Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cultural Differences between East Asian and North American in Temporal Orientation

Based on East Asian and North American differences in holistic versus analytical cognitive processing style and the tendency to predict cyclical versus linear trends, this review proposes cultural differences in their temporal orientation. Building on prior research that has compared the cultural differences on past, present, and future orientation, this review hypothesizes that East Asians focus on the past and future more than North Americans, and North Americans focus on the present more than East Asians. It is suggested that in addition to a cultural difference in the focus on the 3 temporal domains, when moving from any past or future time point toward the present, North Americans’ focus on the temporal domain grows more than East Asians’ focus. I present evidence in three categories based on how temporal orientation is defined. Specially, I compare East Asians’ and North Americans’ focus on a temporal domain, their mental representation of a temporal domain and their subjective temporal distance to a temporal domain.
Image super-resolution based on multikernel regression

In this paper, a novel approach to single image super-resolution based on the multikernel regression is presented. This approach aims to learn the map between the space of high-resolution image patches and the space of blurred high-resolution image patches, which are the interpolation results generated from the corresponding low-resolution images. Kernel regression based super-resolution approaches are promising, but kernel selection is a critical problem. In order to avoid selecting kernels via a large number of cross-verifications, the multikernel regression is applied to learn the map function. This approach is efficient and the experimental results show that it manifests a high-quality performance in comparison with other superresolution methods.
Nonverbal Dialects and Accents in Facial Expressions of Emotion

This article focuses on a theoretical account integrating classic and recent findings on the communication of emotions across cultures: a dialect theory of emotion. Dialect theory uses a linguistic metaphor to argue emotion is a universal language with subtly different dialects. As in verbal language, it is more challenging to understand someone speaking a different dialect—which fits with empirical support for an in-group advantage, whereby individuals are more accurate judging emotional expressions from their own cultural group versus foreign groups. Dialect theory has sparked controversy with its implications for dominant theories about cross-cultural differences in emotion. This article reviews the theory, its mounting body of evidence, evidence for alternative accounts, and practical implications for multicultural societies.
User Churn Migration Analysis with DEDICOM

Time plays an important role regarding user preferences for products. It introduces asymmetries into the adoption of products which should be considered in the context of recommender systems and business intelligence. We therefore investigate how temporally asymmetric user preferences can be analyzed using a latent factor model called Decomposition Into Directional Components (DEDICOM). We introduce a new scalable hybrid algorithm that combines projected gradient descent and alternating least squares updates to compute DEDICOM and imposes semi-nonnegativity constraints to better interpret the resulting factors. We apply our model to analyze user churn and migration between different computer games in a social gaming environment.
Paneth cells and the innate immune response

Purpose of review To review recently published studies presenting novel and relevant information on Paneth cells and their function. Recent findings Paneth cells are secretory epithelial cells which are predominantly found in the small-intestinal crypts of Lieberkühn. Their most abundant products are α-defensins, which are endogenous antibiotics with activity against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, fungi, viruses and protozoa. The differentiation from stem-cell progenitors to Paneth cells is regulated by Wnt signalling via a complex gene programme, terminally including defensins. A disturbance of Paneth-cell differentiation and function may predipose to intestinal infections and appears to be a critical factor in the pathogenesis of ileal Crohn's disease, an inflammatory disease of the intestinal tract. Summary It is conceivable that these recent findings together with a better understanding of underlying mechanisms involved in the regulation and biology of Paneth cells will open up new therapeutic avenues for preventing infection as well as for causally treating inflammatory bowel diseases.
Sufficient conditions for the success of robotic assembly

Sufficient conditions for the success of the robotic control of assembly are presented. The assembly is modelled as a discrete event system using Petri nets. The abstraction of assembly to the discrete event system highlights the changes in the state of contact as the key points to control in the assembly process. Using this abstraction, sufficient conditions on the velocity commands are developed which guarantee successful parts mating. A method to derive robot velocity commands satisfying these conditions is derived. The method is then applied to a dual peg-in-the-hole problem. <<ETX>>
Ligand-Binding Proteins: Structure, Stability and Practical Application

A tremendous diversity of ligand binding proteins exists in nature. This undoubtedly creates considerable opportunities for scientific and medicinal applications. In this chapter, we will consider a range of ligand binding proteins, with particular attention to two classes, namely the ligand-binding proteins of the bacterial periplasm and odorant-binding proteins, because these proteins are the building blocks for biosensor development.
RING: a client-server system for multi-user virtual environments

This paper describes the client-server design, implementation and experimental results for a system that supports real-time visual interaction between a large number of users in a shared 3D virtual environment. The key feature of the system is that server-based visibility algorithms compute potential visual interactions between entities representing users in order to reduce the number of messages required to maintain consistent state among many workstations distributed across a wide-area network. When an entity changes state, update messages are sent only to workstations with entities that can potentially perceive the change—i.e., ones to which the update is visible. Initial experiments show a 40x decrease in the number of messages processed by client workstations during tests with 1024 entities interacting in a large densely occluded virtual environment.
Using reclaimed wastewater--public opinion.

There are two compelling reasons for reclaiming water from community waste water: (a) to protect the environ ment from contamination, pollution, and degradation; and (b) to provide new sources of water for needed beneficial uses. Wastewater reclamation will increase rap idly in the future as the need for new wa ter and the need to protect the environment become increasingly urgent.1 As water reclamation accelerates, decisions regard ing beneficial use assignment will become more difficult. Uses made of reclaimed
Zopiclone versus triazolam in insomniac geriatric patients: a specific increase in delta sleep with zopiclone.

This double-blind study was performed on 10 aged insomniac patients who received, during 15 days, either triazolam (0.25 mg) or zopiclone (7.5 mg) at bed time. This in-patient period was bounded by two ambulatory periods of 5 days each, and two in-patient periods of 3 days each, during which the patients received a placebo tablet at bed time. Thirteen sleep recordings per patient were performed before (3 nights), upon initiation of active treatment (3 nights), at the end of the active treatment period (3 nights) and during the following 3 "withdrawal" nights. A clear improvement of sleep patterns was observed with both drugs, although opposite effects on delta sleep were observed, namely a decrease with triazolam and an increase with zopiclone. A carry-over effect of the enhancement of delta sleep by zopiclone took place during the first 3 withdrawal nights. As is well known, sleep problems become increasingly common with age. Epidemiological studies show that although they only represent 11% of the population. Americans over 60 years old are prescribed about 40% of sleeping pills (Mendelson, 1980). Disturbed sleep in this population is often associated with medical disorders or induced by drugs like beta-adrenergic blockers. It must be admitted, however, that, possibly due to the association with medical or situational problems there have been only few attempts to assess the efficiency of hypnotic drugs in elderly insomniac patients. These are the reasons why in this study the effectiveness of zopiclone was compared to that of triazolam in insomniac patients aged over 60 years. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Development of Japanese Measures of Reconciliatory Tendencies:The Japanese Trait Forgivingness Scale and the Japanese Proclivity to Apologize Measure

Reconciliation processes are in uenced by two important dispositional variables: (i) the victim’s disposition to forgive the o ender, and (ii) the o ender’s disposition to apologize to the victim. We translated extant English measures of each of these dispositions into Japanese using the back-translation method. We then examined the validity of the two resultant measures, the Japanese Trait Forgivingness Scale (J-TFS) and the Japanese Proclivity to Apologize Measure (J-PAM). Consistent with previous ndings, J-TFS scores were correlated with agreeableness, neuroticism (inversely), and subjective well-being, while J-PAM scores were correlated with agreeableness and subjective well-being. Interestingly, these two reconciliatory tendencies were positively correlated with each other, even when controlling for agreeableness (i.e., a preference for harmonious social relationships). In addition, two autobiographical recall studies (of actual instances of forgiveness and apology) con rmed the validity of these two measures. e J-TFS predicted the extent to which participants had forgiven a workplace o ense in icted by one of their co-workers, while the J-PAM predicted whether participants had apologized to their victims following a recent transgression.
No Genetic Association between the Myeloperoxidase Gene –463 Polymorphism and Estrogen Receptor-α Gene Polymorphisms and Japanese Sporadic Alzheimer’s Disease

Myeloperoxidase (MPO) presence has been demonstrated in microglia associated with senile plaques and contributes to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology through oxidation-induced damage. MPO activity is normally higher in women than in men. Additionally, a functional biallelic (G/A) polymorphism in the promoter region (–463) of the MPO gene has been associated with a gender-specific risk factor for AD, but reports of this association have been inconsistent. Furthermore, estrogen is known to enhance MPO activity in myeloid cells and increases the amount of MPO in plasma. Recently, estrogen replacement therapy has been reported to reduce the risk of developing AD and to help maintain cognitive function in patients with AD. In the current study, we analyzed the MPO –463 polymorphism and two estrogen receptor-α polymorphisms in 205 Japanese sporadic AD patients and 92 controls. The results suggest that there is no significant difference in the genotypic frequencies and allelic frequencies of the MPO –463 polymorphism and the estrogen receptor-α polymorphisms between the Japanese sporadic AD group and the control group.
Intrachromosomal amplification of chromosome 21 in Korean pediatric patients with B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia in a single institution

Background Intrachromosomal amplification of chromosome 21 (iAMP21), defined as the presence of three or more RUNX1 signals on one marker chromosome, is a distinct cytogenetic subgroup of childhood B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL) that is known to have a poor prognosis when treated with standard therapy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical characteristics of Korean children with iAMP21. Methods The cytogenetic data from BCP-ALL children were reviewed. The ETV6/RUNX1 ES Dual Color Probe was used for fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Results In total, 295 children were included. Of these, 10 patients (3.4%) had iAMP21. The median age of iAMP21 patients was 9 years, and the median value of white blood cell count was 5.09×109/L. Slow early treatment response was observed more in iAMP21 patients. Patients with iAMP21 had a higher incidence of relapse and worse survival rates. In patients with iAMP21, the estimated 10-year cumulative incidence of relapse was 53.3%. The estimated 10-year event-free survival and overall survival rate were 46.7% and 64.8%, respectively. Most cases of leukemic relapse developed in the late period (median, 43 mo). In multivariate analysis, high risk group was the only factor that had a significant impact on death. Conclusion The existence of iAMP21 was related to delayed treatment response and was likely to affect increased relapse and death in the late period. Further studies are needed to reveal its effect on BCP-ALL treatment outcomes and its role as an independent prognostic factor.
Current-Mode Pipelined ADC for High Resolution Monolithic CCD Processors

This paper describes a new differential current memory cell which is based on the Miller effect and an interleaved ADC architecture. As far as the CMC is concerned, it was pointed out that the opamp design is not an issue to achieve high performances. Simulation results show good performances for sampling rates up to 20MS/s (assuming 22ns for both sampling and holding mode) and relatively large current input signals of mnplus200muA. The originality of the proposed interleaved ADC architecture consists in improving the ADC sampling rate with minimum penalty to SNR performances
Hidden influences on image quality when comparing interpolation methods

When comparing different interpolation methods, common approach is to use an objective image quality measure that evaluates the numerical errors between the original image and interpolated image. The problem with this approach is impossibility to have original image in two or more different resolutions. Common method is to start with an original image, calculate a lower resolution version of original image (downscaling), and then use different interpolation methods to magnify low resolution image (upscaling). After that original and magnified interpolated images are compared to evaluate difference between them. In our research we found that downscaling process has great influence on results of upscaling. This influence is not properly addressed in references that deal with image interpolation methods. Therefore in this paper we will try to examine how the process of achieving lower resolution image affects picture quality of interpolated images. Our results show that comparison of image interpolation methods depends on downscaling technique, image contents and quality metric.
Characterizing Risky Driving Behaviors of Electric Two-Wheelers Riders To Create Prevention Guidelines in China and in France

Today, Chinese people rely heavily on Electric Two-Wheelers (E2W), both the scooter and the bike styles, thus the production keeps growing. This phenomenon coincides with a high rate of E2W rider mortality. However, reviewing the literature indicates a dearth of publications related to the characterization of E2W driver behaviors. In Europe, and more specifically in France, the prevelence of E2Wstarts to rise. In this regard, our ongoing collaborative research project, for which we introduce the framework in this paper, aims to develop new specific knowledge about the risk of E2W that would jointly serve immediate prevention needs in China and prospective prevention in France. In this paper, we first introduce the E2W’s current place within road traffic and their benefits in France and China as well as the projected future growth of these vehicles. Secondly, we refer to the literature dedicated to Powered Two-Wheelers (PTW) to infer some common characterization with E2W. We continue with a description of the particular characteristic of road traffic in China. Then, we review the literature aiming to find out what defines dangerous/risky driving behaviors and how they are measured in the Chinese road context. Notably, we critically report the currently implemented tools that gauge either violation or dangerous, aberrant driving behaviors of both cars and two-wheelers. We point out a general lack of definition regarding the labels of “violation” and “risky driving behaviors. ” We argue the need to go beyond a classical but restrictive design in terms of errors, violations, or self/hetero aggressive intent. Finally, we suggest only operationalizing the defintion of risky driving behaviors provided by Dula and Geller (2003) in relation to E2W and PTW riders.
Biological Sex, Gender Role, and Criterion A2: Rethinking the "Gender" Gap in PTSD

Females are twice as likely as males to develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which may be a function of cultural prescriptions of gender, rather than biological sex. Gender-specific appraisals of trauma (i.e., Criterion A2 of PTSD) may increase susceptibility to developing posttraumatic stress in women. Results showed that exposure to accumulated intentionally caused traumas did not differ across sex. Female sex was associated with a 5.2 odds of endorsement of Criterion A2. After controlling for the effects of different types of traumatic event exposure and biological sex, masculine gender-type was negatively associated with endorsement of Criterion A2. Males classified as masculine were underrepresented in the group of participants who endorsed Criterion A2. Thus, masculine components of identity in males may buffer the effects of initial traumatic stress reactions. Implications for DSM-V are discussed.
DO HOCKEY PLAYERS NEED AEROBIC FITNESS? RELATION BETWEEN VO2MAX AND FATIGUE DURING HIGH‐INTENSITY INTERMITTENT ICE SKATING

The primary objective of this study was to assess the relationship between aerobic capacity, as measured by the VO2max test, and recovery from high-intensity intermittent exercise. Eleven female collegiate hockey players agreed to participate. Subjects skated 5 1-lap intervals around the hockey rink at maximal intensity with a 30-second recovery period between skates. The VO2max test was performed on a motor-driven treadmill after a modified Bruce protocol. A fatigue index was calculated by measuring the total increase in skate time from trial 1 to trial 5. This fatigue index was then correlated to VO2max. This correlation coefficient (−0.422) was not significant (p > 0.05) and indicated that only 17.8% of the variance in VO2max could be explained by the fatigue index. It was concluded that ability to recover from high- intensity intermittent exercise is not related to aerobic capacity. Coaches and trainers probably do not need to include aerobic training in their practices, because the high-intensity interval training commonly seen in hockey training also improves aerobic capacity, as reflected in the high VO2max values of these subjects.
Protective effects of MCI-186 on cerebral ischemia: possible involvement of free radical scavenging and antioxidant actions.

The anti-ischemic effects and a possible mechanism of a new antistroke agent, 3-methyl-1-phenyl-pyrazolin-5-one (MCI-186), were studied. Preischemic treatment with MCI-186 (3 mg/kg i.v.) facilitated the recovery of electrocorticographic activity and prolonged survival time in global complete ischemia of rats; MCI-186 (1 and 3 mg/kg i.v.) also mitigated dysfunction of the blood-brain barrier and energy failure in hemispheric embolization of rats. Postischemic treatment with MCI-186 (3 mg/kg i.v.) decreased cortical infarction in focal embolization of rats. MCI-186 (0.6-2.4 mM) inhibited the OH. -induced hydroxylation of salicylate (maximal inhibition, 40.2%), but at 100 microM it did not influence O2- generation. MCI-186 inhibited the formation of linoleic acid-conjugated dienes caused by OH. (IC50 = 32.0 microM). Also, concurrent administration of MCI-186 (3-100 mg/kg i.v.) ameliorated hyperglycemia, hyperlipopeoxidemia and degranulation of beta-cells in alloxan (40 mg/kg i.v.)-treated rats. In addition, MCI-186 inhibited iron-dependent peroxidation in rat brain homogenates and mitochondrial homogenates (IC50 = 15.0 and 2.3 microM, respectively) and prevented iron-dependent peroxidative disintegration of mitochondrial membranes (IC50 = 39.0 microM). These findings suggest that MCI-186 has potent anti-ischemic actions and that its mechanism may be closely associated with beneficial antioxidant activities.
Effect of Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum) on the Pharmacokinetics of Irinotecan

Purpose: Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) is one of the most commonly used herbal therapies, and its principal constituent silybin significantly inhibits cytochrome P450 isoform 3A4 (CYP3A4) and UDP glucuronosyltransferase isoform 1A1 (UGT1A1) in vitro. Here, we investigated whether milk thistle affects the pharmacokinetics of irinotecan, a substrate for CYP3A4 and UGT1A1, in humans. Experimental Design: Six cancer patients were treated with irinotecan (dose, 125 mg/m2) given as a 90-minute infusion once every week. Four days before the second dose, patients received 200 mg milk thistle, thrice a day, for 14 consecutive days. Pharmacokinetic studies of irinotecan and its metabolites 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin (SN-38), 7-ethyl-10-[3,4,5-trihydroxy-pyran-2-carboxylic acid]-camptothecin (SN-38-glucuronide), and 7-ethyl-10-[4-N-(5-aminopentanoic acid)-1-piperidino]-carbonyloxycamptothecin were done during the first three irinotecan administrations. Results: Short-term (4 days) or more prolonged intake of milk thistle (12 days) had no significant effect on irinotecan clearance (mean, 31.2 versus 25.4 versus 25.6 L/h; P = 0.16). The area under the curve ratio of SN-38 and irinotecan was slightly decreased by milk thistle (2.58% versus 2.23% versus 2.17%; P = 0.047), whereas the relative extent of glucuronidation of SN-38 was similar (10.8 versus 13.5 versus 13.1; P = 0.64). Likewise, the area under the curve ratio of 7-ethyl-10-[4-N-(5-aminopentanoic acid)-1-piperidino]-carbonyloxycamptothecin and irinotecan was unaffected by milk thistle (0.332 versus 0.285 versus 0.337; P = 0.53). The maximum plasma concentrations of silybin ranged between 0.0249 and 0.257 μmol/L. Conclusions: Silybin concentrations after intake of milk thistle are too low to significantly affect the function of CYP3A4 and UGT1A1 in vivo, indicating that milk thistle is unlikely to alter the disposition of anticancer drugs metabolized by these enzymes.
Truncation Analysis of TatA and TatB Defines the Minimal Functional Units Required for Protein Translocation

ABSTRACT The TatA and TatB proteins are essential components of the twin arginine protein translocation pathway in Escherichia coli. C-terminal truncation analysis of the TatA protein revealed that a plasmid-expressed TatA protein shortened by 40 amino acids is still fully competent to support protein translocation. Similar truncation analysis of TatB indicated that the final 30 residues of TatB are dispensable for function. Further deletion experiments with TatB indicated that removal of even 70 residues from its C terminus still allowed significant transport. These results imply that the transmembrane and amphipathic helical regions of TatA and TatB are critical for their function but that the C-terminal domains are not essential for Tat transport activity. A chimeric protein comprising the N-terminal region of TatA fused to the amphipathic and C-terminal domains of TatB supports a low level of Tat activity in a strain in which the wild-type copy of either tatA or tatB (but not both) is deleted.