Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Social Comparisons in Real Time: A Field Experiment of Residential Electricity and Water Use

A large body of literature shows that the provision of social comparisons can cause households to reduce residential energy and water use. In this paper, we carry out a field experiment that contributes to this literature in two important ways. First, we study a social comparison treatment that is continuous and communicated via pre-installed in-home displays, which are salient and updated in real time. Second, we estimate the effects of provision of social comparisons on two distinguished resources – electricity and water – in the same experimental setting. We find that, on average, our social comparison reduces daily residential energy consumption by 6.7 percent but has no effect on overall residential water use. The electricity savings are impersistent and occur in the evening hours, which only slightly overlap with peak hours. We argue that electricity conservation due to social comparisons is driven by short-run changes in households’ electricity saving behavior.
Stable coronary artery disease and left ventricular dysfunction: The role of revascularization

The aim of this review is to present existing evidence of revascularization in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) and left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. A literature review was performed for trials studying revascularization, via CABG or PCI, in patients with CAD and LV dysfunction. Pivotal, high‐quality trials have investigated revascularization with CABG in stable CAD and LV dysfunction. CASS demonstrated improved 10‐year survival in the surgical group compared to medically treated patients. While 56‐month follow‐up of the STICH trial found no statistically significant difference between CABG and medical therapy in patients with stable CAD and LV dysfunction, the long‐term follow‐up at 10 years (STICHES) demonstrated that CABG did significantly decrease death from any cause and all secondary outcomes. However, these pivotal trials have focused solely on surgical revascularization. Comparable studies regarding outcomes after contemporary PCI methods in this particular subset of patients are severely lacking. More recent studies have included very small numbers of patients with reduced EF. In conclusion, given advances in surgical and non‐invasive fields, studies investigating long‐term effects of PCI versus CABG, including combined hybrid revascularization techniques are warranted. This review sets the stage for a high‐quality randomized, controlled trial comparing revascularization with PCI versus CABG in patients with stable CAD and LV dysfunction.
Ocean Acidification Experiments in Large-Scale Mesocosms Reveal Similar Dynamics of Dissolved Organic Matter Production and Biotransformation

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) represents a major reservoir of carbon in the oceans. Environmental stressors such as ocean acidification (OA) potentially affect DOM production and degradation processes, e.g. phytoplankton exudation or microbial uptake and biotransformation of molecules. Resulting changes in carbon storage capacity of the ocean, thus, may cause feedbacks on the global carbon cycle. Previous experiments studying OA effects on the DOM pool under natural conditions, however, were mostly conducted in temperate and coastal eutrophic areas. Here, we report on OA effects on the existing and newly produced DOM pool during an experiment in the subtropical North Atlantic Ocean at the Canary Islands during an (1) oligotrophic phase and (2) after simulated deep water upwelling. The last is a frequently occurring event in this region controlling nutrient and phytoplankton dynamics. We manipulated nine large-scale mesocosms with a gradient of pCO2 ranging from ~350 up to ~1030 µatm and monitored the DOM molecular composition using ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry via Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR-MS). An increase of 37 µmol L-1 DOC was observed in all mesocosms during a phytoplankton bloom induced by simulated upwelling. Indications for enhanced DOC accumulation under elevated CO2 became apparent during a phase of nutrient recycling towards the end of the experiment. The production of DOM was reflected in changes of the molecular DOM composition. Out of the 7,212 molecular formulae, which were detected throughout the experiment, ~50% correlated significantly in mass spectrometric signal intensity with cumulative bacterial protein production and are likely a product of microbial transformation. However, no differences in the produced compounds were found with respect to CO2 levels. Comparing the results of this experiment with a comparable OA experiment in the Swedish Gullmar Fjord, reveals similar succession patterns for individual compound pools during a phytoplankton bloom and subsequent accumulation of these compounds were observed. The similar behavior of DOM production and biotransformation during and following a phytoplankton bloom irrespective of plankton community composition and CO2 treatment provides novel insights into general dynamics of the marine DOM pool.
A Continuous Strategy Game for Power Transactions Analysis in Competitive Electricity Markets

This article presents a game theory application for analyzing power transactions in a deregulated energy marketplace such as PoolCo, where participants, especially generating entities, maximize their net profits through optimal bidding strategies (i.e., bidding prices and bidding generations). In this article, the electricity market for power transactions is modeled as a noncooperative game with complete information, where the solution is determined in a continuous strategy domain having recourse to the Nash equilibrium idea. In order to provide more apprehensible analysis, we suggest a new hybrid solution approach employing a two-dimensional graphical approach as well as an analytical method. Finally, the proposed approach is demonstrated on a sample power system.
Goal-directed visuomotor skill learning: off-line enhancement and the importance of the primary motor cortex.

PURPOSE The time course and neural substrates of motor skill learning are not well-understood in healthy or neurologic patient populations. Certain motor skills undergo off-line skill enhancement following training and the primary motor cortex (M1) may be involved. It is unknown if goal-directed visuomotor skill undergoes off-line enhancement or if M1 is associated with that enhancement. METHODS 32 right-handed, healthy subjects were randomly assigned to two groups: real repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) or sham rTMS applied to the contralateral M1 immediately following one 20-minute finger tracking training session. Tracking performance and cortical excitability were assessed before and after training, following rTMS and 24 hours post-training. RESULTS Results demonstrate that skill performance continues to develop for at least 30 minutes after training completion, is maintained for 24 hours post-training, and is not affected by inhibitory rTMS applied to M1. Level of skill improvement was associated with the degree of intracortical inhibition increase. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest dispersed information processing for goal-directed visuomotor skill learning following training and a relationship between cortical excitability and skill development in healthy individuals. These findings invite further investigation of the neural mechanisms underlying motor skill learning and may have rehabilitation implications for patients with neurologic injury.
Sub-workflow parallel implementation of aerosol optical depth retrieval from MODIS data case on a Grid platform

Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) is an significant parameter of aerosol optical properties. Operational production of AOD datasets over long time series, large-scale coverage puts on a severe challenge to computing technologies due to both the complexity of retrieval algorithm and the huge data amounts. The Grid computing solution-Remote Sensing Service Node (RSSN) was constructed as a high-throughput platform for remote sensing applications. Taking the sub-workflow level characteristics of some remote sensing retrieval applications into consideration, a sub-workflow parallel implementation for the Synergetic Retrieval of Aerosol Properties (SRAP) algorithm from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor data was taken on the RSSN, and an initial experiment result proved that the subworkflow parallel could further reduce the runtime of data parallel solutions commonly used.
A novel single-phase 5-level asymmetric inverter

A novel asymmetric 5-level inverter is developed in which a half-bridge diode-clamp inverter and a conventional half-bridge inverter are connected to a common split-capacitor power supply. Analysis of a control technique for the inverter, which incorporates square-wave synthesis in conjunction with unipolar triangle carried-based PWM method, is included. Under the proposed control technique, the new configuration permits faster devices and high voltage devices operating in synergism. Comparison with three other single-phase 5-level inverters is presented in this paper. In order to verify the proposed approach, a single-phase 5-level asymmetric inverter was constructed and experimental results are provided.
Platelet membrane skeleton revealed by quick‐freeze deep‐etch

Actin polymerization is an essential component of platelet activation. Since actin appears to polymerize at its membrane‐associated end, knowledge of the structural relationship of actin filaments to membrane is an important part of understanding that polymerization process. A membrane‐associated actincontaining cytoskeleton has been described in human platelets biochemically and is composed, at least in part, by an association between glycoprotein Ib and the actin‐binding protein originally isolated from macrophages. Many other actinassociated proteins with known sub‐membranous localization in other systems have been found in platelets, including alpha‐actinin, vinculin, and low levels of spectrin and the red cell protein Band 4.1. Because of the density of the platelet cytoplasm, the structure of the membrane‐skeleton has not yet been visualized. We have used quick freeze‐deep etch techniques to observe the sub‐membranous cytoplasm and report visualization of a periodic, submembranous filament system not before seen in the platelet. This filamentous system was more easily observed in thrombin‐stimulated platelets, but appeared to be present in resting, discoid cells as well. The filaments could also be readily observed when platelets are lysed after fixation, stained with tannic acid, and embedded for thin‐sectioning. This membrane cytoskeleton was composed of 9 nm thick filaments lying 15 nm apart, and 15 nm from the membrane. The filaments appeared to lie in parallel and to encircle the cell. Similar filaments could be seen associated with intracytoplasmic membrane systems in activated cells.
Analysis of inflammatory markers and metals in nasal lavage fluid of welders

ABSTRACT Welding fumes may produce adverse health effects in the respiratory tract. To assess the relationship between exposure to welding fumes and inflammation in the upper airways, 190 male welders were examined from the WELDOX study (median age 40 yr, 54.7% smokers, and 32.9% atopics). Inhalable welding fumes were collected in the breathing zone of welders during a single shift. Chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), manganese (Mn), and iron (Fe) were measured in the welding-fume samples and in postshift nasal lavage fluid (NALF). In addition, the numbers of particles and inflammatory biomarkers, including total and differential cell counts, interleukin (IL)-8, leukotriene (LT) B4, 8-isoprostane (8-iso-PGF2α), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1), and immunoreactive matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, were determined. Metal concentrations in NALF correlated with airborne concentrations. No significant association was found between airborne metal concentrations and biomarkers of inflammation in NALF, whereas increasing metal concentrations in NALF resulted in increased concentrations of total protein, IL-8, MMP-9, and TIMP-1. LTB4 and 8-iso PGF2α were elevated at higher concentrations of Cr or Ni in NALF. The same was true for Fe, although the effects were less pronounced and of borderline significance. In conclusion, our results showed a significant association between the concentrations of metals and soluble inflammatory markers in the NALF of welders. The noninvasive collection of NALF is applicable in field studies, where it may serve as a suitable matrix to simultaneously assess biomarkers of exposure and effect in the upper respiratory tract in workers who are occupationally exposed to airborne hazardous substances.
Overexpression of OsRRK1 Changes Leaf Morphology and Defense to Insect in Rice

It has been reported that the receptor-like cytoplasmic kinases (RLCKs) regulate many biological processes in plants, but only a few members have been functionally characterized. Here, we isolated a rice gene encoding AtRRK1 homology protein kinase, OsRRK1, which belongs to the RLCK VI subfamily. OsRRK1 transcript accumulated in many tissues at low to moderate levels and at high levels in leaves. Overexpression of OsRRK1 (OE-OsRRK1) caused adaxial rolling and erect morphology of rice leaves. In the rolled leaves of OE-OsRRK1 plants, both the number and the size of the bulliform cells are decreased compared to the wild-type (WT) plants. Moreover, the height, tiller number, and seed setting rate were reduced in OE-OsRRK1 plants. In addition, the brown planthopper (BPH), a devastating pest of rice, preferred to settle on WT plants than on the OE-OsRRK1 plants in a two-host choice test, indicating that OE-OsRRK1 conferred an antixenosis resistance to BPH. The analysis of transcriptome sequencing demonstrated that several receptor kinases and transcription factors were differentially expressed in OE-OsRRK1 plants and WT plants. These results indicated that OsRRK1 may play multiple roles in the development and defense of rice, which may facilitate the breeding of novel rice varieties.
Circadian and short-term blood pressure abnormalities after liver transplantation

ABSTRACT Liver transplantation remains the only therapeutic method in end-stage liver disease. Cardiovascular system diseases, including arterial hypertension, are considered one of the main risk factors increasing mortality in this population. The aim of the study was the evaluation of circadian blood pressure patterns in liver transplant recipients. In a group of 107 liver transplant recipients, a 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) was performed. The ABPM revealed arterial hypertension in 88.79% and unsatisfactory blood pressure (BP) control in 71.03% of the study participants. The abnormal circadian BP pattern was observed in 90.65% of liver recipients. The subgroup of patients with preserved BP circadian rhythm was characterized by higher standard deviation (SD) and coefficient of variation (CV) values for 24-hour systolic, diastolic and mean arterial blood pressure (SBP, DBP, and MAP). There were no such differences for other short-term blood pressure variability (ST BPV) parameters: SD and CV of day-time and night-time SBP, DBP and MAP values. Arterial hypertension and circadian BP abnormalities are present in a majority of liver transplant recipients. BP circadian rhythm is not associated with ST BPV parameters assessed separately during awake and sleep period which suggests that both groups of parameters could reflect different cardiovascular phenomena after liver transplantation.
HACK EDUCATION CROWDSOURCING THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION IN NEW ZEALAND

Crowdsourcing is a twenty-first century phenomenon that relies on Web 2.0 technologies to enable the public to contribute to data gathering by organisations. It offers new ways of researching emerging topics that leverage the wisdom of crowds. Crowdsourcing originally developed as a way of identifying one or more ‘winning’ solutions from a crowd of contributors, and tended to be product focused. Over time, however, a variety of definitions of crowdsourcing has evolved, differing in terms of the specific types of crowd, initiator and process. In this article, we explore the use of crowdsourcing as a research methodology, which involves outsourcing research tasks to large groups of self-selected people, both lay and expert. Unlike traditional surveys, crowdsourcing allows for a more iterative, idea-generating process, which can be more effective than other methods in future-focused research. We illustrate this approach using a case study – a project called Hack Education that was used to gather ideas about the future of education in New Zealand. This project used crowdsourcing both to gather and to analyse data. Our case study reveals that crowdsourcing can provide different perspectives and other ways of analysing the same domain of interest. In particular, our data suggests that the crowd is able to give a somewhat broader, overarching set of ideas than is available from other channels. As such, crowdsourcing may provide a useful complement to more traditional research methods.
Climate change and Bangladesh fisheries and aquaculture: Evidences from the household income and expenditure survey (HIES)2010 data

This paper estimates the impact of climate change on the fisheries and aquaculture sector of Bangladesh by employing appropriate econometric models. The Household Income and Expenditure Survey 2010 (HIES,2010) data have been used to estimate the Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regressions for examining the impact. Since “climate change” is a long run phenomenon, its impacts may not be discernable in the short run, cross sections data. Our econometric results find some negative impacts of climate change on the household fisheries production,though estimated coefficients are not statistically significant.Climate change therefore does not have any impact on the fisheries and aquaculture sector at the household level at least in the short run. Within HIES 2010 data, regarding geographical locations, respondent households associated with fisheries from Dhaka and Rangpur divisions (and also to a lesser extent, Khulna) have been found to be disproportionately more vulnerable to climate change-related shocks as well as having lower yearly mean household incomes, compared to their counterparts in other divisions.
Differential regulation of staphylococcal virulence by the sensor kinase SaeS in response to neutrophil-derived stimuli

Significance Staphylococcus aureus is a ubiquitous pathogen that causes disease in a variety of tissues. Our studies provide insight into how this pathogen uses the SaeS sensor kinase to recognize innate immunity signals and induce a transcriptional response tailored for its environment. Our results demonstrate that the specificity of these responses is determined by individual amino acids predicted to be in an extracellular domain. These amino acids include aromatic anchors and a methionine residue essential for activation of target gene transcription and virulence. Our findings provide a putative mechanism for the ability of bacterial sensory systems to integrate and diversify the responses to host stimuli. They underscore the exquisite nature of bacterial signaling and the complexity of host-pathogen interactions. Two-component systems (TCSs) are highly conserved across bacteria and are used to rapidly sense and respond to changing environmental conditions. The human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus uses the S. aureus exoprotein expression (sae) TCS to sense host signals and activate transcription of virulence factors essential to pathogenesis. Despite its importance, the mechanism by which the histidine kinase SaeS recognizes specific host stimuli is unknown. After mutagenizing the predicted extracellular loop of SaeS, we discovered one methionine residue (M31) was essential for the ability of S. aureus to transcribe sae target genes, including hla, lukAB/lukGH, and hlgA. This single M31A mutation also significantly reduced cytotoxicity in human neutrophils to levels observed in cells following interaction with ΔsaeS. Another important discovery was that mutation of two aromatic anchor residues (W32A and F33A) disrupted the normal basal signaling of SaeS in the absence of inducing signals, yet both mutant kinases had appropriate activation of effector genes following exposure to neutrophils. Although the transcriptional profile of aromatic mutation W32A was consistent with that of WT in response to human α-defensin 1, mutant kinase F33A did not properly transcribe the γ-toxin genes in response to this stimulus. Taken together, our results provide molecular evidence for how SaeS recognizes host signals and triggers activation of select virulence factors to facilitate evasion of innate immunity. These findings have important implications for signal transduction in prokaryotes and eukaryotes due to conservation of aromatic anchor residues across both of these domains and the important role they play in sensor protein structure and function.
Design and fabrication of a photosensing nanodevice structure with CdSe and Au nanoparticles on a silicon chip

A newly developed four-layered photosensing nanodevice was fabricated by integrating nanoparticles (NPs) on a silicon substrate. Through ionic interaction, negatively charged Au NPs (/spl sim/15 nm) were assembled in alternate layers with positively charged CdSe NPs (/spl sim/5 nm) on the silicon oxide surface between the two Al electrodes. The silicon oxide surface after each step of the fabrication process was observed and evaluated by images obtained from the scanning electron microscope. By applying voltage biases across the electrodes, the currents were measured in the dark and under illumination using a 375-nm laser. It was found that a constant photocurrent increment can be obtained for different voltage biases, and the nanodevice structure with a longer length had less conductivity but a larger increment of photocurrent after illumination. In addition, the efficiency rate of photocurrent generation is much higher in comparison to that obtained from CdSe thin film. The fabrication process integrated a newly developed model of a diode-resistor array of semiconductor-metal junctions between CdSe and Au NPs (nano-Schottky-diode structures), which can successfully explain the measured results. While nanotechnology has unprecedented advantages over the traditional silicon electronics, its technology presents physical challenges. However, the success of the fabrication of the multilayered photosensing nanodevice directly on the silicon chip paves the way for further applications and research.