Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exacerbation frequency and clinical outcomes in adult patients with cystic fibrosis

Background Despite advances in treatment of cystic fibrosis (CF), pulmonary exacerbations remain common. The aim of this study was to determine if frequent pulmonary exacerbations are associated with greater declines in lung function, or an accelerated time to death or lung transplantation in adults with CF. Methods A 3-year prospective cohort study was conducted on 446 adult patients with CF from Ontario, Canada who could spontaneously produce sputum. Patients enrolled from 2005 to 2008 and were stratified into groups based upon their exacerbation rates over the 3 year study: <1 exacerbation/year (n=140), 1–2 exacerbations/year (n=160) and >2 exacerbations/year (n=146). Exacerbations were defined as acute/subacute worsening of respiratory symptoms severe enough to warrant oral or intravenous antibiotics. Patient-related factors associated with frequent exacerbations were determined, and clinical outcomes were compared among the three exacerbation groups. Results Patients with frequent exacerbations were more likely to be female, diabetic and have poorer baseline lung function. Patients with >2 exacerbations/year had an increased risk of experiencing a 5% decline from baseline forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1); unadjusted HR 1.47 (95% CI 1.07 to 2.01, p=0.02), adjusted HR 1.55 (95% CI 1.10 to 2.18, p=0.01) compared with patients with <1 exacerbation/year. Patients with >2 exacerbations/year also had an increased risk of lung transplant or death over the 3 year study; unadjusted HR 12.74 (95% CI 3.92 to 41.36, p<0.0001), adjusted HR 4.05 (95% CI 1.15 to 14.28, p=0.03). Conclusions Patients with CF with frequent exacerbations appear to experience an accelerated decline in lung function, and they have an increased 3 year risk of death or lung transplant.
PENGARUH HEALTH CONSCIOUSNESS, ENVIRONMENTAL ATTITUDES DAN ENVIRONMENTAL KNOWLEDGE TERHADAP GREEN PURCHASE INTENTION PADA PRODUK NIPPON PAINT GREEN CHOICE SERIES DI KOTA PADANG

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menguji dan memberikan bukti empiris mengenai pengaruh health consciousness (kesadaran akan lingkungan), environmental attitudes (sikap terhadap lingkungan) dan environmental knowledge (pengetahuan akan lingkungan) terhadap green purchase intention (niat pembelian terhadap green product) pada produk Nippon Paint Green Choice Series di Kota Padang. Sampel penelitian ini diperoleh berdasarkan metode purposive sampling. Pengelolaan data pada penelitian dilakukan menggunakan program SPSS (Statistical Product and Service Solutions) versi 20. Teknik analisis yang digunakan adalah analisis linear berganda yang berfungsi untuk membuktikan hipotesis pada penelitian. Hasil pada penelitian ini berdasarkan uji analisis linear berganda menunjukkan health consciousness, environmental attitudes dan environmental knowledge berpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap green purchase intention pada produk Nippon Paint Green Choice Series di Kota Padang. Kata Kunci : Health Consciousness, Environmental Attitudes, Environmental Knowledge, Green Purchase Intention, Nippon Paint
The intracluster magnetic field power spectrum in Abell 665

The goal of this work is to investigate the power spectrum of the magnetic field associated with the giant radio halo in the galaxy cluster A665. For this, we present new deep Very Large Array total intensity and polarization observations at 1.4 GHz. We simulated Gaussian random three-dimensional turbulent magnetic field models to reproduce the observed radio halo emission. By comparing observed and synthetic radio halo images we constrained the strength and structure of the intracluster magnetic field. We assumed that the magnetic field power spectrum is a power law with a Kolmogorov index and we imposed a local equipartition of energy density between relativistic particles and field. Under these assumptions, we find that the radio halo emission in A665 is consistent with a central magnetic field strength of about 1.3 micro-G. To explain the azimuthally averaged radio brightness profile, the magnetic field energy density should decrease following the thermal gas density, leading to an averaged magnetic field strength over the central 1 Mpc^3 of about 0.75 micro-G. From the observed brightness fluctuations of the radio halo, we infer that the outer scale of the magnetic field power spectrum is ~450 kpc, and the corresponding magnetic field auto-correlation length is ~100 kpc.
Identifying and describing segments of office workers by activity patterns: associations with demographic characteristics and objectively measured physical activity

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify and characterize patterns of physical activity among office workers employed in largely sedentary occupations at a major health insurer located in the Southeastern USA. Design/methodology/approach The authors used latent class analysis to identify segments of office workers (n=239) based on their self-reported activities of daily living and exercise behaviors. The authors examined the association of demographic characteristics with segment membership, and differences in accelerometer-measured weekly minutes of light and moderate-vigorous physical activity across segments. Findings The authors identified two segments and labeled them “exerciser” and “non-exerciser. ” Being female was associated with lower odds of membership in the “exerciser” segment (OR=0.18; 95% CI=0.06, 0.52), while those with at least a bachelor’s degree were more likely to be in the “exerciser” segment (OR=2.12; 95% CI=1.02, 4.40). Mean minutes of moderate-vigorous physical activity per week were greater for the “exerciser” segment than the “non-exerciser” segment. Practical implications Based on this sample, the authors found that office workers in sedentary occupations were roughly equally divided and distinguished by their engagement in exercise-type behaviors. The findings underscore the need for innovative workplace programming that enhances activity opportunities particularly for those that are not likely to exercise. Originality/value A scarcity of research on activity patterns among office workers inhibits development of targeted worksite activity programming. The present research reveals two segments of workers with regard to their activity patterns and suggests ways for worksites to meet their unique needs.
Corporate Governance and Market Liquidity

In this paper we analyze how corporate governance affects the performance of financial markets. We model the interaction between a firm’s manager and its shareholders, and highlight the role played by the dividend report in information revelation and information transmission. This analysis permits us to identify three channels through which the dividend payment decision affects the liquidation value of the firm and market performance: the dividend voluntarily paid; the profits seized by shareholders in case of intervention; and the price set by the market maker. We find that corporate governance affects market liquidity: higher monitoring costs, lower ownership concentration, effective disclosure regulation and effective shareholder protection, all lead to higher market liquidity.
Adapting Robot Behavior for Human--Robot Interaction

Human beings subconsciously adapt their behaviors to a communication partner in order to make interactions run smoothly. In human-robot interactions, not only the human but also the robot is expected to adapt to its partner. Thus, to facilitate human-robot interactions, a robot should be able to read subconscious comfort and discomfort signals from humans and adjust its behavior accordingly, just like a human would. However, most previous research works expected the human to consciously give feedback, which might interfere with the aim of interaction. We propose an adaptation mechanism based on reinforcement learning that reads subconscious body signals from a human partner, and uses this information to adjust interaction distances, gaze meeting, and motion speed and timing in human-robot interactions. The mechanism uses gazing at the robot's face and human movement distance as subconscious body signals that indicate a human's comfort and discomfort. A pilot study with a humanoid robot that has ten interaction behaviors has been conducted. The study result of 12 subjects suggests that the proposed mechanism enables autonomous adaptation to individual preferences. Also, detailed discussion and conclusions are presented.
Comparison of Antioxidant Activities of Hydrolysates of Domestic and Imported Skim Milk Powders Treated with Papain

Milk proteins have many potential sequences within their primary structure, each with a specific biological activity. In this study, we compared and investigated the bioactivities of hydrolysates of the domestic (A, B) and imported (C, D) skim milk powders generated using papain digestion. MALDI-TOF analysis revealed that all milk powder proteins were intact, indicating no autolysis. Electrophoretic analysis of hydrolysates showed papain treatment caused degradation of milk proteins into peptides of various size. The antioxidant activity of the hydrolysates, determined using 2,2-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and total phenolic contents (TPC) assays, increased with incubation times. In all skim milk powders, the antioxidant activities of hydrolysates were highest following 24 h papain treatment (TPC: A, 196.48 μM GE/L; B, 194.52 μM GE/L; C, 194.76 μM GE/L; D, 163.75 μM GE/L; ABTS: A, 75%; B, 72%; C, 72%; D, 57%). The number of peptide derived from skim milk powders, as determined by LC-MS/MS, was 308 for A, 283 for B, 208 for C, and 135 for D. Hydrolysate A had the highest antioxidant activity and the most potential antioxidant peptides amongst the four skim milk powder hydrolysates. A total of 4 β-lactoglobulin, 4 αs1-casein, and 56 β-casein peptide fragments were identified as potential antioxidant peptides in hydrolysate A by LC-MS/MS. These results suggest that domestic skim milk could have applications in various industries, i.e., in the development of functional foods.
Retinopathy in Mice Induced by Disrupted All-trans-retinal Clearance*

The visual (retinoid) cycle is a fundamental metabolic process in vertebrate retina responsible for production of 11-cis-retinal, the chromophore of rhodopsin and cone pigments. 11-cis-Retinal is bound to opsins, forming visual pigments, and when the resulting visual chromophore 11-cis-retinylidene is photoisomerized to all-trans-retinylidene, all-trans-retinal is released from these receptors. Toxic byproducts of the visual cycle formed from all-trans-retinal often are associated with lipofuscin deposits in the retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE), but it is not clear whether aberrant reactions of the visual cycle participate in RPE atrophy, leading to a rapid onset of retinopathy. Here we report that mice lacking both the ATP-binding cassette transporter 4 (Abca4) and enzyme retinol dehydrogenase 8 (Rdh8), proteins critical for all-trans-retinal clearance from photoreceptors, developed severe RPE/photoreceptor dystrophy at an early age. This phenotype includes lipofuscin, drusen, and basal laminar deposits, Bruch's membrane thickening, and choroidal neovascularization. Importantly, the severity of visual dysfunction and retinopathy was exacerbated by light but attenuated by treatment with retinylamine, a visual cycle inhibitor that slows the flow of all-trans-retinal through the visual cycle. These findings provide direct evidence that aberrant production of toxic condensation byproducts of the visual cycle in mice can lead to rapid, progressive retinal degeneration.
A Regularization Approach to Nonlinear Variable Selection

In this paper we consider a regularization approach to variable selection when the regression function depends nonlinearly on a few input variables. The proposed method is based on a regularized least square estimator penalizing large values of the partial derivatives. An efficient iterative procedure is proposed to solve the underlying variational problem, and its convergence is proved. The empirical properties of the obtained estimator are tested both for prediction and variable selection. The algorithm compares favorably to more standard ridge regression and `1 regularization schemes.
Characterization of a CTX-M-15 Producing Klebsiella Pneumoniae Outbreak Strain Assigned to a Novel Sequence Type (1427)

Extended-spectrum -lactamase producing Klebsiella pneumoniae have emerged as one of the major nosocomial pathogens. Between July and September 2012, a CTX-M-15 producing K. pneumoniae caused an outbreak in a university hospital in the Netherlands. The outbreak isolates were characterized and assigned to a novel sequence type (ST1427). An epidemiological link between affected patients was supported by patient contact tracing and whole-genome phylogenetic analysis. Intra-strain polymorphism was detected among multiple isolates obtained from different body sites of the index patient, which may relate to antibiotic treatment and/or host adaptation. Environmental contamination caused by the outbreak clone was found in the patient rooms even on medical equipment. The novel clone was not closely related to any known endemic/epidemic clone, but carried a set of a plasmid-borne resistance genes [blaCTX−M−15, blaTEM−1, blaOXA−1, aac(6′)-Ib-cr, qnrB1, tetA(A), aac(3)-II]. Analysis of its virulence factors revealed a previously uncharacterized capsular biosynthesis region and two uncharacterized fimbriae gene clusters, and suggested that the new clone was not hypervirulent. To our knowledge, this is the first outbreak report of K. pneumoniae ST1427, and our study could be of help to understand the features of this newly emerging clone.
Assessment of the rating performance of ITU-T recommended video quality metrics in the context of video freezes

Video streaming and multimedia applications are getting popular with the growth of networks. In real-time video streaming, video quality can be degraded due to network performance issues. Among other artifacts, freezing and frame dropping are factors that influence user experience. Service providers, operators, and researchers are interested to measure the Quality of Experience objectively. Different algorithms have been proposed and implemented in this regard. Some of them are in the recommendation list of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T). In this paper, we study the effect of the freezing artifact on user experience and compare the mean opinion score (MOS) of these videos with the results of two algorithms, Perceptual Evaluation of Video Quality (PEVQ) and Temporal Quality Metric, both being part of ITU-T Recommendation J.247 Annex B and C, respectively. Another contribution of this paper is the investigation of the impact of different resolutions and frame rates on user experience.
An optimized MC interpolation architecture for HEVC

In the latest draft video compression standard, HEVC, a new 8-tap MC interpolation filter is adopted. For this component, we propose an efficient VLSI design which is composed of a reconfigurable filter, an optimized pipeline engine organization, and a filter reuse scheme. This results in 30% area saving from a non-optimized design. The proposed implementation supports a maximal throughput of QFHD@60fps. Our results also demonstrate the implementation cost of a well optimized HEVC interpolation component can be comparable to that of H.264, despite of the enhanced coding performance.
Discrimination of Structure and Technology in a Group Support System: The Role of Process Complexity

It is not clear whether improvements found with group technology are due to the structure embedded in the technology or the added benefit of the technology in managing information complexity. Process complexity is proposed as the explanatory factor in previous conflicting results. Task complexity is clarified and a Process Complexity Model is proposed and tested. The principal factors manipulated are task complexity (complex and less complex) and technology (present or absent). Ill-structured policy tasks are employed and, in addition to other outcome variables measured, task outcome quality is quantified by comparing the reported results of policy experts in these tasks. Since small group size (three to four) may be the reason that previous experiments have not shown significant differences, group size is controlled using larger groups of seven or more members. The experimental results broadly support the hypotheses except for user satisfaction and confirm that when there is sufficient process complexity the benefits of the technology are unmistakable. In other words, the results deinonstrate that process complexity differentiates technology and structure.
A generalized algorithm for constrained power control with capability of temporary removal

The distributed constrained power control algorithm (DCPC) (Grandhi et al. 1995) has become one of the most widely accepted quality-based power control algorithms by the academic community. The DCPC has a property that the power may reach the maximum level when a user is experiencing degradation of channel quality. Unfortunately, using maximum transmitter power may not lead to sufficient improvement of channel quality and will thereto generate severe interference, affecting other users. This undesirable phenomenon happens more often when the system is congested. In this paper, we revisit and generalize the DCPC algorithm in order not to necessarily utilize the maximum power when the channel quality is poor. Under poor quality conditions, rather than combating the interference by maximizing power, we propose the concept of reducing the powers and temporarily removing users from the channel. We show that the energy consumption can be reduced through our generalized algorithm and we prove its convergence properties. Because of the decreased interference power, the capacity of the system is expected to increase. To validate this, we made computational experiments suggesting that the proposed algorithm can support more users in a congested system as compared to the previously suggested distributed removal algorithm gradual removals restricted (GRR)-DCPC (Andersin et al. 1996).
Food niche overlap among neotropical frugivorous bats in Costa Rica.

Food habits of 15 species of frugivorous bats were studied at La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica. Eight hundred and fifty-four (854) fecal samples and 169 samples from fruit parts and seeds discarded by bats beneath feeding roosts were analyzed. During eight months of study, 47 fruit species consumed by bats were identified. Five plant genera (Cecropia, Ficus, Piper Solanum, and Vismia) constituted 85% of all plants found in fecal samples. Feeding niche breadth differed significantly among the six most common species of frugivorous bats (Artibeus jamaicensis, Carollia sowelli, C. castanea, C. perspicillata, Dermanura sp., and Glossophaga commissarisi). All species, except for Dermanura sp. , showed a diet dominated by one or two plant species. This suggests a pattern of resource partitioning at a generic level, in which Carollia consumed mainly Piper, Artibeus consumed Ficus and Cecropia, and Glossophaga consumed Vismia. Cluster analysis revealed higher values of food niche overlap in congeneric species than among species of different genera. Results show that if food is a limiting factor, mechanisms other than trophic selection must reduce interspecific interference or competition for food in this frugivorous bat guild.
The Ripple Effects of Prioritizing Personal Excellence or Pleasure: Impacts on the Surrounding World

Previous research has looked at how two dominant approaches to pursuing the good life – eudaimonia (pursuit of growth, excellence, authenticity) and hedonia (pursuit of pleasure, comfort) relate to benefits for the self. This thesis looked beyond personal well-being and investigated how eudaimonic and hedonic orientations relate to benefits beyond the self and broader scope of concern. Manuscript 1 assessed the link between eudaimonic and hedonic orientations and self-reported and observational prosocial behaviour, self-focused and otherfocused values, as well as time perspectives and abstract thinking. Manuscript 2 explored the association between eudaimonic and hedonic orientations and hindering social behaviours, and helping under various circumstances. Next, Manuscript 3 examined reasons for engaging in prosocial behaviours, including self-focused and other-focused motives. Lastly, Manuscript 4 went beyond self-report measures by studying the distinction between eudaimonic and hedonic orientations on reactions to pictures depicting human/animal/nature happiness/health and suffering/degradation based on self-report affect and empathy, facial expressions, and psychophysiological measures (skin conductance and heart rate). Manuscript 1 showed that eudaimonic orientation related to a broader focus, including scope of concern (i.e., a wider variety of prosocial behaviours, prosocial values), a balanced time perspective (present and future focus) and abstract mindset (i.e., high-level construal), while hedonic orientation tended to be more narrowly focused on the self and present moment. Manuscript 2 revealed that eudaimonic orientation related positively to helping under abstract and costly situations, and negatively with hindering social behaviours; hedonic orientation was related to negative impacts beyond the self. Manuscript 3 showed that eudaimonic orientation was a balance of helping to benefit both the self and others, while hedonic orientation was primarily related to helping for
THE INTERSECTION OF HEDONIC AND UTILITARIAN VALUES IN THE SUCCESS MODEL OF INFORMATION SYSTEM : A STUDY ON SOCIAL MEDIA GAFFAR

This study investigated the success of e-commerce using a new model that integrates the hedonic and utilitarian value in information systems. The new model was constructed based on the models created by Wang and Scheepers (2007) and Wang (2008). In other words, we modified and integrated both models into a new model. The results of the study suggest that the hedonic and utilitarian values could explain the behaviour of the user satisfaction and intention to repurchase. It means that the hedonic and utilitarian concepts improve the success model. Eventhough, the comparison shows that the utilitarian value-based model has a better goodness fit than that of the hedonic model, this study infers that both hedonic and utilitarian characteristic are actually not separated. We implies that all system developers should induce both hedonic and utilitarian contents into the systems they built.