Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the End-User Computing Satisfaction Instrument: A Replication

Cross–validation is an important and often neglected step in the scientific process. Measurement models can vary across samples and must be tested and retested before they are accepted as valid. In a review of user satisfaction instruments, Klenke concludes that there is an appalling lack of effort to cross–validate MIS instruments and calls for efforts to retest the End–User Computing Satisfaction (EUCS) instrument using new data. Using different sampling methods and a new sample of 359 respondents, this study replicates an earlier confirmatory factor analysis of the EUCS instrument. This replication suggests that the EUCS instrument is robust (i.e., not affected by sampling methods) and can be used with confidence to evaluate information systems.
Efficiency of Adipose-Derived versus Bone Marrow-Derived Stem Cells in Modulation of Histopathological Changes and CD31 Immunoexpression during Wound Healing in Rats

Objective: To evaluate therapeutic effect of intradermal injection of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal (BMMSCs) versus adipose-derived (ASCs) stem cells on surgical skin wound healing. Methods: Forty albino rats were used and classified into four groups: I (Control), II (skin wound), III (skin wound with BM-MSCs treatment) and IV (skin wound with ASCs treatment). The rats were sacrificed on 7th and 14th days from the day of wound induction and skin specimens were processed to be examined by light microscope. Results: Examination of skin sections of groups II, III and IV after 7 days revealed discontinuity of epidermis, granulation tissue formation and cellular infiltration which were more extensive in group II. After 14 days, these findings persisted in group II, partially subsided in group III and completely subsided in group IV. Collagen fibers were increased with change in their orientation as the healing progress. The CD31 immunoexpression in endothelial cells lining dermal blood vessels was increased in group IV after 7 days with significant reduction in the same group after 14 days when compared with group II and group III. Conclusion: Wound healing was more advanced with ASCs treatment and that could suggest ASCs as a promising therapy for wound healing without complications and further investigations are recommended to enhance the efficacy of ASCs as a therapy for tissue repair.
Effects of dietary protein sources on the progression of renal failure without dialysis in rats

The quality and quantity of protein are essential factors that determine nutritional significance of a protein. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of several animal and plant proteins on the progression of renal failure in rats. Ninety male rats were allocated into nine groups and were fed with a basal diet containing different protein sources for 12 weeks. Two groups comprised of a negative control group and a positive control group (with induced renal failure) fed on the basal diet. Rats in the remaining seven groups were fed using different diets containing 10% protein derived from fish, meat, chicken, egg, soybean, lentil, and white bean. Biological, biochemical and histological studies were done at the end of the study. Protein content was highest for the chicken extract (87.36%), followed by meat (85.67%), egg (78.85%), and fish (78.55%). Body weight gain increased as food intake decreased in all groups other than the positive control group, and the food efficiency ratio paralleled food intake. Rats fed the fish protein diet had lower blood urea nitrogen (28.0 mg/dL), uric acid (3.5mg/dL) levels compared with the other groups. There were no significant differences in creatinine levels between rats fed the animal protein (fish and meat) or the plant protein (soy and white bean) diets. Histological studies revealed no abnormal renal features in rats fed the fish or soybean protein diets. Therefore, the results of the study suggest that a diet containing fish protein may delay the progression of chronic renal failure relative to other protein diets.
Symposium 3 : Mechanisms involved in exercise-induced mitochondrial biogenesis in skeletal muscle Involvement of PPAR g coactivator-1 , nuclear respiratory factors 1 and 2 , and PPAR a in the adaptive response to endurance exercise

Endurance exercise training induces an increase in the respiratory capacity of muscle, resulting in an increased capacity to generate ATP as well as improved efficiency of muscle contraction. Such adaptations are largely the result of a coordinated genetic response that increases mitochondrial proteins, fatty acid oxidation enzymes and the exerciseand insulin-stimulated glucose transporter GLUT4, and shifts the contractile and regulatory proteins to their more efficient isoforms. In recent years a number of the transcriptional regulators involved in this genetic response have been identified and these factors can be classified into two different groups. The first group comprises transcription factors such as nuclear respiratory factors (NRF) 1 and 2 and PPARa that bind DNA in a sequence-specific manner. The second group, referred to as transcriptional co-activators, alter transcription without directly binding to DNA. The PPARg co-activator (PGC) family of proteins have been identified as the central family of transcriptional co-activators for induction of mitochondrial biogenesis. PGC-1a is activated by exercise, and is sufficient to produce the endurance phenotype through direct interactions with NRF-1 and PPARa, and potentially NRF-2. Furthering the understanding of the activation of PGC proteins following exercise has implications beyond improving athletic performance, including the possibility of providing targets for the treatment of frailty in the elderly, obesity and diseases such as mitochondrial myopathies and diabetes.
Transplanted retinal progenitor cells exhibit long-term survival and function in a murine model of laser photocoagulation

Purpose: Research endeavors over the last decade has shown the potential of retinal progenitor cell transplantation, both autologous and analogous, to have potential in ameliorating retinal degeneration. However, such studies were largely performed on a time period of one month and the long-term survival and functionality of the transplanted retinal progenitor cells have not been investigated, which was the objective of the current study. Methods: Retinal progenitor cells were harvested from the neural retinas of postnatal day 1 enhanced green fluorescent protein (GFP) mice and transplanted in host mice induced to have retinal photocoagulation using a diode laser. Cell morphometry and immunofluorescence analyses were conducted 4 and 12 weeks post-transplantation to assess the integration of donor cells. Results: There was numerous retinal progenitor cells that migrated into the recipient outer nuclear layer at both 4 and 12 weeks and there was no observed significant difference between the observed integration numbers at these two times. The majority of the cells developed morphological features associated with mature photoreceptors, expressed and maintained photoreceptor specific proteins. Furthermore, they formed and maintained synaptic connections with bipolar neurons as assessed by expression of bassson and protein kinase C alpha in the transplanted retinal progenitor cells at 12 weeks. Conclusions: Cumulatively our findings indicate that given their long term survival and functionality, autologous donor retinal progenitor cells are optimal for therapeutic approaches to repair retinal degeneration.
A comparison of local and aggregated climate model outputs with observed data

Abstract We compare the output of various climate models to temperature and precipitation observations at 55 points around the globe. We also spatially aggregate model output and observations over the contiguous USA using data from 70 stations, and we perform comparison at several temporal scales, including a climatic (30-year) scale. Besides confirming the findings of a previous assessment study that model projections at point scale are poor, results show that the spatially integrated projections are also poor. Citation Anagnostopoulos, G. G. , Koutsoyiannis, D. , Christofides, A. , Efstratiadis, A. & Mamassis, N. (2010) A comparison of local and aggregated climate model outputs with observed data. Hydrol. Sci. J. 55(7), 1094–1110.
Occupancy modeling of Black‐backed Woodpeckers on burned Sierra Nevada forests

The Black-backed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus) has been designated by the USDA Forest Service as a management indicator species for snags in burned conifer forests of the Sierra Nevada of California, USA. However, little is known about the characteristics that affect between-fire and within-fire habitat selection by the species in the region. Here we report on the first broad-scale survey of Black-backed Woodpeckers on wildfire-affected forests of the Sierra Nevada. We implemented a Bayesian hierarchical model to: 1) estimate Black-backed Woodpecker occupancy probability in fire areas burned within a time window of 1–10 years; 2) identify relationships between occupancy probability and habitat covariates (fire age, change in canopy cover pre-to-post fire, and snag basal area), elevation, and latitude; and 3) estimate detection probability and relate it to survey interval length and survey type (passive v. broadcast). We included random fire-area effects in our model of occupancy probability to accommodate clusters of non-independent points surveyed within the larger set of fire areas. Mean occupancy probability was estimated to be 0.097. Elevation (after controlling for latitude) had the strongest effect on occupancy probability (higher occupancy at higher elevation) followed by latitude (higher occupancy at northerly sites). Fire age was also important; occupancy probability was about 4× higher on the youngest compared to oldest fires. Although the direction of regression coefficients were in the expected direction (positive), snag basal area and canopy cover change were of minor importance in affecting occupancy probability. There was some indication, however, that the importance of snag basal area increased with fire age. Weak links between occupancy and canopy cover change suggested the species uses a range of burn severities, and such heterogeneity may promote habitat longevity. Our estimate of overall detection probability (across all survey intervals) was 0.772. We found strong effects of survey interval length (higher for longer interval) and, especially survey type (higher for broadcast survey) on detection probability. Our modeling framework and implementation illustrates the flexibility of the Bayesian hierarchical approach for handling complexities such as estimating derived parameters (and variances) and modeling random effects, and should prove generally useful for occupancy studies.
AN ANALYZER FOR DETECTING AGING FAULTS IN ELECTRONIC DEVICES

In theory, electronic systems should not wear out with use, and yet obviously they do. While the amount of waste caused by this dichotomy is staggering in terms of safety, poor reliability, and early system replacements, little is being done to prevent or even understand it. A case in point is the long standing fifty-percent No Fault Found (NFF) rate in the testing of aging avionics systems that has for decades defied all attempts to reduce it. In this paper, we apply Occam’s Razor to examine the technical and some of the political issues associated with testing and eliminating latent intermittents. More importantly, we challenge industry mind-sets regarding the viability of functional testing as an indicator of reliability, and we question the wisdom of applying fixed ”cradle-tograve” testing philosophies when evidence shows that the predominate failure mode changes over the life of a system. Because testing requirements do not change to keep pace with the changing failure modes, latent tester-void defects accumulate resulting in decreasing reliability and eventually to early system replacements when that system can no longer meet its operational requirements and is erroneously assumed to be worn out. To validate this concept of tester-void defects, we examine the internal measurement mechanics presently in use and show why these methods are not able to detect age-induced intermittent failures. As an enabling solution, we introduce a new testing paradigm developed by Universal Synaptics that fills this long-standing void and provides a direct testing means for long-term reliability.
Influence of Student Ability, Locus of Control, and Type of Instructional Control on Performance and Confidence.

AbstractThis study examined the effects of student ability, locus of control, and type of instructional control on performance and the motivational outcome of confidence. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of two treatments: learner control over the instructional strategy of a computer-based lesson and program control over the instructional strategy of the lesson. Student ability and locus of control were considered as aptitude variables. Upon completion of the lesson, subjects completed a survey designed to measure their confidence and took a posttest to determine if they could identify the concepts presented in the lesson. Results indicated that student ability and locus of control significantly influenced both performance and confidence, whereas type of instructional control did not affect outcomes. Implications for future learner control research are discussed.
Entanglement negativity and minimal entanglement wedge cross sections in holographic theories

We calculate logarithmic negativity, a quantum entanglement measure for mixed quantum states, in quantum error-correcting codes and find it to equal the minimal cross sectional area of the entanglement wedge in holographic codes with a quantum correction term equal to the logarithmic negativity between the bulk degrees of freedom on either side of the entanglement wedge cross section. This leads us to conjecture a holographic dual for logarithmic negativity that is related to the area of a cosmic brane with tension in the entanglement wedge plus a quantum correction term. This is closely related to (though distinct from) the holographic proposal for entanglement of purification. We check this relation for various configurations of subregions in AdS3/CFT2. These are disjoint intervals at zero temperature, as well as a single interval and adjacent intervals at finite temperature. We also find this prescription to effectively characterize the thermofield double state. We discuss how a deformation of a spherical entangling region complicates calculations and speculate how to generalize to a covariant description.
Study of precipitation along a concentration gradient

The present work is based on the microstructural characterization method proposed by T. Miyazaki [13], the so-called Macroscopic Composition Gradient (MCG) method. This technique allows the investigation of phase transformations in a single specimen and helps to evaluate the mechanical properties for different alloy compositions. It is based on the microstructural observation of a continuous concentration gradient, which can be generated by several methods, for instance, diffusion coupling, imperfect homogenization of coarse discontinuous precipitates, etc.
The impact of circulation patterns on regional transport pathways and air quality over Beijing and its surroundings

Abstract. This study investigated the air pollution characteristics of synoptic-scale circulation in the Beijing megacity, and provided quantitative evaluation of the impacts of circulation patterns on air quality during the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. Nine weather circulation types (CTs) were objectively identified over the North China region during 2000–2009, using obliquely rotated T-mode principal component analysis (PCA). The resulting CTs were examined in relation to the local meteorology, regional transport pathways, and air quality parameters, respectively. The FLEXPART-WRF model was used to calculate 48-h backward plume trajectories for each CT. Each CT was characterized with distinct local meteorology and air mass origin. CT 1 (high pressure to the west with a strong pressure gradient) was characterized by a northwestern air mass origin, with the smallest local and southeasterly air mass sources, and CT 6 (high pressure to the northwest) had air mass sources mostly from the north and east. On the contrary, CTs 5, 8, and 9 (weak pressure field, high pressure to the east, and low pressure to the northwest, respectively) were characterized by southern and southeastern trajectories, which indicated a greater influence of high pollutant emission sources. In turn, poor air quality in Beijing (high loadings of PM10, BC, SO2, NO2, NOx, O3, AOD, and low visibility) was associated with these CTs. Good air quality in Beijing was associated with CTs 1 and 6. The average visibilities (with ±1σ) in Beijing for CTs 1 and 6 during 2000–2009 were 18.5 ± 8.3 km and 14.3 ± 8.5 km, respectively. In contrast, low visibility values of 6.0 ± 3.5 km, 6.6 ± 3.7 km, and 6.7 ± 3.6 km were found in CTs 5, 8, and 9, respectively. The mean concentrations of PM10 for CTs 1, 6, 5, 8, and 9 during 2005–2009 were 90.3 ± 76.3 μg m−3, 111.7 ± 89.6 μg m−3, 173.4 ± 105.8 μg m−3, 158.4 ± 90.0 μg m−3, and 151.2 ± 93.1 μg m−3, respectively. Analysis of the relationship between circulation pattern and air quality during the emission control period suggests that CTs are the primary drivers of day-to-day variations in pollutant concentrations over Beijing and its vicinity. During the Olympics period, the frequency of CT 6 was twice that of the mean in August from 2000 to 2009. This CT had northerly transport pathways and favorable meteorological conditions (e.g. frequent precipitation) for clean air during the Olympics. Assuming that relationships between CTs and air quality parameters in the same season are fixed in different years, the relative contributions of synoptic circulation to decreases in PM10, BC, SO2, NO2, NOx, CO, and horizontal light extinction during the Olympics were estimated as 19 ± 14%, 18 ± 13%, 41 ± 36%, 12 ± 7%, 10 ± 5%, 19 ± 11%, and 54 ± 25%, respectively.
Changing the world and changing the self: A two-process model of perceived control.

There is extensive evidence that people strongly value and are reluctant to relinquish the perception of control. Yet, both helplessness and locus of control theorists interpret various "inward" behaviors (passivity, withdrawal, and submissiveness) as signs of relinquished perceived control. As evidence, they note that inward behavior frequently is accompanied by causal attributions to limited ability, chance, and powerful others—all attributions that suggest uncontrollability. In contrast, we claim,that these attributions and the behaviors to which they relate may often reflect a type of perceived control that is generally overlooked. People attempt to gain control not only by bringing the environment into line with their wishes (primary control) but also by bringing themselves into line with environmental forces (secondary control). Four manifestations of secondary control are considered: (a) Attributions to severely, limited ability can serve to enhance predictive control and to protect against disappointment. Passive and withdrawn behaviors reflect the attempt to inhibit unfulfillable expectations, (b) Attributions to chance can reflect illusory control, since people often construe chance as a personal characteristic akin to an ability ("luck"). Individuals who make attributions to chance may exhibit passivity and withdrawal in skill situations, reserving energy and emotional investment for situations that allow them to capitalize on their perceived strength—that is, being lucky, (c) Attributions to powerful others permit vicarious control when the individual identifies with these others. Submission to a powerful leader, a group, or a deity sometimes enables the individual to join in their power, (d) All of the preceding attributions may foster interpretive control, in which the individual seeks to understand and derive meaning from otherwise uncontrollable events in order to accept them. When perceived control is recognized in both its primary and secondary forms, a broad range of inward behaviors can be seen as efforts to sustain rather than relinquish the perception of control.
A Cut off Value for Brain Natriuretic Peptide Indicating Volume Overload in Hemodialysis Patients

Introduction: Accurate volume status evaluation leads to better control of hypertension and blood pressure in Hemodialysis (HD) patients, unfortunately there is lack of a reliable objective tool that can be used to measure volume status in daily clinical practice. Brain Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) is an important biomarker in patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). Whether it is a predictor of weight change or Blood Pressure (BP) response upon probing dry weight among hemodialysis patients remains unknown with lack of standardized cut off values in HD patients. Aim: To find a cut off value for BNP in HD patients with fair cardiac function which indicates concealed volume overload, to preserve cardiac function and reduce the risk of cardiovascular mortality on the long term. Method: 40 End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) patients on regular hemodialysis 3 times weekly were enrolled. Inclusion criteria: (1) Ejection fraction >55%, LV end systolic (2-4 cm) and diastolic (3.7-5.5 cm) internal dimensions by echocardiography. (2) Patients with mild LVH; intraventricular wall thickness in diastole <1.3 cm. (3) Hypertensive patients; with or without antihypertensive medications. Exclusion criteria: Patients with volume or pressure overload due to other causes than fluid overload (i.e. anemia, heart failure and aneurysmal dilatation of vascular access). Laboratory investigations were done with serum BNP samples collected post dialysis. Radiological studies included echocardiography, Inferior vena cava collapsibility index for assessment of volume status. Results: We found no statistical significant differences between hyper and normovolemic patients as regard patient’s characteristics including gender, smoking and presence of diabetes mellitus or hypertension. Also, no significant correlation was present between BNP and patient’s characteristics (age, gender) or laboratory investigations (S. Creatinine, S. Ca, Hb). However, there was an inverse relationship between BNP and IVC collapsibility index. Patients with hypervolemia had significantly higher BNP levels, as compared to the euvolemic patients, with a significant difference (p value=0.011) with the most relevant level of BNP (17.650 pg/ml) to differentiate hyper/normovolemic patients, with a sensitivity of 71% and a specificity of 77.8%. Conclusion: Our study would appear to provide direct evidence that plasma BNP levels were correlated to the degree of fluid retention in HD patients indicating that elevated levels of BNP could be regarded as a marker of volume overload in absence of other causes of volume and pressure overload (or in absence of heart failure, anemia or vascular access aneurysm).