Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development of the PROMIS health expectancies of smoking item banks.

INTRODUCTION Smokers' health-related outcome expectancies are associated with a number of important constructs in smoking research, yet there are no measures currently available that focus exclusively on this domain. This paper describes the development and evaluation of item banks for assessing the health expectancies of smoking. METHODS Using data from a sample of daily (N = 4,201) and nondaily (N = 1,183) smokers, we conducted a series of item factor analyses, item response theory analyses, and differential item functioning analyses (according to gender, age, and race/ethnicity) to arrive at a unidimensional set of health expectancies items for daily and nondaily smokers. We also evaluated the performance of short forms (SFs) and computer adaptive tests (CATs) to efficiently assess health expectancies. RESULTS A total of 24 items were included in the Health Expectancies item banks; 13 items are common across daily and nondaily smokers, 6 are unique to daily, and 5 are unique to nondaily. For both daily and nondaily smokers, the Health Expectancies item banks are unidimensional, reliable (reliability = 0.95 and 0.96, respectively), and perform similarly across gender, age, and race/ethnicity groups. A SF common to daily and nondaily smokers consists of 6 items (reliability = 0.87). Results from simulated CATs showed that health expectancies can be assessed with good precision with an average of 5-6 items adaptively selected from the item banks. CONCLUSIONS Health expectancies of smoking can be assessed on the basis of these item banks via SFs, CATs, or through a tailored set of items selected for a specific research purpose.
INTERNATIONAL UNION OF PURE AND APPLIED CHEMISTRY MACROMOLECULAR DIVISION COMMISSION ON POLYMER CHARACTERIZATION AND PROPERTIES WORKING PARTY ON STRUCTURE AND PROPERTIES OF COMMERCIAL POLYMERS * CONSTITUTIVE EQUATIONS FROM GAUSSIAN MOLECULAR NETWORK THEORIES IN POLYMER RHEOLOGY

With the aim of facilitating discussion of the molecular basis of rheological behavior in polymer liquids, several of the published molecular network theories which have led to the formulation of constitutive equations are considered. The main emphasis here is on the summarizing and comparing of assumptions used in the different theories, not with their comparison with experimental data. Equations considered include those due to James, Green S Tobolsky, Yamamoto, Lodge, Carreau, Meister, Kaye, Marrucci et al., Wagner, Phan-Thien S Tanner, and Johnson & Segalman. New assumptiuns are introduced in order to describe a possible dependence of network strand creation and loss rates on polymer molecular weight and temperature.
WCRP future function and structure

V. Detemmerman, World Climate Research Programme, Switzerland (VDetemmerman@wmo.int) V. Ryabinin, World Climate Research Programme, Switzerland (VRyabinin@wmo.int) The 31st Session of the WCRP Joint Scientific Committee was held on 15-19 February 2010 in Antalya, Turkey, supported by the Turkish State Meteorological Service (TSMS). The WMO Permanent Representative of Turkey and Director-General of TSMS, Mehmet Çağlar, welcomed the participants to Turkey and Antalya. Attending on behalf of SPARC were the co-chairs, Thomas Peter and Ted Shepherd. The JSC Chair, Anthony Busalacchi, opened the session and noted that the meeting would focus on two major items, the WCRP visioning and the role of climate research in support of climate service. A joint session of JSC with the WMO Commission for Climatology (CCl) took place on Thursday, 18 February 2010.
Evidence for convective effects in breath figure formation on volatile fluid surfaces.

The issue of breath figure formation on the surfaces of volatile fluids is examined. Dramatic differences are observed in the breath figure features for the cases of benzene and chloroform. It is shown that these results cannot be accounted for in terms of the known properties of the participating fluids and the prevalent physical picture involving static aspects of hydrodynamic interactions. Thus, a major role of the stochastic instabilities at the surface, possibly caused by the evolving convective currents, is emphasized.
IT enabled monitoring mechanisms in public sector supply chains : Evidence from India ’ s food security program

India’s food security program, called the public distribution system (PDS), delivers food grains worth INR 1.8 trillion to around 160 million low-income households at subsidised prices through a network of 500, 000 fair price shops (FPSs). However, only half of the grains are estimated to reach the intended beneficiaries [Press Information Bureau, Jan 2015]. It is widely believed that one of the main drivers for this “leakage” is the diversion of subsidized grains to the open market by FPS owners. In the absence of robust monitoring mechanisms, FPS owners can record diverted quantities as sales against beneficiaries that do not transact and/or are unable to avail of their monthly entitlement. To address this issue, the central and state governments have made significant investments in installing point-of-sale devices that require digital authentication of beneficiaries through biometric information such as fingerprints. However, a rigorous empirical estimation of the benefits of this program in reducing leakages has not been conducted. In this paper, we evaluate the impact of installing electronic weighing and pointof-sale (EWPOS) machines in the state of Karnataka, wherein several features of the program implementation enable a clean empirical study design. First, the program was implemented in a phased manner in 3336 out of 23241 FPSs between Jan 2013 and Dec 2015 thereby allowing a quasi-experimental study design, i.e., comparison of intervention FPSs with control FPSs. Second, the inventory replenishment policy was not modified based on the real-time sales information from EWPOS devices thereby eliminating the possibility of improved service levels due to better matching of supply and demand. Third, the FPS owner could manually override the digital authentication step in the event of any technical glitches to ensure that a genuine beneficiary was not denied her entitlement. We formulate a difference-in-differences (DiD) model to estimate the impact of EWPOS devices by comparing the change in sales in treatment FPSs (with EWPOS devices) after installation with those in control FPSs (without EWPOS devices). We use the publicly available allocation dataset to obtain information on the gross requirement and closing balance of grains at each FPS in each month and combine it with our knowledge
Semantic integrity and K-anonymity

The dataset in database have certain semantic commonly , and the semantic need to be satisfied with the form of some constrains, such as functional dependencies ( FD s) and multivalued dependencies ( MVD s). Nevertheless, the k -anonymity model may be destroyed the semantic integrity in the process of k -anonymization because of the incontinent generalizations. So, in this paper we address the issue of how to preserve the semantic integrity of dataset in the k -anonymization process. We define a new data dependency named k -multiset dependency ( K - MSD ), which can ensure a dataset satisfies k -anonymity constraint. In addition, we propose K - MSD algorithm to realize k -anonymization through constructing K - MSD between attributes, and propose K - MSD - AG algorithm to preserves FD s or MVD s as while as constructing K - MSD .
An Event Study of the Delisting of Hospitality Stocks in the United States

Managers make important corporate strategic investment decisions such as mergers and acquisitions to improve the long-term competitiveness of their organizations; while at times they may be forced to manage for the short-term in order to satisfy the demands from the stock market. However, there is a lack of empirical research to examine the short- versus long-term view of management decision-making. This study analyses the mergers and acquisitions activities in the hospitality industry and particularly, investigates delisting behaviour of publicly traded hospitality firms and whether companies exhibit distinct patterns before delisting. Consolidation is prevalent in a maturing industry such as hospitality which currently faces a fiercely competitive global environment. The results of the study show that there is substantial difference between hospitality and non-hospitality stocks: not much information leakage in the delisting of hospitality stocks and a marked increase in institutional holdings with time but significant information leakage in non-hospitality stocks as reflected by positive and significant abnormal returns.
INTERLAMINAR REINFORCEMENT OF CARBON FIBER COMPOSITES USING ALIGNED CARBON NANOTUBES

Aligned nanoscale fibers (carbon nanotubes, CNTs) are used to reinforce the interlaminar resin-rich region of aerospace-grade unidirectional carbon fiber laminates in an architecture termed “nanostitching”. Nanostitching leads to a hybrid architecture where aligned CNTs (A-CNTs) are integrated at the interface of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) plies. Here we manufacture nanostitched laminates and investigate the effect on laminate strength through ex situ and in situ mechanical testing. Short beam shear (SBS) and double edge notched tensile testing were conducted on both baseline and A-CNT reinforced laminates. No statistically significant change was found in SBS strength, however, a ~9% increase in tensile strength was observed in the double edge notched tensile tests. In situ tensile testing of the same double-edge notch configuration utilizing synchrotron radiation computed tomography (SRCT) showed little difference in damage accumulation between baseline and A-CNT reinforced laminates at 80% of failure stress, likely due to a general absence of delamination damage. Future work will focus on acquiring data at stress levels closer to ultimate failure in the double-edge notch configuration, testing configurations that exhibit delamination formation and growth in the damage progression, and improving preliminary modeling (results presented herein) to improve understanding of the different mechanisms at work.
The Mannose/N-Acetylgalactosamine-4-SO4Receptor Displays Greater Specificity for Multivalent than Monovalent Ligands*

Recognition of carbohydrates on glycosylated molecules typically requires multivalent interactions with receptors. Monovalent forms of terminal saccharides engaged by the receptor binding sites typically display weak affinities in the mm range and poor specificity. In contrast, multivalent forms of the same saccharides are bound with strong affinity (10−7–10−9 m) and significantly greater specificity. Although multivalency can readily account for increased affinity, the molecular basis for enhanced specificity is not well understood. We have examined the specificity of the cysteine-rich domain of the mannose/GalNAc-4-SO4receptor using monovalent and multivalent forms of the trisaccharide GalNAcβ1,4GlcNAcβ1,2Manα (GGnM) sulfated at either the C4 (S4GGnM) or C3 (S3GGnM) hydroxyl of the terminal GalNAc. Monovalent S4GGnM and S3GGnM have K i values of 25.8 and 16.2 μm, respectively. Multivalent conjugates of the same GalNAc-4-SO4- and GalNAc-3-SO4-bearing trisaccharides (6.7 mol of trisaccharide/mol of bovine serum albumin) have K i values of 0.013 and 0.170 μm, respectively. The 2000-fold versus 95-fold change in affinity seen for the multivalent forms of these 4-sulfated and 3-sulfated trisaccharides reflects a difference in the impact of conformational entropy. A large fraction of the SO4-3-GalNAc structures exists in a form that is not favorable for binding to the Cys-rich domain. This reduces the effective concentration of SO4-3-GalNAc as compared with SO4-4-GalNAc under the same conditions and results in a markedly lower association rate. This difference in association rate accounts for the 12-fold difference in the rate of clearance from the blood seen with S4GGnM-BSA and S3GGnM-BSA in vivo.
Reduction in healthcare utilization and costs following residential integrated treatment for co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of residential, integrated treatment for co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders on healthcare utilization and costs. More specifically, we compared pre- and post-treatment utilization of emergency room (ER) services and hospital stays for medical, mental health, and substance use problems. Methods: Data from 1,394 patients who attended private, residential treatment for co-occurring disorders and participated in follow-up data collection at 6 months were analyzed using chi-square and t-tests to evaluate what changes, if any, occurred preand post-treatment in regard to ER and hospital overnight utilization. Results: Significant reductions in the number ER visits and overnight stays were realized across the three services domains examined: medical, mental health and substance use. Conclusions: Private, residential treatment for substance use and mental health disorder can support an overall reduction in the utilization and costs of acute care services such as ER visits and hospital overnight stays.
Regional frequency analysis of rainfall in Germany

Abstrakt V príspevku je opísaná aplikácia regionálnej frekvenčnej analýzy založenej na Lmomentoch na priemerných zrážkových údajoch v Nemecku. Analýza bola vykonaná podľa procedúry navrhnutej Hoskingom & Wallisom (1997) a bola vypracovaná v nasledujúcich krokoch: kontrola dát, identifikácia homogénnych regiónov a definovanie funkcie pravdepodobnostnej distribúcie. Analýza bola zameraná najmä na vytvorenie homogénnych regiónov, ktoré charakterizujú priebeh zrážok v regióne a môžu byť ďalej použité ako súčasť iných analýz, prípadne modelov v hydrologickej praxi.
Highly tunable plasmonic nanoring arrays for nanoparticle manipulation and detection

The advancement of trapping and detection of nano-objects at very low laser powers in the near-infra-red region (NIR) is crucial for many applications. Singular visible-light nano-optics based on abrupt phase changes have recently demonstrated a significant improvement in molecule detection. Here, we propose and demonstrate tunable plasmonic nanodevices, which can improve both the trapping field enhancement and detection of nano-objects using singular phase drops in the NIR range. The plasmonic nanostructures, which consist of gaps with dimensions 50 nm × 50 nm connecting nanorings in arrays is discussed. These gaps act as individual detection and trapping sites. The tunability of the system is evident from extinction and reflection spectra while increasing the aperture size in the arrays. Additionally, in the region where the plasmonic nano-array exhibits topologically-protected, near-zero reflection behaviour, the phase displays a rapid change. Our experimental data predict that, using this abrupt phase changes, one can improve the detection sensitivity by 10 times compared to the extinction spectra method. We finally report experimental evidence of 100 nm polystyrene beads trapping using low incident power on these devices. The overall design demonstrates strong capability as an optical, label-free, non-destructive tool for single molecule manipulation where low trapping intensity, minimal photo bleaching and high sensitivity is required.
A High Capacity and Robust Image-Based Watermarking Technique for Relational Databases

Information hiding techniques have been useful for passing secret messages unnoticed since old times, but nowadays it also has been purposeful to prove ownership of digital assets. The increment of the internet services has provoked easy accessing to illegal or unauthorized copies of datasets, so the piracy is at its best. With watermarking emerging as a tool for ownership proof, traitor tracing, etc., there have been several techniques for multimedia data but no so over relational data. Due to the differences of these data types, another angle is necessary to the conceptions of its watermarking schemes also to deal with new problems that have emerged. With our research, we seek to develop a robust technique based on meaningful signals oriented to watermarking relational data. The watermark must be resilient against common updates but also, it must be resilient against bit level attacks that tries to destroy the watermark.
Oncothermia-Booster (Targeted Radiofrequency) Treatment –in Some Non-Oncological Diseases as Special Physiotherapy

Oncothermia (OTM) is based on electromagnetic interactions with the living tissue [1]. Its nano-targeting approach [2,3] establishes a new paradigm, which could be applied not only in case of malignancies but also in other diseases, when the nonselective conditions [4] are valid. Oncothermia method ignites the natural processes to eliminate them from the system reestablishing the communication harmony between the cells. Our aim is to use OTM on the common basis of equilibrium demand; and use the recognition of the deviations from the complex harmony of the organism or its part for selection to act properly. This method will lead us to the successful treatment of some non-malignant diseases, too. This technique is well-proven from the many kind of the laboratory level to the clinical applications [5].
6-O-Sulfotransferase-1 Represents a Critical Enzyme in the Anticoagulant Heparan Sulfate Biosynthetic Pathway*

Using recombinant retroviral transduction, we have introduced the heparin/heparan sulfate (HS) 3-O-sulfotransferase 1 (3-OST-1) gene into Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Expression of 3-OST-1confers upon CHO cells the ability to produce anticoagulantly active HS (HSact). To understand how 6-OST and other proteins regulate HSact biosynthesis, a CHO cell clone with three copies of 3-OST-1 was chemically mutagenized. Resulting mutants that make HS but are defective in generating HSact were single-cell-cloned. One cell mutant makes fewer 6-O-sulfated residues. Modification of HS chains from the mutant with pure 6-OST-1 and 3′-phosphoadenosine 5′-phosphosulfate increased HSact from 7% to 51%. Transfection of this mutant with 6-OST-1 created a CHO cell line that makes HS, 50% of which is HSact. We discovered in this study that (i) 6-OST-1 is a limiting enzyme in the HSact biosynthetic pathway in vivo when the limiting nature of 3-OST-1 is removed; (ii) HS chains from the mutant cells serve as an excellent substrate for demonstrating that6-OST-1 is the limiting factor for HSactgeneration in vitro; (iii) in contradiction to the literature, 6-OST-1 can add 6-O-sulfate to GlcNAc residues, especially the critical 6-O-sulfate in the antithrombin binding motif; (iv) both 3-O- and 6-O-sulfation can be the final step in HSactbiosynthesis in contrast to prior publications that concluded 3-O-sulfation is the final step in HSactbiosynthesis; (v), in the presence of HS interacting protein peptide, 3-O-sulfate-containing sugars can be degraded into disaccharides by heparitinase digestion as demonstrated by capillary high performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry.
Impact on System Stability of Different Voltage Control Schemes of Wind Power Plants Connected Through AC and VSC-HVDC Transmission

Wind turbine generators have a different dynamic behavior compared to conventional synchronous generators. I n power systems with a significant share of wind generation, transmission system operators require in their grid codes additional technical capabilities from wind power installations to ensure stable system operation during faults in the grid. Besides the requirement of remaining connected during severe network disturbances, wind generators shall contribute to maintaining the system voltage by reactive current injection. This contribution demonstrates the effects of voltage support by a wind park at the point of common coupling on grid stability. Three commonly formulated reactive current injection methods are examined: no voltage control, reactive power boosting, and continous voltage support. These control schemes have been tested with the help o f a benchmark system thas was originally proposed by Cigŕ e. The paper also studies the influence of a long ac cable connection on voltage control. Among other results, it is shown that the limited effectiveness of voltage support by the ac connection can be overcome by connecting the wind park through a VSC-HVDC scheme.
Double-graph control strategy of multi-vehicle formations

In this paper, we investigate a distributed control strategy for multi-vehicle formations based on double-graph model. By using this strategy, each vehicle in the leader-follower system adjusts its behavior according to the leader vehicle as well as its neighbors. For arbitrary formation topology, we successfully formulate the stability and performance of the whole formation. The simulation and experimental results verify the stability and efficiency of this control strategy.
ENERGY HARVESTERS UTILIZING A VARIETY OF NONLINEAR SPRINGS

This paper reports a numerical investigation of the potential benefits of utilizing softening springs in comparison to linear springs and hardening springs for vibration energy harvesters. Our results show that the energy harvester using softening springs is better than the energy harvester using linear springs or hardening springs for broadband random vibrations. This is due to its potential to give both wider bandwidth and larger harvested power.
Chemical composition and nutritional value of seeds from new quinoa accessions, cultivated in Egypt

Valorisation of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) and its residues after food processing as promising sources of bioactive substances in Egypt View project Establishment and optimization of different legumes-based vegetarian diets as new functional foods: Innovation of novel vegetarian recipes as new functional foods View project Hassan Barakat Benha University 46 PUBLICATIONS 81 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Ibrahim Khalifa Huazhong Agricultural University 12 PUBLICATIONS 14 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE
Proactive customer service: operational and economic analysis

Problem Deﬁnition: We study a service setting where the provider may have advance information about customers’ future service needs and may initiate service for these customers proactively. Academic / Practical Relevance: Information about future customer service needs is becoming increasingly available due to better system integration coupled with advanced analytics and big-data methods. We contribute to the literature by presenting a systematic analysis of proactive service as a tool that can be used to better match service supply with demand. Methodology: To study this setting, we combine (i) queueing theory, and in particular a diﬀusion approximation developed speciﬁcally for this problem, to quantify the impact of proactive service on customer delays with (ii) game theory to investigate the incentives of customers to agree to be served proactively. Results: We ﬁnd that proactive service reduces average delays, and we develop a closed-form approximation that shows that the beneﬁt of proactive service is increasing concave in the proportion of customers who can be served proactively. Nevertheless, we ﬁnd that in equilibrium, customers are less willing to agree to be served proactively compared to social optimum because of a positive externality leading to free riding behavior – customers who agree to be served proactively reduce the waiting time for everyone, including those customers who do not have to suﬀer the inconvenience of being served proactively. Managerial Implications: Our results suggest that proactive service may have a large operational beneﬁt, but caution that it may fail to fulﬁl its potential due to customer self-interested behavior.