Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nonobstructive Neonatal Cholestasis: Clinical Outcome and Scoring of the Histopathological Changes in Liver Biopsies

The clinical outcome of nonobstructive neonatal cholestasis (NC) cases varies greatly and the prognosis is generally unpredictable. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the prognostic benefits of qualitative analysis of histopathological changes in nonobstructive NC cases. A total of 28 nonobstructive NC cases (18 neonatal hepatitis; 10 intrahepatic bile duct paucity) were studied. We analyzed the relationship between histopathological and clinical parameters. Hepatic inflammation, bridging necrosis, pericellular fibrosis, giant cell transformation, and extramedullary hematopoiesis were evaluated and scored according to their absence or presence in each case. The sum of the histopathological scores was accepted as “total pathological injury score. ” The height percentiles, the presence and the degree of hepatomegaly and ascites, and serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), albumin, and bilirubin levels and prothrombin time were also evaluated and scored. The patients were divided into 2 clinical course groups considered “good” or “bad” according to the total clinical scores. For statistical analysis, Pearson's chi-square test, Mann-Whitney U-test, and receiver operating characteristic curve were used. We found a statistically significant negative relation between the clinical course and total pathological injury score (P = 0.042) and pericellular fibrosis (P = 0.016). In conclusion, during the interpretation of liver biopsies of nonobstructive NC, scoring of histopathological changes should be done for assessing the clinical prognostic outcome.
A spatial data checking system based on quality rules

This paper describes the design and implementation of a spatial data checking system based on quality rules. A relational expression of defining quality rules is presented and new quality rules can be extended by using this structure. Methods of storing and parsing these quality rules for data checking are discussed. Based on this, a spatial data checking system is developed, in which extended data checking types can be defined and data checking tasks are made to execute automatic checking for spatial databases. The system has been applied to the construction of spatial databases in Jilin city and proved to be effective.
Ion-pair-based hollow-fiber liquid-phase microextraction combined with high-performance liquid chromatography for the simultaneous determination of urinary benzene, toluene, and styrene metabolites.

In the current study, a novel technique for extraction and determination of trans,trans-muconic acid, hippuric acid, and mandelic acid was developed by means of ion-pair-based hollow fiber liquid-phase microextraction in the three-phase mode. Important factors affecting the extraction efficiency of the method were investigated and optimized. These metabolites were extracted from 10 mL of the source phase into a supported liquid membrane containing 1-octanol and 10% w/v of Aliquat 336 as the ionic carrier followed by high-performance liquid chromatography analysis. The organic phase immobilized in the pores of a hollow fiber was back-extracted into 24 μL of a solution containing 3.0 mol/L sodium chloride placed inside the lumen of the fiber. A very high preconcentration of 212- to 440-fold, limit of detection of 0.1-7 μg/L, and relative recovery of 87-95% were obtained under the optimized conditions of this method. The relative standard deviation values for within-day and between-day precisions were calculated at 2.9-8.5 and 4.3-11.2%, respectively. The method was successfully applied to urine samples from volunteers at different work environments. The results demonstrated that the method can be used as a sensitive and effective technique for the determination of the metabolites in urine.
Web-based cheminformatics and molecular property prediction tools supporting drug design and development at Novartis

Web-based tools offer many advantages for processing chemical information, most notably ease of use and high interactivity. Therefore more and more pharmaceutical companies are using web technology to deliver sophisticated molecular processing tools directly to the desks of their chemists, to assist them in the process of designing and developing new drugs. In this paper, the web-based cheminformatics system developed at Novartis and currently used by more than thousand users is described. The system allows various molecular modeling and molecular processing tasks, including the calculation of molecular and substituent properties, property-based virtual screening, visualization of molecules, bioisosteric design, diversity analysis, and support of combinatorial chemistry. The methodology to calculate various molecular properties relevant to drug design is described, including the prediction of intestinal absorption, blood–brain barrier penetration, efflux, and water solubility. Information about the web technology used is also provided.
Blue Ocean Leadership and Emotional Intelligence in Government Link Companies (GLCs): Preparing for Industry 4.0

This research is carried out to examine the influences of blue ocean leadership styles on emotional intelligence. A stratified random sampling technique is used to identify the sample for this study. Questionnaire is distributed to 120 middle to top level leaders from the selected government link companies (GLCs) which is listed in the Government Link Transformation Programme (GLTP). A partial least square structural model (PLS-SEM) approach is used to analyses the data for this study. The findings indicate that there is a significant relationship between blue ocean leadership style and emotional intelligence. This study would give practical implications where it could inform leaders that they need to have high emotional intelligence in order to lead the organization. This study also contributes to new knowledge by pointing to the leadership role of accurate attributions, where each attribution can lead to enhancing leader effectiveness.
Voluntary Disclosure of Corporate Integrity In the Annual Report of the Malaysian Federal Statutory Bodies

The objective of this study is to discover the availability of integrity disclosures in the annual reports of Malaysian Federal statutory bodies by focusing on the non-financial section of the reports. The sample was selected from a list of Federal statutory bodies issued in the Auditor General Report for 2015. A total of 60 Federal statutory bodies’ annual reports were selected randomly, based on their availability on the internet. Content analysis of the non-financial section was used to explore for the existence of integrity being disclosed in the annual reports based on the initiatives taken by the government on the implementation of integrity culture in public sector organizations. Finding from this study reveals that, out of 60 Federal statutory bodies, 45 of them (75%) disclosed some elements of integrity in their annual report although no specific requirement for such disclosure is required. Majority of the Federal statutory bodies have established their integrity unit and provide other information on integrity in their annual report such as integrity enculturation programs, workshops on integrity and reinforcing human capital capability and capacity with integrity. Though this paper provides some useful insights into ‘integrity’ disclosures among public sector organizations, it is limited to the Federal statutory bodies and the non-financial information in the annual reports only.
Organizational culture and performance of Malaysian manufacturing firms

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of organizational culture on firm performance. Data for the study was collected through a survey of 223 companies registered with the Federation of Malaysian manufacturers. Responses were analyzed using PLS-SEM to assess the relationships between organizational culture and firm performance. The findings that amongst Malaysian manufacturers, organizational culture has a medium effect on firm performance. Helpful insights may be gleaned for organizations, particularly in the Malaysian manufacturing sector, which seek to introduce organizational culture in order to successfully increase competitiveness and responsivity to environmental changes. Organizational culture has been studied in great detail in recent literature. Many new researchers have explored various composition factors of transformational leadership and how this will have an effect on firm performance. However, there is few research in the area of transformational leadership amongst Malaysian manufacturing companies. This research contributes to existing literature through empirical examination of the relationship between organizational culture and firm performance, particularly in the Malaysian manufacturing sector. The conclusions of this research strongly suggest that implementing means to encourage and foster organizational culture are likely to result in the achievement of superior firm performance. Our study shows inter-functional cooperation, openness and flexibility and the basic values of success are supported.
TLR7/8 Ligand, R‐848, Inhibits IgE Synthesis by Acting Directly on B Lymphocytes

TLRs are involved in the regulation of immune responses. R‐848, a TLR7/8 ligand, has potent anti‐viral and anti‐tumour properties and has been used as a new immune response modifier for enhancing Th1 immune response. In this study, we found that R‐848 significantly inhibited IgE synthesis from murine B cells at the single cell levels by anti‐CD40 plus IL‐4‐stimulated splenocytes, in which R‐848 acted on the early stage of B cell differentiation to modulate IgE synthesis. This inhibitory effect of R‐848 on IgE synthesis was not isotype specific as it also inhibited IgG1 synthesis. Moreover, R‐848 had no significant effect on the production of IgG2a by anti‐CD40 plus IL‐4‐stimulated splenocytes. Further studies showed that R‐848 markedly promoted murine B cell activation induced by anti‐CD40 plus IL‐4 by up‐regulating the expression of B cell activation markers CD25, CD69 and co‐stimulatory molecule CD80. In contrast, R‐848 inhibited the proliferation and division of murine B cells in anti‐CD40 plus IL‐4‐stimulated splenocytes. R‐848 promoted the production of IFN‐γ and IL‐12 that were partially responsible for its inhibitory effect on IgE production by anti‐CD40 plus IL‐4 because the addition of anti‐IFN‐γ or anti‐IL‐12 mAbs to the cultures could significantly restore IgE production by splenocytes. Importantly, R‐848 had a direct effect on purified B cells to inhibit IgE production induced by anti‐CD40 plus IL‐4. Taken together, these results demonstrate that R‐848 markedly inhibits IgE synthesis, and suggest that R‐848 could be used to treat allergic diseases.
Feasibility and acceptability of wrist actigraph in assessing sleep quality and sleep quantity: A home-based pilot study in healthy volunteers

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the feasibility and acceptability of actigraphy to monitor sleep quality and quantity in healthy self-rated good sleeper adults at home-based settings. Method: Sixteen healthy volunteers (age > 18) were invited to participate. Each participant was provided with a wrist actigraph device to be worn for 24-hour/day for seven consecutive days to monitor their sleep-wake patterns. Actigraphy data were downloaded using-proprietary software to generate an individual-sleep report. Participants also completed a set of self-reported Health Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) using WHO (five) Well Being Index (WBI) questionnaires. Results: Actigraphy was well accepted by all participants. Only 43.8% of the participants achieved normal total sleep time (TST) and 62.5% had a mean sleep efficiency value below the normal range. Despite a reduced quality of sleep among the participants, the self-reported HRQOL scores produced by the WHO-5 WBI showed a “fair” to “good” among the participants. Conclusions: To maintain healthy well-being, it is vital to have efficient and quality sleep. Insufficient and poor sleep may contribute to various health problems and hazardous outcomes. People often believe they have normal and efficient sleep, not realising they may be developing poor sleep habits. This study found that actigraphy can be easily utilized to monitor sleep-wake patterns at home-based settings. We proposed that actigraphy could be adapted for use in the primary care settings (e.g. community pharmacy) to improve the sleep health management in the community.
Axonal domain disorganization in Caspr1 and Caspr2 mutant myelinated axons affects neuromuscular junction integrity, leading to muscle atrophy

Bidirectional interactions between neurons and myelinating glial cells result in formation of axonal domains along myelinated fibers. Loss of axonal domains leads to detrimental consequences on nerve structure and function, resulting in reduced conductive properties and the diminished ability to reliably transmit signals to the targets they innervate. Thus, impairment of peripheral myelinated axons that project to the surface of muscle fibers and form neuromuscular junction (NMJ) synapses leads to muscle dysfunction. The goal of our studies was to determine how altered electrophysiological properties due to axonal domain disorganization lead to muscle pathology, which is relevant to a variety of peripheral neuropathies, demyelinating diseases, and neurodegenerative disorders. Using conventional Contactin‐Associated Protein 1 (Caspr1) and Caspr2 single or double mutants with disrupted paranodal, juxtaparanodal, or both regions, respectively, in peripheral myelinated axons, we correlated defects in NMJ integrity and muscle pathology. Our data show that loss of axonal domains in Caspr1 and Caspr2 single and double mutants primarily alters distal myelinated fibers together with presynaptic terminals, eventually leading to NMJ denervation and reduction in postsynaptic endplate areas. Moreover, reduction in conductive properties of peripheral myelinated fibers together with NMJ disintegration leads to muscle atrophy in Caspr1 mutants or muscle fiber degeneration accompanied by mitochondrial dysfunction in Caspr1/Caspr2 double mutants. Together, our data indicate that proper organization of axonal domains in myelinated fibers is critical for optimal propagation of electrical signals, NMJ integrity, and muscle health, and provide insights into a wide range of pathologies that result in reduced nerve conduction leading to muscle atrophy. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
New ArcGIS 10 in fuzzy logic tools

www.esri. com For many spatial modeling problems, experts can describe the decision-making process used to predict real-world phenomena: the favorability for locating mineral deposits or archaeological sites, the occurrence of hazards such as landslides or disease outbreaks, the habitat of specific animals or plants, or the optimal site for a business. For most interesting spatial problems, expert knowledge is often expressed in terms such as nearness to some feature or by statements involving sometimes or maybe. Such semantic descriptions are useful but imprecise. Fuzzy logic is used extensively in poorly definable engineering applications such as the anti-lock braking system (ABS) that controls brakes in cars; the focusing and exposure controls on digital cameras; and the control of water intake, temperature, and other settings in high-end washing machines. Fuzzy logic provides an approach that allows expert semantic descriptions to be converted into a numerical spatial model to predict the location of something of interest. By Gary L. Raines, Don L. Sawatzky, and Graeme F. Bonham-Carter Incorporating Expert Knowledge
Walker Model for Radar Sensing of Rigid Target Fields

The objective of this primarily tutorial item is to describe a general model for the observable data and the appropriate data processing involved in sensing rigid target fields with coherent radars. Any number of radars may be involved, and the scene and each radar may be in any kind of motion-with no restrictions on motion through resolution cells during the coherent processing time of the radars. The motions are assumed to be known. To some extent motion parameters can be estimated from the radar data, e.g., by adaptive parameter adjustments in the data processing; however, this subject is beyond the scope of this discussion. In large measure, the analysis in this item highlights the central conceptual result obtained by J.L. Walker as described in [1] -a major work in radar theory.
California almond shelf life: lipid deterioration during storage.

UNLABELLED The effects of storage conditions on the lipid deterioration in California almond nuts and sliced were studied. Natural whole almonds with or without polyethylene (PE) packaging and blanched whole almonds and sliced with PE packaging were stored in 10 different storage conditions which were combinations of different temperatures and relative humidity levels. The peroxide values (PVs), iodine values (IVs), and free fatty acids (FFAs) were monitored during the storage. The PVs in the natural samples did not change noticeably whereas the blanched samples changed greatly, indicating that skins may have played a significant role. The IVs decreased slightly in the 1st 150 d of storage and then leveled off. The slightly faster changes in IVs in the blanched samples coincided with the greater changes in PVs in the blanched samples. The natural samples exhibited much higher FFA levels than the blanched samples after storage. In general, FFA increased with increasing storage time, temperature, and humidity. Highest levels of FFA were observed in the samples stored at high temperature and high humidity. PRACTICAL APPLICATION The results reported in this article provide useful information that almond producers and processors could use to develop their storage and transport processes.
Adaptive cell-size HoG based object tracking with particle filter

Visual object tracking is one of the most vigorous research area in Computer Vision. A lot of algorithms already achieve high performance and accuracy. Whereas, most of visual object tracking algorithms proceed separately from detection algorithm because of difference between tracking and detection descriptor. Instead, we propose adaptive cell-size HoG (acHoG) based Particle Filter Tracking (PFT) algorithm. Using HoG enables to share information with detection algorithm based on HoG and complements the fast but inaccurate PFT. However, according to the characteristics of PFT, features are extracted more than two times on the most of the target region. To solve repeated feature extraction problem, we apply adaptive cell-size to HoG. Because acHoG shares intensity and angle of edge extracted from original target image, repeated computations can be reduced and same size features extracted from different size targets. Experimental results have proved that the acHoG is effective. 540 Whui Kim and Kyong-Ho Kim
The impact and implications of virtual character expressiveness on learning and agent-learner interactions

The possible benefits of agent expressiveness have been highlighted in previous literature; yet, the issue of verbal expressiveness has been left unexplored. I hypothesize that agent verbal expressiveness may improve the interaction between pedagogical agents and learners, ultimately enhancing learning outcomes. Evidence from a quasi-experimental investigation, indicates that learners who interacted with an expressive agent 1) scored higher on a post-task exam; and 2) rated the agent's ability to interact higher, than learners who interacted with a non-expressive agent. Qualitative results provided insight into this finding, while indicating the complexity of deploying pedagogical agents in educational settings.
Efficient network coding-based multicast retransmission mechanism for mobile communication networks

This study proposes a network Coding-based RETransmission (CoRET) mechanism for supporting multicast service in mobile communication networks. CoRET introduces deterministic network coding to improve retransmission efficiency and retransmission reliability. To support CoRET, a couple of efficient packet selection algorithms are proposed, one is called `Most`Least` selection and the other is called Hamming distance-based (`Hamming-D`) selection, to select packets when performing network coding for retransmission. Most`Least selects the packets with the most retransmission requests and the least retransmission requests, whereas Hamming-D selects the packets with the largest Hamming distance. Simulation results show that with Most`Least or Hamming-D CoRET outperforms an existing retransmission scheme, `Random Pick`, in terms of both retransmission efficiency and retransmission reliability. To achieve the best performance of the Hamming-D algorithm, a mathematical model is further developed to analyse the impact of the number of original packets encoded into a packet for retransmission on the retransmission performance to find an optimal encoding number that can achieve the best performance.
Anonymity communication VPN and Tor: a comparative study

VPN and Tor is a technology based on anonymity communication. These two technologies have their advantage and disadvantage. The objective of this paper is to find the difference between VPN and Tor technologies by comparing their security of communication on the public network based on the CIA triad concept. The comparative study in this paper is based on the survey method. At last, the result of this paper is a recommendation on when to use a VPN and Tor to secure communication
Reform of Flipping Classroom Teaching Model of "Computerized Accounting" from the Perspective of Mobile Internet

Absrtact - In the era of mobile Internet, the teaching of courses has undergone important and even fundamental changes. Taking the course of "Computerized Accounting" as the research object, this paper explores the reform of the teaching mode of flipping classroom and the research and application of mobile Internet technology, establishes the perfect teaching resources of "flipping classroom" micro-course, and designs the mode of "self-learning task sheet" to effectively guide the pre-class link of flipping classroom, strengthen the devise of classroom teaching mode, realize the teaching cohesion of the whole course, and form a new teaching method with the basic characteristics of "integration of curriculum teaching activities". This paper puts forward the classroom estimate mode of implementing hierarchical assessment, evaluates the effect of research and practice, gains the teaching design and course case of "flipping classroom" based on the mobile internet, effectively improves students' self-learning ability, creates a relaxed and happy efficient classroom, and thus improves the classroom effect and teaching quality.