Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
White Matter Abnormalities in Children with HIV Infection and Exposure

Background: Due to changes in guidelines and access to treatment, more children start combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) in infancy. With few studies examining the long-term effects of perinatal HIV infection and early ART on neurodevelopment, much is still unknown about brain maturation in the presence of HIV and ART. Follow-up studies of HIV infected (HIV+) children are important for monitoring brain development in the presence of HIV infection and ART. Methods: We use diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to examine white matter (WM) in 65 HIV+ and 46 control (HIV exposed uninfected (HEU) and HIV unexposed uninfected (HU)) 7-year-old children. This is a follow up of a cohort studied at 5 years, where we previously reported lower fractional anisotropy (FA) in corticospinal tract (CST) and mean diffusivity (MD) increases in inferior/superior longitudinal fasciculi (ILF/SLF), inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF) and uncinate fasciculus (UF) in HIV+ children compared to uninfected controls. In addition, we also found a difference in FA related to age at which ART was initiated. Results: At 7 years, we found two regions in the left IFOF and left ILF with lower FA in HIV+ children compared to controls. Higher MD was observed in a similar region in the IFOF, albeit bilaterally, as well as multiple clusters bilaterally in the superior corona radiata (SCR), the anterior thalamic radiation (ATR) and the right forceps minor. Unlike at 5 years, we found no impact on WM of ART initiation. In HEU children, we found a cluster in the right posterior corona radiata with higher FA compared to HU children, while bilateral regions in the CST demonstrated reduced MD. Conclusions: At age 7, despite early ART and viral load (VL) suppression, we continue to observe differences in WM integrity. WM damage observed at age 5 years persists, and new damage is evident. The continued observation of regions with lower FA and higher MD in HIV+ children point to disruptions in ongoing white matter development regardless of early ART. Lastly, in HEU children we find higher FA and lower MD in clusters in the CST tract suggesting that perinatal HIV/ART exposure has a long-term impact on WM development.
Unsupervised RGB-D image segmentation by multi-layer clustering

Microsoft Kinect is an imaging sensor which provides access to synchronized depth and color image, also called RGB-D image. In this paper, we propose a clustering based unsupervised method for RGB-D image segmentation. To this aim, we follow a multi-layer clustering strategy. The first layer generates multiple segmentations using the K-Means clustering with different parameters and different types of feature. The second layer combines these results and generates the final segmentation using the segmentation by aggregating superpixels (SAS) method. We evaluate our method on the NYUD2 database and compare it with the state-of-the-art methods. Results show that our method is better than the existing clustering based RGB-D segmentation methods, comparable with the state-of-the-art and requires less computation time. Moreover, it provides numerous perspectives to extend and improve in future.
Spectral properties of myoelectric signals from different motor units in the leg extensor muscles

SUMMARY Myoelectric signals measured using intramuscular electromyograms (EMGs) in animals have shown that faster motor units generate higher frequencies in their power spectra. However, evidence to relate myoelectric frequency and motor unit type from the surface electromyograms typically measured from man have remained elusive. The purpose of this study was to determine if spectral properties from surface EMG could be related to the different motor units in the muscles of the leg extensors in man. Reflex experiments (both tendon tap and electrically stimulated) and graded isometric contractions were used to generate muscle contractions with different patterns of motor unit recruitment. EMG was recorded from the vastus lateralis and medialis, rectus femoris, medial and lateral gastrocnemius and soleus muscles. The EMGs were resolved into their intensities in time–frequency space using wavelet techniques. The intensity spectra were calculated for the reflex responses and for different contractile forces. The spectra were compared using principle component analyses and ANCOVA. Electrical stimulation can result in preferentially faster motor units being recruited, and in this study resulted in higher myoelectric frequencies than for the stretch reflex. During ramped contractions the motor units are recruited in an orderly fashion from slow to fast. As the faster motor units were recruited then higher frequency components appeared within the myoelectric intensity spectra. For all muscles tested there were significant correlations between the stage in contraction and the EMG frequency. Both approaches demonstrated higher frequency components in the myoelectric spectra when the faster motor units could be assumed to be active.
Muscle development and obesity

The formation of skeletal muscle from the epithelial somites involves a series of events triggered by temporally and spatially discrete signals resulting in the generation of muscle fibers which vary in their contractile and metabolic nature. The fiber type composition of muscles varies between individuals and it has now been found that there are differences in fiber type proportions between lean and obese animals and humans. Amongst the possible causes of obesity, it has been suggested that inappropriate prenatal environments may "program" the fetus and may lead to increased risks for disease in adult life. The characteristics of muscle are both heritable and plastic, giving the tissue some ability to adapt to signals and stimuli both pre and postnatally. Given that muscle is a site of fatty acid oxidation and carbohydrate metabolism and that its development can be changed by prenatal events, it is interesting to examine the possible relationship between muscle development and the risk of obesity.
A general nonparametric bootstrap test for Granger causality

We introduce an information theoretic test statistic for Granger causality, which can be estimated by means of correlation integrals. The significance of the test statistic is determined using bootstrap methods rather than asymptotic distribution theory. Several bootstrap strategies are suggested and compared by Monte Carlo simulations. All these bootstrap methods appear to work well, but only bootstrapping the hypothesized noncausing time series has the additional advantage that a simplified test statistic can be used.
Remittances' Influence on Housing Construction Demand in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Case of Kenya

: Although it is well documented that immigrants maintain economic and social ties with their communities of origin through remittances, the role of remittances in asset acquisition for most African countries is yet to be documented. This study provides empirical estimates for the impact of remittances from abroad on housing construction demand in Kenya using time series data for the period 1970–2008. An autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) modelling process is employed to capture the effect of remittances and other variables on housing construction demand. The computed short- and long-run elasticities indicate that inbound remittances are one of the determinants of housing construction demand in Kenya. Other significant determinants include income, interest rates and urbanization growth.
TopoGroups: Context-Preserving Visual Illustration of Multi-Scale Spatial Aggregates

Spatial datasets, such as tweets in a geographic area, often exhibit different distribution patterns at multiple levels of scale, such as live updates about events occurring in very specific locations on the map. Navigating in such multi-scale data-rich spaces is often inefficient, requires users to choose between overview or detail information, and does not support identifying spatial patterns at varying scales. In this paper, we propose TopoGroups, a novel context-preserving technique that aggregates spatial data into hierarchical clusters to improve exploration and navigation at multiple spatial scales. The technique uses a boundary distortion algorithm to minimize the visual clutter caused by overlapping aggregates. Our user study explores multiple visual encoding strategies for TopoGroups including color, transparency, shading, and shapes in order to convey the hierarchical and statistical information of the geographical aggregates at different scales.
Regional Cooperative Multi-agent Q-learning Based on Potential Field

More and more artificial intelligence researchers focused on the reinforcement learning (RL)-based multi-agent system (MAS). Multi-agent learning problems can in principle be solved by treating the joint actions of the agents as single actions and applying single-agent Q-learning. However, the number of joint actions is exponential in the number of agents, rendering this approach infeasible for most problems. In this paper we investigate a regional cooperative of the Q-function based on potential field by only considering the joint actions in those states in which coordination is actually required. In all other states single-agent Q-learning is applied. This offers a compact state-action value representation, without compromising much in terms of solution quality. We have performed experiments in RoboCup simulation-2D which is the ideal testing platform of Multi-agent systems and compared our algorithm to other multi-agent reinforcement learning algorithms with promising results.
From the Decade of the Enterprise Culture to the Decade of the TECs

Abstract This article looks back at the rise of the enterprise movement in the 1980s and forward to the establishment and performance of 82 Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs) in England and Wales during the 1990s. Both strategies are thought to be part of an ideological project of the Conservative Government to transform Britain's economy and education by means of the enterprise culture. The main intiatives designed to promote such a culture are described, the concept of enterprise as used on enterprise courses is examined and the conclusion drawn that there is no generic skill of enterprise whose essence can be distilled and taught A number of crucialissues in relation to the new TECs (the need for a national plan for education, training and employment, the commitment of employers, future remit, accountability and representation, etc.) are discussed and some constructive suggestions made. The next ten years will show whether TECs prove to be an ambitious, forward‐looking and productive strategy or a.
Technical Efficiency in the Major League Soccer

Taking data for the year 2000 season the technical efficiency of soccer teams in the Major League Soccer is measured by Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The inputs used by the teams are approached by the variables players' wage bill and wage of the head coach. Output is measured by points awarded, absolute number of spectators, and revenues. Efficiency scores are highly correlated with performance in the league, and when decomposing inefficiency into technical inefficiency and scale inefficiency it can be shown that the largest part of inefficiency can be explained by suboptimal scale of production.
MODEL-BASED ESTIMATION OF MOLTEN METAL ANALYSIS IN THE LD CONVERTER: EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS

Experiences from field tests of a nonlinear observer-based molten metal analysis estimation system are reported. The system performance is tested for a wide range of process conditions both on bulk data and in a supervised experimental campaign. Estimation of process model parameters and the observer design are discussed and exemplified on logged data. Observer performance is shown to be high with a mean absolute final carbon content estimation error for admissible heats equal to 0.0012%.
The Physiological and Pathological Implications of the Formation of Hydrogels, with a Specific Focus on Amyloid Polypeptides

Hydrogels are water-swollen and viscoelastic three-dimensional cross-linked polymeric network originating from monomer polymerisation. Hydrogel-forming polypeptides are widely found in nature and, at a cellular and organismal level, they provide a wide range of functions for the organism making them. Amyloid structures, arising from polypeptide aggregation, can be damaging or beneficial to different types of organisms. Although the best-known amyloids are those associated with human pathologies, this underlying structure is commonly used by higher eukaryotes to maintain normal cellular activities, and also by microbial communities to promote their survival and growth. Amyloidogenesis occurs by nucleation-dependent polymerisation, which includes several species (monomers, nuclei, oligomers, and fibrils). Oligomers of pathological amyloids are considered the toxic species through cellular membrane perturbation, with the fibrils thought to represent a protective sink for toxic species. However, both functional and disease-associated amyloids use fibril cross-linking to form hydrogels. The properties of amyloid hydrogels can be exploited by organisms to fulfil specific physiological functions. Non-physiological hydrogelation by pathological amyloids may provide additional toxic mechanism(s), outside of membrane toxicity by oligomers, such as physical changes to the intracellular and extracellular environments, with wide-spread consequences for many structural and dynamic processes, and overall effects on cell survival.
Means-End Chain Analyses of Fish Consumption in Denmark and France: A Multidimensional Perspective

SUMMARY This article aims to stress the potentiality of means-end chain analysis for studying cognitive structures on a cross-cultural basis. More precisely, the study attempts to compare and differentiate the means-end orientations motivating or demotivating consumers to buy seafood products in two different countries, France and Denmark. The results, although exploratory, lead to the identification of potential common and country-specific targets.
Mycoplasma suis infection in suckling pigs on a Belgian farm

Mycoplasma suis (formerly known as Eperythrozoon suis) is an epicellular bacterium that affects porcine red blood cells. M. suis infections occur worldwide and are associated with weakness and anemia in suckling and weaned pigs, and reproductive disorders in sows. The present field report describes the detection of M. suis in anemic piglets originating from a Belgian farrow-to-finish herd. The herd was experiencing increased piglet mortality (16%) in the farrowing unit and had a high percentage of repeat breeders (22%). A control program using antimicrobials and hygienic and sanitary measures significantly decreased the number of clinically anemic piglets and the mortality rate in the farrowing unit. However, it did not have any significant influence on the reproductive failure of the farm. The lack of a significant effect on reproductive failure was probably due to the circulation of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) on the farm.
The term structure of S&P 100 model-free volatilities

We develop an improved method to obtain the model-free volatility more accurately despite the limitations of a finite number of options and large strike price intervals. Our method computes the model-free volatility from European-style S&P 100 index options over a horizon of up to 450 days, the first time that this has been attempted, as far as we are aware. With the estimated daily term structure over the long horizon, we find that (i) changes in model-free volatilities are asymmetrically more positively impacted by a decrease in the index level than negatively impacted by an increase in the index level; (ii) the negative relationship between the daily change in model-free volatility and the daily change in index level is stronger in the near term than in the far term; and (iii) the slope of the term structure is positively associated with the index level, having a tendency to display a negative slope during bear markets and a positive slope during bull markets. These significant results have important implications for pricing and hedging index derivatives and portfolios.
Does International Economic Integration Lead to a Cleaner Production in China?

In contrast to the Pollution Haven Hypothesis, the Trade‐Up Hypothesis holds that international integration helps improve firms' environmental performance in developing countries. Using firm‐level data from Shanghai, this article examines how international linkages, in the form of foreign direct investment or international trade, affect firms' environmental compliance and performance. We find that firms with international linkage via ownership exhibit better compliance with environmental regulation and emit less pollution than firms with no international linkage. We also find that firms with international linkage via market exposure are more likely to exhibit better compliance with environmental regulation than firms with no international linkage, but find no evidence that the former emit less pollution than the latter. This provides a piece of empirical evidence for the Trade‐Up Hypothesis.
Phylogenetic Analysis and Comparative Data: A Test and Review of Evidence

The question is often raised whether it is statistically necessary to control for phylogenetic associations in comparative studies. To investigate this question, we explore the use of a measure of phylogenetic correlation, λ, introduced by Pagel (1999), that normally varies between 0 (phylogenetic independence) and 1 (species’ traits covary in direct proportion to their shared evolutionary history). Simulations show λ to be a statistically powerful index for measuring whether data exhibit phylogenetic dependence or not and whether it has low rates of Type I error. Moreover, λ is robust to incomplete phylogenetic information, which demonstrates that even partial information on phylogeny will improve the accuracy of phylogenetic analyses. To assess whether traits generally show phylogenetic associations, we present a quantitative review of 26 published phylogenetic comparative data sets. The data sets include 103 traits and were chosen from the ecological literature in which debate about the need for phylogenetic correction has been most acute. Eighty‐eight percent of data sets contained at least one character that displayed significant phylogenetic dependence, and 60% of characters overall (pooled across studies) showed significant evidence of phylogenetic association. In 16% of tests, phylogenetic correlation could be neither supported nor rejected. However, most of these equivocal results were found in small phylogenies and probably reflect a lack of power. We suggest that the parameter λ be routinely estimated when analyzing comparative data, since it can also be used simultaneously to adjust the phylogenetic correction in a manner that is optimal for the data set, and we present an example of how this may be done.
Presence of Type III Secretion Genes inBurkholderia pseudomallei Correlates with Ara− Phenotypes

ABSTRACT Dot blot hybridization and PCR amplification of 14 Ara+and 8 Ara−Burkholderia pseudomallei strains showed that type III secretion (TTS) genes were present in all the Ara− strains but absent from all but one of the Ara+ strains. The link between TTS genes and an Ara− phenotype suggests a role for TTS in virulence.
Policy Implications of Excess Commuting: Examining the Impacts of Changes in US Metropolitan Spatial Structure

This article examines how changes in US metropolitan spatial structure lead to an increase in measurable excess commuting and a decrease in measurable transportâ€”land use connections. Using Boston and Atlanta as two comparative regions, this research computes excess commuting with three-decade census data and then examines excess commuting in relation to the changes in metropolitan spatial structure. Empirical results suggest that the transportâ€”land use connection appears weaker over the decades as the dispersion of jobs changes the dynamics of commuting and the selection of residential location follows patterns of average job location rather than that of the closest available job location. This decreasing transportâ€”land use connection points to a spatial structure effect apart from individual preferences. It also suggests an alternative view of excess commuting for metropolitan transport policy-making.
Differences in Expectations and Perceptions Between Hospitality Providers and International Customers: The Case of Korean and Japanese Group Tourists in Thai Hotels

The aim of this study is to ascertain, in an international tourism context, whether there are cultural discrepancies between hotel employees who have been educated and trained in a host country, and guests who have traveled to that country, given that each group is imbued with their own national culture. The findings indicate that not only do Thai frontline hotel employees have different expectations about the behavior of Japanese and Korean customers, but that the expectations of both customer groups concerning their own behavior differ from those of Thai employees. A significant gap was found in perceptions of actual behavior between the international customers and hotel staff, suggesting that cultural discrepancies are indeed present, but also vary by ethnicity. The scale of the discrepancy between Thai employees’ perceptions of Japanese tourists’ behavior, for example, was larger than in the case of the Korean customers. Comparison of the expectations of the two international customer groups also revealed strong differences.
Ship Classification in SAR Image by Joint Feature and Classifier Selection

Selecting discriminate features and constructing an appropriate classifier are two essential factors for ship classification in a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image. Unfortunately, these two factors are rarely considered together by existing studies. We propose a joint feature and classifier selection method by integrating the classifier selection strategy into a wrapper feature selection framework. The sequential forward floating searching algorithm is improved to conduct efficient searching for an optimal triplet of feature-scaling-classifier. Comprehensive experiments on two data sets demonstrate that the proposed method can select the optimal combination of a nonredundant complementary feature subset, appropriate scaling, and classifier to improve the performance of ship classification in a SAR image.
Cryptogenic Stroke: Research and Practice

Background: Cryptogenic stroke accounts for 30% to 40% of ischemic stroke. It is essential to determine the possible culprit because this will improve secondary stroke prevention strategies. Methods: We performed a narrative nonsystematic review of the literature that included randomized trials, exploratory comparative studies, and case series on cryptogenic stroke. Results: There are several possible mechanisms implicated in cryptogenic stroke, including occult paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, patent foramen ovale, aortic arch atherosclerosis, atrial cardiopathy, and substenotic atherosclerosis. The heterogeneity of these mechanisms leads to differences in stroke prevention strategies among cryptogenic stroke patients. Conclusions: A thorough diagnostic evaluation is essential to determine the pathogenesis in cryptogenic stroke. This approach, in addition to risk factor management and lifestyle modifications, will lead to improved stroke prevention strategies in patients with cryptogenic stroke. This will allow for targeted clinical trials to improve stroke prevention strategies in this patient population.