Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A facial composite editor for blendshape characters

In this paper we present an interactive editing system that allows digital modelers to rapidly create new blendshape face models for incidental or background characters, starting from a small number of given face models. The obvious approach of generating linear combinations of the given models is limited in that it does not explore the combinatorial variety in the given source models. Instead, we take an approach similar to the "facial composite" systems used in forensics, in which face features (eyes, nose, mouth, etc.) from different individuals are assembled to create a composite likeness. A literal implementation of the facial composite idea does not produce realistic faces however, since choosing features from faces of different sizes can result in both unrealistic discontinuities and position relationship violations (a selected mouth might be at a higher position that the bottom of the nose selected from a different character). To handle this, we adopt a gradient-domain assembly and blending of the individual features, and produce the final face by integrating the resulting Poisson equation. This method guarantees that the result is smooth and that position relationships from the source characters are preserved. Additional blendshape expression targets are generated by the same approach, using the same gradient blending used to produce the neutral face. The resulting system is simple, operates at interactive rates, and has already proven itself in production.
Extending Compromise Effect Models to Complex Buying Situations and Other Context Effects

Building on the work of Dhar, Menon, and Maach (2004), this commentary describes how the compromise effect models developed in the work of Kivetz, Netzer, and Srinivasan (2004) can be extended to predict complex (business-to-business) purchase decisions and additional behavioral context effects. The authors clarify their general modeling approach and outline how it applies to choices among solutions (augmented products) and group decision making. They then hypothesize about the influence of business-to-business and technology markets on various context effects (e.g., compromise and asymmetric dominance). They show how the models incorporate various context effects and discuss ideas for further research.
Neutropenia and neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio in a healthy Korean population: race and sex should be considered

We evaluated the prevalence and severity of asymptomatic neutropenia in a healthy Korean population according to sex and age. We explored normal neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in an asymptomatic Korean population and the association of these ratios with biomarkers related to inflammation, rheumatoid disease, and glucose metabolism.
The Economics of Superstars

IN RECENT years has not felt his gorge rise upon learning the staggeringly high salary of a shortstop, a movie star, an opera singer? A basketball player on a losing team earns $1.2 million; an author sells the paperback rights to his book for $800,000; a television interviewer switches networks and signs a contract calling for her to receive an annual income of just under $2 million. And the gorge continues to rise. The spectacle of people doing work that doesn't always seem overweighted with significance for annual (and, in the case of rock singers, sometimes nightly) sums of money that figure to exceed what you and I may earn in our lifetimes this, as they say nowadays, does not give off good vibes. What's going on here? What we are talking about, of course, is the phenomenon of superstars, wherein relatively small numbers of people earn enormous amounts of money and seem to dominate the fields in which they are engaged. This phenomenon appears to be increasingly important in the modern world certainly, with the breakdown of economic privacy, it is an increasingly visible phenomenon. The very word superstar implies inflation in our most precious currency, language; to be a star would have been sufficient in my youth. Yet we appear to be stuck with the term. As for the phenomenon itself, viewed from the standpoint of an economist, it may not be as puzzling as it at first glimpse seems. The first thing to be said in this connection is that certain economic activities admit extreme concentration of both personal reward and market size among a handful of participants. Every economic activity supports considerable diversity of talent and significant inequality in the personal distribution of rewards. Activities where superstars are found differ from those in which most of us make our livings by supporting much less diversity and much more inequality in the distribution of earnings. The bulk of earnings goes to relatively small numbers of practitioners typically, the few regarded as among the best in their fields. Similar distributions of earnings in the industrial sector would ultimately come to the attention of the Federal Trade Commission or the
Molecular Analysis of Antibiotic Resistance Determinants and Plasmids in Malaysian Isolates of Multidrug Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae

Infections caused by multidrug resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae have been increasingly reported in many parts of the world. A total of 93 Malaysian multidrug resistant K. pneumoniae isolated from patients attending to University of Malaya Medical Center, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 2010-2012 were investigated for antibiotic resistance determinants including extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs), aminoglycoside and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole resistance genes and plasmid replicons. CTX-M-15 (91.3%) was the predominant ESBL gene detected in this study. aacC2 gene (67.7%) was the most common gene detected in aminoglycoside-resistant isolates. Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole resistance (90.3%) was attributed to the presence of sul1 (53.8%) and dfrA (59.1%) genes in the isolates. Multiple plasmid replicons (1-4) were detected in 95.7% of the isolates. FIIK was the dominant replicon detected together with 13 other types of plasmid replicons. Conjugative plasmids (1-3 plasmids of ~3-100 kb) were obtained from 27 of 43 K. pneumoniae isolates. An ESBL gene (either CTX-M-15, CTX-M-3 or SHV-12) was detected from each transconjugant. Co-detection with at least one of other antibiotic resistance determinants [sul1, dfrA, aacC2, aac(6ˊ)-Ib, aac(6ˊ)-Ib-cr and qnrB] was noted in most conjugative plasmids. The transconjugants were resistant to multiple antibiotics including β-lactams, gentamicin and cotrimoxazole, but not ciprofloxacin. This is the first study describing the characterization of plasmids circulating in Malaysian multidrug resistant K. pneumoniae isolates. The results of this study suggest the diffusion of highly diverse plasmids with multiple antibiotic resistance determinants among the Malaysian isolates. Effective infection control measures and antibiotic stewardship programs should be adopted to limit the spread of the multidrug resistant bacteria in healthcare settings.
Loss of Prolyl Carboxypeptidase in Two-Kidney, One-Clip Goldblatt Hypertensive Mice

It is well documented that angiotensin (Ang) II contributes to kidney disease progression. The protease prolyl carboxypeptidase (PRCP) is highly expressed in the kidney and may be renoprotective by degrading Ang II to Ang-(1-7). The aim of the study was to investigate whether renal PRCP protein expression and activity are altered in two-kidney, one-clip (2K1C) Goldblatt hypertensive mice. Left renal artery was constricted by using 0.12 mm silver clips. Blood pressure was measured using telemetry over the eleven weeks of study period and revealed an immediate increase in 2K1C animals during the first week of clip placement which was followed by a gradual decrease to baseline blood pressure. Similarly, urinary albumin excretion was significantly increased one week after 2K1C and returned to baseline levels during the following weeks. At 2 weeks and at the end of the study, renal pathologies were exacerbated in the 2K1C model as revealed by a significant increase in mesangial expansion and renal fibrosis. Renal PRCP expression and activity were significantly reduced in clipped kidneys. Immunofluorescence revealed the loss of renal tubular PRCP but not glomerular PRCP. In contrast, expression of prolyl endopeptidase, another enzyme capable of converting Ang II into Ang-(1-7), was not affected, while angiotensin converting enzyme was elevated in unclipped kidneys and renin was increased in clipped kidneys. Results suggest that PRCP is suppressed in 2K1C and that this downregulation may attenuate renoprotective effects via impaired Ang II degradation by PRCP.
Long-term ascorbic acid administration reverses endothelial vasomotor dysfunction in patients with coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND Loss of endothelium-derived nitric oxide (EDNO) contributes to the clinical expression of coronary artery disease (CAD). Increased oxidative stress has been linked to impaired endothelial vasomotor function in atherosclerosis, and recent studies demonstrated that short-term ascorbic acid treatment improves endothelial function. METHODS AND RESULTS In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, we examined the effects of single-dose (2 g PO) and long-term (500 mg/d) ascorbic acid treatment on EDNO-dependent flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery in patients with angiographically established CAD. Flow-mediated dilation was examined by high-resolution vascular ultrasound at baseline, 2 hours after the single dose, and 30 days after long-term treatment in 46 patients with CAD. Flow-mediated dilation improved from 6.6+/-3.5% to 10.1+/-5.2% after single-dose treatment, and the effect was sustained after long-term treatment (9. 0+/-3.7%), whereas flow-mediated dilation was 8.6+/-4.7% at baseline and remained unchanged after single-dose (7.8+/-4.4%) and long-term (7.9+/-4.5%) treatment with placebo (P=0.005 by repeated-measures ANOVA). Plasma ascorbic acid concentrations increased from 41.4+/-12. 9 to 115.9+/-34.2 micromol/L after single-dose treatment and to 95. 0+/-36.1 micromol/L after long-term treatment (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS In patients with CAD, long-term ascorbic acid treatment has a sustained beneficial effect on EDNO action. Because endothelial dysfunction may contribute to the pathogenesis of cardiovascular events, this study indicates that ascorbic acid treatment may benefit patients with CAD.
Prevention of atherosclerosis in patients living with HIV

Investigational product: Rosuvastatin (Crestor®; Astra Zeneca). Active ingredients: Rosuvastatin (5 mg). Study title: Prevention of Atherosclerosis in Patients Living with HIV. Phase of study: Phase III. Aims: Primary aim: To assess whether rosuvastatin therapy could slow the progression of the carotid intima-media thickness (C-IMT; as measured by the change in the mean IMT of the near and far walls of the distal common carotid arteries) over 2 years in HIV-infected patients (HIV-IP). Secondary aims: To assess whether rosuvastatin therapy could reduce highly sensitive C reactive protein (hs-CRP) inflammatory marker that is increased in HIV-IP. To assess the effect of rosuvastatin therapy on serum lipid levels (total cholesterol [TC], low-density lipoprotein [LDL] cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein [HDL] cholesterol and triglycerides [TG]) and apolipoproteins (APO A1, APO B and APO B/A1). To assess the safety of rosuvastatin in HIV-IP through the evaluation of clinical laboratory analyses (liver function tests and creatine kinase) and adverse events (AEs). Study design: Two-year randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group study. Planned sample size: 320 HIV-IP. Summary of eligibility criteria: HIV-IP who are aged between 30 and 60 years, with a CD4 count. greater than 200 cells/mm3. Patients must be stable on combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) for at least 12 months and have a 10-year CVD risk of less than 20% (using the Framingham risk score). Number of study centers: One. Duration of treatment: Two years (5 mg rosuvastatin or placebo once daily). Dose and route of administration: Oral rosuvastatin (5 mg) once daily. The incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in HIV-IP is at least three times higher than in the general population and further increases each year with combination anti-retroviral therapy (cART). The carotid atherosclerosis progression rate is 10 times higher in HIV-IP than in uninfected individuals. The aim of this study is to assess whether therapy with 5 mg rosuvastatin could: 1) Slow the progression in the mean IMT of the distal common carotid arteries over two years in HIV-IP. 2) Change the concentration in the inflammatory marker – hs-CRP, which is increased in HIV-IP. 3) Change the concentrations of TC, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, TG, apolipoproteins (APO) B, APO A1 and APO B/A1. 4) Be administered safely in the study population. Pharmacological intervention with rosuvastatin will be evaluated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial in HIV-IP treated with cART not matching the published selection criteria for lipid-lowering therapy. For the first time, this study will investigate anti-inflammatory and anti-atherogenic effects of a pharmacological lipid-lowering agent in HIV-IP that may lead to the reduction of CVD.
Gene Regulation in Giardia lambia Involves a Putative MicroRNA Derived from a Small Nucleolar RNA

Two core microRNA (miRNA) pathway proteins, Dicer and Argonaute, are found in Giardia lamblia, a deeply branching parasitic protozoan. There are, however, no apparent homologues of Drosha or Exportin5 in the genome. Here, we report a 26 nucleotide (nt) RNA derived from a 106 nt Box C/D snoRNA, GlsR2. This small RNA, designated miR5, localizes to the 3′ end of GlsR2 and has a 75 nt hairpin precursor. GlsR2 is processed by the Dicer from Giardia (GlDcr) and generated miR5. Immunoprecipitation of the Argonaute from Giardia (GlAgo) brought down miR5. When a Renilla Luciferase transcript with a 26 nt miR5 antisense sequence at the 3′-untranslated region (3′ UTR) was introduced into Giardia trophozoites, Luciferase expression was reduced ∼25% when synthetic miR5 was also introduced. The Luciferase mRNA level remained, however, unchanged, suggesting translation repression by miR5. This inhibition was fully reversed by introducing also a 2′-O-methylated antisense inhibitor of miR5, suggesting that miR5 acts by interacting specifically with the antisense sequence in the mRNA. A partial antisense knock down of GlDcr or GlAgo in Giardia indicated that the former is needed for miR5 biogenesis whereas the latter is required for miR5-mediated translational repression. Potential targets for miR5 with canonical seed sequences were predicted bioinformatically near the stop codon of Giardia mRNAs. Four out of the 21 most likely targets were tested in the Luciferase reporter assay. miR5 was found to inhibit Luciferase expression (∼20%) of transcripts carrying these potential target sites, indicating that snoRNA-derived miRNA can regulate the expression of multiple genes in Giardia.
Realizing Emancipatory Principles in Information Systems Development: The Case for ETHICS

Information systems development methodologies have been the subject of much attention over the . years. A substantial body of research has focused on the need to develop methodologies that support viewing information systems as social constructs, and information systems development (ISD) as a social process. But if development a social process, what principles~ideals should inform it? Recent research has called for "emancipatory" ideals to be included. This debate can be expanded to explore not only what emancipatory principles might be applied in information systems development, but also how. Existing ISD methodologies only partially embrace emancipatory principles. One of these--ETHiCSseems the most likely candidate to be extended or "reformulated" to achieve emancipatory ideals more comprehensively. Organizations using this reformulated version of ETHICS should make some progress advancing emancipation while at the same time confronting limited resources and the presence of power and authority. The approach undertaken here is generic; researchers can similarly apply these reformulation techniques to other methodologies based on other paradigms.
An RIP-Based Approach to  $\Sigma \Delta $ Quantization for Compressed Sensing

In this letter, we provide a new approach to estimating the error of reconstruction from ΣΔ quantized compressed sensing measurements. Our method is based on the restricted isometry property (RIP) of a certain projection of the measurement matrix. Our result yields simple proofs and a slight generalization of the best-known reconstruction error bounds for Gaussian and subGaussian measurement matrices.
Human α2β1 HI CD133+VE Epithelial Prostate Stem Cells Express Low Levels of Active Androgen Receptor

Stem cells are thought to be the cell of origin in malignant transformation in many tissues, but their role in human prostate carcinogenesis continues to be debated. One of the conflicts with this model is that cancer stem cells have been described to lack androgen receptor (AR) expression, which is of established importance in prostate cancer initiation and progression. We re-examined the expression patterns of AR within adult prostate epithelial differentiation using an optimised sensitive and specific approach examining transcript, protein and AR regulated gene expression. Highly enriched populations were isolated consisting of stem (α2β1 HI CD133+VE), transiently amplifying (α2β1 HI CD133–VE) and terminally differentiated (α2β1 LOW CD133–VE) cells. AR transcript and protein expression was confirmed in α2β1 HI CD133+VE and CD133–VE progenitor cells. Flow cytometry confirmed that median (±SD) fraction of cells expressing AR were 77% (±6%) in α2β1 HI CD133+VE stem cells and 68% (±12%) in α2β1 HI CD133–VE transiently amplifying cells. However, 3-fold lower levels of total AR protein expression (peak and median immunofluorescence) were present in α2β1 HI CD133+VE stem cells compared with differentiated cells. This finding was confirmed with dual immunostaining of prostate sections for AR and CD133, which again demonstrated low levels of AR within basal CD133+VE cells. Activity of the AR was confirmed in prostate progenitor cells by the expression of low levels of the AR regulated genes PSA, KLK2 and TMPRSS2. The confirmation of AR expression in prostate progenitor cells allows integration of the cancer stem cell theory with the established models of prostate cancer initiation based on a functional AR. Further study of specific AR functions in prostate stem and differentiated cells may highlight novel mechanisms of prostate homeostasis and insights into tumourigenesis.
Efficacy and Safety of Willis Covered Stent for Treatment of Internal Carotid Artery Aneurysms.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical and short-term outcome of patients who underwent covered stent treatment for internal carotid artery aneurysms. METHODS Twelve cases patients with internal carotid artery aneurysms were treated with Willis covered stents during the period from December 2010 to January 2016. The guiding catheter was placed as high as possible to facilitate the delivery of the covered stent system. RESULTS Covered stent placement was successful in 11 of 12 case patients (91.6%), embolization was successful in 11 of 12 patients (91.6%), the treatment in 1 patient of 12 cavernous aneurysms patients was performed covered stents +ONYX + plastic coil embolization, and the other was used Willis covered stents. The results indicated that only 1 of 12 patients underwent postoperative massive cerebral infarction, but was successfully rescued. The angiographic following-up of patients using covered stent suggested that 12 cases patients were complete occlusion and the parent artery patency. Clinical follow-up results also demonstrated that clinical neurologic symptoms fully recovered in 11 of 12 cases patients, another case improved and were not aggravated in any patient before discharge and had aggravated symptoms. CONCLUSION Willis covered stents are effective for treatment of internal carotid artery aneurysms with good safety and short-term outcomes.
The Saccharomyces cerevisiae Dna2 can function as a sole nuclease in the processing of Okazaki fragments in DNA replication

During DNA replication, synthesis of the lagging strand occurs in stretches termed Okazaki fragments. Before adjacent fragments are ligated, any flaps resulting from the displacement of the 5' DNA end of the Okazaki fragment must be cleaved. Previously, Dna2 was implicated to function upstream of flap endonuclease 1 (Fen1 or Rad27) in the processing of long flaps bound by the replication protein A (RPA). Here we show that Dna2 efficiently cleaves long DNA flaps exactly at or directly adjacent to the base. A fraction of the flaps cleaved by Dna2 can be immediately ligated. When coupled with DNA replication, the flap processing activity of Dna2 leads to a nearly complete Okazaki fragment maturation at sub-nanomolar Dna2 concentrations. Our results indicate that a subsequent nucleolytic activity of Fen1 is not required in most cases. In contrast Dna2 is completely incapable to cleave short flaps. We show that also Dna2, like Fen1, interacts with proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). We propose a model where Dna2 alone is responsible for cleaving of RPA-bound long flaps, while Fen1 or exonuclease 1 (Exo1) cleave short flaps. Our results argue that Dna2 can function in a separate, rather than in a Fen1-dependent pathway.
Cross Cultural Adaptation of the Menopause Specific Questionnaire into the Persian Language

Background: The menopause-specific quality-of-life (MENQOL) was developed as a specific tool to measure the health-related quality-of-life in menopausal women. Recently, it has been translated into about 15 languages. Aim: This study was performed to develop the Persian version of the MENQOL questionnaire from the original English language version. Subjects and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study that evaluated 300 menopausal women attending five primary health-care centers in Shiraz. The "forward-backward" procedure was applied to translate the questionnaire from English to Persian by two independent translators and then back translated into English and was checked to ensure the correct translation. Then, participants were interviewed and the questionnaire filled out. Results: Over all Cronbach′s alpha was 0.9 and in subscales of vasomotor, psychosocial, physical and sexual were 0.8, 0.7, 0.8 and 0.3, respectively. However, the major items were acceptable (Cronbach′s alpha > 0.7), but internal consistency in sexual item was poor (Cronbach′s alpha = 0.3). The result of internal consistency was acceptable in subgroups of age, disease, education, marital status and smoking habit. Conclusions: The Persian MENQOL questionnaire demonstrates good internal consistency in vasomotor, physical and psychosocial domains, but not sexual. Therefore we suggest that, the items: "Vaginal dryness during intercourse" and "weight gain" should be deleted in Persian version of the MENQOL. This questionnaire can be used in Persian language and Iranian culture in different subgroups of age, marital status and educational level as well as in individuals with hypertension and diabetes.