Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Self-synchronising image steganography algorithms based on error-correcting codes

Error correction codes-based techniques have been used by many researchers for image steganography to find a trade-off either between high embedding efficiency and low embedding complexity or between high embedding efficiency and high embedding capacity. However, there are other characteristics of steganography such as undetectability, security, robustness against common attacks and complexity that require the same attention. In this paper, we shall discuss error correction codes-based image steganography techniques to find a trade-off between high embedding capacity, high embedding efficiency, security, undetectability and imperceptibility. This paper presents two noval steganographic algorithm: first is error-based syndrome technique based on Reed-Muller codes and other is based on Reed-Solomon code. Before embedding, the message is encoded using self-synchronising T-codes, in place of Huffman codes, that not only compress the message, but also helps in synchronising the message at decoding stage of extraction. The comparisons of the proposed algorithms are done with Hamming-based matrix embedding, an improved pre-flipping matrix embedding, and Hamming-based error map technique. The experimental results show that proposed algorithms have better imperceptibility, multi-layered security, provable security and constant embedding efficiency.
Leistungssteigerung durch Notendruck? - Die Wirkung der Benotung auf die Studierleistungen in einem Seminar

Ziel des Feldexperimentes war es, die Auswirkung der Benotung eines Quiz auf die Leistung in diesem Quiz sowie im Hinblick auf das langfristige Behalten zu uberprufen und durch die Erfassung motivationaler Variablen eine Erklarung gemas der Erwartungs- mal Werttheorie fur die erwarteten Befunde zu finden. Studierende aus 4 Seminaren wurden nach Zufall auf 2 Gruppen aufgeteilt und absolvierten dasselbe Quiz entweder unter der Erwartung, das Quiz werde benotet oder nicht. Im Verlauf des Seminars wurden die Quizbedingungen fur beide Gruppen getauscht. Die Ergebnisse sprechen konsistent fur deutlich bessere Leistungen in den benoteten Quiz. Der Leistungsvorteil bleibt eine Woche voll erhalten und lasst sich auch noch nach 6 bis 8 Wochen statistisch sichern. Benotete Quiz losen im Vergleich zu unbenoteten Quiz durchgangig mehr aktuelle Angst aus. Die besseren Quizleistungen unter der Benotungsbedingung lassen sich recht gut mit der deutlich intensiveren Vorbereitung erklaren, die ihrerseits durch die eindeutig hohere Bedeutsamkeit, im Quiz gute Leistungen erzielen zu wollen, motiviert wird. Weitere Befunde deuten darauf hin, dass verpflichtende, aber unbenotete Onlinequiz mit vielfaltigen Feedbackmoglichkeiten im Vergleich zu keiner Masnahme einen relativ schwachen, aber teilweise noch signifikant nachweisbaren, Lerngewinn erbringen konnen.
An Open Infrastructure for Advanced Treebanking

Increases in the number and size of treebanks, and the complexity of their annotation, present challenges to their exploration by the research community. Adhering to different formalisms, lacking clear standards, and requiring specialized search and visualization and other services, treebanks have not been widely accessible to a broad audience and have remained underexploited. The INESS project is providing the first infrastructure integrating treebank annotation, analysis and distribution, bringing together treebanks for many different languages, spanning different annotation schemes and including parallel treebanks. The infrastructure offers a uniform interface, interactive visualizations, leading edge search capabilities and high performance computing.
Valor clínico de los estudios espirométricos

Se consultaron referencias historicas de los estudios espirometricos y se destaco el aporte dado por el britanico Hutchinson, quien introdujo el primer equipo de medicion. Se clasificaron los estudios espirometricos en generales y especificos. En el 1er. caso de acuerdo con el tipo de individuo a estudiar y con las especialidades medicas que generalmente indican estos procederes; y en los especificos, en relacion con las tecnicas especiales o complementarias que pueden asociarse con estos estudios. Se senalaron los requerimientos para las mediciones de la funcion pulmonar, principalmente los relativos a la cooperacion del paciente y las caracteristicas antropometricas para establecer los valores predictivos. Finalmente, se presentan las conclusiones diagnosticas de los trastornos de la funcion pulmonar.
Agricultural land purchases for alternative uses—evidence from two farming areas in the Western Cape province, South Africa

Abstract Purchases of agricultural land for diverse reasons, such as recreation or aesthetic appeal (collectively referred to as lifestyle purposes), has implications for agricultural land valuations, commercial agriculture and the acquisition of land for redistribution purposes. This paper reports on the extent of purchases of agricultural land for diverse reasons within an intensive and extensive agricultural farming area in the Western Cape, gathered through a survey of land buyers between January 2005 and October 2007. Descriptive statistics provide demographical information of buyers, their reasons for purchasing farms and the importance of specific characteristics of agricultural properties considered in such purchases. Analyses of variance convey more information regarding the different characteristics of agricultural properties considered by agricultural and lifestyle buyers. Survey results indicated that farm purchases for alternative purposes were substantial: more than half of all transactions in both the intensive and extensive area were for lifestyle reasons. Lifestyle buyers mostly rely on income from outside the agricultural sector for their livelihoods and financing of purchased properties, therefore they could focus on characteristics of farms unrelated to commercial agricultural production in their decision to buy agricultural properties. Characteristics such as the recreational opportunities provided by the property and its aesthetic beauty, including natural scenery, beautiful views and locations within a valley and set against a mountain, appealed to these buyers.
CanDiD: A Framework for Linking Executive Function and Education

The close association between executive functions (EFs) and educational achievement has led to the idea that targeted EF training might facilitate learning and goal-directed behavior in the classroom. The evidence that training interventions have long-lasting and transferable effects is however decidedly mixed (Melby-Lervåg and Hulme, 2013; Simons et al., 2016). The goal of the current paper is to propose a new CanDiD framework for re-thinking EF and its links to education. Based on findings from basic EF research, the proposed CanDiD framework highlights dynamic and contextual influences on EF and emphasizes the importance of development and individual differences for understanding these effects. Implications for remedial interventions and curriculum design are discussed.
Biodiversity for biocatalysis: A review of the α/β-hydrolase fold superfamily of esterases-lipases discovered in metagenomes

Abstract Natural biodiversity undoubtedly inspires biocatalysis research and innovation. Biotransformations of interest also inspire the search for appropriate biocatalysts in nature. Indeed, natural genetic resources have been found to support the hydrolysis and synthesis of not only common but also unusual synthetic scaffolds. The emerging tool of metagenomics has the advantage of allowing straightforward identification of activity directly applicable as biocatalysis. However, new enzymes must not only have outstanding properties in terms of performance but also other properties superior to those of well-established commercial preparations in order to successfully replace the latter. Esterases (EST) and lipases (LIP) from the α/β-hydrolase fold superfamily are among the enzymes primarily used in biocatalysis. Accordingly, they have been extensively examined with metagenomics. Here we provided an updated (October 2015) overview of sequence and functional data sets of 288 EST–LIP enzymes with validated functions that have been isolated in metagenomes and (mostly partially) characterized. Through sequence, biochemical, and reactivity analyses, we attempted to understand the phenomenon of variability and versatility within this group of enzymes and to implement this knowledge to identify sequences encoding EST–LIP which may be useful for biocatalysis. We found that the diversity of described EST–LIP polypeptides was not dominated by a particular type of protein or highly similar clusters of proteins but rather by diverse nonredundant sequences. Purified EST–LIP exhibited a wide temperature activity range of 10–85 °C, although a preferred bias for a mesophilic temperature range (35–40 °C) was observed. At least 60% of the total characterized metagenomics-derived EST–LIP showed outstanding properties in terms of stability (solvent tolerance) and reactivity (selectivity and substrate profile), which are the features of interest in biocatalysis. We hope that, in the future, the search for and utilization of sequences similar to those already encoded and characterized EST–LIP enzymes from metagenomes may be of interest for promoting unresolved biotransformations in the chemical industry. Some examples are discussed in this review.
Caracterización de los pacientes en una consulta de hipertensión arterial de un municipio de Risaralda, Colombia, 2005-2012

Objetivo: Describir las caracteristicas de los pacientes evaluados en la consulta de hipertension arterial (HTA) del Hospital San Vicente de Paul de Santa Rosa de Cabal, Risaralda, Colombia, atendidos en el periodo 2005-2012. Diseno del estudio: Estudio observacional descriptivo de tipo retrospectivo. Lugar del estudio: Hospital San Vicente de Paul de Santa Rosa de Cabal, Risaralda, Colombia. Pacientes: Poblacion atendida en el programa de deteccion de HTA con sospecha de la enfermedad que fueron ingresados a la consulta de HTA del Hospital. Mediciones: Se evaluaron variables demograficas y clinicas, incluyendo presion arterial sistolica y diastolica, peso, talla e indice de masa corporal, entre otras. Resultados: De un total de 6030 pacientes, fueron encontrados 62,5% con sobrepeso/obesidad (64,7% en mujeres y 57,4% en hombres, OR=1,363; IC95% 1,217-1,527)(74,7% en los 20-59 anos y 53,2% en ≥60 anos, OR=2,597; IC95% 2,326-2,899). Para la presion arterial, 95,5% (IC95% 95,010-96,068) presentaban valores de prehipertension/HTA, siendo mayor en aquellos de 20-59 anos (89,4%) que en los ≥60 anos (81,2%)(OR=1,961; IC95% 1,686-2,278). Conclusion: El presente estudio permitio caracterizar la poblacion de pacientes que acudieron a la consulta de HTA del hospital de referencia del municipio durante mas de 6 anos, del cual no existen estudios previos y que muestra una considerable proporcion de poblacion con alteraciones de la presion arterial asi como del IMC, llamando la atencion un predominio significativo en aquellos de 20-59 anos en comparacion con los de 60 y mas, posiblemente asociado a factores de demanda de servicios y de caracter cultural y nutricional.
Clinical and Radiological Outcome of Patients Suffering From Chronic Pancreatitis Associated With Gene Mutations

Objectives: Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), cationic trypsinogen gene (PRSS1), and serine protease inhibitor kazal type 1 (SPINK1) gene mutations have been associated with chronic pancreatitis (CP). The aim of this study was to compare clinical and radiological findings in sporadic CP with (CPgm) and without (CPwt) gene mutations. Methods: Data from patients observed between 2001 and 2006 were collected. All patients were tested for 25 CFTR gene mutations, for R122H and N29I on the PRSS1 gene, and for N34S mutation on the SPINK1 gene. Results: We found 34 (17.2%) of 198 patients with CPgm, 23 (11.6%) of them on the CFTR gene, 11 (5.6%) on the SPINK1, and none on the PRSS1 gene. The age at clinical onset was younger in CPgm (36.2 ± 17.2 years) than in CPwt (44 ± 12.6 years; P = 0.005). There were more heavy drinkers among CPwt (33%) than among CPgm (9%; P = 0.003), and the same applied to smokers (69% vs 33%, respectively; P < 0.0001). In CPgm group, the onset of pancreatic calcifications was observed more frequently in drinkers and/or smokers. Exocrine and endocrine insufficiency occurred less frequently and later in CPgm than in CPwt patients. Conclusions: Clinical and radiological outcome differ in CPgm compared with CPwt. Alcohol, even in small quantities, and cigarette smoking influence the onset of pancreatic calcifications.
Accelerated radial diffusion spectrum imaging using a multi‐echo stimulated echo diffusion sequence

Diffusion spectrum imaging (DSI) provides us non‐invasively and robustly with anatomical details of brain microstructure. To achieve sufficient angular resolution, DSI requires a large number of q‐space samples, leading to long acquisition times. This need is mitigated here by combining the beneficial properties of Radial q‐space sampling for DSI with a Multi‐Echo Stimulated Echo Sequence (MESTIM).
Expression of chemokines by human fetal microglia after treatment with the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 protein Tat

Chemokines are important mediators of inflammation. It has been demonstrated that there is an increase in chemokine expression in both the sera and brain of individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). The HIV-1 viral protein, Tat, a transcriptional regulator, has been detected in the central nervous system (CNS) of infected individuals, and has been demonstrated to induce chemokines from various cells within the brain. The authors now show that the interaction of human microglia, the resident phagocytes of the brain, with Tat leads to dramatic increases in the secretion of the chemokines CCL2, CXCL8, CXCL10, CCL3, CCL4, and CCL5. Treatment of microglia with Tat plus specific inhibitors of signal transduction pathways demonstrated that the induction of each chemokine is regulated differently. Tat-induced expression of CCL2 and CCL4 was mediated by the activation of the extracellular regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway and the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway, whereas the induction of CXCL8 and CCL3 was mediated only by the p38 MAPK pathway. Tat-induced CXCL10 expression was mediated, to some extent, by activation of the ERK1/2 MAPK pathway, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathway, and the p38 MAPK pathway, whereas CCL5 expression was not mediated by any pathway tested. Western blot analysis demonstrated phosphorylation of ERK 1/2 and Akt upon stimulation of microglia with Tat. These data suggest that a soluble HIV-1 viral protein can alter the chemokine balance in the brain, which can then lead to an influx of inflammatory cells and contribute to the neuropathogenesis of HIV-1 infection.
Surgical Treatment of Isthmic Lumbosacral Spondylolisthesis: Analysis of Variables Influencing Results

Fifty consecutive patients underwent standardized surgical treatment for isthmic lumbosacral spondylolisthesis. Twenty-two (44%) had mechanical symptoms only and were treated with in situ fusion. Twenty-eight (56%) had back and radicular symptoms and underwent decompression and fusion. Follow-up averaged 40.4 months. Satisfactory results were achieved in 30 (60%). Patients under 30 and over 50 appeared to do better. Success rate was not related to degree of slippage. Success rate in compensation cases was 39%, versus 83% in non-compensation cases (P < 0.001); males, 53%, versus females, 78% (0.05 < P < 0.1); back pain only, 73%, versus radiculopathy, 50% (0.05 < P < 0.1); smokers, 48%, versus nonsmokers, 74% (0.05 < P< 0.1). Pseudarthrosis rate was 12%, and this correlated with failure (P<0.002). Thus, a trend towards an unsatisfactory outcome was seen in males, middle-aged individuals, those with a smoking habit, and patients with radicular symptoms. A compensable work situation and pseudoarthrosis had a profoundly negative influence on outcome.
Electrodermal Activity in Depression: Clinical and Biochemical Correlates

Summary Electrodermal activity was measured in a group of depressive patients and normal controls. Those patients classified as endogenous on the Newcastle Scale had significantly lower skin conductance levels than either the non-endogenous patients or controls. The endogenous depressives also contained significantly more non-responders to the experimental stimuli. The lack of responsivity to external stimulation in non-responders is associated with a significantly lower rate of blood platelet 5-hydroxytryptamine uptake, suggesting that endogenous depressives have biological characteristics that distinguish them from other depressive groups and that electrodermal measures may be useful in the classification of depressive illness.
Prototyping and characterisation of a variable stiffness actuation mechanism based on low melting point polymer

With the advent of automation and robotic systems, flexible robotic manipulators are becoming increasingly popular in various applications where safe interaction with surrounding environments is needed. This project aims to investigate stiffness varying technology for a class of flexible manipulators with the aim of online changing manipulator stiffness. We propose and develop a stiffness varying mechanism based on low melting point polycaprolactone (PCL), characterise it and test out together with extensive experiments. The proposed mechanism is further integrated into a tendon-driven flexible manipulator and it successfully changed the overall stiffness of the manipulator. This paper mainly involves design improvement, modelling, characterisation and hands-on experiments.
Electrochemical nucleic acid-based biosensors: Concepts, terms, and methodology (IUPAC Technical Report)

An electrochemical nucleic acid (NA)-based biosensor is a biosensor that integrates a nucleic acid as the biological recognition element and an electrode as the electrochemical signal transducer. The present report provides concepts, terms, and methodology related to biorecognition elements, detection principles, type of interactions to be addressed, and construction and performance of electrochemical NA biosensors, including their critical evaluation, which should be valuable for a wide audience, from academic, biomedical, environmental, and food-testing, drug-developing, etc. laboratories to sensor producers.
An Excel-Based Decision Support System for Supply Chain Design and Management of Biofuels

This article presents a Decision Support System (DSS) to aid managers with supply chain (SC) design and logistics management of biomass-for-biofuel production. These tools play a very important role in efficiently managing biomass-for-biofuel SCs and have the potential to reduce the cost of biofuels. The proposed model coordinates the long-term decisions of designing a SC with the medium term decisions of logistics management. This system has the ability to (a) identify locations and capacities for biorefineries, given the availability of biomass and costs; (b) estimate the minimum cost of delivering biofuels, which include transportation, investment, and processing costs; and (c) perform sensitivity analyses with respect to a number of parameters. Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is used to create the interface of the DSS, and Excel's CPLEX Add-In is used to solve the mathematical models.
Influencia de la cultura en el desarrollo económico regional de España (1983-2001)

El objetivo planteado en este trabajo es analizar la influencia que la cultura, a partir de la utilizacion de la unica base de datos disponible en la actualidad de capital social a nivel regional en la economia espanola, ha ejercido sobre la productividad y el nivel de desarrollo economico de las regiones espanolas en el periodo 1983-2001. Los resultados obtenidos en las estimaciones econometricas elaboradas permiten avalar la hipotesis de que el capital social ha influido positiva y significativamente en la productividad y el nivel de desarrollo economico de las regiones espanolas. En este sentido, se concluye que resulta aconsejable definir y poner en practica politicas que favorezcan las redes sociales, sobre todo en las regiones mas debiles, con el fin de facilitar un proceso de convergencia regional que haga factible un mayor grado de cohesion economico y social entre las Comunidades Autonomas espanolas.
Personality Factors and Trust in Placebo Medical Trials

Prior research has reported that individual differences influence both placebo and nocebo responses. The present study examined how individual personality, as well as trust, influence placebo/nocebo belief and symptom reporting after receiving an inert capsule that for some was described as an active “cognitively-enhancing” trial medication. Individuals (N = 104) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: condition A participants were told they’d received the medication, condition B participants were told they’d received a placebo, and condition C participants were told, via random assignment, each would receive either the medication or placebo (after the experiment this condition listed the group – medication or placebo - each believed s/he was in). The study was completed in the UNT Student Health and Wellness Center to provide context in a medical setting. Of the 104 participants, 46 (44.2%) were either placed by experimental design or self-report in the medication group. Participants with a belief in medication ingestion, regardless of condition (i.e., A or C), reported significantly more symptoms (M = 16.65, SD = 3.178), than participants who believed they had ingested a placebo (M = 14.21, SD = 2.58), t (102) = 4.32, p = . 001. Aspects of Neuroticism and Extroversion, as well as trust were correlated with symptom reporting and/or placebo/nocebo responses. It appears that that personality is part of a combination including trust, context and expectations. It is recommended that future research on personality and placebo effects consider the role of individual factors, context and communication of expectations.
Field test of a navigation system: autonomous cleaning in supermarkets

Siemens has developed a prototype of an autonomous navigation system for mobile service robots. Its suitability for tough everyday operation has been successfully demonstrated since August 1996 with cleaning machines in chain store supermarkets of Albert Heijn BV in the Netherlands. Here, HEFTER CLEANTECH (HCT) cleaning robots are being used in cooperation with the cleaning specialist RTB.