Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The influence of weather on host seeking and blood feeding of Prosimulium mixtum and Simulium venustum/verecundum complex (Diptera: Simuliidae).

The influence of various meteorological conditions on host seeking and blood feeding in Prosimulium mixtum and Simulium venustum/verecundum complex was investigated. Host-seeking activity was markedly depressed when wind speeds, temperatures, saturation deficits, or light intensities fell outside of certain optimal ranges. Of the meteorological factors measured, temperature and wind speed appeared to have the greatest influence on host seeking. Midrange temperature (average of maximum and minimum values) over the previous 24 h was the meteorological factor most strongly correlated with blood feeding. Regression analysis indicated that blood feeding increased by ca. 3% for every 1 °C rise in midrange 24-h temperature from 8 to 22 °C.
Transitional YSOs : candidates from flat spectrum IRAS sources

We are searching for Young Stellar Objects (YSOs) near the boundary between protostars and pre-main-sequence objects, what we term Transitional YSOs. We have identified a sample of 125 objects as candidate transitional YSOs on the ba- sis of IRAS colors and the optical appearance on POSS plates. We have obtained optical and near-IR imaging of 82 objects ac- cessible from the Northern Hemisphere and optical images of 62 sources accessible from the South. We also created decon- volved 60 m IRAS images of all sources. We have classified the objects on the basis of their morphology in the optical and near-IR images. We find that the majority of our objects are as- sociated with star-forming regions, confirming our expectation that the bulk of these objects are YSOs. Of the 125 objects, 28 have a variety of characteristics very similar to other transitional YSOs, while another 22 show some of these characteristics. Fur- thermore we have found seven objects to be good candidates for members of the Herbig Ae/Be stellar group, of which three are newly identified as such. We have placed a set of images for each of the objects in the archives of the Centre de Donn´ astronomique de Strasbourg (CDS).
A Lower Bounding Result for theOptimal Policy in an Adaptive

We derive a lower bound for the staang levels required to meet a projected load in a retail service facility. We model the queueing system as a Markovian process with non-homogeneous Poisson arrivals. Motivated by an application from the postal services, we assume that the arrival rate is piecewise constant over the time horizon and retain such transient eeects as build-up in the system. The optimal staang decision is formulated as a multiperiod dynamic programming problem where staa is allocated to each time period to minimize the total costs over the horizon. The main result is the derivation of a lower bound on the staang requirements that is computed by decoupling successive time periods.
Life Portraits: A Comparative Case Study of Four Veteran Spanish Teachers

LIFE PORTRAITS: A COMPARATIVE CASE STUDY OF FOUR VETERAN SPANISH TEACHERS by Myrnelle GregoryBryan In foreign language education the classification native or nonnative speaker of a language often evokes thoughts related to degrees of competence in language teaching (Braine, 2004; Davies, 2004). This comparative case study focused on Spanish teachers in a United States context. It contributes toward the literature base in research related to native and nonnative speakers of languages other than English within the local context. Using the threefold theoretical framework of role identity theory (Stryker, 1968; Stryker & Burke, 2000), teacher efficacy (Tschennen Moran & Woolfolk Hoy, 2001) and social constructivism (Schwandt, 2007), the study aimed at developing understandings about the lived experience of foreign language teachers given the native/ nonnative speaker construct. It investigated how their personal perception of their role impacted the execution of professional duties. It also explored their conceptualization of the language teacher, given their extensive observation of teachers of various languages. The questions guiding the research were: (a) How does each participant conceptualize her role identity as Spanish teacher in a predominantly English speaking setting? , (b) How viable is the native/nonnative speaker construct when teacher efficacy is considered? , and (c) how has the experience of supervising teachers of differing linguistic backgrounds in the language they teach (native/nonnative speaker teachers) influenced the participants‘ understanding of the language teacher construct in the USA? Data collection was done through interviews, focus group discussions and classroom observations. The participants were four veteran Spanish teachers who had been in the department chair position for more than ten years. Two grew up speaking the language while the others learned the language in an academic setting. Findings revealed that there was great similarity in the way teachers conceptualized their role as Spanish teacher and that they gave no credence to the native/ nonnative speaker construct as an indicator of language proficiency and competence in language teaching. LIFE PORTRAITS: A COMPARATIVE CASE STUDY OF FOUR VETERAN SPANISH TEACHERS by Myrnelle Gregory-Bryan
Quantitative Analysis of Diffusion Tensor Imaging Data in Serial Assessment of Krabbe Disease

Krabbe disease is a rare autosomal recessive pediatric white matter (WM) disorder that is due to deficiency of a specific enzyme, β‐galactocerebrosidase. This report reviews our experience with use of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in serial assessment of WM changes in Krabbe disease following stem cell transplantation. DTI appears to be a sensitive means to monitor effects of stem cell transplantation on WM development in Krabbe disease. The group of early transplantation infants was clearly distinguishable from the group of late transplantation infants based on anisotropy measurements. Good correlation also was seen between neurodevelopmental scores and anisotropy measurements. The work described here in Krabbe disease may serve as a model for application of DTI to other therapies in various WM disorders such as multiple sclerosis and dysmyelinating disorders of childhood.
Tissue plasminogen activator-induced reperfusion injury after stroke revisited.

Intravenous thrombolysis with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is an established treatment of acute ischemic stroke in humans.1 When delivered within 3 hours after symptom onset, tPA reduces neurological deficits and improves the functional outcome of stroke patients.1 However, this improvement in recovery is achieved at the expense of an increased incidence in symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, which occurs in ≈6% of patients.1 Intracranial hemorrhage is a typical complication of thrombolysis in acute ischemic stroke. Hemorrhages markedly reduce the therapeutic benefit of tPA. Article p 411 Parenchymal bleeding after stroke is attributed to leakiness of the blood-brain barrier.2 On acute ischemia, fine-tuned chemokine responses lead to the recruitment of T cells, macrophages, and mast cells (MCs) into the brain tissue.3 These inflammatory cells release a variety of proteolytic enzymes, including matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9,3 that induce blood-brain barrier breakdown and facilitate vascular rupture. On release of other chemoattractant molecules, polymorphonuclear neutrophils enter the brain parenchyma, imposing massive oxidative stress on the reperfused tissue.3 tPA therapy of acute ischemic stroke increases both reperfusion damage and hemorrhage risk. As such, the thrombolytic promotes matrix degradation in the ischemic brain parenchyma via activation of MMP-9.4 Furthermore, it imposes oxidative stress by upregulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase, which is also a proinflammatory enzyme,5 and induces vascular disturbances reflected by downregulation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase.6,7 As a consequence, neuronal injury is facilitated in a caspase-8–dependent way.8 This process is controlled by activated protein C. …
Selection Theorem for Systems with Inheritance

The problem of flnite-dimensional asymptotics of inflnite-dimensional dynamic systems is studied. A non-linear kinetic system with conservation of supports for distribu- tions has generically flnite-dimensional asymptotics. Such systems are apparent in many areas of biology, physics (the theory of parametric wave interaction), chemistry and eco- nomics. This conservation of support has a biological interpretation: inheritance. The flnite-dimensional asymptotics demonstrates efiects of \natural" selection. Estimations of the asymptotic dimension are presented. After some initial time, solution of a kinetic equa- tion with conservation of support becomes a flnite set of narrow peaks that become increas- ingly narrow over time and move increasingly slowly. It is possible that these peaks do not tend to flxed positions, and the path covered tends to inflnity as t ! 1. The drift equations for peak motion are obtained. Various types of distribution stability are studied: internal stability (stability with respect to perturbations that do not extend the support), external stability or uninvadability (stability with respect to strongly small perturbations that extend the support), and stable realizability (stability with respect to small shifts and extensions of the density peaks). Models of self-synchronization of cell division are studied, as an example of selection in systems with additional symmetry. Appropriate construction of the notion of typicalness in inflnite-dimensional space is discussed, and the notion of \completely thin" sets is introduced.
Multiple TFRC Streaming in a WiMAX Environment

Employing multiple TFRC connections has emerged as a promising lightweight way of coping with wireless channel losses in a congestion-controlled tandem network. This work extends multiple TFRC connection streaming to broadband uplink streaming. This study differs from earlier work for a number of reasons: it reports on a specific wireless technology, IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX); it considers the impact on buffer management at the subscriber station rather than at the Internet end; and it considers actual delivered video quality and not simply network statistics. In terms of video quality, it is reported that multiple TFRC connection streaming has a role to play provided there are only a few connections opened at any one time. Therefore, the work demonstrates that multimedia services can be achieved over broadband wireless by multiple TFRC connection streaming.
Human NB-2 of the contactin subgroup molecules: chromosomal localization of the gene (CNTN5) and distinct expression pattern from other subgroup members.

NB-2 is one of the neural recognition molecules in the contactin subgroup, which belongs to the immunoglobulin superfamily. In rat, the six molecules in this subgroup that have been reported to date are contactin, TAG-1, BIG-1, BIG-2, NB-2, and NB-3. We have isolated cDNAs encoding the two splicing isoforms of human NB-2. The long isoform of human NB-2 consists of 1100 amino acids residues that are 91% homologous to rat NB-2 at the amino acid sequence level. The short isoform lacks 74 amino acid residues between residues 19 and 93 of the long isoform. Among various regions of the adult human brain, high-level expression of NB-2 was detected in the amygdala and occipital lobe, whereas expression was low in the corpus callosum, caudate nucleus, and spinal cord. Although there were some differences, the expression pattern of NB-2 was the most similar to that of BIG-1 in the brain. Likewise, contactin and BIG-2 exhibited similar expression patterns. The expression of TAG-1 showed the least regional differences. The human NB-2 gene (CNTN5) was mapped to chromosome 11q21-q22.2 by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Our results suggest that the NB-2 gene may contribute to human neurological disorders.
The thyroid gland in postmenopausal women: physiology and diseases

The incidence of most thyroid diseases: hypothyroidism, nodular goitre, and cancer is highest among postmenopausal and elderly women. The diagnosis of thyroid dysfunction in this group of patients is difficult because the symptoms can be nonspecific or common with menopausal and ageing complaints. In the interpretation of thyroid function tests the physiological changes in secretion and metabolism of thyrotropin (TSH) and thyroid hormones must be considered, as well as the influence of comorbidities. Unrecognised thyroid dysfunction leads to increased: cardiovascular risk, bone fractures, cognitive impairment, depression, and mortality. Therapy of thyroid dysfunction is different in postmenopausal and elderly women than in young people; hypothyroidism should be treated with caution, because high doses of L-thyroxine can lead to cardiac arrhythmias and increased bone turnover, and hyperthyroidism should be preferentially treated with radioiodine. Thyroid status beneficially influencing longevity relates to low thyroid function. Thyroid nodules and cancer often affect women over 50 years old; the diagnostic and therapeutic approach is the same as in the general population, but the surgical risk and cancer prognosis is worse than in young patients.
Stability conditions for linear time-varying model predictive control in autonomous driving

This paper presents stability conditions when designing a linear time-varying model predictive controller for lateral control of an autonomous vehicle. Stability is proved via Lyapunov techniques by adding a terminal state constraint and a terminal cost. We detail how to compute the terminal state and the terminal cost for the linear time-varying case, and interpret the obtained results in the light of an autonomous driving application. To determine the stability conditions, the concept of multi-model description is used, where the linear time-varying model is separated into a finite number of time-invariant models that depend on a single parameter. The terminal set is the maximum positive invariant set of the multi-model description and the terminal cost is the result of a min-max optimization that determines the worst time-invariant model if used as a prediction model. In fact, in the autonomous driving case, we show that the min-max approach is a convex optimization problem. The stability conditions are computed offline, maintain the convexity of the optimization, and do not affect the execution time of the controller. In simulation, we demonstrate the stabilizing effectiveness of the proposed conditions through an illustrative example of path following with a heavy-duty vehicle.
Multimodal quantitative magnetic resonance imaging for lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration

The present study investigated the application of the T1ρ and T2 relaxation mapping magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in the evaluation of intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). A total of 93 asymptomatic subjects were imaged with T1ρ and T2 mapping, as well as DWI. Pfirrmann grading was performed and correlation analysis was conducted for T1ρ, T2 and DWI results with the grading results and age. Pfirrmann grading indicated 69 cases of grade I, 240 cases of grade II, 101 cases of grade III, 43 cases of grade IV and 12 cases of grade V. MRI showed that the T1ρ values of the nucleus pulposi at L4/5 and L5/S1 were significantly reduced (P<0.05) and no significant differences were observed in the T2 values compared with the values of the nucleus pulposus at L1/2, L2/3 and L3/4. The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of L1/2 were significantly decreased from L2/3 and L3/4 (P<0.05). Correlation analysis revealed that the T1ρ, T, and ADC values were positively correlated with each other. Moreover, the T1ρvalues were significantly decreased with the increase of Pfirrmann grades (P<0.05), with the exception of grades IV and V. However, T2 and ADC values were not significantly different between grades I and II or IV and V. In addition, the T1ρ, T2 and ADC values were significantly decreased with the increase of age in patients with IDD (P<0.05). T1ρ and T2 mapping and DWI are promising techniques for the in vivo diagnosis of IDD, which may be useful in determining the appropriate prevention and treatment options for the disease.
Slider: incremental sliding window analytics

Sliding window analytics is often used in distributed data-parallel computing for analyzing large streams of continuously arriving data. When pairs of consecutive windows overlap, there is a potential to update the output incrementally, more efficiently than recomputing from scratch. However, in most systems, realizing this potential requires programmers to explicitly manage the intermediate state for overlapping windows, and devise an application-specific algorithm to incrementally update the output. In this paper, we present self-adjusting contraction trees, a set of data structures and algorithms for transparently updating the output of a sliding window computation as the window moves, while reusing, to the extent possible, results from prior computations. Self-adjusting contraction trees structure sub-computations of a data-parallel computation in the form of a shallow (logarithmic depth) balanced data dependence graph, through which input changes are efficiently propagated in asymptotically sub-linear time. We implemented self-adjusting contraction trees in a system called Slider. The design of Slider incorporates several novel techniques, most notably: (i) a set of self balancing trees tuned for different variants of sliding window computation (append-only, fixed-width, or variable-width slides); (ii) a split processing mode, where a background pre-processing stage leverages the predictability of input changes to pave the way for a more efficient foreground processing when the window slides; and (iii) an extension of the data structures to handle multiple-job workflows such as data-flow query processing. We evaluated Slider using a variety of applications and real-world case studies. Our results show significant performance gains without requiring any changes to the existing application code used for non-incremental data processing.
Lost opportunities to complete CD4+ lymphocyte testing among patients who tested positive for HIV in South Africa.

OBJECTIVE To estimate rates of completion of CD4+ lymphocyte testing (CD4 testing) within 12 weeks of testing positive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) at a large HIV/AIDS clinic in South Africa, and to identify clinical and demographic predictors for completion. METHODS In our study, CD4 testing was considered complete once a patient had retrieved the test results. To determine the rate of CD4 testing completion, we reviewed the records of all clinic patients who tested positive for HIV between January 2008 and February 2009. We identified predictors for completion through multivariate logistic regression. FINDINGS Of the 416 patients who tested positive for HIV, 84.6% initiated CD4 testing within the study timeframe. Of these patients, 54.3% were immediately eligible for antiretroviral therapy (ART) because of a CD4 cell count ≤ 200/µl, but only 51.3% of the patients in this category completed CD4 testing within 12 weeks of HIV testing. Among those not immediately eligible for ART (CD4 cells > 200/µl), only 14.9% completed CD4 testing within 12 weeks. Overall, of HIV+ patients who initiated CD4 testing, 65% did not complete it within 12 weeks of diagnosis. The higher the baseline CD4 cell count, the lower the odds of completing CD4 testing within 12 weeks. CONCLUSION Patient losses between HIV testing, baseline CD4 cell count and the start of care and ART are high. As a result, many patients receive ART too late. Health information systems that link testing programmes with care and treatment programmes are needed.
Internet of Things Based Energy Aware Smart Home Control System

The concept of smart home is widely favored, as it enhances the lifestyle of the residents involving multiple disciplines, i.e., lighting, security, and much more. As the smart home networks continue to grow in size and complexity, it is essential to address a handful among the myriads of challenges related to data loss due to the interference and efficient energy management. In this paper, we propose a smart home control system using a coordinator-based ZigBee networking. The working of the proposed system is three fold: smart interference control system controls the interference caused due to the co-existence of IEEE 802.11x-based wireless local area networks and wireless sensor networks; smart energy control system is developed to integrate sunlight with light source and optimizes the energy consumption of the household appliances by controlling the unnecessary energy demands; and smart management control system to efficiently control the operating time of the electronic appliances. The performance of the proposed smart home is testified through computer simulation. Simulation results show that the proposed smart home system is less affected by the interference and efficient in reducing the energy consumption of the appliances used in a smart home.
Does the chimpanzee have a theory of mind?

Abstract An individual has a theory of mind if he imputes mental states to himself and others. A system of inferences of this kind is properly viewed as a theory because such states are not directly observable, and the system can be used to make predictions about the behavior of others. As to the mental states the chimpanzee may infer, consider those inferred by our own species, for example, purpose or intention, as well as knowledge, belief, thinking, doubt, guessing, pretending, liking, and so forth. To determine whether or not the chimpanzee infers states of this kind, we showed an adult chimpanzee a series of videotaped scenes of a human actor struggling with a variety of problems. Some problems were simple, involving inaccessible food – bananas vertically or horizontally out of reach, behind a box, and so forth – as in the original Kohler problems; others were more complex, involving an actor unable to extricate himself from a locked cage, shivering because of a malfunctioning heater, or unable to play a phonograph because it was unplugged. With each videotape the chimpanzee was given several photographs, one a solution to the problem, such as a stick for the inaccessible bananas, a key for the locked up actor, a lit wick for the malfunctioning heater. The chimpanzee's consistent choice of the correct photographs can be understood by assuming that the animal recognized the videotape as representing a problem, understood the actor's purpose, and chose alternatives compatible with that purpose.
Improving Gender Prediction of Social Media Users via Weighted Annotator Rationales

This paper proposes and contrastively evaluates several novel approaches to utilizing annotator rationales to improve the prediction of user gender in social media for English and Spanish. Our methods outperform state-of-the-art systems for Twitter gender prediction, and yield up to 28% error reduction relative to an otherwise identical system and training data without the use of annotator rationales.