Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
KIBITZER: a wearable system for eye-gaze-based mobile urban exploration

Due to the vast amount of available georeferenced information novel techniques to more intuitively and efficiently interact with such content are increasingly required. In this paper, we introduce KIBITZER, a lightweight wearable system that enables the browsing of urban surroundings for annotated digital information. KIBITZER exploits its user's eye-gaze as natural indicator of attention to identify objects-of-interest and offers speech- and non-speech auditory feedback. Thus, it provides the user with a 6th sense for digital georeferenced information. We present a description of our system's architecture and the interaction technique and outline experiences from first functional trials.
Social Support: Exploring Its Role in the Context of Athletic Injuries

The vast majority of research dealing with athletic injuries has examined injuries from physical or environmental perspectives. However, there has been a growing awareness of the role of psychosocial factors in the injury process. Specifically, social support has been identified as a variable that may play a significant role in both the etiology of and recovery from athletic injuries. The overall purpose of this discussion is to review and integrate the literature that has examined the role of social support as it relates to athletic injuries. More specifically, this paper will (a) discuss conceptual issues related to social support, (b) explore the role of social support as a potential moderator variable in the life stress-injury relationship, (c) examine the contribution of social support to the rehabilitation process, and (d) suggest directions for future research based on the extant social support literature.
THE EFFECT OF INTEGRATED SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHING-LEARNING TOWARD THE ENHANCEMENT OF STUDENTS’ CRITICAL AND MEANINGFUL THINKING SKILLS

This research background was the application of less optimal Social Sudies Learning Process in schools in enhancing students’ critical and meaningful thinking skills and at the Social studies learning which were still taught separately based on appropriate field of studies such as Geography, Sociology, History and Economics. This research aimed to find out the effect of integrated Social studies Learning towards the students’ critical and meaningful thinking skills enhancement. The research method applied in this study was quasi experimental research using Nonequivalent Control Group Design. One class was chosen as an experimental class with Integrated Social studies Learning and one control class was choosen with separated Social studies learning. The data technique collection used was in the form of test result which was supported by observation and questionnaire. The analysis technique of test data to examine the research hypothesis applied SPSS version 16 with the analysis tools: normality test, homogeneity test, parametric analysis with t test and gain. The test findings showed that the learning of Integrated Social studies affected by the students’ critical and meaningful thinking skills enhancement. The learning of this Integrated Social Science was recommended as a learning alternative which was able to enhance students’ critical and meaningful thinking skills
Smaller Gray Matter Volumes in Frontal and Parietal Cortices of Solvent Abusers Correlate with Cognitive Deficits

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Abuse of toluene-containing organic solvents by inhalation is a prevalent practice among adolescents. Long-term abuse of toluene causes cognitive deficits. The mechanism of cognitive deficits induced by long-term toluene abuse has not yet been defined. In the current study, we assessed the effects of chronic toluene abuse on cortical gray matter volume and the association between cognitive impairment and cortical gray matter volume distribution in chronic toluene abusers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifteen toluene abusers and 20 healthy control subjects matched in sex, age, education level, and handedness were investigated by structural MR imaging. The cognitive states of the subjects were assessed by using the third edition of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-III). The voxel-based comparison and correlation analyses of MR images were performed by using SPM5 software. RESULTS: The voxel-based morphometric analysis revealed that toluene abusers had significantly lower gray matter volumes in the bilateral frontotemporal and right parietal cortices. In addition, the lower gray matter volumes in the frontal and parietal regions correlated with the duration of toluene abuse. There was a positive correlation between the WISC performance scale scores and gray matter volumes in the frontal and parietal cortices of the abusers. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the current study demonstrate that chronic toluene abusers have smaller gray matter volumes than nonabusers in various regions of the brain. Moreover, the cognitive deficits are associated with the lower gray matter volumes in the frontal and parietal cortices of chronic toluene abusers.
Computation of tortuosity of two dimensional vessels

Vessel tortuosity is an important parameter in determining the presence or the severity of various diseases that are diagnosed based on the pathology of vessels. An accurate quantification of vessel tortuosity would therefore be of great clinical significance. Usually, the branches of blood vessels are also captured, along with the major blood vessel, in the medical images, thereby posing a challenge to the computation of tortuosity. This necessitates some pre-processing of the images, to remove the branches of blood vessels, accomplished using contour tracing techniques, as proposed in this paper. In this paper, we propose a novel metric to compute tortuosity for two dimensional vessels, with brief indications of its implementation using image processing techniques, and provide evidence of its advantages over other methods.
Transplanting Soil Microbiomes Leads to Lasting Effects on Willow Growth, but not on the Rhizosphere Microbiome

Plants interact closely with microbes, which are partly responsible for plant growth, health, and adaptation to stressful environments. Engineering the plant-associated microbiome could improve plant survival and performance in stressful environments such as contaminated soils. Here, willow cuttings were planted into highly petroleum-contaminated soils that had been gamma-irradiated and subjected to one of four treatments: inoculation with rhizosphere soil from a willow that grew well (LA) or sub-optimally (SM) in highly contaminated soils or with bulk soil in which the planted willow had died (DE) or no inoculation (CO). Samples were taken from the starting inoculum, at the beginning of the experiment (T0) and after 100 days of growth (TF). Short hypervariable regions of archaeal/bacterial 16S rRNA genes and the fungal ITS region were amplified from soil DNA extracts and sequenced on the Illumina MiSeq. Willow growth was monitored throughout the experiment, and plant biomass was measured at TF. CO willows were significantly smaller throughout the experiment, while DE willows were the largest at TF. Microbiomes of different treatments were divergent at T0, but for most samples, had converged on highly similar communities by TF. Willow biomass was more strongly linked to overall microbial community structure at T0 than to microbial community structure at TF, and the relative abundance of many genera at T0 was significantly correlated to final willow root and shoot biomass. Although microbial communities had mostly converged at TF, lasting differences in willow growth were observed, probably linked to differences in T0 microbial communities.
Implementation of HVAC System Through Wireless Sensor Network

A wireless sensor network (WSN) in its simplest form can be defined as a network of sensors denoted as nodes that blankets a region and provides information about it. They can sense the environment and communicate the data gathered from the monitored field through wireless links. Processing is done at the sensor level. WSN have numerous applications ranging from indoor deployment scenarios in the home and office to outdoor deployment scenarios in natural and military settings. In some of these scenarios, lives may depend on the timelines and correctness of the sensor data obtained from dispersed sensor nodes. The analysis aims at employing WSN for one of its industrial application, i.e. “For Monitoring HVAC Systems”. Significant advances in computer technology have made it possible to develop a wireless sensor network (WSN) capable of monitoring and operating a scheduling system for heating, ventilation, and air- conditioning (HVAC). The proposed system includes features such as monitoring, measurement, networking, and control. This system provides an energy efficient solution to the monitoring and controlling of a HVAC system. This design enables users to make cost-effective energy decisions with no interaction with the HVAC system.
Visual Chess Recognition EE 368 , Spring 2015

The goal of the proposed project is to correctly detect and identify a chessboard and the configuration of its pieces through the application of image processing techniques. Such an algorithm could be used to automatically record a game between two players without the need for a digital chess set, which can cost hundreds of dollars. In addition, image-based detection of chess pieces is a vital step in building chess-playing robots, as the playing strategy of the robot depends on its knowing the locations of its own chess pieces and the pieces of its opponent. Chess-playing robots can be used for fun and have furthermore been considered as an interactive toy that helps in developing the learning abilities of children .
MIMO underwater acoustic communications by using a quasi-orthogonal group space-time architecture

Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) systems have been widely applied to underwater acoustic (UWA) communications with promising results. However, the tradeoff between diversity and multiplexing gains in MIMO systems over underwater acoustic channel is less discussed. In this paper, a quasi-orthogonal group space-time (QoGST) scheme by combining space-time coding (STC) and layered space-time (LST) architecture is presented for better diversity and multiplexing gains in MIMO underwater acoustic communications. Simulation results show the presented solution has better performance when compared to the Group Layered Space-Time (GLST) scheme.
Constitutive and Inflammatory Immunopeptidome of Pancreatic β-Cells

Type 1 diabetes is characterized by the autoimmune destruction of pancreatic β-cells. Recognition of major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-bound peptides is critical for both the initiation and progression of disease. In this study, MHC peptide complexes were purified from NIT-1 β-cells, interferon-γ (IFN-γ)-treated NIT-1 cells, splenic and thymic tissue of 12-week-old NOD mice, and peptides identified by mass spectrometry. In addition to global liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry analysis, the targeted approach of multiple-reaction monitoring was used to quantitate the immunodominant Kd-restricted T-cell epitope islet-specific glucose-6-phosphatase catalytic subunit-related protein (IGRP)206–214. We identified >2,000 MHC-bound peptides; 1,100 of these presented by β-cells grown under normal conditions or after exposure to IFN-γ. These include sequences from a number of known autoantigens. Quantitation of IGRP206–214 revealed low-level presentation by Kd (∼25 complexes/cell) on NIT-1 cells after IFN-γ treatment compared with the simultaneous presentation of the endogenously processed Kd-restricted peptide Janus kinase-1355–363 (∼15,000 copies/cell). We have successfully sequenced peptides from NIT-1 β-cells under basal and inflammatory conditions. We have shown the feasibility of quantitating disease-associated peptides and provide the first direct demonstration of the disparity between presentation of a known autoantigenic epitope and a common endogenously presented peptide.
Data and text mining

Motivation: Measurements are commonly taken from two phenotypes to build a classifier, where the number of data points from each class is predetermined, not random. In this ‘separate sampling’ scenario, the data cannot be used to estimate the class prior probabilities. Moreover, predetermined class sizes can severely degrade classifier performance, even for large samples. Results: We employ simulations using both synthetic and real data to show the detrimental effect of separate sampling on a variety of classification rules. We establish propositions related to the effect on the expected classifier error owing to a sampling ratio different from the population class ratio. From these we derive a sample-based mini-max sampling ratio and provide an algorithm for approximating it from the data. We also extend to arbitrary distributions the classical population-based Anderson linear discriminant analysis minimax sampling ratio derived from the discriminant form of the Bayes classifier. Availability: All the codes for synthetic data and real data examples are written in MATLAB. A function called mmratio, whose output is an approximation of the minimax sampling ratio of a given dataset, is also written in MATLAB. All the codes are available at: http://gsp.tamu. edu/ Publications
On a variant of the large sieve

We introduce a variant of the large sieve and give an example of its use in a sieving problem. Take the interval [N] = {1,. ,N} and, for each odd prime p <= N^{1/2}, remove or ``sieve out'' by all n whose reduction mod p lies in some interval I_p of Z/pZ of length (p-1)/2. Let A be the set that remains: then |A| << N^{1/3 + o(1)}, a bound which improves slightly on the bound of |A| << N^{1/2} which results from applying the large sieve in its usual form. This is a very, very weak result in the direction of a question of Helfgott and Venkatesh, who suggested that nothing like equality can occur in applications of the large sieve unless the unsieved set is essentially the set of values of a polynomial (e.g. A is the set of squares). Assuming the ``exponent pairs conjecture'' (which is deep, as it implies a host of classical questions including the Lindel\"of hypothesis, Gauss circle problem and Dirichlet divisor problem) the bound can be improved to |A| << N^{o(1)}. This raises the worry that even reasonably simple sieve problems are connected to issues of which we have little understanding at the present time.
Local treatment of malignant gliomas by direct infusion of specific monoclonal antibodies labeled with 131I: comparison of the results obtained in recurrent and newly diagnosed tumors.

Two murine monoclonal antibodies, BC-2 and BC-4, raised against tenascin and labeled with 131I were infused locally in the site of neoplastic disease by means of a removable (16 patients) or indwelling (34 patients) catheter. Fifty patients bearing a malignant glioma were treated. Twenty-six of these were suffering from recurrent disease; their tumors relapsed within 9 months (median) after treatment. The remaining 24 cases had a newly diagnosed tumor, and local radioimmunotherapy (RIT) was given immediately after surgery and radiochemotherapy. All efforts were made to reduce the tumor before the infusion of the radiopharmaceutical. Therefore, 22 cases with relapsing glioma underwent additional debulking surgery, which led to total or subtotal removal of tumor in 9 of the patients. Altogether, 28 patients had intralesional RIT when the disease was minimal or microscopic. Conversely, 22 cases underwent local RIT with a tumor the diameter of which was > 2 cm. In many cases, the infusions were repeated up to six times to achieve complete destruction of the neoplastic tissue. The local treatment did not give rise to systemic or to cerebral adverse effects. The labeled monoclonal antibodies, given directly in the site of the lesion, concentrated in very high amount in the neoplastic tissue and remained fixed in the target for a long period of time. For these reasons, the radiation dose to the tumor was remarkable (on average > 30,000 cGy/cycle) and consequently led to promising results. The median survival was, in total, 20 months (18 in recurrent tumors and 23 in newly diagnosed lesions). Moreover, median survival was 17 months in patients with bulky tumors (both recurrent and newly diagnosed tumors) and 26 months in patients with minimal or microscopic disease. The median time to progression was 3 months in recurrent and 7 months in newly diagnosed gliomas. Finally, RIT produced 3 CRs (all in recurrent tumors), 6 PRs (4 in recurrent and 2 in newly diagnosed), and 11 stabilizations of disease (4 in recurrent and 7 in newly diagnosed). In 19 cases (13 recurrent and 6 newly diagnosed) the progression of tumor was recorded. Eleven patients (2 recurrent and 9 newly diagnosed) who were treated by RIT when their disease was minimal and nondetectable by radiological methods remained disease-free and were classified as NED. The overall response rate (NED plus CR plus PR) was 40% (34.6% recurrent and 45.8% newly diagnosed). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Genetic variations in GJA3, GJA8, LIM2, and age-related cataract in the Chinese population: a mutation screening study

Purpose To investigate the role of genetic variations in three known cataract-associated genes, gap junction protein α3 (GJA3), gap junction protein α8 (GJA8), lens intrinsic membrane protein 2 (LIM2), encoding lens fiber cell membrane proteins in the development of age-related cataracts. Methods One hundred and forty-five sporadic age-related cataract patients and one hundred and fifty-six unrelated random healthy controls participated in this study. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood leukocytes. All exons of GJA3, GJA8, and LIM2 were sequenced after being amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The functional consequences of the mutations were analyzed using PolyPhen. Results We found five novel variations in 145 patients and none of them presented in the 156 controls. There are two variations in GJA3 (c.-39C>G, c. 415G>A); one in GJA8 (c. 823G>A), and two in LIM2 (c.57G>A, c.67A>C). PolyPhen predicted that the LIM2 c.67A>C mutation may have potential pathogenicity. Conclusions The genetic mutation in GJA3, GJA8, and LIM2 may slightly contribute to the development of age-related cataracts. This study showed a potential relationship between lens fiber cell membrane protein genes and the development of age-related cataracts in the Chinese population.
Emotion recognition using sigma-pi neural network

The problem of emotion state recognition using the sigma-pi artificial neural network is considered. The specific feature of the considered network is the presence of two different types of activation functions: sigmoid and bell-shaped. A learning algorithm for the sigma-pi network is proposed. This algorithm is characterized by high approximation accuracy especially for nonlinear processes in real time. Training and testing network on image dataset was made.
Choosing a persistent storage for data mining task

The amount of data available for mining or machine learning is increasing. Therefore one of the main problems of nowadays mining is decision how to persistently store that data in the way that it is easy and fast to load and save by mining algorithms. When data is too big to fit in the memory, there are two common ways to handle it: text or binary file in own format or ready-to-use universal database engine. Both have advantages and disadvantages. As for database engine, the most popular storage is a relational database server. Recently another promising option became non-relational databases like document-oriented databases. The work presented in this paper analyses how different storages behave for big amounts of data. Experiments compare efficiency of these storages for some classic mining tasks
Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer: What is the Appropriate Patient-Reported Outcome for Clinical Trial Design?

Purpose: Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is increasingly utilized as primary treatment for clinically localized prostate cancer. Consensus regarding the appropriate patient-reported outcome (PRO) endpoints for clinical trials evaluating radiation modalities for early stage prostate cancer is lacking. To aid in clinical trial design, this study presents PROs over a 36-month period following SBRT for clinically localized prostate cancer. Methods: Between February 2008 and September 2010, 174 hormone-naïve patients with clinically localized prostate cancer were treated with 35–36.25 Gy SBRT (CyberKnife, Accuray) delivered in 5 fractions. Patients completed the validated Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite (EPIC)-26 questionnaire at baseline and all follow-ups. The proportion of patients developing a clinically significant decline in each EPIC domain score was determined. The minimally important difference (MID) was defined as a change of one-half the standard deviation from the baseline. Per Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 0938, we also examined the patients who experienced a decline in EPIC urinary domain summary score of >2 points (unacceptable toxicity defined as ≥60% of all patients reporting this degree of decline) and EPIC bowel domain summary score of >5 points (unacceptable toxicity defined as >55% of all patients reporting this degree of decline) from baseline to 1 year. Results: A total of 174 patients at a median age of 69 years received SBRT with a minimum follow-up of 36 months. The proportion of patients reporting a clinically significant decline (MID for urinary/bowel are 5.5/4.4) in EPIC urinary/bowel domain scores was 34%/30% at 6 months, 40%/32.2% at 12 months, and 32.8%/21.5% at 36 months. The patients reporting a decrease in the EPIC urinary domain summary score of >2 points was 43.2% (CI: 33.7%, 54.6%) at 6 months, 51.6% (CI: 43.4%, 59.7%) at 12 months, and 41.8% (CI: 33.3%, 50.6%) at 36 months. The patients reporting a decrease in the EPIC bowel domain summary score of >5 points was 29.6% (CI: 21.9%, 39.3%) at 6 months, 29% (CI: 22%, 36.8%) at 12 months, and 22.4% (CI: 15.7%, 30.4%) at 36 months. Conclusion: Following prostate SBRT, clinically significant urinary symptoms are more common than bowel symptoms. Our prostate SBRT treatment protocol meets the RTOG 0938 criteria for moving forward to a Phase III trial comparing it to conventionally fractionated radiation therapy. Notably, between 12 and 36 months, the proportion of patients reporting a significant decrease in both EPIC urinary and bowel domain scores declined, suggesting a late improvement in these symptom domains. Further investigation is needed to elucidate (1) which EPIC domains bear the greatest influence on post-treatment quality of life and (2) at what time point PRO endpoint(s) should be assessed.
American Economic Association Gender Differences in the Labor Market : Impact of IRCA ' s Amnesty Provisions

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org. American Economic Association is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The American Economic Review.