Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Thiol Compounds Interact with Nitric Oxide in Regulating Heme Oxygenase-1 Induction in Endothelial Cells

Thiols are very important antioxidants that protect cells against oxidative insults. Recently, a different and new physiological role has been defined for these compounds because of their involvement in nitric oxide (NO) binding and transport in biological systems. In view of these characteristics, we examined the effect of thiols and NO on the expression of the inducible form of heme oxygenase (HO-1), a stress protein that degrades heme to carbon monoxide and biliverdin. Cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells exposed to the NO donors sodium nitroprusside (SNP) andS-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP) resulted in increased heme oxygenase activity and HO-1 expression. Co-incubation with N-acetylcysteine, a precursor of glutathione synthesis, significantly attenuated heme oxygenase induction by SNP and SNAP, and a reduction in heme oxygenase activity was also observed when cells were preincubated with N-acetylcysteine for 16 h prior to exposure to NO donors. This effect appears to be associated with NO stabilization by thiols through the formation ofS-nitrosothiols. Hydroxocobalamin, a specific NO scavenger, significantly decreased endothelial heme oxygenase activity, indicating a direct involvement of NO released by NO donors to regulate the expression of this stress protein. Moreover, superoxide anion (O·̄2) and its reaction product with NO, peroxynitrite (ONOO−), were found to partially contribute to the observed NO-mediated activation of endothelial heme oxygenase. Thus, we suggest the existence of a dynamic equilibrium among free NO, O·̄2, and endogenous glutathione, which might constitute an interactive signaling mechanism modulating stress and adaptive responses in tissues.
An LVCSR Based Reading Miscue Detection System Using Knowledge of Reference and Error Patterns

This paper describes a reading miscue detection system based on the conventional Large Vocabulary Continuous Speech Recognition (LVCSR) framework [1]. In order to incorporate the knowledge of reference (what the reader ought to read) and some error patterns into the decoding process, two methods are proposed: Dynamic Multiple Pronunciation Incorporation (DMPI) and Dynamic Interpolation of Language Model (DILM). DMPI dynamically adds some pronunciation variations into the search space to predict reading substitutions and insertions. To resolve the conflict between the coverage of error predications and the perplexity of the search space, only the pronunciation variants related to the reference are added. DILM dynamically interpolates the general language model based on the analysis of the reference and so keeps the active paths of decoding relatively near the reference. It makes the recognition more accurate, which further improves the detection performance. At the final stage of detection, an improved dynamic program (DP) is used to align the confusion network (CN) from speech recognition and the reference to generate the detecting result. The experimental results show that the proposed two methods can decrease the Equal Error Rate (EER) by 14% relatively, from 46.4% to 39.8%.
Long-Term Assessment of Suturectomy in Trigonocephaly and Anterior Plagiocephaly

Introduction: Techniques for treating trigonocephaly and anterior plagiocephaly have evolved from the initial suturectomy technique to frontal cranioplasty. The authors evaluated the suturectomy technique in adolescent patients with these craniosynostoses, by carrying out a retrospective, long-term assessment at the end of growth. Methods: Patients with anterior plagiocephaly or trigonocephaly were included. All had undergone coronal or metopic suturectomy with bilateral orbitofrontal bandeau resection between 1997 and 2005. The primary endpoint was the Whitaker classification. The secondary endpoints were anthropometric measurement, assessments of the bone defects on computed tomography scan, and the comments of patients and their relatives concerning the final skull outcome. Patients with anterior plagiocephaly also attended an ophthalmological consultation. Results: Seventeen patients were included in the study: 8 with anterior plagiocephaly and 9 with trigonocephaly. Mean age at the time of surgery was 6.91 months. Mean age at the time of craniofacial consultation was 14 years. Fourteen patients (82%) were classified as Whitaker Class III and IV, corresponding to poor esthetic results and persistent bone defects. Seven patients requested further surgery. Conclusion: This study shows that suturectomy seems to yield poor esthetic results in the long term and patients should be followed up throughout adolescence to correct any craniofacial deformities.
Reconsidering the boundaries of the cyberloafing activity: the case of a university

While many scholars generally conceptualise cyberloafing as just one more type of conventional deviant behaviour at work, others consider this activity to be innocuous or even productive. In either case, cyberloafing is viewed as merely misusing Internet resources, without contemplating its potential online character. The purpose of this study is to address these aspects of the cyberloafing ontology. It suggests that under certain conditions cyberloafing (a) could become a virtual activity, (b) is distinct from conventional forms of deviance and (c) that it may impair the organisation's effectiveness. Cyberloafing by instructors in degree courses was examined in a university with a specific culture of teaching and using e-resources. The argument developed here is that cyberloafing among instructors acts as a contextual activity that obstructs the technological core of this university over the Internet. This fact would lead cyberloafing to be (a) perceived by students ‘on the other side of the Net’, (b) significantly differentiated by teachers as a behaviour distinct from conventional deviance and (c) counter-productive since it would harm the teaching-learning process. Results of confirmatory factor analysis indicated that cyberloafing and conventional deviance measures are separate. Unlike conventional deviance, individual cyberloafing was found to be negatively associated with student satisfaction with the teaching service, as rated in each degree course. Since this negative impact mainly occurred in a virtual environment, the results also suggest that cyberloafing can become online behaviour that impairs the organisation's effectiveness over the Internet. Theoretical and practical implications of the results are finally discussed.
On the Use of Generalised Beam Theory to assessthe Buckling and Post-Buckling Behaviour ofLaminated CFRP Cylindrical Stiffened Panels

This paper presents the numerical implementation and illustrates the application and potential of a non-linear elastic Generalised Beam Theory (GBT) beam finite formulation to analyse the post-buckling behaviour of laminated CFRP composite thin-walled prismatic cylindrical panels. This formulation (i) is based on a novel GBT cross-section analysis approach, (ii) accounts for the presence of initial geometrical imperfections and (iii) adopts an incremental iterative solution procedure employing Newton-Raphson’s method and an arc-length control strategy. No stiffness degradation or ply failure is taken into consideration and the material is deemed linear elastic and orthotropic. Numerical results concerning the local buckling and post-buckling behaviour of stiffened CFRP cylindrical panels are presented and discussed  one of these panels was experimentally tested and numerically investigated in the context of the COCOMAT project. Taking full advantage of the GBT unique modal features, one is able (i) to carefully examine the nature of the panel structural response, which is expressed in terms of deformation mode participations, and (ii) to perform analyses involving very few d.o. f. (by pre-selecting a small set of deformation modes). The panel buckling loads and deformed configurations obtained from the GBT analyses are validated through the comparison with either experimental data or values yielded by shell finite element analyses carried out in the code ABAQUS. In order to assess how the curvature affects the panel buckling and initial post-buckling behaviour, a stiffened plate having a width identical to the cylindrical panel is also analysed and the results obtained are compared with those determined for the corresponding curved panels.
In-situ diffusion of HTO, 22Na+, Cs+ and I- in Opalinus Clay at the Mont Terri underground rock laboratory

Summary The diffusion properties of the Opalinus Clay were studied in the underground research laboratory at Mont Terri (Canton Jura, Switzerland) and the results were compared with diffusion data measured in the laboratory on small-scale samples. The diffusion of HTO, 22Na+, Cs+ and I- were investigated for a period of 10 months. The diffusion equipment used in the field experiment was designed in such a way that a solution of tracers was circulated through a sintered metal screen placed at the end of a borehole drilled in the formation. The concentration decrease caused by the diffusion of tracers into the rock could be followed with time and allowed first estimations of the effective diffusion coefficient. After 10 months, the diffusion zone was overcored and the tracer profiles measured. From these profiles, effective diffusion coefficients and rock capacity factors could be extracted by applying a two-dimensional transport model including diffusion and sorption. The simulations were done with the reactive transport code CRUNCH. In addition, results obtained from through-diffusion experiments on small-sized samples with HTO, 36Cl- and 22Na+ are presented and compared with the in situ data. In all cases, excellent agreement between the two data sets exists. Results for Cs+ indicated five times higher diffusion rates relative to HTO. Corresponding laboratory diffusion measurements are still lacking. However, our Cs+ data are in qualitative agreement with through-diffusion data for Callovo–Oxfordian argillite rock samples, which also indicate significantly higher effective diffusivities for Cs+ relative to HTO.
Examining Live-In Foreign Domestic Helpers as a Coping Resource for Family Caregivers of People With Dementia in Singapore

ABSTRACT In Singapore, the responsibility of caring for persons with dementia falls on family members who cope with a long-term caregiver burden, depending on available support resources. Hiring foreign domestic workers to alleviate caregiver burden becomes a prevalent coping strategy that caregivers adopt. This strategy allows caregivers to provide home care as part of fulfilling family obligations while managing the caregiver burden. This study aimed to investigate primary caregivers’ relationship with hired support and its impact on coping with caregiver burden. Twenty in-depth interviews were conducted with primary caregivers who hired live-in domestic helpers to take care of their family members with dementia. The findings revealed that caregivers perceived the normative obligations to provide home care to family members with dementia. They sought support from domestic helpers to cope with physical and mental burnout, disruption of normal routines, and avoidance of financial strain. A mutual-support relationship was built between caregivers and domestic helpers through trust and interdependence. The presence of domestic helpers as a coping resource reveals the positive outcomes of problem-, emotional-, and diversion-focused coping. This study illustrates that coping strategies are employed in different ways depending on the needs of caregivers, access to infrastructure, cultural expectations, and available resources.
Scalable parallel sparse LU factorization methods on shared memory multiprocessors

This dissertation presents new techniques for solvmg large sparse sym¬ metric and structurally symmetric linear systems on shared memory high performance parallel computers, using Gaussian elimination with complete supernode pivoting Shared memory multiprocessors ha¬ ve recently attracted considerable interest m scientihc and engineering computing and the objective is to increase the parallel performance on these architectures The efficiencies of the algorithms are demonstrated for matrices from various application fields and for a variety of high performance computers The key contribution is to develop a highly efficient sequential and parallel formulation of the factorization process with complete supernode pivoting In the first major part, emphasis is placed on optimiza¬ tions of a sequential left-looking supernode algorithm for the LU fac¬ torization Special attention is paid to the exploitation of the memory hierarchies that exist m most RISC-based superscalar computers Exten¬ sive performance evaluation on several recent superscalar architectures are conducted and it is shown that a sequential algorithm based on a Level-3 BLAS update is much faster than its predecessor which was based on a DAXPY supernode update In addition, the quality of the most popular reordering techniques will be evaluated for a wide range of application matrices The second major part discusses design and performance analysis of a shared memory parallel algorithm based on the efficient Level-3 BLAS sequential algorithm A new left-right lookmg supernode me thod is presented for the numerical factorization to exploit concurrency for pipelining parallelism The parallel algorithm reuses the data as the sequential one and a dynamical scheduling mechamsm has been deve¬ loped to schedule tasks to available processors It is demonstrated by numerical experiments that the scalability of the parallel algorithm is nearly independent of the special SMP architecture The approach is
The Effects of Digital Trading Platforms on Commodity Prices in Agricultural Supply Chains

Digital platforms for buying and selling agricultural commodities have generated significant interest in the trade literature as a way to link rural communities to the Internet. Yet, the extent to which these digital platforms actually translate into higher commodity prices for producers remains an open research question. We investigate this question by comparing transaction data on trading various grades of coffee from a recently implemented digital platform in India with similar transactions from a physical commodity auction held weekly, and farm-gate prices in the coffee producing regions of India. Although the digital platform prices closely track the physical commodity auction prices, producers obtain significantly higher prices when they sell the commodity through the digital platform rather than at the farm-gate through brokers who operate in their regions. However, coffee grades with higher price volatility and premium coffee grades that require face-toface interactions to verify quality obtain lower prices on the digital platform. Our results also indicate that market participants who control the transaction obtain better prices. We discuss the implications of our findings for governments and platform providers.
Left lower lobe ventilation is reduced in patients with cardiomegaly in the supine but not the prone position.

To determine the effect of the heart on regional ventilation, Krypton-81m (81mKr) tomographic (SPECT) ventilation scans were recorded in seven patients with cardiomegaly and four normal subjects in the supine and prone positions. All patients had a cardiothoracic ratio of greater than 0.50 and clear lung fields radiographically. Using standard gamma camera tomographic reconstruction techniques, images of transaxial slices were obtained during a 360 degree rotation around the thorax of the subject breathing the radioactive gas 81mKr. The transaxial images, acquired over 10 min were aligned in each posture at the level of the cardiac apex, mid-heart, and aortic arch and were matched in relation to a radioactive marker on the chest wall and to anatomic landmarks. A horizontal line (gravity independent and parallel to the couch) was drawn on the transaxial section through the dorsal regions of the right and left lung. Counts per resolution element (12 to 15 mm) were plotted along this line and the ratios of the peak values in right and left lung compared. These ratios represent differences in regional ventilation per unit lung volume. In controls the mean left-to-right (L/R) peak count ratio varied from 0.91 to 1.00 at the three levels (range: 0.76 to 1.04); there were no significant differences between supine and prone. In patients with cardiomegaly the mean (+/- SEM) L/R peak count ratio at cardiac apex, mid-heart, and aortic arch was 0.46 (+/- 0.08), 0.55 (+/- 0.07), and 0.89 (+/- 0.08) when supine and 1.04 (+/- 0.07), 1.05 (+/- 0.05), and 1.08 (+/- 0.07) when prone, respectively. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Dynamic Pricing for Demand Response Considering Market Price Uncertainty

Retail energy providers (REPs) can employ different strategies such as offering demand response (DR) programs, participating in bilateral contracts, and employing self-generation distributed generation (DG) units to avoid financial losses in the volatile electricity markets. In this paper, the problem of setting dynamic retail sales price by a REP is addressed with a robust optimization technique. In the proposed model, the REP offers price-based DR programs while it faces uncertainties in the wholesale market price. The main contribution of this paper is using a robust optimization approach for setting the short-term dynamic retail rates for an asset-light REP. With this approach, the REP can decide how to participate in forward contracts and call options. They can also determine the optimal operation of the self-generation DG units. Several case studies have been carried out for a REP with 10,679 residential consumers. The deterministic approach and its robust counterpart are used to solve the problem. The results show that, with a slight decrease in the expected payoff, the REP can effectively protect itself against price variations. Offering time-variable retail rates also can increase the expected profit of the REPs.
The management of mild to severe acute ulcerative colitis

The goals for the management of acute ulcerative colitis are the objective evaluation of disease activity, induction of remission, prevention of relapse and treatment of complications. Clinical practice should be guided by simple activity indices, as it is easy to underestimate severity. For the induction of remission, topical treatment with mesalazine (mesalamine) is appropriate initial therapy for distal disease but, if symptoms persist for over a fortnight, decisive treatment is usually appreciated by the patient. For mild to moderate disease, corticosteroids have been the mainstay in Europe, although high‐dose aminosalicylates (such as Pentasa, 4 g orally daily and 1 g rectally) are an alternative for symptoms not interfering with daily activity. Novel therapeutic approaches in ulcerative colitis have lagged behind those used for Crohn's disease, but several (epidermal growth factor, RDP 58, basiliximab, leucocytapheresis) are on the horizon. Severe colitis, defined as a bloody stool frequency of more than six per day with any one of tachycardia (pulse > 90 beats/min), temperature (> 37.8 °C), anaemia (haemoglobin < 10.5 g/dL) or raised erythrocyte sedimentation rate (> 30 mm/h), is an indication for intensive intravenous treatment. National UK figures indicate that 30% of ulcerative colitis cases progress to colectomy, and objective criteria for predicting the need for colectomy have been validated. The timing of colectomy is the most important decision that a physician is called upon to make, in conjunction with the patient and surgical colleagues. For the maintenance of remission, aminosalicylates continue to be first‐line therapy, although the choice of 5‐aminosalicylate appears to be influenced as much by geography as by theoretical considerations. Steroids have no place in the maintenance of remission. Indications for azathioprine include patients after a severe relapse of ulcerative colitis, those with early relapse after steroids (dose of < 15 mg/day, or within 6 weeks of stopping) and those needing a second course of steroids within a year. Therapeutic decisions should have a strategy, aimed at navigating the patient around relapses and through to sustained remission. Good management depends on clinical skills, compassion and care of the individual, in addition to pharmaceuticals.
JAPANESE LANGUAGE STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION OF USING ANIME AS A TEACHING TOOL

Studies showed that interest in anime motivates students to learn the Japanese language and culture (Manion, 2005; Fukunaga, 2006; William, 2006). However, little has been written about the practical use of anime in a Japanese language classroom. By employing the method of classroom research, this study will try to narrow the gap between theory and practice of using anime as a teaching tool in the Japanese language classroom. This qualitative study will focus on discussing what the participants think about the use of anime as a teaching tool. A course named “Learning Japanese language and Culture through Anime” was planned and conducted in a public university in Malaysia. During the administration of the course, the data were collected via the participants’ learning diaries at 7 intervals and a group interview at the end of the semester. The findings presented from the data analysis on the participants' perception of the use of anime as a teaching tool include motivation, language and cultural awareness, critical thinking, sense of prejudice, and stereotypes. The findings reveal that giving a place for anime in the Japanese language classroom is like opening a new door for educators to connect with the students and deepen understanding about the students’ learning experiences of using anime as a language and culture learning tool. This is important to provide insightful ideas to the Japanese language educators regarding the option of using anime as a teaching tool.
Effects of leaky Lamb-like wave propagation in single-element high intensity focused ultrasound transducer by vibration analysis

In a spherical piezoceramic transducer for HIFU (High Intensity Focused Ultrasound) treatment, a mode of plate wave propagation within the ceramic were experimentally observed in addition to the pure thickness-mode vibration. In this study, we experimentally and numerically analyzed the vibration behavior of an air-backed single-element spherical PZT transducer. The acoustic pressure distribution on the ceramic surface was obtained in the experimental analysis using time reversal, and the numerical analysis was performed using FEM. In the two-dimensional Fourier analysis, the radial wavenumber spectrum showed a secondary peak, corresponding to a leaky Lamb-like mode. The leaked waves may have propagated into water and formed the relatively large lobes on the propagation axis. These unwanted nearside lobes may potentially cause additional near-field heating of the tissues which should not be treated.
The Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP)

The Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) is a specialized web transfer protocol for use with constrained nodes and constrained (e.g., low-power, lossy) networks. The nodes often have 8-bit microcontrollers with small amounts of ROM and RAM, while constrained networks such as IPv6 over Low-Power Wireless Personal Area Networks (6LoWPANs) often have high packet error rates and a typical throughput of 10s of kbit/s. The protocol is designed for machine- to-machine (M2M) applications such as smart energy and building automation. CoAP provides a request/response interaction model between application endpoints, supports built-in discovery of services and resources, and includes key concepts of the Web such as URIs and Internet media types. CoAP is designed to easily interface with HTTP for integration with the Web while meeting specialized requirements such as multicast support, very low overhead, and simplicity for constrained environments.