Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Region Adaptive Fuzzy Filter: An Approach for Removal of Random-Valued Impulse Noise

This paper proposes region adaptive fuzzy filter for removal of random-valued impulse noise (RVIN) from color images. It is observed from existing literature that the filter performance increases with improved accuracy of noise detection and better adaption of the filter parameters. Improved minimum mean value detection mechanism is proposed for better classification of noisy and nonnoisy pixels in context to the removal of RVIN from color images. The modified fuzzy filter considers the correlation among the color channels and recursively adapts itself in accordance with the local noise densities. This filter incorporates an adaption technique to determine the maximum allowable window size used during fuzzification and filtering. Rather than one efficient filtering step that has a potential for losing information, region selective second iteration of the filter is applied on highly corrupted regions so as to preserve more image details. Experimental results suggest that the proposed filter provides improved performance in terms of peak signal to noise ratio, normalized color difference, structural similarity index, feature similarity index for color images, and perceptual similarity than most of the state-of-the-art filters.
A C-Terminal Region of RAG1 Contacts the Coding DNA during V(D)J Recombination

ABSTRACT The site-specific DNA rearrangement process, called V(D)J recombination, creates much of the diversity of immune receptor molecules in the adaptive immune system. Central to this reaction is the organization of the protein-DNA complex containing the proteins RAG1 and RAG2 and their DNA targets. A long-term goal is to appreciate the three-dimensional relationships between the proteins and DNA that allow the assembly of the appropriate reaction intermediates, resulting in concerted cleavage and directed rejoining of the DNA ends. Previous cross-linking approaches have mapped RAG1 contacts on the DNA. RAG1 protein contacts the DNA at the conserved heptamer and nonamer sequences as well as at the coding DNA adjacent to the heptamer. Here we subject RAG1, covalently cross-linked to DNA substrates, to partial cyanogen bromide degradation or trypsin proteolysis in order to map contacts on the protein. We find that coding-sequence contacts occur near the C terminus of RAG1, while contacts made within the recombination signal sequence occur nearer the N terminus of the core region of RAG1. A deletion protein lacking the C-terminal DNA-contacting region is still capable of making the N-terminal contacts. This suggests that the two binding interactions may exist on two separate domains of the protein. A trypsin cleavage pattern of the native protein supports this conclusion. A two-domain model for RAG1 is evaluated with respect to the larger recombination complex.
Silver‐Russell patients showing a broad range of ICR1 and ICR2 hypomethylation in different tissues

Begemann M, Spengler S, Kanber D, Haake A, Baudis M, Leisten I, Binder G, Markus S, Rupprecht T, Segerer H, Fricke‐Otto S, Mühlenberg R, Siebert R, Buiting K, Eggermann T. Silver‐Russell patients showing a broad range of ICR1 and ICR2 hypomethylation in different tissues.
Analysis of tracking-pointing error and platform vibration effect in inter-satellite terahertz communication system

Combining the current development of high-gain antenna technology, the inter-satellite terahertz communication system's demand for acquisition pointing and tracking (Acquisition Pointing Tracking, APT) technology are analyzed based on the inter-satellite terahertz communication application. The tracking-pointing error has a major influence on the received power of the communication system by simulating and calculating the tracking-pointing error of APT subsystem. The higher the terahertz wave frequency, the greater influence of the tracking-pointing error. The influence of the vibration of the satellite platform on the terahertz communication are analyzed by simulation calculation. There is almost no influence on the terahertz communication when the frequency is 0.34THz, while the influence becomes larger when the frequency increases to 1.5 THz and above. The signal-to-noise ratio of the system changes periodically with the vibration of the satellite platform. This research provides the basis for the design of beam tracing and platform vibration controller of space terahertz communication system.
Beamspace Channel Estimation in mmWave Systems Via Cosparse Image Reconstruction Technique

This paper considers the beamspace channel estimation problem in three-dimensional (3D) lens antenna array under a millimeter-wave communication system. We analyze the focusing capability of the 3D lens antenna array and the sparsity of the beamspace channel response matrix. Considering the analysis, we observe that the channel matrix can be treated as a two-dimensional (2D) natural image; that is, the channel is sparse and the changes between most of adjacent elements are subtle. Thus, for the channel estimation, we incorporate an image reconstruction technique called sparse noninformative parameter estimator-based cosparse analysis approximate message passing for imaging (SCAMPI) algorithm. The SCAMPI algorithm is faster and more accurate than earlier algorithms such as orthogonal matching pursuit and support detection algorithms. To further improve the SCAMPI algorithm, we model the channel distribution as a generic Gaussian mixture (GM) probability and embed the expectation–maximization learning algorithm into the SCAMPI algorithm to learn the parameters in the GM probability. We show that the GM probability outperforms the common uniform distribution used in image reconstruction. We also introduce a phase-shifter-reduced selection network structure to decrease the power consumption of the system and prove that the SCAMPI algorithm is robust even if the number of phase shifters is reduced by 10%.
Dual role of the receptor Tom20 in specificity and efficiency of protein import into mitochondria

Mitochondria import most of their resident proteins from the cytosol, and the import receptor Tom20 of the outer-membrane translocator TOM40 complex plays an essential role in specificity of mitochondrial protein import. Here we analyzed the effects of Tom20 binding on NMR spectra of a long mitochondrial presequence and found that it contains two distinct Tom20-binding elements. In vitro import and cross-linking experiments revealed that, although the N-terminal Tom20-binding element is essential for targeting to mitochondria, the C-terminal element increases efficiency of protein import in the step prior to translocation across the inner membrane. Therefore Tom20 has a dual role in protein import into mitochondria: recognition of the targeting signal in the presequence and tethering the presequence to the TOM40 complex to increase import efficiency.
Inflation, Output and Labour Productivity When Prices are Changed Infrequently

When prices are changed infrequently, the effect of inflation on output depends on the form of profit and demand functions. This paper provides a general taxonomy. At small inflation rates, output falls (rises; stays the same) if the demand function is concave (convex; linear) in terms of the log of real price. This holds when the frequency of price changes is fixed (in case of a catalogue firm) as well as when it is chosen optimally (in case of a menu cost firm), with fixed and variable price adjustments costs. With some specifications, inflation increases output, but reduces labor productivity. Copyright 1990 by The London School of Economics and Political Science.
Resolving the distinct stages in erythroid differentiation based on dynamic changes in membrane protein expression during erythropoiesis

Erythropoiesis is the process by which nucleated erythroid progenitors proliferate and differentiate to generate, every second, millions of nonnucleated red cells with their unique discoid shape and membrane material properties. Here we examined the time course of appearance of individual membrane protein components during murine erythropoiesis to throw new light on our understanding of the evolution of the unique features of the red cell membrane. We found that the accumulation of all of the major transmembrane and all skeletal proteins of the mature red blood cell, except actin, accrued progressively during terminal erythroid differentiation. At the same time, and in marked contrast, accumulation of various adhesion molecules decreased. In particular, the adhesion molecule, CD44 exhibited a progressive and dramatic decrease from proerythroblast to reticulocyte; this enabled us to devise a new strategy for distinguishing unambiguously between erythroblasts at successive developmental stages. These findings provide unique insights into the genesis of red cell membrane function during erythroblast differentiation and also offer a means of defining stage-specific defects in erythroid maturation in inherited and acquired red cell disorders and in bone marrow failure syndromes.
The regulatory environment and housing finance market in Ghana

Purpose – The housing finance market in Ghana is highly underdeveloped. This may be as a result of unfriendly or poor regulatory environment. This paper seeks to examine the regulatory environment and to determine its impact on the development of the formal housing finance market in the country.Design/methodology/approach – The paper executes this by surveying the housing finance literature. It also carries out a review of the legal framework of the country's mortgage market.Findings – It is found that inadequate foreclosure rights of lenders before December 2008 constrained the development of the formal housing finance market in Ghana. The research notes that the enactment of the Home Mortgage Finance Act, 2008 (Act 770) in December 2008 has created a conducive legal environment for collateralised lending in the country. This has improved the prospects of developing the housing finance market in the country.Practical implications – It is noted that a credit bureau industry and mortgage refinancing mechan.
Photography as a method of data collection: helping people with long-term mental illness to convey their life world.

PURPOSE The purpose of this article is to describe a method to help patients with long-term mental illness describe their life situations--their "life worlds"--through photography. CONCLUSIONS Photographs and interviews are useful for data collection. The positive effect of this method is allowing informants who have long-term mental illnesses to express their perceptions. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS Nurses can use photography in conjunction with interviews to ascertain the life worlds of their patients.
Mentoring: A Conceptual Analysis From The Perspective of Attachment Theory

The mentor-protégé relationship is generally described as one in which a more experienced teacher or counselor serves as a trusted friend and nurtures the development of a protégé over an extended period of time, typically preparing them for a special challenge or career and at the same time building ‘good character’. A review of current literature on mentoring and mentor-protégé relationships suggests the need for a conceptual framework within which to organize the extensive and diverse literature on mentoring and mentor-protégé relationships. The goal of this paper is to see whether Bowlby-Ainsworth attachment theory can provide a useful perspective on mentoring. The paper highlights behaviors and processes identified in attachment study that are recognizable in mentor-protégé relationships and where mechanisms studied closely in attachment research can help focus mentoring research and suggest directions for assessment, program design, and evaluation studies. Processes in play in the initiation, maintenance, and outcomes of mentoring relationships are discussed in light of what we have learned from research on attachment development. Implications from viewing mentoring and mentor-protégé relations through the lens of attachment theory are discussed. Herrera-Alcazar (3rd Year Paper) Attachment Perspective on Mentoring 2 toring) is applied in a wide variety of contexts. Three of the most common are workplace mentoring, faculty-student mentoring, and mentoring of disadvantaged youth (Eby, Rhodes, & Allen, 2007). The term is often used inter-changeably with social support relationships in general, e.g., in referring to school advisors, role model, and supervisors of various kinds including coaches. Clearly, these roles and relationships are quite diverse, sharing some important characteristics and differing in
Tracing the Development of a Conceptual Framework of Accounting a Western European and North American Linkage: A Partial Examination

Given the call for the development of an accounting conceptual framework, this paper rejects the need for such an undertaking. Using a historical methodology this paper traces the existence of an accounting conceptual framework that painstakingly has been established over the centuries. The paper maintains that the existing need is to fine tune the exisiting framework.
Shadow delivers first hand

Purpose – To provide a concise briefing on a robot hand.Design/methodology/approach – The approach is to present briefly the development and features of a robot hand by the Shadow Robot Company for one of its customers.Findings – Finds that the robot hand replicates the characteristics of a human hand as far as possible, being of a similar size with the same balance of strength and movement.Originality/value – The paper provides information of value to those interested in developments in the robotics industries.
‘A disciplining method for holding standards down’: how the World Bank planned Africa's slums

This article examines the World Bank's attempts to frame the relationship between states, markets, and citizens through its urban assistance programmes during the 1970s and 1980s. Drawing on internal memoranda, mission reports, and staff reviews, this study traces the bank's arguments about the ideal role of the state in housing and service provision. Over this period, the World Bank encouraged governments to withdraw from providing public housing directly and to act instead as an ‘enabler’ of market forces, with lasting economic and political consequences. The article concludes with a focus on South Africa in the early 1990s, when the World Bank (after two decades of practice in promoting privatised land and housing markets) counselled the African National Congress on its post-apartheid policies. In the years since, these policies have resulted in explosive confrontations with civil-society activists who remain committed to alternative visions of the role of the state in housing and service provision. [« Une méthode disciplinaire pour avoir tiré les normes vers le bas » : comment la Banque mondiale a planifié les bidonvilles d'Afrique. ] Cet article examine les tentatives de la Banque mondiale en vue d'encadrer la relation entre les Etats, les marchés et les citoyens à travers ses programmes d'aide en milieu urbain au cours des années 1970 et 1980. S'appuyant sur des notes internes, des rapports de mission et les commentaires du personnel, cette étude retrace les arguments de la Banque sur le rôle idéal de l'État en matière de logement et de prestation de services. Au cours de cette période, la Banque mondiale a encouragé les gouvernements à se retirer dans le fait de fournir logement public mais d'agir plutôt comme un ‘‘ facilitateur ’' des forces du marché, avec des conséquences économiques et politiques durables. Le document conclut en mettant l'accent sur l'Afrique du Sud dans les années 1990, lorsque la Banque mondiale (après deux décennies de pratique dans la promotion des terres privatisées et du logement) a conseillé le Congrès national africain sur ses politiques d'après-apartheid. Dans les années qui ont suivi, ces politiques ont donné lieu à des affrontements explosifs avec des militants de la société civile qui demeurent engagés à d'autres visions du rôle de l'Etat en matière de logement et de prestation de services. Mots-clés: Banque mondiale ; citoyenneté ; privatisation ; logement ; terre
Using Bayesian statistics in health psychology: a comment on Depaoli et al. (2017)

Health psychology has advanced our understanding of the influence of biopsychosocial factors on disease development and has been instrumental in improving healthcare services and the treatment of chronic conditions, but, like other areas of psychology, has been criticised for publishing underpowered studies. This may be in part be due to many researchers relying on intuition and rules of thumb when determining sample size (Maxwell, 2004). There are also strong incentives to engage in research practices that make findings publishable more quickly (Bakker, Hartgerink, & Wicherts, 2016) and that produce novel statistically significant results (typically p < .05; Fanelli, 2011; Nosek, Spies, & Motyl, 2012). One proposed solution has been the publication of pre-specified analysis plans which have for some time been a gold standard for randomised controlled trials (Head, Holman, & Lanfear, 2015). A suitable platform for this is the Open Science Framework, which allows documents to be published online for free in a timely manner, and is now a recommended repository for the Nature Publishing Group’s data journal (Munafò, Nosek, & Bishop, 2017). Another proposed solution is the use of Bayesian analysis. Historically, psychologists have tended to focus on Frequentist statistics, following a hybrid of the Fisherian and Neyman-Pearson approach. In brief, this involves specifying a null and alternative hypothesis, deciding on a significance level, collecting the data and calculating the tests statistic and p-value, and then comparing this p-value to the significance level. As this approach focuses on the probability of the data given the null hypothesis, it cannot tell us the converse, that is, the probability of the null hypothesis given the data, although p-values are often misinterpreted in this way (Open Science Collaboration, 2012). In the Bayesian framework, one can evaluate the extent of evidence for and against both the null and alternative hypothesis. It is also entirely appropriate to collect data until a hypothesis has been confirmed or disconfirmed with a specified level of confidence and to conduct analyses on small sample sizes without violating underlying assumptions (Wagenmakers, Wetzels, & Borsboom, 2011). Researchers should, of course, be warned against selecting this approach in order to justify an underpowered study. In fact, Bayesian estimates in the presence of a misspecified prior distribution can actually perform worse than a Frequentist approach with small sample corrections (Edwards, Lindman, & Savage, 1963) and still require a study to have a greater number of observations relative to parameters (McNeish, 2016). Bayesian analysis works by combining in a natural manner our past experience (our prior knowledge or prior probability) with the results of our current experiment (data) to result in a revised probability (posterior probability):
Rapid Population Growth and Water Scarcity: The Predicament of Tomorrow's Africa

The current set of population stabilization projections are based on rates of birth death and migration. These projections ignore economic natural resource and environmental constraints. These projections indicate that Africas population will stabilize at 4 times its current level. None of these projections assume that population may be resource limited to some degree. Africa is the poorest part of the world in terms of annual rainfall which translates into food because crops need it to grow. A significant part of Africa lies in the zone where there is an arid part of the year and often suffers from drought. Thus there is a high risk of crop failure. This is why African leaders are working hard to attain food self-sufficiency. The implications of water scarcity for living conditions especially food production are quite serious. As the population grows the per capita consumption will drop if the supply is static. However development requires water for many purposes other than food production. Industry and settlement both require a large portion of water. This leaves less and less water to feed more and more people. The net result is that per capita consumption will increase along with development yet in the region the amount of available water is low. Thus by the year 2025 1.1 billion or 66.6% of Africas population will be living with severe water scarcity. Population growth is the main problem slowing semi-arid development because such development requires an increase in per capita water consumption. But Africa does not have the water it needs to develop thus it has been said that the best thing developed nations can do is to stabilize world food prices. This would leave Africa with a window of opportunity in which they could divert more of their water to development. The levels of awareness among planners and political leaders is too low and must be raised. An understanding of the interconnected nature of water is necessary for proper planning.
Surgical Management of Severe Spondylolisthesis in Children and Adolescents: Anterior Fusion in Situ Versus Anterior Spondylodesis With Posterior Transpedicular Instrumentation and Reduction

Study Design. A clinical and radiologic retrospective follow‐up examination of patients treated surgically for severe juvenile spondylolisthesis. Objective. To compare two different surgical techniques in the management of severe (degree of slip > 30%) juvenile spondylolisthesis (anterior spondylodesis in situ versus combined anterior spondylodesis and posterior transpedicular instrumentation including reduction of the slipping vertebra) to determine if the advantages of the repositioning of the slipping vertebra and a decreased number of pseudarthroses because of the transpedicular instrumentation lead to clinical improvement despite showing better alignment radiologically. Methods. This study included 59 children and adolescents with severe spondylolisthesis of L5 who were treated surgically at the authors' orthopedic department between 1980 and 1992. Twenty‐nine children received anterior spondylodesis (AS group), and 30 children received, in addition, a posterior reduction and transpedicular instrumentation (posteroanterior spondylodesis, PAS group). Results. Distribution of age, gender, preoperative clinical symptoms, and preoperative radiologic classification of the spondylolisthesis were comparable in both groups (average degree of slip for the AS group, 66%; that for the PAS group, 75%; angle of slip, 28° and 36°, respectively; sacral inclination, 31° and 25°, respectively). The postoperative follow‐up period of the AS group lasted 125 ± 22 months, considerably longer than that of the PAS group at 67 ± 20 months. At the time of the follow‐up assessment, the PAS group showed a reduced rate of pseudarthrosis (7% versus 24%), a reduced degree of slip (36% versus 59%), and a reduced lumbosacral kyphosis (14° versus 26°) in comparison with the AS group. The transpedicular instrumentation decreased the fusion time of osseous consolidation of the spondylodesis markedly (7 months versus 17 months, on average). Adverse effects and rate of complications were equal in both groups. The results failed to show any differences in favor of either of the two surgical techniques used either subjectively to the patient or objectively by means of clinical examination. Conclusion. Anterior spondylodesis including posterior instrumentation and reduction was superior to the simple anterior fusion in situ for normalization of the lumbosacral profile and osseous consolidation of the spondylodesis. This result was not reflected in the clinical evaluation.