Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Towards a Pattern Language for the Design of Collaborative Interactive Systems

Nowadays, the design of interactive systems addresses diverse communities of end users, each belonging to a certain culture, having a role in the context/domain and using a specific digital platform. More than often, they come together and collaborate in performing their work tasks and need to be supported by virtual interactive systems. This brings a set of challenges and design problems to be faced by interaction designers focused on the design of collaborative interactive systems. The present paper focuses on one approach to overcome these challenges – by making available the knowledge and wisdom within a team of designers to each and every designer in the team by the definition of pattern languages, organized as sets of multimedia, multimodal documents accessible and manageable in the Web. A design pattern language comprises a set of inter-related design patterns able to address interaction design problems and to allow the accumulation and use of knowledge within a team of designers. This paper identifies and describes a set of design patterns addressing the design of collaborative interactive systems together with the possible relationships among them and the operations made available to designers for managing and using the patterns.
Humanizing murine IgG3 anti-GD2 antibody m3F8 substantially improves antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity while retaining targeting in vivo

Murine IgG3 anti-GD2 antibody m3F8 has shown anti-neuroblastoma activity in Phase I/II studies, where antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) played a key role. Humanization of m3F8 should circumvent human anti-mouse antibody (HAMA) response and enhance its ADCC properties to reduce dosing and pain side effect. Chimeric 3F8 (ch3F8) and humanized 3F8 (hu3F8-IgG1 and hu3F8-IgG4) were produced and purified by protein A affinity chromatography. In vitro comparison was made with m3F8 and other anti-GD2 antibodies in binding, cytotoxicity, and cross-reactivity assays. In GD2 binding studies by SPR, ch3F8 and hu3F8 maintained KD comparable to m3F8. Unlike other anti-GD2 antibodies, m3F8, ch3F8 and hu3F8 had substantially slower koff. Similar to m3F8, both ch3F8 and hu3F8 inhibited tumor cell growth in vitro, while cross-reactivity with other gangliosides was comparable to that of m3F8. Both peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC)-ADCC and polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN)-ADCC of ch3F8 and hu3F8-IgG1 were more potent than m3F8. This superiority was consistently observed in ADCC assays, irrespective of donors or NK-92MI-transfected human CD16 or CD32, whereas complement mediated cytotoxicity (CMC) was reduced. As expected, hu3F8-IgG4 had near absent PBMC-ADCC and CMC. Hu3F8 and m3F8 had similar tumor-to-non tumor ratios in biodistribution studies. Anti-tumor effect against neuroblastoma xenografts was better with hu3F8-IgG1 than m3F8. In conclusion, humanizing m3F8 produced next generation anti-GD2 antibodies with substantially more potent ADCC in vitro and anti-tumor activity in vivo. By leveraging ADCC over CMC, they may be clinically more effective, while minimizing pain and HAMA side effects. A Phase I trial using hu3F8-IgG1 is ongoing.
Origin and Future of Plasmonic Optical Tweezers

Plasmonic optical tweezers can overcome the diffraction limits of conventional optical tweezers and enable the trapping of nanoscale objects. Extension of the trapping and manipulation of nanoscale objects with nanometer position precision opens up unprecedented opportunities for applications in the fields of biology, chemistry and statistical and atomic physics. Potential applications include direct molecular manipulation, lab-on-a-chip applications for viruses and vesicles and the study of nanoscale transport. This paper reviews the recent research progress and development bottlenecks and provides an overview of possible future directions in this field.
Estimation of evapotranspiration over the terrestrial ecosystems in China

Quantifying regional evapotranspiration (ET) and environmental constraints are particularly important for understanding water and carbon cycles of terrestrial ecosystems. However, a large uncertainty in the regional estimation of ET still remains for the terrestrial ecosystems in China. This study used ET measurements of 34 eddy covariance sites within China and adjacent regions to examine the performance of the revised Remote Sensing‐Penman Monteith (RS‐PM) model over various ecosystem types including forests, grasslands, wetlands and croplands. No significant systematic error was found in the revised RS‐PM model predictions, which explained 61% of the ET variations at all of the validation sites. Regional patterns of ET at a spatial resolution of 10 × 10 km were quantified using a meteorology dataset from 753 meteorological stations, Modern Era Retrospective‐analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) reanalysis products and satellite data such as the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) leaf area index. ET decreased from the southeast of China toward the northwest. Relatively high ET values were found in the southern China such as Yunnan, Hainan, Fujian and Guangdong Provinces, whereas low ET values occurred in northwestern China such as in the Xinjiang autonomous region. On average, the annual ET presented an increasing trend during the 1982–2009, with relatively low ET in 1985, 1993, 1997, 2000 and 2009. We found that the mean annual ET was higher than world average, ranging spatially between 484 and 521 mm yr−1, with a mean value of 500 mm yr−1, which accounted for approximately 5·6–8·3% of the world's total land‐surface ET. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
MLSE receiver using the particle filtering over a multipath fading channel

Instead of reduced-state decision-feedback sequence estimation (DFSE) equalization which is the state-of-the-art solution for the complexity reduction of the full-state Viterbi decoder over a multipath fading channel, we propose a new reduced complexity maximum likelihood sequence detector (MLSD) based on the particle filtering technique. The computational complexity of this new detector is adapted according to the signal-to-noise ratio. Compared to the DFSE detector the particle detector offers a better trade-off between performance and computational complexity.
Genome-Wide Association Studies of Multiple Keratinocyte Cancers

There is strong evidence for a role of environmental risk factors involved in susceptibility to develop multiple keratinocyte cancers (mKCs), but whether genes are also involved in mKCs susceptibility has not been thoroughly investigated. We investigated whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are associated with susceptibility for mKCs. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 1,666 cases with mKCs and 1,950 cases with single KC (sKCs; controls) from Harvard cohorts (the Nurses' Health Study [NHS], NHS II, and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study) and the Framingham Heart Study was carried-out using over 8 million SNPs (stage-1). We sought to replicate the most significant statistical associations (p-value≤ 5.5x10-6) in an independent cohort of 574 mKCs and 872 sKCs from the Rotterdam Study. In the discovery stage, 40 SNPs with suggestive associations (p-value ≤5.5x10-6) were identified, with eight independent SNPs tagging all 40 SNPs. The most significant SNP was located at chromosome 9 (rs7468390; p-value = 3.92x10-7). In stage-2, none of these SNPs replicated and only two of them were associated with mKCs in the same direction in the combined meta-analysis. We tested the associations for 19 previously reported basal cell carcinoma-related SNPs (candidate gene association analysis), and found that rs1805007 (MC1R locus) was significantly associated with risk of mKCs (p-value = 2.80x10-4). Although the suggestive SNPs with susceptibility for mKCs were not replicated, we found that previously identified BCC variants may also be associated with mKC, which the most significant association (rs1805007) located at the MC1R gene.
Impacts of packet scheduling and packet loss distribution on FEC Performances: observations and recommendations

Forward Error Correction (FEC) is commonly used for content broadcasting. The performance of the FEC codes largely vary, depending in particular on the code used and on the object size, and these parameters have already been studied in detail by the community. However the FEC performances are also largely dependent on the packet scheduling used during transmission and on the loss pattern introduced by the channel. Little attention has been devoted to these aspects so far. Therefore the present paper analyzes their impacts on the three FEC codes: LDGM Staircase, LDGM Triangle, two large block codes, and Reed-Solomon. Thanks to this analysis, we define several recommendations on how to best use these codes, depending on the test case and on the channel, which turns out to be of utmost importance.
Different Approaches for Treating Multilevel Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy: A Retrospective Study of 153 Cases from a Single Spinal Center

Objective The optimal surgical treatment for multilevel cervical spondylotic myelopathy (MCSM) remains controversial. This study compared the outcomes of three surgical approaches for MSCM treatment, focusing on the efficacy and safety of a combined approach. Methods This retrospective study included 153 consecutive MCSM patients (100 men, 53 women; mean age ± standard deviation, 55.7 ± 9.4 years) undergoing operations involving ≥3 intervertebral segments. The patients were divided into three groups according to surgical approach: anterior (n = 19), posterior (n = 76), and combined (n = 58). We assessed demographic variables, perioperative parameters, and clinical outcomes ≥12 months after surgery (20.5 ± 7.6 months), including Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score, improvement, recovery rate, and complications. Results The anterior group had the most favorable preoperative conditions, including the highest preoperative JOA score (12.95 ± 1.86, p = 0.046). In contrast, the combined group had the highest occupancy ratio (48.0% ± 11.6%, p = 0.002). All groups showed significant neurological improvement at final follow-ups, with JOA recovery rates of 59.7%, 54.6%, and 68.9% in the anterior, posterior, and combined groups, respectively (p = 0.163). After multivariable adjustments, the groups did not have significantly different clinical outcomes (postoperative JOA score, p = 0.424; improvement, p = 0.424; recovery rate, p = 0.080). Further, subgroup analyses of patients with occupancy ratios ≥50% showed similar functional outcomes following the posterior and combined approaches. Overall complication rates did not differ significantly among the three approaches (p = 0.600). Occupancy ratios did not have a significant negative influence on postoperative recovery following the posterior approach. Conclusions If applied appropriately, all three approaches are effective for treating MCSM. All three approaches had equivalent neurological outcomes, even in subgroups with high occupancy ratios. Further investigations of surgical approaches to MCSM are needed, particularly prospective multicenter studies with long-term follow-up.
Regulatory T-Cells and Associated Pathways in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma (mRCC) Patients Undergoing DC-Vaccination and Cytokine-Therapy

Purpose To evaluate CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ T regulatory cells (TREG) and associated immune-regulatory pathways in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) patients and healthy volunteers. We subsequently investigated the effects of immunotherapy on circulating TREG combining an extensive phenotype examination, DNA methylation analysis and global transcriptome analysis. Design Eighteen patients with mRCC and twelve volunteers (controls) were available for analysis. TREG phenotype was examined using flow cytometry (FCM). TREG were also quantified by analyzing the epigenetic status of the FOXP3 locus using methylation specific PCR. As a third approach, RNA of the PBL was hybridized to Affymetrix GeneChip Human Gene 1.0 ST Arrays and the gene signatures were explored using pathway analysis. Results We observed higher numbers of TREG in pre-treatment PBL of mRCC patients compared to controls. A significant increase in TREG was detected in all mRCC patients after the two cycles of immunotherapy. The expansion of TREG was significantly higher in non-responders than in responding patients. Methylation specific PCR confirmed the FCM data and circumvented the variability and subjectivity of the FCM method. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) of the microarray data showed significant enrichment of FOXP3 target genes, CTLA-4 and TGF-ß associated pathways in the patient cohort. Conclusion Immune monitoring of the peripheral blood and tumor tissue is important for a wide range of diseases and treatment strategies. Adoption of methodology for quantifying TREG with the least variability and subjectivity will enhance the ability to compare and interpret findings across studies.
Prediction of process induced shape distortions and residual stresses in large fibre reinforced composite laminates: With application to Wind Turbine Blades

The present thesis is devoted to numerical modelling of ther momechanical phenomena occurring during curing in the manufacture of large fibre reinf orced polymer matrix composites with thick laminate sections using vacuum assisted res in transfer moulding (VARTM1). The main application of interest in this work is modelling ma nufacturing induced shape distortions and residual stresses in commercial wind turbi ne composite blades. Key mechanisms known to contribute to shape distortions and residua l stress build-up are reviewed and the underlying theories used to model these mechanisms a re presented. The main mechanisms of thermal-, chemicaland mechanical origin ar e; (i) the thermal expansion mismatch of the constitutive composite materials, layer an d tooling, (ii) chemical cure shrinkage of the composite matrix material and (iii) the too ling (i.e. the mould, inserts etc.) influence on the composite part. In the modelling approach taken in the current study, 1D and 3 D thermomechanical models are utilized. A 1D thermomechanical model in a finite diff erence (FD) framework, capable of predicting heat transfer, internal heat generat ion, cure degree development, as well as process induced in-plane strains and residual stres ses i initially presented. This 1D model is the framework for the first attempt at a void growth model, capable of predicting the laminate through-thickness discretized void s ize distribution, as a function of processing parameters. Using a 3D thermomechanical finite element (FE) model in ABAQ US, different constitutive modelling approaches are investigated, including a cure hardening instantaneous linear elastic (CHILE) approach, a viscoelastic approach a nd a path-dependent approach. The latter is a limiting case of viscoelasticity. These appr oaches are investigated with regards to their accuracy in predicting process induced str ain and stress development in thick section laminates during curing, and more precisely r ga ding the evolution of the composite thermoset polymer matrix mechanical behaviour d uring the phase transitions experienced during curing. The different constitutive app roaches are utilized in various case studies and compared, where possible, to experimental r sults from measured in situ internal total strains in laminates using embedded fibre Bra gg grating (FBG) sensors. Due to reasonable model accuracy, ease of implementation an d use of relatively simply obtained material characterization data, the CHILE and pat h-dependent approaches are found to be most favorable. It is shown that use of the viscoel astic approach to accurately predict process induced strains and stresses in modelling m a ufacturing cases where mild tooling constraints on the composite part exist, is not viab le. In a final case study, process Also known as Vacuum Infusion or Vacuum Infusion Resin Trans fer Moulding
Performance Evaluation of Peer-to-Peer Gaming Overlays

In this demo we present a performance evaluation testbed for peer-to-peer gaming overlays. It consists of a 3D first person shooter game that is designed to run in a simulated network environment as well as on a real network. Simulation with autonomous players (bots) guarantees scalability, a controlled workload, and reproducible results; a prototype deployment on a real network can then validate the simulation results. The information dissemination overlay pSense is implemented as a first subject for evaluation.
Wideband Circularly Polarized Antipodal Curvedly Tapered Slot Antenna Array for 5G Applications

This paper presents and characterizes a novel high gain circularly polarized (CP) antenna array for 5G applications. The array element is an antipodal curvedly tapered slot antenna (ACTSA) generating circularly polarized field. The CP ACTSA fed by substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) is convenient to integrate with substrates. By introducing two sheet metals on the two sides of the rectangular Rogers 6002 substrate, an impedance bandwidth of 18.2%, a wide 3-dB axial ratio (AR) bandwidth of 16.9%, and stable gain of 8 ± 0.6 dBic over the operating band are achieved. By employing the proposed CP ACTSA as radiating elements, a 4 × 4 high-gain wideband antenna array is proposed for 5G <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$E$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-band and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$W$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-band millimeter-wave applications. Fabrications are carried out using wire cutting electrical discharge machine and print circuit board process, which have advantages of low cost. The whole feeding network is realized by SIW with low insertion loss at millimeter-wave band. Benefiting from the wide impedance and AR bandwidth of the new antenna element, good impedance matching and AR characteristics can be achieved over the whole working frequency band from 81 to 95 GHz by this antenna array. Gain up to 18.5 ± 1.3 dBic is also obtained.
The effect of provider‐level ascertainment bias on profiling nursing homes by J. Roy and V. Mor, Statistics in Medicine 2005; 24(23):3609–3629

From: Byron J. Gajewski Schools of Allied Health and Nursing, Center for Biostatistics and Advanced Informatics, The University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, U.S.A. Greg Petroski Biostatistics Group,University of Missouri Health Care,Columbia,MO 65212,U.S.A. Sarah Thompson University of Kansas School of Nursing, Kansas City, KS 66160, U.S.A. Nancy Dunton University of Kansas School of Nursing, Kansas City, KS 66160, U.S.A. Marcia Wrona Department of Biometry, University of Kansas School of Allied Health, Kansas City, KS 66160, U.S.A. Annette Becker University of Kansas School of Nursing, Kansas City, KS 66160, U.S.A. Valorie Co and University of Kansas School of Nursing, Kansas City, KS 66160, U.S.A.
Pathogenesis of Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease: Similarities, Differences and a Lot of Things We Do Not Know Yet

The pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), such as ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD) is complex, and our knowledge on the topic is constantly growing. The two disorders are distinct, yet overlap in their clinical manifestations and underlying causes. This review aims to provide a broad overview of the numerous pathogenetic factors that can lead to the development of IBD, focusing on novel findings and on the differences between UC and CD. Recent advances in genetics have identified new components in the pathogenesis, as an example, the importance of Th17 lymphocytes and the IL-17/IL-23 pathway have been highlighted in both diseases, apart from the previously known Th1-Th2 driven processes. Genetic background of increased permeability has been explored in UC, and the role of defective autophagy was recently described in CD. Genetic alterations can lead to an exaggerated immune response to the resident microbial flora. This microflora is altered in IBD patients, probably due to their reduced ability to stabilize its bacterial components and due to different environmental factors. An exhaustive exploration of environmental factors is particularly important, as they can be influential in many cases. The impact of smoking is the most established environmental factor, having deleterious effects in CD and protective in UC. Recent opinions on other factors, such as early appendectomy, diet, reduced vitamin D levels, the use of specific medications, breastfeeding, personal hygiene and psychological factors are also discussed. Epigenetics, a new field of research, links environmental factors to genetics. Understanding these factors is of great significance as changing lifestyles and improving life circumstances have started to increase the prevalence of IBD also in developing countries.
A Distributed Sequential Algorithm for Collaborative Intrusion Detection Networks

Collaborative intrusion detection networks are often used to gain better detection accuracy and cost efficiency as compared to a single host-based intrusion detection system (IDS). Through cooperation, it is possible for a local IDS to detect new attacks that may be known to other experienced acquaintances. In this paper, we present a sequential hypothesis testing method for feedback aggregation for each individual IDS in the network. Our simulation results corroborate our theoretical results and demonstrate the properties of cost efficiency and accuracy compared to other heuristic methods. The analytical result on the lower-bound of the average number of acquaintances for consultation is essential for the design and configuration of IDSs in a collaborative environment.
The Myth of the Angry Atheist

ABSTRACT Atheists are often portrayed in the media and elsewhere as angry individuals. Although atheists disagree with the pillar of many religions, namely the existence of a God, it may not necessarily be the case that they are angry individuals. The prevalence and accuracy of angry-atheist perceptions were examined in 7 studies with 1,677 participants from multiple institutions and locations in the United States. Studies 1–3 revealed that people believe atheists are angrier than believers, people in general, and other minority groups, both explicitly and implicitly. Studies 4–7 then examined the accuracy of these beliefs. Belief in God, state anger, and trait anger were assessed in multiple ways and contexts. None of these studies supported the idea that atheists are particularly angry individuals. Rather, these results support the idea that people believe atheists are angry individuals, but they do not appear to be angrier than other individuals in reality.
Ethical issues and guidelines when conducting HCI studies with animals

The number of studies in the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) with animals has increased in recent years. When planning and carrying out the studies with animals, it is important and necessary to take into account the welfare of the animals as well as deal with the short- and long-term effects of the developed technology and related interventions on animal welfare. This paper addresses the ethical issues, presents the key concepts and provides guidelines for carrying out studies with animals based on a literature review. The guidelines cover the phases from planning of the studies, to carrying out and reporting the studies.