Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Critical combinations of shear and transverse direct stress for an infinitely long flat plate with edges elastically restrained against rotation

An exact solution and a closely concurring approximate energy solution are given for the buckling of an infinitely long flat plate under combined shear and transverse direct stress with edges elastically restrained against rotation. It was found that an appreciable fraction of the critical stress in pure shear may be applied to the plate without any reduction in the transverse compressive stress necessary to produce buckling. An interaction formula in general use was shown to be decidedly conservative for the range in which it is supposed to apply.
Erythrocyte promotion of platelet reactivity decreases the effectiveness of aspirin as an antithrombotic therapeutic modality: the effect of low-dose aspirin is less than optimal in patients with vascular disease due to prothrombotic effects of erythrocytes on platelet reactivity.

BACKGROUND Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid, ASA) is widely used for secondary prevention of ischemic vascular events, although its protection only occurs in 25% of patients. We previously demonstrated that platelet reactivity is enhanced by a prothrombotic effect of erythrocytes in a thromboxane-independent manner. This diminishes the antithrombotic therapeutic potential of ASA. Recent data from our laboratory indicate that the prothrombotic effect of erythrocytes also contains an ASA-sensitive component. In accordance with this observation, intermittent treatment with high-dose ASA reduced the prothrombotic effects of erythrocytes ex vivo in healthy volunteers. In the present study, the effects of platelet-erythrocyte interactions were evaluated ex vivo in 82 patients with vascular disease: 62 patients with ischemic heart disease treated with 200 mg ASA/d and 20 patients with ischemic stroke treated with 300 mg ASA/d. METHODS AND RESULTS Platelet activation (release reaction) and platelet recruitment (fluid-phase proaggregatory activity of cell-free releasates from activated platelets) were assessed after collagen stimulation (1 microg/mL) of platelets, platelet-erythrocyte mixtures, or whole blood. Platelet thromboxane A2 synthesis was inhibited by >94% by ASA administration in all patients. Importantly, platelet recruitment followed one of three distinct patterns. In group A (n=32; 39%), platelet recruitment was blocked by ASA both in the presence and absence of erythrocytes. In group B (n=37; 45%), recruitment was abolished when platelets were evaluated alone but continued in the presence of erythrocytes, indicating a suboptimal effect of ASA on erythrocytes of this patient group. In group C (n= 13; 16%), detectable recruitment in stimulated platelets alone persisted and was markedly enhanced by the presence of erythrocytes. CONCLUSIONS In two thirds of a group of patients with vascular disease, 200 to 300 mg ASA was insufficient to block platelet reactivity in the presence of erythrocytes despite abolishing thromboxane A2 synthesis. Platelet activation in the presence of erythrocytes can induce the release reaction and generate biologically active products that recruit additional platelets into a developing thrombus. Insufficient blockade of this proaggregatory property of erythrocytes can lead to development of additional ischemic complications.
Recidivism Among Offenders Receiving Retroactive Sentence Reductions: The 2007 Crack Cocaine Amendment

for offenses involving crack cocaine. The amendment, whichbecame effective November 1, 2007, reduced by two levels thebase offense levels assigned by the Drug Quantity Table for eachquantity of crack cocaine (the “2007 Crack Cocaine Amendment”). Also in 2007, the Commission voted to give retroactive effect to theamendment, which allowed judges to consider motions forretroactive application of the amendment and reduce sentences forthose incarcerated under the previous guidelines. The retroactiveapplication of the 2007 Crack Cocaine Amendment took effect onMarch 3, 2008.This publication reports on recidivism of crack cocaine offenderswho were released immediately before and after implementation ofthe 2007 Crack Cocaine Amendment, and followed in thecommunity for five years. In order to study the impact ofretroactive sentence reduction on recidivism rates, staff analyzedthe recidivism rate for a group of crack cocaine offenders whosesentences were reduced pursuant to retroactive application of the2007 Crack Cocaine Amendment. Staff then compared that rate tothe recidivism rate for a comparison group of offenders who wouldhave been eligible to seek a reduced sentence under the 2007Crack Cocaine Amendment, but were released before the effectivedate of that amendment after serving their full prison terms lessgood time and other earned credits.The question addressed by this study is: “Were offenders whoreceived a reduced sentence retroactively under the 2007 CrackCocaine Amendment more likely to recidivate than similarlysituated offenders who did not receive a reduced sentence? ” Asdiscussed more fully below, there is no evidence that offenderswhose sentence lengths were reduced pursuant to retroactiveapplication of the 2007 Crack Cocaine Amendment had higher
Double-blind, placebo-controlled comparison of the antidepressant efficacy and tolerability of bupropion XR and venlafaxine XR

Bupropion, a noradrenaline/dopamine reuptake inhibitor, and venlafaxine, a serotonin/noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor, are both established antidepressants with proven efficacy in randomized controlled clinical trials. The objective of this double-blind, randomized, placebo- and active-controlled, eight-week, flexible-dose study was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of the once-daily extended-release formulations of these two antidepressants compared with placebo. Patients with major depressive disorder were randomized to once-daily treatment with bupropion XR 150 mg (n = 204), the extended-release formulation of venlafaxine (venlafaxine XR) 75 mg (n = 198) or placebo (n = 189) during weeks 1 to 4, with the option to double the dose at week 5 if response was inadequate. In this study, bupropion XR did not demonstrate statistically significant evidence of greater improvement from baseline compared with placebo on week 8 Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating scale scores (primary endpoint) or on secondary endpoints including CGI, HAM-A and responder and remitter analyses. Descriptive statistics for venlafaxine XR indicated separation versus placebo on MADRS total scores at week 8 and other intermediate time points, and on other endpoints including CGI, HAM-A and responder and remitter analyses. Both active treatments elicited improvement on the Sheehan Disability Scale and its subscales and were generally well tolerated at the doses studied. Rates of nausea, dry mouth, dizziness, hyperhidrosis, insomnia, constipation, tremor, anorexia and male sexual dysfunction were elevated in the venlafaxine XR group, consistent with its mixed serotonergic/noradrenergic mechanism. Rates of dry mouth, insomnia and hyperhidrosis were elevated in the bupropion XR group, consistent with its catecholaminergic mechanism.
Real‐time expression of affect through respiration

Affect has been shown to influence respiration in people. This paper takes this insight and proposes a real‐time model to express affect through respiration in virtual humans. Fourteen affective states are explored: excitement, relaxation, focus, pain, relief, boredom, anger, fear, panic, disgust, surprise, startle, sadness, and joy. Specific respiratory patterns are described from the literature for each of these affective states. Then, a real‐time model of respiration is proposed that uses morphing to animate breathing and provides parameters to control respiration rate, respiration depth and the respiration cycle curve. These parameters are used to implement the respiratory patterns. Finally, a within‐subjects study is described where subjects are asked to classify videos of the virtual human expressing each affective state with or without the specific respiratory patterns. The study was presented to 41 subjects and the results show that the model improved perception of excitement, pain, relief, boredom, anger, fear, panic, disgust, and startle. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Capitalizing on proactivity for informal mentoring received during early career: The moderating role of core self‐evaluations

Summary This paper examines the role of proactive personality in the receipt of informal mentoring received (i.e., psychosocial and career-related mentoring) among a sample of 174 early career employees in China. The regression results indicated that networking behavior mediated the relationship between proactive personality and career-related mentoring, whereas voice behavior mediated the relationship between proactive personality and psychosocial mentoring. Furthermore, core self-evaluations moderated the aforementioned two indirect relationships such that they were stronger at higher levels of core self-evaluations. Our analyses also showed that the moderating effects occurred at the first stage of the indirect relationships. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Book Review: Understanding Social Psychology Across Cultures: Living And Working In A Changing World

This book is a substantially revised and updated version of an earlier work, Social Psychology Across Cultures, last published in 1998. The new work is organized around three parts: an overall framework, core issues, and global change. The references are extensive but well chosen and commendably current. An interesting emphasis in Part 1 is the centrality of the term nation rather than culture. Chapter 4 is devoted to this point. Fundamentally, nations are political units with their own set of defining characteristics (ecological, historical, economic, and so on). Interestingly, early-20th-century writers, including major textbook authors such as McDougall, Ross, Bunge (in German, French, and Spanish); Oriano (in Italian); and Trotter and later Klineberg, believed that social psychology should have a fundamental concern with nations (or races) and their character. There were musings of inborn (read genetic) differences between national groups and of national differences in modal personality. Early in chapter 1, Smith, Bond, and Kag ̧ itçibasi note that cultures have evolved in particular settings—places that are defined and have a location. Cultural geographers are aware of this and have shown an increased interest in geomentality (a state of mind regarding the local environment) and in a psychological entity such as place identity. Issues can arise when we agree to use nations as a basic unit of comparison deriving, for example, from migratory patterns that affect a country’s demographic profile. The authors include UN statistics dealing with both migration and tourism, showing that countries can vary tremendously in their experience of contact with peoples from other nations. Hence, the unit of nation, though convenient for analysis, is subject to forms of global change, some of which may be rapid. A whole chapter is devoted to the validity of cross-cultural psychological comparisons, whether based on anthropological data that target personality, the use of psychometric tests outside of the cultures in which they were standardized, or attempts to replicate experimental findings (such as Asch’s conformity paradigm) in different countries. From this, the authors have developed a set of 10 guidelines for both evaluating existing data sets and planning future cross-cultural research. These guidelines need to be recognized and acknowledged by students and researchers alike when they undertake cross-cultural study. Part 1 also includes a thoughtful treatment of the contributions of Hofstede and Schwartz, each dealing with ways in which cultural differences in values can be explored and documented. Hofstede is credited for an important conceptual distinction between analyses of questionnaire-generated data either at an individual level or at a nation (or “ecological”) level. The former is typified by research of individual variation in a construct, such as power distance, within a national sample. The latter approach uses statistical techniques that open up differences between nations located on a set of dimensions that
Lactococcus lactis, an Alternative System for Functional Expression of Peripheral and Intrinsic Arabidopsis Membrane Proteins

Background Despite their functional and biotechnological importance, the study of membrane proteins remains difficult due to their hydrophobicity and their low natural abundance in cells. Furthermore, into established heterologous systems, these proteins are frequently only produced at very low levels, toxic and mis- or unfolded. Lactococcus lactis, a Gram-positive lactic bacterium, has been traditionally used in food fermentations. This expression system is also widely used in biotechnology for large-scale production of heterologous proteins. Various expression vectors, based either on constitutive or inducible promoters, are available for this system. While previously used to produce bacterial and eukaryotic membrane proteins, the ability of this system to produce plant membrane proteins was until now not tested. Methodology/Principal Findings The aim of this work was to test the expression, in Lactococcus lactis, of either peripheral or intrinsic Arabidopsis membrane proteins that could not be produced, or in too low amount, using more classical heterologous expression systems. In an effort to easily transfer genes from Gateway-based Arabidopsis cDNA libraries to the L. lactis expression vector pNZ8148, we first established a cloning strategy compatible with Gateway entry vectors. Interestingly, the six tested Arabidopsis membrane proteins could be produced, in Lactococcus lactis, at levels compatible with further biochemical analyses. We then successfully developed solubilization and purification processes for three of these proteins. Finally, we questioned the functionality of a peripheral and an intrinsic membrane protein, and demonstrated that both proteins were active when produced in this system. Conclusions/Significance Altogether, these data suggest that Lactococcus lactis might be an attractive system for the efficient and functional production of difficult plant membrane proteins.
Charade: remote control of objects using free-hand gestures

This paper presents an application that uses hand gesture input to control a computer while giving a presentation. In order to develop a prototype of this application, we have defined an interaction model, a notation for gestures, and a set of guidelines to design gestural command sets. This works aims to define interaction styles that work in computerized reality environments. In our application, gestures are used for interacting with the computer as well as for communicating with other people or operating other devices.
Parliamentary Party Group Discipline in Comparison

This study analyses the efforts of a party group leadership to provide a cohesive voting behaviour in their party groups due to discipline. Party group leaders are interested in party group unity in order to maximise their voting power, to maintain their credibility towards voters and to protect their party label (Mitchell, 1999). Most studies on party group unity concentrate on institutional variables such as the governmental system, the election system or on ideological heterogeneity in party groups (Carey, 2007; Depauw, 2003). They assume party group disciplinary measures as given and do not measure them explicitly. This study presents a new measurement of party group discipline based on semi-qualitative interview data with 77 party group leaders and party experts collected in five European parliamentary systems (United Kingdom, Germany, European Parliament, Netherlands, Switzerland) in 2007-08. The suggested index encompasses not only institutional resources to punish and reward party group members (Sieberer, 2006), but also more fine-grained and behavioural means. The second part of the paper explains the variance of the index and demonstrates that ideology does not seem to be important predicting factor for disciplinary measure. It is rather the size and composition of party groups, as well as the possibility to be included in government which makes party group leaders use more disciplinary
An emerging role for misfolded wild-type SOD1 in sporadic ALS pathogenesis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder that targets motor neurons, leading to paralysis and death within a few years of disease onset. While several genes have been linked to the inheritable, or familial, form of ALS, much less is known about the cause(s) of sporadic ALS, which accounts for ~90% of ALS cases. Due to the clinical similarities between familial and sporadic ALS, it is plausible that both forms of the disease converge on a common pathway and, therefore, involve common factors. Recent evidence suggests the Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD1) protein to be one such factor that is common to both sporadic and familial ALS. In 1993, mutations were uncovered in SOD1 that represent the first known genetic cause of familial ALS. While the exact mechanism of mutant-SOD1 toxicity is still not known today, most evidence points to a gain of toxic function that stems, at least in part, from the propensity of this protein to misfold. In the wild-type SOD1 protein, non-genetic perturbations such as metal depletion, disruption of the quaternary structure, and oxidation, can also induce SOD1 to misfold. In fact, these aforementioned post-translational modifications cause wild-type SOD1 to adopt a “toxic conformation” that is similar to familial ALS-linked SOD1 variants. These observations, together with the detection of misfolded wild-type SOD1 within human post-mortem sporadic ALS samples, have been used to support the controversial hypothesis that misfolded forms of wild-type SOD1 contribute to sporadic ALS pathogenesis. In this review, we present data from the literature that both support and contradict this hypothesis. We also discuss SOD1 as a potential therapeutic target for both familial and sporadic ALS.
A prospective study of T‐ and B‐lymphocyte subpopulations, CD81 expression levels on B cells and regulatory CD4+CD25+CD127low/−FoxP3+ T cells in patients with chronic HCV infection during pegylated interferon‐alpha2a plus ribavirin treatment

Summary. Resolution of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection requires a complex interplay between innate and adaptative immune responses. The role of lymphocyte subpopulations during combined antiviral treatment remains to be defined. This study was conducted to assess the effect of pegylated interferon‐alpha2a (pegIFN‐α2a) and ribavirin treatment on peripheral blood lymphocytes, mainly on CD81 expression on B cells and CD4+CD25+CD127low/−FoxP3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) in patients with chronic HCV infection. Thirty‐five patients with chronic HCV infection who started pegIFN‐α2a and ribavirin treatment were enrolled. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were obtained at baseline before treatment (BT), mid‐treatment (MT), the end of treatment (ET) and 24 weeks post‐treatment (PT). During combined antiviral treatment, a significant decrease in the percentage of CD3+, CD8+, CD3+gamma/delta (γδ)+, CD19+ lymphocyte subpopulations and Tregs was observed. There was also a significant increase in the percentage of the CD4+ lymphocyte subpopulation and in CD81 expression levels on CD19+ B cells when BT was compared with ET (all P < 0.05). Seventeen patients were nonresponders (NR) and 18 had a sustained virological response (SVR). At baseline, NR patients had higher CD81 expression levels on CD19+ B cells (P = 0.017) and a higher Tregs percentage (P = 0.025) than SVR patients. Our results suggest that immunomodulation fluctuates during antiviral treatment and that percentage CD81 expression levels on B cells and Tregs might be useful as an immunological prognostic factor for pegIFN‐α2a and ribavirin treatment response in chronic HCV infection.
SPIN-ORBIT INTERACTION IN NEUTRON STAR/MAIN SEQUENCE BINARIES AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PULSAR TIMING

The spin-induced quadrupole moment of a rapidly rotating star changes the orbital dynamics in a binary system, giving rise to advance (or regression) of periastron and precession of the orbital plane. We show that these effects are important in the recently discovered radio pulsar/main sequence star binary system PSR J0045$-$7319, and can reliably account for the observed peculiar timing residuals. Precise measurements of the apsidal motion and orbital plane precession can yield valuable information on the internal structure and rotation of the star. The detection of orbital precession implies that the spin of the companion star is not aligned with the orbital angular momentum, and suggests that the supernova gave the pulsar a kick out of the original orbital plane. Tidal excitation of g-mode oscillations in the PSR J0045$-$7319 system induces an orbital period change of order $|\Delta P_{\rm orb}/P_{\rm orb}|\sim 10^{-6}$ at each periastron passage, but the secular trend depends on the radiative damping time of the g-modes. We also discuss the spin-orbit coupling effects for the accreting X-ray pulsars and the other known radio pulsar/main sequence binary, PSR B1259$-$63.
Nonsmooth Optimization Method for VLSI Global Placement

The common objective of very large-scale integration (VLSI) placement problem is to minimize the total wirelength, which is calculated by the total half-perimeter wirelength (HPWL). Since the HPWL is not differentiable, various differentiable wirelength approximation functions have been proposed in analytical placement methods. In this paper, we reformulate the HPWL as an l1-norm model of the wirelength function, which is exact but nonsmooth. Based on the l1-norm wirelength model and exact calculation of overlapping areas between cells and bins, a nonsmooth optimization model is proposed for the VLSI global placement problem, and a subgradient method is proposed for solving the nonsmooth optimization problem. Moreover, local convergence of the subgradient method is proved under some suitable conditions. In addition, two enhanced techniques, i.e., an adaptive parameter to control the step size and a cautious strategy for increasing the penalty parameter, are also used in the nonsmooth optimization method. In order to make the placement method scalable, a multilevel framework is adopted. In the clustering stage, the best choice clustering algorithm is modified according to the l1-norm wirelength model to cluster the cells, and the nonsmooth optimization method is recursively used in the declustering stage. Comparisons of experimental results on the International Symposium on Physical Design (ISPD) 2005 and 2006 benchmarks show that the global placement method is promising.