Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Metaphors in User-Interfaces Design

Ever since the release of the first graphical user-interface, user-interfaces of the modern age are full of metaphors. They help us get a better grasp of the user-interface, how we can interact with it and what it can help us achieve. With the rising of ubiquitous computing and each user owning more than one devices, it is crucial to design in a fashion that is easy to understand even for people with less knowledge about technology. Metaphors exploits the person’s prior knowledge of a source domain in order to use it into a different target domain. In user-interfaces, designers use the user’s prior knowledge in order to make the interface easier to understand and more enjoyable. This paper analyses literature behind user-interface metaphors. Aim of this research is to find out how metaphors help users understand the user-interface, and how to use metaphors efficiently in designing interfaces. The paper investigates the common terms that relate to interface metaphors and how metaphors from other fields relate to it. Some tips and suggestions from papers on metaphors have been collected on how to design with metaphors. Questions regarding the usage of metaphors in interface design and future research have been asked.
Visual discomfort induced by adjustment of convergence distance in stereoscopic video

More and more stereoscopic film makers have begun to use fully integrated 3D camcorders. These 3D camcorders provide a stable shooting style and enable easy adjustment of the convergence point. In this paper, we analyzed the visual discomfort induced by adjustment of the convergence point in a video scene. We captured outdoor and indoor scenes and conducted a subjective assessment to investigate the degree of visual discomfort caused by the adjustment and the level of difficulty to recognize the variation of depth induced by the adjustment. As results of the subjective assessment, we observed that human eyes could be easily affected by sudden change of convergence point. But slowly gradual variation of convergence point will bring only little visual discomfort and it is really difficult for people to recognize the variation of depth even with rapid adjustment.
A Classical Moment-Based Inference Framework with Bayesian Properties: Econometric Theory and Simulation Evidence from Asset Pricing

Dynamic, empirical, consumption-based asset pricing and other areas have been a challenge to existing inference theories. The main contribution of this dissertation is to define and develop an inference approach to tackle this challenge. We call it the ESP approach, as it is based on the empirical saddlepoint (ESP) technique. The idea is to provide a moment-based framework that generates point estimates, confidence regions and tests that rely more on the information in the sample at hand and less on asymptotic limits. The result is an inference approach that provides a unique answer to multiple theoretical and practical concerns faced by existing inference approaches. Three main steps have been undertaken to reach this objective. A first step is to put the ESP technique into a general mathematical framework autonomous from standard classical inference. We prove that there exists an intensity distribution of solutions to the empirical moments over the parameter space. Then, we use the ESP technique to approximate this intensity distribution. We call the result the ESP intensity. We prove that it is consistent and asymptotically normal, that is to say that it converges to a point mass at the population parameter like a Gaussian distribution with a standard deviation that goes to zero at rate square root of the sample size. These results are robust to the presence of multiple solutions to the moment conditions (non-identification), as long as their number is finite. A second step is the development of a decision-theoretic approach within the ESP inference framework. In other words, we propose to choose a loss function according to an inference purpose, and then make the inference decision that minimizes the expected loss. Minimization of expected loss is the optimal answer to the estimated uncertainty that comes from inference, as maximization of expected utility by a consumer is optimal in microeconomic theory. However, a decision-theoretic approach is generally impossible or delicate within existing classical inference theory (e.g., p.4-5 in Lehmann and Casella, 1998), so that only asymptotic optimality results are typically obtained. For a large class of loss functions, we provide ESP point estimate, confidence region, and prove that they are consistent. Simulations of a consumption-based asset pricing model suggest that ESP point estimates and confidence regions perform similarly to, or clearly outperform, the best existing moment-based inference approaches. A third step develops tests within the ESP framework. In standard classical inference theory, tests usually correspond to confidence regions. Similar tests can be defined in the ESP framework. As an example, we provide a test of over-restricting moment conditions in this spirit. However, we also propose
Release of 3H-5-hydroxytryptamine from isolated rabbit aorta.

The main aim of the present investigation was to study systematically the passive and stimulation-evoked release of 3H-5-hydroxytryptamine (3H-5-HT) from rabbit isolated aorta. This was accomplished by preloading rings of aorta with 3H-5-HT (10(-6)M) and then monitoring by fractional collection the basal 3H-outflow and stimulation-evoked 3H-overflow. The basal 3H-outflow from aorta preloaded with 10(-6)M of either 3H-5-HT or (-)-3H-noradrenaline (3H-NA) leveled off about 100 min. after the onset of wash-out and remained almost constant thereafter (100-240 min.). The basal 3H-outflow from tissue preloaded with 3H-5-HT was almost 3-fold higher (70-240 min.) than that seen after preloading with 3H-NA. Cocaine (3 x 10(-5)M) did not alter the basal 3H-outflow (15-240 min.) from tissue preloaded with 3H-5-HT, while pargyline (5 x 10(-4)M) decreased it by about 66% (100-240 min.). Electrical-field stimulation (S1-S7, 200 mA, 600 pulses, 0.5 msec., 3 Hz) were applied to the tissue. The initial stimulation-evoked 3H-overflow from aorta preloaded with 3H-5-HT was higher than the subsequent ones (S1-S7; 100, 35, 35, 35, 35, 37, and 40%). Similar results to these were obtained with tissues preloaded with 3H-NA. The stimulation (S1-S7; 200 mA). 600 pulses, 0.5 msec, 3 Hz)-evoked 3H-overflow increased in an apparent linear manner with the amount of current used (50-200 mA). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Occupational asthma and rhinitis due to Western red cedar (Thuja plicate), with special reference to bronchial reactivity

Gandevia, B. , and Milne, J. (1970). Brit. J. industr. Med.,27, 235-244. Occupational asthma and rhinitis due to Western red cedar (Thuja plicata), with special reference to bronchial reactivity. With the increasing use of Western, or Canadian, red cedar (Thuja plicata) in the timber industry, a distinctive respiratory syndrome of rhinitis and asthma has been observed with increasing frequency in clinical and industrial practice. Six cases of asthma and four of rhinitis are described in some detail; the onset of symptoms some hours after exposure, the nocturnal predominance of symptoms, especially of cough, and their persistence for days or weeks after cessation of exposure may conspire to make diagnosis difficult if the occupational hazard is not appreciated. Both immediate and late skin reactions to extracts of Western red cedar were mild or absent, and serum precipitins were absent in the two cases in which they were sought. Positive bronchial reactions, reflected in serial estimations of ventilatory capacity, occurred in response to provocative inhalations of extracts of the cedar dust, commonly at four to six hours and at night, rarely within the first hour. In some instances, a single provocative exposure to the nebulized extract over 90 seconds was shown to produce exacerbations of asthma for two or three successive nights, with normal or reduced ventilatory capacity during the intervening days. Regularly recurring asthma after an isolated exposure has not previously been documented, and is perhaps of fundamental importance to the understanding of non-occupational asthma. Bronchial reactions were not observed to house dust extract, to which patients consistently showed dermal sensitivity. Symptoms subsided gradually when exposure was avoided, but there was considerable individual variation as to how much exposure could be tolerated without relapse; symptomatic therapy, with or without specific hyposensitization, did not adequately control the symptoms.
Association of Comorbidities With Home Care Service Utilization of Patients With Heart Failure While Receiving Telehealth

Background:Comorbidities adversely impact heart failure (HF) outcomes. Telehealth can assist healthcare providers, especially nurses, in guiding their patients to follow the HF regimen. However, factors, including comorbidity patterns, that act in combination with telehealth to reduce home care nursing utilization are still unclear. Purpose:The purpose of this article was to examine the association of the comorbidity characteristics of HF patients with nursing utilization along with withdrawal from telehealth service during an episode of tele–home care. Methodology:A descriptive, correlational study design using retrospective chart review was used. The sample comprised Medicare patients admitted to a New England home care agency who had HF as a diagnosis and had used telehealth from 2008 to 2010. The electronic documentation at the home care agency served as the data source, which included Outcome and Assessment Information Set data of patients with HF. Logistic and multiple regression analyses were used to analyze data. Results:The sample consisted of 403 participants, of whom 70% were older than 75 years, 55% were female, and 94% were white. Comorbidities averaged 5.19 (SD, 1.92), ranging from 1 to 11, and nearly 40% of the participants had 5 or more comorbidities. The mean (SD) nursing contacts in the sample was 9.9 (4.7), ranging from 1 to 26, and 52 (12.7%) patients withdrew from telehealth service. For patients with HF on telehealth, comorbidity characteristics of anemia, anxiety, musculoskeletal, and depression were significantly associated with nursing utilization patterns, and renal failure, cancer, and depression comorbidities were significantly associated with withdrawal from telehealth service. Clinical Implications:Knowledge of the association of comorbidity characteristics with the home care service utilization patterns of patients with HF on telehealth can assist the home health nurse to develop a tailored care plan that attains optimal patient outcomes. Knowledge of such associations would also focus home care resources, avoiding redundancy of resource utilization in this era of strained healthcare resources.
The role of cigarette smoking in prostatic enlargement.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the association between cigarette smoking and sex hormone concentrations in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and thus provide some understanding of the underlying mechanism of the effects of cigarette smoking on prostatic enlargement. PATIENTS AND METHODS The association between cigarette smoking and prostatic volume was investigated in 68 men with BPH (mean age 59 years, range 52-74) by assessing changes in serum levels of oestradiol, testosterone, dihydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and dihydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEA-S). Possible enzymatic mechanisms in the prostate gland that might be affected by cigarette smoking were assessed. RESULTS The mean prostate volume was greater in non-smokers than smokers. Current cigarette smokers had significantly higher mean serum oestradiol levels than did the non-smokers (33.8 and 26.7 pg/mL, respectively, P < 0.01). Cigarette smoking was inversely but not significantly related to testosterone level. These differences persisted after adjusting for body mass index. There was no significant difference in serum DHEA and DHEA-S levels between smokers and non-smokers. There was a weak correlation between the degree of prostatic enlargement, the presence of obstructive symptoms and urinary flow rates. CONCLUSION These results indicate that cigarette smoking may affect the size of the enlarging prostate, but through indirect effects of smoking on factors provoking the development of BPH.
Short‐ and long‐latency muscarinic inhibition of noradrenaline release from rabbit atria induced by vagal stimulation.

1. The influence of the time interval between vagal and sympathetic nerve stimuli on the magnitude of muscarinic inhibition of noradrenaline release was studied in the isolated perfused rabbit atria preparation. The transmitter stores were labelled with [14C]choline and [3H]noradrenaline. 2. The right cardiac postganglionic sympathetic nerves were stimulated at 3 Hz for 3 min three times at intervals of 10 min. The [3H]noradrenaline outflow evoked by the second stimulation equalled the averaged means of the log values of amine outflows evoked by the first and third stimulations. 3. During the second sympathetic stimulation the right vagus nerve was stimulated (3 Hz, 3 min) in such a way that the impulses preceded the sympathetic stimuli by a fixed time interval varying within the range 0.3‐283 ms. Outflow of [3H]noradrenaline was then compared with the individual ‘expected value’ calculated from the first and the third nerve stimulations. 4. [3H]Noradrenaline outflow was significantly decreased when the sympathetic impulses were delayed for between 3 and 10 ms or between 200 and 283 ms with respect to the vagus impulses. No significant inhibition of [3H]noradrenaline outflow occurred with delay times between 0.3 and 1.7 or 30 and 167 ms. Acetylcholine release was unaffected by varying the impulse delay time. 5. Atropine (1‐300 nM) decreased and eventually abolished vagally mediated inhibition of [3H]noradrenaline outflow at both the 3 and 233 ms impulse delay periods and the evoked outflow of [14C]choline and [14C]acetylcholine was then approximately doubled. No enhancement of [3H]noradrenaline outflow was observed at an intermediate impulse delay time (100 ms) in the presence of atropine. 6. In the presence of (+)‐tubocurarine (10 microM) [3H]noradrenaline outflow was unaffected by vagal stimulation at either the short or the long impulse delay time whereas that of [14C]choline and [14C]acetylcholine dropped to 3.4% (short) and 4.6% (long) of the control values. 7. Allowing for estimated conduction times in the vagal and sympathetic nerve pathways, the initial peak of muscarinic inhibition of noradrenaline release corresponds with excitation of the terminal cholinergic fibres occurring 20 ms before their adrenergic counterparts. A 'silent period’ follows and then a second phase of muscarinic presynaptic inhibition occurs, peaking 250 ms after excitation of the cholinergic nerve terminals and levelling off completely within 100 ms. 8. It is concluded that both inhibitory peak responses are caused by a single volley of acetylcholine that affects two separate populations of muscarinic receptors. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Fluxo difusivo de fósforo em função de doses e da umidade do solo

The main phosphorus transport mechanism in the soil is diffusion, which is influenced by several soil factors, such as volumetric water content, phosphorus-colloid interaction, distance between source and roots, content and temperature. The effects of the soil water content and phosphorus doses on the diffusion flow into soil were assessed in samples from the superficial layers of five soils. The treatments were arranged in a 5 x 8 x 5 factorial design corresponding, respectively, to five soils, eight moisture levels and five phosphorus doses. A completely randomized block design with four replications was used. The experimental unit was a PVC ring with a volume of 360 cm3, which acted as a diffusion chamber. Anionic exchange resin slides (IONICS 204UZRA) were utilized to assess the phosphorus diffusion flow. Results indicated that the diffusion flow was influenced by phosphorus doses and moisture content.
A Study of the Subjective Expectation Model of Real Estate Price Fluctuation Employing Two-person Game Theory

In the real estate market, the demanding of customers vary as their price expectations change. Conversely, changes in the needs of customers affect the price of real estate. This research proposes a model for expected alterations in real estate prices by analyzing variations using two-person game theory. The research also provides evidence for a psychological quantitative study of customer expectation.
Reduction of carrier depletion in p/sup +/ polysilicon gates using laser thermal processing

A novel laser thermal processing (LTP) technique was used to fabricate p/sup +/-gated MOS capacitors with ultrathin gate oxides. It is found that the introduction of LTP prior to the gate activation anneal increases the carrier concentration at the poly-Si gate/gate oxide interface substantially, as compared to rapid thermal anneal (RTA) alone. Thus, LTP readily reduces the poly-depletion effect in p/sup +/-poly-Si gates. This is achieved without observable gate oxide degradation or boron penetration. Secondary ion mass spectrometry analyzes show that the boron concentration near the gate/gate oxide interface increases significantly after the post-LTP anneal. A possible mechanism for this increase in carrier concentration is the diffusion of boron atoms toward the gate oxide by a complex process known as explosive crystallization.
A Novel Low-Voltage / High-Current ZCS-PWM DC- DC Converter with Asymmetrical Auxiliary Edge-Resonant Lossless Snubber

A novel zero current soft-swithing PWM half-bridge DC-DC converter topology is proposed in this paper. The newly proposed converter consists of a PWM-controlled half-bridge inverter and a current doubler rectifier linked with a high- frequency transformer. In order to attain the wide range of soft switching operation in the high voltage/low current primary side inverter, asymmetrical lossless snubbers composed by an actively-switched capacitor and lossless inductors are employed in the half-bridge arm, providing zero current switching (ZCS) that is less sensitive to the magnitude of the input current. The operation characteristics of the proposed DC-DC converter are described, and its feasibility is demonstrated with simulation and experimental results.
Classification of rhabdomyosarcomas and related sarcomas. Pathologic aspects and proposal for a new classification‐an intergroup rhabdomyosarcoma study

Background. There is a need to develop a single prognostically significant classification of rhabdomyosarcomas (RMS) and other related tumors of children, adolescents, and young adults which would be a current guide for their diagnosis, allow valid comparison of outcomes between protocols carried out anywhere in the world, and should enhance recognition of prognostic subsets.
Understanding evaluation practice within the context of social investment

Social impact investing is the use of private investment to fund social programs in various public welfare sectors. It is currently unclear which evaluative practices are used to determine the impact of social investment. This study describes how impact investments are evaluated and the factors that help explain variations in practice through survey (N = 161) and interview (N = 13) data from investors, intermediaries, entrepreneurs, and analysts. Study findings indicate that analysts typically rely on descriptive quantitative and qualitative data and analyses. Analysts’ background, training, and role; perceptions of the goals of the work; and the complexity of a program’s theory influence their evaluation approach. More nuanced or indirect impacts of investments may not be captured because evaluation activities tend to be limited in scope and scale. Future research should explore the work of those directly responsible for impact activities to better understand the conditions under which more sophisticated evaluation approaches might be employed.
The active enhancer network operated by liganded RXR supports angiogenic activity in macrophages

Here, Nagy and colleagues use genome-wide approaches to uncover the activity of RXR, an enigmatic member of the nuclear receptor superfamily. RXR signaling is predicted to have a major impact in macrophages, but neither the biological consequence nor the genomic basis of its ligand activation is known. Integrating RNA-seq, ChIP-seq, GRO-seq, and 3C-seq, the authors unravel the mechanism of RXR-induced transcriptional events in mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages. Importantly, this study uncovers a novel biological activity—angiogenesis—that is promoted by the receptor.
Phagocytosis-Coupled Activation of the Superoxide-Producing Phagocyte Oxidase, a Member of the NADPH Oxidase (Nox) Family

The phagocyte nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase plays a crucial role in host defense by neutrophils and macrophages. When cells ingest invading microbes, this enzyme becomes activated to reduce molecular oxygen to superoxide, a precursor of microbicidal oxidants, in the phagosome. The catalytic core of the oxidase is membrane-bound cytochrome b558, which comprises gp91phox and p22phox. gp91phox belongs to the NADPH oxidase (Nox) family, which contains the entire electron-transporting apparatus from NADPH to molecular oxygen. In resting neutrophils, cytochrome b558 is mainly present in the membrane of the specific granule, an intracellular component, and is targeted to the phagosomal membrane during phagocytosis. Activation of gp91phox involves the integrated function of cytoplasmic proteins such as p47phox, p67phox, p40phox, and the small guanosine triphosphatase Rac; these proteins translocate to the phagosomal membrane to interact with cytochrome b558, leading to superoxide production. Here we describe a current molecular model for phagocytosis-coupled activation of the NADPH oxidase.
Effect of food enzymes on AME and composition of digesta from broiler chickens fed on diets containing non-starch polysaccharides isolated from lupin kernel

1. The effects of lupin non-starch polysaccharides (NSPs) on apparent metabolisable energy (AME) and composition of digesta from broiler chickens were examined in a dose-response experiment in conjunction with a single combination of 2 commercial enzyme products known from previous studies to partially depolymerise NSPs in diets containing sorghum, casein and lupin kernel. The 7-d experiment was conducted on broiler chickens (24 to 31 d of age) in metabolism cages. 2. The basal diet used in this study contained (in g/kg) sorghum (low tannin) 800, casein 134, celite 20 and vitamins and minerals 46. The inclusion rate for each enzyme product was 0.2 g/kg. Lupin kernel isolate (containing 560 g/kg total NSPs) replaced some of the sorghum and casein. The dose rates of lupin kernel isolate (50, 100 and 150 g/kg) were equivalent to dietary inclusion rates of 80, 160 and 240 g/kg, approximately, of untreated lupin kernel from Lupinus angustifolius cultivar Gungurru. 3. Inclusion of lupin kernel isolate in the diet depressed AME and bird performance, and raised ileal viscosity and excreta moisture, in a dose-dependent manner. 4. A combination of 2 proprietary enzyme products improved dietary AME by 0.3 MJ/kg dry matter. Enzymes reduced excreta moisture when inclusion of lupin kernel isolate was 50 g/kg (equivalent to lupin kernel at 80 g/kg, approximately) but not at higher inclusions. 5. Food enzymes partially depolymerised some insoluble NSPs in lupin kernel isolate, which increased ileal viscosity and soluble NSP content of digesta. 6. It was concluded that development of appropriate exogenous enzyme products could lead to lupin NSPs being used as an energy source for poultry.