Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A tracer kinetic model for 18F-FHBG for quantitating herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase reporter gene expression in living animals using PET.

UNLABELLED Reporter probe 9-(4-18F-fluoro-3-[hydroxymethyl]butyl)guanine (18F-FHBG) and reporter gene mutant herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase (HSV1-sr39tk) have been used for imaging reporter gene expression with PET. Current methods for quantitating the images using the percentage injected dose per gram of tissue do not distinguish between the effects of probe transport and subsequent phosphorylation. We therefore investigated tracer kinetic models for 18F-FHBG dynamic microPET data and noninvasive methods for determining blood time-activity curves in an adenoviral gene delivery model in mice. METHODS 18F-FHBG (approximately 7.4 MBq [approximately 200 microCi]) was injected into 4 mice; 18F-FHBG concentrations in plasma and whole blood were measured from mouse heart left ventricle (LV) direct sampling. Replication-incompetent adenovirus (0-2 x 10(9) plaque-forming units) with the E1 region deleted (n = 8) or replaced by HSV1-sr39tk (n = 18) was tail-vein injected into mice. Mice were dynamically scanned using microPET (approximately 7.4 MBq [approximately 200 microCi] 18F-FHBG) over 1 h; regions of interest were drawn on images of the heart and liver. Serial whole blood 18F-FHBG concentrations were measured in 6 of the mice by LV sampling, and 1 least-squares ratio of the heart image to the LV time-activity curve was calculated for all 6 mice. For 2 control mice and 9 mice expressing HSV1-sr39tk, heart image (input function) and liver image time-activity curves (tissue curves) were fit to 2- and 3-compartment models using Levenberg-Marquardt nonlinear regression. The models were compared using an F statistic. HSV1-sr39TK enzyme activity was determined from liver samples and compared with model parameter estimates. For another 3 control mice and 6 HSV1-sr39TK-positive mice, the model-predicted relative percentage of metabolites was compared with high-performance liquid chromatography analysis. RESULTS The ratio of 18F-FHBG in plasma to whole blood was 0.84 +/- 0.05 (mean +/- SE) by 30 s after injection. The least-squares ratio of the heart image time-activity curve to the LV time-activity curve was 0.83 +/- 0.02, consistent with the recovery coefficient for the partial-volume effect (0.81) based on independent measures of heart geometry. A 3-compartment model best described 18F-FHBG kinetics in mice expressing HSV1-sr39tk in the liver; a 2-compartment model best described the kinetics in control mice. The 3-compartment model parameter, k3, correlated well with the HSV1-sr39TK enzyme activity (r2 = 0.88). CONCLUSION 18F-FHBG equilibrates rapidly between plasma and whole blood in mice. Heart image time-activity curves corrected for partial-volume effects well approximate LV time-activity curves and can be used as input functions for 2- and 3-compartment models. The model parameter k3 from the 3-compartment model can be used as a noninvasive estimate for HSV1-sr39TK reporter protein activity and can predict the relative percentage of metabolites.
Where Does Multinational Investment Go with Territorial Taxation? Evidence from the UK

In 2009, the United Kingdom changed from a worldwide to a territorial tax system, abolishing dividend taxes on foreign repatriation from many low-tax countries. This paper assesses the causal effect of territorial taxation on real investments, using a unique dataset for multinational affiliates in 27 European countries and employing the difference-in-difference approach. It finds that the territorial reform has increased the investment rate of UK multinationals by 15.7 percentage points in low-tax countries. In the absence of any significant investment reduction elsewhere, the findings represent a likely increase in total outbound investment by UK multinationals.
Learning Social Conventions in Markov Games

Social conventions - arbitrary ways to organize group behavior - are an important part of social life. Any agent that wants to enter an existing society must be able to learn its conventions (e.g. which side of the road to drive on, which language to speak) from relatively few observations or risk being unable to coordinate with everyone else. We consider the game theoretic framework of David Lewis which views the selection of a social convention as the selection of an equilibrium in a coordination game. We ask how to construct reinforcement learning based agents that can solve the convention learning task in the self-play paradigm: at training time the agent has access to a good model of the environment and a small amount of observations about how individuals in society act. The agent then has to construct a policy that is compatible with the test-time social convention. We study three environments from the literature which have multiple conventions: traffic, communication, and risky coordination. In each of these we observe that adding a small amount of imitation learning during self-play training greatly increases the probability that the strategy found by self-play fits well with the social convention the agent will face at test time. We show that this works even in an environment where standard independent multi-agent RL very rarely finds the correct test-time equilibrium.
A new architecture for battery charge equalization

One limitation of many battery charge equalizers is their slow equalization speed, especially when there are a large number of batteries in the series-string in high voltage and high power applications. This paper presents a new architecture for battery charge equalization. In this architecture, independent equalizers are placed in different layers and all the layers can equalize corresponding batteries simultaneously, thus reducing equalization time by 50%. We explore the operation, performance characteristics, and design of the architecture. Both simulation and experimental results are presented to validate the analysis in the paper.
Protein composition of Trypanosoma brucei mitochondrial membranes

Mitochondria consist of four compartments, outer membrane, intermembrane space, inner membrane, and matrix; each harboring specific functions and structures. In this study, we used LC‐MS/MS to characterize the protein composition of Trypanosoma brucei mitochondrial (mt) membranes, which were enriched by different biochemical fractionation techniques. The analyses identified 202 proteins that contain one or more transmembrane domain(s) and/or positive GRAVY scores. Of these, various criteria were used to assign 72 proteins to mt membranes with high confidence, and 106 with moderate‐to‐low confidence. The sub‐cellular localization of a selected subset of 13 membrane assigned proteins was confirmed by tagging and immunofluorescence analysis. While most proteins assigned to mt membrane have putative roles in metabolic, energy generating, and transport processes, ∼50% have no known function. These studies result in a comprehensive profile of the composition and sub‐organellar location of proteins in the T. brucei mitochondrion thus, providing useful information on mt functions.
Estimating the between‐farm transmission rates for highly pathogenic avian influenza subtype H5N1 epidemics in Bangladesh between 2007 and 2013

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) is classified by the World Organization for Animal Health as one of the notifiable diseases. Its occurrence is associated with severe socio-economic impacts and is also zoonotic. Bangladesh HPAI epidemic data for the period between 2007 and 2013 were obtained and split into epidemic waves based on the time lag between outbreaks. By assuming the number of newly infected farms to be binomially distributed, we fit a Generalized Linear Model to the data to estimate between-farm transmission rates (β). These parameters are then used together with the calculated infectious periods to estimate the respective basic reproduction numbers (R0 ). The change in β and R0 with time during the course of each epidemic wave was explored. Finally, sensitivity analyses of the effects of reducing the delay in detecting infection on a farm as well as extended infectiousness of a farm beyond the day of culling were assessed. The point estimates obtained for β ranged from 0.08 (95% CI: 0.06-0.10) to 0.11 (95% CI: 0.08-0.20) per infectious farm per day while R0 ranged from 0.85 (95% CI: 0.77-1.02) to 0.96 (95% CI: 0.72-1.20). Sensitivity analyses reveal that the estimates are quite robust to changes in the assumptions about the day in reporting infection and extended infectiousness. In the analysis allowing for time-varying transmission parameters, the rising and declining phases observed in the epidemic data were synchronized with the moments when R0 was greater and less than one, respectively. From an epidemiological perspective, the consistency of these estimates and their magnitude (R0 ≈ 1) indicate that the effectiveness of the deployed control measures was largely invariant between epidemic waves and the trend of the time-varying R0 supports the hypothesis of sustained farm-to-farm transmission that is possibly initiated by a few unique introductions.
A practical pedestrian approach to parsimonious regression with inaccurate inputs

A measurement result often dictates an interval containing the correct value. Interval data is also created by roundoff, truncation, and binning. We focus on such common interval uncertainty in data. Inaccuracy in model inputs is typically ignored on model fitting. We provide a practical approach for regression with inaccurate data: the mathematics is easy, and the linear programming formulations simple to use even in a spreadsheet. This self-contained elementary presentation introduces interval linear systems and requires only basic knowledge of algebra. Feature selection is automatic; but can be controlled to find only a few most relevant inputs; and joint feature selection is enabled for multiple modeled outputs. With more features than cases, a novel connection to compressed sensing emerges: robustness against interval errors-in-variables implies model parsimony, and the input inaccuracies determine the regularization term. A small numerical example highlights counterintuitive results and a dramatic difference to total least squares.
Untangling the Ecology, Taxonomy, and Evolution of Chaetogaster limnaei (Oligochaeta: Naididae) Species Complex

Abstract: Within Oligochaeta, Chaetogaster limnaei is unusual in exhibiting a parasitic relationship with freshwater pulmonate snails. Taxonomic confusion has been caused by differences in what have been considered 2 subspecies of this worm: Chaetogaster limnaei limnaei is an ectosymbiont and is present inside the mantle cavity of the snail, whereas Chaetogaster limnaei vaghini is parasitic and lives in the kidney of the snail. This study explored the distribution of these annelids in central New York and used mitochondrial DNA sequence data from the COI locus to examine the relationship, evolution, and species status of the ectosymbiotic and parasitic forms of C. limnaei. Snails (Physa gyrina) were collected from 6 streams and lakes in central New York, with additional specimens collected from a lake in Massachusetts for comparison. One hundred and forty snails were examined, and at least 1 form of Chaetogaster was present in 88 specimens, a prevalence of 62.9%. COI sequence data from New York and Massachusetts did not reveal separate ectosymbiotic and parasitic lineages. Instead, all parasitic forms were part of a mixed clade that included both ectosymbiotic and parasitic forms. This mixed clade was nested within clades of ectosymbiotic forms only, suggesting that a plastic lineage of C. limnaei, able to be both ectosymbionts and parasites, evolved from ectoparasitic ancestors.
EAP-Based Group Authentication and Key Agreement Protocol for Machine-Type Communications

Machine to machine (M2M) communications, also called machine-type communications (MTC), has widely been utilized in applications such as telemetry, industrial, automation, and SCADA systems. The group-based MTC, especially when MTC devices belong to non-3GPP network, will face new challenge of access authentication. In this paper, we propose a group authentication and key agreement protocol, called EG-AKA, for machine-type communications combining elliptic curve Diffie-Hellman (ECDH) based on EAP framework. Compared with conventional EAP-AKA, our protocol guarantees stronger security and provides better performance. Detailed security analysis has shown that the proposed EG-AKA protocol is secure in terms of user and group identity protection and resistance to several attacks. Furthermore, formal verification implemented in AVISPA proves that the proposed protocol is secure against various malicious attacks. Moreover, performance evaluation demonstrates its efficiency in terms of the signaling overhead, the bandwidth consumption, and the transmission cost.
Successive Bifurcation Conditions of a Lorenz-Type Equation for the Fluid Convection Due to the Transient Thermal Field

This paper investigates the convection flow between the two parallel plates in a fluid cell subject to the transient thermal field. We use the modal approximations similar to that of the original Lorenz model to obtain a generalized Lorenz-type model for the flow induced by the transient thermal field at the bottom plate. This study examines the convection flow bifurcation conditions in relation to the transient temperature variations and the flow properties. We formulated successive bifurcation conditions and illustrated the various flow behaviors and their steady-state attractors affected by the thermal field functions and fluid properties.
Maternal Dietary Nutrient Intake and Risk of Preterm Delivery

Abstract Objective To examine maternal dietary intake and preterm delivery. Study Design Data included 5738 deliveries from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study. Odds ratios (ORs) reflected risks of delivery at <32, 32–34, or 35–36 versus ≥37 weeks for maternal intake in the lowest or highest quartile of nutrient intake compared with the middle two. Results Among deliveries < 32 weeks, many ORs were ≥1.5 or ≤0.7, but few confidence intervals excluded one. ORs were ≥1.5 for lowest quartiles of protein, thiamin, riboflavin, choline, vitamin A, α-carotene, β-carotene, vitamin E, iron, copper, and zinc and for highest quartiles of carbohydrate, glycemic index, and Mediterranean Diet Score. ORs were ≤0.7 for lowest quartiles of glycemic index and betaine and for highest quartiles of protein, alanine, methionine, vitamin B6, betaine, and calcium. Few ORs met these criteria for later preterm deliveries. Conclusions Results suggested an association of nutrient intake with earlier preterm deliveries.
Apathy and Dementia. Nosology, Assessment and Management

Abstract Apathy, characterized by lack of motivation and loss of initiative, is a non-cognitive symptom that affects a high proportion, but not all, of patients with all forms of dementia. To explore the phenomenon of apathy in people with dementia, we searched the PubMed and Google Scholar electronic databases for original research and review articles on apathetic behaviors in patients with dementia using the search terms “apathy, behavioral and psychological symptoms, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Frontotemporal dementia, Dementia associated with Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, Vascular dementia”. Some nosological aspects, neurobiological basis, and assessment of, as well as, potential benefits of non-pharmacologic and pharmacologic interventions for apathy in dementia are discussed. Greater understanding of apathy will improve the identification, intervention, and treatment of this ubiquitous and pernicious syndrome.
New Windows, Same Old House: An Update on Acute Stroke Management

Acute stroke is a common presentation to emergency departments and is the third leading cause of death in the United States. Despite the frequency of this event, and its substantial morbidity and mortality, few therapies exist to limit the damage from this devastating diagnosis. One pharmacotherapy for ischemic stroke that has demonstrated efficacy in this setting is tissue plasminogen activator (Activase; tPA; alteplase). Current guidelines for this agent recommend its use within the first 3 hr of the onset of stroke symptoms in patients who meet specified criteria. However, more recent data have lead to recommending the extension of this time frame to 4.5 hr after onset of symptoms in specific patient populations. Although this therapy has demonstrated efficacy in improving outcomes, its use is often complicated by complex inclusion and exclusion criteria, risk of hemorrhage, requirement for intense patient monitoring, substantial cost, and the potential for devastating medication errors.
Information systems management and strategy formulation: the ‘stages of growth’ model revisited

Abstract. The original ‘stages of growth’ model, as applied to the field of Information Systems (Gibson & Nolan, 1974), may be viewed as seminal, given the influence it has had on both theory and practice (Nolan, 1984; Sullivan, 1985; Ward, et al., 1990). This is so, despite the model's lack of substantiation based on empirical evidence, the overly simplistic assumptions on which it is based, and the limited focus of the original concept (Benbasat, et al., 1984; King & Kraemer, 1984).
Separating Short Signals in Highly Reverberant Environment by a Recursive Frequency-Domain BSS

A new approach to the permutation problem for Blind Source Separation (BSS) in the frequency domain is presented. The independence of the separation across the frequencies, and thus the probability that a permutation may occur, is minimized by a recursive linking of the ICA stage. A recursive adaptive estimation of smooth demixing matrices is used to initialize the Independent Component Analysis (ICA) in order to force it to converge with a coherent permutation across the whole spectrum. Since no information about non stationarity of the signals is exploited, the proposed method works also for short utterances (0.5-1 s) and in highly reverberant environments (T60sime 700 ms). Furthermore it is shown that the recursive initialization increases the accuracy of the ICA when a small amount of data observations is available.
Acute Effects of Soman, Sarin, and Tabun on Microsomal and Cytosolic Components of the Calmodulin System in Rat Striatum

Abstract: Two hours after administration of Soman (120 μg/kg, s.c.), Sarin (150 μg/kg, s.c.), or Tabun (240 μg/kg, s.c.), microsomes and cytosol were prepared from rat striata. Microsomal and cytosolic calmodulin (CaM) levels, microsomal adenylate and guanylate cyclase activities, protein kinase activities, and Ca2++ Mg2+‐ATPase activities were determined while cytosolic phosphodiesterase (PDE) activities were determined. CaM levels in both cell fractions were significantly increased by Soman and Sarin. Cyclic AMP‐PDE and adenylate cyclase activities were decreased by Soman and Sarin. All three agents decreased activities of cyclic GMP‐PDE and guanylate cyclase. Sarin and Tabun administration caused significant increases in microsomal protein kinase activity and none of the agents affected activity of divalent cation ATPases. The intensity of effects of the three organophosphates roughly paralleled their observed neurotoxic potencies. The results indicate that components of the CaM system are implicated as either causative or adaptive changes induced by these agents.
Metabolism of levormeloxifene, a selective oestrogen receptor modulator, in the Sprague-Dawley rat, Cynomolgus monkey and postmenopausal woman

1. The metabolic fate of levormeloxifene in the Sprague-Dawley rat, Cynomolgus monkey and postmenopausal volunteer has been investigated. 2. Two doses of [14C] levormeloxifene, 0.7 and 50 mg/kg, were given to the male and female rat and monkey, and a single 20-mg dose to the postmenopausal volunteer. 3. The primary route of excretion in all three species was the faeces. Metabolism was similar in all three species, with demethylation forming the major metabolite in the rat and postmenopausal volunteer. One of the major metabolites in the monkey involved an oxidative ring opening of a pyrrole ring. 4. The main site of metabolism of levormeloxifene is the liver and the majority of the drug and its metabolites is excreted via the faecal route. Metabolic pathways appear to be similar in the three species studied.
Evaluating IMF Training: What Can We Learn?

The IMF provides training to its membership in its core areas of expertise mainly through its Institute for Capacity Development (ICD) or formerly the IMF Institute (INS). This paper looks at the methods that ICD used to evaluate this activity and analyzes the data collected over the period 2006–13. Since 2015, ICD has undertaken a review of its curriculum and revamped its courses and evaluations. Hence this paper provides a detailed analysis of the situation prior to the review.The study's novel feature is its attempt to distill information from all evaluation sources in one place. It also conducts analysis to explain the evaluation results using participant demographic information. An important message that emerges from the different surveys is that ICD’s training program is well liked. Notable differences in results surface when sorting evaluations results by course type or by geographic location, and whether evaluations were filled out by participants or by their sponsoring managers.
Comparison of Correlation-Based and Ray-Based Radio MIMO Channel Models

This paper presents a comparison between a correlation-based and a ray-based MIMO (multi-input multi-output) model. The correlation-based model has been presented in the literature under the European IST-METRA project. The ray-based model has been elaborated for the 3GPP standard group under the acronym of SCM. Using the input parameters of the 3GPP SCM model specification as a reference, link level simulations results generated from the two MIMO channel models are being compared by examining the channel coefficients and BLER (block error rate) produced by the models. When comparing the simulation results, it was found that the differences between the models are negligible. This implies that either one of the models can be used to generate channel coefficient realizations
Parameter Identification of the Jiles–Atherton Hysteresis Model Using Differential Evolution

In this paper, parameters of the Jiles-Atherton (J-A) hysteresis model are identified using a stochastic search algorithm called differential evolution (DE). The J-A hysteresis model's parameters are identified by DE in such a way, that best possible agreement is obtained between the measured and model calculated hysteresis loops. This agreement is furthermore increased by improving the J-A hysteresis model. The improvement is achieved by replacing a constant pinning parameter in the J-A hysteresis model with a variable one. Here, the variable pinning parameter is written as a function of a magnetic field. By DE identified parameters are used in the J-A hysteresis model, which is included in the dynamic model of a single-phase transformer. The effectiveness of the improved J-A hysteresis model and parameters identification approach is verified with experiments and simulations.