Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Image Reconstruction Methods for MATLAB Users - A Moore-Penrose Inverse Approach

In the last decades the Moore-Penrose pseudoinverse has found a wide range of applications in many areas of Science and became a useful tool for different scientists dealing with optimization problems, data analysis, solutions of linear integral equations, etc. At first we will present a review of some of the basic results on the so-called Moore-Penrose pseudoinverse of matrices, a concept that generalizes the usual notion of inverse of a square matrix, but that is also applicable to singular square matrices or even to non-square matrices.
Studying Online Social Networks

When a computer network connects people or organizations, it is a social network. Yet the study of such computer-supported social networks has not received as much attention as studies of human-computer interaction, online person-to-person interaction, and computer-supported communication within small groups. We argue the usefulness of a social network approach for the study of computer-mediated communication. We review some basic concepts of social network analysis, describe how to collect and analyze social network data, and demonstrate where social network data can be, and have been, used to study computer-mediated communication. Throughout, we show the utility of the social network approach for studying computer-mediated communication, be it in computer-supported cooperative work, in virtual community, or in more diffuse interactions over less bounded systems such as the Internet.
How Far Have We Come?

Resuscitation recommendations put forth by the American Heart Association (AHA) in 2002 encourage placement of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in nonYcritical care areas of hospitals for medical personnel to have early access to the device for patients requiring emergent care. Although it would seem reasonable to believe that hospitalized patients have the same opportunity for early defibrillation as do travelers in major airports and patrons of shopping malls, the fact is that once a patient has been admitted to a hospital, it could mean that he or she is less likely to survive a cardiac arrest, even when all available resources are brought to bear. Cases where resuscitation has minimal to no potential of resulting in a patient’s survival without significant neurological deficits need to be critically evaluated. Complementary to technological advances is the focus on end-of-life care, as well as proposals to organize healthcare delivery that includes the offering of family presence during resuscitation. Communication should take place among patients, families, and healthcare providers to make certain that end-of-life issues and advance directives have been discussed and understood by all parties before a lifethreatening cardiac event occurs. National organizations such as the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA), American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), and the American Heart Association have spearheaded these efforts. It is important for nurses to understand the history and background of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) so that they can effectively support and guide patients and healthcare teams through the alternatives of the harrowing experience of resuscitative care or a peaceful transition to death.
Examining Matched Acute Physiological Responses to Various Modes of Exercise in Individuals Who Are Overweight

Clark, JE. Examining matched acute physiological responses to various modes of exercise in individuals who are overweight. J Strength Cond Res 24(8): 2239-2248, 2010-The purpose of this study is to perform a match comparison of 3 different exercise programs: traditional continuous endurance training (ET); mixed-intensity interval ET (MI-ET); and circuit-interval resistance training (CRT) programs, to determine which of the 3 programs provides greater benefit of exercise in individuals who are overweight. This benefit of training is measured in Caloric expenditure per minute of exercise (kcal·min−1), along with acute cardiovascular responses (average and maximal heart rate [HR], b·min−1) and time of training spent within a favorable HR training zone for the exerciser. Thirteen (13) individuals, 7 men and 6 women, average of 35 ± 2.3 years of age, who are overweight, average body weight of 79.8 ± 5.1 kg with a body mass index of 35 ± 1, were recruited from a local fitness center and were then randomly assigned to an order to complete 1 session of each of the 3 modes of exercise. There was no difference between program groups (MI-ET, CRT, and ET programs) for average HR response, p > 0.05; however, the individuals while performing the MI-ET program spent a greater percent of training time within a favorable training zone than the CRT or ET programs (p < 0.01). Additionally, the MI-ET and CRT programs produced greater Caloric expenditure (kcal·min−1) than the ET program (p < 0.01) with no statistical difference between the MI-ET and CRT programs (p > 0.05). Although the CRT produces the greatest overall Caloric expenditure, the MI-ET program produces measures that provided a significantly greater benefit of exercise for the 3 programs of interest.
&bgr;2-Adrenergic Receptor Genotype and Other Variables that Contribute to Labor Pain and Progress

Background:&bgr;2-Adrenergic receptor (&bgr;2AR) activity influences labor. Its genotype affects the incidence of preterm delivery. We determined the effect of &bgr;2AR genotype on term labor progress and maternal pain. Methods:We prospectively enrolled 150 nulliparous parturients in the third trimester and obtained sensory thresholds, demographic information, and DNA. Cervical dilation, pain scores, and labor management data were extracted with associated times. The association of genetic and demographic factors with labor was tested using mixed effects models. Results:Parturients who express Gln at the 27 position of the &bgr;2AR had slower labor (P < 0.03). They progressed from 1–10 cm dilation in approximately 21 h compared with 14 h among other patients. Asian ethnicity, previously associated with slower labor, is highly associated with this polymorphism (P < 0.0001). Heavier and black patients had slower latent labor (P < 0.01, 0.01). Neuraxial analgesia was associated with slower labor progress (P < 0.0001). It could take up to 36 h for parturients who were black and/or more than median weight (165 lb) to transition from 1 cm cervical dilation to active labor. However, after this active phase began, labor rates among these patients were similar to that of other parturients. Conclusions:We detected a strong association between &bgr;2AR genotype and slower labor. Asian ethnicity may be a proxy for &bgr;2AR genotype. Black women and those of higher than average weight have slower latent labor. These results confirm many of the associations found when this mathematical model was applied to a large retrospective cohort, further validating this approach to description and analysis of labor progress.
Effects of Lactobacillus rhamnosus Strain GG in Pediatric Obesity-related Liver Disease

Objective:Various lines of evidence suggest that malfunctioning of the gut–liver axis contributes to hepatic damage of rodents and humans with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. We evaluated the effects of short-term probiotic treatment in children with obesity-related liver disease who were noncompliant with lifestyle interventions. Patients and Methods:Twenty obese children (age 10.7 ± 2.1 years) with persisting hypertransaminasemia and ultrasonographic (US) bright liver were enrolled in this double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study. At baseline, patients underwent clinical and laboratory anthropometric evaluation, measurement of the US hepatorenal ratio, standard liver function tests, oral glucose tolerance test, serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha, the glucose hydrogen breath test, and evaluation of serum antibodies to antipeptidoglycan-polysaccharide polymers. After exclusion of causes of liver disease other than obesity, patients received either probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus strain GG (12 billion CFU/day) or placebo for 8 weeks. Results:Multivariate analysis after probiotic treatment revealed a significant decrease in alanine aminotransferase (average variation vs placebo P = 0.03) and in antipeptidoglycan-polysaccharide antibodies (average variation vs placebo P = 0.03) irrespective of changes in BMI z score and visceral fat. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and US bright liver parameters remained fairly stable. Conclusions:Probiotic L rhamnosus strain GG warrants consideration as a therapeutic tool to treat hypertransaminasemia in hepatopathic obese children noncompliant with lifestyle interventions.
What do children learn about biology from factual information? A comparison of interventions to improve understanding of contagious illnesses.

BACKGROUND Children have been shown to hold misconceptions about illness, and previous work has indicated that their knowledge can be improved through the use of interventions. AIMS This study aims to evaluate interventions based on the provision of factual information for improving understanding of contagious illness. SAMPLE The participants were 96 children from two age groups: 7 and 11 years. METHODS During the pre-test, the children were asked about three contagious illnesses and one novel illness. There were three intervention conditions, differing in the level of factual information provided: explanations provided, no explanations provided and scientific factual style. The interventions were focused on contagious illnesses (cold, chickenpox). A post-test was conducted 6 weeks later. RESULTS Results from the pre-test show that the older children have more sophisticated understanding of illness than the younger children. Mean pre- to post-test change was calculated and analyses revealed that there is greater pre- to post-test change in the explanation and scientific fact conditions when compared with that in the no-explanation condition. The improvements in knowledge generalized to other contagious illnesses, and the older children showed more improvements than the younger children. CONCLUSIONS These findings add to the literature on children's understanding of contagious illnesses and contribute towards discussions on the best approach to health education.
[Preoperatory anxiety in children: psychological evaluation of premedication and parental presence efficacy].

OBJECTIVES The induction of anaesthesia for surgery is a stressful event for child. To treat pre-operative anxiety in children pharmalogical methods (premedication) and behavioural methods (the presence of parents during the induction of anesthesia) are used in combination with each other. The purpose of this investigation was to study the effect of two interventions to alleviate preoperative anxiety of 39 children who are undergoing minor surgery. We studied the influence of some psichological and social characteristics of child and parents on operative period. METHODS We studied 39 italian speaking children aged 2-14 years ASA 1. We used STAI, a semi structured interview, with questions in the social-demographical area, a valuation scale of the behaviour of the child completed by the anesthesist, a questionaire after surgery for the parent. The descriptive analysis has been performed taking into account the nature of variables (frequency distributions for nominal and ordinal variables; means and standard deviations for cardinal variables). RESULTS The results show that the age of the child is strongly conditional to the level of stress: negative reactions are more usual in children of pre-school age. The sedative premedication is not an important factor in relieving anxiety, and this result contrasts with published studies, stating the premedication is more effective than presence of a parent. We obtained interesting results by relating the level of stress in the child with other variables: which parent, the level of stress according to the STAI, level of education, type of residence of parents. CONCLUSIONS Mother's presence during induction resulted of paramount importance. This study shows that the premedication alone is not effective. Some social-demographical factors of the parents have influence.
Frequency of FMR1 premutation carriers and rate of expansion to full mutation in a retrospective diagnostic FMR1 Korean sample

Detection of female premutation (PM) carriers of fragile X syndrome may be important in that a PM allele from the mother can expand to a full mutation (FM) when transmitted to the fetus. Although the PM carrier frequency might be different in varying populations, there is a little data on the Korean population. Furthermore, the risks of expansion to FM have not been studied in Korean PM carriers. In this retrospective study, we estimated the female PM carrier frequency and the risks of expansion to FM in Korean diagnostic samples collected for FMR1 gene testing. Of 10,241 pre‐conceptional or pregnant women, 13 PM [1 in 788; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1/1 250–1/455] and 75 intermediate allele carriers (1 in 137; 95% CI, 1/172–1/110) were identified. In 26 prenatal diagnoses cases, the PM allele was transmitted to the fetus in 13 pregnancies (50%), and five of these expanded to FM. All of the maternal alleles exceeding 70 repeats expanded to FM. In conclusion, the PM frequency in Korean diagnostic samples was lower than that reported in Western populations, while the risk for FM expansion in alleles exceeding 70 repeats might be higher than expected based upon previous reports.
Effect of pre-analytical handling on haematological variables in minipigs

Pre-analytical handling may be an important determinant of haematological variables, if analysis is delayed. We investigated the effect of anticoagulants, i.e. tripotassium ethylenediamine-tetraacetic acid (EDTA) and citric acid, theophylline, adenosine, dipyridamole (CTAD), storage time (0.5, 1.5, 3.5, 5.5, 7.5, 25.5 and 27.5 h after blood sampling), and storage temperature (5°C and 20°C) on the variation in haemoglobin (HGB), red blood cell count (RBC), haematocrit (HCT ), white blood cell count (WBC), and platelet count (PLT) in minipigs. Medians of HGB, RBC, HCT, WBC and PLT were significantly higher in EDTA tubes than in CTAD tubes due to the dilution effect of the anticoagulant. We found a minor significant increase in HCT after 25.5 h in blood stored at 20°C, and at the same time a minor significant increase in WBC in EDTA tubes stored at 20°C. We found a significant decrease in PLT in blood stored at 5°C, especially in EDTA tubes. Minor variations were also observed in HGB and RBC. Our results indicate that PLT should only be measured in tubes placed at room temperature. If HCT or WBC analyses are to be performed on the day after blood sampling, the samples must be stored in a refrigerator until analysis. Our studies underline that time delay before analysis of haematological variables can cause increased variation, and should therefore be limited as far as possible in order to reduce the number of animals needed to make reliable conclusions.
β-Arrestin Differentially Regulates the Chemokine Receptor CXCR4-mediated Signaling and Receptor Internalization, and This Implicates Multiple Interaction Sites between β-Arrestin and CXCR4*

The chemokine receptor CXCR4 has recently been shown to be a co-receptor involved in the entry of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 into target cells. This study shows that coexpression of β-arrestin with CXCR4 in human embryonic kidney 293 cells attenuated chemokine-stimulated G protein activation and inhibition of cAMP production. Truncation of the C-terminal 34 amino acids of CXCR4 (CXCR4-T) abolished the effects of β-arrestin on CXCR4/G protein signaling, indicating the functional interaction of the receptor C terminus with β-arrestin. On the other hand, receptor internalization and the subsequent activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases were significantly promoted by coexpression of β-arrestin with CXCR4, whereas the C-terminal truncation of CXCR4 did not affect this regulation of β-arrestin, suggesting that β-arrestin can functionally interact with CXCR4 with or without the C terminus. Moreover, β2V54D, the dominant inhibitory mutant of β-arrestin 2, exerted no effects on CXCR4/G protein signaling, but strongly influenced receptor internalization and extracellular signal-regulated kinase activation. Further cross-linking experiments demonstrated that β-arrestin as well as β2V54D could physically contact both CXCR4 and CXCR4-T. Glutathione S-transferase pull-down assay showed that β-arrestin was able to bind efficiently in vitro to both the third intracellular loop and the 34-amino acid C terminus of CXCR4. Taken together, our data clearly establish that β-arrestin can effectively regulate different functions of CXCR4 and that this is mediated through its distinct interactions with the C terminus and other regions including the third loop of CXCR4.
Maternal Employment and Happiness : The Effect of Non-Participation and Part-Time Employment on Mothers ’ Life Satisfaction 1 78 SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel

In contrast to unemployment, the effect of non-participation and parttime employment on subjective well-being has much less frequently been the subject of economists’ investigations. In Germany, many women with dependent children are involuntarily out of the labor force or in part-time employment because of family constraints (e.g., due to lack of available and appropriate childcare). Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) Study, this paper analyzes the impact of involuntary familyrelated non-participation and part-time employment on mothers’ life satisfaction. Controlling for unobserved individual fixed effects, I find that both the pecuniary effects (foregone earnings) and the non-pecuniary effects (psychological costs) are significantly negative. Compensating income variations reveal that the residual household income would have to be raised by 182 percent (157 percent/77 percent) in order to just offset the negative effect of not being able to work because of family constraints (of being in short/long part-time employment). Moreover, in terms of overall happiness among mothers, non-participation is revealed to be a more serious problem than unemployment. Acknowledgement: I would like to thank C. Katharina Spieß, Thomas Siedler, Andrew Clark, Florian Köhler, and Daniela Glocker for helpful comments on an earlier draft of this paper. All errors are my own respon-
Le cadmium en milieu marin. Biogéochimie et écotoxicologie.

Le present document constitue une synthese des connaissances sur le cycle biogeochimique, les processus de bioconcentration et l' ecotoxicite du cadmium en milieu marin. Il fait etat des perturbations de ce cycle par l'action de l'homme, en particulier dans le milieu littoral francais. Les niveaux de concentration, les mecanismes et les quantites echangees entre les reservoirs geochimiques sont evalues. L'accent est mis sur les effets subletaux et les mecanismes de toxicite. Les normes relatives au milieu marin actuellement en vigueur dans les pays de la Communaute Europeenne sont repertoriees. Avec les conclusions quelques recommandations de gestion et de recherches sont faites.
Enhanced mixed L/sub 2/ - L/sub /spl infin///H/sub /spl infin// filtering for continuous-time uncertain systems

New LMI criteria for L<sub>2</sub> - L<sub>infin</sub> and H<sub>infin</sub> performances of continuous-time uncertain systems are proposed, which keep the Lyapunov matrices out of any product with the system matrices. When used in robust mixed L<sub>2</sub> - L<sub>infin</sub> and filtering, the design conservatism is reduced since the restriction is removed that both L<sub>2</sub> - L<sub>infin </sub> and H<sub>infin</sub> performances are enforced by a single closed-loop Lyapunov matrix
Producer-Supplier Contracts with Incomplete Information

This paper investigates the contract design problem of a producer when he purchases parts from a supplier, and there is incomplete information regarding the quality of the parts. This is the first game-theoretic model of quality control that captures this informational asymmetry. We focus on two compensation schemes embedded in the contract, namely, price rebate when inspection is done upon receipt of the parts and warranty. We show that when a full-price rebate is not possible and the producer and the supplier have to share the damage costs, an optimal contract is such that the supplier compensates the producer by the same amount, regardless of his quality type. However, a supplier with low quality is more likely to be offered a contract with an inspection scheme, while a supplier with high quality is constrained with a warranty scheme. We also show that when the producer need not share the cost in exactly one of the compensation schemes, he may still offer the other compensation scheme to a supplier type depending on the relative costs involved, the maximum compensation cost acceptable by all supplier types, and his ex ante beliefs about the quality level of the supplier.
Comparative Efficiency of Nannotrigona perilampoides, Bombus impatiens (Hymenoptera: Apoidea), and Mechanical Vibration on Fruit Production of Enclosed Habanero Pepper

Abstract The native bee Nannotrigona perilampoides Cresson (Apidae: Meliponini) has been evaluated with promising results in greenhouse pollination of Solanaceae in Mexico. However, no comparison has been done with imported bumble bees (Apidae: Bombini), which are the most common bees used for greenhouse pollination. We compared the foraging activity and fruit production of habanero pepper. Capsicum chinense Jacquin, by using N. perilampoides and Bombus impatiens Cresson in pollination cages. Both bee species collected pollen on a similar number of flowers per unit time, but N. perilampoides visited significantly more flowers per trip, lasted longer on each flower, and spent more time per foraging trip. Ambient temperature and light intensity significantly affected the foraging activity of N. perilampoides. Light intensity was the only environmental variable that affected B. impatiens. Except for the fruit set, there were not significant differences in the quality of fruit produced by both bee species; however, N. perilampoides and B. impatiens performed better than mechanical vibration for all the variables measured. The abortion of fruit caused the low fruit set produced by B. impatiens, and we speculate it might be due to an excessive visitation rate. Pollination efficiency per visit (Spear’s pollination efficiency index) was similar for both bee species in spite of the significantly lower amount of pollen removed by N. perilampoides. We suggested that the highest number of flowers visited per foraging trip coupled with adequate amounts of pollen transported, and transferred between flowers, could explain the performance of N. perilampoides as a good pollinator of habanero pepper. Our experiments confirm that N. perilampoides could be used as an alternative pollinator to Bombus in hot pepper under tropical climates.