Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Building a multilingual parallel corpus for human users

We present the architecture and the current state of InterCorp, a multilingual parallel corpus centered around Czech, intended primarily for human users and consisting of written texts with a focus on fiction. Following an outline of its recent development and a comparison with some other multilingual parallel corpora we give an overview of the data collection procedure that covers text selection criteria, data format, conversion, alignment, lemmatization and tagging. Finally, we show a sample query using the web-based search interface and discuss challenges and prospects of the project.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging of recovery from post-stroke aphasia

This thesis presents the design, development and application of a novel overt picture-naming paradigm through a series of exploratory behavioural and imaging experiments. The paradigm is subsequently used in a functional magnetic resonance imaging study of recovery from post-stroke aphasia. The possibility of comparing correct and error naming responses in aphasic patients and unimpaired subjects induced to make errors was investigated and successfully trialled. This research improves on techniques currently favoured in imaging studies to explore the processes involved in functional recovery in a more analytical way. The novel study design provides a new way to interrogate processing involved in the production of aphasic responses. The intentions of this project were to drive the research field of post-stroke aphasia recovery forward by suggesting and applying new methods of using functional imaging to investigate the current pertinent research questions. In addition to this, it was aimed that data collected from participants who have an aphasic deficit, and those with a healthy language system, would be analysed to provide evidence of how a stroke damaged brain may recover functional language. It was hypothesised that results from aphasic patients would show that successful language performance is associated with cortical activation of the patients' normal left hemispheric language areas, around their lesion site. Conversely, the hypotheses state that production of linguistic errors would correlate with an increase in activation in areas of the right hemisphere homologous to the left lateralised fronto-temporal language production network. It was thought that further investigation of successful and unsuccessful language performance in unimpaired speakers would echo this finding. The current debate in this research field centres on the role of the undamaged hemisphere in successful recovery. Five chronic stage aphasics were tested using the developed continuous scanning, event-related paradigm and their correct and error naming trials were compared. Results indicate that recruitment of cortical areas homologous to the stroke lesion can support successful language processing. This is contrary to the theory that disinhibition of non-dominant language areas may contribute to the production of aphasic errors. An investigation of forced errors in unimpaired speakers was also conducted to provide comparisons with the aphasic patient group. Imaging results showed that the naming-to-deadline paradigm used may provide a useful baseline for the normal processes involved in the monitoring and control of task performance.
Soft Decision Parallel Interference Cancellation for Scrambled/Unscrambled DS-CDMA System

A soft decision linear parallel interference cancellation for the direct sequence spread spectrum CDMA systems which can accommodate more users (K = N+M >N) than the processing gain of the system is analyzed in this paper. The proposed technique accommodates N users without any mutual interference and a number of additional users at the expense of a small signal-to-noise ratio. Two sets of orthogonal Gold codes are used, one for the first N users and the other for the additional users. Both the N users and additional users are overlaid by a set-specific pseudonoise scrambling sequence. The performance of scrambled and unscrambled system for matched filter and linear parallel interference cancellation is analyzed and the scrambled system is found better than unscrambled system. The allowable load of this scheme is investigated, so that the uncoded performance with linear parallel interference cancellation detector using soft (SDIC) decision functions remains close to the single user bound for N= 64 at 33% overloading.
Cross-modal individual recognition in wild African lions

Individual recognition is considered to have been fundamental in the evolution of complex social systems and is thought to be a widespread ability throughout the animal kingdom. Although robust evidence for individual recognition remains limited, recent experimental paradigms that examine cross-modal processing have demonstrated individual recognition in a range of captive non-human animals. It is now highly relevant to test whether cross-modal individual recognition exists within wild populations and thus examine how it is employed during natural social interactions. We address this question by testing audio–visual cross-modal individual recognition in wild African lions (Panthera leo) using an expectancy-violation paradigm. When presented with a scenario where the playback of a loud-call (roaring) broadcast from behind a visual block is incongruent with the conspecific previously seen there, subjects responded more strongly than during the congruent scenario where the call and individual matched. These findings suggest that lions are capable of audio–visual cross-modal individual recognition and provide a useful method for studying this ability in wild populations.
Increased Inflammatory Gene Expression in ABC Transporter–Deficient Macrophages: Free Cholesterol Accumulation, Increased Signaling via Toll-Like Receptors, and Neutrophil Infiltration of Atherosclerotic Lesions

Background— Two macrophage ABC transporters, ABCA1 and ABCG1, have a major role in promoting cholesterol efflux from macrophages. Peritoneal macrophages deficient in ABCA1, ABCG1, or both show enhanced expression of inflammatory and chemokine genes. This study was undertaken to elucidate the mechanisms and consequences of enhanced inflammatory gene expression in ABC transporter–deficient macrophages. Methods and Results— Basal and lipopolysaccharide-stimulated thioglycollate-elicited peritoneal macrophages showed increased inflammatory gene expression in the order Abca1−/−Abcg1−/−>Abcg1−/−>Abca1−/−>wild-type. The increased inflammatory gene expression was abolished in macrophages deficient in Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) or MyD88/TRIF. TLR4 cell surface concentration was increased in Abca1−/−Abcg1−/−>Abcg1−/−> Abca1−/−> wild-type macrophages. Treatment of transporter-deficient cells with cyclodextrin reduced and cholesterol-cyclodextrin loading increased inflammatory gene expression. Abca1−/−Abcg1− bone marrow–derived macrophages showed enhanced inflammatory gene responses to TLR2, TLR3, and TLR4 ligands. To assess in vivo relevance, we injected intraperitoneally thioglycollate in Abcg1−/− bone marrow–transplanted, Western diet–fed, Ldlr-deficient mice. This resulted in a profound inflammatory infiltrate in the adventitia and necrotic core region of atherosclerotic lesions, consisting primarily of neutrophils. Conclusions— The results suggest that high-density lipoprotein and apolipoprotein A-1 exert anti-inflammatory effects by promoting cholesterol efflux via ABCG1 and ABCA1 with consequent attenuation of signaling via Toll-like receptors. In response to a peripheral inflammatory stimulus, atherosclerotic lesions containing Abcg1−/− macrophages experience an inflammatory “echo,” suggesting a possible mechanism of plaque destabilization in subjects with low high-density lipoprotein levels.
EvoCommander: A Novel Game Based on Evolving and Switching Between Artificial Brains

Neuroevolution [i.e., evolving artificial neural networks (ANNs) through evolutionary algorithms] has shown promise in evolving agents and robot controllers, which display complex behaviors and can adapt to their environments. These properties are also relevant to video games, since they can increase their longevity and replayability. However, the design of most current games precludes the use of any techniques which might yield unpredictable or even open-ended results. This paper describes the game EvoCommander, with the goal to further demonstrate the potential of neuroevolution in games. In EvoCommander the player incrementally evolves an arsenal of ANN-controlled behaviors (e.g., ranged attack, flee, etc.) for a simple robot that has to battle other player and computer controlled robots. The game introduces the novel game mechanic of “brain switching,” selecting which evolved neural network is active at any point during battle. Results from playtests indicate that brain switching is a promising new game mechanic, leading to players employing interesting different strategies when training their robots and when controlling them in battle.
Exploring the Motivations, Experiences and Meanings of Camping in National Parks

Camping in natural areas such as national parks is an important social activity and provides a way of reconnecting with nature to achieve personal, social, and health benefits. Experience and meanings are not well understood regarding camping in natural areas, and recent research is limited. The aim of this qualitative study was to examine the motivations, experiences, and higher-order meanings of camping in two national parks in Western Australia, with a particular focus on the last of these. Important associated motivations included the “push” factor of addressing feelings of disconnection from nature, others, and self; and the “pull” factor of experiencing nature. Re-creation, reconnection and reaffirmation were key higher-order meanings. A deeper understanding of the camping experience highlights the importance of the people-natural environment relationship and shows how camping can benefit individuals and society.
Intelligent data analysis algorithms on biofeedback signals for estimating emotions

Emotions are an unstoppable and uncontrollable aspect of human reaction to an action. It is a proved mechanism that encompasses variation in emotions due to different acts, expectations, focus to goals, appraisal and resulting reactions. When human body experiences different emotions like fear, anger, sad, happiness then there is also change in different bio-signals which are flowing in human body. These biosignals are: Galvanic skin conductance (GSR), blood volume pulse (BVP), brain waves (EEG), muscle tension, temperature, and respiration. The overall objective of this work is to design and develop a low power, portable, and cost effective embedded system through which we can measure different parameters of autonomic nervous system (GSR/ temperature/Heart rate/EEG) of a person and display it on any of the output devices by using effective algorithm for stress recognition using learning systems. This portable embedded system will be using MSP430F2013 micro controller from Texas Instruments. This system will help measure different parameters such as GSR and BVP. This paper is also discusses an experiment which identifies the stimuli triggering off the emotional state of the person as a result of variations in the bio-signals.
The Psychometric Testing of a Urinary Incontinence Nursing Assessment Instrument

OBJECTIVE This study was conducted to examine the psychometric properties of the Capital Health Authority (CHA) Screening Tool. DESIGN A correlational design was used to evaluate the interrater reliability and concurrent validity of the CHA Tool. Alpha coefficients were calculated as measures of internal consistency. SETTING AND SUBJECTS Psychometric testing employed convenience sampling to select 12 nurses who work in homecare or geriatric assessment unit settings, and 23 homecare recipients who were experiencing incontinence. INSTRUMENTS The Stress Urge Incontinence Instrument and Urodynamic Patient Questionnaire were the criterion measures for concurrent validity of the CHA Assessment Tool. METHODS Interrater reliability testing involved examination of nurse participants' ratings of the same 4 videotaped scenarios of a client reporting differential symptoms of incontinence. Concurrent validity was estimated after the administration of the CHA Tool and the Stress Urge Incontinence Instrument and Urodynamic Patient Questionnaire to homecare clients by the researcher. RESULTS Correlational analyses revealed good validity and reliability of the urge (r = .81, p < .01, Cronbach's alpha = .83) and stress subscales (r = .78, p < .01, Cronbach's alpha = .66) of the CHA Tool. CONCLUSIONS This research provides support for a short assessment tool that will benefit individuals experiencing urinary incontinence, their caregivers, and society through improved continence management. The appropriate management of urinary incontinence symptoms could prevent long-term care admissions.
Association between polymorphisms in the β2-adrenergic receptor gene with myocardial infarction and ischaemic stroke in women

Summary Results from studies investigating the association between polymorphisms in the β2-adrenergic receptor gene (ADRB2) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) are controversial. Using haplo-type-based analysis, we have previously shown a protective effect of the Gly16-Gln27-Ile164 haplotype on myocardial infarction in men. We sought to replicate these findings in women and further investigated whether the gene variants exert differential effects on myocardial infarction and ischaemic stroke. We performed a prospective study among 25,224 women, participating in the Women’s Health Study and free of CVD at study entry. We had information on polymorphisms Gly16Arg, Gln27Glu, and Thr164Ile in the ADRB2. Incident CVD was self-reported and confirmed after medical record review. We used proportional hazards models to investigate the association between genotypes and haplotypes with any myocardial infarction, any ischaemic stroke, and CVD death. During a mean of 11.8 years of follow-up, 274 myocardial infarctions, 299 ischaemic strokes, and 159 CVD deaths occurred. Among the whole cohort genotypeand haplotype-based analyses did not show an association for any of the gene variants with any of the CVD outcomes. When we focused on Caucasian women, the haplotype-based analysis, however, suggested an inverse association of the haplotype Gly16-Gln27-Thr164 with incident myocardial infarction (multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio 0.75; 95% confidence interval 0.58–0.97; p=0.03). We did not find associations in the haplo-type-based analyses with incident ischaemic stroke or CVD death. Our results suggest that the haplotype Gly16-Gln27-Thr164 is associated with reduced risk of incident myocardial infarction but not ischaemic stroke in Caucasian women and suggest differential pathophysiologies for myocardial infarction and stroke.
Wavelength-Multiplexed Polymer LEDs: Towards 55 Mb/s Organic Visible Light Communications

We present recent progress on visible light communication systems using polymer light-emitting diodes as the transmitters and a commercial silicon photodetector as the receiver. In this paper, we use transmitters at red, green, and blue wavelengths to investigate the maximum on-off keying link performance of each device type as the first steps toward a wavelength-division multiplexed link. We show that a total transmission speed of 13 Mb/s is achievable when considering the raw bandwidth of each of the RGB PLEDs. Such a rate represents a 30% gain over previously demonstrated systems. Further capacity improvement can be achieved using high performance artificial neural network equalizer offering a realistic prospect for transmission speeds up to 54.9 Mb/s.
The Conscious Universe: The Scientific Truth of Psychic Phenomena

Recently profiled in the "New York Times" Magazine. Dean Radin is perhaps the most respected parapsychology authority in the country. An articulate, engaging communicator, Radin wields impeccable credentials, a healthy skepticism and a meticulous scientific method to put "psi" phenomona like telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition and mind-over-matter abilities to the hard test of science. His unprecedented manifesto makes a startingly persuasive case for the truth of psychic phenomena -- and places us on the cusp of what may well be the next great paradigm shift.
Wernicke Encephalopathy: MR Findings at Clinical Presentation in Twenty-Six Alcoholic and Nonalcoholic Patients

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Wernicke encephalopathy is a severe neurologic disorder that results from a dietary vitamin B1 deficiency. It is characterized by changes in consciousness, ocular abnormalities, and ataxia. This study was undertaken to analyze and compare findings on MR imaging and neurologic symptoms at clinical presentations of patients with Wernicke encephalopathy with and without a history of alcohol abuse. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A multicenter study group retrospectively reviewed MR brain imaging findings, clinical histories, and presentations of 26 patients (14 female, 12 male) diagnosed between 1999 and 2006 with Wernicke encephalopathy. The age range was 6–81 years (mean age, 46 .6 ± 19 years). RESULTS: Fifty percent of the patients had a history of alcohol abuse, and 50% had no history of alcohol abuse. Eighty percent showed changes in consciousness, 77% had ocular symptoms, and 54% had ataxia. Only 38% of the patients showed the classic triad of the disease at clinical presentation. At MR examination, 85% of the patients showed symmetric lesions in the medial thalami and the periventricular region of the third ventricle, 65% in the periaqueductal area, 58% in the mamillary bodies, 38% in the tectal plate, and 8% in the dorsal medulla. Contrast enhancement of the mamillary bodies was statistically positively correlated with the alcohol abuse group. CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirms the usefulness of MR in reaching a prompt diagnosis of Wernicke encephalopathy to avoid irreversible damage to brain tissue. Contrast enhancement in the mamillary bodies is a typical finding of the disease in the alcoholic population.
Motivating Students to Learn.

How can I get my students to try harder? What must I do to hold their attention? How can I help my kids understand the value of this material? Middle school teachers in particular are frustrated as they ask these kinds of questions about motivating students to learn (Eccles and Midgley 1989). They express concern about the quality and quantity of effort that students devote to academic tasks. Teachers need to learn new
Caterpillar locomotion: A new model for soft- bodied climbing and burrowing robots

Abstract – Caterpillars are some of the most successful scansorial and burrowing animals and yet they lack a hard skeleton. Their hydrostatic body and prolegs provide astonishing fault-tolerant manoeuvrability and powerful, stable, passive attachment. This paper describes some of the biomechanics of caterpillar locomotion and gripping. It then describes our recent work to build a multifunctional robotic climbing machine based on the biomechanics and neural control system (neuromechanics) of the caterpillar, Manduca sexta. The new robot (“Softbot”) is continuously deformable and capable of collapsing and crumpling into a small volume. Eventually it will be able to climb textured surfaces and irregular objects, crawl along ropes and wires, or burrow into winding, confined spaces. These robots will be simple, cheap (disposable), and scaleable. They will have numerous applications including search and rescue in emergency situations and mine reconnaissance in complex environments such as rubble-fields.
A Comparative Study of the Efficacy of Group versus Individual Cognitive Behavior Therapy in the Treatment of Panic Disorder

There is an evidence to support the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of group cognitive behavioral therapy in the treatment of panic disorder. The main objective of the present study was to compare the effectiveness of individual and group formats of cognitive-behavioral therapy in panic disorder patients. 45 outpatients with panic disorder with or without agoraphobia were randomly assigned to three groups: Group Therapy, Individual Therapy or a waiting -list group. In the two treatment conditions, patients received 14 weekly sessions of treatment based upon Cognitive-Behavioral therapy. Assessments were carried out pre and post treatment and in the two treatment groups at a 4-month follow-up. Treatment effectiveness of individual and group CBT was compared with each other and the untreated wait-list control group with regard to Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS), Agoraphobic Cognition Questionnaire (ACQ), Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI) and agoraphobic avoidance (FQ-AG). Data analysis revealed that the three groups were not significantly different from each other at pre-treatment. Compared with the waiting list control group, the participants in both CBT formats showed significant improvement after treatment with reduction of panic disorder symptoms, while, two treatment formats were equally effective in the reduction of, depression (BDI), agoraphobic cognition (ACQ), sensitivity of anxiety (ASI) and agoraphobic avoidance (FQ-AG), but individual CBT led to greater improvement than group CBT in relation to the reduction of overall anxiety, and panic disorder severity in post treatment. Furthermore participants in both treatment groups is maintained their improvement at 4 months follow-up phase, while, individual CBT group led to greater improvement than group CBT in relation the reduction of overall anxiety (BAI), depression symptoms (BDI), panic disorder severity (PDSS) and sensitivity to anxiety (ASI) at 4 months follow-up.
Table detection in online ink notes

In documents, tables are important structured objects that present statistical and relational information. In this paper, we present a robust system which is capable of detecting tables from free style online ink notes and extracting their structure so that they can be further edited in multiple ways. First, the primitive structure of tables, i.e., candidates for ruling lines and table bounding boxes, are detected among drawing strokes. Second, the logical structure of tables is determined by normalizing the table skeletons, identifying the skeleton structure, and extracting the cell contents. The detection process is similar to a decision tree so that invalid candidates can be ruled out quickly. Experimental results suggest that our system is robust and accurate in dealing with tables having complex structure or drawn under complex situations
Pentraxin 3: an immune modulator of infection and useful marker for disease severity assessment in sepsis

ABSTRACT The acute phase protein pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is a pattern recognition receptor involved in regulation of the host immune response. This relatively newly discovered member of the pentraxin superfamily elicits both immunostimulatory and immunoregulatory functions preventing autoimmune pathology and orchestrated clearance of pathogens through opsonization of damage- and pathogen-associated molecular patterns (DAMP/PAMP). Thus, PTX3 has been described as a possible evolutionary precursor to immunoglobulins. While shown to provide protection against specific bacterial and fungal pathogens, persistent elevation of PTX3 levels following initial onset of infection appear to predict poor patient outcome and may contribute to disease sequelae such as tissue damage and coagulopathy. Measurement of PTX3 following onset of sepsis may improve patient risk assessment and thus be useful in guiding subsequent therapeutic interventions including steroidal anti-inflammatory and altered antibiotic therapies. In this review, we summarize the role of PTX3 in inflammatory syndromes and its utility as a marker of sepsis disease severity.