Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
DISCOVERY OF POLARIZATION REVERBERATION IN NGC 4151

Observations of the optical polarization of NGC 4151 in 1997–2003 show variations of an order of magnitude in the polarized flux while the polarization position angle remains constant. The amplitude of variability of the polarized flux is comparable to the amplitude of variability of the total U-band flux, except that the polarized flux follows the total flux with a lag of 8 ± 3 days. The time lag and the constancy of the position angle strongly favor a scattering origin for the variable polarization rather than a non-thermal synchrotron origin. The orientation of the position angle of the polarized flux (parallel to the radio axis) and the size of the lag imply that the polarization arises from electron scattering in a flattened region within the low-ionization component of the broad-line region. Polarization from dust scattering in the equatorial torus is ruled out as the source of the lag in polarized flux because it would produce a larger lag and, unless the half-opening angle of the torus is >53°, the polarization would be perpendicular to the radio axis. We note a long-term change in the percentage of polarization at similar total flux levels, and this could be due either to changing non-axisymmetry in the optical continuum emission or a change in the number of scatterers on a timescale of years.
A foray into Understanding the Next Billion Search Users

This paper presents an investigation into the search behavior of low literacy users in the developing world, like the participants from rural areas in India for our study. The field of personalization research has been hindered by a paucity of appropriate data for inducing effective user models that target the real problems in information access for needy populations, such as low literacy users. Our goal is to address these limitations using a data-driven, user centered methodology. We present results from an experimental study that demonstrates that some important assumptions underlying current probabilistic models of information seeking on the web that govern the behavior of popular search services such as Google and Yahoo are not valid for our target user population. We present an analysis that offers specific suggestions for better supporting the information seeking practices of such users. Author Keywords
Polish parsers, step by step

We present the derivation of a space efficient parser combinator library: the constructed parsers do not keep unnecessary references to the input, produce online results and efficiently handle ambiguous grammars. The underlying techniques can be applied in many contexts where traditionally backtracking is used.We present two data types, one for keeping track of the progress of the search process, and one for representing the final result in a linear way. Once these data types are combined into a single type, we can perform a breadth-first search, while returning parts of the result as early as possible.
Microarray analysis of evolution of RNA viruses: Evidence of circulation of virulent highly divergent vaccine-derived polioviruses

Two approaches based on hybridization of viral probes with oligonucleotide microarrays were developed for rapid analysis of genetic variations during microevolution of RNA viruses. Microarray analysis of viral recombination and microarray for resequencing and heterogeneity analysis were able to generate instant genetic maps of vaccine-derived polioviruses (VDPVs) and reveal the degree of their evolutionary divergence. Unlike conventional methods based on cDNA sequencing and restriction fragment length polymorphism, the microarray approaches are better suited for analysis of heterogeneous populations and mixtures of different strains. The microarray hybridization profile is very sensitive to the cumulative presence of small quantities of different mutations, including those that cannot be revealed by sequencing, making this approach useful for characterization of profiles of nucleotide sequence diversity in viral populations. By using these methods, we identified a type-3 VDPV isolated from a healthy person and missed by conventional methods of screening. The mutational profile of the polio strain was consistent with >1 yr of circulation in human population and was highly virulent in transgenic mice, confirming the ability of VDPV to persist in communities despite high levels of immunity. The proposed methods for fine genotyping of heterogeneous viral populations can also have utility for a variety of other applications in studies of genetic changes in viruses, bacteria, and genes of higher organisms.
Subjective video quality assessment of VP9 compression standard for full HD resolution

Interest in new multimedia services has rapidly increased over last years. This concern goes hand in hand with demand for higher bandwidth which leads to need to develop new compression standards as VP9 or H.265/HEVC. This results in requirements for video quality assessment as one main part of the multimedia stream. Compression together with transmission link imperfection are two major factors that influence the quality. This paper deals with assessment of impact of VP9 compression standard on the video quality using different subjective metrics. The evaluation is done for two types of sequences with Full HD resolution depending on content. The main outcome obtained from the results is the determination of the threshold in the means of point where the quality do not rise so swift. This threshold was set between 5 and 7 Mbps. After this threshold the observers did not evaluate the quality of both sequence with quite higher marks which means there is no need to compress the sequences to higher bitrates than to 7 Mbps. These results are part of a new model that is still being created and will be used for predicting the video quality in networks based on IP.
Crystallization in a model glass: Influence of the boundary conditions

Using molecular dynamics calculations and the Voronoi tessellation, we study the evolution of the local structure of a soft-sphere glass vs. temperature starting from the liquid phase at different quenching rates. This study is done for different sizes and for two different boundary conditions, namely the usual cubic periodic boundary conditions and the isotropic hyperspherical boundary conditions for which the particles evolve on the surface of a hypersphere in four dimensions. Our results show that for small system sizes, crystallization can indeed be induced by the cubic boundary conditions. On the other hand, we show that finite-size effects are more pronounced on the hypersphere and that crystallization is artificially inhibited even for large system sizes.
The glucocorticoid receptor in the limbic system of the human brain

Glucocorticoid hormones (GCs) are important mediators of the stress response in mammals including humans. GCs are released from the adrenal in response to stress and affect numerous processes in the body and brain. Their levels are controlled via negative feedback exerted by GC binding to brain glucocorticoid receptors (GR). In particular the hypothalamus, hippocampus and amygdala are important brain regions involved in this feedback regulation of the stress response. Whereas the anatomical distribution of brain GR was well known for various animal species, very little was known about GR presence and (subregional) distribution in human brain, nor about possible alterations in stress-related brain disorders. We here describe the first anatomical distribution of GR protein in key areas of the human brain involved in stress regulation. We next studied changes in GR protein in relation to aging and disorders like major/bipolar depression and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We found abundant GR-immunoreactivity (GR-ir) to be present in almost all neuronal nuclei of the human hypothalamus, hippocampus and amygdala and in +/-50% of the astrocytes. In major depression, hippocampal GR-ir correlated positively with age, and increased GR-ir was found in depressed women relative to depressed men. In the human amygdala, GR-ir was significantly increased in major, but not bipolar, depression. In AD, higher GR levels were found in female relative to male AD patients, a difference absent in age-matched controls. These first studies on the human GR may help better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying stress-related disorders and can possibly improve future therapeutic development.
A base pair at the bottom of the anticodon stem is reciprocally preferred for discrimination of cognate tRNAs by Escherichia coli lysyl- and glutaminyl-tRNA synthetases

Although the yeast amber suppressor tRNATyr is a good candidate for a carrier of unnatural amino acids into proteins, slight misacylation with lysine was found to occur in an Escherichia coli protein synthesis system. Although it was possible to restrain the mislysylation by genetically engineering the anticodon stem region of the amber suppressor tRNATyr, the mutant tRNA showing the lowest acceptance of lysine was found to accept a trace level of glutamine instead. Moreover, the glutamine-acceptance of various tRNATyr transcripts substituted at the anticodon stem region varied in reverse proportion to the lysine-acceptance, similar to a ‘seesaw’. The introduction of a C31–G39 base pair at the site was most effective for decreasing the lysine-acceptance and increasing the glutamine-acceptance. When the same substitution was introduced into E.coli tRNALys transcripts, the lysine-accepting activity was decreased by 100-fold and faint acceptance of glutamine was observed. These results may support the idea that there are some structural element(s) in the anticodon stem of tRNA, which are not shared by aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases that have similar recognition sites in the anticodon, such as E.coli lysyl- and glutaminyl-tRNA synthetases.
Bone Mineral Density and Health Related Quality of Life: a 3-Year Follow-Up Study of Osteoporotic Postmenopausal Women

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between change in bone mineral density (BMD) and change in health related quality of life (HRQoL) over a 3-year period, in patients without incident of osteoporotic fracture. Materials and Methods: Prior to the present study, two randomized controlled trials had been carried out to assess the efficacy of a new anti-osteoporotic drug. From the placebo group of those two trials, we selected for the present study 1838 osteoporotic postmenopausal women aged over 50 years, and followed their progress for a period of 3 years. BMD was measured at the lumbar spine and the proximal femur by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Each patient received calcium and vitamin D supplements. HRQoL was assessed using 2 questionnaires: the generic tool Short Form 36 items (SF-36; including mental and physical components) and the specific Quality of Life Questionnaire in Osteoporosis (QUALIOST). Result: At baseline, after adjustment for body mass index (BMI), age, number of vertebral fractures and number of peripheral fractures, multivariate regression analysis showed a significant association between the lumbar BMD and the mental component of the SF-36 (p<0.001). However, the relationship was not significant with the global score of the QUALIOST (p=0.098) and the physical component of the SF-36 (p=0.051). Multivariate regressions did not show a significant relationship between HRQoL and proximal femur BMD at baseline. After 3 years of follow-up, multivariate regression analysis showed no significant association between change in lumbar BMD and the main HRQoL items (global score of the QUALIOST, physical and mental components of the SF-36; p between 0.437 and 0.942). No significant relationships were found between change in femoral BMD and change in the global score of the QUALIOST (p=0.088) or change in the mental component of the SF-36 (p=0.222). However, a significant positive association (p=0.031) appeared between change in the physical component of the SF-36 and femoral BMD change. Conclusion: In osteoporotic postmenopausal women receiving calcium and vitamin D, few relationships were found between BMD and HRQoL. However, these results were not strong enough to indicate a real clinically interesting relationship between HRQoL and BMD. Other studies would need to be performed to verify these results.
A Data Hiding Scheme on Word Documents Using Multiple-Base Notation System

A novel data hiding scheme in the word document files are to be proposed. There are two basic concepts in our approach. First of all, let the spaces of each line, which the number of spaces is more than one of cover files embeds secret messages. In the past, the data hiding schemes on document files usually used a pair or block of inter-word spaces to embed secret messages. Comparatively, our scheme can decrease the time of modifying spaces. Secondly, the multiple-base notational system is to be used. We let the number of spaces of lines be the base of the multiple-base notation system because of the cover files that are in the text format, as long as the file size is not large and the calculating cost is kept low. The proposed scheme is efficient and easy, the capacity is more than other schemes, and the time of the modifying spaces is less as well. It will be appropriate for data hiding in the word document files.
Allicin from garlic inhibits the biofilm formation and urease activity of Proteus mirabilis in vitro.

Several virulence factors contribute to the pathogenesis of Proteus mirabilis. This study determined the inhibitory effects of allicin on urease, hemolysin and biofilm of P. mirabilis ATCC 12453 and its antimicrobial activity against 20 clinical isolates of P. mirabilis. Allicin did not inhibit hemolysin, whereas it did inhibit relative urease activity in both pre-lysed (half-maximum inhibitory concentration, IC50 = 4.15 μg) and intact cells (IC50 = 21 μg) in a concentration-dependent manner. Allicin at sub-minimum inhibitory concentrations (2-32 μg mL(-1)) showed no significant effects on the growth of the bacteria (P > 0.05), but it reduced biofilm development in a concentration-dependent manner (P < 0.001). A higher concentration of allicin was needed to inhibit the established biofilms. Using the microdilution technique, the MIC90 and MBC90 values of allicin against P. mirabilis isolates were determined to be 128 and 512 μg mL(-1), respectively. The results suggest that allicin could have clinical applications in controlling P. mirabilis infections.
Fuzzy Cognitive Map Learning Based on Multi-Objective PSO (Invited Paper)

As a powerful paradigm for knowledge represen- tation and causal inference, Fuzzy Cognitive Map (FCM) has gradually emerged as a powerful modeling and simulation mech- anism applicable to numerous research and application fields. However, conventional FCM theory greatly depends on the ex- perts' knowledge. The excessive subjective factors involved in the determination of FCM weights restrict accuracy and reliability of inference results generated by FCMs. A promising approach to reducing or even eliminating the subjective intervention is the development of learning algorithm for FCMs, namely FCM learning. This paper proposes a new learning algorithm for FCMs which is based on the application of multi-objective particle swarm optimization. The novel approach integrates the FCM learning with the inference mechanism of FCMs. In order to validate the proposed FCM learning algorithm, we explore it to model the mental and physical behaviors of an emotional agent in a virtual world. The simulation results show that the novel method not only implements inference process and FCM learning in parallel, but also overcomes some deficiencies of other learning algorithms, therefore, improves the efficiency and robustness of FCMs. Copyright c ∞ 2008 Yang's Scientific Research Institute, LLC. All rights reserved.
A Survey on Mobile Social Signal Processing

Understanding human behavior in an automatic but nonintrusive manner is an important area for various applications. This requires the collaboration of information technology with human sciences to transfer existing knowledge of human behavior into self-acting tools. These tools will reduce human error that is introduced by current obtrusive methods such as questionnaires. To achieve unobtrusiveness, we focus on exploiting the pervasive and ubiquitous character of mobile devices. In this article, a survey of existing techniques for extracting social behavior through mobile devices is provided. Initially, we expose the terminology used in the area and introduce a concrete architecture for social signal processing applications on mobile phones, constituted by sensing, social interaction detection, behavioral cues extraction, social signal inference, and social behavior understanding. Furthermore, we present state-of-the-art techniques applied to each stage of the process. Finally, potential applications are shown while arguing about the main challenges of the area.
GAVO Tools for the Analysis of Stars and Nebulae

Within the framework of the German Astrophysical Virtual Observatory (GAVO), we provide synthetic spectra, simulation software for the calculation of NLTE model atmospheres, as well as necessary atomic data. This will enable a VO user to directly compare observation and model-atmosphere spectra on three levels: The easiest and fastest way is the use of our pre-calculated flux-table grid in which one may inter- and extrapolate. For a more precise analysis of an abservation, the VO user may improve the fit to the observation by the calculation of individual model atmospheres with fine-tuned photospheric parameters via the WWW interface TMAW. The more experienced VO user may create own atomic-data files for a more detailed analysis and calculate model atmosphere and flux tables with these.
MAMBO 1.25 mm observations of 3CR quasars at z ~ 1.5: on the debate of the unified schemes

In order to explore the nature of the 850 μm flux difference between powerful radio galaxies and steep radio-spectrum quasars at z ∼ 1.5 reported by Willott et al. (2002), we have observed 9 sources from their sample of 11 quasars at 1.25 mm. For 7 sources the 1.25 mm fluxes are much brighter than one would expect from a purely thermal dust model fitted to the submm data, providing evidence for the synchrotron nature of the observed 1.25 mm radiation. If we extrapolate a power-law synchrotron spectrum to shorter wavelengths, then for 6 of the 9 sources also the 850 μm fluxes are dominated by synchrotron radiation. We discuss how far the (sub)-millimetre data can be interpreted in accordance with the orientation-dependent unified schemes for powerful radio galaxies and quasars. In this case the results challenge the reported evidence for the receding torus model and for the evolutionary trend of a declining dust luminosity with increasing projected size of the radio lobes.
Is Sustained Virological Response a Marker of Treatment Efficacy in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C Viral Infection with No Response or Relapse to Previous Antiviral Intervention?

Background Randomised clinical trials (RCTs) of antiviral interventions in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection use sustained virological response (SVR) as the main outcome. There is sparse information on long-term mortality from RCTs. Methods We created a decision tree model based on a Cochrane systematic review on interferon retreatment for patients who did not respond to initial therapy or who relapsed following SVR. Extrapolating data to 20 years, we modelled the outcome from three scenarios: (1) observed medium-term (5 year) annual mortality rates continue to the long term (20 years); (2) long-term annual mortality in retreatment responders falls to that of the general population while retreatment non-responders continue at the medium-term mortality; (3) long-term annual mortality in retreatment non-responders is the same as control group non-responders (i.e., the increased treatment-related medium mortality “wears off”). Results The mean differences in life expectancy over 20 years with interferon versus control in the first, second, and third scenarios were -0.34 years (95% confidence interval (CI) -0.71 to 0.03), -0.23 years (95% CI -0.69 to 0.24), and -0.01 (95% CI -0.3 to 0.27), respectively. The life expectancy was always lower in the interferon group than in the control group in scenario 1. In scenario 3, the interferon group had a longer life expectancy than the control group only when more than 7% in the interferon group achieved SVR. Conclusions SVR may be a good prognostic marker but does not seem to be a valid surrogate marker for assessing HCV treatment efficacy of interferon retreatment. The SVR threshold at which retreatment increases life expectancy may be different for different drugs depending upon the adverse event profile and treatment efficacy. This has to be determined for each drug by RCTs and appropriate modelling before SVR can be accepted as a surrogate marker.
Different residence times of yellowfin tuna, Thunnus albacares, and bigeye tuna, T. obesus, found in mixed aggregations over a seamount

Aggregations of tuna can be found in association with seamounts throughout all the tropical oceans and these aggregations are often exploited by tuna fishing fleets (Fonteneau, 1991). In Hawaii, a fishery has developed over the last decade that targets the mixed species aggregations of predominantly subadult tuna found in association with the Cross Seamount located approximately 160 nmi south of Honolulu and Oahu and 150 miles east of South Point on the island of Hawaii (Fig. 1). Its shallowest depth is about 330 meters. The Cross Seamount fishery is a hybrid troll, jig, and handline fishery that augments slow trolling methods by using frozen, cut and whole bait to induce feeding behavior around the fishing boat. Initially described as a yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) fishery, closer scrutiny has revealed that the catch is dominated by juvenile bigeye tuna (T. obesus). Schools of skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) are also found over the seamount but these Different residence times of yellowfin tuna, Thunnus albacares, and bigeye tuna, T. obesus, found in mixed aggregations over a seamount
Reflection of stress in working with computers: A case study

Lack of emotional support is one of the mostly highlighted complaints made by the individuals in current social context. Though the technology has been very supportive in building and maintaining relationships among individuals, it is still very seldom used to enhance the ability of recognizing emotions: emotional intelligence. As the initial step in developing a model that non-intrusively recognizes users' emotions, and ascertain whether they need external help in managing the feelings better, it has been studied how individuals assess their feelings and mental status. Sri Lankan state universities absorb the ‘academic’ spirit from the youth into the undergraduate programmes. They are expected to excel in academic and social careers by enhancing skills in both the arenas. Being prominent in the society as an ‘intelligent community’, the undergraduates seize a responsibility to be aware of and able to manage their feelings. Therefore, it was decided to carry out the study by keeping the undergraduates of the state universities as the focal. The study further explored how the undergraduates cope up with the stress, and whether there is a noticeable difference in the way they interact with the computer when under stress. This paper presents the findings of the preliminary survey carried out as a part of the broader research undertaken to explore how technology can be used to enhance the emotional intelligence of individuals. It aims to support them to recognize how they feel, manage the feelings better, and to encourage them to seek help if they run a risk of getting into a mental health problem.