Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Promoting Sustainable Travel Behavior through IS-Enabled Feedback - Short-Term Success at the Cost of Long-Term Motivation?

The shaping of sustainable future transportation systems is posing serious challenges for policy-makers today and massive investments are made into infrastructures and travel demand management. Meanwhile, Green IS research is addressing the potential of information systems as high-scale, low-cost means of influencing human actions and has successfully been applying psychological theories. However, research is still in its early stages and while positive short-term effects are relatively well understood, little is known about the long-term effects of such measures. This study, investigates the impact of an IS-enabled social normative feedback intervention on the intrinsic motivation of participants of an e-bike commuting competition. The results of a four-month field study show a negative effect of the intervention on participants’ intrinsic motivation, thus challenging long-term benefits of the measure. Additionally, our findings lend support to the reasoning of Cognitive Evaluation Theory that a dissatisfaction of participants’ need for autonomy may underlie this effect.
Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation in a Rabbit Corneal Alkali Burn Model (A Histological and Immune Histo-chemical Study)

Background Alkali-burned corneas can seldom heal properly to restore corneal transparency. Treatment of this severe disorder of the ocular surface remains a challenge. Aim of the Work was to investigate whether systemically transplanted bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) can promote corneal wound healing after alkali burn. Material and Methods Thirty five male New Zealand rabbits were used in this study. The animals were divided into three groups. Group I; the control group was sham operated. Group II; corneal alkali burn was created. Group III; underwent corneal alkali burn then treated with BM-MSCs. All corneas were collected after fourteen and twenty eight days. Evaluation using H&E, PAS & alkaline phosphatase reaction was carried out. Immune histo-chemical staining for CD44 and vimentin was performed as well. Results the corneal epithelium of (Group II) showed marked alterations. Vascularization, cellular infiltration and irregularity of the collagen fibers were also seen in the substantia propria. Increase in the thickness of the Descemet’s membrane was noticed as well. On the other hand, at the time of 28 days, Group III rabbits showed best histological results with nearly healed corneas compared to other groups. Meanwhile, vimentin was more strongly expressed in Group III assessing the differentiating ability of BM-MSCs. Conclusion BM-MSCs could effectively promote corneal alkali burn healing.
Burst Neutrinos from the Nitrogen Flash

Neutrinos provide us with a novel probe in which to explore the deep interior of astrophysical objects that otherwise would not be accessible with optical observations; among the notable examples are solar and supernova neutrinos. We show that there is a new class of strong neutrino emission from helium burning, 14N + α → 18F + γ followed by beta decay 18F → 18O + e+ + νe, that gives a maximum neutrino luminosity of 108 times the solar bolometric luminosity at the helium-core flash of a 1 M☉ star, whereas the flash is not observable by optical means. This means that the neutrino flux, with an average energy of 0.382 MeV, will be 10% the solar CNO neutrino flux on Earth if the star is located at 10 pc.
Suicidality and symptoms of anxiety, irritability, and agitation in patients experiencing manic episodes with depressive symptoms: a naturalistic study

Purpose Patients with a bipolar I disorder (BD-I) manic episode meeting the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-5), criteria for “with mixed features” have a high incidence of suicide attempts and of anxiety, irritability, and agitation (AIA) symptoms. The aim of this analysis was to explore the relationship between suicidality and AIA symptoms in patients with BD-I experiencing mania with depressive symptoms, using data from a previous naturalistic study. Patients and methods Psychiatrists completed an online questionnaire about their adult patients who had a current BD-I manic episode. Questions covered the DSM-5 “with mixed features” specifier, the severity of AIA symptoms, the frequency and controllability of suicidal ideation, and the number of suicide attempts. Results Of 1,035 patients with BD-I mania who were included in the analyses, 348 (33.6%) met the criteria for the DSM-5 “with mixed features” specifier (three or more depressive symptoms). These patients were further stratified according to the severity of their AIA symptoms: “mild AIA” (zero or one AIA symptom above a severity threshold; 105 patients) or “severe AIA” (all three AIA symptoms above a severity threshold; 167 patients). A greater incidence of suicidal ideation was observed in the severe AIA group (71.9%) than in the mild AIA group (47.6%). Twice as many patients had easily controlled suicidal ideation than difficult-to-control suicidal ideation in both subgroups. The mean number of suicide attempts was higher in the severe AIA group than in the mild AIA group, during the current episode (0.84 vs 0.34 attempts, respectively; P<0.05) and over the patient’s lifetime (1.56 vs 1.04 attempts, respectively). Conclusion The high risk of suicide among BD-I mania patients with depressive symptoms is further increased when they experience severe AIA symptoms. Recognizing AIA symptoms in BD-I mania could provide a means of identifying patients with depressive symptoms, as well as those who may be suicidal, thereby allowing for appropriate, tailored treatment.
Autologous immune enhancement therapy: A case report of a stage IV colonic cancer

Current modalities of cancer treatment, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, show marginal therapeutic responses in cancer patients. In adoptive immunotherapy, interleukin-2 (IL-2) activated immune cells demonstrated notable results in patients with advanced malignant disease. The present study reports the efficacy and safety of repetitive infusions of autologous immune enhancement therapy (AIET) in a stage IV colonic cancer patient who had already received first-line chemotherapeutic drugs. Peripheral blood was aspirated from the patient. Specifically, natural killer (NK) cells and T-lymphocytes were isolated from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). These cells were activated and expanded ex vivo for 14 days and were transfused intravenously to the patient. After six infusions of AIET, the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level was decreased from 901 to 437 U/ml, regression of lesions was noted and there were no adverse reactions during the course of this therapy. Thus, AIET may be a promising anticancer approach to eradicate tumor cells with other conventional therapies.
Sustainability of Improved Glycemic Control After Diabetes Self-Management Education

Objective. The purpose of this study was to evaluate glycemic control as measured by A1C during a 2-year period after patients received diabetes self-management education (DSME). Methods. Patients who completed DSME in 2009 and received medical follow-up with A1C measurements for at least 2 years after DSME were included in the evaluation. Primary endpoints were changes in A1C from before to immediately after, 1 year after, and 2 years after DSME. Secondary outcomes included the effects of the following factors on change in A1C: sex, duration of diabetes, uncontrolled diabetes (A1C ≥ 9%), health insurance coverage, and self-reported education level. Results. Forty-three patients were included in the evaluation. Mean A1C before DSME was 10.2 ± 3.7%. Mean A1C after DSME was 7.8 ± 2.2% (P < 0.0001), a 23.5% reduction. Mean A1C at 1 and 2 years after DSME was 7.8 ± 2.1% for each year and remained unchanged from just after DSME to 1 and 2 years after DSME (P > 0.05). Patients with a duration of diabetes of < 1 year had a significantly greater reduction in mean A1C than those with a duration of diabetes ≥ 1 year (28.7 and 20.2%, respectively, P = 0.001). Conclusion. DSME improved glycemic control to a substantial degree, and the effect was sustained for up to 2 years. Although the reduction in A1C was significant for all patients receiving DSME, there was a significantly greater reduction for patients who had a duration of diabetes of < 1 year than for those with a duration of diabetes > 1 year.
A Legal and Economic Analysis of Austria's Double Tax Treaty Network with Developing Countries

To what degree developing countries gain from signing double tax treaties is being hotly debated. In this paper, we analyze the Austrian tax treaty policy. Combining legal and economic perspectives, we find that developing countries are likely to expect both positive and negative impacts from signing a double tax treaty (DTT) with Austria. On the one hand, the results of our econometric analysis suggest that middle-income countries that sign a DTT with Austria may expect an increased number of foreign direct investment projects from Austrian companies. On the other hand, the signatory states may suffer from limited withholding taxation rights established in the DTTs for the source country, which could lead to reduced tax revenues in the developing countries.
Beyond Bounding Boxes: Precise Localization of Objects in Images

Object recognition in computer vision comes in many flavors, two of the most popular being object detection and semantic segmentation. Object detection systems detect every instance of a category in an image, and coarsely localize each with a bounding box. Semantic segmentation systems assign category labels to pixels, thus providing pixel-precise localization but failing to resolve individual instances of the category. We argue for a richer output: recognition systems should detect individual instances of a category and provide pixel precise segmentations for each, a task we call Simultaneous Detection and Segmentation or SDS. We describe approaches to this task that leverage convolutional neural networks for precise localization. We also show that the techniques we develop are also effective for other tasks such as segmenting the parts of a detected object or localizing its keypoints. These are our first steps towards a recognition system that goes beyond category labels and coarse bounding boxes to precise, detailed descriptions of objects in images.
CXC Chemokine Ligand (CXCL) 9 and CXCL10 Are Antagonistic Costimulation Molecules during the Priming of Alloreactive T Cell Effectors

Donor Ag-reactive CD4 and CD8 T cell production of IFN-γ is a principal effector mechanism promoting tissue injury during allograft rejection. The CXCR3-binding chemokines CXCL9 and CXCL10 recruit donor-reactive T cells to the allograft, but their role during the priming of donor-reactive T cells to effector function is unknown. Using a murine model of MHC-mismatched cardiac transplantation, we investigated the influence of CXCL9 and CXCL10 during donor-reactive T cell priming. In allograft recipient spleens, CXCL9 and CXCL10 were expressed as early as 24 h posttransplant and increased with similar kinetics, concurrently with CXCR3 expression on T cells. CXCL9, but not CXCL10, expression required NK cell production of IFN-γ. The absence of CXCL9 in donor allografts, recipients, or both significantly decreased the frequency of donor-reactive CD8 T cells producing IFN-γ and increased the frequency of donor-reactive CD8 T cells producing IL-17A. In contrast, the absence of CXCL10 increased the frequency of IFN-γ–producing CD8 T cells in a CXCL9-dependent manner. These data provide novel evidence that donor-reactive CD8 T cells use the CXCR3 chemokine axis as a costimulation pathway during priming to allografts where CXCL9 promotes the development of IFN-γ–producing CD8 T cells, and CXCL10 antagonizes this skewing.
High-resolution spectra of very low-mass stars

We present the results of high-resolution (1–0.4 A) optical spectroscopy of a sample of very low-mass stars. These data are used to examine the kinematics of the stars at the bottom of the hydrogen-burning main sequence. No evidence is found for a significant difference between the kinematics of the stars in our sample with I − K > 3.5 (Mbol ≳ 12.8) and those of more massive M dwarfs (Mbol ≈ 7–10). A spectral atlas at high (0.4-A) resolution for M8–M9+ stars is provided, and the equivalent widths of Cs I, Rb I and Hα lines present in our spectra are examined. We analyse our data to search for the presence of rapid rotation, and find that the brown dwarf LP 944-20 is a member of the class of ‘inactive, rapid rotators’. Such objects seem to be common at and below the hydrogen-burning main sequence. It seems that in low-mass/low-temperature dwarf objects either the mechanism that heats the chromosphere, or the mechanism that generates magnetic fields, is greatly suppressed.
Time to failure of a sustained contraction is predicted by target torque and initial electromyographic bursts in elbow flexor muscles

The purpose of the study was to identify factors that could predict differences among individuals in the time to failure of a submaximal contraction. Twenty subjects (10 men, 25 ± 6 years) supported an inertial load equivalent to 20% of the maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) force with the elbow flexor muscles for as long as possible. The time to failure was predicted by the frequency of electromyographic bursts in the long head of biceps brachii during the first 20% of the contraction, the amplitude of bursts in the brachioradialis during the first 20% of the contraction, and the target torque. Subjects who could sustain the task longer exhibited greater initial (first 20% of contraction) electromyographic burst frequency in the long head of biceps brachii, lower initial burst amplitudes in the brachioradialis muscle, and lower target torque. Knowing the main predictors of a submaximal fatiguing contraction with the elbow flexor muscles may assist clinicians in personalizing therapeutic interventions. Muscle Nerve, 2007
Structural versus Temporary Drivers of Country and Industry Risk

This paper analyzes the dynamics and determinants of the relative benefits of geographical and industry diversification over the last 30 years. First, we develop a new structural regime-switching volatility spillover model to decompose total risk into a systematic and a country (industry) specific component. Contrary to most other studies, we explicitly allow market betas and asset-specific risks to vary with both structural and temporary changes in the economic and financial environment. In a second step, we investigate the relative benefits of geographical and industry diversification by comparing average asset- specific volatilities and model-implied correlations across countries and industries. We find a large positive (negative) effect of the structural factors on country betas (country-specific volatility), especially in Europe, while industry betas are mainly determined by temporary factors. Not taking into account the time variation in betas leads to biases in measures of industry and country-specific risk of up to 33 percent. After correcting for this bias, we find that under the influence of globalization and regionial integration, the traditional dominance geographical over industry diversification has been eroded, and that over the last years geographical and industry diversification roughly yield the same diversification benefits. Finally, our results indicate that the surge in industry risk at the end of the 1990s was partly (but not fully) related to the TMT bubble.
The Effect of the Minimum Wage on Employment and Unemployment: A Survey

In this paper, we survey theoretical models of the effect of the minimum wage and, in somewhat greater detail, evidence of its effect on employment and unemployment. Our discussion of the theory emphasizes recent work using two-sector and heterogeneous-worker models. We then summarize and evaluate the large literature on employment and unemployment effects of the minimum on teenagers. Finally, we survey the evidence of the effect of the minimum wage on adult employment, and on employment in low-wage industries and areas.
Resting-State Network Topology Differentiates Task Signals across the Adult Life Span

Brain network connectivity differs across individuals. For example, older adults exhibit less segregated resting-state subnetworks relative to younger adults (Chan et al., 2014). It has been hypothesized that individual differences in network connectivity impact the recruitment of brain areas during task execution. While recent studies have described the spatial overlap between resting-state functional correlation (RSFC) subnetworks and task-evoked activity, it is unclear whether individual variations in the connectivity pattern of a brain area (topology) relates to its activity during task execution. We report data from 238 cognitively normal participants (humans), sampled across the adult life span (20–89 years), to reveal that RSFC-based network organization systematically relates to the recruitment of brain areas across two functionally distinct tasks (visual and semantic). The functional activity of brain areas (network nodes) were characterized according to their patterns of RSFC: nodes with relatively greater connections to nodes in their own functional system (“non-connector” nodes) exhibited greater activity than nodes with relatively greater connections to nodes in other systems (“connector” nodes). This “activation selectivity” was specific to those brain systems that were central to each of the tasks. Increasing age was accompanied by less differentiated network topology and a corresponding reduction in activation selectivity (or differentiation) across relevant network nodes. The results provide evidence that connectional topology of brain areas quantified at rest relates to the functional activity of those areas during task. Based on these findings, we propose a novel network-based theory for previous reports of the “dedifferentiation” in brain activity observed in aging. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Similar to other real-world networks, the organization of brain networks impacts their function. As brain network connectivity patterns differ across individuals, we hypothesized that individual differences in network connectivity would relate to differences in brain activity. Using functional MRI in a group of individuals sampled across the adult life span (20–89 years), we measured correlations at rest and related the functional connectivity patterns to measurements of functional activity during two independent tasks. Brain activity varied in relation to connectivity patterns revealed by large-scale network analysis. This relationship tracked the differences in connectivity patterns accompanied by older age, providing important evidence for a link between the topology of areal connectivity measured at rest and the functional recruitment of these areas during task performance.
Polarization properties of broad absorption line QSOs: New statistical clues

We report the results of several statistical tests performed on a large sample of 139 broad absorption line (BAL) QSOs with good quality optical spectra and/or optical polarization data. Correlations between ten optical indices and the polarization degree p0 are systematically searched for. We find six significant non-trivial correlations. In order to identify the most important correlations, we perform a principal component analysis with a sample of 30 BAL QSOs and eight quantities (including p0). Most of the variance (∼57%) in the data is contained in two principal components called PC1 and PC2. PC1 is mainly dominated by the correlation between the balnicity index BI and the strength of the Fe  emission; it may be driven by the accretion rate of matter onto the central compact object. The variance in PC2 is essentially due to the anti-correlation between p0 and the detachment index DI, indicating that BAL QSOs with P Cygni profiles (DI� ) are usually more polarized than those objects with C  absorption troughs well detached from the corresponding emission lines (DI� ). We show that PC2 may be related to the orientation of the BAL QSOs with respect to the line of sight. We also present new spectropolarimetric observations of six BAL QSOs. By adding spectropolarimetric data from the literature, we build a sample of 21 BAL QSOs for which we define four spectropolarimetric indices describing the polarization properties of the absorption and emission lines. We find that the polarization of the C ) emission line is systematically higher than the po- larization of the C  emission line, and that the highest polarization in the troughs is correlated to the balnicity index. Another important result emerging from the statistical tests performed on this spectropolarimetric sample is a possible anti-correlation between the detachment index and a quantity SI which measures the ratio of the depths of the C  absorption in the polarized flux and in the total flux. This correlation indicates that in BAL QSOs with P cygni profiles, the BAL troughs in the polarized flux are nearly as deep as in the total flux while, in BAL QSOs with detached absorptions, the BAL troughs in the polarized flux are much weaker than in the total flux. We show that our main results may be explained in the framework of a "two-component" wind model which is a natural exten- sion of the classical wind-from-disk models. In this model, the broad absorption occurs in a dense equatorial wind emerging from the accretion disk, while scattering and polarization mainly take place in a polar region. The orientation relative to the observer drives the correlations p0 - DI and DI - SI. While most of our observations can be explained within this framework, there are also several indications that other polarization mechanisms, and more particularly resonance scattering, may also be at work.
Adapting state-space reduction techniques to match steady-state responses

Many popular model-reduction techniques do not ensure matching the steady-state response of the original system to canonical inputs (harmonic and singularity inputs). This paper shows that steady-state response retention can simply be achieved by decomposing the forced response into a transient and a steady-state component and by applying the reduction method only to the first, which also ensures that the transient term is optimal with respect to the chosen criterion. The suggested reduction procedure refers to state-space representations which are often the only available when the systems to be reduced are of very high order (so that the computation of their transfer functions is not reliable). To this purpose, the aforementioned components of the forced response are expressed directly in terms of the original state-space representation. Two benchmark examples of very high dimensions are worked out to show that the performance of the resulting reduced-order models compares favourably with the performance of the models of the same order determined in the usual way, i.e., without explicit consideration of their steady-state response.