Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems ( PACIS ) 2015 Determinants of Intention to Use Mobile Value Added Services : The Case of Women-Owned Micro Enterprises in Fiji

We investigate the factors influencing the intention to use of mobile value added services in the Pacific island of Fiji. Technology adoption literature suggests that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use influence intention to adopt new technology. However, behavioral research suggests that intention to adopt is influenced by social norms. We investigate the impact of these three constructs on behavioral intention to use mobile value added services in Fiji – a country which has some unique characteristics such as the culture of ‘sharing’ and ‘reciprocity’. We surveyed 74 women micro entrepreneurs and found that the predominant driver of intention to adopt of technology in collectivist societies such as Fiji is social influence. It was found that social influence also impacts perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use and through these the intention to adopt. Accordingly, in societies such as Fiji, policy makers and industry need to engage social organizations/networks for advancement of technology adoption.
Substance P Weights Striatal Dopamine Transmission Differently within the Striosome-Matrix Axis

The mammalian striatum has a topographical organization of input–output connectivity, but a complex internal, nonlaminar neuronal architecture comprising projection neurons of two types interspersed among multiple interneuron types and potential local neuromodulators. From this cellular melange arises a biochemical compartmentalization of areas termed striosomes and extrastriosomal matrix. The functions of these compartments are poorly understood but might confer distinct features to striatal signal processing and be discretely governed. Dopamine transmission occurs throughout striosomes and matrix, and is reported to be modulated by the striosomally enriched neuromodulator substance P. However, reported effects are conflicting, ranging from facilitation to inhibition. We addressed whether dopamine transmission is modulated differently in striosome-matrix compartments by substance P. We paired detection of evoked dopamine release at carbon-fiber microelectrodes in mouse striatal slices with subsequent identification of the location of recording sites with respect to μ-opioid receptor-rich striosomes. Substance P had bidirectional effects on dopamine release that varied between recording sites and were prevented by inhibition of neurokinin-1 receptors. The direction of modulation was determined by location within the striosomal-matrix axis: dopamine release was boosted in striosome centers, diminished in striosomal-matrix border regions, and unaffected in the matrix. In turn, this different weighting of dopamine transmission by substance P modified the apparent center-surround contrast of striosomal dopamine signals. These data reveal that dopamine transmission can be differentially modulated within the striosomal-matrix axis, and furthermore, indicate a functionally distinct zone at the striosome-matrix interface, which may have key impacts on striatal integration.
Infant Directed Speech Enhances Statistical Learning in Newborn Infants: An ERP Study

Statistical learning and the social contexts of language addressed to infants are hypothesized to play important roles in early language development. Previous behavioral work has found that the exaggerated prosodic contours of infant-directed speech (IDS) facilitate statistical learning in 8-month-old infants. Here we examined the neural processes involved in on-line statistical learning and investigated whether the use of IDS facilitates statistical learning in sleeping newborns. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded while newborns were exposed to12 pseudo-words, six spoken with exaggerated pitch contours of IDS and six spoken without exaggerated pitch contours (ADS) in ten alternating blocks. We examined whether ERP amplitudes for syllable position within a pseudo-word (word-initial vs. word-medial vs. word-final, indicating statistical word learning) and speech register (ADS vs. IDS) would interact. The ADS and IDS registers elicited similar ERP patterns for syllable position in an early 0–100 ms component but elicited different ERP effects in both the polarity and topographical distribution at 200–400 ms and 450–650 ms. These results provide the first evidence that the exaggerated pitch contours of IDS result in differences in brain activity linked to on-line statistical learning in sleeping newborns.
Molecular Marker Differences Relate to Developmental Position and Subsets of Mesodiencephalic Dopaminergic Neurons

The development of mesodiencephalic dopaminergic (mdDA) neurons located in the substantia nigra compacta (SNc) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) follow a number of stages marked by distinct events. After preparation of the region by signals that provide induction and patterning, several transcription factors have been identified, which are involved in specifying the neuronal fate of these cells. The specific vulnerability of SNc neurons is thought to root in these specific developmental programs. The present study examines the positions of young postmitotic mdDA neurons to relate developmental position to mdDA subset specific markers. MdDA neurons were mapped relative to the neuromeric domains (prosomeres 1-3 (P1-3), midbrain, and hindbrain) as well as the longitudinal subdivisions (floor plate, basal plate, alar plate), as proposed by the prosomeric model. We found that postmitotic mdDA neurons are located mainly in the floorplate domain and very few in slightly more lateral domains. Moreover, mdDA neurons are present along a large proportion of the anterior/posterior axis extending from the midbrain to P3 in the diencephalon. The specific positions relate to some extent to the presence of specific subset markers as Ahd2. In the adult stage more of such subsets specific expressed genes are present and may represent a molecular map defining molecularly distinct groups of mdDA neurons.
Palynological evidence for gradual vegetation and climate changes during the African Humid Period termination at 13°N from a Mega-Lake Chad sedimentary sequence

Abstract. Located at the transition between the Saharan and Sahelian zones, at the center of one of the largest endorheic basins, Lake Chad is ideally located to record regional environmental changes that occurred in the past. However, until now, no Holocene archive was directly cored in this lake. In this paper, we present pollen data from the first sedimentary sequence collected in Lake Chad (13° N; 14° E; Sahel region). Dated between ca. 6700 and ca. 5000 cal yr BP, this record is continuous and encompasses part of the termination of the African Humid Period (AHP). Vegetation reconstructions are based on standard analyses of pollen diagrams and are strengthened by quantitative approaches. Potential biomes are reconstructed using the biomization method and mean annual precipitation (Pann) is estimated using the modern analogues technique. Results show that, between ca. 6700 and ca. 6050 cal yr BP, a vegetation close to humid woodland or humid savanna, including elements currently found further southward, thrived in the vicinity of the Mega-Lake Chad in place of the modern dry woodland, steppe and desert vegetation. At the same time, montane forest populations extended further southward on the Adamawa Plateau. The high abundance of lowland humid pollen taxa, particularly of Uapaca, is interpreted as the result of a northward migration of the corresponding plants during the AHP. This preferential zonal occurrence of these taxa in Lake Chad Basin (LCB) (rather than extrazonal) is driven by more humid local and regional climate conditions at this latitude, as shown by mean Pann estimated values of ca. 800 (−400/+700) mm during this period. However, we cannot rule out that an increase of the Chari–Logone inputs into the Mega-Lake Chad might have also contributed to control the abundance of these taxa. Changes in the structure and floristic composition of the vegetation towards more open and drier formations occurred after ca. 6050 cal yr BP, following a decrease in mean Pann estimates to approximately 600 (−230/+600) mm. But, the constant significant presence of lowland humid taxa until ca. 5000 cal yr BP, contemporaneous with a slight increase in steppic taxa, demonstrates that at this date, the modern vegetation was not yet established in the vicinity of Lake Chad. Our data indicate that between ca. 6700 and ca. 5000 cal yr BP vegetation and climate changes must have occurred progressively, but that century-scale climate variability was superimposed on this long-term mid-Holocene drying trend as observed around ca. 6300 cal yr BP, where pollen data indicate more humid conditions.
Sparse source-wise and pair-wise distance preservers

We introduce and study the notions of <i>pair-wise</i> and <i>source-wise preservers. </i>Given an undirected <i>N</i>-vertex graph <i>G</i> = (<i>V, E</i>) and a subset <i>P</i> of pairs of vertices, let <i>G'</i> = (<i>V, H</i>), <i>H ⊆ E</i>, be called a <i>pair-wise preserver of G with respect to P</i> if for every pair {<i>u, w</i>} ∈ <i>P, dist<inf>G'</inf> (u, w) = dist<inf>G</inf> (u, w). </i> For a set <i>S ⊆ V</i> of <i>sources</i>, a pair-wise preserver of <i>G</i> with respect to the set of all pairs <i>P</i> = (S/2) of sources is called a <i>source-wise preserver of G with respect to S. </i>We prove that for every undirected possibly weighted <i>N-</i>vertex graph <i>G</i> and every subset <i>P</i> of P = <i>O(N</i><sup>1/2</sup>) pairs of vertices of <i>G</i>, there exists a <i>linear-size</i> pair-wise preserver of <i>G</i> with respect to <i>P.</i> Consequently, for every subset <i>S ⊆ V</i> of <i>S</i> = O(N<sup>1/4</sup>) sources, there exists a <i>linear-size</i> source-wise preserver of <i>G</i> with respect to <i>S. </i> On the negative side we show that neither of the two exponents (1/2 and 1/4) can be improved even when the attention is restricted to unweighted graphs.Our lower bounds involve constructions of dense convexly independent sets of vectors with small Euclidean norms. We believe that the link between the areas of <i>Discrete Geometry</i> and <i>spanners</i> that we establish is of independent interest, and might be useful in the study of other problems in the area of low-distortion embeddings.
Influence of cutaneous and muscular circulation on spatially resolved versus standard Beer–Lambert near‐infrared spectroscopy

The potential interference of cutaneous circulation on muscle blood volume and oxygenation monitoring by near‐infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) remains an important limitation of this technique. Spatially resolved spectroscopy (SRS) was reported to minimize the contribution of superficial tissue layers in cerebral monitoring but this characteristic has never been documented in muscle tissue monitoring. This study aims to compare SRS with the standard Beer–Lambert (BL) technique in detecting blood volume changes selectively induced in muscle and skin. In 16 healthy subjects, the biceps brachii was investigated during isometric elbow flexion at 70% of the maximum voluntary contractions lasting 10 sec, performed before and after exposure of the upper arm to warm air flow. From probes applied over the muscle belly the following variables were recorded: total hemoglobin index (THI, SRS‐based), total hemoglobin concentration (tHb, BL‐based), tissue oxygenation index (TOI, SRS‐based), and skin blood flow (SBF), using laser Doppler flowmetry. Blood volume indices exhibited similar changes during muscle contraction but only tHb significantly increased during warming (+5.2 ± 0.7 μmol/L·cm, an effect comparable to the increase occurring in postcontraction hyperemia), accompanying a 10‐fold increase in SBF. Contraction‐induced changes in tHb and THI were not substantially affected by warming, although the tHb tracing was shifted upward by (5.2 ± 3.5 μmol/L·cm, P < 0.01). TOI was not affected by cutaneous warming. In conclusion, SRS appears to effectively reject interference by SBF in both muscle blood volume and oxygenation monitoring. Instead, BL‐based parameters should be interpreted with caution, whenever changes in cutaneous perfusion cannot be excluded.
Lithium in the symbiotic Mira V407 Cyg

We report an identification of the lithium resonance doublet Li i 6708 A in the spectrum of V407 Cyg, a symbiotic Mira with a pulsation period of about 745 d. The resolution of the spectra used was R=λ/Δλ≈ 18 500 and the measured equivalent width of the line is ∼0.34 A. It is suggested that the lithium enrichment is due to hot bottom burning in the intermediate-mass asymptotic giant branch (AGB) variable, although other possible origins cannot be totally ruled out. In contrast to lithium-rich AGB stars in the Magellanic Clouds, ZrO λλ5551, 6474 absorption bands were not found in the spectrum of V407 Cyg. These are the bands used to classify the S-type stars at low-resolution. Although we identified weak ZrO λλ5718, 6412 these are not visible in the low-resolution spectra, and we therefore classify the Mira in V407 Cyg as an M type. This, together with other published work, suggests lithium enrichment can precede the third dredge up of s-process enriched material in galactic AGB stars.
Velocity Field Statistics in Star-forming Regions. I. Centroid Velocity Observations

The probability density functions (pdfs) of molecular line centroid velocity fluctuations, and of line centroid velocity fluctuation differences at different spatial lags, are estimated for several nearby molecular clouds with active internal star formation. The data consist of over 75,000 13CO line profiles divided among 12 spatially and/or kinematically distinct regions. These regions range in size from less than 1 to more than 40 pc and are all substantially supersonic, with centroid fluctuation Mach numbers ranging from about 1.5 to 7. The centroid pdfs are constructed using three different types of estimators. Although three regions (all in Mon R2) exhibit nearly Gaussian centroid pdfs, the other regions show strong evidence for non-Gaussian pdfs, often nearly exponential, with possible evidence for power-law contributions in the far tails. Evidence for nearly exponential centroid pdfs in the neutral H I component of the interstellar medium is also presented, based on older published data for optical absorption lines and H I emission and absorption lines. These strongly non-Gaussian pdfs disagree with the nearly Gaussian behavior found for incompressible turbulence (except possibly shear flow turbulence) and simulations of decaying mildly supersonic turbulence. Spatial images of the largest magnitude centroid velocity differences for the star-forming regions appear less filamentary than predicted by decay simulations dominated by vortical interactions. No evidence for the scaling of difference pdf kurtosis with Reynolds number, as found in incompressible turbulence experiments and simulations, is found. We conclude that turbulence in both star-forming molecular clouds and diffuse H I regions involves physical processes that are not adequately captured by incompressible turbulence or by mildly supersonic decay simulations. The variation with lag of the variance and kurtosis of the difference pdfs is presented as a constraint on future simulations, and we evaluate and discuss the implications of the large scale and Taylor scale Reynolds numbers for the regions studied here.
Period-doubling events in the light curve of r cygni: evidence for chaotic behaviour

A detailed analysis of the century long visual light curve of the long-period Mira star R Cygni is presented and discussed. The data were collected from the publicly available databases of the AFOEV, the BAAVSS and the VSOLJ. The full light curve consists of 26655 individual points obtained between 1901 and 2001. The light curve and its periodicity were analysed with help of the O-C diagram, Fourier analysis and time-frequency analysis. The results demonstrate the limitations of these linear methods. The next step was to investigate the possible presence of low-dimensional chaos in the light curve. For this, a smoothed and noise-filtered signal was created from the averaged data and with the help of time delay embedding, we have tried to reconstruct the attractor of the system. The main result is that R Cygni shows such period-doubling events that can be interpreted as being caused by a repetitive bifurcation of the chaotic attractor between a period 2T orbit and chaos. The switch between these two states occurs in a certain compact region of the phase space, where the light curve is characterized by ∼1500-day long transients. The Lyapunov spectrum was computed for various embedding parameters confirming the chaotic attractor, although the exponents suffer from quite high uncertainty because of the applied approximation. Finally, the light curve is compared with a simple one zone model generated by a third-order differential equation which exhibits well-expressed period-doubling bifurcation. The strong resemblance is another argument for chaotic behaviour. Further studies should address the problem of global flow reconstruction, including the determination of the accurate Lyapunov exponents and dimension.
A Paradigmatic Analysis of Information Systems As a Design Science

The present essay discusses the ontology, epistemology, metho- dology and ethics of design science. It suggests that Information Systems as a design science should be based on a sound ontology, including an ontology of IT artifacts. In the case of epistemology, the essay emphasizes the irre- ducibility of the prescriptive knowledge of IT artifacts to theoretical descriptive knowledge. It also expresses a need for constructive research methods, which allow disciplined, rigorous and transparent building of IT artifacts as outcomes of design science research. The relationship between action research and design science research is also briefly discussed. In the case of ethics, the essay points out that Information Systems as design science cannot be value- free.
Position estimation for a mobile robot using vision and odometry

The authors describe a method for locating a mobile robot moving in a known environment. This technique combines position estimation from odometry with observations of the environment from a mobile camera. Fixed objects in the world provide landmarks which are listed in a database. The system calculates the angle to each landmark and then orients the camera. An extended Kalman filter is used to correct the error between the observed and estimated angle to each landmark. Results from experiments in a real environment are presented. <<ETX>>
Suppression of IRAK1 or IRAK4 Catalytic Activity, but Not Type 1 IFN Signaling, Prevents Lupus Nephritis in Mice Expressing a Ubiquitin Binding–Defective Mutant of ABIN1

Polymorphisms in the TNIP1 gene encoding A20-binding inhibitor of NF-κB1 (ABIN1) predispose to lupus and other autoimmune diseases in at least eight human populations. We found previously that knock-in mice expressing a ubiquitin-binding–defective mutant of ABIN1 (ABIN1[D485N]) develop autoimmunity as they age and succumb to a disease resembling lupus nephritis in humans. In this article, we report that Flt3-derived dendritic cells from these mice overproduced type 1 IFNs upon stimulation with ligands that activate TLR7 or TLR9. However, crossing ABIN1[D485N] mice to IFNAR1-knockout mice that do not express the α-subunit of the type 1 IFNR did not prevent splenomegaly, the appearance of high serum levels of autoantibodies and other Igs, or liver inflammation and only reduced kidney inflammation modestly. In contrast, crossing ABIN1[D485N] mice to knock-in mice expressing catalytically inactive mutants of IRAK1 or IRAK4 prevented splenomegaly, autoimmunity, and liver and kidney inflammation. Our results support the notion that IRAK1 and/or IRAK4 are attractive targets for the development of drugs to prevent, and perhaps treat, lupus nephritis and other autoinflammatory diseases caused by the decreased ability of ABIN1 or other proteins to restrict the strength of MyD88 signaling.
Integral Models of Extremal Rational Elliptic Surfaces

Miranda and Persson classified all extremal rational elliptic surfaces in characteristic zero. We show that each surface in Miranda and Persson's classification has an integral model with good reduction everywhere (except for those of type X 11(j), which is an exceptional case), and that every extremal rational elliptic surface over an algebraically closed field of characteristic p > 0 can be obtained by reducing one of these integral models mod p.
You Brought it on Yourself: The Joint Effects of Message Type, Stigma, and Responsibility Attribution on Attitudes Toward Medical Cannabis

This study uses a web-based randomized experiment (N = 396) to test the effects of message type (narrative vs. expository), stigma (stigmatized vs. nonstigmatized illness), and attribution of responsibility for disease (internal vs. external) on attitudes toward medical cannabis. Narrative-formatted videos produced more favorable attitudes toward medical cannabis, compared with nonnarrative videos. Effects of narratives on attitudes were mediated through transportation and identification with the protagonist. Participants who viewed narratives in which the protagonist had a stigmatized illness and was responsible for contracting the disease expressed more negative attitudes toward medical cannabis. Effects of attribution were mediated through social distance toward medical cannabis users, and moderated by stigma. Implications for narrative persuasion and public opinion regarding medical cannabis are discussed.
User acceptance of online banking service in Australia

The research investigates both positive and negative factors influencing user acceptance of online banking services (OBS) in Australia. A research framework was developed based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). One hundred and ninety respondents in Australia participated in a survey on their perceptions toward OBS. Results show that although respondents strongly believe that using OBS would benefit their daily life, many issues (such as security concerns and technology anxieties) reduce their selfefficacies. Recommendations were given to promote a safe, efficient and conducive environment for user adoption of online banking.
Increased Coronary Artery Disease Severity in Black Women Undergoing Coronary Bypass Surgery

AbstractRace and sex disparities are believed to play an important role in heart disease. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between race, sex, and number of diseased vessels at the time of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), and subsequent postoperative outcomes.The 13,774 patients undergoing first-time, isolated CABG between 1992 and 2011 were included. Trend in the number of diseased vessels between black and white patients, stratified by sex, were analyzed using a Cochran–Armitage trend test. Models were adjusted for age, procedural status (elective vs. nonelective), and payor type (private vs. nonprivate insurance). Black female CABG patients presented with an increasingly greater number of diseased vessels than white female CABG patients (adjusted Ptrend = 0.0021). A similar trend was not observed between black and white male CABG patients (adjusted Ptrend = 0.18). Black female CABG patients were also more likely to have longer intensive care unit and hospital lengths of stay than other race–sex groups.Our findings suggest that black female CABG patients have more advanced coronary artery disease than white female CABG patients. Further research is needed to determine the benefit of targeted preventive care and preoperative workup for this high-risk group.