Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Coding Schemes With Rate-Limited Feedback That Improve Over the No Feedback Capacity for a Large Class of Broadcast Channels

We propose two coding schemes for the two-receiver discrete memoryless broadcast channel (BC) with rate-limited feedback from one or both receivers. They improve over the no feedback capacity region for a large class of channels, including the class of strictly essentially less-noisy BCs that we introduce in this paper. Examples of strictly essentially less-noisy BCs are the binary symmetric BC or the binary erasure BC with unequal crossover or erasure probabilities at the two receivers. When the feedback rates are sufficiently large, our schemes recover all previously known capacity results for discrete memoryless BCs with feedback. In both our schemes, we let the receivers feedback quantization messages about their receive signals. In the first scheme, the transmitter simply relays the quantization information obtained from Receiver 1 to Receiver 2, and vice versa. This provides each receiver with a second observation of the input signal and can thus improve its decoding performance unless the BC is physically degraded. Moreover, each receiver uses its knowledge of the quantization message describing its own outputs so as to attain the same performance as if this message had not been transmitted at all. In our second scheme, the transmitter first reconstructs and processes the quantized output signals, and then sends the outcome as a common update information to both receivers. A special case of our second scheme also applies to memoryless BCs without feedback but with strictly causal state-information at the transmitter and causal state-information at the receivers. It recovers all previous achievable regions also for this setup with state-information.
Microstructure and properties of functionally graded materials Ti6Al4V/TiC fabricated by direct laser deposition

This paper aims to manufacture Ti6Al4V/TiC functionally graded material (FGM) by direct laser deposition (DLD) using Ti6Al4V and TiC powder. The objective is to investigate the effect of process parameters and TiC composition on microstructure, Vickers hardness and mechanical properties. ,Powder blends with three different volume percentages of Ti6Al4V and TiC were used as feed material for DLD process. Five experiments with different values of laser power and scan speed were conducted to investigate the effect on microstructure and Vickers hardness for different compositions of feed material. Mini-tensile tests were performed to evaluate the mechanical properties of the FGM samples. Digital image correlation (DIC) was applied to estimate Young’s modulus and ultimate tensile stress (UTS) of heterogeneous material. ,This paper indicates that primary carbide, eutectic carbide and un-melted carbide phases are formed in the FGM deposit. As the energy density was increased, the primary and secondary dendrite arm spacing was found to increase. As TiC composition was increased, Young’s modulus increased and UTS decreased. The dendritic morphology of primary TiC growth was expected to cause low resistance for crack propagation, causing lower UTS values. Tensile specimens cut in vertical orientation were observed to possess higher values of Young’s modulus in comparison with specimens cut horizontally at low carbon content. ,Current work presents unique and original contributions from the study of miniature FGM tensile specimens using DIC method. It investigates the effect of specimen orientation and TiC content on Young’s modulus and UTS. The relationship between energy density and dendritic arm spacing was evaluated. The relationship between laser power and scan speed with microstructure and Vickers hardness was investigated.
The Political Economy of Trade and Migration: Evidence from the U.S. Congress

Over the last decades, the United States has become increasingly integrated in the world economy. Very low trade barriers and comparatively liberal migration policies have made these developments possible. What drove US congressmen to support the recent wave of globalization? While much of the literature has emphasized the differences that exist between the political economy of trade and migration, in this paper we find that important similarities should not be overlooked. In particular, our analysis of congressional voting between 1970 and 2006 suggests that economic drivers that work through the labor market play an important role in shaping representatives’ behavior on both types of policies. Representatives from more skilled-labor abundant districts are more likely to support both trade liberalization and a more open stance vis-a-vis unskilled immigration. Still, important systematic differences exist: welfare state considerations and network effects have an impact on the support for immigration liberalization, but not for trade; Democratic lawmakers are systematically more likely to support a more open migration stance than their Republican counterparts, whereas the opposite is true for trade liberalization.
Cigarette Butt Waste and Its Effective Utilization towards Larvicidal Activity of Mosquito

Mosquito Bourne disease is a major threat to public health in urban areas. Synthetic insecticides often results adverse environmental effects. The present paper deals with the control of mosquito larvae using cigarette butts (CBs), an waste product. Cigatette butts are thrown everywhere, where it may cause severe problem as it contains several toxic materials. These toxic materials can cause harm to our environment. It is also reported in literature that in the water bodies where the cigarette butts are thrown mosquito larvae has developed resistance against them. So, the present paper deals with the control of mosquito larval control using cigarette butts. CB extract was prepared in laboratory and it was characterized by FTIR, UV-Vis, pH and conductance. FTIR spectra clearly indicate the presence of phenolic and primary amine containing functional groups. Larvicidal experiments were done in laboratory conditions. The results demonstrated that the mosquito mortality is absolutely concentration dependent. Perhaps this is the first report that aqueous extract of CBs can acts as mosquito larvicidal activity.
Working memory, processing speed, and set‐shifting in children with developmental coordination disorder and attention‐deficit–hyperactivity disorder

It has been suggested that the high levels of comorbidity between attention‐deficit‐hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and developmental coordination disorder (DCD) may be attributed to a common underlying neurocognitive mechanism. This study assessed whether children with DCD and ADHD share deficits on tasks measuring working memory, set‐shifting, and processing speed. A total of 195 children aged between 6 years 6 months and 14 years 1 month (mean 10y 4mo [SD 2y 2mo]) were included in this study. A control group (59 males, 79 females), a DCD group (12 males, six females), an ADHD‐predominantly inattentive group (16 males, four females), and an ADHD‐combined group (15 males, four females), were tested on three executive functioning tasks. Children with DCD were significantly slower on all tasks, supporting past evidence of a timing deficit in these children. With few exceptions, children with ADHD did not perform more poorly than control children. These findings demonstrate the importance of identifying children with motor deficits when examining tasks involving a timing component.
Low oxygen environment facilitates embryo availability for older ovarian responders (PORs)

Abstract We aimed to investigate the different effects of low oxygen (5% O2) and atmospheric oxygen (20% O2) on in vitro fertilization for older poor ovarian responders (PORs). We selected 1080 older PORs who met two criteria: (i) advanced maternal age (≥40) and (ii) an abnormal ovarian reserve test. All the patients used the ultra-short term protocols with GnRH agonist and recombinant FSH for controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH). About 506 cycles were performed in the incubators with 5% O2 and 574 cycles were performed in the incubators with 20% O2. No significant differences were observed in normal fertilization rates (59.68 versus 60.25%; p = .691) and cancelation rates (18.97 versus 19.34%; p = .879) between two groups. The number of available embryos (1.77 ± 0.57 versus 1.52 ± 0.50; p = .041) and mean number of cells on Day 3 (7.49 ± 1.82 versus 7.16 ± 1.70; p = .032) were significantly higher in 5% O2 group compared to that in 20% O2 group. It showed no significant differences in the implantation rates (27.43 versus 24.11%; p = .803) and clinical pregnancy rates (36.34 versus 30.05%; p = .307) between two groups. The employ of low oxygen culture did not improve clinical pregnancy rate for older PORs. However, it benefited early embryonic development for older PORs.
Final Report : Localized object detection with Convolutional Neural Networks

Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) are the best tool to categorize the images. This classifier only labels the whole picture as a class and cannot localize the object in the picture. In this project, we want to implement an object detector using SIFT key points. After detecting the region of the object, we will classify the objects with a fine-tuned CNN.
Biochemical and Molecular Insights into Bile Salt Hydrolase in the Gastrointestinal Microflora - A Review -

Bile salt deconjugation is the most biologically significant reaction among the bacterial alterations of bile acids in the gastrointestinal tract of human and animal. The responsible enzyme, bile salt hydrolase (BSH), catalyzes the hydrolysis of glycine- and/or taurine-conjugated bile salts into amino acid residues and deconjugated bile acids. Herein we review current knowledge on the distribution of BSH activity among various microorganisms with respect to their biochemical and molecular characteristics. The proposed physiological impact of BSH activity on the host animal as well as on the BSH-producing bacterial cells is discussed. BSH activity of the probiotic strains is examined on the basis of BSH hypothesis, which was proposed to explain cholesterol-lowering effects of probiotics. Finally, the potential applications of BSH research are briefly discussed. (Asian-Aust. J. Anim. Sci. 2005. Vol 18, No. 10 1505-1512)
Development of microfluidic sensing platforms for microbial contaminents and protcells

This thesis is focused on the development of a microfluidic lab-on-a-chip (LOC) sensing platform. Polymer (PDMS) LOC devices can be realized by direct replication of a micro-structured SU8 master that is created using custom made photonegative masks. This is done using photolithography (a classic clean room top-down technique). The LOC devices are interfaced using a novel chip-chuck interconnection method, while fibers are used to excite and detect optical signals. The LOC device is connected to a setup capable of controlling microfluidic flows, exciting fluorescence by laser light, whilst detecting and measuring both fluorescent and scattered events using optoelectronic devices connected to a PC. Optical detection methods, such as flow cytometry (FCM), has proven to be a fast and powerful tool in characterizing large biological samples, which can be especially useful with regards to food contamination and environmental monitoring. In this project, the FCM method is applied to the microfluidic LOC devices to develop a sensing platform capable of detecting small quantities of micro-organisms in large biological samples. Detection of both artificial samples (polymer beads) as well as Baker’s yeast and listeria is demonstrated successfully. It is believed that this method, with some improvements, can be adapted for use in a wide range of manufacturing and processing industries. The developed microfluidic LOC platform is also applied to investigations into protocells. Protocells are artificial non-biological life-like systems consisting of a minimum amount of simple chemical components [1]. In this thesis, oil droplet systems containing fatty acids are used as simple models for protocells. Implementing a full protocell life cycle in to a LOC device, in combination with a detection and sorting system would enable a range of interesting investigations. By utilizing the unique flow conditions in the microfluidic devices, formation of mono-disperse oil droplets are established. Droplet fusion is presented as a simple method of delivering resources to the system. This is realized by destabilizing droplets in narrow channels and forcing them to fuse on contact. Droplet splitting is demonstrated using a simple T-junction structure, where a cross-flow shears elongated droplets into smaller elements. Droplet sorting is demonstrated in a simple y-shaped micro-channel structure, while the developed FCM LOC device can be used to distinguish droplet populations by fluorescence. All of these elements can now, with minor improvements, be implemented into a multicomponent LOC system that enables studies of protocell development.
Towards a user-centric theory of value-driven information security compliance

The purpose of this paper is to fill a gap in the literature, by investigating the relationship between users’ perceptions of the value of the information that they are handling, and their resultant level of compliance with their organisation’s information security policies. In so doing, the authors seek to develop a theory of value-driven information security compliance. ,An interpretive, grounded theory research approach has been adopted to generate a qualitative data set, based upon the results of 55 interviews with key informants from governmental agencies based within Brunei Darussalam, complemented by the results of seven focus groups. The interviews and focus groups were conducted in two phases, so that the results of the first phase could be used to inform the second phase data collection exercise, and the thematic analysis of the research data was conducted using the NVivo 11-Plus software. ,The findings suggest that, when assigning value to their information, users take into account the views of members of their immediate work-group and the espoused views of their organisation, as well as a variety of contextual factors, relating to culture, ethics and education. Perhaps more importantly, it has been demonstrated that the users’ perception of information value has a marked impact upon their willingness to comply with security policies and protocols. ,Although the authors have been able to develop a rich model of information value and security compliance, the qualitative nature of this research means that it has not been tested, in the numerical sense. However, this study still has important implications for both research and practice. Specifically, researchers should consider users’ perceptions of information value, when conducting future studies of information security compliance. ,Managers and practitioners will be better able to get their colleagues to comply with information security protocols, if they can take active steps to convince them that the information that they are handling is a valuable organisational resource, which needs to be protected. ,The central contribution is a novel model of information security compliance that centre stages the role of the users’ perceptions of information value, as this is a factor which has been largely ignored in contemporary accounts of compliance behaviour. This study is also original, in that it fills a methodological gap, by balancing the voices of both user representatives and senior organisational stakeholders, in a single study.
Audiomotor integration of angry and happy prosodies

Different parts of our brain code the perceptual features and actions related to an object, causing a binding problem: how does the brain discriminate the information of a particular event from the features of other events? Hommel (1998) suggested the event file concept: an episodic memory trace binding perceptual and motor information pertaining to an object. By adapting Hommel’s paradigm to emotional faces in a previous study (Coll & Grandjean, 2016), we demonstrated that emotion could take part in an event file with motor responses. We also postulate such binding to occur with emotional prosodies, due to an equal importance of automatic reactions to such events. However, contrary to static emotional expressions, prosodies develop through time and temporal dynamics may influence the integration of these stimuli. To investigate this effect, we developed three studies with task-relevant and -irrelevant emotional prosodies. Our results showed that emotion could interact with motor responses when it was task relevant. When it was task irrelevant, this integration was also observed, but only when participants were led to [. ] COLL, Sélim Yahia, FRÜHHOLZ, Sascha, GRANDJEAN, Didier Maurice. Audiomotor integration of angry and happy prosodies. Psychological Research, 2018 DOI : 10.1007/s00426-018-1020-9
Application of the Zürich Biofilm Model to Problems of Cariology

The term biofilm is increasingly replacing ‘plaque’ in the literature, but concepts and existing paradigms are changing much more slowly. There is little doubt that biofilm research will lead to more realistic perception and interpretation of the physiology and pathogenicity of microorganisms colonizing plaques in the oral cavity. There is clear evidence that the genotypic and phenotypic expression profiles of biofilm and planktonic bacteria are different. Several techniques are available today to study multispecies biofilms of oral bacteria, each having its particular advantages and weaknesses. We describe a biofilm model developed in Zürich and demonstrate a number of applications with direct or indirect impact on prophylactic dentistry: spatial arrangement and associative behavior of various species in biofilms; multiplex fluorescent in situ hybridization analysis of oral bacteria in biofilms; use of the biofilm model to predict in vivo efficacy of antimicrobials reliably; mass transport in biofilms; de- and remineralization of enamel exposed to biofilms in vitro. The potential of biofilm experimentation in oral biology has certainly not yet been fully exploited and dozens of possible interesting applications could be investigated. The overall physiological parameters of multispecies biofilms can be measured quite accurately, but it is still impossible to assess in toto the multitude of interactions taking place in such complex systems. What can and should be done is to test hypotheses stemming from experiments with planktonic cells in monospecies cultures. In particular, it will be interesting to investigate the relevance to biofilm composition and metabolism of specific gene products by using appropriate bacterial mutants.
Extraordinary Diversity of Immune Response Proteins among Sea Urchins: Nickel-Isolated Sp185/333 Proteins Show Broad Variations in Size and Charge

Effective protection against pathogens requires the host to produce a wide range of immune effector proteins. The Sp185/333 gene family, which is expressed by the California purple sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus in response to bacterial infection, encodes a highly diverse repertoire of anti-pathogen proteins. A subset of these proteins can be isolated by affinity to metal ions based on multiple histidines, resulting in one to four bands of unique molecular weight on standard Western blots, which vary depending on the individual sea urchin. Two dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE) of nickel-isolated protein samples followed by Western blot was employed to detect nickel-isolated Sp185/333 (Ni-Sp185/333) proteins and to evaluate protein diversity in animals before and after immune challenge with marine bacteria. Ni-Sp185/333 proteins of the same molecular weight on standard Western blots appear as a broad complex of variants that differ in pI on 2DE Western blots. The Ni-Sp185/333 protein repertoire is variable among animals, and shows a variety of changes among individual sea urchins in response to immune challenges with both the same and different species of bacteria. The extraordinary diversity of the Ni-Sp185/333 proteins may provide significant anti-pathogen capabilities for sea urchins that survive solely on innate immunity.
Gatekeeper Training as a Preventative Intervention for Suicide: A Systematic Review

Objective: Suicide prevention remains a challenge across communities in North America and abroad. We examine a suicide prevention effort that is widely used, termed gatekeeper training. There are 2 aims: review the state of the evidence on gatekeeper training for suicide prevention, and propose directions for further research. Method: Studies were identified by searching MEDLINE (PubMed) and PsycINFO from inception to the present for the key words suicide, suicide prevention, and gatekeeper. In addition, a manual scan of relevant articles' bibliographies was undertaken. Results: Gatekeeper training has been implemented and studied in many populations, including military personnel, public school staff, peer helpers, clinicians, and Aboriginal people. This type of training has been shown to positively affect the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of trainees regarding suicide prevention. Large-scale cohort studies in military personnel and physicians have reported promising results with a significant reduction in suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and deaths by suicide. Conclusions: Gatekeeper training is successful at imparting knowledge, building skills, and molding the attitudes of trainees; however, more work needs to be done on longevity of these traits and referral patterns of gatekeepers. There is a need for randomized controlled trials. In addition, the unique effect of gatekeeper training on suicide rates needs to be fully elucidated.
MRI and Neuropsychological Correlates in African Americans With Hypertension and Left Ventricular Hypertrophy

BACKGROUND African Americans (AAs) are at high risk for hypertension (HTN) and poor blood pressure (BP) control. Persistently elevated BP contributes to cardiovascular morbidity. White matter hyperintensities (WMHs) are a definable magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) marker of cerebrovascular injury linked to impairments in higher level thinking (i.e., executive functions), memory formation, and speed of perceptual-motor processing. METHODS This subinvestigation evaluated neuropsychological functioning in association with WMH on brain MRIs in 23 otherwise-healthy hypertensive AAs participating in an NIH-funded study of the effects of vitamin D on BP and cardiac remodeling in AA patients 30-74 years of age with HTN and left ventricular hypertrophy. Neuropsychological assessment included psychomotor processing speed [(Symbol Digit Modality Test (SDMT) and Trail Making Test], executive functioning (Controlled Oral Word Association Test and Trail Making Test Part B), memory (Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test), and fine motor functioning (Finger Tapping). RESULTS Significant correlations (P < 0.05) were found between volume of periventricular lesions and trails A (r = 0.51) and dominant hand finger tapping speed (r = -0.69) and between subcortical lesion volume and trails A (r = 0.60), both dominant (r = -0.62) and nondominant hand finger tapping speed (r = -0.76) and oral SDMT (r = -0.60); higher lesion volumes correlated to worse neuropsychological performance. CONCLUSIONS Psychomotor tests including the Trail Making Test and finger tapping speed are sensitive indicators of subclinical deficits in mental processing speed and could serve as early markers of deep subcortical cerebrovascular injury in otherwise-healthy individuals with uncontrolled chronic HTN.