Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Make Some ROOM for the Zeros: Data Sparsity in Secure Distributed Machine Learning

Exploiting data sparsity is crucial for the scalability of many data analysis tasks. However, while there is an increasing interest in efficient secure computation protocols for distributed machine learning, data sparsity has so far not been considered in a principled way in that setting. We propose sparse data structures together with their corresponding secure computation protocols to address common data analysis tasks while utilizing data sparsity. In particular, we define a Read-Only Oblivious Map primitive (ROOM) for accessing elements in sparse structures, and present several instantiations of this primitive with different trade-offs. Then, using ROOM as a building block, we propose protocols for basic linear algebra operations such as Gather, Scatter, and multiple variants of sparse matrix multiplication. Our protocols are easily composable by using secret sharing. We leverage this, at the highest level of abstraction, to build secure protocols for non-parametric models (k-nearest neighbors and naive Bayes classification) and parametric models (logistic regression) that enable secure analysis on high-dimensional datasets. The experimental evaluation of our protocol implementations demonstrates a manyfold improvement in the efficiency over state-of-the-art techniques across all applications. Our system is designed and built mirroring the modular architecture in scientific computing and machine learning frameworks, and inspired by the Sparse BLAS standard.
Exploring Interfaces and Interactions for Graph-based Architectural Modelling in VR

The current integration of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality in architectural design tasks is mostly limited to visualisation purposes. The designer typically has to go back and forth between the immersive application and the traditional desktop software. We believe that the resulting work ow is too complex to be used in practice, and greatly limits the adoption of those technologies. We started working on providing more e cient VR design environments through a parametric modelling bridge linking existing software to the HTC Vive, but further work is needed on the subject. In particular, in the context of this workshop on multimodal interfaces, we will work on nding appropriate interaction with graph-based parametric models in these immersive 3D environments.
Solvent consumption in non-catalytic alcohol solvolysis of biorefinery lignin

Lignin solvolysis in supercritical alcohols provides a method for producing a deoxygenated liquid bio-oil. Solvent consumption is however inevitable and due to the high cost of alcohols, relative to a bio-oil product, it can hinder commercial viability. In order to investigate the reactions of solvent consumption we studied solvolysis of biorefinery lignin in several primary alcohols. Lignin solvolysis in methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol and 1-butanol performed similarly with respect to bio-oil composition; however, methanol gave much lower bio-oil yield. Solvent consumption increases with reaction temperature for all alcohols and from 10 wt% at 300 °C to 35 wt% at 400 °C when using ethanol. The mechanism for solvent consumption was found mainly to take place through three different reactions: direct decomposition to gas through decarbonylation, formation of light condensation products and incorporation of the alcohol into the bio-oil through covalent bonding. Incorporation of the alcohol into the depolymerised oil product by covalent bonding may be a desirable effect which contributes to increased oil yield, inhibition of repolymerisation, reduced oxygen content and elimination of acidity.
Explorer Predicting Group Satisfaction in Meeting Discussions

We address the task of automatically predicting group satisfaction in meetings using acoustic, lexical, and turn-taking features. Participant satisfaction is measured using post-meeting ratings from the AMI corpus. We focus on predicting three aspects of satisfaction: overall satisfaction, participant attention satisfaction, and information overload. All predictions are made at the aggregated group level. In general, we find that combining features across modalities improves prediction performance. However, feature ablation significantly improves performance. Our experiments also show how data-driven methods can be used to explore how different facets of group satisfaction are expressed through different modalities. For example, inclusion of prosodic features improves prediction of attention satisfaction but hinders prediction of overall satisfaction, but the opposite for lexical features. Moreover, feelings of sufficient attention were better reflected by acoustic features than by speaking time, while information overload was better reflected by specific lexical cues and turn-taking patterns. Overall, this study indicates that group affect can be revealed as much by how participants speak, as by what they say.
Cowpea Vicilins: Fractionation of Urea Denatured Sub-Units and Effects on Callosobruchus maculatus F. (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) Development

Vicilins (7S storage globulins) isolated from cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) seeds which were susceptible (S) and resistant (R) to the cowpea weevil (Callosobruchus maculatus F., Coleoptera: Bruchidae) were denatured by urea and fractionated by ion-exchange chromatography. Isolated fractions were incorporated in artificial seeds for assessment of their toxicity to C. maculatus. The most acidic fractions of both susceptible (CE-31 cultivar) and resistant (IT81D-1045 line) seeds were shown to affect development and survival of the bruchid. Results indicated that vicilin polypeptides of toxic nature were expressed in both types of storage globulins although at different levels.
Pneumothorax Detection and Localization in Chest Radiographs: A Comparison of Deep Learning Approaches

Pneumothorax is a critical condition that requires timely communication and immediate action in order to prevent significant morbidity or patient death. Thus, early detection is crucial. For the task of pneumothorax detection, we measured the performance of three different deep learning techniques: convolutional neural networks, fully convolutional networks, and multiple-instance learning. In a five-fold cross-validation with ROC analysis on a dataset consisting of 1003 chest X-Ray images we measured AUCs of 0.96, 0.92, and 0.93 for the three methods, respectively. We discuss the classification as well as localization performance of these approaches as well as an ensemble of aforementioned techniques.
Biopesticides and their mode of action against insect pests: A review

Biopesticides including entomopathogenic viruses, bacteria, fungi, nematodes, and plant secondary metabolites, are gaining increasing importance as they are alternatives to chemical pesticides and are a major component of many pest control programs. The virulence of various biopesticides such as nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPV), bacteria, and plant product were tested under laboratory conditions very successfully and the selected ones were also evaluated under field conditions with major success. Biopesticide products (including beneficial insects) are now available commercially for the control of pest and diseases. The overall aim of biopesticide research is to make these biopesticide products available at farm level at an affordable price, and this would become a possible tool in the integrated pest management strategy. Moreover, biopesticide research is still going on and further research is needed in many aspects including bioformulation and areas such as commercialization. There has been a substantial renewal of commercial interest in biopesticides as demon- strated by the considerable number of agreements between pesticide com- panies and bioproduct companies which allow the development of effective biopesticides in the market. This paper has reviewed the important and basic defection of major biopesticides in the past. The future prospects for the development of new biopesticides are also discussed.
PHYTOCHEMICAL, GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY-MASS SPECTROMETRY PROFILING AND FREE RADICAL SCAVENGING ACTIVITY OF EXOCARPOS LONGIFOLIUS (SANTALACEAE) EXTRACTS

Objective: The objectives of the study were to investigate phytochemical screening and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) profiling of twigs and leaves of Exocarpos longifolius and its 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging activity.Methods: Phytochemical screening covering saponins, alkaloids, terpenoids, flavonoids, and tannins were carried out by standard methods. The free radical scavenging activity was performed by thin-layer chromatography - bioautography, followed by determining the IC50 values of active extracts. Chemical compounds of active extract were examined by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.Results: The phytochemical screening revealed that all extracts have been shown to contain tannins and terpenoids, saponins were found in the methanol extract of twigs, and alkaloids were found in the ethyl acetate extracts of twigs and leaves, while flavonoids were found in the methanol extract and ethyl acetate extracts of twigs and leaves of E. longifolius. Ethyl acetate extract of twigs showed the best of IC50 value (15.65 μg/mL), while ethyl acetate extract of leaves and methanol extract of twigs have strong free radical scavenging activity which IC50 were 78.59 and 67.24 μg/mL, respectively. The GC-MS analysis of ethyl acetate extract of twigs has shown the presence of 12 identified compounds, and the main chemical compound is Stigmast-4-en-3-one (21.91%). Conclusions: The ethyl acetate extract of E. longifolius showed a very powerful free radical scavenging activity and revealed chemical compounds had been known to have biological activity. It might be used as a natural antioxidant.
ELECTROLYTE IMBALANCES IN NURSING HOME RESIDENTS: A REVIEW OF PREVALENCE, MANAGEMENT AND CONSIDERATIONS

Background: Electrolyte imbalances strongly impact on morbidity and mortality rate in elderly adults. In particular, residents of long-term care facilities may develop life-threatening conditions as a result of altered serum electrolyte concentration. European nursing homes have restricted availability of general practitioner, therefore the role of nurses in medical care, prevention practices, early symptoms identification and communication with physicians is indispensable. Many of the risk factors associated with electrolyte imbalances are modifiable or preventable and have to be adequately recognized and managed by health professionals in nursing home settings. Objective: The aim of this review is to discuss prevalence and management of electrolyte imbalances in long-term care facilities with focus on nursing homes. Design: Narrative literature review. Methods: Search was performed in MEDLINE/PubMed and CINAHL databases. Key search terms associated with electrolyte imbalances including hyperand hypo-states of sodium, potassium and magnesium were utilized in the subject search in combination with nursing homes, long-term care and older adults. Results and Conclusions: Published research studies reported higher prevalence of electrolyte imbalances and related mortality rate in nursing home residents when compared to older community adults. Serum sodium imbalances, hyponatremia and hypernatremia, were the most commonly identified. High incidence was also documented for hypomagnesemia and associated hypokalemia. Risk factors strongly associated with electrolyte imbalances included nursing home resident’s dietary/ hydration status, presence of comorbidities and type of prescribed medications. In this review we also summarise early signs of electrolyte imbalances and assessments that can be performed locally by nursing personnel. Strengthening awareness for electrolyte imbalances is an important quality-improvement effort from the perspective of nursing home residents and their families that might lower unnecessary hospital transfers, EI complication rates and residents’ mortality.
Title In vivo investigation of filter order influence in eigen-basedclutter filtering for color flow imaging

Eigen-based adaptive filters have shown potential for providing a superior attenuation of clutter in color flow imaging. Critical for the success of this technique is the correct selection of filter order. In this work we review and compare filter order selection schemes for eigen-based filters in an in vivo context. Data was acquired from a thyroid tumor (PRF = 250 Hz, ensemble size = 12), where substantial tissue movement was present due to carotid artery pulsations, respiratory movements, and probe navigation. Eigen-filtering performance was evaluated for 1) an eigenvalue spectrum threshold, 2) a threshold on the ratio of successive eigenvalues, and 3) a threshold on eigenvector mean frequency estimated by the autocorrelation approach. Based on the observed eigenvalue and eigen-frequency distributions in analytical and in vivo examples, all filter order algorithms investigated suffered from potential pitfalls in specific Doppler scenarios. In the in vivo examples, the fixed order eigenfilter gave a sufficient suppression of clutter, but also removed substantial blood signal. Thresholding the ratio of eigenvalues better retained signal from blood, but also spurious artifacts was observed. The most consistent results were achieved by thresholding the mean frequency of the eigenvectors. The results demonstrate that given a suitable filter order algorithm, robust filtering can be achieved with the eigen-based approach.
Ethics as a Quality Driver in Agile Software Projects

Comparing two software development teams working on similar projects in a large software company, this research study focuses on the question as to whether the implementation of ethical tools in the software development process serves as a quality driver. Is ethics a quality driver in Agile development processes? The findings of the present study indicate that there is a significant correlation between the inclusion of ethical tools in the process of planning in Agile methodologies and the achievement of improved performance in three quality parameters: schedule, product functionality and cost. Theoretically, the connection between ethics and quality is important. Practically, this study’s findings show that the inclusion of ethical tools in Agile software projects can improve the quality of a project.
Influence of land use on carbon sequestration and erosion in Mexico , a review 1

To reduce the impact of human activities on soil erosion and to increase C sequestration, a series of alternative systems have been tested in recent years on hillside agriculture in Mexico. Among other systems, conservation tillage and intercropping staple crops and fruit trees have been successful. Since accumulation of C occurs in those systems, it is concluded that the rate of C entrance to the soil-plant exceeds the rate of C exit. The identification and understanding of the structure of such a system, its components, and the role of each one of these components, is fundamental to intervening in order to enhance reduction of soil erosion and C sequestration. A summary of experiments on this subject collected in Mexico is presented in the present paper. The most striking findings are: hillside agricultural systems can store, and probably sequester, as much C as secondary native forestry systems, and soil erosion and C losses are small when proper management systems are applied.
A LOW Ca ”-REQUIRING PROTEASE , FROM HUMAN ERYTHROCYTES : PURIFICATION AND SUBUNIT STRUCTURE

Calpain I (EC 3.4.22. 1 7; Ca“-dependent cysteine proteinase) was purified to apparent homogeneity from the cytosol fraction of human erythrocytes by chromatographic procedures. The yield was 5 mg from one liter of blood. Purified calpain I had an isoelectric point of 5.25. It was half-maximally activated by 2.3 ,uM Ca“. Calpain I was composed of two subunits of 85 kDa and 29 kDa, having a molar ratio of 1 : 1. These subunits were separated by ion-exchange chromatography in the presence of 6 M urea, which permitted, for the first time, comparisons of the two subunits. Although an identical isoelectric point of 5.00 was recorded for both subunits, they were shown to have dissimilar amino acid compositions. Thus, the two subunits are physically as well as chemically distinct proteins. Calpain (EC 3.4.22.l7; Ca“-dependent cysteine proteinase) is a cytosolic protease, and has been said to be involved in various Ca“-induced processes (1, 3, 8, 9, 14, 18, 20, 22, 23). Two forms of calpain are known to exist which differ in Ca“-requirement, calpain I requiring low and calpain II high Ca“ (4, 13, 20). These two calpains are distributed in various tissues and cells, where calpain II frequently dominates in quantity over calpain I (19). In a previous report (21), we have identified calpain I in human erythrocytes and have shown that erythrocytes contain only calpain I. Similarly, rat erythrocytes contained only calpain I (19). Purification of cal pain I from muscle (4, 7, 10), platelets (25), and kidney (26) was recently reported. The enzyme purified from porcine skeletal muscle is composed of 80-kDa and 30kDa subunits (4), and that from rat kidney has 80-kDa and 25-kDa subunits (26). We purified calpain I to apparent homogeneity from human erythrocytes by applying methods essentially the Abbreviations. ‘ kDa, kilodalton; EGTA, ethylene glycol bis(B-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N’,N’-tetraacetic acid; SDS, sodium dodecyl sulfate same as those used for the rat kidney enzyme. The purified calpain I was proved to be composed of one 85-kDa and one 29-kDa subunit. The heterodimeric nature of human erythrocyte calpain I was earlier suggested by Melloni et al. (15), who obtained values of 80 kDa and 30 kDa. Chromatographic separation of 85-kDa and 29-kDa subunits was also achieved, and this enabled us to compare amino acid compositions and pI values of these subunits. The present paper describes the purification and some properties of human erythrocyte calpain I with special reference to its subunit structure. MATERIALS AND METHODS
Performance of finger and foxtail millet at different levels of nutrient and cultural management

In India, finger millet and small millets respectively occupy 11.93 and 6.82 lakh ha area with a production of 199.92 and 4.89 lakh tones and the productivity of 1661 and 633 kg ha -1 (GOI, 2014). The yield potential of finger and foxtail millet is low as compared to the potentially achievable yield because of inadequate application of fertilizers, conventional cultivation of low yielding cultivars and lack of good management practices. The finger millet responded to fertilizer application from 90: 40: 25 to 100: 50: 50 Kg N, P 2 O 5 and K 2 O ha -1 while foxtail millet responded from 30:15:15 to 50:30:20 Kg N, P 2 O 5 and K 2 O ha -1 in red sandy loam to clay soils of South India. In this paper the research done on production technology of finger millet and foxtail millet in various regions of the country has been reviewed and presented comprehensively.
Cognitive Stress and Learning Economic Order Quantity Inventory Management: An Experimental Investigation

We use laboratory experiments to evaluate the effects of cognitive stress on inventory management decisions in a finite horizon Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) model. We manipulate two sources of cognitive stress. First, we vary participants' ability to order inventory from any decision period to only when inventory is depleted. This reduces cognitive stress by restricting the policy choice set. Second we vary participants' participation in a competing pin memorization. This increases cognitive load. Participants complete a sequence of five ``annual'' inventory management tasks, with monthly ordering decisions. Both sources of cognitive stress negatively impact earnings, with the bulk of these impacts occurring in the first year. Participants' choices in all treatments exhibit trends to near optimal policy adoption. But only in the most favorable treatment do the majority of choices reach the optimal policy. We estimate the learning dynamics of monthly order decisions using a Markov switching model. Estimates suggest increased cognitive load reduces the probability of switching to more profitable policies, and that more complex policy choice sets leads to a greater policy lock-in. Our results suggests that inexperienced individuals will perform more poorly when called upon to make inventory management situations in cognitively stressfully environments, and that the benefits of providing support and task simplicity is greatest when the task is first assigned.
Isolation of freshwater and marine indigenous microalgae species from Terengganu water bodies for potential uses as live feeds in aquaculture industry

Microalgae are considered as a promising resource for high-value substances. In this study, indigenous microalgae were isolated from various habitats and the optimum growth parameters for high lipid production were determined. Species identification was done by using universal 18S rDNA. Water quality was recorded during the sampling to determine the basic physical-chemical parameters for the growth studies. The screening for microalgae growth was done using plate reader with a focus on lipid-rich isolates by Nile Red fluorescent dye at different growth phase for 15 days. Results showed that ten microalgae species have been successfully cultivated from Terengganu water bodies. Analysis from genus Chlorella showed five isolates (TRG1-A01, TRG1-C01, TRG2-E01, TRG5-A01, and TRG3-B01) were clustered together, while two isolates (TRG2-1, TRG3-B01) from the genus Nannochloropsis were N. oceania. Another two isolates (TRG1-D01, TRG-E01) were closely clustered with Desmodesmus subspicatus while TRG4-C01 was clustered with Dicloster aquatus. The strain TRG2-A01 showed the highest fluorescent intensity indicating it’s potential to produce the highest intracellular lipid content. Thus from this study, we can identify which environmental conditions contribute to the most favourable conditions for algal growth to maximize lipid production which later could be used as live feeds in aquaculture industry.