Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A computer host-based user anomaly detection system using the self-organizing map

Computer systems are vulnerable to abuse by insiders and to penetration by outsiders. The amount of monitoring data generated in computer networks is enormous. Tools are needed to ease the work of system operators. Anomaly detection attempts to recognize abnormal behavior to detect intrusions. A prototype UNIX anomaly detection system has been constructed. The system is host-based and monitors computer network host users. The system contains an automatic anomaly detection component. This component uses a test based on the self-organizing map to test if user behavior is anomalous. Both the test and the application are presented.
ComX is a unique link between multiple quorum sensing outputs and competence in Streptococcus pneumoniae

Natural competence for genetic transformation in Streptococcus pneumoniae is achieved directly by specific proteins that are involved in DNA uptake and chromosomal recombination, and is regulated indirectly by a quorum‐sensing system encoded by two loci, comAB and comCDE. The alternative sigma factor, ComX, is thought to be the unique link between quorum sensing and competence‐specific genes. To test this hypothesis, we replaced the quorum‐sensing inducible promoter (PQ) of the comX gene with either a constitutive promoter (PC) or a raffinose‐inducible promoter (PR), so that comX transcription would be independent of quorum sensing. Surprisingly, both competence and expression of late genes, such as ssbB, cglA or celB, were found to depend on CSP in these mutants. An unknown, CSP‐dependent regulator was needed when comX was expressed from these ectopic promoters, and it appears to act post‐transcriptionally. However, when a multicopy nisin‐inducible ComX‐overexpressing plasmid was introduced, pneumococcal cells developed competence in the presence of nisin even despite deletion of comE. At 1% of the normal protein peak level, ComX protein stimulated competence without the participation of the pheromone response circuit. Thus, ComX is a unique link to competence‐specific genes, but depends on multiple outputs of quorum sensing for maximal expression.
Long-Term Effects of Fish Oil on Insulin Resistance and Plasma Lipoproteins in NIDDM Patients With Hypertriglyceridemia

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term (6-month) effects of moderate fish oil supplementation on insulin sensitivity and plasma lipoproteins in NIDDM patients with hypertriglyceridemia. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The study has been performed according to a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled design with a parallel group sequence. After a washout period of 4 weeks and a run-in period of 3 weeks, 16 NIDDM patients with hypertriglyceridemia (triglyceride [TG], 2.25–5.65 mmol/l) were randomly assigned to either fish oil (2.7 g/day eicosapentaenoic plus docosahexaenoic acid for 2 months, then 1.7 g/day for 4 more months) (n = 8) or placebo (n = 8). Diet and hypoglycemic drugs remained unchanged throughout the whole experiment. At baseline and after 6 months, insulin sensitivity was measured by euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp (insulin infused, 2.0 mIU · kg−1 body wt · min−1). At the same time, blood glucose control, fasting and postprandial serum insulin and nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA) concentrations, and fasting plasma lipoprotein concentrations were evaluated. RESULTS In the group treated with ffish oil compared with the baseline, there was: 1) a significant reduction in both plasma TG (2.92 ± 0.23 vs. 3.85 ± 0.32 [mean ± SE] mmol/l, P < 0.001) and VLDL-TG (2.35 ± 0.24 vs. 4.25 ± 0.66 mmol/l, P < 0.01), without significant changes in blood glucose control; 2) a significant reduction in fasting NEFA concentrations (572 ± 100 vs. 825 ± 131 μmol/l, P < 0.01); and 3) a significant enrichment in long-chain ω-3 fatty acids of erythrocyte membrane phospholipids. In the placebo group, there were no changes in any of the variables analyzed. The insulin-mediated glucose uptake was unchanged in both groups (fish oil, 4.04 ± 0.82 mg · kg−1 · min−1 at baseline and 3.96 ± 0.50 mg · kg−1 · min−1 at 6 months; placebo, 3.51 ± 0.62 mg · kg−1 · min−1 at baseline and 4.09 ± 0.49 mg · kg−1 · min−1 at 6 months). CONCLUSIONS In NIDDM patients with hypertriglyceridemia, moderate amounts of fish oil induce a long-term significant reduction in plasma triglycerides, VLDL triglycerides, and NEFA and a significant enrichment in the erythrocyte phospholipid content of long-chain ω-3 fatty acids, without deteriorating blood glucose control. However, this amount of ω-3 fatty acids was unable to improve insulin sensitivity in this group of patients.
Associative learning signals in the brain

Associative memory is defined as memory for the relationship between two initially unrelated items, like a name and an unfamiliar face. Associative memory is not only one of the most common forms of memory used in everyday situations, but is highly dependent on the structures of the medial temporal lobe (MTL). The goal of this chapter is to review the patterns of neural activity shown to underlie the formation of new associative memories in the MTL, as well as to examine how other extraMTL areas participate in the learning process. Other areas implicated in various aspects of associative learning include the motor-related areas of the frontal lobe, prefrontal cortex, and striatum. The question of how the MTL and the other cortical and subcortical structures may interact during associative learning will be discussed.
Monte Carlo simulation of thermoelectric properties in nanocomposites

This paper presents a Monte Carlo simulation scheme to study the thermoelectric properties of nanocomposites with special attention paid to the implementation of periodic boundary condition in Monte Carlo simulation. The scheme is applied to study the thermal conductivity of silicon germanium (Si-Ge) nanocomposites, which are of great interest for high efficiency thermoelectric material development. The size effects of phonon transport in nanoparticle composites were studied and the results show that the thermal conductivity of nanoparticle composites can be lower than alloy value. It was found that randomly distributed nanoparticles in nanocomposites rendered the thermal conductivity values very close to that of nanocomposites with periodically aligned mono-size nanoparticles. This suggests that interfacial area per unit volume is a useful parameter to correlate the size effect of thermoelectric properties in nanocomposites.
An Overview of the Diagnosis and Management of Clostridium difficile Infection

Abstract The diagnosis and treatment of Clostridium difficile infection are becoming increasingly complex with the introduction of novel diagnostic techniques and new pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic treatments. The integration of these new approaches with older, established methods is a challenge to individual clinicians and hospital systems. This article provides an overview of the current methods for the diagnosis and treatment of C difficile infection.
Sensitivity analysis of a technique for the extraction of interface trap density in SiC MOSFETs from subthreshold characteristics

A method for extracting interface trap density (DIT) from subthreshold I-V characteristics is used to analyze data on a SiC MOSFET stressed for thirty minutes at 175°C with a gate bias of -20 V. Without knowing the channel doping, the change in DIT can be calculated when referenced to an energy level correlated with the threshold voltage.
2 Fuzzy Decision Trees and Genetic Program Based Data Mining

A data mining procedure for automatic determination of fuzzy decision tree structure using a genetic program is discussed. A genetic program (GP) is an algorithm that evolves other algorithms or mathematical expressions. Methods for accelerating convergence of the data mining procedure are examined. The methods include introducing fuzzy rules into the GP and a new innovation based on computer algebra. Experimental results related to using computer algebra are given. Comparisons between trees created using a genetic program and those constructed solely by interviewing experts are made. Connections to past GP based data mining procedures for evolving fuzzy decision trees are established. Finally, experimental methods that have been used to validate the data mining algorithm are discussed.
Significant Improvement of the Recombinant Borrelia-Specific Immunoglobulin G Immunoblot Test by Addition of VlsE and a DbpA Homologue Derived from Borrelia garinii for Diagnosis of Early Neuroborreliosis

ABSTRACT We investigated whether the recombinant Borrelia Western blot test previously described (B. Wilske, C. Habermann, V. Fingerle, B. Hillenbrand, S. Jauris-Heipke, G. Lehnert, I. Pradel, D. Rössler, and U. Schulte-Spechtel, Med. Microbiol. Immunol. 188:139-144, 1999) can be improved by the addition of VlsE and additional DbpA and OspC homologues. By using a panel of sera from 36 neuroborreliosis patients and 67 control patients, the diagnostic sensitivity of the recombinant immunoblot test was significantly increased (86.1% versus 52.7%) without loss of specificity and was higher (86.1% versus 63.8%) than that of the conventional whole-cell lysate immunoblot test (U. Hauser, G. Lehnert, R. Lobentanzer, and B. Wilske, J. Clin. Microbiol. 35:1433-1444, 1997). Improvement was mainly due to the presence of VlsE and DbpA.
Effect of Antiepileptic Drugs on Plasma Lipids, Lipoprotein (a), and Liver Enzymes

We conducted a study to assess the effect of phenobarbital, carbamazepine, and valproate on serum lipid profiles and lipoprotein (a) in 64 children with epilepsy (aged between 1 and 15 years) admitted to the child neurology outpatient clinic between July 2000 and July 2002. The children were separated as group 1 (18 children), treated with phenobarbital, 5 mg/kg/day; group 2 (22 children), treated with carbamazepine, 10 to 15 mg/kg/day; and group 3 (24 children), treated with sodium valproate, 20 mg/kg/day. Plasma lipoprotein (a), total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, apolipoprotein A and apolipoprotein B levels, and liver enzymes alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and γ-glutamyltransferase were determined before the initiation of the treatment and at 3, 6, and 12 months of the treatment period. The mean age of children in group 1 was significantly low compared with those in groups 2 and 3 (P < .05). The mean pretreatment lipid levels among the groups were not significantly increased. The mean lipoprotein (a) levels were significantly increased in all groups at 3, 6, and 12 months of the treatment period (P < .05). The increase in alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol at 3, 6, and 12 months was statistically significant in group 1 (P < .05). The higher levels in lipoprotein (a) (mean > 30 mg/dL) were observed only in carbamazepine-treated patients at 6 and 12 months. The percentage of children with lipoprotein (a) levels over 30 mg/dL was 44%, 63%, and 33% in the phenobarbital-, carbamazepine-, and valproate-treated children, respectively. Antiepileptic drugs significantly increase the level of lipoprotein (a), which is a major risk factor for atherosclerosis, and also have variable effects on other lipid parameters. Lipoprotein (a) levels should be closely followed in patients receiving antiepileptic drugs. (J Child Neurol 2006;21:70—74).
Splanchnic (visceral) mesoderm has limb‐forming ability according to the position along the rostrocaudal axis in chick embryos

Positioning of the limb is one of the important events for limb development. In the early stage of embryogenesis, the lateral plate mesoderm splits into two layers and the dorsal layer (the somatic mesoderm) gives rise to a series of distinct structures along the rostrocaudal axis, including the forelimb bud, flank body wall, and hindlimb bud. To determine whether positional information in the somatic mesoderm for regionalization along the rostrocaudal axis is also inherited by the ventral layer of the lateral plate mesoderm (the splanchnic mesoderm), experiments in which the splanchnic mesoderm was transplanted under the ectoderm in an in ovo chick system were carried out. Transplantation of the wing‐, flank‐, and leg‐level splanchnic mesoderm resulted in the formation of wings, nothing, and legs, respectively. These results suggest that the splanchnic mesoderm possesses the ability to form limbs and that the ability differs according to the position along the rostrocaudal axis. The position‐specific ability to form limbs suggests that there are some domains involved in the formation of position‐specific structures in the digestive tract derived from the splanchnic mesoderm, and results of cell fate tracing supported this possibility. In contrast, analysis of shh expression suggested that the anteroposterior polarity in the limb region seems not to be inherited by the splanchnic mesoderm. We propose that the positioning of limb buds is specified and determined in the very early stage of development of the lateral plate mesoderm before splitting and that the polarity in a limb bud is established after the splitting of the mesoderm. Developmental Dynamics 233:256–265, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Optical High DC Voltage Sensor Based on White-Light Interferometry

This letter reports an optical system for high dc voltage measurement utilizing a bulk LiNbO3 crystal with specialized-orientation as a sensing element. White-light interferometry is employed to encode the electric voltage information in the optical spectrum instead of intensity. Measurement of dc voltage from 0 to 9 kV with resolution of 2.3 V has been experimentally demonstrated
Diffusion-based approach to deploying wireless sensor networks

An important objective of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) is to reliably sense data about the environment in which they are deployed. Reliability in WSNs has been widely studied in terms of providing reliable routing protocols for message dissemination and reliability of communication from sink to sensors. In this work, we define a reliability metric by the amount of data sensed by the network. In order to satisfy this reliability constraint, we propose a diffusion-based approach for a deployment pattern for the sensor nodes. We show that this deployment pattern achieves sufficient coverage and connectivity and requires lesser number of sensors than popular regular deployment patterns. We further obtain the bounds on establishing connectivity between nodes in the WSN and extend this analysis for heterogeneous WSNs.
Detection of known haemophilia B mutations and carrier testing by microarray

Summary The molecular basis of haemophilia B is heterogeneous and many mutations of the Factor IX (FIX) gene have been characterised. Using the allele-specific arrayed primer extension (ASAPEX) technology, we have designed a FIX array to simultaneously analyse 69 mutations found in British, Thai and Chinese patients. This technology overcomes the problem of multiple reverse dot-blot analysis and has a 100% accuracy in the detection of both affected subjects and carriers in families with known mutations. In seven unknown mutations from Thailand, the array could detect the specific mutation in five and in the remainders the normal primer at specific spots failed to extend due to a mutation a few nucleotides upstream, thus allowing their identification. Hence this FIX array can detect 53% of the 2891 mutation entries in the FIX database. Each of the microarray slide can be used for three different test samples and would be useful for carrier testing for common mutations and prenatal diagnosis. It is simpler and more cost effective than genome sequencing and would be particularly useful in laboratories with limited technical capabilities.
Characterization of a Glutathione Metabolic Mutant of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Its Resistance to Glutathione and Nitrosoglutathione

ABSTRACT Glutathione is a tripeptide and antioxidant, synthesized at high levels by cells during the production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen intermediates. Glutathione also serves as a carrier molecule for nitric oxide in the form of S-nitrosoglutathione. Previous studies from this laboratory have shown that glutathione and S-nitrosoglutathione are directly toxic to mycobacteria. Glutathione is not transported into the cells as a tripeptide. Extracellular glutathione is converted to a dipeptide due to the action of transpeptidase, and the dipeptide is then transported into the bacterial cells. The processing of glutathione and S-nitrosoglutathione is brought about by the action of the enzyme γ-glutamyl transpeptidase. The function of γ-glutamyl transpeptidase is to cleave glutathione and S-nitrosoglutathione to the dipeptide (Cys-Gly), which is then transported into the bacterium by the multicomponent ABC transporter dipeptide permease. We have created a mutant strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis lacking this metabolic enzyme. We investigated the sensitivity of this strain to glutathione and S-nitrosoglutathione compared to that of the wild-type bacteria. In addition, we examined the role of glutathione and/or S-nitrosoglutathione in controlling the growth of intracellular M. tuberculosis inside mouse macrophages.
A new species of Rhinonastes (Monogenoidea, Dactylogyridae), nasal parasite of Prochilodus argenteus (Actinopterygii, Characiformes) from Brazil

A new species of Rhinonastes, hitherto monotypic, is described and illustrated from the nasal cavity of ‘curimat’, Prochilodus argenteus from São Francisco River, Brazil. Rhinonastes curimatae n. sp. presents a male copulatory organ with more than five rings while the type species of the genus is characterized by male copulatory organ with less than two rings. This is the first record of a nasal parasite in P. argenteus.
Tracking multiple mice through severe occlusions

In this thesis, I address the problem of tracking multiple identical mice through severe occlusions from video of a side of their cage. A solution to this problem would greatly benefit medical research because of the key role animal testing plays in medical research. As the majority of visual tracking algorithms are intended for tracking people or cars, they are not directly applicable to the mouse tracking problem. Mice are extremely deformable, unconstrained three-dimensional objects. They have few trackable features, and their motion is extremely erratic. In addition, the mice are visually indistinguishable. Thus, to keep track of identities one must track the mice through sometimes complete occlusions. Furthermore, because of the constraints of the application, we had little control over the content of the video sequence. Thus, the bedding of the cage was hard to distinguish from the mice, and the mice were also occluded by scratches on the front of the cage. In this thesis, I break up the tracking problem into parts: defining a state representation for the mice, defining an appearance model, defining a motion model, and inferring statistics of the positions of the mice for a novel video sequence given the defined model. Because of the difficulty and uniqueness of the mouse tracking problem, it was necessary to understand, modify, combine, and invent state-of-the-art approaches to each of these parts of the tracking problem. In this thesis, I describe and motivate the solutions chosen for each of these subproblems.
Factored Deep Convolutional Neural Networks for Noise Robust Speech Recognition

In this paper, we present a framework of a factored deep convolutional neural network (CNN) learning for noise robust automatic speech recognition (ASR). Deep CNN architecture, which has attracted great attention in various research areas, has also been successfully applied to ASR. However, to ensure noise robustness, since merely introducing deep CNN architecture into the acoustic modeling of ASR is insufficient, we introduce factored network architecture into deep CNN-based acoustic modeling. The proposed factored deep CNN framework factors out feature enhancement, delta parameter learning, and hidden Markov model state classification into three specific network blocks. By assigning specific roles to each block, the noise robustness of deep CNN-based acoustic models can be improved. With various comparative evaluations, we reveal that the proposed method successfully improves ASR accuracies in noise environments.
Combinatorial peptides directed to inhibitory antibodies against human blood clotting factor VIII

Summary The development of antibodies against blood clotting factorVIII is a major complication affecting 20–30% of hemophilia A patients receiving replacement with FVIII concentrates. This study investigated generating peptides acting as broadly neutralizing agents to block factor VIII antibodies. These peptides were selected from dual positional scanning decapeptide libraries on cellulose membranes. From this library comprising 6.8×1012 peptides we selected 468 peptides for further screening rounds. Finally we identified two decapeptides with the ability to block 8 out of 10 inhibitory antibodies from sera of patients with FVIII inhibitors demonstrated by competition assays. Sequence alignment of the peptides showed similarity with several domains in the FVIII molecule demonstrating the mimotope nature of the selected peptides. Our results show the efficiency of the combinatorial library approach and show the potential of combinatorial peptides to compete out polyclonal inhibitor IgG from a broad range of patients’ sera. Combinatorial peptides could be novel and highly effective drug candidates for alternative treatment in patients with factor VIII inhibitors.
Steal Syndrome after Internal Mammary Artery Bypass Grafting - An Entity with Increasing Significance

Stenosis of proximal subclavian artery (SCA), malformations of the internal mammary artery (IMA) at its origin, or large IMA side branches may cause myocardial ischemia due to blood-steal through a patent IMA graft. Thirty-one cases of postoperative steal syndromes have been reported in the literature, 23 due to proximal SCA stenosis, seven due to large IMA side branches and one due to an IMA malformation. We report two additional cases and discuss them in conjunction with the cases in the literature. Thirty patients suffered from recurrent angina pectoris, three had asymptomatic reversal of flow in the IMA as diagnosed by coronary angiography during routine follow-up examination. Carotid-subclavian bypass grafting is the treatment of choice for the management of proximal SCA stenosis. IMA malformations or large side branches are treated by interruption of the responsible vessel, either by ligation or by transarterial catheter embolization. In 82% (27 of 33), steal syndrome could have been prevented by preoperative angiography of the IMA. We advocate it as a routine procedure in combination with coronary arteriography.
Gray-Level Co-occurrence Matrix Implementation based on Edge Detection Information for Surface Texture Analysis

Texture is an important property used in classifying the regions of interests in an image. Literally, it is defined as the uniformity of a substance or a surface. Technically, it gives us the information about the spatial arrangement of structures in an image. One of the earliest methods used for texture feature extraction is the Gray-Level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM) which contains second order statistical information of neighboring pixels of an image. In this paper, we aim to produce a texture descriptor using GLCM matrix together with an edge detector operator, namely, Sobel operator in a non-destructive and contactless way. Such a descriptor is implemented to quantify the surface structure of a comparatively rough and smooth surface. Also, we have discussed about the importance of direction and distance parameters while GLCM processing.