Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Image Based Contamination Detection on Hard Disk Head Gimbal Assembly

Contamination may appear in various stages of hard disk manufacturing including the head gimbal assembly. Currently, the detection of contamination requires manual intervention. An image based automatic contamination detection strategy is therefore presented. After a preprocessing step, the contamination detection algorithm first detects potential areas of contamination using circle detection. Then, each of the contamination contenders are classified as either a contamination or noncontamination using a set of specific rules. The algorithm hasbeen tested on 1,050 head gimbal assembly images of which 313 depicted contaminations. Our preliminary results yields an accuracy of 73.8% with a false negative rate of 34.8% anda false positive rate of 23.6%. Future work includes finetuning the contamination classification rules.
Functional roles of NMDA receptor NR2A and NR2B subunits in the acute intoxicating effects of ethanol in mice

The present study examined the roles of NR2A and NR2B subunit‐containing NMDA receptors in the mediation of the sedative/hypnotic effects of ethanol in mice. The ability of the competitive NMDA antagonist, CGP‐37849 (0, 1, or 3 mg/kg), and the NR2B‐selective antagonist, Ro 25‐6981 (0, 3, or 10 mg/kg), to alter (3 g/kg) ethanol‐induced sleep time was measured in C57BL/6J mice and NR2A knockout (KO) mice. The results show that pretreatment with either antagonist significantly potentiated the sedative/hypnotic effects of ethanol in C57BL/6J mice. These effects were not significantly altered in NR2A KO mice. Basal sleep time responses to ethanol were also normal in NR2A KO mice. These findings confirm a major role for NMDA receptors in the acute intoxicating actions of ethanol and provide tentative support for a prepotent role of the NR2B subunit in these effects. Synapse 56:222–225, 2005. Published 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A Model for the Development of Mothers' Perceived Vulnerability of Preterm Infants

Objective: Some mothers of preterm infants continue to view them as vulnerable after their health has improved. These exaggerated perceptions of vulnerability lead to poor parent-child interactions and, subsequently, to adverse child outcomes. However, there is no theoretical model to explain why these exaggerated perceptions develop in only some mother-child dyads. Method: Data for this study come from a randomized trial of an intervention to reduce distress in mothers of preterm infants. A total of 105 mothers older than 18 years of infants aged 25–34 weeks, weighing >600 g and with clinically significant anxiety, depression, or trauma symptoms, were recruited and randomized. Women were assessed at baseline, after intervention, and at 6 months after birth. The outcome for these analyses was perceptions of infant vulnerability as measured by the Vulnerable Baby Scale (VBS) at 6 months after birth. A theoretical model developed from the extant literature was tested using the MacArthur Mediator-Moderator Approach. Results: A dysfunctional coping style, high depression, anxiety, or trauma symptoms in response to the preterm birth, and low social support were related to 6-month VBS scores. Maternal response to trauma was directly related to VBS, and an important precursor of maternal response to trauma was a dysfunctional coping style. Conclusions: This model suggests that maternal responses to trauma are critical in the formation of exaggerated perceptions of vulnerability as are dysfunctional coping styles and low social support. Women with these characteristics should be targeted for intervention to prevent poor parenting practices that result from exaggerated perceptions of vulnerability.
Evolving practices of end user articulation in software co-design

The work is focused on new techniques and practices that support end user to get involved in software co-design. Social networks, variations of self-documentation and new interactive technologies enable new forms of user involvement in software development projects. The potential of new practices and also the issues that come with these methods will be reflected. Die Arbeit thematisiert neue Technologien und Praktiken zur Unterstutzung der Nutzereinbindung im Software Co-Design. Soziale Netzwerke, Variationen der Selbstdokumentation und neue interaktive Technologien ermoglichen neue Formen der Beteiligung an Software Entwicklungsprojekten. Das Potential neuer Praktiken und auch die Herausforderungen bei der Anwendung solcher Methoden werden reflektiert.
Anxiety and diabetes: Innovative approaches to management in primary care

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a chief concern for patients, healthcare providers, and health care systems in America, and around the globe. Individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus exhibit clinical and subclinical symptoms of anxiety more frequently than people without diabetes. Anxiety is traditionally associated with poor metabolic outcomes and increased medical complications among those with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Collaborative care models have been utilized in the multidisciplinary treatment of mental health problems and chronic disease, and have demonstrated success in managing the pathology of depression which often accompanies diabetes. However, no specific treatment model has been published that links the treatment of anxiety to the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Given the success of collaborative care models in treating depression associated with diabetes, and anxiety unrelated to chronic disease, it is possible that the collaborative care treatment of primary care patients who suffer from both anxiety and diabetes could be met with the same success. The key issue is determining how to implement and sustain these models in practice. This review summarizes the proposed link between anxiety and diabetes, and offers an innovative and evidence-based collaborative care model for anxiety and diabetes in primary care.
Reduced glycine transporter type 1 expression leads to major changes in glutamatergic neurotransmission of CA1 hippocampal neurones in mice

To investigate the effects of persistent elevation of synaptic glycine at Schaffer collateral–CA1 synapses of the hippocampus, we studied the glutamatergic synaptic transmission in acute brain slices from mice with reduced expression of glycine transporter type 1 (GlyT1+/−) as compared to wild type (WT) littermates using whole‐cell patch‐clamp recordings of CA1 pyramidal cells. We observed faster decay kinetics, reduced ifenprodil sensitivity and increased zinc‐induced antagonism in N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptor (NMDAR) currents of GlyT1+/− mice. Moreover, the ratio α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methylisoxazole‐4‐propionic acid receptor (AMPAR)/NMDAR was decreased in mutants compared to WT. Surprisingly, this change was associated with a reduction in the number of AMPARs expressed at the CA1 synapses in the mutants compared to WT. Overall, these findings highlight the importance of GlyT1 in regulating glutamatergic neurotransmission.
TLR4 Signaling Pathway Modulators as Potential Therapeutics in Inflammation and Sepsis

Toll-Like Receptor 4 (TLR4) signal pathway plays an important role in initiating the innate immune response and its activation by bacterial endotoxin is responsible for chronic and acute inflammatory disorders that are becoming more and more frequent in developed countries. Modulation of the TLR4 pathway is a potential strategy to specifically target these pathologies. Among the diseases caused by TLR4 abnormal activation by bacterial endotoxin, sepsis is the most dangerous one because it is a life-threatening acute system inflammatory condition that still lacks specific pharmacological treatment. Here, we review molecules at a preclinical or clinical phase of development, that are active in inhibiting the TLR4-MyD88 and TLR4-TRIF pathways in animal models. These are low-molecular weight compounds of natural and synthetic origin that can be considered leads for drug development. The results of in vivo studies in the sepsis model and the mechanisms of action of drug leads are presented and critically discussed, evidencing the differences in treatment results from rodents to humans.
Depression and anxiety screening after stroke: adherence to guidelines and future directions

Purpose: This article examines practical approaches to increasing rates of screening for depression and anxiety in hospital-based stroke services. Method: The literature on depression and anxiety following stroke is briefly reviewed together with evidence relating to screening. A small-scale trial of an educational and support package to improve screening rates compared 30 consecutive admissions before and after the intervention. An extended commentary on the outcome considered alternative approaches to improving screening. Results: The literature review confirmed that depression after stroke has multiple adverse effects and that screening is not universally applied. There has been less research into anxiety after stroke, but it is likely that anxiety screening is also incomplete. The trial of the intervention to promote screening demonstrated strong trends towards improvement for depression (23.3%; odds ratio 2.67; χ2 p = 0.067) and a trend for anxiety (16.7%; odds ratio 1.96; χ2 p = 0.20). Conclusions: Education and training about depression and anxiety screening and access to screening materials improved rates of screening to a limited degree. An extended commentary explored how screening rates might be further improved by considering the intervention strategy, the staffing model, the training approach and the screening methods themselves. Finally, consideration is given to treatment approaches for mood disorders. Implications for Rehabilitation Screening is necessary to identify stroke patients who require treatment for psychological disorders. However, anxiety and depression are not explicitly screened for, or considered, in up to half of all stroke patients. Simple interventions providing education and support for training may improve rates of screening. Major improvements in screening rates will require the development of systematic protocols, using the principles of knowledge translation, that consider organizational factors, the staff involved, the training required and the screening instruments to use.
A Reclassification of IS Security Analysis Approaches

The role of security management in the development and operation of information systems has a long tradition of research in computer science, information systems and management science. Integrating the economic, organizational, and technical aspects of information systems security analysis and assessment requires a bridging of these different research streams. We examined major articles published concerning IS security using a new classification scheme for IS security analysis and assessment approaches. We looked at approaches discussed in recent publications as well those examined as in past articles that have attempted to classify various approaches to IS security. This paper therefore organizes a diverse collection of literature into a cohesive whole with the aim of providing IS management with an overview of current security analysis approaches, thereby offering management an effective aide for selecting the methods best suited to their needs. Furthermore, this work structures IS security research into a classification scheme that can also be used in future research and practice.
A QXP-Based Multistep Docking Procedure for Accurate Prediction of Protein-Ligand Complexes

The two great challenges of the docking process are the prediction of ligand poses in a protein binding site and the scoring of the docked poses. Ligands that are composed of extended chains in their molecular structure display the most difficulties, predominantly because of the torsional flexibility. On the basis of the molecular docking program QXP-Flo+0802, we have developed a procedure particularly for ligands with a high degree of rotational freedom that allows the accurate prediction of the orientation and conformation of ligands in protein binding sites. Starting from an initial full Monte Carlo docking experiment, this was achieved by performing a series of successive multistep docking runs using a local Monte Carlo search with a restricted rotational angle, by which the conformational search space is limited. The method was established by using a highly flexible acetylcholinesterase inhibitor and has been applied to a number of challenging protein-ligand complexes known from the literature.
A functional prepro-alpha-factor gene in Saccharomyces yeasts can contain three, four, or five repeats of the mature pheromone sequence

The chromosomal region containing a structural gene for the mating pheromone precursor prepro-alpha-factor was examined in a variety of Saccharomyces yeasts by using a cloned putative prepro-alpha-factor gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae as the probe. Analysis by restriction endonuclease digestion and Southern blot hybridization indicated that the physical arrangement of this region is highly conserved in all the Saccharomyces species analyzed, but displays length polymorphisms of limited size (50 to 60 base pairs). The observed polymorphisms were shown to be due solely to differences in the number of tandemly arranged spacer peptide/pheromone units within the coding sequence of these genes. Analysis of polyadenylated RNA indicated that these genes specified RNA transcripts and that these RNA molecules could be translated in vitro into prepro-alpha-factor polypeptides immunoprecipitable with anti-alpha-factor antibodies. The sizes of both the mRNAs and the proteins synthesized from them reflected exactly the differences observed in the lengths of the genes. These findings demonstrate conclusively that the putative prepro-alpha-factor DNA cloned from S. cerevisiae, as well as the sequences detected in the other Saccharomyces species, are indeed expressed and functional genes, and suggest that proper proteolytic processing of prepro-alpha-factor is unaffected by the number of pheromone repeats encoded within this precursor protein.
Genetic engineering of dendritic cells to express immunosuppressive molecules (viral IL‐10, TGF‐β, and CTLA4Ig)

There is growing evidence that, in addition to their role as initiators of immune responses, dendritic cells (DC) can exhibit tolerogenic properties. Immature DC deficient in cell surface costimulatory/accessory molecules can prolong organ and pancreatic islet allograft survival, whereas in vitro manipulation of DC by exposure to a variety of factors (e.g., viral interleukin‐10; CTLA4Ig) can confer tolerogenic properties on these cells. Genetic engineering of DC to express immunosuppressive molecules is, in theory, an attractive approach to the therapy of allograft rejection and possibly, autoimmune disorders. J. Leukoc. Biol. 66: 293–296; 1999.
A Double-Pulse Technique for the Dynamic I/V Characterization of GaN FETs

Standard dynamic characterization methods based on periodic narrow-pulse low duty-cycle excitation waveforms provide suboptimal I/V curves when used along with GaN field effect transistors (FETs), due to complex nonlinear charge trapping effects. Thus, a double-pulse technique for the dynamic characterization of GaN FETs is here presented. The double-pulsed I/V characteristics are shown to be not only isothermal but also corresponding to a fixed charge trapping state.
Flow cytometry detection of caspase 3 activation in preapoptotic leukemic cells.

BACKGROUND Procaspase 3 is a constitutive proenzyme that is activated by cleavage during apoptosis. The resulting enzyme is able to cleave several target proteins after the second aspartate of a DEVD sequence common to all the substrates of caspases 3 and 7 (DEVDase). Because active caspase 3 is a common effector in several apoptotic pathways, it may be a good marker to detect (pre-)apoptotic cells by flow cytometry (FCM). Materials and Methods Apoptosis was induced in U937 or bone marrow mononuclear cells by daunorubicin (DNR), idarubicin (IDA), or camptothecin (CAM). Viable and apoptotic cells were sorted by FCM on the basis of either fluorescein isothiocyante (FITC)-annexin V binding or DiOC6(3) accumulation. DEVDase activity was measured in sorted populations by spectrofluorometry. Cleaved caspase 3 was labeled in situ with phycoerythrin (PE)-conjugated anti-activated caspase 3 antibodies and analyzed by FCM. RESULTS DEVDase activity was detected in sorted viable CAM- and DNR-treated U937 cells, demonstrating that a partial caspase activation occurred earlier than phosphatidyl-serine exposure and mitochondrial membrane potential dissipation. The presence of a low amount of active caspase 3 in the treated viable cells was confirmed in situ with PE-conjugated anti-active caspase 3 antibodies. The same antibody was used in combination with FITC-annexin V and CD45-PC5 to study caspase 3 activation in acute leukemia blast cells after in vitro DNR and IDA treatment. Both anthracyclines induced a caspase 3-dependent apoptosis that was more efficient in blast cells than in contaminating lymphocytes. CONCLUSIONS These results demonstrate that anti-active caspase 3 labeling can be an alternative to fluorogenic substrates to efficiently detect early apoptosis by FCM in heterogeneous samples. They also confirm that anthracyclines induce blast cell apoptosis by a caspase 3-dependent pathway.
Cellular automata-based left ventricle reconstruction from magnetic resonance images

Despite advanced medical imaging technologies being available, image segmentation still continues to represent a major bottleneck in practical applications due to high noise level and lack of contrast. This paper presents a semi-automatic algorithm that uses stochastic resonance as a pre-processing step for enhancing the contrast of input magnetic resonance (MR) images followed by a cellular automata (CA)-based mechanism for surface reconstruction of the left ventricle (LV) from a few selected MR slices. The main contribution, in this work, is a new formulation for preventing the CA method to leak into surrounding areas of similar intensity. Another contribution is the use of level sets for segmenting the rest of the slices of a subject automatically between the selected slices segmented by the CA to build the LV surface. Both qualitative and quantitative evaluations performed on York and MICCAI Grand Challenge workshop database of MR images show promising segmentation accuracy when compared with the ground truth, reflecting the potential of the proposed method.
The Development and Evaluation of a Life Skills Programme for Young Adult Offenders

The purpose of this research project was to develop, implement, and evaluate a Life Skills programme for young adult male long-term offenders with the aim of improving their life skills that, in turn, could enable them to adjust more effectively in the correctional environment. Experimental research was used to investigate the effectiveness of the programme. In this study, 96 literate young adult male offenders between the ages of 21 and 25 years, with long sentences, were selected randomly. The participants were assigned randomly into an experimental and a control group. The Solomon four-group design was utilized to control for the effect of pretest sensitization. The measurements of the effectiveness of the programme were conducted before the programme commenced, directly (short term) after, 3 months (medium term) after, and 6 months (long term) after. The findings indicated that the programme had limited success in equipping the offenders with the necessary skills crucial to their survival in a correctional centre. The programme did, however, have significant effects, especially on problem solving and anger management in the short and medium term. These improvements were not long lived.
Pharmacological actions of a novel, high-affinity, and selective human dopamine D(3) receptor antagonist, SB-277011-A.

SB-277011-A (trans-N-[4-[2-(6-cyano-1,2,3, 4-tetrahydroisoquinolin-2-yl)ethyl]cyclohexyl]-4-quinolininecarboxamide), is a brain-penetrant, high-affinity, and selective dopamine D(3) receptor antagonist. Radioligand-binding experiments in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells transfected with human dopamine D(3) or D(2 long) (hD(3), hD(2)) receptors showed SB-277011-A to have high affinity for the hD(3) receptor (pK(i) = 7.95) with 100-fold selectivity over the hD(2) receptor and over 66 other receptors, enzymes, and ion channels. Similar radioligand-binding data for SB-277011-A were obtained from CHO cells transfected with rat dopamine D(3) or D(2). In the microphysiometer functional assay, SB-277011-A antagonized quinpirole-induced increases in acidification in CHO cells overexpressing the hD(3) receptor (pK(b) = 8.3) and was 80-fold selective over hD(2) receptors. Central nervous system penetration studies showed that SB-277011-A readily entered the brain. In in vivo microdialysis studies, SB-277011-A (2. 8 mg/kg p.o.) reversed the quinelorane-induced reduction of dopamine efflux in the nucleus accumbens but not striatum, a regional selectivity consistent with the distribution of the dopamine D(3) receptor in rat brain. SB-277011-A (2-42.3 mg/kg p.o.) did not affect spontaneous locomotion, or stimulant-induced hyperlocomotion. SB-277011-A (4.1-42.2 mg/kg p.o.) did not reverse prepulse inhibition deficits in apomorphine- or quinpirole-treated rats, but did significantly reverse the prepulse inhibition deficit in isolation-reared rats at a dose of 3 mg/kg p.o. SB-277011-A (2.5-78. 8 mg/kg p.o.) was noncataleptogenic and did not raise plasma prolactin levels. Thus, dopamine D(3) receptor blockade produces few of the behavioral effects characteristic of nonselective dopamine receptor antagonists. The effect of SB-277011-A on isolation-induced prepulse inhibition deficit suggests that blockade of dopamine D(3) receptors may benefit the treatment of schizophrenia.
A note on productivity change in European cooperative banks: the Luenberger indicator approach

The Luenberger productivity indicator is employed to estimate and decompose productivity change in a sample of cooperative banks operating in 10 EU member states. An average annualised productivity growth of 2.59% is reported between 1996 and 2003, though there is heterogeneity in growth rates across countries. Generally speaking, productivity growth is driven by technological change. However, cooperative banks in southern European banking markets benefit as much from efficiency growth or catching‐up with industry best practice. The results suggest that technology sharing arrangements and greater competition arising from deregulation are positive contributors towards productivity change.