Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessment of Knowledge and Perception of Adverse Health Effects Associated with Self-Prevention from Air Pollution in Traffic Policemen in Bangkok, Thailand

Background : As a result of expansion and development in Bangkok, traffic policemen have higher risks to expose air pollution. Air pollution results from several pollutants which mainly caused by road vehicles. This study aimed to examine the association between knowledge and perception of adverse health effects. In addition, self-prevention from air pollution of traffic policemen in Bangkok is also studied. Methods : A cross-sectional study was carried out by random sampling and self-administrated questionnaires from 223 traffic policemen worked in interesting area as Jatujak, PomPrapSattruPhai, Din Daeng and Rat Burana district, Bangkok, Thailand. The data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics and analytical statistics in terms of the Chi-square test and Fisher Exact Test. Results : The result indicated that the respondents were 100% male and 45.7% aged between 41-50 years, 44.4% in Bachelor’s degree and found that 72.2% of respondents had not received information, and 74.4 % had not been trained. Most of respondents had knowledge at moderate level 48.4 %. A minority of respondents had the perception of adverse health effects at poor level 2.7 % and had self-prevention behavior from air pollution at poor level 3.1 %. Furthermore, the knowledge was associated with socio-demographics characteristics in terms of education level, frequency of exercise, chronic disease, had got information about air pollution and health effect and had been trained on prevention of air pollution at p -value as 0.011, 0.001, 0.028, 0.011 and 0.005, respectively. Knowledge of respondents associated with perception of adverse health effect ( p -value = 0.001) and also associated with self-prevention behavior from air pollution ( p -value <0.001). Last, the perception of adverse health effects associated with self-prevention behavior from air pollution ( p -value <0.05). Conclusion: Government agencies and related organizations shall provide traffic policemen with proactive programs in terms of knowledge about air pollution prevention behavior and enhance health effect perception from air pollution in order to have more appropriate prevention behaviors.
Two new SB2 binaries with main sequence B-type pulsators in the Kepler field

Context: OB stars are important in the chemistry and evolution of the Universe, but the sample of targets well understood from an asteroseismological point of view is still too limited to provide feedback on the current evolutionary models. Our study extends this sample with two spectroscopic binary systems. AIMS. Our goal is to provide orbital solutions, fundamental parameters and abundances from disentangled high-resolution high signal-to-noise spectra, as well as to analyse and interpret the variations in the Kepler light curve of these carefully selected targets. This way we continue our efforts to map the instability strips of beta Cep and SPB stars using the combination of high-resolution ground-based spectroscopy and uninterrupted space-based photometry. Methods: We fit Keplerian orbits to radial velocities measured from selected absorption lines of high-resolution spectroscopy using synthetic composite spectra to obtain orbital solutions. We use revised masks to obtain optimal light curves from the original pixel-data from the Kepler satellite, which provided better long term stability compared to the pipeline processed light curves. We use various time-series analysis tools to explore and describe the nature of variations present in the light curve. Results: We find two eccentric double-lined spectroscopic binary systems containing a total of three main sequence B-type stars (and one F-type component) of which at least one in each system exhibits light variations. The light curve analysis (combined with spectroscopy) of the system of two B stars points towards the presence of tidally excited g modes in the primary component. We interpret the variations seen in the second system as classical g mode pulsations driven by the kappa mechanism in the B type primary, and explain the unexpected power in the p mode region as a result of nonlinear resonant mode excitation.
Biocompatibility and Osteogenic Capacity of Periodontal Ligament Stem Cells on nHAC/PLA and HA/TCP Scaffolds

This study investigated the effects of a newly-developed scaffold, nano-hydroxyapatite/collagen/poly(L-lactide) (nHAC/PLA), on the attachment, proliferation and osteogenic capability of dog periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) in vitro and in vivo. Hydroxyapatite/tricalcium phosphate (HA/TCP), a commonly used bone substitute, was used as a positive control. PDLSCs isolated from dog molar were incubated in an osteogenic medium to evaluate their osteogenic differentiation in vitro, and then seeded onto nHAC/PLA and HA/TCP scaffolds. In vitro cell attachment, proliferation and differentiation were assessed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), cell counting, 3-[4,5-dimethythiazol-2-yl]-5-[3-carboxy-phenyl]-2-[4-sulfophenyl]-2H-tetrazolium and alkaline phosphate activity, and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, respectively. Finally, the constructs were implanted subcutaneously into dogs to investigate their osteogenic capacity. After osteogenic induction for 21 days, PDLSCs differentiated into osteogenic lineage, as indicated by the expressions of osteoblastic differentiation genes CoL-I, OCN and OPN mRNA, and the formation of mineral deposits. When seeded onto scaffolds, the cells attached and spread well, and retained their osteogenic phenotypes on both scaffolds. Comparatively, cell number and proliferative viability on nHAC/PLA constructs were greater than those on HA/TCP constructs (P < 0.05). Histological results showed that new bone and osteoid was formed in both groups, and histomorphometric analysis demonstrated that the amount of newly formed bone in the nHAC/PLA group was higher than that in the HA/TCP group (P < 0.05). This study suggests that nHAC/PLA can be used as a potent scaffold for alveolar bone regeneration.
First step is to group them: Task-dynamic model validation for human multiagent herding in a less constrained task

Biological systems are capable of acting in a shared environment to produce emergent, self-organized behavior that is the result of the constraints imposed by local interactions– such as bird flocking or ant swarming behavior. These examples present minimal demands for a shared-intention between co-actors, whereas other instances necessitate the formation of a shared goal. In these goal-directed tasks, how much of the observed complexity can be explained by the constraints imposed by both the environment and adherence to the shared task goal? This paper begins to investigate this question by presenting results from a two-person cooperative “shepherding” task first developed in Nalepka et al. (2017) but with fewer constraints. Results provide further evidence that the emergent behavior is the result of the constraints imposed by the task. The included task-dynamic model suggests a general model that can be used to understand multiagent herding behavior in a variety of contexts.
Venlafaxine in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: an open clinical trial.

BACKGROUND It is becoming commonly recognized that adults suffer from attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Since medications used in the past of treat adults with ADHD may be ineffective or poorly tolerated by some patients, it is important to determine if newly available medications can safely ameliorate symptoms of ADHD in adults. METHOD An open clinical trial was undertaken to examine whether venlafaxine was safe and effective in the treatment of adults with ADHD. Ten subjects who met DSM-IV criteria for ADHD were enrolled in this 8-week trial. Individuals were started on 37.5 mg of venlafaxine b.i. d. If moderate ADHD symptoms persisted at the end of Week 4, the dose of venlafaxine was increased to 75 mg b.i. d. Assessments of ADHD symptomatology included the ADHD Rating Scale, Self-Report Version (ARS) and the Clinical Global Impressions (CGI) scale. RESULTS Nine patients completed the study. At the end of the study, 7 patients were receiving 37.5 mg b.i. d. of venlafaxine. Repeated measures ANOVA demonstrated that treatment with venlafaxine was associated with significant reductions in ADHD symptomatology (p < .02 for the ARS; p < .005 for the CGI). Of the 9 subjects who completed the trial, 7 were considered responders. Venlafaxine was well tolerated, and most patients experienced only mild side effects. CONCLUSION Venlafaxine may be a promising agent for the treatment of ADHD in adults. Controlled clinical trials are needed to further examine this issue.
Furanone at Subinhibitory Concentrations Enhances Staphylococcal Biofilm Formation by luxS Repression

ABSTRACT Brominated furanones from marine algae inhibit multicellular behaviors of gram-negative bacteria such as biofilm formation and quorum sensing (QS) without affecting their growth. The interaction of furanone with QS in gram-positive bacteria is unknown. Staphylococci have two QS systems, agr and luxS, which lower biofilm formation by two different pathways, RNAIII upregulation and bacterial detachment, and polysaccharide intercellular adhesin (PIA) reduction, respectively. We synthesized natural furanone compound 2 [(5Z)-4-bromo-5-(bromomethylene)-3-butyl-2(5H)-furanone] from Delisea pulchra and three analogues to investigate their effect on biofilm formation in gram-positive bacteria. Compound 2, but not the analogues, enhanced the biofilms of Staphylococcus epidermidis 1457 and 047 and of S. aureus Newman at concentrations between 1.25 and 20 μM. We show the growth inhibition of S. epidermidis and S. aureus by free furanone and demonstrate bactericidal activity. An induction of biofilm occurred at concentrations of 10 to 20% of the MIC and correlated with an increase in PIA. The biofilm effect was agr independent. It was due to interference with luxS, as shown by reduced luxS expression in the presence of compound 2 and independence of the strong biofilm formation in a luxS mutant upon furanone addition. Poly(l-lysine)-grafted/poly(ethylene glycol)-grafted furanone was ineffective on biofilm and not bactericidal, indicating the necessity for free furanone. Free furanone was similarly toxic for murine fibroblasts as for staphylococci, excluding a therapeutic application of this compound. In summary, we observed a biofilm enhancement by furanone in staphylococci at subinhibitory concentrations, which was manifested by an increase in PIA and dependent on luxS.
Prognostic Predictors for Ambulation in Thai Children With Cerebral Palsy Aged 2 to 18 Years

The objectives of this study were to determine prognostic predictors for ambulation among Thai children with cerebral palsy and identify their ambulatory status. A retrospective cohort study was performed at 6 special schools or hospitals for children with physical disabilities. The prognostic predictors for ambulation were analyzed by multivariable ordinal continuation ratio logistic regression. The 533 participants aged 2 to 18 years were divided into 3 groups: 186 with independent ambulation (Gross Motor Function Classification System [GMFCS I-II]), 71 with assisted ambulation (Gross Motor Function Classification System III), and 276 with nonambulation (Gross Motor Function Classification System IV-V). The significant positive predictors for ambulation were type of cerebral palsy (spastic diplegia, spastic hemiplegia, dyskinesia, ataxia, hypotonia, and mixed type), sitting independently at age 2 years, and eating independently. These predictors were used to develop clinical scoring for predicting the future ability to walk among Thai children with cerebral palsy.
Why Can’t I Trade? Exchange Discretion in Calling Halts

Stock exchanges are important intermediaries in how firm information enters price. Trading halts are a key tool, often exercised at the exchanges’ discretion, to prevent extraordinary price volatility when new information arrives. However, the decision making behind the halt remains a “mystery” (WSJ, 2018). We investigate how exchanges use discretion and whether the discretion alters the effectiveness of the halts. We show halts reflect the preferences of listed firms rather than the stated exchange objectives (i.e., minimizing excess volatility and off-equilibrium trades). Furthermore, when exchanges exercise more discretion (unexplained by firm and information characteristics) the halts are less effective.
A rapid increase in macrolide resistance in Streptococcus pyogenes isolated in Poland during 1996-2002.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to investigate Polish clinical isolates of Streptococcus pyogenes collected during a 7 year period using phenotypic and genotypic techniques. METHODS A total of 816 isolates of S. pyogenes recovered from 33 medical centres in Poland were tested for their susceptibility to various antimicrobial agents. Erythromycin-resistant isolates were analysed by PFGE, multilocus sequence typing and emm typing methods. RESULTS The tetracycline resistance rate was high (43%) among all S. pyogenes strains. Ninety-eight (12%) isolates were resistant to erythromycin. A low prevalence of the M phenotype (5.1%) associated with the presence of the mef(A) gene was found. All the isolates of the iMLSB phenotype harboured the erm(TR) gene. Out of the cMLSB isolates, 71.4% and 28.6% carried erm(TR) and erm(B), respectively. All isolates with erm(B) were resistant to telithromycin. PFGE analysis discerned 13 different patterns, A-N, with two predominant PFGE profiles--A (41 isolates) and B (25 isolates)--that in multilocus sequence typing corresponded, respectively, to a novel sequence type (ST) 367 and ST63. Overall, the representatives of these clones accounted for >90% of isolates of the iMLSB phenotype. CONCLUSIONS A significant increase in erythromycin resistance was observed among clinical S. pyogenes collected in Poland over a 7 year period driven by the spread of two epidemic clones.
The Effects of Personal Characteristics on Employee Voice Behaviors: The Moderating Effects of Organizational trust

본 연구의 목적은 최근에 타당화된 발언행동의 4가지 유형이 국내에서도 구분이 되는지 밝히고자 하며, 발언행동의 선행변인으로 주로 연구된 성격 5요인 모형이 아닌 주도적 성격, 심리적 집합주의 및 냉소적 성격과 같은 개인특성이 발언행동에 미치는 영향을 검증하는 것이다. 또한 개인특성과 발언행동의 관계에서 조직신뢰가 조절효과를 갖는지 검증하는 것이다. 본 연구를 위해 국내의 기업에 종사하는 직장인 350명을 대상으로 설문조사를 실시하였다. 그 중 불성실한 응답자와 조건에 맞지 않는 응답자를 제외하고 309명의 데이터를 사용하여 분석하였다. 개인특성과 발언행동 유형 간의 관계를 분석한 결과, 주도적 성격은 건설적 발언행동에는 정적인 영향을 미쳤으며, 파괴적 발언행동에는 부적인 영향을 미쳤다. 또한 심리적 집합주의는 지지적 발언행동에 정적인 영향을 미쳤고, 냉소적 성격은 방어적 발언행동과 파괴적 발언행동에 정적인 영향을 미쳤다. 조절효과검증을 위하여 위계적 회귀분석을 실시한 결과, 조직신뢰는 심리적 집합주의와 지지적 발언행동, 그리고 방어적 발언행동 간의 관계를 조절하는 것으로 나타났다. 마지막으로 연구결과를 토대로 본 연구의 학문적 의의와 실무적 의의, 그리고 제한점과 미래연구를 위한 제언을 제시하였다.
Centralized vs. decentralized purchasing: current trends in governmental procurement practices

Today most public sector purchasing processes are in transition. In the face of growing uneasiness by elected officials, service delivery managers, and citizens about rule-driven processes, inefficient systems, and poor management of resources, purchasing professionals are being challenged to develop new dynamic, adaptable structures. In this article, the current state of decentralization is examined and the roles of purchasing professionals in the purchasing process are presented. Specifically, this research attempts to answer the following questions: What changes have governments implemented in policy making, organization structure, personnel recruitment and training, expenditure authorization levels, review and oversight as they decentralize purchasing authority? And, what are the projected trends that will impact the success or failure of the decentralization issues over the next decade?
Optimization of investment portfolio weight of stocks affected by market index

Stock price assessment, selection of optimum combination, and measure the risk of a portfolio investment is one important issue for investors. In this paper single index model used for the assessment of the stock price, and formulation optimization model developed using Lagrange multiplier technique to determine the proportion of assets to be invested. The level of risk is estimated by using variance. These models are used to analyse the stock price data Lippo Bank and Bumi Putera.
Alternative Risk Premia: What Do We Know?

The concept of alternative risk premia is an extension of the factor investing approach. Factor investing consists in building long-only equity portfolios, which are directly exposed to common risk factors like size, value or momentum. Alternative risk premia designate non-traditional risk premia other than a long exposure to equities and bonds. They may involve equities, rates, credit, currencies or commodities and correspond to long/short portfolios. However, contrary to traditional risk premia, it is more difficult to define alternative risk premia and which risk premia really matter. In fact, the term "alternative risk premia encompasses" two different types of systematic risk factor: skewness risk premia and market anomalies. For example, the most frequent alternative risk premia are carry and momentum, which are respectively a skewness risk premium and a market anomaly. Because the returns of alternative risk premia exhibit heterogeneous patterns in terms of statistical properties, option profile and drawdown, asset allocation is more complex than with traditional risk premia. In this context, risk diversification cannot be reduced to volatility diversification and skewness risk becomes a key component of portfolio optimization. Understanding these different concepts and how they interconnect is essential for improving multi-asset allocation.
Analysis of a Dengue Disease Transmission Model without Immunity

A dengue disease transmission model by Esteva and Vargas assumes that once a person recovers from the disease he or she will not be reinfected by the disease. However recovering from one of the four types of virus will not guarantee that a person is immuned to the other types. Hence it is reasonable to assume that the immune subpopulation is negligible. Consequently the model is reduced to a two-dimensional planar system. In this model, the endemic state is stable if the basic reproductive number of the disease is greater than one, and this result is similar to the result of the transmission model with immunity. For a relatively small series of outbreaks of the disease in population sufficiently large for the number of susceptible to remain effectively constant, the model is reduced to a population model for the group of infectives. Taking the incubation period into consideration, the model without immunity gives rise to a two-dimensional delay differential equations. The presence of the delay seems to destabilise the dynamics Keywords: Dengue disease; immunity; host-vector model; locally stable; globally stable; thresold parameter; delay.
Tat- and Rev-directed antisense RNA expression inhibits and abolishes replication of human immunodeficiency virus type 1: a temporal analysis

Replication of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) was inhibited by stable intracellular expression of antisense RNA in the human T-lymphoid cell line Jurkat. When the viral subregion encoding the HIV-1 activator proteins was targeted, the extent of antisense RNA-mediated inhibition was greater than 97% during the first 2 weeks postinfection. Later in the time course, productive HIV-1 infection broke through at high initial infective doses. However, at initial multiplicities of infection equal to or smaller than 0.1, HIV-1 production was not detectable during the 5 weeks of observation. The results underline the effectiveness of stable intracellular antisense RNA expression in inhibiting HIV-1 replication.
The Naturalist in a World of Genomics

Functional genomics provides new opportunities to address issues of fundamental interest in evolutionary biology and suggests many new research directions that are ripe for evolutionary investigation. New types of data, and the ability to study biological processes from a whole genome perspective, are likely to have a profound impact on evolutionary biology and ecology. To illustrate, we discuss how genomewide gene expression studies can be used to reformulate questions about trade‐offs and pleiotropy. We then touch on some of the new research opportunities that the application of functional genomics affords to evolutionary biologists. We end with some brief notes about how evolutionary biology and comparative approaches will probably have an impact on functional genomics.
Quality metrics of simulated intensity images of coherent ladar

Image quality metrics is an important aspect in image processing of ladar. Three quality metrics, including peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR), structural similarity (SSIM) index and speckle index (SI), are utilized to evaluate the intensity images of ladar in this paper, and the influence of quality metrics caused by different carrier to noise ratio (CNR) and different structures of images are analyzed. The results show that SSIM can accurately evaluate the image quality degraded by noise, and it is basically consistent with visual evaluation. PSNR can reflect the degree of image degraded by noise but can not reflect the decrease degree of image quality. SI can evaluate the residual degree of speckle noise which can be the criterion to weigh the uniformity of target gray values.
Accumulation of Vacuolar H+-Pyrophosphatase and H+-ATPase during Reformation of the Central Vacuole in Germinating Pumpkin Seeds

Protein storage vacuoles were examined for the induction of H+-pyrophosphatase (H+-PPase), H+-ATPase, and a membrane integral protein of 23 kD after seed germination. Membranes of protein storage vacuoles were prepared from dry seeds and etiolated cotyledons of pumpkin (Cucurbita sp.). Membrane vesicles from etiolated cotyledons had ATP- and pyrophosphate-dependent H+-transport activities. H+-ATPase activity was sensitive to nitrate and bafilomycin, and H+-PPase activity was stimulated by potassium ion and inhibited by dicyclohexylcarbodiimide. The activities of both enzymes increased after seed germination. On immunoblot analysis, the 73-kD polypeptide of H+-PPase and the two major subunits, 68 and 57 kD, of vacuolar H+-ATPase were detected in the vacuolar membranes of cotyledons, and the levels of the subunits of enzymes increased parallel to those of enzyme activities. Small amounts of the subunits of the enzymes were detected in dry cotyledons. Immunocytochemical analysis of the cotyledonous cells with anti-H+-PPase showed the close association of H+-PPase to the membranes of protein storage vacuoles. In endosperms of castor bean (Ricinus communis), both enzymes and their subunits increased after germination. Furthermore, the vacuolar membranes from etiolated cotyledons of pumpkin had a polypeptide that cross-reacted with antibody against a 23-kD membrane protein of radish vacuole, VM23, but the membranes of dry cotyledons did not. The results from this study suggest that H+-ATPase, H+-PPase, and VM23 are expressed and accumulated in the membranes of protein storage vacuoles after seed germination. Overall, the findings indicate that the membranes of protein storage vacuoles are transformed into those of central vacuoles during the growth of seedlings.