Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Severity analysis of Osteoarthritis of knee joint from X-ray images: A Literature review

Osteoarthritis (OA) is most commonly a result of aging cartilage. Particularly in rural India, the percentage of people affected due to OA is much larger as compared to western countries. The reason may be due to lack of medical facilities and awareness of physical or diet practices as per our study. This paper focuses mainly on various aspects of severity analysis done by using radiographic detection of OA. The automated detection of OA based on KL grades corresponding to severity stages has been proposed by few researchers and gives better results whose analysis is done in this paper. Automatic approach using distance-based Active Shape Models to calculate the geometric parameters between tibia and femur from an anterior-posterior knee radiograph is one of the important method explored by few researchers and has significant results. Local binary pattern used in many pattern recognition methods is also useful in OA analysis is finding of researchers. Classification of OA based on Gabor kernel and Contrast-Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization (CLAHE) is also described in paper. This paper mainly focuses on all important issues related to feature extraction in OA and prime methodologies used by various researchers.
Exponential Adaptive Lag Synchronization of Memristive Neural Networks via Fuzzy Method and Applications in Pseudorandom Number Generators

This paper investigates the problem of exponential lag synchronization control of memristive neural networks (MNNs) via the fuzzy method and applications in pseudorandom number generators. Based on the knowledge of memristor and recurrent neural networks, the model of MNNs is established. Then, considering the state-dependent properties of memristor, a fuzzy model of MNNs is employed to provide a new way of analyzing the complicated MNNs with only two subsystems, and update laws for the connection weights of slave systems and controller gain are designed to make the slave systems exponentially lag synchronized with the master systems. Two examples about synchronization problems are presented to show the effectiveness of the obtained results, and an application of the obtained theory is also given in the pseudorandom number generator.
Ramadan Effect on Price Movements: Evidence from Pakistan

This paper attempts to verify the widespread perception that general price level tends to rise due to the month of Ramadan in Pakistan. For this purpose, the ARIMA methodology (simple and extended form), along with simple graphical and scenario analysis, has been applied on the monthly data for overall, food and non-food indices of consumer prices in Pakistan from July 1991 to December 2008. URL:[http://www.sbp. org.pk/publications/wpapers/2010/wp32.pdf]
IPO Underpricing to Retain Family Control Under Concentrated Ownership: Evidence from Hong Kong

This study examines whether family firms utilize IPO underpricing in order to retain family control as a means of avoiding outside blockholders. Using a sample of firms listed in Hong Kong where corporate ownership is concentrated, we find that larger IPO underpricing is associated with stronger family involvement, and with greater potential for diffusing ownership among family members. We further find evidence that firms with strong family involvement attract more subscription for their shares, have less concentrated outside blockholdings, and reduce ownership more slowly than do firms with weak family involvement, suggesting that family owners use underpricing to reduce outside blockholdings. We also find that firms controlled by family trusts have less IPO underpricing, suggesting that IPO underpricing and the family trust are effective substitute methods for retaining family control.
Mining Characteristic Patterns to Identify Web Users

Many web applications and analyses require user identification when direct identification is not available. However, identifying users based on existing attributes, e.g. client IP, in tracking data is often misleading. Instead, because identifying users based on their intrinsic behavior patterns is more effective, we propose using characteristic patterns to capture distinctive user behavior. A characteristic pattern is one that is more prevalent in the transactions of a particular user than in the other users’ transactions. In this paper, we formally defined user identification problem and characteristic pattern mining problem. We have also developed an algorithm for characteristic pattern mining and designed a naive Bayesian multi-net method to identify users. The results from numerical experiments using a comScore dataset have demonstrated both the projected effectiveness and efficiency of the approaches we proposed.
Vision Using Routines: A Functional Account of Vision

This paper presents the case for a functional account of vision. A variety of studies have consistently revealed “change blindness” or insensitivity to changes in the visual scene during an eye movement. These studies indicate that only a small part of the information in the scene is represented in the brain from moment to moment. It is still unclear, however, exactly what is included in visual representations. This paper reviews experiments using an extended visuo-motor task, showing that display changes affect performance differently depending on the observer's place in the task. These effects are revealed by increases in fixation duration following a change. Different task-dependent increases suggest that the visual system represents only the information that is necessary for the immediate visual task. This allows a principled exploration of the stimulus properties that are included in the internal visual representation. The task specificity also has a more general implication that vision should be conceptualized as an active process executing special purpose “routines” that compute only the currently necessary information. Evidence for this view and its implications for visual representations are discussed. Comparison of the change blindness phenomenon and fixation durations shows that conscious report does not reveal the extent of the representations computed by the routines.
Eating Behaviour among Multi-Ethnic Adolescents in a Middle-Income Country as Measured by the Self-Reported Children’s Eating Behaviour Questionnaire

Background Escalating weight gain among the Malaysian paediatric population necessitates identifying modifiable behaviours in the obesity pathway. Objectives This study describes the adaptation and validation of the Children’s Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ) as a self-report for adolescents, investigates gender and ethnic differences in eating behaviour and examines associations between eating behaviour and body mass index (BMI) z-scores among multi-ethnic Malaysian adolescents. Methodology This two-phase study involved validation of the Malay self-reported CEBQ in Phase 1 (n = 362). Principal Axis Factoring with Promax rotation, confirmatory factor analysis and reliability tests were performed. In Phase 2, adolescents completed the questionnaire (n = 646). Weight and height were measured. Gender and ethnic differences in eating behaviour were investigated. Associations between eating behaviour and BMI z-scores were examined with complex samples general linear model (GLM) analyses, adjusted for gender, ethnicity and maternal educational level. Results Exploratory factor analysis revealed a 35-item, 9-factor structure with ‘food fussiness’ scale split into two. In confirmatory factor analysis, a 30-item, 8-factor structure yielded an improved model fit. Reliability estimates of the eight factors were acceptable. Eating behaviours did not differ between genders. Malay adolescents reported higher Food Responsiveness, Enjoyment of Food, Emotional Overeating, Slowness in Eating, Emotional Undereating and Food Fussiness 1 scores (p<0.05) compared to Chinese and Indians. A significant negative association was observed between BMI z-scores and Food Fussiness 1 (‘dislike towards food’) when adjusted for confounders. Conclusion Although CEBQ is a valuable psychometric instrument, adjustments were required due to age and cultural differences in our sample. With the self-report, our findings present that gender, ethnic and weight status influenced eating behaviours. Obese adolescents were found to display a lack of dislike towards food. Future longitudinal and qualitative studies are warranted to further understand behavioural phenotypes of obesity to guide prevention and intervention strategies.
Microsatellite Diversity in Andhra Pradesh, India: Genetic Stratification Versus Social Stratification

DNA samples of 948 individuals belonging to 27 populations from southern Andhra Pradesh were analyzed for nine AmpFlSTR Profiler Plus loci. The nature and extent of genomic diversity within and between these populations have been examined with reference to socioeconomic and geographic affiliations. The results suggest that the average heterozygosity is uniformly high in these populations (>0.80) and that the patterns of allele distributions are similar across the populations. The value of the coefficient of gene differentiation and the AMOVA and structure analysis results suggest that these populations are highly homogeneous. The neighbor-joining tree constructed using either DA or FST distances suggests no intelligible pattern of population clusters based on ethnohistoric or geographic affiliations. All these observations suggest either a common recent origin of these populations or extensive gene flow across the populations that erased the original genetic differences. Given strict endogamy, the latter explanation can hold only if there has been unauthorized or unrecognized gene flow transecting the social boundaries. Nevertheless, the regression plot of average heterozygosity versus distance from the centroid (Rii), based on Harpending and Ward's (1982) model, and the genetic distances computed between different hierarchical groups within Andhra Pradesh tend to support this conjecture. Overall, the results suggest lack of a significant degree of genetic stratification that is consistent with social stratification in Andhra Pradesh. Furthermore, the neighbor-joining tree based on comparative data from other Indian and continental populations brings out a single and compact cluster of all the Andhra populations that is clearly separated from the rest.
The European Union and global emergencies : a law and policy analysis

Introduction: the European Union and Global Emergencies Part I: The European Union and Global Emergencies: Constitutional Challenges 1 The EU and Global Emergencies: Competence and Instruments Marise Cremona 2 Conflicts of Competence in Responding to Global Emergencies Alan Dashwood 3 Constitutional Limits to Delegated Powers Robert Schutze Part II: The European Union and Global Emergencies: Thematic Challenges 4 The European Union and Peaceful Settlement of Disputes in its Neighbourhood: the Emergence of a New Regional Security Actor? Steven Blockmans and Ramses A Wessel 5 Counter-terrorism and Fundamental Rights: Judicial Challenges and Legislative Changes after the Rulings in Kadi and PMOI Eleanor Spaventa 6 The EU and Energy Security: a Critical Review of the Legal Issues Peter D Cameron 7 The International Financial Crisis, Global Financial Governance and the European Union Jan Wouters, Steven Sterkx and Tim Corthaut 8 Debt Crisis as a Global Emergency: the European Economic Constitution and other Greek Fables Antonis Antoniadis 9 Securing Safety, Controlling Crises: Development and Misapplication of Food Law in the European Union Caoimhin MacMaolain 10 Food Safety at the WTO after Continued Suspension: a Paradigm Shift? Alessandra Arcuri 11 The EU and Human Trafficking: Framing a Regional Response to a Global Emergency Holly Cullen Part III: The European Union and Global Emergencies: The Perspective of the Institutions 12 Common Security and Defence Policy Crisis Management Missions: an Effective Tool for EU Response to Emergencies Gilles Marhic 13 The Constitutional Apparatus of the European Union: the Perspective of the European Commission Eric White 14 The European Parliament and EU External Aid: Measures of Response to Emergency Situations Daniela Gauci
Control of the proliferation versus meiotic development decision in the C. elegans germline through regulation of GLD-1 protein accumulation

Maintenance of the stem cell population in the C. elegans germline requires GLP-1/Notch signaling. We show that this signaling inhibits the accumulation of the RNA binding protein GLD-1. In a genetic screen to identify other genes involved in regulating GLD-1 activity, we identified mutations in the nos-3 gene, the protein product of which is similar to the Drosophila translational regulator Nanos. Our data demonstrate that nos-3 promotes GLD-1 accumulation redundantly with gld-2, and that nos-3 functions genetically downstream or parallel to fbf, an inhibitor of GLD-1 translation. We show that the GLD-1 accumulation pattern is important in controlling the proliferation versus meiotic development decision, with low GLD-1 levels allowing proliferation and increased levels promoting meiotic entry.
A data path layout assembler for high performance DSP circuits

A system is presented which automatically generates layout of bit-sliced data paths in high-performance DSP circuits. The system consists of a linear placement tool, a track assignment tool and detailed layout tools. Algorithms for linear placement of modules and routing track assignment across the modules are presented. By taking advantage of the inherent structure of the circuits, a linear placement algorithm based on the A* branch-and-bound search algorithm has produced better results than a simulated-annealing-based approach. <<ETX>>
Airway surface liquid volume expansion induces rapid changes in amiloride-sensitive Na+ transport across upper airway epithelium-Implications concerning the resolution of pulmonary edema

During airway inflammation, airway surface liquid volume (ASLV) expansion may result from the movement of plasma proteins and excess liquid into the airway lumen due to extravasation and elevation of subepithelial hydrostatic pressure. We previously demonstrated that elevation of submucosal hydrostatic pressure increases airway epithelium permeability resulting in ASLV expansion by 500 μL cm−2 h−1. Liquid reabsorption by healthy airway epithelium is regulated by active Na+ transport at a rate of 5 μL cm−2 h−1. Thus, during inflammation the airway epithelium may be submerged by a large volume of luminal liquid. Here, we have investigated the mechanism by which ASLV expansion alters active epithelial Na+ transport, and we have characterized the time course of the change. We used primary cultures of tracheal airway epithelium maintained under air interface (basal ASLV, depth is 7 ± 0.5 μm). To mimic airway flooding, ASLV was expanded to a depth of 5 mm. On switching from basal to expanded ASLV conditions, short‐circuit current (Isc, a measure of total transepithelial active ion transport) declined by 90% with a half‐time (t1/2) of 1 h. 24 h after the switch, there was no significant change in ATP concentration nor in the number of functional sodium pumps as revealed by [3H]‐ouabain binding. However, amiloride‐sensitive uptake of 22Na+ was reduced by 70% upon ASLV expansion. This process is reversible since after returning cells back to air interface, Isc recovered with a t1/2 of 5–10 h. These results may have important clinical implications concerning the development of Na+ channels activators and resolution of pulmonary edema.
Aspartoacylase-LacZ Knockin Mice: An Engineered Model of Canavan Disease

Canavan Disease (CD) is a recessive leukodystrophy caused by loss of function mutations in the gene encoding aspartoacylase (ASPA), an oligodendrocyte-enriched enzyme that hydrolyses N-acetylaspartate (NAA) to acetate and aspartate. The neurological phenotypes of different rodent models of CD vary considerably. Here we report on a novel targeted aspa mouse mutant expressing the bacterial β-Galactosidase (lacZ) gene under the control of the aspa regulatory elements. X-Gal staining in known ASPA expression domains confirms the integrity of the modified locus in heterozygous aspa lacZ-knockin (aspalacZ/+) mice. In addition, abundant ASPA expression was detected in Schwann cells. Homozygous (aspalacZ/lacZ) mutants are ASPA-deficient, show CD-like histopathology and moderate neurological impairment with behavioural deficits that are more pronounced in aspalacZ/lacZ males than females. Non-invasive ultrahigh field proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy revealed increased levels of NAA, myo-inositol and taurine in the aspalacZ/lacZ brain. Spongy degeneration was prominent in hippocampus, thalamus, brain stem, and cerebellum, whereas white matter of optic nerve and corpus callosum was spared. Intracellular vacuolisation in astrocytes coincides with axonal swellings in cerebellum and brain stem of aspalacZ/lacZ mutants indicating that astroglia may act as an osmolyte buffer in the aspa-deficient CNS. In summary, the aspalacZ mouse is an accurate model of CD and an important tool to identify novel aspects of its complex pathology.
Innovation Capabilities Evaluation Approach for Chinese Automobile Enterprises

There is a large consensus among academics and practitioners that innovation capability is the key of the development of automobile enterprises. Considering the traits of independent innovation, the author presents an original approach for the evaluation of innovation capabilities of Chinese automobile enterprises. The approach is based on the assumption of a relationship between specific resources managed by automotive firms and their innovation capabilities, and highlights the sustainable capabilities and long-term stratagem of innovation. After indicator system was proposed, a model for the qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis of innovation capabilities is derived from the D-S Evidence Theory. On accounting of applying D-S Evidence Theory, the model can handle uncertain fact and subjective evaluation effectively, and combine the evaluation results from multi-layer efficiently.
Isotropic stochastic procedural textures by example

Procedural textures have significant advantages over image textures. Procedural textures are compact, are resolution and size independent, often remove the need for a texture parameterization, can easily be parameterized and edited, and allow high quality antialiasing. However, creating procedural textures is more difficult than creating image textures. Creating procedural textures typically involves some sort of programming language or an interactive visual interface, while image textures can be created by simply taking a digital photograph. In this paper we present a method for creating procedural textures by example, designed for isotropic stochastic textures. From a single uncalibrated photograph of a texture we compute a small set of parameters that defines a procedural texture similar to the texture in the photograph. Our method allows us to replace image textures with similar procedural textures, combining the advantages of procedural textures and image textures. Our method for creating isotropic stochastic procedural textures by example therefore has the potential to dramatically improve the texturing and modeling process. CR Subject Classification : I.3. 3, I.3. 7. Report CW 546, May 2009, Department of Computer Science, Kat holieke Universiteit Leuven. Isotropic Stochastic Procedural Textures by Example Ares Lagae Peter Vangorp Toon Lenaerts Philip Dutr é Department of Computer Science Katholieke Universiteit Leuven ∗
Using Scenario Planning Data in System Dynamics Model Building

The main contribution of this paper is describing a traceable data analysis procedure for modelling scenarios using the results of a simplified Scenario Planning workshop. We first introduce our project where the ultimate goal is to develop a grounded model-based policy discussion tool for the Australian automotive recycling industry. We review current scenariobased model building techniques and highlight their practical gaps and then present the proposed procedure rooted in Qualitative Data Analysis approaches. We show how to update the Causal Loop Diagrams and Stock and Flow models and how to determine scenario conditions thus enabling a clear record of model building. Using an example from a real project, we highlight the main challenges of the procedure that are dealing with data scarcity, estimating new trends for variables, and deciding on the nature of the changes in the simulation models. The paper concludes by arguing how the procedure may benefit system dynamists that require a coherent and structured modelling trail or when it is more feasible to engage the stakeholders in an abbreviated Scenario Planning workshop instead of Group Model Building.
Genetic Networks Lead and Follow Tumor Development: MicroRNA Regulation of Cell Cycle and Apoptosis in the p53 Pathways

During the past ten years, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to play a more significant role in the formation and progression of cancer diseases than previously thought. With an increase in reports about the dysregulation of miRNAs in diverse tumor types, it becomes more obvious that classic tumor-suppressive molecules enter deep into the world of miRNAs. Recently, it has been demonstrated that a typical tumor suppressor p53, known as the guardian of the genome, regulates some kinds of miRNAs to contribute to tumor suppression by the induction of cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis. Meanwhile, miRNAs directly/indirectly control the expression level and activity of p53 to fine-tune its functions or to render p53 inactive, indicating that the interplay between p53 and miRNA is overly complicated. The findings, along with current studies, will underline the continuing importance of understanding this interlocking control system for future therapeutic strategies in cancer treatment and prevention.