Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The tastes and distastes of verbivores – some observations on X-phemisation in Bulgarian and English

X-phemisation constitutes a powerful appraisal resource which weaves the ethnopragmatic texture of a culture. X-phemisms constitute a special type of non-literal language which capitalizes on all other possible types of non-literal language and the creative exploitation of phonetic-based word play. The main aim in the present paper is to elaborate on a hypothesis of X-phemisation via lexical extension (recruitment) as involving the mechanism of nominal metaphor at the conceptual level. This mechanism involves reframing of the vehicle (target) denotatum with an accompanying rearrangement in salience rating in the arising ad hoc concept resulting from blending the frames of the topic and vehicle denotata. This stereotype-violating mechanism reveals the power of human ingenuity at the deepest level of linguistic creativity. The ad hoc X-phemistic concept blends in an axiologically motivated manner the contextually relevant features of both denotata in a salience-constrained perceptually and evaluatively ordered set of features, triggered by the initial anchoring via the topic denotatum evoked by the actual lexical expression (the vehicle lexical concept). X‑phemisms (from fully lexicalized ones to highly innovative/artful ones) and X‑phemisation as an epiphenomenal occurrence in online linguistic interaction are seen as constituting a special subsystem in the appraisal resources of a language. This subsystem has special status with its high creativity and figurativity. Figurativity captures simultaneously the emergent, dynamic nature of X-phemisms and their grounding in stable conceptual metaphoric structures (in terms of strategies for their production/comprehension). Despite the diversity of X-phemism types (both in terms of their overall pragmatic effect) and the nature of their origin (resulting from substitution, lexical creativity, metaphoric transfers, phonetic innovation, word play, etc.), X‑phemisms constitute a complex uniform catgory whose complexity can only be adequately studied in the framework of interactional cognitive studies, where the emotional brain is also subsumed under ‘cognitive’.
Pluribus&#8212;An operational fault-tolerant multiprocessor

The authors describe the Pluribus multiprocessor system, outline several techniques used to achieve fault-tolerance, describe their field experience to date, and mention some potential applications. The Pluribus system places the major responsibility for recovery from failures on the software. Failing hardware modules are removed from the system, spare modules are substituted where available, and appropriate initialization is performed. In applications where the goal is maximum availability rather than totally fault-free operation, this approach represents a considerable savings in complexity and cost over traditional implementations. The software-based reliability approach has been extended to provide enror-handling and recovery mechanisms for the system software structures as well. A number of Pluribus systems have been built and are currently in operation. Experience with these systems has given us confidence in their performance and maintainability, and leads us to suggest other applications that might benefit from this approach.
Risk Factors for Carotid Stenosis in Thai Patients With Ischemic Stroke/TIA

We looked for risk factors for significant carotid stenosis (CS) in patients with ischemic stroke. We included all patients treated for an ischemic stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA) and had a carotid duplex done from August 2006 to November 2008. A total of 458 patients were included. Significant CS of the extracranial internal carotid artery and the common carotid artery were found in 10.9% (50 of 458 patients). Age (≥65 years old) was the independent risk factor for CS (OR 4.0, P < .0001). The patients with a CS had more history of coronary artery disease (12% vs 8%, P = .32), prior ischemic stroke (18% vs 11%, P = .17), atrial fibrillation (10% vs 5%, P = .19), and smoking (28% vs 24%, P = .18) compared with the patients without CS. The evaluation of the carotid arteries should be recommended in patients with ischemic stroke/TIA, especially in the older ones (≥65 years old).
Psychoactive Medications and Injurious Motor Vehicle Collisions Involving Older Drivers

Older drivers have the second highest risk for motor vehicle collisions of any age group, after adolescents. Psychoactive medications may place older drivers at increased risk for injurious motor vehicle collisions. We conducted a population-based matched case-control study of older drivers who were involved in injurious crashes during 1987 and 1988. The 234 cases and 447 controls were members of a large Seattle-based health maintenance organization. Use of antidepressants and opioid analgesics by older drivers was associated with increased risk for injurious motor vehicle collisions. Compared with non-users, current users of cyclic antidepressants had an adjusted relative risk (RR) of 2.3 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.1–4.8]. Opioid analgesic use was also associated with an elevated crash risk (adjusted RR = 1.8; 95% CI = 1.0–3.4). We found no evidence of a doserelated effect with either class of drug. Current use of benzodiazepines or sedating antihistamines had little association with increased risk for injurious collisions. (Epidemiology 1994;5:591–598)
Cardiac Function Is Regulated by B56α-mediated Targeting of Protein Phosphatase 2A (PP2A) to Contractile Relevant Substrates*

Background: PP2A is a regulator of cardiac excitation-contraction coupling. Results: Cardiomyocyte-directed overexpression of B56α, the main cardiac PP2A regulatory subunit, results in the dephosphorylation of myofilament proteins, increased Ca2+ sensitivity, and higher contractility. Conclusion: This suggests an important role for B56α in regulating PP2A activity and thereby the contractile function. Significance: PP2A-B56α is a potential pharmacological target to improve cardiac performance in failing hearts. Dephosphorylation of important myocardial proteins is regulated by protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), representing a heterotrimer that is comprised of catalytic, scaffolding, and regulatory (B) subunits. There is a multitude of B subunit family members directing the PP2A holoenzyme to different myocellular compartments. To gain a better understanding of how these B subunits contribute to the regulation of cardiac performance, we generated transgenic (TG) mice with cardiomyocyte-directed overexpression of B56α, a phosphoprotein of the PP2A-B56 family. The 2-fold overexpression of B56α was associated with an enhanced PP2A activity that was localized mainly in the cytoplasm and myofilament fraction. Contractility was enhanced both at the whole heart level and in isolated cardiomyocytes of TG compared with WT mice. However, peak amplitude of [Ca]i did not differ between TG and WT cardiomyocytes. The basal phosphorylation of cardiac troponin inhibitor (cTnI) and the myosin-binding protein C was reduced by 26 and 35%, respectively, in TG compared with WT hearts. The stimulation of β-adrenergic receptors by isoproterenol (ISO) resulted in an impaired contractile response of TG hearts. At a depolarizing potential of −5 mV, the ICa,L current density was decreased by 28% after administration of ISO in TG cardiomyocytes. In addition, the ISO-stimulated phosphorylation of phospholamban at Ser16 was reduced by 27% in TG hearts. Thus, the increased PP2A-B56α activity in TG hearts is localized to specific subcellular sites leading to the dephosphorylation of important contractile proteins. This may result in higher myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity and increased basal contractility in TG hearts. These effects were reversed by β-adrenergic stimulation.
Ras signaling in prostate cancer progression

When prostate cancer is first detected it generally is dependent on the presence of androgens for growth, and responds to androgen ablation therapies. However, the disease often recurs in a disseminated and apparently androgen independent (AI) form, and in this state is almost invariably fatal. Considerable evidence indicates that the Androgen receptor (AR) continues to be required even in androgen independent (AI) disease. Thus, a key to understanding hormone independent prostate cancer is to determine the mechanism(s) by which the AR can function even in the absence of physiologic levels of androgen. In this article, we argue that growth factors and receptors that utilize Ras family members drive prostate cancer progression to a state of androgen hypersensitivity; and that post‐translational modifications (e.g., phosphorylations) of transcriptional cofactors might be responsible for modulating the function of the AR so that it is active even at low concentrations of androgen. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Leveraging FVT-margins in design space exploration for FFGA-based CNN accelerators

The performance of an FPGA based CNN accelerator is determined by both parallelism and frequency, however, most prior works optimize the parallelism in the RTL design and resolve the frequency after the synthesis. This paper presents a design space exploration method for the pipeline implementation of the deep CNN models, which concurrently optimizes parallelism and frequency to achieve a comprehensive optimization on throughput. In addition to the quantitative modeling on parallelism, the maximum achievable system frequency under various parallelism is explored to leverage the PVT-margins in real-life scenarios and is adopted to guide the design space exploration for further performance boost. A case study of the AlexNet model is implemented using the proposed method on the Altera DE5a-Net board. The experimental results demonstrate that our method can achieve the throughput up to 906.25GOP/s, which gains 1.39× improvement compared to state-of-the-art RTL optimization methods.
Intrauterine pregnancy following conservative treatment of cervical pregnancy.

The incidence of cervical pregnancy has been reported from 1:18,000 to 1:1,000 pregnancies.13 Although a rare form of ectopic gestation, it represents a life-threatening condition, since profuse hemorrhage and maternal death can result from unrecognized cervical pregnancies that are allowed to progress beyond the first 2 months of gestation. · The diagnosis is often made in an emergency setting. The patient presents with symptoms and signs of incomplete abortion with severe hemor~ rhage, and total abdominal hysterectomy is usually indicated.3s Although conservative management of cervical pregnancy has been reported in the recent Iiter~ ature, data on subsequent pregnancies are lacking. In this report, a case of cervical pregnancy diagnosed in an asymptomatic patient was conservatively managed and was followed by an intrauterine pregnancy 6 months later.
The Ethics of Outsourcing Online Survey Research

The increasing level of Internet penetration over the last decade has made web surveying a viable option for data collection in academic research. Software tools and services have been developed to facilitate the development and deployment of web surveys. Many academics and research students are outsourcing the design and/or hosting of their web surveys to external service providers, yet ethical issues associated with this use have received limited attention in academic literature. In this article, the authors focus on specific ethical concerns associated with the outsourcing of web surveys with particular reference to external commercial web survey service providers. These include threats to confidentiality and anonymity, the potential for loss of control over decisions about research data, and the reduced credibility of research. Suggested guidelines for academic institutions and researchers in relation to outsourcing aspects of web-based survey research are provided.
Robust stability analysis based on noncausal LPTV FIR scaling: Explicit procedure and relationship with causal LTI FIR scaling

This paper develops a framework of a robust stability analysis approach called discrete-time noncausal linear periodically time-varying (LPTV) finite impulse response (FIR) scaling. This approach is an extension of (frequency-dependent) causal linear time-invariant FIR scaling, obtained by further introducing time dependence through lifting treatment. This paper first provides a theoretical result showing how such newly introduced time dependence contributes to reduction of conservativeness of robust stability analysis. We further provide linear matrix inequality conditions for robust stability and develop an explicit and feasible numerical method by exploiting noncausal LPTV FIR scaling. The effectiveness of this scaling approach is demonstrated and the above theoretical result is confirmed through numerical examples.
FPGA-based object detection and classification inside scanning electron microscopes

Object-detection and classification is a key task in micro- and nanohandling. The microscopy image is often the only available sensor to detect information about the positions and orientations of objects. Recently, Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) have been used for scanning electron microscope (SEM) image acquisition. Such an FPGA image acquisition system is extended to perform basic image processing and on-line object detection. The connected component labeling algorithm for binary large object detection is presented and analyzed for its feasibility in terms of on-line object detection and classification. The features of binary large objects are discussed and analyzed for their feasibility with a single-pass connected component labeling approach, with focus on principal component analysis based features. It is shown that an FPGA implementation of the algorithm can be used to detect and classify carbon-nanotubes (CNTs) during image acquisition, allowing for fast object detection before the whole image is captured.
Ethnographic Research into Nursing in Acute Adult Mental Health Units: A Review

Acute inpatient mental health units are busy and sometimes chaotic settings, with high bed occupancy rates. These settings include acutely unwell patients, busy staff, and a milieu characterised by unpredictable interactions and events. This paper is a report of a literature review conducted to identify, analyse, and synthesize ethnographic research in adult acute inpatient mental health units. Several electronic databases were searched using relevant keywords to identify studies published from 1990-present. Additional searches were conducted using reference lists. Ethnographic studies published in English were included if they investigated acute inpatient care in adult settings. Papers were excluded if the unit under study was not exclusively for patients in the acute phase of their mental illness, or where the original study was not fully ethnographic. Ten research studies meeting our criteria were found (21 papers). Findings were grouped into the following overarching categories: (1) Micro-skills; (2) Collectivity; (3) Pragmatism; and (4) Reframing of nursing activities. The results of this ethnographic review reveal the complexity, patient-orientation, and productivity of some nursing interventions that may not have been observed or understood without the use of this research method. Additional quality research should focus on redefining clinical priorities and philosophies to ensure everyday care is aligned constructively with the expectations of stakeholders and is consistent with policy and the realities of the organisational setting. We have more to learn from each other with regard to the effective nursing care of inpatients who are acutely disturbed.
Laparoscopic reinforcement suture on staple-line of duodenal stump using barbed suture during laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer

Purpose Duodenal stump fistula (DSF) is a serious complication after gastrectomy for gastric cancer. Although risk evaluation and management of DSF were presented by some investigators, there was no technical attempt has been made to prevent DSF during laparoscopic gastrectomy until now. Methods Consecutive 99 patients were enrolled from April 2014 to February 2016 in 2 institutes. All patients were performed laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer. After cutting of duodenal stump, laparoscopic reinforcement suture (LARS) commenced with continuous invagination method or interrupted method by barbed suture. Clinicopathologic features and postoperative outcomes were analyzed. Results Fifty-six patients had comorbidity including 5 patients with duodenal ulcer. Most patients were performed distal gastrectomy with B-II, and 10 patients total gastrectomy with Roux en Y esophagojejunostomy. Although there were 2 esophagojejunostomy leakage and 1 artificial lesser curvature leakage, DSF did not occurred at all in this study. Mean operation time was 3 hours and mean LARS procedure time was 8 minutes. Conclusion LARS of duodenal stump can be considered as one of prevention methods of DSF during laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer. So this new technique will be necessary to appropriately evaluate by prospective randomized controlled trial in the future.
Practices and Perceptions of UML Use in Open Source Projects

Context: Open Source is getting more and more collaborative with industry. At the same time, modeling is today playing a crucial role in development of, e.g., safety critical software. Goal: However, there is a lack of research about the use of modeling in Open Source. Our goal is to shed some light into the motivation and benefits of the use of modeling and its use within project teams. Method: In this study, we perform a survey among Open Source developers. We focus on projects that use the Unified Modeling Language (UML) as a representative for software modeling. Results: We received 485 answers of contributors of 458 different Open Source projects. Conclusion: Collaboration seems to be the most important motivation for using UML. It benefits new contributors and contributors who do not create models. Teams use UML during communication and planning of joint implementation efforts.
Distributed Current Mode Logic

This paper introduces a new high-speed CMOS logic family called distributed current mode logic (DCML). This architecture is a combination of existing current mode logic (CML) architecture and the concept of distributed circuits. Distributed current mode logic takes advantages of distributed circuit, and is able to work up to 80 GHz in 0.13 mum CMOS technology. Because of the low noise behavior of the current mode logic family, DCML generates low power/substrate noise. Differential implementation of this logic makes it more immune to the noise generated by other blocks. These properties make this architecture a good candidate for very high-speed data communication integrated circuits
A Family of Autoconnected Transformers for 12- and 18-Pulse Converters—Generalization for Delta and Wye Topologies

Multipulse rectifier topologies based on autoconnections are increasingly applied as interface stages between mains and power electronics converters. These topologies are attractive and cost-effective solutions for meeting the requirements of low total harmonic distortion of line current and high power factor. Furthermore, as only a small fraction of the total power required by the load is processed in the magnetic core, the overall resulting volume and weight are reduced. This paper proposes a mathematical analysis based on phasor diagrams that results in a single and general expression capable of unifying all delta and wye step-up or step-down autotransformer connections for 12- and 18-pulse ac-dc converters. The expression obtained allows the choice of a wide range of input/output voltage ratio for step-up or step-down autotransformer, and this general expression is also presented in a graphical form for each converter. Moreover, it simplifies the procedure for determining turn ratios and polarities for all windings of the autotransformer. A routine for easy and fast calculations is developed and validated by a design example. Finally, experimental results are presented along with comments on a 6-kW 220-V line voltage, 400-V rectified voltage, and 18-pulse delta-autoconnected prototype.
Nitric oxide regulation of colonic epithelial ion transport: a novel role for enteric glia in the myenteric plexus

Non‐technical summary The enteric nervous system of the gastrointestinal tract regulates all the functions of the gut. Enteric neurons are surrounded and outnumbered by enteric glial cells, whose functions are not well understood. Digestive and defensive functions of the gut require the secretion of fluid into the lumen in a regulated manner. Fluid is controlled by the secretion or absorption of ions across the epithelium. Here we have identified a physiological role for enteric glia of the colon in the regulation of fluid balance, through the production of the gaseous mediator nitric oxide. Enteric glia work in concert with enteric nerves by using nitric oxide to regulate the movement of ions across the wall of the colon, thereby affecting water movement and hence digestion and host defence.
Work Schedule During Pregnancy and Spontaneous Abortion

Background: There is inconsistent evidence as to whether work schedule (including rotating shifts and night work) can affect reproductive outcomes. Methods: We investigated the association between work schedule and risk of spontaneous abortion in U.S. nurses. The Nurses’ Health Study II is a prospective cohort study established in 1989. In 2001, information about occupational activities and exposures during pregnancy was collected from female nurses for the most recent pregnancy since 1993. Of 11,178 eligible respondents, 9547 (85%) indicated willingness to participate in the occupational study, and 8461 of those (89%) returned the questionnaire, for an overall participation rate of 76%. Of these, 7688 women had pregnancies that were eligible for analysis. Results: Participants reported 6902 live births and 786 (10%) spontaneous abortions. Compared with women who reported usually working “days only” during their first trimester, women who reported usually working “nights only” had a 60% increased risk of spontaneous abortion (RR = 1.6; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.3–1.9). A rotating schedule, with or without night shifts, was not associated with an increase in risk (RR = 1.2 [CI = 0.9–1.5] and 1.0 [CI = 0.8–1.2], respectively). Women who reported working more than 40 hours per week during the first trimester were also at increased risk of spontaneous abortion (1.5; 1.3–1.7) compared with women working 21–40 hours, even after adjustment for work schedule. Conclusions: Nightwork and long work hours may be associated with an increased risk of spontaneous abortion. Further studies are needed to determine whether hormonal disturbances attributed to night work affect pregnancy outcome.
Application of Kraljic ’ s purchasing portfolio matrix in construction industry – A case study

The Kraljic matrix has been largely used in many different industries as an efficient tool for developing differentiated purchasing strategies. However, its application on construction industry is unknown, as well as the lack of systematical approach on criteria prioritization which is one of the key issues of the methodology. This paper describes the application of Kraljic matrix on a large construction industry multinational group, identifying the necessary adaptations of the tool. Adjusting Kraljic tool for construction industry required specific key-factor selection, then AHP technique for factor prioritization. This work explores the output usefulness and its applicability on construction projects.