Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Consider the forest or the trees? The effects of mindset abstraction on memory-based consideration set formation

ion in word association tasks, show that concrete mindset leads to richer associations and more conceptual cues than abstract mindsets. Studies 2a and 2b, using alternative manipulations of mindset abstraction in different product categories, directly demonstrate that individuals in a concrete mindset form larger memory-based consideration sets than their counterparts in an abstract mindset. Studies 3 and 4, using an episodic memory paradigm in a controlled setting, examine the Hypothesis of Top-down versus Bottom-up Approach of Memory Retrieval regarding the underlying mechanism of the mindset abstraction effect on size of memory set. The findings support the hypothesis by showing that individuals in a concrete (vs. an abstract) mindset rely on subordinate (vs. superordinate) cues in memory retrieval, and the type of retrieval cues determines the likelihood that a brand is considered as well as the number of choice alternatives people consider. Finally, I conclude this paper with the theoretical contributions as well as the practical implications of this research, and a discussion of the future directions of this research.
Concept Search: Semantics Enabled Information Retrieval

In this paper we present a novel approach, called Concept Search, which extends syntactic search, i.e., search based on the computation of string similarity between words, with semantic search, i.e., search based on the computation of semantic relations between concepts. The key idea of Concept Search is to operate on complex concepts and to maximally exploit the semantic information available, reducing to syntactic search only when necessary, i.e., when no semantic information is available. The experimental results show that Concept Search performs at least as well as syntactic search, improving the quality of results as a function of the amount of available semantics.
Parametric identification of multi-mass mechanical systems in electrical drives using nonlinear least squares method

This paper presents methods for parameter identification of mechanical resonance of multi-mass electrical drive system using nonlinear least squares method. The presented method was applied in the field of parameter identification of continuous-time liner dynamic system with delay. Results for two different excitation signals were presented: pseudo random binary signal and chirp wave. Spectral analysis was used to calculate frequency response data of electric drive with elastic connection. The discussed methods of identification are verified by both simulation and laboratory stand test.
Efficient Statistical Performance Modeling for Autonomic, Service-Oriented Systems

As service-oriented environments grow in size and complexity, managing their performance becomes increasingly difficult. To assist administrators, autonomic techniques have been adopted to permit these environments to be self-managing (problem localization, workload management, etc.). These techniques need a sense of system state and the ability to project a new state given some change within the environment. Recent work addressing this issue frequently used statistically learned models which were derived entirely from data. However, many environments already have management facilities in place that could provide precise and useful insights (e.g. workflows) into the system. This paper introduces a method of modeling service-oriented system performance using Bayesian networks and specifically addresses the benefits obtained by incorporating these insights into the model learning process. To further minimize model building costs, we devise a decentralized method to concurrently learn parts of the model where knowledge inclusion is impossible. Simulations and applications in actual environments show significant reductions in learning time, better accuracy and stronger tolerance to small learning data sets.
tRF‐Leu‐CAG promotes cell proliferation and cell cycle in non‐small cell lung cancer

tRNA‐derived RNA fragments (tRFs), non‐coding single‐stranded RNAs with 14–35 nt in length, were found to play important roles in gene regulation, even in carcinogenesis. In this study, we investigated the expression of tRF‐Leu‐CAG in human non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and its function in the cell proliferation and cell cycle of NSCLC. The expression level of tRF‐Leu‐CAG was detected in NSCLC tissues, cell lines, and sera. tRF‐Leu‐CAG RNA levels were higher in NSCLC tumor tissues than in normal tissues, and also upregulated in NSCLC cell lines. A significant relationship was observed between stage progression and tRF‐Leu‐CAG in NSCLC sera. We found that in H1299 cells, inhibition of tRF‐Leu‐CAG suppressed cell proliferation and impeded cell cycle. AURKA was also repressed with the knockdown of tRF‐Leu‐CAG. Thus, our study revealed that tRF‐Leu‐CAG may be involved in regulating AURKA and could be a new diagnostic marker and potential therapeutic target in NSCLC.
Xpert MTB/RIF: a New Pillar in Diagnosis of Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis?

ABSTRACT Approximately 10 to 15% of tuberculosis (TB) cases in India are estimated to have extrapulmonary disease, and due to a lack of diagnostic means, they often remain untreated. The early detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and multidrug resistance is a priority in TB diagnosis to improve the successful treatment rate of TB and reduce transmission. The Xpert MTB/RIF (Xpert) test, recently endorsed by the World Health Organization for the detection of pulmonary TB, was evaluated to test its utility in 547 patients with suspected extrapulmonary tuberculosis. Five hundred forty-seven extrapulmonary specimens were split and processed simultaneously for both culture (solid and liquid) and Xpert testing. For culture, the sensitivity was low, 53% (150/283 specimens). Xpert sensitivity and specificity results were assessed in comparison to a composite reference standard made up of smear and culture results and clinical, radiological, and histological findings. The sensitivity of the Xpert assay was 81% (228/283 specimens) (64% [89/138] for smear-negative cases and 96% [139/145] for smear-positive cases), with a specificity of 99.6%. The sensitivity was found to be high for the majority of specimen types (63 to 100%) except for cerebrospinal fluid, the sensitivity of which was 29% (2/7 specimens). The Xpert test correctly identified 98% of phenotypic rifampin (RIF)-resistant cases and 94% of phenotypic RIF-susceptible cases. Sequencing of the 6 discrepant samples resolved 3 of them, resulting in an increased specificity of 98%. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that the Xpert test also shows good potential for the diagnosis of extrapulmonary TB and that its ease of use makes it applicable for countries where TB is endemic.
Control structures for Smart Grid balancing

This work addresses the problem of maintaining the balance between consumption and production in the electricity grid when volatile resources, such as wind and sun, account for a large percentage of the power generation. We present control structures for Smart Grid balancing services on three different levels: portfolio, larger scale individual power units, and aggregations of small power units. Our focus is on illustrating the connection between coordination and control algorithms.
Towards a practical super phase array

In theory, a Super Phase Array (SPA) which radar cross section is greatly enhanced can be constructed. However no such array has been made to date. The reason for this lies in the complexity of building the key component of this SPA - the super lens. Here, we shall demonstrate how this complexity can be greatly reduced by constructing the simplest possible compact super lens. The method used is generic and can be adapted to create a SPA of any arbitrary geometry. This simplification will lead towards the possibility of constructing a practical SPA.
Macrorestriction Fragment Profiles Reveal Genetic Variation of Cowdria ruminantium Isolates

ABSTRACT Macrorestriction profile analysis by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was used to distinguish between seven isolates of Cowdria ruminantium from geographically different areas. Characteristic profiles were generated for each isolate by using the restriction endonucleases KspI, SalI, andSmaI with chromosomal sizes ranging between 1,546 and 1,692 kb. Statistical analysis of the macrorestriction profiles indicated that all the isolates were distinct from each other; these data contribute to a better understanding of the epidemiology of this pathogen and may be exploited for the identification of genotype-specific DNA probes.
Dynamic pricing and customers' perceptions of price fairness in the airline industry

The application of Internet and other digital technologies has significantly influenced all elements of the marketing mix, including pricing. This is especially important in the context of service industries, such as hotels and airline companies, where digital technologies dramatically altered pricing policies. This process is dominated by dynamic pricing, a pricing discrimination technique which leverages real-time pricing and individualizes prices. Customers are aware that companies are charging different prices for the same products or services, but the issue of price fairness emerges. Unfavorable customers' perceptions of dynamically determined prices could lead to different consequences for the company, such as unfavorable word-of-mouth, unfavorable social media communication, and decrease in customers' loyalty. The aim of the article is to present the current scientific evidence on dynamic pricing and customers' perceptions of fairness of dynamically determined prices, with the focus on the airline industry. The importance of researching customers' perceptions of dynamic pricing is discussed and future research proposals are provided.
Cisapride class-action suit approved

An Ontario Superior Court Justice has certified a class-action lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson, its Canadian subsidiary, Janssen-Ortho Inc. and the Attorney General of Canada, on behalf of Canadians who took the antireflux drug cisapride (Prepulsid). Cisapride made headlines in March 2000 when
Training of Attentional Filtering, but Not of Memory Storage, Enhances Working Memory Efficiency by Strengthening the Neuronal Gatekeeper Network

Memory training (MT) in older adults with memory deficits often leads to frustration and, therefore, is usually not recommended. Here, we pursued an alternative approach and looked for transfer effects of 1-week attentional filter training (FT) on working memory performance and its neuronal correlates in young healthy humans. The FT effects were compared with pure MT, which lacked the necessity to filter out irrelevant information. Before and after training, all participants performed an fMRI experiment that included a combined task in which stimuli had to be both filtered based on color and stored in memory. We found that training induced processing changes by biasing either filtering or storage. FT induced larger transfer effects on the untrained cognitive function than MT. FT increased neuronal activity in frontal parts of the neuronal gatekeeper network, which is proposed to hinder irrelevant information from being unnecessarily stored in memory. MT decreased neuronal activity in the BG part of the gatekeeper network but enhanced activity in the parietal storage node. We take these findings as evidence that FT renders working memory more efficient by strengthening the BG–prefrontal gatekeeper network. MT, on the other hand, simply stimulates storage of any kind of information. These findings illustrate a tight connection between working memory and attention, and they may open up new avenues for ameliorating memory deficits in patients with cognitive impairments.
OS NÍVEIS DE STRESS DOS ALUNOS DE LICENCIATURA, DA UCP - VISEU

Com este trabalho, realizado no ano lectivo de 2007/2008, pretende analisar-se os niveis de stress na comunidade academica da UCP – Viseu, bem como as estrategias de coping desenvolvidas para o combater, tematica que pode contribuir para a compreensao da forma como os alunos respondem as mudancas, nesta fase da sua vida, repleta de novos desafios e incertezas, que podem estar na origem de desequilibrios emocionais e no esgotamento dos estudantes. Sao apresentadas definicoes dos conceitos de stress e estrategias de coping, abordando-se tambem as mudancas inerentes a transicao para o ensino superior e as tarefas que precisam de superar ao longo do ciclo de estudos. Procede-se ao enquadramento metodologico do estudo, com a caracterizacao da populacao em estudo, metodo de seleccao da amostra, apresentacao de objectivos e hipoteses e do instrumento de recolha de informacao. A analise permite determinar os factores de stress e as estrategias de coping predominantes, bem como a sua relacao com os cursos frequentados pelos alunos, o facto de estar no inicio ou fim do curso e as variaveis de caracterizacao sexo, idade e nivel socio-economico. Finalmente sao determinadas as relacoes existentes entre o stress e respectivos factores e o coping e respectivas estrategias.
Visualization of object image database by using logistic discriminant analysis

For object detection, large-scale databases obtained via an in-vehicle camera have been proposed. The databases are generally used to evaluate object detection methods and/or to train classifiers in these methods. When proposing a new database, we should evaluate the characteristics of a large number of the samples in the database to improve the usability of the proposed database. In the evaluation, discriminant analysis is useful for visualizing the sample distribution of the database, and the visualized distributions show the statistical characteristics of the annotated (labeled) samples. In this paper, we propose a database analysis procedure using logistic discriminant analysis and demonstrate the visualization and evaluation of an object image database.
Mucinous Carcinoma of the Breast in Comparison with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Clinicopathologic Characteristics and Prognosis

Purpose Mucinous carcinoma (MC) of the breast is a rare histologic type of mammary neoplasm. The objective of this study was to evaluate the long-term disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) of MC. Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of all MC cases reported to a database between 1994 and 2010. Clinicopathological characteristics and survival of 268 MC cases were reviewed and compared with 2,455 invasive ductal carcinoma-not otherwise specified (IDC-NOS) cases. Results The MC cases were of a younger age, involved less lymph nodes, lower stage, more expression of hormonal receptors, and less HER2 overexpression compared to the IDC-NOS cases. The 5-year DFS rate for MC was 95.2% compared to 92.0% for IDC-NOS. The 5-year OS rate for MC was 98.9% compared to 94.9% for IDC-NOS. Multivariate analysis using Cox regression revealed that the mucinous type was a significant prognostic factor for DFS with lower nodal status (N stage) and hormonal therapy. For OS, only N stage was the most significant prognostic factor followed by adjuvant chemotherapy and adjuvant hormonal therapy. Conclusion MC was shown to be associated with a better DFS than IDC-NOS, but it had a similar OS. Nodal status and adjuvant therapy appear to be more significant predictors of prognosis than histologic subtype.
The alternatively spliced V region contributes to the differential incorporation of plasma and cellular fibronectins into fibrin clots

During blood clot formation in vivo, plasma fibronectin (pFN) is cross- linked to fibrin by coagulation factor XIIIa. Cellular FN (cFN), which localizes to connective tissue, is distinguished from pFN by the inclusion of alternatively spliced segments. To determine if these two FNs are functionally equivalent in blood clotting, the cross-linking of rat pFN and cFN to fibrin was compared in an in vitro clotting assay. Fibrinogen and FN were incubated at physiological ratios in the presence of thrombin and factor XIIIa. Cross-linking of FN to fibrin was monitored by SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting. Over 24 h, cFN was incorporated at a significantly slower rate than pFN and was not completely cross-linked to fibrin at a temperature that favors this interaction (0 degrees C). This difference was observed with purified fibrinogens from human, rat, and bovine and with rat plasma and was maintained even after incubation of pFN with rat fibroblasts for several days. Using the same assay, purified recombinant V(+)-V0 and V(+)-V+ FN dimers resembling pFN and cFN, respectively, showed a similar difference in cross-linking kinetics. These results suggest that the asymmetric distribution of the V region among pFN dimers plays a role in regulating its incorporation into blood clots. In fibrin clots, cFN was converted into a set of cross-linked intermediates distinct from those of pFN. For example, while pFN was initially cross- linked into a pFN-fibrin alpha heterodimer, this product was not a major intermediate in clots formed with cFN. This finding, in conjunction with evidence for the formation of factor XIIIa-catalyzed cFN-cFN cross-links, indicated that cFN molecules interact with each other, and with fibrin, differently from pFN. Together, these results show an important functional distinction between pFN and cFN.
Mechanics and mechanisms of pulmonary hypertension—Conference summary and translational perspectives

The imagination has made more discoveries than the eye To catch an imagination of the future of pulmonary hypertension was exactly the spirit of the 55th ASPEN lung Conference. Basic scientists, pre-clinicians, clinicians and pharma joined together to achieve one goal—to combine creativity and inventiveness in a battle against a deadly disease. Summarizing this conference on “Mechanics and Mechanisms of Pulmonary Hypertension” is challenging in several aspects: To extract key novel findings from 12 state-of-the-art lectures, 25 oral presentations, 56 posters along with the integration of own data on discussed topics, to include hundreds of important questions, answers and discussion raised during the conference, to provide the line of thinking for the next 5–10 years of pulmonary hypertension (PH) research development and to focus equally well on both basic and translational research. Kurt Stenmark and Todd Bull, who chaired the conference, intensified this challenge several-fold by selecting a plethora of topics ranging from development of cardiopulmonary systems to pathogenesis of right ventricular failure, mechanics of right ventricle-pulmonary artery coupling to genomics and from understanding metabolic aspects to developing therapies for PH. With that, need not say, but a special admiration and thanks to the conference chairs for assembling such outstanding state-of-the-art speakers, for clustering the presentations logically and for leading lively and engaging discussions. Although it may look fragmentary, we would like to divide the conference summary into four major conceptual realms: The pulmonary vasculature in PH; right heart in PH; individualized approach- personalized medicine; and beyond PH-vascular abnormalities in COPD. - Joseph Joubert
Microspectrofluorometry by digital image processing: measurement of cytoplasmic pH

An interface of our microspectrofluorometer with an image processing system performs microspectrofluorometric measurements in living cells by digital image processing. Fluorescence spectroscopic parameters can be measured by digital image processing directly from microscopic images of cells, and are automatically normalized for pathlength and accessible volume. Thus, an accurate cytoplasmic "map" of various spectroscopic parameters can be produced. The resting cytoplasmic pH of fibroblasts (3T3 cells) has been determined by measuring the ratio of fluorescein fluorescence exited by two successive wavelengths (489 and 452 nm). Fluorescein-labeled dextran microinjected into the cells is used as a pH indicator, since it is trapped in the cytoplasm but is excluded from the nucleus and other organelles. The average cytoplasmic pH is 6.83 (+/- 0.38). However, cytoplasmic pH exhibits a nonunimodal distribution, the lower mean pH being 6.74 (+/- 0.23). When 3T3 cells pinocytose medium containing fluorescein dextran, pinosomes peripheral to the nucleus exhibit a lower pH than those closer to the ruffling edge of the cell. The present image processing system is analyzed for linearity of detection, light scattering artifacts, signal to noise ratio, standard curves, and spatial resolution. The results obtained from digital image analysis are shown to be comparable to the results from standard microspectrofluorometry. We also discuss several other applications of this ratio imaging technique in cell biology.
Interleaving Execution and Planning for Nondeterministic, Partially Observable Domains

Methods that interleave planning and execution are a practical solution to deal with complex planning problems in non-deterministic domains under partial observability. However, most of the existing approaches do not tackle in a principled way the important issue of termination of the planning-execution loop, or only do so considering specific assumptions over the domains. In this paper, we tackle the problem of interleaving planning and execution relying on a general framework, which is able to deal with nondeterministic, partially observable planning domains. We propose a new, general planning algorithm that guarantees the termination of the interleaving of planning and execution: either the goal is achieved, or the system detects that there is no longer a guarantee to progress toward it. Our experimental analysis shows that our algorithm can efficiently solve planning problems that cannot be tackled with a state of the art off-line planner for nondeterministic domains under partial observability, MBP. Moreover, we show that our algorithm can efficiently detect situations where progress toward the goal can be no longer guaranteed.