Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quantitative elemental analysis of photovoltaic Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin films using MCs+ clusters

In the process of optimizing solar cells a quantitative and depth-resolved elemental analysis of photovoltaic thin films is strongly required. Regarding Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) thin film solar cells, depth dependent stoichometric changes of Ga and In are of great interest because the In/Ga ratio has a large effect on solar cell efficiencies. In this paper we investigate the elemental composition of CIGS thin film solar cells based on secondary ion intensities in Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) depth profiling, providing high sensitivities and high spatial resolution. Quantification of the data is obtained by comparison to X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) depth profiles. The detection of MCs+-clusters is used for semiquantitative elemental analysis of CIGS thin films. Correlation plots of the intensities of GaCs+ and InCs+ indicate that there is no relevant matrix effect for In and Ga due to changes in stoichiometry in the layer. Additional high resolution Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) measurements show a strong correlation between the ratio of the bulk concentrations of Ga and In and the ratio of integrated ToF-SIMS intensities of GaCs+ and InCs+ therefore supporting the quantitative interpretation of MCs+ data.
Robust color object tracking method against illumination color Change

Color information is one of the most important keys in object tracking. Color appearance of objects depends on illumination color. Therefore, object tracking by color information does not work well in environments with illumination color changes. In some computer vision algorithms, illumination changes are compensated by brightness correction. However, the compensation is insufficient for tracking in recent indoor environments with some types of fluorescent lights and LEDs. The color changes by illumination should be considered in color object tracking. This paper presents an object tracking method based on the gray world assumption (GWA) that relates to the color constancy in human vision. The average color in the vision is regarded as neutral gray in the GWA. In this method, the object color is defined as relative values from the average color in the frame of the image sequence, based on the GWA. Particle filter is used for robust tracking against sudden situation changes. We applied the proposed method to person tracking. Several experiments were examined for evaluation of the proposed method. The experimental results showed good feasibility of the proposed method.
Problem-based learning used in the context of cardiac rehabilitation: different scenes and different roles

Several studies show that how patients have difficulties in changing lifestyle even though such changes are essential because they are suffering from a life-threatening disease. Coronary artery disease (CAD) patients met 13 times during a year and used problem-based learning (PBL) to improve their empowerment and self-efficacy in making lifestyle changes. District nurses functioned as tutors, helping patients to formulate issues and to state self-care goals. To identify and describe the enactment of PBL, an ethnographic approach was used, including, for example, participant observations and interviews, all derived from six sessions of the education programme. Five different enactments were found, metaphorically expressed as: ‘The study circle’, ‘The classroom’, ‘The expert consultation’, ‘The therapy session’ and ‘The coffee party’. The education programme did not always function as it was supposed to according to the model, but perhaps this should not be seen as a failure of the pedagogical intervention since these enactments as a whole seem to be a way for the patients to be able to make healthy lifestyle changes. The metaphors can broaden the understanding of what can happen when implementing problem-based learning in health care practice.
Testing the hypothesis that treatments have negligible effects : Minimum-effect tests in the general linear model

Researchers are often interested in testing the hypothesis that the effects of treatments, interventions, and so on are negligibly small rather than testing the hypothesis that treatments have no effect whatsoever. A number of procedures for conducting such tests have been suggested but have yet to be widely adopted. In this article, simple methods of testing such minimum-effect hypotheses are illustrated in a variety of applications of the general linear model. Tables and computational routines that can be used in conjunction with the familiar F test to evaluate the hypothesis that the effects of treatments or interventions exceed some minimum level are also provided. One of the most common statistical procedures in the behavioral and social sciences is to test the hypothesis that treatments or interventions have no effect, or that the correlation between two variables is equal to zero, and so on. Cohen (1994) referred to these procedures as "nil hypothesis" tests, a label that differentiates them from the more general category of null hypothesis tests (which allow researchers to test the hypothesis that the difference between two treatments is equal to any specific figure, including but not limited to zero) and that makes it explicit that this particular class of tests is used to evaluate the plausibility of the hypothesis that treatments or interventions have no true effect whatsoever. Although nil hypothesis tests are extremely common, there is a substantial controversy about their value and meaning (Chow, 1988; Cohen, 1994; Cortina & Dunlap, 1997; Cowles, 1989; Harlow, Mulaik, & Steiger, 1997; Meehl, 1978; Morrison & Henkel, 1970; Murphy, 1990; Schmidt, 1992, 1996). One of the many criticisms of nil hypothesis tests is that they ask the wrong question. That is, these tests ask whether treatments, interventions, and so forth have any effect. The question many researchers (especially those interested in the application of science to solve practical problems) want to ask is whether the
Design of a gaze behavior at a small mistake moment for a robot

A change of gaze behavior at a small mistake moment is a natural response that reveals our own mistakes and suggests an apology to others with whom we are working or interacting. In this paper we investigate how robot gaze behaviors at small mistake moments change the impressions of others. To prepare gaze behaviors for a robot, first, we identified by questionnaires how human gaze behaviors change in such situations and extracted three kinds: looking at the other, looking down, and looking away. We prepared each gaze behavior, added a no-gaze behavior, and investigated how a robot’s gaze behavior at a small mistake moment changes the impressions of the interacting people in a simple cooperative task. Experiment results show that the ‘looking at the other’ gaze behavior outperforms the other gaze behaviors and indicates the degrees of perceived apologeticness and friendliness. Keywords: Communication robots; gaze; mistake; mitigation
Does Publication in Top-Tier Journals Affect Reviewer Behavior?

We show that when ecologists act as reviewers their reported rejection rates recommended for manuscripts increases with their publication frequency in high impact factor journals. Rejection rate however does not relate to reviewer age. These results indicate that the likelihood of getting a paper accepted for publication may depend upon factors in addition to scientific merit. Multiple reviewer selection for a given manuscript therefore should consider not only appropriate expertise, but also reviewers that have variable publication experience with a range of different journals to ensure balanced treatment. Interestingly since age did not relate to rejection rates, more senior scientists are not necessarily more jaded in reviewing practices.
Addendum to \New Notions of Reduction and Non-Semantic Proofs of -Strong Normalization in Typed -Calculi"

This addendum to our technical report of December 1994 KW94b] has several purposes: 1. To clarify some statements about the focus and purpose of the paper which w ere written unclearly. 2. To add information on research b y others on the notion of reduction which w e call-reduction and other similar transformations. 3. To discuss the closely-related research b y P. de Groote of which w e w ere unfortunately unaware. This discussion has three parts: (a) A comparison of the way de Groote reduces the-SN problem to a weak normalization problem which i s v ery close to our method. (b) A discussion of how de Groote's proposed-SN proof for the simply-typed-calculus fails and how our proof avoids the aw in de Groote's proof. (c) A comparison of the diierent w ays in which our paper and de Groote's paper go beyond the simply-typed-calculus. 4. To discuss an earlier method by Klop for reducing a-SN problem to a weak normalization problem, which could be extended to a-SN proof for the intersection-type system by using the method of our paper. 5. To x the incorrect proof of Lemma 3.2. We will discuss these items in this order.
Tagging Strategies Strongly Affect the Fate of Overexpressed Caveolin-1

Caveolin‐1 (Cav1) is the primary scaffolding protein of caveolae, flask‐shaped invaginations of the plasma membrane thought to function in endocytosis, mechanotransduction, signaling and lipid homeostasis. A significant amount of our current knowledge about caveolins and caveolae is derived from studies of transiently overexpressed, C‐terminally tagged caveolin proteins. However, how different tags affect the behavior of ectopically expressed Cav1 is still largely unknown. To address this question, we performed a comparative analysis of the subcellular distribution, oligomerization state and detergent resistance of transiently overexpressed Cav1 labeled with three different C‐terminal tags (EGFP, mCherry and myc). We show that addition of fluorescent protein tags enhances the aggregation and/or degradation of both wild‐type Cav1 and an oligomerization defective P132L mutant. Strikingly, complexes formed by overexpressed Cav1 fusion proteins excluded endogenous Cav1 and Cav2, and the properties of native caveolins were largely preserved even when abnormal aggregates were present in cells. These findings suggest that differences in tagging strategies may be a source of variation in previously published studies of Cav1 and that overexpressed Cav1 may exert functional effects outside of caveolae. They also highlight the need for a critical re‐evaluation of current knowledge based on transient overexpression of tagged Cav1.
Disturbance rejection and robustness for LTV Systems

In this paper, we consider the optimal disturbance rejection problem for (possibly infinite dimensional) linear time-varying (LTV) systems using a framework based on operator algebras of classes of bounded linear operators. In particular, after reducing the problem to a shortest distance minimization in a space of bounded linear operators, duality theory is applied to show existence of optimal solutions, which satisfy a "time-varying" allpass or flatness condition. With the use of the theory of M-ideals of operators, it is shown that the computation of time-varying (TV) controllers reduces to a search over compact TV Youla parameters. This involves the norm of a TV compact Hankel operator and its maximal vectors. Moreover, an operator identity to compute the optimal TV Youla parameter is also derived. The results are generalized to the mixed sensitivity problem for TV systems as well, where it is shown that the optimum is equal to the operator induced of a TV mixed Hankel-Toeplitz operator generalizing analogous results known to hold in the LTI case. Finally, a numerical algorithm to compute optimal TV controllers is proposed
Persian couples’ experiences of depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life in the pre- and perinatal period

Abstract Objectives: The aim of this study was to estimate the effect of changes in depressive symptoms on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in couples. This was examined before, during and after the pregnancy. In addition, (HRQoL) was examined in relation to the mode of delivery. Methods: A prospective longitudinal study of 416 couples was conducted in two teaching hospitals in Tehran, Iran. The translated Medical Outcomes Study-Short Form 36 (SF-36) and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) were used to measure health-related quality of life and depressive symptoms respectively, and are reported here. Results: The results showed that women and their spouses experienced a noticeable decline in their physical HRQoL during and after the pregnancy. However, their mental health functioning showed a significant improvement following conception. The prevalence of depressive symptoms was high but decreased over the course of the pregnancy. Finally, HRQoL was affected by mode of delivery. Conclusions: The results show that women and their husbands experienced marked changes in perceived health-related functioning and depressive symptoms during and after pregnancy. In addition, the study found that those women who had undergone Cesarean section had higher mental well-being scores. Future research should determine the benefits of extending pre-conception and pre-natal guidelines on the benefits of regular physical activity throughout and after pregnancy in Persian couples.
Preparing Special Educators for Cultural Diversity: How Far Have We Come?

Preparing special educators for cultural diversity is a complex task because it requires attention to all facets of instruction. This article provides an assessment of the progress made and the current status of the field in several critical areas related to special education teacher preparation for diversity. Issues regarding the special education literature base, special education professional standards, and special education organizational structures will be addressed. Finally, challenges that lie ahead are presented, along with suggestions for continued progress in the field.
Developmental plasticity and regenerative capacity in the renal ureteric bud/collecting duct system

Branching morphogenesis of epithelia is an important mechanism in animal development, being responsible for the characteristic architectures of glandular organs such as kidney, lung, prostate and salivary gland. In these systems, new branches usually arise at the tips of existing branches. Recent studies, particularly in kidney, have shown that tip cells express a set of genes distinct from those in the stalks. Tip cells also undergo most cell proliferation, daughter cells either remaining in the tip or being left behind as the tips advance, to differentiate and contribute to new stalk. Published time-lapse observations have suggested, though, that new branches may be able to arise from stalks. This happens so rarely, however, that it is not clear whether this reflects true plasticity and reversal of differentiation, or whether it is just an occasional instance of groups of tip cells being `left behind' by error in a mainly stalk zone. To determine whether cells that have differentiated into stalks really do retain the ability to make new tips, we have removed existing tips from stalks, verified that the stalks are free of tip cells, and assessed the ability of tip-free stalks to initiate new branches. We find stalks to be fully capable of regenerating tips that express typical tip markers, with these tips going on to form epithelial trees, at high frequency. The transition from tip to stalk is therefore reversible, at least for early stages of development. This observation has major implications for models of pattern formation in branching trees, and may also be important for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
Statins as Anti-Inflammatory Agents in Atherogenesis: Molecular Mechanisms and Lessons from the Recent Clinical Trials

Ample evidence exists in support of the potent anti-inflammatory properties of statins. In cell studies and animal models statins exert beneficial cardiovascular effects. By inhibiting intracellular isoprenoids formation, statins suppress vascular and myocardial inflammation, favorably modulate vascular and myocardial redox state and improve nitric oxide bioavailability. Randomized clinical trials have demonstrated that further to their lipid lowering effects, statins are useful in the primary and secondary prevention of coronary heart disease (CHD) due to their anti-inflammatory potential. The landmark JUPITER trial suggested that in subjects without CHD, suppression of low-grade inflammation by statins improves clinical outcome. However, recent trials have failed to document any clinical benefit with statins in high risk groups, such in heart failure or chronic kidney disease patients. In this review, we aim to summarize the existing evidence on statins as an anti-inflammatory agent in atherogenesis. We describe the molecular mechanisms responsible for the anti-inflammatory effects of statins, as well as clinical data on the non lipid-lowering, anti-inflammatory effects of statins on cardiovascular outcomes. Lastly, the controversy of the recent large randomized clinical trials and the issue of statin withdrawal are also discussed.
Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase 7 ( ERK 7 ) , a Novel ERK with a C-Terminal Domain That Regulates Its Activity , Its Cellular Localization , and Cell Growth

Mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases play distinct roles in a variety of cellular signaling pathways and are regulated through multiple mechanisms. In this study, a novel 61-kDa member of the MAP kinase family, termed extracellular signal-regulated kinase 7 (ERK7), has been cloned and characterized. Although it has the signature TEY activation motif of ERK1 and ERK2, ERK7 is not activated by extracellular stimuli that typically activate ERK1 and ERK2 or by common activators of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 kinase. Instead, ERK7 has appreciable constitutive activity in serum-starved cells that is dependent on the presence of its C-terminal domain. Interestingly, the C-terminal tail, not the kinase domain, of ERK7 regulates its nuclear localization and inhibition of growth. Taken together, these results elucidate a novel type of MAP kinase whereby interactions via its C-terminal tail, rather than extracellular signal-mediated activation cascades, regulate its activity, localization, and function.
Implication of Specific DQB 1 Alleles in Genetic Susceptibility and Resistance by Identification of IDDM Siblings With Novel HLA-DQB 1 Allele and Unusual DR 2 and DR 1 Haplotypes

Genetic susceptibility to insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) is associated with the HLA-DR3 and DR4 haplotypes. The HLA-DR2 haplotype is negatively associated with IDDM, an association that has been interpreted as dominant protection. Here, we describe the molecular analysis of the HLA class II genes in an unusual family with three HLA-DR112 siblings, all of whom have IDDM. With polymerase chain reaction amplification and sequence analysis to characterize the class II alleles, we identified a novel DQB1 allele on the DR1 haplotype and an unusual DQB1 allele on the DR2 haplotype. However, the DRB1 alleles on these DR1 and DR2 haplotypes are the conventional alleles (*0101 and *1501, respectively). These results suggest that it is the conventional DQB1 allele (*0602) not the DRB1 allele (*1501) on the protective DR2 haplotype that confers protection in the general population and, furthermore, that these unusual DQB1 alleles may confer susceptibility to IDDM in this family. The unusual DQB1 allele on this DR2 haplotype encodes Asp at position 57, indicating that it is the allele DQB1*0602 and not simply the presence of this residue that is responsible for the protective effect. Diabetes 40:478-81, 1991
Pain of terminal cancer patients.

The belief that cancer inevitably leads to a painful death is widespread. This may contribute to society's "cancerophobia" with subsequent frequent delays in seeking medical attention for suspected malignant neoplasms. We evaluated the degree of pain experienced by dying patients, with and without cancer, at a large medical center. Patterns of analgesic administration and physician and nurse progress notes demonstrated that patients dying with cancer had significantly higher preterminal daily pain ratings and significantly fewer pain-free days than patients dying without cancer (P less than .01). Nevertheless, approximately one quarter of cancer patients died without any pain or analgesic administration. A painful death from cancer is thus not inevitable.
Impedance control of a non-linearly coupled tendon driven thumb

A large workspace and proper force capabilities of a robotic thumb can be obtained using a tensegrity structure for the actuation, similar to the human thumb base muscles. Using nonlinear stiffness elements and an antagonistic architecture, the joint stiffness can be adjusted by variation of the tendon pre-tension. However, the highly nonlinear actuation creates new control challenges and in particular the nonlinear tendon kinematics must be accounted for. Despite the challenges, the nonlinear structure is required to achieve the desired torques. In this paper, the dynamic equations of a tendon driven thumb are established. An efficient formulation is proposed to generate the pretension forces in order to preserve the torques and approximate the stiffness matrix. A cascaded structure is used for the controller. The equations for the inner tendon force control loop and the outer impedance control loop are presented. Because of the absence of link side position sensors, an iterative estimation algorithm is proposed and implemented in real-time. It is shown that, using the mechanical joint flexibility, the controller impedance gain can be adjusted to improve the steady-state effective impedance. The search algorithm robustness is evaluated through a set of simulations. Finally, experimental results and equivalent simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of our controller.
Cooperative Struggle: Re-framing Intercultural Conflict in the Management of Sino-American Joint Ventures

Sino-American economic joint ventures are most often studied through a lens of technical rationality that typically emphasizes organizational efficiency, reduces culture to a manageable resource, and views conflict as discrete disruptions requiring efficient handling. Here, we conceptualize Sino-American business partnerships as sites of struggle where co-managers' accounts of intercultural disagreements reveal friction around action, voice, interests, and identity. We propose cooperative struggle as a critical management practice for working creatively with the multiple forms of difference that arise in this organizational form.
Myopathy in a 20‐year‐old female patient with D4ST‐1 deficient Ehlers‐Danlos syndrome due to a homozygous CHST14 mutation

We here report on a 20‐year‐old female patient with EDS due to a homozygous CHST14 single nucleotide deletion resulting in D4ST‐1 deficiency, accompanied by muscle hypoplasia and muscle weakness. Findings of muscle ultrasound, electromyography, and muscle biopsy pointed to a myopathy, similarly as in other EDS types. This myopathy probably contributes to the gross motor developmental delay in this type of EDS. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
3-D Haar Wavelet Transformation in Java

Internet has connected different parts of the world through a network link. Researchers in bioinformatics and biology have always wanted to share information for the progress of their research. But the data, they wanted to transfer are large-scale data sets which cannot be transferred over the existing network link in a considerable amount of time. Hence, methods to compress these large volumes of data are found. Wavelets are excellent data compression tools [1]. This paper discusses the Haar wavelet transformation to transform large-scale biological data sets. As we are more inclined towards viewing our data in 3-D we have implemented the Haar wavelet transform in 3-D.