Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Annual miles drive used car prices

This paper investigates whether the net benefits from owning a vehicle, proxied by annual miles driven, explain the price declines observed over a vehicle's life. We first model the household decision on how much to drive each of its vehicles. Then we empirically establish that variation in household annual miles across brands explains observed price declines. Furthermore, the effect of vehicle age on annual miles decisions (and consequently on market value) depends on household characteristics and the composition of the vehicle stock owned. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Mesozoic Development of Nonmarine Basins in the Northern Yidun Terrane: Deposition and Deformation in the Eastern Tibetan Plateau Prior to the India‐Asia Collision

To determine the timing and spatial patterns of syntectonic nonmarine deposition and deformation in the eastern Tibetan Plateau, we present field data, thin section petrology, and detrital U‐Pb zircon geochronology from the west Ganzi basin (WGB) and east Ganzi basin (EGB) in the northern Yidun terrane. The WGB and EGB contain ~800 and ~1,300–1,600 m of nonmarine strata, respectively, deposited in alluvial environments. Along the southern margins of both the WGB and EGB and the northwestern margin of the WGB, reverse faults place Triassic Ganzi Pluton and Triassic Yidun Grouprocks on top of nonmarine strata. Growth strata in the footwalls of basin‐bounding faults indicate that deposition was synchronous with fault development. The western and eastern margins of the WGB, as well as the northern margin of the EGB, exhibit uncomformable contacts with the underlying Triassic Ganzi Pluton and Triassic Yidun Grouprocks. Provenance results suggest a regionally mixed sediment source from the Yidun and Songpan‐Ganzi terranes. Maximum deposition ages from detrital U‐Pb zircon geochronology, as well as previously reported thermochronology and palynology results, indicate a Late Mesozoic depositional age for WGB and EGB strata. We interpret the spatial and temporal developments of the WGB and EGB to be associated with the Lhasa‐Qiangtang collision.
Nonconvulsive Seizures and Dementia: A Case Report

Nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) is a severe medical condition that shows increased incidence in the elderly and is frequently underdiagnosed because of its pleomorphic presentation. We report an NCSE in a 76-year-old woman affected by dementia with acute change of cognitive status and behavior. Intravenous diazepam solved clinical and electroencephalographic manifestations. Neuropsychological assessment after NCSE conclusion showed impairment of several fields that remained unchanged at 3-month followup. NCSE should be considered when sudden and transient cognitive fluctuations appear in the elderly. Epileptic events in dementia occur frequently and are often underrecognized; this could be a misleading factor when considering a quick progression of mnesic performances. Moreover, recent findings both in animal models and in humans demonstrated the deep link between epilepsy and dementia, also supporting the hypothesis that epileptiform activity could contribute to cognitive impairment.
Can ICT improve the quality of life of elderly adults living in residential home care units? From actual impacts to hidden artefacts

In a context of progressive loss of intellectual and interactional capacities for the elderly, the goal of this article is to examine to what extent a new technological environment can improve their quality of life. In this study, we examine the very elderly (mean age 87) who have experienced a loss in functional capacities and are dependent on managed care such as residential home care units. Using qualitative methods amongst a group of 17 residents (semi-structured interviews and longitudinal observations), we examine whether new social practices form and whether subjects feel more socially recognised. Our study shows that information and communications technologies may, to some extent, play an instrumental role in interconnectedness and social stimulation, and can also be seen as a ‘boundary object’ that communicates between the residents’ world (who are rather isolated) and their families’ world (including grandchildren).
A heuristic search algorithm based on unified transformation framework

Modern compilers have limited ability to exploit the performance improvement potential of complex transformation compositions. This is due to the ad-hoc nature of different transformations. Various frameworks have been proposed to provide a unified representation of different transformations, among them is Pugh's unified transformation framework (UTF) (Kelly et al., 1993). It presents a unified and systematic representation of iteration reordering transformations and their arbitrary combination, which results in a large and complex optimization space for a compiler to explore. This paper presents a heuristic search algorithm capable of efficiently locating good program optimizations within such a space. Preliminary experimental results on Java show that it can achieve an average speedup of 1.14 on Linux + Celeron and 1.10 on Windows + PentiumPro, and more than 75% of the maximum performance available can be obtained within 20 evaluations or less.
Increased physical activity and reduced adiposity in overweight Hispanic adolescents.

PURPOSE The objectives of this study were to examine 1) whether changes in total physical activity (PA; counts per minute, cpm) and time spent in moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) are associated with changes in adiposity and 2) whether energy intake influences the relationship between changes in PA and changes in adiposity in overweight Hispanic adolescents. METHODS Analysis included 38 overweight (body mass index, >85th percentile) Hispanic adolescents with complete pretest and posttest data on relevant variables after participating in a 16-wk intervention. The intervention treatment did not influence PA, so the sample was combined and the randomization group was adjusted for in the analysis. Body composition by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, 7-d PA by accelerometry, and dietary intake by 3-d diet records were assessed before and after intervention. RESULTS Within individuals, the mean increase of PA (n = 19) and mean decrease of PA (n = 19) was approximately 105 cpm. A 100-cpm increase in total PA was associated with a decrease of 1.3 kg of fat mass and 0.8% body fat after adjusting for pretest adiposity, PA, age, sex, and treatment (P < 0.05). Controlling for energy intake modestly strengthened the relationships between total PA and fat mass and percent body fat. Changes in MVPA were not related to changes in adiposity after controlling for total PA (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Increasing total PA by 28% (100 cpm) was associated with a decrease of 1.4 kg of fat mass and 1% body fat for 16 wk in overweight Hispanic adolescents independent of intervention group assignment. Increases in total PA, compared with MVPA, may be sufficient to improve body composition in overweight Hispanic adolescents.
Heme Oxygenase-1: Its Therapeutic Roles in Inflammatory Diseases

Heme oxygenase (HO)-1 is an inducible enzyme that catalyzes the first and rate-limiting step in the oxidative degradation of free heme into ferrous iron, carbon monoxide (CO), and biliverdin (BV), the latter being subsequently converted into bilirubin (BR). HO-1, once expressed during inflammation, forms high concentrations of its enzymatic by-products that can influence various biological events, and this expression is proven to be associated with the resolution of inflammation. The degradation of heme by HO-1 itself, the signaling actions of CO, the antioxidant properties of BV/BR, and the sequestration of ferrous iron by ferritin all concertedly contribute to the anti-inflammatory effects of HO-1. This review focuses on the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of HO-1 actions and its roles in inflammatory diseases.
Compliant and Efficient Walking

Velocity trajectories, torque trajectories, and resulting power curves for a MACCEPA and a stiff actuator when imposed to follow the torque profile of a human ankle (subject mass = 70kg) as provided by Winter [7]. Abstract— To achieve humanlike locomotion in robotics an equilibrium between active and passive walkers should be found. With the latter kind of walkers already being based on the human principle of locomotion and walking energy-efficiently with compliant legs. Quantitative measures for the human likeness of gait are, however, not yet developed. Two ways for comparing gaits, namely specific cost of transport and Froude number, are discussed.
Social Media in the context of Academic Marketing — Case study: The Umwelt-Campus Blog

Academic Marketing is on the rise in Germany. So is Social Media Marketing. In this paper we present a concept for academic marketing based on a social media marketing strategy developed and implemented at the Environmental Campus Birkenfeld, a site of Trier University of Applied Sciences. We discuss the development and implementation of this strategy starting from an evaluation of the use and needs of social media of students, professors and other university staff. This survey provides the basis for the requirements analysis for a platform for internal and external communication, whose structure is presented here. We outline some considerations about launching such a platform and we report some very first results in terms of user acceptance and feedback.
Bering Sea FOCI final report

Walleye pollock is a nodal species in the Bering Sea ecosystem (NRC Report 1996): juvenile pollock are the dominant prey of fishes, seabirds, and marine mammals in this productive ecosystem. The estimated adult pollock biomass in the eastern Bering Sea and central basin exceeds 9 MMT, and is the target of an ∼$1 billion fishery. We constructed a conceptual model for larval pollock dynamics using factors we found to influence their distribution and feeding success in the southeastern Bering Sea. These factors may have a strong influence on recruitment success by modifying larval survival. The model is based on relevant biophysical variables and pollock early life history traits. Pollock spawning occurs in discrete concentrations during winter and spring in a variety of habitats which include oceanic (basin and slope) and shelf waters. Biophysical phenomena that affect conditions for larval survival and eventual recruitment exhibit marked differences between the Oceanic and Shelf Regimes. In the Oceanic Regime eddies are a common feature. While their genesis is not well known, eddies have unique biophysical characteristics and occur with such regularity that they likely affect larval survival. High concentrations of larval pollock often are associated with eddies. Some of these eddies are transported onto the shelf, thereby providing larvae to the Outer Shelf Domain. Observations from biophysical instrument platforms moored over the basin demonstrated that advection rather than local production dominated the observed springtime increase in chlorophyll (often a correlate of larval food). Over most of the southeastern shelf eddies are absent and other phenomena are important. Seasonal sea-ice and the associated cold pool of bottom layer water are striking features of the Middle Shelf Domain. Interannual variability in sea-ice and cold-pool extent affects developmental rate of larvae, timing of the phytoplankton bloom (and potentially the match/mismatch of larvae and prey), and abundance and distribution of juvenile pollock.
Distributed pursuit-evasion game : Evaluation of some communication schemes

A probabilistic pursuit.evasion game from the literature is used as an example to study constrained communication in multi-robot systems. Communication protocols based on time-triggered and event-triggered synchronization schemes are considered. It is shown that by limiting the communication to events when the probabilistic map derived by the individual pursuers contain new information, as measured through their map entropy, the utilization of the communication link can be considerably improved compared to conventional time-triggered communication.
Advances in Fibrolamellar Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Review

Abstract Fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma is a rare primary liver tumor that often arises in the absence of cirrhosis or viral hepatitis. Compared with hepatocellular carcinoma, patients are typically younger with less comorbidities. Diagnosis is often multimodal and requires a high level of suspicion, as traditional liver pathology markers, such as serum α fetoprotein and transaminases, are often normal. Overall, patients respond well to surgical resection but recurrences are frequent, and alternative therapies, such as chemotherapy and radiation, are not well studied. Currently, there are no established chemotherapy regimens; there are only limited case reports of select agents, such as 5-fluorouracil with interferon-α and gemcitabine with oxaliplatin, used with varying degrees of success. Because little is known about this rare tumor, the development of serum markers and alternative therapies continues to be a challenge. A major advancement in the understanding of this rare disease is the discovery of a functional chimeric transcript incorporating DNAJB1 and PRKACA. This finding may finally provide the basis for specific diagnostic markers and chemotherapies that patients with this disease have long needed. Here, we present advances in the surgical treatment of fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma, as well as recent data on its tumor biology and pathogenesis.
Linked music data from global music charts

Accessing data on the Web in order to obtain useful information has been a challenge in the past decade. The technologies of the Semantic Web have enabled the creation of the Linked Data Cloud, as a concrete materialization of the idea to transform the Web from a web of documents into a web of data. The Linked Data concept has introduced new ways of publishing, interlinking and using data from various distributed data sources, over the existing Web infrastructure. On the other hand, music represents a big part of the everyday life for many people in the world, and therefore, understandably, the Web contains loads of data from the music domain. Given the fact that Linked Data enables new, advanced use-case scenarios, the music domain and its users can also benefit from this new data concept. Besides being provided with additional information about their favorite artists and songs, the users can also potentially get an overview of the dynamics of the global music playlists and charts, from the aspects of artists, countries, genres, etc. In this paper, we describe the process of transforming one- and two-star music playlists and charts data from various global radio stations, into five-star Linked Data, in order to demonstrate these benefits. We also present the design of our Playlist Ontology necessary for our data model. We then demonstrate -- via SPARQL queries and a web application -- some of the new use-case scenarios for the users over the published linked dataset, which are otherwise not available over the isolated datasets on the Web.
Doubly-rotated matched filtering

Using the concept of steerable filters, it is possible to represent the rotation of a known template - and thus arbitrary orientations of lines or edges - as a linear combination of a fixed number of base filters, thus allowing a computationally efficient detection of 1D structures. In spite of their usefulness in many image processing areas, such structures exhibit one important drawback: Due to the aperture problem, it is impossible to localize such features in images exactly. Junctions or corners, on the contrary, allow to find exact point matches in image sequences, but existing steerable filter approaches are not capable of modeling such templates. In this paper, we show how to extend rotated matched filtering using steerable filters such that it can represent multi-oriented image structures. As an example, we examine one special type of double-oriented feature which is especially important for applications like registration or camera calibration: the checkerboard pattern.
Widening Socioeconomic, Racial, and Geographic Disparities in HIV/AIDS Mortality in the United States, 1987–2011

This study examined the extent to which socioeconomic and racial and geographic disparities in HIV/AIDS mortality in the United States changed between 1987 and 2011. Census-based deprivation indices were linked to county-level mortality data from 1987 to 2009. Log-linear, least-squares, and Poisson regression were used to model mortality trends and differentials. HIV/AIDS mortality rose between 1987 and 1995 and then declined markedly for all groups between 1996 and 2011. Despite the steep mortality decline, socioeconomic gradients and racial and geographic disparities in HIV/AIDS mortality increased substantially during the study period. Compared to whites, blacks had 3 times higher HIV/AIDS mortality in 1987 and 8 times higher mortality in 2011. In 1987, those in the most-deprived group had 1.9 times higher HIV/AIDS mortality than those in the most-affluent group; the corresponding relative risks increased to 2.9 in 1998 and 3.6 in 2009. Socioeconomic gradients existed across all race-sex groups, with mortality risk being 8–16 times higher among blacks than whites within each deprivation group. Dramatic reductions in HIV/AIDS mortality represent a major public health success. However, slower mortality declines among more deprived groups and blacks contributed to the widening gap. Mortality disparities reflect inequalities in incidence, access to antiretroviral therapy, and patient survival.
Image Fusion using Genetic Algorithm for Impulse Noise Reduction in Medical Images

In this paper, image fusion of filtered noisy image using genetic algorithm for removing impulse noise is presented. Image fusion is the process of combining two or more images into a single image while retaining the important features of each image. It is an important technique used in military, remote sensing and medical applications. Two different filtering algorithms are used to filter the noisy image taken by a sensor. The filtered images are fused using Genetic Algorithm (GA) to obtain a high quality image compared to individually de-noised images. In order to better appraise the noise cancellation behavior of our fusion technique, edge detection is performed using canny filter for the fused image. Experimental results showed that this method is capable of producing better results compared to individually de-noised images. Keywords-Impulse Noise, Image Enhancement,Image Restoration, Image Processing, Image Fusion.
EcoCyc: a comprehensive database resource for Escherichia coli

The EcoCyc database (http://EcoCyc.org/) is a comprehensive source of information on the biology of the prototypical model organism Escherichia coli K12. The mission for EcoCyc is to contain both computable descriptions of, and detailed comments describing, all genes, proteins, pathways and molecular interactions in E.coli. Through ongoing manual curation, extensive information such as summary comments, regulatory information, literature citations and evidence types has been extracted from 8862 publications and added to Version 8.5 of the EcoCyc database. The EcoCyc database can be accessed through a World Wide Web interface, while the downloadable Pathway Tools software and data files enable computational exploration of the data and provide enhanced querying capabilities that web interfaces cannot support. For example, EcoCyc contains carefully curated information that can be used as training sets for bioinformatics prediction of entities such as promoters, operons, genetic networks, transcription factor binding sites, metabolic pathways, functionally related genes, protein complexes and protein–ligand interactions.
Usefulness of Early Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy in Colic Patients with Ureteral Stones

Purpose To compare efficacy and safety between early extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (eESWL) and deferred ESWL (dESWL) in colic patients with ureteral stones and to investigate whether eESWL can play a critical role in improving treatment outcomes. Materials and Methods A total of 279 patients who underwent ESWL for single radio-opaque ureteral stones of 5 to 20 mm in size were included in this retrospective study. The patients were categorized into two groups according to the time between the onset of colic and ESWL: eESWL (<48 hours, n=153) and dESWL (≥48 hours, n=126). Success was defined as stone-free status as shown on a plain radiograph within 1 month of the first session. Results For all patients, the success rate in the eESWL group was significantly higher than that in the dESWL group. The eESWL group required significantly fewer ESWL sessions and less time to achieve stone-free status than did the dESWL group. For 241 patients with stones <10 mm, all treatment outcomes in the former group were superior to those in the latter group, but not for 38 patients with stones sized 10 to 20 mm. The superiority of eESWL over dESWL in the treatment outcomes was more pronounced for proximal ureteral stones than for mid-to-distal ureteral stones. Post-ESWL complication rates were comparable between the two groups. In the multivariate analysis, smaller stone size and a time to ESWL of <48 hours were independent predictors of success. Conclusions Our data suggest that eESWL in colic patients with ureteral stones is an effective and safe treatment with accelerated stone clearance.
Molecular recognition of human angiogenin by placental ribonuclease inhibitor—an X‐ray crystallographic study at 2.0 Å resolution

Human placental RNase inhibitor (hRI), a leucine‐rich repeat protein, binds the blood vessel‐inducing protein human angiogenin (Ang) with extraordinary affinity (Ki <1 fM). Here we report a 2.0 Å resolution crystal structure for the hRI–Ang complex that, together with extensive mutagenesis data from earlier studies, reveals the molecular features of this tight interaction. The hRI–Ang binding interface is large and encompasses 26 residues from hRI and 24 from Ang, recruited from multiple domains of both proteins. However, a substantial fraction of the energetically important contacts involve only a single region of each: the C‐terminal segment 434–460 of hRI and the ribonucleolytic active centre of Ang, most notably the catalytic residue Lys40. Although the overall docking of Ang resembles that observed for RNase A in the crystal structure of its complex with the porcine RNase inhibitor, the vast majority of the interactions in the two complexes are distinctive, indicating that the broad specificity of the inhibitor for pancreatic RNase superfamily proteins is based largely on its capacity to recognize features unique to each of them. The implications of these findings for the development of small, hRI‐based inhibitors of Ang for therapeutic use are discussed.