Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Radio images of the microquasar GRS 1758 258

We present sensitive images of the microquasar GRS 1758 258 at two dierent radio wavelengths. The positions, flux densities and spectral indices of the central source and the extended radio lobes are reported. Our results conrm the synchrotron nature of the radio lobes. We also present a very deep radio image of the jet flow at arcminute scales. The source VLA-C, previously proposed as the exciting source of the system, is found to coincide with the Chandra position.
Toward a Generalised Tensegrity Model Describing the Mechanical Behaviour of the Cytoskeleton Structure

The control of many cell functions including growth, migration and mechanotransduction, depends crucially on stress-induced mechanical changes in cell shape and cytoskeleton (CSK) structure. Quantitative studies have been carried out on 6-bar tensegrity models to analyse several mechanical parameters involved in the mechanical responses of adherent cells (i.e. strain hardening, internal stress and scale effects). In the present study, we attempt to generalize some characteristic mechanical laws governing spherical tensegrity structures, with a view of evaluating the mechanical behaviour of the hierarchical multi-modular CSK-structure. The numerical results obtained by studying four different tensegrity models are presented in terms of power laws and point to the existence of unique and constant relationships between the overall structural stiffness and the local properties (length, number and internal stress) of the constitutive components.
Vegetation Diversity and Soil Physico-chemical Properties Under Traditional Management of Rangeland in Eastern Ethiopia

The changes of herbaceous vegetation (composition, diversity, richness, evenness, and biomass production) and soil physico-chemical attributes of Harshin rangelands, eastern Ethiopia were examined under continuously open grazed areas and three ages of enclosures group arranged along chronological sequence into: < 5 years (young), 5-10 years (mid) and > 10 years (old). The herbaceous species composition showed a clear pattern of difference between the enclosure and open access grazed areas with desirable species being more prevalent in the enclosures and the undesirable ones being dominant in the open access grazed areas. The principal component analyses (PCA) of herbaceous species composition were accounted distinct across the open grazing young, mid and old enclosure management types. The diversity, richness and biomass production of herbaceous species were significantly different in the study area. The principal component analysis (PCA) of soil physico-chemical attributes showed distinct separation in relation to open grazing and three age enclosure areas. Overall, we found that the increased biomass production in the old enclosures may threat the herbaceous species diversity by dominating by only few species and hence affected the plants which are susceptible for species inter-competition.
Optimized Invariant Representation of Network Traffic for Detecting Unseen Malware Variants

New and unseen polymorphic malware, zero-day attacks, or other types of advanced persistent threats are usually not detected by signature-based security devices, firewalls, or anti-viruses. This represents a challenge to the network security industry as the amount and variability of incidents has been increasing. Consequently, this complicates the design of learning-based detection systems relying on features extracted from network data. The problem is caused by different joint distribution of observation (features) and labels in the training and testing data sets. This paper proposes a classification system designed to detect both known as well as previously-unseen security threats. The classifiers use statistical feature representation computed from the network traffic and learn to recognize malicious behavior. The representation is designed and optimized to be invariant to the most common changes of malware behaviors. This is achieved in part by a feature histogram constructed for each group of HTTP flows (proxy log records) of a user visiting a particular hostname and in part by a feature self-similarity matrix computed for each group. The parameters of the representation (histogram bins) are optimized and learned based on the training samples along with the classifiers. The proposed classification system was deployed on large corporate networks, where it detected 2,090 new and unseen variants of malware samples with 90% precision (9 of 10 alerts were malicious), which is a considerable improvement when compared to the current flow-based approaches or existing signature-based web security devices.
The ESSEX (European Scimed Stent Experience) study

The aim of the study was to assess the safety and feasibility of implantation of the Scimed Radius stent. Secondary objectives were to assess the result of stent placement by quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). The ESSEX study was a prospective, multicenter, observational study in which candidates for a single elective stent implantation, in a de novo or restenotic lesion, reference diameter 2.75–4.00 mm and target lesion < 14 mm in length, were enrolled. QCA at baseline, postprocedure, and 6‐month follow‐up was performed. IVUS was used to assess optimal stent implantation. One hundred and three patients were enrolled. Forty‐four percent of the patients had unstable angina. Stent implantation was technically successful in all patients. Additional stents were implanted in 17 patients for procedural dissection (16) and spasm (1). Ninety‐seven percent of patients were event‐free at 1 month and 76% at 6‐month follow‐up. Angiographic restenosis rates for de novo lesions and for all patients were 19% and 21%, respectively. Clinical events occurred at 1‐ and 6‐month follow‐up in 2.9% and 24.3% of patients, respectively. No patients suffered subacute thrombosis. Retrospective analysis of peak balloon inflation pressure (≤ 12 and > 12 atm) as a determinant of clinical, QCA, and IVUS outcomes suggested no benefit or detrimental effect from optimization with high‐pressure balloon inflation. Implantation of the self‐expanding Radius stent is safe and efficacious. Based on registry data, clinical, angiographic, and IVUS, data comparable with modern balloon‐expandable stents were obtained. Cathet. Cardiovasc. Intervent. 50:419–425, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Reporting of Observational Clinical Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Studies: A Systematic Review

Introduction Complete reporting assists readers in confirming the methodological rigor and validity of findings and allows replication. The reporting quality of observational functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies involving clinical participants is unclear. Objectives We sought to determine the quality of reporting in observational fMRI studies involving clinical participants. Methods We searched OVID MEDLINE for fMRI studies in six leading journals between January 2010 and December 2011.Three independent reviewers abstracted data from articles using an 83-item checklist adapted from the guidelines proposed by Poldrack et al. (Neuroimage 2008; 40: 409–14). We calculated the percentage of articles reporting each item of the checklist and the percentage of reported items per article. Results A random sample of 100 eligible articles was included in the study. Thirty-one items were reported by fewer than 50% of the articles and 13 items were reported by fewer than 20% of the articles. The median percentage of reported items per article was 51% (ranging from 30% to 78%). Although most articles reported statistical methods for within-subject modeling (92%) and for between-subject group modeling (97%), none of the articles reported observed effect sizes for any negative finding (0%). Few articles reported justifications for fixed-effect inferences used for group modeling (3%) and temporal autocorrelations used to account for within-subject variances and correlations (18%). Other under-reported areas included whether and how the task design was optimized for efficiency (22%) and distributions of inter-trial intervals (23%). Conclusions This study indicates that substantial improvement in the reporting of observational clinical fMRI studies is required. Poldrack et al.'s guidelines provide a means of improving overall reporting quality. Nonetheless, these guidelines are lengthy and may be at odds with strict word limits for publication; creation of a shortened-version of Poldrack's checklist that contains the most relevant items may be useful in this regard.
Total hip arthroplasty with cementless cups and femoral head autografts for patients with hip dysplasia and osteoarthritis.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the outcome of total hip arthroplasty (THA) with cementless cups and femoral head autografts for patients with hip dysplasia and osteoarthritis. METHODS Between 1995 and 2002, we implanted 23 cementless cups and femoral head autografts in 20 patients with hip dysplasia and osteoarthritis. In this study, a retrospective study was made on 21 hips in 20 patients (18 females and 2 males, aged 50 years on an average) with developmental hip dysplasia treated by THA with a cementless cup and femoral head autograft. The acetabular cup was placed at the level of the true acetabulum and all the patients required autogenous femoral head grafts due to acetabular deficiency. The average rate of the acetabular cup covered by the femoral head autograft was 31% (ranging from 10% to 45%). Eight hips had less than 25% cup coverage and thirteen between 25% and 50%. The average follow-up period was 4.7 years (range, 1-8 years). The replacing outcome was evaluated by modified Harris hip score. Preoperative and follow-up radiographs were made. RESULTS All the autografts were united to the host bones. No autograft was collapsed or no component from the hip was loosed in all the patients. According to the modified Harris hip score, the average hip score increased from 46 before operation to 89 at the final review. Before operation, the leg-length discrepancy was greater than 2 cm in all the patients except one with bilateral hip dysplasia. After operation, only 2 out of 20 patients had a leg-length discrepancy greater than 1 cm. Three hips showed minor bone resorption in the lateral portion of the graft, which did not support the cup. Three hips developed Grade 1 Brooker heterotopic ossification and one developed Grade 2. CONCLUSIONS THA with a cementless cup and a femoral head autograft for patients with osteoarthritis resulted from hip dysplasia can result in favorable outcomes. This method can provide reliable acetabular fixation and restore the acetabular bone stock in patients with developmental hip dysplasia when the cementless cup covered by the graft does not exceed 50%.
A robust machine learning approach for credit risk analysis of large loan level datasets using deep learning and extreme gradient boosting

In the aftermath of global financial crisis of 2007–2008, central banks have put forward data statistics initiatives in order to boost their supervisory and monetary policy functions which will lead to central banks possessing big databases increasing the need for robust data mining processes and financial statistical modelling to support more informed decision making. Conventional econometric methods fail to capture efficiently the information contained in the full spectrum of the datasets. To address these challenges, in this work we investigate the analysis of a corporate credit loans big dataset using cutting edge machine learning techniques and deep learning neural networks. The novelty of our approach lies in the combination of a data mining algorithms that aim to reduce dimensionality in the data and increase accuracy in predicting the future behaviour of corporate loans, to facilitate a more effective micro and macro supervision of credit risk in the Greek banking system. Our analysis is based on a large dataset of loan level data, spanning a 10 year period of the Greek economy with the purpose of performing obligor credit quality classification and quantification of Probability of Default under a through the cycle setup. We perform extensive comparisons of the classification and forecasting accuracy of the proposed methods, using a 3-years’ period out-of-time sample. Our experimental results are benchmarked against other traditional methods, like logistic regression and discriminant analysis methods, yielding significantly superior performance. In the final stage of our analysis, a robust through the cycle financial credit rating is developed which can offer a proactive monitoring mechanism of the credit risk dynamics in a financial system. Finally the methodological framework introduced can support a more in depth analysis of database initiatives like ECB AnaCredit.
Acoustic imaging, visual observations, and other information used for classification of tuna aggregations associated with floating objects in the Pacific Ocean

Purse seiners operating in the Pacific Ocean catch large quantities, in various proportions, of skipjack, yellowfin, and bigeye tunas associated with floating objects, in particular fish-aggregating devices (FADs). There is concern about the high fishing mortality rates on small bigeye and yellowfin tunas associated with floating objects from purse-seine fisheries, and the negative impact on sustainable yields from those populations. Most captains of large-scale industrial purse-seine vessels operating in the Pacific Ocean have 10 or more years experience fishing for tunas in association with FADs. Through the use of echo-sounders and sonars on the bridges of these vessels, along with a priori knowledge of the acoustic signatures, depth distributions, and behavior, by geographical region and oceanographic conditions, of the various species, along with visual observations of the mixed-species aggregations, captains should have a fairly good idea of the quantities and sizes of each species before they set their nets. Each set provides an opportunity to verify their estimates, and thus develop their expertise in determining the species and size compositions of the fish in the aggregations before they set their nets. This paper describes the anatomical and behavioral differences in these three tuna species, their acoustic images, and other relevant information used for estimation of their presence, quantity, and sizes when associated with floating objects in the Pacific Ocean.
Productivity of new rice for Africa under different contour patterns in northern Guinea Savanna of Kaduna State, Nigeria

This study investigated productive and profitability capacities of contour farming technologies in rice production in Barangwaje, Ikara Local Government Area and Dutsen Abba in Zaria Local Government Area of Kaduna State. In Barangwaje, 36 and 28 farmers from Dutsen Abba were selected based on interest for the trials. To compare the profitability, seeds, land preparation, fertilizer application and use of family labour, among others were used. Stochastic frontier model was employed to determine the efficiencies of contour rice farmers. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, gross margin analysis and stochastic frontier model. The results showed that almost all (96%) of the respondents had annual income between ₦ 100, 000 and ₦150,000. High proportion (76%) of the respondents had extension contact and all the farmer had access to agricultural credit. In Barangwaje, the gross margin for one hectare of land cultivated was ₦420,253.75 for contour, ₦88,508.75 for contour + ridge-tie, N1,791.25 for flat land and ₦45,357.50 for farmer’s practice (up-down slope). In Dutsen Abba, gross margin obtained shows that contour + ridge tie had ₦34,978.56, flat land had ₦26,132.06, contour had ₦2,313.00 and farmer’s practice (up-down slope) had ₦114.31. Investment in rice cultivation was profitable as indicated by return per Naira invested. Stochastic frontier model shows that contour rice farmers were highly efficient as indicated by the value of gama (0.99), which implies that 99% of the variation of output from frontier was due to technical efficiency of the farmers. It concluded that rice production was highly profitable. Measures should be in place to reduce importation of rice in order to encourage local production. Constraints faced by farmers were not indicated in the abstract. Keywords: Rice, contour, contour + tie, profitability, allocative, efficiency
Relationship between Pulse Wave Velocity and Carotid Atherosclerosis in Geriatric People

Objective: To investigate the relationship between the pulse wave velocity (PWV) and angiographic carotid atherosclerosis in elderly patients. Method: 103 consecutive elderly patients were divided into two groups according to the results of cerebral angiography: carotid atherosclerosis group and normal carotid angiogram group. Basic clinical information was required by a standardized questionnaire. Carotid-femoral PWV (cfPWV) as a marker of Stiffness of artery was measured, Carotid intima media thickness (IMT) and carotid stenosis degree in angiography was evaluated. Independent-sample t test was used to evaluate the difference in cfPWV between the two groups, Bivariate associations between cfPWV and an index of extracoronary atherosclerosis (IMT and severity of stenosis) was performed. Result: Among 103 subjects, 55 with carotid atherosclerosis and 48 with a normal carotid angiogram, a significant difference between the two groups in IMT and PWV was found (P<0.05), and the cfPWV was significantly correlated with IMT (r = 0.3222, P = 0.0315), but not severity of carotid stenosis (r = 0.1573, P = 0.3137). Conclusion: cfPWV showed a positive correlation to carotid IMT, and maybe is a potentially useful adjunctive atherosclerotic risk marker to Identify of early carotid atherosclerosis.
Fitting Mixtures of Kent Distributions to Aid in Joint Set Identification

When examining a rock mass, joint sets and their orientations can play a significant role with regard to how the rock mass will behave. To identify joint sets present in the rock mass, the orientation of individual fracture planes can be measured on exposed rock faces and the resulting data can be examined for heterogeneity. In this article, the expectation–maximization algorithm is used to fit mixtures of Kent component distributions to the fracture data to aid in the identification of joint sets. An additional uniform component is also included in the model to accommodate the noise present in the data.
Alternating versus hybrid MOPP and ABVD combinations in advanced Hodgkin's disease: ten-year results.

PURPOSE To compare, in a prospective randomized trial, the efficacy of two different sequences of mechlorethamine, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone (MOPP) and doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (ABVD) chemotherapy in untreated advanced Hodgkin's disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS From June 1982 to September 1990, 427 consecutive previously untreated patients with pathologic stage IB, IIA bulky, IIB, III (A and B), and IV (A and B) disease were prospectively randomized to receive two different sequences of MOPP and ABVD for a minimum of six cycles followed by radiotherapy (median dose, 30 Gy) to the nodal site(s) of pretreatment bulky disease. Of 415 assessable patients, 211 received one cycle of MOPP monthly, alternated with one cycle of ABVD (alternating regimen), and 204 patients received one-half cycle of MOPP alternated with one-half cycle of ABVD within a 1-month period (hybrid regimen). RESULTS The complete remission (CR) rate was 91% with the alternating regimen and 89% with the hybrid regimen. At 10 years, the freedom-from-progression (FFP) rate was 67% versus 69% and the overall survival (OS) rate was 74% versus 72%, respectively. After attainment of CR, 85 patients relapsed in nodal (n = 60) versus extranodal with or without nodal (n = 25) sites. In patients given consolidative radiation because of bulky lymphoma, the true recurrence rate was 13%. A total of 23 second malignancies (6%) were documented, including 11 cases of acute nonlymphocytic leukemia. No cases of congestive heart failure attributable to doxorubicin or pulmonary toxicity related to bleomycin were documented. CONCLUSION By delivering MOPP and ABVD, it is possible to cure approximately 70% of patients with advanced Hodgkin's disease. The two different drug sequences yielded superimposable results.
Transcriptional Mechanism of Jasmonate Receptor COI1-Mediated Delay of Flowering Time in Arabidopsis[OPEN]

Underlying the jasmonate receptor COI1-mediated delay of flowering, the APETALA2 transcription factors TOE1 and TOE2 interact with a subset of JAZ repressors to regulate the expression of FT. Flowering time of plants must be tightly regulated to maximize reproductive success. Plants have evolved sophisticated signaling network to coordinate the timing of flowering in response to their ever-changing environmental conditions. Besides being a key immune signal, the lipid-derived plant hormone jasmonate (JA) also regulates a wide range of developmental processes including flowering time. Here, we report that the CORONATINE INSENSITIVE1 (COI1)-dependent signaling pathway delays the flowering time of Arabidopsis thaliana by inhibiting the expression of the florigen gene FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT). We provide genetic and biochemical evidence that the APETALA2 transcription factors (TFs) TARGET OF EAT1 (TOE1) and TOE2 interact with a subset of JAZ (jasmonate-ZIM domain) proteins and repress the transcription of FT. Our results support a scenario that, when plants encounter stress conditions, bioactive JA promotes COI1-dependent degradation of JAZs. Degradation of the JAZ repressors liberates the transcriptional function of the TOEs to repress the expression of FT and thereby triggers the signaling cascades to delay flowering. Our study identified interacting pairs of TF and JAZ transcriptional regulators that underlie JA-mediated regulation of flowering, suggesting that JA signals are converted into specific context-dependent responses by matching pairs of TF and JAZ proteins.
Information Transfer at Hospital Discharge: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND Prompt, complete, and accurate information transfer at the time of discharge between hospital-based and primary care providers (PCPs) is needed for the provision of safe and effective care. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY To evaluate timeliness, quality, and interventions to improve timeliness and quality of hospital discharge summaries. DATA SOURCES PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Scopus database published in English between January 2007 and February 2014 were searched. We also hand-searched bibliographies of relevant articles. STUDY SELECTION Observational studies investigating transfer of information at hospital discharge (n = 7) and controlled studies evaluating interventions to improve timeliness and quality of discharge information (n = 12) were included. DATA EXTRACTION We extracted data on availability, timeliness, and content of hospital discharge summaries and on the effectiveness of interventions targeting discharge summaries. Results of studies are presented narratively and using descriptive statistics. DATA SYNTHESIS Across the studies, discharge summaries were completed within 48 hours in a median of 67% and were available to PCPs within 48 hours only 55% of the time. Most of the time, discharge summaries included demographics, primary diagnosis, hospital course, and discharge instructions. However, information was limited to pending test results (25%), diagnostic tests performed (60%), and postdischarge medications (78%). In 6 interventional studies, implementation of electronic discharge summaries was associated with improvement in timeliness but not quality. CONCLUSIONS Delayed or insufficient transfer of discharge information between hospital-based providers and PCPs remains common. Creation of electronic discharge summaries seems to improve timeliness and availability but does not consistently improve quality.