Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Validation of a commercial ELISA for the analysis of the insecticide dinotefuran in a variety of analytically challenging vegetables

The main objective of this paper was to assess the suitability of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) as a rapid and simple screening method for the detection of neonicotinoid insecticide dinotefuran residues in various vegetable samples including carrot, cabbage, green pepper, leek, Japanese mustard spinach (komatsuna), and spinach. Simple dilution of crude sample extracts was effective to circumvent or reduce matrix interference derived from samples. Consequently, ELISA was useful to determine dinotefuran accurately and directly, only requiring methanol extraction and dilution with water. The theoretically estimated limit of detection of dinotefuran for tested samples ranged from 0.06 to 0.12 mg kg−1. The ELISA gave recovery values close to 100% for all samples except komatsuna, which contained lower concentration levels, and the results of the ELISA agreed well with those obtained with conventional HPLC (r > 0.99). Results show that the ELISA evaluated in this study is suitable for the rapid and simple screening method of dinotefuran residue in agricultural samples even without sample pre-treatment.
Electrophysiology of the Normal and Pathologic Muscle Activation

Motorneurons are Central Processing Units able to generate sequences of action potentials whose frequency and duration are the result of algebraic sum of inward and outward currents crossing their membranes. On a macroscopic scale the activity of these Units will result in muscle contraction. This lecture starts by focusing on the action potential, the motor unit and some integrative aspects of motor orders directed to spinal level. In fact, muscle contraction is subjected to multiple controls which take place at peripheral (proprioceptors), spinal (local circuits) and supraspinal (higher motor centers) levels. The excitation-contraction coupling, consisting in the switching-on of the neuromuscular synapsis, triggers the consequent mechanical event into the sarcomere. Exaggerated inward current in the motorneuron will produce hyperexcitability with consequent muscular rigidity (spasticity). Examples of incoming pathologic inputs to the motorneuron are analyzed and discussed.
The high incidence of meiotic errors increases with decreased sperm count in severe male factor infertilities.

BACKGROUND The high frequency of aneuploidy sperm raises concerns that there may be an increased incidence of aneuploid offspring in ICSI programmes. In order to assess the role that chromosome complement plays in normal and abnormal fertility, detailed molecular cytogenetic studies must be done on sperm samples from men with normal and abnormal fertility. METHODS To understand more clearly the cytogenetic make-up of sperm from oligoasthenoteratozoospermic (OAT) patients, multi-colour fluorescence in situ hybridization was used to determine numerical chromosome abnormalities. RESULTS Increased aneuploidy frequencies for chromosomes 13, 18, 21, X and Y were detected in sperm from OAT patients. The frequencies of diploidy also increased. There were no differences in non-disjunction at meiosis I compared to meiosis II. Sperm count inversely correlated with the frequencies of diploidy, aneuploidies for chromosomes 13 and 21 in OAT patients. Twenty-two cycles of ICSI and 18 embryo transfers were performed in 20 couples. Only three cases achieved successful pregnancies. CONCLUSIONS A higher incidence of meiotic errors and lower sperm counts was found in sperm from OAT patients.
FAIR MANAGERIAL SELECTION

The notions of procedural justice and factor analysis have been applied to the identification of the key criteria for fair managerial selection. The subjects were 87 personnel professionals in New Zealand. A second study used a videotaped interview design and showed that two job‐relevant criteria (work experience and academic qualification) identified in the first study as determinants of fair selection, were not utilised consistently by manager interviewers in their selection decision making.
Platelet function during cardiopulmonary bypass not changed by two different doses of aprotinin.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Bleeding is one of the major complications of cardiopulmonary bypass (CBP) during cardiac surgery. A platelet function defect seems to be the main cause of the hemostatic problems associated with CBP. Controversial results have been reported concerning the possible protective mechanism of action of aprotinin on platelets. DESIGN AND METHODS In this study we investigated the effect of two different dosages of aprotinin (high and pump-prime-only dose) on platelet reactivity in vitro and adhesion, activation and aggregation receptors on the platelet surface. RESULTS The results obtained from 53 patients undergoing CBP showed a significantly deficient platelet aggregation in response to agonist in all groups without differences between aprotinin treated or not treated patients. No changes in platelet surface expression of glycoprotein (GP) IIb-IIIa, GPIb, GPIV and P-selectin, were observed during CBP between patients treated with aprotinin or not. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that inadequate platelet function induced by CBP is not a defect intrinsic to the platelet. We conclude that the hemostatic effect of aprotinin, regardless of the dose employed, is not mediated by protection of platelet function.
A Permissive Role for Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase in the Stat5- mediated Expression of Cyclin D2 by the Interleukin-2 Receptor*

The interleukin-2 (IL-2) receptor promotes T cell proliferation in part by inducing the expression of D-type cyclins, which enable cells to progress from the G1 to S phase of the cell cycle. We previously showed that the IL-2 receptor induces expression of cyclin D2 by activating the transcription factor Stat5, which binds directly and immediately to a site upstream of the cyclin D2 promoter. We show here that subsequent transcription of the cyclin D2 gene occurs by a delayed, cycloheximide-sensitive mechanism, which implies the involvement of additional regulatory mechanisms. The transcription factor c-Myc is induced by Stat5 and is reported to bind to two E box motifs in the cyclin D2 promoter. However, in IL-2-stimulated T cells, c-Myc does not appear to be involved in cyclin D2 induction, since we found that these two E boxes are preferentially bound by USF-1 and USF-2 and, moreover, are dispensable for cyclin D2 promoter activity. Instead, we found that Stat5 activates the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3 kinase) pathway by a delayed, cycloheximide-sensitive mechanism and that PI3 kinase activity is essential for the induction of cyclin D2 by Stat5. Chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments revealed that PI3 kinase is required for the optimal binding of RNA polymerase II to the promoters of cyclin D2 as well as other genes. Our results reveal a novel link between PI3 kinase and RNA polymerase II promoter binding activity and demonstrate discrete, coordinated roles for the PI3 kinase and Stat5 pathways in cyclin D2 transcription.
Foundations for the Logical Difference of EL-TBoxes

We investigate the logical difference problem between general EL-TBoxes. The logical difference is the set of concept subsumptions that are logically entailed by a first TBox but not by a second one. We show how the logical difference between two EL-TBoxes can be reduced to fixpoint reasoning w.r. t. EL-TBoxes. Entailments of the first TBox can be represented by subsumptions of least fixpoint concepts by greatest fixpoint concepts, which can then be checked w.r. t. the second TBox. We present the foundations for a dedicated procedure based on a hypergraph representation of the fixpoint concepts without the use of automata-theoretic techniques, avoiding possible complexity issues of a reduction to modal μ-calculus reasoning. The subsumption checks are based on checking for the existence of simulations between the hypergraph representations of the fixpoint concepts and the TBoxes.
Listeria Monocytogenes Meningitis in a Renal Transplant Recipient-A Case Report

Gastrointestinal tract is the main entry for Listeria monocytogenes. Thus, the most common manifestation of infection is enteritis, but meningitis and meningoencephalitis may also occur. Unless recognized and treated, Listeria infections can result in significant morbidity and mortality, especially in immunocompromised hosts. We report a case of Listeria monocytogenes meningitis in a renal transplant recipient successfully treated with ampicilin. The patient recovered completely with stable graft function.
The UK Independence Party: Understanding a Niche Party's Strategy, Candidates and Supporters

The UK Independence Party (UKIP) came second in the 2009 European elections, but niche parties associated with a single issue face a dilemma about how to progress. On one hand, if they move too far beyond their core issue, they risk losing their distinctive position and support base. On the other, if they are to grow their representation, they need to develop a broader platform and this can provoke internal tensions. We assess the political attitudes and views on party strategy of UKIP candidates using surveys at the 2009 European and 2010 general election, and compare them with the views of UKIP supporters using opinion poll data. We demonstrate that UKIP’s candidates and supporters are closely aligned, with both groups being strongly Eurosceptic, favouring tighter immigration policies and distrusting the main parties. We also show that UKIP’s leadership and candidates wish to extend the party’s narrative, but differences remain over what issues it should focus on, as well as over competition with the Conservatives and UKIP’s role in the European Parliament.
A new algorithm for rapid tracking of approximate maximum power point in photovoltaic systems

This paper presents a new algorithm for tracking maximum power point in photovoltaic systems. This is a fast tracking algorithm, where an initial approximation of maximum power point is (MPP) quickly achieved using a variable step-size. Subsequently, the exact maximum power point can be targeted using any conventional method like the hill-climbing or incremental conductance method. Thus, the drawback of a fixed small step-size over the entire tracking range is removed, resulting in reduced number of iterations and much faster tracking compared to conventional methods. The strength of the algorithm comes from the fact that instead of tracking power, which does not have a one-to-one relationship with duty cycle, it tracks an intermediate variable /spl beta/, which has a monotonically increasing, one-to-one relationship. The algorithm has been verified on a photovoltaic system modeled in Matlab-Simulink software. The algorithm significantly improves the efficiency during the tracking phase as compared to a conventional algorithm. It is especially suitable for fast changing environmental conditions. The proposed algorithm can be implemented on any fast controller such as the digital signal processor. All the details of this study are presented.
Duality and Auxiliary Functions for Bregman Distances

Abstract : In this paper, the authors formulate and prove a convex duality theorem for minimizing a general class of Bregman distances subject to linear constraints. The duality result is then used to derive iterative algorithms for solving the associated optimization problem. Their presentation is motivated by the recent work of Collins, Schapire, and Singer (2001), who showed how certain boosting algorithms and maximum likelihood logistic regression can be unified within the framework of Bregman distances. In particular, specific instances of the results given here are used by Collins et al. (2001) to show the convergence of a family of iterative algorithms for minimizing the exponential or logistic loss. Following an introduction, Section 2 recalls the standard definitions from convex analysis that will be required, and presents the technical assumptions made on the class of Bregman distances that the authors work with. They also introduce some new terminology, using the terms Legendre-Bregman conjugate and Legendre-Bregman projection to extend the classical notion of the Legendre conjugate and transform to Bregman distances. Section 3 contains the statement and proof of the duality theorem that connects the primal problem with its dual, showing that the solution is characterized in geometrical terms by a Pythagorean equality. Section 4 defines the notion of an auxiliary function, which is used to construct iterative algorithms for solving constrained optimization problems. This section shows how convexity can be used to derive an auxiliary function for Bregman distances based on separable functions. The last section summarizes the main results of the paper.
Towards Improving SLAM Algorithm Development using Augmented Reality

Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping (SLAM) is a popular map building approach in autonomous mobile robotics. Because users demand faster and more effective algorithms, SLAM remains an active area of research. However, the increasing complexity of applications, such as the environments the algorithm is applied to, makes it difficult to debug, evaluate and optimise such algorithms. Our preliminary research indicates that the algorithm development can be improved by using Augmented Reality (AR) systems, which visualise the robot’s internal program state and related information specifically in the context of testing and debugging SLAM algorithms. Using inherent SLAM uncertainties and error-sources identified in literature, we developed requirements which an AR system must fulfil in order to optimise the testing, debugging and design of SLAM algorithms.
Repeated N-Person Stochastic Cooperative Games: Superadditivity, Convexity

This paper takes the model of stochastic cooperative games, which introduced by Suijs et al. in 1999 as a base, then defines the conception of repeated stochastic cooperative games. It applies the notion of certainty equivalents of stochastic cooperative games, which introduced by Suijs et al. and defines the conception of superadditivity and convexity of repeated stochastic cooperative games. It shows that such a repeated stochastic cooperative games satisfies properties like superadditivity and convexity if and only if the corresponding deterministic repeated cooperative games satisfies these properties.
University of Sheffield TREC-8 Q&A System

The system entered by the University of Sheffield in the question answering track of TREC-8 is the result of coupling two existing technologies - information retrieval (IR) and information extraction (IE). In essence the approach is this: the IR system treats the question as a query and returns a set of top ranked documents or passages; the IE system uses NLP techniques to parse the question, analyse the top ranked documents or passages returned by the IR system, and instantiate a query variable in the semantic representation of the question against the semantic representation of the analysed documents or passages. Thus, while the IE system by no means attempts “full text understanding", this approach is a relatively deep approach which attempts to work with meaning representations. Since the information retrieval systems we used were not our own (AT&T and UMass) and were used more or less “off the shelf", this paper concentrates on describing the modifications made to our existing information extraction system to allow it to participate in the Q & A task.
The effect of interpreters on eliciting information, cues to deceit and rapport

Background The present experiment examined how the presence of an interpreter during investigative interviews affects eliciting information, cues to deceit and rapport. Method A total of 60 native English speakers were interviewed in English and 183 non-native English speakers were interviewed in English (a foreign language) or through an interpreter who interpreted their answers sentence by sentence (short consecutive interpretation) or summarized their answers (long consecutive interpretation). Interviewees discussed the job they had (truth tellers) or pretended to have (liars). Results Interviewees who spoke through an interpreter provided less detail than interviewees who spoke in their first language and a foreign language (English) without an interpreter. Additionally, cues to deceit occurred more frequently when interviewees spoke without an interpreter. The presence of an interpreter had no effect on rapport. Conclusion The findings suggest that at present there are no benefits to using an interpreter with regard to eliciting information. Future research should investigate how best to utilize an interpreter to gain maximum detail from an interview.
The efficacy of an intelligent cognitive orthosis to facilitate handwashing by persons with moderate to severe dementia

Abstract Dementia reduces a person's ability to perform activities of daily living (ADL) because of the difficulty of remembering the proper sequence of events that must occur and how to use the required tools. The current solution is to have a caregiver continually provide verbal prompts. Family caregivers find assisting their loved ones to be particularly upsetting and embarrassing as it necessitates invasion of privacy and role reversal. It has been suggested that dependence on a caregiver might be improved using a cognitive orthosis that provides needed reminders and monitors progress. This paper will report on the results obtained from an efficacy study conducted with such a device. The COACH is a prototype of an intelligent computerised device that was developed to assist people with dementia complete ADLs with less dependence on a caregiver. The device was developed using a personal computer and a single video camera to unobtrusively track a user during an ADL and provided pre-recorded verbal prompts when necessary. It was tested with 10 subjects with moderate to severe dementia during handwashing in a study lasting 60 days. These trials showed that the number of handwashing steps that the subjects were able to complete without assistance from the caregiver increased overall by approximately 25% when the device was present. Individual changes ranged from approximately 10-45%. These changes were proven to be statistically significant at a 99% confidence level.
Synthesis of Cuprous Oxide (Cu2O) Nanoparticles - a Review

Cuprous Oxide (Cu2O) a semiconductor material oxide; with unique optoelectronic properties; gains significant importance for its synthesis in view of its various technological and industrial applications. A few liquid phase methods for the synthesis of Cu2O nanoparticles are reviewed on the basis of materials, methodology, synthesis conditions and key findings. A comparative study of these methods is also performed following criteria of repeatability, safety, cost, time span and simplicity. Contextual to the above mentioned criteria, three liquid phase synthesis techniques were shortlisted and actually experimented (as reported) to synthesize the Cu2O nanoparticles. This was done to investigate the effectiveness, repeatability and stability of the synthesized Cu2O product as a function of ageing time. The synthesized Cu2O using all these techniques are prone to be unstable and undergo the rapid phase change to CuO phase which was ascertained from the shift of absorbance peak in UV-VIS spectra. The results have highlighted the urgent need to develop a facile, economical, scalable and safe method to synthesize stable Cu2O nanoparticles at room temperature.
Governmental social media use for emergency communication

The possibility of crowdsourced information, multi-geographical and multi-organisational information flows during emergencies and crises provided by web 2.0 tools are providing emergency management centres with new communication challenges and opportunities. Building on the existing emergency management and social media literature, this article explores how institutions are using and adopting social media for emergency communication. By examining the drivers and barriers of social media adoption in two European governmental agencies dealing with emergencies, the paper aims to establish a framework to examine whether and how institutional resilience could be improved.
Low-leakage SRAM design with dual V/sub t/ transistors

This paper presents a method based on dual threshold voltage assignment to reduce the leakage power dissipation of SRAMs while maintaining their performance. The proposed method is based on the observation that the read and write delays of a memory cell in an SRAM block depend on the physical distance of the cell from the sense amplifier and the decoder. The key idea is thus to realize and deploy different types of six-transistor SRAM cells corresponding to different threshold voltage assignments for individual transistors in the cell. Unlike other techniques for low-leakage SRAM design, the proposed technique incurs no area or delay overhead. In addition, it results only in a slight change in the SRAM design flow. Finally, it improves the static noise margin under process variations. Experimental results show that this technique can reduce the leakage-power dissipation of a 64Kb SRAM by more than 35%
Leading schools to promote social inclusion: developing a conceptual framework for analysing research, policy and practice

Although much research has focussed on how various educational policy initiatives have attempted to improve problems of social exclusion, little research has systematically examined, categorised and synthesised the types of leadership in schools that might assist improving social inclusion. Given the importance of school leadership in New Labour educational policy for bringing about education change and improvement, it seems rather strange that this is the case. This article attempts to set out an analytical framework for undertaking such research by exploring the various links between social inclusion, educational policy and school leadership. At one level the framework develops questions about the nature of the conceptualisations of social inclusion that educational policy, schools and its leaders might have, and in particular what knowledge and view of equity might be privileged by such conceptualisations. The framework then suggests the need for a school leader’s perspective on social inclusion to be examined in relation to three suggested leadership rationales that emanate from both policy and practice on school leadership – delivery focussed, localising and democratising. Finally the framework argues for a need to understand the narratives adopted by school leaders in pursuing particular leadership rationales vis‐à‐vis social inclusion. By charting the various educational policies and practices that are theoretically and empirically possible with regard to school leadership and social inclusion, we suggest the framework might enable policymakers and practitioners to develop an educational theory of change on social inclusion that both explicitly and critically explains and justifies the position being taken at any particular time.