Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of hypothyroidism on 5-HT 1A receptors in the rat brain measured by [ 18 F]Mefway PET

This study investigated the effects of hypothyroidism on the brain serotonin (5-HT) 1A receptor using animal disease models and 4-( trans -[ 18 F]fluoranylmethyl)- N -[2-[4-(2-methoxyphenyl)piperazin-1-yl]ethyl]- N -pyridin-2-ylcyclohexane-1-carboxamide ([ 18 F]Mefway) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. Five surgically thyroidectomized male Sprague - Dawley rats were assigned to the hypothyroidism group, and five sham-operated male Sprague - Dawley rats were assigned to the control group. Hypothyroid status was confirmed by thyroid function tests. After anesthesia with 2.0% isoflurane in oxygen, fluconazole was infused at a constant rate for one hour to prevent defluorination of the radioligand. Then [ 18 F]Mefway of 8.6–11.1 MBq was administered at a rate of 1 ml/min and dynamic PET scans were performed over the course of 120 min. PET data were reconstructed in user-defined time frames using a two-dimensional ordered-subset expectation maximization algorithm. All PET data were spatially normalized to T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging templates, and then time-activity curves of the hippocampus, septum, and cerebellum were extracted using predefined volume of interest templates. Non-displaceable binding values in the hippocampus and septum were calculated using a multilinear reference tissue model, with the cerebellum as the reference tissue, and a ligand-specific parametric map was constructed. Time-activity curves revealed that the hippocampal and septal uptakes in the hypothyroidism group were 25–52% higher than those in the control group, and non-displaceable binding potentials in the same regions of thyroidectomized rat brains were about 30% higher than those in controls. In conclusion, hypothyroidism increased the density of postsynaptic 5-HT 1A receptors in the hippocampus and septum. Upregulation of postsynaptic 5-HT 1A receptors may be responsible for the increased radioligand uptake as an early response to the reduced synaptic concentration of 5-HT caused by hypothyroidism. neuropsychiatric disorders associated with hypothyroidism may be related to reduced hippocampal neurogenesis.
Calculation of three-body resonances using slow-variable discretization coupled with a complex absorbing potential

We developed a method to calculate positions and widths of three-body resonances. The method combines the hyperspherical adiabatic approach, slow variable discretization method (cid:3) O. I. Tolstikhin et al. , J. Phys. B 29 , L389 (cid:1) 1996 (cid:2)(cid:4) , and a complex absorbing potential. The method can be used to obtain resonances having short-range or long-range wave functions. In particular, we have applied the method to obtain very shallow three-body Eﬁmov resonances for a model system (cid:3) E. Nielsen et al. , Phys. Rev. A 66 , 012705 2002 .
Performance improvement of a piezoelectric bimorph actuator by tailoring geometry

ABSTRACT This article illustrates performance improvement of a piezo-bimorph actuator by tailoring its geometry. We have analytically presented that a piezo-bimorph actuator with a tapered surface provides superior performance for out-of-plane bending compared to a rectangular surface while having equal mass and equal primary capacitance. Equal capacitance ensures equal input electrical energy and bandwidth for both the cases below its first resonant frequency. We have analytically derived performance measuring attributes of such an actuator considering high electric field, and shown the performance improvement quantitatively. We have also presented finite element solutions to compare with the analytical solutions. Some results are validated with the earlier published experimental results.
Ghana of Education: Issues and Practice ( GJE )

Despite the importance of study skills counselling, students in Ghana are not explicitly taught how to study. This study, therefore, explored the effects of study skills counselling on the study behaviour of senior high school students in the Ho Municipality of Ghana. The quasi-experimental, pre-test, post-test control group design was adopted for the study. The target population of the study consisted of all senior high school form one students. A sample of 40 respondents was selected through the simple random sampling technique. A study behaviour inventory was used in gathering the data. Three hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. Data were analysed using independent samples t-test. The findings revealed that study skills counselling significantly improved the study behaviour of participants when compared with the control group. It was also discovered that study skills counselling had significant effects on all the five components of study behaviour at post-test. In contrast, the results indicated that gender did not have significant influence on study behaviour at post-test. Based on the findings, it was recommended that study skills counselling be adopted as a viable approach for improving study behaviour among senior school students so as to enhance their academic achievement. Implications for counselling were also provided . on
Bounded States for Breathers–soliton and Breathers of sine–Gordon Equation

The Wronskians solutions to the sine-Gordon (sG) equation that can provide interaction of different kinds of solutions are revisited. A novel expression N-soliton solution with a nonzero background is presented which is used to construct the soliton and breather solutions. Due to the existences of abundant structures of the solitons and breathers, it is possible to search for the coherent structures, or bounded states of solitons and breathers. By introducing the velocity resonant conditions, the sG equation is proved to possess the bounded state for breathers-soliton, or breather-soliton molecules (BSMs) and the bounded state for breathers, or breather molecules (BMs) by different parameters selections. In addition, an approximately bounded state for solitons is demonstrated. The interesting thing is the interactions among the BSMs, BMs and solitons, breathers may be nonelastic by the particular meaning the sizes of the BSMs and BMs change.
Towards an automatic predictive question formulation

In this thesis, we designed a formal language, called Trane, for describing prediction problems over relational datasets, implemented a system that allows humans to specify problems in that language, and allows them to build models that solve them using real data. We show that this language is able to describe all 54 prediction problems on the Kaggle data science competition website[14] and so is comprehensive. The implemented system consists of a web application connected to a server-side interpreter, which translates input from the web application into a series of transformation and aggregation operations to apply to a dataset in order to generate labels that can be used to train a supervised machine learning classifier. Using a smaller subset of this language, we developed software that enumerated 1077 prediction problems automatically for the Walmart Store Sales Forecasting dataset found on Kaggle[16], and built models that attempted to solve them, for which we produced 235 AUC scores. The web application also allowed us to collect 157 ratings from humans on the meaningfulness of randomly-generated prediction problems. We used these ratings along with an enumeration of 6105 prediction problems and 7 datasets to train a collaborative-filtering based recommendation system to propose meaningful prediction problems on new, unseen datasets. Thesis Supervisor: Kalyan Veeramachaneni Title: Principal Research Scientist
Use of Take-Home Exam for Remote Assessment: A Case Study from Turkey

COVID-19 has changed the way we teach. Today, we have become far more experienced in the delivery of distance education and use of online tools. However, the quality of distance education and learning outcomes have become a matter of ongoing debate. Just as higher education aims to develop high-level skills in its students, researchers are seeking ways to perform valid and reliable assessment in distance education. Institutions and educators are also in search of assessment tools that can help prevent instances of cheating and plagiarism. However, performance-based assessment tools may also offer options to measure both high-level skills and in limiting cheating behaviors. In this study, we used the take-home exam as a formative remote assessment tool as a local case in Turkey. We surveyed the views of 43 undergraduate students about the quality of take-home exams as a remote assessment tool. The results showed that participants had a high quality perception about the use of take-home exam, especially with regards to being kept informed about evaluation and scoring, rapid assessment, the provision of feedback, and consistency of scope between assessment and course content. Whereas students highly perceived the use of take-home exams, they reported more moderate views regarding take-home exams increasing the level of interaction with their peers. The results of this study suggest that the use of take-home exams is significantly preferred by higher education students, that it is a reliable and distinctive way to measure students' academic performance, and may increase student-teacher interaction through its formative use.
ISOLATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF AMYLOLYTIC BACTERIA FROM GARBAGE AND GARDEN SOIL

An analysis for the abundance and diversity of amylolytic bacteria of two different soil types viz. garbage and garden soil was carried out. pH of the garbage and garden soil samples ranged between 7.73 and 9.84, 6.88 and 7.93, respectively. Average bacterial load on both NA and PYG agar media was found to be higher in garbage than garden soils. Bacterial load of garbage soil samples ranged from 2.08 × 10 8 to 3.79 ×10 8 cfu/g and 1.45 × 10 8 to 2.74 × 10 8 cfu/g on NA and PYG agar, respectively. On the other hand, bacterial load of the garden soil samples ranged from 3.3×10 6 to 9.7 ×10 6 cfu/g on NA and 2.9 × 10 6 to 9.35 × 10 6 cfu/g on PYG agar. A total of 200 bacterial isolates (100 from each soil type) were primarily selected for their amylolytic potential. Among them, the percentage of amylolytic bacteria was higher in garbage soil (46) than garden soil (38). Finally, a total of 8 (4 from each soil type) amylolytic potential isolates were selected for detailed study and identification. All 4 isolates from garbage soil and 3 from garden soil were found to be Gram positive and by conventional identification belonged to the genus Bacillus with six different species viz. Bacillus azotoformans (2), B. stearothermophilus (1), B. acidocaldarius (1), B. subtilis (2) and B. megaterium (1) and the only Gram negative isolate was identified as Acetobacter liquefaciens. The conventional identification was further confirmed by molecular technique and isolates were identified as Bacillus sp. T5-12, B. cereus MSW, Bacillus sp. FJAT-14266, B. toyonensis KK25A, B. cereus T10, Stenotrophomonas sp. ZJZG10, B. subtilis XF-1 and Pseudomonas sp. NCCP-1179. As significance of amylase enzyme in various industries and biotechnological processes are on the rise, it is important to find better and cheaper source for it. This piece of work focuses on finding out which can be a better source for amylolytic bacteria between two different soil types.
EXTRAORGANIZATIONAL CLAN-BUILDING AS SMALL FIRM STRATEGY FOR HOME FIELD

Small firnis are comparatively resource disadvantaged when it comes to competing against scale-oriented competitors. However, one area where small firms may have a digerential advantage is in building and nurturing highly personalized cusiomer relationships. Drawing on extant work in external market, internal hierarchical, and internal clan coordinating mechanisms, we conceptualize an additional coordinating mechanism — the extraorganizational clan, and hypothesize iis relationship to small firm performance. We test our hypothesis, linking extraorganizational clan-building and firm performance, on a sample of over 300 sniall retail firms. Our findings show that selected aspecis of clan-building behaviors have a positive effect on small firm performance. We conclude by reflecting on what our findings suggest for sustainable small firm competitive advantage. Although the impression policy makers [of large retail chains] may wish to instill is one of a "friendly neighborhood store where the workers know the customers names," the reality is that Safeway and Wal-Mart are not small corner stores. Small firms resource impoverished not necessarily problematic, however, unless they compete against larger, competitors. But case? What can small firms do to create market otTerings that are perceived rare, valuable, inimitable nonsubstitutable
Expression of Lewis3, Lewis", X, and Y Blood Group Antigens in Human Colonie Tumors and Normal Tissue and in Human Tumor-derived Cell Lines1

Serological and immunopathological analysis of the expression of Lea, Leb, X, and Y blood group antigens on Å“il lines and tissues was performed using a panel of mouse monoclonal antibodies. The distribution of the antigens was determined on 155 malignant tumor cell lines of various types and 10 short term cultures of normal fibroblasts and kidney cells. Among colon cancers, all four blood group antigens were expressed on the majority of cell lines. On lung, breast, bladder, and ovarian cancer cell lines, X and Y antigens were the main specificities found, whereas few of the renal and hematopoietic tumor cell lines demonstrated any of the four blood group antigens. No blood group antigens could be detected on astrocytoma or melanoma cell lines. The expression of the antigens was also analyzed on frozen sections of colon carcinoma and adjacent normal colon tissue from 42 patients using the immunoperoxidase method. Lea and X were detected throughout the normal colon and on most colonie tumors. In poorly differentiated colon cancer and in metastatic cancer, decrease of Lea antigen was observed. Leb and Y expression was observed in only 20-45% of normal tissue samples but in almost all colonie carcinoma tissues. A selected number of tumor and normal specimens from patients whose secretor status was known were examined in more detail. Both the staining of the tissues and the reactivity of blood group glycolipids from the same specimens were determined. These studies confirmed the above findings and demonstrated the unexpected ability of tumors of nonsecretors to express Leb and/or Y antigens. In such individuals, in whom the expression of Leb and Y antigens in normal tissues is absent or minimal,
Prediction of pKa values of small molecules via graph neural networks

pK a values play a major role in the ﬁeld of molecular modelling, as they inﬂuence the charge, tautomer conﬁguration, and overall 3D structure of a molecule in the physiological environment. All these factors further shape the mobility, permeability, stability and mode of action of substances in the body. In case of insuﬃcient or missing empirical data, the correct determination of pK a values is thus essential to correctly predict the aforementioned molecular properties. The present work is based on the data sets and models of the publication Machine learning meets pKa by Baltruschat et al.[1], the relevant results of which were reproduced and even substantially improved upon by using models based on graph neural networks. The work was written in the programming language Python , the functions and process scripts have been published and made freely available in the form of the custom package pkasolver
A four directions variational method for solving image processing problems

In this paper, based on a discrete total variation model, a modiﬁed discretization of total variation (TV) is introduced for image processing problems. Two optimization problems corresponding to compressed sensing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data reconstruction problem and image de-noising are proposed. In the proposed method, instead of applying isotropic TV whose gradient ﬁeld is a two directions vector, a four directions discretization with some modiﬁcation is applied for the inverse problems. A dual formulation for the proposed TV is explained and an eﬃcient primal-dual algorithm is employed to solve the problem. Some important image test problems in MRI and image denoising problems are considered in the numerical experiments. We compare our model with the state of the art methods.
The Effect of Individual Antecedents on Work-Family Conflict: A Research on Employees Working from Home due to Covid-19 Pandemic

Existing research on work-family conflict mostly focused on its consequences due to its negative effect on employees, their families and organizations; so that research about the factors which cause work-family conflict remained limited. Based on this limitation, this study focuses on the effect of individual antecedents on work-family conflict, determined as Big-five personality traits and emotional intelligence, as important indicators of work-family conflict. The sample of the research includes 220 employees working for public institutions and who experienced to work from their home first time in their work-life due to Covid-19 pandemic conditions. The research findings indicate that employees that have a high conscientiousness trait experience a low work-family conflict, whereas the ones that have a high neuroticism trait experience a high work- family conflict. In addition, the findings about emotional intelligence reveal an insignificant effect on work-family conflict. Limitations, contributions and suggestions are further discussed.
Systematic Review of Pedestrian Simulation Models with a Focus on Emergency Situations

The literature on pedestrian modeling and simulation models is surveyed, with an emphasis on emergency situations. The state of the art is organized and presented from this perspective. Strong points and gaps in the literature are identified. The parameters that are relevant in modeling pedestrian movement are organized in a new framework and analyzed. Specific properties and characteristics of modeling emergency situations are considered, and applications of available data collection options are surveyed. This work can support researchers and practitioners interested in conducting pedestrian modeling and simulation research and applications, both general and targeted to emergency situations.
INDE METADATA CONFORMITY INDICATOR

Metadata represents a set of descriptive information about the data, which aims at facilitating the search, access and use of data. The metadata standards specify the minimum set of elements to be informed and the file structure to ensure interoperability among catalogs. The present work aims at analyzing the adherence of the metadata published in the Brazilian Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) repository to the MGB Profile (in Portuguese, Perfil de Metadados Geoespaciais do Brasil) through a conformity indicator. Conformity was evaluated for over 30,000 metadata inserted in the INDE catalog (in Portuguese, Infraestrutura Nacional de Dados Espaciais), in June 2018, considering the set of mandatory and conditional elements of the summarized MGB Profile. These elements were collected from a harvester elaborated by the authors capable of scanning all the metadata of the repository and returning the fields organized into a CSV file. After analysis, it was found that only 28% of metadata conforms to the summarized MGB Profile. The low conformity rate suggests the limited understanding of the standards recommended, regarding both the minimum elements to be informed about each product and the structuration of the information in XML.
Improving the efficiency of neural networks with virtual training data

At Szechenyi Istvan University, an autonomous racing car for the Shell Eco-marathon is being developed. One of the main tasks is to create a neural network which segments the road surface, protective barriers and other components of the racing track. The difficulty with this task is that no suitable dataset for special objects, e.g. protective barriers, exists. Only a dataset limited in terms of its size is available, therefore, computer-generated virtual images from a virtual city environment are used to expand this dataset. In this work, the effect of computer-generated virtual images on the efficiency of different neural network architectures is examined. In the training process, real images and computer-generated virtual images are mixed in several ways. Subsequently, three different neural network architectures for road surfaces and the detection of protective barriers are trained. Past experiences determine how to mix datasets and how they can improve efficiency.
T HE TAXONOMIC DISTRIBUTION OF C 4 PHOTOSYNTHESIS IN A MARANTHACEAE SENSU STRICTO 1

C 4 photosynthesis evolved multiple times in the Amaranthaceae s.s. , but the C 4 evolutionary lineages are unclear because the photosynthetic pathway is unknown for most species of the family. To clarify the distribution of C 4 photosynthesis in the Amaranthaceae, we determined carbon isotope ratios of 607 species and mapped these onto a phylogeny determined from matK/ trnK sequences. Approximately 28% of the Amaranthaceae species use the C 4 pathway. C 4 species occur in 10 genera— Aerva , Amaranthus, Blutaparon , Alternanthera , Froelichia, Lithophila , Guilleminea , Gomphrena, Gossypianthus, and Tidestromia . Aerva, Alternanthera , and Gomphrena contain both C 3 and C 4 species. In Aerva, 25% of the sampled species are C 4 . In Alternanthera, 19.5% are C 4 , while 89% of the Gomphrena species are C 4 . Integration of isotope and matK/trnK data indicated C 4 photosynthesis evolved five times in the Amaranthaceae, specifically in Aerva, Alternanthera , Amaranthus , Tidestromia, and a lineage containing Froelichia, Blutaparon, Guilleminea , Gomphrena pro parte, and Lithophila. Aerva and Gomphrena are both polyphyletic with C 3 and C 4 species belonging to distinct clades. Alternanthera appears to be monophyletic with C 4 photosynthesis originating in a terminal sublineage of procumbent herbs. Alpine C 4 species were also identified in Alternanthera, Amaranthus, and Gomphrena , including one species ( Gomphrena meyeniana ) from 4600 m a.s. l.
RNase III stimulates the translation of the cIII gene of bacteriophage A

The bacteriophage X cMII gene product reg-ulates the lysogenic pathway by stabilizing the X cil regulatory protein. Our results show that the expression of the X cMII gene is subject to specific requirements. Tests of a set of cHl-acZ gene and operon fusions reveal that a sequence upstream of the cd ribosome binding site is needed for cMII translation. The sequence contains an inefficient RNase III processing site. Furthermore, expression of cM is drastically reduced in cells lacking RNase III. We have isolated a phage carrying a mutation (rl), which lies in the upstream sequence, that leads to a reduction in cII translation and inactivates the RNase m processing site. The ri mutant is nevertheless still dependent on RNase III for cMII translation; ri reduces cII1 translation by a factor of3 in wild-type cells and by a factor of =30 in an RNase III mutant host. We propose that RNase Ill stimulates MI translation by binding to the upstream sequence and thereby exposing the cMII ribosome binding site. This stimulation does not involve RNA cleavage. Consistent with this hypothesis is our finding that, in vitro, unprocessed cII mRNA is translated, whereas RNase III-cleaved cIul mRNA is not.