Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quality Comparison of Pork Loin and Belly from Three-way Crossbred Pigs during Postmortem Storage

This study was performed to determine the meat quality characteristics of pork loin and belly from 3 different three-way crossbred pigs: Yorkshire × Landrace × Duroc (YLD), Yorkshire × Chester White × Yorkshire (YCY), and Yorkshire × Berkshire × Duroc (YBD). Each of the twenty crossed pigs were randomly selected with their live weights at the range of 110-120 kg. After being slaughtered and cooled at 0℃ for 24 h in a chilling room, the parts of loin and belly on the left side of the cooled carcasses were cut and prepared for analysis. The intramuscular fat contents of the loins from YLD were higher than those of the other crossbreds (p<0.05), and the YCY bellies had the highest moisture contents (p<0.05). Water holding capacity (WHC) of the loins from YCY were higher than the other crossbreds (p<0.05). Shear force values of the YBD loins were higher than the others (p<0.05). The TBARS values of YCY loins were significantly lower than the others at 0 d, but the difference disappeared after 14 d of storage. Sensory scores of YLD were ranked higher than the YCY or YBD in both the loins and bellies (p<0.05). The relatively high sensory values of YLD crossbred pork could be explained by the better WHC, the low shear forces, and the higher fat contents. The results indicated that the meat qualities could be altered by three-way crossbreeding.
Optimizing the Software Architecture for Extensibility in Hard Real-Time Distributed Systems

We consider a set of control tasks that must be executed on distributed platforms so that end-to-end latencies are within deadlines. We investigate how to allocate tasks to nodes, pack signals to messages, allocate messages to buses, and assign priorities to tasks and messages, so that the design is extensible and robust with respect to changes in task requirements. We adopt a notion of extensibility metric that measures how much the execution times of tasks can be increased without violating end-to-end deadlines. We optimize the task and message design with respect to this metric by adopting a mathematical programming front-end followed by postprocessing heuristics. The proposed algorithm as applied to industrial strength test cases shows its effectiveness in optimizing extensibility and a marked improvement in running time with respect to an approach based on randomized optimization.
Antibody Response to Shiga Toxins in Argentinean Children with Enteropathic Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome at Acute and Long-Term Follow-Up Periods

Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infection is associated with a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations that include diarrhea, hemorrhagic colitis, and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Systemic Stx toxemia is considered to be central to the genesis of HUS. Distinct methods have been used to evaluate anti-Stx response for immunodiagnostic or epidemiological analysis of HUS cases. The development of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and western blot (WB) assay to detect the presence of specific antibodies to Stx has introduced important advantages for serodiagnosis of HUS. However, application of these methods for seroepidemiological studies in Argentina has been limited. The aim of this work was to develop an ELISA to detect antibodies against the B subunit of Stx2, and a WB to evaluate antibodies against both subunits of Stx2 and Stx1, in order to analyze the pertinence and effectiveness of these techniques in the Argentinean population. We studied 72 normal healthy children (NHC) and 105 HUS patients of the urban pediatric population from the surrounding area of Buenos Aires city. Using the WB method we detected 67% of plasma from NHC reactive for Stx2, but only 8% for Stx1. These results are in agreement with the broad circulation of Stx2-expressing STEC in Argentina and the endemic behavior of HUS in this country. Moreover, the simultaneous evaluation by the two methods allowed us to differentiate acute HUS patients from NHC with a great specificity and accuracy, in order to confirm the HUS etiology when pathogenic bacteria were not isolated from stools.
Adaptive grid division for target localization in wireless sensor networks

Target localization and tracking have been an important fundamental technology in wireless sensor networks. Distance irrelevant localization algorithm is one of the most popular methods in target localization application. This kind of algorithm mostly locates a target by getting the target's approximate area and calculating its centroid. Because of the large calculating quantity and bad real-time capability of the traditional methods in solving the centroid of irregular approximate area, a universal Adaptive grid Division (AID) method was proposed. By grid dividing and scanning towards the WSNs deploying area, a target approximate area was got and the localization precision was adaptively adjusted according to the grid granularity. The results of experiment showed that AID had a higher real-time capability under similar precision with traditional methods.
Building collaborative networks in Africa on health information systems and open source software development – Experiences from the HISP / BEANISH network

The development and running of efficient and appropriate Health Information Systems, while urgently needed, are difficult to achieve and depend heavily on skill and human resources, which tend to be in short supply African countries. One way to address the human resource problem in this area is to develop cross-country collaboration for sharing of resources, best practices, software and learning. The HISP/BEANISH network is made up of a number of African and Asian countries and is developed with such aims. The focus of this network is to develop cross-country collaboration on research and development in the area of Health Information Systems (HIS) and Free and Open Source Software as well as on the development of educational programs. This article will describe and discuss experiences from the HISP/BEANISH network and pinpoint some key challenges.
The role of differential delays in integrating transient visual and proprioceptive information

Many actions involve limb movements toward a target. Visual and proprioceptive estimates are available online, and by optimally combining (Ernst and Banks, 2002) both modalities during the movement, the system can increase the precision of the hand estimate. The notion that both sensory modalities are integrated is also motivated by the intuition that we do not consciously perceive any discrepancy between the felt and seen hand's positions. This coherence as a result of integration does not necessarily imply realignment between the two modalities (Smeets et al., 2006). For example, the two estimates (visual and proprioceptive) might be different without either of them (e.g., proprioception) ever being adjusted after recovering the other (e.g., vision). The implication that the felt and seen positions might be different has a temporal analog. Because the actual feedback from the hand at a given instantaneous position reaches brain areas at different times for proprioception and vision (shorter for proprioception), the corresponding instantaneous unisensory position estimates will be different, with the proprioceptive one being ahead of the visual one. Based on the assumption that the system integrates optimally and online the available evidence from both senses, we introduce a temporal mechanism that explains the reported overestimation of hand positions when vision is occluded for active and passive movements (Gritsenko et al., 2007) without the need to resort to initial feedforward estimates (Wolpert et al., 1995). We set up hypotheses to test the validity of the model, and we contrast simulation-based predictions with empirical data.
Protostellar Disk Dynamos and Hydromagnetic Outflows in Primordial Star Formation

Are magnetic fields important in primordial star formation? Assuming that star formation occurs via an accretion disk that is turbulent, initially because of local gravitational instability, we calculate the disk structure for realistic accretion rates. We predict that local gravitational viscosity is able to drive accretion, without the disk fragmenting. We then estimate the rate of dynamo amplification of seed magnetic field. Turbulence in a stratified disk can be helical, with different signs of the helicity in each hemisphere. This provides a key ingredient for production of global-scale magnetic fields whose sign of flux is sustained over many orbit times. The resulting fields can drive collimated protostellar outflows that reduce the star formation efficiency from the initial gas cloud, especially once the protostar has contracted to the main sequence, at ~100 M☉. We estimate that the outflows are powerful enough to eject some material from the host dark matter halo and to initiate relatively strong magnetization of the local intergalactic medium. Close to the protostar, the outflow acts to shield the disk and equatorial regions from radiative feedback, such as ionizing photons, and this may enable accretion up to relatively large stellar masses. We conclude that magnetic fields cannot be ignored in models of primordial star formation.
Fault Diagnosing ECG in Body Sensor Networks Based on Hidden Markov Model

In this paper, we focus on medical body sensor networks collecting physiological signs to monitor the health of patients. We propose a Hidden Markov Model (HMM) based method for fault diagnosis of ECG sensor data. We firstly verify the Markov property of heart rate sequences by medical datasets. Then we use the Baum-Welch algorithm to estimate parameters of HMMs by history training data, and the Viterbi algorithm to determine whether the new sensor reading is fault. Finally, we do experiments on both real and synthetic medical datasets to study the performance of our method. The result shows that the proposed approach possesses a good detection accuracy with a low false alarm rate.
Efficient link failure detection and localization using P2P-overlay networks

Peer-to-peer (P2P) networks offer a great potential that goes well beyond simple file-sharing. We present a novel approach for using P2P-overlay networks to ensure a sustainable operation of a distributed system. In particular, we show how to detect and localize the causes of physical link failures using the maintenance traffic of a P2P overlay network. The network monitoring architecture can be set up autonomously thereby reducing both the installation costs and the traffic overhead.
Trends in hospital admission and infant mortality from diarrhea: Brazil, 1995-2005.

OBJECTIVE To analyze trends in hospitalization and mortality rates for diarrhea in children less than one year old. METHODS An ecological time-series study, between 1995 and 2005, was performed for Brazil as a whole and for the state capitals. Secondary data from the Ministry of Health was utilized, obtained from the Hospital Information System and from the Mortality Information System. During the study period, 1,505,800 hospitalizations and 39,421 deaths from diarrhea were registered among children under one year. Polynomial regression models were used to analyze the trends in hospitalization and mortality rates. RESULTS There were reductions in hospitalizations and in infant deaths from diarrhea in the country and in 13 capitals. Eight capitals experienced reductions only in mortality from diarrhea, whereas three showed decreases only in hospitalization rates from diarrhea. In the combined analysis of diarrhea indicators and of general indicators, reductions in all the historical series were observed only in Brazil as a whole and in four capitals. CONCLUSIONS The reduction in hospitalization and mortality rates from diarrhea observed through the time-series could be the result of prevention and control measures implemented.
Therapeutic effects of fermented soycrud on phenotypes of atopic dermatitis induced by phthalic anhydride

Atopic dermatitis (AD), which is known as the most common pruritic skin disease, is caused by epidermal barrier dysfunction, allergies, microwave radiation, histamine intolerance, and genetic defects. To investigate the therapeutic effects of fermented soycrud (FSC) on AD pathology, alteration of AD phenotypes induced by phthalic anhydride (PA) treatment was assessed by ear thickness analysis, measurement of immune-related organ weights, ELISA, and histological and pathological analyses of ICR mice after FSC treatment for 2 weeks. Except for water content, the concentrations of most major components were lower in FSC compared to common tofu (CMT). Thymus and lymph node weights were significantly reduced in ICR mice treated with PA+CMT or PA+FSC, whereas spleen and body weights were maintained. Elevation of ear thickness induced by PA treatment was rapidly diminished in the CMT- and FSC-treated groups, although there was no significant difference between the two groups. Furthermore, significant reduction of epidermal thickness was detected in both the PA+CMT- and PA+FSC-treated groups. However, IgE concentration and dermal thickness were reduced only by PA+FSC treatment, whereas PA+CMT treatment maintained levels comparable to PA+vehicle treatment. The number of infiltrated mast cells was higher in the PA+vehicle-treated group compared to the untreated control. Following CMT or FSC treatment, mast cell infiltration was slightly reduced, although the CMT-treated group showed greater cell numbers. These results indicate that FSC may significantly relieve the phenotypes of AD induced by PA treatment and should be considered as a potential candidate for AD therapy.
CONFIRMATORY FACTOR ANALYSIS OF LATENT SUB-SCALES OF TEACHER RESEARCH ENGAGEMENT OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS ELEMENTARY TEACHERS

The current study aims to find the pattern of relationship and establish factorial validity among predictors of teacher research engagement. This study employed a descriptive-correlational research design. A validated researcher-made Teacher Research Engagement Survey with three subscales was used to gather data from 612 public school teachers. The researcher then computed descriptive statistics and conducted a confirmatory factor analysis of the hypothesized measurement model and a modified measurement mo matrix presents that there is a strong positive highly significant relationship between physical research engagement and cognitive research engagement(r=0.632, p>0.05), physical research engagement and emotional research engagement (r=0.705, p>0.05), and cognitive research engagement and emotional research engagement (r=0.830, p>0.05). The modified measurement model of teacher research engagement obtained acceptable and better model fit indices of CMIN/DF=3.939, CFI
ournal of C osmology and A stroparticle hysics J Constrained simulations of the magnetic ﬁeld in the local Universe and the propagation of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays

We use simulations of large-scale structure formation to study the build-up of magnetic ﬁelds (MFs) in the intergalactic medium. Our basic assumption is that cosmological MFs grow in a magnetohydrodynamical (MHD) ampliﬁcation process driven by formation of structure from a magnetic seed ﬁeld present at high red-shift. This approach is motivated by previous simulations of the MFs in galaxy clusters which, under the same hypothesis as we adopt here, succeeded in reproducing Faraday rotation measurements (RMs) in clusters of galaxies. Our ΛCDM initial conditions for the dark matter density ﬂuctuations have been statistically constrained by the observed large-scale density ﬁeld within a sphere of 110 Mpc around the Milky Way, based on the IRAS 1.2-Jy all-sky red-shift survey. As a result, the positions and masses of prominent galaxy clusters in our simulation coincide closely with their real counterparts in the local Universe. Constrained simulations of the magnetic ﬁeld in the local Universe and the propagation of UHECRs expected deﬂection angles of protons with arrival energies E = 10 20 eV and 4 × 10 19 eV, respectively. Accounting only for the structures within 110 Mpc, we ﬁnd that strong deﬂections are only produced if UHE protons cross galaxy clusters. The total area on the sky covered by these structures is however very small. Over still larger distances, multiple crossings of sheets and ﬁlaments may give rise to noticeable deﬂections over a signiﬁcant fraction of the sky; the exact amount and angular distribution depends on the model adopted for the magnetic seed ﬁeld. On the basis of our results we argue that over a large fraction of the sky the deﬂections are likely to remain smaller than the present experimental angular sensitivity. Therefore, we conclude that forthcoming air shower experiments should be able to locate sources of UHE protons and shed more light on the nature of cosmological MFs.
Linked circadian outputs control elongation growth and flowering in response to photoperiod and temperature

Clock‐regulated pathways coordinate the response of many developmental processes to changes in photoperiod and temperature. We model two of the best‐understood clock output pathways in Arabidopsis, which control key regulators of flowering and elongation growth. In flowering, the model predicted regulatory links from the clock to CYCLING DOF FACTOR 1 (CDF1) and FLAVIN‐BINDING, KELCH REPEAT, F‐BOX 1 (FKF1) transcription. Physical interaction data support these links, which create threefold feed‐forward motifs from two clock components to the floral regulator FT. In hypocotyl growth, the model described clock‐regulated transcription of PHYTOCHROME‐INTERACTING FACTOR 4 and 5 (PIF4, PIF5), interacting with post‐translational regulation of PIF proteins by phytochrome B (phyB) and other light‐activated pathways. The model predicted bimodal and end‐of‐day PIF activity profiles that are observed across hundreds of PIF‐regulated target genes. In the response to temperature, warmth‐enhanced PIF4 activity explained the observed hypocotyl growth dynamics but additional, temperature‐dependent regulators were implicated in the flowering response. Integrating these two pathways with the clock model highlights the molecular mechanisms that coordinate plant development across changing conditions.
Chitosan based atorvastatin nanocrystals: effect of cationic charge on particle size, formulation stability, and in-vivo efficacy

Cationic charged chitosan as stabilizer was evaluated in preparation of nanocrystals using probe sonication method. The influence of cationic charge densities of chitosan (low CSL, medium CSM, high CSH molecular weights) and Labrasol® in solubility enhancement and modifying the release was investigated, using atorvastatin (ATR) as poorly soluble model drug. Compared to CSM and CSH; low cationic charge of CSL acted as both electrostatic and steric stabilizer by significant size reduction to 394 nm with charge of 21.5 meV. Solubility of ATR-CSL increased to 60-fold relative to pure ATR and ATR-L. Nanocrystals were characterized for physiochemical properties. Scanning electron microscopy revealed scaffold-like structures with high surface area. X-ray powder diffractometry and differential scanning calorimetry revealed crystalline to slight amorphous state changes after cationic charge size reduction. Fourier transform-infrared spectra indicated no potent drug-excipient interactions. The enhanced dissolution profile of ATR-CSL indicates that sustained release was achieved compared with ATR-L and Lipitor®. Anti-hyperlipidemic performance was pH dependent where ATR-CSL exhibited 2.5-fold higher efficacy at pH 5 compared to pH 6 and Lipitor®. Stability studies indicated marked changes in size and charge for ATR-L compared to ATR-CSL exemplifying importance of the stabilizer. Therefore, nanocrystals developed with CSL as a stabilizer is a promising choice to enhance dissolution, stability, and in-vivo efficacy of major Biopharmaceutical Classification System II/IV drugs.
MaxOPP: A novel Opportunistic Routing for wireless mesh networks

Opportunistic Routing is emerging as a promising paradigm to mitigate performance degradation in wireless multi-hop networks due to lossy links and varying channel conditions. Opportunistic routing protocols exploit the broadcast nature of the wireless medium to perform hop-by-hop route construction, and to take advantage of path diversity. However, most of the existing solutions impose a-priori constraints on the set of candidate forwarders that can be used when routing a packet. In this paper, we describe MaxOPP, a flexible and adaptive opportunistic routing algorithm able to select at each hop, and at run-time, the candidate forwarders that can maximize the opportunistic throughput gain. Thus, forwarding decisions in MaxOPP are dynamically adapted to variations of network conditions, ensuring an efficient trade-off between reliability and opportunistic benefit. Simulations conducted with NS-2 on a set of representative scenarios show that MaxOPP achieves higher throughput for bulk data transfers than traditional shortest-path routing.
TECHNISCHE BERICHTE TECHNICAL REPORTS A Study of Partitioning and Parallel UDF Execution with the SAP HANA Database

Large-scale data analysis relies on custom code both for preparing the data for analysis as well as for the core analysis algorithms. The map-reduce framework oﬀers a simple model to parallelize custom code, but it does not integrate well with relational databases. Likewise, the literature on optimizing queries in relational databases has largely ignored user-deﬁned functions (UDFs). In this paper, we discuss annotations for user-deﬁned functions that facilitate optimizations that both consider relational operators and UDFs. We believe this to be the superior approach compared to just linking map-reduce evaluation to a relational database because it enables a broader range of optimizations. In this paper we focus on optimizations that enable the parallel execution of relational operators and UDFs for a number of typical patterns. A study on real-world data investigates the opportunities for parallelization of complex data ﬂows containing both relational operators and UDFs.
Clinical utility of nivolumab in the treatment of advanced melanoma

Melanomas are highly immunogenic tumors that evade the immune system by exploiting innate checkpoint pathways, rendering effector T-cells anergic. The immunotherapeutic approach of checkpoint inhibition can restore and invigorate endogenous antitumor T-cell responses and has become an important treatment option for patients with advanced melanoma. The CTLA-4 inhibitor ipilimumab and the PD-1 inhibitors nivolumab and pembrolizumab have been shown to induce durable responses and improve overall survival in metastatic, refractory melanoma. Optimization and validation of pretreatment biomarkers to predict response to these agents is a crucial area of ongoing research. Combination immunotherapy has recently demonstrated superior response rates compared to monotherapy; further investigation is needed to refine combinatorial strategies.
Wheeled mobile robots navigation from a visual memory using wide field of view cameras

In this paper, we propose a visual path following control scheme for wheeled mobile robots based on the epipolar geometry. The control law only requires the position of the epipole computed between the current and target views along the sequence of a visual memory. The proposed approach has two main advantages: explicit pose parameters decomposition is not required and the rotational velocity is smooth or eventually piece-wise constant avoiding discontinuities that generally appear when the target image changes. The translational velocity is adapted as required for the path and the approach is independent of this velocity. Furthermore, our approach is valid for all cameras obeying the unified model, including conventional, central catadioptric and some fisheye cameras. Simulations as well as real-world experiments with a robot illustrate the validity of our approach.