Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Near-Infrared Neuroimaging with NinPy

There has been substantial recent growth in the use of non-invasive optical brain imaging in studies of human brain function in health and disease. Near-infrared neuroimaging (NIN) is one of the most promising of these techniques and, although NIN hardware continues to evolve at a rapid pace, software tools supporting optical data acquisition, image processing, statistical modeling, and visualization remain less refined. Python, a modular and computationally efficient development language, can support functional neuroimaging studies of diverse design and implementation. In particular, Python's easily readable syntax and modular architecture allow swift prototyping followed by efficient transition to stable production systems. As an introduction to our ongoing efforts to develop Python software tools for structural and functional neuroimaging, we discuss: (i) the role of non-invasive diffuse optical imaging in measuring brain function, (ii) the key computational requirements to support NIN experiments, (iii) our collection of software tools to support NIN, called NinPy, and (iv) future extensions of these tools that will allow integration of optical with other structural and functional neuroimaging data sources. Source code for the software discussed here will be made available at www.nmr. mgh.harvard. edu/Neural_SystemsGroup/software.html.
Permission-based security in android application: from policy expert to end user

Though filtering of malicious applications is performed at Play Store, some malicious applications escape the filtering process. Thus, it becomes necessary to take strong security measures at other levels. Security in Android can be enforced at system and application levels. At system level Android uses sandboxing technique while at application level it uses permission. In this paper we briefly discuss the permission-based security implemented in Android through three different perspectives -- policy expert, developer, and end user.
Smartphone-Supported versus Full Behavioural Activation for Depression: A Randomised Controlled Trial

Background There is need for more cost and time effective treatments for depression. This is the first randomised controlled trial in which a blended treatment - including four face-to-face sessions and a smartphone application - was compared against a full behavioural treatment. Hence, the aim of the current paper was to examine whether a blended smartphone treatment was non-inferior to a full behavioural activation treatment for depression. Methods This was a randomised controlled non-inferiority trial (NCT01819025) comparing a blended treatment (n=46) against a full ten-session treatment (n=47) for people suffering from major depression. Primary outcome measure was the BDI-II, that was administered at pre- and post-treatment, as well as six months after the treatment. Results Results showed significant improvements in both groups across time on the primary outcome measure (within-group Cohen’s d=1.35; CI [−0.82, 3.52] to d=1.47; CI [−0.41, 3.35]; between group d=−0.13 CI [−2.37, 2.09] and d=−0.10 CI [−2.53, 2.33]). At the same time, the blended treatment reduced the therapist time with an average of 47%. Conclusions We could not establish whether the blended treatment was non-inferior to a full BA treatment. Nevertheless, this study points to that the blended treatment approach could possibly treat nearly twice as many patients suffering from depression by using a smartphone applica¬tion as add-on. More studies are needed before we can suggest that the blended treatment method is a promising cost-effective alternative to regular face-to-face treatment for depression. Trial Registration Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Treatment of Depression With Smartphone Support NCT01819025
The risk-sensitive coverage problem: Multi-robot routing under uncertainty with service level and survival constraints

Consider a scenario where robots traverse a graph, but crossing each edge bears a risk of failure. A team operator seeks a set of paths for the smallest team which guarantee the probabilities that at least one robot visits each node satisfy specified per-node visit thresholds, and the probabilities each robot reaches its destination satisfy a per-robot survival threshold. We present the Risk-Sensitive Coverage (RSC) problem formally as an instance of the submodular set cover problem and propose an efficient cost-benefit greedy algorithm for finding a feasible set of paths. We prove that the number of robots deployed by our algorithm is no more than (λ/ps)(1 + log(λΔκ/ps)) times the smallest team, where Δκ quantifies the relative benefit of the first and last paths, ps is the per-robot survival probability threshold and 1/λ ≤ 1 is the approximation factor of an oracle routine for the well-known orienteering problem. We demonstrate the quality of our solutions by comparing to optimal solutions computed for special cases of the RSC and the efficiency of our approach by applying it to a search and rescue scenario where 225 sites must be visited, each with probability at least 0.95.
Complexity Guided Noise Filtering in QA Repositories

Filtering out noisy sentences of an answer which are irrelevant to the question being asked increases the utility and reuse of a Question-Answer (QA) repository. Filtering such sentences might be difficult for traditional supervised classification methods due to the extensive labelling efforts involved. In this paper, we propose a semi-supervised learning approach, where we first infer a set of topics on the corpus using Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA). We label the topics automatically using a small labelled set and use them for classifying an unseen sentence as useful or noisy. We performed the experiments on a real-life help desk dataset and find that the results are comparable to other methods in semisupervised learning.
Autosomal Dominant STAT3 Deficiency and Hyper-IgE Syndrome: Molecular, Cellular, and Clinical Features From a French National Survey

AbstractAutosomal dominant deficiency of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is the main genetic etiology of hyper-immunoglobulin (Ig) E syndrome. We documented the molecular, cellular, and clinical features of 60 patients with heterozygous STAT3 mutations from 47 kindreds followed in France. We identified 11 known and 13 new mutations of STAT3. Low levels of interleukin (IL)-6–dependent phosphorylation and nuclear translocation (or accumulation) of STAT3 were observed in Epstein-Barr virus-transformed B lymphocytes (EBV-B cells) from all STAT3-deficient patients tested. The immunologic phenotype was characterized by high serum IgE levels (96% of the patients), memory B-cell lymphopenia (94.5%), and hypereosinophilia (80%). A low proportion of IL-17A-producing circulating T cells was found in 14 of the 15 patients tested. Mucocutaneous infections were the most frequent, typically caused by Staphylococcus aureus (all patients) and Candida albicans (85%). Up to 90% of the patients had pneumonia, mostly caused by Staph. aureus (31%) or Streptococcus pneumoniae (30%). Recurrent pneumonia was associated with secondary bronchiectasis and pneumatocele (67%), as well as secondary aspergillosis (22%). Up to 92% of the patients had dermatitis and connective tissue abnormalities, with facial dysmorphism (95%), retention of decidual teeth (65%), osteopenia (50%), and hyperextensibility (50%). Four patients developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The clinical outcome was favorable, with 56 patients, including 43 adults, still alive at the end of study (mean age, 21 yr; range, 1 mo to 46 yr). Only 4 patients died, 3 from severe bacterial infection (aged 1, 15, and 29 yr, respectively). Antibiotic prophylaxis (90% of patients), antifungal prophylaxis (50%), and IgG infusions (53%) improved patient health, as demonstrated by the large decrease in pneumonia recurrence. Overall, the prognosis of STAT3 deficiency may be considered good, provided that multiple prophylactic measures, including IgG infusions, are implemented.
Truth Discovery in Data Streams: A Single-Pass Probabilistic Approach

Truth discovery is a long-standing problem for assessing the validity of information from various data sources that may provide different and conflicting information. With the increasing prominence of data streams arising in a wide range of applications such as weather forecast and stock price prediction, effective techniques for truth discovery in data streams are demanded. However, existing work mainly focuses on truth discovery in the context of static databases, which is not applicable in applications involving streaming data. This motivates us to develop new techniques to tackle the problem of truth discovery in data streams. In this paper, we propose a probabilistic model that transforms the problem of truth discovery over data streams into a probabilistic inference problem. We first design a streaming algorithm that infers the truth as well as source quality in real time. Then, we develop a one-pass algorithm, in which the inference of source quality is proved to be convergent and the accuracy is further improved. We conducted extensive experiments on real datasets which verify both the efficiency and accuracy of our methods for truth discovery in data streams.
Dynamic Beacon Mobility Scheduling for Sensor Localization

In mobile-beacon assisted sensor localization, beacon mobility scheduling aims to determine the best beacon trajectory so that each sensor receives sufficient beacon signals and becomes localized with minimum delay. We propose a novel DeteRministic dynamic bEAcon Mobility Scheduling (DREAMS) algorithm, without requiring any prior knowledge of the sensory field. In this algorithm, the beacon trajectory is defined as the track of Depth-First Traversal (DFT) of the network graph, thus deterministic. The mobile beacon performs DFT dynamically, under the instruction of nearby sensors on the fly. It moves from sensor to sensor in an intelligent heuristic manner according to Received Signal Strength (RSS)-based distance measurements. We prove that DREAMS guarantees full localization (every sensor is localized) when the measurements are noise-free, and derive the upper bound of beacon total moving distance in this case. Then, we suggest to apply node elimination and Local Minimum Spanning Tree (LMST) to shorten beacon tour and reduce delay. Further, we extend DREAMS to multibeacon scenarios. Beacons with different coordinate systems compete for localizing sensors. Loser beacons agree on winner beacons' coordinate system, and become cooperative in subsequent localization. All sensors are finally localized in a commonly agreed coordinate systems. Through simulation we show that DREAMS guarantees full localization even with noisy distance measurements. We evaluate its performance on localization delay and communication overhead in comparison with a previously proposed static path-based scheduling method.
Using Extreme Programming in a Capstone Project

This paper describes the experience at Swinburne TAFE of using the Extreme Programming software development methodology with a final year capstone project. It found that it was possible to use the methodology successfully for such a project, but that students need to be actively coached in the skills necessary to make XP. A positive result was that less skilled students made more progress than probably would have been the case using a traditional methodology.
Promise and problems with supply chain management approaches to health care purchasing

Background: Double-digit health care inflation, coupled with widespread reports of poor care quality and deadly medical errors, has caused private sector employers to reevaluate their health benefits purchasing strategies, with a focus on supply chain management approaches. In other industries, this strategy has proven to be an effective method for simultaneously reducing costs and increasing quality. Purpose: This article describes four current applications of supply chain management network methodologies to health care systems and identifies potential ways to improve purchasers' return on investment. In particular, information exchanges, purchase decision, and payment agreement components of integrated supply chains are described. Approach: First, visual depictions of the health care supply chain are developed from a purchaser's perspective. Next, five nationwide programs designed to realign incentives and rewards across the health care supply chain are described. Findings: Although several nationwide efforts are gaining traction in the marketplace, at this time, no cost reduction and quality improvement program initiative appears to systematically align the entire health care supply chain from providers to purchasers, raising doubt about the ability of supply chain management network techniques to significantly impact the health care marketplace in the short run. Practice Implications: Current individual efforts to coordinate the health care supply chain do not act on all of the actors necessary to improve outcomes, promote safety, and control costs. Nevertheless, there are indications that several of the individual efforts are coming together. If national efforts touching on all critical elements can coordinate with purchasers, then the health care supply chain's performance may improve significantly.
Energy-Efficient Resource Allocation in TDMS-Based Wireless Powered Communication Networks

This letter considers a wireless powered communication network (WPCN) where users first harvest energy in downlink and then utilize the energy to transmit information signal in uplink simultaneously. Our goal is to maximize the energy efficiency (EE) of the network via joint time allocation and power control. However, directly solving this issue is of significant challenge due to its nonconvex property. By exploiting the nonlinear fractional programming, an iterative resource allocation method based on the Dinkelbach structure is proposed to solve the considered nonconvex optimization problem. In each iteration, we optimize power with fixed time allocation and then optimize time with a given power allocation. Simulation results are presented to show that the system EE is greatly improved by the proposed approach.
Interleukin‐12 and Flt3 ligand differentially promote dendropoiesis in vivo

Interleukin‐12 (IL‐12) and Flt3 ligand (FL) regulate hematopoiesis by stimulating proliferation, differentiation and migration of progenitor and/or stem cells. In this study, we evaluated the in vivo effect of IL‐12 alone or in combination with FL on dendritic cell (DC) generation and accumulation in murine spleen, lymph node, thymus, liver, and tumor tissues. Both cytokines induced accumulation of functional DC in lymphoid and non‐lymphoid tissues. IL‐12 promoted predominantly myeloid dendropoiesis, while FL induced both myeloid and lymphoid dendropoiesis. Combination treatment resulted in a dramatic increase in CD86+, and particularly, NLDC‐145+ cells within the liver, which was largely due to cell proliferation. Combination therapy also revealed the ability of FL to protect bone marrow cell populations from IL‐12‐induced depletion in vivo. In vitro, we found a significant FL‐induced up‐regulation of IL‐12 production by DC at both mRNA and protein levels. Thus, our study suggests that (i) the antitumor activity of IL‐12 may, at least in part, be mediated by the stimulation of dendropoiesis and (ii) IL‐12 might contribute to the antitumor activity of FL. Furthermore, induction of DC generation in vivo by a combination of IL‐12 and FL might become a new approach for immunotherapy of cancer.
Cell Cycle Features of Primate Embryonic Stem Cells

Using flow cytometry measurements combined with quantitative analysis of cell cycle kinetics, we show that rhesus monkey embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are characterized by an extremely rapid transit through the G1 phase, which accounts for 15% of the total cell cycle duration. Monkey ESCs exhibit a non‐phasic expression of cyclin E, which is detected during all phases of the cell cycle, and do not growth‐arrest in G1 after γ‐irradiation, reflecting the absence of a G1 checkpoint. Serum deprivation or pharmacological inhibition of mitogen‐activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) did not result in any alteration in the cell cycle distribution, indicating that ESC growth does not rely on mitogenic signals transduced by the Ras/Raf/MEK pathway. Taken together, these data indicate that rhesus monkey ESCs, like their murine counterparts, exhibit unusual cell cycle features in which cell cycle control mechanisms operating during the G1 phase are reduced or absent.
“Translation culture” in interpreted asylum hearings

Research on interpreting in asylum hearings has largely been neglected in Translation Studies. However, the steadily increasing number of asylum seekers suggests that interpreting in such settings is by no means peripheral. In order to address this growing field, a research project has been based on a corpus of hearing transcripts. In presenting some of the research results, the concept of “translation culture” is used to sketch some specific factors influencing the interactional structure of asylum hearings. The cornerstones of translation culture (cooperativity, loyalty and transparency) are discussed on the basis of empirical evidence.
Regions of the Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Latency-Associated Transcript That Protect Cells from Apoptosis In Vitro and Protect Neuronal Cells In Vivo

ABSTRACT Recent studies have suggested that the latency-associated transcript (LAT) region of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is effective at blocking virus-induced apoptosis both in vitro and in the trigeminal ganglia of acutely infected rabbits (Inman et al., J. Virol. 75:3636–3646, 2001; Perng et al., Science 287:1500–1503, 2000). By transfecting cells with a construct expressing the Pst-Mlu segment of the LAT, encompassing the LAT exon 1, the stable 2.0-kb intron, and 5′ part of exon 2, we confirmed that this region was able to diminish the onset of programmed cell death initiated by anti-Fas and camptothecin treatment. In addition, caspase 8-induced apoptosis was specifically inhibited in cells expressing the Pst-Mlu LAT fragment. To further delineate the minimal region of LAT that is necessary for this antiapoptotic function, LAT mutants were used in our cotransfection assays. In HeLa cells, the plasmids lacking exon sequences were the least effective at blocking apoptosis. However, similar to previous work (Inman et al., op. cit.), our data also indicated that the 5′ end of the stable 2.0-kb LAT intron appeared to contribute to the promotion of cell survival. Furthermore, cells productively infected with the 17N/H LAT mutant virus, a virus deleted in the LAT promoter, exon 1, and about half of the intron, exhibited a greater degree of DNA fragmentation than cells infected with wild-type HSV-1. These data support the finding that the exon 1 and 2.0-kb intron region of the LAT transcription unit display an antiapoptotic function both in transfected cells and in the context of the virus infection in vitro. In trigeminal ganglia of mice acutely infected with the wild-type virus, 17, and 17ΔSty, a virus lacking most of exon 1, apoptosis was not detected in cells that were positive for virus particles. However, dual staining was observed in cells from mice infected with 17N/H virus, indicating that the LAT antiapoptotic function demonstrated in cells transfected by LAT-expressing constructs may also play a role in protecting cells from virus-induced apoptosis during acute viral infection in vivo.
Write-ing Applications: Design of an Extensible Text Editor as an Application Framework

Using an object−oriented approach, the text editor Write has been designed to be extensible while its basic structure has been kept small and simple. As its main extension concept, Write supports extensible objects floating in a text. An important result presented is that the extended editor can play the role of various dedicated applications. It can be stated that the editor together with its extension model constitutes an application framework of rather wide applicability. This paper presents the editing model chosen for Write and its effects on efficiency and ease of extension. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach, several editor extensions are presented.
Evaluation of the Antibacterial and Antifungal Potential of Peltophorum africanum: Toxicological Effect on Human Chang Liver Cell Line

We assessed the in vitro antimicrobial activity of Peltophorum africanum by means of the agar well and macrodilution methods. The toxicity on a normal human liver cell (Chang liver cell) was determined using the CellTiter-Blue cell viability assay, and the compounds contained in the fractions were identified using GC-MS. Zone diameter of inhibition of the extract ranged from 12.5 ± 0.7 to 32 ± 2.8 mm for bacteria and from 7.5 ± 0.7 to 26.4 ± 3.4 mm for yeast. Marked activity of the extract was observed against Plesiomonas shigelloides ATCC 51903, with MIC and MLC values of 0.15625 and 0.3125 mg/mL, respectively. The extract was both bactericidal (MICindex ≤ 2) and bacteriostatic/fungistatic (MICindex > 2) in activity. Lethal dose at 50 (LD50) showed 82.64 ± 1.40 degree of toxicity at 24 hrs, and 95 percentile of cell death dose activity ranged from log 3.12 ± 0.01 to 4.59 ± 0.03. The activity of the eight fractions tested ranged from 1.0 ± 0.5 to 3.7 ± 1.6 mg/mL (IC50) and from 2.1 ± 0.8 to 6.25 ± 0 mg/mL (IC90). The extract was toxic to human Chang liver cell lines.
Model-based dummy feature placement for oxide chemical-mechanical polishing manufacturability

Chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) is an enabling technique used in deep-submicron VLSI manufacturing to achieve uniformity in long range oxide planarization [1]. Post-CMP oxide topography is highly related to local spatial pattern density in layout. To change local pattern density, and thus ensure post-CMP planarization, dummy features are placed in layout. Based on models that accurately describe the relation between local pattern density and post-CMP planarization [7; 5; 9], a two-step procedure of global density assignment followed by local insertion is proposed to solve the dummy feature placement problem in the fixed-dissection regime with both single-layer and multiple-layer considerations. Two experiments, conducted with real design data, gave excellent results by reducing post-CMP topography variation from 767Å to 152Å in the single-layer formulation and by avoiding cumulative effect in the multiple-layer formulation. The result from single-layer formulation compares very favorably both to the rule-based approach widely used in industry and to the algorithm in [3]. The multiple-layer formulation has no previously published work.