Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A stochastic process formulation of learning in cooperative agents

We investigate the problem of agent communication when such agents are cooperating rather than competing. We do this using the statistical technique of canonical correlation analysis. We consider two stochastic process methods for performing canonical correlation analysis (CCA). The first creates a Gaussian Process formulation of regression in which we use the current projection of one data set as the target for the other and then repeat in the opposite direction; this is useful in the very limited environment in which the agents have prior and precise knowledge of the nature of their interaction. We extend the problem by creating a problem which no single agent can solve, but for which together they can find a solution. We investigate methods by which we can automatically find the number and composition of the groups necessary to solve the problem. Finally we develop a Dirichlet process of Gaussian models in which the Gaussian models are determined by Probabilistic CCA [2]. The Dirichlet Process enables us to have groups of agents cooperating on a task without having to specify in advance how many groups of agents there are or how many agents join each group.
Heart failure in 10 years time: focus on pharmacological treatment

Though the last decade has seen three major breakthroughs in chronic heart failure (CHF) treatment (with angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors,1,2 β blockers,3–5 and spironolactone6), the outlook of patients with this condition remains very poor. Even the relatively young, highly selected, patients taking part in clinical trials have a bad prognosis despite the best currently available treatment. For example, 7.2% of the metoprolol group in the MERIT-HF study (that is, patients receiving β blocker, ACE inhibitor, diuretic, and often digoxin treatment) died within one year of follow up and 32% died or were hospitalised at least once.3,7 In the broader population the outlook of patients with CHF is much worse.8 In one part of the UK, 45% of patients died within one year of discharge from their first ever hospital admission with heart failure.8 The case fatality rate reached 77% within five years and the medial survival of a man discharged after his first heart failure hospitalisation was only 1.47 years. Not only are mortality and morbidity discouragingly and persistently high, but quality of life remains very impaired and the symptom burden of CHF is great. Clearly, more and/or better treatments are needed. This is all the more so because the burden of CHF is set to increase substantially in coming years. Because populations are aging and survival from the underlying causes of CHF (coronary heart disease and hypertension) is increasing, the incidence and prevalence of CHF will increase. Indeed, in the UK, the prevalence is expected to increase by about 40% in the next two decades. Where should we look for new treatments? To date, the best framework we have for understanding heart failure is what has become known as the “neurohumoral hypothesis”, first developed in the early 1980s and …
Deficiency of Glycine N-Methyltransferase Aggravates Atherosclerosis in Apolipoprotein E-Null Mice

The mechanism underlying the dysregulation of cholesterol metabolism and inflammation in atherogenesis is not understood fully. Glycine N-methyltransferase (GNMT) has been implicated in hepatic lipid metabolism and the pathogenesis of liver diseases. However, little is known about the significance of GNMT in atherosclerosis. We showed the predominant expression of GNMT in foamy macrophages of mouse atherosclerotic aortas. Genetic deletion of GNMT exacerbated the hyperlipidemia, inflammation and development of atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice. In addition, ablation of GNMT in macrophages aggravated oxidized low-density lipoprotein-mediated cholesterol accumulation in macrophage foam cells by downregulating the expression of reverse cholesterol transporters including ATP-binding cassette transporters-A1 and G1 and scavenger receptor BI. Furthermore, tumor necrosis factor-α-induced inflammatory response was promoted in GNMT-null macrophages. Collectively, our data suggest that GNMT is a crucial regulator in cholesterol metabolism and in inflammation, and contributes to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. This finding may reveal a potential therapeutic target for atherosclerosis.
Neural Network and Classification Approach in Identifying Customer Behavior in the Banking Sector: A Case Study of an International Bank

The customer relationship focus for banks is in development of main competencies and strategies of building strong profitable customer relationships through considering and managing the customer impression, influence on the culture of the bank, satisfactory treatment, and assessment of valued relationship building. Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are used after data segmentation and classification, where the designed model register records into two class sets, that is, the training and testing sets. ANN predicts new customer behavior from previously observed customer behavior after executing the process of learning from existing data. This article proposes an ANN model, which is developed using a six‐step procedure. The back‐propagation algorithm is used to train the ANN by adjusting its weights to minimize the difference between the current ANN output and the desired output. An evaluation process is conducted to determine whether the ANN has learned how to perform. The training process is halted periodically, and its performance is tested until an acceptable result is obtained. The principles underlying detection software are grounded in classical statistical decision theory.
Amplification of microsatellites adapted from human systems in faecal DNA of wild Hanuman langurs (Presbytis entellus)

Microsatellite systems originally established for human DNA were utilized for paternity testing from faecal DNA in a natural population of Hanuman langurs (Presbytis entellus). Thirty‐two primer pairs were applied to amplify DNA obtained from langur faeces. Twenty‐two of these primer pairs yielded specific amplification products and 11 loci were polymorphic. Allele distributions and heterozygosity rates were determined for five systems. Genetic information from these five systems was sufficient for paternity exclusion in 46 out of 52 cases. Results were consistent enough to allow genotyping from faeces, although sometimes only one allele was amplified in a heterozygous individual. In conclusion, relationship analyses from faeces are possible in spite of the evolutionary distance between humans and langurs.
A Worst-Case Analysis of the LZ2 Compression Algorithm

Abstract Sheinwald, Lempel, and Ziv (1995,Inform. and Comput.116, 128–133) proved that the power of off-line coding is not useful if we want on-line decodable files, as far as asymptotical results are concerned. In this paper, we are concerned with the finite case and consider the notion of on-line decodable optimal parsing based on the parsing defined by the Ziv–Lempel (LZ2) compression algorithm. De Agostino and Storer (1996,Inform. Process. Lett.59, 169–174) proved the NP-completeness of computing the optimal parsing and that a sublogarithmic factor approximation algorithm cannot be realized on-line. We show that the Ziv–Lempel algorithm and two widely used practical implementations produce an O(n1/4) approximation of the optimal parsing, wherenis the length of the string. By working with de Bruijn sequences, we show also infinite families of binary strings on which the approximation factor isΘ(n1/4).
Reforming water policies in agriculture

Agriculture’s water quality and quantity challenges continue to grow in many regions of the world. Policy solutions have been identified, but not always applied where needed nor implemented effectively. This report analyses eight past water and agriculture policy changes in OECD countries with the aim to identify steps towards adopting and implementing such solutions effectively. Selected reforms are assessed systematically via an institutional change analysis and a cross-cutting comparison of political economy factors. A characterisation of reforms is proposed according to the scope of the reform process, the scope of the reform’s action, and the involvement of governments in the design of reforms and their implementation. The comparison of agriculture and water policy changes shows that introducing reforms can be facilitated by exogenous factors, including droughts and floods, and reform design features. Meanwhile, the outcome of reforms can be affected by their geographical scale and scope, the dynamic pattern of reform pathways, and compensation for farmers. There are, however, trade-offs between the effects of these factors on the reform’s ambition, effectiveness, efficiency, and flexibility.
Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma : From biomarkers to novel mechanisms and new therapies

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) it the most common adult Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma with an annual incidence of more than 25,000 cases in the United States. Although DLBCL has characteristic morphology, marked immunophenotypic, cytogenetic and molecular heterogeneity underlies the variable clinical outcome of DLBCL patients. Consequently, it is expected that clinical surrogates, such as the international prognostic index (IPI), while highly useful, do not adequately capture the molecular and cellular variability that underlies clinical behavior of DLBCL. Biologic mechanisms underlying DLBCL pathogenesis are complex and involve intricate relationships between multiple genes, signaling pathways and regulatory processes. Elucidation of DLBCL pathogenesis is necessary to allow recognition of new molecular therapeutic targets, discovery of DLBCL subgroups with distinct clinical outcome and identification of molecular prognostic markers that may more accurately predict DLBCL outcomes. Accomplishment of these goals can be of paramount importance and may form the basis for future risk-adapted treatments. Classically, attempts to elucidate DLBCL pathogenesis or identify new prognostic markers used a single gene approach. However the latter cannot account for the complex multigene processes underlying DLBCL pathogenesis and thus do not accurately reflect the complex changes observed in these tumors. Consequently, new investigational tools enabling simultaneous evaluation of multiple components of these biologic processes might further advance our understanding of DLBCL and potentially lead to specific molecularly targeted and patient tailored therapies.
Intellectual Capital of Africa: Comparison of the Five Most Competitive Countries

This paper proposes a comparison of the national intellectual capital of African countries. Using the longitudinal data spanning the period from 2010 to 2014, based on 22 indicators. This study compares the national intellectual capital of the five most competitive African countries: 1 Mauritius, 2 South Africa, 3 Rwanda, 4 Botswana, and 5 Morocco. The results confirm the importance of intellectual capital in the competitiveness of countries. The research findings make clear the status of national intellectual capital of the five African countries, as a result of that to provide information for policymakers to establish public strategies for building sustainable national competitiveness.
Exploring virtual reality technology and the Oculus Rift for the examination of digital pathology slides

Background: Digital slides obtained from whole slide imaging (WSI) platforms are typically viewed in two dimensions using desktop personal computer monitors or more recently on mobile devices. To the best of our knowledge, we are not aware of any studies viewing digital pathology slides in a virtual reality (VR) environment. VR technology enables users to be artificially immersed in and interact with a computer-simulated world. Oculus Rift is among the world′s first consumer-targeted VR headsets, intended primarily for enhanced gaming. Our aim was to explore the use of the Oculus Rift for examining digital pathology slides in a VR environment. Methods: An Oculus Rift Development Kit 2 (DK2) was connected to a 64-bit computer running Virtual Desktop software. Glass slides from twenty randomly selected lymph node cases (ten with benign and ten malignant diagnoses) were digitized using a WSI scanner. Three pathologists reviewed these digital slides on a 27-inch 5K display and with the Oculus Rift after a 2-week washout period. Recorded endpoints included concordance of final diagnoses and time required to examine slides. The pathologists also rated their ease of navigation, image quality, and diagnostic confidence for both modalities. Results: There was 90% diagnostic concordance when reviewing WSI using a 5K display and Oculus Rift. The time required to examine digital pathology slides on the 5K display averaged 39 s (range 10-120 s), compared to 62 s with the Oculus Rift (range 15-270 s). All pathologists confirmed that digital pathology slides were easily viewable in a VR environment. The ratings for image quality and diagnostic confidence were higher when using the 5K display. Conclusion: Using the Oculus Rift DK2 to view and navigate pathology whole slide images in a virtual environment is feasible for diagnostic purposes. However, image resolution using the Oculus Rift device was limited. Interactive VR technologies such as the Oculus Rift are novel tools that may be of use in digital pathology.
The Effect of Age and History of Recurrent Otitis Media on Dichotic Listening and Verbal Memory in Children

Objectives: To explore the possible effects of recurrent otitis media (ROM) in early childhood on binaural processing and verbal memory in school-aged children. Methods: Two hundred eleven children, including 31 children with and 180 children without a history of ROM, were examined. A dichotic digit test (DDT) and a forward and backward digit memory span test (DMST) were administered. Results: A significant difference was observed between age groups among ROM-free children. The ROM-positive group earned significantly poorer results than the ROM-free group in all measurements, except for the right DDT (rDDT) score. Furthermore, a significant correlation was found between the DDT and EA scores with both DMST scores in the ROM-free group. The correlation between the rDDT and forward DMST scores was not significant in the ROM-positive group, and no significant correlation was observed between the EA score and either DMST score. Conclusions: Our findings support that a history of OM in early childhood based on a parental survey of children is associated with differences in DDT and DMST outcomes.
Linking market capitalisation and voting pattern in corporate meetings

Abstract This research seeks to investigate the connection between market capitalisation and the voting pattern related to proposals about executive compensation and directors’ election, using data about banks from the U.S.A. concerning the 2003–2013 period. Our findings indicate that there is a direct relationship between voting pattern and market capitalisation, suggesting that they are mutually interdependent. When the market value of the bank increases (decreases), the support given by shareholders through their votes in meetings increases (decreases) as well. Also, when the approval showed by shareholders to managerial proposals through their voting decisions gets higher (lower), the market value of the bank gets higher (lower) too.
A process to address electricity distribution sector challenges: the GREDOR project approach

This paper presents a general process set in the GREDOR (French acronym for “Gestion des Reseaux Electriques de Distribution Ouverts aux Renouvelables”) project to address the challenges in distribution systems posed by the integration of renewable generation, changing load patterns, and the changes in the electricity market sector. A use case describing interactions among different players that fits the process is also presented. A pseudo-dynamic approach to Global Capacity Announcement as a way to increase penetration of Renewable Energy Sources in a distribution system is elaborated in more details.
Combining 3D structure with glycan array data provides insight into the origin of glycan specificity.

Defining how a glycan-binding protein (GBP) specifically selects its cognate glycan from among the ensemble of glycans within the cellular glycome is an area of intense study. Powerful insight into recognition mechanisms can be gained from 3D structures of GBPs complexed to glycans; however, such structures remain difficult to obtain experimentally. Here an automated 3D structure generation technique, called computational carbohydrate grafting, is combined with the wealth of specificity information available from glycan array screening. Integration of the array data with modeling and crystallography allows generation of putative co-complex structures that can be objectively assessed and iteratively altered until a high level of agreement with experiment is achieved. Given an accurate model of the co-complexes, grafting is also able to discern which binding determinants are active when multiple potential determinants are present within a glycan. In some cases, induced fit in the protein or glycan was necessary to explain the observed specificity, while in other examples a revised definition of the minimal binding determinants was required. When applied to a collection of 10 GBP-glycan complexes, for which crystallographic and array data have been reported, grafting provided a structural rationalization for the binding specificity of >90% of 1223 arrayed glycans. A webtool that enables researchers to perform computational carbohydrate grafting is available at www.glycam. org/gr (accessed 03 March 2016).
A quantitative evaluation of the effect of freezing temperatures on the survival of New Zealand mudsnails (Potamopyrgus antipodarum Gray, 1843), in Olympia Washington's Capitol Lake

First detected in the United States in Idaho's Snake River in 1987, the New Zealand mud snail (NZMS), Potamopyrgus antipodarum, was discovered in Olympia Washington’s Capitol Lake in 2009. The snail is not native to North America and may be capable of adversely impacting native species diversity and food web dynamics in aquatic ecosystems. In this study, we evaluated the effect of lowering the lake level during freezing weather on the survival of NZMSs. Both generalized linear models with link function logit and nonlinear mixed effects models were used to investigate the rates of detection and survival with four temporal and environmental predictor variables. The rate of detection of NZMSs was affected by substrate depth and proximity to shore. The location of sample stations (upshore versus offshore), substrate depth, and elapsed time between collection from the field and laboratory processing did not affect survival rates. The survival rate of NZMSs decreased rapidly with time and the predicted survival rate at the conclusion of the freezing episode was 1.8%. The results indicate that lowering the water level during freezing weather can be a highly effective means for controlling the distribution and abundance of NZMSs and reducing the risk of their spread to other water bodies.
Comprehensive Phenolic Profiling of Cyclopia genistoides (L.) Vent. by LC-DAD-MS and -MS/MS Reveals Novel Xanthone and Benzophenone Constituents

A high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method coupled with diode-array detection (DAD) was optimized for the qualitative analysis of aqueous extracts of Cyclopia genistoides. Comprehensive insight into the phenolic profile of unfermented and fermented sample extracts was achieved with the identification of ten compounds based on comparison with authentic reference standards and the tentative identification of 30 additional compounds by means of electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and tandem MS detection. Three iriflophenone-di-O,C-hexoside isomers, three xanthone-dihydrochalcone derivatives and one dihydrochalcone are herein tentatively identified for the first time in C. genistoides. Of special interest is one iriflophenone-di-O,C-hexoside present in large amounts. New compounds (tentatively) identified for the first time in this species, and also in the genus Cyclopia, include two aromatic amino acids, one flavone, an iriflophenone-di-C-hexoside, a maclurin-di-O,C-hexoside, two tetrahydroxyxanthone-C-hexoside isomers, a tetrahydroxyxanthone-di-O,C-hexoside, two symmetric tetrahydroxyxanthone-C-hexoside dimers, nine glycosylated flavanone derivatives and five glycosylated phenolic acid derivatives. The presence of new compound subclasses in Cyclopia, namely aromatic amino acids and glycosylated phenolic acids, was demonstrated. The HPLC-DAD method was successfully validated and applied to the quantitative analysis of the paired sample extracts. In-depth analysis of the chemical composition of C. genistoides hot water extracts gave a better understanding of the chemistry of this species that will guide further research into its medicinal properties and potential uses.
Investigation on the Enantioselectivity of the Sulfation of the Methylenedioxymethamphetamine Metabolites 3,4-Dihydroxymethamphetamine and 4-Hydroxy-3-Methoxymethamphetamine using the Substrate-Depletion Approach

Different pharmacokinetic properties are known for the two enantiomers of the entactogen 3,4-methylendioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA), most likely due to enantioselective metabolism. The aim of the present work was 1) the investigation of the main sulfotransferases (SULT) isoenzymes involved in the sulfation of the main MDMA phase I metabolites 3,4-dihydroxymethamphetamine (DHMA) and 4-hydroxy-3-methoxymethamphetamine (HMMA) and 2) the evaluation of a possible enantioselectivity of this phase II metabolic step. Therefore, racemic DHMA and HMMA were incubated with heterologously expressed SULTs, and quantification of the sulfates by liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry was conducted. Because separation of DHMA and HMMA sulfate could not be achieved by liquid chromatography, enantioselective kinetic parameters were determined using the substrate-depletion approach with enantioselective quantification of substrate consumption by gas chromatography-negative ion chemical ionization mass spectrometry. SULT1A1 and SULT1A3 catalyzed sulfation of DHMA, and SULT1A3 and SULT1E1 catalyzed sulfation of HMMA. SULT1A1 and SULT1E1 revealed classic Michaelis-Menten kinetics, whereas SULT1A3 kinetics showed deviation from the typical Michaelis-Menten kinetics, resulting in a concentration-dependent self-inhibition. SULT1A3 showed the highest affinity and capacity of the SULT isoforms. Marked enantioselectivity could be observed for S-DHMA sulfation by SULT1A3 and in human liver cytosol, whereas no differences were observed for HMMA sulfation. Finally, comparison of Km and Vmax values calculated using achiral product formation and chiral substrate depletion showed good correlation within 2-fold of each other. In conclusion, preferences for S-enantiomers were observed for DHMA sulfation, but not for HMMA sulfation.
Integration of indoor location networks into the UMTS architecture: assistant location networks

In this paper we propose the integration of high-precision indoor location networks - such as RADAR or Bluetooth Location Networks (BLNs) - into the UMTS architecture. Thus, in our approach, such networks become assistant location networks, to improve cell-ID location precision indoors. We demonstrate that assistant location networks are scalable and propose their integration into the UMTS core network via a NBAP extension.