Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Factors influencing the use of ICT by farm employees in the Western Cape commercial agriculture: A case study of the wine industry

Few studies on the factors affecting use of information and communication technology (ICTs) in various sectors in developing countries have been done. And yet, with the increasing pervasiveness of mobile computing devices and other ICTs in developing countries, much hope is being placed on these technologies to lift socio-economic development in these countries from the doldrums. This paper, investigates the factors affecting ICT use by farm employees that are helpful in the development of commercial agriculture in developing countries. The wine industry in the Western Cape Province of South Africa is used as a case study. Our findings indicate that ICT training, age, race, current occupation on farm, educational level and ICT literacy influence the use of ICT by farm employees.
pi-Cation radicals and dications of metalloporphyrins.

Zinc tetraphenylporphyrin (ZnTPP) and magnesium octaethylporphyrin (MgOEP) undergo reversible oneand two-electron oxidations. Removal of the first electron by controlled potential electrolysis or by oxidation with xenon difluoride or bromine results in cation radicals whose esr spectra clearly indicate electron abstraction from the porphyrin ring. The observed hyperfine structure is assigned, with the help of deuterium labeling, to interaction of the unpaired electron with the meso protons of MgOEP+ and with the protons on the phenyl groups of ZnTPP+. Electronic absorption spectra of the radicals, dications, and of a dimer of MgOEP+ which exists at low temperatures are presented. The results of an SCF-MO study are compared with the experimental esr and optical data. These calculations suggest that a radical may occupy either of two close-lying ground states. We conclude that the ground-state symmetries of ZnTPP+ and MgOEP+ are, respectively, 2AZu and 2A1u of the D4h point group. C steps in photosynthetic and metabolic processes involve metalloporphyrin redox properties. Prior studies of heme function have stressed the redox characteristics of the central metal; s, 4 in contradistinction, primary photosynthetic events involving (I) Aspects of this work were previously presented: (a) J. Fajer. D. C. Borg. D. Dolphin. and R. H. Felton. Abstracts. 157th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society. Minneapolis, Minn . • April 1969. p 130; (b) R. H. Felton. D. Dolphin. D. C. Borg. and J. Fajer. J. A mer. Chern. Soc . • 91. 196 (1969). (2) (a) Department of Applied Science, Brookhaven National Laboratory; (b) Medical Department. Brookhaven ::-. lational Laboratory; (cl Harvard University; (d) Georgia Institute of Technology. (3) J. E. Falk, "Porphyrins and Metalloporphyrins," Elsevier Publishing Co., New York, N. Y. , 1964. (4) B. Chance, R. W. Estabrook. and T. Yonetani, Ed . • "Hemes and Hemoproteins. " Academic Press, New York, N. Y . • 1966. chlorophyll appear to depend upon ring redox properties.o· 6 A striking feature of the porphyrin ring is its ability to undergo facile reduction and oxidation. Reductions of chlorophylF and metalloporphyrins,8 dissolved in apr otic solvents. have been accomplished byelectrochemical and chemical techniques, and the results (5) B. Kok, Biochirn. Biophys. Acta, 48. 527 (1961). (6) J. Weikard, A. Muller. and H. T. Witt. Z. Natur/orsch . • 18b. 139 (1963). (7) R. H. Felton, G. W. Sherman, and H. Linschitz. Nature, 203, 631 (1964). (8) G. L. Closs and L. E. Closs. J. Arner. Chem. Soc. , 85, 818 (1963); N. Hush and J. Dodd. J. Chern. Soc . • 4601 (1964); D. Clack and N. Hush. J. Amer. Chern. Soc. , 87, 4238 (1965); R. H. Felton and H. Linschitz, ibid., 88, 1113 (1966). Fajer, Borg, Forman, Dolphin, Felton / Dications of Metalloporphyrins
Priority Scheduling in MapReduce Based on Queuing Theory

MapReduce is a programming model and an associated implementation for processing and generating large data sets. Providing MapReduce as a service is the development future trend. This paper present a queue theory based scheduling scheme for MapReduce framework. The scheme divides users into priority user and non-priority and users respectively corresponding to different queues. The scheme insures priority user has a pre-specified delay and the non-priority queue have a promised utilization ratio. At last, Experiments show the effectiveness of the scheme.
Complications of endoscopic and open carpal tunnel release

Separate questionnaires regarding surgically treated complications of endoscopic and open carpal tunnel release over a 5-year period were sent to members of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand to assess and compare major complications of the 2 procedures. Four hundred fifty-five major complications from endoscopic carpal tunnel release were treated by the 708 respondents. This included 100 median nerve lacerations, 88 ulnar nerve lacerations, 77 digital nerve lacerations, 121 vessel lacerations, and 69 tendon lacerations. There were 283 major complications from open carpal tunnel release treated by 616 respondents, including 147 median nerve lacerations, 29 ulnar nerve lacerations, 54 digital nerve lacerations, 34 vessel lacerations, and 19 tendon lacerations. Although this is a retrospective voluntary study with resultant methodologic flaws, the data support the conclusion that carpal tunnel release, be it endoscopic or open, is not a safe and simple procedure. Major, if not devastating, complications can and do occur with both procedures, of which surgeons should be ever cautious.
Effects of Patient Age, pH of Cerebrospinal Fluid, and Vasopressors on Onset and Duration of Spinal Anesthesia

&NA; Two hundred twenty‐two spinal anesthesias were administered with 10 mg. of tetracaine and 1 ml. of 10 percent dextrose to investigate the effects of vasopressors, patient age, and pH of cerebrospinal fluid on the onset and duration of spinal anesthesia. Neither the differences in overall age, cerebrospinal fluid pH, nor the addition of vasopressors had any significant effect on onset. Duration, however, was significantly prolonged by the addition of vasopressors, 53 percent prolongation by 0.2 mg. of epinephrine and 72 percent prolongation by 2 mg. of phenylephrine.
Biofilm formation and adhesive/invasive properties of Candida dubliniensis in comparison with Candida albicans

Candida dubliniensis and Candida albicans are closely related spp. exhibiting differences in their virulence potency. This study compared clinical isolates of C. dubliniensis with C. albicans from HIV patients with oropharyngeal candidiasis (OPC) and standard strains in power to form biofilm and their adhesive and invasive properties. Members of both spp. were able to form strong biofilms. However, SEM microscopy confirmed that C. albicans undergoes the more effective yeast-to-hyphae transition than C. dubliniensis with prevalent yeast form and limited ability to form filaments. Kinetic patterns indicated that while the first 30 min are critical for sufficient attachment to a polystyrene surface, adhesion to human carcinoma cell lines (Caco-2 and TR 146) needs additional time with maximal saturation observed at 240 min for both spp. The invasion process was tested on 3D RHE (reconstituted human epithelium) with Caco-2 or TR 146 on the collagen surface. C. albicans rapidly produced hyphae that penetrated the tissue layer, demonstrating substantive invasion within 21 h. In contrast, C. dubliniensis attached to the tissue surface and proliferated, suggesting the formation of a biofilm-like structure. After 21 h, C. dubliniensis was able to penetrate the RHE layer and invade unusually, with a cluster of the yeast cells.
DNA-mediated gene transfer in Friend leukemia cells by cotransfection of simian virus 40 DNA with herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase DNA

Thymidine kinase-negative Friend leukemia cells were cotransfected with simian virus 40 (SV40) DNA and thymidine kinase gene DNA of herpes simplex virus type 1. The transfected thymidine kinase-positive cells were selected in HAT medium, and SV40 T-antigen expression was observed over many months in cells cultured under selective conditions, and after adaptation to normal growth medium under nonselective conditions. It was shown by Southern blot hybridization that SV40 DNA was integrated in multiple copies in the chromosomal DNA of several clones. All SV40 DNA-containing Friend leukemia cell clones analyzed were able to undergo induced erythroid differentiation. Induced cultures still expressed SV40 T-antigen to the same extent that untreated control cultures did.
Expression of epithelial cell iron‐related genes upon infection by Neisseria meningitidis

Infection by the obligate human pathogens Neisseria meningitidis (MC) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) reduces the expression of host epithelial cell transferrin receptor 1 (TfR‐1) (Bonnah et al., 2000, Cellular Microbiology 2: 207–218). In addition, the rate and pattern of TfR‐1 cycling is altered, leading to diminished uptake of Tf‐iron by infected host cells. As Tf‐iron is important for maintaining iron homeostasis in the eukaryotic cell, these findings raised the possibility that Neisseria infection might affect further pathways of epithelial cell iron metabolism. We used a specialized cDNA microarray platform, the ‘IronChip’, to investigate the expression of genes involved in iron transport, storage and regulation. We show that mRNA expression of several host genes involved in iron homeostasis is altered. Surprisingly, the general mRNA expression profile of infected cells closely resembled that of uninfected cells grown in an iron‐limited environment. An important exception to this profile is TfR‐1, the mRNA level of which is strongly reduced. Low TfR‐1 expression may be explained in part by decreased activity of the iron‐regulatory proteins (IRPs) in MC‐infected cells, which may result in the destabilization of TfR‐1 mRNA. Intriguingly, low IRP activity contrasts with the decrease in H‐ferritin protein levels in infected cells. This finding suggests that low IRP activity may be responsible in part for the decrease in TfR‐1 mRNA levels. A discussion of these novel findings in relation to MC infection and virulence is provided.
Association of Helicobacter pylori Antioxidant Activities with Host Colonization Proficiency

ABSTRACT To assess the importance of two separate antioxidant activities in Helicobacter pylori, we tested the abilities of strains with mutations in either tpx (encoding thiolperoxidase) or ahpC (encoding alkyl hydroperoxide reductase [AhpC]) to colonize the stomachs of mice. The tpx strain was clearly more sensitive than the parent strain to both oxygen and cumene hydroperoxide. The strain colonized only 5% of the inoculated mice. Two different classes of oxygen-sensitive ahpC mutants in the type strain (ATCC 43504) were recently described (A. A. Olczak, J. W. Olson, and R. J. Maier, J. Bacteriol. 184:3186-3193, 2002). The same two classes of mutants were recovered upon ahpC mutagenesis of the mouse-adapted strain, SS1. Neither of these mutants was able to colonize mouse stomachs, whereas 78% of the mice inoculated with the parent strain became H. pylori positive.
CASPASE-8 gene polymorphisms (rs13416436 and rs2037815) are not associated with preeclampsia development in Brazilian women

Abstract Background: Preeclampsia is responsible for considerable mortality and morbidity of mother and sibling. The etiology of preeclampsia is still unknown. Family studies indicate the involvement of genes located on chromosome 2 in preeclampsia development. Considering the importance of apoptosis and chromosome 2, one promising candidate for the study of the genetic cause of this syndrome is the CASPASE-8 gene, which was chosen as the subject of this study. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the frequencies of the genotypes for CASP8 gene polymorphisms (rs13416436 and rs2037815) and to associate these with preeclampsia development in Brazilian women. Methods: Women with and without preeclampsia were investigated. Accordingly, peripheral blood was collected and DNA extracted, followed by genotyping using Real-time PCR with hydrolysis probe (Taqman® Life Technologies). Results: The results showed no association between genotypes and preeclampsia development for both polymorphisms studied (χ2 = 1.03; p = 0.59, for rs13416436 and χ2 = 1.06; p = 0.58 for rs2037815). Conclusions: It seems that CASP8 gene polymorphisms (rs13416436 and rs2037815) are not important candidates for the development of preeclampsia. Other genes related to the apoptosis process or other polymorphisms in this gene should be studied in order to understand better the etiology of preeclampsia.
Analysis of LLC resonant converter with current-doubler rectification circuit

In this paper, LLC series resonant converter with current-doubler as a rectification circuit for secondary side is proposed. The current-doubler circuit is generally used for the high voltage input and low voltage output application to get high efficiency characteristics with reduced transformer turn ratio. However, an inductive circuit is not used in a secondary side for the LLC series resonant converter generally. When there is inductive circuit like current-double on the secondary side, the resonant characteristics are changed. In this paper, LLC converter with the current-doubler using coupled inductor is proposed. We verify that the secondary side current-doubler using coupled inductor is not affect to the resonant characteristic of primary LLC by the mathematical analysis. Finally, the analysis results are proved by the simulation and experiments.
Mechanism of Immune System Based Multipath Fault Tolerant Routing Algorithm for Wireless Sensor Networks

It is significant to improve fault tolerance and transmission reliability for improving the overall performance of wireless sensor networks. Related studies on this issue become the hotspot at present. For issues that nodes fault or link quality can affect the transmission stability and reliability of the network, mechanism of immune system based multipath fault tolerant routing algorithm is presented for wireless sensor networks. Firstly, mechanism of immune system is adopted to establish the hierarchical clustering topology with superior performance of clustering compactness. Then nodes' comprehensive measurement (CM) values are calculated and the contour lines are established among cluster heads according to nodes gradient. Mechanism of immune system is applied to do the variation on the initial antibody population, namely, the multiple disjoint paths, to establish the final optimal transmission paths. Mathematical model is established to do the theoretical analysis on the performance of the algorithm. Through the simulation on the packet receiving rate, accuracy rate, and energy efficiency, the algorithm improves the transmission reliability, energy efficiency of the network, and shows superior performance of fault tolerance.
Liposome‐encapsulated dichloromethylene diphosphonate induces macrophage apoptosis in vivo and in vitro

Dichloromethylene diphosphonate (MDPCl2) encapsulated in multilamellar liposomes was selectively incorporated by macrophages, immediately transferred to lysosomes, then released from liposomes into lysosomes by enzymatic digestion of the liposomal lipid layers. From 4 h after ingesting liposome‐encapsulated MDPCl2 murine macrophages in vivo and in vitro acquired the ultrastructural features of apoptosis, such as condensed nuclear chromatin, nuclear fragmentation, cell shrinkage, and blebbing of the plasma membrane. Murine peritoneal macrophages and isolated rat Kupffer cells incubated in the medium containing liposome‐encapsulated MDPCl2 increased DNA fragmentation in a dose‐dependent manner. Electrophoretic analysis of extracted DNA from the isolated Kupffer cells showed DNA fragmentation. Another diphosphonate, Alendronate (4‐amino‐1‐hydroxybutylidene‐1,1‐diphosphonate) had less potent macrophage cytotoxicity. However, MDPCl2, Alendronate, and gadolinium chloride in solution were not cytotoxic to macrophages. These results implied that the intralysosomal accumulation of MDPCl2 generates signals to induce macrophage apoptosis. J. Leukoc. Biol. 60: 337–344; 1996.
Economic Growth, CO2 Emissions and Energy Consumption: The Case of Bangladesh

Issues on climate change have been recognized as serious challenges for regional sustainable development both at a global and local level. Given the background that most of the artificial carbon emissions are resulted from the energy consumption sector and the energy is also the key element resource for economic development, this study examines economic growth, CO2 emissions and energy consumption relationship in Bangladesh by using cointegration test. For this purpose 1972-2011 periods taken and annual data of Gross Domestic Product (Y), Carbon Dioxide Emissions (CO) and Energy Consumption (EC) are used. The obtain results from this paper indicated that energy consumption has a positive and significant impact on economic growth while carbon emission has a negative and insignificant effect, ensuring that economic growth in Bangladesh can be achieved without degrading the quality of the environment.
Privacy Issues Regarding the Application of DNNs to Activity-Recognition using Wearables and Its Countermeasures by Use of Adversarial Training

Deep neural networks have been successfully applied to activity recognition with wearables in terms of recognition performance. However, the black-box nature of neural networks could lead to privacy concerns. Namely, generally it is hard to expect what neural networks learn from data, and so they possibly learn features that highly discriminate user-information unintentionally, which increases the risk of information-disclosure. In this study, we analyzed the features learned by conventional deep neural networks when applied to data of wearables to confirm this phenomenon. Based on the results of our analysis, we propose the use of an adversarial training framework to suppress the risk of sensitive/unintended information disclosure. Our proposed model considers both an adversarial user classifier and a regular activity-classifier during training, which allows the model to learn representations that help the classifier to distinguish the activities but which, at the same time, prevents it from accessing user-discriminative information. This paper provides an empirical validation of the privacy issue and efficacy of the proposed method using three activity recognition tasks based on data of wearables. The empirical validation shows that our proposed method suppresses the concerns without any significant performance degradation, compared to conventional deep nets on all three tasks.
Classifying C2 Decision Making Jobs Using Cognitive Task Analyses and Verbal Protocol Analysis

Abstract : Weapons Directors (WDs) are cognitively complex, decision making jobs involving air traffic control of friendly assets and tracking hostiles from an airborne platform. Three cognitive task analyses (CTAs) were reviewed for WD jobs on the Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft. 230 tasks were derived from this "meta-CTA. " Nine performance categories emerged, representing a cognitive-behavioral model of the WD job domain. To test the model, 38 WDs were observed participating in a computer simulation exercise during which they verbalized aloud their thoughts. These verbal protocols were recorded, transcribed, and reduced to task statements. Using a checklist derived from the meta-CTA, subject matter experts classified each of the statements as either primarily cognitive in nature, behavioral in nature, or a combination of the two. Classifications were analyzed to determine job performance differences between experienced and inexperienced WDs. Verbal protocol analysis presents the opportunity to integrate cognitive task analyses into a job model, yielding a new classification system based on a cognitive-behavior approach. This typology for describing jobs transcends traditional job analysis and has applicability to other complex management jobs involving decision-making, problem-solving, and resource management. More research is needed to validate further the process and identify potential boundary conditions for application.
Cosmopolitanism, Assignment Duration, and Expatriate Adjustment: The Trade-Off between Well-Being and Performance

This paper questions the notion that expatriates should adjust to their host country, by showing that adjustment and its consequences are affected by cosmopolitanism and expected assignment duration. A study of 260 expatriates in the U.S. reveals that cosmopolitans expecting shorter (longer) assignments adjust more (less) to both work and non-work aspects of their host country, and that this is associated with increased well-being. In contrast, for non-cosmopolitans, more well-being occurs when longer (shorter) expected assignments are accompanied by increased (decreased) work and non-work adjustment. Further, from the findings emerges a clash between two aspects of successful expatriation - well-being and professional success: while non-work adjustment is not always associated with well-being, work adjustment is positively related to assignment performance across conditions and subjects.
Formation mechanism of a basin of attraction for passive dynamic walking induced by intrinsic hyperbolicity

Passive dynamic walking is a useful model for investigating the mechanical functions of the body that produce energy-efficient walking. The basin of attraction is very small and thin, and it has a fractal-like shape; this explains the difficulty in producing stable passive dynamic walking. The underlying mechanism that produces these geometric characteristics was not known. In this paper, we consider this from the viewpoint of dynamical systems theory, and we use the simplest walking model to clarify the mechanism that forms the basin of attraction for passive dynamic walking. We show that the intrinsic saddle-type hyperbolicity of the upright equilibrium point in the governing dynamics plays an important role in the geometrical characteristics of the basin of attraction; this contributes to our understanding of the stability mechanism of bipedal walking.
Exposure to nature gardens has time-dependent associations with mood improvements for people with mid- and late-stage dementia: Innovative practice

Exposure to green space and nature has a potential role to play in the care of people with dementia, with possible benefits including improved mood and slower disease progression. In this observational study at a dementia care facility in the UK, we used carer-assessed measures to evaluate change in mood of residents with mid- to late-stage dementia following exposure to a nature garden. We found that exposure to nature was associated with a beneficial change in patient mood. There was a non-linear relationship between time spent outdoors and mood outcome. Improvements in patient mood were associated with relatively short duration exposures to nature, and no additional measureable increases in mood were found with exposures beyond 80–90 minutes duration. Whilst further investigation is required before causality can be determined, these results raise important questions for policy about the integration of outdoor space into the design of dementia care facilities and programmes.