Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
From taxi GPS traces to social and community dynamics

Vehicles equipped with GPS localizers are an important sensory device for examining people’s movements and activities. Taxis equipped with GPS localizers serve the transportation needs of a large number of people driven by diverse needs; their traces can tell us where passengers were picked up and dropped off, which route was taken, and what steps the driver took to find a new passenger. In this article, we provide an exhaustive survey of the work on mining these traces. We first provide a formalization of the data sets, along with an overview of different mechanisms for preprocessing the data. We then classify the existing work into three main categories: social dynamics, traffic dynamics and operational dynamics. Social dynamics refers to the study of the collective behaviour of a city’s population, based on their observed movements; Traffic dynamics studies the resulting flow of the movement through the road network; Operational dynamics refers to the study and analysis of taxi driver’s modus operandi. We discuss the different problems currently being researched, the various approaches proposed, and suggest new avenues of research. Finally, we present a historical overview of the research work in this field and discuss which areas hold most promise for future research.
A Pilot Study of a Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy Approach to Physiotherapy, for Acute Low Back Pain Patients, who Show Signs of Developing Chronic Pain

This pilot study highlighted some of the methodological issues involved in conducting a randomized controlled trial of cognitive-behavioural approach to physiotherapy with acute Low back pain (LBP) patients who showed signs of psychological distress. It also enabled calculation of sample sizes, for the main study, to detect clinically important differences in outcome measures. Acute LBP patients with signs of psychological distress ( n =12) were recruited and randomized to one of two interven tions: (i) physiotherapy+cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT); (ii) physiotherapy. Outcome measures of pain and disability were taken at the beginning and after six treatment sessions. The results of the pilot showed no significant differences between the groups at post-intervention period. Sample size calculations showed that 62 subjects would need to be recruited to detect clinically meaningful changes in outcome measures. Some of the methodological issues identified potential bias, with the same therapist conducting both arms of the study, and included differences in time with the therapist between the two groups. A non-therapeutic intervention will be added in order to control for therapist attention time. The main study will have a longer-term follow-up period of 6 and 12 months. Outcome measures of the number of sick days off work will be included to calculate the cost effectiveness of the programme.
A randomized follow-up study of the general health and quality of life of an elderly edentulous population wearing either mandibular two-implant overdentures or conventional dentures

Objectives: The aim of this study was to systematically examine the data published on the efficacy of mandibular implant retained overdentures from the patient’s perspective. Material and Methods: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and The Cochrane Systematic Reviews Database were searched and complemented by hand searching. Included were all randomized controlled trials published in English or French up to April 2007, in which conventional dentures and mandibular implant overdentures in adult edentulous individuals were compared. The outcomes of interest were patient satisfaction, oral and general health related quality of life. Random effects models were used to pool the effect sizes of all included studies. Results: Ten publications of 7 randomized controlled trials were identified and eight were included in the meta-analysis. When compared with mandibular conventional dentures, implant overdentures were rated to be more satisfactory at a clinically relevant level (pooled effect size 0.80, z= 3.56, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.36 to 1.24, P=0.0004) but statistical heterogeneity was founded (Chi=31.63, df=5 P<0.00001 I=84%). The pooled effect size for oral health quality of life was -0.41 (z= 1.31 95% CI, -1.02 to 0.20; P=0.19, Chi=11.53, df=2 P<0.003 I=83%). There was a lack of evidence to show the impact of mandibular implant overdenture on perceived general health. 61 Conclusions: Our findings suggest that, although mandibular implant retained overdentures may be more satisfying to edentulous patients than new conventional dentures, the magnitude of the effect is still uncertain. There is a need for additional evidence including costeffectiveness analyses on the impact of mandibular implant overdentures and conventional dentures.
Portal vein variations in 1000 patients: surgical and radiological importance.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of the study was to evaluate the spectrum and incidence of intrahepatic portal vein (PV) variations on triphasic abdomen multidetector CT (MDCT) and to discuss the surgical and radiological implications. METHODS A retrospective review of 1000 triphasic MDCT abdomen scans was performed in patients sent for various liver and other abdominal pathologies between January 2014 and August 2014. A total of 967 patients (N = 967) were included in the study. The variations in branching pattern of PV were classified according to classification used by Covey et al (Covey AM, Brody LA, Getrajdman GI, Sofocleous CT, Brown KT. Incidence, patterns, and clinical relevance of variant portal vein anatomy. AJR Am J Roentgenol 2004; 183: 1055-64) and Koç et al (Koç Z, Oğuzkurt L, Ulusan S. Portal vein variations: clinical implications and frequencies in routine abdominal CT. Diagn Interv Radiol 2007; 13: 75-80). RESULTS Normal anatomy (Type I) was seen in 773 patients (79.94%) out of 967 patients in our study. Trifurcation (Type II) anomaly was seen in 66 (6.83%) of cases. Right posterior vein as first branch of main PV (Type III) anomaly was seen in 48 (4.96%) of cases. Type IV anomaly and Type V anomaly was seen in 26 (2.69%) and 13 (1.34%) cases, respectively. 19 cases showed other types of variations. CONCLUSION Variations in the hepatic PV branching patterns are commonly seen that are similar to variations in hepatic artery and biliary anatomy. Knowledge of these variations is extremely important for transplant surgeons and intervention radiologists. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE Awareness of the variations in PV branching patterns is essential for intervention radiologists and vascular surgeons and avoids major catastrophic events.
Big graph mining for the web and social media: algorithms, anomaly detection, and applications

Graphs are everywhere: social networks, computer net- works, mobile call networks, the World Wide Web, protein interaction networks, and many more. The lower cost of disk storage, the success of social networking websites and Web 2.0 applications, and the high availability of data sources lead to graphs being generated at unprecedented size. They are now measured in terabytes or even petabytes, with more than billions of nodes and edges. Finding patterns on large graphs have a lot of applica- tions including cyber security on the Web, social media min- ing (Facebook, Twitter), and fraud detection, among others. This tutorial will cover topics related to finding patterns and anomalies and sensemaking in large-scale graphs with appli- cations to real-world problems in social media and the Web. Specifically, we aim to answer the following questions: How can we scale up graph mining algorithms for massive graphs with billions of edges? How can we find anomalies in such large-scale graphs? How can we make sense of disk-resident large graphs, what and how can we do visual analytics? How can we use the algorithms and anomaly detection techniques to solve challenging real-world problems that play key role in social media and the Web? Our tutorial consists of three main parts. We start with scalable graph mining algorithms for billion-scale graphs, in- cluding structure analysis, eigensolvers, storage and index- ing, and graph layout and graph compression. Next we de- scribe anomaly detection techniques for large scale graphs with applications on social media. Finally, we discuss vi- sual analytics techniques which leverage these algorithms and anomaly detection techniques in the previous parts.
Ultralow-dose CT with tin filtration for detection of solid and sub solid pulmonary nodules: a phantom study.

OBJECTIVES To investigate the diagnostic performance of advanced modelled iterative reconstruction (ADMIRE) to filtered back projection (FBP) when using an ultralow-dose protocol for the detection of solid and subsolid pulmonary nodules. METHODS Single-energy CT was performed at 100 kVp with tin filtration in an anthropomorphic chest phantom with solid and subsolid pulmonary nodules (2-10 mm, attenuation, 20 to -800 HU at 120 kVp). The mean volume CT dose index (CTDIvol) of the standard chest protocol was 2.2 mGy. Subsequent scans were obtained at 1/8 (0.28 mGy), 1/20 (0.10 mGy) and 1/70 (0.03 mGy) dose levels by lowering tube voltage and tube current. Images were reconstructed with FBP and ADMIRE. One reader measured image noise; two readers determined image quality and assessed nodule localization. RESULTS Image noise was significantly reduced using ADMIRE compared with FBP (ADMIRE at a strength level of 5 : 70.4% for 1/20; 71.6% for 1/8; p < 0.001). Interobserver agreement for image quality was excellent (k = 0.88). Image quality was considered diagnostic for all images at 1/20 dose using ADMIRE. Sensitivity of nodule detection was 97.1% (100% for solid, 93.8% for subsolid nodules) at 1/20 dose and 100% for both nodule entities at 1/8 dose using ADMIRE 5. Images obtained with 1/70 dose had moderate sensitivity (overall 85.7%; solid 95%; subsolid 73.3%). CONCLUSION Our study suggests that with a combination of tin filtration and ADMIRE, the CTDIvol of chest CT can be lowered considerably, while sensitivity for nodule detection remains high. For solid nodules, CTDIvol was 0.10 mGy, while subsolid nodules required a slightly higher CTDIvol of 0.28 mGy. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE Detection of subsolid nodules is feasible with ultralow-dose protocols.
Immunomonitoring in patients with early moderate and severe head trauma

Background: Trauma patients with severe and moderate central nervous system (CNS) injuries are at risk of immunologically derived complications (infection, “2nd-hit injuries”). the aim of this study is to evaluate the phagocytic arm of the immune system in patients with isolated CNS injuries during a period of time which is critical for the incidence of infections. the phagocytic arm is analyzed to optimize the timing of definitive surgery and to introduce the immunomodulation therapy and prophylactic measures. Material and methods: the study group consisted of 7 men and 2 women from 18 to 79 years of age who had sustained an acute, isolated cns injury as a result of mechanical trauma. brain damage was severe or moderate in all of the cases [≤ 11 Glasgow coma scale (Gcs) pts]. all patients were studied on the 3 rd , 6 th and 9 th day after trauma. eleven healthy age- and sex-matched volunteers served as controls. Results: A statistically significantly lower individual cellular phagocytic activity (number of bacteria per cell) was observed in the cns-injured patients on the 3 rd , 6 th and 9 th day. the percentages of granulocytes showing phagocytosis in cns-injured patients on the 3 rd and 9 th day were also significantly lower. a statistically significantly lower enzymatic activity of granulocytes was observed on the 9 th day in cns-injured patients. Conclusions: A significant deficiency of the phagocytic arm was observed during a period of time which is critical for “2nd-hit injuries”. that deficiency played a role in the high rate of infections and multiple organ failure in numerous patients described in the literature.
Vulture: a mid-air word-gesture keyboard

Word-gesture keyboards enable fast text entry by letting users draw the shape of a word on the input surface. Such keyboards have been used extensively for touch devices, but not in mid-air, even though their fluent gestural input seems well suited for this modality. We present Vulture, a word-gesture keyboard for mid-air operation. Vulture adapts touch based word-gesture algorithms to work in mid-air, projects users' movement onto the display, and uses pinch as a word delimiter. A first 10-session study suggests text-entry rates of 20.6 Words Per Minute (WPM) and finds hand-movement speed to be the primary predictor of WPM. A second study shows that with training on a few phrases, participants do 28.1 WPM, 59% of the text-entry rate of direct touch input. Participants' recall of trained gestures in mid-air was low, suggesting that visual feedback is important but also limits performance. Based on data from the studies, we discuss improvements to Vulture and some alternative designs for mid-air text entry.
Assessment of indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants in Central Zone of Tigray, Northern Ethiopia

This research was initiated to document indigenous knowledge associated with traditional medicinal plants; specifically to identify the plant parts used for medicinal purposes and investigate plant species that are used as medicines for the treatment of human health problems. Twelve traditional healers in the study area were interviewed to gather information on the knowledge and use of medicinal plants used as a remedy for human ailments. The study reported that 16 plant species were commonly used to treat various human ailments. Most of these species (68.75%) were wild and harvested mainly for their leaves and the remedies were administered through oral and dermal. The indigenous knowledge transfer was found to be different. Some traditional healers transfer their indigenous knowledge while others kept the knowledge with them for the sake of secrecy. Most of the traditional healers were found to have poor knowledge on the dosage and antidote while prescribing remedies to their patients. More than one medicinal plant species were used more frequently than the use of a single species for remedy preparations.
Dosimetric benefits of hemigland stereotactic body radiotherapy for prostate cancer: implications for focal therapy.

OBJECTIVE Compared with standard, whole-gland (WG) therapies for prostate cancer, focal approaches may provide equivalent oncologic outcomes with fewer adverse effects. The purpose of this study was to compare organ-at-risk (OAR) dosimetry between hemigland (HG) and WG stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) plans. METHODS Volumetric-modulated arc radiotherapy-based SBRT plans were designed to treat the left HG, right HG and WG in eight patients, using five fractions of 8 Gy. OARs of interest included the contralateral HG, rectum, urinary bladder, urethra, penile bulb and contralateral neurovascular bundle. RESULTS Rectal V80% (the percentage of a normal structure receiving a dose of 80%) and V90% were significantly lower with HG plans than with WG plans (median values of 4.4 vs 2.5 cm(3) and 2.1 vs 1.1 cm(3), respectively, p < 0.05 by Student's t-test). Bladder V50% was also reduced significantly in HG plans (32.3 vs 17.4 cm(3), p < 0.05), with a trend towards reduction of V100% (3.4 vs 1.3 cm(3), p = 0.09). Urethral maximum dose and mean doses to the penile bulb and contralateral neurovascular bundle were also reduced significantly (42.0 vs 39.7 Gy, p < 0.00001; 13.3 vs 9.2 Gy, p < 0.05; and 40.2 vs 19.3 Gy, p < 0.00001, respectively). CONCLUSION Targeting an HG volume rather than a WG volume when delivering SBRT can offer statistically significant reductions for all OARs. Given the large magnitude of the reduction in dose to these OARs, it is anticipated that HG SBRT could offer a superior toxicity profile when compared with WG SBRT. This is likely to be most relevant in the context of salvaging a local failure after radiation therapy. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE The dosimetric feasibility of HG SBRT is demonstrated. When compared with WG SBRT plans, the HG plans demonstrate statistically significant and large magnitude reduction in doses to the rectum, bladder, urethra, penile bulb and contralateral neurovascular bundle, suggesting the possibility of improved toxicity outcomes with HG SBRT. This is likely to be most relevant in the context of salvaging a local failure after radiation therapy.
Longitudinal Follow-up of Patients With α1-Protease Inhibitor Deficiency Before and During Therapy With IV α1-Protease Inhibitor

Background: The efficacy of IV augmentation therapywith human α 1 -protease inhibitor (α 1 -Pi) inpatients with severe α 1 -Pi deficiency is still underdebate. Study objectives: To evaluate the progressionof emphysema in patients with α 1 -Pi deficiency before and during a period in which they received treatment withα 1 -Pi. Design: Multicenter, retrospective cohort study. Settings: Outpatientclinics of 26 university clinics and pulmonary hospitals. Patients: Ninety-six patients with severeα 1 -Pi deficiency receiving weekly augmentation therapywith human α 1 -Pi, 60 mg/kg of body weight, had a minimumof two lung function measurements before and two lung functionmeasurements after augmentation therapy was started. Lung function datawere followed up for a minimum of 12 months both before and duringtreatment (mean, 47.5 months and 50.2 months, respectively). Measurements and results Patients were grouped accordingto the severity of their lung function impairment. The change inFEV 1 was compared during nontreatment and treatmentperiods. In the whole group, the decline in FEV 1 wassignificantly lower during the treatment period (49.2 mL/yr vs 34.2mL/yr, p = 0.019). In patients with FEV 1 > 65%, IVα 1 -Pi treatment reduced the decline in FEV 1 by 73.6 mL/yr (p = 0.045). Seven individuals had a rapid decline of FEV 1 before treatment, and the loss in FEV 1 could be reduced from 256 mL/yr to 53 mL/yr (p = 0.001). Conclusion: Some patients with severe α 1 -Pideficiency and well-preserved lung function show a rapid decline inFEV 1 . These patients profit from weekly IV therapy with human α 1 -Pi and have less rapid decline if treated. Earlydetection of patients at risk and early start of augmentation therapymay prevent accelerated loss of lung tissue.
Do professors matter?: using an a/b test to evaluate the impact of instructor involvement on MOOC student outcomes

This research investigates the impact professors, and other instructional staff, have on student content knowledge acquisition in a physical science MOOC offered through the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. An A/B test was used to randomly assign MOOC participants in either a control group (with no instructional interaction) or an intervention group (in which the professor and teaching assistants responded to comments in the discussion and complied summary weekly feedback statements) to identify the differences in learning outcomes, participation rates, and student satisfaction. The study found that instructor intervention had no statistically significant impact on overall completion rates, overall badge acquisition rates, student participation rates, or satisfaction with the course, but did (p<0.05) lead to a higher rate of forum badge completion, an area that was targeted by the intervention.
Superposter behavior in MOOC forums

Discussion forums, employed by MOOC providers as the primary mode of interaction among instructors and students, have emerged as one of the important components of online courses. We empirically study contribution behavior in these online collaborative learning forums using data from 44 MOOCs hosted on Coursera, focusing primarily on the highest-volume contributors---"superposters"---in a forum. We explore who these superposters are and study their engagement patterns across the MOOC platform, with a focus on the following question---to what extent is superposting a positive phenomenon for the forum? Specifically, while superposters clearly contribute heavily to the forum in terms of quantity, how do these contributions rate in terms of quality, and does this prolific posting behavior negatively impact contribution from the large remainder of students in the class? We analyze these questions across the courses in our dataset, and find that superposters display above-average engagement across Coursera, enrolling in more courses and obtaining better grades than the average forum participant; additionally, students who are superposters in one course are significantly more likely to be superposters in other courses they take. In terms of utility, our analysis indicates that while being neither the fastest nor the most upvoted, superposters' responses are speedier and receive more upvotes than the average forum user's posts; a manual assessment of quality on a subset of this content supports this conclusion that a large fraction of superposter contributions indeed constitute useful content. Finally, we find that superposters' prolific contribution behavior does not `drown out the silent majority'---high superposter activity correlates positively and significantly with higher overall activity and forum health, as measured by total contribution volume, higher average perceived utility in terms of received votes, and a smaller fraction of orphaned threads.
World-wide scale geotagged image dataset for automatic image annotation and reverse geotagging

In this paper, a dataset of geotagged photos on a world-wide scale is presented. The dataset contains a sample of more than 14 million geotagged photos crawled from Flickr with the corresponding metadata. To guarantee the spatial representativeness of the dataset, a crawling approach based on the small-world phenomena and the Flickr friendship's graph is applied. Furthermore, the noisiness of user-provided tags is reduced through an automatic tag cleaning approach. To enable efficient retrieval, photos in the dataset are indexed based on their location information using quad-tree data structure. The dataset can assists different applications, especially, search-based automatic image annotation and reverse geotagging.
GPOPS-II

A general-purpose MATLAB software program called GPOPS--II is described for solving multiple-phase optimal control problems using variable-order Gaussian quadrature collocation methods. The software employs a Legendre-Gauss-Radau quadrature orthogonal collocation method where the continuous-time optimal control problem is transcribed to a large sparse nonlinear programming problem (NLP). An adaptive mesh refinement method is implemented that determines the number of mesh intervals and the degree of the approximating polynomial within each mesh interval to achieve a specified accuracy. The software can be interfaced with either quasi-Newton (first derivative) or Newton (second derivative) NLP solvers, and all derivatives required by the NLP solver are approximated using sparse finite-differencing of the optimal control problem functions. The key components of the software are described in detail and the utility of the software is demonstrated on five optimal control problems of varying complexity. The software described in this article provides researchers a useful platform upon which to solve a wide variety of complex constrained optimal control problems.