Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pathological features of proteinuric nephropathy resembling Alport syndrome in a young Pyrenean Mountain dog

The renal biopsy tissue from a 9-month-old, male Pyrenean Mountain dog with renal disorder and severe proteinuria was examined. Ultrastructural examination revealed multilaminar splitting and fragmentation of the glomerular basement membrane (GBM) and diffuse podocyte foot process effacement. Immunofluorescent staining for α(IV) chains revealed presence of α5(IV) and complete absence of α3(IV) and α4(IV) chains in the GBM. Immunohistochemistry also revealed decreased and altered expression of nephrin and podocin in the glomeruli compared with normal canine glomeruli. These results suggested that the glomerular disease of the present case might be consistent with canine hereditary nephropathy resembling human Alport syndrome caused by genetic defect of type IV collagen, and indicated possible contribution of podocyte injury to severe proteinuria in this case.
Concept Extraction to Identify Adverse Drug Reactions in Medical Forums: A Comparison of Algorithms

Social media is becoming an increasingly important source of information to complement traditional pharmacovigilance methods. In order to identify signals of potential adverse drug reactions, it is necessary to first identify medical concepts in the social media text. Most of the existing studies use dictionary-based methods which are not evaluated independently from the overall signal detection task. We compare different approaches to automatically identify and normalise medical concepts in consumer reviews in medical forums. Specifically, we implement several dictionary-based methods popular in the relevant literature, as well as a method we suggest based on a state-of-the-art machine learning method for entity recognition. MetaMap, a popular biomedical concept extraction tool, is used as a baseline. Our evaluations were performed in a controlled setting on a common corpus which is a collection of medical forum posts annotated with concepts and linked to controlled vocabularies such as MedDRA and SNOMED CT. To our knowledge, our study is the first to systematically examine the effect of popular concept extraction methods in the area of signal detection for adverse reactions. We show that the choice of algorithm or controlled vocabulary has a significant impact on concept extraction, which will impact the overall signal detection process. We also show that our proposed machine learning approach significantly outperforms all the other methods in identification of both adverse reactions and drugs, even when trained with a relatively small set of annotated text.
Identification of Trends in Consumer Behavior through Social Media

Social Media has frequently been leveraged for the purpose of anticipating trends. This paper presents a methodology to identify trends of consumer behavior through Semantic Filtering. The process begins by applying keyword-based filtering on a ground topic, proceeding to filter on terms related to anticipation of a purchase. Next, semantic categories are considered to filter out messages that are inconsistent with the desired signal. Following, Fisher Classsification is applied to identify consumer behavior. We apply this procedure to the goal of modeling vehicle purchase behavior with data acquired from Twitter. Results demonstrate that consumer demand can be determined within the Twitter firehose, providing a source of data to contribute to forecasting efforts as well as Customer Relationship Management (CRM).
Lessons from a comparative study of user involvement

Abstract Grounded in the context of the significant differences in service user involvement in social work education and research between the UK and Israel, a joint project between Anglia Ruskin University in the UK and Tel-Hai College in Israel was developed. Its aim was to develop a comparative research methodology to evaluate the outcomes of service user involvement in social work education. A main tenet of our research methodology consisted of partnering with a group of older people who used health and social care services as co-researchers from each country. This co-researching methodology together with the evaluation tools worked effectively in the two respective countries. The key findings highlight that while students in both countries valued the involvement of service users in their training, this occurred more so in Israel, where this is a very new development. Students in both countries developed rich concept maps illustrating the complexity of such an involvement. Yet, while the responses of both groups to vignettes describing user involvement scenarios reflected the positive impact of such an involvement, the UK students focused on the negative impact of potential risk more so than the Israeli students.
THE IMPACT OF LEADERSHIP STYLES AND THE COMPONENTS OF LEADERSHIP STYLES ON INNOVATIVE BEHAVIOUR

The study on which this paper is based examined the effect of transformational and transactional leadership styles as well as the effect of each component of transformational and transactional leadership on innovative behaviour. A sample of 3 180 respondents from 52 South African companies participated in this research. Two main hypotheses and six sub-hypotheses were tested using multiple regression analysis with and without interaction terms. The results indicate that it is useful to utilise both transformational and transactional leadership styles to enhance employees' innovative behaviour. The study substantiated the expected positive relationship between transformational and transactional leadership style and innovative behaviour. Furthermore, the results showed that amongst the components of these leadership styles, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and contingent reward positively influence innovative behaviour. The results showed no relationship between individual consideration, management-by-exception and innovative behaviour. Contrary to expectations, the results revealed a negative relationship between idealised influence and innovative behaviour. Recommendations and suggestions for further research are provided.
BLOX: The Bonn Lensing, Optical, and X-ray selected galaxy clusters I. Cluster catalog construction ⋆ , ⋆⋆

The mass function of galaxy clusters is an important cosmological probe. Differences in the selection method could potentially lead to biases when determining the mass function. From the optical and X-ray data of the XMM-Newton Follow-Up Survey, we obtained a sample of galaxy cluster candidates using weak gravitational lensing, the optical Postman matched filter method, and a search for extended X-ray sources. We developed our weak-lensing search criteria by testing the performance of the aperture mass statistic on realistic ray-tracing simulations matching our survey parameters and by comparing two filter functions. We find that the dominant noise source for our survey is shape noise at almost all significance levels and that spurious cluster detections due to projections of large-scale structures are negligible, except possibly for highly significantly detected peaks. Our full cluster catalog has 155 cluster candidates, 116 found with the Postman matched filter, 59 extended X-ray sources, and 31 shear selected potential clusters. Most of these cluster candidates were not previously known. The present catalog will be a solid foundation for studying possible selection effects in either method.
Distributed localization in Wireless Sensor Networks using rotary antennas

The wireless sensor nodes localization is one of the key technologies in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN). In this paper, a novel localization method using rotary antennas to generate radio interference (RRIPS) is proposed to satisfy the low power consumption and accurate localization in WSN. The anchor node in WSN equips with two rotary antennas which emit the same single frequency signals to generate doppler shift and radio interference. The doppler shift received by the sensor is utilized to obtain the necessary ranging information for localization. When the anchor is in different locations, the sensor gets multiple sets of doppler shifts to calculate its own position. This method only relies on radio transceivers without extra measurement equipments and the sensor nodes conduct localization in a completely distributed manner without centralized processing. The algorithm with low complexity and energy consumption is very suitable for large-scale wireless sensor networks.
Infinite paths in planar graphs IV, dividing cycles

Nash‐Williams conjectured that a 4‐connected infinite planar graph contains a spanning 2‐way infinite path if, and only if, the deletion of any finite set of vertices results in at most two infinite components. In this article, we prove this conjecture for graphs with no dividing cycles and for graphs with infinitely many vertex disjoint dividing cycles. A cycle in an infinite plane graph is called dividing if both regions of the plane bounded by this cycle contain infinitely many vertices of the graph. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 53: 173–195, 2006
Early Aspirin administration post Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery – Changing hospital culture through a two-cycled audit

“Early Aspirin” or a medium dose of aspirin 6 hours after Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) Surgery is strongly recommend by international guidelines (EACTS 2007/AHA 2011 guidelines, Level1a evidence) to protect venous graft patency. However, compliance with Early Aspirin prescription at our centre is poor due to long standing hospital cultural practices and lack of awareness. We completed a two-cycled retrospective audit of 53 (September 2015 Baseline), 65 (January 2016 First Cycle) and 58 (June 2016 Second Cycle) consecutive CABG patients. Interval interventions included educational presentations, educational leaflets/posters, pharmacy liaison and modifications to e-prescription order-sets. Medical, nursing and pharmacy staff were involved in the audit strategies. Early aspirin prescription improved from 23% to 48% to 55% while administration of Early Aspirin improved from 17% to 38% and finally to 48% by second improvement cycle. Significantly, the proportion of patients with omission of early aspirin despite a clear clinical indication, decreased by 50% over the audit period. Important practical considerations were the last dose of anti-platelets preoperatively and amount of of bleeding from mediastinal drains post operatively. A multidisciplinary team based approach led to a 139% improvement in prescription and 182% improvement in administration of “Early Aspirin” after CABG surgery.
STABILIZATION OF CHAOS WITH FPIC: APPLICATION TO ZAD-STRATEGY BUCK CONVERTERS

Abstract In this paper a new design for controlling dynamical systems has been applied to buck converters driven with a PWM centered pulse and (Zero Average Dynamics) ZAD-strategy. Chaotic operation has been stabilized with the so-called Fixed Point Induced Control (FPIC) technique. Also, the same converter with delay whose 1-periodic orbit is always unstable, has been stabilized. Simulations are compared with the TDAS stabilization technique. Once a 1-periodic orbit has been stabilized, the dynamics shows the same characteristics and advantages of the ZAD design, such as robustness, fixed switching frequency (with zero average on the sliding surface) and a low output error.
The Jackknife and the Bootstrap for General Stationary Observations

We extend the jackknife and the bootstrap method of estimating standard errors to the case where the observations form a general stationary sequence. We do not attempt a reduction to i.i. d. values. The jackknife calculates the sample variance of replicates of the statistic obtained by omitting each block of $l$ consecutive data once. In the case of the arithmetic mean this is shown to be equivalent to a weighted covariance estimate of the spectral density of the observations at zero. Under appropriate conditions consistency is obtained if $l = l(n) \rightarrow \infty$ and $l(n)/n \rightarrow 0$. General statistics are approximated by an arithmetic mean. In regular cases this approximation determines the asymptotic behavior. Bootstrap replicates are constructed by selecting blocks of length $l$ randomly with replacement among the blocks of observations. The procedures are illustrated by using the sunspot numbers and some simulated data.
A computational approach to linguistic coordination

Many online human activities leave digital traces that are recorded in natural-language format. The exploitation of this unprecedented resource under a computational framework can bring a phase transition in our understanding of human social behavior and shape the future of social media systems. This thesis describes a computational approach to an intriguing aspect of conversational behavior, linguistic style coordination: conversational participants tend to immediately and unconsciously adapt to each other's language styles; a speaker will even adjust the number of articles and other function words in their next utterance in response to the number in their partner's immediately preceding utterance. We develop a probabilistic framework that can model and quantify this phenomenon and apply it to four different conversational settings: Twitter conversations, discussions between Wikipedia editors, oral arguments in the U.S. Supreme Court and movie script dialogs. We are able to examine linguistic style coordination in large scale settings for the first time, and by doing so, to reveal important properties that were never observed in previous studies, which were conducted mainly in small and controlled environments. The resulting new understanding of conversational behavior bears practical importance in the task of uncovering key properties of social relations. We present an analysis framework based on linguistic coordination that can be used to shed light on power relationships and that works consistently across multiple types of power — including a more " static " form of power based on status differences, and a more " situational " form of power in which one individual experiences a type of dependence on another. Finally, our computational framework can be employed to gain insight into the causal mechanism behind coordination behavior. It was previously hypothesized in the psycho-linguistic literature that coordination has arisen as a way to achieve social goals, such as gaining approval or emphasizing difference in status. But has the adaptation mechanism become so deeply embedded in the language-generation process as to become a reflex? We argue that fictional dialogs offer a way to study this question, since authors create the conversations but don't receive the social benefits (rather, the imagined characters do). Indeed, we find significant coordination across many families of function words in our large movie-script corpus. We thereby provide evidence that language coordination is so implanted within our conception of conversational behavior that, even if such coordination is socially motivated, it is exhibited even when the person generating the language …
“Hit the Ground Running”: Experiences of New Faculty in a School of Education

Abstract: The early experiences of new faculty are critical to their success in, and satisfaction with, an academic career, and department chairs play a crucial role in their adjustment. This study examines and describes the experiences of new School of Education faculty in a research university, then compares those experiences to the expectations and perceptions administrators have of the new-faculty experience.
Activation of PPARβ/δ Causes a Psoriasis-Like Skin Disease In Vivo

Background Psoriasis is one of the most frequent skin diseases world-wide. The disease impacts enormously on affected patients and poses a huge financial burden on health care providers. Several lines of evidence suggest that the nuclear hormone receptor peroxisome proliferator activator (PPAR) β/δ, known to regulate epithelial differentiation and wound healing, contributes to psoriasis pathogenesis. It is unclear, however, whether activation of PPARβ/δ is sufficient to trigger psoriasis-like changes in vivo. Methodology/Principal Findings Using immunohistochemistry, we define the distribution of PPARβ/δ in the skin lesions of psoriasis. By expression profiling, we confirm that PPARβ/δ is overexpressed in the vast majority of psoriasis patients. We further establish a transgenic model allowing inducible activation of PPARβ/δ in murine epidermis mimicking its distribution in psoriasis lesions. Upon activation of PPARβ/δ, transgenic mice sustain an inflammatory skin disease strikingly similar to psoriasis, featuring hyperproliferation of keratinocytes, dendritic cell accumulation, and endothelial activation. Development of this phenotype requires the activation of the Th17 subset of T cells, shown previously to be central to psoriasis. Moreover, gene dysregulation in the transgenic mice is highly similar to that in psoriasis. Key transcriptional programs activated in psoriasis, including IL1-related signalling and cholesterol biosynthesis, are replicated in the mouse model, suggesting that PPARβ/δ regulates these transcriptional changes in psoriasis. Finally, we identify phosphorylation of STAT3 as a novel pathway activated by PPARβ/δ and show that inhibition of STAT3 phosphorylation blocks disease development. Conclusions Activation of PPARβ/δ in the epidermis is sufficient to trigger inflammatory changes, immune activation, and signalling, and gene dysregulation characteristic of psoriasis.
Why does this always happen to us? an examination of co-rumination in the same sex friendships of emerging adults

Co-rumination, which has been defined as a passive, repetitive form of problem di~~ussion (Rose, 2002), has been linked to both benefits in terms of positive friendship quality and maladaptive outcomes such as internalizing distress (Rose, 2002; Rose, Carlson, & Waller, 2007; Calmes & Roberts, 2008). This study explored the trade-offs associated with co-rumination in emerging adult same-sex friendships both concurrently and longitudinally through the use of self-report questionnaires. Co-rumination was associated with concurrent positive friendship quality. Additionally, co-rumination partially mediated the link between gender and positive friendship quality, and was a marginal predictor of increases in positive friendship quality over time. Although corumination was associated with depression, co-rumination did not predict depressive symptoms when rumination was controlled. Overall, this study demonstrated that corumination is associated with positive adjustment in friendships; however, co-rumination also is related to maladaptive outcomes due to its overlap with rumination.
A Control Theory Perspective on Agile Methodology Use and Changing User Requirements

In this paper, we draw on control theory to understand the conditions under which the use of agile practices is most effective in improving software project quality. Although agile development methodologies offer the potential of improving software development outcomes, limited research has examined how project managers can structure the software development environment to maximize the benefits of agile methodology use during a project. As a result, project managers have little guidance on how to manage teams who are using agile methodologies. Arguing that the most effective control modes are those that provide teams with autonomy in determining the methods for achieving project objectives, we propose hypotheses related to the interaction between control modes, agile methodology use, and requirements change. We test the model in a field study of 862 software developers in 110 teams. The model explains substantial variance in four objective measures of project quality---bug severity, component complexity, coordinative complexity, and dynamic complexity. Results largely support our hypotheses, highlighting the interplay between project control, agile methodology use, and requirements change. The findings contribute to extant literature by integrating control theory into the growing literature on agile methodology use and by identifying specific contingencies affecting the efficacy of different control modes. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our results.
The Axonal Guidance Receptor Neogenin Promotes Acute Inflammation

Neuronal guidance proteins (NGP) were originally described in the context of axonal growth and migration. Yet recent work has demonstrated that NGPs also serve as guidance cues for immune competent cells. A crucial target receptor for NGPs during embryonic development is the neogenin receptor, however its role during acute inflammation is unknown. We report here that neogenin is abundantly expressed outside the nervous system and that animals with endogenous repression of neogenin (Neo1−/−) demonstrate attenuated changes of acute inflammation. Studies using functional inhibition of neogenin resulted in a significant attenuation of inflammatory peritonitis. In studies employing bone marrow chimeric animals we found the hematopoietic presence of Neo1−/− to be responsible for the attenuated inflammatory response. Taken together our studies suggest that the guidance receptor neogenin holds crucial importance for the propagation of an acute inflammatory response and further define mechanisms shared between the nervous and the immune system.
Environmental Stress Affects DNA Methylation of a CpG Rich Promoter Region of Serotonin Transporter Gene in a Nurse Cohort

Background Shift-working nurses are exposed to a stressful work environment, which puts them at an increased risk for burnout and depression. We explored the effect of environmental stress on serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) promoter methylation among nurses from high and low work stress environments. Methodology Using bisulfite sequencing, we investigated the methylation status of five CpG residues of a CpG-rich region in the promoter of SLC6A4 by comparing female shift working nurses from a high work stress environment (n = 24) to low work stress environment (n = 25). We also analyzed the association of 5-HTTLPR polymorphism at 5′ end of SLC6A4. Work stress was assessed by the Karasek’s Model and possible signs of burnout or depression were measured by the Maslach Burnout Index General Survey and Beck Depression Index. Methylation levels were assessed by bisulfite sequencing of DNA extracted from peripheral blood leucocytes. Restriction enzyme treatment followed by standard PCR was used to identify 5-HTTLPR genotypes. Principal Findings We found that nurses in the high stress environment had significantly lower promoter methylation levels at all five CpG residues compared to nurses in the low stress environment (p<0.01). There was no significant interaction of 5-HTTLPR genotype and work stress with methylation (p = 0.58). In unadjusted (bivariate) analysis, burnout was not significantly associated to methylation levels. However, when mutually adjusted for both, burnout and work stress were significant contributors (p = 0.038 and p<0.0001 respectively) to methylation levels. Conclusions Our findings show that environmental stress is concurrent with decreased methylation of the SLC6A4 promoter. This may lead to increased transcriptional activity of the gene, increased reuptake of serotonin from synaptic clefts, and termination of the activity of serotonin. This could present a possible coping mechanism for environmental stress in humans that could eventually increase risk for disturbed functional capability and experience of depressed mood in long-term stress.