Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Project process reengineering (PPR): a BPR method for projects

Many organisations are moving towards making radical changes in their processes. These efforts, which seek to improve the efficiency, effectiveness and adaptability of key business processes, are collectively named business process reengineering (BPR). In many of previous research on project process reengineering, improvements have been based on the conventional BPR methodologies which are designed for business environments. Hence, these attempts have faced only minor improvements in this new era. Additionally, using traditional BPR, which is more business-oriented, will lead to certain imperfections (Bryde, 2003). These methodologies are unable to cover project dimensions comprehensively. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a fine-tuned methodology for reengineering of project processes. Thus, this paper seeks to propose a methodology for reengineering project processes and apply it in a case study of a recent petrochemical project.
Superimposed phase gratings in planar optical waveguides for wavelength demultiplexing applications

A theoretical analysis of superimposed phase gratings in planar optical waveguides for wavelength demultiplexing applications is developed. Using coupled-mode theory, it is shown that the coupling between the gratings affects diffraction characteristics for output beams of close angular or wavelength separation. Nevertheless, taking into account the coupling effects and adjusting critical parameters, high-performance devices are found to be achievable in carefully designed structures. The authors predict that wavelength demultiplexers having efficiencies larger than 95%, angular and wavelength separation smaller than 0.2 degrees and 20 AA, respectively, and crosstalk attenuation lower than -40 dB are possible. <<ETX>>
Signal sorting by combining Bayesian method and Gibbs sampling strategy

Radar signal sorting technology is critical in electronic warfare, and the level of sorting is an important indicator to measure the radar reconnaissance system. In this work, signals manipulated by the same source from multiple signal arrays with equal time interval were defined as signal module. We developed a novel approach combing Bayesian method and Gibbs sampling strategy to detect signal module. Simulation under various parameters and method comparison show the better performance of our method over conventional methods and the effectiveness of our method in sorting radar signal.
The water balance questionnaire: design, reliability and validity of a questionnaire to evaluate water balance in the general population

There is a need to develop a questionnaire as a research tool for the evaluation of water balance in the general population. The water balance questionnaire (WBQ) was designed to evaluate water intake from fluid and solid foods and drinking water, and water loss from urine, faeces and sweat at sedentary conditions and physical activity. For validation purposes, the WBQ was administrated in 40 apparently healthy participants aged 22–57 years (37.5% males). Hydration indices in urine (24 h volume, osmolality, specific gravity, pH, colour) were measured through established procedures. Furthermore, the questionnaire was administered twice to 175 subjects to evaluate its reliability. Kendall's τ-b and the Bland and Altman method were used to assess the questionnaire's validity and reliability. The proposed WBQ to assess water balance in healthy individuals was found to be valid and reliable, and it could thus be a useful tool in future projects that aim to evaluate water balance.
Differential expression of alternatively spliced forms of MAP4: a repertoire of structurally different microtubule-binding domains.

We previously reported that the microtubule (MT)-binding domain of microtubule-associated protein 4 (MAP4) contains three 18-amino acid imperfect repeats that are homologous to the repeats found in the MT-binding domains of the neuronal MAPs, MAP2 and tau [Chapin, S. J., & Bulinski, J. C. (1991) J. Cell Sci. 98, 27-36]. Here we report the isolation of clones encoding additional isoforms of MAP4, which differ in the number of repeated elements contained within their MT-binding domains. In addition to clones encoding three repeats, we isolated clones encoding a four-repeat isoform, whose MT-binding domain bears a striking similarity to the four-repeat isoform of tau. Other MAP4 clones that we isolated encode five repeats. The additional repeat in the five-repeat isoform of MAP4 is quite unusual in its amino acid sequence; this unusual repeat was also found by Aizawa et al. [Aizawa, H. , et al. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 13849-13855] among the repeats encoded by bovine MAP4 clones possessing four repeats. In humans, MAP4 was recently shown to be encoded by a single-copy gene [West, R. R. , et al. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 21886-21896]; we demonstrated that the human MAP4 gene is located on human chromosome 3p21. Expression of multiple MAP4 isoforms from this gene, which appears to result from alternative RNA splicing, was investigated by RNase protection analysis of mammalian cell lines and rat tissues. The five-repeat isoform was the only form detectable in most cell lines, and it was the most abundant isoform expressed in rat lung, liver, kidney, spleen, and testis. However, in rat brain, heart, and skeletal muscle, although the five-repeat isoform was expressed at all developmental stages examined, the tau-like four-repeat isoform was also expressed, and its expression increased during development. The three-repeat isoform was expressed in heart and, to a lesser extent, in brain, skeletal muscle, and lung. Our results demonstrate that several different MAP4 isoforms are expressed in the rat in different tissues and at various developmental stages. Furthermore, our data suggest that differential expression of MAP4 isoforms possessing distinct MT-binding domains may be involved in the changes in MT dynamics or function that are known to accompany differentiation.
Characterization and Phylogenetic Analysis of a Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 Virus Isolated from Diseased Ostriches (Struthio camelus) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

SUMMARY During 2007, two outbreaks of avian influenza virus (AIV) in backyard and commercial ostrich flocks were first reported in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The infected ostriches suffered from depression, anorexia, and diarrhea and some exhibited sudden death. A rapid AIV-group antigen detection and real-time reverse-transcription PCR (rtRT-PCR) were initially performed on cloacal and tracheal swabs collected from diseased birds. Pools from positive-tested swabs for each flock were utilized for virus isolation in specific-pathogen-free embryonating chicken eggs. H5N1 AIV was identified in the harvested allantoic fluids by hemagglutination followed by hemagglutination inhibition and rtRT-PCR. The viruses responsible for these two outbreaks were sequenced and characterized as HPAIV H5N1 (A/ostrich/Saudi Arabia/6732-3/2007 and A/ostrich/Saudi Arabia/3489-73VIR08/2007) from backyard and commercial flocks, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis of both isolates revealed that the two viruses belong to clade 2.2 sublineage II and cluster with the HPAIV H5N1 isolated from falcons and turkeys during 2007 in KSA. RESUMEN Nota de Investigación—Caracterización y análisis filogenético de un virus altamente patógeno de influenza aviar H5N1 aislado de avestruces enfermas (Struthio camelus) en el Reino de Arabia Saudita. Durante el año 2007, dos brotes del virus de la influenza aviar en parvadas de avestruces de traspatio y comerciales se reportaron por primera vez en el Reino de Arabia Saudita (KSA). Los avestruces infectados sufrieron depresión, anorexia y diarrea y algunos exhibieron muerte súbita. Inicialmente se realizaron una detección rápida por antígeno de grupo del virus de influenza y también un método de transcripción reversa y PCR en tiempo real (rtRT-PCR) a partir de hisopos cloacales y traqueales recolectados de las aves enfermas. Las muestras agrupadas de hisopos de cada parvada que resultaron positivas se utilizaron para el aislamiento del virus en huevos embrionados de pollo libres de agentes patógenos específicos. Se identificó un virus de influenza aviar subtipo H5N1 en los líquidos alantoideo cosechados mediante hemaglutinación seguido de inhibición de la hemaglutinación y rtRT-PCR. Los virus responsables de estos dos brotes fueron secuenciados y caracterizados como virus altamente patógenos subtipo H5N1 (A/avestruz/Arabia Saudita/6732-3/2007 y A/avestruz/Arabia Saudita/3489-73VIR08/2007) que se detectaron en parvadas de traspatio y comerciales, respectivamente. El análisis filogenético de las dos cepas reveló que los dos virus pertenecen al clado 2.2 sublinaje II y se agruparon con el virus de influenza de alta patogenicidad H5N1 aislado de halcones y pavos durante el año 2007 en el Reino de Arabia Saudita.
Pharmacokinetics and urinary excretion of DMXBA (GTS‐21), a compound enhancing cognition

DMXBA (3‐(2, 4‐dimethoxybenzylidene)‐anabaseine, also known as GTS‐21) is currently being tested as a possible pharmacological treatment of cognitive dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease. In this study, plasma and brain pharmacokinetics as well as urinary excretion of this compound have been evaluated in adult rats. DMXBA concentrations were determined by HPLC. Following a 5 mg kg−1 iv dose, DMXBA plasma concentration declined bi‐exponentially with mean (±SE) absorption and elimination half‐lives of 0.71±0.28 and 3.71±1.12 h, respectively. The apparent steady state volume of distribution was 2150±433 mL kg−1, total body clearance was 1480±273 mL h−1 kg−1, and AUC0–∞ was 3790±630 ng h mL−1. Orally administered DMXBA was rapidly absorbed. After oral administration of 10 mg kg−1, a peak plasma concentration of 1010±212 ng mL−1 was observed at 10 min after dosing. Elimination half‐life was 1.740±0.34 h, and AUC0–∞ was 1440±358 ng h mL−1. DMXBA peak brain concentration after oral administration was 664±103 ng g−1 tissue, with an essentially constant brain–plasma concentration ratio of 2.61±0.34, which indicates that the drug readily passes across the blood–brain barrier. Serum protein binding was 80.3±1.1%. Apparent oral bioavailability was 19%. Renal clearance (21.8 mL h−1 kg−1) was less than 2% of the total clearance (1480±273 mL h−1 kg−1); urinary excretion of unchanged DMXBA over a 96 h period accounted for only 0.28±0.03% of the total orally administered dose. Our data indicates that DMXBA oral bioavailability is primarily limited by hepatic metabolism. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Facial Age Estimation

-Age estimation based on the human face remains a significant problem in computer vision and pattern recognition. In order to estimate an accurate age or age group of a facial image, most of the existing algorithms require a huge face data set attached with age labels. This imposes a constraint on the utilization of the huge amount of human photos in the social networks. These images may provide no age label, but it is easily to derive the age difference for an image pair of the same person. To improve the age estimation accuracy, we propose a novel learning scheme to take advantage of these weakly labeled data via the deep Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). For each image pair, Kullback-Leibler divergence is employed to embed the age difference information(MS. SWATHI THILAKAN). The entropy loss and the cross entropy loss are adaptively applied on each image to make the distribution exhibit a single peak value. The combination of these losses is designed to drive the neural network to understand the age gradually from only the age difference information. Experimental results on two aging face databases show the advantages of the proposed age difference learning system and the state-of-the-art performance is gained. GJCST-F
DESIGN OF SINGLE MOLECULE AROMATIC MOLECULAR SWITCHES WITH METAL ELECTRODES-A COMPUTATIONAL APPROACH

Designed 1,4-benzene dithiol, 1,4-benzene diamine, and 1,4-benzene dicarboxylic acid based molecular switches with gold, silver, platinum and palladium metal electrodes by the first-principles approach. The electronic properties of the designed metal-moleculemetal sandwich structure are investigated with density functional theory (DFT) method. A series of benzene derivatives to explore the physical behaviour of conductance interpret in terms of nature of molecular backbone, anchoring group, contact geometry, nature of electrode material, molecular length, connectivity site, density of states, HOMO-LUMO gap, ionization potential and potential energy were systematically studied and compared. The findings of the present work clearly reveal that for the design of an efficient molecular switch, palladium and thiol are the best among electrode and anchoring group respectively. Palladium electrode shows high switching band gap ratio for ON and OFF state compared to Au, Ag, and Pt. The first principles approach can be used to screen and minimize the need for experimental approach which could be expensive
Quantitative analysis of collagen gel contractile forces generated by dermal fibroblasts and the relationship to cell morphology

The force generated in granulation tissue during wound contraction is thought to be cell mediated; however, it is unclear whether contractile forces are generated by fibroblast locomotion or contraction of myofibroblasts. To help clarify this question the force of this contraction can now be determined accurately in a human dermal fibroblast collagen lattice system using a novel instrument known as a Culture Force Monitor. Three distinct phases of contraction of such collagen gels could be identified over the first 24 hours. Most of the force generated by human dermal fibroblasts was produced during the first stage in parallel with cell attachment and associated changes in cell shape, and the appearance of cell processes. During this initial 24 hours no evidence could be found for the presence of myofibroblasts, but stereoscopic and electron microscopic analysis at a range of time points indicated that migratory fibroblasts were present in the system. Comparison of the contraction profiles of cells extracted from other tissues (tendon and articular cartilage), and extracted by different means from the same tissue specimen, indicated that different populations of fibroblasts can be distinguished on the basis of their pattern of contractions. It would seem that most of the force generated in this model is a result of fibroblast attachment and movement within the collagen lattice. Furthermore, different groups of fibroblasts, even within the same tissue, may vary in their contraction (hence locomotory) activity. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Vector quantization with hyper-columnar clusters

A new vector quantization method is proposed which can reduce search complexity and code book memory size by reducing the number of code vectors without increasing quantization distortion. This method uses hyper-columnar clusters, and an input vector is quantized to a cluster, center axis of which is nearest to the input vector. Thus, one vector and one scalar must be coded and transmitted. The proposed method was applied to four geometrically different distributions and LPC cepstrums of speech signals. As a result, the number of code vectors was decreased compared with that in an ordinary vector quantizer, in all of the above distributions. Then the reduction of memory size and search complexity were evaluated. <<ETX>>
Nicotine Addiction in Light Smoking African American Mothers

Background:Although African Americans (AAs) smoke fewer average cigarettes per day (CPD) than European Americans (EAs), they carry a disproportionate tobacco-related morbidity and mortality burden. The objective of this study was to evaluate the ethnic differences in markers of nicotine addiction, including rates of lifetime nicotine dependence (ND) symptoms, current smoking, and smoking during pregnancy across different levels of peak lifetime cigarette consumption. Methods:Data from 237 EA (N = 118) and AA (N = 119) mothers participating in the Missouri Family Study (2003–2005), an ethnically diverse family study of offspring outcomes in high and low risk families, were used to contrast prevalence of ND symptoms and other smoking behaviors between EA and AA women at low (1–10 CPD), moderate (11–19 CPD), and high (≥20 CPD) levels of lifetime peak daily cigarette consumption. Results:Compared with EA smokers, AAs had lower lifetime prevalence of DSM-IV ND (68% vs 54%, P < 0.05), consumed fewer CPD during their heaviest lifetime consumption (18% EA vs 58% AA smoked ≤10 CPD, P < 0.0001), but did not differ in overall rates of smoking during pregnancy or current smoking. However, stratifying by categories of peak lifetime daily cigarette use, AA mothers who smoked ≤10 CPD reported greater lifetime ND symptoms and current smoking than their EA counterparts. In addition, nearly two thirds of AA mothers in this smoking category smoked during pregnancy, and 30% smoked throughout an entire pregnancy. The respective prevalence estimates in EA mothers were 38% and 0%. Conclusions:Stratifying the sample into categories of lifetime peak daily cigarette use revealed significant ethnic or racial differences in smoking prevalence during pregnancy, which were obscured in overall analysis. Substantial public health risks warranting clinical attention exist among light smokers, particularly AA women.
Prognostic significance of cell culture in carcinoma of the oesophagus

The prognostic significance of the potential of cells to grow in tissue culture was studied in 50 patients with oesophageal cancer. The ability of cell lines to grow from resected oesophageal specimens was determined; from 50 patients, 21 cell lines were established (42 per cent). The patients were divided into two groups on this basis: group 1, from whom cancer cells could be grown as continuous cell lines and group 2, from whom cell lines could not be established. The cumulative survival rate of patients in group 1 was significantly lower than that of those in group 2 (P < 0.05). There was also a significantly higher incidence of lymph node metastases in group 1 (P < 0.05). These results suggest that the potential of cancer cells for growth is a useful long‐term prognostic indicator for patients with oesophageal carcinoma.
Speed-change resistant audio fingerprinting using auto-correlation

At ISMIR 2002 and CBMI 2001, the authors presented a new approach to audio fingerprinting (Haitsma, J. and Kalker, T., Proc. Int. Conf. on Music Information Retrieval, p.107-15, 2002; Haitsma et al., Proc. Int. Workshop on Content-Based Multimedia Indexing, p.117-25, 2001). The proposed scheme, which we refer to as the streaming audio fingerprinting (SAF) system, allows a very efficient database lookup and is also very robust against many different audio processing steps, including low bit rate audio coding, noise addition and amplitude compression. However it is not inherently robust against large linear speed changes (i.e. speed changes larger than 2%) where both the pitch and the tempo change. This is a potential problem, because some radio stations speed up by a few percent. We discuss a modification of the originally proposed fingerprinting algorithm to make it robust against large linear speed changes. The proposed modification has negligible effect on other aspects, such as robustness and reliability.
Tissue Adhesion with Highly Concentrated Human Fibrinogen in Otolaryngology

This paper summarizes a tissue adhesive system consisting of highly concentrated human fibrinogen and thrombin. The addition of blood-clotting factor XIII stabilizes the adhesive system against fibrinolysis. Although the adhesion system cannot and should not replace surgical suture, it provides valuable assistance in tissue synthesis and in local hemostasis, particularly in cases where conventional suture methods are especially difficult to apply. In addition to good adhesion, an elastic consistency, and good tissue compatibility, the adhesive is completely absorbed and, therefore, preferable to conventional tissue adhesives based on cyanoacrylate. The system has been used successfully in split thickness skin graft application, myringoplasty, repair of dural defects, hemostasis after tonsillectomy, and achieving an airtight seal in tracheoplasty.
Draft Genome Sequence of Leifsonia xyli subsp. xyli Strain gdw1

ABSTRACT Here, we report the draft genome sequence of Leifsonia xyli subsp. xyli strain gdw1, isolated from the stem of Badila sugarcane located at the Guangdong Key Laboratory for Crops Genetic Improvement (Guanzhou, China), that causes ratoon stunting disease of sugarcane. The de novo genome of Leifsonia xyli subsp. xyli was assembled with 48 scaffolds and a G+C content of 67.68%, and contained 2.6 Mb bp and 2,838 coding sequences.
Spatial and temporal structure of the trematode component community in Valvata macrostoma (Gastropoda, Prosobranchia)

SUMMARY We conducted the first comprehensive study on the spatiotemporal structure of trematode communities in the large-mouthed valve snail, Valvata macrostoma. A total of 1103 snails were examined monthly between May and October 2007 from Lake Konnevesi, Central Finland, from a shallow (1–2 m deep) and an offshore site (5–6 m deep), located ca. 50–70 m apart. Snails were infected by 10 trematode species. The species composition and prevalence were strikingly different between the sites with high species diversity in the shallow site (all 10 species; total prevalence of sporocysts/rediae 12·1%, metacercariae 55·4%) compared to the deeper site (3 species; prevalence 15·0% and 1·9%, respectively). This difference persisted throughout our study and is probably related to the spatial distribution of bird definitive hosts, whereas the seasonal parasite dynamics are likely to be affected by changes in the age-structure of the snail population. The probability of sporocyst infections increased with snail size, but no such trend was observed in redial or metacercarial infections which decreased with host size. Our results show that generally well-described spatiotemporal differences in trematode infection of molluscs can emerge in very narrow spatial and temporal scales, which emphasizes the importance of these factors in community studies.
Rejuvenation of the midface by elevating the malar fat pad: review of technique, cases, and complications.

The midface is an area where definite and consistent improvement is still hard to achieve. Vertical suspension of the malar fat pad is an effective midface lift that complements facial rejuvenation to obtain an overall appearance of youth and beauty while maintaining the personal features of the patient. To substantiate its effectiveness, the authors evaluated the complications and long-term results of the malar fat pad elevation proper and in conjunction with other facial procedures. A retrospective review of the medical records of 458 consecutive patients who underwent malar fat pad elevation by the senior author (B.C.D.) from January of 1994 to January of 2000 was conducted. Because 14 patients had their malar fat pad re-elevated, the number of midface lifts totaled 472. Of these, 437 had a combined superficial musculoaponeurotic system excision and tightening, 19 had a combined limited superficial musculoaponeurotic system plication/imbrication, and 16 had elevation of the malar fat pad only. Elevating the malar fat pad appears to be a sound, straightforward, and effective means of rendering a youthful midface. It consistently reshapes the malar eminence, softens the nasolabial fold, and rejuvenates the lower eyelid. This technique provides lasting results, with an acceptable complication rate. Facial nerve injury, in particular, was infrequent and temporary. In addition, the prehairline scar happened to be quite inconspicuous, especially in patients older than 55 years. This experience confirms that malar fat pad elevation is a safe and effective method to rejuvenate the central third of the face.