Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Using Groups to Measure Intergroup Prejudice

Implicit measures of racial attitudes often assess reactions to images of individuals to infer attitudes toward an entire social category. However, an increasing amount of research indicates that responses to individuals are highly dependent on context and idiosyncratic features of individual exemplars. Thus, using images of individuals to assess beliefs about a whole social category may not be ideal. Across three time points, we predicted that using images of groups would mitigate the influence of idiosyncratic features of individual targets and, thus, provide a better measurement tool to assess beliefs about a category to which all group members belong. Results revealed that an implicit measure that presented images of Black and White groups had greater construct validity, test–retest reliability, and predictive validity as compared with an implicit measure that presented the same exemplars individually. We conclude that groups provide a window into existing beliefs about social categories.
Peripheral interleukin-6 promotes resilience versus susceptibility to inescapable electric stress

Objective Accumulating evidences suggest that pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) play a role in the pathophysiology of depression. In the learned helplessness (LH) paradigm, ~35% rats are resilient to inescapable stress. Methods Levels of IL-6 in the serum and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of LH rats (susceptible) and non-LH rats (resilience) were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and western blot analysis, respectively. Results Serum levels of IL-6 in the LH rats were significantly higher than those of control and non-LH rats. In contrast, tissue levels of IL-6 in the mPFC were not different among three groups. Conclusion The results suggest that peripheral IL-6 may contribute to resilience versus susceptibility to inescapable stress.
An Effective Method to Hide Texts Using Bit Plane Extraction

The work is to show how simply a data can be hidden inside an image and be easily extracted using Matlab. The work focuses on bit plane extraction and how it can be used to complete the above mentioned task. Both encryption and decryption procedure has been discussed. Here the data to be hidden refers to any piece of writing that may contain valuable information. It does not include any audio or video file. The main focus has been given to grayscaled images, which acts as the reference image that covers the data.
Multistrain probiotic and lactulose in the treatment of minimal hepatic encephalopathy

Background: Some evidence has shown benefits of probiotics in the management of minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE). We evaluated the efficacy of a multistrain probiotic compound, alone and in combination with lactulose, in the treatment of MHE. Materials and Methods: This study has two parts. First, consecutive adult patients with MHE were randomized to receive lactulose (30–60 mL/day) + probiotic (200 million colony forming units of seven bacteria species/day) (Gp-LPr) or lactulose + placebo (Gp-L). In second part, a non-randomized group of patients received probiotic alone (Gp-Pr). Medication duration was for 2 weeks and patients were followed-up for another 8 weeks. Improvement in MHE status was assessed by psychometric hepatic encephalopathy score (PHES). Development of overt encephalopathy, hospitalization, and death were considered as secondary outcomes. Results: Sixty patients (80% male, mean age 38.4 ± 9.6 years) completed the intervention. PHES significantly improved after medication in all the three groups (Gp-LPr: −3.8 ± 3.9 to −1.6 ± 3.0; Gp-L: −4.8 ± 4.1 to −1.6 ± 2.9; and Gp-Pr: −4.9 ± 3.7 to −2.1 ± 2.5, P < 0.001). After 8 weeks follow-up, improvement was maintained in Gp-LPr and Gp-Pr, but there was deterioration in those who did not receive probiotics (Gp-L: PHES score reversed to −4.8 ± 4.2). Two patients (one each in Gp-L and Gp-Pr) experienced overt encephalopathy. One patient was hospitalized due to worsening of ascites (Gp-LPr) and one due to spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (Gp-L). Side effects were mild and not significantly different among the groups. Conclusion: Lactulose and probiotics are effective for the treatment of MHE; however, probiotics, but not lactulose, have long-term effects. More studies are required before suggesting probiotics for the standard treatment of MHE.
Cloud Computing Deployment as a Dual Decision of Discontinuance and Adoption

In recent years, many organizations have been confronted with cloud computing deployment decisions. One critical decision is to balance between discontinuation of in-house systems and adoption of cloud computing systems. Previous researchers usually investigated the determinants that influence cloud adoption only from a new IT adoption perspective. However, when a firm makes its decision to replace or upgrade the existing IS structure, it needs to consider two things at the same time: whether the existing system may fit future development and whether the new system could meet the organization’s requirements. This research seeks to alleviate this research gap by investigating cloud deployment behaviour within an organization from the perspectives of both existing structure discontinuance and new technology adoption intentions. To provide new insights into the cloud computing decisions and the existing adoption theory, a number of hypotheses are developed based on the TOE framework, Upper Echelon Theory, and the IS discontinuance literature. A survey will be conducted to collect data and test the proposed hypotheses. The findings of this research are expected to offer a deeper understanding of transformation from in-house systems to cloud computing systems.
‘If we get too close to your bones they'll go brittle’: women's initial fears about radiotherapy for early breast cancer

Introduction: Radiotherapy is a common treatment for breast cancer. However, previous studies have shown that women who present for radiotherapy fear its use and associated side effects. The aims of this study were to develop further understanding of breast cancer patients' fears of radiotherapy, ascertain how patients deal with these fears and determine the best time in the treatment planning trajectory for health professionals to address these concerns.
Local Auxin Biosynthesis Mediated by a YUCCA Flavin Monooxygenase Regulates Haustorium Development in the Parasitic Plant Phtheirospermum japonicum[OPEN]

In the parasitic plant Phtheirospermum japonicum, the auxin biosynthesis gene YUCCA3 plays a pivotal role in the formation of haustoria, which invade host tissues and facilitate nutrient acquisition. Parasitic plants in the Orobanchaceae cause serious agricultural problems worldwide. Parasitic plants develop a multicellular infectious organ called a haustorium after recognition of host-released signals. To understand the molecular events associated with host signal perception and haustorium development, we identified differentially regulated genes expressed during early haustorium development in the facultative parasite Phtheirospermum japonicum using a de novo assembled transcriptome and a customized microarray. Among the genes that were upregulated during early haustorium development, we identified YUC3, which encodes a functional YUCCA (YUC) flavin monooxygenase involved in auxin biosynthesis. YUC3 was specifically expressed in the epidermal cells around the host contact site at an early time point in haustorium formation. The spatio-temporal expression patterns of YUC3 coincided with those of the auxin response marker DR5, suggesting generation of auxin response maxima at the haustorium apex. Roots transformed with YUC3 knockdown constructs formed haustoria less frequently than nontransgenic roots. Moreover, ectopic expression of YUC3 at the root epidermal cells induced the formation of haustorium-like structures in transgenic P. japonicum roots. Our results suggest that expression of the auxin biosynthesis gene YUC3 at the epidermal cells near the contact site plays a pivotal role in haustorium formation in the root parasitic plant P. japonicum.
A synthetic biology approach to transform Yarrowia lipolytica into a competitive biotechnological producer of β‐carotene

The increasing market demands of β‐carotene as colorant, antioxidant and vitamin precursor, requires novel biotechnological production platforms. Yarrowia lipolytica, is an industrial organism unable to naturally synthesize carotenoids but with the ability to produce high amounts of the precursor Acetyl‐CoA. We first found that a lipid overproducer strain was capable of producing more β‐carotene than a wild type after expressing the heterologous pathway. Thereafter, we developed a combinatorial synthetic biology approach base on Golden Gate DNA assembly to screen the optimum promoter‐gene pairs for each transcriptional unit expressed. The best strain reached a production titer of 1.5 g/L and a maximum yield of 0.048 g/g of glucose in flask. β‐carotene production was further increased in controlled conditions using a fed‐batch fermentation. A total production of β‐carotene of 6.5 g/L and 90 mg/g DCW with a concomitant production of 42.6 g/L of lipids was achieved. Such high titers suggest that engineered Y. lipolytica is a competitive producer organism of β‐carotene.
ESTIMATING THE NUMBER OF SHARED SPECIES IN TWO COMMUNITIES

In statistical ecology, the number of shared species is a standard measure of similarity between two communities. Assume that a multinomial sample is drawn from each of the two target communities. Each observation (individual) in the sample is classified to species identity, and the frequency for each observed species is recorded. This paper uses the concept of sample coverage to estimate the number of species in common to the two communities (the number of shared species). The result generalizes Chao and Lee (1992) to a two-community situation. Simulation results are reported to examine the performance of the proposed estimators. Bird census data collected from April 1994 to March 1995 in Ke-Yar and Chung-Kang estuaries in Taiwan are used to illustrate the estimation procedure.
A trans-unsaturated fatty acid in a psychrophilic bacterium, Vibrio sp. strain ABE-1

A high level of a trans-unsaturated fatty acid was found in the phospholipids of a psychrophilic bacterium, Vibrio sp. strain ABE-1. This fatty acid was identified as 9-trans-hexadecenoic acid (C16:19t) by gas-liquid chromatography and infrared absorption spectrometry. C16:1(9)t accounted for less than 1% of the total fatty acids in cells grown at 5 degrees C and reached 12% of the total at 20 degrees C. We suggest that the increase in the level of the trans-unsaturated fatty acid is related to the high growth rate of this bacterium at elevated temperatures. Possible biological roles of the trans-unsaturated fatty acid in the adaptation of the microorganism to the ambient temperature are discussed.
Stacked slot-coupled printed antenna

An aperture-coupled microstrip stacked patch antenna is studied with the goal of obtaining wide bandwidth, low cross-polarization, and weak parasitic radiation from the feeding aperture for applications in printed phased array antennas. Recently, it has shown that the poor bandwidth of this type of antenna can be increased by coupling the resonant patch to the slot near its resonance. In this case, although the bandwidth is increased drastically, this technique induces a quite high back radiation level, due to the proximity of the resonance of the slot that radiates on both sides of the ground plane. To alleviate this problem, stacked patches were used to achieve the bandwidth. In this case, the resonance of the slot is chosen to be as far as possible from the operating band of the antenna so that its radiation level will be small. The comparison of the calculated and measured impedance loci of C band antenna shows good agreement. <<ETX>>
Direct Evaluation of Self-Heating Effects in Bulk and Ultra-Thin BOX SOI MOSFETs Using Four-Terminal Gate Resistance Technique

We demonstrate clear self-heating effects (SHEs) of bulk and silicon-on-insulator (SOI) MOSFETs for various SOI/buried oxide (BOX) thicknesses including ultra-thin 6 nm BOX, which was not detected by the ac conductance method, using the four-terminal gate resistance technique. We clarify that the SHE in bulk MOSFETs originates from the degradation of thermal conductivity in a heavily doped well region. The strong chip-temperature dependence of the SHE was observed only in bulk MOSFETs. As results of the chip temperature-dependent SHE of bulk devices and the SHE suppression by BOX thinning, the device temperature of ultra-thin BOX SOI MOSFETs is close to that of bulk MOSFETs at an elevated chip temperature, which suggests the thermal advantage of extremely thin BOX structures.
Role of the galactose lectin of Entamoeba histolytica in adherence-dependent killing of mammalian cells

Entamoeba histolytica extracellular killing of host cells is contact dependent. Adherence to human colonic epithelial cells and mucins is mediated by a galactose-specific lectin. The effect on cytotoxicity of a panel of monoclonal antibodies (MAb) directed against the galactose lectin was tested. As expected, those MAb which inhibited adherence also decreased cytotoxicity. However, one antilectin MAb blocked cytotoxicity after adherence had occurred, indicating that the lectin has a role in cell killing that is distinct from its adherence function.
G Protein Signaling in the Regulation of Arabidopsis Seed Germination

Seed germination and early seedling growth are regulated by an intricate network of hormonal signaling pathways. The plant hormones gibberellic acid (GA) and brassinosteroids (BRs) are important positive regulators of these processes, whereas the hormone abscisic acid (ABA) is a potent negative regulator. In Arabidopsis, analysis of mutant plants has implicated heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding protein (G protein) components in regulation of seed germination by all three of these hormones.
Quantal properties of spontaneous EPSCs in neurones of the guinea‐pig dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus.

1. Spontaneous non‐NMDA glutamate receptor‐mediated EPSCs were recorded with the whole‐cell patch‐clamp technique from twenty‐six neurones in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus in thalamic slices from guinea‐pig. 2. Amplitude distributions of the EPSCs were skewed towards larger values. The skewness could be accounted for by multiquantal properties. The multiquantal properties were most clearly demonstrated in four cells that had prominent peaks in the amplitude distribution, and peak separation approximately corresponding to the modal value. The amplitude distribution for all cells could be adequately fitted by a quantal model consisting of a sum of Gaussians with means equal to integer multiples of a quantal unit. The variance of each Gaussian was equal to the sum of the noise variance of the recordings and an additional non‐negative variance which increased linearly with the number of the Gaussian in the series. The estimated mean quantal size was 152 +/‐ 37 pS. The estimated mean quantal coefficient of variation was 15%. Addition of tetrodotoxin did not significantly change any of the quantal parameters (n = 5). 3. The waveform of the EPSCs was similar for small and large events, and similar to that of events evoked by stimulation of retinal input fibres. There was a positive correlation between peak amplitude and rise time. This is the opposite of that expected if differences in electrotonic distances were to explain differences in amplitude. 4. The spontaneous EPSCs occurred randomly at an average frequency of 3.1 Hz. The events with amplitudes approximately equal to multiples of the quantal size were, in most cells, more numerous than could be accounted for by coincidence of randomly occurring events of quantal size. 5. The results indicate that spontaneous EPSCs can reflect more than a single quantum, and suggest that quantal events may be coupled due to action potential‐independent near‐synchronous multiquantal release of transmitter.
Power enhancement of partially shaded PV array by using a novel approach for shade dispersion

Photovoltaic (PV) arrays produce less power than the array rating due to shading on the array. Since the modules of the arrays receive different solar irradiation, the powervoltage characteristics of photovoltaic (PV) arrays contain multiple local maxima. This paper presents a novel approach to arrange the physical position of modules in Totally Cross Tied (TCT) configuration, without changing the electrical connection of the modules in the array, in such a way that there is an increase of power generation of array under partial shading condition. The modules of TCT configuration are rearranged in such a way that the shading effect is distributed over the array, and it reduces the multiple local maxima in power-voltage characteristics of PV array. Hence tracking of global maximum power point (GMPP) in the present approach is simpler. In this paper, the power generation of array with TCT and proposed configuration is compared. It is demonstrated that the power generation of array with proposed configuration is enhanced under different shading pattern.
NMR assignments and solution conformation of the DNA.RNA hybrid duplex d(GTGAACTT).r(AAGUUCAC).

Nearly complete assignments of the 1H-NMR spectrum of the DNA.RNA hybrid d(GTGAACTT). r(AAGUUCAC) have been obtained by two-dimensional methods. Three-bond coupling constants measured from cross-sections of two-dimensional NOE spectra and double quantum-filtered correlation spectra showed that the sugars in the DNA strand are predominantly in the S domain of puckers, whereas the ribofuranoses are mainly C3'-endo. Analysis of time-dependent NOE intensities from one- and two-dimensional experiments showed that the glycosidic torsion angles in the DNA strand are near -120 degrees, whereas those in the RNA strand are in the range- 140 degrees to -160 degrees. These nucleotide conformations correspond to those typically found in B-DNA and A-RNA, respectively. The circular dichroism of the duplex is similar to that of A-form RNA, consistent with a global A-like conformation. A large number of duplex structures was generated in which the nucleotides were fixed in the experimentally determined conformations. A subset of these structures was found that satisfied the internucleotide NOE intensities, backbone constraints and had acceptable Lennard-Jones energies. The base pairs in the duplex were found to have positive inclinations, a translation (Dx) of about 0.4 nm from the helix axis, and more than 10 bp/turn on average. This implies a helical structure in the A family of conformations.
Robust watermarking for medical images resistant to geometric attacks

Digital image watermarking is considered as a patent method to enhance medical data security, confidentiality and integrity. Medical image watermarking requires extreme care when embedding additional data, given their importance to clinical diagnosis, treatment, and research. In this paper, a novel image watermarking for medical images is presented which is robust to geometric attacks like rotation, scaling, translation or combination of these. The watermark is embedded in the feature space of the image, as embedding the watermark in feature space makes it invariant against geometric attacks (translation, scaling, rotation and combination of these) and then Arnold transform which is considered as a chaotic scrambling is applied on the watermarked image to make the watermark more secure. Moreover, the proposed watermarking scheme is blind as the watermark is extracted without knowing the original image at receiver end. Experiment results demonstrate that watermark is robust against geometric attacks.
A Krylov-subspace technique for the global stability analysis of large nonlinear microwave circuits

The paper discusses a new approach to the global stability analysis of large nonlinear microwave circuits for which Nyquist's analysis is not usable owing to the size of the characteristic equation. Making use of a Krylov method for autonomous circuits, a state lying on the bifurcated branch close enough to the bifurcation may be efficiently located. The bifurcated branch may then be found by ordinary continuation.
A realist theory of science

Roy Bhaskar's two books represent a major breakthrough for the philosophy of the human sciences; a breakthrough that is as welcome as it is timely. The development of psychiatry in Britain has for many years been dominated by an empiricist tradition underpinned, for the last two decades, by the work of Sir Karl Popper and his disciples. As a result a rather narrow and constricted form of academic psychiatry has been dominant. While this school of empiricist psychiatry has not been without its achievements, it has focused exclusively on positivistic research, showing little interest in, or understanding of the contribution of the psychoanalytic tradition. Indeed it has tended to denounce psychoanalysis as being unscientific and unworthy of serious attention. In these two books, Roy Bhaskar develops a new epistemological foundation for science in general and the human sciences in particular, and in doing so lifts the Pop-perian yoke from the shoulders of the human sciences. For the first time an adequate means of conceptualizing the scientificity of human sciences such as psychoanalysis has been developed. In A realist theory ofscience Bhaskar begins by presenting a devastating critique of what he calls the "empirical realist" theory of the nature of the nature of scientific laws. From David Hume to Popper this theory has seen scientific laws as being nothing more than shorthand descriptions of the conjuctions of events that constitute their empirical grounds. Bhaskar demonstrates that this conception of scientific laws is inadequate since it provides no means of guaranteeing the reality of the phenomena described by science. If scientific laws are ultimately reducible to their empirical grounds they cannot have an existence independent of men, since men's perception constitutes those empirical grounds. If we had no guarantee of the reality of the phenomena described by science, experimental activity and applied science would be incomprehensible. Arguing from the premiss that both such activities are comprehensible, Bhaskar develops a more adequate characterization of the nature of scientific laws. Scientific laws are descriptions of "generative mechanisms" that underlie events. He argues further that science has always been more concerned with explaining the world than in predicting what will happen. Moreover science provides us with stratified levels of explanation-(from the chemical, to the molecular, to the atomic, for example)-which correspond to real levels of stratification in the natural world. In The possibility of naturalism Bhaskar applies these arguments to the human sciences with extremely …
Calibration-free approach to 3D reconstruction using light stripe projections on a cube frame

This paper presents a new approach based on light striping for reconstructing a 3D model from a real object. The proposed system consists of a light plane projector, camera and cube frame with LEDs attached. As in other light striping systems, the correspondence problem is solved by projecting light plane onto an object inside a frame. However, we use only cross-ratios and vanishing points to set up the world coordinates of the object, while the intrinsic and extrinsic parameters of the camera and the position of light source are not required. As such, the proposed system does not calibrate the camera and the light source. Furthermore, the computed 3D point data does not require by registration process because the data is directly measured based on unified world coordinates. Experimental results proved the accuracy of the measurements and consistency of the outcomes without any knowledge of the camera and light source parameters.