Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of Users&#146; Expertise on the Competition between Proprietary and Open Source Software

Despite the availability of source code, deploying open source software (OSS) in an enterprise environment requires expertise. Recent surveys show that the skills of IT staff in an organization are one of the key factors in OSS adoption decisions. This paper develops a model where users choosing between proprietary software and OSS are heterogeneous in their expertise. The paper finds that as users become more skilled in OSS, the price of proprietary software will decline. Second, the equilibrium market structure is influenced by both users’ expertise and network effects. It is not surprising that proprietary software can drive OSS out of the market in presence of network effect, but counter-intuitively, this happens when users are highly skilled in OSS. Third, in presence of network effect, OSS may survive in the market only when it is customizable by skilled users and therefore provides significant higher benefits to users than proprietary software.
Iatrogenic bladder injuries during caesarean delivery: A case control study

This study determined the rate, risk factors, management and outcome of bladder injury during caesarean section and suggests ways to improve the quality of care and reduce maternal morbidity and mortality. During the study period, there were 76 bladder injuries in 56,799 caesarean deliveries for an overall incidence of 0.13%. Women with a bladder injury were more likely to have had a prior caesarean delivery, as compared with the control group (72.4% vs 34.2%; p < 0.001). Cases were also more likely than controls to have had prior pelvic surgery. The presence of adhesions during the procedure was greater in the bladder injury group than the controls. In conclusion, our study suggests that a previous caesarean delivery is the most common risk factor for bladder injury during caesarean delivery. Moreover, the presence of labour, station of the presenting fetal part deeper than or equal to +1, and a large baby were independent risks for a bladder injury during caesarean delivery. Women requesting primary caesarean deliveries should be counselled about the potential for significant surgical complications in repeat caesarean deliveries when discussing the indications for a primary elective caesarean delivery.
Electron correlations in Co2Mn1−xFexSi Heusler compounds

This study presents the effect of local electronic correlations on the Heusler compounds Co2Mn1−xFexSi as a function of the concentration x. The analysis has been performed by means of first-principles band-structure calculations based on the local approximation to spin-density functional theory (LSDA). Correlation effects are treated in terms of the dynamical mean-field theory and the LSDA + U approach. The formalism is implemented within the Korringa–Kohn–Rostoker Green's function method. In good agreement with the available experimental data the magnetic and spectroscopic properties of the compound are explained in terms of strong electronic correlations. In addition, the correlation effects have been analysed separately with respect to their static or dynamical origin. To achieve a quantitative description of the electronic structure of Co2Mn1−xFexSi both static and dynamic correlations must be treated on an equal footing.
The mentalization-focused approach to self pathology.

Our approach to understanding self pathology in personality disorder assumes that the capacity to mentalize, that is, the capacity to conceive of mental states as explanations of behavior in oneself and in others, is a key determinant of self-organization. Along with contributory capacities of affect regulation and attention control mechanisms, the capacity for mentalization is acquired in the context of early attachment relationships. Disturbances of attachment relationships will therefore disrupt the normal emergence of these key social-cognitive capacities and create profound vulnerabilities in the context of social relationships. Ours is fundamentally a psychoanalytic approach but we have elaborated our model of social development on the basis of empirical observations as well as clinical work. We define mentalization as a form of mostly preconscious imaginative mental activity, namely, perceiving and interpreting human behavior in terms of intentional mental states (e.g., needs, desires, feelings, beliefs, goals, purposes, and reasons). Mentalizing is imaginative because we have to imagine what other people might be thinking or feeling; an important indicator of high quality of mentalization is the awareness that we cannot know absolutely what is in someone else’s mind. We suggest that a similar kind of imaginative leap is required to understand one’s own mental experience, particularly in relation to emotionally charged issues. In order to conceive of others as having a mind, the individual needs a symbolic representational system for mental states and also must be able to selectively activate states of mind in line with particular intentions, which requires attentional control.
A practical outcome scale for paediatric head injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the commonest cause of acquired disability in childhood. A major obstacle to the evaluation of acute and rehabilitative therapies after TBI is the lack of simple descriptors of outcome. We developed the King's Outcome Scale for Childhood Head Injury (KOSCHI), as a specific paediatric adaptation of the original adult Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS). The KOSCHI expands the five category GOS to provide increased sensitivity at the milder end of the disability range. The GOS category of “persistent vegetative state” was replaced by “vegetative”. “Good recovery” was allocated two categories, in acknowledgement of the long term importance of relatively minor sequelae in a developing child. The scale was quick and easy to use. Inter-rater reliability studies show that even with such an apparently simple scale, some training may be required. The KOSCHI provides a practical scale for paediatric head injury which will enable clinicians to describe rate and extent of recovery, and evaluate the effects of service and research interventions.
Individual state controls temperature dependence in a butterfly (Lasiommata maera)

In ectotherms there is typically a strong and positive correlation between growth rate and ambient temperature when food is not limiting. However, the exact relationship between growth rate and temperature varies among populations in many species. As a consequence, it has been suggested that selection for a rapid increase in growth rate with temperature should be stronger in populations experiencing a high degree of time–stress, compared with populations experiencing little time–stress. In the present study we take this adaptive hypothesis further and investigate if variation in time–stress among individuals of a single population may affect the relationship between growth rate and ambient temperature. Time–stress was manipulated by rearing larvae of the butterfly Lasiommata maera in different day–length regimes. The results show that individuals experiencing a higher degree of time–stress increase their growth rates more in higher temperatures compared with individuals under less time–stress. Hence, the adaptive hypothesis was supported and the relationship between growth rate and temperature was highly state dependent. These findings may be of general importance for understanding the evolution of life histories in seasonal environments.
A Bayesian Computer Vision System for Modeling Human Interactions

We describe a real-time computer vision and machine learning system for modeling and recognizing human behaviors in a visual surveillance task. The system is particularly concerned with detecting when interactions between people occur, and classifying the type of interaction. Examples of interesting interaction behaviors include following another person, altering one's path to meet another, and so forth. Our system combines top-down with bottom-up information in a closed feedback loop, with both components employing a statistical Bayesian approach. We propose and compare two different state-based learning architectures, namely HMMs and CHMMs, for modeling behaviors and interactions. The CHMM model is shown to work much more efficiently and accurately. Finally, to deal with the problem of limited training data, a synthetic 'Alife-style' training system is used to develop flexible prior models for recognizing human interactions. We demonstrate the ability to use these a priori models to accurately classify real human behaviors and interactions with no additional tuning or training.
CrossShade

We facilitate the creation of 3D-looking shaded production drawings from concept sketches. The key to our approach is a class of commonly used construction curves known as cross-sections, that function as an aid to both sketch creation and viewer understanding of the depicted 3D shape. In particular, intersections of these curves, or cross-hairs, convey valuable 3D information, that viewers compose into a mental model of the overall sketch. We use the artist-drawn cross-sections to automatically infer the 3D normals across the sketch, enabling 3D-like rendering. The technical contribution of our work is twofold. First, we distill artistic guidelines for drawing cross-sections and insights from perception literature to introduce an explicit mathematical formulation of the relationships between cross-section curves and the geometry they aim to convey. We then use these relationships to develop an algorithm for estimating a normal field from cross-section curve networks and other curves present in concept sketches. We validate our formulation and algorithm through a user study and a ground truth normal comparison. As demonstrated by the examples throughout the paper, these contributions enable us to shade a wide range of concept sketches with a variety of rendering styles.
Regulation of the V-ATPase along the Endocytic Pathway Occurs through Reversible Subunit Association and Membrane Localization

The lumen of endosomal organelles becomes increasingly acidic when going from the cell surface to lysosomes. Luminal pH thereby regulates important processes such as the release of internalized ligands from their receptor or the activation of lysosomal enzymes. The main player in endosomal acidification is the vacuolar ATPase (V-ATPase), a multi-subunit transmembrane complex that pumps protons from the cytoplasm to the lumen of organelles, or to the outside of the cell. The active V-ATPase is composed of two multi-subunit domains, the transmembrane V0 and the cytoplasmic V1. Here we found that the ratio of membrane associated V1/Vo varies along the endocytic pathway, the relative abundance of V1 being higher on late endosomes than on early endosomes, providing an explanation for the higher acidity of late endosomes. We also found that all membrane-bound V-ATPase subunits were associated with detergent resistant membranes (DRM) isolated from late endosomes, raising the possibility that association with lipid-raft like domains also plays a role in regulating the activity of the proton pump. In support of this, we found that treatment of cells with U18666A, a drug that leads to the accumulation of cholesterol in late endosomes, affected acidification of late endosome. Altogether our findings indicate that the activity of the vATPase in the endocytic pathway is regulated both by reversible association/dissociation and the interaction with specific lipid environments.
Changes in the forearm associated with median nerve compression at the wrist in the guinea-pig.

The spontaneous compression of the median nerve at the wrist which occurs in guinea-pigs provides a useful model for the study of problems connected with chronic nerve compression. Previous work (Fullerton and Gilliatt, 1967) has suggested that the condition is rare in young guinea-pigs but that it occurs in a substantial proportion of animals aged 2 years or more. Nerve conduction studies can be used to screen batches of animals so that those with suitable lesions at the wrist can be picked out for further investigation. The present paper is concerned with the retrograde changes which occur in the forearm when a severe compressive lesion is present at the wrist. It is hoped that the findings may throw some light on the changes which occur proximal to localized lesions of human peripheral nerves.
An improved AFM cross-sectional method for piezoelectric nanostructures properties investigation: application to GaN nanowires

We present an improved atomic force microscopy (AFM) method to study the piezoelectric properties of nanostructures. An AFM tip is used to deform a free-standing piezoelectric nanowire. The deflection of the nanowire induces an electric potential via the piezoelectric effect, which is measured by the AFM coating tip. During the manipulation, the applied force, the forcing location and the nanowire’s deflection are precisely known and under strict control. We show the measurements carried out on intrinsic GaN and n-doped GaN–AlN–GaN nanowires by using our method. The measured electric potential, as high as 200 mV for n-doped GaN–AlN–GaN nanowire and 150 mV for intrinsic GaN nanowire, have been obtained, these values are higher than theoretical calculations. Our investigation method is exceptionally useful to thoroughly examine and completely understand the piezoelectric phenomena of nanostructures. Our experimental observations intuitively reveal the great potential of piezoelectric nanostructures for converting mechanical energy into electricity. The piezoelectric properties of nanostructures, which are demonstrated in detail in this paper, represent a promising approach to fabricating cost-effective nano-generators and highly sensitive self-powered NEMS sensors.
Robotic pets in the lives of preschool children

This study examined preschool children's reasoning about and behavioral interactions with one of the most advanced robotic pets currently on the retail market, Sony's robotic dog AIBO. Eighty children, equally divided between two age groups, 34-50 months and 58-74 months, participated in individual sessions that included play with and an interview about two artifacts: AIBO and a stuffed dog. Results showed similarities in children's reasoning about the two artifacts, but differences in their behavioral interactions. Discussion focuses on how robotic pets, as representative of an emerging technological genre in HCI, may be (a) blurring foundational ontological categories, and (b) impacting children's social and moral development. More broadly, results inform on our understanding of the human-robotic relationship.
Evolutionary multi-objective optimisation: a survey

Real-world engineering problems often require concurrent optimisation of several design objectives. These objectives are conflicting in most of the cases. Such an optimisation is generally called multi-objective or multi-criterion optimisation. Unlike single-objective optimisations, which target a single best solution, multi-objective optimisations aim at a set of equally good solutions. Classical multi-objective methods have serious drawbacks. The most limiting one is that one needs to apply the optimisation method, as many times as different solution are required. Evolutionary computations are now well-known. They are based on the Darwinian natural selection theory. They have been proven to be much more efficient than the classical methods as they can provide a whole set of good solutions after a single optimisation process. This paper introduces multi-criterion optimisation and states the classical multi-criterion optimisation problem. We review the most successful evolutionary algorithms for multi-objective optimisation. For each of the described methods, we sketch the underlying advantages vs. disadvantages. We give some statistics about applied work, and we survey the works about the most recent applications of the reviewed algorithms to solve real-world problems in science and technological fields.
Robust Cooperative Spectrum Sensing Scheduling Optimization in Multi-Channel Dynamic Spectrum Access Networks

Dynamic spectrum access (DSA) enables secondary networks to find and efficiently exploit spectrum opportunities. A key factor to design a DSA network is the spectrum sensing algorithms for multiple channels with multiple users. Multi-user cooperative channel sensing reduces the sensing time, and thus it increases transmission throughput. However, in a multi-channel system, the problem becomes more complex since the benefits of assigning users to sense channels in parallel must also be considered. A sensing schedule, indicating to each user the channel that it should sense at different sensing moments, must be thus created to optimize system performance. In this paper, we formulate the general sensing scheduling optimization problem and then propose several sensing strategies to schedule the users according to network parameters with homogeneous sensors. Later on, we extend the results to heterogeneous sensors and propose a robust scheduling design when we have traffic and channel uncertainty. We propose three sensing strategies, and, within each one of them, several solutions, striking a balance between throughput performance and computational complexity, are proposed. In addition, we show that a sequential channel sensing strategy is the one to be preferred when the sensing time is small, the number of channels is large, and the number of users is small. For all the other cases, a parallel channel sensing strategy is recommended in terms of throughput performance. We also show that a proposed hybrid sequential-parallel channel sensing strategy achieves the best performance in all scenarios at the cost of extra memory and computation complexity.
Depletion of acidic phospholipids influences chromosomal replication in Escherichia coli

In Escherichia coli, coordinated activation and deactivation of DnaA allows for proper timing of the initiation of chromosomal synthesis at the origin of replication (oriC) and assures initiation occurs once per cell cycle. In vitro, acidic phospholipids reactivate DnaA, and in vivo depletion of acidic phospholipids, results in growth arrest. Growth can be restored by the expression of a mutant form of DnaA, DnaA(L366K), or by oriC‐independent DNA synthesis, suggesting acidic phospholipids are required for DnaA‐ and oriC‐dependent replication. We observe here that when acidic phospholipids were depleted, replication was inhibited with a concomitant reduction of chromosomal content and cell mass prior to growth arrest. This global shutdown of biosynthetic activity was independent of the stringent response. Restoration of acidic phospholipid synthesis resulted in a resumption of DNA replication prior to restored growth, indicating a possible cell‐cycle‐specific growth arrest had occurred with the earlier loss of acidic phospholipids. Flow cytometry, thymidine uptake, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction data suggest that a deficiency in acidic phospholipids prolonged the time required to replicate the chromosome. We also observed that regardless of the cellular content of acidic phospholipids, expression of mutant DnaA(L366K) altered the DNA content‐to‐cell mass ratio.
HHV‐8/KSHV during the development of Kaposi's sarcoma: evaluation by polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry

The human γ‐herpes virus‐8 (HHV‐8) was first described in AIDS‐related Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) tumour samples. In this study, we report comparative studies on paraffin‐embedded biopsies of AIDS‐related KS (AKS) and endemic KS (EKS) with regard to HHV‐8 content as evaluated using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunohistochemistry. DNA was extracted either using Chelex‐100 or using Qia‐gene kit and was evaluated with the help of a semiquantitative PCR assay. The PCR detection of HHV‐8 was more sensitive to the Chelex method than to Qia‐gene. The threshold for PCR test sensitivity with the help of serial dilution of DNA was at the level of five plasmid ORF‐26 regions, and DNA from 25 body cavity‐based lymphoma‐1 cells. The results expressed as virus load/actin unit showed progressively higher HHV‐8 levels in late (nodular) cases, compared to those in early (patch/plaque) stages. Evaluation of HHV‐8 DNA levels in tumour tissues, thus, indicates a correlation between virus load and KS stage. Double immunostaining of spindle cells (SC) in KS biopsies for CD34 and HHV‐8/latency‐associated nuclear antigen (LANA) showed an increase in double‐positive SC in the lesions of nodular AKS and EKS cases, compared to that in plaque and patch stages. However, 10–15% of CD34+/LANA– SC cells were observed during the development from patch to nodular cases of AKS and EKS. Our results indicate that PCR analysis is a simple and sensitive diagnostic method for HHV‐8 evaluation in KS tissues, processed for conventional histopathology.
Liquid crystal precursor mucoadhesive system as a strategy to improve the prophylactic action of Syngonanthus nitens (Bong.) Ruhland against infection by Candida krusei

Vaginal infections caused by Candida krusei are a problem of extreme complexity due to the intrinsic resistance to azole drugs. The species Syngonanthus nitens (Bong.) Ruhland is a plant of the Eriocaulaceae family that has demonstrated promising antifungal activity. In phyto-formulation research, liquid crystal precursor mucoadhesive systems (LCPM) stand out as drug delivery systems for vaginal administration because they increase the activity and overcome the problems associated with plant-based medicines. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of the methanolic extract of scapes of S. nitens (S. nitens extract [SNE]) and an SNE-loaded LCPM against C. krusei as prophylaxis for vulvovaginal candidiasis. LCPM formulation developed consisted of oleic acid as the oil phase (50% w/w), polyoxypropylene (5) polyoxyethylene (20) cetyl alcohol (40% w/w) as the surfactant and a polymeric dispersion containing 2.5% Carbopol® 974P and 2.5% polycarbophil (10% w/w) as the aqueous phase. LCPM formulation developed was characterized using polarized light microscopy, rheological analysis, and in vitro mucoadhesive studies. Different strains of C. krusei, including one standard strain (American Type Culture Collection 6258) and three clinically isolated strains from the vaginal region (CKV1, 2, and 3), were used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration, inhibition of biofilms, and time kill. The in vivo prophylaxis assay was performed using the standard strain (American Type Culture Collection 6258). The analyses of F by polarized light microscopy and rheology showed isotropy; however, the addition of 100% artificial vaginal mucus (F100) made it more viscous and anisotropic. Moreover, the mucoadhesive strength was modified, which makes F an excellent formulation for vaginal applications. SNE was active against all strains studied, with minimum inhibitory concentration values ranging from 125 to 62.5 µg/mL; after incorporating SNE into F (FE), these values decreased to 62.5 to 31.2 µg/mL, demonstrating that incorporation into the formulation potentiated the action of SNE. Additionally, the time kill assays showed that both forms of SNE were capable of controlling growth, thereby suggesting a possible fungistatic mechanism. Unloaded SNE was not active against C. krusei biofilms, but FE was active against a clinical strain (CKV2). In vivo analysis showed that FE was able to prevent the development of infection following 10 days of administration. We concluded that the formulation developed in this study was an important vehicle for the delivery of SNE based on the improved antifungal activity in all in vitro and in vivo analyses. Furthermore, the extract incorporated into the system may serve as an important prophylactic agent against vaginal infections caused by C. krusei.