Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ICESat/GLAS Data as a Measurement Tool for Peatland Topography and Peat Swamp Forest Biomass in Kalimantan, Indonesia

Indonesian peatlands are one of the largest near-surface pools of terrestrial organic carbon. Persistent logging, drainage and recurrent fires lead to huge emission of carbon each year. Since tropical peatlands are highly inaccessible, few measurements on peat depth and forest biomass are available. We assessed the applicability of quality filtered ICESat/GLAS (a spaceborne LiDAR system) data to measure peatland topography as a proxy for peat volume and to estimate peat swamp forest Above Ground Biomass (AGB) in a thoroughly investigated study site in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. Mean Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) elevation was correlated to the corresponding ICESat/GLAS elevation. The best results were obtained from the waveform centroid (R2 = 0.92; n = 4,186). ICESat/GLAS terrain elevation was correlated to three 3D peatland elevation models derived from SRTM data (R2 = 0.90; overall difference = −1.0 m, ±3.2 m; n = 4,045). Based on the correlation of in situ peat swamp forest AGB and airborne LiDAR data (R2 = 0.75, n = 36) an ICESat/GLAS AGB prediction model was developed (R2 = 0.61, n = 35). These results demonstrate that ICESat/GLAS data can be used to measure peat topography and to collect large numbers of forest biomass samples in remote and highly inaccessible peatland forests.
Host range phenotype induced by mutations in the internal ribosomal entry site of poliovirus RNA

Most poliovirus strains infect only primates. The host range (HR) of poliovirus is thought to be primarily determined by a cell surface molecule that functions as poliovirus receptor (PVR), since it has been shown that transgenic mice are made poliovirus sensitive by introducing the human PVR gene into the genome. The relative levels of neurovirulence of polioviruses tested in these transgenic mice were shown to correlate well with the levels tested in monkeys (H. Horie et al., J. Virol. 68:681-688, 1994). Mutants of the virulent Mahoney strain of poliovirus have been generated by disruption of nucleotides 128 to 134, at stem-loop II within the 5' noncoding region, and four of these mutants multiplicated well in human HeLa cells but poorly in mouse TgSVA cells that had been established from the kidney of the poliovirus-sensitive transgenic mouse. Neurovirulence tests using the two animal models revealed that these mutants were strongly attenuated only in tests with the mouse model and were therefore HR mutants. The virus infection cycle in TgSVA cells was restricted by an internal ribosomal entry site (IRES)-dependent initiation process of translation. Viral protein synthesis and the associated block of cellular protein synthesis were not observed in TgSVA cells infected with three of four HR mutants and was evident at only a low level in the remaining mutant. The mutant RNAs were functional in a cell-free protein synthesis system from HeLa cells but not in those from TgSVA and mouse neuroblastoma NS20Y cells. These results suggest that host factor(s) affecting IRES-dependent translation of poliovirus differ between human and mouse cells and that the mutant IRES constructs detect species differences in such host factor(s). The IRES could potentially be a host range determinant for poliovirus infection.
Towards a Principled Theory of Clustering

To answer the question “Which clustering function should one use? ” for a given task, we consider an axiomatic approach to the theory of Clustering, with special focus on uniqueness theorems characterizing popular clustering functions. We argue that such theorems can be used to decide exactly when a particular clustering function should be used or avoided. We discuss abstract properties of clustering functions, following the framework of Kleinberg, [Kleinberg, 2003]. By altering one of Kleinberg’s axioms, we sidestep his impossibility result and arrive at a consistent set of axioms, aiming to provide an axiomatic taxonomy of clustering paradigms. The main result of this paper is a set of abstract properties that characterize the Max-Sum and Single-Linkage clustering functions. These functions have been traditionally treated separately, as the principles motivating their use have never been unified. These uniqueness theorems will guide the user to decide which is appropriate for a particular task, if either of them. Our results also provide a theoretical foundation for empirical observations of clustering performed by humans in [Dry et al., 2009].
Folic acid enhances endothelial function and reduces blood pressure in smokers: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract. Mangoni AA, Sherwood RA, Swift CG, Jackson SHD (Guy's, King's, and St Thomas' School of Medicine, King's College London, UK). Folic acid enhances endothelial function and reduces blood pressure in smokers: a randomized controlled trial. J Intern Med 2002; 252: 497–503.
Future robotic computer: A new type of computing device with robotic functions

With the advance of IT technologies, a new type of computing device will be introduced in our daily life in the near future. In this paper, we outline our on-going development of the robotic computer that naturally interacts with users, understands current situation about users and environments, and proactively provides users with services. We describe the system architecture and the implementation of a proof-of-concept prototype of the robotic computer proposed.
Speed of Processing and Face Recognition at 7 and 12 Months

This research examined developmental and individual differences in infants' speed of processing faces and the relation of processing speed to the type of information encoded. To gauge processing speed, 7- and 12-month-olds were repeatedly presented with the same face (frontal view), each time paired with a new one, until they showed a consistent preference for the new one. Subsequent probe trials assessed recognition of targets that either preserved configural integrity (Study 1: 3/4 profile and full profile poses) or disrupted it while preserving featural information (Study 2: rotations of 160° or 200° and fracturings). There were developmental differences in both speed and in infants' appreciation of information about faces. Older infants took about 60% fewer trials to reach criterion and had more mature patterns of attention (i.e., looks of shorter duration and more shifts of gaze). Whereas infants of both ages recognized the familiar face in a 3/4 pose, the 12-month-olds also recognized it in profile .
Actor-Networks and the Evolution of Economic Forms: Combining Description and Explanation in Theories of Regulation, Flexible Specialization, and Networks

Declarations of societal shift, economic transition, and the dawning of a new era have now become commonplace in social science, particularly in the analysis of economic forms. In this paper, three influential accounts of economic change are examined and are found to be overwhelmingly concerned with identifying new orders, paradigms, or modes of accumulation. First, regulation theory is described. Although this perspective is valuable in its focus upon institutional ensembles and interrelations, it lapses all too easily into structuralism; that is, these institutional ensembles can be explained by their structural ‘coupling’ to the mode of production and the mode of regulation. Second, flexible specialization is considered. Here again the explanation of new industrial forms is distinguished from their description by the use of ‘ideal types’. These types define the contours of the new era. Last, networks are also identified as the dominant organizational form of the post-Fordist era. The argument proposed here is that networks are not new and are insufficiently distinct from other forms of organization, yet they do help to focus attention on network analysis. Drawing upon the work of actor-network theorists, such as Callon, Latour, and Law, I argue that networks must be analyzed from within; that is, we should seek to follow network builders as they weave together heterogeneous materials. Thus, explanation emerges only once description has been pursued to the ‘bitter end’. It is from within the processes of economic change that our own accounts must be constructed, and this militates against theatrical declarations of new orders, eras, etc. We must explain by using the descriptions of network construction and not by recourse to some underlying historical logic.
Pressures Contributing to the Decision to Dropout—Comparison between Dropouts and Persisters

Questionnaire and interview data were obtained from a sample of 129 students who voluntarily withdrew from their university course and a matched sample of 131 persisting students. The results of the study indicated that dropouts and persisters experienced similar problems whilst at university, yet reacted differently. Furthermore, dropouts appeared to have short-term rather than long-term goals; were disappointed in and dissatisfied with university; did not enjoy attending university; and were lonely and friendless. Pressures to remain at university emanating from parents, peers, and their own personal and career aspirations were considerable, but nevertheless weaker for dropouts than persisters, whereas the stress generated by dropouts' unhappiness at university was great. Dropouts resolved the conflict by withdrawing from university.
Trauma and psychosis: an analysis of the National Comorbidity Survey.

OBJECTIVE The authors hypothesized that the likelihood of psychosis classification would increase with traumatic experiences. METHOD Data from the National Comorbidity Survey were used to estimate the relationship between interpersonal trauma and the likelihood of a classification of psychosis. RESULTS Childhood physical abuse predicted psychosis, and there was a significant cumulative relationship between trauma and psychosis, with number of trauma types experienced increasing the probability of psychosis. CONCLUSIONS Overall, physical abuse predicted psychosis. In addition, a significant gender-by-rape interaction was observed, with rape having higher predictive value for psychosis in male subjects.
An Empirical Study on Improving College Students' Linguistic Abilities through NEIE Learning System Based on CAI

This paper intends to investigate into the effect of New Era Interactive English (NEIE) learning system on improving non-English majors’ listening and speaking abilities and their attitude towards it. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods are used to analyze the results. Statistics show that the NEIE learning system is sure to improve students’ listening and speaking abilities, some limitations are also summarized and implications gained, which are expected to be beneficial to the future reform in College English teaching and learning in China.
An Adaptive UKF Filtering Algorithm for GPS Position Estimation

The unscented kalman filter (UKF) is widely applied to different kinds of nonlinear filtering problems. But the performance of the conventional UKF algorithm is unstable because the fixed covariance parameters cannot accord with the vary situation. This paper proposes a new adaptive UKF filtering algorithm for the GPS based position estimation problem. In terms of the GPS system error characters, the new algorithm builds a model of the propagation error, and estimates its covariance by real time. The real satellite data were used to verify the algorithm then. The result of the experiment shows that the accuracy of new algorithm is better than the conventional UKF algorithm.
Autologous Bone Marrow Derived Stem Cells for the Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis

Stem cell therapy, an evolving, progressive field of therapeutics has shown several successes in areas where classic treatments failed to prevent or stop disability. Starting in 2009, twenty two sequential patients with progressive Multiple Sclerosis (MS) courses were treated with Autologous Bone Marrow Mononuclear stem cells (BM-MNSCs). The cells were given both intravenously and intrathecally. Using the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score for evaluation, our data indicates that the majority of the patients benefited on the average one point on the scale. This paper adds to the body of evidence suggesting the safety and efficacy of autologous BM-MNSCs in the treatment of MS and awaits validation through larger, randomized studies.
Prognostic value of KIT mutation type, mitotic activity, and histologic subtype in gastrointestinal stromal tumors.

PURPOSE Previous studies have reported clinical correlates for KIT mutations in GISTs, but in most of those studies the KIT mutations were found in less than 50% of the GISTs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic relevance for KIT mutations in a series of GISTs in which the mutations were evaluated intensively by genomic and cDNA sequencing. PATIENTS AND METHODS A comprehensive clinical and pathologic analysis of 48 patients with GISTs who had snap-frozen tissue was performed. The median tumor size was 10 cm (range, 2 to 30 cm). Median follow-up for disease-free patients was 48 months. KIT genomic and cDNA was sequenced by using nucleic acid templates isolated from frozen tumors. RESULTS The overall 5-year recurrence-free survival was 41% +/- 6%. Five-year recurrence-free survival for patients with tumors that had mitotic counts of three mitoses or fewer per 30 high-power fields (HPF), more than three to <or= 15 mitoses per 30 HPF, and more than 15 mitoses per 30 HPF were 89% +/- 7%, 49% +/- 12%, and 16% +/- 6%, respectively (P =.0001). The 32 patients with spindle-cell histology had a 49% +/- 7% 5-year recurrence-free survival; in contrast, the 16 patients with epithelioid or mixed histology had a 23% +/- 11% 5-year recurrence-free survival (P =.01). Five-year recurrence-free survival for patients with tumors less than 5 cm, 5 to 10 cm, and more than 10 cm were 82% +/- 12%, 45% +/- 9%, and 27% +/- 8%, respectively (P =.03). Prognostic associations were found with particular KIT mutation types, and patients with missense exon 11 mutations had a 5-year recurrence-free survival of 89% +/- 11% compared with 40% +/- 8% for GISTs with other mutation types (P =.03). The independent predictors for disease-free survival were the presence of deletion/insertion exon 11 mutations (hazard ratio [HR] = 4; P =.006), more than 15 mitoses per 30 HPF (HR = 18; P =.0001), mixed histology (HR = 21; P =.0001), and male sex (HR = 3; P =.05). CONCLUSION In this series of KIT-expressing GISTs, tumor mitotic activity and histologic subtype were the most important prognostic features. The majority of GISTs contain KIT-activating mutations with the type/location of mutation serving as an independent predictor for disease-free survival. These results suggest that KIT mutation and activation are important in GIST pathogenesis and also may provide important prognostic information.
Meritocratic equality of opportunity : economic efficiency, social justice, or both?

Abstract The relation between social class and social justice is currently a matter of public as well as academic controversy. Some analysts see existing patterns of social mobility as evidence of inequality of opportunity, while others regard them as meritocratic, simply reflecting the distribution of ability and motivation among the population. This article brings together some important developments in normative thinking about social justice with recent empirical findings about educational attainment and social mobility. Various conceptions of ‘merit’ are identified, with different senses shown to be appropriate in different contexts. The authors argue that it is important to distinguish between the criteria that do or should govern the allocation of individuals to occupations, on the one hand, and the criteria that do or should govern the allocation of rewards to individuals on the other. They conclude that the New Right defence of a meritocratic but unequal society points to a conception of social ju.
INTENSIVE TREATMENT OF DYSARTHRIA IN AN ADULT WITH A TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY

Objective: This study investigated the impact of an intensive articulation treatment on acoustic and perceptual measures of speech in an individual with spastic dysarthria acquired from a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Method: A single-subject A-B-A-A experimental design was used to measure the effects of an intensive articulation treatment that incorporated principles of motor learning to evaluate the impact on speech and communication. The primary dependent variables were single word intelligibility and vowel space area. Additional dependent variables included vocal sound pressure level (dB SPL) during a variety of speech tasks, acoustic measures of voice, and listener perceptual ratings of voice quality and speech. Results: Multiple comparisons with t-tests were used to determine statistically significant changes in primary and secondary dependent variables. Statistically significant (p<0.05) changes were present immediately post-treatment with single word intelligibility (p=0.00), vowel prolongation duration (p=0.00), and lip pressure exerted (0.04) and six months following treatment with vowel duration prolongation (p=0.01) and Noise-to-Harmonics Ratio (p=0.02). There were no statistically significant (p<0.05) changes with listener preference studies, vowel space area, and vocal dB SPL across vowel prolongation and speech tasks immediately post-treatment and six months following treatment. Conclusions: These data demonstrate that this individual with spastic dysarthria secondary to a traumatic brain injury responded positively to an intensive articulation treatment on selected variables, particularly on tasks practiced directly in treatment. Generalization of a treatment effect outside of treatment was not demonstrated. Further research is needed to determine whether the lack of generalization was due to the treatment or specific characteristics of the individuals who are treated.
The Changing Role of the Secondary Principal

This article discusses the current role of the principal, how the role has changed, and how it should change. It also suggests that the principal shortage is an unintended consequence of these changes. In a national study, practitioners identified 45 descriptors of the principal's role. The analysis of the descriptors revealed four themes: role conflict, accountability conflict, autonomy conflict, and responsibility conflict.
Geographies of cultural capital: education, international migration and family strategies between Hong Kong and Canada

This paper intervenes in debates on education and social reproduction, developing the link between ‘parental choice’, class status and spatial mobility. Drawing on research in Canada and Hong Kong with migrant students and ‘returnee’ graduates, it demonstrates the relationship between ‘choice’, social class and international mobility, arguing that geographies of middle-class decisionmaking in education have been recently transformed with the growth of a multi-billion dollar international education market. The paper unpacks the meanings and consequences of international education in Hong Kong, revealing how migration to Canada has enabled middle-class families to accumulate a more valuable form of cultural capital in a ‘Western’ university degree. It argues for a geographically sensitive account of the relative value of international education and its close links with both class reproduction and place-based transnational social networks.
Joint cell segmentation and tracking using cell proposals

Time-lapse microscopy imaging has advanced rapidly in last few decades and is producing large volume of data in cell and developmental biology. This has increased the importance of automated analyses, which depend heavily on cell segmentation and tracking as these are the initial stages when computing most biologically important cell properties. In this paper, we propose a novel joint cell segmentation and tracking method for fluorescence microscopy sequences, which generates a large set of cell proposals, creates a graph representing different cell events and then iteratively finds the most probable path within this graph providing cell segmentations and tracks. We evaluate our method on three datasets from ISBI Cell Tracking Challenge and show that our greedy nonoptimal joint solution results in improved performance compared with state of the art methods.
Psychological Mechanisms of the Tendency of Super-quick Decay for Delayed Heroin Reinforcement in Heroin Abstainers

Previous researches adopting the Delay Discounting Task (DDT) in behavioral economics suggested that the quick decay for delayed reinforcer is a behavioral process common (Bickel et al., 2007) to a variety of addiction such as alcohol (Petry, 2001), nicotine (Mitchell, 1999; Bickel, Odum, & Madden, 1999; Reynolds, Karraker, Horn, & Richards, 2003; Baker, Johnson, & Bickel, 2003; Reynolds, Richards, Horn, & Karraker, 2004; Reynolds, 2004), cocaine (Coffey, Gudleski, Saladin, & Brady, 2003), and opioid or heroin (Madden, Petry, Badger, & Bickel, 1997; Madden, Bickel, & Jacobs, 1999; Kirby, Petry, & Bickel, 1999; Odum, Madden, Badger, & Bickel, 2000; Giordano et al., 2002; Zhang, Zhou, Li, & Shen, 2008). It was also discovered that, relative to a general reinforcer (for example money), drug dependence individuals show higher delay discounting rate in dependence drug reinforcer such as drink(Petry, 2001), cigarette (Bickel et al., 1999; Field, Santar-cangelo, Sumnall, Goudie, & Cole, 2006; Field, Rush, Cole, & Goudie, 2007), cocaine (Coffey et al., 2003), and heroin (Madden et al., 1997; 1999; Kirby et al., 1999; Odum et al., 2000). However, divergence still exists in researchers’ explanations for the nature of super-quick decay for dependence drug in drug dependence individuals. A relative previous viewpoint (that may be called the hypothesis of avoidance of withdrawal symptoms) claimed that the super-quick decay for dependence drug is a consequence of escaping from or avoidance of withdrawal symptoms in drug dependence individuals (Madden et al., 1997; Bickel et al., 1999). Alternatively, some other researchers claimed that the steep discounting of drug of abuse compared to monetary reinforcers may occur as part of =122, p <0.001, and k of higher impulsive group was much higher than that of low impulsive group, U =209.500, p <0.001. From the present study we concluded that (1) Heroin abstainers are characterized in tendency of su-per-quick decay for delayed reinforcement to heroin in the delay discounting task, and the characteristics in heroin abstainers do not improve along with the abstinence time course. (2) The tendency may be an interac-tional outcome of heroin abstainers’ trait impulsivity and heroin cue eliciting, and their accelerated amount relative to monetary rewards in DDT may be manifested as the heroin cue-eliciting effect.