Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Towards a Consistent, Sound and Complete Conceptual Knowledge

Knowledge is only good if it is sound, consistent and complete. The same holds true for conceptual knowledge, which holds knowledge about concepts and its association. Conceptual knowledge no matter what format they are represented in, must be consistent, sound and complete in order to realise its practical use. This paper discusses consistency, soundness and completeness in the ambit of conceptual knowledge and the need to consider these factors as fundamental to the development of conceptual knowledge.
Learning of stochastic dialog models through a dialog simulation technique

We present an approach for the learning of stochastic dialog models using a technique of automatic generation of dialogs. We have applied it to achieve a better performance in our dialog system, which answers telephone queries about train timetables in Spanish. Besides interacting with real users, the stochastic dialog manager can now interact with other module, in the role of the user, developing a large number of dialogs at a very low cost. From this interaction, the dialog manager is able to dynamically adapt its stochastic model, adding new transitions or modifying their probabilities, when a simulation ends satisfactorily. We expect that the modified model provides the dialog manager with a better strategy for answering real users than the strategy given by the initial model estimated from real dialogs.
Parallel Formulations of Tree-Projection Based Sequence Mining Algorithms

Abstract : Discovery of sequential patterns is becoming increasingly useful and essential in many scientific and commercial domains. Enormous sizes of available datasets and possibly large number of mined patterns demand efficient, scalable, and parallel algorithms. Even though a number of algorithms have been developed to efficiently parallelize frequent pattern discovery algorithms that are based on the candidate-generation-and-counting framework, the problem of parallelizing the more efficient projection-based algorithms has received relatively little attention and existing parallel formulations have been targeted only toward shared-memory architectures. The irregular and unstructured nature of the task-graph generated by these algorithms and the fact that these tasks operate on overlapping sub-databases makes it challenging to efficiently parallelize these algorithms on scalable distributed-memory parallel computing architectures. In this paper we present and study a variety of distributed-memory parallel algorithms for a tree-projection-based frequent sequence discovery algorithm that are able to minimize the various overheads associated with load imbalance, database overlap, and interprocessor communication. Our experimental evaluation on a 32 processor IBM SP show that these algorithms are capable of achieving good speedups, substantially reducing the amount of the required work to find sequential patterns in large databases.
Cooperation Benefits in the Establishment of Voluntary Inter-organizational IT Governance for Healthcare and Social Welfare IT -- A Case Study

This study investigates the establishment of voluntary inter-organizational IT governance between healthcare and social welfare organizations. Special attention is placed on the role of perceived IT cooperation benefits, a novel factor introduced in this research. First, IT governance research, the resource based view (RBV), transaction cost economics (TCE) and social psychology theories are discussed as the theoretical background of perceived IT cooperation benefits. In the case benefits were operationalized to concrete level statements and evaluated with an expert survey. Survey results and the statements were eventually used to justify a proposed IT governance arrangement engaging over 100 organizations. Empirical results revealed that the perceived IT cooperation benefits had a decisive role both in the commitment to prepare the proposal and in the acceptance and implementation of the proposal. Positive expectations regarding IT cooperation benefits were able to outweigh the negative trust issues which had resulted partly from previous failures to establish comparable arrangements. In the survey operationalized IT cooperation benefits were evaluated to be highly significant for the proposed arrangement. Variations in evaluations were unrelated to demographic, situational or behavioral variables.
WOX4 and WOX14 act downstream of the PXY receptor kinase to regulate plant vascular proliferation independently of any role in vascular organisation

In plants, the cambium and procambium are meristems from which vascular tissue is derived. In contrast to most plant cells, stem cells within these tissues are thin and extremely long. They are particularly unusual as they divide down their long axis in a highly ordered manner, parallel to the tangential axis of the stem. CLAVATA3-LIKE/ESR-RELATED 41 (CLE41) and PHLOEM INTERCALATED WITH XYLEM (PXY) are a multifunctional ligand-receptor pair that regulate vascular cell division, vascular organisation and xylem differentiation in vascular tissue. A transcription factor gene, WUSCHEL HOMEOBOX RELATED 4 (WOX4) has been shown to act downstream of PXY. Here we show that WOX4 acts redundantly with WOX14 in the regulation of vascular cell division, but that these genes have no function in regulating vascular organisation. Furthermore, we identify an interaction between PXY and the receptor kinase ERECTA (ER) that affects the organisation of the vascular tissue but not the rate of cell division, suggesting that cell division and vascular organisation are genetically separable. Our observations also support a model whereby tissue organisation and cell division are integrated via PXY and ER signalling, which together coordinate development of different cell types that are essential for normal stem formation.
Health and Quality of Life Outcomes

Background: Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a chronic illness with important functional, social and employment consequences. We therefore undertook a cross-sectional study, using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health framework, to investigate the personal and social consequences of RA in women, living under largely impoverished conditions. Methods: A qualitative case study design was used with a convenience sample of 60 women with RA living in Soweto, South Africa. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted to cover a range of experiences including onset of disease, treatment, environmental barriers and facilitators, employment, and social inclusion in family and community life. The outcomes are described according the International Classification of Functioning, Health and Disability framework at the body, person and societal levels and looking at both personal and environmental factors. Results: The main features of living with RA were pain, muscle stiffness at the body level, difficulties in doing various activities such as mobility, washing, dressing, domestic activities, using transport and obtaining and maintaining employment at the person level. At the societal level the participants described difficulties moving around, interacting socially and taking part in community activities, fulfilling social roles and earning a living. Environmental facilitators such as assistive devices and health care services improved functioning. Barriers such as physical environments, lack of transport and basic services, such as electricity, and attitudes of others lead to social exclusion, loss of a sense of self and independence. Low income, lack of sufficient public transport, and sparse basic services were poverty features that exacerbated negative experiences. Conclusion: The experiences of living with RA in a low resource context are similar to those in midand high resource contexts, but are exacerbated by poverty and the lack of basic services. Pain and social exclusion are some of the key experiences of women with RA living in Soweto. The ICF provides a useful framework for describing and understanding the complexity of these experiences. Published: 24 July 2008 Health and Quality of Life Outcomes 2008, 6:54 doi:10.1186/1477-7525-6-54 Received: 15 January 2008 Accepted: 24 July 2008 This article is available from: http://www.hqlo. com/content/6/1/54 © 2008 Schneider et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Influenza virus aerosol exposure and analytical system for ferrets

Understanding the transmission ability of newly emerging influenza viruses is central to the development of public health preparedness and prevention strategies. Animals are used to model influenza virus infection and transmission, but the routinely used intranasal inoculation of a liquid virus suspension does not reflect natural infection. We report the development of an inoculation method that delivers an influenza virus aerosol inoculum to ferrets and the characterization of size distribution and viable virus present in aerosols shed from infected ferrets during normal breathing and sneezing. By comparing virus deposition, infectivity, virulence, and transmissibility among animals inoculated intranasally or by aerosols with a human (H3N2) or avian (H5N1) influenza virus, we demonstrate that aerosol inoculations more closely resemble a natural, airborne influenza virus infection and that viable virus is measurable in droplets and droplet nuclei exhaled by infected ferrets. These methods will provide improved risk assessment of emerging influenza viruses that pose a threat to public health.
Long-Lived Giant Number Fluctuations in a Swarming Granular Nematic

Coherently moving flocks of birds, beasts, or bacteria are examples of living matter with spontaneous orientational order. How do these systems differ from thermal equilibrium systems with such liquid crystalline order? Working with a fluidized monolayer of macroscopic rods in the nematic liquid crystalline phase, we find giant number fluctuations consistent with a standard deviation growing linearly with the mean, in contrast to any situation where the central limit theorem applies. These fluctuations are long-lived, decaying only as a logarithmic function of time. This shows that flocking, coherent motion, and large-scale inhomogeneity can appear in a system in which particles do not communicate except by contact.
Pseudouridine at position 55 in tRNA controls the contents of other modified nucleotides for low-temperature adaptation in the extreme-thermophilic eubacterium Thermus thermophilus

Pseudouridine at position 55 (Ψ55) in eubacterial tRNA is produced by TruB. To clarify the role of the Ψ55 modification, we constructed a truB gene disruptant (ΔtruB) strain of Thermus thermophilus which is an extreme-thermophilic eubacterium. Unexpectedly, the ΔtruB strain exhibited severe growth retardation at 50°C. We assumed that these phenomena might be caused by lack of RNA chaperone activity of TruB, which was previously hypothetically proposed by others. To confirm this idea, we replaced the truB gene in the genome with mutant genes, which express TruB proteins with very weak or no enzymatic activity. However the growth retardation at 50°C was not rescued by these mutant proteins. Nucleoside analysis revealed that Gm18, m5s2U54 and m1A58 in tRNA from the ΔtruB strain were abnormally increased. An in vitro assay using purified tRNA modification enzymes demonstrated that the Ψ55 modification has a negative effect on Gm18 formation by TrmH. These experimental results show that the Ψ55 modification is required for low-temperature adaptation to control other modified. 35S-Met incorporation analysis showed that the protein synthesis activity of the ΔtruB strain was inferior to that of the wild-type strain and that the cold-shock proteins were absence in the ΔtruB cells at 50°C.
Motion Curves: A versatile representation for motion data

Motion Curves: A versatile representation for motion data Kevin Forbes Master of Science Graduate Department of Computer Science University of Toronto 2005 This thesis presents Motion Curve space: a novel representation scheme for the poses of an articulated skeletal figure. A Motion Curve space is defined by a set of orthogonal basis vectors that have been found by performing a weighted principal component analysis on an example motion clip. An animator can control the properties of the space through the selection of the example clip and the PCA weights. We explore the expressive and computational power of the representation through the creation of several new motion processing and analysis algorithms, which are demonstrated through prototype applications. These prototypes help to establish the workflow for a hypothetical production application. In presenting this work, we hope to expand the size of the animator’s toolbox. By providing a new and usable framework for editing motions, we make it possible to quickly modify existing motion assets and stretch animation budgets.
Role of K+ channels in the modulation of cholinergic neural responses in guinea‐pig and human airways.

1. Several agonists modulate cholinergic neurotransmission in airways raising the possibility that there may be a common inhibitory mechanism, such as the activation of a common K+ channel in the nerve ending. To test this hypothesis, we examined whether blockers of K+ channels are able to depress the prejunctional inhibitory modulation of cholinergic contractile responses by various agonists in guinea‐pig and human airways in vitro. 2. Electrical field stimulation (40 V, 0.5 ms) was applied to guinea‐pig (0.5 Hz) or human (1 Hz) tracheal strips every 4 min to elicit cholinergic neural responses. The effects of the K+ channel blockers, charybdotoxin (ChTX, 10 nM), apamin (100 nM) and glibenclamide (1 microM), on the prejunctional inhibition of cholinergic contraction evoked by neuropeptide Y (NPY, 100 nM), an alpha 2‐agonist, clonidine (10 nM), a mu‐opioid agonist, [D‐Ala2, NMePhe4, Gly‐ol5]‐enkephalin (DAMGO, 100 nM), and a KATP channel opener, lemakalim (300 nM) were tested in guinea‐pigs. In human tissues, the effect of ChTX (10 nM) on the mu‐opioid (DAMGO, 300 nM)‐induced inhibition of cholinergic nerves was examined. 3. In guinea‐pigs, ChTX (10 nM) significantly reversed the prejunctional inhibition of cholinergic contraction by NPY (84.2 +/‐ 16.2%), clonidine (71.9 +/‐ 22.4%), DAMGO (67.3 +/‐ 13.1%) and lemakalim (20.9 +/‐ 9.4%) (n = 5, P < 0.05, respectively), while apamin (100 nM) had no effect. Glibenclamide (10 microM) reduced only the lemakalim‐induced inhibitory modulation. ChTX (10 nM) itself potentiated cholinergic contraction (24.6 +/‐ 9.4%, n = 5, P < 0.05) without affecting exogenously applied acetylcholine dose‐response curves. Pretreatment with ChTX (10 nM) significantly reduced the inhibitory modulation of cholinergic nerves by NPY, clonidine and DAMGO, but not by lemakalim. 4. In human tissues, ChTX significantly reduced DAMGO‐induced prejunctional inhibition of cholinergic contraction (13.6 +/‐ 8.5% with and 46.5 +/‐ 5.5% without ChTX, respectively; n = 5, P < 0.05). 5. These results may support a hypothesis that the activation of ChTX‐sensitive K+ channels is involved in the inhibitory modulation of cholinergic neuro‐transmission by agonists acting on presynaptic receptors in guinea‐pig and human airways.
Peripheral Blood Neutrophil Activation Patterns Are Associated with Pulmonary Inflammatory Responses to Lipopolysaccharide in Humans1

Increased nuclear accumulation of NF-κB in LPS-stimulated peripheral blood neutrophils has been shown to be associated with more severe clinical course in patients with infection associated acute lung injury. Such observations suggest that differences in neutrophil response may contribute to the pulmonary inflammation induced by bacterial infection. To examine this question, we sequentially measured LPS-induced DNA binding of NF-κB in neutrophils collected from healthy humans on at least three occasions, each separated by at least 2 wk, and then determined pulmonary inflammatory responses after instillation of LPS into the lungs. Consistent patterns of peripheral blood neutrophil responses, as determined by LPS-induced NF-κB DNA binding, were present in volunteers, with a >80-fold difference between individuals in the mean area under the curve for NF-κB activation. The number of neutrophils recovered from bronchoalveolar lavage after exposure to pulmonary LPS was significantly correlated with NF-κB activation in peripheral blood neutrophils obtained over the pre-LPS exposure period (r = 0.65, p = 0.009). DNA binding of NF-κB in pulmonary neutrophils also was associated with the mean NF-κB area under the curve for LPS-stimulated peripheral blood neutrophils (r = 0.63, p = 0.01). Bronchoalveolar lavage levels of IL-6 and TNFRII were significantly correlated with peripheral blood neutrophil activation patterns (r = 0.75, p = 0.001 for IL-6; and r = 0.48, p = 0.049 for TNFRII. These results demonstrate that stable patterns in the response of peripheral blood neutrophils to LPS exist in the human population and correlate with inflammatory response following direct exposure to LPS in the lung.
Synergy between Proteasome Inhibitors and Imatinib Mesylate in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

Background Resistance developed by leukemic cells, unsatisfactory efficacy on patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) at accelerated and blastic phases, and potential cardiotoxity, have been limitations for imatinib mesylate (IM) in treating CML. Whether low dose IM in combination with agents of distinct but related mechanisms could be one of the strategies to overcome these concerns warrants careful investigation. Methods and Findings We tested the therapeutic efficacies as well as adverse effects of low dose IM in combination with proteasome inhibitor, Bortezomib (BOR) or proteasome inhibitor I (PSI), in two CML murine models, and investigated possible mechanisms of action on CML cells. Our results demonstrated that low dose IM in combination with BOR exerted satisfactory efficacy in prolongation of life span and inhibition of tumor growth in mice, and did not cause cardiotoxicity or body weight loss. Consistently, BOR and PSI enhanced IM-induced inhibition of long-term clonogenic activity and short-term cell growth of CML stem/progenitor cells, and potentiated IM-caused inhibition of proliferation and induction of apoptosis of BCR-ABL+ cells. IM/BOR and IM/PSI inhibited Bcl-2, increased cytoplasmic cytochrome C, and activated caspases. While exerting suppressive effects on BCR-ABL, E2F1, and β-catenin, IM/BOR and IM/PSI inhibited proteasomal degradation of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), leading to a re-activation of this important negative regulator of BCR-ABL. In addition, both combination therapties inhibited Bruton's tyrosine kinase via suppression of NFκB. Conclusion These data suggest that combined use of tyrosine kinase inhibitor and proteasome inhibitor might be helpful for optimizing CML treatment.
Statistical block-based skin detection

In this paper, we propose a novel approach to model the human skin color. The underlying approach involves affecting a block's average value at each pixel location, using its surrounding points. The generated skin data are found to follow a generalized Gaussian distribution (GGD) and a mixture of GGDs in the H and S color component, respectively. Next, the model parameters are estimated using the maximum-likelihood (ML) criterion applied to a set of training skin samples. Each pixel is then classified as skin or the opposite if its joint likelihood ratio is above some threshold. The preliminary experimental results show that our model avoids excessive false detection while still retaining a high degree of correct detection.
Enhanced wireless broadcasting systems employing network coding

This paper applies exclusive-OR coding to wireless broadcasting systems to increase spectrum efficiency. Due to the inexistence of feedback channel, the transmitter (e.g. DSRC rode side unit) proactively encodes multiple packets into one and the receivers correspondingly recover the faulty packets. Implementing the exclusive-OR coding at physical layer, the proposed scheme is capable of recovering multiple packets. Numerical simulations show that the proposed scheme outperforms the conventional one about 5 dB in signal-to-noise ratio at a target bit error rate of 10-3 for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing systems.
Autosomal Recessive Nonsyndromic Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy without Cutaneous Involvements: A Novel Mutation

The arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy (ARVD/C) is a genetic disease frequently associated with desmosomal mutations, mainly attributed to dominant mutations in the Plakophilin‐2 (PKP2) gene. Naxos and Carvajal are the syndromic forms of ARVD/C due to recessive mutations. Herein, we report an autosomal recessive form of nonsyndromic ARVD/C caused by a mutation in the PKP2 gene. After examination and implementation of diagnostic modalities, the definite diagnosis of ARVD/C was confirmed by detection of ventricular tachycardia with a left bundle branch configuration and a superior axis, T‐wave inversion in right precordial leads (i.e., V1‐V3) in a 12‐lead electrocardiogram, and a right ventricle outflow tract dilatation. Neither cutaneous involvement nor other abnormalities were observed. Genetic testing was performed during which an intronic mutation of c.2577+1G>T in the PKP2 gene was observed homozygously. The c.2577+1G>T disrupts PKP2 mRNA splicing and causes a nonsyndromic form of ARVD/C.
Neural correlates of the misattribution of speech in schizophrenia

Background The neurocognitive basis of auditory verbal hallucinations is unclear. Aims To investigate whether people with a history of such hallucinations would misattribute their own speech as external and show differential activation in brain areas implicated in hallucinations compared with people without such hallucinations. Method Participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while listening to pre-recorded words. The source (self/non-self) and acoustic quality (undistorted/distorted) were varied across trials. Participants indicated whether the speech they heard was their own or that of another person. Twenty people with schizophrenia (auditory verbal hallucinations n=10, no hallucinations n=10) and healthy controls (n=11) were tested. Results The hallucinator group made more external misattributions and showed altered activation in the superior temporal gyrus and anterior cingulate compared with both other groups. Conclusions The misidentification of self-generated speech in patients with auditory verbal hallucinations is associated with functional abnormalities in the anterior cingulate and left temporal cortex. This may be related to impairment in the explicit evaluation of ambiguous auditory verbal stimuli.