Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tell Me What You Do and I’ll Tell You What You Are: Learning Occupation-Related Activities for Biographies

Biography creation requires the identification of important events in the life of the individual in question. While there are events such as birth and death that apply to everyone, most of the other activities tend to be occupation-specific. Hence, occupation gives important clues as to which activities should be included in the biography. We present techniques for automatically identifying which important events apply to the general population, which ones are occupation-specific, and which ones are person-specific. We use the extracted information as features for a multi-class SVM classifier, which is then used to automatically identify the occupation of a previously unseen individual. We present experiments involving 189 individuals from ten occupations, and we show that our approach accurately identifies general and occupation-specific activities and assigns unseen individuals to the correct occupations. Finally, we present evidence that our technique can lead to efficient and effective biography generation relying only on statistical techniques.
A Computer Aided Detection (CAD) System for Microcalcifications in Mammograms - MammoScan mCaD

—Clusters of microcalciﬁcations in mammograms are an important sign of breast cancer. This paper presents a complete Computer Aided Detection (CAD) scheme for automatic detection of clustered microcalciﬁcations in digital mammograms. The proposed system, MammoScan μ CaD, consists of three main steps. Firstly all potential microcalciﬁcations are detected using a a method for feature extraction, VarMet, and adaptive thresholding. This will also give a number of false detections. The goal of the second step, Classiﬁer level 1, is to remove everything but microcalciﬁcations. The last step, Classiﬁer level 2, uses learned dictionaries and sparse representations as a texture classiﬁcation technique to distinguish single, benign microcalciﬁcations from clustered microcalciﬁcations, in addition to remove some remaining false detections. The system is trained and tested on true digital data from Stavanger University Hospital, and the results are evaluated by radiologists. The overall results are promising, with a sensitivity > 90 % and a low false detection rate (approx 1 unwanted pr. image, or 0.3 false pr. image).
Advances in Haploidentical Hematopoetic Stem Cell Transplantation

Allogeneic Hematopoetic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) is the only curative option for many malignant and inherited hematologic and non-hematologic disorders. The number of allogeneic HSCT performed has been steadily increasing worldwide. This growth can be mainly attributed to the increase in the number of eligible patients as the new less toxic nonmyeloablative and reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) regimens have allowed the transplantation of patients over the age of 50. In addition advances in graft versus host disease and infectious disease prophylaxis and treatment have continued to improve the outcomes.
Temporal Properties of Cerebellar-Dependent Memory Consolidation

Classical conditioning of the nictitating membrane response in rabbits is a well defined model of cerebellar-dependent motor memory. This memory undergoes a period of consolidation after the training session, when it is sensitive to reversible inactivations of the cerebellar cortex, but not of the cerebellar nuclei, with the GABAA receptor agonist muscimol. Here, the temporal properties of this cerebellar cortex-dependent consolidation were examined using delayed infusions of muscimol in cortical lobule HVI. Cortical infusions delayed by 5 or 45 min after a conditioning session produced significant and very similar impairments of consolidation, but infusions delayed by 90 min produced little or no impairment. Behavioral measures indicate that the muscimol infusions produced significant effects after ∼30 min and they lasted for a few hours. So, over a time window beginning ∼1 hr after the end of the training session and closing 1 hr after that, intracortical activity is critical for consolidation of this motor memory.
An analysis of trunk kinematics and gait parameters in people with stroke

Background Approximately two out of three people with stroke experience gait problems. Trunk movement control and symmetry is an important prerequisite for functional walking gait. Movement control, measured objectively as kinematics during walking gait, is rarely investigated. Objective To describe the three-dimensional (3D) kinematics of the trunk during gait in people with stroke, including key spatiotemporal characteristics. Methodology A total of 17 adults with stroke who met the inclusion criteria were selected to participate in this cross-sectional pilot study. An eight-camera T-10 Vicon system with Nexus 1.8 software (Vicon Motion System Limited, Oxford, UK) was used to analyse the 3D kinematics of the trunk during self-selected walking speed. Trunk kinematics throughout the gait cycle and spatiotemporal parameters were extracted using custom-built scripts in MATLAB used at the Stellenbosch University Movement Analysis Laboratory. Stata Version 12.1 software was used to assess differences in trunk kinematics between the affected and unaffected sides during gait using the Sign test (statistical significance level p < 0.05). Results Participants achieved functional gait speeds although they presented with asymmetrical trunk kinematics. During the full gait cycle, there were statistically significant differences of trunk motion between the affected and unaffected sides in the coronal plane (p < 0.001). There were statistically significant differences in the trunk kinematics between the affected side and unaffected sides at initial contact (p < 0.001) and foot off (p < 0.049) in the coronal plane as well as at initial contact (p < 0.000) and foot off (p < 0.013) in the transverse plane. Conclusion This pilot study found significant asymmetry in trunk motion between the affected and unaffected sides that varied across the gait cycle. This suggests the trunk may need to be targeted in clinical gait retraining post-stroke.
Social "media-based" value creation and business models

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to create an organized picture of the current understanding of social media-based value creation and business models. Design/methodology/approach Following the process model presented by Fink (2005), a systematic literature review of academic journal articles published between 2005 and 2014 was conducted. The research was grounded on the theoretical foundations of service-dominant logic. Findings This study offers detailed descriptions and analyses of the major social media mechanisms affecting how value is created in social media-based value networks and the kinds of impact social media can have on present and future business models. Research limitations/implications The study is limited to academic research literature on business organizations, excluding all studies related to public and non-profit organizations. Practical implications Attention is given to developing an in-depth understanding of the functions and concrete value creation mechanisms of social media-based co-creation within the different organizational processes (e.g. in product and service development and customer services) and to updating the related practices and knowledge. Originality/value This study provides new insight into the challenges related to research models and frameworks commonly used for observing value creation, thus highlighting the need for further studies and updates.
VALIDATING ENTREPRENEURIAL INTENTION QUSTIONNAIRE THROUGH EXPLORATORY FACTOR ANALYSIS AMONGST MANAGEMENT STUDENTS

Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior posits that intentions are the best predictors of any planned behavior. The study model based on theory of planned behavior was proposed to analyze and interpret entrepreneurial intentions of management students in Mumbai city. Data was collected through entrepreneurial intention questionnaire (EIQ) version 3.1. The EIQ includes randomly ordered and reverse coded variables, measuring the key constructs of theory of planned behavior. The questionnaire was evaluated by deploying exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The analyses established that EIQ was an adequate instrument for the study of entrepreneurial intentions with Indian sample
Framing the Future with Bacteriophages in Agriculture

The ability of agriculture to continually provide food to a growing world population is of crucial importance. Bacterial diseases of plants and animals have continually reduced production since the advent of crop cultivation and animal husbandry practices. Antibiotics have been used extensively to mitigate these losses. The rise of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria, however, together with consumers’ calls for antibiotic-free products, presents problems that threaten sustainable agriculture. Bacteriophages (phages) are proposed as bacterial population control alternatives to antibiotics. Their unique properties make them highly promising but challenging antimicrobials. The use of phages in agriculture also presents a number of unique challenges. This mini-review summarizes recent development and perspectives of phages used as antimicrobial agents in plant and animal agriculture at the farm level. The main pathogens and their adjoining phage therapies are discussed.
Improving wait times to care for individuals with multimorbidities and complex conditions using value stream mapping.

BACKGROUND Recognizing the significant impact of wait times for care for individuals with complex chronic conditions, we applied a LEAN methodology, namely - an adaptation of Value Stream Mapping (VSM) to meet the needs of people with multiple chronic conditions and to improve wait times without additional resources or funding. METHODS Over an 18-month time period, staff applied a patient-centric approach that included LEAN methodology of VSM to improve wait times to care. Our framework of evaluation was grounded in the needs and perspectives of patients and individuals waiting to receive care. Patient centric views were obtained through surveys such as Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (PACIC) and process engineering based questions. In addition, LEAN methodology, VSM was added to identify non-value added processes contributing to wait times. RESULTS The care team successfully reduced wait times to 2 months in 2014 with no wait times for care anticipated in 2015. Increased patient engagement and satisfaction are also outcomes of this innovative initiative. In addition, successful transformations and implementation have resulted in resource efficiencies without increase in costs. Patients have shown significant improvements in functional health following Integrated Chronic Care Service (ICCS) intervention. The methodology will be applied to other chronic disease management areas in Capital Health and the province. CONCLUSION Wait times to care in the management of multimoribidities and other complex conditions can add a significant burden not only on the affected individuals but also on the healthcare system. In this study, a novel and modified LEAN methodology has been applied to embed the voice of the patient in care delivery processes and to reduce wait times to care in the management of complex chronic conditions.
Convex Optimisation for Sound Field Synthesis

An approach and algorithm for computing the coefficients for sparsity-based sound field synthesis is outlined. It is shown that the problem can be formulated as a Second Order Cone Program, and an approach to numerical solution of the problem is outlined. The solution reached is accurate, and the algorithm is very fast: possibly even implementable in real time.
AFEL - Analytics for Everyday Learning

The goal of AFEL is to develop, pilot and evaluate methods and applications, which advance informal/collective learning as it surfaces implicitly in online social environments. The project is following a multi-disciplinary, industry-driven approach to the analysis and understanding of learner data in order to personalize, accelerate and improve informal learning processes. Learning Analytics and Educational Data Mining traditionally relate to the analysis and exploration of data coming from learning environments, especially to understand learners' behaviours. However, studies have for a long time demonstrated that learning activities happen outside of formal educational platforms, also. This includes informal and collective learning usually associated, as a side effect, with other (social) environments and activities. Relying on real data from a commercially available platform, the aim of AFEL is to provide and validate the technological grounding and tools for exploiting learning analytics on such learning activities. This will be achieved in relation to cognitive models of learning and collaboration, which are necessary to the understanding of loosely defined learning processes in online social environments. Applying the skills available in the consortium to a concrete set of live, industrial online social environments, AFEL will tackle the main challenges of informal learning analytics through 1) developing the tools and techniques necessary to capture information about learning activities from (not necessarily educational) online social environments; 2) creating methods for the analysis of such informal learning data, based on combining feature engineering and visual analytics with cognitive models of learning and collaboration; and 3) demonstrating the potential of the approach in improving the understanding of informal learning, and the way it is better supported; 4) evaluate all the former items in real world large scale applications and platforms.
Purkinje Cell Signaling Deficits in Animal Models of Ataxia

Purkinje cell (PC) dysfunction or degeneration is the most frequent finding in animal models with ataxic symptoms. Mutations affecting intrinsic membrane properties can lead to ataxia by altering the firing rate of PCs or their firing pattern. However, the relationship between specific firing alterations and motor symptoms is not yet clear, and in some cases PC dysfunction precedes the onset of ataxic signs. Moreover, a great variety of ionic and synaptic mechanisms can affect PC signaling, resulting in different features of motor dysfunction. Mutations affecting Na+ channels (NaV1.1, NaV1.6, NaVβ4, Fgf14 or Rer1) reduce the firing rate of PCs, mainly via an impairment of the Na+ resurgent current. Mutations that reduce Kv3 currents limit the firing rate frequency range. Mutations of Kv1 channels act mainly on inhibitory interneurons, generating excessive GABAergic signaling onto PCs, resulting in episodic ataxia. Kv4.3 mutations are responsible for a complex syndrome with several neurologic dysfunctions including ataxia. Mutations of either Cav or BK channels have similar consequences, consisting in a disruption of the firing pattern of PCs, with loss of precision, leading to ataxia. Another category of pathogenic mechanisms of ataxia regards alterations of synaptic signals arriving at the PC. At the parallel fiber (PF)-PC synapse, mutations of glutamate delta-2 (GluD2) or its ligand Crbl1 are responsible for the loss of synaptic contacts, abolishment of long-term depression (LTD) and motor deficits. At the same synapse, a correct function of metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 (mGlu1) receptors is necessary to avoid ataxia. Failure of climbing fiber (CF) maturation and establishment of PC mono-innervation occurs in a great number of mutant mice, including mGlu1 and its transduction pathway, GluD2, semaphorins and their receptors. All these models have in common the alteration of PC output signals, due to a variety of mechanisms affecting incoming synaptic signals or the way they are processed by the repertoire of ionic channels responsible for intrinsic membrane properties. Although the PC is a final common pathway of ataxia, the link between specific firing alterations and neurologic symptoms has not yet been systematically studied and the alterations of the cerebellar contribution to motor signals are still unknown.
Linguistic engineering approach to the enhancement of web-searching

This paper describes a proposal to improve the web document retrieval by facing the main three problems in document searching: first, traditional web search engines miss documents that are relevant to the user query and retrieve many that are not. Second, the query formulation is not as accessible as it could be, and some users have difficulties in expressing boolean queries. Third, the result sorting is usually arbitrary or based on statistical data. The on-going research presented in this paper focuses on the use of a natural language interface for interacting with search engines, both before and after the search process. This interface performs enrichment of user queries based on lexical resources, and makes use of semantic domain information for expanding and sorting the results. Preliminary experimental work and discussion of the obtained results are also outlined.
Recurrent targets of aberrant somatic hypermutation in lymphoma

Somatic hypermutation (SHM) in the variable region of immunoglobulin genes (IGV) naturally occurs in a narrow window of B cell development to provide high-affinity antibodies. However, SHM can also aberrantly target proto-oncogenes and cause genome instability. The role of aberrant SHM (aSHM) has been widely studied in various non-Hodgkin's lymphoma particularly in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Although, it has been speculated that aSHM targets a wide range of genome loci so far only twelve genes have been identified as targets of aSHM through the targeted sequencing of selected genes. A genome-wide study aiming at identifying a comprehensive set of aSHM targets recurrently occurring in DLBCL has not been previously undertaken. Here, we present a comprehensive assessment of the somatic hypermutated genes in DLBCL identified through an analysis of genomic and transcriptome data derived from 40 DLBCL patients. Our analysis verifies that there are indeed many genes that are recurrently affected by aSHM. In particular, we have identified 32 novel targets that show same or higher level of aSHM activity than genes previously reported. Amongst these novel targets, 22 genes showed a significant correlation between mRNA abundance and aSHM.
Do Violent People Smile: Social Media Analysis of their Profile Pictures

The popularity of online social platforms has also determined the emergence of violent and abusive behaviors reflecting real life issues into the digital arena. Cyberbullying, Internet banging, pedopornography, sexting are examples of these behaviors, as witnessed in the social media environments. Several studies have shown how to approximately detect those behaviors by analyzing the social interactions and in particular the content of the exchanged messages. The features considered in the models basically include detection of o ensive language through NLP techniques and vocabularies, social network structural measures and, if available, user context information. Our goal is to investigate those users who adopt offensive language and hate speech in Twitter by analyzing their profile pictures. Results show that violent people smile less and they are dominating by anger, fear and sadness.
Fast-food and sweetened beverage consumption: association with overweight and high waist circumference in adolescents

Abstract Objective Overweight and obesity have increased to epidemic proportions among adolescents and are associated with chronic non-communicable diseases and excess mortality in adulthood. The association of overweight/obesity with poor dietary habits has not been studied in adolescents in middle-income developing countries. The present study aimed to estimate the prevalence of overweight, obesity and high waist circumference (WC) in 15–19-year-old Jamaican adolescents and to investigate the association with fast-food and sweetened beverage consumption. Design The study enrolled 1317 (598 male, 719 female) adolescents aged 15–19 years using multistage, nationally representative sampling. Age-specific prevalence calculation used internal Z-score lines connecting with the WHO adult cut-off points. Logistic regression was used to examine the association of overweight or high WC with fast-food and sweetened beverage consumption, adjusting for potential confounders. Results The overall prevalence of overweight, obesity and high WC was approximately 15 %, 6 % and 10 %, respectively. Prevalence estimated using internal Z-scores was similar to that using the International Obesity Taskforce cut-off points. Obesity (8·0 % in females, 3·3 % in males) and high WC (16·2 % in females, 1·7 % in males) were significantly more prevalent in females when using internal Z-score cut-offs. High WC was associated with the absence of fruit consumption (P = 0·043) and overweight with high sweetened beverage consumption (P = 0·018). Conclusion Overweight occurs frequently among Jamaican 15–19-year-olds and is associated with increased consumption of sweetened beverages. High WC is more prevalent among females and is related to low consumption of fruits and vegetables. Measures to reduce the consumption of sweetened beverages and increase fruit intake may reduce the prevalence of excess body fat among adolescents.
An Evaluation of Blockage Corrections for a Helical Cross-Flow Turbine

The ability to accurately evaluate hydrokinetic turbine concepts at small-scale in experimental facilities is important for the development of new devices. Problems introduced by working at lab-scale include operation in a transitional Reynolds number regime and cross-sectional blockage. These factors are shown to influence performance characteristics of a helical cross-flow turbine tested over a range of inflow velocities in two experimental flumes. Published blockage corrections are applied in an attempt to match performance under conditions of varying blockage (constant inflow velocity) and varying inflow velocity (constant blockage).