Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cryptosporidium parvum transport from cattle fecal deposits on California rangelands

Cryptosporidium parvum is a fecal borne protozoan parasite that can be carried by and cause gastrointestinal illness in humans, cattle, and wildlife. The illness, cryptosporidiosis, can be fatal to persons with compromised immune systems. At question is the potential for C. parvum in cattle fecal deposits on rangeland watersheds to contaminate surface water. First, C. parvum oocysts must be released from fecal deposits during rainfall, becoming available for transport. In 1996, we examined the transport of C. parvum oocysts in overland flow from fecal deposits under natural rainfall and rangeland conditions at the San Joaquin Experimental Range in Madera County, Calif. Our null hypothesis was that C. parvum oocysts are not released from fecal pats and transported 1 m downslope as overland flow with rainfall. Paired plots were located on 10, 20, and 30% slope sites. Each plot was loaded with four, 200 g fecal pats dosed with 10 5 oocysts g -1 . Pats were placed 1.0 m above the base of each plot. Composite runoff samples from each plot were analyzed for oocyst concentration following each of 4 storm events. Oocysts were transported during each storm. Slope was a significant fac tor in oocyst transport, with oocyst transport increasing with slope. Although not significant, there was an apparent flushing effect of oocysts across storms, with the majority transported in the first 2 storms. A pilot rainfall simulation experiment also revealed a flushing phenomenon from pats during individual rainfall events. C. parvum oocysts in fecal pats on rangeland can be transported from fecal deposits during rainfall events, becom ing available for transport to water-bodies. Future studies need to examine surface and subsurface transport of oocysts on range land hillslopes for distances greater than 1 m.
Asymmetric Adjustment of Rice Export Prices: The Case of Thailand and Vietnam

This paper attempts to model the price relationship between two leading exporters of rice, being Thailand and Vietnam. The motivation of such research is to reveal whether prices are integrated and determine whether any causal relationships exist among prices for rice. Given the perception that exists regarding the imperfectly competitive nature of the rice market, especially in the high quality rice segment, the paper aims to test for the presence of cointegration in the presence of asymmetric adjustment. The results conclude that the nature of asymmetry is captured by the M-TAR model which suggests that the path of adjustment to the long run equilibrium relation is relatively faster when the price differential is decreasing than opposed the case when it is increasing.
SRAM cell for high noise margin and soft errors tolerance in nanoscale technology

In this paper, we present various techniques used to improve SRAM stability and their trade-offs to conventional 6T-SRAM. The performance of these structures is analyzed in terms of reliability, speed, size, and leakage power by using HSPICE simulator in 90 nm and 32 nm CMOS processes. In 90 nm technology, 8T cell shows an improvement of 2.1X in read margin and an area penalty of over 24% compared to 6T cell. For 32 nm process, the improvement is 9.78X and the area overhead is 29%. On the other hand, 8T cell also allows different words to be read and written simultaneously while taking advantages of LS-layout topology of 6T cell. Therefore, 8T cell is the most suited to replace 6T structure in the next advanced CMOS processes. In addition, the study also shows that a 12T SRAM structure with high read stability and less sensitive to soft errors is totally feasible.
Benfotiamine exhibits direct antioxidative capacity and prevents induction of DNA damage in vitro

Complications in diabetes mellitus are partially mediated by enhanced formation of reactive oxygen species. Among the factors involved in reactive oxygen species formation, advanced glycation end products play a key role. Owing to a reduced activity of the enzyme transketolase, which requires diphosphorylated thiamine (vitamin B1) as cofactor, an accumulation of those deleterious glucose metabolites especially in diabetic patients can be observed. Benfotiamine, a lipophilic thiamine diphosphate prodrug, prevented early renal and retinal changes in animal studies, and reduced neuropathic pain in clinical studies. Several mechanisms for these activities have been described. We investigated for the first time direct antioxidant abilities of benfotiamine. Additionally, a potential DNA protective effect of benfotiamine was analysed.
Distributed Heterogeneous Big Data Mining Adaptation in the Cloud : a Survey

Big Data Mining in the Cloud is the capability of integrating and extracting useful information from large datasets or streams of data in the on demand computing environment which were not possible before due to its volume, variety , velocity, veracity and value. It includes three important fields such as Cloud, Big Data and Mining and makes Big Data’s Knowledge Integration and Extraction from distributed heterogeneous Environment in the Cloud. The Cloud based Hadoop with MapReduce analyses Big Data in the Cloud. This paper presents study of related work and concepts relating to distributed heterogeneous Big Data Mining to the Cloud technology.
EMPLOYMENT LOCATION CHOICE OF CHINESE COLLEGE STUDENTS AND ITS DETERMINANTS

This paper divides Chinese cities into 5 categories: the 1st tier includes 4 cities as Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou; the 2nd tier includes the other provincial cities, sub- provincial cities and province capitals; the 3rd tier is defined as big cities with a population more than 1 million; the 4th tier is medium and small sized cities and rural areas are defined as the 5th tier. The paper analyzes the employment location choice preference of college students among the 5 region tiers and its determinants, using individual survey data from more than 1600 college students from 10 universities which are located in 7 cities across the country. A migration pattern, which is a one-way bottom-up flow from lower tier regions to higher tier regions, is revealed by the data analysis. A multinomial logit model shows that students divide the labor market region dichotomously based on their original cities. This empirical result supports the dual labor market theory from a spatial perspective. This indicates that Chinese college graduates are domestic and economic well-being oriented in terms of employment migration, which is in line with the assumption of economic opportunity theory. Lastly, the paper gives administrative advice to guide college students' employment migration: firstly, universities can function as potential catalysts for "brain gain" in regional development and recruiting students from lower region tiers(i.e. less developed medium- sized to small cities and rural areas)helps retain local intelligence in these areas. Secondly, a lower entry point of residential status(hukou) to graduates' family members and a family friendly environment will help lower region tiers attract well-educated labor since family factor is a quite important determinant for location choice. The provision of social service such as medical service, education, social welfare should be strengthened as well as a strategy to solve the "brain drain" problem. Thirdly, guiding university graduates to adjust their personal beliefs and economic values is an effective approach to promote a more diversified employment location choice.
Further delineation of the odonto–onycho–dermal dysplasia syndrome

We report on three boys, two brothers and their maternal cousin, presenting with dry hair, pilar keratosis, severe hypodontia, smooth tongue, onychodysplasia, and keratoderma and hyperhidrosis of palms and soles. Histology of the skin showed orthokeratotic, hyperkeratosis, hypergranulosis, and mild acanthosis in the epidermis. Scanning electron microscopic examination of the hair showed longitudinal depressions in some hair. These features are close to a rare entity: the odonto–onycho–dermal dysplasia but with some differing features. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Escobar ( Multiple pterygium ) syndrome – Report of a rare genetic disorder

Pterygium syndromes are a heterogeneous group of sy ndromes with sporadic, autosomal recessive or autos omal dominant inheritance. Multiple pterygium syndrome i s a rare, autosomal recessive inherited disorder ma nifested by two types lethal and the non-lethal type. Escobar syn drome is the name given to the non-lethal type. The c aracteristic features of this syndrome are congenital arthrogryp osis, pterygia and spine deformities. In this case report we present a seven year old Indian boy with characteristic facia l and radiographic features suggestive of this synd rome. Patient’s syndromic features, intra oral findings, and manage ment are also discussed.
Expert bias in peer review

Peer review before publication is a pivotal process that can facilitate the selection of appropriate manuscripts for publication in scientific journals. This system may involve a number of procedures that serve to judge the suitability of the material being submitted in relation to the remit of the journal, as well as a process by which the scientific content undergoes critical appraisal by appropriately qualified experts in that field. Editors and scientists alike agree that scientific scrutiny is key; however, the system is not perfect and accusations have been made that manuscripts may be assessed more on the basis of acceptability rather than validity. The concept of publication bias has been well described, particularly with respect to the reporting of a significant outcome, leading to the term ‘bias against the null hypotheses’. However, a bias that arises from an expert’s predilection for one opinion rather than another has received far less attention. This editorial will attempt to shine a light on expert bias in peer review and offer solutions for overcoming the problem.
Modelling Biological Systems using a Parallel Quantized MIMO Channel

In this work, we investigate a model which is related to the class of stochastic pooling networks (SPN). These networks consist of a parallel structure of noisy and compressive sensors, which observe a common input signal. They have proven to be useful in interdisciplinary research, e.g., in physics and neurobiology. By adding a second source of parallel noise and allowing cross-connections using a channel matrix, we merge these models with the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) framework. In contrast to typical wireless communication scenarios, we assume the channel matrix to be changed deliberately in order to study the information processing and interconnection of neurons. We investigate which channel matrix maximizes the mutual information for the MIMO case and a single-input multipleoutput (SIMO) special case and present two convex relaxations of the original problems. Based on a modified non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) algorithm, we formulate a heuristic to obtain feasible channel matrices. Finally, we evaluate the performance of the suggested heuristic.
Adenosine A2b Receptors Mediate an Increase in Interleukin (IL)‐6 mRNA and IL‐6 Protein Synthesis in Human Astroglioma Cells

Abstract: The cytokine interleukin (IL)‐6 has recently been demonstrated to play a role in the pathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The mechanisms leading to increased IL‐6 levels in brains of AD patients are still unknown. Because in experimental animals ischemia increases both the level of cytokines and the extracellular concentrations of adenosine in the brain, we hypothesized that these two phenomena may be functionally connected and that adenosine might increase IL‐6 gene expression in the brain. Here we show that the mixed A1 and A2 agonist 5′‐(N‐ethylcarboxamido)adenosine (NECA) induces an increase in IL‐6 mRNA levels and protein synthesis in the human astrocytoma cell line U373 MG. The A1‐specific agonists R‐phenylisopropyladenosine and cyclopentyladenosine are much less potent, and the A2a‐specific agonist CGS‐21680 shows only marginal effects. Increased levels of mRNA are already found within 30 min after NECA treatment. The A2a‐selective antagonists 8‐(3‐chlorostyryl)caffeine and KF17837 [(E)‐8‐(3,4‐dimethoxystyryl)‐1,3‐dipropyl‐7‐methylxanthine], which have also some antagonistic properties at A2b receptors, and the nonspecific adenosine antagonist 8‐phenyltheophylline were equipotent at inhibiting the NECA‐induced increase in IL‐6 protein synthesis, whereas the specific A1 antagonist 8‐cyclopentyl‐1,3‐dipropylxanthine is much less potent. The results indicate that adenosine A2b receptors participate in the regulation of the IL‐6 gene in astrocytoma cells.
Reducing recurrence in non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer using photodynamic diagnosis and immediate post-transurethral resection of the bladder chemoprophylaxis

Abstract Objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of fluorescence cystoscopy and immediate post-transurethral resection of the bladder (TURB) chemoprophylaxis on the risk of recurrence of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) under routine clinical conditions. Materials and methods. Fluorescence cystoscopy using hexyl-aminolevulinate and post-TURB chemoprophylaxis using mitomycin C were simultaneously introduced in an effort to reduce the recurrence of NMIBC. In total, 190 consecutive patients were enrolled over a 2 year period and followed as the intervention group; 216 patients treated over a 2 year period before introduction served as controls. An intention-to-treat analysis was performed with baseline control. Results. The recurrence risk was reduced by 41% (hazard ratio 0.59, 95% confidence interval 0.45–0.78) (intention-to-treat analysis). Median recurrence-free survival was extended from 13.6 months to 36.8 months. Every third follow-up TURB was avoided. Patients with low-risk tumors and patients with primary as well as recurrent disease benefited from the treatment. Conclusions. Fluorescence cystoscopy and immediate post-TURB chemoprophylaxis effectively reduced the recurrence risk and numbers of follow-up procedures under clinical routine conditions.
How to Measure Alterations in Alveolar Barrier Function as a Marker of Lung Injury

The alveolar capillary membrane maintains the proper water and solute content of the epithelial lining fluid at the alveolar air‐liquid interface, which is critical for adequate gas exchange in the lung. This is possible due to the alveolar fluid clearance (AFC) capacity of this membrane that assists in the removal of salt and water from the alveolar air spaces. The alveolar capillary membrane also provides a barrier that restricts the passage of proteins and water from the interstitial and vascular compartments into the alveolar air spaces. This restricted passage is due to the presence of tight junctions between adjacent alveolar epithelial cells. Severe injury to the alveolar epithelial/endothelial membrane results in increased protein permeability and impairment of AFC, which leads to the formation of protein‐rich edema with the consequent deterioration of gas exchange. Many animal models of lung injury, focused on damage of the alveolar‐capillary membrane, assess the AFC capacity and the barrier function. We describe a simple method to assess the AFC rate in normal and pathological conditions in mice. We also describe two complementary methods to assess the alveolar‐capillary barrier function, which require measuring the concentration of endogenous plasma proteins in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and detection of tight‐junction proteins in lung tissue by immunofluorescence. © 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Current Status and Development of Foreign Space Reconnaissance Systems

Space reconnaissance,as a national asset of strategic reconnaissance,has become the essential part of national deterrent force and military power,as well as the strategic "highland" that is contended for by all the countries in the world.This paper describes the current status and development plans of foreign space reconnaissance systems,analyzes the future trend of space reconnaissance systems of foreign countries,and gives a general prediction on the potential capability of foreign space reconnaissance systems in next 5~10 years.
A Secure Device-to-Device Link Establishment Scheme for LoRaWAN

In the Internet of Things (IoT) era, the importance of communication technology to support communication between the various types of devices has become greater than ever before. Long Range (LoRa) and Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN) are newly designed communication technologies for low-power long-distance communication in the IoT environment. Recently, LoRa and LoRaWAN have received much attention in academia and industry because low-power long-distance communication has not been supported by traditional communication technologies. Current LoRaWAN supports only communication between the end node and the central server. A recently introduced study enables device-to-device (D2D) communication in the LoRaWAN environment, which is not supported by the current LoRaWAN standard. This paper shows that direct communication between devices can reduce battery consumption. However, security is not considered in this paper and the security features of the LoRaWAN standard are also not applicable, which means that LoRaWAN D2D communication is exposed to a security threat. Therefore, we propose a secure link establishment scheme to protect the LoRaWAN D2D communication. With our scheme, both D2D nodes can securely share cryptographic keys for protecting the D2D communication. Through the security analysis, we prove that our scheme guarantees mutual authentication, confidentiality, and integrity. Performance evaluation shows that our scheme increases power consumption by approximately 5% compared with the basic scheme without security, but has little impact on overall battery lifetime. Consequently, the proposed scheme guarantees fundamental security requirements with sufficient feasibility.
Force generation induced by rapid temperature jumps in intact mammalian (rat) skeletal muscle fibres

We examined the tension (force) responses induced by rapid temperature jumps (T‐jumps) in electrically stimulated, intact fibre bundles (5–10 fibres, fibre length ∼2 mm) isolated from a foot muscle (flexor hallucis brevis) of the rat; the muscle contains ∼90 % type 2 fast fibres. In steady state experiments, the temperature dependence of the twitch tension was basically similar to that previously described from other fast muscles; the tetanic tension increased 3‐ to 4‐fold in raising the temperature from ∼2 to 35 °C and the relation between the tetanic tension and the reciprocal absolute temperature was sigmoidal with half‐maximal tension at 9.5 °C. A rapid T‐jump of 3–5 °C was induced during a contraction by applying an infrared laser pulse (λ= 1.32 μ, 0.2 ms) to the 50 μl trough containing the fibre bundle immersed in physiological saline. At ∼10 °C, a T‐jump induced a large transient tension rise when applied during the rising phase of a twitch contraction, the amplitude of which decreased when the T‐jump was delayed with respect to the stimulus; a T‐jump probably perturbs an early step in excitation‐contraction coupling. No transient increase was seen when a T‐jump was applied during twitch relaxation. When applied during the plateau of a tetanic contraction a T‐jump induced a tension rise to a higher steady tension level; the tension rise after a T‐jump was 2–3 times faster than the corresponding phase of the initial tension rise in a tetanus. The approach to a new steady tension level after a T‐jump was biphasic with a fast (phase 2b, ∼35 s−1 at 10 °C) and a slow component (phase 3, < 10 s−1). The rates of both components increased (Q10∼3) but their amplitudes decreased with increase of the steady temperature. These results from tetanised intact fibres are consistent with the thesis previously proposed from studies on Ca2+‐activated skinned fibres, that the elementary force generation step in muscle is enhanced by increased temperature; the findings indicate that an endothermic molecular step underlies muscle force generation.
Hybrid Session-based News Recommendation using Recurrent Neural Networks

We describe a hybrid meta-architecture -- the CHAMELEON -- for session-based news recommendation that is able to leverage a variety of information types using Recurrent Neural Networks. We evaluated our approach on two public datasets, using a temporal evaluation protocol that simulates the dynamics of a news portal in a realistic way. Our results confirm the benefits of modeling the sequence of session clicks with RNNs and leveraging side information about users and articles, resulting in significantly higher recommendation accuracy and catalog coverage than other session-based algorithms.
A method for clustering high-dimensional data using 1D random projections

Han, Sangchun PhD, Purdue University, December 2014. A Method for Clustering High-Dimensional Data Using 1D Random Projections. Major Professor: Mireille Boutin. Clustering high-dimensional data is more difficult than clustering low-dimensional data. The problem is twofold. First, there is an efficiency problem related to the data size, which increases with the dimensionality. Second, there is an effectiveness problem related to the fact that the mere existence of clusters in sample sets of high dimensions is questionable, as empirical samples hardly tend to cluster together in a meaningful fashion. The current approach to addressing this issue is to seek clusters in embedded subspaces of the original space. However, as dimensionality increases, a naive exhaustive search among all subspaces becomes exponentially more complex, which leads to an overwhelming time complexity. We propose an alternative approach for high-dimensional data clustering. Our solution is a top-down hierarchical clustering method using a binary tree of 1D random projections. As real data tends to have a lot of structures, we show that a 1D random projection of real data captures some of that structure with a high probability. More specifically, the structure manifests itself as a clear binary clustering in the projected data (1D). Our approach is efficient because most of the computations are performed in 1D. To increase efficiency of our method even further, we propose a fast 1D 2-means clustering method, which takes advantage of the 1D space. Our method achieves a better quality of clustering as well as a lower run-time compared to existing high-dimensional clustering methods.
The globalization of accounting standards: the case of the United Arab Emirates

Abstract International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) are a manifestation of globalization, with financialreports prepared under IFRS presenting an image consistent with that of multinational corporations anddeveloped countries. Developing countries and emerging economies, in pursuing the global economicbenefits offered by the adoption of IFRS, face challenges in adapting their regulatory infrastructure andculture to western-oriented accounting standards. Based on data gathered primarily from archival sources,this paper suggests that the UAE, in embracing globalization and adopting IFRS, will need to developappropriate regulatory systems to overcome cultural issues relating to secrecy and fraud. Keywords IFRS; globalization; United Arab Emirates Publication Details This conference paper was oroginally published as Irvine, H and Lucas, N, The globalization of accountingstandards: the case of the United Arab Emirates, in Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference onContemporary Business, Leura, New South Wales, 21-22 September 2006, Charles Sturt University,Australia.