Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Venous Reflux From the Pelvis and Vulvoperineal Region as a Possible Cause of Lower Extremity Varicose Veins: Diagnosis With Computed Tomographic and Ultrasonographic Findings

Objective: The aim of this study was to demonstrate with the use of computed tomography and ultrasonography that isolated venous reflux from the pelvis and vulvoperineal region is a possible cause of lower extremity varicose veins. Methods: From a consecutive series of patients who were referred to the vascular imaging laboratory, we retrospectively selected patients who had unusual lower extremity varicose veins that arose from the pelvis and vulvoperineal region. Computed tomographic venography and ultrasonograhy were used to exclude other causes of varicose veins. We reviewed medical records to evaluate the presence of pelvic congestion syndrome. Computed tomographic findings were reviewed to locate ovarian vein dilatation. Results: Twenty limbs of 15 female patients (age range, 33-72 years; mean age, 53.2 years) were diagnosed with varicose veins that arose from the pelvis and vulvoperineal region without any saphenofemoral insufficiency. Eleven patients (73.3%) had no history of chronic pelvic pain. Four patients (26.7%) presented with chronic pelvic pain without any other evident gynecological etiology. Dilatation of the left ovarian vein was seen in 10 patients (67%; mean dilatation, 8.6 mm; range, 7.5-9.6 mm). Five patients (33%; mean dilatation, 4.9 mm; range, 3.8-6.6 mm) showed no ovarian vein dilatation. Conclusions: The combined use of computed tomographic venography and ultrasonography may be a possible noninvasive method for the diagnosis of unusual lower extremity varicose veins. Venous reflux from the pelvis and vulvoperineal region as a cause of lower extremity varicose veins can manifest without evidence of pelvic congestion syndrome or ovarian vein dilatation.
Robust recognition and pose determination of 3-D objects using range images in eigenspace approach

In this paper we propose a robust method for recognition and pose determination of 3-D objects using range images in the eigenspace approach. Instead of computing the coefficients by a projection of the data onto the eigenimages, we determine the coefficients by solving a set of linear equations in a robust manner. The method efficiently overcomes the problem of missing pixels, noise and occlusions in range images. The results show that the proposed method outperforms the standard one in recognition and pose determination.
A Plea for a Realignment in Corporate Governance Research

The prevailing overall concepts in two major areas of corporate governance research are incompatible: Research on the country level (comparative corporate governance) stresses potential relationships among governance components, whereas the vast majority of company level research ignores the potential existence of such relationships. Put more generally, the question of principle is whether governance components can be analyzed without consideration of the remaining governance structure. A survey of the empirical company level research supports the hypotheses that such relationships exist and might contribute to the inconclusive results with regard to the relationship between most governance components and corporate performance. A more systemic approach of company level governance research is recommended.
Evolutionary multi-objective distance metric learning for multi-label clustering

In data mining and machine learning, the definition of the distance between two data points substantially affects clustering and classification tasks. We propose a distance metric learning (DML) method for multi-label clustering, that uses evolutionary multi-objective optimization and a cluster validity measure with a neighbor relation that simultaneously evaluates inter- and intra-clusters. The proposed method produces clustering results considering multiple class labels and allows the induction of knowledge regarding relations between class labels in multi-label clustering or between objective functions and elements in transform matrix. Experimental results have shown that the proposed DML method produces better transform matrices than single-objective optimization and is helpful in finding the attributes that affect the trade-off relationship among objective functions.
Modelling Electroosmotic Flow in Porous Media for Microfluidic Applications

In this work, a model is developed that provides a general framework for the modelling of electroosmotic flow and pressure-driven flow in porous media of different geometries. This model is found to be compatible with standard theory, but incorporates viscous shear stresses into the model which enables the modelling of fluid flow in both porous and open channels. The model is based upon the generalized porous medium equations devised for pressure-driven flow, and thus reduces to the Navier-Stokes equations in the case of an open channel. The model is used to solve for the volume-averaged flow profile in a 2D channel with adjacent open and porous segments with mismatched zeta potentials. The flow profile in the open segment deviates substantially from the flat profile one would normally expect with electroosmotic flow. The deviation from the typical flat flow profile in the porous segment is much less severe.
All-Optical Inverter Based on Polarization Switching in VCSELs Subject to Single and Dual Optical Injection

All-optical inversion in single-mode vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) under single- and dual-polarized optical injection is numerically analyzed. For single optical injection, turn-on delay of the parallel polarized power and spikes of the orthogonally polarized power are similar to those found when gain-switching a multimode semiconductor laser. We consider two different methods for all-optical inversion using dual-polarized optical injection. In the first (second) method, pulses of orthogonally (parallel) polarized light and a CW parallel (orthogonally) polarized beam are injected into the VCSEL. Similar switching times and extinction ratios are obtained with both methods. Faster operation with any of these two methods is obtained than for single injection. We show that both types of dual optical injection produce all-optical inversion and all-optical gating with similar characteristics. All-optical gating and inversion are achieved for a 2.5 Gb/s NRZ signal.
The Hypothesis Of Jobless Economic Growth In The Global Triad Countries

The aim of the study is to analyze the hypothesis of jobless economic growth in economic theory and in the Global Triad countries (U.S. , EU-15, Japan, China , India). In the article the research method based on the literature study in the field of macroeconomics and international finance were used, as well as econometric methods (Ordinary Least Squares). All the statistics used in the study had an annual frequency and covered the period from 1990 to 2012. These data came from the statistical database of the Business Membership and Research Association – The Conference Board Total Economy Database. On the basis of the study the phenomenon of jobless economic growth in China and India was revealed. However, in the case of the USA, the EU-15 and Japan the positive impact of economic growth on changes in employment was confirmed.
Spinning climate change: Corporate and NGO public relations strategies in Canada and the United States

This article examines the role of PR in the debate about global climate change. Seeking to move beyond a focus on PR as just the handmaiden of corporate power, the article documents the fluid role of professionalized communication in terms of its impact on both corporate and NGO actors and their activities, focusing on communication tactics and the influence of PR consultancies. Drawing from the debates around the transformation of the public sphere, the article argues that the climate change issue illustrates not only structural change but also a wider cultural transformation marked by the emergence of promotionalism as the dominant communicative logic of both powerful and institutionally weaker players. It is argued that although existing political and economic resources provide certain actors with significant advantages, these assets and the structural advantages they tend to accrue cannot alone determine the outcome of struggles over climate change policy and public opinion.
Can Social Protection Tackle Chronic Poverty?

AbstractRecent developments in social protection have shifted its focus on to risk and vulnerability. These contribute to poverty directly, but also indirectly through the response of poor households to risk. The extent to which social protection interventions could address chronic poverty is unclear. A hard and fast distinction between transient and chronic poverty suggests a bifurcation in anti-poverty policy, with social protection addressing the former, and asset transfer policies the latter. To the extent that factors behind chronic poverty extend beyond the direct and indirect impact of risk on households, social protection can at best constitute a partial response. The paper discusses these issues and concludes that ‘broad’ social protection can have an important role in interrupting risk and vulnerability among the chronic poor.Les développements récents sur la protection sociale se sont concentrés sur les notions de risque et de vulnérabilité. Ces derniers contribuent directement aux phénomènes de pauvreté, et indirectement également, à travers la réponse des ménages pauvres au risque. L'impact des modifications de la protection sociale sur la pauvreté chronique reste peu clair. La distinction radicale entre pauvretés chronique et transitoire suggère une modification des politiques anti-pauvreté, la protection sociale étant affectée à la pauvreté transitoire, et les politiques de transfert d'actifs à la pauvreté chronique. Dans la mesure où les facteurs déterminants de la pauvreté chronique dépassent les questions de l'impact direct et indirect du risque sur les ménages, la protection sociale peut au mieux constituer une réponse partielle. L'article propose une analyse de ces problèmes, et conclut qu'une protection sociale hélargiei peut avoir un rôle important en matière de réduction du risque et de la vulnérabilité associée à la pauvreté chronique.
Atmospheric Electron Induced X-Ray Spectrometer (AEXS) Development

The progress in the development of the Atmospheric Electron X-ray Spectrometer (AEXS) is described. The AEXS is a surface analysis tool based on excitation of characteristic X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectra from samples in ambient atmospheres using a focused electron beam. Operation in ambient atmospheres with moderate-to-high spatial resolution in comparison to similar instruments is obtained through the use of a thin electron transmissive membrane to isolate the vacuum of the electron probe, obviating the need for the samples to be drawn into the probe vacuum. Our initial setup consisted of an actively pumped chamber from within which the electrons were transmitted -not a portable instrument. The instrument that has been assembled and used to acquire XRF spectra in our laboratory during the past two years consists of a 20 keV electron tube sealed with a SiN membrane and requires no active pumping -a big step towards the development of a stand-alone instrument. The microprobe was used to perform elemental analysis of NIST and USGS standards, with good agreement with the certified composition for samples in up to about 90 Torr-cm thick atmosphere, and for resolving the composition of mm-sized mineral grains in inhomogeneous samples, a big improvement over the several cm-scale spatial resolution of the APXS instrument that flew on NASA's MER mission.
A 276 nW, area-eficient CMOS subbandgap reference circuit

An ultra low power CMOS voltage reference has been developed in a low-cost CMOS 130 nm technology. The design benefits in particular from using only one standard CMOS process without incorporating any resistors, op-amp, bipolar transistor or other CMOS processes. The circuit draws ultra low current of 230 nA from supply voltage of 1.2 V. The proposed circuit generates output an voltage of 698.5 mV with a temperature coefficient (TC) of 107ppm/°C in a range from 0 °C to 120 °C. It achieves superior coefficient of variation, σ/μ, of 0.79 % respect to other reported state-of-the-art solutions. It also features a very small size of 78.2 μm × 91 μm with an active area of 0.007 mm2.
Knowledge-based integrated Production Management Model applied to automotive companies

This paper aims to examine the relevance of a production management model, in the shop-floor operations environment, that integrates the dimensions of production organisation (lean and mass production), work organisation (enriched and semi-autonomous groups) and knowledge management. A theoretical model has been applied to automotive companies to verify model adherence. Each of those dimensions has been described by factors. Shop-floor personnel interviews were conducted to confirm the factors relevance to that company. Results have shown that the model represented the reality of those companies concerning the researched dimensions. The factors allow managers to promote a favourable context for knowledge sharing.
“Neural Efficiency” of Athletes’ Brain during Visuo-Spatial Task: An fMRI Study on Table Tennis Players

Long-term training leads experts to develop a focused and efficient organization of task-related neural networks. “Neural efficiency” hypothesis posits that neural activity is reduced in experts. Here we tested the following working hypotheses: compared to non-athletes, athletes showed lower cortical activation in task-sensitive brain areas during the processing of sports related and sports unrelated visuo-spatial tasks. To address this issue, cortical activation was examined with fMRI in 14 table tennis athletes and 14 non-athletes while performing the visuo-spatial tasks. Behavioral results showed that athletes reacted faster than non-athletes during both types of the tasks, and no accuracy difference was found between athletes and non-athletes. fMRI data showed that, athletes exhibited less brain activation than non-athletes in the bilateral middle frontal gyrus, right middle orbitofrontal area, right supplementary motor area, right paracentral lobule, right precuneus, left supramarginal gyrus, right angular gyrus, left inferior temporal gyrus, left middle temporal gyrus, bilateral lingual gyrus and left cerebellum crus. No region was significantly more activated in the athletes than in the non-athletes. These findings possibly suggest that long-standing training prompt athletes develop a focused and efficient organization of task-related neural networks, as a possible index of “neural efficiency” in athletes engaged in visuo-spatial tasks, and this functional reorganization is possibly task-specific.
Detection of novel intracellular O‐synuclein oligomeric species by fluorescence lifetime imaging

Oligomerization and aggregation of α‐synuclein molecules are believed to play a major role in neuronal dysfunction and loss in Parkinson's disease (PD) and dementia with Lewy bodies. However, α‐synuclein oligomerization and aggregation have been detected only indirectly in cells using detergent extraction methods. Here, we show for the first time intracellular α‐synuclein oligomerization using fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM). Two forms of α‐synuclein homomeric interactions were detected: an antiparallel amino terminus‐carboxyl terminus interaction between α‐synuclein molecules, and a close amino terminuscarboxy terminus interaction within single α‐synuclein molecules. Coexpression of the chaperone protein Hsp70, which can block α‐synuclein toxicity in several systems, causes α‐synuclein to adopt a different, open conformation, but Hsp70 does not alter α‐synuclein–synuclein interactions. Thus, the neuroprotective effect of Hsp70 can be explained by its chaperone activity on α‐synuclein molecules, rather than alteration of α‐synuclein–α‐synuclein interactions. —Klucken, J., Outeiro, T. F. , Nyugen, P., McLean, P. J., and Hyman, B. T. Detection of novel intracellular α‐synuclein oligomeric species by fluorescence lifetime imaging. FASEB J. 20, 2050–2057 (2006)
Investimentos estaduais públicos e privados: "bens" substitutos ou complementares?

The purpose of this paper is to quantify the relationship between public and private investment during the period 1991-2004. The results indicate the existence of strength complementarity's relationship between both type of investments, both for Brazil and its States, with the estimative ranging between (0,740) and (1,135). Only for the states of Alagoas, Goias, Mato Grosso, Pernambuco and Sergipe the elasticity are relatively low, ranging from (0,447) to (0,668).
Error analysis of fundus image registration using quadratic model transfformation

Feature-based registration of retinal images proved to be very successful especially for minimally overlapping images. The most commonly used transformation method uses a quadratic model to represent the geometry of the retinal surface. Although this model has been used for more than one decade, there is no literature that studies the model errors for abnormal eye geometries. In this work, we present a study of the registration errors of the quadratic model in case of diseased eyes. The study includes two basic models of the retinal surface for eyes suffering from: myopia; and retinal diseases (e.g. age related macular degeneration). In addition, real datasets of age related macular degeneration (AMD) patients have been used to quantify the registration error. The simulation results show that the average error can be as high as 13 pixels at extreme conditions of myopia and retinal diseases. For real datasets with typical disease conditions, the error was found to be 2.6 pixels.
Comparing Auctions for Risk Averse Buyers: A Buyer's Point of View

Buyer's preferences over auctions depend on their measure of absolute risk aversion. If it is constant and they have independent private values, they are indifferent between a first-price auction (FPA), a second-price auction (SPA), and a first-price auction in which the number of bidders is revealed before bids are taken (FPA- R). If they have decreasing absolute risk aversion, they prefer the SPA to the FPA-R to the FPA. Their preference for the SPA is diminished to the extent that their values are affiliated. Affiliation also causes them to prefer the number of bidders to be revealed, whereas the seller then prefers to keep it secret. Copyright 1987 by The Econometric Society.
Cellular Analysis of Silencing the Huntington's Disease Gene Using AAV9 Mediated Delivery of Artificial Micro RNA into the Striatum of Q140/Q140 Mice.

BACKGROUND The genetic mutation in Huntington's disease (HD) is a CAG repeat expansion in the coding region of the huntingtin (Htt) gene. RNAi strategies have proven effective in substantially down-regulating Htt mRNA in the striatum through delivery of siRNAs or viral vectors based on whole tissue assays, but the extent of htt mRNA lowering in individual neurons is unknown. OBJECTIVE Here we characterize the effect of an AAV9-GFP-miRHtt vector on Htt mRNA levels in striatal neurons of Q140/Q140 knock-in mice. METHODS HD mice received bilateral striatal injections of AAV9-GFP-miRHtt or AAV9-GFP at 6 or 12 weeks and striata were evaluated at 6 months of age for levels of Htt mRNA and protein and for mRNA signal within striatal neurons using RNAscope multiplex fluorescence in situ hybridization. RESULTS Compared to controls, the striatum of 6-month old mice treated at 6 or 12 weeks of age with AAV9-GFP-miRHtt showed a reduction of 40-50% in Htt mRNA and lowering of 25-40% in protein levels. The number of Htt mRNA foci in medium spiny neurons (MSNs) of untreated Q140/Q140 mice varied widely per cell (0 to 34 per cell), with ∼10% of MSNs devoid of foci. AAV9-GFP-miRHtt treatment shifted the distribution toward lower numbers and the percentage of cells without foci increased to 14-20%. The average number of Htt mRNA foci per MSN was reduced by 43%. CONCLUSIONS The findings here show that intrastriatal infusion of an AAV9-GFP-miRHtt vector lowers mRNA expression of Htt in striatum by ∼50%, through a partial reduction in the number of copies of mutant Htt mRNAs per cell. These findings demonstrate at the neuronal level the variable levels of Htt mRNA expression in MSNs and the neuronal heterogeneity of RNAi dependent Htt mRNA knockdown.
Analysis of a Unique Interaction between the Complement Regulatory Protein Factor H and the Periodontal Pathogen Treponema denticola

ABSTRACT Treponema denticola, a spirochete associated with periodontitis, is abundant at the leading edge of subgingival plaque, where it interacts with gingival epithelia. T. denticola produces a number of virulence factors, including dentilisin, a protease which is cytopathic to host cells, and FhbB, a unique T. denticola lipoprotein that binds complement regulatory proteins. Earlier analyses suggested that FhbB specifically bound to factor H (FH)-like protein 1 (FHL-1). However, by using dentilisin-deficient mutants of T. denticola, we found that T. denticola preferentially binds FH and not FHL-1, and that FH is then cleaved by dentilisin to yield an FH subfragment of ∼50 kDa. FH bound to dentilisin-deficient mutants but was not cleaved and retained its ability to serve as a cofactor for factor I in the cleavage of C3b. To assess the molecular basis of the interaction of FhbB with FH, mutational analyses were conducted. Replacement of specific residues in widely separated domains of FhbB and disruption of a central alpha helix with coiled-coil formation probability attenuated or eliminated FH binding. The data presented here are the first to demonstrate the retention at the cell surface of a proteolytic cleavage product of FH. The precise role of this FH fragment in the host-pathogen interaction remains to be determined.
Tagged probabilistic simulation based error probability estimation for better-than-worst case circuit design

Better than worst-case (BWC) design is an design emerging paradigm in which the conservative frequency guard-bands used in conventional designs are removed at the expense of introducing a a non-zero (but small) error probability. A fundamental challenge in the design of better-than-worst-case circuits is to devise scalable and accurate techniques for error-probability estimation - in this paper we present a new solution to address this challenge using the concept of tagged probabilistic simulations (TPS), which were first introduced in the context of dynamic power estimation. We show that TPS can, in comparison to the existing state-of-the-art, (a) provide consistent speed-up over error probability estimation using timing simulations; and (b) simultaneously provide estimates of both dynamic power dissipation and error probability. To illustrate the benefits of TPS based error probability estimation, we propose two power optimization techniques: a) a gate-level dual-VDD assignment tool b) a gate-sizing technique which optimize the cells used in a design for a certain error and power constraints.