Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Discovery of 3-n-butyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-isoindol-1-one as a potential anti-ischemic stroke agent

To develop novel anti-ischemic stroke agents with better therapeutic efficacy and bioavailability, we designed and synthesized a series of 3-alkyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-isoindol-1-ones compounds (3a–i) derivatives, one of which (3d) exhibited the strongest inhibitory activity for the adenosine diphosphate-induced and arachidonic acid-induced platelet aggregation. This activity is superior to that of 3-n-butylphthalide and comparable with aspirin and edaravone. Meanwhile, 3d not only exhibited a potent activity in scavenging free radicals and improving the survival of HT22 cells against the reactive oxygen species-mediated cytotoxicity in vitro but also significantly attenuated the ischemia/reperfusion-induced oxidative stress in ischemic rat brains. Results from transient middle cerebral artery occlusion and permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion model, indicated that 3d could significantly reduce infarct size, improve neurobehavioral deficits, and prominently decrease attenuation of cerebral damage. Most importantly, 3d possessed a very high absolute bioavailability and was rapidly distributed in brain tissue to keep high plasma drug concentration for the treatment of ischemic strokes. In conclusion, our findings suggest that 3-alkyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-isoindol-1-ones, a novel series of compounds, might be candidate drugs for the treatment of acute ischemic strokes, and 3d may be a promising therapeutic agent for the primary and secondary prevention of ischemic stroke.
Chapter 1 Logic and Game Theory

Johan van Benthem has highlighted in his work that many questions arising in the analysis of strategic interaction call for logical and computational analysis. These questions lead to both formal and conceptually illuminating answers, in that they contribute to clarifying some of the underlying assumptions behind certain aspects of game-theoretical reasoning. We focus on the insights of a part of the literature at the interface of game theory and mathematical logic that gravitates around van Benthem’s work. We discuss the formal questions raised by the perspective consisting in taking games as models for formal languages, in particular modal languages, and how eliminative reasoning processes and solution algorithms can be analyzed logically as epistemic dynamics and discuss the role played by beliefs in game-theoretical analysis and how they should be modeled from a logical point of view. We give many pointers to the literature throughout the paper.
A hybrid approach for multi-criteria evaluation of airport service quality

Due to increasing passenger awareness of service quality, international airports worldwide are facing ever greater pressures and making efforts to sustain their competitive advantages. In this study, a hybrid approach is used to guide the evaluation process of airport service quality. The structural relationships and the interrelationships among the service quality criteria are analysed through the interpretive structural modelling method. In addition, the analytic network process method can obtain weightings and overall ranking to each dimension and criterion in the evaluation. Finally, the effectiveness of the approach is illustrated using an empirical study of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport.
A second look at the usability of click-based graphical passwords

Click-based graphical passwords, which involve clicking a set of user-selected points, have been proposed as a usable alternative to text passwords. We conducted two user studies: an initial lab study to revisit these usability claims, explore for the first time the impact on usability of a wide-range of images, and gather information about the points selected by users; and a large-scale field study to examine how click-based graphical passwords work in practice. No such prior field studies have been reported in the literature. We found significant differences in the usability results of the two studies, providing empirical evidence that relying solely on lab studies for security interfaces can be problematic. We also present a first look at whether interference from having multiple graphical passwords affects usability and whether more memorable passwords are necessarily weaker in terms of security.
Whole Exome Sequencing Identifies Mutations in Usher Syndrome Genes in Profoundly Deaf Tunisian Patients

Usher syndrome (USH) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by combined deafness-blindness. It accounts for about 50% of all hereditary deafness blindness cases. Three clinical subtypes (USH1, USH2, and USH3) are described, of which USH1 is the most severe form, characterized by congenital profound deafness, constant vestibular dysfunction, and a prepubertal onset of retinitis pigmentosa. We performed whole exome sequencing in four unrelated Tunisian patients affected by apparently isolated, congenital profound deafness, with reportedly normal ocular fundus examination. Four biallelic mutations were identified in two USH1 genes: a splice acceptor site mutation, c.2283-1G>T, and a novel missense mutation, c.5434G>A (p.Glu1812Lys), in MYO7A, and two previously unreported mutations in USH1G, i.e. a frameshift mutation, c. 1195_1196delAG (p.Leu399Alafs*24), and a nonsense mutation, c.52A>T (p.Lys18*). Another ophthalmological examination including optical coherence tomography actually showed the presence of retinitis pigmentosa in all the patients. Our findings provide evidence that USH is under-diagnosed in Tunisian deaf patients. Yet, early diagnosis of USH is of utmost importance because these patients should undergo cochlear implant surgery in early childhood, in anticipation of the visual loss.
Pneumoperitoneum due to gastric perforation after cardiopulmonary resuscitation: case report.

BACKGROUND Pneumoperitoneum after cardiopulmonary resuscitation may be due to mediastinal air tracking into the peritoneal cavity via the diaphragmatic hiatus or to gastric perforation. CASE REPORT A 79-year-old woman received Advanced Cardiac Life Support measures in the intensive care unit. Chest compressions and endotracheal intubation were performed; a stable cardiac rhythm and perfusion were restored. A chest radiograph after resuscitation revealed pneumoperitoneum without pneumomediastinum. The patient underwent laparotomy; a 6-cm perforation of the posterior gastric wall along the lesser curve was detected and repaired. CONCLUSION Gastric perforation after cardiopulmonary resuscitation should be suspected when chest radiographs obtained after resuscitation show pneumo-peritoneum without pneumomediastinum. Prompt laparotomy allows detection of gastric perforations and decreases the morbidity associated with rupture of a hollow organ. The incidence of gastric perforation after cardiopulmonary resuscitation may be decreased with early endotracheal intubation, avoidance of esophageal intubation, and expeditious placement of an orogastric tube.
Emergence of Virulent Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Strains Carrying Panton-Valentine Leucocidin Genes in The Netherlands

ABSTRACT Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains carrying the Panton-Valentine leucocidin (PVL) genes have been reported worldwide and are a serious threat to public health. The PVL genes encode a highly potent toxin which is involved in severe skin infections and necrotizing pneumonia, even in previously healthy individuals. We assessed the prevalence of PVL-positive MRSA in The Netherlands for two periods of time: (i) 1987 through 1995 and (ii) 2000 and 2002, and determined their characteristics by using multilocus sequence typing and staphylococcal chromosome cassette (SCCmec) typing. It was found that up to 15% of all MRSA isolates detected in The Netherlands harbored the PVL genes. Most PVL-positive MRSA isolates were obtained from severe soft tissue infections in relatively young individuals. The first PVL-positive MRSA described in The Netherlands, isolated in 1988, was a single-locus variant of the “Berlin” epidemic MRSA clone. The 20 PVL-positive MRSA isolates studied in 2000 and 2002 consisted of five different sequence types (STs) that belonged to four clonal complexes. One of the STs, ST80, is considered to be a widespread European clone and was the most predominant ST (60%) in this study, while ST37 had never been found to be associated with PVL-positive MRSA. Most isolates harbored SCCmec type IV, a supposed marker for community-acquired MRSA. The number and type of virulence-associated genes varied among the different STs.
Structural Features of Membrane Fusion between Influenza Virus and Liposome as Revealed by Quick-Freezing Electron Microscopy

The structure of membrane fusion intermediates between the A/PR/8(H1N1) strain of influenza virus and a liposome composed of egg phosphatidylcholine, cholesterol, and glycophorin was studied using quick-freezing electron microscopy. Fusion by viral hemagglutinin protein was induced at pH 5.0 and 23°C. After a 19-s incubation under these conditions, small protrusions with a diameter of 10–20 nm were found on the fractured convex faces of the liposomal membranes, and small pits complementary to the protrusions were found on the concave faces. The protrusions and pits corresponded to fractured parts of outward bendings of the lipid bilayer or “microprotrusions of the lipid bilayer. ” At the loci of the protrusions and pits, liposomal membranes had local contacts with viral membranes. In many cases both the protrusions and the pits were aligned in regular polygonal arrangements, which were thought to reflect the array of hemagglutinin spikes on the viral surface. These structures were induced only when the medium was acidic with the virus present. Based on these observations, it was concluded that the microprotrusions of the lipid bilayer are induced by hemagglutinin protein. Furthermore, morphological evidence for the formation of the “initial fusion pore” at the microprotrusion was obtained. The protrusion on the convex face sometimes had a tiny hole with a diameter of <4 nm in the center. The pits transformed into narrow membrane connections <10 nm in width, bridging viruses and liposomes. The structures of the fusion pore and fusion neck with larger sizes were also observed, indicating growth of the protrusions and pits to distinct fusion sites. We propose that the microprotrusion of the lipid bilayer is a fusion intermediate induced by hemagglutinin protein, and suggest that the extraordinarily high curvature of this membrane structure is a clue to the onset of fusion. The possible architecture of the fusion intermediate is discussed with regard to the localization of intramembrane particles at the microprotrusion.
Husbands' and Wives' Education and Divorce in the United States and Japan, 1946-2000

How the relationship between status and divorce shifts over historical time among industrialized countries remains largely unknown. A socioeconomic growth hypothesis posits that a more recent marriage cohort (relative to a previous cohort) in an industrialized country exhibits (1) larger divorce-suppressive effects of husbands' and wives' higher level of education and (2) a shift from a pattern in which only husbands' education substantially influences the couples' likelihood of divorce to a pattern in which both spouses' education influences that likelihood. The author tests the need to modify this hypothesis to reflect the intervening influences of cultural-institutional arrangements using the United States and Japan. The author applies event history regressions to the U.S. Panel Study of Income Dynamics and the Japanese General Social Survey. Results from both countries suggest the needs for modifications and imply that divorce is increasingly tied to socioeconomic inequality in both industrialized countries, but in contrasting ways.
Algorithmic and Enumerative Aspects of the Moser-Tardos Distribution

Moser and Tardos have developed a powerful algorithmic approach (henceforth MT) to the Lovász Local Lemma (LLL); the basic operation done in MT and its variants is a search for “bad” events in a current configuration. In the initial stage of MT, the variables are set independently. We examine the distributions on these variables that arise during intermediate stages of MT. We show that these configurations have a more or less “random” form, building further on the MT-distribution concept of Haeupler et al. in understanding the (intermediate and) output distribution of MT. This has a variety of algorithmic applications; the most important is that bad events can be found relatively quickly, improving on MT across the complexity spectrum. It makes some polynomial-time algorithms sublinear (e.g., for Latin transversals, which are of basic combinatorial interest), gives lower-degree polynomial runtimes in some settings, transforms certain superpolynomial-time algorithms into polynomial-time algorithms, and leads to Las Vegas algorithms for some coloring problems for which only Monte Carlo algorithms were known. We show that, in certain conditions when the LLL condition is violated, a variant of the MT algorithm can still produce a distribution that avoids most of the bad events. We show in some cases that this MT variant can run faster than the original MT algorithm itself and develop the first-known criterion for the case of the asymmetric LLL. This can be used to find partial Latin transversals—improving on earlier bounds of Stein (1975)—among other applications. We furthermore give applications in enumeration, showing that most applications (for which we aim for all or most of the bad events to be avoided) have large solution sets. We do this by showing that the MT distribution has large Rényi entropy.
The Communication Protocol for Wireless Sensor Network about LEACH

This paper talk about the communication protocol named LEACH. The protocol focuses on reducing the power consumption of wireless sensor networks, which can have significant impact on the overall energy dissipation of these networks. LEACH uses localized coordination to enable scalability and robustness for dynamic networks, and incorporate data fusion into the routing protocol to reduce the amount of information that must be transmitted to the base station. Simulations show that LEACH can achieve as much as a factor of 8 reductions in energy dissipation compared with conventional routing protocols. In addition, LEACH is able to distribute energy dissipation evenly throughout the sensors, doubling the useful system lifetime for the networks we simulated. We extend LEACH's stochastic cluster head selection algorithm by a deterministic component. Depending on the network configuration an increase of network lifetime by about 30% can be accomplished.
The relationship between EFL learners’ personality types and their cognitive learning styles

The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between male and female EFL learners’ learning styles and their personality types. To this end, one-hundred English majors took part in the study. The participants consisted of 78 females and 22 males. The Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) was used to assess the participants’ field dependent/independent (FD/FI) learning styles. The Personality Style Inventory (PSI) was also administered to assess the personality types of the participants. The data obtained from the PSI showed that the most frequent personality types were ISTJ (introvert, sensing, thinking, judging), ESTJ (extrovert, sensing, thinking, judging), and ESTP (extrovert, sensing, thinking, perceiving) personality types, and the least frequent types were ENFJ (extrovert, intuitive, feeling, judging), and INFJ (introvert, intuitive, feeling, judging). Moreover, the results of the GEFT showed that 52% of the subjects were of FI learning style type and 48% of them had a FD learning style. The results of Chi-Square test and Fisher’s Exact Test also showed that there was no statistically significant relationship between males and females’ learning styles and personality types. The EFL instructors’ awareness of these differences in personality types and learning styles can enable them to create a more dynamic atmosphere in the classroom through designing activities that meet the learning preferences of different types of learners.
The gap--is it closing?

The Levy Eco n o m i cs In s ti tu te of Ba rd Coll ege, fo u n ded in 1986, is an auton om o u s , n on p a rti s a n re s e a rch or ga n i z a ti on open to the ex a m i n a ti on of d iverse points of vi ew and ded i c a ted to public service. The In s ti tute is publishing this re s e a rch with the convi cti on that it is a con s tru ctive and po s i tive con tri buti on to discussions and deb a tes on rel e-vant policy issu e s. Nei t h er the In s ti tute's Boa rd of Governors nor its advisors necessarily endorse any proposal made by the author. The Institute believes in the potential for the study of econ omics to improve the human con d i ti on. Th ro u gh sch o l a rship and re s e a rch it gen era te s vi a bl e , ef fective public policy re s ponses to important economic problems that profoundly affect the quality of life in the United States and abroad. The pre s ent re s e a rch agenda inclu des su ch issues as financial instabi l i ty, poverty, em p l oym en t , probl em s a s s oc i a ted with the distri buti on of i n come and we a l t h , and intern a ti onal trade and com peti tive-n e s s. In all its en de avors , the In s ti tute places heav y em phasis on the va lues of pers onal freedom and ju s ti ce. Th e Pu blic Policy Bri ef Series is a publ i c a ti on of The Levy Econ omics In s ti tute of Ba rd Co ll ege , Bl i t h ewood , PO Box 5000, An n a n d a l e-on-Hu d s on , NY 12504-5000. For inform a ti on abo ut the Levy In s ti tute and to order Public Policy Briefs, call 845-758-7700 or 202-887-8464 (in Washington, …
Adaptive Neural Network Control of a Fully Actuated Marine Surface Vessel With Multiple Output Constraints

In this brief, we investigate the control problem of tracking a desired trajectory for a fully actuated marine surface vessel considering multiple outputs constraints. To prevent multiple output constraints violation, a symmetric barrier Lyapunov function (SBLF) is employed. Backstepping, in combination with adaptive feedback approximation techniques, is introduced to design an adaptive neural network control. Experimental simulations are provided to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed controller. Compared to the adaptive neural network control without multiple output constraints, the proposed adaptive neural network using the SBLF can guarantee that all the outputs remain bounded.
Vision guided navigation for a nonholonomic mobile robot

Visual servoing, i.e. the use of the vision sensor in feedback control, has been of increasing interest. Work has been done on applications in autonomous driving, manipulation, mobile robot navigation and surveillance. This paper studies the navigation task for a nonholonomic ground mobile base tracking an arbitrarily shaped ground curve using vision sensors. This tracking problem is formulated as one of controlling the shape of the curve in the image plane. The study of the controllability of the system characterizing the image curve dynamics shows that the shape of the image curve is controllable only up to its "linear" curvature parameters. A stabilizing control law is presented for tracking (piecewise) analytic curves, and we propose to track arbitrary curves by approximating them by piecewise linear curvature curves. Simulation results are given for these control schemes. The observability of the image curve dynamics using direct measurements from vision sensors as the outputs is studied and an extended Kalman filter is proposed to dynamically estimate the image parameters needed for the feedback control from the actual noisy image sequences.
Learning to hash-tag videos with Tag2Vec

User-given tags or labels are valuable resources for semantic understanding of visual media such as images and videos. Recently, a new type of labeling mechanism known as hash-tags have become increasingly popular on social media sites. In this paper, we study the problem of generating relevant and useful hash-tags for short video clips. Traditional data-driven approaches for tag enrichment and recommendation use direct visual similarity for label transfer and propagation. We attempt to learn a direct low-cost mapping from video to hash-tags using a two step training process. We first employ a natural language processing (NLP) technique, skip-gram models with neural network training to learn a low-dimensional vector representation of hash-tags (Tag2Vec) using a corpus of ∼ 10 million hash-tags. We then train an embedding function to map video features to the low-dimensional Tag2vec space. We learn this embedding for 29 categories of short video clips with hash-tags. A query video without any tag-information can then be directly mapped to the vector space of tags using the learned embedding and relevant tags can be found by performing a simple nearest-neighbor retrieval in the Tag2Vec space. We validate the relevance of the tags suggested by our system qualitatively and quantitatively with a user study.
Evolutionary models for solar metallicity low - mass stars: Mass - magnitude relationships and color - magnitude diagrams

We present evolutionary models for low mass stars from 0.075 to 1 M for solar-type metallicities (M/H)= 0 and -0.5. The calculations include the most recent interior physics and the latest generation of non-grey atmosphere models. We provide mass-age-color-magnitude relationships for both metal- licities. The mass-MV and mass-MK relations are in excellent agreement with the empirical relations derived observationally. The theoretical color-magnitude diagrams are compared with the sequences of globular clusters (47 Tucanae) and open clus- ters (NGC2420 and NGC2477) observed with the Hubble Space Telescope. Comparison is also made with field star sequences in MV -(V I), MK -(I K) and MK -(J K) diagrams. These comparisons show that the most recent improvements performed in low-mass star atmosphere models yield now re- liable stellar models in the near-infrared. These models can be used for metallicity, mass, temperature and luminosity calibra- tions. Uncertainties still remain, however, in the optical spectral region below Te 3700K, where predicted (V-I) colors are too blue by 0.5 mag for a given magnitude. The possible origins for such a discrepancy, most likely a missing source of opacity in the optical and the onset of grain formation are examined in detail.