Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Using Somatic Mutations to Guide Treatment Decisions: Context Matters.

Mutations and other somatic genomic abnormalities are commonly used to inform treatment decisions. Such molecularly based personalized treatment strategies were until recently limited to an assortment of rare tumor types or molecularly defined subtypes of common cancers. Lately, these strategies have expanded to other tumor types, in particular lung cancer and melanoma. Although the approach to genomic-based treatment decisions has been broadly embraced, provision of a targeted agent to a patient whose cancer harbors the genomic target rarely leads to cure, and sometimes responses are incomplete. Also, opportunity costs for patients and the expenses of ineffective treatments are great; therefore, improvements are needed in the effective clinical use of mutation data. Although patients do benefit from today’s approach to interpreting mutation data, we propose that interpretive strategies considering both cellular and genomic context of mutations will provide a more accurate rationale for treatment decisions (Figure). Cellular context accounts for histologic etiology and how cell type–specific differences in cellular signaling impact treatment success. Genomic context includes 3 distinct considerations: (1) clonal diversity of cancer cell populations and resulting evolution induced by treatment, (2) the presence of resistance mutations or other genomic features that preclude effective targeting of a mutation 9treatment efficacy barriers), and (3) the driver or activation status of the mutation at the time of treatment.
C‐peptide in the natural history of type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is diagnosed when the patient's endogenous insulin secretion decreases to a level which results in hyperglycemia. After diagnosis, insulin secretion continues to decline. As a reference for clinical trials trying to preserve endogenous beta‐cell function in patients with recently diagnosed type 1 diabetes, in this short review I attempt to summarize the natural history of endogenous beta‐cell function after the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
E - Governance Implementation and Public Service Delivery in Nigeria: The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) Application

The aim of this paper is to explain the relationship between e-governance implementation and public service delivery in Nigeria using the Technology Acceptance Model. The paper is qualitative in nature and relies on secondary sources for data collection and the discussion that followed. The paper found that there are certain obstacles that hinder the adoption and effective implementation of e-governance that would have engendered qualitative service delivery in public sector organisations in Nigeria. It is in line with the foregoing, that this paper concludes that tackling the obstacles to e-governance adoption, implementation is key to the achievement of better public service delivery. The paper therefore recommends the sensitization of public servants on the importance and benefits of adopting and implementing e-governance in their administrative and organizational processes that will ultimately lead to improved service delivery in Nigeria among others.
Recognition of obstacle distribution via vibrotactile stimulation for the visually disabled

A tactile display is able to help the walking support system of a visually disabled person. A walking guide system must detect an obstacle's distribution in walking space including hanging and/or protruding obstacles, and provide useful feedback for safe walking. In this study, we investigate the applicability of a tactile display to the walking guide. The obstacle information is transmitted to the palm by tactile stimulation. The three dimensional (3D) detection of an obstacle's distribution using ultrasonic sensors, the fabrication of a tactile stimulator using vibration motors, and the mapping of the detected results to an array-type tactile stimulator are proposed. An experiment on the recognition of an obstacle's distribution via tactile stimulation is performed to evaluate the possibility of a walking guide. In the experimental result, the average recognition rate was 95.14 % (5.73, standard error).
1st Workshop on Understanding Automation: Interfaces that Facilitate User Understanding of Vehicle Automation

This workshop addresses how in-vehicle interfaces could be designed to support humans in understanding how highly automated vehicles (HAVs) operate. Current practices describe levels of automation in terms of technological limitations and expect users to accommodate. However, humans might not be able to understand the implications of technical limitations. Therefore we discussed how automation could be designed to understand the behavioral limitations and proclivities of human users. It also addresses how human-machine interfaces could provide users with an accurate mental model of automation. While transparency is often promoted as a crucial design principle for human-automation interfaces, doing so without thought can give rise to information overload. As outcomes, we identified potential misunderstandings that humans might hold of automated systems, how these misunderstandings can be resolved with novel interfaces, and what measures could be taken to develop automated systems that are easily understandable and capable of understanding their users in return.
Towards an Ultra Wideband Low Noise Active Sinuous Feed for Next Generation Radio Telescopes

Next generation of instruments for radio astronomy will benefit greatly from reflector antenna feeds that demonstrate very wide instantaneous bandwidth and exhibit low noise behavior. Our study focuses on design and measurement of an ultra-wideband inverted conical sinuous antenna and its integration with a low noise pseudo differential amplifier. The self-complementary, frequency independent nature of the planar sinuous geometry results in a nearly constant beam pattern and fixed phase center over more than a 10:1 operating frequency range. In order to eliminate the back-lobe response over such a wide frequency range, we have projected the sinuous pattern onto a cone, and a ground plane is placed directly behind the cone's apex. This inverted, conical geometry assures wide bandwidth operation by locating each sinuous resonator a quarter wavelength above the ground plane. The presence of a ground plane near a self complementary antenna destroys the self complementary nature of the composite structure resulting in frequency dependent impedance variations. We demonstrate, using simulations and measurements, how the return loss can be improved by modifying the sinuous geometry. A physically smaller, laboratory version of the 0.3 to 3 GHz antenna that is truncated to operate from 1 to 3 GHz was fabricated to verify proper LNA-feed integration through careful modeling and measurements. Over this range, a return loss of better than 9 dB is measured while simulations indicate a nearly constant beam pattern. A full decade bandwidth, low noise amplifier was specially designed for noise match to the higher terminal impedance encountered by this antenna yielding an improved sensitivity over what is possible with conventional 50 Ω amplifiers. A measured system noise temperature of less than 100 K is reported. Based on these results, we will increase the bandwidth of the system to 10:1 by simply attaching additional resonators to the sinuous arms.
e-Learning or e-Lemmings? Who pipes the tune?

This paper urges a rather more critical view of e-learning than that taken to date. It is argued that strong forces are converging to redefine education as a commercial rather than public activity, of which e-learning is one element. Inherently different perceptions of the teaching and learning process, based upon a commercial rather than a public model, combined with a certain amount of naive technological progressivism are challenging the role of higher education. Poor implementations based upon flawed assumptions are also likely to lead to an e-learning bust in much the same way as the dot com phenomenon has collapsed under the weight of its own hype. The case is argued for diverse and informed models of education (including e-learning approaches) that nurture local cultures and values, and produce socialized, adaptable and capable citizens rather than captive globalised consumers, colonized by monoculture online.
Anticonvulsant Activity of 2-(Substituted-imino)thiazolidin-4-ones

Abstract A novel series of 2-(substituted-imino)thiazolidin-4-ones were synthesized and evaluated for anticonvulsant activity using the maximal electroshock seizure (MES) and subcutaneous pentylenetetrazole (Sc-PTZ) assays and their neurotoxicity was measured by the rotarod test. The results of these tests demonstrated that 2-(4-(pentyloxy)phenylimino)thiazolidin-4-one (5d) was the most potent anticonvulsant, with ED50 value of 18.5 mg/kg and 15.3 mg/kg in the MES and Sc-PTZ tests, and protective index (PI=TD50/ED50) values of 10.6 and 12.8 respectively. 5d was much safer than a reference drug Carbamazepine.
Feedforward Control of Deformable Membrane Mirrors for Adaptive Optics

In this paper, performance enhancements for deformable membrane mirrors based on model-based feedforward control are presented. The investigated deformable mirror consists of a flexible membrane and voice coil actuators. Feedback control of the distributed actuators cannot be implemented in these mirrors due to a lack of high speed internal position measurements of the membrane's deformation. However, by using feedforward control, the dominant dynamics of the membrane can still be controlled allowing for faster settling times and reduced membrane vibrations. Experimental results are presented for an ALPAO deformable mirror with 88 distributed actuators on a circular membrane with a pupil of two centimeters in diameter.
Application of an Embedded System for the Car-Like Mobile Robot

In this paper, a fuzzy controller is implemented by an embedded system and applies to the wall-following control of a car-like mobile robot. First, we introduce a model of the car-like mobile robot. Next, we address the design scheme of fuzzy control. According to the expert, the fuzzy rules are constructed. Finally, the feasibility and robustness of the proposed controller are demonstrated by experimental results.
Vitamins C and E affect plasma metabolites and production performance of layer chickens ( Gallus gallus domesticus ) under condition of high ambient temperature and humidity

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of vitamins C and E on some plasma metabolites and production performance of layer chickens reared under hot tropical climate. 720 White Leghorn (L 33 ) layer chickens and 39 weeks old were divided into four groups of 180 birds. One group was fed with basal diet (control) and treatment groups were fed with basal diet supplemented with 150 mg of vitamin C/kg of diet, 150 mg of vitamin E/kg of diet, while the last group was supplemented with 150 mg of vitamin C/kg of diet plus 150 mg of vitamin E/kg of diet. Separately or as a combination, supplemental vitamin C and E decreased plasma concentrations of cholesterol, glucose and creatine phosphokinase (P 0.05) effects of supplemental vitamin C and E on plasma metabolites of alanine phosphatase and aspartate transaminase. The single supplementation of vitamin E and its combination with vitamin C considerably increased the plasma metabolite of protein (P<0.01). Egg/bird were significantly (P<0.05) higher in all treatment groups compared to control, but P value was highest in vitamin E treated group. The laying index showed a significant (P<0.05) increase in all treatment groups compared to control. Similarly, feed consumption and conversion were significantly (P<0.05) different in treatment groups compared to control. It is concluded that supplementation of vitamins C and E maintained the stability of some plasma metabolites concentration, thereby, sustained production performance and facilitated adaptation of chicken to stressful hot-humid condition.
Procyanidin Effects on Adipocyte-Related Pathologies

Procyanidins, a class of flavonoids, have clear and well-defined beneficial effects against several pathologies including cardiovascular heart disease. Now, studies in vivo are revealing the effects of procyanidins against obesity, where they prevent weight gain and adipose tissue mass increase, and against diabetes and insulin resistance, where they act as antihiperglycemic agents. Several mechanisms may be responsible for these effects. One of these, due to the key role of adipose tissue in the development of obesity and insulin resistance, is their effect on adipocytes. In this review we compile the studies that indicate a protective role for procyanidins in obesity and insulin resistance, focusing on their effects on the adipocyte, where procyanidins modify lipid synthesis, lipid degradation, glucose uptake, and adipose differentiation.
Some optimal reinsurance problems with risk management

This thesis studies several optimal reinsurance problems with risk management from different perspectives. For different types of reinsurance contracts, namely proportional, excess-of-loss and stop-loss, we investigate the optimal retentions under various criteria. An insurance company’s risk management consideration is reflected either in the optimality criteria or in the constraints. Under different settings, we derive explicit expressions for the optimal strategies and the corresponding objective functions. Firstly, we consider the optimal reinsurance strategy from an insurer’s point of view. Our objective is to find the optimal policy that maximise the survival probability of the insurance company, and in the meantime, company should meet the ongoing capital requirement under the Solvency II regime. In order to satisfy the regulators’ requirement and provide a tool for risk management, we introduce the dynamic version of Value-at-Risk (VaR) constraint and assume that the dynamic VaR limit is proportional to the insurer’s surplus in hand. Applying dynamic programming technique, we obtain closed form expressions for the optimal reinsurance retentions and corresponding survival probabilities under both proportional and excess-of-loss reinsurance. To make sure a reinsurance arrangement will bring mutual benefit to both the insurer and the reinsurer, we study the optimal reciprocal strategies under both parties’ utility improvement constraints. We consider five different optimality
Classification of fMRI data by using clustering

Recognition of the the cognitive states by using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data is a challenging problem that has been a focus of scientific research for a long time. In this study the effectiveness of clustering and the ensemble learning techniques on fMRI dataset is investigated and different parameters are compared. Moreover, the performance of these techniques are tested on both raw voxel intensity values and meshes formed by multiple voxels. Clusters are compared to the functional brain regions, however higher performances are obtained when the number of clusters is higher than the number of functional brain regions.
PENGARUH LIKUIDITAS, AKTIVITAS, DAN UKURAN PERUSAHAAN TERHADAP PROFITABILITAS PERUSAHAAN PERTAMBANGAN DI BEI

ABSTRACT Profit or earnings is one of the main objectives of the establishment of the company. When the profit cannot be obtained, the company will not be able to fulfill other objectives i.e.: The continuous growth (going concern) and social responsibility (corporate social responsibility). This research is aimed to examine the influence of liquidity, activity and firm size to the profitability through the financial statements which have been prepared by the mining companies which are listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange. The population is 41 mining companies which are listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX). The samples are mining companies in 2011-2015 periods. The numbers of samples are 5 companies which have been selected by using purposive sampling method. The purposive sampling method has been carried out based on certain criteria. The hypothesis test has been carried out by using multiple linear analysis and the SPSS (Statistical Product and Service Solution) 23rd version. The result of the research which has been done by using multiple linear regression shows that only activity whichgive significant influence to the profitability whereas liquidity and firm size give no significant influenceto the profitability of mining companies which are listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange. Keywords: liquidity, activity, firm size and, profitability
Efficient domain adaptation for painting theme recognition

In this paper we approach the problem of scene recognition in paintings. We tackle this task with the aid of Convolutional Neural Networks and a large database consisting of around 80,000 paintings. The main purpose is to identify an efficient method to enlarge the database by domain transfer from photographic content to artistic content. Thus, we discuss the practical capabilities of a recent method of domain transfer from photographs to paintings while augmenting the employed database and aid the learning of difficult styles. We propose a set of improvements to increase the feasibility of the domain transfer in the context of large databases.
Evolutionary hardware design

Since the early 1990's researchers have begun to apply evolutionary algorithms to synthesize electronic circuits. Nowadays it is evident that the evolutionary design approach can automatically create efficient electronic circuits in many domains. This paper surveys fundamental concepts of evolutionary hardware design. It introduces relevant search algorithms such as Cartesian genetic programming (CGP). Several case studies are presented demonstrating strength and weakness of the method. Target domains are combinational circuit synthesis where the goal is to minimize the number of gates, image filter design intended for field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) where the goal is to obtain the quality of filtering of conventional methods for a significantly lower cost on a chip and evolution of benchmark circuits for evaluation of testability analysis methods. Evolved circuits are compared with the best-known conventional designs. FPGAs are presented as accelerators for evolutionary circuit design and circuit adaptation.
Brain nerve growth factor unbalance induced by anabolic androgenic steroids in rats.

PURPOSE Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) are synthetic androgen-like compounds that are abused in sport communities despite their adverse effects. Nerve growth factor (NGF) influences neuronal differentiation and survival, and it also mediates higher brain functions such as learning and memory. Changes in NGF expression have been implicated in neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer disease. Hence, we decided to study the effect of chronic AAS exposure on brain NGF profile, NGF-dependent cholinergic function, and related behavioral performance. METHODS Male Wistar rats were injected for 4 wk with either nandrolone or stanozolol at daily doses (5.0 mg·kg(-1), s.c. ) that are considered equivalent to those abused by humans. NGF levels and NGF receptor (TrkA and p75NTR) expression were measured in the hippocampus and in the basal forebrain. Choline acetyltransferase expression was evaluated in basal forebrain. Spatial learning and memory were assessed using the Morris water maze. RESULTS AAS treatment caused region-specific changes in the expression of NGF and its receptors. Both nandrolone and stanozolol increased NGF levels in the hippocampus and reduced NGF levels in the basal forebrain, reduced p75NTR expression in the hippocampus, and failed to affect TrkA expression in the basal forebrain. Finally, AAS treatment reduced the expression of choline acetyltransferase in the basal forebrain and impaired the behavioral performance in the Morris water maze. CONCLUSION The evidence that supraphysiological doses of AAS cause neurotrophic unbalance and related behavioral disturbances raises the concern that AAS abuse in humans may affect mechanisms that lie at the core of neuronal plasticity.
Late Toxicity of Radiotherapy: A Problem or a Challenge for the Radiation Oncologist?

Background: Large randomized clinical trials have established radiotherapy in conjunction with adjuvant systemic treatment as standard treatment in breast cancer after both mastectomy and lumpectomy. Although standard radiation therapy is well tolerated by the majority of patients, some patients might suffer from late normal tissue effects. Methods: The literature on radiotherapy following surgery of breast cancer was reviewed with regard to late toxicity. Results: Radiotherapy may, to some degree, cause persistent pain in the breast, arm and shoulder in up to 30–50% of patients after 3–5 years, lymphedema in 15–25%, and restriction of arm and shoulder movement in 35%. Awareness of cardiotoxicity is needed since anthracyclines, trastuzumab, and radiotherapy may cause damage to the heart. However, using modern radiotherapy techniques, the available evidence does not suggest a higher incidence of cardiac mortality. Conclusions: This review updates the database on toxicity from radiation in breast cancer. Advances in research of radiation-induced late effects may lead to improved treatment choices for breast cancer patients including radiotherapy and may improve quality of life after surviving breast cancer.
Evaluating the potential of agent-based modelling to capture consumer grocery retail store choice behaviours

Abstract Evolving consumer behaviours with regards to store and channel choice, shopping frequency, shopping mission and spending heighten the need for robust spatial modelling tools for use within retail analytics. In this paper, we report on collaboration with a major UK grocery retailer to assess the feasibility of modelling consumer store choice behaviours at the level of the individual consumer. We benefit from very rare access to our collaborating retailers’ customer data which we use to develop a proof-of-concept agent-based model (ABM). Utilising our collaborating retailers’ loyalty card database, we extract key consumer behaviours in relation to shopping frequency, mission, store choice and spending. We build these observed behaviours into our ABM, based on a simplified urban environment, calibrated and validated against observed consumer data. Our ABM is able to capture key spatiotemporal drivers of consumer store choice behaviour at the individual level. Our findings could afford new opportunities for spatial modelling within the retail sector, enabling the complexity of consumer behaviours to be captured and simulated within a novel modelling framework. We reflect on further model development required for use in a commercial context for location-based decision-making.