Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Factors affecting users' online privacy literacy among students in Israel

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the attitudes and influential factors of users’ knowledge and use of the tools designated for controlling and enhancing online privacy, which are referred to as online privacy literacy (OPL). Particularly, inspired by the protection motivation theory, a motivational factor is defined as comprising several variables which reflect users’ motivation to protect their online privacy. Design/methodology/approach To this end, a user study was conducted based on the quantitative method with the participation of 169 students from the Israeli academia who were administered closed-ended questionnaires. Findings Generally low to moderate levels of OPL were obtained. Interestingly, the multivariate linear regression analysis showed that motivational factors, such as users’ concern for personal information protection on the internet and users’ privacy self-efficacy and sense of anonymity when visiting a website, were among the strongest predictive factors of users’ OPL level. Social implications This research has social implications that might contribute to an increase in the OPL among internet users. Originality/value The direct influence of the examined factors on users’ OPL was not previously discussed in the literature. As a result of the study, a comprehensive model of user online privacy behavior was constructed.
Comparison of Evolutionary Algorithms on the Minimax Sensor Location Problem

The Minimax Sensor Location Problem (SELP) is a nonlinear, nonconvex programming problem which aims to locate sensors to monitor a planar region. The objective is to determine the locations that will minimize the maximum probability of “missing” an event in the region. Two evolutionary algorithms, differential evolution (DE) and the co-variance matrix adaptation evolutionary strategy (CMA-ES), are used to solve the SELP when 2 to 10 sensors are to be located in the unit square. Several variants of each algorithm were tested and results show that the DE/best/2/bin variant of DE and the weighted recombination variant of CMA-ES yield the best performance. A comparison of DE and CMA-ES, in terms of the objective value obtained, reveals that the algorithms obtain comparable solutions. However, CMA-ES requires approximately half as many function evaluations as DE.
Does nutrition information on menus impact food choice? Comparisons across two hospital cafeterias

Abstract Objective Food prepared and consumed away from home accounts for a significant proportion of dietary intake among Canadians. Currently, Canadians receive little or no nutrition information when eating in restaurant and fast-food outlets. The present study examined the impact of nutrition information on menus in hospital cafeterias on noticing and perceived influence of nutrition information and on food consumption. Design Cross-sectional surveys. Setting Exit surveys (n 1003) were conducted in two hospital cafeterias. The ‘intervention’ site featured energy (calorie), sodium and fat content on digital menu boards, as well as a health logo for ‘healthier’ items. The intervention site had also revised its menu items to improve the nutrient profiles. The ‘control’ site provided limited nutrition information at the point of sale. Subjects Cafeteria patrons recruited using the intercept technique. Results Significantly more respondents at the intervention site reported noticing nutrition information (OR = 7·6, P < 0·001) and using nutrition information to select their food items (OR = 3·3, P < 0·001) compared with patrons at the control site, after adjusting for sociodemographic factors. Patrons at the intervention site consumed significantly less energy (−21 %, P < 0·001), sodium (−23 %, P < 0·001), saturated fat (−33 %, P < 0·001) and total fat (−37 %, P < 0·001) than patrons at the control site. Conclusions A nutritional programme, including nutrition information on menus and improved nutrition profile of food offerings, was associated with substantial reductions in energy, sodium and fat consumption. The results are consistent with a positive impact of menu labelling.
Angiotensin II AT1 receptor stimulates Na+–k+atpase activity through a pathway involving pkc‐ζ in rat thyroid cells

Angiotensin II (Ang II) receptor subtype 1, AT1, is expressed by the rat thyroid. A relationship between thyroid function and several components of the renin‐angiotensin system has also been established, but the Ang II cellular effects in thyrocytes and its transduction signalling remain undefined. The aim of the present paper was to investigate the modulation of the activity of the Na+‐K+ATPase by Ang II and its intracellular transduction pathway in PC‐Cl3 cells, an established epithelial cell line derived from rat thyroid. Here we have demonstrated, by RT‐PCR analysis, the expression of mRNA for the Ang II AT1 receptor in PC‐Cl3 cells; mRNA for the Ang II AT2 receptor was not detected. Ang II was not able to affect the intracellular Ca2+ concentration in fura‐2‐loaded cells, but it stimulated the translocation from the cytosol to the plasma membrane of atypical protein kinase C‐zeta (PKC‐ζ) and ‐iota (PKC‐ι) isoforms with subsequent phosphorylation of the extracellular signal‐regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1 and 2). Translocated atypical PKCs displayed temporally different activations, the activation of PKC‐ζ being the fastest. PC‐Cl3 cells stimulated with increasing Ang II concentrations showed dose‐ and time‐dependent activation of the Na+‐K+ATPase activity, which paralleled the PKC‐ζ translocation time course. Na+‐K+ATPase activity modulation was dependent on PKC activation since the PKC antagonist staurosporine abolished the stimulatory effect of Ang II. The inhibition of the ERK kinases 1 and 2 (MEK1 and 2) by PD098059 (2′‐amino‐3′‐methoxyflavone) failed to block the effect of Ang II on the Na+‐K+ATPase activity. In conclusion, our results suggest that Ang II modulates Na+‐K+ATPase activity in PC‐Cl3 cells through the AT1 receptor via activation of atypical PKC‐ζ while the Ang II‐activated PKC‐ζ appears to have other as yet unknown functions.
A Blockchain-Based Network Slice Broker for 5G Services

With advent of 5G, the classical mobile network business model is shifting from a network-operator-oriented business to a more open system with several actors. In this context, the network slice provider will play the role of an intermediate entity between the vertical service provider and the resource provider. To deploy a network slice, the network slice provider will require a brokering mechanism, which allows it to lease resources from different providers in a secure and private way. In this letter, we propose a broker design based on blockchain technology, providing a mechanism that secures and ensures anonymous transactions.
Emotional, neuropsychological, and organic factors: their use in the prediction of persisting postconcussion symptoms after moderate and mild head injuries.

BACKGROUND--After mild and moderate head injuries a range of postconcussion symptoms (PCS) are often reported by patients. Both organic and psychogenic factors can contribute to these. Full recovery from PCS usually occurs within three months of the injury. A significant minority, however, continue to experience symptoms beyond this time. To date, no means of identifying these patients early after injury has been reported. This study investigates whether a combination of neuropsychological, emotional, and traditional measures of severity of head injury taken early after the injury can help predict severity of PCS three months after injury. METHODS--50 patients with mild or moderate head injury had a range of measures administered at 7-10 days after injury. These included three tests of divided attention, a PCS rating scale-the Rivermead postconcussion symptoms questionnaire (RPQ), the hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS), the impact of event scale (IES), and post-traumatic amnesia. An RPQ was then completed by all patients three months after injury. RESULTS--Stepwise multiple regression analysis was performed with the RPQ score at three months as the dependent measure. A combination of eight of the scores from the early measures gave a multiple correlation coefficient of R = 0.86 accounting for 74% of the variance in RPQ scores. The most predictive individual measures were the HADS and IES. Regression analysis with RPQ score at 7-10 days as dependent measure showed that 10 of the scores gave a coefficient of R = 0.84 accounting for 71% of the variance. CONCLUSIONS--A combination of measures may significantly aid the prediction of persistent PCS. Five measures: HADS, post-traumatic amnesia, SOMC, PASAT, and RPQ are recommended for their predictive value and clinical utility. Independent cross validation studies are required before these results can be generally applied. They do, however, provide valuable indications regarding those measures that are most likely to demonstrate utility.
Effectiveness of Community-Links Practitioners in Areas of High Socioeconomic Deprivation

PURPOSE To assess the effect of a primary care–based community-links practitioner (CLP) intervention on patients’ quality of life and well-being. METHODS Quasi-experimental cluster-randomized controlled trial in socioeconomically deprived areas of Glasgow, Scotland. Adult patients (aged 18 years or older) referred to CLPs in 7 intervention practices were compared with a random sample of adult patients from 8 comparison practices at baseline and 9 months. Primary outcome: health-related quality of life (EQ-5D-5L, a standardized measure of self-reported health-related quality of life that assesses 5 dimensions at 5 levels of severity). Secondary outcomes: well-being (Investigating Choice Experiments for the Preferences of Older People Capability Measure for Adults [ICECAP-A]), depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Depression [HADS-D]), anxiety (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Anxiety [HADS-A]), and self-reported exercise. Multilevel, multiregression analyses adjusted for baseline differences. Patients were not blinded to the intervention, but outcome analysis was masked. RESULTS Data were collected on 288 and 214 (74.3%) patients in the intervention practices at baseline and follow-up, respectively, and on 612 and 561 (92%) patients in the comparison practices. Intention-to-treat analysis found no differences between the 2 groups for any outcome. In subgroup analyses, patients who saw the CLP on 3 or more occasions (45% of those referred) had significant improvements in EQ-5D-5L, HADS-D, HADS-A, and exercise levels. There was a high positive correlation between CLP consultation rates and patient uptake of suggested community resources. CONCLUSIONS We were unable to prove the effectiveness of referral to CLPs based in primary care in deprived areas for improving patient outcomes. Future efforts to boost uptake and engagement could improve overall outcomes, although the apparent improvements in those who regularly saw the CLPs may be due to reverse causality. Further research is needed before wide-scale deployment of this approach.
In situ studies of growth of carbon nanotubes on a local metal microheater

Using electron microscopy and in situ Raman spectroscopy we investigate carbon nanotube growth from ethylene on iron catalyst islands patterned on top of Mo electrodes, using a highly localized resistive on-chip-heating technique. A clear transition is observed between multi-walled and single-walled nanotube growth as the local temperature of the heater is increased. This can be rationalized in terms of the balance between incoming carbon flux and diffusion through the catalyst particle. The observed changes in heater performance on exposure to the hydrocarbon gas are explored and related to the formation of molybdenum carbide, leading to a rapid change in resistivity and heating power that increases the local temperature of the heater by up to 100 °C. This provides optimum conditions for nanotube growth after an incubation time that depends on the carbon flux.
Escola de Pós-Graduação em Economia-EPGE Fundação Getulio Vargas On the Limits of Cheap Talk for Public Good Provision

This article studies a model where, as a consequence of private information, agents do not have incentive to invest in a desired joint project, or a public good, when they are unable to have prior discussion with their partners. As a result, the joint project is never undertaken and ine¢ ciency is observed. Agastya, Menezes and Sengupta (2007) prove that with a prior stage of communication, with a binary message space, it is possible to have some e¢ ciency gain since "all ex-ante and interim e¢ cient equilibria exhibit a simple structure". We show that any nite message space does not provide e¢ ciency gain on the simple structure discussed in that article. We use laboratory experiments to test these results. We nd that people do contribute, even without communication, and that any kind of communication increases the probability of project implementation. We also observed that communication reduces the unproductive contribution, and that a large message space cannot provide e¢ ciency gain relative to the binary one.
Brain metabolite alterations and cognitive dysfunction in early Huntington's disease

Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by early cognitive decline that progresses at later stages to dementia and severe movement disorder. HD is caused by a cytosine–adenine–guanine triplet‐repeat expansion mutation in the Huntingtin gene, allowing early diagnosis by genetic testing. This study aimed to identify the relationship of N‐acetylaspartate and other brain metabolites to cognitive function in HD‐mutation carriers by using high‐field‐strength magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) at 7 Tesla. Twelve individuals with the HD mutation in premanifest or early‐stage disease versus 12 healthy controls underwent 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (7.2 mL voxel in the posterior cingulate cortex) at 7 Tesla, and also T1‐weighted structural magnetic resonance imaging. All participants received standardized tests of cognitive functioning including the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and standardized quantified neurological examination within an hour before scanning. Individuals with the HD mutation had significantly lower posterior cingulate cortex N‐acetylaspartate (−9.6%, P = .02) and glutamate (−10.1%, P = .02) levels than did controls. In contrast, in this small group, measures of brain morphology including striatal and ventricle volumes did not differ significantly. Linear regression with Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores revealed significant correlations with N‐acetylaspartate (r2 = 0.50, P = .01) and glutamate (NAA) (r2 = 0.64, P = .002) in HD subjects. Our data suggest a relationship between reduced N‐acetylaspartate and glutamate levels in the posterior cingulate cortex with cognitive decline in the early stages of HD. N‐acetylaspartate and glutamate magnetic resonance spectroscopy signals of the posterior cingulate cortex region may serve as potential biomarkers of disease progression or treatment outcome in HD and other neurodegenerative disorders with early cognitive dysfunction, when structural brain changes are still minor. © 2012 Movement Disorder Society
Applications of CFD in Natural Gas Processing and Transportation

In this chapter, two examples of CFD applications in natural gas processing and transportation are presented. A commercial software package (Fluent) was used in these studies. The purpose of the studies is brie fly discussed, the methodology outlined and boundary conditions and problem specifications are concisely described for each case. The results of investigation s and comparisons with experimental tests and literature data are presented to demonstrate how CFD can be applied to practical situations.
Using VSI Loss Control Charts to Monitor a Process with Incorrect Adjustment

The article considers the optimum variables control scheme for a process with incorrect adjustment. Incorrect adjustment of a process may result in shifts in process mean and/or variance, ultimately affecting the quality of products and creating a loss. For the process with incorrect adjustment, we construct the variable sampling interval (VSI) and Z S 2 control charts to monitor the shifts in the process mean and variance and with minimum loss. The minimum loss variable sampling interval control charts is measured by the average loss per unit time derived by a Markov chain approach. An example is given to show the application and the performance of the proposed control charts. Furthermore, the comparison of the performance of the VSI loss control charts and the fixed sampling interval (FSI) loss control charts suggested that the VSI charts outperformed that of FSI charts.
Quality of Life in Children with Hearing Impairment

Objective To determine the impact of pediatric hearing loss (HL) on quality of life (QOL). Data Sources A qualified medical librarian conducted a literature search for relevant publications that evaluate QOL in school-aged children with HL. Review Methods Studies were assessed independently by 2 reviewers for inclusion in the systematic review and meta-analysis. Results From 979 abstracts, 69 were identified as relevant; ultimately, 40 articles were included in the systematic review. This review revealed that children with HL generally report a lower QOL than their normal-hearing peers and that QOL improves after interventions. The extent of these differences is variable among studies and depends on the QOL measure. Four studies using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) had sufficient data for inclusion in a meta-analysis. After studies were pooled, statistically and clinically significant differences in PedsQL scores were found between children with normal hearing and those with HL, specifically in the social and school domains. Statistically significant differences were also noted in total scores for children with unilateral HL and in the physical domain for children with bilateral HL as compared with those having normal hearing; however, these differences were not clinically meaningful. Conclusions Our analysis reveals that decreased QOL in children with HL is detected in distinct domains of the PedsQL. These domains—school activities and social interactions—are especially important for development and learning. Future work should focus on these aspects of QOL when assessing HL in the pediatric population.
Effects of human pericytes in a murine excision model of wound healing

healing Stuart J. Mills, Lizhe Zhuang, Philip Arandjelovic, Allison J. Cowin and Pritinder Kaur Epithelial Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, Research Division, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Vic. , Australia; Regenerative Medicine, Mawson Institute, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA, Australia; Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology/Department of Anatomy & Neuroscience, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic. , Australia Correspondence: Pritinder Kaur, Epithelial Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, Research Division, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, St Andrew’s Place, Melbourne, Vic. 3002, Australia, Tel. : +61 3 9656 3714, Fax: +61 3 9656 1411, e-mail: pritinder.kaur@petermac.org
Plasmodium berghei NK65 in Combination with IFN-γ Induces Endothelial Glucocorticoid Resistance via Sustained Activation of p38 and JNK

Malaria-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome (MA-ARDS) is an often lethal complication of malaria. Currently, no adequate therapy for this syndrome exists. Although glucocorticoids (GCs) have been used to improve clinical outcome of ARDS, their therapeutic benefits remain unclear. We previously developed a mouse model of MA-ARDS, in which dexamethasone treatment revealed GC resistance. In the present study, we investigated GC sensitivity of mouse microvascular lung endothelial cells stimulated with interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and Plasmodium berghei NK65 (PbNK65). Upon challenge with IFN-γ alone, dexamethasone inhibited the expression of CCL5 (RANTES) by 90% and both CCL2 (MCP-1) and CXCL10 (IP-10) by 50%. Accordingly, whole transcriptome analysis revealed that dexamethasone differentially affected several gene clusters and in particular inhibited a large cluster of IFN-γ-induced genes, including chemokines. In contrast, combined stimulation with IFN-γ and PbNK65 extract impaired inhibitory actions of GCs on chemokine release, without affecting the capacity of the GC receptor to accumulate in the nucleus. Subsequently, we investigated the effects of GCs on two signaling pathways activated by IFN-γ. Dexamethasone left phosphorylation and protein levels of signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) unhampered. In contrast, dexamethasone inhibited the IFN-γ-induced activation of two mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK), JNK, and p38. However, PbNK65 extract abolished the inhibitory effects of GCs on MAPK signaling, inducing GC resistance. These data provide novel insights into the mechanisms of GC actions in endothelial cells and show how malaria may impair the beneficial effects of GCs.
Variceal band ligation versus beta-blockers for primary prevention of variceal bleeding: a meta-analysis

Background/aims Variceal band ligation (VBL) can reduce the rate of the first variceal by 45–52% compared with &bgr;-blockers (BBs). We performed an updated meta-analysis of nine randomized controlled trials published as full papers, comparing VBL with BB for primary prevention. Methods Relative risk (RR) was computed using a random effects model. Sensitivity analysis was performed using a fixed effects model. Publication bias was also assessed using funnel plots and the rank correlation test. Results In total, 734 patients were studied (356, VBL; 378, BB). The pooled RR favoured VBL for first variceal bleed [0.63; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.43–0.92] with number needed to treat being 13 (95% CI, 7–33), and for adverse events resulting in treatment withdrawal (0.24; 95% CI, 0.12–0.47) with the corresponding number needed to treat being 10 (95% CI, 6–25). Banding-related bleeding occurred in six patients (fatal in two). No difference was seen in bleeding-related deaths (RR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.38–1.32), or overall mortality (RR, 1.09; 95% CI, 0.86–1.38). No significant heterogeneity or publication bias was present, and outcomes remained robust after sensitivity analyses. Conclusions VBL was superior to BB in preventing the first variceal bleed, with fewer adverse events resulting in treatment discontinuation. Careful attention to technique and patient selection are important to minimize iatrogenic complications with VBL. VBL has a role in patients with poor drug compliance, or tolerance, and in those who bleed on BB therapy.
Is Household Air Pollution a Risk Factor for Eye Disease?

In developing countries, household air pollution (HAP) resulting from the inefficient burning of coal and biomass (wood, charcoal, animal dung and crop residues) for cooking and heating has been linked to a number of negative health outcomes, mostly notably respiratory diseases and cancers. While ocular irritation has been associated with HAP, there are sparse data on adverse ocular outcomes that may result from acute and chronic exposures. We consider that there is suggestive evidence, and biological plausibility, to hypothesize that HAP is associated with some of the major blinding, and painful, eye conditions seen worldwide. Further research on this environmental risk factor for eye diseases is warranted.