Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modelling the Progression of Bird Migration with Conditional Autoregressive Models Applied to Ringing Data

Migration is a fundamental stage in the life history of several taxa, including birds, and is under strong selective pressure. At present, the only data that may allow for both an assessment of patterns of bird migration and for retrospective analyses of changes in migration timing are the databases of ring recoveries. We used ring recoveries of the Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica collected from 1908–2008 in Europe to model the calendar date at which a given proportion of birds is expected to have reached a given geographical area (‘progression of migration’) and to investigate the change in timing of migration over the same areas between three time periods (1908–1969, 1970–1990, 1991–2008). The analyses were conducted using binomial conditional autoregressive (CAR) mixed models. We first concentrated on data from the British Isles and then expanded the models to western Europe and north Africa. We produced maps of the progression of migration that disclosed local patterns of migration consistent with those obtained from the analyses of the movements of ringed individuals. Timing of migration estimated from our model is consistent with data on migration phenology of the Barn Swallow available in the literature, but in some cases it is later than that estimated by data collected at ringing stations, which, however, may not be representative of migration phenology over large geographical areas. The comparison of median migration date estimated over the same geographical area among time periods showed no significant advancement of spring migration over the whole of Europe, but a significant advancement of autumn migration in southern Europe. Our modelling approach can be generalized to any records of ringing date and locality of individuals including those which have not been recovered subsequently, as well as to geo-referenced databases of sightings of migratory individuals.
Wnt/beta-Catenin Signaling and Small Molecule Inhibitors

Wnt/β-catenin signaling is a branch of a functional network that dates back to the first metazoans and it is involved in a broad range of biological systems including stem cells, embryonic development and adult organs. Deregulation of components involved in Wnt/β-catenin signaling has been implicated in a wide spectrum of diseases including a number of cancers and degenerative diseases. The key mediator of Wnt signaling, β-catenin, serves several cellular functions. It functions in a dynamic mode at multiple cellular locations, including the plasma membrane, where β-catenin contributes to the stabilization of intercellular adhesive complexes, the cytoplasm where β-catenin levels are regulated and the nucleus where β-catenin is involved in transcriptional regulation and chromatin interactions. Central effectors of β-catenin levels are a family of cysteine-rich secreted glycoproteins, known as Wnt morphogens. Through the LRP5/6-Frizzled receptor complex, Wnts regulate the location and activity of the destruction complex and consequently intracellular β- catenin levels. However, β-catenin levels and their effects on transcriptional programs are also influenced by multiple other factors including hypoxia, inflammation, hepatocyte growth factor-mediated signaling, and the cell adhesion molecule E-cadherin. The broad implications of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in development, in the adult body and in disease render the pathway a prime target for pharmacological research and development. The intricate regulation of β-catenin at its various locations provides alternative points for therapeutic interventions.
Informative Path Planning under Temporal Logic Constraints

In this work, we present an algorithm for synthesizing distributed control policies for networks of mobile robots such that they gather the maximum amount of information about some a priori unknown feature of the environment, e.g. hydration levels of crops or a lost person adrift at sea. Natural motion and communication constraints such as “Avoid obstacles and periodically communicate with all other agents”, are formulated as temporal logic formulae, a richer set of constraints than has been previously considered for this application. The mission constraints are distributed automatically among sub-groups of the agents. Each subgroup independently executes a receding horizon planner that locally optimizes information-gathering and is guaranteed to satisfy the assigned mission specification. This approach allows the agents to disperse beyond inter-agent communication ranges while ensuring global team constraints are met. We evaluate our novel paradigm via simulation.
Peacekeeping: A Strategic Approach

This paper presents a theoretical model of conflict between two players, with intervention by a peacekeeping force. Peacekeepers are treated as a military contingent, capable of taking sides, acting as a third (independent) side in the war or remaining inactive, depending on circumstances. This departs from previous models, in which peacekeeping was no more than a parameter affecting players' fighting costs. The main result is an optimal deployment strategy by peacekeepers, detailing the nature and level of intervention required under different circumstances; this strategy results in the lowest possible level of warfare between the two antagonists. The credible threat of force (rather than mere intervention) is the strategy's key component.
Effects of Fire on Naturally Occurring Blue Oak (Quercus douglasii) Saplings 1

We studied the survival and regrowth of naturally-occurring blue oak saplings burned in a September 1996 arson fire in Vacaville, California. The saplings (pre-fire height 33-353 cm) were burned in a rapid, low-moderate intensity fire. Of 67 blue oak saplings surveyed, 4 failed to resprout after the fire and 2 more died within the following 5 years (9 percent mortality overall); all mortality was among saplings less than 100 cm tall. Saplings which were completely topkilled (51/67) were significantly smaller on average than those which were only partially topkilled (12/67). Saplings taller than 201 cm or with a stem diameter greater than 5.6 cm at 30 cm height were only partially topkilled. Only 20 percent of the completely topkilled saplings had regained both their post-fire height and diameter by 5 years after the fire. Height growth of new shoots from completely topkilled saplings was highest in the first year after the fire, but declined in succeeding years. High levels of vole damage in resprouted topkilled saplings has adversely affected growth and shoot survival. Our observations indicate that fire negatively impacts small blue oak saplings and does not favor blue oak regeneration, as has been suggested by other authors.
Arabidopsis MSI 1 connects LHP 1 to PRC 2 complexes

As you can see below the referees appreciate the analysis. However revisions are also needed in order to consider publication here. In particular the link between MSI1-LHP1 needs to be significantly strengthen. Should you be able to address the concerns raised in full then we would consider a revised version. I should add that it is EMBO Journal policy to allow only a single round of revision, and acceptance of your manuscript will therefore depend on the completeness of your responses in this revised version.
Trends in an international industrial engineering research journal: A textual information analysis perspective

Industrial engineering (IE) is a multi-disciplinary field, with its research borders broadening into a wide range of sub-disciplines. The Computers & Industrial Engineering (CaIE) journal is one of the prominent journals in the world to publish IE research and has done so since 1977. In the interest of evaluating research scope, it is worth determining how IE fields have been covered by this journal. What are the current topics in IE, and how are these positioned over time? This article attempts to investigate these issues in an objective way by using a text analytical technique to analyze the CaIE publication collection. Due to the growth in the quantity of accessible textual information, and the growing importance of this type of information to business people and industrial engineers alike, the basic methodological premise is provided for the topic modeling process. For the study presented in this paper, the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling technique was applied to the CaIE corpus from 1977 to 2011 (Vol 60). The focus of this article is thus twofold: first, on interpreting the underlying topic trends in the CaIE’s publication history; and second, on introducing the concept of topic modeling whilst highlighting its value to the modern industrial engineer and researcher.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE INJURY PREVENTION IN RELATION TO THE KNOWLEDGE LEVEL OF BASKETBALL COACHES IN SLOVAKIA

SUMMARY The aim of the work was to contribute to the knowledge in the field of injury prevention in Slovak basketball. There was used ex post facto research method. To process and gather data we used basic logical methods, comparative analysis, frequency and percentage analysis, and Chi-square. According to the Slovak coaches, the most effective measures of injury reduction are Longer regeneration (over 82%) and Better athletic preparation (over 80%). The most frequent prevention measures they use are Stretching (96,7%), Warm-up (85,1%) and Strengthening (65,3%). The additional measures most frequently used are Taping (69%) and Ortheses (66,7%). The coaches demanded prevention measures mainly for Knee (95%) and Ankle (83,7%). We evaluated differences between current international trends in injury prevention and situation in Slovakia. Differences were statistically significant in the questions dealing with Reduction of injuries, Applied prevention measures, Additional prevention measures and Demands. Also there were evaluated the differences between the Slovak coaches according to the coaching levels. Even though we presumed that there would be no differences among the levels, in fields of Applied prevention measures, Additional prevention measures and Demands there were statistically significant differences (p<0,1 – 0,01). The work has been a part of a pilot project “Safety in Sports”. The aim of the project has been to widen the consciousness in the field of injury prevention in Europe and consequently to help the coaches reduce injuries among their players. We presume a substantial contribution of this work and related activities for Slovak basketball, considering in Slovakia there is a very little attention contributed to this matter.
Combinatorial Algorithms for Capacitated Network Design

We focus on designing combinatorial algorithms for the Capacitated Network Design problem (Cap-SNDP). The Cap-SNDP is the problem of satisfying connectivity requirements when edges have costs and hard capacities. We begin by showing that the Group Steiner tree problem (GST) is a special case of Cap-SNDP even when there is connectivity requirement between only one source-sink pair. This implies the first poly-logarithmic lower bound for the Cap-SNDP. We next provide combinatorial algorithms for several special cases of this problem. The Cap-SNDP is equivalent to its special case when every edge has either zero cost or infinite capacity. We consider a special case, called Connected Cap-SNDP, where all infinite-capacity edges in the solution are required to form a connected component containing the sinks. This problem is motivated by its similarity to the Connected Facility Location problem [G+01,SW04]. We solve this problem by reducing it to Submodular tree cover problem, which is a common generalization of Connected Cap-SNDP and Group Steiner tree problem. We generalize the recursive greedy algorithm [CEK] achieving a poly-logarithmic approximation algorithm for Submodular tree cover problem. This result is interesting in its own right and gives the first poly-logarithmic approximation algorithms for Connected hard capacities set multi-cover and Connected source location. We then study another special case of Cap-SNDP called Unbalanced point-to-point connection problem. Besides its practical applications to shift design problems [EKS], it generalizes many problems such as k-MST, Steiner Forest and Point-to-Point Connection. We give a combinatorial logarithmic approximation algorithm for this problem by reducing it to degree-bounded SNDP.
Heterodox views of finance and cycles in the Spanish economy

Part I Heterodox growth and cycles models: Shaikh's model of finance and accumulation Goodwin's growth cycles Minsky's financial fragility Foley's liquidity and profit cycles models. Part II Overview of the Spanish economy: the Spanish economy in transition finance and growth cycles recessions and shocks. Part III Evaluating the models: profitability and accumulation a classical growth and cycles model.
Diagnostic Accuracy of GeneXpert MTB/RIF Assay in Comparison to Conventional Drug Susceptibility Testing Method for the Diagnosis of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis

Xpert MTB/RIF assay is regarded as a great achievement of modern medicine for the rapid diagnosis of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). The main purpose of this study was to determine the performance of Xpert MTB/RIF assay compared to conventional drug susceptibility testing (DST) method for the diagnosis of MDR-TB. A comparative cross sectional study was carried out at German-Nepal Tuberculosis Project, Kathmandu, Nepal, from April 2014 to September 2014. A total of 88 culture positive clinical samples (83 pulmonary and 5 extra-pulmonary) received during the study period were analyzed for detection of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis by both GeneXpert MTB/RIF assay and conventional DST method. McNemar chi square test was used to compare the performance of Xpert with that of DST method. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Of total 88 culture positive samples, one was reported as invalid while 2 were found to contain nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM). Among remaining 85 Mycobacterium tuberculosis culture positive samples, 69 were found to be MDR-TB positive by both methods. The overall sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of GeneXpert MTB/RIF assay were found to be 98.6%, 100%, 100% and 93.8% respectively. Statistically, there was no significant difference between the diagnostic performance of Xpert and conventional DST method for detection of MDR-TB. GeneXpert MTB/RIF assay was found to be highly sensitive, specific and comparable to gold standard conventional DST method for the diagnosis of MDR-TB.
Model-Centered Customizable Architectural Design Decisions Management

Architectural Design Decisions (ADD) form a key element of Architectural Knowledge (AK), which plays a vital role in the software architecture process. To help manage ADDs, several tools have been proposed. However, most of them have prescribed fixed data models to be followed and do not provide sufficient customizability. Mismatches between a tool’s data model and users’ specific needs make the tool less usable, or even unusable. We propose a highly customizable solution that enables users to define specialized ADD models according to the specific needs of their individual preferences and working situations to achieve perfect fitness between the required model by users and the provided model by the tool. The results of the initial evaluation of the proposed solution are encouraging.
Effectiveness of Teamwork in an Integrated Care Setting for Patients with COPD: Development and Testing of a Self-Evaluation Instrument for Interprofessional Teams

Introduction: Teamwork between healthcare providers is conditional for the delivery of integrated care. This study aimed to assess the usefulness of the conceptual framework Integrated Team Effectiveness Model for developing and testing of the Integrated Team Effectiveness Instrument. Theory and methods: Focus groups with healthcare providers in an integrated care setting for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were conducted to examine the recognisability of the conceptual framework and to explore critical success factors for collaborative COPD practice out of this framework. The resulting items were transposed into a pilot instrument. This was reviewed by expert opinion and completed 153 times by healthcare providers. The underlying structure and internal consistency of the instrument were verified by factor analysis and Cronbach’s alpha. Results: The conceptual framework turned out to be comprehensible for discussing teamwork effectiveness. The pilot instrument measures 25 relevant aspects of teamwork in integrated COPD care. Factor analysis suggested three reliable components: teamwork effectiveness, team processes and team psychosocial traits (Cronbach’s alpha between 0.76 and 0.81). Conclusions and discussion: The conceptual framework Integrated Team Effectiveness Model is relevant in developing a practical full-spectrum instrument to facilitate discussing teamwork effectiveness. The Integrated Team Effectiveness Instrument provides a well-founded basis to self-evaluate teamwork effectiveness in integrated COPD care by healthcare providers. Recommendations are provided for the improvement of the instrument.
Pension reform during the demographic transition

Like in many other OECD countries, the population will age rapidly in Germany during the next decades. This undermines the future sustainability of the current unfunded public pension system and motivates the search for reform options. The present paper aimes to evaluate some currently discussed pension reform proposals. The numerical analysis is based on an extended overlapping-generations model which accounts for rising life expectancy and declining fertility in oder to replicate the demographic transition in Germany. Given the current unfunded pension system, the model first calculates a baseline path of the economy. Then it compares the macroeconomic impact as well as the distributional and efficiency effects of various reform measures such as partial funding and tax financed minimum pensions.
Deciphering the Enigmatic Face

Most studies investigating the recognition of facial expressions have focused on static displays of intense expressions. Consequently, researchers may have underestimated the importance of motion in deciphering the subtle expressions that permeate real-life situations. In two experiments, we examined the effect of motion on perception of subtle facial expressions and tested the hypotheses that motion improves affect judgment by (a) providing denser sampling of expressions, (b) providing dynamic information, (c) facilitating configural processing, and (d) enhancing the perception of change. Participants viewed faces depicting subtle facial expressions in four modes (single-static, multi-static, dynamic, and first-last). Experiment 1 demonstrated a robust effect of motion and suggested that this effect was due to the dynamic property of the expression. Experiment 2 showed that the beneficial effect of motion may be due more specifically to its role in perception of change. Together, these experiments demonstrated the importance of motion in identifying subtle facial expressions.
A developmental, mentalization-based approach to the understanding and treatment of borderline personality disorder

Abstract The precise nature and etiopathogenesis of borderline personality disorder (BPD) continues to elude researchers and clinicians. Yet, increasing evidence from various strands of research converges to suggest that affect dysregulation, impulsivity, and unstable relationships constitute the core features of BPD. Over the last two decades, the mentalization-based approach to BPD has attempted to provide a theoretically consistent way of conceptualizing the interrelationship between these core features of BPD, with the aim of providing clinicians with a conceptually sound and empirically supported approach to BPD and its treatment. This paper presents an extended version of this approach to BPD based on recently accumulated data. In particular, we suggest that the core features of BPD reflect impairments in different facets of mentalization, each related to impairments in relatively distinct neural circuits underlying these facets. Hence, we provide a comprehensive account of BPD by showing how its core features are related to each other in theoretically meaningful ways. More specifically, we argue that BPD is primarily associated with a low threshold for the activation of the attachment system and deactivation of controlled mentalization, linked to impairments in the ability to differentiate mental states of self and other, which lead to hypersensitivity and increased susceptibility to contagion by other people's mental states, and poor integration of cognitive and affective aspects of mentalization. The combination of these impairments may explain BPD patients' propensity for vicious interpersonal cycles, and their high levels of affect dysregulation and impulsivity. Finally, the implications of this expanded mentalization-based approach to BPD for mentalization-based treatment and treatment of BPD more generally are discussed.
Design of Micro-Hydro power plant using an induction motor as a generator

The existing major power plants are working at their maximum possible output. Thus, to meet the increase in demand, idea of distributed generation is introduced. It mainly aims to bring the generating station at the consumer's end. This paper aims to design a Micro-Hydro power plant using an induction motor as a generator. Site selection, design and selection of peripherals and protection measures are few of the project stages.
Small Pipes: Preliminary Experience with 3-mm or Smaller Pipeline Flow-Diverting Stents for Aneurysm Repair prior to Regulatory Approval

SUMMARY: Flow diversion has become an established treatment option for challenging intracranial aneurysms. The use of small devices of ≤3-mm diameter remains unapproved by major regulatory bodies. A retrospective review of patients treated with Pipeline Embolization Devices of ≤3-mm diameter at 3 Canadian institutions was conducted. Clinical and radiologic follow-up data were collected and reported. Twelve cases were treated with ≥1 Pipeline Embolization Device of ≤3-mm diameter, including 2 with adjunctive coiling, with a median follow-up of 18 months (range, 4–42 months). One patient experienced a posttreatment minor complication (8%) due to an embolic infarct. No posttreatment hemorrhage or delayed complications such as in-stent stenosis/thrombosis were observed. Radiologic occlusion was seen in 9/12 cases (75%) and near-occlusion in 2/12 cases (17%). Intracranial aneurysm treatment with small-diameter flow-diverting stents provided safe and effective aneurysm closure in this small selected sample. These devices should be further studied and considered for regulatory approval.
Face detection method based on skin color and facial features

An accurate face location method is introduced for face detection from the color image which has a complex background. Firstly, the method converts the image from the RGB color space to the rgb space. In the rgb space, skin-color features are used to skin-color segmentation and the possible facial area is determined by median and morphological filter. Then, in the YIQ color space, lip-color information is separated according to the lip-color model. The face contour is tracked according to facial features and lip-color information, so that the face area can be precisely located. Finally, the effectiveness of the method is verified in VC++ environment.