Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Chemometric Interpopulation Study of the Essential Oils of Cistus creticus L. Growing in Crete (Greece)

The chemical composition of the essential oils of twenty-five populations of Cistus creticus subsp. creticus L. from the island of Crete (Greece) and their interpopulation variability were analysed in detail by GC-MS. 142 compounds were identified representing an average of 56.8D89. 8% of the oil composition. The components are represented here by homologous series of monoterpenes, oxygenated monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, oxygenated sesquiterpenes, diterpenes, labdane diterpenes, aldehydes, alkanes, esters, fatty acids, ketones, and others. Labdane diterpenes were detected and identified in the essential oils and have been found in high percentage composition. The results from the chemical analysis of the essential oils were submitted to chemometric cluster analysis in order to detect some pattern distribution and to identify which constituents can differentiate the groups of individuals. Two main chemotypes (clusters) were well differentiated; the first deals with eight populations of West Crete and the second with the rest of the populations. Cluster analysis based on labdane type diterpenes patterns, proved to be the best chemotype for the examined populations among the other chemical groups.
Proactive Thoughts on Creating Safe Schools

Since the tragic deaths in school shootings, much more attention has centered on school violence and ways to make schools safer. Even though reports show that the overall school crime rate has declined since 1993, the fact that such violence has occurred on school property, in rural America, has shocked millions. The belief that “it can’t happen here” has been badly shaken. Reactive measures such as metal detectors, student I.D. badges, security guards, locker searches and zero-tolerance polices can reduce violence, but schools and communities must do much more. They must be proactive. “Schools that impose order, rather than cultivating it, may win no more than an uneasy truce while at the same time losing the hearts and minds of their students” (Gaddy, 1987, pp 28-29). Building a respectful, caring, learning environment by enhancing student sense of belonging, implementing a multifaceted school-wide character education program and teaching conflict resolution strategies can greatly reduce the reliance on reactive measures stated above and be instrumental in creating safe schools.
Revive!: reactions to migration between different embodiments when playing with robotic pets

This paper explores the issues that arise in the context of the migration of a robotic pet between different embodiments and the associated design challenges. In the following, we describe the perceptions that a group of children have of a dinosaur character crossing the boundary between its robotic embodiment (the Pleo commercial pet), and its virtual counterpart on a mobile phone. We analyse the children's perceptions of, as well as emotional reactions to, the migration of this character, and show how seemingly subtle variations in the migration process can affect the children's perception on the character and its embodiments. Among other findings, gaps in the migration process, or perceived unresponsiveness, appeared to be accompanied by anxiety in the participating children. Based on our results, we point to yet unsolved design challenges for migration in interactions with embodied characters, and offer insights for migration implementation.
The dynamic relationship between emotional and physical states: an observational study of personal health records

Objectives Recently, there has been increasing interest in preventing and managing diseases both inside and outside medical institutions, and these concerns have supported the development of the individual Personal Health Record (PHR). Thus, the current study created a mobile platform called “Mind Mirror” to evaluate psychological and physical conditions and investigated whether PHRs would be a useful tool for assessment of the dynamic relationship between the emotional and physical conditions of an individual. Methods Mind Mirror was used to collect 30 days of observational data about emotional valence and the physical states of pain and fatigue from 20 healthy participants, and these data were used to analyze the dynamic relationship between emotional and physical conditions. Additionally, based on the cross-correlations between these three parameters, a multilevel multivariate regression model (mixed linear model [MLM]) was implemented. Results The strongest cross-correlation between emotional and physical conditions was at lag 0, which implies that emotion and body condition changed concurrently. In the MLM, emotional valence was negatively associated with fatigue (β =−0.233, P<0.001), fatigue was positively associated with pain (β =0.250, P<0.001), and pain was positively associated with fatigue (β =0.398, P<0.001). Conclusion Our study showed that emotional valence and one’s physical condition negatively influenced one another, while fatigue and pain positively affected each other. These findings suggest that the mind and body interact instantaneously, in addition to providing a possible solution for the recording and management of health using a PHR on a daily basis.
Playing hard to get: metaphor and representation in the discourse of car advertisements

In this article I analyse some of the main semantic and metaphoric representations which underpin the discourse of car advertising in Britain. In particular, I focus on the use of male and female bodies as organizing metaphors which produce a gendered framework for advertising different types of cars. The discussion is based on adverts seen on roadside hoardings in the London area, in magazines, and on television at different periods over the past three years, and I use an analytic framework which is grounded in critical linguistic approaches to texts, situated within the context of current debates in feminist stylistics and critical discourse analysis (Fairclough, 1989, 1992; Mills, 1995; Stubbs, 1997; Toolan, 1997).
Evolutionary implications of a power-law distribution of protein family sizes

Current-day genomes bear the mark of the evolutionary processes. One of the strongest indications is the sequence homology among families of proteins that perform similar biological functions in different species. The number of proteins in a family can grow over time as genetic information is duplicated through evolution. We explore how evolution directs the size distribution of these families. Theoretical predictions for family sizes are obtained from two models, one in which individual genes duplicate and a second in which the entire genome duplicates. Predictions from these models are compared with the family size distributions for several organisms whose complete genome sequence is known. We find that protein family size distributions in nature follow a power-law distribution. Comparing these results to the model systems, we conclude that genome duplication is the dominant mechanism leading to increased genetic material in the species considered.
Effect of 5% body weight forward pulling on dynamics of treadmill running

Forward pulled running on a treadmill is known to increase mechanical and decrease metabolic constrains relative to normal running. This experimental situation was used to investigate the variations of the mechanical parameters induced by the pulling. Ten subjects ran during 3 min at individually predetermined constant speeds of 16.4 ± 1.4 km · h-1 on a treadmill while being forward pulled by a load equal to 5% of their body weight. Ground reaction forces were recorded during the last 30 s of the run. Kinematic parameters of the stride as well as impulses and mechanical work were then calculated. Stride frequency did not change, while horizontal impulses were highly modified (+38% and -28%, respectively, for the braking and pushing impulses). Simultaneously, external work produced during the braking and pushing phases was modified by +6.5% and -4.7%, respectively. Therefore, the horizontal impulses were far more modified than the mechanical work. As a consequence, the estimation of the relative influence of negative (braking) and positive (push-off) phases on metabolic cost of running could be quite different when forces, impulses, or work are considered.
Social Learning between Groups: Imitation and the Role of Experience

Social learning often occurs between groups with different levels of experience. Yet little is known about the ideal behavioral rules in such contexts. Existing insights only apply when individuals learn from each other in the same group. In this paper, we close this gap and consider two groups, novices and experienced. Experienced should not learn from novices. For novices learning from experienced, a particular form of probabilistic imitation is selected. Novices should imitate any experienced who is more successful, and sometimes but not always imitate an experienced who is less successful.
A modular soft manipulator with variable stiffness

This paper presents the design of a single module composing a modular soft variable stiffness manipulator for minimal access surgery. The module exploits flexible fluidic actuation for obtaining multi directional bending and elongation capabilities. A novel flexible crimped braided sheath is introduced in order to increase the performances of the flexible actuator. Granular jamming based stiffening mechanism is used to tune the stiffness of the module. The fabrication of the module is described and the performances in terms of bending, elongation and stiffening are reported. Keywords— Surgical manipulator; soft manipulator; variable stiffness; minimally invasive surgery; flexible fluidic actuator; granular jamming; crimped braided structure
Sex differences in the prognosis of congestive heart failure.

To the Editor: I read with interest the article by Simon et al1 in the January 23, 2001, issue of Circulation on gender differences in the prognosis of heart failure. I would like to bring 2 points to the authors’ attention. The first point relates to the authors’ statement comparing their data with that of the Studies of Left Ventricular Dysfunction (SOLVD) …
Endothelial cells preparing to die by apoptosis initiate a program of transcriptome and glycome regulation

The protein‐based changes that underlie the cell biology of apoptosis have been extensively studied. In contrast, mRNA‐ and polysaccharide‐based changes have received relatively little attention. We have combined transcriptome and glycome analyses to show that apoptotic endothelial cell cultures undergo programmed changes to RNA transcript abundance and cell surface polysaccharide profiles. Although a few of the transcriptome changes were protective, most appeared to prepare cells for apoptosis by decreasing the reception and transduction of pro‐ survival signals, increasing pro‐death signals, increasing abundance of apoptotic machinery, inhibiting cellular proliferation, recruiting phagocytes to regions of cell death, and promoting phagocytosis. Additional transcriptomal changes appeared to alter the synthesis and modification of cell surface glycosaminoglycans. The resultant reduced abundance of sulphated cell surface glycosaminoglycans may further promote cell death by inhibiting the presentation of extracellular matrix‐tethered survival factors to their receptors on dying cells. We propose that the transcriptome and glycome regulation presented here synergize with previously described protein‐based changes to guide the apoptotic program.
The Periodic Moving Average Filter for Removing Motion Artifacts from PPG Signals

The measurement accuracy for heart rate or SpO2 using photoplethysmography (PPG) is influenced by how well the noise from motion artifacts and other sources can be removed. Eliminating the motion artifacts is particularly difficult since its frequency band overlaps that of the basic PPG signal. Therefore, we propose the Periodic Moving Average Filter (PMAF) to remove motion artifacts. The PMAF is based on the quasi-periodicity of the PPG signals. After segmenting the PPG signal on periodic boundaries, we average the m th samples of each period. As a result, we remove the motion artifacts well without the deterioration of the characteristic point.
Urinary flavonoids and phenolic acids as biomarkers of intake for polyphenol-rich foods

Estimation of dietary intake of polyphenols is difficult, due to limited availability of food composition data and bias inherent to dietary assessment methods. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the associations between the intake of polyphenol-rich foods and the urinary excretion of several phenolic compounds and therefore explore whether these phenolic compounds could be used as a biomarker of intake. Fifty-three participants of the SU.VI. MAX study (a randomised primary-prevention trial evaluating the effect of daily antioxidant supplementation on chronic diseases) collected a 24h urine and a spot urine sample and filled a dietary record during a 2d period. Thirteen polyphenols and metabolites, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, m-coumaric acid, gallic acid, 4-o-methylgallic acid, quercetin, isorhamnetin, kaempferol, hesperetin, naringenin, phloretin, enterolactone and enterodiol, were measured using HPLC–electrospray ionisation–MS–MS. In spot samples apple consumption was positively correlated to phloretin, grapefruit consumption to naringenin, orange to hesperetin, citrus fruit consumption to both naringenin and hesperetin, with r coefficients ranging from 0·31 to 0·57 (p<0·05). The combination of fruits and/or fruit juices was positively correlated to gallic acid and 4-o-methylgallic acid, isorhamnetin, kaempferol, hesperetin, naringenin and phloretin (r 0·24–0·44, p<0·05). Coffee consumption was positively correlated to caffeic and chlorogenic acids (r 0·29 and 0·63, p<0·05 respectively). Black tea and wine consumption were positively correlated with gallic and 4-o-methylgallic acids (r 0·37–0·54, p<0·001). The present results suggest that several polyphenols measured in a spot urine sample can be used as biomarkers of polyphenol-rich food intake.
Developing a Saudi version of the new four scales for rating the behavioral characteristics of superior students

The scales for rating the behavioral characteristics of superior students (SRBCSS), which were developed by Renzulli and his colleagues, are considered the most widespread and the most important scales used in the identification of gifted and superior students. Recently, four new scales were added. The aim of this research was to examine the reliability and validity of the four new scales in the Saudi environment. The scales were administered in Riyadh city to 348 primary school children, and their validity was calculated in several ways: face validity, discriminative validity, construct validity, internal consistency, concurrent validity, and factorial validity. Reliability was calculated by Cronbach alpha and test-retest methods. Results showed that the scales have good psychometric characteristics, which render them suitable for use in the identification of the gifted in relevant scientific fields.
Returns and Volatility Asymmetries in Global Stock Markets

This paper examines the hypothesis that both stock returns and volatility are asymmetrical functions of past information derived from domestic and US stock market news. By employing a double-threshold regression GARCH model to investigate four major index return series, we find significant evidence to sustain the asymmetrical hypothesis of stock returns. Specifically, evidence strongly supports the hypothesis that stock index returns are positively correlated with a composite of stock return news, which is obtained by a weighted average of the lagged domestic and US stock index returns. Moreover, we find that negative news will cause a larger decline in a national stock return than will an equal magnitude of good news. This also holds true for the conditional variance. The variance appears to be more volatile and persistent when bad news hits the market than when good news does. Consistent with existing literature, asymmetries in stock returns are not independent of asymmetries in volatility since a larger adjustment in stock prices to bad news is likely to cause domestic investors to change the debt-equity ratio, leading to higher volatility in stock market.
Microinverter Thermal Performance in the Real-World: Measurements and Modeling

Real-world performance, durability and reliability of microinverters are critical concerns for microinverter-equipped photovoltaic systems. We conducted a data-driven study of the thermal performance of 24 new microinverters (Enphase M215) connected to 8 different brands of PV modules on dual-axis trackers at the Solar Durability and Lifetime Extension (SDLE) SunFarm at Case Western Reserve University, based on minute by minute power and thermal data from the microinverters and PV modules along with insolation and environmental data from July through October 2013. The analysis shows the strengths of the associations of microinverter temperature with ambient temperature, PV module temperature, irradiance and AC power of the PV systems. The importance of the covariates are rank ordered. A multiple regression model was developed and tested based on stable solar noon-time data, which gives both an overall function that predicts the temperature of microinverters under typical local conditions, and coefficients adjustments reecting refined prediction of the microinverter temperature connected to the 8 brands of PV modules in the study. The model allows for prediction of internal temperature for the Enphase M215 given similar climatic condition and can be expanded to predict microinverter temperature in fixed-rack and roof-top PV systems. This study is foundational in that similar models built on later stage data in the life of a device could reveal potential influencing factors in performance degradation.
Seed-Speci fi c Expression of a Feedback-Insensitive Form of CYSTATHIONINE-g-SYNTHASE in Arabidopsis Stimulates Metabolic and Transcriptomic Responses Associated with Desiccation Stress 1

With an aim to elucidate novel metabolic and transcriptional interactions associated with methionine (Met) metabolism in seeds, we have produced transgenic Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) seeds expressing a feedback-insensitive form of CYSTATHIONINEg-SYNTHASE, a key enzyme of Met synthesis. Metabolic profiling of these seeds revealed that, in addition to higher levels of Met, the levels of many other amino acids were elevated. The most pronounced changes were the higher levels of stress-related amino acids (isoleucine, leucine, valine, and proline), sugars, intermediates of the tricarboxylic acid cycle, and polyamines and lower levels of polyols, cysteine, and glutathione. These changes reflect stress responses and an altered mitochondrial energy metabolism. The transgenic seeds also had higher contents of total proteins and starch but lower water contents. In accordance with the metabolic profiles, microarray analysis identified a strong induction of genes involved in defense mechanisms against osmotic and drought conditions, including those mediated by the signaling cascades of ethylene and abscisic acid. These changes imply that stronger desiccation processes occur during seed development. The expression levels of transcripts controlling the levels of Met, sugars, and tricarboxylic acid cycle metabolites were also significantly elevated. Germination assays showed that the transgenic seeds had higher germination rates under salt and osmotic stresses and in the presence of ethylene substrate and abscisic acid. However, under oxidative conditions, the transgenic seeds displayed much lower germination rates. Altogether, the data provide new insights on the factors regulating Met metabolism in Arabidopsis seeds and on the mechanisms by which elevatedMet levels affect seed composition and behavior.
[Molecular identification and genetic diversity in Konnyaku's soft rot bacteria].

The soft rot bacteria Erwinia are an important pathogens of konnyaku and other ornamental plants. Thirty-three strains were isolated from soft-rotted konnyaku and other ornamental plants. According to the characteristics of pathogenicity and culture character on semi selective medium (crystal violet pectate, CVP), most of strains tested caused rotten symptom in tubers and stems of konnyaku, and characteristic deep cavities were formed on CVP. To amplify 16S-23S rDNA intergenic transcribed spacer( ITS) by PCR and electrophorese through agarose gel, most strains are clustered into two heterogeneous populations of Erwinia carotovora subsp. carotovora, E.c. c. and Erwinia chrysanthemi, E. ch. Besides, several other strains could not be identified into species by ITS-PCR. The characteristic band patterns of E.c. c. and E.ch. could be clearly distinguished by repetitive element-polymerase chain reaction (rep-PCR,BOX and J3 primers). And the fingerprinting of E.c. c. stains were also different from each other. Dendrogram was generated from the data of primer BOX by using UPGMA analysis because the primer BOX was higher resolution than other primers (such as prime J3) for identifying the same intraspecies strains. Strains of E.c. c. were divided into five groups on the 0.1 level of linkage distance.
On the Iteration Complexity of Oblivious First-Order Optimization Algorithms

We consider a broad class of first-order optimization algorithms which are \emph{oblivious}, in the sense that their step sizes are scheduled regardless of the function under consideration, except for limited side-information such as smoothness or strong convexity parameters. With the knowledge of these two parameters, we show that any such algorithm attains an iteration complexity lower bound of $\Omega(\sqrt{L/\epsilon})$ for $L$-smooth convex functions, and $\tilde{\Omega}(\sqrt{L/\mu}\ln(1/\epsilon))$ for $L$-smooth $\mu$-strongly convex functions. These lower bounds are stronger than those in the traditional oracle model, as they hold independently of the dimension. To attain these, we abandon the oracle model in favor of a structure-based approach which builds upon a framework recently proposed in (Arjevani et al., 2015). We further show that without knowing the strong convexity parameter, it is impossible to attain an iteration complexity better than $\tilde{\Omega}\left((L/\mu)\ln(1/\epsilon)\right)$. This result is then used to formalize an observation regarding $L$-smooth convex functions, namely, that the iteration complexity of algorithms employing time-invariant step sizes must be at least $\Omega(L/\epsilon)$.
Optimality of the Laplace Mechanism in Differential Privacy

In the highly interconnected realm of Internet of Things, exchange of sensitive information raises severe privacy concerns. The Laplace mechanism -- adding Laplace-distributed artificial noise to sensitive data -- is one of the widely used methods of providing privacy guarantees within the framework of differential privacy. In this work, we present Lipschitz privacy, a slightly tighter version of differential privacy. We prove that the Laplace mechanism is optimal in the sense that it minimizes the mean-squared error for identity queries which provide privacy with respect to the $\ell_{1}$-norm. In addition to the $\ell_{1}$-norm which respects individuals' participation, we focus on the use of the $\ell_{2}$-norm which provides privacy of high-dimensional data. A variation of the Laplace mechanism is proven to have the optimal mean-squared error from the identity query. Finally, the optimal mechanism for the scenario in which individuals submit their high-dimensional sensitive data is derived.