Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Enzymatic aspects of the phenol (aryl) sulfotransferases*

The sulfotransferases that are active in the metabolism of xenobiotics represent a large family of enzymes that catalyze the transfer of the sulfuryl group from 3′-phosphoadenosine 5′-phosphosulfate to phenols, to primary and secondary alcohols, to several additional oxygen-containing functional groups, and to amines. Restriction of this review to the catalytic processes of phenol or aryl sulfotransferases does not really narrow the field, because these enzymes have overlapping specificity, not only for specific compounds, but also for multiple functional groups. The presentation aims to provide an overview of the wealth of phenol sulfotransferases that are available for study but concentrates on the enzymology of rat and human enzymes, particularly on the predominant phenol sulfotransferase from rat liver. The kinetics and catalytic mechanism of the rat enzyme is extensively reviewed and is compared with observations from other sulfotransferases.
A Plane Segmentation System Based on Affine Homography and Optical Flow

Planes are important geometric features and can be used in a wide range of vision tasks like scene reconstruction, path planning and robot navigation. This work aims to illustrate a plane segmentation system based on homography computation and optical flow estimation. Firstly, using two image frames from a monocular sequence, a set of match pairs of interest points is obtained. An algorithm was developed to cluster interest points belonging to the same plane based on the reprojection error of the affine homography. From the calculated homographies, the planar flow is computed for each image pixel. Following this, the estimated optical flow is used to expand and identify each detected plane. An optical flow estimation method based on color information is presented. Tests were performed in different sequences of indoor and outdoor images and results validate the proposed system.
Effect of colostrum insulin-like growth factors on growth and development of neonatal calves.

Summary Penchev Georgiev, I. , 2008. Effect of colostrum insulin-like growth factors on growth and development of neonatal calves. Bulg. J. Vet. Med. , 11, No 2, 75 ￻88. The purpose of the present paper is to review the role of colostrum growth factors in the growth and development of neonatal calves. An emphasis is put on insulin-like growth factors (IGF-1 and IGF-2), that are abundant in cow’s colostrum. Although these factors are absorbed in rather limited amounts, they exert an effect upon both the growth and development of the gastrointestinal tract, and on the functional maturation of the organism and its adaptation to the novel environment after the birth, when a transition from parenteral to enteral nutrition takes place. A number of systemic effects of colostrum on the organism of neonates are described and discussed, as well as the role of endogenous growth factors.
On the Shannon capacity of a graph

It is proved that the Shannon zero-error capacity of the pentagon is \sqrt{5} . The method is then generalized to obtain upper bounds on the capacity of an arbitrary graph. A well-characterized, and in a sense easily computable, function is introduced which bounds the capacity from above and equals the capacity in a large number of cases. Several results are obtained on the capacity of special graphs; for example, the Petersen graph has capacity four and a self-complementary graph with n points and with a vertex-transitive automorphism group has capacity \sqrt{5} .
The Efficacy of Epidural Ketamine on Shivering during Transurethral Resection of the Prostate under Epidural Anesthesia.

PURPOSE Ketamine may decrease core-to-peripheral redistribution of heat through direct central sympathetic stimulation and inhibition of norepinephrine uptake into postganglionic sympathetic nerve endings. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of epidural ketamine in preventing shivering during transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) under epidural anesthesia. MATERIALS AND METHODS Ninety-three male patients scheduled for TURP under epidural anesthesia were enrolled in this study. Patients were randomized into one of three groups. Group 1 consisted of 31 patients who received epidural 0.75% ropivacaine, group 2 consisted of 32 patients who received epidural ketamine (0.2 mg/kg) in addition to 0.75% ropivacaine, and group 3 consisted of 30 patients who received epidural ketamine (0.4 mg/kg) in addition to 0.75% ropivacaine. Shivering and side effects such as hypotension, bradycardia, nausea, and hallucination were recorded during the anesthesia and for 2 hours while in the postanesthetic recovery room. RESULTS Shivering was statistically more frequent in group 1 than in the other groups. The incidence of sedation was significantly higher in group 3 than in the other groups. The incidences of side effects such as hypotension, bradycardia, and nausea were significantly higher in group 1 than in the other groups. CONCLUSIONS In this study, epidural ketamine 0.2 mg/kg and 0.4 mg/kg was shown to have a lower incidence of shivering and other side effects except sedation. In patients who undergo TURP under epidural anesthesia, the prophylactic use of low-dose epidural ketamine would be helpful in preventing any adverse effects, including shivering.
Topical intra-articular compared with intravenous tranexamic acid to reduce blood loss in primary total knee replacement: a double-blind, randomized, controlled, noninferiority clinical trial.

BACKGROUND Abundant literature regarding the use of intravenous tranexamic acid (TXA) in primary total knee replacement is available. Randomized controlled trials have confirmed the efficacy of topical TXA compared with placebo, but the comparison between topical and intravenous TXA is unclear. The present study was designed to verify noninferior efficacy and safety of topical intra-articular TXA compared with intravenous TXA in primary total knee replacement with cemented implants. METHODS A Phase-III, single-center, double-blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial was performed to compare topical intra-articular TXA (3 g of TXA in 100 mL of physiological saline solution) with two intravenous doses of TXA (15 mg/kg in 100 mL of physiological saline solution, one dose before tourniquet release and another three hours after surgery) in a multimodal protocol for blood loss prevention. The primary outcome was the blood transfusion rate, and the secondary outcomes included visible blood loss (as measured in the drain) at twenty-four hours postoperatively and invisible blood loss (as estimated from the Nadler formula) at forty-eight hours postoperatively. The sample size of seventy-eight patients was calculated to give a statistical power of 99% for demonstrating noninferiority. Thirty-nine patients each were allocated to receive topical intra-articular TXA (the experimental group) and intravenous TXA (the control group); there were no significant differences in demographics or preoperative laboratory values between the groups. Noninferiority was estimated by comparing the confidence intervals with a delta of 10%. Student t and Mann-Whitney tests were used to assess the significance of any differences. RESULTS The transfusion rate was zero in both groups; thus, noninferiority was demonstrated for the primary efficacy end point, suggesting equivalence. Noninferiority was also demonstrated for the secondary efficacy end points. Drain blood loss at twenty-four hours was 315.6 mL (95% confidence interval [CI], 248.5 to 382.7 mL) in the experimental group and 308.1 mL (95% CI, 247.6 to 368.5 mL) in the control group (p = 0.948, Mann-Whitney). Also, estimated blood loss at forty-eight hours was 1259.0 mL (95% CI, 1115.6 to 1402.3 mL) in the experimental group and 1317.9 mL (95% CI, 1175.4 to 1460.4 mL) in the control group (p = 0.837, Mann-Whitney). No significant safety differences were seen between groups. CONCLUSIONS Topical administration of TXA according to the described protocol demonstrated noninferiority compared with intravenous TXA, with no safety concerns. This randomized controlled trial supports the topical intra-articular administration of TXA in primary total knee replacement with cemented implants. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Therapeutic Level I. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Equilibrium Price Dispersion with Online Search

This paper studies how consumers' online search behavior may trigger pervasive and persistent online price dispersion. We set up a game-theoretic model to examine the oligopolistic price competition, given the two unique features of online search, namely, the existence of a common search ordering and shoppers who have non-positive search cost. We show that in absence of further heterogeneity, the unique online search behaviors alone can drive significant level of price dispersion. Specifically, we derive two-dimensional price dispersion, with both temporal fluctuation and spatial variation. We show that equilibrium price expectation monotonically decreases in line with consumers' search ordering. We also uncover a unique format of equilibrium pricing with stair-like sequence of price supports and localized price competition.
Xilinx SSI technology concept to silicon development overview

This article consists of a collection of slides from the author's conference presentation. Presents the product design and applications supported by Xilinx stacked silicon interconnect (SSI) technology. Identifies the economics drivers and technical challenges the company faces to develop its SSI products/services. Discusses the progression and development of three-dimensional (3D) technolgies. Also examines capacity planning; FPGA technologies for SSI development; and future market opportunties.
Evaluation of a Web-Based Food Record for Children Using Direct Unobtrusive Lunch Observations: A Validation Study

Background High-quality, Web-based dietary assessment tools for children are needed to reduce cost and improve user-friendliness when studying children’s dietary practices. Objective To evaluate the first Web-based dietary assessment tool for children in Norway, the Web-based Food Record (WebFR), by comparing children’s true school lunch intake with recordings in the WebFR, using direct unobtrusive observation as the reference method. Methods A total of 117 children, 8-9 years, from Bærum, Norway, were recruited from September to December 2013. Children completed 4 days of recordings in the WebFR, with parental assistance, and were observed during school lunch in the same period by 3 observers. Interobserver reliability assessments were satisfactory. Match, omission, and intrusion rates were calculated to assess the quality of the recordings in the WebFR for different food categories, and for all foods combined. Logistic regression analyses were used to investigate whether body mass index (BMI), parental educational level, parental ethnicity or family structure were associated with having a “low match rate” (≤70%). Results Bread and milk were recorded with less bias than spreads, fruits, and vegetables. Mean (SD) for match, omission, and intrusion rates for all foods combined were 73% (27%), 27% (27%), and 19% (26%), respectively. Match rates were statistically significantly associated with parental educational level (low education 52% [32%] versus high 77% [24%], P=.008) and parental ethnicity (non-Norwegian 57% [28%] versus others 75% [26%], P=.04). Only parental ethnicity remained statistically significant in the logistic regression model, showing an adjusted odds ratio of 6.9 and a 95% confidence interval between 1.3 and 36.4. Conclusions Compared with other similar studies, our results indicate that the WebFR is in line with, or better than most of other similar tools, yet enhancements could further improve the WebFR.
Biofilm formation enhances the oxygen tolerance and invasiveness of Fusobacterium nucleatum in an oral mucosa culture model.

BACKGROUND The present study evaluates the survival capability of Fusobacterium nucleatum strains in an aerobic environment and compares the invasive capability of F. nucleatum in biofilm and planktonic forms in an organotypic cell culture (OCC) model. METHODS Biofilms of F. nucleatum American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) 25586 or Anaerobe Helsinki Negative (AHN) 9508 were produced by culturing on semipermeable membranes on brucella agar plates. The oxygen tolerance of the F. nucleatum strains was examined by incubating 3-day-old anaerobically grown biofilms in an aerobic environment (CO(2) [5% in air] incubator) for an additional 48 hours. The OCC model was constructed by seeding keratinocytes on a fibroblast-containing collagen gel. In invasion assays, a 3-day-old anaerobically grown biofilm (and planktonic bacteria in solution as the control) was placed upside down on the top of OCC and incubated under 5% CO(2) for 24 hours. Invasion of the bacteria and morphologic changes in OCC were assessed using hematoxylin and eosin, Ki-67, and periodic acid-Schiff stainings. RESULTS In biofilms, both F. nucleatum strains continuously increased their cell numbers in an aerobic environment for 48 hours. After incubating the bacterial biofilm in contact with the OCC model, F. nucleatum AHN 9508 was able to pass through the epithelial/basement membrane barrier and invade the collagen matrix. The invasiveness of biofilm F. nucleatum ATCC 25586 was limited to the epithelium. Cytotoxic effects and invasiveness of F. nucleatum on the OCC were much stronger when the bacteria were in biofilms than in the planktonic form. CONCLUSION Biofilm formation regulates the survival and invasiveness of F. nucleatum in an aerobic environment.
Frozen tissue biobanks. Tissue handling, cryopreservation, extraction, and use for proteomic analysis

The potential and the limitations of protein analysis of tissue samples are surveyed. The complexity, concentration range and dynamics of the human proteome are reviewed, as is the effect of handling and cryopreservation. Protein extraction, solubilization, resolution and detection are discussed, in relation to the properties of the human proteome.
Nanophotonics for Information Systems Integration

The field of nanophotonics is finding myriad applications in information technology, health care, lighting, sensing and national security. This article explores the role of nanotechnology with special focus on nanophotonics in dielectric and inhomogeneous metamaterials with applications for optical communications, optical signal processing, and sensing.
F-structures and integral points on semiabelian varieties over finite fields

Motivated by the problem of determining the structure of integral points on subvarieties of semiabelian varieties defined over finite fields, we prove a quantifier elimination and stability result for finitely generated modules over certain finite simple extensions of the integers given together with predicates for cycles of the distinguished generator of the ring.
SUCCESS: A Secure User-centric and Social-aware Reputation Based Incentive Scheme for DTNs

Delay/Disruption tolerant networks (DTNs) are self-organized wireless ad-hoc networks, where end-to-end connectivity can not be guaranteed and communications rely on the assumption that the nodes are willing to store-carry-and-forward bundles in an opportunistic way. However, this assumption would be easily violated due to the selfish nodes which are unwilling to consume precious wireless resources by serving as bundle relays. To apply conventional reputation based incentive schemes in DTNs is extraordinarily challenging due to the unique network characteristics. To tackle this issue, in this paper, we propose SUCCESS, a secure user-centric and social-aware reputation based incentive scheme for DTNs. Different from conventional reputation schemes which rely on neighboring nodes to monitor the traffic and keep tracks of each other’s reputation, SUCCESS allows a node to manage its reputation evidence and demonstrate its reputation whenever necessary. Two concepts, self-check and community-check, are defined for reputation evaluation according to the candidate’s forwarding competency and the sufficiency of the evidence shown by the node itself, and for speeding up reputation establishment and forming consensus views towards targets in the same community, respectively. Extensive performance analysis and simulations are given to demonstrate the se
Clustered Regression Control of a Biped Robot Model

Controlling of a biped walking mechanism is a very challenging multivariable problem, the system being highly nonlinear, high-dimensional, and inherently unstable. In almost any realistic case the exact dynamic equations of a walking robot are too complicated to be utilized in the control solutions, or even impossible to write in closed form. Data-based modelling methods try to form a model of the system using only observation data collected from the system inputs and outputs. Traditionally, the data oriented methods are used to construct a global black-box model of the system explaining the whole sample data within one single function structure. Feedforward neural networks, as presented in (Haykin, 1999), for example, typically map the input to the output with very complicated and multilayered grid of neurons and the analysis of the whole net is hardly possible. Local learning methods (Atkeson et al., 1997), on the other hand, offer a more structured approach to the problem. The overall mapping is formed using several local models, which have a simple internal structure but are alone valid only in small regions of the input-output space. Typically, the local models used are linear, which ensures the scalability of the model structure: Simple systems can be modelled, as well as more complex ones, using the same structure, only the number of the local models varies. In robotics, local modelling has been used quite successfully to form inverse dynamics or kinematic mappings that have then been applied as a part of the actual controller (Vijayakumar et al., 2002). However, when trying to cover the whole high-dimensional input-output space, the number of local models increases rapidly. Additionally, external reference signals are needed for the controller to get the system function as desired. To evaluate the assumption of simple local models, a feedback structure based on linear local models, clustered regression, is used here to implement the gait of a biped walking robot model. The local models are based on principal component analysis (see Basilevsky, 1994) of the local data. Instead of mapping the complete inverse dynamics of the biped, only one gait trajectory is considered here. This means that the walking behaviour is stored in the model structure. Given the current state of the system, the model output estimate is directly used as the next control signal value and no additional control solutions or reference signals are needed. The walking cycle can become automated, so that no higher-level control is needed. This text summarizes and extends the presentation in (Haavisto & Hyotyniemi, 2005).
Context based identification of user communities from Internet chat

We study the temporal connectivity structure of single-channel Internet-based chat participation streams. Somewhat similar to bibliometric analysis, and complementary to topic-analysis, we base our study solely on context information provided by the temporal order of participants' contributions. Experimental results obtained by employing both network-analysis indicators and an aggregate Markov modelling approach indicate the existence of distinguishable communities in the about one day worth real-world chat dynamics analysed.
Maintaining software product lines — an industrial practice

Improved product quality and accelerated software development through systematic reuse of common software assets have been the key attractions behind software product lines. Magnitude of improvement in industrial practices has been reported in the literature. However, experiences with software product line also showed that it is a rather chall enging task to maintain software product lines and families over a long period of time. The time and resources needed to manage and maintain product lines increase and quality degrades as product lines evolve. This paper describes an industrial practice of software product line maintenance and evolution. The conventional software maintenance process is enhanced with data mining techniques to uncover lost reuse pattern and defects, maintain reuse, and reduce design erosion of product lines. Case studies with mobile phone product lines are described.
Spectral unmixing of fluorescence fingerprint imagery for visualization of constituents in pie pastry

In this work, we present a new method that combines fluorescence fingerprint (FF) imaging and spectral unmixing to visualize microstructures in food. The method is applied to visualization of three constituents, gluten, starch, and butter, in two types of pie pastry. It is challenging to discriminate between starch and butter because both of them can be represented by similar FFs of low intensities. Two optimization approaches of FF unmixing that consider qualitative knowledge are presented and validated by comparison to the conventional staining method. Although starch and butter were represented by very similar FFs, a constrained-least-squares method with abundance quantization successfully visualized the distributions of constituents in pie pastry.
Implementations of routing algorithms for transportation networks

We discuss the generalization of the point-to-point (and single-source) shortest path problem to instances where the shortest path must satisfy a formal language constraint. We describe theoretical and experimental results on a generalization of Dijkstra’s algorithm to finding regular-language-constrained shortest paths. This algorithm forms a model for single-source shortest paths and point-to-point problems that generalizes several previously published algorithms for multimodal shortest path problems. The experiments include work with two different implementations. One is the original implementation of the restriction of the problem to linear regular expressions, which formed a part of the TRANSIMS project at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The other is a new implementation of the general regular-language-constrained shortest path algorithm that uses an implicit representation of the product graph. The second implementation also provides several speed-up techniques which have previously only been used for standard point-to-point shortest path problems. Through our experiments, we study the scalability of the algorithm with respect to the network size as well as with respect to the constraining language complexity. Further, we study the effectiveness of speed-up techniques such as bidirectional search, shortest path containers, bit-vectors and the multilevel technique when applied to the multimodal shortest path problems formalized by the regular language constraints (Some of these are in progress and will be fully described in a more complete version of the paper.)