Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Surrendering Control

Aaron Wolf Baum uses his physics background to create art. After graduating with honors from Harvard University, he earned his PhD at Stanford University on a fellowship from the National Science Foundation. Now a full-time artist, researcher, and programmer using biologically and culturally inspired algorithms to create interactive, self-organizing visual and audio art systems, he goes by the moniker Doctor Friendly. Mask3 is one in a series of large format prints, and it reflects Baum's affinity for self-similarity and the sources of organic beauty. Working with Eric Wenger's Artmatic program, Baum used a macro image of a flower uncurling as a sort of brush, using its texture, color, and form as inputs into an algorithm that he created. The strong red of the flower versus the green of the leafy background let him isolate the flower's curly texture from the nebulous background and reapply their shape, texture, and color in novel combinations and orientations. The majority of Baum's artistic endeavors are influenced by his adamant rejection of technology as control. Instead, he favors biological metaphors and creating interactive performance systems that actually surrender control.
Compensation of Internal Auditors – Empirical Evidence for Different Impact Factors

This paper examines the different factors which impact the compensation level of chief audit executives (CAE) and sheds light on often unobservable and, therefore, opaque drivers of CAE remuneration. An ordered logistic regression is used to analyze the effects of internal audit function (IAF) competences, stakeholder relationships, and firm complexity on the CAE compensation using survey data from 212 CAEs from a broad spectrum of companies and industries. The results of the study identify IAF competence and independence as fundamental drivers of CAE compensation and provide evidence that firm complexity in terms of foreign sales, listing status and need for monitoring constitute additional salary determinants related to the IAF environment. Our results are based on questionnaire data and subject to a possible response bias as they rely in part on the participants’ assessment of a given situation. This paper provides a benchmark for CAE compensation levels in Austria, Germany and Switzerland and offers insights on different company and IAF inherent factors that can be associated with varying salary outcomes. This study is the first to investigate the factors driving the overall compensation level of CAEs and by providing empirical evidence regarding determinants of CAE compensation.
The Staphylococcus aureus cidC gene encodes a pyruvate oxidase that affects acetate metabolism and cell death in stationary phase

The Staphylococcus aureus cid and lrg operons have previously been shown to affect murein hydrolase activity and antibiotic tolerance. Based on their similarities to the holin family of proteins it was proposed that the functions of the cidA and lrgA gene products are analogous to bacteriophage‐encoded holin and antiholin proteins respectively. The cid operon expresses two overlapping transcripts, one that spans the cidA, cidB and cidC genes and whose expression is induced by the acetic acid generated by aerobic growth in the presence of excess glucose, and the other that spans the cidB and cidC genes only and is expressed in a sigma B‐dependent manner. In the study presented here, we have focused primarily on the third gene of this operon, cidC. A sequence analysis of the cidC gene product suggested that it encodes a pyruvate oxidase that catalyses the oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate yielding acetate and CO2. Indeed, a ferricyanide‐based spectrophotometric assay revealed that the cidC mutant produced decreased pyruvate oxidase activity relative to the parental and complemented strains. In the presence of excess glucose the cidC mutant accumulated normal levels of acetic acid in the growth medium, likely because of the activity of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. However, in contrast to the wild type and complemented strains, the pH of the cidC mutant culture began to increase gradually until it was able to utilize the acetate for a secondary round of growth. Finally, a mutation in cidA caused reduced cell lysis in stationary phase but only minimally affected cell death. These results indicate that the cidC gene product is involved in the generation of acetic acid that contributes to the cell death and lysis that occurs in high‐glucose stationary phase cultures, while the cidA gene product, a putative holin, controls lysis of the dying cells.
Motion Aftereffect: A Global Mechanism for the Perception of Rotation

Observers adapted to motion by looking at rotating logarithmic spirals. They were tested with a stationary mirror image of the adapting spiral in which all contours were at 90° to those of the first spiral. Motion aftereffects were reported in the contrarotational direction—that is, observers who had seen clockwise rotating motion reported seeing counterclockwise aftereffects. These aftereffects lasted one-third as long as the aftereffects obtained when the adapting spiral was used as the test figure. These two aftereffects were shown to have different storage properties, thereby indexing the operation of at least two different mechanisms. We interpret the motion aftereffect that is obtained with the mirror-image stimulus as indicative of the existence of global rotation detectors.
Explaining socially responsible consumption

PurposeConsumers are becoming increasingly socially conscious when making their purchasing decisions, which in turn is providing an incentive for firms to integrate social responsibility considerations into their product offerings. Explaining the various categories of socially responsible consumption (SRC) is therefore important. The purpose of this paper is to explain the various categories of socially responsible consumption.Design/methodology/approachGrounded in the theory of planned behavior (TPB), this paper surveyed a sample of 1,202 Hong Kong consumers.FindingsThe findings indicate that attitude towards the behavior, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control are all significant predictors of three categories of SRC (i.e. intention to purchase from firms based on their CSR performance, intention to practice recycling and intention to try to avoid or minimize their use of products based on their environmental impact). Intention to engage in SRC was then shown to be a significant predictor of SRC behavior.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper relied on only the single-factor test as a measure of socially desirable responding. Furthermore, while the quota sampling was designed for broad representativeness, it is difficult to verify if the well-controlled quota controls entirely removed the possibility of a biased selection of respondents within each cell.Practical implicationsRecommendations are made for public policy-makers and marketers to devise ways to shape consumer behavior to facilitate more responsible consumption.Originality/valuePrevious research relating to SRC has not explained the various categories of SRC and often failed to test the relationship between intention and behavior, representing a considerable gap in the literature. This paper applied the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to explain intention and behavior with regards to the various categories of SRC.
Effects of hypo- and hyperoxia on transcription levels of five stress genes and the glutathione system in liver of Atlantic cod Gadus morhua

SUMMARY The transcript levels of three genes coding for antioxidants, Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase and phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and those of two stress proteins, metallothionein (MT) and CYP1A, were examined with real-time quantitative (q) RT-PCR in hepatic tissue of Atlantic cod exposed to 46% (hypoxia), 76% (normoxia) and 145% (hyperoxia) O2 saturation (tank outlet). To evaluate the oxidative stress state, the levels of total glutathione (tGSH), reduced glutathione (GSH) and oxidized glutathione (GSSG) and subsequently the oxidative stress index (OSI), were determined in the same tissue samples. The transcript level of GSH-Px was significantly upregulated in fish exposed to hyperoxia, and significantly downregulated in fish exposed to hypoxia, compared to the normoxia group. Significant downregulation was also found for SOD and CYP1A transcriptional levels in fish exposed to hypoxia. The transcript levels of catalase and MT did not change in liver of cod exposed to suboptimal oxygen levels. No significant differences were seen between the groups for tGSH, GSH, GSSG or OSI. Prolonged exposure to unfavourable oxygen saturation levels did not alter the OSI, indicating that the antioxidant glutathione system is maintained at an unchanged level in liver of the examined cod.
The B Subunit of Escherichia coli Heat-Labile Enterotoxin Enhances CD8+ Cytotoxic-T-Lymphocyte Killing of Epstein-Barr Virus-Infected Cell Lines

ABSTRACT Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is associated with a number of important human cancers, including nasopharyngeal carcinoma, gastric carcinoma, and Hodgkin's lymphoma. These tumors express a viral nuclear antigen, EBV nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1), which cannot be presented to T cells in a major histocompatibility complex class I context, and the viral latent membrane proteins (LMPs). Although the LMPs are expressed in these tumors, no effective immune response is made. We report here that exposure to the cholera-like enterotoxin B subunit (EtxB) in EBV-infected lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) enhances their susceptibility to killing by LMP-specific CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) in a HLA class I-restricted manner. CTL killing of LCLs is dramatically increased through both transporter-associated protein-dependent and -independent epitopes after EtxB treatment. The use of mutant B subunits revealed that the enhanced susceptibility of LCLs to CTL killing is dependent on the B subunit's interaction with GM1 but not its signaling properties. These important findings could underpin the development of novel approaches to treating EBV-associated malignancies and may offer a general approach to increasing the presentation of other tumor and viral antigens.
Identification of Vibrio parahaemolyticus Isolates by PCR Targeted to the toxR Gene

ABSTRACT Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a major cause of food borne illness such as gastroenteritis in human through consumption of undercooked seafood or wounds exposed to marine animals or warm coastal waters especially in Southeast Asian. This is because a short warm period is sufficient for Vibrio parahaemolyticus which has short generation time to grow until infectious levels (106 organisms). There are many methods used in the detection of Vibrio parahaemolyticus. The standard selective medium method used for Vibrio is Thiosulfate citrate bile salt sucrose agar (TCBS). Vibrio parahaemolyticus colonies are green or blue green on the agar due to sucrose fermentation. The latest technique would be PCR that can be used for detection of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in various samples including seafoods or other samples, and this method is faster, easier and more reliable. This technique can be applied because of the presence of toxR gene that appears to be well conserved among Vibrio parahaemolyticus. This gene can be used to develop a PCR method for identification of Vibrio parahaemolyticus. In this study, the fish sample (Sangara– Red snapper, Lutjanus compechanus) was collected from costal belt of Cuddalore district. When the sample was streaked on the TCBS agar, Green colour Vibrio parahaemolyticus colony was observed and was they were grown on selective medium, TCBS agar. Specific-PCR for toxR gene detection gave positive result in which a band with 368 bp size appeared on gel confirmed the presence of Vibrio parahaemolyticus.
Identifying Attack Models for Secure Recommendation

Publicly-accessible adaptive systems such as recommender systems present a security problem. Attackers, who cannot be readily distinguished from ordinary users, may introduce biased data in an attempt to force the system to "adapt" in a manner advantageous to them. Recent research has begun to examine the vulnerabilities of different recommendation techniques. In this paper, we outline some of the major issues in building secure recommender systems, concentrating in particular on the modeling of attacks.
THE INFLUENCE OF T CELL DEPLETION ON RECOVERY OF T CELL PROLIFERATION TO HERPESVIRUSES AND CANDIDA AFTER ALLOGENEIC BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTATION

To test the influence of T cell depletion of the marrow in allogeneic bone marrow transplantation on functional T cell recovery, in vitro lymphocyte proliferation tests (LPTs) to microbial antigens were regularly performed in 23 recipients of normal BM and in 25 patients receiving BM with a fixed low number of T cells (1×105 T cells/kg body weight; recipients of T-depleted BM). The long-term recovery of positive LPT to at least 1 of the 4 tested microbial antigens—Candida, herpes simplex virus (HSV), varicella-zoster virus (VZV), and cytomegalovirus—was nearly similar in both groups: 16/23 versus 18/25. Recovery of LPT to Candida and HSV in the first 3 months appeared to be greatly influenced by prophylactic measures; only 2/23 recipients of normal BM, receiving amphotericin B, showed a positive LPT to Candida versus 13/25 recipients of T-depleted BM (P < 0.01). In contrast, only 1/23 seropositive recipients of T-depleted BM, receiving acyclovir, showed a positive LPT to HSV versus 9/22 recipients of normal BM (P < 0.05). A positive LPT to CMV in the first 3 months was found in 9/9 seropositive recipients of normal BM, versus in 5/11 seropositive recipients of T-depleted BM (P < 0.05). Five of the 6 patients with a negative LPT died of CMV-interstitial pneumonia versus 1/14 with positive LPT (P < 0.01). We conclude that in CMV-seropositive recipients of allogeneic BM, T cell depletion of the graft affects the early recovery of T cell proliferation to CMV, which is associated with a higher risk of fatal CMV-interstitial pneumonia.
PRICE SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS ON PURCHASING DECISION PROCESS OF DURIAN IN JEPARA REGENCY AND SEMARANG CITY CENTRAL JAVA

Uncertainty of harvested area and the amount of durian production each year makes the price of the durian tend to fluctuate. Price changes can trigger price sensitivity at the consumer level. This study aimed to analyze the level of durian price sensitivity in Jepara Regency and Semarang City and analyze the factors that make the process of buying durian in Jepara Regency and Semarang City. The analysis used in this research was descriptive analysis and logistic regression analysis. The price suggests that the price of Jepara Regency and Semarang City is IDR 45,000.00 – 50,000.00. Overall price levels received durian consumers in the Semarang City was higher than Jepara Regency. Based on the results of logistic regression analysis, it is known that simultaneously the price factor, income, occupation, age, taste, shape, size, aroma, color. and size.
Understanding IS Success Model and Valence Framework in Sellers' Acceptance of Cross-border E-commerce

: Cross-border e-commerce becomes more and more popular and general. The foci of researches in e-commerce have moved from domestic towards to global market. Yet, most of extant literatures are from buyer’s perspective, whereas sellers are also important in the success of cross-border e-commerce. In this study, we are aiming to identify the elements of the success of cross-border e-commerce and the relationship with trust and intention to use from seller’s perspective. To do so, we apply a mixed method to accomplish this research. W e have identified the key factors which sellers are concerned about, and why they engage in cross-border e-commerce. In addition, we have developed new dimensions with associated items for system quality, service quality, perceived benefit and perceived cost in the context of cross-border e-commerce. The theoretical contributions and practical contributions have been discussed lastly.
Cognitive and Logical Rationales for e-Learning Objects

The motivation for this discussion is to look at the cognitive and logical rationales of e-Learning objects, which reside in computer-based e-Learning artefacts. e-Learning objects, the system to which they belong, and the sequence of messages that form a discourse between the system and its environment are inseparable. Altogether, they formulate the “Universe of Discourse” (Wieringa, 2003, p. 14). When we talk about systems, we equally refer the discourse to e-Learning objects because they are the “workers” of the system. e-Learning is “a combination of content and instructional methods delivered by media elements such as words and graphics on a computer intended to build job-transferable knowledge and skills linked to individual learning goals or organizational performance” (Clark & Mayer, 2002, p. 311). The sciences of instruction, learning, and knowledge are intricate and the “e-” before “Learning” adds another dimension of complexity while paving new learning paths for e-Learning.
Comparison of Attitudes of Guilt and Forgiveness in Cancer Patients Without Evidence of Disease and Advanced Cancer Patients in a Palliative Care Setting

Background: Attitudes toward guilt and forgiveness may be important factors determining distress in cancer patients. Direct comparative studies in patients with different life expectancies exploring attitudes toward guilt and forgiveness are lacking. Also, sociodemographic and religious characteristics determining the attitudes toward guilt and forgiveness are unknown. Objective: The objective of this study was to compare attitudes toward guilt and forgiveness in cancer patients without evidence of disease and advanced cancer patients. Methods: A descriptive research design was used. Ninety-seven patients without evidence of disease and 55 advanced cancer patients filled out the Dutch Guilt Measurement Instrument and the Forgiveness of Others Scale. Results: Both groups had an attitude of nonreligious guilt and forgiveness, but not of religious guilt. No significant differences in attitudes toward guilt and forgiveness were observed between the 2 groups. In contrast to sociodemographic characteristics, religious characteristics were relevant predictors for guilt and forgiveness. Significant differences in relations between images of God and attitudes toward guilt were observed between the 2 patient groups. Conclusions: An attitude of nonreligious guilt and forgiveness was found in cancer patients, irrespective of the stage of disease. Religious characteristics were significantly associated with attitudes of guilt and forgiveness. This correlation differed in the early and the advanced setting of disease. Implications for Practice: The observed relations between religious characteristics and attitudes of guilt and forgiveness suggest that a careful examination of the role of religious beliefs and values is relevant in the clinical care of patients with cancer, both in the setting of early and advanced disease.
Correlation between cortical inhibition and auditory stream segregation in a driving environment

Streams of information reach the brain in different modalities while driving (both from the vehicle user interface as well as the environment), each requiring a certain degree of attention from the driver. The driver should ideally be able to focus on the road ahead and not on secondary streams such as vehicle alerts, mobile phone, passengers or radio. However, the individual ability to selectively ignore distractions can have a direct influence on driving performance. Here, we use paired-chirp auditory late responses (ALRs) in order to assess long interval cortical inhibition (LICI) in healthy subjects, and compare it to the score in an auditory stream segregation task within a driving simulator. Results show significant correlation between LICI and task scores, suggesting that people with a higher/more effective cortical inhibition as measured by ALRs can ignore distracting streams easily, while people with less effective cortical inhibition find harder to concentrate on a single, more relevant stream. The fundamental results obtained suggest that cortical inhibition may be employed as a predictor of driving performance, useful for the design of auditory human-vehicle interfaces.
Newly developed X-band SAR system onboard Japanese small satellite “ASNARO-2”

ASNARO-2 is a small size Japanese earth observation satellite, which carries a newly developed X-band SAR mission system. Although the SAR mission system is light-weight and low cost system, its specification is not far behind from large satellite. It has the high resolution and wide swath. The performance of NESZ (Noise Equivalent Sigma Zero), which is less than the conventional high-spec satellite, is also a sufficient image quality. It is expected that ASNARO-2 can be more available for many users.
PUF-8, a Pumilio Homolog, Inhibits the Proliferative Fate in the Caenorhabditis elegans Germline

Stem cell populations are maintained by keeping a balance between self-renewal (proliferation) and differentiation of dividing stem cells. Within the Caenorhabditis elegans germline, the key regulator maintaining this balance is the canonical Notch signaling pathway, with GLP-1/Notch activity promoting the proliferative fate. We identified the Pumilio homolog, PUF-8, as an inhibitor of the proliferative fate of stem cells in the C. elegans germline. puf-8(0) strongly enhances overproliferation of glp-1(gf) mutants and partially suppresses underproliferation of a weak glp-1(lf) mutant. The germline tumor that is formed in a puf-8(0); glp-1(gf) double mutant is due to a failure of germ cells to enter meiotic prophase. puf-8 likely inhibits the proliferative fate through negatively regulating GLP-1/Notch signaling or by functioning parallel to it.
A Bayesian Scheme to Detect Changes in the Mean of a Short-Run Process

In this article we propose a model suitable for statistical process control in short production runs. We wish to detect on-line whether the mean of the process has exceeded a prespecified upper threshold value. The theoretical basis of the model is a Bayesian formulation, leading to a mixture of normal distributions. Issues of decisions about whether the process is within specification and forecasting are addressed. The Kalman filter model is shown to be related to a special case of our model. The calculations are illustrated with a clinical chemistry example. The tool wear problem is another potential candidate for our approach.