Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Acupuncture Points Stimulation for Meniere's Disease/Syndrome: A Promising Therapeutic Approach

Objective. This study aims to explore evidence for acupuncture points stimulation (APS) in treatment of Meniere's disease (MD). Method. A literature search was conducted in seven databases including EMBASE, Medline, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CBM, CNKI, and WangFang database and the data analysis was performed by using the RevMan version 5.3. Results. 12 RCTs with 993 participants were acquired after the search. The quality of most eligible studies was very low which limited the value of the meta-analysis. Compared with western medicine comprehensive treatment (WMCT), the APS alone or in combination with WMCT had a significant positive effect in controlling vertigo; however, the result was negative in hearing improvement and DHI. No adverse events were reported in the studies. Conclusion. The APS might be a promising therapeutic approach for MD. However, the currently available evidence is insufficient to make a definitive conclusion for the poor quality of included studies. More high-quality researches with larger sample size are urgently needed to assess the effectiveness and safety.
The performance of spatial interpolation methods and choropleth maps to estimate properties at points: a soil survey case study.

A study was designed to compare the performance of six spatial interpolation methods to estimate soil properties at unvisited points. These methods were global mean, moving average, nearest neighbour, inverse squared distance, Laplacian smoothing splines and ordinary point kriging. These methods were also applied in combination with a choropleth map (soil map) by stratifying the area. The soil properties estimated were thickness of A1 horizon, maximum areic mass of phosphate adsorbed by soil, mean highest water table and mean lowest water table. The performance of the methods was measured by estimating the spatial means of the squared and absolute error (quality criteria not conditional on the sample of test points) by a stratified simple random sample of test points. The mean squared error was very large in proportion to the spatial variation over the total area for all methods and properties. Differences between methods were small. In general, no statistically significant stratification or weighting effects were found. The effect of weighting plus stratification was usually not significant either. Overall, weighting with inverse squared distance was as satisfactory as weighting by ordinary point kriging. However, the latter was superior near data points. Also, when combined with soil map stratification, kriging was more reliable in the sense that it estimated all properties well. Estimates obtained using the means of six soil map units were better, although not significantly, than those obtained from unstratified kriging and as good as kriging within three map units.
An Empirical Analysis of Vulnerabilities in OpenSSL and the Linux Kernel

Vulnerabilities are one of the main concerns faced by practitioners when working with security critical applications. Unfortunately, developers and security teams, even experienced ones, fail to identify many of them with severe consequences. Vulnerabilities are hard to discover since they appear in various forms, caused by many different issues and their identification requires an attacker's mindset. In this paper, we aim at increasing the understanding of vulnerabilities by investigating their characteristics on two major open-source software systems, i.e., the Linux kernel and OpenSSL. In particular, we seek to analyse and build a profile for vulnerable code, which can ultimately help researchers in building automated approaches like vulnerability prediction models. Thus, we examine the location, criticality and category of vulnerable code along with its relation with software metrics. To do so, we collect more than 2,200 vulnerable files accounting for 863 vulnerabilities and compute more than 35 software metrics. Our results indicate that while 9 Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) types of vulnerabilities are prevalent, only 3 of them are critical in OpenSSL and 2 of them in the Linux kernel. They also indicate that different types of vulnerabilities have different characteristics, i.e., metric profiles, and that vulnerabilities of the same type have different profiles in the two projects we examined. We also found that the file structure of the projects can provide useful information related to the vulnerabilities. Overall, our results demonstrate the need for making project specific approaches that focus on specific types of vulnerabilities.
PREVALENCE OF ACADEMIC PROCRASTINATION BEHAVIOR AMONG PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS, AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH DEMOGRAPHICS AND INDIVIDUAL PREFERENCES (AKADEM(K ERTELEME DAVRANI/ININ Ö1RETMEN ADAYLARI ARASINDAK( YAYGINLI1I, DEMOGRAF(K ÖZELL(KLER VE B(REYSEL TERC(HLERLE (L(/K(S()

aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of academic procrastination behavior among pre- service teachers, and its relationship with demographics and individual preferences. The participants were 580 students who were studying in different major fields at the Faculty of Education in Pamukkale University. The age range varied from 19 to 28. In this study, Aitken's Procrastination Inventory and Personal Information Sheet were used to gather data. The analysis showed that 23 % of pre-service teachers exhibited procrastination behavior at a high level. Other findings indicated that procrastination behavior significantly differed by gender, time preferences for studying courses and exams, and was negatively related to academic achievement. Implications of the findings are discussed and some suggestions are made for the educator and counselors.
Preliminary morphological and biochemical changes in rat liver following postnatal exposure to sodium arsenite

The effects of sodium arsenite exposure on the hepatic maturation period of cellular and functional reorganization in developing rat livers were evaluated. Animals received intraperitoneal injections of sodium arsenite (1.5 mg/kg body weight) or distilled water on days 9 to 28 after birth. On day 29, the animals were sacrificed either by cervical dislocation or by perfusion fixation. The perfusion fixed liver tissue was processed for paraffin embedding, sectioning and hematoxylin and eosin staining. The fresh liver tissue was processed for cryo-sectioning followed by Sudan Black B staining and for biochemical estimation of reduced glutathione. Microscopic observation revealed comparable preserved hepatic lobular patterns and distributions of uninucleate and binucleate hepatocytes in the control and the experimental groups. The mean nuclear area and diameter of the hepatocytes was increased in the experimental group. Lipid droplet distribution pattern in Sudan Black B stained sections revealed higher staining intensity towards the centrilobular area in both groups. Semiquantitative estimation of staining intensity showed lower mean gray values in zone 3 than in zones 2 and 1 (suggestive of the setting in of the adult pattern) in both groups. The reduced glutathione levels in the liver tissue and the altered nuclear size of the hepatocytes in the experimental group suggested the impairment of morphological and biochemical processes induced by arsenic exposure during the postnatal period.
Deep optical spectroscopy of extended Lyα emission around three radio-quiet z = 4.5 quasars ⋆

We report the first results of a spectroscopic search for Ly alpha envelopes around three z similar to 4.5 radio-quiet quasars. Our observational strategy adopts the FORS2 spectrograph mounted to the UT1 of the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in the multi-slit mode. This allows us to observe simultaneously the quasars and several PSF stars. The spectra of the latter are used to remove the point-like quasar from the data, and to unveil the faint underlying Lya envelopes associated with the quasars to unprecedented depth. We clearly detect an envelope around two of the three quasars. The sizes of these envelopes are 10 '' and 13 '' (i. e. 67 kpc and 87 kpc). This is 5 to 10 times larger than predicted by the models of Haiman & Rees (2001, ApJ, 556, 87) and up to 100 times fainter. Our observations are in more robust agreement with models involving a clumpy envelope such as Alam & Miralda-Escuda (2002, ApJ, 568, 576) or Chelouche et al. (2007, ApJ, submitted). We find that the brighter quasars also have the brighter envelopes but that the extent of the envelopes does not depend on the quasar luminosity. Although our results are based on only two objects with a detected Lya envelope, the quality of the spatial deblending of the spectra lends considerable for hope to estimating the luminosity function and surface brightness profiles of high redshift Ly alpha envelopes down to F similar to 2-3 x 10(-21) erg s(-1) cm(-2) angstrom(-1). We conclude that the most efficient strategy for studying high redshift Lya quasar envelopes is to acquire both narrow-band images and deep slit-spectra.
How Power Distance Interacts with Culture and Status to Explain Intra‐ and Intercultural Negotiation Behaviors: A Multilevel Analysis

This study examines how culture and status qualify the effects of power distance (PD) values on bargaining tactics in intraand intercultural negotiations, as well as Chinese and American negotiators’ behavioral difference in these contexts. Data were collected from 34 intercultural dyads, 32 American dyads, and 35 Chinese dyads that completed job offer negotiations. Results showed substantial contextual variations in the actor and partner effects of PD values. Whereas Chinese employees’ PD values positively influenced American managers’ priority information exchange, American employees’ PD values had a negative partner effect on it. Whereas Chinese employees’ PD values negatively influenced Chinese managers’ relationship building, American employees’ PD values had a positive partner effect on it. American managers and employees both used significantly fewer integrative tactics and more distributive tactics in intercultural than intracultural negotiations, but neither Chinese managers nor Chinese employees exhibited behavioral difference. Theoretical and practical implications of the study are discussed.
An Analysis of Social Conflict in Rick Riordan’s Novel “The Red Pyramid”

The objective of the research is to explain the kinds and causes of social conflict happen in the novel “The Red Pyramid”. The method used in this research is qualitative method. The data resource of this research was the novel “The Red Pyramid” which was published in 2010. In collected the data, the researcher used note taking as the instrument to get the data. The technique of data analysis in this study is Lewis Coser theory about Social conflict. The researcher found that the main character of social conflict through three aspect in the novel. They are 7 conflict involving social position, 6 conflict of interest, and 6 role conflict. The researcher has found causes of social conflict were relation, condition, violence, immolation of the character in the research.
An approximative method for calculating performance measures of Markov processes

We present a new approximation method called value extrapolation for Markov processes with large or infinite state spaces. The method can be applied for calculating any performance measure that can be expressed as the expected value of a function of the system state. Traditionally, the state distribution of a system is solved in a truncated state space and then an appropriate function is summed over the states to obtain the performance measure. In our approach, the measure is obtained directly, along with the relative values of the states, by solving the Howard equations in the MDP setting. Instead of a simple state space truncation, the relative values outside the truncated state space are extrapolated using a polynomial function. The Howard equations remain linear, hence there is no significant computational penalty. The accuracy of value extrapolation, even with a heavily truncated state space, is demonstrated using processor sharing systems and data networks as examples.
Actin nucleators in the nucleus: an emerging theme

Summary Actin is an integral component of the cytoskeleton, forming a plethora of macromolecular structures that mediate various cellular functions. The formation of such structures relies on the ability of actin monomers to associate into polymers, and this process is regulated by actin nucleation factors. These factors use monomeric actin pools at specific cellular locations, thereby permitting rapid actin filament formation when required. It has now been established that actin is also present in the nucleus, where it is implicated in chromatin remodelling and the regulation of eukaryotic gene transcription. Notably, the presence of typical actin filaments in the nucleus has not been demonstrated directly. However, studies in recent years have provided evidence for the nuclear localisation of actin nucleation factors that promote cytoplasmic actin polymerisation. Their localisation to the nucleus suggests that these proteins mediate collaboration between the cytoskeleton and the nucleus, which might be dependent on their ability to promote actin polymerisation. The nature of this cooperation remains enigmatic and it will be important to elucidate the physiological relevance of the link between cytoskeletal actin networks and nuclear events. This Commentary explores the current evidence for the nuclear roles of actin nucleation factors. Furthermore, the implication of actin-associated proteins in relaying exogenous signals to the nucleus, particularly in response to cellular stress, will be considered.
Local Labor Markets

I examine the causes and the consequences of differences in labor market outcomes across local labor markets within a country. The focus is on a long-run general equilibrium setting, where workers and firms are free to move across localities and local prices adjust to maintain the spatial equilibrium. In particular, I develop a tractable general equilibrium framework of local labor markets with heterogenous labor. This framework is useful in thinking about differences in labor market outcomes of different skill groups across locations. It clarifies how, in spatial equilibrium, localized shocks to a part of the labor market propagate to the rest of the economy through changes in employment, wages and local prices and how this diffusion affects workers' welfare. Using this framework, I address three related questions. First, I analyze the welfare consequences of productivity differences across local labor markets. I seek to understand what happens to the wage, employment and utility of workers with different skill levels when a local economy experiences a shift in the productivity of a group of workers. Second, I analyze the causes of productivity differences across local labor markets. To a large extent, productivity differences within a country are unlikely to be exogenous. I review the theoretical and empirical literature on agglomeration economies, with a particular focus on studies that are relevant for labor economists. Finally, I discuss the implications for policy.
A distributed control design for the output regulation and output consensus of a class of switched linear multi-agent systems

This paper presents the design of a distributed control law for output regulation and output consensus of a set of N agents. In this approach each agent dynamics is represented by a Switched Linear System (SLS). Agent SLS systems are neither constrained to be the same nor to have the same state dimension. In the communication topology, some agents get the reference from the output of a virtual agent, and every agent gets the output information of its neighbors resulting in a connected topology. Using this information, every agent computes the exosystem state to solve its own regulation problem. The approach herein proposed employs a local switched stabilizing feedback for each agent such that it has a common Lyapunov function. Finally, considering this assumption, the existence of a Lyapunov function which ensures the stability of the multi-agent regulation error is demonstrated.
Process Control and Logistics Management for Mass Customization Manufacturing

The emphasis on increasing product variety and individualization has created a strong demand for a new strategy of Mass Customization Manufacturing (MCM). A competitive and flexible manufacturing system must be developed to respond to small batches of customer demand. In this paper, problems of highly flexible process-control and logistics-management methodologies are addressed to meet MCM needs. The integration of manufacturing information with suppliers is developed. This integrated system information relies on open interfaces for data exchange with neutral data formats – the NIST Shop Data Specification, adopting XML. Additionally, process resource planning, and component push pull logistics are also discussed.
Local Effects of Pregnancy on Connexin Proteins That Mediate Ca2+-Associated Uterine Endothelial NO Synthesis

Uterine artery adaptations during gestation facilitate increases in uterine blood flow and fetal growth. Hypothesis: local expression and distribution of uterine artery connexins play roles in mediating in vivo gestational eNOS activation and NO production. We established an ovine model restricting pregnancy to a single uterine horn and measured uterine blood flow, uterine artery shear stress, connexins 37/43, and P635eNOS protein levels in uterine artery and systemic artery (omental and renal) endothelium and connexins in vascular smooth muscle. Uterine blood flow and shear stress were locally (unilaterally) and substantially elevated by gestation. During pregnancy, uterine artery endothelial gap junction proteins connexins 37/43 were locally regulated in the gravid horn and elevated 10.3- and 25.6-fold; uterine artery endothelial P635eNOS and total eNOS were elevated 3.3- and 2.9-fold; whereas uterine artery vascular smooth muscle connexins 37/43 were locally elevated 12.5- and 5.9-fold, respectively. Less pronounced changes were observed in systemic vasculature except for significant pregnancy-associated increases in omental artery vascular smooth muscle connexin 43 and omental artery endothelial P635eNOS and total eNOS. Gap junction blockade using connexin 43, but not connexin 37–specific Gap peptides, abrogated uterine artery endothelial ATP-induced Ca2+-mediated NO production. Thus, uterine artery endothelial connexin 43, but not connexin 37, regulates Ca2+-mediated NO production required for the vasodilation to accommodate increases in uterine blood flow and shear stress during healthy pregnancies.
he North ’ s intellectual property rights standard for the South ?

We build a multi-sectoral North–South trade model to analyze international intellectual property rights (IPR) protection. By comparing the Nash equilibrium IPR protection standard of the South (the developing countries) with that of the North (the developed countries), we find that the former is naturally weaker than the latter. Moreover, we show that both regions can gain from an agreement that requires the South to harmonize its IPR standards with those of the North, and the North to liberalize its traditional goods market. This demonstrates the merits of multi-sectoral negotiations in the GATT/WTO.  2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Coordinating nominal compounds: Universal vs. areal tendencies

Abstract Coordinating compounds, i.e. complex word forms in which the constituent lexemes are in a coordination relation, may be divided into two classes: hyperonymic, in which the referent of the whole compound is the “sum” of the meanings of the constituent lexemes (Korowai yumdefól ‘(her) husband-wife, couple’; van Enk, Gerrit J., & Lourens de Vries. 1997. The Korowai of Irian Jaya: Their language in its cultural context. Oxford: Oxford University Press: 66), and hyponymic, where the compound designates a single referent having features of all the constituents (English actor-director). It has been proposed that languages choose either type as the one with the “tightest” marking pattern; whereas the crosslinguistic tendency is to have tighter hyperonymic compounds, most languages of Europe rather have tighter hyponymic compounds (Arcodia, Giorgio Francesco, Nicola Grandi, & Bernhard Wälchli 2010. Coordination in compounding. In Sergio Scalise & Irene Vogel (eds.), Cross-disciplinary issues in compounding, 177–198. Amsterdam & Philadelphia: John Benjamins). In this paper, we will test this assumption on noun-noun compounds in a sample of 20 Standard Average European languages and in a balanced sample of 60 non-SAE languages, arguing that the preference for hyperonymic compounds is best explained by the default referential function of nouns; in hyponymic compounds, on the other hand, nouns are used to indicate properties. We will then compare nominal and adjectival coordinating compounds, showing that for the latter the hyponymic compounding pattern is the dominant one, as adjectives are prototypical property-denoting words.
Applying Interventionist and Interactionist Approaches to Dynamic Assessment for L2 Listening Comprehension

The current study reports the results of a project aimed at assessing L2 listening comprehension by drawing on two approaches to dynamic assessment: interventionist and interactionist. The former approach was actualized by providing two graduated hints which were fixed and standardized for all test takers while the latter was actualized by asking test takers to enter into dialogue with the tester to receive more flexible mediation. By taking into account how much mediation (how many hints) each test taker uses, the computerized listening test automatically provides three scores: traditional score, dynamic score, and learning potential score. 91 grade nine students at Iranian junior high schools took the computerized dynamic test. The findings of the study indicated that while having validity, the test could improve test takers’ listening comprehension ability. Moreover, the test made it possible to obtain information regarding test takers’ potentiality for learning which goes beyond and over their initial performance level. The pattern of mediation use by test takers across different test items indicated that more challenging listening questions are in need of more flexible and open-ended mediation. Using three scores for each test taker, language teachers can more effectively tailor their instruction to their learners’ needs.
Determinants of retail customer satisfaction: A study of organised retail outlets in Delhi

URPOSE THE study investigates the detailed information about the growth of retailing industry in India. It examines the growing awareness and brand consciousness among people across different socio-economic classes in India, and how the urban and semi-urban retail markets are witnessing significant growth. It explores the role of the Government of India in the industry’s growth and the need for further reforms. In India the vast middle class and its almost untapped retail industry are the key attractive forces for global retail giants wanting to enter into newer markets, which in turn will help the retail industry in India to grow faster. The paper includes growth of retail sector in India, strategies, strength, and opportunities of retail stores, retail format in India, recent trends, and opportunities and challenges. This paper concludes with the likely impact of the entry of global players into the retail industry in India. It also highlights the challenges faced by the industry in near future.