Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
TARGET ARTICLE: The Bitter and the Sweet: An Evaluation of the Costs and Benefits of Religiousness

Psychologists have tended to view religion from a distance as a global, undifferentiated, stable process that is largely good or largely bad. This article presents a more fine-grained analysis of religion and its implications for well-being, positive and negative. The empirical literature points to five conclusions. First, some forms of religion are more helpful than others. Well-being has been linked positively to a religion that is internalized, intrinsically motivated, and based on a secure relationship with God and negatively to a religion that is imposed, unexamined, and reflective of a tenuous relationship with God and the world. Second, there are advantages and disadvantages to even controversial forms of religion, such as fundamentalism. Third, religion is particularly helpful to socially marginalized groups and to those who embed religion more fully in their lives. Fourth, religious beliefs and practices appear to be especially valuable in stressful situations that push people to the limits of their resources. Finally, the efficacy of religion is tied to the degree to which it is well integrated in the individual's life. These conclusions belie stereotypes or simple summaries about religion. Instead, they suggest that religion is a richer, more complex process than psychologists have imagined, one that has the potential both to help and to harm. Questions about the general efficacy of religion should give way to the more difficult but more appropriate question, How helpful or harmful are particular forms of religious expression for particular people dealing with particular situations in particular social contexts according to particular criteria of helpfulness or harmfulness?
Computer model of ethosuximide's effect on a thalamic neuron

Ethosuximide appears to have a specific effect on the low‐threshold calcium current in thalamic cells. This may be related to its efficacy in the treatment of absence epilepsy. We used a computer model of an individual thalamocortical neuron to better understand the alteration in the low‐threshold calcium current under voltage clamp and to predict response to current injection in the presence of ethosuximide. The full model included nine voltage‐sensitive ionic channels and a realistic dendritic morphology. The model reproduced the two major responses seen in tissue slices: repetitive spiking with depolarization and the low‐threshold calcium spike elicited on release from hyperpolarization. The alteration in low‐threshold calcium current with ethosuximide can be explained by a 10‐mV depolariting shift in the steady‐state activation curve for this channel with a 10% reduction in maximum channel permeability. Simulations of current injection showed that ethosuximide diminished the low‐threshold calcium spike while leaving the tonic firing pattern unaffected. Our results support the hypothesis that ethosuximide's effects on low‐threshold calcium current might selectively alter the dynamics of slow bursting in thalamic cells.
A new tool for predicting the probability of chronic kidney disease from a specific value of estimated GFR

Abstract Objective. To demonstrate how patients’ probability of having chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 3–5 (measured GFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m2) can be predicted from a specific value of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Material and methods. The probability of CKD stage 3–5 was predicted from a logistic regression model (n = 850) using three different eGFR prediction equations: Lund-Malmö, MDRD and CKD-EPI. Population weighting was used to illustrate how this probability varies in three different populations: original sample (55% true prevalence of CKD stage 3–5), a screening (6.7% prevalence) and a CKD population (84% prevalence). Results. All three eGFR-equations had high classification ability (area under the receiver-operating-characteristic curve = 97%). The probability of CKD stage 3–5 increased with decreasing eGFR, varied substantially among the populations studied and to some extent between the eGFR-equations. Using the Lund-Malmö equation as illustration, the probability of CKD stage 3–5 is > 90% only when eGFR is <38 mL/min/1.73 m2 in a screening population, whereas it is > 90% already when eGFR is <51 mL/min/1.73 m2 in a CKD population. Conversely, the probability of CKD stage 3–5 is <10% if eGFR > 59 mL/min/1.73 m2 in a screening population, whereas it is <10% only when eGFR is > 88 mL/min/1.73 m2 in a CKD population. Conclusion. Instead of reporting diagnostic accuracy as sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values, actual eGFR supplemented with the probability that it represents a true GFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m2 may be more valuable for physicians. Clinical (pre-test) probability in the population must be considered when predicting this probability.
Unit Selection Algorithm Using Bi-grams Model For Corpus-Based Speech Synthesis

In this paper, we present a novel statistical approach to corpus-based speech synthesis. Classically, phonetic information is defined and considered as acoustic reference to be respected. In this way, many studies were elaborated for acoustical unit classification. This type of classification allows separating units according to their symbolic characteristics. Indeed, target cost and concatenation cost were classically defined for unit selection. In Corpus-Based Speech Synthesis System, when using large text corpora, cost functions were limited to a juxtaposition of symbolic criteria and the acoustic information of units is not exploited in the definition of the target cost. In this manuscript, we token in our consideration the unit phonetic information corresponding to acoustic information. This would be realized by defining a probabilistic linguistic Bi-grams model basically used for unit selection. The selected units would be extracted from the English TIMIT corpora. Keywords—Unit selection, Corpus-based Speech Synthesis, Bigram model
Assisted Reproductive Technologies Predispose to Insulin Resistance and Obesity in Male Mice Challenged With a High-Fat Diet

Assisted reproductive technology (ART) alters glucose homeostasis in mice and humans, but the underlying mechanisms are incompletely understood. ART induces endothelial dysfunction and arterial hypertension by epigenetic alteration of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene. In eNOS-deficient mice, insulin resistance is related to impaired insulin stimulation of muscle blood flow and substrate delivery and defective intrinsic skeletal muscle glucose uptake. We therefore assessed glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity (euglycemic clamp), insulin stimulation of muscle blood flow in vivo, and muscle glucose uptake in vitro in male ART and control mice fed a normal chow (NC) or challenged with a high-fat diet (HFD) during 8 weeks. Glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity were similar in NC-fed animals. When challenged with a HFD, however, ART mice developed exaggerated obesity, fasting hyperinsulinemia and hyperglycemia, and a 20% lower insulin-stimulated glucose utilization than did control mice (steady-state glucose infusion rate (GIR), 51.3 ± 7.3 vs 64.0 ± 10.8 mg/kg/min, P = 0.012). ART-induced insulin resistance was associated with defective insulin stimulation of muscle blood flow, whereas intrinsic skeletal muscle glucose uptake was normal. In conclusion, ART-induced endothelial dysfunction, when challenged with a metabolic stress, facilitates glucose intolerance and insulin resistance. Similar mechanisms may contribute to ART-induced alterations of the metabolic phenotype in humans.
Radiofrequency ablation causes ‘thermal fixation’ of hepatocellular carcinoma: a post‐liver transplant histopathologic study

Abstract: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is increasingly used to treat hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients awaiting a liver transplant. Despite its increasing use, detailed histologic information is scarce regarding the nature of RFA‐treated lesions. We identified four chronic hepatitis C patients who had RFA of their HCC before their liver transplant. For these four patients, we conducted a detailed histopathologic analysis of the treated lesions in their explanted livers. The five lesions included immediate (4 d) and long‐term (14 months) post‐RFA specimens. Of the five lesions, four were completely ablated. The one incompletely ablated lesion was also treated with chemoembolization. In the acute post‐RFA period, a zone of interstitial hemorrhage occurred at the outer boundary of the lesion. Differing from classic tissue necrosis, the treated lesions all showed ‘thermal fixation’, with preserved tissue architecture and microscopic cellular detail. The cellular staining characteristics faded with time, but the treated tissue became brittle, resisted tissue breakdown, and generated a minimal wound healing response. At the periphery of the lesion, the fibrous septae of the cirrhotic liver and vascular structures appeared to demarcate or limit progression of the ablation front. A narrow hypocellular fibrous boundary with a focal ‘foreign body’ giant cell‐type reaction developed around the edge of the ablation zone. Thus, RFA can produce immediate and complete thermal fixation of select lesions with an appropriate liver margin and can provide a satisfactory treatment option for select HCC patients before a liver transplant.
The thermal performance of PCR chip with copper target ion beam sputtering deposition on the ceramic peltier

In this study, the copper target ion beam sputtering deposition (CTIBSD) method was used for improving the thermal performance of commercial ceramic peltier and several PCR chips were made of NOA81 in few minutes by UV soft lithography technology. The thermal uniformity and heat transfer rate were simulated by Comsol to investigate the improved effect of coppering peltier. In addition, the thermal distribution on the peltiers with different thickness copper film were measured through the line average temperature measuring method. The cooling rate of the PCR chip with coppering Peltier also was tested according to the PCR program. The results of the simulation and measurement showed that the CTIBSD method could greatly improve the thermal performance of Peltier and the PCR time of the PCR chip could be reduced by the increasing of the heat transfer rate. An practical application in gene amplification was realized successfully on the PCR chip which the heat resource supporting by the coppering Peltier. With the excellent thermal performance of coppering Peltier, the novel NOA81 chip could apply in field of POCT (Point of care testing) and forensic analysis in the future.
Vessel Segmentation in Retinal Images Using Graph-Theoretical Vessel Tracking

This paper presents a method for automatic segmentation of blood vessels in retinal images. The method is based on vessel tracking technique. The key idea of the method is that first a set of seed points (center of vessel cross sections) is extracted. Then, the seed points are connected to establish the vessel skeleton. Finally, the false vessel point are rejected by resorting to a hypothesis-verificaton based procedure. The major contribution of this work is that we formulate the step of seed point connection in the form of graph-theoretical shortest path problem. Then we apply the Dijkstra’s algorithm to solve the problem. The performance of our method evaluated on the publicly available DRIVE database shows promising results.
Schedulability Analysis for Real Time On-Chip Communication with Wormhole Switching

In this paper, the authors discuss a real-time on-chip communication service with a priority-based wormhole switching policy. The authors present a novel off-line schedulability analysis approach, worst case network latency analysis. By evaluating diverse inter-relationships and service attributes among the traffic flows, this approach can predict the packet network latency for all practical situations. The simulation results provide evidence that communication latency calculated using the real time analysis approach is safe, closely matching the figures obtained from simulation.
Quasi-passive optical infrastructure for future 5G wireless networks: pros and cons

Abstract—In this paper, we study the applicability of the quasi-passive reconfigurable (QPAR) device, a special type of quasi-passive wavelength-selective switch with flexible power allocation properties and no power consumption in the steady state, to implement the concept of reconfigurable backhaul for 5G wireless networks.We first discuss the functionality of the QPAR node and its discrete component implementation, scalability, and performance.We present a novel multi-input QPAR structure and the pseudo-passive reconfigurable (PPAR) node, a device with the functionality of QPAR but that is pseudo-passive during steady-state operations. We then propose mesh and hierarchical backhaul network architectures for 5G based on the QPAR and PPAR nodes and discuss potential use cases. We compare the performance of a QPAR-based single-node architecture with state-of-the-art devices. We find that a QPAR node in a hierarchical network can reduce the average latency while extending the reach and quality of service of the network. However, due to the high insertion losses of the current QPAR design, some of these benefits are lost in practice. On the other hand, the PPAR node can realize the benefits practically and is the more energy-efficient solution for high reconfiguration frequencies, but the remote optical node will no longer be passive. In this paper, we discuss the potential benefits and issues with utilizing a QPAR in the optical infrastructure for 5G networks.
An Assessment of the Usability Quality Attribute in Open Source Software

Usability is one of the important quality attributes. Open source software products are well known for their efficiency and effectiveness. Lack of usability in OSS (Open Source Software) products will result in poor usage of the product. In OSS development there is no usability team, and one could therefore expect that the usability would be low for these products. In order to find out if this was really the case we made a usability evaluation using a questionnaire for four OSS products. The questionnaire was based on a review of existing literature. This questionnaire was presented to 17 people who are working with open source products. This evaluation showed that the overall usability was above average for all the four products. It seems, however, that the lack of a usability team has made the OSS products less easy to use for inexperienced users. Based on the responses to questionnaire and a literature review, a set of guidelines and hints for increasing the usability of OSS products was defined.
Changes in Mini Mental State Examination score after stroke: lacunar infarction predicts cognitive decline

Stroke and cognitive impairment are inter‐related. The purpose of this study was to show the natural evolution of cognitive performance during the first year after a stroke, and to show which factors that predict cognitive decline. Subjects were patients with a first‐ever stroke who were treated in a stroke unit. A total of 160 patients were included. At baseline patients were evaluated with regard to stroke type, stroke severity, pre‐stroke dementia and other risk factors. Mini Mental State Examinations (MMSE) were performed after 1 week and after 1 year. Patients had a median increase of 1 point (range −8 to +9) on the MMSE. Thirty‐two pre cent of the patients deteriorated, 13% were unchanged, and 55% improved. Lacunar infarction (LI) and left‐sided stroke were associated with a failure to exhibit improvement. Patients with LI had an average decline of 1.7 points, whilst patients with other stroke types had an average increase of 1.8 points. Most stroke survivors improve cognitively during the first year after the event. The outcome for LI patients is worse, which suggests that LI may serve as a marker for concomitant processes that cause cognitive decline.
High Levels of Antibiotic Resistance Genes and Their Correlations with Bacterial Community and Mobile Genetic Elements in Pharmaceutical Wastewater Treatment Bioreactors

To understand the diversity and abundance of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in pharmaceutical wastewater treatment bioreactors, the ARGs in sludge from two full-scale pharmaceutical wastewater treatment plants (PWWTPs) were investigated and compared with sludge samples from three sewage treatment plants (STPs) using metagenomic approach. The results showed that the ARG abundances in PWWTP sludge ranged from 54.7 to 585.0 ppm, which were higher than those in STP sludge (27.2 to 86.4 ppm). Moreover, the diversity of ARGs in PWWTP aerobic sludge (153 subtypes) was higher than that in STP aerobic sludge (118 subtypes). In addition, it was found that the profiles of ARGs in PWWTP aerobic sludge were similar to those in STP aerobic sludge but different from those in PWWTP anaerobic sludge, suggesting that dissolve oxygen (DO) could be one of the important factors affecting the profiles of ARGs. In PWWTP aerobic sludge, aminoglycoside, sulfonamide and multidrug resistance genes were frequently detected. While, tetracycline, macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin and polypeptide resistance genes were abundantly present in PWWTP anaerobic sludge. Furthermore, we investigated the microbial community and the correlation between microbial community and ARGs in PWWTP sludge. And, significant correlations between ARG types and seven bacterial genera were found. In addition, the mobile genetic elements (MGEs) were also examined and correlations between the ARGs and MGEs in PWWTP sludge were observed. Collectively, our results suggested that the microbial community and MGEs, which could be affected by DO, might be the main factors shaping the profiles of ARGs in PWWTP sludge.
Immune Repertoire after Immunization As Seen by Next-Generation Sequencing and Proteomics

The immune system produces a diverse repertoire of immunoglobulins in response to foreign antigens. During B-cell development, VDJ recombination and somatic mutations generate diversity, whereas selection processes remove it. Using both proteomic and NGS approaches, we characterized the immune repertoires in groups of rats after immunization with purified antigens. Proteomics and NGS data on the repertoire are in qualitative agreement, but did show quantitative differences that may relate to differences between the biological niches that were sampled for these approaches. Both methods contributed complementary information in the characterization of the immune repertoire. It was found that the immune repertoires resulting from each antigen had many similarities that allowed samples to cluster together, and that mutated immunoglobulin peptides were shared among animals with a response to the same antigen significantly more than for different antigens. However, the number of shared sequences decreased in a log-linear fashion relative to the number of animals that share them, which may affect future applications. A phylogenetic analysis on the NGS reads showed that reads from different individuals immunized with the same antigen populated distinct branches of the phylogram, an indication that the repertoire had converged. Also, similar mutation patterns were found in branches of the phylogenetic tree that were associated with antigen-specific immunoglobulins through proteomics data. Thus, data from different analysis methods and different experimental platforms show that the immunoglobulin repertoires of immunized animals have overlapping and converging features. With additional research, this may enable interesting applications in biotechnology and clinical diagnostics.
Evolution of parental incubation behaviour in dinosaurs cannot be inferred from clutch mass in birds

A recent study proposed that incubation behaviour (i.e. type of parental care) in theropod dinosaurs can be inferred from an allometric analysis of clutch volume in extant birds. However, the study in question failed to account for factors known to affect egg and clutch size in living bird species. A new scaling analysis of avian clutch mass demonstrates that type of parental care cannot be distinguished by conventional allometry because of the confounding effects of phylogeny and hatchling maturity. Precociality of young but not paternal care in the theropod ancestors of birds is consistent with the available data.
An in-Vehicle Information System Providing Accident hotspot Warnings

Accident hotspots, locations where accidents are historically concentrated, contribute significantly to road traffic accidents being the leading cause of death by injury. A notable improvement in driver safety can be achieved through warnings of known upcoming hazardous features. However, as installing and maintaining traditional road sign infrastructure can be costly, warnings on accident hotspots are not typically available. This paper presents an in-vehicle information system prototype which provides warnings of upcoming accident hotspots based initially on historic data. Additionally, significant research has focused on the identification, analysis and treatment of these accident hotspots. However, a true picture of road safety can be hard to achieve as many traffic accidents go unreported. Information on near-miss events, such as heavy braking or taking evasive action to avoid an accident, could help identify and provide life saving insights into hazardous areas before an accident occurs. The prototype therefore additionally collects vehicle data in order to learn characteristics of accident hotspots and identify near-miss events, in order to improve the system and provide new insights.
A Measurement Instrument for Process Modeling Research: Development, test and procedural model

Process modeling is an emergent area of Information Systems research that is characterized through an abundance of conceptual work with little empirical research. To fill this gap, this paper reports on the development and validation of an instrument to measure user acceptance of process modeling grammars. We advance an extended model for a multi-stage measurement instrument development procedure, which incorporates feedback from both expert and user panels. We identify two main contributions: First, we provide a validated measurement instrument for the study of user acceptance of process modeling grammars, which can be used to assist in further empirical studies that investigate phenomena associated with the business process modeling domain. Second, in doing so, we describe in detail a procedural model for developing measurement instruments that ensures high levels of reliability and validity, which may assist fellow scholars in executing their empirical research.
Uncertainty Management for Estimation in Dynamical Systems

A novel black-box model for time series of prices analysis is proposed. It is constructed using the technique of "shaping filter". The model identification is then proposed; it is based upon some stochastic calculus and a couple of results from Levy processes theory. Neither the modeling nor the estimation parts are specific to the application, several engineering fields are concerned with this work