Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Regímenes de política social en América Latina: una revisión crítica de la literatura

El artículo analiza los principales aportes de la literatura académica acerca de los regímenes de políticas sociales que se configuraron en los países latinoamericanos desde inicios del siglo XX hasta la actualidad. Se concentra en la variación en los regímenes de políticas sociales a nivel intrarregional, a lo largo del tiempo, así como en los factores políticos que explican esos resultados. Tras la identificación de tres etapas en el desarrollo de las políticas sociales, el estudio destaca los desafíos que hoy en día se plantean en materia de protección social, los principales aportes y vacíos en la literatura, así como asuntos a profundizar en una futura agenda de investigación.
Towards assessment of software reliability and its characteristics in safety systems of nuclear reactors

As software failures in critical systems could be life threatening and catastrophic, the increase in software-based controls for safety operations demand a systematic evaluation of software reliability. To understand the dynamics behind building reliable software, not only is it important to estimate software reliability with high confidence, it is necessary to study the factors that are likely to affect software reliability. This is especially important for systems that are yet to be certified to be used in the field, i.e. have no operational history. Such systems are often difficult to analyze as no or little operational information is available. This paper attempts to generalize the following relationships in safety-critical software: (i) software reliability versus number of faults in software, (ii) software reliability versus results of static and dynamic analysis, and (iii) software reliability versus safety. The present study reports and discusses results observed in safety- critical software in nuclear reactors using mutation-based testing. The results observed in the case studies indicate that (i) reliability estimates based on number of bugs present in software are likely to be inaccurate for safety-critical software, (ii) the relationship between reliability and errors observed during dynamic analysis indicates that the average warnings and errors decrease exponentially as the reliability increases. No conclusive relationship was found between software reliability and warnings observed during static analysis; and (iii) for safety-critical software, the required safety can be achieved by improving the reliability, however the converse is not always true.
DO COMPUTER MEDIATED TOOLS AFFECT TEAM DESIGN CREATIVITY ?

This paper presents the results of a quantitative analysis to measure the development of creative design ideas in design protocols. It presents a working definition of design creativity used in the analysis followed by the method of study. Five sets of video and audio data were collected from experiments that involved two designers designing similar tasks in three different settings: face-to-face, an Internet GroupBoard, and a 3D virtual world. The most creative pair was selected for qualitative and quantitative analysis. Our result shows that designers developed more design ideas in the face-to-face setting than in the 3D virtual world settings.
Effect of Cymbopogon martinii, Foeniculum vulgare, and Trachyspermum ammi Essential Oils on the Growth and Mycotoxins Production by Aspergillus Species

This study was performed to investigate effect of essential oils on Aspergillus spore germination, growth, and mycotoxin production. In vitro antifungal and antiaflatoxigenic activities of Cymbopogon martinii, Foeniculum vulgare, and Trachyspermum ammi essential oils were carried out on toxigenic strains of Aspergillus species. Plant materials were hydrodistilled for 4-5 h in Clevenger apparatus. 0.25 μL/mL, 0.5 μL/mL, 1 μL/mL, 2 μL/mL, and 4 μL/mL concentrations of each essential oil were prepared in 0.1% Tween 80 (V/V). T. ammi oil showed highest antifungal activity. Absolute mycelial inhibition was recorded at 1 μL/mL by essential oils of T. ammi. The oil also showed complete inhibition of spore germination at a concentration of 2 μL/mL. In addition, T. ammi oil showed significant antiaflatoxigenic potency by totally inhibiting toxin production from A. niger and A. flavus at 0.5 and 0.75 μL/mL, respectively. C. martinii, F. vulgare, and T. ammi oils as antifungals were found superior over synthetic preservative. Moreover, a concentration of 5336.297 μL/kg body weight was recorded for LC50 on mice indicating the low mammalian toxicity. In conclusion, the essential oils from T. ammi can be a potential source of safe natural food preservative for food commodities contamination by Aspergillus species.
Recent developments in HVDC transmission systems to support renewable energy integration

Abstract The demands for massive renewable energy integration, passive network power supply, and global energy interconnection have all gradually increased, posing new challenges for high voltage direct current (HVDC) power transmission systems, including more complex topology and increased diversity of bipolar HVDC transmission. This study proposes that these two factors have led to new requirements for HVDC control strategies. Moreover, due to the diverse applications of HVDC transmission technology, each station in the system has different requirements. Furthermore, the topology of the AC-DC converter is being continuously developed, revealing a trend towards hybrid converter stations.
Application Of Genetic Algorithms To Plate Optimization

The main goal of this work is to investigate the use of genetic algorithms for an optimization model concerned with the stiffness of a linearly laminated elastic plate. In this model each lamina is made of an homogeneous and isotropic material, and the optimization variables are the thickness, Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio. The material is characterized by the pair Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio, which is constrained to assume discrete values. The thickness of each lamina is subjected to upper and lower bounds. This structural problem has features of a combinatorial problem with respect to the material variables, Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio. The discretization by appropriate finite elements leads into mixed zero-one integer program that is solved by genetic algorithms.
Blocking Soluble Tumor Necrosis Factor Signaling with Dominant-Negative Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitor Attenuates Loss of Dopaminergic Neurons in Models of Parkinson's Disease

The mechanisms that trigger or contribute to loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in Parkinson's disease (PD) remain unclear and controversial. Elevated levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in CSF and postmortem brains of PD patients and animal models of PD implicate this proinflammatory cytokine in the pathophysiology of the disease; but a role for TNF in mediating loss of DA neurons in PD has not been clearly demonstrated. Here, we report that neutralization of soluble TNF (solTNF) in vivo with the engineered dominant-negative TNF compound XENP345 (a PEGylated version of the TNF variant A145R/I97T) reduced by 50% the retrograde nigral degeneration induced by a striatal injection of the oxidative neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA). XENP345 was neuroprotective only when infused into the nigra, not the striatum. XENP345/6-OHDA rats displayed attenuated amphetamine-induced rotational behavior, indicating preservation of striatal dopamine levels. Similar protective effects were observed with chronic in vivo coinfusion of XENP345 with bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) into the substantia nigra, confirming a role for solTNF-dependent neuroinflammation in nigral degeneration. In embryonic rat midbrain neuron/glia cell cultures exposed to LPS, even delayed administration of XENP345 prevented selective degeneration of DA neurons despite sustained microglia activation and secretion of solTNF. XENP345 also attenuated 6-OHDA-induced DA neuron toxicity in vitro. Collectively, our data demonstrate a role for TNF in vitro and in vivo in two models of PD, and raise the possibility that delaying the progressive degeneration of the nigrostriatal pathway in humans is therapeutically feasible with agents capable of blocking solTNF in early stages of PD.
On the Significance of the Observed Clustering of Ultra--High-Energy Cosmic Rays

Three pairs of possibly correlated ultra-high-energy cosmic-ray events were reported by Hayashida et al. Three different numerical models are combined to study the propagation of the corresponding particles through both the intergalactic and Galactic magnetic fields. The spatial dependences of fields and galaxies are accounted for. The results suggest that the pairs are chance clusterings.
To achieve anonymous communication in moblie P2P networks

Privacy and anonymity have become an increasing requirement in today's wireless networks. However, current mobile peer-to-peer architectures have not taken into account anonymity, especially the mutual anonymity between two nodes. In this paper, we propose a Secure-Information-Dispersal-Algorithm-based Mutual anonymity protocol (SIDAM), for mobile P2P networks. SIDAM achieves mutual anonymity in mobile P2P networks. We simulate SIDAM in a prototyped test-bed and initiate comprehensive attacks on our protocol. The simulation results indicate that SIDAM provides high anonymity with a low cryptography processing overhead.
Sequence Alignment of Viral Channel Proteins with Cellular Ion Channels

Sequence alignment is an important tool for identifying regions of similarities among proteins and for, thus, establishing functional and structural relationships between different proteins. Here, alignments of transmembrane domains (TMDs) of viral channel forming proteins with host ion channels and toxins are evaluated. The following representatives of polytopic viral channel proteins are chosen: (i) p7 of HCV and 2B of Polio virus (two TMDs) and (ii) 3a of SARS-CoV (three TMDs). Using ClustalW2, each of the TMDs of the viral channels is aligned, and the overlap is mapped onto structural models of the host channels and toxins focusing on the pore-lining TMDs. The analysis reveals that p7 and 2B TMDs align with the pore-facing TMD of MscL, and 3a-TMDs align with those of ligand-gated ion channels. Possible implications concerning the mechanism of function of the viral proteins are discussed.
On screening of antiviral substances produced by streptomyces and on an antiviral substance achromoviromycin.

procedures, but it may not be due to their rarity. Under the present circumstance, it may be worthy to report the writers' results of screening antiviral substances. In this paper, the methods of searching antiviral substances produced by streptomyces, as well as the description of a new antiviral antibiotic, achromoviromycin, are presented. Screening of antiviral substance produced by streptomyces There are several kinds of procedures in searching antibacterial antibiotics. They can be classified into two main groups, one is the testing of inhibition
Activation of Sphingosine Kinase-1 Mediates Inhibition of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Apoptosis by Hyperglycemia

Vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) apoptosis plays an essential role in vascular development and atherosclerosis. Hyperglycemia inhibits VSMC apoptosis, which may contribute to the development of diabetic vasculopathy. In the present study, we analyzed the mechanism of high-glucose–induced anti-apoptotic effect in cultured human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMCs). Compared with normoglycemia, exposure of HASMCs to hyperglycemia but not mannitol significantly increased sphingosine kinase 1 (SK1) activity but not SK2 activity. This increase was inhibited by protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor GF109203X, the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine, and the reduced form of glutathione. The mechanism of SK1 activation by high glucose involves plasma membrane translocation. In addition, hyperglycemia markedly inhibited serum withdrawal–induced apoptosis in HASMCs. Importantly, inhibition of SK1 by either a competitive inhibitor N′,N′-dimethylsphingosine or expression of dominant-negative mutant of SK1(G82D) or specific small interference RNA knockdown substantially attenuated hyperglycemia-induced anti-apoptotic effect and anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 expression in HASMCs. Moreover, SK1-mediated anti-apoptotic effect requires the intracellular effects of sphingosine-1-phosphate. We conclude that hyperglycemia stimulates SK1 activity via PKC- and oxidative stress–dependent pathways, leading to decreased apoptosis in HASMCs. Taken together, these observations have important implications for understanding the roles of the SK1 signaling pathway in the pathogenesis of diabetic vasculopathy.
Multicasting Multiple Correlated Sources to Multiple Sinks Over a Noisy Channel Network

The problem of network coding for multicasting a single source to multiple sinks has first been studied by Ahlswede, Cai, Li, and Yeung in 2000, in which they have established the celebrated max-flow min-cut theorem on nonphysical information flow over a network of independent channels. On the other hand, in 1980, Han has studied the case with multiple correlated sources and a single sink from the viewpoint of polymatroidal functions in which a necessary and sufficient condition has been demonstrated for reliable transmission over the network. This paper presents an attempt to unify both cases, which leads to establish a necessary and sufficient condition for reliable transmission over a network for multicasting multiple correlated sources to multiple sinks. Here, the problem of separation of source coding and network coding is also discussed.
Experience-Enabled Enhancement of Adult Visual Cortex Function

We previously reported in adult mice that visuomotor experience during monocular deprivation (MD) augmented enhancement of visual-cortex-dependent behavior through the non-deprived eye (NDE) during deprivation, and enabled enhanced function to persist after MD. We investigated the physiological substrates of this experience-enabled form of adult cortical plasticity by measuring visual behavior and visually evoked potentials (VEPs) in binocular visual cortex of the same mice before, during, and after MD. MD on its own potentiated VEPs contralateral to the NDE during MD and shifted ocular dominance (OD) in favor of the NDE in both hemispheres. Whereas we expected visuomotor experience during MD to augment these effects, instead enhanced responses contralateral to the NDE, and the OD shift ipsilateral to the NDE were attenuated. However, in the same animals, we measured NMDA receptor-dependent VEP potentiation ipsilateral to the NDE during MD, which persisted after MD. The results indicate that visuomotor experience during adult MD leads to enduring enhancement of behavioral function, not simply by amplifying MD-induced changes in cortical OD, but through an independent process of increasing NDE drive in ipsilateral visual cortex. Because the plasticity is resident in the mature visual cortex and selectively effects gain of visual behavior through experiential means, it may have the therapeutic potential to target and non-invasively treat eye- or visual-field-specific cortical impairment.
2 International patterns of work

Work matters. Psychologists see it as `crucial to self-esteem, well-being and both physical and mental health ' (Wan, 1985). Economists and industrial relations specialists define modern industrial societies according to the way they organise work; sociologists view work as one of the most important aspects of modern life. People may or may not enjoy their jobs, but in market societies they cannot do without them either psychologically or practically. This chapter, based on ISSP (International Social Survey Programme) data collected between 1985 and 1987, reports findings about working life and employment in eight industrialised countries. Some of the findings reveal things that were previously unknown, and so are particularly interesting; others simply confirm what has long been suspected. Their particular strength is that they are based on eight nearly identical surveys. Usually with survey data on employment, definitions are necessarily based on those prevailing in each country. For example, unemployment may have to be defined with reference to job search activities, to benefit eligibility, and so on. Thus the comparisons that can be made between countries are always bedevilled by whether like is really being compared with like. The ISSP surveys have perforce to leave many of these definitional issues to respondents themselves for instance by asking them if they are unemployed. But while there may be cultural differences in the answers, we are still much closer than is usual to having truly equivalent data from all the countries.
Dynamic temporal constraints in business processes

Business constraints in general, and temporal constraints, in particular, play a crucial role in business process management. They are specified to ensure that business processes or their component steps are performed according to the time restrictions of the real world context of the process. A number of temporal solutions with the aim of monitoring temporal constraints, as well as ensuring that processes adhere to these constraints, have been proposed in current literature. These approaches consider constraints to remain static once they are specified. However, constraints in the real world are not always static, but can change during execution. In this work, we present an approach for evaluating dynamic temporal constraints during process execution. Dynamic temporal constraints are specified constraints whose conditions are subject to unplanned changes. We introduce a temporal distance dependency graph and its reduced version for reasoning about temporal constraints. We used these graphs to determine the impact and scope of a change in the condition of a dynamic temporal constraint on a business process. We discuss interventive strategies that can be put in place to resolve issues that can arise due to dynamic temporal constraints.
Compact Planar Microstrip Crossover for Beamforming Networks

The design of a fully planar microstrip crossover for beamforming networks is presented. The design starts by using a conventional half-wavelength square patch and two sets of orthogonal feeding lines. Rectangular and circular slots are introduced on the square patch in order to reduce the required area of the patch by 82%. The proposed crossover is fabricated and tested for performance confirmation. The measured data shows less than 1 dB insertion loss, more than 13 dB isolation, and around 0.1 ns deviation in the group delay across 12% fractional bandwidth. The proposed crossover is suitable for planar Butler matrix which is a key component in beamforming networks.
Perception of gestural overlap and self-organizing phonological contrasts

0. Introduction Languages that maintain distinctive secondary articulation contrasts tend to avoid multiple vowel contrasts, particularly rounding contrasts in front and back vowels. At the same time, languages with complex vowel inventories very rarely show distinctions in secondary consonant articulations, for example, in palatalization or labialization. These observations are based both on an analysis of the UPSID Database (Maddieson & Precoda 1990) and on an examination of inventories of a number of languages of Europe that exhibit at least one of the above mentioned contrasts. In this paper I provide an explanatory account of these co-occurrence restrictions on seemingly unrelated segments and derive the two mutually exclusive patterns through a learning simulation. I demonstrate that these markedness effects emerge naturally from low-level interactions between a speaker and a listener/learner as a result of limits on what can be successfully transmitted through the speech communication channel. The key factor in the process is the failure on the part of the listener to correctly process overlapped gestures that happen to share the same articulator.
Moderate Renal Failure Accentuates T1 Signal Enhancement in the Deep Cerebellar Nuclei of Gadodiamide-Treated Rats

Objectives The purpose of this preclinical study was to investigate whether moderate chronic kidney disease is a factor in potentiating gadolinium (Gd) uptake in the brain. Materials and Methods A comparative study was performed on renally impaired (subtotal nephrectomy) rats versus rats with normal renal function. The animals received 4 daily injections of 0.6 mmol Gd/kg a week for 5 weeks (cumulative dose of 12 mmol Gd/kg) of gadodiamide or saline solution. The MR signal enhancement in the deep cerebellar nuclei was monitored by weekly magnetic resonance imaging examinations. One week after the final injection, the total Gd concentration was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry in different regions of the brain including the cerebellum, plasma, cerebrospinal fluid, parietal bone, and femur. Results After the administration of gadodiamide, the subtotal nephrectomy group presented a significantly higher T1 signal enhancement in the deep cerebellar nuclei and a major increase in the total Gd concentration in all the studied structures, compared with the normal renal function group receiving the same linear Gd-based contrast agent. Those potentiated animals also showed a pronounced hypersignal in the choroid plexus, still persistent 6 days after the last injection, whereas low concentration of Gd was found in the cerebrospinal fluid (<0.05 &mgr;mol/L) at this time point. Plasma Gd concentration was then around 1 &mgr;mol/L. Interestingly, plasma Gd was predominantly in a dissociated and soluble form (around 90% of total Gd). Total Gd concentrations in the brain, cerebellum, plasma, and bones correlated with creatinine clearance in both the gadodiamide-treated groups. Conclusions Renal insufficiency in rats potentiates Gd uptake in the cerebellum, brain, and bones.