Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Using Bayesian Statistics to Predict Toxic Response Based on Gene Expression Values

In the emerging field of toxicogenomics, microarray technology is used to read the level of gene expression in cells subjected to various toxic and non toxic agents. The amount of levels that are read from one single array is in the thousands, and when the number of arrays increases, statistical methods are needed to process the information. This master’s thesis documents the use of Bayesian statistics to create two versions of the Bayesian Classifier, both trained to make the distinction between treatment by toxic and non toxic agents based on Affymetrix array data. The classifiers are optimised with regard to the number of expression levels used, and performance is measured by performing various types of cross validation. The first classifier implemented is the Naive Bayesian Classifier, sometimes unjustly called the "idiot’s Bayes". It is proven that the naive classifier works surprisingly well on the noisy and many dimensional array data, in spite of its somewhat naive assumption that all dimensions of the data space are governed by independent probability distributions. The second version of the classifier, which I have chosen to call the "Non-Naive Bayesian Classifier", is designed to take into consideration the dependencies that do exist between the probability distributions of di fferent dimensions of the data space. It does this by creating a graph over the dependencies in the data, based on Mutual Information. However, the Non-Naive Classifier proves to be a disappointment when trying to classify the array data, only increasing the success rates by a few percent. Apart from being used for mere classification, the classifiers are also used to mine the toxicological data, finding relationships between agents and between gene expressions. Clustering finds that some of the agents used belong to a special subgroup, being hard to classify with either version of the classifier. Användning av Bayesisk statistik för att förutsäga toxiskt svar baserat på genuttryck
An efficient QoS-compliant routing scheme for VANET

Vehicular networks are increasingly gaining popularity among researchers for their potential to enable diverse applications associated with road traffic safety, infotainment and road transportation management. In this paper we present a QoS-based routing protocol named VanetQoS which purpose is to accommodate real-time and multimedia applications with specific quality of service (QoS) requirements. Therefore, routing such applications data over a vehicular ad hoc networks (VANET) consists of selecting the most appropriate route that complies with required QoS. Our proposed protocol uses an algorithm which is based in multi-constraint path (MCP) problem, and which essential task is the selection of the best path among several available ones, by using and evaluating a composite formula expressed in terms of the QoS requirements such as required bandwidth, maximum delay and jitter, and minimum link expiry time. In this paper we present the architecture and design of our protocol, and provide performance results, which show the benefits of using our scheme for the purpose of routing multimedia traffic in VANET. The performance evaluation is achieved through simulation experiments using OMNET++ simulator.
The Convergent Validity of the Developmental Test of Visual Perception—Adolescent and Adult, Motor-Free Visual Perception Test—Third Edition and Test of Visual Perceptual Skills (Non-Motor) — Third Edition When Used with Adults

Objective: The objective of the study was to investigate the convergent validity of the Developmental Test of Visual Perception — Adolescent and Adult (DTVP-A), the Motor-Free Visual Perception Test — third edition (MVPT-3) and the Test of Visual Perceptual Skills (non-motor) — third edition (TVPS-3) when used with adults. Method: Two hundred and twenty-one participants aged 20+ years (49 with and 172 without neurological impairment) completed the DTVP-A, MVPT-3 and TVPS-3. Spearman rho correlation coefficients were used to analyse the convergent validity of the three tests. Results: The DTVP-A (non-motor) total score was significantly correlated (p<0.01) with the MVPT-3 and the TVPS-3 total scores (rho = 0.73 and rho = 0.75 respectively). The MVPT-3 total score was also significantly correlated (p<0.01) with the TVPS-3 total score (rho = 0.79). The DTVP-A figure-ground subscale was found to be significantly correlated (p<0.01) with TVPS-3 subscales 1 to 7 with rho coefficients ranging from 0.36 to 0.56, as was the DTVP-A visual closure subscale (rho coefficients ranging from 0.43 to 0.64) and the DTVP-A form constancy subscale (rho coefficients ranging from 0.51 to 0.64). The DTVP-A total score was also significantly correlated (p<0.01) with subscales 1 to 7 of the TVPS-3 (rho coefficients ranging from 0.48 to 0.68). Moreover, the TVPS-3 total score was significantly correlated (p<0.01) with the figure-ground, visual closure and form constancy subscales of the DTVP-A (rho = 0.62, rho = 0.65 and rho = 0.68). Furthermore, the MVPT-3 total score was significantly correlated (p<0.01) with the figure-ground, visual closure and form constancy subscales of DTVP-A (rho = 0.59, rho = 0.68 and rho = 0.65 respectively) and with subscales 1 to 7 of the TVPS-3 (rho coefficients ranging from 0.53 to 0.70). Conclusion: The DTVP-A, MVPT-3 and TVPS-3 exhibited moderate to high levels of convergent validity. The clinical implications of the findings of the study are that the DTVP-A, MVPT-3 and TVPS-3 appear to be measuring similar visual perceptual skills, but it is also important to note that the three tests all assess the visual perceptual skills in different ways.
Optimization of Induction Motors Using Design of Experiments and Particle Swarm Optimization

© 2012 Anwari et al., licensee InTech. This is an open access chapter distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Optimization of Induction Motors Using Design of Experiments and Particle Swarm Optimization
Does an intrinsic work value orientation strengthen the impact of job resources? A perspective from the Job Demands–Resources Model

Based on assumptions of the Job Demands–Resources model and the Person–Environment fit literature, the present research conceptualizes an intrinsic relative to an extrinsic work value orientation as a personal resource. We examine whether such an orientation may strengthen the relations of classical job resources (i.e., autonomy and learning opportunities) with well-being outcomes. The results in a large, representative sample of Dutch employees (N = 4009) show that a predominant intrinsic work orientation strengthened the negative association of learning opportunities with emotional exhaustion as well as the buffering role of autonomy for the health-impairing impact of workload. With respect to work engagement, a predominant intrinsic work orientation strengthened the positive association of autonomy, the expected boosting impact of workload on the stimulating association of autonomy, as well as the—rather unexpected—attenuating impact of workload on the positive association of learning opportunities with work engagement. Although not all hypotheses were confirmed, in general, results point at the importance and practical relevance of personal resources in the realm of the Job Demands–Resources model.
Differential Modification of Phosducin Protein in Degenerating rd1 Retina Is Associated with Constitutively Active Ca2+/Calmodulin Kinase II in Rod Outer Segments *

Retinitis pigmentosa comprises a heterogeneous group of incurable progressive blinding diseases with unknown pathogenic mechanisms. The retinal degeneration 1 (rd1) mouse is a retinitis pigmentosa model that carries a mutation in a rod photoreceptor-specific phosphodiesterase gene, leading to rapid degeneration of these cells. Elucidation of the molecular differences between rd1 and healthy retinae is crucial for explaining this degeneration and could assist in suggesting novel therapies. Here we used high resolution proteomics to compare the proteomes of the rd1 mouse retina and its congenic, wild-type counterpart at postnatal day 11 when photoreceptor death is profound. Over 3000 protein spots were consistently resolved by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and subjected to a rigorous filtering procedure involving computer-based spot analyses. Five proteins were accepted as being differentially expressed in the rd1 model and subsequently identified by mass spectrometry. The difference in one such protein, phosducin, related to an altered modification pattern in the rd1 retina rather than to changed expression levels. Additional experiments showed phosducin in healthy retinae to be highly phosphorylated in the dark- but not in the light-adapted phase. In contrast, rd1 phosducin was highly phosphorylated irrespective of light status, indicating a dysfunctional rd1 light/dark response. The increased rd1 phosducin phosphorylation coincided with increased activation of calcium/calmodulin-activated protein kinase II, which is known to utilize phosducin as a substrate. Given the increased rod calcium levels present in the rd1 mutation, calcium-evoked overactivation of this kinase may be an early and long sought for step in events leading to photoreceptor degeneration in the rd1 mouse.
Inference in Semiparametric Dynamic Models for Binary Longitudinal Data

This article deals with the analysis of a hierarchical semiparametric model for dynamic binary longitudinal responses. The main complicating components of the model are an unknown covariate function and serial correlation in the errors. Existing estimation methods for models with these features are of O(N3), where N is the total number of observations in the sample. Therefore, nonparametric estimation is largely infeasible when the sample size is large, as in typical in the longitudinal setting. Here we propose a new O(N) Markov chain Monte Carlo based algorithm for estimation of the nonparametric function when the errors are correlated, thus contributing to the growing literature on semiparametric and nonparametric mixed-effects models for binary data. In addition, we address the problem of model choice to enable the formal comparison of our semiparametric model with competing parametric and semiparametric specifications. The performance of the methods is illustrated with detailed studies involving simulated and real data.
Parameter Identification and Simulation of a Thin Film Conducting Polymer Gas Sensor

heterogeneous and dynamic problems of engineering technology and systems for industry and government. ISR is a permanent institute of the University of Maryland, within the Glenn L. Martin Institute of Technology/A. James Clark School of Engineering. It is a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center. Web site http://www.isr. umd.edu I R INSTITUTE FOR SYSTEMS RESEARCH TECHNICAL RESEARCH REPORT
Access Structure in Graphs in High Dimension and Application to Secret Sharing

We give graphical characterisation of the access structure to both classical and quantum information encoded onto a multigraph defined for prime dimension q, as well as explicit decoding operations for quantum secret sharing based on graph state protocols. We give a lower bound on $k$ for the existence of a ((k,n))_q scheme and prove, using probabilistic methods, that there exists alpha such that a random multigraph has an accessing parameter k => alpha*n with high probability.
Antigen-Specific Responses to Diphtheria-Tetanus-Acellular Pertussis Vaccine in Human Infants Are Initially Th2 Polarized

ABSTRACT Immune responses to exogenous antigens in infant experimental animals display various degrees of Th2 polarization. Preliminary evidence from small human studies suggest a similar age-dependent response pattern to vaccines, but detailed investigations on vaccine immunity during infancy have not yet been undertaken. We report below the results of a comprehensive prospective study on responses to the tetanus component of the diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine in a cohort of 55 healthy children, employing peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) collected at the 2-, 4-, and 6-month vaccinations and at 12 months. Antigen-specific production of interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-5, IL-6, IL-9, IL-10, IL-13, and gamma interferon (IFN-γ) was determined at each sample point, in parallel with polyclonal (phytohemagglutinin PHA-induced) cytokine responses. Our results indicate early and persistent Th2 responses to the vaccine, in contrast to a more delayed and transient pattern of IFN-γ production. This initial disparity between the Th1 and Th2 components of the vaccine response was mirrored by patterns of polyclonally induced cytokine production, suggesting that the delayed maturation of the Th1 component of the vaccine response during infancy is secondary to developmental processes occurring within the overall Th cell system.
Feasibility of interlaminar lumbar discectomy through percutaneous transforaminal endoscopy and blunt perforation of the ligamentum flavum.

AIM To determine the efficacy, safety, and clinical value of a novel surgical procedure involving the blunt perforation of the ligamentum flavum (LF) during endoscopic interlaminar lumbar discectomy. MATERIAL AND METHODS This was a prospective study of 50 patients (27 males, 17-51 years of age) undergoing lumbar discectomy for single segment L4/L5 or L5/S1 disk herniation were grouped into the control (cutting of the LF; n=28) and test (blunt perforation; n=22) groups. Intraoperative injury to the LF was evaluated by electrophysiological monitoring. The time required for perforation, total surgical time, and proportion of epidural sac and nerve root injury were assessed. RESULTS Among the enrolled patients, 90% showed herniation of the L4/5 segment and 10% of the L5/S1 segment. The success rate for the perforation of the LF was 93%. The intraoperative observation showed mild self-closing injury to the LF tissue. The test group showed shorter overall surgical time (43 vs. 56 min) and shorter duration to go through the LF (1 vs. 13 min, p 0.001). No dural sac or nerve root injury resulting from blunt perforation of the LF was observed. CONCLUSION Compared to cutting, blunt perforation of the LF could reduce surgical time and injury to LF and surrounding tissues. Thus, it could be a safe and efficient surgical technique for patients undergoing intralaminar lumbar discectomy.
Factors contributing to depression in patients with epilepsy

We investigated factors contributing to depression in patients with epilepsy. Data were collected from 150 adult patients. Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory, Daily Hassles Scale, Epilepsy Self‐Efficacy Scale, Social Support Scale, Stress Coping Style Checklist, and Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory 31 (QOLIE‐31) were used. The mean BDI score was 13.4 [standard deviation (SD) 9.0]. Abnormal BDI scores were recorded in 93 patients. Six significant predictors of BDI were identified in a stepwise linear regression analysis: level of stress (p < 0.001), social support (p = 0.037), anxiety (p = 0.001), self‐efficacy (p < 0.001), employment status (p = 0.021), and age (p = 0.042). Stress accounted for 38.8% of the variance in BDI score, social support accounted for 6.8%, anxiety accounted for 3.9%, and the remaining three variables accounted for an additional 5.2% of the variance (total explained variance = 54.7%).
Literary precocity: An exceptional case among exceptional cases

This article presents the case of Geoffrey, a prolific 5‐year‐old writer. It examines his writing and how his intrapersonal factors and propitious environment contribute to his prodigious output. Childhood precocity is presented as an age‐based comparable rather than as an adult‐based predictor, consistent with Jackson's (2000) domain‐specific developmental theory of giftedness. Geoffrey demonstrated highly precocious writing, both in production and in sophistication, and he demonstrated these abilities across a range and variety of content topics. The convergence of contributing influences evident in Geoffrey's life supports a growing literature on the coalescence factor within precocity. This implies that parents and educators have to carefully consider their influences. Suggestions are made concerning how developmental models of giftedness may need to expand to accommodate precocious writers.
Toward user-specific tracking by detection of human shapes in multi-cameras

Human shape tracking consists in fitting a template model to temporal sequences of visual observations. It usually comprises an association step, that finds correspondences between the model and the input data, and a deformation step, that fits the model to the observations given correspondences. Most current approaches find their common ground with the Iterative-Closest-Point (ICP) algorithm, which facilitates the association step with local distance considerations. It fails when large deformations occur, and errors in the association tend to propagate over time. In this paper, we propose a discriminative alternative for the association, that leverages random forests to infer correspondences in one shot. It allows for large deformations and prevents tracking errors from accumulating. The approach is successfully integrated to a surface tracking framework that recovers human shapes and poses jointly. When combined with ICP, this discriminative association proves to yield better accuracy in registration, more stability when tracking over time, and faster convergence. Evaluations on existing datasets demonstrate the benefits with respect to the state-of-the-art.
Organizational justice and innovation in the workplace: the case of the UAE

Purpose – The purpose of this paper to aim at exploring the links between employees’ perceptions of distributive, procedural and interactional justice on one hand and innovation climate and readiness to innovate on the other hand. The role of innovation climate in predicting readiness to innovate is also examined. Further, the study attempts to test the mediating role of innovation climate in justice-readiness to innovate relationship. Design/methodology/approach – This paper aims at exploring the links between employees’ perceptions of distributive, procedural and interactional justice on one hand and innovation climate and readiness to innovate on the other hand. The role of innovation climate in predicting readiness to innovate is also examined. Further, the study attempts to test the mediating role of innovation climate in justice-readiness to innovate relationship. Findings – The findings revealed that perception of justice played a key role in employees’ perception of innovation climate. Innovation .
The components of bilingual proficiency

Research reports from three areas of investigation (exceptional bilingualism, early differentiation in childhood bilingualism, and language mixing) are discussed with the purpose of exploring the applicability of the concept of modularity. Components of bilingual proficiency can be studied from a modular perspective along two dimensions: (1) autonomy and interaction between representations of the bilingual's two languages, (2) degrees and kinds of autonomy of Conceptual Structures from the linguistic structures of both languages, and how these domains interact. A model of bilingual proficiency is proposed based on an adaptation of Jackendoff's Tripartite Parallel Architecture (TPA). Jackendoff's (2002) assessment of Levelt's (1999) theory of speech processing represents an important attempt to promote an interdisciplinary exchange around a conception of modularity that is more in line with recent psycholinguistic research. De Bot's (2000 /1992) bilingual adaptation of Levelt's model is discussed as a key contribution to a developing convergence, taking advantage of the special opportunities that the study of bilingualism offers to the discussion. While a number of points of divergence remain between the Levelt and de Bot models on the one hand, and Jackendoff's TPA and the proposed Bilingual TPA on the other, it is not clear if these differences are of substance or rather the result of analyzing bilingual proficiency from alternate vantage points. The proposal offered for discussion in this paper is inclined toward the latter.
Pathogen detection in milk samples by ligation detection reaction-mediated universal array method.

This paper describes a new DNA chip, based on the use of a ligation detection reaction coupled to a universal array, developed to detect and analyze, directly from milk samples, microbial pathogens known to cause bovine, ovine, and caprine mastitis or to be responsible for foodborne intoxication or infection, or both. Probes were designed for the identification of 15 different bacterial groups: Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae, nonaureus staphylococci, Streptococcus bovis, Streptococcus equi, Streptococcus canis, Streptococcus dysgalactiae, Streptococcus parauberis, Streptococcus uberis, Streptococcus pyogenes, Mycoplasma spp. , Salmonella spp. , Bacillus spp. , Campylobacter spp. , and Escherichia coli and related species. These groups were identified based on the 16S rRNA gene. For microarray validation, 22 strains from the American Type Culture Collection or other culture collections and 50 milk samples were tested. The results demonstrated high specificity, with sensitivity as low as 6 fmol. Moreover, the ligation detection reaction-universal array assay allowed for the identification of Mycoplasma spp. in a few hours, avoiding the long incubation times of traditional microbiological identification methods. The universal array described here is a versatile tool able to identify milk pathogens efficiently and rapidly.
Leveraging Multiple Networks for Author Personalization

Recommender systems provide personalized item suggestions by identifying patterns in past user-item preferences. Most existing approaches for recommender systems work on a single domain, i.e., use user preferences from one domain and recommend items from the same domain. Recently, some recommendation models have been proposed to use user preferences from multiple related item source domains to improve recommendation accuracy for a target item domain, an area of research known as cross-domain recommender systems. One typical assumption in these systems is that users, items, and user preferences for items are similar across domains. In this paper, we introduce a new cross-domain recommendation problem which does not meet this typical assumption. For example, for some scien-tometric datasets, when the objective is to recommend co-authors, conferences, and references, respectively, to authors, although the users are similar across domains, the items and user-item preferences are different. To address this problem, we propose two approaches to aggregate knowledge from multiple domains. Our approaches allow us to control the knowledge transferred between domains. Experimental results on a DBLP sub-set show that the proposed cross-domain approaches are helpful in improving recommendation accuracy as compared to single domain approaches.