Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
World Database of Happiness. Example of a Focused ‘Findings Archive’

Social scientists are producing an ever growing stream of research findings, which is ever more difficult to oversee. As a result, capitalization on earlier investment declines and accumulation of knowledge stagnates. This situation calls for more research synthesis and interest in synthetic techniques is on the rise. To date attention has been focused on techniques for meta-analysis, with little attention paid to the preliminary step of bringing the available research findings together. What we need is 1) techniques for describing research findings in a comparable way, 2) a system for storing such descriptions in an easily accessible archive, 3) to which research findings can be added on a continuous basis. The World Database of Happiness is an example of such a tool. The archive is tailored to meet the requirements of assembling research findings on happiness; both distributional findings (how happy people are) and correlational findings (what things go together with happiness). With its focus on 'findings' the system differs from data-archives that store 'investigations' and from bibliographies that store 'publications'. As yet there is no established term to describe this tool for research synthesis. I call it a 'focused findings archive'. In this paper I describe how that works and discusses the strengths and weaknesses of this approach.
Potential Epigenetic Mechanism in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by excessive fat accumulation in the liver. It ranges from simple steatosis to its more aggressive form, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which may develop into hepatic fibrosis, cirrhosis, or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) if it persists for a long time. However, the exact pathogenesis of NAFLD and the related metabolic disorders remain unclear. Epigenetic changes are stable alterations that take place at the transcriptional level without altering the underlying DNA sequence. DNA methylation, histone modifications and microRNA are among the most common forms of epigenetic modification. Epigenetic alterations are involved in the regulation of hepatic lipid metabolism, insulin resistance, mitochondrial damage, oxidative stress response, and the release of inflammatory cytokines, all of which have been implicated in the development and progression of NAFLD. This review summarizes the current advances in the potential epigenetic mechanism of NAFLD. Elucidation of epigenetic factors may facilitate the identification of early diagnositic biomarkers and development of therapeutic strategies for NAFLD.
Why do Preferences Differ between Scene Types?

Groups of subjects judged one example of two different types of outdoor scene on each of the items of the Perceived Restorative Scale, on two preference scales and a familiarity scale. It was argued that the previously demonstrated large variations in preference between different types of scenes were the result of participants using the restorative value of a scene as an implicit frame of reference for the preference judgment. Preference and the Perceived Restorative Scale score correlated . 81, whereas familiarity and the Restorative Scale correlated . 31, and preference and familiarity correlated . 32. This result supports the hypothesis regarding the use of the restorative value of a scene as an implicit frame of reference for preference judgments. It is further argued that variations in the preference and restorative value of scenes may be associated with fractal geometry.
A Novel Multiband Planar Antenna for GSM/UMTS/LTE/Zigbee/RFID Mobile Devices

A new multiband planar antenna with a compact size is designed and developed for mobile devices. The proposed antenna consists of a two-strip monopole and a meandered strip antenna which occupy a compact area of only 15 mm × 42 mm. This planar antenna has a bandwidth of ~ 42% at the 900 MHz band and ~ 53% at the 1900-MHz band. The wide bandwidth at the low frequency is attributed to the mutual coupling of an S-shaped strip and an inverted-F strip which are separately printed on the two sides of a thin substrate, forming a two-strip monopole configuration. The bandwidth at the high frequency is enhanced by inserting a meandered strip which improves the impedance matching for the high-frequency band. The experimental results verify the simulations. The featured broad bandwidths over two frequency bands and the miniaturized size of the proposed antenna make it very promising for applications in wireless communication and wireless sensing devices.
Email Categorization Using (2+1)-Tier Classification Algorithms

In this paper we have proposed a spam filtering technique using (2+1)-tier classification approach. The main focus of this paper is to reduce the false positive (FP) rate which is considered as an important research issue in spam filtering. In our approach, firstly the email message will classify using first two tier classifiers and the outputs will appear to the analyzer. The analyzer will check the labeling of the output emails and send to the corresponding mailboxes based on labeling, for the case of identical prediction. If there are any misclassifications occurred by first two tier classifiers then tier-3 classifier will invoked by the analyzer and the tier-3 will take final decision. This technique reduced the analyzing complexity of our previous work. It has also been shown that the proposed technique gives better performance in terms of reducing false positive as well as better accuracy.
Clustering of time-course gene expression data using a mixed-effects model with B-splines

MOTIVATION Time-course gene expression data are often measured to study dynamic biological systems and gene regulatory networks. To account for time dependency of the gene expression measurements over time and the noisy nature of the microarray data, the mixed-effects model using B-splines was introduced. This paper further explores such mixed-effects model in analyzing the time-course gene expression data and in performing clustering of genes in a mixture model framework. RESULTS After fitting the mixture model in the framework of the mixed-effects model using an EM algorithm, we obtained the smooth mean gene expression curve for each cluster. For each gene, we obtained the best linear unbiased smooth estimate of its gene expression trajectory over time, combining data from that gene and other genes in the same cluster. Simulated data indicate that the methods can effectively cluster noisy curves into clusters differing in either the shapes of the curves or the times to the peaks of the curves. We further demonstrate the proposed method by clustering the yeast genes based on their cell cycle gene expression data and the human genes based on the temporal transcriptional response of fibroblasts to serum. Clear periodic patterns and varying times to peaks are observed for different clusters of the cell-cycle regulated genes. Results of the analysis of the human fibroblasts data show seven distinct transcriptional response profiles with biological relevance. AVAILABILITY Matlab programs are available on request from the authors.
Increased frequency of intestinal CD4+ T cells reactive with mycobacteria in patients with Crohn's disease

Abstract Objective. The aim of this study was to assess the frequency of mycobacteria and Escherichia coli reactive T cells in intestinal biopsies from patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Materials and methods. The biopsies were obtained by colonoscopy from adult patients with active CD (n = 5) and active UC (n = 4). The number of CD4+ T cell clones expanded and screened from each patient varied from 383 to 3972 giving a total of 16639 individual clones. The T cell clones were tested for responses to Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) and E. coli. The cytokine profile of 42 individual T cell clones from four CD patients was assessed. Results. The frequency of mycobacteria reactive T cell clones in CD patients ranged from 0.17 to 1.63% and was higher (p = 0.038) than the frequency of E. coli reactive T cells ranging from 0 to 0.18%. No or very low numbers of mycobacteria reactive clones were detected in three UC patients while the fourth UC patient had a frequency similar to what was observed in CD patients. The frequencies of E. coli reactive T cell clones in UC patients ranged from 0 to 0.52%. T cell clones (n = 42) from CD patients all produced IL-17 and/or IFN-γ. Several clones were also able to produce IL-10. Conclusions. The high frequency of intestinal tissue resident T cells reactive to mycobacteria suggests that an adaptive immune response have taken place and argues that these bacteria may contribute to the chronic inflammation in CD.
Verification of drop impact simulations using high-speed camera measurements

The increased use of mobile appliances in today's society has resulted in an increase of reliability issues related to drop performance. A common method to assess the drop performance is the JEDEC specified drop impact test [1]. In this research the solder loading is investigated by means of drop impact simulations and high-speed camera measurements. The measurements are used to enhance the simulations by tuning the damping parameters. This results in models that are replicating the drop impact amplitudes and are thereby capable of determining the critical solder joint.
Simultaneously Structured Models With Application to Sparse and Low-Rank Matrices

Recovering structured models (e.g., sparse or group-sparse vectors, low-rank matrices) given a few linear observations have been well-studied recently. In various applications in signal processing and machine learning, the model of interest is structured in several ways, for example, a matrix that is simultaneously sparse and low rank. Often norms that promote the individual structures are known, and allow for recovery using an order-wise optimal number of measurements (e.g., 11 norm for sparsity, nuclear norm for matrix rank). Hence, it is reasonable to minimize a combination of such norms. We show that, surprisingly, using multiobjective optimization with these norms can do no better, orderwise, than exploiting only one of the structures, thus revealing a fundamental limitation in sample complexity. This result suggests that to fully exploit the multiple structures, we need an entirely new convex relaxation. Further, specializing our results to the case of sparse and low-rank matrices, we show that a nonconvex formulation recovers the model from very few measurements (on the order of the degrees of freedom), whereas the convex problem combining the 11 and nuclear norms requires many more measurements, illustrating a gap between the performance of the convex and nonconvex recovery problems. Our framework applies to arbitrary structure-inducing norms as well as to a wide range of measurement ensembles. This allows us to give sample complexity bounds for problems such as sparse phase retrieval and low-rank tensor completion.
Reciprocity as a Key Concept for Social Media and Society

The concept of reciprocity, particularly in the pro-social sense of mutually beneficial exchange, presents an opportunity befitting the start of a new journal on social media. Namely, how might a concept of social exchange help us understand a mediascape increasingly dominated by social exchange—where the sharing, receiving, and recirculating of information “gifts” is central to the very social and technical frameworks on which these media function? In essence, what might reciprocity, analyzed more purposefully, reveal about social media and society? The case of “reciprocal journalism” briefly described here is but one of many avenues for studying social (media) interactions and their implications, whether positive or negative.
The Cultural Ecology of India's Sacred Cattle

The relationship between human and bovine population in India has hitherto been widely regarded as an important example of resource mismanagement under the influence of religious doctrine. It is suggested that insufficient attention has been paid to such positive functioned features of the Hindu cattle complex as traction power and milk, dung, beef and hide production in relationship to the costs of ecologically viable alternatives. In general, the exploitation of cattle resources proceeds in such a way as not to impair the survival and economic well-being of the human population. The relationship between the human and bovine population is symbiotic rather than competitive; more traction animals than are presently available are needed for carrying out essential agricultural tasks. Under existing techno-environmental conditions, a relatively high ratio of cattle to humans is ecologically unavoidable. This does not mean, that with altered techno-environmental conditions, new and more efficient food energy systems cannot be evolved.
High School Principals Who Stay: Stability in a Time of Change

This qualitative study explored the institutional factors, personal characteristics, and work-related relationships of high school principals that led to their longer than usual tenure in their positions. Data were gathered from interviews with ten high school principals who had served in their positions for a range of 8 to 23 years, much longer than many high school principals today. Four major themes emerged from the data: relationships, balance, fit and change. Within the theme of relationships, relationships with the faculty and staff, district office and superintendent, school board, parents and community, and students were explored. Collaboration and trust were identified as sub-themes within this theme. The theme of balance included balancing the demands of the job, balancing the job and family life and responses to managing the multiple demands of work and home life. Fit included fit with the district and community and the fit of compensation for their work. The theme of change included subthemes of continuous improvement, instructional leadership, cultural changes, sustainability of change, socioeconomic factors and student achievement. The study found that the decision to remain in one position for an extended period of time was influenced by a number of factors, including positive relationships with students, faculty and staff and their superintendents. The principals also enjoy the ability to initiate and carry out change efforts with direction for the goals provided from the district and the autonomy to develop and implement the approach to the change with their faculty and staff. Personally, these principals were positive, focused, goal-oriented individuals who distribute leadership among the staff and put student learning at the forefront of all they do in their buildings. They enjoy complexity and change and they cite a concern with losing their edge and focus on improvement as something they worry about.
Accuracy and reliability of high-throughput microsatellite genotyping for cacao clone identification

Microsatellite-based DNA fingerprinting has been increasingly applied to cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) genotype identification. However, the accuracy and reliability of using high throughput microsatellite analysis for cacao clone identification have not yet been rigorously assessed. Despite the use of highly robust fingerprinting protocols, cacao genotype identification has been affected by genotyping errors, which potentially mislead the result of clone identification. In this paper, we calculated the probability of identity for 15 selected microsatellite loci. We then quantified the genotyping error rate through repeated genotyping and simulated the impact of the genotyping error on cacao clone identification. Allelic dropout (ADO), or failure to amplify one allele for a heterozygous locus, and false allele (FA), or an amplicon size error by the polymerase, accounted for 48 and 52% of the genotyping inconsistencies, respectively. The result of simulation showed that 99% of the consensus genotype can be generated for the ambiguous loci through a minimum of three polymerase chain reaction (PCR) repetitions. On the basis of the error rate and probability of identity (PID), we designed a genotyping scheme and applied it to the cacao germplasm held in the USDA cacao collection at Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. Out of the 141 samples, we unambiguously identified nine duplicated groups consisting of 34 cacao accessions. This genotyping scheme is being implemented in large scale fingerprinting of cacao germplasm.
Relational semantics for effect-based program transformations: higher-order store

We give a denotational semantics to a type and effect system tracking reading and writing to global variables holding values that may include higher-order effectful functions. Refined types are modelled as partial equivalence relations over a recursively-defined domain interpreting the untyped language, with effect information interpreted in terms of the preservation of certain sets of binary relations on the store. The semantics validates a number of effect-dependent program equivalences and can thus serve as a foundation for effect-based compiler transformations. The definition of the semantics requires the solution of a mixed-variance equation which is not accessible to the hitherto known methods. We illustrate the difficulties with a number of small example equations one of which is still not known to have a solution.
Memory access characteristics of H.264 video encoder on embedded processor

Several studies have shown memory as performance bottleneck in desktop computers. However, embedded systems differ from workstations and research reports on their memory characteristics are rare. In this paper, we evaluate data and instruction memory in an exemplary handheld device. The simulated system has a CPU core, L1 and L2 cache, interconnect, instruction ROM, and Mobile DDR SDRAM in two clock domains. The memory load is software-based H.264/MPEG-4 AVC video encoder. The results show a non-uniform distribution of the memory accesses and that the length of a DRAM burst is primarily induced by the L2 cache line length. However, further evaluations show that several times longer bursts could be exploited by the application.
GadY, a Small-RNA Regulator of Acid Response Genes in Escherichia coli

ABSTRACT A previous bioinformatics-based search for small RNAs in Escherichia coli identified a novel RNA named IS183. The gene encoding this small RNA is located between and on the opposite strand of genes encoding two transcriptional regulators of the acid response, gadX (yhiX) and gadW (yhiW). Given that IS183 is encoded in the gad gene cluster and because of its role in regulating acid response genes reported here, this RNA has been renamed GadY. We show that GadY exists in three forms, a long form consisting of 105 nucleotides and two processed forms, consisting of 90 and 59 nucleotides. The expression of this small RNA is highly induced during stationary phase in a manner that is dependent on the alternative sigma factor σS. Overexpression of the three GadY RNA forms resulted in increased levels of the mRNA encoding the GadX transcriptional activator, which in turn caused increased levels of the GadA and GadB glutamate decarboxylases. A promoter mutation which abolished gadY expression resulted in a reduction in the amount of gadX mRNA during stationary phase. The gadY gene was shown to overlap the 3′ end of the gadX gene, and this overlap region was found to be necessary for the GadY-dependent accumulation of gadX mRNA. We suggest that during stationary phase, GadY forms base pairs with the 3′-untranslated region of the gadX mRNA and confers increased stability, allowing for gadX mRNA accumulation and the increased expression of downstream acid resistance genes.
Alternative rapamycin treatment regimens mitigate the impact of rapamycin on glucose homeostasis and the immune system

Inhibition of the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway by the FDA‐approved drug rapamycin has been shown to promote lifespan and delay age‐related diseases in model organisms including mice. Unfortunately, rapamycin has potentially serious side effects in humans, including glucose intolerance and immunosuppression, which may preclude the long‐term prophylactic use of rapamycin as a therapy for age‐related diseases. While the beneficial effects of rapamycin are largely mediated by the inhibition of mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1), which is acutely sensitive to rapamycin, many of the negative side effects are mediated by the inhibition of a second mTOR‐containing complex, mTORC2, which is much less sensitive to rapamycin. We hypothesized that different rapamycin dosing schedules or the use of FDA‐approved rapamycin analogs with different pharmacokinetics might expand the therapeutic window of rapamycin by more specifically targeting mTORC1. Here, we identified an intermittent rapamycin dosing schedule with minimal effects on glucose tolerance, and we find that this schedule has a reduced impact on pyruvate tolerance, fasting glucose and insulin levels, beta cell function, and the immune system compared to daily rapamycin treatment. Further, we find that the FDA‐approved rapamycin analogs everolimus and temsirolimus efficiently inhibit mTORC1 while having a reduced impact on glucose and pyruvate tolerance. Our results suggest that many of the negative side effects of rapamycin treatment can be mitigated through intermittent dosing or the use of rapamycin analogs.
[Expression and roles of CDK4 and p21 in lung tissues of premature rats with hyperoxia-induced chronic lung disease].

OBJECTIVE The pathogenic mechanisms of chronic lung disease (CLD) of premature infants are not fully understood. Its final pathological changes have been shown to relate with lung cell proliferation. The aim of the study was to explore the relationship of the expression of cyclin dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) mRNA and cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor (CDKI) p21 mRNA with lung cell proliferation. METHODS Eighty premature rats were randomly assigned to a hyperoxia group and a control group (n=40 each). The hyperoxia group was exposed to high concentration of oxygen (FiO2 >0.90 and developed CLD. The control group was exposed to room air (FiO2 =0.21). The rats were randomly subdivided into groups sacrificed at 1, 3, 7, 14 and 21 days of exposure. Lung tissues were collected and made into 5 microm sections. Expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in lung tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry. Dynamic expression of CDK4 mRNA and p21 mRNA were detected by in situ hybridization. Lung histomorphology and fibrosis were observed by microscopy. RESULTS Expression of PCNA and CDK4 mRNA of lung cells in the hyperoxia group increased significantly after 7 days of exposure, and further increased after 14 and 21 days compared with controls. p21 mRNA expression in the hyperoxia group significantly increased after 1 and 3 days of exposure. After 7 days, p21 mRNA expression progressively decreased, but remained at a higher level than control through 21 days of exposure. PCNA expression was positively correlated to CDK4 mRNA expression (r=0.83, P < 0.05) and negatively correlated to p21 mRNA expression (r=-0.81, P < 0.05) in the hyperoxia group between 7 and 21 days of exposure. CONCLUSIONS Hyperoxia can induce lung cell proliferation in premature rats. The over-expression of CDK4 gene and the decreased expression of p21 gene in lung tissues may be associated with lung cell proliferation induced by hyperoxia.