Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Seeing the Trees in the Forest: Using Lidar and Multispectral Data Fusion with Local Filtering and Variable Window Size for Estimating Tree Height

The main study objective was to develop robust processing and analysis techniques to facilitate the use of small-footprint lidar data for estimating plot-level tree height by measuring individual trees identifiable on the three-dimensional lidar surface. Lidar processing techniques included data fusion with multispectral optical data and local filtering with both square and circular windows of variable size. The lidar system used for this study produced an average footprint of 0.65 m and an average distance between laser shots of 0.7 m. The lidar data set was acquired over deciduous and coniferous stands with settings typical of the southeastern United States. The lidar-derived tree measurements were used with regression models and cross-validation to estimate tree height on 0.017-ha plots. For the pine plots, lidar measurements explained 97 percent of the variance associated with the mean height of dominant trees. For deciduous plots, regression models explained 79 percent of the mean height variance for dominant trees. Filtering for local maximum with circular windows gave better fitting models for pines, while for deciduous trees, filtering with square windows provided a slightly better model fit. Using lidar and optical data fusion to differentiate between forest types provided better results for estimating average plot height for pines. Estimating tree height for deciduous plots gave superior results without calibrating the search window size based on forest type.
Effects of Unilateral Cochlear Implantation on Balance Control and Sensory Organization in Adult Patients with Profound Hearing Loss

Many studies were interested in the consequence of vestibular dysfunction related to cochlear implantation on balance control. This pilot study aimed to assess the effects of unilateral cochlear implantation on the modalities of balance control and sensorimotor strategies. Posturographic and vestibular evaluations were performed in 10 patients (55 ± 20 years) with profound hearing loss who were candidates to undergo unilateral multichannel cochlear implantation. The evaluation was carried out shortly before and one year after surgery. Posturographic tests were also performed in 10 age-matched healthy participants (63 ± 16 years). Vestibular compensation was observed within one year. In addition, postural performances of the patients increased within one year after cochlear implantation, especially in the more complex situations, in which sensory information is either unavailable or conflicting. Before surgery, postural performances were higher in the control group compared to the patients' group. One year after cochlear implantation, postural control was close to normalize. The improvement of postural performance could be explained by a mechanism of vestibular compensation. In addition, the recovery of auditory information which is the consequence of cochlear implantation could lead to an extended exploration of the environment possibly favoring the development of new balance strategies.
Breaking o(n1/2)-approximation algorithms for the edge-disjoint paths problem with congestion two

In the maximum edge-disjoint paths problem, we are given a graph and a collection of pairs of vertices, and the objective is to find the maximum number of pairs that can be routed by edge-disjoint paths. An r-approximation algorithm for this problem is a polynomial time algorithm that finds at least OPT / r edge-disjoint paths, where OPT is the maximum possible. Currently, an O(n1/2)-approximation algorithm is best known for this problem even if a congestion of two is allowed, i.e., each edge is allowed to be used in at most two of the paths. In this paper, we give a randomized O(n3/7 • poly (log n))-approximation algorithm with congestion two. This is the first result that breaks the O(n1/2)-approximation algorithm. In particular, we prove the following. 1. If we have a (randomized) polynomial time algorithm for finding Ω(OPT1/p) edge-disjoint paths for some p>1, then, for some α >0, we can give a randomized O(n1/2-α)-approximation algorithm for the maximum edge-disjoint paths problem by using Rao-Zhou's algorithm. 2. Based on the well-linked set of Chekuri, Khanna, and Shepherd, we show that there is a randomized algorithm for finding Ω(OPT1/4) edge-disjoint paths connecting given terminal pairs with congestion two. Our framework for this algorithm is more general. Indeed, the above two ingredients also work for the maximum edge-disjoint paths problem (with congestion one) if the following conjecture is true. Conjecture: There is a (randomized) polynomial time algorithm for finding Ω(OPT1/p/β(n)) edge-disjoint paths connecting given terminal pairs, where β is a poly-logarithmic function.
Supplementary materials for : Aperture interference and the volumetric resolution of light field fluorescence microscopy

This document provides supplementary information to ‘Aperture interference and the volumetric resolution of light field fluorescence microscopy’. We provide more information about: the derivation of the defocus OTF, additional ALF-ring schemes, frequency space invertibility, the forward model and reconstruction algorithm, and Monte Carlo simulations for calculating noise thresholds. In addition, we use this space to describe our implementation and calibration in more detail and to include an expansion of the results shown in the primary document.
Evaluating Stream Filtering for Entity Profile Updates in TREC 2012, 2013, and 2014

Abstract : The Knowledge Base Acceleration (KBA) track ran in TREC 2012, 2013, and 2014 as an entitycentric filtering evaluation. This track evaluates systems that filter a time-ordered corpus for documents and slot fills that would change an entity profile in a predefined list of entities. Compared with the 2012 and 2013 evaluations, the 2014 evaluation introduced several refinements, including high-quality community metadata from running Raytheon/BBN's Serif named entity recognizer, sentence parser, and relation extractor on 579,838,246 English documents in the corpus. We also expanded the query entities to be primarily long-tail entities that lacked Wikipedia profiles. We simplified the SSF scoring, and also added a third task component for highlighting creative systems that used the KBA data. A successful KBA system must do more than resolve the meaning of entity mentions by linking documents to the KB: it must also distinguish novel vitally relevant documents and slot fills that would change a target entity's profile. This combines thinking from natural language understanding (NLU) and information retrieval (IR). Filtering tracks in TREC have typically used queries based on topics described by a set of keyword queries or short descriptions, and annotators have generated relevance judgments based on their personal interpretation of the topic.
The Role of Personality Traits in UTAUT Model under Online Stocking

The introduction of a new science and technology will fully reflect its value and its potential to create value only when individuals are willing to accept and adopt it in their daily works. The theory of acceptance and use of new technology has been widely discussed for decades and is still attracting scholars to work toward developing a comprehensive model. The reasons are because of various latent variables that might affect the model, and moreover, the way how the variables interfere the model has not reached an agreement. This research combines the theory of personality traits with the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology. The purposes are to examine the roles that personality traits play in UTAUT model under the context of online stocking.
Early Enhanced Expression of Interferon-Inducible Protein-10 (CXCL-10) and Other Chemokines Predicts Adverse Outcome in Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

Abstract Background: Exaggerated activation of cytokines/chemokines has been proposed as a factor in adverse outcome of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Previous studies on chemokines have included only small numbers of patients, and the utility of plasma chemokines as prognostic indicators is unclear. Methods: We studied 255 archival plasma samples collected during the first or second week after disease onset. The chemokines interferon-inducible protein-10 (IP-10), monokine induced by interferon-γ (MIG), interleukin-8 (IL-8), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and regulated upon activation normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) were measured by cytometric bead array with a 4-color FACSCalibur flow cytometer. Reverse transcription and real-time quantitative PCR and immunohistochemical staining were performed to analyze the production of IP-10 in lung tissue at autopsy. Conditional logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors for adverse disease outcome. Results: Increases in IP-10, MIG, and IL-8 during the first week after onset of fever were associated with adverse outcome (intensive care unit admission or death) in the univariate analysis. During the second week, only MIG concentration was associated with prognosis. After adjusting for other risk factors, plasma IP-10 concentration at the first week remained as an independent prognostic factor, with an odds ratio for adverse outcome of 1.52 (95% confidence interval, 1.05–2.55) per fold increase in plasma IP-10 concentration above the median. During the second week, chemokines provided little independent prognostic information. IP-10 was increased in lung tissue from patients who died of SARS. Conclusions: Increased plasma IP-10 during the first week of SARS symptoms is an independent predictor of outcome. Chemokine activation may be an early event in SARS, and an exaggerated host response may produce complications.
Particle repositioning maneuver for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo

The recent demonstration of free‐floating particles in the endolymph of the posterior semicircular canal in patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)1 has renewed interest in the physiology and treatment of this entity. The particle repositioning maneuver (PRM) relocates the free‐floating particles from the posterior semicircular canal back into the utricle, relieving the patient of bothersome, often long‐standing vertigo.
Career Development of First-Year University Students: A Test of Astin's Career Development Model

This study examined how the four constructs in Astin’s (1984) career development model operate in the choice of college major career goals with a selected sample of 253 first-year university students. The results of 2x2 MANOVAs indicated significant gender and language differences on some of Astin’s four factors. The results of Pearson product-moment correlations indicated that the four factors in Astin’s model operate quite differently for students whose language of origin is not English. The results are discussed in terms of the developmental and cultural issues these students were facing. Implications for future research and interventions are also discussed.
Is liver transplantation a risk factor for cardiovascular disease? a meta‐analysis of observational studies

Up to two‐thirds of patients develop metabolic syndrome within the first 5 years after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). However, data on overall cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality among OLT recipients and particularly those who develop metabolic syndrome remain elusive. A literature search using MEDLINE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and meeting abstracts (along with their bibliographies) was performed to identify studies. Data on ischemic CV events were extracted from each study and were used for pooled analyses. Overall pooled estimates and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the incidence of CV events and deaths were obtained with a random effects model. Twelve observational studies reporting CV outcomes for 4792 post‐OLT recipients who were followed for 28,783 person‐years were included. Pooled estimates showed that the 10‐year risk of developing CV events among the post‐OLT recipients was 13.6% (95% CI = 9%‐8.1%). Pooled estimates from case‐control studies showed that the post‐OLT group had an approximately 64% greater risk of experiencing CV events than controls (standardized incidence ratio = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.18‐2.20). Among OLT recipients, those with metabolic syndrome were approximately 4 times more likely to have a CV event [odds ratio (OR) = 4.01, 95% CI = 1.94‐8.32] without any significant increase in all‐cause mortality (OR = 1.15, 95% CI = 0.63‐2.10). In conclusion, this systematic review suggests that OLT recipients and particularly those with metabolic syndrome have a high risk for CV events. However, the literature is limited and lacks high‐quality studies. Future prospective studies are warranted to confirm these findings and determine whether aggressive risk‐reduction strategies can attenuate the increased CV risk seen in this population. Liver Transpl 18:1140–1146, 2012. © 2012 AASLD.
Predicting Supreme Court Cases Probabilistically: The Search and Seizure Cases, 1962-1981

The overwhelming concensus of Fourth Amendment scholars is that the Supreme Court's sea and seizure cases are a mess. This article proposes that the confusion arises from the manner in which the cases were studied, not from the decisions themselves. A legal model with variables that me the prior justification of the search, the nature of the intrusion, and a few mitigating circumstance used to explain the Court's decisions on the reasonableness of a given search or seizure. The parameters are estimated through probit. The results show that the search and seizure cases are much more ordered than had commonly been believed. Virtually all of the estimates are as expected. Additionally, the Court is shown to act favorably toward the federal government than toward the states. Preliminary analysis suggests the model has predictive as well as explanatory value.
Wie zentral sind zentrale Prüfungen? Abschlussprüfungen am Ende der Sekundarstufe II im nationalen und internationalen Vergleich

Das Zentralabitur ist in fast allen Landern der BRD als Instrument der Standardsicherung eingefuhrt, gleichwohl wurde es mit teils deutlichen organisatorischen Unterschieden implementiert. Die Verfahren werden dargestellt und kategoriengeleitet verglichen sowie in einen Vergleich von 15 OECD-Mitgliedstaaten mit Zentralprufungen am Ende der Sekundarstufe II eingeordnet. Diese Referenzperspektive offenbart die Bedeutung des Standardisierungsgrades von Prufungen gegenuber dem Konzept "Zentralisierung" im Hinblick auf differenzierende Analysen der Steuerungswirkungen dieses Reformelementes auf schulische und unterrichtliche Prozesse. (DIPF/Orig.) In almost all of the German Laender, the centrally standardized "Abitur" (school leaving certificate and university entrance qualification) has been introduced as an instrument of standard maintenance; however, the differences in its implementation are often quite significant. The procedures are described and compared with regard to specific categories and are then, in turn, compared to 15 OECD countries with centrally standardized exit exams at the end of the upper secondary school level. This reference-guided perspective reveals the significance of the degree of standardization of exams as opposed to the concept of "centralization" with regard to differentiating analyses of the effects of control achieved through this reform element on the level of both school-related and teaching-related processes. (DIPF/Orig.)
Magnesium and outcomes in patients with chronic kidney disease: focus on vascular calcification, atherosclerosis and survival

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have a high prevalence of vascular calcification, and cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in this population. However, the molecular mechanisms of vascular calcification, which are multifactorial, cell-mediated and dynamic, are not yet fully understood. We need to address ways to improve outcomes in CKD patients, both in terms of vascular calcification and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality—and to these ends, we investigate the role of magnesium. Magnesium’s role in the pathogenesis of vascular calcification has not been extensively studied. Nonetheless, several in vitro and animal studies point towards a protective role of magnesium through multiple molecular mechanisms. Magnesium is a natural calcium antagonist and both human and animal studies have shown that low circulating magnesium levels are associated with vascular calcification. Clinical evidence from observational studies of dialysis patients has shown that low-magnesium levels occur concurrently with mitral annular calcification, peripheral arterial calcification and increased carotid intima–media thickness. Few interventional studies have been performed. Two interventional studies suggest that there may be benefits such as retardation of arterial calcification and/or reductions in carotid intima–media thickness in response to magnesium supplementation in CKD patients, though both studies have limitations. Finally, observational studies have shown that low serum magnesium may be an independent risk factor for premature death in CKD patients, and patients with mildly elevated serum magnesium levels could have a survival advantage over those with lower magnesium levels.
Mediational Analyses of the Effects of Responsive Teaching on the Developmental Functioning of Preschool Children With Disabilities

Mediational analyses were conducted with data from two small randomized control trials of the Responsive Teaching (RT) parent-mediated developmental intervention which used nearly identical intervention and control procedures. The purpose of these analyses was to determine whether or how the changes in maternal responsiveness and children’s engagement that occurred during these interventions contributed to child development outcomes. To conduct these analyses, regression procedures described by Baron and Kenny were used to test for mediation. RT, which focuses on enhancing mother’s responsiveness with their children, was found to be more effective than the control condition at promoting not only children’s development but also both mothers’ responsiveness and children’s engagement (i.e., pivotal behavior). Intervention changes in mothers’ responsiveness were highly associated with changes in children’s pivotal behavior. However, intervention changes in children’s language and personal social development were mediated by changes in children’s pivotal behavior but not by changes in mothers’ responsiveness. Results are discussed in terms of both mechanisms for developmental change and the nature of children’s early intervention objectives.
Managing Complexity of Control Software through Concurrency

In this thesis, we are concerned with the development of concurrent software for embedded systems. The emphasis is on the development of control software. Embedded systems are concurrent systems whereby hardware and software communicate with the concurrent world. Concurrency is essential, which cannot be ignored. It requires a proper handling to avoid pathological problems (e.g. deadlock and livelock) and performance penalties (e.g. starvation and priority conflicts). Multithreading, as such, leads to sources of complexity in concurrent software. This complexity is considered frightening, because it complicates the software designs and the resulting code. Moreover, this paradigm complicates the understanding of the behaviour of concurrent software. A paradigm with a precise understanding of concurrency is essential. In this thesis, a methodology is proposed that comprises a paradigm of fundamental aspects of concurrency.
Stagnation to the Demographic Transition and Beyond

This paper develops a unified growth model that captures the historical evolution of population, technology, and output. It encompasses the endogenous transition between three regimes that have characterized economic development. The economy evolves from a Malthusian regime, where technological progress is slow and population growth prevents any sustained rise in income per capita, into a Post-Malthusian regime, where technological progress rises and population growth absorbs only part of output growth. Ultimately, a demographic transition reverses the positive relationship between income and population growth, and the economy enters a Modern Growth regime with reduced population growth and sustained income growth. (JEL J13, O11, O33, O40)
Randomized comparison of intracoronary tirofiban versus urokinase as an adjunct to primary percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with acute ST‐elevation myocardial infarction: results of the ICTUS‐AMI trial

Background No randomized trial has been performed to compare the efficacy of an intracoronary bolus of tirofiban versus urokinase during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We investigated whether the effects of adjunctive therapy with an intracoronary bolus of urokinase was noninferior to the effects of an intracoronary bolus of tirofiban in patients with ST‐elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing PCI. Methods Atotal of 490 patients with acute STEMI undergoing primary PCI were randomized to an intracoronary bolus of tirofiban (10 &mgr;g/kg; n=247) or urokinase (250 kU/20 ml; n=243). Serum levels of P‐selectin, von Willebrand factor (vWF), CD40 ligand (CD40L), and serum amyloid A (SAA) in the coronary sinus were measured before and after intracoronary drug administration. The primary endpoint was the rate of complete (≥70%) ST‐segment resolution (STR) at 90 minutes after intervention, and the noninferiority margin was set to 15%. Results In the intention‐to‐treat analysis, complete STR was achieved in 54.4% of patients treated with an intracoronary bolus of urokinase and in 60.6% of those treated with an intracoronary bolus of tirofiban (adjusted difference: ‐7.0%; 95% confidence interval: ‐15.7% to 1.8%). The corrected TIMI frame count of the infarct‐related artery was lower, left ventricular ejection fraction was higher, and the 6‐month major adverse cardiac event‐free survival tended to be better in the intracoronary tirofiban group. An intracoronary bolus of tirofiban resulted in lower levels of P‐selectin, vWF, CD40L, and SAA in the coronary sinus compared with an intracoronary bolus of urokinase after primary PCI (P<0.05). Conclusions An intracoronary bolus of urokinase as an adjunct to primary PCI for acute STEMI is not equally effective to an intracoronary bolus of tirofiban with respect to improvement in myocardial reperfusion assessed by STR. This may be caused by less reduction in coronary circulatory platelet activation and inflammation.
Using Data Mining on Linked Open Data for Analyzing E-Procurement Information - A Machine Learning approach to the Linked Data Mining Challenge 2013

Understanding complex procurement information landscapes and exploring how procurement information can be used to support strategic decision-making is important with the increasing amount of information available in the WWW. In this paper, we cope with this challenge and describe how data mining techniques can be applied on semantically linked data to estimate the number of bidders in public contracts. We introduce a general approach in order to convert linked data in a relational format which can be used by traditional machine learning approaches. Afterwards, we apply common techniques such as discretization, processing of text fields, feature selection, state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms, and more. Alternatives were evaluated and compared. We estimate an accuracy of 32.69% (with a baseline of 30.34%) and costs of 0.37 (baseline: 0.49) for our best configuration, a cost sensitive ensemble of classifiers, for the DMoLD’13 competition.