Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bit allocation and constraints for joint coding of multiple video programs

Studies have shown that joint coding is more efficient and effective than independent coding for compression of multiple video programs. Unlike independent coding, joint coding is able to dynamically distribute the channel capacity among video programs according to their respective complexities and hence achieve a more uniform picture quality. This paper examines the bit-allocation issues for joint coding of multiple video programs and provides a bit-allocation strategy that results in a uniform picture quality among programs as well as within a program. To prevent the encoder/decoder buffers from overflowing and underflowing, further constraints on bit allocation are also discussed.
AF-algebras and topology of 3-manifolds

We construct a functor which maps conjugate pseudo-Anosov automorphisms of a surface to the so-called stably isomorphic stationary AF-algebras; the functor gives new topological invariants of three dimensional manifolds coming from the known invariants of the AF-algebras. The main invariant is a triple (L, [I], K), where L is an integral order in the real number field K and [I] the equivalence class of ideals in L.
Mindful Leadership - A Phenomenological Study of Vietnamese Buddhist Monks in America with Respect to their Spiritual Leadership Roles and Contributions to Society

Mindful Leadership – A Phenomenological Study of Vietnamese Buddhist Monks in America with Respect to their Spiritual Leadership Roles and Contributions to Society Phe Xuan Bach, Ed.D. Drexel University, April 2014 Chairperson: W. Edward Bureau The lack of a spiritual dimension (moral and ethical) in leadership, which frames the development of moral value—from business and politics to family and education— has become a key factor contributing to negative consequences caused by unethical leaders. Both Eastern and Western society also lack an in-depth understanding of how the spiritual leadership practices of Vietnamese Buddhist monks might/may be models of moral and ethical leadership for others in the larger society. This qualitative research study utilizes a phenomenological approach to learn how to apply the leadership lessons derived from the lived experience of Vietnamese Buddhist monks in contemporary America. The study is composed of historical and contemporary literature, empirical research on relevant leadership theories, on Buddhist values (especially those of mindfulness and compassion as part of their daily routine). In order to have a peaceful way of life, to help and lead others, Vietnamese monks learn from their masters, practice their learned core values and utilize Zen practices. The researcher interviewed 14 Buddhist monks across United States of America by snowball effect sampling and the three main themes emerging from the research are as follows: (a) Vietnamese Buddhist monks in America and their lived-experiences are dynamic, unique and contributing to the society within their spiritual leadership roles and obligations; (b) Their leadership style is characterized as authentically leading by example by basing decisions upon the core values of mindfulness, compassion, and wisdom; and (c) Through their practices, their presence, and their contributions to the welfare of others, they bring about peace of mind and happiness for themselves and for others in society. The findings were extracted from participants, resulting in the five principles of a mindful leadership. The five leadership strategies discussed include: Leading from the Inside Out, the Notion of Daily Practice, Leading-by-Example, Congruence, and the Notion of Completeness. Eleven recommendations emerged from this phenomenological study with eight being the techniques and strategies to achieve mindfulness, peace, compassion, and happiness and the remaining three being dedicated for further studies.
A Note on Expectational Stability under Non-Zero Trend Inflation

This study examines the expectational stability of the rational expectations equilibria (REE) under alternative Taylor rules when trend inflation is non-zero. We find that when trend inflation is high, the REE is likely to be expectationally unstable. This result holds true regardless of the nature of the data (such as contemporaneous data, forecast, and lagged data) introduced in the Taylor rule. Our results suggest that a high macroeconomic volatility during the period of high trend inflation can be well explained by introducing the concept of expectational stability.
Citation classics in occupational medicine journals.

OBJECTIVES The number of citations an article receives after its publication not only reflects its impact on the scientific community, but also the impact of the institutions or countries in the field studied. In 1987, Garfield introduced the concept of "citation classics" for the best-cited articles. An analysis of top-cited articles coming from journals in the field of occupational medicine (eg, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health) has not yet been reported. The purpose of this study was to assess whether or not such citation classics exist in this field and to analyze their characteristics. METHODS The most frequently cited articles published in the five major journals in occupational medicine were identified using the database of Science Citation Index Expanded. The data were obtained by searching one year and one journal at a time. All of the articles cited more than 100 times were collected and analyzed. RESULTS Among the 15 553 articles published by the five journals since 1949, only 85 articles had been cited more than 100 times. The oldest had been published in 1950 and the latest in 1997. The United Kingdom contributed 28% of the citation classics and the United States or Sweden produced 19%. The most cited article had been cited 979 times. The main topics of articles were metabolism, occupational neoplasms, and work-related musculoskeletal disorders. CONCLUSIONS Since the 1980s, Scandinavia and the United States have taken the leadership in the publication of citation classic papers. Nevertheless, according to the level of citations, the influence of literature published in occupational medicine journals remains limited.
Circulating sclerostin levels are decreased in patients with endogenous hypercortisolism and increase after treatment.

CONTEXT Increased bone fragility is a frequent complication of hypercortisolism due predominantly to suppression of bone formation. Sclerostin is an osteocyte-produced negative regulator of bone formation, which is up-regulated by glucocorticoids in mice. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to assess the effect of endogenous hypercortisolism on circulating sclerostin and bone turnover in humans. DESIGN We measured sclerostin, β-C-terminal telopeptide, amino-terminal propeptide of type 1 procollagen, and fibroblast growth factor 23 in blood samples of 21 patients with endogenous hypercortisolism and 21 age- and gender-matched controls. In 12 patients, measurements were repeated at various time intervals after successful surgical treatment (transsphenoidal surgery or adrenalectomy). RESULTS Plasma sclerostin levels were significantly decreased in patients compared with controls (112±49 vs. 207±48 pg/ml, P<0.001). In the 12 patients who were evaluated after surgical treatment, sclerostin levels increased from 121.4±46.5 to 175.8±78.5 pg/ml (P=0.003). These changes in plasma sclerostin levels were accompanied by significant increases in levels of fibroblast growth factor 23 (from 44.2±12.2 to 84.0±58.8 pg/ml, P=0.017) and of the bone turnover markers amino-terminal propeptide of type 1 procollagen (from 31.7±18.2 to 94.2±92.2 ng/ml, P=0.037) and β-C-terminal telopeptide (from 134.2±44 to 409.2±285 pg/ml, P=0.005). CONCLUSIONS Contrary to the findings in mice, circulating sclerostin is decreased in patients with chronic endogenous hypercortisolism and increases after treatment. These findings suggest that in humans, chronic exposure to glucocorticoids affects the number or function of osteocytes rather than the production of sclerostin.
An Introduction to the Structure of Biomarker Equations

Most economists are not familiar with so-called biomarker data. We attempt here to provide an introduction to such data and to describe the econometric structure of simple biomarker equations. We draw upon information on the heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, fibrinogen, and C-reactive protein levels of 100,000 adults. We show that it is extremely important to control for fruit and vegetable consumption (more so than is conventionally recognized in health economics). Once that is done, there are income gradients only in heart-rate and C-reactive protein equations, and those gradients are small. Education enters remarkably weakly in these biomarker equations.
Acute Toxicity of Synthetic Pyrethroid Cypermethrin to Freshwater Catfish Heteropneustes fossilis (Bloch)

Lethal concentrations of cypermethrin, dissolved either in water or acetone, were determined for freshwater catfish Heteropneustes fossilis at different hours of exposure by static bioassays. Up to 48 hours, there was no difference between LC50 values of aqueous and acetone solublized cypermethrin. Seventy-two-hour LC50 values of aqueous cypermethrin and acetone solublized cypermethrin to H. fossilis were 0.67 and 1.27 μg/L, respectively. Lethal values remained unchanged beyond 72 hours. The fish exposed to even lower concentration of cypermethrin (0.5 μg/L) showed hyperactivity.
Central immunotolerance in transgenic mice expressing a foreign antigen under control of the rhodopsin promoter.

PURPOSE Different conclusions have been reached in recent studies concerning the immune response or tolerance of transgenic (Tg) mice expressing foreign antigens under control of retinal antigen promoters. The present study was aimed at analyzing the state of tolerance in Tg mice expressing hen egg lysozyme (HEL) under control of the rhodopsin promoter. METHODS Tg mice expressing HEL under control of the rhodopsin promoter (RhHEL-Tg) were generated and tested by conventional methods for immune responses against HEL. These Tg mice were also mated with Tg mice expressing HEL-specific receptor on their T lymphocytes and the double-Tg mice were examined for increased apoptosis in their thymi by the TUNEL assay, as well as for loss of HEL-specific T cells, by flow cytometry and proliferative response. The presence of HEL mRNA in mouse thymi was determined by RT-PCR. RESULTS RhHEL-Tg mice developed tolerance to HEL, shown by reduced cellular and humoral responses to HEL, as well as by the failure of ocular inflammation to develop after immunization with HEL. RhHEL-Tg mice expressed HEL mRNA in their thymus, and the tolerogenic mechanism in these mice was shown to be thymic deletion of HEL-specific T cells by the following observations in the double-Tg mice: (1) increased apoptosis in their thymi, (2) remarkable reduction in the proportion of the HEL-specific T cells, and (3) loss of lymphocyte response to low concentrations of HEL. CONCLUSIONS Tg mice expressing HEL under control of the rhodopsin promoter develop a tolerance for the foreign antigen, apparently as a result of thymic expression of HEL and deletion of T cells specific to this antigen.
Asthma and allergy among schoolchildren in a mountainous, dry, non‐polluted area in Norway

The aim of this study was to assess prevalence of asthma and allergy in the non‐polluted mountain area of Upper Hallingdal, Norway. All schoolchildren (7–16 years) who in a previous questionnaire survey (n = 1177) reported ‘sometime’ asthma were enrolled in group I (n = 80), the 59 who reported asthma‐like symptoms in the past 12 months formed group II, and 77 of the healthy controls were randomly selected as group III. All 216 children underwent clinical examination, skin prick test, spirometry, bronchial provocation (PD20 metacholine) and treadmill exercise test. Subsequently they were reclassified as (1) healthy, never had asthma or symptoms, (2) symptoms not confirmed as asthma, (3) previous asthma, now healthy, (4) current asthma. Lifetime asthma prevalence was 10.2%. Based upon clinical examination, the specificity and sensitivity of the questionnaire for asthma diagnosis were 0.88 and 0.74, respectively. Forced vital capacity was significantly higher among the asthmatics (group 4 versus 1), whereas forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and forced expiratory flow at 50% of vital capacity were similar in all groups. More than 10% reduction in FEV1 following treadmill‐run was found in 20% of children. Children with current asthma compared to controls had significantly; lower mean values of PD20 (9.1 versus 16.5 µmol), higher eosinophil cationic protein (13.4 versus 7.7 µmol) and more frequent sensitization to animal dander (56% versus 10%). In conclusion, despite a favorable climate, little mite sensitization and low outdoor pollution, asthma prevalence was surprisingly high in Upper Hallingdal. Sensitization to animal dander was the most important contributing factor for current asthma.
Interpreter-mediated neuropsychological testing of monolingual Spanish speakers: does it have an effect on test scores?

Nearly 13.8 million Hispanics in the United States speak English “less than very well. ” This has important implications for the field of clinical neuropsychology. Patients who do not speak English fluently are being increasingly referred for neuropsychological services, and many of these individuals are assessed with the aid of language interpreters. However, whether or how the use of an interpreter has an effect on neuropsychological test scores is not known. For lack of a better alternative, it generally is assumed that the test data obtained through an interpreter are a valid indication of the patient’s cognitive functioning, but with almost no empirical support, this assumption appears tenuous at best. The effect of an interpreter, in fact, could be substantial, making this issue all the more deserving of rigorous investigation. The primary objective of the current study was to determine whether using an interpreter to conduct neuropsychological testing of monolingual Spanish speakers had an effect on the neuropsychological test scores. Participants included 40 neurologically normal Spanish-speakers with limited English proficiency, ages 18-65 years, (M= 39.65, SD =13.91) who completed a 2-hour battery of verbal and nonverbal neuropsychological tests both with and without an interpreter. The condition of test administration was counterbalanced across participants and test score differences between the two conditions were compared. Results indicated that use of an interpreter significantly affected mean scores for some neuropsychological tests from the verbal modality. Also, variability in test scores generally was higher when an interpreter was used, significantly so for one verbal test. Results of this study contribute to the extant literature concerning the use of interpreters to facilitate neuropsychological testing of individuals with limited English proficiency. Specifically, they indicate that neuropsychologists should avoid interpreter use and refer patients to bilingual clinicians whenever possible. For situations in which this may not be a viable option, neuropsychologists should limit their test batteries to measures that require minimal reliance on the interpreter. Tests that rely almost entirely on interpreter skills for
Role of glypican 4 in the regulation of convergent extension movements during gastrulation in Xenopus laevis

Coordinated morphogenetic cell movements during gastrulation are crucial for establishing embryonic axes in animals. Most recently, the non-canonical Wnt signaling cascade (PCP pathway) has been shown to regulate convergent extension movements in Xenopus and zebrafish. Heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) are known as modulators of intercellular signaling, and are required for gastrulation movements in vertebrates. However, the function of HSPGs is poorly understood. We analyze the function of Xenopus glypican 4 (Xgly4), which is a member of membrane-associated HSPG family. In situ hybridization revealed that Xgly4 is expressed in the dorsal mesoderm and ectoderm during gastrulation. Reducing the levels of Xgly4 inhibits cell-membrane accumulation of Dishevelled (Dsh), which is a transducer of the Wnt signaling cascade, and thereby disturbs cell movements during gastrulation. Rescue analysis with different Dsh mutants and Wnt11 demonstrated that Xgly4 functions in the non-canonical Wnt/PCP pathway, but not in the canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathway, to regulate gastrulation movements. We also provide evidence that the Xgly4 protein physically binds Wnt ligands. Therefore, our results suggest that Xgly4 functions as positive regulator in non-canonical Wnt/PCP signaling during gastrulation.
The &bgr;3 Subunit Contributes to Vascular Calcium Channel Upregulation and Hypertension in Angiotensin II–Infused C57BL/6 Mice

Voltage-gated L-type Ca2+ (Cav1.2) channels in vascular smooth muscle cells are a predominant Ca2+ influx pathway that mediates arterial tone. Channel biogenesis is accomplished when the pore-forming &agr;1C subunit coassembles with regulatory Cav&bgr; subunits intracellularly, and the multiprotein Cav1.2 channel complex translocates to the plasma membrane to form functional Ca2+ channels. We hypothesized that the main Cav&bgr; isoform in vascular smooth muscle cells, Cav&bgr;3, is required for the upregulation of arterial Cav1.2 channels during the development of hypertension, an event associated with abnormal Ca2+-dependent tone. Cav1.2 channel expression and function were compared between second-order mesenteric arteries of C57BL/6 wild-type (WT) and Cav&bgr;3−/− mice infused with saline (control) or angiotensin II (Ang II) for 2 weeks to induce hypertension. The mesenteric arteries of Ang II–infused WT mice showed increased Cav1.2 channel expression and accentuated Ca2+-mediated contractions compared with saline-infused WT mice. In contrast, Cav1.2 channels failed to upregulate in mesenteric arteries of Ang II–infused Cav&bgr;3−/− mice, and Ca2+-dependent reactivity was normal in these arteries. Basal systolic blood pressure was not significantly different between WT and Cav&bgr;3−/− mice (98 ± 2 and 102 ± 3 mm Hg, respectively), but the Cav&bgr;3−/− mice showed a blunted pressor response to Ang II infusion. Two weeks after the start of Ang II administration, the systolic blood pressure of Cav&bgr;3−/− mice averaged 149 ± 4 mm Hg compared with 180 ± 5 mm Hg in WT mice. Thus, the Cav&bgr;3 subunit is a critical regulatory protein required to upregulate arterial Cav1.2 channels and fully develop Ang II-dependent hypertension in C57BL/6 mice.
Selected Morphological Characteristics, Lead Uptake and Phytochelatin Synthesis by Coffeeweed (Sesbania exaltata Raf.) Grown in Elevated Levels of Lead-Contaminated Soil

Remediation of lead-contaminated soil is significant due to the inherent toxicity of lead (Pb), and the quantity of Pb discharged into the soil. One of the most cost-effective and environmentally sound technologies for the cleanup of metal-contaminated soils is through the use of plants. While much is known about the ecological evolution of metal tolerance in plants, the physiological, biochemical, and genetic mechanisms of tolerance is not well understood in the majority of resistant ecotypes such as the legume, Sesbania exaltata Raf. This study was therefore conducted to determine the morphological and physiological characteristics of Sesbania that had been grown in Pb-contaminated soil, and to assess phytochelatin synthesis as a way of elucidating its relative Pb tolerance. Sesbania plants were grown in the greenhouse and exposed to various levels of Pb: 0, 1000, and 2000 mg Pb/kg soil. Plants were harvested after 6, 8, and 10 weeks of growth and morphological characteristics (e.g., root and shoot biomass, root length, number of root nodules, shoot height, number of leaves, number of flowers, number and length of pods) were recorded. Generally, there were no statistical differences in morphological characteristics among the treatments. Further, no discernible phytotoxic symptoms, such as chlorosis, wilting, or necrotic lesions, in neither roots nor shoots were observed. We concluded that while Sesbania did not fit the model of a hyperaccumulator, the plant was, nonetheless, tolerant to elevated Pb levels. Our assessment for phytochelatin synthesis as a tolerance mechanism was inconclusive and further investigations of tolerance mechanisms are warranted.
Clustering and routing wireless sensor network based on the parameters of distance, density, energy and traffic With the help of fuzzy logic

Totally the wireless sensor networks consist of many multi task sensors of low ability and small size which communicated at short distance [3]. Todays this networks are proper device for attain information, extracting data & assessing environmental events and their industrial, domestic and military utility is increasing [3,4]. The application of these networks depends on the cover and age of the network. Using these networks in tough environments makes it hard or impossible to recharge or exchange sensor nodes and these causes a tight limitation on communication and the processing time. So, one of the salient of energy [2,3]. Today's paring attention to intelligent devices like fuzzy logics, genetic algorithm, neural networks for managing power dynamic which considers reducing the energy consummation of sensor network, has increase magnificently [5,7].
Endogenous Estrogen-Mediated Heme Oxygenase Regulation in Experimental Menopause

Estrogen deficiency is one of the main causes of age-associated diseases in the cardiovascular system. Female Wistar rats were divided into four experimental groups: pharmacologically ovariectomized, surgically ovariectomized, and 24-month-old intact aging animals were compared with a control group. The activity and expression of heme oxygenases (HO) in the cardiac left ventricle, the concentrations of cardiac interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), the myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in the cardiac left ventricle, and the effects of heme oxygenase blockade (by 24-hour and 1-hour pretreatment with tin-protoporphyrin IX, SnPP) on the epinephrine and phentolamine-induced electrocardiogram ST segment changes in vivo were investigated. The cardiac HO activity and the expression of HO-1 and HO-2 were significantly decreased in the aged rats and after ovariectomy. Estrogen depletion was accompanied by significant increases in the expression of IL-6 and TNF-α. The aged and ovariectomized animals exhibited a significantly elevated MPO activity and a significant ST segment depression. After pretreatment with SnPP augmented ST segment changes were determined. These findings demonstrate that the sensitivity to cardiac ischemia in estrogen depletion models is associated with suppression of the activity and expression of the HO system and increases in the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines and biomarkers.