Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Case fatality of COPD exacerbations: a meta-analysis and statistical modelling approach

The aim of our study was to estimate the case fatality of a severe exacerbation from long-term survival data presented in the literature. A literature search identified studies reporting ≥1.5 yr survival after a severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation resulting in hospitalisation. The survival curve of each study was divided into a critical and a stable period. Mortality during the stable period was then estimated by extrapolating the survival curve during the stable period back to the time of exacerbation onset. Case fatality was defined as the excess mortality that results from an exacerbation and was calculated as 1 minus the (backwardly) extrapolated survival during the stable period at the time of exacerbation onset. The 95% confidence intervals (CI) of the estimated case fatalities were obtained by bootstrapping. A random effect model was used to combine all estimates into a weighted average with 95% CI. The meta-analysis based on six studies that fulfilled the inclusion criteria resulted in a weighted average case-fatality rate of 15.6% (95% CI 10.9–20.3), ranging from 11.4% to 19.0% for the individual studies. A severe COPD exacerbation requiring hospitalisation not only results in higher mortality risks during hospitalisation, but also in the time-period after discharge and contributes substantially to total COPD mortality.
ROBUST INCREMENTAL ADAPTATION OF GMM IN SPEAKER RECOGNITION

Speaker model in speaker recognition system is to be trained from a large data set uttered in multiple sessions. The large data set requires larger amount of memory and computation, and practically it's hard to make users utter a large amount of data in several sessions. Recently proposed incremental adaptation methods cover the problems. However, the data set uttered from multiple sessions is vulnerable to outliers from irregular utterance variation and presence of noise, which results in inaccurate speaker model. In this paper, we propose a robust incremental adaptation method to minimize the influence of outliers on speaker model using Gaussian Mixture Model. The robust adaptation is obtained from an incremental version of M-estimation. Speaker model is initially trained from small amount of data and it is adapted recursively according to new data available. Experimental results from the data set gathered over seven months show that the proposed method is robust against outliers.
A Dynamic Network in a Dynamic Population: Asymptotic Properties

We derive asymptotic properties for a stochastic dynamic network model in a stochastic dynamic population. In the model, nodes give birth to new nodes until they die, each node being equipped with a social index given at birth. During the life of a node it creates edges to other nodes, nodes with high social index at higher rate, and edges disappear randomly in time. For this model, we derive a criterion for when a giant connected component exists after the process has evolved for a long period of time, assuming that the node population grows to infinity. We also obtain an explicit expression for the degree correlation ρ (of neighbouring nodes) which shows that ρ is always positive irrespective of parameter values in one of the two treated submodels, and may be either positive or negative in the other model, depending on the parameters.
Rank based censoring of cognitive radios with cooperative spectrum sensing under hoyt fading channel

Performance of cooperative spectrum sensing with hard decision fusion technique (majority logic) has been evaluated under Hoyt fading environment with the application of censoring scheme. In this paper we have considered Hoyt fading in both reporting channel (R-channel) and sensing channel (S-channel). In a cooperative spectrum sensing (CSS) scheme, the detection primary user (PU) activity is improved by eliminating the heavily faded cognitive radio (CR) users. CRs which are heavily faded those are eliminated by using censoring scheme in the R-channel. Rank based censoring scheme is used to censors the CRs in the presence of Hoyt fading in both perfect and imperfect channels. A hard decision based fusion technique called majority logic rule is considered at the fusion center (FC) to evaluate the performance using missed detection probability (Qm) and total error probability (Qm + Qf). This has been performed in both perfect and imperfect channels by varying the network parameters like: probabilities of false alarm (Qf), R-channel SNR, S-channel SNR and Hoyt fading parameter (q).
Location Aware Mobile Interactive Guides: Usability Issues

This paper discusses the issues related to the application of wireless communication and positioning technologies to the development of hand-held electronic tour guides. These issues are discussed presenting HIPS, a project recently funded by the European Commission that aims at developing a hand-held electronic tour guide allowing tourists to navigate both the physical space and a related information space when visiting a museum or a city. HIPS detects the position of the tourist and provides personalised and contextual information. The methodological approach of the project plays a fundamental role for the development of such a system: user-centred design and scenario-based design are means for assuring that the final system is appropriate to the user and to the context of use. The usability issues of HIPS are also discussed comparing its features to other audio guides like the one currently available in the Louvre Museum.
A continuum of InsP3‐mediated elementary Ca2+ signalling events in Xenopus oocytes

1 The elementary release events underlying inositol 1,4,5‐trisphosphate (InsP3)‐mediated calcium signalling were investigated in Xenopus oocytes by means of high‐resolution confocal linescan imaging together with flash photolysis of caged InsP3. 2 Weak photolysis flashes evoked localized, transient calcium signals that arose at specific sites following random latencies of up to several seconds. The duration, spatial spread and amplitude of these elementary events varied widely. Event durations (at half‐maximal amplitude) were distributed exponentially between about 100 and 600 ms. Fluorescence magnitudes (F/F0 of Oregon Green 488 BAPTA‐1) showed a skewed distribution with a peak at about 1.5 and a tail extending as high as 3.5. 3 Individual release sites exhibited both small events (blips) and large events (puffs). The spatiotemporal distribution of calcium signals during puffs was consistent with calcium diffusion from a point source (< a few hundred nanometres), rather than with propagation of a microscopic calcium wave. 4 Estimates of the calcium flux associated with individual events were made by integrating fluorescence profiles along the scan line in three dimensions to derive the ‘signal mass’ at each time point. The smallest resolved events corresponded to liberation of < 2 × 10−20 mol Ca2+, and large events to about 2 × 10−18 mol Ca2+. The rise of signal mass was more prolonged than that of the fluorescence intensity, suggesting that calcium liberation persists even while the fluorescence begins to decline. Rates of rise of signal mass corresponded to Ca2+ currents of 0.4‐2.5 pA. 5 Measurements of signal mass from different events showed a continuous, exponential distribution, arising through variability in magnitude and duration of calcium flux. 6 We conclude that localized calcium transients in the oocyte represent a continuum of events involving widely varying amounts of calcium liberation, rather than falling into separate populations of ‘fundamental’ and ‘elementary’ events (blips and puffs) involving, respectively, single and multiple InsP3 receptor channels. This variability probably arises through stochastic variation in both the number of channels recruited and the duration of channel opening.
Functional size measurement revisited

There are various approaches to software size measurement. Among these, the metrics and methods based on measuring the functionality attribute have become widely used since the original method was introduced in 1979. Although functional size measurement methods have gone a long way, they still provide challenges for software managers. This article identifies improvement opportunities based on empirical studies we performed on ongoing projects. We also compare our findings with the extended dataset provided by the International Software Benchmarking Standards Group (ISBSG).
Success in the First Year of Teaching: Effects of a Clinical Experience Program.

Findings from a study of seven novice teachers who graduated from Elmhurst College (Illinois) indicate that the preservice clinical experiences received by these teachers during their participation in the Satellite Program contributed to successful first-year teaching experiences. This follow-up study examines Satellite Program graduates who participated in the program between 1991 and 1993 and who began their first year of teaching in either Fall 1992 or Fall 1993. Four of the seven beginning teachers were hired by the Satellite schools in which they had been placed as student teachers. During interviews, all seven teachers gave credit to their clinical experiences for presenting a realistic perception of schools and teaching. There was evidence that all subjects were able to reflect on their practice, identify strengths and weaknesses, and develop action plans for correction and improvement. The novice teachers discussed a variety of problems encountered during the first year of teaching. For the most part, subjects acknowledged the value of their preservice mentors in providing support and strengthening professional skills. These teachers sought formal and informal mentor relationships during their first year of teaching. The Satellite Program was collaboratively designed by Elmhurst College faculty and faculty from the Satellite schools to improve the clinical experience component of the college's teacher education program. Interview questions used in the study are included. (Contains 22 references.) (IAH) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** SUCCESS IN THE FIRST YEAR OF TEACHING: EFFECTS OF A CLINICAL EXPERIENCE PROGRAM* U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERICI 0 This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it 0 Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions staled in thisdocu merit do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. a paper presented by Linda F. Tusin, Ph.D. at the PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY
The external debt crisis and its impact on economic gowth and investment in Sub-Saharan Africa. A regional econometric approach of ECOWAS countries.

Development economists generally argue that poor countries at their early stages of development are often faced with limited domestic resources for development, and can therefore borrow from the developed nations to boost their rate of growth and development. This financing gap problem, which is based on the Harrod-Domar growth theory, has made developing countries, especially Sub-Saharan Africa, to accumulate large amount of external debt that they could no longer sustain. Moreover, there is now a growing concern that the large external debt service payment is retarding economic growth and investment in the heavily indebted poor countries (HIPCs), while also displacing current expenditure in priority sectors like health, education, and social infrastructure. This dissertation therefore, examines the impact of external debt on economic growth and investment in ECOWAS Sub-Saharan Africa over the period 1980-1999. Unlike the traditional debt and growth studies that use a-spatial methods, this study employs spatial autoregressive growth and investment models to determine the effects of spatial interaction and spatial dependence among ECOWAS countries during the period of the crisis. It is obvious that countries are spatial entities that interact with one another, and as such, the growth trends in one country may actually depend on the growth trajectories of others. Based on the above assumptions, the models use external debt service and total debt stock ratios, which are extracted from the World Bank and African Development Bank databases, as key or control variables plus other explanatory variables. The maximum likelihood estimation of both models yield mixed results across time. The results indicate the presence of both positive and negative spatial dependence in ECOWAS countries across time. While external debt service ratio is found to have an inverse relationship with economic growth in most periods under investigation, the total debt stock to GDP ratio only affect growth in fewer periods than expected. With regards to public investment, the external debt service ratio is found to have no impact on public investment in ECOWAS countries. However, the total debt stock to GDP ratio is found to have a negative relationship with public investment in most periods, which suggest that relying on foreign capital to boost growth and investment could be counter productive in Sub-Saharan Africa. (author's abstract)
Transcriptional Responses of Resistant and Susceptible Fish Clones to the Bacterial Pathogen Flavobacterium psychrophilum

Flavobacterium psychrophilum is a bacterial species that represents one of the most important pathogens for aquaculture worldwide, especially for salmonids. To gain insights into the genetic basis of the natural resistance to F. psychrophilum, we selected homozygous clones of rainbow trout with contrasted susceptibility to the infection. We compared the transcriptional response to the bacteria in the pronephros of a susceptible and a resistant line by micro-array analysis five days after infection. While the basal transcriptome of healthy fish was significantly different in the resistant and susceptible lines, the transcriptome modifications induced by the bacteria involved essentially the same genes and pathways. The response to F. psychrophilum involved antimicrobial peptides, complement, and a number of enzymes and chemokines. The matrix metalloproteases mmp9 and mmp13 were among the most highly induced genes in both genetic backgrounds. Key genes of both pro- and anti-inflammatory response such as IL1 and IL10, were up-regulated with a greater magnitude in susceptible animals where the bacterial load was also much higher. While higher resistance to F. psychrophilum does not seem to be based on extensive differences in the orientation of the immune response, several genes including complement C3 showed stronger induction in the resistant fish. They may be important for the variation of susceptibility to the infection.
Promoting low-wage employment: the case for a targeted negative income tax

The above quotes from Thomas Morus are some 480 years old, but the question how to reconcile the guaranteed provision of basic needs and work incentives without direct control by syphogrants is still a hotly debated issue. Whereas unemployment benefits and social assistance ensure, to a certain degree, that nobody must ? care for his own living", the design of tax and transfer systems should be such that no one or at least as few as possible should ? sit idle". This paper contributes to this debate by suggesting that the old idea of a negative income tax (NIT; see Rhys-Williams, J.E. 1943, 1953, Friedman, M. 1962, 1968) could and should be revived, since it avoids some major labour supply disincentives of the present system. The main criticism of NIT is the alleged heavy fiscal costs associated with a general introduction. For this reason, we suggest to target this scheme to a well-defined group, particularly to long-term unemployed, where the present financial work disincentives are most severe. In this paper, we try to make the case for this ? targeted negative income tax" (TNIT).
Dynamic inter-operator spectrum sharing for UMTS FDD with displaced cellular networks

The paper investigates the possibility for competing network operators to cooperate partially without operational information exchange and to share a block of UMTS carriers simultaneously to provide services. The performance of spectrum sharing in the worst case for sharing (equal capacity demands) is investigated for the downlink of the UMTS FDD system. This work continues from earlier work (Pereirasamy, M.K. et al., Proc. 5th World Wireless Congress, 2004; Proc. 15th IEEE Int. Symp. On Personal Indoor and Mobile Radio Commun. - PIMRC, 2004), extending the initial concept to take into account that operators would realistically deploy operating networks composed of separate network equipment and infrastructure. The possible gain that is offered through spectrum sharing compared to conventional systems, with only proprietary carriers for operators, is studied for speech type traffic. It is found that the relative displacement of cooperating networks has a negative impact on the trunking gain given by the spectrum sharing mechanism. Considering only speech service type, a maximum allowed network displacement is given for a spectrum shared environment with the cellular network parameters chosen for this investigation.
Young homeless refugees in London: an exploratory research

This report is based on an exploratory research project focussing on the causes of homelessness among young refugees. The project aimed to carry out a preliminary analysis of the needs of this new population and the ways in which service providers can intervene to prevent homelessness. It also aims to raise awareness about homeless refugees and their integration into society.
Mass Loss from Globular Clusters

We consider both observational and theoretical issues related to dynamical mass loss from the old globular star clusters of the Galaxy. On the observational side the evidence includes tidal tails and extratidal extensions, kinematic effects, effects on the mass function, and influences on the statistical properties of surviving objects. Even for isolated clusters, the theoretical issues are not fully understood. The effects of a steady tide (i.e. for a cluster in a circular orbit) include the imposition of a tidal boundary, and lowering of the escape energy. Less familiar, however, are the effects of induced mass loss. Even the definition of an ``escaper'' is not straightforward. When mass loss is driven by relaxation, as in N-body models, the rate of loss of mass does not scale in a simple way with the relaxation time. Reasons for this include the very long time scales on which stars escape even with energies above the escape threshold. For the realistic case of unsteady tides it is still unclear under what circumstances mass loss is dominated by relaxation or tidal heating.
Empowering Practice In Social Care

Social care - the policy context values in social care training and staff development conflicting imperatives and practice dilemmas - finding creative and coherant solutions conflicts of interest in social care power, partnership and empowerment managing the social-care process empowering practice - understanding and managing user-worker processes understanding and managing the inter-professional system managing the personal experience of work.
Constraining the Composition and Thermal State of Mars

[1] We invert the most recent determinations of Martian second degree tidal Love number, tidal dissipation factor, mean density and moment of inertia for mantle composition and thermal state using a stochastic sampling algorithm. We employ Gibbs energy minimization to compute the stable mineralogy of the Martian mantle in the model system CaO-FeO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2. This procedure yields density and P and S-wave velocities in the mantle as a function of depth and temperature and permits direct inversion for composition and thermal state. We find a Martian mantle composition resembling the model composition based on geochemical analyses of Martian meteorites. A prominent discontinuity in all physical properties occurs at ∼1100 km depth, marking the onset of the mantle transition zone and coincides with the olivine → wadsleyite + ringwoodite phase transition. A smaller discontinuity in the upper mantle related to the orthopyroxene → C2/c-pyroxene + garnet is also apparent. A lower mantle discontinuity is not observed, as pressure and temperature conditions at the core mantle boundary (∼20 GPa, ∼1800°C) are insufficient to stabilize perovskite and magnesiowustite. The most probable core radius is ∼1680 km; core state and composition are most consistent with a liquid metallic core and a density of ∼6.7 g/cm3. This implies a high S content (>20 wt%), assuming that S is the major alloying element. The most probable bulk Fe/Si ratio is ∼1.2, indicating that Mars most probably accreted from material with a nonchondritic (CI) Fe/Si ratio, such as the ordinary chondrites (L and LL), which also have oxygen isotopic ratios matching those in Martian meteorites.
Reasoning about belief in cryptographic protocols

A mechanism is presented for reasoning about belief as a systematic way to understand the working of cryptographic protocols. The mechanism captures more features of such protocols than that given by M. Burrows et al. (1989) to which the proposals are a substantial extension. The notion of possession incorporated in the approach assumes that principles can include in messages data they do not believe in, but merely possess. This also enables conclusions such as 'Q possesses the shared key', as in an example to be derived. The approach places a strong emphasis on the separation between the content and the meaning of messages. This can increase consistency in the analysis and, more importantly, introduce the ability to reason at more than one level. The final position in a given run will depend on the level of mutual trust of the specified principles participating in that run. <<ETX>>
Teaming: How Organizations Learn, Innovate, and Compete in the Knowledge Economy

The next level of breakthrough thinking in organizational learning, leadership, and change Harvard professor Amy Edmondson shows how leaders can make organizational learning happen by building teams that learn. Based on years of research and case studies from Verizon, Bank of America, and Children's Hospital, Edmondson outlines the factors that typically prevent groups from learning, such as the fear of failure, groupthink, power structures, and information hording. She shows how leaders can control these factors by encouraging reflection, creating psychological safety, and overcoming defensive routines that inhibit the sharing of ideas, among others. Leaders can use practical management strategies to help organizations realize the benefits inherent in both success and failure.