Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The shared space: Staging a high school musical in a professional venue

As the landscape of arts education continues to change, the field has witnessed a concomitant increase in focus on what constitutes a quality education in the arts. This focus is particularly important in the context of developing collaborative partnerships between schools and the arts sector—where industry experience is key—for the purpose of creating quality arts-related projects and events. Although there is substantial support in the literature on the benefits of arts education partnerships, there is a lack of contextually rich research that explores the ways in which education and arts industry experience and negotiate these partnerships. The aim of this research is to explore how one particular form of arts education partnerships function in order to consider the enablers and constraints to working together. Using a combination of phenomenology and autoethnography, this study captures through in-depth interviews and the researcher’s reflective journal, the ‘lived experiences’ of eight key education and industry professionals’ over a ten day period during the staging of a high school musical in a professional venue. The central finding of the research was how the contrasting identities between the two socio-culturally configured groups (education and industry), shaped the challenges involved in working effectively together. Of particular significance were the ways that the participants negotiated multiple formal, informal, traditional and emerging roles throughout the partnerships journey. These findings were captured in a unifying metaphor represented in a 3 Act ‘play’ on partnerships that I conceptualise as The Shared Space. Each of the acts of this play: Bumping in, Negotiating the Space and The Shared Space collectively capture twelve essential themes, and represent significant transformational points in both groups partnership’s journey. The research identifies and makes visible the shifting social and cultural characteristics that dynamically shape partnerships at crucial points during the staging of a high school musical. Participants’ roles were negotiated and re-negotiated, highlighting an emerging landscape for both industry and education staff in which traditional roles and practices are being re-visioned and (Hogan, 2006) reshaped. The findings reveal that the development of a shared language that encompasses both industry and education values—connecting aesthetic quality with educational outcomes—is an essential ingredient to producing inclusive, functional, productive and mutually beneficial partnerships.
Effect of Prescribed Fire for Tick Control in California Chaparral

ABSTRACT Prescribed fire was investigated as a method for controlling ixodid and argasid ticks in chaparral habitats in northern California. Two experimental and two adjacent control plots within a wildlife preserve were monitored for 1 yr postburn. Ticks were collected by flagging vegetation, by CO2-baited pitfall trap, and by live-trapping rodents. Twice as many rodents were caught at control sites compared with burn sites and no dusky-footed woodrats, Neotoma fuscipes Baird, were found in the treatment sites postburn. This species is known to be a reservoir of the agents of Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto Johnson, Schmid, Hyde, Steigerwalt & Brenner, and human granulocytic anaplasmosis, Anaplasma phagocytophilum Dumler, Barbet, Bekker, Dasch, Palmer, Ray, Rikihisa, Rurangirwa. Six ixodid tick species were removed from rodents (Ixodes pacificus Cooley & Kohls, Ixodes jellisoni Cooley & Kohls, Ixodes spinipalpis Hadwen & Nuttall, Ixodes woodi Bishopp, Dermacentor occidentalis Marx, and Dermacentor parumapertus Neumann), two of which transmit bacterial zoonotic agents to people in the far-western United States. There was no decrease in number of ticks per animal trapped at either burn site compared with controls; in fact, the mean number of immature I. pacificus per rodent was significantly higher at one burn site than its control site. Soil refugia may protect ticks from fire-induced mortality; the argasid tick Ornithodoros coriaceus Koch, which lives in soil, was unaffected by the prescribed fire as were I. pacificus and D. occidentalis buried in packets 2.5 cm below ground. We conclude that although prescribed fires in chaparral habitats may diminish local rodent abundance, it does not decrease tick loads on rodents. Furthermore, burning chaparral does not result in a decreased abundance of adult ixodid ticks on vegetation and apparently does not affect argasid or ixodid ticks that are sheltered within soil refugia.
Research on fault diagnosis algorithm of gas pressure regulator based on compressed sensing theory

In order to diagnose a fault in gas pressure regulator, this paper presents a new fault diagnosis method based on the compressed sensing theory. The key is to boil down the fault classification into a problem of representing a testing sample as a sparse linear combination of the training samples, and the diagnosis algorithm based on the compressed sensing theory is applied to the gas pressure regulator. Four different fault statuses of the gas pressure regulator were diagnosed by using the 1 classifier. The experimental results showed that the method of using sparse representation can achieve good diagnostic results. The accuracy rate of the classification was 92.8%, the operation time of the diagnosis was 0.5924s, the method is appropriate for the diagnosis of a gas pressure regulator fault with small specimen data.
A method for real-time Kineto-Dynamic trajectory generation

We propose a method for resolving a hybrid task description consisting of generalized forces and task-space trajectories into joint accelerations. The method is motivated by the problem of biped walking control for which a natural task description consists of contact forces and task-space trajectories. We present both a general method based on the full equations of motion of the multibody system and a more efficient approach tailored to the problem of biped walking control. We analyze the method and compare it to the previously proposed dynamics error compensation method, which can reduce the planning error resulting from simplified robot models. The controller is evaluated in walking experiments and compared to a different walking controller using an inverse kinematics algorithm. The method introduced in this paper allows us to exactly track the desired contact forces in real-time.
Effect of intersubject variability of extrathoracic morphometry, lung airways dimensions and respiratory parameters on particle deposition.

OBJECTIVE The structure of extrathoracic passages, variability of tracheobronchial (TB) airways and alveolar dimensions and individual variations of breathing pattern exhibit significant intersubject variations, which affect extrathoracic deposition and, in further consequence, the fraction of inhaled particles actually reaching the thoracic region. The present study was conducted to quantify the intersubject variability of lung deposition fractions caused by the fluctuations in these three major sources of intersubject variability. METHODS To quantify intersubject variability of extrathoracic, thoracic and total deposition fractions (TDF), different combinations of the three sources of variability were simulated to identify the most important factors. Deposition fractions of inhaled particles were computed by the stochastic airway generation model IDEAL. The dimensions of the respiratory airways were scaled in proportion to age and height of the subject to calculate TDFs. RESULTS The variability of deposition fractions increased with the stepwise addition of influencing factors and the resulting standard deviations ranged up to 30%. While some combinations enhanced the effects of individual factors on deposition by up to 40%, others seemed to compensate each other with only a minor effect on deposition. CONCLUSION The present study attempts to quantify experimentally observed intersubject variability of regional deposition fractions caused by individual variations of nasal and oral geometry, lung airway dimensions and breathing patterns in healthy lungs, serving as a baseline for subsequent calculations for diseased lungs, e.g. asthma, COPD, and emphysema, which may further increase intersubject variabilities of medically relevant depositions.
Transient Expression of Wild-type or Mitochondrially Targeted Bcl-2 Induces Apoptosis, whereas Transient Expression of Endoplasmic Reticulum-targeted Bcl-2 Is Protective against Bax-induced Cell Death*

Bcl-2 protein family members function either to promote or inhibit programmed cell death. Bcl-2, typically an inhibitor of apoptosis, has also been demonstrated to have pro-apoptotic activity (Cheng, E. H., Kirsch, D. G., Clem, R. J., et al. (1997) Science 278, 1966–1968). The pro-apoptotic activity has been attributed to the cleavage of Bcl-2 by caspase-3, which converts Bcl-2 to a pro-apoptotic molecule. Bcl-2 is a membrane protein that is localized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane, the outer mitochondrial membrane, and the nuclear envelope. Here, we demonstrate that transient expression of Bcl-2 at levels comparable to those found in stably transfected cells induces apoptosis in human embryonic kidney 293 cells and in the human breast cell line MDA-MB-468 cells. Furthermore, we have targeted Bcl-2 specifically to either the ER or the outer mitochondrial membrane to test whether induction of apoptosis by Bcl-2 is dependent upon its localization within either of these membranes. Our findings indicate that Bcl-2 specifically targeted to the mitochondria induces cell death, whereas Bcl-2 that is targeted to the ER does not. The expression of Bcl-2 does result in its cleavage to a 20-kDa protein; however, mutation of the caspase-3 cleavage site (D34A) does not inhibit its ability to induce cell death. Additionally, we find that transiently expressed ER-targeted Bcl-2 inhibits cell death induced by Bax overexpression. In conclusion, the ability of Bcl-2 to promote apoptosis is associated with its localization at the mitochondria. Furthermore, the ability of ER-targeted Bcl-2 to protect against Bax-induced apoptosis suggests that the ER localization of Bcl-2 may play an important role in its protective function.
Proportion of type 1 and type 2 amiodarone‐induced thyrotoxicosis has changed over a 27‐year period in Italy

Context Two main forms of amiodarone‐induced thyrotoxicosis (AIT) exist. Type 1 AIT is a form of iodine‐induced hyperthyroidism. Its management is complex and includes thionamides, potassium perchlorate and, occasionally, thyroidectomy. Type 2 AIT is a destructive thyroiditis, responds to glucocorticoids, and usually does not require further thyroid treatment once euthyroidism has been restored.
Bricolage in Collaborative Housing in Finland: Combining Resources for Alternative Housing Solutions

ABSTRACT Finnish collaborative housing projects are in an experimental stage. These projects are trying to push the conventional practices of housing production into a new shape in order to realize their schemes in the housing market dominated by large construction companies. This paper aims to shed light on the resident groups’ resources in a context where resident-driven projects are rare. We apply the concept of bricolage to analyse three collaborative housing projects in Finland. Our analysis highlights that the residents refused to enact limitations imposed by the dominant housing market and examines how this was made possible. The cases we studied were successful for two interconnected reasons: (1) because of the capabilities of the residents; and (2) the professional allies they had. We argue that analyses framed by bricolage can help better understand the local contexts with their real and presumed constraints, and offer a possibility for international comparison of collaborative housing.
ADC-Based Embedded Real-Time Simulator of a Power Converter Implemented in a Low-Cost FPGA: Application to a Fault-Tolerant Control of a Grid-Connected Voltage-Source Rectifier

This paper deals with embedded real-time (RT) simulators applied in power electronic applications and implemented in low-cost field-programmable gate arrays. Indeed, such simulators' intellectual properties (IPs) are not only intended for hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing but also can be advantageously embedded within digital controllers to ensure functions such as observation, estimation, diagnostic, or health monitoring. Conversely, to the HIL case, the main challenge when designing such simulators' IPs is to cope with their complexity having in mind that, in the case of embedded systems, the available hardware resources are limited due to the cost. Furthermore, this challenge is strengthened by the need of very short simulation time steps that is typically the case when simulating power converters. By this way, this paper presents the design of an embedded RT simulator of a three-phase grid-connected voltage-source rectifier, based on the associated discrete circuit modeling approach. This IP is associated with the one of a three-phase RL filter, and both are implemented within the rectifier controller to estimate the grid currents. The latter is injected in the controller when a fault is detected in the current sensors. The ability of this estimator to guarantee the service continuity in case of faults has been validated through HIL tests and experiments.
Genetic effects on task performance, but not on age polyethism, in a swarm-founding eusocial wasp

Division of labour among workers in insect societies often includes two major components: age-related changes in behaviour (age polyethism) and specialization in task performance. The aim of this study was to test whether similarity in inside-nest task performance and in rate of age polyethism correspond to genetic similarity among nestmates in the polygynous eusocial wasp Polybia aequatorialis.Behavioural data were collected on marked, known-age workers from three source colonies introduced into two observation colonies in the field. Genetic similarity among workers was assessed by quantifying sharing of random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) marker alleles. Workers were categorized by whether they engaged in nest cleaning as an indicator of individual differences in inside-nest task performance. Within source colonies, workers that performed nest-cleaning tasks were more genetically similar to each other than they were to workers not performing these tasks. Workers also differed in their rates of passage through the age-related task sequence, but no association was found between sharing of RAPD marker alleles and rate of age polyethism. These results accord with earlier studies demonstrating flexibility in age polyethism in swarm-founding wasps, and with findings that worker genotypic variability corresponds to specialization in task performance in P. aequatorialis. Polybia spp. workers rarely switch among tasks, even in response to changes in colony conditions, and workers' genotypes may constrain flexibility in task performance at the individual level. Conversely, colonies may accrue benefits from having genotypically diverse worker forces, which could favour the maintenance of polygyny in swarm-founding wasps.Copyright 1998 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
Olanzapine–fluoxetine combination for the treatment of bipolar depression

Introduction: Olanzapine–fluoxetine combination is one of only two products currently approved by the US FDA for the acute treatment of depressive episodes associated with bipolar disorder. Areas covered: This treatment evaluation reviews double-blind randomized controlled trials of olanzapine–fluoxetine combination for bipolar depression. A total of three primary study reports are found in the peer-reviewed literature. Additional data regarding the trials are obtained from study synopses disclosed on the internet by the manufacturer and from product labeling. Expert opinion: Number needed to treat for antidepressant response for olanzapine–fluoxetine combination versus placebo in the 8-week trials was 4 (95% CI 3 – 8), and that for remission was 5 (95% CI 3 – 8). Single-digit numbers needed to harm (NNH) values were observed for the treatment-emergent adverse events of weight gain (NNH 7, 95% CI 5 – 16) and diarrhea (NNH 9, 95% CI 5 – 30). NNH versus placebo for weight gain ≥ 7% from baseline was 6 (95% CI 4 – 10). When contrasted with lamotrigine, olanzapine–fluoxetine combination demonstrates statistically significantly greater improvement in depressive and manic symptoms but there is a higher incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events, weight gain and elevation in metabolic factors. Studies that directly compare quetiapine monotherapy with olanzapine–fluoxetine combination, the only two approved products for the treatment of bipolar depression, are not available. Nonetheless, indirect comparisons indicate similar efficacy outcomes but different tolerability profiles, with quetiapine principally being associated with sedation. Additional approved treatment options would be welcome.
The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pdr16p restricts changes in ergosterol biosynthesis caused by the presence of azole antifungals

Pdr16p belongs to the family of phosphatidylinositol transfer proteins in yeast. The absence of Pdr16p results in enhanced susceptibility to azole antifungals in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In the major fungal human pathogen Candida albicans, CaPDR16 is a contributing factor to clinical azole resistance. The current study was aimed at better understanding the function of Pdr16p, especially in relation to azole resistance in S. cerevisiae. We show that deletion of the PDR16 gene increased susceptibility of S. cerevisiae to azole antifungals that are used in clinical medicine and agriculture. Significant differences in the inhibition of the sterol biosynthetic pathway were observed between the pdr16Δ strain and its corresponding wild‐type (wt) strain when yeast cells were challenged by sub‐inhibitory concentrations of the azoles miconazole or fluconazole. The increased susceptibility to azoles, and enhanced changes in sterol biosynthesis upon exposure to azoles of the pdr16Δ strain compared to wt strain, are not the results of increased intracellular concentration of azoles in the pdr16Δ cells. We also show that overexpression of PDR17 complemented the azole susceptible phenotype of the pdr16Δ strain and corrected the enhanced sterol alterations in pdr16Δ cells in the presence of azoles. Pdr17p was found previously to be an essential part of a complex required for intermembrane transport of phosphatidylserine at regions of membrane apposition. Based on these observations, we propose a hypothesis that Pdr16p assists in shuttling sterols or their intermediates between membranes or, alternatively, between sterol biosynthetic enzymes or complexes. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Converging Mobile Edge Computing, Fog Computing, and IoT Quality Requirements

This position paper proposes a novel and integrated architectural model for the design of new 5G-enabled supports, capable of synergically leveraging Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) and fog computing capabilities together. In particular, we claim the relevance of dynamically distributing monitoring and control intelligence close to sensor/actuator localities in order to reduce latency in the control loop and to enable some forms of at least partial decentralized autonomous control even in absence of (temporary) cloud computing availability. This scenario significantly benefits from the possibility of having functions that are dynamically migrated from the global cloud to the local 5G-enhanced edges (and possibly vice versa), in order to best fit the characteristics of the deployment environment and of the supported Internet of Things (IoT) applications at provisioning time. Among the others, the paper details and discusses the technical challenges associated with i) the quality-constrained exploitation of container-based virtualized resources at edge nodes and ii) the quality-constrained integration of IoT gateways. The reported use cases help to practically understand the benefits of the proposed integrated architecture and shed light on most relevant and open related technical challenges.
Defining and estimating stochastic rate change in a dynamic general insurance portfolio

Rate change calculations in the literature involve deterministic methods that measure the change in premium for a given policy. The definition of rate change as a statistical parameter is proposed to address the stochastic nature of the premium charged for a policy. It promotes the idea that rate change is a property of an asymptotic population to be estimated, not just a property to measure or monitor in the sample of observed policies that are written. Various models and techniques are given for estimating this stochastic rate change and quantifying the uncertainty in the estimates. The use of matched sampling is emphasized for rate change estimation, as it adjusts for changes in policy characteristics by directly searching for similar policies across policy years. This avoids any of the assumptions and recipes that are required to re-rate policies in years where they were not written, as is common with deterministic methods. Such procedures can be subjective or implausible if the structure of rating algorithms change or there are complex and heterogeneous exposure bases and coverages. The methods discussed are applied to a motor premium database. The application includes the use of a genetic algorithm with parallel computations to automatically optimize the matched sampling.
Identification and characterization of a varicella-zoster virus DNA-binding protein by using antisera directed against a predicted synthetic oligopeptide

We have identified, in varicella-zoster virus (VZV)-infected cells, the product of the gene predicted to code for the VZV analog of the herpes simplex virus major DNA-binding protein. The open reading frame of the VZV gene has the potential to code for a protein with a predicted molecular weight of 132,000 (a 132K protein). To detect the protein, a 12-amino-acid oligopeptide corresponding to the carboxyl terminus of the putative open reading frame was synthesized and used to prepare antisera in rabbits. The resulting antibodies reacted specifically in Western immunoblot analysis and immunoprecipitation with a single 130K polypeptide found in VZV-infected cells. The specific reactivity of the antisera with the 130K polypeptide was inhibited by the addition of synthetic peptide. Immunofluorescence studies with the antisera as probe for the 130K polypeptide suggested that this peptide is located predominantly within the nuclei of infected cells. Analysis of proteins that bind to single-stranded DNA immobilized on cellulose matrices indicated that 30 to 50% of the 130K polypeptide is capable of interacting with single-stranded DNA and that this interaction is overcome with 0.5 M NaCl. Thus, we have prepared a specific polyclonal antiserum that identifies a VZV DNA-binding protein whose properties are similar to those of the herpes simplex virus ICP8 (Vmw130) DNA-binding protein.