Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Validation of the German Revised Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination for Detecting Mild Cognitive Impairment, Mild Dementia in Alzheimer’s Disease and Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration

Background/Aims: The diagnostic accuracy of the German version of the revised Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination (ACE-R) in identifying mild cognitive impairment (MCI), mild dementia in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and mild dementia in frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) in comparison with the conventional Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) was assessed. Methods: The study encompasses 76 cognitively healthy elderly individuals, 75 patients with MCI, 56 with AD and 22 with FTLD. ACE-R and MMSE were validated against an expert diagnosis based on a comprehensive diagnostic procedure. Statistical analysis was performed using the receiver operating characteristic method and regression analyses. Results: The optimal cut-off score for the ACE-R for detecting MCI, AD, and FTLD was 86/87, 82/83 and 83/84, respectively. ACE-R was superior to MMSE only in the detection of patients with FTLD [area under the curve (AUC): 0.97 vs. 0.92], whilst the accuracy of the two instruments did not differ in identifying MCI and AD. The ratio of the scores of the memory ACE-R subtest to verbal fluency subtest contributed significantly to the discrimination between AD and FTLD (optimal cut-off score: 2.30/2.31, AUC: 0.77), whereas the MMSE and ACE-R total scores did not. Conclusion: The German ACE-R is superior to the most commonly employed MMSE in detecting mild dementia in FTLD and in the differential diagnosis between AD and FTLD. Thus it might serve as a valuable instrument as part of a comprehensive diagnostic workup in specialist centres/clinics contributing to the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of the cause of dementia.
Visual end user configuration of hybrid user interfaces

Hybrid user interfaces are a promising paradigm for human-computer interaction, employing a range of displays and devices. However, most experimental hybrid user interfaces use a relatively rigid configuation. Our demo explores the possibilities of end users configuring the setup of a hybrid user interface, using novel interaction techniques and visualizations, based on a shared augmented reality.
Robustness of networked control systems with multiple actuator-links and bounded packet dropouts

This paper presents an MPC based controller and network protocol co-design strategy for networked control systems with multiple controller-actuator links. These links are closed via unreliable data-like network which allows access to only one actuator node at each time instant. The concept of nonlinear gains is used to show that in the case of uniform boundedness of the number of consecutive packet dropouts, nonlinear gain ℓ2 stability can be ensured via appropriate choice of design parameters. Numerical simulations illustrate the potential of the proposed strategy.
The Characteristics and Development of Audiovisual Speech Perception in Native Chinese Speakers

Using the McGurk paradigm,the present study explored the characteristics and developmental trends of audiovisual speech perception of Chinese children and adults.30 primary school students in Grade 2,24 students in Grade 5,and 29 freshmen were requested to repeat the monosyllable presented in the audiovisual and audio-only modality.The results showed that speech perception were significantly affected by the visual cues for all the subjects,but the magnitude of influence showed no age difference.This results support the hypothesis that "McGurk effect is linguistic universal".
Enhancing Open Source Software in Alignment with CMMI-DEV

Software projects often fail because they aren't adequately monitored and controlled. Although a variety of models, methods, and techniques exist for project monitoring and control (PMC), many organizations, especially those with fewer than 50 employees, still have trouble institutionalizing a systematic PMC process. In this context, organizations worldwide - including small ones - use reference models such as CMM Integration (CMMI) as a basis for process improvement and assessment in order to facilitate their positioning and competitiveness in the global market. This occurs primarily when such organizations are involved in outsourced or bidding contracts, which might require CMMI-based appraisals or comparable certifications, or work on life- or mission-critical systems.
Fairness Spillovers – The Case of Taxation

It is standardly assumed that individuals adjust to perceived unfairness or norm violations in precisely the same area or relationship where the original offense has occurred. However, grievances over being exposed to injustice may have even broader consequences and also spill over to other contexts, causing non-compliant behaviour there. We present evidence that such 'fairness spillovers' can incur large economic costs: A belief that there is unfairness in taxation in the sense that the rich don't pay enough taxes is associated with a twenty percent higher level of paid absenteeism from work.
"I HATE COKE": AN NETHNOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS ABOUT SPEECH ANTI-BRAND OF THE VIRTUAL COMMUNITY ON ORKUT

It is evident broad organizational concerns regarding the management and maintenance of their brands. Retaliatory and repudiation action against product and services brands are shown as imposing barriers to be implemented by organizations. Thus, this study aims to deepen understanding of the subject by analyzing the speech of members of the virtual community antibrand "eu odeio coca-cola (I hate Coke)" in Orkut social network, besides seeking the motivations that led these members to express their opinions. As research procedures, drew on an exploratory analysis by conducting a search netnography, which led the researchers to immerse themselves in the community for a period of one year, featuring a longitudinal study. For the analysis of information, was employed discourse analysis, which enabled the categorization of the motivations for community members to express their opinions. As a result, we found six categories of behavior, which were (1) negative experience of consumption, (2) brand association with health/aesthetics problems, (3) presumed use of illicit material in the product, (4) concern with the effects of globalization, and (5) religious foundation, and another topic for (6) the defense of the target mark. Stands out, however the prevalence of category “1” and “4”. It was considered that the anticonsumer present in the virtual community associate the target brand as a symbol of imperialism and hegemony of globalization, triggering factor for much of the criticism.
Decreased Reactive Oxygen Species Production in Cells with Mitochondrial Haplogroups Associated with Longevity

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is highly polymorphic, and its variations in humans may contribute to individual differences in function. Zhang and colleagues found a strikingly higher frequency of a C150T transition in the D-loop of mtDNA from centenarians and twins of an Italian population, and also demonstrated that this base substitution causes a remodeling of the mtDNA 151 replication origin in human leukocytes and fibroblasts [1]. The C150T transition is a polymorphism associated with several haplogroups. To determine whether haplogroups that carry the C150T transition display any phenotype that may be advantageous for longevity, we analyzed cybrids carrying or not the C150T transition. These cybrids were obtained by fusing cytoplasts derived from human fibroblasts with human mtDNA-less cells (ρ0 cells). We chose for cybrid construction and analysis haplogroup-matched pairs of fibroblast strains containing or not the C150T transition. In particular, we used, as one pair of mtDNA donors, a fibroblast strain of the U3a haplogroup, carrying the C150T transition and a strain of the U-K2 haplogroup, without the C150T transition, and as another pair, fibroblasts of the J2b haplogroup, carrying the C150T transition and of the J1c haplogroup, without the C150T transition. We have found no association of respiratory capacity, mtDNA level, mitochondrial gene expression level, or growth rate with the presence of the C150T transition. However, we have found that the cybrids with haplogroups that include the C150T transition have in common a lower reactive oxygen species (ROS) production rate than the haplogroup-matched cybrids without that transition. Thus, the lower ROS production rate may be a factor in the increased longevity associated with the U and the J2 haplogroups. Of further interest, we found that cybrids with the U3a haplogroup exhibited a higher respiration rate than the other cybrids examined.
Suicide in bipolar disorder: a review.

BACKGROUND Suicide is a leading cause of death in patients with bipolar disorder. Risk factors and prevention of suicide in this illness are the focus of considerable current research. METHODS MEDLINE data base was searched for the key words "bipolar disorder" with "suicide", "lithium" with "suicide", "anticonvulsants" with "bipolar disorder", and "anticonvulsants" with "bipolar disorder" and with "suicide". No language or time constraints were applied. The lists of references were searched manually to find additional articles. RESULTS It is estimated that 25% to 50% of patients with bipolar disorder will attempt suicide at least once over their lifetime, and that 8% to 19% will complete suicide. Mortality rates from cardiovascular diseases are elevated in bipolar disorder. Risk factors for suicide include younger age of onset of the illness, history of past suicidal behavior, family history of suicide acts, comorbid borderline personality disorder and substance use disorders, and hopelessness. The warning signs calling for immediate action include the patients threatening to harm themselves, or looking for ways to kill themselves (seeking access to pills or weapons), or the patient talking or writing about death. Robust evidence supports the effects of lithium treatment in reducing suicidal attempts and completions in bipolar disorder. The evidence for antisuicidal effects of anticonvulsants is weaker. Nevertheless, valproate and other anticonvulsants are frequently prescribed as mood stabilizers. There have been controversial suggestions that this treatment may elevate the risk of suicide, but the data supporting this are not convincing. Psychoeducation can reduce the number of suicide attempts and completions. CONCLUSIONS Suicide in bipolar disorder is a major public health problem. Recent research has expanded our knowledge of risk factors and warning signs. Nevertheless, it appears that the introduction of lithium treatment in the 1970s was the most recent important breakthrough in the prevention of suicide in this illness.
Sociability in Social Network Sites: Facebook as Trial Platform for Social Behavioral Patterns

This chapter discusses the potential of social network sites (SNS) as sources for both social feedback and trial platforms for social behavioral patterns. With the findings of an online survey and 40 qualitative interviews of Facebook users, this chapter analyzes how social network sites are used for “communicative self-presentation” and how users provoke and handle positive as well as negative social reactions from other users that become part of their own identity presentations in the online network. Finally, the combination of studies shows that social feedback is not only one of the main motives for using SNS, but can also cause self-reflection processes in users. Additionally, it appears that men and women handle social feedback on SNS quite differently. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-61350-338-6.ch007
Interactive Aged-Face Simulation with Freehand Wrinkle Drawing

Recently, many studies on facial aging synthesis have been reported for the purpose of security applications such as criminal investigation, kidnappings, and entertainment applications such as movies or video games. However, the representation of wrinkles, which is one of the most important elements when reflecting age characteristics, remains difficult. Additionally, the influence of lighting conditions and every individual's skin color is significant, and it is difficult to infer the location and shape of future wrinkles because they depend on factors such as one's living environment, eating habits, and DNA. Therefore, we must consider several possibilities for the locations of wrinkles. In this paper, we propose a facial aging synthesis method that can create plausible aged facial images, and is able to represent wrinkles at any desired location by drawing artificial freehand wrinkles while retaining photorealistic quality.
Systemic dermatological treatment with relevance for male fertility

The dermatologist employs systemic agents with likely gametotoxic side effects, including cytotoxic, immunosuppressive, immunomodulatory and biological agents. The impact of chemotherapy on male fertility depends on the treatment protocol as well as the pre‐treatment spermatogenesis status. Sperm concentration starts to drop about 2 weeks after beginning chemotherapy and reaches a maximum after 2–3 months. About half show recovery after 12–36 months. One year after therapy is completed, a treated patient has no increased risk of fathering a malformed child. There are no reports of methotrexate patients fathering children with malformations, most likely because impaired fertility or embryogenesis arrest. Cryopreservation of male gametes should be recommended prior to cytotoxic treatment, since the likelihood of post‐treatment fertility is unpredictable. The cryopreservation causes a loss of vital spermatozoa by 30–70% but does not influence the genetic information of gametes. Males treated with retinoids have no reproductive safety risk. Biologicals inhibiting TNF α show a positive effect on sperm function in vitro.
Identification and Functional Analysis of Escherichia coli Cysteine Desulfhydrases

ABSTRACT In Escherichia coli, three additional proteins having l-cysteine desulfhydrase activity were identified as O-acetylserine sulfhydrylase-A, O-acetylserine sulfhydrylase-B, and MalY protein, in addition to tryptophanase and cystathionine β-lyase, which have been reported previously. The gene disruption for each protein was significantly effective for overproduction of l-cysteine and l-cystine. Growth phenotype and transcriptional analyses suggest that tryptophanase contributes primarily to l-cysteine degradation.
Growth‐associated protein 43 in lesions and cerebrospinal fluid in multiple sclerosis

Axonal damage in multiple sclerosis (MS) is correlated to disease progression. Early axonal damage may be compensated for by regenerative processes. Growth‐associated protein 43 (GAP‐43) is a marker for axonal growth and synaptogenesis in various neurodegenerative diseases. We investigated the expression of GAP‐43 in 48 MS grey and white matter lesions of different stages. Decreased GAP‐43 expression was found in 74% of the white matter lesions, independent of the lesion stage. In 19 out of 35 white matter lesions, areas of increased GAP‐43 expression were present immediately adjacent to the lesions. Increased or unaltered expression was observed in remyelinated lesions. GAP‐43 was expressed in neurofilament‐positive structures. GAP‐43 expression appeared unchanged in grey matter lesions. Macrophages were present in the areas of changed GAP‐43 expression. cerebrospinal fluid GAP‐43 levels were negatively correlated with magnetic resonance imaging measures of whole‐brain atrophy (r = −0.30). In conclusion, these results indicate that decreased GAP‐43 immunopositivity reflects axonal damage in MS lesions, which may again be reflected in decreased cerebrospinal fluid levels. The increased levels of GAP‐43 in remyelinated or nondemyelinated white matter close to MS lesions may reflect regenerative attempts by damaged axons.
A canonical partition theorem for trees

In this paper we prove a canonical partition theorem for weakly embedded subtrees of a given regular tree. It was broght to my attention that there is a paper of Milliken "Canonical partition theorem for strongly embedded subtrees of regular trees" circulated in the 1980's. This paper is still unpublished and the results in my paper are discovered independently. Although it is possible to conclude the result about weakly embedded subtrees from Milliken's paper, we give a direct proof which works for both, weakly and strongly embedded subtrees.
Improvement in the Results of Surgical Treatment of Advanced Squamous Esophageal Carcinoma During 15 Consecutive Years

ObjectiveTo document the clinicopathologic characteristics and survival of patients undergoing esophagectomy for squamous carcinoma of the thoracic esophagus, and to examine the factors contributing to improvements in outcome noted in patients with advanced carcinoma. Summary Background DataJapanese and some Western surgeons recently have reported that radical esophagectomy with extensive lymphadenectomy conferred a survival advantage to patients with esophageal carcinoma. The factors contributing to this improvement in results have not been well defined. MethodsFrom 1981 to 1995, 419 patients with carcinoma of the thoracic esophagus underwent esophagectomy at the Keio University Hospital. The clinicopathologic characteristics and survival of patients treated between 1981 and 1987 were compared with those of patients treated between 1988 and 1995. Multivariate analysis using the Cox regression model was carried out to evaluate the impact of 15 variables on survival of patients with p stage IIa to IV disease. Several variables related to prognosis were examined to identify differences between the two time periods. ResultsThe 5-year survival rate for all patients was 40.0%. The 5-year survival rate was 17.7% for p stage IIa to IV patients treated during the earlier period and 37.6% for those treated during the latter period. The Cox regression model revealed seven variables to be important prognostic factors. Of these seven, three (severity of postoperative complications, degree of residual tumor, and number of dissected mediastinal nodes) were found to be significantly different between the earlier and latter periods. ConclusionsThe survival of patients undergoing surgery for advanced carcinoma (p stage IIa to IV) of the thoracic esophagus has improved during the past 15 years. The authors’ data suggest that this improvement is due mainly to advances in surgical technique and perioperative management.
When Affect Supports Cognitive Control – A Working Memory Perspective

The paper delineates a study of executive functions (EFs), construed as procedural working memory (WM), from a motivational perspective. Since WM theories and motivation theories are both concerned with purposive activity, the role of implicit evaluations (affects) observed in goal pursuit can be anticipated to arise also in the context of cognitive control, e.g., during the performance of the Stroop task. The role of positive and negative affect in goal pursuit consists in controlling attention resources according to the goal and situational requirements. Positive affect serves to maintain goals and means in the scope of attention (EF1), whereas negative affect activates the inhibition of non-functional contents, e.g., distractors and irrelevant objects (resulting in attention disengagement; EF2). Adaptation to conflict proceeds via sequential triggering of negative and positive affect (EF3). Moreover, it was demonstrated that the focus on action or reflection changes the scope of contents subjected to implicit (affective) control. Therefore, I suggest that the motivational system, to a large extent, plays the role of the Central Executive. The paper opens a discussion and proposes studies on affective mechanisms of cognitive control.
Rational Choice Theory at the Origin? Forms and Social Factors of “Irrational Choice”

The paper addresses the ‘rational choice only’ reconstruction, characterization, and interpretation of classical and neoclassical economics. It argues that such a reconstruction is inaccurate failing to do justice to the dual theoretical character of classical/neoclassical economics. The paper instead proposes and shows that the latter involves not only elements of ‘rational choice theory’ but also those of an alternative conception. It identifies various and important ideas, observations, and implications of irrational choice and action within classical/neoclassical economics. One class of such ingredients involves forms, expressions, and cases—i.e. specification and classification—of irrational choices in the economy. Another class comprises the social and other factors—i.e. economic sociology or social economics—of irrational choices in the economy. The paper’s intended contribution is to help identify and clarify the extant sources and alternatives of rational choice theory in conventional economics. Generally, it aims to contribute to identifying and better understanding sociological implications in economics.
Decision-making in adult unipolar depressed patients and healthy subjects: significant differences in Net Score and in non-traditional alternative measures

Alterations in executive functioning are frequent in depressive patients. One clinical characteristic of depression is difficulty and slowness in decision-making. This study aimed to compare the performance of a group of 30 non-psychotic unipolar depressed to 30 healthy controls in a version of the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) from the Psychology Experiment Building Language (PEBL). Significant differences between depressed patients and healthy controls in traditional Net Score measures as well as in various alternative metrics were verified.
To Be or Not To Be an Entrepreneur

Reflecting the need for a better and broader understanding of the factors influencing the choices to enter into or exit an entrepreneurial career, this article applies a structured, normative model of career management to the career decision-making of entrepreneurs. The application of a structured model can assist career counselors, college career centers, outplacement firms, and other vocational advisors in properly guiding students and working adults in deciding on an entrepreneurial career. The career decision-making needs of entrepreneurs are examined at two different phases—the choice to become an entrepreneur and the potential to stay in or exit from the business. By summarizing existing research, the article examines key developmental and exploration tasks at each phase. The article concludes with an overview of areas for future research on the career decision-making of entrepreneurs.
Cooperative Throttle and Brake Fuzzy Control for ACC$+$ Stop&Go Maneuvers

The goal that a car be driven autonomously is far in the future and probably unreachable, but as a first step in that direction, adaptive cruise control (ACC) and Stop&Go maneuver systems are being developed. These kind of controllers adapt the speed of a car to that of the preceding one (ACC) and get the car to stop if the lead car stops. This paper presents one such system and related experiments performed on a real road with real cars. The driving system gets its input via an RTK DGPS device and communicates its positions to one another via a wireless local area network link. It outputs signals controlling the pressure on the throttle and brake pedals. The control system is based on fuzzy logic, which is considered best to deal with processes as complex as driving. Two mass produced Citroen Berlingo electric vans have been instrumented, providing them with computer controlled actuators over the brake and the throttle to achieve human-like driving. The results of the experiments show that the behavior of the vehicles is very close to human and that they adapt to driving incidences, increasing the safety of the driving and permitting cooperation with manually driven cars.