Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Redesigning Consumer Dispute Resolution: A Case Study of the British and American Approaches to Insurance Claims Conflict

Much of insurance law and regulation is concerned with compensating consumers who have been wrongly denied coverage. But policyholders nonetheless have relatively few realistic options for challenging an insurer's adverse coverage determination. Litigation is often too slow and costly for those who have recently suffered significant financial loss. Meanwhile, the alternative dispute resolution (ADR) options that do exist-such as the conciliation services that insurance regulators offer or the existing variants of insurance arbitration-are generally either ineffective or unavailable for most disputes. This Article proposes a new way forward by looking to the United Kingdom's innovative Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), which operates parallel to the British financial services regulator and is devoted solely to resolving consumer financial disputes. The comparative success of the FOS, the Article argues, is attributable primarily to the ways in which it blends elements of the individual, uncoordinated insurance ADR schemes that are used in the United States. As such, this Article concludes that American lawmakers can significantly improve insurance compensation by strategically rethinking the institutional architecture of insurance dispute resolution. It also suggests that the British FOS may offer a model for improving consumer dispute resolution in realms beyond insurance.
Effect of catecholamines on the hyperpolarization‐activated cationic Ih and the inwardly rectifying potassium IKir currents in the rat substantia nigra pars compacta

Whole‐cell ruptured‐patch and perforated‐patch recordings were used in principal neurons of the rat substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) to study the effect of catecholamines both on the hyperpolarization‐activated cationic (Ih) and the inwardly rectifying potassium (IKir) currents. In internal potassium, a 2 min bath application of noradrenaline (NA; 50 μm) or dopamine (DA; 50 μm) both inhibited Ih and induced an outward current associated with an increase in IKir conductance. These two effects recovered poorly after wash‐out. Protein kinase A (PKA), protein kinase C (PKC) and phosphatases 1 and 2A inhibitors did not modify the NA and DA effects on the amplitude of Ih and IKir currents. They also had no effect on the recovery of the catecholamine responses. In perforated‐patch experiments, NA and DA also induced an inhibition of Ih and revealed an outward current associated with an increase in conductance. However, both effects recovered in less than 5 min following the wash‐out. These results indicate that neither PKA, PKC, nor phosphatases 1 or 2A were required in the NA and DA modulation of these two currents and that an intracellular factor, that could be either washed‐out or inversely up‐regulated in the ruptured‐patch configuration, was implicated in the recovery of both effects. In the presence of external barium (300 μm) or internal caesium which both blocked the outward current and the increase in conductance, neither NA nor DA affected Ih, suggesting that the effect on Ih observed is secondary to the activation of the IKir channels. Increasing chloride conductance of the cell by activation of GABAA receptors also induced an inhibition of Ih. All together these results suggest that the NA or DA induced inhibition of Ih could result from an occlusion of Ih by a space‐clamp effect.
Threshold Selector With High Selectivity and Steep Slope for Cross-Point Memory Array

In this letter, we demonstrated a new type of threshold selector with excellent electrical characteristics for cross-point memory array. The proposed Ag/TiO2-based threshold selector device showed high selectivity (~107) and steep slope (<;5 mV/decade). The observed threshold switching in programmable metallization cell device occurred due to the spontaneous rupturing of silver (Ag) filament. The Ag ionization to minimize the steric repulsion between Ag and surrounding TiO2 electrolyte was the main origin of the spontaneous rupture.
Clinical image. Glanders disease of the liver and spleen: CT evaluation.

Glanders disease is an infectious disease that has been recognized since Ancient Greece. It infects primarily horses, mules, and donkeys, and transmission to humans requires ingestion or inhalation of the organism or inoculation through broken skin (1). The sine qua non of glanders infection is a purulent oropharyngeal mucositis and widespread abscesses involving multiple organs, most notably the lungs, liver, and spleen (1). Because untreated human glanders is almost uniformly lethal and CT appearance of hepatic and splenic involvement can mimic echinococcal or amebic infection, a high index of suspicion is essential. Although the incidence of this disease has significantly decreased since the replacement of the horse by the automobile as the primary means of transportation, it is still endemic in the Middle and Far East. Sporadic cases, mainly in veterinarians and others who come in close contact with horses, have been reported in the Western world.
'The metabolism of tumours': 70 years later.

Otto Warburg's classic treatise on the reprogramming of tumour metabolism from oxidative to glycolytic metabolism was published in London in 1930. Although the Warburg effect is one of the most universal characteristics of solid tumours, the molecular basis for this phenomenon has only recently been elucidated by studies indicating that increased expression of genes encoding glucose transporters and glycolytic enzymes in tumour cells is mediated by the transcription factors c-MYC and HIF-1. Whereas c-myc is a direct target for oncogenic mutations, expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) is indirectly up-regulated via gain-of-function mutations in oncogenes and loss-of-function mutations in tumour suppressor genes that result increased HIF-1alpha protein expression and/or increased HIF-1 transcriptional activity in a cell-type-specific manner. As a result of genetic alterations and intratumoral hypoxia, HIF-1alpha is overexpressed in the majority of common human cancers relative to the surrounding normal tissue. In human breast cancer and brain tumours, HIF-1alpha overexpression is strongly correlated with tumour grade and vascularity.
Wireless UWB Aircraft Cabin Communication System

The use of wireless communication on board passenger aircraft enhances cabin layout flexibility. However, the system needs to be very reliable. In this work a concept for including wireless components in the cabin management network is developed. The deployment of ultra-wideband (UWB) technology in the aircraft is analysed. Specific characteristics are investigated and solutions developed. An automatic resource management for the ultra-wideband technology is proposed, which uses a linear optimisation program to calculate the positioning of the wireless access points and the resource allocation. During operation a distributed algorithm monitors the resources and recalculates the distribution when the situation inside the cabin changes. To support mobility the existing protocols MIPv6 and FMIPv6 are analysed and enhanced to handle redundancy of the network architecture.
Aging, Alzheimer's disease, and the cholinergic system of the basal forebrain

All giant neurons of the medial basal forebrain stained for choline acetyltransferase (ChAT). Cell numbers declined from 400,000 to 475,000 in young controls to approximately 140,000 in elderly controls. Five senile dementia cases had counts ranging from 45,000 to 100,000 cells. ChAT levels in control frontal cortex decreased from 1.2 μmol/hr/100 mg protein at age 40 to 0.5 at age 95. Five senile dementia cases had levels ranging from 0.04 to 0.30. When the cholinergic cell count in the basal forebrain drops below about 100,000 cells, the level of cortical ChAT may be so low that clinical dementia appears.
Group personnel relationship analysis based on social networks

Nowadays, there is a little account of research which focuses on the theory and application of directed networks in the complex networks area. In this paper, a directed network model which describes the group personnel relationship is set up and simulated. Firstly, by analyzing the main workflow and the intercommunion way in the group, a directed network model which describes the group personnel relationship is set up. Then, with an e-mail directed network and a telephone directed network constructed, and by using the dyad method, an empirical social network model which correctly describes the group personnel relationship is set up. Finally, a simulation test is done. By comparing the group personnel relationship model and the empirical model, the simulation results in according with the empirical findings quit well.
Stream-based Active Learning in the Presence of Label Noise

Mislabelling is a critical problem for stream-based active learning methods because it not only impacts the classification accuracy but also deviates the active learner from querying informative data. Dealing with label noise is omitted by most existing active learning methods. We address this issue and propose an efficient method to identify and mitigate mislabelling errors for active learning in the streaming setting. We first propose a mislabelling likelihood measure to characterize the potentially mislabelled instances. This measure is based on the degree of disagreement among the predicted and the queried class label (given by the labeller). Then, we derive a measure of informativeness that expresses how much the label of an instance needs to be corrected by an expert labeller. Specifically, an instance is worth relabelling if it shows highly conflicting information among the predicted and the queried labels. We show that filtering instances with a high mislabelling likelihood and correcting only the filtered instances with a high conflicting information greatly improves the performances of the active learner. Experiments on several real world data prove the effectiveness of the proposed method in terms of filtering efficiency and classification accuracy of the stream-based active learner.
Primary traction converter for multi-system locomotives

This paper presents research motivated by industrial demand for special traction drive topology devoted to minimization of traction transformer weight against topology with classical 50 Hz traction transformer. The main attention has been given to the special traction drive topology for AC power systems: input high voltage trolley converter (single phase) - middle frequency transformer (single phase) - output converter (single phase voltage-source active rectifier + three phase voltage-source inverter) - traction motor. The proposed converter control algorithm of innovative traction topology with middle-frequency transformer has been described in detail. The theoretical conclusions and simulation results are compared with experimental measurements on laboratory model with rated power of 4 kVA.
ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES OF DIFFERENT FRUIT SEEDS AND PEELS

The objective of the investigations performed was to assess the antioxidant properties of the seeds and peels of selected fruits. The antioxidant activity as well as total polyphenol and tannin content were determined. The results obtained revealed essential diversities of the analysed parameters among the material examined. The peels were char- acterized by higher ability to scavenge free radicals and higher polyphenols concentration than the seeds, particularly those of citrus fruits imported to Poland. The highest antioxi- dant activity was observed in the peels of the Sampion cultivar of apples and white grapes, and in the seeds of the Idared cultivar apples and oranges. Tannins play a mean- ingful role as antioxidants in grape, apple and goosberry fruits. The peels and seeds of various fruits, which are waste products in fruit and vegetable industry, may be a potential source of antioxidants.
Secure OLSR

Mobile ad hoc networks (MANET) is a new networking paradigm for wireless hosts. Because of infrastructureless, self-organization, dynamic topology and openness of wireless links, the routing security problem in MANET is more seriously than in wired networks. Optimized link state routing (OLSR) (T. Clausen et al., 2003) is proposed by IETF's MANET Group at 2003. In OLSR, neighbor detection is not invulnerable when two bad nodes perform wormhole attack. Furthermore, OLSR's security cannot simply rely on IPSec, because OLSR's packets are often broadcasted and IPsec provides end-to-end security. In this paper, we propose a solution to secure OLSR, which apply the wormhole detective mechanism and authentication to strengthen the neighbor relationship establishment, and use hash-chain and digital signature to protect the routing packets.
Tumor necrosis factor alpha induces three-dimensional cytomorphologic differentiation of human anaplastic thyroid carcinoma cells through activation of nuclear factor kappaB.

BACKGROUND Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma is almost uniformly fatal. Microvilli are an important three-dimensional (3-D) cytomorphologic feature of thyrocyte differentiation, because fewer microvilli are seen in less differentiated tumors. Differentiation therapies, such as retinoic acid and somatostatin, have been tested previously in experimental models of differentiated thyroid carcinoma but not in anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. The objective of this study was to determine whether tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) is capable of inducing 3-D cytomorphologic differentiation of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma cells, and, if so, to investigate the mechanism involved. METHODS Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma cells were treated with TNF-alpha and examined for evidence of cytomorphologic differentiation using electron microscopy. To study the mechanism of differentiation, immunoblotting was used to analyze inhibitory kappaB (I-kappaB) proteins and electrophoretic mobility shift assays to analyze nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation. The effect of NF-kappaB SN50, a NF-kappaB translocation inhibitor, on cytomorphologic changes induced in anaplastic thyroid carcinoma cells by TNF-alpha also was studied. In addition, levels of thyroglobulin and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) secreted into the culture medium were measured. RESULTS The results showed that TNF-alpha can induce activation of NF-kappaB and that the activation and translocation of NF-kappaB into the nucleus is responsible for promoting the 3-D cytomorphologic differentiation of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma cells, which was inhibited by the NF-kappaB translocation inhibitor, NF-kappaB SN50. TNF-alpha also induced increased thyroglobulin secretion and reduced VEGF secretion by anaplastic tumor cells. CONCLUSIONS The current data suggest that TNF-alpha can induce thyrocyte differentiation in anaplastic thyroid carcinoma cells through NF-kappaB and that it merits investigation as differentiation therapy for the treatment of patients with anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. The authors also found that microvilli were useful markers for studying thyrocyte differentiation in anaplastic thyroid carcinoma cells.
Parameters affecting productivity in the lipase-catalysed synthesis of sucrose palmitate

The industrial application of lipases for the synthesis of sucrose esters is usually limited by its low productivity, as we need a medium where a polar reagent (the sugar) and a non-polar fatty acid donor are soluble and able to react in the presence of the biocatalyst. In this work, we have studied the problems encountered when trying to increase the volumetric productivity of sucrose esters. The synthesis of sucrose palmitate was performed in 2-methyl-2-butanol:dimethylsulfoxide mixtures by transesterification of different palmitic acid donors with sucrose, catalysed by the immobilized lipase from Candida antarctica B (Novozym 435). A protocol for substrate preparation different from that previously reported was found to improve the reaction rate. Several parameters, such as sucrose and acyl donor loadings, the percentage of DMSO in the mixture and the nature of acyl donor, were investigated. Under the best experimental conditions (15% DMSO, 0.1 mol l−1 sucrose, 0.3 mol l−1 vinyl palmitate), a maximum of 45 g l−1 sucrose palmitate was obtained in 120 h. Using methyl or ethyl palmitate, the highest productivity was 7.3 g l−1 in 120 h using 20% DMSO with 0.2 mol l−1 sucrose and 0.6 mol l−1 acyl donor. The formation of free fatty acid, and the effect of the percentage of DMSO on the monoester/diester selectivity were also studied. To our knowledge, this is the first report on enzymatic synthesis of sucrose esters of long fatty acids using alkyl esters as acyl donors.
Involvement of Renal Sympathetic Nerve Overactivation in the Progression of Chronic Kidney Disease in Rats

Abstract: Time-dependent changes in the renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) in the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) have not been investigated, despite the fact that renal sympathetic nervous system is augmented in the condition of CKD. In the present study, we examined time-dependent changes in RSNA and renal venous norepinephrine concentrations for 12 weeks using 5 of 6 nephrectomized CKD rats. Both RSNA and norepinephrine concentrations were increased during the early phase in the progression of CKD. Urinary protein excretion and systolic blood pressure (SBP) were gradually increased during 12 weeks after 5 of 6 nephrectomy. Treatment with &ggr;-aminobutyric acid or the combination of prazosin and propranolol in the early phase (0–4 weeks) after 5 of 6 nephrectomy significantly attenuated the increases in urinary protein excretion and SBP in 5 of 6 nephrectomized rats. On the other hand, the same treatment in the late phase (8–12 weeks) after 5 of 6 nephrectomy failed to suppress the proteinuria and increase in SBP. Treatment with hydralazine at hypotensive dose for 12 weeks also failed to affect the proteinuria in 5 of 6 nephrectomized CKD rats. In conclusion, the augmentation of renal sympathetic nervous system in early phase after 5 of 6 nephrectomy is closely related to the development of partial ablation-induced CKD in rats.
Power system stabilizers in variable speed wind farms

Synchronous generators in a power system exhibit rotor oscillations around their nominal steady state rotational speed. Conventional power system stabilizers have limited damping capability of inter-area mode of oscillations, when the frequencies lie beyond their bandwidth. Variable speed wind generators, with fast real and reactive power regulation capabilities, are being integrated into power systems. This paper investigates different power system stabilizer designs and damping strategies suitable for variable speed wind farm applications. Based on damping applications with Flexible AC Transmission System (FACTS) and HVDC, the paper investigates how power system stabilizer functions can be integrated into the wind farm controller and their effectiveness. Testing scenarios include different locations of wind farm.
Benefits of combined active stereo vision and haptic telepresence

This paper presents the theoretical background and the implementation of a real-time interactive stereo vision system including vergence control. The vision system enables human operators to actively observe a remote real environment and allows high-fidelity visual sensing, useful in multimodal telepresence and teleaction tasks. The use of Internet protocol (IP) communication technology facilitates the application of the system in most wide area communication infrastructures. Evaluation experiments demonstrate the benefits of interactive stereo vision with respect to improved human task performance.
Trans-Aconitic Acid in Range Grasses in Early Spring

trans-Aconitate ion, an inhibitor of the tricarboxylic acid cycle, was identified in range grasses as trans-aconitic acid, which was isolated in crystalline form. It occurs in surprisingly high concentrations in early-season forage grasses. Dry-weight concentrations of trans-aconitate vary with season and species; concentrations of between I and 2.5 percent are common in mixed pasture grasses, but are higher in certain species such as Hordeum leporinum (3.5 percent) and Phalaris tuberosa var. stenoptera (4.2 percent). Leaves of western larkspur (Delphinium hesperium) contain 12.2 percent trans-aconitate. trans-Aconitate may be partially responsible for nutritional disorders, such as grass tetany (hypomagnesemia), that occur in grazing cattle in early spring.
Security issues and concerns with the Internet

Draws its topicality and relevance from the fact that not only is the Internet widely publicized in all the media but also there are many stories regarding problems with its security. Provides a primer on the history, terminology, tools and common uses of the Internet. Identifies the most prevalent threats to security posed by using the Internet and discusses some of the traditional and emerging approaches to ensuring the security and integrity of data on the Internet.
Attitudes to oral care among caregivers in Japanese nursing homes.

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study is to investigate oral care practice and awareness of it among caregivers in Japanese nursing homes. METHODS Caregivers were surveyed by means of a self-administered questionnaire designed to elicit the following information: awareness of oral care, its importance, the burden involved in oral care, and systematization of oral care. RESULTS The results showed that most caregivers are adequately informed of the importance of oral care, but are inadequately educated in oral care and have little training in systematic oral care. CONCLUSION The importance of providing appropriate and systematic oral care training must be stressed among caregivers along with the need to develop equipment to simplify and support oral care.
Complement‐induced procoagulant alteration of red blood cell membranes with microvesicle formation in paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria (PNH): implication for thrombogenesis in PNH

Complement‐induced procoagulant alteration of red blood cell (RBC) membranes in paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria (PNH) was examined. Microvesicles, deficient in acetylcholinesterase, were generated and released from PNH RBC upon complement activation. The microvesicles generated from complement‐activated PNH RBC accelerated factor Xa‐dependent plasma coagulation more than those generated from RBC by the treatment with ionophore A23187. When assessed by factor Xa‐catalysed prothrombin activation, complement activation enhanced procoagulant properties of both normal and PNH RBC similarly, although PNH RBC were lysed but normal RBC were not. This enhancement of factor Xa‐dependent prothrombinase activity of complement‐activated RBC was inhibited by the treatment of the RBC with annexin V, a protein with binding affinity for anionic phospholipids especially for phosphatidylserine (PS). Neither the enhanced procoagulant properties of RBC nor apparent RBC population with annexin V‐binding affinity were demonstrated before complement activation in any of the four PNH patients studied. PS‐externalized PNH RBC and microvesicles may contribute to the removal of PNH RBC from the circulation. We conclude that although PNH RBC do not constantly exhibit enhanced procoagulant properties in vivo, complement activation induces a procoagulant alteration of RBC membranes with microvesicle formation, potentially contributing to the thrombogenesis in PNH.
Dementia, parkinsonism, and motor neuron disease: Neurochemical and neuropathological correlates

The neurochemical Marchkers for the major neurotransmitter systems were measured in the brain of a patient who died with a dementia‐parkinsonism‐motor neuron disease (DPMN) syndrome complex. Moderate neuronal loss in the substantia nigra, spongiform changes in the frontal cortex, and moderate anterior horn cell loss throughout the spinal cord were observed. A severe nigrostriatal dopamine deficiency provides the basis for the observed parkinsonian features. The dementia is unexplained.