Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pre-cessation depressive mood predicts failure to quit smoking: the role of coping and personality traits.

AIMS To examine whether mood, personality and coping predict smoking cessation and whether the associations of personality and coping are mediated through depressed mood. SETTING Multicenter (n = 8) smoking cessation trial. PARTICIPANTS A total of 600 smokers (> or = 15 cigarettes/day) without current depression who participated in a smoking cessation study. MEASUREMENTS The outcome was continuous abstinence during the last 4 weeks of the 3-month trial: depressed mood was measured by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), personality by the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) and coping by the Revised Ways of Coping Checklist (RWCC). FINDINGS A total of 14.7% (88/600) were abstainers. Controlling for potential confounders, baseline BDI independently predicted smoking cessation. Smokers with BDI > or = 10 were less likely to quit than those with BDI < 10 (odds ratio: 6.39, 95% CI: 1.44-28.3, P = 0.01). Compared to BDI < 10 smokers, BDI > or = 10 smokers had significantly higher scores for neuroticism and lower scores for extraversion and conscientiousness (NEO-PI-R). On the RWCC, BDI > or = 10 smokers scored higher for blame self, wishful thinking and problem avoidance and they scored lower on problem focus than smokers with BDI < 10. A mediational analysis showed that neither personality traits nor coping skills predicted directly smoking cessation. However, low level of problem focusing and social support seeking predicted a negative outcome via depressed mood. CONCLUSION A BDI score > or = 10, even in smokers who do not meet a current diagnosis of major depression, directly predicts inability to quit. This suggests the utility of assessing depression symptoms in routine smoking cessation care.
Adding Logical Operators to Tree Pattern Queries on Graph-Structured Data

As data are increasingly modeled as graphs for expressing complex relationships, the tree pattern query on graph-structured data becomes an important type of queries in real-world applications. Most practical query languages, such as XQuery and SPARQL, support logical expressions using logical-AND/OR/NOT operators to define structural constraints of tree patterns. In this paper, (1) we propose generalized tree pattern queries (GTPQs) over graph-structured data, which fully support propositional logic of structural constraints. (2) We make a thorough study of fundamental problems including satisfiability, containment and minimization, and analyze the computational complexity and the decision procedures of these problems. (3) We propose a compact graph representation of intermediate results and a pruning approach to reduce the size of intermediate results and the number of join operations -- two factors that often impair the efficiency of traditional algorithms for evaluating tree pattern queries. (4) We present an efficient algorithm for evaluating GTPQs using 3-hop as the underlying reachability index. (5) Experiments on both real-life and synthetic data sets demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of our algorithm, from several times to orders of magnitude faster than state-of-the-art algorithms in terms of evaluation time, even for traditional tree pattern queries with only conjunctive operations.
Spatial firing properties of lateral septal neurons

The present study describes the spatial firing properties of neurons in the lateral septum (LS). LS neuronal activity was recorded in rats as they performed a spatial navigation task in an open field. In this task, the rat acquired an intracranial self‐stimulation reward when it entered a certain place, a location that varied randomly from trial to trial. Of 193 neurons recorded in the LS, 81 showed place‐related activity. The majority of the tested neurons changed place‐related activity when spatial relations between environmental cues were altered by rotating intrafield (proximal) cues. The comparison of place activities between LS place‐related neurons recorded in the present study and hippocampal place cells recorded in our previous study, using identical behavioral and recording procedures, revealed that spatial parameters (spatial information content, coherence, and cluster size) were smaller in the LS than in the hippocampus. Of the 193 LS neurons, 86 were influenced by intracranial self‐stimulation rewards; 31 of these 86 were also place‐related. These results, together with previous anatomical and behavioral observations, suggest that the spatial information sent from the hippocampus to the LS is modulated by and interacts with signals related to reward in the LS. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Articulated human motion tracking using a SOG-PF algorithm

This paper proposes a marker-free motion capture system to track articulated human motion using a new sum-of-Gaussian particle filter (SOG-PF) algorithm. The proposed motion capture system records multi-view color image sequences of human motion with synchronized multiple cameras. Then, the new SOG-PF algorithm that effectively combines 3D and 2D SOG models with a particle filter algorithm is adopted to track articulated human motion from multi-view color image sequences without visual markers. The performance of the proposed system is verified with real experiments.
Maintaining privacy and data quality in privacy preserving association rule mining

Privacy preserving data mining (PPDM) is a novel research direction to preserve privacy for sensitive knowledge from disclosure. Many of the researchers in this area have recently made effort to preserve privacy for sensitive association rules in statistical database. In this paper, we propose a heuristic algorithm named DSRRC (Decrease Support of R.H.S. item of Rule Clusters), which provides privacy for sensitive rules at certain level while ensuring data quality. Proposed algorithm clusters the sensitive association rules based on certain criteria and hides as many as possible rules at a time by modifying fewer transactions. Because of less modification in database it helps maintaining data quality.
User capacity for synchronous multirate CDMA systems with linear MMSE receivers

The performance of linear minimum mean-square error (MMSE) multiuser receivers in a dual-rate synchronous direct-sequence code-division multiple-access (DS-CDMA) system is investigated using the random spreading sequence analysis. Multicode (MC) systems and different variants of variable spreading length (VSL) systems are studied. User capacity regions are obtained for these systems.
Benchmarking Knowledge Management in Developing Countries : Case of Research Organizations in Nigeria , The Gambia , and India

Even though knowledge organizations, such as research institutes, have only a minor role in the economies of the developing countries, they nevertheless are becoming increasingly important for development. Appropriate knowledge management could contribute considerably to their effectiveness and efficiency. We examined the state of knowledge management in eight research organizations: three in Nigeria, three in The Gambia, and two in India. Each organization was visited for two weeks and several data gathering methods were used. One of these, the Knowledge Management Diagnostic, appeared not to be very suitable for use in developing countries. Therefore, it was modified for the Indian organizations, but comparability was maintained by supplementing it by interviews and observation. Here we present a summary of our findings in Nigeria and The Gambia and compare them with the preliminary results of the study in India. Our study shows that organizations in developing countries are also aware of the knowledge management issues but that there are variations in the capability of each organization in knowledge processes. In general, the tactical processes have more emphasis than the strategic processes. It also appears that, on the average, international organizations are paying more attention to knowledge management than the national organizations and therefore act as benchmarking partners.
Response rescaling in bacterial chemotaxis

Sensory systems rescale their response sensitivity upon adaptation according to simple strategies that recur in processes as diverse as single-cell signaling, neural network responses, and whole-organism perception. Here, we study response rescaling in Escherichia coli chemotaxis, where adaptation dynamically tunes the cells’ motile response during searches for nutrients. Using in vivo fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) measurements on immobilized cells, we demonstrate that the design of this prokaryotic signaling network follows the fold-change detection (FCD) strategy, responding faithfully to the shape of the input profile irrespective of its absolute intensity. Using a microfluidics-based assay for free swimming cells, we confirm intensity-independent gradient responses at the behavioral level. By theoretical analysis, we identify a set of sufficient conditions for FCD in E. coli chemotaxis, which leads to the prediction that the adaptation timescale is invariant with respect to the background input level. Additional FRET experiments confirm that the adaptation timescale is invariant over an ∼10,000-fold range of background concentrations. These observations in a highly optimized bacterial system support the concept that FCD represents a robust sensing strategy for spatial searches. To our knowledge, these experiments provide a unique demonstration of FCD in any biological sensory system.
Effects of curcumin in experimental diabetic nephropathy

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is currently well established as the most common cause of end-stage renal disease in most parts of the world. Notwithstanding the expanding basic and clinical research in this field, the pathogenesis remains far from clear and hence the treatment of DN remains suboptimal. There is a critical need for the development of newer therapeutic strategies including alternative and complementary therapies. One of the natural products that was extensively studied in cancer and other chronic disease states such as diabetes is curcumin, an active ingredient in turmeric, a spice extensively used in India. In this manuscript, we present a critical review of the experimental and clinical evidence that supports the use of curcumin and its analogs in DN as well as the various proposed mechanisms for its biological actions in health and disease states.
Complete Nucleotide Sequence of pVv01, a P1-Like Plasmid Prophage of Vibrio vulnificus

ABSTRACT We report here the 79,263-bp plasmid pVv01 isolated from Vibrio vulnificus. pVv01 is closely related to the Vibrio plasmid p0908 and shows some similarities to phage P1. Unlike p0908, pVv01 represents an intact prophage inducible by mitomycin C. PVv01 phage particles revealed a myoviridal morphology and lytic activity.
The study on shadow removal on transform domain GMM foreground segmentation

This paper describes a novel shadow removal method for computationally efficient transform domain foreground segmentation. As the foreground segmentation is carried out by using Walsh Transform domain, DC component as well as AC components in a transform block can be easily used for shadow removal. The DC component shows average brightness, but the AC components are related to texture of the block. A novel shadow removal uses the fact that texture of the shadow is unchanged and this leads to a simple approach to reduce shadow areas from the detected foreground objects. The experimental results show that the approach clearly eliminates shadow areas.
Yersinia Controls Type III Effector Delivery into Host Cells by Modulating Rho Activity

Yersinia pseudotuberculosis binds to β1 integrin receptors, and uses the type III secretion proteins YopB and YopD to introduce pores and to translocate Yop effectors directly into host cells. Y. pseudotuberculosis lacking effectors that inhibit Rho GTPases, YopE and YopT, have high pore forming activity. Here, we present evidence that Y. pseudotuberculosis selectively modulates Rho activity to induce cellular changes that control pore formation and effector translocation. Inhibition of actin polymerization decreased pore formation and YopE translocation in HeLa cells infected with Y. pseudotuberculosis. Inactivation of Rho, Rac, and Cdc42 by treatment with Clostridium difficile toxin B inhibited pore formation and YopE translocation in infected HeLa cells. Expression of a dominant negative form of Rac did not reduce the uptake of membrane impermeable dyes in HeLa cells infected with a pore forming strain YopEHJT−. Similarly, the Rac inhibitor NSC23766 did not decrease pore formation or translocation, although it efficiently hindered Rac-dependent bacterial uptake. In contrast, C. botulinum C3 potently reduced pore formation and translocation, implicating Rho A, B, and/or C in the control of the Yop delivery. An invasin mutant (Y. pseudotuberculosis invD911E) that binds to β1 integrins, but inefficiently transduces signals through the receptors, was defective for YopE translocation. Interfering with the β1 integrin signaling pathway, by inhibiting Src kinase activity, negatively affected YopE translocation. Additionally, Y. pseudotuberculosis infection activated Rho by a mechanism that was dependent on YopB and on high affinity bacteria interaction with β1 integrin receptors. We propose that Rho activation, mediated by signals triggered by the YopB/YopD translocon and from engagement of β1 integrin receptors, stimulates actin polymerization and activates the translocation process, and that once the Yops are translocated, the action of YopE or YopT terminate delivery of Yops and prevents pore formation.
Age‐related differences in the frequency of personality disorders among inpatient veterans

This cross‐sectional study explored age‐related differences in the frequency of diagnosis of personality disorder (PD) among 790 veterans admitted to a psychiatric inpatient unit across three age groups: 20–39, 40–59, and 60+. Older adults obtained a lower frequency (55.4%) of PD diagnosis than middle‐aged adults (69.0%), who in turn obtained a lower frequency of PD diagnosis than young adults (75.9%). Older adults and middle‐aged adults were less likely to receive a diagnosis of Borderline PD than young adults. Older adults were also less likely to receive a diagnosis of Mixed PD than young adults, but received significantly more diagnoses of Narcissistic PD than young adults. Patients diagnosed with PD had higher rates of psychiatric hospitalization than those with no diagnosis of PD. Older adults and middle‐aged adults with PD had significantly fewer psychiatric hospitalizations than young adults with PD, whereas there were no age‐related differences in the frequency of medical hospitalizations. These findings are consistent with research suggesting an overall softening of PD features with age, particularly those characteristic of the ‘dramatic‐erratic’, Cluster B types. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Extended Interference Matrices for Exploded View of Assembly Planning

One of the tasks in assembly planning is to create the exploded views for the visualization purpose and the verification of assembly plans. In this paper, we introduce how to generate exploded views automatically from an assembly model. To increase the level of automation, a new relational matrix called extended interference matrix (EIM) is used to represent the assembly relations among constitutive parts. Information in an EIM is used to create the exploded views. An innovative method is developed to generate the exploded views based on the assembly sequences and EIMs. The corresponding Application Programming Interface (API) to the Unigraphics software has been developed as an integration of the algorithm with the CAD software tool. The assembly model of a gear reducer is used as a case study.
A Two-Step Method for Sentiment Analysis of Tweets

Sentiment Mining refers to extraction of public sentiment, typically from a set of texts or documents. The present work aims at gaining insights into sentiment mining on tweets using Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing techniques. We propose a lexicon-based sentiment scoring method, and use it in combination with Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier as a two-step method for sentiment classification. The proposed scheme creates a sentiment lexicon from Sentiment140 corpus using Point-wise Mutual Information (PMI) measure. The lexicon is used to score tweets with positive or negative polarity. Tweets with low polarity strength are passed to a Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier. This system is compared with several supervised statistical learning algorithms. The classification performance of the proposed scheme has been found to be better than commonly used one-step methods. We also discuss efficacy of several linguistic features, such as Part-of-Speech (POS) tags and higher order n-grams in sentiment mining.
Cognitive Effect of the Sub-Chronic Exposure to Mosquito Coil Smoke in Mice

The aim of this experiment is to investigate the cognitive effect of the sub-chronic exposure to mosquito coil smoke in mice. A total of 28 adult mice were used. The mice were divided into four groups. Group 1 served as a control group and got exposed to environment air, while group 2, 3 and 4 were exposed to 1 hour, 2 hours and 3 hours of mosquito coil smoke respectively for 6 weeks. Learning and memory test were conducted after 1 week, 3 weeks and 6 weeks of exposure. The brains were harvested, homogenized and samples analysed for Malondialdehyde (MDA) and Acetylcholinestrase (AChE). The result showed that mosquito coil smoke significantly (P˂0.05) decrease Learning and Memory. Oxidative stress might have played role in the decreased Learning and Memory. This study indicates the toxic effect of mosquito coil smoke.
Sign-Consensus of Linear Multi-Agent Systems Over Signed Directed Graphs

This paper investigates sign-consensus problems of general linear multi-agent systems. The interaction between agents is modeled by a signed directed graph, where both cooperation and competition coexist within a group. The graph is allowed to be structurally unbalanced and its adjacency matrix is assumed to be eventually positive. Distributed control laws are proposed for several classes of graph topologies. Simulation examples are provided to illustrate the proposed control laws. Signed graph-based multi-agent systems provide models to opinion dynamics and social networks, and may also hold significance in further developing such internet search algorithms as PageRank to counter spamming websites.
Oscillator Made of Only One Memristor and One Battery

Contrary to the traditional belief that at least two energy-storage elements (capacitor and/or inductor) and a locally-active nonlinearity are needed to build an electronic oscillator, this paper presents an oscillator made with only two circuit elements, namely, a memristor and a battery. This simplest of all physical oscillators also serves as a textbook example for explaining the intimate relationship between the super-critical Hopf bifurcation phenomenon and the edge of chaos.
The Whale Fossil in Diatomite, Lompoc, California.indd

An on-site investigation at Lompoc, California, has established that the fossilized baleen whale found there in diatomite was not buried while “standing on its tail,” but is tilted because the enclosing diatomite unit is tilted. However, current slow-and-gradual uniformitarian models for diatomite deposition and whale fossilization cannot explain this Lompoc whale fossil in diatomite. Only a local catastrophe involving volcanic activity, a post-Flood event within the biblical framework of earth history, is consistent with all the evidence that demonstrates the whale was catastrophically buried in the diatomite.
Endogenous brain fluctuations and diagnostic imaging

Much of the rising health care costs in aging populations can be attributed to congenital disease and psychiatric and neurologic disorders. Early detection of changes related to these diseases can promote the development of new therapeutic strategies and effective treatments. Changes in tissue, such as damage resulting from continued functional abnormality, often exhibit a time‐delay before detection is possible. Methods for detecting functional alterations in endogenous brain fluctuations allow for an early diagnosis before tissue damage occurs, enabling early treatment and a more likely positive outcome. A literature review and comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge about endogenous brain fluctuations is presented here. Recent findings of the association between various pathological conditions and endogenous fluctuations are discussed. A particular emphasis is placed on research showing the relationship between clinical measures and pathological findings to the dynamics of endogenous fluctuations of the brain. Recent discoveries of methods for detecting abnormal functional connectivity are discussed and future research directions explored. Hum Brain Mapp 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Multiple policies to enhance prescribing efficiency for established medicines in Europe with a particular focus on demand-side measures: findings and future implications

Introduction: The appreciable growth in pharmaceutical expenditure has resulted in multiple initiatives across Europe to lower generic prices and enhance their utilization. However, considerable variation in their use and prices. Objective: Assess the influence of multiple supply and demand-side initiatives across Europe for established medicines to enhance prescribing efficiency before a decision to prescribe a particular medicine. Subsequently utilize the findings to suggest potential future initiatives that countries could consider. Method: An analysis of different methodologies involving cross national and single country retrospective observational studies on reimbursed use and expenditure of PPIs, statins, and renin-angiotensin inhibitor drugs among European countries. Results: Nature and intensity of the various initiatives appreciably influenced prescribing behavior and expenditure, e.g., multiple measures resulted in reimbursed expenditure for PPIs in Scotland in 2010 56% below 2001 levels despite a 3-fold increase in utilization and in the Netherlands, PPI expenditure fell by 58% in 2010 vs. 2000 despite a 3-fold increase in utilization. A similar picture was seen with prescribing restrictions, i.e., (i) more aggressive follow-up of prescribing restrictions for patented statins and ARBs resulted in a greater reduction in the utilization of patented statins in Austria vs. Norway and lower utilization of patented ARBs vs. generic ACEIs in Croatia than Austria. However, limited impact of restrictions on esomeprazole in Norway with the first prescription or recommendation in hospital where restrictions do not apply. Similar findings when generic losartan became available in Western Europe. Conclusions: Multiple demand-side measures are needed to influence prescribing patterns. When combined with supply-side measures, activities can realize appreciable savings. Health authorities cannot rely on a “spill over” effect between classes to affect changes in prescribing.