Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Information theory based medical images processing

Increasing application of non-invasive medical techniques (like stereotactic radiosurgery) generates a high demand for modern image processing algorithms. Image registration and segmentation are the two essential examples of this. The algorithms need to be reasonably fast, reliable, accurate, and highly automated. Information theory provides a means to create such systems. In this paper we present thresholding segmentation using image entropy and a registration technique based on maximization of mutual information. Then we show some experimental results using real-world computed tomography (CT) and medical resonance imaging (MRI) data.
Determinants of Quality of Life in Stroke Survivors and Their Informal Caregivers

Background and Purpose— We examined longitudinal changes of quality of life (QOL) covering physical and mental factors in an unselected group of stroke patients and their informal caregivers. Our hypothesis was that informal caregivers would have better QOL than patients at both follow-ups, and that changes, if any, would be related to the patients’ status. Methods— QOL of 304 consecutive stroke patients and their 234 informal caregivers from the population-based Lund Stroke Register was assessed 4 months after stroke onset with the Short Form 36 (SF-36) questionnaire. SF-36 was repeated for both groups after 16 months together with Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-20) for patients. Results— The patients’ mean QOL scores improved between 4 and 16 months after stroke in the socio-emotional and mental SF-36 domains and decreased in the domain physical function. Multivariate analyses showed that the patients’ most important determinants of QOL after 16 months were GDS-20 score, functional status, age, and gender. Informal caregivers had better QOL than patients except for the domain role emotional and the mental component summary. The caregivers’ most important determinants of QOL were their own age and the patients’ functional status. Conclusions— Our study highlights depressive symptoms in determining QOL of stroke patients. Despite self-perceived deterioration in physical function over time, several other components of QOL improved, suggesting internal adaptation to changes in their life situations. Informal caregivers of stroke patients may be under considerable strain as suggested by their lower emotional–mental scores.
Specific cardiolipin binding interferes with labeling of sulfhydryl residues in the adenosine diphosphate/adenosine triphosphate carrier protein from beef heart mitochondria.

The interaction of cardiolipin with the isolated ADP/ATP carrier protein from beef heart mitochondria has been studied by means of the unmasking of a single cysteinyl residue, Cys56, which accompanies the conformational transition of the protein [Leblanc, P., & Clauser, H, (1972) FEBS Lett. 23, 107-113]. The unmasking was monitored by using the static fluorescence of the sulfhydryl reagent N-(1-pyrenyl)maleimide (PYM). The rate of PYM binding that was observed after initiation of the conformational transition by ADP was drastically reduced in the presence of cardiolipin (CL). Phospholipids other than CL were much less effective. It can be shown that the conformational transition and the binding reaction are both affected by CL, although to varying extents. An enhancement of the rate of the ADP-dependent PYM binding was observed upon digestion of the protein bound phospholipid by phospholipase A2. The phospholipase treatment also led to an increased ADP-independent PYM binding, thus indicating that the ADP control of the carrier transition was gradually lost. The ADP control could be fully restored through the addition of CL, provided that the phospholipase incubation had been terminated after approximately 1 h. These results will be discussed in relation to an earlier report of tight cardiolipin binding [Beyer, K. , & Klingenberg, M. (1985) Biochemistry 24, 3821-3826] and to current structural models of the ADP/ATP carrier protein.
Optimal Incentive-Compatible Priority Pricing for the M/M/1 Queue

Consider a system that is modeled as an M/M/1 queueing system with multiple user classes. Each class is characterized by its delay cost per unit of time, its expected service time and its demand function. This paper derives a pricing mechanism which is optimal and incentive-compatible in the sense that the arrival rates and execution priorities jointly maximize the expected net value of the system while being determined, on a decentralized basis, by individual users. A closed-form expression for the resulting price structure is presented and studied.
Traits, genes, particles and information: re‐visiting students’ understandings of genetics

Findings from a study of 10 German students aged 15–19, using problem‐centred interviews, suggest that many students hold an ‘everyday’ conception of genes as small, trait‐bearing, particles. Analysis of this notion identified a number of ways in which such a view might restrict the ability of students to develop an understanding of the scientific explanation. For example, if genes are equated with trait there is no clear distinction between genotype and phenotype, and hence little need to consider a mechanism by which a gene could be expressed in the phenotype. This everyday perspective provided a plausible explanation of the difficulties and misconceptions found, after formal teaching of genetics, in a survey of 482 English students aged 14–16 based on written questions and interviews. Drawing on this analysis, an approach to teaching genetics and inheritance that takes account of students' everyday views is suggested.
Mycobacteria Counteract a TLR-Mediated Nitrosative Defense Mechanism in a Zebrafish Infection Model

Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), caused by the intracellular bacterial pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), is a major world health problem. The production of reactive nitrogen species (RNS) is a potent cytostatic and cytotoxic defense mechanism against intracellular pathogens. Nevertheless, the protective role of RNS during Mtb infection remains controversial. Here we use an anti-nitrotyrosine antibody as a readout to study nitration output by the zebrafish host during early mycobacterial pathogenesis. We found that recognition of Mycobacterium marinum, a close relative of Mtb, was sufficient to induce a nitrosative defense mechanism in a manner dependent on MyD88, the central adaptor protein in Toll like receptor (TLR) mediated pathogen recognition. However, this host response was attenuated by mycobacteria via a virulence mechanism independent of the well-characterized RD1 virulence locus. Our results indicate a mechanism of pathogenic mycobacteria to circumvent host defense in vivo. Shifting the balance of host-pathogen interactions in favor of the host by targeting this virulence mechanism may help to alleviate the problem of infection with Mtb strains that are resistant to multiple drug treatments.
Neuropeptides and inflammatory bowel disease

Purpose of review Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic intestinal inflammatory condition, the pathophysiology of which is not well understood. It has, however, become increasingly evident that interactions between the enteric nervous system and the immune system play an important role in the cause of IBD. Both the enteric nervous system and the central nervous system can amplify or modulate the aspects of intestinal inflammation through secretion of neuropeptides or small molecules. The purpose of this study is to present recent data on the role that neuropeptides play in the pathophysiology of IBD. Recent findings The best studied of the neuropeptides thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of IBD include substance P, corticotropin-releasing hormone, neurotensin, and vasoactive intestinal peptide; small molecules include acetylcholine and serotonin. Recently discovered functions of each of these neuropeptides with a discussion of implications of the data for therapy are reviewed. Summary Although the available data suggest an important role for neuropeptides in the pathophysiology of intestinal inflammation, there does yet not appear to be a function that can be taken as established for any of these molecules. The complexity of neuroimmune–endocrine systems, conflicting study results and dual mechanisms of action, warrant further research in this field. Clarification of the molecular mechanisms of action of neuropeptides and on immune and inflammatory reactions will likely yield new treatment options in the future.
Static evaluation of software architectures

The software architecture is one of the most crucial artifacts within the lifecycle of a software system. Decisions made at the architectural level directly enable, facilitate, hamper, or interfere with the achievement of business goals, functional and quality requirements. Architecture evaluations play an important role in the development and evolution of software systems since they determine how adequate the architecture is for its intended usage. This paper summarizes our practical experience with using architecture evaluations and gives an overview on when and how static architecture evaluations contribute to architecture development. We identify ten distinct purposes and needs for static architecture evaluations and illustrate them using a set of industrial and academic case studies. In particular, we show how subsequent steps in architecture development are influenced by the results from architecture evaluations
Feature Extraction and Integration Underlying Perceptual Decision Making during Courtship Behavior

Traditionally, perceptual decision making is studied in trained animals and carefully controlled tasks. Here, we sought to elucidate the stimulus features and their combination underlying a naturalistic behavior—female decision making during acoustic courtship in grasshoppers. Using behavioral data, we developed a model in which stimulus features were extracted by physiologically plausible models of sensory neurons from the time-varying stimulus. This sensory evidence was integrated over the stimulus duration and combined to predict the behavior. We show that decisions were determined by the interaction of an excitatory and a suppressive stimulus feature. The observed increase of behavioral response with stimulus intensity was the result of an increase of the excitatory feature's gain that was not controlled by an equivalent increase of the suppressive feature. Differences in how these two features were combined could explain interindividual variability. In addition, the mapping between the two stimulus features and different parameters of the song led us to re-evaluate the cues underlying acoustic communication. Our framework provided a rich and plausible explanation of behavior in terms of two stimulus cues that were extracted by models of sensory neurons and combined through excitatory–inhibitory interactions. We thus were able to link single neuron's feature selectivity and network computations with decision making in a natural task. This data-driven approach has the potential to advance our understanding of decision making in other systems and can inform the search for the neural correlates of behavior.
Commentary: Innovation and Stability within the Dialogical Self: The Centrality of Ambivalence

This commentary focuses on Ligorio’s (2010) and O’Sullivan-Lago and de Abreu’s (2010) work as an opportunity to elaborate upon discontinuity emergence and continuity restoration within the Dialogical Self. We depart from the pair rupture—transition as a unit of analysis for understanding the flow of change within the Dialogical Self and the centrality of ambivalence as a development catalyser to focus on the way change and maintenance of problematic self-narratives in psychotherapy are pictured by the innovative moments model. We have argued that innovative moments (or i-moments) can be understood as episodes of rupture or discontinuity, since they challenge a person’s usual way of understanding and experiencing (i.e., the problematic narrative), generating ambivalence or uncertainty. We have suggested that avoiding this ambivalence, by means of semiotic attenuation of i-moments, can foster the maintenance of the problematic self narrative. In fact, when ambivalence is not overcome, i-moments and the problematic narrative may establish a cyclical relation throughout the therapeutic process, blocking the self’s development.
Interpreting industrial dynamics twenty years after Nelson and Winter's Evolutionary Theory of Economic Change: a preface

This Special Issue of Industrial and Corporate Change presents a selection of papers whose earlier drafts were presented at the Conference held at DRUID, Alborg, Denmark (June 2001) for the (almost) twentieth anniversary of the publication of An Evolutionary Theory of Economic Change by Richard Nelson and Sidney Winter. The papers are centered around a key theme: the understanding of the multiple facets of industrial dynamics and evolution inspired in different ways by the seminal Nelson and Winter book. A complementary Special Issue of Industrial and Corporate Change that will be focused more on organizational and institutional change is scheduled for the year 2003. After around twenty years, and after a rapid growth in the literature invoking evolutionary interpretations of quite a few economic phenomena, it is now possible to take stock of advances, dead ends and agendas ahead. The ‘evolutionary research program’ has been utterly ambitious from the very start (cf. Nelson and Winter, 1982; Dosi et al., 1988). The time is ripe to undertake an assessment of the achievements over the last couple of decades. One may think of three major evaluation criteria:
Teaching about Augustine: Providing a Scaffolding for Learning

Abstract This paper acknowledges that many young adults today have poor content knowledge in theology and related fields. It argues that one way of addressing this is to teach more explicitly about seminal thinkers and their ideas as part of an integrated approach to religious education. One such figure is Augustine, a thinker of immense significance in the Christian tradition. By being familiar with the ideas of Augustine, students are more able to understand religious claims and to facilitate higher learning. Using a Vygotskian paradigm a number of suggestions are made on how best to teach Augustinian themes. These ideas rest on the concept of scaffolding of learning.
Meson spectroscopy from holomorphic probes on the warped deformed conifold

We study D7 brane probes holomorphically embedded in the Klebanov-Strassler model. Analyzing the κ-symmetry condition for D7 branes wrapping a 4-cycle of a deformed conifold we find configurations that do not break = 1 supersymmetry of the background. We compute the fluctuations of the probe around one of these configurations and obtain the spectrum of vector and scalar flavored mesons in the dual gauge theory. The spectrum is discrete and exhibits a mass gap.
Recovering Causal Effects from Selection Bias

Controlling for selection and confounding biases are two of the most challenging problems that appear in data analysis in the empirical sciences as well as in artificial intelligence tasks. The combination of previously studied methods for each of these biases in isolation is not directly applicable to certain non-trivial cases in which selection and confounding biases are simultaneously present. In this paper, we tackle these instances non-parametrically and in full generality. We provide graphical and algorithmic conditions for recoverability of interventional distributions for when selection and confounding biases are both present. Our treatment completely characterizes the class of causal effects that are recoverable in Markovian models, and is suffi- cient for Semi-Markovian models.
Frequency and neighborhood effects on lexical access: Activation or search?

Les effets de la taille du voisinage des mots (nombre de mots que l'on peut creer en modifiant une lettre d'un mot) sur la performance, dans des tâches de decision lexicale (LDT) sont etudies en relation avec la frequence d'emploi des mots, a travers quatre experiences
Three-dimensional image formation under single-photon ultra-short pulsed illumination

The major thrust of modern day fluorescence laser-scanning microscopy have been towards achieving better and better depth resolution embodied by the invention and subsequent development of confocal and multi-photon microscopic techniques. However, each method bears its own limitations: in having sufficient background fluorescence and photodamage resulting from out-of-focus illumination for the former, while low multi-photon absorption cross-sections of common fluorophores for the latter. Here we show how the intelligent choice of single-photon ultrashort pulsed illumination can circumvent all these shortcomings by exemplifying the tiny spatial stretch of an ultrashort pulse. Besides achieving a novel way of optical sectioning, this new method offers improved signal-to-noise ratio as well as reduced photo-damage which are crucial for live cell imaging under prolonged exposure to light.
End-to-end QoS provisioning in 4G with mobile hotspots

The novel concept of mobile hotspots, characterized by a group of wireless users equipped with wireless LAN cards, moving as a whole and requiring Internet connectivity, is gaining the interest of the telecommunications research community. This article intends to contribute to this research topic by proposing alternative solutions for the deployment of a mobile gateway device offering 3G connectivity to the group of WLAN users while they are moving. This is a decisive aspect of the 3G migration to 4G networks. The proposed solutions allow for two-hop wireless paths between WLAN and 3G systems, and performing control over-high layer issues, specifically focusing on end-to-end QoS provisioning. The pros and cons of envisaged design solutions are addressed and their relevance justified considering purposes, target users, and applications.
Visuelle Informationsdarstellung in Smart Environments

The visual representation of information has become a well-established tool for data analysis. So far, such representations have generally been created for a specific output device. Nowadays, multi-display environments like smart ad-hoc environments see increasing use for data analysis activities. They are characterised by autonomous actions and a dynamic set of used devices. These properties present a major challenge since visual output must be adapted to different devices on-the-fly. This dissertation’s objective is therefore to develop solutions for adaptive information visualisation in smart ad-hoc environments with particular regard to the device set’s dynamic. This primarily requires several adaption mechanisms to adapt the generating process of a visual representation according to the requirements of different output devices. The mechanisms proposed in this thesis are based on an operator pipeline model of the generation process. To select appropriate adaption mechanisms for data space, visual mapping or view space – corresponding to subsequent pipeline stages –, a concept for a suitable decision tree has been developed. Using the operator pipeline model, adaption can be performed on the entire visual representation or only within a locally constrained region. The latter is enabled by the concept of Smart Lenses. Smart Lenses can be seen as pluggable filters that allow to locally modify the representation generation process on all pipeline stages, whereas complex modifications can be attained by combination of several simple lenses. Thus smart lenses are a highly flexible tool for local adaption. Furthermore, spatial and temporal adaption can be distinguished. As a representative for temporal adaption, progressive information visualisation was examined. Thereby, different output devices process and show only as much data as they can display effectively. To substantiate the practical applicability of the proposed concepts, a framework based on service-oriented architecture was developed. This framework accounts for the devices’ ad-hoc properties, thus facilitating on-the-fly adaptation of visual representations to various devices in a smart ad-hoc environment. Key-Words: Information Visualization, Smart ad hoc Environments, ServiceOriented Architecture, Device Adaptation, Multi-Display-Environment
Atrial fibrillation post cardiac bypass surgery

Abstract Atrial fibrillation occurs in 5-40% patients after coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Atrial fibrillation increases mortality and morbidity in the post-operative period. We sought to conduct a comprehensive review of literature focusing on pathophysiology, risk factors, prevention and treatment of post coronary artery bypass graft atrial fibrillation.
A Universal Algorithm for Identifying Causes

A general causal-search canon is presented which, applied to dichotomous data, identifies causes composed of single or multiple factors, extracts maximal information from positive and negative cases, provides refined estimates as cases and variables are processed, and indicates omitted factors. Applications range from clarifying the logic of causality and causal searches in instructional settings to the analysis of research data.
MELISSA: Towards Automated Detection of Undesirable User Actions in Critical Infrastructures

We address the detection of process-related threats in control systems used in critical infrastructures. Process-related threats take place when an attacker gains user access rights and performs actions, which look legitimate, but which are intended to disrupt the industrial process. We use logs to detect anomalous patterns of user actions on process control application. A preliminary case study suggests that our approach is effective in detecting anomalous events that might alter the regular process workflow.
To Find an African Witch

This article critically examines the emergent anthropological analytic that situates African witchcraft within modernity, global capitalism and state structures. Despite the contrast the authors of this analytic make with what theycall the older anthropological analytic that viewed witchcraft as a sign of traditional African social organization, I suggest that both approaches neglect the various social projects, social identities and power relations involved in witchcraft, including those surrounding anthropology as a discipline. I elaborate this point through discussing some of the overlapping and contesting forms of authority, including my own as anthropologist, involved in a witch-finding exercise that took place in the early 1990s on commercial farms and Communal Lands in Hurungwe District, northwestern Zimbabwe.
Child maltreatment: how can friends contribute to safety?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of a study of support received by 60 young adults who experienced sexual, physical or emotional abuse and neglect in childhood. It is focussed on the support provided by friends in particular, and draws out relevant learning for child sexual exploitation (CSE). Design/methodology/approach – In all, 60 young people completed a questionnaire, complemented by a two hour follow-up interview to explore experiences of formal and informal support in disclosing abuse. In total, 13 young people were recruited on the basis of their prior participation in a larger, associated study of child abuse and neglect, with the remainder recruited via open invitation. Findings – There is rich information in the interviews about the ways that friends provided support to participants. Friends provided practical, moral and emotional support. They intervened to keep their friends safe. They offered emotional “escape” and a conduit to adults who could help keep them sa.