Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce an Exploration of Social Networking Sites (sns) Adoption in Malaysia Using Technology Acceptance Model (tam), Theory of Planned Behavior (tpb) and Intrinsic Motivation

The objective of the paper is to explore the factors that encourage students to adopt social network sites (SNS) in Malaysia and to use the study's findings to develop guidelines for SNS providers on how to maximize the rate of adoption. A conceptual model of Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and intrinsic motivation is proposed and empirically tested in the context of SNS usage. Structural Equation modelling was used on the survey data from 283 university students to test the model fit and corresponding hypotheses. The results show that both TAM and TPB were supported in their predictions of SNS usage intention and perceived enjoyment is a more significant antecedent of attitude as compared to perceived usefulness. Other than communicating with others, the users are looking for fun and enjoyment from using SNS. The relationships between the factors were also presented. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed at the end of the article. The paper has addressed two limitations that provide opportunities for other researchers to explore them in depth in the future in the similar field of social network sites (SNS). The-3-limitations are presented in the conclusion's part. For researchers, this paper provides a framework to identify and understand the way the potential key factors contribute to the adoption of SNS. For practitioners, this framework lists the features that specifically attract SNS users. Understanding users' preferences is of major importance in e-businesses for making strategic decisions to increase user satisfaction, as well as improving the performance of the business.
The Effects of Training, Feedback, and Participant Involvement in Behavioral Safety Observations on Office Ergonomic Behavior

Abstract Eleven computer terminal operators participated in an experiment that assessed effects of several interventions aimed at increasing safe ergonomic performance. All participants received ergonomics training and performance feedback while six of them collected observations of safe behavior among the remaining five participants. Effects of information, feedback, and conducting safe behavior performance observations was assessed using a single participant multiple baseline experimental design. Conducting observations of safety-related behavior is a critical component of the behavioral safety process, and while many researchers have examined the effects of information and feedback on safety performance, few have studied the effects of conducting observations on the behavior of the observer. Performance levels increased relative to baseline levels across all participants and remained above baseline levels when assessed during a four-month follow-up evaluation. Participants that conducted safety observations of other participants performed more safely than participants that did not participate in the observation process. Also assessed was the effect of observers' accuracy on observers' safety performance. The possible behavioral mechanisms responsible for performance increases and the implications of research results reported are discussed in detail. Suggestions for future research in this area are presented and the rationale for each is briefly discussed.
Concurrent Validity of Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scales–Third Edition Index Score Short Forms in the Canadian Standardization Sample

This study evaluated the concurrent validity of estimated Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scales—Third Edition (WAIS-III) index scores using various one- and two-subtest combinations. Participants were the Canadian WAIS-III standardization sample. Using all possible one- and two-subtest combinations, an estimated Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI), an estimated Perceptual Organization Index (POI), and an estimated Working Memory Index (WMI) were generated by prorating relevant subtest scores. As expected, two-subtest short forms were consistently more accurate than one-subtest short forms. Agreement between short-form and full-form index scores was high for two-subtest combinations (range = 88% to 96%) but only moderate with one subtest (range = 62% to 79%). Accuracy did not vary by age, ethnicity, gender, or education. However, accuracy was lowest for index scores in the high average to very superior range. These results suggest that although some two-subtest short forms are useful for estimating VCI, POI, and WMI scores, one-subtest short forms should not be used for this purpose.
Macrophages recognize the Helicobacter pylori type IV secretion system in the absence of toll‐like receptor signalling

Helicobacter pylori strains carrying the cag pathogenicity island (cagPAI) provoke an increased inflammatory response, conferring an increased risk of ulcer formation and carcinogenesis. How the immune system recognizes the presence of cagPAI positive strains is yet unclear. By comparing the transcriptional response of wild type and MyD88/Trif–/– bone marrow macrophages to infection with H. pylori, we found that the majority of regulated genes were dependent on toll‐like receptor (TLR) signalling. To determine the role of TLR‐independent responses, we analysed the transcriptome of MyD88/Trif–/– bone marrow macrophages at different time points after infection with cagPAI positive versus negative strains. We identified a group of genes that exhibited different kinetic behaviour depending on whether cagPAI was present. Analysis of their gene expression kinetics demonstrated that this responsiveness to cagPAI was observed only in MyD88/Trif–/– macrophages. This group of cagPAI‐sensing genes was enriched for AU‐rich element containing early response genes involved in immune regulation, including interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β) and tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α). Recognition of cagPAI positive strains was found to be mediated by the type IV secretion system (cagT4SS), rather than its effector protein CagA. We hypothesize that anergic macrophages of the gastric mucosa initiate an innate immune response following detection of the T4SS of H. pylori.
A Comparison of Survey Techniques on Sensitive Sexual Behavior in Italy

This article compares two national surveys carried out through the most commonly used procedures in Italy: CATI (computer-assisted telephone interviews) and SAQ-FI (self-answered questionnaires following interviews). Both surveys ask two identical questions concerning sensitive sexual behavior: early age at first intercourse and same-sex attraction. The SAQ-FI survey had both unit non-response and item non-response rates much lower than the CATI survey. Moreover, in the CATI survey, the groups with highest item non-response rates were also the groups with the lowest proportions of early intercourse and homosexual attraction. In addition, a differential analysis of the respondents produced diverse results for the two surveys. This is especially true of results by gender for same-sex attraction: Such behavior is more common among men (3.1%) than women (2.9%), according to the CATI survey, whereas the opposite is true of the SAQ-FI survey (6.1% of men vs. 7.7% women). In Italy at the beginning of the 21st century, CATI surveys reveal a lower level of early intercourse and same-sex attraction than SAQ-FI surveys. This article argues that the CATI survey underestimates the true level of these sensitive sexual behaviors in the Italian population.
BlueStreaming: towards power-efficient internet P2P streaming to mobile devices

P2P streaming applications are very popular on the Internet today. However, a mobile device in P2P streaming not only needs to continuously receive streaming data from other peers for its playback, but also needs to continuously exchange control information (e.g., buffermaps and file chunk requests) with neighboring peers and upload the downloaded streaming data to them. These lead to excessive battery power consumption on the mobile device. In this paper, we first conduct Internet experiments to study in-depth the impact of control traffic and uploading traffic on battery power consumption with several popular Internet P2P streaming applications. Motivated by measurement results, we design and implement a system called BlueStreaming that effectively utilizes the commonly existing Bluetooth interface on mobile devices. Instead of activating WiFi and Bluetooth interfaces alternatively, BlueStreaming keeps Bluetooth active all the time to transmit delay-sensitive control traffic while using WiFi for streaming data traffic. BlueStreaming trades Bluetooth's power consumption for much more significant energy saving from shaped WiFi traffic. To evaluate the performance of BlueStreaming, we have implemented prototypes on both Windows and Mac to access existing popular Internet P2P streaming services. The experimental results show that BlueStreaming can save up to 46% battery power compared to the commodity PSM scheme.
Stress, coping, and fear of personal death: The case of middle-aged men facing early job retirement

Abstract The study assesses him negative life events and coping responses affect diverse aspects of fear of personal death among middle-aged men who are in the process of early job retirement. Subjects reported life events they had experienced during the last three years and the coping responses they used, for dealing with job retirement, and completed a questinnaire on their, fear of personal death. The findings indicated that the accumulation of negative life events was related to high levels of fear of personal death. However coping strategies mediated this relationship. Emotion-focused coping with early job retirement seemed to be a direct precursor of the fear of personal death and to underlie the efects of negative life events. The findings were discussed within the stress-coping framework. Practical and theoretical implications of the findings were emphasized.
Person and process in dementia

Outlines are given of an ‘ethological’ programme of research into the social psychology of dementia in old age. Here the manifestations and progress of a dementing illness are seen to be crucially dependent on the nature of the interpersonal context. The quality of dementia care can be evaluated, including quantitative measures. Earlier conceptualizations of the dementing process were overly deterministic and pessimistic. New challenges are created for service provision and policy.
To move or not to move: How apes adjust to the attentional state of others

A previous observational study suggested that when faced with a partner with its back turned, chimpanzees tend to move around to the front of a non-attending partner and then gesture — rather than gesturing once to attract attention and then again to convey a specific intent. We investigated this preference experimentally by presenting six orangutans, five gorillas, nine chimpanzees, and four bonobos with a food begging situation in which we varied the body orientation of an experimenter (E) with respect to the subject (front vs. back) and the location of the food (in front or behind E). These manipulations allowed us to measure whether subjects preferred to move around to face E or to use signals to attract her attention before they begged for food. Results showed that all species moved around to face E and then produced visual gestures, instead of using tactile/ auditory gestures behind E to call her attention. Species differences were apparent particularly when the food and E were in different locations. Unlike gorillas and orangutans, chimpanzees and bonobos (from genus Pan) produced their gestures in front of E in all conditions, including that in which subjects had to leave the food behind to communicate with her. Implications of these results are discussed in the context of the evolution of social cognition in great apes.
CONFLICTING SELECTION FROM AN ANTAGONIST AND A MUTUALIST ENHANCES PHENOTYPIC VARIATION IN A PLANT

The raw material for evolution is variation. Consequently, identifying the factors that generate, maintain, and erode phenotypic and genetic variation in ecologically important traits within and among populations is important. Although persistent directional or stabilizing selection can deplete variation, spatial variation in conflicting directional selection can enhance variation. Here, we present evidence that phenotypic variation in limber pine (Pinus flexilis) cone structure is enhanced by conflicting selection pressures exerted by its mutualistic seed disperser (Clark's nutcracker Nucifraga columbiana) and an antagonistic seed predator (pine squirrel Tamiasciurus spp.). Phenotypic variation in cone structure was bimodal and about two times greater where both agents of selection co‐occurred than where one (the seed predator) was absent. Within the region where both agents of selection co‐occurred, bimodality in cone structure was pronounced where there appears to be a mosaic of habitats with some persistent habitats supporting only the seed disperser. These results indicate that conflicting selection stemming from spatial variation in community diversity can enhance phenotypic variation in ecologically important traits.
Time Course of Optical Quality and Intraocular Scattering after Refractive Lenticule Extraction

Purpose To assess the time course of optical quality and intraocular scattering in relation to visual acuity after femtosecond lenticule extraction (FLEx) for the correction of myopia. Methods This study evaluated 36 eyes of 36 patients with spherical equivalents of −4.38±1.53 D [mean ± standard deviation] who underwent FLEx. Before surgery, and 1 week and 1, 3 and 6 months after surgery, we assessed the modulation transfer function (MTF) cutoff frequency, Strehl ratio, objective scattering index (OSI), and OQAS values (OVs), using a double-pass instrument. We also investigated the relationship of the OSI with corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) preoperatively and postoperatively. Results The mean changes in MTF cutoff frequency, Strehl ratio, OSI, OV100%, OV20%, and OV9% preoperatively and 6 months postoperatively were −5.51±15.01, −0.03±0.07, 0.35±0.83, −0.17±0.48, −0.14±0.38, and −0.09±0.22, respectively. We found no significant preoperative correlation between the OSI and logMAR CDVA (Spearman rank correlation coefficient r = 0.068, p = 0.69), and modest, but significant correlations 1 week and 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively (r = 0.572, r = 0.562, r = 0.542, r = 0.540, p<0.001, respectively). Conclusions FLEx induced a transient decrease in optical quality in association with an increase in intraocular scattering in the early postoperative period, possibly due to mild interface haze formation, but gradually recovered with time. It is suggested that this transient degradation in optical quality related to an increase in the intraocular scattering may result in a slight delay of CDVA recovery in the early postoperative period.
Ipsilateral and contralateral thalamic hypometabolism as a predictor of outcome after temporal lobectomy for seizures.

UNLABELLED FDG PET is often used to help localize the seizure focus before surgery in patients with medically refractory temporal lobe epilepsy. However, the ability of certain patterns of metabolic landscape to predict postsurgical seizure outcome has not been well characterized. The purpose of this retrospective study was to determine whether FDG PET abnormalities elsewhere in the brain, in combination with those in the temporal lobes, can be used to predict seizure outcome after surgery. METHODS Eighty patients with refractory temporal lobe seizures were imaged with PET after intravenous administration of 115 microCi/kg FDG. Images were interpreted without knowledge of clinical information by an experienced reviewer to determine seizure focus and regional metabolic changes in the brain. Metabolic activity scores were assigned for cortical and subcortical structures using the following criteria: 4 = normal activity, 3 = mildly decreased activity, 2 = moderately decreased activity, 1 = severely decreased activity, and 0 = no activity. A laterality index for each region was calculated using the equation 100 x [right - left]/[1/2 x (right + left)]. Seizure focus localization was based on the laterality of temporal lobe metabolic activity and was compared with that determined by scalp and depth electrodes and MRI results. Comparisons were made between asymmetries in metabolic activity in various brain structures and postoperative seizure frequency. Postoperative outcome was determined on the basis of cessation (complete disappearance of seizures) or continuation of seizure activity, regardless of frequency, compared with the preoperative state. RESULTS All 64 patients who were free of seizures postoperatively had either no thalamic asymmetry or reduced metabolism on the side from which the temporal lobe was removed. In contrast, 5 of 16 patients (31%) with postoperative seizures of any frequency had hypometabolism in the thalamus contralateral to that of the removed temporal lobe. All 5 patients with reverse thalamic asymmetry had postoperative seizures. Patients with thalamic hypometabolism ipsilateral to the removed temporal lobe also had an increased risk of postoperative seizures, but this risk was not as high as in patients with the contralateral abnormality. In these patients, the temporal lobe (which appeared hypometabolic on PET) was determined to be the site of the seizure on the basis of information besides that provided by PET before surgery. CONCLUSION This study indicated that, in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy, thalamic metabolic asymmetry, particularly in the reverse direction to that of the temporal lobe asymmetry, was associated with a poor postsurgical outcome compared with no or matched asymmetry. This determination may be important in evaluating patients for, and selecting optimal candidates for, surgical intervention.
Penality, Power, and Polity

Worldwide, the punishment of law violators takes many forms, with some countries relying heavily on incarceration and others favoring a mix of punishments including incarceration, corporal punishment, and the death penalty. Determining why a nation chooses to implement one sanction over another requires an examination of political factors. While some notable research has examined the correlations between incarceration rates, death penalty retention, and various measures of political power and repression, the influence of political factors on punishment needs a fuller explication. Specifically, the use of corporal punishment as a criminal sanction has not been fully examined within the political repression and punishment literature. To address this gap, authors employ a cross-national comparative approach to examine how repressive governments and failing regimes influence the use of corporal punishment by the formal justice system. Findings reveal that more repressive and failing regimes are more likely to use corporal punishment, compared to freer and more sustainable nations.
Phenotypic characterization of chicken inbred lines that differ extremely in growth, body composition and egg production traits

The development of phenotypically and genetically divergent inbred chicken lines as simplified genetic models facilitates the identification of genes and contributes to the elucidation of gene functions. In this study, we characterized a New Hampshire (NH) population with its partial inbred derivative, New Hampshire inbred (NHI), and a White Leghorn inbred line (WL77). Both NHI and WL77 lines were inbred after selection for high meat yield or low egg weight, respectively. The inbreeding levels in NHI and WL77 are about 86 % and 100 %, respectively. Animals of the NHI line grew twice as fast, were about two times as heavy at 20 weeks, and deposited 9.3 times as much fat as WL77. NHI females reached sexual maturity, indicated by age at first egg, earlier, had a 35 % higher egg production ratio, and their eggs were on average 6 g heavier compared to WL77 females. The NHI and WL77 lines were extremely different for most traits, which makes them suitable for cross-bred experiments to map quantitative trait loci and identify genes contributing to the observed differences.
Intergenerational Transmission of Psychosocial Risk: Maternal Childhood Adversity, Mother-Child Attachment, and Child Temperament

This study investigated the interactive effects of proximal and distal environmental influences on child temperament. Specifically, the relation between mothers' own early familial experiences, mother-child attachment security, and child temperament was examined. Sixty mothers completed a semi-structured interview pertaining to their childhood attachment experiences with their own parents when children were aged 6 months, and completed a questionnaire on their children's temperament at 2 years. Mother-child attachment security was also rated at 2 years. Children whose mothers received higher scores of early adverse caregiving experiences displayed poorer temperamental activity level outcomes only when they also showed high concomitant levels of attachment security. The results suggest the transgenerational effect of maternal early life experiences on temperamental characteristics in the offspring, describing a pathway that might contribute to the familial transmission of risk stemming from the early caregiving environment.
Eruptive Seborrhoeic Warts with Gastric Adenocarcinoma

The appearance of multiple seborrhoeic keratoses in association with malignancy was first described in the 19th century by Edmund Leser (1853-1916) and Ulysse Trelat (1828-1890) and since then has been known as the sign of LeserTrelat. In 1891 Pollitzer described the first association of acanthosis nigricans with a carcinoma, and also mentioned that the patient had multiple warty growths. Since that time, there have been numerous reports of 'eruptive' seborrhoeic warts in association with malignancy. We report a case in association with adenocarcinoma of the stomach.
FLUORESCENT BERBERINE BINDING AS A MARKER OF INTERNAL GLYCOSAMINOGLYCANS SULFATE IN BOVINE OOCYTES AND SPERM CELLS

The use of berberine as a biological marker of glycosamineglycans sulfate was employed to corroborate the presence of heparin in mammalian oocytes and sperm and its distribution in all the structures, or only in some specialized zones, of the male and female gametes. Oocytes and sperms were treated with 1.8 mM berberine for the presence of heparin and examined 10, 30, 60, and 120 minutes later. We have found that heparin is homogeneously distributed in all the zones of bovine oocytes and in sperm cells. When sperm cells are first treated with 80 µM of heparin and then berberine, 40% of them display in their post acrosomal region an intense yellow fluorescence. This may be in relation to the high amount of heparin binding sites due to the presence of the reticular membranous like system in this sperm region and in its possible role whereby gametes recognize and adhere to one another. Therefore, the use of berberine as a fluorescent marker of heparin represents clear proof of the presence of GAGs and their binding sites in the outside and inside of mammalian gametes, reinforcing the importance they play in the events of the process of fertilization.