Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of individualism and collectivism over the individual's technology acceptance behaviour: A multi-group analysis between Pakistan and Turkey

– The purpose of this paper is to develop an extended model of technology acceptance to include behavioural beliefs (perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use), subjective norms, management support (at institutional and governmental levels) to examine the academics’ internet acceptance behaviour within the Pakistan and Turkish context. In addition to this, impact of cultural dimension individualism-collectivism (IC) is also examined on the basis of moderator construct. , – Data were collected from 380 academics’ using a cross-sectional survey. Data were analysed using structural equation modelling (partial least squares) in conjunction with multiple group analysis. , – The results revealed that proposed model achieved acceptable fit with the data (i.e. R2=39 per cent in intention) and most of the hypothesised relationships were supported. The results also revealed that culture showed a moderating effect on hypothetical relationships. Specifically, the effects of management support were stronger for the respondents having high on collectivist society (i.e. Pakistan). , – The study is useful in non-western cultural contexts. Specifically, in contrast to previous studies, diversity of individuals’ acceptance behaviour is examined in Turkey and Pakistan. Additionally, this study had examined moderating impact of cultural dimension (i.e. IC) over academic’s behavioural intention to accept the internet technology.
Process control and risky decision-making: moderation by general mental ability and need for cognition

Human factors and ergonomics research could benefit from focusing more strongly on individual differences – especially trait variables. The present study suggests the analysis of moderator effects as a promising way to enhance understanding of trait variables and process control performance. Process control performance was studied by analysing moderator effects of general mental ability (GMA) and need for cognition (NC) on risky decision-making (RDM) and performance. Fifty engineering students were trained on a process control task using a computer-based simulation for three hours and tested twice thereafter. Risky decision-making was measured using a computerised gambling task while GMA and NC were assessed with questionnaires. Risky decision-making in interaction with each GMA and NC explained variance in performance over and above variance explained by the single effects. In conclusion, the analysis of moderator effects between individual difference variables and process control performance seems promising. Practitioner Summary: Individual difference variables affect learning and performance, but have often not been studied to any great extent in human factors research. This article suggests a promising approach to studying individual differences – moderator analyses – and illustrates how such differences can lead to a better understanding of what determines process control performance.
Explorations of familiarity produced by words with specific combinations of letters

We explore familiarity-based recognition using a paradigm devised by Parkin et al. (2001). The task consists of the creation of two lists of words written with one of two different subsets of letters of the alphabet. We manipulated study time (50, 100, 200, 500 ms per word) of words with different letter probabilistic structure to those originally used by Parkin et al. Letter-based familiarity responding was robust and present even at rates producing otherwise chance performance. A second experiment and structural equation modelling led us to interpret the results from the point of view of a theory that takes into account the processing of similarities and differences (Hunt & MacDaniel, 1993). Finally, our data indicate that the experimental procedure devised by Parkin et al. is an excellent tool with which to study familiarity, once the structure of probabilities of individual letters is considered as the key factor in inducing the effect.
Hierarchical predictive control for ground-vehicle maneuvering

This paper presents a hierarchical approach to feedback-based trajectory generation for improved vehicle autonomy. Hierarchical vehicle-control structures have been used before-for example, in electronic stability control systems, where a low-level control loop tracks high-level references. Here, the control structure includes a nonlinear vehicle model already at the high level to generate optimization-based references. A nonlinear model-predictive control (MPC) formulation, combined with a linearized MPC acting as a backup controller, tracks these references by allocating torque and steer commands. With this structure the two control layers have a physical coupling, which makes it easier for the low-level loop to track the references. Simulation results show improved performance over an approach based on linearized MPC, as well as feasibility for online implementations.
A Pragmatic Coded Modulation Scheme for High-Spectral-Efficiency Fiber-Optic Communications

A pragmatic coded modulation system is presented that incorporates signal shaping and exploits the excellent performance and efficient high-speed decoding architecture of staircase codes. Reliable communication within 0.62 bits/s/Hz of the estimated capacity (per polarization) of a system with L=2000 km is provided by the proposed system, with an error floor below 10-20. Also, it is shown that digital backpropagation increases the achievable spectral efficiencies-relative to linear equalization-by 0.55 to 0.75 bits/s/Hz per polarization.
Perturbations of multidimensional shifts of finite type

Abstract In this paper, we study perturbations of multidimensional shifts of finite type. Specifically, for any ℤd shift of finite type X with d>1 and any finite pattern w in the language of X, we denote by Xw the set of elements of X not containing w. For strongly irreducible X and patterns w with shape a d-dimensional cube, we obtain upper and lower bounds on htop (X)−htop (Xw) dependent on the size of w. This extends a result of Lind for d=1 . We also apply our methods to an undecidability question in ℤd symbolic dynamics.
An Updated Paradigm for Scale Development Incorporating Unidimensionality and Its Assessment

The authors outline an updated paradigm for scale development that incorporates confirmatory factor analysis for the assessment of unidimensionality. Under this paradigm, item-total correlations and exploratory factor analysis are used to provide preliminary scales. The unidimensionality of each scale then is assessed simultaneously with confirmatory factor analysis. After unidimensional measurement has been acceptably achieved, the reliability of each scale is assessed. Additional evidence for construct validity beyond the establishment of unidimensionality then can be provided by embedding the unidimensional sets of indicators within a nomological network defined by the complete structural model.
A journey to the authentic: Museum visitors and their negotiation of the inauthentic

Abstract This qualitative research was set within a literary heritage museum replete with replica artefacts. We explored how the inauthentic is negotiated in this context and examined the outcomes of these negotiations. Our research revealed that scene setting, freedom, and imagination contribute to visitors' potential to overcome the absence of indexically authentic artefacts, and we identified a role for existential authenticity in this process. We make three key contributions to marketing theory on authenticity: (1) when visitors are confronted with the inauthentic, they often experience feelings of dissonance; (2) there is a need to consider the role of authenticity of the ‘self’ in consumption situations; and (3) there is a symbiotic relationship between indexical authenticity and iconic authenticity, and both are related to existential authenticity. We recommend that the arts and heritage sectors delve further into the processes that suppliers and consumers use to negotiate the inauthentic so that they may leverage the support they have from stakeholders and enhance their viability.
The role of the dominant versus the non-dominant hemisphere: An fMRI study of Aphasia recovery following stroke

Background: Speech production is one of the most frequently affected cognitive functions following stroke; however, the neural mechanisms underlying the recovery of speech function are still incompletely understood. Aims: The current study aims to address the differential contributions of the dominant and non-dominant hemispheres in recovery from aphasia following stroke by comparing data from four stroke patients and 12 control participants to assess the patterns of activation during speech production tasks during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning. Methods & Procedures: Four chronic stroke patients (three left-hemisphere lesion and one right-hemisphere lesion) diagnosed with Broca’s aphasia at the acute phase, but now recovered to near normal speech ability, were tested on speech production tasks (phonemic fluency, categorical fluency and picture naming) whilst undergoing fMRI. These patients were compared with 12 healthy controls undergoing the same procedure. Outcomes & Results: Individual subject analysis showed activation peaks in perilesional areas in three out of four patients. This included one patient with right-hemisphere lesion, who also showed predominant perilesional activation. Group analysis of control participants showed predominately left-hemisphere activation, but not exclusively so. Laterality indexes were calculated and showed predominant left-hemisphere lateralisation in the control group (LI = 0.4). Three out of the four patients showed speech lateralised to the same hemisphere as their lesion and the fourth patient showed speech lateralised to the opposite hemisphere to their lesion. Different speech production tasks resulted in varying lateralisation indices (LIs) within participants. Conclusions: The data suggest that perilesional areas support recovery of speech in the chronic phase post-stroke regardless of the site of the lesion. The study has implications for the understanding of functional recovery as well as for the paradigms used in fMRI to localise speech production areas. Specifically, a variety of speech tasks are required to elicit activation that is representative of the range of cortical involvement in speech in healthy adults and that also allows for accurate reporting of the extent of recovery experienced in patients.
Living in a Dynamic Environment: Variability in Life History Traits of Age‐0 Splittail in Tributaries of San Francisco Bay

Splittail Pogonichthys macrolepidotus is a relatively large cyprinid endemic to the San Francisco Estuary watershed. During late winter and early spring, splittails migrate from the estuary to upstream rivers and floodplains for spawning. During 2002 and 2003, we examined the diet composition, muscle stable isotope signatures (d 13 C and d 15 N), and growth rates of age-0 splittails in the four primary rivers used for spawning. Overall, we found substantial variability in all three traits in spatial and temporal comparisons. Age-0 splittails consumed a variety of prey taxa, consisting almost exclusively of aquatic invertebrates, larval stages of chironomids or copepods generally being the most common. We found that the d 15 N and d 13 C signatures of age-0 splittails significantly varied spatially and temporally (d 15 N range ¼ 6.1- 19.6%; d 13 C range ¼� 36.3 to � 17.5%). Environmental conditions, namely flow and how it manipulates habitat connectivity, appeared to affect d 13 C. Age-0 splittails exhibited substantial variability in growth rate both spatially and temporally. However, this variability was not associated with diet composition or stable isotope signatures, suggesting that food availability and physical habitat conditions were important factors affecting growth rates during our study.
Analysis of the Small RNA Transcriptional Response in Multidrug-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus after Antimicrobial Exposure

ABSTRACT The critical role of noncoding small RNAs (sRNAs) in the bacterial response to changing conditions is increasingly recognized. However, a specific role for sRNAs during antibiotic exposure has not been investigated in Staphylococcus aureus. Here, we used Illumina RNA-Seq to examine the sRNA response of multiresistant sequence type 239 (ST239) S. aureus after exposure to four antibiotics (vancomycin, linezolid, ceftobiprole, and tigecycline) representing the major classes of antimicrobials used to treat methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) infections. We identified 409 potential sRNAs and then compared global sRNA and mRNA expression profiles at 2 and 6 h, without antibiotic exposure and after exposure to each antibiotic, for a vancomycin-susceptible strain (JKD6009) and a vancomycin-intermediate strain (JKD6008). Exploration of this data set by multivariate analysis using a novel implementation of nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) revealed very different responses for mRNA and sRNA. Where mRNA responses clustered with strain or growth phase conditions, the sRNA responses were predominantly linked to antibiotic exposure, including sRNA responses that were specific for particular antibiotics. A remarkable feature of the antimicrobial response was the prominence of antisense sRNAs to genes encoding proteins involved in protein synthesis and ribosomal function. This study has defined a large sRNA repertoire in epidemic ST239 MRSA and shown for the first time that a subset of sRNAs are part of a coordinated transcriptional response to specific antimicrobial exposures in S. aureus. These data provide a framework for interrogating the role of staphylococcal sRNAs in antimicrobial resistance and exploring new avenues for sRNA-based antimicrobial therapies.
Analysis and research on the influencing factor of the road transportation network vulnerability based on the interpretative structural model

With the development of science and technology, the process of urbanization has also been accelerated; the problem of road safety has been becoming more and more serious, which made it imperative to solve the problem of road transportation. This paper discusses the related influencing factors of road transportation network vulnerability, analyzes the relationship between various factors, and establishes the model for analyzing vulnerability factors of road transportation network based on the interpretive structural model (ISM). According to the results of the classified model of ISM, this paper analyzes the most direct and fundamental factor leading to road transportation network vulnerability and provides some opinions and suggestions to reduce it.
Neutralizing antibodies in cats infected with feline immunodeficiency virus

Sera from cats experimentally infected with five isolates of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) from various geographical regions and from FIV enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-seropositive field cats from four European countries neutralized the Petaluma strain of FIV (FIV-P), originally isolated in California, at high titers. In addition, FIV-P and a European isolate proved equally susceptible to neutralization by all sera tested. Coupled with observations by Fevereiro et al. (M. Fevereiro, C. Roneker, A. Laufs, L. Tavares, and F. de Noronha, J. Gen. Virol. 72:617-622, 1991), these findings indicate that most if not all FIV strains circulating in Europe and the United States share important neutralization-inducing epitopes.
Monte Carlo radiative transfer in molecular cloud cores

We present the results of a three-dimensional Monte Carlo radiative transfer code for starless molecular cloud cores heated by an external isotropic or non-isotropic interstellar radiation field. The code computes the dust temperature distribution inside model clouds with specified but arbitrary density profiles. In particular we examine in detail spherical (Bonnor-Ebert) clouds, axisymmetric and non-axisymmetric toroids, and clouds heated by an external stellar source in addition to the general interstellar field. For these configurations, the code also computes maps of the emergent intensity at different wavelengths and arbitrary viewing angle, that can be compared directly with continuum maps of prestellar cores. In the approximation where the dust temperature is independent of interactions with the gas and where the gas is heated both by collisions with dust grains and ionization by cosmic rays, the temperature distribution of the gas is also calculated. For cloud models with parameters typical of dense cores, the results show that the dust temperature decreases monotonically from a maximum value near the cloud's edge (14–15 K) to a minimum value at the cloud's center (6–7 K). Conversely, the gas temperature varies in a similar range, but, due to efficient dust-gas coupling in the inner regions and inefficient cosmic-ray heating in the outer regions, the gradient is non-monotonic and the gas temperature reaches a maximum value at intermediate radii. The emission computed for these models (at 350 μ m and 1.3 mm) shows that deviations from spherical symmetry in the density and/or temperature distributions are generally reduced in the simulated intensity maps (even without beam convolution), especially at the longer wavelengths.
Pharmacokinetics and tolerance of florfenicol in Equidae.

Florfenicol was administered to horses and ponies at a dose rate of 22 mg/kg bwt by i.v. , i.m. and oral routes. Following i.v. administration it had an elimination half-life of 1.8 ± 0.9 h, a body clearance of 0.4 ± 0.11/h.kg and a volume of distribution at steady-state of 0.7 ± 0.2 1/kg. It was highly bioavailable following i.m. (81%) and oral (83%) administration. Less than 15% of the administered dose was excreted unchanged in the urine during the 30 h following administration. Animals treated with florfenicol had elevated bilirubin concentrations. Florfenicol was well tolerated by animals in the present study although all animals had loose faeces following administration by each route. At present, florfenicol cannot be recommended for clinical use until multiple dose studies have been carried out to confirm its safety.
White Counselors' Conceptualization of Privilege and Oppression: Implications for Counselor Training

The authors in this qualitative study explored how White counselors define and experience privilege and oppression. Specifically, 2 research questions were addressed in semistructured interviews with 8 counselors: How do White counselors conceptualize privilege and oppression as separate but related constructs= and What experiences do White counselors generally describe concerning privilege and oppression? The authors present a research model that represents the factors that contribute to changes in the conceptualization and awareness of privilege and oppression and the way that these changes come about. Implications for counselor training are discussed.
Treatment of heart failure in the elderly: never say it's too late.

Komajda et al. have provided very important information on an essential and relatively unstudied group of heart failure (HF) patients—those 80 years of age and older.1 Their findings from the Euro Heart Failure Survey (EHFS) II provide unique information on the characteristics and outcomes in this group and secular trends in their management. In this editorial, we will try to place their findings in the broader context of HF management, highlighting what is known and, more importantly, what is not known about this patient group. HF is predominantly a disease of the elderly. The mean age of HF patients is >70 years in most developed countries, and the prevalence of HF rises dramatically with age, from 1–2% among individuals aged 45–54 years to >10% among those aged ≥75 years.2 Ageing predisposes to HF through multiple mechanisms. First, HF is a frequent outcome of virtually all cardiovascular diseases. Hence, patients with most cardiovascular diseases (i.e. hypertension, acute coronary syndromes, cardiac surgery, etc.) are prone to developing ventricular remodelling and HF when elderly. Secondly, even in the absence of any cardiovascular event, ageing is associated with reduced aortic and left ventricular (LV) compliance, with increased aortic impedance and abnormal LV diastolic function. These conditions lower the threshold for the development of HF when the heart is exposed to precipitating factors such as hypertension and/or tachyarrhythmias (especially atrial fibrillation). These last mechanisms explain why the clinical picture of HF in older patients differs substantially from that of the syndrome usually described and studied in randomized clinical trials (RCTs). Elderly patients with HF are more likely to be women (as their life span is longer), as well as more likely to suffer from hypertension, have a normal LV ejection fraction (EF), and suffer from co-morbidities.3,4 Compared with younger patients, … *Corresponding author. Tel: +39 030 3995573, Fax: +39 030 3700359, Email: metramarco{at}libero.it
On functional weak convergence for partial sum processes

For a strictly stationary sequence of regularly varying random variables we study functional weak convergence of partial sum processes in the space $D[0,1]$ with the $J_{1}$ topology. Under the strong mixing condition, we identify necessary and sufficient conditions for such convergence in terms of the corresponding extremal index. We also give conditions under which the regular variation property is a necessary condition for this functional convergence in the case of weak dependence.
MATLAB-Based Modeling to Study the Effects of Partial Shading on PV Array Characteristics

The performance of a photovoltaic (PV) array is affected by temperature, solar insolation, shading, and array configuration. Often, the PV arrays get shadowed, completely or partially, by the passing clouds, neighboring buildings and towers, trees, and utility and telephone poles. The situation is of particular interest in case of large PV installations such as those used in distributed power generation schemes. Under partially shaded conditions, the PV characteristics get more complex with multiple peaks. Yet, it is very important to understand and predict them in order to extract the maximum possible power. This paper presents a MATLAB-based modeling and simulation scheme suitable for studying the I-V and P-V characteristics of a PV array under a nonuniform insolation due to partial shading. It can also be used for developing and evaluating new maximum power point tracking techniques, especially for partially shaded conditions. The proposed models conveniently interface with the models of power electronic converters, which is a very useful feature. It can also be used as a tool to study the effects of shading patterns on PV panels having different configurations. It is observed that, for a given number of PV modules, the array configuration (how many modules in series and how many in parallel) significantly affects the maximum available power under partially shaded conditions. This is another aspect to which the developed tool can be applied. The model has been experimentally validated and the usefulness of this research is highlighted with the help of several illustrations. The MATLAB code of the developed model is freely available for download.