Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Late and Chronic Antibody-Mediated Rejection: Main Barrier to Long Term Graft Survival

Antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) is an important cause of graft loss after organ transplantation. It is caused by anti-donor-specific antibodies especially anti-HLA antibodies. C4d had been regarded as a diagnosis marker for AMR. Although most early AMR episodes can be successfully controlled or reversed, late and chronic AMR remains the leading cause of late graft loss. The strategies which work in early AMR have limited effect on late/chronic episodes. Here, we reviewed the lines of evidence that late/chronic AMR is the leading cause of late graft loss, characteristics of late AMR, and current strategies in managing late/chronic AMR. More effort should be put on the management of late/chronic AMR to make a better long term graft survival.
TAC Entity Linking by Performing Full-document Entity Extraction and Disambiguation

The paper describes the system submitted to TAC 2011 for the English entity linking task of the Knowledge Base Population track. Instead of focusing only on the provided target strings, this system extracts and disambiguates globally all entities from each target document and then maps the target string to one of the entities extracted from the document. The main features employed by the system are topics associated with the entities in the knowledge base, which are derived from Wikipedia categories, list pages, and lexicosyntactic link patterns. The submitted run achieved high scores on the official test data (accuracy of 86.8% and B-cubed+ F-measure of 0.841).
Impact of interpersonal bonds on service evaluation

This study investigates the influence of the interpersonal bond between customers and service employees on measures of service evaluation in a cafe setting. Specifically, the study examines the levels of perceived core service quality, service encounter satisfaction, value for money and customer loyalty associated with three levels of personal relationship under differing quality conditions. Using written vignettes to simulate a cafe situation, subjects rated their evaluation of the service when the service employee was either a friend, acquaintance or stranger. Between subject MANOVA analyses revealed that perceived core service quality, service encounter satisfaction and customer loyalty were all significantly influenced by the level of interpersonal bond. However value for money was not significantly influenced by the level of personal relationship. The influence of personal relationship on service evaluation was not affected by the level of core service quality. Implications of these findings are briefly discussed.
Pre-collapse evolution of galactic globular clusters

This paper is concerned with collisionless aspects of the early evolution of model star clusters. The effects of mass loss through stellar evolution and of a steady tidal field are modelled using $N$-body simulations. Our results (which depend on the assumed initial structure and the mass spectrum) agree qualitatively with those of Chernoff \& Weinberg (1990), who used a Fokker-Planck model with a spherically symmetric tidal cutoff. For those systems which are disrupted, the lifetime to disruption generally exceeds that found by Chernoff \& Weinberg, sometimes by as much as an order of magnitude. Because we do not model collisional effects correctly we cannot establish the fate of the survivors. In terms of theoretical interpretation, we find that tidal disruption must be understood as a loss of {\sl equilibrium}, and not a loss of {\sl stability}, as is sometimes stated.
Uniqueness of instantaneously complete Ricci flows

We prove uniqueness of instantaneously complete Ricci flows on surfaces. We do not require any bounds of any form on the curvature or its growth at infinity, nor on the metric or its growth (other than that implied by instantaneous completeness). Coupled with earlier work, this completes the well-posedness theory for instantaneously complete Ricci flows on surfaces. 35K55, 53C44; 58J35
Goal-orientation, epistemological beliefs towards intrinsic motivation among engineering students: A review

An aspect that has been exhaustively researched in the motivation of the higher education discipline is the engineering students’ process of goal-orientation, epistemological beliefs towards intrinsic motivation. However, the focus of those researchers as commonly the influence of goal orientations and epistemological beliefs on intrinsic motivation; they have not combined the two factors and examined relationships among goal orientation, epistemological beliefs, and intrinsic motivation. Therefore, although there is a plethora of research on the matter in related disciplines, the researchers commonly do not have consensus on a term that could be used to discuss how engineering students are motivation. This paper identifies literature whose characteristics have focused on the concept of motivation. Attempts were made to retrieve related lietarure empirically examined motivation, extrinsic motivation, Goal orientation, Epistemological beliefs, and intrinsic motivation to gain insight information. It is believed that the present study may help educators in organizing content, preparing curriculum, and evaluate student tasks, so that students can begin to develop more mature and effective epistemological beliefs and design their proper goals for their learning process.
GERBIL: General Entity Annotator Benchmarking Framework

We present GERBIL, an evaluation framework for semantic entity annotation. The rationale behind our framework is to provide developers, end users and researchers with easy-to-use interfaces that allow for the agile, fine-grained and uniform evaluation of annotation tools on multiple datasets. By these means, we aim to ensure that both tool developers and end users can derive meaningful insights pertaining to the extension, integration and use of annotation applications. In particular, GERBIL provides comparable results to tool developers so as to allow them to easily discover the strengths and weaknesses of their implementations with respect to the state of the art. With the permanent experiment URIs provided by our framework, we ensure the reproducibility and archiving of evaluation results. Moreover, the framework generates data in machine-processable format, allowing for the efficient querying and post-processing of evaluation results. Finally, the tool diagnostics provided by GERBIL allows deriving insights pertaining to the areas in which tools should be further refined, thus allowing developers to create an informed agenda for extensions and end users to detect the right tools for their purposes. GERBIL aims to become a focal point for the state of the art, driving the research agenda of the community by presenting comparable objective evaluation results.
How many individuals to use in a QA task with fixed total effort?

Increasing the number of persons working on quality assurance (QA) tasks, e.g., reviews and testing, increases the number of defects detected - but it also increases the total effort unless effort is controlled with fixed effort budgets. Our research investigates how QA tasks should be configured regarding two parameters, i.e., time and number of people. We define an optimization problem to answer this question. As a core element of the optimization problem we discuss and describe how defect detection probability should be modeled as a function of time. We apply the formulas used in the definition of the optimization problem to empirical defect data of an experiment previously conducted with university students. The results show that the optimal choice of the number of persons depends on the actual defect detection probabilities of the individual defects over time, but also on the size of the effort budget. Future work will focus on generalizing the optimization problem to a larger set of parameters, including not only task time and number of persons but also experience and knowledge of the personnel involved, and methods and tools applied when performing a QA task.
A neurocomputational theory of how explicit learning bootstraps early procedural learning

It is widely accepted that human learning and memory is mediated by multiple memory systems that are each best suited to different requirements and demands. Within the domain of categorization, at least two systems are thought to facilitate learning: an explicit (declarative) system depending largely on the prefrontal cortex, and a procedural (non-declarative) system depending on the basal ganglia. Substantial evidence suggests that each system is optimally suited to learn particular categorization tasks. However, it remains unknown precisely how these systems interact to produce optimal learning and behavior. In order to investigate this issue, the present research evaluated the progression of learning through simulation of categorization tasks using COVIS, a well-known model of human category learning that includes both explicit and procedural learning systems. Specifically, the model's parameter space was thoroughly explored in procedurally learned categorization tasks across a variety of conditions and architectures to identify plausible interaction architectures. The simulation results support the hypothesis that one-way interaction between the systems occurs such that the explicit system “bootstraps” learning early on in the procedural system. Thus, the procedural system initially learns a suboptimal strategy employed by the explicit system and later refines its strategy. This bootstrapping could be from cortical-striatal projections that originate in premotor or motor regions of cortex, or possibly by the explicit system's control of motor responses through basal ganglia-mediated loops
Mucin Gene Deficiency in Mice Impairs Host Resistance to an Enteric Parasitic Infection

Background & Aims Hyperplasia of mucin-secreting intestinal goblet cells accompanies a number of enteric infections, including infections by nematode parasites. Nevertheless, the precise role of mucins in host defense in nematode infection is not known. We investigated the role of the mucin (Muc2) in worm expulsion and host immunity in a model of nematode infection. Methods Resistant (BALB/c, C57BL/6), susceptible (AKR), and Muc2-deficient mouse strains were infected with the nematode, Trichuris muris, and worm expulsion, energy status of the whipworms, changes in mucus/mucins, and inflammatory and immune responses were investigated after infection. Results The increase in Muc2 production, observed exclusively in resistant mice, correlated with worm expulsion. Moreover, expulsion of the worms from the intestine was significantly delayed in the Muc2-deficient mice. Although a marked impairment in the development of periodic acid Schiff (PAS)–stained intestinal goblet cells was observed in Muc2-deficient mice, as infection progressed a significant increase in the number of PAS-positive goblet cells was observed in these mice. Surprisingly, an increase in Muc5ac, a mucin normally expressed in the airways and stomach, was observed after infection of only the resistant animals. Overall, the mucus barrier in the resistant mice was less permeable than that of susceptible mice. Furthermore, the worms isolated from the resistant mice had a lower energy status. Conclusions Mucins are an important component of innate defense in enteric infection; this is the first demonstration of the important functional contribution of mucins to host protection from nematode infection.
How teachers’ personality affect on their behavioral intention to use tablet PC

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of personality traits on teachers’ technology acceptance. Design/methodology/approach To this end, a demographic information survey, Five-Factor inventory, and technology acceptance measure were used for data collection. The data were analyzed via structural equation modeling. Findings According to the findings, conscientiousness has no significant effect on behavioral intention (BI) whereas openness and extraversion have positive indirect effects. On the other hand, agreeableness and neuroticism have negative indirect effects on BI. It was seen that the developed model explains 70 percent of BI, 77 percent of attitude toward use, 42 percent of perceived usefulness, 64 percent of perceived ease of use, and 15 percent of computer self-efficacy (CSE). It was revealed that CSE mediates the indirect effects of different personality traits on these variables. Practical implications In this regard, highlighting the conveniences to be brought by using Tablet PCs and equipping teachers with competencies to use relevant technologies during teacher training and in-service training may be effective in developing BI to use Tablet PCs among teachers. Originality/value The present study is different from previous studies in that it examines more than one technology through more than one measurement, takes personality as the predictor of technology use tendencies, and focuses on causal relationships between technology use and personality.
Comparing the Perceptions and Self-Efficacy Skills of Primary School Teachers Who Have Taken Drama Courses to Those Who Have Not in Terms of Use of Drama as a Teaching Technique.

This study aims to compare the perceptions and self-efficacy skills of primary school teachers who have taken drama courses to those who have not in terms of the use of drama as a teaching technique. The sample of the study consists of prospective second and third grade teachers enrolled in the Primary School Teaching Department at Ahi Evran University in the 2015-2016 education year spring term. In the Primary School Teaching Department, drama classes are given in the fall term of the third year. Thus, the sample included students from only second and third grades. The study is descriptive, that is, it aims to reveal the current situation in total and makes use of a screening model. The data of the study was gathered using a five-point Likert scale including 40 questions. During the data analysis processes, the researcher made use of frequency, percent, arithmetic average, standard deviation and t-tests. The level of significance of the comparisons was . 05. The study findings suggest that the prospective teachers' perspectives on using drama as a teaching method and their self-efficacy skills were moderate. Additionally, there was found to be no significant difference between teachers who have taken drama courses and those who have not in terms of self-efficacy, perceptions and gender.
The stock adjustment model of migration: the Scottish experience

The many models of migration depict the various reasons why people move. The stock adjustment model of migration assumes the heterogeneity of individuals, while the flow models of migration assume individuals to be homogenous. Using the Scotland data we get different results compared to the previous studies, at least in the effect of house prices on the migration decision.
Peer Observation of Teaching: Pre-Service Teachers' Perspectives for Better Performance

Microteaching course is designed to accommodate teaching practice in response to the fact that pre-service teachers need supervision to overcome their anxiety when facing the real teaching situation in addition to handling classroom management and preparation. This study aims to explore the students’ perspective and experience towards the non-threatening and meaningful situation in Peer Observation of Teaching (POT), specifically Peer Review model during microteaching performance. The research involved five sixth grade pre-service teachers from English Education study program. Data were collected qualitatively via observations, peer-evaluation papers and self-analysis reports. All transcripts and written samples were inductively analyzed. Findings indicate how well the preservice teachers undergo the learning process in improving the quality of teaching skill in accordance to the good and bad situation they found during the teaching simulation as the teacher, observer, and student. Accordingly, this study implies that the role of peer in this practice is highly significant in terms of building confidence as well as supportive and respectful environment to achieve better performance in teaching. Keywords— microteaching; peer review model; English education
On the Inseparability of Parallel MIMO Broadcast Channels With Linear Transceivers

Parallel multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) broadcast channels have been shown to be separable from an information theoretic point of view, i.e., capacity can be achieved with a strategy that performs separate encoding and decoding on each subchannel subject to a power allocation across subchannels. In this paper, we show that separability does not necessarily hold if the transmit strategy is restricted to linear transceivers. The proof will be done by identifying a rate tuple that is achievable in a certain set of channels with joint treatment of the subchannels, but lies outside the achievable rate region of separate linear precoding. The implications of this result are that any algorithm to optimize transmit strategies in parallel MIMO broadcast channels that is based on both linear transceivers and separate encoding on each subchannel does in fact introduce two suboptimalities aandnd not only one.
Deterministic Backoff: Toward Efficient Polling for IEEE 802.11e HCCA in Wireless Home Networks

The emergence of video streaming over wireless home networks creates renewed interests in design and analysis of new MAC protocols toward QoS provisioning for video applications. IEEE 802.11e Hybrid coordination function Controlled Channel Access (HCCA) exhibits good QoS provisioning for constant bit rate (CBR) video streams in a single collision domain. However, its performance degrades significantly for variable bit rate (VBR) video streams particularly in multicollision domains. In addition, HCCA has the disadvantage of high complexity. In this paper, we introduce a deterministic backoff (DEB) method into the HCCA mechanism, which achieves virtual polling via carrier sense on the wireless channel. DEB intentionally sets each station's backoff counter to a different value, thus stations can access the shared wireless channel at different time slots, which avoids network collisions. By proper controlling of each station's backoff counter, DEB achieves polling like HCCA, but in a more flexible and efficient way. It considerably mitigates inter-AP interference as well due to its carrier sense nature. Results show that, compared to HCCA, DEB always exhibits improvement in performance, particularly in multicollision domains where improvement is remarkable.
Neuron Search Goal Tunes Visual Features Optimally

How does a visual search goal modulate the activity of neurons encoding different visual features (e.g., color, direction of motion)? Previous research suggests that goal-driven attention enhances the gain of neurons representing the target’s visual features. Here, we present mathematical and behavioral evidence that this strategy is suboptimal and that humans do not deploy it. We formally derive the optimal feature gain modulation theory, which combines information from both the target and distracting clutter to maximize the relative salience of the target. We qualitatively validate the theory against existing electrophysiological and psychophysical literature. A surprising prediction is that it is sometimes optimal to enhance nontarget features. We provide experimental evidence toward this through psychophysics experiments on human subjects, thus suggesting that humans deploy the optimal gain modulation strategy.
Extractable Witness Encryption and Timed-Release Encryption from Bitcoin

We propose a new witness encryption based on Subset-Sum which achieves extractable security without relying on obfuscation and is more eﬃcient than the existing ones. Our witness encryption employs multilinear maps of arbitrary order and it is independent of the implementations of multilinear maps. As an application, we construct a new timed-release encryption based on the Bitcoin protocol and extractable witness encryption. The novelty of our scheme is that the decryption key will be automatically revealed in the bitcoin block-chain when the block-chain reaches a certain length.
Written Language Impairments in Primary Progressive Aphasia: A Reflection of Damage to Central Semantic and Phonological Processes

Connectionist theories of language propose that written language deficits arise as a result of damage to semantic and phonological systems that also support spoken language production and comprehension, a view referred to as the “primary systems” hypothesis. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the primary systems account in a mixed group of individuals with primary progressive aphasia (PPA) by investigating the relation between measures of nonorthographic semantic and phonological processing and written language performance and by examining whether common patterns of cortical atrophy underlie impairments in spoken versus written language domains. Individuals with PPA and healthy controls were administered a language battery, including assessments of semantics, phonology, reading, and spelling. Voxel-based morphometry was used to examine the relation between gray matter volumes and language measures within brain regions previously implicated in semantic and phonological processing. In accordance with the primary systems account, our findings indicate that spoken language performance is strongly predictive of reading/spelling profile in individuals with PPA and suggest that common networks of critical left hemisphere regions support central semantic and phonological processes recruited for spoken and written language.
Surprised at All the Entropy: Hippocampal, Caudate and Midbrain Contributions to Learning from Prediction Errors

Influential concepts in neuroscientific research cast the brain a predictive machine that revises its predictions when they are violated by sensory input. This relates to the predictive coding account of perception, but also to learning. Learning from prediction errors has been suggested for take place in the hippocampal memory system as well as in the basal ganglia. The present fMRI study used an action-observation paradigm to investigate the contributions of the hippocampus, caudate nucleus and midbrain dopaminergic system to different types of learning: learning in the absence of prediction errors, learning from prediction errors, and responding to the accumulation of prediction errors in unpredictable stimulus configurations. We conducted analyses of the regions of interests' BOLD response towards these different types of learning, implementing a bootstrapping procedure to correct for false positives. We found both, caudate nucleus and the hippocampus to be activated by perceptual prediction errors. The hippocampal responses seemed to relate to the associative mismatch between a stored representation and current sensory input. Moreover, its response was significantly influenced by the average information, or Shannon entropy of the stimulus material. In accordance with earlier results, the habenula was activated by perceptual prediction errors. Lastly, we found that the substantia nigra was activated by the novelty of sensory input. In sum, we established that the midbrain dopaminergic system, the hippocampus, and the caudate nucleus were to different degrees significantly involved in the three different types of learning: acquisition of new information, learning from prediction errors and responding to unpredictable stimulus developments. We relate learning from perceptual prediction errors to the concept of predictive coding and related information theoretic accounts.