Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A computational approach to eliciting and modeling stories with social interactions

In this work, we explored a middle point between the common approach of sharing knowledge using oral narratives and the automatic approach of generation of narratives by computational tools. We describe a new model to capture the flow of events of a story and the changes in the social interactions between the characters as the story progresses. We present a description of the software implementation of the model. Also, we provide a discussion about the design and implementation of the computational tool used to capture stories with the proposed model. The main motivation of this work lies on the fact that each domain of knowledge has people with a wide range of experience and expertise in that domain. Also, within each domain people use narratives as an effective medium of transferring their knowledge. A crucial point is that individuals of a domain have the potential of making valuable contributions to the body of knowledge and that those contributions are often driven in a narrative fashion. In addition, as interactive entertainment continues its role as a pervasive element of today’s culture, the potential of a meaningful experience through the use of narratives can only be achieved if there are tools that aid a wider audience in the creation of those narratives. The AI community has recognized the overwhelming task of authoring stories for interactive entertainment, which demands expertise in computational models for the structure of the story and its execution, as well as expertise in creating the content of the story. Thus, establishing a computational representation of narratives that aid individuals to share their experience and expertise could open the door for capturing the underlying knowledge of a domain.
Role of the Paclitaxel-Eluting Stent and Tirofiban in Patients With ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Undergoing Postfibrinolysis Angioplasty: The GRACIA-3 Randomized Clinical Trial

Background—A catheter-based approach after fibrinolysis is recommended if fibrinolysis is likely to be successful in patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction. We designed a 2×2 randomized, open-label, multicenter trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the paclitaxel-eluting stent and tirofiban administered after fibrinolysis but before catheterization to optimize the results of this reperfusion strategy. Methods and Results—We randomly assigned 436 patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction to (1) bare-metal stent without tirofiban, (2) bare-metal stent with tirofiban, (3) paclitaxel-eluting stent without tirofiban, and (4) paclitaxel-eluting stent with tirofiban. All patients were initially treated with tenecteplase and enoxaparin. Tirofiban was started 120 minutes after tenecteplase in those patients randomly assigned to tirofiban. Cardiac catheterization was performed within the first 3 to 12 hours after inclusion, and stenting (randomized paclitaxel or bare stent) was applied to the culprit artery. The primary objectives were the rate of in-segment binary restenosis of paclitaxel-eluting stent compared with that of bare-metal stent and the effect of tirofiban on epicardial and myocardial flow before and after mechanical revascularization. At 12 months, in-segment binary restenosis was similar between paclitaxel-eluting stent and bare-metal stent (10.1% versus 11.3%; relative risk, 1.06; 95% confidence interval, 0.74 to 1.52; P=0.89). However, late lumen loss (0.04±0.055 mm versus 0.27±0.057 mm, P=0.003) was reduced in the paclitaxel-eluting stent group. No evidence was found of any association between the use of tirofiban and any improvement in the epicardial and myocardial perfusion. Major bleeding was observed in 6.1% of patients receiving tirofiban and in 2.7% of patients not receiving it (relative risk, 2.22; 95% confidence interval, 0.86 to 5.73; P=0.14). Conclusions—This trial does not provide evidence to support the use of tirofiban after fibrinolysis to improve epicardial and myocardial perfusion. Compared with bare-metal stent, paclitaxel-eluting stent significantly reduced late loss but appeared not to reduce in-segment binary restenosis. Clinical Trial Registration—URL: http://clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00306228.
Strategic Generation Investment Using a Complementarity Approach

This paper provides a methodology to assist a strategic producer in making informed decisions on generation investment. A single target year is considered with demand variations modeled through blocks. The strategic behavior of the producer is represented through a bilevel model: the upper-level considers both investment decisions and strategic production actions and the lower-level corresponds to market clearing. Prices are obtained as dual variables of power balance equations. Rival uncertainties (on offering and investment) are characterized through scenarios. The resulting model is a large-scale mixed-integer LP problem solvable using currently available branch-and-cut techniques. Results pertaining to an illustrative example and a case study are reported and discussed.
Pneumatic Multi-Pocket Elastomer Actuators for Metacarpophalangeal Joint Flexion and Abduction-Adduction

During recent years, interest has been rising towards developing fluidic fiber-reinforced elastomer actuators for wearable soft robotics used in hand rehabilitation and power-assist. However, they do not enable finger abduction-adduction, which plays an important role in activities of daily living, when grasping larger objects. Furthermore, the developed gloves often do not have separate control of joints, which is important for doing various common rehabilitation motions. The main obstacle for the development of a fully-assisting glove is moving a joint with multiple degrees of freedom. If the functions are built into the same structure, they are naturally coupled and affect each other, which makes them more difficult to design and complex to control than a simple flexion-extension actuator. In this study, we explored the key design elements and fabrication of pneumatic multi-pocket elastomer actuators for a soft rehabilitation glove. The goal was to gain more control over the metacarpophalangeal joint’s response by increasing the degree of actuation. Three main functional designs were tested for achieving both flexion and abduction-adduction. Five prototypes, with four different actuator geometries and four different reinforcement types, were designed and fabricated. They were evaluated by recording their free motion with motion capture and measuring their torque output using a dummy finger. Results showed the strengths and weaknesses of each design in separating the control of the two functions. We discuss the different improvements that are needed in order to make each design plausible for developing an actuator that meets the requirements for full assist of the hand’s motions. In conclusion, we show that it is possible to produce multi-pocket actuators for assisting MCP joint motion in both flexion and abduction-adduction, although coupling between the separate functions is still problematic and should be considered further.
Contribution to the Themed Section: ‘Mesopelagic resources’ Developing the knowledge base needed to sustainably manage mesopelagic resources

Developing the knowledge base needed to sustainably manage mesopelagic resources Manuel Hidalgo* and Howard I. Browman Instituto Espa~nol de Oceanografı́a, Centre Oceanográfico de Baleares, Ecosystem Oceanography Group (GRECO), Muelle de Poniente s/n, Palma, 07015, Spain Institute of Marine Research, Austevoll Research Station, Sauganeset 16, Storebø N-5392, Norway *Corresponding author: tel: þ34 971 702 125; e-mail: jm.hidalgo@ieo.es.
Functional balance between haemagglutinin and neuraminidase in influenza virus infections

Influenza A and B viruses carry two surface glycoproteins, the haemagglutinin (HA) and the neuraminidase (NA). Both proteins have been found to recognise the same host cell molecule, sialic acid. HA binds to sialic acid‐containing receptors on target cells to initiate virus infection, whereas NA cleaves sialic acids from cellular receptors and extracellular inhibitors to facilitate progeny virus release and to promote the spread of the infection to neighbouring cells. Numerous studies performed recently have revealed that an optimal interplay between these receptor‐binding and receptor‐destroying activities of the surface glycoproteins is required for efficient virus replication. An existing balance between the antagonistic HA and NA functions of individual viruses can be disturbed by various events, such as reassortment, virus transmission to a new host, or therapeutic inhibition of neuraminidase. The resulting decrease in the viral replicative fitness is usually overcome by restoration of the functional balance due to compensatory mutations in HA, NA or both proteins. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Mining maritime schedules for analysing global shipping networks

Shipping plays a vital role as trade facilitator in providing cost-efficient transportation. The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) reports that over 90% of the world trade volume is carried by merchant ships. The analysis of shipping networks therefore can create invaluable insight into global trade. In this paper we study the appropriateness of various graph centrality measures to rate, compare and rank ports from various perspectives of global shipping networks. In particular, we illustrate the potential of such analysis on the example of shipping networks constructed from the schedules, readily available on the World Wide Web, of six shipping companies that transport 35-40% of the total volume traded (in TEUs) worldwide.
Recursive optimal manoeuvring systems for maritime search and rescue mission

The ideas of developing recursive optimal manoeuvring systems are based on the author's recent research results related to applications of the recursive estimation procedures and modern control theory in marine control systems. The manoeuvring is a trajectory tracking control system. The adopted method is combination of a recursive estimation procedure with an appropriate control law. In order to do the maritime search and rescue mission, the reference trajectory generated by the guidance system is computed based on the way-point, light-of-sight and exponential decay techniques and standard search patterns suggested by International Maritime Organization (IMO). The manoeuvring system has time-varying coefficients that are estimated by an online estimation identification procedure, and time-varying control gains determined by the optimal control law. Therefore, the manoeuvring system can adapt well to changes of environmental disturbances and do the tasks of maritime search and rescue mission at rough seas.
Why and how do academics bridge the gap between invention and innovation?

Although many university inventions and discoveries originating from academia are at a stage beyond basic research, they are yet insufficiently developed to be transformed into innovations without additional research designed to establish proofs of principle (POP) at many levels: technical proof, intellectual property control proof, safety proof, value proof, economic proof and attractiveness proof. Based on the data of a large survey of Canadian academics in natural sciences and engineering, the results of this study show that about 20% of the surveyed respondents engaged in different forms of POP despite the absence of incentives to do so. The results also suggest the presence of interdependence (complementarities) between the different forms of POP. Finally, the results show that funding from industry, strong ties with industry and use of services provided by university technology transfer offices are positively associated with the different forms of POP. These results are used to derive policy implications and directions for future research.
Lightweight and adaptable solution for security agility

Secure communication is an important aspect of today’s interconnected environments and it can be achieved by the use of cryptographic algorithms and protocols. However, many existing cryptographic mechanisms are tightly integrated into communication protocols. Issues emerge when security vulnerabilities are discovered in cryptographic mechanisms because their replacement would eventually require replacing deployed protocols. The concept of cryptographic agility is the solution to these issues because it allows dynamic switching of cryptographic algorithms and keys prior to and during the communication. Most of today’s secure protocols implement cryptographic agility (IPsec, SSL/TLS, SSH), but cryptographic agility mechanisms cannot be used in a standalone manner. In order to deal with the aforementioned limitations, we propose a lightweight cryptographically agile agreement model, which is formally verified. We also present a solution in the Agile Cryptographic Agreement Protocol (ACAP) that can be adapted on various network layers, architectures and devices. The proposed solution is able to provide existing and new communication protocols with secure communication prerequisites in a straightforward way without adding substantial communication overhead. Furthermore, it can be used between previously unknown parties in an opportunistic environment. The proposed model is formally verified, followed by a comprehensive discussion about security considerations. A prototype implementation of the proposed model is demonstrated and evaluated.
Parliamentary or Presidential Government ?

I compare parliamentary and presidential government in a model with an executive and a decisive parliamentarian, whose ability to submit bills of high quality, or learn their quality, respectively, is private information. After observing the actions of each politician, the voter chooses whether to retain each politician or replace them with a randomly drawn alternative. Under presidential government, the voter is allowed to choose distinct replacement strategies for each politician, whereas under parliamentary government, the voter is committed to using the same replacement strategy for both politicians. Whilst the richer set of strategies available to the voter under presidential government makes it a superior choice for the voter in an environment of complete information, in the case of private information and re-election motives the parliamentarian in a presidential system establishes a reputation for competence at the expense of the executive, by vetoing executive bills. In turn, this leads the executive to distort her choice of policy initiatives in order to conform to the prior belief of the voter, even when she has private information that contradicts the prior. Under parliamentary government, by contrast, the parliamentarian is effectively absent, unwilling to obstruct the executive’s program for fear of inducing their joint removal, but this provides the executive with stronger incentives to follow her private information. I compare the ability of the voter to learn about the quality of politicians under each system and her ability to remove politicians that she would wish to remove if she were perfectly informed about their types. I also consider the possibility of institutionalized cooperation between the executive and legislative branches under each system.
Second Language Learners’ Identity toward Their Home Culture: Adding Pragmatic Knowledge to Language Learning Curriculum

The purpose of this reflective study is to understand how English learners’ cultural identities facilitate their confidence to use English within a native English-speaking context. This article covers a qualitative case study using an autobiographical reflection of a Chinese-speaking international student’s studying experiences in a Northern American English-speaking context. The data were collected through weekly interviews and the participant’s diary report. The findings first display the contradictions of self and the other in her mind during the process of using English. Second, the study explores how cultural identity and the negotiations of linguistic codes of the target and mother language interact with each other. Third, the extracts of the study reveal that the participant is aware of her miscommunication in English resulting from her lack of pragmatic knowledge of English. Some instructional suggestions focusing on fostering learners’ target language pragmatic knowledge and their mother cultural identity are presented.
The basic fibroblast growth factor‐saporin mitotoxin acts through the basic fibroblast growth factor receptor

We have confirmed the hypothesis that a mitotoxin resulting from the conjugation of basic fibroblast growth factor and saporin exerts its cytotoxic effect through specific interaction with the basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF) receptor. Accordingly, the mitotoxin stimulates tyrosine phosphorylation of the 90 kD substrate that characterizes the initial cellular response to basic FGF. Cross‐linking experiments show that radio‐labeled basic fibroblast growth factor‐saporin (FGF‐SAP) binds to the receptor. Suramin, an inhibitor of growth factor receptor binding, inhibits the cytotoxicity of basic FGF‐SAP. In a study of 4 different cell types, there is a decrease in the ED50 of the mitotoxin as the receptor number per cell increases. We have verified the cytotoxicity of the mitotoxin in 3 different assay systems. As expected, it is effective in the inhibition of protein synthesis and DNA synthesis, as well as of cell count. Binding of basic FGF‐SAP which will result in cytotoxicity occurs very rapidly: 5 minutes of incubation of 10 nM basic FGF‐SAP with cells results in 80% inhibition of cell count. The in vitro data indicate that basic FGF‐SAP is a receptor specific and potent suicide antagonist of basic FGF. Its potential as an anti‐FGF for therapeutic and research uses in vivo is discussed.
Functional single-cell hybridoma screening using droplet-based microfluidics

Monoclonal antibodies can specifically bind or even inhibit drug targets and have hence become the fastest growing class of human therapeutics. Although they can be screened for binding affinities at very high throughput using systems such as phage display, screening for functional properties (e.g., the inhibition of a drug target) is much more challenging. Typically these screens require the generation of immortalized hybridoma cells, as well as clonal expansion in microtiter plates over several weeks, and the number of clones that can be assayed is typically no more than a few thousand. We present here a microfluidic platform allowing the functional screening of up to 300,000 individual hybridoma cell clones within less than a day. This approach should also be applicable to nonimmortalized primary B-cells, as no cell proliferation is required: Individual cells are encapsulated into aqueous microdroplets and assayed directly for the release of antibodies inhibiting a drug target based on fluorescence. We used this system to perform a model screen for antibodies that inhibit angiotensin converting enzyme 1, a target for hypertension and congestive heart failure drugs. When cells expressing these antibodies were spiked into an unrelated hybridoma cell population in a ratio of 1∶10,000 we observed a 9,400-fold enrichment after fluorescence activated droplet sorting. A wide variance in antibody expression levels at the single-cell level within a single hybridoma line was observed and high expressors could be successfully sorted and recultivated.
Defining and using a Metamodel for Document-Centric Development Methodologies

: The concept of software product is often associated to software code; process documents are, therefore, considered as by-products. Also very frequently, customers primarily demand ”results” and, in a second place, documentation. Development efforts are then focused on code production at the expense of documents quality and corresponding veriﬁcation activities. As discussed within this paper, one of the root problems for this is that documentation in the context of methodologies is often described with not enough level of detail. This paper presents a metamodel that faces this problem. It is an extension of ISO/IEC 24744, the metamodel for methodologies development. Under this extension, documents can become the drivers of the methodology activities. Documents will be the artifact in which method engineers should focus for methodology development, by deﬁning its structure and constraints. Developers will put their effort in ﬁlling sections of the documents as the way to progress in the process execution. This process execution will be guided by those documents deﬁned by the method engineers. This approach can be, as well, the basis for a new approach to a Document-Centric Software Engineering Environment.
Changes on Potato Leaf Metabolism and Anatomy Induced by Plant Growth Regulators

The use of growth regulators in potato crop is an alternative to reduce the aerial growth of plants and redirects carbon assimilates and nutrients to the tubers. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of growth regulators, paclobutrazol and trinexapac-ethyl on plant growth and changes on the anatomy of leaves of cultivar Markies in summer conditions of the southern region of Brazil. Potato plants cv. Markies were in the summer growing season of Southeast region of Brazil and 35 days after planting, the plants were sprayed with paclobutrazol (PBZ) at 0.125 and 0.250 L ha-1 and trinexapac-ethyl (TE) at 1.0 and 2.0 L ha-1. Treatment with PBZ at both doses reduced the height of potato plants, which resulted in higher index of leaf chlorophyll and reduced the content of starch and non-reducing sugars. Both PBZ and TE treated plants exhibited anatomical changes in the leaves, including larger epidermal cells and more elongated palisades cells. These data suggest that such changes in the anatomy of potato leaf in response to the use of PBZ directly influence leaf metabolism.
Evaluation of EIT systems and algorithms for handling full void fraction range in two-phase flow measurement

In the aqueous-based two-phase flow, if the void fraction of dispersed phase exceeds 0.25, conventional electrical impedance tomography (EIT) produces a considerable error due to the linear approximation of the sensitivity back-projection (SBP) method, which limits the EIT’s wider application in the process industry. In this paper, an EIT sensing system which is able to handle full void fraction range in two-phase flow is reported. This EIT system employs a voltage source, conducts true mutual impedance measurement and reconstructs an online image with the modified sensitivity back-projection (MSBP) algorithm. The capability of the Maxwell relationship to convey full void fraction is investigated. The limitation of the linear sensitivity back-projection method is analysed. The MSBP algorithm is used to derive relative conductivity change in the evaluation. A series of static and dynamic experiments demonstrating the mean void fraction obtained using this EIT system has a good agreement with reference void fractions over the range from 0 to 1. The combination of the new EIT system and MSBP algorithm would significantly extend the applications of EIT in industrial process measurement.