Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prescriptive appropriateness using inhalant and food allergen panels: a comparison between General Practitioners' and Allergists' prescription in Genoa (Italy).

Summary Background. Prescriptive appropriateness is an actual claim in healthcare, and it also concerns in vitro tests used in the allergy work-up, such as the serum allergen-specific IgE (sIgE) assay. In the Liguria Region, two panels were defined (for inhaled and food allergens) including 12 allergens. Their composition changed over time. Objectives. The aims of the present retrospective study were: i) to evaluate the percentage of positive tests, and ii) to compare the findings of sIgE assay on the basis of the general practictioners' (GPs) or specialist' prescription, considering both the old panels and the new panels. Methods. This retrospective study considered a population of adult patients, which consisted of 2368 subjects (68% females; mean age 50 years; age range: 10-103 years). Serum sIgE were measured by ImmunoCap system. Results. The percentages of positive tests were very low for food allergens and low for inhaled ones (ranging between 5% to 35%). There was change of prevalent prescriptor with new panels. Conclusions. This study underlines the relevance of prescriptive appropriateness in the allergy work-up. The sIgE assay should be limited to those allergens that have a clinical relevance, based on clinical history.
A framework for mapping refinement specification

Ontology alignment is an important task for information integration. There are many ongoing efforts to develop matching systems but these systems are not efficient for all application domains or ontologies. Very often the quality of the results can be improved by considering the specificities of the domain ontologies. In this paper, we propose an approach implemented in TaxoMap Framework, based on the alignment tool TaxoMap, which helps an expert to specify treatments exploiting mappings. The aim is to refine an alignment or to merge, restructure or enrich ontologies. We apply our approach to mapping refinement in the topographic field within the ANR (The French National Research Agency) project, GeOnto.
Fundamental cosmic strings

Cosmic strings are linear concentrations of energy that may be formed at phase transitions in the very early universe. At one time they were thought to provide a possible origin for the density inhomogeneities from which galaxies eventually develop, though this idea has been ruled out, primarily by observations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). Fundamental strings are the supposed building blocks of all matter in superstring theory or its modern version, M-theory. These two concepts were originally very far apart, but recent developments have brought them closer. The ‘brane-world’ scenario in particular suggests the existence of macroscopic fundamental strings that could well play a role very similar to that of cosmic strings. In this paper, we outline these new developments, and also analyse recent observational evidence, and prospects for the future.
Gesture recognition using Microsoft Kinect®

Gesture recognition is essential for human — machine interaction. In this paper we propose a method to recognize human gestures using a Kinect® depth camera. The camera views the subject in the front plane and generates a depth image of the subject in the plane towards the camera. This depth image is then used for background removal, followed by generation of the depth profile of the subject. In addition to this, the difference between subsequent frames gives the motion profile of the subject and is used for recognition of gestures. These allow the efficient use of depth camera to successfully recognize multiple human gestures. The result of a case study involving 8 gestures is shown. The system was trained using a multi class Support Vector Machine.
Recognizing Text in Google Street View Images

The city environment is rich with signage containing written language that helps us to define and understand the context of a given location. Unfortunately, almost all of this information is unreadable to current text recognition methods. Outside of the limited scope of document OCR, text recognition largely fails when faced with substantial variation in lighting, viewing angle, text orientation, size, lexicon, etc. This project aims to implement current techniques for image text recognition and expand on their shortcomings. The resulting algorithm is applied to Google Street View search results, in order to improve the initial viewport presented to the user when searching for local landmarks. The final success rate is low, and the negative results specifically highlight difficulties in performing this kind of recognition.
Lef1 regulates Dusp6 to influence neuromast formation and spacing in the zebrafish posterior lateral line primordium

The posterior lateral line primordium (PLLp) migrates caudally and periodically deposits neuromasts. Coupled, but mutually inhibitory, Wnt-FGF signaling systems regulate proto-neuromast formation in the PLLp: FGF ligands expressed in response to Wnt signaling activate FGF receptors and initiate proto-neuromast formation. FGF receptor signaling, in turn, inhibits Wnt signaling. However, mechanisms that determine periodic neuromast formation and deposition in the PLLp remain poorly understood. Previous studies showed that neuromasts are deposited closer together and the PLLp terminates prematurely in lef1-deficient zebrafish embryos. It was suggested that this results from reduced proliferation in the leading domain of the PLLp and/or premature incorporation of progenitors into proto-neuromasts. We found that rspo3 knockdown reduces proliferation in a manner similar to that seen in lef1 morphants. However, it does not cause closer neuromast deposition or premature termination of the PLLp, suggesting that such changes in lef1-deficient embryos are not linked to changes in proliferation. Instead, we suggest that they are related to the role of Lef1 in regulating the balance of Wnt and FGF functions in the PLLp. Lef1 determines expression of the FGF signaling inhibitor Dusp6 in leading cells and regulates incorporation of cells into neuromasts; reduction of Dusp6 in leading cells in lef1-deficient embryos allows new proto-neuromasts to form closer to the leading edge. This is associated with progressively slower PLLp migration, reduced spacing between deposited neuromasts and premature termination of the PLLp system.
Kinetic and kinematic evaluation of the ankle joint after achilles tendon reconstruction with free semitendinosus tendon graft: preliminary results.

Chronic rupture of the Achilles tendon (AT) is a surgical challenge and has effects on the gait. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the kinetic and kinematic parameters of the ankle joint in patients with AT rupture operated using a free semitendinosus tendon graft. Thirteen patients were analyzed 6 and 12 months after surgery in a force platform, while the movements were recorded by six infrared cameras. The kinematic variables analyzed included speed, cadence, step length, percentage of stance phase, and range of movement (ROM) of the ankle joint in the sagittal and frontal planes. Kinetic data were obtained by joint movement in different phases of the gait cycle. Functional assessment was performed using the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score. The patients showed a significant increase (P = 0.0215) in AOFAS from 68.5 (±18.7) to 85.2 (±18.0). Speed, cadence, and length of step of the four groups (1A, 1B, 2A, 2B) were lower than the control group (group 3), and the percentage in stance phase was higher for the nonoperated foot 6-month group (1B) compared to the control group (group 3). For the kinematic data, the ROM of the ankle in stance phase increased from 6 to 12 months showing an effect of time between four groups (1A, 1B, 2A, 2B). During swing phase, the ankle ROM was lower in the operated side (effect of side, P = 0.0255) and groups 1A and 2A demonstrated statistical differences when compared with the control group (group 3) (P = 0.0240 and P = 0.0414, respectively). ROM of inversion and eversion presented effect of time among the same groups (P = 0.0059) cited before. There were no differences in kinetic data between groups. This study showed close proximity between the control group and the operated group. Furthermore, improvement was shown when comparing the 6 and 12 months postsurgery periods. The surgical procedure is therefore helpful for the patient and few changes were present in gait and ankle biomechanics.
Heparan Sulfate Proteoglycans Are Primarily Responsible for the Maintenance of Enzyme Activity, Binding, and Degradation of Lipoprotein Lipase in Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells (*)

Various aspects of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) metabolism, including cell surface binding, degradation, and enzymatic activity, were compared between Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and two distinct proteoglycan-deficient CHO cell lines. The contribution of low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein in binding LPL was also analyzed by the use of a 39-kDa receptor-associated protein expressed as a glutathione S-transferase fusion protein (GST-RAP). Equilibrium binding data with I-LPL revealed the presence of a class of high affinity binding sites with a K of 7.8 nM in CHO cells, whereas no high affinity binding was observed for proteoglycan-deficient cells. The high affinity binding of LPL in CHO cells appeared to be concentrated in cell surface projections and was not effectively inhibited by GST-RAP. Moreover, degradation of endogenous and exogenous LPL was significantly greater in control CHO cells than in proteoglycan-deficient cells. Degradation of LPL in CHO cells was not affected by GST-RAP, suggesting that proteoglycans and not low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein are responsible for the majority of binding and degradation of LPL in these cells. Our data also show that proteoglycan binding is not essential for the assembly of active LPL homodimers, although proteoglycan binding controls the distribution of LPL activity. Furthermore, LPL produced by CHO cells was more stable than LPL produced by proteoglycan-deficient cells.
Fabrication of a Novel Conductometric Biosensor for Detecting Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis Antibodies

Johne's disease (JD) is one of the most costly bacterial diseases in cattle. In the U.S., economic losses from the disease have been estimated to exceed $1,500,000,000 per year, mainly from the effects of reduced milk production. Current diagnostic tests for JD are laboratory based and many of those tests require specialized equipment and training. Development of rapid and inexpensive diagnostic assays, which are adapted for point-of-care applications, would aid in the control of JD. In this study, a polyaniline (Pani)-based conductometric biosensor, in an immunomigration format, was fabricated for the detection of serum antibody (IgG) against the causal organism of JD, Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP). Immobilized Mycobacterium avium purified proteins in the capture membrane were used to detect MAP IgG, previously bound with Pani/anti-bovine IgG* conjugate in the conjugate membrane. After detection, the Pani in the sandwiched captured complex bridges an electrical circuit between the silver electrodes, flanking the capture membrane. The electrical conductance, caused by Pani, was measured as drop in electrical resistance. Testing of the biosensor with known JD positive and negative serum samples demonstrated a significant difference in the mean resistance observed between the groups. This proof-of-concept study demonstrated that a conductometric biosensor could detect MAP IgG in 2 minutes. The biosensor's speed of detection and the equipment involved would, among other things, support its application towards the various point-of-care opportunities aimed at JD management and control.
A quasi‐static boundary value problem in multi‐surface elastoplasticity: Part 1—Analysis

The quasi‐static evolution of an elastoplastic body with a multi‐surface constitutive law of linear kinematic hardening type allows the modelling of curved stress–strain relations. It generalizes classical small‐strain elastoplasticity from one to various plastic phases. This paper presents the mathematical models and proves existence and uniqueness of the solution of the corresponding initial‐boundary value problem. The analysis involves an explicit estimate for the effective ellipticity constant. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Robust stable radiometric fingerprinting for wireless devices

We introduce a new method for radiometric fingerprinting that detects the unique variations in the antenna, oscillator properties, as well as the digital and analog interfaces of the radio by passively monitoring the radio packets. Several individual identifiers are used for extracting the unique physical characteristics of the radio, including the frequency offset, modulated phase offset, in-phase/quadrature-phase offset from the origin, and magnitude. Our method provides stable and robust identification by developing individual identifiers (classifiers) that may each be weak (i.e., incurring a high prediction error) but their committee can provide a strong classification technique. We use two methods for combining the classifiers: (1) weighted voting, and (2) maximum likelihood. Our hardware implementation and experimental evaluations over multiple radios demonstrate that our weighted voting approach can identify the radios with an average of 88% detection probability and an average of 12.8% probability of false alarm after testing only 5 frames. The probability of detection and probability of false alarms both rapidly improve by increasing the number of test frames.
The Relationship between Shyness and Internet Addiction: A Quantitative Study on Middle and Post Secondary School Students.

This small scale quantitative study looks into the relationship between shyness and internet addiction in middle school students. This study has been conducted on the belief that shyness is a possible predictor of Internet Addiction. To prove this hypothesis a questionnaire was created and distributed to 53 middle school students and 159 post secondary students. The results showed a relationship between shyness and Internet Addiction in middle school but not in post secondary students. It was found that time was the predictor for Internet Addiction with post secondary students. In summary, this study addresses the problem of Internet Addiction and the possibility of shyness as being one of its forecasters by using Young's (2002) Internet Addiction Scale and the Cheek and Buss (1981) Shyness Scale. A Pearson's Correlation was performed to determine if there is a relationship between the two.
Educational research in action

Introduction PART ONE: QUALITATIVE EXAMPLES Labouring to Learn? Industrial Training for Slow Learners Early Education Multiracial Primary School Classrooms The Magic of Godspell The Educational Significance of a Dramatic Production Time and Teachers' Work An Analysis of the Intensification Thesis PART TWO: QUANTITATIVE EXAMPLES PUBLISH AND BE DAMNED? The Problems of Comparing Exam Results in Two Inner London Schools Beyond League Tables How Modern Statistical Methods Can Give a Truer Picture of the Effects of Schools Estimating Differences in the Examination Performances of Secondary Schools in Six LEAs A Multi-Level Approach to School Effectiveness The Quality of Teaching in Primary Schools PART THREE: CRITIQUES Failing to Reason or Failing to Understand? An Appraisal of 'Labouring to Learn' Questioning ORACLE An Assessment of ORACLE's Analysis of Teachers' Questions Figuring out Ethnic Equity A Response to Troyna Beware of Wise Men Bearing Gifts A Case Study in the Misuse of Educational Research
Global dynamics of epidemic spread over complex networks

In this paper we study the global dynamics of epidemic spread over complex networks for both discrete-time and continuous-time models. In this setting, the state of the system at any given time is the vector obtained from the marginal probability of infection of each of the nodes in the network at that time. Convergence to the origin means that the epidemic eventually dies out. Linearizing the model around the origin yields a system whose state is an upper bound on the true state. As a result, whenever the linearized model is locally stable, the original model is globally stable, with the origin being its fixed point. When the linearized model is unstable the origin is not a stable fixed point and we show the existence of a unique second fixed point. In the continuous-time model, this second fixed point attracts all points in the state space other than the origin. In the discrete-time setting we consider two models. In the first model, we show that the second fixed point attracts all points in the state space other than the origin. In the second model, however, we show this need not be the case. We therefore give conditions under which the second fixed point attracts all non-origin points and show that for random Erdös-Rényi graphs this happens with high probability.
Dyspraxia and its management

Acknowledgements. 1. Introduction 2. The Gestural Dyspraxias 3. Constructional Dyspraxia 4. Apraxia of Speech 5. Ocular-motor Dyspraxia 6. Dyspraxia-related Disturbances 7. Developmental Dyspraxia 8. Therapy. Glossary. Bibliography. Author Index. Subject Index.
An instrumented compliant wrist for robotics applications

The design and implementation of an instrumented compliant wrist is presented. The compliance helps reduce the impact effects of robot/environment interaction and improves force control performance. However, position accuracy of the end-effector degrades with increased compliance. Instrumentation of the compliant wrist enables it to serve as a compliant force/torque sensor which can be used to achieve both responsive force control and accurate position control. The wrist device uses rubber elements for compliance and damping, and a serial linkage, with potentiometers at each joint, is used for sensing deflections produced in the wrist. The wrist is connected in series between the end of the robot and the tool, and is designed to partially surround the tool, thus reducing the distance between the end-effector and the tool. A hybrid control scheme is implemented to enable the wrist to be used in a variety of applications. Example applications, including tool usage, are presented. <<ETX>>
IPTV transport architecture alternatives and economic considerations

Telecommunications companies are under increased pressure due to competition from multiple system operators, and the changing communications and entertainment needs of residential consumers. These pressures are driving the telecommunications companies to design and deploy metro networks capable of delivering broadcast video and VOD services through IP-based broadband connectivity (known as IPTV). One important architectural consideration for these IPTV networks is the core layer 1 transport infrastructure that supports economical delivery of these high-bandwidth services. This article surveys some of the major layer 1 optical transport network alternatives including DWDM, SONET, and Ethernet-on-fiber as well as its passive WDM/DWDM (PWDM) variation. The article analyzes the architectural and cost performance metrics for these transport options, and explores the economic crossover points with regard to the key network and service parameters such as bandwidth demand, number of subscribers, network topology, and operational constraints. DWDM technology, when coupled with native Ethernet aggregation, is found to have significant applicability for IPTV transport networks. DWDM offers value in capital cost and operations, while delivering the required bandwidth and performance. Ethernet aggregation capability within the transport infrastructure adds scalability, flexibility, and cost advantage for the multiservice network applications of the future.
Multi-loop Position Analysis via Iterated Linear Programming

This paper presents a numerical method able to isolate all configurations that an arbitrary loop linkage can adopt, within given ranges for its degrees of freedom. The procedure is general, in the sense that it can be applied to single or multiple intermingled loops of arbitrary topology. It is also complete, meaning that all possible solutions get accurately bounded, irrespectively of whether the analyzed linkage is rigid or mobile. The problem is tackled by formulating a system of linear, parabolic, and hyperbolic equations, which is here solved by a new strategy exploiting its structure. The method is conceptually simple, geometric in nature, and easy to implement, yet it provides solutions at the desired accuracy in short computation times.
A Privacy-Friendly Electronic Payment Model: Balancing Copyright and Privacy Protection Requirements

The electronic distribution of digital works leads to the collection and processing of huge amounts of personal data, and copyright management information. However, international treaties, EU Directives and National Laws contain provisions which protect these data, i.e. there are statutory obligations related to the protection of privacy, copyright management and electronic transactions. The enforcement of the legal framework requires the employment of appropriate security and organizational measures. To address these problems, we propose a privacy-friendly electronic payment model, which aims at balancing contradicting copyright and privacy protection-related requirements. With our model, electronic consumers can anonymously order and pay digital works, while the media distributors involved in the transaction and the copyright owners are protected against intellectual property rights violations. The entities involved in the transactions, range from creator and copyright holder to media distributor, the monitoring and the privacy service provider and the bank gateway.
Substance Abuse and the Military: An Interview With Michael McCarthy and Alexander Downing

Holleran Steiker: Clearly, the job of the military demands that troops be at their best for the security and well-being of the nation. It is easy to imagine alcohol and drug abuse lowering the readiness of troops, undermining the authority that ensures efficiency in operations, and putting soldiers’ lives on the line, as well as increasing the risks of accidents. According to the literature (Bray & Hourani, 2007), the military has made notable progress in decreasing illicit drug use and cigarette smoking, but has made less progress in reducing heavy alcohol use. First, can you share what your roles and experience are in relation to the military that lend themselves to an exploration of drug and alcohol issues with this population?