Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Efficient Fixed Point DLMS Adaptive Filter For Denoising

The fixed point DLMS adaptive filter is employed for image processing applications and typical for image denoising application. Adaptive filter adapts the filter coefficients according to an optimization algorithm. Because of its simplicity and satisfactory convergence performance LMS (Least Mean Square) algorithm is used. It does not support pipelined implementation because of its recursive behaviour. It is modified to a form called the Delayed LMS (DLMS) algorithm, which allows pipelined implementation of the filter. For achieving lower adaptation delay as well as area and delay efficiency, partial product generators (PPG) and ripple carry adder for adding scheme is used. Adaptation delay can be reduced by decoupling the computations at the error computation block and weight update block. It also emphasis on fixed point issues as location of radix point choice of word length and quantization at various stages of computation. It is most popular for real-time adaptive system.
Influence of Losartan, an angiotensin receptor antagonist, on neointimal proliferation in cultured human saphenous vein

An organ culture of human saphenous vein was used as a model of vein graft intimal hyperplasia and the potential of Losartan, an angiotensin II receptor antagonist, to inhibit neointimal proliferation was investigated. Median (range) neointimal thickness was reduced from 17 (16–19) to 11 (8–18) μm in veins cultured with Losartan (median difference 5 (95 per cent confidence interval 2–8) μm). A similar decrease in the median neointimal proliferation index was seen from 21 (range 14–47) to 15 (range 5–31) per cent (median difference 8 per cent (95 per cent confidence interval 5–11 per cent)). These results demonstrate that angiotensin II receptor antagonists may be of therapeutic value for the modulation of vein graft intimal hyperplasia.
Family‐Based Rare Variant Association Analysis: A Fast and Efficient Method of Multivariate Phenotype Association Analysis

Family‐based designs have been repeatedly shown to be powerful in detecting the significant rare variants associated with human diseases. Furthermore, human diseases are often defined by the outcomes of multiple phenotypes, and thus we expect multivariate family‐based analyses may be very efficient in detecting associations with rare variants. However, few statistical methods implementing this strategy have been developed for family‐based designs. In this report, we describe one such implementation: the multivariate family‐based rare variant association tool (mFARVAT). mFARVAT is a quasi‐likelihood‐based score test for rare variant association analysis with multiple phenotypes, and tests both homogeneous and heterogeneous effects of each variant on multiple phenotypes. Simulation results show that the proposed method is generally robust and efficient for various disease models, and we identify some promising candidate genes associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The software of mFARVAT is freely available at http://healthstat.snu. ac.kr/software/mfarvat/, implemented in C++ and supported on Linux and MS Windows.
Detecting Wikipedia Vandalism using Machine Learning - Notebook for PAN at CLEF 2011

Wikipedia vandalism identification is a very complex issue, which is now mostly solved manually by volunteers. This paper presents the main components of a system built by our group in order to automatically identify vandalized Wikipedia articles. The main component of our system is a machine learning component that uses three types of features grouped in 3 classes: Metadata, Text and Language. Additional to previous approaches we consider 4 new features related to vulgar, biased, sexual and miscellaneous bad words. The obtained results showed an area of 0.42464 under the PR-AUC curve and an area of 0.82963 under the ROC-AUC curve.
Calcium antagonists decrease plasma and tissue concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1 beta, and interleukin-1 alpha in a mouse model of endotoxin.

Calcium plays an important role in the toxic effects of endotoxin, and calcium antagonists also have been shown to improve survival in animals challenged with endotoxin. Calcium may be involved in regulating cytokine production. Therefore, the protective effect of calcium-antagonists in endotoxin may be due to decreased cytokine formation and/or systemic release. In a mouse model of endotoxin, dantrolene (10 mg/kg) and azumolene (20 mg/kg), drugs that decrease calcium release from intracellular stores, or diltiazem (20 mg/kg), a calcium channel blocker, decreased plasma tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1 alpha), and IL-1 beta (47.2, 63.2, and 62.4%, respectively, p < .05) when the animals were injected intraperitoneally with endotoxin. Dantrolene and azumolene decreased IL-1 alpha by 56.6 and 65.4%, respectively, (p < .05) and IL-1 beta by 51.7 and 69.7%, respectively (p < .05). Diltiazem had no effect on IL-1 alpha or IL-1 beta. Dantrolene decreased TNF-alpha in lung (26.1%), liver (29.4%), and spleen (35.4%) (p < .05) and IL-1 alpha in lung (30.0%) and liver (25.4%) (p < .05). The present findings indicate that calcium-antagonists may be efficacious in treating cytokine mediated inflammatory disorders.
Understanding Optimal Nutrition Among Women of Childbearing Age in the United States and Puerto Rico: Employing Formative Research to Lay the Foundation for National Birth Defects Prevention Campaigns

Neural tube defects (NTDs) are serious birth defects of the brain and spine that affect approximately 3,000 pregnancies in the United States each year and affected 404 pregnancies in Puerto Rico from 1996 to 2002. Consuming the B vitamin folic acid can reduce the incidence of NTDs 50%–70%, and recent efforts to reduce NTD rates have focused on increasing the number of childbearing-aged women who take a vitamin containing folic acid every day. As the first stage of formative research in campaign planning, two exploratory, qualitative studies were conducted in order to (a) understand the complexity of vitamin use among women in the United States and Puerto Rico and (b) serve as a foundation on which to develop national communication and education interventions. Also, this information shed light on theories that might be used to guide campaign development. Results indicated that campaign messages designed to increase folic acid use through multivitamin supplementation in the United States must address women's barriers to vitamin use (e.g., cost, time), increase women's perceived need for multivitamins (e.g., identify immediate, tangible results from taking a daily multivitamin), and address the relationship between daily food choices and the need for supplementation. Future campaign messages in Puerto Rico must focus on many of these same issues, in addition to increasing women's knowledge about when folic acid should be taken in relation to pregnancy and addressing women's perceptions that vitamins cause weight gain (an undesirable outcome for most participants). The practical and theoretical implications of these results are discussed in terms of their contribution to the development of a creative new approach to increase multivitamin consumption among women of childbearing age in the United States and Puerto Rico.
Use of Protic Ionic Liquids as Biomass Pretreatment for Lignocellulosic Ethanol Production

Although sugar cane bagasse is considered as a promising material for the production of second-generation ethanol, obtained through enzymatic hydrolysis and subsequent fermentation, the strong recalcitrance of its internal structures increases the production costs of this biofuel, requiring the application of pre-treatment and technological routes for its processing, sometimes unfeasible technically and economically. More recently, ionic liquids have been studied as an environmentally friendly alternative. Although the majority of the published works consider aprotic ionic liquids, the interest in protic ionic liquids has grown in recent years, especially due to its capacity to establish strong hydrogen bonds. Moreover, the functionality of the mobile nature of the proton H + makes these materials potential candidates for conducting protons for use in fuel cells and several other applications. In this work, the protic ionic liquid bis(2-hidroxyethylammonium) acetate, 2HE2AA, was produced and purified and then evaluated as a pre-treatment agent for sugarcane bagasse. The pre-treated material was enzymatically hydrolyzed for subsequent ethanol fermentation. The expectation is that a high yield be achieved in second-generation ethanol production, so that it can provide scientific and economic basis for a biomass conversion integrated and environmentally friendly process. Preliminary results indicated a yield of 84% in the pre-treatment step. The enzymatic saccharification showed a yield of 77% and a glucose conversion efficiency of 35% after 72 h.
Linking Participatory Action Research on Health Systems to Justice in Global Health: A Case Study of the Maternal and Neonatal Implementation for Equitable Health Systems Project in Rural Uganda

An ethical framework called “research for health justice” provides initial guidance on how to link health systems research in low- and middle-income countries to health equity. To further develop the largely conceptual framework, we tested its guidance against the experience of the Maternal and Neonatal Implementation for Equitable Health Systems (Manifest) project, which was performed in rural Uganda by researchers from Makerere University. We conducted 21 in-depth interviews with investigators and research implementers, directly observed study sites, and reviewed study-related documents. Our analysis identifies where alignment exists between the framework’s guidance and the Manifest project, providing initial lessons on how that was achieved. It also identifies where nonalignment occurred and gaps in the framework’s guidance. Suggestions are then made for revising and expanding “research for health justice. ”
The ameliorative effect of fluoxetine on neuroinflammation induced by sleep deprivation

It is well known that sleep disorders are harmful to people's health and performance, and growing evidence suggests that sleep deprivation (SD) can trigger neuroinflammation in the brain. The nucleotide‐binding domain and leucine‐rich repeat protein‐3 (NLRP3) inflammasome is reported to be relevant to the neuroinflammation induced by SD, but the regulatory signaling that governs the NLRP3 inflammasome in SD is still unknown. Meanwhile, whether the regulatory action of antidepressants in astrocytes could affect the neuroinflammation induced by SD also remains obscure. In this study, we were the first to discover that the antidepressant fluoxetine, a type of specific serotonin reuptake inhibitor widely used in clinical practice, could suppress the neuroinflammation and neuronal apoptosis induced by SD. The main findings from this study are as follows: (i) SD stimulated the expression of activated NLRP3 inflammasomes and the maturation of IL‐1β/18 via suppressing the phosphorylation of STAT3 in astrocytes; (ii) SD decreased the activation of AKT and stimulated the phosphorylation of GSK‐3β, which inhibited the phosphorylation of STAT3; (iii) the NLRP3 inflammasome expression stimulated by SD was partly mediated by the P2X7 receptor; (iv) an agonist of STAT3 could significantly abolish the expression of NLRP3 inflammasomes induced by an agonist of the P2X7 receptor in primary cultured astrocytes; (v) the administration of fluoxetine could reverse the stimulation of NLRP3 inflammasome expression and function by SD through elevating the activation of STAT3. In conclusion, our present research suggests the promising possibility that fluoxetine could ameliorate the neuronal impairment induced by SD.
Perceived ownership in a community coalition.

Coalitions are emerging as a force for change in many communities and offer the opportunity for broad community involvement in the planning and implementation of needed health promotion and health education services. Perceived ownership promotes greater participation by the community but efforts to systematically evaluate ownership are lacking. The aim of this study was to determine ownership of a local ElderCARE Coalition's activities and its health promotion program, Healthy WAY, as perceived by coalition members. Fifteen of the coalition members returned the questionnaire that included the Community Ownership Scale. As shown by mean scores, the agencies perceived as having the most influence or greatest perceived ownership were the university college of nursing and the community action programs. Coalition members represented a wide variety of roles and responsibilities as well as length of time in the coalition (1 month to 6 years). Responses to open-ended questions, analyzed by content analysis, supported the work of the coalition and identified the senior participants in the Healthy WAY program as being "enthusiastic" but also needing to be more "involved. " Process measures are important indicators of how close coalitions are staying to their grassroots constituency. Implications for public health nurses include participating as partners in community coalitions and assisting coalitions in determining their sense of ownership and the need for change.
Inhibitory effect of human chorionic gonadotrophin on lymphocyte blastogenic response to mitogen, antigen and allogeneic cells.

In vitro inhibitory effect of human chorionic gonadotrophin on human lymphocyte blastogenic response to phytohaemagglutinin, Varidase or allogeneic cells without cytotoxicity is presented. The effect of this hormone is reversible and dose-related. A greater inhibition of lymphocyte response is observed when the cells are pre-incubated with human chorionic gonadotrophin 24 hr before the addition of stimulant. Its inhibitory effect gradually decreases with time when the hormone is added to cultures, 1–3 days after the addition of phytohaemagglutinin. These data support the hypothesis that human chorionic gonadotrophin and possibly other placental hormones might have prevented the maternal lymphocytes from recognizing the foetus as a foreign tissue, resulting in a state of successful pregnancy.
Conversion of smart meter data in user-intuitive carbon footprint information

The climate changes are becoming more and more obvious for each of us. Nowadays, the link between the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the climate change is a worldwide recognized phenomenon. Although, the consumption of grid electricity is one of the most important sources of GHG emissions, the effects of this human behavior on the environment are still unknown, being invisible to the domestic consumer. A universal solution for the consumer information, from the environmental impact viewpoint of its electricity consumption behavior, may come from the smart metering area. A smart meter could also provide information about the carbon footprint. This paper presents a carbon footprint computation and possible displaying algorithm associated with the household consumption of grid electricity. The algorithm could be implemented in the smart metering system and it represents an easy user-intuitive way to improve the domestic consumer information using the smart meter data. Results based on typical load curves and national energy mix are presented.
Campechic acids A and B: anti-invasive polyether polyketides from a soil-derived Streptomyces.

Campechic acids A (1) and B (2), two new polyketides, were isolated from the culture extract of Streptomyces sp. , and their structures were determined by NMR and MS spectroscopic analysis. Campechic acids are polyether-polyketides functionalized by two tetrahydrofuran rings, an enolized 1,3-diketone, and multiple methyl substitutions. Absolute configuration of nine stereogenic centers in 1, except for four chiral centers in the cyclic ether moieties, was determined by the 1H NMR anisotropy method in combination with chemical degradation. Campechic acids exhibited potent inhibitory effects on tumor cell invasion with IC50 values in the nanomolar to submicromolar range.
Author ' s personal copy Two recombinant peptides , SpStrongylocins 1 and 2 , from Strongylocentrotus purpuratus , show antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria

The cysteine-rich strongylocins were the first antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) discovered from the sea urchin species, Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis. Homologous putative proteins (called SpStrongylocin) were found in the sister species, S. purpuratus. To demonstrate that they exhibit the same antibacterial activity as strongylocins, cDNAs encoding the ‘mature’ peptides (SpStrongylocins 1 and 2) were cloned into a direct expression system fusing a protease cleavage site and two purification tags to the recombinant peptide. Both recombinant fusion peptides were expressed in a soluble form in an Escherichia coli strain tolerant to toxic proteins. Enterokinase was used to remove the fusion tags and purified recombinant SpStrongylocins 1 and 2 showed antimicrobial activity against both Gramnegative and Gram-positive bacteria. The results of membrane integrity assays against cytoplasmic membranes of E. coli suggest that both recombinant SpStrongylocins 1 and 2 conduct their antibacterial activity by intracellular killing mechanisms because no increase in membrane permeability was detected. 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. * Corresponding author at: Norwegian College of Fishery Science, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, University of Tromsø, Breivika, N-9037 Tromsø, Norway. Tel. : +47 77 64 45 12; fax: +47 77 64 51 10. E-mail address: Klara.Stensvag@uit.no (K. Stensvåg).
Sensitive and selective bacterial detection using tetracysteine-tagged phages in conjunction with biarsenical dye.

National Natural Science Foundation of China[20675070, 20975087, 90913015, 21027010]; Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University[NCET-07-0729]; Research Funds for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China[20090121120008, 20090121110009]; NFFTBS[J1030415]
The Resonance Mode Theory for Exterior Problems of Electrodynamics and Its Application to Discrete Antenna Modeling in a Frequency Range

The problem under consideration here is that of building a versatile discrete antenna model in a frequency range. The eigenfunction (mode) expansion or singularity expansion method (SEM) is used in working out the problem. A detailed substantiation of SEM is provided and an expression determining the dependence of mode amplitudes on exterior source fields is derived. A simple example is provided in support of the theory. The SEM is used in inquiring into the frequency dependence of antenna-generalized matrix entries. It is intimated that all of the matrix entries contain resonance factors and factors that are Hankel transforms of radial coordinate functions. A sampling theorem, which is a generalized extension of the classic sampling theorem, is used for the Hankel transform. The application of the generalized sampling theorem completes the process of building a versatile discrete antenna model in a frequency range.
An efficient transceiver for vehicular ad hoc network based on IR-UWB

Recently, vehicular ad hoc network (VANET) has become an attractive area of research, and developed the application which can improve road safety, traffic efficiency and provides a comfort to both drivers and passengers. In VANET, the vehicles can communicate with each other to warn and inform drivers via wireless communication technology. The vehicles in VANET act as a transmitter and receiver to exchange data which can be attenuated in presence noise and obstacles. With theses constraints, we are proposed to use Impulse Radio Ultra wideband (IR-UWB) technology as a new radio-communication for inter-vehicle communication (IVC) system. In order to obtain a reliable data, we are interested to evaluate the IR-UWB transceiver as an efficient solution for the communication between moving vehicles. In this paper we show the performance of the IR-UWB transceiver suitable for inter-vehicle communication system with analyzing the effect of the multi-user interference (MUI).
Highly stable CuO incorporated TiO_2 catalyst for photocatalytic hydrogen production from H_2O

A CuO incorporated TiO_2 catalyst was found to be an active photocatalyst for the reduction of H_2O under sacrificial conditions. The catalytic activity originates from the photogeneration of excited electrons in the conduction bands of both TiO_2 and CuO resulting in a build-up of excess electrons in the conduction band of CuO. Consequently, the accumulation of excess electrons in CuO causes a negative shift in the Fermi level of CuO. The efficient interparticle charge transfer leads to a higher catalytic activity and the formation of highly reduced states of TiO_2/CuO, which are stable even under oxygen saturated condition. Negative shift in the Fermi level of CuO of the catalyst TiO_2/CuO gains the required overvoltage necessary for efficient water reduction reaction. The function of CuO is to help the charge separation and to act as a water reduction site. The amount of CuO and crystalline structure were found to be crucial for the catalytic activity and the optimum CuO loading was ca. ≈ 5-10% (w/w).
Detection and Genotyping of Human Papilloma Virus in Cervical Cancer Specimens From Saudi Patients

Objective: To determine the rates and types of human papilloma virus (HPV) infection in cervical cancer specimens from Saudi patients. Methods: One hundred specimens were randomly selected and retrieved from the achieved samples stored in the pathology department accessioned under the diagnosis of cervical cancer and carcinoma in situ between the years 1997 and 2007. Human papilloma virus in the clinical samples was detected using polymerase chain reaction amplification methods. Two primer systems are commonly used: the MY09-MY11 primers and the GP5+-GP6+ that amplify a wide range of HPV genotypes. Human papilloma virus isolates were genotyped using DNA sequencing and reverse line blot hybridization assay to identify the high-risk HPV genotypes. Results: Ninety cases fulfilled the diagnostic criteria and were analyzed. The rate of HPV genotype detection among cervical cancer samples was 95.5%. The most common HPV genotype detected by both methods was HPV-16 (63.4%), followed by HPV-18 (11.1%), HPV-45 (4.5%), HPV-33 (3.3%), and HPV-31, HPV-52, HPV-53, HPV-58, HPV-59, and HPV-66 with 2.2% prevalence rate each. Conclusions: Prevalence of HPV genotypes among patients with cervical cancer in Saudi Arabia is comparable to the international rates. The use of the reverse line blot hybridization assay genotyping method could be useful for classifying oncogenic HPV-positive women. It is relatively inexpensive and reliable and can be performed in routine practice or epidemiological study compared with the available standard commercial kits.
The principles and biological applications of cell traction force microscopy

When a cell adheres to an underlying substrate, it exerts traction forces on the substrate to enable migration. The cell traction forces (CTFs) are also essential for controlling cell shape and maintaining cellular homeostasis. As such, CTF plays a vital role in many fundamental biological processes including morphogenesis, angiogenesis, metastasis, and tissue wound healing. Thus, a close examination of CTFs permits better understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms of these biological processes. This chapter introduces a new CTF measurement technology called cell traction force microscopy (CTFM). Based on fluorescence microscopy imaging and computational mechanics, CTFM offers unique advantages over conventional microscopy techniques in that it can quantify CTFs of individual cells or cell aggregates reliably, accurately, and efficiently. In addition to the description of principles and procedures of performing CTFM, this chapter also provides examples of CTFM applications to demonstrate its capability in various cellular biological studies.