Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spectrum shape elements model to correct color and hyperspectral images

This paper presents a novel model of spectrum shape elements for correction of non-isoplanatic deviation in illumination. The model is applicable for color and hyperspectral images. We propose a technique for identification of the correction transform on the set of spectrum shape elements with the Hausdorff metric. In addition, a necessary condition, which allows obtaining an adequate form of the color correction transformation, is presented and theoretically proved. The experimental testing was performed on real color images and AVIRIS hyperspectral remote sensing data. The results show high quality of the proposed color correction technique.
The very large amplifiable element AUD2 from Streptomyces lividans 66 has insertion sequence-like repeats at its ends

In a spontaneous, chloramphenicol-sensitive (Cms), arginine-auxotrophic (Arg-) mutant of Streptomyces lividans 1326, two amplified DNA sequences were found. One of them was the well-characterized 5.7-kb ADS1 sequence, amplified to about 300 copies per chromosome. The second one was a 92-kb sequence called ADS2. ADS2 encoding the previously isolated mercury resistance genes of S. lividans was amplified to around 20 copies per chromosome. The complete ADS2 sequence was isolated from a genomic library of the mutant S. lividans 1326.32, constructed in the phage vector lambda EMBL4. In addition, the DNA sequences flanking the corresponding amplifiable element called AUD2 in the wild-type strain were isolated by using another genomic library prepared from S. lividans 1326 DNA. Analysis of the ends of AUD2 revealed the presence of an 846-bp sequence on both sides repeated in the same orientation. Each of the direct repeats ended with 18-bp inverted repeated sequences. This insertion sequence-like structure was confirmed by the DNA sequence determined from the amplified copy of the direct repeats which demonstrated a high degree of similarity of 65% identity in nucleic acid sequence to IS112 from Streptomyces albus. The recombination event leading to the amplification of AUD2 occurred within these direct repeats, as shown by DNA sequence analysis. The amplification of AUD2 was correlated with a deletion on one side of the flanking chromosomal region beginning very near or in the amplified DNA. Strains of S. lividans like TK20 and TK21 which are mercury sensitive have completely lost AUD2 together with flanking chromosomal DNA on one or both sides.
Genetic control of in vivo sensitivity to lipopolysaccharide: evidence for codominant inheritance.

The genetic control of several endotoxin-induced in vivo effects, specifically, immunogenicity, adjuvanticity, interferon production, and lethality, was studied. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) responder (C3H/HeN or C57BL/6J) mice produced high levels of anti-LPS antibody in response to an optimal dose (10 µg) of a phenol-water extracted LPS from Escherichia coli K235 (Ph-LPS), whereas nonresponder (C3H/HeJ) mice did not demonstrate significant antibody responses. The F1 progeny of responder C3H/HeN × C3H/HeJ parents exhibited low to intermediate responses. C3H/HeN, F1 and C3H/HeJ mice produced equivalent amounts of antibody in response to endotoxin prepared by butanol-water extraction. Adjuvanticity was studied by measuring the immune response to trinitrophenyl group (TNP) coupled to homologous erythrocytes (MRC). Ph-LPS was a good adjuvant for TNP-MRC in C3H/HeN mice, whereas no response was observed with C3H/HeJ mice; the adjuvant response in F1 hybrid mice was intermediate. Similarly, interferon production induced by optimal doses of Ph-LPS followed the same pattern. Finally, F1 hybrid mice were clearly intermediate in sensitivity to LPS-induced lethality. The results of this study demonstrate that the in vivo responses of mice to LPS, like the in vitro sensitivity of lymphoid cells, are under codominant gene control.
Incomplete information and quantum decision trees

This paper considers the problem of the absent-minded driver who must choose between alternatives with different payoff under the conditions of imperfect recall and varying degrees of knowledge of the system. We show that agents with access to quantum resources, or with a quantum mechanical basis, can obtain superior performance as compared to classical agents. The paper also considers the problem of random tree representations of quantum decision processes. It is shown that in the general case where each node can have any branching probability value, a random tree can accurately represent the probabilities associated with an arbitrary quantum state.
[Epithelial-mesenchymal transition of prostate cancer: cancer stem cells or bulk cancer cells].

OBJECTIVE To test the hypothesis that epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of prostate cancer is most likely to occur in cancer stem cells (CSC). METHODS The isolation of CSC from LNCaP cell line was performed by flow cytometry based on side-population (SP) phenotype. After SP sorting, LNCaP/SP and LNCaP/NSP were used for further transfection of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α). Subsequently, EMT-associated proteins were detected by Western blotting. And the assays of Transwell and methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) were used to compare invasive and proliferative potency between LNCaP/SP and LNCaP/NSP after HIF-1α induction. Eventually, xenograft experiments were performed with LNCaP/HIF-1α/SP and LNCaP/HIF-1α/NSP cells for further analysis of in vivo tumorigenesis and distant metastasis. RESULTS Through HIF-1α-induced EMT, LNCaP/HIF-1α/SP exhibited such remarkable EMT characteristics as a positive expression of epithelial markers (E-cadherin and CK18) and a negative expression of mesenchymal markers (vimentin, N-cadherin, fibronectin, cathepsin D, MMP-2 and uPAR). And LNCaP/HIF-1α/NSP underwent partial EMT with an abnormal expression of some mesenchymal proteins (vimentin and cathepsin D) and loss of epithelial protein (CK18) despite reservation of another important epithelial marker (E-cadherin). Further Transwell and MTT assays indicated that LNCaP/HIF-1α/SP exhibited stronger in vitro invasive and proliferative potency than LNCaP/HIF-1α/NSP cells. In animal models, the volume of subcutaneous tumor by LNCaP/HIF-1α/SP cells was much greater than that by LNCaP/HIF-1α/NSP counterparts ((1008 ± 230) vs (288 ± 145) mm(3), P < 0.01). Moreover, LNCaP/HIF-1α/SP cells also had a significantly higher rate of subcutaneous tumor incidence (80% vs 53%, P < 0.05) and bone metastasis (40% vs 0, P < 0.01) as compared with LNCaP/HIF-1α/NSP counterparts. CONCLUSION As the main target cells of prostatic EMT, CSCs may develop a more malignant phenotype after EMT.
A Methodological Approach for Reservoir Heterogeneity Characterization Using Artificial Neural Networks

This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE Program Committee following review o information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper have not been reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to correction by th e author(s). The material, as presented, does not necessarily reflect any position of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, its officers, or members. Papers presented at SPE meetings are subject to publication review by Editorial Committees of the Society of Petroleum Engineers. Permission to copy is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words. Illustrations may not be copied. The abstract should contain conspicuous acknowledgment of where and by whom the paper is presented. Write Librarian, SPE, P.O. Box 833836, Richardson, TX 75083-3836, U.S.A. Telex, 163245 SPEUT. logging tools became available. These calculations assume a linear
Characterization of ash particles with a microheater and gas-sensitive SiC field-effect transistors

Abstract. Particle emission from traffic, power plants or, increasingly, stoves and fireplaces poses a serious risk for human health. The harmfulness of the particles depends not only on their size and shape but also on adsorbates. Particle detectors for size and concentration are available on the market; however, determining content and adsorbents is still a challenge. In this work, a measurement setup for the characterization of dust and ash particle content with regard to their adsorbates is presented. For the proof of concept, ammonia-contaminated fly ash samples from a coal-fired power plant equipped with a selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR) system were used. The fly ash sample was placed on top of a heater substrate situated in a test chamber and heated up to several hundred degrees. A silicon carbide field-effect transistor (SiC-FET) gas sensor was used to detect desorbing species by transporting the headspace above the heater to the gas sensor with a small gas flow. Accumulation of desorbing species in the heater chamber followed by transfer to the gas sensor is also possible. A mass spectrometer was placed downstream of the sensor as a reference. A clear correlation between the SiC-FET response and the ammonia spectra of the mass spectrometer was observed. In addition, different levels of contamination can be distinguished. Thus, with the presented setup, chemical characterization of particles, especially of adsorbates which contribute significantly to the harmfulness of the particles, is possible.
Adaptation and quality of life among long-term cervical cancer survivors in the military health care system.

OBJECTIVE This study assessed quality of life in long-term cervical cancer survivors eligible for health care in the military health system. METHODS TRICARE beneficiaries who were diagnosed as having cervical cancer in 1980 to 2000 completed self-administered questionnaires including standardized measures of quality of life, distress, and sexuality. RESULTS Forty-one women (72% of those who received questionnaire packets) provided questionnaire data. More than 2,500 questionnaires were undeliverable, with no forwarding address. Data indicated that quality of life, cervical cancer-related stress, and intimacy concerns were comparable to population normative values. Survivors received more cancer screenings than the general population. Nearly one-half of respondents reported no effect of cancer on their sexual relationships, whereas approximately one-half said that cancer had a negative impact. CONCLUSIONS Although cervical cancer survivors overall reported a high quality of life, many experienced significant decrements in sexual functioning. The Automated Central Tumor Registry presents challenges and potential for conducting this kind of research.
A comparative kinetics study of monochloramine and hypochlorous acid in rat

The problem of trihalomethane formation now exists with the use of chlorine (technically, a mixture of HOCl and OCl−, depending on pH) as a disinfectant in drinking water. Monochloramine (NH2Cl) may be considered as an alternative to HOCl as a disinfectant in public water supplies. This study was conducted to compare the kinetics of NH236Cl with HO36Cl in rats. The peak plasma levels of 36Cl occurred at 8 and 2 h for NH236Cl and HO36Cl, respectively. The distribution of NH236Cl and HO36Cl was highest in plasma, while the lowest activity was observed in the fat. The half‐life for 36Cl absorption was 2.49 and 2.16 h, while the elimination from plasma was 38.8 and 44.1 h after oral NH236Cl and HO36Cl treatment, respectively. Urinary excretion accounted for most of the 36Cl eliminated in both treatments.
Minimal Increases in Glucagon Levels Enhance Glucose Production in Man with Partial Hypoinsulinemia

In man a small dose of somatostatin (50 (μg/h) suppressed moderately basal insulin (5 μU/ml) and glucagon (40 pg/ml) levels. This resulted in a short-lasting hypoglycemia, which was then followed by marginal hyperglycemia throughout the experiment. The addition of a minimal dose of glucagon (0.50 ng/kg/min) to somatostatin normalized basal glucagon levels and resulted in a significant and sustained hyperglycemia. During the first 2 h, hyperglycemia was mainly due to increased glucose production, whereas later on it was maintained by decreased glucose uptake. We conclude that, in man moderately deprived of insulin, even a marginal change in glucagon level induces a long-lasting hyperglycemia.
The ambient media player: a media application remotely operated by the use of mobile devices and gestures

To utilize interactive multimedia applications in public and private environments for advertisement, entertainment and user guidance requires remote input capabilities. The use of mobile and handheld devices is a desirable option for implementation of user interaction with remote services from a distance. Another prominent option to operate a remote application is the use of gestures performed in the air. This paper describes the design and realization of a media-player application to run in the environment of the user. A small qualitative user study verified the use of mobile phones, switching between three input modalities, and the opportunity of another three methods of performing gestures in the air system to enable mobile devices and gesture recognition tools to control the application from the distance.
Private access to distributed information

Consider the following setting: A user wishes to retrieve information from a database residing in a remote server (e.g. - stock quotes for a speci(cid:12)c company), over a network. However the user is reluctant to expose her interest in that information (e.g. because it would expose her future intentions with respect to that company). The question is whether we could devise a scheme in which the user would receive the desired information without exposing her interests to the database's operator. A trivial solution to the problem would be for the user to receive a complete copy of the database. Unless the database's size is very small, such a solution would have a prohibitively large overhead in communication. Formally, the Private Information Retrieval (or PIR) problem is stated as follows: The database is modeled by a string x held by some server(s), and the user wants to retrieve the bit xi for some i, without disclosing any information about i to the server. A simple proof shows that if we want information theoretic privacy (i.e. privacy against servers that are computationally unbounded) and have only a single server, the trivial solution is the best we can hope for. A way to obtain smaller (i.e. sub-linear) communication complexity is to replicate the database in several servers. Denote jxj by n. If we do not demand privacy, logn + 1 bits of communication are necessary and su(cid:14)cient to retrieve a bit. Previous work showed how to achieve communication complexity O(n 1 2k(cid:0)1 ) when using k servers (each holding x). If one settles for computational privacy (i.e., privacy against computationally-bounded servers) it was shown that the problem could be solved using 2 servers with communication complexity O(n (cid:15) ) for every (cid:15) > 0, assuming one-way functions exist, and using only a single server, under the Quadratic Residuosity Assumption (with the same communication complexity). We extend these results in two respects:
Incidence of Parasitic Infections of Non-human Primates in Kano State Zoological Garden , Nigeria

The study entitled “Incidence of parasitic infections of non-human primates” was conducted at Kano State zoological and garden, Nigeria (Africa). The aim of this study is to assess the magnitude of intensity of prevalence of parasitic infestation in non-human primates. Fresh fecal samples were collected from twenty three (23) non-human primates and examined using floatation and sedimentation methods, as a standard parasitological technique. Among the helminths and protozoa recorded are Trichuris, Enterobius spp. and Strongyle spp.and one protozoon (Coccidiaoocyst). The most prevalent of gastrointestinal helminth were; Trichuris with an overall prevalence of 50.00%, followed by Strongyle and Coccidia with 28.57% each. Only 6 animals were found to be positive for parasitic infestation (26.09%). One Red patas monkey (female) was found to have multiple infections of Strongyle eggs, Trichuris eggs and Coccidia. The dog faced Baboon, Chimpanzee and Red Patas monkeys were infested, while none of the Tantalus, Sooty mangabey and Mona monkeys wareinfested in the zoo. There was seemingly high infestation rate in adult male (37.50%) but there was no infestation in young male. It could be concluded that, there was mild gastrointestinal parasite infection among the animals examined in Kano zoological garden. However, low grade infections should not be neglected. Most of the animals examined did not show any obvious clinical signs, suggesting low to moderate infection at sub clinical level.
Polymorphism of proteins in selected slovak winter wheat genotypes using SDS-PAGE

Winter wheat is especially used for bread-making. The specific composition of the grain storage proteins and the representation of individual subunits determines the baking quality of wheat. The aim of this study was to analyze 15 slovak varieties of the winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) based on protein polymorphism and to predict their technological quality. SDS-PAGE method by ISTA was used to separate glutenin protein subunits. Glutenins were separated into HMW-GS (15.13%) and LMW-GS (65.89%) on the basis of molecular weight in SDS-PAGE. At the locus Glu- A1 was found allele Null (53% of genotypes) and allele 1 (47% of genotypes). The locus Glu-B1 was represented by the HMW-GS subunits 6+8 (33% of genotypes), 7+8 (27% of genotypes), 7+9 (40% of genotypes). At the locus Glu-D1 were detected two subunits, 2+12 (33% of genotypes) and 5+10 (67% of genotypes) which is correlated with good bread-making properties. The Glu – score was ranged from 4 (genotype Viglanka) to 10 (genotypes Viola, Vladarka). According to the representation of individual glutenin subunits in samples, the dendrogram of genetic similarity was constructed. By the prediction of quality the results showed that the best technological quality was significant in the varieties Viola and Vladarka which are suitable for use in food processing.
Changes in contractile properties by androgen hormones in sexually dimorphic muscles of male frogs (Xenopus laevis).

1. Male frogs (Xenopus laevis) were castrated then given either empty or testosterone‐filled implants to produce animals with low or high levels of circulating testosterone. Eight weeks later the contractile properties of an androgen‐sensitive forelimb flexor, the flexor carpi radialis muscle (FCR), were measured in vitro. Another forelimb flexor muscle, the coracoradialis, and a hindlimb muscle, the iliofibularis, were analysed similarly. 2. Plasma testosterone levels were 0.9 +/‐ 0.3 ng/ml (+/‐ S.E.M.) in castrated frogs with blank implants (C) and 61.3 +/‐ 4.7 ng/ml in castrates with testosterone implants (CT). Unoperated males, sampled at various times of the year, ranged between 10.8 and 51.0 ng/ml. 3. With direct electrical stimulation of the FCR, contraction time of the isometric twitch was not affected by testosterone levels. Relaxation times were affected, however. Half‐ and 90% relaxation times were 27 and 42% longer, respectively, for CT compared to C muscles. 4. Testosterone also had no effect on the contraction time of twitches elicited by stimulation of the FCR nerve. Half‐ and 90% relaxation times were 51 and 76% longer, respectively, for CT compared to C muscles. 5. Tetanus tension, elicited by direct stimulation of the FCR at 50 Hz, was 86% greater in CT compared to C muscles. The average cross‐sectional area of FCR muscle fibres was 84% greater in CT muscles. These results implied that testosterone treatment had no effect on specific muscle tension. 6. Stimulation of the FCR nerve at 50 Hz resulted in 53% less tension than the same stimulus applied directly to CT muscles. In C muscles the difference was only 14%. This suggested that testosterone treatment reduced synaptic efficacy. 7. In CT muscles, direct or nerve stimulation of fibres in the shoulder region of the FCR elicited twitches that contracted and relaxed more slowly than fibres in the elbow region. In C muscles there was no difference in contraction or relaxation time between fibres in the shoulder and elbow regions. 8. Testosterone treatment had little effect on contraction and relaxation times or tension levels of coracoradialis or iliofibularis muscles.
FARM RESTRUCTURING AND EFFICIENCY IN TRANSITION: EVIDENCE FROM BULGARIA AND HUNGARY

Based on survey data on Bulgarian and Hungarian crop and dairy farms, a double-peaked distribution of technical efficiency is observed. Several factors explain differences in efficiency. Human capital matters not only through age and education, but also through gender as farms with a higher share of women are more efficient. Contracting with upstream processors increased efficiency through facilitating the adoption of technology and the access to credits. The superiority of family farms over corporate farms is confirmed for crops but not for dairy.
Does the Principle of Compositionality Explain Productivity? For a Pluralist View of the Role of Formal Languages as Models

One of the main motivations for having a compositional semantics is the account of the productivity of natural languages. Formal languages are often part of the account of productivity, i.e., of how beings with finite capacities are able to produce and understand a potentially infinite number of sentences, by offering a model of this process. This account of productivity consists in the generation of proofs in a formal system, that is taken to represent the way speakers grasp the meaning of an indefinite number of sentences. The informational basis is restricted to what is represented in the lexicon. This constraint is considered as a requirement for the account of productivity, or at least of an important feature of productivity, namely, that we can grasp automatically the meaning of a huge number of complex expressions, far beyond what can be memorized. However, empirical results in psycholinguistics, and especially particular patterns of ERP, show that the brain integrates information of different sources very fast, without any felt effort on the part of the speaker. This shows that formal procedures do not explain productivity. However, formal models are still useful in the account of how we get at the semantic value of a complex expression, once we have the meanings of its parts, even if there is no formal explanation of how we get at those meanings. A practice-oriented view of modeling gives an adequate interpretation of this result: formal compositional semantics may be a useful model for some explanatory purposes concerning natural languages, without being a good model for dealing with other explananda.