Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Deep Neural Networks for Survival Analysis Based on a Multi-Task Framework

Survival analysis/time-to-event models are extremely useful as they can help companies predict when a customer will buy a product, churn or default on a loan, and therefore help them improve their ROI. In this paper, we introduce a new method to calculate survival functions using the Multi-Task Logistic Regression (MTLR) model as its base and a deep learning architecture as its core. Based on the Concordance index (C-index) and Brier score, this method outperforms the MTLR in all the experiments disclosed in this paper as well as the Cox Proportional Hazard (CoxPH) model when nonlinear dependencies are found.
Effects of P/f and Q/V regulations on anti-islanding detection methods in distribution networks

The diffusion of distributed energy resources (DERs) is continuously increasing and changing the structure of medium and low voltage (MV and LV) distribution networks. In this scenario the concern and the probability of unintentional islanding operations have increased due to the recently updated international standard for generator connection, which in particular require wider voltage and frequency protection thresholds and local P/f and Q/V to support the droop capabilities. Active ant-islanding detection methods have been widely used for grid-connected inverter-based DERs, such as frequency shift based protection systems. This work focuses on the performance of this active anti-islanding detection method combined with the DERs connection requirements stated by the most recent grid codes. Moreover, it describes a hardware in the loop (HIL) test-bed, where the effect of the active anti-islanding method and the droop curves on a physical interface protection system (IPS) have been tested. The obtained results emphasize the importance of having a coordination between the islanding protection system and the standard requirements for new certification procedure and connection rules for upcoming guidelines and standards.
Bis(l-serinium) oxalate dihydrate: polymorph II

A corrected and improved structure of the polymorph II of 2C3H8NO3 +·C2O4 2−·2H2O, based on single-crystal data, is presented. The structure is refined with anisotropic displacement parameters for all non-H atoms and all H atoms are located. Due to the charged moieties, the structure is classified as a molecular salt. Intermolecular O—H⋯O−, O—H⋯O and N+—H⋯O−hydrogen bonds link the components of the structure. The l-serinium cations and oxalate anions form a network of channels in [100] direction, filled with the water molecules of crystallization. The dihedral angle between the CO2 units of the oxalate dianion is 10.2 (3)°
The Impact of Transplantation with Deceased Donor Hepatitis C‐Positive Kidneys on Survival in Wait‐Listed Long‐term Dialysis Patients

Whether transplantation of deceased donor kidney allografts from donors with antibodies against hepatitis C virus (HCV) confers a survival advantage compared with remaining on the kidney transplant waiting list is not yet known. We studied 38,270 USRDS Medicare beneficiaries awaiting kidney transplantation who presented with end‐stage renal disease from April 1, 1995 to July 31, 2000. Cox regression was used to compare the adjusted hazard ratios for death among recipients of kidneys from deceased donors, and donors with antibodies against hepatitis C (DHCV+), controlling for demographics and comorbidities. In comparison to staying on the waiting list, transplantation from DHCV+ was associated with improved survival among all patients (adjusted hazard ratio for death 0.76, 95% CI 0.60, 0.96). Of patients receiving DHCV+ kidneys, 52% were themselves hepatitis C antibody positive (HCV+), so outcomes associated with use of these grafts may have particular implications for HCV+ transplant candidates. Recommendations for use of DHCV+ kidneys may require analysis of data not currently collected from either dialysis or transplant patients. However, transplantation of DHCV+ kidneys is associated with improved patient survival compared to remaining wait‐listed and dialysis dependent.
Quorum-Quenching Acylase Reduces the Virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a Caenorhabditis elegans Infection Model

ABSTRACT The Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 gene pvdQ encodes an acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL) acylase capable of degrading N-(3-oxododecanoyl)-l-homoserine lactone by cleaving the AHL amide. PvdQ has been proven to function as a quorum quencher in vitro in a number of phenotypic assays. To address the question of whether PvdQ also shows quorum-quenching properties in vivo, an infection model based on the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans was explored. In a fast-acting paralysis assay, strain PAO1(pMEpvdQ), which overproduces PvdQ, was shown to be less virulent than the wild-type strain. More than 75% of the nematodes exposed to PAO1(pMEpvdQ) survived and continued to grow when using this strain as a food source. Interestingly, in a slow-killing assay monitoring the survival of the nematodes throughout a 4-day course, strain PAO1-ΔpvdQ was shown to be more virulent than the wild-type strain, confirming the role of PvdQ as a virulence-reducing agent. It was observed that larval stage 1 (L1) to L3-stage larvae benefit much more from protection by PvdQ than L4 worms. Finally, purified PvdQ protein was added to C. elegans worms infected with wild-type PAO1, and this resulted in reduced pathogenicity and increased the life span of the nematodes. From our observations we can conclude that PvdQ might be a strong candidate for antibacterial therapy against Pseudomonas infections.
Teachers’ Classroom Strategy for Enhancing Students’ Performance in Public Secondary Schools in Nandi County, Kenya

The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers’ classroom strategy that influences students’ performance in public secondary schools in Nandi County. Improvement of students’ performance depends on strategies teachers’ use in teaching students in the classroom, handling of student discipline and feedback from student assessments. The main objective of the study was to determine how teachers’ classroom strategy enhances student performance in public secondary schools in Nandi County. The study used descriptive survey design. The researcher used 30% as population sample size for the public secondary schools, 30% as population sample size for principals, 10% for teachers and 10% for the students. The target sample was (30) public secondary schools, (30) school principals, (85) teachers, (136) students and one County Director of Education. Stratified and simple random sampling techniques were used for the study. The data collection instruments included the use of questionnaires and interview schedules. Data analysis was done by use of descriptive and qualitative methods. The findings of the study established that students continue to perform poorly in academics in some public secondary schools. It was further found out that strategies used by teachers to manage their classrooms including the teaching methods employed, managing student discipline and providing constant feedback through assessment influences students’ performance to a greater extent. The conclusion of the study reinforces the existing studies that have shown that quality of education sought by a school and country at large is due to strategies teachers apply with the aim of improving students’ performance. The conclusion is that teachers’ should engage students in variety of teaching and learning activities to prevent students engagement in disruptive behaviors. Teachers ought to provide students with continuous classroom assessments as part of gauging student’s academic progress. However, students who are not endowed in academics should be guided to discover their talents early, nurture and pursue careers of their choice. Further research need to be undertaken on best approach of scaling-up the existing in-service teacher training programmes to benefit all teachers to improve teaching approaches in public secondary schools in Nandi County.
Negotiated Measurement Rules in Debt Contracts

This paper investigates contractual definitions of net income and net worth and the cross-sectional variation in definitions of net income in a large sample of private debt contracts to shed light on the debt contracting demand for accounting numbers. The descriptive evidence indicates that removing transitory earnings is one principal concern in the measurement of earnings but not in the measurement of net worth. In the extreme, contracts are never written on comprehensive income as an earnings concept, whereas accumulated other comprehensive income is included in net worth in most contracts. In contrast, conservative adjustment, in the sense of including certain types of negative earnings but not the corresponding positive earnings, does not seem to be a primary consideration in measuring net income and net worth. Cross-sectionally, I find that net income is more likely to be defined differently from the GAAP when net income plays a more important role in a contract, when the loan maturity is longer, and when transitory earnings are less useful for debt contracting. Collectively, the evidence shows that debt contracting parties choose contracting variables in a manner consistent with efficient contracting, and that transitory earnings are relatively less useful in measuring firm performance for debt contracting.
TEACHING GAMES FOR UNDERSTANDING AND COOPERATIVE LEARNING: CAN THEIR HYBRIDIZATION INCREASE THE MOTIVATIONAL CLIMATE OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION STUDENTS?

Abstract The present study examines the evolution of Motivational Climate among Physical Education students through the hybridization of Cooperative Learning and the Teaching Games for Understanding model in a handball didactic unit. A sample of 96 students, whose average age was fifteen, were divided into an experimental group of 31 students and a control group of 65 students. The Motivational Climate evolution promoted by the hybrid model (experimental group) was compared with the results obtained through a traditional learning approach (control group). The results show differences in the Task-involvement scale, (Effort/ Improvement and Important Role subscales), and in the Ego-involvement scale (Unequal Recognition subscale). In conclusion, in accordance with results obtained by similar research on other sports, significant differences were found between the two scales with regard to the perceived motivational climate. Key words: cooperative learning; motivational climate; physical education; secondary school; teaching methodology. --- Sažetak Rad istražuje razvoj motivacijske klime među ucenicima na satima Tjelesne i zdravstvene kulture putem hibridizacije suradnickog ucenja i modela ucenja igara s razumijevanjem u kontekstu nastavne jedinice posvecene rukometu. Uzorak od 96 ucenika prosjecne dobi od 15 godina podijeljen je u eksperimentalnu (31 ucenik) i kontrolnu skupinu (65 ucenika). Razvoj motivacijske klime potaknut hibridnim modelom (eksperimentalna skupina) uspoređen je s rezultatima dobivenim s pomocu tradicionalnog pristupa ucenju (kontrolna skupina). Rezultati upucuju na razlike između skale za mjerenje usmjerenosti na zadatak (podskale trud/napredak i važnost uloge) i skale za mjerenje usmjerenosti na ego (podskala nejednakog priznavanja). Otkrivene su znacajne razlike među dvjema skalama na polju doživljene motivacijske klime, sto je u skladu s rezultatima koje su slicna istraživanja dobila analizirajuci druge sportove. Kljucne rijeci: suradnicko ucenje; motivacijska klima; tjelesni odgoj; srednja skola; metodika poucavanja.
Kann eine Maschine denken

Recent advances in embedded modalities and extensible modalities have paved the way for forward-error correction. Of course, this is not always the case. In this position paper, we verify the exploration of local-area networks. In our research we validate that the foremost “fuzzy” algorithm for the investigation of IPv6 by Van Jacobson et al. runs in Θ(n) time.
Meditation Increases Compassionate Responses to Suffering

Contemplative science has documented a plethora of intrapersonal benefits stemming from meditation, including increases in gray matter density (Hölzel, Carmody, et al., 2011), positive affect (Moyer et al., 2011), and improvement in various mental-health outcomes (Hölzel, Lazar, et al., 2011). Strikingly, however, much less is known about the interpersonal impact of meditation. Although Buddhist teachings suggest that increases in compassionate responding should be a primary outcome of meditation (Davidson & Harrington, 2002), little scientific evidence supports this conjecture. Even as scientists have begun to examine the effects of meditation on prosocial action, the conclusions that can be drawn with respect to compassion have been limited by designs that lack real-time person-to-person interactions centered on suffering. Previous work, for example, has utilized meditators’ self-reported intentions and motivations to behave in supportive manners toward other individuals (e.g., Fredrickson, Cohn, Coffey, Pek, & Finkel, 2008) and computer-based economic games requiring cooperation (e.g., Leiberg, Klimecki, & Singer, 2011; Weng et al., 2013) to assess altruistic action. Such methods have suggested that meditation may increase generalized prosocial responding, but have not clearly and objectively gauged responses meant solely to mitigate the suffering of other individuals. To address this gap, we utilized a design in which individuals were confronted with a person in pain in an ecologically valid setting. If, as suggested by Buddhist theorizing, meditation enhances compassionate responding, participants who have completed a brief meditation course should act to relieve such a person’s suffering more frequently than those who have not completed the course.
Study of the effect of whole-school versus intensive mindset intervention on mindset scores and teacher-rated effort in English and Mathematics.

The current thesis reports an empirical investigation into the effect of a whole-school approach to developing a growth mindset using methods such as, whole school assemblies and teacher training. The study then investigated the effect of an additional intensive mindset intervention (Brainology) on students’ mindset scores and teacher-rated effort in English and Mathematics, over and above the whole school approach, and compares the experimental group exposed to both the whole-school approach and the additional intervention to a control group which only received the whole-school intervention.
The PKD domain distinguishes the trafficking and amyloidogenic properties of the pigment cell protein PMEL and its homologue GPNMB

Proteolytic fragments of the pigment cell‐specific glycoprotein, PMEL, form the amyloid fibrillar matrix underlying melanins in melanosomes. The fibrils form within multivesicular endosomes to which PMEL is selectively sorted and that serve as melanosome precursors. GPNMB is a tissue‐restricted glycoprotein with substantial sequence homology to PMEL, but no known function, and was proposed to localize to non‐fibrillar domains of distinct melanosome subcompartments in melanocytes. Here we confirm that GPNMB localizes to compartments distinct from the PMEL‐containing multivesicular premelanosomes or late endosomes in melanocytes and HeLa cells, respectively, and is largely absent from fibrils. Using domain swapping, the unique PMEL localization is ascribed to its polycystic kidney disease (PKD) domain, whereas the homologous PKD domain of GPNMB lacks apparent sorting function. The difference likely reflects extensive modification of the GPNMB PKD domain by N‐glycosylation, nullifying its sorting function. These results reveal the molecular basis for the distinct trafficking and morphogenetic properties of PMEL and GPNMB and support a deterministic function of the PMEL PKD domain in both protein sorting and amyloidogenesis.
Targeting Hypoxia in Cancer Cells by Restoring Homeodomain Interacting Protein-Kinase 2 and p53 Activity and Suppressing HIF-1α

Background The tumor suppressor homeodomain-interacting protein kinase-2 (HIPK2) by phosphorylating serine 46 (Ser46) is a crucial regulator of p53 apoptotic function. HIPK2 is also a transcriptional co-repressor of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) restraining tumor angiogenesis and chemoresistance. HIPK2 can be deregulated in tumors by several mechanisms including hypoxia. Here, we sought to target hypoxia by restoring HIPK2 function and suppressing HIF-1α, in order to provide evidence for the involvement of both HIPK2 and p53 in counteracting hypoxia-induced chemoresistance. Methodology/Principal Findings Upon exposure of colon and lung cancer cells to hypoxia, by either low oxygen or cobalt, HIPK2 function was impaired allowing for increased HIF-1α expression and inhibiting the p53-apoptotic response to drug. Cobalt suppressed HIPK2 recruitment onto HIF-1α promoter. Hypoxia induced expression of the p53 target MDM2 that downregulates HIPK2, thus MDM2 inhibition by siRNA restored the HIPK2/p53Ser46 response to drug. Zinc supplementation to hypoxia-treated cells increased HIPK2 protein stability and nuclear accumulation, leading to restoration of HIPK2 binding to HIF-1α promoter, repression of MDR1, Bcl2, and VEGF genes, and activation of the p53 apoptotic response to drug. Combination of zinc and ADR strongly suppressed tumor growth in vivo by inhibiting HIF-1 pathway and upregulating p53 apoptotic target genes. Conclusions/Significance We show here for the first time that hypoxia-induced HIPK2 deregulation was counteracted by zinc that restored HIPK2 suppression of HIF-1 pathway and reactivated p53 apoptotic response to drug, underscoring the potential use of zinc supplementation in combination with chemotherapy to address hypoxia and improve tumor treatment.
Objective measurement of compliance during oral appliance therapy for sleep-disordered breathing

Background Oral appliance (OA) therapy is increasingly prescribed as a non-continuous positive airway pressure treatment modality for sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). Although OA therapy is reported to be efficacious for the treatment of SDB, data on compliance remain limited to self-report. Methods In this 3-month prospective clinical trial, the main outcome was to assess the safety and feasibility of an objective measurement of compliance during OA therapy using an embedded microsensor thermometer with on-chip integrated readout electronics in 51 consecutive patients with an established diagnosis of SDB (AHI 18.0±11.9/h; age 47±10 y; BMI 26.6±4.0 kg/m2; men/women: 31/20). Patients were unaware of the purpose of the study. Results No microsensor-related adverse events were recorded. In addition, no problems were encountered during the readout of the compliance data. Out of 51 microsensors, one had a technical defect and was lost to follow-up. In this study, the overall objective mean rate of OA use was 6.6±1.3 h per day with a regular OA users’ rate of 82% at the 3-month follow-up. Statistical analysis revealed no significant differences between objective and self-reported OA compliance data in this study. Measurement of the objective OA compliance allowed us to calculate the mean disease alleviation (MDA) as the product of objective compliance and therapeutic efficacy. MDA serves as a measure of the overall therapeutic effectiveness, and turned out to be 51.1%. Conclusions The results illustrate the safety and feasibility of objective measurement of OA compliance. The objective measurement of OA compliance allows for calculation of the MDA.
Practical use of the rising plate meter (RPM) on New Zealand dairy farms

Herbage mass and rising plate meter (RPM) height was estimated using the RPM as part of a farmlet trial, at No. 2 Dairy, Dexcel Hamilton. Herbage mass estimations were collected over a 3-year period, from pre- and post-grazing and weekly farm walk estimates. The aim of the study was to determine how appropriate the RPM was for use on New Zealand dairy farms. The RPM gives reliable information using 50 readings per paddock for paddock selection, grazing residual, and average herbage mass between 1000 and 4000 kg DM/ha. There was a tendency however, for the RPM to underestimate herbage mass when compared with visual estimates. The RPM is limited in its estimation of herbage mass above 4000 kg DM/ha and cannot be relied upon to give useful results for dry matter intake and net herbage accumulation (particularly with weekly farm walk data). As long as RPM limits are observed, overall results show that the RPM is an inexpensive tool to aid in farm monitoring and decision making. Keywords: dairy farming, grazing residual, herbage mass, rising plate meter, RPM height
Structures for Single-Bit Digital Comb Filtering

Two structures for single-bit digital comb filtering are proposed. The first structure is based on ternary filtering, however, the output of the filter is in single-bit format. The second structure is based on second-order sigma-delta modulation (SigmaDeltaM). Both filtering structures contain no multi-bit multiplication, making the comb filter efficient for implementation. This filter can be utilized in a wide range of promising applications
In vitro susceptibilities of clinical isolates of cysteine-requiring Escherichia coli to 12 antimicrobial agents

The MICs of 12 antimicrobial agents for 42 cysteine-requiring strains of Escherichia coli showed a high concordance when determined on three different media, one of which was supplemented with cysteine. Differences in the MICs of several agents were detected between 18 prototrophic revertants and their parent auxotrophs. A total of 64.7% of the isolates were fully susceptible to all agents, and no particular resistance pattern was evident.
Psychological Capital: A Positive Psychological Resource and Its Relationship with Creative Performance Behavior

Creative performance behavior and psychological capital concepts having theoretical roots of positive organizational behavior and positive psychological capital have been examined in a number of studies in literature for investigating high performance and innovative organizations. It is recognized that the employee creative performance behavior has been the investigated with its associations with several concepts including supportive managerial implementation, job characteristics, organizational climate and culture, personality factors. The present study has focused on the assumption regarding the relationship between psychological capital components of self-efficacy, hope, optimism and resilience with creative performance behavior. Based on the extant resources and conceptual rationale, it is expected that psychological capital variables could have significant explanatory power on employee creative performance behavior. With that respect, a research study was performed in a large size White Good Company in Turkey which has been indicated as an innovative and high performance organization by relevant research results. 165 first line and middle level white and blue collar employees have participated in the questionnaire survey. The data were analyzed through the use of SPSS and LISREL programmes. Each variable of the model was evaluated by Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) methods. According to the results, it was revealed that the total psychological capital and each of the psychological capital components had significant positive relationships with employee creative performance behavior. In addition, it was demonstrated that psychological capital components had significant effect on explaining creative performance behavior.