Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Statistical methods for the prospective detection of infectious disease outbreaks: a review

Summary. Unusual clusters of disease must be detected rapidly for effective public health interventions to be introduced. Over the past decade there has been a surge in interest in statistical methods for the early detection of infectious disease outbreaks. This growth in interest has given rise to much new methodological work, ranging across the spectrum of statistical methods. The paper presents a comprehensive review of the statistical approaches that have been proposed. Applications to both laboratory and syndromic surveillance data are provided to illustrate the various methods.
Recent advances in ecological stoichiometry: insights for population and community ecology

39.Conventional theories of population and community dynamics are based on a singlecurrency such as number of individuals, biomass, carbon or energy. However,organisms are constructed of multiple elements and often require them (in particularcarbon, phosphorus and nitrogen) in different ratios than provided by their resources;this mismatch may constrain the net transfer of energy and elements through trophiclevels. Ecological stoichiometry, the study of the balance of elements in ecologicalprocesses, offers a framework for exploring ecological effects of such constraints. Wereview recent theoretical and empirical studies that have considered how stoichiometrymay affect population and community dynamics. These studies show thatstoichiometric constraints can affect several properties of populations (e.g. stability,oscillations, consumer extinction) and communities (e.g. coexistence of competitors,competitive interactions between different guilds). We highlight gaps in generalknowledge and focus on areas of population and community ecology whereincorporation of stoichiometric constraints may be particularly fruitful, such asstudies of demographic bottlenecks, spatial processes, and multi-species interactions.Finally, we suggest promising directions for new research by recommending potentialstudy systems (terrestrial insects, detritivory-based webs, soil communities) to improveour understanding of populations and communities. Our conclusion is that a betterintegration of stoichiometric principles and other theoretical approaches in ecologymay allow for a richer understanding of both population and community structure anddynamics.S. J. Moe, Norwegian Inst. for Water Research, NO-0411 Oslo, Norway (jannicke.moe@niva.no) and Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Univ.ofOslo, NO-0316 Oslo, Norway.
Motives for Engaging with the Kardashian Reality Television Family

Reality television has been around for more than a half-century, dating back to the hidden cameras in Candid Camera in 1948. Today, one of the most popular reality television shows is Keeping Up with the Kardashians, an inside look at a celebrity family based in Los Angeles. This study explored why college-aged women feel a personal connection to the show and why they’ve been following the family for nearly a decade. Based on six interviews conducted with interested viewers, the study found that these women watch the series to escape reality, participate in surveillance, and feel personal connectedness.
Teacher Characteristics, Student Beliefs, and the Gender Gap in STEM Fields

This article uses data from the U.S. High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 to investigate the relationship between high school students’ beliefs about female abilities in math and science and their teacher gender, beliefs, and classroom behaviors. Estimates are obtained by comparing the same ninth graders between math and science classes, thus controlling for student fixed effects. Students were less likely to believe that men were better than women in math or science when assigned to female teachers or to teachers who valued and listened to ideas from their students. The empirical analysis also provides evidence suggesting that these gender beliefs were related to the decisions by female students to take advanced math and science classes in high school.
Syllable segmentation of Telugu document images

This paper describes Syllable Segmentation method for printed text documents in Telugu, a South Indian language. Syllable segmentation is a fundamental process for various applications namely word segmentation, speech synthesis and information retrieval. The segmentation algorithm is motivated by the structure of the script. The segmentation process is complicated due to inherent ambiguities of the natural language. This paper presents a non-dictionary approach for syllable segmentation in the context of Telugu language, using the syllable width and compared with the existing aspect ratio approach. The experimental results show the segmentation accuracy is more than 99%.
SELF-DUALITY OF SUPER D3-BRANE ACTION ON AdS5×S5 BACKGROUND

We show that the super D3-brane action on AdS5×S5 background recently constructed by Metsaev and Tseytlin is exactly invariant under the combination of the electric–magnetic duality transformation of the world-volume gauge field and the SO(2) rotation of N=2 spinor coordinates. The action is shown to satisfy the Gaillard–Zumino duality condition, which is a necessary and sufficient condition for an action to be self-dual. Our proof needs no gauge fixing for the κ-symmetry.
Improving unsupervised stemming by using partial lemmatization coupled with data-based heuristics for Hindi

and Lemmatization are two important natural language processing techniques widely used in Information Retrieval (IR) for query processing and in Machine Translation (MT) for reducing the data sparseness. Both minimize inflectional forms, and sometimes derivationally related forms of a word, to a common base form. Most of the existing stemmer and lemmatization work is based either on some language dependent rules which require the supervision of a language expert, or some probabilistic approach that needs vast amount of monolingual corpus, both of which develop stemming and lemmatization algorithms independently. In our work, we propose an unsupervised stemming which is hybridized with partial lemmatization for Hindi. The stemmer proposed is unique in that it exploits a novel grouping criteria & aims to improve unsupervised stemming and most importantly avoid over-stemming problem which is a usual phenomena in stemming. The later is tackled by the introduction of lemma. We incorporated lemmatization based on data heuristics obtained from the corpus, without the use of word class information. Application of this concept to unsupervised stemming yielded significant improvements in the desired results when compared to other prevailing approaches of its genre.
A generic model for a robotic agent system using GAIA methodology: Two distinct implementations

The emergence of multi-agent systems in the past years has led to a necessity of developing new methodologies to assist in the requirements and architectural analysis, and in the design phases of such a system, and as a consequence, several Agent Oriented Software Engineering (AOSE) methodologies have been proposed. In this paper, we analyze the GAIA methodology and some proposed extensions, and use this methodology to design an abstract generic system model for an open multi-robot application. We then derive two distinct specific models for two different applications - the first with the intention of using intelligent wheelchairs in a hospital environment, and the second targeting the use of teams of autonomous aircrafts. The successful adoption of the generic model in the design stages of the two distinct systems not only validates the proposed model and shows that it can be used in open multi-agent systems, but also shows it is also flexible enough to be used in systems as diverse as these. By adapting the GAIA methodology for the design of open systems, this work enables designers to model open systems in a faster and simpler form, decreasing the time needed to complete several tasks, while maintaining a high-level overview of the system.
Position-detecting device for measurement of human motion in human-machine interaction

In this study, a human-machine interface device and a motion controller are developed for a human-machine interactive system. The interface device can simultaneously detect relative positional data as well as force data generated between the human operator and the robot during their interaction. Our proposed modified admittance controller is designed to handle the detected positional data as well as force data in order to generate familiar and intuitive robot motion for a human operator. The proposed control system enables the human operator to interact with the robot intuitively and with stability. In particular, the proposed interface device mechanism, which provides an adequate stiffness for the human-robot interaction, improves the stability of the control system. To confirm that the performance of the proposed system, power assistance experiments for a human forearm are carried out. Experimental results show that the proposed interface device and proposed controller are effective for human-robot interaction.
What effects do patients feel from their antihypertensive tablets and how do they react to them? Qualitative analysis of interviews with patients.

BACKGROUND Patients commonly experience palpable effects from antihypertensives. Few studies have examined patients' experiences of these effects and how they influence patients' behaviour and medicine-taking. OBJECTIVES To describe the palpable effects that patients attribute to their antihypertensive tablets and the ways that they react to them. METHODS In depth interviews with a maximum variety sample of 38 patients taking antihypertensive medication in 2 mainly urban UK general practices. Qualitative analysis based upon the study's objectives. RESULTS Most patients attributed palpable effects to their antihypertensives. Some effects were welcome, attributed to lowered blood pressure or a calming effect of tablets, but others were unwelcome. As a result of these, some patients stopped their tablets, but more continued taking tablets as usual, took their tablets in a different way, or countered unwelcome effects by some other means. Although patients discussed stopping tablets with their doctor, they commonly did not discuss other reactions. Patients who accepted persistent unwelcome effects balanced them against reasons to take medication: positive experiences with doctors; perceived benefits of medication; or pragmatic considerations. These reasons overlap with those described previously as balancing patients' reservations about medicines. CONCLUSION The term 'side effect' fails to distinguish between palpable effects that are welcome or unwelcome, or to recognise that some unwelcome effects may nevertheless be acceptable. If clinicians explore the range of palpable effects that patients attribute to antihypertensives and patients' possible preparedness to tolerate unwelcome effects, they will be better able to identify patients' preferences in this area.
The Vγ9Vδ2 T Cell Antigen Receptor and Butyrophilin-3 A1: Models of Interaction, the Possibility of Co-Evolution, and the Case of Dendritic Epidermal T Cells

Most circulating human gamma delta T cells are Vγ9Vδ2 T cells. Their hallmark is the expression of T cell antigen receptors (TCR) whose γ-chains show a Vγ9-JP (Vγ2-Jγ1.2) rearrangement and are paired with Vδ2-containing δ-chains, a dominant TCR configuration, which until recently seemed to occur in primates only. Vγ9Vδ2 T cells respond to phosphoantigens (PAg) such as (E)-4-Hydroxy-3-methyl-but-2-enyl pyrophosphate (HMBPP), which is produced by many pathogens and isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP), which accumulates in certain tumors or cells treated with aminobisphosphonates such as zoledronate. A prerequisite for PAg-induced activation is the contact of Vγ9Vδ2 T cells with cells expressing butyrophilin-3 A1 (BTN3A1). We will first critically review models of how BTN3 might act in PAg-mediated Vγ9Vδ2 T cell activation and then address putative co-evolution of Vγ9, Vδ2, and BTN3 genes. In those rodent and lagomorphs used as animal models, all three genes are lost but a data-base analysis showed that they emerged together with placental mammals. A strong concomitant conservation of functional Vγ9, Vδ2, and BTN3 genes in other species suggests co-evolution of these three genes. A detailed analysis was performed for the new world camelid alpaca (Vicugna pacos). It provides an excellent candidate for a non-primate species with presumably functional Vγ9Vδ2 T cells since TCR rearrangements share features characteristic for PAg-reactive primate Vγ9Vδ2 TCR and proposed PAg-binding sites of BTN3A1 have been conserved. Finally, we analyze the possible functional relationship between the butyrophilin-family member Skint1 and the γδ TCR-V genes used by murine dendritic epithelial T cells (DETC). Among placental mammals, we identify five rodents, the cow, a bat, and the cape golden mole as the only species concomitantly possessing potentially functional homologs of murine Vγ3, Vδ4 genes, and Skint1 gene and suggest to search for DETC like cells in these species.
Measure of increase in motor unit synchronisaton for young and old using sEMG

The motor-unit synchronization is impacted by the motor cortex projection to the spinal motor-neurons via the lateral corticospinal tract which may be affected by age. This paper reports an investigation of the age-related changes to the motor unit synchronization. Experiments were conducted on rested subjects during which they contracted their biceps against a fixed load and two channel surface electromyogram was recorded. The signal was analysed to determine the level of synchronization between multiple channels. The results indicate that there is age related reduction in the independence between multiple channels of sEMG, which implies there is a significant change in synchronization in old age groups as compared to the young age range.
Terrorist Leaders – How Ethical Must They Be?

Abstract The chapter tries to highlight the critical importance of values to leadership, and argues that the research design of the ‘social scientific’ mainstream is incommensurable with the language of the scientific discipline that studies values: moral philosophy. The chapter shows that (a) through goals and actions, ethics is a central aspect of leadership and (b) that ethics cannot be reinterpreted as being ‘value-neutral’. Therefore, ‘effective’ leadership must always be connected to a specific value set. After arguing that leadership cannot be meaningfully looked at without reference to virtue ethics, two case studies are used to demonstrate the relationship between the two. By looking at two prominent terrorist leaders, the chapter shows how values are at the heart of their visions and actions. There are at least two practical implications: the study of leadership, and leadership education, must be reconnected with moral philosophy. The chapter connects three hitherto unconnected topics: leadership, (virtue) ethics and terrorism, presenting new insights into especially leadership.
Practices of the Minimum Viable Utopia

Are smart cities really what we need? Or does their very nature go against the qualities of tolerance, resilience and face-to-face cooperation that are crucial to harmonious urban living? London-based writer and urbanist Adam Greenfield argues that networked technology would be put to far better use in citizen-led initiatives than in data-collection programmes dictated by a narrow elite.
Rotigotine in Combination with the MAO-B Inhibitor Selegiline in Early Parkinson’s Disease: A Post Hoc Analysis

Background: Monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) inhibitors and dopamine receptor agonists are common first-line treatment options in early Parkinson’s disease (PD). Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of rotigotine transdermal patch as an add-on therapy to an MAO-B inhibitor in patients with early-PD. Methods: In two Phase III, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies in early-PD (SP512, SP513), patients were randomized to rotigotine (titrated to optimal dose ≤8 mg/24 h) or placebo, and maintained for 24 (SP512) or 33 (SP513) weeks. Post hoc analyses were performed on pooled data for patients receiving an MAO-B inhibitor (selegiline) at a stable dose at randomization and throughout the studies, with groups defined as “Selegiline+Rotigotine” and “Selegiline+Placebo”. Outcome measures included change from baseline in Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) II (activities of daily living), III (motor), UPDRS II+III and responders (patients achieving ≥20%, ≥25% or ≥30% decrease in UPDRS II+III). As post hoc analyses, p-values are exploratory. Results: 130 patients were evaluable for efficacy analyses (“Selegiline+Rotigotine”: 84, “Selegiline+Placebo”: 46). Combined treatment with rotigotine and selegiline improved UPDRS III and UPDRS II+III scores versus selegiline alone (LS-mean [95% CI] treatment difference for UPDRS III: –4.89 [–7.87 to –1.91], p = 0.0015; for UPDRS II+III: –5.76 [–9.71 to –1.82], p = 0.0045). Higher proportion of patients in the “Selegiline+Rotigotine” group were classified as ≥20%, ≥25% or ≥30% responders (all p < 0.001). Combined treatment appeared more effective in patients aged ≤65 years versus > 65 years (although patient numbers in the subgroups were low). Adverse event profile was consistent with the known safety profile of rotigotine. Conclusions: In these post hoc analyses, adjunctive treatment with rotigotine in patients already receiving an MAO-B inhibitor improved UPDRS II+III score; this appeared to be largely driven by improvements in the motor aspects of PD.
The Greek Music Dataset

Music Information Research (MIR) requires musical data in order to test methods and to compare results. Greek music presents a number of unique characteristics that make its musical pieces distinct from popular tracks existing in currently available datasets, leading thus to the MIR requirement of Greek datasets. This work presents the Greek Music Dataset (GMD), a collection of musical information pertaining to Greek musical pieces. GMD is a significant extension of the Greek Audio Dataset by addition of symbolic information, both features and raw MIDI files, inclusion of multi-label manual genre categorisation of the content as well as by extension of the included tracks and balancing of the content in terms of genre. GMD includes information for 1400 Greek tracks, while for each track, the dataset includes pre-computed audio, lyrics & symbolic features for immediate use in MIR tasks, manually annotated labels pertaining to mood & genre styles of music, generic objective metadata, a manually selected MIDI file (available for 500 of the tracks) and a manually selected link to a performance / audio content in YouTube for further research.
Combinational logic synthesis for LUT based field programmable gate arrays

The increasing popularity of the field programmable gate-array (FPGA) technology has generated a great deal of interest in the algorithmic study and tool development for FPGA-specific design automation problems. The most widely used FPGAs are LUT based FPGAs, in which the basic logic element is a K-input one-output lookup-table (LUT) that can implement any Boolean function of up to K variables. This unique feature of the LUT has brought new challenges to logic synthesis and optimization, resulting in many new techniques reported in recent years. This article summarizes the research results on combinational logic synthesis for LUT based FPGAs under a coherent framework. These results were dispersed in various conference proceedings and journals and under various formulations and terminologies. We first present general problem formulations, various optimization objectives and measurements, then focus on a set of commonly used basic concepts and techniques, and finally summarize existing synthesis algorithms and systems. We classify and summarize the basic techniques into two categories, namely, logic optimization and technology mapping, and describe the existing algorithms and systems in terms of how they use the classified basic techniques. A comprehensive list of references is compiled in the attached bibliography.
Belief Combination by Means of Frame Transformations (extended Abstract)

Approximate reasoning in the presence of multiple sources of information requires a mechanism to combine diierent measures representing uncertainty, belief, or desirability into a single aggregate measure that reeects contributions of the individual information sources. This may be achieved by constructing an appropriate combination operator. Speciic combination operators are provided by formalisms such as probability theory and Dempster-Shafer evidence theory. Various ad-hoc approaches to combination have also been proposed, a classical example being the MYCIN calculus of certainty factors. We have developed a theory that describes combination operators in terms of frames of reference on the space in which the measures to be combined take their values; diierent combination operators correspond to the same canonical form as viewed in diierent frames of reference. Our theory provides an algorithm that is guaranteed to extract a suitable reference frame directly from the combination operator whenever such a frame exists. This allows us to show that previously considered combination operators , including MYCIN-like and probabilistic operators, are encompassed by our theory. New families of combination operators are also made available. Furthermore, our theoretical framework provides a natural nonlinear scaling mechanism that facilitates experimental tuning of the resulting operators.
Capillary tone: cyclooxygenase, shear stress, luminal glycocalyx, and hydraulic conductivity (Lp)

Control of capillary hydraulic conductivity (Lp) is the physiological mechanism that underpins systemic hydration. Capillaries form the largest surface of endothelial cells in any species with a cardiovascular system and all capillaries are exposed to the flow‐induced force, shear stress (τ). Vasoactive molecules such as prostacyclin (cyclooxygenase product, COX) are released from endothelial cells in response to τ. Little is known about how COX activity impacts capillary Lp. The purpose here was to assess Lp in situ following an acute Δτ stimulus and during COX1/COX2 inhibition. Mesenteric true capillaries (TC) of Rana pipiens (pithed) were cannulated for Lp assessment using the modified Landis technique. Rana were randomized into Control and Test groups. Two capillaries per animal were used (perfusate, 10 mg·mL−1 BSA/frog Ringer's; superfusate, frog Ringer's or indomethacin (10−5 mol·L−1) mixed in frog Ringer's solution). Three distinct responses of Lp to indomethacin (TC2) were demonstrated (TC1 and TC2 medians: Test Subgroup 1, 3.0 vs. 1.8; Test Subgroup 2, 18.2 vs. 2.2; Test Subgroup 3, 4.2 vs. 10.2 × 10−7 cm·sec−1·cm H2O−1). Multiple regression analysis revealed a relationship between capillary Lp and systemic red blood cell concentration or hematocrit, plasma protein concentration, and Δτ (Test Subgroup 1, R2 = 0.59, P < 0.0001; Test Subgroup 2, R2 = 0.96, P = 0.002), but only during COX inhibition. Maintaining red blood cell and plasma protein levels within a normal range may control barrier function in a healthy state. Recovering barrier function may be an unrecognized benefit of transfusions during blood loss or edema formation.