Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interferon-γ Induced by In Vitro Re-Stimulation of CD4+ T-Cells Correlates with In Vivo FMD Vaccine Induced Protection of Cattle against Disease and Persistent Infection

The immune defense against FMDV has been correlated to the antibody mediated component. However, there are occasions when some animals with high virus neutralising (VN) antibody are not protected following challenge and some with low neutralising antibody which do not succumb to disease. The importance of cell mediated immunity in clinical protection is less clear and so we investigated the source and production of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) in re-stimulated whole blood of FMDV immunized cattle and its correlation to vaccine induced protection and FMDV persistence. We were able to show a positive correlation between IFN-γ response and vaccine induced protection as well as reduction of long term persistence of FMD virus. When combining this IFN-γ response in re-stimulated blood with virus neutralizing antibody titer in serum on the day of challenge, a better correlation of vaccine-induced protection with IFN-γ and VN antibody was predicted. Our investigations also showed that CD4+ T-cells are the major proliferating phenotype and IFN-γ producing cells.
Bistatic Radar Imaging of the Marine Environment—Part II: Simulation and Results Analysis

We present a bistatic, polarimetric, and real aperture marine radar simulator (MaRS) producing pseudoraw radar signals. The simulation takes the main elements of the environment into account (sea temperature, salinity, and wind speed). Realistic sea surfaces are generated using a two-scale model on a semideterministic basis to incorporate the presence of ship wakes. Then, the radar acquisition chain (antennas, modulation, and polarization) is modeled, as well as the movements of the sensors, on which uncertainties can be introduced, and ship wakes. The pseudoraw temporal signals delivered by MaRS are further processed using, for instance, bistatic synthetic aperture beamforming. The scene itself represents the sea surface as well as ship wakes. The main points covered here are the scene discretization, the ship wake modeling, and the computational cost aspects. We also present images simulated in various monostatic and bistatic configurations and discuss the results. This paper follows its companion paper, where much of the theory used here is recalled and developed in detail. a bistatic, polarimetric, and real aperture marine radar simulator (MaRS) producing pseudoraw radar signals. The simulation takes the main elements of the environment into account (sea temperature, salinity, and wind speed). Realistic sea surfaces are generated using a two-scale model on a semideterministic basis to incorporate the presence of ship wakes. Then, the radar acquisition chain (antennas, modulation, and polarization) is modeled, as well as the movements of the sensors, on which uncertainties can be introduced, and ship wakes. The pseudoraw temporal signals delivered by MaRS are further processed using, for instance, bistatic synthetic aperture beamforming. The scene itself represents the sea surface as well as ship wakes. The main points covered here are the scene discretization, the ship wake modeling, and the computational cost aspects. We also present images simulated in various monostatic and bistatic configurations and discuss the results. This paper follows its companion paper, where much of the theory used here is recalled and developed in detail.
Structured annotations of web queries

Queries asked on web search engines often target structured data, such as commercial products, movie showtimes, or airline schedules. However, surfacing relevant results from such data is a highly challenging problem, due to the unstructured language of the web queries, and the imposing scalability and speed requirements of web search. In this paper, we discover latent structured semantics in web queries and produce Structured Annotations for them. We consider an annotation as a mapping of a query to a table of structured data and attributes of this table. Given a collection of structured tables, we present a fast and scalable tagging mechanism for obtaining all possible annotations of a query over these tables. However, we observe that for a given query only few are sensible for the user needs. We thus propose a principled probabilistic scoring mechanism, using a generative model, for assessing the likelihood of a structured annotation, and we define a dynamic threshold for filtering out misinterpreted query annotations. Our techniques are completely unsupervised, obviating the need for costly manual labeling effort. We evaluated our techniques using real world queries and data and present promising experimental results.
Genotypic diversity of lactic acid bacteria isolated from African traditional alkaline‐fermented foods

Aim: To identify and compare lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from alkaline fermentations of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) leaves, roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) and African locust bean (Parkia biglobosa) seeds for production of, respectively, Ntoba Mbodi, Bikalga and Soumbala.
Hormonal control of gene expression in the ovary.

The maturation of ovarian follicles involves several sequential stages: initiation, growth, selection, ovulation, and luteinization (Fig. 1). Although the factor(s) that initiates the growth of “resting” primordial follicles remain elusive, the key endocrine events controlling follicular growth in mammals have been known for many years. For example, once follicles have begun to grow, basal concentrations of the gonadotropins, FSH and LH, maintain growth up until the small antral stage. Small antral follicles are selected to continue growth by subtle increases in basal concentrations of gonadotropins, such as those that occur at menses in primates (1) or at the end of pregnancy in rodents (2). Once selected, the growing dominant follicle(s) acquires specific functional characteristics that permit it to differentiate to the preovulatory stage and synthesize estradiol. Increased serum estradiol triggers the surge of gonadotropins that, in turn, stimulates the preovulatory follicle(s) to ovulate and luteinize.
Clustering and Knowledge Discovery in

In the past decades, clustering has been widely used in areas such as pattern recognition, data analysis, and image processing. Recently, clustering has been recognized as a useful method for knowledge discovery in spatial databases. To eeciently detect clusters from large spatial databases with limited amount of available memory, special database techniques have been developed. In this article, we present a survey on these methods from a database perspective.
Switching Multiple Sclerosis Patients with Breakthrough Disease to Second-Line Therapy

Background Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with breakthrough disease on immunomodulatory drugs are frequently offered to switch to natalizumab or immunosuppressants. The effect of natalizumab monotherapy in patients with breakthrough disease is unknown. Methods This is an open-label retrospective cohort study of 993 patients seen at least four times at the University of California San Francisco MS Center, 95 had breakthrough disease on first-line therapy (60 patients switched to natalizumab, 22 to immunosuppressants and 13 declined the switch [non-switchers]). We used Poisson regression adjusted for potential confounders to compare the relapse rate within and across groups before and after the switch. Results In the within-group analyses, the relapse rate decreased by 70% (95% CI 50,82%; p<0.001) in switchers to natalizumab and by 77% (95% CI 59,87%; p<0.001) in switchers to immunosuppressants; relapse rate in non-switchers did not decrease (6%, p = 0.87). Relative to the reduction among non-switchers, the relapse rate was reduced by 68% among natalizumab switchers (95% CI 19,87%; p = 0.017) and by 76% among the immunosuppressant switchers (95% CI 36,91%; p = 0.004). Conclusions Switching to natalizumab or immunosuppressants in patients with breakthrough disease is effective in reducing clinical activity of relapsing MS. The magnitude of the effect and the risk-benefit ratio should be evaluated in randomized clinical trials and prospective cohort studies.
Leg Motion Primitives for a Humanoid Robot to Imitate Human Dances

The goal of the study described in this paper is to develop a total technology for archiving human dance motions. A key feature of this technology is a dance replay by a humanoid robot. Although human dance motions can be acquired by a motion capture system, a robot cannot exactly follow the captured data because of different body structure and physical properties between the human and the robot. In particular, leg motions are too constrained to be converted from the captured data because the legs must interact with the floor and keep dynamic balance within the mechanical constraints of current robots. To solve this problem, we have designed a symbolic description of leg motion primitives in a dance performance. Human dance actions are recognized as a sequence of primitives and the same actions of the robot can be regenerated from them. This framework is more reasonable than modifying the original motion to adapt the robot constraints. We have developed a system to generate feasible robot motions from a human performance, and realized a dance performance by the robot HRP-1S.
A MODEL-BASED OPTIMAL OPERATION STRATEGY FOR COMPRESSED AIR ENERGY STORAGE ( CAES ) PLANTS

A model-based optimal operation strategy for an energy storage system exhibiting significant stand-by energy losses is presented. Specifically, a thermodynamic model of an advanced adiabatic compressed air energy storage (AA-CAES) plant, consisting of compression/expansion trains, a thermal energy storage (TES) system, and an underground cavern for compressed air storage, is used in this work. An operation strategy based on this model is proposed for the commercial operation of CAES systems and other storage systems exhibiting stand-by losses within existing power market regimes. A multi-objective, multiperiod optimization problem is formulated and solved within a model predictive control (MPC) scheme, using electricity spot prices from the European Power Exchange (EPEX).
Communication via Different Media During Military Deployments and Postdeployment Relationship Satisfaction

ABSTRACT There are few quantitative studies of communication between service members (SMs) and spouses during military deployments. Approximately one year postdeployment, 224 SMs and 214 of their spouses completed measures of relationship satisfaction. SMs also retrospectively reported on frequency of synchronous (real-time; e.g., phone) and asynchronous (delayed; e.g., e-mail) communication, and family-related stressors during deployment. Postdeployment relationship satisfaction in both partners was associated with SMs' recall of spouses having written/e-mailed more frequently than SMs. Significant interactions indicated that, when SMs recalled higher family-related stressors during deployment, greater satisfaction was associated with more asynchronous and less synchronous communication. This pattern was reversed when SMs recalled lower family-related stressors.
CloudBuild: Microsoft's Distributed and Caching Build Service

Thousands of Microsoft engineers build and test hundreds of software products several times a day. It is essential that this continuous integration scales, guarantees short feedback cycles, and functions reliably with minimal human intervention. This paper describes CloudBuild, the build service infrastructure developed within Microsoft over the last few years. CloudBuild is responsible for all aspects of a continuous integration workflow, including builds, test and code analysis, as well as drops, package and symbol creation and storage. CloudBuild supports multiple build languages as long as they fulfill a coarse grained, file IO based contract. CloudBuild uses content based caching to run build-related tasks only when needed. Lastly, it builds on many machines in parallel. CloudBuild offers a reliable build service in the presence of unreliable components. It aims to rapidly onboard teams and hence has to support non-deterministic build tools and specification languages that under-declare dependencies. We will outline how we addressed these challenges and characterize the operations of CloudBuild. CloudBuild has on-boarded hundreds of codebases with only man-months of effort each. Some of these codebases are used by thousands of developers. The speed ups of build and test range from 1.3x to 10x, and service availability is 99%.
Effects of anxiety on the execution of police arrest and self-defense skills

We investigated the effects of anxiety on the execution of police officers' arrest and self-defense skills. Police officers (n=13) performed three tasks in which they kicked, blocked, or restrained an opponent who attacked them with a rubber knife (low anxiety, LA) or a shock knife (high anxiety, HA) in a within-subject design. We analyzed performance (on a 5-point Likert scale), movement times, posture, and movement velocity and acceleration. Results revealed that performance was worse in the HA compared to the LA condition. Furthermore, analysis of full-body movement showed that under increased anxiety, police officers' performance contained characteristics of avoidance behavior, such as faster reactions (to reduce the time being exposed to the threat), leaning further backward (kick), and ducking down (block). In line with recent theoretical developments, it appears that under increased anxiety, police officers were less able to inhibit stimulus-driven processing (fear of getting hit) and enforce goal-directed processing (perform the skill as well as possible) leading to avoidance behavior and a decrease in performance.
Auditory feedback improves heart rate moderation during moderate-intensity exercise.

PURPOSE The objective of this study is to determine whether exposure to automated HR feedback can produce improvements in the ability to regulate HR during moderate-intensity exercise and to evaluate the persistence of these improvements after feedback is removed. METHODS Twenty healthy adults performed 10 indoor exercise sessions on cycle ergometers over 5 wk after a twice-weekly schedule. During these sessions (FB), participants received auditory feedback designed to maintain HR within a personalized, moderate-intensity training zone between 70% and 80% of estimated maximum HR. All feedback was delivered via a custom mobile software application. Participants underwent an initial assessment (PREFB) to measure their ability to maintain exercise intensity defined by the training zone without use of feedback. After completing the feedback training, participants performed three additional assessments identical to PREFB at 1 wk (POST1), 2 wk (POST2), and 4 wk (POST3) after their last feedback session. Time in zone (TIZ), defined as the ratio of the time spent within the training zone divided by the overall time of exercise, rate of perceived exertion, instrumental attitudes, and affective attitudes were then evaluated to assess results using two-way, mixed-model ANOVA with sessions and gender as factors. RESULTS Training with feedback significantly improved TIZ (P < 0.01) compared with PREFB. An absence of significant differences in TIZ between FB, POST1, POST2, and POST3 (P ≥ 0.35) indicated that these improvements were maintained after feedback was removed. No significant differences in rate of perceived exertion (P ≥ 0.40) or attitude measures (P ≥ 0.30) were observed. CONCLUSION Auditory biofeedback is an effective mechanism for entraining HR regulation during moderate-intensity exercise in healthy adults.
The Inventory of Subjective Masculinity Experiences: Development and Psychometric Properties

The purpose of this article is to describe the development of the Inventory of Subjective Masculinity Experiences (ISME) and to provide preliminary evidence for the psychometric properties of this scale. Subjective masculinity experiences are defined as men's subjective experiences of what it means to be a man (e.g., As a man, I need to be strong). Participants (220 men) completed the sentence, “As a man…” 10 times. Participants' open-ended responses were coded according to 23 dimensions of subjective masculinity experiences. Five of the twenty-three ISME dimensions included responses that comprised at least 5 percent of all participant responses: Family, Responsibility, Emotional Toughness, Work, and Physical Body. Preliminary evidence for the convergent, discriminant, and concurrent validity of these dimensions was provided. The ISME-Family and ISME-Responsibility were negatively associated with psychological distress, whereas the ISME-Work was positively related to psychological distress. The ISME-Emotional Toughness was negatively related to life satisfaction. The use of the ISME in clinical and research settings is discussed.
Towards automatic learning in LVCSR: rapid development of a Persian broadcast transcription system

We present a new method for automatic learning and refining of pronunciations for large vocabulary continuous speech recognition which starts from a small amount of transcribed data and uses automatic transcription techniques for additional untranscribed speech data. The recognition performance of speech recognition systems usually depends on the available amount and quality of the transcribed training data. The creation of such data is a costly and tedious process and the approach presented here allows training with small amounts of annotated data. The model parameters of a statistical joint-multigram grapheme-to-phoneme converter are iteratively estimated using small amounts of manual and relatively larger amounts of automatic transcriptions and thus the system improves itself in an unsupervised manner. Using the new approach, we create a Persian broadcast transcription system from less than five hours of transcribed speech and 52 hours of untranscribed audio data.
Rapamycin Promotes Mouse 4T1 Tumor Metastasis that Can Be Reversed by a Dendritic Cell-Based Vaccine

Suppression of tumor metastasis is a key strategy for successful cancer interventions. Previous studies indicated that rapamycin (sirolimus) may promote tumor regression activity or enhance immune response against tumor targets. However, rapamycin also exhibits immunosuppressant effects and is hence used clinically as an organ transplantation drug. We hypothesized that the immunosuppressive activities of rapamycin might also negatively mediate host immunity, resulting in promotion of tumor metastasis. In this study, the effects of rapamycin and phytochemical shikonin were investigated in vitro and in vivo in a 4T1 mouse mammary tumor model through quantitative assessment of immunogenic cell death (ICD), autophagy, tumor growth and metastasis. Tumor-bearing mice were immunized with test vaccines to monitor their effect on tumor metastasis. We found that intraperitoneal (ip) administration of rapamycin after a tumor-resection surgery drastically increased the metastatic activity of 4T1 tumors. Possible correlation of this finding to human cancers was suggested by epidemiological analysis of data from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD). Since our previous studies showed that modified tumor cell lysate (TCL)-pulsed, dendritic cell (DC)-based cancer vaccines can effectively suppress metastasis in mouse tumor models, we assessed whether such vaccines may help offset this rapamycin-promoted metastasis. We observed that shikonin efficiently induced ICD of 4T1 cells in culture, and DC vaccines pulsed with shikonin-treated TCL (SK-TCL-DC) significantly suppressed rapamycin-enhanced metastasis and Treg cell expansion in test mice. In conclusion, rapamycin treatment in mice (and perhaps in humans) promotes metastasis and the effect may be offset by treatment with a DC-based cancer vaccine.
The toulouse vanishing points dataset

In this paper we present the Toulouse Vanishing Points Dataset, a public photographs database of Manhattan scenes taken with an iPad Air 1. The purpose of this dataset is the evaluation of vanishing points estimation algorithms. Its originality is the addition of Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) data synchronized with the camera under the form of rotation matrices. Moreover, contrary to existing works which provide vanishing points of reference in the form of single points, we computed uncertainty regions. The Toulouse Vanishing Points Dataset is publicly available at http://ubee.enseeiht. fr/tvpd
Template Matching Algorithm for Gujrati Character Recognition

at the dawn of the 3rd millennium, Human Handwriting Recognition is emerging from its infancy and set to become a mature technique. We shall probably see in the near future a number of mixed systems able to read both online and off-line handwriting. In this study we propose a simple yet robust structural solution for performing character recognition in Gujrati, the official language of Gujarat. Pursued by the preprocessing techniques, we suggest a method called template matching where a character is identified by analyzing its shape and comparing its features that distinguish each character. The algorithm appears to be very robust against stroke order variations and large shape variations. The results seem encouraging.
A Natural Language Interface for Mobile Devices

Humans express their needs almost effortlessly in natural language, and for this reason, constructing machines that can reliably respond to natural language requests has been a longstanding and significant goal in the design of intelligent systems. Early successes—for example, the LUNAR system of Woods, Kaplan, and Nash-Webber (1972); the LADDER system of Hendrix, Sacerdoti, Sagalowicz, and Slocum (1978); and the PLANES system of Waltz (1978)—relied on the use of application-specific grammars to encode various constraints of particular domains or datasets. While this approach enabled these systems to respond to a range of requests in their targeted domains, the systems could not easily be ported to work in related or expanded domains, and they had limited coverage of vocabulary and syntactic constructions used in expressing requests. More recently developed systems—such as those described in Harabagiu, Maiorano, and Pasca (2003); Katz (1997); Nyberg, Burger, Mardis, and Ferrucci (2004); and Weischedel, Xu, and Licuanan (2004)—address multiple domains and employ general-purpose grammars or statistical language interpretation to handle the variety of requests and phrasings of requests that might be submitted by users. With more and more information sources available in networked contexts, plus mobile devices acting as sources and targets of requests, recent systems have adopted a more distributed architecture. In this chapter, we first discuss some of the primary issues related to the design and construction of natural language interfaces, and in particular, interfaces to mobile devices. Then, we describe two systems in this space: the START information access system and the StartMobile natural language interface to mobile devices. Finally, we discuss recently deployed commercial systems and future directions.
An object-oriented 3D graphics toolkit

This paper presents an object-oriented toolkit for developers of interactive 3D graphics applications. The primary goal of the toolkit is (o make it easier for programmers to create 3D graphics applications that employ direct manipulation techniques in addition to conventional 2D-widgets. Such techniques have generally been ignored in previous graphics packages and systems. The toolkit provides a general and extensible framework for representing 3D scenes so that applications can integrate their data with graphical objects rather than having duplicate copies. A simple, integrated event model that enables direct interaction with 3D objects is also included.