Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intelligent emotion recognition system using recurrence quantification analysis (RQA)

Emotion is an essential mental and physiological state that influences on the cognition, learning, communication and decision making; it could be changed between different cases like happiness, sadness, and anger as a reaction to external stimuli. Some disabled people or autistic children are unable to express their emotions which form a communication gap between them and the outside world. This makes emotion recognition plays an important role in filling this gap. This paper focuses on investigating the human emotions from two physiological signals; EEG and EMG, using recurrence quantification analysis (RQA) approach. Features optimization has been applied using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test. Three supervised classifiers (regression tree, support vector machine, and k-nearest neighbor) have been used for classifying signals into three cases for each one of the two emotional dimensions (arousal and valence). The achieved accuracy reached to 94% for arousal and 92% for valence dimension.
Black rice-derived anthocyanins inhibit HER-2-positive breast cancer epithelial-mesenchymal transition-mediated metastasis in vitro by suppressing FAK signaling

This study aimed to investigate the role of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) signaling in the inhibitory effects of black rice anthocyanins (BRACs) on human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2)-positive human breast cancer cell metastasis, using the MCF-10A, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-453 cells. BRACs exerted an anti-metastatic effect on the HER-2-positive breast cancer cells. The effects of BRACs on the proliferation of the MDA-MB-453 cells were examined by cell counting kit-8 assay. A wound-healing assay was used to examine the effects of BRACs on the migration of the breast cancer cells. BRACs interrupted migration and invasion. BRACs decreased the migration distance of the HER-2-positive human breast cancer cells, MDA-MB-453, by 37% compared with the cells in the untreated group. They also reduced the number of invading MDA-MB-453 cells by 68%. In addition, BRACs exerted an inhibitory effect on epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Western blot analysis revealed that BRACs decreased the phosphorylation of FAK, cSrc and p130Cas. The FAK inhibitor, Y15, was also used to further evaluate the role of FAK signaling in the anti-metastatic effects of BRACs on MDA-MB-453 cells. The results of western blot analysis revealed that BRACs increased the expression of the epithelial marker, E-cadherin, and decreased the expression of the mesenchymal markers, fibronectin and vimentin, in the MDA-MB-453 cells. In addition, BRACs decreased the interaction between HER-2 and FAK, FAK and cSrc, cSrc and p130Cas, and between FAK and p130Cas. These results suggest that BRACs suppress the metastasis of HER-2-positive breast cancer in vitro, and that the cSrc/FAK/p130Cas pathway plays a vital role in this inhibitory effect.
A Model of Customer Satisfaction and Retention for Hotels

ABSTRACT This study was designed to assess the antecedents and consequences of customer satisfaction and retention in the hotel industry. The relationship between customer satisfaction and customer retention has been researched for many years. This study extended that research to look at the antecedent effects of customer satisfaction as well as the effect of added value and gender on customer satisfaction and customer retention, and how they relate to the intent to switch. Customer retention was operationalized in terms of loyalty and intent to switch. Customer satisfaction was operationalized in terms of hotel ambience and hospitality. A survey among hotel customers in the San Francisco Bay Area was conducted. A LISREL structural equation model with confirmatory factor analysis was developed to analyze the data. Results indicated that the latent construct customer retention was dependent on the latent construct of customer satisfaction. Added value was found to have positive effects on customer satisfaction and customer retention. Managerial implications to develop strategies to improve customer satisfaction and enhance retention of hotel customers were discussed.
Information Sharing and Collective Bargaining in Japan: Effects on Wage Negotiation

Japanese firms often attempt to influence the process and outcomes of wage negotiation by sharing confidential business information with their unions and employees through the joint consultation system. In this study, using a unique survey of Japanese joint consultation committees conducted in 1981, the author examines the effects of information sharing on the process and outcomes of wage negotiation. The results show that when firms engaged in increased information sharing, negotiation processes were shorter and easier, and unions tended to demand and accept lower wage increases. In contrast, a similar study performed in the United States found that information sharing increased labor's bargaining power.
Sex differences of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin, gamma-glutamyltransferase, and mean corpuscular volume in alcohol-dependent patients.

BACKGROUND Biological markers like carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT), gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) are used widely to screen for alcoholism. Most research has focused on male alcoholics, and there are few studies on female patients. The results are inconsistent; in general, they show lower sensitivities for all markers for women. METHODS We compared the diagnostic value of CDT, GGT, and MCV in 126 alcohol-dependent patients (91 men, 35 women) who entered an inpatient treatment program. For the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses, we investigated a control group of 112 patients (64 men, 38 women) from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Tübingen with no diagnosis of substance abuse or substance dependency. RESULTS Mean levels of CDT and MCV were significantly different in male and female patients. CDT showed higher test results in men (4.4% vs. 2.8%, p < 0.05), whereas mean levels of MCV were higher in women (99.7 fl vs. 96.4 fl,p < 0.01). The sensitivities of CDT and GGT were higher in men than in women (CDT: 76% vs. 54%,p < 0.1; GGT: 68% vs. 43%,p < 0.05), and the sensitivity of MCV was significantly higher in women (71% vs. 41%,p < 0.01). The superiority of MCV in women also was supported by ROC analyses (p < 0.01). The combined use of markers showed satisfactory sensitivity rates of > or = 80% not only in men but also in women. Yet, the specificity rates were partly below the recommended 90% for identifying alcohol abuse; therefore, these markers must be combined with caution. CONCLUSIONS If combined, the biological markers CDT and GGT are useful diagnostic instruments for both alcohol-dependent men and women. According to our results, the "forgotten" marker MCV is superior in women and is a marker of second choice in men. The combination GGT and MCV is the most cost-effective choice for men and women.
Pneumococcal Carriage in Children in The Netherlands: a Molecular Epidemiological Study

ABSTRACT In 1999, Engelen and coworkers investigated colonization in Amsterdam among 259 children attending 16 day-care centers (DCCs) and among 276 children who did not attend day-care centers (NDCCs). A 1.6- to 3.4-fold increased risk for nasopharyngeal colonization was observed in children attending DCCs compared with NDCC children, while no difference in antibiotic resistance was found between groups. The serotype and genotype distributions of 305 nasopharyngealStreptococcus pneumoniae isolates of the latter study were investigated. The predominant serotypes in both the DCC and the NDCC groups included 19F (19 and 18%, respectively), 6B (14 and 16%, respectively), 6A (13 and 7%, respectively), 23F (9 and 7%, respectively), and 9V (7 and 7%, respectively). The theoretical vaccine coverage of the 7-valent conjugate vaccine was 59% for the DCC children and 56% for the NDCC group. Genetic analysis of the pneumococcal isolates revealed 75% clustering among pneumococci isolated from DCC attendees versus 50% among the NDCC children. The average pneumococcal cluster size in the DCC group was 3.8 and 4.6 isolates for two respective sample dates (range, 2 to 13 isolates per cluster), while the average cluster size for the NDCC group was 3.0 (range, 2 to 6 isolates per cluster). Similar to observations made in other countries, these results indicate a higher risk for horizontal spread of pneumococci in Dutch DCCs than in the general population. This study emphasizes the importance of molecular epidemiological monitoring before, during, and after implementation of pneumococcal conjugate vaccination in national vaccination programs for children.
The challenges of implementing an integrated One Health surveillance system in Australia

As 75 per cent of emerging infectious diseases are of animal origin, a One Health approach that integrates the health of humans, animals and the environment could provide an earlier opportunity for zoonotic disease detection and prevention. In Australia, human, animal and ecological health are managed by separate sectors with limited communication. This study aims to explore how professionals in these fields perceive a One Health approach to zoonotic disease surveillance, aiming to identify the challenges to the implementation of an integrated system in Australia. Using a qualitative research method, ten semistructured interviews were conducted with academic experts to gain insight into the possibility of developing an integrated surveillance system in Australia. A thematic analysis of the data was undertaken. Findings showed the absence of a clear definition and subsequent vision for the future of One Health act as a barrier to interdisciplinary collaboration, and that siloed approaches by different sectors restrict the ability for professionals to work collaboratively across disciplines. An understanding of disease transmission was considered by participants to be a necessary requirement for a successful One Health approach. Finally, participants considered political will an essential requirement for the integration of surveillance systems. This study demonstrates that for a One Health approach to be implemented in an Australian setting, those working in the fields of human, animal and ecological health must agree on several aspects. The establishment of a formal governance body with representatives from each sector could assist in overcoming long‐standing barriers of privacy and distrust. Further, developing interdisciplinary training in One Health concepts for medical, environmental and veterinary students may encourage cross‐disciplinary collaboration. Finally, demonstrating to policymakers the economic benefit of improved and timely detection of zoonoses may help in facilitating a structured One Health approach to disease surveillance in Australia.
Land use and land cover change and its implications in Kagera river basin, East Africa

The Kagera basin has experienced major land use/cover changes in tropical forests, woodlands, and savannas due to the incessant conversion of land to agricultural and settlement use. While the land use/cover change has accelerated land degradation, biodiversity loss, and climate change in the region, few studies exist on the drivers and implications of land use/cover dynamics in the basin. The study quantified the historical land use/cover changes beginning from 1984 to 2011 and predicted future changes using multi-level data-sets. We also examined population growth and government policies as they relate to land cover/use change. Data-sets from disparate sources consisting of multi-temporal satellite images, digital elevation model, population, and relevant ancillary data were used in the study. A combination of post-classification change detection method, intensity analysis, and Markov chain models were used to analyze and evaluate historical land use/cover changes and predict future change scenarios. We observed a major expansion of agriculture land at the loss of woodland savanna. Overall, change is more pronounced and fast during the period 1984–1994 and relatively slow during 1994–2011. Category and transition intensities were more pronounced in 1984–1994 than 1994–2011. These changes suggest policy intervention from government and individual response during the period 1994–2011. In addition, the study identified population growth, settlement expansion, and local policies as key drivers of land use/cover change. Future scenarios indicate: (1) increase in agriculture land use, (2) loss in woodland savanna and forest cover, and (3) significant wetland loss to agriculture.
Cultural and Linguistic Adaptation of a Multimedia Colorectal Cancer Screening Decision Aid for Spanish-Speaking Latinos

As the United States becomes more linguistically and culturally diverse, there is a need for effective health communication interventions that target diverse, vulnerable populations, including Latinos. To address such disparities, health communication interventionists often face the challenge to adapt existing interventions from English into Spanish in a way that retains essential elements of the original intervention while also addressing the linguistic needs and cultural perspectives of the target population. The authors describe the conceptual framework, context, rationale, methods, and findings of a formative research process used in creating a Spanish-language version of an evidence-based (English language) multimedia colorectal cancer screening decision aid. The multistep process included identification of essential elements of the existing intervention, literature review, assessment of the regional context and engagement of key stakeholders, and solicitation of direct input from target population. The authors integrated these findings in the creation of the new adapted intervention. They describe how they used this process to identify and integrate sociocultural themes such as personalism (personalismo), familism (familismo), fear (miedo), embarrassment (verguenza), power distance (respeto), machismo, and trust (confianza) into the Spanish-language decision aid.
Beyond the Click-Through Rate: Web Link Selection with Multi-level Feedback

The web link selection problem is to select a small subset of web links from a large web link pool, and to place the selected links on a web page that can only accommodate a limited number of links, e.g., advertisements, recommendations, or news feeds. Despite the long concerned click-through rate which reflects the attractiveness of the link itself, revenue can only be obtained from user actions after clicks, e.g., purchasing after being directed to the product pages by recommendation links. Thus, web links have an intrinsic multi-level feedback structure. With this observation, we consider the context-free web link selection problem, where the objective is to maximize revenue while ensuring that the attractiveness is no less than a preset threshold. The key challenge of the problem is that each link's multi-level feedbacks are stochastic, and unobservable unless the link is selected. We model this problem with a constrained stochastic multi-armed bandit formulation, and design an efficient link selection algorithm, called Constrained Upper Confidence Bound algorithm (Con-UCB). We prove O(sqrt(T ln(T))) bounds on both regret and violation of the attractiveness constraint. We also conduct extensive experiments on three real-world datasets, and show that Con-UCB outperforms state-of-the-art context-free bandit algorithms concerning the multi-level feedback structure.
Usutu virus: current knowledge and future perspectives

: The Flavivirus genus (Flaviviridae family) contains important pathogens such as yellow fever virus, Japanese encephalitis virus, St Louis encephalitis virus, West Nile virus, Usutu virus (USUV), Zika virus, and dengue virus, many of which constitute a worrisome threat to global human and animal health. USUV is transmitted by mosquitoes and, as any other flavivirus, is an enveloped plus-strand RNA virus. The virus was first isolated from Culex neavei mosquitoes in South Africa in 1959 near the Usutu River, from where it takes its name. Since then, the virus was confined to Africa until its first detection in Austria in 2001, although it was probably present in Europe since 1996 or even earlier. After that, USUV has spread throughout Europe, causing a considerable mortality among birds and a few neurologic cases in humans. The main USUV natural hosts are birds, but infection has also been reported in other vertebrate species, including humans. The fast spread of the virus through the continent, the relatively high mortality caused in birds, and the recent neuroinvasive human cases related to USUV infection reported in Europe have raised serious concerns about its possible consequences for public health. Here, an updated review of current knowledge about this emerging pathogen is presented.
Ethical Unit Trust Financial Performance: Small Company Effects and Fund Size Effects

Recent papers which have examined unit trusts have controlled either for a 'fund size effect' or for the 'small firms effect' in the investment portfolio. The contribution of this paper is an analysis of the 'small firms effect' whilst simultaneously controlling for the 'fund size effect'. We show that the ethical unit trusts have significantly greater exposure than general unit trusts to the 'small firms effect', and that net of this there is no significant evidence of over or under performance by ethical trusts using an adjusted Jensen measure. Using two cross-sectional approaches, we demonstrate that whilst a 'small firms effect' has a role to play in explaining unit trust performance, fund size is not correlated with the financial performance of unit trusts. This cross-sectional analysis also provides some evidence that ethical unit trusts may perform less well than general unit trusts. Copyright Blackwell Publishers Ltd 1997.
Movement Behavior of Red Flour Beetle: Response to Habitat Cues and Patch Boundaries

ABSTRACT Movement behavior determines the success or failure of insects in finding important resources such as food, mates, reproductive sites, and shelter. We examined the response of female red flour beetles (Tribolium castaneum Herbst; Coleoptera; Tenebrionidae) to habitat cues by quantifying the number of individuals that located a patch (either with or without flour) in response to the distance released from the patch, air movement over the arena, and food-deprivation status. We also investigated how patch characteristics, such as resource amount and presence of cover, influenced time taken to find a flour patch, the frequency of entering or leaving, and residence time within the patch. Although the proportion of beetles successfully locating the patch decreased as a function of release distance, the probability that beetles reached the patch was ultimately unaffected by whether flour was present or not, suggesting that search behavior in red flour beetles may exhibit a simple distance-decay function. Significantly more beetles reached the patch when they had not been food deprived and air was flowing over the arena, which indicates that walking beetles may orient to airflow, exhibiting anemotaxis. Results of the second experiment showed that, on first encounter, fewer beetles entered patches with a greater amount of flour; but once they had entered, they left them less frequently than patches with less resource. Beetles entered covered patches more quickly than uncovered patches irrespective of resource amount, which indicates that shelter is perhaps more important to red flour beetles than resource levels in determining whether to enter patches.
Effects of fish oil on the production performances, polyunsaturated fatty acids and cholesterol levels of yolk in hens.

This study was conducted to show that dietary supplementation of fish oil, effects growth performance, egg quality and decreases yolk cholesterol in laying hens. One hundred twenty Bovans white hens at their 23rd week of age were housed individually in cages in an open sided house. The birds were kept under a 16 hr light: 8 hr dark lighting schedule (lights on between 06:00 and 22:00 hr). Birds were randomly divided into five dietary treatments and 3 replicates in each (8 birds per replicate); the first treatment group was control and given 0% fish oil + 5% vegetable oil, the second treatment given 1.25% fish oil +3.75 % vegetable oil, the third treatment given 2.5% fish oil + 2.5% vegetable oil, the fourth treatment given 3.75% fish oil + 1.25% vegetable oil and the fifth treatment given 5% fish oil + 0% vegetable oil. The birds were raised for 12 weeks from 23 weeks of age to evaluate the effect on growth, egg quality, yolk cholesterol and linoleic and linolenic fatty acids content in yolk. Body weight gain was increased significantly (P ≤ 0.05) by 9.2% in birds fed diets content 3.5% fish oil, as compared with those fed on control diet and feed intake was decreased significantly (P ≤ 0.05) by 26.4% in birds fed diets content 5% fish oil, as compared with those fed on control diet. Also, egg weight was decreased significantly. Due to fish oil egg quality were improved. Interestingly, yolk cholesterol was decreased significantly (P ≤ 0.05) by 14.5% in birds fed diets content 3.5% fish oil, as compared with those fed on control diet. Furthermore, it was observed significantly increase (P ≤ 0.05) in linolenic fatty acid content in yolk by 30.5% in birds fed diets content 3.5% fish oil, as compared with those fed on control diet. In conclusion, feeding fish oil deceased feed intake, egg weight and egg production on the other hand, increased unsaturated fatty acids and cholesterol content in yolk in laying hens.
The E § ects of Audit Quality Disclosure on Audit E § ort and Investment E ¢ ciency

We examine the e§ects of disclosing information about audit quality on auditorsí e§ort provision and investorsí investment e¢ciency. In our setting, the usefulness of an audited Önancial report for investors depends both on the quality of the underlying Önancial reporting (e.g., as embodied by GAAP) and the quality of auditorsí reports (i.e., the likelihood audit evidence uncovers managerial misreporting). An auditor exerts an unobservable effort to ináuence audit quality and is motivated by liability in the event of an audit failure. We show that the e§ects of audit quality disclosure depend on the underlying quality of Önancial reporting and the argument for audit quality disclosure to motivate auditorsí e§ort can be supported when the underlying Önancial reporting quality is relatively weak. Our analyses contribute to the debate about the costs and beneÖts of policies aimed at improving auidt transparency and o§er a potential explanation for cross-country di§erences in auditor disclosure requirements.
Outside-In: The Effects of External Threat on State Centralization

Although centralization is thought to be a common response to external threats to the state, few theories develop the mechanisms by which domestic centralization occurs. Fewer still consistently demonstrate that centralization is indeed a common response to external threats in all states. This article therefore develops a comprehensive theory of domestic change in the shadow of external threat. Salient threats to the state create strong incentives for opposition forces to support the leader in power, even in non-democracies. The leadership then uses these favorable domestic political climates to decrease the number of institutional veto points that can stop future leader-driven policy changes. Collectively, this two-part theory provides a unified model of domestic behavioral change (also known as rally effects) and institutional centralization (defined by a declining number of veto players). In addition, by defining salient threats as challenges to homeland territory, the article provides some of the first domestic-level evidence that territorial disputes are fundamentally different from other types of international conflicts.