Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Explanation in Expert Systems : A Survey

In order to be considered useful and acceptable, expert systems must be able to explain their knowledge of the domain and the reasoning processes they employ to produce results and recommendations. Despite the fact that the need for explanation has been widely recognized, current expert systems have only limited explanatory capabilities. In this survey, we review early approaches to explanation in expert systems and discuss their limitations. We discuss improvements to the explanation capabilities based on enriched knowledge bases of expert systems. We then argue that further improvements in explanation require better generation techniques. Related work in the field of natural language generation suggests techniques that are useful to the task of explanation in expert systems; however, even those techniques will not provide all of the capabilities required for the task of carrying on a dialogue with the user. Finally, we describe our approach to explanation, which provides the facilities necessary to carry on an interactive dialogue with the user.
Off-line Signature Verification based on the Modified Direction Feature

Signature identification and verification has been a topic of interest and importance for many years in the area of biometrics. In this paper we present an effective method to perform off-line signature verification and identification. To commence the process, the signature's contour is first determined from its binary representation. Unique structural features are subsequently extracted from the signature's contour through the use of a novel combination of the modified direction feature (MDF) in conjunction with additional distinguishing features to train and test two neural network-based classifiers. A resilient back propagation neural network and a radial basis function neural network were compared. Using a publicly available database of 2106 signatures containing 936 genuine and 1170 forgeries, we obtained a verification rate of 91.12%
Model-Driven Reverse Engineering of Open Source Systems

Open source software systems have poor or inexistent documentation and contributors are often scattered or missing. The reuse-based composition and maintenance of open source software systems therefore implies that program comprehension becomes a critical activity if all the embedded behavior is to be preserved. Program comprehension has traditionally been addressed by reverse engineering techniques which retrieve system design models such as class diagrams. These abstract representations provide a key artifact during migration or evolution. However, this method may retrieve large complex class diagrams which do not ensure a suitable program comprehension. This chapter attempts to improve program comprehension by providing a model-driven reverse engineering technique with which to obtain business processes models that can be used in combination with system design models such as class diagrams. The advantage of this approach is that business processes provide a simple system viewpoint at a higher abstraction level and filter out particular technical details related to source code. The technique is fully developed and tool-supported within an R&D project about global software development in which collaborate two universities and five companies. The automation of the approach facilitates its validation and transference through an industrial case study involving two open source systems.
Pushing the Envelope: Planning, Propositional Logic and Stochastic Search

Planning is a notoriously hard combinatorial search problem. In many interesting domains, current planning algorithms fail to scale up gracefully. By combining a general, stochastic search algorithm and appropriate problem encodings based on propositional logic, we are able to solve hard planning problems many times faster than the best current planning systems. Although stochastic methods have been shown to be very effective on a wide range of scheduling problems, this is the first demonstration of its power on truly challenging classical planning instances. This work also provides a new perspective on representational issues in planning.
Using a sensitivity study to facilitate the design of a multi-electrode array to measure six cardiac conductivity values

When using the bidomain model to model the electrical activity of the heart, there are potentially six cardiac conductivity values involved: conductivity values in directions along and normal to the cardiac fibres with a sheet, as well as a conductivity value in the normal direction between the sheets, and these occur for both the extracellular and intracellular domains in the model. To date it has been common to assume that the two normal direction conductivity values are the same. However, recent work has demonstrated that six cardiac conductivity values, rather than four, are necessary for accurate modelling, which can then facilitate understanding of cardiovascular disease. To design a method to determine these conductivities, it is also necessary to design a suitable multi–electrode array, which can be used, in conjunction Email address: Barbara.Johnston@griffith.edu. au (Barbara M. Johnston) Preprint submitted to Elsevier April 19, 2013 with an inversion technique, to retrieve conductivity values from measurements of potential made on the array. This work uses the results of a study, into the sensitivity of the measuring potentials to variability in the input conductivities, to facilitate the design of an array that could be used to retrieve six cardiac conductivity values, as well as fibre rotation angle. It is found that if an electrode in the array has a much lower value of potential than the other electrodes, then it tends to be much more sensitive to the input conductivities than the other electrodes. It also appears that inclusion of this type of electrode in the set of measuring electrodes is essential for accurately retrieving conductivity values. This technique is used to identify electrodes to be included in the array and using the final design it is demonstrated, using synthetic values of potential, that the six cardiac conductivity values, and the fibre rotation angle, can be retrieved very accurately.
A Distributed Implementation of GXPath

In the last few years there has been an increasing number of application fields, like the Semantic Web, social networks, bioinformatics, astronomical databases, etc., where large graph datasets are analyzed, queried, and, more generally, manipulated. Graphs are usually queried by specifying reachability patterns through regular path expressions; this leads to the need for efficient and scalable tools for processing regular path queries on large graphs. In this work we present a distributed implementation of GXPath and show that this implementation, built on top of Hadoop MapReduce, can scale linearly with the number of vertices and/or edges.
Sensorimotor Transformation for Visually Guided Saccades

Abstract: Visually guided movements require the brain to perform a sensorimotor transformation. The key to understanding this transformation is to understand the different roles of the superior colliculus (SC) and cerebellum (CB). The SC has a three‐layered structure. Cells in the top layer have visual, but not motor, responses. However, cells in the deeper layers have both visual and motor responses. Thus, for a long time it was thought that the SC encoded both the retinal location of a sensory stimulus and the desired change in eye movement needed to acquire it. However, copious evidence has accumulated that shows that the SC encodes only the retinal location of a visual target, and not the movement needed to foveate it. Thus, the information needed to make accurate movements must come from another part of the brain, which is proposed to be the cerebellum. Here it is shown how the cerebellum could perform the sensorimotor transformation.
How to Solve It Automatically: Selection Among Problem Solving Methods

The choice of an appropriate problem-solving method, from available methods, is a crucial skill for experts in many areas. We describe a technique for the automatic selection among methods, which is based on a statistical analysis of their past performances. We formalize the statistical problem involved in selecting an efficient problem-solving method, derive a solution to this problem, and describe a method-selection algorithm. The algorithm not only chooses among available methods, but also decides when to abandon the chosen method, if it proves to take too much time. We give empirical results on the use of this technique in selecting among search engines in the PRODIGY planning system.
The re-evaluation of the measurement of pain in population-based epidemiological studies: The SHAMA study

Background: While many pain patients rely on pain-relieving treatments to manage their pain, pain-related research commonly quantifies pain status using validated questionnaires without taking into account that information. This will lead to an underestimate of the burden of pain in the community. To ensure a more accurate assessment of the prevalence and severity of pain, this study aimed to develop a pain management questionnaire and to assess how much population-based pain estimates change when pain management is considered. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional population-based study in Grampian, north-east Scotland. A total of 4600 people, aged 25 years and over, were randomly selected from a population sample frame and sent a questionnaire on pain and pain management. Population estimates of pain were determined twice: with the use of standard pain status questionnaires (‘current pain’) and with the use of a newly developed enhanced pain status questionnaire to determine patients’ estimated pain without pain management (‘all pain’). Results: The prevalence of current pain was 50.5% (95% CI = 48.0, 52.9). Of those who reported no current pain, 11.6% (95% CI = 9.4, 13.8) reported that they would have had pain had they not managed their pain. Thus, the all pain prevalence was 56.2% (95% CI = 53.7, 58.7). This difference in prevalence rates was statistically significant (difference = 5.7%; 95% CI = 2.2, 9.2). Likewise, participants’ pain severity significantly increased when they estimated their pain without pain management (p < 0.001, Wilcoxon-signed rank test). Conclusions: Failure to assess pain management information results in an underestimation of pain prevalence and severity. This should be considered in future epidemiological studies. Summary points Pain management information is currently not considered for the assessment of pain in epidemiological population-based studies. Since pain management can affect people’s pain status drastically, it is likely that we currently underestimate the true burden of pain in studies assessing pain. Incorporating self-reported pain management information in an epidemiological study of pain led to significantly increased estimates of both pain prevalence and pain severity. It is therefore crucial to collect and take into account people’s pain management information in future studies for a more accurate measurement of pain.
Targeting tumor cells via EGF receptors: Selective toxicity of an HBEGF‐toxin fusion protein

Over‐expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a hallmark of numerous solid tumors, thus providing a means of selectively targeting therapeutic agents. Heparin‐binding epidermal growth factor (HBEGF) binds to EGFRs with high affinity and to heparan sulfate proteoglycans, resulting in increased mitogenic potential compared to other EGF family members. We have investigated the feasibility of using HBEGF to selectively deliver a cytotoxic protein into EGFR‐expressing tumor cells. <0B> <0R>Recombinant fusion proteins consisting of mature human HBEGF fused to the plant ribosome‐inactivating protein saporin (SAP) were expressed in Escherichia coli. Purified HBEGF‐SAP chimeras inhibited protein synthesis in a cell‐free assay and competed with EGF for binding to receptors on intact cells. A construct with a 22‐amino‐acid flexible linker (L22) between the HBEGF and SAP moieties exhibited an affinity for the EGFR that was comparable to that of HBEGF. The sensitivity to HBEGF‐L22‐SAP was determined for a variety of human tumor cell lines, including the 60 cell lines comprising the National Cancer Institute Anticancer Drug Screen. HBEGF‐L22‐SAP was cytotoxicin vitro to a variety of EGFR‐bearing cell lines and inhibited growth of EGFR‐over‐expressing human breast carcinoma cellsin vivo. In contrast, the fusion protein had no effect on small‐cell lung carcinoma cells, which are EGFR‐deficient. Our results demonstrate that fusion proteins composed of HBEGF and SAP exhibit targeting specificity and cytotoxicity that may be of therapeutic value in treating a variety of EGFR‐bearing malignancies. Int. J. Cancer 78:106–111, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Role of Transposable Elements in Health and Diseases of the Central Nervous System

First discovered in maize by Barbara McClintock in the 1940s, transposable elements (TEs) are DNA sequences that in some cases have the ability to move along chromosomes or “transpose” in the genome. This revolutionary finding was initially met with resistance by the scientific community and viewed by some as heretical. A large body of knowledge has accumulated over the last 60 years on the biology of TEs. Indeed, it is now known that TEs can generate genomic instability and reconfigure gene expression networks both in the germline and somatic cells. This review highlights recent findings on the role of TEs in health and diseases of the CNS, which were presented at the 2013 Society for Neuroscience meeting. The work of the speakers in this symposium shows that TEs are expressed and active in the brain, challenging the dogma that neuronal genomes are static and revealing that they are susceptible to somatic genomic alterations. These new findings on TE expression and function in the CNS have major implications for understanding the neuroplasticity of the brain, which could hypothetically have a role in shaping individual behavior and contribute to vulnerability to disease.
Robust analysis of spoken input combining statistical and knowledge-based information sources

The paper is concerned with the analysis of automatic transcription of spoken input into an interlingua formalism for a speech-to-speech machine translation system. This process is based on two sub-tasks: (1) the recognition of the domain action (a speech act and a sequence of concepts); (2) the extraction of arguments consisting of feature-value information. Statistical models are used for the former, while a knowledge-based approach is employed for the latter. The paper proposes an algorithm that improves the analysis in terms of robustness and performance; it combines the scores of the statistical models with the extracted arguments, taking into account the well-formedness constraints defined by the interlingua formalism.
Molecular characterization of a putative protein disulfide isomerase from Babesia caballi

We produced a mAb against the Babesia caballi extracellular merozoite termed mAb 2H2 and used it to screen a cDNA expression library prepared from B. caballi merozoite mRNA for highly expressed proteins. The complete nucleotide sequence of the cloned gene had 1547 nucleotides and contained a 36-nucleotide intron. The 1398 nucleotide open reading frame predicts a 51 kDa protein showing similarity to protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) from other species. The PDI gene had a predicted N-terminal signal sequence of 19 amino acids and a C-terminal tetrapeptide sequence (His-Thr-Glu-Leu; HTEL) for retention in lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The recombinant protein expressed in baculovirus showed an apparent mass of 51 kDa, identical to that the native B. caballi protein. Moreover, the ER retention signal site (HTEL) of the recombinant protein retained its function in ER of insect cells. This 51 kDa protein was strongly expressed by extracelluar B. caballi merozoites in indirect immunofluorescence antibody tests, and was not expressed in the early phase of trophozoite development. Interestingly, detailed observation showed that the reaction of anti-P51 antibody and mAb 2H2 against pear-shaped forms was very erratic, some displaying one or two brightly fluorescent patterns.
Pleiotropic Associations of Risk Variants Identified for Other Cancers With Lung Cancer Risk: The PAGE and TRICL Consortia

Background Genome-wide association studies have identified hundreds of genetic variants associated with specific cancers. A few of these risk regions have been associated with more than one cancer site; however, a systematic evaluation of the associations between risk variants for other cancers and lung cancer risk has yet to be performed. Methods We included 18023 patients with lung cancer and 60543 control subjects from two consortia, Population Architecture using Genomics and Epidemiology (PAGE) and Transdisciplinary Research in Cancer of the Lung (TRICL). We examined 165 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that were previously associated with at least one of 16 non–lung cancer sites. Study-specific logistic regression results underwent meta-analysis, and associations were also examined by race/ethnicity, histological cell type, sex, and smoking status. A Bonferroni-corrected P value of 2.5×10–5 was used to assign statistical significance. Results The breast cancer SNP LSP1 rs3817198 was associated with an increased risk of lung cancer (odds ratio [OR] = 1.10; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.05 to 1.14; P = 2.8×10–6). This association was strongest for women with adenocarcinoma (P = 1.2×10–4) and not statistically significant in men (P = .14) with this cell type (P het by sex = .10). Two glioma risk variants, TERT rs2853676 and CDKN2BAS1 rs4977756, which are located in regions previously associated with lung cancer, were associated with increased risk of adenocarcinoma (OR = 1.16; 95% CI = 1.10 to 1.22; P = 1.1×10–8) and squamous cell carcinoma (OR = 1.13; CI = 1.07 to 1.19; P = 2.5×10–5), respectively. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate a novel pleiotropic association between the breast cancer LSP1 risk region marked by variant rs3817198 and lung cancer risk.
Towards Robust and Accurate Traffic Prediction Using Parallel Multiobjective Genetic Algorithms and Support Vector Regression

The support vector regression (SVR) is a very successful method in solving many difficult tasks in the area of traffic prediction. However, the performance of SVR is very sensitive to the parameters setting and the selection of input variables such as sensors providing the input data. In this paper, we describe a new method, which simultaneously optimizes the meta-parameters of SVR model and the subset of its input variables. The method is based on a multiobjective genetic algorithm. The proposed implementation is intended for a parallel environment supporting OpenMP. We evaluated the method in the tasks of data imputation, short term prediction of traffic variables and travel times prediction using real world open data. It was confirmed that the simultaneous optimization of SVR parameters and input variables provides better quality of prediction than previous methods.
Accumulated mental stress study using the meridians of traditional Chinese medicine with photoplethysmography.

OBJECTIVES To investigate accumulated mental stress according to the concept of the meridians of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). This stress was quantified by using pulse spectrum analysis of finger-tip photoplethysmography (PPG). Stress accumulation is one of the main causes of cardiovascular disease and depression in humans, resulting in chronic physiologic malfunctions; however, few studies have thoroughly assessed the quantitative evaluation of accumulative stress using the concept of TCM. DESIGN This study investigated accumulated mental stress from the perspective of TCM based on an 8-day experiment. The theory of organ resonance was integrated into the proposed PPG sensing instrument to capture the nine harmonics of TCM. Participants were given daily mental arithmetic tasks over 1 week to simulate stress accumulation, and trends in the proportion of the nine harmonics of TCM were extracted over several days and analyzed to identify the affective factors related to cumulative stress. RESULTS The experimental results showed that the kidney harmonic proportion (C2) and stomach harmonic proportion (C5) were significant only on the first few days because of a physiologic phenomenon of temporary stimulation. Most important, the trend of the liver harmonic proportion (C1) from days 3 to 8 dramatically increased and became gradually saturated because of the influence of accumulated mental stress. CONCLUSIONS The results strongly suggest that pulse spectrum analysis of the PPG signal provides physiologically and pathologically important information on accumulated mental stress and can be useful for TCM analysis.
Molecular Typing of Borrelia burgdorferiSensu Lato: Taxonomic, Epidemiological, and Clinical Implications

SUMMARY Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, the spirochete that causes human Lyme borreliosis (LB), is a genetically and phenotypically divergent species. In the past several years, various molecular approaches have been developed and used to determine the phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity within the LB-related spirochetes and their potential association with distinct clinical syndromes. These methods include serotyping, multilocus enzyme electrophoresis, DNA-DNA reassociation analysis, rRNA gene restriction analysis (ribotyping), pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, plasmid fingerprinting, randomly amplified polymorphic DNA fingerprinting analysis, species-specific PCR and PCR-based restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis, and sequence analysis of 16S rRNA and other conserved genes. On the basis of DNA-DNA reassociation analysis, 10 different Borrelia species have been described within the B. burgdorferi sensu lato complex: B. burgdorferi sensu stricto, Borrelia garinii, Borrelia afzelii, Borrelia japonica, Borrelia andersonii, Borrelia valaisiana, Borrelia lusitaniae, Borrelia tanukii, Borrelia turdi, and Borrelia bissettii sp. nov. To date, only B. burgdorferi sensu stricto, B. garinii, and B. afzelii are well known to be responsible for causing human disease. Different Borrelia species have been associated with distinct clinical manifestations of LB. In addition, Borrelia species are differentially distributed worldwide and may be maintained through different transmission cycles in nature. In this paper, the molecular methods used for typing of B. burgdorferi sensu lato are reviewed. The current taxonomic status of B. burgdorferi sensu lato and its epidemiological and clinical implications, especiallly correlation between the variable clinical presentations and the infecting Borrelia species, are discussed in detail.
The policy-practice nexus of electronic health records adoption in the UK NHS: An institutional analysis

Purpose – This paper seeks to report the findings from a seven‐year study on the UK National Health Service on the introduction of an electronic health record for 50 million citizens. It explores the relationship between policy and practice in the introduction of a large‐scale national ICT programme at an estimated value of £12.4bn. Design/methodology/approach – Using a longitudinal research method, data are collected on the policy‐practice nexus. The paper applies institutional theory using a conceptual model by Tolbert and Zucker on the component processes of institutionalisation.Findings – The findings suggest that institutional forces act as a driver and an inhibitor to introducing enabling technologies in the health‐care environment. A process analysis shows that, as electronic health records force disruptive change on clinicians, healthcare managers and patients, culturally embedded norms, values and behavioural patterns serve to impede the implementation process.Research limitations/implications – T.