Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Processing natural language arguments with theplatform

In this article, we first present the platform and the Dislog language, designed for discourse analysis with a logic and linguistic perspective. The platform has now reached a certain level of maturity which allows the recognition of a large diversity of discourse structures including general-purpose rhetorical structures as well as domain-specific discourse structures. The Dislog language is based on linguistic considerations and includes knowledge access and inference capabilities. Functionalities of the language are presented together with a method for writing discourse analysis rules. Efficiency and portability of the system over domains and languages are investigated to conclude this first part. In a second part, we analyse the different types of arguments found in several document genres, most notably: procedures, didactic texts and requirements. Arguments form a large class of discourse relations. A generic and frequently encountered form emerges from our analysis: ‘reasons for conclusion’.
Tissue plasminogen activator, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, and tissue plasminogen activator/plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 complex as risk factors for the development of a first stroke.

UNLABELLED BACKGROUND NAD PURPOSE: Abnormalities in the fibrinolytic system have been associated with an increased risk for stroke in a few studies. This study was designed to test whether plasma levels of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), and tPA/PAI-1 complex could predict a first-ever stroke. METHODS The study was an incident case-control study nested within the Västerbotten Intervention Program and the Northern Sweden Monitoring Trends and Determinants in Cardiovascular Disease (MONICA) cohorts. In this study 108 first-ever stroke cases were defined according to the MONICA classification, and 216 controls from the same cohort were randomly selected and matched for age, sex, sampling time, and geographic region. RESULTS Stroke occurred on average 30 months after the blood sampling date. The mean plasma concentration of tPA/PAI-1 complex was higher for the stroke cases than for the controls (3.9 versus 3.0 microgram/L). In univariate regression analysis, significantly higher odds ratios were found for the tPA/PAI-1 complex as continuous variable. When divided into quartiles, the odds ratio was 2.74 for the highest quartile compared with the lowest. In the multivariate model, the tPA/PAI-1 complex remained an independent predictor for stroke. Additionally, tPA mass concentration quartiles 3 and 4 showed a significant association with all stroke as outcome. No association was found, however, for PAI-1. In subgroup analysis of cerebral hemorrhage (n=18), the mean tPA/PAI-1 complex level was higher for the cases than for the controls (4.8 versus 3.0 microgram/L), and in multivariate analysis including all controls (n=216), only tPA/PAI-1 complex remained significant. CONCLUSIONS This prospective study shows that tPA/PAI-1 complex, a novel fibrinolytic marker, is independently associated with the development of a first-ever stroke, especially hemorrhagic stroke. This finding supports the hypothesis that disturbances in fibrinolysis precede a cerebrovascular event.
The Thymus Is a Common Target Organ in Infectious Diseases

Infectious disease immunology has largely focused on the effector immune response, changes in the blood and peripheral lymphoid organs of infected individuals, and vaccine development. Studies of the thymus in infected individuals have been neglected, although this is progressively changing. The thymus is a primary lymphoid organ, able to generate mature T cells that eventually colonize secondary lymphoid organs, and is therefore essential for peripheral T cell renewal. Recent data show that normal thymocyte development and export can be altered as a result of an infectious disease. One common feature is the severe atrophy of the infected organ, mainly due to the apoptosis-related depletion of immature CD4+CD8+ thymocytes. Additionally, thymocyte proliferation is frequently diminished. The microenvironmental compartment of the thymus is also affected, particularly in acute infectious diseases, with a densification of the epithelial network and an increase in the deposition of extracellular matrix. In the murine model of Chagas disease, intrathymic chemokine production is also enhanced, and thymocytes from Trypanosoma cruzi-infected mice exhibit greater numbers of cell migration-related receptors for chemokines and extracellular matrix, as well as increased migratory responses to the corresponding ligands. This profile is correlated with the appearance of potentially autoreactive thymus-derived immature CD4+CD8+ T cells in peripheral organs of infected animals. A variety of infectious agents—including viruses, protozoa, and fungi—invade the thymus, raising the hypothesis of the generation of central immunological tolerance for at least some of the infectious agent-derived antigens. It seems clear that the thymus is targeted in a variety of infections, and that such targeting may have consequences on the behavior of peripheral T lymphocytes. In this context, thymus-centered immunotherapeutic approaches potentially represent a new tool for the treatment of severe infectious diseases.
Manager Characteristics and Credit Derivative Use by U.S. Corporate Bond Funds

This study provides a comprehensive overview of the use of credit default swaps by U.S. corporate bond funds and analyzes in detail whether certain characteristics of managers, in addition to the fundamentals of a fund, determine how their use these credit derivatives. Results suggest that a manager’s education, age, experience, and skill are positively correlated with a fund’s CDS holdings. In particular, managers holding a master’s degree or educated at prestigious universities prefer using CDS. However, funds with older, more experienced managers or these keeping higher assets under their management are more likely to take on credit risk via selling CDS protection. Younger managers or managers that were educated at prestigious universities rather tend to buy CDS protection possibly due to differing concerns about their careers. If considering the Heckman correction for self-selection of funds into CDS use, the aforementioned findings remain stable.
Subjective longevity in Latin America: the cases of Chile and Mexico

The body of research on subjective survival expectations in developing countries is scant and to the best of our knowledge in Latin America is virtually non-existent. The main objective of this study is to investigate and compare the determinants of subjective survival expectations as they are stated by individuals aged 65 and over in Chile and Mexico. The determinants of subjective survival probabilities are studied by means of linear regression analysis and life expectancies are estimated by means of non-linear regression methods. Results show that the determinants of subjective survival expectations are consistent for both, Chile and Mexico, with those reported by the literature for the US and Europe. However, there are important differences between survival probabilities and life expectancies mainly based on the more pessimistic view of their future survival that Mexican older adults show compared with Chileans.
Sentencing Transferred Juveniles in the Adult Criminal Court

Much prior research has demonstrated that race and ethnicity are associated with harsher punishment outcomes among adult defendants in the criminal court. However, few studies have explored these disparities in the sentencing of juvenile offenders who have been transferred to the adult court, and this research has reported conflicting findings. Moreover, the ways in which offenders’ race and ethnicity may interact with their sex, age, and offense type have yet to be explored among this population. Analysis of defendants sentenced in Florida (N = 30,913) reveals that Black transferred juveniles are more likely to be sentenced to jail or prison and are given longer prison sentences than Whites, but Hispanic youth are only penalized in the sentence to jail. Interaction analyses suggest that Black males are sentenced particularly harshly regardless of age, and the effects of race and ethnicity are conditioned by a violent, sex, or drug offense.
Testing Structural Changes in Conditional Distributions Via Quantile Regressions

We propose tests for structural change in conditional distributions via quantile regressions. To avoid misspecification on the conditioning relationship, we construct the tests based on the residuals from local polynomial quantile regressions. In particular, the tests are based upon the cumulative sums of generalized residuals from quantile regressions and have power against local alternatives at rate n−1/2. We derive the limiting distributions for our tests under the null hypothesis of no structural change and a sequence of local alternatives. The proposed tests apply to a wide range of dynamic models, including time series regressions with m.d.s. errors, as well as models with serially correlated errors. To deal with possible correlations in the error process, we also propose a simulation method to obtain the p-values for our tests. Finally, Monte Carlo simulations suggest that our tests behave well in finite samples. JEL classifications: C12, C14, C22, C5
Analysing the Literature on University Social Responsibility: a Review of Selected Higher Education Journals

In the last 30 years, different economic, political and social changes have taken place in the university sector and this has led to an extensive reform to meet the new societal challenges that these institutions are facing today. This emphasises the social dimension of universities and their important role in society as educators of future leaders and policy makers. This reveals the need to integrate social responsibility principles into the mainstream functions of universities. In view of these comments, this paper offers a review of the literature about university social responsibility during the period from 2000 to 2015. The objectives of the review are to: explore patterns in publication outlets; collect, scrutinise and critically analyse the current literature on this field; to identify gaps in the literature and make recommendations for further research in this field. To accomplish this task, data were collected from 15 specialist academic journals that focus on higher education.
New analytic approximation to the standard molecular volume definition and its application to generalized Born calculations

In a recent article (Lee, M. S.; Salsbury, F. R. Jr.; Brooks, C. L., III. J Chem Phys 2002, 116, 10606), we demonstrated that generalized Born (GB) theory provides a good approximation to Poisson electrostatic solvation energy calculations if one uses the same definitions of molecular volume for each. In this work, we present a new and improved analytic method for reproducing the Lee–Richards molecular volume, which is the most common volume definition for Poisson calculations. Overall, 1% errors are achieved for absolute solvation energies of a large set of proteins and relative solvation energies of protein conformations. We also introduce an accurate SASA approximation that uses the same machinery employed by our GB method and requires a small addition of computational cost. The combined methodology is shown to yield an efficient and accurate implicit solvent representation for simulations of biopolymers. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 24: 1348–1356, 2003
Parametric Modeling of EM Behavior of Microwave Components Using Combined Neural Networks and Pole-Residue-Based Transfer Functions

This paper proposes an advanced technique to develop combined neural network and pole-residue-based transfer function models for parametric modeling of electromagnetic (EM) behavior of microwave components. In this technique, neural networks are trained to learn the relationship between pole/residues of the transfer functions and geometrical parameters. The order of the pole-residue transfer function may vary over different regions of geometrical parameters. We develop a pole-residue tracking technique to solve this order-changing problem. After the proposed modeling process, the trained model can be used to provide accurate and fast prediction of the EM behavior of microwave components with geometrical parameters as variables. The proposed method can obtain better accuracy in challenging applications involving high dimension of geometrical parameter space and large geometrical variations, compared with conventional modeling methods. The proposed technique is effective and robust especially in solving high-order problems. This technique is illustrated by three examples of EM parametric modeling.
The Use of Epicardial Electrogram as a Simple Guide to Select the Optimal Site of Left Ventricular Pacing in Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has been demonstrated to improve symptoms and survival in patients with left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction and dyssynchrony. To achieve this goal, the LV lead should be positioned in a region of delayed contraction. We hypothesized that pacing at the site of late electrical activation was also associated with long-term response to CRT. We conducted a retrospective study on 72 CRT patients. For each patient, we determined the electrical delay (ED) from the onset of QRS to the epicardial EGM and the ratio of ED to QRS duration (ED/QRS duration). After a followup of 30 ± 20 months, 47 patients responded to CRT. Responders had a significantly longer ED and greater ratio of ED/QRS duration than nonresponders. An ED/QRS duration ≥0.38 predicted a response to CRT with 89% specificity and 53% sensitivity.
A hybrid stochastic/interval approach to transmission-constrained unit commitment

Summary form only given. This paper proposes a new transmission-constrained unit commitment method that combines the cost-efficient but computationally demanding stochastic optimization and the expensive but tractable interval optimization techniques to manage uncertainty on the expected net load. The proposed hybrid unit commitment approach applies the stochastic formulation to the initial operating hours of the optimization horizon, during which the wind forecasts are more accurate, and then switches to the interval formulation for the remaining hours. The switching time is optimized to balance the cost of unhedged uncertainty from the stochastic unit commitment against the cost of the security premium of the interval unit commitment formulation. These hybrid, stochastic, and interval formulations are compared using Monte Carlo simulations on a modified 24-bus IEEE Reliability Test System. The results demonstrate that the proposed unit commitment formulation results in the least expensive day-ahead schedule among all formulations and can be solved in the same amount of time as a full stochastic unit commitment. However, if the range of the switching time is reduced, the hybrid formulation in the parallel computing implementation outperforms the stochastic formulation in terms of computing time.
Climate engineering and the risk of rapid climate change

Recent research has highlighted risks associated with the use of climate engineering as a method of stabilizing global temperatures, including the possibility of rapid climate warming in the case of abrupt removal of engineered radiative forcing. In this study, we have used a simple climate model to estimate the likely range of temperature changes associated with implementation and removal of climate engineering. In the absence of climate engineering, maximum annual rates of warming ranged from 0.015 to 0.07 °C/year, depending on the model’s climate sensitivity. Climate engineering resulted in much higher rates of warming, with the temperature change in the year following the removal of climate engineering ranging from 0.13 to 0.76 °C. High rates of temperature change were sustained for two decades following the removal of climate engineering; rates of change of 0.5 (0.3,0.1) °C/decade were exceeded over a 20 year period with 15% (75%, 100%) likelihood. Many ecosystems could be negatively affected by these rates of temperature change; our results suggest that climate engineering in the absence of deep emissions cuts could arguably constitute increased risk of dangerous anthropogenic interference in the climate system under the criteria laid out in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
FINANCIAL DEEPENING

We develop a model of financial deepening, based on the distinction between limited bilateral commitment and limited multilateral commitment. We explore the effects of secular changes in financial depth on investment and output; on intermediation and interest rates; on the long-run velocities of circulation of different monetary instruments, and the use of outside money; on the patterns of saving and trade in paper. Three stages of financial development are identified. (JEL: E41, E43, E44, E51, O16, O42)
Charged multiplicity measurement for simulated pp events in the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detector

In this thesis, I studied the effectiveness of a method for measuring the charged multiplicity of proton-proton collisions in the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment at LHC energies (yfs = 14 TeV). This technique involves counting reconstructed hits in the innermost layer of the pixel tracker. By using the relationship between pseudorapidity and deposited charge of the hits, we can distinguish between signal and background. We calculate a transformation function as the division of the average Monte Carlo track distribution by the average reconstructed hit distribution. By applying this transformation to the reconstructed hit distributions on an event-by-event basis, we can collect information about minimum bias events. This method gives us access to low PT particles which cannot be reconstructed in charged multiplicity methods using tracklets. A description of the method is given, followed by preliminary results: reconstructed Neh distributions for I|j < 0.5 and 1771 < 2.0 and the dNeh/d7 distribution. Thesis Supervisor: Boleslaw Wyslouch Title: Professor, Department of Physics
Solving The SLAM Problem for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Using Smoothed Estimates

In this paper we present a solution to the simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) problem for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) using a camera and inertial sensors. A good SLAM solution is an important enabler for autonomous robots. Our approach is based on an optimization based formulation of the problem, which results in a smoother, rather than a ﬁlter. The proposed algorithm is evaluated on experimental data and the resultsare compared with accurate ground truth data. The results from this comparisons are encouraging.
Effects of Acute Bleeding Followed by Hydroxyethyl Starch 130/0.4 or a Crystalloid on Propofol Concentrations, Cerebral Oxygenation, and Electroencephalographic and Haemodynamic Variables in Pigs

Bleeding changes the haemodynamics, compromising organ perfusion. In this study, the effects of bleeding followed by replacement with hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.4 (HES) or lactated Ringer's (LR) on cerebral oxygenation and electroencephalogram-derived parameters were investigated. Twelve young pigs under propofol-remifentanil anaesthesia were bled 30 mL/kg and, after a 20-minute waiting period, volume replacement was performed with HES (GHES; N = 6) or LR (GRL; N = 6). Bleeding caused a decrease of more than 50% in mean arterial pressure (P < 0.01) and a decrease in cerebral oximetry (P = 0.039), bispectral index, and electroencephalogram total power (P = 0.04 and P < 0.01, resp.), while propofol plasma concentrations increased (P < 0.01). Both solutions restored the haemodynamics and cerebral oxygenation similarly and were accompanied by an increase in electroencephalogram total power. No differences between groups were found. However, one hour after the end of the volume replacement, the cardiac output (P = 0.03) and the cerebral oxygenation (P = 0.008) decreased in the GLR and were significantly lower than in GHES (P = 0.02). Volume replacement with HES 130/0.4 was capable of maintaining the cardiac output and cerebral oxygenation during a longer period than LR and caused a decrease in the propofol plasma concentrations.
Penalized regression procedures for variable selection in the potential outcomes framework

A recent topic of much interest in causal inference is model selection. In this article, we describe a framework in which to consider penalized regression approaches to variable selection for causal effects. The framework leads to a simple ‘impute, then select’ class of procedures that is agnostic to the type of imputation algorithm as well as penalized regression used. It also clarifies how model selection involves a multivariate regression model for causal inference problems and that these methods can be applied for identifying subgroups in which treatment effects are homogeneous. Analogies and links with the literature on machine learning methods, missing data, and imputation are drawn. A difference least absolute shrinkage and selection operator algorithm is defined, along with its multiple imputation analogs. The procedures are illustrated using a well‐known right‐heart catheterization dataset. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
GABAergic system in the endocrine pancreas: a new target for diabetes treatment

Excessive loss of functional pancreatic β-cell mass, mainly due to apoptosis, is a major factor in the development of hyperglycemia in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes (T1D and T2D). In T1D, β-cells are destroyed by immunological mechanisms. In T2D, while metabolic factors are known to contribute to β-cell failure and subsequent apoptosis, mounting evidence suggests that islet inflammation also plays an important role in the loss of β-cell mass. Therefore, it is of great importance for clinical intervention to develop new therapies. γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA), a major neurotransmitter, is also produced by islet β-cells, where it functions as an important intraislet transmitter in regulating islet-cell secretion and function. Importantly, recent studies performed in rodents, including in vivo studies of xenotransplanted human islets, reveal that GABA exerts β-cell regenerative effects. Moreover, it protects β-cells against apoptosis induced by cytokines, drugs, and other stresses, and has anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory activities. It ameliorates the manifestations of diabetes in preclinical models, suggesting potential applications for the treatment of diabetic patients. This review outlines the actions of GABA relevant to β-cell regeneration, including its signaling mechanisms and potential interactions with other mediators. These studies increase our understanding of the regenerative processes of pancreatic β-cells, and help pave the way for the development of regenerative medicine for diabetes.