Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Relative influence of reference groups on product and brand choice decisions

Group pressure to conform is referred to in the con sumer and social psychology literature as “social influence” or “interpersonal influence”, which has an impact on consumer product and brand preferences, on eva luations of product quality and also on buying decisions. Market researchers have long strived to understand the effects of social influence on consumer attitudes an d behaviors. That is, how, why, and when do consumers conform to social norms? Rese archers around the world have tried to study how people behave in a particul ar situation and why do they behave like that? The results however have not been commensurate with the efforts made, primarily due to the diversity that people ex hibit in their behavior. Thus, it is imperative for marketers to keep track of their cus tomers by undertaking researches on the various facets of consumer behavior on a reg ular basis. Reference Groups: Olson and Peter (1996), define a reference group as “one or more people that someone uses as a basis for compar ison or point of reference in forming affective and cognitive responses and perfo rming behaviors”. Reference groups expose an individual to new behaviors and li festyles and influence attitudes and self-concept; they create pressures for conform ity that may affect actual product and brand choices. Consumers use informal groups as a source of information about products and as a frame of reference in product eva luations and why informal groups influence purchasing behavior. It is argued that the individual has a need to compare himself on various attributes with other in dividuals in order to judge the consequences of his behavior when physical evidence is unavailable. Social comparison increases the stability of one’s evaluat ion and offers an occasion for expressing affection and other interpersonal reward s (Clarke, 1971). Consumer susceptibility to group influence is assum ed to be a general trait that varies across individuals and is related to other i ndiv dual traits and characteristics. The construct is defined as the need to identify wi th or enhance one’s image in the opinion of significant others through the acquisiti on and use of products or brands, the willingness to conform to the expectations of o thers regarding purchase
Home visit improves knowledge, self-care and adhesion in heart failure: Randomized Clinical Trial HELEN-I.

OBJECTIVE To verify the effect of an educative nursing intervention composed of home visits and phone calls on patients' knowledge about the disease, self-care and adhesion to the treatment. METHODS Randomized clinical trial with patients with recent hospitalization caused by decompensated heart failure. There were two groups: the intervention group, which has received four home visits and four phone calls to reinforce the guidelines during six months of follow up; and the control group, which has received conventional follow up with no visits or phone calls. RESULTS Two hundred patients were randomized (101 in the intervention group and 99 in the control group). After six months, a significant improvement was observed in self-care and knowledge about the disease in the intervention group (P=0.001 and P<0.001), respectively; the adhesion to the treatment, measured and compared between the groups, was significantly higher in the intervention group (P=0.001). CONCLUSION the strategy of home visits to patients who were recently hospitalized with decompensated heart failure was effective in improving the outcomes assessed and its implementation deserves to be considered in Brazil aiming at avoiding unplanned hospitalizations. NCT-01213862.
Retrieval of Sea and Land Surface Temperature From SVISSR/FY-2C/D/E Measurements

This paper addresses the retrieval of sea surface temperature (SST) and land surface temperature (LST) from the measurements acquired by the Stretched Visible and Infrared Spin Scan Radiometer (SVISSR) on FengYun (FY) 2C/D/E satellites. First, the generalized split-window algorithms for SST and LST retrieval were developed using the moderate spectral resolution atmospheric transmittance algorithm and computer model (MODTRAN) fed with the parameter-adjusted standard model atmospheres. Then, the developed algorithms were applied to SST and LST retrieval from the SVISSR/FY-2C/D measurements in September 2007 and the SVISSR/FY-2E measurements in May 2010 over a large study area (latitude: 10° S-50° N; longitude: 60° E-130° E). Finally, the derived SVISSR/FY-2 SST and LST were, respectively, cross-validated with the MODIS/Terra SST and LST products. The results show the following: 1) the generalized split-window algorithms developed in this work are valid for both SST and LST retrieval from SVISSR/FY-2C/D/E measurements; 2) in contrast to the MODIS/Terra SST and LST products, the errors in nighttime retrieval are usually less than that in daytime retrieval, and the errors in SVISSR/FY-2 SST are generally less than the errors in SVISSR/FY-2 LST; and 3) for both daytime and nighttime, the total errors in SVISSR/FY-2C/D/E LST are, respectively, 0.3 ± 1.6 K, 0.3 ± 1.9 K, and 1.0 ± 1.8 K, while the total errors in SVISSR/FY-2C/D/E SST are, respectively, -0.6 ± 1.3 K, -0.2 ± 1.5 K, and 0.4 ± 1.8 K.
Nitric oxide plays a role in the regulation of adrenal blood flow and adrenocorticomedullary functions in the llama fetus

The hypothesis that nitric oxide plays a key role in the regulation of adrenal blood flow and plasma concentrations of cortisol and catecholamines under basal and hypoxaemic conditions in the llama fetus was tested. At 0.6‐0.8 of gestation, 11 llama fetuses were surgically prepared for long‐term recording under anaesthesia with vascular and amniotic catheters. Following recovery all fetuses underwent an experimental protocol based on 1 h of normoxaemia, 1 h of hypoxaemia and 1 h of recovery. In nine fetuses, the protocol occurred during fetal i.v. infusion with saline and in five fetuses during fetal i.v. treatment with the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor l‐NAME. Adrenal blood flow was determined by the radiolabelled microsphere method during each of the experimental periods during saline infusion and treatment with l‐NAME. Treatment with l‐NAME during normoxaemia led to a marked fall in adrenal blood flow and a pronounced increase in plasma catecholamine concentrations, but it did not affect plasma ACTH or cortisol levels. In saline‐infused fetuses, acute hypoxaemia elicited an increase in adrenal blood flow and in plasma ACTH, cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline concentrations. Treatment with l‐NAME did not affect the increase in fetal plasma ACTH, but prevented the increments in adrenal blood flow and in plasma cortisol and adrenaline concentrations during hypoxaemia in the llama fetus. In contrast, l‐NAME further enhanced the increase in fetal plasma noradrenaline. These data support the hypothesis that nitric oxide has important roles in the regulation of adrenal blood flow and adrenal corticomedullary functions during normoxaemia and hypoxaemia functions in the late gestation llama fetus.
Ja n 20 16 A POLYNOMIAL KERNEL FOR BLOCK GRAPH DELETION

In the Block Graph Deletion problem, we are given a graph G on n vertices and a positive integer k, and the objective is to check whether it is possible to delete at most k vertices from G to make it a block graph, i.e., a graph in which each block is a clique. In this paper, we obtain a kernel with Opkq vertices for the Block Graph Deletion problem. This is a first step to investigate polynomial kernels for deletion problems into non-trivial classes of graphs of bounded rank-width, but unbounded tree-width. Our result also implies that Chordal Vertex Deletion admits a polynomial-size kernel on diamond-free graphs. For the kernelization and its analysis, we introduce the notion of ‘complete degree’ of a vertex. We believe that the underlying idea can be potentially applied to other problems. We also prove that the Block Graph Deletion problem can be solved in time 10 ̈ n.
Longitudinal assessment of grey matter contraction in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A tensor based morphometry study

Our objective was to investigate grey matter (GM) contraction in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) using tensor based morphometry (TBM). Using a 1.5 Tesla scanner, T1-weighted MRI scans were obtained at baseline and at follow-up (mean interval, 9 months) from 16 ALS and 10 controls. Standard TBM procedures in Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM2) were used for image processing and statistical analyses. The frontotemporal cortex and basal ganglia were considered areas of interest, based on pathological studies. Eight patients showed rapid clinical progression of ALS during the follow-up period. Compared to controls, all ALS patients showed progression of GM atrophy in left premotor cortex and right basal ganglia. Patients with rapidly progressing ALS showed GM atrophy changes in a larger motor cortical-subcortical area and in extramotor frontal regions compared to both controls and to non-rapidly progressing cases. Thus, TBM detected longitudinal atrophy changes in the motor network in ALS occurring over less than one year. The faster the clinical progression, the greater was the GM loss in motor and prefrontal areas. Further advances in tracking longitudinal changes in cortical and subcortical regions in ALS may provide an objective marker for monitoring disease progression, and the disease-modifying effect of potential treatments.
Face-to-face diagnosis vs telediagnosis of pigmented skin tumors: a teledermoscopic study.

BACKGROUND Teledermoscopy uses telecommunication technologies to transfer images of pigmented skin lesions, including clinical and anamnestic data, via e-mail to specialized centers for teleconsultation. DESIGN Sixty-six pigmented skin lesions examined on a face-to-face basis in a skin lesion clinic in L'Aquila, Italy, were sent via e-mail on a standard-resolution color monitor for consultation at a university dermatology department in Graz, Austria. INTERVENTION Digital photographs of the clinical and dermoscopic images of all pigmented tumors were taken with a stereomicroscope connected to a high-resolution video camera in Truevision advanced graphic array (Targa) format file and converted successively into a Joint Photographic Expert Group (PEG) format file. All lesions were excised surgically and diagnosed histopathologically. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Diagnostic concordance between face-to-face diagnosis and telediagnosis. RESULTS The diagnostic concordance was 60 (91%) of 66 cases. The number of correct telediagnoses was lower, but the difference was not statistically significant (Wilcoxon test, P = .10). The accuracy of the telediagnoses was not related to the quality of the images, but highly depended on the level of diagnostic difficulty of a given pigmented skin tumor (Spearman correlation, P= .01). CONCLUSION Teleconsultation of clinical and dermoscopic images of skin tumors via e-mail provides a similar degree of diagnostic accuracy as face-to-face diagnosis.
An Augmented Reality 3 D Pop-Up Book : the Development of a Multimedia Project for English Language Teaching

Augmented Reality (AR) for academic purposes is growing in the same upward direction as the expansion of smart multimedia into education and lifelong learning. This paper reports on an AR curriculum materials research and development project which employs storytelling as a teaching technique in a blended learning environment for Grade Three students in Bangkok learning English. It involved an AR 3D pop-up book as a tool for teachers to deliver the story of a children’s book, namely The Seed Shooting Game, to teach various English language aspects to young children. The primary rationale supporting this research was the high demand and appreciation of the potential to integrate Augmented Reality into classrooms effectively to enhance learning. This article aims to detail each phase of the production process: pre-production, production and post production. The population for this study were 484 Grade Three Thai students of whom 99 were purposively selected. An added finding was the depth of learning comprehension and engagement gained from the English lesson were higher than their pre-test scores. The majority of participants indicated that the Augmented Reality book was a stimulating educational resource that increased the desire to learn. Keywords-component; 3D pop-up book, Augmented Reality, blended learning, children’s book, e-learning, elementary level, multimedia, storytelling, teaching English as a foreign language
Ser128Arg gene polymorphism for E-selectin and severity of atherosclerotic arterial disease.

AIM Genetic factors appear to be important in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. Adhesion molecules like the members of the selectin family participate in the interaction between leukocytes and the endothelium. They are also involved in the pathogenesis of the atherosclerotic process. In E-selectin, exchange from serine to arginine (position 128, S128R) is correlated with early atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to assess E-selectin Ser128Arg polymorphism in subjects with clinical and instrumental evidence of atherosclerosis and to analyze the correlations with clinical severity. METHODS A total of 144 subjects (100 men and 44 women, mean age 72 years, range 48-78) with atherosclerotic disease in different vascular sites documented by angiography were studied; 138 volunteers were recruited as a control group. Whole blood was collected; DNA was extracted with a commercial kit and amplified with 2 primers. The PCR was performed by standard procedure. To assess the disease severity all patients were classified by an arbitrary clinical and angiographic score scale. RESULTS The genotype distribution between patients and controls was different, although statistical significance was not achieved (p=0.06). In patients a significant difference in Arg allele frequency was observed between mild and severe atherosclerotic disease (OR 2.28; 95% CI 1.15-4.52; p=0.017). Four ho-mozygous cases for S128R were found in patients, none in controls. All these 4 patients had the highest severity score, that means a more severe atherosclerotic disease. CONCLUSION Our study suggests that the E-selectin polymorphism may be associated with severity of atherosclerotic disease, but does not allow us to conclude that it is actually a risk factor for atherosclerosis.
Evaluation of the smallest detectable difference in outcome or process variables in ankylosing spondylitis.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the smallest detectable difference (SDD) of symptomatic outcome or process variables in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients from various countries. METHODS Thirty consecutive AS patients with axial involvement were recruited from 1 center in each of 4 countries (Spain, Morocco, France, The Netherlands), for a total of 120 patients. Fourteen variables were studied in 6 domains: pain (3 variables), stiffness (1 variable), function (2 variables), spinal mobility (3 variables), patient global assessment (4 variables), and the domain of enthesiopathy (1 variable). All patients were evaluated twice within a 1-week period during which no clinical or therapeutic change occurred. Intracenter reliability was evaluated using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). The SDD was determined using the Bland-Altman method. RESULTS Of the 14 variables evaluated in the 120 patients (82% males, 42 +/- 12 years old, with a mean disease duration of 17 +/- 13 years), only the SDD for the variable occiput-to-wall distance showed statistically significant difference among centers. For the entire group, the SDD, expressed as percentage of the range of the variable, varied from 10% (Mander enthesis index) to 39% (spinal pain at night last week). The intraobserver reliability was good (ICC > 0.80) except for the variables morning stiffness and modified Schober test (ICCs of 0.76 and 0.60, respectively). CONCLUSION This study suggests that the evaluation of AS patients is homogenous and reliable in different centers of different European and North African countries. Evaluation of the SDD of the symptomatic outcome or process variables is a starting point to determine the minimum clinically important difference, permitting the presentation of results of clinical studies on an individual basis.
VENTRICULOPERITONEAL SHUNT COMPLICATIONS IN CALIFORNIA: 1990 TO 2000

BACKGROUNDRisk factors for ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt complications have not been assessed with population cohort data since the advent of modern surgical techniques. We examined demographic factors and VP shunt complications in a population-based retrospective cohort study of all nonfederal California hospital admissions between 1990 and 2000. METHODSWe identified all admissions in a statewide administrative hospital discharge database that indicated a VP shunt insertion. Repeat hospital admissions within California generating a discharge diagnosis of surgical shunt complication, defined as a shunt replacement, revision, removal, or exploration, represented the primary outcome of interest. We performed Kaplan-Meier survival analyses and Cox proportional hazards modeling to analyze sex, age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status based on payer status, and type of hydrocephalus in relation to the risk of shunt complications. RESULTSThe annual population incidence of VP shunt placement was 5.5 per 100,000. Among 14,455 individuals with 65,040 person-years of follow-up, the cumulative complication rate at 5 years was 32%. Children demonstrated a higher rate of shunt complications than did adults at 5 years (48 versus 27%, P < 0.0001). The following demographic factors were independently associated with increased risk of shunt complications: male sex (hazard ratio [HR], 1.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03–1.2), low socioeconomic status (HR, 1.2; 95% CI, 1.1–1.3), and age younger than 19 years (HR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.4–1.7). Compared with communicating hydrocephalus, obstructive hydrocephalus was also associated with increased risk of shunt complications (HR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.5–1.9). CONCLUSIONVP shunt complications are common, especially in children. Further study is needed to explain the associations between demographic factors and elevated shunt complication rates.
Identi cation of Conserved Regions and Determination of Relationships in Protein Families by Self-Organizing Maps

The protein family of septins is analyzed with the SOM methodology of Andrade et al. (1997) to determine the family relationships and the key residues responsible for the obtained classi cation. These key residues are candidates for determining functional sites of the proteins. The advantages of the applied SOM methodology compared to other methods are discussed. Its limitations and drawbacks are pointed out as well. Finally, possible enhancements of the methodology for future research are given.
Feasibility of Multiplane-Transmit Beamforming for Real-Time Volumetric Cardiac Imaging: A Simulation Study

Today’s 3-D cardiac ultrasound imaging systems suffer from relatively low spatial and temporal resolution, limiting their applicability in daily clinical practice. To address this problem, 3-D diverging wave imaging with spatial coherent compounding (DWC) as well as 3-D multiline-transmit (MLT) imaging have recently been proposed. Currently, the former improves the temporal resolution significantly at the expense of image quality and the risk of introducing motion artifacts, whereas the latter only provides a moderate gain in volume rate but mostly preserves quality. In this paper, a new technique for real-time volumetric cardiac imaging is proposed by combining the strengths of both approaches. Hereto, multiple planar (i.e., 2-D) diverging waves are simultaneously transmitted in order to scan the 3-D volume, i.e., multiplane transmit (MPT) beamforming. The performance of a 3MPT imaging system was contrasted to that of a 3-D DWC system and that of a 3-D MLT system by computer simulations during both static and moving conditions of the target structures while operating at similar volume rate. It was demonstrated that for stationary targets, the 3MPT imaging system was competitive with both the 3-D DWC and 3-D MLT systems in terms of spatial resolution and sidelobe levels (i.e., image quality). However, for moving targets, the image quality quickly deteriorated for the 3-D DWC systems while it remained stable for the 3MPT system while operating at twice the volume rate of the 3-D-MLT system. The proposed MPT beamforming approach was thus demonstrated to be feasible and competitive to state-of-the-art methodologies.
Measurement of the Charm-Mixing Parameter

Neutral charm mesons can change their flavor and turn into antimesons, and vice versa, before they decay. This phenomenon, known as flavor oscillation or D–D mixing, occurs because the eigenstates of the Hamiltonian governing the time evolution of the neutral D system are superpositions of the flavor eigenstates, jD1;2i 1⁄4 pjD0i qjD0i, where p and q are complex parameters satisfying jpj2 þ jqj2 1⁄4 1. In the limit of charge-parity (CP) symmetry, q equals p and the oscillations are characterized by only two dimensionless parameters, x≡ ðm1 −m2Þ=Γ and y≡ ðΓ1 − Γ2Þ=2Γ, where m1ð2Þ and Γ1ð2Þ are the mass and decay width of the CP-even (odd) eigenstate D1ð2Þ, respectively, and Γ≡ ðΓ1 þ Γ2Þ=2 is the average decay width [1]. The values of x and y are of the order of 1% or smaller [2]. In the presence of CP violation, the mixing rates for mesons produced as D and D differ, further enriching the phenomenology. Because of D–D mixing, the effective decay width ΓCPþ of decays to CP-even final states, such as hþh− (h 1⁄4 K, π), differs from the average width Γ. The latter can be measured in decays that involve an equal mixture of CPeven and CP-odd states, such asD → K−πþ. (Throughout this Letter, the inclusion of the charge-conjugate decay mode is implied unless otherwise stated.) The quantity
Estimation for Unknown Parameters of the Extended Burr Type-XII Distribution Based on Type-I Hybrid Progressive Censoring Scheme

In this paper, Bayesian and non-Bayesian estimations are used to make point and interval estimations for extended Burr Type-XII distribution in case of TypeI hybrid progressive censoring scheme. Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approximation is needed to solve the complicated integrations in the case of Bayesian techniques. Numerical results using generation data sets are presented. AMS 2010 Subject Classification: Primary 62G30; Secondary 62F15.
Antibody to Reduction Modi fi able Protein Increases the Bacterial Burden and the Duration of Gonococcal Infection in a Mouse Model

Antibodies against reduction modifiable protein (anti-Rmp Abs) can block complement-dependent killing of Neisseria gonorrhoeae by otherwise bactericidal Abs. An anti-lipooligosaccharide bactericidal monoclonal Ab (mAb) 2C7, a gonococcal vaccine candidate Ab, attenuates vaginal colonization by gonococci in BALB/c mice. Here we show that anti-Rmp Abs block the efficacy of mAb 2C7 inmice in a dose-dependent manner. Anti-Rmp Abs also counteract 2C7-mediated enhancement of C3 deposition on gonococci in vivo. The mouse model will prove useful to study how blocking Abs influence the efficacy of gonococcal vaccines. Preexisting antiRmp Abs will be an important consideration in evaluating the efficacy of gonococcal vaccine candidates.