Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association between eNOS 4 b / a polymorphism and susceptibility of pulmonary hypertension : a meta-analysis of 6 studies

Background: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is one of the most common types of vascular diseases. Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS3) is suspected to be related to PH risk. Recently, many studies have investigated the relationship between NOS3 4b/a polymorphism and PH risk, but the results were controversial and inconclusive. Method: A meta-analysis was performed by searching electronic databases and bibliographies of related articles until October 2015. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals were determined by fixed or randomeffects model according to the respective heterogeneity. Subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis were employed to examine potential source of heterogeneity. Egger’s and Begg’s tests were done to detect publication biases. Results: Six case-control studies, containing 198 cases and 250 controls, were included in this meta-analysis. A significant difference was found in the homozygote comparison (4a/a vs 4b/b) by fixed-effects model. The pooled OR was 3.83 (95% CI=1.33-11.02, POR=0.01, Pheterogeneity=0.63, I 2=0.0%). When comparing the recessive model (4a/a vs 4b/b+4b/a), a tendency of increasing risk of PH to the individuals with the genotype of 4a/a compared to those with the genotype 4b/b or 4b/a was found. The pooled OR by fixed-effects mode was 2.55 (95% CI=0.95-6.88, POR=0.06, Pheterogeneity=0.89, I 2=0.0%). However, no statistically significant differences were observed for 4b/a vs 4b/b or (4a/a+4b/a) vs 4b/b. Conclusion: An increasing susceptibility between NOS3 4b/a polymorphism and PH risk was found in this study. Individuals with the genotype of 4a/a have an obviously higher risk of developing PH than those with the genotype of 4b/b.
Individual differences in speakers ’ gesture spaces : Multi-angle views from a motion-capture study

The approach presented in this paper aims to contribute to an account of the three-dimensionality of gesture space. Here, gesture space is assumed to be dynamically constructed and adaptive to the communicative situation. Making use of an optical motion-capture system, volumetric representations of gesture spaces were generated, based on gesture data from semistructured interviews with four participants. The data were coded according to gesture phases and the gestures’ communicative functions. We compare speakers’ gesture rates and spatial distribution of gestures, both of which vary strongly across speakers.
Environmental Insults on Spermatogenesis 11

C. Racowsky et al. (eds.), Biennial Review of Infertility: Volume 2, DOI 10.1007/978-1-4419-8456-2_11, © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2011 Abstract The frequency of defective spermatogenesis and accompanying decreases in sperm parameters such as sperm count and motility appears to be on the increase. Arguably one of the most compelling reasons for this phenomenon is the influence of environmental factors on male reproduction. Despite spermatogenesis being a function of only the mature testis, environmental insults during maternal, perinatal, and prepubertal phases can indirectly influence eventual sperm production in the adult male. It is believed that exposure during these phases of the developing testis leads to irreversible effects on spermatogenesis, while the accompanying effects of adulthood exposure are in all probability reversible. This chapter explores the various environmental factors that can influence spermatogenesis, both directly and indirectly (i.e., exposure during all the stages from the developing fetus all the way up to and in the adult male). In this overview, not only are the effects of environmental chemicals and toxins discussed, but the focus is also on several lifestyle factors and occupational exposure that can impinge on the process of sperm production. Furthermore, the role of epigenetic defects that can result in defects in transgenerational inheritance due to environmental insults is also investigated briefly. Despite the lack of conclusive studies, it is evident from this overview that there are enough compelling reasons to believe that the future of male gamete production may be actively affected by the environment.
Huatuo Zaizao pill improves neurological function by enhancing angiogenesis in stroke rats

Huatuo Zaizao pill (HT), a traditional Chinese medicine, is widely used in China for the treatment of stroke patients. This study investigated the effect of HT on neurological function, ischemic area and angiogenesis in a rat model of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. Male rats were underwent a middle cerebral artery occlusion followed by reperfusion. Then the rats received intragastrically vehicle (for the sham group and model group) or HT (0.5, 1.0, or 2.0 g/kg), respectively. Neurological function was assessed by the Longa’s method after 7-day treatment. Ischemic area was evaluated via triphenyl tetrazolium chloride staining. Double immunofluorescence staining for 4’,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole and von Willebrand factor (vWF) was performed. Protein expressions of hypoxia inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), angiopoietin-1 (Ang1), vascular endothelial receptor tyrosine kinase Tie2, stromal cell derived factor-1 (SDF-1), and CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) in the peri-infarct regions of cortex were analyzed by Western blotting. Compared with the model group, treatment with HT improved the neurological function and reduced the brain ischemic area in cerebral I/R-injured rats. The number of vWF positive vessels was significantly increased in the HT groups as compared with the model group. Levels of HIF-1α, VEGF, Ang-1/p-Tie2 and SDF-1/CXCR4 were also enhanced after the 7-day HT treatment. These findings indicate that HT treatment could reduce the ischemic area and improve neurological function after stroke by enhancing angiogenesis.
Cyclin D 1 activation through ATF-2 in Reg-induced pancreatic b-cell regeneration

Regenerating gene product (Reg) is induced in pancreatic b-cells and acts as an autocrine/paracrine growth factor for regeneration via a cell surface Reg receptor. However, the manner by which Reg induces b-cell regeneration was unknown. In the present study, we found that Reg increased phospho-ATF2, which binds to 57 to 52 of the cyclin D1 gene to activate the promoter. The Reg/ATF-2-induced cyclin D1 promoter activation was attenuated by PI(3)K inhibitors such as LY294002 and wortmannin. In Reg knockout mouse islets, the levels of phospho-ATF-2, cyclin D1, and phospho-Rb were greatly decreased. These results indicate that the Reg–Reg receptor system stimulates the PI(3)K/ATF-2/cyclin D1 signaling pathway to induce b-cell regeneration. 2005 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Is There Any Efficiency Difference between Input and Output Oriented DEA Models : An Approach to Major Ports in India

In this paper, an attempt has been made to measure the efficiency difference between input and output oriented Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) models for major ports in India over the period of 1993 2013. It was assumed that there is no difference between the efficiency of ports based on its orientation i.e. either input oriented or output oriented. Based on the empirical results, the operational efficiency of the ports like JNPT, Kandla, Mormugao and Ennore was observed as efficient ports in both the orientation. Thus can be conclude that there is no difference in efficiency identification of Decision Making Units (DMUs). The results also indicates that steps to be taken to strengthen the operation of inefficient ports, more specifically to upgrade the infrastructure of the ports, some ports need technological improvement. However the caution should be taken while interpreting the efficient ports like JNPT, Kandla, Mormugao and Tuticorin, they may be better in comparison to the other ports in India but may not be the same, when compared with world ports. This should strive for still better operational to be at par with efficient ports in rest parts of the world.
Geometry of isotropic convex bodies and the slicing problem

Lecture notes for the introductory workshop of the program “Geometric Functional Analysis and Applications” at the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute, Fall 2017. We present the main results on the geometry of isotropic convex bodies. The emphasis is on the slicing problem, a well-known open question regarding the distribution of volume in high-dimensional convex bodies.
Measurement of spray trajectories using phase retrieval holography

Gabor holography is widely used to measure a three-dimensional distribution and shape of spray droplets. However, this method has a twin image problem causes low contrast reconstructed droplets at focused positions from lack of the phase information. Phase retrieval holography is one of the methods can retrieve the information using several holograms with each different position in the optical axis. In this study, we measured droplet trajectories sprayed from two nebulizers with phase retrieval holography with two high-speed cameras (FASTCAM Mini UX100, Photron, frame rate: 4000 fps, image size: 1024 × 1024 pixel2 and cell size: 10 μm). Two holograms of droplets sprayed from two nebulizers were recorded by two cameras with telecentric lenses (lens magnification of 0.5, VS-LTC05-130/FS, VS Technology) and He-Ne laser (wave length: 632.8 nm). Droplets with the mode diameter of dD = 28.3 μm were sprayed, and the mode velocity, U, was 0.65 m/sec. The value of Reynolds number, Re, was 0.123, defined as Re = U dD /υ. The observation volume with 20.48 × 20.48 × 160 mm3 was reconstructed by the retrieved hologram. We compare volume intensities of Gabor method and phase retrieval method to validate the suppression of twin image problem. In the intensity histogram, the zero value of intensity as the droplet in phase retrieval method is higher than that of Gabor method due to suppression of twin image problem. Droplet trajectories were also obtained by an intensity thresholding at the zero value. It is found that trajectories of this method are clearer than that of conventional Gabor method.
Proceedings of Applied International Business Conference 2008 BANK, STOCK MARKET, AND ECONOMIC GROWTH IN MALAYSIA

This study examines the impact of bank development and stock market development on economic growth in Malaysia using time series data. The results of Johansen (1988) (J) cointegration method show that there is a long-run relationship between economic growth and its determinants. An increase in bank development or stock market development will lead to an increase in economic growth. Moreover, there is some evidence that stock market development is found to have a more influential impact on economic growth than bank development in the long run. The results of the error correction model (ECM) show bank development and stock market development to have a significant impact on economic growth in the short run. There is some evidence that economic growth Granger causes bank development and stock market development and not vice versa. Generally, bank development and stock market development are important to affect economic growth.
A Gesture Recognition System using Smartphones

The need to improve communication between humans and computers has been instrumental in deﬁning new modalities of communication, and accordingly new ways of interacting with machines. Humans use gestures as a means of communication. The best example of communication through gestures is given by sign languages. With the latest generation of smartphones boasting powerful processors and built-in video cameras it becomes possible to develop complex and computational expensive applications such as a gesture recognition system. We present a gesture recognition prototype system for smart-phones. We describe two segmentation processes, based on RGB and HSI color spaces, used to distinguish between foreground and background objects and conclude that RGB based rules outperform those of HSI. A model based representation alongside a template based technique were developed for hand posture classiﬁcation. Comparison between methods evidences the latter superior recognition rates. We employed hidden Markov models to model the sequences of hand postures that form gestures. Hidden Markov models proved to be an eﬃcient tool for dealing with uncertainty due to their probabilistic nature. We trained a set of three gestures and based on user interaction obtained an average recognition rate of 83 . 3%. We concluded that the latest smartphone generation is capable of executing complex image processing applications, with the most penalizing factor being camera performance regarding capture rates.
Fake Iris Detection Method based on Reflectance Ratio between Iris and Sclera as Wavelength Variation

Fake Iris Detection Method based on Reflectance Ratio between Iris and Sclera as Wavelength Variation Sungjoo Lee Graduate Program in Biometrics The Graduate School Yonsei University In this thesis, we propose a fake iris detection method for the iris recognition systems. In order to detect the fake iris, we measured the changes in the reflectance ratio between the iris and the sclera. The reflectance of live iris increases when the wavelength of illumination increase from 750nm to 850nm but the reflectance of live sclera slightly decreases as the wavelength of illumination increases from 750nm to 850nm. In live iris, therefore, the reflectance ratio between the iris and the sclera increases as the wavelength increases from 750nm to 850nm. However, in fake iris, the reflectance ratio doesn’t increase as much as live iris since fake iris cannot have unique reflectance properties of live iris and sclera. In order to measure the reflectance ratio quantitatively, we vi take account of the geometry of the camera and illumination and the reflectance model. As a result, we can measure the reflectance ratio as the brightness ratio between the iris and the sclera that are located close to the outer boundary of the iris. To compare a fake iris with a live iris, we produce four types of fake irises: printed iris, artificial eye, contact lens and circle contact lens. From experimental results, we prove that proposed fake iris detection method achieved high performance when distinguishing between live iris and fake iris. Error rate of accepting the fake iris as live one is 0% and error rate of rejecting the live iris as fake one is 0.36%.
Evaluative costs of confronting positive racial stereotypes

Past research on confronting racial prejudice has largely examined negative racial stereotypes. In the present work, we investigate perceiver and target perspectives associated with the evaluative costs of confronting positive racial stereotypes. We demonstrate that, in general, Asian Americans and African Americans who confront positive racial stereotypes suffer higher evaluative costs compared to targets who confront negative racial stereotypes and those who do not confront due, in part, to the lower perceived offensiveness of positive stereotypes (Studies 1 and 2). Moreover, Asian American and African American participants report lower confrontation intentions and higher anticipated evaluative costs for confronting positive, compared to negative, stereotypes. Furthermore, higher perceived offensiveness and lower anticipated favorable evaluations serially mediate the relationship between stereotype valence and confrontation intentions (Study 3). Overall, this research extends our understanding of the evaluative costs associated with confronting prejudice, with important downstream consequences regarding the continued prevalence of positive racial stereotypes.
An Effective Level Set-based Method for the Design of Extrudable Structures

Extrusion is a manufacturing technique that creates products with constant cross sections. The extrusion process is widely employed to reduce cost. The conventional structure optimization approaches are typically failed to deal with this particular manufacture constraint. Therefore, this paper presents an effective level set method for the optimal design of structures with extrusion constraint. The free boundary of the structure is embedded into a higher-dimensional level set function, which can be used to implement the structural shape and topology optimization simultaneously. The compactly supported radial basis functions (CS-RBFs) are introduced to convert the conventional level set method to an easier parameterization form. Discrete wavelets transform (DWT) approximation is utilized to produce a sparser linear system to accelerate the fitting and evaluation operations arise from the parametric formulation. Furthermore, a cross section projection strategy is applied to reduce the design variables and satisfy the extrusion constraint. Several numerical examples are provided.
INEQUALITIES OF KARAMATA , SCHUR AND MUIRHEAD , AND SOME APPLICATIONS

Three classical general inequalities—those of Karamata, Schur and Muirhead—are proved in this article. They can be used in proving other inequalities, particularly those appearing as problems in mathematical competitions, including International Mathematical Olympiads. Some problems of this kind are given as examples. Several related inequalities—those of Petrović, Steffensen and Szegö—are treated, as well. ZDM Subject Classification: H34; AMS Subject Classification: 00A 35
CASTING ROUTES FOR POROUS METALS WITH REGULAR AND IRREGULAR STRUCTURE

The subject of the performed research was testing infiltration techniques to manufacture metal foams with different cellular structure. Two procedures are used to create porous metal structures: Infiltration of liquid metal into the mould cavity filled with precursors or preforms and two stage investment casting. Regular cellular structure can be achieved using different types of performs, which fill the mould cavity. Using preform like a core not filling the whole mould cavity can enable to manufacture a casting with solid surface layer and internal porous structure. The preform must satisfy a certain number of criteria. In particular it must not contain disconnected islands of material so that it could be completely eliminated from the solidified metal. It must be made of a material that retains its shape during liquid metal infiltration (sufficient strength, low abrasion) and could be destroyed after casting to leave the porosities. According to the two stage investment casting process, a polymer foam e.g. polyurethane foam is used as a “lost foam pattern” The obtained castings are the exact replicates of the original polymer foam and have the highest porosities (80-97%). This type of foam provides a very promising application for example in the filtration of liquid metals.
The MECP 2 Duplication Syndrome

In this review, we detail the history, molecular diagnosis, epidemiology, and clinical features of the MECP2 duplication syndrome, including considerations for the care of patients with this X-linked neurodevelopmental disorder. MECP2 duplication syndrome is 100% penetrant in affected males and is associated with infantile hypotonia, severe to profound mental retardation, autism or autistic features, poor speech development, recurrent infections, epilepsy, progressive spasticity, and, in some cases, developmental regression. Most of the reported cases are inherited, however, de novo cases have been documented. While carrier females have been reported to be unaffected, more recent research demonstrates that despite normal intelligence, female carriers display a range of neuropsychiatric phenotypes that predate the birth of an affected son. Given what we know of the syndrome to date, we propose that genetic testing is warranted in cases of males with infantile hypotonia and in cases of boys with mental retardation and autistic features with or without recurrent infections, progressive spasticity, epilepsy, or developmental regression. We discuss recommendations for clinical management and surveillance as well as the need for further clinical, genotype–phenotype, and molecular studies to assist the patients and their families who are affected by this syndrome.
Multi-Focusing stacking using the Very Fast Simulated Annealing global optimization algorithm

Multi-Focusing (MF) is a non-CMP based highly effective multi-coverage zero-offset stacking algorithm and has been utilized to generate very detailed and high-resolution images for comprehensive interpretation from geologically complex areas. However, currently, the implementation of Multi-Focusing comprise several isolated steps and also lacks an efficient optimization component. In a two-dimensional case, MF time correction depends on three kinematic attributes measured at the central point. Determining global optimal parameters of MF move-out correction is a very important and crucial step of the MF stacking, especially for complex structures and low-fold data. It is a nonlinear three-dimensional optimization problem and can be addressed by adopting a Very Fast Simulated Annealing (VFSA) optimization approach. We investigate the potential of using VFSA to optimize the estimation of MF parameters. The stacking velocity model derived from conventional velocity analysis is used to determine the lower and upper bound constraints of the VFSA search range for normal incidence point wave (RNIP). We also used a global optimization strategy to speed up the accuracy and convergence of VFSA method. The results of applying MF on a synthetic data show that our proposed method improves the quality of time imaging and alignment of reflection events compared to the conventional CMP processing.
“ Innovative Wafer Level Packaging Manufacturing with FlexLine TM ” by

The demand for Wafer Level Chip Scale Packages (WLCSP) has experienced tremendous growth due to the surge in demand for advanced mobile products. The increased demand is seen for both 200mm wafers and 300mm wafers, however a significant segment of the market continues to be driven by 200mm designs. The infrastructure capacity supporting 200mm WLCSP has been stressed as a result of the mature status of 200mm technology and the rate of conversion of alternative package formats to WLCSP. This creates a dilemma for WLP service providers because adding 200mm capacity continues to require a significant amount of capital. Since 200mm volumes will most likely decline within the next 5 years, it is difficult to justify the use of capital when the depreciation term is longer than the anticipated life cycle of
Performance Assessment of Artificial Neural Network Classifier for Predicting Movement and Laterality of Deep Brain Local Field Potential

Human voluntary and involuntary movement and subsequent laterality are closely related with neural synchrony of brain which is an indispensable part of Brain Machine Interface (BMI) research. The objective of this study, therefore aimed to decode deep brain local field potentials (LFPs) related to movements and its laterality, left or right sided visually cued movements. Frequency related components were extracted using the wavelet packet transform (WPT). Signal features were computed as the instantaneous power of each component using the Hilbert Transform with defined windows for motor response. Finally, classification was performed for predicting movement (Event vs. Rest) and its laterality (Left vs. Right) state using Feed forward Back propagation based Artificial Neural Network (FBANN). Classification performance was evaluated using 10-fold cross validation technique to identify the robustness. After optimizing parameters, overall average correct classification rate reached to 94.26±4.3% for movement and 85.62 ±8.90% for laterality. Considering the classification accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, FBANN classifier successfully achieved better than chance level. The proposed modality and computational process may promisingly effective and powerful method for improving BMI applications.