Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interorganization Theory and International Organization

This article explores the applicability of a conceptual framework derived from interorganization theory and network analysis to the study of international organization. The framework emphasizes the pivotal role of linking-pin organizations and of boundary-role personnel within these organizations in transnational networks. A set of issue-specific and organization-specific factors accounting for variance in network structure and performance are tentatively identified, and a number of working hypotheses are formulated. The framework is applied to one case study of a recent international aviation issue with political implications, the so-called Show Cause Order-an attempt by the US Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) to challenge the fare-coordinating role of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) prescribed by the postwar international aviation regime. (Less)
Hypolipidemic and hypoglycemic effects of Orostachys japonicus A. Berger extracts in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

The hypolipidemic and hypoglycemic effects of two dietary dosages (0.1% and 0.5%) of water and 80% ethanol extracts from hot-air dried Orostachys japonicus A. Berger were evaluated in the serum and organ tissues of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. The STZ-induced diabetic groups supplemented with the O. japonicus extracts showed significantly higher body weight compared to a diabetic control group at the end of experiment. The extracts exhibited substantial hypoglycemic effects by significant reductions of fasting blood glucose levels at all time points tested compared to the initial stage before treatment of the extracts. Declines of serum and hepatic triglyceride levels were greater than declines of total cholesterol in the groups treated with the 0.5% O. japonicus extract (DBW2 and DBE2) when compared to the DBC group. Hepatic glycogen content was higher in the groups treated with O. japonicus extract, while lipid peroxide content was decreased in these treated groups compared to the DBC group. Hepatic antioxidant activity was significantly increased in the groups supplemented with the O. japonicus ethanol extract. The hypolipidemic and hypoglycemic effects of the O. japonicus ethanol extract were significantly greater than the effects of the water extract. Based on this study, it seems that O. japonicus ethanol extract, due to its higher phenolic and flavonoid components than the water extract, may control blood glucose and alleviate hyperlipidemia in diabetes.
Blog track research at TREC

The TREC Blog track aims to explore information seeking behaviour in the blogosphere, by building reusable test collections for blog-related search tasks. Since, its advent in TREC 2006, the Blog track has led to much research in this growing field, and encapsulated cross-pollination from natural language processing research. This paper recaps on the tasks addressed at the TREC Blog track thus far, covering the period 2006 - 2009. In particular, we describe the used corpora, the tasks addressed within the track, and the resulting published research.
Fitted virtual shadow maps

Too little shadow map resolution and resulting undersampling artifacts, perspective and projection aliasing, have long been a fundamental problem of shadowing scenes with shadow mapping. We present a new smart, real-time shadow mapping algorithm that virtually increases the resolution of the shadow map beyond the GPU hardware limit where needed. We first sample the scene from the eye-point on the GPU to get the needed shadow map resolution in different parts of the scene. We then process the resulting data on the CPU and finally arrive at a hierarchical grid structure, which we traverse in kd-tree fashion, shadowing the scene with shadow map tiles where needed. Shadow quality can be traded for speed through an intuitive parameter, with a homogenous quality reduction in the whole scene, down to normal shadow mapping. This allows the algorithm to be used on a wide range of hardware.
The economic burden of home care for children with HIV and other chronic illnesses.

OBJECTIVES We compared types, amounts, and costs of home care for children with HIV and chronic illnesses, controlling for the basic care needs of healthy children to determine the economic burden of caring for and home care of chronically ill children. METHODS Caregivers of 97 HIV-positive children, 101 children with a chronic illness, and 102 healthy children were surveyed regarding amounts of paid and unpaid care provided. Caregiving value was determined according to national hourly earnings and a market replacement method. RESULTS Chronically ill children required significantly more care time than HIV-positive children (7.8 vs 3.9 hours per day). Paid care accounted for 8% to 16% of care time. Annual costs were $9300 per HIV-positive child and $25,900 per chronically ill child. Estimated national annual costs are $86.5 million for HIV-positive children and $155 to $279 billion for chronically ill children. CONCLUSIONS Informal caregiving represents a substantial economic value to society. The total care burden among chronically ill children is higher than that among children with HIV.
Two Oppositely Localised Frizzled RNAs as Axis Determinants in a Cnidarian Embryo

In phylogenetically diverse animals, including the basally diverging cnidarians, “determinants” localised within the egg are responsible for directing development of the embryonic body plan. Many such determinants are known to regulate the Wnt signalling pathway, leading to regionalised stabilisation of the transcriptional coregulator β-catenin; however, the only strong molecular candidate for a Wnt-activating determinant identified to date is the ligand Wnt11 in Xenopus. We have identified embryonic “oral–aboral” axis determinants in the cnidarian Clytia hemisphaerica in the form of RNAs encoding two Frizzled family Wnt receptors, localised at opposite poles of the egg. Morpholino-mediated inhibition of translation showed that CheFz1, localised at the animal pole, activates the canonical Wnt pathway, promotes oral fates including gastrulation, and may also mediate global polarity in the ectoderm. CheFz3, whose RNA is localised at the egg vegetal cortex, was found to oppose CheFz1 function and to define an aboral territory. Active downregulation mechanisms maintained the reciprocal localisation domains of the two RNAs during early development. Importantly, ectopic expression of either CheFz1 or CheFz3 was able to redirect axis development. These findings identify Frizzled RNAs as axis determinants in Clytia, and have implications for the evolution of embryonic patterning mechanisms, notably that diverse Wnt pathway regulators have been adopted to initiate asymmetric Wnt pathway activation.
Coping with the Stress Associated with Forced Relocation in the Golan Heights, Israel

Living under the threat of possible relocation places exceptional demands on the residents of the Golan Heights (Israel). These may become stressors due to lack of adequate resources. This research sought to develop a multivariable paradigm to determine the contribution of personal resources in explaining stress. Personal resources were divided into three types: affective (potency and psychological sense of community), cognitive (political orientation and education), and instrumental (family status and gender). A random sample of 680 men and women participated. Stress was examined by a psychological equilibrium scale and state anxiety questionnaire. Path analysis and analysis of variance showed that potency had a greater impact on stress than did education or psychological sense of community. Anxiety was found to have an intervening role between demands and stress. This study contributes to further understanding the relationship among demands, resources, and stress in a population that lives under the shadow of relocation.
Ectopic Expression of Hepatitis C Virus Core Protein Differentially Regulates Nuclear Transcription Factors

ABSTRACT The putative core protein of hepatitis C virus (HCV) regulates cellular growth and a number of cellular promoters. To further understand its effect, we investigated the role of the core protein in the endogenous regulation of two distinct transcription factors, nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and activating protein-1 (AP-1), and the related mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MAPKK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). Stable cell transfectants expressing the HCV core protein suppressed tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-induced NF-κB activation. Supershift analysis revealed that NF-κB consists of p50 and p65 subunits. This correlated with inhibition of the degradation of IκBα, the inhibitory subunit of NF-κB. The effect was not specific to TNF, as suppression in core protein-expressing cells was also observed in response to a number of other inflammatory agents known to activate NF-κB. In contrast to the effect on NF-κB, the HCV core protein constitutively activated AP-1, which correlated with the activation of JNK and MAPKK, which are known to regulate AP-1. These observations indicated that the core protein targets transcription factors known to be involved in the regulation of inflammatory responses and the immune system.
Search using queries on indistinguishable items

We investigate the problem of determining a set S of k indistinguishable integers in the range [1,n]. The algorithm is allowed to query an integer $q\in [1,n]$, and receive a response comparing this integer to an integer randomly chosen from S. The algorithm has no control over which element of S the query q is compared to. We show tight bounds for this problem. In particular, we show that in the natural regime where $k\le n$, the optimal number of queries to attain $n^{-\Omega(1)}$ error probability is $\Theta(k^3 \log n)$. In the regime where $k>n$, the optimal number of queries is $\Theta(n^2 k \log n)$. Our main technical tools include the use of information theory to derive the lower bounds, and the application of noisy binary search in the spirit of Feige, Raghavan, Peleg, and Upfal (1994). In particular, our lower bound technique is likely to be applicable in other situations that involve search under uncertainty.
Building a Good Team: Secretary Problems and the Supermodular Degree

In the Secretary Problem, one has to hire the best among n candidates. The candidates are interviewed, one at a time, at a random order, and one has to decide on the spot, whether to hire a candidate or continue interviewing. It is well known that the best candidate can be hired with a probability of 1/e (Dynkin, 1963). Recent works extend this problem to settings in which multiple candidates can be hired, subject to some constraint. Here, one wishes to hire a set of candidates maximizing a given set function. Almost all extensions considered in the literature assume the objective set function is either linear or submodular. Unfortunately, real world functions might not have either of these properties. Consider, for example, a scenario where one hires researchers for a project. Indeed, it can be that some researchers can substitute others for that matter. However, it can also be that some combinations of researchers result in synergy (see, e.g, Woolley et al., Science 2010, for a research about collective intelligence). The first phenomenon can be modeled by a submoudlar set function, while the latter cannot. In this work, we study the secretary problem with an arbitrary non-negative monotone function, subject to a general matroid constraint. It is not difficult to prove that, generally, only very poor results can be obtained for this class of objective functions. We tackle this hardness by combining the following: 1.Parametrizing our algorithms by the supermodular degree of the objective function (defined by Feige and Izsak, ITCS 2013), which, roughly speaking, measures the distance of a function from being submodular. 2.Suggesting an (arguably) natural model that permits approximation guarantees that are polynomial in the supermodular degree (as opposed to the standard model which allows only exponential guarantees).
Analytical and Experimental Investigation on A Dynamic Thermo-Sensitive Electrical Parameter With Maximum $dI_{C}/dt$ During Turn-off for High Power Trench Gate/Field-Stop IGBT Modules

In this paper, a dynamic thermo-sensitive electrical parameter (DTSEP) for extracting the junction temperature of the trench gate/field-stop insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) modules by using the maximum collector current falling rate is proposed. First, a theoretical model of the transient collector current during turn-<sc>off</sc> process is developed in terms of the behavior characteristics of the inside storage carriers. Then, the inherent linear relationship between the maximum collector current falling rate <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX"> $dI_{C}/dt$</tex-math></inline-formula> and junction temperature <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$T_{j}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> is demonstrated and investigated. Fortunately, benefitting from the presence of the intrinsic parasitic inductance <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$L_{\rm eE}$</tex-math></inline-formula> between the Kelvin and power emitters of IGBT modules, the maximum <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX"> $dI_{C}/dt$</tex-math></inline-formula> can be easily measured to validate the theoretical analysis. Consequently, the maximum <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$dI_{C}/dt$</tex-math></inline-formula> during turn-<sc>off</sc> process is a promising DTSEP for IGBT module junction temperature estimation. Moreover, the physical device parameters that affect the temperature sensitivity of the maximum <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$dI_{C}/dt$ </tex-math></inline-formula> are also discussed with the derived transient collector current falling model.
Leakage Controlled Read Stable Static Random Access Memories

Semiconductor manufacturing process scaling increases leakage and transistor variations, both of which are problematic for static random access memory (SRAM). Since SRAM is a critical component in modern CMOS integrated circuits, novel approaches to addressing these problems are needed. Here, six and seven transistor SRAM cells are presented that do not suffer from reduced stability when read. The cells reside in a low leakage, voltage collapsed, low standby power mode when not being accessed. Both six transistor and seven transistor variations of the basic approach are explored through simulation and measured results. The circuit topology, layout, and impact on memory design of the proposed cell designs are described. Measured results on a 130 nm foundry fabrication process demonstrate the viability of three of the possible cell configurations. Circuit simulation is used to explore the cell stability in the presence of process variations, and to show the value of the proposed SRAM cell designs on future scaled manufacturing technologies.
Labial coarticulation modeling for realistic facial animation

A modified version of the coarticulation model proposed by Cohen and Massaro (1993) is described. A semi-automatic minimization technique, working on real cinematic data, acquired by the ELITE opto-electronic system, was used to train the dynamic characteristics of the model. Finally, the model was applied with success to GRETA, an Italian talking head, and examples are illustrated to show the naturalness of the resulting animation technique.
Anxiety-related processes in anorexia nervosa and their relation to eating disorder pathology, depression and anxiety

Anxiety aggravates symptoms and hinders treatment in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN). The processes fuelling anxiety in AN remain unspecified. This study investigated the contribution of a number of core anxiety processes to eating disorder (ED) pathology, anxiety and depression in AN patients. Thirty-six women with AN and 38 healthy control women (HC) completed measures of worry, intolerance of uncertainty (IU), meta-cognitive thinking (MCT), cognitive avoidance and negative problem-solving orientation. Compared to HCs, patients with AN scored significantly higher on all of the anxiety-process measures. Scores were comparable to those previously reported for anxiety disorder sufferers. For AN patients, worry and IU contributed significantly to ED pathology but not to body mass index. All of the anxiety processes were implicated in predicting anxiety levels, but only IU and MCT contributed to depression levels. Findings indicate the importance of assessing for and then targeting anxiety-related processes in therapy for AN.
The Young and the Other: Students' Voices About Encounters with Faith

Abstract The impact of committed guests in Religious Education at school is focused in this study. Ten pupils (age 17) were sampled to contribute as informants in semi-structured interviews. The data consist of eight texts (interview excerpts), which are interpreted within a hermeneutic approach, specifically by taking the formal features into consideration (cf. Ricoeur), for example, the occurrence of negations. Some of the texts illuminate I–Thou relations (Buber), whereas other texts are interpreted in relation to the effect histories of certain conceptions (Gadamer).
The Físchlár-News-Stories System: Personalised Access to an Archive of TV News

The "Fischlar" systems are a family of tools for capturing, analysis, indexing, browsing, searching and summarisation of digital video information. Fischlar-News-Stories, described in this paper, is one of those systems, and provides access to a growing archive of broadcast TV news. Fischlar-News-Stories has several notable features including the fact that it automatically records TV news and segments a broadcast news program into stories, eliminating advertisements and credits at the start/end of the broadcast. Fischlar-News-Stories supports access to individual stories via calendar lookup, text search through closed captions, automatically-generated links between related stories, and personalised access using a personalisation and recommender system based on collaborative filtering. Access to individual news stories is supported either by browsing keyframes with synchronised closed captions, or by playback of the recorded video. One strength of the Fischlar-News-Stories system is that it is actually used, in practice, daily, to access news. Several aspects of the Fischlar systems have been published before, bit in this paper we give a summary of the Fischlar-News-Stories system in operation by following a scenario in which it is used and also outlining how the underlying system realises the functions it offers.
Defining a Complex Intervention: The Development of Demarcation Criteria for "Meditation"

The authors used a 5-round Delphi study with a panel of 7 experts in meditation research to achieve agreement on a set of criteria for a working definition of “meditation” for use in a comprehensive systematic review of the therapeutic use of meditation. Participants agreed that essential to a meditation practice is its use of (a) a defined technique, (b) logic relaxation, and (c) a self-induced state. Participants also agreed that a meditation practice may (d) involve a state of psychophysical relaxation somewhere in the process; (e) use a self-focus skill or anchor; (f) involve an altered state/mode of consciousness, mystic experience, enlightenment or suspension of logical thought processes; (g) be embedded in a religious/spiritual/philosophical context; or (h) involve an experience of mental silence. The results of this study provide insight into the challenges faced by researchers who want to demarcate meditative practices from nonmeditative practices, and they describe an approach to this problem that may prove useful for researchers trying to operationalize meditation in the context of comparative research.
Flow Aware Differential Delay Routing for next-generation Ethernet over SONET/SDH

The introduction of Virtual Concatenation protocol in SONET/SDH has enabled an efficient transport of various data rates by allowing the traffic to be split and routed over multiple paths. However, diverse routing of circuits introduces a differential delay among the member paths capable of impacting service if not compensated at the sink node or accounted during routing. In this paper, we extend the previous work on differential delay aware routing problem and show that existing schemes do not accurately model the memory requirements of the network elements. We introduce the concept of Cumulative differential delay to address the shortcomings of the previous approaches. We also incorporate the concept of flow awareness in differential delay routing and combine it with the cumulative differential delay concept to define Cumulative differential delay routing (CDDR) problem. We study the theoretical complexity of the CDDR problem and show that it is not only NP-complete but is also provably hard to approximate within a constant factor. However, we develop a precomputation based algorithm and show that it is extremely efficient and effective in practice. We use simulations to show that it fares extremely well with the "ideal" integer linear programming formulation.
Follow your Dream: Gifted Women and the Cost of Success

In-depth interviews with 40 highly successful women in seven career fields in Canada point to the importance of relationships, role models, and intrinsic motivation as factors for success. This paper will explore the various personal and social factors which have been significant in females' correlates of success, leadership and women's personal fulfilment. Results from the study indicate a new model for career development based on a sense of agency, cooperation, and versatility that is uniquely female.
Controversial predictors of biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy: a study from a Latin American (Brazilian) institution.

PURPOSE To analyze controversial clinicopathologic predictors of biochemical recurrence after surgery: age, race, tumor extent on surgical specimen, tumor extent on needle biopsy, Gleason score 3 + 4 vs 4 + 3, and amount of extent of extraprostatic extension and positive surgical margins. MATERIALS AND METHODS The needle biopsies and the correspondent surgical specimens were analyzed from 400 patients. Time to recurrence was analyzed with the Kaplan-Meier curves and risk of shorter time to recurrence using Cox univariate and multivariate analysis. RESULTS Except for age, race, maximum percentage of cancer per core, and number of cores with cancer, all other variables studied were significantly predictive of time to biochemical recurrence using the Kaplan-Meier curves. In univariate analysis, except for focal extraprostatic extension, age, race, focal positive surgical margins, and maximum extent and percentage of cancer per core, all other variables were significantly predictive of shorter time to recurrence. On multivariate analysis, diffuse positive surgical margins and preoperative PSA were independent predictors. CONCLUSIONS Young patients and non-whites were not significantly associated with time to biochemical recurrence. The time consuming tumor extent evaluation in surgical specimens seems not to add additional information to other well established predictive findings. The higher predictive value of Gleason score 4 + 3 = 7 vs 3 + 4 = 7 discloses the importance of grade 4 as the predominant pattern. Extent and not simply presence or absent of extraprostatic extension should be informed. Most tumor extent evaluations on needle biopsies are predictive of time to biochemical recurrence, however, maximum percentage of cancer in all cores was the strongest predictor.