Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An abstract methodology for developing knowledge management systems

Powerful organizations are those that manage their power factors efficiently; organizational resources are considered vital power factors, and Knowledge is one of the most important resources to manage. There is no universally accepted Knowledge Management (KM) process, but it is known that establishing the appropriate knowledge flows in the organization is the main goal of organizational KM. A Knowledge Management System (KMS) is an information system which supports the KM process, mainly by providing the required knowledge and enhancing its flow. Organizations increasingly feel the need for appropriate methodologies for developing their target KMSs. However, existing KMS development methodologies are not comprehensive enough to satisfy all organizational needs. In this paper, we propose an abstract KMS development methodology which alleviates the weaknesses of existing methodologies while reusing their strengths. Method engineers can develop concrete methodologies by instantiating the proposed abstract methodology and adding the necessary detail, thus producing bespoke methodologies which are best suited to organizational needs.
Analysis of constraints to sport and leisure participation—the case of Korean immigrants in Western Australia

Abstract This study examines the degree of constraints to leisure and sport participation for Korean immigrants in Western Australia based on survey data. The study also analyses the determinants of constraints using multivariate regression. In general, personal constraints were better explained by socio-demographic factors than other types of constraints. Among socio-demographic variables, while some variables such as employment status, financial status and level of education were found to be significant in deciding the importance of more personal constraints, gender was found to be critical for the importance of structural or environmental constraints. Females were likely to recognise some constraints to be more binding than males. While the study provides interesting findings, it raises two important questions. First, it was found that overall participation in (active) leisure activities for Korean immigrants is very low, which might imply that they do not feel the constraints binding their participation. Second, regardless of the duration of residing in Australia, the leisure patterns of Korean immigrants were not significantly Australianised. This casts some questions about whether leisure participation can contribute to acculturation of immigrants.
Novel Long Noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in Myogenesis: a miR-31 Overlapping lncRNA Transcript Controls Myoblast Differentiation

ABSTRACT Transcriptome analysis allowed the identification of new long noncoding RNAs differentially expressed during murine myoblast differentiation. These transcripts were classified on the basis of their expression under proliferating versus differentiated conditions, muscle-restricted activation, and subcellular localization. Several species displayed preferential expression in dystrophic (mdx) versus wild-type muscles, indicating their possible link with regenerative processes. One of the identified transcripts, lnc-31, even if originating from the same nuclear precursor of miR-31, is produced by a pathway mutually exclusive. We show that lnc-31 and its human homologue hsa-lnc-31 are expressed in proliferating myoblasts, where they counteract differentiation. In line with this, both species are more abundant in mdx muscles and in human Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) myoblasts, than in their normal counterparts. Altogether, these data suggest a crucial role for lnc-31 in controlling the differentiation commitment of precursor myoblasts and indicate that its function is maintained in evolution despite the poor sequence conservation with the human counterpart.
Hypnotic effects of total aqueous extracts of Vervain hastata (Verbenaceae) in rats

Abstract The in vivo sedative property of the total aqueous extract of the aerial portion of Vervain hastata (Verbenaceae) (TAEV) was studied in male rats to establish its scientific basis in herbal medicine. The investigation was conducted using electroencephalogram (EEG) analysis, and the barbituric–hypnosis test. The results showed that TAEV potentiated the pentobarbital‐induced hypnosis significantly by reducing sleep latency and increased sleeping time in a dose‐dependent manner that was reversed by flumazenil. The EEG data demonstrated that extract administration augmented total sleep time, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non‐REM sleep at the expense of wakefulness. The study’s results clearly showed the scientific validity for the use of this plant as a sedative and possibly as a nerve tonic substance.
Dynamically Integrating Knowledge in Teams: Transforming Resources into Performance

In knowledge-based environments, teams must develop a systematic approach to integrating knowledge resources throughout the course of projects in order to perform effectively. Yet, many teams fail to do so. Drawing on the resource-based view of the firm, we examine how teams can develop a knowledge-integration capability to dynamically integrate members‘ resources into higher performance. We distinguish among three sets of resources: relational, experiential, and structural, and propose that they differentially influence a team‘s knowledge-integration capability. We test our theoretical framework using data on knowledge workers in professional services, and discuss implications for research and practice.
Numerical simulations of stellar SiO maser variability: Investigation of the effect of shocks

A stellar hydrodynamic pulsation model has been combined with a SiO maser model in an attempt to calculate the temporal variability of SiO maser emission in the circumstellar envelope (CE) of a model AGB star. This study investigates whether the variations in local physical conditions brought about by shocks are the predominant contributing factor to SiO maser variability because, in this work, the radiative part of the pump is constant. We nd that some aspects of the variability are not consistent with a pump provided by shock-enhanced collisions alone. In these simulations, gas parcels of relatively enhanced SiO abundance are distributed in a model CE by a Monte Carlo method, at a single epoch of the stellar cycle. From this epoch on, Lagrangian motions of individual parcels are calculated according to the velocity elds encountered in the model CE during the stellar pulsation cycle. The potentially masing gas parcels therefore experience dierent densities and temperatures, and have varying line-of-sight velocity gradients throughout the stellar cycle, which may or may not be suitable to produce maser emission. At each epoch (separated by 16.6 days), emission lines from the parcels are combined to produce synthetic spectra and VLBI-type images. We report here the results for v =1 ,J = 1{0 (43-GHz) and J = 2{1 (86-GHz) masers and compare synthetic lineshapes and images with those observed. Strong SiO maser emission is calculated to form in an unlled ring within a few stellar radii of the photosphere, indicating a tangential amplication process. The diameter of the synthetic maser ring is dependent upon stellar phase, as clearly observed for TX Cam, and upon maser transition. Proper motions of brightly masing parcels are comparable to measurements for some maser components in R Aqr and TX Cam, although we are unable to reproduce all of the observed motions. Synthetic lineshapes peak at the stellar velocity, have typical Mira linewidths and vary in intensity with stellar phase. However, the model fails quantitatively in several respects. We attribute these failings to (i) lack of an accurate, time-varying stellar IR eld (ii) post-shock kinetic temperatures which are too high, due to the cooling function included in our model and (iii) the lack of a detailed treatment of the chemistry of the inner CE. We expect the use of oxygen-rich hydrodynamical stellar models which are currently under development to alleviate these problems.
Language Switching Costs in Bilingual Visual Word Recognition

Abstract Grainger and Beauvillain (1987) found performance costs in the lexical decision task when bilingual participants switched languages in recognizing words. They also found that these costs could be eliminated by the use of language-specific orthographic cues. This led to the suggestion that switch costs arise from within the bilingual lexicon. An alternative account is that switch costs arise from outside the lexicon, a result of competition between control structures put in place to coordinate activation of the lexicon with task-appropriate responses (Green, 1998a, 1998b; Von Studnitz & Green, 1997). In Experiment 1 using English–French bilinguals, we showed that the apparent role of orthographic cues in Grainger and Beauvillain's study was probably due to a missing control condition. With this control condition in place, language-specific orthography did not reduce the switch cost. Two further experiments investigated the locus of the switch cost and found support for the notion that most of the switch cost originates from outside rather than inside the bilingual lexicon.
Mechanoenzymatics of titin kinase

Biological responses to mechanical stress require strain-sensing molecules, whose mechanically induced conformational changes are relayed to signaling cascades mediating changes in cell and tissue properties. In vertebrate muscle, the giant elastic protein titin is involved in strain sensing via its C-terminal kinase domain (TK) at the sarcomeric M-band and contributes to the adaptation of muscle in response to changes in mechanical strain. TK is regulated in a unique dual autoinhibition mechanism by a C-terminal regulatory tail, blocking the ATP binding site, and tyrosine autoinhibition of the catalytic base. For access to the ATP binding site and phosphorylation of the autoinhibitory tyrosine, the C-terminal autoinhibitory tail needs to be removed. Here, we use AFM-based single-molecule force spectroscopy, molecular dynamics simulations, and enzymatics to study the conformational changes during strain-induced activation of human TK. We show that mechanical strain activates ATP binding before unfolding of the structural titin domains, and that TK can thus act as a biological force sensor. Furthermore, we identify the steps in which the autoinhibition of TK is mechanically relieved at low forces, leading to binding of the cosubstrate ATP and priming the enzyme for subsequent autophosphorylation and substrate turnover.
Acute Ethanol Administration Upregulates Synaptic α4-Subunit of Neuronal Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors within the Nucleus Accumbens and Amygdala

Alcohol and nicotine are two of the most frequently abused drugs, with their comorbidity well described. Previous data show that chronic exposure to nicotine upregulates high-affinity nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in several brain areas. Effects of ethanol on specific brain nAChR subtypes within the mesolimbic dopaminergic (DA) pathway may be a key element in the comorbidity of ethanol and nicotine. However, it is unknown how alcohol affects the abundance of these receptor proteins. In the present study, we measured the effect of acute binge ethanol on nAChR α4 subunit levels in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), nucleus accumbens (NAc), ventral tegmental area (VTA), and amygdala (Amg) by western blot analysis using a knock-in mouse line, generated with a normally functioning α4 nAChR subunit tagged with yellow fluorescent protein (YFP). We observed a robust increase in α4-YFP subunit levels in the NAc and the Amg following acute ethanol, with no changes in the PFC and VTA. To further investigate whether this upregulation was mediated by increased local mRNA transcription, we quantified mRNA levels of the Chrna4 gene using qRT-PCR. We found no effect of ethanol on α4 mRNA expression, suggesting that the upregulation of α4 protein rather occurs post-translationally. The quantitative counting of YFP immunoreactive puncta further revealed that α4-YFP protein is upregulated in presynaptic boutons of the dopaminergic axons projecting to the shell and the core regions of the NAc as well as to the basolateral amygdala (BLA), but not to the central or lateral Amg. Together, our results demonstrate that a single exposure to binge ethanol upregulates level of synaptic α4∗ nAChRs in dopaminergic inputs to the NAc and BLA. This upregulation could be linked to the functional dysregulation of dopaminergic signalling observed during the development of alcohol dependence.
Discussing Landscape Compositional Scenarios Generated with Maximization of Non-Expected Utility Decision Models Based on Weighted Entropies

The search for hypothetical optimal solutions of landscape composition is a major issue in landscape planning and it can be outlined in a two-dimensional decision space involving economic value and landscape diversity, the latter being considered as a potential safeguard to the provision of services and externalities not accounted in the economic value. In this paper, we use decision models with different utility valuations combined with weighted entropies respectively incorporating rarity factors associated to Gini-Simpson and Shannon measures. A small example of this framework is provided and discussed for landscape compositional scenarios in the region of Nisa, Portugal. The optimal solutions relative to the different cases considered are assessed in the two-dimensional decision space using a benchmark indicator. The results indicate that the likely best combination is achieved by the solution using Shannon weighted entropy and a square root utility function, corresponding to a risk-averse behavior associated to the precautionary principle linked to safeguarding landscape diversity, anchoring for ecosystem services provision and other externalities. Further developments are suggested, mainly those relative to the hypothesis that the decision models here outlined could be used to revisit the stability-complexity debate in the field of ecological studies.
Pound: A ROS node for Reducing Delay and Jitter in Wireless Multi-Robot Networks

The Robot Operating System (ROS) is rapidly becoming the de facto framework for building robotics systems, thanks to its flexibility and the large acceptance that it has received in the robotics community. With the growth of its popularity, it has started to be used in multi-robot systems as well. However, the TCP connections that the platform relies on for connecting the so-called ROS nodes, presents several issues in terms of limited-bandwidth, delays and jitter, when used in wireless ad-hoc networks. In this paper, we present a thorough analysis of the problem and propose a new ROS node called Pound to improve the wireless communication performance. Pound allows the use of multiple ROS cores and introduces a priority scheme favoring more important flows over less important ones, thus reducing delay and jitter over single-hop and multihop networks. We compare Pound to the state-of-the-art solutions and show that it performs equally well, or better in all the test cases, including a control-over-network example.
Health-Related Quality of Life and Associated Factors of Frontline Railway Workers: A Cross-Sectional Survey in the Ankang Area, Shaanxi Province, China

After validation of the widely used health-related quality of life (HRQOL) generic measure, the Short Form 36 version 2 (SF-36v2), we investigated the HRQOL and associated factors of frontline railway workers in China. Ground workers, conductors, and train drivers were selected from Ankang Precinct by using a stratified cluster sampling technique. A total of 784 frontline railway workers participated in the survey. The reliability and validity of SF-36v2 was satisfactory. The physical component summary (PCS) scores of three subgroups attained the average range for the USA general population, whereas the mental component summary (MCS) scores were well below the range. Most domains scored below the norm, except for the physical functioning (PF) domain. Among three subgroups, train drivers reported significantly lower scores on MCS and six health domains (excluding PF and bodily pain (BP)). After controlled confounders, conductors had significantly higher PCS and MCS scores than ground workers. There is heterogeneity on risk factors among three subgroups, but having long or irregular working schedules was negatively associated with HRQOL in all subgroups. SF-36v2 is a reliable and valid HRQOL measurement in railway workers in China. The frontline railway workers’ physical health was comparative to American norms, whilst mental health was relatively worse. Long or irregular working schedules were the most important factors.
Autoradiographic distribution of cholinergic muscarinic receptors and serotonin2 receptors in olfactory bulbectomized (OB) rats after chronic treatment with mianserin and desipramine

Bilateral removal of the olfactory bulbs in rats produces a behavioural abnormality that is defined by hyperactivity in the open‐field test. This abnormality may be related to depression since these behavioural effects can be attenuated by antidepressant drugs. Moreover, changes in the cholinergic and serotonergic system may be involved in the pathogenesis of depression. Thus, muscarinic cholinergic and serotonin2 receptors were measured by quantitative autoradiography after the bilateral removal of the olfactory bulbs from the rat. In OB rats, muscarinic receptor density was decreased in several brain regions including the amygdaloid cortex, the basal ganglia, hippocampus, hypothalamus, cortex and olfactory regions. Serotonin2 receptors were increased in all cortical regions, in the hippocampus and the thalamus. When OB rats were treated chronically for 35 days with mianserin (5 mg/kg i. p.) or desipramine (7·5 mg/kg i. p.) the behavioural hyperactivity was reversed and muscarinic receptor density was increased in the hippocampus and cortical regions while serotonin2 receptors were normalized. The results are consistent with a cholinergic and serotonin involvement in depressive illness and suggest that the cholinergic and serotonergic modulatory properties of antidepressant drugs may contribute to their therapeutic effectiveness.
Low dose acetylsalicylic acid in prevention of pregnancy‐induced hypertension and intrauterine growth retardation in women with bilateral uterine artery notches

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of low‐dose acetylsalicylic acid in the prevention of pregnancy‐induced hypertension and intrauterine growth retardation in high‐risk pregnancies as determined by transvaginal Doppler ultrasound study of the uterine arteries at 12 to 14 weeks of gestation.
Shockwaves prevent from heart failure after acute myocardial ischaemia via RNA/protein complexes

Shock wave treatment (SWT) was shown to induce regeneration of ischaemic myocardium via Toll‐like receptor 3 (TLR3). The antimicrobial peptide LL37 gets released by mechanical stress and is known to form complexes with nucleic acids thus activating Toll‐like receptors. We suggested that SWT in the acute setting prevents from the development of heart failure via RNA/protein release. Myocardial infarction in mice was induced followed by subsequent SWT. Heart function was assessed 4 weeks later via transthoracic echocardiography and pressure–volume measurements. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were treated with SWT in the presence of RNase and proteinase and analysed for proliferation, tube formation and LL37 expression. RNA release and uptake after SWT was evaluated. We found significantly improved cardiac function after SWT. SWT resulted in significantly higher numbers of capillaries and arterioles and less left ventricular fibrosis. Supernatants of treated cells activated TLR3 reporter cells. Analysis of the supernatant revealed increased RNA levels. The effect could not be abolished by pre‐treatment of the supernatant with RNase, but only by a sequential digestion with proteinase and RNase hinting strongly towards the involvement of RNA/protein complexes. Indeed, LL37 expression as well as cellular RNA uptake were significantly increased after SWT. We show for the first time that SWT prevents from left ventricular remodelling and cardiac dysfunction via RNA/protein complex release and subsequent induction of angiogenesis. It might therefore develop a potent regenerative treatment alternative for ischaemic heart disease.
Off-label uses of trazodone: a review

Introduction: Trazodone is an antidepressant belonging to the class of serotonin receptor antagonists and reuptake inhibitors. It is approved by the FDA for the treatment of depression. Insomnia is the most frequent reason for prescription of trazodone. It has also been proven useful in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Other off-label uses include the treatment of bulimia, benzodiazepine/alcohol dependence, fibromyalgia, central nervous system degenerative diseases (behavioral disorders in dementia and other organic disorders), schizophrenia, chronic pain disease and diabetic neuropathy, sexual dysfunction. Areas covered: This paper evaluates trazodone's efficacy and safety in its off-label uses. It also discusses the possibility that a combination of trazodone with SSRIs may prevent or treat some of the SSRI side effects, such as anxiety, insomnia and sexual dysfunction, in addition to synergically increasing SSRIs' antidepressant activity. Expert opinion: Few clinical trials have been conducted to evaluate trazodone's efficacy in the treatment of the diseases and symptoms for which it is often used in clinical practice. More studies are necessary to investigate possible new therapeutic indications, and to scientifically demonstrate the risk/benefit ratio for the many conditions for which trazodone is used, but not approved by the FDA.
ResNet and Model Fusion for Automatic Spoofing Detection

Speaker veriﬁcation systems have achieved great progress in recent years. Unfortunately, they are still highly prone to different kinds of spooﬁng attacks such as speech synthesis, voice conversion, and fake audio recordings etc. Inspired by the success of ResNet in image recognition, we investigated the effectiveness of using ResNet for automatic spooﬁng detection. Experimental results on the ASVspoof2017 data set show that ResNet performs the best among all the single-model systems. Model fusion is a good way to further improve the system performance. Nevertheless, we found that if the same feature is used for different fused models, the resulting system can hardly be improved. By using different features and models, our best fused model further reduced the Equal Error Rate (EER) by 18% relatively, compared with the best single-model system.