Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optical Character Recognition for Handwritten Cursive English characters

-Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is the technique which enables a machine to automatically recognize the characters or scripts written in the users’ language. Optical Character Recognition (OCR) has become one of the most successful applications of technology in the field of pattern recognition and artificial intelligence. In this project a scanned image is translated into machine editable text by means of using Optical Character Recognition. Here a hand written English cursive word is scanned and this image is fed into the computer in which it is recognized using Hidden Markov Model, and converted into the same word in equivalent printed characters . A new combination algorithm is developed and has been used for this recognition and generation work, which is implemented in MATLAB 2010 a. Among the heavy competition in this application area, this project is being developed to achieve better accuracy and overcome all the draw backs found in the other available OCR algorithms.
Structure and peculiarities of nanodeformation in Ti–Zr–Ni quasi-crystals

Ti–Zr–Ni samples with a substantial predominance of icosahedral quasicrystalline phase were produced by the melt-spinning technique. Their structure and mechanical properties were studied by X-ray diffraction and nanoindentation methods. The quasicrystalline phase was found to have a primitive lattice with the quasicrystallinity parameter a q = 0.5200–0.5210 nm. Quasicrystalline deformation behaviour under nanoindentation versus phase composition and structure is discussed in comparison with single crystal W–12 wt% Ta. The estimated elastic modulus E of the quasicrystalline phase shows no correlation with the element composition. The nanohardness was shown to increase with increasing quasicrystalline-phase perfection. Load–displacement curves of Ti–Zr–Ni quasicrystals (QCs) show stepwise character with alternation of elastic and plastic sections. Such non-uniform plastic flow in QCs might be caused by the localization of plastic deformation in shear bands. The non-uniformity of the plastic deformation increases with the increasing quasicrystalline phase perfection.
Finite element analysis of a composite material interface

A finite element model of a composite material interface is developed to study the influence of the interface on the thermal strain in the composite. A plane stress model is used with an axisymmetric model as a check. The interface thickness, thermal coefficient, modulus, Poisson's ratio and the percent of mineral in the composite are variables in the study. The results confirmed the usability of the finite element model in studying the polymer-mineral interface.
Implementation of a Virtual Reality Operating System (VROS) for the next generation of computing

The end of second decade of 21st Century will convey a new generation of computers that are enabled by the Virtual Reality technology. This technology will push the boundaries by redefining the whole ways of human-computer interaction. The technology will not only enable the user to interact with the computers more intuitively but it also result in faster completion of tasks. This would be due to multi input and output technology. Our research paper solves the purpose of development by adding a component namely Virtual Reality Operating System (VROS) and gives insights about it. It concludes with the benefits and challenges of using VROS in the near future. We also conclude that as the research in this area is not focused widely, our initiative to develop a completely immersive VROS would be a great start up potential in future.
The NS5 Protein of the Virulent West Nile Virus NY99 Strain Is a Potent Antagonist of Type I Interferon-Mediated JAK-STAT Signaling

ABSTRACT Flaviviruses transmitted by arthropods represent a tremendous disease burden for humans, causing millions of infections annually. All vector-borne flaviviruses studied to date suppress host innate responses to infection by inhibiting alpha/beta interferon (IFN-α/β)-mediated JAK-STAT signal transduction. The viral nonstructural protein NS5 of some flaviviruses functions as the major IFN antagonist, associated with inhibition of IFN-dependent STAT1 phosphorylation (pY-STAT1) or with STAT2 degradation. West Nile virus (WNV) infection prevents pY-STAT1 although a role for WNV NS5 in IFN antagonism has not been fully explored. Here, we report that NS5 from the virulent NY99 strain of WNV prevented pY-STAT1 accumulation, suppressed IFN-dependent gene expression, and rescued the growth of a highly IFN-sensitive virus (Newcastle disease virus) in the presence of IFN, suggesting that this protein can function as an efficient IFN antagonist. In contrast, NS5 from Kunjin virus (KUN), a naturally attenuated subtype of WNV, was a poor suppressor of pY-STAT1. Mutation of a single residue in KUN NS5 to the analogous residue in WNV-NY99 NS5 (S653F) rendered KUN NS5 an efficient inhibitor of pY-STAT1. Incorporation of this mutation into recombinant KUN resulted in 30-fold greater inhibition of JAK-STAT signaling than with the wild-type virus and enhanced KUN replication in the presence of IFN. Thus, a naturally occurring mutation is associated with the function of NS5 in IFN antagonism and may influence virulence of WNV field isolates.
B Cell Response Is Required for Granuloma Formation in the Early Infection of Schistosoma japonicum

Schistosoma egg-induced liver granuloma is a dynamic inflammatory reaction that results from complex immune responses to the infection. However, the role of B cells in inflammatory granuloma development is not yet fully understood. We report here that B cell function is required for S. japonicum egg-induced granuloma pathology in early infection. Both OBF-1 knockout mice and µMT mice develop severely reduced hepatic granulomas at five weeks post-infection compared to their wild-type counterparts. In contrast, they display no significant difference in granuloma pathology at eight weeks post-infection. Moreover, we find that B cells and antibodies accumulate in the granulomas of wild-type mice early in the infection, indicating a contribution of the B cell response to the granulomatous inflammation. Furthermore, defects in B cell function markedly reduce liver egg burden. These results suggest an important role for B cells in early granuloma pathology. Surprisingly, we found that the S. japonicum infection destroys the structure of the lymphoid follicles. This disruptive effect is correlated with a severely impaired T cell-dependent antibody response upon challenge with ovalbumin. Thus, these findings reveal a novel aspect of the interaction between Schistosoma and the host immune system.
Comprehensive Analysis of the Palindromic Motif TCTCGCGAGA: A Regulatory Element of the HNRNPK Promoter

Definitive identification of promoters, their cis-regulatory motifs, and their trans-acting proteins requires experimental analysis. To define the HNRNPK promoter and its cognate DNA–protein interactions, we performed a comprehensive study combining experimental approaches, including luciferase reporter gene assays, chromatin immunoprecipitations (ChIP), electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA), and mass spectrometry (MS). We discovered that out of the four potential HNRNPK promoters tested, the one containing the palindromic motif TCTCGCGAGA exhibited the highest activity in a reporter system assay. Although further EMSA and MS analyses, performed to uncover the identity of the palindrome-binding transcription factor, did identify a complex of DNA-binding proteins, neither method unambiguously identified the pertinent direct trans-acting protein(s). ChIP revealed similar chromatin states at the promoters with the palindromic motif and at housekeeping gene promoters. A ChIP survey showed significantly higher recruitment of PARP1, a protein identified by MS as ubiquitously attached to DNA probes, within heterochromatin sites. Computational analyses indicated that this palindrome displays features that mark nucleosome boundaries, causing the surrounding DNA landscape to be constitutively open. Our strategy of diverse approaches facilitated the direct characterization of various molecular properties of HNRNPK promoter bearing the palindromic motif TCTCGCGAGA, despite the obstacles that accompany in vitro methods.
Spike-field activity in parietal area LIP during coordinated reach and saccade movements

The posterior parietal cortex is situated between visual and motor areas and supports coordinated visually guided behavior. Area LIP in the intraparietal sulcus contains representations of visual space and has been extensively studied in the context of saccades. However, area LIP has not been studied during coordinated movements, so it is not known whether saccadic representations in area LIP are influenced by coordinated behavior. Here, we studied spiking and local field potential (LFP) activity in area LIP while subjects performed coordinated reaches and saccades or saccades alone to remembered target locations to test whether activity in area LIP is influenced by the presence of a coordinated reach. We find that coordination significantly changes the activity of individual neurons in area LIP, increasing or decreasing the firing rate when a reach is made with a saccade compared with when a saccade is made alone. Analyzing spike-field coherence demonstrates that area LIP neurons whose firing rate is suppressed during the coordinated task have activity temporally correlated with nearby LFP activity, which reflects the synaptic activity of populations of neurons. Area LIP neurons whose firing rate increases during the coordinated task do not show significant spike-field coherence. Furthermore, LFP power in area LIP is suppressed and does not increase when a coordinated reach is made with a saccade. These results demonstrate that area LIP neurons display different responses to coordinated reach and saccade movements, and that different spike rate responses are associated with different patterns of correlated activity. The population of neurons whose firing rate is suppressed is coherently active with local populations of LIP neurons. Overall, these results suggest that area LIP plays a role in coordinating visually guided actions through suppression of coherent patterns of saccade-related activity.
Design of a Predictive Scheduling System to Improve Assisted Living Services for Elders

As the number of older adults increases, and with it the demand for dedicated care, geriatric residences face a shortage of caregivers, who themselves experience work overload, stress, and burden. We conducted a long-term field study in three geriatric residences to understand the work conditions of caregivers with the aim of developing technologies to assist them in their work and help them deal with their burdens. From this study, we obtained relevant requirements and insights to design, implement, and evaluate two prototypes for supporting caregivers’ tasks (e.g., electronic recording and automatic notifications) in order to validate the feasibility of their implementation in situ and their technical requirements. The evaluation in situ of the prototypes was conducted for a period of 4 weeks. The results of the evaluation, together with the data collected from 6 months of use, motivated the design of a predictive schedule, which was iteratively improved and evaluated in participative sessions with caregivers. PRESENCE, the predictive schedule we propose, triggers real-time alerts of risky situations (e.g., falls, entering off-limits areas such as the infirmary or the kitchen) and informs caregivers of routine tasks that need to be performed (e.g., medication administration, diaper change, etc.). Moreover, PRESENCE helps caregivers to record caring tasks (such as diaper changes or medication) and well-being assessments (such as the mood) that are difficult to automate. This facilitates caregiver's shift handover and can help to train new caregivers by suggesting routine tasks and by sending reminders and timely information about residents. It can be seen as a tool to reduce the workload of caregivers and medical staff. Instead of trying to substitute the caregiver with an automatic caring system, as proposed by others, we propose our predictive schedule system that blends caregiver assessments and measurements from sensors. We show the feasibility of predicting caregiver tasks and a formative evaluation with caregivers that provides preliminary evidence of its utility.
Observation and Quantification of Crack Nucleation in Ferrite-Cementite Steel

Synopsis : It is known that a cracking of brittle phase such as cementite works as a trigger of cleavage fracture initiation. This study shows a microscopic observation of cracked cementite and its quantitation of the cracking nucleation in ferrite-cementite steels. Seven steels with various sizes of microstructures are produced by laboratory scale vacuum melting and rolling. The cementite particle thickness was measured by SEM observation and image analysis. Tensile tests using circumferential notched round bar specimens were conducted. A trace analysis was carried out to identify crystal plane of cleavage surface of cementite using EBSD analysis. The results indicated a possibility that the cleavage surface is formed on (010)-plane. Distributions of length of cementite particle crack were measured for various strain and stress conditions. In order to understand a microscopic internal stress of cementite particle, a finite element analysis was carried out. An estimation formula of internal stress of the cementite particle from macroscopic stress and strain was developed based on the numerical results. A nucleation of cementite cracking should be quantitated based on a stochastic framework because of its uncertainties such as distribution, shape, orientation and so on. The measured distributions of cementite particle thickness and crack length were approximated by introducing a distribution function con-sidering upper limit. Probability of nucleation of cementite cracking was formulated as a function of cementite particle thickness and macroscopic stress and strain, based on the approximated distribution function and the estimation formula of internal stress of the cementite particle.
The autistic child's theory of mind: a case of specific developmental delay.

In previous tests of the lowest level of a "theory of mind" (i.e. first-order belief attribution), 80% of autistic children were found to be impaired relative to a non-autistic mentally-handicapped control group. The present study examines the 20% of autistic children who have a theory of mind at the lowest level, and tests their ability to use a theory of mind at higher levels (i.e. second-order belief attribution). This autistic subgroup, in comparison to Down's Syndrome and normal control groups, was found to be severely impaired at the higher level. Autism is discussed as a possible case of specific developmental delay.
Detection of avian influenza antibodies and antigens in poultry and some wild birds in Kogi state, Nigeria

The global spread of HPAI (H5N1) between 2005 and 2006 was blamed on movement of migratory wild birds and trade in live poultry across continents from infected regions. A survey was carried out to detect the presence of avian influenza (AI) antibodies in wild birds and AI viruses in poultry and wild birds from Kogi state, Nigeria. Haemagglutination inhibition (HI) test and enzyme link immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were used to detect AI antibodies in some species of apparently healthy wild birds during the survey. Using HI test, the wild birds were negative for AI (H5) antibodies but ELISA detected AI (NP) antibodies in Black Stork ( Ciconia nigra ) with an overall seroprevalence of 4.5% and mean titre of 24.50±2.400 EU. Cloacal swabs from the same species of wild birds that were tested for antibodies and 710 oropharyngeal swabs from poultry were tested for AI viruses using RT-PCR with primers targeting the AI matrix proteins but were negative for AI viruses. The detection of AI (NP) antibodies in wild birds but failure to detect the viruses showed that the exposure might not be recent. We recommend that poultry should be prevented from contact with wild water birds and a broad based surveillance for AI viruses in poultry and wild birds should be carried out in Kogi state, Nigeria. Keywords : Avian influenza, Black stork, ELISA, HI, RT-PCR
Encoded Archival Description for Numismatic Collections

Developed in the 1990s and revised in 2002, Encoded Archival Description (EAD) is an XML encoding standard commonly used in libraries and archives in the United States and Europe to describe collections of paper materials, for example, manuscripts and photographs. Numerous physical, organizational, and categorical facets of the collections can be described in EAD, including physical materials, genres,
Efficient partition trees

We prove a theorem on partitioning point sets inEd (d fixed) and give an efficient construction of partition trees based on it. This yields a simplex range searching structure with linear space,O(n logn) deterministic preprocessing time, andO(n1−1/d(logn)O(1)) query time. WithO(nlogn) preprocessing time, where δ is an arbitrary positive constant, a more complicated data structure yields query timeO(n1−1/d(log logn)O(1)). This attains the lower bounds due to Chazelle [C1] up to polylogarithmic factors, improving and simplifying previous results of Chazelleet al. [CSW]. The partition result implies that, forrd≤n1−δ, a (1/r)-approximation of sizeO(rd) with respect to simplices for ann-point set inEd can be computed inO(n logr) deterministic time. A (1/r)-cutting of sizeO(rd) for a collection ofn hyperplanes inEd can be computed inO(n logr) deterministic time, provided thatr≤n1/(2d−1).
Enhancing the High Temperature Capability of Nanocrystalline Alloys: Utilizing Thermodynamic Stability Maps to Mitigate Grain Growth Through Solute Selection

Abstract : Mitigating grain growth at high temperatures in binary nanocrystalline alloys is important for processing nanocrystalline alloy systems. The objective of this research is to develop a methodical design-based approach for selecting solutes in binary nanocrystalline alloys by revisiting grain boundary thermodynamics and the internal processes of grain growth and solute segregation in a closed system. In this work, the grain boundary energy is derived and systematically studied in terms of temperature, grain size, concentration, and solute segregation for binary systems of 44 solvents and 52 solutes, using readily-available elemental data, such as moduli and liquid enthalpy of mixing. It is shown that through solute segregation, the grain boundary energies of some binary systems can be reduced, resulting in thermodynamically stable grain structures and successful prediction of solutes that inhibit grain growth in some nanocrystalline alloys. Parametric studies reveal trends between equilibrium grain size, solute distribution and temperature for various binary systems culminating in the generation of nanocrystalline thermodynamic stability maps as a tool for solute selection in binary nanocrystalline alloys.
DocuBrowse: faceted searching, browsing, and recommendations in an enterprise context

Browsing and searching for documents in large, online enterprise document repositories are common activities. While internet search produces satisfying results for most user queries, enterprise search has not been as successful because of differences in document types and user requirements. To support users in finding the information they need in their online enterprise repository, we created DocuBrowse, a faceted document browsing and search system. Search results are presented within the user-created document hierarchy, showing only directories and documents matching selected facets and containing text query terms. In addition to file properties such as date and file size, automatically detected document types, or genres, serve as one of the search facets. Highlighting draws the user's attention to the most promising directories and documents while thumbnail images and automatically identified keyphrases help select appropriate documents. DocuBrowse utilizes document similarities, browsing histories, and recommender system techniques to suggest additional promising documents for the current facet and content filters.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Chinese Children: A Multicenter Analysis Over a Decade from Shanghai

Background:The purpose was to estimate the incidence and characteristics of childhood inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) during 2000–2010 in Shanghai, China. Methods:IBD patients between the ages of 0 and 18 years old were identified by survey of computerized medical information. Relevant data were extracted from their corresponding medical records. Results:A total of 153 IBD cases were included in the study. Among them, 107 were males and 46 were females (male/female ratio, 2.3:1.0). Eighty-two had Crohn's disease (CD) and 71 had ulcerative colitis (UC). The peak prevalence of IBD was observed in the 10–14-year-old age group. The annual incidence of IBD in the 0 to 14 years age group of Shanghai residents steadily increased from 2000 to 2010. The most common symptoms of IBD were diarrhea (68.6%), bloody stool (68.6%), and abdominal pain (61.4%). More CD than UC patients had anemia and raised erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein levels. Ileocolonic type disease was more common in CD patients, and left-side colon involvement was more common in UC. Of all CD patients, 33 had mild active disease and 49 had moderate/severe disease. In UC patients, 34 were mild and 37 were moderate/severe disease. Conclusions:This retrospective, multicenter hospital-based study over a decade shows a steadily increasing trend of childhood IBD in China. This suggests a need for population-based epidemiological studies to explore the risk factors.
Intermittent transformation between radial breathing and flexural vibration modes in a single-walled carbon nanotube

Based on an equivalent continuum cylindrical shell model, we have predicted the intermittent transformation between radial breathing and flexural vibration modes in a single-walled carbon nanotube. It is found that the radial breathing and flexural vibration modes may appear intermittently, in certain circumstances, when the dominant parameters of the problem are in the instable region of the Mathieu stability diagram. The coupled nonlinear differential equations of the radial breathing and the flexural vibration modes are presented to a fourth-order approximation, which is then solved using a finite series expansion method. Intermittent transformation between radial breathing and flexural vibration modes is predicted, which may influence the physical properties of the carbon nanotube and the Raman spectroscope measurements.
Constellation mapping for physical-layer network coding with M-QAM modulation

The denoise-and-forward (DNF) method of physical-layer network coding (PNC) is a promising approach for wireless relaying networks. In this paper, we consider DNF-based PNC with M-ary quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM) and propose a mapping scheme that maps the superposed M-QAM signal to coded symbols. The mapping scheme supports both square and non-square M-QAM modulations, with various original constellation mappings (e.g. binary-coded or Gray-coded). Subsequently, we evaluate the symbol error rate and bit error rate (BER) of M-QAM modulated PNC that uses the proposed mapping scheme. Afterwards, as an application, a rate adaptation scheme for the DNF method of PNC is proposed. Simulation results show that the rate-adaptive PNC is advantageous in various scenarios.