Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Qualified for Power? On Epistemology in Voting

Equal distribution of suffrage is given a nearly “quasi-religious” status by democrats. However, the right to vote rests on a presumption of capacity, and knowledge and competence therefore are important features of democratic arrangements. Democratic theory often assumes that, in order for (representative) democracy to work properly, the average citizen should be interested in, and pay attention to, politics. In reality, however, only a minority of citizens live up to these standards. This paper examines whether demands of uncontroversial knowledge, that is, knowledge about what it means to vote, can be demanded of voters in order for them to be allowed to vote. It is concluded that, for reasons of justice and “issues of mutual concern”, such demands can be raised regarding such uncontroversial knowledge (but perhaps not for knowledge more controversial in kind).
Haptoglobin α-subunit and hepatocyte growth factor can potentially serve as serum tumor biomarkers in Small cell lung cancer

Background: Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) frequently presents as metastatic disease. It would be useful to detect serum tumor biomarkers at an earlier stage in order to improve the overall survival. Materials and Methods: Serum samples from SCLC patients (6 limited disease , 7 extensive disease, 4 relapsed disease, 4 no evidence of disease post- treatment) and 5 normal controls were used to identify tumor biomarkers utilizing proteomics. Serum hepatocyte growth factor was also studied using standard ELISA. Results: Utilizing MALDI-TOF-Mass Spectrometry (MS) based protein identification techniques, a SCLC specific overexpressed protein was identified to be haptoglobin ·-subunit, with its serum level correlating with the disease stage. The mean level of ·-haptoglobin was increased in SCLC serum as compared to the normal controls. Serum HGF was also studied as potential tumor biomarker and was found to correlate with the disease status. Either serum ·-haptoglobin relative level (above 1.9 U), or HGF level (above 500 pg/ml) was associated with a trend towards worse survival. Conclusion: Our current findings suggest that serum levels of ·-haptoglobin and HGF may serve as useful serum tumor biomarkers in SCLC. It would now also be useful to determine if these serum biomarkers are altered in response to therapy for this disease. In the United States, there will be greater than 171,900 projected new cases of lung cancer in 2003. It is estimated that there will be 157,200 deaths related to lung cancer for this year (1). The most aggressive form of lung cancer is
Attentional Bias to Threat in Children at Increased Familial Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) exhibit difficulties in social communication and relating, as well as restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviour and atypicalities in sensory modulation (DSM-5; American Psychological Association 2013). There is a 1% prevalence rate of ASD in the general population (Baird et al. 2006; Christensen et al. 2016), while recurrence rates in younger siblings of children with ASD are ~10% (Constantino et al. 2010). Prospective high-risk studies have reported that up to 20% of siblings actually meet diagnostic criteria for ASD and that there is increased ASD symptomatology among those that do not have the condition (Messinger et al. 2013, 2015; Ozonoff et al. 2011). Taken together, these findings suggest that there is high familial risk for ASD. In addition to the core symptoms, individuals with ASD frequently experience co-occurring mental health difficulties, notably anxiety disorders (Simonoff et al. 2008). Up to 80% of individuals with ASD report anxiety symptoms, which are often impairing (White et al. 2009). Increased prevalence of anxiety is also reported in first-degree relatives of individuals with ASD (Lainhart 2009), including young children at increased familial risk as siblings of probands with a diagnosis (Schwichtenberg et al. 2013). Abstract Anxiety and threat bias were examined in 6-8-year-old children at familial-risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and low-risk (LR, n = 37) controls. The high-risk (HR) group was divided into those who met diagnostic criteria for ASD (HR-ASD, n = 15) and those who did not (HR-non ASD, n = 24). The HR-ASD group had highest levels of parent-reported anxiety. The HR-non ASD group exhibited increased threat bias on a spatial-cueing task, while the HR-ASD group did not. Anxiety symptoms were associated with both threat bias and ASD severity.
Use of Natural Light vs. Cold LED Lighting in Installations for the Recovery of Victims of Gender Violence: Impact on Energy Consumption and Victims’ Recovery

The efficiency of lighting installations is a major challenge concerning Governments, productive sectors and individuals. However, the importance of accurate lighting in some areas, especially those related to Health and Wellbeing is so critical that the constraints of energy efficiency and sustainability are not always a priority. This situation has become more critical with the current boom in the application of non-visual effects of light to these areas. In this study, the effects oftwo different kinds of lighting on femalevictims of gender violence are compared and analyzed in terms of positive results and impact on energy consumption and sustainability. The lighting technologies used are integrated in facilities where these women carry out different activities aimed at their integration into daily life after their traumatic experiences. The results are expected to become a tool for professionals working with these collectives and for installation designers. In spite of the well-known effects of cold light, especially for tasks involving arousal, sleepiness and other critical variables, it is demonstrated that daylight, which is obviously cheaper from productive and environmental perspectives, is better for this application.
Stem Cell Therapies on Pancreatitis

24 h; marked mitotic activity was evident in small ductal epithelial cells and tubular complexes on day 3, and in acinar cells on day 7. The lobular structure returned to normal appearance on day 28. These results suggest that regeneration after necrotizing pancreatitis involves proliferation and differentiation of pancreatic progenitor cells. Ductal epithelial cells with duodenum homeobox protein 1 (PDX-1)-positive nuclei may contribute to the differen‐ tiation of the stem cells in the main duct of pancreas.PDX-1-positive cells in the main duct might be might be a marker
Delivery and safety of inhaled interferon-γ in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

BACKGROUND Inhaled interferon-γ aerosol (aINF-γ) may be effective treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). We evaluated safety and delivery of aIFN-γ (100 μg 3 times/week) in 10 IPF patients using the I-neb (Philips Respironics, Parsippany, NJ). METHODS IFN-γ activity in the aerosol was confirmed by viral inhibition. Ten patients with an average age of 68 diagnosed with IPF (American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society consensus guidelines) were enrolled. In vivo deposition was measured via a gamma camera. The nebulizer recorded patient adherence to therapy. Pulmonary function tests [PFTs, forced vital capacity (FVC), total lung capacity (TLC), diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO)] and the 6-min walk test were measured at baseline, and every 12-14 weeks for 80 weeks. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) of the middle lobe was performed at baseline and 28 weeks. BAL and plasma samples were analyzed for chemokines and cytokines, including INF-γ. RESULTS All 10 patients tolerated 80 weeks of inhaled IFN-γ well, with no systemic side effects. True adherence with aerosol treatment averaged 96.7 ± 4.81% (± SEM). In vivo lung deposition averaged 65.4 ± 4. 8μg and oropharyngeal deposition 12.6 ± 3.0 μg. BAL IFN-γ increased 60-fold and profibrotic cytokines (FGP-2, Flt-3 ligand, IL-5) were significantly decreased; IFN-γ plasma levels were unchanged. PFTs showed minimal change in FVC. Post hoc analysis indicated that the slope of decline in TLC and DLCO reversed after beginning therapy. The 6-min walk was unchanged. CONCLUSIONS IFN-γ is safe in IPF and can be effectively delivered to lung parenchyma. PFTs remained stable throughout the trial. Reversal of pretherapy PFT decline may define an end-point for future clinical trials.
A weight throwing and diffusing computation based approach for termination detection in MANETs

Termination Detection (TD) is a fundamental problem of distributed systems. It is the process to determine whether the computations over a network has completed or not. However, certain environment specific features and limitations viz, mobility of nodes, change in network topology, failure and disconnection of nodes etc., pose a challenge to TD in dynamic environment. The two mechanisms-weight throwing and diffusing computation technique have been widely used to solve the problem of TD. In the paper, we have proposed a decentralized hybrid technique using weight throwing and diffusing computation approach to solve the problem of TD in Mobile Ad hoc Network (MANETs). The proposed algorithm allows any node in the network to detect termination and makes sure that disconnection of nodes does not pose challenge in the way of detection of termination. An extension to the proposed model has also been introduced which deals with TD in scalable environment.
Effect of Topical 0.1% Indomethacin Solution Versus 0.1% Fluorometholon Acetate on Ocular Surface and Pain Control Following Laser Subepithelial Keratomileusis (LASEK)

Purpose: To compare the effect of topical 0.1% indomethacin solution versus 0.1% fluorometholon acetate in the early postoperative period after LASEK treatment. Methods: One hundred thirty-five patients undergoing LASEK, having been randomized in a double-masked manner into 2 groups (1 receiving indomethacin and 1 fluorometholon), were evaluated 2–4 days before and 4 days after treatment. We examined corneal fluorescein staining and corneal esthesiometry; the level of pain experienced was reported by the patient on a visual pain scale. In addition, haze was evaluated at 14 ± 1 weeks after surgery. Results: The pain level and corneal fluorescein staining were significantly less in the indomethacin group. Corneal esthesiometry was reduced to the same extent in the 2 groups. There were no statistically significant differences in haze presentation between the 2 groups. Conclusion: Our study highlights the efficacy of indomethacin solution compared with fluorometholon as a pain reducer after LASEK treatment and suggests that indomethacin is associated with a faster epithelial healing process.
Invariants : A Group Theoretical Foundation and some Applications in Signal Processing and Pattern Recognition

Many signal processing problems can be described by a black-box model. In this paper the input of the black-box is an object, the black-box is a measurement device and the output are the measurements produced. A typical example of an object is a sheet of white paper illuminated by some source. A camera is the measurement device and the produced image is the measurement. The black-box has a number of internal degrees of freedom that are unrelated to the input but that will affect the produced output. In the example we are interested of the properties of the sheet of paper but the image depends on the illumination and the camera used, the geometrical relation between camera, illumination and paper, the time when the measurements are recorded and many other additional factors. In many applications we want to extract properties of the object from the measurements, independent of the state of the black-box. This is the basic motivation behind all invariance frameworks in pattern recognition and signal processing. In this paper we will assume that the variations of the measurement device can be modeled by transformation groups. We will then first describe a class of invariants that can be derived from the theory of group representations. We call these invariants integral invariants. Then we introduce another class of invariants derived from the Lie-theory of differential equations. We call them differential invariants. We will illustrate the general theory with some examples from color constancy, pattern recognition and linear system theory.
How many memory systems are there

Memory is made up of a number of interrelated systems, organized structures of operating components consisting of neural substrates and their behavioral and cognitive correlates. A ternary clas- sificatory scheme of memory is proposed in which procedural, semantic, and episodic memory constitute a "monohierarchical" arrangement: Episodic memory is a specialized subsystem of semantic memory, and semantic memory is a specialized subsystem of procedural memory. The three memory systems differ from one another in a number of ways, including the kind of consciousness that characterizes their operations. The ternary scheme overlaps with di- chotomies and trichotomies of memory proposed by others. Evidence for multiple systems is derived from many sources. Illustrative data are provided by ex- periments in which direct priming effects are found to be both functionally and stochastically independent of recognition memory. Solving puzzles in science has much in common with solving puzzles for amusement, but the two differ in important respects. Consider, for instance, the jigsaw puzzle that scientific activity frequently imitates. The everyday version of the puzzle is determinate: It consists of a target picture and jigsaw pieces that, when properly assembled, are guaranteed to match the picture. Scientific puzzles are indeter- minate: The number of pieces required to complete a picture is unpredictable; a particular piece may fit many pictures or none; it may fit only one picture, but the picture itself may be unknown; or the hypothetical picture may be imagined, but its com- ponent pieces may remain undiscovered. This article is about a current puzzle in the science of memory. It entails an imaginary picture and a search for pieces that fit it. The picture, or the hypothesis, depicts memory as consisting of a number of systems, each system serving somewhat different purposes and operating according to some- what different principles. Together they form the marvelous capacity that we call by the single name of memory, the capacity that permits organisms to benefit from their past experiences. Such a picture is at variance with conventional wisdom that holds memory to be essentially a single system, the idea that "memory is memory. " The article consists of three main sections. In the first, 1 present some pretheoretical reasons for hypothesizing the existence of multiple memory systems and briefly discuss the concept of memory system. In the second, I describe a ternary classifi- catory scheme of memory--consisting of procedural, semantic, and episodic memory--and briefly com- pare this scheme with those proposed by others. In the third, I discuss the nature and logic of evidence for multiple systems and describe some experiments that have yielded data revealing independent effects of one and the same act of learning, effects seemingly at variance with the idea of a single system. I answer the question posed in the title of the article in the short concluding section.
Nicotine dependence among Chinese city dwellers: a population-based cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION Although nicotine addiction is thought to be the primary driver of tobacco smoking, few studies have examined nicotine dependence among Chinese mainland smokers. METHODS A population-based cross-sectional study was designed. Subjects (4735) aged 15 years and older residents were drawn from six cities in China through a multistage systematic sampling procedure. Nicotine dependence of respondents was assessed in a face-to-face interview using the 6-item Mandarin Chinese version of the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND). A multilevel regression model, accounting for cluster sampling, was used to identify correlates of dependence. RESULTS Among females, only 4.2% (n = 115) were smokers (2.5% daily, 1.7% occasional). Subsequent analysis focused on males, of whom 50.8% (n = 1477) were smokers (38.9% daily, 11.9% occasional). The average FTND score was 2.89 (95% CI: 2.77-3.01) among all current smokers. Daily smokers had a significantly higher FTND score (3.49, 95% CI: 3.35-3.63) than occasional smokers (1.12, 95% CI: 0.98-1.26) (p < .01). Of all smokers, 27.1% were considered dependent based on FTND ≥ 4. Among daily smokers, FTND scores were negatively associated with age at smoking initiation, education, and self-efficacy for quitting smoking. FTND was associated (negatively) with income among occasional smokers only. There were regional differences in FTND scores among daily smokers. CONCLUSIONS Cigarette smoking is highly prevalent among Chinese males but rare among Chinese females. Occasional smoking is also common among males. Only 3.3% of occasional male smokers appear dependent by FTND criteria. Dependence varies by smoking history and demographics. These findings have implications for design and implementation of smoking cessation interventions.
Design and Implementation of a Low-cost Attitude and Heading Nonlinear Estimator

Centre Automatique et Syst`emes, Ecole des Mines de Paris, 60 boulevard Saint-Michel, 75272 Paris Cedex 06, France´philippe.martin@ensmp.fr, erwan.salaun@ensmp.frKeywords: Observers, sensor fusion, nonlinear ﬁlters, strapdown systems, invariance, inertial navigation, extendedKalman ﬁlters. Abstract: In this paper we propose a nonlinear observer (i.e. a “ﬁlter”) for estimating the orientation of a ﬂying rigidbody, using measurements from low-cost inertial and magnetic sensors. It has by design a nice geometricalstructure appealing from an engineering viewpoint; it is easy to tune, computationally very economic, and withguaranteed (at least local) convergence around every trajectory. Moreover it behaves sensibly in the presenceof acceleration and magnetic disturbances. We illustrate its good performance on experimental comparisonswith a commercial system, and demonstrate its simplicity by implementing it on a 8-bit microcontroller.
Z3 correction to the stopping power of ions in an electron gas.

The Z/sup 3/ correction to the stopping power of an ion moving through a homogeneous electron gas is derived using a response-function formalism. An expression for the quadratic density response function which enters the stopping-power formula is obtained in the random-phase approximation and is evaluated in a limit appropriate to low ion velocities v. The equivalence of the response-function formalism and a scattering-theory approach is demonstrated in this limit and numerical results of the two approaches are compared as a function of the ion charge Z. The quadratic response theory is shown to be a reasonable approximation for high densities and low Z.
The N-terminal Flanking Region of the A1 Domain Regulates the Force-dependent Binding of von Willebrand Factor to Platelet Glycoprotein Ibα*

Background: Hemodynamic force-regulated VWF-GPIbα interaction mediates platelet adhesion during the early stage of hemostatic and thrombotic processes. Results: The VWF-A1 N-terminal sequence impedes the VWF-GPIbα interaction at low forces but stabilizes it as force increases. Conclusion: The interplay between force and A1 N-terminal sequence regulates the VWF-GPIbα interaction. Significance: Force regulation is crucial to the balance of the platelet adhesive function in hemostasis and thrombosis. Binding of platelet glycoprotein Ibα (GPIbα) to von Willebrand factor (VWF) initiates platelet adhesion to disrupted vascular surface under arterial blood flow. Flow exerts forces on the platelet that are transmitted to VWF-GPIbα bonds, which regulate their dissociation. Mutations in VWF and/or GPIbα may alter the mechanical regulation of platelet adhesion to cause hemostatic defects as found in patients with von Willebrand disease (VWD). Using a biomembrane force probe, we observed biphasic force-decelerated (catch) and force-accelerated (slip) dissociation of GPIbα from VWF. The VWF A1 domain that contains the N-terminal flanking sequence Gln1238–Glu1260 (1238-A1) formed triphasic slip-catch-slip bonds with GPIbα. By comparison, using a short form of A1 that deletes this sequence (1261-A1) abolished the catch bond, destabilizing its binding to GPIbα at high forces. Importantly, shear-dependent platelet rolling velocities on these VWF ligands in a flow chamber system mirrored the force-dependent single-bond lifetimes. Adding the Gln1238–Glu1260 peptide, which interacted with GPIbα and 1261-A1 but not 1238-A1, to whole blood decreased platelet attachment under shear stress. Soluble Gln1238–Glu1260 reduced the lifetimes of GPIbα bonds with VWF and 1238-A1 but rescued the catch bond of GPIbα with 1261-A1. A type 2B VWD 1238-A1 mutation eliminated the catch bond by prolonging lifetimes at low forces, a type 2M VWD 1238-A1 mutation shifted the respective slip-catch and catch-slip transition points to higher forces, whereas a platelet type VWD GPIbα mutation enhanced the bond lifetime in the entire force regime. These data reveal the structural determinants of VWF activation by hemodynamic force of the circulation.
Factors affecting the processing of procedural instructions: implications for document design

In order to improve the design of procedural instructions, technical writers need to know how users proceed when they are using them, from their initial reading, to execute described actions. Several kinds of activities are implicated, such as reading with understanding, action planning, carrying out specific actions, and executive control activities. This paper proposes that by taking into account design factors that affect these activities, technical writers can markedly improve the design of procedural documents. Thus, a model is suggested that combines information on how users deal with procedural documents when faced with new equipment and the mental processes involved in this interaction, together with document design recommendations aimed at enhancing the interactions between users, documents, and equipment.
High performance dc-dc converter for wide voltage range operation

This paper presents a galvanic isolated multi-level dc-dc converter using different modulation strategies for wide voltage range operation. The dc gain of the converter can be changed in three steps by the proposed modulation schemes and thus achieve the change in output voltage among Vout, 0.5×Vout and 0.25×Vout. The operating frequency of the resonant tank is the same in all three cases. Therefore, the converter can be designed to operate at the optimal operating point to maintain high efficiency for a wide voltage range operation. The output voltage can then be adjusted within the three output voltages depending on the application by either varying the switching frequency of the converter or cascading a second stage dc-dc converter. The operating principle and the dc characteristics of the proposed modulation scheme are discussed and demonstrated with a 17kW five-level half-bridge LLC resonant dc-dc converter prototype operating at 150 kHz. The input and output voltage of the converters are 750V voltage and, 650V, 325V and 163V output voltages, respectively. The experimental results are closely matched with the theoretical predictions.