Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Design of general block oriented expansions for efficient signal representation

The reconstruction stage of ordinary transform coders performs a linear combination of the columns of the inverse transform matrix in proportion given by the quantized transform coefficients. At low bit rates only a small number of vectors contribute in this linear combination. Here we address the problem of designing reconstruction matrices for such coders, but we remove the constraints of traditional transform coders. We end up with matrices that are not orthogonal, nor necessarily nonsingular. It is demonstrated that the approximation capabilities of the corresponding linear combinations are superior to those obtained when using the discrete cosine transform (DCT) or for that matter the Karhunen-Loeve transform (KLT) computed for the signals at hand. This statement is verified for a selection of synthetically generated as well as real-life signals.
Successful treatment of prediabetes in clinical practice: targeting insulin resistance and β-cell dysfunction.

OBJECTIVE To determine the effectiveness of targeted pharmacologic interventions to reverse documented pathophysiologic abnormalities in prediabetes. METHODS Patients with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and/or impaired fasting glucose (IFG) were treated with insulin sensitizers (pioglitazone + metformin) or insulin sensitizers + exenatide on the basis of oral glucose tolerance testing-derived indices of insulin resistance and impaired β-cell function. Patients who declined pharmacologic therapy received lifestyle modification only. RESULTS One hundred five patients with IGT and/or IFG were treated with insulin sensitizers (pioglitazone + metformin) (n = 40), insulin sensitizers + exenatide (n = 47), or lifestyle modification only (n = 18). After a mean follow-up period of 8.9 months, the lifestyle modification group demonstrated no significant changes in fasting plasma glucose, plasma glucose area under the curve during oral glucose tolerance testing, insulin sensitivity, or β-cell function. In the pioglitazone + metformin group (24 hours off medication), fasting plasma glucose fell from 109 to 102 mg/dL; plasma glucose area under the curve decreased by 12.0%; insulin sensitivity and β-cell function improved by 42% and 50%, respectively (all P<.001); 14.3% converted to normal glucose tolerance; and no patient developed diabetes. In the pioglitazone + metformin + exenatide group (24 hours off medication), fasting plasma glucose fell from 109 to 98 mg/dL; plasma glucose area under the curve decreased by 21.2%; insulin sensitivity and β-cell function improved by 52% and 109%, respectively (all P<.001); 59.1% of patients with IGT reverted to normal glucose tolerance; and no patient developed diabetes. CONCLUSIONS Targeted pathophysiologic therapy based on oral glucose tolerance test-derived measures of insulin sensitivity and β-cell function can be implemented in general internal medicine and endocrine practice and is associated with marked improvement in glucose tolerance and reversion of prediabetes to normal glucose tolerance in more than 50% of patients.
When Do Independent Directors Improve Firms ’ Information Environments ?

Recent research finds that a greater proportion of independent directors are observed on boards of firms characterized by high corporate transparency. The causality of this relation, however, is unclear. One branch of the governance literature takes firms’ information environments as fixed and shows that board independence is dictated by exogenous variation in corporate transparency. Another branch, mainly in accounting, argues that independent directors can effect changes in the information environment. We examine a regulatory shock that substantially increased board independence for some firms, and find that information asymmetry, and to some extent disclosure, financial intermediation, and the shareholder base, changed at firms affected by this shock. These results are muted to some extent when management is more entrenched or when information processing costs are relatively high. Our results suggest that the corporate information environment is an endogenous function of board structure. * Corresponding author. We appreciate the comments of Michelle Hanlon, Andy Leone, Peter Pope, Rodrigo Verdi, and workshop participants at London Business School and MIT Sloan, and gratefully acknowledge the financial support of MIT Sloan and of the Wharton School.
Hyperfine anomaly in Be isotopes in the cluster model and the neutron spatial distribution

The study of the hyperfine anomaly of neutron rich nuclei, in particular, neutron halo nuclei, can give a very specific and unique way to measure their neutron distribution and confirm a halo structure. The hyperfine structure anomaly in ${\text{Be}}^{+}$ ions is calculated with a realistic electronic wave function, obtained as a solution of the Dirac equation. In the calculations, the Coulomb potential modified by the charge distribution of the clustered nucleus and three electrons in the $1{s}^{2}2s$ configuration is used. The nuclear wave function is obtained in the core+nucleon model of $^{9,11}\mathrm{Be}$. The aim of this study is to test whether the hyperfine structure anomaly reflects a halo structure in $^{11}\mathrm{Be}$.
Incoming call user authentication by screen interaction analysis

This article contains information about the ability to authenticate a user based on the underscore of finger movement over the touch screen. Currently, users authentication based on their individual characteristics is very popular. The article considers one of the methods of authentication based on behavioral biometrics. Using the proposed model of the application the possibility of recognizing the user the underscore of finger movement over the touch screen.
THE SITE OF SAN CALOCERO DI ALBENGA (SV). AN INTER-DISCIPLINARY METHODOLOGICAL TRAINING GROUND

Abstract. This paper summarizes the results of the research on the site of San Calocero di Albenga where, in late antiquity, a martyrial sanctuary was built on the remains of a probable funerary enclosure of the late imperial era. This site is known since the first half of the twentieth century for the pioneering research of Nino Lamboglia both in the field of the first experiences of stratigraphic archaeology and for an embryonic reading of the walls. After further investigations by the Soprintendenza della Liguria, the archaeological complex has been the subject of new studies since 2014. At this moment, the Politecnico di Milano was involved in surveying activities, and extensive use of archaeometric investigations was made. In particular, the minero-petrographic analysis of the mortars and the C14 on the lime clumps allowed reaching new significant knowledge in the scanning of construction activities and their dating.
The S 7 gene and VP 7 protein are highly conser v ed among temporally and geographically distinct American isolates of epizootic hemorrhagic disease v irus

Complete sequences of genome segment 7 (S7) from six isolates of epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus serotype 1 (EHDV-1) and 37 isolates of serotype 2 (EHDV-2) were determined. These isolates were made between 1978 and 2001 from the southeast, midAtlantic, Midwest and intermountain United States. Analysis of the S7 sequence similarities showed 98.1% identity among the EHDV-1 isolates and 91.0% identity among the EHDV-2 isolates. Comparison of the deduced amino acid similarities showed an even greater degree of similarity among the isolates (100% among the EHDV-1 isolates and 98.9% identity among the EHDV-2 isolates). There was only 75.8% identity between the EHDV-1 and EHDV-2 isolates at the nucleic acid level; however, there was 93.7% identity between the two groups at the amino acid level. The ratio of non-synonymous to synonymous nucleotide indicates a strong selection for silent substitutions. There was no evidence for reassortment between EHDV-1 and EHDV-2 isolates. The high degree of conservation of S7 gene codons and the VP7 protein, suggests that little variation is allowed in preserving the function of this protein. The high degree of conservation also validates the use of diagnostic tests for EHDV based on S7 and VP7. # 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Diagnostic accuracy and added value of qualitative radiological review of 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy in evaluation of childhood brain tumors.

Background 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) facilitates noninvasive diagnosis of pediatric brain tumors by providing metabolite profiles. Prospective studies of diagnostic accuracy and comparisons with conventional MRI are lacking. We aimed to evaluate diagnostic accuracy of MRS for childhood brain tumors and determine added clinical value compared with conventional MRI. Methods Children presenting to a tertiary pediatric center with brain lesions from December 2015 through 2017 were included. MRI and single-voxel MRS were acquired on 52 tumors and sequentially interpreted by 3 radiologists, blinded to histopathology. Proportions of correct diagnoses and interrater agreement at each stage were compared. Cases were reviewed to determine added value of qualitative radiological review of MRS through increased certainty of correct diagnosis, reduced number of differentials, or diagnosis following spectroscopist evaluation. Final diagnosis was agreed by the tumor board at study end. Results Radiologists' principal MRI diagnosis was correct in 69%, increasing to 77% with MRS. MRI + MRS resulted in significantly more additional correct diagnoses than MRI alone (P = .035). There was a significant increase in interrater agreement when correct with MRS (P = .046). Added value following radiologist interpretation of MRS occurred in 73% of cases, increasing to 83% with additional spectroscopist review. First histopathological diagnosis was available a median of 9.5 days following imaging, with 25% of all patients managed without conclusive histopathology. Conclusions MRS can improve the accuracy of noninvasive diagnosis of pediatric brain tumors and add value in the diagnostic pathway. Incorporation into practice has the potential to facilitate early diagnosis, guide treatment planning, and improve patient care.
Magnetic nanoparticles with bulklike properties (invited)

The magnetic behavior of Fe3� xO4 nanoparticles synthesized by either high-temperature decomposition of an organic iron precursor or low-temperature coprecipitation in aqueous conditions is compared. Transmission electron microscopy, x-ray absorption spectroscopy, x-ray magnetic circular dichroism, and magnetization measurements show that nanoparticles synthesized by thermal decomposition display high crystal quality and bulklike magnetic and electronic properties, while nanoparticles synthesized by coprecipitation show much poorer crystallinity and particlelike phenomenology, including reduced magnetization, high closure fields, and shifted hysteresis loops. The key role of the crystal quality is thus suggested, because particlelike behavior for particles larger than about 5 nm is observed only when the particles are structurally defective. These conclusions are supported by Monte Carlo simulations. It is also shown that thermal decomposition is capable of producing nanoparticles that, after further stabilization in physiological conditions, are suitable for biomedical applications such as magnetic resonance imaging or biodistribution studies. V C 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3559504]
Morphometrics of Eggs, Nymphs, and Adults of Bactericera cockerelli (Hemiptera: Triozidae), Grown on Two Varieties of Tomato Under Greenhouse Conditions

ABSTRACT The effects of 2 varieties of tomato, Solanum lycopersicum L. , i.e., ‘Charanda F1’ and ‘Rafaello’, were evaluated on the morphometries of Bactericera cockerelli (Sulc). Eggs, nymphs, and adults of B. cockerelli were collected from 2 varieties of tomato, ‘Charanda F1’ and ‘Rafaello’, under greenhouse conditions in the Colegio de Postgraduados, Campus Montecillo, Texcoco, the State of Mexico, during the periods Oct-Dec 2009 and Jan-Mar 2010. Since 2000–2001 the B. cockerelli cultures were maintained on tomato with no exposure to agro-chemicals. Adult B. cockerelli were kept in individual growth chambers constructed of wooden frames covered with organza cloth, under 14:10 h L:D and temperatures ranging from 10 to 25 °C. For morphometric analysis of the eggs, the following variables were investigated: egg length (LH), egg width (AH), and pedicel length (PED). For nymphs, the variables were: body length (LC), body width (AC), and antennal length (ANT). For adults, the variables were: body length (LC), body width at thorax (ACT), wing length (LALA), and wing width (ANALA). The 2 tomato varieties were found to have differential morphometric effects on B. cockerelli as follows: no significant differences on egg length (F1,41 = 0.57; P = 0.4551), but egg width was differentially affected by the variety of tomato (F1,41 = 11.92; P = 0.0013). There were significant differential effects of tomato variety on nymphs: body length (F4,324 = 1199.2; P < 0.0001), body width (F4,324 = 900.72; P = 0.0001); and antennae length (F4,324 = 883.93; P = 0.0001). Body length of the adults (F1,117 = 7.11; P = 0.0087) was differentially affected by the 2 different tomato varieties. None of the plants showed any symptoms of infection by ‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’, which is known to cause effects on B. cockerelli fitness traits. Body width and antennal length of nymphs can be recommended to differentiate all 5 nymphal instars on this pest species, which has practical implications.
Odor Pollution Control for Various Odor Emission Sources in Japan

Since the Law of Offensive Odor Control was enacted, many enterprises have made efforts to prevent odor nuisance. Odor survey was conducted at each factory and characteristics of odor emission for each kind of business were made clear. And many researches and developments have been carried out to confirm reliable technique. In order to remove odorants from exhaust gas, deodorizing plants have been installed at various emission sources gradually. Much information for odor control could have been stored up for these 30 years. In this paper, an outline of odor pollution control at various emission sources in Japan is introduced, that is, a number of newly installed deodorization facility, characteristics of odor emission from each type of business, efficiency of deodorizing equipment, recent trend of the development.
New materials for memristive switching

Materials play a critical role in memristive devices and the research community is aggressively searching for the most applicable material systems for memristive switching. Two representative examples of newly developed switching materials are presented in this paper, including nitride memristors and Pt doped SiO2 nanometallic memristors. The former represents nonoxide systems that might be more compatible with nitride electrodes preferred in a fab and the latter represents engineered materials that exhibit a better controllability over the formation of switching channel(s).
A Semisupervised Cascade Classification Algorithm

Classification is one of the most important tasks of data mining techniques, which have been adopted by several modern applications. The shortage of enough labeled data in the majority of these applications has shifted the interest towards using semisupervised methods. Under such schemes, the use of collected unlabeled data combined with a clearly smaller set of labeled examples leads to similar or even better classification accuracy against supervised algorithms, which use labeled examples exclusively during the training phase. A novel approach for increasing semisupervised classification using Cascade Classifier technique is presented in this paper. The main characteristic of Cascade Classifier strategy is the use of a base classifier for increasing the feature space by adding either the predicted class or the probability class distribution of the initial data. The classifier of the second level is supplied with the new dataset and extracts the decision for each instance. In this work, a self-trained NB∇C4.5 classifier algorithm is presented, which combines the characteristics of Naive Bayes as a base classifier and the speed of C4.5 for final classification. We performed an in-depth comparison with other well-known semisupervised classification methods on standard benchmark datasets and we finally reached to the point that the presented technique has better accuracy in most cases.
Simultaneous Administration of 2-Aminoethyl Diphenylborinate and Chloroquine Reverses Chloroquine Resistance in Malaria Parasites

ABSTRACT A nearly complete reversal of chloroquine (CQ) resistance in the CQ-resistant Plasmodium falciparum K-1 strain, with a significant decrease in the mean ± standard deviation (SD) 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) from 1,050 ± 95 nM to 14 ± 2 nM, was achieved in vitro by the simultaneous administration of 2-aminoethyl diphenylborinate (2-APB). The CQ resistance-reversing activity of 2-APB, which showed the same efficacy as verapamil, was also observed in an in vivo mouse infection model with the CQ-resistant Plasmodium chabaudi AS(30CQ) strain.
Hemispheric asymmetry of auditory evoked potentials to comparisons within and across phonetic categories.

In 10 right-handed Ss, auditory evoked responses (AERs) were recorded from left and right temporal and parietal scalp regions during simple discrimination responses to binaurally presented pairs of synthetic speech sounds ranging perceptually from /ba/ to /da/. A late positive component (P3) in the AER was found to reflect the categorical or phonetic analysis of the stop consonants, with only left scalp sites averaging significantly different responses between acoustic and phonetic comparisons. The result is interpreted as evidence of hemispheric differences in the processing of speech in respect of the level of processing accessed by the particular information processing task.
The diagnostic value of fungal surveillance cultures in critically ill patients.

BACKGROUND Heavy fungal colonization is a known risk factor for fungal infection, yet the value of fungal surveillance cultures is uncertain. METHODS To evaluate the utility of fungal surveillance cultures in predicting fungal infections, we evaluated surveillance fungal cultures over a three month period in a prospective, cohort study conducted at a university medical center with a large tertiary referral population. We enrolled 172 patients in the Oncology Center and the medical and surgical intensive care units at Johns Hopkins Hospital. RESULTS Surveillance cultures from five sites were obtained twice weekly and evaluated for prediction of subsequent fungal infection. Infections were prospectively defined and evaluated by a panel of clinicians. Test characteristics were assessed. Of 159 eligible patients, 14 (9%) developed invasive fungal infections. Having two or more surveillance sites positive in a single day had an odds ratio of 8.2 (1.1-358.0) (p = 0.03), a negative predictive value of 0.98, sensitivity of 0.92, and a likelihood ratio of 1.6 for a fungal infection. In a multiple logistic regression model and Kaplan-Meier analysis, fungal burden was strongly and independently associated with infection (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Surveillance cultures are helpful in determining fungal colonization but do not have a high positive predictive value for fungal infection in a broad population of intensive care unit patients. However, fungal infection is more likely in heavily colonized patients, and surveillance cultures show that fungal infection is extremely unlikely in patients without fungal colonization.
A framework for outsourcing IS/IT security services

Purpose – This paper seeks to provide an overview of the major technical, organizational and legal issues pertaining to the outsourcing of IS/IT security services.Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses a combined socio‐technical approach to explore the different aspects of IS/IT security outsourcing and suggests a framework for accommodating security and privacy requirements that arise in outsourcing arrangements.Findings – Data protection requirements are a decisive factor for IS/IT security outsourcing, not only because they pose restrictions to management, but also because security and privacy concerns are commonly cited among the most important concerns prohibiting organizations from IS/IT outsourcing. New emerging trends such as outsourcing in third countries, pose significant new issues, with regard to meeting data protection requirements.Originality/value – The paper illustrates the reasons for which the outsourcing of IS/IT security needs to be examined under a different perspective from tra.
MUSE: A Framework for Measuring Object-Oriented Design Quality

Good object-oriented design facilitates the maintainability of a software product. While metric-based approaches and the idea of identifying design smells have been established, there still remains the gap of verifying the compliance of design best practices in source code. Thus, there is no comprehensive set of metrics or design best practices that does not only support design measurement and evaluation but can also guide the improvement process. This paper proposes a novel approach based on measuring design best practices that closes the gap between the identification of design flaws and the support for improvements. An expert group six researchers captured a set of 67 design best practices that are implemented by the framework MUSE (Muse Understand Script Engine). For a first validation of MUSE in this paper, its measuring result is compared with QMOOD, which is an established metric-based approach for measuring the quality of object-oriented design. The qualitative assessment based on data from six versions of the Java tool jEdit shows that MUSE is better suited to guide improvements than QMOOD, e.g., for the design property encapsulation QMOOD indicates no substantial changes in the design quality while the data provided by MUSE highlights that the encapsulation property of jEdit became worse over time. These first promising results of the application of MUSE have to be further validated and future work will concentrate on measuring object-oriented design principles.
L576P KIT mutation in anal melanomas correlates with KIT protein expression and is sensitive to specific kinase inhibition

Activating mutations in either BRAF or NRAS are seen in a significant number of malignant melanomas, but their incidence appears to be dependent to ultraviolet light exposure. Thus, BRAF mutations have the highest incidence in non‐chronic sun damaged (CSD), and are uncommon in acral, mucosal and CSD melanomas. More recently, activating KIT mutations have been described in rare cases of metastatic melanoma, without further reference to their clinical phenotypes. This finding is intriguing since KIT expression is downregulated in most melanomas progressing to more aggressive lesions. In this study, we investigated a group of anal melanomas for the presence of BRAF, NRAS, KIT and PDGFRA mutations. A heterozygous KIT exon 11 L576P substitution was identified in 3 of 20 cases tested. The 3 KIT mutation‐carrying tumors were strongly immunopositive for KIT protein. No KIT mutations were identified in tumors with less than 4+ KIT immunostaining. NRAS mutation was identified in one tumor. No BRAF or PDGFRA mutations were identified in either KIT positive or negative anal melanomas. In vitro drug testing of stable transformant Ba/F3 KITL576P mutant cells showed sensitivity for dasatinib (previously known as BMS‐354825), a dual SRC/ABL kinase inhibitor, and imatinib. However, compared to an imatinib‐sensitive KIT mutant, dasatinib was potent at lower doses than imatinib in the KITL576P mutant. These results suggest that a subset of anal melanomas show activating KIT mutations, which are susceptible for therapy with specific kinase inhibitors. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.