Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Micropropagation of an endangered medicinal plant Ceropegia spiralis L.

Micropropagation protocol was developed for Ceropegia spiralis L. a species threatened by over exploitation due to its medicinal importance and habitat destruction in Southern Peninsular India. Multiple shoots (14.37±0.12) induction was more successful using nodes as explants on MS medium supplemented with BAP 2.22 μM induced multiple shoots after fourth subculture. In vitro flowering was observed on 0.5 MS medium with 3% sucrose supplemented with IAA 11.54 μM. The thin cell layers were obtained from the nodes and internodes of the plant and were cultured on the medium supplemented with BAP 13. 32μM + NAA 0.537μM induced 17.34±0.55 shoots showing extensive growth. Later on the organogenesis was also induced on the medium containing BAP 13. 32μM + 2, 4-D 1.130 μM. In vitro tuber formation by culturing both individual and multiple shoots on MS medium with 3% sucrose supplemented with BAP and different auxins at different concentrations, individually and in combination. Shoots developed were rooted best on 0.5 MS with NAA 10.74 μM. Optimum shoot and root multiplication was obtained within 8 weeks. In vitro plantlets were successfully weaned and transferred to soil with 90 % survival rate. Successfully, acclimatized plants were reintroduced into nature for their recovery. The present paper describes a simple and efficient protocol for the rapid and large-scale in vitro propagation of Ceropegia spiralis through nodes. To the best of our acquaintance, this is the first report on the micropropagation of Ceropegia spiralis using this technique.
Self-synchronization of Huffman codes

All binary prefix codes, including Huffman codes, are "complete", in the sense that the vertices in their decoding trees are either leaves or have two children. An open question has been to characterize which prefix codes and which complete prefix codes have a self-synchronizing string. Various algorithms have been proposed for determining the self-synchronizing string. In this paper, we prove that almost all complete prefix codes have a self-synchronizing string.
Authenticated key exchange protocols with unbalanced computational requirements

Security is a significant problem for communications in many scenarios in Internet of Things (IoT), such as military applications, electronic payment, wireless reprogramming of smart devices and so on. To protect communications, a secret key shared by the communicating parties is often required. Authenticated key exchange (AKE) is one of the most widely used methods to provide two or more parties communicating over an open network with a shared secret key. It has been studied for many years. A large number of protocols are available by now. The majority of existing AKE protocols require the two communicating parties execute equivalent computational tasks. However, many communications take place between two devices with significantly different computational capabilities, such as a cloud center and a mobile terminal, a gateway and a sensor node, and so on. Most available AKE protocols do not perfectly match these scenarios. To further address the security problem in communications between parties with fairly unbalanced computational capabilities, this thesis studies AKE protocols with unbalanced computational requirements on the communicating parties. We firstly propose a method to unbalance computations in the Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman (ECDH) key exchange scheme. The resulting scheme is named as UECDH scheme. The method transfers one scalar multiplication from the computationally limited party to its more powerful communicating partner. It significantly reduces the computational burden on the limited party since scalar multiplication is the most time-consuming operation in the ECDH scheme. When applying the UECDH scheme to design AKE protocols, the biggest challenge is how to achieve authentication. Without authentication, two attacks (the man-in-the-middle attack and the impersonation attack) can be launched to the protocols. To achieve authentication, we introduce different measures that are suitable for a variety of use cases. Based on the authentication measures, we propose four suites of UECDH-based AKE protocols. The security of the protocols is discussed in detail. We also implement prototypes of these protocols and similar protocols in international standards including IEEE 802.15. 6, Transport Layer Security (TLS) 1.3 and Bluetooth 5.0. Experiments are carried out to evaluate the performance. The results show that in the same experimental platform, the proposed protocols are more friendly to the party with limited computational capability, and have better performance than similar protocols in these international standards.
When are touchpoints limits for generalized Pólya urns

Hill, Lane, and Sudderth (1980) consider a Polya-like urn scheme in which X 0 , X 1 ,. , are the successive proportions of red balls in an urn to which at the n th stage a red ball is added with probability f(X n ) and a black ball is added with probability 1−f(X n ). For continuous f they show that X n converges almost surely to a random limit X which is a fixed point for f and ask whether the point p can be a limit if p is a touchpoint, i.e. p=f(p) but f(x)>x for x¬=;p in a neighborhood of p
The relation between life quality and subtype of the disease in patients with irritablebowel syndrome

Aim: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is not a life-threatening condition; however, people with IBS have a low quality of life (QOL) that might affect their education, social and professional achievements. Many studies have shown that patients who have IBS have lower QOL compared to the general population together with patients who have chronic diseases. The relation between IBS subtype and QOL is still not clear. For this reason, our study aims to evaluate the relationship between subtypes of the disease and QOL in patients who have IBS. Material and Methods: The 100 patients with IBS and 100 healthy individuals who were aged from 18 to 65 years, were included in our study. The relationship between disease subtype and quality of life in IBS patients were analyzed. Results: Regarding quality of life between the groups in the examination; the overall health scores were lower at a significant level in the patients who had IBS subtype as predominant-constipation than those who had IBS subtypes as predominant-diarrhea and mixed type (p=0.013;p=0.045;p<0.05,respectively). The vitality scores were higher at a significant level in patients whose IBS subtypes were predominant-diarrhea than those who had the IBS subtype as predominant-constipation (p=0.007;p<0.01). There were no statistically significant differences between the IBS subtypes and other parameters(p>0.05). Conclusion: It was shown that the QOL of IBS patients were significantly lower than the healthy population, but some differences were also found between the disease subtypes. QOL measurement as part of future therapeutic trials in IBS will help ensure optimal treatment.
Systolic stretching of the ascending aorta

Introduction Longitudinal stretching of the aorta due to systolic heart motion contributes to the stress in the wall of the ascending aorta. The objective of this study was to assess longitudinal systolic stretching of the aorta and its correlation with the diameters of the ascending aorta and the aortic root. Material and methods Aortographies of 122 patients were analyzed. The longitudinal systolic stretching of the aorta caused by the contraction of the heart during systole and the maximum dimensions of the aortic root and ascending aorta were measured in all patients. Results The maximum dimension of the aortic root was on average 34.9 ±4.5 mm and the mean diameter of the ascending aorta was 33.9 ±5.4 mm. The systolic aortic stretching negatively correlated with age (r = –0.49, p < 0.001) and the diameter of the tubular ascending aorta (r = –0.44, p < 0.001). There was no significant correlation between the stretching and the dimension of the aortic root (r = –0.11, p = 0.239). There was a statistically significant (p < 0.001) difference in the longitudinal aortic stretching values between patients with a normal aortic valve (10.6 ±3.1 mm) and an aortic valve pathology (8.0 ±3.2 mm in all patients with an aortic valve pathology; 7.5 ±4.3 mm in isolated aortic stenosis, 8.5 ±2.9 mm in the case of isolated insufficiency, 8.2 ±2.8 mm for valves that were both stenotic and insufficient). Conclusions Systolic aortic stretching negatively correlates with the diameter of the tubular ascending aorta and the age of the patients, and does not correlate with the diameter of the aortic root. It is lower in patients with an aortic valve pathology.
A Completely Capacitor-less, LED-switching Offline Lighting System

Recently LED lighting apparatus are becoming more popular and well received by users. An offline LED apparatus needs to have electrolytic capacitors inside to supply LEDs with a regulated DC voltage. Although LEDs are characterized by longevity, the shorter lifetime of the constituent electrolytic capacitors limit the lifetime of the LED lighting apparatus. That means that actual LED lifetime is being wasted, consequently wasting the manufacturing cost. This paper proposes a new LED drive circuit topology, which does not need any electrolytic capacitors and shows the simulation results of the circuit. Also described are simulation results of its efficiency, the power factor, and EMC characteristics without any reactance at the line interface. From the simulation results, it is shown that the circuit topology has the potential for practical use.
Root Response to Water Stress in Rainfed Lowland Rice

SUMMARY The relation between soil mechanical impedance as a result of soil drying, and root system growth (mass and length density) of rice was investigated in greenhouse and field studies. In a greenhouse experiment, soil drying for 16 days increased mechanical impedance in the 0–20 cm soil layer from near 0 to 2.5 MPa, and decreased root growth by 47% compared to the continuously flooded control. Root length density decreased with decreasing soil moisture and increasing soil mechanical impedance. In a lowland field experiment using a sprinkler irrigation gradient treatment for 19 days during the vegetative growth stage, soil mechanical impedance as low as 0.01 MPa inhibited root growth while values greater than 0.3–0.5 MPa decreased root growth and extension by 75%. The relative loss of potential root growth was continued after reflooding. Root length density, measured at flowering, was linearly related to yield.
State Acquisition in Computer Networks

We establish that State Acquisition should be per-formed in networks at a rate which is consistent with the rate-of-change of the element or service being observed. We demonstrate that many existing monitoring and service-level prediction tools do not acquire network state in an appropriate manner. To address this challenge: (1) we define the rate-of-change of different applications; (2) we use methods for analysis of unevenly spaced time series, specifically, time series arising from video and voice applications, to estimate the rate-of-change of these services; and finally, (3) we demonstrate how to acquire network state accurately for a number of real-world traces using Greedy Acquisition. The accuracy of State Acquisition is improved when it is performed at a rate which is consistent with its rate-of-change. An improvement in representation accuracy of one order of magnitude is achieved for voice and video streaming applications; this improvement does not incur any additional bandwidth or storage cost.
A Simple Genetic Algorithm for Optimizing Multiple Sequence Alignment on the Spread of the SARS Epidemic

Multiple sequence alignment is a method of getting genomic relationships between 3 sequences or more. In multiple alignments, there are 3 mutation network analyses, namely topological network system, mutation region network and network system of mutation mode. In general, the three analyses show stable and unstable regions that map mutation regions. This area of ​​mutation is described further in a phylogenetic tree which simultaneously illustrates the path of the spread of an epidemic, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic. The process of spreading the SARS viruses, in this case, is described as the process of phylogenetic tree formation, and as a novelty of this research, multiple alignments in the process are analyzed in detail and then optimized with genetic algorithms.The data used to form the phylogenetic tree for the spread of the SARS epidemic are 14 DNA sequences which are then optimized by using genetic algorithms. The phylogenetic tree is constructed by using the neighbor-joining algorithm with a distance matrix that the intended distance is the genetic distance obtained from sequence alignment by using the Needleman Wunsch Algorithm.The results of the analysis obtained 3649 stable areas and 19 unstable areas. The results of phylogenetic tree from the network system analysis indicated that the spread of the SARS epidemic extended from Guangzhou 16/12/02 to Zhongshan 27/12/02, then spread simultaneously to Guangzhou 18/02/03 and Guangzhou hospital. After that, the virus reached Metropole, Zhongshan, Hongkong, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong kong, and Hanoi which then continued to Guangzhou 01/01/03 and Toronto at once. The results of the mutation region network system demonstrate decomposition of orthogonal mutations in the 1st order arc.
Comparison of the anesthetic efficacy of articaine infiltration versus lidocaine inferior alveolar nerve block in pulp therapy of lower primary molars

Introduction: Pain control is essential to the behavioral management of children in pediatric dentistry. Effective anesthesia plays a key role in this regard, especially in pulp therapy. In order to achieve successful anesthesia, the type of analgesics and injection techniques should be considered. The present study aimed to compare the anesthetic efficacy of articaine infiltration and lidocaine inferior alveolar nerve block in the pulp therapy of lower primary molars. Materials and Methods: This randomized, crossover, triple-blind clinical trial was conducted on 64 children aged 4-10 years, who required the bilateral pulp therapy of the lower primary molars. Subjects were randomly divided into two groups. Treatment was performed for two sessions, and one lower primary molar was treated in each session. In the first treatment session, subjects in group A were injected with lidocaine inferior alveolar nerve block, and in the second session, they were injected with articaine infiltration. In group B, all the procedures were similar to group A. In the first treatment session, subjects in group B were injected with articaine infiltration, and in the second session, they were injected with lidocaine inferior alveolar nerve block. Pain intensity was measured upon the initiation of the pulp exposure using the visual analogue scale (VAS). Data analysis was performed by crossover analysis, paired t-test, and independent two-sample t-test. Results: During the study period, mean pain intensity in the children treated by lidocaine inferior alveolar nerve block was significantly lower compared to those treated by articaine infiltration. However, the two techniques had no statistically significant difference in the children aged 4-6 years and the treatment of the first primary molars. Conclusion: According to the results, lidocaine inferior alveolar nerve block has higher anesthetic efficacy in the pulp therapy of the lower primary molars compared to articaine infiltration. On the other hand, articaine infiltration could be a proper alternative to lidocaine inferior alveolar nerve block in the children aged 4-6 years and the treatment of the first primary molars considering its greater ease and lower risk.
VerICS 2006 - a Model Checker for Real-Time and Multi-Agent Systems?

The papers presents the current stage of the development of VerICS a model checker for real-time and multi-agent systems. Depending on the type of a system considered, it enables to test various classes of properties from reachability to temporal, epistemic and deontic formulas. The model checking methods used to this aim include both SAT-based and enumerative ones. In the paper we focus on new features of the verifier: SAT-based model checking for multi-agent systems and several extensions and improvements to real-time systems’ verification.
S-Nitrosylation of Parkin Regulates Ubiquitination and Compromises Parkin's Protective Function

Parkin is an E3 ubiquitin ligase involved in the ubiquitination of proteins that are important in the survival of dopamine neurons in Parkinson's disease (PD). We show that parkin is S-nitrosylated in vitro, as well as in vivo in a mouse model of PD and in brains of patients with PD and diffuse Lewy body disease. Moreover, S-nitrosylation inhibits parkin's ubiquitin E3 ligase activity and its protective function. The inhibition of parkin's ubiquitin E3 ligase activity by S-nitrosylation could contribute to the degenerative process in these disorders by impairing the ubiquitination of parkin substrates.
An implementation model for GOOD

In this paper 1 algorithms are given to derive string representations for GOOD graphs. Instance graphs are represented by strictly formatted strings, and schema graph representations form grammars that generate those kind of strings. Finally, a meta grammar is given, generating these kind of grammars. Thus, the meta grammar forms a grammar implementation model for GOOD. This model may also function as a basis for the definition of constraints in GOOD, implemented as attributes added to the grammar.
M2462 - MAZZOLA PRINT.indd

The editors of the Handbook of Research on Strategy Process are proud to add to the literature produced by Edward Elgar Publishing that brings together leading researchers in the fi eld and allows younger, emerging scholars to showcase their research and explore new directions. The editorial team, which joined forces in 2008, selected 24 papers from among numerous excellent proposals and have organized them into four parts. We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to our authors, not only for their wonderful ideas and contributions but also for their willingness to work within very tight deadlines. We are also grateful to Francine O’Sullivan of Edward Elgar Publishing for her support and superb collaboration. Last but by no means least, our thanks to Claudia Gabbioneta and Diane Adams, who were immensely helpful in the editorial process. Before we discuss the organization of the book in more detail, we want to briefl y refl ect on strategy process research. The distinction between strategy process and strategy content can be traced back to the great thinkers of strategic management, among them Chandler (1962), Ansoff (1965) and Andrews (1971). While strategy content focuses on the subject of the decision, strategy process focuses on actual decision making and its associated actions (Huff and Reger, 1987). Strategy process research examines the process underpinning strategy formation and implementation. Researchers in this area have demonstrated that strategy arises from the forces and activities that drive or counteract changes driven by human actions. Strategy process has traditionally focused on top management team research (e.g., Barr, Stimpert and Huff , 1992; Bourgeois, 1980; Fredrickson and Mitchell, 1984). However, over time, the role of other organizational levels (e.g., middle management) and other units of analysis (e.g., strategic initiatives) (e.g., Bower, 1970; Burgelman, 1983; Kanter, 1982; Mintzberg and Waters, 1985; Wooldridge and Floyd, 1990) has received more attention in the literature (Hutzschenreuter and Kleindienst, 2006). The contents of this handbook refl ect the growing scope and locus of strategic process research. The authors represent a multitude of disciplinary backgrounds, which aff ords us insights into the intellectual cutting edge of the fi eld. Although aimed primarily at the academic community, many of the contributions speak to a wider audience.
Is NF‐κB the sensor of oxidative stress?

NF‐κB is a dimeric transcription factor that is involved in the regulation of a large number of genes that control various aspects of the immune and inflammatory response. It is activated by a variety of stimuli ranging from cytokines, to various forms of radiation, to oxidative stress (such as exposure to H2O2). Recent studies have advanced our understanding of the signal transduction pathway leading to NF‐κB activation by cytokines and will provide insights for the mechanism by which NF‐κB is regulated by oxidative stress. An important question that is yet to be answered is whether reactive oxygen species play a physiological role in NF‐κB activation. —Li, N. , Karin, M. Is NF‐κB the sensor of oxidative stress? FASEB J. 13, 1137–1143 (1999)
Estimating Time Preferences from Budget Set Choices Using Optimal Adaptive Design

We describe and apply a method for choosing an informationally-optimal sequence of questions in experiments, using subjects' responses to previous questions. The method is applied to Convex Time Budget experiments, in which subjects choose allocation of monetary rewards at sooner and later dates, to elicit time preference parameters. Ground truth" simulation exercises create artificial choice data based on known parameters and then applies the method
A New Multi-Focus Image Fusion Algorithm and Its Efficient Implementation

Wavelet transform using Haar filter is a fast process for decomposing an image into low and high frequency sub-bands, which is an important step in multi-focus image fusion. This transformation alone is usually not sufficient to produce satisfying fused images, and therefore additional tools like focused region decision map and feature extraction are needed to enhance the fusion quality. In this paper, we propose a multi-focus image fusion algorithm that is suitable for efficient hardware implementation. The algorithm speed is significantly improved by utilizing Haar wavelet and computationally simple fusion rules. To further improve the circuit power and delay, we limit the logic operations to additions, subtractions, and multiplications only. Experiments on different benchmarks demonstrate that our proposed algorithm can reduce the fusion time by up to 99.97% compared with the state-of-the-art competing methods without compromising the fusion quality. In addition, the hardware implementation of the proposed algorithm reduces the circuit area and delay by 79.5% and 92.5%, respectively, when compared to the most competitive algorithm in this paper while maintaining similar fusion quality.