Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
From TimeLines to StoryLines: A preliminary proposal for evaluating narratives

We formulate a proposal that covers a new definition of StoryLines based on the shared data provided by the NewsStory workshop. We re-use the SemEval 2015 Task 4: Timelines dataset to provide a gold-standard dataset and an evaluation measure for evaluating StoryLines extraction systems. We also present a system to explore the feasibility of capturing StoryLines automatically. Finally, based on our initial findings, we also discuss some simple changes that will improve the existing annotations to complete our initial Story-
Externalisation, Globalised Value Chains and the Invisible Consequences of Social Actions

»Externalisierung, globalisierte Wertschöpfungsketten und die unsichtbaren Folgen sozialen Handelns«. Recently, advanced political economies have been described as externalisation societies whose relatively well-off majorities live off the resources, labour forces, and life chances of others. This paper illustrates social processes of externalisation by referring to the example of globalised value chains for the production of common consumer goods, in particular, cars and clothing. Drawing on Norbert Elias’ figurational sociology, globalised value chains can be described as chains of interdependence. Elias identifies the growing length and complexity of chains of interdependence as one of the central social preconditions that contribute to the civilising of behaviour and emotions, including increased foresight and growing empathy with people independent of their group affiliation. Zygmunt Bauman provides an alternative perspective to theorise externalisation processes related to the current formation of value chains: Due to the length and complexity of functional dependencies, significant consequences of social actions recede from the sight of actors. Conceptualised this way, globalised value chains are no social prerequisites for an increased foresight and scope of mutual identification, but – on the contrary – undermine these processes. The paper critically discusses both theoretical perspectives on the behavioural and emotional implications of the globalisation of value chains.
Automated Storage Management with QoS Guarantee in Large-scale Virtualized Storage Systems

Traditionally storage has been purchased and attached to a single computer system. Such storage is accessible only through the computer system to which it is locally attached. In the last 10 years, especially in corporate data centers, storage is being increasingly purchased independent of the processors, and independently managed and administered. Because of the standardization of disk IO protocols, storage can be easily shared amongst various heterogeneous processors running various applications. The shared storage is accessed over a network interconnecting the processors to the shared disk subsystem, known as the storage area network a network onwhich processors send IO calls to virtual disks. It is the task of the storage controller to manage the mapping of virtual disks to physical disks, a task known as storage virtualization, similar to memory virtualization of processors. The storage virtualization layer has been exploited to provide diverse storage functions.
Toward Ensuring a Smooth Transition into High School. Issue Brief.

The transition into high school is a critical juncture for students—a time when they move from often smaller and more supportive middle schools to larger high schools, where the academic and social demands are higher. The cost of failing to make this transition successfully is high for students and for the schools that serve them. Unsuccessful high school transitions contribute to high dropout rates, low on-time graduation rates, and low achievement in American high schools. Therefore, it is vital to identify what works to ensure that all students make it through this important gateway.
Non-invasive estimation of the activation sequence in the atria during sinus rhythm and atrial tachyarrhythmia

Ablation procedures have become one of the most efficient treatments for termination of atrial arrhythmias. The aim of the present study is the evaluation of the potential use of noninvasive imaging as a clinical tool for the identification of atrial tachycardia origin prior to an ablation procedure. Simultaneous 67-lead body surface potential recordings and 15 intracardiac electrograms (EGM) were obtained for one patient during sinus rhythm and pacing the left superior pulmonary vein. 3D heart and torso geometries were obtained by using computed axial tomography images. Epicardial activation sequences were computed by solving the inverse problem of the electrocardiology. Reconstructed activation sequences were consistent with recorded EGMs. Measured and estimated activation time differences between right and left atria were 93 ms and 102 ms during sinus rhythm respectively and 49 ms and 71 ms respectively during left atrial pacing.
Immunohistochemical localization of cyclic AMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB)-binding protein in the pig retina during postnatal development

This study evaluated the cellular localization of cyclic AMP-responsive element binding protein-binding protein (CBP) expression in pig retinas during postnatal development. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis were performed on retinal tissue from 2-day-old, 5-week-old, and 6-month-old pigs. Western blot analysis detected the expression of CBP in the retinas of 2-day-old piglets and showed that it was significantly decreased in the retinas of 5-week-old and 6-month-old pigs. Immunohistochemically, CBP was intensely immunostained in protein kinase C alpha (PKCα)-positive-bipolar cells, glutamine synthetase-positive Müller cells, and in ganglion cells in 2-day-old piglets. CBP was detected weakly in the inner plexiform, outer nuclear, and rod and cone layers. CBP immunoreactivity in the ganglion cell layer was decreased in the retinas of 5-week-old and 6-month-old pigs, while clear CBP expression detected in the neurite of PKCα-positive bipolar cells in the inner nuclear layer. In addition, CBP immunoreactivity in Müller cells and glial fibrillary acidic protein-positive glial processes was particularly noteworthy in pig retinas, but not in rat retinas. The results indicate that CBP is expressed differentially in the retinal neurons and glial cells according to growth and animal species, and may play an important role in homeostasis in Müller cells, neurite extention in bipolar cells, and signal transduction in photoreceptor cells in the porcine retina.
Tracking the Unconscious Generation of Free Decisions Using UItra-High Field fMRI

Recently, we demonstrated using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) that the outcome of free decisions can be decoded from brain activity several seconds before reaching conscious awareness. Activity patterns in anterior frontopolar cortex (BA 10) were temporally the first to carry intention-related information and thus a candidate region for the unconscious generation of free decisions. In the present study, the original paradigm was replicated and multivariate pattern classification was applied to functional images of frontopolar cortex, acquired using ultra-high field fMRI at 7 Tesla. Here, we show that predictive activity patterns recorded before a decision was made became increasingly stable with increasing temporal proximity to the time point of the conscious decision. Furthermore, detailed questionnaires exploring subjects' thoughts before and during the decision confirmed that decisions were made spontaneously and subjects were unaware of the evolution of their decision outcomes. These results give further evidence that FPC stands at the top of the prefrontal executive hierarchy in the unconscious generation of free decisions.
Minocycline delayed photoreceptor death in the rds mice through iNOS-dependent mechanism

Purpose To elucidate the role of activated microglia and nitric oxide (NO) in photoreceptor apoptosis in rds mice, and to investigate the effect of minocycline treatment on rds mice. Methods Photoreceptor apoptosis in rds mice was detected by terminal dUTP transferase nick end labeling (TUNEL). Retinal microglial cells were identified by CD11b antibody. The mRNA expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and chemokines were examined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay. The protein expression of iNOS was examined by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting analysis. The rds mice were treated intra-peritoneally from the second postnatal day (P2) with minocycline. Results Accompanying photoreceptor degeneration in rds mice, microglia were activated and immigrated from inner retinal layer (IRL) to outer nuclear layer (ONL), and the expression of iNOS was up-regulated. Minocycline treatment reduced the iNOS expression and decreased the initial photoreceptor apoptosis, but did not provide long term ameliorative effect on the photoreceptor cell loss of rds mice. Conclusions NO played a major role in the initial photoreceptor apoptosis in rds mice. The migration of activated microglia to the ONL contributed to the subsequent photoreceptor cell death; minocycline treatment ameliorated the photoreceptor apoptosis in rds mice, and this protective effect was partly through iNOS-suppressive mechanism.
Loss of Purinergic P2X3 and P2X5 Receptor Innervation in Human Detrusor from Adults with Urge Incontinence

Activation of purinergic P2X receptors associated with the parasympathetic nerves that supply the human bladder smooth muscle (detrusor) is implicated in control of detrusor contractility. The relative abundance of all seven subtypes colocalized with synaptic vesicles on parasympathetic nerves was examined in specimens from normal adult bladder, infants, and in adults with overactive detrusor contractility and a diagnosis of idiopathic detrusor instability (IDI) to determine whether receptor distribution varied with age or in patients with incontinence. Alteration in control of detrusor innervation was examined with P2X subtype-specific antibodies and an antibody against synaptic vesicles, using immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy. Detrusor samples were taken from: controls, at cystectomy for cancer or cystoscopic biopsy for hematuria (n = 22; age 33-88), child bladder, at surgical correction of vesico-ureteric reflux (n = 21; age 4 months to 2 years), and adults with detrusor instability at cystoscopy-cystodistension (n = 18; age 30-81). Adult specimens contained muscle with large varicosities (1.2 microm) along parasympathetic nerves with colocalized patches of all P2X(1-7) subtypes. Infant bladder revealed little evidence of P2X at age <9 months but approached adult levels at 2 years. Detrusor from IDI patients revealed selective absence of P2X(3) and P2X(5) beneath all the varicosities. This specific lack of P2X(3) and P2X(5) may impair control of detrusor contractility and contribute to the pathophysiology of urge incontinence.
SCC-Based Value Numbering

Value numbering is an optimization that assigns numbers to values in such a way that two values are assigned the same number if and only if the compiler can prove they are equal. When this optimization discovers two computations that produce the same value, it can (under certain circumstances) eliminate one of them. There are two competing techniques for proving equivalences: hashing and partitioning. The hashing techniques are easy to understand and implement, and they can easily handle constant folding and algebraic identities (i.e., x+0 = x). Their prime drawback is that they are not global techniques. The partitioning techniques are global, but they cannot easily handle constant folding and algebraic identities. As a result of their shortcomings, both of these techniques can fail to discover some crucial equivalences. In this paper, we describe a new technique for assigning value numbers that combines the advantages of both techniques { it is easy to understand and implement; it can easily handle constant folding and algebraic identities, and it is global. We refer to this new technique as SCC-based value numbering because it is centered around the strongly connected components of the static single assignment graph. We will prove that our technique always (cid:12)nds at least as many equivalences as hashing or partitioning, and experimentally compare the improvements made in the context of an optimizing compiler.
Incidence of overweight and obesity in women aged 20–59 years from the Swietokrzyskie Region

Background: ‪The occurrence of overweight and obesity is a complex phenomenon, determined by genetic, metabolic and environmental factors. This is why, despite the continuous progress in treating obesity, it seems justified to indicate its diversification and the need for prevention and for developing a strategy of action at the level of entire populations. The aim of the study was to evaluate the incidence of overweight and obesity in women aged 20–59 years according to selected socio-economic factors. Material and methods: ‪The study used a combination of nonprobability and random sampling and it encompassed 547 women from the Świętokrzyskie Region. The research methods included an interview (i.e. categorised interview) and observations. In the interview, the respondents were asked about their social environment, in particular, their education level, place of residence and financial situation, while the observations encompassed measurements of the basic somatic traits that allowed for calculating the BMI, WHR and WHtR. Results: ‪The BMI, WHR and WHtR of the studied women displayed significant intergroup diversification, where age was a strongly diversifying factor. Conclusions: ‪Higher education level and better financial situation of woman are correlated with a lower incidence of overweight and obesity.
What's Your Sign? - International Norms, Signals, and Compliance

This Article proposes a new approach to analyzing state compliance with international obligations, positing that increased interaction among the world's regulators has reinforced norms within cross-border regulatory networks, influencing the actions of senior regulators who are network members and, in turn, affecting levels of state compliance. Network norms help define what state actions constitute signals and the meanings of those signals. Certain actions, such as implementing a substantive network standard, may be considered a concrete expression of an abstract network norm. States that fail to implement that standard risk failing to send the right signal, potentially incurring significant network sanctions. Actual compliance, however, may reflect a balance between network norms and competing domestic interests, so that states may fail to comply fully with standards they have implemented. Lower levels of compliance, nevertheless, may be permissible so long as they are consistent with network expectations. If this theory is accurate, then traditional concepts of compliance may not apply internationally; rather, what constitutes compliance may vary across networks and over time, based on differences in networks and norms. The Basel Accord of 1988 and Japan's experience are presented as illustrations. For Japan, implementing the Accord was important in order to signal its cooperation to other regulators, even though actual compliance was lower, reflecting competing domestic interests. Network norms may have modified members' expectations of what levels of compliance were acceptable; and so, even in the face of weak compliance, Japan's implementation may have credibly signaled its support of network cooperation.
The X-ray cycle in the solar-type star HD 81809 - XMM-Newton observations and implications for the coronal structure

Context. The 11-yr cycle is the best known manifestation of the Sun’s activity. While chromospheric cycles have been studied in a number of solar-like stars, very little is known about how these are reflected in the cyclical behavior of the coronal X-ray emission in stars other than the Sun. Aims. Our long-term XMM-Newton program of long-term monitoring of a solar-like star with a well-studied chromospheric cycle, HD 81809, aims to study whether an X-ray cycle is present, along with studying its characteristics and its relation to the chromospheric cycle. Methods. Regular observations of HD 81809 were performed with XMM-Newton, spaced by 6 months from 2001 to 2007. We studied the variations in the resulting coronal luminosity and temperature, and compared them with the chromospheric Ca ii variations. We also modeled the observations in terms of a mixture of active regions, using a methodology originally developed to study the solar corona. Results. Our observations show a well-defined cycle with an amplitude exceeding 1 dex and an average luminosity approximately one order of magnitude higher than in the Sun. The behavior of the corona of HD 81809 can be modeled well in terms of varying coverage of solar-like active regions, with a larger coverage than for the Sun, showing it to be compatible with a simple extension of the solar case.
Active force control for robotic micro-assembly: Application to guiding tasks

This paper presents an analytical model and experimental results from a study of guiding tasks in micro-assembly. This work is focused on the use of two fingers for gripping microparts. The stability of the grasp when the contact appears is investigated and strategies during the guiding task are discussed. The contact side detection and the contact force estimation are studied. The incremental control in static mode is then investigated for controlling the guiding task. Experimental setups are proposed and some experimental results are presented.
What Do America's 'Traditional' Forms of School Choice Teach Us About School Choice Reforms?

The author explores the effectiveness of the two most-established forms of school choice in the United States--choice among public school districts and the choice between public and private schools. She finds that traditional school choice improves the quality of schooling by increasing competition among schools. An additional benefit, the author argues, is that parents who have greater choice are more likely to be involved in their children's schooling. The author concludes that lessons from traditional school choice will be important in analyzing school choice reform.
Attribute Based Sequential Aggregate Signature

Attribute based signature (ABS) scheme is an important cryptographic primitive which provides a powerful way for user to control their privacy. However, the computational and storage cost of ABS is reasonable when the number of users involved in the system is huge. In order to reduce the bandwidth needed to transmit attribute based signatures and the time needed to verify them, we propose attribute based sequential aggregate signature (ABSAS) scheme. The ABSAS scheme allows a set of players to sign the different messages compress into a short signature which can greatly decrease the store space. In this paper, we also formalize ABSAS scheme and prove the security of this scheme in the standard model. The analysis shows that our ABSAS scheme has less signature length and need less verify computation than the traditional ABS which is more appropriate for the actual situation, especially where bandwidth is a bottleneck.
The effects of parental depression and parenting practices on depressive symptoms and metabolic control in urban youth with insulin dependent diabetes.

OBJECTIVE Examine relationships between parental depressive symptoms, affective and instrumental parenting practices, youth depressive symptoms and glycemic control in a diverse, urban sample of adolescents with diabetes. METHODS Sixty-one parents and youth aged 10-17 completed self-report questionnaires. HbA1c assays were obtained to assess metabolic control. Path analysis was used to test a model where parenting variables mediated the relationship between parental and youth depressive symptoms and had effects on metabolic control. RESULTS Parental depressive symptoms had a significant indirect effect on youth depressive symptoms through parental involvement. Youth depressive symptoms were significantly related to metabolic control. While instrumental aspects of parenting such as monitoring or discipline were unrelated to youth depressive symptoms, parental depression had a significant indirect effect on metabolic control through parental monitoring. CONCLUSIONS The presence of parental depressive symptoms influences both youth depression and poor metabolic control through problematic parenting practices such as low involvement and monitoring.
Translation Initiation Control by Heme-Regulated Eukaryotic Initiation Factor 2α Kinase in Erythroid Cells under Cytoplasmic Stresses

ABSTRACT Cytoplasmic stresses, including heat shock, osmotic stress, and oxidative stress, cause rapid inhibition of protein synthesis in cells through phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 2α (eIF2α) by eIF2α kinases. We have investigated the role of heme-regulated inhibitor (HRI), a heme-regulated eIF2α kinase, in stress responses of erythroid cells. We have demonstrated that HRI in reticulocytes and fetal liver nucleated erythroid progenitors is activated by oxidative stress induced by arsenite, heat shock, and osmotic stress but not by endoplasmic reticulum stress or nutrient starvation. While autophosphorylation is essential for the activation of HRI, the phosphorylation status of HRI activated by different stresses is different. The contributions of HRI in various stress responses were assessed with the aid of HRI-null reticulocytes and fetal liver erythroid cells. HRI is the only eIF2α kinase activated by arsenite in erythroid cells, since HRI-null cells do not induce eIF2α phosphorylation upon arsenite treatment. HRI is also the major eIF2α kinase responsible for the increased eIF2α phosphorylation upon heat shock in erythroid cells. Activation of HRI by these stresses is independent of heme and requires the presence of intact cells. Both hsp90 and hsc70 are necessary for all stress-induced HRI activation. However, reactive oxygen species are involved only in HRI activation by arsenite. Our results provide evidence for a novel function of HRI in stress responses other than heme deficiency.
Multiparametric Functional MRI: Non-Invasive Imaging of Inflammation and Edema Formation after Kidney Transplantation in Mice

Background Kidney transplantation (ktx) in mice is used to learn about rejection and to develop new treatment strategies. Past studies have mainly been based on histological or molecular biological methods. Imaging techniques to monitor allograft pathology have rarely been used. Methods Here we investigated mice after isogenic and allogenic ktx over time with functional MRI with diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and mapping of T2-relaxation time (T2-mapping) to assess graft inflammation and edema formation. To characterize graft pathology, we used PAS-staining, counted CD3-positive T-lymphocytes, analyzed leukocytes by means flow cytometry. Results DWI revealed progressive restriction of diffusion of water molecules in allogenic kidney grafts. This was paralleled by enhanced infiltration of the kidney by inflammatory cells. Changes in tissue diffusion were not seen following isogenic ktx. T2-times in renal cortex were increased after both isogenic and allogenic transplantation, consistent with tissue edema due to ischemic injury following prolonged cold ischemia time of 60 minutes. Lack of T2 increase in the inner stripe of the inner medulla in allogenic kidney grafts matched loss of tubular autofluorescence and may result from rejection-driven reductions in tubular water content due to tubular dysfunction and renal functional impairment. Conclusions Functional MRI is a valuable non-invasive technique for monitoring inflammation, tissue edema and tubular function. It permits on to differentiate between acute rejection and ischemic renal injury in a mouse model of ktx.