Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A reaction-diffusion analysis of energetics in large muscle fibers secondarily evolved for aerobic locomotor function

SUMMARY The muscles that power swimming in the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, grow hypertrophically, such that in juvenile crabs the cell diameters are <60 μm, whereas fibers of the adult crabs often exceed 600μ m. Thus, as these animals grow, their muscle fibers greatly exceed the surface area to volume ratio and intracellular diffusion distance limits of most cells. Previous studies have shown that arginine phosphate (AP) recovery in the anaerobic (light) fibers, which demonstrate a fiber size dependence on anaerobic processes following contraction, is too slow to be restricted by intracellular metabolite diffusive flux, in spite of the fiber's large size. By contrast, the aerobic (dark) fibers have evolved an intricate network of intracellular subdivisions that maintain an effectively small `metabolic diameter' throughout development. In the present study, we examined the impact of intracellular metabolite diffusive flux on the rate of post-contractile AP resynthesis in the dark muscle, which has a much higher aerobic capacity than the light muscle. AP recovery was measured for 60 min in adults and 15 min in juveniles following burst contractile activity in dark fibers, and a mathematical reaction-diffusion model was used to test whether the observed aerobic rates of AP resynthesis were fast enough to be limited by intracellular metabolite diffusion. Despite the short diffusion distances and high mitochondrial density, the AP recovery rates were relatively slow and we found no evidence of diffusion limitation. However, during simulation of steady-state contraction, which is an activity more typical of the dark fibers, there were substantial intracellular metabolite gradients, indicative of diffusion limitation. This suggests that high ATP turnover rates may lead to diffusion limitation in muscle even when diffusion distances are short, as in the subdivided dark fibers.
The importance of the context in the hippocampus and brain related areas throughout the performance of a fear conditioning task

The importance context has been broadly studied in the management of phobias and in the drug addiction literature. The way in which changes to a context influence behavior after the simple acquisition of a passive avoidance task remains unclear. The hippocampus has long been implicated in the contextual and spatial processing required for contextual fear, but its role in encoding the aversive component of a contextual fear memory is still inconclusive. Our work tries to elucidate whether a change in context, represented as differences in the load of the stimuli, is critical for learning about the context‐shock association and whether this manipulation of the context could be linked to any change in metabolic brain activity requirements. For this purpose, we used an avoidance conditioning task. Animals were divided into three different experimental conditions. In one group, acquisition was performed in an enriched stimuli environment and retention was performed in a typically lit chamber (the PA‐ACQ‐CONTX group). In another group, acquisition was performed in the typically lit chamber and retention was undertaken in the highly enriched chamber (the PA‐RET‐CONTX group). Finally, for the control group, PA‐CN‐CONTX, acquisition, and retention were performed in the enriched stimuli environment. Our results showed that the PA‐ACQ‐CONTX group had longer escape latencies and poorer retention than the PA‐RET‐CONTX and PA‐CN‐CONTX groups after 24 h of acquisition under contextual changes. To study metabolic brain activity, histochemical labelling of cytochrome c‐oxidase (CO) was performed. CO results suggested a neural circuit including the hippocampus, amygdala, thalamus, parahippocampal cortices, and mammillary nuclei that is involved in the learning and memory processes that enable context‐dependent behavior. These results highlight how dysfunction in this network may be involved in the contextualization of fear associations that underlie several forms of psychopathology, including post‐traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, and substance abuse disorders. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Rehabilitation outcomes after brain injury: disability measures or goal achievement?

Background: The outcome of rehabilitation interventions following brain injury is commonly rated by disability scales. Goal-setting and achievement are important in inpatient rehabilitation, but seldom assessed as outcomes. Objective: To compare the information acquired from using disability ratings and goal attainment/variances as outcome measures in brain injury rehabilitation. Setting: An inpatient regional neurological rehabilitation unit. Subjects: One hundred and seventy-seven patients admitted after single incident brain injury over a three-year period. Main measures: (1) Disability outcomes by the Barthel Index and the Functional Independence Measure, (2) goal achievement and variance distribution, and (3) the influence of diagnosis and demographics on these measures. Results: Patients improved significantly on all disability scales employed (p < 0.0001), with the baseline admission scores being inversely correlated with changes in dependency by discharge (rho∼0.4). The median attainment rate of long-term goals was 75% per patient. Nonachievement was most frequently due to cognitive problems (38%), followed by behavioural difficulties and physical limitations (18% each). Goal achievement correlated poorly with disability outcome at discharge (rho∼0.3). Patients who accomplished all their goals tended to be less disabled at admission. Diagnostic groups and demographic factors had little influence on either disability or goal achievement outcomes. Conclusions: The use of a simple goal achievement and variance coding scheme has been relatively straight forward to incorporate into the daily practice of the unit. It provides useful information on rehabilitation process and outcome after brain injury that is complementary to the utilization of disability measures.
Simulink Model for Double Buffering

Double buffering is essential in complex, real time data acquisition and analysis systems. It is also a programming technique used to create smooth flowing graphics. Double buffering uses two buffers to speed up a computer that can overlap I/O with processing. While the data in one buffer is being processed, the next set of data is read into the other one. In streaming media applications, the data in one buffer is being sent to the sound card and/or display adapter, while the other buffer is being tilled with more data from the source. Double buffering is required primarily to eliminate visible draws, which can make an application look amateurish, sluggish or appear to flicker. Smoother drawing means better perceived performance and a much better user experience. The double buffering concept is worked out in C-language. This paper helps in understanding the concept of double buffering and also teaching double buffering concept to the student community. In this work, the concept of double buffering is modelled using MATLAB/Simulink
FINANCIAL INNOVATIONS AND PRUDENTIAL REGULATION - IMPACT OF NEW RULES OF BASEL III

The recent financial crisis, that has left its mark on the global economy, highlighted the problems of ensuring the stability of the banking sector. At the end of 2010 year, G20 meeting has determined the need of approval of new standards of banking regulation and international settlement named Basel III. The present study is an attempt to present the changes imposed to the new supervisory agreement and to determine the preparation of banking sector for implementation of new provisions.
Improving Scene Text Detection by Scale-Adaptive Segmentation and Weighted CRF Verification

This paper presents a hybrid method for detecting and localizing texts in natural scene images by stroke segmentation, verification and grouping. To improve system performance, novelties on two aspects are proposed: 1) a scale-adaptive segmentation method is designed for extracting stroke candidates, and 2) a CRF model with pair-wise weight by local line fitting is designed for stroke verification. Moreover, color-based text region estimation is used to guide segmentation and verification more accurately. Experimental results on ICDAR 2005 competition dataset show that the proposed approach can detect and localize scene texts with high accuracy, even under noisy and complex backgrounds.
Foreign Direct Investments in Small Business of Transition Economies

Public notion usually attributes superior qualities to foreign direct investments in transition economies. According to a common belief they are equipped with modern technology, possess up-to-date managerial capacities, use state-of-the-art management practices, are more effective than local companies and show better financial performances. These qualities clearly distinguish foreign ventures from domestic ones. There is an empirical evidence that proves existence of these differences. Still, what applies to foreign investments in general is not necessarily applicable to all ventures, to all types and groups of foreign-owned companies. Up till now little attention has been paid to FDI in small business. A question automatically rises: are small foreign ventures in the same advantageous position as their large multinational counterparts? Obviously, there must be substantial differences, since small companies do not possess those scale and scope advantages that multinational companies do. The single most important result of this research was the discovery of similarities between domestic and foreign-owned small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in five transition economies. General hypotheses (based on surveys of primarily big business) of FDIs operation were not supported. Performance measures, capitalization, the evaluation of obstacles of growth and business environment, possibilities of obtaining bank loans were in most cases very similar for domestic and foreign SMEs. A possible explanation of this is that foreign SMEs behave more like domestic SMEs than like big foreign (multinational) businesses. Registration and licensing as a barrier to entry affected domestic and foreign firms similarly, basically posing no serious problem for them. Those areas where business was negatively affected were identical for domestic and foreign firms: high taxes and social security payments, lack of transparency and frequent changes of economic regulations. Capitalization of foreign ventures was not usually higher than that of domestic ones. Major differences were found only in the source structure of capital. Not surprisingly, foreign suppliers' commercial credits as well as mother companies' capital transfers played a significant role in the case of FDIs. Interestingly, the share of bank credits was very low in all countries in the finance of all types of capital needs. Profitability and growth expectations of FDIs were not especially outstanding compared to expectations, either. Still, both the average employment and the average asset value increased substantially in all surveyed countries, indicating a vigorous growth of foreign companies.
Food Sources of Phytoestrogens and Breast Cancer Risk in Mexican Women

We analyzed the intake of selected foods that contain phytoestrogens in relation to breast cancer (BC) risk using data from a hospital-based case-control study performed in Mexico City from 1994 to 1995. A total of 198 women with BC, aged 21-79 years, were individually age matched to an identical number of women with no breast disease. By a direct interview, information on socioeconomic characteristics and diet was obtained. A semiquantitative questionnaire was used to estimate the frequency of consumption of 95 foods. The effect of selected foods that contain phytoestrogens on BC risk was estimated using logistic regression models. The adjusted odds ratio for the consumption of more than one slice of onion per day and BC was 0.27 (95% confidence interval = 0.16-0.47), with a statistically significant trend (p < 0.001). This protective effect remained after adjustment for known risk factors of BC. Among premenopausal women, there was also a protective and significant effect due to the intake of lettuce and spinach and nonsignificant protective effects for the consumption of apples and herbal tea. Additional studies aimed at evaluating the potential protective effect of particular phytoestrogens on BC risk are needed.
Statistical analysis for the detection of voltage fluctuations in distributed synchronous generation using extended participations factors

This work proposes the use of a new concept of participation factors as a tool to detect voltage fluctuations caused by electromechanical oscillations in distributed generation systems, in order to evaluate the impact of these oscillations in power quality. While the originally proposed participation factors (here called traditional ones) may not appropriately detect the mentioned impacts (which manifest themselves in the form of voltage fluctuations), the extended participation factors used in this paper are able to detect an quantify them from a statistical viewpoint. To calculate these factors, a statistical approach based on Monte Carlo Simulations is adopted. The results of a case study presented in this paper illustrate the effectiveness of the extended participation factors in the detection of the mentioned voltage fluctuations.
A Simple Charge Model for Symmetric Double-Gate MOSFETs Adapted to Gate-Oxide-Thickness Asymmetry

Surface-potential-based compact charge models for symmetric double-gate metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (SDG-MOSFETs) are based on the fundamental assumption of having equal oxide thicknesses for both gates. However, for practical devices, there will always be some amount of asymmetry between the gate oxide thicknesses due to process variations and uncertainties, which can affect device performance significantly. In this paper, we propose a simple surface-potential-based charge model, which is applicable for tied double-gate MOSFETs having same gate work function but could have any difference in gate oxide thickness. The proposed model utilizes the unique so-far-unexplored quasi-linear relationship between the surface potentials along the channel. In this model, the terminal charges could be computed by basic arithmetic operations from the surface potentials and applied biases, and thus, it could be implemented in any circuit simulator very easily and extendable to short-channel devices. We also propose a simple physics-based perturbation technique by which the surface potentials of an asymmetric device could be obtained just by solving the input voltage equation of SDG devices for small asymmetry cases. The proposed model, which shows excellent agreement with numerical and TCAD simulations, is implemented in a professional circuit simulator through the Verilog-A interface and demonstrated for a 101-stage ring oscillator simulation. It is also shown that the proposed model preserves the source/drain symmetry, which is essential for RF circuit design.
The Contribution of Acute Cholecystitis, Obesity, and Previous Abdominal Surgery on the Outcome of Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of acute cholecystitis (AC), obesity, and previous abdominal surgery on laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) outcomes. Records of 1940 patients undergoing LC in 1992 and 2004 were reviewed in order to assess the independent and joint effects of the above risk factors on conversion, morbidity, operation time, and hospital stay. In multivariate regression analysis, adjusting for sex and age, AC alone and in combination with obesity or previous abdominal surgery increased the risk of conversion and complications and was associated with prolonged operation time and hospital stay compared with the patients without any of the risk factors (reference group). The independent and joint effects of obesity and previous abdominal surgery were significant only on operation time. On the contrary, previous upper abdominal surgery alone and in combination with AC was associated with 3- and 17-fold relative odds of conversion, respectively. The combined presence of AC, obesity, and previous abdominal surgery yielded an odds ratio for conversion of 7.5 and for complications of 10.7, as well as a longer operation time and hospital stay. The presence of previous upper abdominal surgery with AC and obesity had a substantial effect on conversion, with an odds ratio of 87.1 compared with the reference group. LC is safe in patients with AC, previous abdominal surgery, or obesity. However, the presence of inflammation alone or in combination with obesity and/or previous (especially upper) abdominal surgery is the main factor that influences the adverse outcomes of LC.
Increasing the security of e-commerce systems using multi-agents

Secure communications are an important prerequisite of e-commerce transactions and are required for confidential electronic communications. This paper presents a new model for secure implementation of e-commerce systems using multi-agent technology, so that the e-commerce application benefits from the characteristics of multi-agent systems. This model has a higher speed because of the simultaneous cooperation of agents and a higher level of security because it implements a security shell for each agent. Some models for cryptography in e-commerce using multi agent systems are also presented and an analysis of their performance is discussed. These models illustrate the implementation of agents for the RSA (named after its makers), Data Encryption Standard (DES), Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and International Data Encryption Algorithm (IDEA) cryptography algorithms.
Effects of Extracellular Calcium and Sodium on Depolarization‐Induced Automaticity in Guinea Pig Papillary Muscle

Regenerative discharge of action potentials is induced in mammalian papillary muscles by passage of small depolarizing currents. In this paper, the effects of various extracellular calcium and sodium concentrations and of tetrodotoxin on this phenomenon were studied in guinea pig papillary muscles in a sucrose gap chamber. Phase 4 diastolic depolarization was found to be associated with an increase in membrane resistance. The slope of phase 4 depolarization was decreased by reductions in extracellular calcium or sodium concentration. The range of maximum diastolic potentials and the thresholds from which regenerative potentials arose were reduced, especially at the positive limit of potentials, by a reduction in either ion. It was concluded that both calcium and sodium influence diastolic depolarization and participate in the regenerative action potentials of depolarization-induced ventricular automaticity.
Innovazione architetturale ed innovazione radicale: effetti sulle competenze organizzative delle imprese

Attualmente il vantaggio competitivo delle imprese e strettamente connesso alla capacita di sostenere un processo di innovazione continua. A questo riguardo, in un’ottica Resource based view, un passaggio molto importante concerne la capacita di valutare gli effetti dell’introduzione dell’innovazione tecnologica sulle competenze delle imprese. Questo articolo, ispirandosi al modello di classificazione delle innovazioni di Henderson & Clark, mira a riflettere sugli effetti dell’introduzione delle innovazioni radicali ed architetturali sulle competenze organizzative delle imprese. Il contributo presenta alcune specifiche considerazioni circa gli effetti di due importanti ed attuali cambiamenti tecnologici: l’introduzione delle tecnologie Internet based sul sistema di offerta di impresa e la convergenza dell’evoluzione di differenti tecnologie nella ricerca farmaceutica.
Contrasting effects of acute angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and calcium antagonists in transplant renal artery stenosis.

Deterioration of renal function is a major concern during treatment by converting enzyme inhibitors of hypertensive kidney recipients with transplant renal artery stenosis. However, there has been no assessment of the frequency of this complication and its specificity for converting enzyme inhibitors as compared to other antihypertensive drugs. The effect of acute administration of captopril on mean arterial pressure, glomerular filtration rate (GFR) (creatinine clearance) and effective renal plasma flow (clearance of 131I-hippuran) was assessed in eight hypertensive patients with transplant renal artery stenosis. Captopril induced a decrease in mean arterial pressure (128 +/- 6-121 +/- 7 mmHg) and a reduction in GFR (59 +/- 8-44 +/- 8 ml/min per 1.73 m2, P less than 0.05). The decrease in GFR was observed in seven out of eight patients and varied between 0% and 100% of the pre-captopril value. Effective renal plasma flow was maintained (157 +/- 47-141 +/- 24 ml/min per 1.73 m2) and filtration fraction decreased by 15 +/- 7%. The effect of captopril was compared to that of nifedipine (N = 20 mg) in four patients. Despite a larger decrease in mean arterial pressure (130 +/- 7-109 +/- 10 mmHg), no reduction in GFR was observed (68 +/- 13-71.4 +/- 8). Effective renal plasma flow was unchanged and filtration function slightly increased. Surgical or percutaneous transluminal angioplasty in five patients suppressed the captopril-induced decrease in GFR. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Reduced Order Model of Single Machine Infinite Bus Power System Using Stability Equation Method and Self-adaptive Bat Algorithm

In this paper, a large–order system is reduced by using the self adaptive bat algorithm (SABA) to a reduced-order approximation. The numerator coefficients of a desired reduced-order system are optimized based on integral square error minimization as an objective function pertaining to a unit-step as input. The denominator of the reduced order model is solved by stability equation method. The efficacy of the proposed method is tested with SMIB test systems to get a corresponding reduced-order system. The results are satisfactory in terms of minimum error with the proposed method as compared to Routh approximation and Stability equation based reduced models.
[Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis following influenza vaccination].

(臨床神経 2015;55:269) 2014年 2月 18日 拝啓 本誌第 54巻第 2号に掲載されました症例報告「脳梁離断症 候群を示したインフルエンザワクチン接種後急性散在性脳脊 髄炎の 1例」(臨床神経 2014;54:135-139)を興味深く拝読い たしました. 本論文の主旨ではありませんが,インフルエン ザワクチンと急性散在性脳脊髄炎について,著者らは Nakayamaらの論文 を引用してインフルエンザワクチンに 関連した ADEMは約 1,000万回に 1例と述べていますが,事 情はことなると思います. 2009年に A/H1N1によるいわゆる pandemicが生じて以来,一般にもちいられているワクチン は,通常型の A・B2種の季節性インフルエンザと A/H1N1を ふくむ三価ワクチンで,本症例もワクチン接種は 2011年と記 載されています. 本症例でもちいられたワクチンの種類につ いて本文には記載がありませんが英文抄録では三価と明記さ れています. Nakayamaらの報告した時点では H1N1に関す るワクチンはふくまれておらず,本症例を彼らの論文データ に照合して考察するのは適切ではありません. A/H1N1をふ くむワクチンがもちいられてからの報告では,ADEM報告例 が英語文献だけで 13例あり,その内本邦では自験例 をふ くめ4例が報告されています. また,厚生労働省のホームペー ジ によると,pandemic翌年の 2010年 10月 1日から 2011年 5月 31日までのわずか 8ヵ月間で,インフルエンザワクチン 接種後ADEMは 13例が報告されています. Nakayamaらの季 節性インフルエンザワクチン使用下での ADEM出現頻度 (10年間 3,802万回接種で 3例)と単純に比較すると,A/H1N1 がワクチンに加えられてから ADEM出現頻度はいちじるし く増加している可能性が考慮されます. ワクチン接種と ADEM発症との因果関係は,より慎重に論じられなければな りませんが,pandemic以後のインフルエンザワクチン接種後 に発症したADEMの症例報告が,以前の季節性インフルエン ザのみに対するワクチン接種後 ADEMの実数をすでに上 回っている事実は,ワクチンの安全性を考える上できわめて 重要であり報告させていただきます. 敬具 ※本論文に関連し,開示すべき COI状態にある企業,組織,団体 はいずれも有りません.