Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On computational infraestruture requirements to smart and autonomic cities framework

Smart cities are an actual trend being pursued by research that, fundamentally, tries to improve city's management on behalf of a better human quality of live. This paper proposes a new autonomic complementary approach for smart cities management. It is argued that smart city management systems with autonomic characteristics will improve and facilitate management functionalities in general. A framework is also presented as use case considering specific application scenarios like smart-health, smart-grid, smart-environment and smart-streets.
Design of a stable charge transfer complex electrode for a third-generation amperometric glucose sensor.

A novel approach to prepare a stable charge transfer complex (CTC) electrode for the direct oxidation of flavoproteins and the fabrication of a third generation amperometric biosensor (Koopal, C.G.J.; Feiters, M.C.; Nolte, R.J.M. Bioelectrochem. Bioenerg. 1992, 29, 159-175) system is described. Tetrathiafulvalene-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TTF-TCNQ), an organic CTC, is grown at the surface of a shapable electroconductive (SEC) film (a polyanion-doped polypyrrole film) in such a way that it makes a tree-shaped crystal structure standing vertically on the surface. Glucose oxidase (GOx) is adsorbed and cross-linked with glutaraldehyde to fix at the surface of the CTC structure. The space between crystals is filled with cross-linked gelatin to ensure the stability of the treelike crystal structure as well as the stability of the enzyme. Because of the close proximity and the favorable orientation of the enzyme at the CTC surface, the enzyme is directly oxidized at the crystal surface, which leads to a glucose sensor with remarkably improved performance. It works at a potential from 0.0 to 0.25 V (vs Ag/AgCl). The maximum current density at 0.25 V reaches 1.8 mA/cm2, with an extended linear range. The oxygen in the normal buffer solution has little effect on the sensor output. The current caused by interference contained in the physiological fluids is negligible. The working life as well as the shelf life of the sensor is substantially prolonged. The sensor was continuously used in a flow injection system with a continuous polarization at 0.1 V, and the samples (usually 10 mM glucose) were injected at 30 min intervals. After 100 days of continuous use, the current output dropped to 40% of the initial level. No change in the output of the sensor was observed over a year when the sensor was stored dry in a freezer. The electrochemical rate constants and the effective Michaelis constant of the system are reported.
Building and Evaluating Annotated Corpora for Medical NLP Systems

We report efforts from a pilot annotation project in which we annotated sixty clinical notes with disorder mentions. Four retrieval experts annotated the same clinical notes so that four-way inter-annotator agreement could be calculated. We find the inter-annotator agreement results encouraging to scale up the project using the same guidelines and annotation schema.
A Wnt5a signaling pathway in the pathogenesis of HIV-1 gp120-induced pain

Abstract Pathological pain is one of the most common neurological complications in patients with HIV-1/AIDS. However, the pathogenic process is unclear. Our recent studies show that Wnt5a is upregulated in the spinal cord dorsal horn (SDH) of the patients with HIV who develop pain and that HIV-1 gp120, a potential causal factor of the HIV-associated pain, rapidly upregulates Wnt5a in the mouse SDH. Using a mouse model, we show here that a specific Wnt5a antagonist, Box-5, attenuated gp120-induced mechanical allodynia. Conversely, a Wnt5a agonist, Foxy5, facilitated the allodynia. To elucidate the molecular mechanism by which Wnt5a regulates gp120-induced allodynia, we tested the role of the JNK/TNF-&agr; pathway. We observed that the JNK-specific inhibitor SP600125 blocked either gp120- or Foxy5-induced allodynia. Similarly, the TNF-&agr;-specific antagonist Enbrel also reversed either gp120- or Foxy5-induced allodynia. These data suggest that JNK and TNF-&agr; mediate the biological effects of Wnt5a in regulating gp120-induced allodynia. To investigate the cellular mechanism, we performed extracellular single-unit recording from SDH neurons in anesthetized mice. Both Box-5 and SP600125 negated gp120-induced potentiation of SDH neuron spiking evoked by mechanical stimulation of the hind paw. Furthermore, while Foxy5 potentiated spike frequency of SDH neurons, either SP600125 or Enbrel blocked the potentiation. The data indicate that Wnt5a potentiates the activity of SDH neurons through the JNK-TNF-&agr; pathway. Collectively, our findings suggest that Wnt5a regulates the pathogenesis of gp120-induced pain, likely by sensitizing pain-processing SDH neurons through JNK/TNF-&agr; signaling.
Comparison of Gen-Probe Group A streptococcus Direct Test with culture for diagnosing streptococcal pharyngitis

The Group A Streptococcus Direct Test (GP-ST test; Gen-Probe, Inc., San Diego, Calif.) was compared with culture for the detection of Streptococcus pyogenes from throat swabs of 767 patients with pharyngitis. Swabs were tested by the GP-ST test after inoculating a 5% sheep blood agar (SBA) plate. SBA plates were incubated at 35 degrees C in room air for 72 h. SBA plates with no evidence of beta-hemolytic colonies after 18 to 24 h of incubation were subcultured by taking a swipe across the primary inoculum from the SBA plate to an agar selective for Streptococcus spp. In a low-prevalence (11.9%) population and in comparison with the number of positive cultures detected by the 72-h single-culture method (SBA plate method), the GP-ST test had a sensitivity of 88.6%, a specificity of 97.8%, a positive predictive value of 83.9%, and a negative predictive value of 98.5%. In comparison with the growth of any colonies of S. pyogenes on the 72-h SBA plates plus a subculture onto selective blood agar, the sensitivities and specificities were as follows: 72-h SBA plate method, 96.7 and 100%, respectively; GP-ST test, 85.7 and 97.8%, respectively. The GP-ST test is an easy-to-perform, reliable test for batch screening of throat swabs for S. pyogenes.
New type of gyrotropy in graphene — Comparison with gyrotropy in plasmas

The gyrotropic properties of magnetically biased graphene are compared to these of magnetically biased plasmas. Graphene exhibits a significant polarization rotation phenomenon at frequencies below the cyclotron resonance, where plasmas do not provide any polarization rotation. At frequencies above the cyclotron resonance the behavior of graphene is similar to this of plasmas. Graphene allows the control of its gyrotropic properties via a static electric field, while keeping the bias magnetic field constant, in contrast to plasmas where the variation of the bias magnetic field is required.
The PRA1 Gene Family in Arabidopsis1[W]

Prenylated Rab acceptor 1 (PRA1) domain proteins are small transmembrane proteins that regulate vesicle trafficking as receptors of Rab GTPases and the vacuolar soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment receptor protein VAMP2. However, little is known about PRA1 family members in plants. Sequence analysis revealed that higher plants, compared with animals and primitive plants, possess an expanded family of PRA1 domain-containing proteins. The Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) PRA1 (AtPRA1) proteins were found to homodimerize and heterodimerize in a manner corresponding to their phylogenetic distribution. Different AtPRA1 family members displayed distinct expression patterns, with a preference for vascular cells and expanding or developing tissues. AtPRA1 genes were significantly coexpressed with Rab GTPases and genes encoding vesicle transport proteins, suggesting an involvement in the vesicle trafficking process similar to that of their animal counterparts. Correspondingly, AtPRA1 proteins were localized in the endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, and endosomes/prevacuolar compartments, hinting at a function in both secretory and endocytic intracellular trafficking pathways. Taken together, our data reveal a high functional diversity of AtPRA1 proteins, probably dealing with the various demands of the complex trafficking system.
Safety and efficacy of early anticoagulation drug regimens after WATCHMAN left atrial appendage closure: three-month data from the EWOLUTION prospective, multicentre, monitored international WATCHMAN LAA closure registry.

AIMS While LAA closure has recently been incorporated into both European and US guidelines for stroke prevention, uncertainties regarding post-procedural drug therapy so far limit its adoption. The aim of this analysis is to compare real-world outcome data stratified for the post-procedural drug regimen employed. METHODS AND RESULTS One thousand and five patients were implanted with a WATCHMAN device in the prospective EWOLUTION study at 47 centres; 73.5% of the patients were deemed contraindicated for long-term OAC therapy. Here we report on three-month data including the first follow-up TOE exam for 94% of the study population. Following LAA closure, patients received DAPT, VKA, NOAC, single antiplatelet or no therapy (60.3%, 15.4%, 10.9%, 7% and 6.5%, respectively). Device thrombus (2.6%), stroke (0.4%) and major bleeding SAE (2.6%) rates were low overall and did not vary by post-implantation medication strategy. Patients on NOAC had the lowest bleeding rate, without an increase in device thrombus or stroke rates. CONCLUSIONS LAA closure with the WATCHMAN device is feasible in patients with a relative or absolute contraindication to oral anticoagulation. Neither DAPT nor NOAC therapy leads to a significant increase in device thrombus, stroke or bleeding compared to the standard VKA regimen. Numerically, NOAC therapy had the lowest event rate.
Impact of external integration capabilities of third-party logistics providers on their financial performance

Purpose – Outsourcing by corporations is increasing the demand for complex services (such as customization) from third-party logistics providers (3PLs). Effective integration between 3PLs and their customers, known as the external integration of 3PLs, not only allows 3PLs to respond rapidly to shippers’ needs but also to increase customer satisfaction and the effective allocation of resources while increasing operational efficiency (such as by proposing comprehensive plans for future logistics services to meet shippers’ demands). The purpose of this paper is to investigate the causal relationships among the external integration capabilities, cost advantages, and the financial performance of 3PLs. Design/methodology/approach – A survey of 3PLs in Taiwan and China was performed. The research model was tested using a structural equation modeling technique along with the partial least square (PLS-SEM/PLS) approach. Findings – The results herein demonstrated a positive relationship between 3PLs’ external integ.
Enacting knowledge strategy through social media: Passable trust and the paradox of nonwork interactions

Research Summary: Despite the recognition that knowledge sharing among employees is necessary to enact knowledge strategy, little is known about how to enable such sharing. Recent research suggests that social media may promote knowledge sharing because they allow social lubrication and the formation of trust. Our longitudinal and comparative analysis of social media usage at two large firms indicates that users who participate in nonwork interactions on social media catalyze a cycle of curiosity and passable trust that enables them to connect and share knowledge. Paradoxically, the very nonwork‐related content that attracts users to social media and shapes passable trust can become a source of tension, thwarting a firm's ability to encapsulate knowledge in the form of routines and to use it to enact its strategy. Managerial Summary: Integrating knowledge from across a firm is a critical source of competitive advantage. Firms are increasingly implementing internal social media sites to promote knowledge sharing among their employees. Our analysis indicates that employees’ curiosity about nonwork‐related and work‐related interactions motivate them to use the sites. The integration of nonwork and work content allows employees to identify people with valuable knowledge, and gauge the passable trust that they need to share knowledge on the sites or offline. Paradoxically, the nonwork‐related content that attracts users to the sites can become a source of tension, thwarting the production of knowledge to enact firms’ knowledge‐based strategies. To foster work‐related knowledge sharing, managers should accommodate nonwork‐related interactions on social media.
Fraud Detection in Online Auctions

Online auctions are auctions held over the internet. Online auctions avoid some of the problems of traditional auctions, such as geographical and time restrictions, and limited audiences. However, this has also made them a target for fraud. The majority of previous approaches for reducing auction fraud make use of machine learning techniques to identify suspicious users and auctions. However, many of these approaches have generally encountered the same challenges during implementation and evaluation. These challenges include lack of good quality datasets, imbalance in the number of normal and fraudulent examples, heterogeneity of both normal and fraudulent behaviours, and behaviours which evolve over time. In this thesis, we explore methods of dealing with some of these challenges. To address the lack of good datasets, we implement an agent-based simulation for online auctions as a means of generating synthetic auction data. The simulation models the behaviour of normal bidders and sellers, based on real online auction data. The synthetic data was evaluated using three methods, and results show that the synthetic data is similar to real data. We then applied the simulation to evaluate an existing fraud detection method to show that the simulation can be used as a source of data for evaluating fraud detection algorithms. To address the difficulty in creating detection models for different fraud behaviours and strategies, we demonstrate using supervised learning methods with our simulation to easily create models for detecting arbitrary types of fraud. Models created using this i
Corporate Social Responsibility, Shariah-Compliant and Earnings Management

This paper aims to investigate the relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and financial reporting quality. It also investigates the effect of Shariah screening processes on the relationship between CSR and financial reporting quality. This study uses discretionary accruals (DA) as a proxy of EM. The sample is constructed based on Thomson Reuters ASSET4 and FTSE Shariah index, having a sample of 4085 firm-year observations domiciled in Europe for the period of 2003-2011. We find that there is a positive association between CSR and financial reporting quality. In addition, the model has been re-estimated using ASSET4’s pillars and categories and we observe that both of social performance and environmental performance pillars do have an effect on enhancing the quality of financial reporting. Furthermore, the findings evidence that CSR in training and development, diversity, human right, community, resource reduction and emission reduction have a significant influence on mitigating a firm’s opportunistic behaviour of managing earnings using accruals, and then increasing the quality of financial reporting. On the other hand, this study examines whether CSR firms that are Shariah-compliant engage in CSR as a moral obligations and behave ethically in terms of providing high-quality financial reporting compared to CSR firms that are not Shariah-compliant. We find that CSR firms that are not Shariah-compliant are less likely to manage earnings through accruals. The results suggest that Shariah screening processes appear to have no effect on mitigating the opportunistic behaviour of involving in CSR activities for the purpose of managing earnings. This finding does not support the argument that Shariah complaint firms conducting their activities in ethical and transparent manner. This study provides a new and far-reaching addition to prior literature by assessing the association between CSR and financial reporting quality, and the impact of Shariah screening processes on mitigating managerial opportunisms of engaging in CSR and EM activities. This also contributes to the growing discussion on CSR and financial reporting quality from an Islamic ethical perspective.
Attentional deficits affect activities of daily living in dementia-associated with Parkinson’s disease

Objective: To investigate the effects of attentional deficits on activities of daily living (ADL) in patients with dementia associated with Parkinson’s disease (PDD). Method: 461 patients were assessed neuropsychologically. Factor analyses were used to differentiate attention from other cognitive functions and to differentiate different aspects of ADL functions. The effects of the attentional measure on ADL were examined using sequential multiple regression, controlling for age, sex, education, severity of motor symptoms and other cognitive functions. Results: Three cognitive factors were identified, with one factor emerging as a measure of vigilance and focused attention. This factor predicted different aspects of ADL status even after controlling for motor functions and other cognitive factors. The attention factor was the single strongest cognitive predictor of ADL status, matching the strength of the effects of motor functions on ADL status. Conclusion: Impaired attention is an important determinant of ADL functions in patients with PDD.
Strontium is incorporated into mineral crystals only in newly formed bone during strontium ranelate treatment

Strontium ranelate has been shown to increase bone mass in postmenopausal osteoporosis patients and to reduce fracture risk. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential influence of strontium ranelate (Protelos) treatment on human bone tissue characteristics and quality at the micro‐ and nanostructural levels. We investigated transiliac biopsies from patients treated for 36 months with strontium ranelate or placebo (n = 5 per group) using synchrotron radiation with a microbeam combining scanning small‐angle scattering, X‐ray diffraction, and fluorescence spectroscopy (SAXS/XRD/XRF) for a detailed characterization of the mineral crystals within the collagenous bone matrix. A scanning procedure allowed the simultaneous determination of maps of the chemical composition together with thickness, length, and lattice spacing of these mineral crystals within each of the 15‐ or 25‐µm‐wide pixels in a thin bone section. The fluorescence results show that only bone packets or osteons formed during the strontium ranelate treatment contain significant amounts of strontium and that up to 0.5 of 10 calcium atoms in the mineral crystals are replaced by strontium, as revealed by a corresponding shift in apatite lattice spacing. The thickness and length of the plate‐shaped bone mineral crystals were not affected by the strontium ranelate treatment. As a consequence, there was no indication for a change in human bone tissue quality at the nanoscale after a 36‐month treatment of postmenopausal osteoporotic women with strontium ranelate, except for a partial replacement of calcium by strontium ions in the hydroxyapatite crystals, only in newly formed bone. © 2010 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
The association between deprivation levels, attendance rate and triage category of children attending a children's accident and emergency department

Objective—To determine the relation between deprivation category, triage score and accident and emergency (A&E) attendance for children under the age of 13. Design—Retrospective study of all children attending an A&E department over one year. Setting—A paediatric teaching hospital in Edinburgh. Subjects—All children attending the A&E department who had a postcode and a triage score documented on attendance. The postcode was used to determine the deprivation category and the triage scored the severity of illness or injury. Main outcome measure—The relation between deprivation category, triage score and frequency of attendance. Results—There is a trend towards increased attendance in all triage categories for deprivation categories 6 and 7. Conclusions—Attendance at A&E is not only related to severity of injury but also to deprivation category. The reason why people from disadvantaged areas attend more frequently needs further evaluation.
Student and Faculty Use and Perceptions of Web 2.0 Technologies in Higher Education

In this chapter, the authors provide evidence for the potential of Web 2.0 applications in higher education through a review of relevant literature on educational technology and social networking. Additionally, the authors report the results and implications of a study exploring student and faculty awareness of the potential of Web 2.0 technologies to support and supplement classroom instruction in higher education. Also, using the decomposed theory of planned behavior as the theoretical foundation, the authors discuss factors that influence student and faculty decisions to adopt Web 2.0 technologies. The chapter concludes with a list of recommendations for classroom use of Web 2.0 applications, as well as implications for policy changes and future research.
The Impact Of Market-Related Factors On The Choice Of Foreign Market Entry Mode By Service Firms

The topic of internationalization has received an increased amount of attention due to globalization and growing amounts of international trade. One of the most important factors for the success of foreign market operations is the choice of the entry mode. This paper investigates the key determinants for the choice of foreign market entry mode. Specifically, the research examines the effects of market-related factors of the selected entry mode on service companies. This study contributes to the existing knowledge of internationalization of service companies by analyzing market-related factors of entry modes. Moreover, it provides managerial implications that might be applied by companies and governmental agencies to promote investment and internationalization of local companies.
Coordinating heart morphogenesis: A novel role for hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels during cardiogenesis in Xenopus laevis

ABSTRACT Hyperpolarization-activated cyclic-nucleotide gated channel (HCN) proteins are important regulators of both neuronal and cardiac excitability. Among the 4 HCN isoforms, HCN4 is known as a pacemaker channel, because it helps control the periodicity of contractions in vertebrate hearts. Although the physiological role of HCN4 channel has been studied in adult mammalian hearts, an earlier role during embryogenesis has not been clearly established. Here, we probe the embryonic roles of HCN4 channels, providing the first characterization of the expression profile of any of the HCN isoforms during Xenopus laevis development and investigate the consequences of altering HCN4 function on embryonic pattern formation. We demonstrate that both overexpression of HCN4 and injection of dominant-negative HCN4 mRNA during early embryogenesis results in improper expression of key patterning genes and severely malformed hearts. Our results suggest that HCN4 serves to coordinate morphogenetic control factors that provide positional information during heart morphogenesis in Xenopus.