Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Eukaryotic DNA methylation as an evolutionary device

DNA methylation is catalyzed by a family of conserved DNA methyltransferases and is widespread among protists, plants, fungi and animals. It is however absent in some species and its genomic distribution varies among organisms. Sequence comparisons suggest that known and putative eukaryotic DNA methyltransferases fall into at least five structurally distinct subfamilies. Furthermore, it is now clear that DNA methylation can be involved in several functions, some of which may coexist within the same organism. It can inhibit transcription initiation, arrest transcript elongation, act as an imprinting signal, and suppress homologous recombination. On the basis of these observations, we argue that DNA methylation has been conserved during evolution because it provides unique possibilities for setting up functions of various types. BioEssays 21:402–411, 1999. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
A Dynamic Pen-Based Interface for Writing and Editing Complex Mathematical Expressions With Math Boxes

Math boxes is a recently introduced pen-based user interface for simplifying the task of hand writing difficult mathematical expressions. Visible bounding boxes around subexpressions are automatically generated as the system detects relevant spatial relationships between symbols including superscripts, subscripts, and fractions. Subexpressions contained in a math box can then be extended by adding new terms directly into its given bounds. When new characters are accepted, box boundaries are dynamically resized and neighboring terms are translated to make room for the larger box. Feedback on structural recognition is given via the boxes themselves. In this work, we extend the math boxes interface to include support for subexpression modifications via a new set of pen-based interactions. Specifically, techniques to expand and rearrange terms in a given expression are introduced. To evaluate the usefulness of our proposed methods, we first conducted a user study in which participants wrote a variety of equations ranging in complexity from a simple polynomial to the more difficult expected value of the logistic distribution. The math boxes interface is compared against the commonly used offset typeset (small) method, where recognized expressions are typeset in a system font near the user’s unmodified ink. In this initial study, we find that the fluidness of the offset method is preferred for simple expressions but that, as difficulty increases, our math boxes method is overwhelmingly preferred. We then conducted a second user study that focused only on modifying various mathematical expressions. In general, participants worked faster with the math boxes interface, and most new techniques were well received. On the basis of the two user studies, we discuss the implications of the math boxes interface and identify areas where improvements are possible.
Low-Power Bus Transform Coding for Multilevel Signals

This paper proposed a novel extension of bus-invert coding to handle 4-level pulse amplitude modulated (PAM-4) signals. A generalized mathematical model for energy consumption and energy dissipation for PAM-4 signals is presented and a family of coding schemes are developed that can reduce the average power consumption and dissipation by up to 54% compared to un-coded PAM-4 buses. This technique is attractive for high-speed data transmission systems that employ PAM-4 signals on general high capacitance buses such as global wires, off-chip buses, I/O and backplanes
Accruals discricionários nas combinações de negócios e o preço das ações

This study aimed to evaluate the relationship of discretionary accruals in pre- and post-business combination periods in Brazil with the company's performance in the stock market in the same period. We used Kang and Silvaramakrishnan model (1995) and were calculated the averages of accruals in the pre- and post-business combination of the companies that have gone through the process of business combination with exchange of shares for the period 2011 and 2012. The results indicate that during business pre-combination periods there was a negative income management higher than that observed in subsequent periods. It was also checked that there is no statistically significant association between discretionary accruals, earnings per share and book-to-market from the pre-combination period with earnings per share of subsequent quarters to the business combination. We conclude that in the group of companies analyzed have not suffered the influence of discretionary accruals on the market performance of the acquiring companies.
On Sockets and System Calls: Minimizing Context Switches for the Socket API

Traditionally, applications use sockets to access the network. The socket API is well understood and simple to use. However, its simplicity has also limited its efficiency in existing implementations. Specifically, the socket API requires the application to execute many system calls like select, accept, read, and write. Each of these calls crosses the protection boundary between user space and the operating system, which is expensive. Moreover, the system calls themselves were not designed for high concurrency and have become bottlenecks in modern systems where processing simultaneous tasks is key to performance. We show that we can retain the original socket API without the current limitations. Specifically, our sockets almost completely avoid system calls on the "fast path". We show that our design eliminates up to 99% of the system calls under high load. Perhaps more tellingly, we used our sockets to boost NewtOS, a microkernel-based multiserver system, so that the performance of its network I/O approaches, and sometimes surpasses, the performance of the highly-optimized Linux network stack.
Nanopesticides and Nanofertilizers: Emerging Contaminants or Opportunities for Risk Mitigation?

Research into nanotechnology applications for use in agriculture has become increasingly popular over the past decade, with a particular interest in developing novel nanoagrochemicals in the form of so-called “nanopesticides” and “nanofertilizers. ” In view of the extensive body of scientific literature available on the topic, many authors have foreseen a revolution in current agricultural practices. This perspective integrates scientific, regulatory, public and commercial viewpoints, and aims at critically evaluating progress made over the last decade. A number of key (and sometimes controversial) questions are addressed with the aim of identifying the products that will soon emerge on the market and analyzing how they can fit into current regulatory and commercial frameworks. Issues related to the differences in definitions and perceptions within different sectors are discussed, as well as our current ability to assess new risks and benefits relative to conventional products. Many nanoagrochemicals resemble products used currently, which raises the question whether the effect of formulation has been sufficiently taken into account when evaluating agrochemicals. This analysis identifies directions for future research and regulatory needs in order to encourage intelligent design and promote the development of more sustainable agrochemicals.
Common mode voltage reduction PWM techniques for four-level open end winding induction motor drive with superior quality of output voltage

Common mode voltage (CMV) variations in the dual inverter fed induction motor drives causes unwanted shaft voltage and bearing currents resulting in reduced the life time. Single dc-link dual inverters topologies eliminate CMV but generate a poor quality of output voltage with circulating currents. Exploiting the new pulse pattern for the isolated dc-link dual inverter, new scalar pulse width modulation (PWM) methods are proposed in this paper using the freedom of selection reference signals and carrier signals. These scalar PWM techniques reduce CMV to maximum permissible limits with good quality of output voltage. PWM techniques proposed in this paper can also be extended to N-level inverter. To validate the proposed PWM techniques numerical studies are carried out in MATLAB/simulink environment.
Structuring a Theory of Moral Sentiments: Institutional and Organizational Coevolution in the Early Thrift Industry1

The authors investigate the coevolution of organizations and institu‐tions—they study how institutional definitions, rules, and expectations unfold in tandem with the organizational structures and processes that embody those institutions. The research site is the early thrift industry. Changes in thrifts' technical environment (the rise of a transient and heterogeneous population) and institutional environment (the rise of Progressivism) propelled this coevolutionary process. The coevolution of thrift organizations and institutions proceeded primarily through selection. Adaptation was constrained by both institutional factors (it was difficult to adopt a novel institutional logic) and technical factors (early thrifts were generally small, so entry and exit were easy).
Effects of Differential Feedback on the Answering of Two Types of Questions by Fifth- and Sixth-Graders.

Summary. 52 fifth- and sixth-grade children read a 900-word text which was followed by a multiple-choice test consisting of fact and inference questions. One and a half hours later, they were given feedback either with or without the original text present. Four days later all children were retested. On both the immediate and delayed test sixth-graders performed better than fifth-graders, while, especially in grade 5, more fact than inference questions were answered correctly. These results were interpreted as corroborating recent findings on developmental improvement in constructive cognition. Feedback on inference questions seemed somewhat more effective with the original text than without. The children correctly identified almost 90 per cent of their first-test responses at the time of the delayed test. The identification patterns were interpreted as providing evidence against the interference-perseveration explanation of the delay-retention effect.
Health-related quality of life in fibromyalgia patients: a comparison with rheumatoid arthritis patients and the general population using the SF-36 health survey.

OBJECTIVES To compare health-related quality of life (HRQL) in fibromyalgia (FM) patients with that of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the general population, and investigate if the factors are associated with the greater impact of FM. METHODS This cross-sectional study involved 380 patients with FM, 693 patients with RA and 1579 healthy controls. HRQL was evaluated using the Medical Outcome Study Short-Form 36 (SF-36), and the measures included disease-related characteristics, demographic variables and comorbidities. S-scores were calculated for comparisons with the norm, and multivariate analyses were used to assess the relationships between HRQL and clinical and demographic variables. RESULTS In comparison with the general population, the FM patients showed significant impairment in relation to all of the eight scales of the SF-36 (p<0.0001), as well as the physical and mental component summary scores (PCS and MCS) (p<0.0001). The mean PCS and MCS of the FM patients were 38.5 (SD=6.9) and 32.8 (SD=10.9), whereas those of the RA patients were 33.5 (SD=6.4) (p<0.01) and 40.2 (SD=11.9) (p<0.001). The dimensions typically affected by FM were vitality (s-score -1.61), mental health (s-score -1.46) and general health (s-score-1.47), whereas physical functioning (s-score-1.63) and role limitations due to physical function (s -score -0.94) were more impaired in the RA patients; the bodily pain scores were similar in the two groups. The PCS was lower than the MCS in the RA patients (s-scores -1.80 vs. -0.62), but the two scores were similar in the FM patients (s-scores -1.20 vs. -1.08). Multiple regression models showed that the physical component of the SF-36 was associated with widespread pain (the SAPS score) (p<0.0001), educational level (p=0.0017), and the body mass index (p=0.007), and the mental component was associated with the widespread pain (p=0.0005), sleep abnormalities (p=0.0033), physical function (p=0.015), fatigue (p=0.029), gender (p=0.014) and a low educational level (p=0.0007). CONCLUSION Patients with FM see the disease as having a worse health than RA patients and the general population, especially in terms of mental health.
A uniting song that divides: A critical analysis of Aw Dubul'ibhunu (Kill the Boer)

Abstract Contemporary scholars and theorists have devoted much attention to the issue of musical meaning, thereby trying to analyze how it is that music means. Their analysis, however, seems to focus on meaning as it manifeststhrough language. Equally important, as Cross and Tolbert (2008: 1) note, is that “their ideas, particularly in the form of semantics, have tended to account generally for the relationships between the phenomena that constitute the object meaning and the expressions and sets of expressions that are used to articulate meanings”. The relationship between the object of meaning as well as the expressions used to articulate meanings presents two aspects: reference of the term, on the one hand, and sense of the term, on the other. While the former could be taken to mean that which the term denotes or, to use Cross and Tolbert's (2008) exact words, “that phenomenon in the world onto which [the term] can be mapped”, the latter is “derived from the ways in which that original term relates to other terms that are interpretable as capable of bearing similar kinds of meanings”. Within attempts to descending meaning in terms of the reference and sense of the term, this paper offers a critical examination of the song Aw Dubul'ibhunu, loosely translated as “Kill the Boer”. As a point of departure, the paper interrogates the concept of musical meaning in order to establish the relationships between the song as an original entity and something beyond itself. It is our wish to offer a critical understanding of the issue of musical meaning by examining closely the lyrics of the song. The paper explores as its foundation different theories of meaning in order to elucidate as clearly as possible the many existing interpretations of the meaning of the song as understood from an aesthetic and political perspective.
EXPLORATORY RIGID LAPAROSCOPY IN AN AFRICAN ELEPHANT (LOXODONTA AFRICANA)

Abstract: In March 2009, a 25-yr-old captive female African elephant (Loxodonta africana) underwent an exploratory laparoscopy after several weeks of diarrhea, submandibular and ventral edema, and swelling on medial and lateral aspects of all feet. Although there have been recent advances in laparoscopic vasectomies in free-ranging African elephants in South Africa utilizing specially designed rigid laparoscopes and insufflation devices, this was the first attempt at using these same techniques for an exploratory purpose. The elephant was sedated in a static restraint chute and remained standing for the duration of the procedure. Laparoscopy provided visibility of the dorsal abdomen, enabled collection of reproductive tract biopsies and peritoneal fluid samples, and allowed for instillation of antibiotics and crystalloid fluids directly into the abdominal cavity. Abdominal exploration, collection of tissue samples, and local therapy is possible via standing laparoscopy in megavertebrates.
Head-driven Parsing for Lexicalist Grammars: Experimental Results

We present evidence that head-driven parsing strategies lead to efficiency gains over standard parsing strategies, for lexicalist, concatenative and unification-based grammars. A head-driven parser applies a rule only after a phrase matching the head has been derived. By instantiating the head of the rule important information is obtained about the left-hand-side and the other elements of the ritht-hand-side. We have used two different head-driven parsers and a number of standard parsers to parse with lexicalist grammars for English and for Dutch. The results indicate that for important classes of lexicalist grammars it is fruitful to apply parsing strategies which are sensitive to the linguistic notion 'head'.
Governing economic life

This paper proposes some new ways of analysing the exercise of political power in advanced liberal democratic societies. These are developed from Michel Foucault's conception of ‘governmentality’ and addresses political power in terms of ‘political rationalities’ and ‘technologies of government’. It draws attention to the diversity of regulatory mechanisms which seek to give effect to government, and to the particular importance of indirect mechanisms that link the conduct of individuals and organizations to political objectives through ‘action at a distance’. The paper argues for the importance of an analysis of language in understanding the constitution of the objects of politics, not simply in terms of meaning or rhetoric, but as ‘intellectual technologies’ that render aspects of existence amenable to inscription and calculation. It suggests that governmentality has a characteristically ‘programmatic’ form, and that it is inextricably bound to the invention and evaluation of technologies that seek to g.
Cardiovascular Effects of 1 Year of Progressive and Vigorous Exercise Training in Previously Sedentary Individuals Older Than 65 Years of Age

Background— Healthy but sedentary aging leads to cardiovascular stiffening, whereas life-long endurance training preserves left ventricular (LV) compliance. However, it is unknown whether exercise training started later in life can reverse the effects of sedentary behavior on the heart. Methods and Results— Twelve sedentary seniors and 12 Masters athletes were thoroughly screened for comorbidities. Subjects underwent invasive hemodynamic measurements with pulmonary artery catheterization to define Starling and LV pressure-volume curves; secondary functional outcomes included Doppler echocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging assessment of cardiac morphology, arterial stiffness (total aortic compliance and arterial elastance), and maximal exercise testing. Nine of 12 sedentary seniors (70.6±3 years; 6 male, 3 female) completed 1 year of endurance training followed by repeat measurements. Pulmonary capillary wedge pressures and LV end-diastolic volumes were measured at baseline, during decreased cardiac filling with lower-body negative pressure, and increased filling with saline infusion. LV compliance was assessed by the slope of the pressure-volume curve. Before training, &OV0312;o2max, LV mass, LV end-diastolic volume, and stroke volume were significantly smaller and the LV was less compliant in sedentary seniors than Masters athletes. One year of exercise training had little effect on cardiac compliance. However, it reduced arterial elastance and improved &OV0312;o2max by 19% (22.8±3.4 versus 27.2±4.3 mL/kg/mL; P<0.001). LV mass increased (10%, 64.5±7.9 versus 71.2±12.3 g/m2; P=0.037) with no change in the mass-volume ratio. Conclusions— Although 1 year of vigorous exercise training did not appear to favorably reverse cardiac stiffening in sedentary seniors, it nonetheless induced physiological LV remodeling and imparted favorable effects on arterial function and aerobic exercise capacity.
A Huge Morel-Lavallée Lesion Treated Using a Quilting Suture Method

The Morel-Lavallée lesion is a collection of serous fluid that develops after closed degloving injuries and after surgical procedures particularly in the pelvis and abdomen. It is a persistent seroma and is usually resistant to conservative methods of treatment such as percutaneous drainage and compression. Various methods of curative treatment have been reported in the literature, such as application of fibrin sealant, doxycycline, or alcohol sclerodhesis. We present a case of a huge recurrent Morel-Lavallée lesion in the lower back and buttock region that was treated with quilting sutures, fibrin sealant, and compression, with a review of the literature.
Pulsed UV Disintegration ( PUVD ) : a new sterilisation mechanism for packaging and broad medical-hospital applications

The recently discovered (by Wekhof, [1]) disinfection mechanism with a pulsed UV light has been found to have a unique potential for the control of various hospital-acquired infections and for the sterilisation of food packaging or of packaged medical solutions. One requirement of this UV mechanism is the need to adjust the percentile components of UVC, UVB and UVA emitted by the the pulse source to suit specific sterilization conditions. Our data show that it can be also effective with only UVB and UVA light, and without any UVC component. The exact sterilisation effect is due to a targeted and momentous overheating effect which ruptures the micro-organisms. The strength of this effect was checked at various peak power loads and on different substrates for micro-organisms, and the nature of the cell damage verified with e-m photography. This has shown that this new mechanism is actually a stand-alone disinfection method and is highly flexible as to the contaminated media presented, such as medical solutions packaged into clear PET, (PVC, PP, etc.) foil bags, or to plastic food packaging, without inducing noticeable changes. It has also been shown that the energy efficiency of this sterilisation mechanism is very competitive with that of five known basic disinfection methods such as by thermal means, by ionising radiation, by electro-polation, by chemical means or by mechanical means. Examples of potential applications in controlling hospital acquired infections, sterilising medical tools, food packaging or packaged medical solutions are given.
The Literacy of Welfare Clients

About 75 percent of the U.S. poverty population can offer reading skills at no higher than an eighth-grade level. The procedures and documents of many public welfare agencies require far higher levels of skill; in a sample of eighty-one documents, only 11 percent were judged accessible to those with eighth-grade skills. This mismatch contributes to high administrative error rates as well as hampering enrollment by clients and equitable distribution of benefits. More realistic literacy requirements in written materials and more active outreach in agency procedures would benefit both clients and agencies.
Post cardiac arrest therapeutic hypothermia in adult patients, state of art and practical considerations

The importance of therapeutic hypothermia in selected categories of patients has been widely demonstrated. Laboratory, animal, and human studies permitted to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying cooling and its importance in preventing the ischemia/reperfusion injury of the brain. The development of new technologies offered the possibility to reach the desired temperature effectively and rapidly, reducing related side effects. Nevertheless, the application of systematic protocols of cooling has not been adequately reached in many hospitals. In this paper the most recent findings regarding hypothermia, its physiological bases and ways of application are reviewed.