Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of a Digital Social Media Campaign on Young Adult Smoking Cessation.

INTRODUCTION Social media (SM) may extend the reach and impact for smoking cessation among young adult smokers. To-date, little research targeting young adults has been done on the use of SM to promote quitting smoking. We assessed the effect of an innovative multicomponent web-based and SM approach known as Break-it-Off (BIO) on young adult smoking cessation. METHODS The study employed a quasi-experimental design with baseline and 3-month follow-up data from 19 to 29-year old smokers exposed to BIO (n = 102 at follow-up) and a comparison group of Smokers' Helpline (SHL) users (n = 136 at follow-up). Logistic regression analysis assessed differences between groups on self-reported 7-day and 30-day point prevalence cessation rates, adjusting for ethnicity, education level, and cigarette use (daily or occasional) at baseline. RESULTS The campaign reached 37 325 unique visitors with a total of 44 172 visits. BIO users had significantly higher 7-day and 30-day quit rates compared with users of SHL. At 3-month follow-up, BIO participants (32.4%) were more likely than SHL participants (14%) to have quit smoking for 30 days (odds ratio = 2.95, 95% CI = 1.56 to 5.57, P < .001) and BIO participants (91%) were more likely than SHL participants (79%) to have made a quit attempt (odds ratio = 2.69, 95% CI = 1.03 to 6.99, P = .04). CONCLUSION The reach of the campaign and findings on quitting success indicate that a digital/SM platform can complement the traditional SHL cessation service for young adult smokers seeking help to quit.
Exploring learners' emotions over time in virtual learning

Time constitutes an important factor influencing every process related to e-learning. Along these lines, we need to study how students manage time in their learning processes. We need to know if they feel that they have enough time to carry out a learning activity or whether they feel stressed and frustrated by the lack of time. We are also interested in what kind of emotions they express and how these emotions evolve over this period of time. Our work focuses on studying the nature and role time plays in the affective states learners experience during a long-term e-learning process. Our methodological design shows the type of data we need to collect, which methods are more suitable for analysing this data in order to detect and interpret the learners’ emotions across time.
Whole-cell and single channel K+ and Cl- currents in epithelial cells of frog skin

Whole-cell and single channel currents were studied in cells from frog (R. pipiens and R. catesbiana) skin epithelium, isolated by collagenase and trypsin treatment, and kept in primary cultures up to three days. Whole-cell currents did not exhibit any significant time-dependent kinetics under any ionic conditions used. With an external K gluconate Ringer solution the currents showed slight inward rectification with a reversal potential near zero and an average conductance of 5 nS at reversal. Ionic substitution of the external medium showed that most of the cell conductance was due to K and that very little, if any, Na conductance was present. This confirmed that most cells originate from inner epithelial layers and contain membranes with basolateral properties. At voltages more positive than 20 mV outward currents were larger with K in the medium than with Na or N-methyl-D-glucamine. Such behavior is indicative of a multi-ion transport mechanism. Whole-cell K current was inhibited by external Ba and quinidine. Blockade by Ba was strongly voltage dependent, while that by quinidine was not. In the presence of high external Cl, a component of outward current that was inhibited by the anion channel blocker diphenylamine-2-carboxylate (DPC) appeared in 70% of the cells. This component was strongly outwardly rectifying and reversed at a potential expected for a Cl current. At the single channel level the event most frequently observed in the cell-attached configuration was a K channel with the following characteristics: inward-rectifying I-V relation with a conductance (with 112.5 mM K in the pipette) of 44 pS at the reversal potential, one open and at least two closed states, and open probability that increased with depolarization. Quinidine blocked by binding in the open state and decreasing mean open time. Several observations suggest that this channel is responsible for most of the whole-cell current observed in high external K, and for the K conductance of the basolateral membrane of the intact epithelium. On a few occasions a Cl channel was observed that activated upon excision and brief strong depolarization. The I-V relation exhibited strong outward rectification with a single channel conductance of 48 pS at 0 mV in symmetrical 112 mM Cl solutions. Kinetic analysis showed the presence of two open and at least two closed states. Open time constants and open probability increased markedly with depolarization. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Bethe Bounds and Approximating the Global Optimum

Inference in general Markov random fields (MRFs) is NP-hard, though identifying the maximum a posteriori (MAP) configuration of pairwise MRFs with submodular cost functions is efficiently solvable using graph cuts. Marginal inference, however, even for this restricted class, is in #P. We prove new formulations of derivatives of the Bethe free energy, provide bounds on the derivatives and bracket the locations of stationary points, introducing a new technique called Bethe bound propagation. Several results apply to pairwise models whether associative or not. Applying these to discretized pseudo-marginals in the associative case we present a polynomial time approximation scheme for global optimization provided the maximum degree is $O(\log n)$, and discuss several extensions.
Discriminative Learning Under Covariate Shift

We address classification problems for which the training instances are governed by an input distribution that is allowed to differ arbitrarily from the test distribution---problems also referred to as classification under covariate shift. We derive a solution that is purely discriminative: neither training nor test distribution are modeled explicitly. The problem of learning under covariate shift can be written as an integrated optimization problem. Instantiating the general optimization problem leads to a kernel logistic regression and an exponential model classifier for covariate shift. The optimization problem is convex under certain conditions; our findings also clarify the relationship to the known kernel mean matching procedure. We report on experiments on problems of spam filtering, text classification, and landmine detection.
The achievable average rate- outage probability trade off curve in two-hop block fading channels

This paper concerns transmission over a two-hop quasi-static Rayleigh block fading channel in which communication is made through the use of a Decode and Forward (DF) relay. It is assumed that the channel state information (CSI) associated with both hops are only available at the corresponding receivers, while they are unknown to the transmitters. Considering an outage event occurs if the destination can not receive a target rate, the optimal achievable average rate- outage probability tradeoff curve is obtained through the use of a multi-layer code at both hops, termed the broadcast strategy. In order to maximize the average rate, we propose an optimum power allocation scheme of both hops. Numerical results show that the maximum achievable average rate for the specific outage probability is obtained when the threshold layer of both hops are equal.
A fresh look at Bayesian Cramér-Rao bounds for discrete-time nonlinear filtering

In this paper, we aim to relate different Bayesian Cramér-Rao bounds which appear in the discrete-time nonlinear filtering literature in a single framework. A comparative theoretical analysis of the bounds is provided in order to relate their tightness. The results can be used to provide a lower bound on the mean square error in nonlinear filtering. The findings are illustrated and verified by numerical experiments where the tightness of the bounds are compared.
FtF and Mobile email Personal Networks and Loneliness : Focusing on the Interaction Effects of Sociability and Personal Networks

This paper is the English translation of the original Japanese paper which is published in Journal of SocioInformation Studies, Vol.10, No.1 and awarded for the Best Paper of the Year 2005 for Young Researchers. 02JSIvol1No1 08.5. 19 2:53 PM ページ71 Journal of Socio-Informatics, Vol.1, No.1, pp.71-86. (2008)
Determination of Organochlorine Pesticides in Some Vegetable Samples Using GC-MS

This study investigated the level of pesticide pollution using marrow squash (Cucurbita pepo L.), cherry tomato (Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme), banana pepper (Capsicum annuum), lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.), green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), and onion (Allium fl avum L.) in Kirklareli, Turkey. For this purpose, the concentrations of organochlorine pesticides were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Vegetables were prepared for analysis by QuEChERS extraction method. Concentrations of Hexachlorocyclohexane (∑HCH), aldrin, heptachlor, dieldrin, endosulfan, methoxychlor and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (∑DDT) were determined in vegetables collected from different points in Kirklareli. The LOD and LOQ were between 0.02-0.26 and 0.06-0.87 μg/L, respectively. The RSDs of the migration time ranged from 2.4% to 7.7% for the 18 analytes, indicating the good repeatability of the method. Recoveries of the spiked analytes in vegetables ranged from 83% to 104%, respectively. The obtained concentrations for pesticides in all vegetables studied were in the range ND-73.6 μg/kg.
Staying Sharp: Retention of Military Knowledge and Skills

Abstract : This report reviews what is known about forgetting as it applies to military tasks. It includes research conducted by the Army Research Institute as well as related work performed by the Air Force and Navy and leading academic institutions. The report distinguishes the memory for knowledge and skill related to procedural tasks, cognitive tasks, and perceptual-motor tasks. Memory for task knowledge has been demonstrated to be quite good. Memory for cognitive skills has been demonstrated to be quite good. Memory for psychomotor skills varies, depending on whether the task is continuous, such as riding a bicycle, or discrete, such as executing the separate performance steps involved in disassembling a rifle. Throughout the report, figures depict the relative sustainment or decay of a skill as reported in the research literature. A final section concerns the factors that influence the reacquisition of a skill after extended periods of nonuse, as might occur during a mobilization.
Fish kills linked to a toxic ambush-predator dinoflagellate: distribution and environmental conditions

The toxic ambush-predator dinoflagellate Pfiesteria piscicida gen. et sp. nov. has been implicated as a causative agent of major fish kills in estuarine ecosystems of the southeastern United States. P, piscicida is stimulated by fresh fish secreta, and it was lethal to all 19 species of native and exotic flnfish and shellfish bioassayed in culture; thus far in field and aquaculture kills linked to the d~noflagellate. 13 additional fish species have been affected. Field data in combination with confirming laboratory bioassays documented toxicity at temperatures ranging from 12 to 33OC, with most outbreaks occurring at 26°C or higher. P. piscicida also exhibits wide salinity tolerance; it was lethal to fish from 0 to 35 ppt in calcareous waters, with an optimum salinity for growth and toxic activity at 15 ppt. It was toxic to fish day or night (2250 toxic zoospores ml-l) without an apparent light optimum, in expenmental laboratory conditions ranging from 0.2 pEin m-2 S' (darkness for all but 30 to 60 s at 20 p E ~ n m-2 S-' per 24 h period) to 200 pEin m-2 S" (12:12 h 1ight:dark cycle). Moreover, f~e ld fish kills have occurred in darkness and at light intensities up to 2400 pEin m 2 S' . Through direct microscope counts of water samples, confirmed identifications with scanning electron microscopy, and confirmed toxic activity in bioassays, P. piscicida was implicated as the causative agent of 52 * 7 % of the major fish kills (affecting 103 to 10' fish from May 1991 to November 1993) on an annual basis in North Carollna estuaries and coastal waters. Since their discovery in natural hab~tat during 1991, Pfiesteria-like species also have been tracked to eutrophic sudden-death fish kill sites In estuaries, coastal waters, and aquaculture facihties from the mid-Atlantic through the Gulf Coast. Toxic ambush-predator dinoflagellates likely are widespread in warm temperate/subtropical regions, acting as significant but often undetected sources of fish mortality and disease.
Looking Back, Moving Forward: A Review of Group and Team-Based Research

This fifteenth volume reviews the current status of many of the major themes that this series has explored. In each chapter, we challenged the authors to provide a succinct review of a particular area while maintaining the culture of this series by suggesting new directions and interesting questions to pursue. The authors, many of whom were thematic editors as young assistant professors, responded with explorations in the areas of Dynamics within Groups, Leadership, Micropolitics, Power, Ethics, Conflict, Political Correctness, Diversity, Group Learning, Technology, Engagement, Time Pressure, Culture, and Intergroup Processes - all reflecting the unique take on these topics within the context of groups and teams.
Serum Interleukin-6 Expression Level and Its Clinical Significance in Patients with Dermatomyositis

Objective. To analyze serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) expression level and its clinical significance in patients with dermatomyositis. Methods. Blood samples from 23 adult patients with dermatomyositis (DM), 22 with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 22 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 16 with Sjögren's syndrome (SS), and 20 healthy controls were collected. The IL-6 concentration was detected by chemiluminescence immunoassay. Correlations between IL-6 expression levels and clinical features or laboratory findings in patients with DM were investigated. Results. IL-6 expression level of DM patients was significantly higher than that of normal controls, significantly lower than that of RA patients, and slightly lower than that of SLE or SS patients with no significant differences. The incidence of fever was significantly higher in the IL-6 elevated group. Serum ferritin (SF) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were positively correlated with IL-6. Conclusions. IL-6 plays a less important role in DM than in RA. IL-6 monoclonal antibodies may have poor effect in patients with DM.
Signal Transduction-mediated Activation of the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor in Rat Hepatoma H4IIE Cells*

We have investigated mechanisms of omeprazole (OME)-mediated induction of CYP1A1 and CYP3A, using the rat hepatoma H4IIE cell line, in comparison with mechanisms exerted by traditional aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) ligands such as benso(a)pyrene (B(a)P) and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). OME did not bind specifically to AhR, and it could not activate the AhR complex in rat cytosol to a xenobiotic-responsive element (XRE)-binding formin vitro. Genistein, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, and daidzein, an inhibitor of casein kinase II, efficiently inhibited OME-mediated but not B(a)P- or TCDD-mediated induction of CYP1A1, as monitored at the transcriptional, mRNA, and protein levels as well as by analysis of activation of XRE-luciferase reporter constructs transfected into H4IIE cells. The protease inhibitorN α-p-tosyl-l-lysine chloromethyl ketone (TLCK) and lavendustin A also had similar OME-specific effects. In addition, insulin pretreatment caused an almost complete inhibition of OME-dependent CYP1A1 induction but only partially affected TCDD and B(a)P-mediated induction of CYP1A1. Staurosporine, an inhibitor of protein kinase C, impaired the induction by both B(a)P and OME. OME caused an approximately 2-fold increase in the level of CYP3A expression, but all inhibitors used were ineffective in preventing this induction. Gel shift analysis with radiolabeled XRE and specific peptide antibodies toward AhR and aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator protein (Arnt) revealed an OME-mediated translocation of the AhR·Arnt complex into the nuclei. Genistein inhibited the specific nuclear XRE binding caused by OME, but it potentiated the formation of the TCDD-induced XRE·AhR complex. Although daidzein was able to effectively inhibit the OME-stimulatedCYP1A1 gene transcription, it did not influence the OME-dependent AhR·XRE complex formation. The data are consistent with a mechanism for OME-mediated induction of CYP1A1 that involves activation of the AhR complex via intracellular signal transduction systems and that is distinct from induction mediated by AhR ligands.
Discrete-Time Backstepping Neural Control for Synchronous Generators

This paper deals with adaptive tracking for discrete-time MIMO nonlinear systems in presence of bounded disturbances. In this paper, a high order neural network structure is used to approximate a control law designed by the backstepping technique, applied to a block strict feedback form (BSFF). The learning algorithm for the HONN is based on an extended Kalman filter (EKF). This paper also includes the respective stability analysis, using the Lyapunov approach. The viability of the proposed approach is tested via simulations, by its application to synchronous generators control.
Acquired hemophilia A

Abstract Acquired hemophilia A is a rare but severe autoimmune bleeding disorder, resulting from the presence of autoantibodies directed against clotting factor VIII. The etiology of the disorder remains obscure, although approximately half of all cases are associated with other underlying conditions. A prompt diagnosis and appropriate management enable effective control of this acquired hemorrhagic disorder: the aims of therapy are to terminate the acute bleeding episode and eliminate or reduce the inhibitor. The recent availability of bypassing agents, first activated prothrombin complex concentrates and then recombinant activated factor VII, has significantly reduced mortality during the acute phase of the disease in patients with high titer inhibitors. On another front, immunosuppressive therapy (corticosteroids and cytotoxic agents, alone or in various combinations) has resulted in long-term inhibitor suppression in up to 70% of the cases. Moreover, new therapeutic strategies (anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody and immune tolerance protocols) are very promising and may further improve the prognosis of acquired hemophilia A.
Your left hand can do it too!: investigating intermanual, symmetric gesture transfer on touchscreens

This work examines intermanual gesture transfer, i.e., learning a gesture with one hand and performing it with the other. Using a traditional retention and transfer paradigm from the motor learning literature, participants learned four gestures on a touchscreen. The study found that touchscreen gestures transfer, and do so symmetrically. Regardless of the hand used during training, gestures were performed with a comparable level of error and speed by the untrained hand, even after 24 hours. In addition, the form of a gesture, i.e., its length or curvature, was found to have no influence on transferability. These results have important implications for the design of stroke-based gestural interfaces: acquisition could occur with either hand and it is possible to interchange the hand used to perform gestures. The work concludes with a discussion of these implications and highlights how they can be applied to gesture learning and current gestural systems.
Investigations with cultured human microglia on pathogenic mechanisms of Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases

Inflammation‐mediated mechanisms for human neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) have evolved from being on the fringe of medical hypotheses to mainstream thinking. Pioneering immunopathology studies with human brain tissues identified microglia associated with neuropathologic hallmarks of these diseases. As activated macrophages were known to produce many potential toxic products, this gave rise to the hypothesis that activated microglia (brain resident macrophages) could be contributing to the degeneration of key target neurons in these diseases, as well as potential vascular dysfunction. Studies with microglia derived from different sources, including human brains, have confirmed that activated microglia can mediate neuronal cell death. Based on these theories, a number of human clinical trials with antiinflammatory agents have been carried out on AD patients. Results to date have indicated a lack of effectiveness at slowing disease progression and have begun to cast doubt on the significance of inflammation in AD. It has been shown recently that activating microglia through immunization of amyloid plaque‐developing mice with amyloid beta peptide (Aβ) has promise as a therapeutic strategy and despite some setbacks, has potential as a treatment for AD patients. This article will consider experimental data with microglia to determine whether the additional targets need to be investigated. The use of human microglia cultures, in particular those derived from elderly diseased human brains, offers an experimental system that can closely model the cell type activated in human neurodegenerative diseases. Experimental data produced by our laboratory and others is reviewed to determine the contribution of this unique experimental model to understanding disease mechanisms and possibly discovering new therapeutic targets. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
BITMIX: A hardware accelerated randomized symmetric encryption method

We propose a probabilistic symmetric encryption method that heavily relies on true-random numbers, both to XOR the plaintext with a random block of at least equal length (just like OTP) and to disperse resulting data at bit-level into even more randomness. Our method has several highly needed security properties. It has resistance against both CPA2 and CCA2 attacks, and it has provable ideal statistical properties - assuming that the attacker cannot break in the same time two different 256 bit hash functions and a good randomness source is available. Relying on multiple encryption layers, we argue that our method remains safe even if the involved second layer block cipher (in our implementation example AES256) and/or at most one of the implied hash functions is mathematically broken. The proposed method generates considerable ciphertext expansion and the bit-level operations take significantly more time compared with Intel hardware accelerated AES. However, our implementation shows that the Intel BMI2 instruction set can offer an over 30x speedup for the underlying bit-level dispersion algorithm, thus making our approach performance-wise affordable.