Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessment of Changes in Ice Regime Characteristics of Russian Lakes and Rivers under Current Climate Conditions

This article deals with assessment of changes in ice cover duration and maximum ice cover thickness for the last three decades compared with the previous period by the example of observation data for 28 hydrometric stations on rivers and 10 hydrological stations on lakes. Estimations of homogeneity and trends of long term serious of above mentioned rivers and lakes ice regime characteristics for three time periods were carried out using Student and Fisher criteria. Assessment of changes in ice regime characteristics for the period 1980-2010 compared with the period of stationary climate (from the beginning of observations until 1979) using two methodological approaches was made. The results can be used for solving problems of economy branches adaptation in case of rivers and lakes used in winter conditions.
Robust Image Watermarking Based on SIFT Feature and Optimal Triangulation

An image watermarking scheme resistant to rotation scale translation (RST) attacks is proposed based on scale invariant feature transform (SIFT). Suitable feature points are selected to form a convex hull, which is then optimally triangulated by dynamic programming. The triangle chords inside the hull are then sampled equispacedly with secrect key K to obtain smaller triangles. The watermark is then embedded into the the circles centering around the centeroid of each triangle. The experiments show that the proposed method is considerably robust against both geometric distortion attacks and signal processing attacks.
A cell type-specific enhancer in the human B7.1 gene regulated by NF- kappaB

The costimulatory molecule B7.1 provides a second signal critical for T cell activation. The distribution of this integral membrane protein is restricted to certain tissues where its level of expression is modulated by multiple exogenous stimuli. To identify the molecular basis for specificity and inducibility, the chromatin configuration of the human B7.1 gene was examined in intact nuclei from various cell types. The identification of a tissue-specific deoxyribonuclease I hypersensitive site approximately 3kb upstream of the transcription start site led to the characterization of a cell type-specific enhancer region. This 183-bp region was both cell type specific and responsive to two distinct stimuli, lipopolysaccharide and dibutyryl cAMP, known to regulate B7.1 expression. Deletional and site-directed mutagenesis revealed the presence of multiple functionally critical cis elements within this region, one of which was a nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB consensus sequence. In B7.1-positive B cells, this element bound several members of the NF-kappaB family, transcription factors already implicated in signal transduction pathways relevant to B7.1 expression. This is the first description, to our knowledge, of regulatory elements that control expression of a gene encoding a B7 costimulatory molecule.
Whole grains and CVD risk

There is an increasing body of evidence, including that from prospective population studies and epidemiological observational studies, suggesting a strong inverse relationship between increased consumption of wholegrain foods and reduced risk of CVD. This evidence has translated into specific dietary recommendations in the USA to consume at least three servings of whole grain per d, and has informed the development of specific health claims for wholegrain foods both in the USA and in Europe. Wholegrain foods are rich sources of many nutrients and phytochemicals, including complex carbohydrates, dietary fibre, minerals, vitamins, antioxidants and phyto-oestrogens such as lignans. Many of these components are lost from the grain during processing and although some may be replaced (such as in the mandatory fortification of white flour), this practice ignores the possible synergistic effects of the ‘natural’ constituents. The notion that wholegrain foods are simply a source of dietary fibre has been dispelled, although the additional components that contribute to the health benefits have not been clearly identified. In addition, the mechanisms by which wholegrain foods may have their effect are poorly understood. At present there are few strictly-controlled intervention studies that have confirmed a beneficial effect of increased consumption of wholegrain foods, demonstrated the level of consumption required to elicit a beneficial effect or provided evidence of modes of action. Although wholegrain foods are considered amongst the healthiest food choices available, their consumption falls well below current recommendations, which have been based mainly on epidemiological evidence. Well-controlled intervention studies are needed to provide more detailed mechanistic evidence to support the health claims and findings which can be used to develop effective public health strategies to promote whole-grain consumption.
PREDICTING THERMAL CRACKING OF PAVEMENTS FROM BINDER PROPERTIES: THEORETICAL BASIS AND FIELD VALIDATION

The main objective of this paper is to describe the development of a comprehensive semi-empirical mechanistic mode to determine the critical cracking temperature of asphalt pavements. This model uses stiffness data from the Bending Beam Rheometer (BBR) to predict thermal stress in binder. The thermal stress in the hot-mix pavement is computed using a damage transfer function called the Pavement Constant (PC). To determine critical cracking temperature , the pavement thermal stress is compared with the binder tensile strength measured using the Direct Tension Test (DTT). This model was used to develop a low-temperature criterion for use as a binder specification. In this specification, the low-temperature binder performance grade is determined by comparing the thermal stress in the pavement with the binder failure stress. If the binder failure stress exceeds the thermal stress at the specification temperature, the binder is considered a "pass. " The semi-empirical model was calibrated using the binder properties and the hot-mix properties from the Lamont Test Road in Alberta, Canada. Further validation was obtained from analysis of the Elk County Test Road in Pennsylvania, as well as for two widely used polymer-modified asphalts with anecdotal, but extensive, performance data.
Activation Delay and VT Parameters in Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia/Cardiomyopathy: Toward Improvement of Diagnostic ECG Criteria

Introduction: Desmosomal changes, electrical uncoupling, and surviving myocardial bundles embedded in fibrofatty tissue are hallmarks of activation delay in arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy (ARVD/C). Currently, generally accepted task force criteria (TFC) are used for clinical diagnosis. We propose additional criteria based on activation delay and ventricular tachycardia (VT) to improve identification of affected individuals.
Estimates for the spatial locations of the indoor objects by radial distributions

Recently we daily use the global positioning systems for obtaining the location for car navigation. These systems are very convenient for driving, but we sometimes need more accurate system for obtaining the locations of the specified objects like sports athletes, and also may demand for the location estimation in the indoor environments for obtaining the nursing care information in hospitals. We propose the statistical method for estimating the location in the room where we cannot receive the satellite information on the location. We use the time of arrival (TOA) data based on the ultra-wideband (UWB) tag system. The proposed method is based on the marginal likelihoods of radial distribution generated by positive survival distribution among the several anchor radio sites placed in the room. We shall compare the proposed statistical method and other previous methods and conclude that our iterative method is promising for practical use.
Solving large protein secondary structure classification problems by a nonlinear complementarity algorithm with {0, 1} variables

The aim of this paper is to present a nonlinear complementarity algorithm, limited to binary variables, to implement a classification algorithm, which will be applied to the determination of the secondary structure of proteins, and to present its statistical and mathematical convergence properties. Extensive application results will be given on the available test data sets of proteins and the results will be compared with those of other implementations. The increase in the recognition accuracy, which will be in evidence, will be shown to be attributable to the adoption of a strict statistical methodology, which will permit to obtain unbiased results, without requiring extraneous assumptions.
Higher dimensional chaos for Audio encryption

In recent years, a large number of discrete chaotic cryptographic algorithms have been proposed. The chaotic based cryptograms are suitable for large-scale data encryption such as images, videos or audio data. This paper propose a novel higher dimensional chaotic system for audio encryption, in which variables are treated as encryption keys in order to achieve secure transmission of audio signals. Since the highly sensitive to the initial condition of a system and to the variation of a parameter, and chaotic trajectory is so unpredictable. As a result we obtain much higher security. The higher dimensional of the algorithm is used to enhance the key space and security of the algorithm. The security analysis of the algorithm is given. The experiments show that the algorithm has the characteristic of sensitive to initial condition, high key space; pixel distribution uniformity and the algorithm will not break in chosen/known-plaintext attacks.
“Ow!”: Spontaneous Verbal Pain Expression Among Young Children During Immunization

Objectives:Although self-reports are a commonly used means of assessing pain in clinical settings, little is understood about the nature of children's spontaneous verbal expressions of pain. The purpose of this study was to describe verbalizations of pain among children receiving a preschool immunization and to examine how pain verbalizations correspond to children's facial expressions and self-reports of pain intensity. Methods:Fifty-eight children between the ages of 4 years 8 months and 6 years 3 months (67% female) were videotaped while receiving their routine preschool immunization. Global ratings of facial expression and detailed transcription and coding of pain verbalizations were undertaken. Children provided self-reports of pain using a 7-point faces pain scale. Results:Fifty-three percent of children used verbalizations spontaneously to express their pain. The modal verbalization was the interjection “Ow! ,” which expressed negative affect and was specific to the experience of pain. Older children were less likely to use verbalizations to express their pain. Children who used verbalizations to express pain displayed greater facial reactions to pain and rated their pain experience as being more intense than children who did not use words to express their pain. Discussion:Results indicate that many young children do not spontaneously use verbalizations to express pain from immunization. When 5-year-olds use verbalizations to express pain, the verbalizations are most often brief statements that express negative affect and directly pertain to pain. Knowledge of how children verbalize pain may lead to an improved ability to assess and manage pediatric pain.
Targeting a Novel RNA-Protein Interaction for Therapeutic Intervention of Hantavirus Disease*

An evolutionarily conserved sequence at the 5′ terminus of hantaviral genomic RNA plays an important role in viral transcription initiation and packaging of the viral genome into viral nucleocapsids. Interaction of viral nucleocapsid protein (N) with this conserved sequence facilitates mRNA translation by a unique N-mediated translation strategy. Whereas this evolutionarily conserved sequence facilitates virus replication with the assistance of N in eukaryotic hosts having multifaceted antiviral defense, we demonstrate its interaction with N presents a novel target for therapeutic intervention of hantavirus disease. Using a high throughput screening approach, we identified three lead inhibitors that bind and induce structural perturbations in N. The inhibitors interrupt N-RNA interaction and abrogate both viral genomic RNA synthesis and N-mediated translation strategy without affecting the canonical translation machinery of the host cell. The inhibitors are well tolerated by cells and inhibit hantavirus replication with the same potency as ribavarin, a commercially available antiviral. We report the identification of a unique chemical scaffold that disrupts a critical RNA-protein interaction in hantaviruses and holds promise for the development of the first anti-hantaviral therapeutic with broad spectrum antiviral activity.
Effects of Quantization on Channel-Orthogonalized STBCs with Different Orthogonization Schemes

In this paper, we exploit the channel-orthogonal space-time block codings (CO-STBCs) in multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system. First we provide principles for designing CO-STBC schemes with angle feedback and propose two COSTBC schemes (Scheme A and Scheme B) based on quasi-orthogonal STBC (QO-STBC) with different orthogonality strategies. Then we analyze the quantization of the feedback angle information and deduct its errors in the proposed COSTBC schemes. Simulations verify the effectiveness of the proposed CO-STBCs, and the quantization process brings different errors to these schemes. It is demonstrated that the Scheme A outperforms Scheme B with the same number of feedback bits, and Scheme B always needs one more bit for feedback than Scheme A in order to reach the same performance.
Identifying Agglomeration Spillovers: Evidence from Winners and Losers of Large Plant Openings

We quantify agglomeration spillovers by comparing changes in total factor productivity (TFP) among incumbent plants in “winning” counties that attracted a large manufacturing plant and “losing” counties that were the new plant's runner‐up choice. Winning and losing counties have similar trends in TFP prior to the new plant opening. Five years after the opening, incumbent plants' TFP is 12 percent higher in winning counties. This productivity spillover is larger for plants sharing similar labor and technology pools with the new plant. Consistent with spatial equilibrium models, labor costs increase in winning counties, indicating that profits ultimately increase less than productivity.
Recent Advances in Augmented Reality

In 1997, Azuma published a survey on augmented reality (AR). Our goal is to complement, rather than replace, the original survey by presenting representative examples of the new advances. We refer one to the original survey for descriptions of potential applications (such as medical visualization, maintenance and repair of complex equipment, annotation, and path planning); summaries of AR system characteristics (such as the advantages and disadvantages of optical and video approaches to blending virtual and real, problems in display focus and contrast, and system portability); and an introduction to the crucial problem of registration, including sources of registration error and error-reduction strategies.
A Three-Dose Intramuscular Injection Schedule of Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed Generates Sustained Humoral and Cellular Immune Responses to Protective Antigen and Provides Long-Term Protection against Inhalation Anthrax in Rhesus Macaques

ABSTRACT A 3-dose (0, 1, and 6 months) intramuscular (3-IM) priming series of a human dose (HuAVA) and dilutions of up to 1:10 of anthrax vaccine adsorbed (AVA) provided statistically significant levels of protection (60 to 100%) against inhalation anthrax for up to 4 years in rhesus macaques. Serum anti-protective antigen (anti-PA) IgG and lethal toxin neutralization activity (TNA) were detectable following a single injection of HuAVA or 1:5 AVA or following two injections of diluted vaccine (1:10, 1:20, or 1:40 AVA). Anti-PA and TNA were highly correlated (overall r2 = 0.89 for log10-transformed data). Peak responses were seen at 6.5 months. In general, with the exception of animals receiving 1:40 AVA, serum anti-PA and TNA responses remained significantly above control levels at 28.5 months (the last time point measured for 1:20 AVA), and through 50.5 months for the HuAVA and 1:5 and 1:10 AVA groups (P < 0.05). PA-specific gamma interferon (IFN-γ) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) CD4+ cell frequencies and T cell stimulation indices were sustained through 50.5 months (the last time point measured). PA-specific memory B cell frequencies were highly variable but, in general, were detectable in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) by 2 months, were significantly above control levels by 7 months, and remained detectable in the HuAVA and 1:5 and 1:20 AVA groups through 42 months (the last time point measured). HuAVA and diluted AVA elicited a combined Th1/Th2 response and robust immunological priming, with sustained production of high-avidity PA-specific functional antibody, long-term immune cell competence, and immunological memory (30 months for 1:20 AVA and 52 months for 1:10 AVA). Vaccinated animals surviving inhalation anthrax developed high-magnitude anamnestic anti-PA IgG and TNA responses.
The Locality of Distributed Symmetry Breaking

We present new bounds on the locality of several classical symmetry breaking tasks in distributed networks. A sampling of the results include 1) A randomized algorithm for computing a maximal matching (MM) in O(log Δ + (log log n)<sup>4</sup>) rounds, where Δ is the maximum degree. This improves a 25-year old randomized algorithm of Israeli and Itai that takes O(log n) rounds and is provably optimal for all log Δ in the range [(log log n)<sup>4</sup>, √log n]. 2) A randomized maximal independent set (MIS) algorithm requiring O(log Δ√log n) rounds, for all Δ, and only 2<sup>O</sup>(√log log n) rounds when Δ = poly(log n). These improve on the 25-year old O(log n)-round randomized MIS algorithms of Luby and Alon, Babai, and Itai when log Δ ≫ √log n. 3) A randomized (Δ + 1)-coloring algorithm requiring O(log Δ + 2<sup>O</sup>(<sup>(√log log n)</sup>) rounds, improving on an algorithm of Schneider and Wattenhofer that takes O(log Δ + √log n) rounds. This result implies that an O(Δ)-coloring can be computed in 2<sup>O(√log log n)</sup> rounds for all Δ, improving on Kothapalli et al.'s O(√log n)-round algorithm. We also introduce a new technique for reducing symmetry breaking problems on low arboricity graphs to low degree graphs. Corollaries of this reduction include MM and MIS algorithms for low arboricity graphs (e.g., planar graphs and graphs that exclude any fixed minor) requiring O(√log n) and O(log<sup>2/3</sup> n) rounds w.h. p., respectively.
Hacking cell differentiation: transcriptional rerouting in reprogramming, lineage infidelity and metaplasia

Initiating neoplastic cell transformation events are of paramount importance for the comprehension of regeneration and vanguard oncogenic processes but are difficult to characterize and frequently clinically overlooked. In epithelia, pre‐neoplastic transformation stages are often distinguished by the appearance of phenotypic features of another differentiated tissue, termed metaplasia. In haemato/lymphopoietic malignancies, cell lineage ambiguity is increasingly recorded. Both, metaplasia and biphenotypic leukaemia/lymphoma represent examples of dysregulated cell differentiation that reflect a history of trans‐differentiation and/or epigenetic reprogramming. Here we compare the similarity between molecular events of experimental cell trans‐differentiation as an emerging therapeutic concept, with lineage confusion, as in metaplasia and dysplasia forecasting tumour development.
The New Chicago Model: A Reassessment of the Impacts of Lake Michigan Allocations on the Cambrian-Ordovician Aquifer System in Northeastern Illinois

This study reports the effects of substituting water from Lake Michigan for groundwater withdrawals. It describes the results of a digital computer model used to predict future ground-water levels based on anticipated pumping schedules. The study area is 148 miles wide and 148 miles long, spanning northeastern Illinois and southeastern Wisconsin. The model focuses primarily on the "Chicago region" which consists of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and a portion of Will and Grundy Counties, all in northeastern Illinois. Reference: Burch, Stephen L. The New Chicago Model: A Reassessment of the Impacts of Lake Michigan Allocations on the Cambrian-Ordovician Aquifer System in Northeastern Illinois. Illinois State Water Survey, Champaign, Research Report 119, 1991. Indexing Terms: Chicago, Northeastern Illinois, Cook County, ground water, aquifer, Lake Michigan, ground-water mining, Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer. STATE OF ILLINOIS HON. JIM EDGAR, Governor DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES John S. Moore, B.S., Director BOARD OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND CONSERVATION John S. Moore, B.S., Chair Robert H. Benon, B.S.C.E. , Engineering Donna M. Jurdy, Ph.D., Geology H.S. Gutowsky, Ph.D., Chemistry Roy L. Taylor, Ph.D., Plant Biology Robert L Metcalf, Ph.D., Biology Judith S. Liebman, Ph.D. University of Illinois
Looking for protein stabilizing drugs with thermal shift assay

Thermal shift assay can be used for the high‐throughput screening of pharmacological chaperones. These drugs are small molecules that bind a mutant protein and stabilize it. We demonstrated the robustness, reproducibility and versatility of the method using two molecules that are in clinical trial for Fabry or Pompe disease, Deoxygalactonojirimycin and N‐Butyldeoxynojirimycin, and their target enzymes, lysosomal alpha‐galactosidaseA and alpha‐glucosidase, as test cases. We assessed the influence of solvents and of scanning rate on the measures. We showed that a value that is equivalent to the melting temperature can be obtained by the first derivatives of raw data. We discuss the advantages of the method and the precaution to be taken in running the experiments. © 2015 The Authors Drug Testing and Analysis Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
The Impact of Lean Techniques on Factors Influencing Defect Injection in Software Development

In this paper we will focus on the impact that lean may have in preventing the injection of defects. We will research the impact of a number of lean techniques on defect injection factors. Date have been obtained from a single large Dutch governmental organization which has been using lean techniques routinely for more than three years. To investigate the impact of lean on defect injection we developed a survey which focused on the perceptions of the software developers of this organisation. The results suggest that the link between lean techniques and factors influencing defect injection is real and they explain to a certain extent the positive impact of the usage of lean techniques on software productivity.