Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Putting a Price Tag on Personal Information - A Literature Review

In the digital age, personal information is claimed to be the new commodity with a rising market demand and profitability for businesses. Simultaneously, people are becoming aware of the value of their personal information while being concerned about their privacy. This increases the demand of direct compensation or protection. In response to the commodification of privacy and the increased demand for compensation, a number of scholars have shed light on the value people assign to their personal information. However, these findings remain controversial as their results differ tremendously due to different research methods and contexts. To address this gap, we conducted a systematic literature review to gain insights into the current research state and to identify further research avenues. By synthesizing and analyzing 37 publications, we provide an integrative framework along with seven contextual factors affecting individuals’ valuation of privacy.
Model Order Reduction for Stochastic Optimal Control

This work presents an approach to solve stochastic optimal control problems in the application of flow quality management in reservoir systems. These applications are challenging because they require real-time decision-making in the presence of uncertainties such as wind velocity. These uncertainties must be accounted for as stochastic variables in the mathematical model. In addition, computational costs and storage requirements increase rapidly due to the stochastic nature of the simulations and optimisation formulations. To overcome these challenges, an approach is developed that uses the combination of a reduced-order model and an adjoint-based method to compute the optimal solution rapidly. The system is modelled by a system of stochastic partial differential equations. The finite element method together with collocation in the stochastic space provide an approximate numerical solution—the “full model”, which cannot be solved in real-time. The proper orthogonal decomposition and Galerkin projection technique are applied to obtain a reduced-order model that approximates the full model. The conjugate-gradient method with Armijo line-search is then employed to find the solution of the optimal control problem under the uncertainty of input parameters. Numerical results show that the stochastic control yields solutions that are above the bound of the set solutions of the deterministic control. Applying the reduced model to the stochastic optimal control problem yields a speed-up in computational time by a factor of about 80 with acceptable accuracy in comparison with the full model. Application of the optimal control strategy shows the potential effectiveness of this computational modeling approach for managing flow quality.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Information Governance in the Big Data Era: Aligning Organizational Capabilities

With big data growing rapidly in importance, academics and practitioners have been considering the means through which they can incorporate the shifts these technologies bring into their competitive strategies. Drawing on the emerging importance of information governance, this study examines the mechanisms through which it can facilitate competitive performance by aligning organizational capabilities. To test our proposed research model, we used survey data from 158 chief information officers and IT managers working in Norwegian firms. By means of partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), results show that information governance helps strengthen a firms’ dynamic and operational capabilities, which in turn lead to competitive performance gains. The results are discussed in relation to their theoretical and practical implications.
An improved time over threshold method using bipolar signals

The time over threshold (TOT) method has been recently proposed as a signal processing method used to calculate time and energy information by measuring the pulse arrival time and pulse duration over a preset threshold. Although TOT has been reported as an effective method for front end readout in PET applications, it has several limitations, including its non-linearity, lower dynamic range, and a trade-off between energy resolution and coincidence resolving time (CRT). In this study, we propose a novel design we developed to improve performance with regard to these problems occurring in the conventional TOT by employing a bipolar signal and two comparators. Using a high frequency CR shaping filter, a detected signal was converted into a bipolar signal, and the positive pulse of the converted bipolar signal had a fast rising time, while the negative pulse had a linear slope. The bipolar TOT circuit was composed of a preamplifier, a CR shaping filter, and two comparators. The PET detector was composed of a single LYSO coupled with 4 × 4 SiPM arrays, a bipolar TOT circuit, and an FPGA based TDC. And this was constructed to evaluate the performance of the proposed bipolar TOT method. A 16-ch PET detector module consisting of a 4 × 4 array LYSO coupled to a 4 × 4 SiPM arrays, an Anger logic discretized positioning circuit, and a 4-ch bipolar TOT circuit was also constructed to evaluate the functionality of the bipolar TOT method for PET applications. The pulse height resolution and CRT were measured using both the bipolar TOT method and the conventional TOT method. While the bipolar TOT method provided a similar pulse height resolution (10.4% ± 0.1%), the integral non-linearity (1.4%) and CRT (168 ± 4 ps) measured using the bipolar TOT method were greatly improved compared to those (17.2% and 258 ± 15 ps, respectively) measured with the conventional TOT method. The positions of the crystals were clearly identified, as seen in the flood histogram acquired using the 4-ch bipolar TOT circuit. The measured average pulse height resolution and average CRT for the 16-ch detector module were 11.5% ± 0.2% and 516 ± 24 ps. The results obtained in this study indicate that the bipolar TOT method requiring a relatively small number of electronic components could effectively improve the CRT, linearity and dynamic range. Furthermore, they also demonstrated the extendibility allowing the development of a PET system that consists of a large number of detectors.
Recovering motion and structure from a set of planar patches in an uncalibrated image sequence

Addresses the well-known problem of estimating the motion and structure of a plane, but in the case where the visual system is not calibrated and in an unbounded monocular image sequence. The authors first define plane collineations and analyse some of their properties when utilized to analyse the retinal motion in an uncalibrated image sequence. The authors show how to relate them to the Euclidian parameters of the scene. In particular, the authors discuss how to detect and estimate the collineation of the plane at infinity and use this quantity for auto-calibration.
Human leukocyte antigen-A*24:02-B*40:247-C*03:04-DRB1*16:02, a deduced probable human leukocyte antigen haplotype associated with a low-incidence human leukocyte antigen allele B*40:247 in Taiwanese individuals: A case analysis

Objective: HLA-B*40:247 is a low incidence allele in the HLA-B locus. The aim of this study is to confirm the ethnicity of B*40:247 and its deduced probable HLA- associated haplotype in Taiwanese individuals. Materials and Methods: A total of 2,329 unrelated Taiwanese individuals and 66,212 unrelated mainland Chinese individuals were tested for HLA using a sequence-based typing method. We confirmed the low incidence allele B*40:247 in Taiwanese. Polymerase chain reaction was performed to amplify exons 2, 3 and 4 of the HLA-A and HLA-B loci and exon 2 of the HLA-DRB1 locus using group-specific primer sets. The amplicons were sequenced in both directions with the *BigDye Terminator Cycle Sequencing Ready Reaction Kit according to the manufacturer's protocols. Results: The DNA sequence of B*40:247 is identical to B*40:01:01 in exons 2, 3 and 4 except for residue 853, where G of B*40:01:01 is changed to A in B*40:247 (codon 261, GTA->ATA). The nucleotide replacement causes a one amino acid change at codon 261 where V (valine) of B*40:01:01 is replaced by I (isoleucine) in B*40:247. We deduced the probable HLA haplotype associated with B*40:247 in Taiwanese to be HLA-A*24:02-B*40:247-C*03:04-DRB1*16:02. Conclusion: Information on the ethnicity and distribution of B*40:247 and its deduced probable HLA haplotype in association with the low incidence allele is of value for HLA testing laboratories for reference purposes and can help bone marrow donor registries find compatible donors for patients with this uncommon HLA allele.
A Poisoned Chalice: Impact of Introducing a Store on Social Media Fan Pages on Customer Engagement and Product Sales

While social media fan pages are being widely used by firms, their value in terms of influencing customer behavior is not clear. In this study, we examine the impact of introducing “stores” on social media fan pages on customer engagement and purchase. Using a unique dataset from a fashion retailer, we find that opening a fan page store can lead to negative outcomes for the firm. Our results suggest that introducing a fan page store significantly reduces customer engagement with the fan page by 26%. More importantly, results indicate that introducing a fan page store decreases the retailer’s sales by 4.6%. The study informs managerial practice on whether to leverage fan page stores for enhancing customer engagement and promoting sales.
Nobiletin alleviates endometriosis via down-regulating NF-κB activity in endometriosis mouse model

Nobiletin exhibits protective potential on inflammation and inhibits the activation of transcription factors nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB). However, its effects on the progression of endometriosis remain unsettled. The present study aimed to explore the in vivo alleviation of nobiletin on endometriosis and its mechanism of action. The mouse model of endometriosis was established and administered with nobiletin. The ectopic lesion size was measured and the hotplate test was performed to assess the amelioration of nobiletin on endometriosis. The expression of proliferation and angiogenesis relevant genes including proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and E-cadherin was measured by immunostaining and the mRNA expression of proinflammatory mediators including interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-1, and MMP-3 was measured by RT-PCR. The change of NF-κB activity in endometriotic cells was evaluated by Western blotting and confirmed by luciferase assay. Administration of nobiletin significantly reduced lesions size and pain in endometriosis mice. Nobiletin significantly altered the expression of PCNA, VEGF, and E-cadherin in ectopic endometrium, as well as the levels of IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α, MMP-1, and MMP-3. Nobiletin also showed remarkably impairment on the activation of NF-κB in promoting endometriotic cells, likely targeting on the activity of IκB kinases (IKKs). The present study provides the first evidence that nobiletin exerts protection on endometriosis via inhibition the activation of NF-κB, specifically on the activity of IκB kinases.
Neuropsychological Functioning in Euthymic Phase of Bipolar Affective Disorder

Background: A substantial proportion of euthymic bipolar disorder patients have neuropsychological impairment which can have a significant impact on the overall functional recovery. Materials and Methods: A total of 60 bipolar disorder patients, currently in euthymic phase for the last 3 months with minimum duration of illness 2 years and current Young Mania Rating Scale <7 and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale <6, currently on medications were administrated various neuropsychological tests. Results: Approximately half of the patients have neuropsychological impairments in the areas of mental speed, sustained attention, verbal fluency, working memory, set shifting, verbal and visual memory, and visual-constructional ability. Conclusion: Findings of the current study provides evidence of neuropsychological impairment in euthymic bipolar disorder patients, and type of medications also has an impact on neuropsychological functions.
UNIPEN project of on-line data exchange and recognizer benchmarks

We report the status of the UNIPEN project of data exchange and recognizer benchmarks started two years ago at the initiative of the International Association of Pattern Recognition (Technical Committee 11). The purpose of the project is to propose and implement solutions to the growing need of handwriting samples for online handwriting recognizers used by pen-based computers. Researchers from several companies and universities have agreed on a data format, a platform of data exchange and a protocol for recognizer benchmarks. The online handwriting data of concern may include handprint and cursive from various alphabets (including Latin and Chinese), signatures and pen gestures. These data will be compiled and distributed by the Linguistic Data Consortium. The benchmarks will be arbitrated the US National Institute of Standards and Technologies. We give a brief introduction to the UNIPEN format. We explain the protocol of data exchange and benchmarks.
Phase 1 Study of the Pharmacology of BTI320 Before High‐Glycemic Meals

BTI320 is a proprietary fractionated mannan polysaccharide being studied for attenuation of postprandial glucose excursion. The apparent blood glucose‐lowering effect of this compound is effective in lowering postprandial hyperinsulinemia, participating in the metabolic regulation of other lipid molecules; the consequence of this activity is yet to be validated with BTI320 with respect to the risk of cardiovascular disease. The primary objective of the study was to determine the postprandial glucose and insulin responses to 3 test meals containing rice alone or consumed with BTI320 (study A) or 3 test meals (SpriteTM) alone or consumed with BTI320 (study B). Twenty overweight but otherwise healthy volunteers, 4 female and 6 male (mean age 29 years, BMI 27–28 kg/m2) in study A and 6 female and 4 male (mean age 32 years, BMI 25‐32 kg/m2) in study B participated in the BTI320 evaluations. Standardized postprandial response methodology was utilized. In study A the addition of 6‐ and 12‐g BTI320 tablets reduced postprandial glucose responses to white rice by 19% and 32% and reduced postprandial insulin responses by 16% and 24%, respectively (P ≤ .05). In study B 2.6 and 5.2 g BTI320 reduced the glycemic index by 10% and 14%, respectively, and led to 14% and 18% decreases in the insulinemic index of the soft drink (P ≤ .05). These 2 studies demonstrated that the consumption of BTI320 before carbohydrate food or sugary beverage significantly reduced postprandial glucose levels and insulin responses to that meal or beverage in a dose‐dependent manner.
Seizure detection using scalp‐EEG

Scalp electroencephalography (EEG)–based seizure‐detection algorithms applied in a clinical setting should detect a broad range of different seizures with high sensitivity and selectivity and should be easy to use with identical parameter settings for all patients. Available algorithms provide sensitivities between 75% and 90%. EEG seizure patterns with short duration, low amplitude, circumscribed focal activity, high frequency, and unusual morphology as well as EEG seizure patterns obscured by artifacts are generally difficult to detect. Therefore, detection algorithms generally perform worse on seizures of extratemporal origin as compared to those of temporal lobe origin. Specificity (false‐positive alarms) varies between 0.1 and 5 per hour. Low false‐positive alarm rates are of critical importance for acceptance of algorithms in a clinical setting. Reasons for false‐positive alarms include physiological and pathological interictal EEG activities as well as various artifacts. To achieve a stable, reproducible performance (especially concerning specificity), algorithms need to be tested and validated on a large amount of EEG data comprising a complete temporal assessment of all interictal EEG. Patient‐specific algorithms can further improve sensitivity and specificity but need parameter adjustments and training for individual patients. Seizure alarm systems need to provide on‐line calculation with short detection delays in the order of few seconds. Scalp‐EEG–based seizure detection systems can be helpful in an everyday clinical setting in the epilepsy monitoring unit, but at the current stage cannot replace continuous supervision of patients and complete visual review of the acquired data by specially trained personnel. In an outpatient setting, application of scalp‐EEG–based seizure‐detection systems is limited because patients won't tolerate wearing widespread EEG electrode arrays for long periods in everyday life. Recently developed subcutaneous EEG electrodes may offer a solution in this respect.
A Requirements Framework for the Design of Smart City Reference Architectures

Reference architectures are generalized models of several end systems that share one or more common domains. They facilitate the design of high-quality concrete architectures and the communication between domain professionals. The reference architecture approach should be applied in the smart city domain because of its complexity where different stakeholders and heterogeneous systems and technologies must coexist and interact. Smart cities reference architectures should offer a cooperative framework for stakeholders and a guide to design concrete architectures. Industry and academia have proposed different requirements for concrete architectures. However, there is a lack of standardization in the requirements for the design of smart city reference architectures. This can produce that concrete architectures do not meet citizens’ requirements. The goal of this paper is to define a set of requirements for the design of smart city reference architectures. We conduct a literature review to find the requirements which should fulfill these reference architectures.
Averaged and decorrelated neural networks as a time-series predictor

We study the effect of removing temporal structure in the prediction error. We observe that networks which are not optimally trained, exhibit strong temporal structure in their prediction error, which can be eliminated using linear regression. This elimination improves performance significantly, but does not lead to the best performance which is achieved by training networks until they do not exhibit any such temporal structure. The improvement in performance of ensemble net averaging does not affect possible temporal structure of the error, thus averaging can be performed before or after temporal structure removal. We demonstrate these findings on the sunspot data set.
OCR in Bangla: an Indo-Bangladeshi language

In this paper a complete OCR system is described for documents of single Bangla (Bengali) font. The character shapes are recognized by a combination of template and feature matching approach. Images digitized by flatbed scanner are subjected to skew correction, line, word and character segmentation, simple and compound character separation, feature extraction and finally character recognition. A feature based tree classifier is used for simple character recognition. Preprocessing like thinning and skeletonization is not necessary in our scheme and hence the system is quite fast. At present, the system has an accuracy of about 96%. Also, some character occurrence statistics have been computed to model an error detection and correction technique in the near future.
Melanoma-associated mutants within the serine-rich domain of PAK5 direct kinase activity to mitogenic pathways

The overexpression and hyperactivity of p21-activated serine/threonine kinases (PAKs) is known to facilitate tumorigenesis; however, the contribution of cancer-associated PAK mutations to tumor initiation and progression remains unclear. Here, we identify p21-activated serine/threonine kinase 5 (PAK5) as the most frequently altered PAK family member in human melanoma. More than 60% of melanoma-associated PAK5 gene alterations are missense mutations, and distribution of these variants throughout the protein coding sequence make it difficult to distinguish oncogenic drivers from passengers. To address this issue, we stably introduced the five most common melanoma-associated PAK5 missense mutations into human immortalized primary melanocytes (hMELTs). While expression of these mutants did not promote single-cell migration or induce temozolomide resistance, a subset of variants drove aberrant melanocyte proliferation. These mitogenic mutants, PAK5 S364L and D421N, clustered within an unstructured, serine-rich domain of the protein and inappropriately activated ERK and PKA through kinase-independent and -dependent mechanisms, respectively. Together, our findings establish the ability of mutant PAK5 to enhance PKA and MAPK signaling in melanocytes and localize the engagement of mitogenic pathways to a serine-rich region of PAK5.
Improved measurements ofχcJ→Σ+ ̄Σ−andΣ0 ̄Σ0decays

Using a data sample of $(448.1\pm2.9)\times 10^6~\psi(3686)$ events collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider, we present measurements of branching fractions for the decays $\chi_{cJ} \rightarrow \Sigma^+ \bar{\Sigma}^-$ and $\Sigma^0 \bar{\Sigma}^0$. The decays $\chi_{c1,2}\rightarrow \Sigma^+ \bar{\Sigma}^-$ and $\Sigma^0 \bar{\Sigma}^0$ are observed for the first time, and the branching fractions for $\chi_{c0}\rightarrow \Sigma^+ \bar{\Sigma}^-$ and $\Sigma^0 \bar{\Sigma}^0$ decays are measured with improved precision. The branching fraction ratios between the charged and neutral modes are consistent with the prediction of isospin symmetry.
Usefulness of Demarcation of Differentiated-Type Early Gastric Cancers after Helicobacter pylori Eradication by Magnifying Endoscopy with Narrow-Band Imaging

Background/Aims: Early gastric cancer after Helicobacter pylori (Hp) eradication is difficult to demarcate. We used the vessel plus surface classification system (VSCS) to determine whether magnifying endoscopy with narrow-band imaging (ME-NBI) could demarcate differentiated-type early gastric cancers after Hp eradication, and to identify causes of an unclear demarcation line (DL). Methods: Among 100 lesions of differentiated-type early gastric cancer resected endoscopically, 34 lesions in the Hp-eradicated group and 66 in the Hp-infected group were retrospectively compared. Clinicopathological factors and ME-NBI findings, including the presence or absence of the DL, were examined. Histopathologically, histological gastritis, the surface structure at the tumor border, well-differentiated adenocarcinoma with low-grade atypia (tub1-low), and non-neoplastic epithelium (NE) coverage rate on the tumor surface and at the tumor border were evaluated. Results: DL (–) cases were more frequent in the Hp-eradicated group (11.8%, 4/34) than in the Hp-infected group (1.5%, 1/66; p < 0.05). The Hp-eradicated group had a higher NE coverage rate than the Hp-infected group (p < 0.05). All DL (–) cases had tub1-low or NE at the tumor border. Conclusion: ME-NBI with VSCS can identify the DL in most patients (88.2%) with differentiated-type early gastric cancer after Hp eradication.