Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A maximal figure-of-merit learning approach to text categorization

A novel maximal figure-of-merit (MFoM) learning approach to text categorization is proposed. Different from the conventional techniques, the proposed MFoM method attempts to integrate any performance metric of interest (e.g. accuracy, recall, precision, or F1 measure) into the design of any classifier. The corresponding classifier parameters are learned by optimizing an overall objective function of interest. To solve this highly nonlinear optimization problem, we use a generalized probabilistic descent algorithm. The MFoM learning framework is evaluated on the Reuters-21578 task with LSI-based feature extraction and a binary tree classifier. Experimental results indicate that the MFoM classifier gives improved F1 and enhanced robustness over the conventional one. It also outperforms the popular SVM method in micro-averaging F1. Other extensions to design discriminative multiple-category MFoM classifiers for application scenarios with new performance metrics could be envisioned too.
Biochemical markers for assessment of calcium economy and bone metabolism: application in clinical trials from pharmaceutical agents to nutritional products

Nutrition plays an important role in osteoporosis prevention and treatment. Substantial progress in both laboratory analyses and clinical use of biochemical markers has modified the strategy of anti-osteoporotic drug development. The present review examines the use of biochemical markers in clinical research aimed at characterising the influence of foods or nutrients on bone metabolism. The two types of markers are: (i) specific hormonal factors related to bone; and (ii) bone turnover markers (BTM) that reflect bone cell metabolism. Of the former, vitamin D metabolites, parathyroid hormone, and insulin-like growth factor-I indicate responses to variations in the supply of bone-related nutrients, such as vitamin D, Ca, inorganic phosphate and protein. Thus modification in bone remodelling, the key process upon which both pharmaceutical agents and nutrients exert their anti-catabolic or anabolic actions, is revealed. Circulating BTM reflect either osteoclastic resorption or osteoblastic formation. Intervention with pharmacological agents showed that early changes in BTM predicted bone loss and subsequent osteoporotic fracture risk. New trials have documented the influence of nutrition on bone-tropic hormonal factors and BTM in adults, including situations of body-weight change, such as anorexia nervosa, and weight loss by obese subjects. In osteoporosis-prevention studies involving dietary manipulation, randomised cross-over trials are best suited to evaluate influences on bone metabolism, and insight into effects on bone metabolism may be gained within a relatively short time when biochemical markers are monitored.
An automatic DSP-based classifier for impairments on QAM modulations

This paper presents an instrument for the automatic classification of the common impairments on Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM ) signals. The instrument is intended to help telecommunication service providers to guarant ee Quality of Service (QoS) to their customers. Starting from an already developed method based on the processing of the constellation diagram image, the paper presents both significant improvem ents in the method and the realization of a prototype of impairment classifier, based on a mult i-DSP hardware architecture. Experimental results of the validation phase of the realized instrument are presented, too. Index Terms – Classification, digital modulations, Quadrature A mplitude Modulation (QAM), network monitoring.
Abl expression in human fetal and adult tissues, tumours and tumour microvessels

Abl kinases encoded by the abl oncogenes inhibit apoptosis without affecting cell proliferation. The aim of this study was to examine a wide range of normal fetal and adult human tissues and a variety of tumour types for Abl immunoreactivity. Sections from 193 paraffin blocks of normal fetal and adult tissues and 72 blocks from representative tumours were stained immunohistochemically using a polyclonal antibody to c‐Abl/Bcr–Abl oncoprotein. Weak Abl immunoreactivity was observed in many adult tissues. Moderately intense or strong staining (cytoplasmic, nuclear or membranous) was consistently seen in hyaline cartilage, adipocytes, and ciliated epithelium. In fetal tissues, there was a broadly similar staining pattern, but Abl expression was also seen in muscle (all types) and occasionally in endothelial cells. The most intense staining was seen in sites of endochondral ossification and in the umbilical cord stroma. Negatively staining tissues included epidermis and squamous mucosa, lymph nodes, tonsil, spleen, hepatocytes, and adrenals. Most tumours showed focal or weak Abl immunoreactivity. The most intense staining was seen in chondrosarcoma, liposarcoma, and diffuse gastric (signet ring) adenocarcinoma. In the latter two tumour types, Abl expression was also observed in tumour microvessels. These results suggest that Abl not only functions as an apoptosis inhibitor, but also may have a role in connective tissue maturation and differentiation and in tumour growth and angiogenesis. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Antioxidant Activity and Total Phenolic and Flavonoid Contents of Hieracium pilosella L. Extracts

The antioxidant activity of water, ethanol and methanol Hieracium pilosella L. extracts is reported. The antioxidative activity was tested by spectrophotometrically measuring their ability to scavenge a stable DPPH• free radical and a reactive hydroxyl radical trapped by DMPO during the Fenton reaction, using the ESR spectroscopy. Total phenolic content and total flavonoid content were evaluated according to the Folin-Ciocalteu procedure, and a colorimetric method, respectively. A HPLC method was used for identification of some phenolic compounds (chlorogenic acid, apigenin-7-O-glucoside and umbelliferone). The antioxidant activity of the investigated extracts slightly differs depending on the solvent used. The concentration of 0.30 mg/mL of water, ethanol and methanol extract is less effective in scavenging hydroxyl radicals (56.35, 58.73 and 54.35%, respectively) in comparison with the DPPH• radical scavenging activity (around 95% for all extracts). The high contents of total phenolic compounds (239.59–244.16 mg GAE/g of dry extract) and total flavonoids (79.13–82.18 mg RE/g of dry extract) indicated that these compounds contribute to the antioxidative activity.
Morphology-based cross language transfer from Korean to literacy acquisition in English and Chinese

This study examined the nature of morphology-based cross language transfer from Korean to reading and writing acquisition in English and Chinese among Korean-speaking 9th graders who had studied English for seven years and Chinese for one year as foreign languages. One hundred and sixty students were administered a set of comparable Korean (L1), English (L2), and Chinese (L3) tasks tapping into morphological awareness, vocabulary, reading comprehension, and writing. Correlation and hierarchical regression analyses revealed that (a) morphological awareness strongly correlated with reading comprehension and writing in all three languages; (b) morphological awareness in Korean significantly contributed to reading comprehension in English and Chinese; and (c) the transfer from Korean morphology to English reading was more likely to occur in students with more advanced English reading skills. No significant transfer was observed in morphological awareness in Korean to writing in English or Chinese. These findings point to the unique morphology-based transfer that facilitated reading comprehension across different orthographies and the importance of proficiency in the target language that determines the occurrence of such transfer in third language acquisition. Finally, learners in an L1 dominant setting are able to apply their general knowledge about shared morphological structure from L1 to reading, not only in L2, but in L3 as well. The empirical results were discussed within the theoretical framework of the Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis and Interdependence Hypothesis.
Mitochondrial DNA inherited variants are associated with successful aging and longevity in humans

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is characterized by high variability, maternal inheritance, and absence of recombination. Studies of human populations have revealed ancestral associated polymorphisms whose combination defines groups of mtDNA types (haplogroups) that are currently used to reconstruct human evolution lineages. We used such inherited mtDNA markers to compare mtDNA population pools between a sample of individuals selected for successful aging and longevity (212 subjects older than 100 years and in good clinical condition) and a sample of 275 younger individuals (median age 38 years) carefully matched as to sex and geographic origin (northern and southern Italy). All nine haplogroups that are typical of Europeans were found in both samples, but male centenarians emerged in northern Italy as a particular sample: 1) mtDNA haplogroup frequency distribution was different between centenarians and younger individuals (P=0.017 by permutation tests); and 2) the frequency of the J haplogroup was notably higher in centenarians than in younger individuals (P=0.0052 by Fisher exact test). Since haplogroups are defined on the basis of inherited variants, these data show that mtDNA inherited variability could play a role in successful aging and longevity. —De Benedictis, G. , Rose, G. , Carrieri, G. , De Luca, M. , Falcone, E. , Passarino, G. , Bonafé, M. , Monti, D. , Baggio, G. , Bertolini, S. , Mari, D. , Mattace, R. , Franceschi, C. Mitochondrial DNA inherited variants are associated with successful aging and longevity in humans. FASEB J. 13, 1532–1536 (1999)
The Invisible Become Visible: An Analysis of How People Experiencing Homelessness Use Social Media

This research examined how people experiencing homelessness use the social media platforms of blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Through 15 interviews at a day shelter in a central North Carolina city, the author discovered that people experiencing homelessness use Facebook for three main reasons: to remain connected with family and friends; to find support; and to share ideas in a safe space. This research conclude that homeless service providers should offer classes that teach their clients how to use social media websites. Also, people experiencing homelessness may be more likely to use a wider variety of social media websites if service providers post valuable information for their clients on those web pages.
Foot ulceration and lower limb amputation in type 2 diabetic patients in dutch primary health care.

OBJECTIVE To determine the incidence of foot ulceration and lower limb amputation in type 2 diabetic patients in primary health care. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Data on type 2 diabetes were collected by the Nijmegen Monitoring Project between 1993 and 1998 as part of a study of chronic diseases. The records of all patients recorded as having diabetic foot problems and those who died, moved to a nursing home, or were under specialist care were included. The annual incidence of foot ulceration was defined as the number of type 2 diabetic patients per patient-year who developed a new foot ulcer. Incidence of lower limb amputation was similarly defined. Additional information was collected on treatment of foot ulcers. RESULTS The study population of type 2 diabetic patients increased from 511 patient-years in 1993 to 665 in 1998. The annual incidence of foot ulceration varied between 1.2 and 3.0% (mean 2.1) per year; 25% of the patients had recurrent episodes. The annual incidence of lower limb amputation varied between 0.5 and 0.8% (mean 0.6). Ten of the 15 amputees died, and 12 of 52 (23%) patients with ulceration had a subsequent amputation or a previous history of amputation. In 35 of the 73 (48%) episodes of ulceration, only the family physician provided treatment. Patients with foot problems were older and had more cardiovascular disease, retinopathy, and absent peripheral pulses. CONCLUSIONS The incidence of foot ulceration and lower limb amputation in type 2 diabetes is low; nevertheless, recurrence rates of ulceration and risk of amputation are high, with high mortality.
Optimal Movement Variability: A New Theoretical Perspective for Neurologic Physical Therapy

Variability is a natural and important feature of human movement. Using existing theoretical frameworks as a foundation, we propose a new model to explain movement variability as it relates to motor learning and health. We contend that mature motor skills and healthy states are associated with an optimal amount of movement variability. This variability also has form and is characterized by a chaotic structure. Less than optimal movement variability characterizes biological systems that are overly rigid and unchanging, whereas greater than optimal variability characterizes systems that are noisy and unstable. Both situations characterize systems that are less adaptable to perturbations, such as those associated with abnormal motor development or unhealthy states. From our perspective, the goal of neurologic physical therapy should be to foster the development of this optimal amount of movement variability by incorporating a rich repertoire of movement strategies. The development of such a repertoire can be enhanced by incorporating a multitude of experiences within the therapeutic milieu. Promoting complex variation in human movement allows either motor development or the recovery of function after injury not to be hard coded, but determined instead by the active engagement of the individual within their environment. Measurement tools derived from nonlinear dynamics that characterize the complexity of movement variability provide useful means of testing these propositions. To illustrate, we present 2 clinical case studies, one pediatric and one adult, where we applied our theoretical framework to measuring change in postural control.
CGMN Revisited: Robust and Efficient Solution of Stiff Linear Systems Derived from Elliptic Partial Differential Equations

Given a linear system Ax = b, one can construct a related “normal equations” system AATy = b, x = ATy. Björck and Elfving have shown that the SSOR algorithm, applied to the normal equations, can be accelerated by the conjugate gradient algorithm (CG). The resulting algorithm, called CGMN, is error-reducing and in theory it always converges even when the equation system is inconsistent and/or nonsquare. SSOR on the normal equations is equivalent to the Kaczmarz algorithm (KACZ), with a fixed relaxation parameter, run in a double (forward and backward) sweep on the original equations. CGMN was tested on nine well-known large and sparse linear systems obtained by central-difference discretization of elliptic convection-diffusion partial differential equations (PDEs). Eight of the PDEs were strongly convection-dominated, and these are known to produce very stiff systems with large off-diagonal elements. CGMN was compared with some of the foremost state-of-the art Krylov subspace methods: restarted GMRES, Bi-CGSTAB, and CGS. These methods were tested both with and without various preconditioners. CGMN converged in all the cases, while none of the preceding algorithm/preconditioner combinations achieved this level of robustness. Furthermore, on varying grid sizes, there was only a gradual increase in the number of iterations as the grid was refined. On the eight convection-dominated cases, the initial convergence rate of CGMN was better than all the other combinations of algorithms and preconditioners, and the residual decreased monotonically. The CGNR algorithm was also tested, and it was as robust as CGMN, but slower.
Increasing viral burden in CD4+ T cells from patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection reflects rapidly progressive immunosuppression and clinical disease.

OBJECTIVE To determine over time the relation between viral burden and immunologic decline in patients with asymptomatic human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. DESIGN Blind analysis of cell samples from matched cohorts for HIV proviral DNA by polymerase chain reaction, retrospective analysis of clinical data on patients, and prospective follow-up of patients seropositive for the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). SETTING National research clinic and academic medical centers. PATIENTS Cohort 1 included 12 healthy HIV-1-seropositive patients (average follow-up, 14 months): Six patients had stable disease and 6 developed rapidly progressive disease. Cohort 2 included 15 healthy HIV-1-seropositive patients from the Multi-center AIDS Cohort Study (average follow-up, 32 months): Eight patients had stable disease and 7 developed rapidly progressive disease. LABORATORY STUDIES: Quantitative polymerase chain reaction was done to determine the HIV-1 viral burden in sort-purified CD4+ T cells obtained from patients at various timepoints. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS In patients who remained asymptomatic, frequencies of HIV-infected CD4+ T cells were low (less than 1/10,000 to 1/1000) at study entry and increased only minimally (none higher than 1/1000). In contrast, among patients who developed HIV-related symptoms including the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) despite having similar CD4 counts, frequencies of HIV-infected CD4+ T cells were higher at entry (greater than 1/1000) and increased substantially (greater than 1/100) in most within 3 months of developing progressive disease. This increase in HIV burden coincided with a significant decline over time in the percent of T4 cells (31% to 16%), whereas the percent of T4 cells was unchanged in persons who remained asymptomatic (33% to 34%). CONCLUSIONS Increasing viral burden in peripheral blood CD4+ T-cells is directly associated with a progressive decline in CD4+ T cells and deteriorating clinical course in HIV-infected patients.
The teaching of leadership on UK MBA programmes

This study investigates the compatibility of leadership values taught on MBA programmes in the United Kingdom (UK) and the expected, accepted and effective leadership values in three non‐western cultures. The study was conducted on 272 full‐time MBA graduates from Asian, Arab and African countries soon after obtaining an MBA from UK business schools. The analysis reveals that leadership curricula on MBA programmes is broadly conceived in the US corpus and assumes universality. The ethnocentric approach to the teaching of leadership is due to a large extent to the unavailability of alternative theories and published empirical evidence outside the USA and the low level of faculty expertise and interest in international dimensions of effective leadership styles. The research argues that there is a need for western management schools to adopt a more eclectic view of leadership teaching and to cast their perspective beyond western idiosyncrasies and include non‐western business perspectives.
Tobacco Use and Suicide Attempt: Longitudinal Analysis with Retrospective Reports

Background Suicide has been associated with smoking/tobacco use but its association of and change in smoking/tobacco use status with suicide attempt (SA) is not well established. Methods We investigated whether persistent, former tobacco use, initiation, quitting tobacco use, relapse to tobacco use, and DSM-IV nicotine dependence predict independently SA using Wave 1 and 2 data of the National Epidemiologic Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions. Data from 34,653 US adults interviewed at Wave 1 (2001-02) and Wave 2 (2004-05) were analyzed. The main outcome measure was SA between Wave 1 and Wave 2 as reported at Wave 2. Results Among the 1,673 respondents reporting lifetime SA at Wave 2, 328 individuals reported SA between Wave 1 and Wave 2. Current and former tobacco use at Wave 1 predicted Wave 2 SA independently of socio-demographic characteristics, psychiatric history, and prior SA (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR): 1.49; 95% CI: 1.13-1.95, AOR: 1.31; 95% CI:1.01-1.69, respectively versus never tobacco users). The strongest association with SA was observed among former tobacco users who relapsed after Wave 1 (AOR: 4.66; 95% CI: 3.49-6.24) and among tobacco use initiators after Wave 1 (AOR: 3.16; 95% CI: 2.23-4.49). Persistent tobacco use (current tobacco use at both Wave 1 and Wave 2) also had an increased risk of SA (AOR: 1.89; 95% CI: 1.47-2.42). However, former tobacco users in both Waves 1 and 2 did not show a significantly elevated risk for SA in Wave 2 (AOR:1.09, 95% CI: 0.78-1.52) suggesting that the risk resided mainly in Wave 1 former tobacco users who relapsed to tobacco use by Wave 2. DSM-IV nicotine dependence did not predict SA at Wave 2. Conclusion In a representative sample of US adults, relapse, tobacco use initiation, and persistent tobacco use, which are amenable to intervention, were associated with risk of SA.
Development of a Lexicon for Commercially Available Cabbage (Baechu) Kimchi

Commercially available cabbage (baechu) kimchi is growing in popularity outside Korea in part because of globalization and a growing interest in specialty foods. Within Korea, commercially available kimchi is important because many households do not have time to prepare traditional kimchi at home. Despite this fact, little work has been published characterizing the sensory attributes of this popular fermented food. The objectives of this study were to (1) develop an initial sensory lexicon for popular commercially available cabbage (baechu) kimchi, including specific flavor references, in order to allow researchers to measure and compare sensory characteristics, and (2) to use the lexicon to determine if it described differences in a range of commercially available wedge (pogi) and sliced (mat) fresh and fermented baechu kimchi available in Korea. A lexicon with 15 flavors and two key texture terms was developed by a descriptive panel to characterize baechu kimchi samples and is presented here in both English and Korean to enhance use. Age (fresh or fermented) and manufacturer had a tremendous influence on the sensory characteristics of the commercial kimchi samples. Areas for future research include examining sensory properties of kimchi made from products other than cabbage, conducting consumer research to relate acceptability of baechu kimchi products with descriptive scores, and comparing homemade and commercially produced kimchi products. Practical Applications The development of this lexicon is the first of its kind for kimchi and can help sensory scientists better understand this unique product and will help manufacturers differentiate their products from competitors and improve existing products on the market. Sensory scientists will also be able to use this information to standardize the sensory attributes of baechu kimchi and provide a common platform on which to evaluate these products.