Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Paracetamol as a Post Prandial Marker for Gastric Emptying, A Food-Drug Interaction on Absorption

The use of paracetamol as tool to determine gastric emptying was evaluated in a cross over study. Twelve healthy volunteers were included and each of them consumed two low and two high caloric meals. Paracetamol was mixed with a liquid meal and administered by a nasogastric feeding tube. The post prandial paracetamol plasma concentration time curve in all participants and the paracetamol concentration in the stomach content in six participants were determined. It was found that after paracetamol has left the stomach, based on analysis of the stomach content, there was still a substantial rise in the plasma paracetamol concentration time curve. Moreover, the difference in gastric emptying between high and low caloric meals was missed using the plasma paracetamol concentration time curve. The latter curves indicate that (i) part of the paracetamol may leave the stomach much quicker than the meal and (ii) part of the paracetamol may be relatively slowly absorbed in the duodenum. This can be explained by the partition of the homogenous paracetamol-meal mixture in the stomach in an aqueous phase and a solid bolus. The aqueous phase leaves the stomach quickly and the paracetamol in this phase is quickly absorbed in the duodenum, giving rise to the relatively steep increase of the paracetamol concentration in the plasma. The bolus leaves the stomach relatively slowly, and encapsulation by the bolus results in relatively slow uptake of paracetamol from the bolus in the duodenum. These findings implicate that paracetamol is not an accurate post prandial marker for gastric emptying. The paracetamol concentration time curve rather illustrates the food-drug interaction on absorption, which is not only governed by gastric emptying. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01335503 Nederlands Trial Register NTR2780
Human posture recognition in video sequence using pseudo 2-D hidden Markov models

This paper describes a video surveillance system capable of recognizing human postures from video sequences. The system comprises of two key modules: human detection and posture classification. In the module of human detection, human blobs are extracted by the technique of background subtraction. An adaptive background model is employed to characterize the dynamics and complexity of outdoor scenes based on the mixture of Gaussians. In order to formulate the variations of human postures, pseudo 2D hidden Markov models (P2DHMM) is employed for representing and recognizing human postures based on its '2-D elastic matching' property. It is trained to differentiate human postures and tolerate the variations of the same human posture using embedded Viterbi and segmental K means algorithms. In the classification of human postures, observation sequence is extracted from current image frame. The probabilities of observation sequence corresponding to each P2DHMM model are computed by doubly embedded Viterbi optimization, and human blob is classified as the human posture with the highest likelihood.
Requirements Analysis and Prototyping using Scenarios and Statecharts

This paper shows a way to model the requirements of a business information system using scenarios and statecharts. Inconsistency and redundancy problems are avoided by generating the scenarios from an integrated structured state chart model. The approach uses precise action semantics, supports changing requirements and enables seamless generation of a fully functional prototype for end user requirements validation. The method is currently being implemented in the STAMP tool (State Modeling and Prototyping).
Successive Duplicate Detection in Scalable Datasets in Cloud Database

Replica identification is the path toward perceiving various depictions of same true matters. Today, duplication location methodologies needed process ever greater datasets in ever shorter time: keeping this idea on dataset ends up being dynamically troublesome. To present, dynamic duplicate and distinguishing by proof figuring happened to be using Progressive Sorted Neighbourhood Method and Progressive Blocking augmentations more profitability occurred in order to find duplicates. If the execution time is restricted then the grow of general technique considers the time accessible and generates reports that considerably produces results faster than ordinary systems. Broad examinations exhibit that our dynamic counts can twofold the capability after some season of standard copy recognition and basically improve related work.
Fibrous nanoinclusions in massive rose quartz: The origin of rose coloration

Abstract Pink nanofibers were extracted from rose quartz from 29 different pegmatitic and massive vein localities throughout the world. Their width varied from 0.1 to 0.5 μm. On the basis of optical absorption spectra of the fibers and the initial rose quartz, we conclude that these nanofibrous inclusions are the cause of coloration of massive rose quartz worldwide. These fibers do not occur in the rare, euhedral variety of pink quartz. Redox and heating experiments showed that the pink color of the fibers is due to Fe-Ti intervalence charge transfer that produces an optical absorption band at 500 nm. Based on the XRD patterns and characteristics of pleochroism, the best match for these inclusions is dumortierite. However, FTIR and Raman spectra consistently did not exactly match the standard dumortierite patterns, suggesting that this fibrous nano-phase may not be dumortierite itself, but rather a closely related material.
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF URL ROUTING: FOR CONTENT DISTRIBUTION NETWORKS

As the World Wide Web continues to grow in size, content is being co-located throughout the world in Content Distribution Networks (CDNs). These CDNs need entirely new methods of distributing client requests. The idea of a URL router has been introduced and in this dissertation the performance of URL routing is addressed. A URL router that uses HTTP redirection to automatically forward requests is architected. Significant open problems are finding effective ways to (1) reduce the size of the routing table, and (2) perform fast routing look-ups. These two problems must be solved in order for CDNs to become fully viable and thus are of significant interest. The first problem is solved by proposing the use of CRC32 as a means of reducing the length of a URL (typically 50 bytes) to a four-byte signature. The CRC32 method is shown to require less CPU resources, generate equal or smaller size digests, achieve equal collision rates, and simplify switching when compared to existing MD5-Bloom and CRC19 methods. The second open problem is solved by a new “Aggressive” hashing algorithm. The average look-up time performance of Aggressive hashing is compared to that of simple chain hashing and self-adjusting H1 hashing. Aggressive hashing outperforms in look-up time simple chain hashing by a factor of 16 and H1 by a factor of about two. A major contribution of this dissertation is studying the queueing behavior of hashing algorithms. A simulation model was designed as a single server queueing system where the arrival rate is determined by an HTTP trace and the service time by hash table look up. For a constant throughput, the new Aggressive hashing method exhibits 27 times shorter mean queue length than simple chain hashing and about two times shorter than H1 hashing. For constant utilization, the results were surprising in that H1 and Aggressive result in several magnitudes difference in mean queue length. The isolated cause for this counter-intuitive result is the high level of autocorrelation in the H1 hashing look-up time. In conclusion, CRC32 URL signatures and Aggressive hashing are the best methods for designing the next generation of URL routers to enable future growth of the Internet.
Optimal decision fusion for verification of face sequences

Face sequence contains more information of the user than a single face image. In this paper, optimal decision fusion is proposed to verify the face sequences, based on the original verification system for a single face image. We show by experiments that optimal decision fusion is a simple but effective approach, and that the performance of the original verification system can be significantly boosted by introducing face sequences and applying optimal decision fusion on them.
The effects of childhood abuse on adult relationships

THE EFFECTS OF CHILDHOOD ABUSE ON ADULT RELATIONSHIPS Dela Monahan Under the Supervision of Dr. Patricia L. Bromley This paper examines the many effects that childhood abuse has during the time of the abuse in childhood, as well as later in adulthood. Abuse has many definitions and many forms. Its effects sometimes last throughout a person’s lifetime. Abuse survivors often encounter problems in adulthood. These include low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, hypervigilance, lack of attachment or trust in others, drug and alcohol abuse and re-enacting the abuse toward others. Healing from past trauma is possible by working on the trauma related issues with a licensed therapist. Finding a trauma specialist is important when recovering from childhood abuse and trauma, and with the correct treatment individuals are able to continue their lives in a healthy positive way by building and maintaining healthy relationships with others that do not involve abuse and/or maltreatment.
NSF Workshop on Future Directions in Nano-Scale Systems, Dynamics and Control

This report contains the findings of the first NSF workshop on the newly emerging area of nano-scale systems, dynamics and control. This workshop brought together many leading researchers from various disciplines and background for discussing the current status, future research directions, and potential applications of this new field. After giving a general background on nano-scale dynamics and systems, research problems and open issues related to Scanning Probe Microscopy dynamics and controls, nanomanipulation systems, directed self-assembly, nano-manufacturing, micro/nano-robotics, nanoelectromechanical sensors and devices, micro/nano-electromechanical systems integrated with biological entities, and nano-scale human-machine interfacing are discussed. Next, current and future educational initiative possibilities are addressed. Finally, promising future directions and challenges are summarized, and ongoing workshop, symposium and invited session organizations in the IEEE and ASME conferences are reported.
Supporting the Learning Process with Collaborative Concept Mapping Using Computer-Based Communication Tools and Processes

University students are too often challenged by their limited skills in application, investigation, relational thinking, and communication of ideas. In this study, we have combined 3 tools that potentially can support and foster students’ development in the above mentioned areas through student collaboration, concept mapping, and electronic technologies. The participants in this study were 26 students in two intact classes in learning theories. In groups of 3 to 5 students, they were asked to generate 3 concept maps and accompanying prose over the term on 3 major issues in the field of learning. Through the use of interviews, questionnaires, and student generated concept maps, students reportedly enjoyed concept mapping for its organizational and relational properties but preferred sharing their concept maps and dialoguing with one another in a synchronous mode where immediate feedback and flow of thinking could be maintained when involved in constructing maps. Moreover, they did not like the redundancy offered by both prose and concept map outputs, suggesting that while concept mapping can be an arena for generating and generally structuring ideas, prose can be a means of communicating such ideas in a form that is common to most people. This is particularly important for teachers and students who have difficulty navigating through maps alone.
A Little Goes a Long Way: A Simple Tool to Support Denotational Compiler-Correctness Proofs

In a series of papers in the early 80's we proposed a paradigm for semantics-based compiler correctness. In this paradigm, the source and target languages are given denotational semantics in the same-theory, so correctness proofs can be carried out within this theory. In many cases, the proofs have a highly structured form. We show how a simple proof strategy, based on an algorithm for-matching, can be used to build a tool that can automate the routine cases of these proofs.
Galanin Transgenic Mice with Elevated Circulating Galanin Levels Alleviate Demyelination in a Cuprizone-Induced MS Mouse Model

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS) with a presumed autoimmune etiology. Approved treatments for MS are immunoregulatory and are able to reduce the inflammatory components of the disease. However, these treatments do not suppress progressive clinical disability. Approaches that directly protect myelin-producing oligodendrocytes and enhance remyelination are likely to improve long-term outcomes and reduce the rate of axonal damage. Galanin (GAL) is a bioactive neuropeptide that is widely distributed throughout the nervous system and has diverse neuromodulatory effects. In this study, using the cuprizone (CPZ) demyelination model of MS, we demonstrate that GAL has pronounced neuroprotective effects with respect to demyelination and remyelination. Using our GAL transgenic mouse (GAL-Tg), we identified a novel attenuation of OLs against CPZ induced demyelination, which was exerted independently of progenitor cells. Alleviation of myelin breakdown in the GAL-Tg mice was observed to be significant. Furthermore, we observed changes in the expression of the GAL receptor GalR1 during the demyelination and remyelination processes. Our data strongly indicate that GAL has the capacity to influence the outcome of primary insults that directly target OLs, as opposed to cases where immune activation is the primary pathogenic event. Taken together, these results suggest that GAL is a promising next-generation target for the treatment of MS.
Egg ovotransferrin‐derived ACE inhibitory peptide IRW increases ACE2 but decreases proinflammatory genes expression in mesenteric artery of spontaneously hypertensive rats

Scope Egg ovotransferrin‐derived angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory peptide IRW was previously shown to reduce blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats through reduced vascular inflammation and increased nitric oxide‐mediated vasorelaxation. The main objective of the present study was to investigate the molecular mechanism of this peptide through transcriptome analysis by RNAseq technique. Methods and results Total RNA was extracted from kidney and mesenteric arteries; the RNAseq libraries (from untreated and IRW‐treated groups) were constructed and subjected to sequence using HiSeq 2000 system (Illumina) system. A total of 12 764 and 13 352 genes were detected in kidney and mesenteric arteries, respectively. The differentially expressed (DE) genes between untreated and IRW‐treated groups were identified and the functional analysis through ingenuity pathway analysis revealed a greater role of DE genes identified from mesenteric arteries than that of kidney in modulating various cardiovascular functions. Subsequent qPCR analysis further confirmed that IRW significantly increased the expression of ACE‐2, ABCB‐1, IRF‐8, and CDH‐1 while significantly decreased the expression ICAM‐1 and VCAM‐1 in mesenteric arteries. Conclusion Our research showed for the first time that ACE inhibitory peptide IRW could contribute to its antihypertensive activity through increased ACE2 and decreased proinflammatory genes expression.
First-order differential microphone array for robust speech enhancement

This paper presents a novel speech enhancement method based on first-order differential microphone array (DMA) system. The enhancement algorithm is implemented in three steps. In the first step, a time-delay of arrival (TDOA) estimator is used to determine the time difference between two microphone signals, and the intrinsic delay parameter of DMA is adjusted accordingly. In the second step, DMA speech enhancement algorithm, including low frequency compensation based least mean square (LFC-LMS) filtering and correlation detection based voice activity detection (CD-VAD), is utilized to eliminate background noise from desired speech. In the last step, DMA output will be filtered by a post-filter in order to remove residual noise, if necessary. Experiments with both simulated and real environmental data indicate that the time-delay can be robustly estimated by the TDOA estimator, and the proposed system performs well and robustly even in adverse noisy environment when the input SNR is lower than 0 dB.
Predictive validity of health-related fitness in youth: a systematic review

The objective of the present systematic review was to investigate whether physical fitness in childhood and adolescence is a predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, events and syndromes, quality of life and low back pain later in life. Physical fitness-related components were: cardiorespiratory fitness, musculoskeletal fitness, motor fitness and body composition. Adiposity was considered as both exposure and outcome. The results of 42 studies reporting the predictive validity of health-related physical fitness for CVD risk factors, events and syndromes as well as the results of five studies reporting the predictive validity of physical fitness for low back pain in children and adolescents were summarised. Strong evidence was found indicating that higher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness in childhood and adolescence are associated with a healthier cardiovascular profile later in life. Muscular strength improvements from childhood to adolescence are negatively associated with changes in overall adiposity. A healthier body composition in childhood and adolescence is associated with a healthier cardiovascular profile later in life and with a lower risk of death. The evidence was moderate for the association between changes in cardiorespiratory fitness and CVD risk factors, and between cardiorespiratory fitness and the risk of developing the metabolic syndrome and arterial stiffness. Moderate evidence on the lack of a relationship between body composition and low back pain was found. Due to a limited number of studies, inconclusive evidence emerged for a relationship between muscular strength or motor fitness and CVD risk factors, and between flexibility and low back pain.
Understanding Legislative Speech in the Turkish Parliament: Reconsidering the Electoral Connection under Proportional Representation

We aim to address two weaknesses of the growing literature on legislative debate and legislative behaviour. First, most studies on legislative speech focus on the role of party unity and individual dissent on speech-making behaviour and largely ignore the role of legislators’ own calculations regarding their electoral vulnerability. Secondly, research on legislative behaviour that studies mechanisms other than legislative speech usually explores the role of electoral incentives where there is Single Member District (SMD) or open list system, and largely neglects closed list proportional representation systems with multi-member districts. We suggest that, similar to SMD and single transferable vote systems, the electoral vulnerability of individual legislators provides incentives to nurture a personal reputation and signals their efforts to their constituents and party leadership. Using a novel dataset of parliamentary speeches in the Turkish Parliament (2007–2011), we demonstrate that legislators who are electorally more vulnerable participate more in legislative debate, and are more likely to deliver constituency-related speeches.
The molecular environment of the massive star forming region NGC 2024: Multi CO transition analysis

NGC 2024, a sites of massive star formation, have complex internal structures caused by cal heating by young stars, outflows, and stellar winds. These complex cloud structures lead to intricate emission line shapes. The goal of this paper is to show that the complex line shapes of 12 CO lines in NGC 2024 can be explained consistently with a model, whose temperature and velocity structure are based on the well-established scenario of a PDR and the Blister model. We present velocity-resolved spectra of seven CO lines ranging from J=3 to J=13, and we combined these data with CO high-frequency data from the ISO satellite. We find that the bulk of the molecular cloud associated with NGC 2024 consists of warm (75 K) and dense (9e5 cm-3) gas. An additional hot (~ 300 K) component, located at the interface of the HII region and the molecular cloud, is needed to explain the emission of the high-J CO lines. Deep absorption notches indicate that very cold material (20 K) exists in front of the warm material, too. A temperature and column density structure consistent with those predicted by PDR models, combined with the velocity structure of a Blister model, appropriately describes the observed emission line profiles of this massive star forming region. This case study of NGC 2024 shows that, with physical insights into these complex regions and careful modeling, multi-line observations of CO can be used to derive detailed physical conditions in massive star forming regions.
Viable “Haemophilus somnus” Induces Myosin Light-Chain Kinase-Dependent Decrease in Brain Endothelial Cell Monolayer Resistance

ABSTRACT “Haemophilus somnus” causes thrombotic meningoencephalitis in cattle. Our laboratory has previously reported that H. somnus has the ability to adhere to, but not invade, bovine brain endothelial cells (BBEC) in vitro. The goal of this study was to determine if H. somnus alters brain endothelial cell monolayer integrity in vitro, in a manner that would be expected to contribute to inflammation of the central nervous system (CNS). Monolayer integrity was monitored by measuring transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER) and albumin flux. BBEC incubated with H. somnus underwent rapid cytoskeletal rearrangement, significant increases in albumin flux, and reductions in TEER. Decreased monolayer TEER was preceded by phosphorylation of the myosin regulatory light chain and was partially dependent on tumor necrosis factor alpha and myosin light-chain kinase but not interleukin-1β. Neither heat-killed H. somnus, formalin-fixed H. somnus, nor purified lipooligosaccharide altered monolayer integrity within a 2-h incubation period, whereas conditioned medium from H. somnus-treated BBEC caused a modest reduction in TEER. The data from this study support the hypothesis that viable H. somnus alters integrity of the blood-brain barrier by promoting contraction of BBEC and increasing paracellular permeability of the CNS vasculature.