgesic effects of the anticonvulsant, gabapentin, in a validated model of acute inflammatory pain. Methods Twenty-two volunteers were investigated in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled cross-over study. Gabapentin 1,200 mg or placebo was given on 2 separate study days. Three hours after drug administration, a first-degree burn injury was produced on the medial aspect of the nondominant calf (12.5 cm2, 47°C for 7 minutes). Quantitative sensory testing (QST) included pain ratings to thermal and mechanical stimuli (visual analog scale [VAS]), assessments of thermal and mechanical detection thresholds, and areas of secondary hyperalgesia. Side effects drowsiness and postural instability were assessed by subjective ratings (VAS). Results The burn injury induced significant primary and secondary hyperalgesia (P < .0001). Gabapentin diminished the decrease in mechanical pain threshold in the burn area (P = .04) and reduced secondary hyperalgesia, but the reduction was not significant (P = .06). Heat pain thresholds, pain during the burn, and mechanical pain in the area of secondary hyperalgesia were not significantly changed by gabapentin (P < .2). Ratings of drowsiness and unsteadiness during walking were significantly higher for gabapentin than for placebo (P < .05). Conclusions The study indicates that gabapentin has no analgesic effect in normal skin, but may reduce primary mechanical allodynia in acute inflammation following a thermal injury. These observations suggest a clinical potential of gabapentin in the treatment of postoperative pain.
Acquired Antibiotic Resistance Genes: An Overview

In this review an overview is given on antibiotic resistance (AR) mechanisms with special attentions to the AR genes described so far preceded by a short introduction on the discovery and mode of action of the different classes of antibiotics. As this review is only dealing with acquired resistance, attention is also paid to mobile genetic elements such as plasmids, transposons, and integrons, which are associated with AR genes, and involved in the dispersal of antimicrobial determinants between different bacteria.
POLYANDRY PROMOTES ENHANCED OFFSPRING SURVIVAL IN DECORATED CRICKETS

Abstract Although female multiple mating is ubiquitous in insects, its adaptive significance remains poorly understood. Benefits to multiple mating can accrue via direct material benefits, indirect genetic benefits, or both. We investigated the effects of multiple mating in the decorated cricket, Gryllodes sigillatus, by simultaneously varying the number of times that females mated and the number of different males with which they mated, measuring aspects of female fecundity and elements of offspring performance and viability. Multiple matings resulted in enhanced female fitness relative to single matings when females mated with different partners, but not when females mated repeatedly with the same male. Specifically, polyandrous females produced significantly more offspring surviving to reproductive maturity than did monogamous females mating once or mating repeatedly with the same male. These results suggest that the benefit females gain from multiple mating is influenced primarily by genetic and not material benefits.
Sparse multidimensional representation using shearlets

In this paper we describe a new class of multidimensional representation systems, called shearlets. They are obtained by applying the actions of dilation, shear transformation and translation to a fixed function, and exhibit the geometric and mathematical properties, e.g., directionality, elongated shapes, scales, oscillations, recently advocated by many authors for sparse image processing applications. These systems can be studied within the framework of a generalized multiresolution analysis. This approach leads to a recursive algorithm for the implementation of these systems, that generalizes the classical cascade algorithm.
Context-dependent categorical perception in a songbird

Significance Song-learning birds share several of the cognitive traits that underlie human speech. Continuous variation in swamp sparrow song notes, for example, is perceived in a categorical manner, similar to human perception of phonemes, the smallest units of human speech. Although speakers and listeners are generally unaware of the fact, many phonemic categories in speech vary in their structure and in how they are perceived, depending on linguistic context. Herein, we test how categorical perception in swamp sparrows is influenced by context and demonstrate that one note type is categorized differently, depending on its position within a song syllable. To our knowledge, our results suggest for the first time that this central characteristic of human phonology is also found in a nonhuman communication system. Some of the psychological abilities that underlie human speech are shared with other species. One hallmark of speech is that linguistic context affects both how speech sounds are categorized into phonemes, and how different versions of phonemes are produced. We here confirm earlier findings that swamp sparrows categorically perceive the notes that constitute their learned songs and then investigate how categorical boundaries differ according to context. We clustered notes according to their acoustic structure, and found statistical evidence for clustering into 10 population-wide note types. Examining how three related types were perceived, we found, in both discrimination and labeling tests, that an “intermediate” note type is categorized with a “short” type when it occurs at the beginning of a song syllable, but with a “long” type at the end of a syllable. In sum, three produced note-type clusters appear to be underlain by two perceived categories. Thus, in birdsong, as in human speech, categorical perception is context-dependent, and as is the case for human phonology, there is a complex relationship between underlying categorical representations and surface forms. Our results therefore suggest that complex phonology can evolve even in the absence of rich linguistic components, like syntax and semantics.
Light Response of a Giant Aplysia Neuron

Illumination of an Aplysia giant neuron evokes a membrane hyperpolarization which is associated with a membrane conductance increase of 15%. The light response is best elicited at 490 nM: the neuron also has an absorption peak at this wavelength. At the resting potential (-50 to -60 mV) illumination evokes an outward current in a voltage-clamped cell. This current reverses sign very close to E K calculated from direct measurements of internal and external K+ activity. Increases in external K+ concentration shift the reversal potential of the light-evoked response by the same amount as the change in E K. Decreases in external Na+ or Cl- do not affect the response. Therefore, the response is attributed to an increase in K+ conductance. Pressure injection of Ca2+ into this neuron also hyperpolarizes the cell membrane. This effect is also due largely to an increase in K+ conductance. The light response after Ca2+ injection does not appear to be altered. Pressure injection of EGTA abolished or greatly reduced the light response. The effect was reversible. We suggest that light acts upon a single pigment in this neuron, releasing Ca2+ which in turn increases K+ conductance, thereby hyperpolarizing the neuronal membrane.
Immortalized Human Dorsal Root Ganglion Cells Differentiate into Neurons with Nociceptive Properties

A renewable source of human sensory neurons would greatly facilitate basic research and drug development. We had established previously conditionally immortalized human CNS cell lines that can differentiate into functional neurons (Sah et al., 1997). We report here the development of an immortalized human dorsal root ganglion (DRG) clonal cell line, HD10.6, with a tetracycline-regulatable v-myc oncogene. In the proliferative condition, HD10.6 cells have a doubling time of 1.2 d and exhibit a neuronal precursor morphology. After differentiation of clone HD10.6 for 7 d in the presence of tetracycline, v-myc expression was suppressed, and >50% of the cells exhibited typical neuronal morphology, stained positively for neuronal cytoskeletal markers, and fired action potentials in response to current injection. Furthermore, this cell line was fate-restricted to a neuronal phenotype; even in culture conditions that promote Schwann cell or smooth muscle differentiation of neural crest stem cells, HD10.6 differentiated exclusively into neurons. Moreover, differentiated HD10.6 cells expressed sensory neuron-associated transcription factors and exhibited capsaicin sensitivity. Taken together, these data indicate that we have established an immortalized human DRG cell line that can differentiate into sensory neurons with nociceptive properties. The cell line HD10.6 represents the first example of a human sensory neuronal line and will be valuable for basic research, as well as for the discovery of novel drug targets and clinical candidates.
Le renouvellement du processeur vocal chez l'adulte implanté cochléaire

Notre etude porte sur les benefices potentiels chez des adultes sourds implantes cochleaires apres le renouvellement de leur processeur vocal. Quatorze sujets ont ete evalues par des tests a la fois acoustiques, perceptifs et ecologiques. Les resultats montrent que le renouvellement apporte une perception plus fine des sons. Celle-ci peut etre entrainee par une prise en charge orthophonique de maniere specifique afin de pouvoir etre exploitee au niveau de la comprehension.
The accountant's social background and stereotype in popular culture: The novels of Alexander Clark Smith

Purpose - The paper aims to explore the social origins of Scottish chartered accountants and the accounting stereotype as portrayed in popular fiction. Design/methodology/approach - The detective novels of the Scottish chartered accountant Alexander Clark Smith are used as a lens through which to explore the social origins of accountants and the changing popular representations of the accountant. Findings - The novels contribute to our understanding of the construction of accounting stereotypes and of the social origins of Scottish accountants. They suggest that, while working class access to the profession was a reality, so was class division within it. In addition, Smith was ahead of contemporary professional discourse in creating a protagonist who combines the positive aspects of the traditional stereotype with qualities of a private-eye action-hero, and who uses accounting skills to uncover corruption and address (social) wrongs. However, this unconventional portrayal may have been incongruent with the image the profession wished to portray. The public image (or stereotype) portrayed by its members would have been as important in signalling and maintaining the profession's collective status as the recruitment of its leadership from social elites. Originality/value - Smith's portrayal of accountants in personal and societal settings at a time of profound social change, as well as his background in the Scottish profession, provide a rich source for the study of social origins of Scottish chartered accountancy during the first half of the twentieth century. Further, Smith's novels are of a popular genre, and innovative in the construction of their hero and of accounting itself; as such they merit attention because of their potential to influence the construction of the accounting stereotype(s) within the popular imagination.
Enhancing the performance of decision tree: A research study of dealing with unbalanced data

Computational intelligence techniques are proved to be outperforming compared to standard statistical techniques, specifically when dealing with large, unbalanced and high dimensional data. In this paper we present an enhancement approach for improving the performance of decision tree using Support Vector Machine (SVM) when dealing with unbalanced data. The proposed approach modifies the available training data according to the predictions of SVM and this modified training data is then used to train decision tree. As the dataset at hand i.e. COIL data is highly unbalanced with 94:6 class distribution ratios, we also employed various standard sampling techniques for extensive analysis. Based on sensitivity measure, it is observed that the proposed approach enhanced the efficiency of decision tree exceptionally well. Other intelligent methods can be tested in place of DT.
The Information Sieve

We introduce a new framework for unsupervised learning of representations based on a novel hierarchical decomposition of information. Intuitively, data is passed through a series of progressively fine-grained sieves. Each layer of the sieve recovers a single latent factor that is maximally informative about multivariate dependence in the data. The data is transformed after each pass so that the remaining unexplained information trickles down to the next layer. Ultimately, we are left with a set of latent factors explaining all the dependence in the original data and remainder information consisting of independent noise. We present a practical implementation of this framework for discrete variables and apply it to a variety of fundamental tasks in unsupervised learning including independent component analysis, lossy and lossless compression, and predicting missing values in data.
Esquizotipia y memoria verbal en población general adolescente

Squizotypy and verbal memory in the adolescent general population. The following study examines the relationship between verbal memory deficits and schizotypal traits measured psychometrically from a non- clinical adolescent population. In this transversal analytical study participated 139 subjects. They were secondary school students, with ages ranging from 13 to 16 years old (mean= 14, 35; Sta.Dev.= 0, 548). After administrating the scales O-LIFE (psychometrical schizotypy), CVLT (verbal memory), and Letters and Numbers subtest of WAIS-III (working memory), data was analyzed utilizing Pearson correlations and mean comparison test. Results showed lack of relations between schizotypy measures and working memory. Nonetheless, some of the O-LIFE dimensions correlated with verbal memory. These findings support partly the literature reviewed. Yet, more work focused on schizotypy and cognitive deficits as risk factors are suggested.
Searching for Signals of Dark Matter Decay

Dark matter is believed to comprise approximately eighty-three percent of the matter in the universe, yet little is known about how it fits into our picture of the elementary particles that make up the world around us. There are now many great efforts underway to try and detect dark matter and probe the nature of its relation to the Standard Model of particle physics. In this work we investigate the possibility of leptonically decaying dark matter using terrestrial neutrino telescopes. We apply the results to models of spin-1/2, charge-asymmetric dark matter whose parameters have been fitted to describe the observed electron-positron flux seen at the PAMELA, H.E. S.S. , and Fermi-LAT experiments.
Disparities in screening mammography

OBJECTIVE: This paper describes trends in screening mammography utilization over the past decade and assesses the remaining disparities in mammography use among medically underserved women. We also describe the barriers to mammography and report effective interventions to enhance utilization. DESIGN: We reviewed medline and other databases as well as relevant bibliographies. MAIN RESULTS: The United States has dramatically improved its use of screening mammography over the past decade, with increased rates observed in every demographic group. Disparities in screening mammography are decreasing among medically underserved populations but still persist among racial/ethnic minorities and low-income women. Additionally, uninsured women and those with no usual care have the lowest rates of reported mammogram use. However, despite apparent increases in mammogram utilization, there is growing evidence that limitations in the national survey databases lead to overestimations of mammogram use, particularly among low-income racial and ethnic minorities. CONCLUSIONS: The United States may be farther from its national goals of screening mammography, particularly among underserved women, than current data suggests. We should continue to support those interventions that increase mammography use among the medically underserved by addressing the barriers such as cost, language and acculturation limitations, deficits in knowledge and cultural beliefs, literacy and health system barriers such as insurance and having a source regular of medical care. Addressing disparities in the diagnostic and cancer treatment process should also be a priority in order to affect significant change in health outcomes among the underserved.
A randomised feasibility study to assess a novel strategy to rationalise fluid in patients after cardiac surgery.

BACKGROUND After cardiac surgery, patients receive large amounts of fluid in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). We plan to conduct a multi-centre randomised controlled trial, of a conservative fluid regime, in patients after cardiac surgery, and have reported results of a feasibility study that evaluated efficacy and safety of the proposed regime. METHODS After ethical approval, a single-centre, prospectively randomised interventional study was undertaken. Participants were randomised to either usual care, or to a protocolised algorithm, utilising stroke volume variation, to guide fluid administration to patients who were deemed to have inadequate cardiac output and were likely to be volume responsive. The study protocol lasted from ICU admission to de-sedation or 24 h, whichever occurred first. RESULTS We randomised 144 subjects over 9 months. Less bolus fluid and less total overall fluid volume was administered in the intervention group (median (IQR) 1620 ml (500-3410) and 2525 ml (1440-5250; P<0.001), compared with the usual care group (2050 ml (910-4280) and 2980 ml (2070-6580; P=0.001), from ICU admission to extubation. There was no significant difference in incidence of acute kidney injury or the average amount of fluid administered to the usual care group at the beginning compared with the end of the study. CONCLUSION It is both possible and safe to achieve a significant reduction in the amount of fluid administered to patients, allocated to a conservative fluid protocol. These results suggest that a planned multi-centre study is both justified and feasible. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION Australia New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry www.anzctr. org.au (ACTRN12612000754842).