Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Molecular Epidemiology of Clade 1 Influenza A Viruses (H5N1), Southern Indochina Peninsula, 2004–2007

To determine the origin of influenza A virus (H5N1) epizootics in Cambodia, we used maximum-likelihood and Bayesian methods to analyze the genetic sequences of subtype H5N1 strains from Cambodia and neighboring areas. Poultry movements, rather than repeated reintroduction of subtype H5N1 viruses by wild birds, appear to explain virus circulation and perpetuation.
Artistic Edge and Corner Enhancing Smoothing

Two important visual properties of paintings and painting-like images are the absence of texture details and the increased sharpness of edges as compared to photographic images. Painting-like artistic effects can be achieved from photographic images by filters that smooth out texture details, while preserving or enhancing edges and corners. However, not all edge preserving smoothers are suitable for this purpose. We present a simple nonlinear local operator that generalizes both the well known Kuwahara filter and the more general class of filters known in the literature as ldquocriterion and value filter structure.rdquo This class of operators suffers from intrinsic theoretical limitations which give rise to a dramatic instability in presence of noise, especially on shadowed areas. Such limitations are discussed in the paper and overcome by the proposed operator. A large variety of experimental results shows that the output of the proposed operator is visually similar to a painting. Comparisons with existing techniques on a large set of natural images highlight conditions on which traditional edge preserving smoothers fail, whereas our approach produces good results. In particular, unlike many other well established approaches, the proposed operator is robust to degradations of the input image such as blurring and noise contamination.
Managing the Implementation of a Central Finance System in the Public Sector

Given the increased competitive pressures to invest in integrated systems for financial management, the ability to successfully implement these types of systems is probably of greater importance today than at any other time. As systems have evolved as an institutional core within organisations, a recurring problem associated with failed implementation is poor change management. Much of the existing academic literature focuses in detail upon technical aspects, with relatively little work examining social aspects. The work presented in this paper differs in that the focus is upon the behavioural aspects of the implementation process, specifically upon the perceptions of the system users and the managers of the implementation process. The paper presents the latest results from a study employing the case study approach in investigating an implementation of an integrated financial management system within the education sector in the UK. The results highlight five main areas that appear to cause particular concern; training, communication, user management, planning, and system administration. Introduction With the growth of the Internet, organisations have been faced with increased competitive pressures to invest in Enterprise Systems that provide an integrated solution for financial management and accounting (Spathis, 2006). However, as technology becomes increasingly integrated within organisations, a recurring problem associated with failed IT-based investment is poor change management, and the apparent failure to perceive the IT project as a broader IT enabled change Understanding the corresponding changes required within an organisation is fundamental to the understanding of the role of IT in adding value to organisational initiatives (Powell and DentMicallef, 1997).
Spoken Word Recognition of the Reduced American English Flap

Phonetic variation as found in various speech styles is a rich area for research on spoken word recognition. Research on spoken word recognition has focused on careful, easily controlled speech styles. This dissertation investigates the processing of the American English Flap. Specifically, it focuses on the effect of reduction on processing. The main question asked in this dissertation is whether listeners adjust their expectations for how segments are realized based on speech style. Even more broadly, how do listeners process or recognize reduced speech? Two specific questions are asked that address individual parts of the broad question. First, how does reduction affect listeners’ recognition of words? Is it more difficult for listeners to recognize words pronounced in reduced forms, or is it perhaps easier for listeners to recognize reduced forms? Second, do listeners adjust their expectations about reduction based on preceding speech style (context)? Four experiments were designed using the auditory lexical decision and crossmodal identity priming tasks. Listeners’ responses to reduced and unreduced flaps (e.g. unreduced [pʌɾl̩] as opposed to reduced [pʌɾ ̞l̩]) were recorded. The results of this work show that the phonetic variation found in speech styles containing reduction causes differences in processing. Processing of reduced speech is inhibited by weakened acoustic information or mismatch to the underlying phonemic representation in the American English flap. Listeners use information about speech style to process the widely varying acoustic reflections of a segment in connected speech. The implications of these findings for models of spoken word recognition are discussed.
Performance of Mobile Haptic Interfaces

One of most interesting aspects in haptic research deals with the extension of application workspace, thus allowing haptic simulation within large virtual environments. Several devices have been realized that allow this kind of interaction, in particular our interest focuses on mobile haptic interfaces, realized by combining classic grounded haptic devices with mobile platforms. While grounded haptic interfaces feature spatial limitations due to manipulator dimensions, mobile haptic interfaces are characterized by dynamical limitations due to performance of employed devices. In this paper we introduce an experimental analysis to evaluate performance of mobile haptic interface from a transparency standpoint. Moreover, some basic guidelines are presented to enhance MHI performance by setting the controller depending on technical parameters characterizing used devices.
Identifying target groups for the prevention of depression among caregivers of dementia patients

ABSTRACT Background: Depression in informal caregivers of persons with dementia is a major, costly and growing problem. However, it is not yet clear which caregivers are at increased risk of developing depression. With this knowledge preventive strategies could focus on these groups to maximize health gain and minimize effort. Methods: The onset of clinically relevant depression was measured with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies - Depression Scale in 725 caregivers who were not depressed at baseline and who were providing care for a relative with dementia. Caregivers were followed over 18 months. The indices calculated to identify the most important risk indicators were: odds ratio, attributable fraction, exposure rate and number needing to be treated. Results: The following significant indicators of depression onset were identified: increased initial depressive symptoms, poor self-rated health status and white or Hispanic race/ethnicity. The incidence of depression would decrease by 72.3% (attributive fraction) if these risk indicators together are targeted by a completely effective intervention. Race/ethnicity was not a significant predictor if caregivers of patients who died or were institutionalized were left out of the analyses. Conclusion: Detection of only a few characteristics makes it possible to identify high-risk groups in an efficient way. Focusing on these easy-to-assess characteristics might contribute to a cost-effective prevention of depression in caregivers.
Attachment histories of reception class children and roles in bullying situations

Bullying research has provided a wealth of information and a depth of understanding that has led to the development of intervention strategies in schools. However, despite this extensive research, bullying continues to be a significant problem. It has been suggested that working with children or with schools may not be enough to solve the problem and that it may be necessary to include parents as part of the solution, especially if the antecedents originate and are consistently reinforced at home. Research that has considered factors relating to family functioning and the relationship between the caregivers and their children provide support for this argument, but research in this area is scarce. The main aim of the present research was to investigate family backgrounds, parenting styles and the personal characteristics of parents and children involved in bullying situations in order to identify effective routes for intervention. More specifically, it focused children's attachment styles and the roles they adopted in bullying situations at school. A longitudinal design with mixed methods was adopted involving 28 pre-school children and theft caregivers. The children were 'new starters' at one of three schools and at the start of the investigation they were aged 4 years - 4 years and 11 months and their primary caregiver's ages ranged between 29 and 53 years. Primary caregivers participated in interviews and exercises about themselves and theft families and observations of the children occurred in different settings at school during their first year. It was predicted that a link between the childrens' attachment type and the roles they adopted in bullying situations would be found. However, no evidence was found to suggest a link between childrens' attachment style and bullying. Despite this, interesting trends were found. These are considered and the difficulties and limitations of the investigation are discussed.
Protection Circuit against Differential Power Analysis Attacks for Smart Cards

In this paper, we present a circuit that protects smart cards against differential power analysis attacks. The circuit is based on a current flattening technique, is designed using a standard 0.18-mum CMOS technology, and can be integrated on the same die or in the same package with the smart card microcontroller. We evaluate the current flattening performance and the effectiveness of the protection against differential power analysis attacks. Our analysis is based on transistor-level simulations in Cadence environment using experimental current traces collected from an 8-bit microcontroller for smart cards executing DES encryptions. The proposed circuit effectively protects against differential power analysis attacks with small chip area overhead and limited increased power consumption during the encryption cycles.
The development of a low-cost three-dimensional printed shoulder, arm, and hand prostheses for children

Background and aim: The prosthetic options for higher level amputees are limited and costly. Advancements in computer-aided design programs and three-dimensional printing offer the possibility of designing and manufacturing transitional prostheses at very low cost. The aim of this project was to describe an inexpensive three-dimensional printed mechanical shoulder prosthesis to assist a pre-selected subject in performing bi-manual activities. Technique: The main function of the body-powered, manually adjusted three-dimensional printed shoulder prosthesis is to provide a cost-effective, highly customized transitional device to individuals with congenital or acquired forequarter amputations. Discussion: After testing the prototype on a young research participant, a partial correction of the patient’s spinal deviation was noted due to the counterweight of the device. The patient’s family also reported improved balance and performance of some bimanual activities after 2 weeks of using the device. Limitations of the design include low grip strength and low durability. Clinical relevance The prosthetic options for higher level amputees are limited and costly. The low-cost three-dimensional printed shoulder prosthesis described in this study can be used as a transitional device in preparation for a more sophisticated shoulder prosthesis.
LiDAR SIGNATURES TO UPDATE JAPANESE BUILDING INVENTORY DATABASE

Developing an efficient method to quickly update the building inventory database of dense urban areas is our focus of interest. Disaster mitigation requires an up-to-date and reliable building inventory database for damage assessment. However, it has been slowly updated through conventional procedure comprising the compiling aerial photographs, manually or semiautomatic updating GIS database and manually inputting attributes from submitted documents. LiDAR providing very dense point clouds with X, Y, Z coordinates and pulse intensity is proposed as primary data for a better flowchart of updating. This study developed a comprehensive method to detect and classify the buildings from LiDAR data based on sizes and height. Testing with data acquired over Roppongi area of Tokyo, Japan demonstrated the capability of the proposed method. It inferred that promising results derived by an automatic processing LiDAR data seems to be a better solution to update building inventory database in dense urban areas. Elevation and intensity distribution of the laser points will be integrated in further improvement.
Pure Plays Versus Brick And Clicks : Performance Implications of Internet-based Electronic Commerce Marketing Strategy and Channel Structure

Pure plays use the Internet as a market entry strategy and brick and clicks use the Internet as an alternate channel of distribution. Several theoretical frameworks are used to explore strategic and performance differences between business models. Results from a sample of 240 firms engaged in Internet-based consumer marketing suggest that brick and clicks are more effective than pure plays at using the Internet for brand equity building. Moreover, brick and clicks also enjoy higher profit expectations. However, using the Internet as a channel for sales transactions has a negative impact on profit expectations for both business models.
Impact of Statin Use After Heart Transplantation: A Meta-Analysis

Background—Although various studies revealed the beneficial effects of statins in post–cardiac transplant patients, these were relatively small and low-powered studies. We performed a meta-analysis of published studies to evaluate the role of statins in post–cardiac transplant patients, specifically examining the effects on hemodynamically significant/fatal graft rejection, coronary vasculopathy, terminal cancer, and overall survival. Methods and Results—We searched PubMed, Cochran CENTRAL, and Web of Science databases using the search terms “cardiac transplant” or “heart transplant,” and “statin” for a literature search. A random-effects model with Mantel–Haenszel method was used to pool the data. We identified 10 studies, 4 randomized controlled trials, and 6 nonrandomized studies, which compared outcomes in heart transplant recipients undergoing statin therapy to statin-naive patients. A pooled analysis of 9 studies reporting mortality revealed that the use of statins was associated with significant reduction in all-cause mortality (odds ratio, 0.26; 95% confidence interval, 0.20–0.35; P<0.0001). Statins also decreased the odds of hemodynamically significant/fatal rejection (odds ratio, 0.37; 95% confidence interval, 0.21–0.65; P=0.0005), incidence of coronary vasculopathy (odds ratio, 0.33; 95% confidence interval, 0.16–0.68; P=0.003), and terminal cancer (odds ratio, 0.30; 95% confidence interval, 0.15–0.63; P=0.002). Conclusions—The evidence from a pooled analysis suggests that statins improve survival in heart transplant recipients. Statins may prevent fatal rejection episodes, decrease terminal cancer risk, and reduce the incidence of coronary vasculopathy. Additional prospective studies are needed to further investigate and explain this association.
Radar Sounding Using the Cassini Altimeter: Waveform Modeling and Monte Carlo Approach for Data Inversion of Observations of Titan's Seas

Recently, the Cassini RADAR has been used as a sounder to probe the depth and constrain the composition of hydrocarbon seas on Saturn's largest moon, Titan. Altimetry waveforms from observations over the seas are generally composed of two main reflections: the first from the surface of the liquid and the second from the seafloor. The time interval between these two peaks is a measure of sea depth, and the attenuation from the propagation through the liquid is a measure of the dielectric properties, which is a sensitive property of liquid composition. Radar measurements are affected by uncertainties that can include saturation effects, possible receiver distortion, and processing artifacts, in addition to thermal noise and speckle. To rigorously treat these problems, we simulate the Ku-band altimetry echo received from Titan's seas using a two-layer model, where the surface is represented by a specular reflection and the seafloor is modeled using a facet-based synthetic surface. The simulation accounts for the thermal noise, speckle, analog-to-digital conversion, and block adaptive quantization and allows for possible receiver saturation. We use a Monte Carlo method to compare simulated and observed waveforms and retrieve the probability distributions of depth, surface/subsurface intensity ratio, and subsurface roughness for the individual double-peaked waveform of Ligeia Mare acquired by the Cassini spacecraft in May 2013. This new analysis provides an update to the Ku-band attenuation and results in a new estimate for its loss tangent and composition. We also demonstrate the ability to retrieve bathymetric information from saturated altimetry echoes acquired over Ontario Lacus in December 2008.
Body Composition and Basal Metabolic Rate in Women with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Objective. The aim of this study was to determine which of the seven selected equations used to predict basal metabolic rate most accurately estimated the measured basal metabolic rate. Methods. Twenty-eight adult women with type 2 diabetes mellitus participated in this cross-sectional study. Anthropometric and biochemical variables were measured as well as body composition (by absorptiometry dual X-ray emission) and basal metabolic rate (by indirect calorimetry); basal metabolic rate was also estimated by prediction equations. Results. There was a significant difference between the measured and the estimated basal metabolic rate determined by the FAO/WHO/UNU (P value < 0.021) and Huang et al. (P value ≤ 0.005) equations. Conclusion. The calculations using Owen et al's. equation were the closest to the measured basal metabolic rate.
How Mothers Make Decisions for Feeding Young Children: A Grounded Theory Approach

77 Introduction 78 Methods 81 Results 83 Discussion 97 Implications for Research and Practice 103 References 105 Appendix 109 4 A Grounded Theory of How Mothers Manage Perceptions and Expectations about Feeding Young Children (3-5 Years) 112 Abstract 113 Introduction 114 Methods 116 Results 121 Discussion 133 Implications for Research and Practice 137 References 140113 Introduction 114 Methods 116 Results 121 Discussion 133 Implications for Research and Practice 137 References 140 ix TABLE OF CONTENTS (CONTINUED) PART PAGE Appendix 144 5 Methodology 150 Introduction 151 Study Objectives and Design 151 Recruiting and Data Collection 153 Data Analysis 154 Writing 181 Conclusions 182 References 183 Appendix 185 VITA 197
Elicitation of T Cell Responses to Histologically Unrelated Tumors by Immunization with the Novel Cancer-Testis Antigen, Brother of the Regulator of Imprinted Sites1

Brother of the regulator of imprinted sites (BORIS) was previously described as a transcription factor for epigenetic reprogramming the expression of which is strictly confined to germ cells of adult testes but is aberrantly activated in the vast majority of neoplastic cells. Considering the critical role of BORIS in cancerogenesis and the fact that its expression pattern may preclude thymic tolerance, we generated DNA- and protein-based mouse BORIS antitumor vaccines using a non-DNA-binding version of the BORIS molecule. Clinical use of BORIS as a vaccine Ag would require that certain safety concerns be met. Specifically, administration of the functional BORIS protein would hypothetically pose a risk of BORIS accelerating the progression of cancer. To alleviate such safety concerns, we have developed vaccines based on the BORIS molecule lacking the DNA-binding zinc fingers domain. To enhance anti-BORIS cellular immune responses, we used a standard molecular adjuvant approach. It consisted of plasmids encoding murine IL-12 and IL-18 for a DNA-based vaccine and conventional Th1 type adjuvant, Quil A, for a protein-based vaccine. Both DNA- and protein-based vaccines induced Ag-specific CD4+ T cell proliferation with Th1 and Th2 cytokine profiles, respectively. Protein-based, but not DNA-based, BORIS vaccine induced a significant level of Ab production in immunized animals. Importantly, potent anticancer CD8+-cytotoxic lymphocytes were generated after immunization with the DNA-based, but not protein-based, BORIS vaccine. These cytolytic responses were observed across a wide range of different mouse cancers including mammary adenocarcinoma, glioma, leukemia, and mastocytoma.
FMRI Reveals a Dissociation between Grasping and Perceiving the Size of Real 3D Objects

Background Almost 15 years after its formulation, evidence for the neuro-functional dissociation between a dorsal action stream and a ventral perception stream in the human cerebral cortex is still based largely on neuropsychological case studies. To date, there is no unequivocal evidence for separate visual computations of object features for performance of goal-directed actions versus perceptual tasks in the neurologically intact human brain. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to test explicitly whether or not brain areas mediating size computation for grasping are distinct from those mediating size computation for perception. Methodology/Principal Findings Subjects were presented with the same real graspable 3D objects and were required to perform a number of different tasks: grasping, reaching, size discrimination, pattern discrimination or passive viewing. As in prior studies, the anterior intraparietal area (AIP) in the dorsal stream was more active during grasping, when object size was relevant for planning the grasp, than during reaching, when object properties were irrelevant for movement planning (grasping>reaching). Activity in AIP showed no modulation, however, when size was computed in the context of a purely perceptual task (size = pattern discrimination). Conversely, the lateral occipital (LO) cortex in the ventral stream was modulated when size was computed for perception (size>pattern discrimination) but not for action (grasping = reaching). Conclusions/Significance While areas in both the dorsal and ventral streams responded to the simple presentation of 3D objects (passive viewing), these areas were differentially activated depending on whether the task was grasping or perceptual discrimination, respectively. The demonstration of dual coding of an object for the purposes of action on the one hand and perception on the other in the same healthy brains offers a substantial contribution to the current debate about the nature of the neural coding that takes place in the dorsal and ventral streams.