Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
TREATMENT OF PROLIFERATIVE LUPUS NEPHRITIS WITH CYCLOPHOSPHAMIDE

being a major cause of morbidity and death. Renal i mpairment plays a determinant role in the development of the disease, renal failure being one of the main death causes in SLE. The incidence of LN varies according to the diagnos tic methods used. When diagnosis is established solely based on clinico-biological crit eria, the incidence of LN ranges between 60 and 80%. On the other hand, diagnosis established on the basis of the histological exam of the kidney fragment obtained b y renal needle biopsy shows that LN has an incidence ranging between 95 ‐ 100%. The aim of the study is to underline the role of the histological exam in establishing the d iagnosis of LN and the effectiveness of low-dose treatment with cyclophosphamide associated with metylprednisone versus the standard therapy. The study was conducted on thirty patients (all females) suffering with SLE with kidney impairment, admitted in the Timisoara Railways Hospital between 2007 and 2011. Renal needle biopsy was performed for all patients in order to establish an accurate diagnosis of LN. Proteinuria, haematuria a nd creatinine clearance were determined at the beginning of the study and after treatment. The group of patients was divided into two sub-groups which were treated with different doses of cyclophosphamide associated with metylprednisone (standard doses vs. low doses). After performind renal needle biopsy, only 18 patients re mained in the study group, i.e., those with proliferative LN. The mean age was 37 years. T here was a significant correction of the values of proteinuria and creatinine clearance after treatment, both in sub-group 1 (the NIH Protocol) and in sub-group 2 (the Euro-Lupus Protocol). The results obtained by using both types of protocols were statistically in significant (p<0.01). The histological exam ascertains the positive disgnosis of lupus nep hritis, assesses the class and stage of the disease, and offers prognostic information, thu s guiding therapy.
Process Effect on the RMS Roughness of HfO2 Thin Films Grown by MOMBE

The progress of the complementary-metal-oxidesemiconductor (CMOS) technology have been rapidly developed, whereas several problems are not solved yet, which are such as the leakage current, the reliability, the device dimension and the oxide thickness shrinkage. In order to overcome these problems, one of the keys is the scaling of the gate dielectric in CMOS semiconductor technology[1]. For the scaling down, materials used in a gate dielectric have been researched by the various thin film deposition techniques and materials[1-3]. New materials are also considered as the replacement of the former materials for gate dielectric like SiO2. Due to a high dielectric constant, a high reflective index and a thermal stability, the high-k materials are considered as major candidates for the gate oxide, such as TiO2, ZrO2, HfO2, and Ta2O5. Those materials can potentially affect the performance of the transistors[4,5]. Generally, properties of thin films can be changed by the various process conditions. Here, HfO2 thin films grown by metal organic molecular beam epitaxy (MOMBE) process are also characterized by the process control parameters such as the substrate temperature, Ar and O2 flow rate. The characteristics of thin films can be also determined by the various factors such as the surface morphology, the growth conditions and the crystallity. For this reasons, we focused on the RMS roughness of HfO2 thin films as the characteristic to be determined the degree of the surface status. Several researchers have investigated the RMS roughness of thin films to be mainly considered as one of the properties of characteristic[6,7]. For analyzing the response for the semiconductor process, the design of experiments (DOE) has been widely used to predict a model[8,9]. Factorial design and macromodel using regression analysis had been applied to IC fabrication processes by K. K. Low and Stephen W. Director[10]. Keun Park et al. researched injection modeling processes using the DOE considering the interaction effect and observed that improved productivity with a high product quality[11]. In addition, M. Hajeeh investigated which factors in the process cause corrosion damaging to the equipments and materials. As a statistical methodology, factorial design and factor effect analysis are used[12]. In this paper, the factor effects were calculated and the significant factors were then selected as the factors to build a model. Based on those factors, the general regression and Box-Cox transformation regression models had been developed and the effects of the model were observed through the response surface plots. Process Effect on the RMS Roughness of HfO2 Thin Films Grown by MOMBE
A cautionary note on using the Eurostat-OECD definition of high-growth firms

Recent studies have suggested that most firms do not grow, and that a small number of high-growth firms create most new jobs. High-growth firms have therefore attracted an increasing amount of attention from researchers and policymakers. However, there is no uniform definition of what constitutes a high-growth firm in the literature. Eurostat and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) recently recommended that high-growth firms should be defined as firms with at least ten employees in the start-year and annualized employment (or sales) growth exceeding 20% during a 3-year period. This definition would exclude almost 95% of surviving firms in Sweden and about 40% of new private jobs during 2005-2008. We therefore advise caution in using this definition.
Art As Language: Wittgenstein, Meaning, and Aesthetic Theory

"[Art as Language] is in itself extremely valuable as an example of the still largely unappreciated relevance of Wittgenstein's work to traditional philosophical issues. This book, as a more or less encyclopedic critique of aesthetic theories from a Wittgensteinian perspective, will be enlightening to aesthetic theorists who want to know, not what Wittgenstein said about art, but what the relevance of his work is to their use of language as a point of reference for interpreting art."-Choice"In a series of acute arguments, Hagberg dismantles the region of grand aesthetic theory that defines art in the terms philosophy has traditionally used to define language. Written with excellence in argumentation, judiciousness, and a capacious knowledge of Wittgenstein. "-Daniel Herwitz, Common Knowledge"A clear and intelligent book. Hagberg's strategy is to show the consequences of holding a Wittgensteinian view of language and mind for aesthetic theories which are either based on, or analogous to, other non-Wittgensteinian positions about language and mind. This is an important project. "-Stanley Bates, Middlebury College
A New Spiral Antenna with Improved Axial Ratio and Shorted Arm Length

A new spiral antenna is proposed in this paper. The developed antenna has improved axial ratio (AR) and shorted arm length. The formula of the new spiral is given. The developed spiral antenna combines the low frequency characteristic of power spiral antenna and high frequency characteristic of Archimedean spiral antenna. The growth rate of radial distance at large winding angle is close to power spiral for improved AR in low frequencies, and the growth rate at small winding angle is close to Archimedean spiral for good AR in high frequencies. The results reveal that the developed spiral antenna has noticeable improved axial ratio at low frequencies compared with Archimedean spiral antenna, and the problem of axial ratio degradation of power spiral antenna is also solved. The arm length is shorted by 46.4% compared to conventional Archimedean spiral antenna, and 63.5% compared to power spiral antenna.
3C 286: a bright, compact, stable, and highly polarized calibrator for millimeter-wavelength observations

Context. Several millimeter and submillimeter facilities with linear polarization observing capabilities have started operating during the last years. These facilities, as well as other previous millimeter telescopes and interferometers, require bright and stable linear polarization calibrators to calibrate new instruments and to monitor their instrumental polarization. The current limited number of adequate calibrators implies difficulties in the acquisition of these calibration observations. Aims. Looking for additional linear polarization calibrators in the millimeter spectral range, we started monitoring 3C 286 in mid2006. This source is a standard and highly stable polarization calibrator for radio observations. Methods. Here we present the 3 mm and 1 mm monitoring observations obtained between September 2006 and January 2012 with the XPOL polarimeter on the IRAM 30 m Millimeter Telescope. Results. Our observations show that 3C 286 is a bright source of constant total flux with 3 mm flux density S 3m m = (0.91 ± 0.02) Jy. The 3 mm linear polarization degree (p 3m m = [13.5 ± 0.3]%) and polarization angle (χ 3m m = [37.3 ± 0.8] ◦ , expressed in the equatorial coordinate system) were also constant during the time span of our observations. Although with poorer time sampling and signal-tonoise ratio, our 1 mm observations of 3C 286 are also reproduced by a constant source of 1 mm flux density (S 1m m = [0.30 ± 0.03] Jy), polarization fraction (p 1m m = [14.4 ± 1.8]%), and polarization angle (χ 1m m = [33.1 ± 5.7] ◦ ). Conclusions. This, together with the previously known compact structure of 3C 286 – extended by ∼3.5 �� in the sky – allow us to propose 3C 286 as a new calibrator for both single-dish and interferometric polarization observations at 3 mm, and possibly at shorter wavelengths.
Light relations and performance of signal grass in silvopastoral system

The aim was to evaluate the influence of different spatial arrangements of trees [(3×2)×20 m, (2×2)×9 m and 2×9 m] and sampling sites (center of row spacing and side of tree rows) with regard to the amount and quality of light in the understory of silvopastoral systems and their effects on the production and chemical composition of pasture. The experimental design was a randomized block in a split plot, with three replications. The sampling site affected absolute irradiance, photosynthetic active radiation (PAR), light interception (LI) and red/far red ratio, with higher rates in the center of spacing. There were high and positive correlations between LI/leaf area index (LAI), LI/dry mater (DM) and LAI/DM in the center and LI/LAI and FAR/DM in the side of tree rows. Spatial arrangement (3×2)×20 m had higher rates for plant height (PH), DM and neutral detergent fiber rate, while (2×2)×9 m had high leaf/stem ratio and crude protein rate. In the case of the sampling site, higher rates of PH and DM were reported in the center. Forage composition was not affected by sampling sites. Highest production of DM was obtained in the (3×2)×20 m arrangement and improvements in forage composition were observed in denser arrangements.
Evaluating resistance to drought stress in flue- cured tobacco varieties via stress susceptibility indexes in dry farming condition

The evaluate of resistance indices to post anthesis water deficit can help to identify strategies for selection of resistant cultivars of Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) and increased crop yield production. an experiment was conducted in a factorial experimental on the basis of randomized complete block design under two irrigated conditions during 2010-2011 cropping season. Five drought tolerance/resistance indices including stress tolerance index (STI), stress susceptibility index (SSI), tolerance index (TOL), geometric mean production (GMP), mean production (MP) were calculated based on leaf weight yield under drought and irrigated conditions. The leaf weight yield in stress and non-stress conditions were significantly and positively correlated with STI, TOL,GMP, MP, and negatively correlated with SSI. Screening drought tolerant cultivars using ranking method, three dimensional plots discriminated cultivars 'K 394', N.C 95, Previ stamm 9' and Tirtash 30 as the most drought tolerant. Cluster analysis classified the cultivars into three groups i.e., tolerant, susceptible and semi-susceptible to drought conditions. In general, Results of this study showed that among drought tolerance indices STI can be used as the most suitable indicators for screening drought tolerant cultivars and 'K 394', N.C 95, Previ stamm 9 , and Tirtash 30 had the highest tolerance to drought in our studies condition.
Do Internet and Human Capital Matter for Economic Growth in Developing Countries? Empirical Evidence from WAEMU Countries

In the attempt to establish new sources of economic growth in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) countries except Gunea Bissau for sustainable growth of the region, this study aims to empirically assess the role of internet and revisit the impact of human capital in these countries based on panel data from 2009 to 2014. We firstly use the principal component analysis technique to build the internet network development index and the human capital index. Then we estimate a Cobb-Douglas function under the neoclassical Solow model to establish the relationship between gross domestic product and internet and human capital by using the fixed effects estimation technique. The findings indicate that internet network development constitutes an important pillar for economic growth in WAEMU countries at the current prevailing economic environment. In addition, they reveal that the performance of human capital in terms of economic growth is weak, a result which can be attributed to the poor quality of educational systems of the union. Physical capital is another source of economic growth of the WAEMU countries established by this study. Policy message drawn from this study encourages strategies aiming to strengthen internet network development in WAEMU countries.
The Limits of Personality Assessment and Way to Overcome Them

Psychological constructs are becoming increasingly important in social surveys. Scales for the assessment of these constructs are usually developed primarily for individual assessment and decision-making. Hence, in order to guarantee high levels of reliability, measurement precision, and validity, these scales are in most cases much too long to be applied in surveys. Such settings call for extremely short measures validated for the population as a whole. However, despite the unquestionable demand, appropriate measures are still lacking. There are several reasons for this. In particular, short scales have often been criticized for their potential psychometric shortcomings with regard to reliability and validity. In this article, the authors discuss the advantages of short scales as alternative measures in large-scale surveys. Possible reasons for the assumed limited psychometric qualities of short scales will be highlighted. The authors show that commonly used reliability estimators are not always appropriate for judging the quality of scales with a minimal number of items, and they offer recommendations for alternative estimation methods and suggestions for the construction of a thorough short scale.
OFF-TARGET EFFECT OF DSRNA ON PROPHENOLOXIDASE (PROPO) EXPRESSION IN PENAEUS MONODON

RNA interference-mediated silencing is an effective way of controlling white spot syndrome virus (WSSV). However, the major constraint of the methodology is in relation to the specificity in which dsRNA or siRNA that can silence target genes in sequence-specific manner can also deregulate certain endogenous genes. In the present study, off-target effect of a dsRNA targeting vp28 gene of WSSV (pCMV-vp28-LH) on prophenoloxidase (proPO) gene, an important component of shrimp immunity, is investigated. Initially, proPO enzyme activity in the haemolymph lysate prepared from healthy Penaeus monodon was estimated through biochemical assay. Later, healthy P. monodon were injected intra-muscularly with the DNA construct and proPO activity in the haemolymph was measured. PBS-administered animals were used as control. No significant change in the enzyme activity was observed in the DNA construct-injected animals compared to the PBS-injected control. To understand the tissue-distribution, the mRNA expression levels of two proPO genes, proPO1 and proPO2 were studied using RT-PCR in different tissues. Among the tissues tested, haemocytes alone showed the expression of proPO1 whereas proPO2 transcript was detected in haemocytes, gills and lymphoid organ with the highest expression in haemocytes. However, real-time RT-PCR showed proPO1 and proPO2 expression in all the tissues including hepatopancreas with the highest expression in haemocytes. mRNA expression levels of proPO1 and proPO2 in haemocytes of DNA construct-injected shrimp were estimated using semi-quantitative and real-time RT-PCR with EF 1-α as internal control. PBS-injected shrimp were used as experimental control. A high level of proPO1 expression was observed at 6 h post-injection. Subsequently, a significant decline was noticed in the level of expression at 24 h. However, no further decrease in the expression was detected at 48 and 72h post-injection. ProPO2 also showed the highest expression at 6 h post-injection followed by a decrease in expression at 24, 48 and 72 h post-injection. In a parallel experiment, mRNA expression levels of proPO1 and proPO2 were analyzed in WSSV-challenged animals over a period of 48h post-injection. ProPO levels showed down-regulation in infected animals in the early stages of infection. However, slight recovery in the expression level was observed at 48h postinjection.
The Role of Input and Interaction in Second Language Acquisition

By explaining the definition of input and interaction hypothesis, the paper elaborates the theory that both input and interactional modifications facilitate second language acquisition. Key words : input; interaction; comprehensible input; modification Resume : En expliquant la definition de l'input et l'hypothese de l'interaction, l'article elabore une theorie selon laquelle l'input et des modifications d'interaction peuvent faciliter l'acquisition d'une deuxieme langue. Mots-Cles: input; interaction; input comprehensible; modification
pdf2submission: a Moodle Plugin for Partially Integrating Moodle into Offline Courses Where Handwritten Document Submissions are Required

We have developed a Moodle plugin called pdf2submission for utilizing Moodle also for teaching at ordinary classrooms. The plugin is based on opensource libraries and tools. With the plugin, handwritten paper documents can be easily accepted in Moodle as if they were submitted online. Though the original version of the plugin is available only for Moodle 1.9, a new version for Moodle 2.2 has been developed.
Low cost seismic network practical applications for producing quick shaking maps in Taiwan

Two major earthquakes of ML greater than 6.0 occurred in Taiwan in the first half of 2013. The vibrant shaking brought landslides, falling rocks and casualties. This paper presents a seismic network developed by National Taiwan University (NTU) with 401 Micro-Electro Mechanical System (MEMS) accelerators. The network recorded high quality strong motion signals from the two events and produced delicate shaking maps within one minute after the earthquake occurrence. The high shaking regions of the intensity map produced by the NTU system suggest damage and casualty locations. Equipped with a dense array of MEMS accelerometers, the NTU system is able to accommodate 10% signals loss from part of the seismic stations and maintain its normal functions for producing shaking maps. The system also has the potential to identify the rupture direction which is one of the key indices used to estimate possible damage. The low cost MEMS accelerator array shows its potential in real-time earthquake shaking map generation and damage avoidance.
The role of cuttlebone and cuttlebone derived hydroxyapatite with platelet rich plasma on tibial bone defect healing in rabbit: an experimental study.

Today marine-derived biologic scaffolds are popular due to their biocompatibility and high regenerative potential. Previous studies prepared hydroxyapatite from cuttlebone, the internal shell of cuttlefish; However, its biocompatibility and bioactivity has not been fully studied especially in-vivo. The aim of this study was to evaluate cuttlebone-derived hydroxyapatite in-vivo potential and possible synergistic effect of platelet rich plasma with this scaffold in promoting bone healing. Hydroxyapatite was prepared from cuttlebone (Sepia officinalis) via hydrothermal transformation. The conversion and microstructure of prepared material was assessed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Fifteen male white New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided to 6 groups each containing 5 limbs. In order to reduce sample size right and left pelvic limbs of rabbits were used as separate groups. Full thickness bi-cortical defects were created bilaterally in proximal tibia. The defect was left untreated in negative control group. In experimental group I to V the defect was filled with platelet rich plasma, raw cuttlebone, raw cuttlebone combined with platelet rich plasma, cuttlebone derived hydroxyapatite and cuttlebone derived hydroxyapatite combined with platelet rich plasma, respectively. Histopathological evaluation was performed on specimens received on day 56. Bone healing was assessed according to union, spongiosa, cortex and bone marrow indices. Our results demonstrated that Group I was superior to negative control group in defined indices. Groups IV and V showed preferable outcomes regarding to union and cortex indices in comparison to groups II and III. Also acceptable degree of spongiosa formation was observed in all groups. Cuttlebone derived hydroxyapatite could be an appropriate biomaterial to stimulate bone formation and enhance bone regeneration. Furthermore platelet rich plasma was successful in advancement of bone marrow formation.
Flow and heat transfer characteristics of a viscoelastic fluid over a stretching sheet embedded in a porous medium with meshfree approach

In this article, the flow and heat transfer characteristics in an incompressible, non-Newtonian boundary layer flow of a viscoelastic fluid over a stretching sheet embedded in a porous medium with variable fluid viscosity and thermal conductivity including the eff ect of viscous dissipation has been examined. The fluid viscosity and thermal conductivity are assumed to be temperature dependent. Unlike the commonly employed thermal conditions of critical and prescribed surface temperature, the present study uses a convective heating boundary condition also along with the prescribed surface temperature condition. The di erential equations governing the problem have been transformed by a similarity transformation into a system of non-dimensional di erential equations which are solved numerically by Element Free Galerkin Method (EFGM). The e ect of various physical parameters like variable fluid viscosity, thermal conductivity, heat source/sink parameter, viscoelastic parameter, porosity parameter, Eckert number, Biot number on velocity, temperature, local skin friction and local heat transfer is studied for both the cases Prescribed Surface Temperature (PST) and Newtonian heating (NH) or convective heating. The present problem nds signi cant application in chemical engineering, material processing, solar porous wafer absorber systems and metallurgy.