Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Wellmatchedness in Euler Diagrams: An Eye Tracking Study for InformationVisualisation Evaluation

Euler diagrams are an important tool in the field of information visualisationand knowledge discovery which are used for visualising set-based information. From the previous papers, Euler diagrams can be effectively used when some of the non wellformedness(diagrams' syntactic relationship rules) are avoided, as they are considered to reduce user comprehension. Though there are empirical studies on wellformedness but there is no study considering wellmatchedness (diagrams' syntactic relationships to be reflected in the semantic relationships). So, in this paper we considered two main wellmatchedness principles (extra zones and duplicated curves) to test which among the two can be relaxed while generating Euler diagrams in the most effective way. In the field of visualisation and human-- computer interaction (HCI), we observe the ways in which humans (users) interact with the visual representations using computers and design technologies. So, the user-study isbased on the task performance (accuracy and response time), preference and eye movements of the participants. Ten participants took part in the study (eighteen diagrams were presented) and the results show that, duplicated curves slows down and trigger extra eye movements, causing delays for the tasks. The other results we obtained from the task performance and preference also helped us build a prototype visualisation tool to generate set-based information (set relationships) using a simulated data. As a contribution to HCI, our results and prototype tool will be useful for algorithm developers and software designers on the optimal way to develop intelligent visualisation tools and aid in generating Euler diagrams using real world data applications.
Scheduling Jobs with Estimation Errors for Multi-server Systems

When scheduling single server systems, Shortest Remaining Processing Time (SRPT) minimizes the number of jobs in the system at every point in time. However, a major limitation of SRPT is that it requires job processing times a priori. In practice, it is likely that only estimates of job processing times are available. This paper proposes a policy that schedules jobs with estimated job processing times. The proposed Modified Comparison Splitting Scheduling (MCSS) policy is compared to SRPT when scheduling both single and multi-server systems. In the single server system we observe from simulations that the proposed scheduling policy provides robustness that is crucial for achieving good performance. In contrast, in a multi-server system we observe that robustness to estimation errors is not dependent on the scheduling policy. However, as the number of servers grows, SRPT becomes preferable.
Effects of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation-based abdominal muscle strengthening training on pulmonary function, pain, and functional disability index in chronic low back pain patients

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of abdominal muscle strengthening training (AMST) using proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) on pulmonary function, pain, and functional disability index in chronic low back pain (CLBP) patients. Thirty CLBP patients were randomly assigned to the traditional physical therapy (control) group (n=15) and PNF-AMST group (n=15). Forced expiratory volume at 1 second (FEV1) was measured to measure changes in pulmonary function. To measure the degree of pain, a visual analog scale (VAS) was used. The Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) was used to assess the disability level due to low back pain. A paired t-test was performed to compare differences within the groups before and after intervention. An independent t-test was performed to compare differences between the test and control groups. The level of significance was set at α=0.05. Within-group changes in FEV1 were significantly different in the experimental group (P<0.01), and those in VAS and ODI were significantly different in both groups (both P<0.01). The improvements in FEV1, VAS, and ODI were significantly greater in the experimental group than in the control group (P<0.01). This study showed that AMST using PNF was effective in enhancing pulmonary function and decreasing pain and functional disability index inpatients with CLBP. We expect it to be useful as one of the programs for CLBP patients in the future.
Automated Generation of Multilingual Clusters for the Evaluation of Distributed Representations

We propose a language-agnostic way of automatically generating sets of semantically similar clusters of entities along with sets of "outlier" elements, which may then be used to perform an intrinsic evaluation of word embeddings in the outlier detection task. We used our methodology to create a gold-standard dataset, which we call WikiSem500, and evaluated multiple state-of-the-art embeddings. The results show a correlation between performance on this dataset and performance on sentiment analysis.
Meta-Analysis of the Association between Lumican Gene Polymorphisms and Susceptibility to High Myopia

Backgrounds Many studies have evaluated the association between lumican (LUM) gene polymorphisms and high myopia. However, the results remain controversial. This meta-analysis aims to comprehensively evaluate the relationship between two common LUM polymorphisms (rs3759223 and rs3759222) and the risk of high myopia. Methods A comprehensive literature search for studies published up until September of 2013 was performed. Data were extracted independently by two investigators, and the weighted Odds Ratios (ORs) and 95% Confidence Intervals (CIs) for the associations were obtained by using a random-effects model. Results Eight studies (1425cases and 1271 controls) were identified for the analysis of the association between rs3759223 polymorphism and high myopia. The results indicated that rs3759223 polymorphism was associated with high myopia under a recessive model (OR = 1.71, 95%CI 1.04–2.81). Further subgroup analysis indicated that this polymorphism was associated with high myopia among Chinese people in the additive model (OR = 1.17, 95%CI 1.06–1.29) and a recessive model (OR = 1.75, 95%CI 1.00–3.06) with control group coming from hospital based population. Four studies (1024 cases and 1163 controls) were identified for the analysis of the association between rs3759222 polymorphism and high myopia. The results indicated that rs3759222 polymorphism was not associated with high myopia in all genetic models, even the subgroup analysis couldn't provide relative proof to assure the outcome. Conclusion This meta-analysis suggests that LUM polymorphisms are associated with the risk of high myopia. However, well-designed studies with larger sample sizes and more ethnic groups are required to further validate this association.
Comparative Evaluation of Ultrasound Kidney Image Enhancement Techniques

Evaluation have been done to different enhancement techniques applied to ultrasound kidney images to see which enhancement techniques is the most suitable techniques that can be applied to the kidney images before segmenting the edge of the kidney. Five common enhancement techniques have been used including the spatial domain filtering, frequency domain filtering, histogram processing, morphological filtering and wavelet filtering. The techniques applied were assessed by few methods which are the observer sensitivity, measuring the image quality by calculating the MSE and PSNR of the image and applying one of the segmentation techniques to the output images. In conclusion, for ultrasound kidney image, if the whole image were taken into consideration (by measuring MSE and PSNR), morphological filtering seems to be the best option in enhancing the image. If the evaluator is concerning more on the kidney edges, enhancement techniques that should be taken into consideration are median filtering and histogram equalization.
Psychologically grounded avatars expressions

Progress in computer graaphics over the last decade has ren- dered the creation of believable anthropomorphic graphical avatars pos- sible. Issues in rendering these animated graphical avatars believable and engaging during Human-Computer Interaction still remain. In this arti- cle, we focus on the animation of avatar's facial expressions. We explain how we created our animation on Scherer's theory of emotion gener- ation associated with facial expressions to create five facial expression animations (happiness, disgust, sadness, fear and anger) that are con- gruent with Scherer's theory. We discuss the specific steps and issues we followed as well as the evaluation results of a user study we conducted.
Effect of Composition and Microstructure of Pd-Cu-Si Metallic Glassy Alloy Thin Films on Hydrogen Absorbing Properties

Thin films of Pd-Cu-Si metallic glassy alloys for a hydrogen sensor were fabricated by a sputtering method. In order to find out the effect of the composition and the microstructure of them on the hydrogen absorbing property (the H2 response), the structural parameters based on the short-range order (SRO) were measured. Additionally, the change of the structural parameters with hydrogen absorption was measured, and the correlations of the change with the H2 response and the hydrogen induced linear expansion coefficient (LEC) were examined. The H2 response decreased with increases in Si content and the structural parameters. These results can be explained by the positive effects of Si content and the structural parameters on the formation of a trigonal prism which is a structural unit of Pd-based amorphous alloys, and by the negative effect of the trigonal prism on absorbing hydrogen. From the observation of the elongation of the Pd-Pd atomic distance with absorbing hydrogen, H atoms are supposed to occupy the space between Pd atoms. The amount of the change in the Pd-Pd atomic distance showed the positive correlations with the H2 response and the LEC. [doi:10.2320/matertrans.M2011105]
Thermoplastic Elastomer Composites of Palm Ash-Filled Ethylene Vinyl Acetate/Natural Rubber Blends: Effects of Palm Ash Loading and Size

Thermoplastic elastomer composites of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA)/natural rubber (NR) blends filled with palm ash were prepared by melt-mixing using a Haake Rheomix Polydrive R600/610 at 120°C with rotor speed of 50 rpm for 10 minutes. Increase in palm ash loading in composites resulted in increase the value of stabilization toque, Young's modulus and swelling resistance of the composites, but decreased the tensile strength and elongation at break. Scanning electron microscope micrographs revealed that higher filler loading resulted in agglomeration of palm ash in the composites. When smaller particle size of palm ash was used, further improvement in tensile strength, elongation at break, swelling resistance and stabilization torque value were observed.
Pioneer Doppler data analysis: study of periodic anomalies

This paper reports the results of an analysis of the Doppler tracking data of Pioneer probes which did show an anomalous behaviour. A software has been developed for the sake of performing a data analysis as independent as possible from that of J. Anderson et al. [1], using the same data set. A first output of this new analysis is a confirmation of the existence of a secular anomaly with an amplitude about 0.8 nms −2 compatible with that reported by Anderson et al. A second output is the study of periodic variations of the anomaly, which we characterize as functions of the azimuthal angle ϕ defined by the directions Sun-Earth Antenna and Sun-Pioneer. An improved fit is obtained with periodic variations written as the sum of a secular acceleration and two sinusoids of the angles ϕ and 2ϕ. The tests which have been performed for assessing the robustness of these results are presented.
Simulation of Postsynaptic Glutamate Receptors Reveals Critical Features of Glutamatergic Transmission

Activation of several subtypes of glutamate receptors contributes to changes in postsynaptic calcium concentration at hippocampal synapses, resulting in various types of changes in synaptic strength. Thus, while activation of NMDA receptors has been shown to be critical for long-term potentiation (LTP) and long term depression (LTD) of synaptic transmission, activation of metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) has been linked to either LTP or LTD. While it is generally admitted that dynamic changes in postsynaptic calcium concentration represent the critical elements to determine the direction and amplitude of the changes in synaptic strength, it has been difficult to quantitatively estimate the relative contribution of the different types of glutamate receptors to these changes under different experimental conditions. Here we present a detailed model of a postsynaptic glutamatergic synapse that incorporates ionotropic and mGluR type I receptors, and we use this model to determine the role of the different receptors to the dynamics of postsynaptic calcium with different patterns of presynaptic activation. Our modeling framework includes glutamate vesicular release and diffusion in the cleft and a glutamate transporter that modulates extracellular glutamate concentration. Our results indicate that the contribution of mGluRs to changes in postsynaptic calcium concentration is minimal under basal stimulation conditions and becomes apparent only at high frequency of stimulation. Furthermore, the location of mGluRs in the postsynaptic membrane is also a critical factor, as activation of distant receptors contributes significantly less to calcium dynamics than more centrally located ones. These results confirm the important role of glutamate transporters and of the localization of mGluRs in postsynaptic sites in their signaling properties, and further strengthen the notion that mGluR activation significantly contributes to postsynaptic calcium dynamics only following high-frequency stimulation. They also provide a new tool to analyze the interactions between metabotropic and ionotropic glutamate receptors.
Pfit Is a Structurally Novel Crohn's Disease-Associated Superantigen

T cell responses to enteric bacteria are important in inflammatory bowel disease. I2, encoded by the pfiT gene of Pseudomonas fluorescens, is a T-cell superantigen associated with human Crohn's disease. Here we report the crystal structure of pfiT at 1. 7Å resolution and provide a functional analysis of the interaction of pfiT and its homolog, PA2885, with human class II MHC. Both pfiT and PA2885 bound to mammalian cells and stimulated the proliferation of human lymphocytes. This binding was greatly inhibited by anti-class II MHC HLA-DR antibodies, and to a lesser extent, by anti HLA-DQ and DP antibodies, indicating that the binding was class II MHC-specific. GST-pfiT efficiently precipitated both endogenous and in vitro purified recombinant HLA-DR1 molecules, indicating that pfiT directly interacted with HLA-DR1. Competition studies revealed that pfiT and the superantigen Mycoplasma arthritidis mitogen (MAM) competed for binding to HLA-DR, indicating that their binding sites overlap. Structural analyses established that pfiT belongs to the TetR-family of DNA-binding transcription regulators. The distinct structure of pfiT indicates that it represents a new family of T cell superantigens.
Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells in Multiple Myeloma: Pre-Clinical Research and Translational Opportunities

Immunosuppressive cells have been reported to play an important role in tumor-progression mainly because of their capability to promote immune-escape, angiogenesis, and metastasis. Among them, myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) have been recently identified as immature myeloid cells, induced by tumor-associated inflammation, able to impair both innate and adaptive immunity. While murine MDSCs are usually identified by the expression of CD11b and Gr1, human MDSCs represent a more heterogeneous population characterized by the expression of CD33 and CD11b, low or no HLA-DR, and variable CD14 and CD15. In particular, the last two may alternatively identify monocyte-like or granulocyte-like MDSC subsets with different immunosuppressive properties. Recently, a substantial increase of MDSCs has been found in peripheral blood and bone marrow (BM) of multiple myeloma (MM) patients with a role in disease progression and/or drug resistance. Pre-clinical models recapitulating the complexity of the MM-related BM microenvironment (BMM) are major tools for the study of the interactions between MM cells and cells of the BMM (including MDSCs) and for the development of new agents targeting MM-associated immune-suppressive cells. This review will focus on current strategies for human MDSCs generation and investigation of their immunosuppressive function in vitro and in vivo, taking into account the relevant relationship occurring within the MM–BMM. We will then provide trends in MDSC-associated research and suggest potential application for the treatment of MM.
Evaluation of Self-Healing Properties of Mortar Containing Microencapsulated Epoxy Resin

Under the complex environment of soils, rocks and underground water, the challenges in the repair and maintenance of urban metro structures confront engineers daily. The use of microcapsule-enabled self-healing cementitious composite has high potential as a new repair method for cracked concrete under complex service conditions. The benefit of using microcapsule-enabled self-healing cementitious composite will evidently provide extended durability, service life and security for the metro tunnels. In this study, the self-healing microcapsules enclosing epoxy resins as the adhesive agent are embedded in mortar to achieve the self-healing capability. The properties of healing agents are investigated. The microcapsules are observed by SEM (scanning electron microscope) to obtain the micrographs. The self-healing efficiency is assessed by mechanical restoration of the damaging specimens. The four-point bending test is used. The influence of the content of microcapsules and initial damage is investigated. The results demonstrate that the microcapsule-containing mortar can achieve the mechanical restorations depending on the content of microcapsules and initial damage. Some conclusions about the healing agents and the shell are drawn.
Bezafibrate Restores the Inhibition of FSH-Induced Follicular Development and Steroidogenesis by Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha Through Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-Gamma Pathway in an In Vitro Mouse Preantral Follicle Culture1

We recently reported that bezafibrate, a lipid-lowering drug of the fibrate class, administered in addition to clomiphene citrate (CC) successfully induced ovulation in CC-resistant polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients. We hypothesized that bezafibrate may directly affect ovarian follicle development. Insulin resistance and compensatory hyperinsulinemia are important for the pathogenesis of PCOS. In this study, we first examined the effects of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF), which plays a role in insulin resistance, on follicle development by using the follicle culture system. TNF significantly inhibited follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)-induced follicle development, 17beta-estradiol (E2) secretion, and ovulation rate in a dose-dependent manner. We then examined whether bezafibrate treatment could rescue the inhibition of FSH-induced follicle development and steroidogenesis by TNF. Bezafibrate treatment rescued inhibition of follicle development, secretion of E2, and ovulation rate by TNF. We examined the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) subtypes in mouse preantral follicles. As the protein expression of only PPARG was observed in mouse preantral follicles, we examined whether bezafibrate could affect follicle development and steroidogenesis through PPARG pathways. Treatment with GW1929, a selective PPARG agonist, restored inhibition of FSH-induced follicle development and steroidogenesis by TNF, whereas treatment with GW9662, a selective PPARG antagonist, canceled the restorative effects of bezafibrate. Collectively, the results in this study suggest that bezafibrate may directly exhibit a restorative effect on the inhibition of ovarian follicle development and steroidogenesis by TNF through the PPARG pathway.
The Effect of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on ARDS: A Randomized Double-Blind Study.

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of an enteral nutrition diet, enriched with omega-3 fatty acids because of its anti-inflammatory effects on treatment of patients with mild to moderate ARDS. METHODS This randomized clinical trial was performed in two ICUs of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences from Jun 2011 until Sep 2013 in north west of Iran. Fifty-eight patients with mild to moderate ARDS were enroled in this clinical trial. All patients received standard treatment for ARDS based on ARDS network trial. In intervention group, patients received 6 soft-gels of omega-3/day in addition to the standard treatment. RESULTS Tidal volume, PEEP, pH, PaO2/FiO2 , SaO2, P platue and PaCO2 on the 7(th) and 14(th) days didn't have significant difference between two groups. Indices of lung mechanics (Resistance, Compliance) had significant difference between the groups on the 14(th) day. Pao2 had significant difference between two groups on both 7(th) and 14(th) days. Trend of PaO2 changes during the study period in two groups were significant. We showed that adjusted mortality rate did not have significant difference between two groups. CONCLUSION It seems that adding omega-3 fatty acids to enteral diet of patients with ARDS has positive results in term of ventilator free days, oxygenation, lung mechanic indices; however, we need more multi center trials with large sample size and different doses of omega-3 fatty acids for their routine usage as an adjuant for ARDS treatment.
Protein translocation across the yeast microsomal membrane is stimulated by a soluble factor

We have found that a soluble activity present in the postribosomal supernatant fraction of Saccharomyces cerevisiae stimulates posttranslational translocation of yeast prepro-alpha-factor across yeast microsomal membranes. Stimulation of translocation is not due to a nonspecific affect on ATP levels. The activity is likely to be due to protein(s) as it is destroyed by N-ethylmaleimide, protease, or heat treatment but not by incubation with RNase. Its apparent sedimentation coefficient is approximately 9.6 S.