Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Towards Planning and Execution for Information Retrieval

The problem of information gathering has received considerable attention from the planning community in recent years. However, research in this area has generally assumed a user’s information goal is perfectly represented by the query, and typically adopts a relational database model for representing query operations and information sources. In this paper, we present a planning and execution framework intended to address the more general information retrieval (IR) problem in which queries are only approximate representations of the user’s true information goals, and complete models of the content of information sources are not available. Our approach reformulates traditional IR techniques such as synonym expansion and relevance-feedback as domain operators, explicitly modeling the uncertainty of action outcomes and of satisfying the user’s information needs, and taking into account resource constraints such as time. A forwardchaining planning and execution algorithm guides action selection, execution and replanning decisions using a userdefined utility function. We have implemented this approach in the INSPIRE (INtegrated System for Planning and Information REtrieval) architecture.
On the Passivity-Based Impedance Control of Flexible Joint Robots

In this paper, a novel type of impedance controllers for flexible joint robots is proposed. As a target impedance, a desired stiffness and damping are considered without inertia shaping. For this problem, two controllers of different complexity are proposed. Both have a cascaded structure with an inner torque feedback loop and an outer impedance controller. For the torque feedback, a physical interpretation as a scaling of the motor inertia is given, which allows to incorporate the torque feedback into a passivity-based analysis. The outer impedance control law is then designed differently for the two controllers. In the first approach, the stiffness and damping terms and the gravity compensation term are designed separately. This outer control loop uses only the motor position and velocity, but no noncollocated feedback of the joint torques or link side positions. In combination with the physical interpretation of torque feedback, this allows us to give a proof of the asymptotic stability of the closed-loop system based on the passivity properties of the system. The second control law is a refinement of this approach, in which the gravity compensation and the stiffness implementation are designed in a combined way. Thereby, a desired static stiffness relationship is obtained exactly. Additionally, some extensions of the controller to viscoelastic joints and to Cartesian impedance control are given. Finally, some experiments with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) lightweight robots verify the developed controllers and show the efficiency of the proposed control approach.
Cavernous nodules in the dural sinuses. An anatomical, angiographic, and morphological investigation.

✓ In x-ray examination of the confluence of the great vein of Galen and the straight sinus in 94 autopsy cases, a polypoid or lip-like contrast defect was observed at the lower border of this confluence in 10 cases. The contrast defect was caused by a structure containing collagen fibers forming a trabecular system, a plexus of sinusoidal channels, and nerve fibers. The defect has also been observed clinically in the venous phase of cerebral angiograms. The possible effect of the structure on the blood flow in the great vein of Galen and the straight sinus is discussed.
Asynchronous Choice and Markov Equilibria

We provide a theoretical foundation for the use of Markov strategies in repeated games with asynchronous moves. If admissible strategies must display finite (arbitrarily long) memory and each player incurs a “complexity cost” which depends on the memory length required by her strategy, then every Nash equilibrium must be in Markovian strategies. If, in addition, admissible strategies have uniformly bounded memory, every rationalizable strategy must be Markovian. These results are robust to considerations of perfection and also yield interesting implications for equilibrium selection in simple contexts.
Developing a Reputation for Reticence

A sender who has disclosable information with probability less than one may partially conceal bad news by choosing to withhold information and pooling with uninformed types. The success of this strategy depends on receivers' beliefs about the probability that the sender has disclosable news. In a dynamic context, informed senders try to cultivate a reputation for reticence either by concealing good news along with the bad, or by concealing some good news and disclosing some bad news. A reputation for reticence is valuable because it makes receivers less skeptical of past or future nondisclosures. The model provides insight into the choice by firms such as Google not to disclose quarterly earnings guidance to analysts, as well as Tony Blair's reticence over his son's vaccine record during the measlesmumpsrubella scare in the United Kingdom.
Network triads: transitivity, referral and venture capital decisions in China and Russia

This article examines the effects of dyadic ties and interpersonal trust on referrals and investment decisions of venture capitalists in the Chinese and Russian contexts. The study uses the postulate of transitivity of social network theory as a conceptual framework. The findings reveal that referee–venture capitalist tie, referee–entrepreneur tie, and interpersonal trust between referee and venture capitalist have positive effects on referrals and investment decisions of venture capitalists. The institutional, social and cultural differences between China and Russia have minimal effects on referrals. Interpersonal trust has positive effects on investment decisions in Russia.
Political Budget Cycles: Evidence from Italian Cities

The introduction of a new real estate taxes in Italy in 2011 generated a natural experiment, which is useful to test political budget cycles, i.e. the strategic choice of fiscal variables in relation to elections. We do find substantial evidence of political budget cycles, with municipalities choosing lower tax rates when close to elections. We observe this budget cycle only for smaller municipalities where the tax was more likely to be the single most important issue for the local government. Cities close to elections with large deficits did not set lower rates before elections, probably because they felt the binding constraints of budget rules.
Hotelling's T2 VS. The Rank Transform With Real Likert Data

Monte Carlo research has demonstrated that there are many applications of the rank transformation that result in an invalid procedure. Examples include the two dependent samples, the factorial analysis of variance, and the factorial analysis of covariance layouts. However, the rank transformation has been shown to be a valid and powerful test in the two independent samples layout. This study demonstrates that the rank transformation is also a robust and powerful alternative to the Hotellings T2 test when the data are on a likert scale. Hotelling's T2 is a specific case of multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) having one independent variable with two levels and multiple dependent variables. It is the mul­ tivariate analogue of the independent samples t-test. In­ stead of examining differences in means between two samples on one dependent variable, Hotelling's T2 tests for the equality of centroids (mean vectors) between two groups. T2 is a parametric test having the usual assump­ tions that theoretically must be met for its valid applica­ tion. For example, T2 assumes that the data of the underly­ ing distributions is normally distributed, (i.e., assumes multivariate normality), that there is independence of ob­ servations, and that the variance/covariance matrices are equal. The Rank Transform (RT) is a set of nonpara- metric-like (and sometimes referred to as conditionally distribution-free) procedures. The RT is performed by re­ placing original observations with their respective ranks, computing a parametric statistic on these ranks, and then referring the test statistic to the usual table of critical val­ ues (Conover & Iman, 1981). It has been suggested that RT procedures have robustness and power properties simi­ lar to their parametric counterparts when normal theory assumptions are met, and have superior robustness and power properties when assumptions are not met (Conover & Iman, 1981). Purpose of Current Study The purpose of this study is to examine the ro­ bustness and power properties of the two independent sample Hotelling's T2 test and the RT using Monte Carlo techniques with samples drawn from real data sets that are
The Role of Diffusion Weighted MRI in Assessment of Rectal Cancer

Background: Magnetic resonance imaging has become the most accurate technique in local staging of rectal cancer. The identification and staging of rectal cancers at MR imaging is largely based on differences in T2 signal intensity between the tumor, the mucosa and submucosal layers, the muscular layer, the perirectal fat, and the mesorectal fascia. Objective: Was to assess the role of Diffusion Weighted MRI in assessment of rectal cancer and correlation of these findings with available histopathological findings. Patients and Methods: A total of 30 patients, proved by colonoscopy to have rectal carcinoma, were included in this retrospective study wich was carried out in the Radiology Department of Al-Azhar University Hospitals. The work took place during the period between June 2018 and Januray 2019.written consent was taken from each patient. The study was carried out after approval of the ethical committee of scientific research, faculty of medicine, Al-Azhar University. Results: we found that DW MRI measurement increased the specificity of the rectal MRI in characterizing different rectal cancers especially when it is combined with conventional MRI.Also the use of additional DW MR imaging yields better diagnostic accuracy than does use of conventional MR imaging alone in the evaluation of complete response (CR) to neoadjuvant chemoradiation treatment (CRT) in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer. Conclusion: DW MRI has a growing role in rectal cancer staging either primary staging or evaluating the post chemo radiotherapy state.
Variability in the Precore and Core Promoter Regions of HBV Strains in Morocco: Characterization and Impact on Liver Disease Progression

Background Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is one of the most common human pathogens that cause aggressive hepatitis and advanced liver disease (AdLD), including liver cirrhosis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma. The persistence of active HBV replication and liver damage after the loss of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) has been frequently associated with mutations in the pre-core (pre-C) and core promoter (CP) regions of HBV genome that abolish or reduce HBeAg expression. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of pre-C and CP mutations and their impact on the subsequent course of liver disease in Morocco. Methods/Principal Findings A cohort of 186 patients with HBeAg-negative chronic HBV infection was studied (81 inactive carriers, 69 with active chronic hepatitis, 36 with AdLD). Pre-C and CP mutations were analyzed by PCR-direct sequencing method. The pre-C stop codon G1896A mutation was the most frequent (83.9%) and was associated with a lower risk of AdLD development (OR, 0.4; 95% CI, 0.15–1.04; p = 0.04). HBV-DNA levels in patients with G1896A were not significantly different from the other patients carrying wild-type strains (p = 0.84). CP mutations C1653T, T1753V, A1762T/G1764A, and C1766T/T1768A were associated with higher HBV-DNA level and increased liver disease severity. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that older age (≥40 years), male sex, high viral load (>4.3 log10 IU/mL) and CP mutations C1653T, T1753V, A1762T/G1764A, and C1766T/T1768A were independent risk factors for AdLD development. Combination of these mutations was significantly associated with AdLD (OR, 7.52; 95% CI, 4.8–8; p<0.0001). Conclusions This study shows for the first time the association of HBV viral load and CP mutations with the severity of liver disease in Moroccan HBV chronic carriers. The examination of CP mutations alone or in combination could be helpful for prediction of the clinical outcome.
RRBP1 is highly expressed in prostate cancer and correlates with prognosis

Objective: Recently, ribosome binding protein 1 (RRBP1) is reported to be involved in tumorigenesis. However, the expression and clinical significance of RRBP1 in prostate cancer (PCa) remains unknown. This study is aimed to investigate the expression and clinical significance of RRBP1 in PCa. Materials and methods: RRBP1 expression was firstly detected in 6 cases of PCa and matched adjacent non-cancerous prostate tissues by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and Western blot. Then, RRBP1 expression was further detected in 127 cases of PCa and 40 cases of non-cancerous prostate tissues by immunohistochemistry (IHC). The relationship of RRBP1 with clinical-pathological characters and patients’ prognosis was analyzed in PCa. Results: RT-qPCR and Western blot analysis showed that RRBP1 expression levels in PCa tissues were significantly higher compared with those in matched adjacent non-cancerous prostate tissues. IHC results shown that the high-expression rate of RRBP1 in PCa was 69.3%, which was significantly greater than those in non-cancerous prostate tissues (15.0%, P<0.001). RRBP1 expression was significantly associated with T stage, lymph node metastasis, PSA and Gleason score in PCa. Survival analysis indicated that patients with RRBP1 low-expression presented longer survival time compared with those with RRBP1 high-expression. Moreover, RRBP1 as well as T stage, lymph node metastasis and Gleason score could serve as independent prognostic factors in PCa. Conclusion: RRBP1 is highly expressed in PCa and correlates with prognosis, which may serve as a potential biomarker in PCa.
Key pollen host plants provide balanced diets for wild bee larvae: A lesson for planting flower strips and hedgerows

Bee‐friendly plants are defined by the quantity of food they produce and the visitation rates of adult insects foraging for nectar. However, it is pollen nutritional quality that enables proper larval development of bees, affecting their populations. Not all plants produce pollen that satisfies the nutritional requirements of bee larvae, and we lack an understanding of how different plant pollens impact bee nutritional demands. This study examined whether nutritionally desirable key plant species may promote wild bee larval development, which is essential if the population is to thrive. The generalist solitary mason bee Osmia bicornis L. was used as a model species to examine differences between bee larva nutritional demand and host plant nutrient supply; an ecological stoichiometry framework was applied. The stoichiometric ratios of 12 elements were investigated in bee bodies and cocoons (reflecting nutritional demand) and in the pollen supplied by the mother (nutritional supply; N = 15 × 2 sexes). Similarly, the stoichiometry of 62 pollen taxa, including native, alien, and garden plants and crops, was compared with the bee demand based on the literature. Compared to males, females had higher demands for P, Cu and Zn and were supplied with pollen richer in these elements. Therefore, when collecting pollen for their progeny, Osmia provides daughters and sons with different pollen mixtures, reflecting sex‐specific nutritional demand. Bees may be limited by the availability of P, Na, Mn, Mg, K, Fe, Ca, Zn and Cu, with high taxonomic variability in their concentrations in pollen. Female fitness may be particularly related to a high proportion of P in the diet. Synthesis and applications. Access to key plant species that allow nutritionally balanced larval diets may be essential for bee development, whether food is gathered intentionally or randomly. Such plant species—and not only those rich in nectar and pollen—should be promoted in wild bee conservation efforts, including planting flower strips and hedgerows. Bee‐friendly plants should not be defined and planted solely based on the quantities of food they produce and on the visitation rates of adult insects foraging for energy.
Effect of patient- and team-related factors on stabilization time during pediatric intensive care transport

Objectives: To examine the effects of patient- and transport-related factors on the time spent at the referring hospital by an intensive care retrieval team to stabilize critically ill children and to study the relationship between stabilization time and patient outcome. Design: Analysis of prospectively collected data during pediatric intensive care transport. Setting: A dedicated regional pediatric intensive care retrieval service performing interhospital transports in England. Patients: Critically ill children transported to intensive care units over a 2-yr period between April 1, 2006 and March 31, 2008. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: Factors related to the patient (age group, diagnostic category, and severity of illness) and transport (time of referral, team response time, and number of major and minor interventions performed) were analyzed for their effect on stabilization time in univariate and multivariate analyses. The relationship between stabilization time and patient outcome in the first 24 hrs post intensive care unit admission was also studied. Patient acuity was high in the transported population (84% invasively ventilated; 28% on vasoactive agents). Predicted mortality risk (Pediatric Index of Mortality 2 score), diagnostic category, team response time, and number of major interventions performed had an independent effect on stabilization time, whereas the length of stabilization itself did not influence early mortality on the intensive care unit. Each minor intervention prolonged the stabilization time by an average of 10 mins. Conclusions: Stabilization time during intensive care transport is influenced by a number of patient- and transport-related factors, and cannot be used in isolation as an indicator of team efficiency. Time spent undertaking intensive care interventions early in the course of patient illness at the referring hospital does not worsen patient outcome, suggesting that the “scoop and run” model can be safely abandoned in interhospital transport.
Annotations as reflection amplifiers in online learning - an exploratory study

In a controlled experiment on the effects of frequent and local digital annotations, 137 volunteers covered an online course at 3 conditions: no/free/question-based electronic annotations. Results show no difference in performance between groups. However, analyses conducted within treatments suggest positive impacts on performance when annotation rates are taken into consideration, and coupled with other reflective enactments.
Migraine headaches and panic attacks.

&NA; Migraine headache and panic attacks are two common conditions which first occur at an early age and appear to have a number of underlying physiologic abnormalities in common. In a population‐based telephone interview survey examining headache occurrence in approximately 10,000 subjects, 12–29 years old, we assessed the prevalence of panic disorder (and a less severe entity designated as panic syndrome) using an abbreviated version of the National Institute of Mental Health Diagnostic Interview Survey. Subjects with panic disorder or panic syndrome reported more frequent occurrence of headaches during the preceding week, as well as headaches of longer duration and substantially more headaches with migraine symptoms than individuals without a history of panic attack. Males with panic disorder were 7 times more likely than those without this condition to report the occurrence of a migraine headache in the previous week. In addition, 5.5% of males and 9.5% of females with panic disorder or panic syndrome reported 25% of the total migraine headaches described by all study subjects in the one‐week recall period.
• QUADRATIC COEFFICIENTS OF THE ‘1/3-RULE’ WITH FINITE POPULATION SIZE CONVERGENCE

F requency-dependent selection between two non-mutating strategies in a Moran model of random genetic drift yields a well-known evolutionary rule. When the fixation probability of one strategy exceeds the selectively neutral value, being the reciprocal of population size, its relative frequency in the population equilibrates to less than ⅓. Maclaurin series of the singleton type fixation probability function calculated at second order enables the convergent domain of the payoff matrix to be obtained exactly. Results include identification of the dominant payoff matrix entries at second order with respect to potential influence on the stochastic evolution of the game. The extent of violation of this evolutionary rule can be shown to depend on the values in the payoff matrix and selection intensity. Second order coefficients obtained by direct calculus and precise algebra yield functions of population size and payoff matrix entries. The calculations herein clarify the resultant sensitivity to selection intensity when compared to previous work. Finite population size convergence quantifies the applicability of the asymptotic inequalitiy from which the rule derives.
Research in Health Care

I K Crombie with H T O Davies Wiley, £14.99, pp 302 ISBN 0 471 96259 7 The aim of research in health care is to improve the quality of health services as well as the use of resources. Not much attention was given to these problems a few decades ago, but health services research has become increasingly important. It deals with the health sector, its functions and services, and the health …
Experimental investigation on a performance and emission characteristics of single cylinder diesel engine powered by waste orange peel oil biodiesel blended with antioxidant additive

ABSTRACT The present work aims to study the effect of adding an antioxidant additive (L-ascorbic acid) to orange peel oil biodiesel (OB20, 20% orange oil methyl ester + 80% diesel) in a diesel engine to decrease the exhaust emissions. Orange peel oil was extracted from the waste orange peels by solvent extraction method. Biodiesel was prepared by alkali transesterification process from the orange peel oil. Fuel samples are prepared with different percentage of antioxidant additive into biodiesel, 95% biodiesel + 5% L-ascorbic acid (OB20L5) and 90% biodiesel + 10% L-ascorbic acid (OB20L10). The experimental investigation reveals that the oxides of nitrogen emissions are significantly reduced for OB20L5 and OB20L10 when compared to OB20 and diesel fuel. Besides, the addition of an antioxidant additive to biodiesel in the engine slightly decreases the brake thermal efficiency (BTE) when compared to OB20 noticeably. Also, it was noted that the addition of antioxidant additive to OB20 slightly increases hydrocarbon, carbon monoxide and smoke emissions.
Novel Cascade Spline Architectures for the Identification of Nonlinear Systems

In this paper two novel nonlinear cascade adaptive architectures, here called sandwich models, suitable for the identification of general nonlinear systems are presented. The proposed architectures rely on the combination of structural blocks, each one implementing a linear filter or a memoryless nonlinear function. All the nonlinear functions involved in the adaptation process are based on spline functions and can be easily modified during learning using gradient-based techniques. In particular, a simple form of the on-line adaptation algorithms for the two architectures is derived. In addition, we analytically obtain a bound for the selection of the learning rates involved in the learning algorithms, in order to guarantee a convergence towards a minimum of the cost function. Finally, some experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.