Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Seasonal hurricane forecast skill and relevance to the (re)insurance industry

Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE): The ACE of a season is calculated by summing the squares of the estimated maximum sustained velocity of every active tropical storm (wind speed 35 knots (65 km/h) or higher), at six-hour intervals. The result is then multiplied by 10-4 to make the numbers more manageable. The unit of ACE is 104kn2. Seasonal hurricane forecasts are eagerly anticipated each year by coastal residents and businesses, emergency management agencies, and of course insurers, reinsurers and holders of US wind exposed Cat Bonds. In view of the potential societal impact of hurricanes, forecasting techniques are discussed widely in the scientific literature, where several different forecasting approaches have been put forward (Gray 1984; Elsner and Jagger 2006; Vitart 2006; Wang et al. 2009; Saunders and Lea 2005; LaRow et al. 2010; Vecchi et al. 2011). Many of these approaches are implemented by forecasting groups that provide regular and publicly available seasonal forecasts. The performance of forecasts in the 2013 season was unsatisfactory where hurricane activity was significantly overestimated by all. This raises the central question: “How skillful are seasonal forecasts? ” that this paper addresses by comparing past forecasts with observed hurricane activity and introducing the reader to statistical measures of “skill”. We also consider the application of these forecasts to the (re)insurance industry. Seasonal hurricane forecast skill and relevance to the (re)insurance industry
A study of interaction of materialism and money attitude and its impact on car purchase Manchanda

The present study investigates how the interaction of materialism and money attitude affects individuals choice of car price range in recent purchases (i.e., within the past six months). Car purchase behavior in terms of car price range has also been tested for different income groups, age groups and gender in National Capital Region (India). The data was collected through judgment sampling from 164 respondents, who recently purchased a new car for their personal use. The findings revealed that there is a significant association between materialism and different attitudes regarding the amount of money used by the respondents to purchase a car during the last six months. Level of materialism varies across different income levels and money attitude differs between males and females. Income was found to be the only variable that had significant association with choice of car price range. Age and gender did not seem to affect the car purchase behavior. This research has implications for the automobile industry and organizations in allied business activities, policy makers and marketers.
A Group A Streptococcus ADP-Ribosyltransferase Toxin Stimulates a Protective Interleukin 1β-Dependent Macrophage Immune Response

ABSTRACT The M1T1 clone of group A Streptococcus (GAS) is associated with severe invasive infections, including necrotizing fasciitis and septicemia. During invasive M1T1 GAS disease, mutations in the covRS regulatory system led to upregulation of an ADP-ribosyltransferase, SpyA. Surprisingly, a GAS ΔspyA mutant was resistant to killing by macrophages and caused higher mortality with impaired bacterial clearance in a mouse intravenous challenge model. GAS expression of SpyA triggered macrophage cell death in association with caspase-1-dependent interleukin 1β (IL-1β) production, and differences between wild-type (WT) and ΔspyA GAS macrophage survival levels were lost in cells lacking caspase-1, NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3), apoptosis-associated speck-like protein (ASC), or pro-IL-1β. Similar in vitro findings were identified in macrophage studies performed with pseudomonal exotoxin A, another ADP-ribosylating toxin. Thus, SpyA triggers caspase-1-dependent inflammatory cell death in macrophages, revealing a toxin-triggered IL-1β-dependent innate immune response pathway critical in defense against invasive bacterial infection. IMPORTANCE Group A Streptococcus (GAS) is a leading human pathogen capable of producing invasive infections even in healthy individuals. GAS bacteria produce a toxin called SpyA that modifies host proteins through a process called ADP ribosylation. We describe how macrophages, frontline defenders of the host innate immune system, respond to SpyA by undergoing a specialized form of cell death in which they are activated to release the proinflammatory cytokine molecule interleukin 1β (IL-1β). Release of IL-1β activates host immune cell clearance of GAS, as we demonstrated in tissue culture models of macrophage bacterial killing and in vivo mouse infectious-challenge experiments. Similar macrophage responses to a related toxin of Pseudomonas bacteria were also shown. Thus, macrophages recognize certain bacterial toxins to activate a protective immune response in the host. Group A Streptococcus (GAS) is a leading human pathogen capable of producing invasive infections even in healthy individuals. GAS bacteria produce a toxin called SpyA that modifies host proteins through a process called ADP ribosylation. We describe how macrophages, frontline defenders of the host innate immune system, respond to SpyA by undergoing a specialized form of cell death in which they are activated to release the proinflammatory cytokine molecule interleukin 1β (IL-1β). Release of IL-1β activates host immune cell clearance of GAS, as we demonstrated in tissue culture models of macrophage bacterial killing and in vivo mouse infectious-challenge experiments. Similar macrophage responses to a related toxin of Pseudomonas bacteria were also shown. Thus, macrophages recognize certain bacterial toxins to activate a protective immune response in the host.
Stimulus-Driven Reorienting Impairs Executive Control of Attention: Evidence for a Common Bottleneck in Anterior Insula

A classical model of human attention holds that independent neural networks realize stimulus-driven reorienting and executive control of attention. Questioning full independence, the two functions do, however, engage overlapping networks with activations in cingulo-opercular regions such as anterior insula (AI) and a reverse pattern of activation (stimulus-driven reorienting), and deactivation (executive control) in temporoparietal junction (TPJ). To test for independent versus shared neural mechanisms underlying stimulus-driven and executive control of attention, we used fMRI and a task that isolates individual from concurrent demands in both functions. Results revealed super-additive increases of left AI activity and behavioral response costs under concurrent demands, suggesting a common bottleneck for stimulus-driven reorienting and executive control of attention. These increases were mirrored by non-additive decreases of activity in the default mode network (DMN), including posterior TPJ, regions where activity increased with off-task processes. The deactivations in posterior TPJ were spatially separated from stimulus-driven reorienting related activation in anterior TPJ, a differentiation that replicated in task-free resting state. Furthermore, functional connectivity indicated inhibitory coupling between posterior TPJ and AI during concurrent attention demands. These results demonstrate a role of AI in stimulus-driven and executive control of attention that involves down-regulation of internally directed processes in DMN.
Sexual Dimorphism of Kisspeptin and Neurokinin B Immunoreactive Neurons in the Infundibular Nucleus of Aged Men and Women

The secretory output of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons is critically influenced by peptidergic neurons synthesizing kisspeptins (KP) and neurokinin B (NKB) in the hypothalamic infundibular nucleus (Inf). These cells mediate negative feedback effects of sex steroids on the reproductive axis. While negative feedback is lost in postmenopausal women, it is partly preserved by the sustained testosterone secretion in aged men. We hypothesized that the different reproductive physiology of aged men and women is reflected in morphological differences of KP and NKB neurons. This sexual dimorphism was studied with immunohistochemistry in hypothalamic sections of aged human male (≥50 years) and female (>55 years) subjects. KP and NKB cell bodies of the Inf were larger in females. The number of KP cell bodies, the density of KP fibers, and the incidence of their contacts on GnRH neurons were much higher in aged women compared with men. The number of NKB cell bodies was only slightly higher in women and there was no sexual dimorphism in the regional density of NKB fibers and the incidence of their appositions onto GnRH cells. The incidences of NKB cell bodies, fibers, and appositions onto GnRH neurons exceeded several-fold those of KP-IR elements in men. More NKB than KP inputs to GnRH cells were also present in women. Immunofluorescent studies identified only partial overlap between KP and NKB axons. KP and NKB were colocalized in higher percentages of afferents to GnRH neurons in women compared with men. Most of these sex differences might be explained with the lack of estrogen negative feedback in aged women, whereas testosterone can continue to suppress KP, and to a lesser extent, NKB synthesis in men. Overall, sex differences in reproductive physiology of aged humans were reflected in the dramatic sexual dimorphism of the KP system, with significantly higher incidences of KP-IR neurons, fibers and inputs to GnRH neurons in aged females vs. males.
Pitch Processing of Music and Speech in Congenital Amusia

Pitch processing is an important dimension in music and speech.Congenital amusia is a deficit in the perception and production of musical pitch.Testing the pitch processing of music and speech in amusia helped clarify the question of whether or not music and language share cognitive and neural resources.It has been shown that amusics have problems in processing musical pitch,and the pitch deficits have affected their pitch processing of speech.Moreover,tonal language experience may not compensate for pitch deficits in amusia.The findings support the resource-sharing framework suggesting shared cognitive and neural resources in music and language(Patel,2003,2008,in press),and may provide evidence for clinical practice in aphasia to a certain extent.
The associations between socio-economic status and major depressive disorder among Blacks, Latinos, Asians and non-Hispanic Whites: findings from the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Studies

Background This study examined whether there were associations between individual measures of socio-economic status (SES) and the 12-month prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD) in representative samples of Blacks, Latinos, Asians and Whites in the USA. Method The data used were from the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Studies (CPES). Results There was an association between household income and MDD among Whites. However, the association was not statistically significant. Statistically significant associations were present between educational attainment and MDD among Whites. Among both Whites and Latinos, being out of the labor force was significantly associated with MDD. In analyses by nativity, being out of the labor force was significantly associated with MDD among US-born and foreign-born Latinos. Conclusions Significant associations between various measures of SES and MDD were consistently observed among White and, in some cases, Latino populations. Future studies should continue to examine sociopsychological factors related to SES that increase the risk of MDD among people from racial-ethnic communities.
Functional expression of the human transferrin receptor cDNA in Chinese hamster ovary cells deficient in endogenous transferrin receptor

Transferrin (Tf) receptor-variant Chinese hamster ovary cells have been isolated by selection for resistance to two Tf-toxin conjugates. The hybrid toxins contain Tf covalently linked to ricin A chain or a genetically engineered diphtheria toxin fragment. The Tf-receptor- variant (TRV) cells do not have detectable cell-surface Tf receptor; they do not bind fluorescein-Tf or 125I-Tf. TRV cells are at least 100- fold more resistant to the Tf-diphtheria toxin conjugate than are the parent cells. The TRV cells have retained sensitivity to native diphtheria toxin, indicating that the increased resistance to the conjugate is correlated with the loss of Tf binding. The endocytosis of fluorescein-labeled alpha 2-macroglobulin is normal in TRV cells, demonstrating that the defect does not pleiotropically affect endocytosis. Since these cells lack endogenous Tf receptor activity, they are ideally suited for studies of the functional expression of normal or altered Tf receptors introduced into the cells by cDNA transfection. One advantage of this system is that Tf binding and uptake can be used to monitor the behavior of the transfected receptor. A cDNA clone of the human Tf receptor has been transfected into TRV cells. In the stably expressing transfectants, the behavior of the human receptor is very similar to that of the endogenous Chinese hamster ovary cell Tf receptor. Tf binds to cell surface receptors, and is internalized into the para-Golgi region of the cell. Iron is released from Tf, and the apo-Tf and its receptor are recycled back to the cell surface. Thus, the TRV cells can be used to study the behavior of genetically altered Tf receptors in the absence of interfering effects from endogenous receptors.
What Point-of-Use Water Treatment Products Do Consumers Use? Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial among the Urban Poor in Bangladesh

Background There is evidence that household point-of-use (POU) water treatment products can reduce the enormous burden of water-borne illness. Nevertheless, adoption among the global poor is very low, and little evidence exists on why. Methods We gave 600 households in poor communities in Dhaka, Bangladesh randomly-ordered two-month free trials of four water treatment products: dilute liquid chlorine (sodium hypochlorite solution, marketed locally as Water Guard), sodium dichloroisocyanurate tablets (branded as Aquatabs), a combined flocculant-disinfectant powdered mixture (the PUR Purifier of Water), and a silver-coated ceramic siphon filter. Consumers also received education on the dangers of untreated drinking water. We measured which products consumers used with self-reports, observation (for the filter), and chlorine tests (for the other products). We also measured drinking water's contamination with E. coli (compared to 200 control households). Findings Households reported highest usage of the filter, although no product had even 30% usage. E. coli concentrations in stored drinking water were generally lowest when households had Water Guard. Households that self-reported product usage had large reductions in E. coli concentrations with any product as compared to controls. Conclusion Traditional arguments for the low adoption of POU products focus on affordability, consumers' lack of information about germs and the dangers of unsafe water, and specific products not meshing with a household's preferences. In this study we provided free trials, repeated informational messages explaining the dangers of untreated water, and a variety of product designs. The low usage of all products despite such efforts makes clear that important barriers exist beyond cost, information, and variation among these four product designs. Without a better understanding of the choices and aspirations of the target end-users, household-based water treatment is unlikely to reduce morbidity and mortality substantially in urban Bangladesh and similar populations.
Improving automated case finding for ectopic pregnancy using a classification algorithm.

BACKGROUND Research and surveillance work addressing ectopic pregnancy often rely on diagnosis and procedure codes available from automated data sources. However, the use of these codes may result in misclassification of cases. Our aims were to evaluate the accuracy of standard ectopic pregnancy codes; and, through the use of additional automated data, to develop and validate a classification algorithm that could potentially improve the accuracy of ectopic pregnancy case identification. METHODS Using automated databases from two US managed-care plans, Group Health Cooperative (GH) and Kaiser Permanente Colorado (KPCO), we sampled women aged 15-44 with an ectopic pregnancy diagnosis or procedure code from 2001 to 2007 and verified their true case status through medical record review. We calculated positive predictive values (PPV) for code-selected cases compared with true cases at both sites. Using additional variables from the automated databases and classification and regression tree (CART) analysis, we developed a case-finding algorithm at GH (n = 280), which was validated at KPCO (n = 500). RESULTS Compared with true cases, the PPV of code-selected cases was 68 and 81% at GH and KPCO, respectively. The case-finding algorithm identified three predictors: ≥ 2 visits with an ectopic pregnancy code within 180 days; International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification codes for tubal pregnancy; and methotrexate treatment. Relative to true cases, performance measures for the development and validation sets, respectively, were: 93 and 95% sensitivity; 81 and 81% specificity; 91 and 96% PPV; 84 and 79% negative predictive value. Misclassification proportions were 32% in the development set and 19% in the validation set when using standard codes; they were 11 and 8%, respectively, when using the algorithm. CONCLUSIONS The ectopic pregnancy algorithm improved case-finding accuracy over use of standard codes alone and generalized well to a second site. When using administrative data to select potential ectopic pregnancy cases, additional widely available automated health plan data offer the potential to improve case identification.
Security Policy Integration Method for Information Systems

Policy-based security is an effective and convenient approach to manage information systems. By this approach, we can handle easily all behaviors of a system thought a set of rules. However, conflicts between rules are one of the most common problems we have to deal with in administrative process. In this paper, we propose a new axiomatic approach to solve this problem. Several postulates are presented and analyzed as well as some algorithms are proposed next. The algorithms also have been implemented and tested, and experimental results are presented.
Ethical Consumption in Germany

Summary The study investigates determinants of self-reported Fair Trade (FT) consumption in Germany. Narrow conceptions of social action according to which economic constraints are decisive are complemented with theoretical considerations that point to the social function of ethical consumption. The effects of income, social status, attitudes, and personal values are analyzed. For the empirical analyses, cross-sectional data from the biennial general population survey, “Environmental Awareness in Germany”, are used. The results based on six consecutive surveys from 2000 to 2010, suggest that the resource dependence of FT consumption cannot be ignored, for income has proved to be a relevant determinant in almost all multivariate models. However, the findings also lead to the conclusion that social status, the FT specific attitude, general environmental concerns as well as solidarity and religiousness are important determinants. The study points to FT consumption as a form of middle- and upper-class distinction. Zusammenfassung Diese Studie analysiert im Rahmen einer Sekundäranalyse Einflussfaktoren selbstberichteten „Fair Trade”(FT)-Konsums in Deutschland und verwendet dafür Querschnittsdaten einer Bevölkerungsumfrage zum Thema „Umweltbewusstsein in Deutschland”. Theoretische Ansätze, bei denen vor allem die finanziellen Restriktionen der Konsumenten relevant sind, werden um Einflussfaktoren ergänzt, die die soziale Funktion ethischen Konsums in den Blick nehmen. Auf der Basis von sechs aufeinanderfolgenden Umfragen zwischen 2000 und 2010 werden Einflussfaktoren für selbstberichtete Zahlungsbereitschaft und Präferenz für FT-Produkte untersucht. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die finanziellen Ressourcen bei der Erklärung des Konsums von FT-Produkten nicht zu vernachlässigen sind. Jedoch finden sich auch Hinweise, dass spezifische FT-Einstellungen, allgemeines Umweltbewusstsein sowie Solidarität und Religiosität als persönliche Werte wichtige Einflussfaktoren darstellen. Die Studie zeigt zudem die Relevanz des Statuskonsums für den Konsum ethischer Produkte auf.
Family Participation in Challenger Baseball: Critical Theory Perspectives

The purpose was to analyze the social construction of Challenger baseball opportunities in a selected community. Participants were 10 boys and 6 girls with mental and/or physical disabilities (ages 7 to 16 years, M = 11.31), their families, and the head coach. Data were collected through interviews in the homes with all family members, participant observation at practices and games, and field notes. The research design was qualitative, and critical theory guided interpretation. Analytical induction revealed five outcomes that were particularly meaningful as families and coach socially constructed Challenger baseball: (a) fun and enjoyment, (b) positive affect related to equal opportunity and feelings of “normalcy,” (c) social networking/emotional support for families, (d) baseball knowledge and skills, and (e) social interactions with peers.
A software program combining sequence motif searches with keywords for finding repeats containing DNA sequences

MOTIVATION One of the most interesting features of genomes (both coding and non-coding regions) is the presence of relatively short tandemly repeated DNA sequences known as tandem repeats (TRs). We developed a new PC-based stand-alone software analysis program, combining sequence motif searches with keywords such as organs, tissues, cell lines or development stages for finding exact, inexact and compound, TRs. Tandem Repeats Analyzer 1.5 (TRA) has several advanced repeat search parameters/options over other repeat finder programs as it does not only accept GenBank, FASTA and expressed sequence tag (EST) sequence files but also does analysis of multifiles with multisequences. Advanced user-defined parameters/options let the researchers use different motif lengths search criteria for varying motif lengths simultaneously. The outputs show statistical results to be evaluated by the user. The discovery of TRs in ESTs could be useful for both gene mapping and association studies and discovering TRs located in coding regions of important genes that are expressed under various conditions of environment, stress, organ, tissue and development stage. RESULTS In this paper, we demonstrated applications of TRA using 175 899 ESTs sequences for three Arabidopsis spp. downloaded from GenBank. The EST-SSRs/ESTs ratios were found 43.1%, 15.3% and 2.34% in A.lyrata, A.thaliana and A.halleri, respectively. Analysis revealed that organs, tissues and development stages possessed different amounts of repeats and repeat compositions. This indicated that the distribution of TRs among the tissues or organs may not be random differing from the untranscribed repeats found in genomes. AVAILABILITY The program can be obtained free by anonymous FTP from ftp.akdeniz. edu.tr/Araclar/TRA.
`Holey Sheets' - Pfaffians and Subdeterminants as D-brane Operators in Large N Gauge Theories

In the AdS/CFT correspondence, wrapped D3-branes (such as ``giant gravitons'') on the string theory side of the correspondence have been identified with pfaffian, determinant and subdeterminant operators on the field theory side. We substantiate this identification by showing that the presence of pairs of such operators in a correlation function of a large-N gauge theory naturally leads to a modified 't Hooft expansion including also worldsheets with boundaries. This happens independently of supersymmetry or conformal invariance.