Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The goody-good effect: When social comparisons of ethical behavior and performance lead to self-threat versus self-enhancement, social undermining, and ostracism

I extend work on behavioral ethics by proposing that there can be unfavorable consequences to ethical behavior. Drawing on social comparison theory (Festinger, 1954), I find that employees experience self-threat and self-enhancement as a result of ethical behavior comparisons. A lab study and a field study were paired to test the theoretical model. In the field, data from 310 employee-coworker dyads reveals that employees who report being more ethical than a comparison coworker experience more self-threat and more self-enhancement. These relationships are moderated by a performance comparison with the same coworker. Results also reveal that ethical behavior comparisons are indirectly related to social undermining and ostracism via selfthreat. Thus, when employees experience self-threat as a result of an ethical behavior comparison, they are likely to respond by socially undermining and/or ostracizing the coworker with whom they compared themselves. This mediated relationship is also impacted by the moderating presence of a performance comparison. Implications, both theoretical and practical, as well as suggestions for future research are discussed.
INTRAPUPAL TEMPERATURE VARIATION DURING ER,CR:YSGG ENAMEL IRRADIATION ON CARIES PREVENTION

Studies have shown the cariostatic effect of Er,Cr:YSGG (2.78 μm) laser irradiation on human enamel and have suggested its use on caries prevention. However there are still no reports on the intrapulpal temperature increase during enamel irradiation using parameters for caries prevention. The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the temperature variation in the pulp chamber during human enamel irradiation with Er,Cr:YSGG laser at different energy densities. Fifteen enamel blocks obtained from third molars (3 x 3 x 3 mm) were randomly assigned to 3 groups (n=5): G1 – Er,Cr:YSGG laser 0.25 W, 20 Hz, 2.84 J/cm2, G2 – Er,Cr:YSGG laser 0.50 W, 20 Hz, 5.68 J/cm2, G3 – Er,Cr:YSGG laser 0.75 W, 20 Hz, 8.52 J/cm2. During enamel irradiation, two thermocouples were fixed in the inner surface of the specimens and a thermal conducting paste was used. One-way ANOVA did not show statistically significant difference among the experimental groups (α=0.05). There was intrapulpal temperature variation ≤0.1°C for all irradiation parameters. In conclusion, under the tested conditions, the use of Er,Cr:YSGG laser with parameters set for caries prevention lead to an acceptable temperature increase in the pulp chamber.
Compartmentalized and Binary Behavior of Terminal Dendrites in Hippocampal Pyramidal Neurons

The dendritic arbor of pyramidal neurons is not a monolithic structure. We show here that the excitability of terminal apical dendrites differs from that of the apical trunk. In response to fluorescence-guided focal photolysis of caged glutamate, individual terminal apical dendrites generated cadmium-sensitive all-or-none responses that were subthreshold for somatic action potentials. Calcium transients produced by all-or-none responses were not restricted to the sites of photolysis, but occurred throughout individual distal dendritic compartments, indicating that electrogenesis is mediated primarily by voltage-gated calcium channels. Compartmentalized and binary behavior of parallel-connected terminal dendrites can greatly expand the computational power of a single neuron.
Feature extraction for facial age estimation: A survey

Human age estimation is very interesting challenge today also. The prediction of age based on different techniques and by human, itself is very similar now. The major challenges for machine based age estimation are still alive. Challenges are uncontrolled environment, different light settings, variant posing and expression, ageing effects and life style. Human age estimation started with craniofacial growth has now reached to the condition where challenges are changing into opportunities for developing of applications. Applications include Biometrics, forensic investigation during crime, Relationship management over e-commerce, security control, Monitoring and surveillance, entertainment, cosmetology. Computer-based age estimation via facial images includes stages such as pre-processing, feature extraction, feature reduction and lastly classification or regression. Pre-processing provides invariability against different light settings and environment. Feature extraction deals with extraction of features like facial landmarks, shape and texture for further analysis. Feature reduction is considered for faster analysis of feature vectors. Lastly, regression, classification or combination is used for estimation of the age.
HIGWGET-A Model for Crawling Secure Hidden WebPages

The conventional search engines existing over the internet are active in searching the appropriate information. The search engine gets few constraints similar to attainment the information seeked from a different sources. The web crawlers are intended towards a exact lane of the web.Web Crawlers are limited in moving towards a different path as they are protected or at times limited because of the apprehension of threats. It is possible to make a web crawler,which will have the ability of penetrating from side to side the paths of the web, not reachable by the usual web crawlers, so as to get a improved answer in terms of infoemation, time and relevancy for the given search query. The proposed web crawler is designed to attend Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) websites including the web pages,which requires verification to view and index.
Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis What Does It Measure?

Abstract: Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) has been proposed for measuring fat‐free mass, total body water, percent fat, body cell mass, intracellular water, and extracellular water: a veritable laboratory in a box. Although it is unlikely that BIA is quite this versatile, correlations have been demonstrated between BIA and all of these body compartments. At the same time, it is known that all of the compartments are correlated among themselves. Because of this, it is difficult to determine whether BIA is specific for any or all of these compartments. To investigate this question, we induced acute changes in total body water and its compartments over a 3‐h period. Using this approach, we demonstrated that multifrequency BIA, using the Cole‐Cole model to calculate the zero frequency and infinite frequency resistance, measures extracellular and intracellular water.
From Pathology to Physiology of Calcineurin Signalling in Astrocytes

Astrocytes perform fundamental housekeeping functions in the central nervous system and through bidirectional communication with neurons are thought to coordinate synaptic transmission and plasticity. They are also renowned actors in brain pathology. Reactive gliosis and neuroinflammation are featured by many (if not all) acute and chronic neurodegenerative pathologies including Alzheimer's disease (AD). The Ca 2+ /calmodulin-activated phosphatase calcineurin (CaN) plays a central role in the pathology-related changes of astroglial cells mainly through activation of the inflammation-related transcription factors Nuclear Factor of Activated T-cells (NFAT) and Nuclear Factor kB (NF-kB). In this contribution we focus on the mechanistic aspects of CaN signalling in astrocytes. We analyze the astroglial Ca 2+ signalling toolkit in the context of Ca 2+ signals necessary for CaN activation and focus on the astroglial CaN signalling through its direct target, NFAT, as well as the intricate relationships between CaN and NF-kB activation pathways. The majority of data about CaN-mediated signalling in astrocytes point to the role for CaN in pathology-related conditions while very little is currently known about signalling and function of astroglial CaN in physiology.
Effect of potassium salts in rats adapted to an acidogenic high-sulfur amino acid diet

Low-grade metabolic acidosis, consecutive to excessive catabolism of sulfur amino acids and a high dietary Na:K ratio, is a common feature of Western food habits. This metabolic alteration may exert various adverse physiological effects, especially on bone, muscle and kidneys. To assess the actual effects of various K salts, a model of the Westernised diet has been developed in rats: slight protein excess (20 % casein); cations provided as non-alkalinising salts; high Na:K ratio. This diet resulted in acidic urine (pH 5·5) together with a high rate of divalent cation excretion in urine, especially Mg. Compared with controls, K supplementation as KCl accentuated Ca excretion, whereas potassium bicarbonate or malate reduced Mg and Ca excretion and alkalinised urine pH (up to 8). In parallel, citraturia was strongly increased, together with 2-ketoglutarate excretion, by potassium bicarbonate or malate in the diet. Basal sulfate excretion, in the range of 1 mmol/d, was slightly enhanced in rats fed the potassium malate diet. The present model of low-grade metabolic acidosis indicates that potassium malate may be as effective as KHCO3 to counteract urine acidification, to limit divalent cation excretion and to ensure high citrate concentration in urine.
Impacts of computerized physician documentation in a teaching hospital: perceptions of faculty and resident physicians.

OBJECTIVE Computerized physician documentation (CPD) has been implemented throughout the nation's Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMCs) and is likely to increasingly replace handwritten documentation in other institutions. The use of this technology may affect educational and clinical activities, yet little has been reported in this regard. The authors conducted a qualitative study to determine the perceived impacts of CPD among faculty and housestaff in a VAMC. DESIGN A cross-sectional study was conducted using semistructured interviews with faculty (n = 10) and a group interview with residents (n = 10) at a VAMC teaching hospital. MEASUREMENTS Content analysis of field notes and taped transcripts were done by two independent reviewers using a grounded theory approach. Findings were validated using member checking and peer debriefing. RESULTS Four major themes were identified: (1) improved availability of documentation; (2) changes in work processes and communication; (3) alterations in document structure and content; and (4) mistakes, concerns, and decreased confidence in the data. With a few exceptions, subjects felt documentation was more available, with benefits for education and patient care. Other impacts of CPD were largely seen as detrimental to aspects of clinical practice and education, including documentation quality, workflow, professional communication, and patient care. CONCLUSION CPD is perceived to have substantial positive and negative impacts on clinical and educational activities and environments. Care should be taken when designing, implementing, and using such systems to avoid or minimize any harmful impacts. More research is needed to assess the extent of the impacts identified and to determine the best strategies to effectively deal with them.
Technical editing of research reports in biomedical journals.

BACKGROUND Most journals try to improve their articles by technical editing processes such as proof-reading, editing to conform to 'house styles' and grammatical conventions. Despite the considerable resources devoted to technical editing, we do not know whether it improves the accessibility of biomedical research findings or the utility of articles. OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of technical editing on research reports in peer-reviewed biomedical journals. SEARCH STRATEGY We searched the Cochrane Library Issue 1, 2001, MEDLINE (last searched February 2000), 12 other databases, handsearched 9 journals and checked relevant articles for further references. We also searched the Internet and contacted researchers and experts in the field. SELECTION CRITERIA Prospective or retrospective comparative studies of technical editing processes applied to original research articles in biomedical journals. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two reviewers independently assessed each study against the selection criteria and assessed the methodological quality of each study. One reviewer extracted the data, and the second reviewer repeated this. MAIN RESULTS We located 18 studies addressing technical editing and 35 surveys of reference accuracy. Only two of the studies were randomized controlled trials. A 'package' of largely unspecified editorial processes applied between acceptance and publication was associated with improved readability in two studies and improved reporting quality in another two studies, while another study showed mixed results after stricter editorial policies were introduced. More intensive editorial processes were associated with fewer errors in abstracts and references. Providing instructions to authors was associated with improved reporting of ethics requirements in one study and fewer errors in references in two studies, but no difference was seen in the quality of abstracts in one randomized controlled trial. Structuring generally improved the quality of abstracts, but increased their length. The reference accuracy studies showed a median citation error rate of 39% and a median quotation error rate of 20%. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS Surprisingly few studies have evaluated the effects of technical editing rigorously. However there is some evidence that the 'package' of technical editing used by biomedical journals does improve papers.
The relation between handedness for reaching and unimanual handedness from 6 to 14 months

Unimanual hand preference is a behavior in which one hand is used more often than the other when single-handedly manipulating objects. The progressive lateralization theory (Michel, 2002) of handedness proposes that handedness gradually concatenates during infancy as a cascade from initially a preference for contacting objects to acquiring them, to their unimanual manipulation, to the eventual emergence of a hand preference for role-differentiated bimanual manipulation (RDBM). Together, these behaviors represent the individual's handedness expressed across most manual skills. Thus, the theory posits that an early hand preference for object acquisition will predict a later preference for single-handed object manipulations. This proposal was examined by describing the development of hand-use preferences for unimanual manipulation of objects for 90 infants (57 males) tested monthly from 6 to 14 months. These 90 infants were obtained from a larger sample of 380 infants: 30 infants from a group of 45 with left hand-use preferences for acquiring objects were matched for sex and development of locomotion skills with 30 infants with a right hand-use preference and 30 with no hand preference for acquiring objects. Results showed that the frequency of unimanual manipulations is stable during the 6-14 month period. Multilevel modeling of unimanual manipulation trajectories for the three acquisition hand-preference groups revealed that hand-use preferences for unimanual manipulation become more prominent with age and the preference is predicted by the hand-use preference for object acquisition. Also, infants with a right-hand preference for object acquisition develop a hand-use preference for unimanual manipulation sooner than those with a left preference and infants without a preference for acquisition remain without a preference for manipulation.
Computação Afetiva aplicada à Educação: Dotando Sistemas Tutores Inteligentes de Habilidades Sociais

With the constant need for education and training of professionals in a large country such as Brazil we have observed an increased expansion of distance education courses. In Brazil, distance education is supported, sponsored and promoted by the Federal Government. Nevertheless, two problems hinder the widespread adoption of this educational practice in the country: the high number of dropouts and low-performing students. These problems appear due to the lack of intelligent and personalized assistance and the sense of isolation and frustration resulting from the absence of meaningful social interactions in distance education environments. Thus, this paper aims at discussing how research achievements on Intelligent Tutoring Systems and Affective Computing can help to reduce these problems. We also list some of the main challenges in both areas and present perspectives of future research trends
Intracavitary vaginal brachytherapy using a custom balloon applicator

A custom balloon applicator was created to deliver intracavitary high‐dose‐rate brachytherapy to a patient with a superficial vaginal cancer. The patient was unable to be treated conventionally due to an extremely narrow introitus that prevented the introduction of a conventional cylinder applicator. The custom applicator was constructed by inserting a straight titanium tandem applicator through the drainage lumen of a Foley catheter. The applicator was inserted and the catheter balloon was inflated when positioned at the vaginal apex. Three brachytherapy treatments were performed using this technique. Individual balloon eccentricities resulted in small radial tandem offsets within the balloon. This phenomenon was exploited by orientating the tandem offset in the direction of the target volume. Acceptable dosimetry was achieved for all fractions and the procedure was very well tolerated. The custom applicator was a viable solution that was safely developed in a short time frame using equipment readily available in our department.
Potent Plasmodicidal Activity of a Heat-Induced Reformulation of Deoxycholate-Amphotericin B (Fungizone) against Plasmodium falciparum

ABSTRACT The emergence and spread of drug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum continue to pose problems in malaria chemotherapy. Therefore, it is necessary to identify new antimalarial drugs and therapeutic strategies. In the present study, the activity of a heat-treated form of amphotericin B (HT-AMB) against P. falciparum was evaluated. The efficacy and toxicity of HT-AMB were also compared with those of the standard formulation (AMB). HT-AMB showed significant activity against a chloroquine-resistant strain (strain K-1) and a chloroquine-susceptible strain (strain FCR-3) in vitro. The 50% inhibitory concentrations of HT-AMB were 0.32 ± 0.03 μg/ml for strain K-1 and 0.33 ± 0.03 μg/ml for strain FCR-3. In the presence of 1.0 μg of HT-AMB per ml, only pyknotic parasites were observed after 24 h of incubation of early trophozoites (ring forms). However, when late trophozoites and schizonts were cultured with 1.0 μg of HT-AMB per ml, those forms multiplied to ring forms but the number of infected erythrocytes did not increase. These results indicate that HT-AMB possesses potent antiplasmodial activity and that the drug is more effective against the ring-form stage than against the late trophozoite and schizont stages. HT-AMB was observed to have little cytotoxic effect against a human liver cell line (Chang liver cells). In conclusion, the results suggest that HT-AMB has promising properties and merits further in vivo investigations as a treatment for falciparum malaria.
An Improved Regression-Based Method for Centerlines and Boundary Detection

In this work we present an extension of the regression-based method presented in [27] for centerline and boundary detection. As shown in [27], classification based approaches are inaccurate when applied to centerline detection of linear structures. The reason is that centerline points and locations immediately next to them are extremely difficult to distinguish, The solution proposed in [27] is to reformulate centerline detection as a regression problem. Instead of the binary function used by classification-based approach, the authors approximate a function designed to respond maximally along the centerlines and with smaller values on other pixels, depending on their distance to the centerlines. The idea of using regression instead of classification is general and can be applied to other problems with similar properties. Contour detection is one of these. Consider Fig. 2, where are shown the boundaries marked by 5 human subjects on a sample image. Even if the 5 humans most of the time agree on the detection of a boundary, the exact localization of this boundary is not precise and the annotations are distant by few pixels. This uncertainty can be caused by several factors, like for example lack of local information, low resolution, blurring and other image artifacts. Because of the ambiguity of pixels in a neighborhood of a boundary and their extremely similar aspect, it is not clear if pixels close to boundaries should be considered as positive or negative samples. As for centerline detection, training a classifier to distinguish boundary points from the rest may produce multiple responses on the boundaries and low localization accuracy. In this work we use an auto-context like approach to improve the performance of [27]. We test our method on the following two problems: 1. detecting road’s centerline in 2D aerial images; 2. contour detection in natural images. We
Hepatic regeneration and growth factors

During the last decade, evidence has been collected on the central role played by growth stimulating factors (GsF) [1–9] and growth inhibiting factors (GiF) [10–12] in the mechanism of tissue growth regulation, using different experimental models [13]. The model of partial hepatectomy (PH) in rats has provided numerous findings on the existence of this regulatory process. In healthy mammals there is a well-defined relationship between body weight and liver weight [14]. When this relationship is altered either by surgical resection or by viral and toxic noxae, the liver quickly restores its volume [15]. A rapid growth of the residual liver mass is observed during the first few days after PH, indicating the prevalence of GsFs (Fig. 1). Later, a gradual decrease in liver growth is observed after the appearance of GiFs, which stop the regenerative process when the initial volume of the liver is restored (Fig. 1). Fig. 1 Liver mass recovery in rats after 70% hepatectomy. Liver resection was performed as described by Higgins and Anderson [15]. Liver mass is expressed as percentage of the liver weight in the intact animal. GsF, growth stimulatory factor; GiF, growth inhibitory . Different liver growth factors (GFs) have been identified and classified, on the basis of their nature, as hormonal GF, GsF, and GiF (Table I). Recently, these factors have also been called initiators, progressors, and augmentors [16], on the basis of the time of their intervention in the cell cycle (Fig. 2). Fig. 2 General pattern of the factors modulating liver regeneration and their time of intervention in the cell cycle. CyA, cyclosporin A; EGF, epidermal growth factor; HGF, hepatocyte growth factor; HSS, hepatic stimulatory substance; IGF, insulin-like growth . TABLE I Hormones and Growth Factors Involved in the Regulation of Liver Regeneration* Initiators are ions, nutrients, and hormones that are able to induce the G0–G1 transition in quiescent (G0) hepatocytes. The rapid increase of the expression of the protooncogenes myc and fos characterizes this phase [11]. Transforming growth factor alpha, hepatocyte (H)GF, and epidermal (E)GF, which are defined as progressors, induce the G0–G1 transition and allow hepatocytes to progress throughout the cell cycle. These GFs act both in vivo and in vitro [5,7,9]. H-ras, K-ras, and p53 are the biological markers of G1–S progression [11]. Hepatic stimulatory substance (HSS), cyclosporin A (CyA), FK 506, insulin, and insulin-like growth factor (IGF) II have been defined as augmentors [16–20]. They are not active in vitro, while in vivo they stimulate the proliferation of hepatocytes that have already completed the G0–G1 transition. The principal characteristics of some of these augmentors, as recently identified by our group, are reported here.