Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bias-Corrected AIC for Selecting Variables in Poisson Regression Models

In the present article, we consider the variable selection problem in Poisson regression models. Akaike's information criterion (AIC) is the most commonly applied criterion for selecting variables. However, the bias of the AIC cannot be ignored, especially in small samples. We herein propose a new bias-corrected version of the AIC that is constructed by stochastic expansion of the maximum likelihood estimator. The proposed information criterion can reduce the bias of the AIC from O(n−1) to O(n−2). The results of numerical investigations indicate that the proposed criterion is better than the AIC.
Raf-1 promotes cell survival by antagonizing apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 through a MEK–ERK independent mechanism

The Ser/Thr kinase Raf-1 is a protooncogene product that is a central component in many signaling pathways involved in normal cell growth and oncogenic transformation. Upon activation, Raf-1 phosphorylates mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK), which in turn activates mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinases (MAPK/ERKs), leading to the propagation of signals. Depending on specific stimuli and cellular environment, the Raf-1–MEK–ERK cascade regulates diverse cellular processes such as proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Here, we describe a MEK–ERK-independent prosurvival function of Raf-1. We found that Raf-1 interacts with the proapoptotic, stress-activated protein kinase ASK1 (apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1) in vitro and in vivo. Deletion analysis localized the Raf-1 binding site to the N-terminal regulatory fragment of ASK1. This interaction allows Raf-1 to act independently of the MEK–ERK pathway to inhibit apoptosis. Furthermore, catalytically inactive forms of Raf-1 can mimic the wild-type effect, raising the possibility of a kinase-independent function of Raf-1. Thus, Raf-1 may promote cell survival through its protein–protein interactions in addition to its established MEK kinase function.
HACIA UNA DIDÁCTICA ORIENTADA A LA CONSTRUCCIÓN DE IDENTIDADES: LA PARTE DEL CUERPO

Este articulo se propone el triple objetivo de problematizar, conceptualizar y plantear elementos didacticos sobre algunos contenidos de la ensenanza en la Educacion Fisica a partir de la revision de la literatura cientifica acerca del curriculo oculto y su vinculacion con temas transversales como la construccion de genero y estilos de vida en la escuela. El texto tambien pretende evidenciar la relacion existente entre la Educacion Fisica o mejor, corporal y los elementos didacticos de la ensenanza del area, vinculacion que permitira proponer a los maestros una mayor estructuracion y coherencia en su mision educativa, aunque en principio pueda ser percibida como contradictoria con los objetivos de la asignatura. No obstante, esta perspectiva responde a la demanda social, institucional y normativa que formula expectativas crecientes hacia las estructuras y el personal educativo, para que ofrezcan procesos formativos que generen o modifiquen comportamientos en los estudiantes frente a problemas como el sedentarismo y la inequidad de genero.
Active Leg Compliance for Passive Walking

Previous research has shown that passive (or ballistic) walking is an energetic efficient and mechanical cheap way of walking. Therefore, ballistic walking would be suitable for applications in rehabilitation technology and autonomous robots. Successful application would require a smooth hip trajectory in order to protect respectively the patient or electronics against large velocity changes due to ground collisions. It is shown that an actively adjustable stance leg compliance in combination with a viscous damping can result in smaller hip velocity changes.
Current harmonics reduction of square wave inverter by using adjustable filter for high speed motor power supply

The square wave inverter with adjustable filter is proposed for high speed motor power supply. The six-step square wave inverter can reduce the switching frequency which is beneficial to high frequency inverter due to the switching frequency limitation. The adjustable filter combines low-pass filter with band-blocking filters which have adjustable inductance. The band-blocking filters can adjust the band width following the output current frequency of the inverter. The simulation results show that the proposed adjustable filter can reduce the harmonic components of output inverter current effectively.
The Riskiness of Large Audit Firm Client Portfolios and Changes in Audit Liability Regimes: Evidence from the U.S. Audit Market

We investigate whether the financial riskiness of large US audit firm clienteles varied with the changing audit litigation liability environment during the period 1975-1999. Partitioning the period of study into four distinct periods [a benchmark period (1975-1984), a period of increasing concerns about litigation liability (1985-1989), a period of lobbying for reform (1990-1994) and a post-relief period (1995-1999)], we find some evidence of risk decreases during 1985-1989, strong evidence of risk decreases during 1990-1994 and strong evidence of risk increases during 1995-1999. However, we also find that over the period of our study, a time during which Big Six market shares grew appreciably, the proportion of litigious-industry clients in Big Six client portfolios grew at about the same rate as the proportion of such clients in the population. Moreover, the Big Six share of the financially riskiest clients in the economy did not grow as fast as overall Big Six market share. In sum, while our evidence is consistent with the hypothesis that the riskiness of Big Six client portfolios responded to changes in the audit litigation liability environment, we find no systematic evidence of a race to the bottom or bottom fishing by these firms in a bid to increase their market shares.
Diagnostic value of a lymphocyte stimulation test in cow milk protein intolerance.

In order to evaluate the diagnostic value of a lymphocyte stimulation test with casein and beta lactoglobulin in cow milk intolerance (CMI), we studied 26 patients with a diagnosis of CMI and 25 age-matched controls with intestinal diseases other than CMI. Lymphocyte stimulation test to casein (P less than .001) and beta lactoglobulin (P less than .001) was significantly higher among CMI patients. Seventeen patients were RAST positive and nine negative for whole milk proteins. No differences were found in the lymphocyte stimulation test response between RAST-positive and RAST-negative subjects. These results suggest that lymphocyte stimulation test with highly purified antigens in optimal concentrations is specific and could be useful in the diagnosis of CMI.
Insomnia in Chinese Medicine: The Heart of the Matter.

Chronic insomnia affects a significant proportion of the general population worldwide, and is associated with several serious medical conditions. From the Western scientific literature, hyper-arousal (on the cognitive-emotional, behavioral, autonomic, or central nervous system level) is a final common pathway involved in its pathogenesis. However, from a Chinese medicine (CM) perspective, it is the Heart, capitalized to denote the functional system as described in CM theory, that is the key organ involved in insomnia due to its role as the "seat of consciousness. " This article explores how insomnia is understood from the CM perspective, in particular the role of the Heart, and some of the neurophysiological evidence that supports these ancient theoretical understandings. The potential role of the vagus nerve and its relationship with the (biomedical) heart and CM Heart is also examined. Finally, some of the evidence in association with mechanisms of action of acupuncture in insomnia, in particular its impact on cardiovascular variables associated with insomnia, is presented, along with findings of systematic reviews.
Therapeutic effect of intracolonically administered nuclear factor κB (p65) antisense oligonucleotide on mouse dextran sulphate sodium (DSS)‐induced colitis

Cytokines such as IL‐1, tumour necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α), IL‐6 and IL‐8 are increased in inflamed colonic mucosa after administration of mouse DSS. Nuclear factor κB (NF‐κB) is a transcription factor which regulates the expression of these cytokine genes. The effect of intracolonically administered NF‐κB (p65) antisense phosphorothioate oligonucleotide was examined in mouse DSS‐induced colitis using drinking water containing 5% DSS. When antisense oligonucleotide was given on day 0, the disease activity index (DAI) representing clinical symptoms improved and the histological score decreased; furthermore, IL‐1, IL‐6, and TNF‐α concentrations in rectal mucosa were lower compared with the control group. Clinical and histological improvement was also observed when antisense oligonucleotide was begun on day 2 but not on day 7. In addition, the distribution of antisense oligonucleotides was investigated by confocal laser microscopy. In colonic mucosa, oligonucleotides were predominantly localized to cells in the lamina propria, but also in the epithelium. Western blot analysis using homogenized rectal mucosa showed the decreased expression of NF‐κB p65 in the antisense oligonucleotide‐treated group, although it was increased in the colitis group. These results suggest that intracolonic administration of NF‐κB antisense oligonucleotide may be effective in ulcerative colitis.
Autosomal dominant hereditary spastic paraplegia: DHPLC‐based mutation analysis of SPG4 reveals eleven novel mutations

We set up a new denaturing high‐performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC)‐based protocol to screen patients with autosomal dominant hereditary spastic paraplegia (AD‐HSP) for mutations in SPG4. Six patients had a complicated form and 49 a pure HSP phenotype. We also analyzed 19 unrelated patients presenting with an HSP phenotype (pure in 17 and complicated in two subjects) but no clear family history, as such patients may be cases of dominant inheritance with low penetrance. The overall frequency of SPG4 mutations in our study of HSP (in which prior linkage data were unavailable) was 32.4%, rising to 46.9% when only pure AD‐HSP patients were considered. This figure falls well within the range reported in different populations. Rather as expected, the clinical data available for the patients did not support an easy genotype‐phenotype correlation. Moreover, the clinical picture was not influenced by the length of the predicted residual gene product. As well as identifying novel variants in SPG4, this study constitutes the molecular characterization of the largest cohort of Italian AD‐HSP patients studied to date. In addition, it provided an efficient, cost‐effective, and reliable detection protocol for mutational screening of SPG4, which might facilitate medical genetic counseling. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Foam mechanics at the bubble scale.

Abstract By focusing on entire bubbles rather than films or vertices, a simple model is proposed for the deformation and flow of foam in which dimensionality, polydispersity, and liquid content can easily be varied. Simulation results are presented for the linear elastic properties as a function of bubble volume fraction, showing a melting transition where the static shear modulus vanishes and the relaxation time scale peaks. Results are also presented for shear stress versus strain rate, showing intermittent flow via avalanchelike topological rearrangements and Bingham-plastic behavior. By focusing on entire bubbles rather than films or vertices, a simple model is proposed for the deformation and Bow of foam in which dimensionality, polydispersity, and liquid content can easily be varied. Simulation results are presented for the linear elastic properties as a function of bubble volume fraction, showing a melting transition where the static shear modulus vanishes and the relaxation time scale peaks. Results are also presented for shear stress versus strain rate, showing intermittent How via avalanchelike topological rearrangements and Bingham-plastic behavior.
OBITUARY In Memoriam: Walter Kauzmann (1916–2009)

Introduction Walter Kauzmann came to Princeton in 1946 to replace his former mentor, Henry Eyring, who went back to Salt Lake City and his Mormon roots. He has written about his reminiscences in physical chemistry, proteins, and related topics in Protein Science, and a special issue of Biophysical Chemistry has been published containing tributes of his many students and admirers. These sources, together with his published work and our own personal experiences, have provided the material for this tribute and review. In his early days, WK was at once shy and modest and a wondrous communicator. The simplicity of his laboratory–office, where this communication took place, has already been described. His reputation for ‘‘knowing everything’’ was quickly perceived by students, faculty members, and visitors. There were no limits on subject matter. Sometimes discussions involved a blistering array of quantum mechanical or statistical mechanical formulas; at other times quite basic ideas for beginning students, for example, partition coefficients or elementary discussions of the entropy. The range of topics was very large and went from mathematical science, to history, geology, paleontology, and many others. A major part of learning in these early days came from observing how a real scientist worked and thought. In the first 5 years (1946–1951), there were at least 10 students and two postdocs associated with the laboratory. Clearly, they did not fit in his small space and most spent much of their time either in the library, their rooms, or at instruments outside the laboratory, for example, the polarimeter. He was not especially solicitous with his students. You had
Allogeneic HLA-A*02–Restricted WT1-Specific T Cells from Mismatched Donors Are Highly Reactive but Show Off-Target Promiscuity

T cells recognizing tumor-associated Ags such as Wilms tumor protein (WT1) are thought to exert potent antitumor reactivity. However, no consistent high-avidity T cell responses have been demonstrated in vaccination studies with WT1 as target in cancer immunotherapy. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible role of negative thymic selection on the avidity and specificity of T cells directed against self-antigens. T cell clones directed against the HLA-A*0201–binding WT1126–134 peptide were generated from both HLA-A*02–positive (self-HLA–restricted) and HLA-A*02–negative [nonself (allogeneic) HLA [allo-HLA]-restricted] individuals by direct ex vivo isolation using tetramers or after in vitro priming and selection. The functional avidity and specificity of these T cell clones was analyzed in-depth. Self-HLA–restricted WT1-specific clones only recognized WT1126–134 with low avidities. In contrast, allo-HLA–restricted WT1 clones exhibited profound functional reactivity against a multitude of HLA-A*02–positive targets, even in the absence of exogenously loaded WT1 peptide, indicative of Ag-binding promiscuity. To characterize this potential promiscuity, reactivity of the T cell clones against 400 randomly selected HLA-A*0201–binding peptides was investigated. The self-HLA–restricted WT1-specific T cell clones only recognized the WT1 peptide. In contrast, the allo-HLA–restricted WT1-reactive clones recognized besides WT1 various other HLA-A*0201–binding peptides. In conclusion, allogeneic HLA-A*02–restricted WT1-specific T cells isolated from mismatched donors may be more tumor-reactive than their autologous counterparts but can show specific off-target promiscuity of potential clinical importance. As a result of this, administration of WT1-specific T cells generated from HLA-mismatched donors should be performed with appropriate precautions against potential off-target effects.
Context-Aware Text Representation for Social Relation Aided Sentiment Analysis

In this paper, we propose CaTER, which learns a novel context-aware joint representation of text and user by incorporating semantic text embedding of unlabeled tweets as well as social relation information. CaTER leverages the wealth of user contextual information available apart from user's utterances for sentiment analysis. Our approach is inspired by social science about emotional behaviors of connected users, who perhaps more likely to consensus on similar opinions. Our method outperforms numerous baselines on two real-world Twitter datasets.
Integration of Domain Specific Information in the Form of Color Homogeneity into MRF Based Image Segmentation

We propose a Markov Random Field based image segmentation method which integrates domain specific information into MRF energy. The proposed segmentation method assumes that there is no labeled training set, but some priori general information referred as domain specific information about the dataset, is available. Domain specific information is received from a domain expert and formalized by a mathematical representation. The type of information and its representation depends on the content of the image dataset to be segmented. The proposed method, combines top-down and bottom-up segmentation approaches by associating the domain specific information into the MRF energy function in an unsupervised framework. Due to the inclusion of domain specific information, this approach can be considered as a first step to semantic image segmentation under an unsupervised MRF model. The proposed system is compared with the state of the art unsupervised image segmentation methods quantitatively via two evaluation metrics; consistency error and probabilistic rand index and satisfactory results are obtained.
DESCONSTRUINDO HIERAQUIAS EPISTEMOLOGICAS NO CONTEXTO DAS INTERAÇÕES DE ALUNOS CEGOS COM HOMOTETIA

Neste artigo, examinamos como as teorias da cognicao corporificada, associadas as perspectivas que postulam relacoes reciprocas entre ferramentas e pensamento poem em questao as hierarquias epistemologicas que continuam a dominar crencas sobre o desenvolvimento de conceitos matematicos. Apos a apresentacao dos referenciais teoricos que fundamentam nossa pesquisa, descrevemos a hierarquia intra-inter-trans apresentada por Piaget e Garcia (1987). Usando dados de um estudo realizado com dois alunos cegos que utilizaram meios tateis para construir ampliacoes de figuras planas, consideramos de que forma as tarefas e as ferramentas podem, a priori, privilegiar as trajetorias na direcao desta hierarquia. Tambem analisamos as estrategias pelas quais os alunos cegos veem as propriedades matematicas embutidas nas ferramentas e nas tarefas, usando as maos ao inves de seus olhos como ferramentas para visualizar, e como suas estrategias evidenciam um trânsito mais flexivel entre as perspectivas intra, inter e trans, apresentando indicios que a ordenacao hierarquica nao deveria ser vista como absoluta.
Cloud-based evolving intelligent method for weather time series prediction

This paper concerns the application of a cloud-based intelligent evolving method, namely, a typicality-and-eccentricity-based method for data analysis (TEDA), to predict monthly mean temperature in different cities of Brazil. Past values of maximum, minimum and mean monthly temperature, as well as previous values of exogenous variables such as cloudiness, rainfall and humidity were considered in the analysis. A non-parametric Spearman correlation based method is proposed to rank and select the most relevant features and time delays for a more accurate prediction. The datasets were obtained from weather stations located in main cities such as Sao Paulo, Manaus, and Porto Alegre. These cities are known to have particular weather characteristics. TEDA prediction results are compared with results provided by the evolving Takagi-Sugeno (eTS) and the extended Takagi-Sugeno (xTS) methods. In general, TEDA provided slightly more accurate predictions at the price of a higher computational cost.
Patients Who Miss Initial Appointments in Community Psychiatry? a Spanish Community Analysis

Objectives : To identify factors that predict which patients, when referred by their GP, make a first appointment at a Mental Health Centre and then fail to attend. Method: Sequential observational study in which data was collected for one year on all the people (1311) with an arranged date for an initial appointment at an urban Community Mental Health Centre. Results: Approximately 25% of patients who request an initial appointment fail to attend. The variables that predict non-attendance are: the lack of a telephone number for contact, the time lapse before the appointment, and when drug-addiction is the reason for requesting the appointment. One variable that results in a specific kind of behaviour is the timing of the initial appointment, since males and females tend to miss at different times. We also found that missing the appointment followed a seasonal pattern. Conclusions : In order to optimise the service, it is necessary to discover the proportion of probable misses, and aim to arrange the appointment with the shortest possible time lapse and to take into consideration the sex of the patient when fixing the time of the interview.
Isolation and characterization of conditional adherent and non‐type 1 fimbriated Salmonella typhimurium mutants

Mutations in the genes encoding the type 1 fimbriae of Salmonella typhimurium were isolated by selecting for the deletion of Tn10 inserted adjacent to the chromosomal fim+ genes and screening for the loss of mannose‐sensitive haemagglutination (HA) activity. S. typhimurium strains with Tn10 insertions in ahp were hypersensitive to peroxides, and tetracycline‐sensitive derivatives of ahp::Tn10 mutants displayed two fim mutant phenotypes. The predominant class of fim mutants did not synthesize type 1 fimbriae. A second type of fim mutant synthesized type 1 fimbriae and exhibited a conditional lipoic acid requirement for HA. A fim–lip conditional mutant synthesized type 1 fimbriae when grown in Mueller‐Hinton broth but the haemagglutinating activity of the fimbriae was dependent upon the addition of lipoic acid to the growth medium. Independentiy isolated lip mutations did not demonstrate a similar pleiotropic effect on HA. Western blots of fimbriae extracted from a fim–lip conditional mutant that was grown under permissive and restrictive conditions indicated the presence of 33 and 36.6 kDa proteins in HA+ fimbriae that were absent in HA‐ fimbriae. The HA+ phenotype of both conditional and non‐fimbriafed mutants was restored by transformation with cloned genes encoding S. typhimurium type 1 fimbriae.
Compact microstrip broadband bandpass filter with harmonic suppression based on embedded resonators

A compact microstrip broadband bandpass filter with harmonic suppression is proposed. The bandwidth of the proposed wide-band filter is from 0.96 to 3.41 GHz and the 3-dB fractional bandwidth is 135%. Without increasing additional circuit size, a technique which involves embedded open stubs is used to suppress undesired high frequency harmonics. By cascading the embedded open stubs periodically in the connecting lines, the bandwidth of the stopband response can be enhanced. The frequencies of the open stubs can be arranged at the harmonic position for suppressing the undesired response.
Elementary Convex Geometry

This article aims to give an exposition about the structure of Chebyshev set in various normed/Banach/Hilbert spaces, to any undergraduate with basic background in metric space and normed spaces. I compiled this note based on a student analysis talk that I have given in Oct 2014, in University of Michigan. This note contains no new results: They are adapted and modified from various sources, mainly from the book by Borwein and Lewis [3] and the survey by Balaganskii and Vlasov[2]. I would like to thank Prof Robert Megginson from University of Michigan for his guidance and explanations.