Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Examining Young Malaysians Travel Behaviour and Expenditure Patterns in Domestic Tourism

Young travellers, though restricted by relatively low levels of disposable income, are commonly having highinterest and leisure time in exploring new destinations. It has been found that young travellers have highexpectations regarding the importance of value for money though they have their financial resources availablefor travelling. Therefore, it has raised questions on the worthiness of carrying out a study about the travelbehaviour and expenditure patterns among the young travellers in Malaysia. The study employed a surveyquestionnaire to collect data, which was adapted from standardized measures. A total of 643 respondents, whichhas been randomly selected in the Northern States of Malaysia were involved in the study. The completedquestionnaires were analysed to measure the variables of the study consisted of selected socio-demographic,travel behaviour and expenditure patterns. This study found the expenditure patterns of the young travellers varywith regards to the purchase of tourism products. In addition, the results of the study also portrayed thedifferences of selected travel-related characteristics of young travellers in relation to the purpose of travel. Thus,this study may provide information which will help tourism marketers to develop marketing tools to satisfy andfulfill those young tourists’ needs and understand certain reasons behind their spending patterns.
Transcriptome Sequencing in a Tibetan Barley Landrace with High Resistance to Powdery Mildew

Hulless barley is an important cereal crop worldwide, especially in Tibet of China. However, this crop is usually susceptible to powdery mildew caused by Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei. In this study, we aimed to understand the functions and pathways of genes involved in the disease resistance by transcriptome sequencing of a Tibetan barley landrace with high resistance to powdery mildew. A total of 831 significant differentially expressed genes were found in the infected seedlings, covering 19 functions. Either “cell,” “cell part,” and “extracellular region” in the cellular component category or “binding” and “catalytic” in the category of molecular function as well as “metabolic process” and “cellular process” in the biological process category together demonstrated that these functions may be involved in the resistance to powdery mildew of the hulless barley. In addition, 330 KEGG pathways were found using BLASTx with an E-value cut-off of <10−5. Among them, three pathways, namely, “photosynthesis,” “plant-pathogen interaction,” and “photosynthesis-antenna proteins” had significant matches in the database. Significant expressions of the three pathways were detected at 24 h, 48 h, and 96 h after infection, respectively. These results indicated a complex process of barley response to powdery mildew infection.
Experimental infection of the skin in the hamster simulating human impetigo. II. Assessment of various therapeutic regimens.

The efficacy of various therapeutic regimens for the treatment of impetigo was assessed in an experimental animal model. The topical application of gentamicin or bacitracin and removal of scabs were ineffectual. PHisoHex scrubbing delayed healing significantly and resulted in the development of satellite lesions. Healing was significantly promoted by the administration of penicillin, the benzathine variety being more effective than procaine penicillin. Benzathine penicillin was similarly effective in pure streptococcal lesions and in mixed lesions containing penicillin-sensitive or penicillin-resistant staphylococci in addition to streptococci. The development of skin lesions was markedly reduced following prophylactic administration of benzathine penicillin.
The puzzle of schizophrenia: Tracking the core role of cognitive deficits

Abstract Cognitive deficits in schizophrenia are increasingly accepted as core features of this disorder that play a role as vulnerability indicators, as enduring abnormalities during clinical remission, and as critical rate-limiting factors in functional recovery. This article demonstrates the lasting influence of Norman Garmezy through his impact on one graduate student and then through his later collaborative research with colleagues. The promise of core cognitive deficits as vulnerability indicators or endophenotypes was demonstrated in research with children born to a parent with schizophrenia as well as with biological parents and siblings of individuals with schizophrenia. In studies of patients with a recent onset of schizophrenia, cognitive deficits were found to endure across psychotic and clinically remitted periods and to have a strong predictive influence on likelihood of returning successfully to work or school. Converging lines of evidence for the enduring core role of cognitive deficit in schizophrenia have led in recent years to a burgeoning interest in developing new interventions that target cognition as a means of improving functional recovery in this disorder.
Ultrastructural Characterisation and Molecular Taxonomic Identification of Nosema granulosis n. sp., a Transovarially Transmitted Feminising (TTF) Microsporidium

A novel microsporidian parasite is described, which infects the crustacean host Gammarus duebeni. The parasite was transovarially transmitted and feminised host offspring. The life cycle was monomorphic with three stages. Meronts were found in host embryos, juveniles, and in the gonadal tissue of adults. Sporoblasts and spores were restricted to the gonad. Sporogony was disporoblastic giving rise to paired sporoblasts, which then differentiated to form spores. Spores were not found in regular groupings and there was no interfacial envelope. Spores were approximately 3.78 × 1.22 μm and had a thin exospore wall, a short polar filament, and an unusual granular polaroplast. All life cycle stages were diplokaryotic. A region from the parasite small subunit ribosomal RNA gene was amplified and sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis based on these data places the parasite within the genus Nosema. We have named the species Nosema granulosis based on the structure of the polaroplast.
Analyzing qualitative data with computer software.

OBJECTIVE To provide health services researchers with an overview of the qualitative data analysis process and the role of software within it; to provide a principled approach to choosing among software packages to support qualitative data analysis; to alert researchers to the potential benefits and limitations of such software; and to provide an overview of the developments to be expected in the field in the near future. DATA SOURCES, STUDY DESIGN, METHODS This article does not include reports of empirical research. CONCLUSIONS Software for qualitative data analysis can benefit the researcher in terms of speed, consistency, rigor, and access to analytic methods not available by hand. Software, however, is not a replacement for methodological training.
The Diffusion of Decision Support Systems in Healthcare: Are We There Yet?

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Clinical decision support (CDS) systems, with the potential to minimize practice variation and improve patient care, have begun to surface throughout the healthcare industry. This study reviews historic patterns of information technology (IT) in healthcare, analyzes barriers and enabling factors, and draws three lessons. First, the widespread adoption of clinical IT, including CDS systems, depends on having the right organizational and individual financial incentives in place. Second, although CDS systems and clinical IT in general are powerful tools that can be used to support the practice of medicine, they alone cannot redefine the workflow or processes within the profession. Healthcare managers counting on technology to restructure or monitor clinicians' work patterns are likely to encounter substantial resistance to CDS systems, even those that generate valuable information. Third, while the pace of implementing IT systems in healthcare has lagged behind that of other industries, many of the obstacles are gradually diminishing. However, several factors continue to inhibit their widespread diffusion, including the organizational turmoil created by large numbers of mergers and acquisitions, and the lack of uniform data standards.
Hyperuricemia induces endothelial dysfunction.

BACKGROUND Hyperuricemia has been linked to cardiovascular and renal diseases, possibly through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and subsequent endothelial dysfunction. The enzymatic effect of xanthine oxidase is the production of ROS and uric acid. Studies have shown that inhibiting xanthine oxidase with allopurinol can reverse endothelial dysfunction. Furthermore, rat studies have shown that hyperuricemia-induced hypertension and vascular disease is at least partially reversed by the supplementation of the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) substrate, L-arginine. Therefore, we hypothesized that uric acid induces endothelial dysfunction by inhibiting nitric oxide production. METHODS Hyperuricemia was induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats with an uricase inhibitor, oxonic acid, by gavage; control rats received vehicle. Allopurinol was placed in drinking water to block hyperuricemia. Rats were randomly divided into four groups: (1) control, (2) allopurinol only, (3) oxonic acid only, and (4) oxonic acid + allopurinol. Rats were sacrificed at 1 and 7 days, and their serum analyzed for serum uric acid and nitrites/nitrates concentrations. The effect of uric acid on nitric oxide production was also determined in bovine aortic endothelial cells. RESULTS Oxonic acid induced mild hyperuricemia at both 1 and 7 days (P < 0.05). Allopurinol reversed the hyperuricemia at 7 days (P < .001). Serum nitrites and nitrates (NO(X)) were reduced in hyperuricemic rats at both 1 and 7 days (P < .001). Allopurinol slightly reversed the decrease in NO(X) at 1 day and completely at 7 days (P < .001). There was a direct linear correlation between serum uric acid and NO(X) (R(2)= 0.56) and a trend toward higher systolic blood pressure in hyperuricemic rats (P= NS). Uric acid was also found to inhibit both basal and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-induced nitric oxide production in bovine aortic endothelial cells. CONCLUSION Hyperuricemic rats have a decrease in serum nitric oxide which is reversed by lowering uric acid levels. Soluble uric acid also impairs nitric oxide generation in cultured endothelial cells. Thus, hyperuricemia induces endothelial dysfunction; this may provide insight into a pathogenic mechanism by which uric acid may induce hypertension and vascular disease.
Spin foam model for Lorentzian general relativity

We present a spin foam formulation of Lorentzian quantum General Relativity. The theory is based on a simple generalization of an Euclidean model defined in terms of a field theory over a group. Its vertex amplitude turns out to be the one recently introduced by Barrett and Crane. As in the case of its Euclidean relatives, the model fully implements the desired sum over 2-complexes which encodes the local degrees of freedom of the theory.
A Review on: Data Mining for Telecom Customer Churn Management

Customer acquisition and retaining those customers is a matter of concern for all companies and the same applies for telecom sector too. So customer churn is an important area of concern. This research work aims at carryinging out a literature review for the past decade reviewing around 50 research papers in the area of telecom churn with two perspectives: mining technique applied and publication year. Such a survey will be a help to the telecom service providers in determining the appropriate model to identify the prospective churners and accordingly framing the marketing strategies for different customer groups, to reduce the rate of customer turnover.
Stability of Nonlinear Feedback Systems: A New Small-Gain Theorem

For the feedback interconnection of general nonlinear systems, the classical small-gain condition is sufficient but not necessary for robust stability. We introduce a weaker notion of gain which yields a small-gain condition that is both necessary and sufficient for robust stability. We also discuss conditions under which the two notions coincide, and we further provide results for dissipation performance measures that are more general than the classical gain measures.
Adapting bureaucracy to the Internet. The case of Venice Local Government

This paper is based on empirical research on the implementation of a series of online services inspired by the logic of the 'social web' in the City of Venice. The empirical research focuses on IRIS, an online platform where citizens can report urban maintenance problems by posting a message on a web page and expect an almost instant reply by local government. The theoretical focus of the paper is the effect that the implementation of web services that require an "Internet-time" response has on the bureaucratic structure of government. The research is mainly based on expert interviews and describes the managers' and representatives' interpretations and sensemaking realized in order to manage the implementation of this kind of Internet service. The paper presents a theoretical analysis of the empirical data and attempts to assess how the provision of an Internet-time service, such as IRIS, and the development of an effective interactive web platform by a local government influences the structure of government. The analysis highlights that the use of this type of technology implies a redefinition of the Weberian structural elements of bureaucracy, such as the principles of legitimacy, hierarchy and specialization.
On-line energy and Battery Thermal Management for hybrid electric heavy-duty truck

This paper discusses an integrated approach for energy and thermal management to minimize the fuel consumption of a hybrid electric heavy-duty truck. Conventional Energy Management Systems (EMS) operate separately from the Battery Thermal Management System (BTMS) in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs). Specifically, the latter system tries to keep the battery temperature always at a predefined level and requests a non-negligible amount of energy. The EMS then provides the energy demand from the BTMS without checking whether its action is fuel beneficial. In this paper, a fuel minimization control problem is defined to handle the trade off between the cost and benefit of the BTMS for the hybrid powertrain. A real-time implementable control strategy is derived and its robustness is tested with different driving cycles as well as ambient temperatures. Improvements up to 1:8% fuel savings compared to a non-integrated approach are shown by simulation results.
Active thrusting in the inner forearc of an erosive convergent margin, Pacific coast, Costa Rica

Structural and geomorphic analyses of the Fila Costeña thrust belt in southwest Costa Rica indicate active thrusting within the inner forearc. The Fila Costeña exposes three major thrust faults that imbricate the late Tertiary forearc basin sequence of the Térraba basin. The frontal thrust of the Fila Costeña marks the boundary between an uplifting inner forearc and a subsiding outer forearc, with only local uplift astride the indenting Cocos Ridge. On the basis of surface constraints a cross section across the thrust belt suggests that all three thrusts flatten into parallelism with a low‐angle décollement horizon near the contact between the basement and the cover sequence of the Térraba basin. This décollement lies at a depth of ∼4 km. The minimum shortening recorded by restoration of fault‐related folds is 17 km, or 45%. Observations of late Tertiary marine sediments, tilted and faulted late Quaternary fluvial terraces, and raised Holocene marine terraces indicate that Fila Costeña uplift was likely initiated in the Quaternary and is ongoing. Given that the coastal mountains are separated from the Talamanca Range by a valley, the décollement that delaminates the forearc basin from the underthrusting forearc must continue as a flat beneath the valley but must link with the plate boundary along a crustal‐scale ramp system, a structural geometry that has resulted in uplift of the Talamanca Range, the highest peaks in Central America. The dichotomy between uplift in the inner forearc and subsidence in the outer forearc is explained in terms of the response of an arcward thickening wedge to rough, subducting crust.
Novel protocol with improved outage probability performance for the fading two-hop half-duplex relay channel

Based on the coding scheme recently introduced in [1], we propose new communication protocols with improved outage probability performance for the fading two-hop half-duplex (HD) relay channel. This channel is comprised of a source, a HD relay, and a destination, where a direct source-destination link does not exist. For this channel, we assume that the transmitting nodes do not have transmitter-side channel state information and therefore have to transmit with fixed rate. As a result, outages may occur. We propose protocols for the cases when feedback from receiving to transmitting nodes is not possible and restricted to one bit of feedback information per time slot, respectively. In the proposed protocols, the relay's silent symbol intervals, when the relay receives, carry information which improves the reliability of both the source-relay and relay-destination links. In contrast, in existing protocols, the relay's silent symbol intervals, when the relay receives, are a priori known to the destination and thereby cannot carry information. Our numerical results show that the proposed protocols achieve significant performance gains in terms of outage probability compared to existing protocols in the literature. These gains are only the result of using a different coding scheme and not of utilizing more resources than existing protocols.
DETECTION OF ANTIBODIES TO A RECOMBINANT CRYPTOSPORIDIUM PARVUM P23 IN SERUM AND FECES FROM NEONATAL CALVES

Passive transfer of maternal antibodies via colostrum is important to protect newborn ruminants against microbial pathogens. In this study, 10 sets of calf serum, a sample of the colostrum fed to the calf, and serial fecal samples through the first 6 days after birth were collected from arbitrarily selected newborn Holstein heifers. A recombinant Cryptosporidium parvum p23, termed rC7, was used to determine whether anti–C. parvum antibodies can be detected in clinically normal neonates. The results demonstrated that serum, the associated colostrum, and fecal samples contained anti-rC7 antibodies. IgM and IgG1 anti-rC7 tended to be present in highest titers. The presence of specific antibodies to C. parvum was confirmed using Western blots of purified sporozoite membranes probed with serum and colostral whey. Collectively, the results indicated that neonatal calves had antibodies to C. parvum as early as 1 day after birth and suggested that the antibodies were passively transferred.
Identification of bacteria by fatty acid profiling with direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry.

RATIONALE Bacterial fatty acid profiling is a well-established technique for bacterial identification. Current methods involving esterification and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) or matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) analysis are effective, but there are potential benefits to be gained by investigating ambient ionization methods that can provide rapid analysis without derivatization or additional sample handling. METHODS Lipid extracts from colonies of five Gram-positive and five Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria were analyzed by Direct Analysis in Real Time (DART) ionization coupled with a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Fatty acid profiles were obtained from the negative-ion DART mass spectra without additional derivatization or sample preparation. RESULTS Fatty acid profiles obtained from the deprotonated molecules [M - H](-) were found to be highly species-specific and reproducible. Leave-one-out cross validation (LOOCV) for principal component analysis (PCA) showed 100% correct classification accuracy. CONCLUSIONS The results of this preliminary feasibility study show good precision and accuracy, and the fatty acid patterns are clearly distinctive for each of the ten species examined. The speed and ease of analysis and the high classification accuracy for this initial study indicate that DART is an effective method for bacterial fatty acid profiling.
Thromboxane A 2 modulates the fibrinolytic system in glomerular mesangial cells

Coffman, Thomas M. , Robert F. Spurney, Roslyn B. Mannon, and Richard Levenson. Thromboxane A2 modulates the fibrinolytic system in glomerular mesangial cells. Am. J. Physiol. 275 (Renal Physiol. 44): F262–F269, 1998. —We examined the effects of thromboxane A2 (TxA2) on the activities of the plasminogen-plasmin system in glomerular mesangial cells. When mesangial cells are exposed to the TxA2 agonist U-46619, a substantial increase in production of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) protein is observed that is significantly greater than that induced by 10% serum alone. This increase in PAI-1 protein production is accompanied by an increase in steady-state levels of PAI-1 mRNA. This stimulation is specifically mediated by TxA2 (thromboxane prostanoid, TP) receptors, since U-46619 also stimulates PAI-1 expression in cells that are transfected with TP receptors, and this stimulation of PAI-1 production is completely blocked by the TxA2 receptor antagonist, SQ-29,548. Despite the increase in PAI-1 production, there was net stimulation of plasmin activity in the medium of mesangial cells that had been exposed to U-46619. Furthermore, U-46619 also caused an increase in tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) mRNA levels. Thus TxA2 stimulates the production of PAI-1 and plasminogen activators by mesangial cells through a receptordependent mechanism. In inflammatory renal diseases, the balance of these effects may modulate glomerular thrombosis and renal fibrosis.
Design and Application of Beijing Urban Drainage Network Management System

The design and implementation of the Beijing urban drainage network management system are introduced.Based on the business requirement for digital management of the Beijing urban drainage network system,some modules including pipe network facilities management,data-line monitoring,inspection scheduling,drainage customer management,customer service management are implemented using GIS,GPS,SCADA and other advanced digital technologies.The results show the use of the system can effectively improve the urban drainage network management efficiency.