Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Plant Carbohydrate Binding Module Enhances Activity of Hybrid Microbial Cellulase Enzyme

A synthetic, highly active cellulase enzyme suitable for in planta production may be a valuable tool for biotechnological approaches to develop transgenic biofuel crops with improved digestibility. Here, we demonstrate that the addition of a plant derived carbohydrate binding module (CBM) to a synthetic glycosyl hydrolase improved the activity of the hydrolase in releasing sugar from plant biomass. A CEL-HYB1-CBM enzyme was generated by fusing a hybrid microbial cellulase, CEL-HYB1, with the CBM of the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) SlCel9C1 cellulase. CEL-HYB1 and CEL-HYB1-CBM enzymes were produced in vitro using Pichia pastoris and the activity of these enzymes was tested using carboxymethylcellulose, MUC, and native crystalline cellulose assays. The presence of the CBM substantially improved the endoglucanase activity of CEL-HYB1, especially against the native crystalline cellulose encountered in Sorghum bicolor plant cell walls. These results indicate that addition of an endogenous plant derived CBM to cellulase enzymes may enhance hydrolytic activity.
Capturing Lexical Variation in MT Evaluation Using Automatically Built Sense-Cluster Inventories

The strict character of most of the existing Machine Translation (MT) evaluation metrics does not permit them to capture lexical variation in translation. However, a central issue in MT evaluation is the high correlation that the metrics should have with human judg- ments of translation quality. In order to achieve a higher correlation, the identification of sense correspondences between the compared translations becomes really important. Given that most metrics are looking for exact correspondences, the evaluation results are often mis- leading concerning translation quality. Apart from that, existing metrics do not permit one to make a conclusive estimation of the impact of Word Sense Disambiguation techniques into MT systems. In this paper, we show how information acquired by an unsupervised semantic analysis method can be used to render MT evaluation more sensitive to lexical semantics. The sense inventories built by this data-driven method are incorporated into METEOR: they replace WordNet for evaluation in English and render METEOR's synonymy module operable in French. The evaluation results demonstrate that the use of these inventories gives rise to an increase in the number of matches and the correlation with human judgments of translation quality, compared to precision-based metrics.
Feature Extraction on Axially Symmetric Pottery for Hierarchical Classification

Due to the mass of sherds and vessels that have been dug out by archaeologists over many years, the request for an automatic classification system has become obvious. This paper presents algorithmic key ingredients of such a system: segmentation, feature extraction and clustering. Therefore, the extensive analysis of a representative profile line is of high importance, because it helps not only to retrieve global measures and a segmentation of the body, but also to separate attachments like handles, lugs, feet or spouts for gaining an even more detailed description of the vessels. Finally, we present ways to use the extracted features for queries and hierarchical classification.
Long-term Outcome for Children with Autism Who Received Early Intensive Behavioral Treatment

After a very tntenstve behavtoral tnterventton, an e.xpeirtmental group oJr 19 preschool-age chtldren with auttsm achteved less restrl(:;ttve school place~nents and htgher IQs than dtd a control group of 19 stmtlar chtla'ren by age 7 (Lovaas, 1987) . The present study followed-up thts ftnding by a.I;sesstng subjects at a mean age of 11.5 years. Results showed that the experimental group preseroed tts gains over the control group. 11Je 9 experimental subjects whlo had achteved tl,e best outcomes at age 7 received parttcularly extenstve eval~~attons tndtcattn~~ that 8 of them were tndtsttngutshable from average chtldren on tests of tntelltgen,ce and adapttve behavtor. Thus. behavioral treatment may pn)duce long-Iasttn,g and stgntftcant gatns for many young chtldren wtth auttsm. Infanttle auttsm is a condition marked by severe impairment in intellectual, social, and emotional functioning. Its onset OCClKS in infancy, and the prognosis appears to be extremely poor CLotter, 1978). For example, in the longest prospective follow-up study witJi1 a sound method,ological design , Rutter (1970) found that only 1 of 64 subjects with autism (fewer than 2%) could be considered free of clinical11' significant problems by adulthood, as evidenced by holding a jo,b, living independently, and maintaining :! n active and age.appropriate sodal life. 111e remaining subjt:cts showed numerous dysfunctions, such as marked oddities in behavior, social isolation, and florid psychopathology . The majority of subjects required supervised living conditions. Professionals have attempted a wide variety of interventions in an effort to help children witl:l autism. For mar:ly years, no scientific evidence showed that any of these interventioru; brightened the children 's long-tenn progno:5is CDeMyer et al., 1981). How-~ \) I Department of Psychology ' in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the doctoral degree. The authors express their deep appreciation to the many students at UCLA who served as therapists and helped to make this study possible. Special thanks to Bruce Baker and Duane Buhrmester 1 who helped in the design of this study. Requests for reprints of this article, copies of the Clinical Rating Scale, or additional information about this study should be sent to 0.
Zero-One Laws for Connectivity in Inhomogeneous Random Key Graphs

We introduce a new random key predistribution scheme for securing heterogeneous wireless sensor networks. Each of the n sensors in the network is classified into r classes according to some probability distribution μ = {μ1, . , μr}. Before deployment, a class-i sensor is assigned Ki cryptographic keys that are selected uniformly at random from a common pool of P keys. Once deployed, a pair of sensors can communicate securely if and only if they have a key in common. We model the communication topology of this network by a newly defined inhomogeneous random key graph. We establish scaling conditions on the parameters P and {K1, . , Kr} so that this graph: 1) has no isolated nodes and 2) is connected, both with high probability. The results are given in the form of zero-one laws with the number of sensors n growing unboundedly large; critical scalings are identified and shown to coincide for both graph properties. Our results are shown to complement and improve those given by Godehardt et al. and Zhao et al. for the same model, therein referred to as the general random intersection graph.
Crest factors of complementary-sequence-based multicode MC-CDMA signals

The crest factor properties of binary phase-shift keying modulated two- and four-code assisted multicarrier code-division multiple-access (MC-CDMA) employing complementary-sequence-based spreading sequences are characterized. More specifically, a complementary-sequence pair, a complementary-sequence-based subcomplementary code pair, and a Sivaswamy complementary code set are studied. It was found that the corresponding crest factors are bounded by 3 dB, which corresponds to the crest factor of a single sine wave. This low crest factor resulted in a lower power loss and a lower out-of-band power spectrum due to clipping when the time-domain signal was subjected to a typical nonlinear power amplifier, in comparison to those of Walsh code and orthogonal Gold code-spread MC-CDMA signals.
Effect of Vitamin D on falls: a meta-analysis.

CONTEXT Falls among elderly individuals occur frequently, increase with age, and lead to substantial morbidity and mortality. The role of vitamin D in preventing falls among elderly people has not been well established. OBJECTIVE To assess the effectiveness of vitamin D in preventing an older person from falling. DATA SOURCES MEDLINE and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register from January 1960 to February 2004, EMBASE from January 1991 to February 2004, clinical experts, bibliographies, and abstracts. Search terms included trial terms: randomized-controlled trial or controlled-clinical trial or random-allocation or double-blind method, or single-blind method or uncontrolled-trials with vitamin D terms: cholecalciferol or hydroxycholecalciferols or calcifediol or dihydroxycholecalciferols or calcitriol or vitamin D/aa[analogs & derivates] or ergocalciferol or vitamin D/bl[blood]; and with accidental falls or falls, and humans. STUDY SELECTION We included only double-blind randomized, controlled trials (RCTs) of vitamin D in elderly populations (mean age, 60 years) that examined falls resulting from low trauma for which the method of fall ascertainment and definition of falls were defined explicitly. Studies including patients in unstable health states were excluded. Five of 38 identified studies were included in the primary analysis and 5 other studies were included in a sensitivity analysis. DATA EXTRACTION Independent extraction by 3 authors using predefined data fields including study quality indicators. DATA SYNTHESIS Based on 5 RCTs involving 1237 participants, vitamin D reduced the corrected odds ratio (OR) of falling by 22% (corrected OR, 0.78; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.64-0.92) compared with patients receiving calcium or placebo. From the pooled risk difference, the number needed to treat (NNT) was 15 (95% CI, 8-53), or equivalently 15 patients would need to be treated with vitamin D to prevent 1 person from falling. The inclusion of 5 additional studies, involving 10 001 participants, in a sensitivity analysis resulted in a smaller but still significant effect size (corrected RR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.80-0.96). Subgroup analyses suggested that the effect size was independent of calcium supplementation, type of vitamin D, duration of therapy, and sex, but reduced sample sizes made the results statistically nonsignificant for calcium supplementation, cholecalciferol, and among men. CONCLUSIONS Vitamin D supplementation appears to reduce the risk of falls among ambulatory or institutionalized older individuals with stable health by more than 20%. Further studies examining the effect of alternative types of vitamin D and their doses, the role of calcium supplementation, and effects in men should be considered.
Spatio-Temporal Variability of Western Central African Convection from Infrared Observations

The present study has used Meteosat infrared brightness temperature images to investigate the regional and interannual variability of Central African cloudiness. Spatial and temporal variability were investigated using half–hourly data from the Meteosat-7 during June–July–August (JJA) of 1998–2002. The full domain of study (1.5E–17E, 1N–15N) was divided into six regions and statistics in each region were derived. Analysis of the dependence of cloud fraction to the brightness temperature threshold is explored both over land and ocean. Three diurnal cycle regimes (continental, oceanic, and coastal) are depicted according to the amplitude and peak time. Over regions of relatively flat terrain, results indicate enhancement of deep convection in the afternoon followed by a gradual decrease in the night. The diurnal cycle of convection is characterised by afternoon and early evening (around 15:00–18:00 LST) maxima located mainly downwind of the major mountain chains, and a more rapid nighttime decay. In terms of the harmonic amplitude, the diurnal signal shows significant regional contrast with the strongest manifestation over the Adamaoua Plateau and the weakest near the South Cameroon Plateau. This remarkable spatial dependence is clear evidence of orographic and heterogeneous land-surface impacts on convective development. Oceanic region exhibits weak activity of convective cloudiness with a maximum at noon. It is suggested that daytime heating of the land surface and moist environment may play a role in determining the spatial distribution of cloud fraction. This study further demonstrates the importance of the Cameroon coastline concavity and coastal mountains in regulating regional frequencies of convection and their initialization. The strength of the diurnal cycle of convective activity depends on mountain height, mean flow, coastal geometry.
Internet use and depression among retired older adults in the United States: a longitudinal analysis.

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study is to examine the association between Internet use among retired older adults in the United States and changes in a commonly used predictor of depression (the CES-D). METHOD Analyzing data from four waves (2002-2008) of the Health and Retirement Survey, we assess whether an available and commonly used index of a depression state was affected by prior values of the index and Internet use. The sample includes 3,075 respondents observed over 4 waves of data, yielding a total of 12,300 observations. We analyzed the effect on depression of Internet use and past depression in a full sample and a matched sample. We also conducted informal tests for confounders. Finally, we tested a basic mediation model to determine whether Internet use affected depression through its relationship with loneliness and social isolation. RESULTS Across methods, we found a positive contribution of Internet use to mental well-being of retired older adults in the United States, where Internet use reduced the probability of a depression state by one third. We found no evidence of confounding. Some evidence of mediation was found. DISCUSSION Our dynamic probit model indicates that for retired older adults in the United States, Internet use was found to reduce the probability of a depressed state by about 33%. Number of people in the household partially mediates this relationship, with the reduction in depression largest for people living alone. This provides some evidence that the mechanism linking Internet use to depression is the remediation of social isolation and loneliness. Encouraging older adults to use the Internet may help decrease isolation and depression.
Emancipatory or instrumental? Students’ and teachers’ perceptions of the implementation of the EcoSchool program

Abstract We present findings of a mixed method evaluation study of the EcoSchool program in the Czech Republic. The innovativeness of this study is its specific focus on implementation strategies rather than learning outcomes. Using data from 148 students and 65 teachers from 54 different schools involved in the program, we investigated perceptions about the nature of the implementation and the impact of the approach on students’ and teachers’ feelings of ownership of success, loss of meaning of the program, or satisfaction with their participation in the EcoSchool program. The findings support the relevance of the emancipatory approach: students’ perceived participation predicts both their satisfaction with the program and perceived ownership of the success of their EcoTeams. Unexpectedly, the study also found that another factor predicting the program’s effectiveness is the level of students’ control over nonparticipating students.
The lens as a model for fibrotic disease

Fibrosis affects multiple organs and is associated with hyperproliferation, cell transdifferentiation, matrix modification and contraction. It is therefore essential to discover the key drivers of fibrotic events, which in turn will facilitate the development of appropriate therapeutic strategies. The lens is an elegant experimental model to study the processes that give rise to fibrosis. The molecular and cellular organization of the lens is well defined and consequently modifications associated with fibrosis can be clearly assessed. Moreover, the avascular and non-innervated properties of the lens allow effective in vitro studies to be employed that complement in vivo systems and relate to clinical data. Using the lens as a model for fibrosis has direct relevance to millions affected by lens disorders, but also serves as a valuable experimental tool to understand fibrosis per se.
A Diagonalization Property between Hurewicz and Menger

In classical works, Hurewicz and Menger introduced two diagonalization properties for sequences of open covers. Hure- wicz found a combinatorial characterization of these notions in terms of continuous images. Recently, Scheepers has shown that these notions are particular cases in a large family of diagonaliza- tion schemas. One of the members of this family is weaker than the Hurewicz property and stronger than the Menger property, and it was left open whether it can be characterized combinatorially in terms of continuous images. We give a positive answer. This paper can serve as an exposition of this fascinating subject.
Exponential sinusoidal modeling of transitional speech segments

A generalized sinusoidal model for speech signal processing is studied. The main feature of the model is that the amplitude of each sinusoidal component is allowed to vary exponentially with time. We propose to use the model in transitional speech segments such as speech onsets and voiced/unvoiced transitions. Computer simulations with natural speech signals indicate substantial better modeling performance in both transitional and voiced regions compared with the traditional constant-amplitude sinusoidal model.
Antiemetic activity of the NK1 receptor antagonist GR205171 in the treatment of established postoperative nausea and vomiting after major gynaecological surgery.

In this double-blind, randomized, parallel group study, we have investigated the antiemetic activity of the potent and selective NK1 receptor antagonist GR205171 25 mg i.v. compared with placebo in the treatment of established postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in patients after major gynaecological surgery performed under general anaesthesia. The incidence of PONV in the study population was 65%. Thirty-six patients were treated with placebo or GR205171 (18 patients per group). GR205171 produced greater control of PONV than placebo over the 24-h assessment period. The stimuli for emesis after PONV are multifactorial and the efficacy of GR205171 in this study supports the broad spectrum potential for NK1 receptor antagonists in the management of postoperative emesis. GR205171 was well tolerated and no adverse events were reported that would preclude the further development of this agent.
A complex network approach to robustness and vulnerability of spatially organized water distribution networks

In this work, water distribution systems are regarded as large sparse planar graphs with complex network characteristics and the relationship between important topological features of the network (i.e. structural robustness and loop redundancy) and system resilience, viewed as the antonym to structural vulnerability, are assessed. Deterministic techniques from complex networks and spectral graph theory are utilized to quantify well-connectedness and estimate loop redundancy in the studied benchmark networks. By using graph connectivity and expansion properties, system robustness against node/link failures and isolation of the demand nodes from the source(s) are assessed and network tolerance against random failures and targeted attacks on their bridges and cut sets are analyzed. Among other measurements, two metrics of meshed-ness and algebraic connectivity are proposed as candidates for quantification of redundancy and robustness, respectively, in optimization design models. A brief discussion on the scope and limitations of the provided measurements in the analysis of operational reliability of water distribution systems is presented.
Spirituality, Universal Love and Sustainable Behaviour

Sustainability is a hot topic widely discussed in many circles of academics, professionals and policy makers worldwide. Technological, institutional and infrastructural changes are often considered to be effective measures in achieving sustainability goals. No doubt all such external changes are necessary; however, they remain inadequate without inner changes that make individual behaviour sustainable. This study points out that the root causes of our unsustainable behaviour is our perceived separateness from fellow human beings and the natural environment, which results in self-centeredness, greed and fear. Research findings in neuroscience suggest that the perceived separateness is an illusion created by our brain. Nevertheless, the brain itself is endowed with the capacity to overcome this separateness by Universal Love. Spirituality is about re-wiring the brain to realize this capacity. Most spiritual practices, both religious and non-religious, represent different methods to achieve this goal.
Vaccine-Induced Anti-HBs Level in 5-6 Year-Old Malnourished Children

Background Malnutrition is the most common cause of immune deficiency. It results in reduced secretion of T-cells and B-cell-stimulating factors leading to declining of special immunoglobulins. On the other hand, hepatitis B, as a major world health problem, can be prevented effectively by vaccination. Three doses of hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine induce protective levels of anti-hepatitis B surface (anti-HBs) in 95% of healthy children. This level decreases gradually over time. Objectives The goal of this study was to assess anti-HBs in malnourished children, who confronted to some degrees of immune deficiency. Patients and Methods This is a cross-sectional study conducted during May to August 2010 in therapeutic clinics of Yazd, Iran. Samples were selected simply and consecutively among 5-6 year-old children with a history of three doses of HBV vaccine in infancy. On the basis of World Health Organization’s definition on malnutrition, which considers anthropometric measurements, malnourished children entered the study. Totally 83 cases (37 boys and 46 girls) were gathered and classified into three groups of mild, moderate, and severe malnutrition. One milliliter of venous blood was taken and anti-HBs were tested by enzyme linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA). Results Overall, seroprotection rate and geometric mean titer (GMT) of anti-HBs were 60.2% and 15.47 ± 10.92 mIU/mL, respectively. Seroprotection rate was 71.4%, 55.2%, and 72.7% in mild, moderate, and severe malnourished children, respectively. GMT was 30.78 mIU/mL, 12.15 mIU/mL, and 22.95 mIU/mL in these groups, respectively. None of these two indices were significant in these groups (P = 0.471, P = 0.364). Seroprotection rate and GMT were 54.1% and 13.26 ± 11.59 mIU/mL in boys, and 65.2% and 17.5 ± 10.59 mIU/mL in girls, respectively, showing no significant relationship with gender (P = 0.302, P = 0.602). Lowest seroprotection rate was in stunted cases (47.1%) and highest in wasted children (77.8%). This difference also was not significant (P = 0.43). Conclusions The seroprotection rate and GMT of anti-HBs observed in this study do not show a high level of immunity. These two indices were not related to severity of malnutrition. We conclude that severity of malnutrition does not affect vaccine-induced antibody level and seroprotection rate; however small sample size in each group of study hinders decisive conclusion. Moreover, GMT and seroprotection rate showed no relationship with type of abnormal anthropometric index, including weight for height, weight for age, and height for age.