Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rethinking Economic Conditions and Environmental Attitudes: Macroeconomic Effects, Individual Experiences, and Subjectivity

The global environmental concern literature has focused on economic development as a contextual predictor of environmental attitudes with conflicting empirical results. Some studies, informed by postmaterialist theory or the affluence hypothesis, find that national affluence increases environmental concern, whereas others find the opposite. In this article, we qualify the economy and environmental attitude relationship by arguing that it has several dimensions: long-term macroeconomic history, short-term economic growth, individuals’ recent economic experiences, individuals’ subjective understandings of the national economy, and their personal economic circumstances. This holistic framework is operationalized with multilevel models and data from the Life in Transition II project, using outcomes for climate change attitudes. We find that recent economic hardships at the individual level (e.g., a job loss) have a positive to null effect. More subjectively, respondents who believe that the recent global recession had a negative effect on their household are more concerned with climate change. At the country level, long-run economic development does little to explain cross-national differences in climate change attitudes whereas short-run, relative economic growth increases both climate change concern and willingness to pay for climate policy. More broadly, future research should de-emphasize long-run, macroeconomic conditions as determinants of environmental attitudes.
Update on Surgery of Gastric Cancer: New Procedures versus Standard Technique

D2 lymphadenectomy has been the mainstay of treatment for every stage of gastric cancer including early gastric cancer in Japan. However, the use of conventional D2 nodal dissection is being challenged. There was a recent improvement in techniques for preoperative diagnosis and perioperative diagnosis. Less extensive surgeries to maintain patients’ quality of life have been introduced as standard treatment for some forms of early gastric cancer in the Gastric Cancer Treatment Guidelines 2001 (The Japanese Gastric Cancer Association). Superextended dissection (more than D2) for non-early gastric cancer is set at investigational treatment. Japanese surgeons are now aiming at wide variations of surgical treatment according to the stage of disease based on new procedures. Further evaluations are proceeding to prove superior to standard techniques.
Leaf Classification Using Completed Local Binary Pattern of Textures

This paper, introduces utilizing the magnitude component of Local Binary Pattern (LBP) apart from sign component (which is considered as conventional method). We applied this Completed Local Binary Pattern (CLBP) on plant leaf classification by randomly taken divergent blocks of each texture data set. This approach is also useful for the identification of quality leaves for the automation of grading process in commercial crops like Tobacco etc. By combining Center pixel CLBP (CCLBP), Signed component of CLBP (SCLBP) and magnitude part of CLBP (MCLBP) there is a considerable development can be achieved for rotationally invariant texture classification.
Targeted Promotions and Cross-Category Spillover Effects

Targeted promotions based on individual purchase histories are known to increase promotional response while reducing search effort, yet the opportunity costs of such targeted promotions remain poorly understood. We use field experiments on a mobile e-book reading app and an online ticket exchange to test how targeted promotions can decrease cross-category search and purchasing. Findings from three randomized field experiments consistently showed that targeted promotions reduce cross-category purchase activity. These negative spillovers can be large; while direct response was higher for targeted promotions, total sales for one of the experiments was significantly higher for untargeted promotions. We find evidence that the negative category spillover effects are due to a decrease in search activity. Precisely targeted offers lead consumers to take a less active role in information search, limiting cross-category exploration. Firms using highly targeted promotions should monitor for reductions in search, as an indicator of missed cross-selling opportunities and lower sales diversity at the customer level.
Characterization of a Thermo-Inducible Chlorophyll-Deficient Mutant in Barley

Leaf color is an important trait for not only controlling crop yield but also monitoring plant status under temperature stress. In this study, a thermo-inducible chlorophyll-deficient mutant, named V-V-Y, was identified from a gamma-radiated population of the barley variety Vlamingh. The leaves of the mutant were green under normal growing temperature but turned yellowish under high temperature in the glasshouse experiment. The ratio of chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b in the mutant declined much faster in the first 7–9 days under heat treatment. The leaves of V-V-Y turned yellowish but took longer to senesce under heat stress in the field experiment. Genetic analysis indicated that a single nuclear gene controlled the mutant trait. The mutant gene (vvy) was mapped to the long arm of chromosome 4H between SNP markers 1_0269 and 1_1531 with a genetic distance of 2.2 cM and a physical interval of 9.85 Mb. A QTL for grain yield was mapped to the same interval and explained 10.4% of the yield variation with a LOD score of 4. This QTL is coincident with the vvy gene interval that is responsible for the thermo-inducible chlorophyll-deficient trait. Fine mapping, based on the barley reference genome sequence, further narrowed the vvy gene to a physical interval of 0.428 Mb with 11 annotated genes. This is the first report of fine mapping a thermo-inducible chlorophyll-deficient gene in barley.
Altered Immune Phenotype in Peripheral Blood Cells of Patients with Scleroderma‐Associated Pulmonary Hypertension

Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a common and fatal complication of scleroderma that may involve inflammatory and autoimmune mechanisms. Alterations in the gene expression of peripheral blood mononuclear cells have been previously described in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. Our goal is to identify differentially expressed genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in scleroderma patients with and without pulmonary hypertension as biomarkers of disease.
Workplace Suicide and States of Denial: The France Telecom and Foxconn Cases Compared

Workplace suicides are sharply on the rise and reflect a generalised deterioration in working conditions across the globalised economy. Despite their growing prevalence, workplace suicides are subject to specific modes of repression that tend to keep them hidden from public view. Suicides and their social recognition threaten the vested interests of corporate and political elites by giving material embodiment to relations of production in the form of extreme human suffering. This article focuses on 'suicide waves' at two distant corporations in the information and communications sector: in France, the telecoms provider, France Telecom (rebranded Orange in 2013) and in China, electronics supplier, Foxconn. Drawing on Stanley Cohen's notion of 'states of denial', the article examines the tactics used by corporate and political elites in an effort to keep the suicides concealed. These include discourses that denied the suicides, individualised their causes and repressive tactics intended to control information and impede investigations. Recognising workplace suicides and the forms of repression that seek to occlude them, is crucial if we are to confront the profound human costs of a new international division of digital labour on lived experiences of work.
DNA‐binding properties of the yeast transcriptional activator, Gcr1p

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae the GCR1 gene product is required for high‐level expression of genes encoding glycolytic enzymes. In this communication, we extend our analysis of the DNA binding properties of Gcr1p. The DNA‐binding domain of Gcr1p binds DNA with high affinity. The apparent dissociation constant of the Gcr1p DNA‐binding domain for one of its specific binding sites (TTTCAGCTTCCTCTAT) is 2·9×10−10 M. However, competition experiments showed that Gcr1p binds this site in vitro with a low degree of specificity. We measured a 33‐fold difference between the ability of specific competitor and DNA of random sequence to inhibit the formation of nucleoprotein complexes between Gcr1p and a radiolabeled DNA probe containing its binding site. DNA band‐shift experiments, utilizing probes of constant length in which the positions of Gcr1p‐binding sites are varied relative to the ends, indicated that Gcr1p–DNA nucleoprotein complexes contain bent DNA. The implications of these findings in terms of the combinatorial interactions that occur at the upstream activating sequence elements of genes encoding glycolytic enzymes are discussed.
Iowa State University From the SelectedWorks of Jarad Niemi 2008 Test Power for Drug Abuse Surveillance

Syndromic surveillance can be used to assess change in drug abuse rates and to find regions in which abuse is most common. This paper compares the power of three syndromic surveillance procedures (a paired-sample test, a process control chart, and a conditional autoregressive model) for detecting change in opioid drug abuse patterns, using data from two reporting systems (the OTP and PCC datasets). We find that the conditional autoregressive model provides good power and geographic information and that the OTP data carry the strongest signal.
Archaeoglobus fulgidus Isolated from Hot North Sea Oil Field Waters

A hyperthermophilic sulfate reducer, strain 7324, was isolated from hot (75°C) oil field waters from an oil production platform in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. It was enriched on a complex medium and isolated on lactate with sulfate. The cells were nonmotile, irregular coccoid to disc shaped, and 0.3 to 1.0 μm wide. The temperature for growth was between 60 and 85°C with an optimum of 76°C. Lactate, pyruvate, and valerate plus H2 were utilized as carbon and energy sources with sulfate as electron acceptor. Lactate was completely oxidized to CO2. The cells contained an active carbon monoxide dehydrogenase but no 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase activity, indicating that lactate was oxidized to CO2 via the acetyl coenzyme A/carbon monoxide dehydrogenase pathway. The cells produced small amounts of methane simultaneously with sulfate reduction. F420 was detected in the cells which showed a blue-green fluorescence at 420 nm. On the basis of morphological, physiological, and serological features, the isolate was classified as an Archaeoglobus sp. Strain 7324 showed 100% DNA-DNA homology with A. fulgidus Z, indicating that it belongs to the species A. fulgidus. Archaeoglobus sp. has been selectively enriched and immunomagnetically captured from oil field waters from three different platforms in the North Sea. Our results show that strain 7324 may grow in oil reservoirs at 70 to 85°C and contribute to hydrogen sulfide formation in this environment.
Impact of legal regulations and administrative policies on persons with SCI: identifying potential research priorities through expert interviews

Abstract Purpose: To identify research gaps and potential research priorities regarding the impact that legal regulations and administrative policies might have on people with spinal cord injury (SCI) living in Switzerland. Method: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 healthcare professionals working for or being associated with the largest SCI clinic in Switzerland. The transcribed interviews were content analyzed, involving qualitative description, and thematic analysis techniques. Results: Four interrelated clusters of issues were corroborated: (1) social insurance, (2) caregiving, (3) work integration, and (4) aging. In addition, two overarching themes were identified: (1) fairness considerations and (2) unavailability of systematic empirical evidence. Work capacity assessment and family caregiving were deemed to be the most pressing research priority areas. Conclusions: Legal frameworks do play both a direct and an indirect role in the lives of people with SCI in Switzerland. This is particularly true with regard to various issues related to the social insurance system, such as family caregiving and work capacity assessment. The salience of these topics is closely related to major sociodemographic and political driving forces, i.e. aging and social insurance reforms. Research directly involving people with SCI is needed to further substantiate and refine the findings of this study. Implications for Rehabilitation When dealing with issues related to work reintegration, aging, social insurance, and caregiving, rehabilitation professionals should take existing legal frameworks into account. Eligibility criteria for disability benefits may influence the therapy motivation of rehabilitation clients.
A Model of External Debt and International Reserves

The literature has addressed the issue of choosing debt and reserves levels in the context of models of debt repudiation. The focus has thus been on the eect of the balance sheet composition immediately after a default and the subsequent closure of capital markets. In practice, for developing countries, shocks to the balance of payments are mostly exogenous. Indeed, using panel data for 138 low-income and middle-income countries over the period 1967-2012, I nd that central bank reserves are most often used after terms of
Wound‐healing activity of the skin of the common grape (Vitis Vinifera) variant, cabernet sauvignon

The common Grape L. (Vitaceae) is regarded as an important medicinal plant. European healers have suggested the use of grapevine sap, juice, and whole grape in the treatment of pain, allergic reactions, inflammation, and to promote wound healing. We evaluated grape‐skin powder for its wound‐healing activity using an excision wound model in rats. Animals were randomly divided into three groups of six (n = 6) each. The test group animals were treated topically with the grape‐skin powder (100 mg/kg/day). The controls and standard group animals were treated with petroleum jelly and mupirocin ointment respectively. Healing was assessed by the rate of wound contraction, period of epithelialization, and hydroxyproline content. On day 13, treatment of the wounds with grape‐skin powder enhanced significantly the rate of wound contraction (100 %). Treated animals showed significant decrease in the epithelialization period (p < 0.000) and increase in the hydroxyproline content (p < 0.05) when compared to control and the standard. Histological analysis was also consistent with the proposal that grape‐skin powder exhibits significant wound‐healing potential. Increased rate of wound contraction, hydroxyproline content, and decrease in epithelialization time in the treated animals support the use of grape‐skin powder in the management of wound healing. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Childhood mortality in Kenya: Effects of environmental risk factors

iii Abbreviations . iv List of text tables . vii List of appendix tables . viii List of text figures . ix List of appendix figures . ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION . 3 1.1 Background information . 3 1.2 Etiology of pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria . 4 1.3 Environmental risk factors for childhood mortality . 5 1.4 Current health policy response . 7 1.5 Problem statement . 8 1.6 Research questions . 9 1.7 Study objectives . 10 1.8 Significance of the study . 10 1.9 Organization of the study . 10 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW . 11 2.
Analysis of power quality disturbance signal based on improved compressed sensing reconstruction algorithm

Compressed sensing is a novel theory which combined signal sampling and compression together, and this paper propose an improved reconstruction algorithm. Firstly this paper analysis the sparsity of the power quality disturbance signal and the selection of the measurement matrix, then, this paper proposes an improved regularization sparsity adaptive matching pursuit algorithm (RCoSaMP) on the basis of analyzing and summarizing the existing greedy reconstruction algorithms. The improved reconstruction algorithm combines the advantages of CoSaMP and SAMP, it can adaptively adjusts the step size by signal agent and backtracking thought even if the sparsity of original signal is unknown, then, exactly reconstructs the original signal with a small amount of sampled data. MATLAB simulation results show that in the reconstruction of power quality disturbance signals such as harmonics and voltage sag, the improved reconstruction algorithm is superior to other greedy algorithms in terms of reconstruction speed and accuracy.
The Role of Middle Management in the Implementation of Sustainability Strategies

This paper aims at contributing to a better understanding of the role of middle management in implementing sustainability strategies. We propose three main levers for the substantive implementation of sustainability strategies: virtues- and values-based staffing procedures for middle managers, their cultural alignment with corporate strategy, and a “middle-up-down role” for middle managers in performance measurement. Moreover, we argue that secondary stakeholder pressure impedes cultural alignment and thus such pressure generates a tradeoff to be managed. Our hypotheses are tested using survey data from 134 large companies.
Organizational Social Computing and Employee Job Performance: The Knowledge Access Route

This paper presents an empirical study investigating the impact of organizational social computing on employees' innovative and in-role job performance. Specifically, we suggest that two key uses of social computing, representing the use of social computing tools for maintaining social relations and for generating and sharing content, are positively related to employees' access to knowledge. Access to knowledge, in the form of expertise location and access to codified information, is in turn positively associated with employees' innovative and in-role job performance. For this study a conceptual model is developed and tested via a cross-sectional survey. The findings suggest that the two key uses of organizational social computing are positively associated with access to knowledge which in turn is positively related to the two forms of job performance at varying degrees. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed, as are directions for future research.
Acute mechanical intestinal obstructions.

BACKGROUND In this study, we evaluated our treatment modality and timing of surgery in acute mechanical intestinal obstruction (AMIO) patients who were admitted to the emergency room. METHODS Only patients with the diagnosis of AMIO were included in this study. Surgery was performed in patients with hemodynamic instability despite fluid resuscitation and peritoneal signs upon physical examination. Patients were divided into two groups. Adhesion cases were assigned to Group 1, while non-adhesion cases were assigned to Group 2. The decision to provide surgical or medical therapy was assessed 24 hours (h) after admission. RESULTS Twenty-two patients in Group 1 and 53 patients in Group 2 underwent surgical procedures. The difference between the groups was statistically different (p < 0.05). The mean monitoring time after admission to the hospital was 128.3 +/- 24.85 h and 43.1 +/- 15.51 h in Groups 1 and 2, respectively (p = 0.0001). In Group 2, 76.6% of the patients who were monitored for over 24 hours required surgery. In contrast, this rate was only 36% in Group 1 (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION Our clinical experience shows that medical therapy and monitoring over 24 hours is not a good substitute for surgical treatment of AMIO when the obstruction is not due to an adhesion.
Cytochalasin D as Excitation‐Contraction Uncoupler for Optically Mapping Action Potentials in Wedges of Ventricular Myocardium

Myocardium Immobilization for Repolarization Mapping. Introduction: Cytochalasin D In tissue bath superfusate inhihits the contraction of isolated thin trabeculae from canine right ventricle without affecting the intracellular action potential recorded with glass microelectrode. The purpose of this study was to test whether cytochalasin D could also be used to immobilize perfused wedges of ventricular muscle without affecting the action potential duration or propagation, and also to determine the optimal concentration and time duration of drug in the perfusate.
Adrenergic and myogenic regulation of viscoelasticity in the vascular bed of the human forearm

This study tested the hypothesis that the compliance (C) and viscoelasticity (K) of the forearm vascular bed are controlled by myogenic and/or α‐adrenergic receptor (αAR) activation. Heart rate (HR) and waveforms of brachial artery blood pressure (Finometer) and forearm blood flow (Doppler ultrasound) were measured in baseline conditions and during infusion of noradrenaline (NA; αAR agonist), with and without phentolamine (αAR antagonist; n= 10; 6 men and 4 women). These baseline and αAR‐agonist‐based measures were repeated when the arm was positioned above or below the heart to modify the myogenic stimulus. A lumped Windkessel model was used to quantify the values of forearm C and K in each set of conditions. Baseline forearm C was inversely, and K directly, related to the myogenic load (P < 0.001). Compared with saline infusion, C was increased, but K was unaffected, with phentolanine, but only in the ‘above’ position. Compliance was reduced (P < 0.001) and K increased (P= 0.06) with NA infusion (main effects of NA) across arm positions; phentolamine minimized these NA‐induced changes in C and K for both arm positions. Examination of conditions with and without NA infusion at similar forearm intravascular pressures indicated that the NA‐induced changes in C and K were due largely to the concurrent changes in blood pressure. Therefore, within the range of arm positions used, it was concluded that vascular stiffness and vessel wall viscoelastic properties are acutely affected by myogenic stimuli. Additionally, forearm vascular compliance is sensitive to baseline levels of αAR activation when transmural pressure is low.
Alcohol Prevention Strategies on College Campuses and Student Alcohol Abuse and Related Problems

This study examined the relationship between colleges' alcohol abuse prevention strategies and students' alcohol abuse and related problems. Alcohol prevention coordinators and first year students in 22 colleges reported whether their schools were implementing 48 strategies in six domains, and students (N = 2041) completed another survey concerning their use of alcohol and related consequences. Colleges were most likely to prevent alcohol use in public places on campus and the delivery and use of kegs. Four alcohol prevention domains were inversely associated with at least one of five outcomes related to student alcohol abuse or related consequences, and the alcohol policy and enforcement domain was inversely associated with all outcomes. Colleges should pay particular attention to strategies related to policy and enforcement.
Loss of ezrin in human intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma is associated with ectopic expression of E‐cadherin

Ezrin connects proteins from the plasma membrane to the subcortical cytoskeleton, and contributes to epithelial integrity by interacting with the cell–cell adhesion molecule E‐cadherin. In the liver, ezrin is restricted to cholangiocytes, where it regulates biliary secretory functions. During carcinogenesis, ezrin expression is impaired and associated with enhancement of cell migratory activity in cancer cells; therefore, we aimed to analyse ezrin in cholangiocarcinogenesis.