Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Implications for the hydrologic cycle under climate change due to the expansion of bioenergy crops in the Midwestern United States

To meet emerging bioenergy demands, significant areas of the large-scale agricultural landscape of the Midwestern United States could be converted to second generation bioenergy crops such as miscanthus and switchgrass. The high biomass productivity of bioenergy crops in a longer growing season linked tightly to water use highlight the potential for significant impact on the hydrologic cycle in the region. This issue is further exacerbated by the uncertainty in the response of the vegetation under elevated CO2 and temperature. We use a mechanistic multilayer canopy-root-soil model to (i) capture the eco-physiological acclimations of bioenergy crops under climate change, and (ii) predict how hydrologic fluxes are likely to be altered from their current magnitudes. Observed data and Monte Carlo simulations of weather for recent past and future scenarios are used to characterize the variability range of the predictions. Under present weather conditions, miscanthus and switchgrass utilized more water than maize for total seasonal evapotranspiration by approximately 58% and 36%, respectively. Projected higher concentrations of atmospheric CO2 (550 ppm) is likely to decrease water used for evapotranspiration of miscanthus, switchgrass, and maize by 12%, 10%, and 11%, respectively. However, when climate change with projected increases in air temperature and reduced summer rainfall are also considered, there is a net increase in evapotranspiration for all crops, leading to significant reduction in soil-moisture storage and specific surface runoff. These results highlight the critical role of the warming climate in potentially altering the water cycle in the region under extensive conversion of existing maize cropping to support bioenergy demand.
Childhood Maltreatment, Coping, and Coping Self-Efficacy among Offenders

CHILDHOOD MALTREATMENT, COPING, AND COPING SELF-EFFICACY AMONG OFFENDERS By David B. Guion, M.A. A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2011. Major Director: Victoria A. Shivy Associate Professor Department of Psychology This study explored the relationship between childhood interpersonal trauma and coping selfefficacy, coping styles, and emotion regulation difficulties among male and female offenders in detention and diversion centers (N = 183). The coping-relapse model of recidivism posits that offenders’ coping ability plays a pivotal role in successful reentry (Zamble & Quinsey, 1997). Past research reveals that childhood maltreatment is associated with avoidant coping and emotion regulation difficulties, which could negatively impact reentry (e.g., Cloitre et al., 2009; Min, Farkas, Minnes, & Singer, 2007). The relationship between childhood maltreatment and coping self-efficacy has not been addressed. This study found that childhood interpersonal trauma was significantly related to emotion regulation difficulties (r = .20), but not coping selfefficacy, active coping, or avoidant coping. Coping self-efficacy was significantly related to emotion regulation difficulties (r = -.61), active coping (r = .60), and avoidant coping (r = -.30). Research and practice implications are discussed.
Problems and Solutions in the Genetic Analysis of Late-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease

The identification of the apolipoprotein E gene as a risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease was a spectacularly successful application of genetic analysis to a complex trait, and it led to the hope and expectation that other risk loci for the disease would soon be forthcoming. Twelve years later, despite a huge amount of work, no other loci have been identified. In this article, we discuss the complexity of the problem and the pitfalls in the analytical methods that have been used and how we are approaching this problem.
A hybrid photovoltaic-battery powered DC-DC converter with high conversion ratio and reduced switch stress

In this paper, a new hybrid photovoltaic-battery powered DC-DC converter topology is proposed. The proposed topology is realized by cascading buck-boost converter with high step-up converter. High voltage conversion ratio has been achieved using hybrid switched capacitor technique. This proposed topology limits the voltage stress across the semiconductor devices to half of the output voltage. A 400W hybrid photovoltaic-battery powered system with 220V DC output is designed and simulation results have been verified using MATLAB/SIMULINK.
Issues with using baseline in last observation carried forward analysis

The topic of this paper was prompted by a study for which one of us was the statistician. It was submitted to Annals of Internal Medicine. The paper had positive reviewer comment; however, the statistical reviewer stated that for the analysis to be acceptable for publication, the missing data had to be accounted for in the analysis through the use of baseline in a last observation carried forward imputation. We discuss the issues associated with this form of imputation and recommend that it should not be undertaken as a primary analysis. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Comparison of convolutional and turbo codes for OFDM with antenna diversity in high-bit-rate wireless applications

This letter presents simulation results for the application of turbo coding to an OFDM system with diversity. First, results are presented for convolutional and Reed-Solomon codes. It is shown that even with short constraint lengths, convolutional codes have the potential to outperform Reed-Solomon codes, provided that sufficient precision is used in the soft decoder. We then evaluate the performance of turbo codes under slow fading conditions and study the effects of varying codeword size. Increasing codeword size theoretically provides better interleaving between the two component codes. However, this advantage is less clear when the fading rate is significantly lower than the symbol rate, which is typical of the high-data-rate systems considered here. Under such conditions, the advantage of using two component convolutional codes in turbo codes is limited. A single convolutional code with a long constraint length may be a better choice.
Risk factors for sporadic domestically acquired Salmonella serovar Enteritidis infections: a case-control study in Ontario, Canada, 2011

SUMMARY In Ontario, Canada, the number of Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) cases increased over the years 2005–2010. A population-based case-control study was undertaken from January to August 2011 for the purpose of identifying risk factors for acquiring illness due to SE within Ontario. A total of 199 cases and 241 controls were enrolled. After adjustment for confounders, consuming any poultry meat [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2·24, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·31–3·83], processed chicken (aOR 3·32, 95% CI 1·26–8·76) and not washing hands following handling of raw eggs (OR 2·82, 95% CI 1·48–5·37) were significantly associated with SE infection. The population attributable fraction was 46% for any poultry meat consumption and 10% for processed chicken. Poultry meat continues to be identified as a risk factor for SE illness. Control of SE at source, as well as proper food handling practices, are required to reduce the number of SE cases.
Design of VBE Referenced Bootstrap Current Source, Sensitivity, and Self-Heating Effect

This paper presents the design of a VBE based bootstrap (self-bias) current source and self-heating effects on its performance. The performance of this reference circuit is measured by the sensitivity of the output current with respect to the power supply voltage. The self-heating effect on the base emitter voltage and the output resistance of a device is used to clarify the design requirements. Based upon the basic principle of the VBE referenced bootstrap current source, several combinations of current sources and current mirrors are used for the design to compensate the self-heating effect that degrades the circuit's sensitivity. Simulation and measurement results validate the design and show that the proposed current source has improved sensitivity and is less affected by self-heating over the conventional bootstrapped VBE referenced current source. The circuits have been realized using dielectrically isolated bipolar junction technology (DIBJT) with the vertical bipolar inter-company (VBIC) model.
Diagnosis of Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis in Humans by Immunofluorescence Assay

ABSTRACT Serodiagnostic tests are widely available for tick-borne diseases. We evaluated a cell-free antigen of the human granulocytic ehrlichiosis agent. Immunofluorescence assay (IFA) with this antigen is as efficient as with the MRL kit and allows a one-step IFA with other cell-free antigens that is useful when testing sera from patients bitten by ticks.
Relationships between vertical mixing and photoadaptation of phytoplankton: similarity criteria

In their natural environment, phytoplankton are exposed to fluctuations in incident irradiance due to vertical displacements in the water column induced by turbulent fluid motion. Physiological adaptation to these fluctuations results in variation in a number of measurable quantities (e.g. parameters of P-I curves, fluorescence yield, chemical composition), each of which have different time-scales of adaptation. A reaction-diffusion model is analyzed to determine the physical conditions under which a given physiological adaptation would be of ecological importance and thus may show variation in the photoadaptive variable with depth in a mixing layer. Two non-dimensional numbers control the dynamics. KJP2y expresses the ratio of the mixing rate to the photoadaptation rate (K, is the eddy diffusion coefficient, l' is the mixing length, and y is the photoadaptation rate constant for given variable). k,t' is the ratio of the mixing length scale to the optical length scale (k, is the attenuation coefficient for scalar irradiance). When KJP2y is low and k,P is high, photoadaptation proceeds fast enough to create variations in depth in the photoadaptive variable and conversely, when &/P&( is high and k,t' is low, turbulent fluid motion dissipates any depth variation. By observing the variation in depth of several photoadaptive variables, each with a different photoadaptation time-scale, the mixing rate of the water can be estimated. Data from laboratory and field experiments are used to illustrate applications.
TouchAll: A Multi-Touch, Gestures, and Fiducials API for Flash/Action Script 3.0

In this paper, we present Touch All, an high-level API (Application Programming Interface) for Flash Action Script 3.0, that supports all-in-one multi-touch, gestures, and fiducials, either through UDP, TCP, or Local Connection. Touch All API was built entirely on Flash Develop on top of the TUIO AS3 library, and Adobe's Flex and Air SDKs (Software Development Kits). Also, in this paper, using the Touch All API, we address the development of an application, intended to support multi-touch, gestures, and fiducials, either through UDP, TCP, or Local Connection.
Differential Control of CD28-Regulated In Vivo Immunity by the E3 Ligase Cbl-b1

The E3 ubiquitin ligase Casitas B cell lymphoma-b (Cbl-b) plays a critical role in the development of autoimmunity and sets the threshold for T cell activation. In the absence of Cbl-b, T cells stimulated via the TCR respond similarly to those that have received a CD28-mediated costimulatory signal, suggesting that the absence of Cbl-b substitutes for CD28-mediated costimulation. In this study, we show that loss of Cbl-b restores Ig class switching and germinal center formation in Vav1 mutant mice in response to an in vivo viral challenge. Genetic inactivation of Cbl-b also rescues impaired antiviral IgG production in CD28-mutant mice. Moreover, loss of CD28 results in disorganization of follicular dendritic cell clusters, which is also rescued by the Cbl-b mutation. Intriguingly, despite restored antiviral in vivo immunity and follicular dendritic cell clusters, loss of Cbl-b did not rescue germinal center formation in CD28-deficient mice. Mechanistically, in vivo vesicular stomatitis virus-induced IL-4 and IFN-γ production and up-regulation of the inducible costimulatory molecule ICOS were dependent on CD28, and could not be rescued by the loss of Cbl-b. These data provide genetic evidence that CD28-dependent in vivo immune responses and Ig class switching can be genetically uncoupled from germinal center formation and ICOS induction by Cbl-b-Vav1-regulated signaling pathways.
Relating strategic market orientation and market performance: role of customer value types

Abstract A service provider achieves competitive advantage by configuring appropriate strategic orientation and customer value type. This paper addresses three important issues: (i) which customer value type (economical, relational or technical) is important for bank customers? (ii) which strategic market orientation (customer or competitor) helps in achieving the desired value type? and (iii) which value type significantly predicts market performance? We propose that a strategic market orientation pursued by a firm shall influence the customer value it intends to offer so as to maximize the market performance. Using data collected from 538 bank customers, this study reveals that when there is a perfect match between strategic market orientation and value being perceived by its customers, a firm shall achieve strategy-value fit and realize optimal market outcomes in the form of customer satisfaction, acquisition, retention, cross-selling, and up-selling. Furthermore, a bank shall realize maximum level of market performance if it pursues both customer and competitor orientation and endeavors to deliver technical/functional value to its target customers. The paper concludes with managerial implications and future research directions.
Diabetes-Induced Damages in Rat Kidney and Brain and Protective Effectsof Natural Antioxidants

Introduction: In case of diabetes, persistent and chronic hyperglycaemia may generate free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS), which trigger an oxidative stress. Garlic (Allium sativum) is a rich source of bioactive compounds and is used in folk medicine for the treatment of various diseases, including diabetes. Besides, α-tocopherol and magnesium have been shown to possess antioxidative properties. Objective: Protective effects of either a garlic aqueous extract or an association of α-tocopherol and magnesium association upon oxidative stress and dysfunctions in kidney and brain of alloxan-diabetic rats were investigated. Results: Both garlic extract and the combination of α-tocopherol and magnesium were found to normalize many parameters which were shifted to pathological values as a consequence of the alloxan-induced diabetes: plasma creatinine and urea levels were decreased, protein leakage in urine was reduced and cortisol level was brought back to control value. In addition, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activities, which were lowered in kidney and brain of diabetic animals, were restored by both treatments and, consequently, level of lipids peroxidation was reduced in these organs, as compared to diabetic animals. Conclusion: Both garlic extract and α-tocopherol+magnesium association display beneficial effects upon nephropathy and oxidative stress in alloxan-diabetic rats. The protective effect of garlic is mainly attributed to antioxidant properties and the presence of phenolic acids and flavonoids.
Basal ganglia physiology and deep brain stimulation

Despite improvements in anatomic imaging of the basal ganglia, microelectrode recording is still an invaluable tool in locating appropriate targets for neurosurgical intervention. These recording also provide an unparalleled opportunity to study the pathophysiological aspects of diseases. This article reviews the principles of microelectrode recording in functional neurosurgery and discusses the pathologic neurophysiologic findings commonly encountered. It also highlights some of the potential mechanisms of action of both dopaminergic drugs and deep brain stimulation. In addition we review the recent work on pedunculopontine nucleus neurophysiology and trials of deep brain stimulation in that region for gait disturbances in Parkinson's disease. © 2010 Movement Disorder Society
Speaker adaptation based on transfer vector field smoothing using maximum a posteriori probability estimation

The paper proposes a novel speech adaptation algorithm that enables adaptation even with a small amount of speech data. This is a unified algorithm of two efficient conventional speaker adaptation techniques, which are maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimation and transfer vector field smoothing (VFS). This algorithm is designed to avoid the weaknesses of both MAP and VFS. A higher phoneme recognition performance was obtained by using this algorithm than with individual methods, showing the superiority of the proposed algorithm. The phoneme recognition error rate was reduced from 22.0% to 19.1% using this algorithm for a speaker-independent model with seven adaptation phrases. Furthermore, a priori knowledge concerning speaker characteristics was obtained for this algorithm by generating an initial HMM with the speech of a selected speaker cluster based on speaker similarity. The adaptation using this initial model reduced the phoneme recognition error rate from 22.0% to 17.7%.
Antecedents of Consumer Trust in B2C Electronic Commerce and Mobile Commerce

Despite the importance of trust in electronic commerce including mobile commerce, there is insufficient theory and model concerning the determinants of consumer trust in business-to-con-sumer electronic commerce. Thus, the purpose of this chapter is to (1) identify the major antecedents of a consumer’s trust in electronic commerce and mobile commerce contexts through a large-scale literature review, (2) develop an integrative trust antecedent reference model summarizing the antecedents of consumer trust, and (3) discuss six categories of mobile applications as future trends of technologies and key issues related to consumer trust area in electronic commerce. In addition, to provide the validity of the proposed reference model, this chapter also proposes a research model derived from the reference model and discusses the constructs of the proposed model in detail. The chapter concludes that building trust is not simply an issue related to consumer-technology-buyer, but it is a complex issue that involves the interactions of key elements (buyer, seller, third-party, technology, and market environment) at least.
Testing the FTPL across government tiers

Control on regional government budgets is important in a monetary union as lower tiers of government have fewer incentives to consolidate debt. According to the Fiscal Theory of the Price Level; unsustainable non-Ricardian fiscal policies eventually force monetary policy to adjust. Hence, uncoordinated and non-regulated regional fiscal policies would therefore threaten price stability for the monetary union as a whole. However, the union central bank is not without defense. A federal government that internalises the spillover effect of non-Ricardian fiscal policies on the price level can offset non-Ricardian regional fiscal policies. A federal government, which taxes and transfers resources between regions, may compensate for unsustainable regional fiscal policies so as to keep fiscal policy Ricardian on aggregate. Following Canzoneri et al. (2001), we test the validity of the Fiscal Theory of the Price Level for both federal and regional governments in Germany. We find evidence of a spillover effect of unsustainable policies on the price level for other Lander. However, the German federal government offsets this effect on the price level by running Ricardian policies. These results have implications for the regulation of fiscal policies in the EMU.
Defective intracellular calcium handling in monocrotaline-induced right ventricular hypertrophy: protective effect of long-term endothelin-A receptor blockade with 2-benzo[1,3]dioxol-5-yl-3-benzyl-4-(4-methoxy-phenyl-)- 4-oxobut-2-enoate-sodium (PD 155080).

We studied the effect of long-term treatment with the oral endothelin (ET) ET(A) antagonist 2-benzo[1,3]dioxol-5-yl-3-benzyl-4-(4-methoxy-phenyl-)-4-oxobut-2-enoate-sodium (PD 155080; PD) on right ventricular intracellular calcium (Ca(2+)(i)) handling and cardiac and pulmonary artery function in control rats and rats with monocrotaline (MCT)-induced right-heart hypertrophy. Rats were given an intraperitoneal injection of either saline (controls; n = 9) or MCT (50 mg/kg; n = 12), resulting in pulmonary hypertension-induced myocardial hypertrophy, or MCT followed by the daily administration of PD (50 mg/kg) for 9 weeks (n = 9). After 9 weeks, right ventricular pressure was measured, and the hearts were removed and perfused in vitro. Right ventricular function and Ca(2+)(i) transients were recorded simultaneously on a beat-to-beat basis using aequorin. Surviving animals in the MCT group (58%) developed significant hypertrophy and had 2-fold higher right ventricular pressure and a prolonged duration of isovolumic contraction that correlated with a similar prolongation of the Ca(2+)(i) transient, indicating a reduced rate of Ca(2+) sequestration in hypertrophy (P < 0.05 versus control). In the PD group, all animals survived, and right ventricular pressure, diastolic relaxation, Ca(2+) transport kinetics, and peak systolic and end-diastolic wall stress were all normalized (P > 0.05 versus control); and pulmonary artery endothelial function was partly restored (P < 0.05 versus MCT and control groups). These results demonstrate for the first time that long-term ET(A) receptor antagonism normalizes myocardial cytosolic Ca(2+) modulation, which may contribute to the antihypertrophic and cardioprotective effect of ET(A) receptor therapy in this model.
Fuzzy short-run control charts

Statistical control charts are useful tools in monitoring the state of a manufacturing process. Control charts are used to plot process data and compare it to the limits set for the process. Points plotting outside these limits indicate an out-of-control condition. Standard control charting procedures, however, are limited in that they cannot take into account the case when data is of a fuzzy nature. Another limitation of standard charting methods is when the data produced by the process is short-run data. Often, the situation where the data is short-run occurs in conjunction with data that is considered fuzzy. This paper dicusses the development of a fuzzy control chartting technique, called short-Run α-cut p Control Chart, to account for fuzzy data in a short-run situation. The developed chart parameters accounted for the fuzzy nature of the data in a short-run situation. The parameters were validated by comparing the false alarm rates for various combinations of subgroup numbers (m) and subgroup sizes (n). It was shown that for every combination of m and n, the Short-Run α-cut p Control Chart limits produced a lower false alarm rate than that of the standard fuzzy α-cut control chart.