Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Kshitij: A Search and Page Recommendation System for Wikipedia

Semantic information helps in identifying the context of a document. It will be interesting to find out how effectively this information can be used in recommending related documents in a partially annotated knowledge base such as Wikipedia. In this paper, we present a generic recommendation system that utilizes the stored as well as dynamically extracted semantics from Wikipedia. The system generates two kinds of recommendations - for search results and for each page viewed by the user. It explores different meta-information such as links and categories in this process. Our experiments show that the system is able to yield good quality recommendations and help in improving the user experience. Though the algorithms are tested on Wikipedia, external systems that do not have access to structured data can benefit from the recommendations.
Sensitivity and specificity of different methods for cystic fibrosis-related diabetes screening: is the oral glucose tolerance test still the standard?

Abstract Background: Cystic fibrosis-related diabetes (CFRD) is a late cystic fibrosis (CF)-associated comorbidity whose prevalence is increasing sharply lifelong. Guidelines for glucose metabolism (GM) monitoring rely on the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). However, this test is neither sensitive nor specific. The aim of this study was to compare sensitivity and specificity of different methods for GM monitoring in children and adolescents with CF. Methods: Continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS), used as the reference method, was compared with the OGTT, intravenous glucose tolerance test (IGTT), homeostasis model assessment index of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), homeostasis model assessment index of β-cell function (HOMA-%B) and glycated haemoglobin A1C. Patients were classified into three groups according to CGMS: normal glucose tolerance (NGT), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and diabetes mellitus (DM). Results: Twenty-nine patients (median age: 13.1 years) were recruited. According to CGMS, 11 had DM, 12 IGT and six NGT, whereas OGTT identified three patients with DM and five with IGT. While 13 of 27 had insulin deficiency according to IGTT, there was 19 of 28 according to HOMA-%B. According to HOMA-IR, 12 of 28 had insulin resistance. HOMA-%B was the most sensitive method for CFRD screening [sensitivity 91% (95% CI), specificity 47% (95% CI) and negative predictive value 89% (95% CI)]. Conclusions: OGTT showed the weak capacity to diagnose DM in CF and should no longer be considered as the reference method for CFRD screening in patients with CF. In our study, HOMA-%B showed promising metrics for CFRD screening. Finally, CGMS revealed that pathological glucose excursions were frequent even early in life.
Matting with a depth map

Depth maps are becoming a readily available commodity of the stereo pipeline. We propose to make use of this new free information to improve a key step of postproduction that is matting. We extend the work of Levin et al on closed form matting to introduce two new depth-aware techniques. First we explore how depth can be used as an extra channel in the matting process. Then we see how depth can be used as a diffusion guide for matting. Our results show that both techniques can reduce the amount of time needed to pull a matte.
CLE Peptides can Negatively Regulate Protoxylem Vessel Formation via Cytokinin Signaling

Cell–cell communication is critical for tissue and organ development. In plants, secretory CLAVATA3/EMBRYO SURROUNDING REGION-related (CLE) peptides function as intercellular signaling molecules in various aspects of tissue development including vascular development. However, little is known about intracellular signaling pathways functioning in vascular development downstream of the CLE ligands. We show that CLE peptides including CLE10, which is preferentially expressed in the root vascular system, inhibit protoxylem vessel formation in Arabidopsis roots. GeneChip analysis displayed that CLE10 peptides repressed specifically the expression of two type-A Arabidopsis Response Regulators (ARRs), ARR5 and ARR6, whose products act as negative regulators of cytokinin signaling. The arr5 arr6 roots exhibited defective protoxylem vessel formation. These results indicate that CLE10 inhibits protoxylem vessel formation by suppressing the expression of type-A ARR genes including ARR5 and ARR6. This was supported by the finding that CLE10 did not suppress protoxylem vessel formation in a background of arr10 arr12, a double mutant of type-B ARR genes. Thus, our results revealed cross-talk between CLE signaling and cytokinin signaling in protoxylem vessel formation in roots. Taken together with the indication that cytokinin signaling functions downstream of the CLV3/WUS signaling pathway in the shoot apical meristem, the cross-talk between CLE and cytokinin signaling pathways may be a common feature in plant development.
Human multisource activity recognition for AAL problems

 Abstract —The recognition of simple human biomechanical actions as postures or movements, or more complex behaviors as exercises or activities is attracting much research in recent years. The difficulty of the problem due to the diversity of activities and the individuals’ particular execution style determines that several information sources are usually required to obtain an efficient solution, with more sources to be considered as the number of activities increases. One of the main goals is to define an accurate system which is able to deal with several information sources, with classification process as one of the most crucial parts. Considering the power of binary classification in contrast to direct multiclass approaches, a novel classification schema based on a hierarchical structure composed by weighted decision makers is defined. Satisfactory performance is obtained for a particular activity recognition problem in contrast to a traditional hierarchical multiclass model.
Mechanisms Regulating Skin Pigmentation: The Rise and Fall of Complexion Coloration

Skin pigmentary abnormalities are seen as aesthetically unfavorable and have led to the development of cosmetic and therapeutic treatment modalities of varying efficacy. Hence, several putative depigmenting agents aimed at modulating skin pigmentation are currently being researched or sold in commercially available products. In this review we will discuss the regulation of processes that control skin complexion coloration. This includes direct inhibition of tyrosinase and related melanogenic enzymes, regulation of melanocyte homeostasis, alteration of constitutive and facultative pigmentation and down-regulation of melanosome transfer to the keratinocytes. These various processes, in the complex mechanism of skin pigmentation, can be regulated individually or concomitantly to alter complexion coloration and thus ameliorate skin complexion diseases.
Pulmonary embolism complicated by impending paradoxical embolism - a case report and a review of literature.

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a common CV emergency that may lead to acute life-threatening right ventricular failure. Right-sided heart thrombi are relatively rare (4-18% of patients presenting with acute PE). The presence of right heart thrombi, particularly when mobile, is associated with a significantly increased risk of mortality. Thrombus straddling the patent foramen ovale (TSFO) in PE is even rarer and it is at high risk of impending paradoxical embolism (PDE). We report a case of a PE complicated by a right-sided heart thrombus and impending PDE and we analysed different therapeutic options.
Effect of Sample Materials on the AFM Tip-Based Dynamic Ploughing Process

To study the effect of different sample materials on the nano dynamic ploughing process in the AFM tapping mode, the spring-oscillator model is employed to simulate the vibrating AFM tip to deform the sample surface. On the surface of different samples with the Young’s modulus of 0.2 GPa, 80 GPa and 180 Gpa, the interaction between the tip and the sample is simulated with different driven amplitudes, spring constants, tip radius and original tip-sample distances. These effects are studied. Results show that the sample with a smaller Young’s modulus is suitable for being used as the sample machined by the dynamic ploughing technique. When the Young’s modulus is greater than 80 GPa, the machine depth is so small that the machining process can not be controlled as we required.
Intrinsic Neuronal Determinants Locally Regulate Extrasynaptic and Synaptic Growth at the Adult Neuromuscular Junction

Long-term functional plasticity in the nervous system can involve structural changes in terminal arborization and synaptic connections. To determine whether the differential expression of intrinsic neuronal determinants affects structural plasticity, we produced and analyzed transgenic mice overexpressing the cytosolic proteins cortical cytoskeleton–associated protein 23 (CAP-23) and growth-associated protein 43 (GAP-43) in adult neurons. Like GAP-43, CAP-23 was downregulated in mouse motor nerves and neuromuscular junctions during the second postnatal week and reexpressed during regeneration. In transgenic mice, the expression of either protein in adult motoneurons induced spontaneous and greatly potentiated stimulus-induced nerve sprouting at the neuromuscular junction. This sprouting had transgene-specific features, with CAP-23 inducing longer, but less numerous sprouts than GAP-43. Crossing of the transgenic mice led to dramatic potentiation of the sprout-inducing activities of GAP-43 and CAP-23, indicating that these related proteins have complementary and synergistic activities. In addition to ultraterminal sprouting, substantial growth of synaptic structures was induced. Experiments with pre- and postsynaptic toxins revealed that in the presence of GAP-43 or CAP-23, sprouting was stimulated by a mechanism that responds to reduced transmitter release and may be independent of postsynaptic activation. These results demonstrate the importance of intrinsic determinants in structural plasticity and provide an experimental approach to study its role in nervous system function.
Selecting the optimum inertial sensor for each specific application — A comprehensive guide based on analytic criteria and experimental data across several sensors and technologies

It is a very difficult task to select the proper sensor performances for each applications in order to meet cost-effectiveness criteria. The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive guide based on analytic criteria such as Allan variance analysis in order to highlight what are the performance requirements for several kind of inertial sensors based applications. Several types of sensor (gyroscopes and accelerometers) technologies (MEMS, FOG, CVG, QUARTZ) have been evaluated from different vendors. A comparative analysis of the meaningful parameters such as ARW, bias stability, etc. was performed, providing guidelines on how such sensor parameters relate to the various application performance requirements.
Losartan-Dependent Regression of Myocardial Fibrosis Is Associated With Reduction of Left Ventricular Chamber Stiffness in Hypertensive Patients

Background—This study was designed to investigate whether myocardial collagen content is related to myocardial stiffness in patients with essential hypertension. Methods and Results—The study was performed in 34 patients with hypertensive heart disease. Nineteen of these patients were also evaluated after 12 months of treatment with losartan. Transvenous endomyocardial biopsies of the interventricular septum were performed to quantify collagen volume fraction (CVF). Left ventricular (LV) chamber stiffness (KLV) was determined from the deceleration time of the early mitral filling wave as measured by Doppler echocardiography. Histological analysis at baseline revealed the presence of 2 subgroups of patients: 8 with severe fibrosis and 26 with nonsevere fibrosis. Values of CVF and KLV were significantly higher in the 2 subgroups of hypertensives than in normotensives. In addition, compared with patients with nonsevere fibrosis, patients with severe fibrosis exhibited significantly increased values of CVF and KLV. After treatment, CVF and KLV decreased significantly in patients with severe fibrosis (n=7). None of these parameters changed significantly after treatment in patients with nonsevere fibrosis (n=12). CVF was directly correlated with KLV (r =0.415, P <0.02) in all hypertensives. Conclusions—These findings show a strong association between myocardial collagen content and LV chamber stiffness in patients with essential hypertension. Our results also suggest that the ability of losartan to induce regression of severe myocardial fibrosis is associated with diminution of myocardial stiffness in hypertensive patients.
The infinite unitary group, Howe dual pairs, and the quantization of constrained systems

The irreducible unitary representations of the Banach Lie group $U_0(\H)$ (which is the norm-closure of the inductive limit $\cup_k U(k)$) of unitary operators on a separable Hilbert space $\H$, which were found by Kirillov and Ol'shanskii, are reconstructed from quantization theory. Firstly, the coadjoint orbits of this group are realized as Marsden-Weinstein symplectic quotients in the setting of dual pairs. Secondly, these quotients are quantized on the basis of the author's earlier proposal to quantize a more general symplectic reduction procedure by means of Rieffel induction (a technique in the theory of operator algebras). As a warmup, the simplest such orbit, the projective Hilbert space, is first quantized using geometric quantization, and then again with Rieffel induction. Reduction and induction have to be performed with either $U(M)$ or $U(M,N)$. The former case is straightforward, unless the half-form correction to the (geometric) quantization of the unconstrained system is applied. The latter case, in which one induces from holomorphic discrete series representations, is problematic. For finite-dimensional $\H=\C^k$, the desired result is only obtained if one ignores half-forms, and induces from a representation, `half' of whose highest weight is shifted by $k$ (relative to the naive orbit correspondence). This presumably poses a problem for any theory of quantizing constrained systems.
Temperature compensation of a capacitive MEMS accelerometer by using a MEMS oscillator

This study reports a temperature compensation method for a capacitive MEMS accelerometer by using a MEMS double-ended-tuning-fork (DETF) resonator integrated with the accelerometer structure on the same die. The proposed method utilizes the frequency information of the clamped-clamped DETF resonator which is oscillating in a closed-loop operation. In order to compensate the temperature dependence of the accelerometer output, frequency drift of the DETF resonator against changing temperature is used, i.e., the resonator frequency is used as the temperature data for compensation purposes. On-chip integration of two sensors allows precise temperature sensing abilities by removing the thermal lag between the DETF resonator and the accelerometer. Tests are held in the -20 °C and 60 °C range by operating both sensors simultaneously in a temperature-controlled oven. The measurement results indicate temperature coefficient of frequency (TCf) of 480 ppm/K for the integrated resonator and temperature dependence of 1,164 μg/K for the accelerometer output, which is decreased to 1.4 μg /K after temperature compensation. Improved noise performances indicate the bias instability of 30 μg and the velocity random walk of 24 μg/sqrt(Hz) with the removal of the temperature ramp (after 30 seconds) in Allan-deviation plot.
Linear interference suppression in MIMO communication for WCDMA downlink

A multiple transmit and receive antennas with spatial multiplexing are planned for wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) systems. Thus, multiple-access interference (MAI) and inter-antenna interference (IAI) have to be mitigated. In this paper, a new linear receiver applicable for downlink employing long scrambling code is presented and compared to known ones. These receivers equalize the channel and, thus, suppress MAI. Also IAI is mitigated by equalizing over the receive antennas. The proposed receiver is shown to provide a good performance-complexity trade-off for practical WCDMA terminal receivers.
Myocardial contractile function during ischemia and hypoxia.

There is good evidence that elevated [Ca2+]i, produced by an influx of Ca2+ in exchange for Na+, is the underlying pathology in reperfusion or reoxygenation damage. Further measurements of [Na+]i and [Ca2+]i during ischemia and reperfusion, coupled with information about metabolic levels, are needed to confirm or refute this hypothesis. Contributions to cell damage by other mechanisms, e.g., oxygen free radicals, certainly cannot yet be excluded.
Racial Differences in Colorectal Cancer Incidence and Mortality in the Women's Health Initiative

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality rates are higher in African–Americans as compared with other racial/ethnic groups. The women's health initiative (WHI) study sample was used to determine whether differences in CRC risk factors explain racial/ethnic differences in incidence and mortality. Methods: The WHI is a longitudinal study of postmenopausal women recruited from 40 centers. Baseline questionnaires were used to collect sociodemographic and health status information. All CRC diagnoses were centrally adjudicated. Cox regression models were used to compute hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for invasive CRC by race/ethnicity. Results: The study sample included 131,481 (83.7%) White, 14,323 (9.1%) African–American, 6,362 (4.1%) Hispanic, 694 (0.4%) Native American and 4,148 (2.6%) Asian/Pacific Islanders. After a mean follow-up of 10.8 years (SD 2.9), CRC incidence was the highest in African–Americans (annualized rate = 0.14%), followed by Whites and Native Americans (0.12% each), Asian/Pacific Islanders (0.10%), and Hispanics (0.08%). After adjustment for age and trial assignment, Hispanics had a lower risk compared with Whites, HR 0.73 (95% CI: 0.54–0.97) (P = 0.03), and African–Americans had a marginally greater risk, HR 1.16 (95% CI: 0.99–1.34), P = 0.06. Multivariable adjustment attenuated the difference in incidence between African–Americans and Whites (HR 0.99, 95% CI: 0.82–1.20), while strengthening the lower HR for Hispanics (HR 0.68, 95% CI: 0.48–0.97). Conclusions: African–American/White differences in CRC risk are likely due to sociodemographic/cultural factors other than race. Impact: A number of modifiable exposures could be a focus for reducing CRC risk in African–Americans. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 20(7); 1368–78. ©2011 AACR.
Dehydration‐induced modulation of κ‐opioid inhibition of vasopressin neurone activity

Dehydration increases vasopressin (antidiuretic hormone) secretion from the posterior pituitary gland to reduce water loss in the urine. Vasopressin secretion is determined by action potential firing in vasopressin neurones, which can exhibit continuous, phasic (alternating periods of activity and silence), or irregular activity. Autocrine κ‐opioid inhibition contributes to the generation of activity patterning of vasopressin neurones under basal conditions and so we used in vivo extracellular single unit recording to test the hypothesis that changes in autocrine κ‐opioid inhibition drive changes in activity patterning of vasopressin neurones during dehydration. Dehydration increased the firing rate of rat vasopressin neurones displaying continuous activity (from 7.1 ± 0.5 to 9.0 ± 0.6 spikes s−1) and phasic activity (from 4.2 ± 0.7 to 7.8 ± 0.9 spikes s−1), but not those displaying irregular activity. The dehydration‐induced increase in phasic activity was via an increase in intraburst firing rate. The selective κ‐opioid receptor antagonist nor‐binaltorphimine increased the firing rate of phasic neurones in non‐dehydrated rats (from 3.4 ± 0.8 to 5.3 ± 0.6 spikes s−1) and dehydrated rats (from 6.4 ± 0.5 to 9.1 ± 1.2 spikes s−1), indicating that κ‐opioid feedback inhibition of phasic bursts is maintained during dehydration. In a separate series of experiments, prodynorphin mRNA expression was increased in vasopressin neurones of hyperosmotic rats, compared to hypo‐osmotic rats. Hence, it appears that dynorphin expression in vasopressin neurones undergoes dynamic changes in proportion to the required secretion of vasopressin so that, even under stimulated conditions, autocrine feedback inhibition of vasopressin neurones prevents over‐excitation.
GZoltar: an eclipse plug-in for testing and debugging

Testing and debugging is the most expensive, error-prone phase in the software development life cycle. Automated testing and diagnosis of software faults can drastically improve the efficiency of this phase, this way improving the overall quality of the software. In this paper we present a toolset for automatic testing and fault localization, dubbed GZoltar, which hosts techniques for (regression) test suite minimization and automatic fault diagnosis (namely, spectrum-based fault localization). The toolset provides the infrastructure to automatically instrument the source code of software programs to produce runtime data. Subsequently the data was analyzed to both minimize the test suite and return a ranked list of diagnosis candidates. The toolset is a plug-and-play plug-in for the Eclipse IDE to ease world-wide adoption.
Marine-Derived Angiogenesis Inhibitors for Cancer Therapy

Angiogenesis inhibitors have been successfully used for cancer therapy in the clinic. Many marine-derived natural products and their analogues have been reported to show antiangiogenic activities. Compared with the drugs in the clinic, these agents display interesting characteristics, including diverse sources, unique chemical structures, special modes of action, and distinct activity and toxicity profiles. This review will first provide an overview of the current marine-derived angiogenesis inhibitors based on their primary targets and/or mechanisms of action. Then, the marine-derived antiangiogenic protein kinase inhibitors will be focused on. And finally, the clinical trials of the marine-derived antiangiogenic agents will be discussed, with special emphasis on their application potentials, problems and possible coping strategies in their future development as anticancer drugs.
Communication media use in emergency response management

The communications of emergency response managers were tracked during simulated catastrophic events at a university campus in the Washington, D.C. region. Local, state, and federal response managers interacted with each other and with students using a variety of communication media in order to investigate the utility of new communication channels for emergency response management. Students and emergency managers interacted using a Twitter-like platform and a portal built with Ushahidi crowd-sourcing software. The emergency managers also used a chat interface that included private instant messaging, telephone, and the county's existing emergency web portal. Their media use was analyzed along with the functions of their communications, and the patterns that emerged are described and quantified.