Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of three task demand factors on simulated unmanned system intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations

Abstract The present study investigated how three task demand factors influenced performance, subjective workload and stress of novice intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operators within a simulation of an unmanned ground vehicle. Manipulations were task type, dual-tasking and event rate. Participants were required to discriminate human targets within a street scene from a direct video feed (threat detection [TD] task) and detect changes in symbols presented in a map display (change detection [CD] task). Dual-tasking elevated workload and distress, and impaired performance for both tasks. However, with increasing event rate, CD task deteriorated, but TD improved. Thus, standard workload models provide a better guide to evaluating the demands of abstract symbols than to processing realistic human characters. Assessment of stress and workload may be especially important in the design and evaluation of systems in which human character critical signals must be detected in video images. Practitioner Summary: This experiment assessed subjective workload and stress during threat and CD tasks performed alone and in combination. Results indicated an increase in event rate led to significant improvements in performance during TD, but decrements during CD, yet both had associated increases in workload and engagement.
A two-kernel based strategy for performing assembly in FEA on the graphics processing unit

This paper presents a strategy to perform assembly of system of equations arising in Finite Element Analysis (FEA) on Graphics Processing Units (GPU) based on the principle of dividing the workload into separate kernels. Three different sparse formats are analyzed for efficient storage along with two different implementations for the race condition arising in the traditional assembly (addto method). In the present study, ELL sparse storage format is found to be effective in terms of both storage space and performance on the GPU. To avoid race condition, the method of coloring is found to provide superior result in comparison to the method with atomics for the proposed assembly strategy.
Food safety and quality management in Kenya: An overview of the roles played by various stakeholders

This review focuses on highlighting the roles played by some stakeholders to ascertain food safety and quality from the farm to the fork in Kenya and the legislations under which they operate. Necessary recommendations to strengthen the weak links along the food supply chain have also been made. Food is considered to be safe if there is reasonable demonstrated certainty that no harm will result from its consumption under anticipated conditions of use. In Kenya, the responsibility for coordinating the multiple institutions (agencies) involved in food safety management rests on the Department of Public Health (DPH) under the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation. The basic Kenyan laws for food safety enforced by DPH include the Food, Drugs and Substances Act, Chapter 254, the Public Health Act, Chapter 242 and the Meat Control Act, Chapter 316. Food-borne diseases are still a major problem in Kenya because of the enormous informal sector in the food industry accounting for at least 80% of the supply to the domestic markets where hygiene controls are rudimentary. Most Kenyan standards are adopted from international ones, such as International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC). In the food supply chain, farmers have to apply Good Agricultural Practices, sellers of commodities/raw materials at local or international level have to apply Good Distribution Practices, and manufacturers have to apply Good Manufacturing Practices. Food supply chain operators have to apply either national (mandatory) standards or private (voluntary) standards. Chain supporters provide the necessary impetus while chain enablers provide the control and/or regulation. Kenya Bureau of Standards is the major chain enabler. It is the National Codex Contact Point, serves as the secretariat of the National Codex Committee, and is the National Enquiry Point of the WTO. Despite the existing legal framework for food safety and quality controls, some processed food products in the Kenyan market are of sub-standard quality. The informal sector must be keenly monitored by the food safety agencies to uphold the application of HACCP and fair trade since it is the major supplier of food products to the domestic markets. Safety and quality management in the food supply chain has cost implications and income is a limiting factor for all the stakeholders and the success of food safety management system. Poverty alleviation would stimulate the purchasing power of domestic consumers, consequently promoting hygiene-based demand instead of price-based demand for food.
Outcomes of The Remplissage Procedure and Its Effects on Return to Sports

Objectives: Short-term outcomes for remplissage patients with large engaging Hill-Sachs lesions have demonstrated good results. However, limited data is available for longer-term outcomes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate long-term outcomes of the remplissage and determine the long-term rate of return to specific sports postoperatively. Methods: This was a retrospective review of patients treated with the remplissage procedure from 2007-2013. All had preoperative MRIs demonstrating large Hill-Sachs lesions by Rowe criteria and glenoid bone loss less than 20%. All Hill-Sachs lesions were “off track” by arthroscopic examination and preoperative imaging. At final follow up, patients had a ROM evaluation and were administered a detailed outcomes survey, which included WOSI and ASES as well as questions regarding sports, employment, physical activities and dislocation events. Results: Fifty-one shoulders (50 patients) were included. Average age at surgery was 29.8 years (15.0-72.4 years) and average follow up was 60.7 months (25.5-97.6 months). 20% of patients had previous surgery on their shoulder. Average postoperative WOSI scores were 79.5% and average ASES scores were 89.3. Six shoulders had dislocation events (11.7%) postoperatively: three were traumatic, and three atraumatic. Increasing number of preoperative dislocations increased the risk of a postoperative dislocation (p<0.001). There was also a trend towards higher postoperative dislocation rates in revision patients (p=0.062). Average loss of external rotation was 5.2 degrees (p=0.13). 95.5% of patients returned to one or more sports postoperatively at an average of 7.0 months. 81.0% returned to their previous intensity and level of sport. 65.5% (19) of patients who played a throwing sport stated they had problems throwing. 58.6% (17) felt they could not normally wind up throwing a ball. Direct rates of return for overhead sports were volleyball 100%, basketball 69%, baseball 50% and football 50%. Conclusion: Remplissage’s re-dislocation rate was 11.7% at an average of five years, with 96% of patients returning to full sports at an average of 7 months. For throwing sports, 65.5% complain of decreased range of motion during throwing. The results should be considered preoperatively in remplissage candidates who are engaged in throwing sports.
English-Vietnamese Code-Switching in Tertiary Educational Context in Vietnam

Abstract The use of English has rapidly been growing in the Expanding Circle of world Englishes. This situation is especially true in Vietnam. In order to know what affects the use of English, including its role in code-switching in classrooms in Vietnam, a case study was conducted to address the main question, “What is the impact of the tertiary education context on code-switching in classrooms in Vietnam? ” The subject was one teacher of two English classes (one in a public university and the other in a private one). The data for this study include document analysis, classroom observations, the teacher’s stimulated recalls, and the students’ written feedback. The study found that more code-switching (CS) happened in the public school than in the private school due to (1) the in-class time budget, (2) the students’ English levels, (3) cultural factors, (4) the teacher-evaluation system, and (5) teacher cognition. The study also found that inter-sentential CS was dominant compared to intra-sentential CS.
Dietary Cu stabilizes brain superoxide dismutase 1 activity and reduces amyloid Aβ production in APP23 transgenic mice

The Cu-binding β-amyloid precursor protein (APP), and the amyloid Aβ peptide have been proposed to play a role in physiological metal regulation. There is accumulating evidence of an unbalanced Cu homeostasis with a causative or diagnostic link to Alzheimer's disease. Whereas elevated Cu levels are observed in APP knockout mice, APP overexpression results in reduced Cu in transgenic mouse brain. Moreover, Cu induces a decrease in Aβ levels in APP-transfected cells in vitro. To investigate the influence of bioavailable Cu, transgenic APP23 mice received an oral treatment with Cu-supplemented sucrose-sweetened drinking water (1). Chronic APP overexpression per se reduced superoxide dismutase 1 activity in transgenic mouse brain, which could be restored to normal levels after Cu treatment (2). A significant increase of brain Cu indicated its bioavailability on Cu treatment in APP23 mice, whereas Cu levels remained unaffected in littermate controls (3). Cu treatment lowered endogenous CNS Aβ before a detectable reduction of amyloid plaques. Thus, APP23 mice reveal APP-induced alterations linked to Cu homeostasis, which can be reversed by addition of dietary Cu.
A Computable General Equilibrium Model for Open Economies with Imperfect Competition and Product Differentiation

This paper corrects a shortcoming in the literature on computable general equilibrium models and imperfect competition with free entry and increasing returns to scale. The trade integration simulations applied to the US suggest that the shortcoming is quantitatively insignificant if key conditions are fulfilled. The model also shows how to incorporate iceberg trade costs in both constant and increasing returns to scale sectors. A fall in trade costs can have a large impact on welfare as less resources are wasted. In addition, the same model is proposed for competition policy experiments against illegal collaboration among competitors. The results of the simulations provide interesting insights, showing extraordinarily large welfare gains if competition policies are introduced to break the collusive behaviour in the US market among either domestic firms or foreign firms. However, if these policies are brought in to weaken the collusive behaviour among exporting firms, then a welfare loss can be generated because of a large deterioration of terms of trade.
Early management of sepsis

Increased awareness of the signs and symptoms of sepsis and an emphasis on the importance of early treatment have helped to improve survival rates from this serious and frequent condition in recent years. With no specific, effective anti-sepsis therapies available, management focuses on early source control with adequate and appropriate antibiotics and removal of any source of infection, rapid resuscitation, hemodynamic stabilization and organ support. Use of dedicated teams to care for patients with sepsis can help optimize early management.
Strikes and Wages: a Test of a Signalling Model

This paper describes a simple model of labor disputes based on the hypothesis that unions use strikes to infer the level of profitability of the firm. The implications of the model are then tested using data on wage outcomes, strike probabilities, and strike durations for a large sample of collective bargaining agreements. Negotiated wages are found to depend negatively on regional unemployment rates and positively on industry-specific selling prices. Contrary to the basic premise of the model, however, there is no evidence of a systematic relation between wages and strike outcomes. Increases in unemployment are found to decrease the probability of strikes, while increases in industry selling prices increase the probability of disputes. Strike durations are only weakly related to unemployment and industry prices, but are negatively correlated with industry output.
CERN through the looking glass: narrative, meta-narrative and strategy in a twenty-first century organisation

This paper sets out the context for a two year study of relationships within the ATLAS experiment at CERN, Geneva, and focuses on the tensions between the narratives deployed by the managers within this international collaboration to enlist and shape the participation of its members. It describes the complex and potentially conflicting narratives deployed bythe individuals charged with the management of a unique organization. These managers are scientists elected to their post by their peers in order to sustain the organization in conditions of uncertainty and complexity derived from the heterogeneity of members and stakeholders and the uncertainty inherent in the core scientific endeavour. These narratives appear to play a key role in sustaining the collectivist ethos which underpins the collaboration and which substitutes for formal managerial structures (see Knorr-Cetina,1999). However this collectivism is itself an obstacle to effective performance in certain contexts. For example, technology transfer represents significant additional value from the core research at CERN. However the ethos of transparency conflicts with the commercial confidentiality essential to the marketability of intellectual property.
Interaction of ruminant transferrins with transferrin receptors in bovine isolates of Pasteurella haemolytica and Haemophilus somnus

The interactions of ruminant transferrins with receptors on bovine isolates of Pasteurella haemolytica and Haemophilus somnus were compared by growth studies and direct and competitive binding assays. Isolates of P. haemolytica were capable of utilizing and binding transferrin from sheep, goat, or cattle, whereas isolates of H. somnus were capable of utilizing and binding only bovine transferrin.
The Use of Narrative Appeals in Promoting Restaurant Experiences

Because consumers encounter numerous advertising messages from many sources and through various media, hospitality advertisers are increasingly concerned about the effectiveness of their messages. In this article, the author proposes that story-based communication or narratives might offer an attractive new avenue for advertising experiential services such as restaurants. The goal of this experimental investigation was to examine whether consumer expertise interferes with the relative effectiveness of story-based appeals in print advertisements portraying restaurants. Overall, this study’s results suggest that consumers with relatively low familiarity with a restaurant category might prefer appeals based on stories to appeals based on lists of service attributes. Moreover, narrative ads might elicit more emotional reactions toward the ad than ads employing a list format. Consumers with relatively high familiarity with the focal restaurant category, however, might be unaffected by the format of the information presentation.
Economic characteristics of extensive shrimp farms in the Mekong delta

Abstract Extensive forms of shrimp aquaculture have become an important source of income for farm households in the brackish water region of the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. The economic and production characteristics of farms are discussed in this paper, based on a 1997 farm survey, with particular emphasis on shrimp farming practices. Two types of shrimp fanning practice were observed, one based on natural recruitment of seedstock with few supplementary inputs, and the other based on relatively high cash investments in Penaeus monodon seedstock and other inputs. Households practising monodon culture made significantly more income, but faced high risk associated with shrimp mortality. An investigation of the factors affecting monodon yields indicated that investment in higher quality inputs had a positive effect on yield and income. However, further research is needed on the extent to which management can reduce risk of shrimp mortality by investing in such premium quality inputs.
Twelve tips for constructing a multiple mini-interview

Abstract Health professions the world over value various competencies in their practitioners that are not easily captured by academic measures of performance. As a result, many programs have begun using multiple mini-interviews (MMIs) to facilitate the selection of candidates who are most likely to demonstrate and further develop such qualities. In this twelve-tips article, the authors offer evidence- and experience-based advice regarding how to construct an MMI that is fit for purpose. The tips are provided chronologically, offering guidance regarding how one might conceptualize their goals for creating an MMI, how to establish a database of stations that are context appropriate, and how to prepare both candidates and examiners for their task. While MMIs have been shown to have utility in many instances, the authors urge caution against over-generalization by stressing the importance of post-MMI considerations including data monitoring and integration between one’s admissions philosophy and one’s curricular efforts.
Advertising and Firm Risk: A Study of the Restaurant Industry

ABSTRACT Incorporating recent calls for understanding firm equity risk in relation to a firm's marketing efforts, this study examined the impacts of firm-level advertising spending on firm equity risk with publicly listed firms in the restaurant industry—a key hospitality industry. This study hypothesized and tested the effects of firm-level advertising expenditures on different types of firm equity risk (i.e., total, systematic, and unsystematic risk). Unlike previous empirical findings, we found that an increase in advertising expenditures significantly increased total and unsystematic risk of sampled restaurant firms. The findings provide new insights into the effects of advertising on firm equity risk in the literature, and important theoretical and managerial implications for restaurant firms.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants potentiate methylphenidate (Ritalin)‐induced gene regulation in the adolescent striatum

The psychostimulant methylphenidate (Ritalin) is used in conjunction with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in the treatment of medical conditions such as attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder with anxiety/depression comorbidity and major depression. Co‐exposure also occurs in patients on SSRIs who use psychostimulant ‘cognitive enhancers’. Methylphenidate is a dopamine/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor that produces altered gene expression in the forebrain; these effects partly mimic gene regulation by cocaine (dopamine/norepinephrine/serotonin reuptake inhibitor). We investigated whether the addition of SSRIs (fluoxetine or citalopram; 5 mg/kg) modified gene regulation by methylphenidate (2–5 mg/kg) in the striatum and cortex of adolescent rats. Our results show that SSRIs potentiate methylphenidate‐induced expression of the transcription factor genes zif268 and c‐fos in the striatum, rendering these molecular changes more cocaine‐like. Present throughout most of the striatum, this potentiation was most robust in its sensorimotor parts. The methylphenidate + SSRI combination also enhanced behavioral stereotypies, consistent with dysfunction in sensorimotor striatal circuits. In so far as such gene regulation is implicated in psychostimulant addiction, our findings suggest that SSRIs may enhance the addiction potential of methylphenidate.
Does Head Start Yield Long-Term Benefits?

Using a new data set, the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97), this paper examines the relationships between Head Start and school suspensions, grade retentions, and scores on math achievement tests. The body of previous work that has studied the effects of Head Start on child outcomes has examined relatively young children or small samples from compensatory preschool programs other than Head Start. Using the NLSY97 helps to remedy some of the data issues because it is a large nationally representative data set and contains outcomes up to the teenage years. The estimates indicate that Head Start participation does not have long-term benefits. This finding is compatible with past work showing that compensatory preschool programs that are long in duration and intensive are more likely to improve participants' outcomes.
Enucleation versus Evisceration in Ocular Trauma: A Retrospective Review and Study of Current Literature

Abstract Purpose: To compare variables and outcomes from ocular trauma leading to either enucleation or evisceration to better inform surgical decision making. Design: Retrospective chart review. Methods: We reviewed 441 patients between 2001 and 2012 presenting with ocular trauma to a Level 1 trauma center in Queens, New York; of these, there were 16 enucleations and 6 eviscerations. Retrospective chart review noted age, gender, mechanism of injury, initial and final visual acuity, time to surgery, length of follow-up, pain, degree of motility, and complications. A review of literature in the context of our study was performed. Results: 20 patients were male and 2 patients were female; average age was 44 (SD: 20.0, range 18–91). 9/16 patients were enucleated to prevent sympathetic ophthalmia, whereas only 1/5 patient was eviscerated for this indication (p = 0.1619). No cases of sympathetic ophthalmia were reported over an average follow-up of 316 days. Average length of follow-up varied significantly between the two groups, with an average of 370.4 days (SD: 566.9, range 0–1870) for enucleated eyes and 172.7 days (SD: 146.3, range 0–422) for eviscerated eyes (p = 0.42). Medpor implants were preferred in eviscerations (5/6 eviscerations), whereas hydroxyapatite implants were preferred in enucleations (10/16 enucleations, p = 0.04). Conclusions: Surgical decision-making in ocular trauma is largely based on surgeon preference and experience, with minimal evidence in the literature to support either enucleation or evisceration. We recommend evisceration over enucleation in cases of reliable patient follow-up due to the low incidence of sympathetic ophthalmia.