Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
7 Multi-Scale Deconvolution of Mass Spectrometry Signals

It has become more important to measure accurate depth profiles in developing more advanced devices. To this aim, Depth profiling in secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) has been extensively used as an informative technique in the semiconductor and electronic devices fields due to its high sensitivity, quantification accuracy and depth resolution (Fujiyama et al, 2011; Seki et al, 2011). However, the depth resolution in SIMS analysis is still limited to provide reliable and precise information in very thin structures such as delta layers, abrupt interfaces, etc. By optimization of the experimental conditions, the depth resolution can be enhanced. In particular, lowering the primary energy seems to be a good solution, but this increases the measurement time and leads to other limitations, owing to the wrong focalization of primary ion beam, such as roughness in the crater bottom, not flat crater, etc. Therefore, the depth resolution remains so far to its perfect limit. It is only by numerical processing like deconvolution that the depth resolution can be improved beyond its experimental limits.
Evaluating key factors affecting knowledge exchange in social media community

Today, social media opens up multiple options to add a new channel to learn and obtain knowledge. In particular, social media allows users to learn formal and informal social settings. Users can find like-minded people or community and organize knowledge exchange for educational or other purposes. This paper takes the theory of social network and social capital as the core factors to explore social media community members how to use social media platform to exchange knowledge. The paper uses social network and social capital as predictors of knowledge exchange so that we can use social media as a way to advance knowledge exchange ceaselessly. Therefore, there were 263 members of well-known social media community of knowledge exchange filling out the questionnaires completely, and then evaluated with structural equation modeling, and confirmatory factor analysis was also applied, using SmartPLS 2.0, to test if the empirical data conform to the proposed model. However, results also imply that social capital and social network distinctly play the important part of affecting knowledge exchange and communication about social issues on social media community goes hand in hand with knowledge exchange. Finally, this article proposes implications for theory and practice on the current and future research.
Pulmonary rehabilitation in chronic respiratory insufficiency * 2

Exercise is widely promoted as a means of improving physical endurance. It is recommended, not only for the healthy, but also for individuals with various disabilities and disease. In respiratory medicine we have witnessed several decades of investigation directed not only at the pathophysiology of exercise in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but also at the effects of exercise training in improving function. As was initially the case with coronary artery disease, many physicians of the mid 20th century adopted a very conservative approach and generally discouraged exercise in patients with significant COPD. Despite the pleas for greater physical exercise for patients with chronic lung disease by Barach, a pioneer of pulmonary medicine,' it was only in the late 1960s and early 1970s that his ideas were aggressively pursued. In the USA there is now widespread support for pulmonary rehabilitation programmes which, almost without exception, include a liberal dose of exercise training. The transfer of the standard recommendations for exercise training to healthy subjects and even cardiac patients has not been easy. The pattern of exercise response in patients with COPD presents some unusual and, in some cases,
umulation of Foxp 3 + T Regulatory Cells in Draining Lymph es Correlates with Disease Progression and Immune R pression in Colorectal Cancer Patients

Downloa pose: To assess the relation of Foxp3 regulatory T cells (Treg) in tumor draining lymph nodes s) with tumor progression and immune suppression in colorectal cancer (CRC). erimental Design: Flow cytometry was used to analyze the densities of Tregs in lymphocytes of s, peripheral blood, and tumors from 34 patients with CRC. The frequency of Tregs was compared valuated for the association with disease stage. The effect of Tregs on the function of CD8 T cells vestigated by IFN-γ production. ults: The density of Foxp3 Tregs in TDLNs was dramatically higher than that in peripheral blood ocytes, but significantly lower than that in tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. Importantly, the frey of Foxp3 Tregs in TDLNs, rather than that in tumors and peripheral blood, was positively corwith disease stage. In addition, the functions of CD8 T cells were impaired in TDLNs compared eripheral blood lymphocytes and were restored after Treg depletion. clusions: Foxp3 Tregs in TDLNs are more correlated with disease progression and potentially inCon fluence CD8 T-cell functions. This study suggests that the frequency of Tregs in TDLNs may provide a valuable prognostic tool in the treatment of CRC. Clin Cancer Res; 16(16); 4105–12. ©2010 AACR.
Analisis Sharia Compliance pada produk penjaminan kafalah pembiayaan Tajir Plus di PT. Jaminan Pembiayaan Askrindo Syariah KPS Surabaya

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menjawab pertanyaan tentang mekanisme pelaksanaan produk penjaminan kafalah pembiayaan tajir plus dan analisis sharia compliance pada produk penjaminan kafalah pembiayaan tajir plus di PT. Jaminan Pembiayaan Askrindo Syariah KPS Surabaya. Penelitian ini merupakan jenis penelitian lapangan (field research). Pengumpulan data dilakukan dengan cara wawancara langsung dengan staff bidang operasional dan kepala kantor pemasaran syariah (KPS) Surabaya serta didukung dengan beberapa dokumen yang berkaitan dengan penelitian, seperti peraturan perundang-undangan, fatwa, dan website resmi. Data yang terkumpul dianalisis dengan menggunakan metode analisis deskriptif kualitatif. Hasil analisis menyimpulkan bahwa dalam menjalankan kegiatan penjaminan, PT. Jaminan Pembiayaan Askrindo Syariah menggunakan akad Kafa>lah bil ujrah sesuai dengan yang ditentukan oleh Dewan Syariah Nasional, yaitu pada Fatwa DSN No. 74/DSN-MUI/I/2009 tentang Penjaminan Syariah, termasuk penerapan dalam produk Penjaminan Kafalah Pembiayaan Tajir Plus. Namun masih ada beberapa hal yang perlu ditekankan kembali mengingat salah satu rukun dan syarat makful ‘anhu yaitu dikenal oleh penjamin dan sanggup menyerahkan tanggungannya kepada penjamin. Karena pada praktiknya, pada saat akad pemberian pembiayaan pihak bank syariah tidak mengatakan kepada nasabah bahwa pembiayaan yang ia ajukan akan dijaminkan pada lembaga penjaminan pembiayaan syariah, melainkan hanya memberi tahukan bahwa akan ada asuransi jiwa dan kebakaran yang menjaminnya.
Osseointegration of dental implants complexed with rhBMP-2: a comparative histomorphometric and radiographic evaluation.

PURPOSE To evaluate the effect of rhBMP-2 on implant osseointegration using histomorphometric and radiographic imaging analyses and determine the diagnostic accuracy of periapical radiographs regarding clinical bone-implant contact levels. MATERIALS AND METHODS Hollow-cylinder implants were filled with an absorbable collagen sponge soaked with recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) or left empty and implanted in the mandibles of dogs. Animals were followed for 2, 4, 8, or 12 weeks. At the end of each time interval, the animals were sacrificed and specimens were collected for histomorphometric and radiographic evaluation of the bone-implant contact levels. RESULTS Both groups exhibited the same mean histologic bone-implant contact on the outer surface of the implant, except for the 4-week group. The radiographic evaluation of bone-implant contact overestimated the actual osseointegration levels by at least 30%, a significant amount. DISCUSSION The osteoinductive and regenerative potential of rhBMP-2 is of clinical benefit in cases where bone augmentation is indicated and improved levels of osseointegration are expected. Radiographic evaluation has been the most widely employed technique in clinical practice for assessing bone levels around dental implants and comparing changes over time. However, there is a limit to the diagnostic accuracy of conventional radiographs when compared to the data obtained by histologic analysis. CONCLUSION Application of rhBMP-2 within the confined boundaries of the hollow chamber of the implant had a limited effect on the osseointegration level along its outer surface, perhaps because of physically restricted diffusion. Radiographic evaluation resulted in the overestimation of bone-implant contact, and poor correlation with the histomorphometric data was found.
Relationship Between Endothelial Dysfunction, Carotid Artery Intima Media Thickness and Circulating Markers of Vascular Inflammation in Obese Hypertensive Children and Adolescents

BACKGROUND Adhesion molecules released by dysfunctional endothelium are considered as markers of vascular inflammation in early atherosclerosis. Non-invasive ultrasound methods are now available to detect first preclinical signs of the disease. AIM To investigate the relationship between selected adhesion molecules and ultrasound indicators of early atherosclerosis: endothelial function measured by flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) and intima media thickness (IMT). PATIENTS The study group consisted of 85 children, mean age 14.6 years, of whom 22 were obese, 31 were hypertensive, and 32 obese and hypertensive. The control group included 26 healthy children. METHODS Adhesin concentrations were determined by ELISA. FMD and IMT were evaluated by ultrasound. RESULTS A positive correlation was found between sICAM-1 (soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1) and IMT (r = 0.32, p = 0.013, 95% CI: 0.11 to 0.49) and a negative correlation between IMT and FMD (r = -0.26, p = 0.04, 95% CI: -0.43 to -0.04) in the whole study group. In the particular groups, we found significant correlations only in obese hypertensive children. sICAM-1 correlated positively with IMT (r = 0.52, p = 0.001, 95% CI: 0.2 to 0.72) and negatively with FMD (r = -0.31, p = 0.027, 95% CI: -0.6 to -0.2). sE-selectin correlated positively with IMT (r = 0.41, p = 0.012). In regression models, IMT correlated with sICAM-1 (beta = 0.37, p = 0.03) and body mass index (beta = 0.55, p = 0.02), and FMD correlated negatively with sICAM-1 (beta = -0.47, p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS The association between inflammatory markers of the endothelium with impaired vasodilatation activity and the first atherosclerotic structural changes in the common carotid arteries were found in obese hypertensive children and adolescents. The coexistence of obesity and hypertension predisposes these young patients to closely related disturbances connected with early atherosclerosis.
Big Data Fusion to Estimate Urban Fuel Consumption: A Case Study of Riyadh

Falling oil revenues and rapid urbanization are putting a strain on the budgets of oil-producing nations, which often subsidize domestic fuel consumption. A direct way to decrease the impact of subsidies is to reduce fuel consumption by reducing congestion and car trips. As fuel consumption models have started to incorporate data sources from ubiquitous sensing devices, the opportunity is to develop comprehensive models at urban scale leveraging sources such as Global Positioning System (GPS) data and Call Detail Records. This paper combines these big data sets in a novel method to model fuel consumption within a city and estimate how it may change in different scenarios. To do so a fuel consumption model was calibrated for use on any car fleet fuel economy distribution and applied in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The model proposed, based on speed profiles, was then used to test the effects on fuel consumption of reducing flow, both randomly and by targeting the most fuel-inefficient trips in the city. The estimates considerably improve baseline methods based on average speeds, showing the benefits of the information added by the GPS data fusion. The presented method can be adapted to also measure emissions. The results constitute a clear application of data analysis tools to help decision makers compare policies aimed at achieving economic and environmental goals.
Neural Control of the Urethra

Coordination between the urinary bladder and the urethra is mediated by multiple reflex pathways organized in the brain and spinal cord. Some reflexes promote urine storage; whereas other reflexes facilitate voiding. During bladder filling, activation of mechanoreceptor afferent nerves in the bladder wall triggers firing in the cholinergic efferent pathways to the external urethral sphincter (EUS) and in sympathetic adrenergic pathways to the urethral smooth muscle. These storage reflexes are dependent upon interneuronal circuitry in the spinal cord. During voiding the spinal storage reflexes are inhibited by supraspinal mechanisms which originate in the pontine micturition center. Glutamatergic, serotonergic and alpha 1 adrenergic excitatory transmission as well as GABAergic/glycinergic inhibitory transmission have been implicated in the central control of sphincter reflexes. During voiding, a parasympathetic nitrergic inhibitory input to the urethral smooth is activated. This reflex mechanism which is triggered by bladder afferents persists in paraplegic rats and therefore must be mediated at least in part by spinal interneuronal circuitry. In female rats, the parasympathetic nitrergic pathway is prominent; but in male rats it is obscured by a dominant parasympathetic cholinergic excitatory input to the urethral smooth muscle. The function of the cholinergic pathway in voiding is uncertain. Stimulation of urethral afferents can also influence bladder activity. Contraction of the external urethral sphincter activates afferents that inhibit reflex bladder contractions; whereas infusion of fluid through the urethra facilitates bladder contractions. These reflexes are also organized in the spinal cord and presumably play a role in urine storage and elimination. Alterations in primitive bladder-to-urethra and urethra-to-bladder reflex mechanisms may contribute to neurogenic bladder dysfunction.
Theory of two-dimensional transformations

This paper proposes a new "heterogeneous" two-dimensional (2D) transformation group to solve motion analysis/planning problems in robotics. In this theory, we use a 3/spl times/1 matrix to represent a transformation as opposed to a 3/spl times/3 matrix in the homogeneous formulation. First, this theory is as capable as the homogeneous theory, Because of the minimal size, its implementation requires less memory space and less computation time, and it does not have the rotational matrix inconsistency problem. Furthermore, the raw rotation angle /spl theta/ is more useful than the trigonometric values, cos /spl theta/ and sin /spl theta/, in the homogeneous transformations. This paper also discusses how to apply the group to solve problems related to motion analysis/planning, trajectory generation, and others. This heterogeneous formulation has been successfully implemented in the MML software system for the autonomous mobile robot Yamabico-11 developed at the Naval Postgraduate School.
Vendor managed inventory with fixed shipping cost allocation

ABSTRACT This paper examines the effectiveness of a vendor-managed inventory (VMI) system in a decentralised supply chain. Specifically, a two-tier supply chain with one vendor and multiple buyers is analysed under two replenishment models – an LMI system and a VMI system with vendor coordination that includes retailer incentives and cross-docking at the vendor. The impact of supply chain design parameters (number of retailers and retailer heterogeneity), and a policy parameter (shipment frequency) on the effectiveness of the VMI system is studied. Using an analytical model as well as numerical experiments, we find that incentive-aligned contractual arrangements can be made between the vendor and the retailers through reallocation of fixed shipping cost savings arising from VMI.
Corporate Governance and Performance: An Empirical Investigation of Sugar Producing Companies in Kenya

Corporate governance is concerned with the running of an organization in a way that guarantees that its owners or stockholders receive a fair return on their investments while the expectations of other stakeholders are also met. The study sought to examine the relationship between corporate governance practices and performance of sugar producing companies in Kenya. The study intended to establish the corporate governance practices adopted by the companies and the influence of these practices on their performance. Through a cross-sectional survey of 11 companies, data were gathered using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The results indicate that all the studied companies practice some form of corporate governance although the degree of adoption differ across them. The study also revealed that board decisions are not influenced by founder members and that it was not common for board members to engage in financial transactions with the companies. The results of regression analysis show that overall, there is a positive and statistically significant influence of corporate governance practices on performance of the sugar producing companies. The study draws a conclusion that a combination of good corporate governance practices is responsible for a large percentage of good performance achieved by the sugar companies. Individual corporate governance practices acting on their own do not always lead to improved performance. The study offers support for theories that anchor performance implications of good corporate governance as well as findings of previous similar studies. Based on the findings of the study, recommendation for policy and practice are made as well as suggestions for further research.
Binding to Any ESCRT Can Mediate Ubiquitin‐Independent Cargo Sorting

The ESCRT (endosomal sorting complex required for transport) machinery is known to sort ubiquitinated transmembrane proteins into vesicles that bud into the lumen of multivesicular bodies (MVBs). Although the ESCRTs themselves are ubiquitinated they are excluded from the intraluminal vesicles and recycle back to the cytoplasm for further rounds of sorting. To obtain insights into the rules that distinguish ESCRT machinery from cargo we analyzed the trafficking of artificial ESCRT‐like protein fusions. These studies showed that lowering ESCRT‐binding affinity converts a protein from behaving like ESCRT machinery into cargo of the MVB pathway, highlighting the close relationship between machinery and the cargoes they sort. Furthermore, our findings give insights into the targeting of soluble proteins into the MVB pathway and show that binding to any of the ESCRTs can mediate ubiquitin‐independent MVB sorting.
Utilising AR HoloLens to enhance user experience in house selling: an experiment study

Augmented Reality (AR) technologies have been widely applied in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry. A large quantity of research works is focusing on productivity issues relevant to design, construction and operation processes. In the real estate industry, however, there have been very scant efforts made on leveraging AR technologies to effectively communicate the contents, philosophies and artistry of the property design with the potential property buyers and increase their desire to buy. From this perspective, there are spaces to further probe into the potential of using AR technologies. This study aims to address the purpose through evaluating the effectiveness of using a HoloLens-based AR application in property showroom displays. An observation/questionnaire based experiment was rigorously devised and focused on evaluating the mental workload and kinetic performance of HoloLens users interacting with the specific display scenarios. The results revealed that: 1) the users spent averagely less time on making sense of the expression of design threads and contents, and 2) AR could conveniently showcase the variety of property types and better retain the users' interest on the investment.
Healthy Foods as Proxy for Functional Foods: Consumers' Awareness, Perception, and Demand for Natural Functional Foods in Pakistan

Using comprehensive primary dataset collected from 400 respondents from all four major provinces of Pakistan, this study assesses consumers' knowledge, awareness, and perception regarding the use of functional foods. The empirical findings show that the majority of the consumers do not have information and knowledge about the functional foods in Pakistan. Hence, the frequency of consumption of functional food was low especially in rural areas. The result revealed that consumers with ill health were more eager to consume functional foods compared to healthier people. Besides health, the level of education and gender (female) of the respondent also play significant role in the acceptability and consumption of the functional foods in Pakistan. Geographically the people in the cities were more aware and willing to pay more for the functional foods as compared to people living in the villages. Majority of the consumers think that consumption of functional foods can help them to maintain good health, hence the policy makers' needs to create more awareness.
Phenotypic characteristics of Aeromonas species isolated from adult humans

The phenotypic characteristics of 89 Aeromonas strains, most of which had been isolated from feces, were examined. Eighty-two percent of the isolates could be placed into one of four groups on the basis of five tests. The relationship of these groups to the three motile species of Aeromonas (Aeromonas caviae, A. hydrophila, and A. sobria) that have been isolated from humans is unclear. Because the means for identification of Aeromonas strains to the species level appear to be imprecise and because the role of each of these species in human diarrhea is unclear at this time, we recommend that identification of enteric Aeromonas isolates to the species level not be done routinely.