Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
JC Virus Leuko-Encephalopathy in Reduced Intensity Conditioning Cord Blood Transplant Recipient with a Review of the Literature

We report here the case of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) related to human polyomavirus JC (JCV) infection after an allogeneic transplantation with umbilical cord blood cells in 59-year-old woman with follicular Non Hodgkin lymphoma. She presented with dysphagia and weakness; magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated marked signal abnormality in the sub-cortical white matter of the left frontal lobe and in the posterior limb of the right internal capsule. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was positive for John Cunningham (JC) virus. JC viral DNA in the CSF was positive, establishing the diagnosis of PML. Brain biopsy was not done. Extensive investigations for other viral infections seen in immuno-compromised patients were negative. The patient’s neurologic deficits rapidly increased throughout her hospital stay, and she died one month after the diagnosis. These findings could have practical implications and demonstrate that in patients presenting neurological symptoms and radiological signs after UCBT, the JCV encephalitis must be early suspected.
A Benchmark For Classifier Learning

Although many algorithms for learning from examples have been developed and many comparisons have been reported, there is no generally accepted benchmark for classiier learning. The existence of a standard benchmark would greatly assist such comparisons. Sixteen dimensions are proposed to describe classiication tasks. Based on these, thirteen real-world and synthetic datasets are chosen by a set covering method from the UCI Repository of machine learning databases to form such a benchmark.
Factored particle filtering for data fusion and situation assessment in urban environments

We present and demonstrate a particle filtering approach to data fusion and situation assessment for military operations in urban environments. Our approach views such an environment as a physical system whose state vector is composed of a large number of both discrete and continuous variables representing properties of tracked entities. Inference on such vector-based models exploits both causal dependencies among variables in the state vector via its dynamic Bayesian belief network representation and vector decomposition into weakly interacting subcomponents. To effectively leverage the decomposition, instead of straightforward particle filtering, the proposed algorithm maintains factored particles over clusters of state variables, thus resulting in smaller variance. The algorithm samples discrete modes and approximates the continuous variables by a multi-normal distribution updated at each time step by an unscented Kalman filter. The approach is demonstrated using a Marine Corps operational scenario involving a potential ambush on city streets.
Optimal schedule strategy of battery energy storage systems for peak load shifting based on interior point method

In this paper, the peak load shifting mathematical optimization model of battery energy storage system (BESS) in a micro-grid is established. The interior point method has been used to solve the model and obtain each scheduling period's BESS power, as a result, can achieve the optimal operation of BESS and the peak load shifting purpose in the micro-grid. An islanding micro-grid was adopted for simulation analysis. The simulation results show that the peak load shifting effect using energy storage is excellent. It is compared with constant power charging and discharging method and the results show that the load curve obtained by the proposed method in this paper was more smoothing than the constant power charging and discharging method and the peak load shifting effect proposed in this paper is also more excellent.
Fostering synergies: how semantic web technology could influence software repositories

The state-of-the-art in mining software repositories stores software artifacts from various sources into monolithic relational databases. This puts a lot of querying power in the hands of the software miners, however it comes at the cost of enclosing the data and hamper cross-application reuse. In this paper we discuss four problem scenarios to illustrate that Semantic Web technology is able to overcome these limitations. However, it requires that the software engineering research community agrees on two prerequisites: (a) a common vocabulary to talk about software repositories -- an ontology; (b) a strategy for generating unique and stable references to all software artifacts inside such a repository -- a Universal Resource Identifier (URI).
Democratic reinforcement: learning via self-organization

The problem of learning in the absence of external intelligence is discussed in the context of a simple model. The model consists of a set of randomly connected, or layered integrate-and fire neurons. Inputs to and outputs from the environment are connected randomly to subsets of neurons. The connections between firing neurons are strengthened or weakened according to whether the action is successful or not. The model departs from the traditional gradient-descent based approaches to learning by operating at a highly susceptible ``critical`` state, with low activity and sparse connections between firing neurons. Quantitative studies on the performance of our model in a simple association task show that by tuning our system close to this critical state we can obtain dramatic gains in performance.
Interaction patterns of physical education teachers in a professional learning community

ABSTRACT Background: In both general education and physical education literature, considerable attention is paid to identifying the effectiveness of communities of practice (CoPs). This literature tends to be more qualitative in nature with less research examining the quantitative nature of interactions in CoPs through direct observation. Purpose: This study examined the ways teachers interact within a newly-developed community (LC) /CoP to understand how conversations evolve; how teachers question, challenge, and/or encourage one another to grow professionally in a learning community. Theoretical Framework: Situated learning perspectives provide a powerful framework for examining teacher learning and facilitation of teacher development. Method: Bales’s Interaction Process Analysis Tool (IPA) was selected for analyzing the socio-emotional and task-oriented communication between members of the LC/CoP. Six physical education teachers (four female, two male) and a facilitator, representing the university, participated in LC/CoP meetings designed in collaboration between teachers and the facilitator. The data source was audio-taped transcripts taken of teacher interactions during six weeks of LC/CoP meetings. Findings: Results revealed three main interactive patterns that emerged from analysis of participant interactions during the six LC/CoP meetings. These patterns were; 1) Variable member interactions; 2) Member roles; and 3) Personal interaction pattern development. By coding participant interactions as they occur allowed us to understand and analyze directly what and how LC/CoP members actually talked at the initial stages of community development. Conclusion: The contribution of this study is to use an interaction analysis tool to conceptualize the communicative actions that emerge through a LC/CoP and provide practical insight into the gap in the literature relative to how conversations evolve in a CoP; how teachers question, challenge, and/or encourage one another to grow professionally. Ultimately linking an interactive analysis tool with a well-structured qualitative research component to provide participant voice, feelings and behaviours would provide more robust rusults.
Stochastic Epidemic Networks with Strategic Link Formation

Understanding cascading failures or epidemics in networks is crucial for developing effective defensive mechanisms for many critical systems and infrastructures (e.g. biological, social and cyber networks). Most of the existing works treat the network topology as being exogenously given and study under what conditions an epidemic breaks out and/or extinguishes. However, if agents are able to strategically decide their connections according to their own self-interest, the network will instead be endogenously formed and evolving. In such systems, the epidemic, agents' strategic decisions and the network structure become complexly coupled and co-evolve. As a result, existing knowledge may no longer be applicable. Built on a continuous time Susceptible-Infected-Susceptible epidemic model with strong mixing, this paper studies stochastic epidemic networks consisting of strategic agents, who decide the number of links to form based on a careful evaluation of its current obtainable benefit and the potential future cost due to infection by forming links. A game theoretical framework is developed to analyze such networks and a number of important insights are obtained. One key result is that whereas an epidemic eventually dies out if the effective spreading rate is sufficiently low in exogenously given networks, it never dies out when agents are strategic regardless of the effective spreading rate. This property leads to reduced achievable system efficiency and considerably different optimal protection mechanisms. Without understanding the strategic behavior of agents, significant security cost may incur.
Cultural Diversity: A Case Study on Assessing the Present and Planning for the Future

Cultural Diversity Council (CDC) is a rural community-based nonprofit organization serving the counties of Chippewa, Lac Qui Parle, and Yellow Medicine in the Western Central Minnesota. According to the US Census Bureau (2000), the total population of these three counties is 32,235 with a total minority population of 1,151, which is approximately 3.57% of the total population (2000). The number of diverse populations in the area is likely to continue to rise. As such, there are increasing issues in the areas of housing, education, health care, banking and credit, socialization, recreation, language assistance, citizenship, legal advocacy, food, and spiritual issues. However, at present there are not adequate infrastructures to properly address such issues. Thus, the purpose of this study is to develop an understanding of the realities of people of color in these counties. The study further attempts to develop an understanding of the interactions of these diverse individuals and the community at large. The results of the study will also enable the CDC to better understand the social structures within the community in these counties; how the CDC can work with other community providers and networks to better promote and utilize the strengths of the residents; support their goals; and respond to the needs and issues that most concern them.
The Rule Set Based Access Control (RSBAC) Framework for Linux

RSBAC (“Rule Set Based Access Control”) is an open source security extension for Linux kernels based on the Generalized Framework for Access Control (GFAC). It is a kernel-based access control scheme, which can be configured with a set of security policies chosen from a provided set of options and which can be used to significantly enhance Linux system security. In this paper, we present the RSBAC system architecture, the RSBAC security policy components and outline the RSBAC implementation. Besides, we briefly compare RSBAC with other Linux kernel-based access control projects.
The Stock Market Reaction to a Change in Certifying Accountant

This study investigates the stock market's reaction to a change in certifying accountant using standard event-time methodology and examines potential factors influencing the market reaction. Factors potentially affecting the market reaction to this event include agency costs, information levels, audit quality changes, and financial condition. The research is of interest because the SEC has expressed much concern about the practice of opinion shopping-switching to an auditor who agrees to accede to questionable accounting practices in order to further management's goals. Although many auditor switches are legitimate decisions made for the benefit of shareholders (e.g., obtaining a less expensive audit firm or one with a wider range of services), the SEC is deeply concerned that even the appearance of opinion shopping will destroy public confidence in the marketplace. Motivated by the public confidence hypothesis, the SEC has undertaken efforts to discourage the practice of opinion shopping. Given the SEC's expenditure of resources on the problem, it would be interesting to know how the market reacts to an auditor switch. A significant negative reaction by the market to auditor switches would be an indication that the investing public perceives these switches as opportunistic behavior by management. Alternatively, if the market ignores auditor switches, there would be evidence that the public does not perceive opinion shopping to be a pervasive problem. Previous research on this question has resulted in conflicting evidence. Analyzing this issue with a different sample will provide one more piece of evidence in the debate, but more importantly, the analysis of variables affecting the market reaction provides information useful for future research. The data support a finding that the market ignores auditor switches; however, we also find evidence that this result could be caused by a failure to control for agency costs and information level.
RDF Representation of Metadata for Semantic Integration of Corporate Information Resources

In this paper, we will discuss the use of RDF-based metadata to achieve the semantic integration of corporate information resources. This approach uses the Resource Description Framework (RDF) and Resource Description Framework Schema (RDFS) for the representation of all metadata characterizing the content of the information source as well as an interlinqua for standardizing all communications between system components. We will discuss the integration architecture and describe the metadata structures used. We will also describe how metadata facilitates information browsing and a practical approach to query optimization.
A quantitative analysis of the endocytic pathway in baby hamster kidney cells

A morphological analysis of the compartments of the endocytic pathway in baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells has been made using the fluid-phase marker horseradish peroxidase (HRP). The endocytic structures labeled after increasing times of endocytosis have been identified and their volume and surface densities measured. In the first 2 min of HRP uptake the volume density of the labeled structures increased rapidly and thereafter remained constant for the next 13-18 min. This plateau represents the volume density of endosome organelles and accounts for 0.65% of the cytoplasmic volume (or 6.8 microns 3 per cell). The labeled structures consist of tubular-cisternal elements which are frequently observed in continuity with 300-400 nm vesicles. After 15-20 min of internalization the volume density of HRP-labeled structures again increased rapidly and reached a second plateau between 30 and 60 min of labeling. This second increase corresponded to detectable levels of HRP reaching later, acid phosphatase (AcPase)-reactive compartments. These structures, comprising the prelysosomes and lysosomes, were mostly vesicular and collectively accounted for 3.5% of the cytoplasmic volume (or 37 microns 3 per cell). The absolute peripheral surface areas of the two classes of organelles (endosomes and prelysosomes/lysosomes) were estimated to be 430 and 370 microns 2 per cell, respectively. The volume of fluid internalized in the first 2 min of uptake was five- to sevenfold less than the volume of the compartment labeled in this time. To account for these results we propose that, after uptake from the cell surface, HRP is delivered to, and diluted in, endosomes that are preexisting organelles initially devoid of the marker. With increasing times of endocytosis the concentration of HRP in the early endosomes increases, as more of the marker enters this compartment. An elevation in HRP concentration in endosomes during the early time points was shown directly using anti- HRP antibodies and colloidal gold on cryosections. The stereological values given in the present study, in combination with earlier studies, provide a minimum estimate for both the total surface area of membranes and the rate of membrane synthesis in a BHK cell.
Una simulación de los efectos de la reforma del IRPF sobre la carga impositiva

The new Personal Income Tax Law came into force in January 2007. The main changes with respect to the previous regulation are the new tax treatment of personal and family circumstances and saving returns. This study aims to quantify the overall effect of the reform on tax revenue and to assess its redistributive impact by considering the different main income sources. In order to attain these objectives, we have used a Instituto de Estudios Fiscales sample of 2002 income tax returns to construct a baseline scenario for 2007 to simulate the reform. The reform will involve a moderate tax cut in relation to the baseline scenario. However, in relative terms, the tax reduction will be especially intense for lowest income and joint returns. The simulations show that when returns from saving are predominant fiscal burdens would be barely affected, although some disparities are observed within these returns depending on the specific kind of income. In this respect, the returns where dividend income and capital gains are predominant would suffer from a less favourable treatment with the reform, whereas the tax burden for those with interests as the major source of income would be reduced. Moreover, pensioners, recipients of business and professional incomes and dependent employees, though to a lower extent, would benefit from lower taxes. The changes in the tax rates and the new tax treatment of personal and family circumstances are estimated to be the main elements behind the tax reduction, followed by the increase of the allowance for dependent employment. Conversely, the tax burden would be scantly affected by new treatment of saving returns and capital gains. However, leaving aside the effects derived from the new treatment of dividend income, which would tend to increase tax payments, the implementation of a separate savings base would contribute to lower the tax burden. Lastly, the reform of the personal income tax is estimated to increase progressivity moderately, although lower tax revenues will imply lower redistributive capacity. It is worth noting that the underlying assumptions for the baseline scenario, the static nature of the simulation exercise and the lack of consideration of the population changes occurred since 2002 call for the results in this paper to be taken with due caution.
Surgical Management of Symptomatic Posterior Circulation Aneurysms

Surgical treatment of posterior circulation aneurysms is more difficult than surgical treatment of anterior circulation aneurysms and poses a greater technical challenge for the practicing neurosurgeon. There are different surgical options available for the surgical treatment of posterior circulation aneurysms despite the use of the pterional approach to anterior circulation aneurysms. We present our surgical experiences with three cases of posterior circulation aneurysms. Three cases of posterior circulation aneurysms were treated by surgical clipping. We preferred pterional approach for posterior cerebral artery aneurysms, infratentorial supracerebellar approach for superior cerebellar aneurysm, and the combined lateral supracerebellar infratentorial retrosigmoid approach for vertebrobasilar junction aneurysm. The morbidity and mortality associated with open surgery for posterior circulation aneurysms are higher because of the location of the aneurysms within the posterior fossa. For neurosurgeons, the surgical treatment of posterior circulation aneurysms can be challenging.
Presence of a transcriptionally active glucocorticoid receptor α in Lens epithelial cells

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to determine whether lens epithelial cells (LECs) contain a glucocorticoid receptor (GR) that is transcriptionally active and that is able to induce production of known glucocorticoid-inducible proteins. METHODS Protein and mRNA were obtained from human, rabbit, and bovine lens epithelia and from cultured human lens epithelial cells (B3, hLECs) and rabbit lens epithelial cells (N/N1003A, rLECs). Paraffin-embedded sections were prepared from human lenses for immunohistochemical localization of GR. RT-PCR was performed to amplify portions of GR, and the products were sequenced. Protein samples were analyzed by Western blot. hLECs and rLECs were transfected with pTAT3-luc and assayed for luciferase activity after treatment with dexamethasone (Dex) and/or RU486. Dex-treated LECs were also analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR and by Western blot for expression of specific mRNA and proteins. RESULTS By PCR and sequencing, products consistent with GR sequences were obtained from human, rabbit, and bovine lenses and from hLECs and rLECs. The complete GRalpha sequence was obtained from rLECs and was found to be 89% identical with human GR. A 1757-bp 3' fragment of bovine GRalpha cDNA was also amplified from bovine lens. By Western blot, bands of approximately 94 kDa, the expected size of GR, were identified from human, rabbit, and bovine lens samples and from hLECs and rLECs, using anti-GR antibodies. Anti-GR antisera localized GR to both the cytosol of anterior and bow region LECs and to the nuclei of epithelial and early-differentiating lens fiber cells. Luciferase expression was induced in pTAT3-luc-transfected rLECs and hLECs by Dex treatment and this expression was partially (rLECs) or completely (hLECs) blocked by pretreatment with RU486. mRNA levels for type-1 glucocorticoid-induced target genes and also mRNA and protein levels for type-2 genes were upregulated after Dex exposure. CONCLUSIONS The data confirm the existence of GR in hLECs, indicate that GR is present in rLECs, and resolve the controversy over the presence of GR in bovine lens. The GRalpha in hLECs and rLECs was shown to be transcriptionally active and the expression levels in hLECs of mRNAs and proteins known to be regulated by glucocorticoids were modified in these cells by glucocorticoid treatment.
Using the Matérn covariance function for Maximum Likelihood Estimation of Fractal Dimension

scale-free measure of irregularity or ‘roughness’ of patterns. If ( ) { } d t : t Z R ∈ is a stationary Gaussian stochastic process, whose realization is a d-dimensional geometric structure in 1 + R d (i.e. a curve or profile if d=1 and a surface if d=2), the fractal dimension is always 1 + ≤ < d D d . If Z(t) is very smooth we have a fractal dimension close to d, while D approaches d+1 if the structure is extremely rough. A variety of methods have been proposed to determine the fractal dimension. Some of the most well known methods are: box-counting method, walking-dividers method, spectral method and variogram method. Each of them requires the estimation of a slope coefficient in a log-linear regression based on m points near the origin (Taylor and Taylor, 1991; Kent and Wood, 1997). In any case, the problem is that an estimate of the fractal dimension is difficult to produce directly, so an alternative approach is to calculate an estimate of a quantity called fractal index, δ, which is determined by the behaviour near the origin of the covariance function, and is generally more accessible than D itself. In particular, for a stationary Gaussian process ( ) { } d t : t Z R ∈ with covariance function ( ) ( ) { } h t Z t Z h C + = , cov ) ( , the fractal dimension is given by