Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Comparative Policy Agendas Projects as measurement systems: response to Dowding, Hindmoor and Martin

ership in Party Competition. Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties 24(3): 312–333. Hobolt S. , Klemmensen R. and Pickup M. (2009) The Dynamics of Issue Divergence in Party Rhetoric, working paper, Oxford University, Oxford, UK. Kedar O. (2009) Voting for Policy, Not Parties: How Voters Compensate for Power Sharing. New York: Cambridge University Press. Lin T. -M. , Enelow J. and Dorussen H. (1999) Equilibrium in Multicandidate Probabilistic Spatial Voting. Public Choice 98: 59–82. Mauerer I. , Thurner P. W. and Debus M. Forthcoming. Under Which Conditions do Parties Attract Voters’ Issue Reactions? Party Varying Issue Voting in German Election 1987–2013. West European Politics. Merrill S. III and Adams J. (2002) Centrifugal Incentives in Multicandidate Elections. Journal of Theoretical Politics 14(2): 273–300. Neundorf A. and Adams J. (2014) The Micro-Foundations of Party Competition and Issue Ownership, working paper. Petrocik J. (1996) Issue Ownership in Presidential Elections. American Journal of Political Science 54(8): 825–850. Schofield N. (2007) The Mean Voter Theorem: Necessary and Sufficient Conditions for Convergent Equilibrium. The Review of Economic Studies 74(3): 965–980. Spoon J.-J. and Klüver H. (2014) Do Parties Respond? How Electoral Context Influences Party Responsiveness. Electoral Studies 35(1): 48–62. Volkens A. , Bara J., Budge I. , McDonaldM. D. , Klingemann H. -D. (eds.) (2013)Mapping Policy Preferences from Texts III. Statistical Solutions for Manifesto Analysts. Oxford: Oxford University Press. WagnerM. andMeyer T. M. (2014)Which Issues Do Parties Emphasize? Salience Strategies and Party Organization in Multiparty Systems. West European Politics 37(5): 1019–1045.
Model based Detection and 3D Localization of Planar Objects for Industrial Setups

In this work we present a method to detect and estimate the three-dimensional pose of planar and textureless objects placed randomly on a conveyor belt or inside a bin. The method is based on analysis of single 2D images acquired by a standard camera. The algorithm exploits a template matching method to recognize the objects. A set of pose hypotheses are then refined and, based on a gradient orientation scoring, the best object to be manipulated is selected. The method is flexible and can be used with different objects without changing parameters since it exploits a CAD model as input for template generation. We validated the method using synthetic images. An experimental setup has been also designed using a fixed standard camera to localize planar metal objects in various scenarios.
Estimating birth prevalence of Down's syndrome.

BACKGROUND Estimates of maternal age-specific prevalence of Down's syndrome are needed for the assessment of environmental factors, for counselling and monitoring screening programmes. The estimates should relate to populations of women who have not received prenatal screening. This is normally achieved by using data collected before the widespread use of screening. The problem of under-ascertainment in some data-sets has been recognised in the literature, but has not been dealt with satisfactorily in the statistical models used to estimate live-birth prevalence. METHODS In this paper we develop a model that takes explicit account of under-ascertainment and apply this model to data from nine published studies. The primary aim of our analysis is to provide an improved model for live-birth prevalence. A secondary aim is to examine the ascertainment rates in the nine studies. RESULTS The proposed model provides a good fit to all but one of the nine studies, although exclusion of this study does not affect the estimated risks. The estimate of risk weighted across the maternal age distribution is 1.41 in 1000 live-births [90% confidence interval (CI) 1.37-1.49]. DISCUSSION Comparing this figure with those obtained from published rate schedules suggests that the proposed model predicts rates that are some 10% higher than those obtained when ascertainment is assumed to be complete in all studies. The predicted rates are similar to those calculated when only those studies known to have high levels of acertainment are included.
Reference Values for the Five-Repetition Sit-to-Stand Test: A Descriptive Meta-Analysis of Data from Elders

This meta-analysis was conducted to generate normative values for the 5-repetition sit-to-stand (STS) test suitable for application to individuals at least 60 years of age. A thorough review of the literature yielded 13 papers (14 studies) relevant to this purpose. After the exclusion of potentially unrepresentative data, meta-analysis of these 13 papers indicated that judgments about normal performance should be based on age. Analysis demonstrated that individuals with times for 5 repetitions of this test exceeding the following can be considered to have worse than average performance: 11.4 sec (60 to 69 years), 12.6 sec. (70 to 79 years), and 14.8 sec. (80 to 89 years).
Effect of baseline magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparent diffusion coefficient lesion volume on functional outcome in ischemic stroke

Abstract Objective: We explored the relationship between predicted infarct core, predicted ischemic penumbras and predicted final infarct volumes obtained though apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC)-based method, as well as other clinical variables, and functional outcome. Methods: Patients with acute cerebral ischemic stroke were retrospectively recruited. The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score was evaluated at baseline and the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at day 90. Favorable outcome was defined as an mRS score of 0 to 2, and unfavorable outcome as 3 to 6. Multimodal stroke magnetic resonance imaging was carried out at presentation. The volumes of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and perfusion-weighted imaging (PWI) were measured using the regions of interest (ROI) method. The volumes of predicted infarct core, predicted ischemic penumbra and predicted final infarct were obtained by an automated image analysis system based on baseline ADC maps. The association between baseline magnetic resonance imaging volumes, baseline clinical variables, and functional outcome was statistically analyzed. Results: The study included 30 males and 20 females (mean±SD age, 56±10 years). Baseline DWI, PWI and PWI-DWI mismatch volumes were not correlated with day-90 mRS (P>0·05). Predicted infarct core, predicted ischemic penumbra and predicted final infarct through ADC-based method were all correlated with day-90 mRS (P<0·05). A better outcome was associated with a smaller predicted volume. Low baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale and recanalization also demonstrated a trend toward a favorable outcome. Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that the area under the curve of predicted final infarct volume and recanalization were higher with statistical significance (P<0·001). Discussion: Predicted volumes obtained from ADC-based methods, especially predicted final infarct volume, as well as baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale and recanalization may have effect on functional outcome in acute ischemic stroke.
Frame-by-frame speech recognition as hardware decoding on FPGA devices

This paper proposes frame-by-frame speech recognition as a hardware decoder on Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). As a first step for FPGA implementation, Voice Activity Detection (VAD) using second order autocorrelation and a speech recognition decoder using formant frequency distances were evaluated. The hardware decoding was then implemented on an FPGA emulator. The VAD and decoder were demonstrated to be effective, and hence could be suitable for implementation on FPGA devices.
Cytochrome P450 and the arachidonate cascade 1

Arachidonic acid and many products of the arachidonate cascade serve as substrates for cytochrome P450‐mediated metabolism via allylic oxidation, omega hydroxylation, and epoxygenation as well as peroxide rearrangement. Defining the physiological importance of these metabolites is an area of intense research interest. Cytochrome P450‐catalyzed reactions play prominent roles in multiplying the structural and functional diversity of the arachidonate metabolic cascade. —Capdevila, J. H. ; Falck, J. R. ; Estabrook, R. W. Cytochrome P450 and the arachidonate cascade. FASEB J. 6: 731‐736; 1992.
A simulation-based equipment environment for flexible manufacturing systems

This paper discusses a new simulation environment that provides a cell controller to coordinate equipment within a cell to perform a sequence of manufacturing operations. Petri net models mapping to scenario–based simulators of the equipment are described. The intended advantage of the simulation environment is that only one personal computer can make all experimental tests and does not need the actual manufacturing equipment. We start with the tool of scenario to model the operation sequences of the system's equipment. The scenario methodology is able to depict clearly the signals of communication for the equipment. Finally, two examples are proposed for the simulation environment.
Immune attributes of cardiac‐derived adherent proliferating (CAP) cells in cardiac therapy

Cardiac‐directed cell therapies show potential to reduce mortality and morbidity in heart disease. However, high functional efficacy should be complimented with low immunogenicity, in particular if allogeneic cell sources are applied. Therefore, we aimed to examine cardiac‐derived adherent proliferating (CAP) cells with respect to their immunogenicity and immune modulatory features in vitro. Human CAP cells were isolated from cardiac biopsies and screened in a CFSE‐based proliferation assay in co‐cultures with phytohaemagglutinin (PHA)‐stimulated human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBMCs) or mixed lymphocyte cultures (MLCs) to assess their potential to induce immune cell proliferation or activation by flow cytometry. Moreover, levels of pro‐ and anti‐inflammatory cytokines in supernatants of co‐cultures were analysed. The capacity of CAP cells to induce the generation of regulatory T cells (Tregs) was determined by flow cytometric measurement of FoxP3 expression. CAP cells of different donors (n = 5) showed low immunogenicity in co‐cultures with human allogeneic PBMCs. In addition, they induced no change in the normal alloantigen‐driven immune responsiveness in MLCs. However, CAP cells significantly reduced the induction of immune cell proliferation in PBMCs cultures stimulated with the polyclonal trigger PHA. Adding CAP cells into MLCs or PHA‐stimulated cultures resulted in significantly reduced levels of TNFα or IFNγ, respectively, compared to controls without CAP cells. At early time points (day 2), interaction of CAP cells with PBMCs resulted in elevated proportions of FoxP3+CD4+CD25high+ cells. The results indicate that CAP cells have low immunogenicity and could be advantageous in cardiac repair by reducing inflammatory cytokines and inducing regulatory T cells. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
PET studies on brain monoamine transporters with carbon-11-beta-CIT in Parkinson's disease.

UNLABELLED The cocaine analog 2 beta-carbomethoxy-3 beta-[4-iodophenyl]tropane (beta-CIT) labeled with 11C was used to study dopamine reuptake sites with PET. METHODS Three normal subjects and nine patients with Parkinson's disease were investigated. Each of them underwent a dynamic PET scan (25 timeframes over 80 min) with [11C]-beta-CIT. A dose of 102.5-211.3 MBq (2.77-5.71 mCi) of this ligand was administered intravenously and a PET examination with an ECAT 931/08 PET camera was carried out. Ratios between the striatal/cortical/thalamic/midbrain and cerebellar uptake of this radioligand were calculated. RESULTS The highest accumulation of [11C]beta-CIT was observed in the caudate and putamen, though there was some uptake in the thalamus and the midbrain. Cortical uptake was negligible. Carbon-11-beta-CIT accumulated significantly less in the putamen of the Parkinson's patients than in the normal subjects. The putamen-to-cerebellum ratio in the Parkinson's patients was 1.59 +/- 0.04 and 1.80 +/- 0.13s (p = 0.028) in the normal subjects. In the caudate, there was no significant difference between the Parkinson's patients and the normal subjects. CONCLUSION These results imply that [11C]beta-CIT is a useful compound for carrying out a PET examination of the function of the presynaptic monoaminergic neurons both in normal and pathological brains.
An exploratory study of interdisciplinarity and breakthrough ideas

Interdisciplinary research, defined as work which combines theories, methods, tools and concepts from multiple specialized knowledgebases, is often treated as proxy for research which is likely to be “transformative. ” This treatment presumes that the novel combination of ideas from multiple disciplines has a high probability of generating "breakthrough" insights, which in turn will lead to significant discoveries and innovations. We conduct an exploratory study to understand how to measure the degree of interdisciplinarity involved in novel, significant research fields, and how those measures capture the integration of disparate ideas in novel configurations. Our approach is to examine research fields recognized as “breakthroughs” in their domains, such as tissue engineering and DNA microarrays, and “measure” the interdisciplinarity of the ideas embedded in those research areas in three ways: the Porter-Rafols integration score, a measure of the “topical diversity” of the papers using the method proposed by Newman et al., and hand-coded assessments by informed human reviewers. The results provide promising into the relative capabilities of bibliometrics and text analytics for assessing interdisciplinarity, and also examine more closely whether the characteristics of interdisciplinary research make that research more likely to produce scientific and technical breakthroughs.
Increasing the rate of chromatin remodeling and gene activation—a novel role for the histone acetyltransferase Gcn5

Histone acetyltransferases (HATs) such as Gcn5 play a role in transcriptional activation. However, the majority of constitutive genes show no requirement for GCN5, and even regulated genes, such as the yeast PHO5 gene, do not seem to be affected significantly by its absence under normal activation conditions. Here we show that even though the steady‐state level of activated PHO5 transcription is not affected by deletion of GCN5, the rate of activation following phosphate starvation is significantly decreased. This delay in transcriptional activation is specifically due to slow chromatin remodeling of the PHO5 promoter, whereas the transmission of the phosphate starvation signal to the PHO5 promoter progresses at a normal rate. Chromatin remodeling is equally delayed in a galactose‐inducible PHO5 promoter variant in which the Pho4 binding sites have been replaced by Gal4 binding sites. By contrast, activation of the GAL1 gene by galactose addition occurs with normal kinetics. Lack of the histone H4 N‐termini leads to a similar delay in activation of the PHO5 promoter. These results indicate that one important contribution of HATs is to increase the rate of gene induction by accelerating chromatin remodeling, rather than to affect the final steady‐state expression levels.
Improved variable step size P&O MPPT algorithm for PV systems

Algorithms for the maximum power point tracking MPP (Maximum Power Point), seek to maximize the delivered power of a photovoltaic panel. The Perturb and Observe (P&O) algorithm is the more used due to simplicity, however it is not the most efficient due to the perturbation step is fixed, at higher the size step fastest the MPP will be reached, but there would be a high steady state error; if the size step is low there would be less steady state error, but the MPP tracking became slow. Other well know method is the algorithm of Conductance Incremental (IC), in this method the step depends of the power variation versus the voltage. The variable step for P&O is more efficient for short atmospheric variations with less oscillations in the tracking and the variable step for CI is more efficient for big atmospheric variations with a fast MPP tracking. In this paper the 2 methods are combine to reduce oscillations and for a fast tracking for big and short irradiance variations.
Analysis and calculation of capacitance parameters in induction machines to predict shaft voltage

The modeling and calculation of coupling capacitances of motors are investigated in this paper. These capacitances are key parameters in predicting shaft voltage in the common mode model of inverter-asynchronous motor drive system. Based on the structure of motors, the analytic calculation of capacitance is carried out. According to the partition capacitance theory, finite element analysis is adopted to achieve these capacitances. Then an improved finite element model of motor's winding is proposed to acquire rational results. The measurement of capacitances is introduced. The calculation results of capacitances are compared with the experimental results, which show the validity of the improved model.
Higher Order Modes: A Solution for High Gain, Wide Band Patch Antennas for Different Vehicular Applications

Low-gain and narrow bandwidth problems are associated with patch antennas, and due to their inverse relation with each other, these problems cannot be improved simultaneously. It is well understood that the patch antenna excited at the higher order modes (HOMs) can overcome the problems of low gain and narrow bandwidth, provided that the modes are excited properly. For a given geometry, all the resonant frequencies are related in fixed ratios, providing no flexibility for the designer. Furthermore, high side lobe levels and undesirable radiation patterns are associated with the higher order modes. The excitation of higher order modes in given dimensions of the patch is achieved by surface modification and loading of slots on the patch. Two antennas based on a novel design procedure are discussed in the Ku and Ka bands to validate the proposed facts. The antenna in the Ka band has a peak gain of 8.5 dBi with 15.14% of bandwidth, while the one in the Ku band has a peak gain of 11.84 dBi with 17.6% of bandwidth. The design procedure is particularly important in designing antennas for applications like mobile satellite communication, wideband and multimedia applications, collision avoidance systems in vehicles, etc.
Digital image stabilization based on circular block matching

In this paper, a novel digital image stabilization algorithm based on circular block matching is proposed to estimate the global scaling, rotational and translational motion parameters between each two consecutive frames in jitter videos. In the algorithm, the rotation-invariant-features based circular block matching is proposed for the first time to estimate the local true motion vectors for the centers of all considered circular blocks. With these local motion vectors and their corresponding block positions, a linear system is constructed and solved by repeated least-squares to generate the global motion parameters (GMP) which are then refined by a gradient descent based iteration scheme. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed DIS technique can generate more precise GMP and deal with larger motions compared with the ever presented optical flow based digital image stabilization technique.
International Journal of Web Information Systems Test selection criteria for real-time systems modeled as timed input-output automata

Purpose – This paper aims to address formal testing of real-time systems by providing readers with guidance for generating test cases from timed automata. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper, a set of test selection criteria is presented. Such criteria are useful for testing real-time systems specified by timed automata. The criteria are introduced after the presentation of timed automata model and the concepts related to it. Findings – The paper finds that the set of test selection criteria are ordered based on the inclusion relation. The ordering is useful for developing new testing methods and for comparing existing approaches. Originality/value – Each of the proposed test selection criteria can be used to develop a new method for testing timed automata with certain fault coverage.
Osteoporosis in Pediatric Patients Suffering From Chronic Inflammatory Bowel Disease With and Without Steroid Treatment

Background: Children and adolescents suffering from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are at risk of developing osteoporosis as a result of treatment with corticosteroids as well as of nonsteroidal factors like inflammation and malnutrition. To study the impact of these factors on development of osteopathy, we compared the rate of osteoporosis in steroid-naive and steroid-treated pediatric IBD patients. Methods: In 90 patients (50 girls) with IBD (34 steroid-naive, 53 steroid-treated, 3 not known) aged 8.8 to 19.2 (14.4 ± 2.2) years and 52 controls (27 girls) aged 6.1 to 17.6 (12.9 ± 3.0) years, bone mineral density (BMD) of the lumbar spine was assessed with dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. Areal BMD values were transformed into volumetric densities called bone mineral apparent density (BMAD) and expressed as standard deviation scores (SDS) on the basis of the BMAD values of the controls. Results: The rate of osteoporotic patients (BMAD-SDS < −2) was 8% in girls and 20% in boys. There was a similar proportion of osteoporosis in steroid-naive (12%) and steroid-treated (11%) patients. SDS of body height showed a significant positive correlation with BMD-SDS but not with BMAD-SDS in almost all patient subgroups, indicating an interfering dependency of BMD from bone size. Conclusions: The prevalence of osteoporosis in pediatric patients with IBD is approximately the same as in adult patients. Osteoporosis is already present before steroid treatment. Data of dual energy x-ray absorptiometry measurements should be transformed into volumetric parameters to compensate for short stature. Otherwise, a lot of growth-stunted patients may be falsely diagnosed as osteopenic.
FMNL2 with Functions Related to the Cytoskeleton is Partially Regulated by PAX6

Purpose: We aimed to assess whether the transcription factor PAX6 affects transcription of FMNL2. PAX6 is a transcription factor with significant roles in development of the eye and eye-related functions. FMNL2 encodes a member of the formin family of proteins and has roles in polymerization of actin and features of the cytoskeleton. The state of the cytoskeleton affects the flow of aqueous humor, disruption of which is a cornerstone of glaucoma pathology. Methods: Initially, bioinformatics were used extensively to identify FMNL2 as an appropriate candidate gene for possible targeting by PAX6. Subsequently, direct targeting of the promoter of FMNL2 by PAX6 was tested using the dual luciferase assay. The experiment was performed by cloning a promoter region of FMNL2 that contains PAX6 binding sitesupstream of a firefly luciferase gene and comparison of expression of luciferase in the presence and absence of PAX6 expression vectors in the HEK293T cell line. The effect of PAX6 on endogenous expression of FMNL2 in primary trabecular meshwork (TM) cells was assessed by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: Dual luciferase assays in HEK293T cells clearly demonstrated that PAX6 directly affects the FMNL2 promoter to increase expression of downstream sequences. However, overexpression of PAX6 in TM cells caused mild but statistically significant downregulation of endogenous FMNL2 as assessed by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Conclusion: It is concluded that PAX6 can indeed directly affect transcription of FMNL2. However, regulation of FMNL2 expression in TM cells is complicated and not limited to the direct effects of PAX6.