Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tannin Acyl Hydrolase Production by Citrobacter sp. isolated from Tannin rich Environment, using Tamarindus indica seed powder

Bacterial isolate, Citrobacter sp. , from tannery effluent loaded sites has proved as a potent producer of tannase. Production of tannase was compared in solid-state and submerged fermentation using tamarind seed as sole carbon source. Two times increase in tannase activity was seen in solid-state fermentation (90 U) than submerged fermentation (50 U) at 48 h from 5 g substrate.
Inequality and Real Exchange Rates

Kocherlakota and Pistaferri (2007) describe two different models (Private Information Pareto Optimal and Incomplete Markets) of how households partially insure themselves against idiosyncratic shocks. They demonstrate that the models differ in terms of their implications for real exchange rates. In this paper, we use data from a wide range of countries, and document that there is a statististically significant relationship between real exchange rate growth and between-country differences in the growth rates of right-tail, but not left-tail, inequality growth. This finding is consistent with the Private Information Pareto Optimal model of partial insurance, but not the Incomplete Markets model. (JEL:F31, D30, D91 ) (c) 2008 by the European Economic Association.
Hybrid Artificial Bee Colony algorithm for neural network training

A hybrid algorithm combining Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) algorithm with Levenberq-Marquardt (LM) algorithm is introduced to train artificial neural networks (ANN). Training an ANN is an optimization task where the goal is to find optimal weight set of the network in training process. Traditional training algorithms might get stuck in local minima and the global search techniques might catch global minima very slow. Therefore, hybrid models combining global search algorithms and conventional techniques are employed to train neural networks. In this work, ABC algorithm is hybridized with the LM algorithm to apply training neural networks.
A computationally efficient approach to WLAN localization based on multiple filters

Accurate indoor positioning of mobile users is a crucial operation for location aware computer applications. However, the complex and nonstationary propagation characteristics of indoor environments and the large number of different mobile devices make difficult to employ classical geometrical approaches. In this work we examine the application of sequential Bayesian approaches to this problem and propose a computationally efficient implementation based on Multiple Filters (MFs). Both simulated and real data are used to assess the proposed algorithm, showing that the MF approach allows to obtain a significant reduction of the computational complexity with the same estimation accuracy of state-of-the-art sequential methods.
Distinct evolution of TLR-mediated dendritic cell cytokine secretion in patients with limited and diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis

Background Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease and accumulating evidence suggests a role for Toll-like receptor (TLR)-mediated activation of dendritic cells (DCs). Objective To map TLR-mediated cytokine responses of DCs from patients with SSc. Methods 45 patients with SSc were included. Patients were stratified as having diffuse cutaneous SSc (dSSc) or limited cutaneous SSc (lSSc) according to the extent of skin involvement, and further divided into those with late (>3 years) or early disease (<2 years). DCs were stimulated with ligands for TLR2, TLR3, TLR4, TLR7/8 or combinations. Plasma samples were collected from patients with SSc (n=167) and measured for interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα), IL-12, IL-10 and interferon γ. Results Stimulation of DC subsets from patients with early lSSc and dSSc with ligands for TLR2, TLR3 or TLR4 resulted in higher secretion of IL-6 and TNFα compared with those having late disease or healthy controls. Remarkably, the production of IL-12 was lower upon stimulation with TLR ligands in most patients with SSc, whereas the secretion of IL-10 was very high in patients with the dSSc phenotype, particularly in those having early dSSc. The combination of various TLR ligands led to reduced cytokine secretion in all patients with SSc. Circulating levels of these cytokines further underscored the presence of differences between various SSc phenotypes. Discussion The altered TLR-mediated activation of DCs may be responsible for Th2 skewed T-cell activation in SSc that may be orchestrated by fibrogenic T-cell cytokines, such as IL-4 and IL-13. DC targeting could thus offer new avenues for therapeutic intervention.
Immune Mechanisms of Corneal Allograft Rejection

Penetrating keratoplasty has been successfully performed on humans for over 100 years and remains the most common form of solid tissue transplantation. Although corneal allografts enjoy a remarkable degree of immune privilege, immune rejection remains the leading cause of keratoplasty failure. The immunologic basis for corneal allograft rejection was established in animal studies over 50 years ago, yet large gaps remain in our knowledge regarding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of corneal allograft rejection. The enormous redundancy in the mammalian immune system creates a condition that favors the development of multiple independent immune mechanisms that can produce corneal allograft rejection. Although there are few absolute principles, it is certain that the immune rejection of corneal allografts is (1) T cell-dependent, (1) heavily dependent upon CD4+ T cells, (3) not restricted to either Th1 or Th2 T cell populations, and (4) dependent upon an intact repertoire of resident antigen presenting cells.
Refugees of Turkish origin: "coerced immigrants" to Turkey since 1945.

"While several studies (in both Turkish and English) have been made on migration to the Ottoman Empire from the Caucasus and the Balkans during the nineteenth century.very little systematic and comprehensive research on migration has been undertaken on the period since the establishment of the Turkish Republic. This article, which aims to partially fill the gap, is divided into three parts: the issue of national refugees (refugees of Turkish origin) in relation to Turkey's overall refugee policy; Turkey's policy towards national refugees; and the volume and causes of refugee migration to Turkey since 1945. " (SUMMARY IN FRE AND SPA)
Clustering and frequency allocation in frequency hopping tactical networks

Next generation tactical networks has to provide high data rate and low delay, along with multiple applications with strict QoS requirements. In this work we address the problems of clustering and frequency allocation in TDMA-based frequency-hopping tactical networks. We propose Mixed Integer Linear Programming based optimal clustering solution along with a distributively implementable load-balanced clustering algorithm. As for the frequency hop set allocation, we first propose a centralized algorithm based on full channel information. Then we propose a distributively implementable channel allocation algorithm. Simulation results reveal that the proposed algorithms perform very closely to the benchmark solutions in terms of throughput and delay.
Irregular M-SC-MPC codes for wireless applications

In this paper, we elaborate on our previous proposal of Multiple Serially-Concatenated Multiple-Parity-Check (M-SC-MPC) codes, that are a class of structured LDPC codes obtained as the serial concatenation of M very simple codes. They have been shown able to achieve good error correction performance while allowing the usage of a very simple encoder architecture, and to compare favorably with the previously proposed M-SC-SPC codes, based on Single Parity-Check components. However, we have observed that, in order to avoid error floors in the original M-SC-MPC codes, rather high values of M are needed, that may produce non-optimal performance in the waterfall region. So, we propose a solution to improve the error rate of M-SC-MPC codes without renouncing their structural simplicity. The proposed technique, based on the cancellation of some parity checks within the MPC component codes, permits us to design irregular codes and, in several cases, to reduce the number of nodes having short local cycles in their Tanner graph. We design codes compliant with the IEEE 802.16e specification, and compare them with the codes included in the standard.
Modeling dispersion in arterial spin labeling: Validation using dynamic angiographic measurements

A major assumption in arterial spin labeling (ASL) MRI perfusion quantification is the time course of the signal on arrival in the capillary network. The normally assumed square label profile is not preserved during transit of the label through the vasculature. This change in profile can be attributed to a number of effects collectively denoted as dispersion. A number of models for this effect have been proposed, but they have been difficult to validate. In this study ASL data acquired whilst the label was still within larger arteries was used to compare models of label dispersion. Models were fit using a probabilistic algorithm and evaluated according to their ability to fit the data. Data from an elderly population were considered including both healthy controls and patients with a variety of vascular disease. The authors conclude that modeling ASL dispersion using a convolution of the ideal ASL label profile with a dispersion kernel is most appropriate, where the kernel itself takes the form of a gamma distribution. This model provided a best fit to the data considered, was consistent with the measured flow profile in arteries and was sufficiently mathematically simple to make it practical for ASL tissue perfusion quantification. Magn Reson Med, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A 6‐Gbps/lane receiver for a clock‐forwarded link in 65‐nm CMOS process

For a 6‐Gbps/lane clock‐forwarded link, a wireline receiver has been developed. The phases of the sampling clocks are aligned to the center of the input data eye by a clock and data recovery (CDR) circuit. In the CDR circuit, the sampling clock phases are rotated by a phase rotating phase locked loop (PLL). A three‐tap decision feedback equalizer (DFE) compensates for the loss of cable together with a continuous‐time linear equalizer (CTLE) to ensure sufficient eye opening for the CDR circuit to find the optimum sampling phase. The DFE coefficients are adaptively calculated based on the data and edge samples. Implemented in a 65‐nm CMOS process, the three‐lane 6‐Gbps/lane receiver for a clock‐forwarded link occupies 0.63 mm2 including pads and consumes 288 mA from a 1.2‐V supply. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Accuracy of the double indicator method for measurement of extravascular lung water depends on the type of acute lung injury*

ObjectiveThe double indicator method is sensitive to alterations in the distribution of pulmonary blood flow. This distribution is influenced by the type of lung injury. The aim of this study was to compare measurements of lung water by the double indicator method with measurements obtained by gravimetry in a direct lung injury model induced by tracheal instillation of hydrochloric acid and in an indirect lung injury model induced by the intravenous injection of oleic acid. DesignProspective, randomized laboratory study. SettingAnimal research laboratory. SubjectsForty-two female pigs (28 ± 3 kg). InterventionsPigs were anesthetized and ventilated and were allocated into three groups: control (n = 6), hydrochloric acid (4 mL/kg intratracheally, n = 24), or oleic acid (0.1 mL/kg intravenously, n = 12). Measurements and Main ResultsHydrochloric acid instillation or oleic acid injection resulted in a similar hypoxemia and induced a two- to three-fold increase in extravascular lung water (EVLW) by gravimetry (EVLWG) at 3 hrs compared with controls. In the oleic acid group, there was a significant correlation between EVLWG and EVLW by double indicator method (EVLWDI; r = .88, p < .0001). The bias for EVLWDI − EVLWG measurements was −5.2 mL/kg (95% confidence interval, −5.7 to −4.7 mL/kg) with 95% limits of agreement of −7 to −3.4 mL/kg. In the hydrochloric acid group, there was no significant correlation between EVLWDI and EVLWG values, and the double indicator method failed to detect pulmonary edema in 65% of the animals (EVLWDI <8 mL/kg). The bias was −7.9 mL/kg (95% confidence interval, −9.3 to −6.5 mL/kg) with 95% limits of agreement of −14.4 to −1.4 mL/kg. ConclusionsThe double indicator method is useful for evaluation of pulmonary edema in indirect lung injury, as induced by oleic acid, but produces misleading values in direct lung injury, as produced by hydrochloric instillation.
Analyzing and Improving the Quality of a Historical News Collection using Language Technology and Statistical Machine Learning Methods

In this paper, we study how to analyze and improve the quality of a large historical newspaper collection. The National Library of Finland has digitized millions of newspaper pages. The quality of the outcome of the OCR process is limited especially with regard to the oldest parts of the collection. Approaches such as crowdsourcing has been used in this field to improve the quality of the texts, but in this case the volume of the materials makes it impossible to edit manually any substantial proportion of the texts. Therefore, we experiment with quality evaluation and improvement methods based on corpus statistics, language technology and machine learning in order to find ways to automate analysis and improvement process. The final objective is to reach a clear reduction in the human effort needed in the post-processing of the texts. We present quantitative evaluations of the current quality of the corpus, describe challenges related to texts written in a morphologically complex language, and describe two different approaches to achieve quality improvements.
ARTIFACTS ARE IN THE MIND OF THE BEHOLDER

Surveys are extensions of our natural tendencies to seek information by means of questioning and to learn about wholes by selecting parts. It is true that each of the steps in a survey introduces the possibility of one or more artifacts, but these same dangers allow opportunities for deeper understanding of both responses and respondents. Examples are presented of artifacts and opportunities, as the case may be.
Staphylococcus aureus Nasal Carriage in a Student Community Prevalence, Clonal Relationships, and Risk Factors

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the prevalence and risk factors of nasal Staphylococcus aureus (SA) in the community. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Participants: Four hundred fifty students were screened for nasal SA carriage during the fall of 2000, 2001, and 2002. Methods: Students were screened by nose swabs. A self-administered questionnaire collected information on demographics and medical history. Antibiotic testing and PFGE were performed on isolates. Risk factors were determined by logistic regression analysis. Results: Of 450 volunteers, 131 (29%) were SA carriers. Antibiotic resistance was high for azithromycin (26%) and low for ciprofloxacin (1%), tetracycline (5%), mupirocin (1%), and methicillin (2%). PFGE patterns were not associated with carriage. Age, male gender, white race, medical student, allergen injection therapy, chronic sinusitis, rheumatoid arthritis, hospitalization for 6 months or less, and use of antibiotics were associated with carrier status by univariate analysis. Stepwise multivariate logistic regression led to a best fitting model with older age (OR, 1.04; CI95, 1.005-1.079), male gender (OR, 1.50; CI95, 0.982-2.296), and chronic sinusitis (OR, 2.71; CI95, 0.897-8.195) as risk factors. Antibiotic use (< 4 weeks) (OR, 0.41; CI95, 0.152-1.095) and allergen injection therapy (OR 0.41; CI95, 0.133-1.238) were protective. Analyses of carriers revealed candidate factors for persistent carriage to be nasal SA colonization rate and male gender. Factors for azithromycin resistance were non-medical students and antibiotic use in the past 6 months. Conclusion: Older male volunteers suffering from chronic sinusitis and not taking antibiotics were at higher risk for carrying SA.
Republic New quasi-Newton method for solving systems of nonlinear equations

In this paper, we propose the new Broyden method for solving systems of nonlinear equations, which uses the first derivatives, but it is more efficient than the Newton method (measured by the computational time) for larger dense systems. The new method updates QR decompositions of nonsymmetric approximations of the Jacobian matrix, so it requires O(n) arithmetic operations per iteration in contrast with the Newton method, which requires O(n) operations per iteration. Computational experiments confirm the high efficiency of the new method.
Sociocultural pressure, internalization, BMI, exercise, and body dissatisfaction in Korean female college students

This research investigated the differential effects of sociocultural pressures from media, peers, and parents on the thin ideal internalization and body dissatisfaction of 472 Korean female college students using structural equation modeling. Results indicated that after controlling for body mass index and exercise, media pressure exerted the largest effects, followed by peer pressure and parental pressure, on thin ideal internalization, and in turn, body dissatisfaction. Furthermore, parent and media pressures were found to exert direct effects on body dissatisfaction as well as indirect effects through thin ideal internalization. The results and implications of the study are discussed.
Probiotics and prevention of allergic disease

Purpose of reviewOver the past few decades, public reports have shown increasing enthusiasm for the potential health effects of probiotics. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to focus on studies, which have addressed the use of probiotics for primary prevention of atopic diseases. Recent findingsThe Finnish study of Kalliomaki was the first report to describe that the frequency of atopic dermatitis in neonates treated with Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) was half that of the placebo. Recently, these results have been questioned by two trials, which reported no difference in the development of atopic dermatitis in neonates supplemented with LGG and L. acidophilus, respectively. In contrast, an unexpected increase in respiratory side-effects was observed in some studies in children who received the probiotics. Up to now no data have been released which report a positive effect of probiotics for the prevention of allergic rhinitis or asthma. Moreover, an allergen-preventive effect of probiotics for the development of atopic dermatitis could not be consistently established. SummaryIn conclusion, probiotics cannot be generally recommended for primary prevention of atopic disease. Further studies should clarify if any susceptible subgroups exist and how these subgroups benefit from supplementation with certain probiotic strains. Moreover, the selection of the most beneficial probiotic strain or the composition of different probiotics and/or prebiotics, the dose and the timing of supplementation still need to be determined.
The responsiveness of joint counts, patient-reported measures and proposed composite scores in hand osteoarthritis: analyses from a placebo-controlled trial

Objective To evaluate the responsiveness of joint counts, patient-reported measures and proposed composite scores in hand osteoarthritis (HOA). Methods Data were used from a previously reported study in which 83 patients with HOA were randomly assigned to CRx-102 or placebo. CRx-102 consists of prednisolone (3 mg/day) and dipyridamole (400 mg/day), and was shown to be superior to placebo. Assessments were performed at baseline and after 7, 14, 28 and 42 days, and included the Australian/Canadian osteoarthritis hand index (AUSCAN), visual analogue pain subscale (VAS) pain and patient global, and counts of distal interphalangeal (DIP), proximal interphalangeal (PIP), metacarpophalangeal and carpometacarpal (CMC) joints (tenderness, soft tissue swelling, bony enlargement, limited motion). Various combinations of patient-reported outcomes and joint counts were computed as composite scores (similar to clinical disease activity index) and tested for responsiveness. For each measure, mean change from baseline to day 42, treatment effect, standardised response mean (SRM) and relative efficiency compared with AUSCAN pain were calculated. Results The SRM were largest for VAS patient global (0.92), VAS pain (0.77) and AUSCAN pain (0.68), whereas the responsiveness of tender (0.46) and swollen joint counts (0.51) (18 joint assessment of DIP, PIP, CMC) was similar to AUSCAN stiffness (0.53) and physical function (0.37). Composite scores showed similar responsiveness as patient-reported pain and global. Conclusion Patient-reported pain and patient global assessment were the most responsive outcomes, whereas joint counts had similar responsiveness to patient-reported stiffness and physical function. Composite scores were as responsive as VAS pain, and these results encourage further elaboration and validation of composite scores in HOA in larger studies.
Gait rehabilitation monitor

This paper presents a simple wearable, non-intrusive affordable mobile framework that allows remote patient monitoring during gait rehabilitation by doctors and physiotherapists. The system includes a set of 2 Shimmer3 9DoF Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs), an Android smartphone and a developed app for collecting, primary processing of data and for persistence of data in a remote PostgreSQL database, which is available in a remote server and where further data processing is performed. This framework provides gait features classifier by invoking an implemented REST API available in the remote server. Low computational load algorithms based on Euler angles and filtered signals were developed and used for the classification and identification of several gait disturbances. These algorithms include the alignment of IMUs sensors data by means of a common temporal reference as well as heel strike and stride detection algorithms. After segmentation of the remotely collected signals for gait strides identification relevant features were extracted to feed, train and test a classifier for prediction of gait abnormalities using supervised machine learning type and Extremely Randomized Trees method.
Defining the Origins and Evolution of the Chemokine/Chemokine Receptor System1

The chemokine system has a critical role in mammalian immunity, but the evolutionary history of chemokines and chemokine receptors are ill-defined. We used comparative whole genome analysis of fruit fly, sea urchin, sea squirt, pufferfish, zebrafish, frog, and chicken to identify chemokines and chemokine receptors in each species. We report 127 chemokine and 70 chemokine receptor genes in the 7 species, with zebrafish having the most chemokines, 63, and chemokine receptors, 24. Fruit fly, sea urchin, and sea squirt have no identifiable chemokines or chemokine receptors. This study represents the most comprehensive analysis of the chemokine system to date and the only complete characterization of chemokine systems outside of mouse and human. We establish a clear evolutionary model of the chemokine system and trace the origin of the chemokine system to ∼650 million years ago, identifying critical steps in their evolution and demonstrating a more extensive chemokine system in fish than previously thought.