Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Climate Change and Malaria in Canada: A Systems Approach

This article examines the potential for changes in imported and autochthonous malaria incidence in Canada as a consequence of climate change. Drawing on a systems framework, we qualitatively characterize and assess the potential direct and indirect impact of climate change on malaria in Canada within the context of other concurrent ecological and social trends. Competent malaria vectors currently exist in southern Canada, including within this range several major urban centres, and conditions here have historically supported endemic malaria transmission. Climate change will increase the occurrence of temperature conditions suitable for malaria transmission in Canada, which, combined with trends in international travel, immigration, drug resistance, and inexperience in both clinical and laboratory diagnosis, may increase malaria incidence in Canada and permit sporadic autochthonous cases. This conclusion challenges the general assumption of negligible malaria risk in Canada with climate change.
Predicting China’s SME Credit Risk in Supply Chain Financing by Logistic Regression, Artificial Neural Network and Hybrid Models

Based on logistic regression (LR) and artificial neural network (ANN) methods, we construct an LR model, an ANN model and three types of a two-stage hybrid model. The two-stage hybrid model is integrated by the LR and ANN approaches. We predict the credit risk of China’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) for financial institutions (FIs) in the supply chain financing (SCF) by applying the above models. In the empirical analysis, the quarterly financial and non-financial data of 77 listed SMEs and 11 listed core enterprises (CEs) in the period of 2012–2013 are chosen as the samples. The empirical results show that: (i) the “negative signal” prediction accuracy ratio of the ANN model is better than that of LR model; (ii) the two-stage hybrid model type I has a better performance of predicting “positive signals” than that of the ANN model; (iii) the two-stage hybrid model type II has a stronger ability both in aspects of predicting “positive signals” and “negative signals” than that of the two-stage hybrid model type I; and (iv) “negative signal” predictive power of the two-stage hybrid model type III is stronger than that of the two-stage hybrid model type II. In summary, the two-stage hybrid model III has the best classification capability to forecast SMEs credit risk in SCF, which can be a useful prediction tool for China’s FIs.
Meanings of Local Food in Danish Print Media: From Marginal to Mainstream

The purpose of this article is to find empirical evidence that can verify the seemingly new and growing interest in local food in Denmark, and shed light on what meanings the concept of local food holds in Danish print media. A content analysis of Danish print media is undertaken of articles reporting on local food over a 10-year period. A total of 993 articles are collected from national, region- al and local newspapers as well as trade journals and magazines. Incorporating print media as agents in the construction of meanings of local food is a relatively understudied field of research. The article finds six major themes, which are cen - tral to the understanding of local food in Danish print media, namely 'local food networks', 'food values', 'food system', 'food tourism', 'food events' and 'local food in supermarkets'. It concludes that there are important differences between print media sources; nationwide dailies portray national imaginaries, apart from local imaginaries portrayed in regional dailies and local weeklies. This said, local food cannot be understood without reference to the local scale. However, at the same time, both culinary globalization and culinary nationalism have resulted in the strong push for local food. Keeping with this, it is argued that the increasing interest in local food by mainstream supermarkets blurs the lines between the marginal and mainstream. Thus, local food can be understood both as flow and friction between dualisms of local-global and marginal-mainstream.
Maternal macronutrient and energy intakes in pregnancy and offspring intake at 10 y: exploring parental comparisons and prenatal effects

Background: High maternal dietary intakes in pregnancy may lead to increased fetal growth and program neuroendocrine pathways that result in greater appetite, energy intake, and adiposity in offspring later in life. Few prospective dietary studies have explored this relation. Objective: The objective was to assess associations of maternal dietary intake in pregnancy and maternal and paternal dietary intake postnatally with child dietary intake and adiposity. Design: Dietary intakes of energy, protein, total fat, and carbohydrate were assessed prospectively in mothers during pregnancy, in mothers and their partners at 47 mo postnatally, and in children at 10 y (n = 5717 mother-child pairs prenatally, 5593 mother-child pairs postnatally, and 3009 father-child pairs). Child body composition was assessed at 9 and 11 y (n = 5725). Results: Maternal dietary intakes of protein, fat (when adjusted for energy intake), and carbohydrate in pregnancy were positively associated with child dietary intakes of the same nutrients, and these associations were greater than those observed for paternal dietary intake, which was not strongly associated with offspring diet. Associations of maternal prenatal-offspring intakes were stronger than those of maternal postnatal-offspring intakes for protein and fat. Greater child energy and macronutrient intakes were only associated with greater adiposity in children when adjusted for potential energy underreporting. Maternal diet during pregnancy was not associated with offspring adiposity or lean mass. Conclusion: The stronger prenatal maternal associations with child dietary intake, particularly protein and fat, compared with both paternal intake associations and maternal postnatal intake associations provide some evidence for in utero programming of offspring appetite by maternal intake during pregnancy.
Improving NASICON Sinterability through Crystallization under High-Frequency Electrical Fields

The effect of high frequency (HF) electric fields on the crystallization and sintering rates of a lithium aluminum germanium phosphate (LAGP) ion conducting ceramic was investigated. LAGP with the nominal composition Li1.5Al0. 5Ge1.5(PO4)3 was crystallized and sintered, both conventionally and under effect of electrical field. Electrical field application, of 300V/cm at 1MHz, produced up to a 40% improvement in sintering rate of LAGP that was crystallized and sintered under the HF field. Heat sink effect of the electrodes appears to arrest thermal runaway and subsequent flash behavior. Sintered pellets were characterized using XRD, SEM, TEM and EIS to compare conventionally and field sintered processes. The as-sintered structure appears largely unaffected by the field as the sintering curves tend to converge beyond initial stages of sintering. Differences in densities and microstructure after 1 hour of sintering were minor with measured sintering strains of 31% vs. 26% with and without field, respectively . Ionic conductivity of the sintered pellets was evaluated and no deterioration due to the use of HF field was noted, though capacitance of grain boundaries due to secondary phases was significantly increased.
High density lipoprotein/sphingosine-1-phosphate-induced cardioprotection

High density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol has beneficial effects beyond its atheroprotective function in reverse cholesterol transport, including cardioprotection against ischemia reperfusion (IR) injuries. Two major constituents of HDL, namely the structural protein apolipoprotein AI (apoAI) and the sphingolipid sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) appear to contribute to this cardioprotective effect via the activation of intrinsic prosurvival signaling pathways that still remain to be clarified. Recently, a powerful prosurvival signaling pathway, termed the survivor activating factor enhancement (SAFE) pathway, which involves the activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF), has been shown to protect against ischemia-reperfusion injuries. The present review summarizes the evidence for the roles of HDL and S1P in cardioprotection and discusses the signaling pathways that have been implicated. It thus provides support for our contention that S1P should be considered in potential formulations of reconstituted HDL (reHDL) that may be tested for cardioprotection against coronary artery disease via the activation of the SAFE pathway.
An Error Analysis of Galerkin Projection Methods for Linear Systems with Tensor Product Structure

Recent results on the convergence of a Galerkin projection method for the Sylvester equation are extended to more general linear systems with tensor product structure. In the Hermitian positive definite case, explicit convergence bounds are derived for Galerkin projection based on tensor products of rational Krylov subspaces. The results can be used to optimize the choice of shifts for these methods. Numerical experiments demonstrate that the convergence rates predicted by our bounds appear to be sharp.
Finding interesting rules from large sets of discovered association rules

Association rules, introduced by Agrawal, Imielinski, and Swami, are rules of the form “for 90% of the rows of the relation, if the row has value 1 in the columns in set W, then it has 1 also in column B”. Efficient methods exist for discovering association rules from large collections of data. The number of discovered rules can, however, be so large that browsing the rule set and finding interesting rules from it can be quite difficult for the user. We show how a simple formalism of rule templates makes it possible to easily describe the structure of interesting rules. We also give examples of visualization of rules, and show how a visualization tool interfaces with rule templates.
Sparse spatial filtering in frequency domain of multi-channel EEG for frequency and phase detection

A brain-computer interface (BCI) based on steady state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) is one of the most practical BCI, because of high recognition accuracies and short time training. To increase the number of commands of SSVEP-based BCI, recently a frequency and phase mixed-coded SSVEP BCI has been proposed. However, in order to detect frequency and phase of SSVEPs accurately, it is required to treat multi-channel phases to select useful channels for detecting commands. In this paper, we propose a novel method for estimating both frequency and phase of SSVEPs with sparse complex spatial filters. We conducted experiments for evaluating the performance of the proposed method in a mixed-coded SSVEP based BCI. As a result, the proposed method showed higher recognition accuracies and lower calculation cost of command detection than conventional methods. Moreover, the proposed method achieved automatic channel selection.
Testing a circular, feedback model in physical education from self-determination theory

Abstract Self-determination theory has emerged as one of the most important theoretical frameworks to explain motivation in the context of physical education within school systems. The authors propose a new circular, longitudinal, feedback model to complement Vallerand’s (1997) hierarchical model. To test this new approach, Epstein’s TARGET strategies (Epstein, 1988) were applied to 207 secondary education students. Moreover, the satisfaction of the basic psychological need for competence (C), intrinsic motivation (IM), and effort (E) were measured at nine time points (C1 → IM2 → E3 → C4 → IM5 → E6 → C7 → IM8 → E9). Structural equation modeling showed that the proposed model provided a satisfactory fit of the data, Satorra-Bentler χ2(22) = 36.31, p = . 028, robust comparative fit index = . 985, robust root mean square error of approximation = . 056 (90% CI [.019, .088]), standardized root mean square residual = . 039, power = 1.00. It was also observed that all variables increased progressively, suggesting interplay among them. This shows a concurrent causal relationship among these variables that produces a synergistic effect.
Taxation and Internal Migration - Evidence from the Swiss Census Using Community-Level Variation in Income Tax Rates

We investigate the relationship between income tax rate variation and internal migration for the unique case of Switzerland, whose system of determining tax rates primarily at the community level results in enough variation to permit analysis of their influence on migration. Specifically, using Swiss census data, we analyze migratory responses to tax rate variations for various groups defined by age, education, and nationality/residence permit. The results suggest that young Swiss college graduates are most sensitive to tax rate differences, but the estimated effects are not large enough to offset the revenue-increasing effect of a rise in tax rate. The migratory responses of foreigners and other age-education groups are even smaller, and reverse causation seems negligible.
Nerve Fibers in Breast Cancer Tissues Indicate Aggressive Tumor Progression

AbstractEmerging evidence has indicated nerve fibers as a marker in the progression of various types of cancers, such as pancreatic cancer and prostate cancer. However, whether nerve fibers are associated with breast cancer progression remains unclear.In this study, we evaluated the presence of nerve fibers in 352 breast cancer specimens and 83 benign breast tissue specimens including 43 cases of cystic fibrosis and 40 cases of fibroadenoma from 2 independent breast tumor center using immunohistochemical staining for specific peripheral nerve fiber markers.In all, nerve fibers were present in 130 out of 352 breast cancer tissue specimens, while none were detected in normal breast tissue specimens. Among 352 cases, we defined 239 cases from Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Guangzhou, China, as the training set, and 113 cases from the First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University, Guangdong, China, as the validation set. The thickness of tumor-involving nerve fibers is significantly correlated with poor differentiation, lymph node metastasis, high clinical staging, and triple negative subtype in breast cancer. More importantly, Cox multifactor analysis indicates that the thickness of tumor-involving nerve fibers is a previously unappreciated independent prognostic factors associated with shorter disease-free survival of breast cancer patients. Our findings are further validated by online Oncomine database.In conclusion, our results show that nerve fiber involvement in breast cancer is associated with progression of the malignancy and warrant further studies in the future.
ESTUDIOS RECIENTES ACERCA DE IDENTIDADES NACIONALES EN AMERICA LATINA

RESUMEN Se hace una revision de estudios realizados recientemente en America Latina en relacion con la identidad nacional. Los trabajos son agrupados en tres categorias: los que consideran a la identidad como caracteristicas objetivas, o identificables externamente; los que consideran la identidad como imagenes subjetivas o estereotipos, y finalmente los que se toman la identidad como la identificacion intersubjetiva con una categoria nacional o algunos elementos de la nacion. Tambien se incluyen trabajos relacionados con cambios en las identidades nacionales, ya sea a traves de los procesos de aculturacion o asimilacion de poblaciones hispanas en los Estados Unidos; o los procesos sociales de modernizacion o cosmopolitizacion. Los estudios revisados se han realizado en Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, El Salvador, Venezuela, Peru, Chile, Argentina y los Estados Unidos. ABSTRACT Recent studies in Latin America regarding national identity are reviewed. These have been organized in three categories: those that consider identity as reflecting objective, or at least externally identifiable categories; those that take it as subjective images or stereotypes; and finally those that take identity as an intersubjective identification with a national category or some of its elements. Consideration is also given to the processes of acculturation or assimilation of Hispanic populations in the USA, and to the societal processes of modernization or cosmopolitation. The studies reviewed have been carried out in Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, El Salvador, Venezuela, Peru, Chile, Argentina, and the U.S.A.
Testing Explanations of Preference Reversal : A

When Cubitt, Munro and Starmer (2004) presented their new experimental investigation of preference reversal, they pointed out that their test results cannot be explained by any of the best-known explanations proposed by economists and psychologists. In this paper we propose a model based on lotteries qualities to explain these new test results. JEL classification: D80.
Qualities of Effective Principals.

In Qualities of Effective Principals, James H. Stronge, Holly B. Richard and Nancy Catano delineate these factors and show principals how to successfully balance the needs and priorities of their school and continuously develop and refine their leadership skills. Throughout the book, the authors provide readers with helpful tools and extensive research that will help them to: o Develop a blueprint for sustained school leadership o Create an effective school climate for learning o Select, support and retain high-quality teachers and staff o Assess high-quality instruction o Build a foundation for organisational management o Create, maintain and strengthen community relationships o Make contributions to the professional community o Define their critical role in student achievement
Evaluation of Cranial and Cervical Arteries and Brain Tissue in Transient Ischemic Attack Patients with Magnetic Resonance Angiography and Diffusion-Weighted Imaging

Background Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) have been widely used in the prediction of ischemic stroke; however, the differences of the 2 methods in detection the artery lesion differences between transient ischemic attack (TIA) and infarction patients have been long neglected. We performed the present study to investigate the differences between vessel characteristics detected by MRA and DWI in acute stroke and TIA patients. Material/Methods We classified 110 subjects into 2 groups and all the patients underwent both MRA and DWI. The degree of stenosis of cranial and cervical arteries, the distribution of the stenosis, the development and changes of the vessels, and the DWI scanning results of the brain tissue were all analyzed. Results We detected a significant difference in the number and the degree of stenosis of cranial and cervical arteries among the 3 groups (P=0.006). Compared with health controls, patients with TIA and cerebral infraction had much more severe stenosis and occlusive arteries (P<0.05). However, no significant difference was detected between TIA and cerebral infraction patients (P=0.148). Moreover, a higher rate of unilateral vertebral artery dysplasia was found in the vertebrobasilar TIA patients. Higher lesion signals were also observed by DWI in TIA patients of internal carotid artery system (4/8, 50%). Conclusions Vessel characteristics were not significantly different between TIA and infarction patients. Unilateral vertebral artery hypoplasia was a predisposing factor for vertebrobasilar TIA and ischemic focus in DWI detection was always caused by severe artery lesions.
Whispers to voices: Gender and social transformation in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh stands out as the shining new example in South Asia of a poor country achieving impressive gains in gender equality. After Sri Lanka and the Indian state of Kerala here is a country that had been famously written off by Henry Kissinger as a "basket case" which now dwarfs India and Pakistan in many areas. Between 1971 and 2004 Bangladesh halved its fertility rates. In much of the country today girls secondary school attendance exceeds that of boys. The gender gap in infant mortality has been closed. The micro-credit revolution continues to boost womens solidarity groups and earning potential and vast numbers of young women are leaving their villages to work in garment factories where in earlier generations young women were rarely seen outside their homes. Bangladeshs success has been widely celebrated and analyzed - even posed as a puzzle. For how could a country with such low per capita income achieve such heights? All this achieved moreover in a cultural context widely believed to be repressive to women. While there remains more to be done in terms of increasing womens labor force participation reducing and punishing violence increasing political participation and visibility in leadership positions we also need to understand how these gains came about. In particular we need to appreciate how policies and opportunities can change behaviors and norms widely perceived to emphasize seclusion and to relegate women to the home. (excerpt)
Will You Accept Without Knowing What? A Thuringian Newspaper Experiment of the Yes-No Game

Many economic experiments are run in the laboratory with students as participants. In this paper we use a newspaper experiment to learn more about external validity of lab research. Our workhorse is the Yes-No game. Unlike in ultimatum games responders of the Yes-No games do not know the proposal when deciding between whether to accept it or not. We use two different amounts that can be shared (100 Euro and 1000 Euro). In line with findings for the ultimatum game, offers were fairer and rejections less likely when participants are older and submit their decisisons via mail rather than the Internet. By comparing our results with other studies (using executives or students), we demonstrate, at least for this type of game, the external validity of lab research.
Investigation of Thermal and Thermomechanical Properties of Biodegradable PLA/PBSA Composites Processed via Supercritical Fluid-Assisted Foam Injection Molding

Bio-based polymer foams have been gaining immense attention in recent years due to their positive contribution towards reducing the global carbon footprint, lightweighting, and enhancing sustainability. Currently, polylactic acid (PLA) remains the most abundant commercially consumed biopolymer, but suffers from major drawbacks such as slow crystallization rate and poor melt processability. However, blending of PLA with a secondary polymer would enhance the crystallization rate and the thermal properties based on their compatibility. This study investigates the physical and compatibilized blends of PLA/poly (butylene succinate-co-adipate) (PBSA) processed via supercritical fluid-assisted (ScF) injection molding technology using nitrogen (N2) as a facile physical blowing agent. Furthermore, this study aims at understanding the effect of blending and ScF foaming of PLA/PBSA on crystallinity, melting, and viscoelastic behavior. Results show that compatibilization, upon addition of triphenyl phosphite (TPP), led to an increase in molecular weight and a shift in melting temperature. Additionally, the glass transition temperature (Tg) obtained from the tanδ curve was observed to be in agreement with the Tg value predicted by the Gordon–Taylor equation, further confirming the compatibility of PLA and PBSA. The compatibilization of ScF-foamed PLA–PBSA was found to have an increased crystallinity and storage modulus compared to their physically foamed counterparts.