Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Focal Organization Perspective Toward Interorganizational Collaboration: The Case of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic in India

We propose, from a focal organization’s perspective, a holistic framework for an interorganizational collaboration (IOC) that integrates the resource dependence theory and the triangular alignment perspective to account for the impact external factors such as international donors and internal factors such as the focal organization’s competencies have on the IOC’s antecedents, process, and outcomes. We base our arguments on the case of the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) that collaborated with various international and domestic partners to effectively reduce the incidence of HIV/AIDS in India.
Validating the Force Concept Inventory with Sub-Questions: Preliminary Results of the Second Year Survey

We address the validity of the FCI, that is, whether respondents who answer FCI questions correctly have an actual understanding of the concepts of physics tested in the questions. We used sub-questions that test students on concepts believed to be required to answer the actual FCI questions. Our sample size comprises about five hundred respondents; we derive false positive ratios for pre-learners and post-learners, and evaluate the significant difference between them. Our analysis shows a significant difference at the 95 % confidence level for Q.6, Q.7, and Q.16, implying that it is possible for post-learners to answer three questions without understanding the concepts of physics tested in the questions; therefore, Q.6, Q.7 and Q.16 are invalid.
Poster: Investigating one-eyed and stereo cursors for 3D pointing tasks

We compared two remote pointing techniques to two mouse pointing techniques using both with a stereo- and mono-rendered cursor. These were compared using a Fitts' law pointing experiment with varying target depths in a 3D scene. Results indicate that mouse-based techniques performed best and that the one-eyed cursor is beneficial only for some pointing techniques.
Immunogenicity and safety of the HPV-16/18 AS04-adjuvanted vaccine in healthy Chinese girls and women aged 9 to 45 years

Immunogenicity and safety of the human papillomavirus (HPV)-16/18 AS04-adjuvanted vaccine were evaluated in healthy Chinese females aged 9–45 years in 2 phase IIIB, randomized, controlled trials. Girls aged 9–17 years (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00996125) received vaccine (n = 374) or control (n = 376) and women aged 26–45 years (NCT01277042) received vaccine (n = 606) or control (n = 606) at months 0, 1, and 6. The primary objective was to show non-inferiority of anti-HPV-16 and -18 immune responses in initially seronegative subjects at month 7, compared with Chinese women aged 18–25 years enrolled in a separate phase II/III trial (NCT00779766). Secondary objectives were to describe the anti-HPV-16 and -18 immune response, reactogenicity and safety. At month 7, immune responses were non-inferior for girls (9–17 years) vs. young women (18–25 years): the upper limit of the 95% confidence interval (CI) for the geometric mean titer (GMT) ratio (women/girls) was below the limit of 2 for both anti-HPV-16 (0.37 [95% CI: 0.32, 0.43]) and anti-HPV-18 (0.42 [0.36, 0.49]). Immune responses at month 7 were also non-inferior for 26–45 year-old women vs. 18–25 year-old women: the upper limit of the 95% CI for the difference in seroconversion (18–25 minus 26–45) was below the limit of 5% for both anti-HPV-16 (0.00% [–1.53, 1.10]) and anti-HPV-18 (0.21% [–1.36, 1.68]). GMTs were 2- to 3-fold higher in girls (9–17 years) as compared with young women (18–25 years). The HPV-16/18 AS04-adjuvanted vaccine had an acceptable safety profile when administered to healthy Chinese females aged 9–45 years.
Space–time averages in macroscopic gravity and volume-preserving coordinates

The definition of the covariant space-time averaging scheme for the objects (tensors, geometric objects, etc.) on differentiable metric manifolds with a volume n-form, which has been proposed for the formulation of macroscopic gravity, is analyzed. An overview of the space-time averaging procedure in Minkowski space-time is given and comparison between this averaging scheme and that adopted in macroscopic gravity is carried out throughout the paper. Some new results concerning the algebraic structure of the averaging operator are precisely formulated and proved, the main one being that the averaging bilocal operator is idempotent iff it is factorized into a bilocal product of a matrix-valued function on the manifold, taken at a point, by its inverse at another point. The previously proved existence theorems for the averaging and coordination bilocal operators are revisited with more detailed proofs of related results. A number of new results concerning the structure of the volume-preserving averaging oper.
Exploring Approximate Computing for Yield Improvement via Re-design of Adders for Error-Resilient Applications

In this paper, we explore an approximate logic synthesis approach to re-design adders for error-resilient applications. The objective is that the re-designed approximate adder reduces delay, power and area metrics, and thus, improves both functional and parametric yields due to decrease in the silicon area and delay, respectively. To ameliorate the Error Distance (ED)1 and Error Rate (ER)2 of the proposed approximate adder, we avail of the probability of carry-lifetimes and Error Detection and Correction (EDC) logic, respectively. We design the successive versions of the proposed approximate adder using PTM 32nm CMOS technology and simulate the net-lists in HSPICE environment. Simulation results show that for a 16-bit Ripple Carry Adder (RCA) with k = 6, 8 and 10 (k is the number of MSBs that are performed accurately), the proposed approach improves chip yield by 79.08%, 65.81% and 43.72%, and 89.63%, 74.44% and 52.63% with and without EDC logic, respectively.
A Novel Compact Torsional Spring for Series Elastic Actuators for Assistive Wearable Robots

The introduction of intrinsic compliance in the actuation system of assistive robots improves safety and dynamical adaptability. Furthermore, in the case of wearable robots for gait assistance, the exploitation of conservative compliant elements as energy buffers can mimic the intrinsic dynamical properties of legs during locomotion. However, commercially available compliant components do not generally allow to meet the desired requirements in terms of admissible peak load, as typically required by gait assistance, while guaranteeing low stiffness and a compact and lightweight design. This paper presents a novel compact monolithic torsional spring to be used as the basic component of a modular compliant system for series elastic actuators. The spring, whose design was refined through an iterative FEA-based optimization process, has an external diameter of 85 mm, a thickness of 3 mm and a weight of 61.5 g. The spring, characterized using a custom dynamometric test bed, shows a linear torque versus angle characteristic. The compliant element has a stiffness of 98 N·m/rad and it is capable of withstanding a maximum torque of 7.68 N·m. A good agreement between simulated and experimental data were observed, with a maximum resultant error of 6%. By arranging a number of identical springs in series or in parallel, it is possible to render different torque versus angle characteristics, in order to match the specific applications requirements.
Effect of the Stimulation of Sensory Inputs on the Firing of Neurons of the Trigeminal Main Sensory Nucleus in the Rat Brain Slice Preparation

Effect of the stimulation of sensory inputs on the firing of neurons of the trigeminal main sensory nucleus in the rat. can be triggered by repetitive stimulation of the cortex or of sensory inputs, but is patterned by a brain stem central pattern generator (CPG). This CPG may include the dorsal part of the principal trigeminal sensory nucleus (NVsnpr), where neurons burst repetitively when the extracellular concentration of Ca 2ϩ ([Ca 2ϩ ] e) drops. We examined the effects of repetitive stimulation of sensory afferents of the trigeminal tract on activity of NVsnpr neurons recorded extracel-lularly in vitro under physiologic [Ca 2ϩ ] e (1.6 mM). Spontaneously active cells had either a tonic (n ϭ 145) or a bursting (n ϭ 46) firing pattern. Afferent stimulation altered burst duration and/or burst frequency in bursting cells and firing frequency in most tonic cells. In 28% of the latter, the firing pattern switched to rhythmic bursting. This effect could be mimicked by local application of N-methyl-D-aspartate and blocked by APV but not DNQX. Detailed analysis showed that rhythm indices (RIs) of 35 tonic neurons that were negative (nonrhythmic) before stimulation became significantly rhythmic (RI Ն 0.01) after stimulation. Mean and median bursting frequency of these units were 8.32 Ϯ 0.72 (SE) Hz and 6.25 Hz (range, 2.5–17.5 Hz). In seven instances, two units were recorded simultaneously , and cross-correlation analysis showed that firing of six pairs was rhythmic and synchronized after stimulation. Optimal stimulation parameters for eliciting rhythmic bursting consisted in 500-ms trains of pulses delivered at 40 – 60 Hz. Together, our results show that repetitive stimulation of sensory afferents in vitro can elicit masticatory-like rhythmic bursting in NVsnpr neurons at physiological [Ca 2ϩ ] e. The basic pattern of mastication is generated by a central pattern generator (CPG) located in the brain stem. This CPG can produce repetitive jaw movements in response to inputs from either higher centers or sensory afferents (Dellow and Lund 1971). Although neither input is essential for the production of the basic pattern of mastication, sustained repetitive stimulation of either type can activate the masticatory CPG even in paralyzed animals (fictive mastication) (Dellow and Lund 1971; Lund and Dellow 1971; Sumi 1969). This property is not unique to mastication, because activation of sensory afferents and descending inputs elicits locomotion (Fleshman et al. 1984; Grillner et al. 1981; Rossignol 2000). However, the cellular mechanisms by which sustained …
Bryophytes on Boulders Diversity, habitat preferences and conservation aspects

Weibull, H. 2000. Bryophytes on boulders diversity, habitat preferences and conservation aspects. Doctor’s dissertation. ISSN 1401-6230, ISBN 91-576-5893-5 The influence of different overstorey tree species on the floristic composition of bryophytes growing on boulders was studied in two deciduous forests. Covering tree species and amount of litter were the factors explaining most of the variation in bryophyte species composition. Boulders below base-rich deciduous tree species (ash, elm and maple) had a considerably different bryophyte species composition than boulders below Norway spruce, while the species composition was intermediate below oak and birch. Boulders below base-rich deciduous trees had approximately twice as many species as those below Norway spruce, while boulders below oak and birch were intermediate. Individual plots (1 Ox 10 cm) were on average not more species-rich on large boulders than on small ones, even though large boulders had more species. Transplanted patches of the moss Tortula ruralis were grown below the cover of five tree species. The growth was significantly lower below Norway spruce than below the deciduous tree species, which was related to lower amount of throughfall, lower pH in throughfall and lower relative light flux below Norway spruce. In laboratory experiments Tortula ruralis grew significantly less at pH 4.1 as compared to pH 4.5 or higher. At high RH Antitrichia curtipendula grew significantly more than at low RH. Antitrichia curtipendula grew significantly more and T. ruralis significantly less when watered often (every third day). The bryophyte flora was also studied in permanent plots on boulders in a deciduous forest between 1997 and 1999, in order to study the effects of three litter treatments (deciduous, coniferous or no litter). Species richness increased in plots with deciduous litter and decreased in plots with Norway spruce litter, while it was maintained in plots without litter. There was a considerable variation between years in cover of many species, which reduced the treatment-effects.
Aging Increases the Susceptivity of MSCs to Reactive Oxygen Species and Impairs Their Therapeutic Potency for Myocardial Infarction

Myocardial infarction (MI) is one of the leading causes of death worldwide and Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) transplantation has been considered a promising therapy. Recently, it was reported that the therapeutic effectiveness of MSCs is dependent on the age of the donor, yet the underlying mechanism has not been thoroughly investigated. This study was designed to investigate whether this impaired therapeutic potency is caused by an increased susceptivity of MSCs from old donors to reactive oxygen species (ROS). The MSCs were isolated from the subcutaneous inguinal region of young (8–10 weeks) and old (18 months) Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats. By exposing these MSCs to H2O2, we found that the adhesion of MSCs from old donors was damaged more severely. Specifically, decreased expression of integrin and reduced phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase Src and FAK were observed. Furthemore, H2O2 triggered an increased apoptosis of MSCs from old donors. To study the viability and therapeutic potency of MSCs from young and old donors in vivo, these MSCs were transplanted into acute MI model rats. We observed a more rapidly decreased survival rate of the old MSCs in the infarct region, which may be caused by their increased susceptivity to the micro-environmental ROS, as transplantation of the old MSCs with N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), a ROS scavenger, protected them. The low viability of engrafted old MSCs consequently impaired their therapeutic effectiveness, judging by the histology and function of heart. Our study may help to understand the mechanism of MSCs-host interaction during MI, as well as shed light on the design of therapeutic strategy in clinic.
The Effects of Publicity on Demand: The Case of Anti-Cholesterol Drugs

Over the past 10 years there has been increased recognition of the importance of publicity as a means of generating product awareness. Despite this, previous research has seldom investigated the impact of publicity on demand. We contribute to the literature by (i) proposing a new method for the interpretation of publicity data, one that maps the information in news articles (or broadcasts) to a multidimensional attribute space; (ii) investigating how different types of publicity affect demand; and (iii) investigating how different types of publicity interact with firms’ own marketing communication efforts. We study these issues for statins. We find that publicity plays an important role both for expanding the market for statins and for determining which statins patients or physicians choose. We also find evidence that publicity can serve as either a substitute or a complement for traditional marketing channels depending on the complexity of the information type. We argue that the interaction results are driven by the relative strengths of the corroborative and rational inattention functions in publicity. These results suggest that managers should be aware of the interactions between publicity and traditional marketing channels to better determine how to allocate their marketing expenditures.
Religion and spirituality in social work practice with older adults: A survey of social workers

The present study explored social workers' attitudes and behaviors concerning the utilization of religious and spiritual interventions in practice settings with older adults. MSWs belonging to one of two professional organizations, the California Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the Association for Gerontology Education in Social Work (AGE-SW) were surveyed. Questions regarding the appropriateness and utilization of religious and spiritual interventions, and beliefs about the role of religion and spirituality in practice with older adults were contained in the questionnaire. The findings revealed that, overall the respondents indicated religion and spirituality play an important role in social work practice with older adults. The majority of respondents also stated they believe that spirituality is a basic element of being human. Additionally, the findings indicated that, in the absence of formal training on issues of religion and spirituality, the social workers attended workshops or conferences that dealt with some aspect of religion or spirituality to supplement their knowledge.
Autonomic activity difference during continuous positive airway pressure titration in patients with obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome with or without hypertension.

BACKGROUND Current evidence suggests that obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is an independent risk factor for systemic hypertension. The mechanisms linking OSAHS to hypertension remain unclear. However, recent studies have indicated that abnormal autonomic control may be an important factor. Our study aims to evaulate differences in autonomic activity between hypertensive and normotensive OSAHS patients before and during continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy. METHODS Fifty-three OSAHS patients were analyzed in this study. Patients were divided into 2 groups, one group comprising patients with hypertension and the other of patients without hypertension. Heart rate variability (HRV) was assessed by polysomnography, before patients received CPAP titration and during CPAP titration. Then, HRV was compared between the hypertensive and normotensive groups. Multivarate analyses were used to evaluate the influence of clinical variables on autonomic activity. RESULTS Although HRV before CPAP titration was not statistically different between the 2 groups, low frequency variability was significantly lower in hypertensive subjects who received CPAP titration compared with normotensive subjects. Multivariate analysis revealed that hypertension is a determinant factor of autonomic change during CPAP use. CONCLUSIONS Our findings demonstrate that CPAP therapy results in a greater and immediate change in autonomic activity in hypertensive OSAHS patients compared with normotensive OSAHS patients. This suggests that CPAP lowers blood pressure by decreasing the patient's autonomic activity.
Association between Specific Diurnal Preference Questionnaire Items and PER3 VNTR Genotype

Although there are significant intra‐individual differences in self‐reported diurnal preference, as measured by validated questionnaires, the relative contribution of exogenous and endogenous factors to self‐reported diurnal preference largely remains to be investigated. The present study examined which items from the Horne‐Östberg (HÖ) questionnaire of diurnal preference were better at predicting genotypes in the variable number tandem polymorphism (VNTR) in the coding region of the gene PER3. This polymorphism has previously been reported to associate with diurnal preference, sleep parameters, and cognitive performance markers following sleep deprivation. Participants (n=240, selected from a previously studied population) had completed the HÖ questionnaire and provided a DNA sample, which was genotyped with regard to the PER3 VNTR. A multinomial logistic regression showed that four items significantly increased prediction accuracy between the two homozygotic genotypes, with homozygotes for the longer variant of the gene (PER35/5) associated with answers indicating a stronger morning preference than those chosen by homozygotes for the shorter variant (PER34/4). Only one item, the question of whether the respondent required an alarm clock, discriminated between all three genotypes. Moreover, when the items were divided into those with the strongest versus the weakest genetic association, there was a significant relationship between age and the questions not predicting genotype, but not between age and genotype‐predictive questions. This may explain previous findings regarding age‐related differences in self‐reported diurnal preference. These findings could facilitate the future development of diurnal preference scales especially tailored to the study of specific biological parameters.
Experimental EKF-based SLAM for Mini-rovers with IR Sensors Only

The performances of an EKF-based SLAM approach are experimentally discussed in the case of a mini-robot equipped with low-cost IR sensors only, showing that despite of the sparseness and noisiness of the sensors, SLAM experiments using classical SLAM methods can be performed even on a Khepera robot in a real arena, whose dimensions may be significantly larger than the robot size. The main characteristics of the SLAM approach and of the used sensors are described in the paper, which illustrates and discusses the performed tests and their results.
Why Education Practitioners and Stakeholders Should Care About Person Fit in Educational Assessments

In this article, A. Adrienne Walker introduces the concept of person fit to education stakeholders as a source of evidence to inform the trustworthiness of a test score for interpretation and use (validity). Person fit analyses are used in educational measurement research to explore the degree to which a person's test score can be interpreted as a reasonable estimate of her achievement level. Although much academic literature has been produced on person fit, the findings and implications of this research remain largely unknown to education stakeholders. Walker argues that the practice of using test scores based on misfitting response patterns is problematic, and by including individual person fit in quality procedures, assessment research, practice, and policy can improve the way educational assessments serve instruction.
Comparison of father-offspring and mother-offspring associations of cardiovascular risk factors: family linkage within the population-based HUNT Study, Norway.

BACKGROUND Cardiovascular risk factors are transmitted from parents to offspring; however, the relative contributions of fathers and mothers remain unclear. If maternal exposures during pregnancy influence offspring through the intrauterine environment, associations between mothers and offspring are expected to be stronger than between fathers and offspring. In this family linkage study we compared father-offspring and mother-offspring associations of several cardiovascular risk factors. METHODS The study population consisted of 36,528 father-mother-offspring trios who participated at one or more surveys of the HUNT Study, Norway in 1984-86, 1995-97 and 2006-08. Parent-offspring associations were assessed using unstandardized and standardized residuals from linear regression analysis, and possible non-paternity was accounted for in sensitivity analyses. RESULTS Age- and sex-adjusted parent-offspring associations for anthropometric factors, blood pressure, blood lipids, blood glucose and resting heart rate were largely similar between fathers and mothers. Use of standardized values and analyses adjusted for non-paternity further emphasized this similarity. CONCLUSIONS This study found largely similar father-offspring and mother-offspring associations across all cardiovascular risk factors under study, arguing against strong maternal effects transmitted through intrauterine mechanisms.