Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Matching statistics: efficient computation and a new practical algorithm for the multiple common substring problem

We present new algorithms for computing matching statistics with suffix arrays. We show how the Multiple Common Substring Problem can be solved efficiently in practice with a new approach using matching statistics. This problem consists of finding the common substrings of a set of strings. For the computation of matching statistics we compare seven different methods based on suffix trees and suffix arrays. Most of the suffix array algorithms have an inferior asymptotic worst case running time but a very low memory overhead and small constants in the running time complexity. Our experiments show a good performance in practice. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A comparative analysis of economic value created by South African mining companies in a growing platinum industry

ii DECLARATION iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iv TABLE OF CONTENTS v LIST OF FIGURES vii LIST OF TABLES ix CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Overview 1 1.2 Motivation for Research 3 1.3 Research Aim 5 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 6 2.1 Global Economy 6 2.2 South African Economy 8 2.3 South African Mining Industry 10 2.4 Platinum Mining Industry 12 2.5 Company performance in a growing industry 15 2.6 Share price performance 16 2.7 Methods of performance measurement 17 2.8 Use of EVA for performance evaluation 19 2.9 Research in support of EVA 22 2.10 Criticisms of EVA 24 2.11 EVA Adjustments 26
Activation of Calcium/Calmodulin-dependent Protein Kinase IV in Long Term Potentiation in the Rat Hippocampal CA1 Region*

The importance of well characterized calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CaMK) II in hippocampal long term potentiation (LTP) is widely well established; however, several CaMKs other than CaMKII are not yet clearly characterized and understood. Here we report the activation of CaMKIV, which is phosphorylated by CaMK kinase and localized predominantly in neuronal nuclei, and its functional role as a cyclic AMP-responsive element-binding protein (CREB) kinase in high frequency stimulation (HFS)-induced LTP in the rat hippocampal CA1 region. CaMKIV was transiently activated in neuronal nuclei after HFS, and the activation returned to the basal level within 30 min. Phosphorylation of CREB, which is a CaMKIV substrate, and expression of c-Fos protein, which is regulated by CREB, increased during LTP. This increase was inhibited mainly by CaMK inhibitors and also by an inhibitor for mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade, although to a lesser extent. Our results suggest that CaMKIV functions as a CREB kinase and controls CREB-regulated gene expression during HFS-induced LTP in the rat hippocampal CA1 region.
Does Source of Capital Affect Investment and Firm Value?

This paper investigates the effect of financing frictions due to source of capital, on firm investment and value. Using instrumental variables approach that controls for endogeneity arising from demand-side factors, we find that firms with access to public debt markets have 11% higher investment than firms without access. Using a structural approach, we find that firm value is 23% lower for firms without access. The estimated effect of financing frictions on firms is even bigger once the specification allows for firms to self-select the source of financing. Thus, source of capital has significant impact on firm investment and value.
An Approach to Robust Biometric Key Generation System Design

This paper presents a novel approach to the design of robust multimodal biometric cryptosystems. The design objectives behind the system are robustness, privacy of user’s biometric templates and stable cryptographic key generation. The framework presented in this paper employs two modalities and a look-up table. The hashes of cryptographic keys generated from a biometric template during the enrollment phase are stored in the look-up table with cancelable templates generated from the sample belonging to different modality of the same subject. During the operation phase, the system releases the key, only if the hash of the key generated from the provided biometric sample is found in the look-up table, and the similarity score between corresponding cancelable templates is less than a predefined threshold. The implementation of the proposed framework with iris and fingerprint biometrics is evaluated with the CASIA biometric template database.
Clinical and laboratory aspects of chronic granulomatous disease in description of eighteen patients

To describe the epidemiological, clinical, laboratory, and evolution characteristics of 18 patients with chronic granulomatous disease (CGD). In this retrospective study, clinical, laboratory, and epidemiological data were obtained from the medical records of all patients with CGD seen at the Allergy and Immunology Unit of the Pediatrics Department (School of Medicine, University of Sao Paulo) from January 1979 to December 2001. Medical history and physical examination data, personal and family history, presence of consanguinity, weight and height data, presence of hepatosplenomegaly, adenomegaly, or other relevant alterations at the time of admission were obtained for all patients. We reviewed 18 patients (male:female, 8:1) with a median duration of symptoms of 1.25 months and with a median time since diagnosis of 13 months. A family history of death as a result of infection was reported by three patients and five other patients had a common relative with CGD who was included in the series. The clinical manifestations observed were: failure to thrive, adenomegaly, hepatosplenomegaly, pneumonia, and abscesses. Relevant laboratory data were hypergammaglobulinemia and nitroblue tetrazolium reduction test of 0% in 14 patients. Seven patients received IFN‐γ and 11 sulfamethoxazole–trimethoprim. Six patients died of suppurative pulmonary infections. Age at the onset of symptoms was early, although diagnosis was late in some patients. Pulmonary involvement was the most prevalent clinical manifestation in the different phases of the disease and the major cause of death. Hypergammaglobulinemia, anemia, and leukocytosis were relevant laboratory data.
Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 major neutralizing determinant exposed on hepatitis B surface antigen particles is highly immunogenic in primates

Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) produced by recombinant DNA technology is now widely and safely used worldwide for hepatitis B vaccination. We used the HBsAg particle as a carrier molecule for presentation of selected human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) determinants to the immune system. Immunization of rhesus monkeys with an HBsAg chimera carrying the HIV-1 envelope major neutralizing determinant allowed us to generate proliferative T-cell responses and, in some cases, neutralizing antibodies and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. Since there is an overlap between populations at risk for hepatitis B virus and HIV, HBsAg recombinant particles may be relevant carriers for HIV-1 epitopes and could offer a new approach to the development of an AIDS vaccine.
Empowering the rural communities via the telecentres

With the increasing use of technology and ICT in daily live there is a great tendency for those at the marginalized areas in Malaysia and those who are in the marginalized groups to 'be left out in the online activities due to the geographical limitation and the limited ICT literacy level. Thus, in the effort to empower the rural communities firstly, there is a need to ensure e-inclusion activities reached the targeted communities. The users must have the access to Internet and the appropriate skills and ICT competencies to use the online services and information. The rural communities also need to understand the language ofInternet which isEnglish and to search and use the information effectively so that the process ofassisting them to become knowledge society can be accomplished. The paper will discuss in order to empower the rural communities via leT, the best agents will be the existing 1945 telecentres and the factors that have been identified to assist sustainability of the telecentres and also to ensure value add programmes can be planned and carried out at the telecentres allover Malaysia. The discussion is based ffn data and observation collected from 10 best telecentres in Malaysia conducted in the year 2007-2008.
Memristor measurements and simulations

Memristors may find their use in many applications - mainly as memory or logic and also as fuzzy systems or neuromorphic systems. High amount of scientific papers show that the research of memristors draws a lot of attention recently. Memristor models are briefly described in this paper and we present our results obtained from measurements. The goal of our experiments and measurements was to fit the theoretical models with real memristors. In this paper we discuss our achievements and we present deep analysis of described problem.
Interstitial Lactic Acidosis in the Graft During Organ Harvest, Cold Storage, and Reperfusion of Human Liver Allografts Predicts Subsequent Ischemia Reperfusion Injury

Background. The impact of the process of liver transplantation on glucose metabolism in the graft was studied using microdialysis. Methods. Microdialysis catheters were inserted into 15 human livers to monitor metabolic changes that took place during organ harvest, the process of backtable preparation of the graft, and following implantation in the recipient where it remained in situ for 48 hours. The cannula was perfused with isotonic solution and hourly samples of perfusate were collected and analyzed. Results. Six livers showed serum biochemical evidence of ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury with 24 hours aspartate transaminase (AST) levels >2000 IU/L (Group A) whereas the remaining patients showed little evidence of IR injury (Group B). In Group A, lactate levels in the donor microdialysate rose to >6 mM (P<0.05), were significantly higher during backtable preparation of the liver (>15 mM; P<0.03), and took longer to normalize in the recipient following implantation (18 vs. 8 hours, P<0.03) than lactate levels of the livers of patients in Group B who did not develop ischemia reperfusion injury. No significant differences were observed in glucose, pyruvate, or glycerol concentrations between the two groups. Conclusions. Interstitial lactic acidosis in the donor allograft is associated with significant reperfusion injury on implantation.
Design of Modified Droop Controller for Frequency Support in Microgrid Using Fleet of Electric Vehicles

Droop control has been extensively used by academia and industry for managing frequency fluctuations at microgrid (MG). This controller generates series of reference signals to different distributed energy sources (DES) such as diesel generator, PV, and wind system based on their respective maximum capacities. However, the combination of inertial and noninertial DES leads to frequency fluctuations at MG. Therefore, this paper proposes a novel frequency support strategy by controlling the operation of DES and controllable loads, i.e., electric vehicles (EVs). Moreover, fleet of EVs batteries maximum capacity depends upon constraints, such as state of charge (SoC), random arrival, and departure patterns. Hence, to accomodate EVs’ batteries with droop controller, it has been enhanced with communication links and feedback mechanism and referred as modified droop controller (MDC). This MDC would be now able to dispatch reference signals to both DES and EVs. However, for meeting reference signal given to fleet of EVs, an aggregator (AG) is proposed. AG can alter the charging and discharging rates of EVs’ thereby satisfying EVs’ needs in terms of battery's SoC. Extensive simulations have been done using the proposed scheme on data available from Santa Rita Jails’ MG.
Highly manufacturable 40-50 GHz VCOs in a 120 nm system-on-chip SOI technology

This paper presents the design optimization and experimental results of 40-50 GHz VCOs for embedded RF integrated circuits that are widely tunable and therefore highly manufacturable. We achieved up to 15% frequency tuning range from 43.5 to 50.5 GHz and -90.2 dBc/Hz phase noise performance at 1 MHz offset from 50.1 GHz operating frequency. The total power dissipation is 15 mW at 1.8 V. The VCOs are fabricated in a 120 nm SOI technology.
How statistical expertise is used in medical research.

CONTEXT Investigation of the nature and frequency of statistician involvement in medical research and its relation to the final editorial decision. METHODS Authors of original research articles who submitted to BMJ and Annals of Internal Medicine from May through August 2001 were sent a short questionnaire at the time of manuscript submission. Authors were asked if they received assistance from a person with statistical expertise, the nature of any such contribution, and reasons why, if no statistical input was received. RESULTS The response rate was 75% (704/943); methodological input was reported for 514 (73%) of these papers. In 435 papers (85%), such input was provided by biostatisticians or epidemiologists and, if deemed significant, was typically associated with authorship. A total of 33 of 122 methodologists (27%) whose main contribution started at the analysis stage received neither acknowledgment nor authorship. Research without methodological assistance was more likely to be rejected without review (71% vs 57%; chi(2) = 10.6; P =. 001) and possibly less likely to be accepted for publication (7% vs 11%; chi(2) = 2.37; P =. 12). CONCLUSIONS Statistical input to medical research is widely recommended but inconsistently obtained. Individuals providing such expertise are often not involved until the analysis of data and many go unrecognized by either authorship or acknowledgment.
Sentence Boundary Detection Based on Parallel Lexical and Acoustic Models

In this paper we propose a solution that detects sentence boundary from speech transcript. First we train a pure lexical model with deep neural network, which takes word vectors as the only input feature. Then a simple acoustic model is also prepared. Because the models work independently, they can be trained with different data. In next step, the posterior probabilities of both lexical and acoustic models will be involved in a heuristic 2-stage joint decision scheme to classify the sentence boundary positions. This approach ensures that the models can be updated or switched freely in actual use. Evaluation on TED Talks shows that the proposed lexical model can achieve good results: 75.5% accuracy on error-involved ASR transcripts and 82.4% on error-free manual references. The joint decision scheme can further improve the accuracy by 3∼10% when acoustic data is available.
Competition Between China and the United States in the Korean Food Market

Korea, a large net-food importing country, is rapidly opening its doors to agricultural trade. In this study, we investigate the nature and extent of competition between two major exporters, China and the United States, to the Korean food market. We first employ the un-centered correlation distance approach to investigate the similarities in the export structures of major exporters to the Korean market. Results show that the United States, traditionally a large food exporter to Korea, is facing serious competition from Chinese exports. The similar export structures of China and America have made the latter vulnerable to competition. Furthermore, the geographic proximity of China to Korean markets confers the former two-fold advantages: similar food products and varieties, and lower transport costs. Secondly, the concept of competitive threat is used to determine which exporter faces threats from which competitor. We show that China poses a threat to the United States in virtually every agricultural product exported to Korea. The complexity of trade patterns and competition is likely to increase given the impending Korea-United States Free Trade Agreement and the ongoing negotiations for a Korea-China Free Trade Agreement.
Analysis of Circadian Rhythm Gene Expression With Reference to Diurnal Pattern of Intraocular Pressure in Mice.

PURPOSE To determine the expression of circadian rhythm clock genes in the iris-ciliary body complex of mice and their association with the diurnal pattern of intraocular pressure (IOP). METHODS Thirty wild-type C57BL/6 mice were acclimated to a 12-hour light-dark cycle. Intraocular pressure was measured with a rebound tonometer at six time points daily (circadian time [CT] 2, 6, 10, 14, 18, and 22 hours) for five consecutive days. On day 6, mice were euthanized at CT 2, 6, 10, 14, 18, and 22. Eyes were flash-frozen or fixed in 4% phosphate-buffered paraformaldehyde. Total RNA was extracted from the iris-ciliary body complex, and RNA expression of circadian rhythm genes Bmal1, Clock, Cry1, Cry2, Per1, and Per2 was assessed by quantitative real-time PCR. Fixed eyes were paraffin embedded, and immunohistochemistry was performed to localize corresponding proteins (BMAL1, CLOCK, CRY1, CRY2, PER1, and PER2). Linear regression analysis was performed to correlate gene expression with IOP. RESULTS Intraocular pressure demonstrated a consistent circadian pattern. The clock genes Bmal1, Clock, Cry1, Cry2, Per1, and Per2 showed a circadian pattern of expression in the iris-ciliary body complex of mice. Bmal1, Clock, Cry1, Per1, and Per2 gene expression demonstrated statistically significant correlations with diurnal variations of IOP. BMAL1, CLOCK, CRY1, CRY2, PER1, and PER2 proteins were found to be expressed locally in the nonpigmented epithelium of the ciliary body. CONCLUSIONS Expression patterns of candidate circadian rhythm genes correlates with the diurnal pattern variation of IOP in mouse eyes, indicating a possible mechanism of IOP regulation through these genes.
A Multi-view Dense Reconstruction for Rock Glacier Modelling

Rock glacier is a rare case of study for 3D modelling. This type of models has particular properties which make it a special application for multi-view stereo reconstruction algorithms. In this work we analize different types of methods for dense reconstruction from wide base-line views. Besides that we select a method which was adapted and implemented for the specific case of rock glacier modelling. Principally we add two suitable innovations: implement a pyramidal image structure for get more efficient computation and use a feature-based method to obtain a initial terrain surface and improve the depth estimation. The proposed method has been tested in a real rock glacier example (Veleta in Sierra Nevada, Spain) with good results.
HUMAN, CONTEXTUAL, AND PROCESSUAL ISSUES INFLUENCING ENTERPRISE SYSTEM USE

Once enterprise systems (ES) are set in place, the question most frequently asked by companies is whether they are realizing the investment value. First, organizations have had innumerable problems in finishing implementations on time and on budget as planned. Now, it seems that there are problems in reaching the planned business results. The ES post-implementation phase is a new concern. This research-in-progress paper shows the preliminary results of the human, contextual, and processual issues influencing the ES-use. The findings from the first site show that ES-use evolves in a virtuous continuous improvement cycle. Human, contextual and processual issues define the way as the use of the system evolves over time. As requirements are satisfied and new opportunities are detected, the system is used more extensively to perform relevant functions: decision support, work integration, and customer service.
Evaluation of Glaucomatous Visual Field Loss with Locally Condensed Grids Using Fundus-Oriented Perimetry (FOP)

Purpose We compared detection rates of glaucomatous visual field defects (VFDs) between a conventional rectangular stimulus grid and locally condensed test point arrangements in morphologically suspicious regions. Methods Humphrey Field Analyzer model 630 (HFA I, program 30-2 with a rectangular 6° × 6° grid) was used as the conventional perimetric method. Individual local test-point condensation was realized by fundus-oriented perimetry (FOP) on the Tuebingen Computer Campimeter (TCC). Results Of a total of 66 glaucoma patients, or suspected sufferers, 23 showed normal findings and 27 showed pathological findings with both methods. In 15 cases we found normal visual fields in HFA 30-2, whereas FOP revealed early glaucomatous functional damage. Only one case showed pathological HFA results, while FOP was normal. Detection rates of VFDs significantly differed between the two methods (p < 0.001; sign test). Conclusions FOP, using individually condensed test grids, significantly increases detection rates of glaucomatous VFDs in morphologically suspicuous areas compared with a conventional HFA 30-2 technique using equidistant rectangular (6° × 6°) test point arrangements.
Relationship of leisure-time physical activity and mortality: the Finnish twin cohort.

CONTEXT Physical activity and fitness are believed to reduce premature mortality, but whether genetic factors modify this effect is not known. OBJECTIVE To investigate leisure physical activity and mortality with respect to familial aggregation of health habits during childhood and factors that may enable some individuals to achieve higher levels of fitness. DESIGN Prospective twin cohort study. SETTING Finland. SUBJECTS In 1975, at baseline, 7925 healthy men and 7977 healthy women of the Finnish Twin Cohort aged 25 to 64 years who responded to a questionnaire on physical activity habits and known predictors of mortality. Those who reported exercising at least 6 times per month with an intensity corresponding to at least vigorous walking for a mean duration of 30 minutes were classified as conditioning exercisers, those who reported no leisure physical activity were classified as sedentary, and other subjects were classified as occasional exercisers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES All-cause mortality and discordant deaths among same-sex twin pairs from 1977 through 1994. RESULTS Among the entire cohort, 1253 subjects died. The hazard ratio for death adjusted for age and sex was 0.71 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.62-0.81) in occasional exercisers and 0.57 (95% CI, 0.45-0.74) in conditioning exercisers, compared with those who were sedentary (Pfor trend <.001). Among the twin pairs who were healthy at baseline and discordant for death (n=434), the odds ratio for death was 0.66 (95% CI, 0.46-0.94) in occasional exercisers and 0.44 (95% CI, 0.23-0.83) in conditioning exercisers compared with those who were sedentary (P for trend, .005). The beneficial effect of physical activity remained after controlling for other predictors of mortality. CONCLUSION Leisure-time physical activity is associated with reduced mortality, even after genetic and other familial factors are taken into account.
The chemistry of retinal transplantation: the influence of polymer scaffold properties on retinal cell adhesion and control

Age-related macular degeneration is the most common cause of blindness in the UK. Cellular replacement of retinal pigment epithelium cells is a potential therapeutic option to treat the cellular loss and dysfunction which is characteristic of age-related macular degeneration and other progressive retinopathies. A supportive scaffold, natural or artificial, may be required to facilitate cell delivery to the eye. Research to improve the biomimetic properties of such scaffolds, in order to optimise cell attachment and functionality following implantation, is ongoing. This short review will focus on the potential of biomaterials for ocular tissue engineering and how surface modification and the physical properties of these scaffolds can be tailored to help realise the full clinical potential of retinal pigment epithelium cell transplantation.