Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Distributed multiple description image coding

In this paper a new method for robust image transmission over lossy channels using distributed multiple description coding is presented. We propose an efficient yet a simple method for encoding each description from multiple description scalar quantizer by exploiting the correlation information among descriptions. In this way the correlated information which we call side information can be extracted at the decoder from each description. The motivation to such a type of encoding is to improve the side decoding and to increase the overall robustness of the scheme. Simulation results show that the side distortion is comparable with the central decoding distortion. Performance evaluation of the proposed approach over packet erasure channel shows 0.2–0.7dB improvement compared to simple multiple description coding that uses non-distributed multiple description scalar quantizer and demonstrates the effectiveness of the scheme over lossy channels.
Numerical simulation of CdS/CdTe tandem solar cell with addition of ET-HBL

Heterojunction structure CdS/CdTe solar cell has long been regarded as one auspicious choice for the development of the renewable energy sector. CdS/CdTe tandem solar cell with addition of Electron Transport-Hole Blocking Layer (ET-HBL) on the Cadmium Sulfide (CdS) window layer has been simulated using One-Dimensional Device Simulation Program for Analysis of Microelectronic and Photonic Structures (AMPS-1D) in this simulation model. The band diagram of the solar cell has been obtained at the thermodynamic equilibrium condition, & electron current & hole current density are also observed at short circuit & under AM 1.5G light illumination. The hole density of CdTe has tremendous effect on the efficiency of solar cell. The maximum efficiency of 36.908% has been achieved by varying the hole density of CdTe. The performance parameters of the CdS/CdTe solar cell with ET-HBL are compared with the without ET-HBL.
Efficacy of OH-CATH 30 and Its Analogs against Drug-Resistant Bacteria In Vitro and in Mouse Models

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been considered alternatives to conventional antibiotics for drug-resistant bacterial infections. However, their comparatively high toxicity toward eukaryotic cells and poor efficacy in vivo hamper their clinical application. OH-CATH30, a novel cathelicidin peptide deduced from the king cobra, possesses potent antibacterial activity in vitro. The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of OH-CATH30 and its analog OH-CM6 against drug-resistant bacteria in vitro and in vivo. The MICs of OH-CATH30 and OH-CM6 ranged from 1.56 to 12.5 g/ml against drug-resistant clinical isolates of several pathogenic species, including Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The MICs of OH-CATH30 and OH-CM6 were slightly altered in the presence of 25% human serum. OH-CATH30 and OHCM6 killed E. coli quickly (within 60 min) by disrupting the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane. Importantly, the 50% lethal doses (LD50) of OH-CATH30 and OH-CM6 in mice following intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection were 120 mg/kg of body weight and 100 mg/kg, respectively, and no death was observed at any dose up to 160 mg/kg following subcutaneous (s.c.) injection. Moreover, 10 mg/kg OH-CATH30 or OH-CM6 significantly decreased the bacterial counts as well as the inflammatory response in a mouse thigh infection model and rescued infected mice in a bacteremia model induced by drug-resistant E. coli. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that the natural cathelicidin peptide OH-CATH30 and its analogs exhibit relatively low toxicity and potent efficacy in mouse models, indicating that they may have therapeutic potential against the systemic infections caused by drugresistant bacteria.
Differential processing of visual information from right and left central hemifields during binocular viewing

Differences in the processing of information from right and left central hemi-fields during tachiestoscopic presentation are well documented. For example, during presentation of unilateral targets for lexical decision by right handed subjects, a right visual field/left hemisphere advantage is noted in accuracy and/or latency. This is considered to reflect left hemisphere specialisation for linguistic information processing. On the other hand, left visual field/right hemisphere superiority is seen in the processing of non-verbal information. To the best of our knowledge and belief, such effects are not reported in binocular viewing. In this paper, we present certain interesting observations, which were made, retrospectively, * Assoc Prof & Classified Spl (Av Med) IAM,IAF, Vimanapura PO Bangalore560017 + Formerly Professor Department of Clinical Psychology National Institute of Mental Health & Neuro Sciences Bangalore, Karnataka 560029 ABSTRACT
Omnidirectional vision for visual landmark identification using p/sup 2/-invariants

The automatic landmark identification is very important in autonomous robot navigation tasks. In this work we use a monocular omnidirectional vision system to extract images features, and with help of the conformal geometric algebra, we show how these features can be used to calculate projective and permutation p2-invariants. These p2-invariants represent scene sub-landmarks and a set of them characterize a landmark. The advantage of this representation is that the landmarks are more robust than the single cross-ratio
On the Relevance of the Syntactic Flexibility of an Idiom for Its Recognition: Experimental Evidence from Polish

The article is a contribution to a long-standing discussion on how idioms are represented and accessed in the mental lexicon. More specifically, in a timed cloze response study we investigate high and low syntactic flexibility idioms in Polish in order to find out whether the degree of syntactic flexibility influences the ease and time of idioms’ recognition. By doing so we contribute to the question of whether idioms are differently represented in the lexicon depending on their syntactic flexibility, as suggested by Nunberg et al. 1994 and Gibbs and Nayak 1989, or whether all idioms independent of their syntactic flexibility are represented lexically in the same hybrid way, as suggested by Cutting and Bock 1997 and Sprenger et al. 2006. The results of our study support the latter view.
Relationship between brachial artery flow-mediated dilation and coronary flow reserve in patients with peripheral artery disease.

UNLABELLED The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and coronary flow reserve (CFR) in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD). METHODS Thirty patients who had PAD, who showed no cardiac symptoms, and who had normal stress SPECT cardiac imaging results and 28 control subjects underwent brachial artery FMD assessment by ultrasound and dipyridamole 99mTc-sestamibi imaging. Myocardial blood flow (MBF) was estimated by measuring first-transit counts in the pulmonary artery and myocardial counts from SPECT images. Estimated CFR was expressed as the ratio of MBF at stress to MBF at rest. RESULTS Patients with PAD were separated into 2 groups according to the median value of overall FMD (6.85%): group 1 (n=15) with FMD above the median (mean+/-SD, 8.78%+/-1.3%) and group 2 (n=15) with FMD below the median (mean+/-SD, 5.14%+/-0.94%). FMD was significantly higher in control subjects (11.4%+/-3.4%) than in both groups of PAD patients (P<0.001 for both). In control subjects, estimated CFR was 2.2+/-0.4-significantly higher than CFR in both groups of PAD patients (P<0.001 for both). In addition, in PAD patients of group 1, estimated CFR was 1.5+/-0.4-higher than CFR in group 2 (1.0+/-0.4) (P<0.01). When all PAD patients were considered, a significant correlation between FMD and estimated CFR was observed (r=0.56, P<0.005). CONCLUSION Estimated CFR is significantly lower in patients with PAD than in control subjects, and CFR impairment correlates with the degree of peripheral endothelial dysfunction.
A UGMENTATION VIA D ATA S UBSAMPLING

Data augmentation is commonly used to encode invariances in learning methods. However, this process is often performed in an inefficient manner, as artificial examples are created by applying a number of transformations to all points in the training set. The resulting explosion of the dataset size can be an issue in terms of storage and training costs, as well as in selecting and tuning the optimal set of transformations to apply. In this work, we demonstrate that it is possible to significantly reduce the number of data points included in data augmentation while realizing the same accuracy and invariance benefits of augmenting the entire dataset. We propose a novel set of subsampling policies, based on model influence and loss, that can achieve a 90% reduction in augmentation set size while maintaining the accuracy gains of standard data augmentation.
An algorithmic treatment of strong queries

A strong query for a target document with respect to an index is the smallest query for which the target document is returned by the index as the top result for the query. The strong query problem was first studied more than a decade ago in the context of measuring search engine overlap. Despite its simple-to-state nature and its longevity in the field, this problem has not been sufficiently addressed in a formal manner. In this paper we provide the first rigorous treatment of the strong query problem. We show an interesting connection between this problem and the set cover problem, and use it to obtain basic hardness and algorithmic results. Experiments on more than 10K documents show that our proposed algorithm performs much better than the widely-used word frequency-based heuristic. En route, our study suggests that less than four words on average can be sufficient to uniquely identify web pages.
lack tea reduces uric acid and C-reactive protein levels in humans susceptible o cardiovascular diseases

The effect of black tea on the level of uric acid (UA) and C-reactive proteins (CRP) in humans susceptible to ischemic heart diseases was assessed in a prospective randomized controlled study. The study group consumed 9 g of black tea (equivalent to three cups of tea) daily for 12 weeks without additives followed by a 3-week wash-out (with control group consuming equivalent volume of hot water). Black tea consumption induced a highly significant decrease in the high uric acid baseline groups >6 mg/dL by 8.5%; p < 0.05. For men and women in the base line group >7 mg/dL, the decrease was 9.4% and 7.1%, respectively. In the low baseline serum uric acid levels there was a non-significant increase of 3.7% and unctional foods ric acid -reactive protein lack tea and statin therapy ea polyphenols and biomarkers ardioprotection and cardiovascular 15% in men and women, respectively. C-reactive protein in the high risk group >3 mg/L was significantly decreased by 53.4% and 41.1% in men and women, respectively. For the non-supplemented group in this range the changes were 3.7% decrease for men and 2.9% increase for women. Tea supplementationassociated decrease in plasma uric acid and C-reactive protein levels may benefit humans at high risk of cardiovascular events and may augment drug therapy. © 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. iseases nflammation
DISCLOSING SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY INFORMATION VIA THE INTERNET: A STUDY ON COMPANIES IN MALAYSIA

This study investigates the extensiveness of and the potential factors that may influence social responsibility disclosures (SRD) made via the Internet by companies in Malaysia. The findings from this study will contribute to augment the discourse on this subject, from the perspective of a developing country, in which new insights have been added to the analysis of SRD disclosure mechanisms by Malaysian companies. Content analysis was applied on four categories of SRD, namely; environmental, human resources, products and consumers, and community involvement. Multivariate analysis, meanwhile, was similarly conducted in examining four influencing factors of SRD; which comprises of corporate size, industry affiliation,
The Methods of Selecting and Assessing Potential Consumers Used of by Competitive Intelligence

Competitive intelligence has not been known recently. Such processes as industrial or commercial espionage are known much more. The actions, which are used in order to be protected from the mentioned influence, are as follows: making the lists of commercial secrets, official regulations, protection of corporal and informative data and other currently used tools. The competitive intelligence, which plays an especially important part in the context of globalization, is considered to be more significant with developing technologies (Blenkhorn, 2005). In any institution strategic decisions are made by executives at the highest level. According to the Doctor of Science at Pittsburgh University John E. Prescott, the executives of the highest level with no reaction to rivals actions are not forgiven (Prescott, 2004). So it is possible to characterize the first potential clients who might buy the services provided by competitive intelligence. Large international corporations could become such customers. On one side, such corporations have two alternatives of their choice, they are: buying competitive intelligence service from independent companies providing professional services or establish an internal detachment of competitive intelligence as a separate element or as an element working inside the detachment which has already been acting. Anyway it is clear that a lot of preparations are necessary working with large corporations to prove the advantages of the services provided by competitive intelligence (Fleisher, 2001). The available experience is one of the main arguments which could be presented by specialists of competitive intelligence. There are not many institutions preparing trained specialists in the field of competitive intelligence which would currently work. So mostly such specialists having got university degrees in economics, law, management, administration or other fields also having attended special training courses are experienced at working in special operational or secret services. Miller names the experience which specialists of competitive intelligence had got in military and governmental intelligence also working in detachments of analysis of information as an evidence of their available qualification (Miller. 2004). Later on due to the efforts made by the Association of Competitive Intelligence Professionals (ACIP) and some scientists the new professional direction also such profession as a specialist off competitive intelligence appeared. The experience of national intelligence services proves the importance of collecting and analysis of systemic information provided by intelligence for business (ACIP, 2011). Nevertheless it is necessary to remark that the main aim of business is getting profit so it is necessary to adapt the methods used by intelligence services for business goals. Providing security does not play the main part in this case. (SCIP, 2011). http://dx.doi. org/10.5755/j01.ee. 22.2. 316
How Health Behavior Relates to Risk Factors

Introduction Much has been discovered through cardiovascular disease research about health behavior and risk factors, and for the most part the causal links and their physiological mechanisms are quite well understood. I will give here only a brief review of the traditional linkages between health behavior and risk for cardiovascular disease. My main purpose will be to present a broadened view of behavior and risk factors by considering many elements of society that influence the health behavior of individuals within that society. A subtitle of the paper could be "How Society's Health Behavior Affects Risk for Cardiovascular Disease. " In covering these topics I will describe some recent favorable national changes in risk factors and I will then discuss behavior change theories and barriers to change, covering both individual and societal factors.
CMER: CLASSIFICATION BASED ON MULTIPLE EXCELLENT RULES

One of the traditional rule-based classification tasks is to build a set of high quality classification rules for prediction. Traditional rule-based classification approaches can achieve high efficiency. However, some traditional rule-based classification methods usually generate few rules. They may miss some high quality rules, especially when the training data set is small. Therefore their accuracy may not be high in some data sets. In this paper, we propose a new classification approach called CMER (classification based on multiple excellent rules). CMER is distinguished from other traditional rule-based classification methods in three aspects. First, CMER constructs a candidate set and a seed set. Second, CMER connects the seed set with the candidate set to produce more classification rules at a time. Third, CMER uses the minimum support and foil gain to update the seed set. As a result, CMER generates more excellent classification rules, especially when the training data set is small. Our experimental results show that CMER gets higher accuracy than some traditional rule-based classification methods.
Keynes’ Metaphor of the Newspaper Competition: A Model

Keynes’ General Theory provides an interesting metaphor for asset markets: they are like newspaper competitions where contestants have to pick up the six prettiest faces from a hundred photographs, and the prize would go to one whose choice is closest to the average preferences. Keynes did not explicitly formalise the metaphor but his observations about the bond market and the speculative demand for money are closely related to this vision of asset markets. Our paper develops a class of decision rules from the suggestions in the General Theory and Keynes' QJE(1937) paper, and introduces a concept of ‘equilibrium guess’ which was not explicit in the newspaper competition idea. Using them we model a bond market which shows that the ‘newspaper competition’ amounts to endogenous determination of asset quality, and is capable of producing familiar Keynesian features: (i) demand for money develops infinite elasticity as interest rate approaches a low critical value; (ii) a shock to expected interest rate when the current rate is small, can lead to mass flight into money; and (iii) the more unanimous the market opinion, the more unstable the market, and the more difficult it is for monetary policy to be effective.
Fibronectin splice variants: Understanding their multiple roles in health and disease using engineered mouse models

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a highly dynamic network of proteins, glycoproteins, and proteoglycans. Numerous diseases result from mutation in genes coding for ECM proteins, but only recently it has been reported that mutations in the fibronectin (FN) gene were associated with a human disorder. FN is one of the main components of the ECM. It generates protein diversity through alternative splicing of a single pre‐mRNA, having at least 20 different isoforms in humans. The precise function of these protein isoforms has remained obscure in most cases. Only in the recent few years, it was possible to shed light on the multiple roles of the alternatively spliced FN isoforms. This substantial progress was achieved basically with the knowledge derived from engineered mouse models bearing subtle mutations in specific FN domains. These data, together with a recent report associating mutations in the FN gene to a form of glomerulopathy, clearly show that mutations in constitutive exons or misregulation of alternatively spliced domains of the FN gene may have nonlethal pathological consequences. In this review, we focus on the pathological consequences of mutations in the FN gene, by connecting the function of alternatively spliced isoforms of fibronectin to human diseases. © 2011 IUBMB IUBMB Life, 63(7): 538–546, 2011
On the So-called Accessory Respiratory Organ " Gill-helix " Found in Some Clupeiform Fishes , with Special Reference to Its Function and Its Genealogy

As far as I am aware, Cahl Joseph HYRTL (1855)1 is the first author that described gill-helixes in Chanos salmoneus and Heterotis ehrembergi, the clupeiform fishes, as the accessory organ of the respiration. Afterwards, T. W. BRIDGE (1910)2 also stated the same opinion as the previous author did on the function of the organ . But as the results of my investigation as to the gill-helixes in Chanos chanos (FORSKAL) and Konosirus punctatus (T. & S.), I reached the conclusion that the gill-helixes found in these fishes are rather more reasonable to be recognized as the accessory alimental organ than as the accessory breating organ. And in addition to this, in Sardinella zunasi (BLEEKER), an allied species of Konosirus, I found a pair of pouch-shaped appendages on the dorsal side of the pharynx , which induced me to recognize it as an unfinished gill-helix . The details on the facts will be stated on the following pages . General descriptions of the gill-helix and pharyngeal pouch
Synapses on NG2‐expressing progenitors in the brain: multiple functions?

Progenitor cells expressing the proteoglycan NG2 represent approximately 5% of the total cells in the adult brain, and are found both in grey and white matter regions where they give rise to oligodendrocytes. The finding that these cells receive synaptic contacts from excitatory and inhibitory neurons has not only raised major interest in the possible roles of these synapses, but also stimulated further research on the developmental and cellular functions of NG2‐expressing (NG2+) progenitors themselves in the context of neural circuit physiology. Here we review recent findings on the functional properties of the synapses on NG2+ cells in grey and white matter regions of the brain. In this review article we make an attempt to integrate current knowledge on the cellular and developmental properties of NG2+ progenitors with the functional attributes of their synapses, in order to understand the physiological relevance of neuron–NG2+ progenitor signal transmission. We propose that, although NG2+ progenitors receive synaptic contact in all brain regions where they are found, their synapses might have different developmental and functional roles, probably reflecting the distinct functions of NG2+ progenitors in the brain.