Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Measuring Change in Psychotherapy Using the MMPI-2 and the Holt Measure of Primary Process Manifestation

This study examined personality change in subjects after Long Term Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (LTPP), defined as 10 months or longer of continuous therapy, at a university outpatient Psychological Clinic. Assessment measures used were the MMPI-2 and the Holt Measure of Primary Process Manifestation. An archival search of patient records over 7 years was conducted for files that included 1) adults 18 years or older, 2) attended therapy for at least 10 consecutive months or longer and 3) contained 2 completed MMPI-2 tests and/or 2 completed Rorschach Inkblot Tests. The sample included 17 patient files with 1 set of tests given as part of the initial psychological evaluation (Time 1) and the 2 test completed after at least 10 months of continuous therapy or prior to the termination of therapy as per the therapist’s discretion (Time 2). Results were analyzed using paired t-tests to compare sample means and Bonferroni correction applied to reduce probability of obtaining a Type I error. Significant differences from Time 1 of testing to Time 2 of testing were reported on the MMPI-2 Clinical scales Hypochondriasis (Hs), Depression (D), Hysteria (Hy), and Psychastenia (Pt). No significant differences were reported on the Holt Measure of Primary Process Manifestation. Previous research on personality change following long term psychodynamic therapy was supported using the MMPI/MMPI-2 and Intrapsychic or Structural Change issues were discussed.
A comparison of suture repair with mesh repair for incisional hernia.

BACKGROUND Incisional hernia is an important complication of abdominal surgery. Procedures for the repair of these hernias with sutures and with mesh have been reported, but there is no consensus about which type of procedure is best. METHODS Between March 1992 and February 1998, we performed a multicenter trial in which we randomly assigned to suture repair or mesh repair 200 patients who were scheduled to undergo repair of a primary hernia or a first recurrence of hernia at the site of a vertical midline incision of the abdomen of less than 6 cm in length or width. The patients were followed up by physical examination at 1, 6, 12, 18, 24, and 36 months. Recurrence rates and potential risk factors for recurrent incisional hernia were analyzed with the use of life-table methods. RESULTS Among the 154 patients with primary hernias and the 27 patients with first-time recurrent hernias who were eligible for the study, 56 had recurrences during the follow-up period. The three-year cumulative rates of recurrence among patients who had suture repair and those who had mesh repair were 43 percent and 24 percent, respectively, with repair of a primary hernia (P=0.02; difference, 19 percentage points; 95 percent confidence interval, 3 to 35 percentage points). The recurrence rates were 58 percent and 20 percent with repair of a first recurrence of hernia (P=0.10; difference, 38 percentage points; 95 percent confidence interval, -1 to 78 percentage points). The risk factors for recurrence were suture repair, infection, prostatism (in men), and previous surgery for abdominal aortic aneurysm. The size of the hernia did not affect the rate of recurrence. CONCLUSIONS Among patients with midline abdominal incisional hernias, mesh repair is superior to suture repair with regard to the recurrence of hernia, regardless of the size of the hernia.
Ignorance is Bliss : Non-Convex Online Support Vector Machines

In this paper, we propose a non-convex online Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithm (LASVM-NC) based on the Ramp Loss, which has strong ability of suppressing the influence of outliers. Then, again in the online learning setting, we propose an outlier filtering mechanism (LASVM-I) based on approximating non-convex behavior in convex optimization. These two algorithms are built upon another novel SVM algorithm (LASVM-G) that is capable of generating accurate intermediate models in its iterative steps by leveraging the primal/dual gap. We present experimental results that demonstrate the merit of our frameworks in achieving significant robustness to outliers in noisy data classification where mislabeled training instances are in abundance. Experimental results show that the proposed approaches yield more scalable online SVM algorithm with sparser models and less computational running time both in the training and recognition phases without sacrificing generalization performance. We also point out the relation between the non-convex behavior in SVMs and active learning.
Topiramate - Safety and Tolerability

ABSTRACT: Topiramate is a new novel drug for the treatment of intractable seizures that is to be used in an adjunctive fashion. A review of the seven double-blind controlled studies was undertaken with special attention paid to safety and tolerability data. The studies were similar in design but used varying doses of the drug. To date there has been no evidence of serious systemic side effects such as rash, hepatotoxicity, cardiotoxicity, serious gastrointestinal toxicity or aplastic anemia. Renal stones were reported in 1.5% of patients with over 80% choosing to remain on the drug because of an improved quality of life. The unique observation of “abnormal thinking” was seen that seemed to be related to high doses and introducing the drug too rapidly. Patients, rather than describing psychomotor slowing, described a phenomenon of slow thoughts, decreased cognition, intermittent difficulty calculating, dulled thinking, blunted mental reactions. Lastly, weight loss appears in approximately 10-20% of patients and is probably related to dulling of appetite. Although increasing doses gave increasing degrees of seizure freedom, it appeared that doses beyond 600 mg/day are often not well tolerated.
Finite Sample Corrections for Parameters Estimation and Significance Testing

An increasingly important problem in the era of Big Data is fitting data to distributions. However, many stop at visually inspecting the fits or use the coefficient of determination as a measure of the goodness of fit. In general, goodness-of-fit measures do not allow us to tell which of several distributions fit the data best. Also, the likelihood of drawing the data from a distribution can be low even when the fit is good. To overcome these limitations, Clauset et al. advocated a three-step procedure for fitting any distribution: (i) estimate parameter(s) accurately, (ii) choosing and calculating an appropriate goodness of fit, (iii) test its significance to determine how likely this goodness of fit will appear in samples of the distribution. When we perform this significance testing on exponential distributions, we often obtain low significance values despite the fits being visually good. This led to our realization that most fitting methods do not account for effects due to the finite number of elements and the finite largest element. The former produces sample size dependence in the goodness of fits and the latter introduces a bias in the estimated parameter and the goodness of fit. We propose modifications to account for both and show that these corrections improve the significance of the fits of both real and simulated data. In addition, we used simulations and analytical approximations to verify that convergence rate of the estimated parameters towards its true value depends on how fast the largest element converge to infinity, and provide fast inversion formulas to obtain p-values directly from the adjusted test statistics, in place of doing more Monte Carlo simulations.
Estimating building floor plans from exterior using laser scanners

The knowledge of the interior structure of buildings is important in many civilian and military applications. While it is possible to obtain interior maps by exhaustively inspecting every room in a building, in many situations this is infeasible due to security or safety reasons. In this paper, we develop a method to generate interior building floor plans from the exterior of the structure. We use a laser scanner to measure the range of hundreds of thousands of points on interior walls of the building, exploiting the fact that the laser can go through unobstructed windows. We develop an algorithm to fit planes to the point cloud resulting from the laser data. To accomplish this, the optimal locations of horizontal planes are found such that they model the ceiling and the floors; subsequently, vertical planes are placed perpendicular to those and aligned to fit the data. Once these planes are found and localized, floor plans for each floor are extracted. We show that our proposed method is effective in recovering partial floor plans for three separate building examples.
The evolution of migration in a seasonal environment

Despite the fact that migration occurs in a wide variety of taxa worldwide, little is known about the conditions under which migration is expected to evolve from an ancestral resident population. We develop a model that focuses on ecological factors affecting the evolution of migration in a seasonal environment within a genetically explicit framework. We model the evolution of migration for two common types of migration: ‘shared breeding’ where migrants share a breeding ground with residents and migrate to a separate non-breeding area, versus ‘shared non-breeding’, where migrants share a non-breeding ground with residents and migrate to a separate breeding area. Ecologically, migration is more easily established in the shared-breeding case versus the shared-non-breeding case. Genetically, the additive effect of a migratory allele affects its establishment more in the shared-non-breeding case versus the shared-breeding case, whereas the dominance effect of the allele affects its establishment more in the shared-breeding case versus the shared-non-breeding case. Generally, migratory alleles can invade even when residents are competitively superior to migrants during the shared season. Partial migration occurs when the population is polymorphic for migratory and non-migratory alleles, and is dependent upon which season is shared and the additive and dominance behaviour of the migratory allele.
Multi-view implicit transfer for person re-identification

Implicit camera transfer (ICT), which models the multi-valued mappings between two specific and stationary cameras, is a descent solution for the person re-identification problem of the surveillance system. It has the properties of simplicity, computational efficiency and well utilizing negative training data. But it neglects the complementary relation between the descriptors of various views. And different appearance people have various most discriminative views among all the views, which are under diverse mappings. To tackle with this constraint, we model the multi-values mapping from different view independently, and fuse these transferring results of each view by LPBoost. Experimental results demonstrate that our scheme not only inherits most of the advantages (some sacrifice in speed, but still can run in real time for the same testing case in the ICT paper) of ICT but also obtains more discriminative mappings than ICT. In addition, our solution gains competitive performance on 2 challenging datasets.
Polymerization of Antarctic fish tubulins at low temperatures: energetic aspects.

Tubulins were purified from the brain tissues of three Antarctic fishes, Notothenia gibberifrons, Notothenia coriiceps neglecta, and Chaenocephalus aceratus, by ion-exchange chromatography and one cycle of temperature-dependent microtubule assembly and disassembly in vitro, and the functional properties of the protein were examined. The preparations contained the alpha- and beta-tubulins and were free of microtubule-associated proteins. At temperatures between 0 and 24 degrees C, the purified tubulins polymerized readily and reversibly to yield both microtubules and microtubule polymorphs (e.g., "hooked" microtubules and protofilament sheets). Critical concentrations for polymerization of the tubulins ranged from 0.87 mg/mL at 0 degrees C to 0.02 mg/mL at 18 degrees C. The van't Hoff plot of the apparent equilibrium constant for microtubule elongation at temperatures between 0 and 18 degrees C was linear and gave a standard enthalpy change (delta H degree) of +26.9 kcal/mol and a standard entropy change (delta S degree) of +123 eu. At 10 degrees C, tubulin from N. gibberifrons polymerized efficiently at high ionic strength; the critical concentration increased monotonically from 0.041 to 0.34 mg/mL as the concentration of NaCl added to the assembly buffer was increased from 0 to 0.4 M. Together, the results indicate that the polymerization of tubulins from the Antarctic fishes is entropically driven and suggest that an increased reliance on hydrophobic interactions underlies the energetics of microtubule formation at low temperatures. Thus, evolutionary modification to increase the proportion of hydrophobic interactions (relative to other bond types) at sites of interdimer contact may be one adaptive mechanism that enables the tubulins of cold-living poikilotherms to polymerize efficiently at low temperatures.
Daily reports of intimate partner verbal aggression by self and partner: Short-term consequences and implications for measurement.

OBJECTIVE Agreement within couples regarding the occurrence of aggression is surprisingly low. Survey research often collapses across partners' reports to create a pooled estimate of aggression in the relationship. This method ignores possible differences in partners' perceptions of the event, potentially weakening researchers' ability to detect consequences of aggression. The current study examines both partners' reports of verbal aggression to determine whether aggression reported by only one partner influences both partners' short-term outcomes. METHODS We used a 56-day daily diary to examine the effect of verbal aggression on short-term negative outcomes. We examined whether aggression reported by either partner is sufficient to predict consequences for both partners, or if an individual must report aggression to experience consequences. RESULTS Victims' reports of receiving verbal aggression were a better predictor of next day victim consequences than perpetrators' reports. Perpetrators' reports of perpetrating verbal aggression were a better predictor of next day perpetrator consequences than victims' reports. Days when partners agreed that aggression had occurred generally predicted the worst outcomes. CONCLUSIONS People's own reports of verbal aggression are the best predictor of short-term consequences. Pooling partner reports of aggression may make it more difficult to understand the consequences of intimate partner aggression.
Control of Myocardial Contractile Function by the Level of β-Adrenergic Receptor Kinase 1 in Gene-targeted Mice*

We studied the effect of alterations in the level of myocardial β-adrenergic receptor kinase (βARK1) in two types of genetically altered mice. The first group is heterozygous for βARK1 gene ablation, βARK1(+/−), and the second is not only heterozygous for βARK1 gene ablation but is also transgenic for cardiac-specific overexpression of a βARK1 COOH-terminal inhibitor peptide, βARK1(+/−)/βARKct. In contrast to the embryonic lethal phenotype of the homozygous βARK1 knockout (Jaber, M., Koch, W. J., Rockman, H. A., Smith, B., Bond, R. A., Sulik, K., Ross, J., Jr., Lefkowitz, R. J., Caron, M. G., and Giros, B. (1996)Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 93, 12974–12979), βARK1(+/−) mice develop normally. Cardiac catheterization was performed in mice and showed a stepwise increase in contractile function in the βARK1(+/−) and βARK1(+/−)/βARKct mice with the greatest level observed in the βARK1(+/−)/βARKct animals. Contractile parameters were measured in adult myocytes isolated from both groups of gene-targeted animals. A significantly greater increase in percent cell shortening and rate of cell shortening following isoproterenol stimulation was observed in the βARK1(+/−) and βARK1(+/−)/βARKct myocytes compared with wild-type cells, indicating a progressive increase in intrinsic contractility. These data demonstrate that contractile function can be modulated by the level of βARK1 activity. This has important implications in disease states such as heart failure (in which βARK1 activity is increased) and suggests that βARK1 should be considered as a therapeutic target in this situation. Even partial inhibition of βARK1 activity enhances β-adrenergic receptor signaling leading to improved functional catecholamine responsiveness.
Reduction and Return of Infectious Trachoma in Severely Affected Communities in Ethiopia

Background Antibiotics are a major tool in the WHO's trachoma control program. Even a single mass distribution reduces the prevalence of the ocular chlamydia that causes trachoma. Unfortunately, infection returns after a single treatment, at least in severely affected areas. Here, we test whether additional scheduled treatments further reduce infection, and whether infection returns after distributions are discontinued. Methods Sixteen communities in Ethiopia were randomly selected. Ocular chlamydial infection in 1- to 5-year-old children was monitored over four biannual azithromycin distributions and for 24 months after the last treatment. Findings The average prevalence of infection in 1- to 5-year-old children was reduced from 63.5% pre-treatment to 11.5% six months after the first distribution (P<0.0001). It further decreased to 2.6% six months after the fourth and final treatment (P = 0.0004). In the next 18 months, infection returned to 25.2%, a significant increase from six months after the last treatment (P = 0.008), but still far lower than baseline (P<0.0001). Although the prevalence of infection in any particular village fluctuated, the mean prevalence of the 16 villages steadily decreased with each treatment and steadily returned after treatments were discontinued. Conclusion In some of the most severely affected communities ever studied, we demonstrate that repeated mass oral azithromycin distributions progressively reduce ocular chlamydial infection in a community, as long as these distributions are given frequently enough and at a high enough coverage. However, infection returns into the communities after the last treatment. Sustainable changes or complete local elimination of infection will be necessary. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00221364
Interdisciplinarity in oro-maxillofacial dysmorphism rehabilitation of a patient with Turner syndrome. A clinical case report.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Turner syndrome is a chromosomal disorder that manifests with short stature, gonadal dysfunction, hypothyroidism, congenital heart disease, and distinct craniofacial features including oro-maxillofacial dysmorphism. This paper presents a case of a 30-year-old female patient with Turner syndrome who sought dental care to improve the dental and facial morphology and restore the oral health. Detailed exobuccal examination revealed complex anomalies. Initial periodontal therapy and carious lesions treatment was followed by orthodontic treatment and prosthetic rehabilitation with two porcelain fused to metal fixed partial dental prostheses. Tooth whitening and restoration of the incisal edge of the anterior teeth was performed to complete the smile design improvement. The interdisciplinary approach pursued in this case resulted in successful oral rehabilitation with optimal treatment outcomes and high patient's satisfaction. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Patients with Turner syndrome may present with complex morphologic oro-maxillofacial alterations that require individualized dental treatment plans. Appropriate interdisciplinary medical/dental treatment can lead to successful oral rehabilitation with a minimum of invasive procedures.
Circadian variation and soccer performance: Implications for training and match-play during Ramadan

Abstract Ramadan results in a number of behavioural alterations in individuals when compared to their normal habits outside of this holy month. These changes in behaviour could impact upon the effectiveness of the activity of an elite athlete who has high daily activity levels and energy expenditures. Understanding the true impact of Ramadan on human physiology will also require an awareness of the key aspects of circadian rhythms. This article will present theoretical background content on circadian rhythms along with data on the potential influence of circadian variation on soccer performance. It will also attempt to provide an insight into the problems of partial sleep deprivation and travel for the elite player. The contents will suggest that there is a basis for the within-day variation in physiological and psychological function to impact soccer performance if games are played early in the day or very late at night. As competitive fixtures are uncommon at these times these influences may be more relevant to the timing and organisation of training sessions. It is also likely that a lack of sleep and excessive travel will provide conditions that are not conducive to optimal performance. This would indicate that teams should think carefully about their preparation strategies for important tournaments and games.
Sympathetic Nerve Activity and Blood Pressure in Normotensive Backcross Rats Genetically Related to the Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat

SUMMARY The genetic basis of hyperactivity of the sympathetic nervous system (SNA) in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) was assessed by measuring SNA in animals derived from a backcross (BC) breeding program designed to isolate single gene differences causing changes in blood pressure. Selective breeding of the male hypertensive rats with inbred normotensive female Wistar/Lewis rats yielded progeny with a range of blood pressures, but whose group mean pressures were lower than the group mean pressures of the original SHR. Progressive generations had progressively lower group mean pressures. There was a positive correlation between SNA and mean arterial pressure in BC rats. These results indicate that the genetic defect in SHR may be an abnormality in SNA, and the hypertension in these animals is a secondary result of this primary defect. Baroreceptor function was also assessed in SHR and in BC rats. In young (8 to 24 weeks old) SHR, baroreceptor function was similar to that in BC rats, whereas SNA was markedly increased. Only in older (24 to 40 weeks old) SHR was there an abnormality in the gain of baroreceptors. The development of hypertension in SHR therefore appears to be due to increased SNA resulting from a defect in the central nervous system. Changes in baroreceptor function are secondary to the hypertension and occur after the hypertension is established.