Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Personalized Cardiovascular Disease Prediction and Treatment—A Review of Existing Strategies and Novel Systems Medicine Tools

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues to constitute the leading cause of death globally. CVD risk stratification is an essential tool to sort through heterogeneous populations and identify individuals at risk of developing CVD. However, applications of current risk scores have recently been shown to result in considerable misclassification of high-risk subjects. In addition, despite long standing beneficial effects in secondary prevention, current CVD medications have in a primary prevention setting shown modest benefit in terms of increasing life expectancy. A systems biology approach to CVD risk stratification may be employed for improving risk-estimating algorithms through addition of high-throughput derived omics biomarkers. In addition, modeling of personalized benefit-of-treatment may help in guiding choice of intervention. In the area of medicine, realizing that CVD involves perturbations of large complex biological networks, future directions in drug development may involve moving away from a reductionist approach toward a system level approach. Here, we review current CVD risk scores and explore how novel algorithms could help to improve the identification of risk and maximize personalized treatment benefit. We also discuss possible future directions in the development of effective treatment strategies for CVD through the use of genome-scale metabolic models (GEMs) as well as other biological network-based approaches.
Discovering unique members from mobile social networks

The exponential growth of users in Mobile Telecom Network has forced operators to analyze their network more frequently to predict changes in user behavior and offer right incentives to retain them in their network. In this paper, we propose a self-contained approach to the problem of analyzing the community structure to identify bridge members in the community and also to understand their diffusion behavior into the network. We have used call graphs of telecom network to discover the presence of highly ranked unique members inside the community for targeted advertisements. Three different techniques were applied related to this connection and their dissipation strength is compared for its importance. We present our experimental results with indicative services to mobile networks.
Identification of the Productivity Gap Between Formal and Informal Sectors in Three Western African Countries

This paper investigates the output gap between the formal and informal sectors in three Western African countries: Benin, Mali and Senegal. Using original matched employer-employee databases, we find evidence of low physical and human capital returns in these countries when considering the informal sector. There is also evidence that these economies are deeply cleaved between productive and non productive firms within the informal sector. Some informal sub-sectors are comparable to some formal ones. Estimating the production function, we find important differences between countries and across sectors: Malian formal sector is significantly more efficient than Beninese and Senegalese ones, while the Senegalese informal sector appears to be the most efficient one.
Five-Gene Cluster in Clostridium thermoaceticumConsisting of Two Divergent Operons Encoding Rubredoxin Oxidoreductase- Rubredoxin and Rubrerythrin–Type A Flavoprotein– High-Molecular-Weight Rubredoxin

ABSTRACT A five-gene cluster encoding four nonheme iron proteins and a flavoprotein from the thermophilic anaerobic bacteriumClostridium thermoaceticum (Moorella thermoacetica) was cloned and sequenced. Based on analysis of deduced amino acid sequences, the genes were identified asrub (rubredoxin), rbo (rubredoxin oxidoreductase), rbr (rubrerythrin), fprA (type A flavoprotein), and a gene referred to as hrb(high-molecular-weight rubredoxin). Northern blot analysis demonstrated that the five-gene cluster is organized as two subclusters, consisting of two divergently transcribed operons,rbr-fprA-hrb and rbo-rub. The rbr, fprA, and rub genes were expressed inEscherichia coli, and their encoded recombinant proteins were purified. The molecular masses, UV-visible absorption spectra, and cofactor contents of the recombinant rubrerythrin, rubredoxin, and type A flavoprotein were similar to those of respective homologs from other microorganisms. Antibodies raised againstDesulfovibrio vulgaris Rbr reacted with both native and recombinant Rbr from C. thermoaceticum, indicating that this protein was expressed in the native organism. Since Rbr and Rbo have been recently implicated in oxidative stress protection in several anaerobic bacteria and archaea, we suggest a similar function of these proteins in oxygen tolerance of C. thermoaceticum.
Multi-connection DCCP user-to-user video streaming over mobile WiMAX

The need to respond to congestion and channel loss over not one but two wireless links is an impediment to video streaming between one mobile user device and another via an intervening IP network. The result can be poor wireless channel utilization and interruptions to the streaming process. This paper proposes that multi-connection streaming will avoid the need for application-specific cross-layer intervention to address this problem. In considering IEEE 802.16e (mobile WiMAX), the paper demonstrates that multi-connection streaming is certainly necessary but only sufficient if an appropriately sized Time Division Duplex frame is selected. Received video quality will also depend on correct determination of the number of connections and the compression ratio of the video itself. The quality of the received video must be traded off against the time to stream the complete video sequence, which in term is determined by the number of connections.
IMPACT OF TAMDAR ON THE RUC MODEL: A LOOK INTO SOME OF THE STATISTICS

Edward J. Szoke1,2, Stan Benjamin, Randall S. Collander1, Brian D. Jamison1, William R. Moninger, Thomas W. Schlatter3, and Tracy L. Smith1 NOAA/Earth System Research Laboratory/Global Systems Division (ESRL/GSD), Boulder, Colorado 1Collaboration with the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA), Fort Collins, Colorado 3Collaboration with the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Environmental Sciences
Automatic Emotion Recognition through Handwriting Analysis: A Review

Handwriting analysis is the technique used to understand a person in a better way through his/her handwriting. By examining the handwriting, we can develop a sketch which reflects the writer's emotional outlays, fears, honesty, mental state and many other personality traits. Emotions include the interpretation, perception and response of the feelings related to the experience of any particular situation. They are the ones which bridge thoughts, feelings and actions. The main objective of this paper is to analyze the handwriting characteristics like Baseline, Slant, Pen-Pressure, Size, Margin and Zone to determine the emotion levels of a person. This will help identifying those people who are emotionally disturbed or depressed and need psychological help to overcome such negative emotions.
Learning for Innovation in New High Technology Ventures

Based on the theoretical findings found in the literature in strategic and in knowledge management, I develop a model on the links between organizational learning, innovation and company performance. Constructs are derived and validated on a sample of high tech ventures. The same sample is used to test the model. Findings indicate that there is a positive relationship between organizational learning, innovation and company performance. The age of the companies moderates these results while the size of the companies does not. Comments on how to capture and share the knowledge are given to the new ventures managers.
Privacy , Security ... and Risk and Danger and Secrecy and Trust and Morality and Identity and Power : Understanding Collective Information Practices

As everyday life is increasingly conducted online, and as the electronic world continues to move out into the physical, the privacy of information and action and the security of information systems are, increasingly, a focus of concern both for the research community and the public at large. Accordingly, privacy and security are active topics of investigation from a wide range of perspectives – institutional, legislative, technical, interactional and more. In this paper, we argue that we can understand privacy and security only by looking at the broader social and cultural contexts within which it is embedded. Privacy and security are difficult concepts to grapple with precisely because they are caught up in larger collective rhetorics and practices of risk, danger, secrecy, trust, morality, identity and more. When we try to separate these concepts, though, the results are incoherent. We argue for a move away from narrow views of privacy and security, and towards situated and collective information practices.
Uso de visão computacional em dispositivos móveis para auxílio à travessia de pedestres com deficiência visual

Esse projeto tem como objetivo a construcao de um aplicativo que tem o proposito de auxiliar deficientes visuais na travessia de ruas utilizando dispositivos moveis. Neste trabalho sao analisados tambem os desafios e algumas solucoes para desenvolver interfaces moveis acessiveis que executem o processamento de imagens para o reconhecimento de pessoas e faixas de pedestres. Adicionalmente sao fornecidas informacoes sobre o uso da Biblioteca OpenCV para a plataforma Android e as diferencas do processamento de algoritmos de Visao Computacional entre os aparelhos moveis e demais ambientes. Os resultados apresentados mostram a viabilidade do projeto e a necessidade de trabalhos futuros nos campos de pesquisa estudados.
Transition Region Velocity Oscillations Observed by EUNIS-06

Spectroscopic measurements of NOAA AR 10871, obtained with the Extreme Ultraviolet Normal Incidence Spectrograph (EUNIS) sounding rocket instrument on 2006 April 12, reveal velocity oscillations in the He II 303.8 Å emission line formed at T ≈ 5 × 104 K. The oscillations appear to arise in a bright active region loop arcade about 25″ wide which crosses the EUNIS slit. The period of these transition region oscillations is 26 ± 4 s, coupled with a velocity amplitude of ±10 km s−1, detected over four complete cycles. Similar oscillations are observed in lines formed at temperatures up to T ≈ 4 × 105 K, but we find no evidence for the coupling of these velocity oscillations with corresponding phenomena in the corona. We interpret the detected oscillations as originating from an almost purely adiabatic plasma, and infer that they are generated by the resonant transmission of MHD waves through the lower active region atmospheres. Through the use of seismological techniques, we establish that the observed velocity oscillations display wave properties most characteristic of fast body global sausage modes.
Automatic Load Test Verification Using Control Charts

Load testing is an important phase in the software development process. It is very time consuming but there is usually little time for it. As a solution to the tight testing schedule, software companies automate their testing procedures. However, existing automation only reduces the time required to run load tests. The analysis of the test results is still performed manually. A typical load test outputs thousands of performance counters. Analyzing these counters manually requires time and tacit knowledge of the system-under-test from the performance engineers. The goal of this study is to derive an approach to automatically verify load tests results. We propose an approach based on a statistical quality control technique called control charts. Our approach can a) automatically determine if a test run passes or fails and b) identify the subsystem where performance problem originated. We conduct two case studies on a large commercial telecommunication software and an open-source software system to evaluate our approach. Our results warrant further development of control chart based techniques in performance verification. Keywords-Performance Testing, Load Testing, Mining software repository
Invariant Extraction Method applied in an Omni-Language Old Document Navigation System

We are currently working on the concept of an omni script and interactive word retrieval system for ancient document collection navigation, based on query composition for non-expert users. To make the query, the user selects and composes writing pieces, which are invariants automatically extracted from the old document collection. In order to extract invariants from documents, strokes must be first extracted and clustered. Stroke extraction raises two main difficulties: detecting the ambiguous zones so as to extract primary strokes (writing pieces which do not contain any ambiguous zone) and grouping the primary strokes so as to form invariants. In this paper, we present existing methods for ambiguity zones detection and compare these methods on documents of different languages and periods to find out which one is more adapted in our context. Once ambiguous zones have been extracted, some neighboring primary strokes are grouped so as to obtain strokes and our clustering algorithm is applied over these strokes to find their representatives, i.e. the invariants. These invariants can further be used by the user to compose his/her query and to retrieve words from the document collection. Keywords— Word Retrieval, Invariant Extraction, Stroke Extraction, Clustering, Ambiguous Zones Detection
Image Processing on FPGAs A Survey

Modern advancements in configurable hardware, most notably Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) have provided an exciting opportunity to discover the parallel nature of modern image processing algorithms. These configurable platforms provide the opportunity to implement parallel architecture to boost the performance of the inherently parallel image processing algorithms. This survey paper gives an overview of works that demonstrate the benefits of using FPGAs to implement image processing algorithms Keywords-component; Image Processing; Field Programmable Gate Array; Parallel Computing
Optimal thresholding for enhancement of low contrasted images using soft computing

Soft computing is expected to play a gradually important role in many applications as well as image enhancement. The pattern for soft computing is the human brain. The soft computing evaluation has been principally strong with fuzzy logic. The fuzzy logic is information demonstration as a rule for managing of vagueness. In this paper the Multi-Dimensional optimized problem is addressed by discussing the best possible thresholding using fuzzy entropy for Image enhancement. This technique is compared with bi-level and multi-level thresholding and obtained best possible thresholding values for different levels of speckle noisy and low contrast images. The fuzzy entropy method has formed better results compared to bi-level and multi-level thresholding techniques.
A novel and simple micro-irradiation technique for creating localized DNA double-strand breaks

An ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM)-dependent DNA damage signal is amplified through the interaction of various factors, which are recruited to the chromatin regions with DNA double-strand breaks. Spatial and temporal regulation of such factors is analysed by fluorescence microscopy in combination with laser micro-irradiation. Here we describe a novel and simple technique for micro-irradiation that does not require a laser source. Cells were labelled with BrdU for 48–72 h, covered with porous polycarbonate membranes, and exposed to UVC. All BrdU-labelled cells showed localized foci of phosphorylated ATM, phosphorylated histone H2AX, MDC1 and 53BP1 upon irradiation, showing that these foci were induced irrespective of the cell-cycle phase. They were also detectable in nucleotide excision repair-defective XPA cells labelled with BrdU, indicating that the foci did not reflect an excision repair-related process. Furthermore, an ATM-specific inhibitor significantly attenuated the foci formation, and disappearance of the foci was significantly abrogated in non-homologous end-joining-defective cells. Thus, it can be concluded that micro-irradiation generated DNA double-strand breaks in BrdU-sensitized cells. The present technique should accelerate research in the fields of DNA damage response, DNA repair and DNA recombination, as it provides more chances to perform micro-irradiation experiments without any specific equipment.
Spherical wave modelling of radio channels using linear scanners

Research has been performed recently on spherical wave modelling of the radio propagation channels. In such a modelling the idea is to consider the responses of the radio channel for different spherical wave mode fields. A natural scan surface for the direct spherical data extraction would be spherical. However, many laboratories are equipped not with spherical scanners but with linear scanners. This paper describes how the required spherical mode responses of a channel can be extracted from the measurement data acquired on a cubical scanning surface. Rules for the required number of sampling locations on a cubical surface are provided.
Maximum Sum Rate of Aloha with Capture

The sum rate performance of random-access networks crucially depends on the access protocol and receiver structure. Despite extensive studies, how to characterize the maximum sum rate of the simplest version of random access, Aloha, remains an open question. In this paper, a comprehensive study of the sum rate performance of Aloha networks is presented. By extending the unified analytical framework proposed in [20], [21] from the classical collision model to the capture model, the network steady-state point in saturated conditions is derived as a function of the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) threshold which determines a fundamental tradeoff between the information encoding rate and the network throughput. To maximize the sum rate, both the SINR threshold and backoff parameters of nodes should be properly selected. Explicit expressions of the maximum sum rate and the optimal setting are obtained under various assumptions on the receiver model and channel conditions. The analysis reveals that similar to the sum capacity of the multiple access channel, the maximum sum rate of Aloha also logarithmically increases with the mean received signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), but the high-SNR slope is only $e^{-1}$. Effects of backoff, multipacket reception, channel fading and power control on the sum rate performance of Aloha networks are further discussed, which shed important light on the practical network design.
Existence of Weak Solutions to Kinetic Flocking Models

We establish the global existence of weak solutions to a class of kinetic flocking equations. The models under consideration include the kinetic Cucker--Smale equation [Cucker and Smale, IEEE Trans. Automat. Control, 52 (2007), pp. 852--862, Cucker and Smale, Japan. J. Math., 2 (2007), pp. 197--227] with possibly nonsymmetric flocking potential, the Cucker--Smale equation with additional strong local alignment, and a newly proposed model by Motsch and Tadmor [J. Statist. Phys., 141 (2011), pp. 923--947]. The main tools employed in the analysis are the velocity-averaging lemma and the Schauder fixed-point theorem along with various integral bounds.
Measurement of Patients' Bivalirudin Plasma Levels by a Thrombelastograph® Ecarin Clotting Time Assay: A Comparison to a Standard Activated Clotting Time

Standard activated clotting time (ACT) tests have a poor correlation to bivalirudin levels, leading to uncertainty regarding adequate anticoagulation in percutaneous coronary intervention patients. We tested a Thrombelastograph® (TEG®) ecarin clotting time (ECT) assay for sensitivity to bivalirudin using blood from 80 patients undergoing interventional cardiology procedures with bivalirudin anticoagulation. This was compared to a standard Hemochron ACT assay using diatomaceous earth. With the TEG® assay, the direct thrombin activator, ecarin, was used to initiate coagulation and measured as the reaction time. Plasma samples were evaluated for bivalirudin by a chromogenic assay at an independent hematological laboratory. Linear regression of the standard ACT versus bivalirudin level gave an r2 = 0.306 whereas the TEG® ECT gave a much higher r2 = 0.746 (both P < 0.0001). The TEG® ECT should prove more useful than the standard ACT for monitoring bivalirudin anticoagulation across the clinically therapeutic range.
FRAMEWORK AND MAP OF IS RESEARCH: TIME TO MOVE ON?

Advocates of a core of IS research have cautioned about a lack of legitimacy, specifically the “cognitive legitimacy” (Benbasat and Zmud, 2003), of the IS field and have even questioned the survival of the field (Agarwal and Lucas, 2005), raising questions as to what should constitute IS research – its boundaries, and the discipline’s core. Some authors maintain that IS researchers have avoided studying the core of the IS discipline, the IT artifact, and should focus their efforts in theorizing and studying the artifact as the phenomenon of interest in IS research (Orlikowski and Iacono, 2001; Benbasat and Zmud, 2003). However, other researchers reject the idea of an identity crisis in IS, noting that the field’s strength stems from its diversity of interests, and that researchers should study what is relevant and pertinent to IS practice (Lyytinen and King, 2004; Robey, 1996; DeSanctis, 2003). Thus, what constitutes IS research and what researchers should be studying is at the heart of the debate.
Cologastric Fistula with a Foreign Body in a Patient with Crohn’s Disease

Although the medical management of fistulizing Crohn’s disease is improving, a subset of patients does not respond to maximal medical therapy and is referred for surgical consultation. We report a case of Crohn’s colitis with an ingested foreign body resulting in a cologastric fistula. The patient underwent segmental colectomy and takedown of the cologastric fistula. At the time of laparotomy, the foreign body was found in the fistulous colonic segment. The presence of an ingested foreign body likely contributed to a rare fistula that was refractory to medical management.
Spectrofluorimetric Determination of Human Serum Albumin Using Terbium-Danofloxacin Probe

A spectrofluorimetric method is proposed for the determination of human serum albumin (HSA) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) using terbium-danofloxacin (Tb3+-Dano) as a fluorescent probe. These proteins remarkably enhance the fluorescence intensity of the Tb3+-Dano complex at 545 nm, and the enhanced fluorescence intensity of Tb3+-Dano is proportional to the concentration of proteins (HSA and BSA). Optimum conditions for the determination of HSA were investigated and found that the maximum response was observed at: pH = 7.8, [Tb3+] = 8.5 × 10−5 mol L−1, [Dano] = 1.5 × 10−4 mol L−1. The calibration graphs for standard solutions of BSA, HSA, and plasma samples of HSA were linear in the range of 0.2 × 10−6 − 1.3 × 10−6 mol L−1, 0.2 × 10−6 − 1.4 × 10−6 mol L−1, and 0.2 × 10−6 − 1 × 10−6 mol L−1, respectively. The detection limits (S/N = 3) for BSA, HSA, and plasma sample of HSA were 8.7 × 10−8 mol L−1, 6.2 × 10−8 mol L−1, and 8.1 × 10−8 mol L−1, respectively. The applicability of the method was checked using a number of real biological plasma samples and was compared with the UV spectrometric reference method. The results was showed that the method could be regarded as a simple, practical, and sensitive alternative method for determination of albumin in biological samples.