Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessment of the antibacterial , cytotoxic and antioxidant activities of Morus nigra L . ( Moraceae )

This study was carried out to assess the antibacterial, cytotoxic and antioxidant activities of extracts of Morus nigra L. HPLC was used to determine the fingerprint chromatogram of the crude ethanolic extract (Mn-EtOH). The antibacterial effect was assessed through the method of microdilution. The cytotoxicity was tested against human tumour cell lines using the 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents were also assessed through the Folin-Ciocalteu and aluminum chloride methods, respectively. Antioxidant activities of the extracts were evaluated by using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazil (DPPH) radical scavenging and β-carotene-linoleic acid bleaching methods. The presence of phenolic compounds in Mn-EtOH was confirmed using HPLC. The extracts showed activity against most microorganisms tested. The extracts did not show any expressive antiproliferative effect in the assessment of cytotoxicity. The most significant total phenolic content was 153.00 ± 11.34 mg of gallic acid equivalent/g to the ethyl acetate extract (AcOEt). The total flavonoid content was 292.50 ± 70.34 mg of catechin equivalent/g to the AcOEt extract, which presented the best antioxidant activity (IC50 50.40 ± 1.16 μg/mL) for DPPH scavenging. We can conclude that this species shows strong antibacterial and antioxidant activities, as well as weak cytotoxic effects.
“You Can Only Give Warmth to Your Baby When It’s Too Late”: Parents’ Bonding With Their Extremely Preterm and Dying Child

This study on end-of-life decisions in extremely preterm babies shows that the parents under study experience a multitude of stressors due to the immediate separation after birth, the alienating setting of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), the physical distance to the child, medical uncertainties, and upcoming decisions. Even though they are considered to be parents (assigned parenthood), they cannot act as primary caregivers. Instead, they depend on professional instructions for access and care. Embodied parenthood can be experienced only at the end-of-life, that is, during the dying trajectory and after the child’s death. Professionally supporting parents during this compressed process (from assigned and distant to embodied parenthood) contributes fundamentally to their perception of being a family and supports their mourning. This calls for the further establishment of palliative and bereavement care concepts in neonatology.
Ruminative Response Styles and Metacognitions in Internet Addicts

Objective: Although cognitive behavioral model of Internet addiction has been well described, studies on metacognitions and ruminative response styles related with Internet addiction are very limited. The aim of the present study was to compare metacognitions and ruminative response style in Internet addicts with a healthy control group. Method: The study included 30 males who presented to our Internet Addiction Outpatient clinic, and diagnosed with Internet addiction, and a control group of 30 healthy males with similar sociodemographic characteristics. A sociodemographic data form, Internet Addiction Test (IAT), Metacognitions Questionnaire (MCQ-30), Ruminative Response Scale-short version (RRS-SV), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were used for data collection. Results: The MCQ-30 total, MCQ-30 uncontrollability and danger score, MCQ-30 need to control thoughts score and RRS-SV scores statistically significantly higher in study group compared the control group. After correcting for BDI by ANCOVA, the difference between MCQ-30 total score and RRS-SV disappeared. Conclusion: Internet addicts show ruminative responses instead of having an effective problem-solving attitude and defining problems; and this self-focused rumination leads an individual to recall more reinforced memories about the Internet so that the problem of Internet addiction becomes deeper. As a result of this study, although Internet addiction is accompanied by depression primarily or secondarily, manifestation of Internet addiction is exacerbated by depression through ruminative responses and metacognitions.
HALYS and QALYS and DALYS, Oh My: similarities and differences in summary measures of population Health.

Health-adjusted life years (HALYs) are population health measures permitting morbidity and mortality to be simultaneously described within a single number. They are useful for overall estimates of burden of disease, comparisons of the relative impact of specific illnesses and conditions on communities, and in economic analyses. Quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) are types of HALYs whose original purposes were at variance. Their growing importance and the varied uptake of the methodology by different U.S. and international entities makes it useful to understand their differences as well as their similarities. A brief history of both measures is presented and methods for calculating them are reviewed. Methodological and ethical issues that have been raised in association with HALYs more generally are presented. Finally, we raise concerns about the practice of using different types of HALYs within different decision-making contexts and urge action that builds and clarifies this useful measurement field.
The computational limits to the cognitive power of the neuroidal tabula rasa

The neuroidal tabula rasa (NTR) as a hypothetical device that is capable of performing tasks related to cognitive processes in the brain was introduced by L. G. Valiant in 1994. Neuroidal nets represent a computational model of the NTR. Their basic computational element is a kind of a programmable neuron called neuroid. Essentially, it is a combination of a standard threshold element with a mechanism that allows modification of the neuroid's computational behaviour. This is done by changing its state and the settings of its weights and of threshold in the course of computation. The computational power of an NTR crucially depends both on the functional properties of the underlying update mechanism that allows changing of neuroidal parameters and on the universe of allowable weights. We will define instances of neuroids for which the computational power of the respective finite-size NTR ranges from that of finite automata, through Turing machines, up to that of a certain restricted type of BSS machines that possess super-Turing computational power. The latter two results are surprising since similar results were known to hold only for certain kinds of analog neural networks.
The comprehensive performance analysis of striped disk array organizations - RAID-0

Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks version RAID-0 is a block-stripped disk array without redundancy. This paper provides results of RAID-0 performance examination when compared to a single disk drive. Particular emphasis is put on how the number of disks in the RAID 0 configuration influences the performance results. The presented analysis relies on setting up the analytical model of a single disk based on M/G/1 queue and in the same manner defining analytical model for the file system access time. Finally, we have set up an analytical model for the RAID-0 workload related to four specific types of RAID performances. We have defined three types of workloads, generally dominated by relatively small objects. Test results have shown a superior behaviour of RAID-0 when compared to a single drive and a significant performance enhancement as the number of disks increases. All benchmark results are interpreted based on a mathematical model.
High precision trajectory planning on freeform surfaces for robotic manipulators

The traditional programming method for industrial robots is teaching by demonstration with a joystick or teaching pendant. However, high precision welding, machining, painting or thermal spraying, and other tasks require pre-computed trajectories, since an operator would not be able to accurately guide the manipulator and achieve suitable results. Giving the CAD model of a 3-D freeform surface, and the operating parameters of the task, this paper describes the methodology and steps involved in off-line programming for automatic trajectory generation. The computed waypoints comprise position, orientation, manipulator's end-effector velocities, and accelerations. This work describes the software platform employed for simulation, surface sampling, the use of radial basis function (RBF) for surface modelling, and intersection of surfaces (marching method) to generate paths. The case study for the developed method is the EMMA project∗, a robotic system for in situ high velocity oxy-fuel coating (HVOF) of hydraulic turbine blades. The results highlight the efficacy of the method and the impact of the solution for similar problems.
Polyomavirus BK‐Specific Cellular Immune Response to VP1 and Large T‐Antigen in Kidney Transplant Recipients

Polyomavirus BK (BKV) is the primary cause of polyomavirus‐associated nephropathy (PVAN) in kidney transplant (KT) recipients. Using ELISpot assays, we compared the frequency of interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ) secreting peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) after stimulation with overlapping peptide pools covering BKV large T‐antigen (LT) and VP1 capsid proteins (VP1). In 10 healthy donors, LT and VP1 responses were low with median 24 (range 15–95) and 25 (7–113) spot‐forming units/106 PBMC (SFU), respectively. In 42 KT patients with current or recent plasma BKV loads, median LT and VP1 responses of 29 (0–524) and 114 (0–1432) SFU were detected, respectively. In KT patients with decreasing or past plasma BKV loads, significantly higher median BKV‐specific IFN‐γ responses were detected compared to KT patients with increasing or persisting BKV loads [LT: 78 (8–524) vs. 22 (0–120) SFU, p = 0.003; VP1: 285 (45–1432) vs. 53 (0–423) SFU, p = 0.001, respectively]. VP1‐specific IFN‐γ responses were higher and more likely to involve CD4+ T cells, while CD8+ T cells were more frequently directed against LT. Stimulation with JCV‐specific VP1 and LT peptides indicated only low‐level cross‐recognition. The data suggest that control of BKV replication is correlated with differentiated expansion of BKV‐specific cellular immune responses.
Does Being Reputable Drive Customer Equity? Evidence from E-Commerce

Reputation stems from overall assessments of an e-business’ standing, according to various stakeholders, and it affects key customer outcomes. Despite burgeoning literature on the correlates of the customer-based reputation of e-commerce companies (ECCR), scarce research examines how reputation affects monetary outcomes. To extend existing literature on ECCR outcomes, this study focuses on customer equity. Surveys of customers from various online shopping contexts reveal, across two studies, the relationship between ECCR and customer equity. The authors also investigate contingencies of this relationship, positing that trust has a mediating role and perceived risk takes a moderating role. This study thereby adds a richer understanding of the customer-related effects of corporate reputation and yields important managerial insights into the mechanisms through which an e-business’s reputation affects customer equity.
A new compression technique for surveillance videos: Evaluation using new dataset

Traditional video surveillance takes a huge amount of space storage. Recording everything captured by a surveillance camera consumes the storage devices used by the system. Extracting useful and meaningful information from surveillance videos is a time consuming process due to the long time of the recorded videos. These drawbacks limit the effectiveness of traditional video surveillance systems. In this paper, we propose and elaborate on a compression method which investigates the fact that surveillance videos may last for a long time with no changes in the scene it monitors. Using this fact, a new compression technique that reduces the size of the videos dramatically was developed. We also present a dataset for low quality surveillance videos which can be used by researchers for applying different algorithms and techniques in the field of surveillance videos.
Daniel Kahneman. Un psicólogo Premio Nobel 2002

La concesion del Premio Nobel 2002 de Economia a un psicologo, Daniel Kahneman, motiva esta breve resena, articulada en dos partes bien diferenciadas. En la primera se resumen los principales hitos de su carrera academica, que se ha basado en dos pilares principales: la toma de decisiones (ambito por el que se le concede el premio) y la atencion humana. En la segunda hacemos un repaso de los momentos en los que los trabajos de Kahneman han tenido un mayor impacto en nuestras propias trayectorias. Con ello pretendemos tanto reconocer su influencia en nuestro propio trabajo como animar a los psicologos mas jovenes que no esten familiarizados con su trabajo a que relean sus contribuciones mas clasicas y puedan ver en Kahneman un ejemplo de como la Psicologia puede exportar sus ideas y resultar util a otras ciencias en un futuro cada vez mas interdisciplinar.
Mutations in CDK5RAP2 cause Seckel syndrome

Seckel syndrome is a heterogeneous, autosomal recessive disorder marked by prenatal proportionate short stature, severe microcephaly, intellectual disability, and characteristic facial features. Here, we describe the novel homozygous splice‐site mutations c.383+1G>C and c.4005‐9A>G in CDK5RAP2 in two consanguineous families with Seckel syndrome. CDK5RAP2 (CEP215) encodes a centrosomal protein which is known to be essential for centrosomal cohesion and proper spindle formation and has been shown to be causally involved in autosomal recessive primary microcephaly. We establish CDK5RAP2 as a disease‐causing gene for Seckel syndrome and show that loss of functional CDK5RAP2 leads to severe defects in mitosis and spindle organization, resulting in cells with abnormal nuclei and centrosomal pattern, which underlines the important role of centrosomal and mitotic proteins in the pathogenesis of the disease. Additionally, we present an intriguing case of possible digenic inheritance in Seckel syndrome: A severely affected child of nonconsanguineous German parents was found to carry heterozygous mutations in CDK5RAP2 and CEP152. This finding points toward a potential additive genetic effect of mutations in CDK5RAP2 and CEP152.
Mepolizumab for difficult-to-control asthma with persistent sputum eosinophilia.

BACKGROUND In asthma, anti-inflammatory therapy can usually reduce airway eosinophilic inflammation; but in certain subgroups this persists despite maximal therapy, and disease control is suboptimal. Mepolizumab is an anti IL-5. antibody that might reduce airway inflammation in such subgroups. METHODS AND RESULTS Evaluation of the efficacy and safety data on mepolizumab in two studies performed in patients with refractory and corticosteroid-dependent asthma with persistent sputum eosinophilia. Mepolizumab given intravenously once a month was able to reduce sputum/blood eosinophilia and asthma exacerbations and to improve quality of life. CONCLUSIONS Mepolizumab may be a promising anti-inflammatory therapy in asthma subgroups with heavy eosinophilic load in which conventional anti-inflammatory therapy is only partially effective.
Measurements of the force produced by the mitotic spindle in anaphase

The force the spindle exerts on a single moving chromosome in anaphase was measured with a flexible glass needle calibrated in dynes per micron of tip deflection. The needle was used to produce a force on the chromosome, which opposed that produced by the spindle and was measurable from needle tip deflection. The measurements were made in intact grasshopper spermatocytes after proving that the presence of materials such as the cell surface did not interfere. The results from 12 experiments in seven cells are as follows: Chromosome velocity was not affected until the opposing force reached approximately 10(-5) dyn, and then fell rapidly with increasing force. The opposing force that caused chromosome velocity to fall to zero--the force that matched the maximum force the spindle could produce--was of order 7 X 10(-5) dyn. This directly measured maximum force potential is nearly 10,000 times greater than the calculated value of 10(-8) dyn for normal chromosome movement, in which only viscous resistance to movement must be overcome. The spindle's unexpectedly large force potential prompts a fresh look at molecular models for the mitotic motor, at velocity- limiting governors, and at the possibility that force may sometimes affect microtubule length and stability.
Fluorescence in situ hybridization (fish): A user's guide to optimal preparation of cytologic specimens

Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is a reliable method for tagging centromeric regions of specific chromosomes in interphase nuclei. Not only is FISH useful for chromosome enumeration, but as region‐specific chromosome probes are developed, the clinical applications and potentials for use by pathologists are extensive. This technique lends itself particularly to use in cytology preparations because the cells are disaggregated and monolayer preparations yield excellent technical hybridization results. Over a 7‐mo period we processed cytologic samples in an attempt to define and outline a method for optimal specimen processing for FISH use in cell suspensions, techniques applicable to all fresh cytology specimens which can also be used for the processing of surgical pathology aspirates and other material. All samples should be promptly processed to ensure specimen viability, and triaged on an individual basis to ensure preparation of moderately cellular monolayered cytospins. Equivalent nuclear probe signals have been obtained with several sample fixation methods air‐drying, 95% ethanol, methanol (Diff‐Quik fixative), and Carnoy's solution. No difference was noted in the nuclear probe signals or specimen adhesion on positively charged or noncharged slides. After initial fixation our slides remained at room temperature until FISH was performed, without any adverse effects. A short digestion with proteinase K and subsequent rehybridization yielded positive results on samples that originally yielded poor nuclear probe signals. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Balance and Motor Deficits and the Role of Occupational Therapy in Children Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing: A Critical Appraisal of the Topic

Children who are deaf and hard of hearing (d/hh) have an increased risk of developing balance and gross-motor deficits compared to children with normal hearing. However, postural control and motor assessments are not routinely administered to children who are d/hh unless the child presents with easily observable deficits. The objective of this review is to analyze the literature regarding vestibular function, postural control and balance, and motor skills in children who are d/hh to determine the role for occupational therapy. Information was found using PubMed, OVID, Cochrane, EBSCO, and CINAHL with search terms “occupational therapy,” “children,” “deaf/hard of hearing,” “hearing loss,” “hearing impairment,” “participation,” “motor skills,” “postural control,” “vestibular,” and “balance. ” Two reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts to identify the clinical use of each and identified randomized controlled trials, observational studies, and systematic reviews for full-text review. The reviewe.
Carbon partitioning between oil and carbohydrates in developing oat (Avena sativa L.) seeds

Cereals accumulate starch in the endosperm as their major energy reserve in the grain. In most cereals the embryo, scutellum, and aleurone layer are high in oil, but these tissues constitute a very small part of the total seed weight. However, in oat (Avena sativa L.) most of the oil in kernels is deposited in the same endosperm cells that accumulate starch. Thus oat endosperm is a desirable model system to study the metabolic switches responsible for carbon partitioning between oil and starch synthesis. A prerequisite for such investigations is the development of an experimental system for oat that allows for metabolic flux analysis using stable and radioactive isotope labelling. An in vitro liquid culture system, developed for detached oat panicles and optimized to mimic kernel composition during different developmental stages in planta, is presented here. This system was subsequently used in analyses of carbon partitioning between lipids and carbohydrates by the administration of 14C-labelled sucrose to two cultivars having different amounts of kernel oil. The data presented in this study clearly show that a higher amount of oil in the high-oil cultivar compared with the medium-oil cultivar was due to a higher proportion of carbon partitioning into oil during seed filling, predominantly at the earlier stages of kernel development.
PROPENSITY FOR ISSUE MODIFIED AUDIT REPORTS: ANALYSIS OF VARIABLE AUDITOR REPUTATION AND LEVEL OF AUDITOR SPECIALIZATION

O Relatorio de auditoria e o principal output do processo de auditoria. Este documento visa evidenciar o trabalho desenvolvido no decurso da Auditoria, mas sobretudo, a opiniao do Auditor relativamente a credibilidade das demonstracoes financeiras. Por conseguinte, este documento permite aumentar a confianca que os Stakeholders depositam na informacao financeira e otimizar o seu processo de decisao. Pese a importância do Relatorio de auditoria, a opiniao do Auditor e, por vezes, influenciada por fatores inerentes a propria auditoria, mas, tambem, por fatores inerentes ao proprio auditor, como por exemplo, o seu nivel de conhecimento e especializacao, a sua reputacao, a dimensao da empresa de auditoria e a propria dimensao da carteira de clientes. Na senda deste pensamento e seguindo a linha de investigacao de varios estudos empiricos, neste artigo efetuamos um estudo com o intuito de aferir a influencia da variavel reputacao e nivel de especializacao do Auditor sobre a modalidade de opiniao emitida no Relatorio de Auditoria. Para o efeito, aplicamos um inquerito por questionario a uma amostra de 33 Analistas Financeiros, 32 Investidores e 33 Analistas de Credito. Os resultados demonstraram que os tres grupos analisados consideram que os Auditores com maior nivel de especializacao tem mais propensao para emitir Relatorio de Auditoria modificados. Relativamente, a variavel reputacao os resultados foram um pouco inclusivos, dado que a maioria dos respondentes optou por uma resposta neutra, ainda assim, cerca de 30% dos respondentes considera que os Auditores com maior reputacao tem mais propensao para emitir Relatorio de Auditoria modificados.