Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Changing behaviors: Does knowledge matter? A Structural Equation Modeling study on green building literacy of undergraduates in Taiwan

INTRODUCTION We investigated the relationships among knowledge, affects, and behaviors of university undergraduates in Taiwan regarding green building literacy by using a structural equation model. The study subjects comprised of a total of 1,268 undergraduates selected by purposive cluster sampling. The instrument was a green building literacy questionnaire, the development and validity of which were both achieved using Delphi method. A total of 1,214 valid questionnaires were retrieved with a full scale reliability of 0.90. Exploratory factor analysis showed that affects and behaviors composed the first 2 factors, and cognition comprised 3 factors: knowledge of facts, knowledge for action, and knowledge for design skill. We employed AMOS to confirm the measurement model of cognition and conducted pathway analysis to obtain the structural model. The study results indicated that attitudes are the dominant factor influencing behaviors. Knowledge for action has a direct negative effect on behaviors. The total effects of cognition factors on behaviors are positive but small. Knowledge for design skill is the most effective predictor of behaviors. Without attitudes and responsibility as mediators, greater knowledge indicated poorer behavior. Therefore, we suggest that universities focus on knowledge for action and design skills regarding green building literacy, and promote government green building policies. Increasing positive attitudes and a sense of responsibility in students and the public is essential.
MODULAR THEORY FOR THE VON NEUMANN ALGEBRAS OF LOCAL QUANTUM PHYSICS

In the first part, the second quantization procedure and the free Bosonic scalar field will be introduced, and the axioms for quantum fields and nets of observable algebras will be discussed. The second part is mainly devoted to an illustration of the Bisognano- Wichmann theorem for Wightman fields and in the algebraic setting, with a discussion on the physical meaning of this result. In the third part some reconstruction theorems based on modular groups will be described, in particular the possibility of constructing an action of the symmetry group of a given theory via modular groups, and the construction of free field algebras via representations of the symmetry group.
Celiac plexus block: an anatomical study and simulation using computed tomography*

Objective To analyze anatomical variations associated with celiac plexus complex by means of computed tomography simulation, assessing the risk for organ injury as the transcrural technique is utilized. Materials and Methods One hundred eight transaxial computed tomography images of abdomen were analyzed. The aortic-vertebral, celiac trunk (CeT)-vertebral, CeT-aortic and celiac-aortic-vertebral topographical relationships were recorded. Two needle insertion pathways were drawn on each of the images, at right and left, 9 cm and 4.5 cm away from the midline. Transfixed vital organs and gender-related associations were recorded. Results Aortic-vertebral - 45.37% at left and 54.62% in the middle; CeT-vertebral - T12, 36.11%; T12-L1, 32.4%; L1, 27.77%; T11-T12, 2.77%; CeT-aortic - 53.7% at left and 46.3% in the middle; celiac-aortic-vertebral - L-l, 22.22%; M-m, 23.15%; L-m, 31.48%; M-l, 23.15%. Neither correspondence on the right side nor significant gender-related associations were observed. Conclusion Considering the wide range of abdominal anatomical variations and the characteristics of needle insertion pathways, celiac plexus block should not be standardized. Imaging should be performed prior to the procedure in order to reduce the risks for injuries or for negative outcomes to patients. Gender-related anatomical variations involved in celiac plexus block should be more deeply investigated, since few studies have addressed the subject.
Center of Pressure Excursion During the Golf Putting Stroke in Low, Mid and High Handicap Golfers

Golf handicap is significantly correlated to putting performance with low handicap golfers (LH) demonstrating increased putting accuracy compared with high handicap golfers (HH). Smaller center of pressure excursion (CPE) during putting has been demonstrated by LH golfers, suggesting balance is important during successful putts. The aim of this study was to examine CPE in low, mid and high handicap golfers about the mediolateral axis (ML) and anteriorposterior axis (AP). Nineteen subjects participated in the study; subjects were split into LH, mid handicap and HH groups. Subjects completed five successful 2.5m putts, standing on an RS FootScan. The LH group demonstrated significantly smaller CPE in comparison with the HH group about the AP axis, for all three phases of the putt. No significant differences were found between the groups about the ML axis. The reduction of CPE about the AP axis suggests increased balance in that direction, which may contribute to increased accuracy. Coaches should place emph.
On -Gevrey Asymptotics for Singularly Perturbed -Difference-Differential Problems with an Irregular Singularity

We study a -analog of a singularly perturbed Cauchy problem with irregular singularity in the complex domain which generalizes a previous result by Malek in (2011). First, we construct solutions defined in open -spirals to the origin. By means of a -Gevrey version of Malgrange-Sibuya theorem we show the existence of a formal power series in the perturbation parameter which turns out to be the -Gevrey asymptotic expansion (of certain type) of the actual solutions.
Angiopoietin-2 levels predict mortality in CKD patients.

BACKGROUND The pathophysiology of aggravated atherosclerosis in chronic kidney disease (CKD) is still incompletely understood. However, there is an increasing focus on non-traditional risk factors, including endothelial dysfunction. Angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) impairs endothelial function by inhibiting the binding of Angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) to their shared receptor Tie2 and is increased in diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease and CKD. Furthermore, Ang-2 levels are associated with the prevalent vascular burden of CKD patients. Thus, we aimed to investigate its impact on outcome in CKD, the population most likely to die of cardiovascular events. METHODS We prospectively studied 128 CKD patients [43 CKD Stage 4, 85 CKD Stage 5 (57 haemodialysis, 28 peritoneal dialysis)] over a follow-up period of 4 years. Biochemical and clinical parameters, including objective scoring of vascular calcification (VC) by computed tomography (CT) and arterial stiffness by applanation tonometry (including radial-dorsalis pedis pulse wave velocity (PWVrd)) were recorded. Baseline Ang-1 [enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)], Ang-2 [immunoluminometric assay (ILMA)] and soluble Tie2 (sTie2) (ELISA) levels were measured in this group as well as in 20 healthy controls. RESULTS Ang-2 values were significantly higher in CKD patients than in controls (2.01 ± 0.94 versus 1.00 ± 0.47 ng/mL, P < 0.0001). Furthermore, Ang-2 was significantly higher in dialysis than in Stage 4 CKD patients and correlated with markers of vascular disease [cholesterol, hsCRP, osteoprotegerin (OPG)]. However, elevated Ang-2 was not associated with the degree of VC or with arterial stiffness. Cox-regression analysis detected Ang-2 as an independent predictor of mortality in both unadjusted [hazard ratio (HR) 1.15; P = 0.002] and models adjusted for age and VC (HR 1.14; P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS Ang-2 levels are associated with systemic markers/mediators of micro-inflammation in CKD patients. Furthermore, elevated Ang-2 levels are strong predictors of long-term mortality, independent of conduit arterial stiffness or VC.
Optimising Mobile Mapping System Laser Scanner Orientation

Multiple laser scanner hardware configurations can be applied to Mobile Mapping Systems. As best practice, laser scanners are rotated horizontally or inclined vertically to increase the probability of contact between the laser scan plane and any surfaces that are perpendicular to the direction of travel. Vertical inclinations also maximise the number of scan profiles striking narrow vertical features, something that can be of use when trying to recognise features. Adding a second scanner allows an MMS to capture more data and improve laser coverage of an area by filling in laser shadows. However, in any MMS the orientation of each scanner on the platform must be decided upon. Changes in the horizontal or vertical orientations of the scanner can increase the range to vertical targets and the road surface, with excessive scanner angles lowering point density significantly. Limited information is available to assist the manufacturers or operators in identifying the optimal scanner orientation for roadside surveys. The method proposed in this paper applies 3D surface normals and geometric formulae to assess the influence of scanner orientation on point distribution. It was demonstrated that by changing the orientation of the scanner the number of pulses striking a target could be greatly increased, and the number of profiles intersecting with the target could also be increased—something that is particularly important for narrow vertical features. The importance of identifying the correct trade-off between the number of profiles intersecting with the target and the point spacing was also raised.
Meta-modeling Design Patterns: application to pattern detection and code synthesis

Design Patterns have been quickly adopted by the object-oriented community, in particular since the publication of "Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software". They offer elegant and reusable solutions to recurring problems of design. Their use increases productivity and development quality. However, these solutions, at the boundary of programming languages and design models, suffer from a lack of formalism. For this reason, their application remains empirical and manually performed. This position paper presents how a meta-model can be used to obtain a representation of design patterns and how this representation allows both automatic code generation and design patterns detection.
Do Corporate Boards Affect Firm Performance? New Evidence from the Financial Crisis

This study uses the current financial crisis as a quasi-experiment to examine whether and to what extent corporate boards affect the performance of firms. Using cumulative stock returns over the crisis to measure of firm performance, we find that board independence, as traditionally defined, does not significantly affect firm performance. However, when we re-define independent directors as outside directors who are less connected with current CEOs, a measure we call true independence, there is a positive and significant relationship between this measure and firm performance. Second, outside financial experts are important for firm performance. Third, board meeting frequencies, director attendance behaviors, and director age also affect firm performance during the crisis. Overall, our results suggest that firm performance during a crisis is a function of firm-level differences in corporate boards.
Driving-Related Neuropsychological Performance in Stable COPD Patients

Background. Cognitive deterioration may impair COPD patient's ability to perform tasks like driving vehicles. We investigated: (a) whether subclinical neuropsychological deficits occur in stable COPD patients with mild hypoxemia (PaO2 > 55 mmHg), and (b) whether these deficits affect their driving performance. Methods. We recruited 35 stable COPD patients and 10 normal subjects matched for age, IQ, and level of education. All subjects underwent an attention/alertness battery of tests for assessing driving performance based on the Vienna Test System. Pulmonary function tests, arterial blood gases, and dyspnea severity were also recorded. Results. COPD patients performed significantly worse than normal subjects on tests suitable for evaluating driving ability. Therefore, many (22/35) COPD patients were classified as having inadequate driving ability (failure at least in one of the tests), whereas most (8/10) healthy individuals were classified as safe drivers (P = 0.029). PaO2 and FEV1 were correlated with almost all neuropsychological tests. Conclusions. COPD patients should be warned of the potential danger and risk they face when they drive any kind of vehicle, even when they do not exhibit overt symptoms related to driving inability. This is due to the fact that stable COPD patients may manifest impaired information processing operations.
Material savings using coupled inductors in hard switched power-electronic building blocks: Modeling and experimental validation

A full-bridge power-electronic building block using an inverse coupled inductor (CI) is presented which could substitute standard hard switched inverter legs. In contrast to commercial CPU supplies using CIs, the system is operated at full duty cycle range 0.1 at elevated power levels and shows experimentally proven material savings. The mathematical modeling leads to a volume comparison between single inductors (SIs) and coupled inductors using E-cores. An outlook is given on CIs based on tape-wound cores.
Car following model simulating traffic breakdown and concave growth pattern of oscillations in traffic flow

Traffic breakdown, as one of the most puzzling traffic flow phenomena, is characterized by sharply decreasing speed, abruptly increasing density and in particular suddenly plummeting capacity. In order to clarify its root mechanisms and model its observed properties, this paper proposes a car-following model based on the following assumptions: (i) There exists a preferred time-varied and speed-dependent space gap that cars hope to maintain; (ii) there exists a region R restricted by two critical space gaps and two critical speeds in the car following region on the speed-space gap diagram, in which cars' movements are determined by the weighted mean of the space- gap-determined acceleration and the speed-difference-determined acceleration; and (iii) out of region R, cars either accelerate to the free flow speed or decelerate to keep safety. Simulation results show that this model is able to simultaneously reproduce traffic breakdown and the transition from the synchronized traffic flow to wide moving jams. To our knowledge, this is the first car-following model that is able to fully depict traffic breakdown, spontaneous formation of jams, and the concave growth of the oscillations.
Multipliers, C -modules, and algebraic structure in spaces of Hilbert space operators

Part I is a survey of the author's work (on his own or with several coauthors) on one-sided multipliers and their applications to algebraic struc- ture in spaces of operators. The proofs given here are new for the most part, and the emphasis is on the connections with the theory of Hilbert C -modules. In Part II we initiate a theory of one-sided multipliers between two dierent operator spaces.
Lower in Rank, But Happier: The Complex Relationship between Status and Happiness

Case studies across the social sciences have established a positive relationship between social status and happiness. In observational data, however, identification challenges remain severe. This study exploits the fact that in India people are assigned a caste from birth. In data on 1000 individuals living in the Punjab, a state with a large income gap between middle and high castes in spite of similar education levels, we find that those in the middle are the least happy. Our findings resemble those described by the famous paradox of unhappy Olympic silver medal winners, which finds a V-shaped relation between status and happiness. The same trend is much less pronounced in data on 1000 individuals living in the state of Andhra Pradesh with much smaller economic differences between castes. We hypothesize that these patterns reflect the relatively high weight of upward comparisons for middle caste groups in Punjab, based on their stronger similarity in ability attributes with castes higher up in the hierarchy.
The impact of price frames on consumer decision making : Experimental evidence

The impact of price frames on consumer decision making: Experimental evidence We analyse a stylized model of the world grain market characterized by a small oligopoly of traders with market power on both the supply and demand side. Crops are stochastic and exporting countries can impose export tariffs to protect domestic food prices. Our first result is that export tariffs are strategic complements and that for poor harvests equilibrium tariffs can explode (shedding some light on recent volatility in world food prices). We also show that the strategic interplay between governments of export countries and traders can give rise to a number of peculiar comparative statics. For example, it can be in the interest of traders to have poor harvests in one of the countries. Finally, we demonstrate that traders as well as consumers in import countries can benefit from cooperation between grain exporting countries. In diesem Paper analysieren wir ein stilisiertes Modell des weltweiten Getreidemarktes, auf dem ein Oligopol von Händlern sowohl auf der Angebotswie auf der Nachfrageseite über Marktmacht verfügt. Da Erntemengen stochastisch sind, können die exportierenden Länder Exportzölle festlegen, um die einheimischen Lebensmittelpreise abzusichern. Als erstes Resultat zeigt sich, dass Exportzölle strategisch komplementär sind, so dass etwa bei mageren Ernten Zölle explodieren können (dies sollte etwas Licht auf die derzeitige Volatilität bei den weltweiten Lebensmittelpreisen werfen). Weiterhin zeigt sich, dass das strategische Zusammenspiel zwischen Regierungen von Exportländern und Händlern zu einer Reihe eigentümlicher komparativ-statischer Effekte führen kann – so kann beispielsweise eine kleine Ernte in einem der Länder durchaus im Interesse der Händler sein. Schließlich zeigen wir, dass Händler wie Konsumenten in Importländern von der Kooperation zwischen getreideexportierenden Ländern profitieren können.
Experiments and Numerical Simulations of Dike Erosion due to a Wave Impact

Dike erosion is a crucial issue in coastal and fluvial flood risk management. These defense structures appear vulnerable to extreme hydrological events, whose potential occurrence risk seems to be recently increased due to climate change. Their design and reinforcement is, however, a complex task, and although numerical models are very powerful nowadays, real processes cannot be accurately predicted; therefore, physical models constitute a useful tool to investigate different features under controlled conditions. This paper presents some laboratory experimental results of erosion of a sand dike produced by the impact of a dam break wave. Experiments have been conducted in the Water Engineering Laboratory at the University of Cassino and Southern Lazio, Italy, in a rectangular channel: here, the sudden opening of a gate forming the reservoir generates the wave impacting the dike, made in turn of two different, almost uniform sands. The physical evidence proves that the erosion process is strongly unsteady and significantly different from a gradual overtopping and highlights the importance of apparent cohesion for the fine sand dike. The experimental results have also been compared against the ones obtained through the numerical integration of a two-phase model, which shows the reasonable predictive capability of the temporal free surface and dike profile evolution.
In Psycho-Spiritual Integrative Therapy for Women with Primary Breast Cancer, What Factors Account for the Benefits? Insights from a Multiple Case Analysis

This study sought to understand the context in which Psycho-Spiritual Integrative Therapy (PSIT), a group intervention, promotes varying degrees of spiritual growth and quality of life change in breast cancer survivors. A secondary aim was to explore the relationship between spiritual well-being (SWB) and Quality of Life (QL) in PSIT participants. A qualitative, multiple case analysis was undertaken to examine the experiences of two participants with the highest change scores on the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy Spiritual Well-Being Scale-Expanded Version (FACIT-Sp-Ex) and two participants with among the lowest change scores on this measure. The participant factors thought to contribute to SWB and QL changes included utilization of metacognitive psychological skills and spiritual/religious frameworks, while PSIT factors included application of PSIT core intervention components, cognitive restructuring, group dynamics, and the role of the facilitator. The nature and extent of participant use of spiritual practices appeared to shape the relationship between SWB and OL. The findings suggest directions for future research to investigate potential moderators and mediators of treatment efficacy of PSIT specifically, as well as other psycho-spiritual interventions for cancer survivors more generally.
Incentivizing Participation under Reference-Dependent Preferences: A Note ∗

I analyze a principal-agent model in which the agent has referencedependent preferences and takes actions according to the notion of personal equilibrium due to K˝ (2010). The agent’s preferences are known to the principal. I characterize the stochastic transfer schemes that implement participation as a unique personal-equilibrium outcome, and show that it is optimal for the scheme to involve randomization if and only if the reference-dependent payoff function is strictly supermodular. On the other hand, if the principal’s objective is to maximize expected profits, randomization is generically optimal.
PD-L1 Expression by Neurons Nearby Tumors Indicates Better Prognosis in Glioblastoma Patients

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most aggressive form of brain tumor. In general, tumor growth requires disruption of the tissue microenvironment, yet how this affects glioma progression is unknown. We studied program death-ligand (PD-L)1 in neurons and gliomas in tumors from GBM patients and associated the findings with clinical outcome. Remarkably, we found that upregulation of PD-L1 by neurons in tumor-adjacent brain tissue (TABT) associated positively with GBM patient survival, whereas lack of neuronal PD-L1 expression was associated with high PD-L1 in tumors and unfavorable prognosis. To understand the molecular mechanism of PD-L1 signaling in neurons, we investigated PD-L1 function in cerebellar and cortical neurons and its impact on gliomas. We discovered that neuronal PD-L1-induced caspase-dependent apoptosis of glioma cells. Because interferon (IFN)-β induces PD-L1 expression, we studied the functional consequences of neuronal Ifnb gene deletion on PD-L1 signaling and function. Ifnb−/− neurons lacked PD-L1 and were defective in inducing glioma cell death; this effect was reversed on PD-L1 gene transfection. Ifnb−/− mice with intracerebral isografts survived poorly. Similar to the observations in GBM patients, better survival in wild-type mice was associated with high neuronal PD-L1 in TABT and downregulation of PD-L1 in tumors, which was defective in Ifnb−/− mice. Our data indicated that neuronal PD-L1 signaling in brain cells was important for GBM patient survival. Reciprocal PD-L1 regulation in TABT and tumor tissue could be a prognostic biomarker for GBM. Understanding the complex interactions between tumor and adjacent stromal tissue is important in designing targeted GBM therapies.