Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Increase in the Regional Cerebral Blood Flow following Waon Therapy in Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Pilot Study

Objective Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a complex disorder, with no consensus on therapeutic options. However, Waon therapy has been reported to be an effective treatment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in the cerebral blood flow (CBF) before and after Waon therapy in CFS patients and to investigate the correlation between such changes and the therapeutic efficacy of Waon therapy. Methods Eleven patients (2 men and 9 women, mean age 27 years old) diagnosed with CFS participated in the study. The disease duration was 8-129 months, and the performance status was 5-8 (on a scale of 0-9). All patients underwent CBF scintigraphy using brain single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with technetium-99m ethyl cysteinate dimer (99mTc-ECD) before and after Waon therapy. CBF changes after Waon therapy were evaluated using a statistical analysis of imaging data, which was performed with a statistical parametric mapping software program (SPM5). Results Waon therapy reduced symptoms in all 11 patients. We also observed an increase in the CBF within the prefrontal region, orbitofrontal region, and right temporal lobe. These results indicated that an improvement in clinical symptoms was linked to an increase in the CBF. Conclusion The results indicated abnormalities of the cerebral function in the prefrontal region, orbitofrontal region, and right temporal lobe in CFS patients and that Waon therapy improved the cerebral function and symptoms in CFS patients by increasing the regional CBF. To our knowledge, this is the first report to clarify the CBF changes in CFS patients before and after Waon therapy.
STUDIES OF THE MECHANISM OF ACTION OF THE SHOPE RABBIT PAPILLOMA VIRUS

These studies make plain that the Shope papilloma virus induces the production of an arginase in rabbit squamous epithelium, and provide evidence that the information for the synthesis of the enzyme is derived from the virus rather than the rabbit. This form of induction is therefore different from that brought about by chemicals such as galactosides (36). Striking differences were shown between the physiochemical properties of Shope virus-induced arginase and other arginases of domestic and Kansas cottontail rabbits. The absence of a requirement for manganese suggests the mechanism of splitting off urea from arginine by papilloma arginase probably differs from that of previously described arginases. These findings (particularly the experiments in which it was demonstrated that papilloma growth could be greatly reduced by giving animals supplemental arginine in the presence of small amounts of the arginase inhibitor, canavanine) provide evidence that suggests the following mechanism of action for the virus: viral DNA introduces into rabbit epithelium the information for the synthesis of an arginase for which the cells have no control mechanism. The arginase depletes cellular arginine and, in turn, the synthesis of arginine-rich nuclear histones (2), thereby freeing the nucleus for greater synthetic activity (4, 35), which results in more rapid growth of the papilloma cells. Domestic rabbit papillomas induced with purified virus derived from wild rabbit papillomas were shown to contain an antigen which reacts immunologically like a wild rabbit antigen. It was distinct from the arginase, the protein coat of the virus, and the Vx-2 antigen. The presence of the wild rabbit antigen seems indicative of integration of the virus DNA in the host genome of the wild rabbit. Other incidental findings include the description of a simple method, accurate to within 1 per cent, for determining the partial specific volume of a protein, and the description of a modification of the Richards and Schachman method (9) enabling the determination of the molecular weight and homogeneity of a protein with as little as 0.25 mg and with an accuracy of 2 per cent.
Face Liveness Detection Using a Flash Against 2D Spoofing Attack

Face recognition technique has been widely applied to personal identification systems due to its satisfying performance. However, its security may be a crucial issue, since many studies have shown that face recognition systems may be vulnerable in an adversarial environment, in which an adversary can camouflage as a legitimate user in order to mislead the system. Although face liveness detection methods have been proposed to distinguish real and fake faces, they are either time-consuming, costly, or sensitive to noise and illumination. This paper proposes a face liveness detection method with flash against 2D spoofing attack. Flash not only can enhance the differentiation between legitimate and illegitimate users, but it also reduces the influence of environmental factors. Two images are taken from a subject, one with flash and another without flash. Four texture and 2D structure descriptors with low computational complexity are used to capture information of the two images in our model. Advantages of our method include low installation cost of flash and no user cooperation required. A data set of 50 subjects collected under different scenarios is used in the experiments to evaluate the proposed method. The experimental results indicate that the proposed model performs better than existing liveness detection methods in different environmental scenarios. This paper confirms that the use of flash successfully improves face liveness detection in terms of accuracy, robustness, and running time.
Discrimination between different art types: Marbled paper, watercolor and tile images

In this study, discrimination between different art categories was presented. To be able to classify different art images, features capable of including the characteristic properties of art types were extracted. Extracted features are based on RGB histogram characteristics, coarseness and edge ratio in the images. Obtained features were used in different classifier structures and an instance based learning algorithm (K-Nearest Neighbor) was preferred to be used in the classification step due to its high and robust classification performance. Obtained results show that the extracted features are highly capable of representing the characteristics of the arts.
Preparation of photocatalytic anatase nanowire films by in situ oxidation of titanium plate

Photocatalytic anatase TiO2 nanowire thin films have been prepared by in situ oxidation of Ti plate in a mixture solution of concentrated H2O2 and NaOH, followed by proton exchange and calcination. The morphologies and properties of the titanate and titania films have been investigated by means of field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive x-ray spectrometry, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction and Raman spectrometry. The mechanism of formation of the porous microstructure has been discussed; it is the result of the balance between dissolution and precipitation. And sodium ions in the solution are needed to combine with titanate species for the nanowire formation. The anatase TiO2 nanowire thin films exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activity and stability in phenol degradation. The combination effects of the porous morphology and nanowire characteristics are favorable for improved photocatalytic performance. This novel nanowire film is promising for practical aqueous purification.
DETECTION OF MICROVASCULAR CHANGES IN EYES OF PATIENTS WITH DIABETES BUT NOT CLINICAL DIABETIC RETINOPATHY USING OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY ANGIOGRAPHY

Purpose: To evaluate the ability of optical coherence tomography angiography to detect early microvascular changes in eyes of diabetic individuals without clinical retinopathy. Methods: Prospective observational study of 61 eyes of 39 patients with diabetes mellitus and 28 control eyes of 22 age-matched healthy subjects that received imaging using optical coherence tomography angiography between August 2014 and March 2015. Eyes with concomitant retinal, optic nerve, and vitreoretinal interface diseases and/or poor-quality images were excluded. Foveal avascular zone size and irregularity, vessel beading and tortuosity, capillary nonperfusion, and microaneurysm were evaluated. Results: Foveal avascular zone size measured 0.348 mm2 (0.1085–0.671) in diabetic eyes and 0.288 mm2 (0.07–0.434) in control eyes (P = 0.04). Foveal avascular zone remodeling was seen more often in diabetic than control eyes (36% and 11%, respectively; P = 0.01). Capillary nonperfusion was noted in 21% of diabetic eyes and 4% of control eyes (P = 0.03). Microaneurysms and venous beading were noted in less than 10% of both diabetic and control eyes. Both diabetic and healthy control eyes demonstrated tortuous vessels in 21% and 25% of eyes, respectively. Conclusion: Optical coherence tomography angiography was able to image foveal microvascular changes that were not detected by clinical examination in diabetic eyes. Changes to the foveal avascular zone and capillary nonperfusion were more prevalent in diabetic eyes, whereas vessel tortuosity was observed with a similar frequency in normal and diabetic eyes. Optical coherence tomography angiography may be able to detect diabetic eyes at risk of developing retinopathy and to screen for diabetes quickly and noninvasively before the systemic diagnosis is made.
Isogeometric Analysis for Modelling and Design

We present an isogeometric design and analysis approach based on NURBS-compatible subdivision surfaces. The approach enables the description of watertight free-form surfaces of arbitrary degree, including conic sections and an accurate simulation and analysis based directly on the designed surface. To explore the seamless integration of design and analysis provided by the isogeometric approach, we built a prototype software which combines free-form modelling tools with thin shell simulation tools to offer the designer a wide range of design and analysis instruments.
Journal Publication Performance during 1970-1974: The Relative Output of Southern Economics Departments

There have been a number of papers in the recent literature concerned with the quality of economics journals and the publication performance of economics departments [1; 2; 3; 4; 5; 7; 8]. Quality ratings of the major economics journals have been prepared on the basis of questionnaire surveys [2], institutional affiliation of contributors [4], crossreferences in major journals [1], and citations on reading lists [8]. Publication performance of economics departments has been measured by tabulating the institutional affiliation of contributors to a selected group of economics journals [5; 7] and the Ph.D. source of contributors to the American Economic Review, Journal of Political Economy, and Quarterly Journal of Economics [3]. These recent surveys have been concerned with publication performance of American academic institutions during the decade of the 1960s, and a review of the results shows that southern
Doppler Flow Measurement in Coronary Artery Bypass Grafts and Early Postoperative Clinical Outcome

The present investigation attempts to correlate flow measurements made intraoperatively in coronary bypass grafts with clinical outcome. A total of 352 consecutive patients undergoing isolated coronary artery surgery underwent hemodynamic assessment of their bypass grafts (328 internal thoracic artery and 582 saphenous vein grafts) at the end of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) by using a 8 MHz pulsed Doppler ultrasound flowmeter. The total patient population was divided into three groups of distinct outcome (A: normal, 228 patients; B: complicated, 106 patients; C: poor, 18 patients) on the basis of a combination of the following parameters: difficult weaning from bypass, use of inotropic drugs, reduced left-ventricular stroke work index, myocardial infarction, intraaortic balloon counterpulsation, and death of cardiac origin. Univariate analysis has shown clinical outcome to be influenced by preoperative clinical condition and not by flow in bypass grafts (average flow per graft [ml/min] was 60 +/- 2 [mean +/- SEM] in group A, 58 +/- 3 in group B and 43 +/- 6 in group C: NS by analysis of variance). Multivariate analysis (Fisher linear discriminant analysis) selected only the two following factors leading to normal (group A) or adverse (groups B and C) outcome: unstable angina (p = 0.026) and duration of additional CPB after unclamping the aorta (p < 10(-5). To conclude, clinical outcome was not influenced by flow as measured in well-functioning bypass grafts by pulsed Doppler technique.
Incumbents' Advantages in the 1978 U. S. Congressional Elections

The 1978 National Election Study has provided us with a wide variety of data to help explain the advantages that incumbents have recently enjoyed in elections for the U.S. House. The incumbent has advantages over challengers in levels of familiarity, frequency of contact, and evaluations; contestants for open seats rank between incumbents and challengers on these items. An analysis of variables related to voting decisions shows that incumbents benefit from many different things that they do: advertising, credit claiming on services, and position taking on issues, as well as development of a home style that enhances their image. They also benefit from having obscure, inexperienced opponents who are usually short of resources and therefore do not become familiar to voters.
Estimating delay-dependent stability regions for a class of nonlinear time-delay systems

A convex approach is proposed to estimate delay-dependent stability regions for a class of nonlinear systems with a constant state-delay and subject to convex-bounded parameter uncertainty. The approach is based on a Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional with polynomial dependence on the system state and uncertain parameters. A delay-dependent stability analysis method is developed in terms of linear matrix inequalities by means of suitable system and Lyapunov function representations. Numerical examples illustrate the proposed method.
Cloning of the human keratin 18 gene and its expression in nonepithelial mouse cells

Human keratin 18 (K18) and the homologous mouse protein, Endo B, are intermediate filament subunits of the type I keratin class. Both are expressed in many simple epithelial cell types including trophoblasts, the first differentiated cell type to appear during mouse embryogenesis. The K18 gene was identified and cloned from among the 15 to 20 similar sequences identified within the human genome. The identity of the cloned gene was confirmed by comparing the sequence of the first two exons to the K18 cDNA sequence and transfecting the gene into various murine cell lines and verifying the encoded protein as K18 by immunoprecipitation and partial peptide mapping. The transfected K18 gene was expressed in mouse HR9 parietal endodermal cells and mouse fibroblasts even though the fibroblasts fail to express endogenous Endo B. S1 nuclease protection analysis indicated that mRNA synthesized from the transfected K18 gene is initiated at the same position as authentic K18 mRNA found in both BeWo trophoblastoma cells and HeLa cells. Pulse-chase experiments indicated that the human K18 protein is stable in murine parietal endodermal cells (HR9) which express EndoA, a complementary mouse type II keratin. Surprisingly, however, K18 was degraded when synthesized in cells which lack a type II keratin. This turnover of K18 may be an important mechanism by which epithelial cells maintain equal molar amounts of both type I and II keratins. In addition, the levels of the endogenous type I Endo B in parietal endodermal cells were compensatingly down regulated in the presence of the K18 protein, while the levels of the endogenous type II Endo A were not affected in any of the transfected cell lines.
Analyst Report Readability and Stock Returns

This study investigates the market's response to analyst report readability. We posit that readable reports decrease uncertainty of earnings expectations and by extension increase stock prices. Our results show that the equity market reacts more positively to readable reports and that this positive reaction is attributable to a reduction in uncertainty of future performance. Moreover, we find that the effect of readability on stock prices is significantly positive only for firms with greater R&D spending, higher bid-ask spreads, a greater proportion of uninformed investors, and more experienced analysts, which suggests that readability matters only when information asymmetry in the equity market is high.
Detecting Flooding-Based DDoS Attacks

A distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack is widely regarded as a major threat for the current Internet because of its ability to create a huge volume of unwanted traffic. It is hard to detect and respond to DDoS attacks due to large and complex network environments. In this paper, we introduce two distance-based DDoS detection techniques: average distance estimation and distance-based traffic separation. They detect attacks by analyzing distance values and traffic rates. The distance information of a packet can be inferred from the time- to-live (TTL) value of the IP header. In the average distance estimation DDoS detection technique, the prediction of mean distance value is used to define normality. The prediction of traffic arrival rates from different distances is used in the distance-based traffic separation DDoS detection technique. The mean absolute deviation (MAD)-based deviation model provides the legal scope to separate the normality from the abnormality for both the techniques. The results obtained from the NS2-based simulations of the proposed techniques show that the techniques can detect attacks
The School Climate in a K-12 Single-Campus School as Perceived by Students, Graduates, Parents, and Teachers

Problem. Pressures created by consistently higher expectations of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation are forcing school boards and professional educators to examine current practices and structures in an effort to reach Average Yearly Progress (AYP). The concept of a single-campus K-12 school may be a viable school structure that can provide an optimum learning climate while addressing academic needs to provide a well- rounded education for the children of America. Purpose. The purpose of this study was to closely examine the school climate of a K-12 school that operated as a single entity for 20 years. The intent was to determine whether there were characteristics of the K-12 structure that were especially effective as perceived by individuals with firsthand knowledge of this structure. Method. The method used in this research was a qualitative case study of a particular school in Pennsylvania. This school was operated as a single-campus K-12 school for many years, and was recently divided into the standard two-campus formats of elementary and secondary schools. Data for this study were obtained from three sources: interviews, a school survey, and an administrator‟s reflections about the case-study school. Four distinct groups were interviewed: graduates of the case-study school, teachers of the case-study school who graduated from organizational structures other than a K-12 single-campus school, parents, and community members. A principal who served the school for 15 years provided reflective observations. Finally, results of a school- culture survey administered to sixth-graders, the class of 2011, and 12th-graders, the class of 2005, were analyzed prior to the separation of the case-study school into separate units. Common themes were identified that described the climate of the case-study school. Recommendations. The primary recommendation resulting from this study is that policy-makers (school boards, administrative groups, and communities) should examine the K-12 structure when they attempt to restructure their schools. As the literature review suggests, and this case study substantiates: the K-12 organizational structure provides a viable alternative to the current school organizational format, separate elementary, middle, and high schools. There are definite budgetary advantages provided by the K-12 organizational structure. In addition, students, especially those from distressed socio- economic backgrounds, perform academically as well as, or better than, students from current organizational structures. Further research should be conducted to examine the level of impact of those factors present in a K-12 organizational structure which yield student success.
Two new species of true morels from Newfoundland and Labrador: cosmopolitan Morchella eohespera and parochial M. laurentiana

Morphological and molecular phylogenetic studies of true morels (Morchella) in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador resulted in the discovery of two undescribed species in the M. elata clade that we initially distinguished by the informal designations Mel-19 and Mel-36. The latter species, also collected in New Brunswick, Canada, is hitherto known only from the St Lawrence River Basin. Mel-36 is described here as a novel, phylogenetically distinct species, M. laurentiana. Before the discovery of Mel-19 in Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick and Washington state it was only known from central China and central and northern Europe. Mel-19 is described here as a novel species, M. eohespera.
Rigorous design of RF multi-resonator power harvesters

In this paper an integrated design methodology to predict the real RF to DC conversion capability of power harvesters is tackled. By combining nonlinear harmonic-balance-based analysis with electromagnetic simulation the method is able to compute the actual RF power at the rectifier input in general operating conditions: that is for any near-field /far-field behavior of the antenna and for any direction of incidence and polarization of the incoming RF wave. This approach makes use of a new definition of the rectifying antenna (rectenna) performance simultaneously accounting for its radiation and nonlinear behavior. The effectiveness of the method is demonstrated through the comparison between computed and experimental performance of a multi-band circularly polarized rectenna, both in rigid and wearable implementation. Such antennas have been designed to harvest RF energy from different wireless standards (GSM 900, GSM 1800 and WiFi), commonly present in civil environments.
Mini-pole Superconducting Undulator for X-Ray Synchrotron Light Source

A mini-pole planar vertically-wound racetrack coil undulator was studied to determine its potential for use as a hard X-ray source in a 3 GeV storage ring. A field strength of 1.4 T can be obtained for a superconducting undulator with a periodic length of 1.5 cm and a fixed magnetic gap of 5.6 mm. The magnetic circuit was optimized and a current density of 1090 A/mm2, at 80% of the critical current, meets the field strength requirement. A prototype with 40 poles was constructed to verify the design of the magnet and the performance of NbTi superconductor. Additionally, the magnetic field shimming method was developed for spectrum shimming. This study discusses the design of the magnetic circuit and the structure of the magnetic array, the field shimming technique, and the test results of the prototype magnet