Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identifying Traits of Leaders in Movement Initiation

How do leaders leadƒ Are individuals with influence always at the front of their groupƒ Do they initiate travel in new directions or are they first to start movingƒ Which attempts to initiate movement translate to leadershipƒ In this paper we present a computational method to characterize and classify the types of leaders in movement initiation. We adapt a leadership inference framework, FLICA, to extract information about which individuals act as leaders. We then propose a framework for ranking leaders according to their position, velocity, and heading relative to the group and perform hypothesis testing of correlations between target features and leadership ranking. We use a time series of GPS positions of wild olive baboons (Papio anubis) as an application of our approach. Our results demonstrate that there is no correlation between leadership and early movement, there is negative correlation between leadership and new directions, while leadership and new area exploration are positively correlated. Thus, as an example, in baboons, our approach shows that while leaders are not the first to move, they are typically at the front and move in a new area with everybody immediately aligning in the direction of leader. Our simple scheme is flexible to be applied to other data sets and sets of traits to characterize leadership.
PhD. Dissertation: Subjectivity and Ownership: A Perspective on Software Reuse

ion. Data abstraction encourages the creation of modules which hide their implementation behind an abstract interface. Inheritance. A new class can be derived by reusing code from an existing class. Polymorphism. With polymorphism, an object of a derived class can be used in place of an object of the expected class.
The vascular micromilieu in obstructive sleep apnoea

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is increasingly recognised as an important cardiovascular risk factor. In particular, OSA has been shown to increase the risk of diurnal arterial hypertension in a dose-dependent manner, and is now considered as one of the most common causes of secondary arterial hypertension 1, 2. Furthermore, OSA increases the likelihood of developing vaso-occlusive disease, notably myocardial infarction and stroke, although this association seems to be weaker than that observed for arterial hypertension 3. Of note, the epidemiological studies demonstrating a genuine relationship between OSA and cardiovascular disorders have been controlled with respect to confounding factors such as age, body weight and metabolic disease. How does one explain the causal link between OSA and cardiovascular disease? The repetitive collapse of the upper airway during sleep generates a unique pattern of hypoxia, with frequent cycles of hypoxia and re-oxygenation during the night, and a constant normoxia while awake. Accumulating evidence suggests that this chronic intermittent hypoxia causes a specific disturbance in the vascular micromilieu, with vasoconstrictive, pro-inflammatory and pro-coagulant forces predominating. Finally, the disturbance in the vascular micromilieu leads to endothelial dysfunction in these patients 4. This reduction in endothelial-dependent vasorelaxation has been established as a pathogenic factor in both systemic arterial hypertension and atherosclerosis. Treatment of OSA by continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) ventilation not only eliminates apnoeas and nocturnal oxygen desaturations, but also exerts cardio-protective effects. …
Life history trade‐offs in human growth: Adaptation or pathology?

Human beings growing‐up in adverse biocultural environments, including undernutrition, exposure to infection, economic oppression/poverty, heavy workloads, high altitude, war, racism, and religious/ethnic oppression, may be stunted, have asymmetric body proportions, be wasted, be overweight, and be at greater risk for disease. One group of researchers explains this as a consequence of “developmental programming” (DP). Another group uses the phrase “predictive adaptive response” (PAR). The DP group tends to view the alterations as having permanent maladaptive effects that place people at risk for disease. The PAR group considers the alterations at two levels of adaptation: (1) “short‐term adaptive responses for immediate survival” and (2) “predictive responses required to ensure postnatal survival to reproductive age. ” The differences between the DP and PAR hypotheses are evaluated in this article. A life history theory analysis rephrases the DP versus PAR debate from disease or adaptation to the concept of “trade‐offs. ” Even under good conditions, the stages of human life history are replete with trade‐offs for survival, productivity, and reproduction. Under adverse conditions, trade‐offs result in reduced survival, poor growth, constraints on physical activity, and poor reproductive outcomes. Models of human development may need to be refined to accommodate a greater range of the biological and cultural sources of adversity as well as their independent and interactive influences. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Supply Chain Management: Performance empresarial y efectos regionales

En l'absence, evidente a ce jour, de cadre d? explication integrant la totalite des faits et actes de « communication persuasive », et compte tenu du schisme theorique qui oppose les divers modeles de « comprehension » de la question, l'efficacite pratique requiert que cette expression soit comprise comme formule generique. Et, ce faisant, refere a l'ensemble des effets de la communication, quelle que soit la facon dont on peut apprehender et concevoir ce dernier phenomene.
Doping: never-ending story? Never-ending glory!

The aim of this paper is to show an effective and cost-efficient method of minimizing the incentives for athletes to use performance-enhancing drugs commonly referred to as doping. We first review the regulations that have already been implemented to minimize incentives to dope in professional sports. These traditional approaches are unable to resolve the doping dilemma. Rather, doping seems to be a never-ending story. We then present a new cost-efficient approach that is easy to implement. Our new approach turns a win into never-ending glory. This is achieved by discounting the benefits of a first place win on several grounds. As the net benefit of winning is not diminished, the idea of competition can be perpetuated.
Consciousness: A Neurological Perspective

Consciousness is a state so essentially entwined with human experience, yet so difficult to conceptually define and measure. In this article, we explore how a bidimensional model of consciousness involving both level of arousal and subjective awareness of the contents of consciousness can be used to differentiate a range of healthy and altered conscious states. These include the different sleep stages of healthy individuals and the altered states of consciousness associated with neurological conditions such as epilepsy, vegetative state and coma. In particular, we discuss how arousal and awareness are positively correlated in normal physiological states with the exception of REM sleep, while a disturbance in this relationship is characteristic of vegetative state, minimally conscious state, complex partial seizures and sleepwalking.
A novel wideband TM01-to-TE11 mode converter

A novel, state-of-the-art design is presented for a TM01-to-TE11 circular waveguide mode convertor, providing over 30% bandwidth of extraneous-mode-free operation at a conversion loss of less than 0.5 dB. The design philosophy is based upon the unique use of two intermediate modes, a coaxial TEM and a rectangular waveguide TE10, which provide input-output isolation of the converted modes.
Impact of service Quality Perceived Risk, Perceived Privacy and Security and Perceived Trust on technology acceptance model: An empirical study based on online banking sector of Pakistan

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the service Quality parameters of online banking that determine customer's usage behavior, hence the association among Perceived Risk, Privacy & Security and Perceived Trust on customers' attitude was studied that further influences customers' intention towards usage of online banking in Pakistan. A cross sectional study was conducted, where the questionnaires were distributed among 250 users of online banking of public and private banks. Respondents were selected using random sampling technique, who was students and employees of different universities and organizations. The study suggested that service Quality plays a vital role in determining users' actual usage behavior. It was further suggested that longitudinal study should be conducted in order to view the change in their behavior with the raise in experience and ease of use. Moreover individuals' personalities should be taken as a moderating variable to evaluate the impact of personality on technology acceptance.
The role of smart meters in encouraging behavioural change - prospects for the UK

Growing concerns about climate change and energy security have led to a strong focus on energy efficiency within UK energy policy. At the same time, information and communication technologies (ICTs) have become pervasive in society and this has brought with it new policy options which use them as enabling technologies. One such policy option planned for implementation in the UK is the use of smart meters and real-time displays to encourage people to become more aware of their energy consumption and possibly change their energy-related behaviours. Smart meters and displays by definition link individuals, technologies and society, and their effectiveness is influenced by a range of factors. This paper aims to identify which factors are most likely to contribute to the effectiveness of smart meters and real-time displays in reducing household energy consumption by analysing: a number of perspectives on behavioural change, particularly as they relate to household electricity use; the role of smart meters in the UK energy efficiency policy, including the role of ICTs in energy demand reduction more generally; and the views of a range of key stakeholders.
Characterization of the Giardia intestinalis secretome during interaction with human intestinal epithelial cells: The impact on host cells

Background Giardia intestinalis is a non-invasive protozoan parasite that causes giardiasis in humans, the most common form of parasite-induced diarrhea. Disease mechanisms are not completely defined and very few virulence factors are known. Methodology To identify putative virulence factors and elucidate mechanistic pathways leading to disease, we have used proteomics to identify the major excretory-secretory products (ESPs) when Giardia trophozoites of WB and GS isolates (assemblages A and B, respectively) interact with intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) in vitro. Findings The main parts of the IEC and parasite secretomes are constitutively released proteins, the majority of which are associated with metabolism but several proteins are released in response to their interaction (87 and 41 WB and GS proteins, respectively, 76 and 45 human proteins in response to the respective isolates). In parasitized IECs, the secretome profile indicated effects on the cell actin cytoskeleton and the induction of immune responses whereas that of Giardia showed anti-oxidation, proteolysis (protease-associated) and induction of encystation responses. The Giardia secretome also contained immunodominant and glycosylated proteins as well as new candidate virulence factors and assemblage-specific differences were identified. A minor part of Giardia ESPs had signal peptides (29% for both isolates) and extracellular vesicles were detected in the ESPs fractions, suggesting alternative secretory pathways. Microscopic analyses showed ESPs binding to IECs and partial internalization. Parasite ESPs reduced ERK1/2 and P38 phosphorylation and NF-κB nuclear translocation. Giardia ESPs altered gene expression in IECs, with a transcriptional profile indicating recruitment of immune cells via chemokines, disturbances in glucose homeostasis, cholesterol and lipid metabolism, cell cycle and induction of apoptosis. Conclusions This is the first study identifying Giardia ESPs and evaluating their effects on IECs. It highlights the importance of host and parasite ESPs during interactions and reveals the intricate cellular responses that can explain disease mechanisms and attenuated inflammatory responses during giardiasis.
Performance Enhancement of TCP Using ECN and Snoop Protocol for Wi-Max Network

Providing Internet services over wireless links has grown rapidly in recent years. TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) has been performing well over the traditional wired networks where packet losses occur mostly because of congestion, it cannot react efficiently in wireless networks, which suffer from significant non-congestion-related losses due to reasons such as bit errors and handoffs. The paper shows how Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN), Snoop protocol and their combination can be used to improve the performance of TCP in Wi-Max network, ECN will help in congestion control and SNOOP will retransmit the packets that are lost from nodes in between, saving nearly half the retransmission time and avoiding the decreasing in transmission speed. This paper investigates the performance of above mentioned protocols over Wi-Max wireless scenario which improves the various parameters of TCP such as throughput. The results of the same can be demonstrated on NS2 simulator (WiMax module ns–nist-wimax.tgz).
The binding of deoxycholic acid to band 3 protein from human erythrocyte membranes and to bovine serum albumin.

The binding of a water-soluble steroid, deoxycholic acid, to solubilized band 3 protein from erythrocyte membranes was studied by equilibrium dialysis. At acid pH, a single high affinity binding site with an association constant K = 4 . 10(5)M-1 was found. In addition, the protein showed a large number of low affinity binding sites. High affinity binding of the steroid was not observed when the pH was made alkaline or when deoxycholic acid was substituted by cholic acid. The results support the suggestion previously derived from monolayer experiments that band 3 possesses a single cholesterol-binding site of high affinity and specificity (Klappauf, E. & Schubert, D. (1979) Hoppe-Seyler's Z. Physiol. Chem. 360, 1225-1235). Bovine serum albumin was also found to possess a single high affinity binding site for deoxycholic acid (K = 4 . 10(5)M-1). In contrast to band 3, this site is observed both at acid and alkaline pH.
HIGH ABSORPTION BUT VERY LOW BIOAVAILABILITY OF ORAL RESVERATROL IN HUMANS

The dietary polyphenol resveratrol has been shown to have chemopreventive activity against cardiovascular disease and a variety of cancers in model systems, but it is not clear whether the drug reaches the proposed sites of action in vivo after oral ingestion, especially in humans. In this study, we examined the absorption, bioavailability, and metabolism of 14C-resveratrol after oral and i.v. doses in six human volunteers. The absorption of a dietary relevant 25-mg oral dose was at least 70%, with peak plasma levels of resveratrol and metabolites of 491 ± 90 ng/ml (about 2 μM) and a plasma half-life of 9.2 ± 0.6 h. However, only trace amounts of unchanged resveratrol (<5 ng/ml) could be detected in plasma. Most of the oral dose was recovered in urine, and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis identified three metabolic pathways, i.e., sulfate and glucuronic acid conjugation of the phenolic groups and, interestingly, hydrogenation of the aliphatic double bond, the latter likely produced by the intestinal microflora. Extremely rapid sulfate conjugation by the intestine/liver appears to be the rate-limiting step in resveratrol's bioavailability. Although the systemic bioavailability of resveratrol is very low, accumulation of resveratrol in epithelial cells along the aerodigestive tract and potentially active resveratrol metabolites may still produce cancer-preventive and other effects.
Automatic Extraction of Femur Contours from Calibrated Fluoroscopic Images

Automatic identification and extraction of bone contours from X-ray images is an essential first step task for further medical image analysis. In this paper we propose a 3D statistical model based framework for the proximal femur contour extraction from calibrated X-ray images. The automatic initialization is solved by an estimation of Bayesian network algorithm to fit a multiple component geometrical model to the X-ray data. The contour extraction is accomplished by a non-rigid 2D/3D registration between a 3D statistical model and the X-ray images, in which bone contours are extracted by a graphical model based Bayesian inference. Preliminary experiments on clinical data sets verified its validity
Probabilistic transcription of sung melody using a pitch dynamic model

Transcribing the singing voice into music notes is challenging due to pitch fluctuations such as portamenti and vibratos. This paper presents a probabilistic transcription method for monophonic sung melodies that explicitly accounts for these local pitch fluctuations. In the hierarchical Hidden Markov Model (HMM), an upper-level ergodic HMM handles the transitions between notes, and a lower-level left-to-right HMM handles the intra- and inter-note pitch fluctuations. The lower-level HMM employs the pitch dynamic model, which explicitly expresses the pitch curve characteristics as the observation likelihood over ƒ0 and Δƒ0 using a compact parametric distribution. A histogram-based tuning frequency estimation method, and some post-processing heuristics to separate merged notes and to allocate spuriously detected short notes, improve the note recognition performance. With model parameters that support intuitions about singing behavior, the proposed method obtained encouraging results when evaluated on a published monophonic sung melody dataset, and compared with state-of-the-art methods.
Chemical composition of French and Polish cloudy apple juices

Summary Cloudy juices from six apple cultivars from Poland (‘Ariwa’, ‘Gold Milenium’, ‘Florina’, ‘Melfree’, ‘Novamac’, and ‘Rajka’) and four French cultivars (‘Ariane’, ‘Chanteline’, ‘Judeline’, and ‘Judor’) were produced and chemically characterised. The analyses encompassed 23 chemical parameters and phenolics profiles. The most important parameter, differentiating cloudy juice from clear juice, was turbidity. Cloudy juices were characterised by having an average total turbidity of 1,210 Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU) and a stability of turbidity of 42%. Some of the results deviated from the accepted ranges given in reference values for apple juices in the Code of Practice of the European Fruit Juice Association. This occurred in the cases of simple sugars and saccharose contents of the Polish apple juices (e.g., up to 56.9 mg l–1 of saccharose vs. a maximum value of 30 mg l−1), and for some mineral compounds in the French apple juices (e.g., sodium values up to 10 mg l−1). Large variations were found in case of important healthconferring components. Water-soluble pectin contents varied from 205 mg l−1 for ‘Chanteline’, to 1,289 mg l−1 for ‘Gold Milenium’; while, in the case of phenolic compounds, the range was from 85.7 mg l−1 for ‘Novamac’, to 524.8 mg l−1 for ‘Melfree’.
Quantum transport in NEMO5: Algorithm improvements and high performance implementation

Quantum transport algorithms such as QTBM and NEGF/RGF have been efficiently implemented in the multi-scale simulation tool NEMO5 by taking advantage of the Hamiltonian's characteristics of nanowires without explicit spinorbit coupling in the tight binding representation. Benchmarks in a 3nm diameter, 20 nm length Si nanowire in atomistic 10 band tight binding representation demonstrate 3-5 times performance improvement over the current state of the literatures.
Fuzzy Time Control Modeling Of Discrete Event Systems

Linguistic modeling of complex irregular systems is helpful for the generation of decision making controls. In the various existing Fuzzy models, proposed by Mamdani, Sugeno, and Tsukamoto, the concepts of the set of membership functions and different Fuzzy logic rules to reason about data were addressed. The time control issues were not discussed in these models. In this paper, a new model is proposed with initial membership functions of the fuzzy model and the linguistic fuzzy rules with time control membership function of the binary valued outputs instead of crisp values. The system is named fuzzy logic time control system (FLTCS) with the proposed timing approach and implemented with discrete event system DEVS.
iRap - an Interest-Based RDF Update Propagation Framework

We present the iRap (interest-based RDF update propagation) framework that propagates only relevant parts of updates published by a source dataset to a local replica excerpt of the source dataset. This interest-based update propagation enables remote applications to ‘subscribe’ to relevant datasets and consistently reflect the necessary changes locally without the need to frequently replace the entire dataset (or a relevant subset).
Self Advocacy: A Community Solution to Access Discrimination and Service Problems Encountered by the "Homeless Disabled"

This article describes current service obstacles and service problems encountered by people who are homeless and disabled in America. An analysis and discussion of self advocacy, one missing element in service models and rehabilitation program efforts, is presented. Optiotis and recommendations for including self advocacy in service programs, in public policy development, and at the community level also are offered for consideration.
Radial endobronchial ultrasound for the diagnosis of peripheral pulmonary lesions: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Tissue diagnosis of peripheral pulmonary lesions (PPLs) can be challenging. In the past, flexible bronchoscopy was commonly performed for this purpose but its diagnostic yield is suboptimal. This has led to the development of new bronchoscopic modalities such as radial endobronchial ultrasound (R‐EBUS), electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy (ENB) and virtual bronchoscopy (VB). We performed this meta‐analysis using data from previously published R‐EBUS studies, to determine its diagnostic yield and other performance characteristics. Ovid MEDLINE and PubMed databases were searched for R‐EBUS studies in September 2016. Diagnostic yield was calculated by dividing the number of successful diagnoses by the total number of lesions. Meta‐analysis was performed using MedCalc (Version 16.8). Inverse variance weighting was used to aggregate diagnostic yield proportions across studies. Publication bias was assessed using funnel plot and Duval and Tweedie's test. 57 studies with a total of 7872 lesions were included in the meta‐analysis. These were published between October 2002 and August 2016. Overall weighted diagnostic yield for R‐EBUS was 70.6% (95% CI: 68–73.1%). The diagnostic yield was significantly higher for lesions >2 cm in size, malignant in nature and those associated with a bronchus sign on computerized tomography (CT) scan. Diagnostic yield was also higher when R‐EBUS probe was within the lesion as opposed to being adjacent to it. Overall complication rate was 2.8%. This is the largest meta‐analysis performed to date, assessing the performance of R‐EBUS for diagnosing PPLs. R‐EBUS has a high diagnostic yield (70.6%) with a very low complication rate.