Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Art, Media, and Sense-making in Responsive Urban Environments

The aim of the article is to elucidate experience and sense-making in interactive, responsive urban environments through analysis of aesthetic and media aspects of art in such environments. As an analytic example the sculpture D-Tower from the Dutch town of Doetinchem has been chosen. The sculpture has been created by the artist Q. S. Serafijn and the architect Lars Spuybroek. The analysis will be carried out with reference to Neuro Aesthetic theory and with methodological point of departure in Conceptual Metaphor Theory, Blending Theory, and Cognitive Semiotics. The main hypothesis is that when artistic and interactive, responsive media qualities are blended, new forms of experience and sense-making are promoted. It may happen due to emergence and adaptation that may transform both the ‘experiencee’ and also the experiential environment. In this case information technology has been applied in order to make hitherto invisible and private emotions and feelings visible and public.
Local divergence of thermal reaction norms among amphibian populations is affected by pond temperature variation

Although temperature variation is known to cause large‐scale adaptive divergence, its potential role as a selective factor over microgeographic scales is less well‐understood. Here, we investigated how variation in breeding pond temperature affects divergence in multiple physiological (thermal performance curve and critical thermal maximum [CTmax]) and life‐history (thermal developmental reaction norms) traits in a network of Rana arvalis populations. The results supported adaptive responses to face two main constraints limiting the evolution of thermal adaptation. First, we found support for the faster–slower model, indicating an adaptive response to compensate for the thermodynamic constraint of low temperatures in colder environments. Second, we found evidence for the generalist–specialist trade‐off with populations from colder and less thermally variable environments exhibiting a specialist phenotype performing at higher rates but over a narrower range of temperatures. By contrast, the local optimal temperature for locomotor performance and CTmax did not match either mean or maximum pond temperatures. These results highlight the complexity of the adaptive multiple‐trait thermal responses in natural populations, and the role of local thermal variation as a selective force driving diversity in life‐history and physiological traits in the presence of gene flow.
The influence of temperature on the force-velocity relationship in rabbit papillary muscle.

The force-velocity relationship was determined at the moment of isometric peak twitch force in rabbit papillary muscles using the damped-release technique described previously. The analysis was carried out in each muscle at two or three temperatures within the range 22–338deg; C. The experimental data were fitted with Hill's equation by means of a computer program using the least squares method. Lowering of the temperature caused an increase of the isometric peak twitch force (Po) and also, generaliy, an increase of the extrapolated value of Vmax (the shortening velocity at zero load). The temperature-induced changes of the force-velocity curve were interpreted as being the net result of two opposing effects: I. an altered degree of activation of the contractile system caused by a change in the amount of activator-calcium bound to the contractile proteins (‘inotropic temperature effect’), and 2. a change in the rate of interaction between the A and I filaments independent of the degree of activation (‘specific temperature effect’). The analysis indicated a Q10 of 1.9 for the specific temperature effect. This value accords with the temperature dependence of Vmax that has been observed during tetanic contraction of skeletal muscle.
Continuance in expertise-sharing networks: a social perspective

As engineering firms, R&D groups, and technical organizations recognize the centrality of their engineers' expertise to their performance, they are widely investing in knowledge management (KM) initiatives. Contemporary KM initiatives increasingly include expertise-sharing networks that help answer questions about who knows what. These systems allow organizations to locate and leverage the specialized engineering and technical expertise that is held in the minds of dispersed individuals. However, stories of such expertise-sharing networks that languish from under-use and abandonment abound and the issue of continuance has received very little attention in prior research. We explore this understudied issue. We develop a model of expertise-sharing network system continuance through a four-year observational study of 418 users of two such systems and then empirically test it using multiperiod data collected from 122 users of four such systems. The concept of irretrievable investments was used to guide theoretical development in the initial observational phase of the study. The study makes several unique theoretical contributions. First, it develops a model that illustrates how irretrievable post adoption investments (sunk costs) by individual users of expertise-network systems increase continuance. We empirically show that the model explains approximately half of the total variance in continuance intention. This model advances continuance beyond the traditional expectation-satisfaction model of initial adoption to more advanced post adoption stages of use and theoretically incorporates the network-specificity aspect of post adoption investments in explaining continuance. Specifically, we show that individual users': 1) reputation among peer users of a system increases continuance; 2) system-mediated relationships with other users of the system increase continuance; and 3) investments in personalization of a system initially diminish continuance. Another notable contribution is the development and validation of several new measures for expertise-sharing network constructs.
The assembly of signalling complexes by receptor tyrosine kinases

Cell proliferation in response to growth factors is mediated by specific high affinity receptors. Ligand‐binding by receptors of the protein tyrosine kinase family results in the stimulation of several intracellular signal transduction pathways. Key signalling enzymes are recruited to the plasma membrane through the formation of stable complexes with activated receptors. These interactions are mediated by the conserved, non‐catalytic SH2 domains present in the signalling molecules, which bind with high affinity and specificity to tyrosine‐phosphorylated sequences on the receptors. The assembly of enzyme complexes is emerging as a major mechanism of signal transduction and may regulate the pleiotropic effects of growth factors.
Static Homogeneous Multiprocessor Task Graph Scheduling Using Ant Colony Optimization

Nowadays, the utilization of multiprocessor environments has been increased due to the increase in time complexity of application programs and decrease in hardware costs. In such architectures during the compilation step, each program is decomposed into the smaller and maybe dependent segments so-called tasks. Precedence constraints, required execution times of the tasks, and communication costs among them are modeled using a directed acyclic graph (DAG) named task-graph. All the tasks in the task-graph must be assigned to a predefined number of processors in such a way that the precedence constraints are preserved, and the program`s completion time is minimized, and this is an NP-hard problem from the time-complexity point of view. The results obtained by different approaches are dominated by two major factors; first, which order of tasks should be selected (sequence subproblem), and second, how the selected sequence should be assigned to the processors (assigning subproblem). In this paper, a hybrid proposed approach has been presented, in which two different artificial ant colonies cooperate to solve the multiprocessor task-scheduling problem; one colony to tackle the sequence subproblem, and another to cope with assigning subproblem. The utilization of background knowledge about the problem (different priority measurements of the tasks) has made the proposed approach very robust and efficient. 125 different task-graphs with various shape parameters such as size, communication-to-computation ratio and parallelism have been utilized for a comprehensive evaluation of the proposed approach, and the results show its superiority versus the other conventional methods from the performance point of view.
A rigidez nominal de preços na cidade de São Paulo: evidências baseadas em microdados do índice de preços ao consumidor da FIPE

This research investigates the price-setting behavior in São Paulo city. We analyze more than six millions of consumer price index quotes produced by FIPE. The main results are: (i) the average frequency of price change is 32,35% per month; (ii) the prices remain unchanged on average for 2,56 months; (iii) there is a large degree of product heterogeneity related to the behavior of price change; (iv) 40% of price changes are price decreases; (v) the magnitude of price changes is large; (vi) the frequency of price change exhibits seasonal patterns for some groups; (vii) for some groups the frequency of price change was affected by 2002 elections; (viii) the baseline hazard functions are downward-sloping with 12 month spikes for some subgroups, and (ix) the hazard of price change responds to inflation for almost 70% of the subgroups.
The role of hepatic transporters in drug elimination

Background: Hepatic drug transporters of the solute carrier (OATPs, OAT2, OCT1, NTCP) and ABC transporter superfamilies (MDR1, MRPs, BCRP, BSEP) can significantly modulate drug ADME routes. Objective: The currently available literature was reviewed with focus on hepatic drug transporters, related drug–drug interactions and available tools for transporter assessment and extrapolation to in vivo. Conclusions: Hepatic drug transporters have gained additional importance in drug clearance by optimization for basic DMPK properties early on in drug research. However, the lack of selective substrates and inhibitors, proper assessment of the kinetic properties due to interfering passive permeability and multiple binding sites, as well as endogenous transporters present in many cellular assays, are some of the hurdles in studying active drug transport processes. Therefore, data from these in vitro assays have to be carefully evaluated to allow sound extrapolation to the in vivo situation.
Recursive asymptotic impedance matrix method for electromagnetic waves in bianisotropic media

A recursive asymptotic impedance matrix method is presented for simple and stable analysis of electromagnetic waves in bianisotropic media. The method overcomes the numerical instability problem associated with the transition matrix method. It requires only elementary matrix operations along with thin-layer asymptotic approximation and bypasses the intricacies of the eigenvalue-eigenvector approach. Exploitation of its self-recursion algorithm with geometric subdivision of a layer leads to high computation efficiency. The method also facilitates the trade-off between accuracy and speed for various applications.
The Impact of IFRS on Firms ’ Investment Efficiency – European Evidence on Private and Public Firms

This study examines the impact of adopting IFRS on European public and private firms’ investment efficiency. Prior research shows that IFRS is associated with higher accounting quality and that higher-quality financial reporting fosters firms’ investment efficiency. In line with both streams of research, our study provides evidence that adopting IFRS has an advantage for public firms’ investment efficiency. This effect appears to be more pronounced for periods with a mandatory application of IFRS. We find mixed evidence for private firms’ investment efficiency. While our results suggest that private IFRS firms exhibit less overinvestment than private local GAAP firms, we find that they exhibit more underinvestment. Finally, we find some evidence that not only the adoption of IFRS but also its enforcement plays a role for the degree of investment efficiency benefits.
Safety evaluation of an oat grain alkaloid gramine by genotoxicity assays

Abstract Gramine is a natural indole alkaloid that has been isolated from different raw plants occurring mainly in Avena sativa, etc. The study was aimed to investigate the possible in vitro antioxidant, in vitro mutagenic, in vitro antimutagenic, and in vivo genotoxic activity of gramine using ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) assay, Metal chelating, Ames bacterial reverse mutation test, and the mouse bone marrow micronucleus assay as well as chromosomal aberration. Four concentrations of gramine viz. 250, 500, 1000, and 2000 μg/mL were evaluated for its antioxidant activity in FRAP Assay and Metal Chelating Test. Four concentrations of gramine (1250 μg/plate, 2500 μg/plate, 5000 μg/plate, and 10 000 μg/plate) were employed in Salmonella typhimurium strains to study the mutagenicity in the presence and absence of standard mutagens, 2-aminofluorene (2-AF), sodium azide (SA), and 2-nitrofluorene (2-NF). Three doses, i.e. 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 × the LD50 of gramine (i.e. 50 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg, and 150 mg/kg) were administered orally to either sex of Swiss albino mice for 48 h to study the genotoxic activity in micronucleus assay as well as chromosomal aberration. Gramine showed potent antioxidant activity in both the assay. Gramine at the given dose lacks mutagenicity as well as found to possess antimutagenic efficacy. Interestingly, S9 enzymes increase the antimutagenic activity in a dose-dependent manner. There was no significant increase in the frequency of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes (MNPCEs), as well as no significant difference in the percentage of chromosomal aberrations was observed between the gramine groups and the negative groups but percentage of polychromatic erythrocytes (PCEs) is found to be higher in all the gramine groups. These results indicate significant antioxidant, non-mutagenic as well as non-genotoxic activity of gramine in vitro and in vivo in the given doses.
I am a Smart phone User - Key Insights from the Finnish Market

Smart phones are seen to drive the development of mobile applications and a more or less intuitive belief is that once the users have a smart phone they will download applications and start using a wider variety of mobile services and/or more advanced mobile services. In this paper we describe Finnish smart phone users based on a survey study carried out with a random sample representative of Finnish consumers between the ages of 16 and 64. We divide smart phone users into three categories based on the range and frequency of using different mobile services and applications. We find, in addition to a small ‘power user’ group (15 %) and a substantial set of ‘interested but inactive users’ (47 %), that 38 % of smart phone users do not use their devices for any advanced services and have a low motivation to continue using smart phones in the future. The demand for and the sales of smart phones is growing rapidly; combined with this is the notion that users of smart phones will become users of more advanced applications and a wider variety of services, which will give a boost to the mobile service market. In light of our results we believe this development is slower to happen than expected. Also noteworthy is the sizeable minority of decidedly underwhelmed smart phone users, who are likely to jump ship to simpler devices.
Evolving paradigms in the pathogenesis of HIV-1-associated dementia

HIV-1-associated dementia (HIV-D) remains a significant consequence of HIV-1 infection and AIDS. Since the clinical introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), the incidence of HIV-D has decreased, yet the prevalence has increased as patients are living longer under treatment. Additionally, a less severe form of HIV-D, minor cognitive motor disorder, has become an increasing issue. Two different models have been proposed for virus entry in the central nervous system (CNS) in HIV-D. In the ‘Trojan horse’ model, the virus enters the CNS early carried by macrophages and infects resident glia; later in the course of infection, virus replication is activated and additional monocyte/macrophages are recruited into the CNS via cytokine/chemokine networks and endothelial-cell–leukocyte interactions at the blood–brain barrier. In the ‘late invasion’ model, an inherently invasive activated monocyte subset is expanded from bone marrow as a result of immune dysregulation in the periphery in the setting of AIDS. In this review we discuss these two separate, although not mutually exclusive, means for virus entry and persistence in the CNS. Additionally, we explore mechanisms for neuronal injury and apoptosis, including the role of virus, viral and host proteins, oxidative stress and products of infected or uninfected activated microglia and astrocytes. Potential therapeutic strategies are also briefly discussed.
Characteristics of Juvenile Offenders with Invalid and Valid MMPI-A Profiles

The issue of what type of juvenile offender produces an invalid versus a valid Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, Adolescent Form (MMPI–A) profile requires study. Using technical manual profile invalidation requirements from a cohort sample of 1,054 juvenile offenders, 387 produced invalid profiles, whereas 667 yielded valid profiles. Utilizing scale scores from the Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory (MACI), univariate and multivariate analyses for girls, boys, and combined samples of invalid and valid MMPI-A profiles suggested similarities and differences which influenced the results for the combined samples. The groups were separated on the following MACI scales: Disclosure, Impulsivity Substance Abuse Propensity, Unruly, and Oppositional by sex and for the combined group. Also noted were other MACI scales which distinguished boys and girls in comparisons made between as well as within the invalid and valid profiles.
Logical Effort model for CNFET circuits with CNTs variations

Carbon Nano-Tube Field Effect Transistors (CNFETs) offer promising solutions beyond conventional CMOS FETs. CNFETs have higher current drive capability, ballistic transport, lesser power delay product and higher thermal stability. The delay evaluation in CNFETs may not be trivial due to additional CNFET specific parameters, such as number of tubes, pitch (spacing between the tubes) and the diameter of CNTs that determines current driving capability. Moreover, the initial presence of metallic tubes and their desired removal may result in non-uniform pitch distribution. This random pitch behavior depends on the percentage of metallic tubes and the removal technique deployed. The necessary removal of the metallic tube may have significant impact on the performance of the circuit. In this paper, we propose a closed-form model to capture the impact of metallic tubes and the removal techniques on the gate and circuit delay. The influence of CNT position in the tube array of the gate on the gate-delay is captured in Logical Effort (LE) model. Our model results in fairly accurate delay estimation with an average error 2% - 5% for set of tested CNFET circuits.
Accuracy of prehospital transport time estimation.

OBJECTIVES Estimates of prehospital transport times are an important part of emergency care system research and planning; however, the accuracy of these estimates is unknown. The authors examined the accuracy of three estimation methods against observed transport times in a large cohort of prehospital patient transports. METHODS This was a validation study using prehospital records in King County, Washington, and southwestern Pennsylvania from 2002 to 2006 and 2005 to 2011, respectively. Transport time estimates were generated using three methods: linear arc distance, Google Maps, and ArcGIS Network Analyst. Estimation error, defined as the absolute difference between observed and estimated transport time, was assessed, as well as the proportion of estimated times that were within specified error thresholds. Based on the primary results, a regression estimate was used that incorporated population density, time of day, and season to assess improved accuracy. Finally, hospital catchment areas were compared using each method with a fixed drive time. RESULTS The authors analyzed 29,935 prehospital transports to 44 hospitals. The mean (± standard deviation [±SD]) absolute error was 4.8 (±7.3) minutes using linear arc, 3.5 (±5.4) minutes using Google Maps, and 4.4 (±5.7) minutes using ArcGIS. All pairwise comparisons were statistically significant (p < 0.01). Estimation accuracy was lower for each method among transports more than 20 minutes (mean [±SD] absolute error was 12.7 [±11.7] minutes for linear arc, 9.8 [±10.5] minutes for Google Maps, and 11.6 [±10.9] minutes for ArcGIS). Estimates were within 5 minutes of observed transport time for 79% of linear arc estimates, 86.6% of Google Maps estimates, and 81.3% of ArcGIS estimates. The regression-based approach did not substantially improve estimation. There were large differences in hospital catchment areas estimated by each method. CONCLUSIONS Route-based transport time estimates demonstrate moderate accuracy. These methods can be valuable for informing a host of decisions related to the system organization and patient access to emergency medical care; however, they should be employed with sensitivity to their limitations.
A Measure of the Stability of Family Activities: AN Initial Examination

The Stability of Activities in the Family Environment (SAFE) was designed to sample activities that could occur with some degree of regularity and stability in a variety of families. The SAFE was found to have adequate internal consistency and its validity was suggested by its relationship to other measures of family functioning and to measures of adjustment. The results of the present investigation are consistent with the differentiation of two domains of stability of family activities; those that occur on a daily basis, primarily within the home, and those that are more social in nature and might occur outside of the home. The present findings also indicate the potential value of further consideration of the roles of overall stability of family activities and also of stable positive family activities in facilitating adaptive development.
Serious Adverse Events Experienced by Survivors of Stroke in the First Year Following Discharge from Inpatient Rehabilitation

Purpose: To identify the incidence of adverse events (AE) that occurred in stroke survivors during the first year following discharge from inpatient rehabilitation and to determine the type and patterns of AE. Methods: Data were collected for 12 months on events resulting in admissions to the emergency department, hospital, long‐term care facility, or death. Descriptive statistics were used to depict the patterns of AE and univariate comparisons were made of the differences between survivors who did or did not experience one or more AE. Results: Of the 159 participants, 50% reported a total of 163 AE. Most AE (82.2%) were unexpected and the majority occurred during the first 6 months; 12 recurrent strokes and 6 transient ischemic attacks occcurred. Conclusions: Education on prevention and treatment of common AE is important prior to discharge. Anticipatory guidance may help survivors and caregivers modify their lifestyle and prevent common AE.