Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
User's Willingness to Pay on Social Network Sites

A user's willingness to pay (WTP) on social network site (SNS) has received a great deal of attentions from academics and practitioners. The current study separates the willingness into WTP for SNS and WTP other members of SNS, and introduce a new research model to study the antecedent factors of and their influence on the two types of willingness. We find that the user's trust generated from social activities can be transferred to their trust in business transactions on SNSs, thereby influencing the willingness to pay. The user's perceived playfulness and perceived value of online connections have significant positive effects on their WTP other members of SNSs. This research contributes several new findings to SNS commercialization research, and provides multiple constructive implications to SNS and e-commerce site managers.
Duckett versus Modified Bracka Technique for Proximal Hypospadias Repair A 10-Year Experience

Background: There are various techniques for treatment of proximal hypospadias disease.Surgical correction is often associated with complications. Proximal hypospadias can be repaired by Duckett or Bracka two-stage repair procedure. This study was to evaluate the outcomes, complications and long term follow-up of these two techniques in our referral hospital. Methods: From January 2006 to January 2015 totally 1550 cases of hypospadias were diagnosed in our hospital, of which 164 patients with high type hypospadias underwent Duckett (78 cases) and modified Bracka (86 cases) surgical repair procedures. Sufficient data were analyzed for age at operation, type of pathology, chordee type, number of operations, complications, outcomes and follow-up. Results: One hundred sixty four cases with a mean age of 2.70 ± 2.6 (range 0.5 13) years underwent proximal hypospadias repair. Follow up ran in average to 5 (range 1 10) years.Chordee was seen in 19 (11.58%) cases which 15 (78.9%) cases released and 4 (21.1%) corrected by dorsal Nesbit plication. Fifteen of 164 (9.1%) cases had meatal stenosis: 5 in Bracka and 10 in Duckett group, all of which were repaired by dilatation. Six patients in Duckett group and only one in Bracka series had urethrocutaneous fistula. One case in Bracka group and five cases in Duckett series underwent re-operation. Conclusions: Our study shows that proximal hypospadias repair with modified Bracka procedure has significantly a lower complication rate, also a better and more cosmetic outcome than Duckett technique.
Estimates of the impact of HIV infection on fertility in a rural Ugandan population cohort.

Fertility rates in a population-based cohort of over 3500 women aged 15-49 years living in rural southwest Uganda are described and examined in relation to infection with HIV. Over a six-year follow-up period (1989/90 to 1995/6) the average general fertility rate was estimated as 199 births per thousand woman-years of observation (95 % confidence interval 191 to 207) with a total fertility rate of 6.2 births per woman. The overall prevalence of infection with HIV was 12 per cent and remained relatively stable during follow-up. With the exception of women aged 15-19 years, women who were not infected with HIV had higher fertility than HIV-infected women. The overall age-adjusted fertility rate in HIV-infected women was 0.74 of that of uninfected women (95% confidence interval 0.63 to 0.87, P<0.001) and this result was unaffected by additional adjustment for marital status. When combined with an overall HIV prevalence rate of 12 per cent, this corresponds to a three per cent reduction in fertility rates in the whole population. The lower fertility in HIV-positive women is unlikely to be explained by increased use of contraception, as use of modern contraceptive methods in rural Uganda is low and fewer than ten per cent of women are aware of their HIV-serostatus. More likely explanations are reduced sexual activity due to clinical symptoms associated with HIV infection or lower fertility associated with coexisting infections with other sexually transmitted diseases, such as syphilis. A reduction in fertility caused by HIV infection itself cannot be excluded. The implications of these findings for the use of antenatal clinic data to provide population estimates of HIV prevalence are discussed. Understanding the effect of HIV 1 infection on fertility in populations in sub-Saharan Africa is vital for predicting the likely demographic impact of the epidemic and for predicting the future socio-demographic burden on communities of increased numbers of children infected by vertical transmission of HIV or subsequently orphaned by the death of their HIV-infected
Testing the Noticing Function of the Output Hypothesis.

In spite of Krashen’s (1985) claims that the only way to acquire a second language is through non-stressful comprehensible input, Swain (1995, 1998, 2005) and others propose that the production of language (speaking or writing), under certain circumstances, is a significant part of the second-language acquisition process. Swain also states that there are three functions of output, and one of these is the noticing or triggering function, in which through producing output, learners become aware of their linguistic knowledge. This study examines the role and effectiveness of output – in particular, the noticing function of language output – in developing the writing skills of an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) student from Saudi Arabia. The notice function enables the student to identify lexis and grammar problems in his writing. Data collection for the study was conducted in three stages: In Stage 1 the participant, who studies English at Latrobe Language Centre in Level 4A, wrote three paragraphs in response to illustrated questions. In Stage 2, the participant compared his original writing to model paragraph feedback tools. In Stage 3, the student rewrote his original paragraphs based on what he noticed in Stages 1 and 2. This methodology demonstrated the aspects of language that a second-language learner noticed while forming a paragraph on his own. It also illustrated what the participant noticed when he compared his writing to a model and what changes he made to his writing, as a result. It pushed the learner to create a modified output, leading to development of his writing skills in second-language acquisition.
Specificity of Anti-Histone Autoantibodies in Systemic Rheumatic Disease

Histone antibodies are one of the many classes of autoantibodies found in the sera of patients with systemic rheumatic diseases (1,2, Table I). Following the introduction of new methods for measuring antibodies to histones, in particular by immunoenzymatic assays known as ELISA, many reports have appeared concerning the specificity of these autoantibodies. Antibodies against the five classes of histones (HI, H2A, H2B, H3 and H4) have been described, particularly in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (Table II), drug-induced lupus (DIL) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The frequency of anti-histone antibodies reported to occur in different diseases is variable, which may be due to the fact that anti-histone titers in sera fluctuate during the course of the diseases. Reported frequencies of antibodies are generally in the range of 30-60%, 70-96% and 30-50% for patients with SLE, DIL and RA respectively (3-5). Autoantibodies specific for heteropolymers of histones such as H2A/H2B dimers and H3/H4 tetramers have also been described (3,4,6). For the clinician, the possibility of differentiating serologically between SLE and DIL is of particular importance since the two syndromes may be clinically indistinguishable (7). Although patients with DIL do not have the antibodies specifically found in SLE, i.e. antibodies to double stranded DNA, Smith antigen (Sm) or ribonucleoprotein (RNP) (1,2), the diagnosis of DIL is often difficult and generally cannot be effected by examining the pattern of anti-histone antibodies. Indeed, with the use of the ELISA technique, it is becoming clear that antibodies to all classes of histone are observed both in SLE and in DIL. If the fine specificity of anti-histone antibodies could be defined more precisely, it may become possible to devise better diagnostic tests for some rheumatic diseases. Identification of which regions of the histones are recognized by autoantibodies may
Prevalência dos antígenos eritrocitários caninos em cães domésticos (Canis familiaris) e investigação dos parâmetros hematológicos e da ocorrência de antígenos eritrocitários em lobos-guará (Chrysocyon brachyurus) e cachorros-do-mato (Cerdocyon thos) criados no Brasil

The goal of this study was to verify the prevalence of dog erythrocyte antigen (DEA) in domestic dogs reared in Brazil, in order to compare with the described prevalence found in the literature for dogs reared in other contries. Also, to verify normal blood values and the occurrence of dog erythrocyte antigen in maned wolf and crab eating dog, to investigate phylogenetic relationship between wild and domestic dogs. For this purpose, we collected anticoagulated blood samples from 200 domestic dogs (150 mixed breed and 50 German Sheepherd GSH) from the city of Jaboticabal, in Sao Paulo state, and 32 maned wolves and 16 crab eating dogs, from zoos located in Sao Carlos-SP, Rio de Janeiro-RJ, Sao Jose do Rio Preto-SP, Brasilia-DF, Belo Horizonte-MG, Sorocaba-SP and from a conservationist breeder called CBMM, located in Araxa/MG. The obtained prevalence of dog erythrocyte antigens in mongrels was the following: 57% positive for DEA 1.1, 41% positive for DEA 1.2, 13% positive for DEA 3, 93% positive for DEA 4, 7% positive for DEA 5 and 11% positive for DEA 7. The obtained blood group prevalence for GSH dogs was: 64% positive for DEA 1.1, 36% positive for DEA 1.2, 8% positive for DEA 3, 100% positive for DEA 4, 14% positive for DEA 5 and 8% positive for DEA 7. The most common combinations of blood groups encountered were DEA 1.1,4 (representing 50% in mongrels and 35% in GSH) and DEA 1.2,4 (representing 28% in mongrels and 32,5% in GSH. The high prevalence of DEA 1 blood group in mongrel and GSH dogs represents a favorable factor, once it reduces the risk for a transfusion reaction. The risk for a inicial transfusion reaction against groups DEA 3, DEA 5 or DEA 7 is 7,6% for mongrel and 6% for GSH dogs. Dog erythrocyte antigens were observed in the two studied wild species, but there was a variation on prevalence
Random Structured Test Data Generation for Black-Box Testing

We show how automated random testing can be used to effectively find bugs in complex software, such as an optimising compiler. To test the GHC Haskell compiler we created a generator of simple random programs, used GHC to compile them with different optimisation levels, and then compared the results of running them. Using this simple approach we found a number of optimisation bugs in GHC. This approach for finding bugs proved to be very effective, but we found that implementing a generator of random programs by hand required a large amount of effort. Therefore, we developed an automatic method for deriving random generators of complex test data based on computable boolean predicates that specify the well-formed values of the data type. Defining such a predicate is usually much quicker than implementing a dedicated generator, even if its performance might be comparably lower. In addition, we discovered that the pseudorandom number generator used by us for random testing is unreliable, and that no reliable contruction exists that supports our particular requirements. Consequently, we designed and implemented a high-quality pseudorandom number generator, which is based on a known and reliable cryptographic construction, and whose correctness is supported by a formal argument. Finally, we present how random testing can be used to rank a group of programs according to their relative correctness with respect to their observed behaviour. The ranking method removes the influence of the distribution of the random data generator used for testing, which results in a reliable ranking.
Code and data outlining

In this dissertation we investigate compiler techniques to address the performance problems caused by heterogeneous execution frequency of code in the same function and heterogeneous access pattern of fields in the same data structure. These heterogeneous characteristics are bad for performance. On one hand, it is frequent that instructions in the same function have very different execution frequencies. There is often infrequently referenced cold code, such as exception handlers, intertwined in frequently invoked hot functions. Cold code in hot functions not only degrades instruction cache efficiency but also makes host functions too large to be inlined. On the other hand, programmers organize their data layout in a semantically meaningful way that often does not match the runtime access pattern well. This data organization causes inefficient data cache utilization. We use compiler outlining techniques to address these performance problems that are difficult to handle by programmers. For programs with heterogeneous execution frequency, we use function outlining to split cold code out of the host function. Function outlining makes the host function smaller and more amenable for inlining optimization because the compiler is then able to do partial inlining, i.e., inline only the hot parts of a callee. To address the heterogeneous data pattern issue, we use data outlining or reshaping, which splits large data structures into smaller ones, to improve the efficiency of data cache. We describe in detail the necessary analysis and transformations needed to preserve correct program behavior in code and data outlining. In both function outlining and data outlining, we conduct a study of possible strategies. Our study shows that, although function outlining can be used to reduce function sizes (by up to 97%) and partial inlining improves performance by up to 5.75%, partial inlining has very limited effect on enabling more aggressive inlining for SPEC2000 benchmarks. The major benefits of partial inlining are actually the benefits of function outlining, which become more pronouncing when inlining is enabled. We also found that data reshaping could improve performance dramatically: one of the benchmarks studied achieves 2.1 times speedup with proper reshaping strategy. Detailed analysis explains these performance results.
Does International Migration Help Them Marry earlier? A Hazard Model for the Case of Egypt

Marriage represents an important step of entering adulthood in the Egyptian society and its delay often results in tensions and frustration among youth. Considering migration as a predetermined strategy to reach a targeted level of savings, we question whether having migrated helps shorten the duration to marriage in the case of Egypt. To the best of our knowledge, the present study will be the first to link the timing of migration to the timing of marriage in the case of Egypt. We find no effect of migration on the timing of marriage, except within the migrant population.
Implementing screening and brief alcohol interventions in primary care: views from both sides of the consultation

Excessive drinking is a global health problem which is responsible for a wide range of both chronic and acute illness, and which costs the UK National Health Service (NHS) £1.7 billion annually. Current health policy aims to reduce alcohol-related problems by promoting early identification of risk followed by brief intervention to facilitate positive changes in drinking level or patterns of consumption. However, practical and philosophical barriers concerning screening and brief alcohol intervention have so far impeded its uptake in routine primary care. This qualitative study aimed to simultaneously explore and compare health professionals’ and patients’ views on the acceptability and feasibility of screening and brief alcohol intervention in primary care. Focus groups were held with (a) four primary care teams, (b) two general practitioner (GP) and two nurse groups and (c) six patient groups in the north-east of England. A thematic framework approach was used to analyse audio-taped data via transcripts. Both health professionals and patients reported that raising and discussing alcohol-related risk was acceptable in primary care, when combined with other lifestyle issues or linked to relevant health conditions. Targeted rather than universal screening was the most acceptable method of identifying alcohol-related risk and would fit well with existing practice. However, there was uncertainty among health professionals about the effectiveness of brief alcohol interventions and some disagreement with patients concerning who was best placed to deliver them. Health professionals felt that nurses were best placed for such work whilst patients reported that they would initially raise the subject with GPs. There was broad acceptance of brief intervention approaches but a lack of support and specific incentives for this work impeded its delivery in routine practice.
A call for change : recommendations for the mathematical preparation of teachers of mathematics

How can the teaching and learning of mathematics in schools better prepare students for the future? Changes in the way teachers learn and teach mathematics are recommended. "A Call for Change", a new MAA report, offers a set of recommendations that come from a vision of ideal mathematics teachers in classrooms of the 1990s and beyond. The report describes the collegiate mathematical experiences that a teacher needs in order to meet this vision.
Exploring Factors Affecting the Adoption of Internet of Things Services

ABSTRACT The Internet of things (IoT) is seen as a potentially effective means of integrating multiple technologies to improve the quality of life. However, little attention has been paid to factors that may have a significant effect on a user’s intention to use the IoT services. This study applies the value-based adoption model to examine the influences of benefits (i.e. perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment) and sacrifices (i.e. perceived privacy risk and perceived costs) on the user’s perceived value of and intention to use the IoT services. A structural equation modeling approach is applied to a survey of 489 IoT users, with results indicating that perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment significantly affect behavioral intention through perceived value. Moreover, perceived privacy risk also plays a key factor in determining IoT adoption. The implications of this study are discussed.
Increased sensitivity to ozone-induced injury and altered pulmonary mechanics in mice with chronic lung inflammation. effects of aging

ii DEDICATION iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v TABLE OF CONTENTS vi ABBREVIATONS ix LIST OF FIGURES xii LIST OF TABLES xiv INTRODUCTION Lung Structure and Cells 1 Pulmonary Surfactants 5 Lung Function: Respiratory Mechanics 9 Inflammation and Inflammatory Mediators 14 Oxidative stress and Antioxidants 21 Macrophages 24 Phenotypic Markers of Macrophage Activation 28 Aging and Innate Immunity 33 Ozone 45 AIMS OF THE DISSERTATION 55 MATERIALS AND METHODS Mice 56 Ozone Exposure 56
MANAJEMEN MUTU PERGURUAN TINGGI (Studi tentang Kpemimpinan Visioner dan Kinerja Dosen terhadap Mutu Perguruan Tinggi Swasta di Kota Bandung)

Manajemen mutu pada saat ini menjadi fenomena yang memerlukan perhatian khususbagi sebuah perguruan tinggi terutama perguruan tinggi swasta. Artinya perguruan tinggiswasta khususnya universitas sawsta yang ada di kota Bandung untuk selalu diarahkan padakegiatan meningkatkan mutu. Karena kalau tidak demikian universitas swasta tersebut kurangmendapat tempat di hati masyarakat yang pada akhirnya mengancam eksistensinya. Dengandemikian fokus penelitian ini adalah manajemen mutu perguruan tinggi yang berkaitan denganstudi tentang pengaruh kepemimpinan visioner dan kinerja dosen terhadap mutu universitasdi kota Bandung.Pendekatan yang digunakan dalam penelitian in adalah kuantitatif dengan metodeexplanatory survey melalui instrumen penelitian berupa kuesioner yang diberikan kepadaresponden yang terdiri dari kepala biri/kepala bagian, ketua program studi, dosen danmahasiswa.Temuan penelitian menunjukkan bahwa secara keseluruhan kepemimpinan visioner dankinerja dosen berpengaruh secara positif dan signifikan terhadap mutu universitas. Secara parsialnilai rata-rata terendah adalah sub variabel agen perubahan dan pelatih, sub varibel kompetensihasil penelitian dengan responden mahasiswa menunjukkan pada kategori sedang, sub varibelempati dan produktivitas menunjukkan pada kategori sedang. Sedangkan untuk sub variabellainnya masuk kategori tinggi.Peneliti merekomendasikan kepada pimpinan universitas (rektor) untuk menggunakankepemimpinan visoner yang mamapu memanfaatkan perannya sebagai penentu arah, agenperubahan, juru bicara, dan pelatih. Di lain pihak rektor juga sebaiknya lebih memperhatikankinerja dosennya dengan meningkatkan kompetensi, dan motif berpretasinya, serta mampumenciptakan lingkungan yang kondusif.
Risk Factors and Prevalence of Coronary Heart Disease in Puerto Rico

In spite of an apparently increasing mortality rate from coronary heart disease in Puerto Rico, the age-specific mortality rate from this illness is considerably lower in the island than in the U. S. mainland. Examination of 9,814 Puerto Rican urban and rural men in the 45 to 64-year age group revealed sizable and statistically significant differences in monthly income, cigarette smoking, ingestion of fats, blood pressure, heart rate, relative weight, serum cholesterol, serum glycerides, prevalence of diabetes, and prevalence of hypertension (lower in rural dwellers), and also in vital capacity, consumption of calories per unit body weight, and physical activity (higher in rural area). No urban-rural difference in coronary heart disease prevalence was found, but the prevalence of definite myocardial infarction, established on basis of electrocardiographic criteria alone, was significantly higher in the 45 to 54-year urban group. Follow-up of this population to study incidence of disease and the influence of the various factors upon the development of disease is being conducted.
Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: a growing public health problem

Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CAMRSA) infections slowly began to be reported in healthy children from the late 1980s through to the late 1990s. Since 2000, many investigators have described rapid increases in the number of children that are colonized and infected with CAMRSA. Initially, most children presented with localized skin and soft-tissue infections (e.g., cellulitis, abscesses, furuncles and carbuncles). However, more children are now having severe invasive infections, including overwhelming sepsis with deep venous thrombosis, necrotizing pneumonia, empyema, multifocal osteomyelitis, septic arthritis, pyomyositis, necrotizing fasciitis, orbital and pre-septal cellulitis, toxic shock syndrome and endocarditis. Similar invasive infections are also now being seen with community-acquired methcillin-susceptible S. aureus (CAMSSA) and the relative virulence of CAMRSA strains compared with CAMSSA strains is unclear and may be changing. The emergence of CAMRSA has require.