Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Global Consumption and Income Project: An Introduction and Preliminary Findings

We introduce two separate datasets (The Global Consumption Dataset (GCD) and The Global Income Dataset (GID)) containing an unprecedented portrait of consumption and income of persons over time, within and across countries, around the world. The benchmark version of the dataset presents estimates in PPP units of monthly real consumption and income for every decile of the population (a ‘consumption/income profile’) for 133 countries and more than half a century (1960-2012). We describe the construction of the datasets and demonstrate some possible uses by presenting preliminary results concerning the consumption distribution, poverty and inequality for the world and specific country aggregates.
Single-Pass Distributed Learning of Multi-class SVMs Using Core-Sets

We explore a technique to learn Support Vector Models (SVMs) when training data is partitioned among several data sources. The basic idea is to consider SVMs which can be reduced to Minimal Enclosing Ball (MEB) problems in an feature space. Computation of such SVMs can be efficiently achieved by finding a coreset for the image of the data in the feature space. Our main result is that the union of local core-sets provides a close approximation to a global core-set from which the SVM can be recovered. The method requires hence a single pass through each source of data in order to compute local core-sets and then to recover the SVM from its union. Extensive simulations in small and large datasets are presented in order to evaluate its classification accuracy, transmission efficiency and global complexity, comparing its results with a widely used single-pass heuristic to learn standard SVMs.
Career Perception at the Republic Indonesian Police Organization Impact of Distributive Fairness, Procedural Fairness and Career Satisfaction on Affective Commitment

Abstract. In general, this study describes the phenomenon of career's fairness and the importance of career for the satisfaction and commitment of members of the police in organization. This test also explains whether a career in human resource management practices explain the higher level of commitment, namely affective commitment. Specifically, first to conduct further testing of the impact of career distributive and career procedural fairness on career satisfaction and affective commitment. The second was to test the impact of career satisfaction on the affective commitment. The third was to describe the condition of career fairness, career satisfaction and affective commitment at the police resort organization in province X. The data analysis technique used in this study is SEM which is operated through the AMOS software program. The population of this research was 134 officers of police resort organization. The results indicated that career distributive and procedural fairness are strong predictor to explain career satisfaction. Then both of career fairness type and career satisfaction are predictor to explain affective commitment. Keywords: affective commitment, career distributive fairness, career procedural fairness, career satisfaction Abstrak. Secara umum studi ini menggambarkan fenomena keadilan karir dan pentingnya karir bagi kepuasan dan komitmen anggota kepolisian. Pengujian ini sekaligus menjelaskan apakah karir dalam praktek manajemen SDM yang bersifat transaksional berperan penting menjelaskan level komitmen yang lebih tinggi, yaitu komitmen afektif. Secara spesifik studi ini bertujuan untuk menjelaskan beberapa hal, pertama untuk menguji dampak keadilan distributif karir dan keadilan prosedural karir pada kepuasan karir dan komitmen afektif. Kedua adalah menguji dampak kepuasan karir pada komitmen afektif. Tujuan ketiga adalah menggambarkan fenomena keadilan karir baik distributif dan prosedural, kepuasan karir dan komitmen afektif pada organisasi kepolisian di tingkat resort (Polres) di provinsi X. Analisis data yang digunakan adalah SEM yang dioperasikan dengan program AMOS. Populasi penelitian ini adalah 134 anggota kepolisian resort (Polres). Hasil menunjukkan bahwa keadilan distributif dan keadilan prosedural adalah prediktor kuat yang menjelaskan kepuasan karir. Demikian pula kedua keadilan karir dan kepuasan karir adalah prediktor kuat kepuasan komitmen. Kata kunci: komitmen afektif, keadilan distributif karir, keadilan prosedural karir, kepuasan karir
Improvement of Fermentation and Nutritive Quality of Straw-grass Silage by Inclusion of Wet Hulless-barley Distillers’ Grains in Tibet

In order to develop methods that would enlarge the feed resources in Tibet, mixtures of hulless-barley straw and tall fescue were ensiled with four levels (0, 10%, 20%, and 30% of fresh weight) of wet hulless-barley distillers’ grains (WHDG). The silos were opened after 7, 14 or 30 d of ensiling, and the fermentation characteristics and nutritive quality of the silages were analyzed. WHDG addition significantly improved fermentation quality, as indicated by the faster decline of pH, rapid accumulation of lactic acid (LA) (p<0.05), and lower butyric acid content and ammonia-N/total N (p<0.05) as compared with the control. These results indicated that WHDG additions not only effectively inhibited the activity of aerobic bacteria, but also resulted in faster and greatly enhanced LA production and pH value decline, which restricted activity of undesirable bacteria, resulting in more residual water soluble carbohydrates (WSC) in the silages. The protein content of WHDG-containing silages were significantly higher (p<0.05) higher than that of the control. In conclusion, the addition of WHDG increased the fermentation and nutritive quality of straw-grass silage, and this effect was more marked when the inclusion rate of WHDG was greater than 20%.
Instrumental and Non-Instrumental Evaluation of 4-Meter Walking Speed in Older Individuals

Background Manual measurement of 4-meter gait speed by a stopwatch is the gold standard test for functional assessment in older adults. However, the accuracy of this technique may be biased by several factors, including intra- and inter-operator variability. Instrumental techniques of measurement using accelerometers may have a higher accuracy. Studies addressing the concordance between these two techniques are missing. The aim of the present community-based observational study was to compare manual and instrumental measurements of 4-meter gait speed in older individuals and to assess their relationship with other indicators of physical performance. Methods One-hundred seventy-two (69 men, 103 women) non-disabled community-dwellers aged ≥65 years were enrolled. They underwent a comprehensive geriatric assessment including physical function by Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), hand grip strength, and 6-minute walking test (6MWT). Timed usual walking speed on a 4-meter course was assessed by using both a stopwatch (4-meter manual measurement, 4-MM) and a tri-axial accelerometer (4-meter automatic measurement, 4-MA). Correlations between these performance measures were evaluated separately in men and women by partial correlation coefficients. Results In both genders, 4-MA was associated with 4-MM (men r = 0.62, p<0.001; women r = 0.73, p<0.001), handgrip strength (men r = 0.40, p = 0.005; women r = 0.29, p = 0.001) and 6MWT (men r = 0.50, p = 0.0004; women r = 0.22, p = 0.048). 4-MM was associated with handgrip strength and 6MWT in both men and women. Considering gait speed <0.6 m/s as diagnostic of dismobility syndrome, the two methods of assessment disagreed, with a different categorization of subjects, in 19% of men and 23% of women. The use of accelerometer resulted in 29 (13 M, 16 F) additional diagnoses of dismobility, compared with the 4-MM. Conclusions In an older population, the concordance of gait speeds manually or instrumentally assessed is not optimal. The results suggest that manual measures might lead to misclassification of a substantial number of subjects. However, longitudinal studies using standardized and validated procedures aimed at the comparison of different techniques are needed before recommending the use of accelerometers in comprehensive geriatric assessment.
Acute effects of PGF2alpha on MMP-2 secretion from human ciliary muscle cells: a PKC- and ERK-dependent process.

PURPOSE Studies were designed to evaluate the cellular mechanisms associated with prostaglandin (PG)F(2alpha)-induced matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 secretion from human ciliary muscle (HCM) cells. METHODS The secretion and activity of MMP-2 was determined by Western blot analysis and zymography, using conditioned medium and HCM cells. ERK1/2 activity was measured by in-gel kinase assay and Western blot analysis with anti-phospho-ERK1/2 antibodies. RESULTS PGF(2alpha) increased the secretion of MMP-2 in a dose-dependent manner with an EC(50) of 2.7 x 10(-8) M. The addition of 1 muM PGF(2alpha) also increased MMP-2 secretion in a time-dependent manner with maximum secretion occurring at 4 hours after administration. At 4 hours, the maximum increase in MMP-2 secretion and activity were 112% +/- 32% and 88% +/- 18%, respectively. The secretory action of PGF(2alpha) was inhibited by pretreatment with a protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor, chelerythrine chloride; the FP receptor antagonist, AL-8810; and the MEK inhibitor, PD-98059. The addition of PGF(2alpha) and latanoprost acid increased ERK1/2 activity by 117% +/- 12% and 75% +/- 9%, respectively. The PGF(2alpha)- and latanoprost-acid-induced ERK1/2 activation was blocked by the presence of PKC inhibitors and downregulation of PKC by prolonged incubation with a phorbol ester. CONCLUSIONS These data provide evidence that FP receptor activation leads to an increase in the secretion and activation of MMP-2 through PKC- and ERK1/2-dependent pathways. FP-agonist-induced activation of ERK1/2 was blocked by PKC inhibitors, indicating that PKC activation is required for ERK1/2 activation and MMP-2 secretion from HCM cells. In the ciliary muscle, the functional responses to ERK1/2 activation include secretion of MMP-2, supporting the hypothesis that increases in uveoscleral outflow facility induced by PG administration involves the secretion and activation of MMP-2.
Facebook Surveillance of Former Romantic Partners: Associations with PostBreakup Recovery and Personal Growth

Previous research has found that continuing offline contact with an ex-romantic partner following a breakup may disrupt emotional recovery. The present study examined whether continuing online contact with an ex-partner through remaining Facebook friends and/or engaging in surveillance of the ex-partner's Facebook page inhibited postbreakup adjustment and growth above and beyond offline contact. Analysis of the data provided by 464 participants revealed that Facebook surveillance was associated with greater current distress over the breakup, more negative feelings, sexual desire, and longing for the ex-partner, and lower personal growth. Participants who remained Facebook friends with the ex-partner, relative to those who did not remain Facebook friends, reported less negative feelings, sexual desire, and longing for the former partner, but lower personal growth. All of these results emerged after controlling for offline contact, personality traits, and characteristics of the former relationship and breakup that tend to predict postbreakup adjustment. Overall, these findings suggest that exposure to an ex-partner through Facebook may obstruct the process of healing and moving on from a past relationship.
E-learning continuance satisfaction in higher education: a unified perspective from instructors and students

ABSTRACT This study aims to determine the key factors affecting students’ and instructors’ continuance satisfaction with e-learning in the higher education context. In order to identify the factors that impact e-learning continuation in higher education institutions, a systematic review of the literature was conducted, revealing that the majority of studies have reported the essential role of satisfaction in mediating the relationship between 11 factors and users’ decisions to continue using e-learning systems. This study then proposed that users, both students and instructors, must continually be satisfied with the e-learning systems offered by higher education institutions if they are to continue using them. We term this ‘e-learning continuance satisfaction. ’ The formation of a unified perspective of instructors and students on the core factors that impact e-learning continuance was then investigated, in addition to the causal relationships between these factors and e-learning continuance satisfaction. The Fuzzy Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) method was used to analyze data collected from 9 instructors and 38 students via an interview survey and the results yielded five core factors – information quality, task–technology fit, system quality, utility value, and usefulness – that influence users’ e-learning continuance satisfaction. Several different causal relationships between the factors identified from both students’ and instructors’ perspectives were also identified and used to form a single viewpoint. Our findings provide new insights into how higher education institutions can promote continuance satisfaction in order to ensure continuation of e-learning.
Epidemiology of Urban Traffic Accident Victims Hospitalized More Than 24 Hours in a Level III Trauma Center, Kashan County, Iran, During 2012-2013

Background: Urban traffic accidents are an extensively significant problem in small and busy towns in Iran. This study tried to explore the epidemiological pattern of urban traffic accidents in Kashan and Aran-Bidgol cities, Iran. Objectives: This study aimed to assess various epidemiological factors affecting victims of trauma admitted to a main trauma center in Iran. Patients and Methods: During a retrospective study, data including age, sex, injury type and pattern, outcome, hospital stay and treatment expenditures regarding urban Road Traffic Accidents (RTAs) for one year (March 2012-March 2013) were obtained from the registry of trauma research center, emergency medical services and deputy of health of Kashan University of Medical Sciences. One-way ANOVA and chi-square tests were used to analyze data using SPSS version 16.0. P value < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: A total of 1723 victims (82.6% male, sex ratio of almost 5:1) were considered in this study. Mortality rate in trauma cases hospitalized more than 24 hours during our study was 0.8%. Young motorcyclist men with the rate of more than 103 per 10000 were the most vulnerable group. The most common injury was head injury (73.6%) followed by lower limb injury (33.2%). A significant association was found between mechanism of injury and head, lower limb, multiple injuries and high risk age group. Conclusions: Urban RTAs are one of the most important problems in Kashan and Aran-Bidgol cities, which impose a great economic burden on health system. Motorcyclists are the most vulnerable victims and multiple trauma and head injury are seen among them extensively.
Mutual Intercultural Perception: How Does It Affect Technical Communication? Some Data from China, the Netherlands, Germany, France, and Italy

Professional technical communicators increasingly find themselves in a negotiation situation where cultural differences have caused misperceptions or confusion concerning time (pausing, interrupting). This paper overviews an intercultural perception experiment that investigated how individuals from different cultures perceive questioning and pausing/interrupting behavior in the same videotaped Dutch-Chinese negotiation. The study, which involved Chinese, Dutch, German, French and Italian students of a similar educational backgrounds, revealed that culture can affect how different individuals perceive and interpret the same situation. For example, the "traditionally" polite Chinese appear to interrupt more often than many Western individuals might expect. And while both Chinese and Dutch observers thought the Dutch interrupted far more often than the Chinese, findings based on linguistic parameters for interrupting reveal it is the Chinese who interrupt more often. Also, both Chinese and Dutch observers thought that members of the other culture used more directive questions (used to conclude a discussion). Conversely, both sets of observers thought that members of their own culture used more reflective questions (used to gain a better understanding of what the other party is saying) than did subjects from the other culture. Moreover, the experiment found no strong evidence for a Chinese claim to be a (Confucian) culture of reflection; in fact, the Dutch subjects used even more reflective forms than did the Chinese. Thus, the results of this experiment have interesting implications concerning both intercultural negotiation strategies and areas for future technical communication research.
The influence of gap junction network complexity on pulmonary artery smooth muscle reactivity in normoxic and chronically hypoxic conditions

• What is the central question of this study? Experimental results on intrapulmonary arteries indicate that the relationship between gap junctional intercellular communication and its functional involvement in tissue reactivity is very complex, both in normoxic and in chronically hypoxic conditions. The relationship between the gap junction network and vasoreactivity is poorly known and needs to be explored, including theoretical modelling approaches. • What is the main finding and its importance? Our results indicate that the role of gap junctions and their contribution to intrapulmonary artery reactivity depends crucially on the topology of the gap junctional communication network. In normoxia, myocytes are connected in a complex network, whereas chronic hypoxia is related to loss of the network complexity, leading to hypersensitivity.
Code-switching musicians: an exploratory study

ABSTRACT There are populations of musicians who demonstrate considerable success-making music in formal school music ensembles and also in their own rock, digital, and ethnic groups in the larger musical community. We suggest helpful insights into the phenomenon of switching between various ways of being musical can be gleaned from the linguistic theory of code-switching. Although authors have identified a disconnect between the narrowly categorised music taught in schools and the wider variety of music in society, we have identified musical ‘code-switchers:’ people adept at navigating multiple musical worlds. The purpose of this study is to examine the experiences and perceptions of these musicians who have demonstrated skill and comfort switching between formal ensembles in a school of music and informal ensembles of multiple genres outside of the school and to examine the viability of using code-switching to better understand flexible, comprehensive musicianship. Participants indicated both musical and social skills as being responsible for their code-switching success.
HCC Heterogeneity: Molecular Pathogenesis and Clinical Implications

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) poses a major challenge because of the extreme variability of the clinical outcome, which makes it difficult to properly stage the disease and thereby estimate the prognosis. There is growing evidence that this heterogeneous clinical behavior is attributable to several different biological pathways. A novel approach to mapping these differences is by investigating the epigenetics associated with certain clinical aspects. Design: Herein, the relevance of these molecular differences in combination with the biological and molecular pathways regulating the clinical outcome will be discussed. Use of a mechanistic and pathogenic approach to clarify the natural history of HCC is not just an academic speculation but should help to develop new therapies and to tailor these therapies to each individual patient. Conclusion: New biological therapies targeting components of the tumoral or peritumoral microenvironment are crucial to the fight against HCC. However, biological redundancies and the presence of several growth factors, hormones, cytokines, etc., potentially involved in HCC tumor progression make it difficult to assess the best target. Sorafenib, a multi-tyrosine kinase inhibitor, blocks the functions of different growth factors present in the tissue microenvironment. The use of Sorafenib in patients with HCC offers a new approach to the therapy of this disease, stimulating research focusing on the development of drugs based on new molecular and pathogenic insights.
Drivers and Effects of IT Capability in 'Born-Global' Firms: A Cross-National Study

Past research acknowledges that IT capability enhances firm performance. However, studies have focused primarily on large firms, and have seldom explored why firms develop IT capability, leaving a void in the understanding of the role of IT capability in SMEs. This study, using a survey methodology, attempts to address this void by examining the effect of relevant environmental and firm-level factors on IT capability, and the effect of IT capability on the international performance of Chinese and US born-global firms, a special breed of export-focused SMEs. Results support most of the hypotheses. Interestingly, the results of the comparison between Chinese and US bornglobals are consistent with the “convergence” perspective. The study contributes by: 1) providing clear evidence that IT does matter in born-global firms, 2) highlighting the specific types of IT capability that born-globals should invest in, and 3) pointing to factors that drive IT capability development in such firms.
Limited Irrigation of Alfalfa in the Great Plains and Intermountain West

Water available for irrigation in the Western United States is often limited, and in many cases, declining. Below-average snow pack, drought, interstate conflicts, restrictions on groundwater pumping, and declining groundwater from non-renewable aquifers have all contributed to declining water supplies for irrigation. These water shortages have been occurring in many western U.S. irrigated watersheds and groundwater basins to some degree for the past several years. Combined with water transfers from agriculture to municipal and industrial uses and increasing recreational and environmental demands for water, the relevance of irrigation management with limited water supplies has greatly increased.
Evidence from an emerging sign language reveals that language supports spatial cognition

Although spatial language and spatial cognition covary over development and across languages, determining the causal direction of this relationship presents a challenge. Here we show that mature human spatial cognition depends on the acquisition of specific aspects of spatial language. We tested two cohorts of deaf signers who acquired an emerging sign language in Nicaragua at the same age but during different time periods: the first cohort of signers acquired the language in its infancy, and 10 y later the second cohort of signers acquired the language in a more complex form. We found that the second-cohort signers, now in their 20s, used more consistent spatial language than the first-cohort signers, now in their 30s. Correspondingly, they outperformed the first cohort in spatially guided searches, both when they were disoriented and when an array was rotated. Consistent linguistic marking of left–right relations correlated with search performance under disorientation, whereas consistent marking of ground information correlated with search in rotated arrays. Human spatial cognition therefore is modulated by the acquisition of a rich language.