Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Acute Exacerbations of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive and ultimately fatal disease, with a highly variable course in individual patients. Episodes of rapid deterioration are not uncommon, often following a period of stability. In cases of uncertain etiology, with typical clinical and high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) features, the term ‘acute exacerbation of IPF' (AE-IPF) has been coined to describe a combination of diffuse alveolar damage and preexisting usual interstitial pneumonia. In 2007, a consensus definition and diagnostic criteria were proposed. Although the presence of overt infection is currently an exclusion criterion, it appears likely that occult infection, reflux and thoracic surgical procedures are all trigger factors for AE-IPF. The development of new, usually bilateral infiltrates (ground-glass attenuation with variable admixed consolidation) is a defining HRCT feature. The outcome is poor with a short-term mortality in excess of 50% despite therapy. A number of pathophysiologic pathways are activated, with immunologic dysregulation, epithelial damage and circulating fibrocytes all believed to play a pathogenetic role. Acute exacerbations are less prevalent in other fibrotic lung diseases than in IPF and may have a better outcome, with the exception of acute exacerbations of rheumatoid lung. In AE-IPF, the exclusion of alternative causes of rapid deterioration, including heart failure and infection, is the main goal of investigation. Empirical high-dose corticosteroid steroid therapy is generally used in AE-IPF, without proven benefit.
EcoUp: Towards Economical Datacenter Upgrading

The rapid growth of cloud services dictates increasingly powerful datacenters to maintain the high quality of service (QoS). It's a common practice in virtually all tiers of datacenters to continuously upgrade the datacenters, i.e. replacing outdated and failed servers with more advanced and efficient ones. However, how to upgrade a datacenter in the most cost-efficient strategy remains unclear, and however this problem goes increasingly challenging given the great diversity of applications. In practice, the datacenters' operators usually resort to expending the scale of servers. The preferred servers are either expensive but high-performance, or, by contrast, cheap but low-power. Whatever sever preferences, how to justify the cost-efficiency is still an open problem. We claim that a cost-efficient upgrading strategy should be fully aware of not only the capacity and cost of various servers, but also the resource demands of target applications. We model this strategy as a recommendation problem: recommending the “best” servers to a datacenter. We propose “EcoUp”, a model-based framework that faithfully rates the cost efficiency of server candidates, relying on which an optimal server portfolio can be derived. The performance prediction on candidate servers is realized by employing a sophisticated latent factor model (LFM). The cost mainly involves the server purchasing cost and energy bill. Given the application distribution, EcoUp can give an optimal server portfolio under a certain capital budget. We use Google trace, a big profiling dataset opened by Google, to validate the performance prediction. Experimental results show that the error rate is below 8 percent on average. Meanwhile, we build a comprehensive upgrading procedure on a local cluster to evaluate the potential of EcoUp. The results show that our approach significantly outperforms two conventional upgrading strategies by 12.3 and 33.6 percent in terms of system throughput, respectively.
Evidence-Based Decision Making in Public Health: Capacity Building for Public Health Students at King Saud University in Riyadh

Translation of research evidence into public health programs is lagging in Eastern Mediterranean Region. Graduate level public health curriculum at King Saud University (KSU), College of Medicine, Riyadh, is designed to equip students to integrate best available evidence in public health decision making. The objectives of study were to explore students' opinion about the evidence based public health (EBPH) courses and to survey the knowledge, opinion, and attitude of the students towards EBPH and perceived barriers for implementation of EBPH in decision making in public health. EBPH courses are designed based on a sequential framework. A survey was conducted at the completion of EBPH courses. Forty-five graduate students were invited to complete a validated self-administered questionnaire. It included questions about demography, opinion, and attitude towards EBPH and perceived barriers towards implementation of EBPH in the work environment. The response rate was 73%. Mean age of students was 30.1 (SD 2.3) years, and 51% were males. More than 80% had sound knowledge and could appreciate the importance of EBPH. The main perceived barriers to incorporate EBPH in decision making were lack of system of communication between researchers and policy makers and scarcity of research publications related to the public health problems.
Analysis of the Variables that Affect Bookstore Customer Satisfaction

Competition, which becomes more widespread, complex, and intense, drives companies to must be able to see the various opportunities that exist and to identify strategies for creating customer satisfaction. As an example of a company must be able to produce products with good quality, reasonable price , facilities , and companies are able to create a positive image in the eyes of consumers. This strategy is quite important in facing the competitive level of competition with rival firms. This research is aimed to analysis simultaneously or partially positive effect of the facilities, prices and corporate image on customer satisfaction, as well as analyzing the most dominant variable in effecting bookstore customer satisfaction. Data used in this research are primary data from Tmbookstore customer in Cianjur city, West Java Indonesia , which were collected from respondents using valid and reliable questionnaire. A total of 100 respondents were selected from Tmbookstore visitors by accidental sampling. Data were analyzed using multiple regression analysis. Results of the research indicate that product, price, location, and simultaneously affect to bookstore consumer satisfaction. Partially, only two of the three variables that affect bookstore consumer satisfaction namely price and company image. Image of the company is the most a dominant impact on bookstore customer satisfaction.
Ocular rigidity, outflow facility, ocular pulse amplitude, and pulsatile ocular blood flow in open-angle glaucoma: a manometric study.

PURPOSE To compare ocular rigidity (OR) and outflow facility (C) coefficients in medically treated open-angle glaucoma (OAG) patients and controls, and to investigate differences in ocular pulse amplitude (OPA) and pulsatile ocular blood flow (POBF) between the two groups. METHODS Twenty-one OAG patients and 21 controls undergoing cataract surgery were enrolled. Patients with early or moderate primary or pseudoexfoliative OAG participated in the glaucoma group. A computer-controlled system, consisting of a pressure transducer and a microstepping device was employed intraoperatively. After cannulation of the anterior chamber, IOP was increased by infusing the eye with microvolumes of saline solution. IOP was recorded after each infusion step. At an IOP of 40 mm Hg, an IOP decay curve was recorded for 4 minutes. OR coefficients, C, OPA, and POBF were estimated from IOP and volume recordings. RESULTS There were no differences in age or axial length in the two groups. The OR coefficient was 0.0220 ± 0.0053 μl(-1) in the OAG and 0.0222 ± 0.0039 μl(-1) in the control group (P = 0.868). C was 0.092 ± 0.082 μL/min/mm Hg in the glaucoma group compared with 0.149 ± 0.085 μL/min/mm Hg in the control group at an IOP of 35 mm Hg (P < 0.001) and 0.178 ± 0.133 μL/min/mm Hg vs. 0.292 ± 0.166 μL/min/mm Hg, respectively, at an IOP of 25 mm Hg (P < 0.001). There were no differences in OPA or POBF between the two groups in baseline and increased levels of IOP (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Manometric data reveal lower C in OAG patients and increased C with increasing IOP. There were no differences in the OR coefficient, OPA, and POBF between medically treated OAG patients and controls, failing to provide evidence of altered scleral distensibility and choroidal blood flow in OAG.
Ma3tch: Privacy and knowledge: ‘Dynamic networked collective intelligence’

This paper introduces a new information technology: ma3tch (autonomous anonymous analysis). Ma3tch enables virtual information integration to build a `dynamic networked collective intelligence' without infringing upon security, confidentiality, privacy and/or data protection regulations. It provides organizations with information and knowledge advantages. The ma3tch technology is empowered by a decentralized information oriented architecture: a `privacy by design' framework that uses distributed agents to facilitate decentralized but integrated information access, processing and analysis. It shapes a `virtual information cloud' between autonomous organizations that enables secure, integral and intelligent real time information analysis. Relevant information and knowledge distributed between autonomous organizations is automatically detected and applied throughout the network as soon as it emerges. The dynamic design principles allow practically any type of (cross domain) information to be virtually integrated: government, commercial, intelligence, law enforcement, financial, telecom, biomedical, compliance, etc., without infringing privacy, confidentiality, security or data protection rules and regulations. It advances both privacy AND knowledge beyond conventional limitations.
Pain in Children: Assessment and Nonpharmacological Management

Pain perception in children is complex, and is often difficult to assess. In addition, pain management in children is not always optimized in various healthcare settings, including emergency departments. A review of pain assessment scales that can be used in children across all ages, and a discussion of the importance of pain in control and distraction techniques during painful procedures are presented. Age specific nonpharmacological interventions used to manage pain in children are most effective when adapted to the developmental level of the child. Distraction techniques are often provided by nurses, parents or child life specialists and help in pain alleviation during procedures.
Family Quality of Life Survey: Main caregivers of people with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

The Family Quality of Life Survey: Main caregivers of people with intellectual or developmental disabilities is intended for international use and may be reprinted or copied for educational, service or research purposes without consent from the authors. However, the authors appreciate and strongly encourage educators and researchers to inform them of the uses to which the Family Quality of Life Survey: Main caregivers of people with intellectual or developmental disabilities is put, and invite them to share data and data analyses. All other uses or adaptations of the survey require written permission from Barry J. Isaacs at the address below. Suggested citation (APA format)
The Actomyosin Machinery Is Required for Drosophila Retinal Lumen Formation

Multicellular tubes consist of polarized cells wrapped around a central lumen and are essential structures underlying many developmental and physiological functions. In Drosophila compound eyes, each ommatidium forms a luminal matrix, the inter-rhabdomeral space, to shape and separate the key phototransduction organelles, the rhabdomeres, for proper visual perception. In an enhancer screen to define mechanisms of retina lumen formation, we identified Actin5C as a key molecule. Our results demonstrate that the disruption of lumen formation upon the reduction of Actin5C is not linked to any discernible defect in microvillus formation, the rhabdomere terminal web (RTW), or the overall morphogenesis and basal extension of the rhabdomere. Second, the failure of proper lumen formation is not the result of previously identified processes of retinal lumen formation: Prominin localization, expansion of the apical membrane, or secretion of the luminal matrix. Rather, the phenotype observed with Actin5C is phenocopied upon the decrease of the individual components of non-muscle myosin II (MyoII) and its upstream activators. In photoreceptor cells MyoII localizes to the base of the rhabdomeres, overlapping with the actin filaments of the RTW. Consistent with the well-established roll of actomyosin-mediated cellular contraction, reduction of MyoII results in reduced distance between apical membranes as measured by a decrease in lumen diameter. Together, our results indicate the actomyosin machinery coordinates with the localization of apical membrane components and the secretion of an extracellular matrix to overcome apical membrane adhesion to initiate and expand the retinal lumen.
Metabolic Activity and mRNA Levels of Human Cardiac CYP450s Involved in Drug Metabolism

Background Tissue-specific expression of CYP450s can regulate the intracellular concentration of drugs and explain inter-subject variability in drug action. The overall objective of our study was to determine in a large cohort of samples, mRNA levels and CYP450 activity expressed in the human heart. Methodology CYP450 mRNA levels were determined by RTPCR in left ventricular samples (n = 68) of explanted hearts from patients with end-stage heart failure. Samples were obtained from ischemic and non-ischemic hearts. In some instances (n = 7), samples were available from both the left and right ventricles. A technique for the preparation of microsomes from human heart tissue was developed and CYP450-dependent activity was determined using verapamil enantiomers as probe-drug substrates. Principal Findings Our results show that CYP2J2 mRNA was the most abundant isoform in all human heart left ventricular samples tested. Other CYP450 mRNAs of importance were CYP4A11, CYP2E1, CYP1A1 and CYP2C8 mRNAs while CYP2B6 and CYP2C9 mRNAs were present at low levels in only some of the hearts analyzed. CYP450 mRNAs did not differ between ischemic and non-ischemic hearts and appeared to be present at similar levels in the left and right ventricles. Incubation of verapamil with heart microsomes led to the formation of nine CYP450-dependent metabolites: a major finding was the observation that stereoselectivity was reversed compared to human liver microsomes, in which the R-enantiomer is metabolized to a greater extent. Conclusions This study determined cardiac mRNA levels of various CYP450 isozymes involved in drug metabolism and demonstrated the prevalent expression of CYP2J2 mRNA. It revealed that cardiomyocytes can efficiently metabolize drugs and that cardiac CYP450s are highly relevant with regard to clearance of drugs in the heart. Our results support the claim that drug metabolism in the vicinity of a drug effector site can modulate drug effects.
UNEMPLOYMENT AND CRIME RATES IN THE POST- WORLD WAR II UNITED STATES: A THEORETICAL AND EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS

Using annual time-series data for the United States, 1946-1982, two hypotheses are tested: (1) The level of the unemployment rate in any given year will have a negative partial contemporaneous effect on detrendedfluctuations (increases or decreases) in seven Index Crime rates (homicide, rape, aggravated assault, robbery, burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft) in that year. (2) Unemployment-rate fluctuationsfrom one year to the next will have a positive partial effect on detrended crime-rate fluctuations in the next year. These hypotheses are developed from a theoretical model that identifies the former with a criminal opportunity effect, and the latter with a criminal motivation effect, of aggregate unemployment on crime. For burglary, robbery and larceny-theft, empirical support is found for the expected pattern of partial effects. However, the relative sizes of the effects are such that the total impacts of unemployment-through both partial effects-are negative. In addition, only the negative-levels effect is exhibited for homicide and motor vehicle theft, while rape and aggravated assault show no consistent association with either levels orfluctuations in the unemployment rate. Interpretations for these findings are discussed.
Activation and Involvement of p38 Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase in Glutamate-induced Apoptosis in Rat Cerebellar Granule Cells*

In the mammalian central nervous system glutamate is the major excitatory neurotransmitter and plays a crucial role in plasticity and toxicity of certain neural cells. We found that glutamate stimulated activation of p38 and stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK, also known as c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)), two subgroup members of the mitogen-activated protein kinase superfamily in matured cerebellar granule cells. The p38 activation was largely mediated by N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors. Furthermore, we have revealed a novel signaling pathway, that is, Ca2+-mediated activation of p38 in glutamate-treated granule cells. The glutamate concentration effective for inducing apoptosis correlated with that for inducing p38 activation. SB203580, a specific inhibitor for p38, inhibited glutamate-induced apoptosis. Thus p38 might be involved in glutamate-induced apoptosis in cerebellar granule cells.
System Level Modeling and Implementation of Video CODEC

The project focuses on the system-level modeling of image and video processing systems. Based on the models given, image and video compression and decompression standards ex. H.263, MPEG-4 will be implemented in a formal, consistent and extensible framework such a s i n Ptolemy with well-deened and optimized processing primitives. The models of computation and an implementation of image and video processing algorithm will also help automate partitioning of the design into hardware and software. And to automate the design of scalable, modular software and hardware for image and video processing systems, formal, mathematical models that connrm to the parallelism of image and video CODEC encoder and decoder will be developed.
The geometry of 2D image signals

This paper covers a fundamental problem of local phase based signal processing: the isotropic generalization of the classical 1D analytic signal to two dimensions. The well known analytic signal enables the analysis of local phase and amplitude information of 1D signals. Local phase, amplitude and additional orientation information can be extracted by the 2D monogenic signal with the restriction to the subclass of intrinsically one dimensional signals. In case of 2D image signals the monogenic signal enables the rotationally invariant analysis of lines and edges. In this work we present the 2D analytic signal as a novel generalization of both the analytic signal and the 2D monogenic signal. In case of 2D image signals the 2D analytic signal enables the isotropic analysis of lines, edges, corners and junctions in one unified framework. Furthermore, we show that 2D signals exist per se in a 3D projective subspace of the homogeneous conformal space which delivers a descriptive geometric interpretation of signals providing new insights on the relation of geometry and 2D signals.
Overload Management in Real-Time Control Applications Using (m, k)-Firm Guarantee

Tasks in a real-time control application are usually periodic and they have deadline constraints by which each instance of a task is expected to complete its computation, even in the adverse circumstances caused by component failures. Techniques to recover from processor failures often involve a reconfiguration in which all tasks are assigned to fault-free processors. This reconfiguration may result in processor overload where it is no longer possible to meet the deadlines of all tasks. In this paper, we discuss an overload management technique which discards selected task instances in such a way that the performance of the control loops in the system remain satisfactory even after a failure. The technique is based on the rationale that real-time control applications can tolerate occasional misses of the control law updates, especially if the control law is modified to account for these missed updates. The paper devises a scheduling policy which deterministically guarantees when and where the misses will occur. The paper also proposes a methodology for modifying the control law to minimize the deterioration in the control system behavior as a result of these missed control law updates.
Identification of cutaneous detection thresholds against time-delay stimuli for tactile displays

Tactile display is a technology that gives an artificial sense of touch to operators of information terminals or master-slave systems. The generation of tactile stimuli in response to the hand movements of the operators is associated with active touch and is considered to be one of the effective display methods, however which inevitably causes delayed tactile feedbacks from tactile displays. The knowledge of the detection threshold of system latency between the hand movements and the stimuli is helpful in designing the tactile displays. In this study, the identification of the thresholds through psychophysical experiments of 13 participants revealed two types of thresholds. One was the time-delay at which the participants observed the existence of latency. The other was the minimal time-delay that could affect the subjective feelings of the operators while they were not conscious of the latency. The means of the thresholds were 41 ms and 59 ms, respectively. The participants reported that the time-delay stimuli caused various changes in their subjective feelings. The empirical results suggest that the two types of thresholds depend on different sensory processes. This paper also proposes a design policy for tactile display systems in terms of system latency.
Antimicrobial Photodynamic Efficiency of Novel Cationic Porphyrins towards Periodontal Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative Pathogenic Bacteria

The Gram‐negative Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and Fusobacterium nucleatum are major causative agents of aggressive periodontal disease. Due to increase in the number of antibiotic‐resistant bacteria, antimicrobial Photodynamic therapy (aPDT) seems to be a plausible alternative. In this work, photosensitization was performed on Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative bacteria in pure culture using new‐age cationic porphyrins, namely mesoimidazolium‐substituted porphyrin derivative (ImP) and pyridinium‐substituted porphyrin derivative (PyP). The photophysical properties of both the sensitizers including absorption, fluorescence emission, quantum yields of the triplet excited states and singlet oxygen generation efficiencies were evaluated in the context of aPDT application. The studied porphyrins exhibited high ability to accumulate into bacterial cells with complete penetration into early stage biofilms. As compared with ImP, PyP was found to be more effective for photoinactivation of bacterial strains associated with periodontitis, without any signs of dark toxicity, owing to its high photocytotoxicity.
The Fas death factor

Fas ligand (FasL), a cell surface molecule belonging to the tumor necrosis factor family, binds to its receptor Fas, thus inducing apoptosis of Fas-bearing cells. Various cells express Fas, whereas FasL is expressed predominantly in activated T cells. In the immune system, Fas and FasL are involved in down-regulation of immune reactions as well as in T cell-mediated cytotoxicity. Malfunction of the Fas system causes lymphoproliferative disorders and accelerates autoimmune diseases, whereas its exacerbation may cause tissue destruction.