Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antibrowning and antimicrobial activities of the water-soluble extract from pine needles of Cedrus deodara.

UNLABELLED The antibrowning and antimicrobial activities of the water-soluble extract from pine needles of Cedrus deodara (CDE), a traditional Chinese medicine and raw materials of pine needle tea, was investigated. Total phenols of CDE were 31.4 ± 0.53 mg gallic acid equivalent/g, and total flavonoids were 23.1 ± 0.79 mg rutin equivalent/g. CDE showed a strong antioxidant activity against ABTS free radicals with IC(50) (the half-inhibitory concentration) of 25.5 ± 0.64 μg/mL. In mushroom tyrosinase inhibitory assay, IC(50) values were 2.1 ± 0.98 and 2.27 ± 0.93 mg/mL for monophenolase and diphenolase, respectively. Evaluated by detecting changes of L* (indicated the darkness of sample), a* (indicated the redness of sample), and b* (indicated the yellowness of sample) values in fresh-cut apple slices model, CDE showed a significant antibrowning effect when compared with ascorbic acid. In addition, it was discovered that CDE in combination with 0.5% ascorbic acid exhibited a synergistic antibrowning effect. Meanwhile, CDE was observed to show a potent antimicrobial effect on all of the tested Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. In conclusion, the results of the present research suggested that pine needles of C. deodara could be used as a natural resource of antibrowning and antimicrobial agents in food preservation. PRACTICAL APPLICATION The present study provides a theoretical basis for the potential application of pine needles of C. deodara to be used as a natural resource of antibrowning and antimicrobial agents in food industry.
Discrepancy of Cartesian Products of Arithmetic Progressions

We determine the combinatorial discrepancy of the hypergraph ${\cal H}$ of cartesian products of $d$ arithmetic progressions in the $[N]^d$–lattice ($[N] = \{0,1,\ldots,N-1\}$). The study of such higher dimensional arithmetic progressions is motivated by a multi-dimensional version of van der Waerden's theorem, namely the Gallai-theorem (1933). We solve the discrepancy problem for $d$–dimensional arithmetic progressions by proving ${\rm disc}({\cal H}) = \Theta(N^{d/4})$ for every fixed integer $d \ge 1$. This extends the famous lower bound of $\Omega(N^{1/4})$ of Roth (1964) and the matching upper bound $O(N^{1/4})$ of Matoušek and Spencer (1996) from $d=1$ to arbitrary, fixed $d$. To establish the lower bound we use harmonic analysis on locally compact abelian groups. For the upper bound a product coloring arising from the theorem of Matoušek and Spencer is sufficient. We also regard some special cases, e.g., symmetric arithmetic progressions and infinite arithmetic progressions.
British Thoracic Society guidelines for home oxygen use in adults: accredited by NICE

The British Thoracic Society (BTS) Home Oxygen Guideline provides detailed evidence-based guidance for the use of home oxygen for patients out of hospital. Although the majority of evidence comes from the use of oxygen in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the scope of the guidance includes patients with a variety of long-term respiratory illnesses and other groups in whom oxygen is currently ordered, such as those with cardiac failure, cancer and end-stage cardiorespiratory disease, terminal illness or cluster headache. It explores the evidence base for the use of different modalities of oxygen therapy and patient-related outcomes such as mortality, symptoms and quality of life. The guideline also makes recommendations for assessment and follow-up protocols, and risk assessments, particularly in the clinically challenging area of home oxygen users who smoke. The guideline development group is aware of the potential for confusion sometimes caused by the current nomenclature for different types of home oxygen, and rather than renaming them, has adopted the approach of clarifying those definitions, and in particular emphasising what is meant by long-term oxygen therapy and palliative oxygen therapy. The home oxygen guideline provides expert consensus opinion in areas where clinical evidence is lacking, and seeks to deliver improved prescribing practice, leading to improved compliance and improved patient outcomes, with consequent increased value to the health service.
A Study of Urban Heat: Understanding the Challenges and Opportunities for Addressing Wicked Problems in HCI

The Urban Heat Island Effect (UHI) is a phenomenon whereby cities tend to be hotter than suburbs. We frame the UHI as a "wicked problem" that poses a range of economic, healthcare, and social challenges. Our paper examines how different stakeholders negotiate complex value systems, collect data, and rely on collaborative platforms to address the problem of urban heat. Using documentary filmmaking as a research method, we conducted ethnographically-oriented interviews with participants including vulnerable communities, urban architects, microclimate researchers, and grassroots activists. Our findings reveal that unlike problems that can be solved using traditional HCI paradigms of distributed work, the UHI presents an entanglement of challenges that do not necessarily converge on a single solution. We conclude by discussing two opportunities for addressing wicked problems through social computing: knowledge systems for sharing hybrid data across domains and interactive forums for discourse among diverse actors.
Evaluation of the Energy Density for Burning Disaggregated and Pelletized Coffee Husks

Coffee husks represent about 12 wt % of coffee grains, generating a significant impact on the environment because of its inadequate disposal. In Colombia, this waste presents an energy resource opportunity equivalent to over 49,106 TJ per year. However, several challenges related to this type of biomass, such as the moisture content, the irregular shapes, and the low bulk density, make its use difficult in current burners. Thus, in this paper, the combustion of coffee husk pellets was studied in detail to design a high-efficiency burner to produce energy for coffee drying. The pellets were prepared in a pelletizer with 15% moisture and 20% yield and burned in a bench-scale lateral reactor to determine the energy density. It was found that the combustion properties of coffee husk depend on the specifics of the pelleting process. The energy density values were Iv = 0.789 MW/m3 and Ig = 0.007 MW/m2, which could be used to design the combustion chamber for coffee husk burning.
Malware Sandbox Analysis with Efficient Observation of Herder's Behavior

Recent malware communicate with remote hosts in the Internet for receiving C&C commands and updating themselves, etc., and their behaviors can be diverse depending on the behaviors of the remote hosts. Thus, when analyzing these malware by sandbox analysis, it is important not only to focus behaviors of a malware sample itself but also those of the remote servers that are controlled by attackers. A simple solution to achieve this is to observe the live sample by an Internet-connected sandbox for a long period of time. However, since we do not know when these servers will send meaningful responses, we need to keep the sample being executed in the sandbox, which is indeed a costly operation. Also, leaving the live malware in the Internet-connected sandbox increases the risk that its attacks spill out of the sandbox and induce secondary infections. In this paper, we propose a novel sandbox analysis method using a dummy client, an automatically generated lightweight script to interact with the remote servers instead of the malware sample itself. In the proposed method, at first we execute a malware sample in the sandbox that is connected to the real Internet and Internet Emulator. Secondly, we inspect the traffic observed in the sandbox and filter out highrisk communications. The rest of the traffic data is then used by the dummy client to interact with the remote servers instead of the sample itself and effectively collects the responses from the servers. The collected server responses are then fed back to the Internet Emulator in the sandbox and will be used for improving observability of malware sandbox analysis. In the experiment with malware samples captured in the wild, we indeed observed a considerable number of changes in the responses from the remote servers that were obtained by our dummy client. Also, in comparison with the simple Internet-connected sandbox, the proposed sandbox could improve observability of malware sandbox analysis.
Low complexity block pre-distortion of a multi-carrier non-linear satellite channel

In a multi-carrier non-linear satellite communication channel, inter-symbol interference (ISI) and adjacent channel interference (ACI) occur due to the non-linear power amplifier aboard the satellite. In order to prevent a too high performance degradation, large input back-offs (IBO) are generally considered. However, if all carriers are issued from the same ground station, pre-distortion of the whole transmitted signal can be a better solution to achieve higher power efficiency aboard the satellite and/or spectral efficiency. The relation between the symbols transmitted on the channel and the received symbols is tricky for a multi-carrier system, as it involves several symbol flows. Few approaches have been proposed yet to provide an efficient algorithm with reasonable complexity in such context. In this paper, we will derive a sub-optimum algorithm for the pre-distortion of a multi-carrier non-linear satellite channel which offers a good trade-off between performance and complexity.
West Nile Virus Detection in American Crows

A dipstick immunochromatographic assay used for West Nile virus (WNV) detection in mosquitoes was investigated for application to testing of fecal, saliva, and tissue samples from dead American Crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos). Results suggest that VecTest may be an efficient method for WNV detection in field-collected, dead American Crows, although confirmation of results and further investigation are warranted.
Expression of the Effector Protein IncD in Chlamydia trachomatis Mediates Recruitment of the Lipid Transfer Protein CERT and the Endoplasmic Reticulum-Resident Protein VAPB to the Inclusion Membrane

ABSTRACT Chlamydia trachomatis is an obligate intracellular human pathogen responsible for ocular and genital infections. To establish its membrane-bound intracellular niche, the inclusion, C. trachomatis relies on a set of effector proteins that are injected into the host cells or inserted into the inclusion membrane. We previously proposed that insertion of the C. trachomatis effector protein IncD into the inclusion membrane contributes to the recruitment of the lipid transfer protein CERT to the inclusion. Due to the genetically intractable status of C. trachomatis at that time, this model of IncD-CERT interaction was inferred from ectopic expression of IncD and CERT in the host cell. In the present study, we investigated the impact of conditionally expressing a FLAG-tagged version of IncD in C. trachomatis. This genetic approach allowed us to establish that IncD-3×FLAG localized to the inclusion membrane and caused a massive recruitment of the lipid transfer protein CERT that relied on the PH domain of CERT. In addition, we showed that the massive IncD-dependent association of CERT with the inclusion led to an increased recruitment of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-resident protein VAPB, and we determined that, at the inclusion, CERT-VAPB interaction relied on the FFAT domain of CERT. Altogether, the data presented here show that expression of the C. trachomatis effector protein IncD mediates the recruitment of the lipid transfer protein CERT and the ER-resident protein VAPB to the inclusion.
Organic Thermoelectric Materials: Emerging Green Energy Materials Converting Heat to Electricity Directly and Efficiently

The abundance of solar thermal energy and the widespread demands for waste heat recovery make thermoelectric generators (TEGs) very attractive in harvesting low‐cost energy resources. Meanwhile, thermoelectric refrigeration is promising for local cooling and niche applications. In this context there is currently a growing interest in developing organic thermoelectric materials which are flexible, cost‐effective, eco‐friendly and potentially energy‐efficient. In particular, the past several years have witnessed remarkable progress in organic thermoelectric materials and devices. In this review, thermoelectric properties of conducting polymers and small molecules are summarized, with recent progresses in materials, measurements and devices highlighted. Prospects and suggestions for future research efforts are also presented. The organic thermoelectric materials are emerging candidates for green energy conversion.
Univariant assessment of the quality of images

To evaluate the quality of images, most methods com- pare a degraded image to a perfect reference. Nevertheless in many cases, a reference does not exist. We propose an original univariant (i.e., without a reference) method based on the use of artificial neu- ral networks. The principle behind it is to first teach a neural network to assess image quality using images taken from a pool of known examples, then use it to assess the quality of unknown images. The defects considered are compression artifacts, ringing, local singu- larities, etc. To simplify, only images with defects that are not mixed with one another were first used. Two illustrative examples are pre- sented: assessment of the quality of JPEG compressed images and detection of local defects. The quality of the images is assessed without a reference and with error less than 6%-7% compared to the bivariant method that was learned. Our method can even be used to model some very simple visual comportment. © 2002 SPIE
Hemodynamics, inflammation, vascular remodeling, and the development and rupture of intracranial aneurysms: a review

The central nervous system is an immunologically active environment where several components of the immune and inflammatory response interact among them and with the constituents of nervous tissue and vasculature in a critically orchestrated manner, influencing physiologic and pathologic processes. In particular, inflammation takes a central role in the pathogenesis of intracranial aneurysms (IAs). The common pathway for aneurysm formation involves endothelial dysfunction and injury, a mounting inflammatory response, vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) phenotypic modulation, extracellular matrix remodeling, and subsequent cell death and vessel wall degeneration. We conducted a literature review (1980-2014) by Medline and EMBASE databases using the searching terms "IA" and "cerebral aneurysm" and further search was performed to link the search terms with the following key words: inflammation, hemodynamic(s), remodeling, macrophages, neutrophils, lymphocytes, complement, VSMCs, mast cells, cytokines, and inflammatory biomarkers. The aim of this review was to summarize the most recent and pertinent evidences regarding the articulated processes of aneurysms formation, growth, and rupture. Knowledge of these processes may guide the diagnosis and treatment of these vascular malformations, the most common cause of subarachnoid hemorrhage, which prognosis remains dismal.
MRI of hand and foot joints of patients with anticitrullinated peptide antibody positive arthralgia without clinical arthritis

Background Anticitrullinated peptide antibodies (ACPA) and acute phase reactants may be increased before arthritis becomes clinically detectable, suggesting that the processes underlying rheumatoid arthritis (RA) start preclinically. Whether local inflammation occurs in the preclinical phase is unknown. Therefore, we studied the small joints of ACPA positive arthralgia patients for local subclinical inflammation. Methods Imaging was performed using 1.5 T extremity MRI. Painful hand or foot joints of 21 ACPA positive arthralgia patients without clinical arthritis were imaged. For comparison, hand and foot joints of 22 ACPA positive RA patients and 19 symptom free controls were studied. Within ACPA positive arthralgia patients, painful and symptom free joint regions were imaged. Scoring was performed according to the Outcome Measures in Rheumatology Clinical Trials (OMERACT) Rheumatoid Arthritis Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scoring (RAMRIS) method. Analyses were performed on joint region level and focused on inflammation (synovitis plus bone marrow oedema). Results The mean combined inflammation scores of the metacarpophalangeal/proximal interphalangeal joints of controls, painful joints of ACPA positive arthralgia patients and ACPA positive RA patients were 0.1, 0.7 and 3.7, respectively (p<0.001). Likewise, the mean combined inflammation scores of the wrist were 0.9, 2.3 and 10.3, respectively (p<0.001) and that of the metatarsophalangeal joints 0.5, 0.9 and 3.8, respectively (p=0.10). At the MCP joints, the combined inflammation score was significantly correlated with C reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate levels (rs=0.83 and rs=0.78, respectively) Conclusions The present data suggest that local subclinical inflammation occurs in ACPA positive arthralgia patients.
Efficient TCAM Design Based on Multipumping-Enabled Multiported SRAM on FPGA

Ternary content-addressable memory (TCAM)-based search engines play an important role in networking routers. The search space demands of TCAM applications are constantly rising. However, existing realizations of TCAM on field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) suffer from storage inefficiency. This paper presents a multipumping-enabled multiported SRAM-based TCAM design on FPGA, to achieve an efficient utilization of SRAM memory. Existing SRAM-based solutions for TCAM reduce the impact of the increase in the traditional TCAM pattern width from an exponential growth in memory usage to a linear one using cascaded block RAMs (BRAMs) on FPGA. However, BRAMs on state-of-the-art FPGAs have a minimum depth limitation, which limits the storage efficiency for TCAM bits. Our proposed solution avoids this limitation by mapping the traditional TCAM table divisions to shallow sub-blocks of the configured BRAMs, thus achieving a memory-efficient TCAM memory design. The proposed solution operates the configured simple dual-port BRAMs of the design as multiported SRAM using the multipumping technique, by clocking them with a higher internal clock frequency to access the sub-blocks of the BRAM in one system cycle. We implemented our proposed design on a Virtex-6 xc6vlx760 FPGA device. Compared with existing FPGA-based TCAM designs, our proposed method achieves up to 2.85 times better performance per memory.
A role for the DNA-damage checkpoint kinase Chk1 in the virulence program of the fungus Ustilago maydis

During induction of the virulence program in the phytopathogenic fungus Ustilago maydis, the cell cycle is arrested on the plant surface and it is not resumed until the fungus enters the plant. The mechanism of this cell cycle arrest is unknown, but it is thought that it is necessary for the correct implementation of the virulence program. Here, we show that this arrest takes place in the G2 phase, as a result of an increase in the inhibitory phosphorylation of the catalytic subunit of the mitotic cyclin-dependent kinase Cdk1. Sequestration in the cytoplasm of the Cdc25 phosphatase seems to be one of the reasons for the increase in inhibitory phosphorylation. Strikingly, we also report the DNA-damage checkpoint kinase Chk1 appears to be involved in this process. Our results support the emerging idea that checkpoint kinases have roles other than in the DNA-damage response, by virtue of their ability to interact with the cell cycle machinery.
Line Segment-Based Indoor Mapping with Salient Line Feature Extraction

We present a method of simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) in a large indoor environment using a Rao-Blackwellized particle filter (RBPF) along with a line segment as a landmark. To represent the environment in a compact form, we use only two end points of a line segment, thus reducing computational cost in modeling line segment uncertainty. With a modified scan point clustering method, the proposed adaptive iterative end point fitting contributes to the estimation of line parameters by considering noisy scan points near end points. Thus, by line segment matching the robot is localized well in a local frame. We also introduce an online and offline method of global line merging, which provides a more compact map by removing spurious lines and merging collinear lines. Each of our approaches is efficiently integrated into the proposed RBPF-SLAM framework. In experiments with well-known data sets, the proposed method provides reliable SLAM and compact map representation even in a cluttered environment.
Inferring feature relations of biometrie data from multiple sources

Data mining has wide spread applications in biometrie systems that use biometrie features as primary factor for data authentication and knowledge discovery. When considering multiple biometric data sources there are many challenges in generating the knowledge discovery. This work focuses on mining relations among biometric features within same domain and representing the generalization as common relevant feature vector (CRF). This work contains cross validation for feature from multiple sources. Combining several features into one single feature with proper aggregation of relevance values is the key concept for generalization. Using supervised learning methods, the relation between relevant features is identified and the features aggregation is performed. A well-established principle is machine learning called regularization is applied first in datasets, which may remove very weak features. Common spatial patterns (CSP) is another method used in this work for binary classification of biometric data and identifying biometric relation indicators to perform the generalization error is estimated. This work is efficient in resource minimization through feature reduction in aggregated model.
Central Blood Pressure Monitoring via an Automatic Arm Cuff

Blood pressure (BP) near the heart (i.e., central BP) is clinically more relevant than BP away from the heart. But, BP from the arm is more easily measured with an automatic cuff device. A model-based method was developed to estimate central BP using a standard automatic arm cuff device. The method was initially tested in patients using invasive central BP measurements as a reference. The method achieved central BP estimation errors of 5.6-7.9 mmHg.