Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Predictors of abstinence among smokers recruited actively to quitline support

Aims Active recruitment of smokers increases the reach of quitlines; however, some quitlines restrict proactive telephone counselling (i.e. counsellor-initiated calls) to smokers ready to quit within 30 days. Identifying characteristics associated with successful quitting by actively recruited smokers could help to distinguish those most likely to benefit from proactive telephone counselling. This study assessed the baseline characteristics of actively recruited smokers associated with prolonged abstinence at 4, 7 and 13 months and the proportion achieving prolonged abstinence that would miss out on proactive telephone counselling if such support was offered only to smokers intending to quit within 30 days at baseline. Design Secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial in which the baseline characteristics associated with prolonged abstinence were examined. Setting New South Wales (NSW) community, Australia. Participants A total of 1562 smokers recruited at random from the electronic NSW telephone directory. Measurements Baseline socio-demographic and smoking-related characteristics associated with prolonged abstinence at 4, 7 and 13 months post-recruitment. Findings Waiting more than an hour to smoke after waking and intention to quit within 30 days at baseline predicted five of the six prolonged abstinence measures. If proactive telephone counselling was restricted to smokers who at baseline intended to quit within 30 days, 53.8–65.9% of experimental group participants who achieved prolonged abstinence would miss out on telephone support. Conclusions Less addicted and more motivated smokers who are actively recruited to quitline support are more likely to achieve abstinence. Most actively recruited smokers reported no intention to quit within the next 30 days, but such smokers still achieved long-term abstinence.
The Impact of Regret on Exports

Abstract We examine optimal production and export decisions of a firm facing exchange rate uncertainty, where the firm’s management is not only risk averse but also regret averse, i.e., is characterized by a utility function that includes disutility from having chosen ex post suboptimal alternatives. Experimental and empirical results support the view that managers tend to be regret averse. Under regret aversion a negative risk premium need not preclude the firm from exporting which would be the case if the firm were only risk averse. Exporting creates an implicit hedge against the possibility of regret when the realized spot exchange rate turns out to be high. The regret-averse firm as such has a greater ex ante incentive to export than the purely risk averse firm. Finally, we use a two-state example to illustrate that the firm optimally exports more (less) to the foreign country than in the case of pure risk aversion if the low (high) spot exchange rate is more likely to prevail. Regret aversion as such plays a crucial role in determining the firm’s optimal allocation between domestic sales and foreign exports.
Fall 8-13-2012 The Abstract / Concrete Paradox in Moral Psychology

The epistemology of intuitions has become popular recently with philosophers’ increasing use of experimental methods to study intuitions. Philosophers have focused on the reliability of intuitions, as empirical studies seem to suggest that conflicting intuitions are common. One set of studies, concerning what Sinnott-Armstrong (2008) calls the abstract/concrete paradox, suggests that conflicting intuitions are common and, hence, that mistaken intuitions are common. As Goldman (2007) notes, if mistaken intuitions are sufficiently prevalent, then we might have reason to think intuitions are unreliable. I argue that mistaken intuitions are not common, since studies concerning the abstract/concrete paradox have unknowingly studied several distinct phenomena instead of the abstract/concrete paradox and, hence, that they present merely apparently conflicting intuitions. I then discuss the import of empirical studies for debates about reliability, noting that those studies can inform us about the unreliability of intuitions but we are still unclear about the conditions for reliability. INDEX WORDS: Philosophy, Reliability, Intuitions THE ABSTRACT/CONCRETE PARADOX IN MORAL PSYCHOLOGY
A Two-Layer Biophysical Model of Cholinergic Neuromodulation in Olfactory Bulb

Cholinergic inputs from the basal forebrain regulate multiple olfactory bulb (OB) functions, including odor discrimination, perceptual learning, and short-term memory. Previous studies have shown that nicotinic cholinergic receptor activation sharpens mitral cell chemoreceptive fields, likely via intraglomerular circuitry. Muscarinic cholinergic activation is less well understood, though muscarinic receptors are implicated in olfactory learning and in the regulation of synchronized oscillatory dynamics in hippocampus and cortex. To understand the mechanisms underlying cholinergic neuromodulation in OB, we developed a biophysical model of the OB neuronal network including both glomerular layer and external plexiform layer (EPL) computations and incorporating both nicotinic and muscarinic neuromodulatory effects. Our simulations show how nicotinic activation within glomerular circuits sharpens mitral cell chemoreceptive fields, even in the absence of EPL circuitry, but does not facilitate intrinsic oscillations or spike synchronization. In contrast, muscarinic receptor activation increases mitral cell spike synchronization and field oscillatory power by potentiating granule cell excitability and lateral inhibitory interactions within the EPL, but it has little effect on mitral cell firing rates and hence does not sharpen olfactory representations under a rate metric. These results are consistent with the theory that EPL interactions regulate the timing, rather than the existence, of mitral cell action potentials and perform their computations with respect to a spike timing-based metric. This general model suggests that the roles of nicotinic and muscarinic receptors in olfactory bulb are both distinct and complementary to one another, together regulating the effects of ascending cholinergic inputs on olfactory bulb transformations.
MobiGrid: A middleware for integrating mobile phone and grid computing

The popularity and the high processing power of today's smart phones have presented computer scientists with a fertile platform on which to implement grid computing for mobile phones. Such grids will not require much investment since they are designed to make use of ‘idle’ power on already existing phones. This is because most smart phone users only use their phones for a few minutes or a few hours every day and yet, these phones are powered up 24/7. These kinds of grids are most favorable to developing countries where the penetration of mobile phone exceeds other forms of ICTs. Once in place, the grids can then be utilized to run the much-needed applications such e-health, e-education and drought prediction. In this paper, we present MobiGrid, a middleware for mobile phone grid that is part of a larger research project that aims at integrating mobile phones and sensors to come up with a drought predication tool for use in the developing countries. MobiGrid is an API on which distributed applications can be built. Unlike the rest of grid middleware solutions, the uniqueness of our approach lies in the fact that the middleware is for mobile phones environment.
Developments: The Competent Primary Headteacher: Broadening the Management Competence Approach or Abandoning It?

Within management generally, and education management more specifically, there has been an almost continuous search for the key to effective management development. Generic occupational standards, generated by the Management Charter Initiative (MCI), are claimed to be applicable and transferable to any manager in any organization. Thus, a manager in a school would be expected to meet the same requirements as a manager in any other organization at the same management level. In the education world, both practitioners and theoreticians are sceptical about the competency approach. This article analyses the relevance of the management standards to primary headship by reporting on the experiences of six headteachers seeking NVQ management qualifications.
Hybrid Arrangements as a Form of Ecological Modernization: The Case of the US Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grants

How are environmental policy goals implemented and sustained in the context of political stagnation surrounding national climate policies in the United States? In this paper, we discuss Ecological Modernization Theory as a tool for understanding the complexity of climate governance at the sub-national level. In particular, we explore the emergence of hybrid governance arrangements during the local implementation of federal energy efficiency programs in US cities. We analyze the formation and advancement of programs associated with one effort to establish a sub-national low carbon energy policy: the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program administered by the US Department of Energy. Our findings highlight the diverse range of partnerships between state, private, and civil society actors that emerged through this program and point to some of the challenges associated with collaborative climate governance initiatives at the city level. Although some programs reflected ecologically modern outcomes, other cities were constrained in their ability to move beyond the status quo due to the demands of state bureaucracies and the challenges associated with inconsistent funding. We find that these programs cultivated hybrid arrangements in an effort to sustain the projects following the termination of federal grant funding. Overall, hybrid governance plays an important role in the implementation and long-term sustainability of climate-related policies.
Photosynthesis and water relations in Brazilian sugarcane.

The expansion of sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) in Brazil has been boosted by the growing demand for bio-fuels all over the world and requires the occupation of new agricultural areas, including regions with unfavorable agro-climatic conditions. This observational study makes an analysis of the relationship between stomatal conductance, gas exchange and photosynthesis in sugarcane fields subject to different ambient conditions and growth phases. It was noted that the stomatal conductance had a much higher control on photosynthesis than on transpiration. Even under high stomatal con- ductance, photosynthesis maintained a high correlation to it. Sugarcane had an instantaneous water use efficiency of ap- proximately 4.4 μmol of fixed CO2 for each mmol of H20 expended in transpiration. Lower leaf water potential, besides leading to an internal reduction of CO2, also reduced the instantaneous carboxylation efficiency, indicating that the photo- synthesis apparatus was also affected. The variety RB92579, seems to have good water absorption system, because even under low leaf water potential, it maintained a good stomatal conductance, with a higher transpiration and photosynthesis than the others varieties. These results suggest that this variety has a tolerance mechanism to endure rather than avoid drought.
Social Isolation in the Workplace: A Cross-National and Longitudinal Analysis

This study examines the degree of social connectedness in the workplace. Organizational theory and sociology of work lead to the expectation that informal ties have become more prevalent at work over the past two decades. In contrast, influential accounts of decreasing civic engagement would predict that co-worker ties have declined along with increasing social isolation. Using data from two waves of the General Social Survey, we find evidence that co-workers have not absorbed the decline in other social ties; instead, prevalence of co-workers in core discussion networks has significantly decreased between 1985 and 2004. Moreover, cross-national comparisons based on data collected in 29 nations by the International Social Survey Program reveal social isolation in the workplace to be deeper in historically Protestant nations, including the United States. Yet American workers are even more disconnected from close contacts than are workers in other historically Protestant nations. We suggest that historical trends in cultural value orientations shape current constraints of social connectedness at work in the United States and elsewhere. The conclusion offers novel insights on fraying social fabric in the United States and the social implications of the rise of organizations.
Individual with Subclinical Atherosclerosis Have Impaired Proliferation of Blood Outgrowth Endothelial Cells, Which Can Be Restored by Statin Therapy

Background To study the regenerative capacity of the endothelium in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), we cultured blood outgrowth endothelial cells (BOECs) of patients with premature CAD and their first degree relatives (FDR). Additionally we evaluated the influence of statin treatment on circulating BOEC precursors in subjects with subclinical atherosclerosis. Methods and Results Patients with premature CAD (men <51 yr, women <56 yr) and their FDRs were included. Based on coronary calcification (CAC) scores FDRs were divided in a group of healthy subjects (CAC = 0) and subjects with subclinical atherosclerosis (CAC>0). We did not observe differences in the number of BOEC colonies and proliferation between premature CAD patients and FDRs. FDRs with subclinical atherosclerosis had lower colony numbers compared with healthy FDRs, however this was not statistically significant, and BOEC proliferation was significantly impaired (OR = 0.45, 95% CI 0.21–0.96). Unexpectedly, the number of BOEC colonies and BOEC proliferation were similar for premature CAD patients and healthy FDRs. Since a considerable number of premature CAD patients used statins, we studied the number of BOEC precursors as well as their proliferative capacity in ten individuals with subclinical atherosclerosis, before and after statin therapy. Interestingly, FDRs with subclinical atherosclerosis showed a significant increase in the number of BOEC colonies after statin therapy. Conclusion BOEC proliferation of subjects with subclinical atherosclerosis is impaired compared with healthy controls. In these subjects, statin therapy significantly increased the number of circulating BOEC precursors as well as their proliferative capacity, revealing a beneficial effect of statins on endothelial regeneration.
WWW and its Enduring Effects on Export Marketing: Do Web Capabilities Matter?

• A submitted manuscript is the version of the article upon submission and before peer-review. There can be important differences between the submitted version and the official published version of record. People interested in the research are advised to contact the author for the final version of the publication, or visit the DOI to the publisher's website. • The final author version and the galley proof are versions of the publication after peer review. • The final published version features the final layout of the paper including the volume, issue and page numbers.
Induction of the oxLDL receptor LOX-1 by endothelin-1 in human endothelial cells.

In this study, we analyzed the effect of endothelin-1 (ET-1) on expression of the lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) receptor-1 LOX-1 and on oxLDL uptake in primary cultures of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). LOX-1 mRNA was quantified by standard-calibrated competitive RT-PCR, LOX-1 protein expression by Western analysis and endothelial oxLDL uptake using DiI-labeled oxLDL. ET-1 induces LOX-1 mRNA expression, reaching its maximum after 1 h (160 +/- 14% of control, 100 nM ET-1, P < 0.05). This increased ET-1-mediated LOX-1 mRNA expression could be inhibited by endothelin receptor B antagonist BQ-788. In addition, ET-1 stimulates LOX-1 protein expression and oxLDL uptake in HUVEC. The augmented oxLDL uptake by ET-1 is mediated by endothelin receptor B, but not by protein kinases. These data support a new pathophysiological mechanism how locally and systemically increased ET-1 levels could promote LOX-1-mediated oxLDL uptake in human endothelial cells and the development and progression of endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis.
Dysregulation of Gene Expression in Primary Neuron Models of Huntington's Disease Shows That Polyglutamine-Related Effects on the Striatal Transcriptome May Not Be Dependent on Brain Circuitry

Gene expression changes are a hallmark of the neuropathology of Huntington's disease (HD), but the exact molecular mechanisms of this effect remain uncertain. Here, we report that in vitro models of disease comprised of primary striatal neurons expressing N-terminal fragments of mutant huntingtin (via lentiviral gene delivery) faithfully reproduce the gene expression changes seen in human HD. Neither viral infection nor unrelated (enhanced green fluorescent protein) transgene expression had a major effect on resultant RNA profiles. Expression of a wild-type fragment of huntingtin [htt171-18Q] also caused only a small number of RNA changes. The disease-related signal in htt171-82Q versus htt171-18Q comparisons was far greater, resulting in the differential detection of 20% of all mRNA probe sets. Transcriptomic effects of mutated htt171 are time- and polyglutamine-length dependent and occur in parallel with other manifestations of polyglutamine toxicity over 4–8 weeks. Specific RNA changes in htt171-82Q-expressing striatal cells accurately recapitulated those observed in human HD caudate and included decreases in PENK (proenkephalin), RGS4 (regulator of G-protein signaling 4), dopamine D1 receptor (DRD1), DRD2, CNR1 (cannabinoid CB1 receptor), and DARPP-32 (dopamine- and cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein-32; also known as PPP1R1B) mRNAs. HD-related transcriptomic changes were also observed in primary neurons expressing a longer fragment of mutant huntingtin (htt853-82Q). The gene expression changes observed in cultured striatal neurons are not secondary to abnormalities of neuronal firing or glutamatergic, dopaminergic, or brain-derived neurotrophic factor signaling, thereby demonstrating that HD-induced dysregulation of the striatal transcriptome might be attributed to intrinsic effects of mutant huntingtin.
Handbook of Economic Growth

Volumes 2A and 2B of The Handbook of Economic Growth summarize recent advances in theoretical and empirical work while offering new perspectives on a range of growth mechanisms, from the roles played by institutions and organizations to the ways factors beyond capital accumulation and technological change can affect growth. Written by research leaders, the chapters summarize and evaluate recent advances while explaining where further research might be profitable. With analyses that are provocative and controversial because they are so directly relevant to public policy and private decision-making, these two volumes uphold the standard for excellence in applied economics set by Volumes 1A and 1B (2005). It offers definitive theoretical and empirical scholarship about growth economics. It empowers readers to evaluate the work of other economists and to plan their own research projects. It demonstrates the value of empirical testing, with its implicit conclusion that our understanding of economic growth will help everyone make better decisions.
BALB/c Mice Infected with Antimony Treatment Refractory Isolate of Leishmania braziliensis Present Severe Lesions due to IL-4 Production

Background Leishmania braziliensis is the main causative agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Brazil. Protection against infection is related to development of Th1 responses, but the mechanisms that mediate susceptibility are still poorly understood. Murine models have been the most important tools in understanding the immunopathogenesis of L. major infection and have shown that Th2 responses favor parasite survival. In contrast, L. braziliensis–infected mice develop strong Th1 responses and easily resolve the infection, thus making the study of factors affecting susceptibility to this parasite difficult. Methodology/Principal Findings Here, we describe an experimental model for the evaluation of the mechanisms mediating susceptibility to L. braziliensis infection. BALB/c mice were inoculated with stationary phase promastigotes of L. braziliensis, isolates LTCP393(R) and LTCP15171(S), which are resistant and susceptible to antimony and nitric oxide (NO), respectively. Mice inoculated with LTCP393(R) presented larger lesions that healed more slowly and contained higher parasite loads than lesions caused by LTCP15171(S). Inflammatory infiltrates in the lesions and production of IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-10 and TGF-β were similar in mice inoculated with either isolate, indicating that these factors did not contribute to the different disease manifestations observed. In contrast, IL-4 production was strongly increased in LTCP393(R)-inoculated animals and also arginase I (Arg I) expression. Moreover, anti-IL-4 monoclonal antibody (mAb) treatment resulted in decreased lesion thickness and parasite burden in animals inoculated with LTCP393(R), but not in those inoculated with LTCP15171(S). Conclusion/Significance We conclude that the ability of L. braziliensis isolates to induce Th2 responses affects the susceptibility to infection with these isolates and contributes to the increased virulence and severity of disease associated with them. Since these data reflect what happens in human infection, this model could be useful to study the pathogenesis of the L. braziliensis infection, as well as to design new strategies of therapeutic intervention.
Automatic test case generation for programmable logic controller using function block diagram

Programmable logic controller (PLC) is utilized extensively for automation of the electromechanical process. The functionality of the modern PLC is equivalent to desktop computers. Software source code for PLC's is based on graphical data flow of the functional block diagram (FBD). The software development process has multiple phases. More time and cost to be spent in the testing phase. Effective software testing to be producing high quality in PLC. Test cases are part of the software testing process. If PLC test cases are generated using FBD then all the functional requirements reached. The test case has been lodged in design level to be reducing more cost and time in PLC development process. The applicable test cases are created according to the functional requirements and data flow of FBD. It has been proposed to identify the test coverage criteria, valid and invalid path and data flow from FBD. The methodology has to be completely automated to generate test cases from the functional block diagram. This paper has presented our technique with several PLC devices in a smart home system. The generated test cases achieve high test coverage.