Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Convex Cauchy-Schwarz DivergenceMeasure for Blind Source Separation

We propose a new class of divergence measures for Independent Component Analysis (ICA) for the demixing of multiple source mixtures. We call it the Convex Cauchy-Schwarz Divergence (CCS-DIV), and it is formed by integrating convex functions into the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality. The new measure is symmetric and the degree of its curvature with respect to the joint-distribution can be tuned by a (convexity) parameter. The CCS-DIV is able to speed-up the search process in the parameter space and produces improved demixing performance. An algorithm, generated from the proposed divergence, is developed which is employing the non-parametric Parzen window-based distribution. Simulation evidence is presented to verify and quantify its superior performance in comparison to state-of-the art approaches.
Identification of Learning Goals in Forum-based Communities

When Internet users search for information, surf on websites or discuss with others, their actions are driven by certain goals. Extraction of users' goals can enable higher effectiveness and accuracy of web services. Supporting users in based on their goals can be highly beneficial, especially supporting of learners in the preparation for an exam as a learning process, Different phases of learning are identified when users learn collaboratively. We scrutinize how goals are constructed and achieved within a community, examining not only social activities based on patterns of behavior, but also emotions and intents users express in their posts. As a result we elicit users' goals. We achieved good accuracy in defining emotions of users and recognizing their intents and social patterns in our case. Here we discuss how the obtained results contribute to mining of learning community goals.
The raising of the flag in ‘Volkstaat’ Orania: Perspectives on a school ceremony

Abstract In this paper we present an analysis of a social practice that was observed during a two-month ethnographic field study in a school in the Afrikaans community of Orania. It is a flag ceremony that is carried out at the end of each week. We use two different framework positions from which to discuss the ceremony – Turner's (2009) interpretive framework with which to analyse social action as ritual and Reckwitz's (2003) ‘theories of practice’ approach to see how it could be understood as forming part of everyday life. From the view of the former, rituals are associated mostly with power relations and initiation, and have rigid time and content structures. From the viewpoint of the latter, a type of ‘praxeological’ approach, the observed ceremony could be interpreted as an integral part of everyday school life that is embedded and is an embodied routine, without rational, reflective practice. The aim of this article is to juxtapose and discuss these two alternative approaches as they apply to the ob.
Trichomonas vaginalis Lipophosphoglycan Mutants Have Reduced Adherence and Cytotoxicity to Human Ectocervical Cells

ABSTRACT The extracellular human pathogen Trichomonas vaginalis is covered by a dense glycocalyx thought to play a role in host-parasite interactions. The main component of the glycocalyx is lipophosphoglycan (LPG), a polysaccharide anchored in the plasma membrane by inositol phosphoceramide. To study the role of LPG in trichomonads, we produced T. vaginalis LPG mutants by chemical mutagenesis and lectin selection and characterized them using morphological, biochemical, and functional assays. Two independently selected LPG mutants, with growth rates comparable to that of the wild-type (parent) strain, lost the ability to bind the lectins Ricinnus comunis agglutinin I (RCA120) and wheat germ agglutinin, indicating alterations in surface galactose and glucosamine residues. LPG isolated from mutants migrated faster than parent strain LPG on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, suggesting the mutants had shorter LPG molecules. Dionex high-performance anion exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection analyses revealed galactosamine, glucosamine, galactose, glucose, mannose/xylose, and rhamnose as the main monosaccharides of T. vaginalis parent strain LPG. LPG from both mutants showed a reduction of galactose and glucosamine, corresponding with the reduced size of their LPG molecules and inability to bind the lectins RCA120 and wheat germ agglutinin. Mutant parasites were defective in attachment to plastic, a characteristic associated with avirulent strains of T. vaginalis. Moreover, the mutants were less adherent and less cytotoxic to human vaginal ectocervical cells in vitro than the parental strain. Finally, while parent strain LPG could inhibit the attachment of parent strain parasites to vaginal cells, LPG from either mutant could not inhibit attachment. These combined results demonstrate that T. vaginalis adherence to host cells is LPG mediated and that an altered LPG leads to reduced adherence and cytotoxicity of this parasite.
A Bayesian Packet Sharing Approach for Noisy IoT Scenarios

Cloud computing and Internet of Things (IoT) represent two different technologies that are massively being adopted in our daily life, playing a fundamental role in the future Internet. One important challenge that need to be handled is the enormous amount of data generated by sensing devices, that make the control of sending useless data very important. In order to face with this challenge, there is a increasing interest about predictive approaches to avoid to send high spatio-temporal correlated data. Belief Propagation (BP) algorithm is a method of performing approximate inference on arbitrary graphical models that is becoming increasingly popular in the context of IoT. By exploiting BP, we can derive effective methods to drastically reduce the number of transmitted messages, while keeping high the data throughput in the global information system. In this paper, we propose a BP approach in a hierarchical architecture with simple nodes, gateways and data centers. We evaluate the error bounding and propose a corrective mechanism to keep a certain quality of the global information in the architecture considered.
A New Ketolide, HMR 3004, Active against Streptococci Inducibly Resistant to Erythromycin

ABSTRACT HMR 3004 is a new hydrazono ketolide characterized by a 3-keto function instead of the cladinose moiety. The effect of this antimicrobial agent on inducible and constitutive macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B (MLSB) resistance was tested in a lacZ reporter system under control of severalermAM-like attenuator variants. For one constitutively resistant Streptococcus agalactiae strain, three inducibly resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae strains, and one inducibly resistant Enterococcus faecalis strain, the attenuators fused with lacZ were cloned into the shuttle plasmid pJIM2246 and the plasmid was introduced intoStaphylococcus aureus RN4220. For the wild-type attenuators, HMR 3004 was a very weak inducer, unlike its cladinose counterpart RU 6652 and erythromycin. As expected, for the fusion originating from the constitutively resistant S. agalactiaestrain, the level of uninduced β-galactosidase synthesis was high. For one S. pneumoniae attenuator, mutations in the 3′ end of the attenuator that weakened the stem-loop structure that sequesters the ribosome-binding site and start codon for ermAMmethylase could explain the high level of uninduced β-galactosidase produced. For streptococci, the activity of HMR 3004 correlated with the basal level of β-galactosidase synthesized. The weak inducer activity of HMR 3004 explained its activity against inducibly MLSB-resistant S. pneumoniae but did not correlate with the moderate activity of the antibiotic against inducibly resistant E. faecalis.
Prospection and its relationship to instrumental activities of daily living in patients with mild traumatic brain injury with cognitive impairment

Abstract Objective: Prospection is the ability to plan ahead by creating a series of intentions and sequential steps to achieve a particular goal. The current study examined whether prospection was compromised in patients who had sustained a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and who claimed to be disabled because of their chronic cognitive impairment, as operationalized by an inability to achieve goals (e.g. return to work) well after their expected recovery. Method: This study employed the Tower of London (TOL) to measure prospection and compared two groups of patients who sustained a mTBI who both presented with cognitive impairment, but were or were not disabled in terms of their real world functioning (as defined by their instrumental activities of daily living, IADLs). Results: The results revealed that the TOL could reliably discriminate between these two groups. In subsequent structural equation modelling, TOL scores were used to create a prospection model that was able to predict IADLs functioning. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that prospection is a critical component of one’s ability to function independently following the onset of a mTBI when chronic cognitive impairment is evident and that clinicians should routinely investigate prospection in this context.
Food-Borne Radiolytic Compounds (2-Alkylcyclobutanones)May Promote Experimental Colon Carcinogenesis

Abstract: Food irradiation is acknowledged as a safe process to improve food quality by reducing microbial contamination. Information on the toxicological potential of 2-alkylcyclobutanones (2-ACBs), radiolytic derivatives of triglycerides found exclusively in irradiated food, is scarce. Wistar rats received daily a solution of highly pure 2-tetradecylcyclobutanone (2-tDCB) or 2-(tetradec-5sent;-enyl)-cyclobutanone (2-tDeCB) at a concentration of 0.005% in 1% ethanol as drinking fluid, while control animals received 1% ethanol. All animals received a single intraperitoneal injection of the chemical carcinogen azoxymethane (AOM) at Weeks 3 and 4. At 3 mo after AOM injection, no significant changes were observed in the total number of preneoplastic lesions in the colon of AOM controls and 2-ACB-treated animals. After 6 mo, the total number of tumors in the colon was threefold higher in the 2-ACB-treated animals than in the AOM controls. The colon of four of six AOM control rats exhibited only one small tumor (∼6 mm3). Multiple tumors were observed in four and three of six animals treated with 2-tDCB or 2-tDeCB, respectively. Medium (6 < S < 25 mm3) and larger (>25 mm3) tumors were detected only in 2-ACB-treated animals. This is the first demonstration that a compound found exclusively in irradiated dietary fats may promote colon carcinogenesis in animals treated with a chemical carcinogen.
Not All Empathy Is Equal: How Dispositional Empathy Affects Charitable Giving

Motivations for prosocial behavior have been explored in diverse ways. Empirical research suggests that empathy is an important motive for prosocial behavior. Building upon previous studies, in this article the authors hypothesize that charitable giving is distinctively affected by different components of dispositional empathy, including empathic concern, perspective taking, and personal distress. Using the 2008–2009 wave of American National Election Studies data set, this study examines the impact of these three components of dispositional empathy on probability and amount of giving to various charitable causes. The results support the authors’ hypotheses that the three components of dispositional empathy are associated with charitable giving in different ways. In particular, empathic concern consistently stimulates the likelihood and amount of giving. The effects of perspective taking and personal distress are mixed. The results offer several direct implications for fundraisers and nonprofit organizations in crafting effective fundraising appeals.
EDEN-dependent translational repression of maternal mRNAs is conserved between Xenopus and Drosophila

Translational control is a key level in regulating gene expression in oocytes and eggs because many mRNAs are synthesized and stored during oogenesis for latter use at various stages of oocyte maturation and embryonic development. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that underlie this translational control is therefore crucial. Another important issue is the evolutionary conservation of these mechanisms—in other words the determination of their universal and specific aspects. We report here a comparative analysis of a translational repression mechanism that depends on the EDEN (embryo deadenylation element) element. This small cis-acting element, localized in the 3′ untranslated region of c-mos and Eg mRNAs, was shown to be involved in a deadenylation process. We demonstrate here that in Xenopus embryos, mRNAs that contain an EDEN are translationally repressed. Next, transgenic flies were used to study the effect of the EDEN motif on translation in Drosophila oocytes. We show that this element also causes the translational repression of a reporter gene in Drosophila demonstrating that the EDEN-dependent translational repression is functionally conserved between Xenopus and Drosophila.
Demonstrating the new compact descriptors for visual search (CDVS) standard for image retrieval on mobile devices

The MPEG CDVS (Compact Descriptors for Visual Search) standard promises to enable effective, bandwidth-efficient, image matching and retrieval. In this paper, we describe the issues related to the implementation of such technology in an app for smartphones and demonstrate its application to the problem of guiding a tourist through a urban photo safari. To the best of our knowledge, this work is also the first to provide preliminary figures of CDVS performance on a mobile device.
When analytic thought is challenged by a misunderstanding

In our view, the way of thinking involved in insight problem solving is very close to the process involved in the understanding of an utterance, when a misunderstanding occurs. In this case, a more appropriate meaning has to be selected to resolve the misunderstanding (the “impasse”), the default interpretation (the “fixation”) has to be dropped in order to “restructure”, to grasp another meaning which appears more relevant to the context and the speaker's intention. A new conception of unconscious, implicit thought emerges, informed by relevance. In this article we support our view with experimental evidence, focusing on how a misunderstanding is formed. We have explored two problems, in which a trivial arithmetical task is represented as an insight problem and vice versa. Studying how an insight problem is formed, and not just how it is solved, may well become an important topic in the contemporary debate on thought.
Design of an Autonomous Jumping Microrobot

– This paper presents the design and initial results for an autonomous jumping microrobot. At the millimeter size scale, jumping can offer numerous advantages for efficient locomotion, including dealing with obstacles and potentially even latching onto other larger mobile hosts. Robot design is divided into four primary areas: energy storage, actuation, power, and control. Like its biological inspiration, the flea, a jumping microrobot requires an energy storage system to store energy and release it quickly to jump. Silicone micro rubber bands have been fabricated and assembled into the microrobot for this task. To stretch these micro rubber bands, electrostatic inchworm motors are chosen as actuators due to their high forces, long throw, and low input power requirements. Finally, solar cells and a microcontroller have been chosen to power and control the microrobot. A small-scale version of this system has been prototyped with the solar cells and a simple 4-bit microcontroller driving an inchworm motor. Separately, an inchworm motor has been demonstrated pulling and storing 4.9 nJ of energy in a micro rubber band. Finally, initial tests with a probe-loaded robot prototype have demonstrated a microrobot which can potentially jump 1.2 cm straight up.
Nonprotein Structures from Mycobacteria: Emerging Actors for Tuberculosis Control

Immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causal agent of tuberculosis, is critical for protection. For many decades, consistent to classical biochemistry, most studies regarding immunity to the tubercle bacilli focused mainly on protein structures. But the atypical, highly impermeable and waxy coat of mycobacteria captured the interest of structural biologists very early, allowing the description of amazing molecules, such as previously unknown carbohydrates or fatty acids of astonishing lengths. From their discovery, cell wall components were identified as important structural pillars, but also as molecular motifs able to alter the human immune response. Recently, as new developments have emerged, classical conceptions of mycobacterial immune modulators have been giving place to unexpected discoveries that, at the turn of the last century, completely changed our perception of immunity vis-à-vis fat compounds. In this paper, current knowledge about chemical and ultrastructural features of mycobacterial cell-wall is overviewed, with an emphasis on the relationships between cell-wall nonpeptide molecules and immune response. Remarks regarding the potential of these molecules for the development of new tools against tuberculosis are finally discussed.
The effectiveness of aphasia‐friendly principles for printed health education materials for people with aphasia following stroke

Background: Provision of health information to people with aphasia is inadequate. Current practice in providing printed health education materials to people with aphasia does not routinely take into consideration their language and associated reading difficulties. Aims: This study aimed to investigate if people with aphasia can comprehend health information contained in printed health education materials and if the application of aphasia‐friendly principles is effective in assisting them to comprehend health information. It was hypothesised that participants with aphasia would comprehend significantly more information from aphasia‐friendly materials than from existing materials. Other aims included investigating if the effectiveness of the aphasia‐friendly principles is related to aphasia severity, if people with aphasia are more confident in responding to health information questions after they have read the aphasia‐friendly material, if they prefer to read the aphasia‐friendly brochures, and if they prefer to read the brochure type that resulted in the greatest increase in their knowledge. Methods & Procedures: Twelve participants with mild to moderately severe aphasia were matched according to their reading abilities. A pre and post experimental design was employed with repeated measures ANOVA (p <. 05) used to investigate the effectiveness of the aphasia‐friendly principles. Outcomes & Results: While participants with aphasia comprehended health information from the existing printed education materials, participants comprehended 11.2% more information from materials that had an aphasia‐friendly format. No significant correlation between aphasia severity and aphasia‐friendly effectiveness was found. Participants were more confident in answering questions after they had read the aphasia‐friendly brochures. A clear preference for aphasia‐friendly brochures was not found and participants did not consistently select the brochure type that resulted in the greatest increase in their health knowledge. Conclusions: This preliminary investigation has found that aphasia‐friendly material does assist people with aphasia to comprehend health information. The benefits of providing aphasia‐friendly information have many clinical applications that extend beyond the provision of health information. The application of aphasia‐friendly principles to all written materials could prove beneficial in removing some of the barriers people with aphasia face in trying to comprehend written materials. In addition, this research has highlighted that a greater understanding of people with aphasia's reactions to aphasia‐friendly materials and also the social impact of providing aphasia‐friendly information is required. Future research, that incorporates a qualitative research approach, will add valuable insight to these topics.
An Improved Two-Swarm Based Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm

Basic particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm are susceptible to being trapped into local optimum and premature convergence happens. Inspired by the idea of genetic algorithm (GA), a new two-swarm based PSO algorithm (TSPSO) with roulette wheel selection is proposed. With different parameter settings, the two swarms have different flying trajectory, explore solution space as possible as they can, and enhance the global exploration ability. Roulette-wheel-selection based stochastic selection scheme make particles searching in the neighborhood of better feasible solution intensively and enhances the local exploitation ability. The proposed algorithm is tested on three benchmark test functions. The results show that the proposed algorithm is superior to PSO and GA in the solution of complex optimization problems
Crystal structure of human muscle aldolase complexed with fructose 1,6‐bisphosphate: Mechanistic implications

Fructose 1,6‐bisphosphate aldolase catalyzes the reversible cleavage of fructose 1,6‐bisphosphate and fructose 1‐phosphate to dihydroxyacetone phosphate and either glyceraldehyde 3‐phosphate or glyceraldehyde, respectively. Catalysis involves the formation of a Schiff's base intermediate formed at the ϵ‐amino group of Lys229. The existing apo‐enzyme structure was refined using the crystallographic free‐R‐factor and maximum likelihood methods that have been shown to give improved structural results that are less subject to model bias. Crystals were also soaked with the natural substrate (fructose 1,6‐bisphosphate), and the crystal structure of this complex has been determined to 2.8 å. The apo structure differs from the previous Brookhaven‐deposited structure (1ald) in the flexible C‐terminal region. This is also the region where the native and complex structures exhibit differences. The conformational changes between native and complex structure are not large, but the observed complex does not involve the full formation of the Schiff's base intermediate, and suggests a preliminary hydrogen‐bonded Michaelis complex before the formation of the covalent complex.
Features for Classification of Polyps in Colonoscopy

Colonoscopy is the gold standard for detection of colorectal polyps that can progress to cancer. In such an examination physicians search for polyps in endoscopic images. Thereby polyps can be removed. To support experts with a computer-aided diagnosis system, we compare different methods for automatic detection. Comparable to traditional pattern recognition systems, features are initially extracted and a classifier is trained on such data. Afterwards, unknown endoscopic images can be classified with the previously trained classifier. In this contribution we concentrate on the extension of the feature extraction module in the existing system. New detection methods are compared to existing techniques. Several features are tested, such as Graylevel Co-Occurrence Matrices (GLCM), Local Binary Patterns (LBP), and Discrete Wavelet Transform features. Different modifications on those features are applied and evaluated. We extend feature detectors to use color in different color spaces. We also compare different classifiers such as Support Vector Machines (SVM) and k -Nearest Neighbor classifier.