Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Thumb + Pen Interaction on Tablets

Modern tablets support simultaneous pen and touch input, but it remains unclear how to best leverage this capability for bimanual input when the nonpreferred hand holds the tablet. We explore Thumb + Pen interactions that support simultaneous pen and touch interaction, with both hands, in such situations. Our approach engages the thumb of the device-holding hand, such that the thumb interacts with the touch screen in an indirect manner, thereby complementing the direct input provided by the preferred hand. For instance, the thumb can determine how pen actions (articulated with the opposite hand) are interpreted. Alternatively, the pen can point at an object, while the thumb manipulates one or more of its parameters through indirect touch. Our techniques integrate concepts in a novel way that derive from marking menus, spring-loaded modes, indirect input, and multi-touch conventions. Our overall approach takes the form of a set of probes, each representing a meaningfully distinct class of application. They serve as an initial exploration of the design space at a level which will help determine the feasibility of supporting bimanual interaction in such contexts, and the viability of the Thumb + Pen techniques in so doing.
Monitoring and management solutions for 3G/4G wireless mobile networks

The complexity of the physical and logical structures of the 3/4G network and service environment demand more sophisticated and complicated tools to be fully controllable and well managed. One of the main problems is the traditional telemanagement model that does not suit for managing fast and constantly changing network and system environment. The present way using nonreal time off-line tools to tune the tele system and networks in periods of some weeks or months when they would need constant real time control to overcome fast and unpredictable video streaming or call type traffic burst. To ease the difficult situation and solve this problem we have studied and developed a new control and management concepts and methods to monitor, control and manage in real time any magnitude of network and system environments. This paper presents a concept of the management system for large operator environments.
Genetic and pharmacologic evidence that Rac1 GTPase is involved in regulation of platelet secretion and aggregation

Background: Rac1 GTPase, a member of the Ras‐related Rho GTPase family, is the major Rac isoform present in platelets and has been shown to be involved in cell actin cytoskeleton reorganization and adhesion. Agonists that induce platelet secretion and aggregation also activate Rac1 GTPase, raising the possibility that Rac1 GTPase may be involved in regulation of platelet function. Objectives: To rigorously define the role of Rac1 in platelet regulation. Methods: We have used a dual approach of gene targeting in mice and pharmacologic inhibition of Rac1 by NSC23766, a rationally designed specific small molecule inhibitor, to study the role of Rac1 in platelet function. Results: Platelets from mice as well as human platelets treated with NSC23766 exhibited a significant decrease in: (i) active Rac1 species and phosphorylation of the Rac effector, p21‐activated kinase; (ii) expression of P‐selectin and secretion of adenosine triphosphate induced by thrombin or U46619; and (iii) aggregation induced by adenosine 5′‐diphosphate, collagen, thrombin and U46619, a stable analog of thromboxane A2. NSC23766 did not alter the cAMP or cGMP levels in platelets. Consistent with the requirement of Rac1 for normal platelet function, the bleeding times in Rac1–/– mice or mice given NSC23766 were significantly prolonged. Conclusions: Our data show that deficiency or inhibition of Rac1 GTPase blocks platelet secretion. The inhibition of secretion, at least in part, is responsible for diminished platelet aggregation and prolonged bleeding times observed in Rac1 knockout or Rac1 inhibitor‐treated mice.
OpenSBBD: Usando Linked Data para Publicação de Dados Abertos sobre o SBBD

The Semantic Web was designed to expand the current Web we know, enabling the large amount of data available on the Web to be processed not only by humans, but also by machines. Along this process, the Semantic Web gathered new technologies which allow the modeling and description of data embebbed with semantic definitions. In addition to the adoption of these technologies, the concept of Linked Data emerged. Linked Data is a set of principles and techniques created with the purpose of interlinking data from distinct data sources. On the other hand, the Open Data Movement has encouraged data publishing on the Web, without restrictions from copyright, patents or other mechanisms of control. The combination of Semantic Web technologies, the principles of Linked Data and the Open Data movement has played a major role in data publishing. In this context, this work proposes: I) the creation of an interlinked open dataset, available in RDF and consistent with the principles of Linked Data, about the 27 editions of the Brazilian Symposium on Databases; II) the creation of a SPARQL Endpoint available to be queried using SPARQL; III) The development of a Web application with the purpose of providing more user-friendly views about this dataset. Resumo. A Web Semântica foi projetada para expandir a Web que conhecemos atualmente, possibilitando que a imensa quantidade de dados disponiveis na Web possa ser compreendida nao so por pessoas, mas tambem por maquinas. Neste processo, a Web Semântica agregou novas tecnologias que permitem a modelagem e descricao de dados com definicoes semânticas associadas. Em conjunto com a adocao dessas tecnologias, surgiu o conceito de Linked Data, um conjunto de principios e tecnicas para publicacao de dados estruturados na Web, criado com o objetivo de possibilitar a interligacao de dados de fontes de dados distintas. Por outro lado, o movimento de Dados Abertos (Open Data) tem incentivado a disponibilizacao de dados na Web sem restricoes de copyright, patentes e outros mecanismos de controle. A combinacao das tecnologias da Web Semântica, os principios de Linked Data e o movimento de Dados Abertos tem desempenhado um papel importante na publicacao de dados na Web. Nesse contexto, este artigo propoe: i) a criacao de um conjunto de dados abertos, disponivel em RDF e de acordo com os principios de Linked Data, sobre as 27 edicoes do Simposio Brasileiro de Banco de Dados; ii) a disponibilizacao de um SPARQL Endpoint para a execucao de consultas SPARQL sobre os dados e metadados do SBBD; iii) o desenvolvimento de uma aplicacao Web com o intuito de oferecer visoes mais amigaveis destes dados.
The effects of octylcyanoacrylate on scarring after burns.

OBJECTIVE To compare the effects of octylcyanoacrylate (OCA), silver sulfadiazine (SSD), polyurethane film (PU), and dry gauze (G) on scarring three months after partial-thickness burns. METHODS This was a prospective, blinded, controlled experimental trial using isoflurane-anesthetized swine. Standardized partial-thickness burns were inflicted by applying an aluminum bar preheated to 80 degrees C to the backs and flanks of a young pig for 20 seconds. Four equal sets of ten burns each were randomly treated with OCA spray, SSD, PU, or G. Dressing changes were performed on days 1, 2, 3, and 4 after injury. Digital images of the burns were obtained immediately and three months later for masked computerized determination of scar surface area. Full-thickness biopsies were taken at three months for masked histopathological evaluation. The primary outcome was the percent reduction in residual wound area (RWA) calculated by subtracting the area of each individual burn from the area of the largest burn and dividing this value by the area of the largest burn (intraobserver correlation, r = 0.99). Secondary outcomes were the proportion of burns with the presence of scar tissue (abnormal collagen under polarized light; intraobserver agreement, kappa = 0.93) and the cosmetic appearance on a 100-mm visual analog scale marked "best scar" at the high end (inter-observer correlation, r = 0.82). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and chi(2) tests were used for group comparisons as appropriate. This study had 80% power to detect a 33-percentage-point difference in RWA among groups (alpha = 0.05). RESULTS A total of 40 burns were inflicted on the pig. There was no difference in percent RWA across the groups (OCA = 25%, SSD = 40%, PU = 25%, G = 32%; p = 0.13). There was no difference in the proportion of wounds with scarring among the groups (OCA = 10%, SSD = 22%, PU = 2%, G = 30%; p = 0.89). There was also no difference in the cosmetic scores among the groups (OCA = 78 mm, SSD = 75 mm, PU = 74 mm, G = 74 mm; p = 0.96). CONCLUSIONS The effects of OCA spray, SSD, PU, and dry gauze on scarring three months after burns in pigs are similar.
Full-length genome characterization of HIV type 1 subtype C isolates from two slow-progressing perinatally infected siblings in South Africa.

Isolation and characterization of HIV-1 from asymptomatic, slow-progressing individuals are important in studying viral pathogenesis and facilitate the development of vaccines and antivirals. In this study we identified two slow-progressing HIV-1-infected siblings, isolated viruses, and sequenced the full-length genome, to identify virus attenuations that may contribute to their altered rate of disease progression. Proviral DNA from strains 99ZATM10 and 01ZATM45 was isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) coculture.Virtually full-length genomes and long terminal repeat (LTR) regions were polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplified, sequenced, and assembled to generate the complete genomes. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that both isolates were subtype C throughout their genome. Predicted amino acid sequence analysis for all the HIV-1 proteins showed that both viruses had open reading frames for all genes, and encoded proteins of the expected length, except for the rev gene. The 3' end of rev exon 2 did not have the 16-amino acid (aa) truncation characteristic of subtype C viruses, and in addition, had a three-aa extension (GlyCysCys). Rev is a necessary regulatory factor for HIV expression, and changes in the protein may affect viral replication. These results suggest that slower HIV disease progression in these children may be attributed, at least in part, to an altered Rev protein.
Roles of Forests in Food Security based on Case Studies in Yunnan, China

SUMMARY Agriculture faces enormous challenges with the new realities of climate risks, environmental sustainability, and social changes, particularly in Mountainous Mainland Southeast Asia. It has been commonly viewed that agriculture is a threat to ecosystems, including forests, and this places developing countries in a dilemma. This article presents two case studies from Yunnan, China and discusses multifaceted roles of forests in sustainable food production and functioning of ecosystem services. The cases represent the survival of farming system for centuries, sustained by forests, ecosystem services, and traditional ecological knowledge. Forests play a vital role in food security while traditional ecological knowledge has maintained sustainable and longstanding production systems with forests. Food security involves context- and location-specific challenges. It necessitates to address the multifaceted food security issue with localized approaches for synergy between farming and forests, to build local resilience against climate variability and social changes.
Respiratory sinus arrhythmia as a non-invasive index of ‘brain-heart’ interaction in stress

Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) is accepted as a peripheral marker of cardiac-linked parasympathetic regulation. According to polyvagal theory, the RSA is also considered as the index of emotion regulation. The neurovisceral integration model posits that parasympathetic modulation of the heart marked by RSA is related to complex nervous regulation associated with emotional and cognitive processing. From this perspective, high resting RSA amplitude associated with a greater withdrawal during stressors and subsequent recovery could represent a flexible and adaptive physiological response system to a challenge. Conversely, low resting RSA accompanied by an inadequate reactivity to stress might reflect maladaptive regulatory mechanisms. The RSA reactivity is different with various types of stressors: while the RSA decreases to cognitive tasks indicating a vagal withdrawal, the RSA magnitude increases to emotional challenge indicating an effective cognitive processing of emotional stimuli. The RSA reactivity to stress could have important implications for several mental disorders, e.g. depressive or anxiety disorder. It seems that the study of the RSA, as a non-invasive index of ‘brain-heart’ communication, could provide important information on the pathway linked to mental and physical health.
Treatment of Xanthelasma Palpebrarum Using a Pulsed Dye Laser: A Prospective Clinical Trial in 38 Cases

BACKGROUND Several studies have reported positive results of nonablative laser treatment of xanthelasma palpebrarum, but the published evidence is weak and inconclusive. OBJECTIVE To systematically evaluate the effect of pulsed dye laser (PDL) treatment of xanthelasmas. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty female Caucasian patients with 38 lesions (≤1 mm above skin level) were enrolled. They received up to five treatment sessions with a PDL (wavelength, 585 nm; energy fluence, 7 J/cm2; pulse duration, 0.5 ms; spot size, 10 mm; number of passes, 2) at 2‐ to 3‐week intervals. Photographs were taken before each treatment session and 4 weeks after the last treatment. Two independent examiners categorized clearance into four groups (no clearance [<25% xanthelasma area(s) cleared], moderate [25–50%], good [51–75%], and excellent [>75%]). Patient satisfaction was assessed on a verbal rating scale. RESULTS Approximately two‐thirds of the lesions showed clearance greater than 50%, and one‐quarter had clearance greater than 75%. Interrater reliability was excellent (contingency coefficient >0.7 at all visits). Treatments were well tolerated and had no major side effects. Patient satisfaction was generally high. CONCLUSION PDL is a promising approach for treating xanthelasmas, especially when multiple sessions are performed.
Do Financial Incentives Influence GPs' Decisions to Do After‐hours Work? A Discrete Choice Labour Supply Model

This paper analyses doctors' supply of after-hours care (AHC), and how it is affected by personal and family circumstances as well as the earnings structure. We use detailed survey data from a large sample of Australian General Practitioners (GPs) to estimate a structural, discrete choice model of labour supply and AHC. This allows us to jointly model GPs' decisions on the number of daytime-weekday working hours and the probability of providing AHC. We simulate GPs' labour supply responses to an increase in hourly earnings, both in a daytime-weekday setting and for AHC. GPs increase their daytime-weekday working hours if their hourly earnings in this setting increase, but only to a very small extent. GPs are somewhat more likely to provide AHC if their hourly earnings in that setting increase, but again, the effect is very small and only evident in some subgroups. Moreover, higher earnings in weekday-daytime practice reduce the probability of providing AHC, particularly for men. Increasing GPs' earnings appears to be at best relatively ineffective in encouraging increased provision of AHC and may even prove harmful if incentives are not well targeted. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
NTCP and Beyond: Opening the Door to Unveil Hepatitis B Virus Entry

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, affecting approximately 240 million people worldwide, is a major public health problem that elevates the risk of developing liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Given that current anti-HBV drugs are limited to interferon-based regimens and nucleos(t)ide analogs, the development of new anti-HBV agents is urgently needed. The viral entry process is generally an attractive target implicated in antiviral strategies. Using primary cells from humans and Tupaia belangeri, as well as HepaRG cells, important determinants of viral entry have been achieved. Recently, sodium taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (NTCP) was identified as an HBV entry receptor and enabled the establishment of a susceptible cell line that can efficiently support HBV infection. This finding will allow a deeper understanding of the requirements for efficient HBV infection, including the elucidation of the molecular entry mechanism. In addition, pharmacological studies suggest that NTCP is able to serve as a therapeutic target. This article summarizes our current knowledge on the mechanisms of HBV entry and the role of NTCP in this process.
The Location of Emergency Service Facilities

This paper views the location of emergency facilities as a set covering problem with equal costs in the objective. The sets are composed of the potential facility points within a specified time or distance of each demand point. One constraint is written for each demand point requiring “cover,” and linear programming is applied to solve the covering problem, a single-cut constraint being added as necessary to resolve fractional solutions.
Alteration of mitochondrial DNA in human oncocytomas

Oncocytoma, a benign solid tumor, occurs in a number of organs but most frequently in the kidneys. Its oncocytes display an intensely eosinophilic cytoplasm due to presence of numerous mitochondria. Mitochondrial DNA analysis of six renal cell oncocytomas and adjacent renal tissue was performed using five restriction endonucleases. In the Hinfl restriction pattern, an additional 40 bp band was noted. This new band was demonstrated in all oncocytomas but in none of the corresponding renal tissues or additionally tested renal carcinomas. By reisolating and hybridizing this band to the mitochondrial genome, its sequence was localized within the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene. The data suggest that a molecular alteration of mitochondrial DNA is specific for oncocytomas, and this constitutes the first observed mitochondrial DNA change in a human solid tumor.
Motivation to change in eating disorders: clinical and therapeutic implications.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to understand the clinical impact of the motivational stage of change on the psychopathology and symptomatology of anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN) and eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS). METHOD The participants were 218 eating disorder (ED) patients (58 AN, 95 BN and 65 EDNOS), consecutively admitted to our hospital. All patients fulfilled DSM-IV criteria for these disorders. ASSESSMENT Assessment measures included the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI), Bulimic Investigation Test Edinburgh (BITE), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), four analogue scales of motivational stage, as well as a number of other clinical and psychopathological indices. RESULTS Our results indicated higher motivation for change in BN than in AN and EDNOS patients (p < 0.05). For all groups, motivation to change was predicted by chronological age (p < 0.05). However, a longer duration of illness was only predictive of the motivational levels in EDNOS (p < 0.05) patients. CONCLUSIONS Compared to BN, AN and EDNOS patients are most resistant to change and the younger these patients are, the less likely they are to be motivated to change their disturbed eating behaviour.
A Small Subpopulation of Blastospores in Candida albicans Biofilms Exhibit Resistance to Amphotericin B Associated with Differential Regulation of Ergosterol and β-1,6-Glucan Pathway Genes

ABSTRACT The resistance of Candida albicans biofilms to a broad spectrum of antimicrobial agents has been well documented. Biofilms are known to be heterogeneous, consisting of microenvironments that may induce formation of resistant subpopulations. In this study we characterized one such subpopulation. C. albicans biofilms were cultured in a tubular flow cell (TF) for 36 h. The relatively large shear forces imposed by draining the TF removed most of the biofilm, which consisted of a tangled mass of filamentous forms with associated clusters of yeast forms. This portion of the biofilm exhibited the classic architecture and morphological heterogeneity of a C. albicans biofilm and was only slightly more resistant than either exponential- or stationary-phase planktonic cells. A submonolayer fraction of blastospores that remained on the substratum was resistant to 10 times the amphotericin B dose that eliminated the activity of the planktonic populations. A comparison between planktonic and biofilm populations of transcript abundance for genes coding for enzymes in the ergosterol (ERG1, -3, -5, -6, -9, -11, and -25) and β-1,6-glucan (SKN and KRE1, -5, -6, and -9) pathways was performed by quantitative RT-PCR. The results indicate a possible association between the high level of resistance exhibited by the blastospore subpopulation and differential regulation of ERG1, ERG25, SKN1, and KRE1. We hypothesize that the resistance originates from a synergistic effect involving changes in both the cell membrane and the cell wall.
Estrogen receptor-beta expression in human testicular germ cell tumors.

PURPOSE Estrogen exposure has been linked to a risk for the development of testicular germ cell cancers. The effects of estrogen are now known to be mediated by estrogen receptor (ER)-alpha and -beta receptor subtypes, but only ER-beta has been found in human normal testis. The goal of the present study was to compare the localization and expression levels of these ER subtypes in testicular germ cell cancers (seminomas and nonseminomatous germ cell tumors) with normal testis. For completeness, expression of androgen and progesterone receptors was also investigated. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Immunohistochemistry was used to localize the expression of steroid receptors in 39 archival testicular germ cell cancers and 5 morphologically normal testes. Expression of the steroid receptors at the transcript level was semiquantified by reverse transcription-PCR in 5 paired fresh-frozen specimens of normal and neoplastic testes. RESULTS ER-alpha was not expressed in the human normal testis. It was also absent in all of the testicular germ cell cancers studied. In contrast, ER-beta was strongly expressed in various germ cells of the normal testis. However, its expression was markedly diminished in seminomas, embryonal cell carcinomas, and in mixed germ cell tumors, at both transcriptional and translational levels. In contrast, ER-beta remained highly expressed in endodermal sinus tumors and teratomas. Progesterone receptor, an estrogen-regulated gene, was localized to spermatagonia of the normal testis, but its expression dramatically reduced in seminomas. With the exception of spermatagonia, androgen receptor was found in all of the germ cells of the normal testis, but, aside from trace staining in 3 of 5 endodermal sinus tumor cells, it was not detected immunohistochemically in any other germ cell cancer. CONCLUSIONS We confirm expression of ER-beta, but not ER-alpha, in normal testicular cells, suggesting that only the former ER subtype mediates the action of estrogen in the human male gonad. Our results provide the first evidence that only ER-beta is expressed in testicular germ cell tumors. Its expression is down-regulated in seminomas and embryonal cell carcinomas but remains high in endodermal sinus tumors and in teratomas. The observed differences in ER-beta expression levels among different testicular germ cell tumors may reflect divergent pathways of differentiation/dedifferentiation of these neoplasms from a common precursor. Collectively, these findings provide a possible mechanistic link between estrogen exposure and testicular cancer risk.