Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Seasonal migration of cirrus clouds over the Asian Monsoon regions and the Tibetan Plateau measured from MODIS/Terra

By using a 4‐year data set of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) cirrus cloud reflectance, the seasonal migration of cirrus clouds over the Asian Monsoon regions and the Tibetan Plateau has been studied. There are two distinct regions with large amount of high clouds. One is located between the equator and 20°N, where intensified high clouds show clear northward and southward movements in association with the monsoon. The other is over the Tibetan Plateau, where large amount of cirrus clouds occurs in March to April and shows a more standing feature. Moreover, the significant amount of high clouds over two regions appears to be independent of each other. The one over the Tibetan Plateau is believed to be generated by relatively warm and moist air being slowly lifted over a large area by an approaching cold front and topographic lifting, and the other by the outflow or remains of cirroform anvils of cumulonimbi associated with deep convection in the Inter‐tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and monsoon systems.
An atomic and molecular database for analysis of submillimetre line observations

Atomic and molecular data for the transitions of a number of astrophysically interesting species are summarized, in- cluding energy levels, statistical weights, Einstein A-coefficients and collisional rate coefficients. Available collisional data from quantum chemical calculations and experiments are extrapolated to higher energies (up to E/k ∼ 1000 K). These data, which are made publically available through the WWW at http://www.strw. leidenuniv.nl/∼moldata, are essential input for non-LTE line radiative transfer programs. An online version of a computer program for performing statistical equilibrium calcu- lations is also made available as part of the database. Comparisons of calculated emission lines using different sets of collisional rate coefficients are presented. This database should form an important tool in analyzing observations from current and future (sub)millimetre and infrared telescopes.
Is Default Event Risk Priced in Corporate Bonds

We provide an empirical decomposition of the default, liquidity, and tax factors that determine credit spreads and expected corporate bond returns. In particular, we estimate the risk premium associated with a default event. We model default as a jump process with stochastic intensity. The default intensities are a function of common and firm-specific factors. In the model, excess corporate bond returns can be due to risk premia on factors driving the intensities and due to a risk premium on the default jump risk, besides tax and liquidity effects. The model is estimated using data on corporate bond prices for 104 US firms and historical default rates. We find significant risk premia on the common factors that drive intensities, as well as important tax and liquidity effects. These components go a long way towards explaining the level of credit spreads and expected corporate bond returns. Adding a positive default event risk premium helps to explain the remaining error, although this premium cannot be estimated with high statistical precision. JEL Codes: E43; G12; G13.
Empowerment in veterinary clinics: the role of trust in delegation†

ABSTRACT Several authors have suggested that trust is important to empowerment. This research develops the theoretical relationship between empowerment and trust. Trust, defined as a willingness to be vulnerable, was found to contribute to managers’ taking greater risks in their relationships with their employees through increased delegation of authority. Results show strong support that trust for an employee is a function of the employee’s perceived ability, benevolence, and integrity, as well as the manager’s propensity to trust.
Pathogenic Influenza Viruses and Coronaviruses Utilize Similar and Contrasting Approaches To Control Interferon-Stimulated Gene Responses

ABSTRACT The broad range and diversity of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) function to induce an antiviral state within the host, impeding viral pathogenesis. While successful respiratory viruses overcome individual ISG effectors, analysis of the global ISG response and subsequent viral antagonism has yet to be examined. Employing models of the human airway, transcriptomics and proteomics datasets were used to compare ISG response patterns following highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza (HPAI) A virus, 2009 pandemic H1N1, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), and Middle East respiratory syndrome CoV (MERS-CoV) infection. The results illustrated distinct approaches utilized by each virus to antagonize the global ISG response. In addition, the data revealed that highly virulent HPAI virus and MERS-CoV induce repressive histone modifications, which downregulate expression of ISG subsets. Notably, influenza A virus NS1 appears to play a central role in this histone-mediated downregulation in highly pathogenic influenza strains. Together, the work demonstrates the existence of unique and common viral strategies for controlling the global ISG response and provides a novel avenue for viral antagonism via altered histone modifications. IMPORTANCE This work combines systems biology and experimental validation to identify and confirm strategies used by viruses to control the immune response. Using a novel screening approach, specific comparison between highly pathogenic influenza viruses and coronaviruses revealed similarities and differences in strategies to control the interferon and innate immune response. These findings were subsequently confirmed and explored, revealing both a common pathway of antagonism via type I interferon (IFN) delay as well as a novel avenue for control by altered histone modification. Together, the data highlight how comparative systems biology analysis can be combined with experimental validation to derive novel insights into viral pathogenesis. This work combines systems biology and experimental validation to identify and confirm strategies used by viruses to control the immune response. Using a novel screening approach, specific comparison between highly pathogenic influenza viruses and coronaviruses revealed similarities and differences in strategies to control the interferon and innate immune response. These findings were subsequently confirmed and explored, revealing both a common pathway of antagonism via type I interferon (IFN) delay as well as a novel avenue for control by altered histone modification. Together, the data highlight how comparative systems biology analysis can be combined with experimental validation to derive novel insights into viral pathogenesis.
Antiinflammatory effect of sevoflurane in open lung surgery with one-lung ventilation

Aim To prospectively assess the antiinflammatory effect of volatile anesthetic sevoflurane in patients undergoing open lung surgery with one lung ventilation (OLV). Methods This prospective, randomized study included 40 patients undergoing thoracic surgery with OLV (NCT02188407). The patients were randomly allocated into two equal groups that received either propofol or sevoflurane. Four patients were excluded from the study because after surgery they received blood transfusion or non-steroid antiinflammatory drugs. Inflammatory mediators (interleukins 6, 8, and 10, C-reactive protein [CRP], and procalcitonin) were measured perioperatively. The infiltration of the nonoperated lung was assessed on chest x-rays and the oxygenation index was calculated. The major postoperative complications were counted. Results Interleukin 6 levels were significantly higher in propofol than in sevoflurane group (P = 0.014). Preoperative CRP levels did not differ between the groups (P = 0.351) and in all patients they were lower than 20 mg/L, but postoperative CRP was significantly higher in propofol group (31 ± 6 vs 15 ± 7 ng/L; P = 0.035); Pre- and postoperative procalcitonin was within the reference range (<0.04 µg/L) in both groups. The oxygenation index was significantly lower in propofol group (339 ± 139 vs 465 ± 140; P = 0.021). There was no significant difference between the groups in lung infiltrates (P = 0.5849). The number of postoperative adverse events was higher in propofol group, but the difference was not-significant (5 vs 1; P = 0.115). Conclusion The study suggests an antiinflammatory effect of sevoflurane in patients undergoing thoracotomy with OLV.
The Staircase Mechanism in Differential Privacy

Adding Laplacian noise is a standard approach in differential privacy to sanitize numerical data before releasing it. In this paper, we propose an alternative noise adding mechanism: the staircase mechanism, which is a geometric mixture of uniform random variables. The staircase mechanism can replace the Laplace mechanism in each instance in the literature and for the same level of differential privacy, the performance in each instance improves; the improvement is particularly stark in medium-low privacy regimes. We show that the staircase mechanism is the optimal noise adding mechanism in a universal context, subject to a conjectured technical lemma (which we also prove to be true for one and two dimensional data).
Paid and Earned Media, Consumer Interest and Motion Picture Revenue

This study examines how consumers’ interest in a new movie develops around paid and earned media in pre-launch periods, how this interest impacts opening-week revenue, and how postlaunch revenue of a movie is influenced by advertising and various earned media. The prelaunch, opening-week and post-launch worlds are structurally different and we therefore develop three separate models, two multiple-time series models and one cross-sectional equation. These models are applied to a panel data set of movies consisting of movie descriptors, weekly advertising, blog postings, search volume, user reviews and revenue. We find, first, that consumer interest evolves in the pre-launch periods, as evidenced by non-stationary weekly blogging and searching activity. While commercial advertising plays a role in stimulating consumer information search, blogging by movie buffs is more influential. Managerially, this underscores the value of designing ads that create strong viral effects. Second, we demonstrate the value of pre-launch consumer search as a leading indicator of movie revenue, as it improves the studios’ ability to predict opening-week revenue. Finally, the effects of blog postings change drastically after movie launch. In these post-launch periods, advertising and user review volume have significant effects on movie revenue, while blog postings lose their influence. The paper concludes with a description of several managerial implications of our findings.
Improving Maintainability of COTS Based System Using Aspect Oriented Programming: An Empirical Evaluation

Commercial off the Shelf Software (COTS) based development leads to a faster time to delivery for the software systems. However, the maintenance of these systems tends to be more costly as components may have to be removed or replaced, and also these components may have recurring maintenance fees. The maintenance of a software component lies with the component developer and maintenance tends to be the most expensive phase of the software process. It is therefore ideal to have components which are easier to maintain. Also, the glue code that is used for bringing these components together should have fewer faults and be easy to maintain. In this paper, we studied the effects of AOP (Aspect-oriented programming) on the maintainability of two COTS based systems: Openbravo POS and Jasper reports. The effects were measured using the maintainability metrics of the ISO/IEC 9126 model. The results show that the AOP versions of the systems are more maintainable than the COTS-based OO versions of the systems. Specifically, the AOP versions are found to be loosely coupled, less complex and highly cohesive and the impact of change during maintenance low. However, we have also noticed that there are some implicit coupling introduced in the AOP versions that require further investigation.
Hypothesis Building a theoretically grounded model to support the design of effective non-technical skills training in healthcare : The SECTORS model

Patient safety is an increasingly prominent issue in healthcare. Despite much work investigating human factors system based approaches to reduce avoidable errors, there has been minimal work investigating education in this area. Education to enhance non-technical skills and support behaviour that reduces human factor sources of error is in its infancy. Published works describing interventions are heterogeneous in content and teaching methods, as well as limited in their underpinning or pedagogy. There is no well-recognised model or framework to guide educators in designing such interventions, which further compounds the problem. In this manuscript, the SECTORS model is proposed, a theoretically-grounded framework to aid understanding of how learning in non-technical skills occurs within healthcare. SECTORS combines three key elements:-The generic Knowledge and skills in core areas that contribute to and support learning in non-technical skills (Systems and technology use, Error awareness, Communication, Teamworking), a situated cognition approach to formal and experiential learning that develops these skills (Observation and simulation) and developments in analytical skills that can integrate these and support decision making (Risk assessment and Situational awareness). Further work is now needed to investigate the appropriateness of this model and its utility and effectiveness in supporting design of such education.
Relationship between Comorbid Cognitive Impairment and Functional Outcomes in Stroke Patients with Spatial Neglect

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate relationships between cognitive impairment and functional outcomes in stroke patients with spatial neglect. Method: Twenty seven right hemisphere ischemic stroke patients who admitted to an inpatient rehabilitation unit were included. Patients were divided into two group based on KF-NAP scores: Neglect group (n=18) and non-neglect group (n=9). Neglect group (n=18) were subdivided into two groups by discharge FIM scores as poor outcome group (n=8, <70) and good outcome group (n=10, ≥70). Cognitive function assessments including attention (Attention & Calculation, Digit span test–Forward), memory (Digit span test–Backward, SVLT-Immediate recalls/Delayed recalls) and visual perception (LOTCA-Visual perception/Visuomotor organization), and stroke severity assessment including NIHSS, FMA, K-MMSE, and FIM were performed. Cognitive impairments and functional outcomes were compared between two groups. Results: There were significant differences in NIHSS, FMA (affected U/E, affected L/E), discharge FIM, FIM gain and LOTCA-visuomotor organization between Neglect group and nonneglect group (p<0.05). Among the patients with spatial neglect, there were significant differences in KF-NAP, K-MMSE and assessment scores of memory and visual perception between poor outcome group and good outcome group. Attention, memory and visual perception were significantly correlated with KF-NAP scores (p<0.05). Conclusion: Stroke patients with spatial neglect showed more severe impairment in cognitive, motor and general functional status, which resulted in delayed functional recovery. Spatial neglect patients with combined memory and visual perception impairment may show poor functional outcome. (Brain & NeuroRehabilitation 2016; 9: 37-47)
Gait termination control strategies are altered in chronic ankle instability subjects.

UNLABELLED Despite the high incidence of chronic ankle instability (CAI), the underlying neurophysiologic mechanism is unknown. Evidence suggests that both feed-forward and feedback mechanisms may play a role. However, no investigation has examined both control mechanisms during the same movement task in the same cohort of CAI patients. PURPOSE To determine the neuromuscular and biomechanical control alterations present in CAI patients during planned (feed-forward) and unplanned (feedback) gait termination. METHODS Twenty subjects with CAI and 20 uninjured controls completed planned and unplanned gait termination protocols. Both tasks began with subjects walking at a self-selected speed across a 12-m walkway. Unplanned gait termination required subjects to stop during randomly selected trials on two adjacent force plates when cued. Planned gait termination required purposeful stopping on the force places. Propulsive and braking force magnitude and the dynamic postural stability index were calculated from the resulting ground reaction forces. In addition, muscle activity from the soleus, tibialis anterior, and gluteus medius was collected bilaterally. RESULTS Both maximum propulsive (CAI = 99.8 +/- 40.8 N, control = 88.6 +/- 33.6 N) and braking (CAI = 207.1 +/- 80.9 N, control = 161.6 +/- 62.2 N) forces were significantly higher in the CAI group. The dynamic postural stability index revealed higher scores in the CAI group (0.24 +/- 0.03) compared with the control group (0.22 +/- 0.03). Muscle activation of the soleus and tibialis anterior differed during unplanned and planned gait termination between groups (P < 0.05) and between the limbs of the CAI group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Altered biomechanical strategies during both planned and unplanned gait termination indicate that patients with CAI have alterations in feed-forward neuromuscular control and suggest the presence of feedback neuromuscular control deficits.
Serum Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone and Anti-Thyroglobulin Antibody Are Independently Associated with Lesions in Spinal Cord in Central Nervous System Demyelinating Diseases

Transverse myelitis (TM) is associated with neuromyelitis optica (NMO) and multiple sclerosis (MS). Early recognition of useful parameters may be helpful to distinguish their difference. This retrospective study analyzed thyroid parameters from 243 serum samples (relapse = 128; remission = 115) of 178 patients with demyelinating diseases (NMO, n = 25; TM, n = 48; MS, n = 105). The relationship between thyroid and clinical parameters was analyzed. Patients with NMO and TM had a higher frequency of abnormal thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), anti-thyroglobulin antibodies (TG-Ab), and antithyroid peroxidase antibody (TPO-Ab) than MS patients (p<0.05). The level of TSH and TG-Ab returned to normal levels after administration of high-dose intravenous methylprednisolone (p<0.05). In 96 patients (NMO, n = 19; TM, n = 25; MS, n = 52) without treatment, serum levels of TSH, TG-Ab and TPO-Ab were significantly different between patients with and without myelitis (p<0.01). Patients positive for aquaporin-4 (AQP4) antibodies showed higher abnormalities of TSH (p = 0.001), TG-Ab (p = 0.004) and TPO-Ab (p<0.0001) levels than AQP4 antibodies negative patients. Logistic regression analyses revealed independent relationships between TSH (odds ratio [OR] = 33.994; p<0.0001), TG-Ab (OR = 7.703; p = 0.017) and myelitis occurrence in 96 patients at the active stage. In 52 MS patients experiencing their first attack, MS patients with myelitis were associated with TSH abnormalities (OR = 42.778; p<0.0001). This study showed increased abnormalities of thyroid parameters in patients with NMO and TM than in MS patients. MS patients with myelitis also had greater TSH abnormality than in MS patients without myelitis. Abnormal TSH and TG-Ab were independently associated with myelitis occurrence in central nervous system demyelinating disorders.
Faint Galaxy Population in Clusters: X-Ray Emission, cD Halos, and Projection Effects

We analyze samples of nearby clusters taken from the Abell catalog and the X-Ray Sample of Bright Clusters of De Grandi and coworkers, including a wide range of X-ray luminosities. Using the usually-adopted background subtraction procedures, we find that galaxies in clusters selected by means of their X-ray emission show a flat luminosity function (faint-end slope α ≃ -1.1) consistent with that derived for galaxies in the field and groups. By contrast, the sample of Abell clusters that do not have an X-ray counterpart shows a galaxy luminosity function with a steep faint end (α ≃ -1.6). We investigate the possibility that cD halos could be formed by the disruption of galaxies in rich relaxed clusters that show an apparently flat faint-end galaxy luminosity function. We find that clusters dominated by a central cD galaxy (Bautz-Morgan classes I and II) show the same systematic trend: X-ray-selected clusters have flatter faint-end slopes than those clusters with no detected X-ray emission. Thus, it is likely the X-ray selection and not the cluster domination by central galaxies is what correlates with background decontamination estimates of the galaxy luminosity function. Moreover, no significant correlation between X-ray luminosity and the galaxy luminosity function faint-end slope is found. These results do not support a scenario in which flat faint-end slopes are a consequence of cD formation via the disruption of faint galaxies. We argue that the clusters without X-ray emission are strongly affected by projection effects which give rise to spurious faint-end slopes estimated using background subtraction procedures.
SOCIAL CO-BROWSING IN ONLINE SHOPPING : THE IMPACT OF REAL-TIME COLLABORATION ON USER

For many years, online shopping has been a solitary activity. Social co-browsing is an emerging technology which enables two or more users to share the same view in the browser in real-time. Cobrowsing enhances online shopping sites with a multi-player mode and enables new forms of communication between online shoppers. In this paper, we study the impact of social presence in social co-browsing on key attributes of user engagement. We extend a measurement model for user engagement with social presence and conduct an online experiment on Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Two subjects are either paired in text chat session or social co-browsing session. Additionally, a control group is engaged in solitary online shopping experience. User engagement attributes, social presence, and perceived usefulness are measured using a survey. Our data analysis suggests that users who perceive a higher psychological presence are significantly more engaged in the online shopping activity. In particular, social presence in co-browsing leads to a more rewarding experience than in the case of a chat-only approach.