Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Arrayed Micro Needles for Mechanical Gene Insertion

A novel approach to realize arrays of out of plane micro needles is given. The exterior shape of the micro needles is realized by dry etching using a RIE. The exterior shape is realized in silicon by dry etching using a SF6 and Argon plasma that achieve the progressive etching of the mask composed by silicon nitride and photoresist. The needles realized present an outer diameter of 900 nm for a height of about 7 microns. The needle is then realized by wet oxidation using a thin film of silicon nitride to perform a LOCOS at the end of the needle. The last step consists in selectively etch the Si3N4 and the silicon inside the needle by xenon difluoride.
PENGUJIAN AKTIVITAS ANTIACNE NANOPARTIKEL KITOSAN – EKSTRAK KULIT BUAH MANGGIS (Garcinia mangostana)

Abstrak Uji aktivitas antiacne dari pasta dan bubuk nanopartikel kitosan – ekstrak kulit manggis telah diamati terhadap daya hambat pertumbuhan Propionibacterium acnes. Bahan pasta nanopartikel kitosan – ekstrak manggis dibuat melalui reaksi gelasi ionik dengan cara mencampurkan larutan kitosan 0,2 % (dalam asam asetat) dengan ekstrak etanol 70 % kulit buah manggis yang kemudian direaksikan dengan natrium tripolifosfat 0,1 %. Sedangkan bahan bubuk nanopartikel kitosan – ekstrak manggis diproduksi melalui metode freeze drying dari bahan pasta nanopartikel. Hasil pengujian antiacne dari bahan pasta dan bubuk nanopartikel kitosan – ekstrak manggis menunjukkan bahwa kedua bahan dapat menghambat pertumbuhan Propionibacterium acnes yang baik dengan konsentrasi terendah 0.15 %. Kata kunci : antiacne, pasta, kitosan, nanopartikel, ekstrak etanol 70 % kulit buah manggis Abstract The antiacne activity of paste and powder of chitosan – Garcinia mangostana extract nanoparticles were observed that it’s against of Propionibacterium acnes. The paste of nanoparticles has been prepared by ionic gelation reaction by mixture 0.2 % chitosan solution in acetic acid with Garcinia mangostana 70 % ethanol extract and it’s continued by reaction process with 0.1 % sodium tripolyphosphate. Meanwhile the powder of nanoparticles was produced by freeze drying process of a paste of the nanoparticles. The results of antiacne activity of paste and powder of nanoparticles were showed that it’s could against Propionibacterium acnes with the lowest concentration about 0.15 %. Keywords : antiacnes, paste, chitosan, nanoparticles, Garcinia mangostana 70 % ethanol extract
MAKHA - A New Hybrid Swarm Intelligence Global Optimization Algorithm

The search for efficient and reliable bio-inspired optimization methods continues to be an active topic of research due to the wide application of the developed methods. In this study, we developed a reliable and efficient optimization method via the hybridization of two bio-inspired swarm intelligence optimization algorithms, namely, the Monkey Algorithm (MA) and the Krill Herd Algorithm (KHA). The hybridization made use of the efficient steps in each of the two original algorithms and provided a better balance between the exploration/diversification steps and the exploitation/intensification steps. The new hybrid algorithm, MAKHA, was rigorously tested with 27 benchmark problems and its results were compared with the results of the two original algorithms. MAKHA proved to be considerably more reliable and more efficient in tested problems.
Higher hepatic gene expression and serum levels of matrix metalloproteinase-2 are associated with steatohepatitis in non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases

We investigated the gene expression of tissue inhibitor metalloproteinases (TIMPs) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and serum levels of TIMPs, MMPs, and hyaluronic acid that are associated with liver fibrosis in 64 patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD). Whereas, no differences were found between patients with and without nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in serum levels of hyaluronic acid when excluding NASH patients with advanced fibrosis, the quantity of MMP2 mRNA in liver tissue and serum MMP2 levels were significantly higher in patients with NASH than those without, even focusing on patients with less advanced fibrosis, indicating the initiation of liver fibrosis.
Screening for Complicated Grief: When Less May Provide More

Objective: This study aimed to discover screening questions for initial assessments of psychiatric outpatients to identify which patients are likely experiencing complicated grief (CG). Method: We examined the responses of 235 outpatients to questionnaire items. One set came from the Texas Revised Inventory of Grief (TRIG). This set represented events cited in clinical literature as indicators or risk factors for CG. Another set came from a factor analysis of items that define CG. We determined relations between items and CG, analyzed sensitivity and specificity, and compared the 2 sets of items. Results: The factor analysis items were superior. The 2 best items correctly identified nearly 90% of patients with and without CG. Conclusion: The items can be transformed into screening questions to be used in initial interviews.
Reordering Constraints for Phrase-Based Statistical Machine Translation

In statistical machine translation, the generation of a translation hypothesis is computationally expensive. If arbitrary reorderings are permitted, the search problem is NP-hard. On the other hand, if we restrict the possible reorderings in an appropriate way, we obtain a polynomial-time search algorithm. We investigate different reordering constraints for phrase-based statistical machine translation, namely the IBM constraints and the ITG constraints. We present efficient dynamic programming algorithms for both constraints. We evaluate the constraints with respect to translation quality on two Japanese-English tasks. We show that the reordering constraints improve translation quality compared to an unconstrained search that permits arbitrary phrase reorderings. The ITG constraints preform best on both tasks and yield statistically significant improvements compared to the unconstrained search.
Software bubbles: using predication to compensate for aliasing in software pipelines

This paper describes a technique for utilizing predication to support software pipelining on EPIC architectures in the presence of dynamic memory aliasing. The essential idea is that the compiler generates an optimistic software-pipelined schedule that assumes there is no memory aliasing. The operations in the pipeline kernel are predicated, however so that if memory aliasing is detected by a run-time check, the predicate registers are set to disable the iterations that are so tightly overlapped as to violate the memory dependences. We refer to these disabled kernel operations as software bubbles.
Optimized Power Distributions for Partitioned Signaling on Random Linear Matrix Channels

Iterative processing for linear matrix channels, aka turbo equalization, turbo demodulation, or turbo CDMA, has traditionally been studied as the concatenation of conventional error control codes with the linear (matrix) channel. However, in several situation, such as CDMA, the channel itself contains inherent redundancy, such as a repetition code contained in the direct-spread signature sequences of CDMA. For such systems, iterative demodulation of the linear channel exploiting the inherent code structure, followed by feed-forward conventional error control coding provides an efficient and powerful alternative, and outperform the more complex turbo CDMA methods for equal power modes (users). However, such equal-power systems are spectrally limited. In this paper optimized power distributions are derived and studied which allow arbitrary spectral efficiencies to be achieved with simple two-stage receivers. I. I NTRODUCTION Message passing has recently gained much attention, first as an efficient decoding method for turbo and lowdensity parity-check codes, and later for a host of applications ranging from joint detection in multiple-access channels [12], multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) receiver processing, intersymbol-interference (ISI) channel demodulation, ad-hoc sensor network communications, and many more. In some practically relevant cases the communications system in question is well described by a random matrix equation. This is the case for example in code-division multiple access (CDMA) using (pseudo-) random signature sequences, or in random flat MIMO channels. Such random linear matrix channels are the topic of interest here. We consider efficient demodulation of signal in such random matrix channels. Our ideas are based on a body of prior work, all of which targeting the complexity of receiver processing. It has, of course, been known for a long time that linear algebraic systems (or equations) have very efficient iterative solution methods [2], [1] such as the Gauss-Seidel method. These methods provide an attractive methodology to implement virtually any linear receiver. Furthermore, implementations of such methods lead back to very basic interference cancellation operations [16]. Linear receivers, however, are not efficient detectors for discrete signals, and many modifications to account for the discrete (binary) nature of the transmitted signals have been proposed [6]. With the advent of turbo coding, researchers have realized that and how to include an error control coding device into the processing chain of an iterative receiver [7], [3]. This is commonly referred to as turbo detection, or turbo equalization. Often, and in analogy to turbo coding, an interleaver is put in between the error control coding device and the actual channel, thus creating a serially concatenated “coding systems”. While such systems perform well This work was supported in part by iCore Alberta, and the Alberta Ingenuity Fund.
Deterioration and recovery of electrical conductivity during fatigue testing of stretchable wires printed onto fabrics using Ag-loaded electrically conductive pastes

Stretchable wires were printed on fabrics using an acrylic-based paste loaded with Ag flakes, and their fatigue properties examined. The electrical conductivity of the wires significantly decreased during a cyclic tensile test, because of a decrease in their elastic moduli (Mullins softening) as well as fatigue cracking. Because the electrical resistance and elastic moduli of the damaged samples were partially recovered by annealing at 100 °C, fatigue damage introduced to the wires was divided into reversible and irreversible components, where cracking is the irreversible damage. Although crack bridging by fibrils could occur during the fatigue test, no crack healing was observed during annealing. In contrast, fatigue damage from Mullins softening of the wires could be recovered during annealing. The recovery of electrical conductivity occurs mostly in the initial stage of rearrangement of polymer structure during annealing.
Special care dentistry: part 1. Dental management of patients with inherited bleeding disorders.

UNLABELLED The most common cause of excessive bleeding is idiopathic, but bleeding can also be caused by inherited or acquired conditions associated with vascular defects, platelet defects or coagulation disorders. This paper will cover inherited bleeding disorders. Every clinician will encounter a patient who complains of prolonged bleeding following certain procedures; most commonly dental extractions. In the majority of cases the cause is often a local one and can be managed using simple local measures. However, prolonged post-operative bleeding following dental treatment might be one of the first signs of a bleeding disorder in an undiagnosed patient, necessitating referral for further investigations. Some patients may present with an already confirmed diagnosis of a bleeding disorder, requiring appropriate treatment planning and dental management in an appropriate setting with haematological advice. This paper will provide guidance on how to achieve this. CLINICAL RELEVANCE To update clinicians on the dental management of patients with inherited bleeding disorders and how to decide the most appropriate setting for the provision of dental care.
Securing Web-Based Exams

Learning management systems may offer web-based exam facilities. Such facilities entail a higher risk to exams fraud than traditional paper-based exams. The article discusses security issues with web-based exams, and proposes precautionary measures to reduce the risks. A security model is presented that distinguishes supervision support, software restrictions, and network restrictions. Solutions to security problems are tools to supervise and monitor web- based exams, measures for exam computers with Windows and Linux, and secure network setups in common network architectures. The article intends to raise risk awareness among faculty in higher education, and to help technical staff to implement precautions.
The transient effect of jasmonic acid feeding along with ORCA3 overexpression in catharanthus roseus hairy roots

Jasmonic acid is an important signaling molecule in plants that regulates a wide variety of cellular responses including the responses to abiotic and biotic stresses. The external application of jasmonic acid has been shown to increase the accumulation of the monomeric terpenoid indole alkaloids, TIAs, in Catharanthus roseus seedlings and hairy root cultures (1-3). Jasmonic acid regulates the expression of the ORCA3 (Octadecanoid-Responsive Catharanthus AP2/ERF-domain) transcription factor (4). The overexpression of ORCA3 in C. roseus cell suspension cultures resulted in an increase of the mRNA levels of the following TIA biosynthetic genes: anthranilate synthase, ASα, tryptophan decarboxylase, TDC, 1-deoxy-Dxylulose synthase, DXS, NADPH:cytochrome P-450 reductase, CPR, secologanin synthase, SLS, strictosidine synthase, STR, strictosidine beta-glucosidase, SGD, and desacetoxyvindoline 4-hydroxylase, D4H (5). The accumulation of mRNA transcripts did not result in an increase in TIA compounds which could be explained by the lack of an observed increase in the transcripts of geraniol 10 hydroxylase, G10H, and deacetyl vindoline 4-O-acetyl transferase, DAT (5).
Face Pose Estimation in Uncontrolled Environments

Automatic estimation of head pose from a face image is a sub-problem of human face analysis with widespread applications such as gaze direction detection and human computer interaction. Most current methods estimate pose in a limited range or treat pose as a classification problem by assigning the face to one of many discrete poses. Moreover they have mainly been tested on images taken in controlled environments. We address the problem of estimating pose as a continuous regression problem on “real world” images with large variations in background, illumination and expression. We propose a probabilistic framework with a general representation that does not rely on locating facial features. Instead we represent a face with a non-overlapping grid of patches. This representation is used in a generative model for automatic estimation of head pose ranging from 90 to 90 in images taken in uncontrolled environments. Our methods achieve a correlation of 0.88 with the human estimates of pose.
Carbon Nanotube Quality Impact on Epoxy Composites Thermal Conductivity

Composite materials thermal conductivity is a challenging area. This is particularly applicable in the through thickness direction. Obstacles on the path of improvement are numerous. To overcome issue of carbon nanotube distribution within composite a new approach was adopted. This was achieved with employment of new method to obtain a basic building block for the layer-by-layer method. Laminate was prepared from prepreg layers utilising ancillary materials stack-up sequence optimised for thermal conductivity improvement through nanomaterials. Autoclave cured materials were examined for thermal conductivity. The highest value was achieved at 125 deg C. The highest improvement over reference carbon fibre / epoxy composite material was obtained at 25 deg C. Three different carbon nanotube materials were used in the research. Least damaged carbon nanotubes yielded the best results. Simple calculations completed on carbon nanotube / epoxy composites confirmed the least damaged carbon nanotubes – the carbon nanotubes of the highest quality - as the best heat transport medium.
APOGEE: The Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment

APOGEE is a large-scale, NIR, high-resolution (R ∼ 20 000) spectroscopic survey of Galactic stars. It is one of the four experiments in SDSS-III. Because APOGEE will observe in the H band, where the extinction is six times smaller than in V, it will be the first survey to pierce through Galactic dust and provide a vast, uniform database of chemical abundances and radial velocities for stars across all Galactic populations (bulge, disk, and halo). The survey will be conducted with a dedicated, 300-fiber, cryogenic, spectrograph that is being built at the University of Virginia, coupled to the ARC 2.5-m telescope at Apache Point Observatory. APOGEE will use a significant fraction of the SDSS-III bright time during a three-year period to observe, at high signal-to-noise ratio (S /N > 100), about 100 000 giant stars selected directly from 2MASS down to a typical flux limit ofH < 13. The main scientific objectives of APOGEE are: (1) measuring unbiased metallicity distributions and abundance patterns for the different Galactic stellar populations, (2) studying the processes of star formation, feedback, and chemical mixing in theMilkyWay, (3) surveying the dynamics of the bulge and disk, placing constraints on the nature and influence of the Galactic bar and spiral arms, and (4) using extensive chemodynamical data, particularly in the inner Galaxy, to unravel its formation and evolution. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Learning to Prune: Exploring the Frontier of Fast and Accurate Parsing

Pruning hypotheses during dynamic programming is commonly used to speed up inference in settings such as parsing. Unlike prior work, we train a pruning policy under an objective that measures end-to-end performance: we search for a fast and accurate policy. This poses a difficult machine learning problem, which we tackle with the lols algorithm. lols training must continually compute the effects of changing pruning decisions: we show how to make this efficient in the constituency parsing setting, via dynamic programming and change propagation algorithms. We find that optimizing end-to-end performance in this way leads to a better Pareto frontier—i.e., parsers which are more accurate for a given runtime.
Understanding Virtual Objects for Knowledge Creation in Communities

In this paper we investigate the use of virtual objects for knowledge exchange in communities. Information systems provide a wide range of new (virtual) objects for community members which support non-canonical collaboration required for knowledge creation [1,2]. From a sociological perspective these objects are means to cross knowledge boundaries in communities [3]. In our study we extend this aspect by a technical perspective of how virtual objects effectively facilitate activities of knowledge creation. Media Synchronicity Theory [4] proposes how to best accomplish communication performance. It predicts that to achieve effective communication, the two primary communication strategies of conveyance of information and convergence on meaning need to be supported. Building upon this discussion, we examine the use of virtual objects in a dynamic process of knowledge creation. We will draw conclusions on how to appropriately use virtual objects for communication. Our empirical study is based on multiple cases [5] of knowledge communities. Qualitative data has been gathered from the participants of six focused group discussions conducted on a virtual whiteboard which comprises a media choice to interact in real time. The results detail information on the actual use (and not use) of virtual objects (media) for knowledge creation. Based on our findings we empirically confirm the core propositions of Media Synchronicity Theory. We conclude with managerial recommendations on how to employ virtual objects for increasing the effectiveness of dynamic processes of knowledge creation.
Gaussian Mixture Approximation by Another Gaussian Mixture for "Blob" Filter Re-Sampling

A new method has been developed to approximate one Gaussian mixture by another in a process that generalizes the idea of importance re-sampling in a particle filter. This algorithm is being developed as part of an effort to generalize the concept of a particle filter. In a traditional particle filter, the underlying probability density function is described by particles: Dirac delta functions with infinitesimal covariances. This paper develops an important component of a “blob” filter, which uses a Gaussian mixture of “fattened,” finitecovariance blobs instead of infinitesimal particles. The goal of a blob filter is to save computational effort for a given level of probability density precision by using many fewer blobs than particles. Most of the techniques necessary for this type of filter have already been developed. The one missing component is developed in this paper: a re-sampling algorithm that bounds the covariance of each element while accurately re-producing the original probability distribution. The covariance bounds are needed in order to keep the blobs from becoming too “fat”; otherwise, Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) or Unscented Kalman Filter dynamic propagation and measurement update calculations would cause excessive truncation error for each blob. The re-sampling algorithm is described in detail, and its performance is studied using several simulated test cases. Also discussed is the usefulness of a Gaussian mixture and EKF-like techniques for nonlinear dynamic propagation and nonlinear measurement update of probability distributions.