Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A performance evaluation approach for GSM-based information services

The ever increasing diffusion of mobile communications will lead to massive mobile access to the Internet. The paper focuses on the wireless application protocol (WAP) for providing mobile information services, as envisaged by the personalized access to local information and services for tourists (PALIO) project within the fifth research framework of the European Commission. In particular, we consider a global system for mobile communications (GSM) network where WAP traffic is transported by the short message service (SMS) on specific GSM signaling channels. We develop suitable traffic models for both the WAP downlink traffic and the signaling traffic. An analytical approach is described that allows evaluation of the mean transmission delay of a WAP page. Finally, a downlink traffic scheduling policy is proposed in order to reduce the delay variance so that users experience a more regular traffic behavior (service usability requirement). The theoretical derivations for the GSM-SMS scenario are general and can also be tailored for other mobile communication systems. The study allows dimensioning of both the service and the downlink signaling traffic capacity in order to fulfill quality-of-service requirements for users.
Intravascular inactivation of CCR5 by n‐Nonanoyl‐CC chemokine ligand 14 and inhibition of allergic airway inflammation

Modulation of leukocyte recruitment through intervention with chemokine receptors is an attractive, therapeutic strategy. Recently, we have shown that n‐Nonanoyl (NNY)‐CCL14 internalizes and desensitizes human (h)CCR3, resulting in the inactivation of eosinophils. In this study, we investigated the interaction of NNY‐CCL14 with CCR1 and CCR5 and the relevance of these NNY‐CCL14 receptors on its in vivo effects in allergic airway inflammation. NNY‐CCL14 has inactivating properties on CCR1+ and CCR5+ cell lines and primary leukocytes. It desensitizes hCCR1‐ and hCCR5‐mediated calcium release and internalizes these receptors from the cellular surface. Treatment of OVA‐sensitized BALB/c mice with NNY‐CCL14 resulted in reduced pulmonary inflammation. Above all, it is demonstrated that systemic treatment with NNY‐CCL14 down‐modulates CCR5 from the surface of lymphocytes in vivo. Although NNY‐CCL14 acts on murine lymphocytes and internalizes CCR5, it does not internalize CCR3 on mouse eosinophils, showing species selectivity regarding this particular receptor. Therefore, the inhibitory effects of NNY‐CCL14 in murine models of allergic airway inflammation can be assigned to its interaction with CCR5. The presented results substantiate the relevance of CCR5 as a target for allergic airway inflammation.
Measuring patient-provider trust in a primary care population: refinement of the health care relationship trust scale.

Accurately measuring trust between patients and health care providers is important because low patient-provider trust can lead to poor treatment adherence and negative health outcomes. To measure patient-provider trust, we developed the Health Care Relationship (HCR) Trust scale. Findings from our initial use of the scale suggested the need to examine the scale's psychometric performance in a larger sample of adults with various chronic health conditions. We therefore examined the psychometric properties of the HCR Trust Scale in a random sample of adult primary care patients. Thirteen of the original 15 items fit the data best; a single-factor structure explained 67% of the variance in patient-provider trust. The Cronbach's alpha for the 13-item HCR Trust Scale-Revised was . 96.
Estrogen-induced Expression of Fos-related Antigen 1 (FRA-1) Regulates Uterine Stromal Differentiation and Remodeling*

Background: Intrauterine estrogen plays a critical role in differentiation of endometrial stromal cells during decidualization. Results: FRA-1 is a downstream target of estrogen receptor regulation in the uterine stroma. Loss of FRA-1 expression inhibits stromal cell differentiation and migration. Conclusion: FRA-1 regulates stromal differentiation and remodeling during early pregnancy. Significance: This study identifies a novel downstream mediator of estrogen receptor signaling during decidualization. Concerted actions of estrogen and progesterone via their cognate receptors orchestrate changes in the uterine tissue, regulating implantation during early pregnancy. The uterine stromal cells undergo steroid-dependent differentiation into morphologically and functionally distinct decidual cells, which support embryonic growth and survival. The hormone-regulated pathways underlying this unique cellular transformation are not fully understood. Previous studies in the mouse revealed that, following embryo attachment, de novo synthesis of estrogen by the decidual cells is critical for stromal differentiation. In this study we report that Fos-related antigen 1 (FRA-1), a member of the Fos family of transcription factors, is a downstream target of regulation by intrauterine estrogen. FRA-1 expression was localized in the differentiating uterine stromal cells surrounding the implanted embryo. Attenuation of estrogen receptor α (Esr1) expression by siRNA mediated silencing in primary uterine stromal cells suppressed FRA-1 expression. Furthermore, chromatin immunoprecipitation demonstrated direct recruitment of ESR1 to an estrogen response element in the Fra-1 promoter. Down-regulation of Fra-1 expression during in vitro decidualization blocked stromal differentiation and resulted in a marked decrease in stromal cell migration. Interestingly, FRA-1 controls the expression of matrix metalloproteinases MMP9 and MMP13, which are critical modulators of stromal extracellular matrix remodeling. Collectively, these results suggest that FRA-1, induced in response to estrogen signaling via ESR1, is a key regulator of stromal differentiation and remodeling during early pregnancy.
Bereavement in Late Life: Coping, Adaptation, and Developmental Influences

Late life is a time when loss becomes more frequent. Grief experiences accumulate as many older people grapple with diminishing adaptive reserves, changes in cognitive and emotional functioning, patterns of social integration, loneliness, and financial risk. In these years, bereavement poses an array of difficult issues for coping, assessment, and intervention. In what is certain to become a landmark volume, Hansson and Stroebe present a critical review of the literature and dominant theories in the field of bereavement and examine how protective and problematic developmental processes affect the experience of bereavement in late life. They argue for a new, more fine-grained understanding of how the processes of aging and bereavement interact to influence life outcomes, adaptive potential, coping capacity, and successful aging. Finally, in a series of specific proposals, the authors present a path for future research on the bereavement experiences of older adults.
Towards a framework of the performance evaluation of SMEs' industry portals

Purpose – With the fast growth of the internet, thedevelopment of industry portals for SMEs is becoming an increasingly importantissue of economic growth. However, designing and developing efficient portalsis not easy, and how to evaluate industry portals' performance has not yet beenconvincingly demonstrated. To address this gap, this paper aims to propose aframework. Design/methodology/approach – The framework uses the analytic hierarchicalprocess and incorporates both experts' and users' judgments into theperformance evaluation process. It also employs three different objectives forperformance evaluation including data quality, technology acceptance, andknowledge distribution. An exemplary case is given to demonstrate the proposedframework by empirically assessing an industry portal project, developed bySmall and Medium Enterprise Administration, Ministry of Economic Affairs,Taiwan. Findings – The proposed framework can enable industry associations to becomemore familiar with the nature and scope of portal performance evaluation. Originality/value – Develops a framework which addresses the practicalaspect of portal evaluation in terms of multiple objectives and involvement. (Publisher's Abstract)
A NEW NORMALIZATION FOR MFCC : MULTI LAYER STRATEGY AND RECURSIVE PROGRESS

One main obstacle in speech recognition is what said “robustness”. This paper focus on one popular idea in antagonizing speech system vulnerability-channel normalization, and presents a new normalization algorithmMulti-Layer Channel Normalization (MLCN), which exploits the recursive compensation progress in two domainsspectral domain and cepstral domainto depress different noises, so that the more robust speech representation is achieved. Experimental results of our gallina system demonstrate the validity of our new algorithm.
Immunochemical Identification and Detection of a 36‐KDa Toxoplasma gondii Circulating Antigen in Sera of Infected Women for Laboratory Diagnosis of Toxoplasmosis

Abstract The detection of Toxoplasma gondii circulating antigens has been indicated to be a reliable diagnostic approach of active human toxoplasmosis. However, few reports have appeared in the literature regarding the diagnostic potential of T. gondii circulating antigens. Here, a specific antibody and western blot analyses were used to demonstrate the presence of a highly reactive antigen of 36‐kDa, not only in the extract of T. gondii tachyzoites, but also in selected sera of women with confirmed laboratory and clinical signs of recent toxoplasmosis. The 36‐kDa Toxoplasma antigen was purified from T. gondii tachyzoites and human serum using electroelution from preparative polyacrylamide gels. The purified polypeptides showed a single peak at 10.9 min when analyzed by capillary zone electrophoresis. Based on the above encouraging results, we have developed an ELISA format for the detection of target Toxoplasma antigen (TAg‐ELISA) in human serum samples. The TAg‐ELISA detected the target antigen in 88% sera of acutely infected women and showed high degree of specificity (91%) among sera from non‐infected women. In conclusion, the detection of 36‐kDa Toxoplasma circulating antigen in human sera appears to be a promising alternative approach for laboratory diagnosis of active T. gondii infection.
Identification of a Smad4/YY1-Recognizedand BMP2-Responsive Transcriptional RegulatoryModule in the Promoter of Mouse GABA Transporter Subtype I (Gat1) Gene

GABAergic dysfunction is implicated in a variety of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. The mechanisms underlying GABAergic differentiation, however, are not well understood. GABA transporter 1 (Gat1; Slc6a1) is an essential component of the GABAergic system, and its ectopic mRNA expression may be responsible for GABAergic malfunction under different pathological conditions. Thus, monitoring the transcriptional regulation of gat1 may help to elucidate the mechanisms that govern the differentiation of GABAergic neurons. In this study, we identified a promoter region that is sufficient to recapitulate endogenous gat1 expression in transgenic mice. A 46 bp cis-regulator in the promoter sequence was responsible for the stimulation of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP2) on gat1 expression in cortical cortex. Furthermore, our study demonstrated that Smad4 and YY1 are physically bound to the element and mediate both the negative and positive regulatory effects in which BMP2 can affect the balance. In summary, we have identified a Smad4/YY1-based bidirectional regulation model for GABAergic gene transcription and demonstrated a molecular cue important for the differentiation of GABAergic neurons.
Embodied Product Perception: Effects of Verticality Cues in Advertising and Packaging Design on Consumer Impressions and Price Expectations

As consumers increasingly turn to luxury brands and associated benefits, brand managers face the question how to convey luxury perceptions via marketing communications such as packaging and advertising design. Inspired by theories addressing embodied cognition and symbolic meaning portrayal, this paper argues that visual cues inspiring verticality perceptions (i.e., camera angle and advertising background orientation) affect luxury perceptions and, consequently, consumer evaluations and price expectations. Across three experiments, verticality cues fostered perceptions of product luxury but differentially affected price expectations and purchase considerations depending on product type. Moreover, findings show that effects of vertical orientation are more pronounced for participants high on sociable dominance. Implications of these findings for visual brand management are discussed.
Dipyridamole reduces penile apoptosis in a rat model of post-prostatectomy erectile dysfunction

ABSTRACT Purpose: Despite the nerve-sparing technique, many patients suffer from erectile dysfunction after radical prostatectomy (RP) due to cavernous nerve injury. The aim of this study was to evaluate dipyridamole as a potential treatment agent of post-radical prostatectomy erectile dysfunction. Material and methods: A total of 18 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into three experimental Groups (SHAM+DMSO, BCNI+DMSO and BCNI+DIP). An animal model of bilateral cavernous nerve crush injury (BCNI) was established to mimic the partial nerve damage during nerve-sparing RP. After creating of BCNI, dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) was administered transperitoneally as a vehicle to SHAM+DMSO and BCNI+DMSO Groups. BCNI+DIP Group received dipyiridamole (10mg/kg/day) as a solution in DMSO for 15 days. Afterwards, rats were evaluated for in vivo erectile response to cavernous nerve stimulation. Penile tissues were also analyzed biochemically for transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) level. Penile corporal apoptosis was determined by TUNEL method. Results: Erectile response was decreased in rats with BCNI and there was no significant improvement with dipyridamole treatment. TGF-β1 levels were increased in rats with BCNI and decreased with dipyridamole treatment. Dipyridamole led to reduced penile apoptosis in rats with BCNI and there was no significant difference when compared to sham operated rats. Conclusions: Although fifteen-day dipyridamole treatment has failed to improve erectile function in rats with BCNI, the decline in both TGF-β1 levels and apoptotic indices with treatment may be helpful in protecting penile morphology after cavernous nerve injury.
Refracture of Proximal Fifth Metatarsal (Jones) Fracture After Intramedullary Screw Fixation in Athletes

This study details six instances of refracture of clinically and radiographically healed fractures of the base of the fifth metatarsal after intramedullary screw fixation. Four professional football players, one college basketball player, and one recreational athlete underwent intramedullary screw fixation of fifth metatarsal fractures. The athletes were released to full activities an average of 8.5 weeks (range, 5.5 to 12) after fixation, when healing was clinically and radiographically documented. Three football players developed refracture within 1 day of return to full activity. The other three athletes refractured at 2.5, 4, and 4.5 months after return to activity. Two football players underwent repeat fixation with larger screws and returned to play in the same season. The college basketball player underwent bone grafting and returned to play in subsequent seasons. The other three athletes underwent nonoperative management and healed uneventfully over 6 to 8 weeks. On the basis of this series, we recommend that 1) screw fixation using a large-diameter screw should be given careful consideration for patients with large body mass for whom early return to activity is important; 2) functional bracing, shoe modification, or an orthosis should be considered for return to play; 3) if refracture occurs, exchange to a larger screw may allow return to play in the same season; and 4) alternative imaging should be considered to help document complete healing.
How Two‐ and Four‐Year‐Old Children Interpret Adjectives and Count Nouns

We examined the role of object kind familiarity (i.e., knowledge of a count noun for an object) on preschoolers' sensitivity to the relation between a novel word's form class (adjective or count noun) and its reference (to a material kind-property or to an object kind). We used a forced-choice match-to-target task, in which children learned a word for one object (e.g., a metal cup), and then chose between 2 other objects. One was from the same object kind but a different material kind (with different related properties, such as color and texture; e.g., a white plastic cup); the other was from a different object kind but the same material kind (with the same related properties; e.g., a metal spoon). In Experiment 1, children learned either a count noun (e.g., “This is a zav”) or an adjective (e.g., “This is a zav one”). Within each form class, we crossed the familiarity of the referent object kind (familiar and unfamiliar) with the age of the children (2- and 4-year-olds). The principal finding was that in interpreting an adjective, 4-year-olds were more likely to choose the object sharing material kind with the target if the target was familiar than if it was unfamiliar. No such familiarity effect was evident among 2-year-olds. In Experiment 2, we employed a more unambiguously adjectival frame (e.g., “This is a very zav-ish one”), and replicated the results of Experiment 1. We interpret the results in terms of 2 proposed word learning biases: one that learners initially expect any word applied to an unfamiliar object to refer to a (basic-level) kind of object, and a second that learners prefer words to contrast in meaning. We consider several interpretations of the observed age difference.
Psychology in Cognitive Science: 1978-2038

This paper considers the past and future of Psychology within Cognitive Science. In the history section, I focus on three questions: (a) how has the position of Psychology evolved within Cognitive Science, relative to the other disciplines that make up Cognitive Science; (b) how have particular Cognitive Science areas within Psychology waxed or waned; and (c) what have we gained and lost. After discussing what's happened since the late 1970s, when the Society and the journal began, I speculate about where the field is going.
A Case for Work-stealing on FPGAs with OpenCL Atomics

We provide a case study of work-stealing, a popular method for run-time load balancing, on FPGAs. Following the Cederman-Tsigas implementation for GPUs, we synchronize work-items not with locks, mutexes or critical sections, but instead with the atomic operations provided by Altera's OpenCL SDK. We evaluate work-stealing for FPGAs by synthesizing a K-means clustering algorithm on an Altera P385 D5 board, both with work-stealing and with a statically-partitioned load. When block RAM utilization is maximised in both cases, we find that work-stealing leads to a 1.5x speedup. This demonstrates that the ability to do load balancing at run-time can outweigh the drawback of using `expensive' atomics on FPGAs. We hope that our case study will stimulate further research into the high-level synthesis of fine-grained, lock-free, concurrent programs.
Biotin-tubulin incorporates into kinetochore fiber microtubules during early but not late anaphase

The dynamic behavior of kinetochore fiber microtubules has been examined in PtK1 cells during anaphase of mitosis. Cells in anaphase were injected with biotin-tubulin and, at various intervals after injection, fixed for light or electron microscopic immunolocalization of biotin-tubulin-containing microtubules. When cells in early to mid anaphase were injected with biotin-tubulin and fixed 1-2 min later, fluorescence was observed throughout the spindle, including the region of the kinetochore fibers. Electron microscopy of early to mid anaphase cells, after processing with immunogold methods, revealed both labeled and unlabeled microtubules in the kinetochore fibers; some labeled microtubules contacted the kinetochores. When late anaphase cells were injected with biotin-tubulin, and fixed a few minutes later, little fluorescence was observed in the kinetochore fibers. Electron microscopy confirmed that kinetochore fibers in late anaphase cells were refractory to tubulin incorporation. The results of these experiments demonstrate that the kinetochore fiber incorporates new microtubules during early anaphase but that this incorporation ceases in mid to late anaphase. Thus, microtubule turnover within the kinetochore fiber does not abruptly cease at the onset of anaphase and anaphase kinetochore fiber microtubules are more dynamic than previously suspected.
Non-cancer patients in specialized palliative care in Germany: What are the problems?

To determine the role of non-cancer palliative care in inpatient services in Germany, data from the Hospice and Palliative Care Evaluation (HOPE) were analysed. Since 1999, a three-month census has been conducted annually in German palliative care units. Pooled data from 2002–2005 were tested for differences between non-cancer patients (NCs) and cancer patients (Cs). A total of 4182 patients (NC: 3.5%; C: 96.5%) were documented; functional status (using Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) measures) in NCs was lower compared to Cs (p = 0.009). NCs suffered more often from dyspnoea (40%; C: 29%; p = 0.004), weakness (92,3%; C: 84,5%; p = 0.011) and tiredness (75.4%; C: 66.7%; p = 0.03) and less from nausea (17.1%; C: 28.9%; p = 0.002), vomiting (8.2%; C: 19.4%; p = 0.001) or loss of appetite (55.5%; C: 67.9%; p = 0.002). There were no differences in pain and constipation. Other problems (nursing, psychological) were more frequent for NCs, in particular the need for support in the activities of daily life (90.3%; C: 72.8%; p < 0.001) and disorientation/confusion (32.1%; C: 17.2%; p < 0.001). There were no differences in social problems. NCs are still rare in specialized inpatient palliative care institutions in Germany. The palliative care needs in patients with non-malignant disease will challenge the health care system as the workload for these services will grow over proportionally.
Hindsight bias: Impaired memory or biased reconstruction?

The hindsight bias is the tendency for people to believe falsely that they would have predicted the outcome of an event, once the outcome is known. Although there is a rich literature on hindsight distortions, the underlying mechanisms are not yet fully understood. The present paper addresses the question whether hindsight distiortions represent the result of memory impairment or biased reconstruction processes. The majority of studies presented support the biased reconstruction view. Nevertheless, memory impairment processes cannot be ruled out as an explanation of hindsight bias when certain conditions are met, such as an existing coherent knowledge structure.
Outcomes of an Auditory-Verbal Program for Children with Hearing Loss: A Comparative Study with a Matched Group of Children with Normal Hearing.

The speech and language developmental progress of children with hearing loss educated using an Auditory-Verbal approach was compared to that of a control group of children with normal hearing. The experimental group consisted of 29 children ages 2-6 years with a mean pure tone average in the better ear of 76.17 dB HL at 0.5, 1 and 2 kHz. The 29 children in the control group were matched for language age, receptive vocabulary, gender and parental education level with the children in the experimental group. A battery of standardized speech and language tests was administered to all children at the start of the study and again nine months later. Results indicated no significant differences in developmental progress between the experimental and control groups. This study is the first phase of a longitudinal study that will examine outcomes for children in an Auditory-Verbal program over four years.