Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Compressed sensing based quantization with prediction encoding for video transmission in WSN

Wireless multimedia sensor networks have limited computational resources such as bandwidth, storage and energy. To overcome these limitations, a promising technique called compressed sensing (CS) is adopted to develop the video encoding algorithm. CS is the process of acquiring and reconstructing a signal which is sparse thus reducing the computational complexity. The source video frames are converted into sparse components by applying sparsifying transform. The measurements obtained from the sparse components using CS are quantized and encoded by proposed algorithm for efficient storage and transmission. To represent the data with reduced number of bits an efficient compressed sensing based quantized prediction Huffman encoder is presented in this paper. The orthogonal matching pursuit recovery algorithm is used at the reconstruction side to get back the original sparse components. The performance of the video encoder is evaluated using compression ratio in terms of percentage. The PSNR and SSIM of the recovered frames show promising results thus prove to be compatible for wireless multimedia sensor networks.
Maxillomandibular Advancement in the Management of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Maxillomandibular advancement (MMA) is a surgical option for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). MMA involves forward-fixing the maxilla and mandible approximately 10 mm via Le Fort I maxillary and sagittal split mandibular osteotomies. We retrospectively reviewed outcomes from 24 consecutive OSA patients who underwent MMA at our institution. MMA resulted in an 83% reduction in the group mean apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) per polysomnography an average of 6.7 months after surgery. Forty-two percent of patients achieved a post-MMA AHI of less than 5 events/hour sleep and 71% achieved an AHI less than or equal to 10 events/hour sleep. The Epworth Sleepiness Scale score decreased by an average of 5 post-surgery. No parameters predictive of cure for OSA by MMA were identified.
Tangible math

Educators recognize that group work and physical involvement with learning materials can greatly enhance the understanding and retention of difficult concepts. As a result, math manipulatives such as pattern blocks and number lines have increasingly been making their way into classrooms and children's museums. Yet without the constant guidance of a teacher, students can easily become distracted, confused, or frustrated.
A Survey on Data Mining Techniques in Agriculture

Data processing in Agriculture is associate rising analysis field. Application of information mining techniques plays an important role in agricultural and environmental connected areas. Survey created on agriculture mistreatment data processing techniques reveals the importance to extract helpful data from dataset. Recently data processing techniques in agriculture required evaluating, storage, monitored and retrieval the resources used. Completely different data processing techniques like K-Means, K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN), Support Vector Machine and Artificial Neural Network square measure terribly recent applications in agriculture. In agriculture, some issues like yield estimation and crop productivity remains to be solved supported obtainable knowledge. This survey aims to search out appropriate data processing models to realize high accuracy and prediction capabilities. It's the opinion that additional techniques and algorithms to be studied connected agricultural issues can provide smart lead to agricultural growth. Finally, mistreatment data processing techniques in agriculture could be a up to date technique to search out the answer over the normal and traditional technique. Key Words-K-Means (KNN), Support Vector Machine, Artificial Neural Network, Yield Estimation
A Comprehensive Preclinical Model Evaluating the Recombinant PRAME Antigen Combined With the AS15 Immunostimulant to Fight Against PRAME-expressing Tumors

The PRAME tumor antigen is a potential target for immunotherapy. We assessed the immunogenicity, the antitumor activity, and the safety and the tolerability of a recombinant PRAME protein (recPRAME) combined with the AS15 immunostimulant (recPRAME+AS15) in preclinical studies in mice and Cynomolgus monkeys. Four groups of 12 CB6F1 mice received 4 injections of phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), recPRAME, AS15, or recPRAME+AS15. Immunized mice were injected with tumor cells expressing PRAME (CT26-PRAME) 2 weeks or 2 months after the last injection. The mean tumor surface was measured twice a week. Two groups of 10 monkeys received 7 injections of saline or recPRAME+AS15. T-cell responses were measured by flow cytometry using intracellular cytokine staining (ICS). In CB6F1 mice, repeated injections of recPRAME+AS15 induced high PRAME-specific antibody titers and mostly CD4+ T cells producing cytokines. This immune response was long-lasting in these animals and was associated with protection against a challenge with PRAME-expressing tumor cells (CT26-PRAME) applied either 2 weeks or 2 months after the last injection; these data indicate the induction of an immune memory. In HLA-A02.01/HLA-DR1 transgenic mice, recPRAME+AS15 induced both CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses, indicating that this antigen can be processed by the human leukocyte antigen and is potentially immunogenic in humans. In addition, a repeated-dose toxicity study in monkeys showed that 7 biweekly injections of recPRAME+AS15 were well tolerated, and induced PRAME-specific antibodies and T cells. In conclusion, these preclinical data indicate that repeated injections of the PRAME cancer immunotherapeutic are immunogenic and have an acceptable safety profile.
Dynamics for biomimetic continuum arms: A modal approach

This paper presents an improved 3D dynamic model based on mode shape functions for biomimetic continuum robotic arms intended for underwater operation. It is an extension to the dynamic model proposed in the author's previous work to incorporate angular moments and hydrodynamic forces such as buoyancy, lift, and drag. The proposed model is based on an accurate kinematic model and gives an enhanced insight into practical mechanics. Also, it can be generalized for any variable length continuum arm to include external forces. A feedback control structure in the joint space is also implemented for increased performance of the continuum arm. Numerical results demonstrate underwater effects for spatial bending and pure elongations/contractions. The model carefully accounts for mechanical constraints in the joint space to yield physically accurate results.
Stochastic Optimization of the Highland Lakes System in Texas

A multistage stochastic optimization model using linear programming was developed to provide planning tools for Lower Colorado River Authority in the operation of the Highland Lakes system, as well as a framework for examining the operation of four irrigation districts. Three primary objectives were maximized in the model: (1) Revenues from rice production, (2) recreation benefits associated with lake use, and (3) revenues from hydropower generation. The model includes stochastic inflows, weather-dependent irrigation demands, an interruptible contract decision function, a reservoir space rule to balance storage volumes between reservoirs, hydropower production, municipal and irrigation return flows, and bay and estuary inflow requirements. Model weights and coefficients were calibrated to reflect actual market prices and economic constraints, or to represent water management priorities. Stochastic optimization is used to account for meteorological uncertainty using representative inflow scenarios. Considering the uncertainty in the inflows, the model predicts optimum acreage levels, reservoir storage levels, reservoir releases, and other decisions, to maximize total expected benefits in the system.
Title Loss of air sacs improved hominin speech abilities Corresponding

In this paper, the acoustic-perceptual effects of air sacs are investigated. Using an adaptive hearing experiment it is shown that air sacs reduce the perceptual effect of vowel-like articulations. Air sacs are a feature of the vocal tract of all great apes, except humans. Because presence or absence of air sacs is correlated with the anatomy of the hyoid bone, a probable minimal and maximal date of the loss of air sacs can be estimated from fossil hyoid bones: Australopithecus afarensis did still have air sacs about 3.3 Myr ago, while Homo heidelbergensis, some 600 kyr ago and Homo neandethalensis some 60 kyr ago, did no longer. The reduced distinctiveness of articulations produced with an air sac is in line with the hypothesis that air sacs were selected against because of the evolution of complex vocal communication. This relation between complex vocal communication and fossil evidence may help to get a firmer estimate of when speech first evolved.
On Some Asymptotic Properties of Learning Automaton Networks

In this report, we analyze the collective behavior of learning automata which are used in a programming language under development that combines reinforcement learning and symbolic programming [2, 6]. Learning automata can automatically improve their behavior by using a response from a random stationary environment, but when connected with each other, their behavior becomes much complex and hard to analyze. We analyzed a class of learning automaton networks and proved that they eventually take the most rewarding action with probability one when they use an appropriately decaying learning rate.
TERMINATION OUTCOMES OF HIGH-TECH ALLIANCES: BRIDGING FIRM- AND TRANSACTION-SPECIFIC ANTECEDENTS

This paper examines how alliance experience accumulation at the parent firm level and alliance features at the transaction level jointly and interactively shape the termination outcomes of high-tech collaborative agreements. We draw upon the knowledge-based view of the firm and work on governance design to differentiate alliance termination outcomes, investigate where favorable terminations occur, and evaluate factors from multiple levels of analysis affecting alliance dynamics. The evidence suggests that partner-specific experience is beneficial for non-equity alliances affording less control than equity structures as this experience facilitates the development of inter-partner routines. Broad-based collaborative experience and alliance experience in a technological domain do not affect how alliances end, however. The findings also indicate that alliance complexity and how parent firms assign responsibilities among themselves influence alliance termination outcomes.
Growth trajectory influences temperature preference in fish through an effect on metabolic rate

Most animals experience temperature variations as they move through the environment. For ectotherms, in particular, temperature has a strong influence on habitat choice. While well studied at the species level, less is known about factors affecting the preferred temperature of individuals; especially lacking is information on how physiological traits are linked to thermal preference and whether such relationships are affected by factors such feeding history and growth trajectory. This study examined these issues in the common minnow Phoxinus phoxinus, to determine the extent to which feeding history, standard metabolic rate (SMR) and aerobic scope (AS), interact to affect temperature preference. Individuals were either: 1) food deprived (FD) for 21 days, then fed ad libitum for the next 74 days; or 2) fed ad libitum throughout the entire period. All animals were then allowed to select preferred temperatures using a shuttle-box, and then measured for SMR and AS at 10 °C, estimated by rates of oxygen uptake. Activity within the shuttle-box under a constant temperature regime was also measured. In both FD and control fish, SMR was negatively correlated with preferred temperature. The SMR of the FD fish was increased compared with the controls, probably due to the effects of compensatory growth, and so these growth-compensated fish preferred temperatures that were on average 2·85 °C cooler than controls fed a maintenance ration throughout the study. Fish experiencing compensatory growth also displayed a large reduction in activity. In growth-compensated fish and controls, activity measured at 10 °C was positively correlated with preferred temperature. Individual fish prefer temperatures that vary predictably with SMR and activity level, which are both plastic in response to feeding history and growth trajectories. Cooler temperatures probably allow individuals to reduce maintenance costs and divert more energy towards growth. A reduction in SMR at cooler temperatures, coupled with a decrease in spontaneous activity, could also allow individuals to increase surplus AS for coping with environmental stressors. In warming climates, however, aquatic ectotherms could experience frequent fluctuations in food supply with long-lasting effects on metabolic rate due to compensatory growth, while simultaneously having limited access to preferred cooler habitats.
Mumps Serum Antibody Levels Before and After an Outbreak to Assess Infection and Immunity in Vaccinated Students

Background Since 2009, various mumps outbreaks have occurred in the Netherlands, affecting mostly young adults vaccinated against mumps. In this retrospective study, we estimated attack rates for symptomatic and asymptomatic mumps virus infection based on mumps-specific immunoglobulin (Ig)G concentrations in paired blood samples obtained before and after the mumps outbreaks, collected in 2 university cities. We aimed to identify a serological correlate of immune protection and risk factors for mumps virus infection. Methods Mumps-specific IgG levels were measured by Luminex technology in paired pre- and post-outbreak samples from students from Leiden (n = 135) and Utrecht (n = 619). Persons with a 4-fold increase in mumps IgG concentrations or mumps IgG concentrations >1500 RU/mL were assumed to have had a mumps virus infection. Results Attack rates for symptomatic and asymptomatic mumps virus infection were 2.0% and 3.8%, respectively. Pre-outbreak mumps-specific IgG concentrations were lower among cases than among noncases (P = .005) despite vaccination history, but no serological cutoff for immune protection could be established. Mumps among housemates was significantly associated with serological evidence for mumps virus infection (odds ratio, 7.25 [95% confidence interval, 3.20–16.40]; P < .001). Conclusions Symptomatic and asymptomatic mumps virus infections in vaccinated persons can be identified by retrospective assessment of mumps-specific IgG antibodies in blood samples.
Exploiting FrameNet for Content-Based Book Recommendation

Adding semantic knowledge to a content-based recommender helps to better understand the items and user representations. Most recent research has focused on examining the added value of adding semantic features based on structured web data, in particular Linked Open Data (LOD). In this paper, we focus in contrast on semantic feature construction from text, by incorporating features based on semantic frames into a book recommendation classifier. To this purpose we leverage the semantic frames based on parsing the plots of the items under consideration with a state-of-the-art semantic parser. By investigating this type of semantic information, we show that these frames are also able to represent information about a particular book, but without the need of having explicitly structured data describing the books available. We reveal that exploiting frame information outperforms a basic bag-of-words approach and that especially the words relating to those frames are beneficial for classification. In a final step we compare and combine our system with the LOD features from a system leveraging DBpedia as knowledge resource. We show that both approaches yield similar results and reveal that combining semantic information from these two different sources might even be beneficial.
A prospective study of the association between endogenous hormones and depressive symptoms in postmenopausal women

Objective: Across a woman's lifetime, variations in hormone levels are known to influence mood and well-being. Whether absolute or changes in hormone levels over time are associated with depression among postmenopausal women remains unclear. Methods: The Melbourne Women's Midlife Health Project is a longitudinal population-based study of women who were followed through the menopausal transition. This analysis is based on data collected from 138 postmenopausal women in years 11 and 13 of the study, who were assessed for the presence of depressive symptoms using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Logistic regression models were developed to determine whether absolute or changes in hormone levels were associated with depression. Results: No significant associations were found between depressive symptoms and the absolute levels of sex hormone-binding globulin, testosterone, free androgen index, estradiol, free estradiol, or follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). On the other hand, women with a decline in total serum estradiol over the 2-year period had a more than threefold increased risk of depressive symptoms (odds ratio, 3.5; 95% CI, 1.2-9.9). A large increase in FSH levels over this period was also associated with depressive symptoms (odds ratio, 2.6; 95% CI, 1.0-6.7). These associations remained even after adjustment for initial depression score, as well as a range of potential confounding factors. Conclusions: Changes in estradiol and, to a lesser extent, in FSH levels are associated with an increased risk of depressive symptoms in postmenopausal women. These results further support a role for fluctuating rather than absolute hormone levels in depression in later life.
How much complexity is warranted in a rainfall‐runoff model?

Development of mathematical models relating the precipitation incident upon a catchment to the streamflow emanating from the catchment has been a major focus of surface water hydrology for decades. Generally, values for parameters in such models must be selected so that runoff calculated from the model “matches” recorded runoff from some historical period. Despite the fact that the physics governing the path of a drop of water through a catchment to the stream involves complex relationships, evidence indicates that the information content in a rainfall-runoff record is sufficient to support models of only very limited complexity. This begs the question of what limits the observed data place on the allowable complexity of rainfall-runoff models. Time series techniques are applied for estimating transfer functions to determine how many parameters are appropriate to describe the relationship between precipitation and streamflow in the case where data on only precipitation, air temperature, and streamflow are available. Statistics from an “information matrix” provide the clues necessary for determining allowable model complexity. Time series models are developed for seven catchments with widely varying physical characteristics in different temperate climatic regimes to demonstrate the method. It is found that after modulating the measured rainfall using a nonlinear loss function, the rainfall-runoff response of all catchments is well represented using a linear model. Also, for all catchments a two-component linear model with four parameters is the model of choice. The two components can be interpreted as defining a “quick flow” and “slow flow” response of the given catchment. The method therefore provides a statistically rigorous way to separate hydrographs and parameterize their response behavior. The ability to construct reliable transfer function models for describing the rainfall-runoff process offers a new approach to investigate empirically the controls of physical catchment descriptors, land use change, climate change, etc., on the dynamic response of catchments through the extensive analysis of historical data sets.
Latin America: variability and persistence in commodity prices

This article describes variability and persistence in the real prices of Latin America’s main export commodities. The results of this research show that real price index series for a large majority of commodities display high persistence to shocks; and, as they repeatedly suffer both positive and negative shocks, all commodities display multiple cycles. The rising price phase that began in the early 2000s differed from previous upswings in terms of its duration, nature and the number of products involved. As this is a just one cycle, however, it is impossible to claim that a definitive change has occurred in the cyclical pattern of commodity price series. KEYWORDS
A theoretical framework toward implementing and sustaining middle and early college high schools

"This study addresses the growing interest in middle and early college high schools as a tool of reform to transform the philosophy and structure of the traditional high school. The following questions guided this study: 1) What is the set of core factors that tend to permeate successful middle and early college high school initiatives, and 2) What is the effect of these core factors in implementing and sustaining middle and early college high schools? Three approaches were used to answer these questions. First, the literature was analyzed to determine if core factors could be defined from existing research and other sources about middle and early colleges. The result was a coherent set of factors along philosophical grounds fashioned into a theoretical framework that was developed and discussed in-depth. Then, selected North Carolina middle and early college high schools were evaluated and briefly profiled with the core factors in mind. This dissertation focuses upon North Carolina because of its high level of middle and early college high school activity in recent years. This work concludes that evidence from middle and early colleges supports the assertion that the theoretical framework defined herein can positively affect the implementation and sustainability of such high schools. As the middle and early college concepts proliferate as responses to failing high schools, this study increases in significance and invites further study of what enhances success for such schools. "--Abstract from author supplied metadata.
Validity of Bioelectrical Impedance Measurement in Predicting Fat-Free Mass of Chinese Children and Adolescents

Background The current study aimed to examine the validity of various published bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) equations in estimating FFM among Chinese children and adolescents and to develop BIA equations for the estimation of fat-free mass (FFM) appropriate for Chinese children and adolescents. Material/Methods A total of 255 healthy Chinese children and adolescents aged 9 to 19 years old (127 males and 128 females) from Tianjin, China, participated in the BIA measurement at 50 kHz between the hand and the foot. The criterion measure of FFM was also employed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). FFM estimated from 24 published BIA equations was cross-validated against the criterion measure from DEXA. Multiple linear regression was conducted to examine alternative BIA equation for the studied population. Results FFM estimated from the 24 published BIA equations yielded high correlations with the directly measured FFM from DEXA. However, none of the 24 equations was statistically equivalent with the DEXA-measured FFM. Using multiple linear regression and cross-validation against DEXA measurement, an alternative prediction equation was determined as follows: FFM (kg)=1.613+0.742×height (cm)2/impedance (Ω)+0.151×body weight (kg); R2=0.95; SEE=2.45kg; CV=6.5, 93.7% of the residuals of all the participants fell within the 95% limits of agreement. Conclusions BIA was highly correlated with FFM in Chinese children and adolescents. When the new developed BIA equations are applied, BIA can provide a practical and valid measurement of body composition in Chinese children and adolescents.