Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bayesian analysis of case-control studies with categorical covariates

In a case-control study the appropriate likelihood is the ? retrospective? likelihood, i.e.the likelihood of exposure given disease. For the classical frequentist analysis, the ? prospective? likelihood, i.e. the likelihood of disease given exposure, and the retrospective likelihood produce the same odds-ratio estimators for exposure, and so logistic regression may be used for both. The Bayesian analysis is not so simple, but the Bayesian framework for case-control studies offers flexible possibilities for the hierarchical modelling that is needed in many contexts. We review the Bayesian approaches to the analysis of case-control studies developed so far, show how to extend these approaches to the situation of a study with any number of categorical or discretised continuous exposure variables, and identifying suitable priors. We then show how the resulting models may be fitted using Markov chain Monte Carlo methods, and provide an illustration based on genotype data.
Workshop Title Resources and Processing of Linguistic and Extra-Linguistic Data from People with Various Forms of Cognitive/Psychiatric Impairments (RaPID-2016) Workshop Programme

Numerous studies have shown that language impairments, particularly semantic deficits, are evident in the narrative speech of people with Alzheimer’s disease from the earliest stages of the disease. Here, we present a novel technique for capturing those changes, by comparing distributed word representations constructed from healthy controls and Alzheimer’s patients. We investigate examples of words with different representations in the two spaces, and link the semantic and contextual differences to findings from the Alzheimer’s disease literature.
Validation and comparison of alcohol-screening instruments for identifying hazardous drinking in hospitalized patients in Taiwan.

AIM The aim of this study was to validate the Mandarin Chinese version of different screening instruments and compare their performances for identifying hazardous drinkers in Taiwan. METHODS We compared the performance of the Mandarin Chinese versions of AUDIT, AUDIT-C (AUDIT items 1, 2 and 3), AUDIT-4 (AUDIT items 1, 2, 3 and 10), AUDIT-3 (AUDIT item 3), TWEAK, SMAST and CAGE to detect hazardous drinking in hospitalized patients in Taiwan. The results of the test instruments were blindly compared with the reference standard Schedule for Clinical Assessments in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN). RESULTS Of 404 patients evaluated, 100 were identified as having a hazardous drinking pattern. All screening instruments showed acceptable sensitivities (ranging from 85 to 93%) and specificities (ranging from 72 to 92%), but AUDIT and its short forms performed consistently better than the other instruments. CONCLUSIONS The Mandarin Chinese versions of AUDIT and its derivatives perform well in screening hospitalized Taiwanese patients for hazardous drinking.
Cloudy weather for P2P, with a chance of gossip

Peer-to-peer (P2P) and cloud computing, two of the Internet trends of the last decade, hold similar promises: the (virtually) infinite availability of computing and storage resources. But there are important differences: the cloud provides highly-available resources, but at a cost; P2P resources are for free, but their availability is shaky. Several academic and commercial projects have explored the possibility of mixing the two, creating a large number of peer-assisted applications, particularly in the field of content distribution, where the cloud provides a highly-available and persistent service, while P2P resources are exploited for free whenever possible to reduce the economic cost. While executing active servers on elastic computing facilities like Amazon EC2 and pairing them with user-provided peers is definitely one way to go, this paper proposes a novel approach that further reduces the economic cost. Here, a passive storage service like Amazon S3 is exploited not only to distribute content to clients, but also to build and manage the P2P network linking them. An effort is made to guarantee that the read/write load imposed on the storage remains constant, regardless of the number of peers/clients. These two choices allows us to keep the monetary cost of the cloud always under control, in the presence of just one peer or with a million of them. We show the feasibility of our approach by discussing two cases studies for content distribution: the Dilbert's comic strips and the hourly News Update podcast from CNN.
From Two-Way to One-Way Finite State Transducers

Any two-way finite state automaton is equivalent to some one-way finite state automaton. This well-known result, shown by Rabin and Scott and independently by Shepherdson, states that two-way finite state automata (even non-deterministic) characterize the class of regular languages. It is also known that this result does not extend to finite string transductions: (deterministic) two-way finite state transducers strictly extend the expressive power of (functional) one-way transducers. In particular deterministic two-way transducers capture exactly the class of MSO-transductions of finite strings. In this paper, we address the following definability problem: given a function defined by a two-way finite state transducer, is it definable by a one-way finite state transducer? By extending Rabin and Scott's proof to transductions, we show that this problem is decidable. Our procedure builds a one-way transducer, which is equivalent to the two-way transducer, whenever one exists.
Streptomycin Induced Stress Response in Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Shows Distinct Colony Scatter Signature

We investigated the streptomycin-induced stress response in Salmonella enterica serovars with a laser optical sensor, BARDOT (bacterial rapid detection using optical scattering technology). Initially, the top 20 S. enterica serovars were screened for their response to streptomycin at 100 μg/mL. All, but four S. enterica serovars were resistant to streptomycin. The MIC of streptomycin-sensitive serovars (Enteritidis, Muenchen, Mississippi, and Schwarzengrund) varied from 12.5 to 50 μg/mL, while streptomycin-resistant serovar (Typhimurium) from 125–250 μg/mL. Two streptomycin-sensitive serovars (Enteritidis and Mississippi) were grown on brain heart infusion (BHI) agar plates containing sub-inhibitory concentration of streptomycin (1.25–5 μg/mL) and a streptomycin-resistant serovar (Typhimurium) was grown on BHI containing 25–50 μg/mL of streptomycin and the colonies (1.2 ± 0.1 mm diameter) were scanned using BARDOT. Data show substantial qualitative and quantitative differences in the colony scatter patterns of Salmonella grown in the presence of streptomycin than the colonies grown in absence of antibiotic. Mass-spectrometry identified overexpression of chaperonin GroEL, which possibly contributed to the observed differences in the colony scatter patterns. Quantitative RT-PCR and immunoassay confirmed streptomycin-induced GroEL expression while, aminoglycoside adenylyltransferase (aadA), aminoglycoside efflux pump (aep), multidrug resistance subunit acrA, and ribosomal protein S12 (rpsL), involved in streptomycin resistance, were unaltered. The study highlights suitability of the BARDOT as a non-invasive, label-free tool for investigating stress response in Salmonella in conjunction with the molecular and immunoassay methods.
Hepatitis C Virus and Helicobacter Pylori Infections in Pediatric non- Hodgkin's Lymphoma

It has been recently hypothesized that Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori) might be involved in the pathogenesis of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). However, most of the studies were done on adult patients. So the objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of these infections in pediatric NHL patients and if there is any possible clinical or histopathologic picture linked to the presence of these infectious agents. The study was carried out on 40 pediatric NHL patients, either as new cases or with relapsing disease, presenting to the Hematology Unit of Pediatric Department. In addition, 20 apparently healthy children were studied as control group. Each child was investigated for the presence of H.pylori and HCV IgG antibodies using enzyme immuno-assay (EIA) and for the presence of HCV-RNA by the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). H.pylori IgG antibodies were detected in 19/40 of pediatric NHL patients (47.5%) and in none of the control group (P < 0.001); whereas HCV antibodies were found in 8/40 of the patient group (20%) and in 1/20 of controls (5%) (P > 0.05). HCV-RNA was detected by RT-PCR in 7/40 (17.5%) of the patients and in none of the controls. No specific histological subtype, extra-nodal presentation nor stage of disease was related to H.pylori or HCV positivity. Older age group was related to H.pylori positive NHL patients. Also a positive relation between the presence of H.pylori antibodies and the complaint of vomiting and diarrhea was observed in the patient group (P < 0.001). In conclusion, a high prevalence of HCV and H. Pylori infections was reported in pediatric NHL patients. As regard the hypothesis of their pathogenetic role in lymphomagenesis it is still unclear, whether these agents have a direct role in malignant transformation in pediatric lymphoma since a typical NHL clinico-histological feature associated with HCV and H.pylori is deficient.
Response control of a large transmission tower-line system under seismic excitations using friction dampers

The transmission tower-line system is widely used in electric infrastructures across the world and generally possesses a small stiffness and low structural damping. The excessive vibration of a transmission tower-line system subjected to seismic excitations may induce a structural damage or failure. To avoid the excessive vibration under strong earthquakes, a large transmission tower-line system requires some measures to abate their dynamic responses. Friction damper is a solution to realize the response control of a transmission tower-line system. In this regard, the response mitigation and performance assessment on a transmission tower-line system with friction dampers under strong earthquakes are actively carried out in this study. The analytical model of a transmission line is proposed based on Hamilton’s variational statement of dynamics and Lagrange’s formulation. A two-dimensional lumped mass model of a transmission tower is developed for the dynamic analysis by simplifying the three-dimensional finite element model. The mechanical model of a friction damper is established by considering the effect of damper axial stiffness. The equations of motion and dynamic analytical method of a transmission tower-line system without/with friction dampers subjected to seismic excitations are proposed. In addition, the approach for assessing energy responses of a transmission tower-line system without/with friction dampers subjected to seismic excitations is also developed. A real transmission tower-line system is taken as an example to examine the feasibility of the proposed control approach. The parametric study is conducted to investigate the effects of damper control force, damper stiffness, earthquake intensity, and damper location. The made observations demonstrate that the implementation of friction dampers in a transmission tower-line system can substantially suppress the seismic responses with optimal damper parameters.
FORMS: a formal reference model for self-adaptation

Self-adaptive software systems are an emerging class of systems that adjust their behavior at runtime to achieve certain functional or quality of service objectives. The construction of such systems has shown to be significantly more challenging than traditional systems, partly because researchers and practitioners have been struggling with the lack of a precise method of describing, comparing, and evaluating alternative architectural choices. In this paper, we introduce a reference model, entitled FOrmal Reference Model for Self-adaptation (FORMS), which intends to alleviate this pressing issue. FORMS consists of a small number of formally specified modeling primitives that correspond to the key variation points within self-adaptive software systems, and a set of relationships that guide their composition. We present our experiences with applying FORMS to several existing systems, which not only demonstrates its ability to precisely illuminate their underlying characteristics, but also its potential as a method of rigorously specifying architectural patterns for this domain.
Physico-chemical characterization of functional electrospun scaffolds for bone and cartilage tissue engineering

Abstract Mimicking the zonal organization of the bone–cartilage interface will aid the production of functional osteochondral grafts for regeneration of skeletal joint defects. This study investigates the potential of the electrospinning technique to build a three-dimensional construct recapitulating the zonal matrix of this interface. Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and PLGA–collagen solutions containing different concentrations of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (nHAp) were electrospun on a thin layer of phosphate buffer saline solution spread on the collector in order to facilitate membrane detachment and recovery. Incorporation of increasing amounts of nHAp in PLGA solutions did not affect significantly the average diameter of the fibres, which was about 700 nm. However, in the presence of collagen, fibres with diameters below 100 nm were generally observed and the number of these fibres was inversely proportional to the ratio PLGA:collagen and proportional to the content of nHAp. PLGA membranes were rather hydrophobic, although the aqueous drop contact angles progressively fell from 125° to 110° when the content of nHAp was increased from 0 per cent to 50 per cent (w/v). PLGA–collagen membranes were more hydrophilic with contact angles between 60° and 110°; the values being proportional to the ratio PLGA:collagen and the content of nHAp. Also, the addition of nHAp from 0 per cent to 50 per cent (w/v) in the absence of collagen resulted in decreasing dramatically both the Young's modulus (Y m), from 34.3 ± 1.8 MPa to 0.10 ± 0.06 MPa, and the ultimate tensile strain (ε max), from a value higher than 40 per cent to 5 per cent. However, the presence of collagen together with nHAp allowed the creation of membranes much stiffer, although more brittle, as shown for membranes made with a ratio 8:2 and 10 per cent of nHAp, for which Y m = 70.0 ± 6.6 MPa and ε max = 7 per cent.
Remaining Useful Life Prognosis of Supercapacitors Under Temperature and Voltage Aging Conditions

This paper presents a remaining useful life (RUL) prognosis model for supercapacitors considering the aging conditions. The proposed model uses the particle filter to predict the posterior values of the aging indicators, i.e., capacitance and resistance. Unlike other prognosis methods, the proposed model predicts the RUL, considering the aging conditions such as temperature and voltage. In order to validate the proposed method, experiments have been carried out under different aging conditions. Results highlight the effectiveness of the approach in predicting capacitance and resistance, as well as the RUL for different initial conditions.
Crystal structure of the catalytic portion of human HMG‐CoA reductase: insights into regulation of activity and catalysis

3‐hydroxy‐3‐methylglutaryl‐CoA reductase (HMGR) catalyzes the formation of mevalonate, the committed step in the biosynthesis of sterols and isoprenoids. The activity of HMGR is controlled through synthesis, degradation and phosphorylation to maintain the concentration of mevalonate‐derived products. In addition to the physiological regulation of HMGR, the human enzyme has been targeted successfully by drugs in the clinical treatment of high serum cholesterol levels. Three crystal structures of the catalytic portion of human HMGR in complexes with HMG‐CoA, with HMG and CoA, and with HMG, CoA and NADP+, provide a detailed view of the enzyme active site. Catalytic portions of human HMGR form tight tetramers. The crystal structure explains the influence of the enzyme's oligomeric state on the activity and suggests a mechanism for cholesterol sensing. The active site architecture of human HMGR is different from that of bacterial HMGR; this may explain why binding of HMGR inhibitors to bacterial HMGRs has not been reported.
Optimal sizing of DGs and storage for microgrid with interruptible load using improved NSGA-II

The rapid development of distributed generation (DG) has deeply transferred the power utilization style. Microgrid is developed for better absorption of distributed generation and has been researched in recent years. Interruptible load (IL) is another method to absorb the randomness and waviness of wind and solar energy, and is considered in this paper for more reliable and efficient deployment of DGs and storage in microgrid. A multi-objective optimization model is proposed for microgrid power sources construction with distributed generation, storage and interruptible load. Objectives of the model are economic cost, environmental cost and annual interruption duration. The model is solved by employing improved NSGA-II with the input of temperature, light intensity, wind speed, and load curve. The case study shows that the Pareto optimal front which covers the optimal solutions under different circumstances is effectively obtained. Thus the supervisor can select the final scheme with full consideration of different objectives. The impacts of IL on economic and environmental cost are also analyzed and demonstrated with many aspects.
CONCURRENT IMAGE CLASSIFICATION AND ANNOTATION USING EFFICIENT MULTI-LAYER GROUP SPARSE CODING

The multi-layer group sparse coding framework is presented for the purpose of image classification and annotation. This paper introduces the multi-layer group sparse structure of the image reconstruction coefficients to leverage the needs between the class label and tags. The sparse structure translates the mutual dependency among the class label that defines the whole image content. The tags define the components of the image content. Hence, the multi-layer tag propagation method involving the combination of the class label and subgroups with the similar tag distribution is utilized in the annotation process of the test images. The multi-layer Group sparse coding is extended in the Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Space (RKHS), so as to develop the proposed methodology to become more appropriate for nonlinear separable features and enhance the overall efficiency of the image classification and annotation. The multi-layer Group sparse coding is integrated with the strategy that significantly improves the computational efficiency. From the experimental results, the proposed technique outperforms the standard techniques and achieves outstanding performance for the image classification and annotation
Facial expression recognition via deep learning

This paper mainly studies facial expression recognition with the components by face parsing (FP). Considering the disadvantage that different parts of face contain different amount of information for facial expression and the weighted function are not the same for different faces, an idea is proposed to recognize facial expression using components which are active in expression disclosure. The face parsing detectors are trained via deep belief network and tuned by logistic regression. The detectors first detect face, and then detect nose, eyes and mouth hierarchically. A deep architecture pretrained with stacked autoencoder is applied to facial expression recognition with the concentrated features of detected components. The parsing components remove the redundant information in expression recognition, and images don't need to be aligned or any other artificial treatment. Experimental results on the Japanese Female Facial Expression database and extended Cohn-Kanade dataset outperform other methods and show the effectiveness and robustness of this algorithm.
Differential privacy via wavelet transforms

Privacy preserving data publishing has attracted considerable research interest in recent years. Among the existing solutions, ∈-differential privacy provides one of the strongest privacy guarantees. Existing data publishing methods that achieve ∈-differential privacy, however, offer little data utility. In particular, if the output dataset is used to answer count queries, the noise in the query answers can be proportional to the number of tuples in the data, which renders the results useless. In this paper, we develop a data publishing technique that ensures ∈-differential privacy while providing accurate answers for range-count queries, i.e., count queries where the predicate on each attribute is a range. The core of our solution is a framework that applies wavelet transforms on the data before adding noise to it. We present instantiations of the proposed framework for both ordinal and nominal data, and we provide a theoretical analysis on their privacy and utility guarantees. In an extensive experimental study on both real and synthetic data, we show the effectiveness and efficiency of our solution.
Role for Human SIRT2 NAD-Dependent Deacetylase Activity in Control of Mitotic Exit in the Cell Cycle

ABSTRACT Studies of yeast have shown that the SIR2 gene family is involved in chromatin structure, transcriptional silencing, DNA repair, and control of cellular life span. Our functional studies of human SIRT2, a homolog of the product of the yeast SIR2 gene, indicate that it plays a role in mitosis. The SIRT2 protein is a NAD-dependent deacetylase (NDAC), the abundance of which increases dramatically during mitosis and is multiply phosphorylated at the G2/M transition of the cell cycle. Cells stably overexpressing the wild-type SIRT2 but not missense mutants lacking NDAC activity show a marked prolongation of the mitotic phase of the cell cycle. Overexpression of the protein phosphatase CDC14B, but not its close homolog CDC14A, results in dephosphorylation of SIRT2 with a subsequent decrease in the abundance of SIRT2 protein. A CDC14B mutant defective in catalyzing dephosphorylation fails to change the phosphorylation status or abundance of SIRT2 protein. Addition of 26S proteasome inhibitors to human cells increases the abundance of SIRT2 protein, indicating that SIRT2 is targeted for degradation by the 26S proteasome. Our data suggest that human SIRT2 is part of a phosphorylation cascade in which SIRT2 is phosphorylated late in G2, during M, and into the period of cytokinesis. CDC14B may provoke exit from mitosis coincident with the loss of SIRT2 via ubiquitination and subsequent degradation by the 26S proteasome.