Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Innovation in island ecotourism in different contexts: Yakushima (Japan) and Tahiti and its Islands

: This article examines whether the future of tourism in island destinations lies in more and continued innovation on the part of all stakeholders so tourists will consider the extra expense of travelling a worthwhile investment. Islands have long been icons as tourism destinations. However, established destination images can cause a lack in adaptability to changing markets. Though located in different parts of the world and seeking different markets most island destinations would benefit from innovative strategies and products to enhance their attractiveness to high yield visitors. The article uses two examples to analyse the innovative forms that have been adopted in island destinations in the hope they could become models or encourage imitation by other destinations. Two aspects of innovation are discussed. New imaginary can creatively and innovatively (re-)imagine representations; sustainability could be an important innovative pursuit, which requires new narratives for continued tourism growth. These concepts are applied next to the island of Yakushima in Japan and Tahiti and its Islands to determine the main innovative elements used or required to jumpstart the attractiveness of island destinations, though it is recognized that implementation is complex.
In vivo study of metal content of oral mucosa cells in patients with and without fixed orthodontic appliances.

OBJECTIVE To compare the concentration of nickel, chromium and cobalt in oral mucosa cells of patients with and without fixed orthodontic appliances. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 60 patients were included in this study. The control group consisted of 30 patients without any type of fixed orthodontic appliances or metal restoration in the mouth (20 females and 10 males from 16 to 20 years with a mean age of 18 years). The test group consisted of 30 patients who had fixed orthodontic appliance in their upper and lower arches (20 females and 10 male from 16 to 20 years with a mean age of 18.2 years). The metal content determinations were carried out using atomic absorption spectrophotometry with a graphite furnace. RESULTS According to spectrophotometric analysis, no significant differences in chromium (p = 0.09) and cobalt (p = 0.10) content of oral mucosa cells were found between the test and control samples. The nickel content in mucosa samples was significantly higher (p = 0.003) in orthodontic patients compared with the controls. The mean levels of nickel in control and orthodontic patient group were 12.26 and 21.74 ng / ml, respectively. CONCLUSION Our findings indicate that there was no difference in the concentration of chromium and cobalt in oral mucosa cells of patients with or without fixed appliances. However, a significantly higher concentration of nickel can be found in oral mucosa cells of patients wearing fixed orthodontic appliances. Continued follow-up is needed to determine the long-term significance of nickel release.
Posttransplant Diabetes Mellitus in Kidney Transplant Recipients Receiving Calcineurin or mTOR Inhibitor Drugs

Background. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence and risk factors for posttransplant diabetes mellitus (PTDM; defined as new insulin use and/or new hyperglycemia) in 528 kidney recipients using different immunosuppressive agents. Methods. Maintenance therapy included mycophenolate mofetil or azathioprine plus glucocorticoids in combination with Group I cyclosporine (263); Group II tacrolimus (60); or Group III sirolimus (205). Results. The mean follow-up was 39.2 (range 9.0–103.8) months. Overall, the number of patients needing insulin was 7.4% (39/528). The incidences for Groups I, II, and III of 7.6%, 11.7%, and 5.9%, respectively, were not statistically different. Characteristics of patients with PTDM included older age (P=0.007); greater body weight (kg) at transplant, 6 months, and 12 months, respectively (P<0.001); greater BMI (kg/m2) at transplant, 6 months, and 12 months, respectively (P<0.001); more acute rejection episodes 28.2% vs. 13.5% (P=0.012); and increased incidence in African Americans (P=0.03). Multivariable analysis demonstrated increased risk for PTDM (defined as new insulin use) for tacrolimus, (hazard ratio [HR] 3.794, P=0.007); treated rejections (HR 2.491, P=0.0115); age (HR 1.407, P=0.0116); and BMI (HR 1.153, P<0.0001). New insulin use occurred sooner and with less total glucocorticoid dose for tacrolimus patients. If PTDM is defined as all cases of new hyperglycemia, then no immunosuppressive drug group demonstrated an increased risk. Conclusion. The risk for developing PTDM is greatest among older recipients, and those obese at the time of transplant; those given steroid pulse therapy were at exceptionally high-risk. PTDM risk reduction should focus on weight loss in the obese end-stage renal disease population prior to transplant.
Managing the Risks of Concurrent Surgeries.

Tony Meng was 41 years old when a complex spinal operation left him paralyzed. Although paralysis is a known complication of such operations, he sued the surgeon.1 Only during the litigation did he learn that his surgeon had operated on 2 patients concurrently. It is not clear that the overlapping scheduling contributed to the outcome, but the media attention the case received has sparked discussion about the appropriateness of concurrent surgeries.2 Overlapping or concurrent operations involve scheduling substantive portions of 2 or more surgeries to occur during the same time. In these overlapping operations, delegation of responsibility to trainees and assistants is necessary. Particularly at teaching hospitals, concurrent surgeries are not uncommon, but the practice may not be well understood by patients. Although overlapping operations can often be managed responsibly, 2 problems require attention. First, what are the boundaries of safe practice (and who should set them)? Second, how should surgeons communicate with patients about these practices?
Co-occurrence and coaction of stress management with other health risk behaviors

This study provides a preliminary investigation of the role of stress management in multiple behavior change. Risk status on stress management and five health behaviors (healthy eating, exercise, alcohol, smoking, and depression management) was assessed before and after a multiple behavior change intervention. Findings suggested a link between stress management and a worse health risk behavior profile at baseline. Results also showed relationships between improved stress management over 6 months and heightened odds of improving on specific behaviors as well as improving one’s overall behavioral risk profile. Particularly strong links between stress management and energy balance and other affective behaviors were observed.
Spectral properties of fricatives: a forensic approach

This paper reports on the acoustic-phonetic analysis of the voiceless fricatives /s, , / taken from high-quality recordings of six native British English speakers reading phonetically controlled stimuli under various face disguise conditions. Speech samples were extracted from an audiocollected for the purpose of investigating multimodal speech and speaker recognition in a forensic context. Findings are discussed with regard to constraints in speech production and acoustic damping effects caused by certain mask materials.
Application of Decomposed Theory of Planned Behavior for M-commerce Adoption in India

Mobile commerce (m-commerce) is the latest version of electronic commerce or e-commerce. M-commerce is in early stages and its associated customer behavior is not well understood. In this paper, we examine the decomposed theory of planned behavior in the context of M-commerce. We examined the roles of trust, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and perceived enjoyment in determining the attitude towards adoption of m-commerce. We also tested the relationship between normative influence and subjective norms as well as the relationship between self-efficacy and perceived behavioral control. Based on the theory of planned behavior, we hypothesize that attitude, subjective norms, personal innovation and perceived behavioral control have positive impact on a personâs intentions to adopt m-commerce. We conducted a survey and received 212 responses. We used structural equation modeling for data analysis. Our model was able to explain 60% of the observed variance. Out of 11 hypotheses, 8 were significant at p < 0.01 and the remaining 3 are significant at p < 0.05. Our results show that trust (m-commerce vendor), perceived usefulness (user), self efficacy (technology) and the normative influence (society) are the most important factors for m-commerce adoption in India.
SERCA2 activity is involved in the CNP‐mediated functional responses in failing rat myocardium

Myocardial C‐type natriuretic peptide (CNP) levels are increased in heart failure. CNP can induce negative inotropic (NIR) and positive lusitropic responses (LR) in normal hearts, but its effects in failing hearts are not known. We studied the mechanism of CNP‐induced NIR and LR in failing hearts and determined whether sarcoplasmatic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase2 (SERCA2) activity is essential for these responses.
Joining ionics and electronics: semiconductor chips with ion channels, nerve cells, and brain tissue

The microscopic interfacing of semiconductor devices and living neuronal systems is discussed. From the biological side, ion channels, nerve cells, and brain tissue are considered. Basic experimental studies are performed with capacitors and transistors of simple silicon chips. The approach is extended to a CMOS chip with 16000 transistor sensors.
The physics of quantum information: quantum cryptography, quantum teleportation, quantum computation

Leading experts from "The Physics of Quantum Information" network, initiated by the European Commission, bring together the most recent results from this emerging area of quantum technology. Written in a consistent style as a research monograph, the book introduces quantum cryptography, quantum teleportation, and quantum computation, considering both theory and newest experiments. Both scientists working in the field and advanced students will find a rich source of information on this exciting new area.
Your heart might give away your emotions

Estimating emotional responses to pictures based on heart rate measurements: variations in Heart Rate serves as an important clinical health indicator, but potentially also as a window into cognitive reactions to presented stimuli, as a function of both stimuli, context and previous cognitive state. This study looks at single-trial time domain mean Heart Rate (HR) and frequency domain Heart Rate Variability (HRV) measured while subjects were passively viewing emotionally charged images, comparing short random presentations with grouped sequences of either neutral, highly arousing pleasant or highly arousing unpleasant pictures. Based on only a few users we were not able to demonstrate HRV variations that correlated with randomly presented emotional content due to the inherent noise in the signal. Nor could we reproduce results from earlier studies, which based on averaged values over many subjects, revealed small changes in the mean HR only seconds after presentation of emotional images. However for longer sequences of pleasant and unpleasant images, we found a trend in the mean HR that could correlate with the emotional content of the images. Suggesting a potential for using HR in single user Quantified Self applications to assess fluctuations over longer periods in emotional state, rather than dynamic responses to emotional stimuli.
Financial Misallocation, Pollution, and Sustainable Growth: Theory and Evidence from China

The remarkable growth of China relied largely on excessive natural resources consumption is not feasible anymore; facing predicaments of economy growth slowing down, structural problems, and environmental degradation, the mission ahead for China is to achieve long-term sustainable growth. In this study, allocation of financial resource in China between polluting and non-polluting enterprises is verified, and a general equilibrium model considering environment and financial sector is built, which shows that financial institutions can have great impact on the environment and long term growth by allocating financial resources, which largely determines the development of industries. After that, an empirical study is carried out using panel data of 30 provinces in China. The results show that allocation of financial resource had a significant negative influence over environment. Based on the findings, it is argued that finance, due to its power in resources allocation, is supposed to play a role in structural reform and environmental protection. Improving financial resource allocation, promoting green finance, and encouraging social and environmental responsibility of financial institutions are helpful measures in the coming economic reform.
Rationale and Protocol of CML Study: Cognitive and Emotional Impact of Discontinuation of Therapy in Patients with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

Introduction Discontinuation of therapy can be proposed to patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) who reach a sustained deep molecular response (DMR) for a minimum and stable period. Today, a considerable number of patients reach a sustained DMR, especially when they are treated with the latest drugs. Although new-generation treatments may provide significant improvement in terms of patient health and health-related quality of life, many patients are uncertain about discontinuation and may refuse a treatment switch. Methods This study is an observational research project aimed at investigating, from a psychological point of view, possible cognitive and emotional components that can influence treatment discontinuation and treatment decisions in a cohort sample of 120 CML patients. Results The expected results indicate that cognitive and emotional factors may influence decision-making in this setting and may prevent appropriate risk-and-benefit evaluation of new treatment approaches. Conclusions This is the first study that will analyze in depth all possible psychological variables that can interfere with the medical decision process of treatment discontinuation in CML, providing new insights for clinical practice.
Kalman filtering in position control using a vision sensor

In recent years owing to the development of computer hardware and image processing technology, the researches to build control system using a vision sensor are stimulated. Vision sensors provide additional information about the environment of the workplace as well as afford position information of an object. However, a vision sensor is sensitive to surrounding environment such as intensity, diffusion and reflection of light and has measurement noise due to changing conditions of light. The presence of measurement noise of vision sensor is an obstacle factor to precise control systems. For these reasons, the estimation theory is used to control accurately with reducing the impact of noise. It is possible to control a system accurately by using the estimated data. In this paper as measurement noise of vision sensor exists in the control system, Kalman filter is used to overcome the effect of noise and to more accurately control the position of the object using the estimated data. Experimental results show that the Kalman filter reduces the influence of measurement noise and improves the performance of position control of an object.
International perspectives on crowdfunding

Crowdfunding as an entrepreneurial phenomenon substitutes traditional sources of finance (banks, financial markets, governments) for the crowd. Socially and economically, it is challenging the traditional boundaries that have been set for centuries between industry, the financial sector, and the public. Though its basic principle cannot be considered as a radical innovation, crowdfunding as a rapidly growing practice calls for renewed management, legal, and governance patterns. Descriptive inquiries on how to do it are multiplying but crowdfunding remains a fuzzy subject for research and reflexivity. This book gathers the best recent research outcomes on the managerial and social impact of this new practice.
Mammalian mitochondrial proteomics: insights into mitochondrial functions and mitochondria-related diseases

Mitochondria are organelles that are essential for cell life and death. A huge range of pathologies, including neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, diabetes and aging, have been reported to be associated with mitochondrial dysfunction. Therefore, identification of mitochondrial proteins that are differentially expressed in these pathologies will help to further our understanding of these diseases. In recent years, great achievements have been made in mammalian mitochondrial proteomics. Here we provide an overview of the current state of knowledge with respect to the whole mitochondrial proteome, the mitochondrial subproteome, mitochondrial complexes and mitochondrial post-translational modifications. Applications of comparative mitochondrial proteomics to various pathologies that have provided clues for understanding the relationship between mitochondrial dysfunction and pathogenesis are described. We conclude that mitochondrial proteomics can be used not only to map all the components of mitochondria, but can also provide information for discovering therapeutic targets for mitochondria-related diseases.
SOCS 2 deletion protects against hepatic steatosis but worsens insulin resistance in high-fat-diet-fed mice

Hepatic steatosis is a prominent feature in patients with growth hormone (GH) deficiency. The ubiquitin ligase SOCS2 attenuates hepatic GH signaling by inhibiting the Janus kinase 2 (JAK2)–signal transducer and activator of transcription 5b (STAT5b) axis. Here, we investigated the role of SOCS2 in the development of diet-induced hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance. SOCS2-knockout (SOCS2 / ) mice and wild-type littermates were fed for 4 mo with control or high-fat diet, followed by assessment of insulin sensitivity, hepatic lipid content, and expression of inflammatory cytokines. SOCS2 / mice exhibited increased hepatic TG secretion by 77.6% (P<0.001) as compared with wild-type control mice and were protected from high-fat-diet (HFD)-induced hepatic steatosis, showing 49.3% (P<0.01) reduction in liver TG levels compared to HFD-fed wild-type littermates. In contrast, we found that HFD-triggered attenuation of systemic insulin sensitivity was more marked in SOCS2 / mice. Livers from the HFD-fed SOCS2 / mice showed increased NFB activity as well as elevated expression of genes for the inflammatory cytokines IFNand IL-6. An inhibitory role of SOCS2 on Toll-like receptor 4 signaling was demonstrated in macrophages obtained from the SOCS2 / and wild-type mice. This study identified SOCS2 as an important regulator of hepatic homeostasis under conditions of high-fat dietary stress. — Zadjali, F. , Santana-Farre, R. , Vesterlund, M. , Carow, B. , Mirecki-Garrido, M. , Hernandez-Hernandez, I. , Flodström-Tullberg, M. , Parini, P., Rottenberg, M. , Norstedt, G. , Fernandez-Perez, L. , Flores-Morales, A. SOCS2 deletion protects against hepatic steatosis but worsens insulin resistance in high-fat-diet-fed mice. FASEB J. 26, 3282–3291 (2012). www.fasebj. org
An Analysis of Commercial Banks Credit on Economic Growth in Nigeria

The objective of this study is to analyze the impact of the commercial banks credit on economic growth in Nigeria from 1992 to 2012. In order to examine the role of commercial bank credit to the economy, the commercial bank credit to the private sector of the economy is used to estimate its impact on Nigeria’s economic growth, which is proxy by gross domestic product. Using the ordinary least square it was found that the commercial bank credit has significant effect on the economic growth in Nigerian. As this is a good achievement, it requires more efforts to maintain and sustain it. Inline with that the following recommendation were made to that effect: better and stronger credit culture should be promoted and sustained; there should be strong and comprehensive legal framework that will continue to aid in monitoring the performance of credit to private sector and recovery debts owed to banks; bank should share among themselves information on bad debt; and preferred sectors like agriculture and manufacturing should be favoured in terms of granting loans.
The molecular genetics of Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy.

Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is a maternally inherited disease that is characterized by acute, severe, bilateral visual loss in healthy young persons. The central visual loss is acute or subacute at onset, painless, and accompanied by large cecocentral scotomata and dyschromatopsia. Visual loss is virtually always bilateral and is usually synchronous in onset. The visual symptoms usually occur in isolation, although abnormalities of cardiac conduction have been convincingly demonstrated in some families. 1 Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy is strictly maternally inherited and passes to future generations only through women. 1,2 An affected man never has offspring with LHON, while a woman in a family with LHON may have affected children although she herself is visually normal (ie, she acts as a carrier of the genetic trait). Although the vast majority of cellular DNA is con See also p 1417. tained in the nucleus, mitochondria also contain independently inherited DNA.
A Compact SOI-Integrated Multiwavelength Laser Source Based on Cascaded InP Microdisks

We report on the performance of a compact multi- wavelength laser (MWL) source heterogeneously integrated with and coupled to a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) waveguide circuit. The MWL consists of four InP-based microdisk lasers, coupled to a common SOI wire waveguide. The microdisk lasers operate in continuous-wave regime at room temperature, with a threshold current around 0.9 mA and a waveguide-coupled slope efficiency of up to 8 muW/mA, for a microdisk diameter of 7.5 mum. The output spectrum contains four laser peaks uniformly distributed within the free-spectral range of a single microdisk. While thermal crosstalk is negligible, laser peak output powers vary up to 8 dB for equal microdisk drive currents, as a result of loss due to coupling with higher order modes supported by the 1-mum-thick microdisks. This nonuniformity could be eliminated by reducing the microdisk thickness.