Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the Front Line: Organization of Work in the Information Economy

The importance of customer service is widely emphasized in business today. This book offers the first comprehensive analysis of the organization and dynamics of front-line work. The volume is based on a four-year study of over a thousand employees and eight leading companies in the United States, Australia, and Japan. On the Front Line reveals similarities and differences found in work environments--such as variance in authority relations and division of labor--as well as significant contrasts between management approaches used in Japan and those used in the United States and Australia. By examining how work differs among service, sales, and knowledge-based settings, it also shows how bureaucratic, entrepreneurial, and network forms of organization coexist in the informational economy. This seminal analysis of work in the service sector offers both a benchmark for consultants working with customer-contact organizations and valuable information for anyone concerned with the changing nature of work.
Identification of Altered Metabolic Pathways in Plasma and CSF in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease Using Metabolomics

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) currently affects more than 5 million Americans, with numbers expected to grow dramatically as the population ages. The pathophysiological changes in AD patients begin decades before the onset of dementia, highlighting the urgent need for the development of early diagnostic methods. Compelling data demonstrate that increased levels of amyloid-beta compromise multiple cellular pathways; thus, the investigation of changes in various cellular networks is essential to advance our understanding of early disease mechanisms and to identify novel therapeutic targets. We applied a liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry-based non-targeted metabolomics approach to determine global metabolic changes in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from the same individuals with different AD severity. Metabolic profiling detected a total of significantly altered 342 plasma and 351 CSF metabolites, of which 22% were identified. Based on the changes of >150 metabolites, we found 23 altered canonical pathways in plasma and 20 in CSF in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) vs. cognitively normal (CN) individuals with a false discovery rate <0.05. The number of affected pathways increased with disease severity in both fluids. Lysine metabolism in plasma and the Krebs cycle in CSF were significantly affected in MCI vs. CN. Cholesterol and sphingolipids transport was altered in both CSF and plasma of AD vs. CN. Other 30 canonical pathways significantly disturbed in MCI and AD patients included energy metabolism, Krebs cycle, mitochondrial function, neurotransmitter and amino acid metabolism, and lipid biosynthesis. Pathways in plasma that discriminated between all groups included polyamine, lysine, tryptophan metabolism, and aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis; and in CSF involved cortisone and prostaglandin 2 biosynthesis and metabolism. Our data suggest metabolomics could advance our understanding of the early disease mechanisms shared in progression from CN to MCI and to AD.
Identification of Low Bone Mineral Density based on the Mandibular Cortex by Fuzzy Neural Network

ln this paper we present a fuzzy neural network system for diagnosing osteoporosis based on mandibular cortical width and shape measurement on dental panoramic radiographs. The system consists in partitioning the input space into a set of subspaces using a novel fuzzy thresholding we propose in this paper. The fuzzy inference system constructed from the partitioning step is then incorporated with multi layer perceptron (MLP) neural network. The sensitivity and specificity averages are 90.92oh and 63.697o, respectively.
A fast, efficient and sequence-independent method for flexible multiple segmental isotope labeling of RNA using ribozyme and RNase H cleavage

Structural information on RNA, emerging more and more as a major regulator in gene expression, dramatically lags behind compared with information on proteins. Although NMR spectroscopy has proven to be an excellent tool to solve RNA structures, it is hampered by the severe spectral resonances overlap found in RNA, limiting its use for large RNA molecules. Segmental isotope labeling of RNA or ligation of a chemically synthesized RNA containing modified nucleotides with an unmodified RNA fragment have proven to have high potential in overcoming current limitations in obtaining structural information on RNA. However, low yields, cumbersome preparations and sequence requirements have limited its broader application in structural biology. Here we present a fast and efficient approach to generate multiple segmentally labeled RNAs with virtually no sequence requirements with very high yields (up to 10-fold higher than previously reported). We expect this approach to open new avenues in structural biology of RNA.
Hybrid Overlay-Underlay Cognitive Radio Networks With Energy Harvesting

Envisioning the potentials of energy harvesting technology and the improved spectrum reuse by joint utilization of overlay and underlay modes, this paper studies the throughput performance of a novel cognitive radio network (CRN) scenario with a mobile energy-harvesting secondary transmitter (ST). The hybrid overlay-underlay scheme allows the secondary users to access the spectrum even when the primary signal is detected. We are the first to partition the unit area into three parts for secondary users: overlay mode area, underlay mode area, and harvesting zone. Then, we propose a metric to classify the CRN into the spectrum-limited state and the energy-limited state, and accordingly maximize the throughput through the monotonicity analysis of throughput and collision probability. The secondary throughput is maximized under the energy constraint and collision constraint. Moreover, we quantitatively discuss the impacts of underlay mode transmission on the classification of network states and the corresponding optimal spectrum sensing, respectively. We find that with a relatively small detection threshold, ST transmits the considerable amount of packets in underlay mode, while it transmits few packets in overlay mode. Theoretical results are validated by simulations, and our findings shed light on the design and operation of mobile energy-harvesting CRNs.
Face recognition with local contourlet combined patterns

This paper proposes a novel face image descriptor called local contourlet combined patterns (LCCP), based on the Non-Subsampled Contourlet Transform (NSCT), for face recognition. NSCT is a multiresolution analysis tool and can capture image information at multiple scales, orientations, and frequency bands. To adapt to the NSCT filter bank, a new encoding method named mean-based contrast patterns (MCP) is presented. We apply LBP and MCP to different levels' NSCT coefficient images respectively and then combine them to obtain a robust representation. Futhermore, block-based kernel Fisher linear discriminant (BKFLD) is used to select the most discriminative feature sets. Face recognition experiments on FERET database demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed approach.
A community-based aquatic exercise program to improve endurance and mobility in adults with mild to moderate intellectual disability

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a community-based aquatic exercise program on physical performance among adults with mild to moderate intellectual disability (ID). Twenty-two community-dwelling adults with mild to moderate ID volunteered to participate in this study. Participants completed an 8-week aquatic exercise program (2 days/wk, 1 hr/session). Measures of physical performance, which were assessed prior to and following the completion of the aquatic exercise program, included the timed-up-and-go test, 6-min walk test, 30-sec chair stand test, 10-m timed walk test, hand grip strength, and the static plank test. When comparing participants’ measures of physical performance prior to and following the 8-week aquatic exercise program, improvements were seen in all measures, but the change in scores for the 6-min walk test, 30-sec chair stand test, and the static plank test achieved statistical significance (P<0.05). An 8-week group aquatic exercise program for adults with ID may promote improvements in endurance and balance/mobility.
User-Experience from an Inference Perspective

In many situations, people make judgments on the basis of incomplete information, inferring unavailable attributes from available ones. These inference processes may also well operate when judgments about a product’s user-experience are made. To examine this, an inference model of user-experience, based on Hassenzahl and Monk’s [2010], was explored in three studies using Web sites. All studies supported the model’s predictions and its stability, with hands-on experience, different products, and different usage modes (action mode versus goal mode). Within a unified framework of judgment as inference [Kruglanski et al. 2007], our approach allows for the integration of the effects of a wide range of information sources on judgments of user-experience.
Medial Temporal Lobe Damage Impairs Representation of Simple Stimuli

Medial temporal lobe (MTL) damage in humans is typically thought to produce a circumscribed impairment in the acquisition of new enduring memories, but recent reports have documented deficits even in short-term maintenance. We examined possible maintenance deficits in a population of MTL amnesics, with the goal of characterizing their impairments as either representational drift or outright loss of representation over time. Patients and healthy comparisons performed a visual search task in which the similarity of various lures to a target was varied parametrically. Stimuli were simple shapes varying along one of several visual dimensions. The task was performed in two conditions, one presenting a sample target simultaneously with the search array and the other imposing a delay between sample and array. Eye-movement data collected during search revealed that the duration of fixations to items varied with lure-target similarity for all participants, i.e., fixations were longer for items more similar to the target. In the simultaneous condition, patients and comparisons exhibited an equivalent effect of similarity on fixation durations. However, imposing a delay modulated the effect differently for the two groups: in comparisons, fixation duration to similar items was exaggerated; in patients, the original effect was diminished. These findings indicate that MTL lesions subtly impair short-term maintenance of even simple stimuli, with performance reflecting not the complete loss of the maintained representation but rather a degradation or progressive drift of the representation over time.
Assessment of performance of professionals in immunohematology proficiency tests of the public blood bank network of the state of Minas Gerais

Background Despite significant advances, the practice of blood transfusion is still a complex process and subject to risks. Factors that influence the safety of blood transfusion include technical skill and knowledge in hemotherapy mainly obtained by the qualification and training of teams. Objective This study aimed to investigate the relationship between professional categories working in transfusion services of the public blood bank network in the State of Minas Gerais and their performance in proficiency tests. Methods This was an observational cross-sectional study (2007-2008) performed using a specific instrument, based on evidence and the results of immunohematology proficiency tests as mandated by law. Results The error rates in ABO and RhD phenotyping, irregular antibody screening and cross-matching were 12.5%, 9.6%, 43.8% and 20.1%, respectively. When considering the number of tests performed, the error rates were 4.6%, 4.2%, 26.7% and 11.0%, respectively. The error rates varied for different professional categories: biochemists, biologists and biomedical scientists (65.0%), clinical pathology technicians (44.1%) and laboratory assistants, nursing technicians and assistant nurses (74.6%). A statistically significant difference was observed when the accuracy of clinical pathology technicians was compared with those of other professionals with only high school education (p-value < 0.001). This was not seen for professionals with university degrees (p-value = 0.293). Conclusion These results reinforce the need to invest in training, improvement of educational programs, new teaching methods and tools for periodic evaluations, contributing to increase transfusion safety and improve hemotherapy in Brazil.
Endogenously Produced Neurotrophins Regulate Survival and Differentiation of Cortical Progenitors via Distinct Signaling Pathways

Cultured embryonic cortical progenitor cells will mimic the temporal differentiation pattern observed in vivo, producing neurons first and then glia. Here, we investigated the role of two endogenously produced growth factors, the neurotrophins brain-derived neurotrophic factor and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), in the early progenitor-to-neuron transition. Cultured cortical progenitors express BDNF and NT-3, as well as their receptors TrkB (tyrosine kinase receptor B) and TrkC. Inhibition of these endogenously expressed neurotrophins using function-blocking antibodies resulted in a marked decrease in the survival of cortical progenitors, accompanied by decreased proliferation and inhibition of neurogenesis. Inhibition of neurotrophin function also suppressed the downstream Trk receptor signaling pathways, PI3-kinase (phosphatidyl inositol-3-kinase) and MEK—ERK (MAP kinase kinase—extracellular signal-regulated kinase), indicating the presence of autocrine—paracrine neurotrophin:Trk receptor signaling in these cells. Moreover, specific inhibition of these two Trk signaling pathways led to distinct biological effects; inhibition of PI3-kinase decreased progenitor cell survival, whereas inhibition of MEK selectively blocked the generation of neurons, with no effects on survival or proliferation. Thus, neurotrophins made by cortical progenitor cells themselves signal through the TrkB and TrkC receptors to mediate cortical progenitor cell survival and neurogenesis via two distinct downstream signaling pathways.
The neuropsychology of cognitive function - Auditory agnosia

Auditory agnosia can be defined as the defective recognition of non-verbal sounds and noises. The clinical picture of this disorder is described and the scarcity of knowledge of auditory agnosia derived purely from single cases is discussed. Next, experimental studies on unselected series of brain-damaged patients, especially designed to clarify the relation of auditory agnosia to aphasia and to the hemispheric locus of the lesion are reported. The results consistently point to the existence of two types of auditory agnosia, a semantic-associative one, specifically associated with lesions of the left hemisphere and aphasia, and a discriminative one, specifically associated with lesions of the right hemisphere. The hypothesis is advanced that the semantic- associative variety of auditory agnosia is part of a wider cognitive disorder.
On the impact of DoS attacks on Internet traffic characteristics and QoS

The Internet is on the way of becoming the universal communication network, and then needs to provide various services with guaranteed quality for all kinds of applications. Denial of service (DoS) attacks are then more efficient in a guaranteed multi-services network than in the "old" best effort Internet. Indeed, with best effort services, a DoS attack has to forbid the target of the attack to communicate. With a multi-services network, it is sufficient to make the network not respect the SLA (service level agreement) committed with clients, what is easier and can be performed using simple flooding attacks. Then, the question is: how does a DoS attack impact the quality of service (QoS) of a network given that networks are hugely over-provisioned, and that DoS attacks never succeed to completely overflow these high speed networks? This paper aims at answering this question as we do believe that it can help for defending the network against such attacks. The analysis of DoS attacks has been performed using traffic monitoring tools on the Internet. In particular, the analysis of attacks shows that they are increasing long range dependence (LRD) in the traffic, breaking the invariant power laws of normal Internet traffic. It is also explained in the paper, based on some normal traffic traces characterization and analysis why LRD is such a bad parameter for having good QoS.
Approximation Theory and the Design of Fast Algorithms

We survey key techniques and results from approximation theory in the context of uniform approximations to real functions such as e^{-x}, 1/x, and x^k. We then present a selection of results demonstrating how such approximations can be used to speed up primitives crucial for the design of fast algorithms for problems such as simulating random walks, graph partitioning, solving linear system of equations, computing eigenvalues and combinatorial approaches to solve semi-definite programs.
Macrophages in the retina of normal Lewis rats and their dynamics after injection of lipopolysaccharide.

PURPOSE To investigate the density, distribution, and morphology of macrophages (bone marrow-derived microglia) and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II-positive cells in the retina of Lewis rats and the dynamics of these cells after systemic lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection. METHODS Immunohistochemistry was carried out using monoclonal antibodies specific to monocytes and macrophages (ED1, ED2) and MHC class II-positive cells (OX-6) on whole-mounts of the retina obtained from Lewis rats before and at different time points after footpad injection of 200 micrograms of LPS. RESULTS The inner layers of the normal retina contained a network of macrophages, whereby ED1 and ED2 staining revealed similar results. Macrophages were either dendritiform or pleiomorphic in morphology, with the former predominant. The density of positive cells was higher at the peripheral part and the periequatorial part (271 +/- 10 cells/mm2 and 267 +/- 9 cells/mm2, respectively) than at the posterior part (196 +/- 11 cells/mm2; P < 0.0001 in both cases). Lipopolysaccharide injection induced an early adherence of monocytes to retinal blood vessels, followed by a massive influx of the macrophages into the retina. The ED1-ED2 positive cells showed a variety of morphologic appearances: large round cells, pleiomorphic cells, and dendritiform cells. Pleiomorphic cells were striking at 48 hours, whereas dendritiform cells were predominant in the whole retina at 72 hours and thereafter. On day 14, the dendritiform cell numbers returned to approximately preinjection levels. Major histocompatibility class II-positive cells could not be found in the normal retina, nor after LPS injection. CONCLUSIONS The network of MHC class II-negative microglia in the retina were studied. These cells may play an important role in immunoregulation and stability of the immunologic microenvironment within the retina. Systemic LPS injection was followed by a massive influx of macrophages into the retina. The absence of MHC class II-positive cells in the retina after LPS challenge may be an important protective mechanism against possible autoimmune damage.
Impact of Resistant Starch on Body Fat Patterning and Central Appetite Regulation

Background Adipose tissue patterning has a major influence on the risk of developing chronic disease. Environmental influences on both body fat patterning and appetite regulation are not fully understood. This study was performed to investigate the impact of resistant starch (RS) on adipose tissue deposition and central regulation of appetite in mice. Methodology and Principle Findings Forty mice were randomised to a diet supplemented with either the high resistant starch (HRS), or the readily digestible starch (LRS). Using 1H magnetic resonance (MR) methods, whole body adiposity, intrahepatocellular lipids (IHCL) and intramyocellular lipids (IMCL) were measured. Manganese-enhanced MRI (MEMRI) was used to investigate neuronal activity in hypothalamic regions involved in appetite control when fed ad libitum. At the end of the interventional period, adipocytes were isolated from epididymal adipose tissue and fasting plasma collected for hormonal and adipokine measurement. Mice on the HRS and LRS diet had similar body weights although total body adiposity, subcutaneous and visceral fat, IHCL, plasma leptin, plasma adiponectin plasma insulin/glucose ratios was significantly greater in the latter group. Adipocytes isolated from the LRS group were significantly larger and had lower insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. MEMRI data obtained from the ventromedial and paraventricular hypothalamic nuclei suggests a satiating effect of the HRS diet despite a lower energy intake. Conclusion and Significance Dietary RS significantly impacts on adipose tissue patterning, adipocyte morphology and metabolism, glucose and insulin metabolism, as well as affecting appetite regulation, supported by changes in neuronal activity in hypothalamic appetite regulation centres which are suggestive of satiation.
The determinants of Strategic Information System Planning (SISP) success: A proposed framework for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs)

The growing importance of Information System (IS) to support business operation demands for adequate IS planning. Good IS planning enables organizations to closely align the IS and strategic business objectives. Such alignment ultimately ensures organizations to gain competitive advantages from IS-related investment. Despite extensive works to understand SISP practices in large organizations, works are still limited in the context of Small and Medium Enterprise (SMEs). This issue is worth further investigation in view of the increasing importance of IS to support many facets of the SMEs operation. More importantly, due to inherent resource constraints among SMEs to invest in IS, top management commitment as well as user participation in IS planning activities are getting more crucial. This study, therefore proposes a framework to assess the effect of top management commitment and user participation on SISP success. The findings are of relevance for firm’s top management in ensuring SISP success.
Minimization of randomized unit test cases

We describe a framework for randomized unit testing, and give empirical evidence that generating unit test cases randomly and then minimizing the failing test cases results in significant benefits. Randomized generation of unit test cases (sequences of method calls) has been shown to allow high coverage and to be highly effective. However, failing test cases, if found, are often very long sequences of method calls. We show that Zeller and Hildebrandt's test case minimization algorithm significantly reduces the length of these sequences. We study the resulting benefits qualitatively and quantitatively, via a case study on found open-source data structures and an experiment on lab-built data structures