Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SIMULATION-BASED METHODOLOGY FOR PREDICTING FOOTBALL MATCH OUTCOMES CONSIDERING EXPERTS' OPINIONS: THE 2010 AND 2014 FOOTBALL WORLD CUP CASES

In this paper we propose a simulation-based method for predicting the 2010 and 2014Football World Cup. Adopting a bayesian perspective, we modeled the number of goals of two opposing teams as a Poisson distribution whose mean is proportional to the relative technical level of opponents. FIFA ratings were taken as the measure of technical level of teams and experts' opinions about scores of matches were taken to construct prior distribution of parameters. Just before each round, tournament simulations were performed in order to estimate probabilities of events of main interest for audience and bettors such as qualifying to the knockout stage, reaching semi-finals, reaching the final match, winningthe tournament, among others.
Replication and segregation of plasmids containing cis-acting regulatory sites of silent mating-type genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae are controlled by the SIR genes

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, two cis-acting regulatory sites called E and I flank the silent mating-type gene, HMRa, and mediate SIR-dependent transcriptional repression of the a1-a2 promoters. It has been shown previously that the E and I sites have plasmid replicator (ARS) activity. We show in this report that the ARS activity of the E and I sites is governed by the SIR genotype of the cell. In wild-type cells, a plasmid carrying the E site from HMRa (HMR E) in the vector YIp5 exhibited very high mitotic stability at a copy number of approximately 25 per cell. However, in sir2, sir3, or sir4 mutants, plasmids with HMR E had the low mitotic stability characteristic of plasmids containing ARS1, a SIR-independent replicator. Elevated mitotic stability of plasmids that carry HMR E is due to a segregation mechanism provided by SIR and HMR E. In sir2 and sir4 mutants, the plasmid copy number was significantly lowered, suggesting that these gene products also participate in the replication of plasmids carrying HMR E. The phenotype of point mutations introduced at an 11-base-pair ARS consensus sequence present at HMR E indicated that this sequence is functional but not absolutely required for autonomous replication of the plasmid and that it is not required for SIR-dependent mitotic stabilization. A plasmid carrying both a centromere and HMR E exhibited reduced mitotic stability in wild-type cells. This destabilization appeared to be due to antagonism between the segregation functions provided by the centromere and by HMR E.
On the Key Generation Rate of Physically Unclonable Functions

In this paper, an algebraic binning based coding scheme and its associated achievable rate for key generation using physically unclonable functions (PUFs) is determined. This achievable rate is shown to be optimal under the generated-secret (GS) model for PUFs. Furthermore, a polar code based polynomial-time encoding and decoding scheme that achieves this rate is also presented.
Suicide attempts in major affective disorder patients with comorbid substance use disorders.

BACKGROUND The widely accepted impression that substance abuse and dependence are associated with increased suicidal risk was evaluated by literature review and with new data. METHOD Previous research on this association was reviewed, and clinical data on suicide attempts and substance use in 504 mood disorder patients hospitalized in 4 psychiatric units in Sardinia affiliated with the Italian mental health system were analyzed. RESULTS The literature supports associations of alcohol and drug use comorbidity with major affective disorders, and of some substances (polyabuse, alcohol, heroin, cocaine, and even tobacco, but perhaps not marijuana or hallucinogens) with suicidal behavior. Our new findings generally supported these 2-way associations. Suicidal risks were similar in hospitalized men and women but were associated with bipolar II, bipolar I (mainly mixed), and unipolar depressive disorders as well as substance abuse, with little effect of type of agent. Substance abuse was more common in nonmixed bipolar disorders, men, and age below 30. CONCLUSION The tendency for bipolar I, mainly nonmixed patients, to have a relatively high risk of substance abuse and low risk of suicide attempts indicates that mainly depressive or dysphoric (bipolar II, nonbipolar, and bipolar I, mainly mixed) mood disorders may be especially lethal. Differences in risks of substance abuse and suicidal behavior in men and in bipolar I patients further suggest that substance abuse and mood disorders may contribute to suicidal risk with at least partial independence or additivity.
Multiple House Dust Mite Allergen- Sensitization Profiles in Children with Allergic Asthma

Background: Allergic asthma is a common chronic inflammatory disorder which affects populations, with increasing prevalence among children. The risk of developing asthma is uncertain but depends on the interaction of environmental and genetic factors. The role of house dust mite (HDM) allergen exposure in the development of sensitization and asthma remains unclear. Objective: This study determined the sensitization profiles of common HDM species in a population of asthmatic children, which is essential in the development of highly specific and accurate diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for asthma in children. Methods: The immunoglobulin E-binding activity of allergens from the HDM species Blomia tropicalis (Bt), Dermatophagoides farina (Df), and Dermatopahagoides pteronyssinus (Dp) were determined in 250 age- and sexmatched paediatric allergic asthma and non-atopic Filipino subjects using Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and western blot analysis. Results: Majority of the allergic asthma patients tested were sensitized with multiple allergens from different HDM species where 33% exhibited sensitizations to any two HDM species and 26% were sensitized with allergens from three HDMs. HDM allergens of different molecular weights bind to IgE in allergic asthma patients tested. In addition a significant correlation was observed between total IgE and HDM-specific IgE level among allergic asthma patients (Bt p-value=0.038; Df p-value=0.045; Dp p-value=0.003), suggesting a significant contribution of dust mite allergens in the up-regulation of total serum IgE levels of allergic asthma patients. Conclusion: The results obtained in this study suggest that the HDM species Bt, Dp, and Df are important sources of allergens that trigger multiple sensitization in children with allergic asthma in the Filipino population. The incorporation of Bt, Dp, and Df allergens in the panel of diagnostic allergens for HDM allergy and allergic asthma is highly recommended.
Alterations in Regional Brain Catecholamine Concentrations After Experimental Brain Injury in the Rat

Abstract: Although activation of brain catecholaminergic systems has been implicated in the cerebrovascular and metabolic changes during subarachnoid hemorrhage, cerebral ischemia, cortical ablation, and cortical freeze lesions, little is known of the response of regional brain catecholamine systems to traumatic brain injury. The present study was designed to characterize the temporal changes in concentrations of norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA), and epinephrine (E) in discrete brain regions following experimental fluid‐percussion traumatic brain injury in rats. Anesthetized rats were subjected to fluid‐percussion brain injury of moderate severity (2.2–2.3 atm) and killed at 1 h, 6 h, 24 h, 1 week, and 2 weeks postinjury (n = 6 per timepoint). Control animals (surgery and anesthesia without injury) were killed at identical timepoints (n = 6 per timepoint). Tissue concentrations of NE, DA, and E were evaluated using HPLC. Following brain injury, an acute decrease was observed in DA concentrations in the injured cortex (p < 0.05) at 1 h postinjury, which persisted up to 2 weeks postinjury. Striatal concentrations of DA were significantly increased (p < 0.05) only at 6 h postinjury. Hypothalamic concentrations of DA and NE increased significantly beginning at 1 h postinjury (p < 0.05 and p < 0.05, respectively) and persisted up to 24 h for DA (p < 0.05) and 1 week (p < 0.05) for NE. These data suggest that acute alterations occur in regional concentrations of brain catecholamines following brain trauma, which may persist for prolonged periods postinjury.
Specific interaction of glutamate with membranes from cultured retinal pigment epithelium

Excitatory amino acids (EAA) have been shown to induce phagocytosis in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. In order to explore if this action is receptor‐mediated, we have identified and characterized receptors for L‐glutamate through the binding of [3H]L‐glutamate to membranes from chick RPE cells in primary culture. Specific binding was found saturable, with KB = 333nM and Bmax = 3.2 pmol/mg protein in frozen/thawed membranes. Na+‐independent binding was present in cultures of 16 and 25 days in vitro, and was not affected by temperature. Pharmacological profile of analogues of EAA at different receptor types suggests the presence of a metabotropic type receptor (L‐glutamate > S‐2‐amino‐3‐phosphonopropionate > 2‐amino‐4‐phosphonobutyrate = trans‐(1S,3R)‐1‐aminocyclopentane‐1,3‐dicarboxylate > quisqualate). Excitatory amino acid analogues acting at the NMDA‐receptor also displaced bound L‐glutamate, and a noticeable stimulation of specific binding of this ligand by glycine was shown; this effect was mimicked by D‐serine and 1‐hydroxy‐3‐aminopyrrolidone‐2 (HA‐966) but not by 7‐chlorokynurenate, and was not inhibited by strychnine. Since taurine and GABA also increased specific binding, it is likely that modulation of EAA receptors in RPE differs from that in neurons. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Prepositional Phrase Attachment over Word Embedding Products

We present a low-rank multi-linear model for the task of solving prepositional phrase attachment ambiguity (PP task). Our model exploits tensor products of word embeddings, capturing all possible conjunctions of latent embeddings. Our results on a wide range of datasets and task settings show that tensor products are the best compositional operation and that a relatively simple multi-linear model that uses only word embeddings of lexical features can outperform more complex non-linear architectures that exploit the same information. Our proposed model gives the current best reported performance on an out-of-domain evaluation and performs competively on out-of-domain dependency parsing datasets.
Noise analysis of a BJT-based charge pump for low-noise PLL applications

Noise of the charge pump degrades the in-band phase noise of charge pump phase-locked loop (CPPLL). This paper analyzes the noise mechanism of a bipolar junction transistor based charge pump and validates the analysis through simulation, providing necessary insight into the design of low-noise charge pump for CPPLL-based frequency synthesizers. A simple model for bipolar transistor noise is utilized to carry out the noise analysis. The scaling effects of the duty cycle and the rise/fall time of the input signals on the charge pump noise are also analyzed in detail. The analysis reveals that increased charge pump current reduces the PLL phase noise and that a trade-off exists between the area and the noise of the charge pump.
Relationship between heart rate variability and cognitive function during threat of shock

Abstract The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between resting heart rate variability (HRV) and cognitive functions during threat of shock. A Continuous Performance Task and a Working Memory Task were used to measure cognitive functions. Sixty-five male participants from the Royal Norwegian Navy participated. HRV was measured during baseline, test conditions and recovery. Participants were randomly assigned into non-threat and threat groups. Based on the median split of the high frequency (HF) spectral power, groups were divided into two additional groups. Overall, the high HRV participants showed superior performance on cognitive tasks independent of non-threat or threat conditions. During threat condition the low HRV group showed improved performance. Thus, individuals with high HRV were more stress tolerant and resilient in the face of environmental changes. The results from the study might have implications with regard to performance in operational settings, but also for other fields of psychological research such as individual differences, anxiety and coping.
Laparoscopic versus conventional appendectomy.

OBJECTIVE The goal of this study was to prospectively define the impact of laparoscopy on the management of patients with a presumed diagnosis of appendicitis. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA While the role of laparoscopy in the management of cholelithiasis is well established, its impact on the management of acute appendicitis needs to be objectively defined and compared to that of conventional management. Several authors have predicted that laparoscopic appendectomy will become the preferred treatment for appendicitis. METHODS Two groups of consecutive patients with similar clinical characteristics of acute appendicitis were compared. Data on the laparoscopic group were compiled prospectively on standardized forms; data on the conventional group were collected retrospectively. Operative time, hospital stay, analgesia, cost, and return to normal activities were noted. RESULTS Seventeen consecutive patients who underwent appendectomy were compared to 18 consecutive patients who underwent laparoscopy (16 of these 18 had laparoscopic appendectomy). There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of clinical characteristics and appendiceal histopathology. The mean operative times were 61 +/- 4.1 minutes and 46 +/- 2.9 minutes for the laparoscopy and conventional groups, respectively (p < 0.01). Hospital stay was significantly shorter in the laparoscopic appendectomy group, with 81% of patients being discharged on their first postoperative day (p < 0.001). The laparoscopic appendectomy patients required significantly less narcotic analgesia (p < 0.02). Return to normal activity was not significantly different between the two groups. The average total cost of laparoscopic appendectomy was 30% greater than that of conventional appendectomy. CONCLUSIONS Laparoscopy is a useful adjunct to the management of patients with a presumed clinical diagnosis of acute appendicitis.
Polysilicon MEMS fatigue and fracture characterization via on chip testing.

In order to characterize the fatigue behaviour and determine the fracture energy of polysilicon used in micro-systems, an on-chip testing device has been designed and fabricated. The experimental set-up is able to continuously measure the elastic stiffness decrease and therefore to evidence fatigue of polysilicon 15-μm thick films and to allow for the introduction of a sharp crack at the notch of the tested specimen. A fracture test can be carried out, and, by combining experimental data and numerical simulations in the context of linear elastic fracture mechanics, an estimate of fracture energy can be obtained. In the paper it is also shown that numerical, cohesive approaches taking into account for the polycrystalline morphology can adopt the obtained fracture energy data in order to reproduce the experimental crack path.
Development and Investigation on Segmented-Stator Hybrid-Excitation Switched Reluctance Machines With Different Rotor Pole Numbers

In order to improve the performances of switched reluctance machines (SRMs), such as torque production and power density, combining segmented structure and hybrid-excitation is a proper and useful method. This paper develops a kind of segmented-stator hybrid-excitation SRMs (SS-HESRMs) assisted with permanent magnets (PMs) and investigates on them with different rotor pole numbers. To evaluate the effects of different rotor topologies, the static magnetic characteristics and dynamic performances of two SS-HESRMs with 12/10 and 12/8 poles are briefly presented. Moreover, both SS-HESRMs are compared with two segmented-stator SRMs (SS-SRMs) which have the same basic structure and stator/rotor pole combinations but without PMs. The results reveal that SS-HESRMs produce higher electromagnetic torque than SS-SRMs with the same stator/rotor pole configuration. The 12/10 SS-HESRM exhibits better characteristics, such as higher dynamic average torque, lower torque ripple, and higher power/torque density, than the 12/8 SS-HESRM at low-speed operation. While at high speed, the 12/8 SS-HESRM exhibits better characteristics than 12/10 SS-HESRM. The 12/10 SS-HESRM has stronger starting capability but lower steady-state speed under the same starting condition. Finally, a 12/10 SS-HESRM and a 12/8 SS-HESRM with the same structure and size are prototyped and tested to confirm the predictions.
Fasciocutaneous Island Flap Based on the Medial Plantar Artery: Clinical Applications for Leg, Ankle, and Forefoot

Soft-tissue deficits over the plantar forefoot, plantar heel, tendo calcaneus, and lower leg are often impossible to cover with a simple skin graft. The previously developed medial plantar fasciocutaneous island flap has been adapted to cover soft-tissue defects over these areas. This fasciocutaneous flap based on the medial plantar neuro-vascular bundle is capable of providing sensate and structurally similar local tissue. Application of this fasciocutaneous island flap is demonstrated in 12 clinical cases. Successful soft-tissue cover was achieved on the plantar calcaneus (four patients), tendo calcaneus (four patients), lower leg (two patients), and plantar forefoot (two patients). Follow-up ranged from 6 months to 5 years. All flaps were viable at follow-up. Protective sensation was present in 11 of 12 flaps evaluated at 6 months. In addition, all 11 patients were able to ambulate in normal footwear. The medial plantar island flap seems to be more durable than a skin graft, and the donor site on the non-weight-bearing instep is well tolerated. This study demonstrates that the medial plantar fasciocutaneous island flap should be considered as another valuable tool in reconstructive efforts directed at the plantar forefoot, plantar heel, posterior ankle, and lower leg.
Adicción a los videojuegos en línea: tratamiento mediante el programa PIPATIC

El desarrollo de las Tecnologias de la Informacion y la Comunicacion (TIC) ha propiciado investigaciones sobre la adiccion a Internet, a los videojuegos y telefonos moviles y su tratamiento. El objetivo del presente estudio es presentar la aplicacion de un programa de tratamiento psicoterapeutico para la adiccion a las TIC (PIPATIC) y la evaluacion de su efectividad en un estudio de caso unico de un paciente con trastorno dual: Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) y trastorno obsesivo-compulsivo (TOC). Los resultados son alentadores y muestran cambios positivos: reduccion significativa del tiempo dedicado a los juegos, aumento del autocontrol y reduccion de la sintomatologia general y de los sintomas relacionados con el TOC.
Ultra thinning down to 4-µm using 300-mm wafer proven by 40-nm node 2Gb DRAM for 3D multi-stack WOW applications

An ultra-thinning down to 4-μm using 300-mm wafer proven by 40-nm Node 2Gb DRAM has been developed for the first time. Three different types of thinning process including coarse grinding, fine grinding, and stress relief were optimized and an atomic level vacancy less than 10-nm in depth at backside of wafer was formed successively. Thickness uniformity even after thinning down to 4-μm was approximately 1-μm within 300-mm wafer. No degradation in terms of retention characteristics and distribution employing 2Gb DRAM wafer was found after ultra-thinning. This suggests that no damage occurred due to thinning processes including wafer bonding and debonding steps. These results indicate good feasibility for multi-stack Wafer-on-Wafer (WOW) processes with the lowest aspect ratio of TSVs and parasitic capacitance, and enable multi-stacking for Tera-scale high density memory.
Distribución lateral de velocidades en cauces naturales

En este trabajo se presentan los resultados de la aplicacion de dos modelos para la prediccion de la distribucion lateral de velocidades en cinco casos de cauces naturales. Los modelos considerados son el Metodo del Canal Dividido (DCM) a traves de su implementacion en el programa HEC-RAS, y el Metodo de la Distribucion Lateral (LDM) a traves de la solucion analitica propuesta por Shiono y Knight. Los casos analizados corresponden a cinco secciones ubicadas sobre diversos rios: el rio Severn en Montford (UK), y las estaciones de medicion Eldorado y Puerto Libertad sobre el Alto rio Parana, el rio de La Suela, en la provincia de Cordoba, y el rio Colorado en Buta Ranquil (Neuquen), todas estas en la Republica Argentina. Se presentan los valores ajustados de los parametros de los modelos, haciendo hincapie en la interpretacion fisica de los mismos. Se compara el desempeno de los modelos aplicados, y se analizan sus ventajas y desventajas relativas. Se concluye que, a pesar de que el modelo SKM es matematicamente mas complejo, la ganancia obtenida para estimar la distribucion lateral de velocidades en cauces naturales es lo suficientemente significativa como para recomendar su utilizacion.
Pseudomonas toxin pyocyanin triggers autophagy: Implications for pathoadaptive mutations

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas aeruginosa can establish life-long chronic infection in patients with cystic fibrosis by generating genetic loss-of-function mutations, which enhance fitness of the bacterium in the airways. However, the precise role of the pathoadaptive mutations in persistence in chronic airways infection remains largely unknown. Here we demonstrate that pyocyanin, a well-described P. aeruginosa virulence factor that plays an important role in the initial infection, promotes autophagy in bronchial epithelial cells. Disruption of phzM, which is required for pyocyanin biosynthesis, leads to a significant reduction in autophagy in Beas-2B cells and lung tissues. Pyocyanin-induced autophagy is mediated by the EIF2AK4/GCN2-EIF2S1/eIF2α-ATF4 pathway. Interestingly, rats infected with the phzMΔ mutant strain have high mortality rate and numbers of colony-forming units, compared to those infected with wild-type (WT) P. aeruginosa PA14 strain, during chronic P. aeruginosa infection. In addition, the phzMΔ mutant strain induces more extensive alveolar wall thickening than the WT strain in the pulmonary airways of rats. As autophagy plays an essential role in suppressing bacterial burden, our findings provide a detailed understanding of why reduction of pyocyanin production in P. aeruginosa in chronic airways infections has been associated with better host adaptation and worse outcomes in cystic fibrosis.
Dual role for p75NTR signaling in survival and cell death: Can intracellular mediators provide an explanation?

Several recent reports support a dual role of p75NTR in cell death, as well as survival, depending on the physiological or developmental stage of the cells. Coexpression of the TrkA receptor with p75NTR further enhances the complexity of nerve growth factor (NGF) signaling. Recent identification of serine/threonine kinases that interact with the p75NTR provides an explanation for the lack of an apparent kinase domain needed for signaling. In this report, we review the possible roles of the intracellular proteins that directly interact with the p75NTR, atypical protein kinase C (PKC) binding protein, p62 and second messengers in the functional antagonism exhibited by TrkA and p75NTR with an emphasis on the nuclear factor‐kappa B activation pathway. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.