Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Why Strict Churches Are Strong

The strength of strict churches is neither a historical coicidence nor a statiscal artifact. Strictness makes organizations stronger an more attractive because it reduces free riding. It screens out members who lack commitment and and stimulates participation among those who remain. Rational choice theory thus explains the success of sect, cults, and conservative denominations without recourse to assumptions of irrationality, abnormality, or misinformation. The theory also predicts differences between strict and lenient groups, distinguishes between effective and counterproductive demands, and demonstrates the need to adapt strict demands in response to social change.
Cardiac rotation and relaxation in patients with aortic valve stenosis.

BACKGROUND Diastolic dysfunction with delayed relaxation and abnormal passive elastic properties has been described in patients with severe pressure overload hypertrophy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the time course of rotational motion of the left ventricle in patients with aortic valve stenosis using myocardial tagging. METHODS Myocardial tagging is a non-invasive method based on magnetic resonance which makes it possible to label ('tag') specific myocardial regions. From the motion of the tag's cardiac rotation, radial displacement and translational motion can be determined. In 12 controls and 13 patients with severe aortic valve stenosis systolic and diastolic wall motion was assessed in an apical and basal short axis plane. RESULTS The normal left ventricle performs a systolic wringing motion around the ventricular long axis with clockwise rotation at the base (-4.4+/-1.6 degrees) and counter-clockwise rotation at the apex (+6.8+/-2.5 degrees) when viewed from the apex. During early diastole an untwisting motion can be observed which precedes diastolic filling. In patients with aortic valve stenosis systolic rotation is reduced at the base (-2.4+/-2.0 degrees; P<0.01) but increased at the apex (+12.0+/-6.0 degrees; P<0.05). Diastolic untwisting is delayed and prolonged with a decrease in normalized rotation velocity (-6.9+/-1.1 s(-1)) when compared to controls (-10.7+/-2.2 s(-1); P<0.001). Maximal systolic torsion is 8.0+/-2.1 degrees in controls and 14.1+/-6.4 degrees (P<0.01) in patients with aortic valve stenosis. CONCLUSIONS Left ventricular pressure overload hypertrophy is associated with a reduction in basal and an increase in apical rotation resulting in increased torsion of the ventricle. Diastolic untwisting is delayed and prolonged. This may explain the occurrence of diastolic dysfunction in patients with severe pressure overload hypertrophy.
Organically Structured Carbon Nanotubes for Fluorescence

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs), an one-dimensional (1D) nanostructural material, despite its inactivity, has the advantages of chemical flexibility and sensitivity arising from the susceptibility of their surfaces to interacting species. The researches emerged recently on functionalizing CNTs with functional organic macromolecules and oligomers have achieved novel light-emitting, light-electric or electric-light converting materials. In this chapter, we aim to capture recent advances and present our research achievements of rational design and chemical functionalization of CNTs for the purpose to obtain enhanced fluorescence property in the variety of organically modified structures, lanthanide-existed hybrid structures, polymer-embedded composites as well as the wide variety of applications for novel organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), laser resource, optical signal amplification, solar cells and biosensors. To provide a deeper understanding of the fluorescence property, this review will also survey the proposed mechanisms. As demonstrated by remarkable examples, the relationship between the structures of modified CNTs and the fluorescence property helps to offer attractive new prospects for constructing CNT-based molecular optoelectronic and photon devices with desired functionalities.
65Zn Uptake from Blood into Brain in the Rat

Abstract: Zinc is essential for the normal development and function of the CNS, although little is known about brain zinc homeostasis. Therefore, in this investigation we have studied 65Zn uptake by brain from blood and have measured the blood‐brain barrier permeability to 65Zn in the anaesthetised rat in vivo. Adult male Wistar rats within the weight range 500–600 g were used. 65ZnCl2 and 125I‐albumin, the latter serving as a vascular marker, were injected intravenously in a bolus of normal saline. Sequential arterial blood samples were taken during experiments that lasted between 5 min and 5 h, after which the whole brain was removed, dissected, and analysed for radioisotope activity. Data have been analysed by graphical analysis, which suggests that after 30 min of circulation, 65Zn uptake by brain from blood is unidirectional with an influx rate constant, Kin, of ∼5 × 10−4 ml/min/g. At circulation times of <30 min, 65Zn fluxes between blood and brain are bidirectional, where influx has a K value of >5 × 10−4 ml/min/g. In addition to the blood space, the brain appears to contain a rapidly exchanging compartment(s) for 65Zn of ∼4 ml/100 g, which is not CSF.
Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Venous Thromboembolism: A Meta-Analysis

Background— The concept that venous thromboembolism (VTE) and atherosclerosis are 2 completely distinct entities has recently been challenged because patients with VTE have more asymptomatic atherosclerosis and more cardiovascular events than control subjects. We performed a meta-analysis to assess the association between cardiovascular risk factors and VTE. Methods and Results— Medline and EMBASE databases were searched to identify studies that evaluated the prevalence of major cardiovascular risk factors in VTE patients and control subjects. Studies were selected using a priori defined criteria, and each study was reviewed by 2 authors who abstracted data on study characteristics, study quality, and outcomes. Odds ratios or weighted means and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were then calculated and pooled using a random-effects model. Statistical heterogeneity was evaluated through the use of &khgr;2 and I2 statistics. Twenty-one case-control and cohort studies with a total of 63 552 patients met the inclusion criteria. Compared with control subjects, the risk of VTE was 2.33 for obesity (95% CI, 1.68 to 3.24), 1.51 for hypertension (95% CI, 1.23 to 1.85), 1.42 for diabetes mellitus (95% CI, 1.12 to 1.77), 1.18 for smoking (95% CI, 0.95 to 1.46), and 1.16 for hypercholesterolemia (95% CI, 0.67 to 2.02). Weighted mean high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were significantly lower in VTE patients, whereas no difference was observed for total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Significant heterogeneity among studies was present in all subgroups except for the diabetes mellitus subgroup. Higher-quality studies were more homogeneous, and significant associations remained unchanged. Conclusions— Cardiovascular risk factors are associated with VTE. This association is clinically relevant with respect to individual screening, risk factor modification, and primary and secondary prevention of VTE. Prospective studies should further investigate the underlying mechanisms of this relationship.
Monitoring Illegal Fishing through Image Classification

In this paper we apply computer vision techniques to identify the species of fish caught on fishing boats. We compare several different methods of classification, from basic algorithms such as Naïve Bayes to pre-trained Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to training our own CNN from scratch. After tuning various parameters to balance variance and bias, we find that training a CNN from scratch produced the highest validation accuracy. 1. Motivation Overfishing presents a difficult problem for the sustainability of global ecosystems and food systems. Two-thirds of global fish stocks are currently over-exploited, making the protection of endangered and keystone fish species an urgent priority (The Economist, 2014). This project aims to classify images of fish taken on fishing boats based on species. This will help organizations such as Nature Conservancy, which published our dataset, to monitor illegal fishing activity.
Changes in Membrane Excitability and Potassium Currents in Sensitized Dorsal Horn Neurons of Mice Pups

Rationally, an increased intrinsic excitability of dorsal horn neurons could be a factor contributing to alter the gain of the nociceptive system during central sensitization, however direct evidence is scarce. Here we have examined this hypothesis using current and voltage-clamp recordings from dorsal horn neurons in the spinal cord in vitro preparation obtained from mice pups of either sex. Cords were extracted from carrageenan-pretreated and control animals to allow for comparison. Dorsal horn neurons from treated animals showed significantly larger and faster synaptic responses. Synaptic changes started developing shortly after inflammation (1 h) and developed further after a longer-term inflammation (20 h). However, these neurons showed biphasic changes in membrane excitability with an increase shortly after inflammation and a decrease in the longer term. Concomitant changes were observed in transient (IA) and sustained potassium currents (IDR). Prolonged superfusion of naive spinal cords with NMDA led to a decreased neuronal excitability and to increased potassium currents. Results suggest that excitability plays a role more complex than expected during the process of central sensitization of dorsal horn neurons and that modulation of potassium currents may contribute to shape the changing states of excitability. The decreased excitability observed after long-term inflammation is interpreted as a homeostatic correction to an abnormal state of synaptic activity.
Programmable Controller with Flexible Redundancy for Safety Functions in a Nuclear Power Plant

Abstract This paper presents the redundancy architecture of the Programmable Logic Controller called the Safety PLC(SPLC) for the safety functions such as reactor protection in a nuclear power plant. The architecture of the SPLC is designed to switch flexibly redundancy model between the Dual Modular Redundancy(DMR) and Triple Modular Redundancy(TMR). Using this flexible redundancy architecture, the controller can be optimally configured to the application area, and the reliability and availability of the overall system can be increased because redundancy model varies as failures occur. The operating system of the SPLC is also specially designed to guarantee the strict real-time operation using the non-preemptive state-based scheduler and the supervisory task that manages timing violation of each task. The data communication of the SPLC uses the deterministic state-based protocol based on the Guaranteed Time Slot(GTS) protocol. The reliability analysis results show that MTTF of SPLC is 41,630 hours, which is about 15% and 50% more reliable than the TMR or DMR architecture, respectively.
Retrieving Vegetation Moisture Content with Remotely Sensed Data

This paper presents an inversion model for vegetation moisture content based on remotely sensed data. Vegetation moisture content is an important index characterizing eco-water,which refers to the water closely related to vegetation and which plays an important role in adjusting and supplying surface water and ground water during the hydrological cycle. It shows the capability of the vegetation to hold water and what the state of vegetation. Also it is crucial in predicting natural disasters, such as droughts, landslides and so on. Tasselled cap transformation and quantitative remote sensing technology are used to prepare the input data for the model. With the model, two temporal vegetation moisture content maps were created from ETM and ASTER images of the study area and the maps were verified using basic eco-environment data.
FLRT2 Interacts With Fibronectin in the ATDC5 Chondroprogenitor Cells

Expression studies have implicated FLRT2 in cranial neural crest cell migration and prechondrogenic cell condensation during craniofacial skeletogenesis. We aimed to determine whether FLRT2 was involved in mediating cell‐matrix interactions in the ATDC5 chondroprogenitor cell line. Immunolocalization experiments of ATDC5 cells revealed that FLRT2 was present on the cell membrane as well as extracellularly, where it colocalized with Fibronectin (Fn). After cell extraction of the matrix, FLRT2 was identified in the ATDC5‐derived extracellular matrix (ECM) and was further found to be associated with Fn‐coated beads in cell cultures. Blockage of Fn fibril formation via a blocking peptide resulted in a concomitant decrease in extracellular FLRT2 accumulation. Over a 7‐day period following the replenishment of the Fn blocking peptide to the cultures, there was a partial rebound in Fn fibril formation that was accompanied by a concomitant reappearance of FLRT2 co‐expression. Co‐immunoprecipitation confirmed that FLRT2 and Fn interacted, either directly or indirectly. Immunoprecipitation and Western blot analyses with antibodies recognizing epitopes located on the extra‐ and intracellular domains of FLRT2 further revealed the presence of different sized bands, suggesting that FLRT2 may exist in both membrane‐bound and shed forms. Our data therefore provide evidence that FLRT2 and/or its cleavage products may be cooperating with Fn and other ECM proteins to regulate critical cellular events. Further studies will be necessary in delineate more precisely the roles of FLRT2 in mediating cell‐ and cell‐matrix interactions during normal development. J. Cell. Physiol. 229: 1538–1547, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Nicotine receptor partial agonists for smoking cessation.

Compared with placebo, varenicline more than doubles the chances of successful long-term smoking abstinence. In head-to-head trials, varenicline appears to be at least as effective as nicotine replacement therapy and bupropion (Zyban). The most common adverse effect is nausea, which decreases over time; a large cohort study found no increase in the likelihood of depression or suicidality.
Repair of Global Regulators in Staphylococcus aureus 8325 and Comparative Analysis with Other Clinical Isolates

ABSTRACT The pathogenicity of Staphylococcus aureus strains varies tremendously (as seen with animals). It is largely dependent on global regulators, which control the production of toxins, virulence, and fitness factors. Despite the vast knowledge of staphylococcal molecular genetics, there is still widespread dispute over what factors must come together to make a strain highly virulent. S. aureus NCTC8325 (RN1 and derivatives) is a widely used model strain for which an incomparable wealth of knowledge has accumulated in the almost 50 years since its isolation. Although RN1 has functional agr, sarA, and sae global regulators, it is defective in two regulatory genes, rsbU (a positive activator of SigB) and tcaR (an activator of protein A transcription), and is therefore considered by many to be a poor model for studies of regulation and virulence. Here, we repaired these genes and compared the resulting RN1 derivatives with other widely used strains, Newman, USA300, UAMS-1, and COL, plus the parental RN1, with respect to growth, extracellular protein pattern, hemolytic activity, protein A production, pigmentation, biofilm formation, and mouse lethality. The tcaR-repaired strain, showed little alteration in these properties. However, the rsbU-repaired strain was profoundly altered. Hemolytic activity was largely decreased, the exoprotein pattern became much more similar to that of typical wild-type (wt) S. aureus, and there was a surprising increase in mouse lethality. We note that each of the strains tested has a mutational alteration in one or more other regulatory functions, and we conclude that the repaired RN1 is a good model strain for studies of staphylococcal regulation and pathobiology; although strain Newman has been used extensively for such studies in recent years, it has a missense mutation in saeS, the histidine kinase component of the sae signaling module, which profoundly alters its regulatory phenotype. If this mutation were repaired, Newman would be considerably improved as a model strain.
Social Media-based Profiling of Business Locations

We present a method for profiling businesses at specific locations that is based on mining information from social media. The method matches geo-tagged tweets from Twitter against venues from Foursquare to identify the specific business mentioned in a tweet. By linking geo-coordinates to places, the tweets associated with a business, such as a store, can then be used to profile that business. We used a sentiment estimator developed for tweets to create sentiment profiles of the stores in a chain, computing the average sentiment of tweets associated with each store. We present the results as heatmaps which show how sentiment differs across stores in the same chain and how some chains have more positive sentiment than other chains. We also created profiles of social group size for businesses and show sample heatmaps illustrating how the size of a social group can vary.
Regulation of P-Glycoprotein in Renal Proximal Tubule Epithelial Cells by LPS and TNF-α

During endotoxemia, the ATP-dependent drug efflux pump P-glycoprotein (Abcb1/P-gp) is upregulated in kidney proximal tubule epithelial cells. The signaling pathway through which lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) regulates P-gp expression and activity was investigated further in the present study. Exposure of rat kidney proximal tubule cells to TNF-α alone or TNF-α and LPS increased P-gp gene and protein expression levels and efflux activity, suggesting de novo P-gp synthesis. Upon exposure to TNF-α in combination with LPS, P-gp activity in renal proximal tubule cells is increased under influence of nitric oxide (NO) produced by inducible NO synthase. Upon exposure to TNF-α alone, P-gp upregulation seems to involve TLR4 activation and nuclear factor kappaB (NF-κB) translocation, a pathway that is likely independent of NO. These findings indicate that at least two pathways regulate P-gp expression in the kidney during endotoxemia.
Molecular pathways of aging and hypertension

Purpose of reviewThis review is aimed at describing the latest advances made in understanding the pathogenesis of vascular aging and hypertension and their underlying molecular mechanisms. Recent findingsp66shc and endothelin-1 are highly implicated in vascular aging and hypertension, respectively. Increased production of reactive oxygen species observed in aging and hypertension may provide the missing link interconnecting endothelin-1 and p66shc. Through several studies performed in animal models and patients, both of these targets have been shown to be highly implicated, although differently, in the pathogenesis of aging and hypertension. SummaryFuture research should be directed toward elucidating a mediator or set of mediators which regulate these targets and which may be the common denominator underlying molecular aspects of vascular aging and hypertension.
Video Completion by Motion Field Transfer

Existing methods for video completion typically rely on periodic color transitions, layer extraction, or temporally local motion. However, periodicity may be imperceptible or absent, layer extraction is difficult, and temporally local motion cannot handle large holes. This paper presents a new approach for video completion using motion field transfer to avoid such problems. Unlike prior methods, we fill in missing video parts by sampling spatio-temporal patches of local motion instead of directly sampling color. Once the local motion field has been computed within the missing parts of the video, color can then be propagated to produce a seamless hole-free video. We have validated our method on many videos spanning a variety of scenes. We can also use the same approach to perform frame interpolation using motion fields from different videos.
Comparative study of electron and laser beam surface alloying

High intensity energy fluxes, such as electron beams and laser beams are widely used for surface alloying of metals and alloys. These technologies are able to cause the formation of the so called melt pool where the alloying elements interact each other. It is known that the homogenization of the surface alloy can be explained by intense Marangoni convection, caused by the high temperature gradient in the melt pool. The convection is inversely to the speed of the specimen motion during the alloying process and therefore, the choice of low alloying velocity will reflect on more homogeneous structure of the obtained alloy. In this study, a comparison of the structure and properties of electron and laser beam surface alloying of aluminium with niobium was conducted. The phase composition of the alloyed layers was determined by XRD (X-ray diffraction) with CuKα radiation. The microstructure was studied by SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy). Chemical analysis was carried out using an EDX electron probe microanalyser. The microhardness of the obtained samples is also measured and compared with respect to the technology of the formation of each surface alloy.
Guessing behavior of normal and retarded children under two random reinforcement conditions.

Trial and error behavior was compared for normal and retarded children in an unsolvable multiple-choice task. The Ss were reinforced randomly on 10 per cent or 25 per cent schedules. The results indicated that patterns of responding were more redundant (as measured by consistency of responding) under the 25 per cent schedule of reinforcement. Also, the retardates' patterns of response preferences were more stereotyped than those of normal children.
Comments are More Important than Code

In this essay I take what might seem a paradoxical position. I endorse the techniques that some programmers claim make code self-documenting and encourage the development of programs that do “automatic documentation. ” Yet I also contend that these methods cannot provide the documentation necessary for reliable and maintainable code. They are only a rough aid, and even then help with only one or two aspects of documentation—not including the most important ones.
Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation—An Emerging Concept for Burn Reconstruction

Vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA) has demonstrated utility in the reconstruction of extensive soft-tissue defects following severe burns. However, pre-VCA events such as multiple transfusions, previous transplantation and pregnancies, the use of skin allografts, and mechanical support devices may result in sensitization and ultimately exclude a burn patient, who may benefit most through VCA, from a hand or face transplant. The authors sought to identify the immunologic challenges involved. All reported VCA cases up to July 2016 were reviewed. Relevant data analyzed include patient demographics, burn etiology, type and extent of VCA performed, pretransplant panel reactive antibody (PRA) status, extent of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) mismatch between donor and recipient, and immunologic outcomes. Of the 142 known cases of VCA to date, 30 (mean age = 36 years) were performed for burn reconstruction (mean interval to surgery = 8.3 years). Thermal and electrical burns were most common and performed in 20 and 30% of all reported upper extremity and craniofacial VCA cases, respectively, despite highly variable pretransplant PRA (0–98%). HLA-matching statuses between donors and recipients varied from 2/6 to 6/6. No obvious relationship could be observed between the incidence and severity of acute rejection with the patient’s PRA and HLA-matching statuses, although more extensive treatment was required to reverse rejection episodes in sensitized patients (PRA > 0%). Further development and refinement of clinically relevant immunomodulatory protocols is required to achieve immunosuppression minimization and/or successful transplantation tolerance to enable long-term survival of both the VCA itself and the patient.