Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PRESUMPTIVE STRESSFUL LIFE EVENTS SCALE (PSLES) — A NEW STRESSFUL LIFE EVENTS SCALE FOR USE IN INDIA

SUMMARY Using an open ended question along with Holme's and Rahe's Social Readjustment Rating Schedule on a sample of two hundred adult subjects, a suitable scale of stressful life events experienced by the Indian population was constructed and standardized for two time spaces, that is, last one year and life time. Analysis of various demographic variables for this population revealed no differences on this scale for age, marital state, education and occupation. However, marked sex differences in the perceived stressfulness were observed for three of the items. The scale items were further divided into desirable, undesirable and ambiguous and also into personal and impersonal Categories. Statistically significant difference were observed between the desirable and undesirable items, the latter being perceived as more stressful. Norms for total number of life events experienced as well as the presumptive stress score were established for each event for this population. The frequency of occurrence of each event in our population was also obtained. It was Calculated that individuals in our society are likely to experience an average of two stressful life events in the past one year and ten events in a life time without suffering any adverse physical or psychological disturbance. The scale is simple to administer to literate and illiterate subjects.
Block BSS Method for Extracting Pulse Wave Under Noisy Environment

A Blind Source Separation (BSS) can separate the source signals from only the observation signals mixed the plural signals under the condition that the source signals and the mixing process are unknown. On the other hand, a block signal processing is often used for a reduction of a calculation or a frequency domain processing and a BSS has been adopted in a biosignal processing field as well as an audio signal processing field. In this paper, we propose a BSS method with locally mixed nonstationary noise reduction based on block processing for extracting a pulse wave(PW). The aim of this research is, using a block BSS, to remove nonstationary noise within a block that is included in a short interval. To show the performance of the proposed method for measured data, we used a pulse wave data while is sensored while driving. It was confirmed that the proposed method is effective for extraction of PW.
Myosin II Tension Sensors Visualize Force Generation within the Actin Cytoskeleton in Living Cells

Type II myosin motors generate cytoskeletal forces that are central to cell division, embryogenesis, muscle contraction, and many other cellular functions. However, at present there is no method that can directly measure the forces generated by myosins in living cells. Here we describe a Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based tension sensor that can measure forces generated by Nonmuscle Myosin IIB (NMIIB) in living cells with piconewton (pN) sensitivity. Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM)-FRET measurements indicate that the forces generated by NMIIB exhibit significant spatial and temporal heterogeneity, with inferred tensions that vary widely in different regions of the cell. This initial report highlights the potential utility of myosin-based tension sensors in elucidating the roles of cytoskeletal contractility in a wide variety of contexts.
On optimal training in massive MIMO systems with insufficient pilots

This paper studies the optimization of pilot training signals in Massive MIMO systems with insufficient pilot length. We aim at finding the optimal pilot design and pilot length that maximize the Spectral Efficiency (SE) of the system. To achieve that, we firstly derive an approximation of average achievable capacity, which is related to channel estimation error and pilot signals. Then some analysis and discussions on finding the optimal non-orthogonal pilot design are presented in order to maximize average sum SE. Since previous research on Massive MIMO systems with pilot training mainly focus on orthogonal pilots, in this paper we give a design criterion of non-orthogonal pilots, and relate the system SE as a function of pilot length. Simulation results show the gap between simulation results and our analytical results. Meanwhile, the performance of uplink SE with orthogonal and non-orthogonal pilots is shown, where for insufficient block length, non-orthogonal pilots could lead to higher SE than the orthogonal pilots. Our analysis and results suggest that choosing non-orthogonal pilots can get a better performance than orthogonal pilots in Massive MIMO systems.
The Integral Pulse Frequency Modulation Model With Time-Varying Threshold: Application to Heart Rate Variability Analysis During Exercise Stress Testing

In this paper, an approach for heart rate variability analysis during exercise stress testing is proposed based on the integral pulse frequency modulation (IPFM) model, where a time-varying threshold is included to account for the nonstationary mean heart rate. The proposed technique allows the estimation of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) modulating signal using the methods derived for the IPFM model with constant threshold plus a correction, which is shown to be needed to take into account the time-varying mean heart rate. On simulations, this technique allows the estimation of the ANS modulation on the heart from the beat occurrence time series with lower errors than the IPFM model with constant threshold (1.1% ± 1.3% versus 15.0% ± 14.9%). On an exercise stress testing database, the ANS modulation estimated by the proposed technique is closer to physiology than that obtained from the IPFM model with constant threshold, which tends to overestimate the ANS modulation during the recovery and underestimate it during the initial rest.
Cellular Level Electromechanical Modeling and Simulation of Heart Failure

Effects of heart failure on the mechanical function of the heart are difficult to assess experimentally, yet they pose a serious physiological challenge. By integrating modified cellular action potential model based on experimental data of heart failure with modified Hunter-McCulloch-ter Keurs (HMT) mechanical heart cell model, an electromechanical cardiac cell model was constructed and used to study cellular mechanical properties of both fast and slow contracting myocytes in heart failure. The simulation results show that the differences of the electrical responses between failing cells and normal cells can cause slowing relaxation of the Ca2+ transient, and the difference of the Ca2+-TnC concentrations between fast and slow myocytes in failing hearts is much reduced than in nonfailing hearts. It results in a decrease of force, which might diminish the role of mechanoelectric feedback (MEF), then induce an increase of transmural action potential duration (APD) gradients. It might cause arrhythmia in heart failure. These results are in good accordance with experimental findings reported in the literatures and might motivate further research on modeling and simulation of heart failure at the tissue and the whole organ levels
Subarachnoid–Pleural Fistulae—Management With a Transdiaphragmatic Pedicled Greater Omental Flap: Report of Two Cases

Study Design. This report describes the treatment of chronic subarachnoid–pleural fistulae using a pedicled greater omentum transfer flap. Objective. To describe a new technique for the management of chronic subarachnoid–pleural fistulae resulting from thoracic dural tears. Summary of Background Data. Thoracic dural tears with leakage of cerebral spinal fluid into the pleural space can occur after thoracic spine surgery. The treatment of chronic subarachnoid–pleural fistulae using an omental flap, however, has not been reported. Methods. The clinical, radiographic, and surgical details of two cases are described. Results. Pedicled greater omentum transferred to the thoracic spine was an effective method in the treatment of intractable thoracic dural tears for two patients. Conclusion. These cases demonstrate that pedicled greater omentum transferred to the thoracic spine can be a safe and effective technique for the management of intractable thoracic dural tears and their complications.
Molecular characterization and expression of microbial inulinase genes

Many genes encoding exo- and endo-inulinases from bacteria, yeasts and filamentous fungi have been cloned and characterized. All the inulinases have several conserved motifs, such as WMND(E)PNGL, RDP, EC(V)P, SVEVF, Q and FS(T), which play an important role in inulinase catalysis and substrate binding. However, the exo-inulinases produced by yeasts has no conserved motif SVEVF and the yeasts do not produce any endo-inulinase. Exo- and endo-inulinases found in different microorganisms cluster separately at distant positions from each other. Most of the cloned inulinase genes have been expressed in Yarrowia lipolytica, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Pichia pastoris, Klyuveromyces lactis and Escherichia coli, respectively. The recombinant inulinases produced and the engineered hosts using the cloned inulinase genes have many potential applications. Expression of most of the inulinase genes is repressed by glucose and fructose and induced by inulin and sucrose. However, the detailed mechanisms of the repression and induction are still unknown.
The affective commitment of academics in a university in Botswana

Affective commitment remains an essential factor in key outcomes such as work performance and productivity, and has been shown to have the strongest positive relation with positive work behaviours when compared with normative commitment and continuance commitment. Using a sample of 164 academic employees at the University of Botswana, this study assessed the extent to which they had affective commitment to the organization. We also investigated factors that are associated with affective commitment and those that predict affective commitment of academic employees. The study found that only 34.1% of academic employees sampled had affective commitment. Logistic regression analyses identified three predictors of affective commitment among academic employees. They are satisfaction with management, contribution to policy making, and responding to emails. While some researchers have found that associations between affective commitment and demographic variables were generally low or weak, this study found no significant associations between demographic factors and affective commitment. Key words: Academic employees, affective commitment, Botswana, management.
Designing Customer-Oriented Non-Monetary Promotions in the Tourism Industry

ABSTRACT In this study we examined the effects of promoted product and shopping motivation on consumers’ choice between utilitarian and hedonic non-monetary promotions using two experiments, and compared the two perspectives (i.e. benefit congruency versus justification) in terms of the power of explanation regarding the results. The two perspectives were found to be complementary rather than contrasting. Consistent with justification-based theory, relative preference for a utilitarian promotion increased when the promoted product was hedonic (as opposed to utilitarian), showing that the utilitarian promotion mitigates guilt and thus simplifies justification of choice. Shopping motivation moderated the effect of the promoted product on promotion choice, supporting the benefit congruency framework. Specifically, the relative preference for a hedonic promotion in utilitarian consumption decreased when the shopping motivation was utilitarian (as opposed to hedonic).
Structural Transformation and the U-Shaped Female Labor Supply

The nature and extent of segmentation of economic activity across genders and its changing roles during the course of economic development has been a central topic of inquiry since Ester Boserup's pioneering work on Woman's Role in Economic Development. The evidence, both historically for the U.S. and other developed economies and over large cross-sections of countries, suggests that the relationship between women's labor force participation and economic development is U-shaped. This paper investigates the link between the U-shaped evolution of womens employment and the process of structural transformation in the course of economic development. Specically, it shows how this pattern can be rationalized based on a model of structural transformation with home production.
Integrating model-in-the-loop simulations to model-driven development in industrial control

Software applications are becoming increasingly important in automation and control systems. This has forced control system vendors and integrators to pursue new, more effective software development practices. One of the promising research paths has been the utilization of Unified Modeling Language and model-driven development. However, integration of simulations to the existing model-driven development approaches still has not been sufficiently described in the literature. This is surprising as advanced mathematical simulation tools are already in use in the domain to facilitate control algorithm development. In this paper, this issue is addressed by extending a tool-supported model-driven development process with object-oriented, component-based simulation capabilities. To demonstrate the proposed technique, a control system model for a crane system is developed and the technique then used to create a Modelica simulation of the controlled crane.
A task-oriented evaluation metric for machine translation

Evaluation remains an open and fundamental issue for machine translation (MT). The inherent subjectivity of any judgment about the quality of translation, whether human or machine, and the diversity of end uses and users of translated material, contribute to the difficulty of establishing relevant and efficient evaluation methods. The US Federal Intelligent Document Understanding Laboratory (FIDUL) is developing a new, task-oriented evaluation metric and methodology to measure MT systems in light of the tasks for which their output may be used. This paper describes the development of this methodology for Japanese-to-English MT. It includes a sample inventory of the tasks for which translated material is used, (e.g., filtering, detection, extraction) and describes exercises in which users perform each task with MT output. The methodology correlates the recorded subjective judgments of the raters in the DARPA MT Evaluation with users' performances on the task-based exercises. Analysis of the errors in scored texts determines whether the presence of certain error types in MT affects specific tasks and not others. Source language patterns that produced errors become a test set that can be easily and efficiently scored to evaluate the performance of any new Japanese-to-English MT system in terms of the task inventory.
Projected Treatment Capacity Needs in Sierra Leone

Background: The ongoing outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease in West Africa requires immediate and sustained input from the international community in order to curb transmission. The CDC has produced a model that indicates that to end the outbreak by pushing the reproductive number below one, 25% of the patients must be placed in an Ebola Treatment Unit (ETC) and 45% must be isolated in community settings in which risk of disease transmission is reduced and safe burials are provided. In order to provide firmer targets for the international response in Sierra Leone, we estimated the national and international personnel and treatment capacity that may be required to reach these percentages. Methods: We developed a compartmental SEIR model that was fitted to WHO data and local data allowing the reproductive number to change every 8 weeks to forecast the progression of the EVD epidemic in Sierra Leone. We used the previously estimated 2.5x correction factor estimated by the CDC to correct for underreporting. Number of personnel required to provide treatment for the predicted number of cases was estimated using UNMEER and UN OCHA requests for resources required to meet the CDC target of 70% isolation. Results: As of today (2014-12-04), we estimate that there are 810 (95% CI=646 to 973) EVD active cases in treatment, with an additional 3751 (95% CI=2778 to 4723) EVD cases unreported and untreated. To reach the CDC targets today, we need 1140 (95% CI=894 to 1387) cases in ETCs and 2052 (95% CI=1608 to 2496) at home or in a community setting with a reduced risk for disease transmission. In 28 days (2015-01-01), we will need 1309 (95% CI=804 to 1814) EVD cases in ETCs and 2356 (95% CI=1447 to 3266) EVD cases at reduced risk of transmission. If the current transmission rate is not reduced, up to 3183 personnel in total will be required in 56 days (2015-01-29) to operate ETCs according to our model. Conclusions: The current outbreak will require massive input from the international community in order to curb the transmission through traditional containment mechanisms by breaking the chains of transmission in Sierra Leone. If sufficient treatment facilities, healthcare workers and support personnel are not rapidly deployed, the increasing number of cases will be overwhelming.In addition to supporting isolation and treatment mechanisms, other viable control options, such as the development of an effective vaccine, should be supported.
On the space charge and DC breakdown behavior of polyethylene/silica nanocomposites

Space charge occurs in a dielectric material when the rate of charge accumulation is different from the rate of removal, which arises due to moving or trapped charges. Inevitably, the local electric field is increased at some point within the material, which then leads to faster degradation and premature failure. The determination of space charge behavior has seen wide implementation in characterizing novel dielectric materials, especially in connection with the newly emerging field of nanocomposites. In this paper, we report on an investigation into space charge dynamics in silica-based polyethylene nanocomposites. The various systems differed with respect to the amount of filler and its surface chemistry; the pulsed electro-acoustic (PEA) technique was used to evaluate the space charge distribution in each. Experimental results indicate that the incorporation of nanosilica into polyethylene results in a significant amount of homocharge development near both electrodes. With appropriate surface treatment of the nanofiller, homocharge formation was successfully suppressed, indicating less severe space charge development in the nanocomposite materials. The mechanisms leading to the observed space charge development and direct current (DC) breakdown properties of the nanocomposites are discussed.
Towards a bilingual Alzheimer's disease terminology acquisition using a parallel corpus

We present in this paper a method for acquiring a bilingual terminology concerning the Alzheimer's disease using a parallel corpus. NLP techniques are used for parsing English and French texts in order to extract candidate terms. These terms are then matched automatically using an approach that combines two alignment techniques: one based on the calculation of an association score between two terms, and another technique based on the calculation of morphological similarity. This method provided good results on an Alzheimer's disease related corpus with a precision of 73%.
Labor Market Institutions and the Cost of Recessions

This paper studies the effect of two labor market institutions, unemployment insurance (UI) and job search assistance (JSA), on the output cost and welfare cost of recessions. The paper develops a tractable incomplete-market model with search unemployment, skill depreciation during unemployment, and idiosyncratic as well as aggregate labor market risk. The theoretical analysis shows that an increase in JSA and a reduction in UI reduce the output cost of recessions by making the labor market more fluid along the job finding margin and thus making the economy more resilient to macroeconomic shocks. In contrast, the effect of JSA and UI on the welfare cost of recessions is in general ambiguous. The paper also provides a quantitative application to the German labor market reforms of 2003-2005, the so-called Hartz reforms, which improved JSA (Hartz III reform) and reduced UI (Hartz IV reform). According to the baseline calibration, the two labor market reforms led to a substantial reduction in the output cost of recessions and a more moderate reduction in the welfare cost of recessions in Germany.
A novel class of bifunctional acylpeptide hydrolases – potential role in the antioxidant defense systems of the Antarctic fish Trematomus bernacchii

Oxidative challenge is an important factor affecting the adaptive strategies of Antarctic fish, but data on antioxidant defenses in these organisms remain scarce. In this context, a key role could be played by acylpeptide hydrolase (APEH), which was recently hypothesized to participate in the degradation of oxidized and cytotoxic proteins, although its physiological function is still not fully clarified. This study represents the first report on piscine members of this enzyme family, specifically from the Antarctic teleost Trematomus bernacchii. The cDNAs corresponding to two apeh genes were isolated, and the respective proteins were functionally and structurally characterized with the aim of understanding the biological significance of these proteases in Antarctic fish. Both APEH isoforms (APEH‐1Tb and APEH‐2Tb) showed distinct temperature‐kinetic behavior, with significant differences in the Km values. Moreover, beside the typical acylpeptide hydrolase activity, APEH‐2Tb showed remarkable oxidized protein endohydrolase activity towards oxidized BSA, suggesting that this isoform could play a homeostatic role in removing oxidatively damaged proteins, sustaining the antioxidant defense systems. The 3D structures of both APEHs were predicted, and a possible relationship was found between the substrate specificity/affinity and the marked changes in the number of charged residues and hydrophobicity properties surrounding their catalytic sites. Our results demonstrated the occurrence of two APEH isoforms in T. bernacchii, belonging to different phylogenetic clusters, identified for the first time, and showing distinct molecular and temperature–kinetic behaviors. In addition, we suggest that the members of the new cluster ‘APEH‐2’ could participate in reactive oxygen species detoxification as phase 3 antioxidant enzymes, enhancing the protein degradation machinery.
Sparse Representation with Harmonic Wavelets

A simple method, based on harmonic wavelets, is proposed for the decomposition of a suitable signal into a periodic function and a pulse. It will be shown that, under some general conditions, by a simple projection into two disjoint orthogonal space of functions the periodic component of the signal can be separated from the localized part. The proposed algorithm, gives an approximate (scale depending) decomposition and can be used also for an efficient denoising (as shown in the final examples).