Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exact and heuristic approaches for the multi-agent orienteering problem with capacity constraints

This paper introduces and addresses a new multi-agent variant of the orienteering problem (OP), namely the multi-agent orienteering problem with capacity constraints (MAOPCC). Different from the existing variants of OP, MAOPCC allows a group of visitors to concurrently visit a node but limits the number of visitors simultaneously being served at each node. In this work, we solve MAOPCC in a centralized manner and optimize the total collected rewards of all agents. A branch and bound algorithm is first proposed to find an optimal MAOPCC solution. Since finding an optimal solution for MAOPCC can become intractable as the number of vertices and agents increases, a computationally efficient sequential algorithm that sacrifices the solution quality is then proposed. Finally, a probabilistic iterated local search algorithm is developed to find a sufficiently good solution in a reasonable time. Our experimental results show that the latter strikes a good tradeoff between the solution quality and the computational time incurred.
The assessment of older people's needs in care homes

In many countries there is a concern to improve assessment procedures for older people to avoid misplacement in nursing homes and ensure that rehabilitation takes place where possible. The study examined assessment documentation in 126 care homes in North West England. On a set of core domains for assessing need, the level of coverage varied considerably. The use of standardised scales was infrequent apart from those that measured risk of developing pressure sores. Some important key domains were infrequently mentioned on the assessment forms including mental health, pain, oral health and foot care. The most frequently covered items were the activities of daily living. There were clear differences in the assessment approaches employed in different types of home. The lack of inclusion of certain key health areas on some assessment forms suggests that the well-being and quality of life of some residents may be poorly addressed, and that further work is required for the standard of assessment in care homes to match that in community-based care.
Touching the Void -- Introducing CoST: Corpus of Social Touch

Touch behavior is of great importance during social interaction. To transfer the tactile modality from interpersonal interaction to other areas such as Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) and remote communication automatic recognition of social touch is necessary. This paper introduces CoST: Corpus of Social Touch, a collection containing 7805 instances of 14 different social touch gestures. The gestures were performed in three variations: gentle, normal and rough, on a sensor grid wrapped around a mannequin arm. Recognition of the rough variations of these 14 gesture classes using Bayesian classifiers and Support Vector Machines (SVMs) resulted in an overall accuracy of 54% and 53%, respectively. Furthermore, this paper provides more insight into the challenges of automatic recognition of social touch gestures, including which gestures can be recognized more easily and which are more difficult to recognize.
Type and frequency of responsiveness matters: The development of infants' social communicative skills and later language development

Type and frequency of responsiveness matters: The development of infants' social communicative skills and later language development. ii To my mother: her unremitting support, confidence in me, strength, and encouragement have truly shaped the person I am today. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Thank you to my advisor, Julie Gros-Louis for the guidance and support in conducting this study. I appreciate the advice and guidance for my research set forth by the remainder of my Research Advisory Committee, Jodie Plumert and Larissa Samuelson. Thank you to all the research assistants that helped conduct and code the study. Lastly, I am grateful to the families who participated in the study. iv ABSTRACT Contingent maternal responsiveness has previously been shown to influence the development of many abilities including attachment, language, vocabulary, phonology, attention, and cognitive functioning. In addition, it has been speculated that early contingent interactions may facilitate the development of early social communicative behaviors including joint attention abilities. Examining 13-month-old infant vocal-led interactions with mothers in free play allowed us to look at maternal responses to a specific social communicative interaction. These interactions were then correlated with infants' social communicative abilities as assessed by the Early Social Communicative Scales. Both components were then used to predict later language abilities using the McArthur Communicative Development Inventory: Words and Gestures. Specific responses from mothers during free play and infants communicative abilities were shown to correlate and predict social communicative abilities. Later language abilities were also shown to be predicted by specific responses from mothers during free play and infants' own social communicative skills.
AMP deamination and IMP reamination in working skeletal muscle.

The extent of purine nucleotide cycle (PNC) turnover [i.e., the cyclic deamination of adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP) and reamination of inosine 5'-monophosphate (IMP)] was estimated in fast-twitch muscle of pentobarbital sodium anesthetized rats during in situ stimulation, by the accumulation of excess IMP after blocking IMP reamination with the adenylosuccinate synthetase inhibitor, hadacidin. Sodium hadacidin (100 mg/kg, iv) did not alter IMP production and was effective in blocking IMP reamination by 80%. Hadacidin had no effect on IMP levels in muscle at rest or during mild stimulation (1 Hz for 30 min). During 30 min of more intense stimulation (5 Hz), hadacidin treatment resulted in a threefold increase in IMP in the fast-twitch white gastrocnemius section, but had no effect in the fast-twitch red section. The IMP in the fast-twitch white section did not accumulate over the 30-min period, but was produced initially (within 5 min) and kept for being reaminated by hadacidin. Thus, the IMP formation and IMP reamination evident in the saline-injected animals did not occur concurrently. This suggests that the IMP reamination arm of the PNC is not an important pathway in "working" muscle.
Tidal volume in animal models of hemorrhagic and endotoxic shock

The aim of this study was to examine the characteristics of lung, kidney and small intestine injury caused by early resuscitation from hemorrhagic shock (HS) and endotoxic shock (ES) when ventilating with different tidal volumes (Vts). The study also considered the determination of the appropriate Vt for use in mechanical ventilation (MV) during treatment for shock. Resuscitated rabbits were ventilated with varying Vts for 120 min following 60 min of HS or ES. The histopathology, ultrastructure and apoptotic index (AI) of the lung, kidney and small intestine were then measured. Organs from the high-Vt groups (VT=12–15 ml/kg) showed the highest pathological scores (PSs; P<0.05). For HS, the renal PS and AI of the HS-M group (Vt=8–10 ml/kg)were lower than those of the HS-L group (Vt=4–6 ml/kg) and the lung PS and AI of the HS-C (control) group were lower compared with those of the HS-M group. For ES, the lung PS of the ES-L group was lower compared with that of the ES-M group (Vt=8–10 ml/kg) and the lung AI of the ES-C (control) group was lower compared with that of the ES-L group (Vt=4–6 ml/kg). When ventilated with the same Vt, ES resulted in higher PSs in the lung and intestine and a lower renal PS (P<0.05) than HS. MV was not recommended for either shock type. When it was necessary for MV to be applied, low Vt (4–6 ml/kg) protected the lung in ES. Moderate Vt (8–10 ml/kg) may be relatively safe to use for HS.
A fuzzy fairness control mechanism in resilient packet ring

In recent years, the high increasing volume of data traffic is challenging the capacity limit of existing Internet infrastructures. The RPR is intended to enable the creation of high-speed networks for packet transmission in ring topologies. An effective and feasible fairness control mechanism is indispensable to enhance the network utilization. In this paper, a fuzzy fairness control mechanism (FFCM) is proposed to detect and prevent the congestion problem by allocating the network resources adaptively. Simulation results show that the performance of the FFCM is much better than the performance of the aggressive mode (AM). FFCM improves the network utilization by about 20% than AM. Consequently, we can conclude that the FFCM is an effective and feasible fairness control mechanism.
Contribution of MINCLE–SYK Signaling to Activation of Primary Human APCs by Mycobacterial Cord Factor and the Novel Adjuvant TDB

Trehalose-6,6-dimycolate (TDM), the mycobacterial cord factor, is an abundant cell wall glycolipid and major virulence factor of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Its synthetic analog trehalose-6,6-dibehenate (TDB) is a new adjuvant currently in phase I clinical trials. In rodents, the C-type lectin receptors Mincle and Mcl bind TDB/TDM and activate macrophages and dendritic cells (DC) through the Syk–Card9 pathway. However, it is unknown whether these glycolipids activate human innate immune cells through the same mechanism. We performed in vitro analysis of TDB/TDM-stimulated primary human monocytes, macrophages, and DC; determined C-type lectin receptor expression; and tested the contribution of SYK, MINCLE, and MCL by small interfering RNA knockdown and genetic complementation. We observed a robust chemokine and cytokine release in response to TDB or TDM. MCSF-driven macrophages secreted higher levels of IL-8, IL-6, CCL3, CCL4, and CCL2 after stimulation with TDM, whereas DC responded more strongly to TDB and GM-CSF–driven macrophages were equally responsive to TDB and TDM. SYK kinase and the adaptor protein CARD9 were essential for glycolipid-induced IL-8 production. mRNA expression of MINCLE and MCL was high in monocytes and macrophages, with MINCLE and MCL proteins localized intracellularly under resting conditions. Small interfering RNA–mediated MINCLE or MCL knockdown caused on average reduced TDB- or TDM-induced IL-8 production. Conversely, retroviral expression in murine Mincle-deficient DC revealed that human MINCLE, but not MCL, was sufficient to confer responsiveness to TDB/TDM. Our study demonstrates that SYK–CARD9 signaling plays a key role in TDB/TDM-induced activation of innate immune cells in man as in mouse, likely by engagement of MINCLE.
Deploying Access Control in Distributed Workflow

Workflows are operational business processes. Workfow Management Systems (WFMS) are concerned with the control and coordination of these workflows. In recent years, there has been a trend to integrate WFMS in distributed inter-organizational systems. In this case malfunctioning of one WFMS can affect more than one organization, making the correct functioning of a WFMS a critical issue. Thus, an important function of WFMS is to enforce the security of these inter-organizational workflows. Several works have been done to integrate the security aspects in the workflow specification. Unfortunately, these research works generally adopt a centralized management approach and are based on static access control models. In this paper, we suggest a decentralized and dynamic approach to handle access control in workflows.
Scaling games to epic proportions

We introduce scalability for computer games as the next frontier for techniques from data management. A very important aspect of computer games is the artificial intelligence (AI) of non-player characters. To create interesting AI in games today, developers or players have to create complex, dynamic behavior for a very small number of characters, but neither the game engines nor the style of AI programming enables intelligent behavior that scales to a very large number of non-player characters. In this paper we make a first step towards truly scalable AI in computer games by modeling game AI as a data management problem. We present a highly expressive scripting language SGL that provides game designers and players with a data-driven AI scheme for customizing behavior for individual non-player characters. We use sophisticated query processing and indexing techniques to efficiently execute large numbers of SGL scripts, thus providing a framework for games with a truly epic number of non-player characters. Experiments show the efficacy of our solutions.
Timing Error Tolerance in Pipeline Based Core Designs

Timing error tolerance is of great importance in nanometer technology integrated circuits. Two new flip-flop designs are presented for timing error tolerance, which are characterized by low silicon area overhead and power consumption compared to the state of the art Razor flip-flop. The first technique uses a new scan flip-flop, without any additional memory elements, to detect and correct timing errors at the minimum penalty of one clock cycle delay. The second technique is based on a new bit flipping flip-flop for local error detection and correction. In this topology, when a timing error is detected the output of the corresponding flip-flop is complemented for error correction. The proposed techniques and the well known Razor scheme were applied separately in the design of a 32-bit MIPS microprocessor core using a 90nm CMOS technology. Comparisons based on experimental results validate the efficiency of the new topologies with respect to Razor.
Efficient distribution-free learning of probabilistic concepts

A model of machine learning in which the concept to be learned may exhibit uncertain or probabilistic behavior is investigated. Such probabilistic concepts (or p-concepts) may arise in situations such as weather prediction, where the measured variables and their accuracy are insufficient to determine the outcome with certainty. It is required that learning algorithms be both efficient and general in the sense that they perform well for a wide class of p-concepts and for any distribution over the domain. Many efficient algorithms for learning natural classes of p-concepts are given, and an underlying theory of learning p-concepts is developed in detail. <<ETX>>
Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography Myocardial Ischemia Detection in High-Risk Asymptomatic Patients: Correlation with Coronary Calcium Score and High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein

Background: The association between myocardial ischemia in high-risk patients with coronary calcium score (CCS) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is not well established. Aims: We evaluated the correlation between hs-CRP, CCS, and myocardial ischemia in asymptomatic high-risk patients without known coronary artery disease (CAD). Materials and Methods: We prospectively assessed 68 asymptomatic high-risk outpatients without known CAD. One-day rest-stress Tc-99m single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging and multislice computed tomography were performed. Multivariate regression analysis was performed for the assessment of predictors of myocardial ischemia. Standard risk factors and hs-CRP values were analyzed. Results: CCS >0 Agatston score was observed in 26 patients (46.4%). Seven patients had CCS between 10 and 99 AU, 8 patients between 100 and 400 AU, and 11 patients had CCS >400 AU. Mild ischemia was noted in 11 patients, moderate ischemia in 10 patients, and severe ischemia in 6 patients. Hs-CRP was >1 mg/L in 39 patients, of whom 8 patients had CCS >0, 13 patients had normal SPECT results, 6 patients had mild ischemia, and 12 patients had moderate and severe ischemia. Multivariate regression analysis showed independent predictors for increased CCS: low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (odds ratio [OR]: 2.891; P = 0.001); age >70 years (OR: 2.568; P = 0.001); and smoking (OR: 1.931; P = 0.001). We found hs-CRP to be an independent predictor of myocardial ischemia (OR: 4.145; 95% confidence interval: 1.398–7.471, P = 0.001). Conclusion: hs-CRP was an independent predictor of myocardial ischemia. hs-CRP might improve the selection of high-risk asymptomatic patients for myocardial SPECT imaging.
Final results of a phase I study of TH-302, a hypoxia-activated cytotoxic prodrug (HAP).

2573 Background: TH-302 is a 2-nitroimidazole prodrug of the DNA alkylator, bromo-isophosphoramide mustard (Br-IPM). TH-302 is essentially inactive under normoxia but in severe hypoxia and in the presence of certain reductases, it is reduced and Br-IPM is released. METHODS Eligible patients (pts) had ECOG ≤1, advanced or metastatic solid tumors, evaluable by RECIST, and acceptable hematologic, liver and renal function. A modified accelerated titration design was used. TH-302 was administered intravenously over 30-60 minutes on Day 1, 8 and 15 of a 28-day cycle. CT scans were obtained after every 2 cycles. Detailed pharmacokinetic sampling was performed on Days 1 and 15. The primary objectives of this study were to determine the dose limiting toxicity (DLT) and the maximum tolerated dose (MTD). RESULTS Twenty-nine pts enrolled at 3 sites at 9 dose levels from 7.5-670 mg/m2. Median age: 64y. 20 male/9 female. ECOG 0/1: 16/13. Primary tumor: prostate (8), colorectal (8), lung (5) other (8). Two of 5 pts at 670 mg/m2 had DLT: Herpes simplex perianal/rectal ulcers and dehydration due to mucositis. Reversible skin and mucosal adverse events (AE) occurred in 12 of 15 (80%) pts at ≥480 mg/m2 including grade 3 events in 3 pts. The most common TH-302-related AEs were nausea, skin lesions, vomiting and fatigue. Hematologic toxicity was mild and limited: two pts with grade 1 and one pt with grade 2 neutropenia and five pts with grade 1 thrombocytopenia. Five pts had grade 3 and one grade 4 lymphopenia. Four pts have enrolled at an intermediate dose of 575 mg/m2 with no DLT so this is likely the MTD and is well above the predicted biologic effective dose of 100 mg/m2. One pt with SCLC treated at 480 mg/m2 and one with melanoma treated at 670 mg/m2 had unconfirmed partial responses; 12 pts had stable disease (6 continuing after 4 or more cycles), 7 had PD, 4 were unevaluable and 4 are too early to assess. Cmax and AUC for TH-302 and Br-IPM increased linearly with no accumulation at Day 15. CONCLUSIONS Weekly TH-302 has remarkably little hematologic toxicity. Skin and mucosal AEs have developed at the higher dose levels. Skin/mucosa are known to have hypoxic regions. TH-302 is the first HAP to demonstrate tumor responses in Phase I. The MTD is likely 575 mg/m2. Studies in combination with chemotherapy are ongoing. [Table: see text].
Polymorphism of human minor histocompatibility antigens: T cell recognition of human minor histocompatibility peptides presented by HLA- B35 subtype molecules

To investigate the polymorphism of human minor histocompatibility (mH) antigens, PBLs from 23 Japanese individuals and 25 German individuals with HLA-B35 were studied by using four human mH antigen-specific, HLA- B35-restricted CTL clones. The CTL clones killed PHA-stimulated PBLs from all 23 Japanese individuals. On the other hand, they killed the PHA-stimulated PBLs from 19 of 25 German individuals and partially killed the PHA-stimulated PBLs from three German individuals (CTL weakly sensitive cell line); those from another three individuals (CTL- resistant cell line) were not killed by the CTL clones. All of three CTL weakly sensitive cell lines carry HLA-B*3503 molecules, whereas the three CTL-resistant cell lines carry HLA-B*3502, B*3507, and B*3508 molecules. The cytotoxicity of the CTL clones for three CTL weakly sensitive cell lines was enhanced by stimulation of human mH peptides isolated from HLA-B*3501 molecules purified from C1R-B*3501 cells. Small amounts of human mH peptides were isolated from B*3503 molecules purified from these three CTL weakly sensitive cell lines. Taken together, these results indicate that weak recognition by the CTL clones of three CTL weakly sensitive cell line results from a small amount of the human mH peptides presented by B*3503 molecules. The CTL- resistant cell line carrying B*3507 loaded with the human mH peptides was killed by four CTL clones, whereas the cell lines carrying B*3502 or B*3508 loaded with the peptides were not. The human mH peptides were not isolated from B*3507 molecules purified from the cell lines expressing this subtype, whereas small amounts of the human mH peptides were isolated from B*3502 and B*3508 molecules purified from the cell lines expressing the subtypes. These results indicate that failure of the CTL recognition of the cell line carrying B*3507 is due to a lack of human mH antigens in this cell line. The failure of the CTL recognition of the cell lines carrying B*3502 and B*3508 is not explained by only the amount of the human mH peptides binding to these B35 subtype molecules because the amount of the human mH peptides eluted from B*3502 and B*3508 molecules purified from the cell lines carrying these B35 subtypes is almost the same as that eluted from B*3503 molecules purified from the cell lines carrying B*3503. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Influence of Acute Complications on Outcome 3 Months after Ischemic Stroke

Background Early medical complications are potentially modifiable factors influencing in-hospital outcome. We investigated the influence of acute complications on mortality and poor outcome 3 months after ischemic stroke. Methods Data were obtained from patients admitted to one of 13 stroke units of the Berlin Stroke Registry (BSR) who participated in a 3-months-follow up between June 2010 and September 2012. We examined the influence of the cumulative number of early in-hospital complications on mortality and poor outcome (death, disability or institutionalization) 3 months after stroke using multivariable logistic regression analyses and calculated attributable fractions to determine the impact of early complications on mortality and poor outcome. Results A total of 2349 ischemic stroke patients alive at discharge from acute care were included in the analysis. Older age, stroke severity, pre-stroke dependency and early complications were independent predictors of mortality 3 months after stroke. Poor outcome was independently associated with older age, stroke severity, pre-stroke dependency, previous stroke and early complications. More than 60% of deaths and poor outcomes were attributed to age, pre-stroke dependency and stroke severity and in-hospital complications contributed to 12.3% of deaths and 9.1% of poor outcomes 3 months after stroke. Conclusion The majority of deaths and poor outcomes after stroke were attributed to non-modifiable factors. However, early in-hospital complications significantly affect outcome in patients who survived the acute phase after stroke, underlining the need to improve prevention and treatment of complications in hospital.
Meta-reasoning: An incremental compilation approach

An incremental compilation approach to meta-reasoning is presented together with a method to update dynamically changing knowledge bases. The compilation process translates meta-level specification of facts and hypotheses into sentences of clausal logic. It then incrementally computes inconsistent sets of instances of hypotheses and records potential crucial literals. The extra information computed during compilation enables the theorem prover to avoid redundant computations and to efficiently update the compiled knowledge. Whenever a new fact is learned the effects of the fact are computed incrementally, without recompiling. A relationship between potential crucial literals and Reiter and de Kleer's prime implicants shows that this approach may be useful in incrementally computing and maintaining the prime implicants, as well. <<ETX>>