Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Organic matter dynamics along a stream-order and elevational gradient in a southern Appalachian stream

Predictions of the River Continuum Concept include changes in physical factors such as geomorphology and temperature along a stream-order gradient (VANNOTE et al. 1980). Changes in macroinvertebrate diversity (ALLAN 1975), biomass (GRUBAUGH et al. 1996), and functional feeding group composition (MlNSHALL et al. 1983) have been shown along such gradients. Changes in a variety of ecosystem processes along stream continua have also been demonstrated (MINSHALL et al. 1983, NAIMAN et al. 1987). HURYN & WALLACE (1987) and GRUBAUGH et al. (1996) found that macroinvertebrate habitat varies both longitudinally and locally and that sampling a single habitat (patch) may not be sufficient to reflect community composition throughout a stream continuum. Our objective was to investigate whether selected organic matter processes vary with patch type along a stream-order/elevational gradient.
Patient Use of Cost and Quality Data When Choosing a Joint Replacement Provider in the Context of Reference Pricing

Health plans are encouraging consumerism among joint replacement patients by reporting information on hospital costs and quality. Little is known about how the proliferation of such initiatives impacts patients’ selection of a surgeon and hospital. We performed a qualitative analysis of semistructured interviews with 13 patients who recently received a hip or knee replacement surgery. Patients focused on the choice of a surgeon as opposed to a hospital, and the surgeon choice was primarily made based on reputation. Most patients had long-standing relationships with an orthopedic surgeon and tended to stay with that surgeon for their replacement. Despite growing availability of cost and quality information, patients almost never used such information to make a decision.
SpyProxy: Execution-based Detection of Malicious Web Content

This paper explores the use of execution-based Web content analysis to protect users from Internet-borne malware. Many anti-malware tools use signatures to identify malware infections on a user's PC. In contrast, our approach is to render and observe active Web content in a disposable virtual machine before it reaches the user's browser, identifying and blocking pages whose behavior is suspicious. Execution-based analysis can defend against undiscovered threats and zero-day attacks. However, our approach faces challenges, such as achieving good interactive performance, and limitations, such as defending against malicious Web content that contains non-determinism. To evaluate the potential for our execution-based technique, we designed, implemented, and measured a new proxy-based anti-malware tool called SpyProxy. SpyProxy intercepts and evaluates Web content in transit from Web servers to the browser. We present the architecture and design of our SpyProxy prototype, focusing in particular on the optimizations we developed to make on-the-fly execution-based analysis practical. We demonstrate that with careful attention to design, an execution-based proxy such as ours can be effective at detecting and blocking many of today's attacks while adding only small amounts of latency to the browsing experience. Our evaluation shows that SpyProxy detected every malware threat to which it was exposed, while adding only 600 milliseconds of latency to the start of page rendering for typical content.
Semi-automatic building extraction from very high resolution remote sensing imagery via energy minimization model

Extraction of objects such as buildings from very high resolution(VHR) remote sensing imagery is an important task nowadays. In practical application, the extraction precision is normally satisfied through interactive manual input. Therefore, we propose a semi-automatic building extraction framework with an energy minimization model, which includes two stages: the first stage generates the coarse information of foreground and background, and the second stage extracts the building object by applying energy minimization model. More specifically, in the first stage, the VHR imagery is grouped into small superpixels which are roughly merged into background or foreground according to a line drawn manually. Based on the coarse information of the first stage, we apply the energy minimization model to obtain the precise building object using graph cut optimization. Experimental results indicate our building extraction framework can precisely extract the buildings with different shapes.
(Z)-(1,2-Dichlorovinyl)diphenylphosphine oxide

The title compound, C14H11Cl2OP, was synthesized by the reaction of diphenylphosphine oxide with 1,2-dichloroethyne under CuI catalysis. The reaction provided the Z isomer regioselectively. Two O—P—C bond angles [114.3 (1) and 112.5 (1)°] are significantly larger than the C—P—C [107.7 (1), 105.6 (1) and 106.6 (1)°] and another O—P—C angle [109.5 (1)°], indicating significant distortion of the tetrahedral configuration of the P atom. In the crystal, molecules are linked by weak intermolecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds into centrosymmetric dimers, which are connected by further C—H⋯O interactions into chains along [101].
Communicative-based curriculum innovations between theory and practice: implications for EFL curriculum development and student cognitive and affective change

This qualitative study examines the influence of teacher conceptualisations of communicative language teaching on their actual classroom practice and student cognitive and affective change. The qualitative paradigm underpinned this research at the levels of ontology (multiple teacher realities), epistemology (interaction with, rather than detachment from, the respondents), and methodology through using an idiographic strategy (qualitative case study), instruments (qualitative interviews, participant observation and questionnaires), and data analysis technique (explanation-building). The results indicated that teachers who understood CLT and managed to materialise its principles into action significantly improved student language learning (cognitive change) and motivation (affective change). Moreover, traditional, structural and didactic teaching as well as communicative knowledge that was not translated into practice had almost a typical negative impact on student learning and motivation. Recommendations for curriculum development, teacher development, teacher training and future research are made.
Identification of TRP-2 as a Human Tumor Antigen Recognized by Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes

The infusion of TIL586 along with interleukin-2 into the autologous patient with metastatic melanoma resulted in the objective regression of tumor. A gene encoding a tumor antigen recognized by TIL586 was previously isolated and shown to encode gp75 or TRP-1. Here we report that TRP-2 was identified as a second tumor antigen recognized by a HLA-A31– restricted CTL clone derived from the TIL586 cell line. The peptide LLPGGRPYR epitope was subsequently identified from the coding region of TRP-2 based on studies of the recognition of truncated TRP-2 cDNAs and the HLA-A31 binding motif. This epitope peptide was capable of sensitizing target cells for lysis by a CTL clone at 1 nM peptide concentration. Although some modified peptides could be recognized by the CTL clone, none were found to be better recognized by T cells than the parental peptide. Like other melamona differentiation antigens, TRP-2 was only expressed in melanoma, melanocytes, and retina, but not in other human tissues tested.
Generation of functional cholangiocyte-like cells from human pluripotent stem cells and HepaRG cells

Cholangiocytes are biliary epithelial cells, which, like hepatocytes, originate from hepatoblasts during embryonic development. In this study we investigated the potential of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) to differentiate into cholangiocytes and we report a new approach, which drives differentiation of hESCs toward the cholangiocytic lineage using feeder‐free and defined culture conditions. After differentiation into hepatic progenitors, hESCs were differentiated further into cholangiocytes using growth hormone, epidermal growth factor, interleukin‐6, and then sodium taurocholate. These conditions also allowed us to generate cholangiocytes from HepaRG‐derived hepatoblasts. hESC‐ and HepaRG‐derived cholangiocyte‐like cells expressed markers of cholangiocytes including cytokeratin 7 and osteopontin, and the transcription factors SOX9 and hepatocyte nuclear factor 6. The cells also displayed specific proteins important for cholangiocyte functions including cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator, secretin receptor, and nuclear receptors. They formed primary cilia and also responded to hormonal stimulation by increase of intracellular Ca2+. We demonstrated by integrative genomics that the expression of genes, which signed hESC‐ or HepaRG‐cholangiocytes, separates hepatocytic lineage from cholangiocyte lineage. When grown in a 3D matrix, cholangiocytes developed epithelial/apicobasal polarity and formed functional cysts and biliary ducts. In addition, we showed that cholangiocyte‐like cells could also be generated from human induced pluripotent stem cells, demonstrating the efficacy of our approach with stem/progenitor cells of diverse origins. Conclusion: We have developed a robust and efficient method for differentiating pluripotent stem cells into cholangiocyte‐like cells, which display structural and functional similarities to bile duct cells in normal liver. These cells will be useful for the in vitro study of the molecular mechanisms of bile duct development and have important potential for therapeutic strategies, including bioengineered liver approaches. (Hepatology 2014;60:700–714)
Vertebral fractures in patients on dialysis: a clinically relevant problem with insufficient investigation

Once more, the administration of cinacalcet (25 mg) just before the HD session caused a significant further decrease in the serum i-PTH levels despite a significant reduction in the plasma Ca2+ levels (Figure 1C, Post-HD). Even if an elevation in PTH levels is transient, it should be avoided that basal high PTH levels increase further at the end of every HD session with a low-Ca dialysate. In addition, a transient decrease in plasma Ca2+ levels can stimulate not only PTH secretion but also PG cell proliferation. Over the long term, PG hyperplasias often progress from diffuse to nodular forms. We have demonstrated that calcimimetics are powerful inhibitors of PG cell proliferation in rats with 2HPT, regardless of calcimimeticinduced hypocalcaemia [1,5]. Therefore, we propose that cinacalcet should be administered just before HD sessions to prevent the hyperfunctioning of PG cells that is induced by the transient hypocalcaemia caused by a low-Ca dialysate. This seems to be reasonable because the maximal plasma concentration (Cmax) of cinacalcet is achieved 4–6 h after its oral administration [2]. Further investigations are clearly required to determine when cinacalcet should be administered, especially in the context of bone metabolism and the gastrointestinal adverse effects.
Kleiber's Law: How the Fire of Life ignited debate, fueled theory, and neglected plants as model organisms

Size is a key feature of any organism since it influences the rate at which resources are consumed and thus affects metabolic rates. In the 1930s, size-dependent relationships were codified as “allometry” and it was shown that most of these could be quantified using the slopes of log-log plots of any 2 variables of interest. During the decades that followed, physiologists explored how animal respiration rates varied as a function of body size across taxa. The expectation was that rates would scale as the 2/3 power of body size as a reflection of the Euclidean relationship between surface area and volume. However, the work of Max Kleiber (1893–1976) and others revealed that animal respiration rates apparently scale more closely as the 3/4 power of body size. This phenomenology, which is called “Kleiber's Law,” has been described for a broad range of organisms, including some algae and plants. It has also been severely criticized on theoretical and empirical grounds. Here, we review the history of the analysis of metabolism, which originated with the works of Antoine L. Lavoisier (1743–1794) and Julius Sachs (1832–1897), and culminated in Kleiber's book The Fire of Life (1961; 2. ed. 1975). We then evaluate some of the criticisms that have been leveled against Kleiber's Law and some examples of the theories that have tried to explain it. We revive the speculation that intracellular exo- and endocytotic processes are resource delivery-systems, analogous to the supercellular systems in multicellular organisms. Finally, we present data that cast doubt on the existence of a single scaling relationship between growth and body size in plants.
On the properties of the generalized OWHA operators and their application to group decision making

Harmonic mean is suitable to aggregate negative indicators. In order to improve the flexibility of harmonic mean for modeling many situations, the ordered weighted harmonic averaging (OWHA) operator is extended to provide a new class of operators called the generalized OWHA (GOWHA) operators, and investigate some desirable properties of them. When different parameter of the GOWHA operator is employed, various conventional aggregation operators can be deduced, such as the ordered weighted averaging (OWA) operator and the ordered weighted geometric averaging (OWGA) operator. We further demonstrate that the OWHA operator and the GOWHA operator exhibit monotonicity with respect to the weighting vector. Furthermore, we introduce the generalized hybrid harmonic averaging (GHHA) operator, which can reflect the importance degrees of both the given arguments and the ordered position of the arguments. Finally, a new approach on the basis of the GHHA operator is presented in an example of an investment project with group decision making.
Functional Brain Activity Changes after 4 Weeks Supplementation with a Multi-Vitamin/Mineral Combination: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial Exploring Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Steady-State Visual Evoked Potentials during Working Memory

This study explored the neurocognitive effects of 4 weeks daily supplementation with a multi-vitamin and -mineral combination (MVM) in healthy adults (aged 18–40 years). Using a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design, participants underwent assessments of brain activity using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI; n = 32, 16 females) and Steady-State Visual Evoked Potential recordings (SSVEP; n = 39, 20 females) during working memory and continuous performance tasks at baseline and following 4 weeks of active MVM treatment or placebo. There were several treatment-related effects suggestive of changes in functional brain activity associated with MVM administration. SSVEP data showed latency reductions across centro-parietal regions during the encoding period of a spatial working memory task following 4 weeks of active MVM treatment. Complementary results were observed with the fMRI data, in which a subset of those completing fMRI assessment after SSVEP assessment (n = 16) demonstrated increased BOLD response during completion of the Rapid Visual Information Processing task (RVIP) within regions of interest including bilateral parietal lobes. No treatment-related changes in fMRI data were observed in those who had not first undergone SSVEP assessment, suggesting these results may be most evident under conditions of fatigue. Performance on the working memory and continuous performance tasks did not significantly differ between treatment groups at follow-up. In addition, within the fatigued fMRI sample, increased RVIP BOLD response was correlated with the change in number of target detections as part of the RVIP task. This study provides preliminary evidence of changes in functional brain activity during working memory associated with 4 weeks of daily treatment with a multi-vitamin and -mineral combination in healthy adults, using two distinct but complementary measures of functional brain activity.
REVEALING HISTORICAL LANDSCAPES BY USING AIRBORNE LASER SCANNING A 3-D MODELL OF RIDGE AND FURROW IN FORESTS NEAR RASTATT ( GERMANY )

Laser Scanning has been tested to depict and assess fossilized ridge and furrow in woodlands near Rastatt in South West Germany. These corrugated fields, displaying altimetric differences between 30 and 80 cm, are the result of medieval cultivation practices but rare are nowadays those places in the landscape where these remnants still exist at a scale which truly allows us to appreciate how the medieval countryside worked. Near Rastatt, such a field system exceeding 500 ha in size on the Lower Rhine Terrace was converted from arable land to forest during the 18th century, with undulations created by these earthworks being still visible under the forest canopy. Complementing a preliminary terrestrial survey, a cooperation was initiated with the Landesvermessungsamt Baden Württemberg for obtaining more accurate spatial information by testing use of laser scanning, the technique applied by this agency for getting a more accurate DEM of the whole land. Topscan was the company committed with the flight campaigns and delivery of data sets. Filtering and processing of row data with subsequent use of GIS enabled to generate realistic 3D terrain models, a large scale visualization providing even a realistic view over this ancient landscape, despite forest canopy consisting of mixed stands. The resolution of this data and the relative ease of capture compares favourably with terrestrial mappings, allowing large areas of landscape to be captured as three-dimensional surface data, facilitating therefore a scientific, analytical approach to the landscape.
Practical Considerations on Quantum Key Distribution (QKD)

The advancement of the quantum computing is challenging the foundation of the cryptography by its almost unlimited computation power to predict the secure key that is thought to be absolutely secure based on the currently used algorithms such as the RSA and the Diffie-Hellman and others. The field of quantum cryptography on the other hand is providing the needed highly secure keys through the introduction of quantum key distribution QKD when the quantum computing becomes a reality. However, the quantum cryptography and the QKD are challenged in many ways, not only to provide the advanced level of technology but also to overcome many constraints to provide a worldwide practical distribution system as well as to provide the efficiency to overcome the very modest size of the quantum keys. In this paper, practical factors affecting realistic QKD are investigated supported by related simulation based analysis.
FEM simulation and experimental analysis of a thermal tactile slip device

This paper proposes a new thermal tactile slip device to detect the slip direction. The thermal changes caused by the relative sliding of two objects with different temperature are studied, and the ANSYS finite element method is used to simulate the thermal phenomenon. The device mainly consists of a thermostatic control circuit, a heat conduction layer, a heating layer and a thermal sensor array, as well as a temperature measurement circuit. And the thermal sensor array is especially designed to measure the temperature responses on the contact surface. Tests are performed by sliding the sensing device unidirectionally on a smooth flat iron. The results show that slip direction can be effectively discriminated by this proposed device. The performance of the device can be further improved by using more thermal sensor arrays to realize the omnidirectional detection.
A Critical Review of Wireless Power Transfer via Strongly Coupled Magnetic Resonances

Strongly coupled magnetic resonance (SCMR), proposed by researchers at MIT in 2007, attracted the world’s attention by virtue of its mid-range, non-radiative and high-efficiency power transfer. In this paper, current developments and research progress in the SCMR area are presented. Advantages of SCMR are analyzed by comparing it with the other wireless power transfer (WPT) technologies, and different analytic principles of SCMR are elaborated in depth and further compared. The hot research spots, including system architectures, frequency splitting phenomena, impedance matching and optimization designs are classified and elaborated. Finally, current research directions and development trends of SCMR are discussed.
Antibodies Against Gangliosides in the Serum of Patients Suffering from Multiple Sclerosis Compared with Healthy Individuals

We examined the sera of 56 patients with definite multiple sclerosis (MS) and 44 healthy individuals using ELISA, for investigating the probable correlation between IgM antibodies against GM1, GD1b and GQ1b gangliosides and clinical parameters of MS. Patients revealed pathological concentrations of the examined antibodies, while healthy controls demonstrated normal levels (p=0.0005). A probable correlation between anti-GD1b and anti-GM1 IgM levels with the progression of MS and a positive comparison between the duration and the disability have also been indicated. Further investigation should be established in order to provide insights on the potential autoantigenic role of gangliosides in MS.
The Social Relations Model: How to Understand Dyadic Processes

The social relations model (SRM) is an intriguing tool both to conceptualize and to analyze dyadic processes. We begin with explaining why interpersonal phenomena in everyday life are more complex than often considered. We then show how the SRM accounts for these complexities by decomposing interpersonal perceptions and behaviors into three independent components and describe the designs required to investigate these components. We then provide a step-by-step
FOX Algorithm Implementation: a hardware design approach

Encryption algorithms are becoming more necessary to ensure data is securely transmitted over insecure communication channels. FOX is a recently developed algorithm and its structure is based on the already proven IDEA (International Data Encryption Algorithm) cipher. FOX is a symmetric (private key) block cipher. Its top-level structure uses the Lai-Massey scheme and the round functions used in the scheme are substitution permutation networks (SPN). Its flexibility lies in the fact that it can be efficiently implemented in hardware and software. We report some of the first results of implementing the cipher on an FPGA.
P-Lint: A Permission Smell Detector for Android Applications

Android is built upon a permission-based structure, where apps require access to specific permissions in order to carry out specific functionality. While Android has provided a set of best practices intended to aid the developer in properly defining and manipulating these permissions on their source code, developers do not always adhere to these guidelines. Although some of the resulting issues may be minor and lead to slight user confusion, other mistakes may create more serious privacy and security related issues. We've defined improper usage of these permission best practices to be 'permission smells' to indicate possible permissions related syntactic issues and have created a tool P-Lint to assist in the identification of these smells on the source code. P-Lint's goal is to not only help developers create better, more secure apps by providing guidance on properly using permissions, but also in allowing researchers to better understand the common permission smells through empirical analysis on existing apps. P-Lint is available on our project website: https://p-lint.github. io.