Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Property Model Ontology

Efficient development of high quality software is tightly coupled to the ability of quickly taking complex decisions based on trustworthy facts. In component-based software engineering, the decisions related to selecting the most suitable component among functionally-equivalent ones are of paramount importance. Despite sharing the same functionality, components differ in terms of their extra-functional properties. Therefore, to make informed selections, it is crucial to evaluate extra-functional properties in a systematic way. To date, many properties and evaluation methods that are not necessarily compatible with each other exist. The property model ontology presented in this paper represents the first step towards providing a systematic way to describe extra-functional properties and their evaluation methods, and thus making them comparable. This is beneficial from two perspectives. First, it aids researchers in identifying comparable property models as a guide for empirical evaluations. Second, practitioners are supported in choosing among alternative evaluation methods for the properties of their interest. The use of the ontology is illustrated by instantiating a subset of property models relevant in the automotive domain.
Carotid artery intima-media thickness in polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common reproductive endocrine disorder associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and metabolic disturbances. This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to determine whether carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis, is higher in women with PCOS compared with women without PCOS. METHODS Primary articles reporting the mean CIMT in women with PCOS and controls were identified using Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE and PUBMED. We performed a random-effects meta-analysis and created forest plots of the mean difference in CIMT and conducted tests for heterogeneity and publication bias. Studies were grouped by quality, defined by reporting reproducibility of CIMT and averaging both common carotid arteries versus one side for CIMT. RESULTS From the 36 eligible full-text studies, 8 studies were included in the systematic review and 19 studies were included in the meta-analysis (total n= 1123 women with PCOS, n= 923 controls). The summary mean difference in CIMT among women with PCOS compared with controls was 0.072 mm [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.040, 0.105, P < 0.0001] for highest quality studies, 0.084 mm (95% CI 0.042, 0.126, P = 0.0001) for good quality studies, 0.041 (95% CI -0.038, 0.120, P = 0.310) for fair-quality studies and 0.045 (95% CI -0.020, 0.111, P = 0.173) for lower quality studies. CONCLUSIONS Larger studies with a well-defined PCOS population using rigorous methodology may be required to draw a more robust conclusion. However, these results suggest women with PCOS are at a greater risk of premature atherosclerosis, which emphasizes the importance of screening and monitoring CVD risk factors in women with PCOS.
Disorder enhances the effects of thermal noise in the fiber bundle model

The statistical properties of failure are studied in a fiber bundle model with thermal noise. We show that the macroscopic failure is produced by a thermal activation of microcracks. Most importantly, the effective temperature of the system is amplified by the spatial disorder (heterogeneity) of the fiber bundle. These results give new insight to the study of thermally activated cracks and they can be useful in the study of electrical networks.
Asset Pricing in the Frequency Domain: Theory and Empirics

We quantify investors’ preferences over the dynamics of shocks by deriving frequency-specific risk prices that capture the price of risk of consumption fluctuations at each frequency. The frequency-specific risk prices are derived analytically for leading models. The decomposition helps measure the importance of economic fluctuations at different frequencies. We precisely quantify the meaning of "long-run" in the context of Epstein-Zin preferences – centuries – and measure the exact relevance of business-cycle fluctuations. Finally, we estimate frequency-specific risk prices and show that cycles longer than the business cycle – long-run risks – are significantly priced in the equity market. Received January 13, 2015; accepted February 23, 2016 by Editor Leonid Kogan.
Notch-Mediated Suppression of TSC2 Expression Regulates Cell Differentiation in the Drosophila Intestinal Stem Cell Lineage

Epithelial homeostasis in the posterior midgut of Drosophila is maintained by multipotent intestinal stem cells (ISCs). ISCs self-renew and produce enteroblasts (EBs) that differentiate into either enterocytes (ECs) or enteroendocrine cells (EEs) in response to differential Notch (N) activation. Various environmental and growth signals dynamically regulate ISC activity, but their integration with differentiation cues in the ISC lineage remains unclear. Here we identify Notch-mediated repression of Tuberous Sclerosis Complex 2 (TSC2) in EBs as a required step in the commitment of EBs into the EC fate. The TSC1/2 complex inhibits TOR signaling, acting as a tumor suppressor in vertebrates and regulating cell growth. We find that TSC2 is expressed highly in ISCs, where it maintains stem cell identity, and that N-mediated repression of TSC2 in EBs is required and sufficient to promote EC differentiation. Regulation of TSC/TOR activity by N signaling thus emerges as critical for maintenance and differentiation in somatic stem cell lineages.
Deriving inherent optical properties and associated inversion-uncertainties in the Dutch Lakes.

Abstract. Remote sensing of water quality in inland waters requires reliable retrieval algorithms, accurate atmospheric correction and consistent method for uncertainty estimation. In this paper, the GSM semi-analytical inversion model is modified for inland waters to derive inherent optical properties (IOPs) and their spectral dependencies from air and space borne data. The modified model was validated using two data sets from the Veluwe and the Vecht Dutch lakes. For the Veluwe lakes, the model was able to derive a linear relationship between measured concentrations and estimated IOPs with R2 values above 0.7 for chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) and up to 0.9 for suspended particulate matters (SPM). In the Vecht lakes, the modified model derived accurate values of IOPs. The R2 values were 0.89 for Chl-a and up to 0.95 for SPM. The RMSE values were 0.93 mg m−3 and 0.56 g m−3 for Chl-a and SPM respectively. Finally, the IOPs of the Veluwe lakes are derived from multi-spectral, ocean color and hyperspectral airborne data. Inversion-uncertainties of the derived IOPs were also estimated using a standard nonlinear regression technique. The study shows that inversion-uncertainties of remote sensing derived IOPs are proportional to water turbidity.
A Synthetic Thiourea-Based Tripodal Receptor that Impairs the Function of Human First Trimester Cytotrophoblast Cells

A synthetic tripodal-based thiourea receptor (PNTTU) was used to explore the receptor/ligand binding affinity using CTB cells. The human extravillous CTB cells (Sw.71) used in this study were derived from first trimester chorionic villus tissue. The cell proliferation, migration and angiogenic factors were evaluated in PNTTU-treated CTB cells. The PNTTU inhibited the CTBs proliferation and migration. The soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) secretion was increased while vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was decreased in the culture media of CTB cells treated with ≥1 nM PNTTU. The angiotensin II receptor type 2 (AT2) expression was significantly upregulated in ≥1 nM PNTTU-treated CTB cells in compared to basal; however, the angiotensin II receptor, type 1 (AT1) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1 (VEGFR-1) expression was downregulated. The anti-proliferative and anti-angiogenic effect of this compound on CTB cells are similar to the effect of CTSs. The receptor/ligand affinity of PNTTU on CTBs provides us the clue to design a potent inhibitor to prevent the CTS-induced impairment of CTB cells.
Investigations of Bread Production with Postponed Staling Applying Instrumental Measurements of Bread Crumb Color

Crumb color quality characteristics of bread of different compositions (whole grain, rye, barley and diet bread) at 24 hours intervals during three days after bread preparation were investigated by means of a MOM-color 100 tristimulus photo colorimeter, in CIE, CIELab, ANLAB and Hunter systems. The highest value of average reflectance y (%) was found for barley bread (immediately after preparation), so that can be said that this sample was “conditionally” the lightest. The lowest values of y (%) were found for diet bread, so that it can be considered as the “conditionally” the darkest product. Colors of all investigated bread samples were lighter after three days of keeping compared to day 0. Changes of average reflectance of bread samples packed in polyethylene packaging with keeping time can be described by linear equation (correlation coefficient 0.99). The dominant wavelength of barley and diet bread confirm the presence of yellow pigment. Color qualities of the mentioned kinds of bread depend on processes during bread staling and raw material composition of bread (flour). Color quality measurements can be used as easy auxiliary method for screening in the development of slower staling bread.
FAINT GALAXY COUNTS AS A FUNCTION OF MORPHOLOGICAL TYPE IN A HIERARCHICAL MERGER MODEL

The unprecedented resolution of the refurbished Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has led to major advances in our understanding of galaxy formation. The high image quality in the Medium Deep Survey and Hubble Deep Field has made it possible, for the first time, to classify faint distant galaxies according to morphological type. These observations have revealed a large population of galaxies classed as irregulars or which show signs of recent merger activity. Their abundance rises steeply with apparent magnitude, providing a likely explanation for the large number of blue galaxies seen at faint magnitudes. We demonstrate that such a population arises naturally in a model in which structure forms hierarchically and which is dynamically dominated by cold dark matter. The number counts of irregular, spiral and elliptical galaxies as a function of magnitude seen in the HST data are well reproduced in this model.We present detailed predictions for the outcome of spectroscopic follow-up observations of the HST surveys. By measuring the redshift distributions of faint galaxies of different morphological types, these programmes will provide a test of the hierarchical galaxy formation paradigm and might distinguish between models with different cosmological parameters.
The Nearly Neutral and Selection Theories of Molecular Evolution Under the Fisher Geometrical Framework: Substitution Rate, Population Size, and Complexity

The general theories of molecular evolution depend on relatively arbitrary assumptions about the relative distribution and rate of advantageous, deleterious, neutral, and nearly neutral mutations. The Fisher geometrical model (FGM) has been used to make distributions of mutations biologically interpretable. We explored an FGM-based molecular model to represent molecular evolutionary processes typically studied by nearly neutral and selection models, but in which distributions and relative rates of mutations with different selection coefficients are a consequence of biologically interpretable parameters, such as the average size of the phenotypic effect of mutations and the number of traits (complexity) of organisms. A variant of the FGM-based model that we called the static regime (SR) represents evolution as a nearly neutral process in which substitution rates are determined by a dynamic substitution process in which the population’s phenotype remains around a suboptimum equilibrium fitness produced by a balance between slightly deleterious and slightly advantageous compensatory substitutions. As in previous nearly neutral models, the SR predicts a negative relationship between molecular evolutionary rate and population size; however, SR does not have the unrealistic properties of previous nearly neutral models such as the narrow window of selection strengths in which they work. In addition, the SR suggests that compensatory mutations cannot explain the high rate of fixations driven by positive selection currently found in DNA sequences, contrary to what has been previously suggested. We also developed a generalization of SR in which the optimum phenotype can change stochastically due to environmental or physiological shifts, which we called the variable regime (VR). VR models evolution as an interplay between adaptive processes and nearly neutral steady-state processes. When strong environmental fluctuations are incorporated, the process becomes a selection model in which evolutionary rate does not depend on population size, but is critically dependent on the complexity of organisms and mutation size. For SR as well as VR we found that key parameters of molecular evolution are linked by biological factors, and we showed that they cannot be fixed independently by arbitrary criteria, as has usually been assumed in previous molecular evolutionary models.
SAR Image Denoising via Clustering-Based Principal Component Analysis

The combination of nonlocal grouping and transformed domain filtering has led to the state-of-the-art denoising techniques. In this paper, we extend this line of study to the denoising of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images based on clustering the noisy image into disjoint local regions with similar spatial structure and denoising each region by the linear minimum mean-square error (LMMSE) filtering in principal component analysis (PCA) domain. Both clustering and denoising are performed on image patches. For clustering, to reduce dimensionality and resist the influence of noise, several leading principal components identified by the minimum description length criterion are used to feed the K-means clustering algorithm. For denoising, to avoid the limitations of the homomorphic approach, we build our denoising scheme on additive signal-dependent noise model and derive a PCA-based LMMSE denoising model for multiplicative noise. Denoised patches of all clusters are finally used to reconstruct the noise-free image. The experiments demonstrate that the proposed algorithm achieved better performance than the referenced state-of-the-art methods in terms of both noise reduction and image detail preservation.
Effects of a high-intensity interval training protocol based on functional exercises on performance and body composition in handball female players

The aim of this study is to measure the impact of 8-week high-intensity interval training (HIIT) based on functional exercises on the following variables in handball female players: weight (kg), body mass index (BMI), % fat, jumping (cm), repeated sprint ability (RSA), aerobic capacity. Fourteen female players were randomly assigned either to an experimental group (GE, n=7) which would undertake a “mixed functional HIIT” (combining strength, coordination and plyometric exercises) before training sessions, or to a control group (GC, n=7), in which HIIT was replaced by usual warm-up exercises in the field. The intervention programme lasted 8 weeks, with two training sessions a week. A pre-test and post-test on each variable were carried out. The intra-group GC analysis showed no significant changes between the pre- and post-test in any variable. Figures for the GE, though, showed significant changes: a 3.45% (d=0.67) reduction in % fat of players, RSA execution time went down by 7.22% RSA (d=0.82), and VO2max increased by 6.19% (d=0.78). These results seem to point to “mixed functional HIIT” as an effective strategy to improve body composition and performance in female handball players.
Decoding Action Intentions from Preparatory Brain Activity in Human Parieto-Frontal Networks

How and where in the human brain high-level sensorimotor processes such as intentions and decisions are coded remain important yet essentially unanswered questions. This is in part because, to date, decoding intended actions from brain signals has been primarily constrained to invasive neural recordings in nonhuman primates. Here we demonstrate using functional MRI (fMRI) pattern recognition techniques that we can also decode movement intentions from human brain signals, specifically object-directed grasp and reach movements, moments before their initiation. Subjects performed an event-related delayed movement task toward a single centrally located object (consisting of a small cube attached atop a larger cube). For each trial, after visual presentation of the object, one of three hand movements was instructed: grasp the top cube, grasp the bottom cube, or reach to touch the side of the object (without preshaping the hand). We found that, despite an absence of fMRI signal amplitude differences between the planned movements, the spatial activity patterns in multiple parietal and premotor brain areas accurately predicted upcoming grasp and reach movements. Furthermore, the patterns of activity in a subset of these areas additionally predicted which of the two cubes were to be grasped. These findings offer new insights into the detailed movement information contained in human preparatory brain activity and advance our present understanding of sensorimotor planning processes through a unique description of parieto-frontal regions according to the specific types of hand movements they can predict.
Evidence for a novel enzymatic mechanism of neural crest cell migration on extracellular glycoconjugate matrices

Migrating embryonic cells have high levels of cell surface galactosyltransferase (GalTase) activity. It has been proposed that GalTase participates during migration by recognizing and binding to terminal N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) residues on glycoconjugates within the extracellular matrix (Shur, B. D., 1982, Dev. Biol. 91:149- 162). We tested this hypothesis using migrating neural crest cells as an in vitro model system. Cell surface GalTase activity was perturbed using three independent sets of reagents, and the effects on cell migration were analyzed by time-lapse microphotography. The GalTase modifier protein, alpha-lactalbumin (alpha-LA), was used to inhibit surface GalTase binding to terminal GlcNAc residues in the underlying substrate. alpha-LA inhibited neural crest cell migration on basal lamina-like matrices in a dose-dependent manner, while under identical conditions, alpha-LA had no effect on cell migration on fibronectin. Control proteins, such as lysozyme (structurally homologous to alpha- LA) and bovine serum albumin, did not effect migration on either matrix. Second, the addition of competitive GalTase substrates significantly inhibited neural crest cell migration on basal lamina- like matrices, but as above, had no effect on migration on fibronectin. Comparable concentrations of inappropriate sugars also had no effect on cell migration. Third, addition of the GalTase catalytic substrate, UDPgalactose, produced a dose-dependent increase in the rate of cell migration. Under identical conditions, the inappropriate sugar nucleotide, UDPglucose, had no effect. Quantitative enzyme assays confirmed the presence of GalTase substrates in basal lamina matrices, their absence in fibronectin matrices, and the ability of alpha-LA to inhibit GalTase activity towards basal lamina substrates. Laminin was found to be a principle GalTase substrate in the basal lamina, and when tested in vitro, alpha-LA inhibited cell migration on laminin. Together, these experiments show that neural crest cells have at least two distinct mechanisms for interacting with the substrate during migration, one that is fibronectin-dependent and one that uses GalTase recognition of basal lamina glycoconjugates.
Mental adjustment to cancer and survival of patients admitted for allogenic hemopoietic stem cell transplantation - a prospective cohort study

Objective: The Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale (MAC scale) has evolved to a standard measure in the field of psycho-oncology. In this context an attitude called "fighting spirit" gained much attention as a coping style. Some reports suggest that coping efforts as measured by the MAC scale are predictive for survival of breast cancer patients. We explored the predictive power of the MAC scale by using a sample of patients with haematological malignancies undergoing allogenic hemopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Methods: Between 9/1999 and 12/2001 127 patients were administered the MAC scale prior to HSCT. Follow-up data of overall survival and event-free survival were obtained in December 2003 and analyzed using Cox-regression models. Results: At the time of the follow-up, 68 patients had died (overall survival), 75 patients had experienced a relapse or had died (event-free survival). We failed to find significant results for the MAC subscales with and without adjustment for prognostic factors. Conclusion: In the special situation of patients facing HSCT the MAC scale seems not to be of predictive value. In general, with respect to survival the empirical evidence is not very convincing.
Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation

A central tenet of economics is that individuals respond to incentives. For psychologists and sociologists, in contrast, rewards and punishments are often counterproductive, because they undermine "intrinsic motivation". We reconcile these two views, showing how performance incentives offered by an informed principal (manager, teacher, parent) can adversely impact an agent's (worker, child) perception of the task, or of his own abilities. Incentives are then only weak reinforcers in the short run, and negative reinforcers in the long run. We also study the effects of empowerment, help and excuses on motivation, as well as situations of ego bashing reflecting a battle for dominance within a relationship. Copyright 2003, Wiley-Blackwell.
Positive Effects of Ionic Liquids in the Oxidative Cleavage of vic-diols Catalyzed by Mn(III) Complexes

The obtaining of aldehydes or ketones through oxidative cleavage of vicinal diols requires the use of a catalyst. In this work we present the positive effects of ionic liquids in the homogeneous oxidative cleavage of ethylenglycol, pinacol, benzopinacol and hydrobenzoin, catalyzed by Mn(salen) complexes. The catalyst dissolved in ionic liquids allows high efficiency (yield up to 99% with air as oxidant), low environmental impact and, in addition, it is possible to recycle. In order to understand the role of the catalyst and of the ionic liquids, DFT studies were performed and a possible catalytic cycle is presented.