Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of community web sites: A case study of the Community Social Planning Council of Toronto web site

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore an evaluation approach and to develop a model of web site evaluation that includes the specification of evaluation criteria, key issues to discuss and recommendations for improving the web site – in this case, that of the Community Social Planning Council of Toronto (CSPC‐T). Design/methodology/approach – The research consisted of three phases: phase 1 involved selection of the general evaluation criteria for web sites, based on a review of the literature plus the collection of factual data on information systems related to the CSPC‐T web site; phase 2 included a step‐by‐step evaluation of the existing CSPC‐T web site based on the general criteria presented in phase 1; and phase 3 provided recommendations in association with the key issues identified in phase 2 in order to improve the CSPC‐T web site, and developed the key components of the evaluation model.Findings – The evaluation of the CSPC‐T web site found mostly positive results in terms of the conten.
The Hepatitis B Virus Pregenome: Prediction of RNA Structure and Implications for the Emergence of Deletions

The terminally redundant pregenomic RNA of human hepatitis B virus (HBV) comprises some 3,330 nucleotides and is a replicative intermediate in the production of the circular DNA genome. Deletions are known to arise in the HBV genome during the course of chronic infection and are sometimes associated with interferon therapy. These deletions are limited to small parts of the genome such as the 357-nucleotide pre-S1 region. Long RNA molecules such as the HBV pregenome have considerable structural flexibility and will undergo secondary structure shifts between energetically favourable states in a continuous and semi-random fashion. Since prediction of structure elements that are highly conserved in different forms of one RNA molecule is now feasible by computer modelling, we have analysed the whole HBV pregenome by two different RNA structure prediction algorithms and by new methods that exploit these algorithms. Significantly, the ends of pregenomic RNA were predicted to undergo both short-range and long-range interactions, which has relevance to our knowledge of the virus replicative cycle. By incorporating phylogenetic information relating to the 6 recognised genotypes of HBV, it was possible to highlight short secondary structures that may be common to all HBV strains. For example, although the pre-S1 region was predicted to undergo local folding of a loosely defined nature, most observed pre-S1 deletions mapped to all or part of an arm carrying a better-defined structure. The loss of such sequences may be mechanistically attributable to polymerase skipping during reverse transcription, and the possible advantages of such deletions are considered.
A finite element mesh truncation technique for scattering and radiation problems in HPC environments

An in-house electromagnetic code based on the finite element method (FEM) called HOFEM, a higher order finite element method, has been developed by the authors in the last years. HOFEM has been developed to work in high-performance computing (HPC) environments. Among other features, it makes use of a non-standard mesh truncation technique for open region wave propagation problems as those of scattering and radiation. This mesh truncation technique works in an iterative fashion providing an asymptotically exact absorbing boundary condition while minimizing the size of the FEM domain and preserving the original sparse nature of the finite element matrices. Thus, it is suitable for large scale computations. Numerical results obtained on an HPC system corresponding to the scattering analysis of the radar cross section of a military helicopter are shown.
A synthetic, chemically modified ribozyme eliminates amelogenin, the major translation product in developing mouse enamel in vivo.

Ribozymes are small RNA structures capable of cleaving RNA target molecules in a catalytic fashion. Designed ribozymes can be targeted to specific mRNAs, blocking their expression without affecting normal functions of other genes. Because of their specific and catalytic mode of action ribozymes are ideal agents for therapeutic interventions against malfunctioning or foreign gene products. Here we report successful experiments to ‘knock out’ a major translation product in vivo using synthesized, chemically modified ribozymes. The ribozymes, designed to cleave amelogenin mRNA, were injected close to developing mandibular molar teeth in newborn mice, resulting in a prolonged and specific arrest of amelogenin synthesis not caused by general toxicity. No carriers were required to assist cellular uptake. Amelogenins are highly conserved tissue‐specific proteins that play a central role in mammalian enamel biomineralization. Ultrastructural analyses of in vivo ribozyme‐treated teeth demonstrated their failure to develop normally mineralized enamel. These results demonstrate that synthesized ribozymes can be highly effective in achieving both timed and localized ‘knock‐out’ of important gene products in vivo, and suggest new possibilities for suppression of gene expression for research and therapeutic purposes.
Considering Data Skew in Multiway Joins for MapReduce

Data analyzing and processing are important tasks in cloud computing. The MapReduce can provide a cost-effective, flexible, fault-tolerant and scalable distributed programming model over large clusters. However, how to implement join operation using MapReduce efficiently is an attractive point. Data skew problem has a strong impact on the performance of join operation. In this paper, we implement the range partition method based on the way of sampling, and apply it to multi-way joins to avoid the influence of data skew. The results of the experiments we have conducted show that our approach is more efficient than current algorithms.
EFFECT OF SALINITY ON PSEUDO‐NITZSCHIA SPECIES (BACILLARIOPHYCEAE) GROWTH AND DISTRIBUTION 1

Salinity varies widely in coastal areas that often have a high abundance of Pseudo‐nitzschia H. Peragallo. Pseudo‐nitzschia is abundant in Louisiana waters, and high cellular domoic acid has been observed in natural samples but no human illness has been reported. To assess the threat of amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP), we examined the effect of salinity on Pseudo‐nitzschia occurrence in the field and growth in the laboratory with special emphasis on the salinity range where oysters are harvested (10–20 psu). In Louisiana coastal waters, Pseudo‐nitzschia spp. occurred over a salinity range of 1 to >35 psu, but they occurred more frequently at higher rather than lower salinities. Seven species were identified, including toxigenic species occurring at low salinities. In culture studies, seven clones of three species grew over a salinity range of 15 to 40 psu, some grew at salinities down to 6.25 psu, and most grew at salinities up to 45 psu. Tolerance of low salinities decreased from Pseudo‐nitzschia delicatissima (Cleve) Heiden to P. multiseries (Hasle) Hasle to P. pseudodelicatissima (Hasle) Hasle emend. Lundholm, Hasle et Moestrup. In conclusion, although Pseudo‐nitzschia was more prevalent in the field and grew better in the laboratory at higher salinities, it grew and has been observed at low salinities. Therefore, the probability of ASP from consumption of oysters harvested from the low salinity estuaries of the northern Gulf of Mexico is low but not zero; animal mortality events from toxin vectors other than oysters at higher salinity on the shelf are more likely.
The recurrence of iatrogenic femoral artery pseudoaneurysm after occlusion by ultrasound guided percutaneous thrombin injection.

AIMS To evaluate efficacy of percutaneous ultrasound-guided thrombin injection (UGTI) of iatrogenic femoral artery pseudoaneurysm (PSA) and to identify the risk factors associated with PSA recurrence. METHODS AND RESULTS We treated 140 patients aged 76 years (range 49-83) presented with femoral artery PSA after cardiac catheterisation by percutaneous UGTI (500 IU/ml solution of activated human thrombin). Factors associated with the recurrence of PSA were analysed. One hundred nineteen patients were successfully treated by one injection of thrombin (immediate success rate 85%). In 19 patients (13.6%), short local compression following injection was needed for complete occlusion (overall success rate 98.6%, 138/140). In one case, progression of PSA required conversion to surgery (0.7%). In one patient with pre-existing stenosis of superficial femoral artery, acute limb ischaemia developed after UGTI (0.7%). The recurrence of PSA in 30-days follow-up (10 patients, 7%) was associated with obesity (BMI>30, OR=1.39, 95% CI 1.09-1.78, p<0.05), and with extensive combination of anti-aggregation and anti-coagulation therapy (OR=2.11, 95% CI 1.23-3.62, p<0.0001) as revealed by both univariate and multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS The UGTI is a safe and effective treatment of iatrogenic femoral artery PSA. Recurrence is low and associated with obesity and extensive use of combined anti-aggregation and anti-coagulation therapy.
Determining the Stopband of a Periodic Bed of Nails From the Dispersion Relation Measurements Prediction

It is useful to determine the stopband of a bed of nails that can be used for packaging applications. The traditional methodology to identify the cell characteristics is to use the eigenmode solver, which is a numerical method that cannot be validated using a measurement setup. Here, we introduce a mathematical procedure to extract the dispersion relation out of the scattering parameters. The scattering parameters express the transmission and the reflection at the ports, which are functions of the phase constant of the propagating modes inside the device under test. A measurement setup is established by placing several successive cell rows inside a $Ku$ -band rectangular waveguide. The proposed algorithm is validated through examples of well-known dispersion relations. The extracted dispersion relation with the introduced methodology is in good agreement with the one obtained from the eigenmode solver. The ride gap waveguide is used as an application example.
An updated meta-analysis of laparoscopic versus open pyeloplasty for ureteropelvic junction obstruction in children.

PURPOSE To further explore the feasibility and safety of laparoscopic pyeloplasty (LP) in children with ureteropelvic junction obstruction compared with open pyeloplasty (OP). METHODS PUBMED, Web of science and Cochrane library were searched until Oct. 2014 to find eligible studies. WMD, OR, RD and their 95% CIs were used to estimate the difference. Baseline such as age, gender and crossing vessel, perioperative outcomes such as length of stay, operative time, overall complications, and success rate were compared. All the meta-analyses were performed in Revman 5.2. RESULTS 15 comparative studies and one RCT were eligible and included in the meta-analysis. Compared with OP, LP groups might be associated with shorted length of hospital stay (WMD: -1.92, 95% CI: -2.45--1.39), reduced complications (OR: 0.71, 95% CI: 0.49-1.01) and equal success rate (RD: 0.01, 95% CI: -0.02-0.04), but prolonged operative time (WMD: 48.64, 95% CI: 31.16-66.12). CONCLUSION Our findings supported that laparoscopic pyeloplasty is feasibility and safety in the treatment of UPJ obstruction in children, especially in high-volume centers with experienced experts. Considering the select bias and recall bias, more RCTs are required to further explore the efficiencies of LP.
Number of Antenna Considerations and Power Allocation in MIMO Broadcast Channels

Based on recent results on sum rate capacity calculation of Gaussian multi-input multi-output broadcast channels when using dirty-paper coding, a method for selection number of transmit and receive antennas and also transmit power is devised. The algorithm is developed such that the number of receive antennas and also transmit power is minimized under the condition of a given sum rate capacity of MIMO BC. The proposed method is fast and generic and benefits from convergence behavior of water-filling algorithm in various channel matrix conditions.
A Generalized Model of Nonisolated Multiphase DC–DC Converter Based on Novel Switching Period Averaging Method

The continuously innovated topologies of the nonisolated multiphase dc-dc converter (NMDC) demand generalized and flexible models for the controller design. However, the increased phase number, coupling of inductors, stray circuit parameters, and asymmetric problems make the modeling work difficult. In this paper, a novel switching period averaging method aiming to simplify the modeling process is proposed. The method takes full advantage of the linear characteristic of the circuit differential equations to find out the relationship between averaged state variables and switch duty cycles. Then, the generalized model applicable to several different topologies of the NMDC is derived. The analytical solutions of steady-state model, dynamic model in both time and frequency domain are all approached. In order to verify the results, a MATLAB/Simulink model and the corresponding experimental prototype of a four-phase boost converter with two groups of two-phase coupled inductors are built. Both results coincide with the theoretical derivation, which indicates the effectiveness of the proposed method. Finally, a design process of the H∞ controller for the NMDC is presented to show the application of this model.
Developing a scale for measuring expectancy of retaining natural teeth for life and comparison of results obtained using a global item and a multi-item scale of measurement

Objective. To develop and test a scale for measuring expectancy of retaining teeth for life and to compare the estimates when using a global item with those obtained with a multi-item scale of measurement. Material and Methods. The design of the study was cross-sectional selected and random sample surveys using a self-administered questionnaire or interview. There were two groups of patients and a national sample aged 16–79 years (n=1,274); response rate 64%. The main results pertain to dentate subjects in a global group (n=615) and in a scale group (n=609). The outcome measure was expectancy of retaining natural teeth for life. Results. When using the global item, 92% (95% CL 89.8, 94.1) of the respondents believed they would definitely or possibly retain their natural teeth for life, significantly higher than the 81% (95% CL 77.6, 84.0) obtained with the 4-item conditional scale. Cronbach's alpha was 0.89 for the 4-item scale and the test–retest reliability moderate (kappa=0.51; 0.77 for ±1). The adults’ belief in retaining teeth for life was significantly associated with having a live-in partner (p=0.009) when the global question was the dependent variable; and sex (p=0.000) and education (p=0.004) when the 4-item scale was the dependent variable. Explained variance was 3.8% and 4.5%, respectively. Conclusions. The internal reliability of the 4-item scale was high. A significantly lower proportion of people reported belief in retaining natural teeth for life when employing the 4-item conditional scale than when the unconditional global question was used.
Retrieval and Classification of Images Using Hybrid of HMMD Color Space and Naïve Bayes Classifier

: With the development of the Internet, and the availability of image capturing devices such as digital cameras, image scanners, the size of digital image collection is increasing rapidly. Efficient image searching, browsing and retrieval tools are required by users from various domains, including remote sensing, fashion, crime prevention, publishing, medicine, architecture, etc. For this purpose, many general purpose image retrieval systems have been developed. In CBIR, images are indexed by their visual content. Content based image retrieval consists of three parts: feature extraction, indexing and retrieval part. The techniques which are used to extract features of an image are called feature extraction techniques. The choice of features plays an important role in image retrieval. Some of the features used are color, texture and shape. Combination of these features provides better performance than single feature. Here we are extracting color mean features and color standard deviation featurewith the proposed method consists of HMMD (Hue Min Max Difference) color plane. It is proved in research work that HMMD along with color mean features and color standard deviation feature is tend to reduced the size of feature vectors, storage space and gives high performance than, RGB-color mean feature. Further, HMMD color space model will be used to improve the feature extraction and improve the precision. At the end, results are presented to show the efficacy of the proposed method.
Causal models for decision making via integrative inference

Understanding causes and effects is important in many parts of life, especially when decisions have to be made. The systematic inference of causal models remains a challenge though. In this thesis, we study (1) “approximative” and “integrative” inference of causal models and (2) causal models as a basis for decision making in complex systems. By “integrative” here we mean including and combining settings and knowledge beyond the outcome of perfect randomization or pure observation for causal inference, while “approximative” means that the causal model is only constrained but not uniquely identified. As a basis for the study of topics (1) and (2), which are closely related, we first introduce causal models, discuss the meaning of causation and embed the notion of causation into a broader context of other fundamental concepts. Then we begin our main investigation with a focus on topic (1): we consider the problem of causal inference from a non-experimental multivariate time series (Xt)t∈Z, that is, we integrate temporal knowledge. We take the following approach: We assume that (Xt)t∈Z together with some potential hidden common cause – “confounder” – (Zt)t∈Z forms a first order vector autoregressive (VAR) process with structural transition matrix A. Then we examine under which conditions the most important parts of A are identifiable or approximately identifiable from only (Xt)t∈Z, in spite of the effects of (Zt)t∈Z. Essentially, sufficient conditions are (a) non-Gaussian, independent noise or (b) no influence from (Xt)t∈Z to (Zt)t∈Z. We present two estimation algorithms that are tailored towards conditions (a) and (b), respectively, and evaluate them on synthetic and real-world data. We discuss how to check the model using (Xt)t∈Z. Still focusing on topic (1) but already including elements of topic (2), we consider the problem of approximate inference of the causal effect of a variable X on a variable Y in i.i. d. settings “between” randomized experiments and observational studies. Our approach is to first derive approximations (upper/lower bounds) on the causal effect,
Sensitive fluorescence detection of polyphosphate in polyacrylamide gels using 4′,6‐diamidino‐2‐phenylindol

PAGE is commonly used to identify and resolve inorganic polyphosphates (polyP). We now report highly sensitive and specific staining methods for polyP in polyacrylamide gels based on the fluorescent dye, 4′,6‐diamidino‐2‐phenylindol (DAPI). DAPI bound to polyP in gels fluoresced yellow while DAPI bound to nucleic acids or glycosaminoglycans fluoresced blue. Inclusion of EDTA prevented staining of glycosaminoglycans by DAPI. We also identified conditions under which DAPI that was bound to polyP (but not nucleic acids or other anionic polymers) rapidly photobleached. This allowed us to develop an even more sensitive and specific negative staining method that distinguishes polyP from nucleic acids and glycosaminoglycans. The lower LOD using DAPI negative staining was 4 pmol (0.3 ng) phosphate per band, compared to conventional toluidine blue staining with a lower LOD of 250 pmol per band.
Combined Nonparametric Prediction Intervals for Wind Power Generation

Prediction intervals (PIs) are a promising tool for quantification of uncertainties associated with point forecasts of wind power. However, construction of PIs using parametric methods is questionable, as forecast errors do not follow a standard distribution. This paper proposes a nonparametric method for construction of reliable PIs for neural network (NN) forecasts. A lower upper bound estimation (LUBE) method is adapted for construction of PIs for wind power generation. A new framework is proposed for synthesizing PIs generated using an ensemble of NN models in the LUBE method. This is done to guard against NN performance instability in generating reliable and informative PIs. A validation set is applied for short listing NNs based on the quality of PIs. Then, PIs constructed using filtered NNs are aggregated to obtain combined PIs. Performance of the proposed method is examined using data sets taken from two wind farms in Australia. Simulation results indicate that the quality of combined PIs is significantly superior to the quality of PIs constructed using NN models ranked and filtered by the validation set.
Effect of hydrocolloids on selected properties of gluten-free dough and bread

Addition of hydrocolloids (H/C) in gluten-free (GF) bread formulation is necessary in order to act as polymeric substances that should mimic the viscoelastic properties of gluten and increase the dough’s gas-retaining ability. The properties of H/C vary depending on their origin and chemical structure. Addition of H/C (hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC), xanthan, κ-carrageenan and guar gum) of different origins at 1%, 1.5% and 2% (w/w) in GF formulations based on corn starch and rice flour was carried out to investigate the effects on dough rheology and bread quality. The consistency, viscosity and thermal properties of doughs were evaluated. According to results, 1% and 1.5% addition of H/C (except from xanthan) contributed to bread with higher loaf volume and better color compared to control GF bread as well as to increased shelf life due to its moisture-absorption ability. Sensory evaluation by a trained panel revealed a preference for bread containing 1.5% HPMC because of its loaf volume, appearance and firmness characteristics. The micrographs of the dough showed a continuous matrix between starch and HPMC obtaining a more aerated structure.
An approach to quantify the technical benefits of distributed generation

Recent changes in the electric utility infrastructure have created opportunities for many technological innovations, including the employment of distributed generation (DG) to achieve a variety of benefits. After a brief discussion of the benefits, this paper proposes a general approach and a set of indices to assess some of the technical benefits in a quantitative manner. The indices proposed are: 1) voltage profile improvement index; 2) line-loss reduction index; 3) environmental impact reduction index; and 4) DG benefit index. Simulation results obtained using a simple 12-bus test system and a radial system are presented and discussed to illustrate the value and usefulness of the proposed approach.
Low Power Design of Sr Flip Flop Using 45 nm Technology

This paper illustrates the design of low-power, high-performance SR flip-flop. The speedy technical trends are engrossing to decrease the geometrical feature size and power consumption of the integrated circuit in VLSI designs. The proposed design shows the comparison with conventional CMOS circuit on the basis of power consumption and propagation delay and can save up to a significant amount of the power and speed. Therefore proposed design is more optimized than the conventional CMOS design because the efforts have done to use the minimum power during schematic designing. The circuits are simulated at transistor level using Cadence Virtuoso Tool at 45 nm process technology.