Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Roles of Perceived Inhibitors and Facilitators in Pleasure Travel Destination Decisions

The vacation destination choice is conceptualized as a three-stage sequential decision consisting of an early evoked set, a late evoked set, and a final destination decision. A longitudinal survey approach is used to explore the role of perceived inhibitors and facilitators in formulating a late evoked set of destinations from an early evoked set, and in selecting a final vacation destination from the late evoked set of destinations. Multi-item scales were developed to measure inhibitors and facilitators at both stages. Results of the hypotheses tests suggested that facilitators were most influential in whether a potential destination in the early evoked set was selected for the late evoked set, whereas inhibitors were most influential in whether an alternative in the late evoked set was selected as a final destination.
Enhanced expression and activity of xanthine oxidoreductase in the failing heart.

The molecular basis for heart failure is unknown, but oxidative stress is associated with the pathogenesis of the disease. We tested the hypothesis that the activity of xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR), a free-radical generating enzyme, increases in hypertrophied and failing heart. We studied XOR in two rat models: (1) The monocrotaline-induced right ventricular hypertrophy and failure model; (2) coronary artery ligation induced heart failure, with left ventricular failure and compensatory right ventricular hypertrophy at different stages at 3 and 8 weeks post-infarction, respectively. XOR activity was measured at 30 degrees C and the reaction products were analysed by HPLC. In both models XOR activity in hypertrophic and control ventricles was similar. In the monocrotaline model, the hearts showed enhanced XOR activity in the failing right ventricle (65+/-5 mU/g w/w), as compared to that in the unaffected left ventricle (47+/-3 mU/g P<0.05, n=6-7). In the coronary ligation model, XOR activities did not differ at 3 and 8 weeks. In the infarcted left ventricle, XOR activity increased from 29.4+/-1.4 mU/g (n=6) in sham-operated rats, to 48+/-3 and 80+/-6 mU/g (n=8 P<0.05 v sham) in the viable and infarcted parts of failing rat hearts, respectively. With affinity-purified polyclonal antibody, XOR was localized in CD68+ inflammatory cells of which the number increased more in the failing than in sham-operated hearts. Our results show that the expression of functional XOR is elevated in failing but not in hypertrophic ventricles, suggesting its potential role in the transition from cardiac hypertrophy into failure.
Surveillance Face Recognition Challenge

Face recognition (FR) is one of the most extensively investigated problems in computer vision. Significant progress in FR has been made due to the recent introduction of the larger scale FR challenges, particularly with constrained social media web images, e.g. high-resolution photos of celebrity faces taken by professional photo-journalists. However, the more challenging FR in unconstrained and low-resolution surveillance images remains largely under-studied. To facilitate more studies on developing FR models that are effective and robust for low-resolution surveillance facial images, we introduce a new Surveillance Face Recognition Challenge, which we call the QMUL-SurvFace benchmark. This new benchmark is the largest and more importantly the only true surveillance FR benchmark to our best knowledge, where low-resolution images are not synthesised by artificial down-sampling of native high-resolution images. This challenge contains 463,507 face images of 15,573 distinct identities captured in real-world uncooperative surveillance scenes over wide space and time. As a consequence, it presents an extremely challenging FR benchmark. We benchmark the FR performance on this challenge using five representative deep learning face recognition models, in comparison to existing benchmarks. We show that the current state of the arts are still far from being satisfactory to tackle the under-investigated surveillance FR problem in practical forensic scenarios. Face recognition is generally more difficult in an open-set setting which is typical for surveillance scenarios, owing to a large number of non-target people (distractors) appearing open spaced scenes. This is evidently so that on the new Surveillance FR Challenge, the top-performing CentreFace deep learning FR model on the MegaFace benchmark can now only achieve 13.2% success rate (at Rank-20) at a 10% false alarm rate.
Comparison of selective and nonselective media for recovery of Campylobacter pylori from antral biopsies

Antral biopsy specimens from patients with acid peptic disease were cultured in parallel on Skirrow medium (SM) and sheep blood agar (SBA) for Campylobacter pylori. In institution 1, 23 of 88 (26.1%) endoscopies were positive on SBA compared with 37 of 88 (42.0%) on SM (P = 0.0001). In institution 2, 29 of 49 (59.2%) endoscopies were positive for C. pylori on SBA and 27 of 49 (55.1%) were positive on SM (P = 0.50). The addition of SM optimizes the recovery of C. pylori from antral biopsy specimens.
Ventriloquism aftereffect in a virtual audio-visual environment

The ventriloquism effect is a case of cross-modal integration, when a visual stimulus affects the spatial localization of a simultaneously presented auditory stimulus. One way to investigate the effect is by studying its post-exposure influence on the localization of unimodal auditory information. In the present study we investigated the ventriloquism aftereffect in a virtual audio-visual environment in order to study the robustness of the aftereffect. Results showed that the location of the visual objects shifted the apparent location of auditory stimuli in the direction of the object. This effect was largest when the sound source was on the same side as the visual object, but when it was on the opposite side, the localization was shifted in the wrong direction. Overall the results demonstrate very similar effects in the virtual environment as in the real world.
Long‐Term Effects of Peatland Cultivation on Soil Physical and Hydraulic Properties: Case Study in Canada

Organic soils are an excellent substrate for commercial lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) farming; however, drainage accelerates oxidation of the surface layer and reduces the water holding capacity, which is often lethal for crops that are sensitive to water stress. In this case study, we analyzed 942 peat samples from a large cultivated peatland complex (18.7 km2) in southern Quebec, Canada, and demonstrated from spatial and temporal patterns that agriculture resulted in a compacted layer below the root zone. We grouped the samples based on the year in which the corresponding fields were created on the previously undisturbed peatland (cutoff years 1970, 1980, 1990, and 2000) and discovered that bulk density has continued to increase, partly due to the overburden pressure, while organic matter has continued to decline since the fields were reclaimed and drained in phases between 1955 and 2006. Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) in the upper 20 cm was remarkably lower on fields older than 10 yr (p = 0.0973 for Wilcoxon rank test), with more samples having a Ks < 2.0 × 10−3 yr. Soil water available capacity (SWAC) was between approximately 5 and 33 cm on fields reclaimed after 2000, while samples from fields reclaimed before 2000 had a lower SWAC between 2 and 23 cm (groups discernable at p = 0.0203). It is possible, however, that the greatest rate of change in Ks and SWAC occurred within even a year of reclamation. The results of this study call for active measures to reduce organic soil degradation such as reducing tillage and on‐field traffic or following a crop rotation scheme.
Status of Risk Factors for Vascular Dementia

The two most common causes of vascular dementia (VAD) are dementia evolving in connection with multiple small or large strokes and dementia related to ischemic white-matter lesions (WMLs) of the brain. The knowledge about risk factors for these disorders is still scarce. Besides sharing risk factors with stroke, dementia with multiple small or large brain infarcts is also associated with non-vascular risk factors such as high alcohol consumption, psychological stress in early life, lower formal education, blue collar occupation, and occupational exposures. Risk factors for dementia in stroke victims include stroke-related and non-stroke related risk factors. Non-stroke-related factors are similar to those found in Alzheimer’s disease. The main risk factors for ischemic WMLs are hypertension or increased blood pressure, but WMLs have also been associated with a number of other vascular risk factors. In recent years, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has also been reported to be associated with vascular risk factors, including hypertension, coronary heart disease, atrial fibrillation, diabetes mellitus, and WMLs. Although these associations may reflect an overdiagnosis of AD in cases with silent cerebrovascular disease, or that cerebrovascular disease increases the possibility that individuals with Alzheimer lesions will express a dementia syndrome, there are also alternative explanations. AD and cerebrovascular disease may for instance share similar risk factors or etiologic pathways. The pathogenetic implications for the association between AD and vascular factors need to be further explored. There is also a need for more studies on risk factors for VAD and risk factors for dementia in stroke samples, as well as studies on non-vascular risk factors for ischemic WMLs.
Digital Image Encryption using AES and Random Number Generator

In nowadays world of rapid evolution of exchanging digital data, data protection is required to protect data from the unauthorized parities. With the widely use of digital images of diverse fields, it is important to conserve the confidentiality of image’s data form any without authorization access. In this paper the problem of secret key exchanging with the communicated parities had been solved by using a random number generator which based on Linear Feedback Shift Register (LFSR). The encryption/decryption is based on Advance Encryption Standard (AES) with the random key generator. Also, in this paper, both grayscale and colored RGB images have been encrypted/decrypted. The functionality of proposed system of this paper, is concerned with three features: First feature, is dealing with the obstetrics of truly random and secure encryption key while the second one deals with encrypting the plain or secret image using AES algorithm and the third concern is the extraction the original image by decrypting the encrypted or cipher one. “Mean Square Error (MSE)”, “Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR)”, “Normalized Correlation (NK)”, and “Normalized Absolute Error (NAE)” are measured for both (original-encrypted) images and (original-decrypted) image in order to study and analyze the performance of the proposed system according to image quality features.
The impact of autonomy on the relationship between mentoring and entrepreneurial intentions among youth in Germany, Kenya, and Uganda

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate how autonomy, moderated by employment status, impacts the relationship between entrepreneurial mentoring (EM) and entrepreneurial intentions (EI) among three countries (Germany, Kenya, and Uganda); as informed by both theory of planned behavior and self-determination theory.Design/methodology/approachA convenient sample of 1,509 youth from Germany, Kenya, and Uganda consisting of final-year university students, wage-employed, and unemployed was identified and studied. A multi-group analysis was conducted to test for differences in the impact of EM and autonomy on EI.FindingsThe findings indicate that mentoring and autonomy are positively correlated with EI. EM and intentions were lower among German participants than for the East African countries. The moderated moderation results revealed that EM is related to higher EI among students and the unemployed, and when individuals have higher levels of autonomy. Country-level analysis showed the effects of EM and autonomy are highest in Germany and lowest in Uganda.Practical implicationsMentoring and self-determination play an important role in the development of EI. Entrepreneurship mentors should specifically support their protégées to develop the ability to act autonomously as an important entrepreneurial competence. The results further indicate that effectiveness of EM varies according to employment status and among countries. This is particularly important for targeting and designing of EM interventions. EM resources should be applied to youth with high autonomy, who are in either in insecure wage employment or who have no jobs. Protégés with low levels of autonomy should be supported to appreciate autonomy and develop the ability for autonomous action. Future EI research should also examine the impact of the availability of attractive positions in wage employment; and the effects of the availability of social safety nets on the need for autonomy.Originality/valueA major challenge in EI research is the predominant focus on student populations. Using a multi-group analysis, the present paper tested for differences in the impact of EM and autonomy on EI. EM and EI were lower in German participants that in Kenyan and Ugandan participants. Whereas EM was generally positively correlated to EI, the moderated results showed that EM is related to higher EI among students and the unemployed, and when participants have higher autonomy. The study implies that EM and EI are highly correlated when participants need to work but have not or cannot find work or whey they do not need salaried employment to survive.
Sodium Ion Specifically Modifies Plasma Ionized Calcium Concentration

Background/Aim: Recently, we observed a progressive decline in the plasma ionized calcium (iCa) concentration after ingestion of Na-free beverage. Although both plasma pH and Na significantly correlated with iCa, the correlation of the latter was stronger than that of the former. Therefore, we explored the effect of Na on plasma iCa. Methods: Pooled human plasma was diluted with normal saline, 5% glucose, 0.9% KCl, or distilled water to examine the effect of plasma dilution on iCa. Also, to evaluate the effects of an isovolemic increase in ion concentration and osmolarity on plasma iCa, NaCl, KCl, and D-glucose were added to plasma. Electrolytes (Na+, K+, Cl–, iCa, HCO–3), pH, and osmolarity were measured by using ion-selective electrodes. Results: In the plasma dilution study, although all solutions significantly decreased the iCa concentration, the decrease in iCa concentration in the normal saline treated solution was significantly lower than in others. When the plasma osmolarity was isovolemically increased, the iCa concentration significantly increased in parallel with the increase in osmolarity in the NaCl group (r = 0.604, p < 0.01, n = 50). In contrast, no significant change in the iCa concentration was seen in the other solutions. NaCl did not increase, but rather decreased the iCa concentration when added to a protein-free solution. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that Na specifically affects plasma iCa independently of pH, presumably via modulating Ca binding to plasma proteins.
Topographic organization of rat locus coeruleus and dorsal raphe nuclei: Distribution of cells projecting to visual system structures

Previous reports from this laboratory and elsewhere have provided evidence that the locus coeruleus (LC) and dorsal raphe (DR) nuclei are topographically organized with respect to their efferent targets. Whereas most of these previous studies have focused on relationships between these monoamine‐containing brainstem nuclei and cerebral cortex, basal ganglia, and limbic structures, they have not systematically examined the distribution of LC and DR cells that project to multiple structures with common sensory or motor functions. The goal of the present study was to characterize and compare the distributions of LC and DR cells which project to different visual areas of the rat central nervous system. Long‐Evans hooded rats received unilateral pressure injections of the retrograde tracer wheat germ agglutinin‐horseradish peroxidase in either the dorsal lateral geniculate, ventral lateral geniculate, or lateral posterior nucleus of thalamus; superior colliculus, cortical area 17, cortical area 18a/b cerebellar vermis (lobules VI and VII); or paraflocculus. Transverse sections through the midbrain and pons were examined by light microscopy after performing routine tetramethyl benzidine histochemical procedures. For all cases studied, retrogradely labeled cells were observed throughout the rostrocaudal extent of the LC and DR; however, labeling patterns which were distinctive for different injection sites were noted in each of these brainstem nuclei. The major conclusion drawn from this work is that subsets of LC and DR cells which project to different target structures within the rat visual system are found in overlapping but not necessarily coextensive zones within these nuclei. These studies provide further evidence of a rough topographic ordering within both the LC and DR nuclei, as well as support a new hypothesis that the outputs from each of these nuclei are organized with respect to the sensory related functions of their efferent targets. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Glycosylation pattern of anti‐platelet IgG is stable during pregnancy and predicts clinical outcome in alloimmune thrombocytopenia

Fetal or neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FNAIT) is a potentially life‐threatening disease where fetal platelets are destroyed by maternal anti‐platelet IgG alloantibodies. The clinical outcome varies from asymptomatic, to petechiae or intracranial haemorrhage, but no marker has shown reliable correlation with severity, making screening for FNAIT impractical and highly inefficient. We recently found IgG Fc‐glycosylation towards platelet and red blood cell antigens to be skewed towards decreased fucosylation, increased galactosylation and sialylation. The lowered core‐fucosylation increases the affinity of the pathogenic antibodies to FcγRIIIa and FcγRIIIb, and hence platelet destruction. Here we analysed the N‐linked glycans of human platelet antigen (HPA)‐1a specific IgG1 with mass spectrometry in large series of FNAIT cases (n = 166) including longitudinal samples (n = 26). Besides a significant decrease in Fc‐fucosylation after the first pregnancy (P = 0·0124), Fc‐glycosylation levels remained stable during and after pregnancy and in subsequent pregnancies. Multiple logistic regression analysis identified anti‐HPA‐1a –fucosylation (P = 0·006) combined with galactosylation (P = 0·021) and antibody level (P = 0·038) correlated with bleeding severity, making these parameters a feasible marker in screening for severe cases of FNAIT.
Evidence-Based Use of Perioperative Antibiotics in Otolaryngology

Objective To identify and clarify current evidence supporting and disputing the effectiveness of perioperative antibiotic use for common otolaryngology procedures. Data Sources PubMed, Embase (OVID), and CINAHL (EBSCO). Review Methods English-language, original research (systematic reviews/meta-analyses, randomized control trials, prospective or retrospective cohort studies, case-control studies, or case series) studies that evaluated the role of perioperative antibiotic use in common otolaryngology surgeries were systematically extracted using standardized search criteria by 2 investigators independently. Conclusions Current evidence does not support routine antibiotic prophylaxis for tonsillectomy, simple septorhinoplasty, endoscopic sinus surgery, clean otologic surgery (tympanostomy with tube placement, tympanoplasty, stapedectomy, and mastoidectomy), and clean head and neck surgeries (eg, thyroidectomy, parathyroidectomy, salivary gland excisions). Antibiotic prophylaxis is recommended for complex septorhinoplasty, skull base surgery (anterior and lateral), clean-contaminated otologic surgery (cholesteatoma, purulent otorrhea), and clean-contaminated head and neck surgery (violation of aerodigestive tract, free flaps). In these cases, antibiotic use for 24 to 48 hours postoperatively has shown equal benefit to longer duration of prophylaxis. Despite lack of high-quality evidence, the US Food and Drug Administration suggests antibiotic prophylaxis for cochlear implantation due to the devastating consequence of infection. Data are inconclusive regarding postoperative prophylaxis for nasal packing/splints after sinonasal surgery. Implications for Practice Evidence does not support the use of perioperative antibiotics for most otolaryngologic procedures. Antibiotic overuse and variability among providers may be due to lack of formal practice guidelines. This review can help otolaryngologists understand current evidence so they can make informed decisions about perioperative antibiotic usage.
An Efficient FFT Processor for DAB Receiver Using Circuit-Sharing Pipeline Design

With the upcoming fourth generation wireless systems and convergence of multiple radio standards into a single terminal, building blocks are needed that can be configured for computing various algorithms used in different standards. Given these trends and requirements, in our previous paper we successfully proposed a circuit-sharing design for the DAB receiver to integrate the FFT (fast Fourier transform) and IMDCT (inverse modified discrete cosine transform) operations into the same functional circuit. The proposed technique reduces hardware overhead, enhances circuit efficiency and significantly reduces the cost of DAB receivers. To further improve the efficiency of our previous work, this investigation proposes another alternative design named the circuit-sharing pipeline design (CSPD) using a single processor with a pipeline scheme to combine two functions, FFT and IMDCT, into the same circuit. The proposed method reduces the required chip area and cost of DAB receivers. Analyzing the existing relationship among IMDCT, DCT (discrete cosine transform) and FFT, the IMDCT function can be replaced using a FFT function. Therefore, it is not necessary to design an extra circuit for IMDCT. The arithmetic unit in the FFT processor can be significantly reduced due to employing the pipeline scheme. Consequently, the circuit redundancies in the IMDCT and FFT functions can be easily eliminated to allow exploitation of the decreased chip area. Results of this study demonstrate that the proposed design can provide advantages such as low gate count and small memory size in the DAB (digital audio broadcasting) receiver.
Beyond the Endorsement of Reflection in Language Teaching and Learning

This paper reports on the first phase of an exploratory qualitative study carried out with in-service language teachers pursuing a graduate degree in Colombia. It aims at analyzing their practices, needs, and challenges, examined under two perspectives—the teacher as a learner and the teacher as a teacher. The study made use of interviews, focus groups, and questionnaires as the primary sources of data. Data analysis included a grounded theory approach and the use of coding, triangulation, and validation procedures. Results unveiled the difficulties that current in-service teachers have in different domains (cognitive, metacognitive, and linguistic), and also inform how the teaching challenges within their specific contexts influence their beliefs, practices, learning and teaching outcomes, and their professional growth. The study presents both theoretical and applied considerations to tackle the needs and challenges reported, aiming at offering a systematic analysis and approach for the endorsement of reflection, and thus, setting milestones for the enhancement of effective professional development for language teachers in educational communities such as in Colombia as well as overseas.