Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Event detection from time-series streams using directional change and dynamic thresholds

Event Detection from data streams is challenging due to the characteristics of such streams, where data elements arrive in real-time and at high velocity, as well as being streams of unbounded size, even more it is not possible to backtrack over the past arrived data elements or review and keep track of the entire history. Financial time-series streams are a source of financial data (tick data) at fine time scales. In this research, we aim to detect events occurring within time-series streams, and our approach utilises the Directional Change Approach, which summarizes price movements based on a given threshold to detect events. In this paper, we propose a dynamic threshold definition method to be used for detecting the directional change events. The threshold is calculated on a daily basis based on previous day price transitions and the current day opening price. An experiment was run for more than 30 weeks to detect the occurring directional change events on a time-series stream, with one minute data flow levels (one minute frequency) to test our threshold definition method against different fixed threshold values. The detected events were evaluated against news headlines published regarding the studied share on the same day the event was found. The results revealed that a daily dynamic calculated threshold more accurately detected events than different static fixed threshold values.
Lightning Initiation Processes Imaged With Very High Frequency Broadband Interferometry

Recent measurements of narrow bipolar lightning events (NBEs) by very high frequency (VHF) radio interferometer have resolved the dynamic development of this special lightning process with submicrosecond time resolution, and showed that the fast positive breakdown (FPB) process is responsible for initiating at least some lightning flashes. In this study, with a newly built and deployed VHF interferometer system, we analyzed 31 intracloud lightning flash initiation events during three thunderstorms at short range from the interferometer. These events separate into two distinct classes that can be identified based on the time scale and the occurrence contexts of the first detectable VHF emissions from the flash. One class has features completely consistent with previously reported FPB events and is associated with continuous VHF emissions of 10–20 μs duration. Downward motion of the FPB region centroid merged continuously into the development of the subsequent upward negative leaders. But the majority of the lightning flashes analyzed began with ultrashort, submicrosecond duration, isolated pulses of VHF emission with no identifiable FPB signatures between these pulses and the leader development. These short VHF pulses begin typically a few hundred microseconds before the upward leader developes and are located at the same position where the leader eventually begins. We suggest that the FPB process is responsible for initiating some but not all lightning flashes, and the extremely short pulse‐like VHF emissions play a role in initiating those flashes without any FPB process.
Changes in the Transcriptome of Human Astrocytes Accompanying Oxidative Stress-Induced Senescence

Aging is a major risk factor for many neurodegenerative disorders. A key feature of aging biology that may underlie these diseases is cellular senescence. Senescent cells accumulate in tissues with age, undergo widespread changes in gene expression, and typically demonstrate altered, pro-inflammatory profiles. Astrocyte senescence has been implicated in neurodegenerative disease, and to better understand senescence-associated changes in astrocytes, we investigated changes in their transcriptome using RNA sequencing. Senescence was induced in human fetal astrocytes by transient oxidative stress. Brain-expressed genes, including those involved in neuronal development and differentiation, were downregulated in senescent astrocytes. Remarkably, several genes indicative of astrocytic responses to injury were also downregulated, including glial fibrillary acidic protein and genes involved in the processing and presentation of antigens by major histocompatibility complex class II proteins, while pro-inflammatory genes were upregulated. Overall, our findings suggest that senescence-related changes in the function of astrocytes may impact the pathogenesis of age-related brain disorders.
Electronic government at the grass roots: contemporary evidence and future trends

In this article we explore the short and largely undocumented history of electronic government, discuss the literature of e-government at the local government level, and document the adoption and sophistication of e-government among US local governments. We employ data from a survey conducted in the winter of 2000 to examine local government adoption of electronic government. We compare the results of that survey to a normative model of e-government maturity. We have found that the emergence of electronic government at the local level is still in its formative stages. Local e-government offerings tended to be more basic when compared to the normative model although many local governments indicate that they have plans to develop more sophisticated offerings in the future. E-government adoption also generally tracks well with previously documented patterns of technology adoption.
Radiofrequency ablation for management of malignant biliary obstruction: a single-center experience and review of the literature

ABSTRACT Background: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) causes coagulative necrosis of tissue and may be beneficial prior to biliary stenting. We report our experience using RFA for malignant biliary obstruction and review the literature. Methods: Retrospective analysis of all patients undergoing RFA for malignant biliary obstruction over the last two years. Success, complications and re-intervention following RFA were assessed. Controls were age, sex and disease matched who had stenting alone. Results: 31 patients were included and 15 patients underwent biliary RFA prior to stenting (median age 78 years, 8 females). 14 patients had pancreatic cancer, 13 cholangiocarcinoma (6 hilar lesions) and 4 malignant disease invading the bile duct. Adverse events included acute pancreatitis (n = 2) and bacteremia in (n = 1). Median duration of intervention free survival was 220 days in the RFA group compared to 106.5 days in controls (hazard ratio 2.4, 95% CI 1.1 – 5.3, p = 0.025). Multivariable Cox proportional hazard analysis showed survival was associated with RFA (hazard ratio 2.55, 95% CI 1.09–5.96, p = 0.026) but not age, site or type of malignancy. Conclusion: Biliary RFA is a technically feasible with a low adverse event rate and is associated with increased survival. Multi-centre randomized controlled trials are required.
Aptitude-Treatment Interactions during Creativity Training in E-Learning: How Meaning-Making, Self-Regulation, and Knowledge Management Influence Creativity

The goal of aptitude-treatment interactions (ATIs) is to find the interactions between treatments and learners’ aptitudes and therefore to achieve optimal learning. This study aimed at understanding whether the aptitudes of meaning-making, self-regulation, and knowledge management (KM) would interact with the treatment of 17week KM-based training and then influence creativity in e-learning. The participants were 31 university students, and all variables were measured using online systems. ATIs and mediation effects during the training were found. Specifically, while meaning-making indirectly influenced creativity via KM, self-regulation influenced creativity both directly and indirectly via KM; moreover, university students with higher level of KM and selfregulation ability benefited more from the training than their counterparts. This study not only sheds lights on understanding how ATIs influence creativity learning, but also provides a new approach—KM-based training— to improve university students’ creativity in environments of e-learning.
An approach to consistent jitter modeling for various jitter aspects and measurement methods

Timing jitter, period jitter, long term jitter, jitter spectrum, SSB phase noise, etc. are terms that have been used to describe various aspects of jitter phenomena. While several jitter measurement techniques have been proposed with associated jitter models and modeling techniques, the relationship among various jitter aspects, and therefore, the relationship among various jitter measurement techniques is not very obvious. This paper analytically clarifies their relationship, and reviews several jitter measurement techniques based on the results of our analytical studies.
A PUF design for secure FPGA-based embedded systems

The concept of having an integrated circuit (IC) generate its own unique digital signature has broad application in areas such as embedded systems security, and IP/IC counter-piracy. Physically unclonable functions (PUFs) are circuits that compute a unique signature for a given IC based on the process variations inherent in the IC manufacturing process. This paper presents the “rst PUF design speci“cally targeted for “eld-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). Our novel design makes use of the underlying FPGA architecture, and unlike prior published PUFs, the proposed PUF can be naturally embedded into a designs HDL, consuming very little area, and does not require the use of hard macrosŽwith “xed routing. Measured results on the Xilinx Virtex-5 65 nm FPGA demonstrate PUF signatures to be both unique and reliable under temperature variation.
A two-variable model of somatic-dendritic interactions in a bursting neuron

We present a two-variable delay-differential-equation model of a pyramidal cell from the electrosensory lateral line lobe of a weakly electric fish that is capable of burst discharge. It is a simplification of a six-dimensional ordinary differential equation model for such a cell whose bifurcation structure has been analyzed (Doiron et al., J. Comput. Neurosci., 12, 2002). We have modeled the effects of back-propagating action potentials by a delay, and use an integrate-and-fire mechanism for action potential generation. The simplicity of the model presented here allows one to explicitly derive a two-dimensional map for successive interspike intervals, and to analytically investigate the effects of time-dependent forcing on such a model neuron. Some of the effects discussed include ‘burst excitability’, the creation of resonance tongues under periodic forcing, and stochastic resonance. We also investigate the effects of changing the parameters of the model.
Whole-body diffusion-weighted MRI with apparent diffusion coefficient mapping for early response monitoring in multiple myeloma: preliminary results.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of our study was to prospectively assess the feasibility of whole-body diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) for short-term evaluation of response to treatment in multiple myeloma patients using a single-shot echo-planar imaging DWI sequence with a Stejskal-Tanner diffusion encoding scheme and spectral fat suppression. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Twelve consecutive patients (nine men and three women; mean age, 61.4 years; age range, 54-79 years) underwent whole-body DWI (b = 50, 400, and 800 s/mm(2)) both at baseline and 3 weeks (mean, 23 days) after onset of therapy. Bone marrow and extramedullary manifestations were evaluated by quantitative image analysis using measurements of the mean apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC). These parameters were correlated with myeloma response according to standard criteria and were evaluated parallel to MRI and continuously for more than 6 months afterward. RESULTS Fifty-three myeloma lesions, 50 medullary (28 axial and 22 appendicular skeleton) and three extramedullary, were analyzed. Eleven patients were classified as responders and one as a nonresponder. DWI results accurately (100%) correlated with disease course according to standard clinical and laboratory criteria. All involved lesions showed restricted diffusion at baseline. ADC quantification yielded an increase of 63.9% (range, 8.7-211.3%) in responders and a decrease of 7.8% in the sole nonresponding patient during therapy. In parallel, M-gradient measurement showed a mean decrease of 45.1% (range, 19.6-88.8%) in responders and an increase of 21.8% in the nonresponder. Amplitude of response measured by the course of ADC values proved higher in the appendicular skeleton (99.8%) compared with the axial skeleton (54.3%) (p = 0.037). CONCLUSION Whole-body DWI with ADC analysis represents a feasible diagnostic tool for assessment of short-term treatment response in myeloma patients.
The role of wetland coverage within the near‐stream zone in predicting of seasonal stream export chemistry from forested headwater catchments

Stream chemistry is often used to infer catchment‐scale biogeochemical processes. However, biogeochemical cycling in the near‐stream zone or hydrologically connected areas may exert a stronger influence on stream chemistry compared with cycling processes occurring in more distal parts of the catchment, particularly in dry seasons and in dry years. In this study, we tested the hypotheses that near‐stream wetland proportion is a better predictor of seasonal (winter, spring, summer, and fall) stream chemistry compared with whole‐catchment averages and that these relationships are stronger in dryer periods with lower hydrologic connectivity. We evaluated relationships between catchment wetland proportion and 16‐year average seasonal flow‐weighted concentrations of both biogeochemically active nutrients, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), nitrate (NO3‐N), total phosphorus (TP), as well as weathering products, calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), at ten headwater (<200 ha) forested catchments in south‐central Ontario, Canada. Wetland proportion across the entire catchment was the best predictor of DOC and TP in all seasons and years, whereas predictions of NO3‐N concentrations improved when only the proportion of wetland within the near‐stream zone was considered. This was particularly the case during dry years and dry seasons such as summer. In contrast, Ca and Mg showed no relationship with catchment wetland proportion at any scale or in any season. In forested headwater catchments, variable hydrologic connectivity of source areas to streams alters the role of the near‐stream zone environment, particularly during dry periods. The results also suggest that extent of riparian zone control may vary under changing patterns of hydrological connectivity. Predictions of biogeochemically active nutrients, particularly NO3‐N, can be improved by including near‐stream zone catchment morphology in landscape models.
Gene Expression Switching of Receptor Subunits in Human Brain Development

Synaptic receptors in the human brain consist of multiple protein subunits, many of which have multiple variants, coded by different genes, and are differentially expressed across brain regions and developmental stages. The brain can tune the electrophysiological properties of synapses to regulate plasticity and information processing by switching from one protein variant to another. Such condition-dependent variant switch during development has been demonstrated in several neurotransmitter systems including NMDA and GABA. Here we systematically detect pairs of receptor-subunit variants that switch during the lifetime of the human brain by analyzing postmortem expression data collected in a population of donors at various ages and brain regions measured using microarray and RNA-seq. To further detect variant pairs that co-vary across subjects, we present a method to quantify age-corrected expression correlation in face of strong temporal trends. This is achieved by computing the correlations in the residual expression beyond a cubic-spline model of the population temporal trend, and can be seen as a nonlinear version of partial correlations. Using these methods, we detect multiple new pairs of context dependent variants. For instance, we find a switch from GLRA2 to GLRA3 that differs from the known switch in the rat. We also detect an early switch from HTR1A to HTR5A whose trends are negatively correlated and find that their age-corrected expression is strongly positively correlated. Finally, we observe that GRIN2B switch to GRIN2A occurs mostly during embryonic development, presumably earlier than observed in rodents. These results provide a systematic map of developmental switching in the neurotransmitter systems of the human brain.
Cerebral oximetry: a useful monitor during carotid artery surgery

J . L . BENUMOFF Since the editorship of AnaestlicJsia considered the use of buccal pulse oximetry worth bringing to the attention of the readership (Anuesrhesiu 1995; SO: 1096-7) the readership might be interested in knowing that buccal pulse oximetry has been quantitatively studied and found to be more accurate than finger Pulse oximetry [I]. We have used buccal pulse oximetry in hundreds of cases and have had no complications from this practice. UCSD Medical Cenicr, Departnient of Anac~stl? esiolo~~~~ Sun Diego C A 92103-8812
Compositional transition in natural alkaline lavas through silica-undersaturated melt–lithosphere interaction

Ze-Zhou Wang1, Sheng-Ao Liu1*, Li-Hui Chen2, Shu-Guang Li1, 3, and Gang Zeng2 1State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China 2State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China 3Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and Environments, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
Selected autoantibodies and normal-tension glaucoma

Background Although intraocular pressure is an important risk factor in glaucoma, there is growing body evidence indicating an immunological component in the pathogenesis of normal-tension glaucoma (NTG). The aim of this study was to determine if NTG coexists with elevated levels of autoantibodies detected in rheumatic diseases. Material/Methods We enrolled 105 patients into the study: 35 with NTG, 34 with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), and 36 controls. All patients underwent ophthalmic examination and blood tests. Blood was examined for the level of: antibodies against antinuclear antibodies (ANA), antibodies to extractable nuclear antigens (ENA), immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, IgM), rheumatoid factor, anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA), and antiphospholipid antibodies (anticardiolipin antibodies, beta2-glycoprotein I antibodies, antiprothrombin antibodies). Results The level of ANA was increased among 6 patients in the NTG group (17.1%), 8 in the POAG group (23.5%), and 6 in the control group (16.5%). The difference was not statistically significant (p=0.97). None of the patients in the NTG, POAG, or control group had positive antibodies to ENA. The level of immunoglobulins IgG, IgM, and IgA in the 3 groups was similar and within normal values. The median level of rheumatoid factor and ACPA was the highest in the NTG group, but it was within normal laboratory values. There was a statistically significant difference between antiprothrombin antibodies IgG between the NTG and POAG group (p=0.01), but not between the NTG and control group (p=0.24). Conclusions The results of our study do not confirm the hypothesis that NTG coexists with elevated blood levels of antibodies, which are a characteristic feature of rheumatic diseases.
Gaussian processes for time-series modelling

In this paper, we offer a gentle introduction to Gaussian processes for time-series data analysis. The conceptual framework of Bayesian modelling for time-series data is discussed and the foundations of Bayesian non-parametric modelling presented for Gaussian processes. We discuss how domain knowledge influences design of the Gaussian process models and provide case examples to highlight the approaches.
Placing in Age

Moving home in later life is an experience born of necessity for many older people. Yet, although a good deal of research has considered how to support “ageing in place,” relatively little attention has been given to the transition of moving to a new home, or how a feeling of belonging is accomplished once there. We present findings from two studies that explore “placing in age. ” The first looks at downsizing one's home and the second at living in a residential care home. We reflect on what placing in age means in these two circumstances, and how technology might be used to support it. We highlight the importance of continuity through change and the ability to “design” everyday life. Rather than support for stability or reminiscing about the past, the aim is to address the need for change and to enable the meaningful spending of time now and in the future.
Exploiting Soft Computing for Increased Fault Tolerance

Traditionally, fault tolerance researchers have made very strict assumptions about program correctness. Such strict notions of correctness are appropriate for workloads that are numerically oriented. However, a growing number of important workloads produce results that have a higher (often qualitative) user-level interpretation. We call these soft computations. Examples of soft computations include multimedia processing, as well as cognitive information processing [1]. While data corruptions can change the numerical result of soft computations, they often do not change the user’s interpretation of those numerical results. Hence, faults that would otherwise be deemed unacceptable from a strict numerical standpoint may in fact be tolerable (or even imperceptible) from the user’s standpoint. Systems that can identify and exploit such error resiliency at the user level offer new opportunities for fault tolerance optimization. This paper makes several contributions in the context of fault tolerance for soft computations. First, we identify three characteristics of soft computations that make them resilient to error: redundancy, adaptivity, and reduced precision. Second, we quantify the extent to which soft computations are fault tolerant by conducting fault-injection experiments. Our results show that using relaxed notions of program correctness, 82% of injected faults are tolerable. Furthermore, when employing a lightweight recovery scheme enabled by soft computations, we find 96% of all injected faults are acceptably tolerated in our soft computing benchmarks. Finally, we present a method for identifying soft computations at the instruction level using dynamic slicing analysis. We find that in the benchmarks we study, 62% of all dynamic instructions participate in soft computations, and can tolerate single-bit errors up to a fault rate of 8 × 10 6 .