Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of scoring methods for interactive evolutionary computation based image retouching system

Interactive evolutionary computation (IEC) is a useful tool to automate human's creative process such as image drawing, music composition, and so on. In this paper, we apply the IEC to generate a new image from the original one using a set of filters. In professional image editing software, there provides us with a lot of filters and sometimes the sequential use of several filters produces interesting results. Usually, searching for the useful combination of filters is a kind of trial-and-error tasks. Or, only experts can define a good combination of filters from their long experience. In this work, our system incrementally adds or deletes filters based on user's evaluation on the results of image retouching. Recently, people take photos using their smartphones and it is not a trivial to give a number of consecutive evaluations to guide the IEC search. Based on the observation, we try to compare several scoring methods for the IEC to get the best results for the image retouching system. They are a simple binary scoring (Good & Bad), discrete multiple choices (Five Star), and real-valued scoring (Slider). Experimental results on five human subjects show that the Good & Bad is appropriate for the retouching system.
YAP enhances the pro‐proliferative transcriptional activity of mutant p53 proteins

Mutant p53 proteins are present in more than half of human cancers. Yes‐associated protein (YAP) is a key transcriptional regulator controlling organ growth, tissue homeostasis, and cancer. Here, we report that these two determinants of human malignancy share common transcriptional signatures. YAP physically interacts with mutant p53 proteins in breast cancer cells and potentiates their pro‐proliferative transcriptional activity. We found YAP as well as mutant p53 and the transcription factor NF‐Y onto the regulatory regions of cyclin A, cyclin B, and CDK1 genes. Either mutant p53 or YAP depletion down‐regulates cyclin A, cyclin B, and CDK1 gene expression and markedly slows the growth of diverse breast cancer cell lines. Pharmacologically induced cytoplasmic re‐localization of YAP reduces the expression levels of cyclin A, cyclin B, and CDK1 genes both in vitro and in vivo. Interestingly, primary breast cancers carrying p53 mutations and displaying high YAP activity exhibit higher expression levels of cyclin A, cyclin B, and CDK1 genes when compared to wt‐p53 tumors.
Clinical features and genetic analysis of a new form of spinocerebellar ataxia

Background: The autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxias (ADCA) are a clinically heterogeneous group of disorders. The mutations for SCA1, SCA2, SCA3, SCA6, SCA7, SCA8, and SCA-12 are identified and caused by an expansion of a CAG or a CTG repeat sequence of these genes. Six additional loci for SCA4, SCA5, SCA-10, SCA-11, SCA-13, and SCA-14 are mapped. The growing heterogeneity of the autosomal dominant forms of these diseases shows that the genetic etiologies of at least 20% of ADCA have yet to be elucidated. Methods: The authors ascertained and clinically characterized a four-generation pedigree segregating an autosomal dominant phenotype for SCA. Direct mutation analysis, repeat expansion detection analysis, and linkage analysis for all known SCA loci were performed. Results: Direct mutational analysis excluded SCA1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, and 12; genetic linkage analysis excluded SCA4, 5,10, 11, 13, and 14, giving significant negative lod scores. Examination of the family showed that all affected members had gait ataxia and akinesia with variable features of dysarthria, hyporeflexia, and mild intellectual impairment. Eye movements were normal. Head MRI showed atrophy of the cerebellum without involvement of the brainstem. In 10 parent–child pairs, median onset occurred 10.5 years earlier in offspring than in their parents, suggesting anticipation. Conclusion: This family is distinct from other families with SCA and is characterized by cerebellar ataxia and extrapyramidal signs.
The Effect of Calmodulin Antagonists on Experimental Scoliosis: A Pinealectomized Chicken Model

Study Design. Randomized controlled. Objective. To evaluate the effects of Tamoxifen (TMX) and trifluoperozine (TFP) on pinealectomized chicken scoliosis. Summary of Background Data. Pinealectomized chicken develops scoliosis probably due to the lack of melatonin. In addition to other functions, melatonin also acts as a calmodulin antagonist. We postulate that loss of this antagonistic effect may be the cause of scoliosis in this model. TMX and TFP are known calmodulin antagonists, which may alter the incidence and severity of scoliosis. Methods. Seventy-two newly hatched chicken that underwent surgical pinealectomy within 72 hours of hatching were divided into 3 groups of 24 animals in each as group I (control), group II (TMX), and group III (TFP). TMX and TFP were given to groups II and III, respectively, for 10 weeks with the dose of 0.1 mg/kg/d, whereas the control group received no medication. AP scoliosis radiographs were obtained at seventh and 10th week to evaluate coronal spinal alignment. Results. Three chickens in group I, 2 chickens in group II, and 1 chicken in group III died in the first postoperative week. Scoliosis incidences and magnitudes were similar among groups at seventh and 10th week. TMX and TFP groups showed decreases of incidence of upper cervical, lower cervical, lower cervical-thoracic-lumbar curves at 10th week compared with seventh week. TMX group showed a decline in thoracic region mean Cobb angle, whereas control group showed an increase (P = 0.048). TMX group showed a more prominent decline in cervicothoracic region mean Cobb angle compared with control group (P = 0.009). Conclusion. The incidence and magnitude of scoliosis in pinealectomized chicken may be decreased by the administration of TMX, presumably because of this drugs' calmodulin antagonism. Further studies on higher animals and dosage and timing are required.
Sulphur chemistry and evolution in hot cores

We compare the results of our JCMT spectral line survey of molecular gas towards ultracompact HII regions with the predictions of models of sulphur chemistry in hot cores. We investigate the range of evolutionary models that are consistent with the observed physical conditions and chemical abundances, and see to what extent it is possible to constrain core ages by comparing abundances with the predictions of chemical models. The observed abundance ratios vary little from source to source, suggesting that all the sources are at a similar evolutionary stage. The models are capable of predicting the observed abundances of H2S, SO, SO2, and CS. The models fail to predict the amount of OCS observed, suggesting that an alternative formation route is required. An initial H2S abundance from grain mantle evaporation of similar to 10(-7) is preferred.
Teaching for Creativity in the Common Core Classroom

Creativity and the Common Core State Standards are both important to today's teachers. Yet, for many educators, nurturing students' creativity seems to conflict with ensuring that they learn specific skills and content. In this book, the authors outline ways to adapt existing lessons and mandated curricula to encourage the development of student creativity alongside more traditional academic skills. Based on cutting-edge psychological research on creativity, the text debunks common misconceptions about creativity and describes how learning environments can support both creativity and the Common Core; offers creative lessons and insights for teaching English language arts and mathematics; and includes assessments for creativity and Common Core learning. Featuring numerous classroom examples, this practical resource will empower teachers to think of the Common Core and creativity as encompassing complementary, rather than mutually exclusive, goals.
Crowd-powered parameter analysis for visual design exploration

Parameter tweaking is one of the fundamental tasks in the editing of visual digital contents, such as correcting photo color or executing blendshape facial expression control. A problem with parameter tweaking is that it often requires much time and effort to explore a high-dimensional parameter space. We present a new technique to analyze such high-dimensional parameter space to obtain a distribution of human preference. Our method uses crowdsourcing to gather pairwise comparisons between various parameter sets. As a result of analysis, the user obtains a goodness function that computes the goodness value of a given parameter set. This goodness function enables two interfaces for exploration: Smart Suggestion, which provides suggestions of preferable parameter sets, and VisOpt Slider, which interactively visualizes the distribution of goodness values on sliders and gently optimizes slider values while the user is editing. We created four applications with different design parameter spaces. As a result, the system could facilitate the user's design exploration.
Competency Based Education.

Introduction: Nowadays, intense competition and technology changes make an increasing pressure to organizations and their various ways for increasing manpower productivity. Human resources are expected at this time to have greater impact on their products and services. This is the exact thing that caused competency to become an important factor in competitive environment. Competency term is used for describing the complex of behaviors that reflect the single composition of knowledge, skills, abilities and motives that are related to organizational role. The goal of this review article was a comprehensive introduction of competency and its application in designing training programs. Conclusion: The advantage of using competency for designing training programs in one aspect is the exact diagnosis of educational needs and increasing the efficiency of education and on the other aspect is applicability of learning and avoiding from just knowledge transferring .
Cytoskeletal architecture and immunocytochemical localization of microtubule-associated proteins in regions of axons associated with rapid axonal transport: the beta,beta'-iminodipropionitrile-intoxicated axon as a model system

Axons from rats treated with the neurotoxic agent beta,beta'- iminodipropionitrile (IDPN) were examined by quick-freeze, deep-etch electron microscopy. Microtubules formed bundles in the central region of the axons, whereas neurofilaments were segregated to the periphery. Most membrane-bounded organelles, presumably including those involved in rapid axonal transport, were associated with the microtubule domain. The high resolution provided by quick-freeze, deep-etch electron microscopy revealed that the microtubules were coated with an extensive network of fine strands that served both to cross-link the microtubules and to interconnect them with the membrane-bounded organelles. The strands were decorated with granular materials and were irregular in dimension. They appeared either singly or as an extensive anastomosing network in fresh axons. The microtubule-associated strands were observed in fresh, saponin-extracted, or aldehyde-fixed tissue. To explore further the identity of the microtubule-associated strands, microtubules purified from brain tissue and containing the high molecular weight microtubule-associated proteins MAP 1 and MAP 2 were examined by quick-freeze, deep-etch electron microscopy. The purified microtubules were connected by a network of strands quite similar in appearance to those observed in the IDPN axons. Control microtubule preparations consisting only of tubulin and lacking the MAPs were devoid of associated strands. To learn which of the MAPs were present in the microtubule bundles in the axon, sections of axons from IDPN- treated rats were examined by immunofluorescence microscopy using antibodies to MAP 1A, MAP 1B, MAP 2, and tubulin. Anti-MAP 2 staining was only marginally detectable in the IDPN-treated axons, consistent with earlier observations. Anti-MAP 1A and anti-MAP 1B brightly stained the IDPN-treated axons, with the staining exclusively limited to the microtubule domains. Furthermore, thin section-immunoelectron microscopy using colloidal gold-labeled second antibodies revealed that both anti-MAP 1A and anti-MAP 1B stained fuzzy filamentous structures between microtubules. In view of earlier work indicating that rapid transport is associated with the microtubule domain in the IDPN-treated axon, it now appears that MAP 1A and MAP 1B may play a role in this process. We believe that MAP 1A and MAP 1B are major components of the microtubule-associated fibrillar matrix in the axon.
Dynamics of local pressure-induced cutaneous vasodilation in the human hand.

We recently demonstrated that a pressure-induced vasodilation results from local nonnociceptive stimulation of the skin of the human hand. We aimed to test the hypothesis that this vasodilation was not a short-lived response to a single type of pressure strain, but could be a widely activated and prolonged protective cutaneous response. We studied the dynamics of pressure-induced vasodilation during various ramp changes in local externally applied pressure using laser Doppler flowmetry. Changes from an adjacent control probe were subtracted from pressure-induced local changes. Following an initial transient decrease, continuous 4.4, 5.6, and 11.1 Pa.s(-1) increases of pressure resulted in a secondary increase of blood flow whose amplitude was maximal for 11.1 Pa.s(-1) (22.9 +/- 12.6% above baseline) (mean +/- SEM). The increase in flow was not noted at 16.7 Pa.s(-1). If the 16.7 Pa.s(-1) ramp pressure increase was interrupted at min 2 or 4, a prolonged vasodilation response was found, but not if it was stopped at min 8. When the 16.7 Pa.s(-1) increasing pressure was returned to zero after 4 min of pressure increase (-8.1 +/- 8.9% before pressure removal), vasodilation occurred and reached a maximum of 26.0 +/- 9.6% at 7 min after removal of pressure (P < 0.05 from baseline). Pressure-induced vasodilation is a slow-responding and transient adaptive phenomenon, initiated by a wide range of pressure changes below the range of noxious stimulation. We propose that this response is a protective mechanism without which certain pressure-associated lesions may develop.
Simulation of threshold switching based on an electric field induced thermal runaway

We introduce a new explanation for abrupt threshold switching (TS) based on a Poole-Frenkel like field dependent barrier lowering conduction mechanism. As the barrier lowering induces a thermal runaway the mechanism is named field-triggered thermal runaway (FTTR). The FTTR-type threshold switching has the major characteristics of a hysteresis determined by different switching voltages for the turn-on and the turn-off. In this study, we investigate the influence of a series resistance on the FTTR-type threshold switching. We show that the variation of the memristive resistance is able to lead to a transition of the abrupt TS with a hysteresis into a continuous non-linear TS without a hysteresis effect. The transition between the abrupt and continuous TS occurs suddenly with an increase of the serial resistance, which consequently defines a minimum resistance change for the abrupt TS.
Metabolic and inflammatory responses to different caloric loads of a high-fat meal are distinct between normal-weight and obese individuals.

Human Development and Health Academic Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology II, Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology ‘‘José Mataix,’’ Biomedical Research Center, University of Granada, Granada, Spain; National Institute for Health Research Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospital Southampton National Health Service Foundation Trust and University of Southampton, Southampton, UK; and Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Cultural adaptation of web design services as critical success factor for business excellence : A cross-cultural study of Portuguese, Brazilian, Angolan and Macanese web sites

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine whether cultural backgrounds of nations are expressed through the web design of their companies. Actually, it investigates whether, in countries characterized by the same cultural matrix and language but by different national backgrounds, the cultural specificities of a country are a critical success factor for web design and enablers of business excellence. Design/methodology/approach – Starting from a deep literature review, four research hypotheses on the relationship between cultural background and web design are formulated. By employing both the content analysis and the cross-tabulation methodology, these hypotheses are tested. Findings – Brazilian, Portuguese, Angolan and Macanese web sites show that companies operating in these countries are aware that cultural background is a necessary success factor to consider for improving cross-cultural management of computer-mediated communication. Indeed, the findings confirm that the internet is not a cultur.
The role of preconsumption affect in postpurchase evaluation of services

The primary objective of this article is to examine the impact of preconsumption affect on consumers’ postpurchase evaluations. More specifically, we wanted to investigate how the two basic dimensions of affect — pleasure and arousal — contribute to customer evaluations of different types of services. To test our hypotheses, four service settings reflecting the quadrants in Russell’s Circumplex Model of Affect were chosen. Data were collected at two points of time: at the preprocess stage and immediately after the core service delivery. The results of this study suggest that pleasure and arousal, the two dimensions of emotional responses to the preprocess service environment, may interact in determining postpurchase evaluations. The interaction effect was observed for global satisfaction judgments and for repeat purchase behavior, thus suggesting that the combined effects of arousal and pleasure need to be considered in the design of preconsumption service settings. 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
The impact of a problem-based service-learning course on the improvement of behaviors reflecting positive character traits on students considered at-risk in a suburban high school

Judy Jackson May, Advisor The purpose of this mixed methods embedded design study was to learn if engaging in a problem-based service-learning course could improve the demonstration of behaviors reflecting positive character traits in junior and senior high school students who are considered at-risk. Additionally, the investigation sought to determine the extent to which students could articulate the applicability of the problem-based service-learning course to their lives. A problem-based learning approach is one where students learn about a topic in the context of solving real-life problems. The service-learning methodology links academic learning to service that meets an authentic community need (Billig, 2002). This study successfully implemented a proactive curricular approach in an attempt to deter negative student behaviors as students learned how to display positive character traits in different situations. This embedded design study utilized mostly qualitative data with a quantitative component. The study was guided by three research questions and student discipline data was collected from both an experimental and control group. In addition to the discipline data, students were interviewed, observed, and they completed course assignments to assess whether students improved their behaviors reflective of positive character traits by developing their social skills, problem-solving skills, and coping skills over a one semester term. The experimental group completed the course while the control group did not. The first question researched was (a) Does participation in a problem-based service-learning course reduce behavior incidents requiring discipline intervention of junior and senior high school students considered at-risk? This question was answered through analyzing quantitative data. The second question (b) Does participation in a problem-based service-learning course improve behaviors reflective of positive
The origin and function of dissolved organic matter in agro-urban coastal streams

[1] Streams draining urban and agriculture catchments are often a source of inorganic nutrients to downstream aquatic ecosystems, but little is known about how changes in land use influence the quality and biodegradability of dissolved organic matter (DOM). We used parallel factor analysis of excitation‐emission fluorescence spectroscopy and biodegradation incubations to examine how DOM composition influences bioavailable dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in surface waters of urban and agricultural catchments during summer (low flow), winter (high flow) and spring (flow recession). Percent bioavailable DOC was variable for all catchments (2–57%) and negatively related to percent humic‐like fluorescence, but positively related to percent protein‐like fluorescence and simple fluorescence metrics of DOM precursor material (fluorescence index and b:a values). Conversely, highly variable DOC concentrations (2–140 mg L −1 ) were negatively related to protein‐like fluorescence and positively related to humic‐like fluorescence. Elevated concentrations of DOC (>30 mg L −1 ) in agro‐urban streams revealed fluorescence indices (<1.3) typical of wetland and forest‐dominated ecosystems, suggesting that enriched stream DOM is either derived from the destabilization of legacy soil carbon or currently produced from remnant wetlands and patches of native vegetation. Overall, we demonstrate that fluorescence characteristics can be used to predict bioavailable DOC in human‐dominated catchments to better understand the flow of carbon and nutrients in aquatic food webs for improved monitoring and management of coastal ecosystems.
A phase II study of dasatinib for patients with imatinib-resistant gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST).

10006 Background: Dasatinib is an oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor of KIT, PDGFR, ABL and SRC with a distinct binding affinity for KIT and PDGFR. We performed a phase II trial to assess antitumor activity of dasatinib in patients (pts) with advanced GIST who were refractory to imatinib (IM) and sunitinib malate (SM). METHODS Pts received dasatinib 70mg PO BID. Computer tomographic response rates (ORR) was evaluated every 8 wks by Choi criteria. The primary endpoint was a target progression-free survival at 6 months (PFS-6) of >30% with <10% deemed inactive by a Bayesian approach. Objective response rate (ORR) per Choi criteria was also determined. RESULTS From 8/2008 to 7/2010, 50 pts were accrued (47 evaluable for response). Median age was 60(range, 20-78), 62% were male, and median ECOG PS=1. The most common site of primary disease was stomach (59%) and metastasis was liver (56%). Primary median tumor size at diagnosis was 8.7 cm(range 3.7-26) and mitotic rate was >5/50 hpf in 74% of patients. Tumor morphology was spindled (63%), epithelioid (18%) or mixed (18%). The median number of prior therapies was 2[range 1-6, IM (100%), SM (80%)]. Genotype was available for 15 pts: 6(40%) KIT exon 11, 6(40%) WT, 2(13%) KIT exon 9, and 1(7%) had PDGFR D842V. The median number of cycles was 2 (range, 1-24). The PR rate was 32% (15/47) by Choi criteria. 21% patients (10/47) were progression-free >6 months. Median PFS and OS were 2.0 months and 19 months. Median PFS for patients with WT GIST was 8.4 months (range 1.2-27). Toxicity was assessed in all pts: 14 grade 3 events (28%; constitutional, GI, respiratory, and myelosuppression) and 1 grade 4 event (2%, pain). There were no deaths related to dasatinib. CONCLUSIONS Dasatinib has significant activity by ORR in IM and SM-refractory GIST but did not meet the predefined 6 month PFS rate of 30%. Mutational and molecular correlates are forthcoming.