Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sleeve-Type Ultra Miniature Optical Fiber Pressure Sensor Fabricated by DRIE

A diaphragm-type optical fiber pressure sensor, which has a sleeve for fiber insertion, is proposed, and its fundamental characteristics are demonstrated. The sleeve structure is fabricated by deep reactive ion etching (DRIE). The diaphragm with the sleeve is suitable for highly reliable and easy bonding between the sleeve and an optical fiber. The light intensity change by a Fabry-Perot interferometer according to pressure is increases by an improved DRIE method. The mesa attached to the diaphragm increased reflectance. The method of mass production for the developed diaphragm will be useful for realizing a low-cost pressure sensor.
Effects of dantrolene on myoplasmic free [Ca2+] measured in vivo in patients susceptible to malignant hyperthermia.

Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a genetic disease characterized by hypermetabolism in skeletal muscle following a triggering stimulus and can be reversed or pretreated with dantrolene sodium. The myoplasmic free [Ca2+] was measured, using Ca2+ selective microelectrodes in vivo in the superficial fibers of the sartorius muscle of eight MH-susceptible and eight control subjects. Both groups received continuous epidural anesthesia with chloroprocaine 3%. In both the control and MH muscle fibers, the myoplasmic free [Ca2+] was measured before and after the intravenous administration of a cumulative dantrolene dose of 0.5, 1.5, and 2.5 mg/kg. The mean resting myoplasmic free [Ca2+] was 0.112 +/- 0.004 microM (mean +/- SEM n = 32) in the control and 0.485 +/- 0.022 microM (n = 33) in the MH subjects. In the MH subjects, dantrolene induced a dose-dependent reduction in myoplasmic free [Ca2+]. The 0.5-mg/kg dose reduced it to 0.326 +/- 0.017 microM (n = 22), the 1.5-mg/kg dose to 0.233 +/- 0.015 microM (n = 25), and the 2.5-mg/kg dose to 0.092 +/- 0.008 microM (n = 26). In controls, dantrolene also reduced resting myoplasmic free [Ca2+] but to a lesser extent. The 0.5-mg/kg dose reduced it to 0.096 +/- 0.004 microM (n = 22), the 1.5-mg/kg dose to 0.077 +/- 0.003 microM (n = 23), and the 2.5-mg/kg dose to 0.068 +/- 0.002 microM (n = 27). The results of the study extend our previous findings in humans and swine and demonstrate that it is possible to measure myoplasmic free [Ca2+] in vivo in humans. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Cataclysmic Variables and a New Class of Faint Ultraviolet Stars in the Globular Cluster NGC 6397

We present evidence that the globular cluster NGC 6397 contains two distinct classes of centrally concentrated UV-bright stars. Color-magnitude diagrams constructed from U336, B439, V555, and I814 data obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 reveal seven UV-bright stars fainter than the main-sequence turnoff, three of which had previously been identified as cataclysmic variables (CVs). Light curves of these stars show the characteristic "flicker" of CVs as well as longer term variability. A fourth star is identified as a CV candidate on the basis of its variability and UV excess. Three additional UV-bright stars show no photometric variability and have broadband colors characteristic of B stars. These nonflickering UV stars are too faint to be extended horizontal-branch stars. We suggest that they could be low-mass helium white dwarfs, formed when the evolution of a red giant is interrupted, due either to Roche lobe overflow onto a binary companion or to envelope ejection following a common-envelope phase in a tidal-capture binary. Alternatively, they could be very low mass core-He-burning stars. Both the CVs and the new class of faint UV stars are strongly concentrated toward the cluster center, to the extent that mass segregation from two-body relaxation alone may be unable to explain their distribution.
Mobile bag starch prececal disappearance and postprandial glycemic response of four forms of barley in horses.

To determine prececal starch digestibili-ty and estimate glucose uptake from the digestion of 4 forms of barley in the small intestine, 4 mature cecally fistulated geldings (449 ± 41 kg BW) fed a 62:38 (wt/wt) meadow hay:concentrate diet at 1.7 kg DM/100 kg BW were included in a 4 × 4 Latin square design experiment. During each period, horses received 80% DM of their concentrate as 1 of the 4 forms of a same batch of barley, whole grain, 2.5 mm ground, steam flaked, and pelleted. Hay was offered in 2 equal meals and concentrate in 2 unequal meals. The starch supply in the morning meal amounted 2.7 g starch/kg BW. At each period, mobile bag DM and starch disappearance was determined. Except for ground barley, each form of barley was 4 mm ground before being introduced in the bag. Nylon bags containing each substrate were intubated in the horse receiving the pelleted barley. Bags were collected in the cecum for 10 h postintubation. At each period, postprandial glycemia was measured on blood samples collected on the 4 horses via an indwelling jugular catheter just before the concentrate morning meal and for 8 h. No hay in the morning meal was given the day of the measurements. Whole blood glucose was analyzed with a portable blood glucose meter. Mobile bag prececal DM disappearance and starch disappearance depended (P < 0.01) on barley form. Prececal starch disappearance of whole barley was the lowest but no difference (P > 0.05) was detected among the 3 processed grains. No significant effect of barley form was found whatever the glycemic parameters. No significant correlation was reported between glycemic parameters and the amount of prececal mobile bag disappeared starch calculated as the starch intake in the morning meal by the mobile bag starch disappearance. To conclude, the whole form of barley exhibited the lowest prececal mobile bag starch disappearance whereas, in relationship with large individual variations, no significant variation has been shown in glycemic parameters. Further investigations should be performed to improve methods for estimating prececal starch digestion of processed cereals in the different digestive segments of horses.
Early Predictors of Acute Kidney Injury: A Narrative Review

Accompanied with the broad application of interventional therapy, the incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) has been recently increasing in clinical renal medicine. The pathogenesis of AKI is diverse and complex. In the context of the requirements for the diagnosis and treatment of a renal disorder, a large number of studies have explored biological markers and their usefulness to the early diagnosis and treatment of AKI, including glomerular injury, renal tubular injury, and others. These biomarkers provide an important basis for early monitoring of AKI, but are still not quite sufficient. More ideal biomarkers are needed to be identified. Therefore, future studies are necessary to explore more effective biomarkers for AKI clinical practice, which would play an important role in the early diagnosis and intervention treatment of AKI. This review summarizes the important biomarkers identified by previous studies and aims to highlight the advancements that might provide new methods for early clinical diagnosis and effective therapeutic options, along with prediction of response to treatment for AKI.
Comparison of Feature-Based Criminal Network Detection Models with k-Core and n-Clique

Four group detection models (e.g. GDM, OGDM, SoDM and ComDM) are developed based on crime data features. These detection models are compared more common baseline SNA group detection algorithms. It is intended to find out, whether these four crime data specific group detection models can perform better than widely used k-core and n-clique algorithms. Two data sets which contain previously known criminal networks are used as testbeds.
Comparison of intracytoplasmic sperm injection for inbred and hybrid mice

We compared the results of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) that leads to full term development of hybrid (B6C3F1 and B6D2F1) and inbred (C57BL/6) mouse embryos. Although fertilization and pre‐implantation development of C57BL/6 eggs were similar to those of F1 hybrid eggs, post‐implantation development of the embryos from C57BL/6 females was significantly poorer than those of the eggs from hybrid females. Reciprocal crosses of C57BL/6 and B6C3F1 gametes revealed that the low rate of post‐implantation development of C57BL/6 embryos was due to oocyte factor(s), rather than the sperm factor. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 60: 74–78, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
OptiSec3D - A new Paradigm in Secure Communication and Authentication featuring Time-of-Flight

Information security and trust represent fundamental requirements for todayâs information and communication systems as well as interconnected embedded systems. If these requirements are not tackled properly, security attacks, such as relay attacks, may compromise these systems severely. Here we introduce OptiSec3D, a new paradigm in secure communication systems. The presented approach for secure communication and authentication uniquely enhances the key enabling Time-of-Flight 3D localization technology with optical communication abilities. By extending these features with state-of-the-art security anchors, new levels of trust and security can be reached for information and communication systems. This work not only provides the background and concept of this secure communication and authentication approach, but also demonstrates its feasible implementation by means of a very first prototype. Furthermore, we outline how security attacks, such as relay attacks, can be counteracted and how future OptiSec3D-based security-critical systems will look like.
A Binarisation Approach to Non-Convex Quadratically Constrained Quadratic Programs

The global optimisation of non-convex quadratically constrained quadratic programs is a notoriously difficult problem, being not only NP-hard in the strong sense, but also very difficult in practice. We present a new heuristic approach to this problem, which enables one to obtain solutions of good quality in reasonable computing times. The heuristic consists of four phases: binarisation, convexification, branchand-bound and local optimisation. Computational results, on boxconstrained and point packing instances, are encouraging.
Active Mek2 as a regulatory scaffold that promotes Pin1 binding to BPGAP1 to suppress BPGAP1-induced acute Erk activation and cell migration

BPGAP1 is a multidomain Rho GTPase-activating protein (RhoGAP) that promotes Erk activation and cell motility. However, the molecular mechanism of how these two processes are linked and regulated remains unclear. Here, we show that the RhoGAP domain of BPGAP1 interacts with the peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans isomerase (PPI) Pin1, leading to enhanced GAP activity towards RhoA. BPGAP1 also interacted with wild-type and constitutively active Mek2, but not with its kinase-dead mutant. However, only active Mek2 could bind Pin1, acting as a scaffold to bridge Pin1 and BPGAP1 in a manner that involves the release of an autoinhibited proline-rich motif, 186-PPLP-189, proximal to the RhoGAP domain. This allows the non-canonical 186-PPLP-189 and 256-DDYGD-260 motifs of the proline-rich region and RhoGAP domain of BPGAP1 to become accessible to concerted binding by the WW and PPI domains of Pin1, respectively. Interestingly, Pin1 knockdown led to ‘super-induction’ of BPGAP1-induced acute, but not chronic, Erk activation upon epidermal growth factor stimulation, in a process independent of GAP modulation. Reintroducing Pin1, but not its catalytic or non-binding mutants, reversed the effect and inhibited cell migration induced by coexpression of BPGAP1 and active Mek2. Thus, Pin1 regulates BPGAP1 function in Rho and Erk signalling, with active Mek2 serving as a novel regulatory scaffold that promotes crosstalk between RhoGAP, Pin1 and Erk in the regulation of cell migration.
Simple Estimators For Hard Problems: Endogeneity and Dependence in Binary Choice Related Models

This paper describes numerically simple estimators that can be used to estimate binary choice and other related models (such as selection and ordered choice models) when some regressors are endogenous or mismeasured. Simple estimators are provided that allow for discrete or otherwise limited endogenous regressors, lagged dependent variables and other dynamic effects, heteroskedastic and autocorrelated latent errors, and latent Þxed effects.
Assessment of safety culture at a nuclear reprocessing plant

Abstract This paper describes a detailed survey of attitudes towards safety at the Sellafield site of British Nuclear Fuels in Cumbria. Focus groups were held to elicit safety-relevant beliefs, attitudes and values, and the material was incorporated into a 172-item questionnaire administered as part of the monthly team briefings, and preceded by an explanatory video. Data were collected in this survey from 5296 participants. The questions covered nine domains of safety, i.e. safety procedures, risks, job satisfaction, safety rules, participation, training, control, and design of plant. Each domain was analysed by principal components analysis and 38 factors were extracted. The 19 accounting for most variance were analysed. Factor scores were validated against reported number of lost-time accidents and most discriminated at high levels of significance. Various methods for analysing the data are described. Results were compared with a ‘generic’ analysis of the whole data set, which produced 42 factors. Thes.
Exposure Enriched Case‐Control (EECC) Design for the Assessment of Gene–Environment Interaction

Genetic susceptibility and environmental exposure both play an important role in the aetiology of many diseases. Case‐control studies are often the first choice to explore the joint influence of genetic and environmental factors on the risk of developing a rare disease. In practice, however, such studies may have limited power, especially when susceptibility genes are rare and exposure distributions are highly skewed. We propose a variant of the classical case‐control study, the exposure enriched case‐control (EECC) design, where not only cases, but also high (or low) exposed individuals are oversampled, depending on the skewness of the exposure distribution. Of course, a traditional logistic regression model is no longer valid and results in biased parameter estimation. We show that addition of a simple covariate to the regression model removes this bias and yields reliable estimates of main and interaction effects of interest. We also discuss optimal design, showing that judicious oversampling of high/low exposed individuals can boost study power considerably. We illustrate our results using data from a study involving arsenic exposure and detoxification genes in Bangladesh.
A Cognitive Analysis of Wayfinding Expertise

Expert and novice wayfinders were surveyed to isolate wayfinding expertise. The analysis of the results is dependent not only on typical statistical measures but also on information graphics that capture the subjects' cognitive problem-solving procedures and representations as they wayfind using a map. Results suggest that expert wayfinders possess an 'enabling' style of wayfinding, allowing them to look for problem solutions, make heavy use of problem-solving strategies, and avoid specific locational knowledge if within a known, bounded area. Novice wayfinders possess a 'preventing' style of wayfinding causing them to look for problems, use few strategies and wayfind by following a string of landmarks. Experts showed an ability to adjust the detail of mental representation according to the complexity of the task, whereas novices lacked both representational richness and the flexibility of the experts. On a fait une enquete chez les experts et les novices en orientation pour faire ressortir l'expertise en.
Modeling User Perception of Interaction Opportunities in Collaborative Human-Computer Settings

Interruptions are important for effective collaborative work, because agents often possess information required by others on their team. This need to get information from another agent arises in mixed human-computer teams as well as in homogeneous computer-agent environments. For example, a (human) driver may see changes in weather conditions that affect route selection while an automated navigation system without sensors does not. The navigation system may need this information to identify the best route. It is crucial to time interruptions, which are inherently disruptive, appropriately. Efficient interruption timing improves task performance as well as emotional state and awareness of the user, and decreases the negative effects of interruption (Adamczyk & Bailey 2004). A key aspect of reasoning about interruptions in collaborative settings is the ability to accurately estimate the costs and benefits of the interruption so that the outcome of the interruption positively affects group task outcomes. Cost estimation has been investigated in prior work on interruption management (Horvitz & Apacible 2003), but this work presumes a benefit to the user of having information the computer system can provide. The benefits of interruption have been studied in the adjustable-autonomy literature, but that work focuses on when to turn control over to a person (Tambe et al. 2006). Few models have combined these two aspects into an integrated decision making mechanism (Fleming & Cohen 2001), and none have done so in the kinds of fast-paced domains we consider, i.e., domains in which agents are distributed, conditions may be rapidly changing, actions occur at a fast pace, and decisions must be made within tightly constrained time frames. Furthermore, almost no attention has been paid to the possible discrepancy between a computer agent’s calculation of the utility of the interruption and a person’s estimation of the usefulness of the interruption. The failure to estimate accurately may lead to a person rejecting the interruption, and thus to a missed opportunity to improve team performance, turning the interruption into an unnecessary disturbance. Our research proposes a new model for interruption management. This model aims to help maximize the efficiency
The Existential Consequences of an Unjust World: The Effects of Individual Differences in Belief in a Just World and Just World Threats on Death-Thought Accessibility

Research has demonstrated that undermining cultural worldviews increases death-thought accessibility (DTA). However, individual differences in commitment to a particular worldview may predict DTA when that belief is challenged. In the present research, we tested if individual differences in belief in a just world (BJW) relate to DTA when the BJW is undermined. In Studies 1 and 3, BJW was associated with DTA when people reflected on an unfair experience. Study 3 indicated that this effect is driven by general BJW. In Study 2, BJW was associated with DTA after the 2012 presidential election among individuals who supported the losing candidate.
Picture-Elicited Written Narratives, Process and Product, in 18 Children With Cochlear Implants

The purpose of the study was to explore the narrative writing of 18 children, ages 11 to 19, with severe and profound hearing impairment who had cochlear implants (CI), compared with the performance of hearing children. Nine of the 18 children had prelingual deafness and 9 children had postlingual deafness. The hearing impairment was progressive in 11 children. The participants thus formed a heterogeneous group, which was split in two ways: according to age at testing and age at implantation. The narratives were collected by means of keystroke logging. The difference between the children with CI and the hearing children was most prominent for two measures: the percentage of pause time (in the group of children older than 13 years) and lexical density. Furthermore, the children implanted after 5 years of age performed more like the hearing children. This group consisted of children with postlingual deafness and also of children who were deafened progressively. Our interpretation is that these children benefited from the early linguistic input. Taking the whole group of participants into consideration, the results reflect linguistic and cognitive processing limitations in complex linguistic tasks like narration for the children with CI in comparison with their hearing peers.
Examining near-source effects in the far field

A fundamental objective of the S-6 (physical basis for discrimination) sub-task of the CTBT RD linking the results of these near-source calculations to finite difference, anelastic wave propagation codes allows us to examine the effect of various source region and propagation path characteristics on signals observed at regional distances. An investigation of discriminant differences for the DIVIDER and CORREO underground nuclear explosions is provided as an example of the approach used.
Network function placement on virtualized cellular cores

The proliferation of mobiles devices, application sprawl, and the ever-increasing data volume generates significant stress on cellular networks and particularly on the cellular core, also known as the Evolved Packet Core (EPC). This is further exacerbated by the deployment of hardware appliances for the implementation of a wide range of network functions (e.g., gateways, mobility management, firewalls, network address translation), hindering any opportunity for elastic provisioning, and eventually leading to high operational costs and a significant degree of load imbalance across the EPC. Network Function Virtualization (NFV) has been seen a promising solution in order to enable elasticity in the cellular core. Applying NFV to the EPC raises the need for network function (NF) placement, which in turn entails significant challenges, due to the stringent delay budgets among cellular core components and the coexistence of communicating data and control plane elements. To address these challenges, we present a linear programming (LP) formulation for the computation of NF placements that strikes a balance between optimality and time complexity. Our evaluation results show that the LP achieves significantly better load balancing, request acceptance rate, and resource utilization compared to a greedy algorithm that performs NF placement inline with carriers' common practice today.
Defensive communication climate as a barrier to sex education in the home.

This paper uses Gibbs categories of supportive and defensive communication climates to investigate whether substantial differences exist in the communication climate during discussions of sexuality between undergraduates (N=194) in Kansas and their parents and undergraduates and their closest friends. Results indicated that Gibbs categories can be collapsed into 1 factor labeled communication climate. Data indicate that the climate between parents and children is more defensive than the climate between peers during discussions of sexuality. While peers provide the most sex information mothers outrank fathers as sex information providers. Gibbs categories of defensive climates are: evaluation; control; strategy; neutrality; superiority; and certainty. His categories for supportive climates are: description; problem orientation; spontaneity; empathy; equality; and provisionalism. Subjects were given questionnaires to complete. The study focused on computing and comparing students perceived communication climate existant between themselves and their mothers. Fathers same-sex peers and opposite-sex peers concerning conversations about sexuality. Using the methodology of self-report of the students perceptions of the communication climate in conversations with their parents and peers is a major limitation. What may be needed is an interactional interpersonal approach that views the family as a unit or system and takes into account multiple perspectives on communication climate.