LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Characterization of the interactions between apple condensed tannins and biologically important metal ions [Fe2+ (3d6), Cu2+ (3d9) and Zn2+ (3d10)]

Abstract To provide information regarding the mechanisms of interactions between apple condensed tannins (ACT) and biologically important metal ions (Fe 2+ , Cu 2+ , Zn 2+ ) as well as characterize ACT-metal ion coprecipitates, spectroscopy methods, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), thermogravimetry analysis (TGA) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) studies were utilized in the present study. Our results showed that ACT from unripe apple (cv. Golden Delicious) fruits were a mixture of B-type procyanidin oligomers with tetramers and pentamers as the main components. The (−)-epicatechin was the dominant unit of oligomer structures. Metal ions quenched the fluorescence of ACT via a static mechanism, while ACT interacted with metal ions mainly via catechol group-ion exchange. The binding constants, binding sites, the absolute values of Gibbs energy changes and effectiveness of precipitation of metal ions by ACT followed the order of Fe 2+  > Cu 2+  > Zn 2+ . Besides, the characteristics of ACT-metal ion coprecipitates confirmed the interactions of ACT with metal ions. The metal content of ACT-Fe 2+ , ACT-Cu 2+ or ACT-Zn 2+ coprecipitates was approximately 1.94%, 1.71% or 1.25%, respectively. Therefore, the findings of our investigation were able to help in the developments of ACT-metal nanoparticles, ACT-based sensors and sorption materials for metal ions.
Mental Health Smartphone Apps: Review and Evidence-Based Recommendations for Future Developments.

BACKGROUND
The number of mental health apps (MHapps) developed and now available to smartphone users has increased in recent years. MHapps and other technology-based solutions have the potential to play an important part in the future of mental health care; however, there is no single guide for the development of evidence-based MHapps. Many currently available MHapps lack features that would greatly improve their functionality, or include features that are not optimized. Furthermore, MHapp developers rarely conduct or publish trial-based experimental validation of their apps. Indeed, a previous systematic review revealed a complete lack of trial-based evidence for many of the hundreds of MHapps available.


OBJECTIVE
To guide future MHapp development, a set of clear, practical, evidence-based recommendations is presented for MHapp developers to create better, more rigorous apps.


METHODS
A literature review was conducted, scrutinizing research across diverse fields, including mental health interventions, preventative health, mobile health, and mobile app design.


RESULTS
Sixteen recommendations were formulated. Evidence for each recommendation is discussed, and guidance on how these recommendations might be integrated into the overall design of an MHapp is offered. Each recommendation is rated on the basis of the strength of associated evidence. It is important to design an MHapp using a behavioral plan and interactive framework that encourages the user to engage with the app; thus, it may not be possible to incorporate all 16 recommendations into a single MHapp.


CONCLUSIONS
Randomized controlled trials are required to validate future MHapps and the principles upon which they are designed, and to further investigate the recommendations presented in this review. Effective MHapps are required to help prevent mental health problems and to ease the burden on health systems.
Constructivism Learning Theory : A Paradigm for Teaching and Learning

Constructivism represents one of the big ideas in education. Its implications for how teachers teach and learn to teach are enormous. If our efforts in reforming education for all students are to succeed, then we must focus on students. To date, a focus on student-centered learning may well be the most important contribution of constructivism. This article, therefore, discusses constructivism learning theory as a paradigm for teaching and learning. Constructivism is a learning theory found in psychology which explains how people might acquire knowledge and learn. It therefore has direct application to education. The theory suggests that humans construct knowledge and meaning from their experiences. Conceptual understanding of the theory was discussed as well as basic characteristics of constructivists learning environment. Seven pedagogical goals of constructivist learning environments and six benefits of constructivism were outlined in this article. Significant differences between traditional classroom and constructivist classroom were spelt out in a tabular form. Furthermore,principles of constructivism and several implications of constructivism for teaching and learningwere reviewed. The study, therefore, concluded that teachers need to reflect on their practice in order to apply these ideas to their work and that constructivist teachers encourage students to constantly assess how the activity is helping them gain understanding.
Impact of seating positions on group video communication

In this study, we examine how changes in seating position across different sites affect video-mediated communication. We experimentally investigated the effects of altering seating positions on conversations in four-person group communication, two-by-two at identical locations: distant parties seated across from each other vs. distant parties seated side-by-side. In the latter seating arrangement, we found that speaker switches were more evenly distributed between distance-separated participants and co-located participants at points without verbal indication of the next speaker. Participants shared a higher sense of unity and reached a slightly better group solution. These findings demonstrate the importance of providing people with various seating arrangements across distant sites to facilitate different group activities.
Reconfigurable pipelined 2-D convolvers for fast digital signal processing

In order to make software applications simpler to write and easier to maintain, a software digital signal processing library that performs essential signal and image processing functions is an important part of every DSP developer’s toolset. In general, such a library provides high-level interface and mechanisms, therefore developers only need to known how to use algorithm, not the details of how they work. Then, complex signal transformations become function calls, e.g. C-callable functions. Considering the 2-D convolver function as an example of great significance for DSPs, this work proposes to replace this software function by an emulation on a FPGA initially configured by software programming. Therefore, the exploration of the 2-D convolver’s design space will provide guidelines for the development of a library of DSP-oriented hardware configurations intended to significantly speed-up the performance of general DSP processors. Based on the specific convolver, and considering operators supported in the library as hardware accelerators, a series of trade-offs for efficiently exploiting the bandwidth between the general purpose DSP and the accelerators are proposed. In terms of implementation, this work explores the performance and architectural tradeoffs involved in the design of an FPGA-based 2D convolution coprocessor for the TMS320C40 DSP microprocessor from Texas Instruments. However, the proposed concept is not limited to a particular processor. Copyright  1999 IEEE . This paper is an extended version of a paper accepted in the IEEE VLSI Systems Transaction. The paper will be published in 1999. Personnel use of this material is permitted. However, permission to reprint/republish this material for advertising or promotional purposes or for creating new collectives works for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or to reuse any copyrithed component of this work in other works, must be obtained from the IEEE. Contact: Manager, Copyrights and Permissions / IEEE service Center / 445 Hoes Lane / P.O. Box 1331 / Pistacataway, NJ 08855-1331, USA. Telephone: + Intl. 732562-3966.
Centrally-stored and delivered virtual machines in the networking/system administration lab

Virtual machine technology has presented an opportunity for the networking/system administration lab to serve multiple classes. The storage and delivery of virtual machine images has however presented a new problem for faculty and technical support staff. The authors have performed initial testing involving centralized verses distributed virtual machine image delivery in the networking/system administration and will provide details as to their results in this paper. The overriding goal is to provide mobility for students within the lab and virtual machine manageability for faculty and technical staff.
Measuring personality in one minute or less : A 10-item short version of the Big Five Inventory in English and German

To provide a measure of the Big Five for contexts in which participant time is severely limited, we abbreviated the Big Five Inventory (BFI-44) to a 10-item version, the BFI-10. To permit its use in cross-cultural research, the BFI-10 was developed simultaneously in several samples in both English and German. Results focus on the psychometric characteristics of the 2-item scales on the BFI-10, including their part-whole correlations with the BFI-44 scales, retest reliability, structural validity, convergent validity with the NEO-PI-R and its facets, and external validity using peer ratings. Overall, results indicate that the BFI-10 scales retain signiWcant levels of reliability and validity. Thus, reducing the items of the BFI-44 to less than a fourth yielded eVect sizes that were lower than those for the full BFI-44 but still suYcient for research settings with truly limited time constraints. © 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Toward an Experimental Ecology of Human Development

A broader approach to research in huj man development is proposed that focuses on the pro\ gressive accommodation, throughout the life span, between the growing human organism and the changing environments in which it actually lives and grows. \ The latter include not only the immediate settings containing the developing person but also the larger social contexts, both formal and informal, in which these settings are embedded. In terms of method, the approach emphasizes the use of rigorousj^d^igned exp_erjments, both naturalistic and contrived, beginning in the early stages of the research process. The changing relation between person and environment is conceived in systems terms. These systems properties are set forth in a series of propositions, each illustrated by concrete research examples. This article delineates certain scientific limitations in prevailing approaches to research on human development and suggests broader perspectives in theory, method, and substance. The point of departure for this undertaking is the view that, especially in recent decades, research in human development has pursued a divided course, with each direction tangential to genuine scientific progress. To corrupt a contemporary metaphor, we risk being caught between a rock and a soft place. The rock is rigor, and the soft place relevance. As I have argued elsewhere (Bronfenbrenner, 1974; Note 1), the emphasis on rigor has led to experiments that are elegantly designed but often limited in scope. This limitation derives from the fact that many of these experiments involve situations that are unfamiliar, artificial, and short-lived and that call for unusual behaviors that are difficult to generalize to other settings. From this perspective, it can be said that much of contemporary developmental psychology is the science of the strange behavior of children in strange situations with strange adults for the briefest possible periods of time.* Partially in reaction to such shortcomings, other workers have stressed the need for social relevance in research, but often with indifference to or open rejection of rigor. In its more extreme manifestations, this trend has taken the form of excluding the scientists themselves from the research process. For example, one major foundation has recently stated as its new policy that, henceforth, grants for research will be awarded only to persons who are themselves the victims of social injusticeA Other, less radical expressions of this trend in-1 volve reliance on existential approaches in which 1 "experience" takes the place of observation and I analysis is foregone in favor of a more personalized I and direct "understanding" gained through inti\ mate involvement in the field situation. More, N. common, and more scientifically defensible, is an /" emphasis on naturalistic observation, but with the / stipulation that it be unguided by any hypotheses i formulated in advance and uncontaminated by V structured experimental designs imposed prior to /
Cortisol Awakening Response Prospectively Predicts Peritraumatic and Acute Stress Reactions in Police Officers

BACKGROUND
The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is a major stress response system hypothesized to be involved in the pathogenesis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, few studies have prospectively examined the relationships among pre-exposure hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal activity, acute stress reactions and PTSD.


METHODS
Two hundred ninety-six police recruits were assessed during academy training before critical incident exposure and provided salivary cortisol at first awakening and after 30 minutes. A measure of cortisol awakening response (CAR) was computed as the change in cortisol level from the first to the second collection. At 12, 24, and 36 months following the start of active police service, officers were assessed for peritraumatic distress, peritraumatic dissociation, acute stress disorder (ASD) symptoms, and PTSD symptoms to their self-identified worst duty-related critical incident. Mixed models for repeated measures were used to analyze the effects of CAR on the outcome variables pooled across the three follow-up assessments.


RESULTS
After controlling for time of awakening, first awakening cortisol levels, and cumulative critical incident stress exposure, CAR during academy training was associated with greater peritraumatic dissociation, β = .14, z = 3.49, p < .0001, and greater ASD symptoms during police service assessed at 12, 24, and 36 months, β = .09, Z = 2.03, p < .05, but not with peritraumatic distress, β = .03, z = .81, p = .42, or PTSD symptoms, β = -.004, z = -.09, p = .93.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that greater cortisol response to awakening is a pre-exposure risk factor for peritraumatic dissociation and ASD symptoms during police service.
A 50-mA 1-nF Low-Voltage Low-Dropout Voltage Regulator for SoC Applications

© 2010 ETRI Journal, Volume 32, Number 4, August 2010 In this paper, we present a low-voltage low-dropout voltage regulator (LDO) for a system-on-chip (SoC) application which, exploiting the multiplication of the Miller effect through the use of a current amplifier, is frequency compensated up to 1-nF capacitive load. The topology and the strategy adopted to design the LDO and the related compensation frequency network are described in detail. The LDO works with a supply voltage as low as 1.2 V and provides a maximum load current of 50 mA with a drop-out voltage of 200 mV: the total integrated compensation capacitance is about 40 pF. Measurement results as well as comparison with other SoC LDOs demonstrate the advantage of the proposed topology.
Radiculopathy in degenerative lumbar scoliosis: correlation of stenosis with relief from selective nerve root steroid injections.

OBJECTIVE
The purpose is to define the origin of radiculopathy of patients with degenerative lumbar scoliosis-stenosis and to assess the correlation between percentage of initial radicular leg pain relief with selective nerve root injections and lateral canal dimensions.


DESIGN
Retrospective clinical study.


SETTING AND PATIENTS
Thirty-six consecutive patients (average age 72) from Twin Cities Spine Center with degenerative lumbar scoliosis (average major curve 25°) and radicular symptoms were studied.


INTERVENTIONS
Patients underwent 46 selective steroid injections of nerve roots concordant with clinical symptomatology.


OUTCOME MEASURES
Radiographic measurements included major and lumbosacral curve Cobb angle. Computerized measurements of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) included minimum subarticular height and foramen cross-sectional area of the nerve roots that were injected. Initial response from the nerve root injections was also rated.


RESULTS
Twenty-five percent of nerve root symptoms were coming from the major curve, 72.2% from the lumbosacral hemicurve and 2.8% from both (P<0.001). The affected nerve roots were more frequently the L4 (34.8%) and L5 (28.3%) nerve roots. A total of 71.7% of radicular symptoms were originating from the concavity of the curve and 28.7% from the convexity (P<0.001). The relief from injections was more than 50% in 75% of the patients at 15 days postinjection. There was no statistical significant correlation (P>0.05) between the lateral canal dimensions and the initial response to injection of anesthetic plus steroid injection.


CONCLUSIONS
In degenerative lumbar scoliotic curves, radicular symptoms are attributed mainly to nerve roots exiting from the concavity of the lumbosacral hemicurve. No evidence was found that the rate of initial relief from selective nerve root injections correlates with the degree of stenosis noted in the MRI.
Effect of carbon addition on the microstructure of Si3N4–Cfiber composites using semiconductor-waste Si sludge

Abstract Si 3 N 4 –C fiber composites using waste-Si sludge were fabricated by hot pressing at 1850 °C for 2 h with and without the addition of carbon powder. The composites were composed of small amounts of β-Si 3 N 4 , O′SiAlON, SiC and Y 2 SiO 5 regardless of carbon powder addition. In the composite without the addition of carbon powder, most of the carbon fibers were graphitized with fine particles. Furthermore, many cavities were observed in the interior regions of C-fibers as well as at the interfaces of Si 3 N 4 /C fiber caused by the decomposition of them. However, in the composite with 3 wt.%C powder added, the core regions of C-fibers still existed in an amorphous. The average size of a matrix grain in the composite using 3 wt.%C powder was slightly finer than that of composite fabricated without using carbon powder, which was caused by the existence of nanometer-sized SiC particles.
3D-2D face recognition with pose and illumination normalization

In this paper, we propose a 3D-2D framework for face recognition that is more practical than 3D-3D, yet more accurate than 2D-2D. For 3D-2D face recognition, the gallery data comprises of 3D shape and 2D texture data and the probes are arbitrary 2D images. A 3D-2D system (UR2D) is presented that is based on a 3D deformable face model that allows registration of 3D and 2D data, face alignment, and normalization of pose and illumination. During enrollment, subject-specific 3D models are constructed using 3D+2D data. For recognition, 2D images are represented in a normalized image space using the gallery 3D models and landmark-based 3D-2D projection estimation. A method for bidirectional relighting is applied for non-linear, local illumination normalization between probe and gallery textures, and a global orientation-based correlation metric is used for pairwise similarity scoring. The generated, personalized, poseand lightnormalized signatures can be used for one-to-one verification or one-to-many identification. Results for 3D-2D face recognition on the UHDB11 3D-2D database with 2D images under large illumination and pose variations support our hypothesis that, in challenging datasets, 3D-2D outperforms 2D-2D and decreases the performance gap against 3D-3D face recognition. Evaluations on FRGC v2.0 3D-2D data with frontal facial images, demonstrate that the method can generalize to databases with different and diverse illumination conditions. © 2016 Published by Elsevier Inc.
Modelling biological processes using workflow and Petri Net models

MOTIVATION
Biological processes can be considered at many levels of detail, ranging from atomic mechanism to general processes such as cell division, cell adhesion or cell invasion. The experimental study of protein function and gene regulation typically provides information at many levels. The representation of hierarchical process knowledge in biology is therefore a major challenge for bioinformatics. To represent high-level processes in the context of their component functions, we have developed a graphical knowledge model for biological processes that supports methods for qualitative reasoning.


RESULTS
We assessed eleven diverse models that were developed in the fields of software engineering, business, and biology, to evaluate their suitability for representing and simulating biological processes. Based on this assessment, we combined the best aspects of two models: Workflow/Petri Net and a biological concept model. The Workflow model can represent nesting and ordering of processes, the structural components that participate in the processes, and the roles that they play. It also maps to Petri Nets, which allow verification of formal properties and qualitative simulation. The biological concept model, TAMBIS, provides a framework for describing biological entities that can be mapped to the workflow model. We tested our model by representing malaria parasites invading host erythrocytes, and composed queries, in five general classes, to discover relationships among processes and structural components. We used reachability analysis to answer queries about the dynamic aspects of the model.


AVAILABILITY
The model is available at http://smi.stanford.edu/projects/helix/pubs/process-model/.
Update on Progress in Selected Public Health Programs After the 2010 Earthquake and Cholera Epidemic — Haiti, 2014

On January 12, 2010, an earthquake devastated Haiti's infrastructure, killing an estimated 230,000 persons and displacing more than 1.5 million. Ten months later, Haiti experienced the beginning of the largest cholera epidemic ever reported in a single country. Immediately after the earthquake and at the start of the cholera epidemic, health priorities in Haiti included improvement of surveillance and laboratory capacity for addressing public health threats in the general population and targeted surveillance and provision of improved water and sanitation in camps for internally displaced persons. As part of a multi-sector, post-earthquake response in collaboration with the Government of Haiti and others, CDC focused on supporting the recovery, expansion, or establishment of several key health programs. This update reports progress in selected health programs, services, and systems in Haiti as of the end of 2014.