Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Calibration of a wide‐field frequency‐domain fluorescence lifetime microscopy system using light emitting diodes as light sources

High brightness light emitting diodes are an inexpensive and versatile light source for wide‐field frequency‐domain fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy. In this paper a full calibration of an LED based fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy system is presented for the first time. A radio‐frequency generator was used for simultaneous modulation of light emitting diode (LED) intensity and the gain of an intensified charge coupled device (CCD) camera. A homodyne detection scheme was employed to measure the demodulation and phase shift of the emitted fluorescence, from which phase and modulation lifetimes were determined at each image pixel. The system was characterized both in terms of its sensitivity to measure short lifetimes (500 ps to 4 ns), and its capability to distinguish image features with small lifetime differences. Calibration measurements were performed in quenched solutions containing Rhodamine 6G dye and the results compared to several independent measurements performed with other measurement methodologies, including time correlated single photon counting, time gated detection, and acousto optical modulator (AOM) based modulation of excitation sources. Results are presented from measurements and simulations. The effects of limited signal‐to‐noise ratios, baseline drifts and calibration errors are discussed in detail. The implications of limited modulation bandwidth of high brightness, large area LED devices (∼40 MHz for devices used here) are presented. The results show that phase lifetime measurements are robust down to sub ns levels, whereas modulation lifetimes are prone to errors even at large signal‐to‐noise ratios. Strategies for optimizing measurement fidelity are discussed. Application of the fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy system is illustrated with examples from studies of molecular mixing in microfluidic devices and targeted drug delivery research.
Discrete firefly algorithm based distribution networks reconfiguration

With the development of smart grid, distribution networks reconfiguration becomes more and more important in distribution automation. Combining with distribution networks configuration, this paper proposes a Discrete Firefly Algorithm and a new update operation strategy that suits the algorithm. Firstly, the algorithm uses decimal encoding strategy to shorten the code length and avoid producing unavailable results. Then, new distance formula and encoding update formula for the Discrete Firefly Algorithm are defined, respectively. Secondly, considering traditional Firefly Algorithm's drawback of slow convergence and low computational accuracy, the Discrete Firefly Algorithm introduces independent random search mechanism to enhance the searching ability of fireflies individual. Finally, a typical example of 69 nodes is simulated through the proposed algorithm. The results of 69 nodes system reconfiguration shows that the improved Discrete Firefly Algorithm has better convergence, stability and search ability.
Becoming an Aikidoka: Acculturation and Essentialism in the Practice of Aikido

Based on an ethnographic study conducted from 2002-2005 in Canada, this paper argues that the practice of Aikido within a specific community of practitioners does not simply exist as a medium for acquiring martial knowledge, but is also a viable conduit for acculturating or essentializing aspects of Japanese culture and identity. This is made possible in light of the highly embodied and corporeal dimension of Aikido practice, which requires one to develop the necessary dispositions and strategies for the construction of an Aikido habitus . Consequently, the path towards becoming an Aikidoka enables one to potentially embody, in similar but also unique ways, the cultural and moral worldviews that the art seeks to represent within intercultural and transnational spaces.
A dictionary for approximate string search and longest prefix search

In this paper we propose a dictionary data structure for string search with errors where the query string may didiffer from the expected matching string by a few edits. This data structure can also be used to find the database string with the longest common prefix with few errors. Specifically, with a database of <i>n</i> random strings, each of length of <i>O</i>(<i>m</i>), we show how to perform string search on a query string that differs from its closest match by <i>k</i> edits using a data structure of linear size and query time equal to <i>Õ</i>(log <i>n</i> <sup>2 log <i>n</i> <i>k</i>log <sub><i>a</i></sub> 2<i>m</i></sup> over 2<i>m</i>). This means that if <i>k</i> < <i>m</i> over log <sub><i>a</i></sub> 2<i>m</i> log <i>n</i>, then the query time is <i>Õ</i>(1). This is of significant in practice as there are several applications where <i>k</i> is small relative to <i>m</i>. Our approach converts strings into bit vectors so that similar strings can map to similar bit vectors with small hamming distance. A simple reduction can be used to obtain similar results for approximate longest prefix search.
Spectral characteristics analysis of oil film among sea ice

Oil spill among sea ice has become a subject of great concern to corporations, local residents, and government agencies, which participate in oil exploration, production, and transportation in ice-infested regions recently. For developing a credible and effective response to oil spill in ice-infested waters, a field experiment was performed on spectrum of oil film in waters with sea ice. In this experiment, four groups of spectrum samples were collected, which were clean sea water, brash ice and even ice and sea water /brash ice /even ice contaminated by diesel and crude oil. The experiment results indicated that: the same sort of oil with different background had different reflectance at the same wavelength, so did the same sort of oil with the same background but different distribution state; nevertheless there were some common characteristics within the same oil. For example, diesel had two apparent characteristics, no matter on the surface of sea water or brash ice or even ice, the first of which was that the reflectance curves of diesel film were first lower and then higher than that of clean sea water, brash ice or even ice according to the wavelength; the second was that the reflectance curves of diesel film were almost equaled to that of the background between 400nm and 510nm in sea water, 410nm and 510nm in brash ice and 490nm and 510nm in even ice. The spectrum curves of crude oil had a representative sphenoid reflectance-peak which appeared between 750nm and 770nm. These characteristics of oil film in terms of ice and oil type could be effectively used to distinct the oil with sea water and sea ice, meanwhile this experiment would improve and facilitate the detecting and monitoring proposal of oil which had been spilled in moving, broken pack ice and fast-ice environment in the ocean.
A Professional Development School—Sponsored Summer Program for At-Risk Secondary Students

The development and implementation of a Professional Development School (PDS)— sponsored summer program for at-risk secondary students is described. Literature related to PDSs and summer programs is followed by a presentation of data findings and analysis. Attendance and grade point average data gathered on the 17 participating rising ninth graders indicate that the described summer program had a positive student impact. Benefits for the university and school constituents as well as implications for future practice and research are described.
Quality of health information on acute myocardial infarction and stroke in the world wide web.

INTRODUCTION The quality of health information in the Internet may be low. This is a concerning issue in cardiovascular diseases which warrant patient self-management. We aimed to assess the quality of Portuguese websites as a source of health information on acute myocardial infarction and stroke. MATERIAL AND METHODS We used the search terms 'enfarte miocardio' and 'acidente vascular cerebral' (Portuguese terms for myocardial infarction and stroke) on Google(®), on April 5th and 7th 2011, respectively, using Internet Explorer(®). The first 200 URL retrieved in each search were independently visited and Portuguese websites in Portuguese language were selected. We analysed and classified 121 websites for structural characteristics, information coverage and accuracy of the web pages with items defined a priori, trustworthiness in general according to the Health on the Net Foundation and regarding treatments using the DISCERN instrument (48 websites). RESULTS Websites were most frequently commercial (49.5%), not exclusively dedicated to acute myocardial infarction/ stroke (94.2%), and with information on medical facts (59.5%), using images, video or animation (60.3%). Websites' trustworthiness was low. None of the websites displayed the Health on the Net Foundation seal. Acute myocardial infarction/ stroke websites differed in information coverage but the accuracy of the information was acceptable, although often incomplete. CONCLUSION The quality of information on acute myocardial infarction/ stroke in Portuguese websites was acceptable. Trustworthiness was low, impairing users' capability of identifying potentially more reliable content.
Consensus conference on the stapled transanal rectal resection (STARR) for disordered defaecation

An international working party was convened in Rome, Italy on 16–17 June, 2005, with the purpose of developing a consensus on the application of the circular stapling instrument to the treatment of certain rectal conditions, the so‐called Stapled Transanal Rectal Resection (STARR). Since the procedure has been submitted to only limited objective analysis it was felt prudent to hold a meeting of interested individuals for the purpose of evaluating the current status and to make conclusions and recommendations concerning the applicability of this new approach.
Marker-less Real Time 3D Modeling for Virtual Reality

Today, immersive environments mainly use a few 3D positions given by trackers to align the real and virtual worlds. In this paper we present an alternative approach using commodity components to achieve real time marker-less 3D modeling in virtual reality environments. The goal is to compute in real time a 3D shape of the objects and users present in the interaction space without having to equip them with markers. Having full 3D shapes opens new possibilities for full-body interactions and a tight virtual/real world integration. Data acquisition is performed through cameras surrounding the interaction space. A visual hull reconstruction algorithm is parallelized on a PC cluster to compute in real time the 3D shapes of the scene observed. Experimental results using 4 cameras and 20 processors lead to a precise 3D human model built in real time.
Mobile-Cloudlet Face Recognition: Two Different Approaches

The resource scarcity of mobile devices, pulls them back from executing the computation intensive computer vision applications like face recognition, augmented reality, video processing etc. As a solution cyber foraging, where mobile devices offload either computation or data or both to a high performance system within their network, can be applied. Cloudlet is a new emerging technique that scales up the computational ability of mobile devices to handle the high computation requirement. It allows mobile client to communicate with nearby available server and the minimal processed data can be transferred from mobile app to the server which will do the necessary processing and result can be send back to mobile in real time. This paper explains two novel approaches of successful implementation of principal component analysis (PCA) based face recognition using VM Based Cloudlet on mobile device.
Opposing actions of c-ets/PU.1 and c-myb protooncogene products in regulating the macrophage-specific promoters of the human and mouse colony-stimulating factor-1 receptor (c-fms) genes

The receptor for macrophage colony stimulating factor (CSF-1), the c- fms gene product, is a key determinant in the differentiation of monocytic phagocytes. Dissection of the human and mouse c-fms proximal promoters revealed opposing roles for nuclear protooncogenes in the transcriptional regulation of this gene. On the one hand, c-ets-1, c- ets-2, and the macrophage-specific factor PU.1, but not the ets-factor PEA3, trans-activated the c-fms proximal promoter. On the other hand c- myb repressed proximal promoter activity in macrophages and blocked the action of c-ets-1 and c-ets-2. Basal c-fms promoter activity was almost undetectable in the M1 leukaemia line, which expressed high levels of c- myb, but was activated as cells differentiated in response to leukemia inhibitory factor and expressed c-fms mRNA. The repressor function of c- myb depended on the COOH-terminal domain of the protein. We propose that ets-factors are necessary for the tissue-restricted expression of c-fms and that c-myb acts to ensure correct temporal expression of c- fms during myeloid differentiation.
Bullying and harassment at work and their relationships to work environment quality: An exploratory study

Abstract The aim of this study is to explore relationships between organizational and social work conditions and the occurrence of bullying and harassment at work. Bullying and harassment are situations where a worker or supervisor is systematically mistreated and victimized by fellow workers or supervisors through repeated negative acts like insulting remarks and ridicule, verbal abuse, offensive teasing, isolation, and social exclusion, or the constant degrading of one's work and efforts. A postal questionnaire was distributed to 4200 members of six different labour unions, together with 500 representatives from the Norwegian Employers' Federation (NHO). Two thousand two hundred and fifteen responded, yielding a response rate of 47%. The results show that the occurrence of bullying and harassment is significantly correlated with all the seven measures of work environment used in the study. Low satisfaction with leadership, work control, social climate, and particularly the experience of role conflict, c.
Gating and regulation of connexin 43 (Cx43) hemichannels

Connexin 43 (Cx43) nonjunctional or “unapposed” hemichannels can open under physiological or pathological conditions. We characterize hemichannels comprised of Cx43 or Cx43-EGFP (Cx43 with enhanced GFP fused to the C terminus) expressed in HeLa cells. Channel opening was induced at potentials greater than +60 mV. Open probability appeared to be very low. No comparable opening was detected in the parental, nontransfected HeLa cells. Conductance of fully open single hemichannels was ≈220 pS, which is approximately double that of Cx43 cell–cell channels. Cx43 hemichannels exhibited two types of gating: fast transitions (<1 ms) between the fully open state and a substate of ≈75 pS and slow transitions (>5 ms) between either open state and the fully closed state. Cx43-EGFP hemichannels exhibited only slow transitions (>5 ms) between closed and fully open states. These properties resemble those of the corresponding Cx43 and Cx43-EGFP cell–cell channels. Cx43 with EGFP on the N terminus (EGFP-Cx43) inserted into the surface and formed plaques but did not form hemichannels or cell–cell channels. Hemichannel blockers, 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid or La3+, blocked depolarization-induced currents. Uptake of ethidium bromide (i) was faster in Cx43 and Cx43-EGFP than parental and EGFP-Cx43 cells, (ii) was directly correlated with Cx43-EGFP expression, (iii) was reduced by hemichannel blockers, and (iv) occurred at the same low rate in EGFP-Cx43 and parental cells. Although hemichannel opening was not detected electrophysiologically at the resting potential, infrequent or brief opening could account for ethidium bromide uptake. Opening of Cx43 hemichannels may mediate normal signaling or be deleterious.
Indução de emoções através de breves excertos musicais

O presente estudo testou a eficacia de varios excertos musicais na inducao dos seguintes quatro estados emocionais especificos: a tristeza, a alegria, o medo e a raiva, e um estado neutro. Cinquenta estudantes universitarios (29 do sexo feminino; 19-30 anos de idade) avaliaram os seus estados emocionais e afectivos imediatamente apos a exposicao a cada um dos 11 excertos musicais seleccionados. Foram usados itens especificos para avaliar as emocoes-alvo e as escalas selfassessment manikin para medir a valencia e a activacao afectivas. No geral, os resultados mostraram que os estimulos usados para induzir o medo, a alegria, a tristeza, e os estados neutros foram eficazes,sugerindo a sua utilidade na inducao de emocoes em estudos experimentais.
Rapid Method To Characterize Lactococcal Bacteriophage Genomest

We present a rapid method to isolate and analyze bacteriophage DNA. Cells are infected and phage replication is allowed to proceed normally for 30 to 60 min. Prior to DNA packaging and cell bursts, the infected cells (1 ml) are harvested and lysed by using a combination of lysozyme and sodium dodecyl sulfate treatments. The total DNA recovered is enriched for phage genomes, and restriction fragments of the phage DNA can be readily visualized on agarose gels. This method was used to grossly compare the genomes of nine lactococcal phages isolated from different cheese plants at different times. The method was also used to visualize the inhibitory effects of pTR2030-induced abortive infection on the replication of phage nck2O2.31 in its homologous host, Lactococcus lactis NCK203.
The Decision of Whether to Have a Child: Does Couple Disagreement Matter?

Most of the international studies on fertility are based on a female perspective. A major difficulty in couple-level research is the need for high-quality data that includes information on both partners. Using couple data from a longitudinal study conducted in Italy [2003-2007], a country with persistently low fertility levels, we examined the effect of disagreement within a couple about childbearing behaviour. The starting point was the hypothesis advanced in an earlier study that Italian women prevail in reproductive decision-making, because childbearing lies mainly in their sphere of influence. The data revealed that the decision rules are parity specific. At parities zero and one, the disagreement produced an intermediate childbearing outcome irrespective of which partner wanted a(nother) child; while at higher parities, an asymmetrical veto power model in which the female partner had greater influence was observed. The findings suggest that the predictive power of short-term fertility intentions strongly improves if both partners’ views are considered in fertility models, and thus support the adoption of couple analysis in fertility research.
Residential Exposure to Traffic-Related Air Pollution and Survival after Heart Failure

Background Although patients with heart failure (HF) have been identified as particularly susceptible to the acute effects of air pollution, the effects of long-term exposure to air pollution on patients with this increasingly prevalent disease are largely unknown. Objective This study was designed to examine the mortality risk associated with residential exposure to traffic-related air pollution among HF patients. Methods A total of 1,389 patients hospitalized with acute HF in greater Worcester, Massachusetts, during 2000 were followed for survival through December 2005. We used daily traffic within 100 and 300 m of residence as well as the distance from residence to major roadways and to bus routes as proxies for residential exposure to traffic-related air pollution. We assessed mortality risks for each exposure variable using Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for prognostic factors. Results After the 5-year follow-up, only 334 (24%) subjects were still alive. An interquartile range increase in daily traffic within 100 m of home was associated with a mortality hazard ratio (HR) of 1.15 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.05–1.25], whereas for traffic within 300 m this association was 1.09 (95% CI, 1.01–1.19). The mortality risk decreased with increasing distance to bus routes (HR = 0.88; 95% CI, 0.81–0.96) and was larger for those living within 100 m of a major roadway or 50 m of a bus route (HR = 1.30; 95% CI, 1.13–1.49). Adjustment for area-based income and educational level slightly attenuated these associations. Conclusions Residential exposure to traffic-related air pollution increases the mortality risk after hospitalization with acute HF. Reducing exposure to traffic-related emissions may improve the long-term prognosis of HF patients.
Probabilistic Planning with Information Gathering and Contingent Execution

Most AI representations and algorithms for plan generation have not included the concept of information-producing actions (also called diagnostics, or tests, in the decision making literature). We present a planning representation and algorithm that models information-producing actions and constructs plans that exploit the information produced by those actions. We extend the BURIDAN (Kushmerick et al. 1994) probabilistic planning algorithm, adapting the action representation to model the behavior of imperfect sensors, and combine it with a framework for contingent action that extends the CNLP algorithm (Peot and Smith 1992) for conditional execution. The result, C-BURIDAN, is an implemented planner that builds plans with probabilistic information-producing actions and contingent execution.
Assessing environmental impacts of constructed wetland effluents for vegetable crop irrigation

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to monitor and assess environmental impacts of reclaimed wastewater (RW), used for irrigation of vegetable crops, on soil, crop quality and irrigation equipment. During 2013, effluents of a horizontal sub-surface flow constructed treatment wetland (TW) system, used for tertiary treatment of sanitary wastewater from a small rural municipality located in Eastern Sicily (Italy), were reused by micro-irrigation techniques to irrigate vegetable crops. Monitoring programs, based on in situ and laboratory analyses were performed for assessing possible adverse effects on water-soil-plant systems caused by reclaimed wastewater reuse. In particular, experimental results evidenced that Escherichia coli content found in RW would not present a risk for rotavirus infection following WHO (2006) standards. Irrigated soil was characterized by a certain persistence of microbial contamination and among the studied vegetable crops, lettuce responds better, than zucchini and eggplants, to the irrigation with low quality water, evidencing a bettering of nutraceutical properties and production parameters.
Performance evaluation of database replication systems

One of the most demanding needs in cloud computing is that of having scalable and highly available databases. One of the ways to attend these needs is to leverage the scalable replication techniques developed in the last decade. These techniques allow increasing both the availability and scalability of databases. Many replication protocols have been proposed during the last decade. The main research challenge was how to scale under the eager replication model, the one that provides consistency across replicas. In this paper, we examine three eager database replication systems available today: Middle-R, C-JDBC and MySQL Cluster using TPC-W benchmark. We analyze their architecture, replication protocols and compare the performance both in the absence of failures and when there are failures.