Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors on coronary artery disease as assessed by electron-beam computed tomography.

BACKGROUND Angiographic studies of the regression of coronary artery disease are invasive and costly, and they permit only limited assessment of changes in the extent of atherosclerotic disease. Electron-beam computed tomography (CT) is noninvasive and inexpensive. The entire coronary-artery tree can be studied during a single imaging session, and the volume of coronary calcification as quantified with this technique correlates closely with the total burden of atherosclerotic plaque. METHODS We conducted a retrospective study of 149 patients (61 percent men and 39 percent women; age range, 32 to 75 years) with no history of coronary artery disease who were referred by their primary care physicians for screening electron-beam CT. All patients underwent base-line scanning and follow-up assessment after a minimum of 12 months (range, 12 to 15), and a volumetric calcium score was calculated as an estimate of the total burden of plaque. Treatment with 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors was begun at the discretion of the referring physician. Serial measurements of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol were obtained, and the change in the calcium-volume score was correlated with average LDL cholesterol levels. RESULTS One hundred five patients (70 percent) received treatment with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, and 44 patients (30 percent) did not. At follow-up, a net reduction in the calcium-volume score was observed only in the 65 treated patients whose final LDL cholesterol levels were less than 120 mg per deciliter (3.10 mmol per liter) (mean [+/-SD] change in the score, -7+/-23 percent; P=0.01). Untreated patients had an average LDL cholesterol level of at least 120 mg per deciliter and at the time of follow-up had a significant net increase in mean calcium-volume score (mean change, +52+/-36 percent; P<0.001). The 40 treated patients who had average LDL cholesterol levels of at least 120 mg per deciliter had a measurable increase in mean calcium-volume score (25+/-22 percent, P<0.001), although it was smaller than the increase in the untreated patients. CONCLUSIONS The extent to which the volume of atherosclerotic plaque decreased, stabilized, or increased was directly related to treatment with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors and the resulting serum LDL cholesterol levels. These changes can be determined noninvasively by electron-beam CT and quantified with use of a calcium-volume score.
Changes in gene expression in the permissive larval host lightbrown apple moth (Epiphyas postvittana, Tortricidae) in response to EppoNPV (Baculoviridae) infection

Host cell and virus gene expression were measured five days after per os inoculation of 3rd instar lightbrown apple moth (LBAM) larvae with the Epiphyas postvittana nucleopolyhedrovirus (EppoNPV). Microarray analysis identified 84 insect genes that were up‐regulated and 18 genes that were down‐regulated in virus‐infected larvae compared with uninfected larvae. From the 134 viral open reading frames represented on the microarray, 81 genes showed strong expression. Of the 38 functionally identifiable regulated insect genes, 23 coded for proteins that have roles in one of five processes; regulation of transcription and translation, induction of apoptosis, and maintenance of both juvenility and actin cytoskeletal integrity. Of the 34 functionally identifiable viral genes that were most strongly expressed, 12 had functions associated with these five processes, as did a further seven viral genes which were expressed at slightly lower levels. A survey of the LBAM‐expressed sequence tag library identified further genes involved in these processes. In total, 135 insect genes and 38 viral genes were analysed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Twenty‐one insect genes were strongly up‐regulated and 31 genes strongly down‐regulated. All 38 viral genes examined were highly expressed. These data suggest that induction of apoptosis and regulation of juvenility are the major ‘battlegrounds’ between virus and insect, with the majority of changes observed representing viral control of insect gene expression. Transcription and translational effects seem to be exerted largely through modulation of mRNA and protein degradation. Examples of attempts by the insect to repel the infection via changes in gene expression within these same processes were, however, also noted. The data also showed the extent to which viral transcription dominated in the infected insects at five days post inoculation.
Do External Knowledge Sourcing Modes Matter for Service Innovation? Empirical Evidence from South Korean Service Firms

To source external knowledge, firms in the service area use various sourcing modes simultaneously suitable for their internal needs or external environments. Each external knowledge sourcing mode has distinctive characteristics, and as such, they can offer different advantages and/or disadvantages to the firms. Thus, the effects of external knowledge sourcing on service innovation may vary depending on the sourcing modes. The current study aims to empirically examine the different effects of various external knowledge sourcing modes on service innovation. The study identifies three external knowledge sourcing modes: joint development, technology purchasing, and external information acquisition. Three hypotheses are established to examine the relationships between the extent of utilizing each mode and service innovation performance in terms of new service introduction. The data for analysis are selected from the “Korean Innovation Survey 2006: Service Sector” (KIS 2006). It is regarded as South Korea’s version of the Community Innovation Survey (CIS). The KIS 2006 data set covers joint development, technology purchasing, and external information acquisition activities of corporations in the service sector in South Korea. The study empirically analyzes the data set using a negative binomial regression model. The results first demonstrate that the extent of the joint development has an inverted U-shaped relationship with the service innovation performance. Second, the results indicate that, on the other hand, service innovation performance decreases with the increase to the extent of the technology purchasing when the extent is below the threshold. On the other hand, it increases with the increase to the extent of the technology purchasing; this occurs when the extent exceeds the threshold. Third, the results show that external information acquisition has a positive effect on service innovation performance. These findings support that the extent of utilizing each mode has different relationships with service innovation performance. The findings suggest that service firms need to utilize joint development at a moderate level, active technology purchasing, and as much external information acquisition as possible to maximize service innovation performance. In practice, this finding can help managers of service firms select appropriate external knowledge sourcing modes and determine the optimum level of use for each mode. This study also can help firms build up strategies for external knowledge sourcing.
User experience in HMI: an enhanced assessment model

In recent years, User Experience has become increasingly recognized as an important and determinant factor in the design, development and evaluation in HumanComputer Interaction and Human-Machine Interaction. There are many user experience models reported in the literature to reflect this recognition. However, the industrial interpretation of the term user experience is largely based on traditional User-Centred Design methods and generally does not make a clear distinction of user experience from the perspective of user-centred design and usability. In reality, user experience is still often considered as a synonym of usability and usercentred design. In this paper, we briefly discuss important user experience models reported in the literature in the light of user experience and usability. Based on our analysis, we propose an enhanced usability model that can be used for user experience assessment in human-machine interaction. We also present the results of a pilot study to validate our proposed model and the instrument employed.
Mechanisms for Quota Aware Video Adaptation

1.1. 1 Two Conflicting Trends Two recent and conflicting trends in Internet applications motivate the discussion in this work: video traffic becoming dominant, and usage-based pricing becoming prevalent. Video traffic becoming dominant: Video consumption is on the rise. For example, Cisco predicts that 70% of all mobile traffic will be from video alone by 2016 [1]. Likewise, wireline traffic is also dominated by video, with NetFlix ac-
Controversies in Science Coevolution in Rhizobium-Legume Symbiosis ?

Legume nodules, specialized structures for nitrogen fixation, are probably the result of coevolution of plants and ancestral rhizobia. Among the evolutionary processes leading to legume radiation and divergence, coevolution with rhizobia might have occurred. Alternatively, bacteria could have been constantly selected by plants, with bacteria slightly influencing plant evolution (required to fulfill the criteria for a coevolutionary hypothesis). Evidence of bacterial effects on plant evolution is scarce but being searched for. Bacterial genetic plasticity may be indicative of the large capacity of Rhizobium to adapt to legumes. Events such as symbiotic replacement, easy recruitment of symbiotic bacteria by legume plants, and lateral transfer of symbiotic genes seem to erase the coevolutionary or selected relationships in rhizobial-legume symbiosis. In particular, the hypotheses proposed are (1) Rhizobium replaced Bradyrhizobium in a few hosts of the Phaseoleae tribe, Phaseolus vulgaris and P. coccineus; (2) Rhizobium etli as a species did not coevolve with bean; and (3) b-Proteobacteria replaced aProteobacteria in South American mimosas. Novel results on symbiosis suggest a more complex evolutionary process for nodulation that may include multiple organisms, such as mycorrhiza, nematodes, and other bacteria in addition to rhizobia.
E-HowNet : the Expansion of HowNet

HowNet is an on-line common-sense knowledge base unveiling inter-conceptual relations and inter-attribute relations of concepts as connoting in lexicons of the Chinese and their English equivalents [1]. Each concept is represented and understood by their definition and association links to other concepts. To Compare with WordNet, HowNet’s architecture provides richer information apart from hyponymy relations. It also enriches relational links between words via encoded feature relations. The advantages of the HowNet are a) inherent properties of concepts are derived from encoded feature relations in addition to hypernym concepts, and b) information regarding conceptual differences between different concepts and information regarding morph-semantic structure are encoded. HowNet’s advantages make it an effective electronic dictionary in NLP area. In recent years, HowNet has been applied to the researches of word similarity calculation[2], machine translation[3], and Information Retrieval[4] etc.
Antiretroviral Activity and Safety of Abacavir in Combination with Selected HIV-1 Protease Inhibitors in Therapy-Naive HIV-1-Infected Adults

Objective To assess antiretroviral efficacy and safety of abacavir in combination with selected HIV-1 protease inhibitors. Design A 48-week, open-label study. Materials and Methods Eighty-two antiretroviral naive HIV-1-infected adults (CD4 cell count ≥100 cells/mm3, plasma HIV-1 RNA ≥5000 copies/ml) were randomly assigned to receive abacavir (300 mg twice daily) in combination with standard doses of one of five protease inhibitors: indinavir, saquinavir soft-gel, ritonavir, nelfinavir or amprenavir. Adults who met protocol-defined switch criteria at or after week 8 could modify their randomized therapy. Antiretroviral activity was assessed by the proportion of subjects with plasma HIV-1 RNA ≤400 and ≤50 copies/ml, and by changes in plasma HIV-1 RNA levels and CD4 cell counts. Safety was assessed by monitoring clinical adverse events and laboratory abnormalities. Results At week 48, the proportion of subjects in the indinavir, saquinavir, ritonavir, nelfinavir and amprenavir groups with plasma HIV-1 RNA ≤400 copies/ml was 53, 50, 50, 41 and 56%, respectively, and the proportion with HIV-1 RNA ≤50 copies/ml was 47, 56, 50, 47, and 44%, respectively (by intent-to-treat analysis). Median reductions from baseline in plasma HIV-1 RNA for each group ranged from 1.7 to 2.4 log10 copies/ml. The median CD4 cell count increase from baseline was 195, 131, 116, 136 and 259 cells/mm3 in the indinavir, saquinavir, ritonavir, nelfinavir, and amprenavir groups, respectively. Overall, the most common adverse events attributed to study drugs were diarrhoea, nausea, malaise/fatigue, headache and perioral paresthesia. The frequency of treatment-limiting adverse events did not differ between groups. Conclusions: Abacavir is safe and effective when used in combination with a protease inhibitor.
Formulation and Evaluation of Curcumin Gel for Topical Application

The aim of the present investigation was to develop and study topical gel delivery of curcumin for its anti-inflammatory effects. Carbopol 934P (CRB) and hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC) were used for the preparation of gels. The penetration enhancing effect of menthol (0–12.5% w/w) on the percutaneous flux of curcumin through the excised rat epidermis from 2% w/w CRB and HPC gel system was investigated. All the prepared gel formulations were evaluated for various properties such as compatibility, drug content, viscosity, in vitro skin permeation, and anti-inflammatory effect. The drug and polymers compatibility was confirmed by Differential scanning calorimetry and infrared spectroscopy. The percutaneous flux and enhancement ratio of curcumin across rat epidermis was enhanced markedly by the addition of menthol to both types of gel formulations. Both types of developed topical gel formulations were free of skin irritation. In anti-inflammatory studies done by carrageenan induced rat paw oedema method in wistar albino rats, anti-inflammatory effect of CRB, HPC and standard gel formulations were significantly different from control group (P < 0.05) whereas this effect was not significantly different for CRB and HPC gels formulations to that of standard (diclofenac gel) formulation (P > 0.05). CRB gel showed better % inhibition of inflammation as compared to HPC gel.
Prici ng Ame rican Option s un der sto chas t ic vo latility : A ne w method using Chebyshev polynomials to approximate the Early Exercise Boundary

This paper presents a new numerical method for pricing American call options when the volatility of the price of the underlying stock is stochastic. By exploiting a log-linear relationship of the optimal exercise boundary with respect to volatility changes, we derive an integral representation of an American call price and the early exercise premium which holds under stochastic volatility. This representation is used to develop a numerical method for pricing the American options based on an approximation of the optimal exercise boundary by Chebyshev polynomials. Numerical results show that our numerical approach can quickly and accurately price American call options both under stochastic and/or constant volatility.
Scalable rate control for very low bit rate (VLBR) video

This paper presents a scalable rate control scheme (SRC) based on three new concepts: (1) a more accurate rate distortion model, (2) a sliding window method, and (3) an adaptive selection criterion of data points. The SRC scheme achieves a more accurate target bit allocation under the constraints of low latency and limited buffer size. In addition to the picture-level rate control, the SRC scheme is also applicable to the macroblock-level rate control for finer bit allocation and buffer control, and multiple video objects (VOs) rate control for better video object presentation in different applications. The proposed SRC scheme has been adopted in verification model (VM) 5.0 and VM 8.0 of the emerging ISO MPEG-Q standard.
Satisfaction Among International Student-Athletes Who Participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association

The number of international student-athletes participating in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has nearly doubled from 8,945 in 2001–02 to 16,440 in 2007–08 (DeHass, 2009). As a result of such dramatic growth in the number of student-athletes participating in NCAA athletics, it is important to understand the level of satisfaction among this group. Determining whether athletes are satisfied with their experience may aid in recruiting future international athletes as well as potentially leading to higher retention and graduation rates. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore the level of satisfaction (academic and athletic) among international student-athletes who participate in NCAA Division I-Football Bowl Subdivision athletics. Data analysis revealed that international student-athletes are satisfied with the dimensions measuring satisfaction, including academic support services, personal treatment, team social contribution and medical support. In addition, male athletes are more.
A Systematic Review for the Latest Development in Requirement Engineering

— Requirement engineering has been the subject of large volume of researches due to the significant role it plays in the software development life cycle. However, dynamicity of software industry is much faster than advances in requirements engineering approaches. Therefore, this paper aims to systematically review and evaluate the current research in requirement engineering and identify new research trends and direction in this field. In addition, various research methods associated with the Evaluation-based techniques and empirical study are highlighted for the requirements engineering field. Finally, challenges and recommendations on future directions research are presented based on the research team observations during this study.
Knowledge-based coarse and fine mesh space mapping approach to EM optimization

Space mapping is an effective method for speeding up EM optimization. The method normally requires an equivalent circuit as the coarse model. This paper addresses the situation when an equivalent circuit coarse model is not available. We establish our coarse model using a lookup table to store the data of coarse mesh EM simulations and its derivatives, avoiding the EM re-simulations w.r. t. the same values of design variables. In the proposed method, the surrogate model is developed using knowledge-based neural network (KBNN) combining the coarse model with a neural network. Our technique uses mostly coarse mesh EM evaluation and occasionally fine mesh EM evaluation to achieve optimal EM solutions with fine mesh accuracy. This technique is illustrated by two microwave filter examples.
Myocardial cell hypertrophy or hyperplasia.

Growth of the vertebrate heart during embryonic and fetal life is characterized by hyperplasia of myocardial cells; these cells increase in number to a value characteristic for each species. Shortly after birth myocardial cells lose the capability of dividing, and further growth of the heart is due to myocardial cell hypertrophy and nonmuscle cell hyperplasia. This process, which is referred to as hypertrophic growth, results in a 30- to 40-fold increase in volume of individual myocardial cells during normal postnatal growth and maturation. The transition from hyperplastic to hypertrophic growth is related to formation of binucleated myocardial cells as a result of karyokinesis without cytokinesis. The molecular mechanism of this transition is uncertain. The response of the heart to increased metabolic demands or to an increased workload depends on the age of the animal at the time the stress is imposed. Increased myocardial workloads due to systemic hypertension, chronic hypoxia, or carbon monoxide exposure in fetal or early neonatal life lead to cardiac enlargement by causing an increased rate of hyperplasia of myocardial cells or continuation of hyperplasia beyond the normal period of hyperplastic growth. In contrast, imposition of increased loads on the hearts of older animals results in cardiac hypertrophy due to enlargement of myocardial cells and hyperplasia of nonmuscular components. In addition to cellular enlargement, structural remodeling of the myocardial cells, including alterations in the relative proportions of cellular organelles and in the ultrastructure of individual organelles, occurs during the development of hypertrophy in the adult heart. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Asset Allocation in Retirement: Does Glide Path Matter?

We compare the performance of the commonly nominated default retirement investment option, the lifecycle fund, to alternative investment strategies during retirees’ decumulation phase. Under different shortfall risk measures, we find balanced portfolios with constant exposure to equities, equity dominated portfolios as well as ‘reverse lifecycle’ portfolios that increase exposures to equities over time to consistently outperform the conventional lifecycle portfolio. While an increasing equity glidepath improves the performance of an investment strategy, the starting asset allocations are equally important. Using a utility-of-terminal wealth approach which allows for loss aversion as discussed in prospect theory by Kahneman and Tversky (1979), we find the Growth portfolio to dominate the alternative strategies at low and moderate thresholds. With increasing wealth threshold levels, a strategy with all equity allocations becomes dominant. The lifecycle portfolio is dominated by the ‘reverse lifecycle’ portfolio at all threshold levels.
Number : WUCSE-2003-52 2003-1201 Picture Composition for a Robot Photographer

We explain how to use simple composition rules to drive an automated, mobile photography system. The composition rules are used to determine both the location for a good photograph, and how to frame that photograph. We describe the composition component in the context of a larger application, a robotic photographer. The robot moves around an area with people in it, opportunistically looking for faces and taking photographs. We describe both how to find faces in the world and how to create “good” photographs of those faces.
Retrograded Channel SOI LIGBTs with Enhanced Safe Operating Area

A retrograded doping profile(RDP) is directly introduced into the lateral diffused channel region for an insulated gate bipolar transistor (RDP-LIGBT) on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate to improve its current capability and robustness. The profile is implemented by ion-implantation with energy less than 180 KeV before gate oxidation. The threshold voltage is well controlled by considering the mask proximity effect (MPE). The new LIGBT has a current capability of 1.2-1.6 times larger than that of its conventional counterpart. Its short-circuit capability is 1.2 J/cm2, while its conventional counterpart's is 0.192 J/cm2, at a voltage of 180-210 V and a current density of 1.4 KA/cm2.