Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Emergency physician estimates of the probability of acute coronary syndrome in a cohort of patients enrolled in a study of coronary computed tomographic angiography.

INTRODUCTION Little information exists regarding how accurately emergency physicians (EPs) predict the probability of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Our objective was to determine if EPs can accurately predict ACS in a prospectively identified cohort of emergency department (ED) patients who met enrolment criteria for a study of coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) and were admitted for a "rule out ACS" protocol. METHODS A prospective observational pilot study in an academic medical centre was carried out. EPs caring for patients with chest pain provided whole-number estimates of the probability of ACS after clinical review. This substudy was part of the now published Rule Out Myocardial Infarction/Ischemia Using Computer Assisted Tomography (ROMICAT) study, a study of CCTA and admission of patients for a rule out ACS protocol after a nondiagnostic evaluation. Predictions were grouped into probability groups based on the validated Goldman criteria. ACS was determined by an adjudication committee using American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology/European Society of Cardiology guidelines. RESULTS A total of 334 predictions were obtained for a study population with a mean age of 54 (SD 12) years, 63% of whom were male. There were 35 ACS events. EPs predicted ACS better than by chance, and increasingly higher estimates were associated with a higher incidence of ACS (p = 0.0004). The percentage of patients with ACS was 0%, 6%, 7%, and 17%, respectively, for very low, low, intermediate, and high probability groups. EPs' estimates had a sensitivity of 63% using a > 20% probability of ACS to define a positive test. Lowering this threshold to > 7% to define a test as positive increased the sensitivity of physician estimates to 89% but lowered specificity from 65% to 24%. CONCLUSION Our data suggest that for a selected ED cohort meeting eligibility criteria for a study of CCTA, EPs predict ACS better than by chance, with an increasing proportion of patients proving to have ACS with increasing probability estimates. Lowering the estimate threshold does not result in an overall sensitivity level that is sufficient to send patients home from the ED and is associated with a poor specificity.
Molecular and Cellular Pathobiology NovelOncogenic PDGFRA Mutations inPediatricHighGrade inPediatricHighGrade inPediatricHighGrade Gliomas

The outcome for children with high-grade gliomas (HGG) remains dismal, with a 2-year survival rate of only 10% to 30%. Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) comprise a subset of HGG that arise in the brainstem almost exclusively in children. Genome-wide analyses of copy number imbalances previously showed that plateletderived growth factor receptor a (PDGFRA) is the most frequent target of focal amplification in pediatric HGGs, including DIPGs. To determine whether PDGFRA is also targeted by more subtle mutations missed by copy number analysis, we sequenced all PDGFRA coding exons from a cohort of pediatric HGGs. Somatic-activating mutations were identified in 14.4% (13 of 90) of nonbrainstem pediatric HGGs and 4.7% (2 of 43) of DIPGs, including missense mutations and in-frame deletions and insertions not previously described. Forty percent of tumors with mutation showed concurrent amplification, whereas 60% carried heterozygous mutations. Six different mutations impacting different domains all resulted in ligand-independent receptor activation that was blocked by small molecule inhibitors of PDGFR. Expression of mutants in p53-null primary mouse astrocytes conferred a proliferative advantage in vitro and generated HGGs in vivo with complete penetrance when implanted into brain. The gene expression signatures of these murine HGGs reflected the spectrum of human diffuse HGGs. PDGFRA intragenic deletion of exons 8 and 9 were previously shown in adult HGG, but were not detected in 83 nonbrainstem pediatric HGG and 57 DIPGs. Thus, a distinct spectrum of mutations confers constitutive receptor activation and oncogenic activity to PDGFRa in childhoodHGG. Cancer Res; 73(20);
Bacteria to power the smart sensor applications: Biofuel cell for low-power IoT devices

The Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm has penetrated into a number of Smart-x applications. However, most ‘things’ are battery powered devices with limited energy resource. We present a microbial biofuel cell based on Gluconobactor oxydans bacteria which is able to continuously generate nearly 0.2 mW·cm−2 at 0.5 V in waste or sewage water. The proposed solution is capable of supplying a low-power IoT device with processing, wireless communication (2.4 GHz) and sensing functions (temperature, humidity and light) onboard. The IoT device is powered via a supercapacitor which acts as an energy buffer for the biofuel harvester. The system operates at low 1% duty cycle.
Gesturing and Embodiment in Teaching: Investigating the Nonverbal ‎Behavior of Teachers in a Virtual Rehearsal Environment ‎

Interactive training environments typically include feedback mechanisms designed to help trainees improve their performance through either guided or self-reflection. In this context, trainees are candidate teachers who need to hone their social skills as well as other pedagogical skills for their future classroom. We chose an avatar-mediated interactive virtual training system–TeachLivE–as the basic research environment to investigate the motions and embodiment of the trainees. Using tracking sensors, and customized improvements for existing gesture recognition utilities, we created a gesture database and employed it for the implementation of our real-time gesture recognition and feedback application. We also investigated multiple methods of feedback provision, including visual and haptics. The results from the conducted user studies and user evaluation surveys indicate the positive impact of the proposed feedback applications and informed body language. In this paper, we describe the context in which the utilities have been developed, the importance of recognizing nonverbal communication in the teaching context, the means of providing automated feedback associated with nonverbal messaging, and the preliminary studies developed to inform the research.
Treatment of IgA nephropathy with ACE inhibitors: a randomized and controlled trial.

Some retrospective studies have suggested a beneficial influence of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors on the progression of IgA nephropathy (IgAN), but prospective and controlled studies demonstrating this effect are lacking. Forty-four patients with biopsy-proven IgAN, proteinuria > or = 0.5 g/d, and serum creatinine (SCr) < or = 1.5 mg/dl were randomly assigned either to receive enalapril (n = 23) or to a control group (n = 21) in whom BP was controlled with antihypertensives other than ACE inhibitors. Primary outcome was renal survival estimated by a 50% increase in baseline SCr. Secondary outcomes were the presence of a SCr > 1.5 mg/dl at the last visit and the evolution of proteinuria. Baseline clinical findings were similar at baseline between enalapril-treated and control group, and there were no differences in BP control during follow-up. Mean follow-up was 78 +/- 37 mo in the enalapril group and 74 +/- 36 mo in the control group. Three patients (13%) in the enalapril group and 12 (57%) in the control group reached the primary end point (P < 0.05). Kaplan-Meier renal survival was significantly better in enalapril group than in control group: 100% versus 70% after 4 yr and 92% versus 55% after 7 yr (P < 0.05). Three patients in the enalapril group (13%) and 11 (52%) in the control group showed SCr > 1.5 mg/dl at the last visit (P < 0.05). Proteinuria significantly decreased in the enalapril group, whereas it tended to increase in the control group (P < 0.001 between groups). In conclusion, ACE inhibitors significantly improve renal survival in proteinuric IgAN with normal or moderately reduced renal function.
Labour Market Institutions and the Employment Intensity of Output Growth

Summary This paper deals with the effects of labour market institutions on labour market performance. We analyse as an indicator for the labour intensity of output growth the employment threshold (the minimum growth rate of output necessary to keep employment constant). We show for a sample of 17 OECD countries for the period 1971 to 2002 that the strictness of employment protection raises the employment threshold in all econometric specifications. A higher wage bargaining co-ordination and a higher tax wedge reduce also the labour intensity of production, although the effects are not in all econometric specifications significant
Shortening Tendency for Syllable Duration in Brazilian Portuguese Utterances

Abstract We investigated whether the mean duration of syllables in utterances of different length in Brazilian Portuguese conform to Menzerath–Altmann’s law. Furthermore, by analysing the same spoken material of twenty recorded speakers, we tested for individual differences in the parameters used to formalise the law. The log-transform of the syllable duration was the dependent variable in a linear mixed model with the log-transform of the number of syllables in the utterance as a predictor. Adding a random intercept accounted for the variability across the speakers, but a random slope by speaker did not improve the model. We conclude that Menzerath–Altmann’s law fits our data well, but the decreasing tendency is not different from speaker to speaker.
Social work in the classroom? A tool to evaluate topical relevance in student writing

In a climate where higher education institutions are actively aiming to increase inclusivity [2], we explore how a deep learning-based tool focused on text analysis is able to help assess how students think about issues of privilege, op-pression, diversity and social justice (PODS). We created a vocabulary boosting and matching tool augmented with domain-speciﬁc corpora and relevance information. We ﬁnd that the adoption of domain-speciﬁc corpora enhances model performance when identifying PODS-related words in short student-written responses to writing prompts, by building a more highly focused PODS vocabulary.
Practical issues in creating an evidence base for Library and Information Practice

What are the practical issues in creating a knowledge base for the library and information profession? ln this article the authors explore this topic from a practitioner-researcher perspective in order to identify the issues which arise from undertaking research, informed by experiences when conducting a qualitative systematic review. The paper identifies barriers to using research, as perceived by library and information professionals, and discusses general issues encountered when undertaking research as a practitioner. It reports the experiences of conducting a systematic review of qualitative research in the area of critical appraisal skills, a review spanning several disciplines. The authors select several factors of particular importance to illustrate the specific challenges of creating an evidence base in library and information practice. They highlight many examples of pitfalls and difficulties, but also the payback and rewards, of doing research.
Riemannian Stein Variational Gradient Descent for Bayesian Inference

We develop Riemannian Stein Variational Gradient Descent (RSVGD), a Bayesian inference method that generalizes Stein Variational Gradient Descent (SVGD) to Riemann manifold. The benefits are two-folds: (i) for inference tasks in Euclidean spaces, RSVGD has the advantage over SVGD of utilizing information geometry, and (ii) for inference tasks on Riemann manifolds, RSVGD brings the unique advantages of SVGD to the Riemannian world. To appropriately transfer to Riemann manifolds, we conceive novel and non-trivial techniques for RSVGD, which are required by the intrinsically different characteristics of general Riemann manifolds from Euclidean spaces. We also discover Riemannian Stein's Identity and Riemannian Kernelized Stein Discrepancy. Experimental results show the advantages over SVGD of exploring distribution geometry and the advantages of particle-efficiency, iteration-effectiveness and approximation flexibility over other inference methods on Riemann manifolds.
Neurexin-Neuroligin Adhesions Capture Surface-Diffusing AMPA Receptors through PSD-95 Scaffolds

The mechanisms governing the recruitment of functional glutamate receptors at nascent excitatory postsynapses following initial axon-dendrite contact remain unclear. We examined here the ability of neurexin/neuroligin adhesions to mobilize AMPA-type glutamate receptors (AMPARs) at postsynapses through a diffusion/trap process involving the scaffold molecule PSD-95. Using single nanoparticle tracking in primary rat and mouse hippocampal neurons overexpressing or lacking neuroligin-1 (Nlg1), a striking inverse correlation was found between AMPAR diffusion and Nlg1 expression level. The use of Nlg1 mutants and inhibitory RNAs against PSD-95 demonstrated that this effect depended on intact Nlg1/PSD-95 interactions. Furthermore, functional AMPARs were recruited within 1 h at nascent Nlg1/PSD-95 clusters assembled by neurexin-1β multimers, a process requiring AMPAR membrane diffusion. Triggering novel neurexin/neuroligin adhesions also caused a depletion of PSD-95 from native synapses and a drop in AMPAR miniature EPSCs, indicating a competitive mechanism. Finally, both AMPAR level at synapses and AMPAR-dependent synaptic transmission were diminished in hippocampal slices from newborn Nlg1 knock-out mice, confirming an important role of Nlg1 in driving AMPARs to nascent synapses. Together, these data reveal a mechanism by which membrane-diffusing AMPARs can be rapidly trapped at PSD-95 scaffolds assembled at nascent neurexin/neuroligin adhesions, in competition with existing synapses.
Incentives for Personal Votes and Women’s Representation in Legislatures

To explain the gender gap in legislatures, scholars have identified several socio-economic, political, and cultural factors that undermine women’s representation. One explanation focuses on electoral institutions. Proportional representation systems with higher district magnitudes have been shown to increase the percentage of women in legislatures.The authors contend that solely concentrating on district magnitude ignores other critical electoral rules that will affect women’s representation. To better understand electoral system effects, scholars must understand how electoral rules beside district magnitude create incentives for candidates to obtain personal votes.The authors argue that those systems with weak incentives for personal votes (party-centered systems) increase women’s representation in comparison with systems that feature strong incentives for personal votes (candidate-centered systems). Using a data set of 57 countries between 1980 and 2005, the authors show that party-centered systems are more conducive to women’s representation.
Evolution of terrestrial burrowing invertebrates

INTRODUCTION The important role of fauna in modifying the regolith by redistributing particles is now widely acknowledged (e.g., Paton et al. 1995). One issue of some importance to regolith studies and the interpretation of paleosols is how the role of terrestrial bioturbation has evolved since life first invaded the land areas of Earth in the Early Paleozoic. This particular issue was raised during a discussion session at an earlier regolith conference (Eggleton 1998) and this paper is an attempt to answer this more fully in respect to invertebrates. In particular this contribution attempts to address the issue of when different kinds of burrowing invertebrates, in which burrowing is demonstrated or may be reasonably assumed, first appeared. In an ideal situation a combination of hard evidence provided by well dated fossils and trace fossils together with less certain but nevertheless important information obtained from habitat reconstruction and phylogenetic relationhips would be employed. However, such a combination is rarely achieved and hence most of the relationships discussed are based on a mixture of available evidence.
Error Analysis for RADAR Neighbor Matching Localization in Linear Logarithmic Strength Varying Wi-Fi Environment

This paper studies the statistical errors for the fingerprint-based RADAR neighbor matching localization with the linearly calibrated reference points (RPs) in logarithmic received signal strength (RSS) varying Wi-Fi environment. To the best of our knowledge, little comprehensive analysis work has appeared on the error performance of neighbor matching localization with respect to the deployment of RPs. However, in order to achieve the efficient and reliable location-based services (LBSs) as well as the ubiquitous context-awareness in Wi-Fi environment, much attention has to be paid to the highly accurate and cost-efficient localization systems. To this end, the statistical errors by the widely used neighbor matching localization are significantly discussed in this paper to examine the inherent mathematical relations between the localization errors and the locations of RPs by using a basic linear logarithmic strength varying model. Furthermore, based on the mathematical demonstrations and some testing results, the closed-form solutions to the statistical errors by RADAR neighbor matching localization can be an effective tool to explore alternative deployment of fingerprint-based neighbor matching localization systems in the future.
Predicting vehicular travel times by modeling heterogeneous influences between arterial roads

Predicting travel times of vehicles in urban settings is a useful and tangible quantity of interest in the context of intelligent transportation systems. We address the problem of travel time prediction in arterial roads using data sampled from probe vehicles. There is only a limited literature on methods using data input from probe vehicles. The spatio-temporal dependencies captured by existing data driven approaches are either too detailed or very simplistic. We strike a balance of the existing data driven approaches to account for varying degrees of influence a given road may experience from its neighbors, while controlling the number of parameters to be learnt. Specifically, we use a NoisyOR conditional probability distribution (CPD) in conjunction with a dynamic Bayesian network (DBN) to model state transitions of various roads. We propose an efficient algorithm to learn model parameters. We also propose an algorithm for predicting travel times on trips of arbitrary durations. Using synthetic and real world data traces we demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed method under different traffic conditions.
Adaptive Sequential Recommendation for Discussion Forums on MOOCs using Context Trees

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have demonstrated growing popularity and rapid development in recent years. Discussion forums have become crucial components for students and instructors to widely exchange ideas and propagate knowledge. It is important to recommend helpful information from forums to students for the benefit of the learning process. However, students or instructors update discussion forums very often, and the student preferences over forum contents shift rapidly as a MOOC progresses. So, MOOC forum recommendations need to be adaptive to these evolving forum contents and drifting student interests. These frequent changes pose a challenge to most standard recommendation methods as they have difficulty adapting to new and drifting observations. We formalize the discussion forum recommendation problem as a sequence prediction problem. Then we compare different methods, including a new method called context tree (CT), which can be effectively applied to online sequential recommendation tasks. The results show that the CT recommender performs better than other methods for MOOCs forum recommendation task. We analyze the reasons for this and demonstrate that it is because of better adaptation to changes in the domain. This highlights the importance of considering the adaptation aspect when building recommender system with drifting preferences, as well as using machine learning in general.
Valuing open access recreation on inland waterways: on-site recreation surveys and selection effects.

WILLIS K. and GARROD G. (1991) Valuing open access recreation on inland waterways: on-site recreation surveys and selection effects, Reg. Studies 25, 511–524. In addition to forming an important part of the nation's transport and drainage systems, Britain's network of inland waterways provides considerable social benefits from its use in receation. This paper investigates the use of micro data on individual travel-cost observations to value non-priced waterway recreation on a sample of sites throughout England. The use of on-site recreation user surveys to value open-access facilities raises questions about selection effects. The magnitude of specification error is revealed and a maximum-likelihood model corrects for bias. Results show that even lower-bound estimates of consumer surplus for recreation exceed government subsidies to waterways and canals. WILLIS K. et GARROD G. (1991) L'evaluation de l'acces libre a l'equipement de loisir sur les voies navigables: les enqetes de loisir faites sur place et l.
Dissociation of Gemcitabine Sensitivity and Protein Kinase B Signaling in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Models

Objective: To understand the impact of protein kinase B (PKB; Akt) signaling on growth and protection from apoptosis in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma models demonstrating differences in PKB activity. Methods: Gemcitabine sensitivity was investigated in a panel of cell lines, characterized by differences in levels of activated PKB. Suppression of PKB activity was achieved with an inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (wortmannin) and silencing RNA. Results: Enhanced gemcitabine (2′,2′-difluoro-2′-deoxycytidine)-induced cytotoxicity in vitro was achieved with suppression of high PKB activity with wortmannin in BxPC-3, PK-1, and PK-8 cells and silencing RNA targeted to total PKB, rather than PKB&bgr;, in PANC-1 cells. Opposite to gemcitabine sensitivity levels in vitro, the growth of PANC-1 xenografts was inhibited with gemcitabine treatment, whereas BxPC-3 became drug resistant. Monolayer cell cultures reestablished from solid tumors behaved similarly to original cultures, suggesting that the tumor microenvironment has a critical role in determining drug sensitivity. A comparison of transcript profiles of the models indicated that PKB signaling might be modulated by a number of pathways responsive to the tumor hypoxia microenvironment. Conclusions: These results suggested that gemcitabine efficacy involving the PKB pathway depends on PKB activity, its mechanisms of enhanced activity, as well as its function in a signaling network.
Factors and motivations contributing to community volunteers' participation in a nursery feeding project in Malawi

This article reports on a study to explore the factors and motivations that contribute to community volunteers' participation in a nursery feeding project in Malawi. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with community volunteers in 14 of the 32 sites in the programme. The findings pointed to a mix of intrinsic motivations, namely a deep concern for orphans and vulnerable children, a moral obligation to help, and a declared love of the work undertaken, and also to external factors such as spirituality, links of reciprocity, and the building of social capital. Understanding what motivates volunteers to take part in resource-poor settings is crucial to recognising, facilitating, and sustaining the work that they do. Further research into volunteering in the South is crucially needed.