nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Extraction and authentication of biometric finger vein using gradient boosted feature algorithm
Venue: 2016 International Conference on Communication and Signal Processing (ICCSP)

Emerging technology for secured services is "BIOMETRIC" term associated to identify an individual based on their physiological characteristics. Biometrics utilizes biological characteristics to recognize an individual. Authentication based on fingerprint has a lot of disadvantages such as it can be made foolproof by any unknown person. Finger vein is a non forgeable pattern and it provides high end security as vein images are taken from live body. The pattern recognition technique which is used here is based on vein patterns present inside the finger under the surface of skin. The finger vein patterns are preprocessed, features are extracted by applying Gradient boosted feature algorithm technique and labeled using SVM classifier and they are used for authentication purpose.
The Effect of the Internet of Things (IoT) on Education Business Model
Venue: 2016 12th International Conference on Signal Image Technology Internet Based Systems (SITIS)

The introduction of the Internet of Things (IoT) in education, which allows Internet based communications to happen between physical objects, sensors and controllers, has changed educational institutions massively. By embedding sensors in objects and integrating cloud computing, augmented reality, wearable technologies and big data in this platform, different parameters of the educational environment can be measured and analysed to provide useful information. It also has created a new interaction between people and the environment in educational organisation. In this research based on the recent IoT projects in education, we will categorize the application of IoT in education into four groups: energy management and real time ecosystem monitoring, monitoring student's healthcare, classroom access control and improving teaching and learning. We will investigate and analyse how this platform has changed the Education Business Model and added new value propositions in such organizations based on the Canvas Business Model.
Clustering Techniques and the Similarity Measures used in Clustering: A Survey

Clustering is an unsupervised learning technique which aims at grouping a set of objects into clusters so that objects in the same clusters should be similar as possible, whereas objects in one cluster should be as dissimilar as possible from objects in other clusters. Cluster analysis aims to group a collection of patterns into clusters based on similarity. A typical clustering technique uses a similarity function for comparing various data items. This paper covers the survey of various clustering techniques, the current similarity measures based on distance based clustering, explains the limitations associated with the existing clustering techniques and propose that the combination of the advantages of the existing systems can help overcome the limitations of the existing systems. General Terms Data Mining, Machine Learning, Clustering, Pattern based Similarity, Negative Data, et. al.
Pickering Emulsions Responsive to CO2/N2 and Light Dual Stimuli at Ambient Temperature.
Venue: Langmuir the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids

A dual stimuli responsive n octane in water Pickering emulsion with CO2/N2 and light triggers is prepared using negatively charged silica nanoparticles in combination with a trace amount of dual switchable surfactant, 4 butyl 4 (4 N,N dimethylbutoxyamine) azobenzene bicarbonate (AZO B4) as stabilizers. On one hand, the emulsion can be transformed between stable and unstable at ambient temperature rapidly via the N2/CO2 trigger, and on the other hand, a change in droplet size of the emulsion can occur upon light irradiation/rehomogenization cycles without changing the particle/surfactant concentration. The dual responsiveness thus allows for a precise control of emulsion properties. Compared with emulsions stabilized by specially synthesized stimuli responsive particles or by stimuli responsive surfactants, the method reported here is much easier and requires a relatively low concentration of surfactant (1/10 cmc) which is important for potential applications.
Expatriate support and success: A systematic review of organization based sources of social support

The purpose of this paper is to review empirical research on the relationship between organization based social support and the success of international assignments (IAs)  Four search engines were used to obtain empirical studies relating organization based social support to success criteria. Studies were compared based on type of theoretical foundation, criteria of success, source of social support and study design.  The reviewed studies draw on three theoretical paradigms based on stress, social capital and relational exchange. The results demonstrate that expatriates receive social support from multiple organization based sources and that these sources' proximity to the expatriate influences the relationship between social support and success. Regarding geographical proximity, sources in the home and host countries fulfil different supportive functions and therefore stimulate different success criteria. Additionally, the success criteria stimulated by organizational support depend on the type of supportive practices offered. The impact of support from organizational members is further influenced by their hierarchical proximity to the expatriate, with supervisory support relating most strongly to success. In addition to proximity, characteristics of the expatriating employee and the assignment (e.g. expatriate motivation and assignment hardship) influence the value of social support. Finally, social support relates most strongly to expatriates' satisfaction, commitment, and adjustment and these frequently mediate its effect on expatriates' retention and performance.  Although only organization based sources were considered, this review demonstrates that a multidimensional perspective is warranted when examining the effects of social support during IAs.  This review provides insights into the ways organizations could and should assist (self initiated) expatriates when aiming for specific outcomes.  This in depth examination of social support in the work environment of expatriates combines several theoretical paradigms and investigates multiple criteria of success.
Fast parallel blur detection of digital images
Venue: 2016 IEEE RIVF International Conference on Computing Communication Technologies, Research, Innovation, and Vision for the Future (RIVF)

Current popularity of digital camera and smartphone leads to an enormous amount of digital images. This raises a demand for image quality assessment, one of which is about blur detection. In this paper, we analyze existing sequential blur detection scheme using Haar Wavelet Transform. Using several predefined rules, edge detection is then performed in this wavelet analysis to determine if the input image is blurred or not, and to what extent it is blurred. Based on this blur detection scheme, we propose a parallelized approach for detecting blurry images inside a dataset. Our approach mainly focuses on decoupling data dependencies and partitioning data inside each step. Our experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of our parallel approach up to 50% faster than traditional, sequential algorithm with comparable accuracy.
A Fast Convergence Multiuser Detection Scheme for Uplink SCMA Systems
Venue: IEEE Wireless Communications Letters

Sparse code multiple access (SCMA) is a competitive non orthogonal multiple access technique for fifth generation wireless communication networks which can accommodate massive connectivity. Among the existing multiuser detection schemes for uplink (UP) SCMA systems, the asynchronous message passing algorithm (ASYN MPA) scheme, where messages are updated sequentially, generally converges faster than the synchronous variant, where all messages are updated in parallel manner. Nevertheless, the specific pre defined order of the ASYN MPA scheme is not always the best option. In this letter, we tackle the problem of how to schedule message for the ASYN MPA scheme that results in the best convergence rate. Specifically, a novel residual aided message propagation approach for scheduling messages in the ASYN MPA scheme, termed residual aided MPA, is proposed for UP SCMA systems, which exploits the dynamic selection of the message which has the largest residual. Simulations show that the proposed scheme with two iterations provides very similar bit error rate performance to the existing multiuser detection schemes with six iterations (only less than 0.05 dB degradation) whose complexity is reduced substantially.
Gray scale image enhancement using differential evolution optimization algorithm
Venue: 2016 International Conference on Information Technology (InCITe) The Next Generation IT Summit on the Theme Internet of Things: Connect your Worlds

Differential Evolution algorithm (DE) is a search method that iteratively searches for the solutions of machine learning and engineering problems that involve optimization. This paper aims at displaying the effectiveness and adaptability of the DE algorithm to find the global optimal solutions iteratively for contrast enhancement of grayscale images. An image's contrast can be modified by gray level adjustments to the pixel intensities of the original image with the help of a parameterized intensity transformation function. A quality function is used to judge the quality of the enhanced images which incorporates various conditions of image enhancement and is used as the fitness criterion. The Differential Evolution algorithm aims at maximizing the fitness function through adjustments to variables of the pixel intensity transformation function.
Smoking reduced in urban restaurants: the effect of Beijing Smoking Control Regulation
Venue: Tobacco Control

To evaluate the effectiveness of Beijing Smoking Control Regulation, occurrence of smoking in restaurants was compared before and after the law took effect.  A cohort study design was used in a randomly selected sample of 176 restaurants in two districts of Beijing. Undercover visits were paid by investigators to the same restaurants at lunch or dinner time 5 months before the law took effect and 1 month after. The occurrence of smoking and presence of no smoking signs were observed.  Much less smoking was observed (14.8% in restaurants compared to that before the law took effect (40.3% The drop in smoking occurrence was more evident in open dining areas (from 32.4% to 5.1% compared to the men's restrooms of the restaurants (23.8% to 18.8% No intervention from restaurant staff was observed whenever smoking occurred. Posting of no smoking signage increased considerably after the law came into effect (from 52.6% to 82.4% but very few no smoking signs included the symptom hotline number (38.5% or the amount of penalty (5.6% Conclusions The Beijing Smoking Control Regulation achieved one of its intended goals of reducing smoking occurrences in restaurants, but further effort of strengthening implementation is still needed and should focus on boosting compliance with no smoking sign requirements, reducing smoking in restrooms of the restaurants and mobilising the restaurant staff to intervene in case of violations.
In Class Online Discussion Activities to Enhance EFL Learners' English Self Efficacy and Language Learning Strategies

The study aims to investigate the effect of in class online discussion on EFL college low achievers' English self efficacy and their language learning strategies. It integrates the features of quasi experimental research to examine whether online discussions would enhance college low achievers' English self efficacy and their learning strategy application. Two classes of the college learners from one university were randomly recruited in the study. Two questionnaires (English self efficacy and language learning strategies) were administered both before and after the intervention. Besides the descriptive analysis of the learners' background information, a series of inferential statistics were conducted to demonstrate findings from the quantitative data. The study results reveal two significant findings. First, the participants applied language learning strategies more frequently. Second, the participants had higher levels of English self efficacy.
Inhibition of MicroRNA 221 Alleviates Neuropathic Pain Through Targeting Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling 1
Venue: Journal of Molecular Neuroscience

Neuropathic pain results in considerable trouble to people's physical and mental health. The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying its occurrence and development remain unclear. A large number of experiments show that microRNAs (miRNAs) play a major role in the pathogenesis of neuropathic pain and neuroinflammation resulting from nerve injury. Among various miRNAs, microRNA 221 (miR 221) overexpression has been reported in a chronic constrictive injury (CCI) induced rat model of neuropathic pain. However, the role of miR 221 in the regulation of neuropathic pain is unknown. In this study, we investigated the potential role and underlying mechanism of miR 221 in regulating neuropathic pain. Our findings show that miR 221 is overexpressed in the spinal cord and the isolated microglia of CCI rats. Intrathecal injection of a miR 221 inhibitor attenuated CCI induced mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia, and reduced proinflammatory cytokine expression, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF) a, interleukin (IL) 1b, and IL 6 in CCI rats. Using a dual luciferase reporter assay, we show that suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1) an important regulator of inflammation, is a direct target of miR 221. Treatment with the miR 221 inhibitor significantly inhibited the expression of SOCS1. Furthermore, the miR 221 inhibitor markedly suppressed the activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF kB) and the p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) signaling pathway. Knockdown of SOCS1 in CCI rats abrogated the inhibitory effect of the miR 221 inhibitor on CCI induced neuropathic pain and the NF kB and p38 MAPK signaling pathways. Together, these results suggest that inhibition of miR 221 alleviates neuropathic pain and neuroinflammation through increasing SOCS1 and by inhibiting the NF kB and p38 MAPK signaling pathways, indicating that miR 221 may be a promising molecular target for the treatment of neuropathic pain.
Fish Oil Derived Fatty Acids in Pregnancy and Wheeze and Asthma in Offspring.
Venue: The New England journal of medicine

Reduced intake of n 3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) may be a contributing factor to the increasing prevalence of wheezing disorders. We assessed the effect of supplementation with n 3 LCPUFAs in pregnant women on the risk of persistent wheeze and asthma in their offspring.  We randomly assigned 736 pregnant women at 24 weeks of gestation to receive 2.4 g of n 3 LCPUFA (fish oil) or placebo (olive oil) per day. Their children formed the Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood2010 (COPSAC2010) cohort and were followed prospectively with extensive clinical phenotyping. Neither the investigators nor the participants were aware of group assignments during follow up for the first 3 years of the children's lives, after which there was a 2 year follow up period during which only the investigators were unaware of group assignments. The primary end point was persistent wheeze or asthma, and the secondary end points included lower respiratory tract infections, asthma exacerbations, eczema, and allergic sensitization.  A total of 695 children were included in the trial, and 95.5% completed the 3 year, double blind follow up period. The risk of persistent wheeze or asthma in the treatment group was 16.9% versus 23.7% in the control group (hazard ratio, 0.69; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.49 to 0.97; P=0.035) corresponding to a relative reduction of 30.7% Prespecified subgroup analyses suggested that the effect was strongest in the children of women whose blood levels of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid were in the lowest third of the trial population at randomization: 17.5% versus 34.1% (hazard ratio, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.25 to 0.83; P=0.011) Analyses of secondary end points showed that supplementation with n 3 LCPUFA was associated with a reduced risk of infections of the lower respiratory tract (31.7% vs. 39.1% hazard ratio, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.58 to 0.98; P=0.033) but there was no statistically significant association between supplementation and asthma exacerbations, eczema, or allergic sensitization.  Supplementation with n 3 LCPUFA in the third trimester of pregnancy reduced the absolute risk of persistent wheeze or asthma and infections of the lower respiratory tract in offspring by approximately 7 percentage points, or one third. (Funded by the Lundbeck Foundation and others; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00798226
Immunological Mechanisms Underneath the Efficacy of Cancer Therapy
Venue: Cancer Immunology Research

Accumulating preclinical and clinical evidence indicates that the success of several anticancer agents including some conventional chemotherapeutics, targeted anticancer agents as well as specific forms of radiotherapy depends (at least in part) on their ability to stimulate anticancer immune responses. Such immunostimulatory effects can be "on target," i.e. they originate within cancer cells, or "off target," i.e. they develop from a heretofore unsuspected interaction between cancer therapy and the immune system. Here, we briefly discuss the immunologic mechanisms that underlie the efficacy of some forms of cancer therapy, as we highlight the rationale for combining these treatment modalities with immunotherapy to achieve superior therapeutic effects.
The Link between the Appendix and Ulcerative Colitis: Clinical Relevance and Potential Immunological Mechanisms
Venue: The American Journal of Gastroenterology

The human appendix has long been considered as a vestigial organ, an organ that has lost its function during evolution. In recent years, however, reports have emerged that link the appendix to numerous immunological functions in humans. Evidence has been presented for an important role of the appendix in maintaining intestinal health. This theory suggests that the appendix may be a reservoir or 'safe house' from which the commensal gut flora can rapidly be reestablished if it is eradicated from the colon. However, the appendix may also have a role in the development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) Several large epidemiological cohort studies have demonstrated the preventive effect of appendectomy on the development of ulcerative colitis, a finding that has been confirmed in murine colitis models. In addition, current studies are examining the possible therapeutic effect of an appendectomy to modulate disease course in patients with ulcerative colitis. This literature review assesses the current knowledge about the clinical and immunological aspects of the vermiform appendix in IBD and suggests that the idea of the appendix as a vestigial remnant should be discarded.
Immunological Mechanisms of Drug Hypersensitivity.
Venue: Current pharmaceutical design

Drug hypersensitivity reactions (DHRs) are adverse drug reactions that may be divided into several categories; namely pharmacologic intolerance, idiosyncratic reactions, pseudo allergic reactions and allergic reactions. Drug allergic reactions are those DHRs that are mediated by either antibodies or drug specific T cells. They vary in terms of severity, time to onset of clinical manifestations and target organ. Skin is most commonly implicated in drug hypersensitivity reactions; however, it is now apparent that reactions targeting internal organs fall under the definition of drug hypersensitivity. Multiple hypotheses have been proposed to explain the diverse immune mechanisms involved and the heterogeneous clinical presentation. The discovery of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) risk alleles for some DHRs has provided insights in the pathogenesis of these reactions. In this review we summarize immune cells involved in DHRs, discuss the possible immunological mechanisms of DHRs, with an emphasis on the IgE mediated immediate reactions and T cell dependent delayed type reactions.
The impact of a bio fertilizer on the soil organic matter status and carbon sequestration results from a field scale study
Venue: Journal of Soils and Sediments

PurposeThe application of bio fertilizers is one of the management practices that can help to maintain or increase the content of organic matter (OM) and improve soil fertility in arable soils. While some results have been obtained in relation to the influence of bio fertilizers on organic matter content, less in known about the fractional composition of humus.Materials and methodsThe aim of this study was to determine the effects of the bio fertilizer UGmax on soil total organic carbon (TOC) dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and the fractional composition of organic matter (C of humic acids (CHAs) C of fulvic acids (CFAs) and C in humins) in the humus horizon of an arable field. Measurements were taken in 2005 before the application of UGmax and in 2008, 3 years after its application, which was done in 2005, 2006, and 2007. Forty soil samples were taken in 2005 (the control year without UGmax) while 20 samples were taken after UGmax treatment and 20 from the control in 2008. Samples were always collected after the plants were harvested.Results and discussionAfter the 3 year period of the experiment, the TOC content was 6.3 higher in plots on which UGmax was applied in comparison to the control, while the DOC content was 0.19 percentage points lower after 3 years of bio fertilizer use as compared to the initial year of the experiment. The contribution of DOC to TOC decreased significantly after the application of UGmax in comparison with the control. The content of CFAs and its contribution in the TOC pools in soil without UGmax was higher at the end of the experiment compared to the beginning, while there was an inverse relationship in the soil with the bio fertilizer. In comparison with the control, organic matter in the soil treated with UGmax had a higher content of C of humic acids, C in humins, and higher CHAs/CFAs ratio.ConclusionsWe conclude that the use of a bio fertilizer that increases the stable fractions of organic matter provides evidence of an increase in the soil OM stability. In turn, the contribution of the organic matter fractions that are more resistant to decomposition is crucial for increasing soil carbon sequestration.
Athlete leadership in sport teams: Current understanding and future directions

Leadership is a fundamental aspect of sports performance, particularly within team sport environments. Over the past 25 years there has been significant research exploring the role of the coach/manager in this regard. However, this only represents one aspect of leadership within the sporting domain. Equally important, although far less examined, is the concept of athlete leadership. The role of athlete leaders, both formal (e.g. the captain) and informal (such as motivators and cultural architects) can have a significant impact upon a range of team related factors including satisfaction, cohesion, and team dynamics. However, the mechanisms through which this impact occurs are less well understood. Also, while the development of leadership skills has been proposed as an important aspect of coach development programmes there is very little consensus regarding the approaches that should be adopted in developing athlete leaders and their associated leadership skills. This paper reviews the existing literature relating to athlete leadership seeking to provide clarity regarding current understanding. Building upon this base the paper then highlights future areas for research and theoretical development.