Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Planning through information sharing across a supply chain

This paper presents a linear integer programming model to plan the production through information sharing across a supply chain. The advantage is that information sharing makes the whole supply chain globally visualized and yet decreasing in variability on the supply chain. Instead of individually plan for its own manufacturing, demand from all retailers are accumulated and then globally planned for all manufacturers. The objective function of the proposed model is to minimize the total costs involved. Numerical results verify that this model can be used to generate feasible and optimal plans across the supply chain.
Macroscopic growth process of information systems of enterprises in northeast old industrial base

This paper develops a general law of the growth process of information systems of enterprises in northeast old industrial base. Based on the classical study of Nolan, the paper collected related history data of information systems construction by means of an investigation of 267 enterprises in northeast old industrial base. Then, according to the growth rate of annual information systems expenditures, the information systems growth process of enterprises in northeast old industrial base is divided into five stages from the late 1970's to present, germination, initiation, diffusion, fast development, and harmonious development. At last the paper analyzes the characteristics of each stage and forecasts the development trend.
Speech Emotion Recognition Based on Parametric Filter and Fractal Dimension

In this paper, we propose a new method that employs two novel features, correlation density (Cd) and fractal dimension (Fd), to recognize emotional states contained in speech. The former feature obtained by a list of parametric filters reflects the broad frequency components and the fine structure of lower frequency components, contributed by unvoiced phones and voiced phones, respectively; the latter feature indicates the nonlinearity and self-similarity of a speech signal. Comparative experiments based on Hidden Markov Model and K Nearest Neighbor methods are carried out. The results show that Cd and Fd are much more closely related with emotional expression than the features commonly used. key words: speech emotion, parametric filter, correlation density, fractal dimension
Detection of Injury-Induced Vascular Remodeling by Targeting Activated &agr;vβ3 Integrin In Vivo

Background—The &agr;vβ3 integrin plays a critical role in cell proliferation and migration. We hypothesized that vascular cell proliferation, a hallmark of injury-induced remodeling, can be tracked by targeting &agr;vβ3 integrin expression in vivo. Methods and Results—RP748, a novel 111In-labeled &agr;vβ3-specific radiotracer, was evaluated for its cell-binding characteristics and ability to track injury-induced vascular proliferation in vivo. Three groups of experiments were performed. In cultured endothelial cells (ECs), TA145, a cy3-labeled homologue of RP748, localized to &agr;vβ3 at focal contacts. Activation of&agr;vβ3 by Mn 2+ led to increased EC binding of TA145. Left common carotid artery wire injury in apolipoprotein E−/− mice led to vascular wall expansion over a period of 4 weeks. RP748 (7.4 MBq) was injected into groups of 9 mice at 1, 3, or 4 weeks after left carotid injury, and carotids were harvested for autoradiography. Relative autographic intensity, defined as counts/pixel of the injured left carotid area divided by counts/pixel of the uninjured right carotid area, was higher at 1 and 3 weeks (1.8±0.1 and 1.9±0.2, respectively) and decreased significantly by 4 weeks after injury (1.4±0.1, P <0.05). Carotid &agr;v and β3 integrin expression was maximal at 1 week and decreased by 4 weeks after injury. The proliferation index, as determined by Ki67 staining, followed a temporal pattern similar to that of RP748 uptake. Dynamic gamma imaging demonstrated rapid renal clearance of RP748. Conclusions—RP748 has preferential binding to activated &agr;vβ3 integrin and can track the injury-induced vascular proliferative process in vivo.
Chapter 20 Metal-Based Therapeutics for Leishmaniasis

When we speak of metals in medicine, many of us still associate them almost unconsciously with toxic rather than curative effects. However, despite the known toxic effect of some metal ions in humans, many metal ions (in adequate dosages) are required for many critical functions in our organism. Scarcity of some of them even can lead to a disease. Well-known examples include anemia resulting from iron deficiency, growth retardation arising from insufficient zinc, and heart disease in children owing to copper deficiency.
Courtesy stigma--a focus group study of relatives of schizophrenia patients.

BACKGROUND Stigmatization of people with mental illness has been investigated in numerous studies. Little research, however, has been done to explore how relatives of people with schizophrenia perceive and experience stigmatization and how they can fight such stigmatization. METHOD Aiming to explore stigma from the perspective of relatives of people with schizophrenia, focus group interviews were conducted with 122 members of advocacy groups from different parts of Germany. Focus group sessions were tape- and video-recorded and transcribed. Transcripts were coded using an inductive method, generating categories (domains) from the material. RESULTS The analysis of focus group data shows that, contrary to previous research findings, discrimination and disadvantages encountered by relatives of schizophrenia patients reach far beyond the spheres of direct social interaction and access to social roles. Our study revealed two additional domains in which relatives encounter stigmatization: structural discrimination and public images of mental illness. Furthermore, psychiatry has been identified as one important source of stigma. Relatives also suggested numerous anti-stigma interventions. These can be grouped into five main categories: communication measures, support for the ill and their relatives, changes in mental health care, education and training, and control and supervision. DISCUSSION Based on our findings,ways of how relatives of schizophrenia patients and mental health professionals can fight against stigma are discussed.
A single blunt impact on cartilage promotes fibronectin fragmentation and upregulates cartilage degrading stromelysin‐1/matrix metalloproteinase‐3 in a bovine ex vivo model

Post‐traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) is characterized by progressive cartilage degeneration in injured joints. Since fibronectin‐fragments (Fn‐fs) degrade cartilage mainly through up‐regulating matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and pro‐inflammatory cytokines, we hypothesized that Fn‐fs play a key role in PTOA by promoting chondrolysis in and around injured cartilage. To test this hypothesis, we profiled the catabolic events focusing on fibronectin fragmentation and proteinase expression in bovine osteochondral explants following a single blunt impact on cartilage with a drop tower device which created partial‐thickness tissue damage. Injured and control explants were cultured for up to 14 days. The presence of Fn‐fs, MMPs (‐1, ‐3, ‐13), ADAMTS‐5 in culture media and in cartilage was determined with immunoblotting. The daily proteoglycan (PG) depletion of cartilage matrix was assessed with DMMB assay. The effect of explant‐conditioned media on chondrocytes was also examined with immunoblotting. Impacted cartilage released significantly higher amount of native Fn, three chondrolytic Fn‐fs and PG than non‐impacted controls did. Those increases coincided with up‐regulation of MMP‐3 both in culture media and in impacted cartilage. These findings support our hypothesis that PTOA may be propelled by Fn‐fs which act as catabolic mediators through up‐regulating cartilage‐damaging proteinases. © 2014 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 32:811–818, 2014.
The representation of cutaneous sense in the thalamus of the cat and monkey.

1. The electrical activity of single neural units in the thalamus of the cat and monkey has been investigated with unipolar electrodes of tip diameter 5–15 µ. The position of the electrode was always verified histologically; the great majority of the responses were recorded from the ventrolateral nuclear region. 2. The order of contralateral representation of tactile sense described by others has been confirmed, but it has been found, in addition, that a substantial anatomical overlap occurs between the regions for face, fore limb and hind limb, both in cat and monkey. 3. The thalamic representation of cutaneous sense in the hind limb has been studied in more detail, using a method by which the saphenous nerve could be stimulated and its compound action-potential recorded, and the resulting thalamic activity recorded simultaneously. The nerve was not cut, so that the response of any thalamic unit to cutaneous stimulation could also be observed. 4. Sixty-three thalamic units from the cat were studied by the method just described. They may be described as falling into three main groups: (a) Those responding to electrical stimulation of α β or χ saphenous fibres, the response being but rarely affected by further increasing the stimulus (81 per cent of the total units). Twenty per cent of the group responded to stimulating at a fibre threshold. The mean latency for the group was 22·7 msec. (knee to thalamus). The majority responded to bending hairs, a few to light touch not involving hairs, and a few to strong mechanical stimuli. (b) Those responding to stimulating saphenous δ fibres (17 per cent of the total units). The majority responded only to strong mechanical stimuli, and only one to bending hairs. The mean latency was 47·3 msec. (c) Those responding to stimulating saphenous C fibres when the larger fibres had been blocked by cooling the nerve. The latency (630 msec.) was only measured satisfactorily for one such unit, and no skin stimulus appropriate for the unit was found. Our failure to excite some of the units in each group by stimulating the skin is discussed, particularly in relation to the use of general anaesthesia. 5. In the cat's thalamus, no anatomical segregation could be detected amongst the different types of unit just described. 6. The main types of unit described above were also found in experiments on three monkeys, but this series was too small to justify quantitative assessment. 7. A substantial ipsilateral representation of the hind leg was found in the cat's thalamus, in a region anatomically indistinguishable from that for contralateral responses. The evidence suggested that units responding to hair movement were relatively more common in the contralateral than in the ipsilateral thalamus. Ipsilateral representation was also found to exist in the monkey's thalamus.
Index SES-verschillen in (gezonde) levensverwachting

Ondanks de goede toegankelijkheid van de medische zorg in Nederland, verschilt de gezondheid tussen mensen met een lage en een hoge maatschappelijke positie. Het RIVM stelt een gestandaardiseerde meetmethode (indicator) voor waarmee deze gezondheidsverschillen kunnen worden weergegeven. Op die manier kunnen de verschillen in de gaten worden gehouden en kan worden getoetst of beleidsmatige maatregelen om ze te verkleinen, zoals initiatieven in wijken, effect hebben. De voorgestelde indicator geeft het verschil in levensverwachting weer tussen de 20 procent Nederlanders die de laagste maatschappelijke positie innemen en degenen die tot de hoogste 20 procent behoren. De maatschappelijke positie (sociaal economische status, ofwel SES) wordt doorgaans ontleend aan het opleidingsniveau of inkomen van mensen. Gezondheid is een complex begrip en omvat diverse kenmerken, waardoor dit onderzoek zich niet wil beperken tot een indicator. Om het overzichtelijk te houden wordt wel een kernindicator voorgesteld. Deze gebruikt het eigen oordeel van mensen over hun gezondheid als maat voor gezondheid en het opleidingsniveau als maat voor SES. Om nog andere aspecten van de gezondheid te belichten wordt voorgesteld om ook alternatieve gezondheidsmaten te berekenen. Momenteel zijn gegevens beschikbaar over de levensverwachting zonder lichamelijke beperkingen. In de toekomst komen gegevens beschikbaar die meer in lijn zijn met wat internationaal wordt gebruikt. Het betreft de levensverwachting zonder (door ziekte veroorzaakte) beperking van activiteiten, zoals naar werk of school gaan, en de levensverwachting zonder chronische ziekten. Voorgesteld wordt om in de toekomst deze gezondheidsmaten toe te voegen.
First-principles study of diffusion of interstitial and vacancy in α U–Zr

Metallic uranium–zirconium alloys are of interest for a variety of fast reactor designs, and there is substantial experience with the behavior of metallic fuels. Yet, there remain a number of questions regarding the mechanisms controlling fission-gas-driven swelling in these alloys. Here we present results of ab initio calculations of the diffusion behavior of interstitial and vacancy point defects in α U–Zr alloys. The formation energy and migration barrier of vacancy and interstitial defects, and the influence of Zr on these values, is obtained and compared with experimental results. Our results confirm that self-diffusion in pure α U is via a simple vacancy mechanism, and shows anisotropic character. The calculated values of activation energy are consistent with the experimental results in the literature. For interstitial diffusion, the kick-out mechanism was found to have the smallest energy barrier. The calculations of point defects, and later Xe, in U–Zr alloys will provide a foundation for computational modeling of fission gas bubble nucleation and growth.
Progesterone binding in the mouse and rat uterus.

Progesterone—binding components in the uterine cytosol from the mouse and rat have been detected using sucrose—glycerol gradient analysis. The binding components in mouse uterine cytosol had sedimentation values of 4S and 6.5S and for the rat, values of 4S and 7S were determined. The binding components in both species were found to be specific for the uterus and to be protein in nature. The amount of binding was dependent upon the endocrine status of the animal. Castration destroyed the binding components, but they could be restored to intact levels following estrogen stimulation. Competition studies showed a high specificity for progesterone and that little of the progesterone binding was due to contamination by corticosteroid binding globulin (CBG). Equilibrium measurements have indicated a high affinity of the receptor—hormone interaction (Kd 10-8 – 10-9M) while kinetic measurements have revealed a very rapid dissociation of the receptor—hormone complex which could be stabilized somewhat by glycerol. T.
Localized watermarking: methodology and application to template mapping

The semiconductor industry has adopted the intellectual property (IP) business model as a dominant system-on-chip development platform. Since copyright fraud has been recognized as the most devastating obstruction to this model, a number of techniques for IP protection have been introduced. Most of them rely on a selection of a global solution to an optimization problem according to a unique user-specific digital signature. Although such techniques may provide convincing proof of authorship with little hardware overhead, they fail to protect design partitions, do not provide an easy procedure for watermark detection, and are not capable of detecting the watermark when the design or its part is augmented in another larger design. Since these demands are of the highest interest for the IP business, we introduce localized watermarking as an IP protection technique which enables these features while satisfying the demand for low-cost and transparency. We have applied the new watermarking technology to template mapping, a behavioral synthesis task. This watermarking method has been tested on a set of real-life benchmarks where high likelihood of authorship has been achieved with negligible overhead in solution quality.
Observer variation in assessment of quality of life in patients with oesophageal cancer

Quality of life (QOL) assessment may improve the evaluation of treatment for oesophageal cancer but patient compliance using self completion questionnaires is often poor. The use of a proxy to estimate QOL might improve data collection from patients who are either unable or unwilling to complete the questionnaire. This study examined whether a doctor or patients' carers could accurately assess QOL using the QLQ‐C30 questionnaire developed by the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Study Group on Quality of Life. One doctor, 52 patients and 39 carers completed the instrument independently. Proxy and patient ratings were analysed for agreement using weighted K scores. Agreement was poor or moderate in most QOL scales and items (κ ≤60). This study demonstrates that a carer or doctor is not sufficiently accurate to postulate the patient's responses to the questionnaire. Quality of life data, therefore, should come from the patients themselves.
Variation in marine benthic community composition allows discrimination of multiple stressors

Predicting how communities respond to multiple, potentially interacting chemical stressors is inherently difficult because community structure and dynamics, the chemical properties of contaminants, and biological-chemical interactions vary with environmental conditions. Using a field experiment conducted in Antarctica, we tested whether 3 phyla of benthic soft-sediment marine invertebrates—annelids, arthropods, and echinoderms —respond differently to 2 common forms of contamination, organic enrichment and toxic contamination. Based on life history strategies and physiological tolerances to contaminants, we hypothesized that the principal responses of the 3 phyla would be: (1) enhanced abundance of annelids in organically enrichment sediments and (2) decreased abundance of arthropods and echinoderms in toxic metal contamination. Sediment treatments were established in the field experiment with an orthogonal combination of 3 levels of total organic carbon (TOC; 0, 1, and 2% by weight) and copper (Cu; 0, 100, and 500 µg Cu g -1 sedi- ment), and colonization patterns were observed after 1 yr. Densities of annelids (mainly polychaetes) increased with TOC across all levels of Cu. Arthropods and echinoderms decreased with Cu, but responded variably to TOC, based largely on differences in habitat preferences exhibited by epifau- nal and infaunal species. Small subsurface arthropod species (amphipods, isopods, cumaceans, and ostracods) decreased in high organic loading, due to induction of and exposure to hypoxia and hydro- gen sulfide, but large surface deposit-feeding echinoderms (asteroids and echinoids) responded positively to increased carbon food supply. We present a predictive model based on assessment of benthic community structure conducted at the taxonomic level of phyla that could be used to link cause and effect for multiple chemical stressors in marine ecosystems.
The anatomy of business failure: A qualitative account of its implications for future business success

The aim of the present study is to contribute to the empirical literature on the consequences of Business Failure (BF), resorting to qualitative methods in order to better understand the aftermath of BF. Semi-structured interviews were used in order to collect data, which were later transcribed and analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Evidence gathered based on the experience of six entrepreneurs (three from the north of Europe and three from the south) showed that previous failure impacted individuals strongly. Such an impact appears to be shaped by the individual’s experience and age, and their perception of blame for the failure. However, for these particular individuals, it does not seem to be affected by the size of the project or the amount of financial loss. An array of moderator costs was identified, ranging from antecedents to institutions that were present in the individual’s lives. The outcomes are directly relatable to the failed experience by the individual. It was also found that the failure had a significant effect on the individual’s career path.
Restriction of Nonpermissive RUNX3 Protein Expression in T Lymphocytes by the Kozak Sequence

The transcription factor Runx3 promotes differentiation of naive CD4+ T cells into type-1 effector T (TH1) cells at the expense of TH2. TH1 cells as well as CD8+ T cells express a subset-specific Runx3 transcript from a distal promoter, which is necessary for high protein expression. However, all T cell subsets, including naive CD4+ T cells and TH2 cells, express a distinct transcript of Runx3 that is derived from a proximal promoter and that produces functional protein in neurons. Therefore, accumulation of RUNX3 protein generated from the proximal transcript needs to be repressed at the posttranscriptional level to preserve CD4+ T cell capability of differentiating into TH2 cells. In this article, we show that expression of RUNX3 protein from the proximal Runx3 transcript is blocked at the level of translational initiation in T cells. A coding sequence for the proximal Runx3 mRNA is preceded by a nonoptimal context sequence for translational initiation, known as the Kozak sequence, and thus generates protein at low efficiencies and with multiple alternative translational initiations. Editing the endogenous initiation context to an “optimal” Kozak sequence in a human T cell line resulted in enhanced translation of a single RUNX3 protein derived from the proximal transcript. Furthermore, RUNX3 protein represses transcription from the proximal promoter in T cells. These results suggest that nonpermissive expression of RUNX3 protein is restricted at the translational level, and that the repression is further enforced by a transcriptional regulation for maintenance of diverse developmental plasticity of T cells for different effector subsets.
Fibronectin-stimulated signaling from a focal adhesion kinase-c-Src complex: involvement of the Grb2, p130cas, and Nck adaptor proteins

The focal adhesion kinase (FAK), a protein-tyrosine kinase (PTK), associates with integrin receptors and is activated by cell binding to extracellular matrix proteins, such as fibronectin (FN). FAK autophosphorylation at Tyr-397 promotes Src homology 2 (SH2) domain binding of Src family PTKs, and c-Src phosphorylation of FAK at Tyr-925 creates an SH2 binding site for the Grb2 SH2-SH3 adaptor protein. FN-stimulated Grb2 binding to FAK may facilitate intracellular signaling to targets such as ERK2-mitogen-activated protein kinase. We examined FN-stimulated signaling to ERK2 and found that ERK2 activation was reduced 10-fold in Src- fibroblasts, compared to that of Src- fibroblasts stably reexpressing wild-type c-Src. FN-stimulated FAK phosphotyrosine (P.Tyr) and Grb2 binding to FAK were reduced, whereas the tyrosine phosphorylation of another signaling protein, p130cas, was not detected in the Src- cells. Stable expression of residues 1 to 298 of Src (Src 1-298, which encompass the SH3 and SH2 domains of c-Src) in the Src- cells blocked Grb2 binding to FAK; but surprisingly, Src 1-298 expression also resulted in elevated p130cas P.Tyr levels and a two- to threefold increase in FN-stimulated ERK2 activity compared to levels in Src- cells. Src 1-298 bound to both FAK and p130cas and promoted FAK association with p130cas in vivo. FAK was observed to phosphorylate p130cas in vitro and could thus phosphorylate p130cas upon FN stimulation of the Src 1-298-expressing cells. FAK-induced phosphorylation of p130cas in the Src 1-298 cells promoted the SH2 domain-dependent binding of the Nck adaptor protein to p130cas, which may facilitate signaling to ERK2. These results show that there are additional FN-stimulated pathways to ERK2 that do not involve Grb2 binding to FAK.