Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Increase in the Susceptibility of Burned Patients to Infectious Complications Due to Impaired Production of Macrophage Inflammatory Protein 1α1

Sepsis is a major mortality concern with burned patients, who have an increased susceptibility to infectious complications. PBMC from 41 of 45 severely burned patients (91%) failed to produce macrophage inflammatory protein 1α (MIP-1α) in cultures, while 2355–6900 pg/ml MIP-1α were produced by healthy donor PBMC, stimulation with anti-human CD3 mAb. Healthy chimeras (SCID mice inoculated with healthy donor PBMC) treated with anti-human MIP-1α mAb and patient chimeras (SCID mice reconstituted with burned patient PBMC) were susceptible (0% survival) to infectious complications induced by well-controlled cecal ligation and puncture. In contrast, patient chimeras treated with human recombinant MIP-1α and healthy chimeras were resistant (∼77–81% survival). Similarly, after anti-mouse CD3 mAb stimulation, splenic mononuclear cells from burned mice (6 h to 3 days after thermal injury) did not produce significant amounts of MIP-1α in their culture fluids. Normal mice treated with anti-murine MIP-1α mAb and burned mice were susceptible to cecal ligation- and puncture-induced infectious complications, while burned mice treated with murine recombinant MIP-1α and normal mice were resistant. Burned patients seemed to be more susceptible to infectious complications when the production of MIP-1α was impaired.
A Verified Algebra for Linked Data

A foundation is investigated for the application of loosely structured data on the Web. This area is often referred to as Linked Data, due to the use of URIs in data to establish links. This work focuses on emerging W3C standards which specify query languages for Linked Data. The approach is to provide an abstract syntax to capture Linked Data structures and queries, which are then internalised in a process calculus. An operational semantics for the calculus specifies how queries, data and processes interact. A labelled transition system is shown to be sound with respect to the operational semantics. Bisimulation over the labelled transition system is used to verify an algebra over queries. The derived algebra is a contribution to the application domain. For instance, the algebra may be used to rewrite a query to optimise its distribution across a cluster of servers. The framework used to provide the operational semantics is powerful enough to model related calculi for the Web.
Fast Algorithm for Decision Feedback Equalization in Multiple Input Multiple Output Channel

In this paper, we propose a new algorithm for zero-forcing decision feedback equalization (ZF-DFE) in multiple input multiple output flat Rayleigh fading channel. The basic idea is to separates the layer ordering and the filter construction operations, thus making both operations tractable and efficient. The new layer ordering strategy approximates the optimal ordering rule (VBLAST) from a geometrical perspective, and the filters in proposed ZF-DFE are constructed using a matrix Cholesky decomposition aided QR decomposition. Compared to the conventional ZF-DFE detectors utilizing optimal and suboptimal ordering rules (SQRD), the proposal is complexity efficient. Additionally, the bit error rate performance of the new algorithm significantly approximates that of the optimal ordering ZF-DFE. Thus a practical signal detection scheme for the vector channel is found
Production of Weak Elements in Speech – Evidence from F₀ Patterns of Neutral Tone in Standard Chinese

Abstract Many weak elements in speech, such as schwa in English and neutral tone inStandard Chinese, are commonly assumed to be unspecified or underspecifiedphonologically. The surface phonetic values of these elements are assumed toderive from interpolation between the adjacent phonologically specified elementsor from the spreading of the contextual phonological features. In the present study,we re-evaluate this view by investigating detailed F0 contours of neutral-tone syllablesin Standard Chinese, which are widely accepted as toneless underlyingly. Werecorded sentences containing 0-3 consecutive neutral-tone syllables at twospeaking rates with two focus conditions. Results of the experiment indicate thatneutral-tone syllables do have a target that is independent of the surroundingtones, which is likely to be static and mid. Furthermore, the neutral tone is found tobe different from the full lexical tones in the manner with which the underlyingtonal target is implemented: it is slow and ineffective both in overcoming the influenceof the preceding full lexical tone and in approaching its own target. Applyingthe recently proposed pitch target approximation model, we conclude that theneutral tone differs from the other lexical tones in Standard Chinese not only interms of its mid target, but also in terms of the weak articulatory strength withwhich this target is implemented. Finally, we suggest that this new understandingis potentially applicable to other weak elements in speech.
Spotting Method for Classification of Real World Data

This paper makes the case for a spotting computation scheme which gives rise to a new classification methodology for processing real world data by surveying algorithms developed under the Real World Computing (RWC) program and related work in Japan. A spotting function has the segmentation-free characteristic which ignores gracefully most real world input data which do not belong to a task domain. Some members of the family of spotting methods have been developed under the RWC program. This paper shows how some spotting methods rise to the challenge of the case made for them. The common computational structure amongst spotting methods suggests an architecture for spotting computation.
Nearly rigid deformation by linear optimization

Fast near-rigid 3D deformation of a shape is achieved by approximating a rigid transformation of each point by a moving least-squares (MLS) optimization with a linear closed-form solution. We can deform tens of thousands points in real time while preserving the rigidity of the original shape as far as possible. This technique inherits the properties of earlier MLS-based deformation techniques, such as independence of geometric representation and smoothness. The user can control the deformations by using control points or line segments and by the adjustment of weight functions.
Bayesian inference in Schizophrenia research

In this Master's thesis, Bayesian data mining techniques are used to analyze a database containing information from schizophrenia a ected and healthy persons. The aim is to nd dependencies between the diagnosis and various attributes. The database is assembled in the HUBIN project at the Karolinska Institutet. Two di erent techniques are employed, classi cation and graphical modeling. We also propose an MCMC extension to the graphical model problem. The results in this thesis indicate that the data mining approach is very promising in this kind of research. Several known facts about schizophrenia were reproducable in this study.
Study of Concretes Reinforced by Plastic Fibers Based on Local Materials

This work is carried out to investigate the performance of concrete reinforced with plastic fibers obtained locally (bottle waste as fiber). Bottle waste plastic was chosen because it is being thrown after single use and cause environmental problem. One way to recycle wasted bottles plastic is grinded into irregular fiber. Then, it was incorporate with the concrete and tests the performance of the concrete. The study was conducted using cylindrical and rectangular (cube) mold of concrete to investigate the performance of the concrete in term of mechanical properties. In this research, the mechanical properties that were measured are compressive strength, splitting tensile strength and flexural strength. The results revealed that the presence of plastic fiber in concrete will increase the concrete performance, as well as the concrete bond strength is improved and the cracks in the concrete decrease the use of fibers and reduce plastic waste.
Outphasing control of gallium nitride based very high frequency resonant converters

In this paper an outphasing modulation control method suitable for line regulation of very high frequency resonant converters is described. The pros and cons of several control methods suitable for very high frequency resonant converters are described and compared to outphasing modulation. Then the modulation technique is described and the design equations given. Finally a design example is given for a converter consisting of two class E inverters with a lossless combiner and a common half bridge rectifier. It is shown how outphasing modulation can be used for line regulation while insuring equal and purely resistive loading of the inverters. Combined with a proper design of the inverters that, insures they can achieve zero voltage switching across a wide load range, and gallium nitride FETs for the switching devices, this makes it possible to achieve more than 90% efficiency across most of the input voltage range with good line regulation.
Understanding drug preferences, different perspectives.

AIMS To compare the values regulators attach to different drug effects of oral antidiabetic drugs with those of doctors and patients. METHODS We administered a 'discrete choice' survey to regulators, doctors and patients with type 2 diabetes in The Netherlands. Eighteen choice sets comparing two hypothetical oral antidiabetic drugs were constructed with varying drug effects on glycated haemoglobin, cardiovascular risk, bodyweight, duration of gastrointestinal complaints, frequency of hypoglycaemia and risk of bladder cancer. Responders were asked each time which drug they preferred. RESULTS Fifty-two regulators, 175 doctors and 226 patients returned the survey. Multinomial conditional logit analyses showed that cardiovascular risk reduction was valued by regulators positively (odds ratio 1.98, 95% confidence interval 1.11-3.53), whereas drug choices were negatively affected by persistent gastrointestinal problems (odds ratio 0.24, 95% confidence interval 0.14-0.41) and cardiovascular risk increase (odds ratio 0.49, 95% confidence interval 0.27-0.87). Doctors and patients valued these effects in a similar manner to regulators. The values that doctors attached to large changes in glycated haemoglobin and that both doctors and patients attached to hypoglycaemia and weight gain also reached statistical significance. No group's drug choice was affected by a small absolute change in risk of bladder cancer when presented in the context of other drug effects. When comparing the groups, the value attached by regulators to less frequent hypoglycaemic episodes was significantly smaller than by patients (P = 0.044). CONCLUSIONS Regulators may value major benefits and risks of drugs for an individual diabetes patient mostly in the same way as doctors and patients, but differences may exist regarding the value of minor or short-term drug effects.
RpoS Is Not Central to the General Stress Response in Borrelia burgdorferi but Does Control Expression of One or More Essential Virulence Determinants

ABSTRACT Borrelia burgdorferi, the Lyme disease spirochete, undergoes dramatic changes in antigenic composition as it cycles between its arthropod and mammalian hosts. A growing body of evidence suggests that these changes reflect, at least in part, the need for spirochetes to adapt to the physiological stresses imposed by abrupt changes in environmental conditions and nutrient availability. In many microorganisms, global responses are mediated by master regulators such as alternative sigma factors, with Escherichia coli RpoS (σS) serving as a prototype. The importance of this transcriptional activator in other bacteria, coupled with the report by Hübner et al. (A. Hübner, X. Yang, D. M. Nolen, T. G. Popova, F. C. Cabello, and M. V. Norgard, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 98:12724-12729, 2001) demonstrating that the borrelial RpoS ortholog controls expression of OspC and decorin-binding protein A (DbpA), prompted us to examine more closely the roles of RpoS-dependent and -independent differential gene expression in physiological adaptation by the Lyme disease spirochete. We observed that B. burgdorferi rpoS (rpoSBb) was induced following temperature shift and transcript levels were further enhanced by reduced pH (pH 6.8). Using quantitative real-time reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR), we demonstrated that, in contrast to its ortholog (rpoSEc) in Escherichia coli, rpoSBb was expressed at significant levels in B. burgdorferi throughout all phases of growth following temperature shift. By comparing a B. burgdorferi strain 297 rpoSBb mutant to its wild-type counterpart, we determined that RpoSBb was not required for survival following exposure to a wide range of environmental stresses (i.e., temperature shift, serum starvation, increased osmolality, reactive oxygen intermediates, and increased or reduced oxygen tension), although the mutant was more sensitive to extremes of pH. While B. burgdorferi strains lacking RpoS were able to survive within intraperitoneal dialysis membrane chambers at a level equivalent to that of the wild type, they were avirulent in mice. Lastly, RT-PCR analysis of the ospE-ospF-elp paralogous lipoprotein families complements earlier findings that many temperature-inducible borrelial loci are controlled in an RpoSBb-independent manner. Together, these data point to fundamental differences between the role(s) of RpoS in B. burgdorferi and that in E. coli. Rather than functioning as a master regulator, RpoSBb appears to serve as a stress-responsive activator of a subset of virulence determinants that, together with the RpoS-independent, differentially expressed regulon, encompass the spirochete's genetic programs required for mammalian host adaptation.
From migration corridors to clusters: The value of Google+ data for migration studies

Recently, there have been considerable efforts to use online data to investigate international migration. These efforts show that Web data are valuable for estimating migration rates and are relatively easy to obtain. However, existing studies have only investigated flows of people along migration corridors, i.e. between pairs of countries. In our work, we use data about “places lived” from millions of Google+ users in order to study migration `clusters', i.e. groups of countries in which individuals have lived sequentially. For the first time, we consider information about more than two countries people have lived in. We argue that these data are very valuable because this type of information is not available in traditional demographic sources which record country-to-country migration flows independent of each other. We show that migration clusters of country triads cannot be identified using information about bilateral flows alone. To demonstrate the additional insights that can be gained by using data about migration clusters, we first develop a model that tries to predict the prevalence of a given triad using only data about its constituent pairs. We then inspect the groups of three countries which are more or less prominent, compared to what we would expect based on bilateral flows alone. Next, we identify a set of features such as a shared language or colonial ties that explain which triple of country pairs are more or less likely to be clustered when looking at country triples. Then we select and contrast a few cases of clusters that provide some qualitative information about what our data set shows. The type of data that we use is potentially available for a number of social media services. We hope that this first study about migration clusters will stimulate the use of Web data for the development of new theories of international migration that could not be tested appropriately before.
Intraoperative Confirmation of Hand Motor Area Identified Preoperatively by Magnetoencephalography

Background: Presurgical functional mapping using magnetoencephalography (MEG) has been performed for somatosensory, auditory and visual functions; however, the traditional analysis method utilizing dipole source analysis has some inherent limitations when applied to the mapping of cortical motor areas. Recently, a novel source reconstruction algorithm [event-related synthetic aperture magnetometry (erSAM)] has demonstrated success for the localization of motor function in healthy adults. We applied this technique to preoperatively map motor function in a young patient. We then confirmed our mapping with direct cortical stimulation intraoperatively. Methods: This is a case report of an 8-year-old girl with right hand and arm weakness and poor right hand motor control secondary to a left peri-rolandic tumor. Preoperatively, whole-head MEG was recorded while the patient performed a self-paced button pressing task. Cortical activity associated with the onset of movement was localized to the right hand precentral gyrus superior and medial to the tumor using erSAM, while sensory function was localized posterior to the tumor on the postcentral gyrus. Results: Intraoperative direct cortical stimulation of the motor area identified by MEG resulted in electromyographic activation of intrinsic muscles of the contralateral hand exclusively. Conclusions: This is the first report of a case where direct cortical stimulation has confirmed a motor cortical location identified by the erSAM method.
Learning Communities in Classrooms: Advancing Knowledge For a Lifetime

The learning-communities approach fits with the growing emphasis on lifelong learning, which can naturally be extended beyond the classroom walls. There is every reason for a learning community to include parents and members of the wider society. With the addition of computer networks it becomes possible to include scientists and other professionals, as well as students around the globe, in communities that are trying to understand and deal with social and political ideas and issues.
Linguistic Obfuscation in Fraudulent Science

The rise of scientific fraud has drawn significant attention to research misconduct across disciplines. Documented cases of fraud provide an opportunity to examine whether scientists write differently when reporting on fraudulent research. In an analysis of over two million words, we evaluated 253 publications retracted for fraudulent data and compared the linguistic style of each paper to a corpus of 253 unretracted publications and 62 publications retracted for reasons other than fraud (e.g., ethics violations). Fraudulent papers were written with significantly higher levels of linguistic obfuscation, including lower readability and higher rates of jargon than unretracted and nonfraudulent papers. We also observed a positive association between obfuscation and the number of references per paper, suggesting that fraudulent authors obfuscate their reports to mask their deception by making them more costly to analyze and evaluate. This is the first large-scale analysis of fraudulent papers across authors and disciplines to reveal how changes in writing style are related to fraudulent data reporting.
Survival and Growth of Francisella tularensis in Acanthamoeba castellanii

ABSTRACT Francisella tularensis is a highly infectious, facultative intracellular bacterium which causes epidemics of tularemia in both humans and mammals at regular intervals. The natural reservoir of the bacterium is largely unknown, although it has been speculated that protozoa may harbor it. To test this hypothesis, Acanthamoeba castellanii was cocultured with a strain of F. tularensis engineered to produce green fluorescent protein (GFP) in a nutrient-rich medium. GFP fluorescence within A. castellanii was then monitored by flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy. In addition, extracellular bacteria were distinguished from intracellular bacteria by targeting with monoclonal antibodies. Electron microscopy was used to determine the intracellular location of F. tularensis in A. castellanii, and viable counts were obtained for both extracellular and intracellular bacteria. The results showed that many F. tularensis cells were located intracellularly in A. castellanii cells. The bacteria multiplied within intracellular vacuoles and eventually killed many of the host cells. F. tularensis was found in intact trophozoites, excreted vesicles, and cysts. Furthermore, F. tularensis grew faster in cocultures with A. castellanii than it did when grown alone in the same medium. This increase in growth was accompanied by a decrease in the number of A. castellanii cells. The interaction between F. tularensis and amoebae demonstrated in this study indicates that ubiquitous protozoa might be an important environmental reservoir for F. tularensis.
Ensemble of LIF Neurons With Random Membrane Decay Constant: Emergence of Power-Law Behavior in ISI Distribution

A theoretical framework is proposed to explain the emergence of power law behavior in the spiking neurons where the membrane decay constant is assumed to vary randomly across the population of neurons. The proposed approach, akin to superstatistics, provides a plausible mechanism for generating power law behavior in non-equilibrium systems with fluctuations in intensive quantity. This approach has led to formulation of a hypothesis that power law behavior in inter-spike interval (ISI) distribution results when several neurons group together and fire together. In presence of fluctuations in membrane decay constant governed by gamma distribution, the asymptotic analysis of ISI distribution yields a power law. This finding has been corroborated by simulation study when different types of probability distributions for membrane decay constant are considered. Our results are in agreement with the empirical findings due to Kim (2004) where the spiking trains of Suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) neurons display power law behavior. Further investigations in subthreshold regime reveals that the averaging of the membrane potential over a large number of neurons also yields power law.
USING THE ORTHOGONAL PROJECTION FOR PARAMETER INITIALIZATION IN THE 3D RECONSTRUCTION OF DISTANT OBJECTS

We present a method for the 3D reconstruction of objects from images captured in a surveillance setting using uncalibrated hand-held cameras. The images considered are of distant objects occupying a small portion of the field-ofview (FOV); have been captured in a non-systematic manner from varying aspects, distances, and angles; and have no a priori target information for 3D coordinates or scale. The current algorithms used to estimate camera orientations and perform 3D reconstruction rely to some degree on initial approximations of camera orientation and/or 3D coordinates of the target object or control points. Parameter initialization in most surveillance applications is problematic due to the non-regular camera arrangements and lack of target information. Using some of the strengths of the orthogonal model, this paper presents a robust initial approximation method suited to the demands of surveillance imagery. The method assumes initially that the images are orthogonal, allowing for a direct linear solution without the necessity of initial approximations. The accuracy of the approximations from the orthogonal method can then be improved using a “perspective-corrected” orthogonal projection that incorporates the approximate data in order to adjust the images from perspective images to nearly orthogonal images. Finally, the “perspective-corrected” orthogonal solution is used to approximate the camera orientations, and a standard bundle adjustment based on the perspective projection can be carried out. The reliability of the method using varying imaging distances and cameras is demonstrated through experimentation with images taken in the field.