Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Transgenic Camelina sativa Seed Oil Effectively Replaces Fish Oil as a Dietary Source of Eicosapentaenoic Acid in Mice123

Background: Fish currently supplies only 40% of the eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) required to allow all individuals globally to meet the minimum intake recommendation of 500 mg/d. Therefore, alternative sustainable sources are needed. Objective: The main objective was to investigate the ability of genetically engineered Camelina sativa (20% EPA) oil (CO) to enrich tissue EPA and DHA relative to an EPA-rich fish oil (FO) in mammals. Methods: Six-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were fed for 10 wk either a palm oil–containing control (C) diet or diets supplemented with EPA-CO or FO, with the C, low-EPA CO (COL), high-EPA CO (COH), low-EPA FO (FOL), and high-EPA FO (FOH) diets providing 0, 0.4, 3.4, 0.3, and 2.9 g EPA/kg diet, respectively. Liver, muscle, and brain were collected for fatty acid analysis, and blood glucose and serum lipids were quantified. The expression of selected hepatic genes involved in EPA and DHA biosynthesis and in modulating their cellular impact was determined. Results: The oils were well tolerated, with significantly greater weight gain in the COH and FOH groups relative to the C group (P < 0.001). Significantly lower (36–38%) blood glucose concentrations were evident in the FOH and COH mice relative to C mice (P < 0.01). Hepatic EPA concentrations were higher in all EPA groups relative to the C group (P < 0.001), with concentrations of 0.0, 0.4, 2.9, 0.2, and 3.6 g/100 g liver total lipids in the C, COL, COH, FOL, and FOH groups, respectively. Comparable dose-independent enrichments of liver DHA were observed in mice fed CO and FO diets (P < 0.001). Relative to the C group, lower fatty acid desaturase 1 (Fads1) expression (P < 0.005) was observed in the COH and FOH groups. Higher fatty acid desaturase 2 (Fads2), peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor α (Ppara), and peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor γ (Pparg) (P < 0.005) expressions were induced by CO. No impact of treatment on liver X receptor α (Lxra) or sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c (Srebp1c) was evident. Conclusions: Oil from transgenic Camelina is a bioavailable source of EPA in mice. These data provide support for the future assessment of this oil in a human feeding trial.
Traditional Chinese Medicine: From Aqueous Extracts to Therapeutic Formulae

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is one of the most established systems of medicine in the world. The therapeutic formulae used in TCM are frequently derived from aqueous decoctions of single plants or complex multicomponent formulae. There are aspects of plant cultivation and preparation of decoction pieces that are unique to TCM. These include Daodi cultivation, which is associated with high quality medicinal plant material that is grown in a defined geographical area, and Paozhi processing where the decoction pieces can be treated with excipients and are processed, which may fundamentally change the nature of the chemical metabolites. Therefore, a single plant part, processed in a variety of different ways, can each create a unique medicine. The quality of TCM materials, their safety and therapeutic efficacy are of critical importance. The application of metabolomic and chemometric techniques to these complex and multicomponent medicines is of interest to understand the interrelationships between composition, synergy and therapeutic activity. In this chapter, we present a short history of TCM, detail the role of Daodi and Paozhi in the generation of therapeutic formulae and look at the international practices and methodologies currently in use to ensure their sustainable production, quality, safety and efficacy.
Assessing the use of computer-based assessment-feedback in teaching digital accountants

ABSTRACT Both assessment and feedback have a vital impact on students’ learning. Using computer-based assessment (CBA) with constructive and prompt computer-based feedback (CBF) reduces the attainment gap of the new generation of digital students. Action research methodology was employed to explore students’ view of utilising CBA and/or CBF in teaching and learning practice. A survey was administered to 537 undergraduate students in the Management School of a British university to collect data about their perceptions of using CBA and CBF to assess their progress. Findings from students’ survey show that students are generally appreciated the use of and benefits of CBA and/or CBF in teaching accounting modules. Findings also reveal that many participants valued working online compared to paper-and-pencil assessment and they also appreciated the timely and constructive feedback-feedforward they received. Information technology (IT), therefore, can provide an innovative type of assessment and feedback that students’ desire in an effective manner.
Modelling Stock Market Excess Returns by Markov Modulated Gaussian Noise

A basic analysis of stock market excess return data shows both linear and non-linear dependence present. Previous papers have used this to argue that it must therefore be possible to predict future values. However, this paper shows that the linear and non-linear dependence can be explained by simply allowing the mean and variance of Gaussian noise to be modulated by a (typically 3 state) hidden Markov model. Attempting to t a Markov modulated AR process proved fruitless; the conclusion is that there is no AR-predictability present in excess return data. JEL codes: G12, G14, C22 Jonathan Manton acknowledges the support of the Australian Telecommunication and Engineering Research Board and the Cooperative Research Centre for Sensor Signal and Information Processing. Vikram Krishnamurthy acknowledges the support of an ARC large grant and the Cooperative Research Centre for Sensor Signal and Information Processing.
Speaker-Adaptive Acoustic-Articulatory Inversion Using Cascaded Gaussian Mixture Regression

This paper addresses the adaptation of an acoustic-articulatory model of a reference speaker to the voice of another speaker, using a limited amount of audio-only data. In the context of pronunciation training, a virtual talking head displaying the internal speech articulators (e.g., the tongue) could be automatically animated by means of such a model using only the speaker's voice. In this study, the articulatory-acoustic relationship of the reference speaker is modeled by a gaussian mixture model (GMM). To address the speaker adaptation problem, we propose a new framework called cascaded Gaussian mixture regression (C-GMR), and derive two implementations. The first one, referred to as Split-C-GMR, is a straightforward chaining of two distinct GMRs: one mapping the acoustic features of the source speaker into the acoustic space of the reference speaker, and the other estimating the articulatory trajectories with the reference model. In the second implementation, referred to as Integrated-C-GMR, the two mapping steps are tied together in a single probabilistic model. For this latter model, we present the full derivation of the exact EM training algorithm, that explicitly exploits the missing data methodology of machine learning. Other adaptation schemes based on maximum-a posteriori (MAP), maximum likelihood linear regression (MLLR) and direct cross-speaker acoustic-to-articulatory GMR are also investigated. Experiments conducted on two speakers for different amount of adaptation data show the interest of the proposed C-GMR techniques.
Biodegradable Polymer Membranes Applied in Guided Bone/Tissue Regeneration: A Review

Polymer membranes have been widely used in guided tissue regeneration (GTR) and guided bone regeneration (GBR). In this review, various commercially available membranes are described. Much attention is paid to the recent development of biodegradable polymers applied in GTR and GBR, and the important issues of biodegradable polymeric membranes, including their classification, latest experimental research and clinical applications, as well as their main challenges are addressed. Herein, natural polymers, synthetic polymers and their blends are all introduced. Pure polymer membranes are biodegradable and biocompatible, but they lack special properties such as antibacterial properties, osteoconductivity, and thus polymer membranes loaded with functional materials such as antibacterial agents and growth factors show many more advantages and have also been introduced in this review. Despite there still being complaints about polymer membranes, such as their low mechanical properties, uncontrollable degradation speed and some other drawbacks, these problems will undoubtedly be conquered and biodegradable polymers will have more applications in GTR and GBR.
Tactical Knowledge in Team Sports From a Constructivist and Cognitivist Perspective

Traditionally, teaching team sports has been based on a strategy that puts forward the mastery of motor skills prior to actual involvement in the game, thus emphasizing physical capacities more than an understanding of the game. Supporting a constmctivist and a cognitivist perspective to the teaching—learning process, this paper focuses on tactical knowledge constructed by the students. In order to shed light on the nature of tactical knowledge envisioned for the students, the systemic and therefore dynamic view of team sports is presented. Categories of knowledge are thereafter illustrated, and three main steps that students go through to construct and stabilize their tactical knowledge are identified. Finally, some similarities and differences between the constructivist and cognitivist perspective presented in this paper and the knowledge-based literature on motor expertise are discussed.
Physical Layer Security in Heterogeneous Cellular Networks

The heterogeneous cellular network (HCN) is a promising approach to the deployment of 5G cellular networks. This paper comprehensively studies physical layer security in a multitier HCN where base stations (BSs), authorized users, and eavesdroppers are all randomly located. We first propose an access threshold-based secrecy mobile association policy that associates each user with the BS providing the maximum truncated average received signal power beyond a threshold. Under the proposed policy, we investigate the connection probability and secrecy probability of a randomly located user and provide tractable expressions for the two metrics. Asymptotic analysis reveals that setting a larger access threshold increases the connection probability while decreases the secrecy probability. We further evaluate the network-wide secrecy throughput and the minimum secrecy throughput per user with both connection and secrecy probability constraints. We show that introducing a properly chosen access threshold significantly enhances the secrecy throughput performance of a HCN.
Surface Photometry of Nearby Field Galaxies: The Data

We have obtained integrated spectra and multifilter photometry for a representative sample of ∼200 nearby galaxies. These galaxies span the entire Hubble sequence in morphological type, as well as a wide range of luminosities (MB = -14 to -22) and colors (B-R = 0.4-1.8). Here we describe the sample selection criteria and the U, B, R surface photometry for these galaxies. The spectrophotometric results will be presented in a companion paper. Our goals for the project include measuring the current star formation rates and metallicity of these galaxies, and elucidating their star formation histories, as a function of luminosity and morphology. We thereby extend the work of Kennicutt to lower luminosity systems. We anticipate that our study will be useful as a benchmark for studies of galaxies at high redshift. We discuss the observing, data reduction, and calibration techniques and show that our photometry agrees well with previous work in those cases in which earlier data are available. We present an atlas of images, radial surface brightness profiles, and color profiles as well as tables of derived parameters. The atlas and tables of measurements will be made available electronically. We study the correlations of galaxy properties determined from the galaxy images. Our findings include the following: (1) colors determined within the effective radius correlate better with morphological type than with MB and (2) 50% of the low-luminosity galaxies are bluest in their centers.
Bit Security for Lucas-Based One-Way Function

In 1993, Smith and Lennon described a new public key cryptosystem based on a Lucas sequences, called Lucas cryptosystem (LUC). Its construction is similar to RSA, but its computing faster and using smaller key size than RSA with the same security strength. In this paper, we presented a new hardcore predicate of LUC and proved its security by the list decoding method developed by Akavia et al.
Non-cell autonomous influence of the astrocyte system xc− on hypoglycaemic neuronal cell death

Despite longstanding evidence that hypoglycaemic neuronal injury is mediated by glutamate excitotoxicity, the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved remain incompletely defined. Here, we demonstrate that the excitotoxic neuronal death that follows GD (glucose deprivation) is initiated by glutamate extruded from astrocytes via system xc− – an amino acid transporter that imports l-cystine and exports l-glutamate. Specifically, we find that depriving mixed cortical cell cultures of glucose for up to 8 h injures neurons, but not astrocytes. Neuronal death is prevented by ionotropic glutamate receptor antagonism and is partially sensitive to tetanus toxin. Removal of amino acids during the deprivation period prevents – whereas addition of l-cystine restores – GD-induced neuronal death, implicating the cystine/glutamate antiporter, system xc−. Indeed, drugs known to inhibit system xc− ameliorate GD-induced neuronal death. Further, a dramatic reduction in neuronal death is observed in chimaeric cultures consisting of neurons derived from WT (wild-type) mice plated on top of astrocytes derived from sut mice, which harbour a naturally occurring null mutation in the gene (Slc7a11) that encodes the substrate-specific light chain of system xc− (xCT). Finally, enhancement of astrocytic system xc− expression and function via IL-1β (interleukin-1β) exposure potentiates hypoglycaemic neuronal death, the process of which is prevented by removal of l-cystine and/or addition of system xc− inhibitors. Thus, under the conditions of GD, our studies demonstrate that astrocytes, via system xc−, have a direct, non-cell autonomous effect on cortical neuron survival.
A limited contribution of Ca2+ current facilitation to paired‐pulse facilitation of transmitter release at the rat calyx of Held

Recent studies have suggested that transmitter release facilitation at synapses is largely mediated by presynaptic Ca2+ current facilitation, but the exact contribution of Ca2+ current facilitation has not been determined quantitatively. Here, we determine the contribution of Ca2+ current facilitation, and of an increase in the residual free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) in the nerve terminal, to paired‐pulse facilitation of transmitter release at the calyx of Held. Under conditions of low release probability imposed by brief presynaptic voltage‐clamp steps, transmitter release facilitation at short interstimulus intervals (4 ms) was 227 ± 31% of control, Ca2+ current facilitation was 113 ± 4% of control, and the peak residual [Ca2+]i was 252 ± 18 nm over baseline. By inferring the ‘local’[Ca2+]i transients that drive transmitter release during these voltage‐clamp stimuli with the help of a kinetic release model, we estimate that Ca2+ current facilitation contributes to ∼40% to paired‐pulse facilitation of transmitter release. The remaining component of facilitation strongly depends on the build‐up, and on the decay of the residual free [Ca2+]i, but cannot be explained by linear summation of the residual free [Ca2+]i, and the back‐calculated ‘local’[Ca2+]i signal, which only accounts for ∼10% of the total release facilitation. Further voltage‐clamp experiments designed to compensate for Ca2+ current facilitation demonstrated that about half of the observed transmitter release facilitation remains in the absence of Ca2+ current facilitation. Our results indicate that paired‐pulse facilitation of transmitter release at the calyx of Held is driven by at least two distinct mechanisms: Ca2+ current facilitation, and a mechanism independent of Ca2+ current facilitation that closely tracks the time course of residual free [Ca2+]i.
Neuromelanin Magnetic Resonance Imaging Reveals Increased Dopaminergic Neuron Activity in the Substantia Nigra of Patients with Schizophrenia

Purpose The dopamine hypothesis suggests that excessive dopamine release results in the symptoms of schizophrenia. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the dopaminergic and noradrenergic neurons using 3-T neuromelanin magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with schizophrenia and healthy control subjects. Methods We prospectively examined 52 patients with schizophrenia (M: F = 27∶25, mean age, 35 years) and age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Using a 3T MRI unit, we obtained oblique T1-weighted axial images perpendicular to the brainstem. We measured the signal intensity and area for the substantia nigra (SNc), midbrain tegmentum, locus ceruleus (LC), and pons. We then calculated the contrast ratios (CR) for the SNc (CRSN) and LC (CRLC), which were compared between patients and healthy controls using unpaired t-tests. Results The SNc and LC were readily identified in both patients and healthy controls as areas with high signal intensities in the posterior part of the cerebral peduncle and in the upper pontine tegmentum. The CRSN values in patients were significantly higher than those in healthy controls (10.89±2.37 vs. 9.6±2.36, p<0.01). We observed no difference in the CRLC values between the patients and healthy controls (14.21±3.5 vs. 13.44±3.37, p = 0.25). Furthermore, there was no difference in area of the SNc and LC between schizophrenia patients and controls. Conclusions Neuromelanin MRI might reveal increased signal intensity in the SNc of patients with schizophrenia. Our results indicate the presence of excessive dopamine products in the SNc of these patients.
Energy saving heuristics in backbone networks

The paper presents an approach aimed to reduce the overall power consumption of a backbone network by exploiting the power behavior of green network devices. This approach is based on the solution of an optimization problem that has a Mixed Integer NonLinear Programming (MINLP) formulation. Given that the problem is NP-hard, exact methods for finding optimal solutions can be used only for scenarios of limited size. To cope with the case of complex networks, the paper proposes two variations of the Fast Greedy Heuristic (FGH), denoted as Time Limited PAR Heuristic (TLPH) and PAR Meta Heuristic (PMH). The simulation study highlights the capability of the proposed heuristics to obtain solutions near the optimum and to outperform the other approaches in terms of power savings and CPU times needed to find a solution in complex network scenarios.
The Utility of Using Social Media Networks for Data Collection in Survey Research

Social media networks (SMNs) such as Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter seem appealing tools for matters of reaching potential candidates for survey or case study research. Yet scholars remain cautious about leveraging these platforms. This research in progress paper compares and discusses the benefits of six generic strategies for reaching survey candidates on SMNs, and argues that while their use has potential pitfalls, the upside for explanatory type research may outweigh its risks. Furthermore, the paper outlines the empirical setting of a study that has been conducted to assess our propositions, and in which Linkedin was used to identify and solicit survey candidates.
The Impact of Social Wellness Integration on Fifth Grade Students’ Positive Social Behaviors

In recent years, schools across the United States have encountered increased pressure to focus solely on academic performance (Dillow & Snyder, 2007). Therefore, time allotted to developing fundamental social skills needed to improve the well-being of children in elementary school has decreased. However, social skills are essential to educating the overall well-being of children (Clinton, West, and Wilson, 2017). Benefits associated with social wellness education include relationship skills, responsible decision making skills, and consideration of well-being of self and others. These are all important to lifelong success (Burrow, Patrick, Kyzer, & Mckelvey 2016). To address these concerns, this study examined the impact of social wellness integration strategies into an academic unit on fifth grade students’ positive social behaviors. All participants were in the same fifth grade classroom at an elementary school in Northwest Mississippi. Twelve observations were completed from October 20, 2017- November 29, 2017 from 1:10 p.m. - 2:40 p.m. The first six observational periods examined the students positive and negative social behaviors when academic lessons included social wellness integration, and the last six observational periods examined the students positive and negative social behaviors when academic units did not include social wellness integration. Participants positive and negative social behaviors were documented in 10-minute intervals throughout each 90-minute observational period. Results indicated that integrating social wellness standards and strategies into a fifth grade academic unit increased positive social behaviors in the classroom.
Tramadol misuse in the Niger Delta; A review of cases presenting within a year

ABSTRACT Objective: Tramadol is an opioid agent used for pain management with huge potentials of misuse. The misuse of Tramadol is associated with increased morbidity and mortality; and this is common among young adults in low-income settings. The aim of this study is to highlight cases of Tramadol misuse managed in a rural teaching hospital in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Method: We used the case report design to highlight five cases of Tramadol misuse in our setting over a year period. Results: Majority of the cases were males and young adults using Tramadol for non-medical purposes. They all presented with various clinical features including altered levels of consciousness. Conclusion: Tramadol misuse among young male adults is common in our region. Further research and intervention programs are essential to understand the true burden and also prevent further misuse in the community.
PENGARUH DIKLAT TERHADAP PENINGKATAN KOMPETENSI KEPALA MADRASAH IBTIDAIYAH

Abstract This study aims to determine the extent of the increased competence of madrasah principals related to additional tasks of Madrasah Ibtidaiyah principals batch IV and V after attending training organized by the training center in 2015. The experimental design used in this study is one group pretest - posttest design that provides pre-test and post-test after a treatment. The sample was saturated sample in which the sample is all the population of the participants of the additional task debriefing task for madrasah principals batch IV and batch V. Normality the test is done to determine the distribution of normal distribution of data or not. This study uses an analytical method with small samples (≤ 50), the test data normality using the Shapiro-Wilk test with the confidence value used of 0.95 and significance value of α = 0.05. To view whether the data distribution is normal or not is done if the p value is > 0.05 the data distribution is normal and when the p value is 0,05 maka distribusi data normal dan bila p value < 0,05 maka distribusi data tidak normal. Hasil analisis data mengetahui pengaruh diklat terhadap kompetensi kepala madrasah, terlihat bahwa selisih rata-rata kompetensi kepala madrasah angkatan IV dan V sebelum dan sesudah diberikan diklat sebesar 70,2000. Hasil uji Mann whitney menunjukkan bahwa p-value sebesar 0,000 < α (0,05). Disimpulkan bahwa ada pengaruh diklat terhadap kompetensi kepala madrasah.