Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dietary guidelines to nourish humanity and the planet in the twenty-first century. A blueprint from Brazil

Abstract Objective To present and discuss the dietary guidelines issued by the Brazilian government in 2014. Design The present paper describes the aims of the guidelines, their shaping principles and the approach used in the development of recommendations. The main recommendations are outlined, their significance for the cultural, socio-economic and environmental aspects of sustainability is discussed, and their application to other countries is considered. Setting Brazil in the twenty-first century. Subjects All people in Brazil, now and in future. Results The food- and meal-based Brazilian Dietary Guidelines address dietary patterns as a whole and so are different from nutrient-based guidelines, even those with some recommendations on specific foods or food groups. The guidelines are based on explicit principles. They take mental and emotional well-being into account, as well as physical health and disease prevention. They identify diet as having cultural, socio-economic and environmental as well as biological and behavioural dimensions. They emphasize the benefits of dietary patterns based on a variety of natural or minimally processed foods, mostly plants, and freshly prepared meals eaten in company, for health, well-being and all relevant aspects of sustainability, as well as the multiple negative effects of ready-to-consume ultra-processed food and drink products. Conclusions The guidelines’ recommendations are designed to be sustainable personally, culturally, socially, economically and environmentally, and thus fit to face this century. They are for foods, meals and dietary patterns of types that are already established in Brazil, which can be adapted to suit the climate, terrain and customs of all countries.
Joint channel and impulsive noise estimation for OFDM based power line communication systems using compressed sensing

Compressed sensing (CS) based joint channel impulse response (CIR) and impulsive noise (IN) estimation is proposed for OFDM systems. Current literature considers CS based CIR and IN estimation as two separate problems. We show that the CIR and IN estimation can be formulated as a single joint problem where the probability of overlap between the supports of IN and CIR in an OFDM frame is significantly low. This allows us to assume that the IN and CIR supports are disjoint. Furthermore, we show that the CS solution from the joint formulation provides improvement in the estimation of CIR and IN as compared to the separate schemes. Numerical simulations verify the improvements in terms of Mean Square Error (MSE), Bit Error Rate (BER) or spectral efficiency offered by the proposed (joint) scheme.
Evolution of regular directed patterns in dynamic social networks

Existing Dynamic Graph mining algorithms focus typically on finding patterns in undirected, unweighted and weighted dynamic networks ignoring the fact that some of them could be directed also. In this paper, we focus on finding regular evolution patterns in edges, outdegree and indegree of all the nodes, featuring consecutively at fixed time intervals during the growth of an unweighted and directed dynamic graph. Such regular patterns will help in finding the characteristics (such as popularity, inactiveness) of the nodes. A methodology of occurrence rule is proposed in order to determine regular evolution patterns, which are considered to be regular if they follow the same occurrence rule. The methodology is also used to find the patterns in the outdegree and indegree of all the nodes. These patterns are used to describe exhaustively the neighbourhood properties of dynamic graphs as in the social networks. To ensure its practical feasibility, the method has been applied to real world dataset on Facebook-like Forum network, and the results have shown that 37.6% of the edges are directed regular edges, and 59% of the total users, not having their indegree patterns are unpopular users.
Polynomial Cutting Plane Algorithms for Extended Linear-Quadratic Problems in Stochastic Programming based on Ellipsoids, Volumetric Centers and Analytic Centers 1

In this paper, we consider the extended linear-quadratic problems arising in stochastic programming. This class of problems is a nonlinear extension of the two-stage stochastic linear programming problem considered in [3]. The work reported in this paper is an analog of the work in [3] with extensions of the three polynomial cutting plane algorithms given there to this more general class of problems.
Alignment practices affect distances in software development: a theory and a model

Coordinating a software project across distances is challenging. Even without geographical and time zone distances, other distances within a project can cause communication gaps. For example, organisational and cognitive distances between product owners and development-near roles such as developers and testers can lead to weak alignment of the software and the business requirements. Applying good software development practices, known to enhance alignment, can alleviate these challenges. We present a theoretical model called the Gap Model of how alignment practices affect different types of distances. This model has been inductively generated from empirical data. We also present an initial version of a theory based on this model that explains, at a general level, how practices affect communication within a project by impacting distances between people, activities and artefacts. The presented results provide a basis for further research and can be used by software organisations to improve on software practice.
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS IN THE INTERACTION AND MERGING OF GALAXIES IN zCOSMOS

We analyze the environments and galactic properties (morphologies and star formation histories) of a sample of 153 close kinematic pairs in the redshift range 0.2 < z < 1 identified in the zCOSMOS-bright 10 k spectroscopic sample of galaxies. Correcting for projection effects, the fraction of close kinematic pairs is three times higher in the top density quartile than in the lowest one. This translates to a three times higher merger rate because the merger timescales are shown, from mock catalogs based on the Millennium simulation, to be largely independent of environment once the same corrections for projection are applied. We then examine the morphologies and stellar populations of galaxies in the pairs, comparing them to control samples that are carefully matched in environment so as to remove as much of the well-known effects of environment on the properties of the parent population of galaxies as possible. Once the environment is properly taken into account in this way, we find that the early–late morphology mix is the same as for the parent population, but that the fraction of irregular galaxies is boosted by 50%–75%, with a disproportionate increase in the number of irregular–irregular pairs (factor of 4–8 times), due to the disturbance of disk galaxies. Future dry mergers, involving elliptical galaxies comprise less than 5% of all close kinematic pairs. In the closest pairs, there is a boost in the specific star formation rates of star-forming galaxies of a factor of 2–4, and there is also evidence for an increased incidence of post-starburst galaxies. Although significant for the galaxies involved, the “excess” star formation associated with pairs represents only about 5% of the integrated star formation activity in the parent sample. Although most pair galaxies are in dense environments, the effects of interaction appear to be largest in the lower density environments. By preferentially bringing more pairs into the sample in lower density environments, this could dilute the dependence of pair fraction on environment and may introduce other biases into the observational study of mergers, especially those based on morphological criteria.
Data privacy and integrity appropriate for disk protection

To protect data privacy and integrity, it encrypts each protected disk sector and creates hash tree upon all the protected sectors to resist against any possible attacks. To make it an appropriate way for disk protection, it designs the required solutions of disk layout, performance optimizing and consistency maintaining. Disk layout uses a fixed disk region to preserve hash tree nodes; performance optimizing utilizes system memory to buffer those frequently used hash tree nodes to offload the big working cost; and consistency maintaining logs disk modifications to recovery the valid result after unexpected failures. The implementation cost is low and running performance is satisfiable. Analysis and experimental simulations show that it is a practical and available way to build secure disk.
Comment parle-t-on aux animaux.: Formes et effets pragmatiques de l’adresse aux animaux de compagnie

Cet article examine les apports possibles d’une approche linguistique interactionniste pour l’analyse de la communication homme/animal. Les phenomenes communicatifs entre hommes et animaux sont frequents, ordinaires, et quotidiens (dans les foyers ou au travail), et ont pourtant jusque-la fort peu fait l’objet d’investigations poussees, puisqu’ils echappent en partie a l’analyse ethologique (generalement interessee au comportement communicatif d’une espece propre) autant qu’a l’analyse linguistique (centree sur le langage verbal articule – par definition humain). Sur la base de donnees audio et video recueillies dans divers contextes et en situations « naturelles » (versus experimentales) donnant acces a des formes d’adresse jusque-la peu documentees dans la litterature, la presente contribution identifie trois modalites recurrentes dans l’adresse a l’animal domestique, et en examine les effets pragmatiques. Cela ouvre la breche pour reenvisager, sur la base de contributions empiriques precises, certaines questions plus generales qui sont ordinairement soulevees quand on aborde les relations homme/animal, celle de l’agentivite des animaux, celle de l’attribution d’intentions, et celles des modalites de l’ajustement mutuel.
GM-Tree: An efficient frequent pattern mining technique for dynamic database

Since its inception, mining frequent patterns have become an imperative issue in data mining. The main problem in this area is to find out the association rule that identifies the relationships among a set of items. But the most expensive step in association rule is finding frequent itemsets and hence it draw the attention of many important research. In this paper, we propose a novel tree structure, called GM(Generate and Merge)Tree, which is a combination of prefix based incremental mining using canonical ordering and batch incrementing techniques. Our approach makes the tree structure more compact, canonically ordered of nodes and avoids sequential incrementing of transactions. It also helps to give a scalable algorithm with minimum overheads of modifying the tree structure during update operations. This algorithm is especially expected to give better results in case of extremely large transaction database in a dynamic environment. The experimental work has been carried out on two large datasets. Test results show the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed approach by outperforming the traditional FP-Tree, CanTree(Canonical-order Tree) and BIT(Batch Incremental Tree).
Face Detection Based on Feature Analysis and Edge Detection against Skin Color-like Backgrounds

In this paper, we propose a method of face detection based on feature analysis and edge detection against skin color-like backgrounds. The proposed method consists of three phases including image preprocessing, skin color segmentation, and determination of face candidates. First, the objects in foreground are separated by image preprocessing. Second, the non-skin color objects are rejected by the method of skin color segmentation. Finally, both the elimination of skin color-like blobs in backgrounds and face detection are performed by the method of determination of face candidates. Experimental results show that the proposed method can effectively detect most of faces in skin color-like backgrounds. In addition, detection of face images with pose and expression variations or against dark backgrounds are also carried out.
13N-Ammonia PET as a Measurement of Hindlimb Perfusion in a Mouse Model of Peripheral Artery Occlusive Disease

Peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in the western world. The development of noninvasive methods for assessment and comparison of the efficacy of novel therapies in animal models is of great importance. Methods: Hindlimb ischemia was induced in nude mice by ligation and excision of the left femoral artery (n = 5) or the left iliac artery (n = 10). Assessment of limb perfusion was performed by small-animal PET analysis after intravenous injection of 13N-ammonia between 24 h and 30 d after surgery using the ratio of perfusion between the left limb (ischemic) and the right limb (control). Activity concentration per area unit was calculated in regions of interest placed on 1-mm-thick images for numeric calculations, and the iliac and the femoral models were compared. In addition, histopathologic studies were performed to assess the degree of necrosis (hematoxylin−eosin) and fibrosis (sirius red). Immunohistochemistry analyses for identification of arterioles (α-smooth muscle actin) and endothelium—capillaries—(Bandeiraea simplicifolia I [BS-I] lectin) were also performed. Results: Perfusion in both hindlimbs of control animals was similar (median of the left-to-right ratio = 0.99). Twenty-four hours after ischemia, perfusion of the ischemic limb (% mean ± SD) was 33.3 ± 10.6 and 22.1 ± 9.9 in the femoral and iliac models, respectively. Spontaneous recovery of perfusion in the hindlimb that underwent surgery was significantly lower in the iliac model at day +15 (73.2 ± 15.5 vs. 51.9 ± 11.3; P < 0.01). Fibrosis increased progressively until day +30, whereas muscle necrosis was maximal at day +7 with a moderate reduction by day +30. In accordance with this positive effect, there was a statistically significant increase in the area covered with smooth muscle-coated vessels (arterioles) at day +30 in comparison with day 7 (P < 0.05). In addition, a correlation between 13N-ammonia uptake and the amount of necrosis (r = −0.73; P = 0.06) and fibrosis (r = −0.67; P = 0.05) at day +30 was found. Conclusion: 13N-Ammonia imaging allows semiquantitative evaluation of hindlimb perfusion in surgical mouse models of acute hindlimb ischemia. Although spontaneous perfusion recovery is observed in both models, the iliac model shows a substantially lower recovery and is hence better suited for assessment of new therapeutic strategies for acute hindlimb ischemic disease.
Algebras for Querying Text Regions: Expressive Power and Optimization

There is a significant amount of interest in combining and extending database and information retrieval technologies to manage textual data. The challenge is becoming more relevant due to increased availability of documents in digital form. Document data has a natural hierarchical structure, which may be made explicit due to the use of markup conventions (as with SGML). An important aspect of managing structured and semistructured textual data consists of supporting the efficient retrieval of text components based both on their content and on their structure. In this paper we study issues related to the expressive power and optimization of a class of algebras that support combining string (or pattern) searches with queries on the hierarchical structure of the text. Theregion algebrastudied is a set-at-a-time algebra for manipulatingtext regions(substrings of the text) that supports finding out nesting and ordering properties of the text regions. This algebra is part of the language in use in commercial text retrieval systems and can form the basis for supporting SQL-like access to textual data. By presenting a close relationship between the region algebra and the monadic first order theory of finite binary trees, we show that queries in the algebra can be optimized, in the sense that equivalence to less expensive expressions can be tested. This optimization can be difficult (co-NP-hard in the general case), but there is an important class of queries that can be optimized in polynomial time. On the negative side, we show that the language is incapable of capturing some important properties of the text structure, related to the nesting and ordering of text regions. We conclude by suggesting possible extensions to increase the expressive power of the language and consider one such example.
Cointegration and Causality: An application to Fresh Hake in the Spanish Market

The european markets for some products are strongly regulated by production and price instruments. In the fishing case, the mayority of instruments are adopted in cetralized way from experts who can only with difficulty consider the market pecularities for some species at a national, regional or local level in their analyses. Knowledge of these differentiating issues followed by consideration of the same, could improve the efficiency of the regulatory measures. This paper examines the long term relationship between the price of fresh hake and small hake in the port of Vigo (Spain). The empirical results show that the markets for both goods are interrelated.
RABR Analysis - Rating Degrees of Openness in Experimental Repertory

Summary: "Openness" in experimental music is an imprecise notion. Works may be characterised according to Random Access sand Broadness. The first describes whether, and how much, elements may be played independently of a fixed sequence. The second, how much latitude can exist in the interpretation of individual elements, if they can be discerned. Analysis of works by Chr. Wolff, Shiba Tetsu, Haubenstock-Ramati, Stockhausen, Peter Schuback, Henrik Ehland Rasmussen and Miles Davis exemplify different degrees, and combinations, of RA and BR. Even though a number of works may be "flexible" in ways that fall outside the scope of this method, it is hoped that it can contribute to an easier, and more differentiated, overview of the repertory in question.
Influenza-A Viruses in Ducks in Northwestern Minnesota: Fine Scale Spatial and Temporal Variation in Prevalence and Subtype Diversity

Waterfowl from northwestern Minnesota were sampled by cloacal swabbing for Avian Influenza Virus (AIV) from July – October in 2007 and 2008. AIV was detected in 222 (9.1%) of 2,441 ducks in 2007 and in 438 (17.9%) of 2,452 ducks in 2008. Prevalence of AIV peaked in late summer. We detected 27 AIV subtypes during 2007 and 31 during 2008. Ten hemagglutinin (HA) subtypes were detected each year (i.e., H1, 3–8, and 10–12 during 2007; H1-8, 10 and 11 during 2008). All neuraminidase (NA) subtypes were detected during each year of the study. Subtype diversity varied between years and increased with prevalence into September. Predominant subtypes during 2007 (comprising ≥5% of subtype diversity) included H1N1, H3N6, H3N8, H4N6, H7N3, H10N7, and H11N9. Predominant subtypes during 2008 included H3N6, H3N8, H4N6, H4N8, H6N1, and H10N7. Additionally, within each HA subtype, the same predominant HA/NA subtype combinations were detected each year and included H1N1, H3N8, H4N6, H5N2, H6N1, H7N3, H8N4, H10N7, and H11N9. The H2N3 and H12N5 viruses also predominated within the H2 and H12 subtypes, respectively, but only were detected during a single year (H2 and H12 viruses were not detected during 2007 and 2008, respectively). Mallards were the predominant species sampled (63.7% of the total), and 531 AIV were isolated from this species (80.5% of the total isolates). Mallard data collected during both years adequately described the observed temporal and spatial prevalence from the total sample and also adequately represented subtype diversity. Juvenile mallards also were adequate in describing the temporal and spatial prevalence of AIV as well as subtype diversity.
Angiotensin II Increases Spontaneous Contractile Frequency and Stimulates Calcium Current in Cultured Neonatal Rat Heart Myocytes: Insights into the Underlying Biochemical Mechanisms

The effect of angiotensin II on cultured neonatal rat heart myocytes was studied by measuring changes in cell length, the magnitude and kinetics of the calcium current, and changes in cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) and phosphoinositide metabolism. Spontaneous beating frequency of mult icellular networks was increased by angiotensin II with a maximal increase of 100% above control values at concentrations of 5 nM or greater. The half-maximal response occurred at 0.6 nM angiotensin II. Shortening amplitude, shortening velocity, and relaxation velocity decreased concomitantly with the increasing contractile rate. In voltage-clamped single myocytes, both steady-state and transient components of the calcium current were increased by the addition of angiotensin II. Angiotensin II had no effect on either control or isoproterenol-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in myocyte membranes. Neither the basal levels nor the isoproterenol-stimulated cAMP accumulation in intact cells was affected by addition of hormone. In myocytes labeled with [3H]inositol, angiotensin II stimulated the formation of [3H]inositol phosphates. One minute after addition of 5 nM angiotensin II, inositol monophosphate and inositol bisphosphate levels were increased to 73% and 99%, respectively, above control values and remained elevated at 10 minutes. Inositol trisphosphate levels were not significantly different from control values at either time point. Nifedipine (10 μM) had no effect on angiotensin II-induced increases in [3H] inositol phosphates. We conclude that the increases in both spontaneous beating rate and calcium current in angiotensin II-stimulated cultured neonatal heart cells are not dependent on cAMP or inositol trisphosphate levels but may involve sustained phosphoinositide hydrolysis.
Mitochondrial ferritin in the regulation of brain iron homeostasis and neurodegenerative diseases

Mitochondrial ferritin (FtMt) is a novel iron-storage protein in mitochondria. Evidences have shown that FtMt is structurally and functionally similar to the cytosolic H-chain ferritin. It protects mitochondria from iron-induced oxidative damage presumably through sequestration of potentially harmful excess free iron. It also participates in the regulation of iron distribution between cytosol and mitochondrial contents. Unlike the ubiquitously expressed H-ferritin, FtMt is mainly expressed in testis and brain, which suggests its tissue-related roles. FtMt is involved in pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, as its increased expression has been observed in Alzheimer’s disease, restless legs syndrome and Friedreich’s ataxia. Studies from our laboratory showed that in Alzheimer’s disease, FtMt overexpression attenuated the β-amyloid induced neurotoxicity, which on the other hand increased significantly when FtMt expression was knocked down. It is also found that, by maintaining mitochondrial iron homeostasis, FtMt could prevent 6-hydroxydopamine induced dopaminergic cell damage in Parkinson’s disease. These recent findings on FtMt regarding its functions in regulation of brain iron homeostasis and its protective role in pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases are summarized and reviewed.