Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
LetterWise: prefix-based disambiguation for mobile text input

A new technique to enter text using a mobile phone keypad is described. For text input, the traditional touchtone phone keypad is ambiguous because each key encodes three or four letters. Instead of using a stored dictionary to guess the intended word, our technique uses probabilities of letter sequences --- "prefixes" --- to guess the intended letter. Compared to dictionary-based methods, this technique, called LetterWise, takes significantly less memory and allows entry of non-dictionary words without switching to a special input mode. We conducted a longitudinal study to compare LetterWise to Multitap, the conventional text entry method for mobile phones. The experiment included 20 participants (10 LetterWise, 10 Multitap), and each entered phrases of text for 20 sessions of about 30 minutes each. Error rates were similar between the techniques; however, by the end of the experiment the mean entry speed was 36% faster with LetterWise than with Multitap.
PSO-PI based Control of Photovoltaic Arrays

In this work, we propose a new control law based on the combination between the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) method and the classical PI controller to extract the maximum power from a photovoltaic PV panel subject to partial shading. The photovoltaic PV panel has a nonlinear PowerVoltage (P-V) characteristic curve which is used in most controllers to find the Maximum Power Point (MPP). In the general case, a simple control law based on the P&O (Perturb and Observe) method is sufficient, but in cases where a partial shading is introduced or when the PV panel is subject to the soiling effect, the output power is highly affected by such disturbances and classical methods are unable to achieve maximum performance. In this paper a PSO based method is used to find the maximum power point in the case of shaded PV panels and the PI controller adjusts the performance of the system by reaching the reference value in less time and with minimum steady state error. Simulation results show the effectiveness of this method for the extraction of the maximum power available in the presence of different type of disturbances. General Terms Control Engineering, Solar Energy, Photovoltaic Panels.
Intracellular Signal for Skeletal Muscle Adaptation Mitochondrial signaling contributes to disuse muscle atrophy

Powers SK, Wiggs MP, Duarte JA, Zergeroglu AM, Demirel HA. Mitochondrial signaling contributes to disuse muscle atrophy. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 303: E31–E39, 2012. First published March 6, 2012; doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00609. 2011. —It is well established that long durations of bed rest, limb immobilization, or reduced activity in respiratory muscles during mechanical ventilation results in skeletal muscle atrophy in humans and other animals. The idea that mitochondrial damage/ dysfunction contributes to disuse muscle atrophy originated over 40 years ago. These early studies were largely descriptive and did not provide unequivocal evidence that mitochondria play a primary role in disuse muscle atrophy. However, recent experiments have provided direct evidence connecting mitochondrial dysfunction to muscle atrophy. Numerous studies have described changes in mitochondria shape, number, and function in skeletal muscles exposed to prolonged periods of inactivity. Furthermore, recent evidence indicates that increased mitochondrial ROS production plays a key signaling role in both immobilizationinduced limb muscle atrophy and diaphragmatic atrophy occurring during prolonged mechanical ventilation. Moreover, new evidence reveals that, during denervation-induced muscle atrophy, increased mitochondrial fragmentation due to fission is a required signaling event that activates the AMPK-FoxO3 signaling axis, which induces the expression of atrophy genes, protein breakdown, and ultimately muscle atrophy. Collectively, these findings highlight the importance of future research to better understand the mitochondrial signaling mechanisms that contribute to disuse muscle atrophy and to develop novel therapeutic interventions for prevention of inactivity-induced skeletal muscle atrophy.
SIP proxy high-load detection by continuous analysis of response delay values

The 3GPP has chosen the Session Initiation Protocol as signalling protocol for the IP Multimedia Subsystem; therefore, it is expected that telecom operators will widely use it for their systems. SIP relies on an underlying transport protocol, like, e.g., TCP, UDP or SCTP. In the case of UDP, SIP has to ensure itself that messages will be reliably delivered. For this purpose, retransmission timers within the SIP transaction state machine are used. On the other hand, retransmissions can lead to congestion or even cause a congestion collapse if traffic load becomes too high, and services of the operator may become unavailable. It is therefore important to detect an imminent collapse and to act accordingly in order to keep the users' perceived quality high. We propose to continuously measure response delay values to detect high-load situations that can lead to a collapse in order to be able to reduce the traffic load early enough for avoiding congestion situations. We validate this approach by means of dedicated simulations.
Probabilistic characterisation of Besov-Lipschitz spaces on metric measure spaces

We give a probabilistic characterisation of the Besov-Lipschitz spaces $Lip(\alpha,p,q)(X)$ on domains which support a Markovian kernel with appropriate exponential bounds. This extends former results of \cite{Jon,KPP1,KPP2,GHL} which were valid for $\alpha=\frac{d_w}{2},p=2$, $q=\infty,$ where $d_w$ is the walk dimension of the space $X. $
Effect of superoxide dismutase and malondialdehyde metabolic changes on carcinogenesis of gastric carcinoma.

AIM To investigate the relationship between the superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA) metabolic changes and the gastric carcinogenesis. METHODS The SOD activity and MDA content were measured in the gastric tissues from the focus center, peripheral and far-end areas of gastric carcinoma (n = 52) and gastric ulcer (n = 10). All the tissues were subjected to routine histological examinations and classifications. RESULTS The SOD activity was greatly reduced but the MDA content was markedly increased in the center areas of the non-mucous gastric carcinoma (non-MGC); and the poorly differentiated gastric carcinoma varied. The SOD activity was gradually decreased and the MDA content was gradually increased in the tissues from the focus far-end, peripheral to center areas of non-MGC. Both of the SOD activity and the MDA content were significantly declined and were respectively at same low level in the tissues from the focus center, peripheral, and far-end area with the mucous gastric carcinoma (MGC). In contrast to the gastric ulcer and grade I or II of non-MGC, the same level of the SOD activity and the MDA content were found in the focus center areas. Between non-MGC (groups A-D) and gastric ulcer (group F), the differences of SOD activity and MDA content were very noticeable in the gastric tissues from the focus peripheral and far-end areas, in which the SOD activity showed noticeable increase and the MDA content showed noticeable decrease in the gastric ulcer. CONCLUSION The active free radical reaction in the gastric tissues can induce the carcinogenesis of non-MGC. The utmost low ability of antioxidation in the gastric tissues can induce the carcinogenesis of MGC. The metabolic change of the free radicals centralized mostly in the center of ulcerated lesions only, which suggested the ability of antioxidation was declined only in these lesions. However, the metabolism of free radicals varied significantly and the ability of antioxidation declined not only in the local focus area but also in the abroad gastric tissues with gastric carcinoma.
SEARCH FOR TIME-INDEPENDENT NEUTRINO EMISSION FROM ASTROPHYSICAL SOURCES WITH 3 yr OF IceCube DATA

We present the results of a search for neutrino point sources using the IceCube data collected between 2008 April and 2011 May with three partially completed configurations of the detector: the 40-, 59-, and 79-string configurations. The live-time of this data set is 1040 days. An unbinned maximum likelihood ratio test was used to search for an excess of neutrinos above the atmospheric background at any given direction in the sky. By adding two more years of data with improved event selection and reconstruction techniques, the sensitivity was improved by a factor of 3.5 or more with respect to the previously published results obtained with the 40-string configuration of IceCube. We performed an all-sky survey and a dedicated search using a catalog of a priori selected objects observed by other telescopes. In both searches, the data are compatible with the background-only hypothesis. In the absence of evidence for a signal, we set upper limits on the flux of muon neutrinos. For an E −2 neutrino spectrum, the observed limits are (0.9–5) × 10−12 TeV−1 cm−2 s−1 for energies between 1 TeV and 1 PeV in the northern sky and (0.9–23.2) × 10−12 TeV−1 cm−2 s−1 for energies between 102 TeV and 102 PeV in the southern sky. We also report upper limits for neutrino emission from groups of sources that were selected according to theoretical models or observational parameters and analyzed with a stacking approach. Some of the limits presented already reach the level necessary to quantitatively test current models of neutrino emission.
A Note on an Exon-Based Strategy to Identify Differentially Expressed Genes in RNA-Seq Experiments

RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) has rapidly become the method of choice in many genome-wide transcriptomic studies. To meet the high expectations posed by this technology, powerful computational techniques are needed to translate the measurements into biological and biomedical understanding. A number of statistical procedures have already been developed to identify differentially expressed genes between distinct sample groups. With these methods statistical testing is typically performed after the data has been summarized at the gene level. As an alternative strategy, developed with the aim to improve the results, we demonstrate a method in which statistical testing at the exon level is performed prior to the summary of the results at the gene level. Using publicly available RNA-seq datasets as case studies, we illustrate how this exon-based strategy can improve the performance of the widely used differential expression software packages as compared to the conventional gene-based strategy. In particular, we show how it enables robust detection of moderate but systematic changes that are missed when relying on single gene-level summary counts only.
Improved Success of Sparse Matrix Protein Crystallization Screening with Heterogeneous Nucleating Agents

Background Crystallization is a major bottleneck in the process of macromolecular structure determination by X-ray crystallography. Successful crystallization requires the formation of nuclei and their subsequent growth to crystals of suitable size. Crystal growth generally occurs spontaneously in a supersaturated solution as a result of homogenous nucleation. However, in a typical sparse matrix screening experiment, precipitant and protein concentration are not sampled extensively, and supersaturation conditions suitable for nucleation are often missed. Methodology/Principal Findings We tested the effect of nine potential heterogenous nucleating agents on crystallization of ten test proteins in a sparse matrix screen. Several nucleating agents induced crystal formation under conditions where no crystallization occurred in the absence of the nucleating agent. Four nucleating agents: dried seaweed; horse hair; cellulose and hydroxyapatite, had a considerable overall positive effect on crystallization success. This effect was further enhanced when these nucleating agents were used in combination with each other. Conclusions/Significance Our results suggest that the addition of heterogeneous nucleating agents increases the chances of crystal formation when using sparse matrix screens.
Combined myomectomy and uterine artery embolization

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of uterine artery embolization combined with endoscopic myomectomy. Material and methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of patients (n = 125) who underwent myomectomy concurrent with embolization within one month. We assessed two groups: 1) uterine artery embolization followed by hysteroscopic myomectomy and 2) uterine artery embolization followed by laparoscopic myomectomy. Results: Following the combination procedures, 72% of the surveyed women reported symptom improvement. With the combined procedures, 92.5% of patients experienced reduction in myoma diameter and 87.5% of patients had decreased uterine size after an average of 4.70 months post subsequent procedure. The amount of decrease in the uterine volume (p = 0.39) and fibroid size (p = 0.23) were not significant between the two endoscopic myomectomy groups. Conclusions: Combining myomectomy with uterine artery embolization is a safe and effective procedure in treating symptoms and reducing myoma and uterine volumes.
An Src Homology 3 Domain-Like Fold Protein Forms a Ferredoxin Binding Site for the Chloroplast NADH Dehydrogenase-Like Complex in Arabidopsis[W]

Chloroplast NAD(P)H dehydrogenase (NDH) has been thought to function as an NAD(P)H:plastoquinone oxidoreductase in cyclic electron transport around photosystem I, although its electron donor binding site was unclear. This study indicates that CRR31, a novel NDH subunit, serves in the high-affinity binding of ferredoxin to NDH and proposes that chloroplast NDH is ferredoxin:plastoquinone oxidoreductase. Some subunits of chloroplast NAD(P)H dehydrogenase (NDH) are related to those of the respiratory complex I, and NDH mediates photosystem I (PSI) cyclic electron flow. Despite extensive surveys, the electron donor and its binding subunits have not been identified. Here, we identified three novel components required for NDH activity. CRRJ and CRRL are J- and J-like proteins, respectively, and are components of NDH subcomplex A. CRR31 is an Src homology 3 domain-like fold protein, and its C-terminal region may form a tertiary structure similar to that of PsaE, a ferredoxin (Fd) binding subunit of PSI, although the sequences are not conserved between CRR31 and PsaE. Although CRR31 can accumulate in thylakoids independently of NDH, its accumulation requires CRRJ, and CRRL accumulation depends on CRRJ and NDH. CRR31 was essential for the efficient operation of Fd-dependent plastoquinone reduction in vitro. The phenotype of crr31 pgr5 suggested that CRR31 is required for NDH activity in vivo. We propose that NDH functions as a PGR5-PGRL1 complex-independent Fd:plastoquinone oxidoreductase in chloroplasts and rename it the NADH dehydrogenase-like complex.
A rule-based approach to 3D terrain generation via texture splatting

A technique derived from the popular texture splatting approach for the automatic colouring and texturing of a given terrain mesh is presented in this publication. Utilizing colour rules, a simple syntax is created allowing for the generation of texture and colour values based on the elevation and angle of a given vertex. Through this combination of elevation and angle, complex features such as ridges, hills and mountains can be described.
The impact of self-efficacy and perceived system efficacy on effectiveness of virtual training systems

This study developed and tested a research model which examined the impact of user perceptions of self-efficacy (SE) and virtual environment (VE) efficacy on the effectiveness of VE training systems. The model distinguishes between the perceptions of one's own capability to perform trained tasks effectively and the perceptions of system performance, regarding the established parameters from literature. Specifically, the model posits that user perceptions will have positive effects on task performance and memory. Seventy-six adults participated in a VE in a controlled experiment, designed to empirically test the model. Each participant performed a series of object assembly tasks. The task involved selecting, rotating, releasing, inserting and manipulating 3D objects. Initially, the results of factor analysis demonstrated dimensionality of two user perception measures and produced a set of empirical validated factors underlining the VE efficacy. The results of regression analysis revealed that SE had a significant positive effect on perceived VE efficacy. No significant effects were found of perceptions on performance and memory. Furthermore, the study provided insights into the relationships between the perception measures and performance measures for assessing the efficacy of VE training systems. The study also addressed how well users learn, perform, adapt to and perceive the VE training, which provides valuable insight into the system efficacy. Research and practical implications are presented at the end of the paper.
Effects of Perinatal Protein-Nacl Diets on Offspring's Blood Pressure andRenal Function in Lewis Rats

Perinatal diets may affect the cardiovascular-renal functions of offspring. To understand effects of maternal diet on the renal function and blood pressure (BP) of offspring, protein (10% low, LP; 23% normal, NP) and/or NaCl (4% high salt, HS; 0.6% normal, NS) diets were started at pre-pregnancy through pups' weaning to either a 4% high NaCl (hs) or 0.6% NaCl (ns) diet. Telemetered BP data was analyzed by methods of linear least square rhythmometry. Systolic BPs (circadian mean ±SE mm Hg) were: NPNSns, 131±2; NPNShs, 137±2; NPHSns, 137±0.2; NPHShs, 134±3; LPNSns, 138±1; LPNShs, 138±0.6; LPHSns, 135±2; LPHShs, 142±2. Offspring in NPNShs and NPHSns had significantly in- creased SBPs versus NPNSns (both P<0.05). Most LP-offspring had increased SBP (P<0.01 to <0.05) and lower body weight (BW) with smaller glomerular filtration rate changes (renal reserve, RR-GFR) following overnight acute high- protein loads: RR-GFRs (inulin, ml/min/g kidney) for groups stated above were, respectively: 0.935; 0.927; 0.537; -0.064; -0.229; 0.057; -0.515; -0.404. The kidney weight/BW ratio of offspring was higher on hs- than on ns-diets (all P<0.001). Rats on a low caloric diet had reduced sclerotic glomerular numbers compared to those on normal diets (11.2±1 vs. 15.7±2, P<0.001), though glomerular numbers were similar in both groups. In summary, perinatal LP-HS diets significantly affected the BW, BP, renal injuries and kidney function of offspring. RR was seriously reduced, especially among offspring in hs- and perinatal LP groups. The most interesting result was the glomerular maturation staging in the pups, which suggests delayed nephrogenesis by a maternal LP diet.
Family history of subarachnoid haemorrhage: supplemental value of scrutinizing all relatives.

OBJECTIVE AND METHODS: To assess the validity of the family history obtained at the bedside of patients with recent subarachnoid haemorrhage by subsequently contacting all first and second degree relatives, with verification from medical record data. RESULTS: In a prospectively collected series of 163 patients with recent subarachnoid haemorrhage the history or cause of death could be ascertained in 1259 (98%) of the first degree relatives and in 3038 (85%) of the second degree relatives. For first degree relatives only, the sensitivity of the family history at the bedside was 0.75 (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.35-0.97) and the positive predictive value was 0.55 (95% CI 0.23-0.83); for first and second degree relatives together the sensitivity was 0.58 (95% CI 0.28-0.85) and the positive predictive value was 0.64 (95% CI 0.31-0.89). CONCLUSION: The accuracy of the family history taken at the bedside is modest; a more thorough collection of data is crucial if the decision is taken to screen relatives based on the family history.
The Global Transmission and Control of Influenza

New strains of influenza spread around the globe via the movement of infected individuals. The global dynamics of influenza are complicated by different patterns of influenza seasonality in different regions of the world. We have released an open-source stochastic mathematical model of the spread of influenza across 321 major, strategically located cities of the world. Influenza is transmitted between cities via infected airline passengers. Seasonality is simulated by increasing the transmissibility in each city at the times of the year when influenza has been observed to be most prevalent. The spatiotemporal spread of pandemic influenza can be understood through clusters of global transmission and links between them, which we identify using the epidemic percolation network (EPN) of the model. We use the model to explain the observed global pattern of spread for pandemic influenza A(H1N1) 2009–2010 (pandemic H1N1 2009) and to examine possible global patterns of spread for future pandemics depending on the origin of pandemic spread, time of year of emergence, and basic reproductive number (). We also use the model to investigate the effectiveness of a plausible global distribution of vaccine for various pandemic scenarios. For pandemic H1N1 2009, we show that the biggest impact of vaccination was in the temperate northern hemisphere. For pandemics starting in the temperate northern hemisphere in May or April, vaccination would have little effect in the temperate southern hemisphere and a small effect in the tropics. With the increasing interconnectedness of the world's population, we must take a global view of infectious disease transmission. Our open-source, computationally simple model can help public health officials plan for the next pandemic as well as deal with interpandemic influenza.
The neural basis of bounded rational behavior

Bounded rational behaviour is commonly observed in experimental games and in real life situations. Neuroeconomics can help to understand the mental processing underlying bounded rationality and out-of-equilibrium behaviour. Here we report results from recent studies on the neural basis of limited steps of reasoning in a competitive setting – the beauty contest game. We use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study the neural correlates of human mental processes in strategic games. We apply a cognitive hierarchy model to classify subject’s choices in the experimental game according to the degree of strategic reasoning so that we can identify the neural substrates of different levels of strategizing. We found a correlation between levels of strategic reasoning and activity in a neural network related to mentalizing, i.e. the ability to think about other’s thoughts and mental states. Moreover, brain data showed how complex cognitive processes subserve the higher level of reasoning about others. We describe how a cognitive hierarchy model fits both behavioural and brain data.