Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Redistribution and recognition : a critical examination of the citizenship of people with learning disabilities

People with learning disabilities (PWLD) are a vulnerable group who frequently experience exclusion within society generally, do not often participate in research, and are usually left out of citizenship theorising. Observing the position of PWLD through a citizenship lens is useful in both highlighting the injustice suffered, the flaws of normative understandings of a concept that promises universal inclusion, and asks what form of citizenship do PWLD consider valuable. This thesis provides a narrative account of a group of PWLD perceptions and experiences of normative understandings of citizenship. Independence and participation in this normative sense are juxtaposed with the findings that the participants valued feelings of autonomy and inclusion above such normative acts, which are aligned with neoliberal assumptions whereby self-sufficiency, economic contributions and a normative conception of independence are revered. The citizenship of PWLD is in need of both recognition and redistributive address. The recognition of difference, positive representations, and the need for institutional respect for PWLD are found to be required on the one hand, and redistributive measures addressing economic marginalisation and being in a position where, as a group, PWLD are unable to achieve goals in line with a neoliberal value system. The thesis concludes that in order for PWLD to experience true inclusion it is necessary to remove discussions of citizenship from expectations in relation to the economy and the ability of the individual to meet neoliberal goals. This is a radical assertion, however, the research findings indicate that a focus on redistribution is central to the true inclusion of PWLD.
A Design of High-Rate Full-Diversity STBC with Low-Complexity PIC Group Decoding

In this paper, we propose a systematic design of space-time block codes (STBC) which can achieve high rate and full diversity when the partial interference cancellation (PIC) group decoding is used at receivers. The proposed codes can be applied to any number of transmit antennas and admit a low decoding complexity while achieving full diversity. For $M$ transmit antennas, in each codeword real and imaginary parts of $PM$ complex information symbols are parsed into $P$ diagonal layers and then encoded, respectively. With PIC group decoding, it is shown that the decoding complexity can be reduced to a joint decoding of $M/2$ real symbols. In particular, for $4$ transmit antennas, the code has real symbol pairwise (i.e., single complex symbol) decoding that achieves full diversity and the code rate is $4/3$. Simulation results demonstrate that the full diversity is offered by the newly proposed STBC with the PIC group decoding.
Phylogeny of raspberry beetles and other Byturidae (Coleoptera)

Nuclear ribosomal ITS2 and mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase DNA sequences were analysed from the Byturidae (Coleoptera), which includes the raspberry beetles. The secondary structure of ITS2 was plotted and interspecific changes analysed. Evidence for selection on simple sequence repeats within the ITS2 was found. Phylogenetic trees based on the mitochondrial and ribosomal sequences were compared. They were in parity, indicating they reflect the true evolutionary histories of these insects. There was no evidence for hybridization in the populations surveyed, but there was evidence that the American raspberry beetle, Byturus unicolor, is divided into at least three distinct groupings. Despite sharing a related host, the raspberry pests from America were not the most related to the European raspberry beetle. Instead, links between Byturus affinis from Japan and the American raspberry beetle suggest that this lineage originated in Asia and colonized the Western USA.
Inverse-Based Power Control in Domestic Induction-Heating Applications

The wide variability of the load is the main problem of domestic induction-heating technology. The considered power control strategy should guarantee stability and regulation with a suitable response time and no overshoot independently of any perturbation or load variation. In addition to this, it has to ensure the operation under safety conditions. This paper is focused on the power control applied to one heating unit by means of continuous modulations. An inverse-based power controller is proposed for dealing with load uncertainties. The proposed power control combines different variable frequency pulsewidth modulation strategies (constant duty cycle, constant on-time, and constant off-time modulations) for reaching the target power level while minimizing the switching frequency. Finally, simulation and experimental results compared with other techniques in a prototype of an induction-heating system are presented in order to validate the proposed control strategy.
Joint Mode Selection and Resource Allocation for Device-to-Device Communications

Device-to-device (D2D) communications have been recently proposed as an effective way to increase both spectrum and energy efficiency for future cellular systems. In this paper, joint mode selection, channel assignment, and power control in D2D communications are addressed. We aim at maximizing the overall system throughput while guaranteeing the signal-to-noise-and-interference ratio of both D2D and cellular links. Three communication modes are considered for D2D users: cellular mode, dedicated mode, and reuse mode. The optimization problem could be decomposed into two subproblems: power control and joint mode selection and channel assignment. The joint mode selection and channel assignment problem is NP-hard, whose optimal solution can be found by the branch-and-bound method, but is very complicated. Therefore, we develop low-complexity algorithms according to the network load. Through comparing different algorithms under different network loads, proximity gain, hop gain, and reuse gain could be demonstrated in D2D communications.
Selection of climate change scenario data for impact modelling

Impact models investigating climate change effects on food safety often need detailed climate data. The aim of this study was to select climate change projection data for selected crop phenology and mycotoxin impact models. Using the ENSEMBLES database of climate model output, this study illustrates how the projected climate change signal of important variables as temperature, precipitation and relative humidity depends on the choice of the climate model. Using climate change projections from at least two different climate models is recommended to account for model uncertainty. To make the climate projections suitable for impact analysis at the local scale a weather generator approach was adopted. As the weather generator did not treat all the necessary variables, an ad-hoc statistical method was developed to synthesise realistic values of missing variables. The method is presented in this paper, applied to relative humidity, but it could be adopted to other variables if needed.
Enrichment and Association of Bacteria and Particulates in Salt Marsh Surface Water

Elevated counts of bacteria were found during outgoing tides in surface microlayers (∼300 μm) of Sippewissett salt marsh, Falmouth, Massachusetts, and Palo Alto salt marsh, Palo Alto, California. At both sampling sites, the degrees by which bacteria were concentrated into the surface microlayer were linearly dependent upon surface concentration of particulate material. A significant percentage of bacteria in the microlayer were found to be attached to particulate material, while bacterial populations in the subsurface water were largely planktonic. Proportions of the bacterial populations which could be grown on seawater nutrient agar were also greater in the microlayer than in the subsurface waters and were positively correlated with the fraction of bacteria attached to particulate matter. Data from these studies suggest that particulates in the microlayer waters of the salt marsh influenced the observed increase in both the readily grown and the total numbers of bacteria.
One‐Pot Multienzyme Synthesis of Lewis x and Sialyl Lewis x Antigens

L‐Fucose has been found abundantly in human milk oligosaccharides, bacterial lipopolysaccharides, glycolipids, and many N‐ and O‐linked glycans produced by mammalian cells. Fucose‐containing carbohydrates have important biological functions. Alterations in the expression of fucosylated oligosaccharides have been observed in several pathological processes such as cancer and atherosclerosis. Chemical formation of fucosidic bonds is challenging due to its acid lability. Enzymatic construction of fucosidic bonds by fucosyltransferases is highly efficient and selective but requires the expensive sugar nucleotide donor guanosine 5′‐diphosphate‐L‐fucose (GDP‐Fuc). Here, we describe a protocol for applying a one‐pot three‐enzyme system in synthesizing structurally defined fucose‐containing oligosaccharides from free L‐fucose. In this system, GDP‐Fuc is generated from L‐fucose, adenosine 5′‐triphosphate (ATP), and guanosine 5′‐triphosphate (GTP) by a bifunctional L‐fucokinase/GDP‐fucose pyrophosphorylase (FKP). An inorganic pyrophosphatase (PpA) is used to degrade the by‐product pyrophosphate (PPi) to drive the reaction towards the formation of GDP‐Fuc. In situ generated GDP‐Fuc is then used by a suitable fucosyltransferase for the formation of fucosides. The three‐enzyme reactions are carried out in one pot without the need for high‐cost sugar nucleotide or isolation of intermediates. The time for the synthesis is 4 to 24 hr. Purification and characterization of products can be completed in 2 to 3 days. Curr. Protoc. Chem. Biol. 4:233‐247 © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Quantification of the maximum capacity for active sodium‐potassium transport in rat skeletal muscle.

1. Intact skeletal muscle fibres have been shown to contain a high concentration of [3H]ouabain binding sites (100‐800 pmol g wet wt.‐1). Under resting conditions, however, it seems that in isolated muscles only 2‐6% of the corresponding expected capacity for active Na+‐K+ transport is utilized. 2. In order to determine whether all [3H]ouabain binding sites in rat soleus muscle represent functional Na+‐K+ pumps, we have measured the maximum rates of the ouabain‐suppressible components of isotopic fluxes of Na+ and K+ as well as the net changes in Na+‐K+ contents. 3. Experiments with soleus muscles isolated from 4‐week‐old rats showed that following Na+ loading (I.C. Na+, 126 mmol l‐1), the ouabain‐suppressible 86Rb+ uptake and 22Na+ efflux as measured during 3 min of exposure to K+‐rich buffer were 5800 and 6500 nmol g wet wt. ‐1 min‐1, respectively. 4. These initial high rates of isotopic fluxes were confirmed by flame photometric measurements of Na+‐K+ contents. The ouabain‐suppressible 86Rb+ uptake had a temperature coefficient of 2.1, was inhibited by 2,4‐dinitrophenol, but showed no response to tetracaine, BaCl2, Ca2+‐free buffer or tetraethylammonium chloride. 5. In soleus muscles, where the total population of [3H]ouabain binding sites had undergone changes as a result of differentiation, K+ depletion or pre‐treatment with thyroid hormone, there was a significant correlation (r = 0.95, P less than 0.005) between the concentration of [3H]ouabain binding sites (260‐1170 pmol g wet wt.‐1) and the maximum ouabain‐suppressible 86Rb+ uptake (2300‐10,900 nmol g wet wt.‐1 min‐1). 6. It is concluded that by the combination of Na+ loading and high extracellular K+, the available Na+‐K+ pumps as quantified by the [3H]ouabain binding capacity can be activated to reach a transport rate around 90% of the theoretical maximum at 30 degrees C.
Content -- Based Image Retrieval Using the Dual-Tree Complex Wavelet Transform

The following paper presents a novel and effective algorithm for Content-Based Image Retrieval. To design it we used the Dual-Tree Complex Wavelet Transform for image feature extraction and Hausdorff distance to compute similarity distance between the feature vector of the query-image and all the image feature vectors stored in the image database. Then, we performed experiments to estimate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm which showed high values of precision.
Myocyte Dedifferentiation Drives Extraocular Muscle Regeneration in Adult Zebrafish.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to characterize the injury response of extraocular muscles (EOMs) in adult zebrafish. METHODS Adult zebrafish underwent lateral rectus (LR) muscle myectomy surgery to remove 50% of the muscle, followed by molecular and cellular characterization of the tissue response to the injury. RESULTS Following myectomy, the LR muscle regenerated an anatomically correct and functional muscle within 7 to 10 days post injury (DPI). Following injury, the residual muscle stump was replaced by a mesenchymal cell population that lost cell polarity and expressed mesenchymal markers. Next, a robust proliferative burst repopulated the area of the regenerating muscle. Regenerating cells expressed myod, identifying them as myoblasts. However, both immunofluorescence and electron microscopy failed to identify classic Pax7-positive satellite cells in control or injured EOMs. Instead, some proliferating nuclei were noted to express mef2c at the very earliest point in the proliferative burst, suggesting myonuclear reprogramming and dedifferentiation. Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) labeling of regenerating cells followed by a second myectomy without repeat labeling resulted in a twice-regenerated muscle broadly populated by BrdU-labeled nuclei with minimal apparent dilution of the BrdU signal. A double-pulse experiment using BrdU and 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) identified double-labeled nuclei, confirming the shared progenitor lineage. Rapid regeneration occurred despite a cell cycle length of 19.1 hours, whereas 72% of the regenerating muscle nuclei entered the cell cycle by 48 hours post injury (HPI). Dextran lineage tracing revealed that residual myocytes were responsible for muscle regeneration. CONCLUSIONS EOM regeneration in adult zebrafish occurs by dedifferentiation of residual myocytes involving a muscle-to-mesenchyme transition. A mechanistic understanding of myocyte reprogramming may facilitate novel approaches to the development of molecular tools for targeted therapeutic regeneration in skeletal muscle disorders and beyond.
Application of Fisher's ratio technique for speech feature evaluation of vowls/consonants

Feature extraction technique plays an important role in Automatic speech recognition. There are many techniques for extracting the speech features. Capability of various speech features for categorizing speech sounds differs and can be evaluated after applying classification or clustering model. As an alternative approach, a preliminary study (before classification) can be done about distinguishing capacity of a speech feature. Generally, visualization techniques are used for this purpose. In this paper, we are evaluating the capability of speech feature by computing and analyzing Fisher's ratio for the vowels and consonants. It's a well known technique but not being used widely in the context of Automatic speech recognition. The term Fisher's ratio is computed based on the centroid and variance of feature within a population and across various populations. It gives a picture about the measure of separation of objects of one class with another. The evaluation results are then compared with visualization techniques and classification accuracy.
Gustatory Processing in Thoracic Local Circuits of Locusts

Recent reviews highlight a longstanding controversy about how different taste qualities are coded in the CNS. To address this issue, we have analyzed gustatory coding in the relatively simple and accessible nervous system of the locust, in which neural responses and gustatory elicited behavior are readily comparable. The intracellular responses of a population of spiking local interneurons in the metathoracic ganglion that receive monosynaptic inputs from chemosensory afferents were analyzed in response to stimulation with droplets of four behaviorally relevant chemicals: sodium chloride, sucrose, lysine glutamate, and nicotine hydrogen tartrate. There was a significant positive correlation between chemical concentration and response duration and the number of spikes evoked in 81% of interneurons sampled. The threshold of sensitivity to different chemicals varied but was consistent between all interneurons tested, being most sensitive to nicotine hydrogen tartrate and least sensitive to sucrose. Each interneuron responded similarly to specific chemicals at single concentrations. Interneurons that responded phasically to one chemical responded similarly to others, whereas interneurons that responded phasotonically to one stimulus also did so to others. Hindleg motor neurons also responded in a concentration-dependent manner to all test chemicals. Therefore, we found no interneurons or motor neurons that responded only to specific chemicals. We discuss the responses of the local circuit neurons in relation to the known chemically evoked behavioral responses of locusts and suggest that the aversiveness of a chemical, rather than its identity, is encoded directly in the local circuits.
Relationship between a network’s indicators and basic factors with high-risk behavior of injection among injecting drug users (IDU) via the multiple membership multilevel model

Background Among various methods and types of drug abuse, injection receives a great deal of importance because of its related dangerous behavior and health consequences. It seemed that some of the network’s indicators affect dangerous behavior of injection. Objective To determine the relationship between a network’s indicators and basic factors with high-risk behavior of injection among injecting drug users (IDU) via the multiple memberships multilevel model. Methods In this cross-sectional study, the data related to 147 IDUs in Kerman province, who were interviewed from October 2013 through March 2014, were used, and these addicts were chosen for interview from specific resorts used for common injection. In this study, for analyzing data, multiple membership multilevel model and MLwiN 2.02 software were used. Results In this study, the mean age of people, who were mostly men, was 37.2±9.02. Based on the result, it becomes obvious that variables of in-degree with OR=1.49 (p=0.006) and the whole number of people related to the person with OR=1.18 (p=0.003) influences the high-risk behavior of injection. Also, none of the demographic variables influenced the high-risk behavior of injection. Conclusion Totally based on the results of this study, one can find a suitable method in the social network of IDUs in order to create essential strategies, reducing the risk throughout the country. In addition, in minimum time with fewer expenses, aggravation of dangerous behavior especially high-risk behavior of injection can be prevented.
Methodology and baseline characteristics for the Sarcopenia and Hip Fracture study: a 5-year prospective study.

BACKGROUND Age-related hip fractures are associated with poor functional outcomes, resulting in substantial personal and societal burden. There is a need to better identify reversible etiologic predictors of suboptimal functional recovery in this group. METHODS The Sarcopenia and Hip Fracture (SHIP) study was a 5-year prospective cohort study following community-dwelling older persons admitted to three Sydney hospitals for hip fracture. Information was collected at baseline, and 4 and 12 months, including health status, quality of life, nutritional status, body composition, muscle strength, range of motion, gait velocity, balance, walking endurance, disability, cognition, depression, fear of falling, self-efficacy, social support, physical activity level, vision, and fall-related data, with residential status, disability, and mortality reassessed at 5 years. RESULTS 193 participants enrolled (81 +/- 8 years, 72% women). High levels of activities of daily living, disability and sedentariness were present prior to fracture. At admission, the cohort had high levels of chronic disease; 38% were depressed, 38% were cognitively impaired, and 26% had heart disease. Seventy-one percent of participants were sarcopenic, 58% undernourished, and 55% vitamin D deficient. Mobility, strength, and vision were severely impaired. There was little evidence that these comorbidities were either recognized or treated during hospitalization. Disability, sedentariness, malnutrition, and walking endurance predicted acute hospitalization length of stay. CONCLUSIONS The complex comorbidity, pre-existing functional impairment, and sedentary behavior in patients with hip fracture suggest the need for thorough screening and targeting of potentially reversible impairments. Rehabilitation outcomes are likely to be highly dependent on amelioration of these highly prevalent accompaniments to hip fracture.
Effect of Treatments with Cyclosporin A and Anti‐Interferon‐γ Antibodies on the Mechanisms of Immune Tolerance in Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B Primed Mice

The authors were interested to investigate the effect of Cyclosporin A (CsA), known to block interleukin‐2 (IL‐2) production, or of anti‐interferon‐γ antibodies (anti‐IFN‐γ Abs) in a model of T cell tolerance induced by the injection of the superantigen Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B (SEB) in BALB/c mice. After SEB immunization, tolerance was mainly achieved through deletion and anergy of SEB‐reactive Vβ8+ T cells. Association of CsA treatment with SEB led to a greater decrease of the percentage of Vβ8+ CD4+ lymphocytes in the spleen and an abolition of clonal anergy. In contrast, treatment of SEB primed mice with anti‐IFN‐γ Abs resulted in an increased percentage of Vβ8+ CD4+ cells without affecting the induction of clonal anergy. The authors found that 1–2 h after SEB priming, splenic mRNA levels of IFN‐γ and IL‐4 were decreased by either CsA and anti‐IFN‐γ Abs, whereas FasL, Bcl‐2, p. 53, and c‐myc levels were not influenced by either treatment. However, SEB‐induced IL‐2 and IL‐10 mRNA expression was suppressed only by CsA, whereas tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) was decreased only by anti‐IFN‐γ Abs. To investigate whether the effect of CsA on the tolerance mechanisms was related to suppression of IL‐2, CsA was administered together with recombinant IL‐2. Whereas anergy was not influenced, the decreased percentage of Vβ8+ CD4+ cells seen in CsA‐treated animals in the second week after SEB injection was partially corrected by the administration of IL‐2. Experiments involving bromodeoxiuridine incorporation revealed that the latter effect of IL‐2 was mainly due to a correction of the defective proliferation of Vβ8+ T cells after SEB injection in CsA‐treated mice. These results suggest that the effect of CsA and anti‐IFN‐γ Abs on tolerance mechanisms are in part explained by their action on cytokines.