Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ICDAR 2013 CROHME: Third International Competition on Recognition of Online Handwritten Mathematical Expressions

We report on the third international Competition on Handwritten Mathematical Expression Recognition (CROHME), in which eight teams from academia and industry took part. For the third CROHME, the training dataset was expanded to over 8000 expressions, and new tools were developed for evaluating performance at the level of strokes as well as expressions and symbols. As an informal measure of progress, the performance of the participating systems on the CROHME 2012 data set is also reported. Data and tools used for the competition will be made publicly available.
Design of a CAN Bus Testing and Control System Based on Fault Tolerant Redundancy

The paper analyzes the characteristics and styles of the messages which are contained in the generally complicated testing control system. On the conflict between real-time message and the continuity of the state information, a new CAN bus network structure which is based on fault tolerant redundancy has been brought forward, and the protocol was established. The new net-structure can not only ensure the reliability, improve the transmission speed of information and the utilization factor of network bandwidth, but also brings convenience to the system design and the programming of the protocols. At last, the new network structure was validated on a four nodes experiment platform. The results of the experiment indicate that the design of the system is successful and meets the requirement of the system. The bus fault tolerant redundancy which the paper presented can also brings ideas to other testing control system based on data bus.
Six Novel Nonsynonymous CYP1A2 Gene Polymorphisms: Catalytic Activities of the Naturally Occurring Variant Enzymes

Six novel nonsynonymous nucleotide alterations were found in the cytochrome P450 1A2 gene in a Japanese population, which resulted in the following amino acid substitutions: T83M, E168Q, F186L, S212C, G299A, and T438I. These individuals were heterozygous for the amino acid substitutions. The potential functional alterations caused by the amino acid substitutions were characterized by a cDNA-mediated expression system using Chinese hamster V79 cells. Among the six CYP1A2 variants, F186L showed the most profound and statistically significant reduction in O-deethylation of phenacetin and 7-ethoxyresorufin. Kinetic analyses performed for the ethoxyresorufin O-deethylation revealed that the Vmax of the F186L variant was approximately 5% of that of the CYP1A2 wild type, despite a 5-fold lower Km value of the variant, the consequence of which was reduced enzymatic activity toward the substrate. Thus, for the first time, phenylalanine at residue 186 is suggested to be a critical amino acid for catalytic activity.
Technical and economic feasibility of centralized facilities for solar hydrogen production via photocatalysis and photoelectrochemistry

Photoelectrochemical water splitting is a promising route for the renewable production of hydrogen fuel. This work presents the results of a technical and economic feasibility analysis conducted for four hypothetical, centralized, large-scale hydrogen production plants based on this technology. The four reactor types considered were a single bed particle suspension system, a dual bed particle suspension system, a fixed panel array, and a tracking concentrator array. The current performance of semiconductor absorbers and electrocatalysts were considered to compute reasonable solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiencies for each of the four systems. The U.S. Department of Energy H2A model was employed to calculate the levelized cost of hydrogen output at the plant gate at 300 psi for a 10 tonne per day production scale. All capital expenditures and operating costs for the reactors and auxiliaries (compressors, control systems, etc.) were considered. The final cost varied from $1.60–$10.40 per kg H2 with the particle bed systems having lower costs than the panel-based systems. However, safety concerns due to the cogeneration of O2 and H2 in a single bed system and long molecular transport lengths in the dual bed system lead to greater uncertainty in their operation. A sensitivity analysis revealed that improvement in the solar-to-hydrogen efficiency of the panel-based systems could substantially drive down their costs. A key finding is that the production costs are consistent with the Department of Energy's targeted threshold cost of $2.00–$4.00 per kg H2 for dispensed hydrogen, demonstrating that photoelectrochemical water splitting could be a viable route for hydrogen production in the future if material performance targets can be met.
First cell cycle of zygotes of the mouse derived from oocytes aged postovulation in vivo and fertilized in vivo

This paper describes an analysis of the first cell cycle of mouse oocytes aged postovulation and fertilized in vivo. For this purpose, we developed a procedure for inducing ovulation in vivo that allows accurate timing of ovulation. The method is based on a luteinizing hormone (LH)‐releasing hormone (LHRH) administration at prcestrus. This ovulation procedure had no detectable effect on the rate of ovulation or postimplantation embryonic death. We used this method of ovulation induction in an analysis of the separate stages of the first cell cycle of in vivo fertilized postovulation aged oocytes. All stages assessed were shorter in aged oocytes (12 hr postovulation) than in zygotes from unaged oocytes (1 hr postovulation): (1) the time interval between insemination and penetration of the aged oocytes was 1.5 hr shorter than the time interval of the unaged oocytes; (2) pronuclear formation in the fertilized aged oocytes was somewhat quicker than pronuclear formation in fertilized unaged oocytes; (3) in zygotes from aged oocytes, the time between formation of pronuclei and the pronuclear membrane breakdown was 1 hr shorter than in zygotes from unaged oocytes; (4) the first cleavage division was 3 hr advanced in zygotes from aged oocytes compared with the moment of the first cleavage division in zygotes from unaged oocytes. We also determined the glutathione (GSH) content of unaged and aged oocytes to investigate a possible relationship between the rate of pronuclear formation and GSH. The level of GSH was two times lower in oocytes aged postovulation for 12 hr than in unaged oocytes. The level of GSH in fertilized, unaged oocytes was half that in unfertilized, unaged oocytes; this decline was not observed after fertilization of aged oocytes, however. In summary, we developed a procedure that allows in vivo fertilization at defined points of time after LHRH‐induced ovulation. Under the conditions used in this procedure, we could detect several differences between zygotes derived from unaged and postovulation aged oocytes.
Inhibition of Caspases Increases the Sensitivity of L929 Cells to Necrosis Mediated by Tumor Necrosis Factor

Murine L929 fibrosarcoma cells treated with tumor necrosis factor (TNF) rapidly die in a necrotic way, due to excessive formation of reactive oxygen intermediates. We investigated the role of caspases in the necrotic cell death pathway. When the cytokine response modifier A (CrmA), a serpin-like caspase inhibitor of viral origin, was stably overexpressed in L929 cells, the latter became 1,000-fold more sensitive to TNF-mediated cell death. In addition, TNF sensitization was also observed when the cells were pretreated with Ac-YVAD-cmk or zDEVD-fmk, which inhibits caspase-1– and caspase-3–like proteases, respectively. zVAD-fmk and zD-fmk, two broad-spectrum inhibitors of caspases, also rendered the cells more sensitive, since the half-maximal dose for TNF-mediated necrosis decreased by a factor of 1,000. The presence of zVAD-fmk also resulted in a more rapid increase of TNF-mediated production of oxygen radicals. zVAD-fmk–dependent sensitization of TNF cytotoxicity could be completely inhibited by the oxygen radical scavenger butylated hydroxyanisole. These results indicate an involvement of caspases in protection against TNF-induced formation of oxygen radicals and necrosis.
Study of the Avoidable Mortality in Iran: Kerman Province

Background Recognizing mortality pattern and observing its trend will help us in determining health priorities, allocating health resources and priorities in health section, eliminating main factors of premature deaths and carrying out epidemiological research. Objective The aim of this research was to determine avoidable mortality in Kerman province. Materials and Methods The present study was carried out longitudinal. A checklist was applied for data collection. Avoidable mortalities were examined in Kerman province between 2004 and 2010. Statistical universe of this research was all deaths registered in statistical unit of health deputy of Kerman University of Medical Sciences; they were all studied through a census method. Data analysis was carried out using descriptive and analytical test by SPSS18.0. Results Two thousand and one hundred –ninety seven deaths were examined. Of them, 210 deaths were unavoidable and 19987 were avoidable. In this study, most unavoidable deaths were due to pancreases cancer and ovary cancer. Conclusions Relative high number of avoidable deaths indicates that performance of health system was not desirable in Kerman during the studied years. Examining trend of avoidable deaths showed that these mortalities are increasing although it is not significant nowadays. However, if this trend continues, it will be very alarming for health care authorities in this region.
Triply Articulated Modelling in Complex Systems Professor

We argue that traditional systems engineering (TSE) is inadequate for engineering complex systems. This inadequacy becomes particularly problematic when the system in question is a System of Systems (SoS) whose behaviour depends on how human users of the component systems, anticipating the consequences of their own behaviour, interact with those systems and with each other. Considering its users to be part of the SoS renders such a system anticipative, and therefore necessarily complex. To be effective, the designer of an SoS must incorporate an understanding of its users’ models of their contexts of use. However, the process of design then becomes reflexive, since it must include within itself models of its users’ anticipations of its relation to the SoS’s environment, including those of its designers. As a result, complex systems engineering (CSE) has to become a distinct discipline, involving explicit processes that occur at the time of use of an SoS, not only for negotiating shared meaning between component systems within peer-to-peer relationships, but also for considering the dynamic effects of differing uses of component systems on the behaviour of the SoS as a whole. By modeling users’ relations to demand as well as to the behaviour and organisation of component systems, triply articulated modeling supports the negotiation of shared meaning and accommodates the reflexivity required of a CSE regimen.
Unbalanced Model and Power-Flow Analysis of Microgrids and Active Distribution Systems

This paper presents a three-phase power-flow algorithm, in the sequence-component frame, for the microgrid (μgrid) and active distribution system (ADS) applications. The developed algorithm accommodates single-phase laterals, unbalanced loads and lines, and three/four-wire distribution lines. This paper also presents steady-state sequence-component frame models of distributed energy resource (DER) units for the developed power-flow approach under balanced/unbalanced conditions. The DER models represent the synchronous-generator based and the electronically-coupled DER units. Both constant power (PQ) and regulated-voltage (PV) modes of operation of DER units are considered. The application of the developed power-flow method for two study systems is presented. The study results are validated based on comparison with the detailed solution of the system differential equations in time domain, using the PSCAD/EMTDC software tool.
Association between objective measurement of the speech intelligibility of young people with dysarthria and listener ratings of ease of understanding

Abstract Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the association between listeners’ ratings of how much effort it took to understand the speech of young people with cerebral palsy and the percentage of words listeners actually understood. Method: Thirty-one young people with dysarthria and cerebral palsy (16 males, 15 females; mean age = 11 years, SD = 3) were audio recorded repeating single words and producing speech. Objective measures of intelligibility were calculated for multiple familiar and unfamiliar listeners using a forced choice paradigm for single words and verbatim orthographic transcriptions for connected speech. Listeners rated how much effort it took to understand speech in each condition using a 5-point ordinal ease of listening (EOL) scale. Results: Agreement on EOL within rater groups was high (ICC > 0.71). An effect of listener was observed for familiar listeners, but not for unfamiliar listeners. EOL agreement between familiar and unfamiliar listeners was weak–moderate (ICC = 0.46). EOL predicted the percentage of speech actually understood by familiar and unfamiliar listeners (r > 0.56, p < 0.001 for all predictions). Strongest associations between EOL and intelligibility were observed for speakers with mild and profound impairments. Conclusions: The findings of this study demonstrate that listeners can judge how well they have understood dysarthric speech. EOL is associated with listener familiarity, speech task and speech impairment severity. EOL is appropriate for use in clinical practice as a measure of communication activity.
Cost-efficacy of Rofecoxib versus Acetaminophen for Preventing Pain after Ambulatory Surgery

Background Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs are commonly administered as part of a multimodal regimen for pain management in the ambulatory setting. This randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study was designed to compare the analgesic effect of oral rofecoxib, a cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor, and acetaminophen when administered alone or in combination prior to outpatient otolaryngologic surgery. Methods A total of 143 healthy outpatients undergoing elective otolaryngologic surgery were assigned to one of four study groups: group 1 = control (500 mg vitamin C); group 2 = 2 g acetaminophen; group 3 = 50 mg rofecoxib; or group 4 = 2 g acetaminophen and 50 mg rofecoxib. The first oral dose of the study medication was taken 15–45 min before surgery, and a second dose of the same medication was administered on the morning after surgery. Recovery times, side effects, and the need for rescue analgesics were recorded. Follow-up evaluations were performed at 24 and 48 h after surgery to assess postdischarge pain, analgesic requirements, nausea, and patient satisfaction with their postoperative pain management and quality of recovery. Peak pain scores and the need for rescue analgesic medication were used as the endpoints for estimating efficacy of the study drugs, while cost to achieve complete satisfaction with analgesia was used in the cost-effectiveness analysis. Results Premedication with rofecoxib (50 mg) was significantly more effective than either placebo or acetaminophen (2 g) in reducing the peak postoperative pain, the need for analgesic medication, and improving the quality of recovery and patient satisfaction. Moreover, the addition of acetaminophen failed to improve its analgesic efficacy. An expenditure for rofecoxib of $16.76 (95% confidence interval, $7.89 to 21.03) and $30.24 (95% confidence interval, $5.25 to 54.20) would obtain complete satisfaction with pain control in one additional patient who would not have been satisfied if placebo or acetaminophen, respectively, had been administered prior to surgery. Conclusions Rofecoxib, 50 mg administered orally, decreased postoperative pain and the need for analgesic rescue medication after otolaryngologic surgery. The addition of 2 g oral acetaminophen failed to improve its analgesic efficacy.
Neurophysiological research explains prosodic structures constraints

Na abordagem cognitivo-funcional (CF), a estrutura prosodicaassociada a um determinado texto e condicionada por um conjuntode regras que limitam 1) o numero maximo de silabas em cadapalavra prosodica (stress group), 2) a presenca de duas silabas tonicassucessivas (stress clash), 3) o agrupamento no mesmo grupo tonalde palavras dominadas por diferentes ligacoes na estrutura sintatica(syntatic clash). Essa abordagem tambem preve a preferencia dosfalantes em escolher estruturas prosodicas eurritmicas dentre todasas estruturas prosodicas possiveis. Essas regras explicamadequadamente um numero consideravel de dados provenientes dediscurso lido e de discurso espontâneo. Alem disso, pesquisasrecentes no campo da eletroencefalografia e da imagetica nuclearoferecem informacoes interessantes sobre os mecanismos daatividade cerebral ligada a percepcao da entonacao sentencial.Quando confrontados com as propriedades da estrutura prosodia,esses mecanismos conduzem a um conjunto de explicacoesconvincentes, relativas as restricoes na estrutura prosodica, que,por conseguinte, tem sua origem na universalidade dascaracteristicas do cerebro humano.
Aeromonas hydrophila Flagella Glycosylation: Involvement of a Lipid Carrier

Polar flagellin proteins from Aeromonas hydrophila strain AH-3 (serotype O34) were found to be O-glycosylated with a heterogeneous glycan. Mutants unable to produce WecP or Gne enzymes showed altered motility, and the study of their polar flagellin glycosylation showed that the patterns of glycosylation differed from that observed with wild type polar flagellin. This suggested the involvement of a lipid carrier in glycosylation. A gene coding for an enzyme linking sugar to a lipid carrier was identified in strain AH-3 (WecX) and subsequent mutation abolished completely motility, flagella production by EM, and flagellin glycosylation. This is the first report of a lipid carrier involved in flagella O-glycosylation. A molecular model has been proposed. The results obtained suggested that the N-acetylhexosamines are N-acetylgalactosamines and that the heptasaccharide is completely independent of the O34-antigen lipopolysaccharide. Furthermore, by comparing the mutants with differing degrees of polar flagellin glycosylation, we established their importance in A. hydrophila flagella formation and motility.
The nuclear receptor NR2E3 plays a role in human retinal photoreceptor differentiation and degeneration

Normal human retinal development involves orderly generation of rods and cones by complex mechanisms. Cell-fate specification involves progenitor cell lineage and external signals such as soluble factors and cell–cell interactions. In most inherited human retinal degenerations, including retinitis pigmentosa, a mutant gene causes loss of visual function, death of mature rods, and eventually death of all cone subtypes. Only one inherited retinal disorder, the enhanced S cone syndrome (ESCS), shows increased visual function, involving the minority S (blue) cones, and decreased rod and L/M (red/green) cone function. This autosomal recessive disease is caused by mutations in NR2E3, a photoreceptor nuclear receptor transcription factor, and may result from abnormal cell-fate determination, leading to excess S cones at the expense of other photoreceptor subtypes. In 16 ESCS patients with the most common NR2E3 mutation, R311Q, we documented an abnormal ratio of S to L/M cone function and progressive retinal degeneration. We studied the postmortem retina of an ESCS patient homozygous for NR2E3 R311Q. No rods were identified, but cones were increased approximately 2-fold, and 92% were S cones. Only 15% of the cones expressed L/M cone opsin, and some coexpressed S cone opsin. The retina was disorganized, with densely packed cones intermixed with inner retinal neurons. The retina was also degenerate, retaining photoreceptors in only the central and far peripheral regions. These observations suggest a key role for NR2E3 in regulation of human photoreceptor development. Degeneration of the NR2E3 retina may result from defective development, known S cone fragility, or abnormal maintenance of mature photoreceptors.
Robust Tracking of Ultrasonic Pen for Handwriting Digitizer Applications

The paper introduces a two step noise reduction method to improve the tracking of the pen movements through ultrasonic signaling. The results indicate substantial improvements compared to a direct read out method. Furthermore, the two step method can be augmented by a time slot hopping method to avoid signal interference between two similar devices tracking the respective pen movements in close proximity.
A study of pupil response components in human vision

The overall aim of the research described in this thesis was to investigate the basic mechanisms of the pupil of the eye in relation to human vision and brain function. It also evaluates the potential application of new research techniques to clinical studies that involve assessment of the visual function. Pupil response components were investigated in normal subjects and in patients with damaged visual pathways. A series of experiments were carried out to investigate the pupil response to periodic modulation of several stimulation parameters such as: luminance contrast, stimulus size, spatial and temporal frequency content, and colour. Much larger responses were found for square-wave as compared to sinusoidal luminance modulation. A model with two populations of neurones (sustained and transient) was developed to explain the non-linear combination of two response components in the light reflex. In contrast to these findings, responses to isoluminant coloured stimuli or sinusoidal gratings whose spatial average luminance is equal to that of the background do not depend of the temporal wave-form of the stimulation. Studies in patients with lesions to specific areas in the brain suggest that these responses are caused by a transient weakening of the steady central sympathetic inhibition to parasympathetic neurones innervating the sphincter muscle as a result of cortical processing of specific stimulus attributes such as colour and spatial structure. Pupil measurements in patients suffering from demyelinating neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis and optic neuritis also confirm the existence of distinct pupil response components and reveal selective loss to chromatic and luminance pathways. The results indicate a preferential damage to thinner axons which are thought to predominantly mediate the chromatic responses. These studies suggest that the use of modern pupillometric techniques in neuro-ophthalmology can yield useful information on the extent of the damage and the progression of disease in lesions of the optic nerve.
The syndecans, tuners of transmembrane signaling

Syndecans, a family of transmembrane proteoglycans, are putative integrators of extracellular signals. The interaction of syndecans with extracellular ligands via particular motifs in their heparan sulfate chains, their clustering, association with particular cytoskeletal structures, binding to cytoplasmic effectors, and intracellular phosphorylation represent as many means to bring this role to a successful conclusion. In this review, we will briefly address the characteristics of syndecans as heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) and focus mainly on the properties, binding interactions, and potential signaling functions of the cytoplasmic domains of these molecules. —Zimmermann, P., David, G. The syndecans, tuners of transmembrane signaling. FASEB J. 13 (Suppl.), S91–S100 (1999)