Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Flexible R-D-Based Multiple Description Scheme for JPEG 2000

Multiple description coding (MDC) is a good way to combat packet losses in error-prone networks subject to packet erasures. However, redundancy tuning is often difficult, and this makes the generation of descriptions with good redundancy-rate-distortion performance a hard job. Moreover, the complexity of generating more than two descriptions represents a strong limitation to MDC. In this letter, we propose a method that exploits the data rate-distortion characteristics to generate multiple descriptions for JPEG 2000 with tunable redundancy levels. The identification of the best number of descriptions as a function of the network conditions is also addressed
The Small World of 9/11 and the Implications for Network Dismantlement Strategies

We retraced the development of the network of those who participated in the 9/11 attacks through four stages: 1998-99, December 2000, May 2001 and August 2001. We established that throughout its development, the network had the characteristics of a small world. The implications of this result pointed towards an easily detectable but difficult to dismantle network due to its large clusters. We then assessed the performances of traditional measures of network strength and node centrality. We found that although betweenness surpasses all other measures for all stages, we could improve its performance. The new measure, termed the Jenga index, proved to perform best through all stages.
Correlation Between the Integrity of the Circle of Willis and the Severity of Initial Noncardiac Cerebral Infarction and Clinical Prognosis

AbstractThe quality of collateral circulation affects the severity and prognosis of stroke patients. The effect of the circle of Willis, which is the primary collateral circulation, on ischemic stroke has attracted significant attention. This study was designed to investigate the effect of different circles of Willis types on stroke severity and prognosis in patients with noncardiac stroke.A total of 376 patients with noncardiac ischemic stroke, who were treated by the specialty team of cerebrovascular diseases at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen Hospital, were successively enrolled in this study. The detailed clinical characteristics of the patients were recorded upon admission, including risk factors of vascular disease and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores. The patients were divided into groups of different circles of Willis types based on magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) that was performed within 3 days of admission—type I: complete circle of Willis; type II: complete anterior half of the circle of Willis and incomplete posterior half of the circle of Willis; type III: incomplete anterior half of the circle of Willis and complete posterior half of the circle of Willis; and type IV: incomplete anterior and posterior halves of the circle of Willis. Patients were re-evaluated for NIHSS scores at discharge and after discharge. The modified Rankin score (mRS) was recorded for 90 days, and stroke recurrence and death after 90 days were also recorded until the end of the study.The 376 patients were divided into 4 groups based on the MRA—type I group: 92 patients (24.5%); type II group: 215 patients (57.2%); type III group: 12 patients (3.2%), and type IV group: 57 patients (15.2%). NIHSS scores at admission and discharge were significantly lower for the type I group compared with those for the type II and type IV groups (P < 0.05). NIHSS scores were higher in the groups with an incomplete circle of Willis compared with the group with a complete circle of Willis. A poor recovery rate was highest for the type IV group, whereas a good recovery rate was highest for the type I group. The logistic regression analysis showed that a complete circle of Willis was one of the predictors of suitable recovery (odds ratio [OR] = 0.708, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.554–0.906). Circle of Willis type was associated with stroke severity and patient prognosis, whereas an incomplete circle of Willis was associated with more severe conditions and a higher 90-day poor diagnosis rate. A complete circle of Willis was an independent predictor of good prognosis.
Epithelial transport and deamidation of gliadin peptides: a role for coeliac disease patient immunoglobulin A

In coeliac disease, the intake of dietary gluten induces small‐bowel mucosal damage and the production of immunoglobulin (Ig)A class autoantibodies against transglutaminase 2 (TG2). We examined the effect of coeliac patient IgA on the apical‐to‐basal passage of gluten‐derived gliadin peptides p31–43 and p57–68 in intestinal epithelial cells. We demonstrate that coeliac IgA enhances the passage of gliadin peptides, which could be abolished by inhibition of TG2 enzymatic activity. Moreover, we also found that both the apical and the basal cell culture media containing the immunogenic gliadin peptides were able to induce the proliferation of deamidation‐dependent coeliac patient‐derived T cells even in the absence of exogenous TG2. Our results suggest that coeliac patient IgA could play a role in the transepithelial passage of gliadin peptides, a process during which they might be deamidated.
A pdf-Free Change Detection Test Based on Density Difference Estimation

The ability to detect online changes in stationarity or time variance in a data stream is a hot research topic with striking implications. In this paper, we propose a novel probability density function-free change detection test, which is based on the least squares density-difference estimation method and operates online on multidimensional inputs. The test does not require any assumption about the underlying data distribution, and is able to operate immediately after having been configured by adopting a reservoir sampling mechanism. Thresholds requested to detect a change are automatically derived once a false positive rate is set by the application designer. Comprehensive experiments validate the effectiveness in detection of the proposed method both in terms of detection promptness and accuracy.
Salivary markers and risk factor data: a multivariate modeling approach for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma detection.

BACKGROUND Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a debilitating and deadly disease largely due to late stage diagnosis. Prior work indicates that soluble CD44 (solCD44) and total protein may be useful diagnostic markers for HNSCC. In this study we combine the markers solCD44, IL-8, HA, and total protein with demographic and risk factor data to derive a multivariate logistic model that improves HNSCC detection as compared to our previous data using biomarkers alone. METHODS We performed the solCD44, IL-8, HA, and total protein assays on oral rinses from 40 HNSCC patients and 39 controls using ELISA assays. Controls had benign diseases of the upper aerodigestive tract and a history of tobacco or alcohol use. All subjects completed a questionnaire including demographic and risk factor data. RESULTS Depending on cancer subsite, differences between cases and controls were found for all markers. A multivariate logistic model including solCD44, total protein and variables related to smoking, oral health and education offered a significant improvement over the univariate models with an AUC of 0.853. Sensitivity ranged from 75-82.5% and specificity from 69.2-82.1% depending on predictive probability cut points. CONCLUSION A multivariate model, including simple and inexpensive molecular tests in combination with risk factors, results in a promising tool for distinguishing HNSCC patients from controls. IMPACT In this case-control study, the resulting observations led to an unprecedented multivariate model that distinguished HNSCC cases from controls with better accuracy than the current gold standard which includes oral examination followed by tissue biopsy. Since the components are simple, noninvasive, and inexpensive to obtain, this model combining biomarkers, risk factor and demographic data serves as a promising prototype for future cancer detection tests.
EFFECT OF EXAMPLE NON EXAMPLE METHOD IMPLEMENTATION IN SCIENTIFIC APPROACH AND DISCOVERY LEARNING MODEL ON VII GRADE STUDENTS AFFECTIVE COMPETENCE IN LEARNING NATURAL SCIENCE.

The 2013 Curriculum emphasizes on active learning pattern. However, based on the questionnaire spread in junior high school 18 Padang, it was gotten the result that teachers still have difficulty in implementing it, especially in affective competence of confidence. The affective competence of confidence will encourage students to be active in learning process, both in asking questions and expressing opinion. In cooperative learning, students are provided a vehicle to increase their confidence through presenting their discussion result in front of the class. By considering this issue, there is an alternative solution that can be used by teacher, which is example non example method. This method is one of cooperative learning method. Besides that, it can support the implementation of scientific approach and discovery learning model in learning process. The scientific approach and discovery learning model are the approach and model recommended in the 2013 Curriculum. Purpose of the research was to know effect of example non example method in scientific approach and discovery learning model on students' affective competence. It was a quasi-experimental research. It was done in junior high school 18 Padang to grade VII students. The instrument used was written test in form of multiple-choice and essay. Technique of data analysis used Mann Whitney U test. It was done by using SPSS software. The finding shows that example non example method in scientific approach and discovery learning model has significant effect on students' affective competence, with sig. value (0.036) < 0.05.
D4m 3.0

The D4M tool is used by hundreds of researchers to perform complex analytics on unstructured data. Over the past few years, the D4M toolbox has evolved to support connectivity with a variety of database engines, graph analytics in the Apache Accumulo database, and an implementation using the Julia programming language. In this article, we describe some of our latest additions to the D4M toolbox and our upcoming D4M 3.0 release.
Reference urinary LTE4 levels in normal individuals: a pilot study.

UNLABELLED The definition of reference normal values for urinary LTE4 still represents an open question. AIM to assess the influence of gender and age on urinary LTE4 levels in normal individuals. METHODS after their informed consent, urinary LTE4 was measured in 124 well matched, non smoker, non atopic subjects (mean age 49.5 y +/- 20.1 sd; range 4-85 y, 57 m;) without any clinically evident disease and not taking any drug for several months. In all subjects, urine were collected in the morning, and processed by an immunoenzimatic method (Cayman Chem, Mi, USA) via the Triturus system (Grifols, Spain). STATISTICS t test, anova, linear regression, assuming p < 0.05. RESULTS mean urinary LTE4 were 57.3 pg/ml in males (mean age 51.2 y +/- 21.3 sd) and 57.0 pg/ml in females (mean age 48.1 y + 19.1 sd), p = ns. Linear regression showed no relationship between urinary LTE4 levels and subjects' age in the whole sample of subjects. When subjects were divided according to 4 different classes of age (0-14; 15-40; 41-60; > 60), anova proved that mean urinary LTE4 levels were significantly different in the different classes of age, being higher in younger subjects (67.1 pg/ml +/- 33.4 sd; 69.8 pg/ml +/- 27.5 sd; 57.1 pg/ml +/- 25.4 sd, and 45.1 pg/ml +/- 24.9, respectively) (anova p < .002; Welch test p < .005). CONCLUSIONS 1) gender does not affect urinary LTE4 levels in normals; 2) mean urinary LTE4 concentrations tend to a slight, but significant, decrease with the increase of the subjects' age, and this is clear in those over-60; 3) reference values for younger and older normal subjects (such as, under- and over-60 years) should be assumed accordingly.
Effects of fluoride on secretory and postsecretory phases of enamel formation in sheep molars.

Effect of fluoride was assessed on molars during and after mineralization. Two groups of 7 sheep each were dosed orally with 3.5 mg of fluoride/kg of body weight daily for 4 months (from 5 to 9 months after birth). Sheep of the first group were slaughtered immediately after fluoride administration; those of the second group were slaughtered 4 months later at the age of 13 months. Three control groups of 7 sheep each were slaughtered at 5 months (to determine the state of the teeth at the beginning of fluoride administration), and at 9 and 13 months. During fluoride administration, plasma fluoride concentration rapidly increased to about 0.50 microgram/ml; after fluoride administration, it stabilized at 0.20 microgram/ml in treated sheep, whereas controls had concentration of 0.10 micrograms/ml (P less than 0.01). Parts of the molars that were in the process of mineralization during fluoride administration (mainly second molars) had thinning enamel, with pits, mainly close to the apex, marked decrease in hardness throughout the layer (less than 100 Vickers U, compared with 240 Vickers U), and fluoride accumulation twice as high as that in controls (1,000 to 2,500 mg/kg [dry weight]). Fluoride accumulation was higher in dentine (2,700 to 4,200 mg/kg), but hardness was less affected. On parts of the molars that were already mineralized (mostly, the first molar), changes in the appearance of enamel and cementum, decreased hardness (less important than in teeth during mineralization) affecting outer enamel more than inner enamel, high fluoride concentration (4,000 to 5,500 mg/kg [dry weight]) in outer enamel extending over 200 microns were observed. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Engineered IgG1‐Fc – one fragment to bind them all

The crystallizable fragment (Fc) of the immunoglobulin class G (IgG) is a very attractive scaffold for the design of novel therapeutics due to its quality of uniting all essential antibody functions. This article reviews the functionalization of this homodimeric glycoprotein by diversification of structural loops of CH3 domains for the design of Fcabs, i.e. antigen‐binding Fc proteins. It reports the design of libraries for the selection of nanomolar binders with wildtype‐like in vivo half‐life and correlation of Fc receptor binding and ADCC. The in vitro and preclinical biological activity of selected Fcabs is compared with that of clinically approved antibodies. Recently, the great potential of the scaffold for the development of therapeutics for clinical use has been shown when the HER2‐binding Fcab FS102 entered clinical phase I. Furthermore, methods for the engineering of biophysical properties of Fcabs applicable to proteins in general are presented as well as the different approaches in the design of heterodimeric Fc‐based scaffolds used in the generation of bispecific monoclonal antibodies. Finally, this work critically analyzes and compares the various efforts in the design of highly diverse and functional libraries that have been made in the engineering of IgG1‐Fc and structurally similar scaffolds.
Treatment of mandibular fractures - a 10-year retrospective study.

1Paul A. Țenț, 2Daniela Popa, 2Raluca Juncar, 3Teofil Lung, 1Mihai Juncar 1 Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Oradea, Romania; 2 Prosthetic Dentistry, Department IVProsthetic dentistry and Dental materials, Faculty of Dental Medicine, „Iuliu Hațieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca; 3 Department of Oral and MaxilloFacial Surgery I, County Clinical Emergency Hospital of Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
A maximum entropy framework for part-based texture and object recognition

This paper presents a probabilistic part-based approach for texture and object recognition. Textures are represented using a part dictionary found by quantizing the appearance of scale- or affine- invariant keypoints. Object classes are represented using a dictionary of composite semi-local parts, or groups of neighboring keypoints with stable and distinctive appearance and geometric layout. A discriminative maximum entropy framework is used to learn the posterior distribution of the class label given the occurrences of parts from the dictionary in the training set. Experiments on two texture and two object databases demonstrate the effectiveness of this framework for visual classification.
Faktor Penentu Penyaluran Kredit Perbankan Studi Kasus Pada Bank Konvensional Di Indonesia

Pendapatan utama bank berasal dari penghasilan bunga dan penghasilan bunga tergantung pada jumlah kredit yang diberikan. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk menguji faktor-faktor yang menentukan besarnya penyaluran kredit bank. Variabel yang diduga berpengaruh terhadap penyaluran kredit bank adalah kecukupan permodalan bank yang diukur dengan capital adequacy ratio, risiko kredit periode sebelumnya yang diukur dengan non performing loan (NPLt-1), risiko likuiditas yang diukur dengan loan to deposit ratio, tingkat efisiensi bank yang diukur dengan rasio biaya operasi terhadap pendapatan operasi, dan suku bunga pinjaman. Sementara penyaluran kredit bank diukur dengan logaritma natural dari jumlah kredit yang diberikan. Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah bank konvensional yang terdaftar pada Bursa Efek Indonesia dengan sampel 40 bank menggunakan metode purposive sampling, dan periode pengamatan selama dua tahun (2015-2016). Uji hipotesis menggunakan regresi linear berganda dengan bantuan program SPSS versi 21.0. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan CAR berpengaruh signifikan tetapi negatif terhadap penyaluran kredit, sedangkan NPL tidak berpengaruh signifikan. LDR berpengaruh signifikan dan negatif, demikian pula dengan BOPO juga berpengaruh signifikan tetapi negatif terhadap penyaluran kredit perbankan. Suku bunga pinjaman (INT) pengaruhnya tidak signifikan terhadap penyaluran kredit perbankan.
Author ' s personal copy Should we be concerned over increasing body height and weight ?

Based on 36 years of research, this paper explores the impact of human height on chronic disease, life expectancy, and longevity. The findings presented challenge the common belief that promoting rapid growth and maximum height attainment is a desirable goal. Also presented, are the biological mechanisms related to height and longevity. This paper concludes with a review of paradoxes that face the traditional belief that taller is healthier. 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Signalling components involved in contraction-inducible substrate uptake into cardiac myocytes

Glucose and long-chain fatty acids (LCFA) are two major substrates used by heart and skeletal muscle to support contractile activity. In quiescent cardiac myocytes a substantial portion of the glucose transporter GLUT4 and the putative LCFA transporter fatty acid translocase (FAT)/CD36 are stored in intracellular compartments. Induction of cellular contraction by electrical stimulation results in enhanced uptake of both glucose and LCFA through translocation of GLUT4 and FAT/CD36 respectively to the sarcolemma. The involvement of protein kinase A, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms and the extracellular signal-regulated kinases was evaluated in cardiac myocytes as candidate signalling enzymes involved in recruiting these transporters in response to contraction. The collected evidence excluded the involvement of PKA and implicated an important role for AMPK and for one (or more) PKC isoform(s) in contraction-induced translocation of both GLUT4 and FAT/CD36. The unravelling of further components along this contraction pathway can provide valuable information on the coordinated regulation of the uptake of glucose and of LCFA by an increase in mechanical activity of heart and skeletal muscle.
Global multiprocessor scheduling of aperiodic tasks using time-independent priorities

We provide a constant time schedulability test for a multiprocessor server handling aperiodic tasks. Dhall's effect is avoided by dividing the tasks in two priority classes based on task utilization: heavy and light. We prove that if the load on the multiprocessor server stays below U/sub threshold/ = 3 - /spl radic/7 = 35.425%, the server can accept incoming aperiodic tasks and guarantee that the deadlines of all accepted tasks will be met. 35.425% utilization is also a threshold for a task to be characterized as heavy. The bound U/sub threshold/ = 3 - /spl radic/7 = 35.425% is easy-to-use, but not sharp if we know the number of processors in the multiprocessor. For a server with m processors, we calculate a formula for the sharp bound U/sub threshold/(m), which converges to Uthreshold from above as m - -. The results are based on a utilization function u/sub m/(x) = 2(1 - x)/(2 + /spl radic/(2 + 2x)) + x/m. By using this function, the performance of the multiprocessor can in some cases be improved beyond U/sub threshold/ (m) by paying the extra overhead of monitoring the individual utilization of the current tasks.
Efficacy and Safety of Pharmacokinetically Enhanced Amoxicillin-Clavulanate at 2,000/125 Milligrams Twice Daily for 5 Days versus Amoxicillin-Clavulanate at 875/125 Milligrams Twice Daily for 7 Days in the Treatment of Acute Exacerbations of Chronic Bronchitis

ABSTRACT This randomized, controlled trial was designed to show that a short, 5-day course of pharmacokinetically enhanced amoxicillin-clavulanate at 2,000/125 mg (Augmentin XR) is as effective clinically as a longer, 7-day course of conventional amoxicillin-clavulanate at 875/125 mg (both given twice daily) in the treatment of acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis (AECB). Amoxicillin-clavulanate at 2,000/125 mg was designed to extend the therapeutic levels of amoxicillin in serum over the 12-h dosing interval, compared with conventional formulations, to eradicate bacterial strains for which amoxicillin MICs were ≤4 μg/ml while retaining efficacy against β-lactamase-producing pathogens. A total of 893 patients were randomized and received study medication (amoxicillin-clavulanate at 2,000/125 mg for 443 patients and 875/125 mg for 450 patients). Overall, 141 patients receiving amoxicillin-clavulanate at 2,000/125 mg and 135 receiving the comparator formulation had at least one pathogen identified at screening. Amoxicillin-clavulanate at 2,000/125 mg was as effective clinically in the per-protocol (PP) population at the test of cure (days 14 to 21, primary efficacy endpoint) as amoxicillin-clavulanate at 875/125 mg (clinical success rates of 93.0 and 91.2%, respectively; treatment difference, 1.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], −2.2, 5.7). Bacteriological success in the bacteriology PP population was high for both formulations (amoxicillin-clavulanate at 2,000/125 mg, 76.7%; amoxicillin-clavulanate at 875/125 mg, 73.0%; treatment difference, 3.8; 95% CI, −7.5, 15.0). Both therapies were well tolerated, with a similar incidence of adverse events. Fewer than 5% of patients in each group withdrew from the study due to adverse events. The shorter, 5-day course of amoxicillin-clavulanate at 2,000/125 mg was shown to be as effective clinically as a longer, 7-day course of amoxicillin-clavulanate at 875/125 mg, with high bacteriological efficacy and no difference in tolerability.