Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ignoring discards biases the assessment of fisheries' ecological fingerprint

Understanding the pressures of fisheries on the ecosystem is crucial for effective management. Fishery removals, or catch, are composed of both landings and discards. However, the use of discards data in studies investigating the effect of the fishing pressures is sparse. Here, we explore the individual contribution of both these catch components to the overall pressure of fisheries on the ecosystem metrics. Using Irish observer data, we compare the linear relationship between several ecological metrics calculated for landings and discards with those of catch. Our results show that in fisheries with high discarding rates, discards can drive the fisheries’ ecological fingerprint and highlight the need to rectify landings-based estimates to make them representative of those of catch in order to gain a robust picture of the impact of fisheries.
Assault characteristics and posttraumatic stress disorder in rape victims

A diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) encompasses several of the symptoms associated with the response to rape. The object of this study was to determine the incidence of PTSD among 51 rape victims and to compare the groups with and without PTSD with respect to the characteristics of the assaults. The results showed that 70% of the victims had PTSD and further suggested that PTSD was likely to be a long‐term problem for these women. The results supported the view that psychological treatment approaches to rape victims should take into account the posttraumatic nature of the response. The incidence of rapes by strangers, of physical force being used, of weapons being displayed and of injuries being sustained by the victim were all higher in the group of women who had PTSD. These are all features that can be readily identified in the initial assessment of the rape victim and may help to identify the victims at risk of developing long‐term psychological sequelae after rape. Appropriate therapeutic action taken early may influence the prognosis for a significant proportion of rape victims.
Pancreatic cancer spheres are more than just aggregates of stem marker-positive cells

Pancreatic cancer stem-like cells are described by membrane expression of CD24, CD44 and ESA (epithelial-specific antigen) and their capacity to grow as spheres in a serum-free medium containing well-defined growth factors. The capacity of a panel of four pancreatic cancer cell lines (PANC-1, CFPAC-1, PancTu-1 and PSN-1) to form spheres was tested. All cell lines with the exception of PancTu-1 developed spheres. Phenotypically, the sphere-growing cells showed an increased in vitro invasion capability. Both gene and protein expressions of markers of metastases [CXCR4 (CXC chemokine receptor 4), OPN (osteopontin) and CD44v6] and components of active hedgehog pathway signalling were assessed. Spheres clearly demonstrated increased expression of the above-mentioned markers when compared with their adherent counterpart. With the aim of identifying a minimum set of markers able to separate cells that have the capacity to form spheres from those incapable of forming spheres, a PCA (principal component analysis) of the multidimensional dataset was performed. Although PCA of the ‘accepted’ stemness genes was unable to separate sphere-forming from sphere-incapable cell lines, the addition of the ‘aggressiveness’ marker CD44v6 allowed a clear differentiation. Moreover, inoculation of the spheres and the adherent cells in vivo confirmed the superior aggressiveness (proliferation and metastasis) of the spheres over the adherent cells. In conclusion, the present study suggests that the sphere-growing cell population is not only composed of cells displaying classical stem membrane markers but also needs CD44v6-positive cells to successfully form spheres. Our results also emphasize the potential therapeutic importance of pathways such as CXCR4 and hedgehog for pancreatic cancer treatment.
Autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1 and NALP5, a parathyroid autoantigen.

BACKGROUND Autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1 (APS-1) is a multiorgan autoimmune disorder caused by mutations in AIRE, the autoimmune regulator gene. Though recent studies concerning AIRE deficiency have begun to elucidate the molecular pathogenesis of organ-specific autoimmunity in patients with APS-1, the autoantigen responsible for hypoparathyroidism, a hallmark of APS-1 and its most common autoimmune endocrinopathy, has not yet been identified. METHODS We performed immunoscreening of a human parathyroid complementary DNA library, using serum samples from patients with APS-1 and hypoparathyroidism, to identify patients with reactivity to the NACHT leucine-rich-repeat protein 5 (NALP5). Subsequently, serum samples from 87 patients with APS-1 and 293 controls, including patients with other autoimmune disorders, were used to determine the frequency and specificity of autoantibodies against NALP5. In addition, the expression of NALP5 was investigated in various tissues. RESULTS NALP5-specific autoantibodies were detected in 49% of the patients with APS-1 and hypoparathyroidism but were absent in all patients with APS-1 but without hypoparathyroidism, in all patients with other autoimmune endocrine disorders, and in all healthy controls. NALP5 was predominantly expressed in the cytoplasm of parathyroid chief cells. CONCLUSIONS NALP5 appears to be a tissue-specific autoantigen involved in hypoparathyroidism in patients with APS-1. Autoantibodies against NALP5 appear to be highly specific and may be diagnostic for this prominent component of APS-1.
2010 Report on Distributed Denial of Service (DDos) Attacks

Our research begins with the idea that Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) is an increasingly common Internet phenomenon and is capable of silencing Internet speech, usually for a brief interval but occasionally for longer. We explore the specific phenomenon of DDoS attacks on independent media and human rights organizations, seeking to understand the nature and frequency of these attacks, their efficacy, and the responses available to sites under attack. Our report offers advice to independent media and human rights sites likely to be targeted by DDoS but comes to the uncomfortable conclusion that there is no easy solution to these attacks for many of these sites, particularly for attacks that exhaust network bandwidth.
Salience Preserving Image Fusion with Dynamic Range Compression

Gradient conveys important salient features in images. Traditional fusion methods based on gradient generally treat gradients from multichannels as a multi-valued vector, and compute its global statistics under the assumption of identical distribution. However, different source channels may reflect different important salient features, and their gradients are basically non-identically distributed. This prevents existing methods from successful salience preservation. In this paper, we propose to fuse the gradients from multi-channels in the concept of saliency. We first measure the salience map of each channel's gradient, and then use their saliency to weight their contribution in computing the global statistics. Gradients with high saliency are properly highlighted in the target gradient, and thereby salient features in the sources are well preserved. Furthermore, we handle the dynamic range problem by applying range compression on the target gradient, and thereby halo effect is effectively reduced.
Joint Diversity- and Rate-Control for Video Transmission on Multi-Antenna Channels

Video transmitted over fading wireless channels incurs both encoder-induced distortion and distortion caused by transmission errors. To address these problems, we propose a framework to transmit video reliably over a multi-antenna wireless system. No assumptions are made about specific video-coding standards, except that the encoder employs some variation of motion-compensated block-transform coding. To minimize the total distortion, the scheme optimizes the recently- derived diversity and multiplexing trade-off available on multi-antenna systems. Moreover, this is done jointly with loss-aware rate-distortion optimization (LA-RDO) techniques at the video encoder. Besides minimizing distortion, the algorithm also ensures that delay and buffer constraints are satisfied for real-time transport. We show that problem can be modelled as a short sequence of geometric programs. The overall complexity is linear in the number of antennas. Numerical results with H.264-coded video show that the PSNR at the video-decoder can be improved by various amounts, depending on antenna configuration.
Principles of Pediatric Patient Safety: Reducing Harm Due to Medical Care

Pediatricians render care in an increasingly complex environment, which results in multiple opportunities to cause unintended harm. National awareness of patient safety risks has grown since the National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) published its report “To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System” in 1999. Patients and society as a whole continue to challenge health care providers to examine their practices and implement safety solutions. The depth and breadth of harm incurred by the practice of medicine is still being defined as reports continue to reveal a variety of avoidable errors, from those that involve specific high-risk medications to those that are more generalizable, such as patient misidentification and diagnostic error. Pediatric health care providers in all practice environments benefit from having a working knowledge of patient safety language. Pediatric providers should serve as advocates for best practices and policies with the goal of attending to risks that are unique to children, identifying and supporting a culture of safety, and leading efforts to eliminate avoidable harm in any setting in which medical care is rendered to children. In this Policy Statement, we provide an update to the 2011 Policy Statement “Principles of Pediatric Patient Safety: Reducing Harm Due to Medical Care. ”
A prospective study of smoking in young women and risk of later psychiatric hospitalization

Background: It is not known whether smoking is a risk factor for mental disorders. Aims: To investigate the prospective associations between cigarette smoking in pregnant women and a range of psychiatric hospital diagnoses. Method: Using data from the Copenhagen Perinatal Cohort, we followed a cohort of 7926 young women from 1959–61 to 2007, linking data on cigarette smoking with psychiatric admission diagnoses obtained from the Danish Psychiatric Central Register. The women were interviewed by a physician in 1959–61 when data was obtained on smoking and other health related variables. With adjustment for age, social class and psychopharmacological treatment at baseline, the effects of smoking on the risk of (hierarchically ordered) major categories of mental disorders were examined. Results: Significant positive associations were observed between number of cigarettes smoked and schizophrenia spectrum disorder, substance use-related disorder, a broad category of other non-psychotic disorders, and any psychiatric registration. For affective spectrum disorders, there was a significant, but non-linear association. Conclusion: Number of cigarettes smoked in young adulthood significantly predicted a range of psychiatric admission diagnoses and, for most diagnostic categories, evidence of a dose–response relationship was observed.
Diaphragm etching in extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometric fiber optic pressure sensors

In this paper we discuss the development of an online monitoring technique of diaphragm etching through hydrofluoric acid (HF) exposure; the tip of the extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometer (EFPI) under test i s immersed in 20 ml HF. The EFPI i s interrogated by means of a low-cost white-light system, based on a 1550-nm spectrometer that records the Fabry-Perot spectrum at 1 kHz rate. During the HF exposure phase, the diaphragm i s linearly etched at approximately 1.48 μm/min for 48% HF, with smaller etching rates for smaller concentrations; the initial d length, obtained after λ/20 surface polishing, i s usually 7-15 μm and i s reduced to 1.0-1.5 μm.
Computational fluid dynamics modelling of perfusion measurements in dynamic contrast-enhanced computed tomography: development, validation and clinical applications

Dynamic contrast-enhanced computed tomography (DCE-CT) is an imaging tool that aids in evaluating functional characteristics of tissue at different stages of disease management: diagnostic, radiation treatment planning, treatment effectiveness, and monitoring. Clinical validation of DCE-derived perfusion parameters remains an outstanding problem to address prior to perfusion imaging becoming a widespread standard as a non-invasive quantitative measurement tool. One approach to this validation process has been the development of quality assurance phantoms in order to facilitate controlled perfusion ex vivo. However, most of these systems fail to establish and accurately replicate physiologically relevant capillary permeability and exchange performance. The current work presents the first step in the development of a prospective suite of physics-based perfusion simulations based on coupled fluid flow and particle transport phenomena with the goal of enhancing the understanding of clinical contrast agent kinetics. Existing knowledge about a controllable, two-compartmental fluid exchange phantom was used to validate the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation model presented herein. The sensitivity of CFD-derived contrast uptake curves to contrast injection parameters, including injection duration and flow rate, were quantified and found to be within 10% accuracy. The CFD model was employed to evaluate two commonly used clinical kinetic algorithms used to derive perfusion parameters: Fick's principle and the modified Tofts model. Neither kinetic model was able to capture the true transport phenomena it aimed to represent but if the overall contrast concentration after injection remained identical, then successive DCE-CT evaluations could be compared and could indeed reflect differences in regional tissue flow. This study sets the groundwork for future explorations in phantom development and pharmaco-kinetic modelling, as well as the development of novel contrast agents for DCE imaging.
A Review of Design Pattern Mining Techniques

The quality of a software system highly depends on its architectural design. High quality software systems typically apply expert design experience which has been captured as design patterns. As demonstrated solutions to recurring problems, design patterns help to reuse expert experience in software system design. They have been extensively applied in the industry. Mining the instances of design patterns from the source code of software systems can assist in the understanding of the systems and the process of re-engineering them. More importantly, it also helps to trace back to the original design decisions, which are typically missing in legacy systems. This paper presents a review on current techniques and tools for mining design patterns from source code or design of software systems. We classify different approaches and analyze their results in a comparative study. We also examine the disparity of the discovery results of different approaches and analyze possible reasons with some insight.
National telemedicine initiatives: essential to healthcare reform.

Contributing authors: Elizabeth A. Krupinski, Ph.D.,3 Jim Grigsby, Ph.D.,4 Joseph C. Kvedar, M.D.,5 Ronald S. Weinstein, M.D.,3 Jay H. Sanders, M.D.,6 Karen S. Rheuban, M.D.,7 Thomas S. Nesbitt, M.D.,8 Dale C. Alverson, M.D.,9 Ronald C. Merrell, M.D.,10 Jonathan D. Linkous,11 A. Stewart Ferguson, Ph.D.,12 Robert J. Waters, J.D. ,13 Max E. Stachura, M.D.,14 David G. Ellis, M.D.,15 Nina M. Antoniotti, Ph.D.,16 Barbara Johnston, M.S.N. ,17 Charles R. Doarn, M.B.A.,18 Peter Yellowlees, M.D.,19 Steven Normandin,20 and Joseph Tracy 21
A framework for biomimetic robot fish's design and its realization

This paper is concerned with the design and motion control of a radio-controlled, multi-link and free-swimming biomimetic robot fish based on an improved kinematic propulsive model. The performance of the robot fish is determined by the fish's both morphological parameters and kinematic parameters. By ichthyologic theories of propulsion, a framework taking into consideration of both mechatronic constraints in physical realization and feasibility of control methods is presented, where multiple linked robot fish propelled by a flexible posterior body and an oscillating tail fin can be easily developed. The motion control of robot fish is decomposed into speed control, orientation control and submerging/ascending control. The speed of the swimming fish can be adjusted by changing oscillating frequency, oscillating amplitude and the length of oscillatory part, respectively, and its orientation is tuned by different joint's deflections. The up-down motion is realized by a pectoral mechanism. Our robot fish prototypes verify that the presented scheme is effective in design and implementation.
Natalizumab-PML survivors with subsequent MS treatment

Objective: To describe the clinico-radiologic outcome of MS patients with natalizumab-related progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (Nz-PML) surviving and receiving disease-modifying therapy (DMT). Methods: We describe clinical and radiologic evolution of Nz-PML survivors in an observational retrospective multicenter cohort to clarify the effect of different subsequent MS DMT strategies. Twenty-three patients from 11 centers were analyzed. Outcomes were (1) clinical efficacy of post-PML MS DMT, (2) radiologic efficacy of post-PML MS DMT, (3) radiologic evolution of PML lesion, and (4) disability progression. Results: There was no clinical worsening of PML symptoms with a stability of Expanded Disability Status Scale at the last follow-up. No relapse was reported with fingolimod and dimethyl fumarate. No radiologic worsening of Nz-PML lesion was observed at the end of the follow-up. Conclusion: In this large cohort of patients with Nz-PML, MS therapies given after Nz discontinuation were not associated with PML worsening. A larger cohort with longer follow-up will be necessary to confirm this therapeutic strategy.
Workplace incivility: Relationship with conflict management styles and impact on perceived job performance, organizational commitment and turnover

WORKPLACE INCIVILITY: RELATIONSHIP WITH CONFLICT MANAGEMENT STYLES AND IMPACT ON PERCEIVED JOB PERFORMANCE, ORGANIZA TIONAL COMMITMENT AND TURNOVER INTENTIONS Jeannie Trudel July 9,2009 This cross-sectional, correlational study (N = 289) explored the relationships among workplace incivility, conflict management styles and their influence on perceived job perfonnance, organizational commitment and turnover intentions. Differences between incivility target and instigator perspectives were also examined. Data were collected through a selfreport survey questionnaire consisting of a battery of six scales. Research questions were tested through correlational and hierarchical regression analytic procedures. Findings revealed that incivility and conflict management styles influenced perceived job performance, organizational commitment and turnover intentions to varying degrees. Results remained significant even after controlling for organizational differences and demographic variables. For the job perfonnance model, the use of an integrating conflict style positively contributed to perceived job perfonnance, while the dominating style negatively contributed to the dependent variable. As for the organizational commitment model, an integrating conflict style and less incivility positively predicted organizational commitment, whereas a dominating conflict style and incivility made negative
Different Models to Forecast Electricity Loads

Forecasting electricity load is an important economic problem. Sometimes suited prediction methods are evaluated by benchmark scenarios, as in case of the world-wide competition within the EUNITE network. Here maximal daily electricity load has to be forecasted over a whole month given data of two years before. Because no formal model exists of how load depends on e.g. temperature or other environmental data, non-formal methods must be used. In this paper different approaches are presented. One is based on simple statistics, whereas other approaches rely on a general model in order to be applicable even for a long-term prediction. It is determined out of the given training data by simple methods. Then this approach is extended mainly by incorporating specific general background knowledge on holidays. Therefore a hybrid crisp-fuzzy system is used which is specified by rules as well as by learning.
Wrapped Staring Spotlight SAR

This paper proposes the wrapped staring spotlight (WSS) SAR imaging mode, which is a new method to extend the azimuth steering capability for phased array SAR to achieve either an improved azimuth geometric or radiometric resolution. It investigates the utility of steering directions with main lobe gains that are smaller than that of the grating lobes and exposes how these directions can be exploited. Furthermore, two methods are proposed to reduce the speckle and the image noise at once, i.e., the Look-Normalized Pattern Correction and the Ω-weighting. Based on two example TerraSAR-X WSS acquisitions, the image performance of extended and point targets is discussed.
Mean Field Variational Approximations in Continuous-Time Markov Processes

Continuous-time Bayesian networks is a natural structured representation language for multi-component stochastic processes that evolve continuously over time. Despite the compact representation, inference in such models is intractable even in relatively simple structured networks. Here we introduce a mean field variational approximation in which we use a product of inhomogeneous Markov processes to approximate a joint distribution over trajectories. This variational approach leads to a globally consistent distribution, which can be efficiently queried. Additionally, it provides a lower bound on the probability of observations, thus making it attractive for learning tasks. Here I describe the theoretical foundations for the approximation, an efficient implementation that exploits the wide range of highly optimized ordinary differential equations (ODE) solvers, experimentally explore characterizations of processes for which this approximation is suitable, and show applications to a large-scale real-world inference problem.
Online Bipartite Matching Seminar Report Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy

We present a few important results on online bipartite matching problem. The input to the problem is a bipartite graph G = (U, V,E), in which vertices in U arrive in on-line fashion. As each vertex u from U arrives, the edges incident on it are revealed. We need to match u to one of the previously unmatched vertices in V . If no such vertex in V exists, then u remains unmatched. The choice of a match, after it is made, is irrevocable. The objective is to maximize the size of matching resulting after the last vertex arrives. The problem has received considerable attention since it was first introduced by Karp, Vazirani, and Vazirani[3]. Their algorithm, called Ranking, achieves a competitive ratio of 1 − 1/e. We begin by presenting a simple proof of their result due to Birnbaum[1] and then study a generalized version of the problem in the context of Internet ad-auctions where search queries have to be matched to advertisers in order to maximize the revenue. Chapter
Poster : Sink-to-Sensors Reliability in Sensor Networks

The issue of reliability, thus far, has not been addressed thoroughly to any extent in sensor networking research. To the best of our knowledge the first such work that focused on some aspect of reliable communication in sensor networks appeared only in [1]. In this paper, we focus on the problem of communication reliability from the sink to the sensors in a static network.