Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Impact of a Product-Harm Crisis on Marketing Effectiveness

Product-harm crises are among a firm's worst nightmares. A firm may experience (i) a loss in baseline sales, (ii) a reduced own effectiveness for its marketing instruments, (iii) an increased cross sensitivity to rival firms' marketing-mix activities, and (iv) a decreased cross impact of its marketing-mix instruments on the sales of competing, unaffected brands. We find that this quadruple jeopardy materialized in a case study of an Australian product-harm crisis faced by Kraft peanut butter. We arrive at this conclusion by using a time-varying error-correction model that quantifies the consequences of this crisis on base sales, and on own-and cross-brand short-and long-term effectiveness. The proposed modeling approach allows managers to make more informed decisions on how to regain the brands' pre-crisis performance levels.
Interactions between Spider Silk and Cells – NIH/3T3 Fibroblasts Seeded on Miniature Weaving Frames

Background Several materials have been used for tissue engineering purposes, since the ideal matrix depends on the desired tissue. Silk biomaterials have come to focus due to their great mechanical properties. As untreated silkworm silk has been found to be quite immunogenic, an alternative could be spider silk. Not only does it own unique mechanical properties, its biocompatibility has been shown already in vivo. In our study, we used native spider dragline silk which is known as the strongest fibre in nature. Methodology/Principal Findings Steel frames were originally designed and manufactured and woven with spider silk, harvesting dragline silk directly out of the animal. After sterilization, scaffolds were seeded with fibroblasts to analyse cell proliferation and adhesion. Analysis of cell morphology and actin filament alignment clearly revealed adherence. Proliferation was measured by cell count as well as determination of relative fluorescence each after 1, 2, 3, and 5 days. Cell counts for native spider silk were also compared with those for trypsin-digested spider silk. Spider silk specimens displayed less proliferation than collagen- and fibronectin-coated cover slips, enzymatic treatment reduced adhesion and proliferation rates tendentially though not significantly. Nevertheless, proliferation could be proven with high significance (p<0.01). Conclusion/Significance Native spider silk does not require any modification to its application as a biomaterial that can rival any artificial material in terms of cell growth promoting properties. We could show adhesion mechanics on intracellular level. Additionally, proliferation kinetics were higher than in enzymatically digested controls, indicating that spider silk does not require modification. Recent findings concerning reduction of cell proliferation after exposure could not be met. As biotechnological production of the hierarchical composition of native spider silk fibres is still a challenge, our study has a pioneer role in researching cellular mechanics on native spider silk fibres.
A homolog of the putative tumor suppressor QM in the sponge Suberites domuncula: downregulation during the transition from immortal to mortal (apoptotic) cells.

The activation of components of the transcription factors such as AP-1 or c-jun is essential for a physiological response of metazoan cells during aging. The activity of such proto-oncoproteins is under enzymatic control. The function of c-jun is additionally modulated by the QM protein. Here, we studied the expression of the gene, encoding the QM-like protein in the sponge Suberites domuncula. These animals contain high levels of telomerase in their somatic cells. To understand the switch from telomerase-positive immortal cells to telomerase-negative mortal cells which undergo apoptosis, the expression of the QM-like gene was measured in this system. The cDNA, termed QMSD, encoding the QM-like protein was isolated from S. domuncula; its 642 bp long open reading frame encodes a putative protein, QM-SUBDO, of 24,702 Da. Phylogenetic analysis of the sponge QM-like protein revealed that it is closely related to other metazoan QM polypeptides and distinct from sequences of Eumycota or Viridiplantae. Our investigations demonstrated that in gemmules as well as in untreated tissue the expression of the QM-like gene is significantly higher than in tissue which undergoes induced apoptosis. The level of the QM-like protein even decreases drastically in cells that are induced to apoptosis (e.g. by cadmium). We suggest therefore that one event that is involved in the transition of sponge cells from their immortal telomerase-positive to the mortal telomerase-negative state may be the downregulation of the QM-like protein, a putative tumor suppressor polypeptide.
Impact of Summer Heat on Urban Population Mortality in Europe during the 1990s: An Evaluation of Years of Life Lost Adjusted for Harvesting

Background Efforts to prevent and respond to heat-related illness would benefit by quantifying the impact of summer heat on acute population mortality. We estimated years of life lost due to heat in 14 European cities during the 1990s accounting for harvesting. Methods We combined the number of deaths attributable to heat estimated by the PHEWE project with life expectancy derived from population life tables. The degree of harvesting was quantified by comparing the cumulative effect of heat up to lagged day 30 with the immediate effect of heat, by geographical region and age. Next, an evaluation of years of life lost adjusted for harvesting was obtained. Results Without accounting for harvesting, we estimated more than 23,000 years of life lost per year, 55% of which was among individuals younger than 75. When 30 day mortality displacement was taken into account, the overall impact reduced on average by 75%. Harvesting was more pronounced in North-continental cities than in Mediterranean cities and was stronger among young people than among elderly. Conclusions High ambient temperatures during summer were responsible for many deaths in European cities during the 1990s, but a large percentage of these deaths likely involved frail persons whose demise was only briefly hastened by heat exposure. Differences in harvesting across regions and classes of age could reflect different proportions of frail individuals in the population or could be indicative of heterogeneous dynamics underlying the entry and exit of individuals from the high-risk pool which is subject to mortality displacement.
Effects of Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation on Visual Memory Recall and EEG

[Purpose] This study aimed to examine the effects of galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) on visual memory recall and EEG. [Subjects and Methods] In the present study, 42 adults were selected and divided equally into two groups of 21 adults, the GVS group and the Sham group. The error rate was calculated as a percentage based on the total number of errors in the answers to 24 questions after stimulation, while the reaction time was measured in intervals between the time the questions were asked and the time it took the subjects to answer the questions. EEG data were obtained by attaching electrodes to the Fz, Cz, and Pz points during the question and answer phase. [Results] The error rate showed statistically significant differences in the interaction involving the time of response and group. The reaction time showed no statistically significant differences in the interaction involving the time of response and group. When relative band power parameters were analyzed, alpha waves showed no statistically significant differences in the interaction involving the time of response and group, but only the Fz area of beta waves showed statistically significant differences in the interaction involving the time of response and group. [Conclusion] GVS may improve visual memory recall in relation to a flower, a person, an animal, or a building.
Infliximab Improves Endothelial Dysfunction in Systemic Vasculitis: A Model of Vascular Inflammation

Background—Endothelial vasomotor dysfunction and markers of systemic inflammation are independent determinants of cardiovascular risk. However, the link between clinical inflammation and endothelial dysfunction is unclear. The aim of this study was to use anti–neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody–associated systemic vasculitis (AASV) as a model of systemic inflammation in which to test the hypothesis that inflammation is associated with endothelial dysfunction and can be reversed with anti–tumor necrosis factor-&agr;(TNF-&agr;) therapy. Methods and Results—Fourteen patients with active AASV and 21 age-matched control subjects were studied. Endothelial function was assessed through the use of forearm plethysmography and related to clinical disease activity: Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score (BVAS) and serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and TNF-&agr;. The effects of anti–TNF-&agr; therapy (infliximab), either alone (n=6) or in combination with standard treatment (n=4), on endothelial function were subsequently determined. Patients had a mean BVAS of 11±1, and CRP and IL-6 were higher in the AASV group than in control subjects (34.8±10.5 versus 1.6±0.2 pg/mL, P < 0.001; 9.0±0.7 versus 6.7±0.6 pg/mL, P = 0.02). Forearm blood flow response to acetylcholine (ACh) was reduced in the patients compared with control subjects (P = 0.002), but sodium nitroprusside (SNP) responses were not (P = 0.3). The response to ACh improved with infliximab treatment (P = 0.004) in particular, with infliximab alone (P = 0.03). Conclusions—AASV is associated with endothelial dysfunction. Anti–TNF-&agr; therapy, alone or in combination with standard treatment, results in clinical remission, reduced inflammation, and improved endothelium-dependent vasomotor responses.
Parent psychological functioning and communication predict externalizing behavior problems after pediatric traumatic brain injury.

OBJECTIVE Adolescents sustaining traumatic brain injury (TBI) show increased prevalence of behavior problems. This study investigated the associations of parent mental health, family functioning, and parent-adolescent interaction with adolescent externalizing behavior problems in the initial months after TBI, and examined whether injury severity moderated these associations. METHODS 117 parent-adolescent dyads completed measures of family functioning, adolescent behavior, and parent mental health an average of 108 days post-TBI. Dyads also engaged in a 10-min video-recorded problem-solving activity coded for parent behavior and tone of interaction. RESULTS Overall, higher ratings of effective parent communication were associated with fewer externalizing behavior problems, whereas poorer caregiver psychological functioning was associated with greater adolescent externalizing behaviors. Results failed to reveal moderating effects of TBI severity on the relationship between socio-environmental factors and behavior problems. CONCLUSIONS Interventions targeting parent communication and/or improving caregiver psychological health may ameliorate potential externalizing behavior problems after adolescent TBI.
Ethnicity identification from face images

Human facial images provide the demographic information, such as ethnicity and gender. Conversely, ethnicity and gender also play an important role in face-related applications. Image-based ethnicity identification problem is addressed in a machine learning framework. The Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) based scheme is presented for the two-class (Asian vs. non-Asian) ethnicity classification task. Multiscale analysis is applied to the input facial images. An ensemble framework, which integrates the LDA analysis for the input face images at different scales, is proposed to further improve the classification performance. The product rule is used as the combination strategy in the ensemble. Experimental results based on a face database containing 263 subjects (2,630 face images, with equal balance between the two classes) are promising, indicating that LDA and the proposed ensemble framework have sufficient discriminative power for the ethnicity classification problem. The normalized ethnicity classification scores can be helpful in the facial identity recognition. Useful as a "soft" biometric, face matching scores can be updated based on the output of ethnicity classification module. In other words, ethnicity classifier does not have to be perfect to be useful in practice.
Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) among UK military personnel whilst deployed in Afghanistan in 2011

Abstract Introduction: mTBI has been termed the ‘signature injury’ of recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Most mTBI research uses retrospective accounts of exposure and point of injury symptoms; mTBI is reportedly less common among UK than US Forces. Methods: This study examined the rate of mTBI exposure and symptoms in 1363 UK military personnel deployed in Afghanistan in 2011 using a self-report questionnaire. Data were collected in the operational location during the 5th month of a 6-month deployment. Personnel reported injuries and symptoms related to six events including fragmentation, blast, bullet, fall, motor vehicle accident and ‘other’ exposure. Results: Eighty (5.9%) reported at least one potential mTBI exposure during the current deployment and 1.6% (n = 22) reported injury and one or more mTBI symptoms (1 year incidence rate = 3.2%). Higher PTSD symptom scores were significantly associated with reporting potential mTBI (p ≤ 0.001) and mTBI with symptoms (p ≤ 0.001). Conclusion: This study used contemporaneous data gathered in the deployed location which are subject to less memory distortion than studies using post-deployment recall. The incidence of mTBI was substantially lower than those reported in both US and UK post-deployment studies which is consistent with inflated reporting of symptoms when measured post-deployment.
Correlation of in vitro chemopreventive efficacy data from the human epidermal cell assay with animal efficacy data and clinical trial plasma levels

The human epidermal cell (HEC) assay, which uses carcinogen exposed normal skin keratinocytes to screen for cancer prevention efficacy, was used to screen possible preventive agents. The endpoints measured were inhibition of carcinogen‐induced growth and induction of involucrin, an early marker of differentiation. Sixteen of twenty agents (apigenin, apomine, budesonide, N‐(2‐carboxyphenyl)retinamide, ellagic acid, ibuprofen, indomethacin, melatonin, (−)‐2‐oxo‐4‐thiazolidine carboxylic acid, polyphenon E, resveratrol, β‐sitosterol, sulfasalazine, vitamin E acetate, and zileuton) were positive in at least one of the two assay endpoints. Four agents (4‐methoxyphenol, naringenin, palmitoylcarnitine chloride, and silymarin) were negative in the assay. Nine of the sixteen agents were positive for both endpoints. Agents that showed the greatest response included: ellagic acid > budesonide, ibuprofen > apigenin, and quinicrine dihydrochloride. Fifty‐eight of sixty‐five agents that have been evaluated in the HEC assay have also been evaluated in one or more rodent bioassays for cancer prevention and several are in clinical trials for cancer prevention. The assay has an overall predictive accuracy of ∼91.4% for efficacy in rodent cancer prevention irrespective of the species used, the tissue model, or the carcinogen used. Comparison of the efficacious concentrations in vitro to plasma levels in clinical trials show that concentrations that produced efficacy in the HEC assay were achieved in clinical studies for 31 of 33 agents for which plasma levels and/or Cmax levels were available. For two agents, 9‐cis‐retinoic acid (RA) and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), the plasma levels greatly exceeded the highest concentration (HC) found to have efficacy in vitro. Thus, the HEC assay has an excellent predictive potential for animal efficacy and is responsive at clinically achievable concentrations. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
SPATACSIN mutations cause autosomal recessive juvenile amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

The mutation of the spatacsin gene is the single most common cause of autosomal recessive hereditary spastic paraplegia with thin corpus callosum. Common clinical, pathological and genetic features between amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and hereditary spastic paraplegia motivated us to investigate 25 families with autosomal recessive juvenile amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and long-term survival for mutations in the spatascin gene. The inclusion criterion was a diagnosis of clinically definite amyotrophic lateral sclerosis according to the revised El Escorial criteria. The exclusion criterion was a diagnosis of hereditary spastic paraplegia with thin corpus callosum in line with an established protocol. Additional pathological and genetic evaluations were also performed. Surprisingly, 12 sequence alterations in the spatacsin gene (one of which is novel, IVS30 + 1 G > A) were identified in 10 unrelated pedigrees with autosomal recessive juvenile amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and long-term survival. The countries of origin of these families were Italy, Brazil, Canada, Japan and Turkey. The variants seemed to be pathogenic since they co-segregated with the disease in all pedigrees, were absent in controls and were associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis neuropathology in one member of one of these families for whom central nervous system tissue was available. Our study indicates that mutations in the spatascin gene could cause a much wider spectrum of clinical features than previously recognized, including autosomal recessive juvenile amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Experimental evaluation and cross-benchmarking of univariate real solvers

Real solving of univariate polynomials is a fundamental problem with several important applications. This paper is focused on the comparison of black-box implementations of state-of-the-art algorithms for isolating real roots of univariate polynomials over the integers. We have tested 9 different implementations based on symbolic-numeric methods, Sturm sequences, Continued Fractions and Descartes' rule of sign. The methods under consideration were developed at the GALAAD group at INRIA,the VEGAS group at LORIA and the MPI Saarbrücken. We compared their sensitivity with respect to various aspects such as degree, bitsize or root separation of the input polynomials. Our datasets consist of 5,000 polynomials from many different settings, which have maximum coefficient bitsize up to bits 8,000, and the total running time of the experiments was about 50 hours. Thereby, all implementations of the theoretically exact methods always provided correct results throughout this extensive study. For each scenario we identify the currently most adequate method, and we point to weaknesses in each approach, which should lead to further improvements. Our results indicate that there is no "best method" overall, but one can say that for most instances the solvers based on Continued Fractions are among the best methods. To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest number of tests for univariate real solving up to date.
T-Cell Costimulation Protects Obesity-Induced Adipose Inflammation and Insulin Resistance

A key pathophysiologic role for activated T-cells in mediating adipose inflammation and insulin resistance (IR) has been recently postulated. However, mechanisms underlying their activation are poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrated a previously unrecognized homeostatic role for the costimulatory B7 molecules (CD80 and CD86) in preventing adipose inflammation. Instead of promoting inflammation, which was found in many other disease conditions, B7 costimulation reduced adipose inflammation by maintaining regulatory T-cell (Treg) numbers in adipose tissue. In both humans and mice, expression of CD80 and CD86 was negatively correlated with the degree of IR and adipose tissue macrophage infiltration. Decreased B7 expression in obesity appeared to directly impair Treg proliferation and function that lead to excessive proinflammatory macrophages and the development of IR. CD80/CD86 double knockout (B7 KO) mice had enhanced adipose macrophage inflammation and IR under both high-fat and normal diet conditions, accompanied by reduced Treg development and proliferation. Adoptive transfer of Tregs reversed IR and adipose inflammation in B7 KO mice. Our results suggest an essential role for B7 in maintaining Tregs and adipose homeostasis and may have important implications for therapies that target costimulation in type 2 diabetes.
Stereo Tracking of Objects with respect to a Ground Plane November 5 , 2009

In this paper, a novel algorithm for tracking 3D cricket ball locations in relation to an estimated ground plane is proposed. This algorithm proposes using Random Sample Consensus to find a ground plane from disparity images, and then estimating 3D ball positions with respect to the ground plane using fast contour tracing and stereo depth values. In that no prior research has used stereo depth values to locate a ground plane and track an object with respect to that plane, the 90.7% successful tracking rate with only 1.95% false positives suggests that the proposed novel algorithm is a useful contribution for enabling automatic setup and ease of use for such tracking.
Opportunistic beamforming using dumb antennas

An important means to cope with fading in wireless channels is the use of diversity. Diversity can be obtained over time (interleaving of coded bits), frequency (combining of multipaths in CDMA systems) and space (multiple antennas). The basic idea is to improve performance by creating several independent signal paths between the transmitter and the receiver. In this paper, we propose a scheme that induces random fading when the environment has little scattering and/or the fading is slow. We focus on the downlink of a cellular system. We use multiple antennas at the base-station to transmit the same signal from each antenna modulated by a gain whose phase and magnitude is changing in time in a controlled but pseudo random fashion.
VIZARD II: a reconfigurable interactive volume rendering system

This paper presents a reconfigurable, hardware accelerated, volume rendering system for high quality perspective ray casting. The volume rendering accelerator performs ray casting by calculating the path of the ray through the volume using a programmable Xilinx Virtex FPGA which provides fast design changes and low cost development. Volume datasets are stored on the card in low profile DIMMs with standard connectors allowing both, large datasets up to 1 GByte with 32 bit per voxel, and easy upgrades to larger memory capacities. Per-sample Phong shading and post-classification is performed in hardware, giving immediate feedback to changes in the visualization of a dataset. Adding new features, such as pre-integrated classification, can be accomplished using the existing card without expensive and time consuming redesigns. The card can also be used for medical image reconstruction by reconfiguring the FPGA broadening its usefulness for end users. For the first time, users are able to generate high quality perspective images as required for applications such as virtual endoscopy and colonoscopy, and stereoscopic image generation.