Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Notes for Math 696 Coding Theory Iterative Decoding

These notes are my effort to understand several articles concerning decoding of lowdensity parity-check codes. The paper by Aji and McEliece called “The Generalized Distributive Law” [6] gives a clear description of an algorithm that is useful in many areas of applied mathematics including error correction: They cite artificial intelligence, belief propagation algorithms, fast Fourier transforms and several decoding algorithms. The GDL yields a computationally efficient algorithm for computing certain complicated formulas. The algorithm is best understood by looking at a graph that expresses the relationship between the variables and the functions that occur in the formula. The algorithm involves “message passing” between the vertices of the graph. I will actually use the graphical representation from a different article, “Factor Graphs and the SumProduct Algorithm” by Kschischang, Frey and Loeliger. The algorithm is only exact when the underlying graph is a tree, but numerous experiments using these message passing algorithms for decoding have been done, and the performance for non-trees is remarkably good. Theoretical understanding of the algorithm has improved greatly in the last three years, but my impression is that a definitive explanation of the performance is still lacking.
Density evolution analysis of spatially coupled LDPC codes over BIAWGN channel

In this paper, we study the density evolution analysis of spatially coupled low-density parity-check (SC-LDPC) codes over binary input additive white Gaussian noise (BIAWGN) channels under the belief propagation (BP) decoding algorithm. Using reciprocal channel approximation and Gaussian approximation, we propose averaging techniques for the density evolution of SC-LDPC codes over BIAWGN channels. We show that the proposed techniques can closely predict the decoding threshold while offering reduced complexity compared to the existing multi-edge-type density evolution.
Heat acclimation, aerobic fitness, and hydration effects on tolerance during uncompensable heat stress.

The purpose of the present study was to determine the separate and combined effects of aerobic fitness, short-term heat acclimation, and hypohydration on tolerance during light exercise while wearing nuclear, biological, and chemical protective clothing in the heat (40 degrees C, 30% relative humidity). Men who were moderately fit [(MF); <50 ml . kg-1 . min-1 maximal O2 consumption; n = 7] and highly fit [(HF); >55 ml . kg-1 . min-1 maximal O2 consumption; n = 8] were tested while they were euhydrated or hypohydrated by approximately 2.5% of body mass through exercise and fluid restriction the day preceding the trials. Tests were conducted before and after 2 wk of daily heat acclimation (1-h treadmill exercise at 40 degrees C, 30% relative humidity, while wearing the nuclear, biological, and chemical protective clothing). Heat acclimation increased sweat rate and decreased skin temperature and rectal temperature (Tre) in HF subjects but had no effect on tolerance time (TT). MF subjects increased sweat rate but did not alter heart rate, Tre, or TT. In both MF and HF groups, hypohydration significantly increased Tre and heart rate and decreased the respiratory exchange ratio and the TT regardless of acclimation state. Overall, the rate of rise of skin temperature was less, while DeltaTre, the rate of rise of Tre, and the TT were greater in HF than in MF subjects. It was concluded that exercise-heat tolerance in this uncompensable heat-stress environment is not influenced by short-term heat acclimation but is significantly improved by long-term aerobic fitness.
Activité électrodermale bilatérale et asymétrie hémisphérique chez les malades psychiatriques: problèmes théoriques et méthodologiques

Interet de l'utilisation de l'activite electrodermale (AED) bilaterale dans l'etude des comportements emotionnels et des troubles psychiatriques. Revue de la litterature et constatations des conclusions contradictoires qui s'expliquent probablement par des divergences methodologiques quant a la specificite du stimulus, la selection des sujets, la mesure et l'interpretation de l'AED. Aspects physiologiques de la commande nerveuse de l'AED chez le chat
Active acoustic echo cancellation in spatial soundfield reproduction

The equalization of reverberation effects is essential for spatial soundfield reproduction, but estimation of the reverberant channel presents several challenges to existing equalization techniques. This paper presents a method of active acoustic echo cancellation (AEC) for soundfield reproduction applications, using a modal description of the reverberant soundfield. We describe how individual modes of the measured soundfield can be equalized adaptively, thus reducing the complexity of the channel estimation process. AEC and reproduction performance is compared with existing adaptive and non-adaptive equalization techniques through simulation examples. Equalization performance is comparable to existing methods, achieving a normalized region reproduction error of 1% and echo return loss enhancement of 15 - 30 dB at 50 dB SNR. The results suggest that the proposed model can be used to obtain a parallel implementation of a room equalizer for active AEC.
Research on Improved Collaborative Filtering-Based Mobile E-Commerce Personalized Recommender System

With the development of mobile communication technology and the constant improvement in e-commerce market environment, mobile e-commerce are becoming the new growth point. After the brief introduction of mobile e-commerce personalized recommender system concept, the architecture of MEC-PRS is put forward. Algorithm of neighbor-based collaborative filtering and item rating based collaborative filtering are analyzed and compared emphatically. We found that item rating prediction based collaborative filtering recommendation algorithm can improve the recommend quality of PRS in performance test, and collaborative filtering recommendation algorithm based on item rating prediction provides better recommendation results than traditional collaborative filtering algorithms.
Journal of Complementary and Integrative Medicine Inhalation of Neroli Essential Oil and Its Anxiolytic Effects

In this study, gerbils were subjected to aromatherapy using inhaled neroli. Forced swimming tasks and locomotor activity were measured to evaluate levels of anxiety. Comparison was made between the duration time of the forced swimming tasks and total distance, and the duration time in the central and peripheral areas, between the control and neroli-inhaled groups. In addition, treatment with Xanax®, an anxiolytic drug, was used as a positive control. The average duration times for swimming were 228 ± 7, 439 ± 23, 386 ± 21, and 427 ± 18 seconds in the control, neroliinhaled, and two Xanax-treated groups, respectively. The duration times were significantly increased by 65%-91% in neroli-inhaled, and the two Xanax-treated groups (p<0.01) when compared with the control. The total distances traveled during 30 min were 280 ± 25, 189 ± 11, and 168 ±18 m in the control, neroli-inhaled, and Xanax-treated groups, respectively. The duration times in the central area for the 30min period were 493 ± 54, 476 ± 57, and 1014 ± 70 seconds in the control, neroli-inhaled, and Xanax-treated groups, respectively. In addition, the duration times in the peripheral area for the 30-min period were 1244 ± 66, 1324 ± 57, and 859 ±83 seconds in the control, neroli-inhaled, and Xanax-treated groups, respectively. The inhalation of neroli and the treatment of Xanax® had anxiolytic effects, as shown in both behavior tests. However, the mechanisms of anxiolytic effect responses for neroli and Xanax® were unclear. This study provides evidence-based data on aromatherapy using neroli in the treatment of anxiety.
Framework for Automatic Examination Paper Generation System

Knowledge has considerable impact on functioning of society. Information and knowledge are two main pillars on which progress of mankind stands. To create competent citizens educational institutions play a pivotal role and they need to reinvent the process of teaching learning to achieve it. One of the means of identifying the impact of teaching learning is assessment. Assessment plays a pivotal role in complementing the learning process. With the evolution of technology, the assessment methodologies also have been transformed. Greater blending of technology into teaching learning process is inevitable. Standardization of test papers has always been an issue of concern. Assessment should be designed to test a learner on various aspects of learning. A manual approach for designing a test paper would not be able to cater to this requirement. An automated approach would allow the process of designing test paper to be more efficient and effective. It would also facilitate in generating a database of questions which could be further categorized for homogenization of test paper. This paper proposes a framework to automate summative test papers. I. Introduction Knowledge is a key resource and driving force for economy of 21st century. The era of information technology is now replaced by effective utilization of the technology. Creating value from knowledge is pivotal for evolution of society into a " Knowledge Society " [12]. This emphasises the need to develop individuals with potential to create value from " meta knowledge " available. The need for maximizing the effectiveness of teaching learning process thus arises. Learner Centric approach has been in vogue for more than a decade. It is seen instrumental in enforcing the learning objectives, far more effectively than the traditional teaching pedagogy. Technology has enabled varied experimentation in Teaching Learning process. This has levitated the evolution of learner centric teaching with newer dimensions. Learner Centred teaching provides avenues for learner to " think " , " identify problems " , " Solve " , " Analyze and Evaluate ". It also allows them to develop learning skills which is scarce in the traditional approach. Collaborative learning style is one of the main characteristic of learner centric model of teaching. It allows the learner to engage in activities beyond the conventional classroom sessions. Communications among virtual learner community provide a platform for knowledge sharing. The collaborative approach dissolves the structured role of " Educator " and " Learner " where both …
Specialization and generalization in the diversification of phytophagous insects: tests of the musical chairs and oscillation hypotheses

Evolutionary biologists have often assumed that ecological generalism comes at the expense of less intense exploitation of specific resources and that this trade-off will promote the evolution of ecologically specialized daughter species. Using a phylogenetic comparative approach with butterflies as a model system, we test hypotheses that incorporate changes in niche breadth and location into explanations of the taxonomic diversification of insect herbivores. Specifically, we compare the oscillation hypothesis, where speciation is driven by host-plant generalists giving rise to specialist daughter species, to the musical chairs hypothesis, where speciation is driven by host-plant switching, without changes in niche breadth. Contrary to the predictions of the oscillation hypothesis, we recover a negative relationship between host-plant breadth and diversification rate and find that changes in host breadth are seldom coupled to speciation events. By contrast, we present evidence for a positive relationship between rates of host switching and butterfly diversification, consonant with the musical chairs hypothesis. These results suggest that the costs of trophic generalism in plant-feeding insects may have been overvalued and that transitions from generalists to ecological specialists may not be an important driver of speciation in general.
In Vitro and In Vivo Analysis of the Role of PrrA in Rhodobacter sphaeroides 2.4.1 hemA Gene Expression

ABSTRACT The hemA gene codes for one of two synthases in Rhodobacter sphaeroides 2.4. 1 which catalyze the formation of 5-aminolevulinic acid. We have examined the role of PrrA, a DNA binding protein that is associated with the metabolic switch between aerobic growth and anoxygenic photosynthetic growth, in hemA expression and found that hemA transcription is directly activated by PrrA. Using electrophoretic mobility shift assays and DNase I protection assays, we have mapped two binding sites for PrrA within the hemA upstream sequences, each of which contains an identical 9-bp motif. Using lacZ transcription reporter plasmids in wild-type strain 2.4. 1 and PrrA− mutant strain PRRA2, we showed that PrrA was required for maximal expression. We also found that the relative impacts of altering DNA sequences within the two binding sites are different depending on whether cells are growing aerobically or anaerobically. This reveals a greater level of complexity associated with PrrA-mediated regulation of transcription than has been heretofore described. Our findings are of particular importance with respect to those genes regulated by PrrA having more than one upstream binding site. In the case of the hemA gene, we discuss possibilities as to how these new insights can be accommodated within the context of what has already been established for hemA transcription regulation in R. sphaeroides.
Role of Receptors in Bacillus thuringiensis Crystal Toxin Activity

SUMMARY Bacillus thuringiensis produces crystalline protein inclusions with insecticidal or nematocidal properties. These crystal (Cry) proteins determine a particular strain's toxicity profile. Transgenic crops expressing one or more recombinant Cry toxins have become agriculturally important. Individual Cry toxins are usually toxic to only a few species within an order, and receptors on midgut epithelial cells have been shown to be critical determinants of Cry specificity. The best characterized of these receptors have been identified for lepidopterans, and two major receptor classes have emerged: the aminopeptidase N (APN) receptors and the cadherin-like receptors. Currently, 38 different APNs have been reported for 12 different lepidopterans. Each APN belongs to one of five groups that have unique structural features and Cry-binding properties. While 17 different APNs have been reported to bind to Cry toxins, only 2 have been shown to mediate toxin susceptibly in vivo. In contrast, several cadherin-like proteins bind to Cry toxins and confer toxin susceptibility in vitro, and disruption of the cadherin gene has been associated with toxin resistance. Nonetheless, only a small subset of the lepidopteran-specific Cry toxins has been shown to interact with cadherin-like proteins. This review analyzes the interactions between Cry toxins and their receptors, focusing on the identification and validation of receptors, the molecular basis for receptor recognition, the role of the receptor in resistant insects, and proposed models to explain the sequence of events at the cell surface by which receptor binding leads to cell death.
Polylactic Acid (PLA)/Cellulose Nanowhiskers (CNWs) Composite Nanofibers: Microstructural and Properties Analysis

Polylactic acid (PLA)/cellulose nanowhiskers (CNWs) composite nanofibers were successfully produced by electrospinning mixed PLA solutions with CNWs. Observation by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirms the uniform distribution of CNWs within the PLA nanofibers along the direction of the fiber axis. The spectra of composite nanofibers based on Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) reveal characteristic hydroxyl groups as evidenced by absorption peaks of CNWs. The addition of hydrophilic CNWs is proven to improve the water absorption ability of PLA nanofibers. The initial cold crystallization temperature decreases with the increasing CNW content, implying the nucleating agent role of CNWs as effective nanofillers. The degree of crystallinity increases from 6.0% for as-electrospun pure PLA nanofibers to 14.1% and 21.6% for PLA/5CNWs and PLA/10CNWs composite nanofibers, respectively. The incorporation of CNWs into PLA is expected to offer novel functionalities to electrospun composite nanofibers in the fields of tissue engineering and membranes.
Non-covalent polymer wrapping of carbon nanotubes and the role of wrapped polymers as functional dispersants

Abstract Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been recognized as a promising material in a wide range of applications from biotechnology to energy-related devices. However, the poor solubility in aqueous and organic solvents hindered the applications of CNTs. As studies have progressed, the methodology for CNT dispersion was established. In this methodology, the key issue is to covalently or non-covalently functionalize the surfaces of the CNTs with a dispersant. Among the various types of dispersions, polymer wrapping through non-covalent interactions is attractive in terms of the stability and homogeneity of the functionalization. Recently, by taking advantage of their stability, the wrapped-polymers have been utilized to support and/or reinforce the unique functionality of the CNTs, leading to the development of high-performance devices. In this review, various polymer wrapping approaches, together with the applications of the polymer-wrapped CNTs, are summarized.
Glucose transporter 1 expression as a marker of prognosis in oesophageal adenocarcinoma

Background The current TNM staging system for oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC) has limited ability to stratify patients and inform clinical management following neo-adjuvant chemotherapy and surgery. Results Functional genomic analysis of the gene expression data using Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) identified GLUT1 as putative prognostic marker in OAC. In the discovery cohort GLUT1 positivity was observed in 114 patients (80.9%) and was associated with poor overall survival (HR 2.08, 95% CI 1.1-3.94; p=0.024) following multivariate analysis. A prognostic model incorporating GLUT1, CRM and nodal status stratified patients into good, intermediate and poor prognosis groups (p< 0.001) with a median overall survival of 16.6 months in the poorest group. In the validation set 182 patients (69.5%) were GLUT1 positive and the prognostic model separated patients treated with neo-adjuvant chemotherapy and surgery (p<0.001) and surgery alone (p<0.001) into three prognostic groups. Patients and Methods Transcriptional profiling of 60 formalin fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) biopsies was performed. GLUT1 immunohistochemical staining was assessed in a discovery cohort of 141 FFPE OAC samples treated with neo-adjuvant chemotherapy and surgery at the Northern Ireland Cancer Centre from 2004-2012. Validation was performed in 262 oesophageal adenocarcinomas collected at four OCCAMS consortium centres. The relationship between GLUT1 staining, T stage, N stage, lymphovascular invasion and circumferential resection margin (CRM) status was assessed and a prognostic model developed using Cox Proportional Hazards. Conclusions GLUT1 staining combined with CRM and nodal status identifies a poor prognosis sub-group of OAC patients and is a novel prognostic marker following potentially curative surgical resection.
Differential expression of FIZZ1 and Ym1 in alternatively versus classically activated macrophages

Alternatively activated macrophages (aaMφ) display molecular and biological characteristics that differ from those of classically activated macrophages (caMφ). Recently, we described an experimental model of murine trypanosomosis in which the early stage of infection of mice with a Trypanosoma brucei brucei variant is characterized by the development of caMφ, whereas in the late and chronic stages of infection, aaMφ develop. In the present study, we used suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) to identify genes that are expressed differentially in aaMφ versus caMφ elicited during infection with this T. b. brucei variant. We show that FIZZ1 and Ym1 are induced strongly in in vivo‐ and in vitro‐elicited aaMφ as compared with caMφ. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the in vivo induction of FIZZ1 and Ym1 in macrophages depends on IL‐4 and that in vitro, IFN‐γ antagonizes the effect of IL‐4 on the expression of FIZZ1 and Ym1. Collectively, these results open perspectives for new insights into the functional properties of aaMφ and establish FIZZ1 and Ym1 as markers for aaMφ.
Integrating non-intuitive probability into introductory programming courses

Probability theory is branch of mathematics that plays one of the central roles not only in computer science but also in science at large. Students often face difficulties due to highly non intuitive nature of some probability statements. We present a way to integrate non-intuitive probability into introductory programming courses. More specifically, we consider a set of the probability problems in which the intuitive approach leads to the wrong solution. These problems are based on interesting scenarios, attractive to students, and could be successfully translated into programming assignments. All material that these problems require is covered already in the introductory programming course curriculum. We present and discuss numerical simulations of the non-intuitive probabilistic experiments and verification of the correct solution through the computational approach. The proposed enrichment of the introductory programming course provides opportunity to engage students in experimental problem solving. Very surprising computational results enhance students. curiosity and interest and promote active involvement in the course. In addition, these problems provide an opportunity to make connections between mathematics and computer science topics. Such non intuitive answers may be remembered by students, and may promote better understanding in the basic probability course
Claudin and occludin expression and function in the seminiferous epithelium

Integral membrane proteins that contribute to function of the blood–testes barrier (BTB) in mice include claudins 3, 5 and 11 and occludin. Although claudin 11 is expressed throughout all stages of the seminiferous epithelial cycle, claudins 3 and 5 have specific expression at stage VIII. These differences in protein expression suggest that the interactions among, and functions of, these integral membrane proteins may shift over the course of the seminiferous epithelial cycle. Also, differences in expression among rodent species and men may make interpretation of studies across species challenging. This review will discuss the characteristics of claudins and occludin; the expression, regulation and function of these integral membrane proteins in the seminiferous epithelium; and how these properties relate to the unique features of BTB.