Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Economic Value of Marine Recreational Fishing: Analysis of the MRFSS 1998 Pacific Add-on

Marine Recreational Fishing Statistics Survey (MRFSS) economic add-on data has been collected since 1994. The data are comprised of two geographically identical datasets for the Southeast region (1997, 2000), five identical datasets for the Northeast region (1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000), and one dataset for the Pacific region (1998). Measures of the economic value of fishing sites and harvest have been derived from demand models estimated with data from the Northeast and the Southeast regions. In this paper we present a demand model estimated for the Pacific region (i.e., west coast). For consistency, the model is based on the 1994 and 1997 studies. Measures of the economic value of fishing sites and harvest are developed. We demonstrate how the model can be used for fisheries management decisions.
Multi-resolution Texture Visualization of Vector Field Based on Fuzzy Feature Measurement

Effectively visualizing the feature structures is a challenging work due to the occlusion and clutter constraints in the 3D flow visualization, especially for the texture-based approaches. This paper proposes a multi-resolution texturebased method for visualizing 3D flows based on a fuzzy flow feature extraction method. Existing algorithms always concretely use topology separatrix to partition a flow field into regions of different behaviors. However, flow feature region usually doesn’t have distinct discrepancy and couldn’t be clearly defined. Therefore, guided by the fuzzy theory, we present a fuzzy feature extraction approach which treats the flow features as fuzzy sets and establishes some fuzzy rules to extract them. In the rendering stage, we apply multi-resolution technology to the sparse texture-based method, which are widely used for the advantage of continuous and global representation of flow movements. Based on the fuzzy membership field for flow features, we present a multi-resolution algorithm to prefilter the input noise. The resulted sparse textures could distribute reasonably according to feature structures. Experiments on synthetic and real engineering dataset demonstrate that our approach can depress the occlusion and clutter effectively.
Alternative Approaches to the Empirical Validation of Agent-Based Models

This paper draws on the metaphor of a spectrum of models ranging from the most theory-driven to the most evidence-driven. The issue of concern is the practice and criteria that will be appro- priate to validation of different models. In order to address this concern, two modelling approaches are investigated in some detailed â€“ one from each end of our metaphorical spectrum. Windrum et al. (2007) (http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/10/2/8.html) claimed strong similarities between agent based social simulation and conventional social science â€“ specifically econometric â€“ approaches to empirical modelling and on that basis considered how econometric validation techniques might be used in empirical social simulations more broadly. An alternative is the approach of the French school of 'companion modelling' associated with Bousquet, Barreteau, Le Page and others which engages stakeholders in the modelling and validation process. The conventional approach is con- strained by prior theory and the French school approach by evidence. In this sense they are at opposite ends of the theory-evidence spectrum. The problems for validation identified by Windrum et al. are shown to be irrelevant to companion modelling which readily incorporate complexity due to realistically descriptive specifications of individual behaviour and social interaction. The result combines the precision of formal approaches with the richness of narrative scenarios. Companion modelling is therefore found to be practicable and to achieve what is claimed for it and this alone is a key difference from conventional social science including agent based computational economics.
REGISTRATION OF DTI

Image registration is a well-known image processing task, and therefore, several algorithms have been described in order to carry it out. However, its application to tensorial images is not straightforward, owing to the higher complexity of data. Specifically, in diffusion tensor case, data contains information about diffusion anisotropy, related to the tensor orientation and the anatomical structures, what involves that registration should preserve coherence between these two features. Besides orientation, tensorial registration requires the use of similarity or error measures between tensors, that may not be equal to those used in the scalar case. In this paper we present the state of the art of diffusion tensor image registration, and we show some examples of registration by applying the template matching algorithm to synthetic and real data. By means of these experiments, we show the issues where more effort must be made in order to improve the registration performance.
Cytokine Expression in CD3+ Cells in an Infant with Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome (FPIES): Case Report

Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES) is a non-IgE-mediated food allergy characterized by severe vomiting, diarrhea, and often failure to thrive in infants. Symptoms typically resolve after the triggering food-derived protein is removed from the diet and recur within few hours after the re-exposure to the causal protein. The diagnosis is based on clinical symptoms and a positive food challenge. In this study, we report a case of FPIES to rice in an 8-month-old boy. We performed a double-blind placebo-controlled food challenge (DBPCFC) to rice and we measured the intracellular T cell expression of interleukin-4 (IL-4); IL-10, and interferon γ (IFN-γ) pre-and post-challenge during an acute FPIES reaction and when tolerance to rice had been achieved. For the first time we describe an increase in T cell IL-4 and decrease in IFN-γ expression after a positive challenge with rice (i.e. rice triggered a FPIES attack) and an increase in T cell IL-10 expression after rice challenge 6 months later after a negative challenge (i.e., the child had acquired tolerance to rice) in an 8 month old with documented FPIES to rice. A Th2 activation associated with high IL-4 levels may contribute to the pathophysiology of the disease. On the other hand, T cell-derived IL-10 may play a role in the acquisition of immunotolerance by regulating the Th1 and Th2 responses.
Effect of Dietary Nonstructural Carbohydrate Content on Activation of 5′‐Adenosine Monophosphate‐Activated Protein Kinase in Liver, Skeletal Muscle, and Digital Laminae of Lean and Obese Ponies

Background In EMS‐associated laminitis, laminar failure may occur in response to energy failure related to insulin resistance (IR) or to the effect of hyperinsulinemia on laminar tissue. 5′‐Adenosine‐monophosphate‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a marker of tissue energy deprivation, which may occur in IR. Hypothesis/Objectives To characterize tissue AMPK regulation in ponies subjected to a dietary carbohydrate (CHO) challenge. Animals Twenty‐two mixed‐breed ponies. Methods Immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting for total AMPK and phospho(P)‐AMPK and RT‐qPCR for AMPK‐responsive genes were performed on laminar, liver, and skeletal muscle samples collected after a 7‐day feeding protocol in which ponies stratified on body condition score (BCS; obese or lean) were fed either a low‐CHO diet (ESC + starch, approximately 7% DM; n = 5 obese, 5 lean) or a high‐CHO diet (ESC + starch, approximately 42% DM; n = 6 obese, 6 lean). Results 5′‐Adenosine‐monophosphate‐activated protein kinase was immunolocalized to laminar keratinocytes, dermal constituents, and hepatocytes. A high‐CHO diet resulted in significantly decreased laminar [P‐AMPK] in lean ponies (P = .03), but no changes in skeletal muscle (lean, P = .33; obese, P = .43) or liver (lean, P = .84; obese, P = .13) [P‐AMPK]. An inverse correlation existed between [blood glucose] and laminar [P‐AMPK] in obese ponies on a high‐CHO diet. Conclusions and Clinical Importance Laminar tissue exhibited a normal response to a high‐CHO diet (decreased [P‐AMPK]), whereas this response was not observed in liver and skeletal muscle in both lean (skeletal muscle, P = .33; liver, P = .84) and obese (skeletal muscle, P = .43; liver, P = .13) ponies.
A SELF-LEARNING ALGEBRAIC MULTIGRID METHOD FOR EXTREMAL SINGULAR TRIPLETS AND EIGENPAIRS

A self-learning algebraic multigrid method for dominant and minimal singular triplets and eigenpairs is described. The method consists of two multilevel phases. In the first, multiplicative phase (setup phase), tentative singular triplets are calculated along with a multigrid hierarchy of interpolation operators that approximately fit the tentative singular vectors in a collective and selflearning manner, using multiplicative update formulas. In the second, additive phase (solve phase), the tentative singular triplets are improved up to the desired accuracy by using an additive correction scheme with fixed interpolation operators, combined with a Ritz update. A suitable generalization of the singular value decomposition is formulated that applies to the coarse levels of the multilevel cycles. The proposed algorithm combines and extends two existing multigrid approaches for symmetric positive definite eigenvalue problems to the case of dominant and minimal singular triplets. Numerical tests on model problems from different areas show that the algorithm converges to high accuracy in a modest number of iterations and is flexible enough to deal with a variety of problems due to its self-learning properties.
The role of youth skills development in the transition to work : a global review

The focus of this paper is on the schools' influence on the transition of youths to adulthood. Similarly, it brings attention to labor market policies and programs that have an impact on the youth's access to jobs and their further preparation for the world of work. Providing youths with skills for employment in school, and for seeking work after leaving school is viewed by policymakers as essential to a successful transition. For the youth who miss early education opportunities or make bad choices in acquiring education, second chance options for obtaining this education are potentially important to the transition. A substantial literature has emerged around these investments in skills development evaluating their impact on the youth transition and labor market outcomes. This paper sets out to review the literature in advanced and developing countries and assess the impact of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) on the transition to work. The focus is on efficiency criteria (pay and employment) in evaluating the transition. The review assesses whether the benefits of pay and employment exceed the cost of TVET provision. Where these criteria are not met, however, conditions may still favor investment in TVET on the basis of equity criteria. The review continues by looking at skills development in the workplace, the diversity of provision, the role of employers, and outcomes of efforts to overcome education failures and bad choices for skills development through second chance options.
Towards a framework for software navigation techniques

Making a change to a large software system requires investing time in understanding the system first. In the context of programming, navigation refers to the process of finding one's way through a complex network of programming constructs and other software artifacts. The process consists of answering questions such as "What am I looking at? " and "What do I want to look at next? ", along with the question of "How do I get there? ". This paper looks at the range of techniques used to aid navigation, and categorizes them using three perspectives: perceptual techniques, which use graphical representations and exploit spatial memory to aid navigation; filtering techniques, which operate by automatically reducing the amount of information provided so that the appropriate pieces of information are easy to find; and enrichment techniques, which involve augmenting the view of the software with peripheral information, so that the relative information can be more easily identified.
Communication and visitor factors contributing towards heritage visitors’ mindfulness

ABSTRACT This study aims to examine the effect of communication factors (e.g. uses of questions and multisensory media) and visitor factors (e.g. high level of interest and visualisation) on visitors’ mindfulness. Mindfulness refers to a state of mind in which an individual is actively processing information from their environment. Past literature has suggested that being mindful helps increase visitor understanding, learning and satisfaction. While a number of studies have explored the effects of communication factors on mindfulness, little is understood about the effects of visitor factors. Moreover, most previous studies of mindfulness have employed qualitative research methodologies. The present study relies on a survey of 390 local and international tourists to George Town, Penang (Malaysia) – a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) has been employed to analyse the data. The results demonstrate the significant effect of both communication factors and visitor factors on mindfulness. The findings of the study suggest that visitor mindfulness might be improved by incorporating questions, multisensory media, level of interest and visualisations in the design of the visitor experience at the heritage sites.
The Effect of Eccentric Exercise on Total Anti-Oxidant Capacity, Reduced Glutathione and Malondialdehyde Levels in Active Women

Article history: Received: 31 July 2012 Accepted: 18 Oct 2012 Available online: 23 Feb 2013 ZJRMS 2014; 16(6): 47-52 Background: Although exercise can increase free radicals by generating oxidative stress, it also can decrease them by increasing the antioxidant enzymes in the body as well. The purpose of this study is to investigate the eccentric activity on some oxidative and antioxidative factors pertaining to blood plasma of PE women immediately after the exercise. Materials and Methods: Sixteen female students have been volunteered in this study randomly divided into two groups including eccentric training group and control group. The blood samples were drawn from the subjects one hour before and immediately after the exercise to measure the reduced Glutathione (GSH), Malondialdehyde (MDA) and total anti-oxidant capacity (TAC) levels. The data were analyzed by SPSS-13 software using the one-way analysis of variance, one-way ANOVA test, (to determine the differences between groups) at the confidence level of 90% (p<0.05). Results: The results has shown that the TAC, MDA, GSH levels after the eccentric exercise increased significantly compared to pre-exercise (p=0.001, p=0.001, p=0.033). The GSH and MDA levels also after the eccentric exercise were significantly higher than the pre-exercise compared to control group. Conclusion: It seems that sever eccentric exercise is an important stimulus making significant changes in body’s anti-oxidative system and has the ability to improve the antioxidant capacities too. Copyright © 2014 Zahedan University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.
Sex Estimation From Sternal Measurements Using Multidetector Computed Tomography

AbstractWe aimed to show the utility and reliability of sternal morphometric analysis for sex estimation.Sex estimation is a very important step in forensic identification. Skeletal surveys are main methods for sex estimation studies. Morphometric analysis of sternum may provide high accuracy rated data in sex discrimination.In this study, morphometric analysis of sternum was evaluated in 1 mm chest computed tomography scans for sex estimation. Four hundred forty 3 subjects (202 female, 241 male, mean age: 44 ± 8.1 [distribution: 30–60 year old]) were included the study. Manubrium length (ML), mesosternum length (2L), Sternebra 1 (S1W), and Sternebra 3 (S3W) width were measured and also sternal index (SI) was calculated. Differences between genders were evaluated by student t-test. Predictive factors of sex were determined by discrimination analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis.Male sternal measurement values are significantly higher than females (P < 0.001) while SI is significantly low in males (P < 0.001). In discrimination analysis, MSL has high accuracy rate with 80.2% in females and 80.9% in males. MSL also has the best sensitivity (75.9%) and specificity (87.6%) values. Accuracy rates were above 80% in 3 stepwise discrimination analysis for both sexes. Stepwise 1 (ML, MSL, S1W, S3W) has the highest accuracy rate in stepwise discrimination analysis with 86.1% in females and 83.8% in males.Our study showed that morphometric computed tomography analysis of sternum might provide important information for sex estimation.
Treatment of semantic verb classes in aphasia: acquisition and generalization effects

Verb retrieval difficulties are common in aphasia; however, few successful treatments have been documented (e.g. . Towards theory-driven therapies for aphasic verb impairments: A review of current theory and practice. Aphasiology, 20, 1159–1185). This study investigated the efficacy of a novel verb retrieval treatment in two individuals with aphasia who experience verb retrieval difficulty. It involved training verb classes with large (e.g. cut verbs) and limited (e.g. contact verbs) sets of semantic features. Based on action representation theories, semantically based training of cut verbs was predicted to generalize to retrieval of untrained cut and contact verbs. One participant improved on trained verbs whereas the other participant did not. Neither participant demonstrated within nor across-class generalization to untrained verbs. However, both participants significantly improved in verb naming as measured by An Object and Action Naming Battery, and their predominant error pattern changed from noun to verb substitutions. Therefore, both participants improved in overall verb retrieval strategies despite limited success with verbs trained in this treatment. Implications for the design of future treatments are discussed.
Learning from Leipzig? Regional Development and Socio-cultural Transition

This paper describes developmental pathways of two regions in Central and Eastern Europe: Leipzig (Germany) and Petrosani (Romania). Once being strongholds of traditional industries, these regions have developed along distinctive socio-economic trajectories over the last two decades. While Leipzig has reinvented itself into a ? learning region? , Petrosani is still struggling to find its road to growth and prosperity. The paper analyses the interplay between locally bread cultures and regional learning capabilities. It argues that capacities and capabilities for innovation and learning develop out of a community-specific reservoir of traditions, values, and life-styles that surpasses phases of socio-economic transition. Consequently, while much emphasis has been put upon developing a region? s ? hardware? (e.g. infrastructure), developmental policies and strategies need to reflect the corresponding ? software? : regional culture!
Modeling high-grade serous ovarian carcinogenesis from the fallopian tube

High-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC) is a lethal disease for which improved screening and treatment strategies are urgently needed. Progress in these areas is impeded by our poor understanding of HGSOC pathogenesis. Most ovarian cancer research is based on the hypothesis that HGSOC arises from ovarian surface epithelial cells. However, recent studies suggest that >50% of high-grade serous carcinomas involving the ovary likely arise from fallopian tube epithelium. Therefore, limiting HGSOC research to modeling based on ovarian surface epithelium alone is inadequate. To address the need for a fallopian tube–based model of HGSOC, we have developed a system for studying human fallopian tube secretory epithelial cell (FTSEC) transformation. Our model is based on (i) immortalization of FTSECs isolated from primary samples of normal, nondiseased human fallopian tubes, (ii) transformation of FTSECs with defined genetic elements, and (iii) xenograft-based tumorigenic assays. We use our model to show that FTSECs immortalized with human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) plus SV40 large T and small T antigens are transformed by either oncogenic Ras (H-RasV12) or c-Myc expression, leading to increased proliferation, clonogenicity, and anchorage-independent growth. Additionally, we demonstrate that FTSECs remain susceptible to c-Myc–mediated transformation in the absence of viral oncoproteins, by replacing SV40 large T and small T antigens with sh-p53, mutant CDK4 (CDK4R24C), and sh-PP2A-B56γ. Importantly, all transformed FTSECs gave rise to high-grade Müllerian carcinomas that were grossly, histologically, immunophenotypically, and genomically similar to human HGSOC. With this model, we will now be able to assess the transformative effects of specific genetic alterations on FTSECs in order to characterize their respective roles in HGSOC development.
Maximizing Precision of Hit Predictions in Baseball

In this project we apply sabermetrics, in the form of machine learning algorithms, to a difficult baseball prediction problem. We attempt to build a model that, given the set of all baseball players playing on a given day, chooses the player most likely to get a hit. In order to get a sense for the difficulty of the problem, we implemented a few trivial models. A model that chooses a player at random is correct approximately 60% of the time. A model that chooses a player randomly from the subset containing only the best hitters (with batting average greater than .330) is correct approximately 67% of the time. Our aim in this project is to find a more sophisticated model that increases this number as much as possible. Data Collection
DMCTCP: Desynchronized Multi-Channel TCP for high speed access networks with tiny buffers

The past few years have witnessed debate on how to improve link utilization of high-speed tiny-size buffer routers. Widely argued proposals for TCP traffic to realize acceptable link capacities mandate: (i) over-provisioned core link bandwidth; and (ii) non-bursty flows; and (iii) tens of thousands of asynchronous flows. However, in high speed access networks where flows are bursty, sparse and synchronous, TCP traffic suffer severely from routers with tiny buffers. We propose a new congestion control algorithm called Desyn-chronized Multi-Channel TCP (DMCTCP) that creates a flow with multiple channels. It avoids TCP loss synchronization by desynchronizing channels, and it avoids sending rate penalties from burst losses. Over a 10 Gb/s large delay network ruled by routers with only a few dozen packets of buffers, our results show that bottleneck link utilization can reach 80% with only 100 flows. Our study is a new step towards the deployment of optical packet switching networks.
A low noise high linearity CMOS upconversion mixer

In this paper, a low noise high linearity mixer is presented, exploiting a switched transconductor topology. Its noise figure (NF) and linearity are analyzed particularly. The mixer chip is implemented in 0.18-mum RF CMOS process. The measurement result shows that the conversion gain of the mixer is about 8 dB, the SSB NF is about 11 dB, and the input-referred third-order intercept point (IIP3) is about 10.5 dBm. The chip consumes 10 mA at 1.8 V power supply and the size of the whole chip is 0.63 mm times 0.78 mm.