Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Learning Predictive Interactions Using Information Gain and Bayesian Network Scoring

Background The problems of correlation and classification are long-standing in the fields of statistics and machine learning, and techniques have been developed to address these problems. We are now in the era of high-dimensional data, which is data that can concern billions of variables. These data present new challenges. In particular, it is difficult to discover predictive variables, when each variable has little marginal effect. An example concerns Genome-wide Association Studies (GWAS) datasets, which involve millions of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs), where some of the SNPs interact epistatically to affect disease status. Towards determining these interacting SNPs, researchers developed techniques that addressed this specific problem. However, the problem is more general, and so these techniques are applicable to other problems concerning interactions. A difficulty with many of these techniques is that they do not distinguish whether a learned interaction is actually an interaction or whether it involves several variables with strong marginal effects. Methodology/Findings We address this problem using information gain and Bayesian network scoring. First, we identify candidate interactions by determining whether together variables provide more information than they do separately. Then we use Bayesian network scoring to see if a candidate interaction really is a likely model. Our strategy is called MBS-IGain. Using 100 simulated datasets and a real GWAS Alzheimer’s dataset, we investigated the performance of MBS-IGain. Conclusions/Significance When analyzing the simulated datasets, MBS-IGain substantially out-performed nine previous methods at locating interacting predictors, and at identifying interactions exactly. When analyzing the real Alzheimer’s dataset, we obtained new results and results that substantiated previous findings. We conclude that MBS-IGain is highly effective at finding interactions in high-dimensional datasets. This result is significant because we have increasingly abundant high-dimensional data in many domains, and to learn causes and perform prediction/classification using these data, we often must first identify interactions.
Epigenetic Modifications Due to Heavy Metals Exposure in Children Living in Polluted Areas

The aim of the present article is to provide a summary of the epigenetic modifications that might occur in children exposed to heavy metals pollutants. It is known that children are more susceptible to environmental pollutants, because their detoxification enzymes are less competent, and this may lead to alterations in chromatin structure or of DNA causing, in turn, epigenetic modifications. Little is currently known about the long-term effects of these changes when occur early in childhood, none-theless there are ethics and practical concerns that make the assessment of DNA modifications difficult to perform in large-scale.
Recipes for psychotherapy.

Stiles and Shapiro (1994) try to make a case for abandoning the model of drug research in exploring psychotherapy effectiveness--specifically, the idea that psychotherapy can be viewed in terms of effective "ingredients. " Although provocative, their analysis can be challenged on methodological grounds involving failure to use multivariate analytic approaches, incomplete exploitation of advantages of growth curve analysis, and lack of attention to issues of statistical power. Acceptance of the conclusions proffered by Stiles and Shapiro would have negative effects on psychotherapy research and practice, and the case against the search for effective elements in psychotherapy process is not yet strongly made.
Analyse der Entwicklung fachlicher Kompetenz und beruflicher Identität in der beruflichen Erstausbildung

Das zentrale Ausbildungsziel beruflicher Erstausbildungen besteht darin, Auszubildende in die Lage zu versetzen, jetzige und kunftige berufliche Anforderungen erfolgreich bewaltigen zu konnen. Mit grostenteils abstrakten Aufgaben, Multiple-Choice-Fragen und systematisierten Arbeitsproben, die das Prufungswesen einsetzt, kann wenig Gehaltvolles uber die Kompetenzentwicklung ausgesagt werden. In einem Modellvorhaben wurde eine Evaluationsmethode entwickelt, die mittels beruflicher Entwicklungsaufgaben die Kompetenzentwicklung der Auszubildenden erfasst und bewertet. Die Untersuchungsergebnisse erlauben einen fundierten Einblick in die Kompetenzentwicklung und die Herausbildung beruflicher Identitat von Auszubildenden. Im Langsschnitt uber den gesamten Ausbildungsverlauf konnten kritische Schwellen, Stufen und Ubergange, die berufliche Entwicklungen Auszubildender masgeblich beeinflussen, identifiziert werden. (DIPF/Orig.) The central educational aim of the first phase of vocational training consists in making it possible for the trainees to successfully deal with present and future vocational demands. Mostly abstract tasks, multiple-choice questions, and systematized work samples used in the examination system hardly provide meaningful information on the development of competences. In a model plan, an evaluation method was developed which allows to record and assess the development of competences among trainees via job-related developmental tasks. The results offer a well founded insight into the development of competences and the emergence of the vocational identity of trainees. A longitudinal study on the full course of vocational training allows to identify critical thresholds, stages and transitions which greatly influence the vocational careers of trainees. (DIPF/Orig.)
CLSI-Derived Hematology and Biochemistry Reference Intervals for Healthy Adults in Eastern and Southern Africa

Background Clinical laboratory reference intervals have not been established in many African countries, and non-local intervals are commonly used in clinical trials to screen and monitor adverse events (AEs) among African participants. Using laboratory reference intervals derived from other populations excludes potential trial volunteers in Africa and makes AE assessment challenging. The objective of this study was to establish clinical laboratory reference intervals for 25 hematology, immunology and biochemistry values among healthy African adults typical of those who might join a clinical trial. Methods and Findings Equal proportions of men and women were invited to participate in a cross sectional study at seven clinical centers (Kigali, Rwanda; Masaka and Entebbe, Uganda; two in Nairobi and one in Kilifi, Kenya; and Lusaka, Zambia). All laboratories used hematology, immunology and biochemistry analyzers validated by an independent clinical laboratory. Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines were followed to create study consensus intervals. For comparison, AE grading criteria published by the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Division of AIDS (DAIDS) and other U.S. reference intervals were used. 2,990 potential volunteers were screened, and 2,105 (1,083 men and 1,022 women) were included in the analysis. While some significant gender and regional differences were observed, creating consensus African study intervals from the complete data was possible for 18 of the 25 analytes. Compared to reference intervals from the U.S., we found lower hematocrit and hemoglobin levels, particularly among women, lower white blood cell and neutrophil counts, and lower amylase. Both genders had elevated eosinophil counts, immunoglobulin G, total and direct bilirubin, lactate dehydrogenase and creatine phosphokinase, the latter being more pronounced among women. When graded against U.S.-derived DAIDS AE grading criteria, we observed 774 (35.3%) volunteers with grade one or higher results; 314 (14.9%) had elevated total bilirubin, and 201 (9.6%) had low neutrophil counts. These otherwise healthy volunteers would be excluded or would require special exemption to participate in many clinical trials. Conclusions To accelerate clinical trials in Africa, and to improve their scientific validity, locally appropriate reference ranges should be used. This study provides ranges that will inform inclusion criteria and evaluation of adverse events for studies in these regions of Africa.
Technology and Social Inclusion. Rethinking the Digital Divide

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Nonoperative management of splenic injuries: improved results with angioembolization.

BACKGROUND Nonoperative management (NOM) of patients with severe splenic injuries carries a significant risk of failure. We hypothesized that adding angiographic embolization (AE) to the NOM protocol would decrease the laparotomy rate, and increase the success rate of NOM and splenic salvage rate. METHODS A protocol introducing AE in the treatment of splenic injuries was implemented. AE was performed in OIS splenic injury grades 3 to 5 and in all cases where signs of ongoing bleeding were encountered regardless of injury grade. Patients included in a prospective study during a 24-month period were compared with a historic control group. RESULTS Group 1 (before AE) consisted of 69 patients with a mean Injury Severity Score (ISS) of 31, and group 2 (after introducing AE) included 64 patients with a mean ISS of 30. In group 1, 30 patients underwent immediate laparotomy (43%), and the NOM success rate was 79%. After introducing AE, 17 patients underwent immediate laparotomy (27%; p = 0.04), with a NOM success rate of 96% (p = 0.02). Overall splenic salvage rate increased from 57% to 75% (p = 0.02). Angiography was performed in 31 patients in group 2. Embolization was performed in 27 of these patients. AE failure rate was 4%. NOM was successful in 14 of 15 patients with OIS injury grades 4 and 5 after the introduction of AE (93%). CONCLUSION A formal protocol adding mandatory AE to NOM for severe splenic injuries increased the percentage of patients in whom NOM was attempted, the NOM success rate, and the splenic salvage rate.
Redefining Context Windows for Word Embedding Models: An Experimental Study

Distributional semantic models learn vector representations of words through the contexts they occur in. Although the choice of context (which often takes the form of a sliding window) has a direct influence on the resulting embeddings, the exact role of this model component is still not fully understood. This paper presents a systematic analysis of context windows based on a set of four distinct hyper-parameters. We train continuous Skip-Gram models on two English-language corpora for various combinations of these hyper-parameters, and evaluate them on both lexical similarity and analogy tasks. Notable experimental results are the positive impact of cross-sentential contexts and the surprisingly good performance of right-context windows.
Dual oscillators and quantum pendulums: Spectrum and correlators

We outline the nonlinear transformation in the path integral representation for partition function of $O(N)$ symmetric oscillator systems bringing their duality to certain one-dimensional oscillators with unstable potential shapes. This duality transformation realizes the equivalence between spectra of a Hermitian and a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian. It is exploited to calculate exactly the spectra of quantum rotators. The zero-temperature limit is considered and the dual representation of $n$-point correlators of coordinate operators is obtained.
Heart Failure in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease: A Systematic Integrative Review

Introduction. Heart failure (HF) is highly prevalent in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and is strongly associated with mortality in these patients. However, the treatment of HF in this population is largely unclear. Study Design. We conducted a systematic integrative review of the literature to assess the current evidence of HF treatment in CKD patients, searching electronic databases in April 2014. Synthesis used narrative methods. Setting and Population. We focused on adults with a primary diagnosis of CKD and HF. Selection Criteria for Studies. We included studies of any design, quantitative or qualitative. Interventions. HF treatment was defined as any formal means taken to improve the symptoms of HF and/or the heart structure and function abnormalities. Outcomes. Measures of all kinds were considered of interest. Results. Of 1,439 results returned by database searches, 79 articles met inclusion criteria. A further 23 relevant articles were identified by hand searching. Conclusions. Control of fluid overload, the use of beta-blockers and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers, and optimization of dialysis appear to be the most important methods to treat HF in CKD and ESRD patients. Aldosterone antagonists and digitalis glycosides may additionally be considered; however, their use is associated with significant risks. The role of anemia correction, control of CKD-mineral and bone disorder, and cardiac resynchronization therapy are also discussed.
Defending the Community College Equity Agenda (review)

youth. Making the changes proposed may help more of the students in law school learn deeper and better, but the real solution for law schools may well be to decrease, in some cases dramatically, the number of potential lawyers they admit, screening not just for aptitude, but for desire. The financial consequences of such a change would likely put many schools out of business. Over time, it would also decrease the lawyers available to fulfill the social contract with which the study began its review.
ExperiScope: an analysis tool for interaction data

We present ExperiScope, an analytical tool to help designers and experimenters explore the results of quantitative evaluations of interaction techniques. ExperiScope combines a new visualization incorporating aspects of the KLM and the three-state model with an interface helping users to rapidly cluster similar patterns of interactions. The tool makes it easy to identify and compare key patterns of use encountered during data collection. This promotes a deeper understanding of the results of a given evaluation.We illustrate the advantages of this tool by revisiting the data collected for an experiment conducted by Hinckley et al. [19] which compared different mode switching techniques. Our results show that our tool complements the previously reported results by offering insights about error behavior and the impact of mode switching on user performance.By providing a more fine-grained analysis of the data gathered during empirical evaluations, we hope that our tool will improve researchers' understanding of existing and newly developed interaction techniques.
Ab initio base fragment molecular orbital studies of influenza viral hemagglutinin HA1 full-domains in complex with sialoside receptors

Mutations in avian influenza A viral hemagglutinin HA1 domain may alter the binding specificity of HA for α-sialosaccharide receptors, shifting the virus's host range from birds to humans. The amino acid mutations can occur at the sialoside binding site, as well as the antigenic site, far from the binding site. Thus, a theoretical study involving the in silico prediction of HA-sialosaccharide binding may require quantum chemical analysis of HA1 full domain complexed with sialosides, balancing a computational cost with model size of HA1-sialoside complex. In addition, there is no insight to relationship between the model size of HA1-sialoside complex and its binding energy. In this study, H3 subtype HA1 full domains complexed with avian- and human-type Neu5Acα(2-3 and 2-6)Gal receptor analogs was investigated by ab initio based fragment molecular orbital (FMO) method at the level of second-order Møller–Plesset perturbation (MP2)/6-31G. Using this approach, we found avian H3 HA1 to bind to avian α2-3 receptor more strongly than to human α2-6 receptor in gas phase, by a value of 15.3-16.5 kcal/mol. This binding benefit was larger than that in the small model complex. Analysis of the interfragment interaction energies (IFIEs) between Neu5Ac-Gal receptor and amino acid residues on the full domain of H3 HA1 also confirmed the higher avian H3-avian α2-3 binding specificity. It was particularly important to evaluate the IFIEs of amino acid residues in a 13Å radius around Neu5Ac-Gal to take account of long-range electrostatic interactions in the larger HA1-sialoside complex model. These results suggest suitable size of HA1-sialoside complex is significant to estimate HA1-sialoside binding energy and IFIE analysis with FMO method.
A Role for Topographic Cues in the Organization of Collagenous Matrix by Corneal Fibroblasts and Stem Cells

Human corneal fibroblasts (HCF) and corneal stromal stem cells (CSSC) each secrete and organize a thick stroma-like extracellular matrix in response to different substrata, but neither cell type organizes matrix on tissue-culture polystyrene. This study compared cell differentiation and extracellular matrix secreted by these two cell types when they were cultured on identical substrata, polycarbonate Transwell filters. After 4 weeks in culture, both cell types upregulated expression of genes marking differentiated keratocytes (KERA, CHST6, AQP1, B3GNT7). Absolute expression levels of these genes and secretion of keratan sulfate proteoglycans were significantly greater in CSSC than HCF. Both cultures produced extensive extracellular matrix of aligned collagen fibrils types I and V, exhibiting cornea-like lamellar structure. Unlike HCF, CSSC produced little matrix in the presence of serum. Construct thickness and collagen organization was enhanced by TGF-ß3. Scanning electron microscopic examination of the polycarbonate membrane revealed shallow parallel grooves with spacing of 200–300 nm, similar to the topography of aligned nanofiber substratum which we previously showed to induce matrix organization by CSSC. These results demonstrate that both corneal fibroblasts and stromal stem cells respond to a specific pattern of topographical cues by secreting highly organized extracellular matrix typical of corneal stroma. The data also suggest that the potential for matrix secretion and organization may not be directly related to the expression of molecular markers used to identify differentiated keratocytes.
Secondary Metabolites and Bioactivity of the Monascus Pigments Review Article

Monascus pigments have many applications such as coloring agents in foodstuffs, texture industries, pharmacology, medicine and cosmetics. Globule production and annual consumption of the pigment around the world were reported. Thirteen Monascus species were reported as pigment producers. All the recent information's about Monascus bioactive metabolites were reported and the pigments also are classified into four categories including: yellow, orange, red and colorless metabolites. Also, bioactivities of their metabolites were classified into: antibacterial, antioxidant and anticancer, anti-cholesterols and anti-cardiovascular disease, human health supporting agents and immune enhancer metabolites. Pigment production are maximizing and improving their productivity by selection of the good producing strains, genetic and metabolic engineering.
Effects of water exchange on the measurement of myocardial perfusion using paramagnetic contrast agents

To investigate the effects of water exchange on quantification of perfusion, data were acquired in isolated hearts (n = 11) and used to develop a model of exchange. Myocardial T1 was measured 3 times/sec during step changes in concentration of intravascular (polylysine‐gadolinium‐diethylene‐triamine‐pentaacetic acid) and extracellular (gadoteridol) agents. For the intravascular agent, the change in 1/T1 (ΔR1) was lower than predicted by fast exchange (2.7 ± 0.5 vs. 7.8 sec‐1, respectively), and suggested an intra‐extravascular exchange rate of 3 Hz. For the extracellular agent, contrast kinetics were similar to those of similarly sized molecules (wash‐in time constant 38 ± 5 sec), and the data suggested fast interstitial‐cellular exchange. Modeling showed that perfusion is underestimated for both agents if exchange is ignored, although the relationships of measured to actual perfusion were monotonic. We conclude that myocardial water exchange strongly affects first‐pass enhancement but that ignoring the effects of exchange may still provide reasonable estimates of regional perfusion differences. Magn Reson Med 41:334–342, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Phosphorylation and Nuclear Localization of NPR1 in Systemic Acquired Resistance

When plants sense a pathogen attack, they activate defenses in the immediate area and in distal tissues; this systemic acquired resistance (SAR) requires salicylic acid (SA), which activates NONEXPRESSER OF PATHOGENESIS-RELATED GENES1 (NPR1) in Arabidopsis thaliana (reviewed in [Fu and Dong, 2013][1
Vertrauen in politische Institutionen und politische Unterstützung

Eine Voraussetzung fur den Bestand reprasentativer Demokratien ist, dass die Burger den politischen Institutionen ein gewisses Mas an Vertrauen entgegenbringen. Nach Easton (1965) ist das Konzept des politischen Vertrauens in dem Konzept der politischen Unterstutzung zu verorten. 30 Jahre spater kommt mit Putnam (1993) ein zweiter theoretischer Strang auf, der politisches Vertrauen als zentralen Bestandteil von Sozialkapital betrachtet. Das Ziel des Beitrags besteht darin, zu klaren, welche Rolle das Institutionenvertrauen im Zusammenhang mit dem Unterstutzungskonzept Eastons einerseits sowie dem Sozialkapitalansatz Putnams andererseits spielt. Die Analysen, die fur die Lander Deutschland, Schweiz, Norwegen, Schweden, Spanien und die USA durchgefuhrt werden, basieren auf Daten der dritten Welle des World Values Surveys (199597). Als Untersuchungsergebnis lasst sich festhalten, dass eine generalisierte Dimension des Institutionenvertrauens in der Bevolkerung besteht, die die Verortung in Eastons Konzept politischer Unterstutzung rechtfertigt. Bei einer Differenzierung des Vertrauens der Burger zu Institutionen des Rechtsstaats (Polizei, Justiz) und des Parteienstaats (Parlament, Parteien, Regierung) zeigt sich jedoch, dass Putnams Sozialkapitalkonzept ebenso einen relevanten Erklarungsbeitrag leistet.
Perceptually-aware distributed compressive video sensing

By combining the advantages of distributed video coding (DVC) and compressive sensing (CS), distributed compressive video sensing (DCVS) poses itself as a very promising low-complexity video coding framework for distributed applications. In order to improve the rate-distortion performance of DCVS, much research efforts have been focused on exploring the best ways to utilize the spatial/temporal redundancy of video data to achieve efficient sparse representation and reconstruction at the decoder. Unlike the existing DCVS schemes, we aim to improve the perceptual rate-distortion performance of DCVS by designing a novel perceptually-aware DCVS codec. Based on online estimation of the correlation noise between a non-key frame and its side information (SI) considering the effect of human visual system (HVS), we design an efficient perceptually-aware block compressive sensing scheme for a non-key frame in our DCVS codec, in order to more accurately reconstruct the salient regions in the video frames. The obtained experimental results reveal that our DCVS codec outperforms the legacy DCVS codecs in terms of the perceptual rate-distortion performance.