Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SBox: A Qualitative Spatial Reasoner {Progress Report{

This paper presents a method for reasoning about spatial objects and their qualitative spatial relationships (e.g. touches, overlaps etc.) on the basis of a description logic framework. We apply this method to the domain of deductive geographic information systems. In contrast to existing work, which mainly focuses on reasoning about qualitative spatial relations alone, we integrate quantitative and qualitative information with terminological reasoning by extending description logics with a space box reasoner which is inspired by an extension to description logics called \concrete domains. " With the space box reasoner presented in this paper it is possible to combine qualitative spatial reasoning and description logic classiflcation processes.
Changes in bone mineral density over 18 months following kidney transplantation: the respective roles of prednisone and parathyroid hormone.

BACKGROUND Prednisone is a major factor of bone loss after kidney transplantation. The role of hyperparathyroidism and immunosuppressors is less clear. METHODS Thirty-three patients (14 men, 19 women) with ESRD were followed prospectively for 18 months after kidney transplantation. All patients received prednisone and cyclosporin A (CyA) with (n=18) or without azathioprine. Rejection episodes were treated with boluses of methylprednisolone. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry for the spine, hip and whole body (total, trunk, limbs) at 1, 12, 24, 36, 60 and 75 weeks after kidney transplantation. At the same time, blood was assayed for calcium, phosphorus, intact-PTH, alkaline phosphatase, creatinine and CyA, and 24-h urine was assayed for Ca and P. RESULTS BMD at baseline was low at all skeletal sites in women, but not in men. BMD decreased significantly at the spine (-7.0+/-0.9%, week 24), trunk (-4.8+/-0.5%, week 24), total hip (-4.3+/-1.0%, week 36), whole body (-2.2+/-0.4%, week 36) and limbs (-1.0+/-0.7%, week 74). BMD changes over time followed three different patterns: no change or gain, continuous loss, and NADIR. For the spine and trunk, two thirds of patients had a NADIR pattern with recovery at the end of the study, and one-quarter of patients had continuous bone loss. For the limbs, BMD rose or remained stable (n=20), decreased continuously (n=8) or had a NADIR pattern (n=5). Neither gender nor time on dialysis prior to transplantation influenced BMD changes. Patients with PTH serum concentrations below the median value 1 week after kidney transplantation (109 pg/ml) had continuous bone loss at the whole body or limbs but not at other sites. The cumulative dose of prednisone correlated negatively with BMD changes at the spine (r=-0.39, P<0.03), hip (r=-0.50, P=0.005) and trunk (r=-0.52, P=0.002), but not at the whole body or limbs. CyA levels in blood did not correlate with BMD changes. BMD for the whole body and limbs did not change in the patients receiving azathioprine (n=16; -2.7+/-0.7%, P=0.013) but decreased in the others (-2.8+/-0.9%, P<0.0002). CONCLUSIONS High cumulative prednisone doses are deleterious for the axial skeleton. Low levels of PTH observed 1 week after kidney transplantation are predictive of continuous cortical bone loss.
1200V SiC Trench-MOSFET Optimized for High Reliability and High Performance

A detailed analysis of the typical static and dynamic performance of the new developed Infineon 1200V CoolSiCTM MOSFET is shown which is designed for an on-resistance of 45 mΩ. In order to be compatible to various standard gate drivers the gate voltage range is designed for-5 V in off-state and +15 V in on-state. Long term gate oxide life time tests reveal that the extrinsic failure evolution follows the linear E-model which allows a confident prediction of the failure rate within the life time of the device of 0.2 ppm in 20 years under specified use condition.
Comparative performance of heterogeneity variance estimators in meta‐analysis: a review of simulation studies

Random‐effects meta‐analysis methods include an estimate of between‐study heterogeneity variance. We present a systematic review of simulation studies comparing the performance of different estimation methods for this parameter. We summarise the performance of methods in relation to estimation of heterogeneity and of the overall effect estimate, and of confidence intervals for the latter. Among the twelve included simulation studies, the DerSimonian and Laird method was most commonly evaluated. This estimate is negatively biased when heterogeneity is moderate to high and therefore most studies recommended alternatives. The Paule–Mandel method was recommended by three studies: it is simple to implement, is less biased than DerSimonian and Laird and performs well in meta‐analyses with dichotomous and continuous outcomes. In many of the included simulation studies, results were based on data that do not represent meta‐analyses observed in practice, and only small selections of methods were compared. Furthermore, potential conflicts of interest were present when authors of novel methods interpreted their results. On the basis of current evidence, we provisionally recommend the Paule–Mandel method for estimating the heterogeneity variance, and using this estimate to calculate the mean effect and its 95% confidence interval. However, further simulation studies are required to draw firm conclusions. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Extinction and Retrieval + Extinction of Conditioned Fear Differentially Activate Medial Prefrontal Cortex and Amygdala in Rats

Pairing a previously neutral conditioned stimulus (CS; e.g., a tone) to an aversive unconditioned stimulus (US; e.g., a footshock) leads to associative learning such that the tone alone comes to elicit a conditioned response (e.g., freezing). We have previously shown that an extinction session that occurs within the reconsolidation window (termed retrieval + extinction) attenuates fear responding and prevents the return of fear in Pavlovian fear conditioning (Monfils et al., 2009). To date, the mechanisms that explain the different behavioral outcomes between standard extinction and retrieval + extinction remain poorly understood. Here we sought to examine the differential temporal engagement of specific neural systems by these two approaches using Arc catFISH (cellular compartment analysis of temporal activity using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH)). Our results demonstrate that extinction and retrieval + extinction lead to differential patterns of expression, suggesting that they engage different networks. These findings provide insight into the neural mechanisms that allow extinction during reconsolidation to prevent the return of fear in rodents.
Natural killer cells actively patrol peripheral lymph nodes forming stable conjugates to eliminate MHC-mismatched targets

Natural killer (NK) cells are known to reject MHC-mismatched targets within blood organs, yet their role in peripheral lymphoid tissue remains unresolved. Here we address the capacity of NK cells to migrate within lymph nodes (LN) using two-photon microscopy to characterize cell velocities and interaction dynamics within the native lymphoid-tissue environment. Adoptively transferred unmanipulated NK cells were highly motile (6–7 μm/min) and capable of forming transient contacts with both syngeneic and allogeneic B cells. Stable conjugate interactions (lasting >5 min) formed preferentially with allogeneic cells, resulting in diminished motility and subsequent elimination of the target cell. In marked contrast to unmanipulated cells, NK cells purified by CD49b-positive selection exhibited only limited motility (2–3 μm/min). This velocity impairment arose largely because CD49b cross-linking enhanced NK cell adhesion to collagen fibers within the node. Moreover, CD49b cross-linking prevented NK cells from reconstituting effector cytolytic function in vivo, inhibited target cell lysis in vitro, and augmented IFN-γ responses to IL-2 activation in vitro. Taken together our data demonstrate that NK cells are a functionally important component of the LN microenvironment, and that cell motility and effector function are strongly modulated via CD49b manipulation.
US oocyte donors: a retrospective study of medical and psychosocial issues.

BACKGROUND First-person reports of oocyte donors, years after their donation, can give valuable information about medical complications of oocyte donation, as well as changes potentially required in procedures and priorities of US-based in vitro fertilization (IVF) centers. This paper reports findings from an online survey of former oocyte donors. METHODS The instrument was an author-constructed questionnaire completed online on the Donor Sibling Registry website. Questions assessed women's accounts of medical complications, contact with the infertility clinic through which they had provided ova, and information exchange or contact with people conceived from their ova. RESULTS Responses were received from 49.1% of the 287 donors with valid e-mail addresses. The 155 respondents completed the survey an average of 9.4 years after their first donation. Reported medical complications included ovarian hypersensitivity syndrome (30.3%) and infertility (9.6%). Subsequent to ova donation, 2.6% of women reported that they had been contacted by the IVF clinic for medical updates. On the questionnaire, 34.2% of women reported that medical changes they thought would interest donor children; half said that they had attempted to report these changes to the clinic with variable results. Many, who did not report such information, did not realize they could or should. Donors said that they frequently had not sought information about pregnancy outcomes because of confusion about the definition of 'anonymity' or 'confidentiality'. CONCLUSIONS US-based IVF clinics need to give clearer guidelines to anonymous oocyte donors about follow-up information exchange. Additional long-term studies are needed to ascertain oocyte donors' risks of infertility or cancer.
Strategic Marketing for Educational Institutions

1. The Education Marketplace. 2. Providing Quality Service, Value, and Customer Satisfaction. 3. Identifying and Researching Marketing Issues. 4. The Marketing Planning Process. 5. Analyzing and Adapting to the Environment. 6. Defining Institutional Resources and Direction. 7. Formulating Market Strategy. 8. Measuring and Forecasting Market Size. 9. Segmenting, Selecting, and Appealing to Markets. 10. Understanding Consumers. 11. Designing Educational Programs. 12. Pricing Educational programs. 13. Delivering Educational Programs and Services. 14. Communicating with Markets. 15. Attracting and Retaining Students. 16. Attracting Resources. 17. Evaluating Marketing Performance.
Multivehicle systems control over networks: a hovercraft testbed for networked and decentralized control

This paper presents an overview of the hovercraft testbed for decentralized control (HoTDeC) testbed at the University of Illinois. It describes the architecture of the system and its subsystems and provides details about modeling tine system and the control dynamics of the hovercraft vehicles. The project focuses on implementing distributed strategies for coordinated maneuvers and investigating approaches for dealing systematically with network latency as well as the application of higher level control algorithms.
Optimal Low Switching Frequency Pulsewidth Modulation of Current-Fed Three-Level Converter for Solar Power Integration

Large-scale photovoltaic energy conversion systems have been installed at many places across the world and they handle higher power levels. In high power conversion, low device switching frequency operation is preferred in order to satisfy the thermal constraints of semiconductor devices and also to improve efficiency. However, low device switching frequency operation leads to higher total harmonic distortion (THD) of the converter output currents. Synchronous optimal pulsewidth modulation (SOP) is an emerging low device switching frequency modulation technique, which has been successfully implemented for voltage source inverters without compromising on THD. The goal of our research is to propose, analyze, and implement a modified SOP technique for current source inverter topologies. The additional switching constraints for these inverter topologies have been included in the modified SOP technique. The experimental results obtained from a low-power prototype demonstrated its effectiveness.
Design of Safe Two-Wire Interface-Driven Chip-Scale Neurostimulator for Visual Prosthesis

Visual prostheses with a high number of electrodes are now of great research interest driven by the successful recent clinical trials. High channel devices are confronted with numerous challenges many of which can be addressed by adopting a multi-implant architecture. However now the difficulties lie in ensuring safety of the inter-implant interface by addressing the associated risks, often neglected in the past. This paper presents a multi-implant architecture-based 98-channel neurostimulator with an inter-implant interface consisting only of two wires, carrying both power and semi-duplex data. The interface is ac-coupled both to prevent high levels of dc current in the presence of insulation failures and to maintain a charge-balanced interface. The interface is also monitored within the stimulator itself for added means of safety. The stimulator is fabricated using a 0.35-μm HVCMOS technology and occupies 4.9 × 4.9 mm2 without any external discrete components, making it suitable for a chip-scale packaging.
Site-Specific Internal Motions in GB1 Protein Microcrystals Revealed by 3D 2H–13C–13C Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy

2H quadrupolar line shapes deliver rich information about protein dynamics. A newly designed 3D 2H–13C–13C solid-state NMR magic angle spinning (MAS) experiment is presented and demonstrated on the microcrystalline β1 immunoglobulin binding domain of protein G (GB1). The implementation of 2H–13C adiabatic rotor-echo-short-pulse-irradiation cross-polarization (RESPIRATION CP) ensures the accuracy of the extracted line shapes and provides enhanced sensitivity relative to conventional CP methods. The 3D 2H–13C–13C spectrum reveals 2H line shapes for 140 resolved aliphatic deuterium sites. Motional-averaged 2H quadrupolar parameters obtained from the line-shape fitting identify side-chain motions. Restricted side-chain dynamics are observed for a number of polar residues including K13, D22, E27, K31, D36, N37, D46, D47, K50, and E56, which we attribute to the effects of salt bridges and hydrogen bonds. In contrast, we observe significantly enhanced side-chain flexibility for Q2, K4, K10, E15, E19, N35, N40, and E42, due to solvent exposure and low packing density. T11, T16, and T17 side chains exhibit motions with larger amplitudes than other Thr residues due to solvent interactions. The side chains of L5, V54, and V29 are highly rigid because they are packed in the core of the protein. High correlations were demonstrated between GB1 side-chain dynamics and its biological function. Large-amplitude side-chain motions are observed for regions contacting and interacting with immunoglobulin G (IgG). In contrast, rigid side chains are primarily found for residues in the structural core of the protein that are absent from protein binding and interactions.
Image-based visual servo control for circular trajectories for a fixed-wing aircraft

This paper describes a new visual-servo control algorithm to stabilize an aircraft along a circular trajectory using a single visual landmark on textured flat ground. The control algorithm requires a sensor suite consisting of inertial measurement unit, along with a single embedded camera capable of detecting and tracking a visual feature and estimating optic flow. The proposed control algorithm does not require independent position or velocity measurements and functions effectively in the absence of global positioning system (GPS) signals. We prove local asymptotic convergence of the closed-loop system and provide simulation results to illustrate the closed-loop system performance.
Surface Partial Matching & Application to Archaeology

Partial matching is a fundamental problem in shape analysis, a field that is recently gaining an increasing importance in computer graphics. This paper proposes a novel approach to performing partial matching of surfaces. Given two surfaces MA and MB, our goal is to find the best match to MA within MB. The key idea of our approach is to integrate feature-point similarity and segment similarity. Specifically, we introduce a probabilistic framework in which the segmentation and the correspondences of neighboring feature points allow us to enhance or moderate our certainty of a feature-point similarity. The utility of our algorithm is demonstrated in the domain of archaeology, where digital archiving is becoming ever more widespread. In this domain, automatic matching can serve as a worthy alternative to the expensive and time-consuming manual procedure that is used today.
A teacher with progressive headache, dyslexia, dysgraphia and seizure

A 56-year-old female teacher presented to Shariati Hospital, Tehran, Iran, with history of progressive headache, difficulty to read and write (dyslexia and dysgraphia), and seizure since 3 months ago. Neurological examination demonstrated mild bilateral papilledema and left side Babinski sign. The exam was otherwise normal. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed (Figure 1). 1What are the imaging findings? 2What are the probable differential diagnoses? 3What is the most probable diagnosis? 4Does the lesion explain dysgraphia and dyslexia?
Experimental development of stiffness adjustable foot sole for use by bipedal robots walking on uneven terrain

This research aims to develop a novel foot sole mechanism which utilizes the jamming transition effect of granular material enclosed in an air tight bag, for use by bipedal robot walking on uneven ground. The mechanism is designed to make the foot sole be soft and compliant to adapt to the surface of an uneven terrain, and be stiff when the robot is in the support phase of the walking gait. The stiffness-variable property of the mechanism according to the internal air pressure of the bag is investigated. To measure the tilting stability when center of pressure is moved across the proposed foot sole, a test using an inverted pendulum apparatus had been carried out and compared to when using a rigid flat foot sole.
Use of Healthcare IS by Multiple User Groups: An Empirical Study of a Medication Management System

Integrated healthcare information systems, such as a closed loop medication management system (CLMMS), have been developed to support the inter-linked work of multiple user groups including doctors, pharmacists, and nurses. With the challenges faced in assessing the use and impact of such systems, there is limited research on this topic that takes into account the behaviors of multiple user groups. In particular, there is a lack of understanding of how system use by one user group affects the perceptions and outcomes of other groups regarding the system. This study develops a model to understand how the perceived appropriate use by one user group can affect the system satisfaction and impact of individuals of another group, based on the faithfulness of appropriation (FOA) concept from the Adaptive Structuration Theory. A pilot survey was conducted with 199 nurses, 76 doctors, and 36 pharmacists using a CLMMS in a public hospital. Use of the IS was found to affect both user satisfaction and individual impact in most cases, and user satisfaction in turn influenced individual impact. Doctors’ FOA affected nurses’ and pharmacists’ user satisfaction and individual impact while pharmacists’ FOA influenced doctors’ user satisfaction but not individual impact. The expected contributions and remaining research plan are described.
The Impact of a Reading-Focused Integrated Learning System on Phonological Awareness in Kindergarten

Children with and without access to a reading-focused Integrated Learning System (ILS) in their daily reading instruction were compared at three points (beginning, middle, end) through their kindergarten year on phonological awareness and concepts about print. The results demonstrated no significant differences in learning print concepts. However, repeated measures analysis of variance demonstrated that the children with access to the ILS in their classroom significantly outperformed the comparison group at the second and third testing sessions on phonological awareness, despite no group differences at baseline. The results are interpreted to support the assertion that ILSs can improve the emergent literacy process for young children, provided they are embedded in a sound reading curriculum that is directed by a committed and active reading teacher. Finally, differences between the present study and related investigations are discussed.
Verification of novel extended mixed-mode S-parameters on three-conductor lines

The novel extended mixed-mode S-parameters of the three-conductor lines are proposed in this paper based on the mode analysis. The extended mixed-mode S-parameters do not contain the cross-mode S-parameters due to the independent differential-mode and common-mode analysis. In addition, two new conversion matrices containing the current division factor are also proposed to convert the extended mixed-mode S-parameters to the standard S-parameters. Finally, the validity of the proposed theory is verified by the EM simulations of a shielded cable.
MATING BEHAVIOR IN DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER SELECTED FOR ALTERED LONGEVITY

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