Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interactive television format development - could participatory design bridge the gap?

This paper presents the results of an exploratory study, part of my Ph.D., focusing on 'viewer empowerment' in the audiovisual industry due to digitization and the emerging 'architecture of participation' [1] of Web2.0. In the 'traditional' broadcasting industry there are boundaries between the media professional and the non-professional (the audience) [2]. Web2.0 offers citizens/consumers the opportunity to create, distribute, share and publish all sorts of content (text, images, video, audio) via the internet. These changes in media consumption practices have consequences for the broadcasting industry and poses the question whether the traditional broadcasting industry is willing to adjust to this changing role of the viewer and open up to (inter)active non-professionals. The conclusion described, results from two preliminary studies that were meant to gain insight in a) ideas amongst internet and broadcasting specialists regarding viewer empowerment in interactive television formats and development and b) the current internet and interactive television usage in the greater Noord-Holland region. The studies indicate that internet and broadcasting professionals differ in the way they value end-user participation. However they have rather traditional ideas about making television. The different generations of end-users (e.g. 'digital natives', the younger people) have different needs; the audience changes. The use of participatory design could be an instrument for the broadcasting industry to bridge the gap.
A Real-Time Impedance Based Method to Assess Rhodococcus equi Virulence

Rhodococcus equi is a facultative intracellular pathogen of macrophages and the causative agent of foal pneumonia. R. equi virulence is usually assessed by analyzing intracellular growth in macrophages by enumeration of bacteria following cell lysis, which is time consuming and does not allow for a high throughput analysis. This paper describes the use of an impedance based real-time method to characterize proliferation of R. equi in macrophages, using virulent and attenuated strains lacking the vapA gene or virulence plasmid. Image analysis suggested that the time-dependent cell response profile (TCRP) is governed by cell size and roundness as well as cytoxicity of infecting R. equi strains. The amplitude and inflection point of the resulting TCRP were dependent on the multiplicity of infection as well as virulence of the infecting strain, thus distinguishing between virulent and attenuated strains.
Gene Identification: Classical and Computational Intelligence Approaches

Automatic identification of genes has been an actively researched area of bioinformatics. Compared to earlier attempts for finding genes, the recent techniques are significantly more accurate and reliable. Many of the current gene-finding methods employ computational intelligence techniques that are known to be more robust when dealing with uncertainty and imprecision. In this paper, a detailed survey on the existing classical and computational intelligence based methods for gene identification is carried out. This includes a brief description of the classical and computational intelligence methods before discussing their applications to gene finding. In addition, a long list of available gene finders is compiled. For the convenience of the readers, the list is enhanced by mentioning their corresponding web sites and commenting on the general approach adopted. An extensive bibliography is provided. Finally, some limitations of the current approaches and future directions are discussed.
Disorder inequality: a combinatorial approach to nearest neighbor search

We say that an algorithm for nearest neighbor search is combinatorial if only direct comparisons between two pairwise similarity values are allowed. Combinatorial algorithms for nearest neighbor search have two important advantages: (1) they do not map similarity values to artificial distance values and do not use the triangle inequality for the latter, and (2) they work for arbitrarily complicated data representations and similarity functions. In this paper we introduce a special property of the similarity function on a set S that leads to efficient combinatorial algorithms for S. The disorder constant D(S) of a set S is defined to ensure the following inequality: if x is the a'th most similar object to z and y is the b'th most similar object to z, then x is among the D(S) (a + b) most similar objects to y. Assuming that disorder is small we present the first two known combinatorial algorithms for nearest neighbors whose query time has logarithmic dependence on the size of S. The first one, called Ranwalk, is a randomized zero-error algorithm that always returns the exact nearest neighbor. It uses space quadratic in the input size in preprocessing, but is very efficient in query processing. The second algorithm, called Arwalk, uses near-linear space. It uses random choices in preprocessing, but the query processing is essentially deterministic. For an arbitrary query q, there is only a small probability that the chosen data structure does not support q Finally, we show that for the Reuters corpus average disorder is indeed quite small and that Ranwalk efficiently computes the nearest neighbor in most cases.
Knowledge Construction Process in Online Learning

2 Abstract: One of applications in online learning environment is the use of forum or discussion through online communication facilities as a learning activity. This paper focuses on the process of knowledge construction in online discussion designed to be used with mobile technology. The research participants comprised 45 post graduate students enrolled in a research methodology course. These participants were involved in the online discussion as one of the mode of delivery for the course. Data were collected through open ended questionaire to tap into their perceptions about online learning activity through online discussion. They were also asked to do metacognitive reflections to explain step by step on how do they make conclusion on th e meaning of a specific concept from the online discussion. Data were analysed using content analysis as the means of analysis. Result of the study shows majority of respondents agreed that online discussion helps the knowledge construction process through critical examinations of other peoples idea in the discussion. Overcoming psychological barriers is one of the important aspects offered by online environment that facilitate students involvement in constructing knowledge as compared to face to face discussion. Further analysis on the learning process revealed pattern of steps used by the students in constructing the meaning through the discussion process.
A systematic review: can one prescribe carbapenems to patients with IgE-mediated allergy to penicillins or cephalosporins?

BACKGROUND Cross-reactivity between penicillins or cephalosporins and carbapenems is anticipated as all have a beta lactam ring. However, the true incidence of immunoglobulin (Ig)E-mediated cross-reactivity is not known. METHODS A systematic review was conducted to collect and combine all published data on children and adults reported to have a clinical history of IgE-mediated hypersensitivity to a penicillin and/or cephalosporin who were subsequently given a carbapenem. Reactions were classified as proven, suspected, or possible IgE-mediated and non-IgE-mediated. RESULTS Ten studies and 12 case reports describing 854 participants fit the study criteria. For patients with previous proven, suspected, or possible IgE-mediated penicillin reactions (N = 838), the incidence of any type of suspected hypersensitivity reaction to a carbapenem was 36/838 (4.3%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.1%-5.9%) and the incidence of proven (1/838), suspected (0/838), or possible (19/838) IgE-mediated reactions was 20/838 (2.4%; 95% CI, 1.6%-3.7%). Of the subset of patients with positive penicillin skin tests (n = 295), only 1 had a hypersensitivity reaction (0.3%; 95% CI, .06%-1.9%), and this was a possible IgE-mediated reaction. For patients with previous proven, suspected, or possible IgE-mediated cephalosporin reactions (N = 12), the incidence of any type of hypersensitivity reaction to a carbapenem was 3/12 (25%); this included 2 non-IgE-mediated reactions and 1 possible IgE-mediated reaction. CONCLUSIONS The cross-reactivity between penicillins and carbapenems for IgE-mediated reactions is very low, but caution is still advised. Cross-reactivity rates may be higher between cephalosporins and carbapenems; however, minimal data are available.
Policies in communities: extending the ODP enterprise viewpoint

The Reference Model of Open Distributed Processing (RM-ODP) introduces the notion of an enterprise viewpoint and provides a minimum set of concepts for structuring enterprise language specifications. This paper extends the RM-ODP enterprise concepts by exploring how policy can be modelled within and between communities. A model for enterprise behaviour based on physical and social actions is presented.
Upregulation of CD40 and CD40 Ligand (CD154) in Patients With Moderate Hypercholesterolemia

Background—Hypercholesterolemia, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, is associated with inflammation and hypercoagulability. Both can be mediated by the CD40 system. This study investigated whether the CD40 system is upregulated in patients with moderate hypercholesterolemia and whether it is influenced by therapy with a hydroxymethylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitor. Methods and Results—Fifteen patients with moderate hypercholesterolemia and 15 healthy control subjects were investigated. CD154 and P-selectin were analyzed on platelets and CD40 was analyzed on monocytes before and under therapy with the statin cerivastatin by double-label flow cytometry. Blood concentrations of soluble CD154 and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) were evaluated. Our main findings were as follows. Patients with moderate hypercholesterolemia showed a significant increase of CD154 and P-selectin on platelets and CD40 on monocytes compared with healthy subjects. Soluble CD154 showed a nonsignificant trend for higher plasma levels in patients. A positive correlation was found for total or LDL cholesterol and CD154, but not for CD40 on monocytes. The latter was upregulated in vitro by C-reactive protein, which was found to be significantly elevated in patients with moderate hypercholesterolemia. CD154 on platelets proved to be biologically active because it enhanced the release of MCP-1, which was markedly elevated in an in vitro platelet-endothelial cell coculture model and in the serum of patients. Short-term therapy with a HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor significantly downregulated CD40 on monocytes and serum levels of MCP-1. Conclusion—Patients with moderate hypercholesterolemia show upregulation of the CD40 system, which may contribute to the known proinflammatory, proatherogenic, and prothrombotic milieu found in these patients.
Occam's Two Razors: The Sharp and the Blunt

Occam's razor has been the subject of much controversy. This paper argues that this is partly because it has been interpreted in two quite different ways, the first of which (simplicity is a goal in itself) is essentially correct, while the second (simplicity leads to greater accuracy) is not. The paper reviews the large variety of theoretical arguments and empirical evidence for and against the "second razor," and concludes that the balance is strongly against it. In particular, it builds on the case of (Schaffer, 1993) and (Webb, 1996) by considering additional theoretical arguments and recent empirical evidence that the second razor fails in most domains. A version of the first razor more appropriate to KDD is proposed, and we argue that continuing to apply the second razor risks causing significant opportunities to be missed.
Acre: a Method for Supporting Strong Consistency and Adaptivity in Replicated Data Storage

As most key-value stores partition and replicate data to support high availability with no strong consistency guarantee among replicas, users may suffer from data inconsistency. Although previous research has been done to support strong consistency among replicated data, most existing approaches suffer from potential hotspots and load imbalance. Neither do they consider dynamic data access patterns that may largely vary over time. In this paper, we propose a new approach, called ACRE (Adaptive Chain REplication), to support strong consistency among data replicas, hotspot avoidance and load balancing, and adaptivity to dynamic data access patterns.
Free Pre-Lie Algebras are Free as Lie Algebras

Abstract We prove that the $\mathfrak{S}$ -module PreLie is a free Lie algebra in the category of $\mathfrak{S}$ -modules and can therefore be written as the composition of the $\mathfrak{S}$ -module Lie with a new $\mathfrak{S}$ -module $X$ . This implies that free pre-Lie algebras in the category of vector spaces, when considered as Lie algebras, are free on generators that can be described using $X$ . Furthermore, we define a natural filtration on the $\mathfrak{S}$ -module $X$ . We also obtain a relationship between $X$ and the $\mathfrak{S}$ -module coming from the anticyclic structure of the PreLie operad.
Log Double Power Law for Concrete Creep

An improved law of creep of concrete at constant humidity and temperature is proposed. The well-known double power law gives too high a final slope of creep curves compared to available test data. This is remedied by a new formula which exhibits a continuous transition from a power curve to a straight line in the logarithm of creep duration. The straight line has the same slope for all ages at loading, and the higher the age at loading, the longer is the duration at which the transition occurs. The exponent of the initial power curve is higher than that used in the double power law and is much too high in comparison with the existing test results for very short load durations in the dynamic range. This penalty, however, is outweighed by better extrapolation to very long load durations. The new formula significantly restricts the occurrence of divergence of creep curves at various ages at loading but does not eliminate it completely unless closeness of data fit is sacrificed. The new formula also greatly reduces the occurrence of negative values at the end of calculated stress relaxation curves. Extensive statistical analysis of most test data available in the literature reveals a relatively modest improvement in the overall coefficient of variation for the deviations of the formula from test data and a significant improvement for the deviations of the final slope from its measured value. The same improvements were achieved in an earlier study in which the transition from the power law to the logarithmic law was abrupt, with a discontinuity in curvature. The continuity of curvature in the present formulation is desirable for applications in data extrapolation.
A bound on the number of integrators needed to linearize a control system

For nonlinear control systems, the authors consider the problem of dynamic feedback linearization. In particular, for a restricted class of dynamic compensators that correspond to adding chains of integrators to the inputs, the authors give an upper bound for the order of the compensator that needs to be considered. Moreover, in the case of 2-input systems, it is shown that this bound is sharp.
If You're so Smart, Why Aren't You Rich? Belief Selection in Complete and Incomplete Markets

This paper provides an analysis of the asymptotic properties of consumption allocations in a stochastic general equilibrium model with heterogeneous consumers. In particular we investigate the market selection hypothesis, that markets favor traders with more accurate beliefs. We show that in any Pareto optimal allocation whether each consumer vanishes or survives is determined entirely by discount factors and beliefs. Since equilibrium allocations in economies with complete markets are Pareto optimal, our results characterize the limit behavior of these economies. We show that, all else equal, the market selects for consumers who use Bayesian learning with the truth in the support of their prior and selects among Bayesians according to the size of the their parameter space. Finally, we show that in economies with incomplete markets these conclusions may not hold. Payoff functions can matter for long run survival, and the market selection hypothesis fails.
Spatial-Temporal correlatons for unsupervised action classification

Spatial-temporal local motion features have shown promising results in complex human action classification. Most of the previous works [6],[16],[21] treat these spatial- temporal features as a bag of video words, omitting any long range, global information in either the spatial or temporal domain. Other ways of learning temporal signature of motion tend to impose a fixed trajectory of the features or parts of human body returned by tracking algorithms. This leaves little flexibility for the algorithm to learn the optimal temporal pattern describing these motions. In this paper, we propose the usage of spatial-temporal correlograms to encode flexible long range temporal information into the spatial-temporal motion features. This results into a much richer description of human actions. We then apply an unsupervised generative model to learn different classes of human actions from these ST-correlograms. KTH dataset, one of the most challenging and popular human action dataset, is used for experimental evaluation. Our algorithm achieves the highest classification accuracy reported for this dataset under an unsupervised learning scheme.
A graded-embodied theory account for the processing of emotional stimuli: the case of sentences, images, and faces.

concepts (positive and negative items) and concrete concepts (spatial location). 2.2. A critique to the embodied cognition framework Most experiments reported here implicitly assume that embodiment always occurs, independently of this being an automatic process or not. Moreover, embodied theory researchers assume that the processing of both concrete and abstract concepts entail sensorimotor properties. However, such a radical embodiment view has started to be challenged after critically reviewing some of the data, particularly neuroscientific, obtained thus far. For instance, the case of apraxia posits a challenge for the predictions made by the embodiment theory. Apraxia is characterised by loss of the ability to execute well-known movements despite having the physical ability to perform the movement, e.g., a patient is presented with a hammer and cannot perform the canonical action it affords despite being physically able to do so. In
Methylseleninic acid elevates REDD1 and inhibits prostate cancer cell growth despite AKT activation and mTOR dysregulation in hypoxia

Methylseleninic acid (MSeA) is a monomethylated selenium metabolite theoretically derived from subsequent β‐lyase or transamination reactions of dietary Se‐methylselenocysteine that has potent antitumor activity by inhibiting cell proliferation of several cancers. Our previous studies showed that MSeA promotes apoptosis in invasive prostate cancer cells in part by downregulating hypoxia‐inducible factor HIF‐1α. We have now extended these studies to evaluate the impact of MSeA on REDD1 (an mTOR inhibitor) in inducing cell death of invasive prostate cancer cells in hypoxia. In both PTEN+ and PTEN− prostate cancer cells we show that MSeA elevates REDD1 and phosphorylation of AKT along with p70S6K in hypoxia. Furthermore, REDD1 induction by MSeA is independent of AKT and the mTOR inhibition in prostate cancer cells causes partial resistance to MSeA‐induced growth reduction in hypoxia. Our data suggest that MSeA induces REDD1 and inhibits prostate cancer cell growth in hypoxia despite activation of AKT and dysregulation of mTOR.
The Outer Regions of the Nearby Sc Galaxies NGC 2403 and M33: Evidence for an Intermediate-Age Population at Large Radii

Deep g′r′i′z′ images obtained with the Gemini Multiobject Spectrograph (GMOS) on Gemini North are used to investigate the stellar content in the outer regions of the nearby Sc galaxies NGC 2403 and M33. The field observed in NGC 2403 covers galactocentric distances between 5 and 11 kpc perpendicular to the line of sight (R) and 7 and 19 kpc along the plane of the disk (R). The red giant branch (RGB) tip occurs at i′ = 23.6 ± 0.1, and the Cepheid and RGB-tip distance scales for NGC 2403 are in good agreement. The number density of bright main-sequence stars in this field experiences a steep cutoff at R ∼ 10 kpc, which is consistent with the expected truncation radius of the disk predicted from studies of edge-on spiral galaxies. While very young stars are restricted to R < 10 kpc, a population of bright asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars is present throughout the entire GMOS field, indicating that star formation occurred outside of the present-day star-forming disk of NGC 2403 during intermediate epochs. The AGB stars are not in a tidal stream; in fact, the ratio of AGB stars above the RGB tip to those below the RGB tip does not change with radius, indicating that the bright AGB stars are uniformly mixed with the fainter stellar content throughout the field. The AGB luminosity function (LF) scales with r-band surface brightness over a wide range of radii throughout the main body of NGC 2403, indicating that the age distribution of stars in the outer regions of the present-day star-forming disk is not skewed to younger values than in the inner disk. Based on the color of stars on the upper portions of the RGB, it is concluded that metallicity changes across the field, with [Fe/H] = -0.8 ± 0.1(random) ± 0.3(systematic) at R = 5 kpc, and [Fe/H] = -2.2 ± 0.2(random) ± 0.8(systematic) at R = 11 kpc. The M33 field samples R between 8 and 10 kpc and R between 14 and 17 kpc. Bright AGB stars are detected in this field, and the ratio of bright AGB stars to stars on the upper RGB is at least as large as that measured in the outer regions of NGC 2403; thus, an intermediate-age population occurs well outside of the young star-forming disk of M33. The color of stars on the upper RGB suggests that [Fe/H] = -1.0 ± 0.3(random) ± 0.3(systematic) in this field. The globular cluster systems of both NGC 2403 and M33 contain objects that formed during intermediate epochs, and it is suggested that the luminous AGB stars detected in the current study are the field counterparts of these clusters. The detection of intermediate-age stars in the outer regions of these galaxies is consistent with models in which late-type spiral galaxies formed more slowly than earlier-type systems.