Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development Informatics Working Paper Series

Most information systems – including current ICT projects – in developing countries fail either totally or partially. This paper develops a model which explains those high rates of failure. The model is based on the notion of design—reality gaps: the match or mismatch between IS designs and local user reality. It helps identify three high risk archetypes that affect IS projects in developing countries: country context gaps, 'hard—soft' gaps and private—public gaps. The model explains the ways in which these gaps can be reduced through local improvisations in developing countries. It therefore provides guidance on generic ways in which the success rates of IS projects in developing countries can be increased.
The Ferrier Lecture, 1992. Seeing depth with two eyes: stereopsis

The primate’s two eyes both point forward, and are a few centimetres apart. The task of extracting depth from two slightly dissimilar two-dimensional retinal images falls on the central nervous system. The mechanism is so effective that a good observer can detect, by stereopsis alone, depth differences of as small as 10 μm at a distance of 25 cm. Psychophysical and neurophysiological studies have begun to unravel the neural circuits in the brain which process the retinal signals to yield stereoscopic information.
On the action of RH 5849, a nonsteroidal ecdysteroid agonist, on a cell line from Chironomus tentans.

RH 5849 competes with 3H-ponasterone A for ecdysteroid binding sites in Chironomus tentans cells with an about fourfold lower relative affinity as compared to 20-OH-ecydsone. It does not interfere with glucocorticoid and estrogen binding sites in vertebrates. It is also not recognized by an ecdysteroid antibody. RH 5849 exerts typical morphological and physiological effects ascribed to the action of 20-OH-ecdysone on C. tentans cells, namely an increase in acetylcholinesterase activity and an inhibition of chitin synthesis.
The Role of the Thioredoxin and Glutaredoxin Pathways in Reducing Protein Disulfide Bonds in the Escherichia coliCytoplasm*

In Escherichia coli, two pathways use NADPH to reduce disulfide bonds that form in some cytoplasmic enzymes during catalysis: the thioredoxin system, which consists of thioredoxin reductase and thioredoxin, and the glutaredoxin system, composed of glutathione reductase, glutathione, and three glutaredoxins. These systems may also reduce disulfide bonds which form spontaneously in cytoplasmic proteins when E. coli is grown aerobically. We have investigated the role of both systems in determining the thiol-disulfide balance in the cytoplasm by determining the ability of protein disulfide bonds to form in mutants missing components of these systems. We find that both the thioredoxin and glutaredoxin systems contribute to reducing disulfide bonds in cytoplasmic proteins. In addition, these systems can partially substitute for each otherin vivo since double mutants missing parts of both systems generally allow substantially more disulfide bond formation than mutants missing components of just one system. Some of these double mutants were found to require the addition of a disulfide reductant to the medium to grow well aerobically. Thus, E. coli requires either a functional thioredoxin or glutaredoxin system to reduce disulfide bonds which appear after each catalytic cycle in the essential enzyme ribonucleotide reductase and perhaps to reduce non-native disulfide bonds in cytoplasmic proteins. Our results suggest the existence of a novel thioredoxin in E. coli.
Decrease in urine output with diclofenac after total abdominal hysterectomy

Case report A 41-year-old woman was admitted to the gynaecology ward for a total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy for menorrhagia, dyspareunia and dysmenorrhoea. She had previously had a cholecystectomy, appendicectomy, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome release and a right cervical rib resection. As part of her initial investigations she underwent diagnostic laparoscopy and hysteroscopy. Laparoscopy revealed healed spots of endometriosis on the right utero-sacral ligament, adhesions under the cholecystectomy scar and multiple broad ligament fibromas. Hysteroscopy findings were unremarkable. Further management options were discussed in clinic and she elected for hysterectomy. Routine preoperative investigations including urea and electrolytes were all within normal limits. Postoperatively, she had an indwelling catheter for 48 hours. Her intake/output records are as shown in Table I. She received diclofenac sodium (max 150 mg/day) from the second postoperative day. Her urinary output started to diminish on the third postoperative day but she did not show any symptoms of urinary retention or uraemia. On the 7th postoperative day she had frusemide challenge and her urinary output improved. However, there was still a large positive balance. She gained 2.5 kg in weight but was otherwise well. Her urea and electrolytes were monitored daily and were all within normal limits. Her repeated postvoid sonograms revealed no bladder residuals. An ultrasound scan did not reveal renal pathology. Urine culture was negative but the patient was already on nitrofurantoin. Medical opinion was sought on the 7th postoperative day and a diagnosis of ‘diclofenac reducing renal function’ was made. The patient had received a total of 1000 mg of diclofenac in 6 days. Diclofenac was stopped and she was given further frusemide. The urine output increased gradually as shown in Table I. She was discharged home on the 10th postoperative day. At 2 months’ follow-up, she had recovered fully and had normal urine outputs.
A-DInSAR Monitoring of Landslide and Subsidence Activity: A Case of Urban Damage in Arcos de la Frontera, Spain

Terrain surface displacements at a site can be induced by more than one geological process. In this work, we use advanced differential interferometry SAR (A-DInSAR) to measure ground deformation in Arcos de la Frontera (SW Spain), where severe damages related to landslide activity and subsidence have occurred in recent years. The damages are concentrated in two residential neighborhoods constructed between 2001 and 2006. One of the neighborhoods, called La Verbena, is located at the head of an active retrogressive landslide that has an extension of around 0.17 × 106 m2 and developed in weathered clayey soils. Landslide motion has caused building deterioration since they were constructed. After a heavy rainfall period in winter 2009–2010, the movement was accelerated, worsening the situation. The other neighborhood, Pueblos Blancos, was built over a poorly compacted artificial filling undergoing a spatially variable consolidation process which has also led to severe damage to buildings. For both cases, a short set of C-band data from the “ENVISAT 2010+” project has been used to monitor surface displacement for the period spanning April 2011–January 2012. In this work we characterize the mechanism of both ground deformation processes using in situ and remote sensing techniques along with a detailed geological interpretation and urban damage distribution.
PP1 and PP2A phosphatases – cooperating partners in modulating retinoblastoma protein activation

The retinoblastoma/pocket protein family is one of the master regulators of the eukaryotic cell cycle. It includes the retinoblastoma protein (Rb) and the related p107 and p130 proteins. The importance of the Rb pathway for homeostasis and tumour suppression is evident from the fact that inactivating mutations in Rb are frequently associated with many cancers. Rbs regulate the cell cycle by controlling the activity of the E2F family of transcription factors. The activity of Rb proteins themselves is modulated by their phosphorylation status at several Ser/Thr residues: phosphorylation by cyclin‐dependent kinases inactivates Rb proteins and positively influences the transcription of genes necessary for cell cycle progression. Although the mechanisms of cyclin‐dependent kinase‐mediated inactivation of Rb proteins are understood in great detail, our knowledge of the process that counteracts Rb phosphorylation is still quite limited. The present review focuses on the Ser/Thr phosphatases that are responsible for the dephosphorylation and thus activation of Rb proteins. Two major scenarios are considered: (a) when pocket proteins are dephosphorylated during regular cell cycle progression and (b) when rapid dephosphorylation is dictated by external stress or growth inhibitory conditions, such as oxidative stress, UV radiation or other DNA‐damaging stimuli, and cell differentiation factors. It transpires that protein phosphatase 1 and protein phosphatase 2A can efficiently modulate pocket protein activity in a highly context‐dependent manner and both are tightly regulated by the presence of different regulatory subunits or interacting proteins.
Work disability in rheumatoid arthritis--development over 15 years and evaluation of predictive factors over time.

OBJECTIVE To investigate work disability rates over 15 years in an early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) cohort and to evaluate predictive factors during the course of the study. METHODS All patients with early RA of working age (n = 148) were followed and treated at a team care unit. Mean disease duration at inclusion was 1 year. Work characteristics and disease-related variables were recorded annually. Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify predictors for work disability after 5, 10, and 15 years. RESULTS Work disability rates were 28%, 35%, 39%, and 44% at study start and after 5, 10, and 15 years, respectively. Forty-seven patients reduced working hours and 34 changed work tasks during the study time. Older age, less education, heavy manual work, and much activity limitation assessed by Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) were predictors of work disability. Demographics and work factors had best predictive value in the early phase, while HAQ was a strong predictor at all points in time. Odds ratios for baseline HAQ, 5 year HAQ, and 10 year HAQ were 6.3, 9.6, and 4.1 for work disability after 5, 10, and 15 years, respectively. CONCLUSION The prevalence of work disability was 28% at inclusion. After 15 years' followup the prevalence was 44%, which is lower than previously reported. HAQ was the single prognostic factor with strong predictive value throughout the study.
Delineating the Diversity of Spinal Interneurons in Locomotor Circuits

Locomotion is common to all animals and is essential for survival. Neural circuits located in the spinal cord have been shown to be necessary and sufficient for the generation and control of the basic locomotor rhythm by activating muscles on either side of the body in a specific sequence. Activity in these neural circuits determines the speed, gait pattern, and direction of movement, so the specific locomotor pattern generated relies on the diversity of the neurons within spinal locomotor circuits. Here, we review findings demonstrating that developmental genetics can be used to identify populations of neurons that comprise these circuits and focus on recent work indicating that many of these populations can be further subdivided into distinct subtypes, with each likely to play complementary functions during locomotion. Finally, we discuss data describing the manner in which these populations interact with each other to produce efficient, task-dependent locomotion.
On the role of octopine dehydrogenase in cephalopod mantle muscle metabolism.

Octopine dehydrogenases from the mantle muscle of the squid, Symplectoteuthis oualaniensis, and of the octopus, Octopus ornatus, were kinetically characterized and compared. In the squid, the specific activity of the enzyme was about 110 μmol product formed per minute per gram wet weight; in the octopus that value was over 600. Both enzymes show similar pH dependence; in the direction of octopine formation the pH optimum was about 6.5, whereas in the direction of octopine oxidation it was about 8.5. The affinities for NADH, arginine, and pyruvate were similar (Km values were about 0.04 mM, 7 mM, and 2 mM respectively). Increasing the concentration of either arginine or pyruvate increased the affinity for the cosubstrate (pyruvate or arginine), this mechanism being a means of regulating the enzyme activity in vivo. In the direction of octopine oxidation, the octopus enzyme showed a much higher affinity for octopine (Km = 0.8 mM) than did the squid enzyme (Km = 4.4 mM), suggesting that it may be better gear.
Intraoperative Measurements of Nerve Root Blood Flow During Discectomy for Lumbar Disc Herniation

Study Design. Nerve root blood flow was intraoperatively measured before and after discectomy for lumbar disc herniation and compared with clinical features. Objective. To investigate the relation between nerve root blood flow changes and symptoms associated with lumbar disc herniation. Summary of Background Data. Several authors have reported that recovery of intraneural blood flow, which restores the supply of oxygen and other nutrients to the nerve tissue, is strongly related to the rapid improvement of nerve function after discectomy for lumbar disc herniation. However, no previous study has quantitatively assessed blood flow in the human nerve root in vivo. Methods. Nerve root blood flow was monitored in 21 patients with lumbar disc herniation using laser Doppler flowmetry (ALF 21 N; ADVANCE, Tokyo, Japan) during discectomy. Possible correlations were investigated between the blood flow rates and the following clinical features: age, duration of sciatica, presence or absence of neurologic deficits, latency to pain relief, and morphology of herniated discs. Results. The blood flow rate in 16 patients who reported immediate relief after discectomy was much greater than in 5 patients whose pain was not relieved immediately after surgery (141%vs 8%, P = 0.0364). The increase in the blood flow rate after discectomy was five times greater in patients with neurologic deficits than in patients without neurologic deficits (158%vs 36%, P = 0.0638). Conclusions. The results of the current study suggest that immediate relief from pain and resolution of neurologic deficits soon after surgery are the result of early recovery from nerve root ischemia after discectomy, and that ischemia caused by mechanical nerve root compression is mainly related to the mechanisms underlying sciatic pain production and neurologic deficits.
Filters for Active Front End Motor Drives

Present day IGBT based power adjustable speed drives have fast turn-ON and turn-OFF times results in high dv/dt being applied to the motor terminals. The high dv/dt switching waveforms along with travelling wave effects of l ong cables stress motor insulation, cause high ground currentsand affects the motor bearings. These issues are exacerbated in PWM Active Front End (AFE) rectifier based motor drives when compared to one using a diode rectifier. This paper briefl y outlines problem associated with IGBT technology based ASD with AFE rectifier using long cables. The common mode voltage due to such motor drive with AFE rectifier is analysed. An integrated approach for filter design is discussed wherein t he adverse effects of both AFE rectifier and the drive inverter are addressed on both common and differential mode basis. The proposed topology address the problems of common mode voltage, common mode current and voltage doubling due to ASD . The design procedure for this proposed filter topology is dis cussed with experimental results that validate the effectivenessof the filter.
Creating a Representation of Items and Version that Support Efficient Evaluation of the Transaction-Time Axis in SML-Based Databases

Creating a Representation of Items and Versions That Support Efficient Evaluation of the Transaction Time Axis in XML-based Databases by Kalyan Goutham Mekala, Master of Science Utah State University, 2011 Major Professor: Dr. Curtis Dyreson Department: Computer Science This project was developed to create a platform for implementing the features and query support provided by the transaction time axis (tt-axis). The basis for this platform is a new numbering plan called item version timestamp level numbering (IVTLN), and it extends an existing numbering plan, namely, dewey level numbering (DLN), by including version and timestamp information. Thus, the transaction time axis provides a temporal perspective for XML nodes in addition to non-temporal axes like the ancestor and descendant axes. This project provides an efficient, extensible, and comprehensible platform for the implementation of the new numbering plan and the services provided by the transaction time axis.
Release of Ca2+ from individual plant vacuoles by both InsP3 and cyclic ADP-ribose

Calcium mobilization from intracellular pools couples many stimuli to responses in plant cells. Cyclic adenosine 5'-diphosphoribose (cADPR), which interacts with a ryanodine receptor in certain animal cells, was shown to elicit calcium release at the vacuolar membrane of beet storage root. The vacuolar calcium release pathway showed similarities to cADPR-gated calcium release in animal cells, including inhibition by ruthenium red, ryanodine activation, and high affinity for cADPR [Michaelis constant (Km) = 24 +/- 7 nanomolar]. Analysis by patch-clamping demonstrated that the cADPR-gated pathway in beet is voltage-dependent over the physiological range, does not spontaneously desensitize, and is colocalized with an inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP3)-gated calcium release pathway in individual vacuoles.
A bi-directional prototype mobile robot to experiment light scale object-transportation schemes

In this paper, we present the control and implementation schemes of a bi-directional prototype mobile robot for doing the repetitive tasks. The robot was built with the fundamental capabilities like autonomous navigation and autonomous decision making during the path planning stages. Different sensors were used for the acquisition of the useful data from the surroundings of the robot. Robot's mechanical structure was supporting the overall scheme of its use as a basic service transportation robot. A solid gripper was used in order to pick desired objects inside an arena. The prototype robot successfully managed to complete the tasks assigned to it with the given scenarios.
Task structure semantics through process algebra

The task structure diagramming technique can be used to graphically denote process specifications. In task structure diagrams, sequential execution, iteration, choice and parallelism can be expressed. In this paper, task structure diagrams are extended with a synchronisation mechanism and a formal semantics is given by means of a translation to process algebra. By using known techniques for proving equivalence of process specifications in process algebra, the translation provides a basis for proving equivalence of task structures.
Balloon dilation and stent implantation for treatment of femoropopliteal arterial disease: meta-analysis.

PURPOSE To perform a meta-analysis of long-term results of balloon dilation and stent implantation in the treatment of femoropopliteal arterial disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS The English-language literature was searched for studies published between 1993 and 2000. Inclusion criteria for articles were presentation of long-term primary patency rates, standard errors (explicitly reported or derivable), and baseline characteristics of the study population. Two reviewers independently extracted data, and discrepancies were resolved by consensus. Primary patency rates were combined by using a technique that allows adjustment for differences across study populations. Analyses were adjusted for lesion type and clinical indication. RESULTS Nineteen studies met the inclusion criteria, representing 923 balloon dilations and 473 stent implantations. Combined 3-year patency rates after balloon dilation were 61% (standard error, 2.2%) for stenoses and claudication, 48% (standard error, 3.3%) for occlusions and claudication, 43% (standard error, 4.1%) for stenoses and critical ischemia, and 30% (standard error, 3.7%) for occlusions and critical ischemia. The 3-year patency rates after stent implantation were 63%-66% (standard error, 4.1%) and were independent of clinical indication and lesion type. Funnel plots demonstrated an asymmetric distribution of the data points associated with stent studies. CONCLUSION Balloon dilation and stent implantation for claudication and stenosis yield similar long-term patency rates. For more severe femoropopliteal disease, the results of stent implantation seem more favorable. Publication bias could not be ruled out.
Superiority of transplantation versus resection for the treatment of small hepatocellular carcinoma

The best therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still debated. Hepatic resection (HR) is the treatment of choice for single HCC in Child A patients, whereas liver transplantation (LT) is usually reserved for Child B and C patients with single or multiple nodules. The aim of this study was to compare HR and LT for HCC within the Milan criteria on an intention‐to‐treat basis. Forty‐eight patients were treated by LT and 38 by HR. The median time on the waiting list for transplantation was 118 days. The estimated overall survival was significantly higher (P = 0.005) in the LT group than in the HR one. The estimated freedom from recurrence was also significantly higher (P < 0.0001) for LT patients than for HR ones. Indeed, the probability of HCC recurrence after resection was higher than after transplantation achieving 31% and 76% for HR and 2% and 2% for LT at 3 and 5 years after surgery. Multivariate analysis confirmed that transplantation was superior to resection in terms of patient’s survival and risk of HCC recurrence. We conclude that LT is superior to HR for small HCC in cirrhotic patients assuming that LT should be performed within 6–10 months after listing to reduce the dropouts for reasons of tumor progression.
Soft-Decision-Aided, Maximum-Likelihood Carrier Phase Estimation for Coherent Optical QAM

A novel, soft-decision-aided, maximum likelihood (SDA-ML) phase estimator is derived for carrier phase estimation in coherent optical communication. For estimating the carrier phase of the current symbol, SDA-ML uses both the feedback of earlier soft data decisions and the feedforward of later soft data decisions. The estimator is applicable to arbitrary 2-D modulations, where the symbols can have unequal energies and unequal a priori probabilities, and the constellation can be asymmetrical. An iterative SDA-ML algorithm and a simplified DA-SDA-ML algorithm with a reduced computational complexity are proposed. Both algorithms have no phase ambiguity. The data detector does not require to estimate the phase explicitly. Simulations show that SDA-ML and DA-SDA-ML outperform the Mth power and DA-ML in the presence of strong linear laser phase noise.
Edge‐Disjoint Hamilton Cycles in Graphs

Let G be a graph of order n and k≥ 0 an integer. It is conjectured in [8] that if for any two vertices u and v of a 2(k + 1)-connected graph G,d G (u,v) = 2 implies that max{d(u;G), d(v;G)}≥ (n-2) + 2k, then G has k + 1 edge disjoint Hamilton cycles. This conjecture is true for k = 0, 1 (see cf. [3] and [8]). It will be proved in this paper that the conjecture is true for every integer k≥0. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Graph Theory 35: 820, 2000