Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
THE THEORETICAL INTEGRATIVE MODEL FOR THE LATVIAN CLINICAL PERSONALITY INVENTORY

The purpose of this article is to present a theoretical integrative model, which reflects contemporary tendencies in the understanding of mental disorders and functional impairment, and which is used as a theoretical frame for the development of the Latvian Clinical Personality Inventory (LCPI). This article, based on the latest research findings in the field, supports the necessity of a combined analysis of mental disorders and functional impairment. Due to scientific findings and deeper understanding of the interrelation between mental disorders and functioning impairment, it has become possible to develop psychological instruments for valid assessment of the disturbances in an individual's cognition, emotion regulation, and behaviour combining with analysis of most essential and relevant aspects of their functioning. An integrative theoretical model of LCPI, developed on the selected criteria from Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM – 5; APA, 2013) and WHO International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF; WHO, 2001/2015) is presented in the article. Conducted literature analysis permits to conclude, that in a context of clinical personality assessment, a combined analysis of symptoms of mental disorders and relevant functioning criteria is very promising and will be useful in many assessment contexts. Based on such an integrative approach the Latvian Clinical Personality Inventory is currently being developed. This project is a part of the National Research Programme (No. 5.8.2.).
Nuovo DRM Paradiso : formal specification and verification of a DRM protocol

We present a DRM-preserving content redistribution scheme, based on the NPGCT scheme, that provides fairness in unsupervised exchanges. The proposed scheme is formally specified, verified and shown to achieve its design goals. The NPGCT mechanism of detection and revocation of circumvented devices is also reexamined here.
Early Clinical and Subclinical Visual Evoked Potential and Humphrey's Visual Field Defects in Cryptococcal Meningitis

Cryptococcal induced visual loss is a devastating complication in survivors of cryptococcal meningitis (CM). Early detection is paramount in prevention and treatment. Subclinical optic nerve dysfunction in CM has not hitherto been investigated by electrophysiological means. We undertook a prospective study on 90 HIV sero-positive patients with culture confirmed CM. Seventy-four patients underwent visual evoked potential (VEP) testing and 47 patients underwent Humphrey's visual field (HVF) testing. Decreased best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was detected in 46.5% of patients. VEP was abnormal in 51/74 (68.9%) right eyes and 50/74 (67.6%) left eyes. VEP P100 latency was the main abnormality with mean latency values of 118.9 (±16.5) ms and 119.8 (±15.7) ms for the right and left eyes respectively, mildly prolonged when compared to our laboratory references of 104 (±10) ms (p<0.001). Subclinical VEP abnormality was detected in 56.5% of normal eyes and constituted mostly latency abnormality. VEP amplitude was also significantly reduced in this cohort but minimally so in the visually unimpaired. HVF was abnormal in 36/47 (76.6%) right eyes and 32/45 (71.1%) left eyes. The predominant field defect was peripheral constriction with an enlarged blind spot suggesting the greater impact by raised intracranial pressure over that of optic neuritis. Whether this was due to papilloedema or a compartment syndrome is open to further investigation. Subclinical HVF abnormalities were minimal and therefore a poor screening test for early optic nerve dysfunction. However, early optic nerve dysfunction can be detected by testing of VEP P100 latency, which may precede the onset of visual loss in CM.
Logistic Tensor Factorization for Multi-Relational Data

Tensor factorizations have become increasingly popular approaches for various learning tasks on structured data. In this work, we extend the RESCAL tensor factorization, which has shown state-of-the-art results for multi-relational learning, to account for the binary nature of adjacency tensors. We study the improvements that can be gained via this approach on various benchmark datasets and show that the logistic extension can improve the prediction results significantly.
Integrated Heterogeneous Multi-Robot System for Collaborative Navigation

In this paper, we present an integrated heterogeneous multi-robot system that considers the problem of how heterogeneous autonomous robots, including wheeled robots and four-legged robots, which are different both in hardware and software, can collaborate to navigate in an unknown corridor environment. The navigation tasks involve detecting environment features, self-localizing, performing the planned navigation actions. On the one hand, a time- variable limit cycle based method is created to perform real-time obstacle avoidance. On the other hand, we propose a dynamic reference object based collaborative approach for self localization. Satisfactory experimental results are obtained in real robot experiments.
Posttransplantation diabetes: a systematic review of the literature.

OBJECTIVES To systematically review the incidence of posttransplantation diabetes (PTD), risk factors for its development, prognostic implications, and optimal management. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We searched databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and others) from inception to September 2000, reviewed bibliographies in reports retrieved, contacted transplantation experts, and reviewed specialty journals. Two reviewers independently determined report inclusion (original studies, in all languages, of PTD in adults with no history of diabetes before transplantation), assessed study methods, and extracted data using a standardized form. Meta-regression was used to explain between-study differences in incidence. RESULTS Nineteen studies with 3,611 patients were included. The 12-month cumulative incidence of PTD is lower (<10% in most studies) than it was 3 decades ago. The type of immunosuppression explained 74% of the variability in incidence (P = 0.0004). Risk factors were patient age, nonwhite ethnicity, glucocorticoid treatment for rejection, and immunosuppression with high-dose cyclosporine and tacrolimus. PTD was associated with decreased graft and patient survival in earlier studies; later studies showed improved outcomes. Randomized trials of treatment regimens have not been conducted. CONCLUSIONS Physicians should consider modification of immunosuppressive regimens to decrease the risk of PTD in high-risk transplant recipients. Randomized trials are needed to evaluate the use of oral glucose-lowering agents in transplant recipients, paying particular attention to interactions with immunosuppressive drugs.
Current Strategies for Identification of Glioma Stem Cells: Adequate or Unsatisfactory?

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) were isolated in multiple tumor types, including human glioblastomas, and although the presence of surface markers selectively expressed on CSCs can be used to isolate them, no marker/pattern of markers are sufficiently robust to definitively identify stem cells in tumors. Several markers were evaluated for their prognostic value with promising early results, however none of them was proven to be clinically useful in large-scale studies, leading to outstanding efforts to identify new markers. Given the heterogeneity of human glioblastomas further investigations are necessary to identify both cancer stem cell-specific markers and the molecular mechanisms sustaining the tumorigenic potential of these cells to develop tailored treatments. Markers for glioblastoma stem cells such as CD133, CD15, integrin-α6, L1CAM might be informative to identify these cells but cannot be conclusively linked to a stem cell phenotype. Overlap of expression, functional state and morphology of different subpopulations lead to carefully consider the techniques employed so far to isolate these cells. Due to a dearth of methods and markers reliably identifying the candidate cancer stem cells, the isolation/enrichment of cancer stem cells to be therapeutically targeted remains a major challenge.
ndependent component representations for face recognition *

In a task such as face recognition, much of the important information may be contained in the high-order relationships among the image pixels. A number of face recognition algorithms employ principal component analysis (PCA), which is based on the second-order statistics of the image set, and does not address high-order statistical dependencies such as the relationships among three or more pixels. Independent component analysis (ICA) is a generalization of PCA which separates the high-order moments of the input in addition to the second-order moments. ICA was performed on a set of face images by an unsupervised learning algorithm derived from the principle of optimal information transfer through sigmoidal neur0ns.l The algorithm maximizes the mutual information between the input and the output, which produces statistically independent outputs under certain conditions. ICA was performed on the face images under two different architectures. The first architecture provided a statistically independent basis set for the face images that can be viewed as a set of independent facial features. The second architecture provided a factorial code, in which the probability of any combination of features can be obtained from the product of their individual probabilities. Both ICA representations were superior to representations based on principal components analysis for recognizing faces across sessions and changes in expression.
Electrical thunderstorm nowcasting using lightning data mining

This paper presents a study developed at SIMEPAR (Parana state weather service) using lightning data for electrical thunderstorm nowcasting. Thunderstorm electrical data collected at SIMEPAR such as lightning location, time of occurrence, current intensity, polarity, etc, are stored in real-time in a relational database. As a first step of this study, Microsoft Business Intelligence bundled with SQL Server 2005 Beta was used to access some of these data and create lightning clusters representing electrical thunderstorms. The clusters were continuously monitored to predict electrical thunderstorm displacement and evolution. Work was undertaken to assess suitability and reliability to the process. Algorithm parameters fitting and cases studies are under development and further work will be done using Weka clustering classes. Once approved, the methodology will be integrated to SisRaios - a Java lightning data visualization, analysis and thunderstorm monitoring and forecasting tool (presented in this paper). It is expected that this computational tool enhanced by the data mining study will aid meteorologists and power companies to monitor electrical thunderstorms, supplying information for starting up maintenance teams, as well as providing a better thunderstorm warnings in general and improving SIMEPAR’s nowcasting capabilities.
Sparse: An Intelligent Alarm Processor and Operator Assistant

The Sparse intelligent alarm processor helps operators at power system control centers to rapidly interpret enormous quantities of alarm messages during incidents (for example, short circuits in transmission lines). Operators have been using Sparse in the field, with positive results. Sparse's main goal is to help substation control center operators during incidents to rapidly interpret the enormous quantity of alarm messages that Scada systems can generate, and to minimize the amount of nonsupplied power.
Neural Mechanisms of Brain Plasticity with Complex Cognitive Training in Healthy Seniors

Complex mental activity induces improvements in cognition, brain function, and structure in animals and young adults. It is not clear to what extent the aging brain is capable of such plasticity. This study expands previous evidence of generalized cognitive gains after mental training in healthy seniors. Using 3 MRI-based measurements, that is, arterial spin labeling MRI, functional connectivity, and diffusion tensor imaging, we examined brain changes across 3 time points pre, mid, and post training (12 weeks) in a randomized sample (n = 37) who received cognitive training versus a control group. We found significant training-related brain state changes at rest; specifically, 1) increases in global and regional cerebral blood flow (CBF), particularly in the default mode network and the central executive network, 2) greater connectivity in these same networks, and 3) increased white matter integrity in the left uncinate demonstrated by an increase in fractional anisotropy. Improvements in cognition were identified along with significant CBF correlates of the cognitive gains. We propose that cognitive training enhances resting-state neural activity and connectivity, increasing the blood supply to these regions via neurovascular coupling. These convergent results provide preliminary evidence that neural plasticity can be harnessed to mitigate brain losses with cognitive training in seniors.
Anti-phosphocholine hybridoma antibodies. II. Functional analysis of binding sites within three antibody families

The present investigation extends our immunochemical characterization of binding site heterogeneity among a large series of monoclonal anti- phosphocholine (PC) antibodies. Hybridoma proteins (HP) from eight genetically distinct strains are included in this study, yet no strain specific characteristics are observed. These HP, as previously shown (5), are divided into three well-defined families based on public or family-specific Id and L chain isotypes characteristic of three PC- binding myeloma proteins: T15, M603, and M511. All antibodies exhibited some degree of inter- or intra-family heterogeneity, or both. Some of this intra-family diversity was reflected by differential reactivity for PC when attached to three different carriers. In spite of this, the specificity profiles for hapten analogues of PC, as measured by hapten inhibition of binding, were the same for all members of the T15 family. Altering the carrier had no effect, thus suggesting that the binding site pocket for PC is essentially preserved, whereas that for carrier is variable. Similar conclusions were reached for most of the M603 HP, although the binding site is different from the T15 HP. The M511 HP stand in sharp contrast to the HP in the other two families because their binding sites exhibit extensive variability. The independence in reactivity for PC and PC plus carrier offers a rational explanation for idiotypic and/or structural heterogeneity within a family. More importantly it suggests interesting strategies for diversification within one group of antibodies.
Loyal Lenders or Fickle Financiers: Foreign Banks in Latin America

We suggest that foreign banks may represent a trade-off for their developing country hosts. A portfolio model is developed to show that a more diversified international bank may be one of lower, overall risk and less susceptible to funding shocks but may react more to shocks that affect expected returns in a particular host country. Foreign banks have become particularly important in Latin America where we find strong support for these theoretical predictions using a dataset of individual Latin American banks in 11 countries. Moreover, we find no significant difference between the size of the response of foreign banks to a negative liquidity shock and a positive opportunity shock: in both cases the market share of foreign banks in credit increases.
Detecting multiple information sources in networks under the SIR model

In this paper, we study the problem of detecting multiple information sources in networks under the Susceptible-Infected-Recovered (SIR) model. First, assuming the number of information sources is known, we develop a sample-path-based algorithm, named clustering and localization, for trees. For g-regular trees, the estimators produced by the proposed algorithm are within a constant distance from the real sources with a high probability. We further present a heuristic algorithm for general networks and an algorithm for estimating the number of sources when the number of real sources is unknown.
Simulating evolutionary agent communities with OOCSMP

This paper describes some extensions added to the continuous simulation language OOCSMP to perform agent-oriented simulation. The extensions are tested by simulating the evolution of a colony of virtual ants (vants). In this simulation, each vant is modelled as an agent and is assigned a set of genes that control some aspects of its behaviour, such as its velocity, memory, communication abilities, scepticism, etc. Some emergent properties of the swarm of vants have been observed.
Social and gender inequalities in depressive symptoms among urban older adults of latin america and the Caribbean.

OBJECTIVE This study examined gender differences in depression by examining differential exposure and vulnerability to socioeconomic factors during the life course. METHODS The data used for the analyses originated from a cross-national survey of older adults living in seven large Latin American cities. We examined associations between depressive symptomatology and socioeconomic conditions and health indicators in childhood, adulthood, and old age. We used the Geriatric Depression Scale to classify respondents with high levels of depressive symptoms. RESULT The prevalence of depression in the urban population of Latin America was relatively low, ranging across cities from 0.4 to 5.2% in men and from 0.3 to 9.5% in women. Women were more exposed to social and material disadvantages during their life course than men but were not more vulnerable to them than men. Current socioeconomic conditions and health status as well as functional disabilities mainly accounted for gender differences in the prevalence of depression. Additionally, poor health and hunger during childhood, as well as illiteracy or lack of education, were associated with depression in both men and women. DISCUSSION Cumulative life course exposure to social and material disadvantage and current material, social, and health conditions explain the higher frequency of depression in women.
Characterization of tetracycline resistance mediated by the efflux pump Tap from Mycobacterium fortuitum.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to characterize the efflux pump Tap from Mycobacterium fortuitum, to test its sensitivity to well known efflux inhibitors, to study the interaction between tetracycline and these compounds and to test the ability of these compounds to overcome efflux pump-mediated tetracycline resistance. For all these studies, we produced Tap protein in Mycobacterium smegmatis. METHODS Antibiotic susceptibility tests, tetracycline uptake/efflux experiments and checkerboard synergy tests. RESULTS Tetracycline uptake/efflux experiments showed that Tap protein from M. fortuitum uses the electrochemical gradient across the cytoplasmic membrane to extrude tetracycline from the cell. This efflux activity is inhibited by carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP) and reserpine, consistent with the decrease in MIC observed in antibiotic susceptibility testing in the presence of these inhibitors. Accumulation was not inhibited in experiments in which o-vanadate and chlorpromazine (CPZ) were tested. Inhibitor-treated cells used glycerol as a carbon source to re-establish the electrochemical gradient across the membrane and to restore efflux activity. CCCP, reserpine and CPZ reduced the MIC of tetracycline in the M. smegmatis strain expressing the Tap protein, whereas o-vanadate increased the MIC. We also observed synergy between tetracycline and CPZ or reserpine, and antagonism with o-vanadate. CONCLUSIONS The Tapfor efflux pump uses the electrochemical gradient to extrude tetracycline from the cell. This efflux activity can be inhibited by several compounds. This suggests that similar compounds could be used to overcome antibiotic resistance mediated by efflux pumps.
Tobacco imagery on prime time UK television

Background Smoking in films is a common and well documented cause of youth smoking experimentation and uptake and hence a significant health hazard. The extent of exposure of young people to tobacco imagery in television programming has to date been far less investigated. We have therefore measured the extent to which tobacco content occurs in prime time UK television, and estimated exposure of UK youth. Methods The occurrence of tobacco, categorised as actual tobacco use, implied tobacco use, tobacco paraphernalia, other reference to tobacco, tobacco brand appearances or any of these, occurring in all prime time broadcasting on the five most popularly viewed UK television stations during 3 separate weeks in 2010 were measured by 1-minute interval coding. Youth exposure to tobacco content in the UK was estimated using media viewing figures. Findings Actual tobacco use, predominantly cigarette smoking, occurred in 73 of 613 (12%) programmes, particularly in feature films and reality TV. Brand appearances were rare, occurring in only 18 programmes, of which 12 were news or other factual genres, and 6 were episodes of the same British soap opera. Tobacco occurred with similar frequency before as after 21:00, the UK watershed for programmes suitable for youth. The estimated number of incidences of exposure of the audience aged less than 18 years for any tobacco, actual tobacco use and tobacco branding were 59 million, 16 million and 3 million, respectively on average per week. Conclusions Television programming is a source of significant exposure of youth to tobacco imagery, before and after the watershed. Tobacco branding is particularly common in Coronation Street, a soap opera popular among youth audiences. More stringent controls on tobacco in prime time television therefore have the potential to reduce the uptake of youth smoking in the UK.
Design and Implementation of a Navigation Algorithm for an Autonomous Sailboat Spring Term 2009

In the context of a focus project at the Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) which is concerned with the development of an autonomous sailing vessel, this bachelor thesis describes in detail the design and implementation of a path planner for Avalon, an autonomous sailing boat. The planning algorithm is based on an A* search in 3 dimensions (x, y, heading) and takes into account current wind speed, wind direction and the nonholonomic properties of a sailing boat. The resulting paths minimize sailing duration in presence of static and dynamic obstacles. To break a world record in autonomous sailing, the algorithm will be used to guide Avalon across the Atlantic Ocean. In order to participate in the World Robotic Sailing Championship 2009 in Portugal, short course racing abilities are discussed, too.