Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Strategic management of IS/IT functions: the role of the CIO

Chief information officers (CIOs) have the difficult job of running a function that rues a lot of resources but offers little measurable evidence of its value. Line managers are increasingly assuming responsibility for planning, building, and running information systems that affect their operations. To respond to business and technological changes, CIOs now must build relationships with line managers and assume new and more strategic roles. The strategic role of the CIO is becoming ever more complex, requiring an expansion of the organizational and structural possibilities for filling that role. This paper presents an extensive literature review on the role of the CIO. The research examines CIO role in Norwegian organizations. In this paper, results from a survey of Norwegian CIOs are presented. Norwegian CIOs have on average worked in the current organization for eight years, have worked in information technology (IT) for twelve years, report mostly to the CEO or CFO, and have eleven people reporting to them. A large percentage have a masters degree. Also, formal IS planning tended to be adopted by organizations with higher annual revenue, larger number of total employees, and broader span of control (i.e., the number of people reporting to the CIO). Higher CIO reporting level was also associated with greater extent of information systems plan implementation.
Effects of suppressing thoughts about body weight: a comparison of dieters and nondieters.

OBJECTIVE Experimental suppression of a neutral target thought often results in a subsequent "rebound" in the frequency of the thought. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that suppression of weight-related thoughts contributes to body weight preoccupations characteristic of dieters. METHOD Subjects included 19 female dieters and 21 female nondieters. Following a randomized design, subjects were asked either to suppress (experimental condition) or express (control condition) the thought of weighing themselves. RESULTS Nondieters demonstrated a significant rebound in frequency of the target thought following suppression (p < .05). Dieters expressed weight-related thoughts more frequently than nondieters, but did not show a rebound following target thought suppression. DISCUSSION Thought suppression may foster development of weight-related preoccupations whereas the role suppression plays in the maintenance of dieters' weight-related preoccupations remains unclear.
Approaches to Measuring Quality of the Wilderness Experience

Wilderness is a special place that provides opportunity for unique and profound experiences. An essential task for the maintenance of these recreational opportunities is the definition and monitoring of experience quality. Four approaches to the measurement of the wilderness experience have developed in over 30 years of research: satisfaction approaches (which focus on evalu- ation of onsite conditions), benefits-based approaches (focusing on psychological outcomes), experience-based approaches (describing cognitive states experienced in wilderness), and meanings-based approaches (documenting socially constructed meanings ascribed to the experience). Each approach has its strengths and weak- nesses. Given that the wilderness experience is a multifaceted phenomenon, it is not surprising that no single method adequately serves the needs of managers trying to preserve the quality of the wilderness experience in the context of rising use density levels. However, a linear and direct relationship between use density conditions and experiential quality should not be assumed.
2-[(8-Methoxycarbonyl-4b,8-dimethyl-4b,5,6,7,8,8a,9,10-octahydrophenanthren-3-yl)amino]-3,5-dinitrobenzoic acid ethyl acetate monosolvate

The title compound, C25H27N3O8·C4H8O2, has a diterpene skeleton in which the fused cyclohexane rings exhibit chair and half-chair conformations. An intramolecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bond occurs. In the crystal, N—H⋯O, O—H⋯O and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds are observed.
A Format-Compliant Selective Encryption Scheme for Real-Time Video Streaming of the H.264/AVC

H.264 video coding standard is one of the most promising techniques for the future video communications. In fact, it supports a broad range of applications. Accordingly, with the continuous promotion of multimedia services, H.264 has been widely used in real-world applications. A major concern in the design of H.264 encryption algorithms is how to achieve a sufficiently high security level, while maintaining the efficiency of the underlying compression process. In this paper a new selective encryption scheme for the H.264 standard is presented. The aim of this work is to study the security of the H.264 standard in order to propose the appropriate design of a hardware crypto-processor based on a stream cipher algorithm. Since the proposed cryptosystem is mainly dedicated to the multimedia applications, it provides multiple security levels in order to satisfy the requirements of various applications for different purposes while ensuring higher coding efficiency. Different performance analyses were made in order to evaluate the new encryption system. The experimental results showed the reliability and the robustness of the proposed technique.
Antiproliferative and Structure Activity Relationships of Amaryllidaceae Alkaloids

The antiproliferative activity of a set of seven natural Amaryllidaceae alkaloids and 32 derivatives against four cancer cell lines (A2780, SW1573, T47-D and WiDr) was determined. The best antiproliferative activities were achieved with alkaloids derived from pancracine (2), haemanthamine (6) and haemantidine (7). For each skeleton, some structure-activity relationships were outlined.
Fully roll-to-roll gravure printed carbon nanotube based flexible thin film transistor backplane on 100 m of poly(ethyleneterephtalate) (PET) web

R2R gravure with two printing units with the overlay printing registration accuracy of ±20 μm is introduced to fabricate 20 × 20 TFTs backplane on 150 m of PET web. The resultants of fully printed TFT backplanes were characterized based on the concept to extract the scalability for manufacturing wall paper like sensor sheets. In this gravure system, silver nanoparticle based conductive ink, BaTiO3 based dielectric ink and single walled carbon nanotube based semiconducting ink were used for printing 20 × 20 TFT backplanes on 100 m of PET web. Rheological properties were optimized with the consideration of printing reliability and electrical properties of resulting TFTs. Mobility, transconductance, threshold voltage, and on-off current ratio of 20 × 20 printed TFT backplanes were analyzed for extracting the parameters to define the scalability factors for practical applications.
Spatial Modulation for Improved Performance of Next-Generation WLAN

Next-generation wireless networks target dense deployment scenarios where many heterogeneous devices, from high-end laptops to low-power Internet of Things (IoT) devices and wearables, must coexist and operate reliably. With increased deployment of IoT devices and wearables, increasing the energy efficiency without increasing complexity#x002F;cost is highly desirable in future dense wireless networks. In current wireless local area networks (WLAN), implementing multi-input multi-output (MIMO) techniques which utilizes multiple RF chains has become the norm, however, for IoT and wearable-type devices this is not efficient due to size and cost constraints. This paper studies the application of the Spatial Modulation (SM) waveform to the WLAN system (commercially named Wi-Fi). Specifically, the SM concept is applied to the MIMO orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) transceiver architecture of the 802.11 WLAN standards calling it spatially-modulated OFDM (SM-OFDM) WLAN. Thus, using a small number of RF chains, and ideally a single RF chain, is highly desirable for future low-cost devices. The proposed SM-OFDM scheme helps the Access Point (AP) to efficiently communicate with this diverse set of devices while addressing challenging design trade-offs between energy efficiency, implementation complexity, and overall network spectral efficiency.
4H-SiC SACM Avalanche Photodiode With Low Breakdown Voltage and High UV Detection Efficiency

In this paper, a high-performance 4H-SiC separated absorption charge multiplication ultraviolet avalanche photodiode (APD) with low breakdown voltage is designed and fabricated. The room temperature dark current of the APD remains at 0.1 pA level ( 29 pA/ cm-2) when reverse bias is below 50 V and then rises by several orders of magnitude before avalanche breakdown occurs. An avalanche gain up to 106 is achieved at 67 V. Based on secondary ion mass spectroscopy measurement, the electric field distribution within the as-fabricated APD is numerically simulated. The ionization ratio of Al in the p-type charge control layer is estimated to be 40%. The frequency dispersion phenomenon in capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurement should be caused by structural defects existing within the APDs, which may also be the source of the enhanced dark current before avalanche breakdown. The room-temperature maximum quantum efficiency is 80% at 270 nm with an ultraviolet (UV)/visible rejection ratio more than 104.
Frontline Science: D1 dopaminergic receptor signaling activates the AMPK‐bioenergetic pathway in macrophages and alveolar epithelial cells and reduces endotoxin‐induced ALI

Catecholamines, including β‐adrenergic and dopaminergic neurotransmitters, have an essential role in regulating the “fight or flight” reflex and also affects immune cell proinflammatory action. However, little is known about whether catecholamines prevent dysfunction of metabolic pathways associated with inflammatory organ injury, including development of acute lung injury (ALI). We hypothesize that selected catecholamines may reduce metabolic alterations in LPS‐stimulated macrophages and in the lungs of mice subjected to endotoxin‐induced ALI, a situation characterized by diminished activity of AMP‐activated protein kinase (AMPK). We found that activation of the dopamine 1 receptor (D1R) with fenoldopam, but not stimulation of adrenergic receptors with norepinephrine, resulted in a robust activation of AMPK in peritoneal macrophages, human monocytes, or alveolar epithelial cells (AECs). Such AMPK activation was mediated by a phospholipase C (PLC)–dependent mechanism. Unlike norepinephrine, D1R activation also prevented Thr172–AMPK dephosphorylation and kinase inactivation in LPS‐treated macrophages. Furthermore, we show that a culture of AECs with either fenoldopam or the AMPK activator metformin effectively diminished IL‐1β–induced release of adverse paracrine signaling, which promotes the macrophage proinflammatory response. In vivo, fenoldopam reduced the severity of LPS‐induced ALI, including development of pulmonary edema, lung permeability, and production of inflammatory cytokines TNF‐α, MIP‐2, or KC and HMGB1. Fenoldopam also prevented AMPK dephosphorylation in the lungs of LPS‐treated mice and prevented loss of mitochondrial complexes NDUFB8 (complex I) and ATP synthase (complex V). Collectively, these results suggest that dopamine is coupled to AMPK activation, which provides a substantial anti‐inflammatory and bioenergetic advantage and reduces the severity of endotoxin‐induced ALI.
Differential effects of LPS from Escherichia coli and Porphyromonas gingivalis on IL-6 production in human periodontal ligament cells

Abstract Objective. Periodontal ligament (PDL) cells produce IL-6 upon stimulation with inflammation promoters, but the signaling pathways involved have not been characterized. This study investigates underlying mechanisms behind regulation of PDL cell IL-6 production by E. coli and P. gingivalis LPS. Materials and methods: Human PDL cells, endothelial cells and monocytes were stimulated with E. coli or P. gingivalis LPS in the presence or absence of pharmacological agents in order to disclose pathways involved in LPS signaling. Gene expression and cellular protein levels were assessed by quantitative real-time PCR and ELISA, respectively. Results. Stimulation with LPS from E. coli (1 µg/ml) for 24 h enhanced PDL cell IL-6 expression several fold, demonstrated both on transcript and protein levels, but P. gingivalis LPS (1–5 µg/ml) had no effect. TLR2 mRNA was more highly expressed than TLR4 transcript in PDL cells. Treatment with the non-selective nitric oxide synthase inhibitor L-NAME (100 µM) reduced E. coli LPS-induced PDL cell IL-6 by 30%, while neither aminoguanidine (10 µM), an inhibitor of inducible nitric oxide synthase, nor estrogen (17β-estradiol, 100 nM) influenced IL-6. Treatment with the glucocorticoid dexamethasone (1 µM) totally prevented the E. coli LPS-induced PDL cell IL-6. In endothelial cells, neither E. coli LPS nor P. gingivalis LPS promoted IL-6 production. In monocytes, serving as positive control, both E. coli and P. gingivalis LPS stimulated IL-6. Conclusions. E. coli LPS but not P. gingivalis LPS stimulates PDL cell IL-6 production through a glucocorticoid-sensitive mechanism involving nitric oxide formation, probably via endothelial nitric oxide synthase.
Computerized profitunity approach based on fuzzy neural networks to shanghai stock market

Stock market moving direction prediction is equivalent to a problem of pattern recognition. Just like the riverbed determines the behavior of a river, Profitunity Approach considers that the market behavior is determined by its structure that can be examined through the market behavior: the changes of price and trading volume. First, the analysis of the conceptual equivalence of the structure characterized by Profitunity Approach and the reconstructed attractor of a nonlinear system is first given. Then, the tools designed by profitunity approach to observe the market structure are transformed to the computable variables by computer. These variables are employed to constitute the feature pattern vectors that well represent the market structure. Finally, The pattern vectors are taken as inputs to the Adaptive-Network-based Fuzzy Inference System to carry out the pattern recognition. The hybrid algorithm of gradient decent and least squares are adopted to tune the fuzzy rules fine and one day future moving direction of Shanghai stock market is forecasted with classifying the rise or fall in future of Shanghai Stock Composite Index.
Pregnancy-Related ICU Admissions in France: Trends in Rate and Severity, 2006–2009*

Objective:To determine the national rate per delivery of pregnancy-related ICU admissions of women in France, the characteristics and severity of these cases, and their trends over the 4-year study period. Design:Descriptive study from the national hospital discharge database. Setting:All ICUs in France. Patients:All women admitted to an ICU during the pregnancy, the delivery, or the postpartum period from January 1, 2006, to December 31, 2009. Interventions:None. Measurements and Main Results:Of 3,262,526 deliveries, 11,824 women had pregnancy-related ICU admissions, for an overall rate of 3.6 per 1,000 deliveries. The conditions reported most frequently were obstetric hemorrhages (34.2%) and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (22.3%). Case severity was assessed with four markers: case-fatality rate (1.3%), length of ICU stay (mean, 3.0 ± 0.1 d), Simplified Acute Physiology Score II score (mean: 19.7 ± 0.1), and a SUP REA code, which indicates the combination of a Simplified Acute Physiology Score II score more than or equal to 15 and at least one specific procedure related to life support or organ failure (23.0%). The most frequent causes of ICU admission were those associated with the least severity in the ICU. During the study period, the rate of pregnancy-related ICU admissions decreased from 3.9 to 3.4 per 1,000 deliveries (p < 0.001), whereas the overall severity of cases increased with longer stays, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II scores, and a greater proportion of SUP REA codes (all p < 0.001). Analysis by principal diagnosis showed that the severity of the condition of women admitted to ICU significantly increased over time for hemorrhages and hypertensive complications. Conclusions:The rate of women with pregnancy-related ICU admissions decreased and the severity of their cases increased. Most ICU admissions remained related to the least severe conditions. This raises the issue of the most appropriate organization of care for women with pregnancy-related conditions who require continuous surveillance but not necessarily intensive care.
The Arthritis Severity Quantitative Trait Loci Cia4 and Cia6 Regulate Neutrophil Migration into Inflammatory Sites and Levels of TNF-α and Nitric Oxide1

Neutrophils are required for the development of arthritis, and their migration into the synovial tissue coincides with the onset of clinical disease. Synovial neutrophil numbers also correlate with rheumatoid arthritis disease activity and severity. We hypothesized that certain arthritis severity genes regulate disease via the regulation of neutrophil migration into the joint. This hypothesis was tested in the synovial-like air pouch model injected with carrageenan using arthritis-susceptible DA and arthritis-resistant F344 rats. DA had nearly 3-fold higher numbers of exudate neutrophils compared with F344 (p < 0.001). Five DA.F344(QTL) strains congenic for severity loci and protected from autoimmune arthritis were studied. Only DA.F344(Cia4) (chromosome 7) and DA.F344(Cia6) (chromosome 8) congenics had significantly lower exudate neutrophil counts compared with DA. TNF-α levels were 2.5-fold higher in DA exudates as compared with F344 exudates, and that difference was accounted for by the Cia4 locus. Exudate levels of NO, a known inhibitor of neutrophil chemotaxis, were higher in F344, compared with DA, and that difference was accounted for by Cia6. This is the first time that non-MHC autoimmune arthritis loci are found to regulate three central components of the innate immune response implicated in disease pathogenesis, namely neutrophil migration into an inflammatory site, as well as exudate levels of TNF-α and NO. These observations underscore the importance of identifying the Cia4 and Cia6 genes, and suggest that they should generate useful novel targets for development of new therapies.
Cascading deformable parts model in the facial feature detection of frontal and side profile images

Facial feature detection is considered an important computer vision task that is used for many real world applications. Current advancements in computer vision have come up with many proposed facial feature detection approaches, such as Deformable Parts Model (DPM), that provide good accuracy in the detection of key facial features, but mainly in frontal poses. When presented with side profile poses many approaches do not perform well as certain facial features can be obscured and the approach may attempt to over-fit the trained model which leads to inadequate results. The proposal of a cascading pipeline extension to the DPM approach and a modified DPM approach for side profile specific facial feature detection is presented to deal with a wider range of facial profiles. The proposed approach would be evaluated empirically showing the improvement of the proposed method over a wide range facial feature configurations including side and frontal profiles.
Chronic Hypoxia Exposure of Trout Embryos Alters Swimming Performance and Cardiac Gene Expression in Larvae

Hypoxia exposure during embryonic development of rainbow trout causes developmental delay and bradycardia and alters the ontogeny of cardiac regulatory control mechanisms. The purpose of this study was to characterize how hypoxia exposure from the day of fertilization until stage 34 (57 d postfertilization) affects the aerobic fitness and growth of the hatched fish at multiple stages. In addition, we characterized the expression of gene transcripts for seven troponin I (TnI) isoforms to examine the effect of hypoxia treatment on cardiac muscle development. Results demonstrate that the critical swimming speed of the hypoxia-exposed fish was significantly less than that of the control group at stage 35 and the fry stage. Growth was reduced in the hypoxia-treated fish between stages 35 and 37, as was the relative lipid content at stage 37. Finally, six TnI isoforms were found in all hearts. One of these isoforms, RTcTnI, decreased in abundance between stage 35 and the fry stage, but hypoxia-exposed fish had higher levels than did controls at the fry stage. The abundance of AScTnI2 was significantly lower in hypoxia-exposed fry fish than in controls. These results indicate that chronic hypoxia exposure during embryonic development has long-term consequences on aerobic fitness, growth, and cardiac gene expression following hatch.
Temporal and Spatial Variability of Lunar Hydration As Observed by the Deep Impact Spacecraft

Lunar Water The Moon has been thought to be primarily anhydrous, although there has been some evidence for accumulated ice in permanently shadowed craters near its poles (see the Perspective by Lucey, published online 24 September). By analyzing recent infrared mapping by Chandrayaan-1 and Deep Impact, and reexamining Cassini data obtained during its early flyby of the Moon, Pieters et al. (p. 568, published online 24 September), Sunshine et al. (p. 565, published online 24 September), and Clark et al. (p. 562, published online 24 September) reveal a noticeable absorption signal for H2O and OH across much of the surface. Some variability in water abundance is seen over the course of the lunar day. The data imply that solar wind is depositing and/or somehow forming water and OH in minerals near the lunar surface, and that this trapped water is dynamic. Space-based spectroscopic measurements provide evidence for water or hydroxyl (OH) on the surface of the Moon. The Moon is generally anhydrous, yet the Deep Impact spacecraft found the entire surface to be hydrated during some portions of the day. Hydroxyl (OH) and water (H2O) absorptions in the near infrared were strongest near the North Pole and are consistent with <0.5 weight percent H2O. Hydration varied with temperature, rather than cumulative solar radiation, but no inherent absorptivity differences with composition were observed. However, comparisons between data collected 1 week (a quarter lunar day) apart show a dynamic process with diurnal changes in hydration that were greater for mare basalts (~70%) than for highlands (~50%). This hydration loss and return to a steady state occurred entirely between local morning and evening, requiring a ready daytime source of water-group ions, which is consistent with a solar wind origin.
A novel method for fabrication of integrated shadow mask for patterning electrode in passive matrix OLED displays

This paper reports a novel method for making an integrated shadow mask used in fabrication of passive matrix OLED displays. Common positive and negative photoresists were employed to produce retrograded strip pillars with large overhang and undercut by photolithography. The pillar strips serve as an effective shadow mask for patterning the organic layers and the metal cathodes in OLED display devices. It is expected that this method can significantly enhance the performance of passive matrix OLED at a low shadow mask fabrication cost. The method can be used for fabricating more complicated structures for other display applications.