Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association of CYP 17 Gene Polymorphism with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

The CYP17 gene encodes for the Cytochrome P450c17ɑ enzymes 17ɑ hydroxylase, 17-20 lyase in testosterone synthesis. There is a polymorphism (T to C substitution) in the 5’ untranslated region of CYP17 gene, providing an increased rate of transcription of CYP17 mRNA, which in turn increases enzyme cytochrome P-450c17 synthesis, increases androgen production and increase cell division in the prostate, thereby increases the risk of BPH. Genotype analysis was done on 50 patients with proven BPH and 50 healthy controls by polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction digestion. Men with A2/A2 CYP17 genotype had an increased risk of BPH with an odds ratio (OR), of 2.88; 95% confidence interval (CI) =1.1-3.8] compared with those with the A1/A1 genotype. The trend of an increasing risk of BPH with an increasing number of A2 allele was statistically significant. The A2 allele of the CYP17 polymorphism is associated with an increased risk of BPH.
jun N-terminal Kinase Mediates Activation of Skeletal Muscle Glycogen Synthase by Insulin in Vivo*

Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) represent a conserved family of Ser/Thr protein kinases with central roles in intracellular signaling. Activation of three prominent members of the MAPK family, i.e. extracellular response kinases (ERK), jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and p38, was defined in vivo in order to establish their role, if any, in the cardinal response of skeletal muscle to insulin, the activation of glycogen synthesis. Insulin was found to activate ERK, JNK, and p38 in skeletal muscle. The time courses for activation of the three MAPKs by insulin, however, are distinctly different. Activation of JNK occurs most rapidly, within seconds. Activation of p38 by insulin follows that of JNK, within minutes. Activation of ERK occurs last, 4 min after administration of insulin. The temporal relationship between the activation of ERK, JNK, p38 and the downstream elements p90rsk and PP-1 in vivo suggest that JNK, but neither ERK nor p38 MAPKs, mediates insulin activation of glycogen synthase in vivo. Activation of JNK by anisomycin in vivo mimics activation of glycogen synthase by insulin. Challenge by anisomycin and insulin, in combination, are not additive, suggesting a common mode of glycogen synthase activation. The p90rsk isoform rapidly activated by insulin is identified as RSK3. In addition, RSK3 can be activated by JNK in vitro. Based upon these data a signal linkage map for activation of glycogen synthase in vivo in skeletal muscle can be constructed in which JNK mediates activation of glycogen synthase via RSK3.
Detecting driver phone calls in a moving vehicle based on voice features

The use of mobile phones while driving has become a major source of distraction to drivers, leading to a large number of car accidents. In this paper, we study the problem of automatically detecting driver phone calls by monitoring smartphone activities and utilizing the vehicle on-board unit. The challenges to overcome include: i) passenger phone calls should be allowed while the calls of the driver should be blocked; ii) the detection mechanism should be phone position-independent and phone owner-independent as the driver may put the smartphone at any position in the front row and make calls via an earphone, or the driver may borrow a passenger's phone to make a call; iii) the in-vehicle environment is noisy resulted from the operating engine, the music the driver and passenger may listen to, and the conversation between passengers and/or the driver; and iv) the computational cost at the smartphone should be light as realtime phone call detection is expected to effectively block an ongoing call to and from the driver. To overcome these challenges and achieve our objective of detecting driver phone calls, we take advantage of the uniqueness of individual's voice features. Through a short period of learning stage, our proposed system can recognize the driver's voice from the collected audio data. Combined with the smartphone's call state, our scheme can determine whether the driver is participating in the current phone call or not. Our strategy takes into account the complicated in-vehicle environment, and the proposed algorithm does not rely on the location of the phone within the vehicle nor the ownership of the smartphone, as the most existing driver phone call detection mechanisms do. We develop a client-server based system with the smartphones being the clients and the vehicle on-board unit being the server. To validate our mechanism, we perform extensive real-world experiments under different scenarios. The results demonstrate a high probability of detecting driver phone calls with a small false alarm rate.
OLAP for moving object data

In this paper, we present an OLAP framework for moving object data. We introduce a new operator GROUP_TRAJECTORIES for group-by operations on moving object data and present two implementation alternatives for computing groups of moving objects for group-by aggregation: group by overlap and group by intersection. We also present an interactive OLAP environment for resolution drill-down/roll-up on sets of trajectories and parameter browsing. We evaluate the performance of our GROUP_TRAJECTORIES operator by using generated as well as real life moving object datasets.
Statistical conversion algorithms of pitch contours based on prosodic phrases

Pitch contour of a speech utterance plays an important role in expressing speaker's individuality and meaning of the utterance. In performing speech conversion from a source speaker to a target speaker, it is important that the pitch contour of the source speaker’s utterance be converted into that of the target speaker. This paper investigates statistical algorithms of pitch contour conversion for Korean language. The algorithms are based on Gaussian normalization, and its combination with a declination-line modeling of pitch contour. Pitch contour conversion are investigated at two levels of prosodic phrases: intonation phrase and accentual phrase. Experimental results show that the algorithm of Gaussian normalization within accentual phrases is significantly more accurate than the algorithms for intonational phrases in pitch contour conversion.
Addis Ababa University Addis Ababa Institute of Technology School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Amharic Named Entity Recognition Using Neural Word Embedding as a Feature

In this paper, Amharic Named Entity Recognition problem is addressed by employing a semi-supervised learning approach based on neural networks. The proposed approach aims at automating manual feature design and avoiding dependency on other natural language processing tasks for classification features. In this work potential feature information represented as word vectors are generated using neural network from unlabeled Amharic text files. These generated features are used as features for Amharic Named entity classification. SVM, J48, random tree, IBk(Instance based learning with parameter k), attribute selected and OneR(one rule) classifiers are tested with word vector features. Additionally BLSTM(bi-directional long short term memory), LSTM(long short term memory) and MLP(multi layer perceptron) deep neural networks are also tested to investigate the impact of proposed approach. From the experiments the highest F-score achieved was 95.5% using the SVM classifier. Relative to state-of-the-art approaches (SVM and J48) an average F-score improvement of 3.95% was achieved. The results showed that, automatically learned word features can substitute manually designed features for Amharic named entity recognition. Also these features has given better performance while reducing the effort in manual feature design.
Out-of-pocket health spending by poor and near-poor elderly Medicare beneficiaries.

OBJECTIVE To estimate out-of-pocket health care spending by lower-income Medicare beneficiaries, and to examine spending variations between those who receive Medicaid assistance and those who do not receive such aid. DATA SOURCES AND COLLECTION: 1993 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) Cost and Use files, supplemented with data from the Bureau of the Census (Current Population Survey); the Congressional Budget Office; the Health Care Financing Administration, Office of the Actuary (National Health Accounts); and the Social Security Administration. STUDY DESIGN We analyzed out-of-pocket spending through a Medicare Benefits Simulation model, which projects out-of-pocket health care spending from the 1993 MCBS to 1997. Out-of-pocket health care spending is defined to include Medicare deductibles and coinsurance; premiums for private insurance, Medicare Part B, and Medicare HMOs; payments for non-covered goods and services; and balance billing by physicians. It excludes the costs of home care and nursing facility services, as well as indirect tax payments toward health care financing. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Almost 60 percent of beneficiaries with incomes below the poverty level did not receive Medicaid assistance in 1997. We estimate that these beneficiaries spent, on average, about half their income out-of-pocket for health care, whether they were enrolled in a Medicare HMO or in the traditional fee-for-service program. The 75 percent of beneficiaries with incomes between 100 and 125 percent of the poverty level who were not enrolled in Medicaid spent an estimated 30 percent of their income out-of-pocket on health care if they were in the traditional program and about 23 percent of their income if they were enrolled in a Medicare HMO. Average out-of-pocket spending among fee-for-service beneficiaries varied depending on whether beneficiaries had Medigap policies, employer-provided supplemental insurance, or no supplemental coverage. Those without supplemental coverage spent more on health care goods and services, but spent less than the other groups on prescription drugs and dental care-services not covered by Medicare. CONCLUSIONS While Medicaid provides substantial protection for some lower-income Medicare beneficiaries, out-of-pocket health care spending continues to be a substantial burden for most of this population. Medicare reform discussions that focus on shifting more costs to beneficiaries should take into account the dramatic costs of health care already faced by this vulnerable population.
Secure Routing in Wireless Sensor Networks using Identity-based Cryptography

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) have played a crucial role in many military and civilian applications. However, with the increase in popularity of such networks, the demand for security is also increasing proportionally. The new sophisticated attacks can easily compromise these resource constraint networks such as WSN. In this paper, we propose a location and energy efficient routing scheme using identity bases cryptography. We review the classical selective forwarding attack on WSN and see how an identity-based cryptographic scheme using a cross-layer design approach is helpful in circumventing such an attack. In addition, we show that an identity-based cryptographic approach to routing in WSN is more pragmatic then the traditional public key infrastructure (PKI) based schemes.
Duration of illness, regional brain morphology and neurocognitive correlates in schizophrenia.

INTRODUCTION Previous studies examining brain effects of duration of illness in schizophrenia have focused on either cortical or subcortical structures. Hence this study sought to elucidate the regional grey matter changes (both cortical and subcortical) and neurocognitive correlates with increased duration of illness in a large sample of patients with schizophrenia using voxel-based morphometry. MATERIALS AND METHODS Ninety patients (72 males and 18 females) with DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia were recruited and assessed using magnetic resonance imaging and a battery of neuropsychological tests. RESULTS A longer duration of illness was associated with smaller grey matter volumes in the left superior frontal gyrus, bilateral putamen, right superior temporal gyrus, right superior occipital gyrus as well as the right thalamus. No region showed increased grey matter volume above threshold with longer duration of illness. Longer duration of illness was correlated with poorer attention. CONCLUSIONS The grey matter reductions in different brain regions highlighted that a distributed network of cortical and subcortical regions was associated with duration of illness. This is consistent with neural models that implicate involvement of thalamo-cortical circuitry as the disruption in these neural pathways can result in specific deficits such as poorer attention. The results have implications for the understanding of brain changes in schizophrenia, and with further studies, may guide better tailored and targeted clinical management in terms of reducing the impact of duration of illness on neural substrates in schizophrenia in the future.
The relation of morphology and affinity maturation in germinal centers

The specific morphology of germinal centers is analyzed in the context of the optimization of the humoral immune response. The relevance of dark and light zones for the affinity maturation process is investigated in the framework of a theoretical model for the germinal center reaction. Especially, it is shown that an intermediate appearance of dark zones in germinal center reactions is advantageous for the process of antibody optimization. Methodological aspects are discussed.
INVERSE DYNAMICS OF THE AGILE WRIST SPHERICAL PARALLEL ROBOT

Some iterative matrix relations for the kinematics and dynamics of a spherical Agile Wrist parallel robot are established. The manipulator prototype is a three-degree-offreedom mechanical system with three parallel legs. Controlled by concurrent torques, which are generated by some electric motors, three active elements of the robot have three independent rotations. Supposing that the position and the rotational motion of the platform are known, an inverse dynamic problem is developed using a new matrix approach to compute the actuating torques. Finally, some recursive matrix relations and some graphs for the time-history of the torques are determined.
Virtual Competencies and Knowledge Transfer in Global NPD: A Case Study

Virtual new product development teams are geographically dispersed and cross-functional, yet they work on highly interdependent tasks by communicating electronically in work groups. This virtual interdependence, among other issues, presents new challenges for the management of knowledge transfer in global New Product Development (NPD). In this project, virtual competencies were studied with the use of qualitative methods to assess the most significant issues affecting knowledge transfer in virtual settings in global NPD. As a result, the existing theory regarding virtual competencies and virtual organizations was refined and potential barriers for knowledge transfer were discovered. The success of knowledge workers is crucial for the performance of knowledge-based organizations, which form the basis of our global economy; therefore, this study’s findings are significant.
Lipoprotein Lipase Bound to Apolipoprotein B Lipoproteins Accelerates Clearance of Postprandial Lipoproteins in Humans

Objectives—Experiments in cells and animal models show that lipoprotein lipase (LpL) bound to apolipoprotein (apo)B lipoproteins enhances their uptake by receptor mediated pathways. It is unknown whether this pathway is important in humans. Methods and Results—ApoB lipoproteins with LpL were isolated from normal subjects after oral fat loading by immunoaffinity chromatography and were further separated into apoB100 and apoB48 lipoproteins. Postprandially, apoB lipoproteins with LpL had significantly greater increases (4- to 10-fold) and faster rates of clearance (5- to 8-fold) percentage-wise than those without LpL. apoB lipoproteins with LpL had enhanced clearance regardless of whether they also contained apoE. LpL was particularly important for the clearance of apoB48 lipoproteins, of which 25% (range, 11% to 31%) could be removed from circulation together with LpL during the postprandial state. apoB lipoproteins with LpL were larger in size and were enriched in triglyceride, cholesterol, and apoE compared with those without LpL. However, neither size nor apoE content explained the faster clearance rates of LpL-containing lipoproteins. Conclusion—Plasma LpL may act like an apolipoprotein to enhance the clearance of apoB lipoproteins in humans, a mechanism particularly important for intestinal lipoproteins in the postprandial state.
Measuring Information Systems Service Quality: Concerns for a Complete Canvas

This paper responds to the research note in this issue by Van Dyke et al. concerning the use of SERVQUAL, an instrument to measure service quality, and its use in the IS domain. This paper attempts to balance some of the arguments they raise from the marketing literature on the topic with the well-documented counterarguments of SERVQUAL's developers, as well as our own research evidence and observations in an IS-specific environment. Specifically, evidence is provided to show that the service quality perceptions-expectations subtraction in SERVQUAL is far more rigorously grounded than Van Dyke et al. suggest; that the expectations construct, while potentially ambiguous, is generally a vector in the case of an IS department; and that the dimensions of service quality seem to be as applicable to the IS department as to any other organizational setting. Then, the paper demonstrates that the problems of reliability of difference score calculations in SERVQUAL are not nearly as serious as Van Dyke et al. suggest; that while perceptions-only measurement of service quality might have marginally better predictive and convergent validity, this comes at considerable expense to managerial diagnostics; and reiterate some of the problems of dimensional instability found in our previous research, highlighted by Van Dyke et al. and discussed in many other studies of SERVQUAL across a range of settings. Finally, four areas for further research in this area are identified.
Electric Power System Concepts for Integration of Advanced Sensor and Pulsed Loads in the DDG-51 Class Ships

Advanced weapons and sensors increase demand on the electric power systems of Navy surface combatants, driving the need for fully Integrated Power Systems (IPS) such as those found in the DDG-1000 Zumwalt class of ships. The goal of this paper is to introduce novel power system configurations that could potentially be integrated into future flights of the DDG-51 class to support expanded electric power system capability at reasonable cost. Two concepts are presented: the first addresses the need for additional power for advanced sensor systems and the second addresses the need for a more significant increase in capacity to support higher power electric loads.
Effect of Perilla frutescens Fixed Oil on Experimental Esophagitis in Albino Wistar Rats

The present study was undertaken to elucidate the effect of Perilla frutescens fixed oil on experimental esophagitis in albino rats. A group of rats (n = 6), treated with control vehicle (0.9% NaCl in double distilled water, 3 mL/kg, i.p.) and Perilla frutescens fixed oil (100%) (1, 2, and 3 mL/kg, i.p.), or pantoprazole (30 mg/kg, i.p.), were subjected to pylorus and forestomach ligation. Animals were sacrificed after 6 h and evaluated for the gastric pH, volume of gastric juices, total acidity, esophagitis index and free acidity. Esophageal tissues were further subjected to estimations of TBARS, GSH, catalase, and SOD. Treatment with fixed oil significantly inhibited the gastric secretion, total acidity, and esophagitis index. The oil also helped to restore the altered levels of oxidative stress parameters to normal. The present study also makes evident the in vitro antihistaminic and anticholinergic activity of alpha linolenic acid (ALA) (18 : 3, n − 3) on isolated rat ileum preparation. The lipoxygenase inhibitory, histamine antagonistic, antisecretory (anticholinergic), and antioxidant activity of the oil was attributed for its efficacy in reflux esophagitis.
Verifying Java Object Invariants at Runtime

An object invariant consisting of a set of properties that must hold for all instances of a class at any time is usually used in object-oriented design. However, verifying object invariants at runtime is always a challenging task in software verification. This paper proposes a method for verifying invariants of Java objects at runtime using AOP. Suppose that a software application is designed using UML models and its constraints are specified in OCL expressions, the software is then implemented, by default, using the UML design. They propose to construct verifiable aspects which are automatically generated from OCL constraints. These aspects can be woven into Java code to check whether object invariants are violated at runtime. Benefiting from AOP in separation of crosscutting concerns and weaving mechanisms, generated aspects can do the verification task whenever values of objects' attributes are changed. A Verification Aspect Generator (VAG) tool has been developed allowing the automatic generation of verifying aspects from the UML/OCL constraints.
The effect of temperature and thermal acclimation on the sustainable performance of swimming scup

There is a significant reduction in overall maximum power output of muscle at low temperatures due to reduced steady-state (i.e. maximum activation) power-generating capabilities of muscle. However, during cyclical locomotion, a further reduction in power is due to the interplay between non-steady-state contractile properties of muscle (i.e. rates of activation and relaxation) and the stimulation and the length-change pattern muscle undergoes in vivo. In particular, even though the relaxation rate of scup red muscle is slowed greatly at cold temperatures (10°C), warm-acclimated scup swim with the same stimulus duty cycles at cold as they do at warm temperature, not affording slow-relaxing muscle any additional time to relax. Hence, at 10°C, red muscle generates extremely low or negative work in most parts of the body, at all but the slowest swimming speeds. Do scup shorten their stimulation duration and increase muscle relaxation rate during cold acclimation? At 10°C, electromyography (EMG) duty cycles were 18% shorter in cold-acclimated scup than in warm-acclimated scup. But contrary to the expectations, the red muscle did not have a faster relaxation rate, rather, cold-acclimated muscle had an approximately 50% faster activation rate. By driving cold- and warm-acclimated muscle through cold- and warm-acclimated conditions, we found a very large increase in red muscle power during swimming at 10°C. As expected, reducing stimulation duration markedly increased power output. However, the increased rate of activation alone produced an even greater effect. Hence, to fully understand thermal acclimation, it is necessary to examine the whole system under realistic physiological conditions.