Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Message in a bottle: claims disputes and the reconciliation of precaution and weight-of-evidence in the regulation of risks from Bisphenol A in Canada

In this article, we examine scientific and political controversies surrounding the assessment and management of environmental health risks from the substance Bisphenol A. The Government of Canada recently declared the substance toxic and implemented a ban of baby bottles containing Bisphenol A to reduce infant exposures despite objections from industry, some scientists and policy makers in other jurisdictions that the current weight-of-evidence does not justify these measures. Bisphenol A was reviewed under Canada's Chemicals Management Plan whereby the government is legally obligated to use a scientific weight-of-evidence and precautionary approach. However, tensions remain over how to distinguish and reconcile the two. We analysed peer review literatures, policy and legal documents, and key informant interview transcripts to determine evidence selection, contested claims and related efforts undertaken to have particular interpretations of weight-of-evidence and precaution legitimised. We discuss various factors within the Canadian context that influenced the trajectory of claims-making disputes, including how ‘weight-of-evidence’ and ‘precaution’ were employed. We advance understandings of why Canada became the first national government to declare Bisphenol A toxic, an internationally contentious, albeit increasingly precedent setting, policy response. We also identify the need for a better understanding of the science base of precautionary ideals and how uncertainty is normatively and factually negotiated with respect to harm, exposure and hazard matters. We argue improving regulatory deliberation requires enhancing the transparency and democratic scrutiny of expert-driven assessments given that the boundaries between that which is normative versus objective, technical versus political, scientific versus precautionary, are not always distinct or agreed upon.
Estimation and Closed-Loop Control of COG/ZMP in Biped Devices Blending CoP Measures and Kinematic Information

The zero moment point ( Z M P ) and the linearized inverted pendulum model linking the Z M P to the center of gravity ( C O G ) have an important role in the control of the postural equilibrium (balance) of biped robots and lower-limb exoskeletons. A solution for balance real time control, closing the loop from the joint actual values of the C O G and Z M P , has been proposed by Choi. However, this approach cannot be practically implemented: While the Z M P actual value is available from the center of pressure ( C o P ) measured under the feet soles, the C O G is not measurable, but it can only be indirectly assessed from the joint-angle measures, the knowledge of the kinematics, and the usually poorly known weight distribution of the links of the chain. Finally, the possible presence of unknown external disturbance forces and the nonlinear, complex nature of the kinematics perturb the simple relationship between the Z M P and C O G in the linearized model. The aim of this paper is to offer, starting from Choi’s model, a practical implementation of closed-loop balance control fusing C o P and joint-angle measures, eliminating possible inconsistencies. In order to achieve this result, we introduce a model of the linearized inverted pendulum for an extended estimation, not only of C O G and Z M P , but also of external disturbances. This model is then used, instead of Choi’s equations, for estimation and balance control, using H ∞ theory. As the C O G information is recovered from the joint-angle measures, the identification of a statistically equivalent serial chain ( S E S C ) linking the C O G to the joint angles is also discussed.
Leveraging Human Learning in Interactive Data Exploration

As most users cannot precisely express their information needs over databases, Database Management Systems (DBMS) are not able to satisfy their information needs eﬀectively. Recent study shows that users leverage reinforcement learning methods to better express their information needs in the form of queries over the course of their interaction with the DBMS[10]. Such interaction between a user and DBMS can be naturally modeled as a game with identical interest between two rational agents whose goal is to establish a common language for representing information needs in the form of queries. Also, recent approaches for characterizing low-level user interactions in visual analytic tasks[5, 1] inspired us to gain semantic understanding of user interactions with the Data Exploration System (DES) and changes in user strategy at diﬀerent stages of exploration. Based on such a framework, we build a DES for complex data exploration tasks that adapts user learning during diﬀerent stages of exploration accordingly and help users to ﬁnd their desired patterns easily and eﬀectively.
Extraction of Sentiment Targets of Chinese Micro-blog Based on Dependency Parsing and Derogatory and Commendatory Direction Tendency(DCDT)

This paper describes our (NJU-NLP) participation for the evaluation of the 1 CCF Conference on Natural Language Processing & Chinese Computing. We submit results for all three subtasks of the sentiment analysis of Chinese micro-blog task, including opinion sentences recognition, sentiment tendency analysis, and sentiment targets extraction. In opinion sentences recognition and sentiment tendency analysis, we use tokenization and emotional directories to recognize the opinion sentences and judge the sentiment tendency of each opinion sentence. In sentiment targets extraction, we use the rules of Derogatory and Commendatory Direction Tendency(DCDT) of sentiment words to acquire the sentiment targets. This paper makes a detailed description of our system, as well as the evaluation results.
Two Stream Deep Network for Document Image Classification

This paper presents a novel two-stream approach for document image classification. The proposed approach leverages textual and visual modalities to classify document images into ten categories, including letter, memo, news article, etc. In order to alleviate dependency of textual stream on performance of underlying OCR (which is the case with general content based document image classifiers), we utilize a filter based feature-ranking algorithm. This algorithm ranks the features of each class based on their ability to discriminate document images and selects a set of top 'K' features that are retained for further processing. In parallel, the visual stream uses deep CNN models to extract structural features of document images.Finally, textual and visual streams are concatenated together using an average ensembling method. Experimental results reveal that the proposed approach outperforms the state-of-the-art system with a significant margin of 4.5% on publicly available Tobacco-3482 dataset.
Patients and Health Care Providers' Concerns about the Privacy of Electronic Health Records: A Review of the Literature

Topic area: Patients and Health Care Providers' Concerns about the security of Electronic Health Records. Background: Electronic Health Records hold the potential for great improvements in healthcare provision yet take-up in North American remains slow behind Australia and Europe. We believe that one of the reasons for this is the lack of attention to privacy concerns. Method: A structured literature review was undertaken to identify the current state of knowledge concerning patients and health care provider's perspectives on privacy and the EHR. 21 papers were ultimately identified and are summarized here. Results: Two main themes were identified: General concerns with the security of EHRs and specific concerns regarding sharing information within EHRs. Discussion: In general patients were less concerned with the privacy and security of their personal health information within EHRs than their HCPs were. However, this leaves an interesting conundrum for us to consider: Do we have a duty to protect patients even from themselves with regards to the sharing of their personal health information?
CONTRIBUTIONS TO KNOWLEDGE OF CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF EGGS LAID BY HENS REARED IN LOFT

Establishment of chemical composition for albumen, yolk and mineral shell was realised on eggs gathered at four different ages (20, 31, 40 and 60 weeks) from birds belonging to ISA Brown hen hybrid, reared in two systems: battery and respectively loft; both birds’ batches having the same maintenance and feeding conditions. The obtained results shown the fact that regarding chemical composition of yolk and albumen weren’t significant differences between those two batches. However, in case of eggs laid by hens exploited in loft were founded higher levels for content in dry matter of yolk (9.08 g vs. 8.99 g for eggs from battery) and albumen (4.18 g vs. 4.16 g), but also for proteins from yolk (2.69 g vs. 2.65 g) and from albumen (3.48 g vs. 3.46 g). Mineral substances from shell of eggs laid by birds reared in loft were founded into a quantity of 6.94 g, and at the eggs gathered from battery was 6.73 g, hence the significant differences between batches. In conclusion, we can say that loft rearing system allow to obtain eggs with a better chemical content face to rearing in battery.
’ s response to reviews Title : Association between benign thyroid disease and breast cancer : a single center experience

Title: Association between benign thyroid disease and breast cancer: a single center experience Authors: Chiara Dobrinja (ch_dobrinja@yahoo.it) Serena Scomersi (serena.scomersi@asuits.sanita.fvg.it) Fabiola Giudici (fgiudici@units.it) Giulia Vallon (giuliavallon@gmail.com) Alessio Lanzaro (lanzaroalessio86@yahoo.it) Marina Troian (marina_troian@yahoo.it) Deborah Bonazza (deborah.bonazza@asuits.sanita.fvg.it) Andrea Romano (andrea.romano@asuits.sanita.fvg.it) Fabrizio Zanconati (fabrizio.zanconati@asuits.sanita.fvg.it) Nicolò de Manzini (ndemanzini@units.it) Marina Bortul (m.bortul@fmc.units.it) Version: 2 Date: 17 Jul 2019 Author’s response to reviews: Trieste, July 17, 2019 Dear Ciaran Martin Fitzpatrick, BMC Endocrine Disorders
Cuidados del paciente cardiópata tras una intervención coronaria percutánea

Summary At present, new indications and frontiers of interventional cardiology led to percutaneous treatment of a wide spectrum of patients who require myocardial revascularization. The physician must understand the potential benefits, procedural characteristics, and risks of percutaneous coronary intervention. In this paper, we review general concepts concerning coronary angioplasty.
Renewables and Innovation

This study is about structural change in the energy system. By focusing on different green technology industries (GT sector) in Germany, we analyze how policy induced demand stimulates innovation. Taking the size of the market as a proxy for demand and patent counts as a proxy for innovation, we find support that the presence of institutions enabling diffusion of GTs are correlated with innovative activity. We additionally control for a structural break by comparing the two institutional settings in cooperated into the legal system in Germany, namely the Stromeinspeisegesetz (SEG) and the Erneuerbare Energiengesetz (EEG). We cannot find support for the supposition of a structural break by comparing the SEG with the EEG. The empirical findings also show that electricity prices are not the driving force for innovative activity within the GT sector. ∗I gratefully acknowledge helpful comments by Andreas Freytag, Frenken Koen, Guido Buenstorf and Jan Nill. I thank Christina Klose, Lutz Märker and Nils Laub for research assistance.
HPLC Quantitative Analysis Method for the Determination of α-Mangostin in Mangosteen Fruit Rind Extract

The fruit rind extract of mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana Linn.) of which a major active component is α-mangostin, has been popularly used in food supplements and herbal cosmetic preparations. α-Mangostin is used as a marker quantitative analysis and standardization of the raw materials and preparation from this plant. The precise method for analysis of plant constituents is normally a reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC). The aims of this study were to develop and validate a RP-HPLC method for determination of α-mangostin content in the extracts of mangosteen fruit rind. Chromatographic separation was carried out on a Hypersil BDS C-18 column (4.6 x 250 mm, 5 μm) at room temperature using a gradient mobile phase consisting of 70-80 % acetonitrile in 0.1 %v/v ortho phosphoric acid at the flow rate of 1 mL min with a UV detection at 320 nm. The method was validated for linearity, precision, accuracy, limit of detection (LOD), and limit of quantitation (LOQ). The linearity of the proposed method was found in the range of 10–200 μg mL with regression coefficient 0.9999. Intraday and interday precision studies showed the relative standard deviation less than 2 %. Accuracy of the method was determined by a recovery study conducted at 3 different levels, and the average recovery was 100.01 %. The LOD and LOQ were 0.06 and 0.17 μg mL, respectively. Two samples of mangosteen fruit rind were separately extracted and analyzed using validated HPLC method. The contents of α-mangostin in the crude extracts and dried powder were within the ranges of 8.36 – 10.04 and 1.84 – 2.47 %w/w, respectively. This developed HPLC method was proven to be precise, specific, sensitive, and accurate for routine quality assessment of raw material of mangosteen fruit rind, its extract, and products.
Effects of Project-Based Learning on Teachers’ Information Teaching Sustainability and Ability

In the context of the Internet for education, informatized teaching has become the most basic and critical ability of teachers. The application of advanced information technology in education means that the improvement in teaching ability requires instructors to better utilize teaching and learning opportunities. Project-based learning is an inquiry-based learning method that embodies learning by doing. With respect to the training of informatization teaching for pre-service teachers, we choose three aspects: information-based instructional design, information-based teaching resource integration, and information-based teaching evaluation, respectively, from PowerPoint (PPT) skills, multimedia courseware production, and micro lectures. This study explores three experimental projects and undertakes detailed empirical growth research on the cultivation of pre-service teachers. We were able to enhance the informatization teaching design ability of pre-service teachers with the training of PPT skills. In this experiment, we found that integration of information-based teaching resources can be improved by the integration of multimedia courseware production. Information teaching evaluation can be improved through micro lecture production. The mechanism provides a more feasible and practical strategy for the training of pre-service teachers in their informatization teaching ability.
FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF FLOATING MATRIX TABLET FOR CONTROLLED DRUG RELEASE

The present investigation concerns the development of floating drug delivery system (FDDS) of diltiazem hydrochloride, which is designed to increase the gastric residence time, thus prolonging the drug release with localized drug action. Hydroxy propyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) of different viscosity grades and drug in different ratios were used to prepare floating matrix tablets by wet granulation technique. The prepared floating matrix tablets were evaluated for various parameters like hardness, friability, uniformity of weight, uniformity of drug content, drug-polymer interaction studies, in vitro floating studies, in vitro drug release and short term stability studies. The drug-polymer ratio, viscosity grades of HPMC and gas generating agents were found to influence the drug release and floating properties of the prepared floating matrix tablets. The floating properties and drug release characteristics were determined for the prepared floating matrix tablets in 0.1N HCl as dissolution media. All the floating tablet formulations showed good in vitro floating properties with an optimum concentration of gas generating agents, sodium bicarbonate and citric acid. The rate of drug release decreased with increased polymer concentration. It was found that HPMC viscosity had a significant impact on the drug release from the prepared floating matrix tablets. The decrease in the release rate was observed with an increase in the polymeric system. Among the three viscosity grades of HPMC (K4M, K15M and K100M), HPMC K4M along with microcrystalline cellulose as diluent was found to be beneficial in improving the drug release rate and floating properties. Regression analysis of drug dissolution profiles on the basis of Higuchi’s and Korsmeyer peppas model indicated that diffusion is the predominant mechanism controlling the drug release.
NUMERICAL SIMULATIONS OF VISCOELASTIC FLUID FLOWS IN A PLANAR CROSS-SLOT GEOMETRY

In this work, a square-root formulation is implemented in a finite-volume numerical code and used to simulate the flow of an Oldroyd-B viscoelastic fluid in a channel and a planar cross-slot geometries. These results are validated by comparing them to previous numerical results, obtained using a standard extra-stress tensor formulation and also to analytic solution, in order to exhibit the benefits of the square-root formulation for the studied geometries.
Robustness of Plant Recognition Based on Active Shape Models

Computer vision is often used in research of plant recognition, as a camera is a very powerful sensor at a relatively low cost. Recently, the use of active shape models for plant recognition has shown promising results when used for off-line weed mapping. The advantage is that active shape models cover the whole plant and do not require any segmentation of the image. Our objective is to use active shape models in an on-line weeding robot, which requires real-time implementation. Therefore, the number of searches required to obtain the best match needs to be minimized. This makes demands on where to start the searches relatively to the object to be recognized. To start a search, an initial active shape model must be placed at the starting position of the search. The initial model is described by a set of pose parameters, namely the position, the rotation angle and the scale. Preliminary values of these parameters must be estimated prior to the search. The sensitivity of the search result, depending on these parameters, is analyzed in order to investigate how accurate the initial model needs to be placed. This paper presents an investigation of the robustness of the search result depending on these parameters when using active shape models for classifying sugar beet plants. An active shape model has been built, using 14 images of sugar beet plants. An evaluation of the sensitivity in position, rotation angle and scale is performed on a test set of 50 images. The test results show a high correspondence between the plant and the reshaped model if the size parameter sets an initial model that is less than twice the plant size, the position is centered within a radius of 23% of the plant size and the rotation angle of the initial model is +/18.5 degrees from the plant angle.
Facial expression recognition from nao robot within a memory training program for individuals with mild cognitive impairment

Mild Cognitive Impairment refers to a borderline state between healthy aging and dementia. Memory-training program plays a crucial role in the reduction of the possible conversion in dementia and a robot mediated memory training is useful to overcome limits of traditional programs. The present study addresses the effectiveness of a system in automatically recognize facial expression from video recorded sessions of a robot mediated memory training lasted 2 months involving 21 patients. The system is able to recognize facial expressions from group sessions handling partially occluded faces. Findings showed that in all participants the system is able to recognize facial expressions.
A Common Fixed Point Theorem For Occasionally Weakly Compatible Mappings In Fuzzy Metric Spaces With The (Clr)-Property

The aim of this paper is that to prove a common fixed point theorem for a two pairs of occasionally weakly compatible mappings in fuzzy metric space by using the property. Our results improvised and extended the results of Chauhan et al.[3] and Sedghi et al.[33]along with several well known results in literature. Mathematics Subject Classification: 47H10, 57H25
Comparison of regression models based on nonparametric estimation techniques: Prediction of GDP in Turkey

In this study, it has been discussed the comparision of nonparametric models based on prediction of GDP (Domestic Product) per capita prediction in Turkey. It has been considered two alternative situations due to seasonal effects. In the first case, it is discussed a semi-parametric model where parametric component is dummy variable for the seasonality. Smoothing spline and regression spline methods have been used for prediction of the semi-parametric models. In the second case, it is considered the seasonal component to be a smooth function of time, and therefore, the model falls within the class of additive models. The results obtained by semiparametric regression models are compared to those obtained by additive nonparametric. Key wordsPrediction; nonparametric techniques; semi-parametric models; additive models; smoothing spline.
Inclusion Complexation of Indomethacin with Hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin

Inclusion Complexation of Indomethacin with Hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin Jiradej Manosroi [a,b,c], Charinya Chankhampan [a], Kuncoro Foe [d], Maria Goretti Apriyani [d], Worapaka Manosroi [e] and Aranya Manosroi[a,b,c] [a] Manose Health and Beauty Research Center, Muang, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand. [b] Natural Products Research and Development Center (NPRDC), Science and Technology Research Institute (STRI), Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand. [c] Faculty of Pharmacy, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand. [d] Faculty of Pharmacy, Widya Mandala Surabaya Catholic University, Surabaya 60265 Indonesia. [e] Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand. *Author for correspondence; e-mail: a.manosroi@gmail.com, pmpti005@chiangmai.ac. th
Characterization of Socotra (Yemen) honey bees (Apis mellifera) using morphometric and genetic markers.

The honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) from Socotra archipelago (Yemen) has been characterized based on 32 morphometrical characters and on the sequence analysis of the tRNAleu COII intergenic region of the mtDNA. Morphometric clustering by discriminant analysis grouped almost all honey bees from Socotra (93.8%) with Apis mellifera litorea Smith reference samples; however one of these samples was allocated with Apis mellifera jemenitica Ruttner (6.2%). Consistently, sequences of the tRNAleu COII intergenic region of the Socotran samples (n = 2) were identical with Somalian honey bee (Acc: O1d FJ477995, A. m. litorea), and the sequences had a Po element and one sequence repeat of the Q element. This indicates that the honey bee from Socotra belongs to the Z subgroup of the A lineage (formerly was part of the O lineage). Morphometric and sequence analyses clearly supports the statement that the native honey bee of Socotra is not the same as the bees called A. m. jemenitica from, Ethiopia, Yemen, Chad, Oman, Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Uganda, and Sudan, which were used as reference samples in this study.