Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MEDICAL IMAGE COMPUTING AND COMPUTER-ASSISTED INTERVENTION - MICCAI'98

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Autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1 in Norway: phenotypic variation, autoantibodies, and novel mutations in the autoimmune regulator gene.

CONTEXT The autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type I (APS I) is a rare disease that previously was difficult to diagnose. Autoantibody screening as well as mutational analysis of the disease gene autoimmune regulator (AIRE) are important diagnostic tools for this life-threatening syndrome. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to identify all patients with APS I in Norway and correlate their clinical features with their autoantibody profiles and mutations in the AIRE gene. PATIENTS We identified 36 Norwegian patients from 24 families with APS I (20 males, 16 females) during a nationwide survey for patients with Addison's disease and polyendocrine syndromes, seven of them only after their death. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Clinical data were collected from questionnaires and patient records. AIRE mutations were determined by DNA sequencing. Most autoantibodies were measured in RIAs against recombinant autoantigens, but anti-type I interferon (IFN) antibodies were titrated in ELISA or antiviral interferon neutralization assays. RESULTS The prevalence of APS I in Norway was estimated to be about 1:90,000. Several patients exhibited a milder phenotype with few APS I disease components and onset only in late adolescent or adulthood. The others showed about the same distribution of disease components as reported in Finnish patients. Eleven different mutations were identified in the AIRE gene, six of these were novel, i.e. c.22C>T (p.Arg8Cys), c.290T>C (p.Leu97Pro), c.402delC (p.Ser135GlnfsX12), c.879 + 1G>A (p.IVS7 + 1G>A), c.1249dupC (p.Leu417ProfsX7), and c.1336T>G (p.Cys446Gly). The 13-bp deletion in exon 8 (c.967-979del13) was the most prevalent mutation, present in 23 of 48 (48%) of the alleles. The presence of neutralizing autoantibodies against IFN-omega was the most specific marker of APS I, being found in all but one Norwegian patient. Some other common APS I-associated autoantibodies appeared de novo during long-term follow-up of younger patients. CONCLUSIONS Norwegian patients with APS I clinically resemble those from Finland and other European countries, but some have milder phenotypes. In total, six new mutations were identified in the Norwegian APS I patients. Anti-type I IFN autoantibodies are easily detectable; their APS I specificity and persistently high titers render them reliable markers of APS I, even in prodromal or atypical cases. Both the clinical features and the AIRE mutations are more diverse in the Norwegian population than previously thought.
A Review of Critical Success Factor in Building Maintenance Management Practice for University Sector

— Building maintenance plays an important role among other activities in building operation. Building defect and damages are part of the building maintenance ‘bread and butter’ as their input indicated in the building inspection is very much justified, particularly as to determine the building performance. There will be no escape route or short cut from building maintenance work. This study attempts to identify a competitive performance that translates the Critical Success Factor achievements and satisfactorily meet the university’s expectation. The quality and efficiency of maintenance management operation of building depends, to some extent, on the building condition information, the expectation from the university sector and the works carried out for each maintenance activity. This paper reviews the critical success factor in building maintenance management practice for university sectors from four (4) perspectives which include (1) customer (2) internal processes (3) financial and (4) learning and growth perspective. The enhancement of these perspectives is capable to reach the maintenance management goal for a better living environment in university campus.
Teaching Business Skills and Ethics through Airline Management Simulation

How should undergraduate students be prepared to succeed in their future roles as members of the global workforce? One challenge is to identify what exactly is required to be successful. The Employability Skills Framework lists the personal attributes and skills that contribute to employability from the perspective of SMEs and large enterprises, and various perspectives of leadership include those presented in Liu’s (2010) interviews of leadership scholars and in Fairhurst’s (2007) theory of discursive leadership. Another challenge is to provide students with the opportunities to develop the competencies that will enable them to succeed in the future. At Kanda University of International Studies (KUIS) in Chiba, Japan, students have access to a unique business internship program and a self-access learning center. This paper considers the effectiveness of a management course in KUIS (comprised of an airline management simulation and an online tutorial) in developing the personal attributes and skills (including leadership) that contribute to employability. The students’ performances in the airline management simulation and their responses to a questionnaire were considered in the assessment of the course.
Fingerprint presentation attacks detection based on the user-specific effect

The similarities among different acquisitions of the same fingerprint have never been taken into account, so far, in the feature space designed to detect fingerprint presentation attacks. Actually, the existence of such resemblances has only been shown in a recent work where the authors have been able to describe what they called the “user-specific effect”. We present in this paper a first attempt to take advantage of this in order to improve the performance of a FPAD system. In particular, we conceived a binary code of three bits aimed to “detect” such effect. Coupled with a classifier trained according to the standard protocol followed, for example, in the LivDet competition, this approach allowed us to get a better accuracy compared to that obtained with the “generic users” classifier alone.
Content-Centric Networking Management Based on Software Defined Networks: Survey

Content-centric networks (CCNs) have received a lot of interest as one of the major innovative future Internet paradigms. The CCN key feature is built around the named content which can be requested, replayed, routed by name, and stored through in-network caching. Software defined networking (SDN) represents a new concept that can leverage the research and innovation enabling migration to future Internet. This stream of thought can be explored through certain research projects. In this survey, we present the basic concept of each paradigm. We introduce a thorough description of CCN mechanisms as well as their related studies. Therefore, we highlight the benefit of combining CCN networks with SDN and OpenFlow. Then, we analyze some of the most prominent approaches combining the CCN and the OpenFlow.
Radiosensitization of HNSCC cells by EGFR inhibition depends on the induction of cell cycle arrests

The increase in cellular radiosensitivity by EGF receptor (EGFR) inhibition has been shown to be attributable to the induction of a G1-arrest in p53-proficient cells. Because EGFR targeting in combination with radiotherapy is used to treat head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) which are predominantly p53 mutated, we tested the effects of EGFR targeting on cellular radiosensitivity, proliferation, apoptosis, DNA repair and cell cycle control using a large panel of HNSCC cell lines. In these experiments EGFR targeting inhibited signal transduction, blocked proliferation and induced radiosensitization but only in some cell lines and only under normal (pre-plating) conditions. This sensitization was not associated with impaired DNA repair (53BP1 foci) or induction of apoptosis. However, it was associated with the induction of a lasting G2-arrest. Both, the radiosensitization and the G2-arrest were abrogated if the cells were re-stimulated (delayed plating) with actually no radiosensitization being detectable in any of the 14 tested cell lines. Therefore we conclude that EGFR targeting can induce a reversible G2 arrest in p53 deficient HNSCC cells, which does not consequently result in a robust cellular radiosensitization. Together with recent animal and clinical studies our data indicate that EGFR inhibition is no effective strategy to increase the radiosensitivity of HNSCC cells.
Kondo effect in real metals

Starting from the most general form of the Anderson hamiltonian, the behaviour of magnetic impurities in real metals is considered, taking into account the orbital structure of the local impurity electrons, crystal field and spin orbit splittings. The analysis is carried out in an atomic limit, in which the impurity has a well defined integer valency (a Schrieffer Wolff transformation is then valid). The main steps of a scaling procedure are described in detail. As the temperature goes down, the excited states of the ground state configuration decouple one after the other. The hierarchy of these decouplings, and their interplay with Kondo singularities are analyzed. When a Fermi liquid picture applies as T → 0, the number of independent parameters may be reduced considerably using symmetry and universality arguments which bypass the numerical description of the crossover region. That first part sets a language in which to describe specific problems. We apply that language to the case where the atomic ground state is an orbital singlet. In the absence of anisotropies, the only parameters are the impurity spin S and the number of orbital channels n. We show that an anomalous fixed point occurs at finite coupling when n > 2 S. That fixed point is unstable with respect to anisotropies. The scaling trajectories are discussed for a cubic crystal field for several choices of valencies. The universality of the low temperature behaviour is clarified. A similar analysis is carried out when the atomic ground state only has one electron (or hole). The influence of crystal field and spin orbit interactions is analyzed — and their relevance to the Kondo crossover and to universality is ascertained.
Interferon‐induced alterations in metastatic capacity, class‐1 antigen expression and natural killer cell sensitivity of melanoma cells

Pre‐treatment of B16 melanoma cells with recombinant interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ) markedly increased their lung‐colonising capacity following i.v. injection into syngeneic mice as compared with control cells. A similar enhancement was observed following the injection of treated cells into athymic nude mice but not in athymic mice carrying the beige mutation. Pre‐treatment of syngeneic mice with anti‐asialo GM1 antibody effectively abrogated any interferon‐induced increase in experimental metastatic activity. The same IFN‐γ treatment significantly increased resistance of B16 cells to splenic natural killer (NK) cell activity as determined by in vitro assays. IFN‐α/β pre‐treatment of B16 cells decreased sensitivity to NK‐cell‐mediated lysis to a lesser extent than IFN‐γ and had no detectable effect upon the subsequent metastatic activity of the tumour cells. Class‐1 antigen expression was altered by these IFN treatments, with IFN‐γ causing dramatic increases in expression of H‐2Db antigen, in a pattern consistent with the possibility that increased H‐2 antigen expression on B16 cells led to decreased NK‐cell sensitivity which was reflected by an increase in experimental metastatic capacity.
Protein and antigenic analysis of Borrelia burgdorferi isolated in northern Italy: computerized analysis of phenotypic characteristics

Four Borrelia burgdorferi strains isolated in the same restricted geographic area share different protein patterns on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The use of polyclonal rabbit antisera and a battery of monoclonal antibodies directed toward the immunodominant proteins OspA, OspB, and pC also revealed different epitope distributions and specificities of these antigens on the strains examined. For the first time, a computerized analysis of these phenotypic characters was done mainly by cluster analysis. The computerized analysis revealed the levels of similarities among the strains and indicated, on a quantitative basis, that one of them is much closer to the American strain B31 than to the other strains.
Imprecise Results: Utilizing Partial Comptuations in Real-Time Systems

In real-time systems, a computation may not have time to complete its execution because of deadline requirements. In such cases, no result except the approximate results produced by the computations up to that point will be available. It is desirable to utilize these imprecise results if possible. Two approaches are proposed to enable computations to return imprecise results when executions cannot be completed normally. The milestone approach records results periodically, and if a deadline is reached, returns the last recorded result. The sieve approach demarcates sections of code which can be skipped if the time available is insufficient. By using these approaches, the system is able to produce imprecise results when deadlines are reached. The design of the Concord project is described which supports imprecise computations using these techniques. Also presented is a general model of imprecise computations using these techniques, as well as one which takes into account the influence of the environment, showing where the latter approach fits into this model.
19 GENE TARGETING AND TRANSGENIC TECHNOLOGIES

Recent progress in the development of molecular genetic methods enables the manipulation of genes in intact mammalian organisms. The power of such techniques to elucidate complex biological systems was initially recognized and exploited by developmental biologists and immunologists. More recently, the utility of these approaches for examining neural gene function in the context of the intact organism has led to their use in neuropsychopharmacology. Since the publication of the previous edition of this book, there has been an explosion in the application of molecular genetic technologies to study the regulation of complex behavior and its modulation by psychoactive drugs. For several decades, the ability to manipulate genes in organisms such as yeast, fruit flies, and nematodes has produced important insights into the regulation of a wide variety of complex biological processes. Limitations in the use of such organisms for research in neuropsychopharmacology arise from the marked organizational differences between the mammalian brain and the systems that govern behavior in these organisms. By contrast, a substantial degree of homology exists in the organization of the central nervous system (CNS) and in the complement of genes expressed across mammalian species. Currently, the mouse genome is by far the most accessible mammalian genome to manipulation. Procedures exist in the mouse for introducing new genes, expressing elevated levels of endogenous genes, and eliminating or altering the function of identified target genes. Mutant mouse models may be used for a number of purposes relevant to neuropsychopharmacologic research. For example, the impact of genetic mutations on the behavior of mutant mice may be examined, providing insights into the functional significance of particular gene products. In some cases, the manifestations (phenotypes) of these mu-
The assessment of postoperative cognitive function

Postoperative cognitive function (POCD) has been subject to extensive research. In the literature, large differences are apparent in methodology such as the test batteries, the interval between sessions, the endpoints to be analysed, statistical methods, and how neuropsychological deficits are defined. Traditionally, intelligence tests or tests developed for clinical neuropsychology have been used. The tests for detecting POCD should be based on well‐described sensitivity and suitability in relation to surgical patients. In tests using scores, floor/ceiling effects may compromise the evaluation if the tests are either too easy or to difficult. Uncontrolled testing facilities and change of test personnel may affect the test performance. Practice effects are pronounced in neuropsychological tests but have generally been ignored. The use of a suitable normative population is essential to allow correction for practice effects and variability between sessions. Missing follow‐up may severely compromise valid conclusions since subjects unable or unwilling to be examined are particularly prone to suffer from POCD. In the statistical analysis of the test results, the evaluation should be based on differences between pre‐ and postoperative performance. Parametric statistical tests are not relevant unless the appropriate Gaussian distributions are present, perhaps after transformation of data. The definition of cognitive dysfunction should be restrictive and the criteria should be fulfilled in only a small proportion of volunteers. In the literature, these requirements often have not been fulfilled. This precludes a reasonable estimation of the incidence of POCD and the conclusions of comparative studies should be interpreted with great caution. In this review article, we present a number of recommendations for the design and execution of studies within this area. In addition, the critical reader may use these recommendations in the evaluation of the literature.
Complete Genome Sequence of Acidaminococcus intestini RYC-MR95, a Gram-Negative Bacterium from the Phylum Firmicutes

ABSTRACT Acidaminococcus intestini belongs to the family Acidaminococcaceae, order Selenomonadales, class Negativicutes, phylum Firmicutes. Negativicutes show the double-membrane system of Gram-negative bacteria, although their chromosomal backbone is closely related to that of Gram-positive bacteria of the phylum Firmicutes. The complete genome of a clinical A. intestini strain is here presented.
Robust spatial-spectral hyperspectral image classification for vegetation stress detection

Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) techniques have been widely used for a variety of applications pertaining to vegetation species identification. With its rich spectral information, HSI is a powerful tool to detect and characterize vegetation species and their health. However, due to the high dimensionality of HSI, a the number of training samples required to estimate the parameters of the automated target recognition (ATR) or ground-cover classification algorithms is large. To avoid this over-dimensionality problem, feature selection or feature extraction must be performed to reduce the dimensionality of HSI data. This problem is further exacerbated when spatial information is also exploited in conjunction with spectral information. In this work, we propose a feature selection approach for extracting the most meaningful spatial and spectral features for a vegetative stress detection problem - genetic algorithms based linear discriminant analysis (GA-LDA). Experimental results show that applying GA with an appropriate fitness function in the spatial-spectral feature space is very effective at selecting the most pertinent features and yields very high classification accuracies.
'Footprints of Strategy' Investigating Purchasing Strategies in a Longitudinal Case

The aim of this paper is to identify the effects of decisions made by firms regarding supply-network strategizing, and to trace the consequences of these effects over time. The article presents a longitudinal single case study describing a producer of electrical heaters,Electrical Heaters Inc., and this firm’s purchasing of steel over the last 30 years. The paper introduces ‘footprints’, either material or immaterial, as a way of tracing the effects resulting from one change, thereby creating the context for subsequent changes. The analysis points to the importance of considering the strategies of external actors, as well as a firm’s interaction with those actors, and the fact that companies are not entirely in control of these changes.
Signal Denoising and Image Compression Using Bspline Wavelets

In this paper we briefly describe the results of a recent research on how to construct and implement Bspline wavelet basis. Next, a novel technique based on using Bspline wavelet basis, is proposed for signal/image denoising and compression. Extensive simulation results, have shown that the proposed technique competes very well with other methods using classical orthogonal and bi-orthogonal wavelets. Bsplines example are given
Shareholders Wealth Effects of Joint Venture Strategies

We investigate the shareholder wealth effects of 233 joint venture announcements of Dutch public companies in the period 1987 till 1998. The research shows that, on average, establishing joint ventures has a positive effect on the market value of Dutch companies. Using the strategic characteristics of joint ventures it is possible to explain and understand these wealth effects. Our research shows that the factors of strategic intention, the context in which the strategy is unfolded and the extent to which the company has control over the implementation strongly explains the extent to which a joint venture can create value.
Management and labour relations in a context of competitive work environment: Evaluating the process of interests mediation in an oil refinery, Nigeria

This Paper evaluates the normative assumptions of participation and joint consultation in an Oil Refinery, Nigeria, in the context of work re-organisation. In response to heightened operating challenges in the Oil Industry, Management and Labour in the corporation have adopted a new approach to labour relations in the corporation; Joint Consultative Council (JCC) has emerged as institutional framework to cope with the emerging challenges. However, evidence from the study suggests that these are not without implications for both the workers and the unions. Drawing on extensive in situ observation and ethnographic study of the refinery, in Nigeria, the paper evaluates how the workers re-articulated their interests, as something different from the management’s normative assumptions. This paper explores the impact and implications of new forms of “co-operative” working relations, not only on workers and their lived-work experiences in the corporation, but also on the unions. It provides an evaluation of evidence and empirical findings that offer an understanding of processes and outcomes of “social partnership” in the refinery. The study, which was essentially theory-led analysis and context-based evaluations, drew largely from Labour Process conceptual remit. Key words: Interests mediation, management, social partnership, labour process, workers sense-making.
Near-Optimal ε-Kernel Construction and Related Problems

The computation of (i) eps-kernels, (ii) approximate diameter, and (iii) approximate bichromatic closest pair are fundamental problems in geometric approximation. In each case the input is a set of points in d-dimensional space for a constant d and an approximation parameter eps > 0. In this paper, we describe new algorithms for these problems, achieving significant improvements to the exponent of the eps-dependency in their running times, from roughly d to d/2 for the first two problems and from roughly d/3 to d/4 for problem (iii). These results are all based on an efficient decomposition of a convex body using a hierarchy of Macbeath regions, and contrast to previous solutions that decomposed the space using quadtrees and grids. By further application of these techniques, we also show that it is possible to obtain near-optimal preprocessing time for the most efficient data structures for (iv) approximate nearest neighbor searching, (v) directional width queries, and (vi) polytope membership queries.