Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: Best Evidence on "What Works" for Criminal Justice Decision Makers*

With the current emphasis on making "evidence-based policy," criminal justice policymakers today are under more pressure to use research in their decision making. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses can provide policymakers with reliable and comprehensive evidence about what works to reduce crime or improve justice. It is important that decision makers become more familiar with this method. In this article, we present a non-technical summary of systematic reviews. After discussing the need for different evidence to respond to different questions, we examine some of the challenges in locating "evidence. " A common method for reviewing literature—the narrative or traditional synthesis—contains a number of methodological flaws that have contributed to the current emphasis on rigorous or systematic reviewing techniques. We consider two policy-relevant examples of systematic reviews address- ing popular justice programs (Scared Straight and D.A.R.E.) and conclude with the argument that systematic reviews and meta-analyses offer the most useful information to decision makers who want to base their decisions on "what works" rather than ideology, tradition, politics, or anecdote.
Differential Fault Analysis against AES-192 and AES-256 with Minimal Faults

The naive implementation of AES is known to be vulnerable to Differential Fault Analysis (DFA). We can findthe key of AES-128 (AES with 128-bit key) with one pair of correct and faulty cipher texts. Recently several works on the extension of the attack to AES with 192 and 256-bit key have been published. Due to the longer key size and the characteristic of AES key schedule, we need subtle caution in attacking AES-192and AES-256. We propose new DFA against AES with 192 and256-bit key. We could retrieve AES-192 key with two pairs of correct and faulty cipher texts. With three pairs we could succeed in finding the key of AES-256. These are the minimal faults among the existing methods.
Weight groupings in the training of recurrent networks

We use the block-diagonal matrix to approximate the Hessian matrix in the Levenberg Marquardt method for the training of recurrent neural networks. Substantial improvement of the training time over the original Levenberg Marquardt method is observed without degrading the generalization ability. Three weight grouping methods, correlation blocks, k-unit blocks and layer blocks were investigated and compared. Their computational complexity, approximation ability, and training time are analyzed.
Birth of a healthy infant after preimplantation confirmation of euploidy by comparative genomic hybridization.

Embryos that are transferred after in vitro fertilization frequently fail to implant in the uterus; in many cases, this failure is due to chromosomal abnormalities in the embryo. The current methods of diagnosis of aneuploidy cannot detect many chromosomal abnormalities. This report on the case of a 38-year-old woman with a long history of infertility describes the use of comparative genomic hybridization to determine that all the chromosomes of a single embryo were free of aneuploidy, resulting in the birth of a healthy infant.
Interleaved coding and sequential transmission scheme for packet‐level forward error correction over burst loss channels

Burst packet loss is a common problem over wired and wireless networks and leads to a significant reduction in the performance of packet‐level forward error correction (FEC) schemes used to recover packet losses during transmission. Traditional FEC interleaving methods adopt the sequential coding‐interleaved transmission (SCIT) process to encode the FEC packets sequentially and reorder the packet transmission sequence. Consequently, the burst loss effect can be mitigated at the expense of an increased end‐to‐end delay. Alternatively, the reversed interleaving scheme, namely, interleaved coding‐sequential transmission (ICST), performs FEC coding in an interleaved manner and transmits the packets sequentially based on their generation order in the application. In this study, the analytical FEC model is constructed to evaluate the performance of the SCIT and ICST schemes. From the analysis results, it can be observed that the interleaving delay of ICST FEC is reduced by transmitting the source packets immediately as they arrive from the application. Accordingly, an Enhanced ICST scheme is further proposed to trade the saved interleaving time for a greater interleaving capacity, and the corresponding packet loss rate can be minimized under a given delay constraint. The simulation results show that the Enhanced ICST scheme achieves a lower packet loss rate and a higher peak signal‐to‐noise‐ratio than the traditional SCIT and ICST schemes for video streaming applications.
Testing the “Go or Grow” Hypothesis in Human Medulloblastoma Cell Lines in Two and Three Dimensions

OBJECTIVEThe “Go or Grow” hypothesis proposes that cell division and cell migration are temporally exclusive events and that tumor cells defer cell division to migrate. The purpose of this study was to assess the Go or Grow hypothesis using medulloblastoma cell lines in directional migration and invasion assays in monolayer and three-dimensional cultures. METHODSTime-lapse videomicroscopy was used to continually monitor the directional migration, invasion, and mitosis of individual cells. The mitotic activity observed by time-lapse videomicroscopy was compared with staining for the proliferating cell nuclear antigen Ki-67. RESULTSA positive correlation exists between the migratory/invasive and mitotic activities of the four medulloblastoma cell lines studied. Within individual cell lines, however, migration and invasion distances are not influenced by the number of cell divisions. Time-lapse videomicroscopy and Ki-67 staining revealed similar trends in mitotic activity between migrating and nonmigrating cells within cell lines. Analysis of cell velocities before, after, and between cell divisions revealed an increase in cell velocity after cell divisions. CONCLUSIONIn the models studied, four medulloblastoma cell lines do not defer cell proliferation for migration across an uncoated surface or invasion of a Type I collagen matrix, contrary to the Go or Grow hypothesis. Migrating and invading cells continue to proliferate and migrate/invade a cell line-dependent distance irrespective of the number of divisions that take place. These findings emphasize the need to evaluate the effect of future therapies on both biological events and, if possible, to identify intracellular signaling proteins that negatively regulate medulloblastoma migration/invasion and proliferation.
Effect of lambda packaging extract mcr restriction activity on DNA cloning.

The negative effect of bacteral mcrA and rncrB restriction activity on the cloning of methylated DNA has recently been demonstrated (1,2,3,4). In order to determine the effect of these restriction systems on lambda and cosmid packaging, a mcrA-,B-(5), hsd-(6), mrr-(7) packaging extract strain was constructed by P1 transduction. The extract prepared from this strain, Gigapack II, was tested against the restriction positive (mncrA+,B-) extract, Gigapack I, by comparing efficiencies in constructing a cosmid library. The results indicate that these restriction enzymes are active in lambda packaging extracts and can affect cloning efficiencies. The elimination of mcrA,B restriction activity from Gigapack II allowed a 2-3 fold increase in the number of cosmid clones obtained. Similar effects have been observed with lambda libraries (8). This effect has also been shown to increase as the extent of DNA methylation increases (8,9). The results demonstrate the importance of utilizing restriction deficient lambda packaging extracts for improved cloning efficiency and possibly genomic representation. Optimal results are obtained when both mcrA-,B- packaging extracts and plating strains are used.
Rule based classification of sputum images for early lung cancer detection

Lung cancer is one of the most serious diseases in the world with the smallest survival rate after diagnosis, and with a progressive increase in the number of deaths each year. Survival from lung cancer is directly related to its growth at its detection time. The early detection and treatment of lung cancer can greatly improve the survival rate of patients. We attempt to develop a computer aided diagnosis (CAD) system for early detection of lung cancer based on the analysis of the sputum color images. We need to resolve several problems to complete the development of such system. Classification is one of the important problems to be considered. In this paper, we present a feature extraction process followed by a rule based classification technique to classify the sputum cell into cancerous or normal cell. We used 100 sputum color images to test the rule based method. The performance criteria such as sensitivity, precision, specificity and accuracy were used to evaluate the proposed techniques. The evaluation demonstrated the advantages of the new technique.
Effects of trematode parasitism on the shell morphology of snails from flow and nonflow environments

The primary function of the gastropod shell is protection. However, shells that function well in one environment may be maladaptive in another. Upon infection, the snail shell protects internal parasites and it is to the parasite's advantage to optimize, or not interfere with, shell functionality. However, parasites, particularly trematodes, are often pathogenic and it is not clear if parasitism will induce environment‐dependent or ‐independent changes to gastropod shells. We conducted a field study and a complementary laboratory experiment to examine the effects of trematode parasitism on shell characteristics (shape, size, and crush resistance) of Physa acuta snails in flow and nonflow environments using geometric morphometrics and crush assays. Field results indicate wetland (nonflow) snails had large, crush resistant shells with narrow apertures and tall spires. In contrast, stream (flow) snails had small, weak shells with wide apertures and short spires. Parasitism had no apparent effect on the crush resistance of wetland snails but significantly reduced the crush resistance of stream snails. Parasitism had no significant effect on overall shell shape in stream or wetland snails. Similar to the results of our field study, nonflow tank snails had significantly more crush resistant shells than flow tank snails. Additionally, the shapes of flow and nonflow tank snails significantly differed where nonflow tank snails resembled wetland snails and flow tank snails resembled stream snails. For laboratory snails, parasitism reduced crush resistance regardless of flow/nonflow treatment. Our results demonstrate that habitat and/or flow treatment was the primary factor affecting P. acuta shell morphology and that trematode parasitism played a secondary role. J. Morphol. 277:316–325, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Heart rate during breath-holding and diving in the unrestrained harbor seal (Phoco vitulina richardi).

Heart rate and breathing movements have been monitored in three unrestrained harbor seals. On voluntary submergence heart rate fell markedly in all seals, and after 2–3 s submergence stabilized at about 40–50% of the predive level. Heart rate increased before the animals broke surface at the end of the dive and, when breathing began again, a postdive tachycardia was observed. Two of the three seals frequently showed anticipation of the dive as judged from their heart-rate response. Heart rate during feeding dives was generally more variable; in fact one seal exhibited no bradycardia in 20% of its feeding dives, although another seal showed a significantly greater bradycardia than was seen in routine dives. When breathing rate was low (less than five breaths min−1) respiratory variations in the heart rate occurred, although the onset of bradycardia was much more rapid during diving than during breath-holding. Because of the flexibility of the response it is concluded that the generation of diving bradycard.
Dietary Marine n-3 PUFAs Do Not Affect Stress-Induced Visceral Hypersensitivity in a Rat Maternal Separation Model.

BACKGROUND Although never evaluated for efficacy, n-3 (ω-3) long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) are commercially offered as treatment for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). OBJECTIVE This study was designed to investigate, in a mast cell-dependent model for visceral hypersensitivity, whether this pathophysiologic mechanism can be reversed by dietary LCPUFA treatment via peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARG) activation. METHODS Maternally separated rats were subjected to hypersensitivity-inducing acute stress at adult age. Reversal was attempted by protocols with tuna oil-supplemented diets [4% soy oil (SO) and 3% tuna oil (SO-T3) or 3% SO and 7% tuna oil (SO-T7)] and compared with control SO diets (7% or 10% SO) 4 wk after stress. The PPARG agonist rosiglitazone was evaluated in a 1 wk preventive protocol (30 mg · kg⁻¹ · d⁻¹). Erythrocytes were assessed to confirm LCPUFA uptake and tissue expression of lipoprotein lipase and glycerol kinase as indicators of PPARG activation. Colonic mast cell degranulation was evaluated by toluidine blue staining. In vitro, human mast cell line 1 (HMC-1) cells were pretreated with rosiglitazone, eicosapentaenoic acid, or docosahexaenoic acid, stimulated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and calcium ionophore or compound 48/80 and evaluated for tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and β-hexosaminidase release. RESULTS Stress led to visceral hypersensitivity in all groups. Hypersensitivity was not reversed by SO-T3 or control treatment [prestress vs. 24 h poststress vs. posttreatment area under the curve; 76 ± 4 vs. 128 ± 12 (P < 0.05) vs. 115 ± 14 and 82 ± 5 vs. 127 ± 16 (P < 0.01) vs. 113 ± 19, respectively]. Comparison of SO-T7 with its control showed similar results [74 ± 6 vs. 103 ± 13 (P < 0.05) vs. 115 ± 17 and 66 ± 3 vs. 103 ± 10 (P < 0.05) vs. 117 ± 11, respectively]. Erythrocytes showed significant LCPUFA uptake in the absence of colonic PPARG activation. Rosiglitazone induced increased PPARG target gene expression, but did not prevent hypersensitivity. Mast cell degranulation never differed between groups. Rosiglitazone and LCPUFAs significantly reduced PMA/calcium ionophore-induced TNF-α release but not degranulation of HMC-1 cells. CONCLUSION Dietary LCPUFAs did not reverse stress-induced visceral hypersensitivity in maternally separated rats. Although further research is needed, claims concerning LCPUFAs as a treatment option in IBS cannot be confirmed at this point and should be regarded with caution.
Active site residues critical for flavin binding and 5,6‐dimethylbenzimidazole biosynthesis in the flavin destructase enzyme BluB

The “flavin destructase” enzyme BluB catalyzes the unprecedented conversion of flavin mononucleotide (FMN) to 5,6‐dimethylbenzimidazole (DMB), a component of vitamin B12. Because of its unusual chemistry, the mechanism of this transformation has remained elusive. This study reports the identification of 12 mutant forms of BluB that have severely reduced catalytic function, though most retain the ability to bind flavin. The “flavin destructase” BluB is an unusual enzyme that fragments the flavin cofactor FMNH2 in the presence of oxygen to produce 5,6‐dimethylbenzimidazole (DMB), the lower axial ligand of vitamin B12 (cobalamin). Despite the similarities in sequence and structure between BluB and the nitroreductase and flavin oxidoreductase enzyme families, BluB is the only enzyme known to fragment a flavin isoalloxazine ring. To explore the catalytic residues involved in this unusual reaction, mutants of BluB impaired in DMB biosynthesis were identified in a genetic screen in the bacterium Sinorhizobium meliloti. Of the 16 unique point mutations identified in the screen, the majority were located in conserved residues in the active site or in the unique “lid” domain proposed to shield the active site from solvent. Steady‐state enzyme assays of 12 purified mutant proteins showed a significant reduction in DMB synthesis in all of the mutants, with eight completely defective in DMB production. Ten of these mutants have weaker binding affinities for both oxidized and reduced FMN, though only two have a significant effect on complex stability. These results implicate several conserved residues in BluB's unique ability to fragment FMNH2 and demonstrate the sensitivity of BluB's active site to structural perturbations. This work lays the foundation for mechanistic studies of this enzyme and further advances our understanding of the structure‐function relationship of BluB.
Reliability of the NICMAN Scale: An Instrument to Assess the Quality of Acupuncture Administered in Clinical Trials

Background The aim of this study was to examine the reliability of a scale to assess the methodological quality of acupuncture administered in clinical research. Methods We invited 36 acupuncture researchers and postgraduate students to participate in the study. Firstly, participants rated two articles using the scale. Following this initial stage, modifications were made to scale items and the exercise was repeated. Interrater reliability was assessed for individual items using the Fleiss kappa statistic, whilst the overall scale used the intraclass correlation coefficient statistic. A threshold agreement of ≥0.61 was acceptable. Results We received 26 responses and a 72% response rate. The first phase of testing found moderate reliability with intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.46 and 0.55 for the articles. The interrater reliability of the scales varied between and within the researchers (0.35, 0.60) and was more consistent with the postgraduate students (0.54, 0.54). Five items on the scale scored below the threshold and were revised for further testing. In this phase the intraclass correlation coefficient demonstrated variability between articles but improved to achieve reliability above the agreed threshold. Conclusion This study provides evidence of the reliability of the NICMAN scale although improvements to a small number of items remain.
Variant clinical course of mucopolysaccharidosis type VII in two groups of mice carrying the same mutation.

Mucopolysaccharidosis type VII (MPS VII) is a lysosomal storage disease caused by a deficiency in beta-glucuronidase. The disease has been well-characterized in B6.C-H-2bml/ByBir-gus(mps/mps) mice, which have proven to be an excellent model for the study of treatment modalities of storage diseases. However, because of the progressive nature of the disease, the mice deteriorate rapidly, have a greatly decreased life span, and are infertile. To increase fitness, B6.C-H-2bml/ByBir-gus(mps/+) were interbred with normal C3H mice. This study compares clinical findings, fertility, longevity, and gross and microscopic findings in the original strain with those in the F2 generation of the interbred strain.
Residue Asp-189 Controls both Substrate Binding and the Monovalent Cation Specificity of Thrombin*

Residue Asp-189 plays an important dual role in thrombin: it defines the primary specificity for Arg side chains and participates indirectly in the coordination of Na+. The former role is shared by other proteases with trypsin-like specificity, whereas the latter is unique to Na+-activated proteases in blood coagulation and the complement system. Replacement of Asp-189 with Ala, Asn, Glu, and Ser drastically reduces the specificity toward substrates carrying Arg or Lys at P1, whereas it has little or no effect toward the hydrolysis of substrates carrying Phe at P1. These findings confirm the important role of Asp-189 in substrate recognition by trypsin-like proteases. The substitutions also affect significantly and unexpectedly the monovalent cation specificity of the enzyme. The Ala and Asn mutations abrogate monovalent cation binding, whereas the Ser and Glu mutations change the monovalent cation preference from Na+ to the smaller cation Li+ or to the larger cation Rb+, respectively. The observation that a single amino acid substitution can alter the monovalent cation specificity of thrombin from Na+ (Asp-189) to Li+ (Ser-189) or Rb+ (Glu-189) is unprecedented in the realm of monovalent cation-activated enzymes.
CMOS imaging for biomedical applications

CMOS photodetectors and imaging systems have shown that they possess adequate performance characteristics to replace CCDs or PMTs in some biomedical applications, thereby providing low power, portable, and cheap integrated bioimaging systems. Some advanced solutions, like novel active pixel sensors that detect ultra-low light levels, and avalanche photodiodes that are integrated in CMOS and perform single photon detection, are addressed in this paper.
An ontology-based approach for on-site integrated environmental and health and safety management

Article publicat originalment a "Revista ingenieria de construccion", vol. 27, num. 3, Desembre 2012, p. 103-127. ISSN 0716 - 2952. http://www.ricuc. cl/index.php/ric/article/view/417/pdf
Influence of different dialogue situations on user²s behavior in spoken corrections

This study analyzes the acoustic-prosodic features observed in spoken corrections in a task-oriented spoken dialogue. While previous studies have been found that spoken corrections are often predicted as hyperarticulate speech and related to some acoustic-prosodic events, their close analysis were not shown in terms of various dialogue situations in practical spoken dialogue systems and tasks. In this study, a set of spoken dialogue data was collected through both a fully operational spoken dialogue system and a human-human dialogue task with the same task setup. In addition, the inﬂuence of a concurrent task of speaking and car-driving on the prosodic features is investigated. The results of statistical analysis and a preliminary experiment of automatic classiﬁcation showed that the characteristics of the prosodic features differ in the different dialogue situations while some ﬁnding are consistent with the observation in the previous studies in human-human and human-machine interactions.
HoneyString: an improved methodology over tag digit-based honeypot to detect shoulder surfing attack

Shoulder surfing attack is often a matter of concern if one is using a public computer system to submit her login credentials. Many methodologies have been proposed by the researchers to prevent such attack. Most of the schemes require high cognitive skills from user end and due to that these schemes are less implementable in real life scenario. So instead of prevention, we work on developing detection of shoulder surfing attack as the detection scheme requires less cognitive overhead than prevention schemes. In this paper, we have proposed a detection mechanism termed as HoneyString which overcomes the limitation of previously proposed tag digit-based scheme. HoneyString provides robust security against DoS attack which was a limitation in the previously proposed scheme. A comparative analysis shows that the proposed scheme has higher detection rate and requires less login time than the existing scheme.