Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neural Network Based Normalized Fusion Approaches for Optimized Multimodal Biometric Authentication Algorithm

A multimodal biometric system is applied to recognize individuals for authentication using neural networks. In this paper multimodal biometric algorithm is designed by integrating iris, finger vein, palm print and face biometric traits. Normalized score level fusion approach is applied and optimized, encoded for matching decision. It is a multilevel wavelet, phase based fusion algorithm. This robust multimodal biometric algorithm increases the security level, accuracy, reduces memory size and equal error rate and eliminates unimodal biometric algorithm vulnerabilities.
A fully integrated 3-band OFDM UWB transceiver in 0.25/spl mu/m SiGe BiCMOS

A fully integrated transceiver for 3-band OFDM UWB is presented. It has been implemented in a 0.25mum SiGe BiCMOS process, and has a die area of less than 4mm2. The power consumption is 47mA, 43mA, and 27mA at 2.7V supply for receiver, transmitter, and synthesizer respectively. The chip features DC offset cancellation, a loop-back test mode, a single input/output pin for antenna connection, a 1GHz baseband clock output and is robust against interferers from cellular and ISM bands. The measured EVM is 8%, while the overall NF is 4.5dB and the iIP3 is -6dBm
Loss of RAB‐3/A in Caenorhabditis elegans and the mouse affects behavioral response to ethanol

The mechanisms by which ethanol induces changes in behavior are not well understood. Here, we show that Caenorhabditis elegans loss‐of‐function mutations in the synaptic vesicle‐associated RAB‐3 protein and its guanosine triphosphate exchange factor AEX‐3 confer resistance to the acute locomotor effects of ethanol. Similarly, mice lacking one or both copies of Rab3A are resistant to the ataxic and sedative effects of ethanol, and Rab3A haploinsufficiency increases voluntary ethanol consumption. These data suggest a conserved role of RAB‐3‐/RAB3A‐regulated neurotransmitter release in ethanol‐related behaviors.
A framework toward detecting and visualizing kinematic data for children with Hemiplegia

In this paper we propose a multimedia environment that can capture kinematic data from live gestures of a child having Hemiplegia disability and generate live analytical results to be useful for decision making system of a therapist. The kinematic data is obtained from some clinically suggested therapy modules that are used to monitor quality of improvement of a disabled child, which includes exercises involving the affected joints and muscles. The proposed environment uses the 3D depth sensing Microsoft Kinect device to detect, recognize and track the movement of different key joints of the body and deduce kinematic data from these movements. The method is non-invasive as the child does not need to wear any external devices in the body. The proposed environment incorporates Second Life serious game environment where the live therapeutic movement of child, therapist and one's community of interest is synchronized between physical and virtual world. Finally, we share our preliminary test data, which is validated by the therapists from three different disability hospitals that treat children with Hemiplegia.
While we are together this is how we see it

Two Action Research practitioners, one of Maori descent and one of Anglo descent, are collaborating as participatory facilitators in a contracted partnership with Aboriginal and Islander co-researchers in a publicly funded Participatory Action Research (PAR) project. The research explores a policy area that is key to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander life quality and expectancy. The issue of decolonisation has become core to both the policy area under exploration as well as the form of Action Research that is developing to carry out the inquiry. The meaning of this term, ”decolonisation” is unfolding and discussed in the paper. It is continually explored in the discourses between the participants, and in the instance of this paper, between the two facilitators.
Levosimendan in Critical Illness: A Literature Review

Levosimendan, the active enantiomer of simendan, is a calcium sensitizer developed for treatment of decompensated heart failure, exerts its effects independently of the beta adrenergic receptor and seems beneficial in cases of severe, intractable heart failure. Levosimendan is usually administered as 24-h infusion, with or without a loading dose, but dosing needs adjustment in patients with severe liver or renal dysfunction. Despite several promising reports, the role of levosimendan in critical illness has not been thoroughly evaluated. Available evidence suggests that levosimendan is a safe treatment option in critically ill patients and may reduce mortality from cardiac failure. However, data from well-designed randomized controlled trials in critically ill patients are needed to validate or refute these preliminary conclusions. This literature review is an attempt to synthesize available evidence on the role and possible benefits of levosimendan in critically ill patients with severe heart failure.
Income Growth, Price Variation and Health Care Demand: A Mixed Logit Model Applied to Tow-period Comparison in Rural China

1989-2006 is a period of the start and the end of deregulation of Chinese health care sector and of disintegration of rural cooperative insurance system. During this period, the government health policy has turned healthcare providers all alike into profit seeking entities. Face to perverse effects, by 2003, Chinese government begun to restore rural cooperative insurance system. From CHNS data source, we constitute two samples: 89-93 and 04-06 with respectively 2117 and 2594 rural patients surveyed roughly in the same villages in 9 Chinese provinces to compare their health choice behaviors with the evolution of price, income, distance, insurance, age, and regional inequality. Using Mixed Multinomial Logit (MMNL) estimations, we have obtained three main results. First, even in both periods there is clear price effect, in 04-06 it tends to be weaker, and heterogeneity in price preference has increased. This corresponds well the fact that between the two periods price level has significantly increased and price variation reduced. Second, there is a stronger negative distance effect and heterogeneity in 2004-06, while in 89-93 this negative impact was lower and absent for providers farther than 10km. One interpretation is the existence of a substitution effect: when patients have less possibility to discriminate providers by price, they increase their preference in choice by distance. Third, while, wealth effect exists in some choices in 89-93, it becomes absent in 04-06. Explanations may be that one the one hand both supply side and demand side conditions on health care have been improved even, to less extent though, for the poor, and on the other hand, health care is necessary goods and is price inelastic. But meanwhile, we observed catastrophic effect for the poor: the poorer patients have their share of consumption in income more decreased after health care.
Bloom tree: A search tree based on Bloom filters for multiple-set membership testing

A Bloom filter is a compact and randomized data structure popularly used for networking applications. A standard Bloom filter only answers yes/no questions about membership, but recent studies have improved it so that the value of a queried item can be returned, supporting multiple-set membership testing. In this paper, we design a new data structure for multiple-set membership testing, Bloom tree, which not only achieves space compactness, but also operates more efficiently than existing ones. For example, when existing work requires 107 bits per item and 11 memory accesses for a search operation, a Bloom tree requires only 47 bits and 8 memory accesses. The advantages come from a new data structure that consists of multiple Bloom filters in a tree structure. We study a theoretical analysis model to find optimal parameters for Bloom trees, and its effectiveness is verified through experiments.
A typology of narrative impoverishment in schizophrenia: Implications for understanding the processes of establishing and sustaining dialogue in individual psychotherapy

Following from dialogical theories that conceptualize the self as an ongoing series of conversations within and between persons, the authors hypothesize that diminishments in sense of self in schizophrenia could be the result of disruption in the flow of such conversations. In particular, it is asserted that such a disruption could result in at least three forms of disordered selves and resulting impoverished personal narratives: the barren, monological and cacophonous narrative. These phenomena are discussed and subsequently illustrated with case examples that highlight the ways in which each form of narrative impoverishment differently imperils the establishment of a therapeutic relationship. For each of these situations, alternative therapist responses that may lead to better therapeutic outcomes are also offered.
Classification of MCI and AD patients combining PET data and psychological scores

This study's aim was to measure the advantages of using psychological test data in the automatic classication of functional brain images in order to assist the diagnosis of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Several computer-aided diag- nosis systems for AD based on PET images were developed. Some of them used psychological scores beside the image data in the classication step and others did not. The results show the ones that take into account the psychological scores achieve higher accuracy rates. Most of the recent CAD systems for neurodegenerative disorders are based on brain imaging (including MRI, fMRI, PET and SPECT data) and report high accuracy rates. The small sample size problem (2) can be ad- dressed by means of a feature extraction technique that reduces the huge amount of data contained in a brain image into a relatively small unidimensional vector. In this case, the structure of the CAD systems based on neuroimaging and machine learning is as follows: Af- ter the preprocessing of the images (which involves the spatial registration and the intensity normalization), an algorithm is applied to select and summarize the rele- vant information. This information is rearranged in a vector and used as feature for the classication step. Finally, a statistical classier is used to separate patho- logical and control subjects, performing that way the automatic diagnosis.
The Impact of Feminine Identity and Soft Influence Tactics on Leadership Style

Using sex identity theory, the paper studies the impact of feminine identity and soft influence tactics on leadership styles, specifically task oriented and participative. Earlier researchers have documented difference in the working and leadership styles of men and women and tactics used for securing compliance from team members. Yet there are few studies which have proceeded beyond an understanding of leadership styles which are based on the “psychosocial” behavior of men and women stemming from their sex identity, defined in terms of “masculinity” and “femininity”. The results from 379 subjects from four different sectors show that there is a significant correlation between feminine identity and soft influence tactics which directly impact the leadership styles of men and women. We posit that these leadership styles are not gender specific but defined by the identity of the leader and the situational requirements.
Antibacterial screening of a few medicinal ferns against antibiotic resistant phyto pathogen.

Centella asiatica is a medicinal plant. It is severely affected by leaf spot disease caused by a harmful, antibiotic resistant phyto pathogen Xanthomonas campestris pv. centellae (X. c. pv. c). Farmers used synthetic pesticides to control the disease. When pesticides are applied to control this pathogen, pesticides may cause environmental hazards and health problems in man. But traditionally plants are used to prevent or control the plant diseases in agriculture. It is an ecofriendly, biocontrol, traditional method. Hence the aim of the present study is to control the pathogen in biocontrol method by screening the phytochemicals and antibacterial activity of petroleum ether, chloroform, benzene, methanol and aqueous extracts of fronds of five ferns (Pteridophytes) Adiantum caudatum, Angiopteris evecta, Pteris confusa, Pteris argyraea and Lygodium microphyllum against X. c. pv. c. The methanol extracts of all the ferns gave successful result against the tested bacteria. Phytochemical analysis of all the extracts revealed that antibacterial activity is due to the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids and phenolic compounds. According to the results of MIC (Minimum Inhibitory Concentration) and RPI (Relative Percentage Inhibition) values, Angiopteris evecta could be used as potential plant for the management of pathogenic bacteria, X. c. pv. c which is known to cause diseases on many vegetables and cash crops particularly Centella asiatica. INTRODUCTION: A bacterial leaf spot disease caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. centellae (X. c. pv. c) has been the major problem in cultivation of Centella asiatica. To control the disease causing pathogens, number of synthetic pesticides and antibiotics are used by the formers. But pesticides cause environmental pollution and many unwanted effects in man. Pesticides have made great contribution for quick and effective management of plant diseases and microbial contaminations in several agricultural commodities. Considering the deleterious effects of synthetic pesticides on life supporting system, there is an urgent need for alternative agents for the management of pathogenic microorganisms . Pteridophytes are not infected by microbial pathogens, which may be one of the important factors for the evolutionary success of pteridophytes and the fact that they survived for more than 350 million years . Considering the rich diversity of Indian medicinal plants including Pteridophytes, it is expected that, the screening of plant extract for antibacterial activity may be beneficial for humans and plants diseases. The synergistic interaction among crude extracts or the active compounds may be useful in the preparation of
Thematic Issue on Horizontal Gene Transfer Differences in the rhizosphere bacterial community of a transplastomic tobacco plant compared to its non-engineered counterpart

Cultivation-independent analyses were carried out to compare the bacterial community structure found in the rhizospheres of a transplastomictobacco plant carrying the antibiotic resistance marker-gene aadA and its nonengineered parental line. PCR- and reverse transcriptase PCR-amplifications of 16S rRNA and their corresponding genes were carried out with primers targeting the domain Bacteria. The diversity of PCR-products amplified from total nucleic acids extracted from rhizospheres of 10-week-old plants, which had been grown in potting soil in the greenhouse, was visualized by genetic profiling using the single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) technique. The SSCP profiles generated from DNA extracted with two different protocols, one including total RNA and the other only DNA, did not show any differences. The SSCP profiles amplified from RNA and DNA were also highly similar to each other, indicating that the dominant bacteria detected were metabolically active. High similarities were seen between the SSCP profiles from the transplastomic and the non-engineered plants, except for a single band that consistently occurred with samples from the non-engineered plants (six replicates), but not, or only weakly, with their engineered counterparts. DNA sequencing and database analysis revealed that the partial rRNA gene matched to a Flavobacterium sp. Other bands of the SSCP-profiles, related to Burkholderia and Bordetella were variable between individual plants but not affected by the transplastomic modification. Thus, the transplastomic modification caused a relative decline of a specific Flavobacterium population but not of other bacteria. Further studies including additional tobacco cultivars, soils and conditions of cultivation would be desirable, to elucidate the ecological importance of this difference.
Anatomic dissociation of auditory and visual naming in the lateral temporal cortex

Background and Objective: Visual object naming traditionally has been used to identify cortical areas essential for naming (i.e., word retrieval), and investigators have found critical naming sites in the middle and posterior temporal region in most patients. Based on clinical observation, empirical findings, and the pathophysiology of temporal lobe epilepsy, the authors hypothesized that naming sites identified from auditory cues might also be relevant, and that within the temporal region, these sites would be anatomically distinct and located anterior to naming sites based on visual cues. Methods: Twenty patients requiring resective surgery involving the left (language dominant) temporal lobe underwent pre-resection language mapping using direct cortical stimulation. Visual and auditory naming were tested at lateral temporal sites extending from 1 cm from the anterior tip to the parietal operculum. Results: Auditory naming was consistently disrupted by stimulation in the anterior temporal lobe, whereas both auditory and visual naming were impaired by stimulation in the posterior temporal region. Conclusions: This pattern may explain why word finding difficulties sometimes arise or worsen following surgical procedures in which the anterior temporal region is resected without language mapping, or when resection is based on mapping that identifies language cortex exclusively using visual tasks. These results suggest that utilization of auditory based naming tasks might improve pre-resection identification of essential language cortex during direct stimulation cortical mapping, as well as noninvasive localization of dysfunction during presurgical cognitive testing.
Frequent skipped spawning in the world’s largest cod population

Life-history theory suggests that animals may skip reproductive events after initial maturation to maximize lifetime fitness. In iteroparous teleosts, verifying past spawning history is particularly difficult; the degree of skipped spawning at the population level therefore remains unknown. We unequivocally show frequent skipped spawning in Northeast Arctic cod (NEAC) in a massive field and laboratory effort from 2006 to 2008. This was verified by postovulatory follicles in temporarily arrested ovaries close to the putative spawning period. At the population level, “skippers” were estimated to be approximately equally abundant as spawning females in 2008, constituting ∼24% of the females 60–100 cm. These females never truly started vitellogenesis and principally remained on the feeding grounds when spawners migrated southward, avoiding any migration costs. The proximate cause of skipping seems to be insufficient energy to initiate oocyte development, indicating that skipped spawning may partly be a density-dependent response important in population regulation. Our data also indicate more skipping among smaller females and potential tradeoffs between current and future reproductive effort. We propose that skipped spawning is an integral life-history component for NEAC, likely varying annually, and it could therefore be an underlying factor causing some of the currently unexplained large NEAC recruitment variation. The same may hold for other teleosts.
What neuroimaging and perceptions of self-other similarity can tell us about the mechanism underlying mentalizing

Abstract Carruthers' “mindreading is prior” model postulates one unitary mindreading mechanism working identically for self and other. While we agree about shared mindreading mechanisms, there is also evidence from neuroimaging and mentalizing about dissimilar others that suggest factors that differentially affect self-versus-other mentalizing. Such dissociations suggest greater complexity than the mindreading is prior model allows.
Evidence-Based Practice in Augmentative and Alternative Communication

An evidence-based practice (EBP) approach to clinical and educational practice emphasizes the importance of integrating sound research evidence into the decision-making process. This paper provides a discussion of the relevance of EBP to the field of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Included is an examination of what is currently known about decision-making in AAC, as well as a brief history of EBP and its application in other fields. A definition of EBP in AAC is proposed and a schematic of the EBP process is described, including proposed design hierarchies of evidence. This process is then illustrated with a case example. Finally, key factors for the adoption of EBP in AAC are discussed.
2 DOES FEMALE PARTICIPATION AFFECT THE SHARING RULE ?

Using Spanish data I test whether there is a different pattern of intra-household distribution between two types of families: on the one hand, families with both spouses in full time employment and, on the other hand, families with the husband in full time employment and the wife being outside the labor market. Significant differences are found in such a pattern and some of its features are identified and estimated.
PWI/DWI mismatch: better definition required.

To the Editor: In their recent study of perfusion-weighted (PWI) and diffusion-weighted (DWI) image analysis, Coutts et al1 have demonstrated the difficulties associated with interpretation of postprocessed perfusion maps. There are, however, more fundamental problems than PWI map interpretation in identifying patients with perfusion-diffusion mismatch. The first is a lack of consensus concerning the definition of mismatch. Although a PWI abnormality that is 20% larger than the volume of the isotropic DWI lesion is often taken to represent significant mismatch, this is somewhat arbitrary.2 Furthermore, it has not been determined which PWI measure best defines the region of abnormal blood flow. Although most imaging groups have accepted that an index from the time domain is the most accurate, there is no agreement as to which is superior, ie, time to peak (TTP), Tmax (deconvolved TTP), or mean transit time (MTT) maps (Figure). In addition, the mathematical techniques used to estimate the true contrast transit times vary between groups. The perfusion-weighted image (PWI) is a mean transit time (MTT) map. The hyperintense pixels demonstrate prolongation …
It's Parties that Choose Electoral Systems (Or, Duverger's Laws Upside Down)

This article presents, discusses and tests the hypothesis that it is the number of parties that can explain the choice of electoral systems, rather than the other way around. Already-existing political parties tend to choose electoral systems that, rather than generate new party systems by themselves, will crystallize, consolidate or reinforce previously existing party configurations. A general model develops the argument and presents the concept of ‘behavioral-institutional equilibrium’ to account for the relation between electoral systems and party systems. The most comprehensive dataset and test of these notions to date, encompassing 219 elections in 87 countries since the 19th century, are presented. The analysis gives strong support to the hypotheses that political party configurations dominated by a few parties tend to establish majority rule electoral systems, while multi-party systems already existed before the introduction of proportional representation. It also offers the new theoretical proposition that strategic party choice of electoral systems leads to a general trend toward proportional representation over time.