Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Requirements Engineering: a close look at industry needs and model curricula

Research endeavours in software development have found that failures and deficiencies of software systems are often rooted in the requirements activities undertaken. One possible cause for poor requirements activities is the appropriateness of the education of those engaged with the requirements component of software development. This education is largely based on model curricula used as guidelines. This paper summarises the results of a study of the requirements component of model curricula in the disciplines of computer science, information systems and software engineering. The requirements components are compared to the opinions of a small but representative group of practitioners, assembled through personal interviews. The results reveal that the model curricula address to a high degree the expectations practitioners have of the formal education in preparing for requirements activities. However, the results also show that practitioners see shortcomings in formal education, particularly with respect to more generic skills, such as communication and team skills.
The Size and Role of Automatic Fiscal Stabilizers in the 1990s and Beyond

This paper assesses to what extent some components of government budgets affected by the macroeconomic situation operate to smooth the business cycle in individual OECD countries. It is shown that these automatic fiscal stabilisers have generally reduced cyclical volatility in the 1990s. However, in some countries the need to undertake fiscal consolidation in order to improve public finances has forced governments to take discretionary actions that have reduced, or even offset, the effect of automatic fiscal stabilisers. This paper also shows that, by preventing sharp economic fluctuations, fiscal stabilisers may raise long-term economic performance and avoid frequent changes in spending or tax rates. However, they should be employed symmetrically over the cycle in order to avoid costly debt accumulation .
First demonstration of drop-test reliability of ultra-thin glass BGA packages directly assembled on boards for smartphone applications

This paper reports the first demonstration of the drop-test reliability performance of large, ultra-thin glass BGA packages that are directly mounted onto the system board, unlike the current approach of flip-chip assembly of interposers, involving additional organic packages which are then SMT assembled onto boards. The packages, 18.4mm × 18.4mm in size made of 100μm-thick glass, were also successfully assembled, for the first time, in a SMT line. The effect on drop reliability of the glass BGAs with circumferential polymer collars was studied extensively. While the glass BGA packages met the reliability requirements, both with and without polymer collars, the polymer collars were found to further enhance the drop performance, as well as the fatigue life of solders. Finite element modeling was used to understand strain-relief mechanisms and provide design guidelines for reliability. The glass substrates fabrication process along with the formation of polymer collars by spin coating is detailed. The glass package-to-PCB assemblies were formed using SMT-compatible processes with standard equipment, followed by reliability testing through thermal cycling and drop tests. The compiled failure data from drop testing was fitted into a Weibull distribution plot. Comprehensive failure analysis was performed to assess the structural integrity of the glass substrates and identify the predominant failure mechanisms in drop test.
Phylogenomics and a posteriori data partitioning resolve the Cretaceous angiosperm radiation Malpighiales

The angiosperm order Malpighiales includes ∼16,000 species and constitutes up to 40% of the understory tree diversity in tropical rain forests. Despite remarkable progress in angiosperm systematics during the last 20 y, relationships within Malpighiales remain poorly resolved, possibly owing to its rapid rise during the mid-Cretaceous. Using phylogenomic approaches, including analyses of 82 plastid genes from 58 species, we identified 12 additional clades in Malpighiales and substantially increased resolution along the backbone. This greatly improved phylogeny revealed a dynamic history of shifts in net diversification rates across Malpighiales, with bursts of diversification noted in the Barbados cherries (Malpighiaceae), cocas (Erythroxylaceae), and passion flowers (Passifloraceae). We found that commonly used a priori approaches for partitioning concatenated data in maximum likelihood analyses, by gene or by codon position, performed poorly relative to the use of partitions identified a posteriori using a Bayesian mixture model. We also found better branch support in trees inferred from a taxon-rich, data-sparse matrix, which deeply sampled only the phylogenetically critical placeholders, than in trees inferred from a taxon-sparse matrix with little missing data. Although this matrix has more missing data, our a posteriori partitioning strategy reduced the possibility of producing multiple distinct but equally optimal topologies and increased phylogenetic decisiveness, compared with the strategy of partitioning by gene. These approaches are likely to help improve phylogenetic resolution in other poorly resolved major clades of angiosperms and to be more broadly useful in studies across the Tree of Life.
Do clinical tests of spasticity accurately reflect muscle function during walking: A systematic review

ABSTRACT Objective: The aim of this systematic review was to establish the ecological validity of clinical tests of lower limb spasticity by determining whether the range of motion (ROM) and speed of limb movement during the assessment accurately replicate muscle function and joint biomechanics during walking. Methods: An electronic search of ten databases was performed to identify all relevant articles. The reference lists of all included articles were also searched. Identification of relevant articles, data extraction and quality assessment were performed independently by two reviewers. Results: Seventeen studies were included in the review. The Modified Ashworth Scale was the most commonly used clinical measure of lower limb spasticity. The ROM and speed of assessment were poorly reported for clinical scales of lower limb spasticity, making it difficult to draw conclusions regarding the relevance of these scales to walking performance. Conclusions: The ecological validity of the clinical scales of spasticity could not be determined as studies did not adequately report their testing procedure. Further research into the ecological validity of clinical scales of spasticity is required in order to better understand the impact that spasticity has on functional activities such as walking.
Rules for Gene Usage Inferred from a Comparison of Large-Scale Gene Expression Profiles of T and B Lymphocyte Development 1

Ribonucleic acid expression profiles of seven consecutive stages of mouse thymocyte development were generated on high density oligonucleotide arrays. Previously known expression patterns of several genes were confirmed. Ten percent (1,304 of more than 13,000) of the monitored genes were found with 99% confidence to be differentially expressed across all T cell developmental stages. When compared with 1,204 genes differentially expressed in five consecutive B lineage developmental stages of bone marrow, >40% (546 genes) appeared to be shared by both lineages. However, when four pools of functionally distinct cell stages were compared between B and T cell development, DJ-rearranged precursor cells and resting immature precursor cells before and after surface Ag receptor expression shared less than 10%, mature resting lymphocytes between 15 and 20%, and only cycling precursors responding to precursor lymphocyte receptor deposition shared >50% of these differentially expressed genes. Three general rules emerge from these results: 1) proliferation of cells at comparable stages is in majority executed by the same genes; 2) intracellular signaling and intercellular communication are effected largely by different genes; and 3) most genes are not used strictly at comparable, but rather at several, stages, possibly in different functional contexts.
Molecular Characterization of Noroviruses and HBGA from Infected Quilombola Children in Espirito Santo State, Brazil

Noroviruses (NoV) are the main etiological agents of gastroenteritis outbreaks worldwide and susceptibility to NoV infection has been related to the histo-blood group antigen (HBGA). This study aimed to determine the prevalence of NoV strains and to evaluate the HBGA phenotype and genotype of children from semi-isolated Quilombola communities, descendents of black slaves in Brazil. A total of 397 children up to eleven years old, with and without diarrhea, from Quilombola Communities in the Espirito Santo State, Brazil, were investigated for the presence of NoV from August 2007 to September 2009. Feces were collected from all the children, and blood from the NoV positive children. NoV was screened by reverse transcription-PCR with primers for the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase region; genogroup was determined by PCR with primers for the C and D regions and genotyped by sequencing. HBGA phenotype was performed by gel-spinning and FUT2 and FUT3 were analyzed by PCR or sequencing analysis. NoV were detected in 9.2% (12/131) of diarrheic and 1.5% (4/266) of non-diarrheic children (p<0.05, Fisher’s exact test). GI and GII genogroups were present in 12.5% and 87.5% of the samples, respectively. The following genotypes were characterized: GII.4 (25%), GII.12 (25%), GII.6 (12.5%) and GI.1 (6.3%), GI.3 (12.5%) and GI.4 (6.3%). Children infected with NoV showed the A (n = 6), O (n = 6), and B (n = 2) HBGA phenotypes, and 13 of them were classified as secretors (Se) and one as a non secretor (se). Mutations of Se 40, 171,216,357,428,739,960 were found for the FUT2 gene and mutations of Le 59, 202, 314 for the FUT3 gene. The only se child was infected by NoV GI, whereas the Se children were indiscriminately infected by GI or GII. This study showed rates of NoV infection in symptomatic and asymptomatic Quilombola children consistent with other studies. However, children under 12 months were seven times more affected than those between 1 and 5 years old. GII.12 was as frequent as GII.4 and GI.1 and GI.4 were described for the first time in Brazil. Owing to the small number of cases studied, no clear pattern of susceptibility and/or HBGA resistance could be inferred.
An Image Interpolation Based Reversible Data Hiding Method Using R-Weighted Coding

Reversible data hiding is a technique not only the secret data can be extracted from a covered image but also the cover image can be completely rebuilt after the extraction process. Therefore, it is the choice in cases of secret data hiding where the full recovery of the cover image is essential. In this paper, we propose a reversible data hiding technique based on Neighbor Mean Interpolation (NMI) method utilizing the R-weighted Coding Method (RCM). Experimental results show the practicability and superiority of the proposed method over its classical counterparts, providing high performance in terms of PSNR and data hiding capacity.
Main beam angle control microstrip antenna based on phase gradient metasurface

A novel main beam angle control microstrip antenna is designed and fabricated by loading a monolayer transmissive phase gradient metasurface (PGM). The anomalous refraction effects of the PGM are able to introduce predefined wave vector to control the radiation direction. The resonant frequencies of the four different PGM loaded antennas are kept at 9 GHz when the height of the cavity is fixed. However, different radiation deflection angles 0°, 9.5°, 18.7°, 27.2° are achieved and respond correspondingly to the implemented phase difference 0°, 10°, 20°, 30°. The thickness of the antenna is reduced to merely 0.1∗wavelength. The measured results conform with the theoretical calculation and the simulated results, which indicates this design method is convincing and viable.
Monoclonal antibodies that recognize the product controlled by a gene in the I-J subregion of the mouse H-2 complex

The B cell hybridomas producing monoclonal antibodies (E10, D7, F4, H6, and D4) were established by the fusion of P3U1 or NS-1 murine myeloma cell lines and spleen cells of B10.A(5R) mice hyperimmunized with mitomycin C-treated B10.A(3R) spleen and thymus cells. Two types of monoclonal antibodies specific for the products controlled by a gene in the I-Jb subregion of the H-2 complex were characterized: one specific for the private type of I-Jb determinant, the other recognizing the cross-reactive determinant between the I-Jb and I-Jd products. By using these monoclonal reagents, the I-J-encoded product on the antigen- specific suppressor T cells was found to be expressed on their soluble suppressor factors. Furthermore, the I-Jb products were successfully detected not only on the T cell hybridoma with suppressor activity specific for keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH), but also on KLH-primed suppressor T cells enriched by antigen-coated petri dishes and concanavalin A-induced thymocyte blasts of C57BL/6 mice by complement- dependent cytotoxic assays and membrane fluorescence techniques.
Antigenic analysis of avian Chlamydia psittaci using monoclonal antibodies to the major outer membrane protein.

Monoclonal antibodies to the major outer membrane protein (MOMP) of Chlamydia psittaci derived from a parrot were established for antigenic analysis of avian C. psittaci. With 17 monoclonal antibodies to MOMP, 17 reactivity patterns were identified on 112 strains of C. psittaci, C. pneumoniae and C. trachomatis, which were isolated from birds, mammals and humans in Japan, U.S.A. , Canada and Taiwan, from 1938 to 1987. Immunological reactivity of budgerigar-derived strains to the monoclonal antibodies was different from that of pigeon-derived strains. Imported bird-derived strains were distinguishable from domestic bird-derived strains by the reactivity to the monoclonal antibodies. A close relationship between the subtypes and geographic origins was indicated on budgerigar-derived strains. On the contrary, various reactivity patterns were shown in pigeon-derived strains isolated in a narrow area. The monoclonal antibodies established in the present work may be useful probes for ecological study of avian C. psittaci.
Minimal representation for the control of the Adept Quattro with rigid platform via leg observation considering a hidden robot model

Previous works on the Gough-Stewart (GS) platform have shown that its visual servoing using the observation of its leg directions was possible by observing only three of its six legs but that the convergence to the desired pose was not guarantied. This can be explained by considering that the visual servoing of the leg direction of the GS platform was equivalent to controlling another robot, the 3-UPS that has assembly modes and singular configurations different from those of the GS platform. Considering this hidden robot model allowed the simplification of the singularity analysis of the mapping between the leg direction space and the Cartesian space. In this paper, the work on the definition of the hidden robot models involved in the visual servoing using the observation of the robot leg directions is extended to another robot, the Adept Quattro. It will be shown that the hidden robot model is completely different from the model involved in the control of the GS platform. Therefore, the results obtained for the GS platform are not valuable for this robot. The hidden robot has assembly modes and singular configurations different from those of the Quattro. An accuracy analysis is performed to show the importance of the leg selection. All these results are validated on a Quattro simulator created using ADAMS/Controls and interfaced with Matlab/Simulink.
Childhood Context Explains Cultural Variance in Implicit Parenting Motivation: Results from Two Studies with Six Samples from Cameroon, Costa Rica, Germany, and PR China

We investigated the effect of the childhood context variables number of siblings (study 1 and 2) and parental SES (study 2) on implicit parenting motivation across six cultural samples, including Africa (2xCameroon), Asia (PR China), Europe (2xGermany), and Latin America (Costa Rica). Implicit parenting motivation was assessed using an instrument measuring implicit motives (OMT, Operant Multimotive Test; Kuhl and Scheffer, 2001). Replicating and extending results from previous studies, regression analyses and structural equation models show that the number of siblings and parental SES explain a large amount of cultural variance, ranging from 64% to 82% of the cultural variance observed in implicit parenting motivation. Results are discussed within the framework of evolutionary developmental psychology.
Influenza A Virus NS1 Protein Activates the PI3K/Akt Pathway To Mediate Antiapoptotic Signaling Responses

ABSTRACT Recently we have shown that influenza A virus infection leads to activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway and that this cellular reaction is dependent on the expression of the viral nonstructural protein 1 (NS1). These data also suggested that PI3K activation confers a virus-supporting activity at intermediate stages of the infection cycle. So far it is not known which process is regulated by the kinase that supports virus replication. It is well established that upon infection with influenza A virus, the expression of the viral NS1 keeps the induction of beta interferon and the apoptotic response within a tolerable limit. On a molecular basis, this activity of NS1 has been suggested to preclude the activation of cellular double-stranded RNA receptors as well as impaired modulation of mRNA processing. Here we present a novel mode of action of the NS1 protein to suppress apoptosis induction. NS1 binds to and activates PI3K, which results in the activation of the PI3K effector Akt. This leads to a subsequent inhibition of caspase 9 and glycogen synthase-kinase 3β and limitation of the virus-induced cell death program. Thus, NS1 not only blocks but also activates signaling pathways to ensure efficient virus replication.
Variations-aware low-power design with voltage scaling

We present a new methodology which takes into consideration the effect of within-die (WID) process variations on a low-voltage parallel system. We show that in the presence of process variations one should use a higher supply voltage than would otherwise be predicted to minimize the power consumption of parallel systems. Previous analyses, which ignored WID process variations, provide a lower nonoptimal supply voltage which can underestimate the energy/operation by 8.2X. We also present a novel technique to limit the effect of temperature variations in a parallel system. As temperatures increases, the scheme reduces the power increase by 43% allowing the system to remain at its optimal supply voltage across different temperatures.
Biological Crystallography Low-resolution Data Analysis for Low-density Lipoprotein Particle

² Correspondence concerning methods should be sent to AU; correspondence concerning low-density lipoprotein should be sent to MWB The knowledge of the molecular structure of LDL, a large lipoprotein complex, is of great interest for medical investigations. Currently available LDL crystals do not diffract to high resolution and do not allow the application of standard crystallographic techniques. Additional dif®culties arise because of a very dense crystal packing and the presence of several components with quite different mean densities. Several ab initio phasing methods previously reported by the authors have been successfully applied to ®nd a crystallographic image of LDL at a resolution of 27 A Ê. The most promising results have been obtained using direct phasing with a connectivity analysis of the electron-density maps. The current image makes it possible to discern a single particle covered by a layer of relatively high density that is asymmetrically distributed on the particle surface. It shows a partition of high and low densities inside the particle and, in particular, strips of varying density in the lipid core.
Role of Urea in Intestinal Barrier Dysfunction and Disruption of Epithelial Tight Junction in Chronic Kidney Disease

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) impairs intestinal barrier function which leads to endotoxemia and systemic inflammation. We have found depletion of intestinal epithelial tight junction (TJ) proteins in animals with CKD. We further showed that addition of end-stage renal disease patients’ plasma to the culture medium provokes a marked drop in transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) and depletion of TJ proteins in cultured human enterocytes. These effects were less severe with post- than with prehemodialysis plasma, suggesting a role of dialyzable agent(s). This study tested the hypothesis that intestinal barrier dysfunction in uremia may be due to diffusion of urea into the gut and its conversion to ammonia by microbial urease. Methods: Human enterocytes (T84 cells) were seeded on Transwell plates and utilized when TER exceeded 1,000 mΩ·cm2 to ensure full polarization and TJ formation. Confluent cells were then incubated for 24 h in media containing 0, 42 or 74 mg/dl urea or urea plus urease to simulate presence of microbial flora. Results: At clinically relevant concentrations, urea caused a concentration-dependent fall in TER and the key TJ proteins claudin-1, occludin and zonula occludens 1. The effects of urea were dramatically amplified by urease causing cell detachment, dissipation of TER, and massive loss of TJ proteins. Conclusions: Uremia-induced disruption of intestinal TJ and barrier function is, in part, mediated by urea which is generally considered to be a nontoxic retained metabolite. These findings reveal a novel mechanism for a salutary effect of urea-lowering strategies, e.g. low-protein diet and longer and more frequent dialysis regimens in advanced CKD.
Chemical Synthesis of LNA-mCTP and Its Application for MicroRNA Detection

Locked nucleic acids (LNA) are being applied in hybridization studies, but current locked nucleotides cannot be transcribed into RNA probes. Here, the authors report the use of a new synthetic locked nucleotide, locMeCytidine-5'-triphosphate (LNA-mCTP), for hybridization study. This synthetic LNA-mCTP can be transcribed into a short (∼30-nt) RNA probe. Dot blot hybridization on nylon membrane suggested that the short 33P-LNA RNA probes had strong binding affinity to target oligonucleotides and its detection sensitivity was approximately ∼1000 miRNAs in a 20- to 30-μm (diameter) dot area. On tissue sections, the differential expression pattern of mir-124 within different tissue regions revealed by short 33P- LNA RNA probes correlated well to that analyzed by real-time RT-PCR. In addition, the specific cellular distribution of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide mRNAs in the mouse brain was the same using a 30-nt 33P-LNA RNA probe and a 1.5-kb 33P-RNA probe. These results suggested the high hybridization specificity of the small LNA-RNA probes to target small RNAs. Finally, the authors applied 33P-LNA probes to detect miRNA let-7C expression in human cancer tissues. Let-7C was clearly present in lung, prostate, and colon cancers but undetectable in ovary and thyroid cancer samples. These results suggested that this miRNA detection method provides an alternative tool to study the cellular distribution of miRNAs in tissues.