Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of anterior segment measurements using rotating Scheimpflug imaging and partial coherence interferometry.

AIM To compare central corneal thickness (CCT) and anterior chamber depth (ACD) measurements using rotating Scheimpflug imaging and partial coherence interferometry. METHODS As part of the first phase of Shahroud Eye Cohort Study with 5 190 subjects of 40 to 64 years of age, CCT and ACD were measured using Scheimpflug imaging with the Pentacam (Oculus, Inc., Lynnwood, WA, USA) and partial coherence interferometry with the Allegro BioGraph (Wavelight, Erlangen, Germany). RESULTS After applying exclusion criteria, we had data of 4 387 subjects with a mean age of 50.7±6.2 years. Mean CCT with Pentacam and BioGraph were 528.6±33. 2µm and 525.6±32µm respectively; the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001), but the correlation was high (R=0.920). Mean ACD measurements using Pentacam and BioGraph were 2.68±0.35mm and 2.62±0.33mm respectively; the inter-device difference was significant (P<0.001) with high correlation (R=0.944). The 95% limits of agreements between devices were -22. 65µm to 28. 61µm and -0.16mm to 0.29mm for CCT and ACD measurements, respectively. CONCLUSION For both CCT and ACD, the BioGraph gave significantly lower values than the Pentacam (P<0.05). Despite the high inter-device correlation, the 95% limits of agreements were wide, and this may limit their interchangeability in measuring the CCT and ACD.
CD19 Can Regulate B Lymphocyte Signal Transduction Independent of Complement Activation1

B lymphocytes are critically regulated by signals transduced through the CD19-CD21 cell surface receptor complex, where complement C3d binding to CD21 supplies an already characterized ligand. To determine the extent that CD19 function is controlled by complement activation, CD19-deficient mice (that are hyporesponsive to transmembrane signals) and mice overexpressing CD19 (that are hyperresponsive) were crossed with CD21- and C3-deficient mice. Cell surface CD19 and CD21 expression were significantly affected by the loss of CD21 and C3 expression, respectively. Mature B cells from CD21-deficient littermates had ∼36% higher cell surface CD19 expression, whereas CD21/35 expression was increased by ∼45% on B cells from C3-deficient mice. Negative regulation of CD19 and CD21 expression by CD21 and C3, respectively, may be functionally significant because small increases in cell surface CD19 overexpression can predispose to autoimmunity. Otherwise, B cell development and function in CD19-deficient and -overexpressing mice were not significantly affected by a simultaneous loss of CD21 expression. Although CD21-deficient mice were found to express a hypomorphic cell surface CD21 protein at low levels that associated with mouse CD19, C3 deficiency did not significantly affect B cell development and function in CD19-deficient or -overexpressing mice. These results, and the severe phenotype exhibited by CD19-deficient mice compared with CD21- or C3-deficient mice, collectively demonstrate that CD19 can regulate B cell signaling thresholds independent of CD21 engagement and complement activation.
Ultrastructural Studies on the Yeastlike and Mycelial Phases of Sporotrichum schenckii

Fine details of the internal and external morphology of the yeastlike and mycelial phases of the dimorphic fungal pathogen Sporotrichum schenckii as seen in ultrathin sections are described and illustrated by electronphotomicrography. Comparisons of yeastlike phase ultrastructure were made using two different methods of fixation and embedding. The internal morphology of the two forms of yeastlike S. schenckii was in many ways similar to that of similarly dimorphic fungi and yeasts studied by other authors. However, the use of the glutaraldehyde-osmium in agar fixation technique suggests the presence of an electron transparent capsular or slime layer with associated electron dense microfibrils to be present external to the cell wall of the yeastlike phase but not the mycelial phase. Mycelial phase S. schenckii was found to contain many of the internal microstructures reported for other filamentous dimorphic fungi. Conidia production in agitated liquid culture was found to be restricted since only rare sessile conidia were observed.
A New RadMon Version for the LHC and its Injection Lines

A system to monitor the radiation levels is required in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and its injection lines in order to quantify the radiation effects on electronics. Thus, the RadMons were installed in critical areas where equipment is or will be placed. The first years of operation, successive test campaigns and new requirements, raised the need for a new design of the monitor. The architecture of the new RadMon, the radiation reliability and the design strategy adopted for the sensors, used for monitoring the mixed radiation field of the LHC accelerator, are described highlighting the achieved improvements in terms of radiation robustness and measurement accuracy of a device which is of interest for many other research institutes.
Pengaruh Due Professional Care, Akuntabilitas, dan Kecerdasan Emosional Pada Kualitas Audit dengan Reward Sebagai Pemoderasi

This study aimed to get empirical evidence rewards as the moderating influence of due professional care, accountability, and emotional intelligence on audit quality. The sample is all the auditors who work in KAP province of Bali. The sampling method by using nonprobability sampling with saturated sample technique and the total is 47 auditor. Data was collected by questionnaire with survey technique and data analysis technique is Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA). The results of the analysis show that rewards strengthen the influence of due care professional, accountability, and emotional intelligence on audit quality. If due care professional, accountability, and emotional intelligence increases then audit quality level gets higher and better with the supporteof reward.
Modulation of the Mesolimbic Dopamine System by Glutamate

Abstract : Glutamate has been shown to modulate motor behavior, probably via N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA) and α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptors that are involved in the control of the mesolimbic dopamine (DA) system, that is, the ventral tegmental area (VTA)‐nucleus accumbens (NAC). In the present study, we investigated the effects of uncompetitive (MK‐801) and competitive [dl‐2‐amino‐5‐phosphonopentanoic acid (AP‐5), CGP 40116] NMDA receptor antagonists and NMDA and AMPA on DA release in the mesolimbic system and on motor behavior. Systemic injection and intrategmental infusion of MK‐801 increased DA levels in the VTA, but the systemic administration enhanced DA exclusively in the NAC and increased motor behavior. In contrast, intrategmental infusion of AP‐5, but not the systemic administration of its lipophilic analogue CGP 40116, decreased the DA release in the two regions without affecting motor behavior. NMDA and AMPA infusion into the VTA increased DA levels in both areas. This increase was accompanied by a strong motor behavioral stimulation after NMDA but only a moderate increase after AMPA infusion. The present results indicate that mesolimbic DA neurons are controlled by the glutamatergic system and that the effects of uncompetitive and competitive NMDA receptor antagonists on DA release are mediated by an interaction with different brain areas. These findings may account for the different effects of NMDA receptor ligands on motor behavior.
The Quantum Complexity of Computing Schatten $p$-norms

We consider the quantum complexity of computing Schatten $p$-norms and related quantities, and find that the problem of estimating these quantities is closely related to the one clean qubit model of computation. We show that the problem of approximating $\text{Tr}\, (|A|^p)$ for a log-local $n$-qubit Hamiltonian $A$ and $p=\text{poly}(n)$, up to a suitable level of accuracy, is contained in DQC1; and that approximating this quantity up to a somewhat higher level of accuracy is DQC1-hard. In some cases the level of accuracy achieved by the quantum algorithm is substantially better than a natural classical algorithm for the problem. The same problem can be solved for arbitrary sparse matrices in BQP. One application of the algorithm is the approximate computation of the energy of a graph.
Children with moderate/severe brain damage/dysfunction outperform adults with mild-to-no brain damage on the Medical Symptom Validity Test

Primary objective: This study sought independent confirmation that the English computerized Medical Symptom Validity Test can be easily passed by children with moderate-to-severe brain injury/dysfunction (e.g. traumatic brain injury, stroke) and/or developmental disabilities. In addition, it was hypothesized that a higher percentage of such children would pass the MSVT compared to adults with mild traumatic brain injury or head injury (MTBI/HI) and would rate the task as easier. Methods: Thirty-eight children and 67 adults were administered the MSVT during an outpatient neuropsychological evaluation. Results: Two children (5%) failed the MSVT, whereas 14 (21%) of adults failed. Children performed significantly better on the MSVT and rated it as significantly easier compared to adults who failed the MSVT. There were no such differences when children were compared to adults who passed the MSVT. Conclusions: Findings independently validate the use of the MSVT with children and demonstrate symptom exaggeration in a sub-set of adult MTBI/HI patients.
An emerging Asian model of governance and transnational knowledge transfer: an introduction

ABSTRACT Although Asia has a long history of governance practice, its modern governance has been disproportionately influenced by the Western models. Given the shifting global political economic landscape and a re-emerging Asia in recent decades, there is an urgent need to explore the potential of Asian models of governance. Could there be an Asian model of governance that is distinct from the Western ones? If so, what are the key characteristics? In conjunction with the special issue, this introduction article attempts to partially answer these questions. Based upon the existing literature and critical reflections, the authors propose a preliminary analytical framework for an emerging Asian model of governance by incorporating two interlinked phenomena: shared cultural, historical norms and trajectories, and intra-regional transnational knowledge transfer. Six articles constituting the special issue are also briefly introduced within this framework, with the aim of contributing to a better understanding of Asian governance experiences and theoretical debates on the evolving modes of public governance.
Examining the relationship between organisational justice and organizational commitment with perceived organisational support of the Malaysian high performance school sports developmental programme (SPTS) volunteer coaches

This study aims to examine the relationship between organisational justice and organizational commitment with perceived organisational support of the Malaysian High Performance School Sports Developmental Programme (SPTS) volunteer coaches, in an organisation sponsored volunteerism at grass root sports development level. A cross-sectional correlation research mail survey was conducted. Data were analysed by using IBM SPSS statistics software and structural equation modelling with AMOS. Findings showed that interpersonal justice related positively with affective commitment but negatively with continuance commitment; while, distributive justice was only linked to normative commitment. All four dimensions of organisational justice except procedural justice were associated with perceived organisational support. Perceived organisational support relates only to normative commitment. Moreover Organisation Support Theory, under current research, is suggested to contextualise and resolve their conflicting dual roles as a teacher by contract and as a volunteer coach by assignment within the organisation. Besides, it is essential to strengthen the Sports Officers’ capabilities and abilities in volunteer sports management in order to achieve Malaysia’s aim for sports excellence. Future in-depth research is recommended for a better understanding of the subject matter.
Essays on the economics of linguistic diversity and preference for surprise

This thesis is composed of three essays, the first two of which are on the economics of linguistic diversity and the last on the evolutionary foundation of the preference for surprise. Chapter 1 is joint work with Leanna Mitchell. We propose a theory that relates linguistic diversity to cooperative and competitive incentives in a game theoretic framework. In our model, autonomous groups interact periodically in games that represent either cooperation, competition, or no interaction. Language common to a pair of groups facilitates cooperation; whereas language unique to one group affords that group an advantage in competitions against other groups. The relative frequency of cooperation and conflict in a region provide incentives for each group to modify their own language, and therefore leads to changes in linguistic diversity over time. Our model predicts that higher frequency of cooperation relative to conflict reduces a region’s linguistic diversity. Chapter 2 reports a laboratory experiment designed to test the theory proposed in the previous chapter. In the experiment, pairs of subjects endowed with a set of words interact repeatedly in a series of underlying games, in which they use the words to signal their intended action. The underlying games are either coordination or zero-sum. As the subjects are allowed to modify their vocabularies by learning words from their counterpart and creating new words, I observe that, over time, the pairs of vocabularies in coordination games tend to converge, while in zero-sum games, the vocabularies experience constant pressure to diverge. This finding is consistent with the theoretical predictions in Chapter 1. Chapter 3 uses a principal-agent model to provide an evolutionary explanation of the preference for surprise, where surprise is measured by the Kullback-Leibler divergence. The principal in the model is interpreted as the blind force of evolution, who tries to maximize the fitness of the agent. The agent—generations of human beings—seeks to maximize a utility function designed by the principal. In a typical period, the agent first exerts a costly effort to gather information about an unknown state and then takes an action with respect to it. The variance of the signal distribution changes across time, but the agent is predisposed to believe that it does not. I show that if the variance of the signal distribution decreases at a sufficiently fast rate over time, it is evolutionarily optimal for the utility function to include a component that rewards surprises.
Modelling the Common Risk among Equities Using a New Time Series Model

A new additive structure of multivariate GARCH model is proposed where the dynamic changes of the conditional correlation between the stocks are aggregated by the common risk term. The observable sequence is divided into two parts, a common risk term and an individual risk term, both following a GARCH type structure. The conditional volatility of each stock will be the sum of these two conditional variance terms. All the conditional volatility of the stock can shoot up together because a sudden peak of the common volatility is a sign of the system shock. We provide sufficient conditions for strict stationarity and ergodicity of the model. The ergodicity of the model cannot be studied in the standard way because of the nonlinearity. After reforming the original mathematical representation of the model into a complicated Markovian structure, the systematic theory for Markov chain from Meyn and Tweedie (2009) is applied. All the parameters in the model are identifiable in terms of the second conditional moments under mild assumptions. Then there exists a unique solution of parameters in the domain which maximizes the likelihood function for a sufficiently large sample size. The choice of starting values is unimportant within the parameter space defined by the ergodicity theorem. Under some general assumptions we proposed, without specifying the distribution of the innovation, different initial values will lead to the same estimates asymptotically. Once both assumptions for ergodicity and identifiability are satisfied, the quasi maximum likelihood (QML) has become a reasonable method to estimate parameters in practice. The sufficient conditions for the strong consistency and asymptotic normality of the QML estimator are proposed. The Monte Carlo simulation example is included in this thesis to demonstrate how to verify the assumptions in the strict stationarity and asymptotic normality theorems. The numeric issues for the estimating process in practice are addressed with possible solutions.
The Mediating Effects of Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment on Turnover Intention, in the Relationships Between Pay Satisfaction and Work–Family Conflict of Casino Employees

ABSTRACT Pay satisfaction (PS) and work–family conflict (WFC) are increasingly important to researchers and organizational scholars. This study tests the influence between PS and WFC in relation to turnover intention (TI). Using regressions, this study found that job satisfaction and organizational commitment mediate the effects of PS and WFC on TI. The findings provide fresh insights linking the job factors and TI. Managers should understand the needs of their employees in order to retain them. The identified solutions could help reduce turnover rates.
Serum Cytokine Profile of Unaffected First-degree Relatives of Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Objective. Various cytokines have been implicated in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and it is known that elevations in multiple cytokines occur prior to disease onset. The objective of our study is to determine whether the cytokine profile in unaffected first-degree relatives (FDR) of patients with RA is distinct from healthy controls. Methods. The sera of patients with RA, their unaffected FDR, and healthy controls were measured for 27 cytokines using a luminex-based multiplexed immunoassay. Subjects were also tested for rheumatoid factor and 6 different anticitrullinated protein/peptide antibodies (ACPA). Discriminant analysis was performed to define the cytokine profile of the 3 study groups. Results. Fourteen patients with RA, 37 unaffected FDR, and 27 healthy controls were enrolled. All patients with RA and 49% of FDR were ACPA-positive. Patients with RA had elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines compared to FDR and controls. Lower interleukin 13 (IL-13) levels were independently associated with RA. IL-4 was significantly lower in FDR compared to controls. Using discriminant analysis based on the levels of all cytokines measured, RA, FDR, and healthy controls could be distinguished with 91% accuracy. ACPA-positive subjects had higher levels of IL-9, but lower levels of IL-12p70 and macrophage inflammatory protein-1β. No individual cytokine was associated with ACPA-positivity in FDR, but the entire cytokine profile accurately distinguished ACPA-positive from ACPA-negative FDR. Conclusion. The cytokine profiles of patients with RA, healthy controls, unaffected ACPA-positive FDR, and ACPA-negative FDR appear to be distinct.
Exporting Assets: EMU and the Financial Drivers of European Macroeconomic Imbalances

ABSTRACT European Economic and Monetary Union has fostered an unstable complementarity in European financial markets between the growth models favoured by European savers (in the northern ‘core’ of Germany and other exporting states) and its borrowers (in the debt-fuelled and demand-driven eurozone periphery, including countries like Greece and Ireland). In the 2000s, the result of this development was a sharp decrease in real interest rates across the eurozone periphery, leading to rapid but inflationary growth. This eroded the competitiveness of exporters in the European periphery, making them more reliant on capital inflows to pay for growing current account deficits. Those deficits became problematic after the disruption of eurozone financial markets beginning in 2008. The policy response to the crises has focused on reducing the competitiveness gap between the core and periphery – while overlooking the financial forces that contributed to those competitiveness differentials in the first place. Indeed, it is the fragile and perverse complementarity in eurozone financial markets – more than any external shock or competitiveness differences – that lies at the root of Europe’s ongoing crisis.
Sleep duration as a risk factor for diabetes incidence in a large U.S. sample.

STUDY OBJECTIVES To explore the relationship between sleep duration and diabetes incidence over an 8- to 10-year follow-up period in data from the First National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES I). We hypothesized that prolonged short sleep duration is associated with diabetes and that obesity and hypertension act as partial mediators of this relationship. The increased load on the pancreas from insulin resistance induced by chronically short sleep durations can, over time, compromise beta-cell function and lead to type 2 diabetes. No plausible mechanism has been identified by which long sleep duration could lead to diabetes. DESIGN Multivariate longitudinal analyses of the NHANES I using logistic regression models. SETTING Probability sample (n=8992) of the noninstitutionalized population of the United States between 1982 and 1992. PARTICIPANTS Subjects between the ages of 32 and 86 years. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS Between 1982 and 1992, 4.8% of the sample (n=430) were determined by physician diagnosis, hospital record, or cause of death to be incident cases of diabetes. Subjects with sleep durations of 5 or fewer hours (odds ratio = 1.47, 95% confidence interval 1.03-2.09) and subjects with sleep durations of 9 or more hours (odds ratio = 1.52, 95% confidence interval 1.06-2.18) were significantly more likely to have incident diabetes over the follow-up period after controlling for covariates. CONCLUSIONS Short sleep duration could be a significant risk factor for diabetes. The association between long sleep duration and diabetes incidence is more likely to be due to some unmeasured confounder such as poor sleep quality.