Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PHARMACOGNOSTICAL AND PHYSICOCHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ROOTS OF LESSER KNOWN MEDICINAL PLANT CAESALPINIA DIGYNA ROTTL

Caesalpinia digyna Rottl. (Caesalpiniaceae) is shrubby perennial climber found in Eastern Ghats. Roots are astringent and used in Ayurveda and Unani systems of medicines. Bergenin, Caesalpinine A and Caesalpinine C were isolated from the roots. However, this medicinal plant has not been studied pharmacognostically. Hence, the present investigation reports pharmacognostical and physicochemical properties of roots of Caesalpinia digyna.
A Visual Model-Based Perceptual Image Hash for Content Authentication

Perceptual image hash has been widely investigated in an attempt to solve the problems of image content authentication and content-based image retrieval. In this paper, we combine statistical analysis methods and visual perception theory to develop a real perceptual image hash method for content authentication. To achieve real perceptual robustness and perceptual sensitivity, the proposed method uses Watson's visual model to extract visually sensitive features that play an important role in the process of humans perceiving image content. We then generate robust perceptual hash code by combining image-block-based features and key-point-based features. The proposed method achieves a tradeoff between perceptual robustness to tolerate content-preserving manipulations and a wide range of geometric distortions and perceptual sensitivity to detect malicious tampering. Furthermore, it has the functionality to detect compromised image regions. Compared with state-of-the-art schemes, the proposed method obtains a better comprehensive performance in content-based image tampering detection and localization.
Thermo-optical delay line for optical coherence tomography

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is a powerful medical imaging technology. Its ability to non-invasively probe tissues in depth with high resolution has lead to applications in many fields of medicine, with a large potential for surgical guidance. One of the technological challenges impairing faster adoption of OCT is the relative complexity of the corresponding optical instrumentation, which translates into expensive and bulky setups. In this paper a compact fast-scanning optical delay line based on the thermo-optical effect of silicon is studied. Although this effect has been applied to other optical components, the necessary frequency behaviour together with the relatively large scanning range required are unique to the application. Cycling speeds of over 1kHz and ranges of more than 1mm are needed for video-rate acquisition of relevant tissue volumes. A structure is proposed to meet these specifications. A bulk micro machined freestanding waveguide is connected to the substrate by means of evenly spaced support beams. It is shown by means of the Finite Element Method that the geometrical parameters of the beams modulate the thermal behaviour of the waveguide. A linear trade-off between maximum working frequency and power dissipation for any given waveguide size and required scanning range has been found. Our results show that the proposed implementation of a fast-scanning delay line can match the requirements of Time Domain Optical Coherence Tomography.
How to Represent Meanings in an Ontology

We work on a method for giving a formal semantic representation of natural language texts. The semantic representation is generated in an ontology, on the basis of morphological and syntactic information. The task of the semantic analysis is to create instances in the ontology that contains the world model, i.e. to create those individuals and relations that correspond to the situation described by the text. The knowledge base of the semantic analyser is stored in an OWL ontology. This paper gives an overview of the system, and we discuss those questions of ontology design that require special attention in the context of meaning representation. We also present a software prototype that is based on the method and generates electronic medical records from free-form medical texts.
Privacy Preserving ID3 Algorithm over Horizontally Partitioned Data

For the problem of decision tree classification with privacy concerns, we propose several efficient secure multi-party computation protocols to construct a privacy preserving ID3 algorithm over horizontally partitioned data among multiple parties. Our algorithm presents the first solution to privacy preserving decision tree classification among more than two parties. We also make a performance comparison with the existing solution, which is only applicable to the twoparty case. The result shows that our solution has a significantly better performance.
Firm Performance and Selection in an emerging Economy: Micro Evidence from Slovenia

We investigate the determinants of firm survival and growth (employment and sales), in the context of transition from plan to market, using firm data from Slovenia spanning from 1994 to 1998 and OLS and Heckman selection models. Firm and industry pre-transition conditions including size, ownership, financial constraints, trade and market structure are used to understand what firms best performed in the Slovenian transition. Small, private, exporting and capital intensive firms grew the fastest. Large firms with positive profits and higher sunk costs were more likely to survive compare to firms with harder financial constraints, high costs or trading abroad.
Hierarchical architecture for network-on-chip platform

In this paper, we propose one hierarchical 2-D mesh Network-on-Chip (NoC) platform to support applications with the complexity of several hundreds of tasks or with huge amount of transmission data. Moreover, applying the task binding method by considering communication amount, communication data contention and bandwidth penalty to enhance the system overall performance of the new architecture. Modeling the NoC system data transmission behavior at system level is applied to predict system overall performance and an automatic NoC system performance simulation tonl is also built. Therefore, architecture and designers can predict the system performance and obtain all parameters of the designed platform at system abstraction level. The experimental results show that the overall system throughput, the latency, and the saving of redundant transactions are improved by 27%, 14.4% and 21.8% respectively under the communication dominated situation.
TCP-friendliness of rate-based layered multicast protocols in heterogeneous network

Layered multicast protocol (LMP) is designed for simultaneous and real-time multimedia content distribution to large number of disparate receivers across the heterogeneous Internet. In order to behave properly in the Internet, in particular to be friendly towards TCP, LMP control their rate by adapting to the estimated target rate. TCP-equation model and packet-pair probe are two popular techniques used to estimate target rate, and are used in most of the current LMPs. This paper reports a comparative study of the two rate estimators used in LMPs. Simulation technique with NS2 as the network simulator is used to conduct the study, and the network topology is designed to represent network heterogeneity of the Internet. The results suggest that in heterogeneous network environment, the protocol with TCP-equation model is friendly toward TCP flows but cannot compete fairly with TCP in the session with long RTT. On the other hand, the protocol with packet-pair probe is not friendly towards TCP and is not affected by long RTT.
Instant Learning Sound Sensor for Ubiquitous Computing

We propose a smart sound sensor for ubiquitous computing that can learn and detect events from various sensor information with a time series signal. Using the smart sensor, a developer of a context-aware system and ubiquitous service can easily utilize a real world sound as a context information without a signal processing programming. The signal processing method can be extended for the other sensors such as accelerometer and directional sensor, pressure sensor, etc. By the experiment, we evaluate the feasibility of the instant learning sound sensor
Prospective study of colorectal cancer risk in men and plasma levels of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I and IGF-binding protein-3.

BACKGROUND Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) is a potent mitogen for normal and neoplastic cells, whereas IGF-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) inhibits cell growth in many experimental systems. Acromegalics, who have abnormally high levels of growth hormone and IGF-I, have higher rates of colorectal cancer. We therefore examined associations of plasma levels of IGF-I and IGFBP-3 with the risk of colorectal cancer in a prospective case-control study nested in the Physicians' Health Study. METHODS Plasma samples were collected at baseline from 14916 men without diagnosed cancer. IGF-I, IGF-II, and IGFBP-3 were assayed among 193 men later diagnosed with colorectal cancer during 14 years of follow-up and among 318 age- and smoking-matched control subjects. All P values are two-sided. RESULTS IGFBP-3 levels correlated with IGF-I levels (r=.64) and with IGF-II levels (r=.90). After controlling for IGFBP-3, age, smoking, body mass index (weight in kg/[height in m]2), and alcohol intake, men in the highest quintile for IGF-I had an increased risk of colorectal cancer compared with men in the lowest quintile (relative risk [RR]=2.51; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.15-5.46; P for trend = .02). After controlling for IGF-I and other covariates, men with higher IGFBP-3 had a lower risk (RR=0.28; 95% CI=0.12-0.66; P for trend = .005, comparing extreme quintiles). The associations were consistent during the first and the second 7-year follow-up intervals and among younger and older men. IGF-II was not associated with risk. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that circulating IGF-I and IGFBP-3 are related to future risk of colorectal cancer.
Structure and mechanical properties of the ribosomal L1 stalk three-way junction

The L1 stalk is a key mobile element of the large ribosomal subunit which interacts with tRNA during translocation. Here, we investigate the structure and mechanical properties of the rRNA H76/H75/H79 three-way junction at the base of the L1 stalk from four different prokaryotic organisms. We propose a coarse-grained elastic model and parameterize it using large-scale atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. Global properties of the junction are well described by a model in which the H76 helix is represented by a straight, isotropically flexible elastic rod, while the junction core is represented by an isotropically flexible spherical hinge. Both the core and the helix contribute substantially to the overall H76 bending fluctuations. The presence of wobble pairs in H76 does not induce any increased flexibility or anisotropy to the helix. The half-closed conformation of the L1 stalk seems to be accessible by thermal fluctuations of the junction itself, without any long-range allosteric effects. Bending fluctuations of H76 with a bulge introduced in it suggest a rationale for the precise position of the bulge in eukaryotes. Our elastic model can be generalized to other RNA junctions found in biological systems or in nanotechnology.
Platinum‐promoted fibrous silica Y zeolite with enhanced mass transfer as a highly selective catalyst for n‐dodecane hydroisomerization

A fibrous silica zeolite Y (HY@KCC‐1) catalyst with a high surface area of 568 m2/g and unique core‐shell morphology was successfully synthesized via a modified KCC‐1 synthesis method. Characterization of the catalysts was achieved with X‐ray powder diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning microscope (FESEM), N2 adsorption/desorption, and 2,6‐dimethylpyridine adsorbed Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The Pt/HY@KCC‐1 has displayed complete n‐dodecane conversion coupled with an incredibly enhanced isomer yield of 72% at 350°C, nearly two‐fold higher than that of unmodified Pt/HY catalyst. Remarkably, Pt/HY@KCC‐1 had an internal effectiveness factor (η) of unity and negligible internal diffusion limitation, thus suggesting its potential application in hydroisomerization of higher hydrocarbons for enhancing fuel properties.
Efficient targeting to storage granules of human proinsulins with altered propeptide domain

In neuronal and endocrine cells, peptide hormones are selectively segregated into storage granules, while other proteins are exported continuously without storage. Sorting of hormones by cellular machinery involves the recognition of specific structural domains on prohormone molecules. Since the propeptide of insulin is known to play an important role in its three-dimensional structure, it is reasonable to speculate that targeting of proinsulin to storage granules would require a functional connecting peptide. To test this hypothesis, we constructed two mutations in human proinsulin with different predicted structures. In one mutation, Ins delta C, the entire C peptide was deleted, resulting in an altered insulin in which the B and the A chains are joined contiguously. In the other mutation, Ins/IGF, the C peptide of proinsulin was replaced with the unrelated 12-amino acid connecting peptide of human insulin-like growth factor-I; this substitution should permit correct folding of the B and A chains to form a tertiary structure similar to that of proinsulin. By several biochemical and morphological criteria, we found that Ins/IGF is efficiently targeted to storage granules, suggesting that the C peptide of proinsulin does not contain necessary sorting information. Unexpectedly, Ins delta C, which presumably cannot fold properly, is also targeted to granules at a high efficiency. These results imply that either the targeting machinery can tolerate changes in the tertiary structure of transported proteins, or that the B and A chains of insulin can form a relatively intact three-dimensional structure even in the absence of C peptide.
D Face Animation Based on Morphable Model ?

We present a 3D face animation method based on the morphable model. Given a facial image, the 3D face can be reconstructed automatically by the morphable model. So it is feasible to animate any face with the model. To construct the morphable model, a set of neutral 3D faces are acquired and aligned. A general parameterized animation model is constructed from expressive 3D faces and used to animate the reconstructed 3D face model.
Does Seeing Matter? Exploring Pre-Service Teachers' Use of Self-Video as a Tool for Self-Reflection in the Study of Their Own Practice.

The use of video for teacher learning is a useful tool to support reflection and selfanalysis. Video records have been successful in supporting teachers in learning to notice student thinking, a strong component in instructional expertise. The use of video provides permanent records of classroom lessons that can be viewed repeatedly (Sherin, 2001, 2007; van Es & Sherin, 2002, 2008.) It allows deep engagement and collaborative learning. Including the use of video in teacher preparation courses has successfully contributed to increasing pre-service teachers’ attending and analyzing skills, necessary components of professional vision, (Santagata & Guarani, 2011; Stürmer, Könings, & Seidel, 2015). This qualitative study investigated pre-service teachers’ use of self-video analysis as a tool to learn from their own practice. I examined the following research questions: 1. How does examining one’s own teaching performance on video affect selfperceived reflection? 2. When pre-service teachers engage in self-reflective video analysis: a. What teaching practices do they notice? b. How do they identify needed change to teaching practices? This qualitative study included 12 pre-service teacher participants from the practicum courses of a teacher education program at one, public, Midwest University. Data collection included semi-structured interviews, focus group interview, and document collection about the use of video in self-reflection. Data analysis was inductive, following the Grounded Theory method (Corbin & Strauss, 1990). Findings
What drives the comparative effectiveness of biologics vs. methotrexate in rheumatoid arthritis? Meta-regression and graphical inspection of suspected clinical factors.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to explore which clinical factors and patient characteristics are associated with the magnitude of comparative efficacy between biologics vs. MTX in RA patients with inadequate response to MTX. METHODS We included randomized controlled trials assessing the efficacy of a biologic plus MTX vs. MTX alone. We examined several clinical factors and patient characteristics potentially associated with magnitude of response, measured as ACR20 (20% improvement in ACR criteria) and ACR50 (16-26 weeks). We employed meta-regression for formal estimates and statistical significance of effect modification. We produced regression and forest plots to further inspect potential associations. RESULTS For ACR50, a 1-year increment on the average patient disease duration was statistically significantly associated with a 16% relative increase in the pooled odds ratio (OR) estimate (P = 0.003). A 1-year increment in patient age and a 1 mg/week increment in MTX dose were marginally statistically significantly associated with a 9% (P = 0.056) and 22% (P = 0.092) relative increase in the OR. For ACR20, the average number of swollen and tender joints was marginally statistically associated with a 3% relative decrease. The associations for age and MTX dose appeared to be partly driven by significant negative associations between these two factors and the control group response. CONCLUSION Our analyses identified key variables associated with the magnitude of comparative effects for ACR outcomes. Our findings provide valuable insights for future trial designs and systematic reviews as well as decision-making and clinical practice.
The Influence of Stimulus Properties, Complexity, and Contingency on the Stability and Variability of Ongoing and Evoked Activity in Human Auditory Cortex

The real-time, single-trial activity in the human auditory cortex was extracted from magnetoencephalographic signals. A predictor of single-trial activity was defined as the sum of the average response and a mean-free base level computed over a range of base times. For simple stimuli the residual (predicted-actual) activity had a stimulus-independent oscillatory (10 Hz) component. This component was larger and more durable in trained subjects, reaching saturation only in the most trained of the five subjects studied (S1). Changes in variability and associated reduction of the absolute value and duration of the oscillations were evident in experiments with stimuli loaded with information, saliency, or task contingency. Repetition reintroduces stimulus-independent oscillations very slowly. For S1, after training, the stimulus-independent oscillations were reestablished in the auditory cortices to the level seen for simple stimuli, except for the time periods and in the hemisphere associated with the combination of task demands and stimulus processing.
Toward stochastic design for digital circuits - statistical static timing analysis

Due to the process variations and the variations of environmental factors such as supply voltage and temperature, the circuit parameters and hence the circuit performance such as delay fluctuate, and their variability and uncertainty are increasing in the deep sub-micron technology. Therefore, producing high performance digital circuits in high yield becomes difIicult more and more. Various efforts have heeu done in order to analyze and reduce such fluctuations. Among them, statistical static timing analysis has been studied intensively in these days, which finds the distribution of the critical delay when the distribution of the delay of each element in a circuit is given. Such a statistical analysis takes probability into consideration, and is different from the conventional design style treating deterministic values only. Hence, it can he called a stochastic design style, which fits to the concept of the yield. This paper surveys the statistical static timing analysis tools, and considers the expectations of stochastic design. In the deep sub-micron technology, numerous collaborations between design and process will he needed in order to increase the yield and to shorten the time-to-market. Therefore, stochastic design style may open a new vista in the digital circuit design.
A genetic algorithm for traffic grooming in unidirectional SONET/WDM rings

In this paper, we have considered the problem of traffic grooming in unidirectional SONET/WDM rings to minimize the numbers of SONET add-drop multiplexers (SADM) and hence the overall cost of the network. We have proposed an ILP formulation and an efficient genetic algorithm solution to the problem and compared our results with those found in literature.
Chronic Drinking During Adolescence Predisposes the Adult Rat for Continued Heavy Drinking: Neurotrophin and Behavioral Adaptation after Long-Term, Continuous Ethanol Exposure

Previous research has found that adolescent ethanol (EtOH) exposure alters drug seeking behaviors, cognition and neuroplasticity. Using male Sprague Dawley rats, differences in spatial working memory, non-spatial discrimination learning and behavioral flexibility were explored as a function of age at the onset (mid-adolescent vs. adult) of chronic EtOH exposure (CET). Concentrations of mature brain-derived neurotrophic factor (mBDNF) and beta-nerve growth factor (β-NGF) in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus were also assessed at different time-points: during CET, following acute abstinence (48-hrs), and after protracted abstinence (6–8 wks). Our results revealed that an adolescent onset of CET leads to increased EtOH consumption that persisted into adulthood. In both adult and adolescent onset CET groups, there were significant long-term reductions in prefrontal cortical mBDNF and β-NGF levels. However, only adult onset CET rats displayed decreased hippocampal BDNF levels. Spatial memory, assessed by spontaneous alternation and delayed alternation, was not significantly affected by CET as a function of age of drinking onset, but higher blood–EtOH levels were correlated with lower spontaneous alternation scores. Regardless of the age of onset, EtOH exposed rats were impaired on non-spatial discrimination learning and displayed inflexible behavioral patterns upon reversal learning. Our results indicate that adolescent EtOH exposure changes long-term consumption patterns producing behavioral and neural dysfunctions that persist across the lifespan.
Some Gastrointestinal Tract Characteristics of Karayaka Ram Lambs Slaughtered at Different Weights

Thirty-one Karayaka ram lambs were slaughtered at different body weights (30 (n = 7) , 35 (n = 6) , 40 (n = 7) , 45 (n = 6) , and 50 (n = 5) kg of body weight at fast) to evaluate the growth of their gastrointestinal tract (GIT) characteristics, to determine the relationship among slaughter body weight (SBW) and empty body weight (EBW), whole GIT and segments, and the influence of slaughter weight on the pH of rumen, jejunum, and cecal contents. The effects of the SBW on GIT weight (P < 0.05) , stomach ( P < 0.001) , and intestine (P < 0.05) , the body length (P < 0.001) and caecum (P < 0.05) , and the relative weights of GIT (P < 0.05) , stomach (P < 0.001) , and intestine (P < 0.001) were linear whereas that for the length of intestine were quadratic. The effect of SBW were quadratic (P < 0.05) on ratios of stomach to GIT weight and intestine length to intestine weight and rumen pH while, for the intestine to GIT weight ratio (P < 0.001) and caecum pH (P < 0.05) , this effect was linear. The results indicated that for all parameters studied, with the exception of intestinal length and cecal pH, linear relationships were observed with SBW indicating steady growth rates for these tissues.