Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The breakdown of the information model in multi-database systems

A database tries to present a faithful model of some body of information we can loosely call "reality" (even though the information might be historical, obsolete, fictional, speculative, or even erroneous). The model is constructed from whatever sorts of materials a particular data model provides, such as relations and attributes, or entities, attributes, and relationships. In this paper, we will build models using the materials provided by functional object models such as Iris [Fi]: objects, types, and functions. Functions collectively model the notions of attributes, relationships, and operations.
Depth of Field Simulation in Computer Graphics

A major part of the amount of realism in a rendering engine is the engine's camera model. Simulating real camera models can produce desired realistic effects such as depth of field (DOF). Several methods are currently used to simulate DOF but they are either computationally expensive methods that produce realistic results or inaccurate but fast methods. This paper includes a list of reasons behind simulating DOF, the methods used for generating the effect, and a survey of fast methods that can be used within real time applications.
The Effect of Using Multimedia Education in Women’s Breast Cancer Screening Health Education Program

Breast cancer is an important disease that threatens the lives of women. The majority of breast screening health education is printed promotional material, which is ineffective in enhancing women’s knowledge on breast screening in Taiwan, and showed low breast cancer screening rate in women. This provided the impetus for us to carry out this study to understand the major barrier of women on breast cancer and screening procedures. This study used quasi-experimental design and purposive sampling. The study participants were 45–69 year-old women. Data collection was carried out before and after intervention. The health belief model was used as a research framework to examine changes in the study participants after multimedia health education intervention for detecting which factors most affect women's breast cancer screening behavior. Then we could make the policy for enhancing women's breast cancer screening in the future. Our study showed that after multimedia health education intervention, the scores of perceived susceptibility, perceived seriousness, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, cues to action, and self-efficacy in the experimental group were all significantly higher than the control group. We believe that the effectiveness of multimedia health education is better than traditional health education methods, and can enhance women to receive breast cancer screening.
The Enslaved, the Worker, and Du Bois’s Black Reconstruction: Toward an Underdiscipline of Antisociology

At the heart of sociology lies a paradox. Sociology recognizes itself as a preeminently modern discipline yet remains virtually silent on what W.E. B. Du Bois identifies as modernity’s “most magnificent drama”: the transoceanic enslavement of Africans. Through a reconsideration of his classic text Black Reconstruction in America, this article offers an answer to the paradox: a profoundly antisocial condition, racial slavery lies beyond the bounds of the social, beyond sociology’s self-defined limits. Consequently, even when actually dealing with racial slavery, social theories—even radical social theories, such as Du Bois’s Marxism—inexorably misrecognize it. Placing the enslavement of Black people at the center of analysis and drawing on the insights of Saidiya Hartman and other radical theorists in Black studies, an underdiscipline of antisociology is proposed as a collective project to provincialize the social and to more adequately account for the incommensurability of antiblackness.
A Study of Organizational and Cultural Factors Influencing User Satisfaction of ERP Systems in a Developing Country : Case Studies from Thailand

This study guides organizational and cultural variables, which seem to play crucial roles in user satisfaction of ERP implementation projects in developing country such as Thailand. The literature review was based on a multi-disciplinary research approach by incorporating organizational factors, cultural dimensions, and user satisfaction in implementation of ERP for developing countries. The eight ERP software’s customers in Thailand were chosen for eleven semi-structured interviews performed during the period of April 2007 to April 2008. The findings confirm that management commitment, IT maturity, and computer culture are important factors influencing user satisfaction of the ERP projects. A company with richer Business Process Redesign (BPR) experience is more likely to succeed with ERP. Interestingly, the collectivism of ERP teamwork and composition is also critical issue for ERP implementation’s satisfactions. Dealing with masculinity of users may lead to more satisfactions toward ERP implementation. Solving high uncertainty avoidance tends to boost users confidence and familiarity of users. The findings and recommendations can be useful for developing countries with similar conditions.
Mononuclear and dinuclear complexes of isoeilatin.

This work describes the synthesis and characterization of mononuclear and dinuclear Ru(II) and Os(II) complexes based on the symmetrical bridging ligand isoeilatin (1). The crystal structure of 1. [HCl]2 consists of layers of tightly pi-stacked molecules of the biprotonated isoeilatin. The mononuclear complexes [Ru(bpy)2(ieil)]2+ (2(2+)) and [Os(bpy)2(ieil)]2+ (3(2+)) form discrete dimers in solution held together by face-selective pi-stacking interactions via the isoeilatin ligand. Coordination of a second metal fragment does not hinder the pi-stacking completely, as demonstrated by the concentration dependence of the 1H NMR spectra of the dinuclear complexes [{Ru(bpy)2}2{mu-ieil}]4+ (4(4+)), [{Os(bpy)2}2{mu-ieil}]4+ (5(4+)), and [{Ru(bpy)2}{mu-ieil}{Os(bpy)2}]4+ (6(4+)) and supported by the solid-state structure of meso-4. [Cl]4. The bridging isoeilatin ligand conserves its planarity even upon coordination of a second metal fragment, as demonstrated in the solid-state structures of meso-4. [Cl]4, meso-4. [PF6]4, and meso-5. [PF6]4. All of the dinuclear complexes exhibit a preference (3/2-3/1) for the formation of the heterochiral as opposed to the homochiral diastereoisomer. Absorption spectra of the mononuclear complexes feature a low-lying dpi(M) --> pi*iel MLCT band around 600 nm that shifts to beyond 700 nm upon coordination of a second metal fragment. Cyclic and square-wave voltammetry measurements of the complexes exhibit two isoeilatin-based reduction waves that are substantially anodically shifted compared to [M(bpy)3]2+ (M = Ru, Os). Luminescence spectra, quantum yields, and lifetime measurements at room temperature and at 77 K demonstrate that the complexes exhibit 3MLCT emission that occurs in the IR region between 950 and 1300 nm. Both the electrochemical and photophysical data are consistent with the low-lying pi orbital of the isoeilatin ligand. The dinuclear complexes exhibit two reversible, well-resolved, metal-centered oxidation waves, despite the chemical equivalence of the two metal centers, indicating a significant metal-metal interaction mediated by the bridging isoeilatin ligand.
Activation of Nuclear Factor (Erythroid-2 Like) Factor 2 by Toxic Bile Acids Provokes Adaptive Defense Responses to Enhance Cell Survival at the Emergence of Oxidative Stress

Oxidative stress, causing necrotic and apoptotic cell death, is associated with bile acid toxicity. Using liver (HepG2, Hepa1c1c7, and primary human hepatocytes) and intestinal (C2bbe1, a Caco-2 subclone) cells, we demonstrated that toxic bile acids, such as lithocholic acid (LCA) and chenodeoxycholic acid, induced the nuclear factor (erythroid-2 like) factor 2 (Nrf2) target genes, especially the rate-limiting enzyme in glutathione (GSH) biosynthesis [glutamate cysteine ligase modulatory subunit (GCLM) and glutamate cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC)] and thioredoxin reductase 1. Nrf2 activation and induction of Nrf2 target genes were also evident in vivo in the liver of CD-1 mice treated 7 to 8 h or 4 days with LCA. Silencing of Nrf2 via small-interfering RNA suppressed basal and bile acid-induced mRNA levels of the above-mentioned genes. Consistent with this, overexpression of Nrf2 enhanced, but dominant-negative Nrf2 attenuated, Nrf2 target gene induction by bile acids. The activation of Nrf2-antioxidant responsive element (ARE) transcription machinery by bile acids was confirmed by increased nuclear accumulation of Nrf2, enhanced ARE-reporter activity, and increased Nrf2 binding to ARE. It is noteworthy that Nrf2 silencing increased cell susceptibility to LCA toxicity, as evidenced by reduced cell viability and increased necrosis and apoptosis. Concomitant with GCLC/GCLM induction, cellular GSH was significantly increased in bile acid-treated cells. Cotreatment with N-acetyl-l-cysteine, a GSH precursor, ameliorated LCA toxicity, whereas cotreatment with buthionine sulfoximine, a GSH synthesis blocker, exacerbated it. In summary, this study provides molecular evidence linking bile acid toxicity to oxidative stress. Nrf2 is centrally involved in counteracting such oxidative stress by enhancing adaptive antioxidative response, particularly GSH biosynthesis, and hence cell survival.
Adaptive loop filter with directional features and similarity mapping for video coding

To improve both coding efficiency and visual quality of video coding, in this paper, we present an adaptive loop filtering design which exploits local directional characteristics exhibit in the video content. The design combines linear spatial filtering and directional filtering with a similarity mapping function. We compute and compare multiple simple directional features to classify blocks in a video frame into classes with different dominant orientations. Each class of blocks adapt to a directional filter, with symmetric constraints imposed on the filter coefficients according to the dominant orientation determined by the classification. To emphasis pixel similarity for explicit adaptation to edges, we use a simple hard-threshold mapping function to avoid artifacts arising from across-edge filtering. Our design uses only 4 filers per frame with fixed 7×7 diamond-shaped filter support, while achieving better coding efficiency and improved visual quality especially along edges, as compared to other approaches using up to 16 filters with up to 7 vertical × 9 horizontal diamond-shaped filter support.
Element Order in Old English and Old High German Translations

This book is the first comprehensive corpus study of element order in Old English and Old High German, which brings to light numerous differences between these two closely related languages. The study’s innovative approach relies on translated texts, which allows the authors to tackle the problem of the apparent incomparability of OE and OHG textual records and to identify the areas of OE and OHG syntax potentially influenced by the Latin source texts. This is especially important from the point of view of OE research, where Latin is rarely considered to be a significant variable. The book’s profile and content is of direct interest to historical linguists working on OE and/or OHG (and Old Germanic languages in general), but it can also greatly benefit several other groups of researchers: scholars applying corpus methods to the study of dead languages, historical linguists generally, linguists researching element order as well as specialists in translation studies.
Controllability of Under-Actuated Planar Manipulators with One Unactuated Joint

This paper is concerned with analysis on controllability for a class of nonholonomic systems. We discuss controllability of underactuated planar manipulators with one unactuated joint. We show that if the first joint (in the base side) is actuated, these systems are completely controllable, namely, there exists an admissible trajectory from any given initial point to any given final point. In order to prove this, we use global stabilizing feedback control law to converge the state to a manifold, where the system is locally controllable. By this controller, we have two trajectories, one starting at the given initial position and the other starting at the given final position. Then we connect them using a kind of bi-directional approach to show the existence of the whole admissible trajectory. Finally, we give some simulation results to discuss controllability of more general cases, the first joint being actuated and all other joints being unactuated.
What is the future of ‘organ transplantation’ in the head and neck?

Purpose of reviewTo update readers on the current state and future of head and neck tissue transplantation. Recent findingsMany exciting advances have recently occurred in the field of head and neck transplantation and regenerative medicine. Larynx, face, and trachea transplants have all been successfully performed. Significant advancements in tissue engineering have occurred, including the ability to generate three-dimensional tissue structures. Transplantation of regenerated tissues has been successfully incorporated into airway reconstruction. SummaryThese exciting advancements set the foundation to expand reconstructive options for dysfunctional tissues and to improve a patient's quality of life.
Phylogeny of a Neotropical Clade in the Gesneriaceae: More Tales of Convergent Evolution

The Gesneriaceae is a family known for convergent evolution of complex floral forms. As a result, defining genera and resolving evolutionary relationships among such genera using morphological data alone has been challenging and often does not accurately reflect monophyletic lineages. The tribe Episcieae is the most diverse within Neotropical Gesneriaceae in terms of its number of species and morphological diversity. As a result, defining genera using floral characters has been historically troublesome. Here we investigate relationships among genera of the tribe using an array of chloroplast DNA, nuclear ribosomal genes, and low-copy nuclear genes to provide resolution for the monophyly of the genera and relationships among the monophyletic groups. All known genera in the tribe (with the exception of the monospecific Lampadaria) have been sampled, and most have been sampled to provide an assessment to determine their monophyly. Of the 17 genera in the tribe that comprise more than a single species, we have sampled 15 with at least two species. The following six genera are identified as para- or polyphyletic: Neomortonia, Episcia, Paradrymonia, Nautilocalyx, Codonanthe, and Nematanthus. Our results strongly support at least three independent origins of fleshy fruits, which are defined here as fleshy display capsules or indehiscent berries.
Detection and mapping of abnormal brain structure with a probabilistic atlas of cortical surfaces.

PURPOSE We have devised, implemented, and tested a technique for creating a comprehensive probabilistic atlas of the human cerebral cortex, based on high-dimensional fluid transformations. The goal of the atlas is to detect and quantify subtle and distributed patterns of deviation from normal cortical anatomy, in a 3D brain image from any given subject. METHOD Given a 3D MR image of a new subject, a high-resolution surface representation of the cerebral cortex is automatically extracted. The algorithm then calculates a set of high-dimensional volumetric maps, fluidly deforming this surface into structural correspondence with other cortical surfaces, selected one by one from an anatomic image database. The family of volumetric warps so constructed encodes statistical properties of local anatomical variation across the cortical surface. Additional strategies are developed to fluidly deform the sulcal patterns of different subjects into structural correspondence. A probability space of random transformations, based on the theory of anisotropic Gaussian random fields, is then used to encode information on complex variations in gyral and sulcal topography from one individual to another. A complete system of 256(2) probability density functions is computed to reflect the observed variability in stereotaxic space of the points whose correspondences are found by the warping algorithm. Confidence limits in stereotaxic space are determined for cortical surface points in the new subject's brain. RESULTS Color-coded probability maps are generated, which highlight and quantify regional patterns of deformity in the anatomy of new subjects. These maps indicate locally the probability of each anatomic point being as unusually situated, given the distributions of corresponding points in the scans of normal subjects. 3D MRI volumes are analyzed, from subjects with clinically determined Alzheimer disease and age-matched normal subjects. CONCLUSION Applications of the random fluid-based probabilistic atlas include the transfer of multisubject 3D functional, vascular, and histologic maps onto a single anatomic template, the mapping of 3D atlases onto the scans of new subjects, and the rapid detection, quantification, and mapping of local shape changes in 3D medical images in disease and during normal or abnormal growth and development.
Resonance frequency in respiratory distress syndrome

AIM To observe how the resonance frequency changes with the course of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), by examining the effect of changing static compliance on the resonance frequency in premature infants. METHODS In 12 ventilated premature infants with RDS (mean gestational age 26.6 weeks, mean birth weight 0.84 kg), resonance frequency and static compliance were determined serially using phase analysis and single breath mechanics technique respectively in the first seven days of life. RESULTS The minimum number of measurements done in any one baby was three and maximum was five in this seven day study period. The first measurement in each baby was done within the first 72 hours of life. The increase in compliance in this period varied from 27% to 179%. The variation in the corresponding resonance frequency was within 2 Hz in eight babies and within 6 Hz in all recruited babies. CONCLUSIONS The resonance frequency of the respiratory system in preterm infants with RDS remains remarkably constant in the early stages of the illness, despite relatively large changes in static compliance. Key messages (1) HFOV decreases risk of barotrauma by reducing pressure swings in the airways during artificial ventilation (2) CO2 elimination is dependent on the oscillating frequency (3) Resonance frequency is the frequency at which oscillatory ventilation is most efficient owing to the elimination of elastance through the mechanics of oscillation (4) Resonance frequency remains relatively stable despite significant changes in compliance in the early stages of respiratory distress syndrome (5) It is possible that resonance frequency can be incorporated as part of the management strategy to provide more efficient HFOV
Ubiquitin Regulates Caspase Recruitment Domain-mediated Signaling by Nucleotide-binding Oligomerization Domain-containing Proteins NOD1 and NOD2*

Background: NOD1 and NOD2 are innate immune receptors implicated in inflammatory diseases. Results: The CARDs of NOD1 and NOD2 bind ubiquitin; mutations that block this interaction increase inflammatory signaling. Conclusion: NOD1 and NOD2 signaling is regulated in part by interaction of their CARDs with ubiquitin. Significance: Understanding the regulatory mechanisms of NOD1 and NOD2 is crucial to defining their role in inflammation. NOD1 and NOD2 (nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing proteins) are intracellular pattern recognition receptors that activate inflammation and autophagy. These pathways rely on the caspase recruitment domains (CARDs) within the receptors, which serve as protein interaction platforms that coordinately regulate immune signaling. We show that NOD1 CARD binds ubiquitin (Ub), in addition to directly binding its downstream targets receptor-interacting protein kinase 2 (RIP2) and autophagy-related protein 16-1 (ATG16L1). NMR spectroscopy and structure-guided mutagenesis identified a small hydrophobic surface of NOD1 CARD that binds Ub. In vitro, Ub competes with RIP2 for association with NOD1 CARD. In vivo, we found that the ligand-stimulated activity of NOD1 with a mutant CARD lacking Ub binding but retaining ATG16L1 and RIP2 binding is increased relative to wild-type NOD1. Likewise, point mutations in the tandem NOD2 CARDs at positions analogous to the surface residues defining the Ub interface on NOD1 resulted in loss of Ub binding and increased ligand-stimulated NOD2 signaling. These data suggest that Ub binding provides a negative feedback loop upon NOD-dependent activation of RIP2.
TESPI (Thrombolysis in Elderly Stroke Patients in Italy): A Randomized Controlled Trial of Alteplase (Rt-PA) versus Standard Treatment in Acute Ischaemic Stroke in Patients Aged more than 80 Years Where Thrombolysis is Initiated within Three Hours after Stroke Onset

Rationale Intravenous (i.v.) thrombolysis with recombinant tissue-Plasminogen Activator (rt-PA) (alteplase) within three hours from symptom onset is the only approved treatment of pharmacological revascularization in acute ischaemic stroke. However, the current license limits the use of rt-PA to patients aged ≤80 years due to the lack of evidence of safety and efficacy of this treatment in the elderly from randomized clinical trials. This article describes the design of the Thrombolysis in Elderly Stroke Patients in Italy (TESPI) trial planned to fill the lack of controlled data on i.v. thrombolysis in this age category of stroke patients. Aims To collect efficacy and safety data on i.v. alteplase (rt-PA) in patients aged more than 80 years, to demonstrate that the treatment of these patients within three hours of symptoms onset of an acute ischaemic stroke with i.v. rt-PA, compared to patients receiving standard treatment (according to the national guidelines), will result in an improved clinical outcome with a favourable benefit/risk ratio. Design TESPI is a prospective, multicenter, national, open-label, controlled (non-treated group as control), randomized, parallel group trial with blinded evaluation of outcome in patients older than 80 years treated with i.v. rt-PA within three hours after ischaemic stroke onset. The randomization procedure assigns patients to the treatment group with IV alteplase (0.9 mg/kg of body weight) or to standard treatment group with a 1 : 1 basis. A three-month follow-up, when applicable, is performed by a blind assessor. Six hundred patients will be enrolled (300 patients per arm) The study period has been planned to be of three years. Study Outcomes The primary efficacy end-point is the disability at day 90, dichotomized as a favourable outcome (modified Rankin Scale 0–2) or unfavourable outcome (modified Rankin Scale 3–6). The main primary safety end-point is symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage defined as any hemorrhage at the 22–36 h post-treatment scan combined with neurological deterioration leading to an increase of one or more points at the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale. The TESPI trial, with the protocol number FARM65KNKY, is registered in the European Union Drug Regulating Authorities Clinical Trials database with the number 2007-006177-88 and in the Stroke Trials Registry of the Washington University Internet Stroke Center.