Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
TREC 2003 Video Retrieval and Story Segmentation Task at NUS PRIS

This paper describes the details of our systems for story segmentation task and search task of the TREC-2003 Video Track. In story segmentation task, we propose a two-level multi-modal framework. First we analyze the video at the shot level using a variety of low and high-level features, and classify the shots into pre-defined categories using a Decision Tree. Next we perform HMM analysis in order to identify news story boundaries. The two-level framework has been found to be effective in overcoming the data sparseness problem in machine learning. In the search task, we perform news video retrieval by integrating multiple intra-video features and external knowledge sources. The retrieval is performed in three stages. Stage 1 uses mainly question-ansering style text retrieval technology. It analyses the text query issued by the users and extracts relevant video stories based on ASR, and external resources like WordNet and related news articles on the web. The second stage acts as a concept filter, which eliminates the irrelevant video shots in the stories retrieved by text query system. The third stage re-ranks the retrieved shots using the image and video retrieval techniques with relevance feedback. Our system emphasizes the automated retrieve process. The experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the story segmentation system and video retrieval system.
Examining the role of emotional intelligence and political skill to educational leadership and their effects to teachers’ job satisfaction

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine whether emotional intelligence and political skill (PS) of school principals influence the way they exercise leadership and the job satisfaction of their teachers. Design/methodology/approach – As regards to the methodology, quantitative research methods were used to conduct the research. Specifically, the data analysis was performed with the statistical program SPSS and the EQS program for the development of structural equation models. Participants were 182 principals of Cyprus public elementary schools and 910 teachers. Findings – The findings indicated that the emotional intelligence and PS of school principals are related to the educational leadership styles they use and to teachers’ job satisfaction. Such a relationship highlights the social skills of principals as an important area for further research. Research limitations/implications – Future research may benefit from developing and validating an investigating tool which rates school principals’ E.
Regional‐scale dominance of non‐framework building corals on Caribbean reefs affects carbonate production and future reef growth

Coral cover on Caribbean reefs has declined rapidly since the early 1980's. Diseases have been a major driver, decimating communities of framework building Acropora and Orbicella coral species, and reportedly leading to the emergence of novel coral assemblages often dominated by domed and plating species of the genera Agaricia, Porites and Siderastrea. These corals were not historically important Caribbean framework builders, and typically have much smaller stature and lower calcification rates, fuelling concerns over reef carbonate production and growth potential. Using data from 75 reefs from across the Caribbean we quantify: (i) the magnitude of non‐framework building coral dominance throughout the region and (ii) the contribution of these corals to contemporary carbonate production. Our data show that live coral cover averages 18.2% across our sites and coral carbonate production 4.1 kg CaCO3 m−2 yr−1. However, non‐framework building coral species dominate and are major carbonate producers at a high proportion of sites; they are more abundant than Acropora and Orbicella at 73% of sites; contribute an average 68% of the carbonate produced; and produce more than half the carbonate at 79% of sites. Coral cover and carbonate production rate are strongly correlated but, as relative abundance of non‐framework building corals increases, average carbonate production rates decline. Consequently, the use of coral cover as a predictor of carbonate budget status, without species level production rate data, needs to be treated with caution. Our findings provide compelling evidence for the Caribbean‐wide dominance of non‐framework building coral taxa, and that these species are now major regional carbonate producers. However, because these species typically have lower calcification rates, continued transitions to states dominated by non‐framework building coral species will further reduce carbonate production rates below ‘predecline’ levels, resulting in shifts towards negative carbonate budget states and reducing reef growth potential.
An effectiveness study of a CBT group program for women with breast cancer

Abstract Cognitive Behaviour Stress Management for women with breast cancer has demonstrable empirical efficacy, however its effectiveness in the applied clinical setting has not been examined to date in an Australian setting. A 10-week group program was offered to five women with early stage breast cancer. Clinical changes in distress, coping, and social support from pre-test, to post-test and 1-month follow-up are reported. Overall, the group yielded strong favourable effect sizes indicating clinical improvement over time in PTSD symptoms and social support, but strong unfavourable effect sizes in cognitive avoidance. In terms of clinical cut-offs, all women met criteria for PTSD at baseline, with two women recovering at follow-up. The two participants with highest baseline distress experienced large improvements in depression, anxiety and PTSD at post-treatment, but rebounded to baseline at follow-up. Women qualitatively reported the major benefits of the program to be acquiring skills in relaxation an.
Erwinia amylovora Secretes DspE, a Pathogenicity Factor and Functional AvrE Homolog, through the Hrp (Type III Secretion) Pathway

ABSTRACT Erwinia amylovora was shown to secrete DspE, a pathogenicity factor of 198 kDa and a functional homolog of AvrE ofPseudomonas syringae pv. tomato. DspE was identified among the supernatant proteins isolated from cultures grown in anhrp gene-inducing minimal medium by immunodetection with a DspE-specific antiserum. Secretion required an intact Hrp pathway.
A Synthetic Peptide Vaccine Directed against the 2β2–2β3 Loop of Domain 2 of Protective Antigen Protects Rabbits from Inhalation Anthrax

The current vaccines for anthrax in the United States and United Kingdom are efficacious in the two most accepted animal models of inhalation anthrax, nonhuman primates and rabbits, but require extensive immunization protocols. We previously demonstrated that a linear determinant in domain 2 of Bacillus anthracis protective Ag (PA) is a potentially important target for an epitope-specific vaccine for anthrax, as Abs specific for this site, referred to as the loop-neutralizing determinant (LND), neutralize lethal toxin in vitro, yet are virtually absent in PA-immunized rabbits. In this study, we evaluated the immunogenicity and protective efficacy in rabbits of multiple antigenic peptides (MAPs) consisting of aa 304–319 from the LND of PA colinearly synthesized at the C terminus (T-B MAP) or N terminus (B-T MAP) with a heterologous T cell epitope from Plasmodium falciparum. Immunogenicity studies demonstrated that both MAPs elicited toxin-neutralizing Ab in rabbits. To evaluate the MAPs as potential anthrax vaccines, we immunized groups of rabbits (n = 7) with each MAP in Freund’s adjuvant and then exposed all rabbits to a 200-LD50 challenge with aerosolized spores of B. anthracis Ames strain. All seven rabbits immunized with the B-T MAP and 89% (six of seven) of rabbits immunized with the T-B MAP survived the spore challenge. Corollary studies with reference sera from human vaccinees immunized with rPA or anthrax vaccine absorbed and nonhuman primates immunized with PA revealed no detectable Ab with specificity for the LND. We conclude that a synthetic peptide vaccine targeting the LND would be a potentially efficacious vaccine for anthrax.
A novel method for intrusion detection in relational databases

The importance of data security and confidentiality increases day by day, since for most companies and organizations data remains as the most important asset. Standard database security measures like access control mechanisms, authentication and encryption technologies are of little help when it comes to preventing data theft from insiders. By incorporating intrusion detection mechanisms, we can improve the security features of a Database Management System (DBMS). In this paper we propose a novel method for detecting intrusions in databases using data mining techniques like clustering and classification. Experiments show that our method outperforms other methods with higher accuracy and reduced false alarm rate.
Navigation without localisation: reliable teach and repeat based on the convergence theorem

We present a novel concept for teach-and-repeat visual navigation. The proposed concept is based on a mathematical model, which indicates that in teach-and-repeat navigation scenarios, mobile robots do not need to perform explicit localisation. Rather than that, a mobile robot which repeats a previously taught path can simply “replay” the learned velocities, while using its camera information only to correct its heading relative to the intended path. To support our claim, we establish a position error model of a robot, which traverses a taught path by only correcting its heading. Then, we outline a mathematical proof which shows that this position error does not diverge over time. Based on the insights from the model, we present a simple monocular teach-and-repeat navigation method. The method is computationally efficient, it does not require camera calibration, and it can learn and autonomously traverse arbitrarily-shaped paths. In a series of experiments, we demonstrate that the method can reliably guide mobile robots in realistic indoor and outdoor conditions, and can cope with imperfect odometry, landmark deficiency, illumination variations and naturally-occurring environment changes. Furthermore, we provide the navigation system and the datasets gathered at www.github. com/gestom/stroll_bearnav.
Evaluation of Open-vs . Restricted-Domain Question Answering Systems in the Biomedical Field

Question Answering Systems (hereinafter QA systems) tand as a new alternative for Information Retrieval Systems. We conducted a study to evaluate the efficiency of QA systems as terminological sources for physicians , pecialized translators, and users in general. To this end we anlysed the performance of two open-domain and two r estricteddomain QA systems. The research entailed a collectio n of one hundred fifty definitional questions from WebMed. We studied the sources that QA systems used to retriev the answers, and later applied a range of evaluat ion measures to mark the quality of answers. Through analysing the results obtained by asking the 150 questions in the QA systems MedQA, START, QuALiM and HONqa, it was possible to evaluate the systems’ ope ration through applying specific metrics. Despite t he limitations demonstrated by these systems, as they are not acce ssible to everyone and they are not always complete ly developed, it has been confirmed that these four QA systems are v alid and useful for obtaining definitional medical information in that they offer coherent and precise answers. The results are encouraging because they present thi s type of tool as a new possibility for gathering p recise, reliable and specific information in a short period of time. 1 Correspondence to: Juncal Gutiérrez-Artacho, Facult ad de Traducción e Interpretación, C/ Buensuceso 11 s/n, Universidad de Granada, juncalgutierrez@ugr.es Olvera-Lobo, María-Dolores & Gutierrez-Artacho, Juncal Journal of Information Science, XX (X) 2009, pp. 1– 1 DOI: 10.1177/0165551506nnnnnn 2 © The Author(s), 2009, Reprints and Permissions: http://www.sagepub. co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav
Myelodysplastic syndromes and malignant solid tumors: Analysis of 21 cases

We studied the association between myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and malignancies in a cohort of 155 patients with MDS, 21 of whom presented malignant solid tumors. Myelodysplasia was present after the diagnosis of cancer in eight patients (interval between the diagnosis of both conditions 18 months, median survival 49.5 months), simultaneously with diagnosis in 11 (median survival 8 months), and before malignancy in two patients (interval between the diagnosis of both conditions 47 and 7 months). One patient was given chemotherapy for lung cancer, and three patients received radiotherapy for adenocarcinoma of the kidney and cancer of the prostate. At the time of diagnosis of MDS, nine patients already presented metastatic spread. Fourteen patients died, ten as a result of tumor‐related complications and four because of transformation to acute nonlymphocytic leukemia. The analysis of the incidence of malignancy in patients with MDS was statistically significant for males, and the relative risk was significant in both sexes. The results of this study show that MDS patients present a higher incidence of malignant tumors than the general population, that MDS may be of real paraneoplastic significance, and that the occurrence of MDS in cancer patients may be considered to be related to the malignancy rather than an independent phenomenon. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Medullary carcinoma of the breast: ten year clinical experience of the Kuwait cancer control centre.

BACKGROUND Medullary carcinomas of the breast account for fewer than 7% of all invasive breast cancers. Some investigators include medullary carcinomas in the favourable histologic subtype, despite its aggressive histologic appearance. However, others fail to confirm its favourable prognosis. METHODS This was a retrospective analysis of sixty-one (61) cases of breast cancer cases diagnosed with Medullary Carcinoma, presenting to the Kuwait Cancer Control Center between 1995 and 2005. RESULTS Median survival time was 122 months and the seven-year disease free survival was 82%. Overall survival rate was not assessed as no cases died during the study period. No cases were metastatic from the start and only eight cases developed metastases, local recurrence or contralateral breast primary. 68.8% of the cases were Stage I or IIA (i.e. no lymph node affection). CONCLUSION There is no overt favourable prognosis of medullary carcinoma when compared to invasive ductal carcinoma. Prognosis is more related to stage than histologic subtyping. The majority of cases were negative estrogen and progesterone receptor status and node negative.
Lessons from Plectocephalus (Compositae, Cardueae-Centaureinae): ITS disorientation in annuals and Beringian dispersal as revealed by molecular analyses.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS The geographic distribution of the genus Plectocephalus comprises a single species in Ethiopia, two in North America and possibly four more in South America, in a striking disjunction that is exceptional for genera of the tribe Cardueae. The enormity of this disjunction cast doubts on the precise taxonomic delineation of the genus, which is not unanimously recognized as a natural entity. The aims of this study were to define the generic boundaries of Plectocephalus and to formulate a hypothesis that would explain its natural range. METHODS A combined molecular approach, using nuclear internal transcribed spacers (ITS) and external transcribed spacers (ETS), and plastid trnL-trnL-F, rpl32-trnL(UAG) and ndhF markers, was chosen for phylogenetic reconstruction by maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference. KEY RESULTS Phylogenetic analysis shows that Plectocephalus is a natural genus that includes the African species P. varians, together with all the native South American species, currently classified as Centaurea, C. cachinalensis, C. floccosa and C. tweediei. The recognition of Centaurodendron as an independent genus, which we consider appropriate, would make Plectocephalus paraphyletic. Affinities of Plectocephalus should lie with eastern representatives of Centaureinae. Geographic disjunction is explained as a consequence of dispersal via the Bering Land Bridge during the Miocene--Pliocene. The phylogeny of the basal grade of Centaureinae differs from previous phylogenies, and artefacts resulting from differences in mutation rates of annual and perennial taxa are confirmed. Sensitivity of ITS to these differences was the highest observed for all DNA regions used in this study. CONCLUSIONS The natural status of the genus Plectocephalus is confirmed and several nomenclatural combinations are proposed. New evidence contributes to the debate concerning problems posed by the use of ITS in the phylogenetic reconstruction of groups that differ in terms of their life cycles. Dispersal from Caucasus and Anatolia along the Siberian route and then across the Bering Land Bridge follows a route previously proposed for other taxonomic groups.
Dynamics of Biomembranes: Effect of the Bulk Fluid

We derive a biomembrane model consisting of a fluid enclosed by a lipid membrane. The membrane is characterized by its Canham-Helfrich energy (Willmore energy with area con- straint) and acts as a boundary force on the Navier-Stokes system modeling an incompressible fluid. We give a concise description of the model and of the associated numerical scheme. We provide numerical simulations with emphasis on the comparisons between different types of flow: the geometric model which does not take into account the bulk fluid and the biomembrane model for two different regimes of parameters.
The victorian web and the victorian course wiki: comparing the educational effectiveness of identical assignments in web 1.0 and web 2.0

In September 2008, the author delivered a keynote at WikiSym2008, in Porto, Portugal entitled "When a Wiki is not a Wiki: Twenty Years of the Victorian Web" in which he argued that the 45,000 documents that then made up www.victorianweb. org function as a moderated wiki and that, therefore, Web 1.0 can function for educational purposes much as Web 2.0 - and has done so for many years. Challenged to employ an actual wiki, Landow taught the same course with the same weekly student assignments in successive years (2009, 2010), the first using the website, the second a closed, password-protected wiki. After briefly describing the composition, history, and authorship of the Victorian Web, key parts of which have existed in multiple hypermedia environments since their creation in 1988 for the Brown University Intermedia project, it presents the assignment, explains its goals, and then sets forth the results of this experience, listing advantages and disadvantages of using the wiki for instructors, students, and the related website.
Families Under Economic Pressure

Within a context of increasing economic pressure in rural America, this study assesses family responses to this change and their consequences from the perspective of the household economy in middle-class families. It draws on the findings of largely separate fields of inquiry, including those on income level and loss, unemployment, and economic adjustments. Using survey and observational data on two-parent families in a midwestern rural county, the analysis shows that (a) adverse income change increases economic pressures and hardship adaptations in ways that match the effect of income level and exceed the influence of unstable work, (b) economic pressures and adaptations mediate the negative effects of economic adversity on emotional health and family relationships, (c) father's negativity in the family represents a stronger link between economic conditions and child behavior than does mother's negativity, and (d) economic pressure and father's negativity increase the risk of aggressive behavior and depressed feelings among boys and girls, especially in the absence of maternal support.
Effects of anticonvulsant agents on halothane‐induced liver injury in human subjects and experimental animals

In order to evaluate the clinical implication of experimental studies on halothane‐induced liver damage in phenobarbital‐treated rats, we studied the clinical records of 315 consecutive patients who underwent brain surgery with halothane anesthesia. After exclusion of subjects with a history of alcoholism or antecedent chronic liver disease, clinical data of 279 patients with normal preoperative transaminase activities were analyzed. The incidence of halothane‐induced liver injury was significantly higher in the subjects given phenobarbital than in those with no phenobarbital medication (7/100 vs. 1/179, p < 0.01). To determine if other anticonvulsant compounds can influence halothane‐induced liver injury, rats were pretreated with diphenylhydantoin or valproic acid prior to exposure to halothane under hypoxic conditions for comparison with phenobarbital. The degree of halothane hepatotoxicity assessed from ALT activities and morphological alterations was of the decreasing order of phenobarbital > controls = diphenylhydantoin > valproic acid, and a similar order was observed in the extent of reductive metabolism of halothane. These results indicate that patients pretreated with phenobarbital may be at a greater risk of halothane‐induced liver damage, and that treatment with valproic acid and diphenylhydantoin lead to the production of toxic intermediates of halothane to a lesser extent than treatment with phenobarbital does.
Neuropeptide Y-Containing Neurons are Situated Predominantly Outside Cytochrome Oxidase Puffs in Macaque Visual Cortex

Abstract Layers II/III of the primary visual cortex contain a regular pattern of histochemically detectable cytochrome oxidase (CO)-rich “puffs,” which differ from the interpuff regions in their thalamo-cortical and cortico-cortical connectivity, receptive-field properties, and the density of inhibitory GABA-containing synaptic terminals. We used an immunocytochemical method, in combination with cytochrome oxidase histochemistry, to analyze the spatial relationship between neurons that contain neuropeptide Y (NPY) and the CO puffs. Of a total of 606 neurons, only 2.6% of the NPY-containing cells are located in the puffs, whereas the rest are situated in the interpuffs, or at the interface between puffs and interpuffs. The number of NPY-containing neurons in the puffs is substantially less than that expected in an equal volume of the interpuffs (X2 = 13.86; df = 1; P < 0.001). These observations indicate that columns containing the puffs may differ also from those in the interpuff regions in that they contain a unique array of chemically and morphologically distinct local circuit neurons.