Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
European/Canadian multicenter, double‐blind, randomized, placebo‐controlled study of the effects of glatiramer acetate on magnetic resonance imaging–measured disease activity and burden in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis

Two prior double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, randomized trials demonstrated that glatiramer acetate (GA) reduces relapse rates in patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). This study was designed to determine the effect, onset, and durability of any effect of GA on disease activity monitored with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with RRMS. Two hundred thirty‐nine eligible patients were randomized to receive either 20 mg GA (n = 119) or placebo (n = 120) by daily subcutaneous injection. Eligibility required one or more relapses in the 2 years before entry and at least one enhancing lesion on a screening MRI. The study was a randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled phase during which all patients studied underwent monthly MRI scans and clinical assessments over 9 months. The primary outcome measure was the total number of enhancing lesions on T1‐weighted images. Secondary outcome measures included the proportion of patients with enhancing lesions, the number of new enhancing lesions and change in their volume; the number of new lesions detected on T2‐weighted images and change in their volume, and the change in volume of hypointense lesions seen on unenhanced T1‐weighted images. Clinical measures of disease activity were also evaluated. The active treatment and placebo groups were comparable at entry for all demographic, clinical, and MRI variables. Treatment with GA showed a significant reduction in the total number of enhancing lesions compared with placebo (−10.8, 95% confidence interval −18.0 to −3.7; p = 0.003). Consistent differences favoring treatment with GA were seen for almost all secondary end points examined: number of new enhancing lesions (p < 0.003), monthly change in the volume of enhancing lesions (p = 0.01), and change in volume (p = 0.006) and number of new lesions seen on T2‐weighted images (p < 0.003). The relapse rate was also significantly reduced by 33% for GA‐treated patients (p = 0.012). All effects increased over time. Glatiramer acetate significantly reduced MRI‐measured disease activity and burden. Ann Neurol 2001;49:290–297
Phylogenetic Lineages of Invasive and Colonizing Strains of Serotype III Group B Streptococci from Neonates: a Multicenter Prospective Study

ABSTRACT This study compares the phylogenetic lineages of invasive serotype III group B streptococci (GBS) to those of colonizing strains in order to determine lineages associated with invasive disease. Isolates from 29 infants with early-onset disease (EOD) and from 196 colonized infants, collected in a prospective, multicenter study, were assigned a sequence type (ST) by multilocus sequence typing. Overall, 54.5% of the isolates were in the ST-19 complex, and 40.4% were in the ST-17 complex. Invasive strains were more likely to be in the ST-17 complex than were colonizing strains (59% versus 38%, P = 0.03). After we adjusted for potential confounders, the ST-17 complex was more likely to be associated with EOD than were other lineages (odds ratio = 2.51, 95% confidence interval = 1.02 to 6.20). These data support the hypothesis that ST-17 complex GBS are more virulent than other serotype III GBS.
A Source-Sink Model for Assigning Construction Firms to Projects During Urban Rebuilding

Urban rebuilding efforts in the aftermath of destructive events such as natural hazards or war invariably require allocation of scarce resources to multiple projects that run concurrently. In such scenarios, the construction firms available in a geographic locality may have insufficient capability to cope with the scale of all the rebuilding projects. In such cases, construction firms from outside of the immediate region, but with the required capabilities, may be needed to supplement local capacity. Use of such external capacity incurs additional financial and environmental penalties (e.g., carbon footprint) due to the need to transport heavy equipment, supplies and labor over greater distances. As such, it is necessary to maximize the use of locally available firms, and hence to minimize the need for external ones. The problem is conceptually similar to the optimization of Resource Conservation Networks (RCNs), and lends itself to being solved via Process Integration (PI) approaches. In this work, a source-sink model is developed to optimize the assignment of construction firms to multiple concurrent projects taking place during a concerted urban rebuilding campaign. The model is formulated as a Mixed Integer Linear Program (MILP) whose objective function is to minimize total carbon footprint during urban rebuilding. This carbon footprint is proportional to the project cost and the distance of the construction firm’s headquarters to the city where urban rebuilding is needed. A semi-hypothetical case study on urban rebuilding in the southern Philippines is used to illustrate the application of the model.
Is posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) caused by any specific immunosuppressive drug or by the transplantation per se?

Background. An association between posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) and cyclosporine A (CsA) and OKT3 has often been postulated on the basis of retrospective studies, although a randomized study with PTLD as the endpoint will probably never be performed. Because focus on PTLD coincided with the use of these drugs, a bias could be suspected. Methods. In a retrospective, nonrandomized study, we reevaluated all lymphoma-like lesions arising in kidney-transplant patients grafted at our center during 1969 to 1998 and observed up to 2002. Case pathology was reviewed, and an association with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection (and latency pattern) was assessed. Results. We did not find any significant difference in the incidence of PTLDs when comparing the prednisolone/azathioprine, and CsA eras (P =0.89), the periods before or after OKT3 (P =0.61), and those before or after antilymphocyte globulin (ALG) (P =0.22). Occurrence time was shorter in the CsA (P =0.059), OKT3 (P =0.007), and ALG (P =0.007) eras. In the OKT3 era, 182 patients received, and 224 did not receive, OKT3; after the same observation time, there had been eight and five PTLDs, respectively (P =0.34). The use of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) was associated with a reduction in the number of PTLDs (P =0.01). EBV was detected in 16 of 21 (76%) cases. Conclusions. We found no evidence to implicate any one drug regime preferentially in the development of PTLDs. The risk of developing PTLD seems to be a result of the whole transplantation process, which includes the antigenicity of the foreign graft, the immunosuppression resulting in inadequate cytotoxic T-cell activity, and the result of EBV infection. An important minority of cases are EBV negative.
Multi-Set Space-Time Shift Keying and Space- Frequency Space-Time Shift Keying for Millimeter-Wave Communications

In this paper, we introduce a novel OFDM-aided multifunctional multiple-input multiple-output scheme based on multi-set space-time shift keying (MS-STSK), where the information transmitted over each subcarrier is divided into two parts: STSK codeword and the implicit antenna combination (AC) index. In MS-STSK, a unique combination of antennas can be activated at each subcarrier to convey extra information over the AC index while additionally transmitting the STSK codeword. Furthermore, inspired by the MS-STSK concept, this scheme is extended also to the frequency domain in the novel context of our multi-space-frequency STSK (MSF-STSK), where the total number of subcarriers is partitioned into blocks to implicitly carry the block’s frequency index. The proposed MSF-STSK scheme benefits from the huge bandwidths available at mmWaves for partitioning the total number of OFDM subcarriers into blocks to convey more information over the frequency domain. Both proposed systems use STSK codewords as the basic transmission block, and they can achieve higher data throughput and better BER performance than STSK. Moreover, given that the system is meant to operate at mmWaves, antenna arrays relying on several antenna elements are employed at both the transmitter and receiver for analogue beamforming with the aid of phase shifters and power amplifiers to overcome the effect of high path loss.
Barriers and Facilitators to Voluntary Reporting and Their Impact on Safety Culture

ABSTRACT Objective: Determine barriers and facilitators to effective voluntary reporting system (VRS) operation. Background: As human error accounts for a larger portion of accidents and incidents in high-risk industries, federal agencies that define regulations and guidelines promote various safety management techniques, including more robust safety data collection. VRSs aim to identify and address “near misses” (errors identified before resulting in negative outcomes) through employee disclosure of committed errors and violations. Despite their value, VRSs are underutilized. Method: A literature review was conducted to understand successful safety management practices and challenges, and define reporting requirements for accidents, incidents, and near misses (which rely on voluntary disclosure). Variations in the policies, processes, and utility of several VRSs were explored, and common themes were identified. Interviews were then conducted with VRS developers, users, and managers to further explore these themes. Results: The literature review narrowed the focus to confidential, nonpunitive VRSs for process and product safety concerns, such as the Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP). Common themes exposed 8 categories of barriers and facilitators to effective VRS operation, participation, and use of report data. The literature review verified and elaborated on these barriers, and offered solutions (facilitators) based on personal observations and experiences. Conclusion: Consistent themes associated with effective and ineffective VRS operation can be used to improve VRS participation and the effectiveness of error prediction and prevention capabilities.
A systolic realization for 2-D digital filters

Systolic hardware realizations for two-dimensional finite-impulse-response (FIR) and infinite-impulse-response (IIR) digital filters are presented. The structure permits the 2-D input data to be scanned row-wise and broadcasted one value at a time to various processing elements. Shift registers are used to store the required data needed by the 2-D recursive equation. A processing element can be implemented in VLSI, and as many of these as are required to satisfy the order of the filter can be used to build the total structure. >
Identification and Prioritization of Effective Factors on the Creation and Development of Industry Cluster of Rail Industries Using Network Analysis Technique

Increased productivity and new investment are two methods for the development of industry, and one of the differences between advanced industrial countries and developing countries is to pay particular attention to development through increased productivity. In recent years, new models have been developed in the industry sector, dating to less than fifteen years; one of them is the model of industrial cluster development. Industrial clustering is being carried out today in almost every country in the world. In Iran, the industrial cluster issue is considered in scientific and decision-making centers, as well as in the development plans of the country. The purpose of this research was to identify and prioritize the effective factors on the development and creation of industry cluster of rail industries in the Markazi Province using the network analysis technique. In order to identify cluster creation factors, library studies and the Delphi method were used with the cooperation of the expert group. In the following, we examined the relative importance of these factors using the network analysis technique and the factors were prioritized by Super Decision Application. The results showed that the indicators of geographical concentration and environmental factors are included in the most important factors and the communication index is the least important factor in the creation and development of industrial clusters of rail industries in the Markazi Province.
Cytological and Genetical Identification of the Primary Trisomics of the Tomato.

HE pioneer investigations of the prime types of Datura by BLAKESLEE T and BELLING (1924) have stimulated similar studies in an ever increasing number of plant species. Primary trisomics perform the useful service of identi-fying the chromosomes with their respective linkage groups as a result of the modifying by extra chromosomes of genetic ratios. BRIDGES (1921) was first to apply this technique in revealing that the gene ey has its locus in the fourth chromosome of Drosophila fizelanogaster. Similar identifications followed shortly in Datura: the gene “ White ” was identified with the trisomic type “ Poinsettia ” ( BLAKESLEE and FARNHAM 1923) ; “ Swollen ” with “ Ilex ” (GAGER and BLAKESLEE 1927) ; “ Curled ” with “ Poinsettia ” and “ Tri-carpel ” with “ Reduced ” ( BLAKESLEE, MORRISON and AVERY 1927 ; BUCH-HOLZ and BLAKESLEE 1927). In Zea extensive data were presented ( MCCLINTOCK 1929; MCCLINTOCK and HILL 1931) to prove the location of r on the smallest chromosome of the haploid set, and it was mentioned that associations between trisomics and five other linkage groups had been found. It was indicated later by EMERSON, BEADLE and FRASER (1935) that MCCLINTOCK and BURNHAM had identified nine linkage groups with their respective chromosomes in maize by using the trisomic method. plants could be classified into eleven morphological types, constituting 11 of the primary
Spatial relationship based scene analysis and synthesis

In this thesis, we propose a new representation, which we name Interaction Bisector Surface (IBS), that can describe the general nature of spatial relationship. We show that the IBS can be applied in 3D scene analysis, retrieval and synthesis. Despite the fact that the spatial relationship between different objects plays a significant role in describing the context, few works have focused on elaborating a representation that can describe arbitrary interactions between different objects. Previous methods simply concatenate the individual state vectors to produce a joint space, or only use simple representations such as relative vectors or contacts to describe the context. Such representations do not contain detailed information of spatial relationships. They cannot describe complex interactions such as hooking and enclosure. The IBS is a data structure with rich information about the interaction. It provides the topological, geometric and correspondence features that can be used to classify and recognize interactions. The topological features are at the most abstract level and it can be used to recognize spatial relationships such as enclosure, hooking and surrounding. The geometric features encode the fine details of interactions. The correspondence feature describes which parts of the scene elements contribute to the interaction and is especially useful for recognizing character-object interactions. We show examples of successful classification and retrieval of different types of data including indoor static scenes and dynamic scenes which contain character-object interactions. We also conduct an exhaustive comparison which shows that our method outperforms existing approaches. We also propose a novel approach to automatically synthesizing new interactions from example scenes and new objects. Given an example scene composed of two objects, the open space between the objects is abstracted by the IBS. Then, an translation, rotation and scale equivariant feature called shape coverage feature, which encodes how the point in the open space is surrounded by the environment, is computed near the IBS and around the open space of the new objects. Finally, a novel scene is synthesized by conducting a partial matching of the open space around the new objects with the IBS. Using our approach, new scenes can be automatically synthesized from example scenes and new objects without relying on label information, which is especially useful when the data of scenes and objects come from multiple sources.
Modified beamformers for coherent source region suppression

Many tomographic source localization algorithms used in biomagnetic imaging assume, explicitly or sometimes implicitly, that the source activity at different brain locations are either independent or that the correlation structure between sources is known. Among these algorithms is a class of adaptive spatial filters known as beamformers, which have superior spatiotemporal resolution abilities. The performance of beamformers is robust to weakly coherent sources. However, these algorithms are extremely sensitive to the presence of strongly coherent sources. A frequent mode of failure in beamformers occurs with reconstruction of auditory evoked fields (AEFs), in which bilateral auditory cortices are highly coherent in their activation. Here, we present a novel beamformer that suppresses activation from regions with interfering coherent sources. First, a volume containing the interfering sources is defined. The lead field matrix for this volume is computed and reduced into a few significant columns using singular value decomposition (SVD). A vector beamformer is then constructed by rejecting the contribution of sources in the suppression region while allowing for source reconstruction at other specified regions. Performance of this algorithm was first validated with simulated data. Subsequent tests of this modified beamformer were performed on bilateral AEF data. An unmodified vector beamformer using whole head coverage misplaces the source medially. After defining a suppression region containing the temporal cortex on one side, the described method consistently results in clear focal activations at expected regions of the contralateral superior temporal plane.
Ground truth model, tool, and dataset for layout analysis of historical documents

In this paper, we propose a new dataset and a ground-truthing methodology for layout analysis of historical documents with complex layouts. The dataset is based on a generic model for ground-truth presentation of the complex layout structure of historical documents. For the purpose of extracting uniformly the document contents, our model defines five types of regions of interest: page, text block, text line, decoration, and comment. Unconstrained polygons are used to outline the regions. A performance metric is proposed in order to evaluate various page segmentation methods based on this model. We have analysed four state-of-the-art ground-truthing tools: TRUVIZ, GEDI, WebGT, and Aletheia. From this analysis, we conceptualized and developed Divadia, a new tool that overcomes some of the drawbacks of these tools, targeting the simplicity and the efficiency of the layout ground truthing process on historical document images. With Divadia, we have created a new public dataset. This dataset contains 120 pages from three historical document image collections of different styles and is made freely available to the scientific community for historical document layout analysis research.
The Origin and Evolution of Baeyer—Villiger Monooxygenases (BVMOs): An Ancestral Family of Flavin Monooxygenases

The Baeyer—Villiger Monooxygenases (BVMOs) are enzymes belonging to the “Class B” of flavin monooxygenases and are capable of performing exquisite selective oxidations. These enzymes have been studied from a biotechnological perspective, but their physiological substrates and functional roles are widely unknown. Here, we investigated the origin, taxonomic distribution and evolutionary history of the BVMO genes. By using in silico approaches, 98 BVMO encoding genes were detected in the three domains of life: Archaea, Bacteria and Eukarya. We found evidence for the presence of these genes in Metazoa (Hydra vulgaris, Oikopleura dioica and Adineta vaga) and Haptophyta (Emiliania huxleyi) for the first time. Furthermore, a search for other “Class B” monooxygenases (flavoprotein monooxygenases –FMOs – and N-hydroxylating monooxygenases – NMOs) was conducted. These sequences were also found in the three domains of life. Phylogenetic analyses of all “Class B” monooxygenases revealed that NMOs and BVMOs are monophyletic, whereas FMOs form a paraphyletic group. Based on these results, we propose that BVMO genes were already present in the last universal common ancestor (LUCA) and their current taxonomic distribution is the result of differential duplication and loss of paralogous genes.
Interleaved Boundary Conduction Mode Versus Continous Conduction Mode Magnetic Volume Comparison in Power Converters

Power converters operating in boundary conduction mode (BCM) can benefit from an efficiency increase compared to continuous conduction mode (CCM) based on the soft-switching transitions at turn-on and/or turn-off. However, for a given average inductor current, the RMS current in BCM converters becomes larger than in CCM converters, leading to an increase in conduction losses. Interleaving smaller BCM power converters overcome this drawback by reducing the total ripple current amplitude at the expense of an increase in complexity and in magnetic parts count. Nevertheless, as the magnetic devices are among the largest components in power converters, it is convenient to find the design conditions under which BCM or CCM could yield the smaller net volume. This paper proposes a method to estimate the volume ratio for magnetic parts, between single-phase CCM and multiple interleaved BCM power converters as a function of the number of phases, inductor loss, and switching frequency. The results obtained can be applied to boost, forward, and flyback dc-to-dc topologies.
CORPUS SENTENCE STUDENTS ! ANNOTATIONS TEACHER ! VALIDATION DATASTORE feedback discussion evaluation linguistic ! knowledge

We present a prototype of a novel online platform for promoting playful learning exercises in classrooms, allowing teachers to engage with students in an interactive way. Differently from typical e-learning environments, it is the teacher, not the machine, who leads the learning activity, i.e., she is able to monitor students’ individual and aggregated answers and provide them real-time feedback. Although the platform is subjectindependent, we are currently focusing on language exercises based on standard school curriculum. Answers provided by students and validated by the teacher (or automatic assessment) could constitute, in a large scale scenario, a valuable source of linguistic annotation. The platform can therefore be seen also as a crowdsourcing system to create novel linguistic resources to be used by the scientific community in the Natural Language Processing field.
Interpersonal Sensitivity is Correlated With Sociotropy But Not With Autonomy in Healthy Subjects

Abstract Interpersonal sensitivity is a depression-prone personality trait closely related to anxious attachment, whereas sociotropy and autonomy are personality vulnerability factors in the cognitive theory of depression. In the present study, the relationships of interpersonal sensitivity with sociotropy and autonomy were studied in 362 healthy subjects. Interpersonal sensitivity was assessed using the Interpersonal Sensitivity Measure (IPSM), whereas sociotropy and autonomy were evaluated using the Sociotropy and Autonomy subscales, respectively, of the Sociotropy-Autonomy Scale. The IPSM was significantly correlated with the Sociotropy subscale (&bgr; = 0.61, p < 0.001) but not with the Autonomy subscale. All subscales of the IPSM correlated significantly with the Sociotropy subscale, and the correlation for the Separation Anxiety subscale (&bgr; = 0.56, p < 0.001) was strongest. The present study suggests that interpersonal sensitivity is correlated with sociotropy but not with autonomy in healthy subjects.