Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Study of sampling techniques and algorithms in data stream environments

Sampling is the most versatile approximation technique available and is still one of the most powerful methods for building a one-pass synopsis of a data set in a streaming environment. Throughout the detailed review, a kind of taxonomic frame of sampling algorithms was presented; meanwhile, discussions and comparisons of representative sampling algorithms were performed. Due to the limitations of uniform sampling in some applications, the importance of using biased sampling methods in these scenarios was fully dissertated. Subsequently, we surveyed the application and development of sampling techniques, especially those traditional sampling techniques in data stream model. Finally, we discussed the research challenges and future directions of sampling problem in the context of data streams.
A Quagmire of Terminology: Verification and Validation, Testing, and Evaluation

Software engineering literature presents multiple definitions for the terms verification, validation and testing. The ensuing diA~culties carry into research on the verification and validation (V&V) of intelligent systems. We explore both these areas and then address the additional terminology problems faced when attempting to carry out V&V work in a new domain such as natural language processing (NLP). at very different levels in the software development process. In one usage, the term refers to testing in the small, the exercise of program code with test cases, with a goal of uncovering faults in code by exposing failures. In another usage, the term refers to testing in the large, the entire overall process of verification, validation, and quality analysis and assurance.
Intravitreal Bevacizumab Injection Alone or Combined with Triamcinolone Versus Macular Photocoagulation In Bilateral Diabetic Macular Edema; Application of Bivariate Generalized Linear Mixed Model with Asymmetric Random Effects in a Subgroup of a Clinical Trial

Purpose: To compare the efficacy of intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) injection alone or with intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide (IVB/IVT) versus macular photocoagulation (MPC) in bilateral diabetic macular edema (DME). Methods: In this study we revisited data from a subset of subjects previously enrolled in a randomized clinical trial. The original study included 150 eyes randomized to three treatment arms: 1.25 mg IVB alone, combined injection of 1.25 mg IVB and 2 mg IVT, and focal or modified grid MPC. To eliminate the possible effects of systemic confounders, we selected fellow eyes of bilaterally treated subjects who had undergone different treatments; eventually 30 eyes of 15 patients were re-evaluated at baseline, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. Using mixed model analysis, we compared the treatment protocols regarding visual acuity (VA) and central macular thickness (CMT). Results: Improvement in VA in the IVB group was significantly greater compared to MPC at months 6 and 12 (P = 0.037 and P = 0.035, respectively) but this difference did not persist thereafter up to 24 months. Other levels of VA were comparable at different follow-up intervals (all P > 0.05). The only significant difference in CMT was observed in favor of the IVB group as compared to IVB/IVT group at 24 months (P = 0.048). Conclusion: Overall VA was superior in IVB group as compared to MPC up to 12 months. Although the IVB group showed superiority regarding CMT reduction over 24 months as compared to IVB/IVT group, it was comparable to the MPC group through the same period of follow up.
ASSESSING BIAS: A COMPARISON OF TWO METHODS

Evaluation of research designs employing probability sampling, particularly those based on samples of individuals rather than households, has repeatedly disclosed relatively large discrepancies between design -objectives and actual performance. ' The failure to secure substantial portions of a random sample raises obvious questions regarding the sample's representativeness and consequently the validity of the measurements obtained.
Competitive plasma protein adsorption on modified polymer surfaces monitored by quartz crystal microbalance technique

This paper describes the effects of photochemical modifications of polymer surfaces on the competitive adsorption of serum proteins and cell adhesion (hepatoma cell line HepG2, L929 fibroblasts and others). The UV modification of polystyrene, poly(methylmethacrylate) and polycarbonate alters the physico-chemical properties of these polymers in a way that allows the formation of micrometer scaled cellular patterns in vitro by controlling the composition and properties of the protein adsorbate. Using a quartz microbalance technique, capable to extract viscoelastic data in addition to the mass load of the polymer coated sensor, we have demonstrated the importance of the thickness and the viscosity of an albumin adsorbate for the observed cell adhesion in vitro. The quantity and viscosity of surface bound albumin on polystyrene, being a cell repellent material in its native state, is lowered when the surface is exposed to UV of λ = 185 nm in air prior to the contact with albumin solutions or cell culture media. This promotes the deposition of cell adhesion proteins and explains the observed cell patterns. Apart from this special application the described quartz microbalance with dissipation monitoring provides a useful tool for general biocompatibility studies based on surface phenomena of biomaterials.
Transport of Trembler-J Mutant Peripheral Myelin Protein 22 Is Blocked in the Intermediate Compartment and Affects the Transport of the Wild-Type Protein by Direct Interaction

Peripheral myelin protein 22 (PMP22) is an integral membrane protein that is essential for the normal formation and maintenance of peripheral myelin. Duplications, deletions, or mutations in the PMP22 gene account for a set of dominantly inherited peripheral neuropathies. The heterozygous Trembler-J (TrJ) genotype in mice is similar genetically to a Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease type 1A pedigree in humans, whereas the homozygousTrJ condition leads to the most severe form of PMP22-associated neuropathies. To characterize the consequences of theTrJ mutation, we labeled wild-type (wt-) and TrJ-PMP22 in the third loop of the protein with different epitope tags and expressed them separately or together in COS7 cells and primary Schwann cells. Here we show that the transport of the mutant TrJ-PMP22 is interrupted in the intermediate compartment, preventing its insertion into the plasma membrane and affecting the morphology of the endoplasmic reticulum. In addition, TrJ-PMP22 forms a heterodimer with the wt-PMP22. This interaction causes a fraction of the wt-PMP22 to be retained with TrJ-PMP22 in the intermediate compartment of COS7 and Schwann cells. The relative stability of a wt-mutant PMP22 heterodimer as compared with the wt-wt PMP22 homodimer may determine whether a particular mutation is semidominant or dominant. The neuropathy itself appears to result both from decreased trafficking of wt-PMP22 to the plasma membrane and from a toxic gain of function via the accumulation of wt- and TrJ-PMP22 in the intermediate compartment.
Antibiotic Modulation of Capsular Exopolysaccharide and Virulence in Acinetobacter baumannii

Acinetobacter baumannii is an opportunistic pathogen of increasing importance due to its propensity for intractable multidrug-resistant infections in hospitals. All clinical isolates examined contain a conserved gene cluster, the K locus, which determines the production of complex polysaccharides, including an exopolysaccharide capsule known to protect against killing by host serum and to increase virulence in animal models of infection. Whether the polysaccharides determined by the K locus contribute to intrinsic defenses against antibiotics is unknown. We demonstrate here that mutants deficient in the exopolysaccharide capsule have lowered intrinsic resistance to peptide antibiotics, while a mutation affecting sugar precursors involved in both capsule and lipopolysaccharide synthesis sensitizes the bacterium to multiple antibiotic classes. We observed that, when grown in the presence of certain antibiotics below their MIC, including the translation inhibitors chloramphenicol and erythromycin, A. baumannii increases production of the K locus exopolysaccharide. Hyperproduction of capsular exopolysaccharide is reversible and non-mutational, and occurs concomitantly with increased resistance to the inducing antibiotic that is independent of the presence of the K locus. Strikingly, antibiotic-enhanced capsular exopolysaccharide production confers increased resistance to killing by host complement and increases virulence in a mouse model of systemic infection. Finally, we show that augmented capsule production upon antibiotic exposure is facilitated by transcriptional increases in K locus gene expression that are dependent on a two-component regulatory system, bfmRS. These studies reveal that the synthesis of capsule, a major pathogenicity determinant, is regulated in response to antibiotic stress. Our data are consistent with a model in which gene expression changes triggered by ineffectual antibiotic treatment cause A. baumannii to transition between states of low and high virulence potential, which may contribute to the opportunistic nature of the pathogen.
Effects of atmospherics on emotions and intention with respect to involvement in different shopping environments

The present study deals with the S-O-R framework. The past five decades of research have successfully validated the S-O-R model in offline and online contexts. However, there is still room for improvement. In particular, hedonic aspects have been proposed as distinctive aspects to differentiate companies from their competitors. Previous researchers have (1) been somewhat reluctant to investigate dominance and other emotional responses, and (2) produced mixed results regarding the impact of atmospherics and emotional responses on behavior. Building on this tradition of research, this study investigates the S-O-R model by incorporating delight as an additional emotional response and tests the moderating effects of consumers' involvement and shopping environments (three-way interactional effects) in connection with the links among atmospherics, emotions, and intentions. The current findings demonstrate that the model fit better for low-involvement consumers than for high-involvement consumers. This was true for both offline and online environments. The results show that layout and information are two important factors in pleasing and arousing consumers, especially in the case of low-involvement consumers, and that delight is determined by both arousal and pleasure but is a determinant of both intention and word-of-mouth only for consumers with low involvement, whether they are in offline or online environments. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed in the conclusion.
Development and multiplexed amplification of SSR markers for Thuja occidentalis (Cupressaceae) using shotgun pyrosequencing1

Premise of the study: Sixteen novel, polymorphic, multiplexed microsatellite loci were developed for eastern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis) using simple sequence repeat (SSR)–enriched shotgun pyrosequencing. Methods and Results: Sixteen loci were tested on a panel of 24 individuals from different populations. The number of observed alleles ranged from four to 22. Four sets of multiplex PCR for the 16 loci were then carried out on 60 individuals of two populations from islands of FERLD Duparquet Forest, Canada. Mean number of alleles, observed heterozygosity, and expected heterozygosity were respectively 5.75, 0.594, and 0.574 for Island 58, and 5.50, 0.704, and 0.624 for Island 134. Conclusions: Four sets of multiplex microsatellite loci can be used for future genetic studies, which includes investigating genetic diversity and structure, and fragmentation and regeneration studies.
Poly(vinyl alcohol)/gelatin Hydrogels Cultured with HepG2 Cells as a 3D Model of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Morphological Study

It has been demonstrated that three-dimensional (3D) cell culture models represent fundamental tools for the comprehension of cellular phenomena both for normal and cancerous tissues. Indeed, the microenvironment affects the cellular behavior as well as the response to drugs. In this study, we performed a morphological analysis on a hepatocarcinoma cell line, HepG2, grown for 24 days inside a bioartificial hydrogel composed of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and gelatin (G) to model a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in 3D. Morphological features of PVA/G hydrogels were investigated, resulting to mimic the trabecular structure of liver parenchyma. A histologic analysis comparing the 3D models with HepG2 cell monolayers and tumor specimens was performed. In the 3D setting, HepG2 cells were viable and formed large cellular aggregates showing different morphotypes with zonal distribution. Furthermore, β-actin and α5β1 integrin revealed a morphotype-related expression; in particular, the frontline cells were characterized by a strong immunopositivity on a side border of their membrane, thus suggesting the formation of lamellipodia-like structures apt for migration. Based on these results, we propose PVA/G hydrogels as valuable substrates to develop a long term 3D HCC model that can be used to investigate important aspects of tumor biology related to migration phenomena.
What price a roof ? Housing and the cost of living in 16 th-century

Data on housing costs and rental markets for the early modern period are notoriously scarce. Using a new database of rent paid on 183 properties belonging to the Cathedral Chapter of Toledo between 1489 and 1600, we reconstruct housing costs for various social groups and trace the effect of exogenous shocks on the rental market. We then explore the impact of adding rent to early modern price indices and estimates of living standards. Price indices show a moderate effect. The addition of rent reduces the gap between Toledo and two northern European locations by up to 9.5%.
In Vivo Optical Imaging of Tumor and Microvascular Response to Ionizing Radiation

Radiotherapy is a widely used cancer treatment. However, understanding how ionizing radiation affects tumor cells and their vasculature, particularly at cellular, subcellular, genetic, and protein levels, has been limited by an inability to visualize the response of these interdependent components within solid tumors over time and in vivo. Here we describe a new preclinical experimental platform combining intravital multimodal optical microscopy for cellular-level longitudinal imaging, a small animal x-ray microirradiator for reproducible spatially-localized millimeter-scale irradiations, and laser-capture microdissection of ex vivo tissues for transcriptomic profiling. Using this platform, we have developed new methods that exploit the power of optically-enabled microscopic imaging techniques to reveal the important role of the tumor microvasculature in radiation response of tumors. Furthermore, we demonstrate the potential of this preclinical platform to study quantitatively - with cellular and sub-cellular details - the spatio-temporal dynamics of the biological response of solid tumors to ionizing radiation in vivo.
Estimating vocal-tract area functions from vowel sound signals over closed glottal phases

Existing methods that estimate the vocal-tract area functions (VTAF) from vocal-tract filters (VTF) using speech signals suffer from inadequate elimination of the glottal wave, and the influence of non-ideal vocal-tract boundary conditions. To minimize these effects on the VTF estimation, we present a method that jointly estimates the glottal wave and the VTF corresponding to closed glottal phases. Experimental results show that our method yields better estimates. The VTAF obtained for /a/ and /i/ each produced by a female and a male subject show that more detailed and accurate VTAF are obtained using the speech signals corresponding to closed glottal phases.
Children's Organized Sports: A Developmental Perspective

articipation in highly organized youth sports is pervasive in the United States and is regarded as a significant cultural event of modem times (Berryman, 1996). Such is the extent of children’s involvement that it has become a rite of P childhood (Martens & Seefeldt, 1979). In the 198Os, estimates of youth participation rates ranged from 20 to 35 million (Martens, 1986). In the 1990s, Ewing and Seefeldt (1996) reported that 55 percent of youths ages 10 to 18 years participated in a nonschool sport activity. Sports participation has been persistently promoted as a
FRBRization of MARC records in multiple catalogs

This paper addresses the problem of using the FRBR model to support the presentation of results. It describes a service implementing new algorithms and techniques for transforming existing MARC records into the FRBR model for this specific purpose. This work was developed in the context of the TELPlus project and processed 100,000 bibliographic and authority records from multilingual catalogs of 12 European countries.
Decision Making and Postdecision Surprises.

J. Richard Harrison and James G. March Most ideas of intelligent choice assume that decision making involves estimating the probable future values of currently available alternatives and choosing the best of them. Sometimes chosen alternatives turn out to be better than anticipated; sometimes they turn out to be worse. The difference between the predecision estimated value of a chosen alternative and its postdecision value, determined after some of its consequences have been experienced, can be defined as postdecision surprise. This paper examines a systematic bias in the distribution of postdecision surprises attributable to the structure of intelligent choice itself. It is shown that unbiased, random errors in estimation result in a structural tendency toward postdecision disappointment, which will be most characteristic of decision situations in which variation among the true values of alternatives is relatively small, the ambiguity or uncertainty in evaluation is relatively high, and the number of alternatives considered is relatively large. The decision dilemma is clear. Choosing apparently better alternatives will, on average, produce higher returns; however, in the absence of behavioral adjustments, higher expected benefits will be associated with greater expected disappointments. The effects are illustrated with results computed for the special case of normally distributed values and errors. Some implications are suggested for understanding postdecision surprise and the development of social norms of intelligent choice in individuals and organizations. *
The Latest Mathematical Models of Earthquake Ground Motion

Strong motion instrument networks have enabled creation of a large number of databanks ranging from small to regional and world ones. This data is of a great importance for the investigations aimed at prediction of strong earthquake ground motion parameters by application of empirical mathematical models fitted to the databanks. These mathematical models are referred to as ground motion models or attenuation laws. They define the relationships between ground motion parameters and factors that affect the amplitudes of ground motion as are the released energy, the regional characteristics, the local soil characteristics, the type of fault, the radiation pattern, etc.
Randomized testing for Robotic plan execution for autonomous systems

Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are commonly used for carrying out pre-planned oceanographic surveys, but there is increasing interest in optimizing these surveys by performing onboard re- planning. MBARI has developed an advanced AUV control system, the Teleo Reactive Executive (T-REX) that enables the vehicle to survey areas in more detail if biogeochemical markers indicate the presence of a target feature, and even to follow dynamic ocean phenomena such as fronts. T-REX uses artificial intelligence (AI) techniques in constraint-based temporal planning together with a layered control architecture that allows plans to be generated and executed onboard. One challenge of onboard plan synthesis and execution is that the power of the system to generate different behaviors makes it hard to test in simulation, and failures at sea are costly. We introduce a randomized Monte-Carlo method based test approach that executes hundreds of simulated missions with each mission presenting different inputs to the planner, and checks each output plan for validity. The approach sets environmental parameters to exercise T-REX's domain model, and it is fully configurable. We describe how the Monte-Carlo tester integrates with T-REX, how we have incorporated it into our testing process, and the benefits for system reliability that have resulted. We also highlight our experiences in discovering bugs both in simulation and for science surveys in waters off Northern California.
A Dynamic Programming Based Pruning Method for Decision Trees

This paper concerns a decision-tree pruning method, a key issue in the development of decision trees. We propose a new method that applies the classical optimization technique, dynamic programming, to a decision-tree pruning procedure. We show that the proposed method generates a sequence of pruned trees that are optimal with respect to tree size. The dynamic-programming-based pruning (DPP) algorithm is then compared with cost-complexity pruning (CCP) in an experimental study. The results of our study indicate that DPP performs better than CCP in terms of classification accuracy.
Asset Pricing and Option Trading for Harvesting Rights to Renewable Resources

This paper discusses the use of options as a tool to retrieve valuable information on the value and level of risk associated with owning a share in a stock of renewable resource. The objective is to show how theory on options trading can be used to obtain information on the perceived risk of the resource, and to discuss how this market information can be used to enhance the economic performance of the management framework in place.
English-language teachers’ engagement with research: findings from Bangladesh

In this article, we report on a small-scale study in which we investigated English-language teachers’ engagement with educational research. We conceptualized engagement with research as reading and systematically using research for professional development. Using questionnaires and in-depth interviews, we gathered empirical materials from 40 English-language teachers who teach at various primary and high schools located in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. Our findings indicate that there is an absolute absence of teachers’ research engagement for professional development. We discuss the key reasons for this lack of research engagement. We conclude the article with some implications of our findings for teachers’ professional development and the practical value of educational research.