Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
First Phytochemical Evidence of Chemotypes for the Seagrass Zostera noltii

The variability of the flavonoid content of two populations of Z. noltii from different geographical zones, i.e., the Bay of Arcachon and the Bay of Cadiz, was evaluated. Samples were collected in spring and autumn at the two sites, and extracts were prepared by maceration in water. The phenolic content was fully characterized using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), UV and Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS), and the concentration of the individual phenolic was determined by quantitative High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Diode-Array Detection (HPLC-DAD). The two populations show a strong geographical differentiation in their flavonoid content. The samples from Cadiz were dominated by apigenin 7-sulfate, which represents 71% (autumn collection) and 83% (spring collection) of the total flavonoids, whereas the samples from Arcachon were characterized by diosmetin 7-sulfate (85 and 93% of the total flavonoids). Structural elucidation of the individual phenolics was assigned using the complementary information from their spectral evidence. In addition, the results were confirmed by acid hydrolysis of the flavonoid sulfates, and comparison to synthetic standards obtained by sulfation of apigenin, diosmetin and luteolin. The results represent the first experimental evidence of the existence of chemotypes within the species Z. noltii.
Parametric quality assessment in underwater video

Underwater Sensor Networks (USN) constitute a key technology in the study of oceanic resources. For scientists and researchers it is often difficult and costly to extract information from submarine regions. This is true especially for video (or photography) which usually involves expensive exploration expeditions in which divers or robots are submerged with cameras. Video transmissions in USNs would open the possibility to dramatically decrease costs of such a source of information.
Sms As An Evolving Digital Culture For Learning

Gone are the days when SMS was a mere Communication tool. Texting has emerged as one of the most popular digital cultures among youth as it has become an integral part of the day-to-day activities, especially the teens. Though, SMS serves mainly for communication. It also has its own potential in the field of education. Numerous studies support the effectiveness of SMS in the teaching learning process, promising more efficient instruction when it occurs as a blended learning approach. SMS as a unique digital practice could have an encouraging effect on the students when practised. Within this framework it is crucial to understand the potential of SMS in the field of Education. The paper characterizes the benefits of SMS technology as a tool in teaching and learning process. Next it highlights the benefits of SMS in terms of Informal learning, Mobility (Learning on the go) and Collaborative learning. It also speaks about its limitation in terms of its Format, Economy, and Operability of network providers. This paper seeks immediate attention from the academicians and policy makers to adopt this technology to get into the new arena of learning.
Power system load frequency control using RBF neural networks based on /spl mu/-synthesis theory

This paper describes a nonlinear radial basis function neural networks (RBFNN) controller based on /spl mu/ synthesis technique to load frequency control (LFC) of the power systems. Power systems such as other industrial plants have some uncertainties and deviations due to multivariable operating conditions and load variations that for controller design had to take the uncertainties into account For this reason, in design of the proposed loud frequency controller the idea of /spl mu/ synthesis theory is being used. The motivation of using the /spl mu/-based robust controller for training of the RBFNN controller is to take the large parametric uncertainties and modeling error into account The proposed controller is effective and can guarantee the stability of overall system in the presence of plant parameter changes and system nonlinearities. The simulation results on a two-area power system show that the proposed RBFNN controller gives good dynamic responses and is superior to the conventional PI and /spl mu/-based robust controllers.
Dynamic Tuning of Electrical and Chemical Synaptic Transmission in a Network of Motion Coding Retinal Neurons

Recently, we demonstrated that gap junction coupling in the population of superior coding ON-OFF directionally selective ganglion cells (DSGCs) genetically labeled in the Hb9::eGFP mouse retina allows the passage of lateral anticipatory signals that help track moving stimuli. Here, we examine the properties of gap junctions in the DSGC network, and address how interactions between electrical and chemical synapses and intrinsic membrane properties contribute to the dynamic tuning of lateral anticipatory signals. When DSGC subtypes coding all four cardinal directions were individually loaded with the gap junction-permeable tracer Neurobiotin, only superior coding DSGCs exhibited homologous coupling. Consistent with these anatomical findings, gap junction-dependent feedback spikelets were only observed in Hb9+ DSGCs. Recordings from pairs of neighboring Hb9+ DSGCs revealed that coupling was reciprocal, non-inactivating, and relatively weak, and provided a substrate for an extensive subthreshold excitatory receptive field around each cell. This subthreshold activity appeared to boost coincident light-driven chemical synaptic responses. However, during responses to moving stimuli, gap junction-mediated boosting appeared to be dynamically modulated such that upstream DSGCs primed downstream cells, but not vice versa, giving rise to highly skewed responses in individual cells. We show that the asymmetry in priming arises from a combination of spatially offset GABAergic inhibition and activity-dependent changes in intrinsic membrane properties of DSGCs. Thus, dynamic interactions between electrical and chemical synapses and intrinsic membrane properties allow the network of DSGCs to propagate anticipatory responses most effectively along their preferred direction without leading to runaway excitation.
Requirement of Smad4 from Ocular Surface Ectoderm for Retinal Development

Microphthalmia is characterized by abnormally small eyes and usually retinal dysplasia, accounting for up to 11% of the blindness in children. Right now there is no effective treatment for the disease, and the underlying mechanisms, especially how retinal dysplasia develops from microphthalmia and whether it depends on the signals from lens ectoderm are still unclear. Mutations in genes of the TGF-β superfamily have been noted in patients with microphthalmia. Using conditional knockout mice, here we address the question that whether ocular surface ectoderm-derived Smad4 modulates retinal development. We found that loss of Smad4 specifically on surface lens ectoderm leads to microphthalmia and dysplasia of retina. Retinal dysplasia in the knockout mice is caused by the delayed or failed differentiation and apoptosis of retinal cells. Microarray analyses revealed that members of Hedgehog and Wnt signaling pathways are affected in the knockout retinas, suggesting that ocular surface ectoderm-derived Smad4 can regulate Hedgehog and Wnt signaling in the retina. Our studies suggest that defective of ocular surface ectoderm may affect retinal development.
ombined use of multi-seasonal high and medium resolution satellite magery for parcel-related mapping of cropland and grassland

A key factor in the implementation of productive and sustainable cultivation procedures is the frequent and area-wide monitoring of cropland and grassland. In particular, attention is focused on assessing the actual status, identifying basic trends and mitigating major threats with respect to land-use intensity and its changes in agricultural and semi-natural areas. Here, multi-seasonal analyses based on satellite Earth Observation (EO) data can provide area-wide, spatially detailed and up-to-date geo-information on the distribution and intensity of land use in agricultural and grassland areas. This study introduces an operational, application-oriented approach towards the categorization of agricultural cropland and grassland based on a novel scheme combining multi-resolution EO data with ancillary geo-information available from currently existing databases. In this context, multi-seasonal high (HR) and medium resolution (MR) satellite imagery is used for both a land parcel-based determination of crop types as well as a cropland and grassland differentiation, respectively. In our experimental analysis, two HR IRS-P6 LISS3 images are first employed to delineate the field parcels in potential agricultural and grassland areas (determined according to the German Official Topographic Cartographic Information System – ATKIS). Next, a stack of seasonality indices is generated based on 5 image acquisitions (i.e., the two LISS scenes and three additional IRS-P6 AWiFS scenes). Finally, a C5.0 tree classifier is applied to identify main crop types and grassland based on the input imagery and the derived seasonality indices. The classifier is trained using sample points provided by the European Land Use/Cover Area Frame Survey (LUCAS). Experimental results for a test area in Germany assess the effectiveness of the proposed approach and demonstrate that a multi-scale and multi-temporal analysis of satellite data can provide spatially detailed and thematically accurate geo-information on crop types and the cropland-grassland distribution, respectively.
Planar Object Recognition Using Local Descriptor Based On Histogram Of Intensity Patches

The purpose of our research is to develop an application of augmented reality on mobile device that will be educative and entertaining for their users children. User will be asked for an input to take a picture from the book and the application will draw a supplementary information in the form of a 3D object on the screen. The key task of our application is the problem of image recognition on mobile platform using local descriptors. Currently available descriptors included in OpenCV library are well designed, some of them are scale and rotation invariant, but most of them are time and memory consuming and hence not suitable for mobile platform. Therefore we decided to develop a fast binary descriptor based on the Histogram of Intensity PatcheS (HIPs) originally proposed by Simon Taylor et al. To train the descriptor, we need a set of images derived from a reference picture taken under varying viewing conditions and geometry and therefore we have to take into account different scales, rotations and perform perspective transformations. Our descriptor is based on a histogram of intensity of the selected pixels around the key-point. We use this descriptor in the combination with the FAST key-point detector, where the most occurring key-points are used with the aim to reduce the computation time.
Supply, Demand and Monetary Policy Shocks in a Multi-Country New Keynesian Model

This paper estimates and solves a multi-country version of the standard DSGE New Keynesian (NK) model. The country-specific models include a Phillips curve determining inflation, an IS curve determining output, a Taylor Rule determining interest rates, and a real effective exchange rate equation. The IS equation includes a real exchange rate variable and a country-specific foreign output variable to capture direct inter-country linkages. In accord with the theory all variables are measured as deviations from their steady states, which are estimated as long-horizon forecasts from a reduced-form cointegrating global vector autoregression. The resulting rational expectations model is then estimated for 33 countries on data for 1980Q1-2006Q4, by inequality constrained IV, using lagged and contemporaneous foreign variables as instruments, subject to the restrictions implied by the NK theory. The multi-country DSGE NK model is then solved to provide estimates of identified supply, demand and monetary policy shocks. Following the literature, we assume that the within country supply, demand and monetary policy shocks are orthogonal, though shocks of the same type (e.g. supply shocks in different countries) can be correlated. We discuss estimation of impulse response functions and variance decompositions in such large systems, and present estimates allowing for both direct channels of international transmission through regression coefficients and indirect channels through error spillover effects. Bootstrapped error bands are also provided for the cross country responses of a shock to the US monetary policy.
Two anatomically specific classes of candidate cholinoceptive neurons in the rat olfactory bulb

The pharmacohistochemical technique of Butcher (1978) and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) immunocytochemistry were used to demonstrate the presence, morphology, and differential distribution of 2 classes of acetylcholinesterase (AChE)-positive, ChAT-negative neurons in the rat olfactory bulb. One population of these neurons is located preferentially in a stratum just deep to the mitral cell layer (mcl). These AChE-positive intramitral neurons are significantly larger than the predominant inframitral neuronal type, the granule cell. Inframitral AChE-positive neurons appear to send processes deeper into the granule cell layer and superficially into the external plexiform layer (epl), above the mcl. Neurophysiological experiments reported in a companion article are consistent with the existence of a population of cholinoceptive neurons with the location and characteristics of these large inframitral interneurons. A second class of AChE-positive, ChAT-negative neurons is found exclusively in the glomerular layer. These neurons are located primarily in the periglomerular region and the superficial third of the epl; they are somewhat larger than typical periglomerular cells. Juxtaglomerular AChE neurons are smaller than inframitral AChE neurons. Since there are no neurons in the olfactory bulb that produce ChAT, the synthetic enzyme for ACh, the AChE-positive cells reported here are hypothesized to be cholinoceptive neurons for the cholinergic projection from the basal forebrain to the olfactory bulb. Anatomical, physiological, and receptor-ligand binding data are consistent with this interpretation.
ACE spectrum of LDPC codes

Construction of short-length LDPC codes with good, both waterfall and error-floor, behavior is still an attractive research problem. Recently proposed construction algorithms in this field are based on remarkably simple ideas, but yet, their effectiveness can still be questioned. In this paper we investigate a novel measure of goodness of a given LDPC code namely its ACE spectrum, based on a previously introduced ACE metrics associated with each cycle in LDPC code graph.
Study of APT System for Laser Atmosphere Communication

Using the laser transmission characteristic in atmosphere channel and request for APT, a new type of APT system is designed for real time communication. Work principles of each part are discussed in details. On the basis of a new idea of target locating and tracking algorithm, specifically flow and corresponding tracking algorithms is designed in order to accomplish the beam acquisition pointing and tracking. QD model is built for treatment method of error. So the system is viable.
Oseltamivir compounding in the hospital pharmacy during the (H1N1) influenza pandemic

AIMS: Pandemics impose large demands on the health care system. The supply of appropriate chemotherapeutic agents, namely oseltamivir solution, presented a serious challenge in the recent influenza pandemic. This study reports on the rational series of pharmacotechnical steps that were followed to appropriately handle bulk oseltamivir powder to meet the increased demand. METHODS: During a six-week period in August and September of 2009, a task force was created in the Central Pharmacy of Hospital das Clínicas to convert imported oseltamivir phosphate into ready-to-use solution for utilization by physicians and public health authorities. The protocol included dissolution, physico-chemical tests and the bottling of a liquid microdose formulation for emergency room and outpatient dispensing with adequate quality control during all phases. RESULTS: The successful production routine was based on a specially designed flowchart according to which a batch of 33210 g of oseltamivir powder was converted into 32175 solution units during the aforementioned period with a net loss of only 2.6%. The end products were bottles containing 50 ml of 15 mg/mL oseltamivir solution. The measured concentration was stable and accurate (97.5% - 102.0% of the nominal value). The drug was prescribed as both a prophylactic and therapeutic agent. DISCUSSION: Hospital pharmacies are conventionally engaged in the manipulation of medical prescriptions and specialty drugs. They are generally responsible for only small-scale equipment used for manufacturing and quality-control procedures. The compounding of oseltamivir was a unique effort dictated by exceptional circumstances. CONCLUSION: The shortage of oseltamivir solution for clinical use was solved by emergency operationalization of a semi-industrial process in which bulk powder was converted into practical vials for prompt delivery.
Will your facebook post be engaging?

Social media has become the ideal platform for promotional activities of organizations. However, due to the volatility of social media, the wrong message posted at the wrong time can result in significant damage to hard-built brand image. This calls for a mechanism to gauge the reactions a post will evoke from a given social community. The community can vary from customers of a particular brand to brand loyalists interacting through its social pages (for example, on Facebook). In this paper, we focus on learning the community's reaction from past posts and providing a predictive model for gauging the reaction of the community before the post is published. This helps the marketer take better-informed decisions. Short-text posts in social media leads to a sparse feature space, we propose additional meta-features that improve reaction modeling. Given the feature representation, we discuss the possibility of casting the underlying problem under different paradigms - classification, regression and learning to rank. We study the performances of each of these paradigms on real data from Facebook. We will discuss the challenges involved, and ways to mitigate them, in addition to our observations, results and insights.
IntSide: a web server for the chemical and biological examination of drug side effects

SUMMARY Drug side effects are one of the main health threats worldwide, and an important obstacle in drug development. Understanding how adverse reactions occur requires knowledge on drug mechanisms at the molecular level. Despite recent advances, the need for tools and methods that facilitate side effect anticipation still remains. Here, we present IntSide, a web server that integrates chemical and biological information to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying drug side effects. IntSide currently catalogs 1175 side effects caused by 996 drugs, associated with drug features divided into eight categories, belonging to either biology or chemistry. On the biological side, IntSide reports drug targets and off-targets, pathways, molecular functions and biological processes. From a chemical viewpoint, it includes molecular fingerprints, scaffolds and chemical entities. Finally, we also integrate additional biological data, such as protein interactions and disease-related genes, to facilitate mechanistic interpretations. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION Our data and web resource are available online (http://intside.irbbarcelona.org/). CONTACT patrick.aloy@irbbarcelona.org SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
A Multi-level Dynamic Access Control Model and Its Formalization

It is a big challenge to establish a dynamic access control model to secure applications in open and dynamic environment. The dynamic feature of an access control system is sometimes related with that of applications of open environment. This paper analyzes first the reason that causes the dynamic change of access control systems and then proposes a five-level access control architecture which describes the relation between access control systems and applications, and also distinguishes two kinds of actions that may cause changes of the access control components and resources, respectively. This paper uses Role-based Access Control (RBAC) as a reference access control model and Web services as the example of applications so as to propose a special dynamic access control model. To give a formal representation of the two kind actions, this paper also proposes a dynamic description logic-based formalism.
Replacement Paths via Row Minima of Concise Matrices

Matrix $M$ is $k$-concise if the finite entries of each column of $M$ consist of $k$ or fewer intervals of identical numbers. We give an $O(n+m)$-time algorithm to compute the row minima of any $O(1)$-concise $n\times m$ matrix. Our algorithm yields the first $O(n+m)$-time reductions from the replacement-paths problem on an $n$-node $m$-edge undirected graph (respectively, directed acyclic graph) to the single-source shortest-paths problem on an $O(n)$-node $O(m)$-edge undirected graph (respectively, directed acyclic graph). That is, we prove that the replacement-paths problem is no harder than the single-source shortest-paths problem on undirected graphs and directed acyclic graphs. Moreover, our linear-time reductions lead to the first $O(n+m)$-time algorithms for the replacement-paths problem on the following classes of $n$-node $m$-edge graphs: (1) undirected graphs in the word-RAM model of computation, (2) undirected planar graphs, (3) undirected minor-closed graphs, and (4) directed acyclic graphs.
Information inquiry for research institutions: A semantic web based approach

Conventionally, when the administration needs to learn the work of its research institutions, the most popular form is handing out various survey reports. Due to the difference in the platforms and vocabularies used by research institutions and their administrations, it is hard to completely automate this task and thus it takes a lot of time for the institutions to manually fill out these reports. To fill this gap, this paper employs the semantic web technologies to develop an information inquiry system for research institutions. First, we extract and preprocess the entity information from the institutions. Then we use the ontology language to describe the logical relations between entities like organizations, people and projects. Thus an institution-oriented functional ontology is constructed, which is capable of logical reasoning. Next, with self-defined rules, we also incorporate the generic rule engine to realize the functionality of information retrieval. Finally, by treating this system as the service provider in the architecture of the semantic web services, we fulfill the separation of query content from query format and enable the interoperable machine-to-machine interaction over a network. Therefore, both the administrations and the institutions can use their own language to pose or process the query. Such a system not only demonstrates the power of semantic web, but also provides a portal for the exchange and sharing of information between research institutions and their administrations.