Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Brain perfusion abnormalities in Alzheimer's disease: comparison between patients with focal temporal lobe dysfunction and patients with diffuse cognitive impairment

OBJECTIVES Patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) showing a selective impairment of episodic and semantic memory have recently been classified as affected by focal temporal lobe dysfunction (FTLD) and considered as a distinct subgroup of patients affected by a particular form of AD. The aim was to compare the cerebral perfusion of patients with AD with FTLD and patients with AD with the more typical profile of diffuse cognitive impairment (dAD). METHODS Ten patients with AD with FTLD, 14 patients with AD with dAD, and 12 normal controls were studied. All the 24 patients with AD underwent a complete neuropsychological assessment. SPECT examination with [99mTc]-HMPAO, using a four head brain dedicated tomograph, was performed in patients and controls. Tracer uptake was quantified in 27 regions of interest (ROIs), including lateral and mesial temporal areas. Mean counts in the 27 ROIs of controls, patients with FTLD and those with dAD were compared using an ANOVA for repeated measures with Bonferroni's correction. A logistic regression analysis, followed by a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, was also applied to select SPECT patterns which significantly differentiated patients with FTLD and those with dAD. RESULTS Two scintigraphic patterns of abnormalities, shaping a double dissociation between the FTLD and dAD groups, emerged: a bilateral mesial temporal hypoperfusion, characteristic of FTLD and a posterior parietal (and temporal parietal) hypoperfusion characteristic of patients with dAD. CONCLUSIONS These scintigraphic findings provide further support to the hypothesis that FTLD is not a mere stage but a distinct anatomoclinical form of AD. The combination of neuropsychological tests and [99mTc]-HMPAO SPECT may be very useful in identifying patients with FTLD from the wider group of patients with dAD. This issue is particularly worthwhile, as there is increasing evidence that patients with FTLD have a slower rate of cognitive decline.
Intelligent traffic sign detector: Adaptive learning based on online gathering of training samples

This paper proposes an intelligent traffic sign detector using adaptive learning based on online gathering of training samples from in-vehicle camera image sequences. To detect traffic signs accurately from in-vehicle camera images, various training samples of traffic signs are needed. In addition, to reduce false alarms, various background images should also be prepared before constructing the detector. However, since their appearances vary widely, it is difficult to obtain them exhaustively by manual intervention. Therefore, the proposed method simultaneously obtains both traffic sign images and background images from in-vehicle camera images. Especially, to reduce false alarms, the proposed method gathers background images that were easily mis-detected by a previously constructed traffic sign detector, and re-trains the detector by using them as negative samples. By using retrospectively tracked traffic sign images and background images as positive and negative training samples, respectively, the proposed method constructs a highly accurate traffic sign detector automatically. Experimental results showed the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Providing High Availability in Cloud Storage by Decreasing Virtual Machine Reboot Time

A Virtual Storage Architecture (VSA) is a storage controller deployed as a virtual machine on a server with a hypervisor. The advantage of VSA is to leverage shared data storage services without procuring additional storage hardware, which is a cost effective solution. In case of VSA, high availability (HA) is achieved by restarting the failed virtual machine on an event of a software failure. Rebooting the VSA is a slow operation thereby reducing the overall service availability. In this paper, we describe the challenges and approaches taken to decrease reboot time of VSA to achieve High Availability. We have been able to reduce the VSA reboot time by 18% using our optimizations. We also explore the changes required in Journal based File systems for efficient operation in the Cloud.
The effects of independent and interdependent self-construals on reactions to transgressions: distinguishing between guilt and shame

Abstract The self-conscious emotions of guilt and shame are commonly distinguished by the self-reflective processes that foster these emotions. Distinctions based on resulting behavioral reactions, however, have been questioned in recent studies highlighting the role of different self-motivations. The current work draws on the self-construal literature to further clarify the antecedents and consequences of guilt and shame. We hypothesized that conceptualizing the self as independent from (vs. interdependent with) others fosters behavior-related (vs. self-related) cognitions typically associated with guilt (vs. shame). Additionally, we predicted that the deleterious consequences of shame for externalizing blame are more characteristic of independent (vs. interdependent) selves. These hypotheses were supported across two studies that measured (Study 1) and primed (Study 2) self-construals. Overall, our results suggest that the cognitive reactions associated with guilt and shame are differently encouraged by independent and interdependent self-construals.
A hybrid optimal weighting scheme and machine learning for rendering sentiments in tweets

Over recent years, the world has experienced an explosive growth in the volume of shared web texts. Everyday, a huge volume of opinions expressed in various forms such as articles, reviews and tweets is generated. In general, opinion mining refers to the task of extracting opinions, and sentiment analysis is the technique that extracts subjectivity and polarity; in other words, it determines whether a text is positive or negative Taboada et al., 2011. Arabic sentiment analysis is conducted in this study using a publically available data set written in both modern standard Arabic and the Jordanian dialect. A new mathematical approach is introduced to determine the polarity of the tweet by using four functions whose parameters are the solutions of a linear program. These functions are then classified using support vector machines and K-nearest neighbours. The results show that the proposed approach is considerably reliable in Arabic sentiment analysis.
Development and testing of a 2.5 THz Schottky mixer

The design, development and testing of a 2.5 THz mixer using planar Schottky diodes is presented. The mixer uses a Schottky diode integrated onto a quartz microstrip circuit. The integrated circuit is mounted in a WR-0.4 waveguide housing (1.8–2.8 THz) with integral diagonal feedhorn. Preliminary testing at 2.5 THz yielded a responsivity in the range of 200–400 V/W, indicating that the fabrication successfully achieved low anode and shunt capacitances.
Analyzing expert behaviors in collaborative networks

Collaborative networks are composed of experts who cooperate with each other to complete specific tasks, such as resolving problems reported by customers. A task is posted and subsequently routed in the network from an expert to another until being resolved. When an expert cannot solve a task, his routing decision (i.e., where to transfer a task) is critical since it can significantly affect the completion time of a task. In this work, we attempt to deduce the cognitive process of task routing, and model the decision making of experts as a generative process where a routing decision is made based on mixed routing patterns. In particular, we observe an interesting phenomenon that an expert tends to transfer a task to someone whose knowledge is neither too similar to nor too different from his own. Based on this observation, an expertise difference based routing pattern is developed. We formalize multiple routing patterns by taking into account both rational and random analysis of tasks, and present a generative model to combine them. For a held-out set of tasks, our model not only explains their real routing sequences very well, but also accurately predicts their completion time. Under three different quality measures, our method significantly outperforms all the alternatives with more than 75% accuracy gain. In practice, with the help of our model, hypotheses on how to improve a collaborative network can be tested quickly and reliably, thereby significantly easing performance improvement of collaborative networks.
Region-Based Classification of Polarimetric SAR Images Using Wishart MRF

The scattering measurements of individual pixels in polarimetric SAR images are affected by speckle; hence, the performance of classification approaches, taking individual pixels as elements, would be damaged. By introducing the spatial relation between adjacent pixels, a novel classification method, taking regions as elements, is proposed using a Markov random field (MRF). In this method, an image is oversegmented into a large amount of rectangular regions first. Then, to use fully the statistical a priori knowledge of the data and the spatial relation of neighboring pixels, a Wishart MRF model, combining the Wishart distribution with the MRF, is proposed, and an iterative conditional mode algorithm is adopted to adjust oversegmentation results so that the shapes of all regions match the ground truth better. Finally, a Wishart-based maximum likelihood, based on regions, is used to obtain a classification map. Real polarimetric images are used in experiments. Compared with the other three frequently used methods, higher accuracy is observed, and classification maps are in better agreement with the initial ground maps, using the proposed method.
Stereoscopically Observing Manipulative Actions

The purpose of this study was to investigate the contribution of stereopsis to the processing of observed manipulative actions. To this end, we first combined the factors “stimulus type” (action, static control, and dynamic control), “stereopsis” (present, absent) and “viewpoint” (frontal, lateral) into a single design. Four sites in premotor, retro-insular (2) and parietal cortex operated specifically when actions were viewed stereoscopically and frontally. A second experiment clarified that the stereo-action-specific regions were driven by actions moving out of the frontoparallel plane, an effect amplified by frontal viewing in premotor cortex. Analysis of single voxels and their discriminatory power showed that the representation of action in the stereo-action-specific areas was more accurate when stereopsis was active. Further analyses showed that the 4 stereo-action-specific sites form a closed network converging onto the premotor node, which connects to parietal and occipitotemporal regions outside the network. Several of the specific sites are known to process vestibular signals, suggesting that the network combines observed actions in peripersonal space with gravitational signals. These findings have wider implications for the function of premotor cortex and the role of stereopsis in human behavior.
Original Thinking in Israeli Preschool Children

Original thinking, as measured by the Wallach and Kogan Creativity Battery, was examined in 41 Israeli preschool children. A larger proportion of original responses was generated by these preschoolers than by older children or adolescents. Original thinking was unrelated to Wechsler preschool intelligence scores. Quantity and originality of ideational output were strongly related. A more marked order effect — popular responses occurring earlier and original responses later in the response sequence — was found in high original subjects than in low. These findings duplicate those found with preschool children in the United States and indicate that the Guilford-Mednick conceptualization of original thinking has validity beyond a given Western society.
A natural history of the human mind: tracing evolutionary changes in brain and cognition

Since the last common ancestor shared by modern humans, chimpanzees and bonobos, the lineage leading to Homo sapiens has undergone a substantial change in brain size and organization. As a result, modern humans display striking differences from the living apes in the realm of cognition and linguistic expression. In this article, we review the evolutionary changes that occurred in the descent of Homo sapiens by reconstructing the neural and cognitive traits that would have characterized the last common ancestor and comparing these with the modern human condition. The last common ancestor can be reconstructed to have had a brain of approximately 300–400 g that displayed several unique phylogenetic specializations of development, anatomical organization, and biochemical function. These neuroanatomical substrates contributed to the enhancement of behavioral flexibility and social cognition. With this evolutionary history as precursor, the modern human mind may be conceived as a mosaic of traits inherited from a common ancestry with our close relatives, along with the addition of evolutionary specializations within particular domains. These modern human‐specific cognitive and linguistic adaptations appear to be correlated with enlargement of the neocortex and related structures. Accompanying this general neocortical expansion, certain higher‐order unimodal and multimodal cortical areas have grown disproportionately relative to primary cortical areas. Anatomical and molecular changes have also been identified that might relate to the greater metabolic demand and enhanced synaptic plasticity of modern human brain's. Finally, the unique brain growth trajectory of modern humans has made a significant contribution to our species’ cognitive and linguistic abilities.
Smart Cane: Assistive Cane for Visually-impaired People

This paper reports on a study that helps visually-impaired people to walk more confidently. T he study hypothesizes that a smart cane that alerts visually-impaired people over obstacles in front could help them in walking with less accident. T he aim of the paper is to address the development work of a cane that could communicate with the users through voice alert and vibration, which is named Smart Cane. T he development work involves coding and physical installation. A series of tests have been carried out on the smart cane and the results are discussed. This study found that the Smart Cane functions well as intended, in alerting users about the obstacles in front.
Towards Decentralized Trading: A Topological Investigation of the Dutch Medium and Low Voltage Grids

The traditional Power Grid has been designed in a hierarchical fashion, with Energy pushed from the large scale production facilities towards the end users. But with the increasing availability of micro and medium scale generating facilities, the situation is changing. Many end users can now produce energy and share it over the Power Grid. Naturally, end users need to have incentives to do so and might want to be able to act in an open decentralized energy market. In the present work, we offer a novel analysis of the Medium and Low Voltage Power Grids of the North Netherlands using statistical tools from the Complex Network Analysis field. We use a weighted model based on actual Grid data and propose a set of statistical measures to evaluate the adequacy of the current infrastructure for a decentralized energy market. Further, we use the insight gained by the analysis to propose parameters that tie the statistical topological measures to economic factors that might influence the attractiveness to the end users in participating in such a decentralized energy market, thus identifying what are the important topological parameters to work on to facilitate such open decentralized markets.
Caution: chlamydia surveillance data ahead

Why have numbers of reported chlamydia cases been going up for at least a decade in many developed countries? In this issue, Rekart and Brunham ( see page 87 ) and Miller ( see page 82 ) debate whether or not the observed trend means that public health measures to control chlamydia are failing.1 2 Their opinions are “no” and “we don’t know”. Rekart and Brunham argue that “arrested immunity” is the main explanation for the increasing trend.1 The starting point for this debate is their hypothesis that widespread early treatment has impaired the development of immune responses that would protect against reinfection, resulting in a paradoxical increase in population susceptibility to chlamydia.3 At a population level, they argue that this phenomenon would fit observed trends in reported cases from British Columbia, Canada and some European countries, where declines in the late 1980s and early 1990s have reversed and increased continuously since. Miller argues, however, that trends …
Structural scaffold for eIF4E binding selectivity of 4E‐BP isoforms: crystal structure of eIF4E binding region of 4E‐BP2 and its comparison with that of 4E‐BP1

To clarify the higher eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) binding selectivity of 4E‐binding protein 2 (4E‐BP2) than of 4E‐BP1, as determined by Trp fluorescence analysis, the crystal structure of the eIF4E binding region of 4E‐BP2 in complex with m7GTP‐bound human eIF4E has been determined by X‐ray diffraction analysis and compared with that of 4E‐BP1. The crystal structure revealed that the Pro47‐Ser65 moiety of 4E‐BP2 adopts a L‐shaped conformation involving extended and α‐helical structures and extends over the N‐terminal loop and two different helix regions of eIF4E through hydrogen bonds, and electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions; these features were similarly observed for 4E‐BP1. Although the pattern of the overall interaction of 4E‐BP2 with eIF4E was similar to that of 4E‐BP1, a notable difference was observed for the 60–63 sequence in relation to the conformation and binding selectivity of the 4E‐BP isoform, i.e. Met‐Glu‐Cys‐Arg for 4E‐BP1 and Leu‐Asp‐Arg‐Arg for 4E‐BP2. In this paper, we report that the structural scaffold of the eIF4E binding preference for 4E‐BP2 over 4E‐BP1 is based on the stacking of the Arg63 planar side chain on the Trp73 indole ring of eIF4E and the construction of a compact hydrophobic space around the Trp73 indole ring by the Leu59‐Leu60 sequence of 4E‐BP2. Copyright © 2011 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Disciplining Sentiments: Responsibility and Guilt in the Justice System for Minors

En France, la justice des mineurs se distingue officiellement par le primat de l’« educatif » sur le « repressif », tel qu’enonce par l’ordonnance du 2 fevrier 1945. Cette volonte affirmee des autorites politiques et judiciaires s’est traduite par le developpement d’institutions dediees, en charge d’une politique d’encadrement specifique. Mais en quoi consiste leur travail educatif ? Dans un contexte marque par une bureaucratisation croissante du travail sociojudiciaire, comment les agents en evaluent-ils la portee et l’efficacite ? A partir d’une enquete conduite aupres d’une unite de milieu ouvert de la Protection judiciaire de la jeunesse et d’un tribunal pour enfants de la region parisienne, l’ethnographie montre que les professionnels accordent une importance particuliere a la transformation du rapport a soi et aux autres. Un « accompagnement reussi » doit favoriser l’emergence et l’expression de responsabilite et culpabilite, deux emotions investies d’une capacite reparatrice et redemptrice. Marques d’un encadrement sociojudiciaire abouti, ces sentiments – au cœur de l’economie morale de la delinquance juvenile – temoigneraient d’une transformation subjective, justification au travail deploye et condition au pardon. L’importance accordee a la responsabilite et a la culpabilite participe ainsi d’une disciplinarisation des sentiments qui cherche a corriger non plus les actes, mais les personnes.
Using Checkpointing and Virtualization for Fault Injection

The program monitoring and control mechanisms of virtualization tools are becoming increasingly standardized and advanced. Together with check pointing, these can be used for general program analysis tools. We explore this idea with an architecture we call Checkpoint-based Fault Injection (CFI), and two concrete implementations using different existing virtualization tools: DMTCP and SBUML. The implementations show interesting trade-offs in versatility and performance as well as the generality of the architecture.
Epistemology and allegiance: exploring the role of therapists’ epistemic commitments on psychotherapy outcomes

This paper explores the relationship between epistemology and psychotherapy, examining the possible role of therapists’ epistemic commitments on their psychotherapeutic outcomes. The epistemic match between therapists’ worldviews and their psychotherapeutic practices are viewed as a potential source of the allegiance effects that are commonly cited in the psychotherapy literature. This notion is examined in relation to current literature concerning psychotherapy process and style, and examined in an exploratory study of psychotherapy outcomes. As expected, results indicated that when therapists conducted a constructivist form of therapy, Coherence Therapy, stronger commitments to constructivist beliefs were linked to more effective psychotherapy outcomes. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to the overall role of epistemic commitments in guiding psychotherapeutic practices in a way that might inform an understanding of allegiance effects in counseling and psychotherapy.
Nutritional-risk scoring systems in the intensive care unit

Purpose of reviewThere is a need to develop a screening tool to assist clinical staff in deciding whether or not a patient in the ICU should be given nutrition support. The purpose of this review is to analyze the recent randomized trials in this context. Recent findingsFive trials describe the effect of early supplemental parenteral nutrition. Four of these trials suggested a positive effect on clinical outcome. The results, including lengths of stay in the ICU (range on average: 3–17 days) and lengths of mechanical ventilation (range on average: 2–11 days), are discussed within the nutritional and metabolic framework of patients in intensive care. The limitations of existing screening tools, Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS 2002) and Nutrition risk in the critically ill (NUTRIC score) are described, and it also appears that the APACHE II score is not useful for predicting a possible benefit of nutrition support. SummaryAs a tentative conclusion, it is recommended to provide adequate nutrition support to severely ill patients who are likely to stay in the ICU with mechanical ventilation for a week or more.