Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Information self-efficacy and information channels: Decision quality and online shopping satisfaction

– The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of both information self-efficacy and information acquisition with regard to information channels on decision quality and also on satisfaction, which provides a new angle for online shopping satisfaction research and practice alike. , – This study develops a research model drawing upon customer satisfaction theory, information and decision making theory and self-efficacy theory and tests it using a questionnaire and partial least squares structural equation modelling. , – Data collected from 331 Chinese online shopping customers were used to test the model. It was found that self-efficacy in getting information (SEGI) strongly affects perceived decision quality (PDQ) and also satisfaction with online shopping. Meanwhile SEGI negatively moderates the impact of web advertising usage for getting information on PDQ and overrides the effect of consumer review usage for getting information on PDQ. , – The current research usefully contributes to the theoretical development of the structural model exploring the effects of information self-efficacy and information behaviour on decision quality and satisfaction with online shopping in the specific context of China and beyond more generally.
Partner caregiving in older cohabiting couples.

OBJECTIVES Despite the rapidly increasing prevalence of cohabitation among older adults, the caregiving literature has exclusively focused on formally married individuals. Extending prior work on intra-couple care, this study contrasts frail cohabitors' patterns of care receipt from a partner to that of frail spouses. METHODS Using nationally representative panel data from the Health and Retirement Study (2000, 2002, 2004, and 2006), we estimate random effects cross-sectional times series models predicting frail cohabitors' likelihood of receiving partner care compared with their married counterparts'. Conditional on the receipt of intra-couple care, we also examine differences in marital and nonmarital partners' caregiving hours and caregiving involvement relative to other helpers. RESULTS Net of sociodemographic, disability, and comorbidity factors, we find that cohabitors are less likely to receive partner care than married individuals. However, caregiving nonmarital partners provide as many hours of care as spouses while providing a substantially larger share of disabled respondents' care than marital partners. DISCUSSION Cohabitation and marriage have distinct implications for older adults' patterns of partner care receipt. This study adds weight to a growing body of research emphasizing the importance of accounting for older adults' nontraditional union forms and of examining the ramifications of cohabitation for older adults' well-being.
Effect of β-Cyclodextrin Complexation on Solubility and Enzymatic Conversion of Naringin

In the present paper, the effect of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) inclusion complexation on the solubility and enzymatic hydrolysis of naringin was investigated. The inclusion complex of naringin/β-CD at the molar ratio of 1:1 was obtained by the dropping method and was characterized by differential scanning calorimetry. The solubility of naringin complexes in water at 37 ± 0.1 °C was 15 times greater than that of free naringin. Snailase-involved hydrolysis conditions were tested for the bioconversion of naringin into naringenin using the univariate experimental design. Naringin can be transformed into naringenin by snailase-involved hydrolysis. The optimum conditions for enzymatic hydrolysis were determined as follows: pH 5.0, temperature 37 °C, ratio of snailase/substrate 0.8, substrate concentration 20 mg·mL−1, and reaction time 12 h. Under the optimum conditions, the transforming rate of naringenin from naringin for inclusion complexes and free naringin was 98.7% and 56.2% respectively, suggesting that β-CD complexation can improve the aqueous solubility and consequently the enzymatic hydrolysis rate of naringin.
Differential Impact of IL-10 Expression on Survival and Relapse between HPV16-Positive and -Negative Oral Squamous Cell Carcinomas

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a risk factor in a subset of oropharyngeal cancer; however, the contribution of HPV in the malignancy of oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) is not fully understood in Taiwanese. Herein, 61 patients with no risk factors and 117 patients with one or more risk factors were enrolled in this study. HPV16/18 infection rate in non-smokers, non-drinkers and non-betel quid chewers was higher than their counterparts. The development of HPV-infected cancer has been shown to be associated with interleukin-10 (IL-10) expression. To this end, IL-10 mRNA expression in OSCC tumors was evaluated by real-time RT-PCR. Data showed that HPV-positive patients had higher IL-10 mRNA levels than in HPV-negative patients. Kaplan-Meier and Cox-regression analysis indicated that the prognostic significance of IL-10 mRNA on overall survival and relapse free survival was only observed in HPV-positive OSCC, but not in HPV-negative OSCC. Mechanistically, the elevation of IL-10 by E6 was responsible for increased colony formation and migration capability in OSCC cells. Therefore, we suggest that IL-10 induced by E6 promotes cell growth and migration capability and consequent poor survival and relapse in HPV-positive OSCC.
DTL's DataSpot: Database Exploration Using Plain Language

DTL’s DataSpot is a database publishing tool that enables non-technical end users to explore a database using free-form plain language queries combined with hypertext navigation. DataSpot is based on a novel representation of data in the form of a schema-less semi-structured graph called a hyperbase. The DataSpot Publisher takes one or more possibly heterogeneous databases, predefined knowledge banks such as a thesaurus, and userdefined associations, and creates the hyperbase. The DataSpot Search Server performs searches and navigation against the hyperbase, returning answers to the user either in HTML pages or through an object API. The DataSpot product has been successfilly deployed in diverse application areas including electronic catalogs, yellow pages, classified ads, help desks and finance.
Increasing ecological realism in conservation network design : a case study in Belize and an evaluation of global satellite telemetry for connectivity research

Human-caused habitat loss and fragmentation disrupt contiguous natural areas, leading to low population sizes and isolation of populations. To avoid increased risk of extinction, conservation networks are created: clusters of connected protected areas, largely based on expert-opinion. In landscape ecology, models are used to increase ecological realism in network design in order to avoid misguided management actions. However, increasing the ecological complexity requires detailed ecological data. In this dissertation, I investigate the challenges and opportunities encountered applying such models for conservation network design. With remote-sensing and species detection data, I modelled potential connectivity for white-lipped peccaries Tayassu pecari in Belize. This species is an endangered forest ungulate that requires large forest areas and has a short dispersal range. The model identifed alternative corridor routes and areas that were particularly important for connectivity conservation. Satellite tracking of an individual in southern Belize showed that animal activity, and presumably forest cover and terrain ruggedness hampered data collection. Nevertheless, results showed an average home-range size and slow movement rates compared to other estimates, and confrmed the species' preference for forested habitats. A global evaluation of satellite telemetry in wildlife research, including over 3,000 telemetry units, provided insight into the relative in uence of the environment, topography, species, and unit characteristics on unit performance. Fix acquisition and data transfer rates were high, but close to half of the deployments failed prematurely, and half of these due to technical malfunction. Species and unit characteristics predicted unit performance better than environmental factors. Conservation network design based on moderately data-demanding models seems to be an achievable objective. However, modelling with high levels of ecological detail is still challenged by technological shortcomings. Ultimately, efective conservation network design depends on the continued collaboration between the modelling, empirical, and applied domains of connectivity conservation.
TGF-β1 downregulates StAR expression and decreases progesterone production through Smad3 and ERK1/2 signaling pathways in human granulosa cells.

CONTEXT Regulation of progesterone production in granulosa cells is important for normal reproductive functions. Steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) is recognized as the key regulatory protein involved in the rate-limiting step of steroidogenesis. TGF-β1 protein is detected in human follicular fluid, and TGF-β1 and its receptors are expressed in human granulosa cells. However, the functional role of TGF-β1 in the regulation of StAR expression and progesterone production in human granulosa cells remains unknown. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to investigate the effects of TGF-β1 on StAR expression and progesterone production in human granulosa cells. DESIGN AND SETTING SVOG cells are human granulosa cells that were obtained from women undergoing in vitro fertilization and immortalized with SV40 large T antigen. SVOG cells were used to investigate the effects of TGF-β1 on StAR expression and progesterone production at an academic research center. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Levels of mRNA and protein were examined by RT-qPCR and western blotting, respectively. The accumulation levels of progesterone were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS TGF-β1 treatment downregulated StAR expression and decreased progesterone production. The suppressive effects of TGF-β1 on StAR expression and progesterone production were abolished by the inhibition of TGF-β type I receptor. In addition, treatment with TGF-β1 activated the Smad2/3 and ERK1/2 signaling pathways. The inhibition of the Smad3 and ERK1/2 signaling pathways attenuated the TGF-β1-induced downregulation of StAR expression and progesterone production. CONCLUSION TGF-β1 downregulated StAR expression and decreased progesterone production by activating the Smad3 and ERK1/2 signaling pathways in human granulosa cells.
Global compilation of variations in slab depth beneath arc volcanoes and implications

The location and motion of subducting plates relative to volcanic arcs provide a first‐order constraint on theories of arc magmagenesis. We compile volcano‐specific subduction parameters for 33,000 km of the global arc system at 839 volcanic centers, measuring the depth to the top of the slab (H) beneath each volcano. The compilation also includes estimates of slab strike and dip, incoming plate velocity, and age, all available in accompanying auxiliary material. The slab geometry is contoured from the top surface of Wadati‐Benioff zones (WBZs) for a variety of teleseismic and local seismicity catalogs, which provides a reference surface for evaluating the distribution of seismicity within subducting plates. The WBZ thickness exceeds that expected from hypocentral errors in a manner correlating with plate age, indicating that old plates have thicker regions in which earthquakes can occur. When averaged over 500‐km‐long arc segments, H ranges from 72 to 173 km with a global average of 105 km, increasing by 20 km when hypocentral error effects are taken into account. These depths correlate poorly with most subduction parameters, but significant correlations exist between H and slab dip (correlation coefficient is 0.54 for 45 arc segments). The dip correlation can be explained if the melting region is displaced from the Wadati‐Benioff zone by a constant‐thickness boundary layer. For the north Pacific, H varies inversely with descent rate; this trend may reflect the manner in which wedge thermal structure affects arc location. Over short distances some arc segments exhibit abrupt variations in arc location but not slab geometry, indicating that upper‐plate tectonic processes also exert control on H. These along‐strike trends in H also correlate with geochemical proxies for the degree of melting, at least in one test case. Thus slab geometry and kinematics provide an important control on the melting that produces arc volcanoes.
Duplex Metric Learning for Image Set Classification

Image set classification has attracted much attention because of its broad applications. Despite the success made so far, the problems of intra-class diversity and inter-class similarity still remain two major challenges. To explore a possible solution to these challenges, this paper proposes a novel approach, termed duplex metric learning (DML), for image set classification. The proposed DML consists of two progressive metric learning stages with different objectives used for feature learning and image classification, respectively. The metric learning regularization is not only used to learn powerful feature representations but also well explored to train an effective classifier. At the first stage, we first train a discriminative stacked autoencoder (DSAE) by layer-wisely imposing a metric learning regularization term on the neurons in the hidden layers and meanwhile minimizing the reconstruction error to obtain new feature mappings in which similar samples are mapped closely to each other and dissimilar samples are mapped farther apart. At the second stage, we discriminatively train a classifier and simultaneously fine-tune the DSAE by optimizing a new objective function, which consists of a classification error term and a metric learning regularization term. Finally, two simple voting strategies are devised for image set classification based on the learnt classifier. In the experiments, we extensively evaluate the proposed framework for the tasks of face recognition, object recognition, and face verification on several commonly-used data sets and state-of-the-art results are achieved in comparison with existing methods.
Performance of an A1C and Fasting Capillary Blood Glucose Test for Screening Newly Diagnosed Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes Defined by an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test in Qingdao, China

OBJECTIVE The study's goal was to evaluate the performance of A1C and fasting capillary blood glucose (FCG) tests as mass screening tools for diabetes and pre-diabetes, as determined by the standard oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Data from 2,332 individuals aged 35–74 years who participated in a population-based cross-sectional diabetes survey in Qingdao, China, were analyzed. A 2-h 75-g OGTT was used to diagnose diabetes. The performance of A1C and FCG was evaluated against the results of the OGTTs by using receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis. RESULTS The prevalence of newly diagnosed diabetes and pre-diabetes (impaired fasting glucose and/or impaired glucose tolerance) was 11.9 and 29.5%, respectively. For subjects with newly diagnosed diabetes, the area under the ROC curve was 0.67 for A1C and 0.77 for FCG (P < 0.01) in men and 0.67 and 0.75 (P < 0.01) in women, whereas for pre-diabetes, these values were 0.47 and 0.64 (P < 0.001) in men and 0.51 and 0.65 (P < 0.001) in women. At the optimal A1C cutoff point of ≥5.6% for newly diagnosed diabetes, sensitivities (specificities) were 64.4% (61.6%) for men and 62.3% (63.3%) for women. CONCLUSIONS As a screening tool for newly diagnosed diabetes and pre-diabetes, the FCG measurement performed better than A1C in this general Chinese population.
Overexpression of vascular adhesion protein‐1 is associated with poor prognosis of astrocytomas

Vascular adhesion protein‐1 (VAP‐1) is one of the endothelial adhesion molecules that is believed to play a role in tumor progression and metastasis, supporting cancer cell extravasation. Very few studies have been performed on analyzing the contribution of VAP‐1 in brain tumor. Astrocytomas are the most common type of brain tumors, which are classified by World Health Organization (WHO) into four grades according to the degree of malignancy. This study was designed to investigate VAP‐1 expression level in different astrocytoma grades and its correlation with clinicopathological features as well as prognosis of astrocytoma patients. Eighty‐seven patients with different grades of astrocytoma (WHO Grade I–Grade IV) were enrolled in this study. The expression of VAP‐1 was assayed by immunohistochemistry. The correlation between VAP‐1 expression and clinicopathological features was evaluated by Chi‐square test, and overall survival was analyzed by Kaplan–Meier method. Cox regression analysis was applied to analyze the independent influence of each parameter on overall survival. The expression level of VAP‐1 was significantly higher in diffuse astrocytoma than those of pilocytic astrocytoma (p < 0.0001). In the subgroup analysis, upregulated VAP‐1 expression was frequently found in older age patients (≥50 years). The VAP‐1 expression was found to be significantly correlated with the overall survival (p = 0.0002). There was a statistical correlation between VAP‐1high tumors in diffuse astrocytoma and VAP‐1low tumors in pilocytic astrocytoma (p < 0.0001). Multivariate Cox analysis indicated VAP‐1 was an independent predictive marker for poorer prognosis (p = 0.0036). Therefore, VAP‐1 could be a promising prognostic biomarker in astrocytoma.
Electrophysiology of subject-verb agreement mediated by speakers’ gender

An important property of speech is that it explicitly conveys features of a speaker’s identity such as age or gender. This event-related potential (ERP) study examined the effects of social information provided by a speaker’s gender, i.e., the conceptual representation of gender, on subject–verb agreement. Despite numerous studies on agreement, little is known about syntactic computations generated by speaker characteristics extracted from the acoustic signal. Slovak is well suited to investigate this issue because it is a morphologically rich language in which agreement involves features for number, case, and gender. Grammaticality of a sentence can be evaluated by checking a speaker’s gender as conveyed by his/her voice. We examined how conceptual information about speaker gender, which is not syntactic but rather social and pragmatic in nature, is interpreted for the computation of agreement patterns. ERP responses to verbs disagreeing with the speaker’s gender (e.g., a sentence including a masculine verbal inflection spoken by a female person ‘the neighbors were upset because I ∗stoleMASC plums’) elicited a larger early posterior negativity compared to correct sentences. When the agreement was purely syntactic and did not depend on the speaker’s gender, a disagreement between a formally marked subject and the verb inflection (e.g., the womanFEM ∗stoleMASC plums) resulted in a larger P600 preceded by a larger anterior negativity compared to the control sentences. This result is in line with proposals according to which the recruitment of non-syntactic information such as the gender of the speaker results in N400-like effects, while formally marked syntactic features lead to structural integration as reflected in a LAN/P600 complex.
Mitochondrial energy metabolism in a model of undernutrition induced by dexamethasone

The present investigation was undertaken to evaluate whether mitochondrial energy metabolism is altered in a model of malnutrition induced by dexamethasone (DEX) treatment (1·5mg/kg per d for 5d). The gastrocnemius and liver mitochondria were isolated from DEX-treated, pair-fed (PF) and control (CON) rats. Body weight was reduced significantly more in the DEX-treated group (−16%) than in the PF group (−9%). DEX treatment increased liver mass (+59% v. PF, +23% v. CON) and decreased gastrocnemius mass. Moreover, in DEX-treated rats, liver mitochondria had an increased rate of non-phosphorylative O2 consumption with all substrates (approximately +42%). There was no difference in enzymatic complex activities in liver mitochondria between rat groups. Collectively, these results suggest an increased proton leak and/or redox slipping in the liver mitochondria of DEX-treated rats. In addition, DEX decreased the thermodynamic coupling and efficiency of oxidative phosphorylation. We therefore suggest that this increase in the proton leak and/or redox slip in the liver is responsible for the decrease in the thermodynamic efficiency of energy conversion. In contrast, none of the variables of energy metabolism determined in gastrocnemius mitochondria was altered by DEX treatment. Therefore, it appears that DEX specifically affects mitochondrial energy metabolism in the liver.
A Comprehensive Drug Safety Evaluation of Pregabalin in Peripheral Neuropathic Pain

Pregabalin is a commonly used therapy currently recommended as first‐line treatment for a number of neuropathic pain (NeP) conditions. Since licensure, a number of clinical trials of pregabalin in different NeP conditions have been completed from which additional data on safety and tolerability can be drawn. In this analysis, patient‐level data from 31 randomized clinical trials of pregabalin in peripheral NeP sponsored by Pfizer were pooled and assessed for incidence of adverse events (AEs). Incidence by age, disease condition, and race, together with risk differences and time to onset and resolution of AEs, was assessed. In total, 7,510 patients were included: 4,884 on pregabalin (representing 805 patient‐years treatment) and 2,626 on placebo. Pregabalin vs. placebo risk analysis identified 9 AEs with a risk difference, for which the lower limit of the 95% confidence interval (CI) was > 1%: dizziness (risk difference [95% CI]: (17.0 [15.4 to 18.6]), somnolence (10.8 [9.5 to 12.1]), peripheral edema (5.4 [4.3 to 6.4]), weight increase (4.7 [3.9 to 5.5]), dry mouth (2.9 [2.1 to 3.8]), constipation (2.3 [1.5 to 3.2]), blurred vision (2.2 [1.6 to 2.9]), balance disorder (2.0 [1.5 to 2.5]), and euphoric mood (1.6 [1.2 to 2.0]). The most common AEs, dizziness and somnolence, typically emerged within the first 1 to 2 weeks of treatment and resolved 1 to 2 weeks later, without resulting in cessation of treatment. The data from this review provide information, indicating which AEs may be expected in patients treated with pregabalin, and suggest that careful dose titration to the highest tolerable dose is the most appropriate approach in clinical practice.
Changes of cropland area in the river basins of the European part of Russia for the period 1985-2015 years, as a factor of soil erosion dynamics

The work is devoted to the effect of the change of cropland area on the rate of soil erosion in sites of the European part of Russia located in different climatic, landscape and geomorphological conditions. Mapping of the croplands on the territory of 9 river basins for the two time slices (the middle of the 1980s, and the present-day period 2013-2015) was carried out by visual interpretation of multi-seasonal images Landsat 5 and Landsat 8. Using vector layers obtained as a result of digitization, the areas of croplands in the analyzed periods have been calculated, and changes which occurred in 30 years were estimated. The decrease of croplands area was revealed in all studied river basins. An assessment of the effect of cropland reduction on the soil loss rate was carried out. Using the SRMM DEM with a 30 m spatial resolution, the following morphometric characteristics of relief for cultivated and abandoned croplands were calculated: steepness of slopes, flowpath length, factor LS. Based on the results of calculations, the average values of the factor LS reduced from 1985 to 2015 on the croplands in all considered basins. The obtained data confirm that the reduction of the croplands area is one of the factors responsible for the decrease of modern soil loss rates observed in field studies.